AmericaxReader: A Song for the New Year

As always, you took your daily stroll through the busy and crowded streets of Waikiki, Hawaii. It was unusual to see so many people crowded in this time of year; you would expect this kind of crowding in a place where it was frigid and snowy.

Well, you didn't have anything to complain about! After all, more people meant more tips! As you finally arrived at your reserved portion of the street, you kneeled down and took your case-covered acoustic guitar off from your back. You grinned as you took in the guitar's different scents of wood as you unzipped the case. The guitar has been hand-made for you by your grandfather four years ago. Ever since then, you vowed to show your appreciation to your grandfather by strumming the strings of the guitar.

A smile ran across your face as you laid the strap of the guitar on your (l/y) shoulder and adjusted the tuners to your preference. After adjusting, you quickly scanned your sheet music of the "Carol of the Bells." Five minutes later, you finally strummed the strings of the guitar, producing a deep and sonorous sound. In no time, crowds of all kinds of people stayed in the area to watch you play; some were even dropping off money in your case! You happily kept playing with a bright, inviting smile on your face until you finally decided to take a break to switch songs.

As you were flipping through your music sheets, you failed to realize that the "Legend of Zelda" theme song was being pushed out of your hand by the wind. When you noticed the sheet flying away, you were too late; in result, the wind led the sheet to a handsome, yet young man.

He seemed to have sandy-blonde hair as well as a ridiculous cowlick on the side of his head. Behind his glass specs, he had sapphire eyes that seemed to match the blue waters of Hawaii. His black hoodie was lined with yellow matching with the cute, little calligraphy of the word "hero" on the left side of his clothing. The man's black, baggy jeans matched his hoodie as well as his yellow and black sneakers.

When you finished observing his appearance, you found him struggling to swipe the music sheet with his hands.

"Oh come on! You know you want to get into my grasp!" He exclaimed with a frustrating tone. With a chuckle, you walked up to the loud tourist and caught the paper before he could attempt more.

"Thanks for attempting to help me." You thanked, laughing very hard.

The man laughed loudly, "You're welcome! A hero will always take any challenge that comes up to him!"  

"A hero, huh? Well, the hero has a name, so he should give it!" You requested.

"The hero's name is Alfred Jones!" He exclaimed. Alfred… he sounds more like a butler than a super hero.

"My name's (Y/N). It's nice to meet you Alfred!" You said, lifting your hand up. He shook your hand very hard, as expected from a loud possible jock.  

"It's nice to meet you, (Y/N)!" The American said after shaking your hand. You nervously smiled as he did so. Once you explained that you had to go back to your station to play your guitar, he immediately informed you that he was a guitarist as well. With a curious look on your face, you asked how experienced he was. From what he told you, he seemed to be on the same level as you.  Eventually, you went on to ask why he came to Hawaii. Turns out, he was here because he was transferring to a performing arts school, the same one you attended. When you arrived at your spot, you asked to him play. With a smile, he gladly accepted your request.

He took off his own case-covered guitar off of his shoulders and started playing "Rolling Girl" by Hatsune Miku with a smile on his handsome face. You sat back and listened to his fantastic music. It was weird, the sounds that the guitar made were identical to yours; not to mention, that his guitar looked exactly like yours. Now that you looked more at Alfred, he seemed familiar to you. You shook your head and got yourself straightened out. There's no way that you met this guy earlier in your life!

After he finished your first song, you decided to join him by playing as well. With a grin on your face, you enjoyed every minute of playing with Alfred. More tips came rolling in as you two played. It was… a delightful and joyful experience for both of you. After you guys finished the medley, you split the tips by half.

"It was fun. Thanks for playing with me, but I got to run." You said, packing up your guitar.

"Hey, I would love to play with a fellow guitarist!" He exclaimed, also packing up. A short pause took place after he said that statement. Finally he asked, "Can I have your number?"

"Sure." You replied. Alfred and you took out your phones and exchanged numbers. After the exchanging, you guys said goodbyes to each other and walked opposite directions.

Over the week, you went back to your reserved place in the streets of Waikiki. Every time you came, Alfred was there as well. You and Alfred played medleys together, enjoying each other's presence. Every day, Alfred's playing reminded you of someone back in your childhood, however you couldn't put your finger on it.

----------New Year's Day----------

You were back at your usual place, as expected, Alfred was there too. With a smile, you greeted him as you unpacked your guitar.

"So, what're going to play today?" You asked, adjusting your tuners.

"Well, I'm going to play for us today! You can sit back and relax, dude!" Alfred exclaimed. You lifted your eyebrow in curiosity.

"Are you sure? We get more tips that way, y'know?"  

"Really, you don't have to play yours for this song, dude!" Alfred said, laughing. You did as he said and at back on a bench, chewing some (f/f) gum.

After adjusting his own tuners, he strummed his cords to a familiar song that brought back your memory.

It was third of March, you and Alfred were hanging out in the park as always. From the looks of it, you and Alfred must have been fourteen when this event happened. In the distance, you and Alfred saw your grandpa coming with two case-covered guitars in his hands. With questioning looks, you and Alfred ran up to him, wondering what he was holding.

"What's with the guitars, Gramps?" You and Alfred asked.

"Well, I was playing around with wood, and this was the result." Gramps replied. "Since I don't have anything to do with these, I thought I might as well give them to you two!"  

With a sparkle in you and Alfred's eyes, you guys were given the guitars. From that point forward, you and Alfred vowed to make your grandpa proud by strumming cords. Every day, you and Alfred practiced each and every day; however, you guys were separated when Alfred was forced to move. You never thought you'd forget Alfred, but you did thanks to the new friends that have approached you after he left. Although you forgot about Alfred, you never forgot the melody that you and Alfred written together.

The tune had not only the same notes and pitches, but also new lyrics added into it. You could make out what Alfred was saying perfectly. Something along the lines of "Happy New Year," "I love you," and "Be my girlfriend." You chuckled, assuming that it was a cheesy love song added to the lyrics to attract more customers; however, you were soon proven wrong.

After Alfred finished the song he turned to you with a smile on his face.

"So, did you like it, bro?" Alfred asked, scratching the back of his neck.

"Yea, I do." You replied with a smile on your face. "I can feel the emotion and work put into the lyrics. Did you write it for someone you liked?"

"Oh, so you noticed?" Alfred laughed. "Can you guess who I wrote it for?"

You shrugged, thinking about who he wrote it for.

"Is it for that British girl that we met in grade school?" You guessed. With that, you revealed to him that you remembered who he was. Alfred only chuckled and walked closer to you.

"Of course not!" Alfred wrapped an arm around you.

"W-What the hell are you d-doing?!" You asked with a visible blush on your face.

"I'm telling you who I wrote the song for, and I wrote it for you." Alfred said, leaning his face closer to yours. Before you could say anything else, Alfred mashed his tender lips to your lips as the bright, loud fireworks took place for New Years. Since it was a bit sudden, you didn't know how to react; but, you eventually eased into the kiss. It was only a quick kiss, but you managed to taste the smokiness of his hamburger in it. You and Alfred pulled away from each other even though he was a bit reluctant to do so.

"So, is that a yes?" Alfred asked with a smile across his lips.

"Sure, why not?" You replied. The crowd of people that was around you guys all said 'awww' at the same time.

-------------------- Somewhere in the Future in the busy streets of Waikiki --------------------

You yawned as you looked over your sheet music for Alfred. You wondered what you would play today, although you also had Alfred's sheet music too. You were in the mood for something catchy today, but you didn't know any catchy songs. You turned your head to Alfred, who was adjusting his tuners.

"Alfred, what's the catchiest song you know?" You asked, yawning. With a thinking face turned on, Alfred looked up at the skies and thought about what kind of song he would play. He finally got the right song to play as he stood up and strummed his guitar. You chuckled as you recognized the song; it was the Badger Song. Over and over, Alfred repeated the word "badger" until the occasional "mushroom" and "snake" came into the song. Yes, he did have a lot of weird looks for the playing the unusual song, but it did attract more tips! People were dancing and singing along to the tune. You just facepalmed and decided to record the whole thing.