Washed Up On the Shore (Hetalia Fanfic)

Chapter 1~*~

Matthew's POV~

Summer vacation was always the greatest time in the world for me. There was no work, no annoying family ordeals to attend to, no prior commitments that would hold me back from doing whatever I wanted to do.  

"But where to go this year?" I wondered aloud, though there wasn't anyone around to offer their two cents. When I wasn't being bugged by my family (my large family, might I add), I tended to keep to myself. After all, it wasn't like I had a girlfriend or even any close friends who talked to me on a regular basis. Solitude seemed to be a constant in my life, and I was comfortable in that.  

'I haven't been back to the beach house in a while; heck, not since I was a teenager! That's been, what? Eight years since I last stayed there? That sounds nice...'  

And my decision was made.  

~*~ 

Don't go jumping to conclusions, now. The beachfront where I went isn't the white sandy beaches everyone sees in the movies, especially the ones my brother makes. He's a movie director and producer, but more on that eventually.  

The beach was fairly rocky in most parts and had dark sand everywhere else. I wasn't disappointed by this, though. I actually prefer beaches like this one because there's more to explore and do.  

The day I arrived was overcast and slightly stormy at the coast, so I hurried to put all my luggage inside and get settled in. Everything was working, thankfully; the electricity, the water, the heat, and most of all the coffee pot (to be used to make tea in, though). Yes, everything was the way it should be. 

"Glad to see some things in life don't change very often," I said to myself. 'Well, better get Kuma from the car.' 

I had to coax my huge white Husky out of the car by offering him his favorite maple-flavored dog treats, but he came inside before the rain picked up, thankfully. He sat there in the entryway, a string of chunky drool dangling from his large jowls, when I patted the top of his head and looked around at the warmly-lit cabin before us.  

"Yep, this vacation is exactly what we need, eh?" I glanced down at Kuma, who met my gaze. I gave him a funny look and then ran for the couch, Kuma right on my heels. I flopped down first and he bore down on top of me, practically crushing me under his weight.  

"No television, no phones, no Internet, no worries," I said, lifting my beloved pet's face up and pecking him on the cold, wet nose.  

~*~ 

A storm picked up that night and woke Kuma, which was truly the only reason why I would have experienced any part of it. I was a heavy sleeper and have slept through parties, thunderstorms with lightning, even those exceptionally loud action movies Alfred always tried to get me hooked on. If they were his movies, I'd watch them out of sheer politeness, but that tended to be it.  

"Kuma, Kuma! Calm down, shh!" I tried petting him, rubbing his back, and hugging him to stop his incessant whining, but hardly anything worked! He was just too worked up over the thunder. "It's okay, boy! Shh!" 

The windowpanes rattled with the force of the thunder, and the otherwise dark room was lit up by a bolt of lightning. Kuma shrieked and darted for the bedroom, burrowing under the bed in fear. I sighed and went after him, dragging him back out by the collar (no easy task) so I could climb into bed and cuddle him so he'd feel safer. It seemed to work, because once the noise died down he fell asleep like nothing had happened, leaving me to happily follow suit.  

~*~ 

"Come on, boy, you wanna go see what's out there? You wanna explore?" I cooed, trying to entice Kuma into coming outside with me. He lifted his great big head and just looked at me with an expression that said "Do I look like a baby to you?"