AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Welcome to my new story. The main pairings will be romanada and spamano with some one-sided prucan (likely to be some gerita, aushun, and maybe some others too). All future author's notes will be at the bottom of the chapters and I kindly ask that you all at least read them. If any warnings are needed for a certain chapter they will be at the top.

*small spoiler!*
Word of warning: the main focus of this story is cheating. There is lots of swearing and it's likely that later on there will be some fighting and mentions of blood as well.

I'm only putting one big disclaimer at the beginning of the story: I don't own Hetalia nor the characters. I don't own any of the songs, bands OR dining establishments mentioned. The only thing that is mine is the writing and the plot! Thank you and please enjoy!

The constant fighting, the bickering night and day. The back and forth yelling. Matthew knew it all well, too well even. He covered his ears to muffle the sounds and sighed loudly.

His parents had brought him to this stupid island three weeks ago, intending to repair their broken marriage with a nice family oriented vacation. Instead, it had been a constant cage match, the fighting had increased drastically with few moments of peace.

Matthew tried to stay out of the way as much as possible, hoping to avoid having to choose a side. Since his decision to give them time alone to sort out their differences, he had largely spent most of his time outside, exploring the dense forestry that bordered the island.

His intentions were the same that day as he pulled on his sneakers, sliding his cell phone into his back pocket as he kicked the toe of his shoe against the ground.

"I'm going now!" Matthew called, plucking his navy blue hoodie from the small coat rack.

"No! You listen to ME! I've told you a million times!" His mother shrieked from the kitchen. Her shrill voice amplified through the small space.

Matthew suppressed the urge to roll his eyes as he left the house, pulling the door quietly shut behind him.

They had rented a small summer home from one of the local families, The Jones, cheap and affordable but visibly so.

Matthew made his way slowly down the deserted dirt road, the only other house in sight was that of the family they were renting from, located in the opposite direction he was headed.

Throughout his entire exploration he had yet to see another person his age or even remotely close to it. Of course, he wasn't actually looking very hard in the first place. If he was looking for people he would have headed towards the center of the island, where the mainlands were located.

Matthew heaved another small sigh as he veered off the dirt road and made his way toward the trees that lined the beginning of the forest. He picked his way carefully from there, hopping up onto visible roots and taking care not to step anywhere that could cause an unwanted and unexpected slip. As clumsy as he was on study flat ground, Matthew knew the forest was nothing more than a tragic accident waiting to happen.

He wandered through the trees, stopping occasionally to watch the wildlife frolic. He could hear the faint sound of the ocean waves. The air was chilly though the sun shone brightly, and Matthew was glad he had brought his hoodie. He swatted mosquitoes away from his bare calves, realizing he probably should have worn his long jeans instead of his dark capris.

Matthew squinted at a small patch of sunlight that broke through a gap between two trees. Curious, he headed towards it, his slender build sliding through the narrow space easily.

He emerged from the trees into an open area, flat rocks made up the ground and lead far out before suddenly dropping a few feet, where the edge of the water began. The sun shone brightly and reflected against the smooth surface of the ocean.

Matthew took a few steps away from the trees, starring wide eyed at the breathtaking sight. As he moved, Matthew could see little puddles of water in the cracks of the rocks and he stopped to examine one. He realized, in surprise, little fish were swimming in the confined pools.

He watched a fish swim back and forth, dipping lower before it disappeared into the shadows near the bottom. He shuddered, shaking his head, fish were weird and he liked them better as far away from himself as possible.

Matthew stood up and looked out over the water, stretching as he did so. All at once here was a splash at his feet and an empty feeling in his back pocket. Dread pooled in his stomach as he turned and looked into the dense rock pool.

"Oh no," Matthew murmured, dropping to his knees on the rocks. "Oh no, no, no!"

Sitting at the bottom of the pool was his phone, barely visible through the shadows. He watched in horror as the little fish swam back and forth across the area.

"Oh please no." Matthew whispered, pulling his sleeve up to his elbow. He reached forward, his hand hesitated over the water before he slowly dipped it in, whining slightly as he watched the fish.

He turned his head away and squeezed his eyes tightly, slowly reaching lower while skirting his fingers carefully for his phone. The icy water made his skin tingle and he shivered.

Something slimy slithered against his arm and Matthew shrieked, wrenching his hand out of the water as quickly as he could. He gripped his wrist tightly - as though something had burned him instead of just brushing against him, and looked into the pool, searching for the offender.

"Hey, are you okay?"

A deep voice penetrated Matthew's concentration and he glanced up. Two men stood hardly a few feet from him. Matthew was surprised he hadn't heard them approaching, what with their size and the heavy boots they both wore.

Matthew shook his head, his eyebrows turned up in slight distress. "I dropped my phone."

"Into the tide pool?" The smaller one, with hair that appeared to be dyed near white and a devilish grin that made Matthew feel like he was being excluded from some sort of inside joke, said. "Why would you do that? Might as well have just tossed it into the water over there!"

He cackled loudly and slapped the other man on the shoulder. The other, bigger with clearly defined muscles and blonde hair gelled back, rolled his eyes and shoved the man away from him.

He stepped forward and looked into the tide pool. He knelt down, across from Matthew and reached fearlessly into the water.

Matthew leaned forward, eager to get his phone back, all the while praying it would still work.

"So why did you scream?" The first man asked, now standing behind the other as he dipped his hand lower, the water was already above his elbow, edging closer to his shoulder.

"Oh," Matthew could feel the heat rising to his cheeks, "Well, I felt something touch my arm and it freaked me out."

The man snorted and laughed again, covering his mouth with his hand.

Matthew gave him a small glare and the man grinned back at him, waving his hand. "Sorry, sorry. I didn't mean to laugh!" He tried to look apologetic, but he couldn't hide the smile that played at his lips.

"Got it!" The tall blond man's hand shot into the air suddenly as water splashed around them.

Matthew quickly shifted closer, peeking over the man's hands as he spoke. "Is it broken? Does it still work?"

He pressed the power button at the top of the phone and they all waited in silence for something to happen.

The screen remained black as water continued to drip from the device.

Matthew let out a small breath he hadn't even realized he'd been holding.

"My mom is going to kill me." He said softly, staring forlornly down at the phone.

"That's shitty, kiddo." The first man eased his hands into his sweater pocket and rocked back onto his heels.

The blond carefully set the phone into Matthew's hands, smiling sheepishly down at him. "Sorry." His deep voice was surprisingly gentle.

"It's not your fault. I'm the one that dropped it." Matthew gave him a small smile back. "Thanks for helping me though."

"No problem, uh..." The blond hesitated, his eyebrows pulling up in sudden concentration. "I don't think we got your name?"

Matthew's cheeks flushed, his usual shyness crept back with full force. "Oh, I'm Matthew. Matthew Williams."

The blond nodded sympathetically, looking as though introductions made him feel equally uncomfortable. "Nice to meet you, Matthew. I'm Ludwig and this is my brother-"

"The AWESOME GILBERT BEILSCHMIDT!" Gilbert gave him a cheeky grin, winking as he spoke.

Ludwig pursed his lips - clearly this wasn't the first time Gilbert had pulled such an introduction - before turning his attention and to Matthew and smiling apologetically.

"As I was saying, this is Gilbert, my older brother." Ludwig stood up and Matthew followed suit, drying his phone off with his hoodie sleeves.

"Nice to meet you." Matthew smiled.

Gilbert cocked his head to the side and smirked. "Of course it is. We're the best this island has to offer."

Matthew raised his eyebrows and his mouth fell open, forming a small 'o'.

Ludwig rubbed his temples and sighed. "Can we please try to not scare him away, Gilbert? I would very much enjoy making a friend."

"You want to be my friend?" Matthew blurted in surprise. Both men turned and stared at him with raised eyebrows, surprised by his sudden outburst. Matthew ducked his head in embarrassment.

Mathew had friends back in his hometown, but not many. He was comfortable with his small group and no one ever approached him with the intention of becoming his friend.

"How old are you, anyway?" Gilbert asked, his hands resting on his hips as he looked Matthew up and down.

"O-oh," Matthew hesitated, hoping they wouldn't mind his age. "I'm seventeen."

Ludwig grinned, looking slightly relieved and excited. His smile was almost childlike, innocent and honest. "You're the same age as me."

Matthew glanced up at him with raised eyebrows, realizing the height difference between them. "Really?"

Ludwig chuckled slightly and bopped his head. "Yeah, I'm seventeen, almost eighteen."

"How old are you?" Matthew asked, turning toward Ludwig's brother.

Gilbert shifted and gave a careless shrug of his shoulders. "I'm nineteen."

"Cool," Matthew chirped, unsure of how to respond. Gilbert gave him a sly grin.

"Did you just move here?" Ludwig asked casually.

"No," Matthew shook his head, "I came here on vacation with my parents."

"How long are you here for?" Gilbert asked.

"We've been here for a few weeks. But I'm leaving in a couple of days, actually." Matthew said.

"Well that's shitty." Gilbert pouted, crossing his arms. "We just met you and you're leaving."

"You've been here a couple of weeks?" Ludwig asked, surprised. "Have you been hiding this whole time?"

Matthew waved a hand vaguely around them, toward the forest. "I was exploring actually."

"Find anything interesting?" Ludwig asked.

"Just you two." Matthew said, smiling timidly.

They chuckled quietly before Gilbert suddenly straightened up.

"Hey, I have an idea!" His voice wasn't as deep as Ludwig's but it held a slightly scratchy edge to it, Matthew decided he liked the sound. "Why don't you come to this big bonfire party our friend is having tomorrow night?"

Matthew looked between them. Gilbert looked excited and Ludwig was nodding his head in agreement. "That's actually a good idea, Gilbert."

"A party?" Matthew bit his lip, wondering if his mom would let him go. "I don't know..."

"Please?" Gilbert pleaded eagerly, "It'll be fun, I promise! We'll introduce you to our friends and you'll get to meet a bunch of the locals."

"It will be a lot of fun," Ludwig added, "And I'm sure everyone will like you."

Matthew continued to worry his lip. "I could ask my parents. They shouldn't really have any problem with it."

"Great!" Gilbert cheered. "Here, I'll give you all the details!"

AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Tedious beginning, I know. I just wanted to get things set up for the party Mattie's heading to with the locals where he meets someone interesting, wink wink.

I wrote this months ago so the writing style might change slightly around the middle of chapter three.

Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy.