I don't own Hetalia or Always the Quiet Ones by Brad Kavanagh. Wow, so this is my first Hetalia oneshot where I know what I'm doing and I'm only using cannon characters! (Well, one of them is fem, so does that count as cannon? Let's just pretend that it does . . .) It's also sort of a song fic, but maybe we can just ignore that bit, alright? Thanks and please enjoy Always the Quiet Ones.

Always the Quiet Ones

I looked across the room I saw an angel

I was staring no doubt

A picture of pure innocence

Her smile took my eye off the crowd

Gilbert Beilschmidt, known to his close friends as the awesome-yet-dissolved country of Prussia, was at an event being held by one of his friend's boss. The man had decided to invite everyone over for some sort of very un-awesome party in which Gilbert was forced to wear an equally un-awesome suit. A suit. With a bowtie. A purple bowtie. Oh the embarrassment.

He sat down at a table near the back of the room, waiting for the gathering to be over. When he glanced up, he saw someone he didn't recognize sitting across the room. She had a halo of golden hair, and from what he could tell she looked like an angel. And when she smiled at something Gilbert either didn't hear or didn't see, it took his breath away.

Maybe it was time to go over and introduce himself to this angelic girl. At the very least he could get her phone number. Hey, nations could get a date too.

Lost in a desire

I never saw the fire inside

The skeletons are out

I need someone to help me now

Gilbert sat down beside the girl –who he now noticed was clad in a pale, shimmering gown paired with glasses, of all things –and grinned at her. She didn't seem to notice he was there, which was a little bit insulting. How could someone not notice the awesomeness that was him?

"Hello," he smirked. "I'm Gilbert, also known as the awesome Prussia. And who might you be?"

The girl turned to him, surprise written on her face even as she smiled at him. It wasn't too big of a smile, just a twist of her pale pink lips, but it was enough to stop his heart for a second or two.

"I know who you are," she said softly. "I'm Maddie, also known as Canada. It's see to meet you again."

Again? What was Maddie talking about? Gilbert asked her, and was surprised when she let out a soft laugh. Had he been paying attention to something other than how cute she was, he probably would've noticed the gleam in her eyes as she looked at him.

"Well, we actually met a while ago," she explained. "But I'm not surprised you forgot me. Everyone does sooner or later. Most of the time it's sooner. I'm like a ghost no one sees."

"Well, we should do something to fix that, ja?" Gilbert asked. "Maybe if we just took you to the front of the room, got everyone's attention, and announced 'This is Canada!' really loud, then they would remember you."

Maddie laughed. "I don't think that would work, Gilbert. But thanks for the offer."

"Well, if you won't let me help with that, then maybe you'd let me take you out after this very un-awesome party is over?" he tried.

Please say yes, please say yes, please say yes.

"Only if you want to," Maddie shrugged. "It could be fun."

Gilbert grinned a mile wide. "Of course it will be fun; the awesome me will be there!"

I'm caught up in a world

Where I wish I never opened my door

I try to break away but

I know I'll only be back for more

It didn't take long after their first date for Gilbert to realize that he was basically putty in the girl's hands.

It wasn't his fault. At least, that's what he kept telling himself. Besides, how could anyone say no to this girl? Maddie was almost as awesome as he was, and coming from him that said a lot. It didn't help much that he was a total sucker for puppy dog eyes.

"Gil! Look at this," Maddie instructed as they walked down the street. She had stopped at a window of a store that sold clothes with the Canadian flag on them. "This is amazing! I didn't think there would be a place like this!"

Gilbert smiled at the look on her face. It was part pride, part awe, and part excitement. Heaving a sigh, he dragged her inside, knowing she wouldn't actually ask him to go in. Maddie was very good at the subtle art of convincing others to do something without actually asking them to do it. She would just give hints to what she wanted, like showing him the store window to tell him she wanted to go inside.

Maddie darted around the store, her violet eyes aglow, while Gilbert just stood near the entrance, amused at her reaction. He knew it was too late to go back to how he had been before he met her. He used to be carefree and wild, but now he was a bit more tied down. Sometimes he wished he could be like that again, but he knew he'd never abandon her.

After Maddie bought an adorable little maple leaf dress and a matching scarf, the couple left the store. Gilbert ended up carrying the bag, even though Maddie swore up and down that she didn't want him to. They walked down the street, Gilbert's free arm wrapped around Maddie's shoulder. She grinned at him, and the smile almost stopped his heart.

Yep, there was no way he could leave her now.

Your pleasure's in my pain

Wouldn't have it any other way

She's the devil in disguise

She's fooling me with angel eyes

After a few weeks, Gilbert started to notice a pattern with Maddie. Sure, she was nice and sweet all the time, but every time someone forgot who she was or didn't see her, she fell into a slight depression. But then came the day that Gilbert found a way to cheer her up. And it happened by complete accident.

"Watch out!" she cried as he tripped over something. It might've been a tree root or a rock, but he wasn't exactly concerned with that as he face-planted in the dirt.

"Ow," he groaned, rolling over onto his side. When the albino man glanced up, he saw Maddie standing over him, her hand over her mouth.

"Are you alright?" she giggled, all traces of sadness wiped from her face.

"I'm fine," Gilbert managed, struggling to his feet.

Once he was standing, he noticed that Maddie was still giggling. She wasn't sad at all. And after a few minutes passed, she hadn't gone back to being upset. Huh. Who would've thought that him getting slightly hurt would cheer Maddie up? The girl may have looked like an angel, but Gilbert knew that she had a bit of devil in her.

She shuts me down

Takes the air outta me

I'm falling fast

And I'm starting to see

As time went on, Gilbert was falling for Maddie, and falling fast. He knew without a shadow of a doubt that he was in love with her. And that kind of scared him. He had never been in love before, and he wasn't sure how to act.

Maddie came over to his place one afternoon and stopped in her tracks as she saw the living room. What had Gilbert done to his house? Seriously, she left him alone for two days and it looked like he went insane. The entire room was covered in red and white with maple leaves everywhere.

"Happy awesome birthday, Birdie!" Gilbert shouted, jumping out from behind the couch. His little yellow bird, affectionately named Gilbird, was sitting in his platinum hair, chirping 'happy birthday.'

Maddie flushed a bright pink. She hadn't known that Gilbert remembered her birthday. She had been certain he would think it was a few days away –aka her brother's birthday. Gil strode over to her, a huge grin on his face.

"So, what does the awesome birthday girl want to do on her awesome birthday?" he inquired.

Maddie picked up Kuma-what's-her-name while she was thinking. What would she want to do on her birthday? Gilbert watched her face as she considered the question, noticing how she tilted her head to a certain angle as thoughts flew through her mind. He knew her well enough now to know her habits. When she finally came to a decision, she pushed her glasses back onto the bridge of her nose, just like she always did.

"Maybe we could watch a movie?" she suggested. "I'll make pancakes or popcorn."

"Popcorn," Gilbert said quickly. Pancakes were great, but they didn't go well with movies.

Once Maddie was done making the snacks and the movie had been picked out –not really a movie per say, seeing as it was the first season of Maddie's favorite show –the couple settled down on the couch together.

At some point Gilbert noticed that Maddie had fallen asleep while basically laying on him. He smiled to himself at the awesomely adorable scene in front of him. Why was it that Maddie never seemed to believe him when he told her she was beautiful?

I am in too deep

She's controlling me

Didn't I hear my mother say

It's always the quiet ones

At the next world meeting, Maddie and Gilbert ended up getting separated thanks to the new seating arrangement that Japan came up with: guys on one side, girls on the other. Well, it was more like 'girls sit with the other girls and the guys fill in wherever.' Gilbert could've sat beside Maddie, but America, being the annoying brother he was, decided to keep his sister away from 'the creepy invader guy.' And Maddie didn't like it. Not one bit.

"Hey, Al? Can you switch seats with Gil?" she whispered to him.

"Huh? Why would you want to sit next to that guy? He's creepy!" American said, glancing at the albino man beside him.

"Maybe, but I'd like to sit beside him," Maddie explained.

"What?! But why would you want to sit beside him when you could sit beside me?! Am I not good enough to sit beside, hm?"

Everyone turned their heads to see who America was yelling at. What they saw was a mousy girl who looked a bit like a female France trying to shrink in her seat. Who was she? Why was he yelling at her?

"Um, America-san?" Japan asked, breaking the silence. "Who are you yerring at and why?"

America stopped his rant long enough to glance back at the Japanese man.

"Oh, sorry dude, I was just trying to ask Canada why she wants to sit beside Prussia instead of me, the hero," America grinned.

Maddie frowned at him. "And I told you it was because I wanted to! Besides, Gil isn't a bad guy."

"He's creepy!" America insisted. "Yo, England, back me up on this. Prussia is a creep and I shouldn't let Candy near him, right?"

"Who?"

America and Maddie both sighed, America because he'd have to explain his point again and Maddie because her brother called her 'Candy' again. He knew she hated that nickname.

"Canada, my twin sister, wants to sit beside Prussia, aka Mr. Creepy Freak. That's, like, bad, right? He might try something totally sick and I'm not cool with that, bro."

"Oh," England deadpanned. Since when did America have a sister? "Um, if Canada wants to sit beside the bloke, then I suppose you should let her."

"Thanks Britain," Maddie said with a small smile.

"Though," England interrupted as if she hadn't spoken "it is Prussia we're talking about. Maybe it would be a good idea if you kept her away from him. He's almost like France, in a way."

"HEY!" both France and Gilbert cried in unison. "I'm nothing like him!"

"Well, you kinda are, dudes," America rationalized. "You just go about it different."

"What is that supposed to mean?" France demanded.

"It's not important," America avoided. "All you need to know is that I'm right. Candy is fine because I'm the hero."

"Stop it!" Gilbert demanded, getting to his feet. "Leave Maddie alone, alright? She is an awesome woman who is capable of making her own decisions and she doesn't need your approval."

Just as someone –probably America –was about to argue, someone else spoke up. The voice was quiet, but everyone eventually figured out that it was Maddie.

"Gil's right," she said, standing up as well. "I can make my own choices. Had anyone been paying attention over the last year or so, you might've noticed that we're dating."

"YOU'RE WHAT?!" America yelled in shock. "Since when?!"

"I just told you," Maddie whispered. "We've been dating for about a year."

"Come on Birdie," Gilbert said, taking her hand and gently tugging her away from her annoying brother. "Let's go. They can be un-awesome jerks by themselves."

Maddie scooped up Kumachiki or whatever her name was and walked out of the room with her boyfriend, leaving everyone to wonder what had actually just happened. Once the couple was outside the meeting room, Gilbert turned to Maddie.

"You know, you're pretty controlling," he mused with a smirk.

"I am not!" Maddie protested light-heartedly, gently pushing him into the wall.

"Oh please, you can make anyone close to you do anything. If you tried, you could probably take over the meetings using your undeniable puppy eyes. And not only that, but you're also beautiful and amazing and just generally awesome. And I should know, seeing as I'm also awesome," Gilbert rationalized.

Maddie blushed at his words. "You're just saying that."

Gilbert shook his head. "No, I'm serious. It would be really un-awesome of me to lie about that."

After a few seconds of just standing there, smiling at each other, the two joined hands again and walked out of the building. The street was nearly empty, save the two of them. Maddie would be forgotten by the others by tomorrow, if that, but she didn't care right then. She was just glad someone wouldn't forget her. And that someone was Gilbert Beilschmidt, the awesome dissolved country of Prussia.

Gilbert looked down at the angelic blonde who had stolen his heart without even knowing it. How had someone as shy as her managed to get him to fall in love? As they made their way down the street, Gilbert remembered something someone had told him a long time ago.

It's always the quiet ones.

Tada! This isn't exactly what it had started out as, but I think its okay. Is it? I know that the parts don't have a lot to do with their lyric-pairings, but it was all I could think of. Thanks for reading!

~C