I MEANT TO UPLOAD THIS YESTERDAY I'M SORRY DX

Disclaimer: I do not own ANY of the characters here. This was a request for CryingForLostFaith, and Crystal is her OC. 2P!Canada (or "Matt") belongs to Himaruya Hidekaz's Hetalia. Song is "Speed of Sound" by Coldplay. Rated T for potty mouth. Happy birthday, CryingForLostFaith! I hope you enjoy, luv! ~

Mystery Girl

Matt was well known throughout the town as being quite… Reclusive. Whispers were passed from accusing lips to curious ears of rumors that he was an escaped criminal. A murderer. A child abuser. A thief. A drunkard. The rumors pass from parent to child, husband to wife, sibling to sibling, friend to friend, even teacher to student.

"I heard he lived in a log cabin with wolves!"

"Momma told me he was strong enough to lift a car – with people in it!"

"Well, I heard that he was a crook!"

"He steals liquor from the stores and attacks the storekeepers!"

"I think I saw a WANTED poster of him on the news somewhere!"

Naturally, things go from bad to worse when rumors are involved. Of course, Matt knew about all of these. Well, to an extent. He noticed that the mothers that he passed would usher their frightened children to their arms and stare at him, as if afraid. Men looked at him with narrowed eyes and clenched muscles, and employees at stores would be shaky when they handed him change. But who the hell cares? He hated people anyway. This was one of the reasons why. They were too damn naïve. So he stayed away. He also just happened to look somewhat like a grumpy bear who was awoken too early from his hibernation.

He spent as much time as he could away from that stupid town and lived in a tiny log cabin in the woods that surrounded the bustling city. And no, he did not live there with a pack of feral wolves. He lived completely alone – just the way he liked it. Away from idiots.

And now, as he stood in the mirror, staring at his reflection with his signature look that appeared to be a hybrid of boredom and irritation, he couldn't help but feel absolutely no remorse whatsoever. At least this way he didn't have to put up with anyone. He took off his shirt slowly and patiently, and examined his extremely muscular bare chest, and the three long diagonal scars that cut across the pale skin harshly. He raised an eyebrow and kept examining through his sunglasses at the sullen-looking reflection and let his thoughts wander.

He always loved seclusion. It never bothered him that he rarely spoke a word to anyone, or that he usually spent most of his day idly when he wasn't working. It's not like he really had a choice – hauling that hefty amount of lumber really took a toll on a body after so long. He had to relax afterwards. And the sounds of the birds and the leaves dancing in the wind and the occasional wolf howling was all he needed to relax.

But that wasn't the only sound that he heard. On occasion, around the same time of day, he would hear something else. Someone, to be precise. Someone singing. At first, he bristled at the sound, angry, believing someone was toying with him. But the sound was so sweet, so pure, and so rich that he just couldn't help but relax into his chair ever so slightly and close his eyes. It was far off, so he would open his window at five o'clock every evening so he could hear it better. Not long after, he would hear it. It was a female voice, and it sounded like a younger woman. He assumes that it's someone from town who loves the woods just as much as he does, or someone who wants to be alone.

But no matter how much he wanted to, he never wanted to try and find this mystery girl. Because he knew she would run away like everyone else. And he didn't want to lose her singing voice every evening. The words were obscured by distance, but the sound was still beautiful. He just had to meet this person. While he'd rather slit his throat with a chainsaw than admit it, he was almost intoxicated by the sound. As if he was slowly falling for this unknown singer. He would be in a bad mood all day if he couldn't hear the songs, and he would make sure he wasn't doing anything that would obstruct the noise at the time. He almost smiled at the sound. Almost blushed. And yet, he had no clue who this person was. They must be daring if they chose to come close enough to be heard to his cabin. Either that, or they had yet to hear a rumor about him. Which was also unusual.

In fact, this is what he was waiting for now. He stood silently, waiting for the song. He adjusted his sunglasses that rested on the top of his head, getting slightly impatient. And as he scuffed the ground with his boot lightly, he heard it.

The beautiful singing.

He closed his eyes to hear it better. It was there, beautiful and melodic. He just had to hear it better. He put his shirt back on and walked out of his small cabin home and stood in the front yard, listening silently. The sound became much clearer, but it was still impossible to decipher the exact words. Perhaps it was just random notes? He stood motionless, trying to pick out words, but gave up quickly and just listened, enjoying the sound that passed through his mind as easily as the stream that he visits on his walk through the forest passes through the ground and rocks where it lays. He listened for what may have been half an hour, completely still.

By the time the singing stopped, the sun was beginning to set and he was a little stiff from standing so still. He didn't really care all that much. He heaved a heavy sigh and walked back inside, ready to eat dinner. And as he stuck his simple meal in the microwave, he made up his mind.

He was going to find this person tomorrow.

…

Matt was off the next day – he never worked Sundays – so he had all day to worry. He was quite shy for a man so intimidatingly large, and he was embarrassed by this quirk, as he found it, so he tried his best to hide it. But if anyone saw him now, they could tell he was definitely the exact opposite of assertive. He was pacing back and forth all morning and afternoon, practically leaving a rut in his floor. He was worrying his hands and never kept them still – twiddling his thumbs and playing with his shirt and hair and tapping them against his thighs. He wasn't sure why he was so nervous, but he definitely couldn't calm down. The normally stoic man was now a hot mess. But he waited this way nonetheless, almost forgetting to eat entirely.

By the time five o'clock came around, instead of opening his window like he normally did, he walked outside and sat on a log, waiting. He was almost beginning to second-guess himself. This person might fear him or hate him. She might have heard the rumors about him. She might run off when he approached and never come back. And he'd never hear the singing again. He actually braced himself to stand and go back inside, when he heard her voice again. He froze, listening closely. He still couldn't make out the words, but it came from the same direction as it did every other time. And this time, he wouldn't let her escape.

He stood and walked towards the sound, afraid to run and make too much noise. He listened closely, hoping that his ears were leading him in the right direction. Sure enough, the sound got louder and louder, and he pushed a few branches away silently, finally beginning to hear words.

How long before I get in?

Before it starts

Before I begin?

How long before you decide

Or before I know what it feels like?

He stopped walking, peeking over from behind a tree to meet this person. And immediately, his breath was taken away.

A girl, quite possibly about his age, was sitting with her bare feet dangling in the brook that he so often passed on his leisurely strolls. Her back was to him, so he couldn't see her face, but she continued to sing nonetheless. Her hair was long, braided loosely to the small of her back. It was a light silvery color that shone through the trees. Her figure was slim yet curvy, her skin pale, and she kicked her feet a little in the water as she continued, her hands, which were covered in black fingerless gloves, propped her up on the grass below, and her black long trench coat was not-so-neatly tossed behind her to reveal a short, slim red dress. She remained completely unaware of the presence behind her.

Where to?

Where do I go?

If you never try

Then you never know.

How long do I have to climb

Up on the side of this mountain of mine?

Matt continued to listen throughout the entire song, transfixed that he finally had met his songbird. And she was right in front of him. And he was behind her. Like a creepy pedophile or something.

And once she finished, she sat there, her head down, as if calmly observing the water as it carelessly swept around her ankles. Matt wanted to say something. But he just couldn't think of anything, so he kept watching, expecting her to sing again. But instead, she stood. And instead of him moving out of the way, like he should have, he froze like a deer in the headlights of a fast-approaching car on the highway. She grabbed her coat and turned, and immediately tensed as she noticed him staring at her.

Matt opened his mouth to say something, then closed it again, slowly losing feeling in his legs and only noticing the heat in his cheeks at the embarrassment of being caught. Her silver bangs covered one eye, but the other eye was a mesmerizing ruby red – probably contacts.

Her wide, panicked stare quickly narrowed into seething anger, and she stormed up to him furiously. "How dare you?! Spying on me?! You idiot, I'll wring your neck!"

But Matt still couldn't bring himself to move, and she stopped with the violent threats as she realized that he wasn't even attempting to defend himself, slowly becoming puzzled. "Uhm, are you alright, sir…?"

Matt blinked. "…Yeah."

She narrowed her eyes at him again. "Good, because I have a bone to pick with you!"

Matt grunted and stood normally, hoping that he didn't look like a complete idiot now. She backed away a step or two at his imposing size, but continued to glare daggers at him. "You're that Matt that everyone talks about!" She huffed. "No wonder they say you're creepy! Sneaking up on people like that…"

Matt sighed a little. She heard the rumors. And now she believed them. He shrugged and turned to walk away, but she leaped at him to grab his shoulder. "Hey! I'm not done with you!" He turned his head to raise an eyebrow at her curiously.

"Don't look at me like that!" Matt sighed and turned around to face her. She pointed her finger at him accusingly, ready to bring another stream of threats, but she stopped short and lowered her finger, puzzled again. "…Are you bored?"

"Hm?"

"You look bored for someone who just got caught spying on someone."

Matt shrugged. "S'how I normally look."

The girl put her fists on her hips and examined him. He wondered if she could see out of the other eye she kept hidden. She hummed. "You're creepy."

Matt shrugged again. "And you're loud."

She bristled angrily and shouted. "I am not!" Realizing her contradiction, she lowered her shoulders a little. "…You made me mad. Spying on me. Of course I'm gonna yell! I have a right to call the police on you!" Matt shrugged again. "And stop it with that shrugging!" She smacked his shoulder. It didn't hurt, of course.

"What's your name?"

She tensed again. "…What?"

Matt raised an eyebrow at her again. "What is your name?" He spoke slower. She picked up on that and huffed again.

"…I'm Crystal."

Matt nodded once and grunted a little. After a bit of silence, he said, "Nice name." To which Crystal replied with another huff. "You do that a lot, too." He said simply. When she raised an eyebrow at him, he mimicked her huff. She bristled again.

"You would know! You spy on me!"

"Just that once."

"Why?"

"I liked your singing."

She started a little, puzzled at his blunt confession. "Uhm…Thanks?" He shrugged.

"Stop doing that!" She nagged.

"Sorry."

Crystal looked back at the spot where she was just sitting not a moment ago. "I didn't know anyone could hear me out here." Matt nodded once and made a small noise in his throat. She turned back to him, looking a little more timid than before. "You… Liked it?" He nodded once again and looked away a little, feeling his cheeks warm up a little. She looked down at her feet in thought.

Matt sighed and looked up at the setting sun. "It's late. I have to go home. I'll see you tomorrow?"

She looked back up at him, thinking. "Ah, what the hell, why not?" She put her coat on and started walking back. "See you tomorrow!"

He'd never admit it, but from the time she was out of sight to the next morning, Matt just couldn't wipe the small smile off of his face.