Hetalia is owned by Hidekaz Himaruya, this fanfiction is owned by me.

Antonio lay against some unknown building in the pouring rain, panting as he fought desperately to stay conscious.

His breaths quickened as he assessed his wounds. Huge, fresh bruises and cuts covered most of his upper body, making moving at all excruciating. And one wound, a long, deep cut on his upper arm was bleeding uncontrollably, warm, claret liquid flowing down the limb and staining his torn, rain-soaked sleeve.

How pathetic he must have looked, as he tried to get himself up, using the wall to find his balance, only to cry out in agony and fall back to the ground, into the pool of his own blood, mixing with the rain that'd already hammered down. All he could do was lie there trembling as the world began to fade…

"Antonio?! What the hell happened to you?!"

No. He couldn't let go. Not yet. He forced his eyes to stay open, to look at the man knelt beside him. "Arthur…"

In spite of his blurring vision, Antonio managed to get a good look at the other man. He saw those two shiny green eyes wide with worry, a soaked mop of limp blonde hair, and a shirt that'd become transparent and was sticking to the nation's small frame. He was Antonio's angel.

"I was mugged," Antonio panted, "I told them I didn't have any money, but they"—he tried to explain, but he found that he didn't have the strength to continue.

"You can tell me, as well as the police later. For now, just do me a favour and stay alive, OK?" Arthur commanded, ripping off the sleeves of his shirt. He tied one tightly around Antonio's forearm, and he gently wiped at the less severe wounds with the other.

"What are you doing?" Antonio enquired weakly.

"Making sure you don't fucking die, moron," Arthur responded, "Now, let's get you out of here," and he gently picked the tan skinned man up, cradling him in his arms as he carried him away.

Antonio let himself relax in Arthur's arms, knowing that he'd be OK now…