Oh no... Did he feel...? And was that pain what he thought it was..? Dios mio-nononono! Not today of all days, please!
Antonio gave a low, frustrated groan, instantly regretting the action a second later as it stirred a newfound pain to sear his throat with a vengeance. He sank dejectedly into the covers, no longer able to find comfort in the plush material. Today was the day that he, Francis, and Gilbert had been planning to hang out, a day that they'd been planning for little over a MONTH now. Yes, they were that busy with work! Just the other night the trio had stayed up past midnight enthusiastically discussing the details of their get-together over a group video chat.
Antonio had been laying down with his phone, Francis joked about how funny he looked with a bed head, Gilbert pointed out Francis was no better off with his shirt riding up the way it was, Francis winked and asked if he wanted to see more, and Antonio laughed when Gilbert shot a sexy look at the camera and said he'd seen much better in his mirror. Ahh.. They were such good friends~ There was no way Antonio planned on cancelling because he felt sick, so with this in his mind he dragged himself up and began getting ready.
Antonio had hoped that with some medicine and a little bit of time that his sore throat would go away... it didn't. Instead it only worsened, he felt the emergence of a fever, and the fact that they were outside in the gelid winter air certainly didn't help. At least he could blame his flustered appearance on the weather. But, other than that, the reunion was going great. The three had met up at a plaza near Gilbert's house, hung around there for a little while, and were now strolling down the semi-crowded streets towards a new bar the self-proclaimed Prussian had insisted they needed to check out.
'Ahh, finally we're going somewhere indoors.' Antonio had practically burst into song in his thoughts ecstatically from Gilbert's suggestion, more than eager to comply, but then, halfway through their walking to the bar... the absolute, most horrifying thing happened.
"Hey, look at that. It's snowing!"
Iron claws clamped down on Antonio's chest, piercing it painfully. He shared none of his friends' joy in watching the white flurries fall around them, a misery that amplified as the snow stuck, piled up, and chilled the air even more.
"Kesese, hey Franny, check this out." Francis crinkled his nose at the nickname, turned to Gilbert, and was -to his shock- promptly greeted with a snowball square in the chest. Even Antonio had to crack a smile at the look plastered on Francis's face.
"I'm such an awesome shot!" Gilbert cackled, nearly doubled over. When he looked up and once more met Francis's gaze, he froze, then proceeded to flee from the Frenchman's devilish expression.
"Can't let him get away now, can we? Let's go." Francis smirked at Antonio, who returned his expression the best he could and followed him to the park across the street where Gilbert had ran to. When they caught up they found Gilbert 'reloading on ammunition' from the abundance of snow that now surrounded them, and before Antonio knew it they were engaged in a free-for-all.
Under any other circumstances Antonio would have been hurling snow like there was no tomorrow, laughing the cares of the world away, but now? How could he? With his body aching and his head pounding and every fiber of his being begging him to stop. Not that he would, of course. He downright REFUSED to ruin anything. Nope, he kept on going. Focusing on the energy in his friends' shouts and movements, as if he could absorb their vigor, Antonio pushed through the hazing of his vision and the waves of vertigo that rattled his body.
It wasn't easy, but possible if he didn't move much, doing so only when Gilbert or Francis were watching him. He shouldn't worry... he had everything under cont-WHAM.
In an instance it hit him. A blinding white. A deafening roar. The world swayed and was sucked into a vacuum before it crashed with an impact, going utterly still. Antonio lost complete sense of everything, but he didn't question it. Why should he? He felt nothing, there was silence, and it was so peaceful... absolutely no pain.
Until that too, changed. Slowly loud ringing drilled its way in, tingling broke out over his skin, and chills pulsed throughout him. Antonio was completely unaware of the fact that he now laid in someone's arms. It took a while to realize that there were voices speaking quickly around him, calling a certain name.
"..onio..." "..ntoni.." "..Antonio.."
Emerald eyes cracked open, seeing nothing but a bright blur.
"Francis, look-!" "Antonio!" Antonio groaned softly. All he knew was that he was horribly confused and that he felt terrible.
"Mon Dieu, he's burning up."
"I can feel him trembling too. What should we do?"
"...Let's just give him some time."
A few minutes was all Antonio needed. The ringing receded to a faint hum, his surroundings became clear, and the ground gained stability. He even got some strength, just enough to speak. "..m-my head... what..?" Antonio felt something stiffen behind him. Gilbert's nervous chuckle was heard by his ear, but when he looked up it was an anxious Francis that he saw before him.
"You passed out. Gilbert hit you with a snowball in the head.." Francis slipped into an air of disapproval, "and you fell, but when you didn't get up we knew something else was wrong. Antonio.. why didn't you tell us you were sick?" Francis's voice had softened, but Antonio still shied away shamefully.
"Come on, Toni. We deserve an explanation after that scare, don't ya think?" Antonio could feel Gilbert's eyes looking down at him. He could tell he was serious beneath his casual front.
"..lo siento.." A silence lapsed. Hesitancy and exhaustion made Antonio pause, but neither Francis nor Gilbert rushed him. "..I knew how much this day meant to us. I couldn't just back out." Francis and Gilbert exchanged glances. Antonio heard a soft sigh escape Francis, and he knew he was about to be reprimanded.
"Gilbert, can you sit him up?"
Wait, what? Antonio blinked up at Francis, confused, doing his best to help Gilbert steady him up. A new wave of dizziness washed over him unpleasantly, briefly blearing his vision, though he could still make out Francis's figure moving closer.
Gentle hands were felt wrapping a soft material around his neck, and by the time the spell had passed Antonio realized it was Francis's scarf. "You're too selfless for your own good sometimes, Antonio. You do realize that we didn't have to cancel? We could have simply spent the time at your house."
Gilbert agreed, his arm around the Spaniard's shoulders. "Or even if we would have had to reschedule, your health comes first, you know. It'd be so unawesome of us to expect otherwise, and I won't stand for us being anything less than awesome!"
To Antonio the air was just as bitter and unforgiving as before. That was unquestionable. Yet he definitely felt a spark of warmth. "I... y-you're right. I'm sorry." Antonio replied weakly, feeling grateful for the kindness yet ashamed altogether. "I didn't think this through. And now I've ruined our day anyway."
His shoulders were given a squeeze. "Are you kidding? The day's not over, we're all still together, and I clearly won the snowball fight. Everything is fine." Gilbert smirked.
Francis chuckled, gingerly readjusting the scarf. "What's done is done. If you're really sorry then prove it to us by focusing on getting better." He met Antonio's gaze, eyes twinkling. "Que te mejores pronto." Antonio froze, surprise racing across his features, before he grinned his most genuine smile of the day.
It was weak, and covered partially by the wool material. His face was mantling from the fever. His eyes were dulled from strain. Quite frankly Antonio looked as frazzled as he felt, but a healthy content had carried on through his voice. "Gracias, both of you... It really means a lot. " Emerald orbs settled appreciatively on Francis and Gilbert for a good while, before casting over to the pale hues of the snowy horizon. "So... my place, then?"
Translations:
(Spanish) 'Dios mio' - My God
(French) 'Mon Dieu' - My God
(Spanish) 'Que te mejores pronto' - Get better soon
(Spanish) 'Gracias' - Thanks