Hetalia is owned by Hidekaz Himaruya, this fanfiction is owned by me.
Antonio.
He was the only thing that was on Arthur's mind as he dashed through the sterile labyrinth of the hospital, ignoring the overpowering smell of disinfectant, and the annoyed cries of staff as he zoomed past them. It wasn't like they understood that he had to get to his love's side, and fast.
When Arthur at last found his Antonio, he was ready to run inside the room and hug him, and tell him that everything was going to be ok, but he was prevented by the sight of two people, one of them a doctor with a grim look in his chestnut eyes, the other an aging Spaniard, with dark green eyes and a head of wiry black curls, standing near Antonio's bedside. The latter of the two looked a bit like an older version of Antonio.
Arthur stood outside the room, away from their view, waiting impatiently outside for his turn to talk to the boy he loved. He managed to catch a little of what the two men were saying, and it didn't sound good at all...
"I've never seen a case of Wolff-Parkinson-White's this severe before. Poor kid."
"That's what his cardiologist said too."
"We'll have to be extra careful when we're operating."
The rest of what they said was inaudible, but just as before, it sounded grim.
A few minutes later, the door opened, startling Arthur and forcing him to move from his hiding spot. The doctor left quietly, without a single word, which Arthur took as his opportunity to go in and see his dear Antonio, aware that he'd have to be careful with him, partly due to his delicate condition, and also because the aging Spaniard was still in there. But he couldn't resist bolting to his bedside, gently snaking an arm around Antonio as he whispered, "I'm here now, babe."
"Arthur!" Antonio rasped happily, becoming more alert upon feeling Arthur's touch. "You made it!"
Arthur planted a soft kiss on his cheek, running his free hand through Antonio's chaotic brown locks. "I told you I'd be there for you, didn't I? Even if that asshole paramedic didn't want me to be," he said, his tone turning sour as he thought of this morning's incident.
The aging Spaniard in the room coughed discreetly, reminding them of his presence.
"Is this the Arthur kid you've been telling me so much about, Antonio?" he enquired, his green eyes unblinking.
Antonio turned to face him, a tiny bit of colour coming to his cheeks. "Y-yeah. Dad, Arthur's my..." he began embarrassedly.
"We're dating," Arthur finished for him, switching his focus to Antonio's dad.
The man gave a tired smile. "It's nice to finally meet you, Arthur, even though it's a shame we had to meet like this. I hope you've been treating my boy well," he greeted, with the age-old worry that came from parents when their children found romantic partners.
"He has," Antonio chipped in, "If it weren't for him coming to check on me this morning...I probably wouldn't be alive right now."
"I really care for Antonio, and all I honestly want is to make him happy!" Arthur added nervously, unsure of how to handle this situation.
"Impressive," The man began dryly, "I think I'm starting to get why you like him so much, Toni. But you'll have to do a little more for my boy if you want to win me over, Arthur," he chuckled.
"How about I start with taking care of Antonio while he recovers from his surgery?" Arthur offered, tightening his grip around his boyfriend.
Antonio's dad's smile became wider as accepted the offer. "Then be ready for tomorrow, Arthur," he told him.
"What do you"—Arthur began, before he was interrupted by Antonio.
"They've decided to move the procedure to tomorrow morning, because of how extreme my case is," he explained. "They say the sooner they do it, the better the chance I have of making it."
"You're going to make it," Arthur insisted, "You can't die now!"