Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.

SpaWales: Accidents Happen

Antonio winced as he entered the lecture hall. This was the first day since the accident that he could attend a class, and he could already feel a headache approaching. Still, he supposed he was lucky that all he got from a car accident was a concussion. It could easily have been worse.

His eyes scanned for a familiar mop of brown hair, and he smiled when he saw the Welshman. It didn't seem as though Will had seen him yet, but he was just thankful to have someone he trusted after everything that happened.

He smiled as he slipped into the seat next to Will, who returned the smile when he saw him.

"Hey," Will greeted. "It's about time. How are you feeling?"

"I'm feeling better," Antonio replied. "Gracias."

"I'm glad to hear that. I'm sorry I wasn't able to visit you."

"It's alright."

I feel really guilty about it. I just couldn't stand to see you hurt.

Antonio blinked and his smile fell a bit. He heard Will's voice clearly, but his mouth was closed. Was Antonio imagining it? Or…

"Alright, everyone, settle down," the lecturer said.

Antonio stared at Will for a moment longer, but the Welshman turned his attention to the front of the hall. Perhaps it was just Antonio's imagination.

…

The two of them went to the library between classes. They had an assignment to do, and the sooner they could get it finished, the better. Antonio turned towards Will with the full intention of asking him for something when he saw the other staring at him. Will shook himself before turning towards the shelf again.

Dammit, I did it again. He must think I'm such an idiot! Stupid!

Antonio wanted to tell Will that he was wrong. That he wasn't being an idiot. But he was still curious about why Will was staring at him in the first place.

After some serious searching, they finally managed to find enough books for them to start working on their assignment. As they went towards a table, Antonio heard Will again.

I wish that could be Antonio and I.

He frowned, turning towards Will, who was looking somewhere else. Antonio followed the Welshman's gaze to see a couple holding hands, and though their voices were hushed, Antonio knew that they were most likely flirting.

Wait… Why did Will want that to be the two of them? Unless…

Antonio blushed when a thought came to mind. Was it possible that Will had a crush on him? They… They were friends, yes, and Antonio would admit that Will wasn't bad looking. But… he didn't think that they would have a relationship. But…

Well, it seemed as though Antonio was hearing Will's thoughts. And there was no way for him to address the issue without revealing that fact. So, either Will would think that he needed to see a therapist or the men in white coats in a cosy padded cell, or Will would believe him and be embarrassed about the whole situation. Honestly, Antonio wanted to avoid both scenarios.

Perhaps it would be best for both of them if Antonio just tried to pretend that everything was normal.

…

Two weeks after the initial shock of realising that he could hear his best friend's thoughts, and Antonio still wasn't used to hearing that the other was in love with him. The moments when they had to focus on work were the best, but it became harder to spend time together outside of class. Two weeks, and that was when the dark thoughts started to come.

I knew it. He's already bored with me. He doesn't want to be near me anymore. I'm so stupid! Why did I think that someone like him would even want to be friends with a worthless piece of trash like me?

This came after Antonio said that he couldn't hang out with him that evening. Antonio dropped his pen when he heard these thoughts.

Antonio quickly retrieved the pen, reeling at the sudden sense of self-loathing and desperation. He'd never seen a sign of something like this from Will before, so why now? Thinking about it, Antonio realised that it must have been the result of him making a few excuses on social evenings a few times. Perhaps it would be best to rectify it.

"Hey, instead of doing something tonight, why don't we go see a movie tomorrow?" Antonio asked. "Anything except a sappy romance."

"I don't actually think there is a 'sappy romance' playing," Will said, cocking his head to the side. "But… I do know there's a horror movie playing, if you're interested."

Antonio responded with a smile. He'd learned early on that his friend was fond of horror and the supernatural. That was one of the things they originally bonded on. He had no doubt that Will would consider it to be something casual. No romantic connotations whatsoever.

Still, he didn't like the dark direction Will's thoughts had strayed in. It almost didn't seem random, and it didn't feel as though it was the first time that the Welshman had thought something like that. And it couldn't have been just because Will was feeling disappointed.

…

Over the next few weeks, Antonio started to notice more and more things he never realised about his friend. His thoughts would sometimes wander when they were gathered in a group with other friends, and though Antonio was relieved to know that Will's thoughts weren't solely occupied with him, there were other things that concerned him.

Occasionally, Antonio would get glimpses of pictures. Images of people he'd never met. It wasn't until he saw people that bore a strong resemblance to his friend that he realised these images came from Will. And sometimes, other voices would echo, speaking words that filled Antonio with disgust.

Ugly… Useless… Stupid… Waste of space… Trash…

Antonio wanted to meet the people who told those lies to Will and pound them into a pulp. Will wasn't any of those things, and anyone who believed that needed a reality check.

And Antonio realised, with a shock, that the reason why Will had fallen for him in the first place was because Antonio was the first person outside his family (and even his family was questionable) that was actually nice to Will. He didn't know what made people believe that this sweet, adorable Welshman deserved to be treated like that, but everything within him told him that he needed to prove those people wrong.

But it didn't stop with cruel words being spoken. No, on more than one occasion, Antonio had seen flashes of people hurting Will. Of him staring at the mirror, his face bruised and bloody. He wanted to know what had caused it. He wanted to ease his friend's suffering. But how could he do it without revealing that he knew what was inside Will's mind? He was not eager to see Will's embarrassment and terror when he realised that.

He could understand what they meant about knowledge that no one was supposed to know. He had it, but he didn't know what to do with it. And it was tearing him apart.

Will usually had a smile on his face, so it was impossible for Antonio to tell that he was suffering from crippling self-loathing. And Antonio wondered, if he hadn't been in that accident, if he would have continued to be blind to it. At least, he could see no hints that Will was harming himself in any way, and in fact, he wasn't suicidal. He wanted to study hard to secure a future for himself, one where he could prove everyone wrong. Antonio felt awed when he managed to catch those thoughts. Will might have seemed gentle, but there was a strength within him that Antonio wished he possessed.

The only part he didn't like was Will's conviction that he would have a future alone.

…

"Well, it was fun, Antonio," Will said, smiling as usual. "I'll see you tomorrow."

They had been working on a project together, and Will was about to leave for his own apartment. Antonio couldn't help but be concerned, though, since Will's thoughts were even more tumultuous than usual.

"Hey, is something wrong?" Antonio asked. "You seem… I don't know. A bit down?"

Will looked startled. Antonio knew that Will thought he had the perfect mask. Because everyone expected it of him.

"I-it's nothing," Will stammered. "My family's just coming this weekend, and I guess I'm pretty nervous."

They're going to be disappointed in me. They always are. Patrick's going to ask about a girlfriend, but I can't tell him I'm gay. Mom's going to think I live in a pigsty no matter how much I clean my flat. Dad's going to be disappointed in my marks…

"Are you sure?" Antonio asked.

"Yeah," Will said. "It will be fine. Don't worry about it."

Please, help me. I don't want to be stuck with them. I don't want to be reminded that I'm a failure. I don't want…

Will was already heading out, turning away from Antonio. The Spaniard hated knowing that his friend was suppressing so many dark emotions. He just wanted to chase them all away. He wanted to let Will know that everything he thought about himself – everything those other people told him – was a lie.

He didn't know what possessed him to grab Will's wrist. He didn't know what possessed him to tug Will closer. But he knew the moment he planted his lips on Will's.

It was silent for a moment. Antonio couldn't hear Will's thoughts. But then they started again.

What…? What's happen… Antonio… Antonio is kissing me. Antonio is kissing me!

Antonio only pulled away when the need to breathe became too great. He only took a few seconds to gather his breath, before he kissed Will again. He cupped the back of the other's head, pulling him closer and supporting him. He could still sense the surprise from Will, but he almost smiled in triumph when he felt Will respond.

This… this felt natural. This felt normal. This was more than just the need to comfort the Welshman. Because Antonio… He was starting to fall as well.

He was amazed by the gentle soul that managed to burn bright despite all those that tried to douse it. He was awed by Will's desire to make things better for himself. He was impressed by Will's ability to continue being kind despite all the cruel things said to him. He was astounded by Will's patience and tolerance. But above all, Antonio was privileged that Will wanted to spend his time around him.

They finally pulled away, both of them gasping for breath. Will's hand had somehow made its way to Antonio's arm, and the Welshman squeezed lightly.

"What brought this on?" Will asked.

"It just felt like the right thing to do," Antonio replied.

The prompt is: 'Through some kind of freaky accident, person A is now able to read person B's mind. Person B has been secretly in love with person A for a while, and now person A knows everything. How does person A react? Perhaps person A acts like everything is normal and does not tell person B that they can read their mind until after their relationship has developed. Bonus: person A also finds out about any dark secrets person B has, but loves them anyways, and helps them even move on from the past.'