Requested by Emi-Chan & ˏˋÃΡĦ mý jãčķēț īś țóò ßīġ śēňď ħēłpˎˊ

Just letting you all know, this is more of an experimental writing, because it just randomly occurred to me when trying to write a Spamano one-shot, so I decided to see what others think.

Comments are appreciated.  Even if it's someone saying this was bad.

Narrator's POV

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

The clock just kept going as Romano waited, curled up into a fetal position on the floor.  He knew it was coming, there was no way it wasn't coming.

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

"How-a long am I-a going to-a wait?"  Romano asked himself, rocking back and forth slightly, hugging his knees tightly.

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

Besides the clock, there was no other sound to be heard.  No children outside playing, no women chatting together, no men laughing or whistling.  There wasn't any annoying brother or Spanish man coming over to talk to Romano.  No, right now, Romano was completely, utterly alone in this world.

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

'God, how-a much longer before it-a happens?'  Romano thought, waiting, knowing there would be no point in trying to run from his fate, the fate that was bound to happen since birth; his own death.

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

"For too long has Italy been separated.  From now on, it shall never be again."  Their boss's words rang in Romano's ears.  "From now on, there will be only one Italy, a unified one, meaning there will only be one personification."

"Ave, o Maria, piena di grazia, il Signore č con te."  Romano said softly, reciting a Hail Mary in his native tongue, the only thing keeping him from feeling time ticking by.

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

"Tu sei benedetta fra le donne e benedetto č il frutto del tuo seno,"  Romano repeated softly, his rocking worsening.  "Gesů Santa Maria, Madre di Dio, prega per noi peccatoti, adesso e nell'ora della nostra morte."

Bang.  Bang.  Bang.

Someone was at the front door, trying to get in, but Romano was too busy reciting his prayers.  He rolled onto his side, still curled up, still praying.

"Romano!"  A voice yelled, but Romano kept his eyes closed.  "Roma!  Please don't give up!"  A voice yelled again, fading more.  "You have to live!"  It said, but it was getting drowned out by the sounds of praying and the clock.

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

Romano closed his eyes, feeling darkness engulf him before he felt a blast of pain, hearing sounds all around him.

"-losing his pulse-"

"-dear god he's-"

"-Roma!"

Romano shot straight up, the pain gone, replaced with numbness as he suddenly found himself lying the shore of a beach, shivering, as if he had had a bucket of cold water thrown over him.  He looked around, confused.

"How-a did I end-a up here?"  He asked himself.  He shakily got up onto his feet, looking around, hearing nothing, not even the lapping of the water, then he heard it; a clock.

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

Romano looked around, spotting the clock sitting beside him, lying on it's back.  Now that Romano got a closer look at it, he noticed that even though it was ticking, the hands weren't moving.  Just as Romano was about to pick it up, everything went black, pain hitting him all over again, voices speaking.

"Is he breathing?"

"I'm losing his pulse!"

"Get a medic!"

Romano opened his eyes, quickly adjusting to the white surroundings.  He looked around, seeing plain white walls before hearing sobbing.  He frowned.

'Who's-a crying?'  He thought, hurrying down the halls which seemed to get narrower and narrower, the sobbing getting louder and more pained by the minute.

Finally, Romano reached the end of the hall, crouching down to avoid hitting the ceiling.

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

His eyes snapped over to the clock, still ticking even if the hands weren't moving.  Romano reached his hand out, trying to touch the clock when the minute hand moved, making Romano close his eyes, darkness and pain engulfing him, followed by the voices.

"He's losing too much blood!"

"Do something to help!"

"Dear god he's going to die!"

A blast of cold air hit Romano, making him fall to the ground, his eyes snapping open as he gripped his chest tightly.

'What-a the hell is-a happening?'  Romano thought, his eyes darting around in the darkness till he finally recognized himself being in a place he knew; it was the last home he'd lived in with Veneziano and Grandpa Rome.  Romano quickly noticed a light inside.

Shakily, Romano rose to his feet, walking over to the house and opening the door.  He could hear his heart hammering in his ears as he walked in and saw Rome, his Nonno.

"Nonno?"  Romano asked.  The man in question turned to Romano, a look of shock on his face before he ran forward, hugging Romano tightly.  Romano hugged back, tears stinging his eyes.

"Oh mia Romano, mia bambino Lovino,"  Rome said.

"Nonno, what's-a going on?"  Romano asked.  Rome pulled away, a sad, pitying look on his face as he led Romano over to a chair by the warm fire, sitting beside him.

"Lovino,"  The old man said seriously.  "You're-a dying."  Romano's eyes widened.

"Wha-?"

"You're-a dying from being in-a car accident."  Rome continued.  "Right-a now, you're-a floating in between life and-a death."

"So the-a clock and those-a voices-"

"The-a voices are from around your-a body.  The-a clock is signalling your-a time running out-a."  Rome said, looking down.  Romano's mouth felt dry.  Before he could say anything, it felt like the world was spinning, his nonno's voice fading.

Romano suddenly found himself floating in the sky, almost like a ghost, watching as the living version of him stormed out of their boss's building, getting into his car and driving off as Veneziano and their boss came running out.

Romano watched in numbness as he was yelling on his phone at someone while driving before a truck hit the car, Romano feeling the full force jolting him awake, as he sat up, finding himself on the floor with Grandpa Rome beside him, a clock still ticking away as Romano hyperventilated.

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

"Lovino, breathe, deep-a breaths now,"  Rome said, rubbing circles on Romano's back.  Romano's hyperventilating slowed down.  Romano let himself lean on Grandpa Rome before he felt himself be pulled away by invisible hands, slamming against a wall in a white hallway where he heard sobs.

He looked over and saw his brother sitting on a chair, sobbing as that potato-eater Germany was comforting him.  Romano stepped closer.

"Fratello, fratello," Veneziano sobbed.  "I-If-a only I-a could've s-stopped you-a from leaving."  Germany continued to rub his back.

"Shh Italy, it vasn't jour fault."  Germany said, and for once, Romano felt grateful for having the potato bastardo with his brother.  Romano was pulled away from that sentiment as he heard footsteps running towards them.  He turned and saw a disheveled Spain running towards them.

"Where-"

"Surgery,"  Germany said, cutting the panting Spaniard off.  Spain leaned against a wall, his eyes seemed to look straight at Romano before Romano realized he was looking at what was behind him.  Romano turned and felt his heart stop.

It was a large window, showing the doctors operating on him, Romano.  Romano turned away, suddenly feeling sick, leaning against a wall himself, hands on his head, letting himself slide down onto the floor.

Now, the only sounds he could hear were his brother's sobs, and his heart, mimicking the ticking of that infernal clock.

Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

"Roma,"  Spain said, getting a teary-eyed Romano to look up.  Spain was standing in front of the window, watching the operation.

"You have to live, por favor [please], you have to live."  Spain said, pressing his hands together, a cross and rosary necklace in them, pressing them to his lips as he prayed.  Oh how badly did Romano want to hug Spain in that moment, to be held and hold him, to hear sweet nothings said between the two, to feel the heat of his skin, to hear his heart beating instead of Romano's own.

Romano closed his eyes as everything faded to darkness around him, tears running down his face.  The only thing to be heard was a clock ticking.

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

Romano felt strange now, a stinging warm numbness spread throughout his whole body.  Romano felt as if he were lying down and someone was holding his hand, though he couldn't tell who.

Slowly, Romano opened his eyes, everything blurry.

Was this heaven or was this earth, Romano couldn't tell.

"Romano?"  A familiar voice said, making Romano's eyes trail over to the blurry figure, tears gathering in his eyes as he knew who it was and the truth of where he was.

Romano was...

~Fin~

Yeah, I know people are going to be like "so is he dead or alive?" and all and this is the answer; not telling~

Though I thought it should be rather obvious because I did give a hint as to where he was~