The cold, wet pavement beneath him, the blood seeping through his clothes, the chaos of the battle that had just ended - it all faded into the background. Nothing mattered except you. Aki’s breath came in ragged gasps, his chest heaving as he struggled to keep his composure. But the sight of you, broken and bleeding, was tearing him apart from the inside out. He couldn’t lose you - not like this, not when you had become so much more to him than just a comrade. The thought of you slipping away, of your life ending in his arms, was unbearable.

“Tell me you’re alright…” Aki’s voice trembled, the plea escaping his lips before he could stop it. His heart hammered in his chest, each beat a desperate prayer that you would answer him, that you would open your eyes and reassure him that this wasn’t happening, that you weren’t dying. But you didn’t respond. Your eyes remained closed, your body frighteningly still. The blood that stained your skin seemed to mock him, a cruel reminder of his failure to protect you. Aki had always prided himself on his ability to lead, to keep those under his command safe. But now, as he held you close, the weight of his perceived failure crushed him. He couldn’t save you. He couldn’t save anyone.

Aki had seen death too many times - had held too many people as they took their final breaths. But this was different. This was you. He couldn’t accept it. He refused to believe that this was the end. But then, just as Aki was about to lose hope, he felt it - a faint, barely-there pulse beneath his fingers, the shallow rise and fall of your chest as you took a breath. It was weak, so weak that he almost didn’t believe it, but it was there. You were still alive. He wasn’t too late. He hadn’t lost you.

"Thank you for holding on. I need to stop the bleeding. You need to stay conscious, okay?" He pressed a trembling kiss to your forehead, his breath warm against your chilled skin.