"L/N! Oh my god, L/N!" Aiello's voice echoed in your ears.
Your vision was fuzzy and everything sounded distant except Aiello's voice. You felt hands hook under your arms and pulled you away from the battlefield. You cried out in pain, your wounds to the gut hurting as hell. You don't remember much, you were taking the most important bridge that would win the war and finally put it to an end. After the Germans attempted to bomb it, you and your platoon advanced and gained a lot of ground. As you made it to the end of the bridge, you heard a shout of your name and an unbearable pain to the stomach.
"I'm gonna get you to cover!" Aiello told you. Although, you barely heard what he said. "Stay with me, L/N!"
You sighed in relief when your body finally came to a stop. You and Aiello were in a building and he placed you against the wall. He quickly did a sweep before joining you, nearly throwing his gun on the floor. He grabbed your hands and helped you put pressure on your wounds.
"It- it hurts..." You told him. It was difficult to talk let alone breathe. Every breath you took felt like you were being shot again.
"Y/N..." Frank said, his voice filled with so much pain.
"I'm- I'm not gonna... gonna make it..." you breathed out. You dared to look down to your hands and saw how your hands including Aiello's were stained with your blood.
"You have to." He told you. He was crying. "We were gonna go to Queens after the war. Introduce you to my family. My ma' was gonna make her finest dish." Frank reminded you.
Your legs were beginning to feel numb with the tips of your fingers. You lifted a hand up to his cheek and rubbed it, smearing some blood on him. You didn't know what to say. Not only did your wound hurt, but your heart too. You didn't want to leave Aiello.
"Hold me like on Christmas night?" You asked him, your voice a mere whisper.
Aiello nodded and didn't hesitate to grant your request. He held you exactly the way he did on Christmas night. Both of his arms wrapped you in a warm hug while his fingers brushed through your hair. Aiello gently removed your helmet and pressed a kiss on your head.
"I-I wished we h-had more... more time..." You said.
You grasped onto his arm, but you were beginning to get so weak. Your eye lids were getting heavy. The gunshots and explosions outside faded out. Everything was fading out. The only thing you could hear was Aiello crying and his heartbeat.
"Please baby, don't go..." he begged you.
You lifted up your heavy head. "I'm sa-safe... I'm safe..." you said so low. You wouldn't be surprised if Aiello didn't hear you. You dropped your head, unable to keep it up.
"Hey, L/N?" Aiello asked you after the guys left the fire.
You lifted up your head and looked at Aiello. "Yeah?"
"It's pretty cold tonight, I was thinking... I don't know, wanna cuddle?" You lifted up your eyebrow at the proposition. "I uh... I didn't mean it that way. I just wanted to-"
You smiled. "It's fine." You giggled. "I know what you mean."
You approached Aiello and you allowed yourself to be held by him. Your heartbeat picked up and butterflies spawned in your stomach. This felt right.
"L/N?" Your eyes met his. "I just wanted to tell you that... that I really like you."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
"I like you too, Aiello." You confessed to him, looking away from him.
His fingers found your chin and he made you look at him. His eyes had passion and he hesitantly leaned in. You bit your lip before kissing the man in front of you.
"Y/N?" Frank called out.
You grunted softly, letting him know you were still there. He lifted up your head and you could barely keep your eyes open. Aiello pressed his forehead against yours before placing his lips against your lips.
When Aiello pulled away, you were gone. He gently slapped your face, attempting to wake you up. When he noticed you weren't breathing, he let out a choked sob. He hugged your body closer to his, brushing your hair with his fingers. He buried his head in your neck, sobbing uncontrollably.
"You're safe now, baby."
———
I legit cried while writing this.
