Centimeters [Childe/Tartaglia x reader]

Pinkie Promise (One-Shot)

*This was inspired by both Squid Game and Alice in Borderland </3

Word Count: 735

Coughing up more blood, you were in the arms of Ajax. The blood of both yours, his, and many others stained your clothes. The only sounds you could hear were yours and Ajax's heavy breathing and the ticking of the timer.

"(Y/n)... You can't die... You just can't..." muttered out the ginger, frantically trying to stop the tears from falling onto and staining your own face.

"Ajax... this game can only end up with one winner, and everyone else is dead. I'm already on death's bed cause of that one guy anyway," you coughed out, holding your arm up to your abdomen.

"We'll find a way so that there can be two— I'll do anything it takes!"

"Just end me... You actually have a future to look forward to; all of my friends and family are dead at this point. I have nothing left."

"Don't say bullshit like that! You have me, and Teucer, and the twins, and Paimon—"

"Can't you just let me bleed out in peace, haha..."

"(Y/n), this isn't a laughing matter—"

"Ajax, you're a Fatui harbinger... shouldn't killing others come easy to you? You didn't hesitate on hurting the twins... or killing hundreds or others with Osial..."

"But I don't want to kill you."

"Well, one of us has to die, and I'm just taking one for the team."

"(Y/n)..."

"You... you promised me that you would live your best life and be happy. Don't tell me you're gonna break our promise now, are you?" you weakly chuckled out, your breathing starting to slow as more of your blood stained your hand and forearm.

"Don't start with that pinkie promise shit, (Y/n)... Not when we're in this sorta situation!"

"I'm just saying... How did it go again? Ah, right... You make a pinkie promise, you keep it all your life. You break a pinkie promise, I throw you on the ice. Sound familiar?"

The timer now read five minutes.

"Shut up, shut up, shut up... You're not going to die..."

"I'll be dead before the timer runs out and then you'll be victorious. And then you can go back to your family in Snez... Snezhnaya..."

"No... no, it can't end like this... It wasn't supposed to end like this..." cried out the harbinger, dumping his head into your shoulder.

"Ajax...?"

He looked up at you with bloodshot eyes.

"Mind finishing the saying for me?"

"... the cold will kill the pinkie, that once betrayed your friend... the frost will freeze your tongue off..."

"So you never lie again." was all you said while smiling weakly. "You don't want me to throw you on the... the ice now, do you?"

"If it meant I could keep you alive, then yes."

"Ajax... I love you more than anyone else in the world. Thank you for everything, truly. Maybe... maybe in another life, with better circumstances, we'll meet again," you whispered, at this point, caressing his cheek with your free hand.

"(Y/n), I— I love you too. So much..."

The timer had ticked down to two minutes.

"Then live. For the both of us."

Ajax just continued to stare at you, more tears threatening to fall down his cheeks.

"Promise me one more thing: Promise me that you'll love again. Promise me that you won't stop yourself from having a good life because of me."

"I... I can't do that..."

"Bullshit. You just don't want to."

"Is there a difference at this point...?"

The timer had went down to 30 seconds now.

"Ajax... thank you for allowing me to enter into your life. I hope you the best, and if you ever come back to Liyue Harbor... happy many returns to..."

And that was it.

The timer had went down to zero.

He was the only player left alive.

"Congratulations Player 720, you have won the game. Please make your way out of the arena to collect your reward," announced the robotic voice.

"(Y/n)? (Y/n), wake up... Quit playing games with me... the game's over, you can wake up now...!" exclaimed the ginger as he shook your, now, limp body. "I... You can freeze my tongue off now..."

And so he sat there on the floor of the bloodied domain with your dead body in his arms. With all of his tears dried and raspy voice, he screamed and cried out his woes, unwilling to move from that spot.