Squid Game one shots

❤️‍🩹ali x reader

You found Ali on the rooftop, sitting alone, his back to the cold wall and his eyes locked on the horizon.

The sky was streaked with pink and orange, the kind of sunset that made you forget for a second that you were trapped in a nightmare of games and death.

But he looked like he hadn't seen any of it.

Just... stillness.

Worry bloomed in your chest.

You walked over quietly and sat beside him, legs crossed, shoulder brushing his. "Hey."

He glanced at you and offered a small smile. Not his usual bright one-the one that made you feel like maybe hope was still alive-but something softer. Dimmer.

"You missed dinner," you said gently.

"I wasn't hungry."

You knew that was a lie.

He never turned down food. Not when every meal could be your last.

"Ali..." you whispered, nudging him slightly. "What's going on?"

He looked down at his hands. Rough. Scarred. Trembling slightly.

"I just... I was thinking," he murmured. "About my family."

That familiar ache curled around your heart like a fist.

"You miss them."

"Every second."

You leaned your head back against the wall. "I bet your little boy misses you even more."

He smiled faintly. "He's very small. He doesn't understand."

You paused. Then, quietly: "Neither do I."

He turned to you, confused.

"I don't understand why you're always the one giving everything away," you said, your voice thick. "You gave your food to that guy yesterday. You helped someone with a broken arm this morning. You gave me your jacket when I was freezing. You-you're always putting everyone else first. But who takes care of you?"

He blinked, startled by your intensity.

You didn't stop.

"You think just because you're kind, that you don't deserve anything back? That being selfless means being invisible?" Your throat tightened. "I hate seeing you give so much, Ali. It's going to get you killed."

His eyes dropped to his lap again. "If I die helping someone, I will still die with purpose."

You shut your eyes. God, why did he always have to say the most painfully beautiful things?

"You matter," you said, quietly but firmly. "You don't have to die for it to mean something."

There was a silence. Long. Heavy. Full of unspoken things.

Then, he reached out.

His fingers brushed yours-tentative, like he wasn't sure he had the right.

You turned your hand and laced your fingers with his.

Warm. Steady.

He looked at you like he'd never been held before.

Like he didn't expect anyone to stay.

"I'm sorry if I scared you," he said gently. "I was just remembering my son's laugh. And for a moment, I wondered if I'd ever hear it again."

You swallowed, fighting the tears that threatened.

"I hope you do," you whispered. "Because it'd be a damn shame if the world lost a father like you."

He smiled again. Not big. Not wide.

But real.

And it broke something open in you.

"I'm not just doing this for them," he said after a pause. "I want to live. I want to live so I can see them again. So I can... maybe see what else is out there, too."

He glanced sideways at you when he said it.

Your breath caught.

Oh.

"Ali..." you whispered.

He gave a tiny shrug. "You've made this place less terrible. Even just talking to you. Sitting with you. It makes me forget, sometimes, where we are."

You turned to face him fully.

His eyes were dark and full of warmth. So much kindness wrapped in tragedy.

So much pain trying to stay hidden behind hope.

You didn't know what you were doing until your hand cupped his cheek.

He stilled under your touch.

You leaned in, slow.

"I won't let you forget who you are," you murmured. "You're not just a player in a game. You're good. And you're still human."

His forehead rested against yours.

"I think I..." he started, then stopped, then tried again. "I care for you."

You smiled softly. "Yeah. I noticed."

You stayed like that for a long moment-just breathing, connected, holding on in the middle of a world that was trying to tear everything apart.

And when the sun finally dipped below the walls of the compound, Ali's voice came again, quiet and full of wonder.

"Maybe... when this is over... we could hear each other's laughter. In a better place."

You nodded.

And whispered back:

"I'd like that."