Lighthouse [Alice in Borderland x Reader]

“I just can't do this anymore.” you patted Niragi's back as he clutched your sleeves, sobbing on your shoulders. Everyday that he came from his school, you see bruises and wounds, both old and new.

You study in a different school, and even if you study in the same school that he does, it's not like you can save him from the bullies, can they even be called just ‘bullies’? They were already more than that. And the school wouldn't even do something about it.

So you let him snivel his eyes and heart out.

“Why not transfer in my school? You can definitely enter there. You're intelligent enough to surpass the qualifications.” many times that you told him that, and everytime, he refused.

“I can't afford the massive amount of tuition fee. You know that.” he shook under your touch.

“I can pay for it. And besides, even Auntie offered you to pay it. You don't have anything to worry about.” you can't understand why he chose to stay in that hell. He can go wherever he wanted with his smarts.

You didn't want to say any opinion about it because you were lucky to never experienced bullying, especially to that extent. You were a violent person yourself, and maybe that was the reason that no one dared to target you.

You felt like a hypocritical person when you comforted him. He voices out his experiences about the violent, hurtful, and terrifying people in his school to the same kin. Yes, you would never bully or harass someone, but you had the potential to.

“I— I can. I can manage. I swear, I can manage. I'll be fine.” he raise his head up, embarrassed with how wet your sleeved had become.

“It has been the nth time that you had said that.” you wiped the tears that still fell. He probably can't see your face properly, his bad eyesight mixed with the blurriness the clear liquid brings.

“I— I'm sorry.” he stuttered, you can see his lips tremble continuously. You can hear soft hiccups.

“You shouldn't be apologizing for things that you did, when they aren't wrong. If that's your choice to stay, I can't do anything about that. Your decision matters the most after all. Just remember that I will always be by your side.”

With him being a year younger than you, you can't help but to look out for him more. A vulnerable younger person, you just can't help yourself but to act tough in front of him, yet still hold your uncharacteristic gentleness.

And that was the reason he had mistaken your camaraderie as something more and way different. His suffering was not something he looked after, however your comforting voice is.

Your constant affirmation that you would stay with him against it all. He didn't and would never wished to be terribly treated by his peers, but he wished that you would still treat him kindly like you are doing right now.

“Do what you want in your life, and never ever turn to what you hate the most. Don't be like a hypocritical person like me.” you ruffled his hair, giving him your rare dainty smile, opposite to your usual boisterous one.

“I want to be like you though.” He whispered which yiu didn't hear, his eyes gazed at the ground. “I want to be different than I am right now. I want to be someone who no one would hurt. I want to—” you slowly embraced him. Another set of tears spring out of his eyes.

“I told you, do what you want.”

“What do you mean Suguru got expelled?” you saw his mother tear up.

“He beat his classmates up. I don't care what happened to those devils, but why is his school like that? They expelled him for protecting himself? It was my fault. I should've enrolled him in a closer school. I didn't even know that happened to him. He stayed in dorms.” she gripped her skirt.

“Was— what happened to him?” you were getting worried by every second that passed.”

“He was taken by the disciplinary committee. Apparently, one of the demon spawn's parent was a benefactor there.” you gasped. “I don't think you will be able to talk to him until he finishes serving his days there.”

Like any other novels that you've read before. He became a memory, and time passed, you never got to meet him again. After years that you spent your life without him, you forgot how his voice sounded. And today. Today was your eighth day of sojourn.

“Fucking Spades! This wasn't even in the rules, why are they shooting us?!” a nameless co-player shouted.

“Stop asking to much questions and just goddamned hide, you shithead!” you were a Heart's specialist, not a Spades. “Why hadn't I invested in physical activities. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.” you hid behind a broken concrete wall, concealing yourself from the sniper not too far from your location.

You left out a soft manic laugh, then series of numerous gunshots. You squeeze your body to fit in the wall, covering your poor ears. “What the hell.” you whispered airily when you saw the other players become targets of the sniper.

By how the bodies fall in similar direction, the sniper is alone. Probably by the ten-storey building not greater than four hundred meters away from you. “M24? Ah, shit. Why is this game so fucking hard? Oh, damn. I forgot, this was Nine.”

After the last sounds of gunshots, the annoying artificially generated voice made way into your ears. The supposed hunter for this game was killed by the prey they were searching for.

You didn't move from your position. You were skeptical that this person were only shooting the other players because it was a game. You were sure that the person who was shooting was definitely a crazed motherfucker that just kills for fun.

You stayed there for a dreadingly long long time. The smell of copper overwhelmed you, but due to your field of career before coming here, you managed to not feel trepidation too much.

Approximately ten minutes, you heard crunch of debris. Someone was walking towards your location. You and your too-sensitive hearing. The person was fairly weighted and still too far from you.

You should have moved a little sooner, now you're cornered.

You crouched down, slowly moving when you saw a wall not far from you. You can move there, just make sure not to be seen. You came back to your previous hiding spot. The person has a long range gun, you reminded yourself.

Fifty meters.

Forty meters.

Does the person have long legs? To walk that fast. You're really dead.

Dead.

Dead.

You clasped your mouth, stopping yourself to laugh from fear. The person was nearing you. Another set of minutes, you heard the person's breathing.

Too close.

“Hmm? Where is the last one?” you were stunned in your spot. The fucker counted every single player. “Ah— you hid pretty well! Come on, come out!” a male's voice. The son of a bitch really expected you to reveal yourself when you knew that he has a gun.

Approximately two meters from you. You were lucky that the wall was high, if it weren't you'd probably be seen already.

“You mute? Damn. Sorry about that. Guess I'll just come closer to you, no?” from your left.

You thought you'd be thinking properly in a situation like this, but the weight of the reality that a powerful gun that can kill you is just in your proximity. Like a deer in the headlights, you stared at the person dumbly.

Then it hit you.

His hair was long, way longer than you remembered. Perhaps because you were squatting, or maybe he really got taller than he was before. That was his voice? It certainly changed, you can't even distinguish his past tone of speaking. He has piercings. Where was his glasses?

Many question filled your mind, but one thing screamed was ‘run’.

Don't walk.

Run.