Rules:

Players must hang onto the bottom of an ‘elevator’ (iron bar technically) as it rises to the top of a building. It is GAME CLEAR if the player manages to hold onto the elevator the entire game. It is GAME OVER if the player falls off the elevator. (And dies)

The metal bars rattled under Chishiya’s grip as the elevator groaned its way upward. Wind whipped through the open space beneath them, an unforgiving void waiting to swallow anyone who let go. Five minutes up, five minutes at the top, five minutes down. Simple in theory.

But nothing in the Borderlands was ever simple.

You hung beside Chishiya, fingers locked around the cold steel, muscles burning from the strain. Unlike him, you were built for this—strong, fast, powerful. He, on the other hand, relied on his mind, his strategy. Yet right now, no amount of intelligence could outlast exhaustion.

The elevator lurched. Chishiya’s hand slipped.

His body dropped, a sharp gasp escaping him as his fingers barely caught the bar again—but the sweat on his palms betrayed him. He was falling.

Instinct took over.

With one arm still holding onto your bar, you shot your other hand out, catching his wrist before he could plummet. The force nearly wrenched your shoulder from its socket, but you tightened your grip, locking your fingers around him with unyielding strength.

For a brief moment, his usual unreadable expression cracked. Wide eyes met yours, surprise flickering beneath the ash of his hair. He’d calculated the risks, probably even accepted the possibility of falling. But he hadn’t accounted for you.

The wind howled around you, the elevator still suspended in cruel stillness. The strain in your muscles turned to fire. It wasn’t just about holding on anymore—it was about pulling him back up.

Chishiya was sharp enough to know what came next. His free hand moved, reaching for anything to stabilize himself. But time was running out, and you could already feel your grip slipping. It was now or never, you had to save your boyfriend.