Day Twenty-One. Three weeks into The Hunger Games. Three weeks of this hell. Jungkook can't believe The Games have gone on this long. He can't believe he's alive. His thoughts are a broken record at this point; 'I can't believe I'm alive. I can't believe Jimin is alive. I can't believe I've survived this long. How much longer until the end? Let it be over. I have to keep going. Why is nothing happening?

'Please just let Jimin go home.'

The District 8 girl died yesterday. Jungkook heard her scream in the distance—it was likely a different tribute that killed her. It frightened the pair for a little while, they were all so close now. But the cause of the girl's death—tribute or otherwise—didn't come their way. So they moved on.

And then there were six.

There was nothing left to say. Jimin and Jungkook were exhausted. They were weak. They were hungry. Their injuries bothered them, but not as much as they first did. In fact, due to the medicine they got from the feast, Jungkook's hand was nearly fully healed—save for scarring. They were feeling pretty hopeless, despite the flame of determination burning inside of them. But they were still alive.

That had been the case for weeks now.

Jimin tries to blink the sleep from his eyes. It was early afternoon now, sun high. He shouldn't be feeling this lethargic, but he just couldn't shake the fog from his head. He hoped nothing would happen today...he wasn't sure he'd be able to face it with the way he was feeling.

"Kiss me again?" Jungkook murmurs out of nowhere. Jimin turns his head to see the younger gazing at him softly. "I can't seem to get enough."

Jimin tries to huff out a laugh, he really tries...but it just sounds like a breathy cough. Regardless, his words are playful. "I guess if you really can't I can spare one or two."

"I can't, Mimmie," Jungkook leans into the smaller, inhaling deeply. Even though he didn't smell good, Jungkook couldn't stop himself. He just loved Jimin, down to his smell. "Now that I've gotten a taste of it, I'd argue I need it."

He was being so sappy. Jimin couldn't help but wonder at this moment how the people at home were reacting—both his loved ones, and his peers. Jungkook was just so reserved when he was in public, quietly standing by Jimin, stoic to the point of being perceived as cold. People were scared of him, because Jungkook wanted no one to know him beyond his own close circle. But now the boy was unabashedly, sloppily flirting with him. He wondered if the cameras were on his mind at all. They couldn't be...Jungkook would be so embarrassed.

But then again...they weren't thinking straight these days. Perhaps Jungkook simply didn't care.

Jimin turns his head, kissing him, for once not caring about his surroundings—just for a moment. He felt deserving of it...he had come this far after all. He should be entitled to feeling safe for just a moment.

A canon goes off. As if Jimin's mind was read, a canon goes off. A tribute has died, reminding Jimin that in this arena, he was entitled to nothing. He, nor the man he loves, are given a single human right in this arena.

And then there were five.

Jungkook pulls back—unwillingly, if he were being honest. But another tribute was dead...and he feels nothing for it. Nothing except that the death meant one less step for Jimin to win. One less obstacle.

He feels like a monster.

"Okay," Jimin reads his mind though, making him feel slightly better about the numbness he's experiencing. "Okay. One less tribute. We're so close, Koo."

"Yeah..." Jungkook didn't know if he was relieved or despaired. Now that they were getting close to the end...Jungkook thinks that maybe it would have been easier if they had both died. Maybe if they were both gone by now, things would have been simpler. Jungkook was ready to sacrifice himself for Jimin, he was...but the butterflies were creeping up in his stomach more than ever these days, and they were violent.

Jimin kisses his cheek, and they start moving on again.

Until the sky darkens, that is.

It was like a rapid sunset. One second, the sun was high in the sky—like it should be this time of day. The next, the sky was dark. Dread fills Jungkook as he thinks. Have they really been in the arena for twenty-one days then? What if the Gamemakers sped up or slowed down the days within the arena for them? Jungkook had already lost his sense of time...what if there was an actual reason behind that?

A pit forms in Jimin's stomach. He looks up. The last District 5 boy flashes on screen. No wonder the past few days have been quiet...something was happening today. Something big...

Both of them could feel it down to their bones.

The sound frequencies shift slightly—Jungkook hears it. The slight buzz of electricity was incredibly apparent to him, and it causes the taller to tense up. Jimin doesn't hear it, but notices Jungkook's shift in demeanor. He immediately starts looking around.

Out of seemingly nowhere, virtual mirrors materialize all around them. Jimin looks into the distance. They were everywhere. He shrinks back a bit, suddenly feeling very vulnerable. What was happening...

Was this the final act?

"What should we do?" Jimin murmurs, eyes darting back and forth frantically.

"I..." Jungkook tries to search for words, but nothing comes to him. "Survive."

"...You're right," Jimin nods slowly. "Let's survive."

They run off in the direction the sun had set in.

As they run, Jimin realizes that these mirrors were not just normal mirrors. The pair slow down, before coming to a stop. In shock and in horror, Jimin sees his family—his mom, his dad, and Jihyun...the images are foggy, but there was no mistaking it was them. Jimin tries to turn away from the imagery, multiple times he does, but it was all around him, in every mirror. The image was slightly transparent, so he could see his reflection beyond it...but he wasn't focusing on himself right now.

The eyes of Jimin's family are fixated on a television screen, eyebrows stitched together, the expressions on their faces growing increasingly more intense. In seconds, their faces shift into terror.

"Jimin..." Jihyun runs to the television. "Jimin! No! Give my brother back you bastard Capitalites!" The language is harsh, not the vocabulary his younger brother typically uses. But Jihyun continues to scream, shaking the tv set, tears beginning to flood his eyes. "No!"

His mother gasps loudly, letting out a subsequent wail. Even his reserved father is on his knees.

...Were they watching Jimin die?

"J-Jungkook..." He says in a shaky voice. "Do you see-"

Jungkook couldn't hear, tears streaming down his face as he looked at the mirror in abject terror.

There was Junghyun, pinned down by the Careers of the 95th Hunger Games. There he was, getting stabbed, once, twice, three times...Jungkook's brain had stopped counting after that. "N-no..." He starts shaking.

Jimin stares at his lover with deep concern. It was obvious whatever he was seeing, it was not the same thing as what Jimin could see. Jungkook loved Jimin's family, but not enough for a hypothetical situation to shake him this bad. Whatever it was Jungkook was seeing, it was bad beyond what Jimin could fathom.

They were tapping into the tributes' minds.

Junghyun dies, but then the clip starts right over again. He gets pinned down, and the careers laugh as they stab the fourteen-year-old boy, over, and over, and over again. The laughing is louder this time.

It starts again. The laughing is deafening. And then again. This time, there's commentary from Caesar Flickerman.

"Aww, isn't that too bad?" He says unsympathetically. "The young scamp. He had a lot of fans, that's for sure. People thought the little guy really had a shot. No longer, unfortunately! Isn't this a riveting game, everyone?" Caesar moved on as if nothing had happened.

The next time the clip restarted, it was silent except for Junghyun himself. His accelerated heartbeat was loud in Jungkook's ears, breath ragged as he ran from the Careers. It was fruitless, of course. He was surrounded before long. Junghyun gets stabbed yet again, the sound of the blade meeting flesh sickeningly loud. Jungkook drops to his knees, legs unable to support him as he watches. A canon goes off.

Jimin looks around frantically. Another tribute just died then. Jimin has no idea where anyone else was. He works to block out the noise of his wailing family, as well as the violent ways Jungkook was being killed in front of him. Jimin isn't sure how the Gamemakers had tapped into his brain, accessing his wildest fears and tragic thoughts, but they have.

And Jungkook was breaking down because of it.

Jimin had never seen him like this—so utterly traumatized. "Koo, you gotta get up..." He murmurs softly. Jungkook doesn't react.

A hysterical, visceral scream cuts through the air—obviously another tribute traumatized by the sight in front of them. Jungkook wanted to move, but he was fixed in place, on his knees, sobbing. He couldn't function, the pain coursing through his body too great. His head starts throbbing.

"Jungkook!" Jimin says again, dragging him up from off the ground, the anxiety in his stomach making him nauseous. He gags, but keeps it down—it wasn't like there was much in his stomach anyways. "Get a hold of yourself! We need to get away from here."

Jungkook just stumbles after him, picking up pace as Jimin does.

They run away from the source of the noise, the imagery and sounds all around them chaotic, overwhelming the both of them. Jimin catches a glimpse of himself in the mirror. He looks like a petrified animal.

Jimin jumps as they run past the dead body of a male tribute—the boy from District 7. Blood pooled around his head, it was obviously a death caused by blunt force trauma. Panic fills him even more. The killer had to be nearby.

"This way," He turns, towards the outskirts of the forest region, leading Jungkook the opposite way. They were most likely in between two tributes...Jimin would rather run into a tribute having a mental breakdown than a confirmed killer.

Jungkook's vision was blurry. He could barely see, but he still heard everything. He heard Junghyun...over, and over, and over again he listened to Junghyun die, and the Careers laugh, and Caesar make jokes before and after everything happened, because human life was just a joke to him! The younger of the pair begins to hyperventilate, using everything in his power not to scream. He was going mad...

It was so loud Jimin didn't see the girl until she was right in front of them.

They all skid to a halt—all three of them. They stare for just a second, before Jimin shoves Jungkook behind him—there was no way he'd be able to fend for them in this state. The older knows what he has to do...he knows that this nightmare of mirrors, and fears, and chaos will not end until more people die. So he does what he has to do.

He runs at the girl, making sure the fight stays far away from his partner. She meets him, baring a sickle, screaming as she does. Jimin recognizes it as the same sound he heard just moments before. This girl was not the killer of the male tribute, but the desperation still terrified Jimin. There was no telling what she may do while pushed to the edge.

Jimin meets her weapon with the heavy sword he carried. He was stronger than she was, and he overpowers her, using his sword to throw her to the ground, the sickle flying from her hand. She couldn't have been any older than fifteen...Jimin shakes the thought from his mind. He couldn't humanize her right now.

She screams once again. "Just kill me!" She begs. "I can't do it anymore! I can't hear the voices anymore! Just do it!"

Jimin hesitates.

"I know you can hear me, just kill me!" She sounds so young...Jimin screams at himself in his mind. Do not humanize her right now! He won't have to live with the guilt anyways...It was just a matter of time before he died too.

He walks up to her, kicking the sickle far away, before pulling out a knife and quickly slitting her throat. He grabs Jungkook, whose eyes were screwed shut, his hands over his ears, and they run again. A canon goes off seconds later.

"Koo, get back to me," Jimin pleads as they move. "Come back, Koo. It's not real, Jungkook, it's just your mind! Come back, I need you!"

"Mimmie..." Jungkook breathes. "It's Junghyun, they're making me watch Junghyun die...my head is pounding."

"It's not real," Jimin says again. "I know it sounds terrible for me to say, but that was in the past. We need to survive now. There will be time to mourn your brother when this is over. But I really need you now."

Jungkook was only half-hearing him. He tries to listen, but Junghyun's grunts of pain are paralyzing him. "...Jimin, help me..."

Jimin nods. "I've got you, Koo. I've got you. Just stay with me, alright? This is almost over...There's only one person left, Koo. One other person in this whole arena. You have to stay with me until things are over...Koo, I think today is it."

That calms Jungkook, oddly enough...he was almost free of pain. He takes a deep breath. "I'm trying..."

"That's all you can do," Jimin promises. His family is still screaming his name, but Jungkook needs him to be strong right now...He won't let this man down. "Now let's go to the clearing. It's a risk, but the boy from 7 was hit. Hopefully she has nothing sharp. We'll go to the top of the Cornucopia and watch for her."

Jungkook only nods in agreement.

Jimin is exhausted, but he keeps running, sure the only thing that was letting him go on was adrenaline. As the clearing comes into view, Jimin realizes with relief that the mirrors only exist within the forest region. He grabs Jungkook's hand and quickens his pace.

But then movement flashes from the corner of his eye.

It wasn't the transparent movement of his materialized fears he sees in the mirrors in front of him...

It was a girl charging at them from behind.

"Jungkook!" He yells, looking behind him, before running even faster.

Jungkook sees the mirror too, past his blood-stained brother. The anxiety sets in above the crippling dread. There's a clear determination in the last female tribute's eyes. She probably was thinking just like they were—just two more obstacles.

They reach the clearing in seconds. Jimin throws his pack onto the ground, hopefully to deter the girl, as well as be able to run faster. Jungkook copies him, head clearing slightly now having a bit of distance from the mirrors' torment.

In a sick twist of fate, Jimin trips, falling to the ground. Jungkook skids to a halt as the girl catches up. The smaller male rolls onto his back, sitting up just as the girl lunges at him. They roll around on the ground, as Jungkook works to spring into action. They roll away from Jimin's sword—he was down his most powerful weapon.

The girl pins Jimin down, raising her club—luckily the only weapon she had—ready to strike. Jungkook lunges forward, diving for the club. He skids to the ground with it in healing left hand, landing safely with his axe in the other. The girl, unwilling to let go of her weapon, is thrown off of Jimin.

Jimin sits up, scrambling to get the knives from his pocket. There were three that remained. He started with five or six.

"Jungkook, get off of her!" He yells quickly, as the taller scuffles with her. Jungkook listens, running. She reaches for his ankle, but he escapes from her grasp. Jimin aims at her, but she notices as he throws, and she dodges. Jimin and Jungkook may have the numbers and the strength, but this girl was a survivor.

But Jimin was exhausted.

The girl runs at Jimin, but Jungkook catches up to her, once again pushing her down. Jimin runs to pin her down. She's struggling, but she can't overpower him.

"I'm so sorry," He whispers, and he plunges a knife into her throat.

She stops struggling, as the life leaves her body. Jimin scrambles away, disgusted by what he had to do. The 70th Canon of the 100th Hunger Games goes off.

The sky brightens again. All around them, in the forest region beyond, the mirrors seem to disintegrate; deconstructing and falling to the floor in pieces before disappearing into nothing. The screams stop, the laughs stop, even the electric buzzing Jungkook first heard was gone. In fact, it was eerily silent. Not even a single bird made a noise, nor did the wind rustle the leaves.

And then there were two.

Jimin turns his head to look at Jungkook. The younger boy collapses the second he realizes the threat is gone...all threats are gone, as far as they can tell.

Jungkook's head no longer hurts, his senses no longer tormented by the world around him. He can't run, he can't walk, so he just crawls towards Jimin. Their weapons are strewn all around them, but they don't move to grab them. They don't need them anymore. He just slowly, slowly makes his way to Jimin. Jimin receives him with open arms.

They hold each other tightly, their breaths ragged as they try to practically suck in all the air from around them. Jungkook is weak, but his arms feel so strong around Jimin regardless. For the first time in three weeks, they can experience this closeness, knowing they do not have to fear death at the hands of whatever or whomever is lurking in the shadows...

The Capitalites are satiated for now, anyways...they have time for a single hug. Death's embrace can wait until they've finished theirs.

"I'm so proud of you, Koo," Jimin murmurs softly. "You've done so well. You made it this far. I'm so proud."

"I'm proud of you too," Jungkook whispers. "I never could have done it without you...it was all for you, you know that?"

Jimin pulls back to look at him, alarmed. "Hm?"

Jungkook stares right back. "I did this all so you could get back home."

The smaller's heart drops to his stomach. He shakes his head quickly. "No...Jungkook, I-"

"Jimin," Jungkook cuts him off. "I can't go back without you. I decided the moment I was reaped that I wasn't coming back home. You were. I'm letting you win. I...I'm okay dying if it's for you."

The older District 10 tribute is silently shocked at first. Was he so in his head that he didn't see any signs..? Well...he did, but he wrote them off. Because how could Jungkook possibly be willing to sacrifice his life for Jimin? That wasn't fair. This wasn't how he was supposed to be feeling.

How was Jimin so caught off guard by this? He thought he knew this boy so well...sharp pain sears through his heart. The Hunger Games even took that part of his life away?

But then...within the span of just a moment, a wave of peace rushes over him, a thought dawning on his mind. He inhales a shuddery breath.

"...Okay," He breathes. "If that's truly what you wish...okay."

"W-what?" Jungkook blinks a few times. He truly wanted to do this for him, but...he thought Jimin would put up a little more of a fight at least. "You went from saying you'd let me kill you to this?"

"Well..." Jimin looks down, voice raspy. "Are you going to change your mind?"

"N-no," He stutters. "I just thought..."

"I wish I could grow old with you, Jungkook Jeon," Jimin whispers, kissing him on the cheek as soft as a butterfly's wing. He then moves to his other cheek, then his chin, this his nose, peppering kisses all around his face. "I wish we could go back to District 10 together, and live out our days with our cows, and work together providing for our families...but our fate has been sealed for weeks. We weren't meant to love in this universe. Perhaps somewhere else, we're happy—I'd like to think so at least. I love you so much, Koo, you beautiful soul. I'm so sorry we have to say goodbye."

"I-I am too..." Jungkook can barely speak. "I love you, Mimmie...that's why this has to be done. I would die for you a thousand times over if it meant you would be able to live."

Jimin nods slowly. "...I know."

Jungkook kisses Jimin, closing his eyes, tears forcing their way beyond his lids. He touches his face, his arms, his waist...it was going to be the last time after all. The Capitalites are expecting one of them to die soon...he has to do it before the arena can kill Jimin. He wants to die with a blueprint of Jimin seared into his mind, heart, and soul forever.

"Koo..." Jimin trails.

"Hm?"

"...Can I be the one to do it?" Jimin pulls back, tears in his eyes as well. The moment was too peaceful, it was jarring, almost. "I want to make sure you barely feel anything. I-I just feel like I have a higher chance of making sure you go quickly...because what if you hesitate? A-and..."

"I'd like that," Jungkook nods. "I'd love it to be you, Jimin Park. C-can we please get it over with though..? It's selfish, I know...but I'm terrified."

Jimin inhales a shuddery breath. "Yeah...okay."

He pulls a knife out of his pocket. The final one.

"I want you to close your eyes," Jimin instructs. "Don't look at me while I do it, okay? Remember all the good things you had in this life. I want you to leave this arena with the good memories only. Got it?"

"Got it," The taller promises.

Jimin slowly brings the knife up to Jungkook's neck. The tip just barely touches skin, right under the corner of his jaw. It was sharp against the tender flesh.

Jungkook closes his eyes.

"Good," Jimin soothes. "It'll be over soon, Koo. This whole nightmare will be over soon..."

Jungkook begins to shake. He tries to control it. He must be strong for Jimin.

"Three..." Jimin starts. "Two..."

The pain doesn't come.

A grunt of agony comes instead.

Jungkook opens his eyes quickly. Jimin is looking down at his own stomach.

A knife is protruding from his abdomen, his hoodie already becoming soaked with a dark substance.

He looks back up at his lover. "I'm so sorry, K-Koo..."

Jimin slumps to the floor, but Jungkook catches him before he can reach the ground. "Jimin, no..." He screams. "No! You lied to me! Jimin, you lied to me, how could you!? How could you do this!?"

"I could've never left the arena without you," Jimin breathes, voice barely audible. "It..." He stops, cringing in pain. "It was never an option."

"And I could have? No! It was supposed to be me!" Jungkook yells, tears flood his eyes, falling almost as quickly as they form. "I was supposed to die for you!"

"Koo..."

"It was supposed to be me!" He repeats, wailing. He looks around frantically for a pack. The medicine will heal him. Which bag did they put it in? Where even were their bags!?

"Koo..." Jimin places a hand on his lover's. He was already so weak, Jungkook can feel the life slipping from him, but he won't believe it. It wasn't happening! Still...he was rooted in place. "Kiss me, please? You promised."

"No!" He denies. "Y-you're not dying! Jimin, you are not dying! Just let me get the medicine-"

"It's a lot deeper than Caspian's cuts, that's for sure," Jimin's breathing becomes ragged as he tries to joke. "I'm dying, Koo...all I want to do is sleep. Won't you please just kiss me goodbye?"

Jungkook stares at him for a few seconds more, before kissing him sweetly on the lips.

He doesn't know why he does it. Jimin wasn't dying, he didn't need to fulfill any promise. But he kisses Jimin anyways, wanting to take away all the pain he was experiencing.

But part way through Jimin's lips stop moving.

A canon goes off.

Jungkook pulls back. Jimin was limp in his arms, eyes closed. "No..." He shakes him, just slightly, panicked. "No! Jimin, Jimin wake up! You're supposed to be getting out of here today! Wake up!"

Jimin doesn't move.

He screams in pure, raw agony, holding his lover close.

Jimin doesn't hold him back.

"I am pleased to announce the victor of the 100th Hunger Games, Jungkook Jeon!"

The speakers blare, but Jungkook sobs. Hovercrafts fly overhead, taking up the bodies of the girl from Six, the boy from Seven, and finally, the girl from Three, dead in the clearing next to them. Jungkook continues to cling to his lover, screaming in anguish. Grief racks his body, shaking him violently.

A fourth hovercraft comes by, floating over the couple. Jungkook covers Jimin's body with his own. They couldn't take Jimin away—Jungkook would never let them. They took away Junghyun. He won't let them get to Jimin.

A force field of sorts descends on them. Jungkook tries to move, but he was frozen into place. He and Jimin are lifted up together into the vehicle. It was only when they met the metal floor of the craft that Jungkook had mobility of his own body again. He shields Jimin from the people in the craft, screaming and sobbing, his voice bouncing off the walls, echoing within the small space.

Someone touches his shoulder from behind, Jungkook violently bats them away. Multiple people were trying to approach them, but Jungkook was determined. This was just another set of enemies—Jungkook had dealt with plenty in the past few weeks. They won't take Jimin away. He was not destined for that stupid wooden box his brother was subjected to half a decade ago.

A staff member tries again, but Jungkook once again fights them off, hitting, and scratching when he could. He catches a glimpse of himself in a tinted window, and he...he looks rabid. Skinny, and sick, and rabid. He was nothing but an animal right now, just like The Capital had designed him to be. He didn't care though—not right now. He was protecting what was his. Jimin would want him to protect him like this—Jimin will be grateful when he wakes up...

He keeps screaming, and sobbing, and fighting...but he was exhausted. His movements become sloppy. Two strong bodies grab him from behind, forcing his arms away from the smaller tribute. He protests loudly, trying to shake them off of him.

"No!" He spits. "You can't take him away! Don't take Jimin away from me! He's fine! I promise he's fine! Just let me stay with him!"

Then he feels a sharp pain in the back of his neck—a syringe.

He blacks out almost immediately.