Hunger | A Jikook Hunger Games AU

̶̶̶̶ «̶ ̶̶̶ ̶ «̶ ̶̶̶ Chapter Seventeen ̶ ̶ ̶»̶ ̶̶̶ ̶ »̶ ̶̶̶

They watched him die. They heard the canon—the sixth of the day. They watched him get retrieved by a hovercraft.

And Jimin watched his lover as he cried over yet another life lost. A life he considered a friend, if even for a short time.

Jimin would be lying if he said he hadn't wanted to cry at all that day. He really didn't think he was a big crier before entering The Games, but tears graced his cheeks often these days...even for less meaningful things than the death all around them.

He grieved for Namjoon and Taehyung, he really did...especially Taehyung. Perhaps not so much for the person he didn't really know...but for what could have been. If things were different, perhaps they truly could have been friends.

Jimin really didn't think he needed much beyond Jungkook. It's why he didn't have too many friends back home—that, and people were afraid of Jungkook. But then, he got reaped for The Games, and he was forced to rely on others—on Namjoon, and Taehyung, and Seokjin...he missed them all, in a sense. Especially Jin. He hadn't thought about Jin in a while...

Perhaps he shouldn't be too upset. Jimin would meet Taehyung and Namjoon soon. He hopes the next life is happier. He hopes Namjoon and Taehyung are comfortable.

He watched Taehyung get pierced through the abdomen. Everything during The Feast was a blur...but he saw that vividly. The last image in his head before chaos erupted. A man that respected Jimin, and Jimin had come to respect himself, alive one moment, and dead so quickly in the next. He took it much harder than he expected to.

But Jungkook needed him, so Jimin would stay strong. Because he promised Jungkook he would. So he comforts him in silence, terrible feelings bubbling up quietly, but not yet breaching the surface. Jimin just forces them down. He'll be honest with Jungkook when it benefits the younger.

Jimin stares at Taehyung's face in the sky—the last time he'll ever see it while alive. The two of them had since climbed out of the tree after a few hours, finally completely sure The Feast conflict had to be over, and walked around like normal. When the sun set, they found a spot to shelter for the night, just like any other day. It truly was routine now.

Jungkook presses closer into Jimin's side as he watches the fallen tributes. Except for one, they were all careers. It was hardly comforting...there were still at least two careers in each of the three career districts. But...besides that, Jimin and Jungkook were the only ones left with another tribute from their district still alive. Three, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, and Eleven all each had only one person left.

That was still fifteen people.

The Games would go on for a while yet.

Jimin was hungry, but they couldn't eat, not right now. They were running low on food. If they found plants they could eat, they'd collect them, but their knowledge of flora wasn't so strong. The pair would probably have to resort to hunting soon.

He looks down at Jungkook. "How are you doing?"

"Awful," Jungkook answers right away. "And it just keeps getting worse. But I'll keep going, don't worry. We'll get through this, as far as possible."

"We will," Jimin nods softly, rubbing Jungkook's arm. "We have to."

The night passes, and Jimin wakes up to Jungkook—once again, routinely—petting his hair. But he was alive. Jungkook was alive. That was good enough for Jimin.

He sits up, kissing Jungkook sweetly. Jungkook immediately responds, holding the smaller close. Jimin used to feel so safe in his embrace—and he still does, in a sense. But...but now Jimin knows Jungkook's embrace doesn't save him from anything. From loneliness, maybe...but loneliness wasn't the killer that Jimin was afraid of. The fact that Jungkook no longer takes all the pain away was just...well, it was devastating.