Short Stories and Oneshots

No Way Out

here's some ahh,, Aidkas, but in a Hunger Games AU

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It was down to the two of them.

They stood face to face, several paces apart. Watching each other, and waiting for the other to move.

Lukas had never been so tired. He'd had enough of this. He was sick of fighting, sick of running, sick of holding on.

He adjusted his grip on the knife. It was difficult to hang onto- his palms were sweaty and the handle was still covered in sticky blood from the mutts they'd barely escaped from.

He couldn't tear his eyes away from Aiden.

The other boy looked so scared and young in that moment. In the last week, Lukas had completely forgotten that they were both only sixteen, but he was remembering now. Somehow, the gun in his hand only made him seem even more so.

Neither of them knew what to do. There was no escape from this, only one of them would be going home. Even the suspect rule of two tributes surviving wouldn't save them- they were from different districts, and both boys on top of that.

Aiden's green eyes dropped to the weapon in his hand. He knew how to use it. Of course he did. But Lukas wasn't sure if he would.

"I don't wanna do this." Aiden said softly, his gaze lifting again.

Lukas's heart gave a painful twist. "Neither do I." he said just as quietly. "But we know there's no other way."

Lukas wanted to go home. Back to District 6, where his life was postponed. Where his little sisters and his mother were waiting. Where his best friend's body would need to be buried.

But.

But.

But he couldn't hurt Aiden. He couldn't bring himself to kill the petrified green-eyed boy in front of him. He couldn't end the life of his one ally in these stupid games, the person who'd stuck with him from the beginning.

Ever since they'd helped each other learn to tie certain knots in the Tribute Center, they'd been friends. Lukas had known it was stupid, dangerous even, to grow so close to a tribute from another district, but he couldn't help it.

Now, he was going to pay for that friendship.

One of them had to die.

One of them had to go home.

There was no way around it.

They both knew that if they stalled like this for too long, things were going to get ugly. If they both agreed not to kill the other, no doubt the Gamemakers would send some horrible mutts after them, and either his or Aiden's death would be much more prolonged and gruesome.

A bullet to the head or a knife through the aorta would be much simpler.

But they both stood still, watching each other. Asking with only their eyes what they were going to do.

No escape.

No two ways out.

Lukas turned the knife over in his fingers again. He wasn't sure where it had come from- he'd pulled it out of Petra's still chest after they'd been ambushed by the brutish District 2 girl. He imagined himself moving, closing the gap between him and Aiden, and plunging it into the other boy's heart, or sliding the blade across his throat. He had a feeling that if he tried that, Aiden wouldn't stop him.

But he couldn't move.

Aiden sighed, a quiet, sad noise. "Lukas...I'm sorry."

In a flash, the safety had been switched off, and the gun was pointed directly at Lukas. His eyes went wide in disbelief and horror. He couldn't exactly blame Aiden for turning on him...but that didn't mean he wasn't disappointed.

Aiden had only one hand on the gun, the other clenched into a fist at his side. He tried to put on a determined expression, but his trembling lower lip somewhat ruined the effect.

"I'm sorry." he whispered again.

Lukas closed his eyes, just a second before the gun went off. He wasn't sure what being shot would feel like- would he die immediately, or would it take a few seconds?

But there was no pain, no instant or lingering shockwave of death. How was that possible? Was he already dead? Had Aiden missed? Was he about to fire again?

There was only silence, though. Not even another sigh.

Lukas opened his eyes just in time to see Aiden collapse, blood spurting from the bullet hole in his head.

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am i horrible?? probably.

do i regret a bit of it?? absolutely not.