Epilogue

It takes a few seconds for Shiraishi to register what just transpired in front of her eyes, but when the cannon sounds—marking the death of One B—Shiraishi suddenly finds herself unable to breathe.

She doesn't respond to Aizawa calling her name softly, trying to get her to snap out of her sudden trance. Shiraishi doesn't hear the Panem anthem playing loudly in the air initially, her mind still lost in her own shock and disbelief, only hearing the announcement that comes after that in broken , incoherent sentences.

"Shiraishi, Shiraishi!"

Aizawa shakes her shoulder, a little too roughly, but that does the trick—Shiraishi snaps out from her reverie, her eyes wide, mouth slightly ajar. He could tell that she is still shocked, and when he looks at her, he could see splatters of One B's blood on her face—but one quick glance tells him that she is fine, she is all right, and that, to Aizawa, is what matters most.

Shiraishi takes a few deep breaths, eyes finally meeting with Aizawa's. They sit there in silence for a few seconds, neither of them having the energy to say anything else. And then they hear it; the distant sound of the hovercraft approaching them; either to retrieve One B's body, or…

Shiraishi tightens her grip around his arm. She feels a lump latching onto her throat, a delayed feeling of relief slowly flitting into her stomach.

"Shiraishi," He repeats, his voice soft. "We did it. We—"

She chokes back the tears that are coming out from her throat. This has to be a dream, Shiraishi thinks to herself as she furiously shakes her head, unable to truly believe that this is over, that they're Victors, that this entire ordeal is finally over. She made it, no, they made it, together, which means only one thing; they—

"—are going home."

It has been two days after moving into the Victors' Village, almost a week since the Games. Those days were behind them, in the past, but every time Shiraishi closes her eyes, she could still see the entire Games vividly in her mind. The nightmares followed her, creeping into her dreams each night when she tried to sleep. She'd wake up with a jerk, covered in sweat, tears running down her cheeks without her realising. She'd then spend the entire night wide awake, her mind in overdrive, even though she was exhausted, desperately in need for a good sleep.

That night though, Shiraishi decides she'd try to take things off her mind by going out for a walk, maybe she needs some fresh air, she reckons to herself. She puts on her robes, wrapping it tightly around her body before sneaking out quietly, not wanting to wake her parents. She is halfway through the stretch of the Victors' Village, only the faint sounds of crickets are heard in the otherwise quiet and cold night, when she spots Aizawa from afar, sitting on a lone bench and staring stoically at nothing in front of him. He seems to be in deep thoughts, so Shiraishi contemplates if she should approach him, or to leave him be. Before she could make a decision though, he turns his head slightly towards her direction, and sees her staring straight at him.

Aizawa doesn't say anything, but since he has seen her, Shiraishi doesn't think it is right to turn around, so she approaches him slowly.

"You can't sleep?" She asks softly once she is within his earshot. He nods. "You too?" Shiraishi smiles bitterly as a response, but sits down at the end of the bench. They fall into another silence, though it isn't that which is uncomfortable. Instead, Shiraishi feels a sense of safety and comfort just being around Aizawa, even though he doesn't usually say much.

Aizawa is the first to break the silence, "I haven't been able to sleep since I came back." He states, his voice measured, quiet.

It is a familiar feeling, Shiraishi thinks as she looks at her feet. "Me too." She agrees easily. "Every time I close my eyes, I'm reminded of everything."

She doesn't have to elaborate on what everything means, because Shiraishi is sure that Aizawa knows. He'd understand that every time she tries to sleep, images of the Games would appear in her mind, images of the Tributes, images of what they had to do to stay alive in the arena. Just thinking about it makes Shiraishi sick in the stomach, so she shakes those thoughts away and tries to focus on the fact that she's back in Four, back to her parents, that she made it out alive with Aizawa by her side. Aizawa, someone she would never have imagined to be friends with, but in those weeks of knowing him, in those morbid circumstances, they've grown to depend on each other, both having saved each other's lives during the Games.

"I thought it would get easier," Aizawa closes his eyes. "I thought I'll be okay after the Games, but I can't seem to forget."

"I don't think I'll ever forget." Shiraishi whispers, hugging her body tightly. She refuses to think about the events of the Games, so she decides to switch the topic. "How's your grandmother?"

Aizawa opens his eyes and casts a sideway glance at Shiraishi briefly. She remembers, is all he could think of at that moment. Ever since they returned to Four and moved into their respective houses in the Victor's Village, they haven't spoken a word to each other, only giving curt nods of acknowledgement from afar. But still, she remembers (of course she does, Aizawa thinks), about his grandmother, about the conversation they shared pre-games.

"She's a lot healthier these days." He answers, giving her a slight smile. "The Capitol sent one of their best healers, and they've also supplied a year's worth of medications for her." Aizawa heaves a heavy sigh. "Going to the Games was worth it."

Shiraishi smiles at that. "That's a relief to hear."

"What about you?" Aizawa asks.

"Nothing much, honestly." She replies, looking at him. "My parents are just glad I made it out alive."

"Ah." He nods, suddenly remembering what she had told him, how she had been ready to sacrifice herself. Silence lapses over them once again, but this time, Aizawa feels himself relaxing, feels the burden in his heart lifting. He doesn't understand why, but being with Shiraishi, even at the most minimum of conversation, has that effect on him. Perhaps it's because they've gone through a situation of life and death together, perhaps it's because he sees her as someone genuine, someone he could trust, a confidant he didn't expect to have made.

"Can I?" Shiraishi asks carefully, shifting in her seat so that her shoulder is brushing his ever so slightly. She wonders if she should explain what she means by that, but Aizawa seems to understand her intention, for he nods once. She wouldn't have done this in normal circumstances, but somehow, she'd grown used to it; Shiraishi rests her head onto his shoulder slowly, relishing in his warmth while listening to the sound of her own heartbeat. They don't say anything else.

In that silence, Shiraishi thinks that it may take them a long time to truly heal completely, maybe never. But as long as they have each other, they will be all right; they can go through this together, they will be safe and sound.

( e n d )

Glossary: Victors' Village: a wealthy neighbourhood (mansions etc) in each district where only the Victors are allowed to reside in.

a/n: omg i can't get over this AU, so since Cabarets and Yuri Hannah requested for an Epilogue, I came up with this to officially mark the end of this AU. I decided to write this in (mostly) Shiraishi's POV since we didn't get to see into her thoughts for the previous chapters, and in my mind, Shiraishi would be more affected over everything even after the Games ended. I'm also 200% sure that they'd both suffer some form of PTSDs, that even though I didn't fully explore, it is still hinted in this Epilogue. Nonetheless I hope this was an enjoyable read and thank you all for your support!