Six months and one day after the end of the 125th Hunger Games

-Lux Hastings, Citizen of the Capitol-

Even with the lights dim, a hearty steak dinner from his favorite restaurant, and a cup of tea couldn't quell the tightness in Lux's chest. He had treated himself as reward for producing something that was making him even more nervous than he had been at the start of all of this. The stakes were just so high now.

Lux glanced at where his kitten July was sitting on the arm of his favorite armchair, waiting for him to go sit. The stress wasn't going to go away, but Lux thought at least he had a companion.

He was about to sit down when there was a knock on his door. It was so quiet and timid he almost didn't hear it. Could he ever have a day to just relax without talking to people? The Victory Tour was over, his job was done, for now. Now he was giving himself just one day before he got back to facing his stress. If he even could. He still didn't know.

Lux opened the door with a sigh, and was shocked to see his visitor. All alone, with a sweatshirt and sweatpants on, was Piccolo.

Lux's eyebrow creased in confusion. "Hey," he said awkwardly.

"Hello Mr. Hastings," Piccolo said quietly. "I'm sorry for bothering you so late, but..." they stared down at their feet. "I had to get out of the house and I just... Didn't have a place to go... Can... I come in?"

Lux's heart softened and he stepped aside. "Come on."

"Thank you!" Piccolo hurried into the little apartment. "I won't even talk or be a bother. I promise."

"Does your sister know you're here?" Lux asked, feeling concerned.

Piccolo hesitated for a moment, then shook their head.

Lux immediately felt ten times more concerned. Those two did everything together. Lux wasn't even sure he'd ever talked to one without the other.

"Is everything alright?" he asked, grabbing a blanket from his linen closet and wrapping it around the Interviewer's shoulders. "You two are inseparable."

Piccolo received the blanket by touching their lips with their fingertips and extending their palm towards Lux. He hadn't seen that too often, but he knew it was the sign for thank you. Then responded to Lux's statement with a shrug.

"You can talk Piccolo," Lux said. "It's okay."

Piccolo let out a breath. "We used to be inseparable," they said. "But ever since the Games... We haven't been talking much."

Lux frowned. "Why not? You two worked great together."

Piccolo's eyes, which were free of contacts, filled with tears. "On the cameras," they sniffled. Lux gave them a box of tissues that was sitting on his coffee table. "Off of the cameras... It's all different. Everything is different. Nothing will ever be the same."

Lux frowned. "Why? If you want to talk about it."

Piccolo sniffled and patted at their eyes. "Because I failed, Lux."

"Wh-what?! That's absurd! You didn't fail..." Lux frowned. How could such a talented young person say something like that?!

"Do you know how many tabloids took pictures of me crying mid-interview!?" Piccolo asked, their voice much louder. "So many people took their guess on why I'm so upset. An interviewer is supposed to be positive, and unbiased!"

"You were unbiased..." Lux said, frowning.

Piccolo let out a small sob. "You know I wasn't!" They took a tissue and blew their nose. "Everyone knew I wasn't! Everyone knew I loved Ollie!" Piccolo sniffled and kept sobbing. "And I had to be excited with the family of his killer!" Piccolo kept sobbing, and Lux frowned. His heart broke for them. Piccolo blew their nose and talked through hiccupping sobs. "I-wasn't-even on th-e serum!" they gasped. "I-j-just loved him b-y myself!" They sobbed louder. "H-e was on the se-rum and he didn't l-ove me!" Piccolo blew their nose. "It was so stupid of me to think I had a shot with him. He's from District Eleven and I'm a greedy, privileged Capitolite!" they sniffled. "He wanted Jacques, the boy who was also oppressed by me. He ne-ver wanted me. And he d-ied." Piccolo blew their nose and buried their face in the fuzzy blanket.

Lux was speechless. He had absolutely no idea what he could possibly say to comfort this poor, broken child.

"You didn't fail Piccolo..."

Piccolo sniffled. "I did fail! I failed and Viola didn't fail." Piccolo sniffled and wiped their eyes. "Our parents made that clear."

"They're wrong," Lux said forcefully.

"Our parents value success. And if you're not successful, you're not worth a single damn cent!" Piccolo sniffled. "They've called me the wrong pronouns for months."

"Wait... What?! Why?"

"They love having non-cis kids," Piccolo said bitterly. "They use respecting our identities as reward for success. If you succeed you get respect, and if you don't then you have to earn it or suffer." Piccolo sniffled. "They waited to change Viola's name legally until she got first chair in the Capitol Regional Concert Band. They refused to start her on estrogen until she got first chair in the State Jazz Band. That year she had a solo, and she froze up and flubbed it. They called and cancelled her first appointment."

Lux didn't even know what to do, he was so upset with himself.

"They've been calling me the wrong name for six months Lux," Piccolo said, fists clenched. "I always wanted to earn their love and respect, and this is how I'm repaid. Viola succeeded, so her bottom surgery is on the calendar." Piccolo sniffled and patted at their eyes, looking angry and upset. Lux felt angry and upset for them. "Call me the wrong pronoun on purpose. This is punishment for my failure."

"Why isn't Viola standing up for you!?" Lux asked angrily. "That's...Unspeakable!"

Piccolo sniffled. "She is. She is. She knows they're fucked up."

"They're more than fucked up!" Lux said angrily.

"It's okay..." Piccolo said quiet, their eyes scanning the room. "What's that?" they gestured to the paper on the coffee table, obviously trying to change the subject.

"Oh that."

Lux looked at the crying child in front of him and knew that they were exactly why he was doing what he was doing.

"That's my letter of resignation."

"Your what?!" Piccolo looked over at him, shocked. Then the tears came back. "No... You can't... Why!?"

Lux sighed, those nerves and anxiety coming back and filling his body. "I just..." he sighed. "I can't do all of this again. I can't be responsible for the deaths of more children." He rubbed his temples. "Today the President said he wants me to keep making Arenas. But I can't do that. Not after this year." He sat down on his armchair and stroked July softly. "You know, my mother isn't a Games enthusiast, so you'd expect her to raise me to be aware. But though she was strong, she cared about reputation. She didn't want herself or me to be a target. So she raised me just like any other Capitol parent. I'm sure you know that it's just so engrained into our lives that we are taught to remain ignorant."

Piccolo sniffled a little, but nodded.

"I wish that I could say I was one of those people that just naturally knew that the Games were wrong. I wish I could say I was one of those people that was so morally aware that they just knew that the Games meant death, and pain. But I'm not a hero. I'm just a normal person that was played by the system. I was smart but that didn't matter." Lux looked back down at the letter. "Hindsight is twenty-twenty. My mother tried to talk me out of this position, after so long of pretending she loved the Games. I didn't listen. But now I know better. I can't do this all again."

Piccolo frowned at him. "But... We're all going to miss you!"

"I chose a tribute to save out of mid-air! I thought she was good but she was unpredictable and she could have easily just killed Riggs and been the most spiteful and uncooperative Victor Panem ever saw. I didn't make a very careful choice."

"But you made the right one!" Piccolo protested.

"Twenty-two still died!" Lux sighed, shaking his head. "I'm sorry, I just can't do this anymore. I need to retire."

Piccolo sniffled. "Can I tell you something?"

"Yeah, of course," Lux said, smiling slightly.

"The wedge between me and my sister isn't because of failure." Piccolo sniffled. "It's because she loves the Games, and I want to end them."

Lux glanced over. "Does she know this?"

"Hell no. She's riding high on her fame and is nothing but excited for next year's Games. I'm not telling her that. Because... the fame's gotten to her a little and I don't want to risk it."

Lux frowned. "I see. But... If you want to end the Games, why aren't you quitting?"

"Well... Tonight, after being called Operetta to my breaking point, I thought a long time about why I'm doing what I'm doing. Before, it was... I don't know. To earn love, and respect, to validate who I am. I found some sense of self-worth and security in the fame. I used the fame and power as a crutch, to reassure myself that I really matter. To make my parents proud, because this was what they wanted. But... Nothing good can come from that mindset. So I thought about quitting. But... Then I realized that I can use my fame for something else. I can take it and use it for what I want, not what they want. And what I want is to make a lasting difference. I have fame and privilege, but I want to use it for good. If it means putting on a fake face, I'll get better at it. But I'm going to try to change the world, for Ollie's family and his little cousin, and all the other kids like them." Piccolo dabbed their eyes and cheeks dry. "I want to take it out from the inside."

Lux stared at the brave nineteen-year-old in front of him. They had grown so much in the year or so that Lux had known them. He wished they hadn't been forced to grow so much.

"I'm proud of you," he said finally. He reached over and patted Piccolo's shoulder, who gave him a small smile. Then, Lux picked up the paper and threw it into his fireplace, smiling as it burst into flames.

Piccolo looked up at him, a smile spreading across their face. "Do you mean..."

"You're right," Lux said. "Let's use our power to gut them from the inside. For Oleander, and all of the kids like him that have met their doom."

"We're going to be the first operating rebels since Bonaventure!" Piccolo said.

"Yeah!" Lux said. It was easy to feel excited about it now, but he realized that it was going to be a rough road ahead, and a lonely one of isolation and strife. "Well..." he bit his lip. "It all seems so good on paper, but Bonaventure had been killed for his actions, and disgraced, and tortured. Your parents..."

"I don't care what they think anymore. I'm Piccolo Wallace, and I don't need any of them. I'm fighting for Ollie."

Lux smiled a little bit. "I'm just worried that you might be hurt. We're both kind of young."

"If I die having made a difference in honor of Ollie, then I will gladly follow him."

"You're a brave soul."

Piccolo frowned a little bit. "Actually I'm terrified. Aren't you?"

Lux swallowed hard. He was such a lonely guy, he really had nothing left except for his mother and his cat. He knew he was pretty pathetic, still hyped up on the Q-serum and still a bit of a bumbling idiot, despite his formidable GPA and extensive education. Maybe this would give him the chance to fix what he did wrong, and change things: like, actually change things. A legacy that would be far more fulfilling than the one he had now. A purpose that is actually worth dedicating himself too. And if he could protect Piccolo on the way, allow them to be the voice and the face, and the instigator, then... That would be even better.

"Of course I am," he answered, finally. "But we're in this together. We are the roots of the cause and together we're going to do some damage they don't even see coming."

Piccolo smiled a little. "I like the sound of that."

"Me too." Lux stretched. "Now, I think it's bedtime."

"I should go back home..."

"Like hell you are. You're staying here. I've kidnapped you until you feel like you want your own apartment."

Piccolo sniffled and got up to hug Lux. "I'll take the couch. Thank you."

Lux hugged back, smiling slightly. "You're safe here."

"Piccolo Hastings," they teased, giggling.

"Don't push it." But he was laughing anyways.

~.~.

-Numitor Demetriou-Lawrence, Citizen of the Capitol-

Numitor practically fell to his knees at the grave. The snow seeped in the legs of his pants, but he didn't even care at this point. All that mattered was that he was here.

They didn't like the fact that he demanded the train after the sun had set, but Anakyn had appeared right on time to convince them to let them go. Ani spent the ride on the train trying to talk Numitor out of it, trying to tell him he was being too rash and this wasn't something to be taken lightly, nor was it something that could be taken back. He said he should think about it some more, but the truth was that he had thought about it. He had been thinking about it ever since Cerena pulled him aside at the party to talk to him about it.

It wasn't something he was doing just to spite Cupid. Q's confession just reminded Numitor how incredibly dangerous and dishonest the government was. As much as they wanted to keep him ignorant, his parents were never a fan of ignorance. It was one of the reasons he loved them so much. They never lied to him about things, even if they were serious. They never brushed him off as a silly kid. They told him the truth, even when it was hard. They loved when he asked questions about the world, about the government, about nature, about relationships. They loved to answer his questions, and Numitor always had a lot of those.

They were killed for what they believed. Numitor respected that about them, but he couldn't help but be angry about it at the time. They had left three kids behind. And while Numitor was glad that Cupid was finally going to be an honest father (maybe), Cupid wasn't his Mom and Dad. And never would be. And Numitor knew that Cupid felt the same way: Numi and his siblings would never be Leviticus.

There were just so many feelings and emotions flying through his head that he had to get away. Maybe this was drastic, but he wanted to come here, and provide a final goodbye to this place, just in case... Just in case the worst came true.

It was already dark outside, and freezing, but Numitor was finally by himself. Against his better judgment, Numitor took off his glove and put it in his pocket, just so that he could feel the carved letters on his fingers. The snow was going to start falling again soon, but that didn't matter. All that mattered was that he was here.

"It's been six months," Numi said quietly, closing his eyes.

God, I look crazy, he thought. Talking to myself in the dark in the graveyard. Have I really gone off the deep end?

He blinked a warm tear out of his eye and felt each letter slowly graze his fingers.

"Six months since we met, and since you died." Numi sniffled, a shiver combining with a sob. "Six months since our wandering hearts met, and were torn apart." Numi's voice shook and he felt more tears coming out of his eyes.

"I don't know why I came here, but... I had to see you. I'm doing okay, though." He sniffled. "Cupid confessed that he lied to me, before the Games. He put the Head Gamemaker through exactly what you had to go through." Numitor sniffled. "I'm not sure you would ever even love me without the serum, but I sure do love you without it..." Numitor sobbed quietly. "Did." He let the tears roll down his cheeks.

"I'm coming here to tell you that I'm going to try and change things now. I thought about it for a long time. I... I know, er, I'm sure that, you would probably want me to be safe. I have two siblings that have lost so much already, and I wasn't sure if I could do this to them... But... I put a lot of thought into it and I can't just let my parents' legacy wither. And, what they did to all of you... I can't even imagine. But I'm going to know. Soon." Numitor blinked out some more tears, tracing the letters of his first name again.

SEMPER

As if that would summon him, to listen to everything Numitor was saying. Something about it made him feel like he wasn't alone, though, so he kept doing it.

"You taught me a lot Semper. You taught me to listen to my heart and my brain. You inspired me. I know that a lot of people have already let you slip from their minds, but I simply couldn't do that. You're too important." Numitor shivered and sobbed at the same time. "I miss you so much. There was so much we never got to do together. I barely even knew anything about you, and..." Numitor balled his gloved hand into a fist, shivering. "Your life was stolen from you far too soon." Numitor sniffled and blinked out a few more tears, tracing the letters over and over again. "I've continued to live, because I know that was what you and my parents would want. And now I'm going to give my life a purpose, and it's all because of you. You are a part of me, and a part of my purpose."

Numitor blinked more tears out of his eyes. "I'm going early-admission to University," he said quietly. "Yeah, University in District Three of all places. It still blows my mind that I'm going to go so far away from home. But... I'll be back home in due time." He took a deep breath, more tears threatening to come out of his eyes.

"I came here because I want you to know that I'm okay. Not that you probably don't know that already... Heaven probably is omniscient. But... I want you to know that I'm going to fight for you, and... I just miss you so much and I wanted to be with you..." Numitor hung his head. He knew he was lying to himself. He wasn't really with Semper, he was at a graveyard with a lifeless corpse buried below him. He wasn't any closer to Semper than he was back in his father's apartment. No matter if he came to District Eight, he would never reach Semper.

And it was the fault of his own people.

Well... They weren't really his own people at all. He had no people. He wasn't a Capitolite. He wasn't a District person. But soon, everyone out there was going to know that he was both.

SEMPER

"I'm nobody but you made me feel like I was everything. I will always carry that feeling." Numitor's fingers were numb, but he kept tracing the name. This was his last chance to say what he wanted to say before his entire life was going to change. Soon, he would have no alone time, and no secrets. "I will always hold onto that feeling. And I know that no matter what happens, you'll always be in my heart. My fellow star-crossed voyager, whose journey ended in tragedy and took a piece of me with him." Numitor sniffled and blinked more tears out of his eyes. "I'm so sorry. But I'm going to try to make it better for your friends and family." When he blinked his eyes again, he saw the snow start to fall in large, fluffy flurries, blowing across the sky.

SEMPER

"I still have a piece of you," Numitor said quietly. "I tried to give it to your sister and she didn't let me. I hope that if I fail and die, I'll be holding onto it, because then I'll remember that I'm about to see your face again." Numitor could barely see because of the darkness and the tears that filled his eyes. "I'm scared, but you will continue to give me courage in all that I do, for all the rest of my days. You will always be with me, right with my parents. I hope they're not super embarrassing." He laughed a little through the tears, which were starting to freeze to his face in the cold and the breeze. "I never want to leave, but I have to. I have to go home and try to forgive Q. I want to be on good terms with him before I leave for school. I can't let anything left unsaid." Numitor traced the letters, trying to memorize how each of them felt under his finger, the same way he had tried to memorize what it felt like to hold him in his arms.

It felt too soon to leave, but Numitor had said everything he wanted to say. He felt sad to leave, but peaceful. Plus, he was fucking freezing, and didn't want to risk getting sick anymore.

"I love you and I'm fighting for you," he whispered. "Goodbye." Numitor stood up and gave one last look to the grave where such an amazing young man would forever be buried.

"Sweet dreams, my love."

Numitor sniffled and started back to the train slowly, where he knew that Ani would have some soup or hot chocolate made ready for him to warm up. He would have to get used to Ani taking care of him soon.

Numi got back to the train, where he was enveloped in a tight, warm hug from his escort friend, who had a bowl of chicken noodle soup and a soft blanket ready.

The train started back for home, away from Semper's burial ground, but Numitor didn't feel like he was leaving Semper behind. He was taking his friend, his puppy love, his inspiration and purpose, back with him.

"Are you really sure about this?" Anakyn asked, looking concerned.

Numitor smiled peacefully.

"Yes. Send me in. I promise, my heart will go on."

~.~.

A/N: And so we've reached the end. I absolutely cannot believe that this crazy journey has finally come to a close. After 53 chapters of ups and downs, and every emotion under the sun. Before I unleash the sap, here's one last chapter question:

CQ: Well... I guess I'll just ask what your favorite part of the story was, now that it's over! Also, is there anything you think I could do better in terms of how my SYOTs are run for future stories?

I'm going to get really sappy and emotional now, excuse me.

This story was just such a blast, and part of the reason it was a blast was because of all the amazing characters I received. This story existed through a lot of really hard times, and it became one of the ways for me to express some emotions I was feeling when no other words possibly could. It was such an honor to be able to tap into each of these 24 amazing characters, and take all of them on different journeys that mirrored my own in ways that were uncanny. Through them I learned more about myself, which I wasn't sure I'd be able to do with characters that I didn't even make. Each of them had a different journey with different battles, but I felt like I was able to relate to each of them somehow. This story existed through the worst point of my life, but it was a way to turn my sadness into something happy. I would put it into the story, and you would all review and say such encouraging things that really made me feel less alone in this journey.

And honestly the story opened the door to so many friendships, inspired me to make my SYOT forum, and for that I will forever be grateful. I'm so grateful that I got to meet and talk to new people and strengthen my relationships with them so much that a group of us is going to make a terrible recording of My Heart Will Go On. I just have so many amazing memories about this story and the characters, and I honestly think it was my most successful work because it's among the best.

I am so thankful to everyone who sent in characters, and anyone that left a review of encouragement, you really motivated me to do my very best work on each and every chapter, and your love just means the world to me. I'm humbled by the staggering number of reviews on this story I chose to write on a total whim (of fate XD). And I'm so thankful for the lasting relationships I've made through this story and others. Thank you all for being amazing, and I hope to see you all submit to Whims of Fate: The 127th Hunger Games! The journey is far from over, y'all. I'll see you there soon!