“This is bad. This is so bad.” Jongin’s hands trembled as he hugged his knees closer to himself. He buried his face in his legs and exhaled deeply. He had to get up. He had to find Baekhyun, he knew that. But he was terrified. There could be enemies anywhere and he had no way to defend himself.

 

 

“It could be worse,” he heard a voice say beside him, and he jumped violently as his hand automatically flew to the rifle strapped to his belt. There was a boy beside him, a boy he’d never seen before, a boy with shiny black hair and large, blank eyes that didn't look nervous in the slightest. “You could be alone. Luckily for you, you have me, and trust me. You want to have me.”

 

 

Jongin pointed the gun at the boy, though he wondered why he even bothered when he knew he wouldn’t use it. “Do I know you?” he asked, attempting to keep his voice steady. The boy shrugged.

 

 

“No, you shouldn’t,” he said, sitting beside Jongin and lowering the barrel of his gun with a gloved hand. “You can call me Kyungsoo.”

 

 

Jongin swallowed. “Kyungsoo,” he whispered in response. He took a shaky breath. “Are you going to kill me?”

 

 

Kyungsoo laughed so loudly that Jongin flinched, the gun falling out of his already weak grasp. “Kill you? Don't be stupid,” he said, shaking his head exasperatedly. “I’m going to help you. You have to win.” Jongin raised an inquisitive eyebrow.

 

 

“Me? Why do I have to win?” he asked. He looked down at his hands. “I can’t kill anyone.”

 

 

“Fine, I’ll do it for you,” Kyungsoo said casually. Before Jongin could react, Kyungsoo grabbed his jaw and pulled his mouth to Jongin's own, locking him in a deep kiss. It was over before it began, and Jongin backed away from Kyungsoo with wide eyes, his hands reaching for the gun again. Kyungsoo just grinned. “And that’s why.”

 

 

Jongin started to feel the panic creep back up. This guy was clearly insane; he didn’t even know him for god’s sake. He couldn’t afford to trust anyone, especially not someone that would assault him immediately upon their first meeting.

 

 

But he couldn’t do this alone. He had to find Baekhyun. He had to.

 

 

Kyungsoo stood up, brushing himself off and holding a hand out to Jongin. “Well?” he asked expectantly. Jongin only hesitated for a moment, before he reached up and took his hand.

 

Baekhyun watched the blood pool at his feet, staining the heels of his combat boots. He sighed, closing his eyes before they shot open and he aimed a glare at the boy standing a few feet away.

 

 

“I told you to stay out of this,” he told him, shoving his knife back in its holster on his belt. Chanyeol rolled his eyes and lowered his gun.

 

 

“Please. That guy almost killed you, I think a ‘thank you’ would be more appropriate,” he said smugly. “Don’t act like you’re so hardcore and independent. You’re useless without Jongin or me, and the former is obviously not gonna be much help here.” Baekhyun scowled.

 

 

“Don’t say that,” he said, and it sounded more sad than irritated. “Jongin and I are still going to help each other. This isn’t going to change anything.”

 

 

“Besides the fact that, by the end of this, one of you is going to have to die,” Chanyeol said bluntly. His hand tightened around his gun. “This , Baek. What are the chances that you both would end up in this? Why wasn’t I picked too?”

 

 

Baekhyun’s eyes narrowed. “Are you saying you want to be in this game?” he snapped. Chanyeol shrugged.

 

 

“I just. I don’t want to have to watch you two go through this from the sidelines,” he muttered. Baekhyun sighed.

 

 

“Fine. You can help me. You seem like a pretty good shot anyway,” he said, gesturing to the motionless body on the ground in front of him. “But if anything happens to you, I’ll kill you, understand?” Chanyeol chuckled.

 

 

“Yes sir.” He saluted, and he grinned slightly as they made their way up the street. “What do we do now?”

 

 

Baekhyun narrowed his eyes in the bright sunlight, searching the abandoned street for any potential threats. He clenched his fist. “We find Jongin,” he said determinedly. “And we protect him.”

 

“Oh, look who it is.”

 

 

Jongin nearly screamed,because there was suddenly a man standing about a foot in front of him where he definitely hadn’t been before. He reached for his gun immediately, but Kyungsoo nearly jumped on him in order to lower it.

 

 

“Don’t shoot him!” Kyungsoo snapped, ripping the gun out of his hand and shoving it in his own pocket. “You are way too impulsive with this, you’ve lost privileges.”

 

 

“Aw, Soo-Soo is protecting me!” the boy said, clutching his hands together. “If only it was because you actually wanted me to live.”

 

 

Kyungsoo stared at him blankly and shrugged. “I do want you to live, Zitao,” he said casually. Zitao just rolled his eyes.

 

 

Jongin still appeared to be shocked by Zitao’s seemingly out-of-thin-air appearance. He gaped back and forth between the two boys. “How did you do that?!” he asked frantically, gesturing to Zitao with rapid arm movements.

 

 

Zitao just stared at him boredly. “I froze time. And then I walked over here. And then I unfroze time,” he said dully, before he finally cracked a grin. “It’s always fun to see your reaction.”

 

 

Jongin had a million questions running through his head, but he settled with the most obvious one. “Froze… you can… freeze time?” he stuttered in disbelief. Kyungsoo chuckled and Zitao just stared at him like he was stupid.

 

 

“Didn’t I just say that?” he asked loudly. “Yeah, I can freeze time, just like Kyungsoo can throw rocks or what the hell ever and you can… actually, I have no idea what you can do.” Kyungsoo sighed.

 

 

“Did you want something?” Kyungsoo asked, and Zitao just shrugged.

 

 

“Not really,” he said. “Just wanted to see my dear friend that I’ve known for much longer than I ever cared to. Speaking of which, Do Kyungsoo, don’t expect to survive this. You’re dying. Both of you.” He said it in a terrifyingly serious tone that had Jongin cringing, but Kyungsoo just grinned in response.

 

 

“Duly noted,” he replied. “Why don’t you just get it over with now?” Jongin gaped at him. Oh god, maybe he was stupid to trust Kyungsoo. He knew he was crazy all along, and now he was gonna get them killed…

 

 

Zitao let out a deep breath through his nose. “I have to find him first,” he said, rolling his eyes and shoving his hands in his pockets. “The idiot is going to get himself killed if I don’t.”

 

 

Jongin spoke up solely out of curiosity, despite his better judgments to stay out of this terrifying boy’s business. “Who are you looking for?” he asked. Zitao turned to glare at him, before his mouth turned up into a dark grin.

 

 

“The same person as you, I’m sure,” he replied.

 

 

He was gone before Jongin could even open his mouth to reply.

 

“So, I know all about the ‘outlive eleven other people’ aspect of this game, but what exactly is the point?” Chanyeol asked as they set up camp in an abandoned hotel. Baekhyun kept glancing warily out the window. He sighed.

 

 

“Well, as far as I understand it,” he said, nursing a small burn he’d gotten during a fight with someone that seemed to be able to control lightning. “The world is ending, right? I think that the winner is supposed to… fix it. Become the god of time and space or something, to replace the current god.” He looked up at the sky again, cloudy and dark as it always seemed to be. “Once he dies, the world will be destroyed. One of us has to win before that.” Chanyeol cursed under his breath.

 

 

“That’s so ing unfair,” he complained loudly, throwing the piece of drywall he’d been picking at in frustration. “Is this really the best way to do it? Pit a bunch of people against each other in a fight to the death? I mean, look at you. You’re way too small and fragile to be shooting people.” Baekhyun punched him.

 

 

“Shut up. I know it ,” he breathed. “But there’s nothing we can do. Except try to survive.”

 

 

Chanyeol buried his face in his knees. “Right,” he muttered. “But you won’t, will you?”

 

 

Baekhyun froze. “Excuse me?” he asked indignantly. Chanyeol sent him a blank glance.

 

 

“Once you find Jongin, there's no way in hell you’re going to let him die,” he pointed out, and Baekhyun didn’t even attempt to deny it. “Which means you’ll have to.”

 

 

Baekhyun didn’t say anything, just pressed his eyebrows together. “Why did it have to be like this?” he said softly, almost a whisper. “Why both of us? Why the hell did this happen?”

 

 

Chanyeol sighed. “It's fate, I guess,” he answered dully.

 

 

Baekhyun wiped at his eyes, which he refused to admit were wet in the first place, and stood up. “I changed my mind about sleeping,” he said. “Come on, we have to find Jongin as soon as possible. He’s probably just standing there waiting for someone to come and take him out. Or planning to do it himself.” Baekhyun shivered violently, and Chanyeol nodded.

 

 

“Right,” he said. "He needs us.”

 

 

Baekhyun closed his eyes and clenched his hands tightly into fists. “Yeah,” he said quietly. “And I need him, too.”

 

“So who are you, exactly?” Jongin poked at the fire crackling in the garbage can in front of them. He may have been concerned about the fact that he was sleeping out on the street like a homeless person if the world weren't coming to an end, but in their current situation it was really the least of his worries. “And why are you helping me?”

 

 

Kyungsoo chuckled lowly. “I’m someone who knows you very well,” he said with a shrug, handing his a piece of a loaf of bread he’d stolen from a recently-abandoned bakery. “I also happen to be the person you’re going to fall in love with.”

 

 

Jongin choked, sending him a weary glance. “Why do you think you can just say something like that? I don’t even know you,” he muttered. “Are you stalking me or something?” Kyungsoo laughed.

 

 

“Maybe a little.”

 

 

Jongin scooted away from him, scowling and cursing his luck. Of course the one person that was willing to help him was a complete psycho. He sighed, thinking back to earlier that day, when Kyungsoo had protected him from a foe that could bend water at his will. As much as it pained him, he needed Kyungsoo if he wanted to live long enough to see Baekhyun again. Once he found Baekhyun, he could leave Kyungsoo behind, but until then he had no choice.

 

 

Jongin was going to say something in reply, but he stopped once he saw Kyungsoo’s face. He was studying the fire carefully, his eyebrows pushed together in thought. “Is something wrong?” he asked. He shushed him.

 

 

“The wind,” he muttered quietly. “It changed directions.”

 

 

Jongin raised an eyebrow at him. “What?”

 

 

Kyungsoo’s eyes suddenly widened and he dove toward Jongin, tackling him to the cement and covering his body with his. Jongin wasn’t sure what was going on until he felt a sudden gust of strong wind, and moments later Kyungsoo was pulling him off the ground and running like hell.

 

 

“What’s going on?” Jongin gasped out as he tried to loosen Kyungsoo's grip on his arm. Kyungsoo pulled him around the corner of a building and pushed him against the wall, holding a finger to his lips.

 

 

“Sehun,” he muttered, peeking around the edge of the building. Jongin just stared at him. “Stay here.”

 

 

Jongin obeyed, nearly holding his breath as he watched Kyungsoo walk cautiously back out to the street. It was silent. Jongin closed his eyes tightly and said a quick prayer to whoever was listening, before he quickly turned around with full intentions to run and dive behind the dumpster to better conceal himself. When he turned, however, his breath immediately stopped as he found himself face-to-face with a very tall boy with a very hostile expression.

 

 

“I heard you were the one that doesn’t have any abilities,” the boy said with a grin, the wind around them swirling viciously. “I guess that makes you the easy target.”

 

 

Jongin ducked out of the way too late, and he cursed loudly as the wind slammed into him and sent him sprawling across the pavement. He grabbed his arm and winced, leaning against the brick wall and preparing himself for the next attack.

 

 

It never came. The next thing he knew, an earthquake shook the ground they were standing on and both he and Sehun were thrown off-balance. Kyungsoo came almost out of nowhere and hoisted Sehun up by his coat, baring his teeth and glaring at him with a furious expression that Jongin could see despite the dark.

 

 

“You don’t ing touch him,” he grit out, putting a hand on each side of the boy’s face and jerking hard to the left. The boy was still.

 

 

Kyungsoo backed away slowly and Jongin stared up at him from his spot on the hard ground, his form trembling from the aftershock. “Are you okay?” Kyungsoo asked, helping him up. Jongin nodded, wrapping his arms around himself.

 

 

“You saved me again,” he whispered. “Thank you, Kyungsoo. For everything. Seriously.” Kyungsoo smiled softly, wiping at his cheek with his thumb.

 

 

Jongin suddenly noticed that he was much too close, so close that they were breathing the same air, so close that he could feel his forehead resting against Kyungsoo's. He held his breath, and his heart raced erratically. Maybe this was okay. Maybe he could handle this. Maybe returning Kyungsoo’s feelings wasn’t as out of the question as he had originally thought.

 

 

He didn’t have time to find out.

 

 

“Jongin?” Jongin quickly flung his head toward the voice, the voice that he would recognize anywhere. His breath caught in his throat and his eyes widened. He didn’t even notice Kyungsoo backing away from him as he locked eyes with the one person he had been dying to see.

 

 

“Baekhyun,” he breathed out, his eyes starting to water as he was hit with a wave of overwhelming relief. “You found me.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Chanyeol, you can lower your gun,” Jongin said with an eye roll, feasting happily on the rations of meat Baekhyun and Chanyeol had provided and managed to cook over a newly-made fire. “Kyungsoo's cool. He’s on my side.”

 

 

“That’s suspicious.” It wasn’t Chanyeol that spoke, but Baekhyun, who was sitting beside him with crossed arms and aiming an identical glare at the boy in question. “Who even are you?”

 

 

Kyungsoo stared at them blankly, the same way he had been since the two of them had arrived. He wiped his mouth on the back of his sleeve. “I’m Jongin’s lover,” he said dully. Jongin made an affronted sound and wrapped his coat tighter around himself. Chanyeol and Baekhyun shifted their gaze to Jongin simultaneously.

 

 

“Wow,” Baekhyun said judgmentally.

 

 

“Jongin, please, we are in the middle of an apocalypse, control yourself,” Chanyeol said.

 

 

Jongin rolled his eyes. “Oh, shut up,” he snapped back. “God, I’ve been looking for you this whole time and now I want you to disappear again.” Baekhyun laughed loudly, and after he got over the initial embarrassment, Jongin joined in. They didn’t stop laughing until they were back on the ground, holding their stomachs hiccupping.

 

 

They were all silent for a while. “This isn’t fair,” Baekhyun whispered so only Jongin could hear. Jongin nodded.

 

 

“Yeah,” he replied, reaching out and grabbing Baekhyun’s hand.

 

 

Kyungsoo spoke up, interrupting the moment. “We should come up with an action plan,” he said, standing up and brushing off his pants. “We’ve already taken out Sehun, Junmyeon, and Yixing. Have you two made any progress?”

 

 

Chanyeol and Baekhyun exchanged a glance. “Well we’ve gotten rid of a few, but…” Baekhyun said before hesitating, his expression showing caution. “I have no idea who they were. And on that note, why do you?” Kyungsoo’s expression didn’t change.

 

 

“Unlike you, obviously, I did my research before just running out into this death match,” he said, his lip curling up into a smirk. “Describe them to me. I’ll be able to figure out who you’ve killed.”

 

 

Baekhyun still looked a bit suspicious of Kyungsoo, but then again, he’d been suspicious of him since the beginning. he closed his eyes and tried to think back to the progress he and Chanyeol had made. “There was the one Chanyeol shot, uhm, he was short. Round cheeks. Ice powers,” he said, his eyebrows pressed together in thought.

 

 

Kyungsoo hummed and nodded, poking at the fire and resting his chin on his knees. “Minseok,” he confirmed. “Who else?”

 

 

“The lightning guy,” Chanyeol added through a mouthful of food, and Kyungsoo immediately nodded once again in recognition.

 

 

“Jongdae.” He threw the stick he was using into the fire, dusting off his hands and standing up. “Well, that’s five we know for sure are dead. That means three to go, not including any of us. Or Zitao.”

 

 

“Who’s Zitao?” Baekhyun asked. “And why are we counting him out?”

 

 

Kyungsoo didn’t answer, just sent him a glance before chuckling lowly. “He controls time,” Jongin added helpfully. Baekhyun tilted his head curiously.

 

 

There was a soft rumble and their fire was suddenly being stifled by a layer of gravel, and Jongin turned to stare at Kyungsoo accusingly. “What was that for?” he asked, but Kyungsoo immediately put a finger to his lips and grabbed him by the arm, shoving him behind his back as he squinted through the dark streets.

 

 

“I hear someone,” he whispered, and everyone suddenly fell deathly silent. Kyungsoo swallowed. “Looks like we won’t need that action plan. I think the fight is coming to us.”

 

“You should go.”

 

 

Chanyeol stared at Baekhyun in appall for even giving such a suggestion, and he brushed him off with an eye roll. “I’m not going anywhere,” he argued. “You could be facing someone incredibly dangerous, I’m not leaving you.”

 

 

Baekhyun smiled softly, reaching up to ruffle Chanyeol’s hair. “Hey. You’ve helped me a lot, and I’m really grateful,” he said honestly, staring at Chanyeol with the usual adoration that he held for him. “But there’s no reason for you to die. You’re not even in the game. Please, just go find shelter and wait for me. I’ll come find you.”

 

 

Chanyeol hesitated. “You have to promise me, Baek. Promise that you won’t die,” he said softly, and Baekhyun let out a sad laugh.

 

 

“Of course. I promise,” he said, his voice breaking. Chanyeol nodded stiffly, before grabbing Baekhyun by the back of the head and pressing their foreheads together. He closed his eyes tightly and held him there for a moment, before pulling back and jogging back into the alley that they came from, only breaking eye contact with Baekhyun when he turned to corner. Baekhyun managed to pull his eyes away from the spot where he’d been and went back to join the other two.

 

 

“Okay, so what’s our strategy here?” Jongin asked nervously. Kyungsoo shook his head.

 

 

“I don’t know,” he admitted. “Chances are the one confronting us is Luhan, and Luhan is telekinetic. This… isn’t going to be easy.”

 

 

Baekhyun was quiet for a moment. “So you’re saying we’re all probably going to die,” he concluded softly. Kyungsoo shook his head.

 

 

“No,” he disputed. “I will never let Jongin die.”

 

 

Jongin felt himself flush slightly, but he didn’t have time to express his thanks before suddenly, the building beside them collapsed as if something had crashed into it. Kyungsoo was able to deflect most of the debris to protect them from harm, but his face was pale. He turned to look down the street in front of him, and it didn’t take long for Baekhyun and Jongin to follow his lead.

 

 

Facing them just a few feet away was a very baby-faced boy with a dark look in his eyes. He smiled and waved. “Oh, look, three of you together at once. That makes things easier for me,” Luhan said cheerfully, and the other three watched in horror as pieces of rubble came to orbit around him. “Sorry about this, really. But I’m not dying today.”

 

 

Kyungsoo’s first impulse was to shove Jongin out of the way when Luhan aimed the first large piece of concrete at them, and Baekhyun’s instincts kicked in just in time for him to dive a safe distance away. He panted heavily as he exchanged wide-eyed glances with the other two, just before more rubble flew their way and they had to evade once again. It was becoming increasingly difficult for him to focus on his companions, and he just prayed that Kyungsoo was taking care of Jongin like he claimed he would.

 

 

They weren’t making much progress, they just kept running. Kyungsoo hadn’t been kidding when he said fighting Luhan wouldn’t be easy, in fact, it was nearly impossible to even stop avoiding obstacles long enough to get a hit in. After a while, Baekhyun was finally able to stop for long enough to see what Kyungsoo and Jongin were doing, and he glanced over just in time to see Kyungsoo get hit with a rock large enough to send him skidding across the pavement. He didn’t get back up.

 

 

Luhan was rapidly approaching Jongin, and Baekhyun panicked. He quickly fumbled with his gun holster, pulling out the weapon with shaking hands. He saw Jongin follow his lead and reach for his own gun, but Luhan knocked it away and sent it flying across the asphalt without a second thought. Baekhyun cocked the revolver slowly.

 

 

It all happened very quickly. One moment, Baekhyun was pressing the pad of his finger against the trigger, feeling the satisfying kick against his arms as the gun went off. And then, right as he should have seen the bullet go through Luhan and send his sprawling across the ground, everything froze. The bullet stopped inches away from his head, frozen in mid air. Luhan turned slowly, sending his the most terrifying smile he had ever seen.

 

 

“You can’t beat me,” he said simply, staring at the bullet that was now right in front of his face.

 

 

And then the bullet was flying back, and Baekhyun was bleeding, and Jongin was screaming.

 

 

Someone else was screaming too, and it was full of so much anguish and fury that it pierced through all of the other sounds in the air. Huang Zitao came seemingly out of nowhere, coming up onto Luhan before he could even react and hitting him with a violent left hook. Luhan flew onto the pavement, and Zitao quickly followed, straddling him and grabbing his shirt in his fists.

 

 

“You’re right, they can’t beat you,” Zitao gritted out, pulling his dagger from its sheath and holding it high above his head. “But I can.”

 

 

He brought the dagger down. The street was enveloped in silence.

 

 

Jongin was at Baekhyun’s side in an instant, clutching the other boy’s hand to his chest as he tried to steady his breathing and remain calm. “Baekhyun… It’s okay, you’ll be alright, just…” he stammered out. He was having trouble breathing. Baekhyun’s eyes were dazed when he looked up at him.

 

 

“Hey,” he said, he voice soft as if he didn’t have the energy to talk much louder. “You have to live, okay? Save the world, save Chanyeol. Save Chanyeol.” he coughed. Jongin squeezed his eyes shut.

 

 

“Baekhyun,” he whispered. “Please.” Baekhyun just smiled.

 

 

“Don’t be sad,” he said, reaching up the wipe at Jongin’s wet eyes. “This was the plan from the very beginning. I… have to die. You have to win.” His voice was getting progressively softer, and his grip on Jongin’s hand was getting progressively weaker.

 

 

Baekhyun’s eyes shifted to the figure standing behind Jongin. Zitao was just staring at him with a dark look in his eyes, as if all light had gone from his life, as if he were just vacant. He didn’t speak, just stared at him. Baekhyun blinked.

 

 

“Do we… know each other?” he asked. It was so soft that even Jongin could barely hear it. Zitao’s expression didn’t change.

 

 

“No,” he replied. “We don’t.”

 

 

Jongin sat with Baekhyun until he took his last breath. Zitao didn’t look away from him until his hand slipped away from Jongin’s grip and fell to the pavement with a dull thud.

 

 

They were silent for a long time. “I’ll go check on Kyungsoo,” Zitao said after a while, turning to walk toward the other boy’s still-unconscious form. Jongin didn’t move. He wiped at his eyes and buried his face in the sleeve of his jacket to muffle his sobs.

 

 

“I’m sorry,” he whispered to no one in particular, looking over at the two living people still in his presence. They were supposed to be his competition, his enemies. He was supposed to kill them.

 

 

He couldn’t.

 

 

I’m sorry, Baekhyun. But I can’t become God.

 

Zitao disappeared shortly after Baekhyun’s death, but not before informing them that the two remaining players were already dead.

 

 

“…Kris?” Kyungsoo had asked carefully, gauging Zitao’s reaction. Zitao scowled deeply, staring at the bloodied figure of Luhan still lying several feet away.

 

 

“I did it. If I hadn’t Luhan would have and I... I at least wanted it to be me,” he said, his voice laced with anguish. “He shouldn’t have had to die. Baekhyun, either. It would be easy to blame Luhan, but in the end, isn’t this all God’s fault?” Kyungsoo didn’t answer that, but Zitao hadn’t expected his to.

 

 

“Now what?” Jongin asked after he and Kyungsoo had started travelling again, distancing themselves from the battle site. Kyungsoo pursed his lips.

 

 

“It’s just you, me, and Zitao now,” he said dully, reaching out to hold his hand. For once, Jongin didn’t pull away. “Zitao will be easy. He doesn’t have a drive to win anymore, it’s unlikely that he’ll even fight back.” Jongin paused.

 

 

“…What about you?” he asked. he hadn’t missed the insinuation that Zitao was the only thing in his way. Kyungsoo just stared at him in confusion.

 

 

“What do you mean?”

 

 

Jongin swallowed. “I… I won’t kill you, Kyungsoo. I’ve been thinking about it, and,” he said, because pausing and wringing his hands nervously. “You should kill me. That’s the only way this world is going to survive.”

 

 

Kyungsoo’s eyes darkened almost immediately, and Jongin almost felt scared. “You have to kill me, Jongin,” he said, his voice terrifyingly monotonous. “That was always the plan. I told you that you had to win.” Jongin shook his head.

 

 

“I never agreed to that plan,” he retorted in frustration. “I can’t… I can’t kill anyone. But especially not you.”

 

 

Kyungsoo stared at the ground, his hands clenched into fists and his entire form shaking. “Why?” he asked, his voice low and terrifying, but Jongin refused to be afraid of him. He swallowed.

 

 

“Because,” he said. “I think I’m in lo—”

 

 

His sentence was abruptly cut off but a sudden movement on Kyungsoo’s part, followed by a flash of silver and a stinging pain on Jongin’s cheek when he barely managed to shift out of the way in time. He reached up and touched his cheek, pulling back to see his fingers covered in red. He watched in horror as Kyungsoo held up his hunting knife, ready to strike again, and Jongin was more prepared to dive out of the way this time.

 

 

Jongin stared at Kyungsoo with complete shock and fear, but he looked completely calm. “What? Didn’t you just ask for this?” Kyungsoo asked, his expression far too blasé. “You won’t kill me, fine, I’ll kill you.”

 

 

“Wait, wait, I don’t understand,” Jongin said breathlessly, looking frantically around for ways that he might be able to escape. “I thought… you wanted me to win. That you would do anything to protect me.” Kyungsoo laughed humorlessly.

 

 

“What do you want me to do?” he asked loudly, a crazy look in his eye. “If you can’t kill me then I don’t have a choice! This world needs a god, and if you won’t do it, I will.” He lifted the knife for a third time, and Jongin dodged it again. He couldn’t help it. He knew what Kyungsoo was saying was true, he had asked him to kill him, and he was the one that should become God, but… it wasn’t so easy to just give up his life. Especially since Kyungsoo turning on him so suddenly was not at all what he had anticipated.

 

 

“Something’s wrong,” Jongin said softly. “You shouldn’t be doing this. You… you love me.” That just made Kyungsoo look even more enraged.

 

 

“Just die,” he said bluntly, diving at him with his weapon raised.

 

 

Jongin turned and ran.

 

Jongin didn’t stop running until he felt himelf being grabbed and pulled against his will through the back door of a crumbling house, a hand reaching up to seal over his mouth. He tried to fight, tried to escape, but it was in vain. He ended up sprawled out on the floor of the room he had been brought to, feeling hysteria start to creep up on him.

 

 

“God, would you calm down? You’re gonna be okay.”

 

 

Jongin couldn’t calm down. He hugged his legs close to his chest and hyperventilated loudly, partially from fear and partially from how long and fast he’d had to run. He glanced over at the person who had grabbed him. It was him again, Huang Zitao. He had his hands held up as if in surrender, and he kept looking from Jongin to the window nervously. Jongin flipped his sweaty bangs out of his eyes with trembling fingers.

 

 

“Y-you saved me,” he whispered out, and Zitao looked away from the window long enough to deadpan at him.

 

 

“I’m aware,” he said dully. “You can thank me later, it won’t be long before he finds us.”

 

 

Jongin stood up on shaky legs, crossing over the room and grabbing Zitao by the sleeve of his coat. “What’s going on? You know, don’t you?” he asked, though he was already positive that he did. Zitao had seemed strangely informed about everything that had gone on in the game so far, just like Kyungsoo was. “You know why Kyungsoo is trying to kill me.”

 

 

Zitao looked up at the ceiling, exhaling a long breath before turning back to face Jongin. “Okay. There’s a lot that I have to tell you,” he started, sitting cross-legged on the ground and gesturing for him to follow. “Here’s the thing. Kyungsoo’s going to find us soon, and if things go his way, he’s going to kill you.”

 

 

Jongin stared at him. “Yes, thank you, that’s extremely clear. But why?” he asked. Zitao picked at the worn-out carpet beneath them.

 

 

“All he wants is for you to win this game. But if you won’t kill him, then that isn’t possible,” Zitao explained sullenly. “If neither of you die, then this world will come to an end and we’ll all die, which isn’t necessarily ideal either. So his only option is to kill you. But he won’t live in a world where you’re not alive, and that’s where I come in.”

 

 

Jongin’s head was spinning, but he was somehow able to figure out what Zitao was getting at. “He wants you to go back in time to a point where I’m still alive,” he said breathlessly. Zitao nodded.

 

 

“He’s going to keep playing this game until you decided to kill him and win. No matter how long that takes,” he said with a scowl. Jongin paused, taking a deep breath and looking down at his hands. He clenched them into fists.

 

 

“How do you know all of this?” he asked softly.

 

 

Zitao looked out the window again, checking anxiously for unexpected guests. “Because this is the second time Kyungsoo and I have played this game,” he said dully. “You died the first time, and he couldn’t handle it. He asked me to kill him. But… I. I messed up. I told him that I could take him back in time so he could be with you again.”

 

 

Jongin tilted his head to the side curiously. “Why didn’t you just kill him and become God?” he asked, and he was shocked to see that Zitao looked flustered at that question.

 

 

“I, um. I wasn’t really opposed to the idea of going back to a time when Baekhyun was alive,” he muttered, rubbing the back of his neck Jongin stared at him, his mouth falling into an “o” as understanding washed over him. Zitao avoided his gaze and stood up again, patting the dagger in his belt as if to reassure himself that it was there. “Now, we have to come up with a plan.”

 

 

“A plan for what?” Jongin asked, at a complete loss for what their objective even was. Zitao’s eyes hardened.

 

 

“To defeat Do Kyungsoo. And end this stupid game once and for all.”

 

Jongin watched nervously as Zitao sat cross-legged in the middle of the road, aimlessly whittling a piece of debris with his pocket knife. He clenched and unclenched his fists. “Are you sure about this?” Jongin asked weakly. Zitao nodded unconcernedly.

 

 

“Sure. I’ve seen you do this before,” he said in complete confidence. “Trust yourself.” Jongin took a deep breath.

 

 

“Easier said than done,” he muttered. “By the way, why don’t we stop Kyungsoo before he forces you to take him back in time again?” Zitao grinned, but he didn’t really look happy.

 

 

“The same reason any of this happened in the first place,” he grit out. He paused, chopping whatever figure he’d been trying to carve in half with a flick of his wrist. “I want to see him.”

 

 

Jongin didn’t respond to that. He swallowed his grief about Baekhyun by reminding himself that where they were going, his best friend would still be alive. He took a deep breath. “Should he be coming soon?” he asked. Zitao just nodded silently.

 

 

“He’ll find me. Get up on the roof now,” he instructed, tilting his head toward the fire escape he was standing next to. Jongin obeyed, scrambling up the rusty ladder and glancing over the edge of the medium-sized building so that Zitao was in clear view.

Zitao was right, it didn’t take long for Kyungsoo to show up. “I’ve been expecting you,” Zitao said dully. “I suppose you want me to take you back since you ed up again?”

 

 

Kyungsoo was quiet for a beat. “He’s still alive,” he said softly. “I have to kill him first. It’s better that I do it and he doesn’t just die with the rest of the world.” Zitao smiled sadly, his face showing resignation.

 

 

“He’s not alive,” he said, and it sounded as if it was taking a lot of effort to keep his voice even. “I killed him. There’s no need for him anymore, right?” Kyungsoo looked surprised at this.

 

 

“Oh? Okay, that’s…” he said, and his voice cracked slightly. He took in a shaky breath. “This is the second time that I’ve had to stand by while he died. It’s not going to happen again.”

 

 

Zitao smiled again, as humorless as before. “We’ll see.”

 

 

He held out his hand toward Kyungsoo as an invitation, and Kyungsoo didn’t hesitate before taking it. Jongin could have sworn that he saw Zitao shoot a glance at him, and Jongin knew it was time. He closed his eyes.

 

 

“Our advantage here is that Kyungsoo doesn’t know that you have a power. No one does,” Zitao said with a smirk. “No one but me, anyway. I’ve seen it.”

 

 

Jongin blinked. “I… do? What is it?” he asked, his voice laced with what was almost excitement. He was a bit surprised to see that Zitao looked just as eager.

 

 

“One that’s going to help us out a lot,” he said. “Just trust me.”

 

 

Jongin took a deep breath, closing his eyes. If you time it perfectly enough, you’ll be able to teleport yourself over just in time to grab me and travel back in time with us. Don’t be too early, because then Kyungsoo will see you, and don’t be too late, because then we’ll go back without you. And well, if that happens, you’re screwed, Zitao had said. And so Jongin hoped desperately for the best as he felt the roof disappear from underneath him.

 

 

When Jongin opened his eyes, he was immediately hit with the overwhelming scent of coffee, and sounds of life that he hadn’t heard for what seemed like eternity.

 

 

He glanced across the coffee shop he had ended up in, and pulled up his hood immediately as his eyes settled on a couple of people he knew very well.

 

 

Chanyeol and Baekhyun were sitting next to each other in a booth, laughing and teasing each other as usual. And across from them, Jongin saw the grinning image of himself.

 

 

 

“Zitao!” Jongin jogged up to the familiar figure, pulling off his hood as he found himself far enough away from the café to be safe. The boy in question turned around, and raised an eyebrow when he saw who had called him.

 

 

“Um,” he said. “Do I know you?”

 

 

Jongin paused. Now that he looked at him, this clearly wasn’t the Zitao that he was looking for. He looked slightly younger, slightly less cryptic. The bags under his eyes were less noticeable. He looked more like a boy and less like a man that had seen and caused more deaths than he’d ever wanted to. “Oh. You’re the wrong one,” he said with a sigh, and Zitao blinked rapidly.

 

 

“Uh. Sorry.”

 

 

Jongin shook his head. “No, it’s okay,” he said, glancing over his shoulder. “You know, you should go to that café down the street and look for a boy named Baekhyun. Spend time with him while you still can.” He took off again, ignoring the perplexed expression on the other’s face.

 

 

Jongin continued to wander around the familiar town that suddenly wasn’t familiar at all. It took what seemed like hours, but he found Zitao eventually. He sort of wished that he hadn’t.

 

 

“, what happened?” he gasped, rushing over to aid Zitao’s bleeding form. Zitao laughed once, clutching the wound on his side with a wince.

 

 

“It’s okay. I knew this was going to happen from the moment I decided to take him back in time again,” he panted out, leaning heavily against the brick wall of the alley. “Kyungsoo wants to make sure the world we left behind doesn’t get destroyed, and since he thinks I’m the only one from the game we travelled back from that’s still alive…” He coughed, and Jongin paled.

 

 

“He had to kill you to become God,” he muttered. He nodded weakly.

 

 

“Yeah.” He coughed again. “It makes sense, I guess. When we travel back in time we can’t rewrite history, we just create a new timeline. And Kyungsoo wants to become God of the timeline we’re from.”

 

 

Jongin shook his head, trying to organize his thoughts. “But why is he so adamant about keeping that world from being destroyed? Does it even matter now that he’s here?” Zitao chuckled.

 

 

“I know Kyungsoo may seem like the bad guy right now,” he gritted out, slouching down to the ground and closing his eyes. “But he’s a good person. He doesn’t want millions of people to die unnecessarily. He wants to save as many people as he can. Though obviously, you’re his priority.”

 

 

Jongin swallowed, kneeling beside Zitao and eyeing his wound cautiously. “Are you going to die?” he asked quietly. A weak smile graced Zitao’s face.

 

 

“Yeah.”

 

 

Jongin closed his eyes, reaching out to grab Zitao’s hand. “I’m sorry. This is all my fault,” he mumbled. Zitao shook his head.

 

 

“It’s not your fault he fell in love with you,” he sighed out. “He just doesn’t need me anymore. If he fails again, he’ll seek out this world’s Zitao and have him take him back in time. And he’ll repeat the cycle for as long as it takes.”

 

 

Jongin clenched his fists. “That can’t happen. He can’t just keep playing this game. He can’t spend eternity murdering people just to be with me. I won’t let him live like that,” he grit out angrily. Zitao cracked an eye open and peered at Jongin, and though he was too weak to have complete control over his facial muscles, Jongin could still see the hint of his signature smirk.

 

 

“Then stop him,” he said.

 

 

After that, Zitao stopped talking. Though before his eyes closed for the last time, Jongin could have sworn he’d heard a faint whisper come from his weak form.

 

 

Don’t let him die again.

 

“Your cheek. There’s a cut on it.”

 

 

Jongin turned around rapidly, bringing his hand up to his face on instinct. He could feel the scabbing slash on the smooth skin of his cheek that he had gotten in their earler encounter. It was proof of where he came from.

 

 

“And I’m not God,” Kyungsoo continued. “So I guess that means that Zitao lied to me.” Jongin let out a shaky breath, but clenched his fists in determination. He refused to be afraid of Kyungsoo.

 

 

“Let’s just talk for a minute, okay?” he tried to reason, eyeing the knife in Kyungsoo’s hand warily.

 

 

Kyungsoo’s frown just deepened. “I’m done talking to you,” he said, but there was no bite in his words. “I have a new Jongin to find. I don’t need you anymore.”

 

 

Jongin blanched at his, trying not to show how hurt he was by the comment. “Fine,” he said shakily. “Maybe I’m just one out of a million Jongins to you. Fine. But I can’t let you keep doing this, Kyungsoo, this is no way to live. You can’t just keep playing this game. You can’t keep me alive forever.”

 

 

“Sure I can!” Kyungsoo said loudly, a half-crazed grin appearing on his face. “I can do anything I want. I can be God. I just have to kill you first.”

 

 

Jongin leaped out of the way as Kyungsoo lunged at him, avoiding his knife once again. He took a deep breath. “Look, Kyungsoo. I want you to kill me,” he said, holding his hands out in surrender. “But you have to promise me something. When I die, you have to stay in the world that we’re from. You can’t come back here and play the game again. Live out your life as a God and be happy.”

 

 

Kyungsoo stared at him for a beat, before letting out a loud laugh. “That’s not happening,” he said bluntly, moving to attack him once again. Jongin let out a groan of frustration as he dodged him.

 

 

“You’re being ridiculous.”

 

 

“Does it look like I care about what you have to say?”

 

 

Jongin gritted his teeth. “What is wrong with you? Why are you so ing insane?”

 

 

Kyungsoo paused in his attacks, his eyes widening in what Jongin might have mistaken for hurt. It faded quickly, though and he scowled deeply. “The only thing that’s insane is the thought of living without you!” he yelled at him, going in to strike once more.

 

 

Perhaps Jongin was caught off guard by what he said, because he didn’t move quickly enough this time. Fortunately, Kyungsoo seemed just as surprised by his lack of defense, and only managed to scrape his side. He hissed in pain, and Kyungsoo froze.

 

 

“Jongin…” he said softly, his hand falling to his side. He scowled deeply, shaking his head and pressing on his temple. “No. No. I don’t need you anymore.” He seemed more like he was trying to convince himself than Jongin. Jongin swallowed.

 

 

“Kyungsoo,” he breathed. “Please. Kill me and go back. There’s no place for you here. Don’t you realize what’s going on?” Kyungsoo raised an eyebrow at him, and turned to look as Jongin pointed at the large clock tower in the center of town.

 

 

Kyungsoo’s eyes widened. “What… The game should have started by now…” he glanced at his watch in a panic, as if to confirm the time was correct. “What the hell? What did you do?” Jongin grinned, though it probably came out looking more like a grimace.

 

 

“You did it, Kyungsoo,” he said, thinking back on what Zitao had told him before they had gone back in time.

 

 

“There is a flaw in Kyungsoo’s plan,” Zitao said casually, a small grin on his face. “One that I’m sure he isn’t even aware of. He got away with it this time because he didn’t necessarily plan on failing, but now that he intends to keep going back in time until you win, God is obviously going to figure it out. It’s not possible that anyone will win but you; it’s rigged. So it wouldn’t surprise me if God scrapped the game completely.”

 

 

Kyungsoo’s face paled. “Oh,” he said softly, looking down at the weapon in his hands. He was silent after that. Jongin approached him cautiously.

 

 

“Do you get it now?” he asked carefully, reaching out to touch his arm. “The Jongin here is going to live.” He pulled him out of the alley where they were standing and into the street, reaching up to pull his hood over his head. Kyungsoo froze at the sight several feet away from them. “And so is he.”

 

 

Do Kyungsoo, but younger and a little bit shorter, stood in front of them, chatting aimlessly with a few of his friends. He was smiling, laughing, he was happy. Kyungsoo had forgotten that he had been that way once.

 

 

“I see,” Kyungsoo said softly.

 

 

Jongin turned to him with a small smile. “There’s no reason for you to be here, Kyungsoo,” he said comfortingly. “So just kill me and go back to the world we’re from. Please.”

 

 

Kyungsoo turned toward him, letting out a shaky breath before embracing him in a tight hug. “Okay,” he mumbled into his chest. “You’re right. You’re right.”

 

 

Jongin tried not to let his tears fall, but he couldn’t help it. “I love you, Kyungsoo,” he choked out with a sad smile. Kyungsoo’s shoulders were shaking and Jongin could tell that he was crying too.

 

 

He lifted up the knife in his hand and brought it back down, the noise it made when it ripped through flesh resounding through the air. Jongin stiffened, a gasp leaving his mouth as he pulled back to meet Kyungsoo’s eyes.

 

 

“Kyungsoo,” he breathed out, his voice breaking as his tears started to come faster. “Why?”

 

 

Kyungsoo grinned weakly, his knees giving out from under him as he fell to the concrete. Jongin watched in fear as blood started to flow from the knife that was jabbed into Kyungsoo’s side. He closed his eyes and shook his head, as if he would open them and realize that it was all a dream.

 

 

Kyungsoo was still clutching onto him, so he sank to the ground beside him. “I only ever wanted you to be God,” he whispered. Jongin shook his head again, his eyes blurring with tears that wouldn’t stop flowing. “I love you. Kiss me, okay?”

 

 

Jongin tried to stop shaking long enough to lean down and capture Kyungsoo’s lips in his. When he pulled away, Kyungsoo’s eyes were closed, but a hint of a smile was still on his face. “Kyungsoo?” he asked softly. He didn’t reply, so Jongin shook him roughly. “Kyungsoo!”

 

 

Suddenly, he was surrounded by a blinding light. He felt Kyungsoo slipping from his grasp, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t hold on. He felt himself being torn away from him, away from reality, away from humanity.

 

 

When he could see again, he was in the same place. However, the streets here were much different, much more barren. Broken. Post-apocalyptic.

 

 

Congratulations, a voice rang through his head. You have won the game, and therefore received all of the powers of God.

 

 

Jongin fell to his knees. He didn’t want the powers of God. He didn’t care if this entire world came crashing down around him. He just wanted Kyungsoo.

 

 

“Jongin?”

 

 

He looked up through teary eyes, only to recognize a familiar form running toward him. “Chanyeol,” he breathed. “You’re still alive.”

 

 

You have to live, okay? Save the world, save Chanyeol. Save Chanyeol. Baekhyun’s last words rang clearly through his head.

 

 

“You… did you win? Are you… God?” he asked carefully, as if wary of his obviously broken state. Jongin wiped his eyes on the back of his sleeve.

 

 

“Yeah,” he said dully.

 

 

Chanyeol looked relieved, and he held out a hand to help him up. Jongin took it hesitantly.

 

 

“Well,” Chanyeol said, turning to the broken shambles of the world they had once thrived in. He hadn’t let go of Jongin’s hand, and he turned to aim a handsome grin at him. “Looks like we have some rebuilding to do.”

 

In another world, four people walked out of a café. A short boy wearing eyeliner walked next to a dark-eyed boy he had just met, who had stumbled in and ordered him a coffee, claiming that someone had sent him to meet him. The boy on his other side was much taller and his face was graced with a crooked grin, and he had one arm thrown around each of his friends walking beside him. They were talking and laughing like they had been friends forever, even though the dark-eyed boy was a complete stranger.

 

 

The other boy had a blank look in his eyes, as if he were in deep thought. He stared curiously as a few blocks down, police cars and ambulances surrounded what may have been some sort of crime scene. Maybe someone had died. He hoped it was no one he knew.

 

 

They walked past another group of friends, and he couldn’t help it as his eyes trailed to one wide-eyed boy in particular. He didn’t look familiar. He didn’t recognize him at all. Yet he couldn’t draw his gaze away from him.

 

 

He eventually met his eyes, and they held eye contact for several seconds. Until one of the other boys nudged his friend and started talking about some manga that had been released the day before, and the stranger turned back to his friends as well, and they both forgot about it only minutes later. They kept walking in opposite directions.

 

 

Their paths were never meant to cross.