All was quite in his small home, Kurt was thankful to be back home after a long day's work. Humming as he made his tea he called over to his father, Burt, "Want any Dad?"

"No son, thanks though," Burt called from his comfortable spot on their couch.

Their house wasn't anything special. It wasn't like the shacks in the slum part of District 7 but they definitely were not the wealthiest family either. But they were well off. They were able to have a meal every night and a solid roof above their heads even though Kurt and his father both worked long hours.

Kurt's mother had passed away when he was eight. It was tough at first but Kurt's father took extra shifts at the lumber mill and soon took a higher position. He disliked his job but there was little variety in careers. Each district in Panem specialized in producing certain things the Capital needed; District 7 was lumber.

"How was work today?" Kurt said as he sat next to his father.

"Fine, I guess, had new workers come in today so I was busy teaching them how to not screw things up," Burt sighed. "I don't know what they're thinking. Thirteen and fourteen year olds are too young to be starting in the lumber mill. But I guess they gotta learn some time."

"Any of them cute?" Kurt laughed.

Burt laughed with him, though slightly uncomfortable with the question. Kurt had admitted to him that he was gay only last year, it was going to take a little more time for him to get used to it, even though he was extremely supportive.

"I don't know what you consider 'cute' Kurt…I guess one of them was pretty handsome-"He stopped himself right there because he didn't want to continue the subject. "How was work for you, kiddo?"

"Boring as usual, only shot a couple cats and one bird." Kurt said sipping lightly at his tea. Most men in District 7 became lumberjacks or manhandled the wood, but Kurt had a different job. His job was to climb to the top of the pine trees and shoot anything that would have a threat on any of the other workers. Apart from the occasional wildcat he never had much to do, and he really couldn't talk to anyone either because he was up in the trees. Even if he weren't no one would want to talk to him because of his sexual orientation.

Being a guard was usually a woman's duty because some weren't strong enough to cut down the large pines in the forest. Kurt didn't want to be a lumberjack because he knew it would ruin his hands and his slim figure didn't allow him to lift an axe with ease. He much preferred being a guard shooting animals with his bow and arrow. He found being high in the air, away from everyone else, relaxing. He was given time to himself for daydreaming and writing in his journal.

Even though his journal was the source of his current problem.

The group of lumberjacks he was in charge of protecting last year discovered that he was gay when his pouch fell from his tree with his trusty journal ducked inside. As one of them picked up the bag, the journal fell to the ground. One of the men opened the book up and they saw his various heart drawings with his name and the name of one of the members of their group: Jace.

"HA! Kurt's gay! I always knew he was a fag," the one holding the journal said.

Everyone else had stopped their work and went over to him wanting to see the journal. Kurt called down, telling them to stop, but they couldn't hear him. As he started to climb down the tree, he could hear them through the branches.

"No wonder they put him on guard duty!" one laughed, as the others joined him. "He's such a girl!"

"Hey Jace! Looks like Hummel has a boy crush on you!" A boy named Karofsky yelled over to his best friend who wasn't interested enough to leave his work.

Jace looked over then, the news obviously catching his attention. He looked to Kurt who had finally made it down the tree to grab at his journal.

"Give that back!" Kurt yelled trying to get the journal out of Karofsky's outstretched hand.

"Don't touch me you fairy!" Karofsky retorted as he pushed Kurt to the ground.

Tears were running down his face now, there was no use in hiding them as the rest of the group began to tease him.

Jace had said nothing but he gave Kurt a look of disgust as he looked over the journal. He tossed the book at Kurt's feet and spit at it.

"You can find a new group to guard. I don't need a faggot to protect me," Jace said with such venom it made Kurt winced.

"Leave you fag!" Karofsky yelled at him.

That was encouragement enough as Kurt left running through the forest. He came back home to tell his father everything, and ever since then he had been the outcast of the entire district, but his father always stood up for him. He protected another group now, but things were different.

He was still treated as District 7's faggot. He was the disgrace of his hometown. Everywhere he went, he was pushed, spit upon, sneered at, and was called terrible slurs. Things haven't let up since it occurred last year, it fact, it's been getting worse and bandages were pricy. He didn't know how much he could handle.

Kurt blinked back his tears and looked to his father.

"Everything all right kiddo?" Burt asked, noticing the wet sheen in his son's eyes.

"Yeah, everything's fine. Just worried about next week," Kurt replied. This was not a complete lie. The Quarter Quell was next week. Every year every district in Panem had two children selected by a drawing to enter in the Hunger Games, a tournament to the death in which only one could survive. This year was the first Quarter Quell, the twenty fifth anniversary of the first Hunger Games. The Game Makers had said that the Quarter Quell was going to be different than the previous Hunger Games. Kurt, along with the rest of Panem, had no idea what was in store and everyone was nervous.

"Oh yeah, the quarter quell is next week…Well don't you worry son. You're eighteen so this is the last year that your name is in the drawing. Do you know how many young men live here? You'll be fine," Burt said giving his only son a comforting pat on the back.

Truth is, Burt was worried too, but he didn't want to say it in front of Kurt. He didn't know what he would do if he lost his son, he had already lost his wife. He couldn't lose Kurt, he just couldn't.

Kurt woke up to the sun streaming from his window that hit his eyes. He grumbled as he moved from his bed to get prepared for the day. He grabbed his hunting boots and clothes and put them on slowly. He hated these clothes and he hated everything about his district. Most of the people were terrible homophobes and practically no one cared about their appearance. After living with lumber for all their lives, everyone was huge with muscles and covered with dirt all the time. He seemed to be the only one to care what he looked like. He wished to be in the Capital with all the beautiful clothing and people, although he had to admit the skin-coloring fad was kind of weird.

He knew it was wrong to want to be there. In the capital, that is. The Capital had forced children to fight in the Hunger Games every year all because they were afraid of another revolt like the one that happened in District 13 twenty six years ago. He lost his best friend to the Hunger Games two years ago and he hated them for it. Kurt was nervous and it made him sick to think that kids were forced kill each other, and he might be one of those kids in this "special" Hunger Game.

He left the house strapping his bow and arrow across his back and shouting a farewell to his father who was still getting ready in the other room. He made his way through the main street on District 7, which had the faint smell of woodchips and pine as everyone passed through it, glaring at him along the way. He ignored them the best he could and stopped by the bakery to get some breakfast and then headed down to the woods to start his shift.

"Kurt!" Someone called from behind him.

He turned to find his leader running towards him. He was a tall man with a set of broad shoulders. He was out of breath by the time he reached Kurt, who looked small standing next to him, even though they were of the same height.

"Yes, Garrison?" Kurt asked, somewhat confused as to why he was being approached.

"You've been moved to a new group today, head over to Section 17," he said while scanning his papers.

"Why, may I ask, have I been moved?" Kurt asked, completely confused.

"Your group asked for a change...they um…they said they were uncomfortable with you protecting them…because of… you being…you know…" he muttered.

"Gay you mean?" Kurt snapped back.

"I'm sorry Ku-"

"No you're not. Just tell me what section I have to go to again so I can leave and you can be free of my faggy presence."

"17"

And with that Kurt marched off.

He was tired of people treating him differently because he was gay. So what? Being gay didn't affect his ability to shoot an animal right through the skull with his first shot. He was probably the best archer this district had. Well, you know what. Screw them. If they want to be protected by someone with a less accurate shot, he hoped the archer missed the dangerous wild cats.

When he reached his new group they all stopped their work to look at their new guard.

"Hey it's that Hummel kid," one said as he eyed Kurt up and down with a nasty sneer.

"Isn't he gay?" one of them whispered to his friend on the left.

"It shouldn't matter" one of them said as he sat up from where he was sitting behind a tree.

Kurt hadn't seen him at first but when he did, he was taken aback. He was quite shorter than Kurt, but he had dark brown hair that sat on his head in a set of luscious curls. He had bright hazel eyes and bushy eyebrows that actually worked for him. Unlike practically everyone else in the district, he looked well put together and actually shaved. He even had a bright smile on his face, something Kurt almost forgot what it looked like when it was directed at him. This boy didn't seem to belong in the forest with the rest of the lumberjacks.

"Hi, I'm Blaine," he said as he took Kurt's hand and shook it.

"Um…H-Hi, I'm Kurt" he said still utterly taken aback by Blaine and his behavior.

That was the first time that anyone had stood up for Kurt, besides his father. He never thought anyone in the district would be nice enough not to care. He stared at Blaine as he told the others to introduce themselves to Kurt. Some muttered their complaints as they went up to shake Kurt's hand, but after Blaine's defense for Kurt most of them didn't seem to mind him.

"So our last guard took that tree right there," Blaine said pointing to the tree that was about twenty feet away. "She never climbed up to the top because there are not a lot of animals that come by here, and when one does, we easily kill it from the ground with the bow and arrow or with one of our axes. She usually sat on the ground."

Kurt just nodded unable to respond to him afraid that he would stutter like an idiot.

"So…yeah, you can just hang around down here, it'll be boring but at least you'll have some company" Blaine patted Kurt's back as he walked away.

Kurt stood there frozen for what seemed like ages, but he eventually willed his legs to move to the tree Blaine had pointed out earlier. He took of his bag and set it against the tree and prepared his bow and arrow for anything that might come. He sat down and spent the rest of the day stealing glances at Blaine. Around noon he thought he saw Blaine looking at him, but he blamed it on his imagination.

As much as he willed himself not to, his eyes drifted back to Blaine. He really shouldn't be staring at the boy, no matter how cute or how nice he appeared to be. He was probably just taking pity on Kurt. Developing a crush on a co-worker was a big no-no that he thought he had learned before. There was no doubt in his mind that Blaine would be just as rude as everyone else if he were to find out Kurt had been staring at him all day.

But he just couldn't take his eyes away. Blaine was sweating a lot as he swung his axe at the tree with heavy blows. It was mesmerizing to watch, for with each swing Blaine's muscles tightened and Kurt couldn't help but think what those arms would feel like around him. Blaine's well put together look soon faded away as his whole body was drenched in sweat as the sun beat down from up above. It was not long later when Blaine took off his shirt and Kurt gaped openly at the toned body across from him. He quickly looked away when he noticed that one of the group members were looking at Kurt with disgust.

Shit! You have to be more careful, Kurt scolded himself silently. You will not allow your stupidity to make the one person who has treated you with kindness hate you.

He forced himself to look at an opening in the forest for the remaining time until his shift was over.