The Warbler Games
Part One || The Tributes
Chapter Two
As Blaine made his way up the stairs to join Kurt on the platform, Kurt's heart sank in his chest and weighted him to the ground. A scream burned at the back of his throat but his mouth was too dry to make a sound. Each step Blaine took seemed to require him great effort and concentration, forcing himself to move forward instead of bolting for the woods. Kurt counted the steady rhythm of Blaine's steps like a waltz, one—two—three—one—two—three, until Blaine stood beside him. He looked over the audience, and his beautiful hazel eyes, which often sparkled brightly with hope, even in a place as desolate as District Twelve, appeared empty; it was as though a part of him had died before he even stepped into the arena.
Mayor Figgins read the Treaty of Treason aloud, part of the annual ritual, and Kurt looked at Blaine out of the corner of his eye. Of all the boys, why did Blaine, the one person who ever gave him hope in this miserable world, have to enter the arena with him?
After Burt's heart attack a few months ago, just before the wedding, the tormenting at school nearly knocked the life out of Kurt. For as long as he could remember, Kurt had been bullied mercilessly in school, but it grew steadily worse as he got older. He has been tossed into trash bins, pushed to the ground, all for just being who he was. Places as primitive as District Twelve were not as accepting of homosexuality as other districts, but Kurt made no effort to hide his true self, and that got him into trouble. Unlike most of the other boys at school who were set to work in the mines as their fathers before them, Kurt refused to accept this fate. Instead, he set his sights on moving to the Capitol and becoming someone, like one of the designers or entertainers featured during the Warbler Games. (Finally making it to the Capitol only to be a pawn in the Games made Kurt feel sick.)
Because he needed to pay for his father's medical bills and his father needed to eat to regain his strength, Kurt let himself go hungry. He went to school shaking with starvation, accepting food from his friends when offered, but they too were never properly fed. In his weakened state, Kurt could not muster the strength or desire to fight off the bullies. When they hit Kurt or knocked him into walls or told him he was worthless, Kurt just let them. He had already lost his mother and was on the verge of losing his father. He had nothing to live for here on earth, and the only thing he wanted was to disappear into loneliness.
Fortunately, the odds had been in his favor then. Burt healed and married Carole, and they immediately transferred Kurt to another school across the district. On his very first day of his new life, Kurt gently tapped a boy with curly dark hair on the shoulder and asked, "Excuse me, I'm pretty sure I'm lost. I'm—I'm new."
Unlike everyone else he ever met in District Twelve, this boy smiled easily at him. Usually people were suspicious and defensive when approached, but this boys' eyes were alight with excitement and hope. "My name is Blaine," he said, politely extending his hand.
"Kurt," he replied, awkwardly shaking Blaine's hand.
Blaine had walked him to class that day and to each of his classes every day for his first week at school. Never before had he met someone so selfless and kind without wanting anything but friendship in return. Over the past few weeks, Kurt got to know Blaine better. They even hunted and fished in the woods together, sharing tricks of their trades to bring home more food and pelts to sell in the Hub. Blaine was good at climbing and shot down large game from a high angle, while Kurt was quick on his feet and good at setting traps. They would split their haul evenly, and afterwards, they would quietly sing on the way home.
Only a few days ago, when preparations for the reaping had started to buzz around the district, Kurt and Blaine lay in the meadow, looking up at the cloudless blue sky. Kurt idly weaved together a few long-stemmed flowers, while Blaine sang quietly under his breath.
"Hey, Kurt?" he asked softly, tilting his head back to get a better look at Kurt. He merely mumbled in acknowledgement, and Blaine asked, "Do you ever think about what would happen if you were chosen as a tribute?"
"You mean forced to compete against my will?" Kurt replied, setting his wreath of flowers on his head. "What do you think?"
Blaine gave him a small smile. "Pretty," he said, then got to his knees and knelt in front of Kurt. "But seriously. What would you do?"
Kurt's cheeks blushed as Blaine looked at him with those innocent, honest eyes. "I would tell all the people I loved how much they meant to me," he said quietly, never breaking away from Blaine's gaze. "I would tell them how they changed me and made my whole life worth living, even if it was a short life. And when I got into the arena, I would do everything I could to make them proud of me, even if it meant I would never come home."
For a moment, Kurt swore Blaine's eyes flickered onto his lips, but then Blaine was just smiling at him. "Sorry, I've just been thinking a lot about this stuff lately. I don't mean to be dramatic."
"Well, you know how I adore the dramatic," Kurt said, gracefully getting to his feet. Blaine followed, the pair of them returning home before the woods grew too dark.
The things Kurt had said that day in the meadow echoed in his ears as he stood on the platform. He never had anyone in his life like Blaine, and although they had not known each other very long, he could feel himself falling in love with him. He craved every touch, memorized the songs Blaine sang in the woods, soaked in his warmth and kindness. During the hardest time in Kurt's life, Blaine had been there to renew his belief in people and give him courage, the two things the impending Games were already taking away from him.
When the anthem of Panem echoed eerie through the square, Kurt jerked his head toward Blaine, and they shook hands just like on the day they first met. Blaine curled his fingers around Kurt's warm palm, holding onto his gaze to try and block out the rest of the world and the emotions pooling in his chest. Kurt blinked back the tears, and Blaine squeezed his hand, either to comfort Kurt or to hold onto him to keep himself standing. Kurt began to hum along with the anthem, and the corner of Blaine's mouth twitched into a melancholy smile as he too hummed quietly.
Author's Note: Thank you everyone for your overwhelmingly positive response to the first chapter. Your reviews here and your support over on Tumblr have been amazing! I hope you enjoyed the second chapter as much as I loved writing it.
I expect to finish the third chapter in the next day or so. Please review and let me know what you think. Thank you again!