Chapter 2: Only You Can Hold Me


Kurt spends the rest of the train ride in his room, ignoring Effie when she knocks on his door and tells him that lunch is ready. They arrive in the Capitol not even two hours later, around three o' clock, and Kurt can already hear cheering and excitement in the city streets. He doesn't look out the window. For now, at least, he refuses to take any part in their enthusiasm.

"Hey, it's time to get you all prettied up for the tribute parade," Cooper says, peeking into his room. Kurt nods and reluctantly stands up. As he walks through the parted crowd to get to the Training Center where he'll be living for the next two weeks, he holds his chin up high. He refuses to let them see him as weak or less than them just because he's from Twelve.

They have about ten minutes to take a look at their rooms before they're being carried away to the Remake Center, where they'll be caked with makeup and made to look like something resembling coal.

He immediately dislikes his prep team. The three of them are bright—and he isn't just talking about their personalities—and all too enthusiastic to turn him into their own little doll. Octavia's skin is a sickly green color, probably meant to look beautiful but it only looks depressingly like a rather awful skin disease. Flavius has hair in a shade of orange that even Effie Trinket probably wouldn't wear. And Venia is trying much too hard to emphasize her Capitol accent, drawing out 'S' sounds and 'M' sounds. It makes him sick to think of people actually wanting to fit in with the ways of the Capitol. He can't even imagine it.

"Oh! You're fun," Flavius says excitedly, circling Kurt's naked body on the table as the other two get to work on removing leg hair and facial hair. "Cinna's going to love you. You're so pretty. And your hair! Oh, it's too perfect. I never knew such natural beauty could come from a district like Twelve."

Kurt wants to scowl but he knows it won't help his case. He's supposed to act like he's enjoying himself so that he can earn sponsors, as Cooper had told him before they'd arrived in the Capitol. He knows that Cooper is right, but that doesn't mean he's happy about this particular acting exercise.

Cinna is easier to like. In fact, Kurt thinks he'll be the only person in the Capitol that Kurt will ever like. And it has almost everything to do with the fact that he doesn't seem like he's a citizen of the Capitol. He's more natural, with soft brown hair and only a thin line of gold eyeliner on his eyelids. And he's calm, reserved. He's easy to talk to, which Kurt likes.

"Put that robe on," Cinna says as they walk into a new room. Kurt sighs in relief, wrapping the robe around his bare body. "Now, let's talk. I hate these Games as much as you do, maybe even more. But we might as well have some fun getting ready, right?"

Kurt frowns, a little confused. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that I have plans a much more bold than covering you and Sophia in coal dust," Cinna says with a sly smile. "Do you trust me?"

Against his better judgment, Kurt nods.


Later that night, just before sunset, Kurt finds himself dressed in a black skin-tight leather suit. He has to say he was hoping for more, but what did he really expect? Coming from the mining district, there really isn't much to work with. And at least Cinna's design shows off his… assets.

"Cinna, are you sure this is going to make us stand out? I feel like we're blending," he says once he and Sophia are on the chariot that will take them through the streets into the City Circle.

Sophia nods along in agreement. She's obviously shy, Kurt has noticed.

Cinna just grins and calls Portia over. She's carrying two lit torches and Kurt's eyes widen. Cinna has lost his mind.

"What are those?" he exclaims.

Cinna laughs. "Don't worry, Kurt. It's artificial flame, of my own invention. You'll be perfectly safe. I promise. Trust me."

Again, Cinna said those words with such calming sincerity that Kurt can't help but agree. "Okay."

"There you go," Cinna says as he touches one of the torches to Kurt's leg. Kurt tenses, expecting to feel the pain of a burn, but it doesn't come. He grins, relieved, and laughs happily as he looks at Cinna.

"Cinna, you're a genius! We look amazing."

"Of course you do," Cinna says with a chuckle. "Now get out there and watch them love you."

And they do. The crowd absolutely adores them, and Sophia seems to enjoy the attention. She's waving and catching roses as the audience cheers: "District Twelve! District Twelve!"

Kurt's pretty sure that's never happened before, not once in the entire history of the tribute parades. District Twelve has always been the worst of the districts. Now… now they're the stars.

The chariots arrange in the City Circle and President Snow gives his speech, making Kurt's happiness immediately die out. He's reminded painfully of why he was here. He isn't here to have fun. These people aren't his friends.

He's here for one reason and one reason only: to keep Blaine safe.


After the parade, they're whisked away to the twelfth floor of the Training Center where they'll be living for the next few days.

Kurt heads to his room to take a shower and just think. He thinks about Blaine, about what he must be doing right now. He's probably watching the evening recap of the parade, and he's probably ecstatic that Twelve did well with the crowd because he knows it means more sponsors. And more sponsors will give him a better chance at survival.

After showering and getting dressed in a simple t-shirt and sweats, he joins the others at the dinner table. He sits between Sophia and Cooper and doesn't say anything as Effie starts rambling excitedly about how amazing they were. Kurt tunes it out, focusing on the wide array of food in front of him. He's never seen so much food in one place at one time. He wants to stuff himself, but he knows it'll make him sick if he does that. He's never eaten more than exactly what he needed to stay alive at the time, so he doesn't want to push himself.

Sophia doesn't seem to have the same concern. She's shoving food into her mouth like she hasn't eaten in days. And she probably hasn't.

"Why, I never!" Effie exclaims, her silverware clattering to her plate when she sees Sophia. "Manners!" she hisses, shaking her head.

"Leave her alone," Kurt says with a glare in her direction. "If you lived on tesserae and garbage can scraps, you wouldn't be thinking about table manners, either." He turns to Sophia and pats her shoulder, making her flinch away. He frowns sadly. "Sweetie, slow down. You're going to make yourself sick." As if on cue, she puts her arms around her stomach and squeezes her eyes shut. "See? Come on; I'll set up a warm bath for you, okay?"

She nods gratefully and follows him to his bedroom. "T-Thank you, Kurt," she says once they're there.

Kurt smiles kindly at her. "I don't mind. Just try not to eat so much at once. Your body isn't used to it." She nods and Kurt fills the tub with warm water before stepping out of the bathroom to give her some privacy. Closing the door, he goes back out to the dining room. He glares openly at Effie. "Could you at least try to be a decent person?"

She huffs, looking hurt, before storming off. Kurt rolls his eyes. He doesn't even feel bad, not really.

Once she's gone, Haymitch stands up, looking surprisingly sober. He shakes his head at Kurt. "She's… sensitive."

"So is Sophia," Kurt counters.

"Listen, Porcelain—"

"Kurt."

"Whatever. Cooper said that I need to sober up and help you win. But part of that deal is that you do exactly what I say when I say it. Is that clear?" Haymitch narrows his eyes and steps closer to Kurt. Kurt's relieved when he doesn't smell alcohol on his breath.

He nods, grumbling, "Crystal."

"Good. Now, you and I need to talk about strategy. Since the girl's going to die anyway…" He trails off, seeing the way Kurt flinches. He nods, understanding. "Sorry. But what I have to say to you won't apply to her either way, so have a seat."

Kurt sits down across from Haymitch and Cooper at the table, looking between the two men. Cooper was the first to speak. "We're having a tough time coming up with a marketing strategy. We want to make the sponsors love you even more than they already do after the tribute parade. We want them to be lining up to send you gifts in the arena. So we thought maybe you could play the sexy part." Kurt wrinkles his nose in distaste, making Cooper laugh softly. "Yeah, I figured. So I thought the sarcastic, funny, witty side of you could come in handy. So definitely use that to your advantage. But don't be snarky. Be funny. Be charming."

Kurt nods, relaxing a little. "I can do that. Anything else?"

Haymitch nods, continuing where Cooper left off. "Everybody knows you're the one who volunteered for your boyfriend. But you don't want their full-blown sympathy. You want just enough that they are rooting for love to prevail, but you don't want them to feel sorry for you. Just talk about how in love with Blaine you are. Talk about your promise to go home to him. Even talk about a planned wedding. They'll go crazy. Everybody loves a good love story. And everybody loves a happy ending."

Kurt isn't so sure he feels comfortable talking about his personal life with Blaine, but if that's what it takes to keep them both alive, then so be it. It's not like his life is private anymore anyways.

"Okay. I can do that. And Blaine and I have talked… about getting married. After this year we were going to, once we would be safe from the reapings." His eyes are sad as he says this and he looks down at his hands, pulling out his locket and looking at Blaine's picture. "I was going to propose tomorrow."

"See, that's the type of thing you should talk about," Cooper says, nodding sympathetically. "Make it all about your love story."

Kurt just nods, staying silent after that. He mumbles a quick, "Excuse me," before he's out of the room and back in his own quarters. He sees Sophia asleep on his bed, wearing pink night clothes, and he smiles softly. Already, he's grown quite fond of her. It makes him sad because he knows she doesn't stand a chance in the Games. In fact, she'll probably be one of the first to perish, if he's being honest with himself. She's too young, too gentle, and too tiny. He just hopes he can stay true to his promise to Sam and minimize her suffering when she does inevitably die.

He crawls into bed and drapes a warm blanket over Sophia's small frame. She instantly cuddles up to him when he settles down beside her. He smiles sadly and wraps his arm around her shoulders, closing his eyes and falling asleep.


The next day is their first training session. Here is where Kurt hopes to make at least one ally. Haymitch talked him into it and now he understands that he needs a trusted ally besides Sophia in order to win the Games. However, after a half hour of going from station, he doesn't meet anyone who seems trustworthy enough.

That is, until he meets Chandler. He seems like a nice guy, and he's good with spears as well as knives. That's where he meets him; the knife station. He doesn't pay any attention to the fact that Chandler is obviously flirting with him. He ignores it. He's head-over-heels in love with Blaine and that's not going to change any time soon, so he doesn't see how it's going to make a difference. He figures it'll be better for him in the long run. Maybe Chandler is the type to do anything in order to protect who he cares about. So if he cares about Kurt, then Kurt has a better chance at surviving.

It makes him sound like a horrible person, but all he cares about is getting home to Blaine. He can't afford to think of anything else; if he thinks of the fact that he might have to kill some of these people in the next week, he might completely lose his sanity. He won't get through this unless he keeps his mind set on his goal: Blaine.

He also keeps an eye on Sophia. She's good at climbing, he notices, and he sees her succeeding at the poisonous plants section. That'll come in handy, for sure. He's relieved that she's not completely helpless.

Kurt finds that he's pretty good with throwing knives, and he's even better with a sword. He's okay with a bow, but he doesn't think he could shoot it in a high-pressure situation to save his own life. Sophia helps him with learning to recognize the different poisonous plants and he teaches her how to make a fire.

By the end of the day, Kurt feels much better about his ability to fight. He isn't going into this blind. If someone comes at him, he can defend himself. He can stay alive. He can keep his promise to Blaine.

He's feeling hopeful when he returns to his room with Sophia. They talk for a while, about their different skills and their strategy plans for the arena.

"Chandler is the only one I've met who's trustworthy enough to be our ally. Everyone else seems too… eager. But he doesn't enjoy the fighting. He just wants to get home like us."

"I don't want to go home," Sophia admits and Kurt looks at her, confused and sad.

"Why?"

"I don't have a home to go back to," she shrugs. "You need to get home to your family. I know I'm not going to last long once we're out there, so I don't want you to protect me. If I'm dying, you save yourself if you can. Don't give up everything you have just to save me when I know I can't win."

Kurt sheds a few tears, sniffling and closing his eyes. "I'll make sure you're safe for as long as possible," he promises, because that's the most he can say.

Sophia smiles sadly and hugs him. He hugs her back and they stay like that for a while before it's time for dinner.


That night, Sophia excitedly dashes into his room. "Kurt, turn on the TV! You won't believe it. I don't think they've ever done this before."

Kurt, curious, flips on the TV, which is automatically programmed to play nothing other than recaps and live-action footage of the Games and the lead-up. He sees President Snow standing on his pedestal, making what seems to be an important announcement.

"And this year, we'd like to make a new addition. We will be checking up on the loved ones of the tributes, interviewing each one shortly. Stay tuned for word from your friends, family, and significant others."

Kurt is instantly sucked in, waiting eagerly for them to show Blaine. It's a long program because they show most of everyone's interview. Kurt doesn't pay much attention to the first twenty-something interviews, but he feels his heart pound when they show Blaine's handsome face on the screen. Then Kurt sees Blaine sitting on a stool across from an interviewer, smiling nervously.

"Blaine, is it?" Blaine nods politely. Kurt wishes he would say something because he just misses hearing his voice. He misses Blaine more than he could've ever imagined possible. "You're quite the charmer, Blaine. Tell me, is that how you won over the heart of your boyfriend?"

Blaine blushes and shrugs. "I guess. I mean, we were always friends. I don't really know what the turning point was when we realized there was something more beneath all of that." He gets that smile that he always has when he's thinking of happy memories, and Kurt's heart warms pleasantly. He's missed that smile.

The interview coos. "That's so romantic! So you two are completely in love, then?"

Blaine grins at that, absolutely adorable. "We are. He's everything to me. All I want is for him to come home to me. I'll never ask for anything ever again if I just have the chance to see him again."

"So how do you feel about the rumors that people are already lining up to pay for Kurt's affections? I'm sure it can't be a surprise, what with how handsome he is."

Blaine frowns and his eyes turn sad, concerned, horrified, and then desperate. He looks between the interviewer and the camera, looking directly into it as if he just knows that Kurt is watching. Kurt, for his part, is frozen in shock. He can't breathe. He just stares at Blaine as if he can offer some sort of comfort through the screen.

"I-I—"

And then he's cut off as the camera fades to the next interviewee. It's his dad. Kurt figures he can watch this later. Right now, he needs air.

He runs out of his room and down the hall until he finds the stairs going up. He dashes up them until he's standing on the roof, the wind chilling him to the bone. He keeps running until he's at the ledge, clinging to the stone railing and feeling sick.

This can't be happening, he thinks. He knows she said they were only rumors, but he can't help the panic rising in his chest at the thought of being sold off like a toy if he wins these Games. He knows this happened to Finnick Odair and several others in the history of the Games. President Snow sees someone who might be able to earn him more money that he doesn't need, and he sells them out against their will. And people pay them for their company, but it isn't enough to fill the emptiness they feel afterwards. Kurt doesn't want to feel like that. He only ever wants to be with Blaine. No one else has ever made him feel so safe and cared for; and he doubts anyone else ever will.

He hears the door creak open and he sees Haymitch when he turns around unsteadily. He keeps his face neutral until Haymitch is right in front of him, and then he collapses into Haymitch's outstretched arms, dissolving into tears.

This can't be happening.


A/N: Woo, here's another chapter! Earlier than expected and just in time for me to go to bed now :)

Sorry for the cliffhanger. I'll have another chapter out sometime in the next week, I promise. Don't hate me.

Love you, my lovelies!

Review please :D