Disclaimer: Again, the nightlock in the parachute idea is not mine. Credit goes to weasleysweaters on tumblr for her sheer genius (I hope you don't mind that I used it).
CHAPTER SONG: "Undying Love" by Two Steps from Hell
Rendwick was grateful that the next three days were spent mostly in the hideout. Lartius said that time passed slower in there. Waking up next to Lartius every morning brought about a strong surge of what felt like electricity in his chest. He wanted to preserve it as long as he could. It sounded cheesy, but he wished he could freeze these moments, so they would never be tarnished.
Those three days passed the same way. It had gotten a little colder outside, so most of their time was spent inside the hideout. Despite everything, they never ran out of things to talk about. The time they spent together in the hideout made them feel like they weren't even in the arena anymore, like they were just two normal people. It felt safe. Lartius thought the two of them would get bored of doing the same thing day after day, but they didn't. He was grateful for Rendwick's company. If he could, he would never leave the hideout.
They only left to get food for the day or to look for the other high-district tributes at sunset. Lartius was getting a little annoyed. He and Rendwick had gone out every night looking for the high-district tributes, but they hadn't found them for three days. He grew increasingly frustrated each night.
"We run into them by accident every day," Lartius had said the night before. "And now when we go looking for them, we can't find them. It's like they vanished."
Rendwick watched him pace around the room. "Okay well, we know they didn't vanish. We know they're somewhere in the arena."
"Yeah, but this arena is huge," Lartius argued. "It feels like we can only find them if we're not looking for them, but that just sounds crazy and ridiculous, and I don't want this arena to drive me nuts, I just-"
Without even thinking, Rendwick stepped towards Lartius, wrapped his arms around him, and pulled him into his chest. He didn't say anything, didn't tell him to relax, he just waited for it to happen. Lartius slowly reached his arms up around Rendwick's neck.
After a few deep breaths, Lartius was calm. He looked up at Rendwick. "Thanks."
Rendwick just smiled down at him and kissed him.
Rendwick soon discovered that this was his way of calming Lartius down when he got worked up and frustrated. Lartius appreciated how Rendwick knew how to deal with him like this.
Lartius didn't seem to have realized their chances of survival like Rendwick had. Every time he was reminded of it, he felt a horrible chill pass through his body. He tried to put it out of his mind, even though he knew they would talk about it eventually. He felt it easier to just compartmentalize it and not think about it too much. He tried not to let it show on his face either, but Lartius had gotten to know him pretty well and noticed that something was wrong. But whenever he asked Rendwick, he always said it was nothing.
Their food supply was starting to deteriorate. The dried beef strips were gone, the rabbit was gone, the crackers were almost gone, and so was the bread. Soon, all they'd have to eat were the birds in the park, but Rendwick didn't know how long the birds would be in the arena. He was worried the Gamemakers might pull some stunt and remove them.
Three days had gone by without any more deaths. Aside from the other high-district tributes, the only other person left was the girl from District 12. Lartius didn't really think she was important, since she wasn't a threat. The other high-district tributes were more important. They had to be dealt with first.
Lartius had adjusted his perception of time in the arena. If they spent the day outside the hideout, time would speed up and their day would be over before they knew it. But inside the hideout, time seemed to slow down. At first, Lartius found time to pass way too slowly, but he became accustomed to it. He preferred the hideout. The way time would pass out in the open arena made him feel rushed.
Lartius also noticed that their kisses seemed to evolve over time. At first, they were a little hesitant, as if they were checking to see if this was what they wanted. The last few days, their kisses were deep and passionate. They explored each other with their eyes shut and their hands wandering everywhere. They didn't go too far too quickly, because Rendwick wanted to take it slow, but they went a little further every day. Their passion didn't fade as the days passed, but Lartius had noticed that some of their kisses became more affectionate.
Their mornings were always very slow when they woke up. Since it had gotten colder the last few days, they woke up with their arms wrapped around each other, using their body heat for warmth. They spoke to each other in low whispers, debating on when to go out to get food. Although neither of them wanted to put off getting food, neither of them wanted to leave the hideout to do it. Outside the hideout, they were exposed, on display. They couldn't freely be themselves. Inside the hideout, they didn't care how they were because no one was watching them.
The weather was much nicer on the fourth day. They noticed it the minute they woke up. Rendwick's arm was draped over Lartius' waist, but moved up his hand to his jaw. His hand reached up a little higher, his fingertips brushing back and forth above Lartius' ear. Lartius smiled a little and inched himself closer to Rendwick.
"How d'you sleep?" Lartius asked him.
"Good. You?"
Lartius nodded. "Mhm. Good."
"How's your arm?" Rendwick asked.
Lartius reached instinctively for the spot beneath his elbow. "Better."
"It doesn't sting anymore?"
"A little less. It could be worse."
"You feel all right? No fever or anything?" He reached up to feel Lartius' forehead.
"No, I'm good. What about you?"
"I'm fine, too."
Rendwick's right hand trailed into Lartius' hair. He pulled Lartius in and kissed him. Lartius reached up and cupped Rendwick's cheek, kissing him back a little deeper. Rendwick's left hand moved to the other side of Lartius' face, while his right hand trailed back down to Lartius' waist.
Lartius' mind always seemed to fog up when they kissed. His hand moved to the back of Rendwick's head. Everything he worried about or stressed about vanished. It felt like none of it was real anymore, and that Rendwick was the only thing that was real to him. His body curved into Rendwick's, his other hand gripping Rendwick's shoulder as he dove in for more. He always wanted more. His body and heart yearned for it. It got to the point where he had to keep reminding himself, "Oh right, we're in the Hunger Games."
"We need to go out soon," Lartius said against Rendwick's mouth.
"Mhm." Rendwick kept kissing him, his hand pushing up the hem of Lartius' shirt.
Lartius felt his spine buck up at the feel of Rendwick's hand on his bare skin. "Seriously, we need to get food."
"Yeah." Rendwick's hand slid to the small of Lartius' back. A small sigh escaped Lartius' lips.
"I mean it," Lartius said, his voice a little more muffled.
Rendwick could feel Lartius smiling against his mouth. He nodded a little, but kept kissing him.
"Come on," Lartius said, breaking the kiss and looking Rendwick in the eye. "We really need to go."
Finally, Rendwick sighed in defeat. "Fine. I know when I've lost you."
Lartius laughed a little and kissed him a couple more times. He got up and put his backpack on. He pulled Rendwick to his feet, who wrapped an arm around Lartius' waist and kissed him again. Lartius noticed that Rendwick had become progressively more "hands-on", for lack of a better word. He felt Rendwick's hand slide even further down to cup his backside. Lartius gave a sharp intake of breath and laughed a little, breaking the kiss.
"That's new," Lartius remarked.
"Yeah, thought I'd give it a shot," Rendwick replied with a grin.
They both laughed. Rendwick kissed him again, wrapping his other arm around him. Rendwick wished they didn't have to go out.
"Okay, I really mean it, we need to go."
Rendwick looked at him. His arms loosened around Lartius' waist. "You're giving me the face again," he said.
"What face?" Lartius asked.
"That face," Rendwick said, pointing. "I've found out that I end up doing whatever you want because of that face." He kissed Lartius one more time. "So, fine."
Lartius grinned. Rendwick finally let go of Lartius to get his backpack and spear. The two of them carefully stepped out onto the fire escape and onto the roof, and made their way to 23rd Street. Lartius scanned the park once it came into view and found it empty. He saw the sun reflecting brightly in the fountain and bouncing off the windows of the nearby buildings. Before they reached the fire escape, Lartius scanned the park more thoroughly, just to be sure. No sounds of life, no shapes walking beneath the tree branches. The two of them climbed down the fire escape and crossed the street into the park.
They looked around as they entered the park. They'd become accustomed to it, always making sure they weren't being followed. Lartius handed his canteen to Rendwick, who went straight to the fountains to refill. Lartius looked through the trees for birds. This had been their system for the last three days whenever they were in the parks to get food and water.
It took a while for Lartius to get food. He could feel that the birds knew what was coming when the knives came out. Eventually, he was able to take down his targets, pluck them, and clean them out before he started the fire. Rendwick came back from the fountain and handed Lartius back his now-full canteen. Lartius nodded in thanks, swung his backpack off his shoulders, and tucked his canteen away.
"You want to me cook?" Rendwick asked.
"No, I'll do it," Lartius said. "You did it last time."
Rendwick nodded. He gripped his spear a little tighter and began scanning the surrounding area. Having to keep watch always made him a little jittery in anticipation. Every little noise made him jump. He wanted to be ready the second he saw someone.
Today was a little weird. He thought Lartius was taking much longer than usual to get the birds done. He kept glancing back at him to see how he was doing. He felt very warm under his jacket. He glanced up at the sky, shielding his eyes from the sun.
"Do you feel that?" Rendwick asked.
"The drought? Yeah." Lartius took off his jacket and wiped his forehead on the back of his forearm.
Rendwick shrugged off his own backpack and jacket. He gripped his spear so tightly that his palm was sweating. The heat was making Rendwick anxious and a little paranoid. The longer he kept watch, the more frantically he scanned each side of the park.
Lartius noticed he was on edge. "Hey, relax."
Rendwick looked at him. "What?"
"Relax," Lartius repeated. "I'm almost done."
Rendwick nodded. He took a few deep breaths to calm himself down a little. He had a million thoughts about the weather in the arena, but he couldn't put those into words with the cameras watching him and Lartius. They were careful not to talk about any specific concerns about the Games or the arena. That had to wait until they were back at the hideout.
"Okay, all done," Lartius said.
Rendwick let out a breath and nodded. He put his backpack on, and tied the sleeves of his jacket around one of the straps.
Lartius stuck the cooked birds inside his backpack. "We'll be safer out of the sun. Ready?"
Rendwick was about to lead the way back to the hideout when he suddenly stopped. Lartius looked to his right and found him staring into one of the trees.
"Hey." Lartius tapped him on the arm. "What are you looking at?"
"I think there's a bird's nest in there," Rendwick said, pointing.
"So?"
"Hold this," Rendwick said, passing Lartius his spear. He reached up to the thicker, sturdier branches and climbed up the tree. He lifted himself up three or four more branches before he stopped. "I knew it."
"What?" Lartius asked.
Rendwick jumped down, holding the bird's nest. "There are eggs in here." His eyes squinted up at the sun then down to the black road. "Let's see just how hot it is out here," Rendwick said, moving to the sidewalk. Rendwick carefully cracked the egg on the curb and split it open. The contents sizzled as soon as they hit the black concrete.
"Do you have a knife with a really wide blade?" Rendwick asked Lartius.
"Uh, probably," Lartius said. "Hang on."
He propped the spear against his shoulder as he looked through the inner pockets of his jacket. He found his widest blade and passed it to Rendwick, hilt first. Lartius watched the egg whites brighten as they cooked on the hot stone. Rendwick cracked another two eggs on the curb.
Thinking quickly, Lartius put down Rendwick's spear and took out the parachute from his backpack. He quickly unclipped the parachute, opened the case, and took out the tin container. He took out the nightlock, still resting on the napkin, but used his spare t-shirt from his backpack to clean out the container in the fountain anyway, as a precaution. He tried to work quickly, since the water was fading. He passed the container to Rendwick, who looked at it cautiously.
"It's clean, right?" he asked Lartius.
Lartius nodded. Rendwick took the container, used the knife to scoop up the four fried eggs as carefully as he could without breaking them, and stuck them inside. Lartius wrapped the napkin around the nightlock and stuck it inside the case, clipping the parachute back on, and tucking it away in his backpack.
"This'll make a nice change from all the birds we've been eating the last several days," Lartius said as he watched him.
Rendwick nodded as he screwed the lid back on the metal container. He passed Lartius back his knife and put the metal container in his backpack. "Okay, let's get out of this heat."
Lartius nodded in agreement. He gave Rendwick his spear back, and the two of them climbed back up the fire escape, traveling across the rooftops back to the hideout. The sun was beating down hard on them so they walked a little faster to get back. Lartius looked at Rendwick and saw a trace of determination across his face. He knew Rendwick wanted to get back to the hideout, but given how Rendwick didn't even want to let Lartius go this morning, he had a feeling that Rendwick would be all over him the second the panel was shut.
When they got back to 15th Street and were safely back inside the hideout, Rendwick pushed Lartius up against the closed panel and kissed him. He put his spear against the wall and wrapped his arms around Lartius. Lartius let himself get lost in the moment. They had their food and water, and they were away from the sunlight. Lartius pushed Rendwick forward a little so he could take off his backpack and drop it by his feet. His arms went around Rendwick's neck. Rendwick slid his own backpack off his shoulders and onto the floor.
The two of them eventually found their way to the floor, Lartius' back against the wall. Rendwick pushed Lartius' jacket off him. One of his hands slid up Rendwick's back, the other went up to his cheek. Rendwick's body curved on top of Lartius'. Their arms and hands were constantly moving: Lartius' arms wrapped around Rendwick's shoulders, Rendwick's hand went down to the small of Lartius' back, one of Lartius' hands reached up to the back of Rendwick's head, into his hair.
After a while, Rendwick came up for air, his forehead inches away from Lartius', trapping him under his gaze. Lartius always felt a magnetic pull between them when they had eye contact like this. Rendwick leaned in and kissed him again, very slowly. Lartius tightened his grip on him a little. Rendwick felt a thrill around his heart, stretching out to the rest of his body, all the way down to his fingertips. He pulled back to look at Lartius again.
"We should eat, probably," Rendwick said.
"Yeah," Lartius agreed, laughing a little. He kissed Rendwick one more time.
Rendwick reached into his backpack for the eggs. As he took the container out, he noticed a thin pocket inside his backpack. He'd completely missed it on the first day of the Games. He put the container down and reached into the pocket, pulling out a knife, fork, and spoon.
He held them up to Lartius. "I had no idea these were even in here."
Lartius laughed again. Rendwick handed him the fork and put the knife back into the pocket. He unscrewed the lid off the container and carefully slid two eggs onto the lid for himself. He passed the container to Lartius.
"We're gonna have to clean this out before we use it tonight," Lartius said, holding up the container.
"If we can get water from one of the fountains, though," Rendwick said.
"Yeah, and if we can't, we can probably use whatever water we have left over. Just not all of it."
Rendwick nodded and took a bite of his eggs. Lartius was right, it was a nice change from all the birds they'd been eating. It actually felt like breakfast to him.
The air was much cooler inside the hideout. They always felt much more comfortable in there. They were more relaxed, they were shielded from the rest of the world, and they weren't afraid to simply be themselves. That last part applied to Rendwick more than Lartius. Rendwick did want to feel more comfortable in his own skin, enough to be honest and come out. Lartius had told him everyone went at their own pace. Rendwick had no idea how long it would take before he felt comfortable enough to come out.
One thing Rendwick really liked about his relationship with Lartius was that it felt surprisingly natural. Rendwick didn't feel like he had to be a certain way, or say what Lartius wanted to hear, but they never ran out of things to talk about. They tried to steer clear of the Games a lot of the time, so most of their conversations were about their past and their childhoods. Eventually, the topic did go back to the Games.
"There is an upside to the drought," Lartius said.
Rendwick looked at him. "There is?"
Lartius nodded. "We know where the troupe is gonna be tonight, at the park on 23rd Street."
"Are you sure?" Rendwick asked.
"Remember that makeshift tent they made with the blankets stretched out between the trees? They're gonna be under that to hide from the sun. By the time night falls, they'll have a place to camp out since there's water nearby."
"Hopefully they won't be under the tent when you throw down the parachute or they might not notice it," Rendwick said.
"Nah, they probably would," Lartius countered. He took his canteen from his backpack. "They'd heard it land on the blankets and the beeping noise. The trick would be getting it into the trees without it getting caught on the branches."
Rendwick nodded. "True."
Lartius drank from his canteen. Rendwick put down the empty container lid and tucked his spoon into the thin inner pocket of his backpack.
"So we're diminishing the pack tonight," Rendwick said.
Lartius nodded. He felt his excitement mount a little. He almost couldn't wait for it to be sunset so he could finally put the big plan in motion. Testing the theory on the guy from District 5 was good practice, but the big test was the other high-district tributes.
"You nervous?" Rendwick asked.
Lartius shook his head. "I probably will be when the time comes, though." He drank from his canteen again. "I kind of just want this to be over, you know? The sooner we diminish the pack, the closer we are to the finish line."
Rendwick felt his stomach tie itself into knots. The idea of the end of the Games reminded him that only one of them would go home alive. He felt his shoulders tense up. He stared at the floor.
"What's wrong?" Lartius asked.
"Nothing," Rendwick replied brusquely.
There was a pause. Then Lartius said, "Look at me."
Rendwick didn't move. He knew what was coming.
"Look at me," Lartius repeated, a little gentler. He turned Rendwick's chin in his direction. "That's the sixth time in four days that I've asked you what was wrong and you always said it was nothing. I know when you're lying to me."
Rendwick still didn't say anything. He should've known that keeping this from Lartius was a bad idea. It's not like that thought was never going to cross his mind.
Lartius' hand traveled up to Rendwick's cheek. "Talk to me," Lartius said. "Please."
Rendwick took a deep breath. "All right." He turned himself in his seat so he was facing Lartius. "A few days ago, I kind of had the sudden realization that…" He pressed his lips together.
"That what?" Lartius urged.
"That at the end of all this… only one of us will be alive," Rendwick finished heavily.
Lartius froze. That thought had completely slipped his mind. How could he have forgotten something so important?
"I mean, it's not like I went into this thinking we both could live," Rendwick said. "I just got a little lost in what we have that I lost sight of what all of this was for in the first place. To have one Victor."
Lartius felt his stomach sink. His hand dropped down to the floor. He remembered back in the Justice Building back home, when Jax asked him if he was going to win. Jax was probably watching eagerly, waking up at the crack of dawn, waiting for the Games to come on. He wanted to see his brother win. But Rendwick was the last person Lartius wanted to kill.
"I knew not talking to you about this was a bad idea, but I didn't want to face it, or it would become real for both of us, like it is right now. I've been coping by just making the most of whatever time I have left with you," Rendwick said.
"So you just tried to put it out of your mind for as long as you could?" Lartius asked.
Rendwick nodded. "I'm pretty good at that."
Lartius put down his empty container and drew his knees into his chest, wrapping his arms around them. He stared at the tops of his shoes. He understood why Rendwick didn't tell him, why he didn't want to talk about it. Part of him wished he'd never asked him what was wrong.
"What's on your mind?"
Lartius didn't look at him. "My brother."
He didn't have to say anything else. Rendwick instantly slid over on the floor to sit next to him. He put one arm around his shoulders. His forehead rested against Lartius' temple. They didn't say anything. They just sat in silence for a while.
"What about him?" Rendwick finally asked.
Lartius paused. "After the Reaping, when my family came to say good-bye, he asked me if I was going to win. I said yes." He kept his eyes down. "But now I don't want to anymore."
"You don't?"
"Not if it means killing you to get there. After everything we've gone through together? I could never do that," Lartius said firmly. "I mean, despite the circumstance, this - what we have - is the best thing that ever happened to me."
A small smile tugged at Rendwick's lips.
"But yeah, the timing's really shitty, but I don't know if there's a way around that."
"There has to be something, some way we can both get through this," Rendwick said.
"That just sounds impossible. How?"
"I don't know. I'll tell you when I think of it."
Lartius shifted in his seat so his back was against Rendwick's chest. Rendwick wrapped his arms around him and rested his chin on his shoulder. This was how the last few days were spent in the hideout, the two of them just talking like that. The mood was very different today.
"You said, um," Lartius said suddenly, "that you were making the most of what time we had left together."
Rendwick nodded.
"Is that why you've been more, uh… hands-y with me lately?"
"Yeah, pretty much."
Rendwick pulled him in a little tighter. The two of them sat in silence, thinking of some kind of loophole they could use or trick they could pull. Lartius couldn't seem to come up with anything and was starting to panic a little. They had to come up with something. He didn't want to lose Rendwick.
Rendwick could practically feel Lartius' panic seep into his own body. Panicking always caused him to jump to the worst-case scenario. He tried to avoid imagining what it would be like if Lartius had died and he was crowned Victor. It made his heart clench tightly. His grip on Lartius tightened a little more on instinct. Lartius reached for Rendwick's wrist, gripping tightly in response. Rendwick felt Lartius curl up against his chest, as if he was trying to burrow himself into Rendwick's body.
Rendwick's determination felt strong, like it was speeding all throughout his body. He was determined not to panic and determined to find some kind of a solution to their problem. He refused to believe that it was impossible, like Lartius said it was.
"Think of anything yet?" Rendwick asked after a while.
Lartius shook his head. "No. You?"
"Nothing." Rendwick's arms shifted around Lartius. "But we can't panic. If we panic, we won't be able to think straight."
"Yeah, but like I said, it sounds impossible," Lartius said. "How can two people survive this when they only want one?"
Rendwick didn't say anything. He immediately thought back to something he'd said before. I just got a little lost in what we have that I lost sight of what all of this was for in the first place. To have one Victor.
One Victor.
Rendwick pictured the two of them left standing after all the other tributes were dead. The Capitol would expect one of them to go for the kill. But what if neither of them did? What if they both tossed their weapons aside and refused to do it?
"Wait," Rendwick said slowly.
"What?" Lartius asked. He sat up and turned around to look at Rendwick.
"They have to have their Victor," Rendwick said. "One Victor. What if, when it comes down to just the two of us, we just stop? We refuse to play the Game by their rules."
Lartius looked at Rendwick like he was crazy. "What? The Gamemakers would never let that happen. They're both really powerful and really smart. That's a dangerous combination. I bet they'd try to manipulate the arena to kill one of us off."
"I think it could be harder than that sounds, though. They won't take away the food and water because that will kill us both. And yeah, they probably will manipulate the arena somehow. If the Gamemakers can cause a drought in here, they can create something else that can kill us."
Lartius nodded, slowly and uncertainly. "Yeah…"
"After everyone else is dead, if we stick together the whole time, whatever they create will have a shot at killing us both, and that's exactly what they want to avoid. They can either take two Victors or none, and they want at least one survivor. Eventually, they'll run out of ideas. They have to."
Lartius' uncertainty was starting to melt away. "Yeah," he said slowly. "It's not gonna be easy killing off just one person when there's someone else practically joined with him at the hip."
"Exactly. Whenever things get too calm or too boring, the Gamemakers create some sort of issue to get everyone moving again. A natural disaster, some crazy mutts, something." Rendwick fiddled with the cuff of Lartius' sleeve.
"I think they might go with natural disaster," Lartius said. "Since they made a drought, then made it rain, and made it cold for three days, it makes more sense than another mutt. Unless they make the squirrels go out searching for us."
"If they made it rain, they can make it snow in here, too," Rendwick said.
"Yeah, and then we'd all freeze to death." Lartius reached up to Rendwick's shoulder. "Do you think the Gamemakers could make a hurricane or tornado in here?"
"Don't say that too loud, you'll give them ideas."
Lartius grinned. "But, do you think they could?"
Rendwick let out a puff of air. "Probably. But I don't think it could be anything strong enough to get to us from out there."
"So, once it's down to just the two of us, we have to elude any possible threat or obstacle engineered by the Gamemakers." Easier said than done, he thought to himself. "How long do you think that will last?" he asked.
"A long time," Rendwick said. "If they're smart enough to create new arenas year after year, they probably have a million ideas on how they can try to separate us. It's not gonna be easy, but I really don't care." His hand went up to Lartius' shoulder. "I won't let anything happen to you."
Lartius gave him a half smile. "Same here." He reached for Rendwick's wrist.
"We have to take this one step at a time, though," Rendwick said. "For now, we focus on eliminating everyone else. Once they're gone, then we focus on surviving whatever the Gamemakers throw at us. And whatever they do throw at us, I really think that all we need to do is stay inside here. They don't know exactly where we are."
"They're trying to figure it out, though," Lartius said. His hand went to his forearm, where his tracker was planted under his skin.
"They probably will figure it out at some point."
"Will we have to look for a new hideout?"
"There's no point. When I found this place, the glue on the panel in the window wasn't completely dry, that's how I was able to get it open. It was one of the last touches the Gamemakers made on the arena. At this point, the rest of the windows are gonna be completely stuck. We could break them to get into the rooms, but the Gamemakers would know. If the panel in that window had a camera, the other panels will have cameras, too."
Lartius was silent for a while, tapping his thumb against Rendwick's shoulder. He tried to think of every possible obstacle that could be thrown at them. "Could they destroy the buildings, maybe?"
"I doubt it. They preserve all the arenas after each Games are finished. If we kept moving, they'd have to destroy all the buildings and the arena would just be a barren, ruined wasteland. That's also why they might not make a possible natural disaster too dangerous, in case some of the buildings go down, too."
Lartius nodded. "Especially since all the buildings have cameras. They don't want to lose track of us."
"We need to be prepared for anything and everything, basically," Rendwick said. "We need to keep our eyes peeled for any danger. And we need to stick together and have each other's back no matter what."
Out of everything Rendwick said, that last sentence was the only thing that Lartius truly understood 100%. This was something he was committed to doing ever since they'd become allies. Protect Rendwick, keep him safe.
"This plan is either really smart or really crazy," Lartius said.
"There's a fine line between madness and brilliance," Rendwick said, grinning.
Lartius grinned back, eyebrows raised a little. "Really?"
Rendwick nodded. Lartius laced his hand with Rendwick's. "Do you really think this could work?"
Rendwick let out half a sigh. "I don't know, honestly. And the fact that I don't know what could be coming in the next few days terrifies me. But I'm not going down without a fight. And I want to keep you safe."
It was funny how much their relationship changed in a few days. Whenever they almost ran into the other high-district tributes, Rendwick would always pull Lartius back, out of harm's way. Lartius didn't like that so much, because he felt like he could take care of himself. But now, he deeply appreciated Rendwick looking out for him like this. He wanted to return the favor.
"Okay. So, that's our plan. After the others are gone, we stick together and we protect each other."
Lartius laughed a little. "When you say it like that, the plan doesn't sound so insane."
Rendwick smiled. "Deal?" He held out his hand.
Lartius shook it. "Deal."
"And remember, we need to take this one step at a time." He gripped Lartius' shoulder. "So try to relax a little."
Lartius let out a puff of air but didn't say anything.
"You're still trying to imagine what the Gamemakers could throw at us, aren't you?" Rendwick said.
"Can you blame me?" Lartius asked. Rendwick could hear the nerves and slight agitation in his voice. "You said we needed to be prepared for anything and everything. I'm just going through some past Games in my head and seeing if maybe there are a few things they did back then that they could modify a little and use here. Just in case they don't create a natural disaster in here like I thought."
"Try and put it all aside, though," Rendwick encouraged. "Just for now."
"I'm not as good at compartmentalizing as you are."
Rendwick nodded. He wrapped his arms around Lartius' shoulders and pulled him in closer. Lartius reached his arms around Rendwick and shut his eyes, calmly breathing in and out. The warmth and comfort of Rendwick's body made his mind feel very clear, almost blank. Maybe that was how he could learn to compartmentalize: find a suitable distraction and fixate on that.
He looked up at Rendwick and kissed him, his hand moving to the back to Rendwick's head. He rested his forehead on Rendwick's. He knew exactly how Rendwick had been feeling the last few days. He didn't want to let go of him, fearing he would vanish into thin air if he did. He wanted to make the most of the time they had left. Their plan was dangerous and neither of them was sure it would work. Lartius felt his insides clench at the thought of the plan and tried to push it out of his mind.
Lartius kind of couldn't believe that he was going along with this plan. If anyone else had suggested it to him, he would've dismissed it immediately. But the idea of losing Rendwick, whether at his hand or someone else's, was unbearable. And he couldn't think of another solution. He really didn't have much of a choice.
Rendwick knew that Lartius wasn't going to suddenly be calm and focused about everything. It would take time. Rendwick leaned down a little and kissed him very softly, one hand moving around to cup his face. Lartius taken aback by how gentle it was. It was an interesting contrast, since Rendwick had kept a pretty tight grip on him the last few days. Lartius felt his nerves, panic, fear, and anxiety wash away very slowly. He lost himself in Rendwick's touch, resting his forehead on Rendwick's again. Rendwick's hand lowered a little, his thumb gently brushing back and forth on Lartius' jawline.
The atmosphere felt very different today than it had the last few days. Those days they just enjoyed each other's company. They talked a lot in between the kissing. Today, it was much more intimate and comforting, as if they were silently reminding each other, "I'm still here."
After a while, Lartius pulled back to look at Rendwick. "Okay, I'm calm now."
Rendwick grinned and kissed him, a little firmer this time.
"Are you just naturally good at calming people down?" Lartius asked.
Rendwick laughed. "No, not really. But, I don't know, I kind of feel like I already know what to do for you."
Lartius reached for one of Rendwick's hands and laced theirs together. "Do you think if we'd kept in touch these past ten years that this would've still happened?"
"What? This, like, us?" Rendwick asked.
Lartius nodded. "Yeah, but without the Games."
Rendwick thought about this. "I don't know. I mean, if we did keep in touch, it'd be through letters or something. I doubt we'd be able to visit each other." Rendwick's free hand was still fiddling with Lartius' shirt collar. "And if all we could do was send each other letters, then we wouldn't be able to do this."
Rendwick kissed Lartius again. Lartius could feel him smiling a little against his mouth, which made him smile in return. Rendwick's hand left Lartius' shirt and went up to his face. Lartius felt his smile widen when they broke apart.
"Yeah, that'd be a huge bummer," Lartius said. Ironically, the Games gave them an opportunity they wouldn't normally have otherwise. "So maybe this happened for a reason?" he wondered aloud.
Rendwick nodded. "Maybe."
"Question is, what reason?"
Rendwick let out a half sigh. "I guess that's what we have to figure out."
"How?"
Rendwick shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe it's one of those things where you'll just know it when you see it. You have to let it come to you."
He reached up to Lartius' hair. Lartius kissed him again, his free hand winding around to the back of Rendwick's head. Their combined body heat made Lartius a little more calm. His body always felt strangely at peace like this.
"We should probably clean out the container so we can use it tonight," Lartius said.
Rendwick nodded. Lartius kissed him one more time, then scooted away a little and reached for the container on the floor.
"Where'd you put the container lid?" Lartius asked.
"Uhhhh…" Rendwick scanned the floor around him. "Here," he said, handing it to Lartius.
Lartius reached over again for his canteen and shook it to hear how much water he had left. He didn't drink much of it, but he didn't want to waste it during a drought.
"Should we take a chance and go out to clean this?" Lartius held up the container.
"Does it really smell like eggs?" Rendwick asked.
Lartius sniffed it and nodded. "Do you think there'll be any water in the fountain?"
Rendwick shrugged. "Only one way to find out."
The two of them got up. Rendwick swung his backpack over his shoulders. Lartius reached for his jacket on the floor and slid it on.
"You're gonna wear your jacket out there?" Rendwick asked. "It's getting really hot out. I'm leaving mine behind."
"I can't leave mine," Lartius replied. "It has all my knives in it."
Rendwick nodded understandingly. "Do you think they're already at the park on 23rd Street?"
"They might be," Lartius replied, pulling his backpack on. "Just to be safe, we should go to the park on the west side."
Rendwick took his spear and pulled the panel open. The sun beat down heavily on them as they stepped outside. Rendwick held up his free hand to shield his eyes from the sun. They made a left and walked towards the west side park.
"Do you remember it being this brutal last time there was a drought?" Lartius asked.
"No," Rendwick replied. "This drought might be worse than the first one."
Lartius felt a little nervous. If this drought was worse than the first one, there might not be any water in the fountains in any of the parks. He really didn't want to waste the water he had now. He was already starting to feel hot under his jacket and they hadn't even been in the sun that long.
The heat made the walk to the park feel much longer. Lartius could practically feel the park pull further away the more they walked. His nerves made his mind a little frantic, and he began to walk a little faster. Rendwick caught him gently by the arm.
"Hey, relax," he said. "We'll get there. And we'll make this quick."
Lartius nodded.
"Breathe," Rendwick instructed, grinning a little.
Lartius laughed a little but obliged. Deep breath in, and out through the nose.
"All right," Rendwick said, letting go of Lartius' arm. "Let's keep moving."
Lartius did his best to keep himself calm the rest of the walk there. The sun felt very heavy on both of them. Rendwick kept tugging at his shirt collar. Some of the rooftops were very bright when the sun hit them, so they were both squinting throughout the walk. Rendwick kept one hand over his eyes, shielding them from the sunlight. Lartius reached for one of the side pockets of his backpack found his sunglasses, and put them on.
Lartius remembered what he'd said to Rendwick last night after they'd tried and failed to find the other high district tributes again. He'd said he didn't want this arena to drive him nuts. He had to keep a cool head. He couldn't let his paranoia of what might happen in the arena or what the Gamemakers might do to it consume him. Although he did want to at least try and guess what they might do after he and Rendwick were the only ones left, but he had to be smart about it.
When they finally reached 16th Avenue, they took a right and walked uptown to 21st Street. Lartius was calmer when he saw the trees. He and Rendwick quickened their paces and climbed down the fire escape once they reached 21st. However, when they touched ground and looked across the street at the park, they noticed how yellow and dry the grass was. Lartius pressed his lips together. He really hoped there would be at least some water in the fountain, but the dry grass made his hopes plummet a little.
When they crossed the street into the park, Lartius headed straight for the fountain. The inside of the fountain caught the sunlight and bounced it off Lartius' sunglasses. Instant relief settled in his chest. There was water left.
"Is there any water?" Rendwick asked.
Lartius nodded. "Some." He dipped the container and lid into the water and shrugged off his backpack.
"How is it?"
"Warm," Lartius replied. "It's been out in the sun for a while." He reached into his backpack and pulled out his spare t-shirt. It was still damp from this morning. He heard a distinct humming sound above his head. He looked up and saw bees buzzing around in the air above him.
Rendwick noticed them, too. "Tracker jackers?" he asked.
Lartius shook his head slowly. "I don't think so. They're too small. They're probably just normal bees."
Lartius' attention returned to the fountain. He cleaned out the container and the lid, then he smelled both of them. They seemed okay to him.
He passed the container and lid to Rendwick. "What do you think?"
Rendwick smelled both of them. "I don't smell anything."
"Good." Lartius took them back and dried them both off with the dry side of his t-shirt. He reached into his backpack and pulled out the parachute and metal case. He took the nightlock from inside the case, put it back into the container, dried it off again, and put it back inside the metal case, and put everything back into his backpack.
"Done?" Rendwick asked.
"Yeah, all done. Let's head back."
"You know," Rendwick said, as they crossed the street, "I didn't think there would be water at all."
"I didn't either when I first saw the grass," Lartius replied, gesturing behind him.
"Can grass even dry out that quickly during a drought?" Rendwick asked.
"I doubt it. But anything can happen in here."
With that, Lartius' mind went right back to the Gamemakers. He made himself push it aside. Not now, he told himself.
They climbed back up the nearest fire escape, made their way back down to 15th Street, and took a left on 16th Avenue to get back to the hideout. Lartius did feel more relaxed now that they could put their plan in motion. His determination to diminish the pack had grown every night. He wanted them gone and out of the way. He wanted it now more than ever, what with his and Rendwick's deal.
When they crossed rooftop after rooftop, Rendwick noticed Lartius was walking faster again, but he didn't stop him. Instead he quickened his pace to keep up with him. He wanted to get out of the heat as quickly as he could. The sun was beating down on them pretty hard. Rendwick knew that Lartius was getting the worst of it, since he had to wear his jacket to keep his knives handy.
The trip back was less brutal, partly because they were walking faster, and partly because the sun was shining down on their backs instead of in their faces. Rendwick pulled at the collar of his t-shirt again. Lartius wiped his forehead on his forearm and took a few deep breaths to keep himself calm. They were almost there.
Before they knew it, they'd reached Avenue F. They jumped down onto the fire escape and rushed back into the hideout. Lartius sighed with relief when they were back inside. The air was much cooler out of the sunlight with the panel shut. He swung his backpack off his shoulders.
Rendwick pushed the panel back into the frame. "You feeling okay?" he asked Lartius, shedding his backpack and propping his spear up against the wall.
"Oh yeah," Lartius replied, slipping his jack off and dropping it on the floor. "Much better."
Rendwick felt his forehead. "You don't feel sick, or off at all?"
"No, I'm good." He looked at the tracker under his skin. "Arm's fine, too. Barely any stinging. What about you?"
"No stinging. I'm good."
Lartius leaned up and kissed him. Rendwick wrapped an arm around Lartius' shoulders and kissed him deeper, trapping Lartius' bottom lip between his own. Lartius' hands wound up Rendwick's back and held onto his shoulders. Rendwick's arms moved down around Lartius' waist. Lartius reached up to Rendwick's face. Rendwick pushed Lartius backward into the panel. Lartius' other hand reached up around Rendwick's neck. The hand on Rendwick's face went up to the back of Rendwick's head, into his hair, pulling him down a little as they kissed even deeper.
Rendwick felt Lartius start to smile against his mouth. He pulled away a little and smiled back, their foreheads resting against each other's. Rendwick kissed him again.
"We should eat," he said in a low voice.
Lartius nodded. He kissed Rendwick one more time. The two of them retrieved their backpacks from the floor and sat against the wall. They pulled the cooked birds from their backpacks (thankfully, they weren't too cold).
"At least it'll be cooler tonight," Rendwick said. "Remember how cold it got at night the last time there was a drought?"
Lartius nodded as he took out his canteen. "And the water and everything else should be back to normal tomorrow."
Lartius took a bite of his bird. He felt the parachute in his backpack, which was propped up against his knee, and the plan creeped back into his mind. He thought about the next day, what they might do. Would they go out hunting for Phox and Alto to get rid of them as quickly as possible? Probably not. He knew Rendwick didn't like hunting people down to kill them, even if it was Phox and Alto. He probably would rather wait until Phox and Alto found them, and only kill them in self-defense. Lartius understood why. Rendwick didn't want to feel like a killer, because it just wasn't him.
Rendwick noticed Lartius was distracted. "You're thinking about the plan, aren't you?"
Lartius hesitated for a second, then gave a half-nod. "Yeah, sort of. I'm thinking about the next day. I just figure we should try and think ahead at what we could do to eliminate the pack after we diminish it tonight. Just so we can be prepared and we don't have to play it by ear."
"We need to take this one step at a time, though," Rendwick reminded him. "Keep our focus on diminishing the pack for now, then eliminating the rest of the pack afterwards, then dealing with the girl from District 12, and then we can focus on the Gamemakers. If you keep most of your focus on the Gamemakers or what might happen tomorrow, it'll distract you from what's going on right now."
Lartius leaned his head back. "I forgot about the girl from Twelve."
"Hey, I mean it," Rendwick said seriously. "Diminishing the pack is top priority tonight, okay?"
"I know, I know," Lartius replied. "It's just hard not to think about it, you know?"
"Yeah, I get it. I've pushed it out of my mind often enough today."
"Are you trying to think ahead to what the Gamemakers can do?"
Rendwick let out a half sigh. "Sometimes. The rest of the time I'm just wanting everything to be over, just so we don't have to worry about this ever again."
Lartius felt pulse of pleasure around his heart at Rendwick's use of the word "we". A small smile tugged at his lips.
Rendwick bit off part of his bird's wing. "But I know that whenever you're silent for a while when we're in here," he gestured around the hideout," that you're thinking about the plan."
Lartius laughed a little. "You know me that well already?"
Rendwick shrugged. "You've gotten to know me pretty well, too. The past few days, when I was stuck inside my head, worrying about how only one of us might get through this alive, and you asked me what was wrong, you knew I was lying when I said it was nothing."
Lartius nodded. "True." He drank from his canteen.
"That's what happens when two people hide out in a secret room for about a week," Rendwick said. "They get to know each other better than they expected."
"Yeah, but I doubt it happens exactly like it did for us," Lartius replied, grinning.
Rendwick laughed. "Yeah, I don't think so either."
Lartius deposited an empty bone next to him on the floor. "You know, I don't think this has ever happened before."
"What?" Rendwick asked.
"Two people, you know, in the Games…" Lartius' voice trailed off.
Rendwick nodded. "Yeah, I don't remember this happening before either."
"Everyone goes through the Games differently," Lartius said. He took another bite of his bird. "The high-district tributes, for the most part, are really determined to win no matter what. The lower-district tributes are-" He paused to think.
"Probably scared," Rendwick finished. He put a few empty bones on the floor. "They're terrified to be in this position and just want to go home, but don't know if they'll be able to."
Lartius nodded slowly, his lips pressed together. He didn't say anything. He put another empty bone in his own pile.
Rendwick couldn't really help it, but he thought of the girl from Twelve. He vaguely remembered she'd scored pretty high in her training session (an eight or something) and she'd managed to survive this far, though he had no idea how. Unlike the other high-district tributes, she wasn't hunting them down with the intent to kill (she probably wasn't hunting anyone). No one from Twelve had ever won the Games before (no one that Rendwick could remember off the top of his head, anyway). He wished they didn't have to kill her.
Lartius couldn't really think of anything else to say. He knew Rendwick was thinking about the lower-district tributes (possibly the girl from Twelve). He let Rendwick get lost in his thoughts for a while as they finished eating. When Lartius dropped his last bone on the floor, he wiped his hands on his pants and looked over at the panel. He couldn't quite tell from inside how late it was getting. He got up and opened the panel a crack to look outside.
"What is it?" Rendwick asked.
"The sun's starting to set," Lartius said. "We should get going."
Lartius pushed the panel back into the frame and went to his backpack. He double-checked the parachute, making sure the metal container was closed all the way, shutting it in the metal case, and clipping the parachute on top. He swung his backpack over his shoulders.
Rendwick opened the panel and stepped out a little to get a feel of the weather. It was getting colder out with the sun setting, just like he knew it would. He went back inside and put his jacket on under his backpack.
"Ready?" Rendwick asked, picking up his spear.
Lartius had tucked the parachute into his backpack and zipped it shut. "Ready. Let's go."
Rendwick pulled back the panel and the two of them stepped outside. Rendwick pulled the panel shut and glanced up at the sky.
"The sun's not completely set yet," Lartius said. "We can probably walk around until it does."
Rendwick nodded. They walked to the left, towards Avenue G, thinking it would be safer to be out of earshot of the high-district tributes for now.
"We could've stayed in a little longer," Rendwick said.
"Yeah, but it's not like it's sweltering hot anymore," Lartius said back. "It's cooler out. And plus, I needed some air."
Rendwick smiled a little.
"Do you think we've really been in this arena for a week?" Lartius asked.
"Yeah, I think so." Rendwick cracked his neck a little back and forth. "There was the bloodbath, then the next day three people died, then two people, then one person," he counted off on his fingers, "then we had three days without deaths, and then there's today. That's eight days."
"Jeez."
"And we found each other in the arena on day two."
"You mean I found you," Lartius corrected. "You barely left that place, and you said you wouldn't if you had your way."
"It was all part of my plan," Rendwick joked. "You had to come to me."
Lartius laughed. Rendwick's instinct told him to reach for his shoulder, but he pushed it aside. They'd gotten so used to just being themselves in the hideout, they had certain impulses to fight on occasion in front of the cameras.
They kept walking to the west side until they reached Avenue M and began walking uptown to 23rd Street. The sky was getting dark fairly quickly. Lartius kept looking up at it, but since it wasn't dark enough yet, he didn't feel the need to rush to the park. It would be dark enough by the time they got there.
Once they reached 23rd Street, they walked back to the east side towards Avenue E, where the park was. Rendwick felt a cool breeze along his face and smiled a little. It was refreshing after the drought. Just then, Rendwick felt Lartius take his wrist and pull him back a little.
"What?" Rendwick whispered.
"Listen." Lartius jerked his head towards the street.
"We'll find them, they have to be here somewhere," came Alto's irritated voice. "Just calm down."
"It's been days!" Phox yelled. "Days! Of course they're here somewhere but this arena is huge! Where the hell can they be?"
"You're not the only one who wants to find them," Alto shot back. "Eunia wants the guy from Two, and I want revenge on Fannia. We're gonna find them, okay?"
"How? We haven't see them since the bloodbath!" There was a loud clink from the park, like Phox had hit one of the buildings with the back of his axe. "And you know, since they're some of the last ones left in the arena, I bet one of them took my spear!"
"Shut up! Seriously! We'll find them, you'll get your spear back, and you'll be able to give the viewers a good show, just like you said."
Rendwick felt his stomach churn at those words.
"That better be soon, though."
"I swear to God, if you don't stop bitching like a little girl, you're not gonna get to put on that show for everyone."
"Try me," Phox challenged. "I dare you."
Alto was silent after that. The two of them walked past Lartius and Rendwick on the roof, and continued to the west side.
"They're getting on each other's nerves now," Lartius said.
Rendwick nodded. "Yep."
"Maybe they'll keep fighting long enough for one of them to kill the other one out of anger and lost patience."
"Yeah, then we won't have to deal with them."
They kept walking towards the east side. Rendwick glanced back a couple times to make sure Phox and Alto weren't doubling back, but they just walked further and further away.
Lartius' stomach jumped with excitement when he saw a dull orange glow coming from Avenue E. "Finally," he said, quickening his pace in anticipation. Rendwick walked a little faster to keep up with him, looking behind him one more time to make sure they hadn't been spotted. They stopped on one of the buildings on Avenue G, right in front of their makeshift tent.
"Do you need the night vision glasses?" Rendwick asked in a low voice.
Lartius shook his head. "No, I can see fine." There was a fire lit, just outside the tent, but it gave Lartius a pretty good view of everything down there. He could see Eunia and Volumnia's outlines through the stretched blankets.
"Are you sure that's them?" Rendwick asked. "Maybe it's just the girl from Twelve."
"Lighting a fire in the middle of the night?" Lartius asked, laughing a little. "I think she knows better than that. Plus look, you can see two shadows under the tent."
Rendwick looked a little closer and nodded in comprehension. Lartius swung his backpack around and took out the parachute. He gently untangled the strings to keep them straight. It was a pretty long throw to get it to their tent, but he felt he could manage.
His hand flexed around the metal case, once, twice, three times. He threw it as hard as he could. The parachute burst open and Lartius heard the faint beeping noise and saw the flashing light on top of it. The parachute floated down to the edge of the makeshift tent and rolled a little towards the middle. Lartius saw one of the girls move from under the tent, and stepped back quickly, taking Rendwick with him by his arm so they'd be hidden from the girls.
The two of them waited for a while, to give them time to open the parachute and discover what was inside. Finally, a cannon fired. Pause. Then another cannon. Lartius sighed with relief and accomplishment. He felt his anticipation and nerves vanish. They diminished the pack, from four people to two.
Lartius immediately let go of Rendwick's arm and went for the fire escape to retrieve the parachute. Rendwick was about to follow him when he heard urgent voices and quick footsteps and looked to his left. Phox and Alto had heard the cannons and were racing back to the park.
"Let's go," Rendwick said, gripping Lartius' arm.
"Now?"
"By the time they think someone might be nearby, we'll be gone," Rendwick said urgently. "Come on."
Lartius looked down at the park, thinking of the parachute. But the footsteps were getting closer, so he just followed Rendwick away from the park, back to 15th Street.
Rendwick walked a little fast so they would be gone before Phox and Alto could start looking for them. Lartius could hear them yelling in the park, all the way down from 16th Street. He knew they had figured out what happened to Eunia and Volumnia and were pissed.
"Well, on the bright side, we diminished the pack," Rendwick said.
"Yeah, but on the down side, we lost the parachute," Lartius replied. He scuffed his shoe on the rooftop. "And they probably know what happened to them."
"Yup."
"Maybe we'll get another parachute from a sponsor that we could use instead."
"Nah, they'd see right through it," Rendwick said. "They'd know it's nightlock. But that wasn't really the point of the parachute, was it? I thought you were just using it to diminish the pack."
"Yeah, I know," Lartius said, tilting his head back a little, "but part of me was kind of hoping it could take out all four of them at once."
Rendwick nodded.
"And you know, if we do get another parachute, we can use it on the girl from Twelve," Lartius added.
The two of them jumped down to the fire escape and went back inside the hideout. Rendwick propped his spear against the wall and Lartius opened his backpack to get his flashlight, since night had fallen and they couldn't see much. He turned it on, dropped his backpack next to his blanket, and propped the flashlight up against it. He saw his canteen on the ground, which he realized at that instant he'd forgotten to put away. He picked it up, took a drink from it, then put it away in his backpack before straightening up again.
Lartius' mind was still out in the arena, hoping that either Phox or Alto were dumb enough to eat the nightlock anyway. His ears were on high alert for a third and possibly fourth cannon.
"Hey," Rendwick said gently in Lartius' ear, wrapping his arms around him. "Relax. So what if they figured it out? We'll find another way to take them down." He kissed Lartius' temple. Lartius smiled a little to himself.
Their relationship had become closer and more intimate over the last several days. Lartius noticed that his feelings for Rendwick had grown substantially. It was very intense, unlike anything he'd ever felt before. Given how time seemed to slow down in the hideout, things progressed rather quickly between them.
Lartius was reluctant to call it love. He didn't have anything to compare his relationship with Rendwick to, but he didn't think love happened in a matter of days. He thought it took longer than that. But still, his feelings for Rendwick had become so strong, he didn't know what else to call it. He was about to ask Rendwick for his opinion on that, but he heard the anthem start to play from outside.
Rendwick let go of Lartius and they went back out onto the fire escape. The two of them watched the Capitol seal vanish and Eunia and Volumnia's faces flash up in the artificial sky, confirming to Lartius and Rendwick what they both already knew. When the sky went dark again, they went back inside.
Wordlessly, they went for their blankets. They'd had a pretty crazy day and were in need of some simplicity. Or at least just a break. Sleeping was usually the only way someone could get a break in the Games. They just had to find a safe place to do it. Once they were comfortable, Lartius reached up to his backpack to turn off the flashlight, but Rendwick caught his hand.
"Not yet," Rendwick said.
Lartius lowered his hand. Rendwick wound his arm around Lartius and brought him in a little closer. Lartius understood why Rendwick wanted to keep the flashlight on. He was just initiating another silent moment of eye contact, and they wouldn't have been able to do that with the light off.
Rendwick's hand trailed up and down Lartius' forearm. Lartius realized at that moment that neither of them talked about exactly what they had with each other. He knew they had some kind of relationship, but given how inexperienced they were in relationships and how things had moved so fast in such a short time, he didn't really know what it was.
"Can I ask you something?" Lartius asked.
"Mm-hmm." Rendwick nodded.
"What is this? What he have? We've never really talked about it."
Rendwick's hand stopped at Lartius' shoulder for a little bit, then moved up to his jaw. "I don't know, honestly. I'm not sure if what he have has a name or something. I think maybe 'together' is a good start."
Lartius smiled a little. They were together. He liked it.
"But I actually don't care that much." Rendwick's thumb stroked Lartius' jawline, back and forth. "Because I'm just… really happy."
Rendwick could see Lartius' eyes sparkle as he smiled even wider. Lartius' arm went around Rendwick's waist. At that instant like a sudden jolt, it finally came to him.
Rendwick abruptly sat up. "I figured it out."
"Figured what out?" Lartius asked. He sat up, too.
"You said before that you thought all of this happened for a reason," Rendwick said. "Us getting picked for the Games and then getting together."
Lartius nodded. "Yeah."
"Maybe this is the reason. Maybe the reason is that we're both gonna come out of this alive."
Lartius could see an eagerly hopeful gleam in Rendwick's eye. "Well, I like your optimism but how can you be so sure we're both gonna survive this? How do you know we're gonna make it?"
"We are gonna make it." Rendwick reached one hand up to Lartius' face. "We are. I don't know how, but we are. I can feel it."
His hand moved to the back of Lartius' head. He pulled him in closer and kissed him very slowly. Lartius' eyes shut and his arms wrapped around Rendwick's neck, holding him tightly. The hand on the back of Lartius' head moved down to around his shoulder blade, while Rendwick's other arm wrapped around his waist. Their heads titled a little as they kissed even deeper, their chests pressed flat against each other's, their bodies curving into each other's, their arms tightly wound around each other's backs. Rendwick couldn't tell where he began and Lartius ended. They just kept going deeper, but not faster. It wasn't really about that. Time felt like it had slowed down even more, so speed wasn't an issue.
Rendwick pulled away a little but he was close enough for their foreheads to touch. Feeling their arms so tightly around each other and seeing the look in Lartius' eyes, Rendwick felt a thrill around his heart as volts of electricity shot up and down his arms and legs. At that moment, Rendwick knew. He loved him.
He wanted to tell Lartius right away. He wanted him to know. But before he could even open his mouth, a burst of light permeated through the panel and filled the room, brighter than when the sun rose in the morning. It was as if a light switch had been turned on outside.
Lartius stared at the panel, confused, then looked at Rendwick. The two of them let go of each other, got up, and carefully opened the panel to investigate the source of the sudden light. They found it instantly: the streetlight right outside the building had turned on. A few others downtown had turned on, too, each emitting an extremely bright white light. Squinting, Rendwick moved onto the rooftop, looked around the arena, and saw that the rest of the streetlights were lighting up one by one.
"I thought these streetlights were never turned on," Rendwick said.
"They weren't," Lartius replied.
A/n: You got your assgrab, Kerrin.