"The two most powerful warriors are Patience and Time"
~Leo Tolstoy

Elbert Korando
Deputy Head Gamemaker
Elbert's Apartment, The Capitol

He had not been to work for a few days now, and as Deputy Head Gamemaker, surely someone would be looking for him, and still there doesn't seem to be anyone knocking at his door anytime soon asking for his return. His reign with his late best friend, Rexton, is done.

He gives a long sigh. No one cares about him, and the very few people that do would rather keep their job than defy the snake that seized command of the full Gamemaker HQ. He sighs once more as he flicks through the various files he had stolen from Theodora Vidia's desk.

The television is blaring the recaps of the Hunger Games' Bloodbath this year, his coffee on the desk is lukewarm but he takes a sip of it anyway. There has to be something about why she's the Head Gamemaker now and not Rexton, or how he disappeared.

He suspects that Jacob had something to do with it, he's always around him recently and as he sleeps on his bed, tired from the night before, which he admits was really good, he doesn't fully trust him, not yet at least.

He is literally the dog of the new President and he answers to him and him alone. He was probably sent to spy on him, and as he gets closer to the truth he would eliminate him quick and simple. In a flash he's dead never finding the truth, his life wasted.

However, he gets the feeling that Jacob is nothing like that now. There's something about him that is enchanting, despite the slight distrust in him, there's something that he finds attractive about the blonde haired man. The only way he can describe it is that he's a Capitol dog, but in truth he's only a puppy; a sad lonely puppy that's always seeking approval of others no matter who it may be.

In the last few days of their secret affair he finds that he can destroy the wall he had put up on himself, with every kiss he can see into his brown eyes, a deep dive into his soul, a plea for help and normality.

Elbert would be the first to admit that he did not have feelings for men, but Jacob Phob is different. He had shown him the wonders of a relationship, that feeling of being loved. His devilishly good looks, the passion he shows for him, the sex, everything.

He thinks of that fondly and he will admit that he doesn't want to let go of that. He doesn't want to get too close either in case his fears are correct but Jacob's devotion to Elbert has been too much to handle at time to the point where his work has been neglected.

Now he doesn't know what to do.

"You're up early." He hears the familiar soft spoken voice of Jacob as he comes into the small living room in just his underwear, the morning light showing off his chiseled features.

"I guess that I'm just a bit upset that Theodora has not called me to check up if I'm okay." He sighs, a little white lie, it's true that he's upset that his 'Deputy' status is just a title. "I should be working with her, but she doesn't show any interest in me whatsoever."

"It's her loss and my gain." He says excitedly as he wraps strong arms around Elbert's body, giving soft kisses to his head. "What are you looking at?"

"Nothing." He says turning around to kiss the man, he puts the files away stacking them on top of each other. "Just statistics from the Games, I still get sent them at least."

Jacob, curious, takes one of the files before Elbert can protest. He reads it slowly seeing Rexton's name on it. Elbert watches as Jacob's eyes widen slightly as he backs away with the file, stumbling backwards, and at that moment the walls are going back up, his eyes showing a mixture of both pain and hurt.

"It's not what you think, Jacob." He stands up approaching the man and as he reaches out a hand he can see him visibly flinch back. "Jacob…I swear it's nothing. I-I just need to know…I need to know if he's really gone."

Elbert can see the man's entire appearance change. The scared doe eyed Jacob looks serious now and this time he's the one that backs away from him. Jacob sighs as he stands taller than Elbert now, file still in his hand, then it changes back to some form of paranoid rambling as he begins to pace about the living room.

At that moment he knows that he's keeping something from him, and Elbert thinks he knows what. He sees him looking nervous now as he continues to mumble and rant to himself. He looks at the man concerned at what is happening.

"Jacob." He stands in front of him, stopping him from pacing the room, he holds him still as brown eyes look at his lighter browns. "You know you can trust me, right? I…" He pauses slightly thinking about the next few words, the next few words that may change their lives either for better or worse. "Jacob, I love you."

He can see the panic eyes from the man in front of him relax somewhat, his features softening up as he plants a small kiss on his lips. He pulls away from him a tender look in his eyes and he looks away from him.

"No one…no one has ever said that to me…I was told very young that I was incapable of love."

"Whoever told you that has not seen the man I fell in love with." Elbert tells him that as he approaches him with another kiss to the lips, soft and calming unlike what they're usually like. "Do you believe me now when I say you can trust me?"

Jacob nods his head pulling away slowly, taking a deep breath in and letting it go and just like that he's calm once more as thoughts run through his head, the way Elbert first noticed about him the first time they met, this time he can see the stormy clouds that often surround Jacob clear and dissipate as he opens up more of his life to Elbert.

"I have been keeping a secret, and I think you already know about it." He says leading Elbert to sit on the seat he was sitting on. "It's about Rexton Price."

"Is he dead?"

"No." Jacob looks away calming himself. "Rexton is pretty much alive."

"I knew it!" Elbert exclaims standing up in a celebratory way before sitting down. "Sorry, continue."

"And I know where he is."

?

The darkness consumes him and his very thoughts, the light bulb flickers on and off illuminating his ragged, emaciated face. He sits in a corner of the room, no window, no seat, no toilets. He sits in the corner with only his thoughts in his head, save for the dripping of the water from the lightbulb.

He doesn't know whether its day or night. The concept of time lost to the aether as he sits in the corner. His mind slowly turning to mush, or at least he thinks that way. Is he in a prison cell? He doesn't know, it feels like it, and the thoughts flood him again.

Thoughts of escape. Thoughts of giving up. Thoughts of death. These are the only voices he can hear in his head, sometimes he calls them friends, other times he calls them enemies.

He doesn't know who he is anymore, someone that he could not even recognise as he takes casual glimpses at his body, malnourished and emaciated withered away by time. He feels like death. The patience leaving him and then coming back with hope which he postulated as being dangerous.

It excites his tired brain only for it to be shattered into a million pieces when his slither of hope crashes into it. He knows nothing of what is to come, and he is scared of it. He dislikes this and at the same time have grown to like it, the solitude, the darkness, everything all in one neat place.

He hears the fizzing of the bulb once more and he begins to think about it all over again. His friends and foes arguing whether or not he's going to die today. He can see himself sitting on a chair as they argue his life away. Everything repeats, over and over again. Afraid that one day he might snap, although he feels like he has done that already.

Then suddenly light floods his eyes, his lithe body cowering from it before facing it fully, embracing the end, except the end did not come. The light still bright but a voice calls out to him. His body collapsing to the ground.

"Rexton?"

A/N - A short chapter, the shortest I think in the fic, maybe. This is just to set up some form of subplot, I'm trying to figure out what I'm going to do first with Elbert and Jacob, and now that, surprise, Rexton is alive! I want to see what happens next as I think about it some more. I've been watching a lot of Scandal lately, I can do a Scandal like plot hmm

Anyway, thank you for reading! I appreciate it a lot, what do you think of Elbert and Jacob's relationship? What will happen next?

And if you haven't already, Tarot is still looking for submissions! Would be happy if anyone goes to submit there, PM for details!

Cheers!
~Alec