When Blaine caught up with Kurt after the show has ended, Kurt's cheeks were flushed pink and he looked almost embarrassed.
"Kurt, you were… wonderful," Blaine said, his breath catching a little on the last word. Kurt's cheeks flushed darker and he ducked his head, only looking up when Shannon slapped him and Tina on their backs.
"Amazing, guys!" Shannon beamed. "The crowd loved you. That's going to help you in the arena!" She gave them one last proud smile before turning to talk to the stylists about their plans for the interview costumes.
Blaine's smile fell immediately. How could he keep forgetting that Kurt was going in the arena? Every time he allowed himself some happiness the Capitol had to rip it away from him. It was bad enough when he was chosen for the Games last year, but now he had to watch as Kurt went through the same thing. No, it was worse; he has to help Kurt prepare to go through the same thing.
Blaine had Shannon as his mentor last year and he won. What chance did Kurt have with him? The boy who won by chance.
The next few days would be taken up by training. Kurt and Tina would train with the other tributes, train with Sue Sylvester and then train with each of their mentors. They would then perform in front of the Gamemakers to get their score to present to the public and the sponsors. A good score meant more sponsors and a bad score basically meant they were likely to be one of the first few out of the Games.
Blaine tried to not think about it too much. It was hard not to when Kurt came back from his first day of training with a cut knee and a rip in his pants leg. Blaine must have looked worried because Kurt shot him an almost guilty look before saying, "I'm okay, really."
Blaine wet his lips and took Kurt's arm, turning it slightly where there was an angry red graze between his elbow and wrist. As Blaine ran his fingers over the mark, Kurt hissed in pain and Blaine's frown deepened.
"What happened?" Blaine asked. He caught the eye of a nearby Avox and asked, "Can I please have a first aid box?" The Avox, a short boy with pale skin and jet black hair, nodded and left the room.
"I fell," Kurt admitted quietly, avoiding Blaine's eyes. They took a seat at the table, Blaine holding Kurt's hand tightly in his own. Blaine barely registered this movement as he was busy trying to catch Kurt's eye, while Kurt actively tried to ignore him.
When the Avox returned, Blaine thanked him and took out a bottle of lotion from the box. He tipped a pea sized amount onto a cotton ball and began dabbing Kurt's graze gently.
Kurt hissed again and through gritted teeth said, "We were practicing climbing, you know in case of trees, and I lost my footing and fell." He glanced up at Blaine, his eyes red and full of sadness and something else Blaine couldn't place. Kurt's shoulders slumped as he relaxed. The lotion was beginning to work.
They were silent for a few minutes before Kurt suddenly said, "How am I supposed to win the Games if I can't even climb a stupid tree? Statistically, if a tribute can't climb, they're more likely to get killed early in the Games, especially at night." Kurt sighed heavily, hot angry tears streaming down his face.
Blaine felt an overwhelming pull at the bottom of his stomach. His skin felt itchy and he could feel his own eyes welling up at the sight of Kurt, broken after one day of training. Training. What were the actual Games going to be like?
Blaine swallowed hard and threw himself forwards, wrapping his arms around Kurt's neck and pulling him towards him. Blaine squeezed him slightly, resting his face against Kurt's hair, breathing in the smell of his strawberry shampoo mixed with sweat. Kurt gasped and stiffened for a moment before he carefully wrapped his own arms around Blaine's waist, burying his face in the crook of Blaine's neck. They stayed there in each others arms for minutes, though to Blaine it felt like hours. He could have held Kurt forever if he'd let him. Kurt relaxed in Blaine's embrace and slowly his crying stopped and all Blaine could hear was Kurt's gentle breathing, his hot breath tickling Blaine's neck and making his entire body feel warm.
When they broke apart, Kurt's face was pink and he wiped his eyes on his sleeve before giving Blaine a grateful and watery smile.
"I better get to bed," Kurt said, his eyes locking with Blaine's for a moment.
"Right yes," Blaine said. He felt slightly cold at the loss of contact, his arms feeling heavy in lap. He watched as Kurt shot him a small smile and went to his room. Blaine heaved a sigh and packed away the first aid kit, looking even less forward to their training session together.
Kurt seemed to do better on his second day of training. He didn't come back injured and he even smiled, telling Shannon over dinner how he managed to learn all of the knots and how he aced the poisonous berries station.
When it was time for their one-on-one training, they met in Blaine's room for privacy. They were not going to do any physical training, that's what the past few days were about, instead Blaine was meant to help Kurt with his interview with Caesar Flickerman, something Kurt had been anxious about for days.
"Okay, so let's start with some easy questions," Blaine said, looking down at the notebook in his lap. He had written out questions to ask Kurt, ones he had been asked at his interview last year and ones he expected would come up. Interviews only lasted three minutes, so not many questions could be asked, but it was better to be prepared.
Kurt nodded mutely as Blaine read out the first question. "How are you enjoying the Capitol?" Kurt scrunched up his mouth in thought, his eyes raised to the ceiling as he pondered the question. Blaine smiled encouragingly.
"It's… nice," Kurt said, forcing a smile that made him look winded.
"Uh," Blaine said, knitting his brows together. "That was a… good start, but you need to say a little bit more. Maybe mention the food, the rooms we're staying in, how the city looks to you, the people. Something to please the crowd, make them think that you're grateful to even be here."
"But I'm not," Kurt said bluntly, smiling sadly. "I hate being here, I hate being away from my dad and my home."
Blaine nodded in understanding. He knew the loneliness that came with being a tribute, having no one to talk to. Sure he had Shannon last year and the female tribute from his district, but it wasn't the same. For starters there was no point friending the other tribute when one or both of you were going to die within the month.
"You don't have to tell me," Blaine agreed. "I know how horrible it is being a tribute and being so far away from home and not even being able to speak to your family before you go into the arena. If I had Cooper to talk to every night before I had gone in, it still would have been the worse time of my life, but at least I wouldn't have been so alone."
"I'm not alone," Kurt said, his voice soft as he looked at Blaine seriously. "I have you."
Blaine spluttered, opening and closing his mouth several times, his face matching the colour of the dark red plush chairs they were sitting on.
"Sorry, I shouldn't have said that," Kurt said quickly, panic rising in his voice as he saw Blaine's reaction.
"No, no, it… it's fine," Blaine said.
"It's just that, you've been so nice to me and so kind. I think I would have broken down at this point without you," Kurt said, his voice even. "Well, broken down worse," he added with a knowing smile.
Blaine grinned toothily, looking at his clipboard but not really reading the words he'd written. When he looked up, he couldn't stop himself opening staring at Kurt. It was one thing to admire him from afar, but to be sitting this close, being able to count the freckles on his nose and see the different flecks of colour in his eyes. It was breathtaking. And to have Kurt look at him like that, with a sweet and kind smile, it was almost too much for Blaine to handle.
"This is why the crowd are going to love you; you're so… you're the best person I know," Blaine admitted. "You're so nice and caring and when the crowd meet you, they won't be able to stop liking you."
"How do you know?" Kurt asked, not sounding convinced.
"Because I like you," Blaine said. The words were out of his mouth before he could stop them, his face draining of colour and his eyes widening as Kurt stared at him, dumbstruck. "What I mean –"
"- I like you too," Kurt said, almost shyly. He bit down on his bottom lip, looking at Blaine expectedly, waiting for him to say something.
He likes me? As a friend? As a mentor? As something more? He couldn't mean that he likes me, likes me, could he? No, that's ridiculous. Why would someone like Kurt like someone like me? The boy who won the Hunger Games accidently, making District Eight a laughing stock. The boy who had lumps of coal thrown at him when he visited District Twelve on the tour and who was forced to sit alone at lunch at school every day.
Kurt was the most interesting and amazing person Blaine had ever met and there was no way he felt the same way about him. Blaine decided that the best course of action was to ignore the moment entirely.
"So they might ask you about your home life. Your dad, your mom maybe. Do you think you'd be able to speak about her? Caesar somehow found out about my mom's death and asked if I thought she was watching me and what I thought she'd say about me being in the Games."
Hurt flashed across Kurt's face briefly before it was gone and his expression was unreadable. "My mom's death was a long time ago, I can talk about it. We've talked about after all. I just don't know if I'll be able to do it on TV in front of everyone," Kurt said, sighing.
"Well then if he asks, just look for me in the audience and tell me instead," Blaine said, smiling. He perked up, sitting straighter in his chair. "Just talk to me during the entire interview, it'll help your nerves and you won't feel awkward about answering questions, at least, I hope you won't."
Kurt nodded, smiling in acknowledgement, though there was something about the smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. He looked down at his lap where his hands were cupped together. He looked almost sad. Blaine assumed he was still unsure about the interview and it was getting him down. He reached forwards and placed his hand over Kurt's, causing the other boy's head to snap up immediately at the contact.
"Are you okay?" Blaine asked, concern in his voice. He hated seeing Kurt like this, like he was lost in his own head.
"I'm fine," Kurt said, unconvincingly.
"Kurt, you know you can tell me anything. I'm your mentor, I'm here to help you," Blaine said, rubbing his thumb over the top of Kurt's hand. Kurt stared at the motion, his shoulders tensing up slightly as he stood up.
"Are we done?" Kurt asked abruptly, talking to his shoes.
Blaine gapped at him, his stomach feeling knotted at the sudden coldness. Looks like I was right, he doesn't like me in that way. "Uh yeah," Blaine said, standing up to move the chairs back against the wall. "Sure, I'll see you tomorrow before the interview, I guess?"
When Kurt didn't answer, Blaine turned around and found that he was alone.
When Kurt and Tina came back from their sessions with the Gamekeepers, both of them looked exhausted, but happy enough with the way it went. Tina showed off her skill of climbing from one end of the training hall to the other without touching the ground, while Kurt showed off his fencing skills.
"I hope it's enough," Kurt said as he sat down on the sofa beside Blaine. They hadn't spoken about the weird moment from yesterday and Blaine didn't want to bring it up because it might turn awkward and Blaine would probably end up telling Kurt he was secretly in love with him, making their remaining time together difficult. Blaine just wanted to be with Kurt and this was better than nothing.
"I'm sure it was," Blaine said, giving him a smile before they turned their attentions to the television.
As expected, the tributes from the Career Districts scored high. Sebastian and Quinn from District One each earned a solid eight, while District Two's Noah scored an impressive nine while Santana got an eight. Tina scored a six, which made her happy enough. When Kurt's picture appeared the screen beside a six, Kurt merely shrugged.
"At least it's above five," Kurt said. He looked a little disappointed, but couldn't feel bad very long. Brittany from District Ten scored a three, while Rory from District Eleven a four.
The following day was the televised interviews with Caesar Flickerman. Kurt and Tina spent the afternoon getting waxed, polished and dressed in their outfits prepared by Bryan and Mercedes. Tina was dressed in a stunning floor length black dress, with silk sleeves and her hair curled, cascading down her back. Bryan said that he wanted her to appear mysterious and dark, to keep the audience guessing about her.
Kurt was dressed in another stunning suit. He wore black pants matched with a black waistcoat and navy button down shirt. To add a flash of colour, he wore a red bow tie.
They were due backstage in ten minutes to line up and wait for their turn with the other tributes. When Blaine went into Kurt's dressing room to find him (Mercedes had said he wanted a few minutes alone), he found him standing in front of a mirror admiring his tie.
"My dad showed me how to tie one of these," Kurt said conversationally, glancing at Blaine in the mirror's reflection. "After my mom died he went out and got me a bow tie to wear with my best shirt when we buried her. I didn't know to tie one so he showed me. He had been so terribly sad and I hadn't seen him smile in days but when he showed me how to put on a bow tie he smiled, just slightly, but it was there. I think it was the first sign that things were going to be okay with us. He was so worried about raising me alone that when he managed to do something, even just as small as helping me get dressed, I think it helped him."
Blaine smiled fondly at him, his chest aching as he watched Kurt straighten the tie and turn to face him. "You look handsome," Blaine mused quietly, his eyes glossing over as he raked them over Kurt's body. Kurt blushed but said nothing, that sad smile appearing on his face again like a secret he wouldn't share.
Kurt took a deep breath, looking past Blaine to the door. "I'm nervous," he admitted, wiping his hands down his sides.
"Don't be, you're going to do great. Just remember what I said, talk to me," Blaine said. Kurt nodded and they looked at each other for a moment, the air feeling thick. Blaine absently rubbed his hand over his jacket, feeling a small bump by his chest. He jolted, suddenly remembering what he had pinned there. His heart leapt into his throat.
"I better get out there," Kurt said. He looked a little dejected, like he had been waiting for something to happen that didn't.
"Wait!" Blaine said. Kurt turned to face him, tilting his head curiously as he watched Blaine unhook something under his jacket's lapel. Blaine held out his hand, offering Kurt the brooch he had kept close to him every day since he'd bought it.
Kurt gasped, his hands clasping over his mouth as he stared wide eyed at Blaine's palm before he tentatively reached out a shaking hand to pick up the brooch. He turned it over, the white coral petals glistening in the artificial light of the room. Kurt ran the pad of his finger of the pearl centre on the brooch and he let out a whimper. Kurt looked up at Blaine's face, his expression screaming I can't believe you have this.
"How?" Kurt asked in awe. He blinked, his lips parting as he waited on tender hooks for Blaine's answer.
Blaine shyly ducked his head, rubbing the back of his neck gingerly as he said, "I saw you in the market last year after I got back from the Capitol and you were looking at it."
"I remember," Kurt breathed, his mouth hanging open as the memory of the day washed over him. "I remember… I saw you; I was going to say hello but my brother…"
Blaine raised his eyebrows in surprise. "You were?" he asked hopefully, wetting his lips. Kurt followed the motion, looking up into Blaine's eyes a moment later.
"Yeah," he said in almost a whisper. "How do you have this?"
"I – I saw you looking at it and you looked so sad that you couldn't get it so I bought it – for you," Blaine said. He wondered if this was a good idea, baring his soul this way, but then he remembered that Kurt was going into the arena tomorrow and if he didn't give him the brooch now, he might never be able to.
Kurt looked like he was processing this information so Blaine took the opportunity to take the brooch and pin it to Kurt's waistcoat lapel. He smiled at it, sighing happily. "There. It may have taken me eleven months to give it to you, but it was worth it," he said, not realising that he had said that out loud.
Blaine let his hands linger for a moment, his eyes trailing up to Kurt's when he realised Kurt was watching him. There were only standing a few inches apart and Blaine could feel Kurt's breath on his face, warm and inviting. Kurt's eyes closed as he leaned in and pressed his lips against Blaine's.
Blaine's eyes widened and he gasped against Kurt's lips. His eyes fell closed as he concentrated on the warmth and softness of another person's lips on his. Kurt's lips on his. Kurt hummed a little, pressing firmer against Blaine and tilting his head so their lips slotted together perfectly. When they pulled apart, Blaine's lips remained parted and he stared at Kurt in disbelief.
Kurt giggled, his fingers touching his mouth as his lips curled into a smile.
"Kurt, I –"
"Oh there you are!" Shannon opened the door, one hand on her hip as she steered Kurt out of the room. "You need to be with the others, come on!" Kurt looked behind him at Blaine as he was being led away, his expression pleading. Wait for me.
Blaine took his seat in the second row, waiting for the show to begin. He kept touching his lips, which were vibrating pleasantly and puckering up at their own accord, yearning for more.
He kissed me, Blaine thought to himself. He wanted to laugh it was so unbelievable. Then again, all of this was so unbelievable. He kissed me, he thought again. Nope, no matter how many times he thought about it, it didn't stop being true. He had in fact kissed Kurt Hummel. Or rather been kissed by Kurt Hummel. As first kisses went, he rather liked it and he hoped there would be many more. And it was definitely better than kissing the tender crook of his elbow for practice, that was for sure.
The show began. Blaine noted that Caesar had gone for indigo hair this year, with his usual matching eyelids and lips.
The first tribute was Quinn from District One, who came onto the stage in a pink frilly dress and a broad grin on her pretty face. She spoke about what winning would mean for her family, who were close personal friends of District One's major. Sebastian from District One was very cocky, talking about how he knew he was going to win and what his plans were after the Games had ended. He even winked at the crowd before he exited the stage.
Blaine was a little worried about Santana from District Two's sanity. She referred to herself as 'Snix' and talked about her favourite type of weapons. She explained which knives were best for cutting throats and which ones for gutting fish. Strangely enough, Noah, or 'Puck', seemed all talk. There was a kindness behind his eyes that Blaine noticed when he spoke about his mother back home.
You had to feel sorry for Artie from District Three. Being in a wheelchair was bad enough, but being in the Games must be a constant worry for him. Artie talked about the possibility of hills or uneven surfaces but then turned it around by talking about his speed and his love of electronics.
Mike from District Four was very likeable. He talked about how he lived outside most of the time anyway so the Games wouldn't be much different from home. Being from the fishing district, Blaine made a mental note to advise Kurt to ally with him for food supplies.
The District Five Happy Twins as Blaine called them were just as annoying and dazzling as they appeared during the opening ceremony. Blaine couldn't tell who had a bigger ego, Rachel or Jesse.
Lauren from District Seven was a burly girl who said she once snapped a tree trunk in half with only her foot. Blaine believed her. Sam on the other hand seemed like a kind hearted boy who talked about building houses for the poorer sections of his district. Everyone melted, making 'awww' and 'oooh' noises, especially when he flashed the crowd a stunning smile.
District Eight were next. Tina went first. She spoke about her family, especially her little sister, and how he wanted to win to get back to them. When asked about her score, she wouldn't go into what she could do ("Don't let on you'll be living in the trees, the others will be searching for you on the ground!" Shannon had advised), just that she was like an animal, which could be taken any way and added to her mystery.
It was then Kurt's turn. He walked onto the stage and took a seat, glancing around for Blaine. When he caught his eye, Blaine grinned at him, earning him a dopey grin back.
"So, Kurt from District Eight," Caesar said politely, crossing his legs and smiling at Kurt. "I can see why you're from District Eight, don't you look fabulous! Doesn't he look fabulous?" He looked to the crowd, raising his palms up so people clapped and cheered for him. Kurt looked slightly embarrassed, one arm resting in his lap while the other fiddled with his brooch.
"Thank you, my stylist Mercedes did an excellent job," Kurt said humbly.
"That she did!" Caesar agreed. "Now Kurt, tell me, what do you hope to gain from the Games?" Kurt opened his mouth as though he couldn't decide if the question was serious.
"To… not die?" Kurt said uncertainly. Caesar barked with laughter, slapping Kurt's knee.
"Brilliant!" Caesar said. "But seriously, what do you want? Fame? Money? You'll have both if you win, but what do you really want?"
Kurt's lips were in a thin line as he looked over at Blaine before he answered. "I just want someone to be happy with," Kurt answered honestly. Some of the crowd said 'awww' and there were a few audible sniffs. "After my mom… after she died, my dad was so lonely but he's found someone else now and I haven't seen him so happy in a long time. I just want to go back to District Eight and be happy."
Caesar smiled knowingly, resting his elbow on his knee and his chin in palm as he considered Kurt. "I think there's more to this than you're letting on, Kurt Hummel," he said. Kurt noticed that his eyes kept dropping to the brooch, which he had been absently touching the entire interview. "Do you have a special someone back home?"
Kurt took a breath and said, "Not back home… no."
"Oh come on," Caesar said playfully. "It's just us here." He looked straight at the camera and winked, smiling toothily before turning back to Kurt. "You can't tell me there isn't a special boy or girl in your life. No one is going to judge you."
"Boy," Kurt said quietly.
"And did this boy give you that brooch?" Caesar asked kindly, nodding his head in the direction of it. When Kurt nodded in reply, Caesar pressed on. "It's very beautiful; he must care about you a great deal."
"More than I realised," Kurt admitted to himself more than any one else. He glanced at Blaine and smiled tenderly at him. When Blaine smiled back just as lovingly, he jolted in his chair when he saw in the corner of his eye that Caesar was staring right at him, realisation written all over his face.
"And how do you feel about him?" Caesar asked Kurt, placing his hand on Kurt's knee again.
"I –" Kurt said, unsure how to put his feelings into words. "He's -" Kurt searched for words that weren't there, or rather were there, but were waiting for him back on the eighth floor where he could give them to Blaine privately.
"Your mentor?" Caesar offered, raising his eyebrows knowingly and crossing his arms across his chest as he watched Kurt choke out a breath and turn dark red.
"W-what?" Kurt asked, looking for Blaine in the audience who looked just as terrified. The camera had twisted to face him and Blaine gapped at his own appearance on the large screen above the stage.
"Well, this is different, this is quite different," Caesar said, tapping his chin in thought. "I've heard of tributes forming strange bonds in the arena, but never have I seen a tribute and their mentor fall for one another. Oh I do wish we had more time together, Kurt so we could discuss you and –" he looked at Kurt expectedly.
"B-Blaine," Kurt whispered.
"Blaine, of course! He won last year, how could I forget? But sadly our time is up. Oh, this is quite a sad story, isn't it everyone? You want to protect your loved one, but this is quite literal, isn't it? Oh, I do wish you and Blaine all the best, and let's hope some of our wonderful sponsors are romantics. Let's hear it for Kurt Hummel!"
And the crowd clapped and cheered for Kurt as he awkwardly waved and left the stage. Blaine didn't bother to watch the other interviews; he stood up and made a bee line for backstage to get to Kurt.
"Kurt!" Blaine called out when he spotted him. He jogged over to him, throwing his arms around his neck, hugging him tightly.
"Oh, Blaine," Kurt whispered into his neck. He pulled back slightly, pressing their foreheads together, smiling shyly at him. "Well, that went well."
Blaine laughed softly, rubbing small circles into Kurt's shoulder. He hummed in acknowledgement. The sound of the crowd cheering filled the air as another tribute took to the stage.
Kurt's smile dropped and he sighed heavily. "I'm going in the arena tomorrow," he whispered, as though it was a secret.
"Ssh," Blaine soothed, reaching up to cup his face. He pressed his lips to Kurt's, feeling his stomach swoop pleasantly. "Let's not," Blaine added, before he leant back in for another kiss. Kurt mumbled something against his lips, but it was soon forgotten as Blaine held him close, their bodies flush together and their arms holding on desperately to each other, never wanting to let go.