The anthem played, and then the faces flashed in the night sky that was visible through the canopy of trees. Kurt, Finn, and Blaine were positioned at the edge of the forest, the vast expanse of meadow only twenty yards away. Finn was peering up at the sky. "Only two down today," he said. "It's weird to see it from here."
Blaine looked up as well. "Hope our faces aren't up there after this."
"Cheerful thought, Blaine," Kurt said. He was determinedly not looking up, but perched on a low pine branch and tying the bag up in a tree. "There."
"We ought to have a way to mark this so we can find it again," Finn said.
"Any suggestions on how we can do that so we can see it and they can't?" Kurt asked sarcastically.
"Dude, you're cranky when you're hungry."
"No, I'm cranky when my ribs hurt and I'm trapped in arena where everyone is trying to kill me."
"We're not trying to kill you," Blaine said.
"Right now."
"Wow. You are bitchy."
Kurt sighed and eased himself down the tree. "Let's stop arguing about my supposed mental state. The bigger question is, if we get turned around, how do we make sure we're getting back to the same spot we started?"
"The mountain's right over there," Finn said. "Right across from us. That at least gets us in the right direction. I think that's the best we're going to do, Kurt. Besides, if this goes right, we'll have a lot more stuff."
"And if it goes wrong, we'll be dead," Kurt said by way of agreement.
Finn frowned and stretched. He wandered off into the woods for a moment, leaving Kurt alone with Blaine.
"Kurt?"
"Mmm?"
"Listen." Blaine shifted uncomfortably. "I don't know what's going to happen tonight. I mean, we're taking on the Careers. That's big. And I know Finn and I are trying to just be optimists about it, but I know you're right, too. And I just want you to know that this morning, in the woods? Before the rain?"
"The kissing?" Kurt said, glad that the darkness hid his blush.
Blaine nodded. "The kissing," he said. "That was real for me."
Somewhere deep inside, something in Kurt leapt up in joy. "It was real for me, too," he said.
Blaine took a step closer. "Can we? Just once more?" Kurt nodded, and Blaine slipped his arms around him and pulled him close. Both of them were filthy and sweaty and completely ungroomed, but Kurt closed his eyes and let the kiss transport him out of the arena, just for a second.
"You know, if I was another tribute, I could have killed you right now," Finn said crossly, emerging from the woods. "I'm not trying to be a jerk, but could you guys be a little careful?"
"Sorry." Blaine pulled away, and then brightened. "But at least it will play well in the Capitol."
"Oh my god," Kurt said, his hand going up to his mouth. "I've completely forgotten about the cameras. My dad saw all of this." Finn frowned. "What?" Kurt said. "He can't kill Blaine." The joke fell flat.
"No, that's not it. I was just thinking," Finn said. "Unless there's a death tonight, the cameras are probably on us, aren't they?"
"Probably," Blaine said. "We're taking on the Career pack. Why?"
"Well, it's just you said you sing, and Kurt and I sing. So if the cameras get us, it might stand us a shot at getting sponsors, right? Some sponsors like that sappy sort of stuff. And it could be, like, a last thing for our parents to see."
"And if they don't get us?" Kurt asked. "Or they don't show it?"
Finn shrugged. "We get to sing together again. Last song. What does Rachel call it? Swan song- that's it. But seriously- if we can make them cry they'll be dying to send us stuff."
"Finn Hudson, I had no idea you could be so emotionally manipulative," Kurt said, lighting up.
"Is that a good thing?"
"Right now it is. Let's do it."
It turned out to be harder than they thought to find a song because there wasn't much musical overlap between the Districts. That, more than anything that had been said the entire time, drove home to Kurt how little communication was allowed. But finally they found an old slow song that fit the mood. It was a simple melody, but that was just as well, too. They sang it together softly, their voices blending better than Kurt would have imagined.
"Well," Blaine said, when they were finished and the last of the solemn spell drifted away, "that out to put us in the highlights reel for sure."
They had saved the ashes from the fire they'd made earlier in the day, and now they rubbed them into their faces and hands. Kurt cringed at the thought of what it was doing to his skin, but even he couldn't deny the wisdom of the idea. As they darkened their skin, the mood darkened as well.
They weren't in the greatest shape. Blaine was unhurt, but between Kurt's cracked ribs and Finn's sore arm, they weren't going into this at their best. They didn't have that much for weapons. Kurt took the two knives, Blaine had his spear, and Finn had his staff. Each of them took a throwing star, although Kurt didn't think they'd be that useful. "I can't believe we're taking on the Careers with sticks and stones," he said.
"It won't be all the Careers," Finn said. "If there's more than two there, we turn around and try another time, right?"
"Right."
"All right. Let's go." Finn gestured with his staff, and they began to walk.
***
Finn was hungry. He tried to ignore it, but his stomach growled anyway. He hoped it would stop before they got near the camp, otherwise it was going to give them away.
They'd walked for at least a mile, but now they'd dropped to the ground and were crawling on their stomachs through the long grass. It was slow going, hard on the elbows and knees and really hard on Finn's arm, and just difficult in general to keep up for a long distance. But with no cover, they had no choice. The only way they had a chance at approaching the Careers' camp at the Cornucopia undetected was this way.
They stopped about fifty feet from the Cornucopia. The Careers had made their camp right at the base. Although it was the middle of the night, the full moon and some torches at the camp gave them enough light to take in the scene.
It looked like there was only one Career guarding the Cornucopia. One against three wasn't so bad. He was leaning against the Cornucopia, facing away from them. He was holding some weapon, but Finn couldn't get a really good look at what it was. Below the Cornucopia were two piles- probably one of packs and one of weapons. Finn looked over at Kurt, who gave him a thumbs up. Beyond Kurt he could just make out Blaine's shadow. They were as ready as they were ever going to get. Finn put up three fingers, then two, then one….
All three of them jumped up and ran as quietly as they could towards the Cornucopia. Finn had wished he could do a battle cry, but Kurt pointed out that the point of this was to get food. If they could sneak in and sneak out without encountering a single tribute at all, so much the better. But utter silence was impossible, and the tribute turned around. It was one of the District 2 boys- not Krev, but a boy named Raze. "Shell! Get over here!" Raze yelled, and shit, there was another guard that they hadn't seen. The girl that came running up had a sword.
Kurt and Blaine were headed straight for the Cornucopia. Finn realized that if he didn't head off the tributes, they'd never get there. He gave up on stealth and ran as fast as he could, and was able to strike Raze firmly in the back and send him sprawling across the ground before Raze got to them.
Raze flipped over and popped up to his feet- just popped up- and closed in on Finn, a smile on his face. The weapon in his hand was a morning star. He swung the star, and Finn dodged. It was the first advantage that Finn felt like he had in this fight; Raze was a good six inches shorter than him. He didn't have the reach. Finn feinted with his staff, but Raze didn't fall for it and instead swung again. Finn tried to jump back, but this time the morning star caught him on the shoulder, and he screamed as it exploded in pain.
Raze wrenched the star out of his flesh and away, and Finn felt blood flowing down his arm. But his arm still worked, and that was all he had time to register. Finn circled again, and this time when he attacked, Raze assumed that the blow was a feint and didn't block it. The end of Finn's staff struck Raze right in the solar plexus. He heard something crack, and Raze staggered back.
"Kurt!" Blaine shouted. "Watch out!"
Over Raze's shoulder he could see Kurt. He was almost to the Cornucopia, but Shell was right there in front of him. She swung her sword, and Kurt just barely managed to jump out of her way. He scrambled up onto the Cornucopia itself, which was the smartest thing he could have done. Shell tried to reach up for him, but Kurt was able to push her down. Blaine grabbed a sack of apples and threw it up to Kurt, and Kurt threw one in Shell's face as hard as he could when she tried to climb up after him.
That was all that Finn had time to see, because Raze rebounded. Finn swore to himself. He should have followed through and delivered a blow to the head. It would have knocked Raze out at the very least, and maybe even have killed him. Now, Finn had to get that damn morning star away. Raze swung again, and Finn just narrowly dodged, ducking rather than jumping out of the way. As he bent, he felt a pricking sensation in his ribs. The throwing star.
He'd never be able to throw it to kill- he knew that. He just didn't have the technique, and his shoulder was killing him. But he could throw it to hurt, and right now, all he had to do was get the weapon away from Raze. Finn reached inside his tunic and grabbed the star.
From the Cornucopia, Kurt screamed.
Don't look he ordered himself, because Raze was still coming at him. Finn retreated, spun back around, got his bearings and threw the throwing star as hard as he could. It lodged itself in Raze's arm, and this time, it was Raze that screamed in pain. And this time, Finn followed through, barreling at him. They collided in a crack of bone and flesh, and Finn grabbed the morning star and wrenched it out of Raze's hand.
Another scream from the Cornucopia, but this time it was Shell. Both Finn and Raze glanced over long enough to see that Blaine had attacked Shell from behind with his spear. The spear had broken off, and half of it was sticking out of her back. Shell now turned her attention on Blaine, and her sword was flashing in the moonlight. From what Finn could tell, Blaine was just trying to stay out of the way, using what was left of his broken spear to fend her off.
Allowing himself to be distracted was a mistake. Raze slipped away from him, running towards the Cornucopia. Finn knew Raze was injured, but you'd never know it from the way he ran, strong and powerful. He leapt up and grabbed the huge golden horn, and in seconds had pulled himself up and pushed Kurt to the ground. Kurt landed with an audible thud. But he struggled back to his feet, still holding his knife in one hand but the other gripping his side. Raze jumped down, a dark smile on his face. He picked up a mace from the pile under the Cornucopia. A huge mace, the head as large as Kurt's head. Raze wasn't swinging it like it was nothing, but he was swinging with enough power to take out Kurt.
The sound of metal splintering wood got Finn's attention, and he looked away from the Cornucopia to see Shell advancing on Blaine, her sword increasing in speed. Blaine was backing away from the Cornucopia and blocking her the best he could with his broken spear, but he wasn't going to be able to keep it up.
Blaine on one side fighting for his life, Kurt on the other. Finn in the middle, only able to help one. It wasn't Kurt who was going to have to choose who he should save; it was Finn.
Some part of him said it made much more sense to save Blaine. Blaine wasn't wounded. Blaine wouldn't slow him down. And Blaine was pretty smart, smart enough, anyway. Together, they'd probably get far. But that all meant nothing when he saw Kurt swing his knife at Raze. He managed to draw blood, but it wasn't enough. Not even close.
Finn tightened his grip on the morning star and ran towards Kurt.
There were only two fights going on, and yet the sounds of battle were loud in Finn's ears, even over the roaring of blood and the pounding of his heart. He ran at Kurt and Raze, that same feeling he'd felt the other day overwhelming him. He was too far away. He wasn't going to get there in time.
But he did.
He swung the morning star, hard, his wounded shoulder screaming in protest. The flail connected with the side of Raze's head, spraying droplets of blood onto Finn's hands and making Raze scream. But it wasn't enough. It wasn't ever enough. Finn wrenched the flail free and swung again and again, until the boy's face was a bloody pulp and he slumped down to the ground.
In the distance, a cannon fired.
"Thanks," Kurt gasped. "Come on. We've got to help Blaine."
Raze's leg jerked. Finn stared at that leg for a long moment. Raze's leg jerked again, and then his hand twitched. "But the cannon fired," Finn said, staring at the wreck of the boy on the ground. "He's dead."
"Finn!" Kurt shrieked. "Run!"
He moved just in time, right before Shell could hit him with her blood-wet sword. He swung his morning star at her, looking around for backup. Kurt had grabbed two packs and found Finn's staff, which he was leaning on it as he looked around, calling for Blaine. And it was at that point that it hit Finn. That cannon hadn't been for Raze, even though Raze wasn't getting up anytime soon. And he had to get Kurt out of here, before Kurt realized it and fell apart.
He swung his morning star one last time, not aiming at Shell's head but at her midsection. He caught her in the side, and he heard the satisfying sound of bone crunching. She screamed in pain and rage and fell to the ground, but he had already gotten the weapon free and was running. He scooped up one more pack and ran, grabbing Kurt by the arm and pulling him after him. "We've got to get out of here," he gasped. A glance over his shoulder revealed that Shell wasn't getting up yet, although he was sure she was far from dead.
"Wait! Finn, we need to get Blaine!"
"No."
"Finn!" Kurt started to struggle. "We've got to-"
"Listen to me!" Finn shouted, grabbing Kurt by the arms. "If we run, we can outdistance her. I know we're hurt and it's going to suck, but if we run we can escape. Let's go!"
"But Blaine-"
"Blaine's dead, Kurt! That cannon was for him!"
In the moonlight, he could see Kurt's face lose any color that remained. He shook his head. "No. No, Finn, it can't be-"
As if to make his point for him, another cannon sounded. Raze was dead- Finn's first kill. The blood was warm on his hands, but he couldn't think about that now. "Come on," he ordered. "Shell's not dead, and she's going to come after us. We've got to go!" This time, Kurt didn't argue as Finn pulled on him.
They tried to run, but soon they had to alternate between running and walking. Finn kept glancing over his shoulder, but there was no indication whatsoever that Shell had followed them. It would be two against one, and although they were wounded, so was she. They were also much more heavily armed than they had been. She must have decided it wasn't worth it… for now.
They walked, by some small miracle headed in the direction of their things. Finn's shoulder hurt like hell, although it felt like the bleeding might have stopped. He didn't even want to think about what it looked like, especially as he remembered what Raze's head had looked like. Kurt was leaning heavily on Finn's staff, his breath rattling in his lungs. He'd also gotten a nasty cut on his right calf, but given that he could put weight on it, it seemed superficial. Occasionally a sob escaped him.
It felt like it took hours to reach the relative safety of the forest. Finn had no idea if it really was hours or just felt that way, but they reached the treeline before dawn broke over the horizon. When they were finally about a mile into the woods, Kurt fell against the base of a tree, gasping for breath. Just like after that first desperate flight from the meadow. Finn dropped the pack he'd been carrying and collapsed next to Kurt.
"You okay?" he finally managed to ask.
Kurt dropped his head to his knees. "No," he said in a muffled voice.
"Yeah. Me, neither." Finn tried to stretch his legs out in front of him. They'd tightened up and hurt, and he was exhausted. "We'd probably better move," he said. "We just went in a straight line. If Shell saw what direction we went-"
"Why did you save me, Finn?"
The question caught Finn off-guard, even though it shouldn't have. "Uh, because you're my stepbrother?" he said. "Look, I know we had an alliance with Blaine and all, but our alliance came first, because it's not just based on us surviving, you know? It might not be normal or anything, but you and me, we're brothers. That matters."
"He shouldn't have died."
"Yeah, well, I wasn't the one swinging the sword."
"You could have gone after him," Kurt accused. "You could have saved him."
"And let you die! I had to make a choice, okay? And when it came down to it, the choice was easy! I chose you! Broken ribs and all! Look," Finn said, knocking his head back against the tree, "be mad at me if you want, okay? I get it. But there was no way I was going to save him and leave you to die alone."
Kurt stared at him, anger etched on his face in the moonlight. But his lips started to tremble and his shoulders slumped, and before Finn knew it, Kurt was crying. Real crying, where his nose turned red and snotty and he didn't try to maintain any semblance of dignity. Finn sighed and put his arms around Kurt, pulling him so Kurt was lying on his chest. It hurt Finn's arm and it probably hurt Kurt's ribs, but they were beyond that for the moment, and Kurt cried into Finn's chest like his heart was broken.
Finn couldn't do anything but hold him, and as they sat his eyes grew heavier and heavier. Before he knew it, he was asleep.
***
The party for past victors was held in a stately pink building, in a small, intimate ballroom. Tickets were expensive and difficult to come by, and as a result the crowd was extremely wealthy. The food was amazing, and the alcohol flowed as the previous victors of the Hunger Games were on display for eager guests to meet. Sue hated victors' parties, but it was absolutely essential for a mentor to attend. It was the best way to get sponsors, and although she'd rounded up a few, the boys could use more.
An enormous television screen dominated one end of the room. There had been enough footage of the boys talking that everyone in the room knew that they were planning on stealing into the Career camp tonight. The betting was enormous, and although most people were favoring the Careers, some were favoring the brothers and their ally. The room was alive with a happy anticipation, especially when the ten of the twelve Careers left the camp to hunt. Between the Careers on the prowl and the boys stealing into the camp, there would be blood tonight. Sue watched with crossed arms, her attention half on the screen and half on the crowd.
She never would have thought that Finn and Kurt would actually take on Careers, even if it was sneaky like this. They had more guts than she'd given them credit for, she'd give them that.
"I can't decide," someone said beside her. "Is this a brilliant idea, or the worst idea ever?"
Sue turned to see Wes standing next to her. He looked incredibly nervous, the liquid in the glass he was holding sloshing as his hand shook. Sue took the glass away from him and put it down on the table.
"First rule of mentoring, Cowboy," she said. "Don't show them that you're scared. You can be concerned, but if you don't have faith in your tribute, no sponsor is going to, either." She clapped Wes on the shoulder. "Let's see how your boy does, shall we?"
The hunt was boring, but the fight at the Cornucopia was a good fight from a sponsor point of view. They were all slobbering over it, gasping as a tribute was injured, cheering as another one landed a blow. Sue was used to it, but Wes looked horrified at the response of the guests.
"How can they do that?" Wes asked when Blaine viciously stabbed Shell with his spear and a cheer went up. "A lot of them are rooting for her."
"Because they're just thinking about their bets," Sue said, keeping her voice down. "They aren't thinking that those are five kids out there, just that this is good entertainment."
Wes pressed his lips together and nodded.
It was a long fight given that it was two Careers versus three tributes from Districts that rarely did well. A lot of money changed hands, for first blood, for who would be disarmed, for what weapon would be used next, for if Kurt would get up the horn or not, and for the first death. And that first death…. The camera was perfectly positioned to catch Shell's killing blow as she raised her sword above her head and then sliced it down through Blaine's neck and shoulder and well into his chest. The cannon fired almost immediately. Wes's anguished cry was lost in the sea of cheers and groans.
"Hold it together," Sue ordered, grabbing his arm. Wes tried to jerk away from her, but she tightened her grip, her eyes still on the screen. Finn and Kurt had several packs now and were running. Another cannon fired, indicating Raze's death, and they saw Shell try to give chase, but the boys outdistanced her fairly quickly.
"Well done, Sue!" Augustus, her biggest sponsor, pounded her on the back. He was the first of many. Others crowded around her, shaking her hand and congratulating her. A lot of new faces, Sue noted with savage gladness, and a lot of new money. She bent her mind completely to the task of securing it, of smiling at these fat pigs and agreeing how amazing the fight was and what a show.
It was an hour later when she found Wes, sitting outside in the garden alone, his head cradled in his hands. He was done crying, thank god, because Sue couldn't stand that, but his entire posture was miserable.
"You did what you could, Cowboy," Sue said, leaning against the door. "You did a good job."
Wes looked up at her, his eyes red. "He was my friend, Sue. One of my best friends."
"You can't get attached to them. It's like making pets of the cows before you send them to slaughter."
"I already was attached!" Wes shouted at her. "We've been friends since I was ten and he was nine! And I couldn't save him! All I could do was stand there and watch!"
Sue shrugged. "Welcome to being a mentor." She sat down next to him. "I didn't see you last year. This is your first one, isn't it?"
Wes nodded.
"Well, I wish I could tell you it gets easier, but it doesn't. You just get harder. Tell me something. How many tributes did you kill in your Games?"
"Four," Wes said. He glared at her balefully. "One of them was yours."
"Yeah?" Sue had to think about that. "That's right. You got Kara."
"You really didn't remember that?" Wes asked incredulously.
"Nope. But I can tell you exactly how many tributes I killed in my own Games, which, by the way, was five. Gotcha beat." Sue nudged him with her arm. "Yeah, I didn't think it was funny either," she said when he didn't laugh. "I don't know what to tell you, kid."
"This is what I saved my own life for?" Wes asked. "This is what I compromised everything I believe in to do? To send kids into that arena and watch them die?"
"Yup. This and keep living. Ain't it great?" Sue asked sarcastically.
"It's not worth it," Wes said, shaking his head. "All the money, all the… I thought I could deal with it. I mean, I killed people, but I had to. And they could fight me. I thought it was over. I thought all I had to do was come to terms with it and I could have my life back."
"That is all you have to do. You're not the one sending those kids in there. You're the one helping them survive."
Wes shook his head. "I didn't help Blaine. I couldn't. And now I have to back to the District and face them, and then next year they'll put another kid in my hands and I-"
"You'll do what you can. There's only one winner in the Hunger Games. You know that as well as anyone. And you know, most victors just focus on the rich and famous part."
Wes shook his head. "I can't do this. I can't."
"Yeah, well, tell that to the Capitol. Last time I checked, you don't have a choice." She thumped him on the back and stood up. "Come on. We've got to get back in there. They're going to want to interview you soon."
"I can't go back in there. Not yet. Go in without me." Wes stayed sitting on the bench, his shoulders slumped and his head bowed. Sue shrugged and walked back into the victor party. She quickly forgot Wes in the flurry of activity, her distaste for the guests, and her own exhaustion.
But the next morning, when she heard the rumor that Wes had been found dead in his room with a knife through his ribs, she realized she'd known he was going to do it all along.
***
Pain woke Kurt, just as the sky was starting to lighten. His face and his hands were ice-cold, but he was lying on something warm. He started to move and then stopped still, because his ribs were screaming that wasn't a good idea. He groaned and lay back down, back on that warmth beneath him. He was shivering and last night and Blaine's death threatened to wash over him. Images of Blaine smiling at him, of Blaine laughing and shouting and running… he drew a shuddering breath, closing his eyes again. He couldn't think about it. Not now.
He heard voices. For a moment he imagined it was his dad and Carole in the next room, and then the awareness washed over him and he froze. How could he have been so stupid? They just collapsed here in the forest, with no cover and no protection, just lying here asleep? It was a miracle they weren't dead already.
His knife was lying about two feet away. Kurt thought about reaching for it, but then thought better of it and stayed still. The voices were low and muffled, but he also noticed that whoever was walking was scuffing through dried leaves. They weren't Careers- Careers wouldn't hunt that carelessly. He stayed still until they passed and for a long time after, hardly daring to breathe. When he was sure they were gone, he forced himself to sit up and shook his pillow awake.
"Finn. Finn. Come on. We've got to get up and go. Someone's nearby."
"What?" Finn rubbed his eyes. "Kurt? What-" he cut himself off with a hissing intake of breath.
Kurt paused. "You okay?" He glanced at where the flutterby sting was, but Finn's arm was back down to normal size.
"Not really, no." Finn was trying to move his right arm. "She got me with the morning star." He tore at his tunic with his good hand, and then his face went pale as he saw his shoulder. When Kurt saw it, his own stomach lurched painfully. The shoulder was marred with black clots of blood, and it looked like raw meat.
"We should wash it," Kurt said, trying to swallow down the bile that was rising. "I don't know what else we should do, but I know that much."
Finn frowned. "How much water do we have?"
"I don't know. We aren't near our packs." Kurt scooted over and opened the three new packs that they'd managed to steal.
The first pack was stuffed with food. Beef jerky, crackers, cheese, tin canisters, apples, and even two oranges. It was exactly what they'd gone after, but Kurt set it aside. Right now, it wouldn't help. The second pack contained a black sleeping bag, a small flashlight, a patch of canvas that was probably meant to form a tent, a fire-starting kit, and a pot. Great, but useless now. With bated breath, Kurt opened the third pack. Two bottles of water and more food. He let his breath out, and then regretted it, because breathing really hurt, and handed one of the water bottles to Finn.
Finn looked at it and frowned. "I don't know if I can do this," he said. "Not without wasting a lot of it. Can you…?"
He didn't want to. Seeing his own blood was bad enough, but seeing that disgusting wound made him sick. Kurt had been thinking about conveniently disappearing while Finn took care of his shoulder, but the problem was, Finn was right. "All right," he said. He cut a square from the canvas and then several long strips that they could use as bandages, and then wet the square with the water. He knelt behind Finn tentatively, trying to remind his stomach who was boss. Up close, the wound was even more disgusting. He picked up the square of cloth and began to clean Finn's shoulder.
"Fuck!" Finn pulled away and then remembered others might be around. "That hurts!" he whispered, glaring over his shoulder at Kurt.
"Well, I apologize for not being a trained medical professional!" Kurt snapped back. "If you would just hold still and keep your voice down, we could do this without telling everyone exactly where we are!"
"Well, if you were a little gentler, maybe it wouldn't hurt so much!"
"I barely touched you!"
"You practically mauled me!"
"I didn't-" a flash of silver caught Kurt's eye, and he stopped mid-sentence.
"What's that?" Finn asked.
A little silver parachute landed in front of them, with a small parcel attached. Kurt leaned forward and snagged it, and for a terrible, horrible moment, he thought this might be the signal from Sue. But when he opened it he found a rather sizeable vial labeled demoralen and a spoon. Kurt had heard of demoralen before, although it was very expensive. It was a mid-level pain-killer that wouldn't completely block out all pain but had the upside of leaving the mind clear, and a spoon. Definitely not a gift that seemed useless. Kurt judged that there was enough for ten doses in the vial, if they were supposed to take a spoonful. Not only would it help with the task at hand, it would help with his ribs as well. He sat back, a smile spreading over his face.
"This must have cost Sue a fortune," Kurt said, staring at the vial in awe.
"Yeah, well, we did good last night, I guess," Finn said, and he was grinning, too.
Last night. Kurt's hands shook. Finn turned around at his silence and caught him. "Hey," he said. "Stay with me, okay? Come on. You've got to do this. I can't do it myself."
They both took the medicine, which made them both even more nauseous until Kurt finally thought that maybe they weren't supposed to take it on an empty stomach. But the medicine worked quickly, and this time Kurt was able to touch Finn's shoulder.
It was gruesome work, but by the time he'd cleaned away the blood the wound looked better. At least it didn't look like it was getting infected. Kurt bound the shoulder up the best he could with the bandages he'd cut from the canvas, and by the time he was done, Finn at least had use of the arm. Finn returned the favor by replacing the burlap around Kurt's ribs with canvas. The skin on his torso was scratched raw and hurt horribly, but compared to the pain underneath it was nothing. A little more luck was with them in that the cut on Kurt's leg was shallow.
"We really got lucky," Finn said. "It should have gone worse."
"We lost Blaine," Kurt said, sharper than he intended. But Finn looked so damn happy, like they'd lost nothing.
Finn frowned. "Yeah," he said. "But the alliance had to end. At least this way we did what we could, and he died fighting. That's something, right?"
"Right," Kurt agreed hollowly. He bent over slowly and picked up one of the packs. "We'd better find a place to hide for a bit," he said. "At least until we can figure out what we're going to do next."
"Good call," Finn agreed. He looked tired. His face and hair were filthy, he still had dried blood on him, his clothing was torn, and he had various bruises, cuts, and scratches that neither of them had bothered attending to, as well as the burlap bandage still on his arm from the flutterby sting. He held his hand out to Kurt, looking nothing like the hero Kurt had once imagined him to be. But as Kurt took his hand and hauled Finn to his feet, for one brief moment, he remembered what it felt like to feel safe.