Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia nor the characters, they belong to Himaruya Hidekaz-sensei. Hunger Games series belongs to Suzanne Collins.

Chapter 5: The stylist

R-i-i-i-p! I squeeze my eyes and grit my teeth to ignore the pain that is coming from my legs with that annoying itchy feeling afterwards. The one that yanks a strip of fabric from my leg, tearing out every single hair that I used to have on my legs is Jia Long also called Leon. He has a terrifying tattoo on his pale right cheek resembling a dragon, and something he called 'a firework' on his other. He has brown hair with rather shocking red highlights here and there. 'Newest fashion' or something like that. "Sorry for causing you an immense pain" he doesn't sound sorry at all, that bastard. His voice is emotionless and the words that just left his mouth sound like something read from a script, memorized. That's annoying as hell. "You're just so hairy" oh God, he's pissing me off. Why the hell does his jaw barely open when he talks? Why is his face so expressionless? What the hell is that red strand in his hair for anyway? Plus his way of talking is weird. All these weird vowels…

And then Jia Long makes that irritating face. Like he's trying to look at me with sympathy, but at the same time trying to keep his fucking pokerface on. The finishing effect looks like he's mocking me and I swear I'm going to murder him if he doesn't say something and change that expression. "Be happy. This is the last one. Yay" I grit my teeth, because if I don't I will hurt him. I grip the edges of the table I'm sitting on a prepare for the pain. My final, precious shield of leg hair is ripped off with the last yank from Leon. Just to make it clear, I've been at that fucking Remake Centre for at least three long hours now, and I still haven't seen my stylist, not once. Not even a trace of him, not a word, nothing. Apparently that bastard has no intention of seeing me before Leon and the rest of my prep team finishes with correcting some obvious problems on my body. Which, I have to admit, is quite a challenge. When they were scrubbing off the dirt of me, they put me in a bath filled with pretty smelling soaps and bubbles and made me sit there for forty-five minutes. When I was already situated in the bathtub comfortably, they came in with big, yellow sponges and some gritty loam, that has removed not only the dirt, but also at least three layers of my skin. It was the most painful experience in my life, before they started tearing off my hair. From my legs, my arms, my torso, under my arms and parts of my eyebrows that they deemed 'too bushy'. Fuck them, they're too bushy, my eyebrows were just fine, dammit. Ridding me off my hair left me feeling like a puckered bird, so nude and defenseless. Plus everything feels so annoying. My skin is so sore and my nails are shaped perfectly, which is an unusual sight for me. And even though I just want to punch every single one of them and scream bloody murder, I don't.

"You're doing very well, daze" the guy called Yong Soo tells me with a wicked smile on his face. He has a weird haircurl similar to mine, but it's actually very different. I'm not sure what kind of fucked up experiments they do in Capitol, but Yong Soo's curl has a frigging face that is smirking. Its' lips are bright red and I'm not sure I want to stay here even for a few more seconds. "We really can't stand the whiners! But look at you! You look so sexual and erotic, I just want to claim your breasts, because your nipples are so alluring, but Kiku said I absolutely mustn't" I'm genuinely scared right now, because fuck, someone call the Peacekeepers since it's sexual harassment or I'll turn it into murder scene soon.

"Gosh, stop it, you idiot! You're scaring the poor sweetheart!" the girl that approaches us is around my age, I guess. At least she looks like that. Her name's Mei and she has long brown hair with bright blue highlights. Her arms are light turquoise and she kind of reminds me of the creature they call 'monster'. I don't really know why'd she do that to herself, since she's a beautiful woman with very… long eyelashes, and the unnatural skin color makes her looks terrible. But well, Capitol logic. Mei chases Yong Soo away and soon she and Leon are applying some weird lotion on me. It stings at first, but then it soothes my itching skin, just a little bit. After that they literally pull me down from the table and take off a thin robe I was wearing just a second ago, leaving me completely naked and exposed. I think that I should be really embarrassed, but I'm more terrified than anything. Yong Soo's eyes are making holes in my lower areas as he's mumbling something that sounds suspiciously similar to 'devouring'. Then there's Mei, who's all red on the face and squealing as she looks at me and then at Leon, who looks as indifferent as ever. I mean, I've always known that people from Capitol were fucking nuts and weird, but this is seriously beyond my expectations. Did they grow up on some weird stuff?

They finally step back "Excellent. You actually look like a normal human being now." Leon says with an emotionless voice, which makes the other two giggle maniacally.

I force myself to smile – which comes out more like a frown than a smile, really – and through gritted teeth say "Thanks. There aren't many opportunities or reasons for us to look pretty in Twelve, you know"

Apparently they took my gritted teeth as a sign of holding back my tears, because it wins them over completely. Mei hugs me tightly and rests her head on my torso, which feels nice. She is a pretty woman after all. "You poor darling! Of course you don't! But don't worry! You'll be shining tonight! Right, Yong Soo?"

"Hell yeah! When Kiku finished with you, you'll be like the princess! Only a man!"

"That's a prince. You needn't worry, Lovino. We got rid of the hair and the dirt. You look civil now and Kiku will make you shine" Leon says, smiling at me slightly. I don't really know why I'd be worried about something so trivial as looking nice, but whatever "Let's call him now"

Mei and Yong Soo run out of the room, with the expressionless bastard following in tow. It's stupid how I can't make myself hate them. Sure, they're weird as fuck, but they're complete idiots. They're like Gilbert and Feliciano mixed into one persona. It's unfair, I think. They made my prep team remind me of home and that not okay at all, because thinking about Gil and Feli is the last thing I want to do here. To distract myself, I look at the cold white walls and then at the floor, where my thin robe lies, begging me to put it on again. I'm tempted to do so, but I know it would be useless anyway. My stylist will definitely make me take it off again anyway. My hand reaches to my hair, the only part of my body that was left alone. The curl my mother so carefully put up is still standing proudly. My mother. I completely forgot about the suit that belonged to my father that she's given me. I left it in the train on the cold, cold floor, never to see it again. I didn't think I'd crave for something to remind me of home. Now I wish I had.

The door opens and a young man enters with a gentle smile on his face. He looks normal, completely normal. Big brown eyes and dark hair. Casual clothes that don't look at all pretentious like these of other stylists'. They're not fancy or anything, but they make him look handsome and professional for sure. The stylist I've seen on TV in the past had colorful hair, colorful skin tone or rainbowish, skimpy, glittery clothes. I thought it was impossible for Capitol people to look so normal, so like us. And yet here's the proof that even they can look human. The only thing that seems to connect him with this place is a silver eyeliner, which brings out golden sparks in his eyes. Even though I think that Capitol fashion is stupid at best, I can't help but notice how damn attractive my stylist actually looks like.

"Hello, Vargas-san. I'm Honda Kiku and I will be your stylist" he says in a quiet voice, bowing to me slightly. What incredible politeness, I think. And his voice lacks the stupidity of Capitol.

"Hello" I say back and we just stare at each other.

"Can you just give me a moment, Vargas-san?" I nod and he comes closer to me, before walking in circles a few times, slowly scanning my body. His gaze is so intense that I need to fight the urge to cover my lower half, which is pathetic. We're both guys and I'm obviously not small or big, just normal, so what's there to be embarrassed about? Must be Capitol's stupidity rubbing off on me, or something. Or maybe Gil's. Or tomato bastard's. Must be.

"Who did your hair, Vargas-san?"

"My mother" I answer, glancing at him "And Lovino's fine" he nods slightly, smiling.

"It's very beautiful. I am quite curious about your curl. So fair I have only met Yong Soo with one like that, however he had it surgically attached. Yours is natural, I presume. It's very mysterious. And charming, really. Your mother is clever. She knew exactly how to make you look beautiful, Lovino-kun" I can feel heat rushing to my face, so I turn away and stare at an empty, white wall.

I was expecting someone different. Someone flamboyant, colorful, loud, rude. Someone older, who'd pretend to be young with all these operations that they offer here. Who'd desperately try to hide their own age. Someone that would see me just like a piece of meat, an animal ready for slaughter. A toy, sent here for a pure enjoyment. So far, Honda Kiku did not meet my expectations. I definitely did not think that my stylist would be actually this fucking nice and polite.

"Y-You're new, right? I don't recognize you" I say, trying to pray the red off of my face. Why am I the blush-able one in the family anyway? It's unfair. Feli should be all cute and blushing. And what is wrong with this guy anyway? He's definitely new, because I've never seen him before, unlike other stylist. Some of them have been around for my whole life, making the tributes pretty every year. And yet here's a newbie bastard who's trying to make me blush.

"Yes. This is my first time in the Games" he chuckles, and I can't help but notice what a melodic sound it is. And that I'm acting like a pathetic little girl with a crush.

"I see. So you ended up with Twelve" I say bitterly, glaring at the floor with hatred for no particular reason. Newcomers always end up with us, because we're the least worth looking good.

"Not at all. I asked for District Twelve, Lovino-kun" he smiles at me and turns around without further explanation "Could you please put on a robe? I think maybe we could have a proper conversation then. I am not quite as comfortable with nakedness as Yong Soo, you see"

I pull on my robe and follow him quietly, not really bothering to look around me. Knowing this stupid place, the walls will be either colorful s fuck or ghostly white. I don't know which one's worse, to tell the truth. As we reach the room, Kiku invited me to sit on one of the two red sofas. As I take my seat, he sits on the sofa opposite to me. I look around. Three out of four walls are as white as a paper, with no decorations, pictures or even lamps. The last one is a huge glassy window, that allowed you to take a look at the whole Capitol. Judging by the position of the sun, I'd say it's about noon. I glance at Kiku, wondering why exactly he brought me here. He presses a button on the side of the table and it splits into two, revealing our food to us. Chicken and tomatoes cooked in a creamy sauce laid on pearl white rice, tiny green peas and peppers, with flower shaped rolls laying on the second plate. And finally, a chocolate pudding with a strawberry on top for dessert. I briefly wonder if tomato bastard and Carlos are having the same thing as I, before erasing them from my memory. Who would have time to worry about them anyway.

I try to imagine myself cooking this dish back at home. Since we don't have chickens back in Twelve, I would need to shoot a turkey as a substitute. And then another one to be able to trade for tomatoes, because they aren't the least expensive thing in the universe. Feli's goat's cheese would have to take creams' place, since we would never be able to do it back home. Peas are at home, in the garden, but I'd have to go look for the pepper in the woods. No matter what we do though, our tesserae is never going to resemble that pearl white rice. No, no, no, our grain is completely brown, not white. It's a mush, too. The rolls would take two to three squirrels to trade with Antonio's father. As for the pudding, I have no idea what's in that. All in all, it would take me ages to gather food for this one meal, and it'd still be a very poor substitute for Capitol's version.

I wonder what it's like in Capitol people's everyday lives, where they only need to press a button to get a real feast on their tables, while we either have to work very hard to get something, anything to eat, or die from hunger. What do they do in their free time anyway? Beside wearing fancy clothes, decorating their bodies, getting operations and waiting for a train with new tributes on their stations to enjoy the Hunger Games, what exactly do they do? I hunt together with Gilbert, we never have time to be bored. Tomato bastard is busy with baking bread, I guess. Mattie always reads a lot, and he'd sometimes tell me about things he found out about from his books. Feliciano goes out to play with Gil's younger brother, that annoying Ludwig who absolutely reminds me of potatoes, or helps mom at home with her medications. Vash takes care of little Lili and they help out at their house. Others work hard for survival. Whereas Capitol people? What do they do?

I look up and find Kiku staring at me intensely, before he sends me a sad smile "Sorry. We must look really despicable in your eyes, don't we?" is that guy some sort of mind reader or something? Or is it written all over my face? Doesn't matter anyway, because he's right. I do think that a whole lot of them are rotten, spoiled little bastards.

"I understand, so don't feel troubled" he says lightly, looking up at me again "Instead we should talk about your costume, Lovino-kun. My partner, Yao, is your friend's stylist. His name is Fernández-san, isn't it? He looks like a very kind person, just like you. Me and my partner have been thinking about dressing the two of you into complementary costumes, because not even the brightest of the starts shines quite as much, as two stars standing close to each other" he says, and I can't help but notice sparks in his dark eyes "You most likely know that the tributes have to be dressed into something, that would reflect the district's flavor, right?" I nod.

Every year the tributes wear an outfit that represents their district in some way. It is customary, because it helps remind these brainless Capitol people what we do and with what we provide them through our hard work. District Eleven represents agriculture. Some of their outfits were quite original, at least the ones I remember. Tributes from four are dedicated to fish, so some dumb stylist sometimes put them in fish outfits, which is too dumb even for this fucked up Capitol. District Three is factories. Antonio and I, however, come from Twelve. Paradise for coal miners, coal dust and basically just fucking coal. In the past tributes from my district were dressed in various clothes. From baggy coal miner stuff, to skimpy clothes with hats that had headlamps, to the most dreadful one, nakedness. They made the tributes undress from all their clothes and proceeded to cover them with dark powder that was supposed to represent coal dust. In the end both girls – since it was a rare year when two females were chosen from a district – had to go out cover by nothing but 'coal'. That sort of look didn't exactly help them find sponsors. Instead they were made fun of by other tributes, and if I recall correctly, killed off quite quickly in the Games. So as I stare at my stylist, I'm expecting the worst.

"So you won't me to wear a coal miner outfit?" I ask, trying to suppress the dreadful feeling that has been growing inside of me. I look similar to my dad. Very similar, some hunters told me back home. And if I had to wear something that he used to wear so often, I don't think I could bear it. I'll feel like he's staring at me through my own eyes. Wouldn't that be weird, I wonder.

"Not exactly. You see, Lovino-kun, Yao and I think that the whole coal miner outfit is quite overdone, don't you agree? We were thinking about something more… special. Unforgettable. In these plain coal miners outfits no one will remember you. We can't have that, you see, Lovino-kun. Both Yao and I have decided that we want to make you shine like a star on this beautiful sky. Both of you have to look absolutely outstanding and strong. It is our job to make District Twelve shine" he tells me with honesty as I stare at him with blank expression.

I'll be naked for sure, I think.

"So we've decided not to concentrate on the coal mining itself, no, that would be quite boring. Instead we are going to focus on the coal only" fun-fucking-tastic. Naked and covered in some itchy black powder, I think. Kiku grins "And what do we do with coal, Lovino-kun? We burn it, of course!"

What does burning coal have to do with my damned outfit?

"You're not afraid of fire, are you, Lovino-kun?" my eyes widen, because that guy is fucking insane. Upon seeing my expression, he breaks into maniacal laughter and instead of feeling freaked out like I should, I feel rather relaxed and let myself smile. My smile vanishes when he takes my hand and starts running to a different room, where I'll have to spend next God knows how many hours.

It indeed takes a few hours to get me ready, and when Kiku finally says that I look 'perfect', do I realize what I'm wearing. My costume will be either the most sensational or the deadliest during these Games opening ceremonies. I'm in a simple black unitard that covers me from my ankles to my neck. There's a bright, hazy red letter 'V' on the left side of my chest. Kiku made me wear shiny laced boots that reach my knees and are absolutely the longest shoes I've seen so far. But the real thing that finishes my costume is a fluttering soft cape, made of orange, yellow and red streams, with a matching headpiece. That stupid stylist said he wants to light them up with real fucking fire as soon as our carriage rolls into the streets.

"Don't worry, Lovino-kun, it is not a real flame. It would be absolutely terrible if you burnt to ashes. My partner and I came up with that idea a few hours ago and we are convinced you and Fernández-san will be an absolutely outstanding couple. You'll be perfectly safe, don't worry" oh I wouldn't be so sure, you damned Capitol bastard. I get a feeling I'll be burnt to crisps by the time we reach the fucking city center. And what 'couple' anyway? Do I look like I'm friends with that stupid tomato bastard? Is he insane? And why the hell does he accent 'partner' so much anyway? Could he be gay? "Lovino-kun, are you okay?"

"Wh- yeah, I'm fine" why the hell wouldn't I be fine? I'm just going to be barbecued in a few hours.

"Your face is red, Lovino-kun"

"Oh shut up." why the hell is he giggling anyway? He's probably secretly insane, that bastard.

Unlike in the previous years, Kiku and my prep team don't apply any make up on me, only some highlights here and there. The bastard said something about natural beauty, which did not make me blush, no. That's just girly. My hair is in my normal hairstyle, without any extensions or anything like that. Not dyed any color either. "I want them to recognize you for who you are, Lovino-kun. I want them to remember you as yourself, not as someone else. When you're in the woods I want everyone to know who you are thanks to your cute curl. Lovino, the boy who was on fire. Doesn't that sound nice, Lovino-kun?" kind of dumb, actually. But I don't want to crush his silly little dreams, because he is a little bit like Feli and Gil and I'm weak against idiots. Not because I kind of like him. Just look at him. Honda Kiku, a calm and collected person is actually a madman. It's obvious.

Despite this morning's revelation, as soon as I see tomato bastard in a costume identical to mine, with exception of a red 'A' instead of 'V', I feel a little bit relieved. He should know a lot about fire, shouldn't he? He is a baker's son after all. It would be shameful if he had no idea what to do with fire. His stylist and prep team are also there. I stare at a female standing to him and squint my eyes. Whenever Kiku mentioned 'Yao', I thought he was talking about a man. But the person in front of my eyes is clearly a woman. Silky brown hair tied in a simple ponytail. Big dark eyes, filled with intelligence and knowledge, meaning she wasn't a dumb idiot. A white shirt with pinkish pattern and matching pants. A watch that had a shape of a kitten, all white. It had a fricking ribbon. Why the hell does a watch even have a ribbon?! That Yao has a pretty face, smooth cheeks and she looks just as normal as Kiku. Sure, she's as giddy as the rest of Antonio's and my prep teams, but it's to be expected. We look kind of impressing. And Kiku, that bastard, is just being a creep, being all quiet and weary as he accepts congratulations.

Yao catches me staring and smiles at me kindly. She's a very pretty woman that looks around early thirties. And she isn't trying to hide it, which makes her all the more attractive to me. She looks like a good mother material. I wonder if she's Kiku's wife or something. They sure look at each other with great affection. I didn't know they could make these kind of expressions in Capitol too. I thought everyone here was an insensitive jerk unable to love. I glance at tomato bastard and furrow my eyebrows, because he's looking at the floor and blushing. What the hell? He fell in love with his stylist at first sight? Man, talk about pathetic.

We're all taken down to the bottom of the Remake Center, which is absolutely gigantic. Since the opening ceremonies are about to begin, the tributes are put in pairs into their chariots, pulled by four horses of different colors. Ours are coal black, but they could as well be reapers. All of the animals are so well trained that no one has to guide them and they'll reach their destination anyway. Kiku and Yao direct us into the chariot and carefully arrange our body positions. When they're pleased, they walk away to discuss something among themselves, leaving the two of us alone. I turn to look at them just as they're leaning real close to each other. Just as expected, Kiku is a nutcase with no decency.

"What do you think about the fire?" I whisper to Antonio, who's looking at our stylists and grinning madly. Why the hell is he happy?! Didn't he like that Yao girl?!

"I'll rip off your cape if you rip off mine, Lovi" he say, still smiling.

"Deal" I grumble, staring off into the distance. Maybe if we get them off soon enough, we'll manage to avoid the worst burns. We won't get out of it without damage for sure. But it's bad. They're going to throw us into the arena no matter what state we're in. If we're all burnt it's going to be a real hassle. "I know that that stupid drunkard said we have to do absolutely everything that these Capitol maniacs tell us to do, but I don't think he predicted we'd get a crazy stylist duo that wants to set us on fire" I mange through gritted teeth.

"Where is he anyway? Wasn't he supposed to protect us from situations like these?" Antonio asks, looking around as if he'll notice our annoying mentor.

"Oh please, with all the alcohol he has in himself, it's probably best not to get him anywhere near fire, or else we'll all fucking explode" our eyes meet.

And suddenly, we're both laughing. Maybe it's because we're both nervous and don't know what do to anymore. Maybe it's because our stylist gave us some sort of 'madman' virus. Maybe it's because we've finally realized how stupid it is. We're going to be burning like some wooden sticks in front of the whole audience of Panem. But we're laughing and it feels nice.

"Yao sure is a crazy woman, isn't she?" I ask, looking back at our stylist. Antonio blinks at me.

"Yao is a man though. But you were really lucky, to get a pretty girl like Kiku as your stylist" now it's my time to blink and make the most ridiculous face.

"What the fuck? He's a guy!" we stare at each other and burst into laughter again. Everything seems so silly right now.

The opening music begins. It's easy to hear, because they blast it through gigantic speakers placed all around the Capitol. Massive door slide open, reveling the crowd-lined streets. It's sickening how many of them came here just to see us before we go for slaughter, before we become their greatest fun. The carriages are supposed to ride for roughly twenty minutes, before they reach the City Center, where they are going to welcome us, play Panem's anthem, and escort all Tributes to the Training Center, that will become our house, or rather prison, until the Games begin.

The tributes from District One ride out in a chariot pulled by snow white horses. They look just like they did on the TV. The taller one has brown hair and green eyes, and is grinning madly. His fellow tribute, a he? a she?, has his/hers dirty blonde hair decorated with white clips. They're wearing tasteful tunics glittering with jewels, and with that spray-printed silver on their pretty skin. They both look beautiful and stunning. District 1 makes luxury items for Capitol, so it's no wonder they're shining so brightly. They are always the favorites of the people. Even now you can hear the loud roars of the crowd as their chariot continues riding.

Tributes from District Two get into position to follow them, the platinum hair colored girl glaring at the hyperactive blond with disgust. I think she's yelling at him, but he just laughs obnoxiously. In no time at all, they leave as well, followed by other districts. The tributes from 11 are just rolling out, when Kiku approaches us with a serious expression on his face. I notice a lighted torch a little too slowly. Before I know what's happened, he's already set our capes on fire "Here you go, Lovino-kun, Fernández-san" he says with a smile, observing our outfits carefully. I gasp, waiting for the terrifying heat to arrive. But it doesn't. In the place where the fire should be burning me by now, I can only feel a light tickling sensation. I look at tomato bastard and see him in a similar state of bewilderment. Kiku climbs up on our chariot and stands before us, igniting our headpieces just like he did with our capes. He lets out a sigh of relief and smiles up at us. "It works" then he looks at me and gently tucks a hand under my chin, making me raise up my head and stare into his deep eyes.

"Remember. Keep your heads high and smile. You are absolutely lovely. They're going to love you" he says, caressing my cheek gently. I briefly wonder what Yao thinks about him being this affectionate towards me, and desperately try to suppress the blush that is slowly creeping on my face. I hate that part of me, seriously. Who the fuck blushes every time someone invades your personal space? Why the hell do so many people invade my personal space anyway? He pulls his hand away and sends me a last smile before jumping off of our chariot.

Just as we start moving, he turns around and shouts something to us, but the music drowns him out completely. I can't understand him. He starts doing some vague gestures.

"What the hell is he saying?" I ask Antonio, and any other questions die right there in my throat. It's the first time I've realized that he looks absolutely dazzling in these fake flames. I realize, that I must look similar.

"I think he wants us to hold hands" says Antonio. And before I can protest, he grabs my right hand in his left tightly and entangles our finger. I can feel an unfamiliar but pleasant warmth emitting from him. We look at Kiku for confirmation, and his slim figure nodding, grinning and showing us thumbs up is the last thing I see before we enter the city.

At first the crowd is alarmed by our appearances. Well, who can blame them. We're just casually riding on a chariot while the fire is slowly eating us alive. If I were back home, I'd probably start cursing at the dumb Capitol people for setting the tributes to fire. The shouts quickly change into cheering though, and I can hear loud 'District Twelve! District Twelve!' from every direction. Every head is turned at us, people don't even pay attention to three chariots that are ahead of us. If it was another occasion, I'd feel bad for District 11 and the pretty little girl, but I'm too busy being frozen and not knowing what do to. Antonio nudges me with his elbow and points his head to the screens. The sight melts away all my fear. On the screen, there are two boys, holding each other's hands and looking absolutely breathtaking. In the deepening twilight, the firelight illuminates our faces and makes us look even more mysterious. Our capes seem to be leaving a trail of fire, a path that we're creating, showing that two tributes from 12 managed to leave something like that. Kiku was right about not putting a lot of make up on us. This way we look more attractive and still utterly recognizable.

Remember. Keep your heads high and smile. You are absolutely lovely. They're going to love you! I hear Kiku's voice in my head and lift my head a little, putting on my winning smile that I used on my school teacher a lot. Whenever I smiled like that, she'd let me leave the class a few minutes earlier. It wasn't much, but it always gave me just this little more time to hunt and get food for my family. As I gain a little more confidence, I wave my hand at the crowd. I'm glad that this bastard is next to me, because I'm not sure I could keep my balance otherwise. How the heck is he so steady and calm anyway? I look at him and he's grinning like a madman, waving his hand frantically. He's quite an actor, I have to admit. I can't lose with him, I think, and start blowing kisses in the direction of our possible future sponsors. Tomato bastard catches on quickly and does the same, squeezing my hand a little tighter. The people of the Capitol are going nuts, screaming our first names, our district's name and showering us with flowers and praises.

The pounding of music, the cheers and admiration work their way to my head and I can feel excitement overflow me. Kiku and Yao just gave the two of us a great advantage. There's no way anyone is going to forget us. They won't forget me. Lovino, the boy who was on fire. It sounds stupid, but the more stupid it sounds, the more likely they are to remember it. And once they do, surely there has to be at least one person willing to be my sponsor. I don't need Carlos' help to get me sponsors, I hope I just won a few. Or at least one. And with a little bit extra help in the Games, with the right weapon, with food and water, I have no reason to count myself out of the Games. No, not yet. I still have a chance.

Someone throws me a red rose. I catch it, wondering how exactly I managed not to hurt myself on the thorns, and give it a delicate sniff. Suddenly tomato bastard's forehead bumps into mine as he too, tries to smell the aroma of the flower. He grins to me and I give him a light smirk in return, wondering why exactly we're playing friends. But well, might as well act like a friendly guy for now. People are cheering and it crosses my mind briefly if it's because Antonio and I seem so close. I turn to the direction where the rose came flying from and blow a kiss to the giver. Hundreds of arms reach out to catch it, as if it was a normal, visible thing.

"Lovino! Antonio!" I can hear from all sides. Everyone wants our kisses. We've sure left an impression.

It's not until we enter City Center that I realized I must have completely stopped the blood from flowing to tomato bastard's hand, that's how tight I've been squeezing it. I look at our linked fingers and loosen my grasp, but Antonio regains his grip on my head right back, holding it even tighter than before. That one act makes me feel somewhat warm and it's weird. "Don't let go of me, Lovi" he whispers to me, fire flickering in his deep, green eyes "If you do, I might fall out from this awful thing. I'll be left in the dust. With people wondering what happened. Lovi!" is he panicking or is it just my imagination? The corner of my lip twitches, but I try to suppress it. He's dangerous. It's easy to smile when I'm with him. That's dangerous.

"Okay" I agree. So I keep holding his hand and trying to stop the smile from appearing on my face. I can't help but wonder why Kiku is doing that. Why he told us to hold hands. I don't think it's fair to present us as a team and then throw into arena to kill each other mercilessly.

The twelve chariots fill the loop of the City Center. Our horses pull the chariot right in front of President Edelstein's mansion and we come to a halt. Around us, on their seats, are the most prestigious citizens of the Capitol. Even though they all wear expensive jewels and clothes, have the best make up covering their whole bodies, they still look like damned clowns to me. They should be the main attraction of the Games, not us. The music ends.

The president, a middle-height man in his eighties, with brown hair that are surely dyed, because there's no way an old fart like him could maintain his natural hair color up this age, gives the official welcome from the balcony above us. It's traditional to, during his speech, cut away to the faces of the listening tributes. It's easy to notice that District Twelve is getting much more attention and airtime than the other districts. The darker it becomes outside, the harder it is to look away from us and our flickering capes and headdresses. When the national anthem begins to play, the cameras take the effort and scan other pairs of tributes, but they quickly come back to us. Even as our chariot is doing a final round around the City Center, we are visible on the screens.

The doors of the Training Center have just shut behind us, but our prep teams are already around us, praising us and babbling away about how amazing and gorgeous we looked out there. I decide to take a glance and other people, and am not really surprised to see that many of them are shooting us dirty looks. It just confirms my suspicions that we've outshone them all. Something catches me off guard though. The girl from Eleven, the same one that got my attention a few times before, is smiling as her green eyes look at me and tomato bastard. Then the madman and Kiku are here, helping us down from the chariots, carefully removing our capes and headdresses. Yao opens an enormous bag and takes out a canister. She sprays an invisible substance on the burning clothes and the fire slowly dies out. I realize I'm still glued to Antonio and force my stiff fingers to open. Damn, why the hell did I hold him so tight. My whole hand hurts now. We both massage our drained from blood hands.

"Gracias for holding me tightly, Lovi. If it weren't for you, I'd fall out for sure. I was getting so shaky there!" Antonio says, laughing quietly.

"It didn't show. I'm sure no one noticed" I say "Stupid bastard" I throw in for a good measure, just to remind him that he is, indeed, a bastard. Because he is.

"Oh Lovi, you're hurting me so!" he exclaims, holding both of his hands to his chest. He opens his eyes and looks at me "I'm sure that they didn't notice anything but you. You should wear flames more often, you know. You look awfully cute and attractive in them" he says "They suit you" the words are murmured into my ear. His hot breath tingles my ear and blood rushes to my cheek. I turn to glare at him, but he catches me off guard yet again. A sweet, genuine smile is sprawled across his face, with just the right touch of shyness. It makes me blush even more.

A warning bell goes off in my head. Don't be stupid, I remind myself. He is trying to kill you. He just fucking killed you in his head in some brutal way. The friendlier he acts, the more deadly he is. The 'nice' ones are always the most cruel. He wants to make you an easy prey by pretending to be your friend. Don't be stupid, you idiotic self!

But because two can play this game, I stand on tiptoe and kiss his cheek briefly, right on the bruise. It's just that, well, fuck him, because he blushed. So I blushed right back. God, I hate stupid bastards, I think as I lower my head to hide my red face.

Wang Jia Long [Wang Leon] (Hong Kong) as Venia

Im Yong Soo (South Korea) as Flavius

Wang Mei (Taiwan) as Octavia

Honda Kiku (Japan) as Cinna

Wang Yao (China) as Portia

Roderich Edelstein (Austria) as president Coriolanus Snow.

A/N: *Lots of pointless stuff, if you want to skip. Just the fact that you've read this chapter means a lot. Thanks*

Hello…. Yeah, okay OTL. Sorry if Kiku seems weird as Cinna. He kind of fit in my head. Still does, mind you. Just… yeah. In the middle of writing this I've noticed that instead of doing it Spamano, I'm doing this story every other pairing. Like, Prumano, obviously. And then there was a bit of Romanada when Mattie kissed Lovi's cheek. And now I've obviously gone overboard with all the Romapan fanservice. Uh, but that's actually because I'm writing a one-shot with this couple on focus, so yeah, it just kind of… yeah, haha. But worry not, Spamano shall come! I mean, there was already some in the end, aww. … *cough*

By the way if I've described Kiku and Yao here as couple-ish, I blame the fact that I've only recently got a little bit into that pairing, even though Giripan and RoChu are still my main pairs for these two, but gaahh, how is NiChu so damn cute anyway?!

And about Roderich as president Snow, I'm not even sorry =w=". I know that you probably think that Russia would be a more fitting character, but I'm absolutely sick of him playing the bad guy. Don't get me wrong, I love Austria! Just, yeah.

And I just wanted to say that it's frigging Siberia outside. There is snow. A LOT OF SNOW. And it's, like, October. What the hell is wrong with you, weather?! Why is there snow in October!? I mean, come on, it's not even a frigging November yet, even!

Anyway, sorry for being annoying, I guess ^^"? And thank you for worrying about my kitty. You are all so lovely *hugs*. Take care~