thecapitol | Forward-dated to late Week 5

Entry tags:

✘ rat,
✘ shion

Forward-dated to late Week 5 - Open!

Who: Rat, Shion, and You!
Where: Tribute Tower, main common area, and his room.
When: Post Arena death, so late Week 5
What: Boyfriends reunited, and he has some reading to catch up on.
Warnings: Very light hints at suicide.

Closed to Shion:
He wasn't sure just why the way he was tired felt so... familiar. Like the dull ache from running, running, running. He expected to be tired afterward. But this felt strange. This was probably something else Shion hadn't told him. It was probably some foolish notion of protecting him.

Now that he wasn't on edge, he was able to more properly consider how everything had occurred. Starting with Shion joining him at the Cornucopia. As stupid an idea that was for him to do, he honestly wasn't surprised.

And then when that girl killed him. So quick, so easily, and he could do nothing. Because he'd gotten sloppy so early on. That had changed the game for him. He played it his way, and he did it well. But not good enough. All because of that damn leg wound. Because he'd gotten greedy. Why did he even go for that, anyway? He'd gotten caught up, he'd left his head behind on the platform.

Speaking of his head, whatever he had left of it disappeared with Shion. Even outside of West Block, No. 6, and the correctional facility this kid clouded his better judgement. Every instinct he knew, that had gotten him this far, knew that attachments like this is what got you killed. This was why he'd left. This is why he should stay away from Shion even now. Especially in the Arena. But Shion barely stood a chance with him, he stood less of a chance without him. All he had to do was get Shion to win, and he wouldn't have to do this anymore. Sure, he knew what that meant. It would possibly mean doing the one thing that is against every principle he'd ever had in his life. But, it would be on his own terms. That was tantamount.

Shion had seen a few Arenas before Rat had arrived here. Somehow, he'd retained some pieces of himself. He hadn't changed. That one request before they descended into hell together had, so far, held true. This would, if he had anything to say about it, remain to be seen.

A glance through some of the information accessible from the console in his room showed some small amount of chatter about his strategy, and why exactly he had started that after Shion's death. Well, at least he'd caught their attention. That had been the goal, right? Even his death had been a spectacle, despite the fact he hadn't directed it.

When he opened the door, he wasn't really at all surprised to see Shion. He slid a foot behind himself to make sure Shion didn't knock him over during the inevitable running-start-hug that was coming.

Open
Rat had been trying to settle back in, but his nerves were still shot. He needed a book, a quiet room, and several uninterrupted hours to settle back into his normal state. He was jumpy, on edge, and in a general foul mood. He was ignoring the screens displaying the ongoing Games, and instead nosed through whatever reading material there was to be found. Volumes glowing about the history of the Capitol, some biographies on select Victors (that he were sure were embellished from reality if the way current events are addressed is any indication), martial arts techniques too ludicrous to be taken at all seriously, ad nauseum.

Anything considered too trashy to be permitted to exist was dealt with appropriately into the round file. Other books that he'd merely disregarded were left strewn hither and yon wherever he may please, sometimes closed, other times left on the last page he'd glanced through. Only one or two made it onto a nearby table, and they were perhaps worth reading. Somehow, Rat had made the modicum of reading material into a mess many times its previous size. He didn't have any intention of cleaning up after himself.

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Shion had all but fought himself into district one's suites and paused at the door to Rat's room, staring like he couldn't quite believe that Rat was there in front of him, a moment later he launched himself across the room. Not even caring that Rat would be annoyed or angry at him.

He didn't even say anything. there was too much to say and Shion wasn't sure he had the words to say it, he had spent the last few weeks watching Rat, hoping that he would win, trying to help him, knowing that he probably wouldn't be able to stop him dying in the long run.

And he hadn't, so now he just clung to him and didn't say anything. The babbling would come after hugs.

Edited 2014-02-16 20:47 (UTC)

He closed the door behind Shion so they could have some semblance of privacy. He wasn't sure if there was any to be had. He wrapped an arm around Shion's shoulders and let him hang on all he wanted. He could feel his own shoulders and back loosen up a bit under Shion's arms. If he was being honest with himself, he was glad to see him. He'd missed him. But he wasn't really considering things like that right now.

But there was something he wanted to say to him. He hesitated a moment. He should probably just move on. Not dwell on the past. Even the past as recently as a few weeks ago. He may as well get it over with. "I didn't have to sing for you," he finally said into Shion's hair. He smelled sweeter, cleaner, here than in the slums. More like he had when they first met.

There wasn't really any privacy here, but not having people looking at them was good enough. He shook his head, light blue whisps of hair falling messily back into place.

"You didn't... I'm sorry." He blinked up at him, "I should have been more careful."

His other hand came up and tucked into the hair at the back of Shion's head. It was the kind of thing he didn't realize was happening until his body just did it. "You've always been an idiot, and I wouldn't expect anything different in the Arena. Next time we'll have a plan."

Shion didn't even argue the idiot bit, he was used to Rat calling him an idiot, "It's hard to plan when we don't know what we will face until we get there." He said softly.

He put his hands on Shion's shoulders and pushed him off firmly, but not roughly. "Not even an improvisationalist goes on stage without a plan," he replied. He moved away from the door, and found a couch to sprawl onto. He didn't seem to care that he was taking up most of it. Shion would find a way in there anyway.

"I guess." Shion knew nothing about the stage, so he could only agree with Rat. He stood, semi awkwardly by the couch as Rat lay down. "Are you feeling alright?"

He shrugged. "Better than I was before I took that dive," he answered. He was in a morbid kind of mood. "How long has it been since then?"

"Thirteen hours and twenty six minutes." Shion told him, "Maybe a few more minutes now, that was when you woke up." He didn't like thinking about Rat's death, the anger he had felt, the fact that he was going to punish that woman next time he saw her.

He looked hard at Shion for a long moment, and didn't say anything further. He wasn't really surprised at the precision with which Shion had been keeping track. He'd been counting the days through the arena, as well as keeping track of how many were left beside himself. Even if now, some of the last few days were rather a blur.

Next time, it was to be quite another story. Eve was due for an encore performance. "So slow," he finally said.

He pulled his legs off the couch and leaned forward, his elbows on his knees. He looked steadily at Shion. "My leg feels fine. The part that crustacean got hold of, anyway." He laced his fingers together in front of his chin. "But I feel a bit like I'd just crawled out of the crater that used be the Correctional Facility, and No. 6." Rat's best weapon and tool was his body, and he tended to listen to what it had to tell him, and take it seriously.

As long as Shion had been here, he had to have an answer for this. There was no way he hadn't stuck his nose in. He knew better than that.

Shion blinked at him, realising what he hadn't told Rat. And what he wasn't sure he wanted to tell Rat, because he knew exactly how Rat would react.

"It's like that... any injuries from the arena are gone completely, like they weren't even there..."

He shook his head. "I expected that." But whether it was to what Shion had said, or what he had left out, he didn't say.

He got back on his feet, and crossed the space between them. He took Shion's hand in his and put it on the spot where a small, dull, ache was the only reminder of the bullet wound Shion had raced to suture. "I can feel it as plainly as I did when I arrived. If you didn't know why you would have said so when I brought it up. Tell me, Shion." He lifted Shion's chin so he had no choice but to look him in the eyes.

Shion stumbled a bit as his hand was taken, trembling slightly. He remembered, he remembered the running, the driving, finding the one doctor who would take in fugitives whilst the world went crazy. Rat had almost died, it had been so close... Black purple eyes met Rat's as his chin was lifted. Words sticking in his throat.

"It's a new body..." Almost a whisper, he stared at Rat letting himself zone out, because it was easier than facing this. "They have some technology... they put us in new bodies..."

For a long moment, Rat's face didn't change. He rolled what Shion had just told him through his head. So he was a copy. Every time he died playing their game, he'd come back a clone. Any remainders of what had transpired in West Block, ever since this idiot had come careening into his life, were mere data, backed up somewhere and re-written when needed, using his initial entry here as a beginning data point. But his memories, those were harder to pin down. Usually.

The Capitol was a real piece of work. Just as he had thought there had been a tie between the despicable walled cities, one managed to outdo the other. Suddenly the glares from the District he was to fight for made more sense. Their primary source of pride had been replaced by dummies, mannequins playing at their own free will. Because, of course, they had little. Just enough to make sure the drama was good for the viewers at home.

He released Shion. It wasn't soon enough for him not to feel the shake in his hands. Despite that, his look remained stony. He, of course, couldn't come apart from this. A familiar, nearly-consuming hatred returned, but this time at a different target. It was almost too familiar, in a way. No, he never could let it go. Especially when he himself was neatly contained in the gilded cage he wanted nothing more than to smash open.

As much as he had tried to not look as angry as he was, he was not successful. His eyes were a little faraway, but soon his rage was more obvious. While he looked in Shion's direction, it was as though there were something just past him that was the true source.

"Rat." It was still scary, seeing Rat freak out. It was usually Shion who did the freaking out, Shion who panicked and worried and had complete breakdowns because they weren't in their own bodies and he didn't know how to deal with things. Rat was the one who handled everything calmly, and knew what to do.

But that wasn't fair, Rat shouldn't have to deal with everything alone. Shion had been here longer and had more time to deal with things. He stepped closer reaching out to grab Rat's hand. "Listen to me."

Shion's voice did have a somewhat calming effect. It brought him out of the downward spiral, where at the bottom there was only the self-destruction he'd been warned about. He was only one lonely little rat in this city. Well. Not so lonely anymore.

He let Shion take his hand, and with a couple blinks of his eyes, he was back where he belonged. He looked tired though. Exhausted from the fights and anger and still needing to be a shield for Shion. But here Shion was doing the same thing him. Rat was no longer coming from the place of experience. Shion had found a way to survive unchanged with what tools he had. Perhaps he needed to know the workings of the gilded cage before he found a way to break it.

"I'm okay," he said around a lump in his throat that had appeared.

Shion got closer, not letting go. "Sit down." He said softly, "It's alright, it's just... something we need to live with."

Suddenly every alarm bell he had in him went off. All he was doing was giving the Capitol a way to hurt him. He couldn't leave Shion in that position. Not only that, but he had known this before, and had done what he needed to do.

Why had he been so quick to seek out Shion when he'd arrived here? When he really had nothing at the time but his intuition to even tell him he was here in the first place. He should have kept his distance from the start. His plan to use whatever others wanted to call what was between them as a way of leveraging sponsors had a side effect. One he should have seen coming a long way away.

He pushed away from Shion, and headed for the door, grabbing his jacket on the way. It wasn't exactly the same as he had worn at home, but it was leather, and that was more important.

Shion stumbled backwards as he was pushed and watched with teary eyes as Rat moved towards the door. "Where... where are you going?"

He went over to him, because surely Rat had to know that he couldn't solve things by leaving anymore, nothing would be helped by him walking away.

And Shion wouldn't let him, he grabbed his wrist.

He didn't jerk away immediately. "Let me go, Shion. I'll survive how I know how. That's not here. This is not a place for me."

As for Shion's first question, he didn't have an answer for that. He would go back to his old plans, and find somewhere else to stay for now. Eve's new persona as a dangerous femme fatale would have its uses yet.

"This isn't West Town." Shion told him, his grip tightening. "You can't survive here as you did there. You don't know anything about this city, or the people. You can't just go off alone, and I won't let you."

He realised he was shouting, but he had just gotten Rat back, he wasn't going to lose him again.

Whether or not they could be heard in the hall, arguing so near to the door like this, Rat didn't seem to care. "And how, exactly, do you think you can stop me?" he asked. "If you think I'm so clueless as to how a city like this works, why don't you tell me that?"

Shion had hit a sore spot. This whole situation was upside down and backwards. He might feel more at home in one of the more distant Districts, but like hell he didn't know how these Games were played right here in this town.

"I am telling you that. You're used to being able to hide. You can't hide here. There are cameras everywhere, more than No. 6. And they will find you."

He stepped closer, "Remember what I was like when I came to West Town? This is you now. I should start calling you your majesty."

That sucked all the bluster out of his anger. He just stared at Shion, and sighed, his shoulders dropping by a bit. "You're not worried that'll go to my head? Or are you perhaps the Nutcracker come to cut the Rat King down to size?"

"Perhaps or perhaps I just want to make sure the Rat King stays alive, is there a character like that?"

He pulls at him, pulling him back into the room.

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