[ i'm tired as fuck but here's a start

this is gonna be a little non-linear storytelling for the first part or so, because i don't wanna do that thing where i just hyper focus on one person again. it'll mostly be told with a focus on lewis, but

warnings for this part: language, hella anxiety, the weight of ur impending doom, etc

also: slight mess up from the explanation thing: i got ronnie and logan in the wrong spots, it's ronnie who's in one, and logan in two, not the other way around

stay safe,
lew. ]

—————

He's almost completely numb until the parade. At that point, he forces himself to get out of the hole he dug in his head, and try to socialize.

There's tributes and mentors loitering around and waiting for the parade to begin. Lewis forces himself to leave the girl from his district, a girl he's known since childhood, and find their mentor.

Their mentor is a gaunt twig of a woman, hollow eyes and cheeks despite being the most well off of them all. There's rumors that she gives away all the things she receives for winning, helping out the most underfed of the children in their district.

She's speaking to District Five. The boy remains on the chariot, staring straight ahead. The girl clings to her mentor, just as he moves to cling to his.

"This is Lewis," his mentor says softly, shoving him forward a bit. "That's Z. Why don't you two talk for a few?"

They don't make eye contact. Why would they? They're both going to die soon.

Z winces almost every time she moves, and, with more softness than a sixteen year old boy normally has, he asks, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. It's just— the stupid stylist made our clothes out of actual electrical wire for some reason. Most of it is coated, but the ends aren't, and the wire inside keeps stabbing me," she explains. "That's kinda why Matt won't move. He gets poked in more sensitive places, so..."

"That's so dumb. You'd think they'd be better stylists and think things through more."

"You'd think." She goes silent, and despite not looking her directly in the face, Lewis can't help but notice how pretty she is. Then, she bites her lip and asks, "Why'd you volunteer?"

The silence around him stung. It's an aching kind, and the sudden microphone feedback didn't help at all.

The girl's name they called was one of the kids he used to play with, while they were still in school. Before their education got tossed aside to help with the harvest.

And then, his brother's name. Time stood still as Mason tried to pull Lewis' arms from around him before the Peacekeepers got involved. Then, suddenly, the tables turned as he shrieked out those two words.

"I volunteer!"

Involuntarily, he clams up. His nails make indents against his palm, his other hand going up to scratch at the back of his neck. Deep breaths, he reminds himself.

"Um... My older brother was the one they picked. I just... He and his girlfriend have a plan for their life together, and honestly? I never had any sort of plan for the future. Mason deserves to be happy, and— I figured I'd do one good thing and hope this makes up for me being an annoyance my entire life."

By the time he's done, he's aware that his mentor is listening in, as she's whispering almost excitedly to District Five's mentor. He fidgets with the crown of blossoms, one that he finds so ironic and mocking.

"You picked horrible flowers to use," Lewis murmured, half-startling the person in the room with him.

The stylist seemed confused and hurt that their work was being criticized. "Care to tell me why?"

"Apple blossoms are a symbol of better things to come. Orange ones are innocence and generosity. Peach ones literally mean 'I am your captive', and long life. The only one you got right was persimmon blossoms."

"And what do those mean?" They rolled their eyes.

"'Bury me amongst natural beauty'. That's what they'll do when my body gets sent home."

He takes a deep breath in, then forces a smile for Z and the mentors. "Sorry, I'm gonna find our spot and wait for the parade to start. I— I need to sit down."

His mentor gives him a sad smile and a pat on the shoulder. The other nods, and the teen girl's reaction surprises him the most. She, despite the fact her dress keeps stabbing her, hugs him.

He's caught off guard by the positive affection, but finds himself hugging her back. It reminds him of his best friend, someone he'll never see again, and he wants to cling to this moment so badly.

There are tears in his eyes as he starts walking away. They cloud his vision, and he bumps into someone, knocking him to the ground.

"I'm so sorry," Lewis mumbles, rubbing his eyes. When he opens them, the guy has his hand out to help him up.

"Don't worry about it," he says kindly, "I think it did more damage to you anyway."

Lewis grabs the guy's hand and gets to his feet, dusting himself off. "I'm still really sorry 'bout that. I'm Lewis. District Eleven."

"Logan. From Two," he returns. He seems distracted, though, as he kept glancing up towards his own chariot. "If you want, we can talk some other time. I need to get back to Ru— to the girl from my district."

Before Lewis can formulate a decent response, Logan's gone.

There's a certain degree of tenderness in Logan's voice as he joins his fellow tribute, lightly resting his hand on her shoulder. "Did our mentor find you some water?"

She nods, leaning against him for some support. She doesn't say anything, but the affection is clear within the gentle kiss she leaves on his cheek.

"Why did you do it?" She asked, eyes filled with tears as she slammed her fist into his chest.

He carefully grabbed her hands, so she didn't hurt herself. "I love you, and I'm not just going to let you get yourself killed if I can do anything about it."

The tears spilled over then, so he pulled her in for a hug. The embrace was comforting to both of them, in this unfamiliar setting. They were en route to the Capitol, zooming towards the end of their lives.

"You're so stupid, Logan."

"But you love me anyway, Ruby."

——————

[ in case it wasn't glaringly clear: italics are flashbacks. they literally just go back a few hours but still.

i plan on doing this type of thing for the next part as well before finally moving on to training/the games.

an alt idea for the whole logan and ruby thing was: she volunteered bc she was rlly sick and wanted to go out in a more honorable way but i think it's just,,, she got picked and logan's like "fuck it we're in this together"