Night time

[wantwhatiwant]

Who | Ian Gallagher and anyone
What | Night time in a desert in a loin cloth is not fun at all.
Where | Somewhere in desperation basin
When | Throughout week 2
Warnings/Notes | General arena warnings

He had thought the heat to be bad, and he had known that the night was going to be worse. But knowing something and living something are different and so his first few hours of night were spent running, trying to stay as warm as possible.

Luckily someone sent him a sleeping bag, there was no note and Ian wished he had known who had potentially saved his life.

Probably saved his life. He tried to start a fire but there really wasn't enough stuff and he didn't want to risk attracting creatures. So he found as sheltered a place as possible and curled up wishing he had more clothes on.

He would have settled down, if the screen nearest him hadn't started, blaring footage of those he knew, those he had seen in his district, and Mickey. Fighting for their lives.

"Why don't you just leave us the fuck alone." If it was recording the others they probably had the whole thing under surveillance. He looked around warily, the screen probably would draw people to his position.

Comments

[mediumdrip]

Blaine was grateful now that his cosplay had so many layers, but it still wasn't enough to stop him from freezing. So he was moving as much as he could. His body was shivering a bit, but he rubbed at his arms and kept walking.

He heard the noise of the screen and moved towards it. He was hoping that it would have some details about what was going on, despite the fact that it was also dangerous.

Ian's voice though, startled him. He froze for a moment before finally trusting his voice. "Ian?" he asked. When he spoke the screen changed, showing Kurt in the Candy Arena, and Blaine felt his heart move to his throat.

It was stupid to let himself get so distracted. Ian may have danced with him at the party, but that didn't mean he wouldn't kill him in the Arena.

[wantwhatiwant]

Ian wasn't really in any state to kill anyone, even if he had wanted to. Which he didn't, not people who weren't trying to kill him first anyways.

"Bl...Blaine?" His chattering teeth were probably louder than his voice and he glanced to the screen as a boy Ian didn't know ran. "That you?"

[mediumdrip]

"Yeah," Blaine said. He turned away from the screen to look at Ian. "It's me. It's Blaine."

He rubbed at his arms, trying to get the fabric of his coat to warm up. As he did, he stepped more into the light of the screen to let Ian see him. "You sound like you're freezing."

[wantwhatiwant]

"Yeah." He blinked at the shadow that stepped into the screen light, recognising him. "Fuckers decided I didn't need clothes."

[mediumdrip]

Blaine wore a long sleeved shirt and a purple jacket in his cosplay and it wasn't enough to stop feeling numb in his hands. "I... I'm sorry," he said. "Maybe... maybe we could..." He trailed off, not sure if he'd give off the wrong idea.

[wantwhatiwant]

There was a shifting noise as Ian sat up a little more, "What?" His tone wasn't accusatory, indeed if Blaine could see his face it looked confused. Confused and pale, he wasn't really in a state to have any ideas, wrong or not.

[mediumdrip]

"We could share body heat. If you don't mind getting that close? I don't have any weapons so I'm not trying anything," he said. "I'm just cold."

[wantwhatiwant]

Ian blinked and then nodded gesturing at his sleeping bag. He knew he had no reason to trust Blaine was telling the truth, and should be more careful. But it was too cold to be careful.

"Not armed either..." He muttered through chattering teeth.

[mediumdrip]

Blaine nods and moves closer. He angles his body into the light so that Ian could tell he was telling the truth. "All I have is some left over water," he suggests. "Maybe when it's day again I can share?" Since he didn't think that drinking something was really at the top of Ian's list.

Instead, Blaine focuses on figuring out how to settle next to Ian without making it seem too weird. Honestly, though, he didn't mind that he was going to be pressed close to this other boy, the promise of another warm body was too tempting.

[wantwhatiwant]

Ian nodded, happy to trade warmth for water, especially when he would benefit from both.

It would probably be awkward, once day came and they weren't almost freezing to death. But for now he just lifted the sleeping bag open so the other boy could climb in.

[mediumdrip]

Blaine slid in carefully, pressing close to Ian. It was a tight fit but already he felt better and he reaches behind him to zip it close around them before resting his arm on Ian's chest in a hope that the contact would help them both warm up faster.

[wantwhatiwant]

It did, and soon Ian's violent shivering calmed down a little as he pressed himself against the other boy. "Surely there isn't anything fun about watching people freeze to death." He complained into Blaine's shoulder.

[mediumdrip]

"I guess they like seeing the way we'll deal with it," Blaine explained. He rubbed Ian's arm to help him warm up. "Like right now," he said. He couldn't help but think of the way that people would compare him sharing the sleeping bag with Ian with sharing one with Kurt. Instead of thinking too much about it though, he glanced up at the screen to see if Kurt was still there.

[wantwhatiwant]

"Just like a TV drama, but real." He shook his head, he still thought it was pretty sick. But had learned quickly that speaking out wasn't going to get him anything but marked and watched.

Which sucked. He glanced back at the screen as well, seeing the same boy as before. "Someone you know?" He rubbed Blaine's arms, beginning to feel warmer and more human.

[mediumdrip]

Blaine nodded. "He's my..." There was a pause as he had to think about what terms to use. They can't say exs and still play up the romantic angle very well. "Friend. But... Well, I'm in love with him."

[wantwhatiwant]

Ian noticed the pause, but he couldn't exactly judge difficult to describe relationships.

"Yeah? He not feel the same?" Slightly insensitive question but he was still cold, and he was quite blunt by nature anyways.

[mediumdrip]

"It's complicated," Blaine answers quietly.

[wantwhatiwant]

"When isn't it." He gave a short bitter laugh and looked up at the sky. "I won't pry."

[mediumdrip]

"Thank you," Blaine answered. "I'll just say that he's the love of my life. It's just a question of relationships being complicated."

[wantwhatiwant]

Ian nodded, "I understand that. Relationships suck."

He pressed closer, wanting more warmth though between them both the sleeping bag had warmed up a lot and he no longer felt numb with cold.

[mediumdrip]

Blaine wrapped his arm around Ian tighter to help them both warm up a little more. "They really can," he admitted. "They can be terribly confusing, but I don't know that I'd give up loving him for anything."

[wantwhatiwant]

Yeah Ian understood that, more than he wanted to admit because he didn't even want to think about Mickey, and the fact Mickey thought he was dead. The fact he would probably never see him again because the likelihood of even one of them surviving this was slim, and both was impossible.

"I never used to believe in all that romantic crap." He confided, "But it just sort of happens doesn't it."

[mediumdrip]

"It does," Blaine said. "It's painful but it's wonderful too."

[wantwhatiwant]

"Painful yeah." He's not sure on the wonderful part. It's mostly just painful and sad.

[mediumdrip]

"I'm sorry. This is a hard subject to talk about," Blaine said quietly. "Especially given where we are."

[wantwhatiwant]

"Yeah, shit I promise I am capable of normal conversation." It seemed all their meetings strayed into difficult topics.

He tried to think of a subject change, but he knew nothing about Blaine, and he wasn't sure what was painful and what wasn't.

"So what do you like? You know when you're not freezing to death in a fucking death arena."

[mediumdrip]

"Music," Blaine answered with a slight smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "What about you?"

[wantwhatiwant]

"Music? Like making it you mean?" Because surely everyone liked listening to music.

"I was in Junior ROTC, and did karate as well." Between them, working and school all his time was taken up.

[mediumdrip]

"Making it, listening to it. I'm a performer so music is the best way I know to express myself," Blaine explained.

"Were you planning on joining the military?" he asked curiously, thinking that might be why Ian had been in ROTC.

[wantwhatiwant]

"A performer? Like an actor? Were you on stage?" He nodded.

"I joined actually, was on my way to basic training when I was brought here instead."

He looked up at the stars.

[mediumdrip]

"I was. I was in the school plays and in our Glee club," Blaine explained. "My dream was to keep doing that. I guess in a way I am though..." He said, glancing towards the screen that still wanted to taunt them.

"Wow. I'm sorry that you had to stop doing that. It's really brave of you to join though. I don't think I could do something like that."

[wantwhatiwant]

"Brave or exceptionally stupid." He said with a bitter chuckle, "I'm only just seventeen." It might have only been a week since he had made the decision, but thinking about it, having had some space to think. Joining the army too young illegally was not the smartest move he's ever made.

He shrugged, "I'm still fighting it seems, so in the most fucked up way ever we both got what we wanted."

[mediumdrip]

"Yeah," Blaine said softly. "I suppose the Capitol would think we should be grateful." There was a hint of bitterness there, but he tried not to let it show too much in case the cameras were on them.

[wantwhatiwant]

"The capitol, turning your dreams into nightmarish realities." He said, rolling his eyes. Less careful than Blaine.

[mediumdrip]

"It's not all bad," Blaine said, trying to save face for both of them. "When we get back, there's all kinds of good food."

[wantwhatiwant]

"Huh?" Ian frowned, when they got back?

He guessed Blaine had survived before, he had told him. It was just hard to imagine surviving when he was this cold.

His stomach rumbled painfully. "Shit don't talk about food."

[mediumdrip]

"Sorry. If I had any I'd share, but the only thing I have is water." He glanced towards the dark sky then, hoping that someone would hear and care.

[wantwhatiwant]

"Don't be sorry, you've probably saved my life." His body temperature felt almost normal now. Normal, it's winter and I'm outside cold instead of I'm going to die if I don't get warm soon cold.

He followed Blaine's eyes, but it seemed that eyes were elsewhere, or they just weren't being interesting enough to feed.

[mediumdrip]

Blaine smiled a bit. "I was pretty cold too," Blaine pointed out, glancing back down at Ian. "We saved each other."

[wantwhatiwant]

"Yeah." He smiled, "Pretty sure that's the opposite of the whole idea of this but I don't care if you don't."

He'd much rather not kill people.

[mediumdrip]

"I don't," Blaine agreed. "It's okay to have allies, even in here."

[wantwhatiwant]

"That's good at least." He smiled, "Allies are warm."

[mediumdrip]

Blaine makes a soft, amused sound. "Yes. Yes they are."

Then, after a moment. "If you want to sleep a bit, I'll take first watch."

[wantwhatiwant]

"Wake me up in an hour and I'll take over." If he was feeling less exhausted he would have offered to take first watch, but as it was he just closed his eyes and muttered, "And if you stab me in my sleep I'm coming back to haunt you."

[mediumdrip]

"I won't," Blaine promised. "It's too cold to get out of his sleeping bag to get the leverage I'd need." He wouldn't stab Ian because it wasn't his way, but it felt good to joke about, no matter how morbid.

[wantwhatiwant]

"Good." He grinned and closed his eyes, glad for the warmth and companionship."

[mediumdrip]

Blaine let him sleep a little longer than an hour, but he figured that the other boy needed it, since he was already recovering from almost freezing to death. That and being alone let him watch the screen with Kurt on it without anyone noticing. Anyone but the Capitol viewing him, of course.