pure as the driven snow - day 5 soft bois | cool kids corner

j u n o
b r i m s t o n e.

Every threaded wound in his body screamed when he tossed and turned in his sleep. It was impossible to rest successfully with so much on the mind. His body was exhausted, but his brain fought every moment of it with thoughts of Marcellus' death, concern about Xov's future, the cold seeping into his bones, and the slashes decorating his skin. He had thought those crawling creatures in the dark would be the worst of their problems yesterday - come to find out he would forget about them after only a few minutes. A distant memory, a fleeting threat. He had a feeling they were planted as an opener for the true 'show' - their run-in with the careers.

Juno decided not to think himself a murderer. Gunner made his gamble and unfortunately drew too much attention to himself in doing so, leaving himself open. It felt wrong, killing Gunner over the others. Juno made his own gamble and survived, leading Xov with him. That fact alone was why he didn't have any regrets. Had he tried to fight Lucky or Xylia on his own, he might've been killed. He might've gotten Xov killed.

Marcellus hadn't been so lucky.

It was the two of them again, just like the beginning. There could be no funeral for Marcellus or the others that he saw in the sky. This was the funeral, their portraits among clouds and stars. There was a good chance neither of them would live to see the real thing.

He nodded at her promise. 'Martyr' was the word used to describe lower district people, like it was some kind of stereotype. Juno didn't pay enough attention to the Games to know if it was true, but he did feel it was a natural instinct to protect one's own team. And in the process, so what if they became friends? It wasn't like they could help it. That was humanity, that was how most people functioned.

"I'm only going to do what's necessary to get us both out. Promise."

And really, he didn't know what that was. He didn't have a plan for any of this. Yesterday had been such a disaster, but his ability to focus may have extended their lives. It was tough to say who was responsible for what, other than his own responsibility for Gunner's demise.

He reminded himself once again, it could always be worse.

It was not so easy to have that mindset when an ambush was on its way - "Stay back, I'm only saying this once.". An arm and a leg punctured by weapons, and a threat that felt like something from a wounded dog. A bark of warning, and a bite without mercy. Juno didn't have a chance to respond before he was in pain again, and Xov was surging forward in his defense.

"A bit late for that, you used your weapon before your words."

As much as he didn't want to do this, he felt like he had to.

j u n o
b r i m s t o n e.

It felt an awkward kerfuffle of tributes who didn't really want to kill each other. He didn't sense any true passion other than the need to protect themselves and their resources. Even Xov was reacting more in favor of protecting Juno, and part of him wanted to remind her of the promise she made him keep. Perhaps he should've asked her to make a similar promise, because it seemed she was the one playing hero and trying to keep him safe.

What a mess.

Although there was a lack of sadism in their hostility, it was no less deadly. They were determined to claim their territory and write Juno and Xov off as the trespassers. "You don't get to own an entire lake!" That was not how resources worked! But he supposed in a free-for-all, fighting for it was inevitable. There was an opportunity here to stop and talk things out, to grab Xov's hand and run away. They probably wouldn't give chase for long.

He didn't do that, however. He imagined it, but his body didn't listen. A fight was a fight, and any chance of turning around was a chance they could stab him in the back. It didn't really matter what they were fighting for - weapons were colliding with skin, and someone was going to die soon. Juno couldn't risk exposing himself or Xov in a moment of vulnerability. If this was a misunderstanding, it didn't matter anymore.

There would be consequences.