Chapter Text
Upon letting the servant in, both teens concluded that the weak, sort of squeaky voice coming out the door depicted its owner accurately.
Koushi opens up to see a boy about his age, maybe a little younger, dressed like the butlers of Capitol he watched on television and smiling nervously. His hair is splayed on top of his head in unruly strands, his face decorated with freckles all across his cheekbones and the bridge of his nose. In comparison to both of the tributes, he looks so tiny, even though he's about their height.
"Hello", he offers, standing in front of them, lifting his hand in a small waving motion.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Yamaguchi Tadashi and for the next month I will be your servant. I will clean your apartment, cook for you and...basically do whatever you ask", he gives a breathy laugh.
Koushi flashes a sympathetic smile, even though he knows that in the long run it won't be Yamaguchi who will be in need of support.
"Thanks, it's nice to have you here."
Anything than being alone all day with Sawamura.
In the short time that he met him, his teammate has managed to reduce Koushi's suspiciousness. However, it definitely has not faded out completely. The servant's presence makes him feel at ease.
"Great...um, so I'm just going to prepare lunch, it will be ready in about two hours."
He shuffles to the kitchen, pulling all sorts of utensils, pots, vegetables and rice, quickly getting to work.
His movements do nothing to hint what food he is making and every time Koushi has the slightest idea of what it might be, a different course of action takes him by surprise and he is left in the dark again.
"Um...", Sawamura clears his throat, drawing his attention.
He considers the possible ways this conversation might go and figures that he probably wants to justify why he was napping at a stranger's room without permission.
He is dying for an answer, for something that would end Sawamura's streak of addressing every issue with success and making a solid good impression. It is not in his interests to like him, much less become his friend.
But the hypocrisy of his behaviour is nagging at him, eating him slowly and causing an uneasy squeeze at his stomach.
He wants Sawamura to save him if needed at the arena, he wants him to be willing to work collaboratively, yet he wishes no further contact. It was a given to Koushi that his teammate will do his best to keep him alive, without even understanding himself that he is obligated to do the same. The way he saw it until now, he received more than what he took. It's not a matter of skill, but it is one of sincerity and fairness.
"Sorry, got a bit distracted...any clue what he's doing in there?" he motions with his head towards Yamaguchi to change the subject before the other has a chance to bring up the previous events.
"I don't know the first thing about cooking, so almost everything involving a fire makes no sense to me", he jokes, eliciting a giggle from Koushi, who mentally sighs. He shouldn't be laughing at that.
They take their seat at the dining table across each other and everything - from the silk tablecloth to the shiny candle holders catches his attention. He also uses this as an excuse to not meet Sawamura's stare.
"So...about earlier...", the boy in front of him starts "I really didn't want to sleep on your bed, I- I was so tired when I first came that I just passed out on the first surface I could find."
He looks at him, hopeful that he would buy this story, like he's trying to hide the real reason he acted like that.
"It's okay", Koushi huffs, resting his chin on his hand.
He is absolutely right to distrust him. The explanation he just received has no basis.
Feeling irritation burning in his lungs, Koushi leaves the table, asking Sawamura to let him know when lunch is served.
He flops on his bed, facing the ceiling.
This continuous loop of horrible things happening is torturing him. Ever since he left home, he feels as if a chunk of his body has been ripped off of him, leaving him incomplete. He wishes his sister were here, so that he can consult her about...all of this.
He can't tell if this guy is genuinely good or bad, since every move he makes contradicts the one before.
Confusion grips him tight, every question he internally asks having two different answers.
In an attempt to calm down, he closes his eyes, playing every day of his life so far in his mind. His days at school, his chores, the early awakenings, the exhausting nights, the hot summer evenings out in the yard playing with other kids.
He tries to block out any unsettling memory, but even as they find their way onto his train of thought, he can't shake the yearning in the pit of his stomach for them.
Even the really scary times that haunt him sometimes in his sleep.
Anything is better than this.
This.
This situation is depressing, annoying, terrifying.
And he hates it.
The rest of his time goes by, until Yamaguchi yells invitingly: "Lunch is ready!"
Both boys come out of their bedrooms and take their seats at each head of the table.
Between them is a huge round plater with steaming peppers and tomatoes, emanating their sweet smell. The servant rushes over to them, placing baked potatoes, a white cheese Koushi has never seen before in slices and a rich salad glistening with olive oil, inside the white glass bowl the same cheese, chopped cucumber, tomato, pepper and olives next to the main dish.
"Today's lunch is stuffed vegetables with raisins, accompanied by potatoes, feta cheese and salad, a Capitol special", he beams. "Enjoy."
As he makes his way to the kitchen, Koushi calls him, concern thick in his voice:
"Yamaguchi-kun, what about you?"
He turns around, partly stunned, his cheeks tinged a light pink.
"Oh, don't worry! I'll eat somewhere else..."
"Come and eat with us, there's plenty of food, thanks to you. And we don't mind, right?"
He shoots a glance at Sawamura and, although seemingly shocked himself, he accepts the proposal without any complaint.
Even if he did object, he would have to deal with his roommate's rage, something he probably knows would overpower any of his protests.
"Sure! Join us!"
"T-thank you."
He sits on Koushi's left side after grabbing a plate and utensils, still quite in disbelief of what is happening right now.
"Please, dig in and tell me what you think", he remarks shyly, gesturing at the food.
It reminds him of the woods, the mixture of rice, the seasoning and the raisins along with the skin of the vegetable. Every bite melts as he chews, thoroughly taking pleasure in shoving each one down in greedy mouthfuls.
He thinks of a compliment to say.
"It's awesome, so delicious!", Sawamura beats him to it and he settles with an enthusiastic nod.
"Thank you, I'm glad you like it!"
Everyone falls into a state of quiet, until Yamaguchi pierces it with a reluctant tone:
"Sugawara-san, I'm actually from district eleven too."
Koushi's eyes widen a bit in joy.
"Really? Wow... where do you live?"
"Near the Market, but my family and I left when I was ten, so...", he trails off, a sad smile on his face.
At the mention of their common homeland, Yamaguchi's face sparks a flair of familiarity.
Maybe he has seen him before, somewhere. They're about a year apart and judging by the location of his home, they must have gone to the same elementary school.
Before he even gets a chance to wonder about why he left his district, his throat tightens in realisation.
It's not a coincidence that most servants in the Capitol used to reside in districts eleven and twelve.
He's seen it with his own eyes.
"How come you came here?"
The question comes from Sawamura and makes the younger of the three shift uncomfortably.
Koushi wants to stretch his hands across the table and strangle him.
Of course he wouldn't know anything about it.
"I...", he looks as if he is weighing the options in his head, whether to tell them or not.
"M-my father was imprisoned and part of his conviction was mine and my family's transferring to the Capitol and working here as a servants..."
Koushi shudders in fear.
It is not uncommon that people from district eleven and twelve (the most disposable and poor parts of Panem) are accused of a false crime and punished extremely harshly for the benefits of the Capitol.
It has happened to people he knew, people he was close to.
His only neighbours in the forest, a man and a pregnant woman, were hauled out of their house in the middle of the night, the man's screams and his wife's wails and pleas waking him and his sister and they couldn't save them as their silhouettes were dragged on the ground, barely visible under the moonlight.
Apparently the man was charged with theft. He stole some corn from a big landholder from dsitrict one to feed his family, because they had nothing and they were going to die.
They had to listen to the physical struggle, grunts and globs connecting hard with backs and the woman's protruding belly. The couple frantically trying to persuade the men who came for them that she was in labor and that they had to wait for her to deliver, obviously wracking their minds for a way to win another night and somehow escape.
They were never seen again.
"I'm so sorry, Yamaguchi-kun."
"It's okay", it escapes his mouth in a whisper.
When in fact all three of them knew it isn't.
That, however, does not stop Koushi's heart from fluttering softly.
He has someone from home with him.
*
They make their way down to the lobby, finding it full of chattering tributes from common districts, along with their new teammates. All of them wear the same grey outfit, only differentiating themselves by their facial characteristics.
Which makes it even more difficult for Koushi to stand out, considering his hair, now in a loose ponytail, almost match this dull colour.
Not that he wishes to be recognised.
But who would even regognise him? Everyone here is a complete stranger to him.
His eyes fall on Kiyoko, sitting in a velvet red armchair at the far corner of the room, signaling them to come closer.
"I'm Sawamura Daichi, district one, nice to meet you"
"Shimizu Kiyoko, district eleven"
They shake hands once they are close and she looks around.
"Oikawa is somewhere talking to a guy from seven." she states blankly.
By the looks of it most people are gathered in teams of four, meaning that they have the tendency to stay close with their compatriots.
It would definitely be wiser to stick with Kiyoko, since they would have trouble matching up against people twice their number. However that would mean Oikawa would also have to join them, what with his eagerness for an alliance.
Koushi sighs internally. He can't fully trust Sawamura and even Kiyoko is quite unpredictable.
A collaboration even among the three of them isn't as promising as one would think.
And to add Kiyoko's partner to the equation...
All of this sound so far ahead. Like this massive slaughter that will occur is at least twenty years away.
But it's not and he can't do it. He can't just make friends he's going to have to kill later on. Kiyoko could, Oikawa most certainly can and Sawamura...
"Shimizu, is Takeda here?", he is quick with starting a conversation before any awkward silence ensues.
"He told me to stay here and that the trainer will talk to us about our daily exercise."
"So he's not coming?"
"Yeah, he won't be-"
"Sugawara-kun!", he hears from a distance, turning to see who was it that wanted to see him so badly.
He isn't even slightly surprised when a lean, handsome, brown haired young man comes near him, waving excitedly.
"I've heard so much about you from Shimizu-chan!", he speaks loudly, his smile wide but hiding mischief.
"Just Shimizu is fine", Kiyoko remarks, annoyance clear in her tone.
"Right, right. Oh! Where are my manners? I'm Oikawa Tooru. I'm proud to call district two my home", he extends a hand to Koushi, who mimics the gesture.
"Pleasure to meet you. I'm Sugawara from eleven, but you probably already know that", he locks eyes with him and even though they crease from his grin, they hide an urge to tear him in half, learn all his secrets, squash him and turn him into dust.
Oikawa bursts into a booming laugh.
"Yes, I do! I met Sawamura-kun here earlier at the lobby and talked to him about us becoming...special buddies in the arena. What do you think? Us four, out there, having each other's backs?", he asks, stepping closer into his personal space.
It's as if he's sure that Koushi will say 'yes', as if the concept of being told otherwise is not even familiar to him.
"We haven't really talked about it yet, but we will let you know", he replies, spotting Oikawa's eyebrows furrow for a fraction of a second, before he returns to his usual cheerful state.
"Suit yourselves, gentlemen. I'm sure that by the end of the month I will charm you into being my allies. At least I know I have Shimizu-chan by my side!", he playfully nudges the girl's elbow, making her avert her eyes in a mixture of exasperation and fear.
Koushi hopes she will be alright with him, connecting his orbs with her mystrious grey ones in an act of solidarity.
"We'll think about it" Sawamura speaks roughly, ending the dialogue.
They wait for the trainer silently, Oikawa swiftly deserting them in favour of continuing his chat with a guy about his age with pitch black, mussed hair.
It is going to be a long month.