Oopsie
This a lil bit late but what can ya do
Enjoy
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(M/N) stood there for a second, before he clasped his hands over his mouth, realising he had said the boy's name out loud.
Idiot! (M/N) scolded himself. He waited for the woods to come alive with assailants. But then he remembered that there was almost no one left.
Katsuki, who was badly wounded, was now (M/N)'s ally. All the doubts he had about the blonde vanished, because if either of them took the other's life now, they'd be shunned upon returning to District 12. In fact, (M/N) knew if he was watching, he'd loathe any tribute that didn't immediately team up with their district partner. Plus, it just made sense to protect each other. Even more so, in (M/N)'s case - being one of the star-crossed lovers from District 12 - it was an absolute requirement if he wanted any more help from sympathetic sponsors.
The star-crossed lovers... Katsuki must have been playing that angle all along, (M/N) concluded. It was the only logical explanation as to why the Gamemakers had introduced the new rule. For two tributes to have a shot at winning, our "romance" must be so extremely popular with the audience that condemning it would jeopardise the success of the Games.
It wasn't because of (M/N) though, and he knew that. All he'd done was manage not to kill Katsuki. But whatever said boy had done in the arena, he must have convinced the audience it was to keep (M/N) alive. Shaking his head to keep (M/N) from running into the Cornucopia. Fighting Mirio to let him escape. Even teaming up with the Careers must have been a move to protect (M/N).
Katsuki, it turns out, had never been a danger to him.
The thought made (M/N) smile. He dropped his hands so the cameras could be sure to catch it.
So, who's left to be afraid of? The boy from Creati's district was dead. She was operating alone, and her strategy so far had been to evade, not attack. (M/N) didn't think that, even if she heard his voice, she'd do anything but hope someone else would kill him.
Then there was Shoji. He was definitely a threat. But (M/N) hadn't seen him once, not since the Games began. He thought back to when Creati fled the explosion site when she heard a sound. Though she didn't turn to the woods, she turned to whatever sat across from it. To the area in the arena that dropped off into (M/N) didn't know what. He now felt certain that the person she ran from was Shoji, and that was his domain. He'd never have heard (M/N) from there, and even if he did, (M/N) was too high up for someone his size to reach.
That just left Mirio and the girl from District 1, who were surely celebrating the new rule. They were the only ones left - besides (M/N) and Katsuki - who benefited from it.
(M/N) contemplated running from them, on the chance that they'd heard him call out Katsuki's name. But he decided against it, actually wanting them to show up. Right into the range of his arrows. But he knew they wouldn't. If they didn't come during daylight to his fire, they wouldn't risk what could be another trap at night. When they did show up, it would be on their own terms, not because (M/N) had let them know his whereabouts.
(M/N) wished he could start tracking Katsuki then and there, but he needed to get some sleep.
~
When morning came, (M/N) was extra cautious, thinking that while the Careers might hesitate to attack him in a tree, they were completely capable of setting an ambush for him.
(M/N) made sure to fully prepare himself for the day; eating a big breakfast, securing his pack, readying his weapons, before descending to the ground.
Today, he'd have to be very careful. The Careers would know he was trying to locate Katsuki. They could very well want to wait until he did before they moved in. If the blonde was as badly wounded as Mirio thought, (M/N) would be in the position of having to defend the both of them without any assistance.
But if Katsuki's really that incapacitated, how had he managed to stay alive? And how am I supposed to find him?
(M/N) tried to think of anything the boy had said that might give him an indication as to where he was hiding, but nothing rang a bell. So (M/N) thought back to the last time he saw Katsuki sparkling in the sunlight, yelling at him to run. Then Mirio appeared, sword in hand, and after (M/N) was gone, he wounded the blonde.
But how did he get away? He must've held out better against the tracker-jacker venom than Mirio had. Maybe that was the variable that allowed him to escape. But he'd been stung as well, so he couldn't have gotten too far. There was also the question of how he'd survived this long. If the wound and the stingers hadn't killed him, thirst should have taken him by this point.
At that moment, (M/N) got his first clue on Katsuki's whereabouts. He couldn't have survived without water - (M/N) knew that from his first few days in the arena - so he must've hidden somewhere near a source. There was the lake, but it was unlikely, since it was very close to the Careers' base camp. There were the few spring fed pools, but he'd be a sitting duck at any of them.
Finally, there was the stream. If Katsuki stuck to the stream, he could change his location and always be near water. He could walk in the current and erase any tracks he made; maybe even get a fish or two.
It was (M/N)'s best shot at finding him.
To confuse his enemies minds, he started a fire using a lot of green wood. Even if they thought it was a distraction, (M/N) hoped they would assume he'd be hidden somewhere near it. When in reality, he'd be tracking Katsuki.
The water felt cool and pleasant on (M/N)'s bare feet as he headed downstream. He was tempted to call out the blonde's name, but decided against it. He would have to find him with his eyes and one good ear, or Katsuki would have to find him. Though (M/N) assumed the boy knew he was looking for him. Surely Katsuki's opinion on him wasn't so low that he assumed (M/N) would ignore the new rule and keep to himself. Right? If it was, then that just added on as an extra obstacle.
It didn't take (M/N) long to reach the spot where he left to go to the Careers' camp. Unsurprisingly, there was no sign of Katsuki. (M/N) had been to that spot multiple times since the tracker-jacker incident. If the blonde was hiding there, he'd at least have some suspicion of it.
The stream began to curve to the left into a part of the woods that (M/N) hadn't explored yet. Muddy banks lead to large rocks that increased in size until he felt somewhat trapped. It would be no small matter to escape the stream from that area. Especially if he was fighting Mirio or Shoji while trying to climb out.
(M/N) had just decided that he was on the wrong track entirely, not believing an injured boy would be able to navigate his way through there, when he spotted a bloody streak going down the curve of a boulder. It had long since dried, but the smeared lines running side to side suggested that someone - who perhaps wasn't fully in touch with his mental facilities - tried to wipe it away.
Hugging the rocks, (M/N) moved slowly in the direction of the blood, searching for Katsuki. He found a few more bloodstains, one with a few threads of fabric glued to it, but no sign of life.
"Katsuki!" (M/N) called in a hush voice, hoping for some kind of response. But alas, he didn't receive one.
He gave up and climbed back down to the stream. He must have moved on, somewhere further down.
(M/N)'s foot had just broken the surface of the water when he heard a voice.
"You here to finish me off, shooter boy?"
He whipped around, in the direction of the voice. It had come from the left, so he couldn't pick it up very well. The voice was hoarse and weak, but still, it must have been Katsuki. No one else in the arena would call (M/N) that name.
(M/N)'s eyes scanned the bank, but there wasn't anything noteworthy. Just mud, the plants, and the rocks.
"Katsuki?" He whispered. "Where are you?" He received no answer.
Did I imagine it? No, I'm certain it was real.
"Katsuki?" He repeated as he crept along the bank.
"Well, don't step on me."
(M/N) jumped back upon hearing the voice right under his feet. But he still couldn't see anything. That was, until Katsuki opened his eyes, unmistakably red in the brown mud and green leaves. (M/N) stared at him in full surprise as the blonde let out an amused laugh, presumably at the face (M/N) had made.
(M/N) was stunned. Forget chucking weights around. Katsuki should have gone into his private session with the Gamemakers and painted himself into a tree, or a boulder. Or literally anything else.
"Close your eyes again," (M/N) ordered, to which Katsuki obliged, completely disappearing. Most of what (M/N) judged to be his body was under a layer of mud and plants, his face and arms so artfully disguised as to appear invisible. "I guess all those hours decorating cakes paid off."
"Yes, frosting. The final defence of dying," Katsuki said.
"You're not going to die," (M/N) told him firmly.
"Says who?"
"Says me. We're on the same team now, you know."
The blonde opened his eyes. "So I've heard. Nice of you to find what's left of me."
(M/N) pulled out his water bottle and gave him a drink. "Did Mirio cut you?"
"Left leg, up high," Katsuki answered.
"Let's get you in the stream, wash you off so I can see what kind of wounds you've got," (M/N) said.
"Lean down first," Katsuki said. "Need to tell you something."
(M/N) leaned over and put his good ear to the dirt, where the boy's mouth was. "Remember we're madly in love, so it's all right to kiss me any time you feel like it," the blond said, clearly as a joke, while also reminding (M/N) that their lives could very well depend on it.
(M/N) pulled his head back and laughed, silently grateful for the comment, as it meant that they were both on the same page. "Thanks, I'll keep that in mind," he said, happy that Katsuki was still able to joke around.
Though, after he began helping the blonde move to the stream, the casualness dropped. It was less than a metre away, leaving (M/N) assured that it would be easy. Yet he was proven wrong when he discovered Katsuki couldn't even move a centimetre on his own. He was so weak that the best he could do was to not resist.
(M/N) tried dragging him, but despite the fact that he knew Katsuki was doing all he could to stay quiet, sharp pained noises still escaped him. The mud and plants seemed to have imprisoned him, only giving way after (M/N) gave a hard tug to break him out. The blond was still half a metre from the water, lying there, gritting his teeth.
"Ok, I'm going to roll you into the stream. It's very shallow here," (M/N) said.
"Fantastic," Katsuki replied.
(M/N) crouched down beside him. No matter what happens, he thought to himself, don't stop until he's in the water.
"On three," he said. "One, two, three!"
He could only manage one full roll before he had to stop due to Katsuki's pained yelling. He had just made it to the edge of the stream.
"Ok, change of plans. I'm not going to put you all the way in," (M/N) said. Even if he got Katsuki into the stream, he didn't know if he'd be able to get him back out.
"No more rolling?" the blonde asked.
"No, all done. Let's get you cleaned up. Keep an eye on the woods for me." It was hard for (M/N) to figure out where to start. Katsuki was so caked with mud that his clothes weren't visible from any point. (M/N) used his water bottles and Wendy's water skin to begin washing away the mud. It took him a while, but he finally managed to get rid of enough blood to see the blonde's clothes.
(M/N) gently unzipped his jacket and unbuttoned his shirt, easing them off him. Katsuki was badly bruised, with a long burn running across his chest and four tracker-jacker stings, but (M/N) felt a bit better. That much he could fix.
He decided to take care of Katsuki's upper body first, hoping to alleviate some pain before he tackled whatever damage Mirio had done to the boy's leg.
Katsuki sat there, uncomplaining, while (M/N) washed away all the traces of dirt from his hair and skin. (M/N) treated the tracker-jacker stings and washed the blonde's shirt and jacket, before spreading them over a nearby boulder to dry.
It wasn't until (M/N) applied the burn cream to his chest that he realised how hot Katsuki's skin was becoming. He dug through the first aid-kit he got from the boy from District 1 and found pills that reduced body temperature.
"Swallow these," (M/N) told him, the blonde obediently taking the medicine. "You must be hungry."
"Not really. It's funny actually, haven't been hungry for days," Katsuki said. He turned his head away when (M/N) offered him some meat. That's when he realised how sick Katsuki was. But despite his efforts, the best (M/N) could get him to do was eat a few bits of dried apple.
"Now I need to look at your leg." Trying to be as gentle as he could, (M/N) removed Katsuki's boots and socks, before slowly inching his trousers off him. He could see the tear Mirio's sword made in the fabric over his thigh, but it didn't prepare him for what was lying underneath. He had a deep inflamed gash oozing blood and pus, the area around the gash had swollen considerably. On top of that was the smell of festering flesh.
"Pretty awful, huh?" Katsuki said, watching (M/N) closely.
(M/N) merely shrugged it off like it was no big deal. "You should see some of the people they bring to my mother from the mines." He made sure to hold off on saying how he'd always clear out of the house whenever she was treating anything worse than a cold. "First thing is to clean it."
(M/N) left on Katsuki's undershorts because they weren't in a bad shape and he didn't want to pull them over the swollen thigh and, yeah all right, the idea of the blonde being naked made him uncomfortable.
Nakedness had no effect on his mother and Eri, gave them no cause of embarrassment. Ironically, his little sister would be of far more use to Katsuki than he was at this point in the Games.
(M/N) began to wash him down. But with each water bottle he emptied, the worse the wound looked. How on Earth was he supposed to fix it?
"Why don't we give it some air and then..." (M/N) trailed off.
"Then you'll patch it up?" Katsuki said with a raised eyebrow. As if he knew how lost (M/N) was.
"Yeah. In the meantime, you eat these." (M/N) put a few dried pear halves in his hand and went back to the stream to wash the rest of the blonde's clothes. After they were flattened out and drying, he examined the contents of the first-aid kit. It was pretty basic stuff. Bandages, fever pills, medicine to calm stomachs. Nothing of the calibre that he'd need to treat Katsuki.
"We're going to have to experiment a little," (M/N) said. He started with the leaves to draw out the tracker-jacker venom, then used the leaves on the wound. As soon as he put them on, pus began running down the side of his leg.
(M/N) told himself that was a good thing as he bit the inside of his cheek, trying to keep his breakfast in his stomach.
"Hey (M/N)"
(M/N) looked up to meet his eyes, knowing his face must be some shade of green.
Katsuki smirked. "How about that kiss?"
(M/N) burst out laughing, because the whole thing was so revolting he couldn't stand it.
"Something wrong?" Katsuki asked in a knowing tone.
"I'm no good at this. I'm not my mother. I've no idea what I'm doing and I hate pus," (M/N) said. He grimaced as he replaced the leaves.
"How do you hunt?" The blonde asked in disbelief.
"Trust me. Killing things is much easier than this," (M/N) said. "Although for all I know, I am killing you."
"Can you speed it up a little?"
"No. Shut up and eat your pears."
After three applications and what seemed like a bucket of pus, the wound looked better. The swelling had gone down enough for (M/N) to see Mirio's sword cut, right down to the bone.
"What's next, Dr (L/N)?" Katsuki asked.
"Maybe I'll put some burn ointment on it. I think it helps with infection anyway... and wrap it up?" (M/N) said, clearly unsure of his deductions. But after he went through with it, the whole thing seemed a lot more manageable, covered in clean white cotton. Although, against the sterile bandage, the hem of his undershorts looked filthy. (M/N) pulled out Wendy's backpack. "Here, cover yourself with this and I'll wash your shorts.
"That's your biggest worry right now?" Katsuki said as he narrowed his eyes at (M/N).
"You're just like the rest of my family," (M/N) said, resisting an eye roll. "Just cover yourself, alright?" (M/N) turned his back and looked at the stream until the undershorts splashed into the current.
"You know, you're kind of squeamish for such a lethal person," Katsuki stated as (M/N) beat the shorts clean between two rocks. "I wish I'd let you give Shota a shower after all."
(M/N) wrinkled his nose at the memory of their mentor covered in vomit. "What's he sent you so far?"
Katsuki scoffed. "Not a thing," he said. There was a pause before it dawned on him. "Wait, did you get something?"
"Burn medicine," (M/N) said somewhat sheepishly. "And some bread."
"I always knew you were his favourite," Katsuki said, unsurprised.
"Please, he can't stand being in the same room as me," (M/N) countered.
"Because you're the same," the blonde muttered. (M/N) decided to ignore the comment, since it really wasn't the time for him to be insulting Shota.
He let Katsuki doze off while his clothes were drying, but by late afternoon, (M/N) didn't dare wait any longer. He gently shook the boy's shoulder. "Katsuki, we have to go now."
He scrunched up his face in confusion. "Go where?"
"Away from here. Downstream, maybe. Somewhere we can hide you until you're stronger," (M/N) responded. He helped him dress, leaving his feet bare so they could walk in the water, and pulled him upright. Katsuki's face drained of colour the moment he put weight on his leg. "Come on, you can do this."
But he couldn't. Not for long, anyway. They made it maybe fifty metres downstream, with him propped on (M/N)'s shoulder, and he could tell the blonde was close to blacking out.
(M/N) sat him down awkwardly as he surveyed his surroundings. He would have loved to get Katsuki into a tree, but that wasn't going to happen. Some of the rocks formed small cave-like structures, and (M/N) set his sights on one about twenty metres above the stream.
When Katsuki was able to stand, (M/N) half guided, half carried him up to the cave. He would have preferred to look around more for a better place, but the cave would have to do since the boy next to him was in no condition to go exploring. He was paper white, panting, and shivering.
(M/N) covered the floor of the cave with a layer of pine needles, unrolled his sleeping bag, and tucked Katsuki into it. He got a couple of pills and some water into him when he wasn't noticing, but he refused to eat anything, not even the fruit.
Afterwards he just laid there, his eyes trained on (M/N)'s face as he built a sort of hide out of vines to conceal the mouth of the cave. The result was pretty unsatisfactory. An animal might not question it, but a human would easily see that hands had manufactured it. (M/N) tore it down in frustration.
"(M/N)," Katsuki said. (M/N) moved towards him and crouched down in front of him. "Thanks for finding me."
"You would have found me if you could," (M/N) said as he felt the blonde's forehead. He was burning up. Like the medicine was having no effect at all. A pit formed in (M/N)'s stomach as he became scared Katsuki might die, and he seemed to realise this.
"Look, if I don't make it back-"
"Shut up. Don't talk like that. I didn't spend all that time hunting you down for nothing," (M/N) said, trying to keep the fear out of his voice.
"I know. But just in case I don't-"
"No, Katsuki. We're not discussing this."
"But I-"
Impulsively, (M/N) leaned forward and kissed him, stopping any words trying to escape his mouth. It was probably long overdue anyway, since Katsuki was right, they were supposed to be madly in love. It was the first time (M/N) had ever kissed someone, which he assumed would make some sort of impression, but all he could register was how unnaturally hot the blonde's lips were from the fever.
(M/N) broke away and pulled the edge of the sleeping bag around Katsuki. "You're not going to die. Alright?"
Katsuki merely stared into the boy's eyes with an unreadable expression, before giving a slight head nod.
"Alright."
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