Chapter Text
Seawatt threw the net he’d managed to pilfer from the edge of the Cornucopia, and watched as it spread out before disappearing into the stream. He suspected it was originally meant to be used in combat, but he managed to fashion it into a simple cast net. The fact that he spent most of his life working on a boat came in handy, despite the arena having little to do with water otherwise.
He pulled the net out, disappointed when it came back empty, and got ready to throw it again. He knew there were fish to be caught, he could see their scales glistening under the surface. They could try to sharpen sticks and attempt spear-fishing, but he wasn’t confident either of them could manage it.
‘Yo Seawatt, check this out!’
Speak of the devil.
He turned around and saw Evbo, getting ready to parkour across the river using the rocks sticking out from the stream. He sighed.
‘That’s dangerous Evbo. You might fall and twist your ankle, and then we’re both cooked’ his advice was ignored, which was typical of how their alliance had been going so far, and Seawatt watched on as Evbo executed the three jumps he needed to get to the other side. When his feet touched the ground again he whooped and turned to him with a smile.
‘Chill, Infume said it would be fine’ he tapped on his earpiece for emphasis.
Seawatt took a deep breath and made an effort to tamp down on the annoyance he felt every time Evbo mentioned his coach. He didn’t know why he trusted him so much, considering the fact that for the last three years none of the Tributes mentored by Infume managed to reach the top ten. District Three still got a decent amount of sponsors, but Seawatt suspected that was more Derapchu’s doing. The unlikely friendship between the Escort and Evbo’s coach was widely reported on in the tabloids, before it was overshadowed by whatever was happening between Infume and Hax, one of the most popular Commentators.
‘I guess that was pretty impressive’ he said, turning back to the net. ‘Won’t help us with getting food though.’
He heard Evbo’s surprised shout, followed by a splash. He turned around, reaching for his knife. Instead of the ambush he was expecting, he was met with an empty clearing. For a moment he just stared in confusion, before Evbo surfaced from under the water, scrambling to hold onto the rock he just fell from.
Seawatt couldn’t help but laugh. The thought of Evbo, one of the favourites, dying to a stream that wasn’t even that deep, was so absurd that it was comical. He sobered up when he remembered that every sound could bring unwanted attention.
‘Are you alright?’ he asked, feeling relief when Evbo’s answer was a simple thumbs up. It would be bad if his only ally got injured in such a stupid way. His mood improved even further by the fact that when he threw the net a second time, he caught three fish.
Evbo joined him again, unsuccessfully attempting to shake the water out of his hair. He watched with interest as Seawatt prepared the fish to be cooked, and started gathering wood for a fire without being asked. Maybe it wasn’t the best idea to stay in one place for so long, but Seawatt was confident the both of them could take out any of the remaining Tributes. The only real challenge would be what remained of the Career Alliance, but they were probably still guarding the Cornucopia and it was getting dark. Infume seemed to agree, since Seawatt saw Evbo speak into his communicator, before moving to clear the ground. It was littered with pine needles, since this year’s Arena was a spruce forest. The nights so far have been chilly, but not unbearable. Their Mentors also sent them a blanket, which helped.
While Seawatt kept an eye on their food, Evbo set up camp and even dragged over a log for them to sit on. When they did, it became apparent they would have to sit pressed against each other. Seawatt felt himself blush and turned his eyes back to their meal, which was almost ready.
When Evbo bit into the fish, his eyes lit up.
‘Bro, that’s amazing! I’ve never had fish before’ Seawatt wasn’t sure if he was telling the truth or just playing it up for the cameras, but the compliment still made him feel flattered.
‘Thanks. I’ll take first watch’ Evbo just nodded, his mouth too full to answer.
After they were done eating, Seawatt passed his ally the blanket. Evbo took it with a grateful smile and made himself comfortable on the pile of moss he gathered to serve as bedding.
‘Goodnight. Wake me up after the announcements, okay?’ he closed his eyes and Seawatt was sure he would be out cold within the next fifteen minutes.
The trust Evbo had in him, despite the fact they were so far into the Games, made him feel a bit sick. He knew the dissolution of their alliance was fast approaching, but it wasn’t nice to think about.
Back in District Four, even as a member of the Training Program, which no one was supposed to talk about, he made an effort not to be too noticeable. He didn’t spend as much time practicing, preferring the open sea, and never excelled in the evaluations, disguised as sports competitions. He usually placed in the top five, which was the only reason his lack of commitment didn’t get him dismissed. Over time, he became known as a well-meaning guy who would never be good enough to Volunteer. That all changed when he got Reaped. For a few seconds he allowed the dread to wash over him like a wave, before he pasted on a smile and strolled over to the stage, hoping he looked confident. No one stepped in to take his place, which was expected. He was in the Final year of the Program, one of the best candidates to join the Games. It made sense to let him get Reaped, give the other Trainees an extra year to hone their skills. He knew it was a possibility when he joined, but the perspective of extra food and other privileges won out. He thought the odds were still in his favour– he only had to worry about one Reaping Day. It just turned out he was horribly unlucky.
His decision to ally with Evbo was an impulsive one. When the montages from the first Training Day got released, the Capitol became obsessed with the Tribute from District Three. The way he managed to understand and copy everything Infume was teaching him left everyone impressed. The Capitol citizens appreciated the way Evbo spoke about Infume, the trust when he talked about their strategies. When he let it slip that he started practicing climbing in secret, after seeing that it won Infume his Games, Seawatt knew all the eyes would be on him for the considerable future. If he could get closer to the spotlight, maybe he could escape the label of ‘just another guy from Four’. He made his choice and went to talk to AJ, his Mentor.
It was easy to convince Infume to agree to the alliance. Despite the considerable amount of sponsors, Three was not considered a threat, and so didn’t get many offers. While the Mentors were hashing out the details, Seawatt decided to get to know Evbo. He was surprisingly easy to like– he took every failure as an opportunity to improve, and the way his risk–taking stressed Infume out was very funny. Seawatt felt regretful about having to kill him eventually, when their alliance would inevitably dissolve, but it was just how it went in the Games.
After a discussion with both of their Mentors, it was decided they would use their Interviews to announce their friendship. Seawatt thought he did pretty well, playing off of AJ’s feigned annoyance at him ditching Training to hang out with Evbo. It was all made up, but it made the audience laugh, which was the important part. He left the studio feeling accomplished, until his Mentor got a frantic call from Infume.
It turned out that Evbo didn’t know what subtlety meant and now the whole of Capitol was convinced he was madly in love with Seawatt. He didn’t know how to feel about that. He never gave much thought to romance, and wasn’t sure he would be able to convince anyone that he felt the same. AJ assured him he didn’t have to– it was enough for Evbo to keep up the act to keep people watching. Seawatt didn’t mind, and the fact that the compliments sometimes made him blush or stutter helped sell it anyway. By the time they were sent into the arena, it was estimated that their combined sponsorship fund would be one of the highest ever recorded.
Seawatt was brought back to reality by the death announcements appearing in the sky, signalling the end of his watch. Three more people dead– they were officially in the top five. He stood up to wake Evbo. He smiled at the way he looked asleep, reminding him of the few times him and his friends spent the night at the beach, lulled to sleep by the sound of the waves.
Evbo rose with a yawn and stumbled over to the log Seawatt was sitting on before, settling in to wait.
‘Don’t worry, I won’t let anyone get the drop on us’ he looked at him warmly. ‘You need to get your beauty sleep.’
Seawatt let out a mock-offended gasp.
‘It’s nice to know you don’t think I’m already beautiful’ he laughed at the frantic way Evbo rushed to explain himself, and turned away, closing his eyes.
His last thought before he drifted off was that if they were the last two people left, he didn’t think he would be able to kill Evbo.