are you gonna be my girl

[leoxxfitz-blog]

"You've begun to feel like home."

Send one of these in my askbox to see how my muse reacts ( x )

     「 the words struck his ears as a pleasant sound to the eerie silence that was surrounding them. a mint leaf attempts to keep his hunger at bay, teeth chewing it like gum and finger poking at it to keep it from being too flat and sticking to them. his foot was kicking at the firewood, out of boredom as well as a half-assed way to keep it going until dawn. which, if he was beginning to schedule the days correctly, should be in an hour or so.

            cherry’s head was positioned in his lap, a comfort to him. his dreams normally consist of the death of himself, or cherry. and, considering the two had started the games off separated — it’s almost a reflex to always be touching his fellow tribute. a hand on her back while they trek through the woods, or sleeping awfully close to her; it didn’t really matter as long as their was tangible knowledge that she was really there. 」

                ❝ are you telling me that i haven’t always been home to you? because, those feel like fighting words.❞

        「 he’s teasing, and smiling, and moving his free hand to curl his fingers into her hair as he looks down at her. 」

                             ❝ you’ve been home to me for a long time now, bang.❞

[cherryxbang]

Her fingers threaded into his short hair for a while, nails scraping against his scalp as a way of offering comfort until he absolutely pulled away, and really, Cherry wished they could have stayed like that for a bit longer. She let out a dry laugh at his comment, even if it was hard to find it in her to have any sort of sense of humor in this situation. Maybe it was the fact that she was worried sick about losing him - going home would be pointless if Leo wasn’t there for her to come back to, and sometimes the thought of things eventually coming down to it pestered her to no end. Cherry did the best she could to push them away, though, focusing on her two main priorities (keep him alive and keep herself alive) and trying to ignore the rest until she absolutely had to face it. But either way, she was still painfully aware of how easy it would be for things to go wrong for either of them, and her smile seemed hesitant for a second before shaking her head. “You’re not invincible. And you - you’re underestimating me. I’m pretty sure I remember kicking your ass in training at least once.”

Still, she reached for one of his hands, lacing their fingers together and just trying to find some comfort in the touch and nodding a bit at his words. “I had a close call, but I managed to get out. It was, uh, the girl from district 7,” she said, and while the other girl seemed to have as much clue as to what she was doing as Cherry did, but it was still terrifying to be face to face with it - and somehow even stranger to know that a canon blared off because of her. “Other than that I’ve been okay, I suppose, if you count out the fact that I’m exhausted and mostly unable to catch more than a few minutes of sleep at a time. I’m mostly just… running and trying to let them reduce the numbers themselves. I know I’m not going to make it if I try to take them all on my own, so.” The shrug she gave was almost one of disinterest, because Cherry was trying to keep herself as emotionally disconnected from ending up possibly dead as much as she could.

It was hard to keep herself from being too eager when the water was offered to her, though, and Cherry kept in mind to drink it slowly, even swishing the first sip of water around her mouth before swallowing and drinking a couple more. She didn’t finish the water, though, afraid to dry up their supply and face not actually having any more. “We need to find a supply, or something. I’ve been heading north ever since I left the Cornucopia and I haven’t seen any, so maybe we should head in a different direction or something.”

[leoxxfitz-blog]

"I let you win," he said in a playful whisper, keeping in mind that being too loud would probably wind up with someone figuring out where they were. He wanted to move sometime soon-- very soon, actually. There was no telling who else Cherry's whistling could have drawn in, and it wouldn't be a very good idea to just sit around in one place. The trees offered some protection from being spotted, but, the talking would definitely give them away, regardless. 

One of his hands being grabbed was nice, and he just allowed it to happen. The contact was something he didn't necessarily realize he needed. It may have only been a few days, but, they were by far the longest days of his life. The loneliness spiked higher, and faster when someone knew they were being hunted by other people. It didn't hit him until that moment how high of the possibility that either of them could have died alone. The twist in his stomach was ignored quickly, just reminding himself of how that didn't happen (and, wasn't) and focusing on Cherry's words instead. "Close call?" he asked with a raised brow, that making his spine straighten and lift from the tree to be able to turn toward her more-- eyes squinting to see if he had missed anything in the darkness. "Did she hurt you?" Relaxation came a moment later as he nodded his head slowly, hand moving to rub the side of his jaw tiredly and feeling the hard stubble grazing against his fingertips. "Good idea," he didn't really have a plan further than killing people he came across, and finding Cherry. Hearing the other's definitely knocked in the fact that he should have thought further, but, that would do. 

"I'd say we should eat something, but, what I have would only dehydrate us more. We need to find water. And, a better place to camp." Licking his lips to lessen the chapness now that his mouth wasn't so dry, he moved a little more and gripped the tree tighter. "We should leave now because we've probably attracted attention. We'll go in a random direction that isn't the way you or I were heading, and just walk until we find something, or can't anymore." With that, he slid off the branch, his hands having a tight enough grip that it allowed his body to dangle steadily for a minute before he dropped down without the possibility of twisting his ankle. He then slowly moved his way under Cherry's branch and reached his hands out. "The bag, and my bow."

[cherryxbang]

Letting out a low snicker at Leo’s answer, Cherry raised her eyebrows at him as he walked in, clearly not thrown off at all by the comment. They had a really, really flirtatious relationship (one that kind of skyrocketed after a certain encounter she still remembered fondly and hoped he did, too), and honestly, the girl had far too much fun torturing her best friend as much as she could with it. “Depends. Are you going to keep being all talk and no action?” She grinned at him, though, returning his kiss and letting her lips press against the corner of his, then moving away to retrieve the jam and butter from the fridge in case he wanted any, along with syrup for the waffles.

Seemingly awfully proud of herself at that, Cherry chuckled lightly. “Did I scare them off again? Because I told you I didn’t need to go with you to mess up your game. Not that I want to totally screw your means of living or anything.” Pulling one of the stools to place it next to Leo before grabbing two mugs and pouring them coffee, the girl slid one to him and then pulled a waffle into her own plate, frowning slightly before sighing out as she slathered jam over her waffle. “Leo, I’m not sure what to do anymore. Like, he just keeps calling and informing me we’re going to do things, and you know I tried to break it off like ten times, but he just keeps coming back, and I - well, he likes buying us dinner, so I’m at least getting something from it. But it’s getting annoying, honestly.”

Taking a bite out of her food and then setting down her fork again, Cherry shook her head. “And he’s just - no offense, but he’s such a boy. I’m pretty sure he was asking me for a blowjob the other day and it was the most awkward thing ever and I’m just not really into it like, at all. But he doesn’t catch a hint. Or twenty,” the girl finished off, lips slightly pursed at the end of her rant.

[leoxxfitz-blog]

This thing between them was awfully odd. At first, it was just odd to the other people, but, at some point it became rather strange to Leo, as well. Once things in their relationship escalated to her keeping track of how many boners she could give him, he started to not exactly know what their relationship was. Not that he was complaining, or wanting it to stop (in fact, he finds himself wishing it to go further in certain times when he's thinking with a different head)- the meaning of the two of them just had a question mark next to it in his head. Good thing Leo was never too bothered by the unknown. A soft chuckle left him, turning his body enough to lean himself back against the counter as he watched her work, fingers coming up to subconsciously brush against the corner of his lips where Cherry's own had been sitting there for just a few seconds too long a moment ago. Nails scratched against the skin before the hand dropped, and he shrugged a lone shoulder. "I don't know. Probably," he answered-- truthfully, he supposed. "And, yeah, yeah, you fucking did, you shit. It was a deer, too. I have someone who'd pay good money for venison." As payback, he flicked her shoulder lightly with a snort. "It's okay. I already know you want me to starve," he said, grabbing the jam and dipping a finger into it to scoop some up and stick into his mouth.

He was no double dipper, though, and instead just placed the jar down and watched as Cherry got the coffee now. It was nice to see her doing all the work since normally if they were having anything further than cereal-- Leo's the one cooking for them while Cherry all but passed out while she sat at the table. Taking a seat on a stool, an eyebrow raised as she began to rant about DJ, never failing to find himself amused at how that boy would not take a hint. He had thought Cherry had been lying when she told him about how persistent he was until he saw it with his own two eyes. One night the girl's breaking up with him, the next morning he was coming by with flowers and promising to buy her (and, Leo, normally) breakfast. Neither of them could say no to a free meal.

"Do you think he'd get the hint if you cheated on him?" he asked, not even particularly thinking about using him with the suggestion. It did dawn on him a moment later, which caused his face to take on a look of amusement once more as he thought it over. "I mean, that wouldn't even be a hint. That'd be you sucking face and fucking someone else. Preferably me." This is when the toeing of the flirting went so far over the line that Leo didn't know if he was being serious, or not. He hadn't for a long time, actually. "None taken," he chimed in after her 'no offense', pouring syrup over his waffles before just stabbing it with a fork and taking a bite. God, he loved waffles. "Can I have a blowjob?" he shot a very cocky grin in her direction after he had swallowed, then took another bite as his shoulders shrugged. "Tell him that you think you guys should see other people. And, that the other people he should be seeing is probably a mental ward"

[leoxxfitz-blog]

Leo was no fucking girl. He wasn't going to stand in the shower, and cry. And, he wasn't. Not really. He just... it was getting to him. Everything was finally catching up to him, and his fingers curled a bit where his palm was resting on the tile as he let out a mute sob and bent his head downward.

His name had been in the bowl seven times. Compared to other people who had to put their names in the bowl forty two for their stupid tesserae. He shouldn't have been chosen. He didn't have the skill, and considering his name had been pulled-- he obviously didn't have the luck. He was going to freaking die right before he turned nineteen, and could get the hell away from The Hunger Games. 

For some god forsaken reason, he couldn't stop thinking about how people back home probably found this hilarious. Leonardo Fitzgerald, the rich kid, chosen for The Hunger Games. How many people were betting against his life because they hated his privileges. How many people who were probably going to get paid the second some Career (no, give yourself less credit, anyone can do you in) shoved a various weapon through his heart. 

It took him awhile, but, eventually he could breathe again and he tilted his head toward the stream of water to get rid of whatever traces that could be left on his face. To his mentor, to Cherry, to the Capitol, and definitely to back home-- he had to look fearless. He had to put on a smirk, and act like this wasn't affecting him as badly as it was. Running his hand over his face, he paused when he heard the door opening and turned his head to look through the blur of the see-through glass to see who it was. He could just barely make out what looked like Cherry's figure. "Bang? Is that you?" he asked, obviously confused and quite proud of his throat for not cracking. 

It indeed was considering the glass door was pulled back to show his fellow tribute visibly undressed and stepping into the shower with him. Leo wasn't looking to protest, honestly-- his eyes barely hesitating to look over the girl's body with an interested eyebrow raised. "What are you doing?" The corner of one side of his lips stretched upward, the ghost of a smirk on his face. 

[cherryxbang]

The sound of footsteps made her tense for a second, because Cherry was more than aware she could attract all kinds of unwanted attention when she tried to call out for Leo. Her body tensed against the tree for a second, bracing herself before a far too familiar voice broke her out of it, relief washing in waves so big that she had just enough common sense to not jump out of the tree and run in the voice’s general direction or yell out back at Leo. Her heart was racing faster and faster due to the confirmation that he was not just alive, but well too - no major bruises or injuries in sight, and really, the girl never thought she’d feel this happy in this God forsaken arena.

Reaching out to take the backpack from him and put it over one of the thicker branches, using the straps to secure it and make sure their provisions wouldn’t fall, the girl leaned over the best she could from her branch, and really, she had to be thankful that it was a fairly steady one, otherwise the move certainly would have made her fall. She didn’t care, though, embracing Leo being a priority ridiculously high up in her list, arms tightening around him and holding him in a way she never had before. Really, not wanting to let go in a way she was just now experiencing, face burying in his neck and chest pressed against his, as if she was quite literally trying to keep him close to her heart.

"I was so worried about you. I was so worried we wouldn’t find each other, and God, waiting for nightfall was horrible when you don’t know who the canons are for." Swallowing dryly and trying not to sound too eager at the mention of water, Cherry just nodded a bit, one hand cupping the side of his face as her eyes raked over him, trying to take a better look at her friend. "You’re not hurt anywhere, right? I’m not the best nurse in the world but I just want to make sure you’re okay." Glancing down at his body one more time before looking back up at him, as if looking for any injuries or gashes she might have missed, the girl examined his face - noticing his equally dry lips before reaching towards the backpack.

Rummaging around until her fingers wrapped around the bottle, Cherry examined the contents, trying not to let desperation dawn over her at the knowledge that that wouldn’t be enough to hydrate one of them, let alone both and instead put on a neutral expression, clearing her throat after offering the bottle towards him. “Have you had any water yet? Because I’ve already had some, and you should - you look like you haven’t, so you should take it.”

[leoxxfitz-blog]

The embrace had a very high chance of something bad happening given the distance between the two, and the fact that they were on a freaking tree-- but, he couldn't say no to the hug. He couldn't not allow his arms to wrap around her, and hug her, and just allow himself to relax because the past two canons he heard that day weren't for her. His face buried into her shoulder as he let out a soft sound of relief, actually being able to hold the girl, and having very little intentions of letting her go. Or, at least, ever losing her again. He couldn't go through that. Not knowing if she was okay, or alive, or what. He didn't realize just how much it had affected him until now that he was actually around her. Swallowing as best as he could when they pulled away, he let out a dry laugh. "Worried about me? What are you talking about? I'm invincible," he told her lightly, his own hand coming up to cup Cherry's face to take it upon himself to look her over as well. "As for you? You aren't. Which means I had a lot more reason to be worried than you." Her questions made him shake his head, his hand falling from her cheek to her shoulder. "I'm okay. I got into a few fights at the Cornucopia, but, other than that-- my kills have been long distance," he nodded over at his bow. 

Leaning back against the tree when she went to grab the water bottle, his eyes closed and he tried to will himself not to think too much about water before hearing Cherry talk again. "We'll share," he said, not really able to say no as he took the water bottle and uncapped it with shaky hands. He brought it to his lips and told himself to drink slowly, even the first sip doing wonders to how shitty he was feeling. The boy made sure not to drink too much, or too fast- taking sip after sip before holding it out to her afterward.

"How've you been holding it up the past few days?"

[cherryxbang]

Groaning as she rolled out of her bed to step into the shower, Cherry found herself frowning deeply at her own reflection. As usual, DJ had informed her he was coming over (rather than asking, and really, she was learning to deal with it by now) and that he expected to hang out, and that, in turn, meant getting some sort of shield between the two of them. The shield, of course, happened to be Leo, and while she did not mind at all getting an excuse to invite him over to spend the day, the girl wished it would be just the two of them rather than that.

Stepping out of her clothes and going towards the phone in her room wrapped in just a towel, the girl dialed his number, waiting for a few rings before being greeted by a voice that immediately made the corners of her mouth tug up. “Don’t make plans today. You’re coming over and spending the day with me. I mean, he’s coming over, so - I don’t know, just come hang out. I’m about to step into the shower and I expect you to be here when I get out, otherwise I’m going to be really disappointed.” Smiling to herself after a confirmation and saying a short goodbye, Cherry then hung up and proceeded to get herself ready, pulling on a pair of shorts and a loose tank top after she was done with her shower.

Unlocking the front door on her way to the kitchen and then pulling out a box of frozen waffles from the freezer, Cherry stuck them in the toaster before pulling out the coffee maker and measuring about enough for both of them. Nails tapped absently minded against the counter, the pop of the toaster startling her for a second before it was followed by the sound of a door opening. Grinning to herself as she slid the waffles into a plate, the girl called out even though she couldn’t see Leo yet. “You’re here just in time. Come eat with me.”

[leoxxfitz-blog]

Hunting was actually a hobby for Leo, too. It wasn't just something he had to do, but, despised. He found comfort in it, and the woods were a peaceful place to him. Honestly, he spent a lot more time there than he did at his own home. Which isn't really saying much because he spent a lot more time at Cherry's, but, that wasn't the point. The eighteen year old just enjoyed the woods, and it was a sport for him just as much as it was a survival tactic. With the string of the bow pulled back, standing next to a tree in hopes the deer wouldn't see him, he held his breath and looked through one eye and was seconds away from letting the arrow fly through the air to hit his target when his phone rang loudly. The noise made him and the deer both jolt, the arrow slipping from his fingertips and completely missing the now running away animal as he let out a curse. The teenager slipped the bow to be held by his shoulder before shoving his hand into his pocket to grab his mobile, answering it without looking at the caller ID-- he knew exactly who it was regardless. "Yeah?" he asked with a raised eyebrow, any irritation gone as he heard her voice. It was his fault, anyway, he should have silenced his phone. And, there was always tomorrow.

"That sounds like my usual plans, honestly," he mused with a smirk, moving towards where he had the rabbits and squirrels that he had gotten from traps. It was only two each, but, he considered that a win. "I'll have to stop by my house, but, I'll be there before DJ. Pinky promise," he told her, pressing his phone between his shoulder and ear to allow him to use both of his hands. "I'll see you soon," he told her, then allowed the phone to drop into his hand to put it back in his pocket.

After dropping off the kills and taking a shower, it didn't take him long at all before he was letting himself into the Bang residence. It still made him laugh that he could just walk in, but, DJ had to knock still or get his ear chewed off. "Can I just eat you?" he snickered at himself as he entered the kitchen, a look of purse amusement on his face. "Ooh. Waffles. I'm actually in the mood for that," he rubbed his stomach, standing next to Cherry and moving to kiss her cheek. "You caught me while I was hunting."

[cherryxbang]

Keeping herself focused on any sound other than her own padding through the forest that could disturb the otherwise distressingly silent forest, Cherry lifted her hand to press against her chapped lips. She wasn’t far into the stages of dehydration, but the single bottle of water she’d obtained from a fallen career’s backpack had been far gone and she had yet to encounter a source of water.

That wasn’t the only thing on her mind, however; a general sense of uneasiness had settled on her due to the fact that she had yet to see another glimpse of Leo ever since they separated at the beginning of the games. He was there because of her, and while Cherry knew that on her own, her chances were considerably slimmer, every time a canon blasted through the air, the girl found herself wishing he’d have accepted the safety of home rather than being stupid enough to volunteer to make sure she didn’t die.

Stopping in a relatively small clearance to survey the area around her, the girl let out a breath before reaching for the nearest tree with branches low enough to climb on, ignoring the way her upper body protested at the strain before pulling herself up and putting some reasonable distance between herself and the ground. Licking her lips a few times to try and make whistling a little easier, Cherry placed two fingers between them before whistling out a few notes, hoping once more that she’d get a tune back, holding completely onto the fleeting comfort of not having seen his face in the night sky yet.

[leoxxfitz-blog]

Swatting at the back of his neck, he grimaced as he looked at his hand and then wiped it off on his pants, continuing to walk through the woods as quietly as he could. Considering he had made sure to tell Cherry to not try to get any supplies and just run off, he had to do the exact opposite to survive. He grabbed backpack and weapons, even picking a few people off before jetting in a random direction to attempt to find his best friend. Night had fallen, and no progress had been made. Canons shooting off every now, and then did nothing to calm him. It only made him more persistent to not stop walking, and searching until he found her. Because, he'd refuse to believe that he didn't do the one thing he volunteered to do. 

His hand wiped at his brow, feeling the sweat build and fighting the urge to grab the water bottle and chug the entire thing. Dehydration was a bitch, but, he was determined to allow his lips to stay chapped and his throat to dry until he found Cherry, and they can split the water accordingly. Leo's other hand was gripping a knife, just in case he came across somebody that wasn't the girl he was currently looking for. The eighteen year old didn't care how old, or who they were, or whether they were threatening or not when he came across them-- at least, not now. He wanted to get Cherry home; the end. That's why he was here, and he wasn't going to let anything stop that mission.

The soft crunching of his boots stopped immediately when he heard a sound that caused his initial reaction to tighten around the grip of the knife. Until he realized what the sound was. Their whistle. "Oh, thank fuck," he murmured to himself as he walked in quicken footsteps toward the direction of where he heard it. "Cher?" he called out quietly, not wanting to alert people to where the two of them are, but, also not exactly knowing where she was. "Cherry?" It took a bit of looking around before his eyes finally found her in the trees, the rapid beating of his heart skipping for a minute out of pure joy because his best friend was alive. Leo had to admit it was easier to breathe now.

He wasted no time in moving toward the tree, putting his knife away in it's sheath and then shrugging the bow from his shoulder- the backpack next. "Take this," he told her in almost a whisper. "Careful, it's heavy." And, the backpack was. Once she had each of the things, his hands gripped at the branch until he was able to get on the branch a little higher than Cherry's but relatively next to her still to settle. "There's water in the backpack."