It was reaping day, and the inhabitants of district 10 were all anxious. All Damon wanted to do was find his best friend before it was time for the reaping. He was worried that his friend had put his name in multiple times. He pulled a hat over his red curls as he left his home, and headed towards the farm owned by his best friend's parents.

As he made his way there, be spotted his friends elder sister in one of the fields and called out to her.

"Lil! Where's Avery?" She sighed upon seeing him.

"I don't know, I thought he was with you. He left early this morning. Tell him to come home, would you?" She answered, Damon nodded and turned around, he knew exactly where to find him.

He reached the clearing on the woods by his house, and sure enough found Avery sat there, his arms wrapped loosely around his knees.

"You nervous?" Damon asked as he sat down beside the brunette, Avery's brown eyes met his green ones.

"A bit." He sighed, Damon frowned at him, Avery was never usually this scared.

"How many times have you put your name in?" Damon asked, Avery shook his head.

"Avery, tell me." The panic in Damon's voice rose, Avery sighed.

"40." He answered weakly. Damon's eyes widened in fear.

"Avery are you put of your mind!" He shrieked, Avery looked at him again.

"We were starving Damon, I didn't have a choice." He explained.

"But forty, you only needed to put your name in twentyeight times." Damon told him.

"My aunt, she has two young children, she lost her husband and her house, we had to feed her too." Avery explained.

"You should have told me, I could have helped you." Damon said, although he knew Avery would never agree.

"We'd never take anything, you know that." Avery replied.

"You can't get picked Av." Damon leaned his head on his friend's shoulder. "I can't lose you."

"You won't." Avery laughed. "If I do, I'll haunt you when I die."

"If you get picked, you'll win." Damon answered. "I expect you to win."

"Lets just hope I don't get picked." Avery smiled weakly. Damon who had been tracing circles into his friends palm, looked up at him.

"At least you'd be in with a chance." He sighed. "I'd be dead in the first hour. There's no way I'd survive the bloodbath."

"I'd volunteer for you, you know I would." Avery told him, Damon's heart swelled at this, he had always had a slight crush on his best friend.

"Av, no, you have to look after your family." He told him, Avery sighed. "I'm worthless"

"That's not true. You're worth something to me." Avery argued. Damon smiled.

"You have to say that." He pointed out.

"No I don't. I could hate you and be wishing for you to die." Avery told him. Damon's eyes widened. "I'm kidding."

"I would volunteer for you." Damon told him, he had begun tracing infinity signs on Avery's palm instead. He felt his friend laugh.

"That tickles." He murmured. Damon laughed.

"You're just freakishly ticklish." He said, tickling Avery's side's lightly, Avery fell backwards, laughing.

"Stop!" He giggled Damon smiled at him.

"Or what?"

"I'll kick your ass." Avery got out between breathes as he tried to get away from Damon.

"Oh would you?" Damon raised an eyebrow.

"Oh I would." Avery nodded,  Damon shook his head and helped him up.

"Sure you would." He wrapped his arms around Avery's skinny waist and leaned his chin on his shoulder.

"You're so mean." The brunette pouted.

"I know." Damon smiled.

"Seriously though, if I can't volunteer for you, you can't volunteer for me." Avery told him. "Deal?"

"Deal." Damon told him.

"Why are you wearing a hat?" Avery asked suddenly, before taking it from Damon's head.

"My hair's wild today." Damon shrugged.

"It looks fine." Avery told him, messing with it slightly.

"I can feel your ribs." Damon mumbled. Avery laughed.

"Oh good, they're still there then." He joked, Damon glared at him. "What?"

"Avery have you been giving your food to your sister again?" He asked.

"Only some of it." Avery shrugged.

"You're supposed to eat! What am I supposed to do if you waste away?" Damon pouted.

"I won't."

"Promise?"

"Promise what?"

"Promise you won't leave me?"

"I promise."

^^^
Damon met Avery outside the courtyard being used to host the reaping, they needed to sign in.

"You ready?" Damon asked Avery, who looked scared to death.

"Yeah." He nodded.

After signing in, they made their way to their allocated line.

"It's Sara's first reaping." Avery told Damon, who's eyes widened. Sara was the third to youngest of Avery's sisters, of which he had four.

"Already?" He asked, Avery nodded.

"I won't let them put their names in multiple times, Lil refuses to do it anyway." He said. Damon sighed.

"Av, you should all do it, then your name won't be as likely to get picked." Damon said.

"Damon, if I get picked, please look after them." Avery begged him suddenly, Damon nodded and hugged him.

"You won't, but if you do, I'll look after them." He promised.

"Thank you."

Their representative from the capitol, Mila, and their only previous victor, Cammie, were stood on the stage.

The female name was drawn. "Patricia Coulter!"

Patricia was a thin girl, around the age of twelve, she had a long face and flat blonde hair. She looked terrified.

Everyone held their breath as the male name was called.

"Avery Mackenden."

"No." Damon murmured, beside him Avery, with no expression on his face, began to move. Damon held him back. "Av, no."

"Look after them." Avery warned, before making his way on stage. He hugged Patricia tightly, before the two were escorted inside the record office building.

He heard Avery's sisters crying. And he himself felt like the world had come crashing down.

Once everyone had filed out of the courtyard, Damon followed Avery's family into the building, so he could say goodbye to his best friend. He waited outside the room he was in, nd when Avery's family left, they were all crying, even his father had tears in his eyes.

"Av?" He asked as he entered. Avery was sat in a chair, but he stood up as Damon entered. Damon hugged him tightly at once. " You have to win."

"I'll try." Avery murmured.

"Av please." Damon took a deep breath and cupped Avery's face in his hands, kissing him roughly on the lips. Avery just stared at him with widened eyes as Damon pulled away.

"W-what?" Avery murmured.

"I'm in love with you." Damon told him. Avery sighed and pulled him into a hug.

"Why did you only just tell me now?" It took Damon a minute to work out he was crying.

"Av." Damon murmured.

"You're such an idiot." Avery murmured into Damon's shoulder.

"Come back to me, please." Damon begged him.

"I'll try."

"Av I need you." Damon told him, Avery just looked at him, tears running down his cheeks, Damon wiped them away.

"I'll be fine." He kissed Damon on the cheek, two guards opened the door, motioning for Damon to leave.

"Avery!" Damon yelled as he was escorted out, but the door was closed behind him.

He didn't even know if he would even see him again.