midnightdraftsblog

[midnightdraftsblog]

.・。.・゜✭・ᴛᴏᴘ ɢᴜɴ・✫・゜・。.

low and slow ➸ bob floyd

⇘

teaser

[midnightdraftsblog]

bob floyd

You glance over at Bob, giving him a small smile, “Thank you by the way, you saved me from Fanboy or Coyote being my future roommate”

Bob lets out a soft laugh and gives you a smile in return. “Trust me, Fanboy would be the worst roommate.” He says, shaking his head. “I don’t think there’s a day that goes by where he doesn’t blast music or talk on the phone like a teenage girl.”

He takes another sip of soda before speaking again. “And I don’t know if I could deal with Coyotes snoring every night..”

You let out a soft laugh, “Yeah that’s true..” You say with a smile. Maybe it wouldn’t be too bad with Bob?

y/n “blitz” l/n

.・。.・゜✭・ʟᴏᴡ ᴀɴᴅ ꜱʟᴏᴡ・✫・゜・。.

coming soon

[midnightdraftsblog]

I recently got my nails done. I forgot how much of a struggle it is to type

[midnightdraftsblog]

.・。.・゜✭・ʀᴀᴅɪᴏ ꜱɪʟᴇɴᴄᴇ・✫・゜・。.

summary: being a PR manager came with its struggles- especially if the driver is cold as ice

pairing: carlos sainz x fem! PR manager! reader

warnings: none

words: 2.6k

part one

╚═*.·:·.✧ ✦ ✧.·:·.*═╝

It was now the Imola, Emilia-Romagna, Grand Prix- things had been getting better. Carlos was scoring points, albeit not getting the exact positions he would want, but still scoring nonetheless.

Your relationship with him was still shaky, every time you spoke with him about something media related he would tense up and have this immediate cold exterior fall over him, granted he was like that most of the time.

You had picked up subtle things about him, things that made him seem more human. Before the Miami GP he would be warming up, and you could notice his hands shaking, fidgeting and twisting his fingers. That certainly intrigued you.

After the Bahrain Grand Prix you, Carlos, Alex and a few others from the Williams team had gone out for dinner- the check was obviously on James. Everyone had driven themselves back to the hotel, you included, but you waited back to see what Carlos was doing.

“Did you drive?” You ask hesitantly, not sure what would get under his skin. Carlos glanced up at his phone, his brown eyes staring into yours. “I don’t typically drive at night” He replied bluntly, “I have an Uber”

So he was a Formula One driver who tries to avoid night driving and entrusts his life in the hands of a random person. Yes, that makes sense.

You let out a small laugh, “That’s unusual, I wouldn’t have pictured that.”

Carlos raised an eyebrow at your comment, his usual stoic expression faltering slightly. He wasn’t quite sure how to react to it. He was used to people asking him all sorts of questions about his small fear or making fun of him, but this one somehow felt different.

He stuffed his phone into his pocket, his eyes still on you. “And what were you imagining exactly?” He asked, his tone a mix of curiosity and annoyance. He hated how you were amused at his preference.

“I just..I just would assume since you drive professionally that it wouldn’t bother you..” You say, face starting to flush in embarrassment, “I didn’t mean any harm..and well I guess the tracks are well-lit when you’re driving them..” You add on, trying to somehow save yourself in the situation.

Carlos’s expression softens slightly at your nervous demeanor, it was oddly endearing. He almost wanted to tease you for it, but he held himself back.

He lets out a sigh, rubbing the back of his neck. “You're not wrong.” He admits, his voice low. “But there’s a difference. I'm used to the tracks, I know them well. The streets at night are different.” He explains, his eyes looking away from yours.

“That makes sense..” You say with a small smile, fidgeting with your purse in your hands, “That’s actually really fair, I never quite thought of it that way..”

Carlos could feel his guard coming down a little. There was just something about the way you spoke, the way your eyes lit up as you listened to him. He found himself wanting to say more, to keep the conversation going.

But he quickly reminded himself of the professional boundary. You were the PR manager, he was the driver. He couldn’t let himself get too comfortable, no matter how nice you were being. He knew better than to let himself get comfortable again.

He pushed down the fluttering he felt in his chest, forcing himself to return to his usual stoic state.

“Shouldn’t you be leaving?” He asks, breaking the brief moment of silence. He didn’t want to linger too long in your presence, he knew it was a dangerous game.

But he couldn’t deny the strange attraction that he was feeling towards you. Something about you, the way you didn’t back down, it intrigued him.

“Oh! Yes I believe so..” You say, looking down at the time on your watch, “I’ll see you later then, Carlos” You add on with an awkward smile, being one of the few left at the table in the restaurant.

You didn’t get a reply from him, but you did get a head nod and even a small smile back. That was progress!

One more last thing you had noticed about him, he never mentioned Ferrari, except that one interview. That was a memory you never wish to re-live.

“Okay Carlos..I know you don’t quite enjoy doing this stuff but it’ll help your image..” You say, sitting down across from him at a table- microphone clipped to his Williams team kit shirt and camera positioned at him.

“I just have some questions for you pulled from fans..” You add on, “Just a simple response is good, or if you’re feeling adventurous you could make it a two sentence response!” You weren’t sure how the sarcasm would go with him today, but it was worth a shot.

Carlos groans internally as he sees the camera being set up in front of him. He’d rather be doing literally anything else, but he knew that this was important. It was good for his image, as you had said.

He grumbles under his breath as you mention the questions, rolling his eyes slightly. He hated these kinds of things, having to put up with the camera and the lights.

But then he hears you add, somewhat sarcastically, “if you’re feeling adventurous you could make it a two sentence response.”

His eyes narrow on you. You were teasing him. He didn’t understand what you were playing at, he was used to being the second best, pushed aside for someone else, so why put in all of this effort to help his image when you could have easily quit after the first disaster of an interview.

You hesitated to ask the first question, it was the first time you were seeing them- the media team had more to do with this than you did, but they wanted you to ask the questions, confident that you would get a better answer out of Carlos.

“What’s something that you’ll be carrying on from Ferrari to Williams?”

Carlos sat up straighter in his seat, his brows furrowed slightly. He had been prepared for this question, but he still hated it. He didn't want to talk about Ferrari.

But as he looked at you, he saw the expectant look in your eyes, the way you were silently urging him on. He took a deep breath and began to speak.

“I'm going to carry my work ethic to Williams,” He said firmly. “I'm going to give it my all, just like I did at previous teams. Red Bull, McLaren, Renault, they all helped in shaping me.” His eyes met yours, holding your gaze for a moment, almost asking, teasing playfully, if that was good enough.

You gave a small head nod at his words- that was a good response, maybe you were helping him after all. Somehow he managed to answer all of the questions without mentioning Ferrari's name, if it was regarding the team. It was honestly impressive and you gave him props for doing that.

Another thing from the Miami GP, the weather had been questionable. Raining, windy and in general, not pleasant. You had plans once more with the team to go out for drinks and dinner, but you and Carlos got held up at the hotel.

You both stood in the lobby, waiting for the weather to let up. Glancing over at him silently you take in his stature. He was quiet, scrolling through his phone.

Carlos stood in the hotel lobby, his phone in his hand as he scrolled aimlessly through social media. He was bored, waiting out the weather with you was not how he had wanted to spend his evening. He could hear the rain and wind battering against the windows, the sound loud and relentless.

He could feel your gaze on him, and he glanced up from his phone to find you looking at him. He raised an eyebrow, "What?" He asked, his usual blunt tone in his voice.

“Nothing..nothing..” You say, eyes averting from his, “Just rough weather”

Carlos let out a small scoff, putting his phone back in his pocket. "You can say that again." He mutters, his irritation clear in his voice.

He leans back against the wall, taking a moment to stretch his legs. He was tired, and the prospect of going out to drinks and dinner was becoming less and less appealing.

He turns to look at you, his eyes flickering over your face. "Do you think the rain will let up anytime soon?" He asks, his voice slightly softer than before.

Your eyebrows raise at the slight shift in his tone, that wasn’t normal. “Probably not..but you never know” You say, looking out through the many windows in the lobby at the rain and shifting trees due to the wind.

Carlos followed your gaze out the windows, grimacing at the sight of the relentless rain. He hated this, being stuck indoors when he could be out doing something productive.

He lets out a sigh, running a hand through his hair in frustration. "Great." He mutters, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

He pauses for a moment before speaking again, his mood seemingly shifting. "You know..." He starts, his voice quieter. You look over at him expectantly, letting out a hum.

Carlos hesitates for a moment, considering his words carefully. He didn't know why he was feeling the sudden urge to talk, to open up to you. But there was something about you that made him feel strangely comfortable.

"I've never been good at small talk." He admits, his eyes meeting yours. "I'm not used to casual conversations, everything is always business and PR-" He pauses.

You take in his words, nodding your head slightly, “It’s always so formal, isn’t it?” You ask, almost encouraging him to continue.

Carlos lets out a small sigh, his shoulders relaxing slightly. For some reason, it was nice to talk to someone who understood.

"Yeah, it's exhausting." He replies, the annoyance creeping back into his voice. "Every interaction is calculated, every word is carefully chosen to maintain a perfect image. Sometimes I just want to say what I actually feel, without worrying about the media backlash."

You understood that, the drivers were under the spotlight constantly. You were starting to gather the fact he hated anything “pre-made” or fake. You had started to wonder what really happened at Ferrari?

He takes a deep breath, contemplating whether or not to open up about his experience at Ferrari.

But there was something about you that made him feel like he could trust you, like you wouldn't judge him for his feelings. He hesitates for a moment before speaking again.

"Ferrari..." He starts, his voice low. "Ferrari was a nightmare."

Yes! Finally you were actually making more progress with him!

You saw a glimpse of something cross his face, and in an instant he shut down whatever he was going to spill. Carlos noticed the excitement on your face at his words, and it only added to his irritation. He hated showing vulnerability, hated revealing weakness.

But you were looking at him with such anticipation, and he found himself wanting to open up to you even more.

His expression hardened, his usual stoic mask slipping back into place. He couldn't let you in, he couldn't risk showing you his true self. "Never mind." He snapped, his voice sharp.

Well, at least he had been being viewed well on media now, mostly thanks to you and the small little media tasks you had him doing.

Eventually the weather had calmed down, you and Carlos had made it to the restaurant the others were at. You were seated across from Carlo’s and next to one of the media workers- his name was Jacob, he was nice, good conversation.

“I know! That movie was so good!” You say with a smile, Carlos could see the way your eyes lit up as you talked about some random movie you watched on the flight to Miami.

“It’s one of my favorites! They came out with a sequel for if not too long ago, we could watch it at my place sometime?” Carlos had overheard the conversation- this random guy was asking you out right in front of him. It angered him.

He sat there silently watching as the two of you talked back and forth. It took him a moment to realize it, he wasn’t mad. He was jealous.

And he hated himself for it.

Once more you and Carlos were one of the last to leave the table, “Alright I’ll see you later!” You say with a smile, waving bye to Jacob. You could feel Carlos staring into your soul. “Is something wrong?” You ask, actually concerned since he hadn’t uttered a word since the moment at the hotel lobby.

Carlos could feel the anger and jealousy coursing through his veins as he watched the conversation unfold between you and Jacob. He hated the way you laughed at his stupid jokes, the way you lit up as you talked about movies with him.

He hated the way he felt, the strange possessive feeling he had towards you. He had no right to feel that way, he had no claim over you.

As you said goodbye to Jacob and turned to him, he couldn't keep the irritation out of his voice. "No, nothing's wrong." He replied gruffly, his eyes narrowing.

“Right..okay” You say giving Carlos an odd look. You let the silence overcome you two, the background noise of other conversations and music surrounding. You finally spoke up, “I wanted to apologize for earlier..If I crossed a line I shouldn’t have.”

Carlos's expression softened slightly at your words. He was surprised that you were apologizing, he wasn't used to people taking the initiative like that.

"It's fine." He said gruffly, his tone softening a bit. "You didn't cross any line."

“Alright good, I just didn’t want you to feel like I was forcing you to talk about something you didn’t want to..” You add on, grabbing your glass and holding it in your hand, needing to do something to distract the anxious feeling crawling in your chest.

Carlos noticed the way your hands fidgeted with the glass in your hands, a nervous habit. It was a vulnerable side of you he hadn't seen before.

He let out a small sigh, his shoulders relaxing slightly. "I appreciate that." He replied honestly. "It's just- I'm not used to talking about my feelings, especially not with coworkers."

Coworkers. Right yes, that was it. Nothing more.

It’s not like you wanted anything else! Really, he was a pain to deal with and always seemed to be in an insufferable mood, imagine having to deal with that constantly! But he looked good when he ran his hand through his hair, or when he lifted himself in and out of the cockpit.

You blink at him, finally snapping out of your thoughts, “Yes! Yes, that's completely understandable..” You say with a shaky smile, trying to hide the fact that his words hurt you- whether you were aware of that yourself or not.

"It's nothing personal." He said, his voice a bit firmer this time. "I just prefer to keep things professional."

“Of course, Carlos” You reply, lips firmly pressed together. Why was this bothering you so much?! He was a pain to work with and made your job much more difficult than it needed to be.

Carlos was confused by your reaction. Why did you seem so upset all of a sudden? He had just been honest with you, he was only saying that he didn't want things to be personal between you. He didn't like how your once bright smile had now faded.

You always seem to be irritated with him, just wanting to know his secrets or just trying to boss him around with all the PR things you do.

So why did this bother both of you?

╚═*.·:·.✧ ✦ ✧.·:·.*═╝

notes✨: Another part done! My Hunger Games series parts will be coming out slower than I would like but I’m quite busy. This series should have more frequent updates as well as other fics for different fandoms! Please leave comments, suggestions and requests!

taglist: @emilyroxy @imdyinghelpplease

part three

[midnightdraftsblog]

.・。.・゜✭・ᴋɪʟʟ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴀ ꜱᴘᴀʀᴋʟᴇ・✫・゜・。.

summary: what if it was flipped?

pairing: cato x fem! reader

warnings: it’s the hunger games

words: 4.5k

part two

╚═*.·:·.✧ ✦ ✧.·:·.*═╝

You wake up slowly but early, feeling anxiety slowly crawling through your body at the thought of the Interviews coming up. You knew you had to sparkle, but you also knew that the outfits Seraphine had put you and Cato in for the parade had gained you attention. There was one issue, Katniss and Peeta also had made an impression.

Shaking off some thoughts you crawl out of bed and brush your hair, wanting to look at least acceptable before you go off to see Seraphine and her team.

Lux, you had learned was in charge of your hair. When it was the parade you hadn’t paid much attention to the other members, but seeing as you were stuck with them until Seraphine was ready, you had to learn their names.

He slicks back your hair into another bun- this time with little red gems added into your hair. You had the same “dagger-crown” adorn on your head. Satia, who worked on your makeup, kept it relatively simple- a silver shimmering eyeshadow on your lids, with a blood-red lipstick on your lips.

Then finally there was Trella, she had been painting your finger and toe nails with a similar shimmering silver polish that matched the eyeshadow.

You look into the mirror, recognizing yourself but yet not at the same time. You looked fierce, **like you were meant to be a Career in District 2**. You didn't feel like an outsider.

After a few moments Seraphine comes in with your dress, she has it covered but you could see the shining red and shimmering silver peeking through. “Oh darling, you look lovely! Would you close your eyes? I absolutely need this to be a surprise!”

With a smile you close your eyes and feel velvet drape onto your body, Trella and Lux help you step into a pair of heels. “Open your eyes, dear! You look absolutely sparkling!”

You open your eyes, staring right back at you in the mirror was a floor-length body hugging gown made of a holographic black velvet that shifts between obsidian and silver under the lights. The fabric is embroidered with the same little red gems but this time arranged to take on an armor pattern.

It was beautiful, slightly more out there than you would have preferred, but absolutely beautiful. “Looking like this you will do fantastic with your interview, darling!” Seraphine says with a smile, hands grasping your shoulders and squeezing you. You smiled back at her- you admired her words, she had this flair that was easy to draw anyone in.

Soon its time for you to go, the interview takes place on a stage constructed in front of the Training Center. You walk with Seraphine and the others to the elevator, meeting the other team in charge of Cato.

Cato looked really good. He wore a black button down shirt- the same material as your dress, and his pants black to match. What stood out was the silver jacket he wore, it was the same silver that littered your body, and along the collar was a few of the little red gems.

Once the elevator opens, all of the tributes are lined up ready to take the stage. You all waited sitting in a big ar throughout the interviews. You wish you could replace Katniss’s place and go last.

You spot Caesar, it was shocking how similar he has looked throughout the years- of course that was due to surgeries and procedures. Your eyes linger on his blue hair, you thought it was better than previous colors he had chosen.

Snapped out of your daze your hear the buzzer ring, signaling that Marvel’s three minutes were up and now it was your turn. Taking a deep breath, you feel Catos hand leave a lingering touch on your arm as you walk off and onto center stage, smiling over at Caesar you shake his hand then sit down- waiting for him to start his own game.

His eyes rove over you, you think you might feel them linger on the skin the dress didn’t cover. His hand, however, held yours gently and he grinned at you- flashing his pearly white teeth and dimples. “Well, well, well. Hello Y/n!” He starts, shifting so he’s facing you. He leans back, crossing his legs over one another. “You sure dazzle like no other! How are you feeling tonight?” He asks with that same smile still plastered on his face.

“I’m feeling great, Caesar!” You say with a smile, waving out towards the audience. “That’s fantastic! Now tell us, how does it feel to be absolutely shining!”

You give another smile, this time followed by a laugh, “Oh it’s quite amazing, my stylist and her team truly did an incredible job”

“They outdo themselves more and more every year.” He says with a smile, leaning forward a bit. He hums, pretending to think for a moment. “Tell me Y/n, how does it feel knowing that the games are so soon? Do you think you’re prepared well?”

“Yes! I’m incredibly proud to be given the chance to represent my District in the games” You say with another fake smile- the words feeling like poison coming from your mouth.

“Ah..that’s very interesting..” Caesar mumbles, head placed in his hand- so he knew your past. The entire government does, and their puppets as well.

“Interesting indeed…”

Caesar knew about your past, of course he did. He hums once again, “Can I ask you a bit of a personal question, dear?” He asks, keeping that smile plastered across his face as he watches you- almost like a snake watching a mouse.

“Well as long as it isn’t too personal! A girl needs to have some secrets!” You say with a laugh, hearing the audience laugh along with you.

He laughs, “Of course! Can’t have all the secrets exposed.” He says jokingly, leaning back a bit and crossing his legs back over. “Now, I want the truth,” He begins, his eyes roaming over you again. “Do you have anyone special back home?”

You give a smile, “Now Caesar, a girl should never talk about a relationship..not with so many people around!” You say with a laugh, knowing your time is almost up.

He lets out a laugh and smile, “You are a cheeky one, aren’t you!”

“Now, just tell us one last thing…do you think you can win it?”

You feel your heart racing in your chest, doubts and thoughts swirling through your head. “Of course I can! With a get-up like this I have to!” You say with a fake smile.

Caesar lets out a smile and laugh, “Just wonderful! That Ladies and Gentlemen was Y/n L/n tribute from District 2! Isn’t she just magnificent!”

You wave as you off center stage and back to the arc. Watching as Cato takes the stage. As soon as Caesar starts introducing him the crowd goes wild, loving his confidence and attitude.

“So Cato, you’re a fighter?” Caesar asks,

Cato responds almost instantly, “I’m prepared, vicious and I’m ready to go.” Everyone roars after that, absolutely eating it up.

“Now Cato, just one more question before you go was your outfit planned to match your fellow tribute?” Caesar asks with a smile- awaiting Catos answer.

“That it was, she looks beautiful and it’s only right my outfit matches hers.” Cato replies with a smirk.

The crowd starts going absolutely mad over the interaction, they found it beyond sweet the two of you had purposely dressed with each other in mind.

“So, does that mean there’s more to it than meets the eye?” Caesar asks, shifting in his seat in anticipation. Cato smirks, and looks over at the audience.

Cato leans a little closer, “Between you and I?” He asks, as the crowd leans forward- eager to know what hes going to reveal.

Caesar nods, eager to hear. “Of course.”

The room falls silent, waiting to hear Catos answer.

“I guess you could say there is.” Cato finally says, his smirk growing as the audience lets out another round of cheers.

“Wow! Ladies and Gentlemen, Cato!” Caesar says, getting up from his seat with Cato, raising his hand.

What.

You fight the urge to look up at the screen showing you, but you could feel your face flushing up.

Cato walks back over and takes his place by you, strategically slipping his hand into yours- you fought the urge to pull your own away, but whatever he did, whether you liked it or not, gained a lot of attention.

You watch as Katniss comes back up from her interview- everyone absolutely loved her. Then it was Peeta, and the same shock fills your body as he reveals his very own crush on Katniss.

You all stand for the anthem, but once its over you and the other tributes file back into the Training Center lobby and onto the elevators. You get stuck with Marvel and Glimmer, eyes averting from theirs the entire time- although you could feel Marvel’s eyes on you for much longer than they needed to be.

As soon as the doors open to your floor you rush to your room- but already find Cato sitting on the bed. “What the hell was that?” You ask, unsure if they anger was from Caesar, the stunt Cato pulled after the constant back and forth, or if it was from knowing what was going to happen in a few hours.

He smirks as you barge into your room, standing up with his hands in his pockets as you storm over to him.

"What do you mean 'what was that'? I was just answering a question." He says with a shrug, taking a few steps closer to you.

You cross your arms over your chest, frustration and anger bubbling up inside you. "Don't play dumb! You know exactly what I'm talking about."

“I said we would get a long and work together, I just did something that’ll help you considering your background” Cato barks out, the word background coming out of his mouth like it was infected.

Now you remember why you found him insufferable. He thought he was better than everyone else.

“I was doing perfectly fine on my own!” You say, face flushing up in anger.He scoffed, his eyes narrowing as he took another step closer.

"Yeah, your little show was really convincing." He said sarcastically. You could feel his annoyance radiating off of him, his face only a few inches from yours.

"Oh, and what do you mean 'considering my background'?" You asked, now feeling your own irritation growing. “Please enlighten me Cato, because apparently that’s all everyone can focus on!”

He rolled his eyes, frustration etched across his face.

"You really need me to spell it out for you? Fine.” He grabs your chin, forcing you to look at him.

His eyes bore into yours, the words he says next like a dagger stabbing at your already sore and tired heart. “Everyone knows what your mother did, and everyone knows the consequences of her actions.”

“Oh so I’m the consequence of her actions? I’m the disappointment?” You seethe out, eyes glaring straight into his. He lets go of your chin, a scoff escaping from his mouth. "No one said that-" he starts but is cut off as soon as you speak again.

"Then what did you mean by that?" You say, your voice rising slightly. “Because clearly that’s what you were getting at, right?”

He let out a sigh, running a hand through his hair. "I was just trying to help, alright?" He said, the intensity in his voice was still there. He didn’t like being attacked. He definitely did not like being put into a corner.

“What’s wrong?” You hear Brutus ask from your doorway, apparently your two mentors, Pex, Seraphine and her team had just gotten back and heard the ending to your argument.

“He just made me look bad!” You say, growing more annoyed as the seconds went by. “Y/n he’s helping you out- most people in the Capitol know about your parents, he wants to put a good light on you and our District” Enobaria says, coming into your room and placing a hand on your shoulder.

Bullshit. He was doing it to make himself look good- to look like the golden boy of the Capitol.

Brutus rolled his eyes at your outburst. "Look, the kid is just trying to help-“

"Oh yeah, real helpful.” You interrupted with a scoff.

Brutus just shook his head, he knew you were stubborn, but this was getting ridiculous. “That’s enough.” He said sternly, giving you a warning look.

Your mouth clamps shut, you knew you couldn’t go against anything that Brutus said. “Mrs. Y/n..he was simply just trying to help the favor in yours and his odds, we had talked about this strategy before and it seemed to be an ideal one” Pex breaks in, his Capitol accent on clear display.

You take a breath, calming down. Okay maybe he was trying to help, you still wouldn’t and didn’t believe it.

There’s a small amount of silence that follows after Pexs’s words, “Did my reaction make it seem believable?” You ask, eyes going up towards the others.

“It certainly did, darling! The blush, and then the holding hands! Absolutely perfect!” Seraphine says with a smile- clearly showing she’s on for romantics.

“Okay...good” You say, taking a step back from Cato. You feel Seraphine's hands on your arms as her and Enobaria start talking to you as you all make your way to the dining room for dinner.

After everyone is done eating, you all watch the replay of the interviews. You look confident, like you were meant to be in District 2. Cato looked confident- arrogant and that he was ready for the games to start. Then you were blushing with Cato at your side, hands intertwined- it looked like he was blushing as well?

Once it finishes, you could only hear the chattering between Pex and Seraphine. You knew at dawn you and Cato would be waking up, it could be the last time you wake up in a bed.

You knew Seraphine and her team will be going with you and Cato- but Pex, Enobaria and Brutus will be at the Games Headquarters.

Enobaria pulls you into a hug and gives Cato a smile, “Remember to bring honor and pride to our District..”

You give a hesitant smile at her words, while Cato just smirks, “I will don’t worry”

Of course he will, he was practically raised to do this. Like it was his entire purpose in life. You look towards the silent Brutus, “Any advice?”

His lips were pressed into a thin line, but he still looked at you with that sternness in his eyes, always the mentor. “Don’t die,” He replied.

That was all you were going to get from him, and deep down you knew it was true.

You nodded at his words, knowing that was the only advice needed. “Stay away from the Cornucopia Y/n, it’s not meant for you” Brutus adds on, eyes straight on you. He looks towards Cato and gives him a firm head nod, whatever words he needed to say were simply turned into a movement.

You look towards Cato, who was having a hushed conversation with Seraphine, now that was shocking to you. You would think Cato would hate her guts. You didn’t have much to say to him, or rather you didn’t want to say anything to him.

You assumed your last words would be said to Cato when he drives a spear through you. Glancing away from him and the others you go back to your room without a sound.

Taking a quick shower you scrub off the makeup and the gems in your hair. You slip into one of the nightgowns the Capitol provided, laying in bed you let out a sigh as you toss and turn. Ten minutes go by, fifteen, twenty then thirty-five.

With a sigh, you turn in bed and toss the covers off of your body. You silently slip out of your room and wander off to the usual window you would sit by- but you're surprised to see Cato already there.

You don’t say anything as you approach him- he doesn’t move at all eyes focused on the dancing Capitol people along the streets.

He doesn’t look over at you, even though he knew you were sitting down next to him. He just remains silent, continuing to look out the window.

After a few minutes of silence pass, he finally speaks up. “You should be asleep.” He says bluntly. You don’t say anything, glancing over at him, “Why aren’t you?”

He doesn’t answer your question, still looking out the window. “No answer?" You ask again, tilting your head to get a better look at him.

He just lets out a sigh and leans back, finally looking over at you. “I don’t sleep much before the Games.” You knew he was probably looking forward to the Games, he had to be excited to get his hands on something real.

"You on the other hand should definitely be sleeping." He said, looking back out the window.

He was probably correct, but you had no intention of even attempting to go back to sleep, you wouldn’t manage even if you tried.

“I know..” You mumble out, “I know I won’t make it very far into the Games..so once you get back to District 2 will you tell my Mom I love her?” You say, eyes on him as you move to go back to your room.

You knew your Mom wouldn’t make it far without you, losing your Dad already hit her hard.

He turns quickly, reaching his hand out and grabbing your arm, keeping you from leaving.

It was a swift, quick action, you almost didn’t even realize it until you looked down at your arm to see his hand holding you in place.

“Goodnight, Cato..” You whisper before slipping away from his grip- he didn’t put up much of a fight.

Once back in bed you slip in and out of sleep, the only thing in your head was the question of “What would Cato look like once he finds you in that arena? How will he end your experience as a tribute.”

Seraphine comes to your room at dawn offering you a simple outfit to wear, “I don’t get to see Cato?” You ask, not even sure why you asked or why it bothered you.

“Unfortunately not, darling”

Before you know it the tracker was inserted into your forearm and you’re slipping on the clothes give to you. Simple tawny pants, a red shirt, sturdy brown belt and a thin hooded black jacket. There were soft leather boots as well.

Seraphine pulled your hair back into another bun, adding those little red gems too. “I wasn’t sure if I would be allowed to add them, but they let me..it suits you, darling” She says with a bittersweet smile.

You take a breath, silently looking at Seraphine- she quickly pulls you into a hug then guides you to the circular metal plate. “Remember to kill with a sparkle, dear” She says, you could see the tears forming in her eyes.

The cylinder begins to rise, surrounded in darkness for what felt like ages. The metal plate pushes you out of the cylinder into the open space. You blink as your eyes adjust to the sunlight- feeling the wind blow against your frame, barely making out the trees surrounding the area.

“Ladies and gentlemen, let the Seventy-fourth Hunger Games begin!”

Sixty seconds. You had to wait sixty seconds. Looking around you spotted Katniss- she looked just as confused as you, like she was trying to come up with a plan. Then a few tributes away from you, you see Cato. His eyes were set on you. You could see his fingers twitching, he wanted to bash someone’s head in badly.

You took another shaky breath in, maybe he wanted it to be you.

The gong rings out, you immediately sprint towards whatever shiny piece of metal was laying in the field- it was a knife! You could see the boy from District 9 fight with Katniss for a bag she grabbed.

Here’s to hoping that Katniss liked you

Throwing the knife it pierces through the boy's body- you could see the blood splatter onto Katniss’s shocked face, his body slumps to the ground. “Run!” You shout out to Katniss, running towards her and yanking the knife from the boy. She just stands there unsure what to do, “I said run!” You shout again, grabbing her hand and forcing her to go with you.

Your adrenaline was so heightened that you didn’t realize what you had done.

You and Katniss continued to run until the woods had hidden you from most of the other tributes, without exchanging any words the both of you switched between a run and a jog for a while.

“I’m surprised you haven’t killed me yet” Katniss says, walking side by side with you. You wait to reply, unsure of what to say.

The only sound around you was your own ragged breathing, a bead of sweat was steadily making it’s way down the side of your face. Your fingers were wrapped around the handle of the knife tightly, trying to think of a sentence and respond to her.

“I don’t think you’re my biggest threat right now.” You say in response, eyes glued to the surrounding trees around you.

“Oh yeah? Then who is?” She says with a scoff, her own hands tightly holding onto the orange pack she got.

“Cato” You reply almost instantly. This startles her, “Aren’t you two in love?”

You forgot. The lovers, that was Catos act.

“I love him..but I know he has a lot of love for our District, one love has to be stronger than the other, right?” You reply, the words coming out of your mouth being partially true.

She stays quiet for a few moments, eyes focused on you as she thinks things over.

“I guess…” She replies, her gaze now on the forest around her.

There’s another bout of awkward silence, neither one of you knew what to say to each other, or how to even be around each other.

Soon the cannons go off. That meant most of the fighting had died down for now. You could hear Katniss count the number under her breath. Eleven. Eleven dead in all, meaning there were thirteen left to play.

Cato had to be alive, there was no way he wasn’t. He was probably with all of the other Careers, Marvel, Glimmer and maybe the two from District 4.

Glimmer. She probably had herself wrapped around him. You could feel an emotion swirl around your body, it was crawling through you. No- that doesn’t make any sense. You don’t have any feelings for Cato.

Katniss stops walking and slumps down next to her pack, sifting through the contents inside of it. She mumbles something about there being no water, gets back up and continues to walk along. You silently follow alongside her.

An hour has passed, “We should sleep soon..” You mumble out quietly, looking towards her. “Yeah” You hear her whisper out. Before you two decide to settle down she starts to place wire and set two twitch-up snares in the brush. You didn’t ask any questions.

Just a few minutes of walking you both stumble upon a willow tree, you watch her start to climb it and you follow along and do the same. You both loop your belt around the tree and to your waist.

Night falls then you hear the anthem that shows the death recap. Soon the anthem fades out and the sky goes dark for a moment. The faces of the eleven dead tributes begin to show in the sky. You could see Katniss tick them one by one on her fingers. The Capitol seal is back with a final musical flourish- then darkness and the surrounding sounds of the forest follow suit.

“Rue and Peeta made it..” You whisper quietly, the silence had been killing you.

She lets out a sigh, “Yeah..they did”. She says, looking over at you. The silence between you was still there, it was an awkward feeling.

She leaned her head back against the trunk of the tree- “You should probably try and get some sleep”

“Probably” You mumble out, but all you could think of was Cato. Your thoughts mixing with your imminent death by his hands and the feeling of his hands on you. When he did get to you, you hoped he would try to make it quick.

You slowly fall asleep, only a few hours pass until you jolt awake to the sound of a snap. Your eyes fly around the area, glancing over at Katniss she’s nodding her head to the direction of someone trying to start a fire. You knew better than to do that.

You silently sit there as dawn approaches, at this point you and Katniss were simply waiting for this tribute's death. Suddenly you could hear several feet running, then there was screaming and pleading from the person, it was a girl. There was laughter that followed her death.

It had to have been the other Careers, you knew it was. You could recognize Catos laugh. “Better clear out so they can get the body before it starts stinking.”

So it was Cato.

You could hear them heading towards you and Katniss- you tense. What would Cato do once he found you?

They stop suddenly, talking about the lack of the cannon and who should go check to see if she’s actually dead. “We’re wasting time! I’ll go finish her and let’s move on!” You look towards Katniss, she looked like she was going to fall out of the tree. It clicks in your mind- it was Peeta.

What was Cato doing with Peeta? He despised you for talking to them during training.

“Go on, then, Lover Boy,” You could make it out to be Cato, “See for yourself.” You could hear someone scoff, maybe the boy from District 1? Marvel was his name. “You aren't one to talk, you're still on the hunt for your girl.” In an instant you joined Katniss on falling off the tree, but thankfully you both were held in place by your belts. You could see her eyes tracking the glimpses of Peeta she got through the trees.

You could make out them talking about killing off Peeta, but someone, you think it was Cato, interjected. “Besides, he’s our best chance of finding Y/n and that other girl.”

So they were on the lookout for you and Katniss, it didn't necessarily shock you, you and Katniss both received high scores. As Peeta had approached them again they quieted down, “Was she dead?” Cato asked, “No. But she is now” Peeta replied, right after his response the cannon fired. “Ready to move on?”

╚═*.·:·.✧ ✦ ✧.·:·.*═╝

notes✨: The fourth part will be in the works but I am devoting some attention to my Formula One Carlos Sainz fic! Once more, leave any comments, suggestions or requests!

part four

[midnightdraftsblog]

.・。.・゜✭・ʀᴀᴅɪᴏ ꜱɪʟᴇɴᴄᴇ・✫・゜・。.

summary: being a PR manager came with its struggles- especially if the driver is cold as ice.

pairing: carlos sainz x fem! PR manager! reader

warnings: none

words: 1.5k

╚═*.·:·.✧ ✦ ✧.·:·.*═╝

You knew who Carlos Sainz was- I mean who didn't? He was a brilliant driver, emphasis on was.

Before the start of the 2025 season you finally got your dream job, PR manager hired by Williams Racing. They had wanted you to help with Carlos.

Well, earlier in the 2024 season it had come out that Carlos would be dropped by Ferrari for Lewis Hamilton- not only that but his girlfriend, Rebecca Donaldson had broken up with him less than 24 hours after that news was confirmed. Carlos became cold- distant and disinterested in anything but performing well. The public had swayed opinions on him now.

You personally didn’t have much of an opinion on him, you thought he was incredibly handsome- even more handsome when he would get focused on something.

You could recall the first time you had met him at Grove. It was a disaster. You showed up on time, even early, hair done, makeup done, outfit on point- and for Carlos?

He showed up late looking like he wanted to be anywhere but there. It was during the winter break before the start of the 25’ season. “Hi, Carlos! So good to meet you!” You had said with a smile, stretching your hand out towards his- expecting him to shake your hand.

He gives you a head nod, completely ignoring your hand, and going straight to talk with Alex and James. You stood there shocked for a few moments- Alex and James were both incredibly nice and respectful, it definitely threw you off guard. You swiftly moved on from it, following the three around as they show you around Grove, only truly going to spend time there during the winter break and summer.

During the entire time Carlos did not say a single word to you, or even spare you a glance. It had pissed you off, no wonder his girlfriend broke up with him! He lacked any personality or emotions. Maybe it was the age difference? It couldn't be, you were only three years younger than him, it wasn't that bad.

Fast forward a few weeks until pre-season testing in Sakhir, James wanted you to do a “Day in the Life” video series that would be shown on the Williams app- just a compilation of small things Carlos did. Okay easy enough, it wouldn't be that bad.

“Okay Carlos, do you want to do the gym segment first or your meal?” You ask, typing away on the notes app on your phone, swiping back and forth on schedules, checking through emails from other Williams workers. You stood in Carlos’s apartment waiting for the already late filming crew to arrive. “Since Alex lives right next door we could also include him if you wanted?” You add on, looking up at the Spaniard.

Carlos had his back leaning against the kitchen counter top, arms crossed over his chest and a small scowl was visible on his face. He hated doing these things, he'd rather be back home in Madrid.

He rolls his eyes at your question. He was in no mood to spend the entire day with a crew following him. “Just the meal.” He answers bluntly, annoyance clear in his voice.

He pushes himself off the counter, running a hand through his hair. He wanted this day to be over already.

“Nothing with Alex then?” You ask simply, internally rolling your eyes. Why couldn’t he just cooperate like Alex? Alex was fantastic! He was easy going and funny! It probably helped that Alex was also chronically online, but he was much easier to work with.

“I think including Alex would be a good idea” You add on, since he hadn’t addressed your question earlier about it.

Why did you have to suggest Alex?

Carlos could hear the hint of irritation in your voice and it only annoyed him more. He knew you preferred Alex over him, it wasn't hard to figure out.

He rolls his eyes, uncrossing his arms only to cross them over his chest again. “Why? so he can get all the credit?” He snaps, pushing himself off the counter and walking towards you.

You furrowed your eyebrows at his words, that was unusual. Why would he think that? You didn’t think your words came off that way. You look up from your phone, fingers halting from their typing. “No, you and him get along, you really only talk to him so it might make it easier to film you and get some actual personality out of you” You say, wanting to find some sort of a silver-lining out of this situation.

Now with his attitude, you lost any attraction to him. That was probably for the better.

Carlos clenched his jaw slightly at your words. He knew he didn’t have the best personality out of the paddock now- that he was considered harsh and quiet. The annoyance only increased at the way you spoke about his friend.

He was even more aggravated when you mentioned him having an easier time with Alex.

He takes a few steps closer towards you, his eyes narrowed on your face. “I have plenty of personality, maybe you just choose to ignore it.” He retorts, his usual calm Spanish accent suddenly sounding a lot sharper and more harsh.

“Alright then, we don’t need Alex” You reply softly, not wanting the situation to escalate further. “Just please try to make it an alright experience?”

Carlos takes a deep breath trying to calm himself down. He hated how soft your voice had gotten, a part of him preferred the snappy tone you used earlier. He hated the fact that he was getting triggered by your words.

He let out a grunt, rolling his eyes once more. “Sure, I'll give you a show.” He mutters irritably. He was going to be a model interviewee, just to piss you off.

It confused you, he wasn’t like this with Ferrari, or really any other team he worked with. So why Williams? He seemed to want to help them, mentioning it briefly in media, but now with his change in attitude and actions, things were going to be a lot different.

You recall the first Grand Prix of the season, the Australia GP. Carlos had DNF’d. He wasn’t happy, Ferrari had scored points, thankfully no podium but it still didn’t feel good for him. You had tried to reassure him before his post-race interview with Sky Sports.

“It’s alright Carlos, the team has full faith in you and Alex finished with P5 so we leave with a considerable amount of points” You say in a hushed tone, waiting off to the side for Carlos to have his interview.

Carlos had been in a terrible mood after coming off the track. DNF’ing in the first race was a less than ideal start to the season, especially so soon after getting dropped by Ferrari.

He could see the concern in your eyes as you stood next to him, waiting for the usual barrage of interview questions. You tried being optimistic for his sake, mentioning how Alex had scored points for the team. He hated it.

He let out a sigh, running a hand through his disheveled hair. “It's not enough.” He mutters under his breath, his voice hoarse.

You purse your lips, you knew whatever you could or would say wouldn’t switch his mindset. “Alright, just keep a good mindset for China”

A few moments pass then he stood up in front of the camera and interviewer, mic adjusted to his height. You had told him what to say, what not to say. He was media trained, but well, with his recent attitude change that had changed.

It had started off well at first, simple-boring to the point responses from him. Then it all started to crumble apart- he had completely humiliated you. Carlos had tried to remain calm and composed during the interview, answering the questions briefly and professionally. But then the interviewer, as usual, brought up his performance in the race.

Carlos clenched his jaw, his annoyance and frustration from earlier on returning. It wasn’t enough that he had DNF’d, now he had to answer questions about it.

He takes a deep breath, trying to compose himself, but then the interviewer mentions Ferrari. That was the final straw.

“Ferrari this, Ferrari that, can’t you people think of something new?” He snaps irritably, his mask of politeness slipping as he walks off.

That was going to be a fine from the FIA, you knew that.

You give an apologetic smile to the interviewer and towards the camera- rushing off towards Carlos.

“Carlos! You can’t just say that!” You say, following him as he walks down the pit lane. He only glances at you and doesn’t respond. In an instant cameras, fans and other media outlets were surrounding you and Carlos.

You could see a young fan running over to Carlos wanting an autograph on his old Ferrari hat. Carlos’s eyes go wide as the young fan gets swarmed by people with cameras. He leans down and gives an autograph to the young fan- helping and guiding him away from the cameras and back to his parents.

This wasn’t going to be an easy job, was it?

╚═*.·:·.✧ ✦ ✧.·:·.*═╝

notes✨: First part of this series out! I’ll be posting the next part of my Hunger Games one soon!! Leave any comments, suggestions or requests!

part two

[midnightdraftsblog]

.・。.・゜✭・ꜰᴏʀᴍᴜʟᴀ ᴏɴᴇ・✫・゜・。.

radio silence ➸ carlos sainz

⇘

teaser

[midnightdraftsblog]

carlos sainz

You personally didn’t have much of an opinion on him, you thought he was incredibly handsome- even more handsome when he would get focused on something.

You could recall the first time you had met him at Grove. It was a disaster. You showed up on time, even early, hair done, makeup done, outfit on point- and for Carlos?

He showed up late looking like he wanted to be anywhere but there.

So much for being his new PR manager.

y/n l/n

.・。.・゜✭・ʀᴀᴅɪᴏ ꜱɪʟᴇɴᴄᴇ・✫・゜・。.

[midnightdraftsblog]

y/n l/n

“I don’t think you’re my biggest threat right now.” You say in response, eyes glued to the surrounding trees around you. Hand tightly grasping your knife.

“Oh yeah? Then who is?” She says with a scoff, her own hands tightly holding onto the orange pack she got.

“Cato” You reply almost instantly. This startles her, “Aren’t you two in love?”

You forgot. The lovers, that was Catos act.

“I love him..but I know he has a lot of love for our District, one love has to be stronger than the other, right?” You reply, the words coming out of your mouth being partially true.

katniss everdeen

part 3 “kill with a sparkle” soon ███▒▒▒▒▒▒▒

[midnightdraftsblog]

cato hadley

*ੈ✩‧₊˚ “I’ve been preoccupied with watching the boy from District 2 send a spear through the dummy’s heart for fifteen yards”

y/n l/n

“The tributes from 1, 2, and 4 traditionally have this look about them. It’s technically against the rules to train tributes before they reach the Capitol but it happens every year. In District 12, we call them the Career Tributes, or just the Careers. And like as not, the winner will be one of them” ┊͙✧˖*°࿐

.・。.・゜✭・ᴋɪʟʟ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴀ ꜱᴘᴀʀᴋʟᴇ・✫・゜・。.

[midnightdraftsblog]

.・。.・゜✭・ᴋɪʟʟ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴀ ꜱᴘᴀʀᴋʟᴇ・✫・゜・。.

summary: what if it was flipped?

pairing: cato x f! reader

warnings: it’s the hunger games

words: 3.4k

part one

╚═*.·:·.✧ ✦ ✧.·:·.*═╝

Over the past few days of training you would stick to Peeta and Katniss- feeling somewhat in place with them because, what you assumed, was the connection to District 12.

Your mother never did anything, simply working quietly and going through life without a single thought. She was a mess after the incident with your father.

Eventually you had taken notice of the girl from District 11, she was small- only looking to be 12. You were going to protect her if you could, you were sure Katniss had the same thoughts by the way she would stare at Rue.

Maybe you could make some other alliances? Stay low and out of sight with Katniss and Rue.

You sat there for a few more minutes, looking out the window as the city lights continued to flicker on the buildings. The air had felt heavy, the words exchanged leaving a weird tension- an uncomfortable feeling.

You let out a sigh, looking over to your own bedroom door, contemplating whether to go into your own room or not. The feeling of sleep was slowly creeping in, wanting to take over. You sit there for a while longer, until you hear a door open and close, then footsteps coming down the stairs towards you.

You turn around to see who it was, eyes adjusting to the darkness- only being able to make out the figure of a man. You then realize that it was Pex by the way he stood.

You look at him silently, not necessarily saying anything as you wait for him to speak first. “I know you don’t want to be here..”, you hear him say. You could hear him step closer, a hand on your shoulder.

You could sense him leaning down, voice close. “Between you and I- don’t trust the Capitol..Cato doesn’t see it but you do”

“Stay away from them in the Games, stay low”

You felt the hand disappear, when you looked back over your shoulder you spotted Cato walking towards you. “Who were you talking to?”, he asks.

“No..no one”, you say- mind still trying to wrap around what was said to you. Cato steps closer, his eyebrow raised in skepticism. “Are you sure?”, he asks, scrutinizing your face. You try to keep a neutral expression, not knowing whether he could see the worry and confusion etched on your face.

"Yes, I'm sure," you reply firmly, avoiding his gaze. He stares at you for a moment longer, his gaze almost like he was reading your soul. "You're not a good liar, you know that?", he says, his voice slightly amused.

A small smile crosses your face, “I know”

“It’s nothing you have to worry about..”, you say, looking back at him. “I was just talking to Enobaria about..some girl stuff.” Cato gave you a slight eye roll, clearly not believing your story. “Girl stuff, huh? Sure, I totally believe that..”

He knew you were hiding something, but decided not to press the issue, at least for now. You look around anxiously, knee going up and down as you shift in your seat.

It was time for the private session with the game makers.

Marvel had already gone for District 1, but Glimmer was in the middle of her session. Cato and you sat next to each other, you could feel his eyes on you. “Stop fidgeting!”, he whispers, his annoyance coming out.

His eyes were glued to your bouncing knee, his own leg pressed against yours. “What’re you going to do? For your private session..”, he adds on, eyes still watching your knee. “I..I don’t know”, you say- trying to rack your brain for an idea- for anything.

You looked deep in thought, your knee bouncing even faster. Cato let out an annoyed huff, his hand moving to rest on your knee, stopping the fast bouncing. “Calm down would you”, he hisses, his hand staying on your knee.

Your mouth clamps shut, hands going into your lap. You let out a breath, closing your eyes as you try to think. “Just…show some sort of skill”, he says bluntly, his hand still on your knee.

You could feel the weight of his hand.

Your eyes snap open as you see Glimmer walk back into the waiting room, confidently walking away and letting her eyes linger on Cato a moment longer than you would have liked.

Why did it matter to you?

You feel Cato get up from beside you, District 2 being called over the coms, then shortly followed by “Cato Hadley”.

You see him walk into the room, doors shutting behind him. You sat there, silently waiting for his return. Time felt like it was going by slower, each second dragging on as you waited. Your eyes focused on the doors, waiting for them to open.

After what seemed like forever, the doors finally opened slowly, with Cato exiting. He walks past you, not sparing you any glance. A sharp feeling of what? Hurt runs through your body, why was he acting like that now?

You hear your name being called over the coms, “Y/n L/n”.

With a breath you get out of your seat and walk into the room. Doors shutting behind you, you walk up to the set of weapons, looking up you see the game makers, all chatting and laughing.

They knew about your past. They didn’t spare you a single glance. They knew you were a disgrace and weren’t a true Career.

“Y/n L/n..District 2”, you say, voice loud and irritated.

You were mad. Mad at Cato for whatever his deal was, and just mad at the Capitol. But what were you going to do? You reach for the throwing knives, fingers running over the blades.

There was one thing you could do.

You picked up one of the throwing knives, eyes sharp and focused on the nearest game maker. With a swift motion, you threw the knife at one of the gamemakers. It flew through the air, hitting the wall right next to the target with precision.

Dead- silent.

The room felt tense, the air thick with anticipation. The game makers were taken off guard, their laughter and chatter coming to an abrupt halt. “Thank you for your time”, you say, dropping the other knives and walking out.

You silently walk back into the suite from the elevator, going up to your room and changing into some comfortable clothes. You enter your bedroom, changing into some loose clothes before collapsing onto the bed- eyes staring up at the ceiling.

Your mind was still racing, frustration coursing through you.

As if on cue, there was a knock on your door.

“Who is it?”, you ask, leaning up on your arms. The person doesn’t answer, simply just opening the door. “Uh..hello?”, you say- giving him a weird look as he just stands there.

“Scores come out later tonight”, he says bluntly, still standing there. You nodded at his statement, knowing the significance of the scores. “I know”, you simply say, folding your legs under your body. The atmosphere in the room felt heavy, both of you standing in an awkward silence.

Cato stays there, eyes moving from your face to the floor, then back to your face. “Is there something else you want to say?”, you ask, giving him another look. His gaze stays focused on you, his jaw clenching slightly.

“That was stupid..what you did during your private session”, he bluntly says. Your eyebrows slightly knit together, a sense of indignance coming over you.

How did he even know about that?

“I didn’t ask for your opinion on it, Cato”, you say annoyedly, rolling your eyes. That familiar feeling of irritation comes crawling back into your body. Why was he always so aggressive? So brash? “Well it was stupid”, he says back, his gaze hardening.

He took a step towards you, as if trying to intimidate you. “You’re already going to have the whole Capitol watching you, and you decided to throw a tantrum?”

Your irritation only grew, your heart rate slightly increasing. “I..I didn’t throw a tantrum!”, you say, getting up from the bed and standing in front of him, arms crossed over your chest.

You didn’t care if he was big, and muscular, and actually very intimidating- he was pissing you off. He rolled his eyes, his gaze shifting to your crossed arms and then back to your face. He smirked, clearly amused.

“Oh, so it was just a friendly gesture then?”, he sneered, taking another step closer to you. He towered over you, his presence overwhelming.

“You just decided to throw a knife at a game maker for fun?”, he added on, his voice deep but still somehow mocking. “What is your problem, Cato?”, you say, eyes narrowing at him. “Do you always have to be in charge? Always have to be so aggressive?”

He let out an amused scoff, a smirk on his face. "Aggressive? You're the one who threw a knife at people. And I don't always have to be in charge, but someone has to be." He leaned in close, his face mere inches from yours.

"And let's be honest, it clearly wasn't going to be you."

Without thinking you knee him right where it hurts, and walk away with a huff. Slamming your door shut behind him. Cato let out a sharp hiss of pain, doubling over and clutching the area where you had kneed him. He stumbles slightly, leaning against the wall for support as he tries to regain his composure.

"You really are something...", he mutters to himself, a mix of admiration and annoyance on his face.

A few hours had passed, you hadn’t seen or heard of Cato. Thankfully so.

You’re sat on the couch in the living room area, waiting for the Tribute scores to be announced.

Talking with Enobaria and Seraphine, your conversation is ruined when Brutus comes storming in with Pex and Cato by his side. “Is everything okay”, you ask, eyes wide as you glance between the three men.

“No! Why did you think it was okay to throw a knife at gamemakers?”, Brutus shouts, eyes furious as he stares down at you. Your eyes move to Cato’s, you could see a smirk on his face. Your jaw tightens at the smirk on his face, anger bubbling inside of your chest.

Enobaria tries to get between you and Brutus, while Seraphine watches silently. Brutus continues to glare down at you, “Do you realize how stupid that was?!”

“I'm sure she meant no harm..no need to yell at her”, Pex says, placing a hand on Brutus’s shoulder and pulling him back. You look at Pex silently, a thankful look in your eyes.

“As you know, the Tributes were rated on a scale of 1 to 12 after three days of careful evaluation. The Gamemakers would like to acknowledge that it was an exceptional…”

Your mind went blank after that, filtering out the scores of Glimmer and Marvel.

“From District 2, Cato, with a score of 10”

You let out a breath, closing your eyes as you give a small smile.

“Y/n, with a score of 11”

“What the hell”, Cato says, eyes wide as he looks at Caesar's face on the screen.

“That’s great Y/n!”, Enobaria says, hand on your shoulder as she squeezes you into a hug. She had a strong grip, gently hugging her back you were thankful she was your mentor. Enobaria was scary, yet motherly.

You stay sat with the others watching the rest of the Tribute scores being called out.

“From District 12. Peeta Mellark. A score of 8”

“And finally…from District 12, Katniss Everdeen. With a score of..11”

You sat through dinner with silence as they all talked, mind racing with thoughts. You could feel Cato’s eyes on you the entire time.

Back at the windowsill you couldn’t sleep. You had to go back and train before your interview with Caesar.

“Can’t sleep?”, a voice says from behind.

You turn around and see Cato standing a few inches from you, eyes fixed on yours.

You simply nodded, not wanting to engage in conversation.

He leaned against the windowsill, his gaze shifting to look outside into the night.

You could hear his breathing from how close he was, his presence so overwhelming even in silence. “We see Caesar soon..”, you finally say, looking over at him. He let out a scoff, his gaze still fixated on the window.

"Yeah, can't wait for him to ask me a thousand questions about you", he said sarcastically. “You brought that onto yourself..”, you say, eyes still on him.

“You didn’t have to take my hand”

He turns to face you, a small smirk playing on his lips. "And you didn't have to throw a knife at gamemakers", he replies, cocking an eyebrow at you. “Who got the higher score?”, you challenge back, raising your own eyebrows at him.

You knew he’d react badly to that, at the moment you didn’t care. His smirk fades, a slight irritation flashing in his eyes."That was a lucky shot,” he says through gritted teeth, trying to keep his composure. You let out a hum, not replying to him as you look out towards the lights.

He scoffed at your response, taking another step forward towards you. "You're infuriating, you know that?", he says, his voice low and quiet. “You don’t have to talk to me”, you say sharply, feeling a headache already coming on. His expression hardens, annoyance flashing in his eyes.

"Oh, so now you're giving me orders?", he says, a hint of sarcasm in his tone. You dont reply to him, deciding to get up from your spot and go back to your room, heading to sleep for the night.

You wake up the next morning to a series of rushed knocks on the door, “Busy day today”.

It was Pex. Right, tomorrow were the interviews with Caesar.

You take a quick shower and change into a simple outfit, arriving into the dining room you see Cato silently eating his breakfast, while Enobaria and Pex are busy talking- but Brutus just sits there silently listening to them, the occasional head nod or grunt coming from him.

Getting some food on your plate you sit alongside Cato at the table, drinking some water and eating a small bit of food you look up towards Enobaria and Pex, “You guys are going over the interview skills with us today, right?” you ask, eyes shifting back down as you eat a but more food.

“Yes! You’ll work with Pex first then me…Cato has insisted he can work by himself”, Enobaria says, giving a small glance towards Cato- who once again is just silently sitting there, a rather pissed off expression on his face.

It was probably for the best the two of you weren't working together, you probably weren't going to say a word to him unless your life depended on it. One moment you both seemed to dislike each other, the other you two seemed *comfortable.*

Eventually you got to work with Pex, going over the general mannerisms, posture. What to do with your hands, your smile, your eyes. Thankfully you already had prior experience with dresses and high heels so that didn't need to be covered- which you weren't sure how that would go over with Pex to begin with.

You make your way back down towards the dining room, Cato sits there talking with Brutus. After eating some food you're sat with Enobaria, going over the kind of “act” you’ll put on.

Enobaria was going through what Caesar might ask you during the interviews, trying to come up with the best way to get the public to love you- to swoon and adore you. It was like she was the coach of a beauty pageant instead of a battle to survive.

“Be charming, be likable”, she says, tapping her fingers on the table. “Being a Career you will already have a decent amount of sponsors, but it never hurts to have more”

“Do you know what Cato is doing?”, you ask- genuinely curious, but if you had to assume he’d be cocky and arrogant.

“He’s probably just going to be his usual charming self. He’s already loved by the Capitol, people like the aggressive types”, Enobaria replies, leaning back in her seat, an amused look on her face.

You silently nod your head- Enobaria was a fantastic tribute herself. She would rip her fellow tributes throats out with her teeth, she was definitely scary.

Thankful that she was your mentor- you continued basic skills and manners with her until it was dinner time.

You opted to eat in your room- you still hadn’t heard anything from Cato. I mean it’s not like Cato meant much to you, really you two are supposed to have dislike towards each other. Well, more so him towards you because of your past.

A past that you couldn’t get rid of no matter how hard you tried. It would always be used against you, wouldn’t it?

Silently sitting in the middle of your bed you eat the food you had ordered yourself- shockingly enough, despite being one of the Career Districts, you haven’t had a lot of eat since you were reaped.

You didn’t understand why Cato willingly participated in the games. When your name had been called out no one, not even this intense girl named Clove, would take your place- they all thought you didn’t belong in District 2. They all knew you would die first, you never did anything during the academy training. None of it appealed to you.

Just then, a knock came at your door. You paused for a moment, wondering who could be at your door at this time.

“Open up. I know you’re still awake”, came a rough, annoyed voice from behind the door.

“Ughh…”, you groan out, eyes rolling as you trudge over to the door and open it, leaning against the frame you look up at the familiar blue eyes. “What is it, Cato?”

He towers over you, that annoyingly attractive and infuriating cocky smirk on his face. "Can I come in?", he asks, an eyebrow raised.

“No!”, you say with a smile, shutting the door. You didn’t want to talk to him.

He swiftly slams a hand on the door before you could fully shut it, preventing the door from closing all the way.

"Oh no, sweetheart. You're not shutting the door on my face", he says, his tone playful yet commanding.

“So you don’t say a word to me all day, brooding in anger- now you think you can come into my room?”, you ask- you knew it was a joke of a question, he was in charge and didn’t care about what you had to say.

He rolls his eyes at your words, his hand still holding the door open.

"Oh, so you're annoyed now?", he mockingly says, taking a step forward, making you take a step back as he closes the door behind him.

“Uhm..yeah! I want to eat and sleep in peace- as in alone, as in not having you around me”, you say, crossing your arms over your chest as you look at him.

He looks around your room- despite being in it before, only briefly, he still was curious. You see his fingertips dance along the surface of the few pieces of furniture in the room. “You sleep a lot”, he states.

“Yeah?”, you reply, giving him a weird look, “Do you just not sleep or something?”

You knew Cato wasn’t necessarily..the smartest.

“Training is more important to me, to bring victory and pride to our District”, he says- eyes finally going back to yours. You felt small underneath his stare, that everything you had said before helped with his hatred towards you. One moment it was calm- nice, then the next it was like walking across thin ice.

You were led to believe that he was probably being somewhat nice, not even nice, but putting up with you- to make you trust him, just for Cato to then kill you off in the arena- because he was going to be the winner and you knew nothing would stop him, not even the very slight chance of a romance. Of course, you didn’t actually know his true intentions or plan, but that one was highly likely.

Out of all of the Districts it was known that the Careers from 1, 2 and 4 would win. Thats how it was, and you were looking directly at the winner. You knew Katniss had skill, at least given her score, but she was practically attached to Peeta at the training center, you didn't know what to make out of that.

They seemed like lovers, or at least something of the sort.

“Cat got your tongue?”

Your eyes flick up to Catos blue ones- your e/c eyes staring right through him, “Just thinking..”

╚═*.·:·.✧ ✦ ✧.·:·.*═╝

notes✨: I had enough time to get a second part out! A third one will be coming out in due time! Please leave any comments or suggestions! I’m taking requests as well! 💜

part three

[midnightdraftsblog]

.・。.・゜✭・ᴍᴀꜱᴛᴇʀʟɪꜱᴛ・✫・゜・。.

.・。.・゜✭・ᴛʜᴇ ʜᴜɴɢᴇʀ ɢᴀᴍᴇꜱ・✫・゜・。.

.・。.・゜✭・ꜱᴛᴀʀᴅᴇᴡ ᴠᴀʟʟᴇʏ・✫・゜・。.

.・。.・゜✭・ᴄᴀʟʟ ᴏꜰ ᴅᴜᴛʏ・✫・゜・。.

.・。.・゜✭・ꜰᴏʀᴍᴜʟᴀ ᴏɴᴇ・✫・゜・。.

.・。.・゜✭・ᴍᴀꜱꜱ ᴇꜰꜰᴇᴄᴛ・✫・゜・。.

.・。.・゜✭・ᴛᴏᴘ ɢᴜɴ・✫・゜・。.

[midnightdraftsblog]

.・。.・゜✭・ᴍᴀꜱꜱ ᴇꜰꜰᴇᴄᴛ・✫・゜・。.

memories ➸ kaidan alenko

[midnightdraftsblog]

.・。.・゜✭・ᴛʜᴇ ʜᴜɴɢᴇʀ ɢᴀᴍᴇꜱ・✫・゜・。.

kill with a sparkle ➸ cato hadley

⇘

an insight → teaser

[midnightdraftsblog]

.・。.・゜✭・ᴋɪʟʟ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴀ ꜱᴘᴀʀᴋʟᴇ・✫・゜・。.

summary: what if it was flipped?

pairing: cato x f! reader

warnings: it’s the hunger games

words: 2.6k

╚═*.·:·.✧ ✦ ✧.·:·.*═╝

You weren't sure what was happening, the world around you felt distant and fuzzy. You were only 18, barely even an adult.

You were probably one of the few from District 2 who didn't care for the Games, you saw it as pointless slaughter, but of course nothing was ever said.

The other tribute with you was Cato Hadley, now here was a guy who could win it. On the downside he was kind of annoying and honestly a dick, but his looks definitely made up for that.

Before you knew it you were sitting on a train heading towards the capitol, any words from your mentors, Enobaria and Brutus, went through one ear and out the other.

“Will you stop that?”, you hear a voice say, one that was strangely close and rather too loud.

You let out a mumble of incoherent words, because honestly anyone put into your position wouldn't be too happy- even if they lied about it.

“You’re so weird, just be happy you aren't dead yet”, Cato says. Oh, that was the voice.

You cough awkwardly, shifting yourself just a bit away from him, “Right yeah sorry…”, you mumble out, eyes averting from his very harsh ones.

“Whats your name again? Y/n L/n? You're the…quiet one, right?”, he asks- almost nonchalantly, moving to cross his arms behind his head.

“Yeah, I’m surprised you even remembered”, you say with a light laugh and smile, deciding that even stuck in a shitty situation, might as well not be depressed about it- because Cato might kill you before even getting to the Games.

He stares at you silently after your reply, just looking at you- almost analyzing you? God, he was crazy.

“Okay…well I hope you’re that warm with Caesar..”, you mumble out, side eyeing him.

You could see him tense, “What did you say, you brat?”

Wow okay, definitely had a temper- you internally slapped yourself, he was actually going to kill you and you had only spoken to him a hand full of times.

“Aren’t you two cute?”, Enobaria says with a very fake smile, Brutus behind her as they finally entered back into the longue section of the train.

“Super!”, you say with a smile, glaring at Cato. In less than an hour you already fucked up.

“Shut up”, he replies, glaring back at you. Okay well, at least he looked good while doing that.

“You both realize we need you two to work together, right?”, Brutus says, making you and Cato sit straight. You hesitantly nod your head, while Cato just looks ahead at Brutus, his jaw set.

“We can work together”, Cato replies harshly, okay switch up was kind of crazy but whatever. You nod your head at what he says, “We can..”

“Okay good..”, Enobaria says, “Once we get to the capitol we can talk more about strengths and weaknesses, we’ll also talk about some basic etiquette…because cleary the two of you need it”, she finishes off, getting up from her seat, Brutus following behind her as the exit into a different part of the train.

“We’ll work together, okay? Just listen to me and don't ask questions”, Cato says, getting up from next to you and walking towards the table that was stacked with food.

“Okay then...”, you say, rolling your eyes as you get up from your spot.

There was at least five more hours until you would reach the Capitol, exiting the dining car you get into your private bedroom. It was a little nicer than what was at District 2, spotting the bed you collapse into- content on passing the time by with sleep.

“Wake up”, you hear a voice say, the same one from earlier, but much MUCH closer this time.

“Five more minutes..”, you mumble out, wanting anything more to not have to wake up and face your reality.

You feels hands on the blanket covering you, and in an instant the blanket was ripped from you and your body was toppling onto the floor.

“Oh my god! You are such a dick! Do you always need to be in charge or something?”, you grumble out, slowly getting up from the ground.

Your eyes connect with Catos, an unreadable expression on his face- his eyes had gone dark. It was weird, very weird. Almost like you had brought up his deepest fear.

“I didn't want you to make us late..”, he finally says, walking out of your bedroom and back into the dining car.

You clean yourself up, going into the dining car where you met the faces of your two mentors, Cato, and escort.

“We’ll be arriving at the Capitol in just a few moments! My name is Lucan Pex- but of course you already know that!”, your escort says.

Oh, yeah..you know him.

Lucan was known for his sharp, tailored Capitol fashion and military-themed accessories. Believes deeply in “strength above all” and treats his tributes like his rising gladiators. Fiercely loyal to the Capitol—at least in public.

His was tall- lean, almost like a solider. His dark hair was slicked back into a bun, a neat subtle adorned his chiseled face. The suit he wore was clean- military cuts, small embellishments of swords and shields lined the dark grey fabric. The coat he wore on top matched perfectly, despite the gold trim.

He looked weird- almost perfect yet imperfect? He had an odd glimmer to him…like he had multiple procedures done to fit into the Capitols ideal standard.

You could barely make out a silver tattoo crawling up his neck, although he kept it well hidden.

The steel-gray eyes meet your own tired yet aware ones, “Are you alright, Ms. Y/N?”, Pex asks.

“Oh- yes I’m fine..”, you mumble out, taking a seat next to Cato.

“Ignore her, shes been like this all day…annoying”, Cato says, you could feel his eyes burning into the side of your head.

“Its a hard adjustment, but that is why we prepare you so well for this moment”, Pex says, not a single waver in his voice as he gives you a smile. “You will turn into a fine soldier in no time, Ms. Y/n”

“Oh wow..this is lovely..”, you say, your hair thrown up into a slicked back bun- the blades from daggers sticking from your hair, almost like a makeshift crown. A black velvet dress hung on your body dripping with ruby-like gems, daggers and smaller weapons worked into the fabric, sparkling off of the lights.

“Isn’t it darling! I needed you to absolutely shine! After all..you and Cato both need to kill with a sparkle!”, your stylist, Seraphine Glint says.

She was slightly crazy, obsessed with turning violence into pageantry. You gave her credit, she was good at it.

Her hair was silver, shining almost- slicked back into a bun. Her skin was dark and rich, diamond dusted lipstick and eyeshadow on her face. Her nails, sharp as daggers were glittering with diamonds.

You thought to yourself that her and Pex would make an outstanding couple.

She had a dagger hung around her neck like a necklace, clearly representing your District with pride.

“You and Cato will look like a dream together!”, she says happily, ushering you out of the dressing room and out to the walkway for the parade- where you lock eyes with a similarly dressed Cato.

His hair looked neater, gel clearly used in it- minus a dress, he wore the same fabric but it was designed to take a similar look to the Peacekeepers armor, without the helmet of course.

He looked good.

You gave him a small smile, walking with Seraphine you get to the chariot, letting her do some final touches to you and Cato.

Cato looked at you silently, it was like he wanted to say something but words were caught in his throat. He looks better than usual, still intimidating as hell.

His blue eyes stayed focused on you, taking you in- almost admiring…no, just admiring.

The carriage moved, forcing him to shift closer to you. This was only the first part of your “show” before the interviews.

Cato seemed uncomfortable- not because he was dressed oddly but because he was so close to you.

“Take my hand”, he finally mutters out.

“What?”

“Take my hand”, he repeats. You grab his hand, lacing your fingers together. As the chariot exits the tunnel he raises your conjoined hands, his other arm extended to wave at the Capitol.

Next to him, you don’t raise your hand. Keeping your freed one down at your side.

“There they are!”, Caesar says on screen, him and the other host talking about the tributes.

“Would you look at District 2! Don’t they look lovely! Oh and they’re holding hands!”, he says excitedly.

“This could mean a possible romance! President Snow will most definitely have his eyes on that!”

He did, and you could feel those eyes burning into you.

You let out a breath as you finally reach the Tribute Suites, collapsing onto the couch.

“Already sleeping again?”, Cato says, eyes judging you.

You let out a huff of air, “Shut it, I still have a few more hours of sleep to catch up on”.

Cato stands in the middle of the room, arms crossed as he looks at you.

“You’re going to have to stop that if you want to survive”, he says, his tone somewhat authoritative.

“Sleep?”, you sarcastically ask, sitting upright on the couch.

“That doesn’t make any sense..”, you add on, sitting up on the couch as you get comfortable.

Pex, Brutus and Enobaria were sat at the dining table, all talking amongst each other.

Cato rolls his eyes at you, “Shut up, you know what I mean..”, he growls out. He looks at the mentors over at the table, before walking closer to you.

The air felt tense as he stood over you, you could smell him…god, he smelled good.

“You need to start taking things serious”, he says, his gaze shifting to your own. You tilt your chin up to match his intense gaze.

“Cato between the two of us, I won’t be winning..”, you say, crossing your arms over your chest.

“I have enough survival instincts to last me well into the games..but not to win”

“Then why haven’t you just killed yourself yet?”, he asks, his voice hardening in anger. He takes another step closer to you until he’s standing right in front of you- forcing you to fully tilt your head up to look at him.

His eyes bore into your own, you were sure there was steam coming out of his ears- he was mad.

“We got our names picked Cato..do you really think I wanted to do this?”, you ask, giving him a look.

“Obviously not, but why are you just laying here acting like you’ve already lost?”, he says, his voice dropping. You see his eyes drift from yours to your lips, before going right back up.

It was odd.

The room was quiet, you could hear the others talking, but the focus was on you and Cato for now.

You hear Enobaria say something about strategy, and in an instant, you’re up from the couch, away from Cato, and sat alongside the others at the dining table.

You could feel Cato’s eyes fixed on you, even as you sat next to Brutus and Enobaria. Enobaria raised an eyebrow, “You okay?”, she asks. Her question caught the attention of Brutus and Pex.

You could still feel Cato’s intense gaze, but it felt different now. There were things- unspoken things left in the air. Brutus speaks up, “What were you two arguing about now..”.

“It’s nothing”, you mumble out- Cato at the same time muttering out a “nothing”.

The two mentors looked at each other, unconvinced, before looking back to you and Cato.

Pex’s gaze lingered on you just a moment too long, there was curiosity in his eyes.

“You two need to work together”, Brutus says, crossing his arms over his chest. He was always to the point.

“I’m trying to..”, Cato replies through clenched teeth, the grip on his arms getting tighter.

“Listen Cato…I don’t want to learn any of this..”, you say with a sigh, handing the sword back into his hands.

You guys finally got to the training center, other tributes focusing on their skills, learning other ones or just observing others.

Cato takes the sword, a look of annoyance on his face. You had been here for a few hours, other tributes were training in nearby areas- watching and learning from each other.

“Why not? You need to actually put in some effort if you want to survive..”, he says, his voice cold.

You simply just roll your eyes, walking away from him and going towards the girl from District 12.

What was her name? Oh right- Katniss Everdeen.

You make your way over to Katniss who was fiddling with a throwing knife. She looks slightly awkward and uncomfortable, but focused.

Her gaze drifts towards you, “Can I help you?”, she asks bluntly, but not in a rude way.

“Can we work together?”, you ask quickly, eyes almost pleading with her. You liked her, she seemed quiet- equally displeased to be here.

“Work together?”, she says back, her eyes narrowing slightly as she looks at you skeptically. She seemed to be taking in your appearance, deciding whether she could trust you.

Katniss considers your proposition for a moment, “and why would I work with you..”.

“I don’t want to be here either..the other careers are kind of crazy..”, you say, grabbing one of those throwing knifes- without paying much attention you quickly throw it at the human cutout, hitting it perfectly in the middle.

Katniss’ skeptical expression softens just a bit, clearly impressed by your accuracy. She looks at you for a moment longer before finally replying.

“Fine”, she says, setting down the throwing knife in her hand, “we can work together”.

“Thank you…would you teach me how to use a bow and arrow?”

She looked at you surprised, she never mentioned that she knew how to use a bow and arrow.

“Why would you talk to her?”, Cato says.

You jumped up in surprise, haven’t heard him come down from his room.

You look over your shoulder at him, sitting by one of the viewing windows in the suite.

“I don’t know..she seemed nice”, you say, eyes wandering back to the outside view- the night time view somewhat calming.

Cato makes his way down to you, joining you by the viewing windows. He glances outside at the city lights of the capitol before shifting his gaze to you.

“She’s from District 12, the underdog”, he says, leaning against the windowsill. His eyes fix on your own for a moment before glancing back outside.

In the soft glow of the city lights, you could see the outline of his sharp jaw, the tension still evident in his shoulders.

“Why are you so fixated on that?”, you say, glancing back over at him.

You never quite understood the hierarchy with the districts- although you had a reason for that.

“Just because your Mother is a disgrace and got with someone from District 12 doesn’t mean you can just lose honor and respect for our District..”, Cato spits out harshly.

You were wondering how long it would take him to say it.

You sit there on the windowsill, silently staring and watching the outside world.

There was a heavy silence for a moment, each of you lost in your own thoughts.

The city lights danced outside, almost mockingly, as you sat there. You could feel his gaze on you, the tension in the air thick.

“I’m..I’m sorry”, he finally says, his voice almost a whisper.

“It’s okay”, you say sharply, eyes not wavering from the view.

There were a few minutes of silence, neither one of you said anything or moved.

Finally you heard him walk away, looking back you see him disappear up the stairs, then you hear an opening and shutting to his bedroom door.

╚═*.·:·.✧ ✦ ✧.·:·.*═╝

notes✨: I had to make up some characters myself so I hope they fit in! any feedback, recommendations or requests are welcomed!!

part two

[midnightdraftsblog]

.・。.・゜✭・ᴍᴇᴍᴏʀɪᴇꜱ・✫・゜・。.

pairing: kaidan alenko x reader

summary: looking back on past memories can be bittersweet, or maybe not?

warnings: slight angst | contains spoilers to ME2

words: 522

╚═*.·:·.✧ ✦ ✧.·:·.*═╝

Kaidan Alenko.

He was a friend, a squadmate, ally. Most importantly he was a lover.

It broke your heart what he had said to you on Horizon.

“I saw you die. We all did. Its been two years…how could you not tell me you were alive!”, he had shouted, at least it seemed that way with the intensity and emotions behind his eyes.

“Kaidan...I missed you”, you had said, desperate for his touch and for him to believe you- to believe it was all okay.

You could see the thoughts flying around in his head, eyes moving, analyzing you.

“You were everything to me, Shepard. I loved you, and you just disappeared! You turned your back on everything we stood for! You joined Cerberus. Do you even remember what they did?”

“You meant everything to me, Kaidan…Im still the same person!”

Why was he questioning you? Didn't he love you? You look at him desperately, blanking for words.

“This isn’t about you or me or anything. Its about the Alliance, the trust we had.”

What could you say?

“You were my mission..I gave you everything. I was ready to die for you”

You look at him, blinking- trying to come up with something. You could see the pain overcoming him.

“I cant do this. Go save the galaxy, Shepard. I have to do something else.”

He starts to walk away from you.

“Kaidan, please…don't walk away”, you say desperately, wanting so badly to reach out to him.

You gasp, a cold sweat covering your body as you jolt awake. Damn it, you cursed silently to yourself. It was another night waking up from the same memory.

Getting up from your bed you walk towards your desk, looking at the picture of Kaidan on it. You picked it up, staring at him.

Why did Cerberus rebuild you? Why did they have to tear your love from you?

You set the picture down, letting out a shaky breath as you walk back towards your bed. Sitting on the edge you fiddle with the fabric, reminded of the night you spent with Kaidan those few years back.

It was amazing. The way he had touched you, the look in his eyes.

When were you going to have that back? Would you ever have that back? Would you have Kaidan back in your arms again?

“Commander? Shepard? Y/n?”, a voice says, snapping you out of your thoughts.

“Hm? What is it?”, you ask- tearing your eyes away from the passing by space.

“What were you thinking about?”, they ask- you could feel their eyes burning into the side of your head.

“Oh..nothing, just some old memories”

“That can get pretty dangerous, Shepard..better be careful”, they chuckle out, wrapping an arm around your side- pulling you close.

A faint smile breaks out on your face, leaning into their side you let out a small sigh. “Its all good now, Alenko..no need to worry”

“Shepard..you're my love, Im going to worry”

You smile to yourself, “I know, Kaidan”

For the mean time, you’ll spend all your time in the observation lounge.

╚═*.·:·.✧ ✦ ✧.·:·.*═╝

notes ✨: Could you tell I romanced Kaidan? Just a small little oneshot for my favorite Canadian!

[midnightdraftsblog]

“Obviously not, but why are you just laying here acting like you’ve already lost?”, he says, his voice dropping. You see his eyes drift from yours to your lips, before going right back up.

It was odd.

The room was quiet, you could hear the others talking, but the focus was on you and Cato for now.

.・。.・゜✭・ᴋɪʟʟ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴀ ꜱᴘᴀʀᴋʟᴇ・✫・゜・。.

cato hadley x f! reader coming soon