theiawrites

[theiawrites]

Thank you for breaking my heart

꒰— BUSY WOMAN ꒱

꒰ summary ꒱ no matter how many times theo said you were the exception, you found yourself to be a sad part of the majority. wait, sad? who said that?

꒰ content/tw ꒱ theo nott x reader; 18+ mdni, some sexual implications, angst if you squint, a bit of gaslighting/general toxicity, alcohol, cursing; theo is a player, reader has a spine

꒰ word count ꒱ 2.8k

꒰ note ꒱ for i had a strong need for a reader who knows her worth, i simply decided to make it happen. felt insanely good writing this, and i hope you’re going to feel equally as good reading it!

It was a little ironic, you thought, how this was the exact situation you’d laugh at yourself for ending up in just a few months ago. You were so confident, so sure of yourself, having sworn off players, fuckboys and the likes of them until the day you die. Yet there you were, in the middle of a Slytherin party, watching Theodore Nott, your boyfriend of three months, crowd an awfully willing and giggling girl against the wall. His hand was resting just inches away from her arm, and her hand was touching his shoulder in a manner that couldn’t be considered just friendly even by the daftest of the world.

You’d be a fool to say you didn’t expect this. But fuck, apparently you were a fool, because you genuinely believed… You shook your head, getting yourself rid of the annoying little thoughts that started swarming your head like hungry flies flocking to a fresh, steaming pile of shit. That’s what Theo’s words had always been, evidently.

You took a sip of Firewhiskey; it was strong, tickled your throat just right, and settled in your stomach like a hot blanket, providing a small sense of comfort to your tumultuous inner world. Settling down on the armrest of a random chair, you silently observed the scene on the other side of the Common Room. Theo leaned in, whispering something into the girl’s ear – probably something cheesy in Italian, since that made them, no exceptions, fall at his feet like dominoes.

A huff escaped your lips, an alcohol-induced breath of air that confirmed it – months ago, you looked exactly like that girl, and every other girl, for that matter. You fell for his irresistible, disarming charm, for the sweetest honey that spilled from his lips in the form of promises and confessions in the middle of the night, for the gentle, cotton-soft touches of his fingertips against your flushed skin. You fell hard, thinking he was going to catch you, just like he assured you again and again and again. But when you hit the ground, you only found ice-cold concrete, littered with cutting shards of shattered expectations.

⟡

“Of course you will.”

You rolled your eyes, the sarcasm leaving your mouth without any second thought. Of course, Theo would say that, of course. Exactly what a player says whenever he needs to get a girl number forty five into his bed.

Theo seemed to have read these exact thoughts in your incredulous expression; he took a step forward, placing a hand on your waist. It was a warm, gentle touch, different from what you had seen before, when you’d inevitably stumble upon him making out with yet another… someone in a darkened corridor. And you hated thinking that – you hated realising that he was, indeed, different with you, even if it was a facade.

“I promise,” he repeated, keeping his voice quiet and confident, but even through the perfect mask, you could see it – a small flicker of vulnerability, barely there but there nonetheless. “I’ll treat you right, tesoro. I will.”

“How can I trust you?” You sighed, grabbing his hand and slowly but firmly taking it off your waist – however pleasant, you deemed the touch unnecessary, since it was making great work of skewing your perception. Theo’s fingers clenched in the air, but obediently stayed by his side.

“I’d take an Unbreakable Vow, but I don’t think you’d appreciate it.” He offered you a weak smile, but his eyes were visibly darting around, searching your face for something – understanding, acceptance, trust, perhaps? His hand twitched at his hip, eager to touch you again, but he didn’t dare lift it – a small act you couldn’t help but appreciate at the moment.

“You’re right, I wouldn’t.” You couldn’t hold back a laugh – he really was a bit dramatic, and yet, his every word was filled with calm confidence, like he was completely sure about everything he was swearing to you. “Guess I’ll just have to wing it, huh?”

“Guess you will,” Theo answered with a chuckle of his own, though his expression went back to serious the next moment. “You don’t have to trust me right now, but I’ll make you, okay? I promise.”

⟡

You believed him then. Despite yourself, despite your strong conviction that you had it all figured out, that you saw right through his charming antics – you believed him. And now, watching him flirt with that random, unknown girl without as much as an ounce of shame, you realised it was in vain. And strangely, you felt… nothing.

You should’ve been enraged, right? You should’ve been angry, should’ve stormed right over there, pulled him away from the girl and made a loud, explosive, emotional scene. But you just didn’t want to. It felt wrong, not wanting. You loved Theo, or at least you thought you did. However, witnessing him break the very promise that made you give your relationship a chance had you reconsidering the foundation of your feelings.

Minutes ticked by, Firewhiskey made its way down your throat in slow, calculated sips, the bass of the party made the floor vibrate. And yet, you made no attempt to move from your place on the chair’s armrest. Theo was still there, looking dashingly handsome and making the girl giggle and blush and twirl her hair around her dainty finger. You were still watching, thoughts were swirling inside your head like little tornadoes, but somehow, you felt a lot calmer now. Your mind went from messy and hectic to steady and composed, and it felt… nice.

In the past, you thought moving on from love would be hard, gut-wrenching and heartbreakingly painful. That’s what everyone said. That’s what it was supposed to feel like. They were all wrong, you realised. Well, maybe not. Maybe moving on from real love was exactly like that. But what you felt for Theo didn’t seem like real love anymore. Not when he acted like he forgot about your entire existence the moment he noticed a pretty girl somewhere in his proximity.

Apparently, Theo had a sixth sense. He must’ve felt your eyes on him – and your gaze wasn’t even intense; it was absentminded, as if it just happened to land on him while you were surveying the room. You saw his expression change in real time, from the flirty smirk he had been wearing for the last ten minutes to the slight hint of annoyance evident in the crease on his forehead, to then quiet resignation and a small, sheepish smile tugging the corners of his lips up. He excused himself to the very disappointed-looking girl and started making his way towards you, wading through the pool of bodies swaying to the beats of some generic pop song.

Your eyes never left him as he approached. They weren’t stormy, didn’t hold any hidden emotional turmoil, since there was none – neither in your heart nor in your mind. You took the last sip from your glass and placed it on the coffee table next to the chair, every movement precise despite the tipsiness coursing through your body from the Firewhiskey. Maybe the fact that you were already settled on a decision diluted the alcohol in your bloodstream. Maybe you just grew out of being a lighthead.

“Hi.”

Theo’s voice was quiet, almost too quiet to be heard over the deafening music. He tried placing his hand on your thigh, like he usually would whenever you were together, but you shifted away from his touch. His jaw ticked, and if you didn’t know better, you’d think a flicker of hurt flashed through his face. The awkward smile disappeared completely; he was now serious, just like on that night he promised to make you trust him. What a shitshow that was.

“Look—” he started, the words to explain himself already at the tip of his tongue. But you didn’t really need to hear them, so you cut him off before he could continue.

“Spare me, Theo. Spare us both, actually.” You placed a hand on his chest, pushing him back just slightly – he was standing too close to you for someone who couldn’t even remember he had a girlfriend a couple minutes ago. You quickly realised you shouldn’t have touched him in any way, since he immediately interpreted it as an olive branch, his hand clasping around yours.

“No, I won’t spare us,” he muttered lowly, his eyes briefly skimming from left to right to see if anyone was listening in. It was unnecessary – the music was too loud for anyone to hear you unless they were literally in your faces. Then, he leaned in, closing the distance you had just created. “I know what you’re thinking right now, tesoro, and I can’t have you thinking that.”

Your eyes were rolled before he could even finish the sentence. You didn’t expect anything less dismissive than this, and still, he managed to surprise you.

“No, Theo, no. Don’t even go there,” you said, somehow managing to wriggle your hand out of his grasp. His followed, trying to chase yours, but as soon as you hid it behind your back, he stilled, realising he’d be making a scene in the middle of the Common Room. “We came to this party together. You went off alone, acting single, flirting with another girl. Seems pretty transparent to me.”

It was Theo’s turn to roll his eyes, as if he was offended by the mere fact that you not only noticed his escapades, but commented on it as well, making him look like a fool. He was a fool, and maybe deep down he was also aware of the fact, but he wouldn’t admit it to you. And honestly, you didn’t expect him to. You knew he would deflect, you knew he would find excuse after excuse just to get out of this situation consequence-free. You had had time to mull over it while you sat there, watching him commit emotional fraud right in front of your eyes, and at that point, you simply didn’t care.

“You don’t get it, tesoro,” Theo muttered, still up close in your personal space, which you immediately rectified by leaning back. He gritted his teeth in frustration at your continuous attempts to keep you both as apart as possible, but continued. “That girl? She means nothing, okay? You know you’re the only one who matters to me. I know you do.”

His eyes – they were stormy as he gazed into yours. They were dark even in the flashing lights of the party, usually blue as the ocean, but now deep, almost black from how much his pupils were dilated. But as you looked into them, you didn’t feel the same shiver going down your spine, you didn’t feel the flutter in your belly that made his presence so exciting, so madly intoxicating, you didn’t feel your heart speeding up. It was rather comical, you thought, how quickly your love dulled down after you saw Theo easily dismissing every promise he had ever made to you when he thought you weren’t watching.

“Theo.” You looked at him with an eyebrow raised, in a way a mother would look at her son who tried convincing her he didn’t eat the cake while his mouth was covered in icing sugar. “It might seem shocking, but it doesn’t actually matter if she’s nothing to you.”

Theo’s brows creased together, and you could see he was at the ready to retort, his lips parting.

“You were flirting with her. Plain and simple. You were, and don’t even try to deny it, I believe my own eyes,” you continued talking without giving him the opportunity to speak. “And what did you promise when we just started dating?”

Theo’s lips sealed shut, and he looked away, catching the hint. He knew exactly what you were talking about. He promised to make you trust him, and that included putting a stop to going after every frilly skirt in sight. Or any skirt, or jeans, or anything at all that was another person, anything that meant he could be interested in someone else.

“I promised…” he muttered under his breath, each word leaving his mouth like a heavy weight. Not because he was genuinely remorseful, but for a much simpler reason – he hated admitting to his shortcomings, since that would put them out into the world and make them that much more real. But something in your calm, steady voice, in your confident expression made him say it anyway. “I promised I’d make you trust me,” he mumbled, glancing up at you just to turn his gaze away again.

“And is flirting with another girl very ‘trustful’ of you?” You cocked your head to the side, your arms crossing over your chest; Theo saw it as defensive, and you? You just didn’t know where to put your hands.

He stayed silent. Because he knew, his rational mind knew that the answer was a firm, resounding ‘no’. It was not, in any way, shape or form, trustful. It was, for all intents and purposes, the exact opposite. He couldn’t say it out loud, though. Fuck him, he never could.

“See?” You shrugged, taking his silence as confirmation. “It’s very much not. And I can’t be with someone I don’t trust, Theo.”

His head snapped up, his hand shooting forward to grab your arm, as if you could disappear at any given moment. And you were planning to, which is why you looked at him with a hint of annoyance in your eyes.

“You can’t just leave, tesoro,” he whispered, leaning so far in that his lips almost brushed against your ear. The music was still booming around you, and you kind of disliked the fact that he could use it as an excuse to stand so close. “Let me…” Theo took a deep breath, letting it out as a warm puff against your skin. “Let me apologize, baby… Let me show you how sorry I am.”

There was the ‘baby’. The nickname he pulled up whenever he got in the mood, or whenever he wanted you to do something he knew you wouldn’t immediately agree to. His hand started gliding up and down your arm, light as a feather, and usually, that combination would have sent your body into a frenzy and force your mind to turn off.

“Come on, tesoro, let me in...” His lips tickled the shell of your ear as his fingers danced along your arm, moving to the slope of your neck, where his thumb found your pulse point. “You’re the only one for me. I’ll show you, okay? If you just let me, baby…”

For a split second, you felt that flutter in your stomach again. Theo always knew exactly what he had to do to make you feel it, and unfortunately, it had a habit of working in his favour. You had half a mind to hate yourself for it, but you knew better – it was just a physical fucking reaction to an attractive man you’d been in a romantic and sexual relationship with for three months. An image flashed in front of your eyes – the image of him flirting with that girl, the sight you had the displeasure of witnessing just a bit earlier. And suddenly, the annoying butterfly inside you had its wings brutally ripped out.

“You showed me enough.”

You stood up from the armrest of the chair you had been occupying and took a step to the side. Theo’s expression turned from seductive to desperate in a blink of an eye. His fingers dug into your arm once again, but you pried his hand off of you, and he remained rational enough not to make a huge, borderline violent scene.

“Tesoro…” he tried once more, searching your entire face and body for any signs that you weren’t completely giving up on the relationship. But you shook your head, just once, unwavering in your decision.

“Goodbye, Theo.” Your expression didn’t change, your eyes didn’t soften at the sight of his tightened jaw, his pursed, slightly downturned lips. “I won’t waste my time waiting for a change from someone who didn’t plan to change to begin with.”

With that, you turned around and disappeared into the crowd, the moving bodies swallowing you in an instant. You didn’t turn around even once, knowing it wouldn’t be a great decision for you right then. You didn’t see Theo practically falling into the chair, quietly breathing in and out and burying his face in his hands. You had no idea that at that very moment, he fought with himself not to unravel right there, in the middle of the fucking Slytherin party.

nav. masterlist.

[theiawrites]

fury and fear is perfect until you realize the gamemakers will take back the rule

new fanfic!!!!

so I actually posted two clato fics recently- you guys should check both of them out!!

fury & fear

(ao3)

cato gets there in time when he hears clove screaming for him. this time she can be saved.

oneshot, comfort fic to soothe the fact that cato and clove should have won, katniss pov

“From my spot on the ground, I have a clear view of the rock Thresh raises above his head, the terror splayed across Clove’s face as she tries to get away.

I watch as Thresh raises the rock higher.

And I watch as Clove hits something, as she stops scrambling back.

Cato looms over her, and I’ve never seen fury like that in his eyes.”

(1/1 chapters posted)

-

victory

(ao3)

centered around Clove and Cato- he wins the 68th hunger games and they meet after she wins the 73rd

multiple pov: finnick, johanna, cato, clove

where the whole idea is- “how do I make them even worse?” (Problematic Age Gap, Insanity, Dead Dove Do Not Eat, Eventual Smut, because of course there will be problematic smut that's what makes it fun)

“Finnick is really thinking about intervening when he remembers she’s only sixteen. And Cato won his games at eighteen— about five or six years ago.

But what could Finnick do? Tell him to get his hands off a teenager? Tell her to go find someone age-appropriate to fuck?”

(2/5 chapters posted- updated daily)

[theiawrites]

mood

Why does my brain want to ship two characters that didn't survive the first book of a trilogy, were never romantically involved and are regarded as the antagonists of said book?

[theiawrites]

He wanted to go home, with her. But now? With the realization that she won't be there, he wanted to be sent to her, he needed her.

AHAHAHHAHAAHAHAH MORE

prompt: confidence shattered

title: i’ve dug two graves for us, my dear

fandom: Hunger Games (All Media Types)

relationships: Cato/Clove

warnings: canon-typical violence, explicit language, major character death

summary: “Well,” Clove’s mentor says loudly. “Are you doing this together or apart?”

“Together,” they say in unison, never tearing their eyes off each other.

Clove and Cato and the 74th Hunger Games.

link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/49500385

[theiawrites]

Saving for later

Running Home

Chapter 4: Bloodlines and Splatters

Chapter 4 of my Clato fic is finally finished! And just as a little tidbit this chapter drops some serious lore that I’ve made for Cato and a bit of the lore I’ve made for Clove. Enjoy 💚

Also here’s a meme for your chapter:

(Update: this chapter got so much support I made a reblog of this post with so mediocre memes for y’all! Thank you so much!)

[theiawrites]

Saving this in case I need to read myself to sleep and clato is my sole staple

Hi everyone!!

I've been reading The ballad of Songs and Snakes (haven't finished it yet, but amazing book), re-watching the bunger games movies and reading fanfics. The thing is I became really obsessed with the Hayffie ship (Haymitch and Effie), but now I'm becoming obsessed with the Clato ship (Clove and Cato).

Do any of you know good and long fanfics of one or both of this ships!?

Thank you very much

[theiawrites]

i'll try to clear up my points later but im just so frustrated i need to write it now

this is based on what i remember after reading the book

Mocking bird pin: Madge gave it but they showed some random woman giving it to Katniss, which she gave to prim, she prim gave to her.

Gale was supposed to hunt with her, collect berries which they will then sell to the greesy sally and strawberries to the mayor. Which shows that they've known the woods deeply.

Also, the strawberry scene shows that despite the mayor having an idea of the rule breaking, didn't punish them for it, even buying the fruit. Which helps shape how district 12 was like, that despite their situation, the mayor and the peacekeepers arent all that strict, compared to other districts in future references (Rue's situation when the boy who stole the special night glasses and the peacekeepers killed him.)

They didn't include the scene with Gale going to Katniss's house which shows their deep friendship.

The fact that they cut Gale's scene in the woods, they didn't show how free they seemed in the woods, despite breaking the rule.

They removed MADGE from the damn movie.

They didnt add effies comment about Katniss not wanting her sister to steal the spotlight or smth, adds to the fact the capitol views them as entertainment and how they act like the districts should thank them for the opportunity to be sent to an arena to kill and be killed.

They just made Katniss and Gale hug, cutting out the entire drama of "I have something to tell you-" gets interrupted BOOM ANGST

They removed Peeta's father promising to take care of prim, of feeding her. That's literally what assured Katniss that they'll be fine. That "they'll be gale and a baker who promised to keep her fed" and when they removed the baker? they removed the cookie scene and her throwing it out. because for so long it had been mentioned so many darn times that katniss didnt like owing people, so when the baker gives her cookies, she throws it out because she couldnt handle the weight that comes along with them essentially owing peeta too.

The scene with Effie where she comments on their manners because it showed that the capitol couldn't care less should the people starve, but when the last tributes who were starving and saw the menagerie of dishes, of course theyll forget their manners.

The haymitch scene. Where katniss throws the knife and it accidentally delved between the wedges and I quote "making me look better than i actually am" and Haymitch commented "well looks like i actually got a pair of fighters this year"

Peeta didn't punch Haymitch or try to "suck up" because it showed the indepth character, or his desperation to survive

I imagined cinna to be gay

the holding hands scene. It was supposed to be cinna signing it, katniss asking peeta what he said, peeta saying oh hold hands probably, katniss going like oh ok, boom hold hands. not fricking yank it away because someone's supposed to notice.

they also removed the fact that katniss clenched his hand because she was nervous. in the movie they made it like she had no problem lying, acting, but in the book, she had the hardest time trying to keep her smile, but with peeta by her side, she was able to be at least charming, catching a rose while the crowd went crazy trying to catch the kiss she sent in their direction.

they removed cinna saying "the girl on fire" or smth like thatwhen she was talking about the costime actually tthis is unsure i forgot some parts here/

i was expecting a gown, with its dress hanging from the chariot, on fire, not black sequence body suits.

they cut an entire chunk of when she stayed in the capitol, cutting to the training scene. Peeta and Katniss were supposed to stay together during training because of what Haymitch told them.

Throwing the large ball thing. WHY

They made Effie such a bitch. The only reason they were supposed to know about her shooting the apple was because the three of them gathered, someone asks peeta what happened he said he just threw some heavy stuff around. then they ask katniss she explains, effie panics, but then was like "well they shouldve paid attention" besides how did haymitch know she shot them when he wasnt there when they gathered?

there was no fight in the training area

they removed the avox girl from existence

also they removed katniss crying and shit because maybe theyll do something to her motherand prim and turn her to an avox.

they didnt make caesar flickerman to be as jolly and socially as intended in the books, with that serious ass tone and all

they didnt delve too much into katniss's session with effie and haymitch before the interview. because thats where they implied how haymitch and katniss werent holding hands and drinking tea and shit. also because in the arena katniss was able to understand haymitch more and as peeta suggested, that haymitch didnt like her much because she was similar to him, in a way.

the katniss reaction. it was supposed to be shown, and then she blushes and had sparkled and shi

they didn't include the fact that peeta was supposed to get injured when katniss pushed himm and there was a small fight between them and peeta said gale was her boyfriend and shit.

lamb stew interview thing

CINNA WHAT TO YOU MEAN SHH "They almost didnt allow this, thought the pin could give you an advantage as a weapon" or something like that "the girl from district _ had her ring i think and it rrevealed a poisoned needle if you twist it" SMTH LIKE THAT I FORGOT BUT WHERE ARE YOUR WORDS SWEETHEART

Im pretty sure the cornucopia was in the middle of where the tributes were? and the farther away from it the more less valuable stuff? and that it was golden?

how was she so quick to find a water source? book katniss literally almost died looking for water for DAYS

peeta offered to finish the girl off and he did, thats how they were able to talk in the first place, just below her tree.

Clove is so small like what

CATO WHY ARE YOU SLEEPING NEXT TO GLIMMER MY HEART IS BREAKING YOU BITCH

Rue wasnt the one who told her to cut the branch, she thought of that rue just told her of the hive above her.

also, it happened just after the fire, thats why the tracker jackers were still drowsy.

katniss was also injured in her hands, that's why she had trouble cutting the branch as she timed it with the anthem playing.

why is cato so fucking touchy with glimmer brutha what//

cato simp for clove forever i dont care\ clato forever and im not talking about the movie /gags. im talking about the book where they dont fucking force the chemistry with catoand glimmer sure its cute BUT THE BOOK

how does rue know peeta was by the river? i mean the only way katniss thought of that was because of her brain

nobody was watching the packs, not the boy from district 5(?) the holes werent that obvious too, maybe there were patches with no grass but no entire fricking bumps on the road. the careers arent dumb. and besides, they left out the argument that it couldve been a trap.

thats how katniss knew peeta was injured anyways, BECAUSE she heard cato dismiss it being peeta because he knew he was injured, GRAVELY.

why didn't anyone notice katniss when the stuff blew up? and why were the careers so quick to appear? it took them like, a few more minutes since katniss had to basically regain her hearing and strenght after she almost got blown up on.

and then, how was she able to run? i remember book katniss having to sleep hiding in a bush or something, almost getting hypothermia and stuff.

i think it was supposed to take care like the next day before she went looking for rue.

the fact that marvel went for rue. i forgot the exact scene but im pretty sure he wouldve gone for katniss with that opportunity.

will add later i fell down the stairs

[theiawrites]

give the fanfictionsi beg of you i pray for you i threaten you i love you give me the fics

if there are any active hunger games accounts, ESPECIALLY Clove and Cato fans-

PLEASE my god I’m hyper fixating so bad and I need mutuals to rant and talk about them with

(if it helps, I have multiple new Clato fanfictions in progress and I’m dying for readers and input)

[theiawrites]

i was love it until i saw the katniss x clato because my dumbass brain deliberately ignored it

this fic changed my fucking life guys…. i need to study this author’s brain. the characterization, the subplots, the slowburn development, the plot twist, the writing… SOMEONE READ IT SO WE CAN TALK ABOUT IT TOGETHER!!!

[theiawrites]

I have never been in love with someone, then boom shakalaka rule revoke

time loop clato? 👀

inspired by @tumblingghosts

the gamemakers trying something new for 74th, instead of letting the kids permanently kill each other, they have them unknowingly enter VR realms and whenever a kid "dies," irl they literally just pass out & go into a comatose state in their chair

it gives the gamemakers a chance to change what entertainment the games can offer the capitolites because they can now repeatedly torture the tributes to their fake deaths over and over in different scenarios

kind of like the good place actually except with a technological component

K&P defeat cato, the gamemakers hit the reset button so everyone's memories are wiped. except cato's, because they just want to mess with him and see how he takes it

it's cato. he doesn't take it very well. probably because he was being torn apart and devoured alive by mutts for hours and then suddenly snaps back to the first day of the games with the countdown clock starting as if nothing had happened

and there's clove, miraculously breathing and alive in front of him, stabbing someone's guts out on the grass. she's just in arm's reach and the sight of her hurts him very badly, when all he can think of is how he watched her die and held her while it happened.

instinct takes over and he recovers enough to like, half-heartedly get into the bloodbath while trying to sort through his very confused, muddled thoughts. instead of taking control of the pack like he did the first round, he just sits there holding his bloodied up sword and tries to process everything.

he's not doing a good job of hiding the fact that something is very obviously wrong. the others are confused, the d1s don't want to deal with cato's temper so they mind their own business, peeta tries to get into the pack and it's clove that has to put up the fight against this since cato is incapacitated.

peeta is also wondering what cato's deal is and keeps sneaking glances over at him, but knows better than to mention it. clove takes note of his wandering gaze and has this weird prickling sensation of protectiveness, so she puts a stop to peeta's curiosity ("what are you looking at him for, twelve?" + threatening wave of her knife) real quick

eventually cato gets himself together with an internal pep talk and realizes that this is his second chance, he can do everything right, he can save clove and they can both go home together if he does it better this time

he comes back to the circle as if nothing happened and honestly does not care about their wary questioning glances

he keeps gazing at clove without trying to hide it, and when he isn't doing that he just stares off into the distance.

when glimmer tentatively suggests that maybe someone should talk to cato and see what's going on, and then whispers that he could be a liability needing to be put down, clove is inexplicably defensive about it. "that's my district partner, no one touches him. if anyone gets to kill cato, it's me."

cato isn't paying attention to anyone, instead planning. he knows what has to happen. he actually feels guilty about it, and isn't looking forward to watching these people die again, but clove is the number one priority. he doesn't try to warn anyone about the tracker jacker attack he knows katniss is planning because it'll take out glimmer and d4 girl and give him the chance to wound peeta. he makes sure clove sleeps the farthest from the tree so she'll get stung the least (she gives him a very weird look but goes along with it), and stays up the whole night to be ready.

it must have occurred to him that the only reason he and clove ever had the chance to go home together was largely because of peeta and katniss's romance angle, so he would weaken peeta as much as possible but be intentional about making sure peeta lives and gets them all that rule change.

around the time when cato knows marvel is most likely dead and the rule change should be announced soon, he's literally anticipating it like crazy, erratically looking up at the sky in expectation, knee bouncing, weirding clove out as usual. the gamemakers purposefully wait a few hours more to announce it just to fuck with him, and the words are barely out of claudius's mouth before clove is trapped in cato's bear hug.

wrt how he is around clove, my man doesn't even try to be subtle about it. like clove's memories were reset by the gamemakers so on her end her dynamic with cato would reset too, but he does not care. he's just like "clovey, did you eat your sponsor gift? you have to eat something." *grabs her elbow when he wants her attention* *shamelessly sleeps less than a foot away from her* meanwhile clove is absolutely dismayed by the fact that he's acting this way with her and she... kind of likes it?

finally clove is extremely confused and frustrated by how soft he is with her for no apparent reason and she eventually demands to know what's up. he goes silent for a beat and can only give her an apologetic grimance & she walks away in a huff.

the feast scene!!!!!! he refuses to make the same mistake this time. cato demands to go with her, to guard her. clove misinterpreted it as him not trusting her/thinking she can't do it on her own, which leads to a big fight between them where clove is about to walk away before cato finally grabs her elbow and cracks, telling her he won't lose her again. clove won't let him get away with that kind of statement without explaining what's up and he finally breaks it all down for her. she doesn't want to believe it at first but it does kind of account for everything and why he is this way

naturally she has questions about what happened in the first round, and cato has to look off into the distance and robotically recount everything that went down, but when he gets to the part of her death there's real pain in his voice which gets clove's attention.

how fucked up would it be if the gamemakers hit the reset button here lol? but no, they would wait for this lil scenario to play out and see what happens. in fact it's marketed as an alternate ending where cato and clove are the "other" star crossed lovers.

[theiawrites]

ily btw

some of my favorite ships as taylor swift songs ✨

[theiawrites]

I ALREADY BROWSED THE ENTIRE CLOVE/CATO TAG ON AO3 AND NOW I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH MY LIFE. I NEED THIS FANDOM TO REVIVE PLEASE

[theiawrites]

and penelope was the cause of his madness

In any work I love scenes where the protagonist looks like a madman. Crazy eyes, clenched teeth, hands clenched into fists and a desire to beat/kill/destroy. Scenes where the character is driven to such despair that he looks more like a monster are much more emotional for me than any tragedy.

[theiawrites]

❝Kill me, I'm dead anyway❞ It wasn't the hounds that killed him, or Katniss's arrow of mercy. It was when he saw those eyes again, the eyes that screeched his name in desperation for help until the end, the eyes that were never closed as the cannon fired and her breaths stopped.

His heart dropped to his stomach the moment he saw those eyes in the hound that want more than to kill him. He still remembered when he kneeled beside her, begging her to stay with him. When the blood of the tribute who killed her covered his hands.

It wasn't the arrow that killed him, it was the sight of Katniss and Peeta that did. Reminding him of the days where she was still in the academy with him. Where they competed to be the best, where they treated the wounds they received in training, because they were proof of weakness. And the moments they allowed each other to be present in

[theiawrites]

Obsessing so hard my brain registers them as a real person and now I'm quietly sobbing because they died and I'm imagination edits of our happily ever after

Welcome to the world of “Being in love with a person who doesn’t exist in real life but you pretend they do anyway because you’re obsessed” ✧˖*°࿐

[theiawrites]

Funny thing, I saw this when I decided to take a break from cai after my oc and Luke died in each other's arms because turns out she was supposed to die long ago but she made a deal with her godly mother to let her die once the sun sets and she's seen Luke Castellan. Then the two of them are finally together as they cross the river Styx

“and the funny thing is I would’ve married you if you’d have stuck around” BUT it’s reader when luke dies and she’s holding him in her arms. but they hadn’t spoken since he confessed to working with kronos, and it wasn’t a break up because she still loved him but they parted ways on a teary kiss before he left with the titan

[theiawrites]

"Why don't you have a boyfriend?" IDK MOM PROBABLY BECAUSE IM BAWLING MY EYES OUT AFTER THAT ONE CHARACTER CONFESSED AND IM SO GODAMN JEALOUS