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alavestineneas · 4 months

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pairing: catohadley x fem!reder

summary: He doesn't know why her flower dress comes to mind—it's a contrast to the hard truth of reality. He lost a friend here, but Cato would need to learn how to lose much more if he wanted to get the hell out of here. And he does, no matter the price. warnings: canon-typical violence; mentions of meat (as in reader owns a butcher shop); trauma and poverty word count: 6k

author's note: hello beautiful people! In honour of my birthday, I am posting about this bad boy today. Hope you like it - it was such a fun thing to write! Enjoy!

The stones under his worn boots are changing quickly; they are coloured in all shades of grey, sometimes with funny black dots on their rounded bellies. Cato would stop and collect a few if it wasn't for the important task at hand: Mom sent him to the butcher's, letting him take the thinly metaled coins for the first time, which are now snugly stored in the pockets of his raggy coat. He has the order memorized; Mom always buys the same. Three pig legs for the soup, which are then added to the porridge she cooks, and two bottles of the cheapest milk on the counter. It's good for the bones in his body, she says, and Cato believes her. Soon, he will start school; he has to be strong to get the chance to try out for the academy.

The butcher's is just around the corner; it's the only shop in their block that is always open. And, although the signboard is already faded, it is still his favourite place to visit. The door opens with a creek, and a small bell over Cato's head sings its cheerful melody. He takes a few steps inside, the colourful counters greeting him with all kinds of meat and sausages. He reads the curved writing on each of the signs carefully, trying out the way the letters come together in words. The sound of rushed steps is the only thing that breaks his mesmerization. They are soon changed by the grunting of the wood chair on the old tiled floor, and then, finally, a head pops up from behind the stands.

''Good afternoon!'' A pair of curious eyes stare at him, a smile missing a few teeth serving as a second greeting. ''What can I do for you today?'' the girl asks, changing her cheerful demeanour to a more serious, business-like tone.

Cato straightens up, his fingers finding the coins. He is a grown-up now; no other four-year-old he knows is allowed to go to the butcher's by themselves. ''I am here to buy meat.''

The girl laughs, her hair shaking with her mirth.

Cato feels the redness creep to his ears—of course, he is here to buy meat; everyone does. ''Why are you behind there anyway?'' he mutters, crossing his hands in front of himself. He thinks the girl should stop now; it's really not nice to laugh at others.

''Grandpa went to trade for bread and left me as the captain here,'' the girl boasts.

''That's a shame.'' Partly because Cato liked Grandpa Marc—he always sneaked a few pieces of candy for him and his brothers at home—and partly because he didn't like the little know-it-all. ''I would like three pig legs and two bottles of the cheapest milk,'' he declares in one breath, careful not to mess up. He isn't sure he can take another wave of her laughter.

''Sure,'' the girl nods, packing the meat in a big brown bag. Cato patiently waits as she moves her chair to reach the milk shelves, stopping before them. ''Which one again?''

''Shirley's.''

The girl doesn't move; the flowers on the back of her dress are still facing him.

''Shirley's,'' he repeats a little louder. Cato feels silly again; he doesn't like the mean girl and the way she teases him. ''Are you stupid? The one with the blue cap is Shirley's.''

''Right,'' she finally grabs it, moving to the register. Her hands work quickly, wrapping the goods and putting them together. ''The meat is this much money, '' she scrambles the numbers on the piece of paper lying nearby, ''and milk is this much.''

Cato goes over the symbols, carefully counting the total in his head. ''Here,'' he says, reaching for the money. ''And you wrote the two here wrong—it should be facing the other way, like a swan.''

''Oh. Sorry about that. Is this with change?'' She points to the colourful coins on the wood.

''Don't you know how to count? You need to give me 50 cents in change.''

''I do!'' she argues, her hand slapping the counter. ''I was just, hm, testing you!''

''Sure. Then why are you giving me two dollars back now?'' Cato raises an eyebrow. Part of him wants to laugh at her, just like she did moments ago. But he doesn't. Instead, he swaps the coins for the right amount, giving her the money back. ''Here you go. All good.''

''Thank you! Have a nice day!''

Cato nods, grabbing the bag and exiting the shop with a light heart. He did what his mom asked him to; she will be very happy to know that. The air is warm, and the soft wind is hitting him right in the face. In no time, Cato is home; the door is never locked. He places the bag on the kitchen table; Mom will see it when she puts the baby to sleep. His third brother - the other two are sleeping on the big bed in the children's room. That used to be his, but now he is a big boy—he sleeps on the couch in the living room, right near the kitchen. He likes it here; the baby's crying is not as loud, and he can see Mom as often as he wants to when she cooks.

There's not much to do right now; it's the ''quiet hours'' in Hadley's house. Usually, Cato would go play outside at this time, but instead, he grabbed the big book from the kids' shelf. There, with big, red letters, are all of the alphabets and numbers. It was his favourite. Cato remembers how mom would sit with him on her lap, her soft finger circling every picture. ''This is one. Look, it has a tiny nose, just like you do! Here, give me your hand—that's one finger you have, little gentleman!''

Cato throws one last glance at the closed door to the parent's room—he decides that mom won't be mad at him if he plays not in front of the house for once—and grabs the book, leaving the still place. This time, he grabs a few of the prettiest rocks on his way—he builds bridges and castles with them in the small creek behind their house. The butcher's is still empty when he gets there; the girl sits on the tall chair, drawing on the paper.

''What are you drawing?'' Cato asks, trying to see, but the counter is too tall for him to reach.

The girl doesn't look surprised to see him here; it's like he never left in the first place. ''It's worms. Papa worm, mama worm, and little worm. They are having dinner.''

''What are they eating? Meat?''

''No,'' she said, shaking her head. ''Meat is expensive; they have no money. They're eating a dirt pie. Here,'' the girl climbs off the chair, sitting down on the floor instead. Cato sits down near her, looking over her shoulder. ''They have small plates and spoons.''

''My dad doesn't like pies. He likes potatoes more.'' Cato thinks meat is better than pies and potatoes, but he doesn't tell Dad that. The girl tells the truth: meat is expensive.

''Where is he? At work?''

''Yeah, at the factory.'' Most people work at the factory—that's what Cato's dad says. They go when it's dark outside and Cato is still sleeping, and they return when the clock shows all zeros. Then, his dad eats while his mom drinks tea, and they whisper about something. ''And yours?''

The girl shrugs. ''I don't have one. It's just Grandpa and me. What is this?'' She points to the book in Cato's hands, and he finally remembers why he came.

''That's my book. It has numbers. Do you want to see?''

The girl beside him nods, and Cato smiles. He opens the book and proudly shows off the beautiful pictures. The girl likes them; she listens carefully to what Cato has to say about each letter. He likes it when he doesn't laugh at him.

''Good morning, Grandpa Marc!'' Cato greets the man behind the counter, cutting up yet another piece of meat. It's early, but he already stands in the butcher's, his dad's old bag on his shoulder. They can't be late for the academy.

''I'm coming, I'm coming!'' YN shouts, biting into the apple in one of her hands and tucking in her shirt with the other. ''Bye, Pa, see you!''

They both passed the exam for the academy; only four people from their neighbourhood did. They got the chance only because they were ''exceptional'' students, the only four whose training was free for now. The debt will be paid by them volunteering or after the academy through their future salaries. Cato knows that no one is actually able to pay it off; he will volunteer as soon as possible. YN will go; they agreed to go in different years.

That's how it always was with them—they walked to the academy and home together, trained, and learned together. Cato helped Grandpa in the shop, and YN often looked after his brothers. It was the endless stream of jokes from everyone around—you never saw one without the other, not even on the rating board. That was until year nine.

''I decided I'm not going to sit with you at lunch,'' Cato tells the girl walking beside him on the dusty road.

YN doesn't answer right away; she watches her feet instead. ''Let me guess—you will be with the mayor's son and his pack?''

''As a matter of fact, yes. They are my friends, and they invited me to sit with them.'' It annoys him the tone she is using.

''They are not your friends, Cato. They only do that, so you will volunteer for them when the time comes.'' YN is angry; her hands on the straps of the backpack are tightly clenched.

''So what? I'm going to volunteer anyway, so why not sit with them? There is nothing to do here, and they are always hanging out at movies or something.''

''Oh, so that's what it is about.'' YN stops, turning to him. ''You want to be one of them now.''

''Of course, I fucking do!'' Cato exclaims. ''We are dirt poor, YN. I don't want to live all my life in this shithole.''

YN's face changes; her eyes look at him as if for the first time. ''This is home, Cato. This is where we belong.''

''I don't. And I will find a way out of here, and you can stay in this mud as much as you like, but I will not let you drag me down with you.''

She slaps him. The hit is heavy; they are both trained to take blows, but it stings him more than it should. Cato watches as YN leaves, her quick steps echoing on the empty street in the morning fog. He doesn't know why her flower dress comes to mind—it's a contrast to the hard truth of reality. He lost a friend here, but Cato would need to learn how to lose much more if he wanted to get the hell out of here. And he does, no matter the price.

YN can live without him as much as he does, she tells herself. She didn't decide to ruin the friendship, so she won't be the one to apologize, no matter how long the silence lasts. If he thinks that she will run back to him after four months of not talking, he is wrong. YN is fine; she still has two friends at the academy, she still has her grandpa and the beautiful sun above her head. It smiles at her every time she walks home alone, filling in the small gap in her chest with its golden rays. Her new companion.

What she doesn't expect is a group of people in front of the shop; they shout and argue, running around with ice and water in their hands. YN runs too; something happens. Fear rises in her stomach and travels to her throat when she sees the white coat of the doctor standing near the counter, a concerned expression on his face. ''I'm sorry,'' he tells her. YN clutches her bag, trying so hard not to cry as the crowd of familiar faces surrounds her.

He fell while trying to reach for the shelf, and a customer found him unconscious on the floor. Grandpa broke seven bones in his body and damaged his head. They are taking him to the hospital for, god knows, how long. The doctor places a hand on her shoulder; the cost of surgery is covered by the state, but she needs money for the medicine. They don't have any.

YN spends an hour crying into her pillow before pulling herself together—she is alone. It's not some stupid game they play—they pretend to win for years in the generated arenas in some big green boxes—it's life. The most brutal arena of all. So, she does what any fifteen-year-old would do—she washes her face with ice-cold water and grabs the keys from the shop. She has to speak with a few people.

The door to Hadley's home is never locked; nobody closes it in their neighbourhood, but YN still knocks out of respect. Cato opens it; she is surprised he is here and not with his new friends. He wants to say something, but YN has no time for him.

''Is your dad home?'' YN asks, trying to look over his shoulder.

Cato nods. ''Come in. Mom, it's YN.'' He shouts, closing the door behind her.

''Ah, YN. How is Grandpa Marc?'' She is cooking something—a big pot boiling with the best smell one could imagine.

The woman's concerned face stirs something in YN, so she fights the urge to cry and swallows her tears instead. ''Alive

''Come sit with us; we were just preparing to eat.''

YN wants nothing more than a plate of something warm, but she declines. She came here not to lessen the portion of someone; nobody here has money to make extra food. ''Thank you, but I need to speak with Mister Janus.''

''Spill it.'' Mr. Janus nods, standing up from the couch.

''Can we speak outside?'' YN asks, feeling a pair of blue eyes on her.

''Of course,'' Mister Janus shares a look with his wife before stepping outside. ''What happened, kid?''

YN takes some air inside her lungs. ''Is there a place for me at the factory for the night shifts?'' The man opens his mouth to argue, but YN is quicker. ''I know I am young, but I am strong from all the training, and I know a lot of useful things. I can reach where most men can't, and I will do anything you ask me to, I promise.''

Mister Janus sighed. ''I know you are good, but what about the academy? Night shift is six to six; you won't have time to get enough sleep and do the homework.''

''I quit the academy.''

''What?'' Mister Janus's face changes. ''YN, why? It's the only chance for you to survive.''

''Work is the only way for me to survive. Poverty and an empty stomach will kill me much faster than some games. I need the job, Mister Janus, please. If you don't give it to me, I will look for it elsewhere.''

The man thinks, his forehead creased with worry. ''Fine, kid. But be careful—get enough rest and don't push yourself too hard. We are here to help if you need us to.''

''Thank you, thank you so much!'' YN smiles, a few tears escaping her eyes. She hugs the man tightly, a glimmer of hope finally appearing. ''Thank you, Mister Janus; I will not let you down!''

Mistes Janus smiles back, patting her back. ''Go before it gets too dark; I'll see you tomorrow at five thirty.''

He watches as YN turns the corner of the street before returning to the warmth of his house. How much do these kids have to endure in this world?

YN didn't push herself too hard; she simply did what she was supposed to do. At six, she returned to the shop after the shift at the factory—butcher's opened at eight—so she had two hours to wash the dirt and sweat away with the old basin and a little warm water from the kettle and to master something edible on the stove. When that was done, she would dissect the meat and check the dates on milk bottles; the soon-gone bad would go to the sale section, and the new ones took their place. Then, the doors of the butcher's opened—people still needed to eat, and YN wasn't about to let them starve because of her own ''tiredness.''

The heaviest flow was in the morning, with the shop becoming quieter in the afternoon—that's when she took most of her sleep in, resting her head on the wooden counter and closing her eyes for a second. Oftentimes, customers would find her like this—they gently shook her shoulder and woke her up before ordering. Each time, YN felt shame creep to her cheeks, but each time, no one said a word to her; they just smiled, thanked her, and left the shop with a big brown bag in her hands.

That's how the rest of the year passed, with it becoming slightly easier when Grandpa was finally discharged from the hospital. His right arm didn't move like it used to, and it was hard for him to walk, but it was still better to have someone home to return to. Besides, he insisted on still serving the customers, so YN had an opportunity to sleep in her own bed for a few hours before a new portion of cut meat was delivered.

That's what she thought about standing in the main square in a crowd of children—how much meat she needed to cut before her shift. Grandpa was also here; some man had to hold him up so he wouldn't fall from being on his legs for too long, but he could at least enjoy the fresh air, which YN was grateful about.

The reaping was going quickly; the girl named was from the academy, so they didn't have to go through all that volunteering. YN didn't know her personally, but she saw her a couple of times; she was good with knives. As for the boys, it didn't go as smoothly—some poor eleven-year-old's name was called out, and he burst out crying on the spot.

''I volunteer!'' the voice boomed through the street, and YN turned with everyone to see who it was, although, in her head, she knew the answer.

Cato. He walked to the stage calmly, his legs conquering the steps in no time. He looked determined and happy, but YN knew better—that's what they taught them to present. Ruthless. Bloodthirsty. Killers. She hears distant cries from the crowd behind her—it's probably Miss Hadley. YN clenches her jaw, her teeth grinding together until her head rings. It isn't the time for her to break.

Cato can't bear to watch his mother's puffy face as she clenches her arms around him, whispering something like a prayer into his chest. His father is silent, a lonely tear escaping his eye as he holds Cato's youngest brother closer. The twins are also here; both of them are at the academy, so they have a faint idea of what he is doing. They tell him he will win because of how big he is, and that will be very easy. Cato smiles at them reassuringly—if only it were that easy.

''Dad,'' he nods in the direction of his crying mother.

''Come on, darling, you will upset him before the games,'' his father tells her, carefully pulling her way and placing a hand on Cato's shoulder. ''Stay strong, my boy. We will all be rooting for you every second you are in that arena; don't forget that.''

''Thank you, dad. Boys,'' he watches as twins show each other away, trying to get to bed first. He hugs them both; he has two hands for a reason. ''Behave and don't bother mom too much, or I'll have to kick your ass once I get back,'' he whispers into their heads.

The youngest one waves goodbye, blowing him a kiss. Cato smiles, watching his family leave the room. He wants to remember this moment forever, to put it in his pocket, and to never let it go. He knows why he is doing this—for them to have a better chance at life, for his father to finally have a day off, and for his mom to have new pots she secretly gazed at when she thought he wasn't looking.

''Hadley. Seven minutes.'' The peacekeeper announces, opening the door once more, even though Cato doesn't expect anyone else. Well, he hoped she would come—he really wanted her to—but he believed she never would. YN is not the type. Still, she is here. Closing the door behind her, in a simple blue jumpsuit and a nice scarf around her head.

''Hi,'' she nods. ''I came to say goodbye.''

Cato's heart skips a beat—those words hit harder than seeing himself on the big screens, with a tribute written under them. Soon, he may be dead; she will watch him on her small TV in the living room.

YN speaks quickly, almost in a rush. ''I know we don't speak anymore, but I know how you fight—you are capable of winning more than everyone else out there. Please, just don't think too much about what you are doing; just do it, okay?''

''Yeah, I'll try.'' He finds it weird that she doesn't want him to think, but Cato doesn't question why—she does know him better than anyone, having been training for a lot of years side by side.

''You have to return; your family needs you.''

''Don't worry too much about them; we already got the money for my volunteering from the mayor. They will be fine; dad can still work, and twins could help out. You have enough on your shoulders as it is. How is Grandpa Marc?''

''Better. He can't move like he used to and still needs help with walking and eating, but other than that, it's good. Although he is devastated that I didn't let him handle the meat, you should've seen how he tried to sneak a few knives at night.''

Cato's lips turn into a smile. ''That does sound like him.''

''Oh, I almost forgot. Here,'' YN rumbles in her pockets before taking a few pieces of candy out. ''We thought you should have a few.''

''You are kidding me? Lucky-talkies? I haven't had one in ages!''

YN laughs at his excitement, carefully placing the sweets in his hand. ''I know. They are as hard as they used to be; don't chip your tooth; it'll look bad at the promotion.''

Cato chuckles, pocketing the candy before his mentors have a chance to take it away. ''Thanks, YN. For everything.''

''I'll give you as much as you want if you don't die in there. Just try to stay alive, okay?''

''Easier said than done. But I'll try.''

YN smiles. Their time is up. The peacekeeper opens the door for her, his gun tangling dangerously around his neck. She doesn't turn around as she exits; her walk is steady. Cato thinks that he caught her shoulders shaking, but it could be just a twist of his tired brain.

The days after that are agony. YN doesn't know if it was her tiredness that finally caught her in a narrow corner or the grim reality of her life—it was definitely both. Even her favourite silent friend didn't cheer her up like it used to—the sun shone almost violently, burning her skin and leaving her body dizzy. The rotten cycle was now worsened by the non-stopping playing of what seemed to be a thousand screens, with stomach-curling screams echoing from time to time. They were everywhere—at the shop and their small flat above it, on the main square she passed each day, and, what was worse, they were at the factory, where she couldn't pretend to watch even for a second.

The work she does is heavy—carving the stones on the machinery bigger than her; her muscles were constantly aching, begging for a break. The suit she wore was too tight and too hot, and the annoying voice of the announcer blared through the speakers, stealing the air in her lungs. YN wanted nothing but to make it stop—for the world to go silent and still, even if just for a moment. But wonders didn't happen with people like her, so she continued to work, pushing herself through her gritted teeth.

''Welcome, welcome to what seems to be the last day in this beautiful arena!'' The blue-haired man spoke, his accent making YN's head hurt even more. ''To remind our dear viewers all across the Panem, here is a small recap from my colleague and sometimes friend, Claudius.''

''Thank you, Caesar. We are left with only three tributes on day eighteen—the first, of course, being Cato from District 2. His strategy has proved efficient so far; no doubt, he is one of the best contestants we've seen in a long time. And then, much to my surprise, a pair of tributes from District 12 are still in the games—their love story truly captivated the audience. Let's see what this day, or should we say night, brings us today and who will have the odds in their favour in the end.''

YN doesn't react to their comments; it feels wrong to compare herself to the kids out there, being selfish enough to think she deserves a break. She should be counting her lucky stars; it isn't her there, going through the bodies of the competitors one by one. Cato received body armour from the sponsors; that was good. He also lost his district partner; YN remembers her now; she was in his ''new'' friend group. She feels sorry for the girl; her death was awful, and her screaming Cato's name will forever be engraved in YN's memory.

''Aha, here he is! Our gladiator from District 2—he is running from—what's that?—wolves! Look at that speed—he surely is a good runner!''

YN turns her attention to the giant screen—surely enough, Cato is running from some monstrous creatures. He is bloodied; his skin is covered in bruises. YN prays it all will stop soon and he will get home safe. He doesn't even flinch when the arrow shot by twelve hits his chest; he just keeps running towards the Cornucopia.

''Please,'' YN whispers. He can't die, not when he has survived for so long.

''Look at them—all of the tributes managed to get on the Cornucopia just in time! Oh, here is a clever move from Cato's side: having Peeta in a headlock is a classic move. Now, he is sort of a ''human shield''. Brilliant!''

"Go on, shoot.'' Cato's voice booms through the speakers, sending shivers down YN's back. She missed hearing his voice, but it didn't even sound like him anymore. Like a stranger talking from the inside of what looked like her friend. '' And we both go down, and you win. Go on. I'm dead, anyway! I always was, right? I didn't know that until now. Isn't that what they want, huh?''

What the fuck was he doing? YN's mind raced—why won't he just kill him and get it over with? She doesn't notice how her hands begin to shake and how everyone else in the room seems to be eyeing her.

''No! I can still do this. I can still do this. One more kill. It's the only thing I know how to do. Bring pride to my district. Not that it matters."

''Kill him! For fuck's sake, just kill him!'' YN stands up, her nerves getting the best of her. Her voice echoes—she didn't mean to say it out loud.

''No talking!'' The peacekeeper in front of her shouts, his hand steady on the gun.

YN turns to face him slowly. Who was he to tell her to shut up when it was her friend who was dying right before her eyes? She feels her hands clench into fists; she will be able to take him down in a fight, maybe even kill him. YN was willing to try, at least.

''She won't talk no more,'' one of the older men in the group mutters, his voice bitter. ''Sit down, child.''

YN wants to argue, wants to scream or run until the bullet catches up to her, but she doesn't. What use would her dead body be to her grandpa? So she sits down, biting her cheek until her mouth fills with a familiar iron taste. Everything she wants to say, she tastes in her throat instead.

''Wait, can we zoom in on here?'' One of the announcers asks. ''Here, yes, what exactly are they staring at? It fell from Cato's pocket, right?''

'''Well, Claudius, it looks like a candy wrap to me. The real question is: why does Cato have one in the first place? He didn't strike me as a big sweets fan. ''

''Well, whatever it is, it seems to have changed his mind—look at how masterfully he throws Peeta down, like a feather! Oh, and now he is lurching for the girl on fire!''

A loud snap is heard through the speakers, and the girl falls, lifeless. YN covers her face with her hands, the dirt from them leaving a mark on her sweaty face. A choir of relieved exhales rings through the room.

''Ladies and gentlemen, I believe we have our 75th victor!''

It's hard, the first thing Cato realizes. Being here, breathing in the air that feels like spikes inside his lungs—everything was supposed to be easy, but it's so far from that. They have a nice house now; it has a room for each of his brothers, and even twins don't have to share anymore. His dad doesn't work; it's not fitting for victor's family to do so, so he takes up gardening instead. If a few years ago Cato heard that his father would ramble about how badly roses had grown on this soil, he would've checked himself into a mental asylum.

He isn't very loved in the Capitol, but his mentors said it was for the best. Cato believes them, but it stings a little. He wanted glory but got disgusted instead. It was not a fair trade, but at least his debt is paid, as is his brothers'. Money could buy a lot of things, just like he predicted, but it couldn't buy him peace. Cato has nothing ahead of him; he can't study like his peers do, can't work, can't live, and pretend it didn't happen. It very much did—when he closes his eyes, he can still smell the blood on his hands.

That's why he is here instead of Victor's village, eating ice cream on the empty main square in the warm evening. It's funny to think how he wanted to try it, collecting the money his father let him have for almost a year before ordering his first chocolate scoop. It was the tastiest thing he had ever eaten; now, it tasted just like every other one.

He hears the nearing footsteps—the people are returning from the day shift in the factories. Cato nods to a few of them—old neighbours, parents of classmates, or dad's friends. The men are all different—short and tall, ginger, blond and brunette—but they all bear the same expression that Capitoleers called ''a district 2 glare'' once. Cato used to get angry when he heard it, but now his face is no different—the word is a heavy thing to endure.

His eyes drift to the only person looking up and not on the road ahead—of course, it's YN. She thinks about something only she and the sun know, her steps mirroring those of the people ahead. One of the men notices him watching; he gently shoves her shoulder, whispering something in her ear before pointing in the direction of his seat. Suddenly, Cato wants to hide the ice cream in his hand and run away, but he doesn't.

''Enjoying your victory, Mister Hadley?'' Her voice is loud and filled with teasing, and a few men snicker at them.

Cato isn't angry; he deserves it, quite frankly. ''Always was known for the sweet tooth,'' he shrugs. ''As a matter of fact, are you free any time soon?'' He asks when the crowd is far enough away.

YN raises an eyebrow at him. ''Why is that? You know I work.''

''I was hoping you and your grandpa could come by sometime. Mom is awfully lonely, and the boys would love to see you, too.''

She nods. ''I am free on Sunday, but Grandpa is still a little shy about eating in front of people.''

''I'll ask mom to cook a soup then—it's better?'' He would cook the damn soup himself if it meant seeing her for longer than five minutes. If it meant not being alone in that house, that reeked of the arena.

''Yes, I think we can do that. What about 12? We could be a little late with all that walking.''

''Thank you; it's perfect.''

YN smiles at him. For the first time since he won, someone smiled at him. Cato smiles back, although he is sure it comes out more as a grin. YN doesn't notice or pretends to do so.

''Oh, come in! Janus, come right down; the guests are here!''

YN and her grandpa are greeted with Miss Hadley's voice, her warm hands wrapping first around her, and then the older man. YN smiles; she missed just sitting down for a meal without having to worry about how much money she was going to need for the next one. The boys have grown. They shout, each trying to be the first to show her their own rooms and the cool things they have. YN tries not to get lost in the maze of toys, balls, books, and a thousand other different things, while Grandpa talks with Mr. Janus.

When the boys start to embark on what feels like a fifth circle around the house, Miss Hadley puts an end to it. ''That's enough! YN, darling, come sit here—what would you like to eat?''

The table is full of different things. There are so many that they could eat for a few weeks and be full. YN doesn't think she saw that many vegetables and fruits in her life. She asks for what everyone is having and is happy to have her plate full. Grandpa also seems to be enjoying himself; he insists on wearing his best shirt for the occasion and now listens attentively to what the twins have to say. They make a good team, YN thinks—twins finally found free ears that are not yet tired of them, and there is nothing that Grandpa loves more than a good story.

When the dinner is over, YN speaks, talking to Miss Hadley beside her. ''Thank you for the invitation; your house is just lovely.''

''Cato made us clean every corner of it before you came—I didn't even have time to play outside!'' The youngest boy whines, pouting slightly.

YN chuckles as she watches colour gather at Cato's ears, his eyes glued to the dish in front of him. ''Well, it was definitely worth it—I had the most marvelous time with you here. And the food was delicious! But I am afraid we have to go; Grandpa should walk when it's still light outside.''

''We will take you home,'' Cato announces, nodding to the twins to put on their shoes. They do so happily, grabbing them and their jackets before Grandpa has a chance to stand up and stick to his side like glue.

The evening is pleasant; the wind is quite chilly, but Cato doesn't mind. The only sound on the street is twins arguing over who will help Grandpa Marc with his cane for the next two minutes.

''Thank you for coming,'' he says, looking at the woman walking beside him.

''Of course. We had a good time, - I hope you did too. How's life been? We haven't talked in a while.''

''Good,'' Cato lies. ''And yours?''

''Better. Since your dad quit, I got the day shift; it pays better, and I can finally get rid of those horrible dark circles.''

Cato nods. ''I've been thinking a lot about our past these days, especially our childhood. It feels like a lifetime ago.''

''Things change,'' YN shrugs. ''We've grown and become different people since then. I would've never imagined working at the factory, but here I am. And you win the games—that was your dream.''

''Don't you miss it? How easy were things back then?''

YN smiles. ''They never were easy, I think; we just couldn't understand them properly. Besides, not much changed, if you think about it.''

''Maybe not for you.''

''Why?'' YN turns to look at him.

Cato swallows. ''YN, they made me different. The games, all those kills—they changed me.''

''You did what you had to survive. It doesn't matter now that you are here.''

''You think I don't notice how people tiptoe around me now? How can Mom stand to look at me for more than a minute? How do boys try to avoid me at all costs? And dad—he doesn't even speak to me! ''

YN is silent. Cato curses in his mind—he shouldn't have said that. He takes a deep breath. ''I'm sorry. It just feels weird. It's like I don't have a home to return to and can't get into a new one. Just hanging there, mid-air.''

''When Grandpa was in the hospital, that's how it felt. I was too young to be alone, but there was no choice but to watch as everything I once loved fell into ruins. I was supposed to be going to movies, partying, and sneaking out, not juggling the bills from medication and the shop. But life decided otherwise. So, I built my own home within myself—one that nothing could tear down or take away.''

''I don't think there is anything left to build on. I'm not like you; everything anyone sees when they look at me is a monster .''

''I don't.'' YN stops. ''I see the boy who brought me a pretty big book with pictures so I could give the change correctly; I see a man who volunteered for his family to have a chance at a better life. I see you, real you, not the role mentors or Capitol made you play. Just Cato.''

''Can I hug you?'' His voice is barely above a whisper.

YN doesn't answer - she just takes a step closer into his arms, resting her head on his shoulder.

''I'm sorry; I am so sorry for everything I've done," Cato mutters, his hands trembling as he holds onto YN tightly. ''I should've said it sooner. ''

''It doesn't matter now. We survived this; we are still here, you and I.''

Cato nods; his tears mix with hers, pooling in patches on his shirt. They are different—children who were forced to grow up too early in a world that wasn't for them. ''I think I never lost it—my home. It was always here, with you, on this street. Isn't it funny? All those years of searching, only to return here, where we truly belong?''

''The butcher's, you mean? If you wanted more candy, you could've just asked,'' YN smiles, whipping away her red eyes.

''Fucking finally,'' an aged voice mutters from behind the corner.

''Grandpa Marc!'' the twins turn to him, surprised.

The old man just smiles, his wrinkled face appearing younger with joy. ''Don't tell YN I said that. She'll never let me live it down."

The twins giggle, their happy laughter echoing on the street. A few moments later, Grandpa Marc joins in, his breathy laugh adding to the chorus. It's not the first time the street leading to the butcher's was woken up by sounds of joy, and he hoped it wouldn't be the last.

#imagine #hunger games #character x you #cato hunger games #cato hadley #cato x reader #cato hadley x reader #cato hadley fanfiction #the hunger games #district two #childhood friends to lovers #au #love this pookie so much #careers #thg cato

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maysileeewrites · 4 months

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day I don’t even know of trying to put up with my sister‘s Hunger Games opinions (she‘s team Prim Reaper, hates Finnick and still doesn’t get my ongoing obsession with Clato / the Careers in general)

like, what did I do wrong? someone please send help

#thg #the hunger games #tbosas #the ballad of songbirds and snakes #the hunger games the ballad of songbirds & snakes #finnick odair #coriolanus snow #clato #clato the hunger games #cato x clove #finnick x reader #cato hunger games #clove hunger games #like how can you still be team prim reaper???

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sirani-unexplained · 3 months

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cato hadley fans in a drought rn. send me asks so i’m motivated to write cause i KNOW u cato bitches r out there 😈😈

#the hunger games #hunger games #cato #cato hadley #cato hadley x reader #cato hadley fic #cato hadley x you #tbosas

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midnightlee25 · 8 months

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Just another job - (Yandere Cato x Reader)

Cato is from @redphonevn

It was just a week ago he was hired for this job. It was just like the others he had done before. get rid of the target he was told to.

The whole week was spent with him seeing what their schedule was like and any other things he may need while waiting for the perfect timing. He watched as they walked home from work and eavesdropped on every conversation they had in public. He learned that they weren’t a bad person yet who is he to really say besides they were just another target, yet he would find interest in them.

And with luck on his side the perfect timing was dropped right into his lap when he saw that they had put up an ad for a roommate.

The conversation was short, but he was more interested than he was before. He’s never truly talked with one of his targets before and now that he has…

There’s a chance that he will let them live just a bit longer. The only problem is if he does like them more than he Intended then he will have a new target in mind.

#yandere #yandere x reader #yandere x you #yandere x darling #yandere x y/n #red phone #redphonevn #cato #yandere cato #cato redphonevn

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xetswan · 2 days

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The Hunger Games- Protector; Chapter Two, The Capitol

(Peeta Mellark X Reader)

[One] [Two] [Three]

"You have three minutes." A voice calls and I hear the door open. It's my family. Prim and Katniss pull me into a rough embrace, both crying.

"Hey, shh, shh, it's okay. We don't have much time, listen." I pull away from them, Prim's arms still wrapped around my waist as I put one hand on the side of her face. I also pet Katniss's hair.

"You're gonna be okay, Prim. I promise. Don't take any extra food from them. It's not worth putting your name in." I tell her, kissing her multiple times on the forehead.

"Kat, I'll be okay, don't lose yourself, use Gale as a walking stick. He'll be right there with you." I pull her in for one last hug.

"Just try to win. Maybe you can." Prim says in a broken tone. My breathing halts for a moment but I continue on. "Maybe I can." I smile at her. "You can hunt." She reminds me. "Exactly." Katniss chimes in.

Prim then pulls out the golden pin that Kat had given her moments before the Reaping. I stare at it. "To protect you." She mutters. "Thank you." I frown, kissing her cheek. I then moved to my Aunt Clare, my dad and Zayden.

My dad puts Zayden in my arms and then he hugs the both of us. I try not to sob as he squeezes onto me. "I'll be okay, dad. I'll win. I'll be back." I promise him the unpromisable.

"I know, I know you will." I felt wet tears land on the top of my head and it only makes me feel worse but I don't want them to hurt even more seeing me cry. He let me go and I gave Zayden back to my father, he didn't talk, he was very quiet.

I knew he didn't understand and the boy doesn't talk much in general.

Clare gives me a small embrace. She begins to cry, I rub her back soothingly. "Don't cry." I whisper.

"It's time." The same Peacekeeper comes back into the room. Dragging mainly Prim out. "It's alright, Prim." I wanted to comfort her but her big sister was right there with her and I knew she would be alright without me. If I win or lose.

I glanced out the window, wanting to break down but I still couldn't let myself. Not yet anyway. I hear the door slam shut and I turn around. It's Gale, he swoops me up into a hug, lifting my heels off the ground before we pull away from one another. "I'm fine." I told him.

"Yeah, I know." He nods his head.

"Listen to me. You're stronger than they are. Get a bow-" "I'm not that good with a bow yet, Gale." I argue with him but he stops me.

"You were getting amazing, trust me. If not a bow, get yourself a spear or something. You're good with close battles but you're gonna need distance most of the time." He assured me, I wanted to argue but the timing wasn't the best. "You know how to hunt."

"Animals." I remind him.

"It's no difference, [Name]." I shake my head. "I don't know if I can do it. 23 other people. Only one is the victor. Those odds..." I sigh, thinking about my chance against District 1 and 2. The ones who are practically trained to do it. Volunteer to do it.

"And it's gonna be you. Do it for Katniss, your dad, Prim, Zayden, and Aunt Clare. Think of them." He gives me one last embrace as the Peacekeeper comes into the room.

"Don't let them starve, Gale! Take care of them! Katniss is strong but she needs you!" I yell. "Let's go." The Peacekeeper drags Gale out of the room. "We'll see you soon, okay?" He shouts back to me.

I wasn't expecting anyone else to visit me, those were the only people I really knew.

Or at least I thought until the door opens for a third time and it reveals Peeta Mellark's father. The Baker, a man I've sold a few animals to for bread. Mainly squirrel, he loves squirrel.

"What you did, it was brave." He speaks up and I only stare at him, confused on why he's here. I'm guessing he already spent his time with his son before coming to me. "And to honor you, Miss Everdeen. I will make sure your family does not starve."

I feel stuck in place but I want to say something, do something to show my gratitude. "Just win this thing, we're all betting on you." He nods his head.

My eyebrows furrow, shocked by his words. They aren't betting on his own son? "Thank you." I mutter. He places a hand on my shoulder, patting it before moving back to the door and leaving the room.

Finally leaving me to my own thoughts, alone until we're moved to the car. Peeta and I are sitting beside one another as Effie sits across from us. "You two are in for a treat! Crystal chandeliers, platinum door knobs, and it flies. We'll be at the Capitol in less than two days. Now before you do anything else..." Her voice grows inaudible to my ears as I stare out the window. Just wanting this nightmare to end. When we exit the car, we're immediately boarding the Tribute Train.

"200 miles an hour and you can barely feel a thing. I think it's one of the wonderful things about this opportunity that even though you're here and it's just for a little while, you get to enjoy all of this." She informs us, both of us stay quiet in response, making her feel more and more awkward.

"I'm going to find Haymitch, he's probably in the bar car." She excuses herself, leaving us alone.

"Have you ever met him?" He asks me, I shake my head no. "Haymitch? You know, he is our mentor. He did win this thing once." He tells me and I look at him without turning my head. "Yes, I know." I huff out. "I don't want to talk anymore." I say to him, motioning for him to quiet down. Which he does until the door opens to see a drunken blond haired man.

"Congratulations." He pours himself a bottle of alcohol. He opens the ice container to see that it's empty. "Where's the ice?" He asks us as if we would even know.

"I don't... I don't know." Peeta responds. He slams the ice container back shut. "May I?" He points to the seat but before either of us could respond he's sitting down. "Okay, so uh... when do we start?" Peeta quizzes our mentor.

"Whoa, whoa. So eager. Most of you aren't in such a hurry." Haymitch snickers at him. "Yeah, I want to know what the plan is. You're our mentor. You're supposed to-"

"Mentor?" The older man questions, treating Peeta like he's stupid. "Yeah, our mentor, you're supposed to tell us how to get sponsors and give us advice." He explains to the drunk.

"Oh, um, embrace the probability of your imminent death and know in your heart, that there's nothing I can do to save you." He then sweetly smiles at us, my eyes squint in disbelief.

"Why are you even here then?" I ask. "Oh, the refreshments." He swirls the little drink. "Okay, I think that's enough." Peeta goes to grab the drink but Haymitch pins him back down in the chair with his bare foot.

"You made me spill my drink on these brand new pants. You know, I think I'll go finish this in my room." He gets up, I scoff, hiding my face in my hands. We're going to die so fast because of this idiot.

"He's gonna come around." Peeta stands up. "What's the point?" I stopped him. "I'm gonna go talk to him." The blond tells me, leaving to talk to the man.

The tv turns on and shows two men, showing footage from the 73rd Hunger Games. I don't pay attention to it. Only turning it back off. Deciding it might be best to clean up and go to bed. Or just have that time to lay down and cry.

I changed into a red long sleeve and sweatpants that were in the dresser. Before going to bed I take out my braids, putting them into one instead of two. I think about what my family's doing at this very moment. How they feel about everything.

I feel for my father who lost his wife five years ago and now has to deal with the death of his daughter on the big screens. All for stuff that happened 74 years ago.

Children punished for a war they were never even a part of. I just wonder how I'm going to die in the games.

Will it be by a spear, a knife? Maybe even my own weapon I decide to grab. Or the weather? Die of something lame. Who knows.

That night it was difficult to fall asleep, somehow I managed but only got five hours which was more than I even expected. I get dressed before going into the next car.

"You'd freeze to death first." I hear Haymitch's voice. "No, cause I'd have a lot of fire." Peeta disagrees. "Now that's a good way to get killed."

"Why's that a good way to get killed?" I question as I join them. "Oh, joy. Why don't you join us? I was just giving some life saving advice." He grins towards me. "Like what?" I tilt my head.

"Oh, I was just asking about how to find shelter." Peeta informs me. "Which would come in handy if in fact you were still alive." Haymitch adds in. "How do you find shelter?" I place my hands in front of me, clasping them together. "Pass the jam." The long haired man avoids the question.

"How do you find shelter?" I repeat myself. "Give me a chance to wake up sweetheart. This mentoring is very... taxing stuff. Can you pass the marmalade?" Again avoiding the question, I grab a knife that was on a place mat, quickly stabbing in between his fingers.

"That is mahogany!" Effie shouts from the couch she was sitting on. I then look back to our "Mentor".

"Look at you, just killed a place mat. You really wanna know how to stay alive? You get people like you. Oh! Not what you were expecting? Well, when you're in the middle of the Games, and you're starving or freezing, some water, a knife, or even some matches can mean the difference between life and death. And those things only come from sponsors. And to get sponsors, you have to make people like you. And right now sweetheart, you're not off to a real good start." He snaps at me, taking the knife from the table to get the marmalade.

"There it is." Peeta says, thankfully getting me out of this position as he points to the window. He gets up and waves to the cheering crowd.

"Come on, come on!" He tells me, I slowly get up. "You better keep this knife, he knows what he's doing." Haymitch goes to hand me the knife but I stop him. I join Peeta at the window, placing a smile on my face like the blond beside me.

Waving to the crowd.

The next thing to deal with was horrible, being showered down then waxed of all the hair on my body. The prep team talked about me as if I wasn't right in front of them. My nails being oh so dirty, my hair not being brushed thoroughly. The little patches of dirt or coal they can't seem to wash off somehow. Then as the three walk away from me I see them holding something.

"What's that?" I question, trying to look over their shoulders. They didn't answer me at first. "What's that!?" I repeat myself.

"We;re just saying we might need to hose you down again before we take you to Cinna." Flavius tells me.

The torture was over and now I'm alone in a room, cleaned, waxed, plucked raw. I don't understand why it was important when I'm going to be fighting for my survival. A man enters the room and I sit up to be kind of polite.

"That was one of the bravest things I've ever seen. With your cousins. My name is Cinna." The man smiles at me. "[Name]." I give a weak smile. "I'm sorry that this happened to you and I'm here to help you in any way I can." He assures me.

"Thank you, I'm surprised you didn't congratulate me. Like everyone else has." I huff out.

"Well, I don't see the point in that. Tonight, they have the Tribute Parade. We're gonna take you out and show you off to the world." He leans against one of the counters. "What's the point of the parade?" I look up at him.

"You need to make an impression. Now, usually they dress people in clothes from their district." Cinna says, I nod my head. "Yeah, we're always coal miners."

"But I don't want to do that. I wanna do something that they're gonna remember. Did they explain anything about trying to get sponsors?" He asks.

"Yeah, I am scared I won't be what they want to see." I frown at the thought. "Well so far you're far more than anything they expected. I just think someone as brave as you shouldn't be dressed in some stupid costume now, should they?" He smirks, confident in me, something I can't find myself to do.

"I hope not." I say.

"It's safe I promise. It's not real fire. These suits are built so you won't feel a thing." Cinna reassures us. Both Peeta and I are in black outfits. My makeup black as well. My hair being put into two braids kind of like it was at the Reaping but way better looking.

"Looks pretty real to me." Peeta worriedly says. "Well, that's the idea. You ready? Don't be afraid." Cinna questions me. "I'm not afraid." I lied to him.

The parade gets announced and Peeta helps me up on the carriage. "Thank you." I whisper, when I talk it's as if the wind has been knocked out of me. "Of course." He says.

The horses begin to move and I feel my chest rapidly moving up and down.

"Here." Peeta takes my hand, I wanted to let it go but instead I don't. Gripping it tightly without realizing. The fire emits on our clothes and as ours goes down, cheers boom in the audience.

Flowers flying down to us. Peeta lifts our hands in the air. I remember to smile. Waving with my other hand to the people cheering our names and district.

I saw myself on the banners and it was as if I didn't recognize myself. The makeup I was wearing, the cleanliness that no one could ever really achieve in 12.

We come to a stop in front of President Snow who stands up from his seat.

"Welcome, welcome. Tributes, we welcome you. We salute your courage and your sacrifice. And we wish you a Happy Hunger Games. And may the Odds be ever in your favor." The older man grins to us, and as the audience cheers once again we are put into the back.

"That was amazing." Cinna compliments us, Peeta helping me back down, the fire was still burning on our clothes.

"Oh! We are all anybody's going to be talking about!" Effie clasps her hands together, excited.

"So brave." Haymitch slow claps. "Are you sure you should be near an open flame?" I question him. "Fake flame? Are you sure you-" He's cut off by the fact that District 2 were glaring daggers right at me, I confusedly stare right back at them.

"Let's uhh... let's go upstairs."

We get led to the elevator, I stay kind of behind Peeta basically last in the line of us.

"So, each of the districts get their own floor and because you're from 12, you get the penthouse." She grins, the doors open to a large living area. I observe every detail of the lavish living these people get to have.

"So this is the living room. I know, I know! Now, your rooms are right over here. Why don't you go clean yourselves up before dinner?" She suggests, more like telling us what to do. We move to our rooms, once I enter inside mine I admire how large the bed is. How fancy everything is.

I look down at the night stand and see a remote type device. I clicked a button and the screen that looked like a window was changing. I click it all the way until I see a wooded area.

It reminded me of what Gale said. Running away together the three of us. Bringing our family even though Prim wouldn't like it, it would've been better than this.

What if we did it? Would we have made it?

"In 2 weeks, 23 of you will be dead. One of you will be alive. Who that is depends on how well you pay attention over the next four days, particularly to what I'm about to say. First, no fighting with the other tributes. You'll have plenty of time for that in the Arena. There are four compulsory exercises. The rest will be individual training. My advice is, don't ignore the survival skills. Everybody wants to grab a sword but most of you will die from natural causes. 1 percent from infection, 20 percent from hydration. Exposure can kill as easily as a knife." Atala explains to us as we all stand together in the training center.

I observe the people around me before I do anything else.

"Jason, where's my knife, huh?" The boy from district 2 asks aggressively, Cato I believe his name was. "I didn't touch your knife." Jason defends himself.

"I put my knife right there!" The blond boy shouts. "I didn't touch your knife!" Jason yells back.

"You took my knife, you liar!" Cato accuses. "I didn't!"

"You little punk! You took my knife!"

"I'm just sitting here." Jason crosses his arms.

"I'll finish you right now, kid! Actually better yet, I'll wait for you in the arena. You're the first one I get, so watch your back." Cato threatens the boy.

I glance upwards to see the young girl from district 11 hiding with the knife. I smiled up at her. We make eye contact and I can see she tries to hide her amusement but not very well.

"Everyone back in line!" Atala orders. "You don't know who you're messing with, kid." Cato gets his last words in before we move forward.

"He's a career, you know what that is?" Haymitch asks me.

"From District 2." I nod my head.

"They train in a special academy until they're 18. Then they volunteer. By that point they're pretty lethal." He explains something I already knew because Gale and I used to talk to some Peacekeepers and they told us even though they weren't really supposed to but I'm not going to say that in the Capitol.

"But they don't receive any special treatment. In fact, they stay in the exact apartments you do. And I don't think they let them have dessert. But you can." Effie tells us.

"So how good are they?" Peeta questions. "Obviously, they're pretty good. They win it almost every year but..."

"Almost." Effie cuts him off.

"They can be arrogant. And arrogance can be a big problem. I hear you can shoot." He changes the subject to me and I stiffen up.

"I'm okay. Not the best." I rub my hands together.

"She's better than okay, my father buys her squirrels. He says she hits them right in the eye." Peeta gloats and I raise a brow, what's he getting at? Katniss taught me how to do that. I only started doing that this year too.

"Peeta's strong." I say.

"What?" He scoffs. "He can throw a 100 pound sack of flour right over his head. I've seen it." I tell them.

"Well, I'm not gonna kill anybody with a sack of flour." He rolls his eyes.

"No, but you have a strong skill that will help when needing shelter. You have a way better chance of winning. And besides I'm way better with close intimate fighting which will only get me killed." I fold my arms.

"I have no chance of winning! None! Alright? It's true. Everybody knows it. You know what my mother said? She said District 12 might finally have a winner. But she wasn't talking about me. She was talking about you." He angrily admits to me, I feel like I'm melting into my seat. My face is getting flushed. How could his mother say that about him?

"I'm not very hungry." He leaves the table and I get a flashback to his mother yelling at him in the rain. I feel the weight of Katniss in my arms.

"I'm done too." I whisper, getting up after him.

Masterlist

P.M. ML

Taglist: if you want to be added lmk!

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finalspaceyandere · 2 months

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Now thinking I was curious, how would your yandere version of Avocato react, if his beloved tried to kill himself due to falling succumbs to depression and devastation of always being pinned to one place with no rights but pure obsession of his delusional kind of love

How would Avocato deal with this kind behavior?

Would he be scared or become more possesive as well as obsessive?

Just curious

This had to be translated since my native language is not English, sorry for the spelling mistakes.

Very good question

For this extreme circumstance, first

Context

This occurs before Avocato betrays the Lord Commander.

…

In your early days you would have yourself in a baby-friendly room, perhaps in a few months, when he gains trust in you and believes that you have overcome your tantrums (as he calls them) and have adapted to this new life. With him, he might consider letting you go a little, so as not to suffocate you, otherwise he will forcibly give you sleeping pills.

He is very considerate at first, he shows you his loving face and lets his guard down with you… Or maybe he is just pretending, you don't really know.

You thought it would be something that wouldn't get worse from that point or at least no more than it already was, or would go in a direction that not even you would recognize, you really knew little or nothing of how crazy, how bad he was. If you knew how you make him feel, just by being close to him, those tickles he feels in his crotch are only caused by you, you, you, you and only you.

And if he is not at home, almost all the time you will have a little orange Ventrexian behind you, who at times can be passive aggressive with you, but if he is in a good mood, he will be demanding your attention like a "father/mother", which gives him care and love your child, because you are his "mom/dad"… Isn't that right? You love him, right? There's a reason why my dad chose you… Isn't there? Well, whether you like it or not, now you're going to have to take care of this kid, and learn to tolerate him, because if you don't pay attention to him he might get you. Make things difficult and it won't end well. If you're lucky, he may just scream and pull at your clothes, tearing them a little with his little claws, or he may get angry and not want to leave his room, which will at least give you time to yourself for a few hours. . but when his dad comes… That's the problem, he will force you to apologize and not in a exactly sweet way, he will make you feel guilty, because he is just a child???, how can you be so cruel to a child who only wants love??

Only to end up forced to sleep with him at night.

Could your life be good? Did you have to get used to a child who wants your attention 24/7? And a man who will probably have to see a psychologist for his delusions and short temper?

If you don't do what he wants, he will destroy you mentally. Do you have family that works with Mr Commander? Perfect, they lost their job because you denied them a kiss, you didn't want to hug their son? Well, your privilege of sleeping in a bed is over and you will spend the night in the box (as he calls it, it's a place that stinks of damp, it's like a bad attempt at a basement, he had to fix it, but for now he uses it as punishment)

He uses very few physical punishments, he is more mental, and that is killing you, it is too much, he subjects you to a lot and demands more than he gives, body and soul attentive only to him and his son, he puts pressure. in you. to the point that if you behave like a dad/mom with his son, and he has tried a couple of ways to have a baby with you, the good thing is that he won't force you to do anything you don't want to do… that's the only thing that you really like about him. But there is nothing wrong with fantasizing.

But he wouldn't stop harassing and pressuring you, emphasizing what a “bad father figure” you are, not to mention that some days you didn't eat or didn't go out of your daily routine, your mental health began to be a problem. You wanted to escape with your mind, even creating a mini carsel for yourself, it crossed your mind a lot that maybe you had a minimal option to get out of this shit but you didn't want to go that far, but you liked to believe that he would get tired and leave you. . . only once in the 8 months you were there. You were putting up with this, because let's be honest, when you want to be a bitch to someone, it drives them crazy.

and one night… you had enough.

You took advantage of him staying late and as always, trying to get your attention, he was just an 8 year old boy and under other circumstances you would feel much worse about this, but not today.

He wanted you to play with his little plastic swords, so he asked his dad to buy him the same ones, just to play with you, he always walked them up and down so you could play with him, and on this particular day he did. you rejected it. . because supposedly your head hurt, he understood but he still wanted your attention or to be in it.

*mom / dad, can I fall asleep with you?

You cursed yourself a little, the problem was with his dad, not with this little one.

*mom / dad?

_Not today little one…

*But…

_I TOLD YOU NO, TO YOUR ROOM!!!!

Normally you don't yell at him, maybe some days you don't respond and you pretend not to listen, but you never yell at him, sad and upset you ran to his room.

You waited exactly 10 minutes and carefully went into the avocato's room, you knew that he had one or another knife as a collection, since there were no knives in sight in the kitchen, because you could "get hurt"… But no You found nothing, just a bottle of pills, you assumed they were the sleeping pills he gave you… Without thinking, you just took them all… At least most of them, you didn't even see the name or anything about the medicine, you thought that at any moment avocato arrived home, you wanted to end everything once and for all, within minutes you began to have rapid palpitations, your chest felt bad, this was not what you were supposed to feel, you took a look at the bottle, "vitamin" it was what it said, but they were not for humans, but for Ventrexians.

Your hands trembling, your mind confused, you swore they smelled the same, they had the same shape as sleeping pills, WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON! You didn't even manage to take one more step before falling to the ground, you couldn't move, you felt cold and without realizing it All this happened 10 minutes ago, if you wanted to die, intoxicated by sleeping pills, sleeping peacefully, not this, not lying on the floor with your forehead in a cold sweat.

You heard a familiar voice call you as you entered the house, you barely had the strength to be in the same position, at this point you lost consciousness but the last thing you remember was that they shouted your name.

When you woke up, you tried to adapt your eyes to the light of the place, although it was dim, just so that your eyes wouldn't hurt so much, you were… in a hospital? Wait, did you come out? You turned your head almost everywhere, To make sure and confirm that you were in a hospital, you felt bad, well, I was disgusted to be exact, so those sudden movements when you woke up took their toll on you, that's when you heard his voice.

You woke up, that means you're better.

His voice sounded conceited, happy but certainly angry, he stood up calmly from the corner where he was, at this point you already knew that expression on his face, you knew what would happen once you left this place, he walked to where you were, he had His eyes were really teary, his face, although angry, looked happy, he took your hand and kissed it.

Our son will be very happy, you can't imagine how much I cried when I found out that he would stone his mom, I hired him for some serum and something to eat that is not so heavy for you.

(I'm really sorry for taking so long, I really wanted this to be as good as possible, I'll be much more active I promise ^^)

He let go of your hand to dry the tears that were coming out of his eyes, before crossing the door, he turned his face a little to see you.

Don't do it baby, remember that you are still in tera com primre, outside of here you have nowhere to go, I already took care of that, here everyone is loyal to me, if you call the police I will know, here I am the authority, behave well and Maybe he won't punish you...at least not much.

At this point you no longer know what to do, will you give up?

(I'm really sorry for taking so long, I really wanted this to be as good as possible, I'll be much more active I promise ^^)

#final space #final space yandere #yandere #avocato #little cato #ash graven #fs yandere #final space x reader #avocato final space #x reader #gary goodspeed #yandere x darling #yandere x you #yandere x y/n

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7s3ven · 2 months

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Next toxic fic with who? 😍😍😍

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catoscloves · 4 months

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let me put on a show for you by catoscloves/enobarias (on ao3) thg | clato | 2.6k | canon, 74th hunger games

summary: cato promises to let clove have his kill, under certain conditions. (a missing scene between cato and clove, before the feast.)

excerpt: "cato, if you would just let me have this kill," clove insists as cato leans back against a tree, uncharacteristically relaxed. she's grown accustomed to the way her partner (and, though she'd truly rather lose the games than admit it, her friend) stampedes around the arena, and the fact that he's not stalking back and forth like a manic jungle cat as he usually does unnerves her. "i am more than capable-"

he cuts her off with an immediate protest.

"absolutely not." the definitive tone of his statement is punctuated by a practice thrust of his spear into the open air, seemingly more to have something to do with his inactive hands than actual preparation, and clove hugs herself tightly so she doesn't lose focus and fixate on the way his arm muscles contract with his movement. "the girl is the reason we could lose everything. she's mine."

clove won't ask what he means by lose everything, but she has a startling sense that he means far more than just the coveted victor spot in these games.

#my first fanfic writing in a long time!! two years to be exact #it's a small oneshot with less than 3k and somehow took me two weeks to write akdjfhhkddkfj #anyways this is set in canon and inspired by the ''cato promised to let me have you if i put on a good show'' dialogue #because that was such a good clato crumb!!#no clato deaths in this one because i'm tired of tragedy and angst where these characters are concerned #just a character study :)#the hunger games #thg #thg fanfiction #clato fanfiction #clato #cato x clove #clove x cato #cato #clove #minefic

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cupcakesmoothie · 8 months

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I'm going insane. Fuck it. Calliphon or Cato x reader. It'll be fun

#I'm screaming (mentally)#LIKE!!!!#Calliphon would be so good my beloved bi disaster #He'd be so good at comforting ok he's got experience #AND CATO!!!!!!!!#Yandere #Listen I am staring at him he is so yandere coded how. Why did I do this.#He WOULD try to keep you by his side at all times he fucking DOES in a canon I'm going insane #This is too much power #I'm going insane with power I tell you #Local author realises their power over fiction #I can't #sweetmountainseeds #Plagues Blessings and Journeys #x reader fics

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waitimcomingtoo · 10 days

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All Those Shadows Almost Killed Your Light

Pairing: Peeta Mellark x Reader

Synopsis: you leave the cave to go get supplies and get lost, leaving Peeta to panic while you’re gone

Masterlist

While Peeta was still asleep, you quietly gathered some of your things around the cave and packed them in your backpack. You had managed to change the dressing on his leg wound without him waking up so you hoped you’d be able to slip out to gather some supplies without him noticing. Just as you were about to leave the cave, you heard him waking up.

“Sweetheart? Where are you going?” He asked in a groggy voice. Even half asleep, you could hear panic in his voice at the sight of you leaving.

“I’m just gonna go get some supplies. I’ll be right back.” You told him as you put some arrows into your quiver. Peeta frowned at your answer and tried to sit up but winced from the pain.

“You’re leaving? But what if something happens to you out there? The Careers are still looking for us. It’s not safe for you to go out there alone.” Peeta worried and tried to catch your ankle to stop you. You moved away from his hand and bent down to get on his level.

“We need more water and you need food in you. I have to go. Don’t worry about me. I have my bow and I know where I’m going.” You assured him as you pushed the hair off his forehead.

“I’m coming.” He insisted and tried to get up again. You gently pushed him back down to his reclined position.

“No you’re not. You can barely stand. Let alone walk around. Just stay here and rest. I won’t be long.”

“No. I can’t let you go alone. If something were to happen to you-“

“Nothings gonna happen to me.” You cut him off before he could spiral. You could tell from Peeta face that he was deeply upset over you leaving without him. He knew you could protect yourself, he just hated the idea of not being able to help you if something were to happen.

“But-“ He began to protest again so you put a hand on his chest and cut him off with a kiss. You felt his eyelashes brush your face as his eyes shut and he tilted his head up to kiss you back. He wasn’t sure if you were actually kissing him or just putting on a show for the sponsors and honestly, you weren’t sure either.

“Now there’s no way I’m letting you go.” He said when you pulled away.

“I’ll be okay. I promise.” You assured him you as held his face in your hands.

“You can’t promise that.” He whispered and shook his head. You could tell there was something more Peeta wasn’t telling you that was making him so anxious.

“Do you think I’m not gonna come back?” You asked and sat beside him to give him your full attention. Peeta stared into your eyes and looked a little guilty for what he was about to say.

“I trust you.” He began. “But I’m such a burden. You and I both know that. If you didn’t have to take care of me-“

You cut him off with another kiss, taking your time with this one. You pulled him in by his face and laid on his chest to give him a proper kiss goodbye that you hoped would satisfy him.

“I would never leave you behind.” You promised him. “We’re a team. It’s not a burden to look after you. So let me get you some water and food so that I don’t have to lose you.”

You thought that was enough for him but he let out a whine once you got up. He grabbed your hand and tried to pull you back down to keep you from leaving.

“Please, don’t leave.” He begged. “The Careers are after you. You didn’t see Cato. He was really adamant about killing you himself.”

“I’d like to see him try.” You smirked as you picked up your bow.

“Don’t even joke.”

“I’m not. I have precious cargo to protect. Cato has a death wish if he tries to get me. Maybe I’ll go hunting for him while I’m out there.” You joked and slipped your knife into your belt loop. You were trying to make Peeta laugh to distract him but he wasn’t having it.

“Please stay.” He pleaded. “It’s not worth it. Don’t risk your life for me.”

“But you see, that’s the problem. I’d do anything for you.” You clicked your tongue and shrugged. Peeta didn’t even crack a smile as he stared at you with eyes that begged you not to go. You felt bad for not doing the one thing he asked but you needed supplies. You bent down beside him again and gave him a soft smile.

“Aren’t you gonna kiss me goodbye?” You asked. Peeta didn’t move at first so you took it as a no. But suddenly, he slipped his hand behind your neck and pulled you into a needy kiss. You let it last as long as he needed it to because you needed it too. When you pulled away, you smiled softly as him and pressed your forehead against his.

“Don’t let this be our last goodbye.” He pleaded quietly as he looked you in the eyes with his giant puppy dog eyes.

“It won’t be.” You promised. “I’m coming back for you.”

“You better.” He said as you stood up. You threw your backpack on your back and said goodbye to him one more time before leaving the cave.

You got the water first since it was nearby and then went to go hunt for some food. You kept your eyes up as you walked to look for birds you could shoot at. A flock of birds caught your eyes and you began to run after them with an arrow drawn. Your eyes never left the sky as you ran as you were determined to bring some food back for Peeta. The floor suddenly disappeared beneath your feet and you found yourself tumbling down a steep hill. You held your arms close to yourself and tucked your head in as you went crashing down to the bottom of the hill. A large rock was waiting for you at the bottom and collided with your head, making you come to a stop.

A few hours passed and by the time you woke up, the sun was setting. You went to sit up but the throbbing pain in your head sent you back down. You winced and rubbed your eyes before slowly sitting up. The arena was blurry and louder than you remembered. The ringing in your ear slowly went away and you were able to hear the sound of birds again. Carefully, you got up off the ground and started to look around. The forest looked unfamiliar to you so you knew you must be in an area you hadn’t explored yet. The setting sun made you anxious to get back to Peeta to tell him you were all right. You had left him around noon so you had been gone a good few hours at the point. He was already low on food and water when you left and added to that now was him almost positively losing his mind over how long you’d been gone. You rehearsed an explanation for your disappearance and prepared to counter any and all of his scoldings you were sure he’d been preparing for you all day. The sky was completely dark now as you traveled north to where you knew the lake had to be. The silence of the forest was cut into by the sound of rusting near you.

“Wait, is that her?” You heard someone say. You didn’t take a chance and took off running in the opposite direction. The voice could have been Cato or Marvel but you weren’t going to stick around to found out. Instead of taking a chance on foot race, you scaled a tree as fast as you could and hung out at the top. Cato and the Careers traveled under the tree at some point and much to your dismay, set up camp nearby. They didn’t know you were there but if you couldn’t risk climbing down and having them hear you. That unfortunately meant you’d had to leave Peeta for even longer. You sighed and tied yourself to the tree to settle in for the night.

Come morning light, you stayed silent until you had watched the Careers pack up and leave the area. As you were untying yourself to get down, the cannon boomed. Your mouth went dry and you had to tell yourself that you had just seen the Careers and you were nowhere near Peeta so the chances of it being him were slim. Even so, you felt sick to your stomach as you descended the tree and started making your way through the forest again. The feeling of dread would not be eased until you were sure Peeta was safe. And so, you moved quietly but swiftly in the direction of the cave. An hour passed and you were still far from where you needed to be. Suddenly, the sound of a twig snapping behind you made you reach for an arrow. You swiftly loaded your bow and drew your arm back as you spun around to face you target. Instead of an assailant, you found Peeta. He threw both his hands up, one hand was full of flowers and one was making a fist. His fear filled eyes were wide and red from the tears he’d shed. He let out a little whimper until he realized it was you. His eyes immediately softened as the color returned to his face.

“Peeta? What are you out here? Why would you leave the cave? It’s not safe out here. And you shouldn’t be walking on your leg. What were you thinking?” You whispered harshly as you pulled him behind the safety of a large tree. You were glaring at him with confusion and anger over why he was this far from the cave without any weapons and on his bad leg. Peeta was dazed and slack jawed as he touched your hair as if to make sure you were real.

“You didn’t come back.” He said in a strained voice. Your face softened and all anger dissipated when you remembered you had promised him to be right back over 24 hours ago.

“Oh, honey.” You frowned. “I’m so sorry. I fell down this huge cliff and got lost. And then I had to camp out for the night in a tree until it was safe to leave.”

Peeta was breathing heavily as he stared into your eyes. You recognized that he was coming off of a panic attack, something you’d seen him have a few times on the train when the stress got to him. His shaking hands made you look down at the flowers he was holding.

“Why do you have flowers?” You asked him. Peeta looked down that the little white flowers in his hand and his bottom lip began to tremble.

“I went to look for you. Then I heard the cannon. I didn’t know…I didn’t know what I was going to find.” He said in a wavering voice. He started to cry again as you put two and two together.

“You came to burry me?” You asked quietly. Your heart broke at the thought of him dragging himself around on his bag leg and collecting flowers to burry you in despite the pain he was in.

“I couldn’t bear the thought of them taking you without saying goodbye. I needed to see you one more time. And I wanted to give you a proper burial for your family.” He confessed. You smiled sadly and wiped his tears with your thumb but they kept coming. You rubbed his arm up and down to comfort him before realizing his other hand was still in a fist.

“What’s in that hand?” You asked him. Peeta immediately put the hand behind his back and looked ashamed.

“Nothing.”

“Peeta.” You said warningly and grabbed his arm.

“It nothing.” He insisted as you pried his fist open. His hands were stained with a purple juice you knew all too well.

“Nightlock? Are you crazy? You’ll be dead in a minute.” You shouted as you knocked it out of his hand. Peeta looked you in the eyes and sucked in a sharp breath.

“I know.” He said quietly. “That was the point.”

“What?” You furrowed your eyebrows as you poured some water on his hand to clean off the juice from the berries.

“You didn’t come back. I waited for you all night. When I heard the canon….” He trailed off and you knew what he was implying.

“Oh, Peeta.” You whispered and touched his face. You immediately felt bad for yelling at him given the state he was in.

“I’m sorry.” He sniffled as more tears streamed down his dirty face.

“Did you eat any yet?”

“No. I promise. I was going to after I buried you.” He said, only breaking your heart more. You finished cleaning off his hand and fixed his hair.

“You’re lucky you even got this far. Anyone could have seen you. I don’t know what you were thinking leaving the cage with no weapons and a barely working leg.” You huffed.

“Don’t be mad at me.” Peeta said weakly. You folded your arms and stared at him as you tried to think of what to do.

“Please.” He pleaded. “You promised you’d be right back and then never came back. I was worried sick about you. And then I thought you were dead. So you can be mad at me tomorrow all you want for leaving the cave and not bringing a weapon or whatever else, but don’t be mad at me today. I just needed to see you. Please don’t yell at me.”

You looked at him in his vulnerable state and felt your heart ache for him. You dropped your bow and backpack to the ground and stepped toward to hug him. Peeta immediately wrapped his arms around you and buried his face in your neck. You rubbed his back with one hand and stroked his blonde hair with the other to calm him down.

“I’m sorry. I’m not mad at you. I love you very much. I won’t yell at you anymore.” You said into his ear before kissing the side of his head. Peeta sniffled and hugged you tighter.

“I love you too.” He told you. He pulled out of the hug to cup your face and bring you into a long kiss. When you pulled away from air, he kept his hands on your face and kissed all over it as you laugh.

“All right, all right. I hate to tell you this, but I never actually got any food. I still need to hunt.” You told him with an apologetic smile. Peeta grumbled like a child and picked up the bow you had dropped on the ground. Before you could ask what he was doing, he took an arrow from your quiver and shot a bird out of the sky with ease. Your eyebrows went up as he went to collect the bird without any acknowledgment of his perfect shot. He returned to you and held out his hand.

“Let’s go.” He said and nodded towards the direction of the cave.

“I’m sorry?” You laughed. “Where did you leant how to aim like that?”

“Years of watching you. But don’t expect me to be able to do it again. I just really want to get you home safe.”

“So I see.” You smiled and wrapped your arm around him so that he could lean on you and not put pressure on his bad leg.

“And don’t think I haven’t noticed the cuts on your face. We’re putting that medicine on you as soon as we get back.” Peeta told you as you walked back to the cave together.

“So bossy.” You clicked your tongue. “I would’ve stayed lost longer if I knew you were gonna be sassy when I got back.”

“That’s really funny but you’re actually never leaving my sight again.” He replied. He cracked a smile to let you know he was onto kidding and you smiled back as you gave his shoulder a squeeze.

“That’s okay with me.”

Tag List 🥖

@ilovetoomanymen @kittimbo @sipsthecoffee

@ohmyhuenings @ilykitwalker @mayemperess @scenesofobx @imaegonstargaryenswife0

@basicb1tchboy @planetevermore @bellasfavbisexual

#peeta mellark x reader #peeta mellark whump #peeta mellark fluff #peeta mellark angst #peeta mellark fanfiction #peeta mellark fanfic #peeta x reader #peeta mellark x you #peeta mellark

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ervotica · 5 months

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could I please get a Cato x soft/quiet gf reader she’s really good at hiding and when he’s training or even talking with friends she sneaks a kiss when he’s not looking and disappears until one day he finally catches her and gives her a real kiss💓

pairing: cato hadley x fem!reader

summary: you hide from cato when he wants a kiss. he always finds you in the end...

hunger games masterlist

Cato has always thought you're charming in a sort of elusive way; you're not a particularly social creature, quick on your feet and opting to hide and duck out of people's line of sight before they've even spotted you. It's endearing, truly, but it tends to frustrate him when all he wants is a kiss from you.

Cato's practicing his knife throwing in an empty field lined with dummies. He brings his elbow up and over his head before letting the blades cut through the air and thwack as they lodge themselves in the targets every time. You watch, entranced - perched just out of his line of sight - as his muscles ripple and flex with his movements; you imagine how they feel under your touch, his warm skin under your hands.

He's just thrown the last one when your cold fingertips graze his waist; his t-shirt has ridden up to expose a pale sliver of skin: ridged abs and a line of blonde hair that disappears beneath his low hung shorts.

He reaches out but you're too quick, ducking under his armpit and snaking up his front for a chaste peck before you're off again.

"Hey!" he yells as you disappear up a nearby tree. "Come back!"

He crosses his arms and plants himself at the roots of the tree, glaring up as you keep climbing. You giggle, traversing the length of a particularly thick branch and wrapping your legs around the width of it in order to hang upside down. Your hair forms what can only be described as a halo as you swing from side to side and grin.

"Cato," you hum, sing-song voice taunting him. He creeps closer and tries his luck in catching you. You're faster, snapping back up to lay horizontally on the branch, too high for even your hulking boyfriend to reach.

"Come here!" he huffs, brow knit as he stares up at you. You only scrunch your nose and raise an eyebrow and his tone changes like the flick of a switch. "Baby, please. C'mere."

You only shake your head and wiggle your fingers at the blonde boy and he seizes the opportunity, locking his fingers with your own as they reach for him enticingly. Your eyes widen and you shriek as he tugs and you come toppling down rather unceremoniously.

Of course he wouldn't let you fall and you land in a heap in his arms, hair static and frazzled as he sets you down.

“Cato!” You scold. “That’s not funny!”

He presses his chest close, his face burying in the juncture of your neck as he kisses and nips at the soft skin there.

“Wasn’t supposed to be,” he murmurs, big hands squeezing the fat of your hips. “You kept hiding from me.”

You pout and push lightly at his chest, forcing him to take a step back.

“Awh,” he coos, pressing a thumb to the plush flesh of your lip before he’s leaning in for a kiss. No chaste pecks or soft, fleeting moments- he’s determined to get a real kiss from you, all tongues and teeth and heaving chests as he steals your breath.

The only sounds to be heard are the whistling of wind and the soft smack of your mouths as he kisses you with fervour. Your hand comes up to his neck, fisting the short hairs at the nape to pull him closer. You feel his smile against your mouth.

“This is all I wanted from you,” he snarks, sarcasm dripping from his tongue as you chase his lips to keep him quiet.

“Shh,” you whisper, eyes fluttering as he bites into your bottom lip and soothes the pain away with his tongue.

He pulls away heavy lidded and breathing hard.

“Caught you.”

#writer #writers on tumblr #writing #writing for fun #the hunger games #the hunger games fic #cato hadley x reader #cato hadley fanfic #cato hadley #cato x reader #thg cato #cato hadley x you #cato hadley fic #thg x reader #the hunger games x y/n #the hunger games x you #the hunger games x reader #the hunger games fanfiction #writing for myself

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alavestineneas · 1 year

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☆ masterlist ☆

Hunger Games:

Finnick Odair x fem!reader

Nothing we can do - chaper 1, chapter 2, chapter 3 - finished

Soul - one-shot

Johanna Mason x fem!reader

Together - one-shot

Alive - one-shot

Clove Kentwell x fem!reader

Forever - one-shot

Silence - one-shot

Coriolanus Snow x fem!reader

Losing dogs, prt 2 (Poisonous bites) - finished

Glass and mirrors, prt 2 (The start reborn) - finished

Cato Hadley x fem!reader

Home - one-shot

House of the Dragon:

Aegon II Targaryen x OC series:

King’s will - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 - paused

Dune:

Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen x fem!reader

i can feel the soil falling over my head; no people are here, just the void in my chest -> and if you are there, why do i feel alone in this room? -> prt 3

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lovebeinaprincessworld · 1 year

Text

Unusual Love (Cato Hadley x reader)

Masterlist

Part 2

Description: Your chances of winning the games were zero, but you would have thought the chances of falling in love with a Career would’ve been even lower.

Warnings: first time, p in v, oral (f receiving), fingering, cum, talk of death, no protection

8811 words

This was the material of all the nightmares you had as a child. Except this time you wouldn’t wake up, that you were sure of. You hadn’t been shocked when no one volunteered when your name was called at the reaping, you lived in District 8 after all, but you had still hoped in the back of your mind. You weren’t even going to make it through the first day in the arena, that much was certain, and thinking about how this would have been your second to last reaping before you would have been save, made you feel defeated already.

You were good at what you were doing in your district, you were relatively short and your small hands were perfect for embroidering. But the skills you learned in your textile industry heavy home, wouldn’t help you killing other people. Not that you thought you would be able to actually end somebody else’s life. Trying to find allies would probably prove difficult too, you were too shy and didn’t bring any helpful skills to the table anyway.

So now that you were on the train to the Capitol and saw the reaping in the other districts, you accepted your chances were zero. The boy from your district was a year younger than you, 16 and he was so arrogant. If you remembered correctly his name was Taron. He acted as if he was too good for all of this, eventhough you could see he was scared. But you did your best to steer clear of him, especially after one ‚accidental‘ grab of your butt earlier at the meeting with your mentors. You really didn’t need that right now.

Your mentors Woof and Cecelia seemed alright, maybe you could learn a few skills just so you could escape the brutal deaths at the cornucopia. You leaned back in your seat, watching the world fly by outside and you tried not to cry (again) as you thought of your younger brother and parents back at home.

———————

When the door to your bedroom on the eighth level of the building finally shut, you fell onto the bed with an exhausted huff. You felt like a plucked chicken, your skin almost uncomfortably clean and scrubbed. Your stylist seemed nice enough, she was a little too much of course - like everyone in the capitol - but she didn’t seem to be excited at the idea of sending you off to get murdered. You had about two hours before they would pick you up to get dressed and styled for the parade, and you intended to try and not think about all the ways you could die in a weeks time.

You had to admit, the costumes Aspasia designed for you were really fitting for your district. She picked the most eyecatching fabric and surprisingly made a very simple but stunningly flattering dress for you. It hugged your body in the all the right places and was dramatic, but the focus was still on the eyecatching fabric. Your hair was styled in a half up half down hairdo, flowing over your back in soft waves. You definitely felt like a princess, and you were grateful to Aspasia that she didn’t dress you as a glittering sewing needle or some stupid stuff.

Taron hovered close to you when you stood next to the chariot you were supposed to drive out there on. His presence always gave you the ick, he seemed to try and make the most of his last days and you were doing your best to avoid him whenever you could. Suddenly you felt an intense stare on the side of your face, and when you looked over to your right, you saw it was the tall blonde Career from District 2.

Your heart immediately started to speed up, his stare wasn’t necessarily predatory but in that moment you were sure he was thinking about how easy you were to kill. You did have to note that he was very handsome, but probably just as deadly - if not more - so you quickly broke the eyecontact and tried to reign in your blush.

You couldn’t have been further from the truth though, Cato wasn’t planning on how to kill you, he was just very good at not showing emotions. In reality he was stunned by how beautiful you looked, he had seen your reaping and thought you were cute but the dress you wore made you practically glow, his heart betraying his mind and beating harder in his chest when your eyes met. When you blushed he felt something stir inside of him, but he quickly shook it off. This was stupid, you were only some easy to kill tribute from a lower district - at least he tried to convince himself of that.

—————————

You were up early the next day, you were so nervous for the first day of training and especially scared to meet the other tributes for real. God, what if you embarrassed yourself, you were sure to be a number one target of they saw how useless you were. Woof and Cecelia advised you to concentrate on survival skills rather than fighting, finding water and food was more important than knowing how to use a knife - at least in your case.

You tried to blend into the background, and you were succeeding for the most part. There was only one pair of eyes you couldn’t seem to shake and it was the same as the evening before. Why was he staring at you so much? You were getting so flustered from his stare that you couldn’t concentrate on anything. You were currently hiding out at the fire station, and you were glad he seemed to be occupied by sword training, because his attention was making you feel things you shouldn’t - things you were sure were a figment of your imagination anyway.

You were failing at starting a fire pathetically and the instructor was helping a younger boy at the moment, but suddenly someone kneeled next to you. „You’re doing it wrong“, you winced and your head snapped up. It was the female tribute from district 12. „I know“, you sighed and finally gave up, putting down the stick. „Let me show you“, she was a little rough with her words but you were stunned that she even talked to you.

In minutes she had a fire going and you were slightly embarrassed because of your incompetence. „Come on, you try“, she urged you, pushing the utensils into your hands. It took a while longer than hers, but eventually you actually had a small fire. „I did it! Thank you“, you genuinely smiled at her, „Katniss right?“ She just nodded and got up, making her way to the station with the traps. Now that you weren’t distracted anymore, you could feel Catos eyes on you again.

But you were quickly distracted again, Taron moving into your personal space with a smirk. „Oh I see you did something there sweetheart“, he chuckled and patted your back encouragingly, making you cringe away slightly. „Don’t call me that“, you muttered and started to get up, but he grabbed your arm tightly. „Now, now I was only trying to be nice“, he tutted, god he was so condescending. You tried to shake him off again and to your relief he let you go with a roll of his eyes this time.

Cato had to gather all his self control to not rush over to the boy from your district and kill him already. He tried to entertain himself with the thought that he would be the first that would be killed by him. Definitely. The boy obviously made you uncomfortable and when he grabbed your arm, Cato couldn’t keep the frown off his face. Glimmer noticed. „What is it Cato?“, she followed his gaze and frowned too.

„That guy seems like such a slimy douchebag“, she seemed to think the same as him and now Clove noticed too. At least you managed to shake him off. „Yeah, I saw him trying to feel up the redhead from District 5“, she looked appalled and now Catos thoughts were only circling about what that boy tried to do when you were on your floor. He definitely needed to teach him a lesson somehow. He turned away from the scene with a grunt, picking up a sword and releasing his frustration on one of the dummies.

————————

You felt like you were suffocating, you just couldn’t fall asleep. You needed fresh air but the windows had no way of opening and the different views you could control with the remote did nothing for you. For the last hour you had been debating if you should risk taking the stairs you had seen the avox use earlier today and see if there’s a rooftop exit.

With a quiet sigh you threw back your cover, throwing on a sweater on top of your pajama and slipping on your shoes. You silently tiptoed across the floor towards the door, hoping that no one would be around to stop you. You opened the door carefully, not knowing what exactly was on the other side, but it was just an empty concrete staircase. You were looking over your shoulder a few times when you made your way upwards, nervously tugging the sleeves of your sweater down.

When you finally made it past door 12, you were greeted with a door that said ‚rooftop‘ and was already slightly ajar. You hestitated for a second, but what’s the worst that could happen? So you silently pushed the door open. There was a small windowless building on top, probably for ac-units, but otherwise it was empty. There was a railing and you were sure there were other protections against people jumping that were invisible.

You walked towards the small building, planning to sit behind it near the edge so you can lean against it. But when you rounded the corner you stopped abruptly. There already sat a figure, and now you were reprimanding yourself for not connecting the open door to someone being here. And when you looked closer you could see it was Cato, and he was already looking at you.

„S-sorry, I’ll just go“, you stumbled over your words, his intense gaze making you nervous once more. „Stay (Y/N)“, his voice was rough and he talked in such a demanding way that your body halted on its own. He knew your name? „Sit“, he instructed you and as if you had no will of your own (or maybe you actually wanted to be near him) you walked over to him slowly and sat down, keeping some distance between you.

You sat in tense silence and you stared out onto the skyline while you could feel his eyes roam over your face. „Couldn’t sleep either?“, he asked, his voice sending a shiver down your back. A good one. „No, I felt like I suffocated in there“, you sighed, your arms hugging your knees. „Me neither“, he chuckled and you finally gathered the courage to turn your head. His blue eyes were piercing yours, not in a threatening but in a curious way. You couldn’t fight the blush and caught his smirk before you looked forwards again.

„Why? Too much on your mind?“, you questioned, trying to fill the silence. He hummed affirmatively. „This is all really different from what I thought would happen“, he elborated, but you didn’t question him further, not wanting to pry. „Yeah“, you sighed, and you continued to sit in silence. But it wasn’t tense, it was kind of comforting.

„That boy, the one from your district“, Cato started, and he could see your face scrunch up a little. „Mhm what about him?“, you asked, turning your head and meeting his eyes once again and his stomach tingled pleasantly. „He’s bothering you“, he stated, it wasn’t a question, he knew that boy made you uncomfortable and it made his anger flare up again.

„Uhm yeah, kind of“, you were unsure why Cato would care about that, but he looked so good angry you could barely question it. „What did he do?“, his voice was a little strained, but he was good at masking his emotions, you had to give him that. „It‘s not that bad, he just seems to think he has to make the most out of his last days“, you shuddered when you thought about his grab on the train, thankfully he didn’t do that again.

„Did he touch you?“, he scooted closer to you, looking serious and you shrank back a little. „N-no…just one time, in the train he…“, you didn’t dare lie to him, you felt as though he could see right through you. „He what?“, his teeth were clenched and you answered him in a whisper: „He uhm grabbed my butt.“

Cato had to clench and unclench his fists to keep calm. He didn’t understand why he reacted that way to you being disrespected like that, but he couldn’t keep it suppressed anymore. He grumbled unhappily and leaned back against the wall behind him. His chest felt kind of restricted at the thought of another man touching you, and he was going crazy because of the inner war he was fighting. You and these new intense feelings on one side and his upbringing and what he thought he was supposed to do on the other.

——————

You didn’t feel his eyes on you as much the next day at training, but you still did from time to time. You were at the station were you could learn about poisonous plants when it happened. „Where the fuck is my knife 8? I left it right here!“, Cato barked at your male counterpart, making him visibly flinch. He tried to put on a brave facade though, squaring his shoulders. „I don’t have it“, Taron answered but the Career from District 2 just laughed and menacingly walked towards the much shorter other male.

„Fuck you, I know you’ve taken it!“, Cato growled at the now obviously terrified boy and grabbed his collar, and he could see the peacemakers started to walk towards them. He leaned in close and made the point he actually started all of this for. „If you ever touch (Y/N) again you’re dead, do you hear me?“, no one heard him but the boy in his grip and he nodded so hard he could have broken his neck with some bad luck.

You watched in shock as the two males were pulled apart, actually more like Cato was pulled off of Taron. Cato held his hands up in a peaceful manner and was let go with a warning, and when he turned and met your eyes, you swear he flashed a smile at you, making your heart pound and your face grow hot.

You turned back towards what you were doing before, but your concentration was gone. Your heart calmed down eventually, but you were realizing what this was developing into. You heard the adults in your district describe it and it felt just like that. You were starting to fall for the tall Carreer.

———————

You couldn’t resist the fresh air on the rooftop tonight - and maybe you were hoping to see Cato again. And you were lucky, he sat there in just the same spot. When he heard you walking towards him, he looked over and gave you a smile, a real genuine one for the first time. „Hey“, you smiled too, and he nodded as a greeting.

You sat down next to him, a little closer than yesterday. „How was dinner? Did Taron bother you?“, Cato looked curious and you raised your eyebrows in surprise. „No he left me alone for once…“, his face lit up with a satisfied smirk and you were unsure why he would suspect something changed, but then you remembered their alteration today.

„Cato“, you looked at him wide eyed and he felt the need to protect you flare up again at your innocent stare, the way you said his name made him feel the weakest he felt in years. „Mhm?“, he was still smirking, happy that he successfully scared the boy off. „There was no knife was there“, you worded it like a question, but he knew you figured it out. „Nah“, he chuckled and looked over the skyline.

Once your brain caught up with the fact that he scared off Taron to protect you, your heart was almost jumping out of your chest. Why would he protect you? He was a Career, he was trained to win this, to murder, why would he care about you in any way? Honestly you were even more touched because of that. „Thank you“, you whispered and your hand squeezed his biceps - his big and bulging biceps - automatically.

The feeling of your skin on his spread a fire through his body he didn’t know was possible. His head snapped towards you, and it seemed to startle you because you pulled your hand away. At least you tried to, but he didn’t want you to stop touching him, so he quickly grabbed your hand with his and interlaced your fingers, his grip firm but gentle. He didn’t say anything, and you didn’t either, but neither of you let go while you were sitting there together.

—————————

The fourth day at training you were surprised again, Cato actually approached you at where you were trying your best at painting your skin to camouflage. You had sat together yesterday too, holding hands again and your head had even slid onto his shoulder, but you would have never thought he would talk to you infront of the other tributes. Wouldn’t that damage his reputation? And that only a few days before entering the arena.

„That looks pretty good“, he was being nice, it didn’t look pretty good. You weren’t really talented at this either. The only thing you knew you were good at was climbing, you had climbed trees all your childhood and your small light frame was perfect for that. But your mentors told you to not show your strengths infront of the others, but rather work on your weaknesses.

„Uhm thanks, maybe it would work if it’s dark“, you tried to convince yourself at this point looking down at your arm and then put the brush down with a sigh. „What are you doing Cato?“, you looked at him in wonder. „I just…I wanted to talk to you“, he was clearly at a loss for words, and to see the strong scary Career like that - because of you! - made you smile. „Do you think that’s a good idea? Your…friends look equally confused and murderous“, you could see the three of them look at Cato like he was insane, the girl from his district looked like she wanted to throw the knife she was holding at your head right now.

„They’re not my friends“, he rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, his muscles straining and you were flustered immediately. Why were you so unable to control yourself damn it. You didn’t look at him, but you could already envision that stupidly hot smirk. „How about I show you a few easy things with a knife hm?“, he nodded over to the weapons that you had been steering clear of until now.

„I-I don’t know I‘ve never…“, you tried to avoid embarrassing yourself but he cut you off by grabbing your arm and leading you over there, the other Careers still watching in shock. „Can’t hurt“, he shrugged and gave you a smaller knife, the object feeling foreign in your grip. You appreciated the thought and you felt it was really sweet of him to try and teach you but the only thing you wanted right now was for the floor to open up and swallow you.

———————

It wasn’t as much of an embarrassment as you thought it would be, after a few minutes the attention from the other tributes subsided eventually and Cato actually taught you a few moves, most of them selfdefense. Everytime he had you in his grip, you were blushing and he seemed to love it. You were pushing open the door to the rooftop again, glad you hadn’t been caught yet.

This time you were carrying a blanket, it was a little cold yesterday and you wanted to make sure you didn’t have to cut your time with him short. He perked up immediately when he heard you, a smile lighting up his face, and you were stunned that this was how you were spending your time before entering the arena - falling in love. Who were you kidding, you weren’t falling you already fell. It was a tragedy really.

But before you could dwell on it too much, you were close enough and to your surprise he took your hand and pulled you down in between his legs, your back to his chest and his arms around your waist. You were breathless for a second, but then remembered how to get air into your lungs and relaxed against him. You still didn’t remember how to talk though, so he took the blanket out of your hands gently and spread it over the two of you.

He couldn’t help but act on his urge to have you close, in three days you would enter the arena and he couldn’t bear the thought of losing you - he was stunned by how intense his feelings were. He was supposed to be focused on winning this, that was what he had been trained for, being honour to his District. But with you in his arms like that, your hands softly settling on top of his, he couldn’t be interested any less in that. And it scared him just as much as it made him feel in love.

„Cato, what are we doing?“, your negative thoughts were back, you shifted slightly to look up into his face. He frowned and his grip on you tightened slightly. „What do you mean?“, he grunted and didn’t meet your eyes, he knew what you meant. „This, us“, you gestured between you two, „I mean, why are you so nice to me? Not that I don’t like it, I do, but it makes no sense.“

He closed his eyes for a second with a heavy sigh, he knew sooner or later that would come up. He had hoped for later. „I don’t know, I can’t help it“, he was really bad at voicing his feelings, he was taught that it’s a weakness, „you make me…feel things I’ve never felt before.“ You heart was beating so fast you could hear the blood rush in your ears. You knew that for him that was a crazy emotional thing to admit.

„I feel it too“, you smiled, but that smile turned sad quickly and you sighed, „but you realize that…I mean we’ll enter the arena soon.“ You leaned back, your head against his shoulder and it felt like this was the only place in the Capitol you were safe.

„I’ll protect you“, he grumbled, the thought of what could and would happen in the arena made him sick, not excited as it had before. „There’s only one winner Cato“, you whispered, „ and it’s never going to be me, I’m probably the first that gets killed.“ It was almost painful to hear you say that, and only your soft grip on his hands kept him grounded. „You won’t“, he was sure he could protect you, and if it came to it, maybe he would even sacrifice himself so you could live. He was momentarily stunned by the intensity of that thought, but it was true nonetheless.

„What about the other Careers? Aren’t they your allies? They already look like they would like to kill me“, you saw how he got more agitated, „I don’t…I don’t want you to feel responsible for me, I kind of accepted my death the moment my name was called, we should just-“ He interrupted you in a way you never would have thought you got to experience before dying in the arena.

He kissed you. It was a little rough because of his anger but his lips were so soft, and your whole body was tingling pleasantly. After the initial shock you turned in his arms, your hand lacing behind his neck and your reciprocated the kiss gently. You were basically straddling him, but the thight grip he had on your hips let you know it was fine. His lips moved against yours carefully but he was definitely leading the kiss, his demanding and dominant nature making you feel some type of way.

Cato couldn’t believe he was kissing you, he hadn’t felt this good in years. He had kissed - and done other things with - girls before you, but it never ever came even close to what this innocent kiss made him feel. All thoughts of you or him dying were pushed aside for now, he just focused on you. After a few more moments he pulled away breathlessly, opening his eyes and studying your face. You were panting too, you eyes still closed and your pretty lips a little swollen, you were unbelievably beautiful in this moment. „I will protect you“, he repeated himself, not leaving any space for protest before he kissed you again, with a little more passion this time.

———————

Cato had been all over you on the fifth day of training, he didn’t leave your side, just once and only to perfect what he would show tomorrow. That gave you a little time to breathe, he was determined to teach you as much as possible, ignoring all the looks you two were getting. You were once again hiding at the fire station, not from Catos eyes but from the others this time.

„That looks much better than your first attempt“, the voice of the girl from district 12 startled you, she sat down next to you and watched the other tributes in the hall. „Thanks, I had a good teacher“, you smiled, at least someone here was decent to you - and didn’t outright look ready to kill you or was terrified because of Catos presence.

Katniss didn’t know why she approached you again, she didn’t really want any allies but your gentle nature reminded her of Prim - eventhough you were older. She was also a little relieved to talk to someone other than Effie, Haymitch and Peeta, even if it was just superficial smalltalk. The training days were starting to become a little dull. „Cato looks like he’s about to kill me“, she noticed the scary Careers stare on her now that she was close to you.

„Sorry about that“, you sighed, your fire long forgotten. „Don’t be, he’s worried for you, it’s…surprising but nice to see there is something good left in this place“, she shrugged, meeting your eyes and you nodded in agreement. You were surprised the girl talked to you, but she was nice enough. „You want me to show you how to set up a simple trap?“, she offered and you were surprised again. „Yeah sure! That would be great“, you followed her immediately, knowing that a skill like that could come in handy.

„Yeah good, just pull that string a little tighter“, she pointed to the one on the left, and you fixed it quickly. „That looks right“, she nodded, and you were a little proud you actually did it. „Thanks Katniss, you’re a good teacher“, you were happy about her company, she was a little cold but still nice. „I’ll leave you to your Career“, the ghost of a smile dashed over he face and she was gone, her place quickly filled by Cato.

„What was that?“, he sat down next to you, scowling at the retreating girl. „She showed me how to make a trap“, you pointed in front of you and he grumbled a little. „Don’t be like that, she is nice“, you rolled your eyes and the frown on his face deepend. „How about you? Ready for tomorrow?“, you tried to distract him, you didn’t want to argue about this.

„Yeah“, he was gruff but you didn’t take it personally, that’s just how he was. „Good“, you gave him a soft smile, and it seemed like that did relax him a little. „Are you ready too?“, he looked a little worried again and you saw his hand reach out for you before he dropped it again, it wouldn’t be very smart to display affection like that infront of the other tributes - they were suspicious enough as it was.

„I am, Cecelia told me not to show the others what I can do so I couldn’t practice it though“, at that he raised his brows in surprise. „What? You thought there was nothing I’m good at?“, you asked giggling and he smiled too. „No, no, I’m just curious now“, he stood up swiftly, pulling you up along with him. „Come on, I’ll teach you some more“, he decided.

———————

You were laying in his arms again, his face buried in your neck and you fingers interlaced gently. „I talked to the others today“, he suddenly said, his voice against your neck making you fidget slightly. „About what?“, you asked, his head sliding out of your neck and watching your face instead.

„They still want me to be their ally, and they promised to leave you alone“, he seemed unsure of your reaction, but he was calm nonetheless. „What?“, you were shocked, the glares you always got from them - especially Glimmer - would have never let you guess they would agree to not kill you. Than again, their chances were multiplying with Cato on their side, he was probably the strongest tribute this year.

„I told you I would protect you in there and I meant that, you are…very important to me“, he was mumbling quietly at the end, but you still heard him. „You’re important to me too, but Cato I mean realistically…what if it comes down to us two? I don’t want you to have to ki-”, he interrupted you angrily. „Don’t say that!“, his voice became louder and suddenly had an edge to it, but he took a deep breath and took your cheek into his hand, „don’t…don’t say that, please. We‘ll think about that when the time comes.“

You gently laid your hand on top of the one that was still holding your cheek and only managed to nod. Instead of trying to find the right words, you just leaned in, pressing your lips to his softly and closing your eyes. He immediately pulled you closer, reciprocating and moving his lips in sync with yours, your lips fit together perfectly.

Your taste made his senses go into overdrive, his tongue slowly tracing your lips and sliding in between them. When he sat up there with you, being this close, he could forget the future that was ahead for a few moments. When you held onto him like that it made him feel comfortable, a possessiveness and need to protect you fall over him. Contrary to Glimmer who had hung onto him the first day of training. That girl had made his skin crawl.

————————

You were sitting infront of the TV with your mentors and Taron, Aspasia and Tarons stylist being there too. You were anxiously awaiting your rating, you had given your best to quickly move and climb around the obstacles, being as swift and silent as possible and showing what you got. You had also shown some of your survival skills and skills that involved plants, so you hoped all in all it would be enough for a decent rating

Cato had sat with you when you were waiting to be called on, he was the third one that had to go but it was still nice to have some support. He obviously got a high ranking - a 10 to be exact - and you were honestly very proud of him, god you were so in love. District 7 was just finished when they put your picture on an you were nervously moving on the couch. „(Y/N) (Y/L/N) from District 8 with a rating of…7.“ Oh wow, that was so much better than you thought.

„That’s great! Good job“, Woof clapped you on the back hard and you just had to smile. „Taron Hunlor from District 8 with a rating of…5“, you were surprised he was worse than you, but then again you hadn’t seen him do anything useful at training. „That’s good!“, Cecelia tried to congratulate him, but he got up with a grunt and went to his room.

You were the first on the roof today, and after half an hour you had nearly given up hope that you would see Cato today, but then you finally heard the door open and he rounded the corner slightly out of breath. You beamed up at him and he immediately picked you up, the blanket tumbling to the floor. You squealed slightly at the way he manhandled you - but it also made you feel a little hot.

He sat down where you sat before, you now sitting on his lap and wrapped in his strong arms. „I’m sorry, I couldn’t sneak out earlier, Brutus and Enobaria stayed up forever“, he rolled his eyes in annoyance. „Don’t worry, I’m just glad you came“, you smiled gently and the frown melted off his face, his eyes studying you for a second.

You were so beautiful, the soft wind was moving your hair and the way you were always looking at him so soft and loving made him fall for you more every moment you were together. He carefully gripped your cheek in his calloused hand and pulled you in for a kiss, just a short one. „I’m so proud of you by the way, how on earth did you get a 7?“, he had been genuinely surprised that you got such a good rating, and also had been positively gloating when that boy from your district was worse.

„What’s that supposed to mean? You thought I wouldn’t?“, you grinned and he tickled your side with a chuckle, until you pushed his hands away with a laugh. „I’m quite talented at climbing and stuff, guess that was enough“, you shrugged and he raised his brows in wonder. „You must’ve been really good at that then, don’t be so humble“, he smiled and kissed you again. „Mhm, I’m proud of you too by the way, not that I didn’t expect your score“, you mumbled between kisses, but he just grunted and continued kissing you.

His hand tangled in your hair, while his other pulled you flush against him and he moved his lips against yours more urgently. You hummed contently, matching his rhythm and sinking into his embrace, you loved how intense he got when he felt you relax and be completely at his mercy. He was more than a little possessive, but you loved it - if you were being honest it made you fantasize about the other things you two could be doing, you had heard the other teens in your district talk about it sometimes.

He slipped his tongue into your mouth gently, the way it softly moved with yours making you little lightheaded. You two seperated for air, a sigh leaving your lips, his forehead pressed against yours. „I love you“, it was almost inaudible, but you could clearly hear the term slip out of his mouth, your eyes opening in shock. A fraction of a second later he went rigid, his eyes opening even quicker than yours, and you could tell that he let it slip out on accident.

„Shit, I’m sorry it’s way too early- I mean I didn’t mean to let that slip- Fuck why did I-“, you were shocked to see the normally cool and hardened Career so unsure of himself and quickly interrupted him with a short kiss. „Did you mean it?“, you whispered, you loved him, you were a hundred percent sure of that, but you needed to know if he only said that in the spur of the moment or if he honestly felt that way.

„Yeah, I did mean it“, he breathed, a little calmer but still on edge, Cato wasn’t used to wearing his heart on his sleeve, but he also felt a little relieved that he told you how he felt out loud. „I love you“, you were positively beaming, an equally happy smile lighting up Catos face, he was even more relieved now that he knew you reciprocated his feelings. You hadn’t known eachother for very long, but it felt like a lifetime already.

—————————

Your stylist team had finished your hair and makeup (and everything else that needed to be done) and now you were just waiting for Aspasia to dress you. „Hello sweetheart“, she was excited as always and couldn’t wait to show you the dress. But you weren’t prepared for the dress she pulled out. „No way“, you gasped and she looked a little confused by your intense reaction. „It’s pretty isn’t it?“, she smiled and walked over to you.

„No, no you don’t understand“, you were really excited, „that dress - I made that!“ She was stunned into silence for a moment, and looked between you and the dress in her hands in shock. „Seriously? That’s so impressive, and I mean what are the odds?“, she was so right, this was damn near impossible, but here you were. The dress ended above your knees, beautiful embroidery all over it.

„I was originally going to design you a new dress, but I saw that dress while I was out the other day, and I just was so captivated by its beauty plus I thought it would fit you perfectly“, she rambled while helping you into the dress, closing it and leading you to the mirror where the shoes were waiting. „You look stunning love“, she smiled and you actually felt like it too.

—————————

„You looked so beautiful today“, Cato panted between kisses, his hands tightly squeezing your hips and yours gently gripping his blonde hair. „T-thank you“, you were breathless when his lips left yours and wandered down your jaw and towards your neck instead. The interview wasn’t that bad actually, the fact that you had made that dress was a perfect ice breaker. „You looked very handsome too“, your voice went up at the end, Catos teeth slightly grazing the soft skin of your neck and sending a shiver down your back.

Cato just hummed, fully immersed in littering your neck with soft kisses, the reactions he pulled out of you making him grow hard. He didn’t mean to, but you were so pretty on top of him, all whining and grabbing his hair, he couldn’t help it. He didn’t even notice his hands slipped under your pajamatop, only when his fingertips grazed the underside of your breasts - fuck, you weren’t wearing a bra - and you tensed above him, did he get pulled out of his thoughts.

„Fuck, sorry I didn’t mean to-“, he immediately apologized and pulled back his hand, he was sure you’ve never done anything like that and he didn’t want to pressure you. „No! No it’s okay, I was just surprised…I’ve never…“, you were blushing and growing embarrassed and he thought you were so cute. „Don’t worry love, I don’t want to put pressure on you, I was just lost in you for a moment“, his thumbs stroked you red cheeks softly, a grin spreading on his face.

„You didn’t“, you mumbled, in reality the way he touched you had felt really good, „I liked it.“ His eyebrows were raising and you looked away shyly. You would be lying if you said you hadn’t thought about sleeping with him, you thought about how you were probably going to die tomorrow - and you wanted to be as close as possible to him tonight.

„You did?“, he was teasing you a little, but he was honestly curious what you were thinking at the moment. „Yeah…I mean I would like to…“, you had a hard time getting over your embarrassment while he was staring at you so intensely, „if you want to too, we could mhm…continue?“ You were sure the blush was spreading down your neck by now.

He was a little surprised to be honest, but also incredibly turned on by how you wanted to do this too. „I need to hear you say it pretty girl, need to make sure you actually want this“, he liked teasing you, but he was also telling the truth - he needed to make sure you consented to this. „Don’t make me say it Cato“, you were whining and squirmed in his lap, making it hard for him to concentrate, so he held onto your waist tightly, making you stop.

„I need to hear you say it (Y/N)“, he was kissing your neck softly, and you sighed quietly, making him pull you even closer. „I want to sleep with you Cato“, you whispered, but he heard you as if you shouted it, a shiver running through him, „do you…do you want to too?“ He groaned at the question. „Of course I want to baby, god you have no idea“, he moaned against your neck.

He held onto you tightly, laying the blanket across the rooftop and gently laying you down on it. „Are you sure you want this?“, he confirmed one more time, and you nodded impatiently. „Yes, yes I’m sure“, you pulled him down into a kiss, his hips wedged between your legs. He was bracing himself on top of you on his elbows, his biceps caging in your head.

While you were kissing, one his hands wandered under you pajamatop again and his fingertips softly skimmed over your skin, a shiver running through you when he ran his thumb over your already perked nipple. You sighed into his mouth and he pulled back and started peppering kisses over your jaw and to your neck. A little impatiently you grabbed the bottom of your top and pulled it over your head, and he froze for a second.

You were getting a little insecure with him just staring at your boobs, but when you blushed and tried to cover them he pushed your hands away with an unhappy grunt. „Don’t hide from me baby, you’re so beautiful“, he rumbled and you blushed even more, but before you could dwell on it, he lowered his mouth to the formerly neglected nipple and gently ran his tongue over it, making you hum and arch your back a little.

Your hands found their way to his shoulders, pulling at the fabric of his top until he let go of your nipple and helped you pull it off of him. You weren’t going to be the only one undressed, and when his toned and muscular upper body came to light you had to bite your lip not to let your moan slip out. Fuck he was so hot, and judging by his smirk he loved your reaction.

His ego inflated even more at the way you were unconsciously rubbing your legs together when he took of his shirt, and he couldn’t believe he would be your first. His lips went back to your perfectly soft boobs, and not being able to rule in his possessiveness he left a few marks, and then made his way down your belly, your hands in his hair making his brain feel all mushy.

You had touched yourself before, but never had you felt like that - your pussy was basically pulsing from his lips all over your body and you could feel there was a wet patch on your underwear. That man did things to you that made you forget everything around you. Your pants were pulled down your legs before you noticed and your lovers lips were on your body again, trailing kisses from your knee over the inside of your thigh towards where you needed him most.

„Cato please“, you were panting a little, his teasing and the anticipation were killing you. „Tell me what you want love“, he was kissing the juncture were your leg met you hips and you were writhing underneath him. „Please touch me“, you breathed, heat filling your cheeks but his grin made your lower stomach tingle in all the good ways.

„Anything you want“, he chuckled and pulled down you panties, but before you could even be selfconscious, he groaned at the sight of your dripping cunt and ran one of his calloused fingers down your slit. When he caught your clit, you whimpered, pushing your hips closer to get more of that feeling, your brain not being able to form a productive thought - you were completely at this tall Careers mercy.

„Fuck baby you’re so wet“, he groaned, his thumb circling your clit and his breath fanning over your pussy. You were so lost in the feeling of him that you didn’t notice his mouth lowering until suddenly his finger was gone and was replaced by his mouth. You gasped, the feeling of his tongue moving over your clit was overwhelming, the sight of his head between your legs so sinful you let out a moan.

He prodded your entrance with his fingers, two of them carefully slipping inside and you were blissed out. He curled them expertly into your spongey spot, your thighs basically smothering him but he didn’t seem to care, and you could feel the coil in your belly tightening. „You taste so good baby, you’re gonna cum for me? Cum all over my tongue come on“, he coaxed you and when he started sucking on your clit and added a third finger, the feeling of the slightly burning stretch and the pleasure of his mouth on you pushed you over the edge.

„Cato!“, you moaned out loud, clenching around his fingers and holding onto his hair for dear life. You were glad the streets were so loud or you would’ve been worried about being overheard. His fingers fucked you through your high, he was imagining your thight heat wrapped around him and groaned, the vibration making you twitch from overstimulation once you came down from your orgasm.

When he heard you whine, the feeling of his tongue too sensitive on your swollen and fucked out pussy, he pulled back and sucked his fingers clean while admiring your pretty face, all flushed and satisfied - satisfied by him, he thought with a smirk. While you were evening out your breathing, he quickly shed his pants and underwear before perching himself above you, his hard cock slapping against your belly, a hum leaving your mouth at the feeling.

„You’re so beautiful“, he whispered, placing kisses on your chin, forehead and cheeks, making you giggle slightly. He smiled at that, his heart beating faster and he embraced the feeling of how whipped for you he was. „I love you“, you laced your hands behind his neck, pulling him closer to kiss him and he happily yielded. „I love you too“, he mumbled between kisses, but then he felt your small hand wander down his chest and over his abs.

You fingertips slightly brushed the leaking head of his dick, a groan leaving his mouth and he grabbed your hand to stop you. „Fuck baby“, he panted, „if you touch me now I won’t last long.“ You were blushing and he just adored your pretty face, kissing you again, before grabbing your thighs and pulling them up against his hips.

„Are you sure you want this?“, he looked into your big innocent eyes, the head of his cock slipping through your wet folds, mixing his precum with your slick. „Yes, please, I’m sure Cato“, you nodded, of course you were nervous too, it was your first tim after all, but you trusted him completely. You heard the other girls talk about how it hurt the first time, and he was really big, but you were sure he knew what he was doing - why he knew that you didn’t want to think about too much, you weren’t angry or anything, but it still made you feel a little jealous.

He pushed the head of his cock into you and the stretch burned a little, but it wasn’t too bad. You could tell he had to hold back, and when you clenched around him he groaned, burying his face in your neck. You held onto his biceps, the bulging muscle straining from holding his weight up, and then he pushed his hips forward, opening you up more and more, until he finally bottomed out, his heavy balls resting against your ass. He stopped for a moment, giving you a second to get adjusted to his girth.

Cato was sure this was heaven, your cunt was so hot and tight and the sounds you made had him holding onto his selfcontrol for dear life - he had to stop himself from pounding into you right away. Your scent was enveloping him, your small hands on his arms and legs wrapped around his waist, he didn’t care about anything or anyone else in that moment - just you, and he knew you would be his priority from now on, always.

„Please Cato, need you“, you whimpered and he came back to reality when you clenched around him, pulling back from your neck and grabbing your thigh in one hand, before mounting you more securely and picking up a slow rhythm. You moaned, the way his veiny cock was dragging along your walls, filling you to the brim made you tighten around him.

He went faster, his thrusts getting harder and battering your cervix, his restraint slipping from him with each time you gushed more slick around him, pulling him into your tight pussy. „Who do you belong to (Y/N)?“, he growled, lost in his possessive nature and the way he dominated the soft girl underneath him. You couldn’t form a coherent sentence, but when he gave a punctured hard thrust, making you gasp, you could see he wanted an answer.

„You Cato, I belong to you“, you moaned, a shift in his hips making him hit that one spot inside of you, and you were getting lost in your pleasure. „Damn right you do, you’re mine“, he groaned, pulling you into a kiss, his cock never ceasing its assault of your swollen pussy, the feeling of your high approaching making you pull away from the kiss with a whine.

„Cum for me love“, he basically ordered you too, and his deep voice awoke some primal instinct inside of you. His fingers started circling your clit roughly, and you were pulled over the edge, chanting his name and squeezing his hard cock like a vice. He fucked you through your orgasm, and when you came down, he picked up his pace one more time, making you twitch around him slightly, reaching his high with a moan.

He buried himself as deep inside of you as you would take him, his balls tightening and he was spilling his cum deep into your perfect pussy. With one final rut, he stilled and just layed on top of your fucked out form for a few moments - careful not to put his whole weight on you. Both your breathing slowed eventually, Cato turning the both of you around so you were laying on top of him comfortably (his dick never slipping out) and covering both of you with the part of the blanket you weren’t laying on.

„You okay?“, he asked quietly, and you hummed happily. „Better than okay“, you giggled slightly, making him smile. „Good“, he kissed the top of your head, your hair softly falling over his right shoulder and the both of you admiring the skyline, basking in the presence of the other. „Promise me you will run to me tomorrow, I’ll do anything to keep you safe (Y/N), but I need you to run towards me baby“, his arms squeezed your waist tightly, as if afraid you would disappear right now.

„I promise“, you just said, knowing it wouldn’t do anything good to argue about the possibilities of you dying on the way to him. You just wanted to enjoy the moment right now. He seemed to relax underneath you, one of his large hand cupping your cheek and stroking your jaw softly. You kissed him gently, trying to ingrain the feeling of his lips into your brain. No matter what happened now, you would always have his love and he yours.

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I recently rewatched the hunger games and was fully back in my obsession with Cato, so here you go! Would really appreciate some feedback, or opinions if there should be a part 2?

#x reader #the hunger games #cato #cato x reader #cato hadley #cato hadley x reader #cato hunger games #katniss #capitol #district #fluff #angst #smut #peeta

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ceruleansx · 1 year

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nightmares | peeta mellark

↳ peeta mellark x reader

↳ warnings : mentions of past trauma, FLUFFFLUFF

↳ summary : its after the games, and you woke up from a horrifying nightmare. luckily, peeta was there to help you.

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first thing you noticed after you screamed at the top of your lungs was that you were in a mess. your hair was stuck to your forehead, from all the sweat. the blanket was on the floor. it was a mess.

you never really quite remembered a night without having a nightmare, but none compared to this one.

it was back to the games, where you had to kill someone because of rue.

and on top of that, the wound on peeta's leg got the best of him and made him weak. his weakness then made cato kill him. in front of you. you felt like you were trapped to the ground, not being able to save peeta in enough time.

that was your one true goal in life. to protect peeta.

you heared sudden and fast footsteps coming towards your room, causing your breath to slow down a little bit.

the door rushed open, only to find peeta panting, with the most worried look on his face. without even any words, he rushed towards your bed and held out his arms.

once you saw that, you immidietly started to break down and cry into his arms. this comfort was never felt with you, especially peeta. yet, his hugs were so warm and safe.

"peeta- i-" you sniffled, not being able to finish sentences.

"i saw you d-die and~ i couldn-n't save you..." with that sentence alone made you cry even more.

"hey, hey, shhh" he started to rub your back and head, "your safe, im here.."

you pulled away, wanting to look at his face. his neck was wet from your tears, but he didn't even mind.

"those dreams are just dreams, okay sweetie? look, im right here..." he patted his chest. "the games are over, you have nothing to worry about."

you couldn't help but smile. god, he was the best person ever.

"once we get home, we won't have to worry about anything. hey, we can just bake and paint all day."

he smiled, and you two kept eye contact for which seemed forever.

"can you..." you whispered, breaking the comforting silence.

"stay with me? please...?"

his eyes softened and it looked like that he's been waiting for that question for years.

"of course baby, cmere."

the nickname threw you off, yet you like it.

peeta layed down first, and opened his arms for you to lay down on. his embrace was so warm and welcoming, you wanted to stay there forever. his arm draped over your shoulder, as your hand interlocked with one another.

his thumb rubbed small patterns on your hand, and you couldnt help but feel butterflies in your stomach.

how the heck did he make you feel this way?

he managed to kiss the top of your head, embracing your beautiful lavender smell. you took a big breath, enjoying the sound of peeta's heartbeat. the last thing you heard him whisper before faling asleep was,

"i love you.."

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xetswan · 3 days

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The Hunger Games: Protector; Chapter One, The Reaping

[Information] [One] [Two]

"No! No!!!" A scream emitted in the air, startling me awake. I jumped up but Katniss was already comforting her little sister, Primrose.

"Shh, shh." The older one hugs the girl, stroking her hair. "It's okay, it's okay. You were just dreaming, you were dreaming." She tells her, the blonde begins to sob. I go over to them, joining in comforting her.

"It was me." She cries. Prim has been having these nightmares ever since she turned 12.

Meaning she was now a part of the reaping. Something I never understood could be a thing but of course, it is.

"I know, I know. But it's not. It's your first year Prim, your name's only been in there once. They're not going to pick you. Try to go back to sleep." Katniss tells her, even though she doesn't know that it's kind of true, being picked in your first year is rare. "I can't." She looks up at me frowning.

I kiss her forehead. "Just try, flower." I whispered before glancing over to the brunette who sighs as I lay her back down. Both of us sat in the bed with her.

"Deep in the meadow, under the willow," Katniss begins to sing, Prim joins in as I just listen. "A bed of grass, a soft green pillow."

"You remember that song. Okay, you finish it. We gotta go." Katniss kisses her temple just as I had done before her. "Where?" Her voice stops us. "We just have to go, flower." I smile softly. "But we'll be back, I love you."

We grab our jackets, Buttercup hisses at the girl beside me. "I'll still cook you." She threatens the cat. I open the door, trying not to chuckle at her hatred for the poor kitty.

"I will never understand your two's bond." I shake my head, speaking on the quieter side as the village is a little less noisy today. "It's not difficult to understand."

We glance around before going under the District boundary. An electric fence that's barely ever on due to not having much electricity in 12.

Getting deeper into the woods, having to fetch our hunting gear we have to leave out here. Katniss uses a bow and lately she's been teaching me how to use it. I'm better with the traps. Always have been. And with fishing if we ever go to the water it's easy to use an arrow as a spear.

Close contact hunting has always been a specialty of mine compared to a bow and arrow. She gives me the bow and I give her a look, trying to hand it back to her. She stops me with a low smirk on her lips.

"You need the practice, [Name]." Folding her arms, I let out a sigh, snatching the arrows from the ground as she scoffs out a snicker.

This is where we grow quieter than mice. Our footsteps barely crunching below us. Pointing when we hear the slightest noise. After some time we finally spotted a doe. I look over to her and she nods her head doing a motion to use the bow.

I aligned the arrow into the correct position, taking in a deep breath as I pulled it back. Using one eye to track the deer. It was unexpecting, I almost felt bad for wanting to kill her. I ready the shot.

"What are you two gonna do with that when you kill it?" A voice speaks, spooking the doe causing it to run away. Both Katniss and I goran. "Damn you, Gale!" Katniss calls out angrily. He chuckles at us.

"It's not funny." I point at him. "What're you two going to do with a 100 pound deer? It's Reaping Day, the place is crawling with Peacekeepers." He questions our antics.

"We were gonna sell it to some Peacekeepers." Katniss tells him. "Of course you were." He rolls his eyes. I put the bow and arrow into one hand, following beside the two. "Like you don't sell to Peacekeepers." I argue with him. "No! Not today."

"It was the first deer I've seen in a year. [Name] could've gotten it. Now we have nothing." She complains to the taller boy. "Okay." He picks up a rock, throwing it. Scaring off some birds and Katniss hurries me. I pull the bow and arrow out. Shooting one. The two cheer for me since I'm usually horrible at this.

Suddenly a plane flies above us, I grab onto my cousin pushing her to the ground. Gale in front of us.

Once it's out of view we get up, dusting ourselves off.

We went to find the bird I shot, then afterwards we sat on a large rock.

"What if they did? Just one year, what if everyone just stopped watching?" Gale asks us. I play with the grass as we talk. "They won't, Gale." Katniss disagrees.

"What if they did? What if we did?" He glances at me and I shake my head. "It won't happen." My little cousin speaks up once again.

"You root for your favorite, you cry when they get killed. It's sick." He rambles, something we know but understand why he vents about.

The games are sick but have been going for 74 years it's not going to just disappear. "Gale." Katniss and I say at the same time. "If no one watches, then they don't have a game. It's as simple as that." He gestures. Us two hold our amusement.

"What?" He questions us.

"Nothing." "Huh?" We replied to him. "Fine, laugh at me." He huffs out. "We're not laughing at you." She defends us but I shrug my shoulders.

"I kind of was." I chuckle, Gale playfully shoves my arm. "We could do it, you know? Take off. Live in the woods. It's what we do anyway." He grows serious, my face falls. "They'd catch us." Katniss says.

"Maybe not." He argues. "Cut out our tongues or worse. We wouldn't make it five miles."

"No, I'd get five miles. I'd go that way." He points off into the distance. "[Name] and I have Prim and Zay, you have your brothers." She reminds him, I think about putting the little ones in danger and my chest tightens. But the games, the chance of their names being read out loud…

"They can come too." Gale simply says. "Prim in the woods?" Katniss huffs, Gale and I laugh. "Maybe not." He hums.

"I'm never having kids." Katniss sighs, leaning backwards. "Same." I agree, staring up at the sky. "I might. If I didn't live here." Gale tells us.

"But you do live here." She prompts him. "I know but if I didn't. Oh, I forgot." He changes the subject, pulling out a piece of bread.

Splitting it in half for the both of us. "Oh my god! Is this real?" She asks excitedly. As I stare at it in disbelief, giving him a kiss on his cheek.

"You're fucking amazing." I told him. "It better be, Cost me a squirrel. Happy Hunger Games."

"And may the odds-" Katniss bites into her bread "Be ever in your favor." I finish for her, taking a bite into mine as well.

"How many times has your names been entered?" She then asks us. I don't like talking about how many times I had to put my name in for the family. Lying about it to my dad and Kat many times.

"Fifty one." I take another bite of the bread. "Forty two, guess the odds aren't exactly in our favor." He nudges me as I frown deeply.

The three of us go back to the village, Katniss and I separating as I go back home to help Clare with prim and Zayden. Kat going to the trade building.

I entered the house, not expecting my father but there he stood, he was in cleaner clothes than usual. As well as Clare, she was already dressed and cleaned up for the Reaping. Primrose along with Zayden came into the front room, pulling me into a hug.

"Let's get you two ready, hm?" I ask them with a toothy smile. Prim was filled with anxiety so all she responds with is a nod. Zayden being only five and not understanding what he was getting ready for he cheers to do so.

He's going to stand with dad due to being younger. I'm glad I won't have to stress over him for more years. Unfortunately I wouldn't be able to volunteer for him if he ever was picked during the draw.

The thought freaking me out I have to physically shake my head for it to go away.

I get the first bath started, Prim getting cleaned up first. Clare picked her dress out, also letting me know that I have one on my bed.

"Thank you, Aunt Clare." I hug her, she only nods forcing a smile before walking away. My father picked up Zayden who was playing with a wooden plane I had carved when I was 12 right before he was born. I had a feeling he was going to be a boy. I argued with my parents all the time.

They believed it was a girl, or that might've been to mess with me. But I knew in my heart I was going to have a little brother and I was right. My mom taught me how to do wood carvings.

Making little animals and objects, she would sell them sometimes, just to earn a little bit more money. Then after she passed it was something to take my mind off the world around me.

"You’re home early." I speak up, picking up the off-white dress my Aunt had given to me. It had tiny flowers around it. It was gorgeous. "We all got sent home early due to the Games." He tells me as he bounces Zay on his hip.

I nod my head, staring at my little brother who was so focused on "flying" his little plane. "You don't have to worry about washing him, he got a bath last night. Hasn't been out much since." He lets me know, playing Zayden back down, grabbing his clothes off the tall dresser.

"Just worry about yourself and little Prim." He says, kneeling down. "Thank you." I give him a small hug. Prim was already out of the bath and dressed. I brush out her hair and then send her off to Clare before I enter the bath next.

The water was cold, so I didn't bother to boil some water. Just wanting to get it over with. My heart quickly beating in my chest practically forced me to be quicker.

I hated bodies of water. I don't know why, I just always had some weird phobia about it. The unknown. What could happen even if it's for a split second. I hated everything about it.

Getting done fast, I dried myself off. Throwing my undergarments on before the dress. I use a towel to hurriedly dry my hair off. I put my hair into two tight dutch braids, a few strands out of place but I didn't care enough to fix it as the pain in my arms was too annoying to continue dealing with.

I walked out of the bathroom, Clare went into the room and fixed up the bath for Katniss. I go to Primrose, grinning at how beautiful she looked.

"Pretty flower, come here." I take her hand, spinning her around. "You look gorgeous, my flower." I kiss her nose making her giggle, throwing her arms around me. "Thank you, leaf." She lets out a long breath as she grips onto me. My nickname she gave me is because I started calling her flower, she thought it was dumb at first. So she gave me a "dumb" nickname too. I love it even though she didn't want me to.

I heard the front door open as Prim called out for her mom. But then hearing the door as well. "Aww. Look at you. You look beautiful. Better tuck in that tail, little duck." Katniss pulls her sister towards her, tucking in her shirt that poked out in the back.

"I laid something out for you, too." Clare speaks up to Kat. "Okay." She goes to the bathroom. Getting herself ready.

"Now you three look beautiful." Aunt Clare tells us. "Wish I looked like you." Prim tells her sister. "Aw, no. I wish I looked like you, little duck." Kat tells the little blonde who shyly smiles but the conversation was cut off by the whistle that blows. Time stamping that we need to get moving for the Reaping.

"Hey, you wanna see what I got you today? It's a Mockingjay pin. To protect you. And as long as you have it nothing bad will happen to you. Okay? I promise." Katniss pulls out a little gold pin, trying to calm down the girl.

Zayden gets a little antsy as well.

As we walk outside it's time for me to separate from my dad and Zayden. My heart feels like it's going to beat out of my chest.

Like if I didn't grip it, it was going to explode but I took a deep breath in, instead. It was like this every year. This was my second to last year of The Reaping. It wasn't any easier though. I give my last hug to my little brother, giving him back to my dad.

"[Name]." He reaches his arms out still and I kiss his cheek. "I'll see you after, okay?" I tell him, trying to be hopeful.

My dad's eyes were saddened, he observed my every move before I had the courage to actually look at him. "I love you, dad." I hug him, his embrace lingers for a little longer than it should. When another whistle blows and I hear Prim begin to panic, I let him go.

"I love you too, We'll see you after." He nods his head and I do the same, heading over to my younger cousins.

"Shh, shh, Prim. It's okay. It's time to sign in now. Okay, they're gonna prick your finger to take just a little bit of blood." Katniss explains what is about to happen.

"You didn't say-" "I know. It doesn't hurt much. Just a little, right [Name]?" She looks up to me and I nod my head. "Go sit down there with the little kids. I'll find you after, okay?" She assures the youngest girl who nods her head. The Peacemaker calls out to the next girl.

Prim goes up. Katniss and I move into our lines.

Unfortunately having to be away from one another.

"Welcome! Welcome, welcome. Happy Hunger Games. And, may the odds be ever in your favor." Effie, the woman who has done this for years, her colorful get up almost being a mockery to the colorless aura of District 12. Her candy-like pink hair that's huge and puffy.

"Now, before we begin. We have a very special film. Brought to you all the way from the Capitol!" She grins, clapping her hands before showing off the screen to the right.

It's the same thing every year, I roll my eyes at the sight and the sound of President Snow's voice. "War. Terrible war. Widows, orphans, a motherless child. This was the uprising that rocked our land. Thirteen districts rebelled against the country that fed them, loved them, protected them. Brother turned on brother until nothing remained." I shifted in place, listening to this.

"And then came the peace, hard fought, sorely won. A people rose up from the ashes, and a new era was born. But freedom has a cost. And the traitors were defeated. We swore as a nation we would never know this treason again. And so it was decreed that each year, the various districts of Panem would offer up, in tribute, one young man and woman to fight to the death in a pageant of honor, courage, and sacrifice. The lone victor, bathed in riches, would serve as a reminder of our generosity and our forgiveness. This is how we remember our past. This is how we safeguard our future." The video finally ends, after what feels like an eternity.

"I just love that! Now, the time has come for us to select one courageous young man and woman for the honor of representing District 12 in the 74th Annual Hunger Games. As usual, ladies first." The colorful woman moves over to the large glass bowl of names, drawing the first piece of paper. Moving back to the microphone and opening the paper.

"Primrose Everdeen!" And the world stopped.

My heart dropped and I saw the back of Kat's head. She looked frozen in place. "Where are you dear? Come on up. Well, come on up!"

I see the blonde reluctantly moving towards the stage.

"Prim! Prim!" I hear Katniss but in quickness, not even realizing what I'm doing I grab her.

"I volunteer! I volunteer as Tribute!" I scream out loud, my voice breaking subtly. Primrose, comes to Katniss and I. They both grip onto me. "I believe we have a volunteer, Mr. Mayor." Effies says in shock, a smile on her face.

"You both need to get out of here. Get out of here!" I tell them. "No!" Prim cries.

"[Name], no, don't do this!" Katniss cries but is separated by the Peacekeepers that grab onto me. "Go find your mom and my dad. Zayden as well!" I ordered them.

"No!" Prim shouts again. "[Name]!" Katniss screams. "Go find them!" I demand. They both scream, no, trying to fight against the peacekeepers.

"I'm sorry!" I tell them. Clare grabs them as I'm ushered to the stage.

"A dramatic turn of events here in District 12. Yes, well, District 12's very first volunteer. Bring her up!" Effie holds a card in her hand as I stand next to her. I force the tears back down. Except one that had already escaped but I didn't wipe it. Standing there in shock. Wanting to throw up the bread I had eaten with Katniss and gale earlier in the day.

"Come on dear. What's your name?" Effie asks me, putting the mic near my face. "[Name] Everdeen." Yes, my mother gave me her last name instead of my father's. She didn't know they were going to end up together as they weren't serious when she fell pregnant.

"Well, I bet my hat those were your sisters, wasn't it?" She proudly states but I shake my head. "Cousins." I sound like I'm out of breath. "Ohh," She sings out. "Let's have a big hand for our very first volunteer, [Name] Everdeen." She claps enthusiastically, but the crowd was quiet, only doing the three finger salute. She awkwardly moves on.

"And now, for the boys."

She pulls a name and comes back to the mic. "Peeta Mellark." She reads out. I spotted the blonde boy from the crowd, recognizing him from when we were children.

When he attempted to convince his father to trade one of my carvings for bread. Getting himself in trouble for insisting, I left the carving of the bear there even though I wasn't given anything. He ended up throwing a slightly burnt loaf towards me in the rain. I was leaned up a tree weak with Katniss in my arms.

I heard how his mother had yelled at him for burning that bread. His gesture was never forgotten. It was a horrible time for my family. My mother had passed and Katniss and Prim's father passed. My father working extra hours in the mines. We weren't even scraping enough to get by.

Just making sure that Prim and Zayden had food and formula. Clare was stuck in place with her depression, going mute and not even taking care of herself.

The same blond boy who saved my family that day walked up onto the stage to enter the Hunger Games with me and I was devastated that it had to be him.

"Here we are, our tributes from District 12. Well come on, you two shake hands." She instructs us. We shake hands, both of our faces drained of color.

"Happy Hunger Games, and may the odds be ever in your favor!"

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