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lovebeinaprincessworld · 5 months ago

Text

Tragic Love (Cato Hadley x reader)

Masterlist

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4

Description: You made it out of the arena, but the Games are never really over.

Warnings: oral (fem receiving), p in v, no protection, talk of death, slight overstimulation, fingering

7791 words

Everything after you had thrown the berries to the ground was a blur. You remembered Peeta collapsing as soon as you entered the hovercraft, being rushed into surgery and a screaming Katniss being taken away. And what you vividly remembered was Cato having to be sedated so that they could separate the two of you. It hurt your heart to see him fighting to stay with you and you were in shock, seeing him being taken away.

You had seemingly been sedated too, because the next time you awoke was in a white room with no windows, dressed in just a nightgown and no idea how much time had passed. You felt weirdly smooth, all scars and scratches and dirt from the arena gone, your hair neatly cleaned and brushed and even your fingernails were clean and shaped perfectly.

Only your memories reminded you of the horrors now. And you truly wished Cato was with you, holding you close. But you had no idea where he was, and there was no way you could get to him if they didn’t want you to.

An Avox boy brought you a bit of soup, and you must’ve at least been out a few days considering that filled you more than enough - your stomach shrunken from lack of use. When the door opened again and the boy picked up the tray, you could suddenly hear loud commotion from the hallway.

You couldn’t make out what the voices were shouting, but you just knew it was Cato. „What’s going on there?“, your voice was a bit scratchy, and the boy looked at you with wide eyes, scurrying out of the room quickly. With furrowed brows you looked at where the door previously was and willed yourself to stand.

You were surprisingly steady on your feet, padding across the room barefoot and moved your arms around infront of the wall in hopes the door would open again. After a few minutes of trying you gave up, when suddenly the door did open and two exasperated mentors stood in front of you. Cecilia and Enorbia looked exhausted and you just stared back wide eyed.

Cecilia did crack a smile after all, even going as far as pulling you into a hug. „Congratulations honey, you did it“, she whispered and you couldn’t help but hug her back when it sank in that you would actually be going home. Your brain didn’t yet register that the games were over, the Captiol building feeling just as dangerous as the arena to you.

„Where is Cato? Is he okay?“, you turned your worried gaze to Enorbia when Cecilia let you go and she gave you a little smirk. „Yeah he’s just fine, a bit too fine if you ask me“, she rolled her eyes and you were confused. Too fine?

„What she means is that he won’t calm down“, Cecilia explained and you were worried again, „everytime they take him off the sedatives he flips out and won’t let anyone near him, demanding to see you right away.“

„Which is messing with our plan to have you reunite when the Victors are presented, but we decided to keep him from long lasting bodily harm - not sure how long Brutus can hold back anymore - we’ll take you to him“, if even his mentors seem unnerved he really had to be going crazy over there. But you could understand him, if you would’ve been the type to outwardly show and demand what you wanted you would probably act the same. Instead you had locked your desire to see if he was fine away - your were incredibly relieved you could see him now.

„Come on“, the women motioned for you to follow them and follow them you did. You didn’t have to go far, just down the corridor and then the door with loud voices behind it opened in front of you and a stone you didn’t know was there fell from you heart when you saw Cato standing in the middle of the room aggressively arguing with Brutus and Woof - who seemed to try to mediate between them.

Brutus noticed you first. „Thank god, now you can finally calm down, there she is, you lunatic“, Brutus crossed his arms and stepped back, Catos eyes immediately finding you and the breath was knocked out of you when they met yours.

You only managed to take a step towards him when he was already in front of you, pulling you into his arms immediately. You closed your eyes against the onslaught of emotions almost overpowering you, but here in his arms everything felt bearable, like nothing evil in the world could reach you. „Thank god you’re okay“, he murmured into your hair, his big hands holding your head to his chest securely and your hands gripped his shirt tightly. He was wearing the same color clothes as you, just a shirt and pants.

„Are you okay?“, you asked not pulling away yet and your voice stifled by his chest, but he still managed to hear you. „Yeah, now I am“, he pressed a gentle kiss to the side of your head, and you could hear the other people in the room moving towards the door. „We’re going to give you a moment“, Cecilia said, ushering a still angry Brutus out of the room, the others following.

„You better be acting like hell when you’re 'reunited' boy!“, Brutus called just before the door closed and it was quiet in the room except for Catos heartbeat thundering under you ear. Cato relaxed a little now that you were alone, moving you two backwards until he was leaning against the bed, with you standing in between his legs.

„Heard you caused quite the ruckus?“, you smiled, your hands finding purchase on his chest and his on your waist. „Couldn’t help it, I had to see you“, he grinned and then as if he knew you were waiting for it, he leaned down, softly pressing his lips to your own, the familiar prickling in your stomach, the tingling on our skin making you sigh and lean into the kiss even more.

„I can’t believe we made it out“, he sighed between kisses, one hand moving to your face and pulling you into a more passionate kiss, your hand slipping to his biceps and taking note of how his muscles only seemed to have grown in the arena. „Yeah“, was the only thing you could say, pushing any and every thought of what this would mean for the future away - especially the one that you would both be living in different Districts.

————————

When you looked in the mirror while your prep team was hustling around you, you saw how much you had changed. It had only been a few weeks since you left home, and you looked significantly more mature, a bit skinnier too and while your eyes still had that kind look, they simultaneously reflected the horrors they had seen.

The interview with Caeser Flickerman and the big reunion were about to happen, and your brain was going haywire with thoughts about what would happen after. You still had your interview tomorrow, but after that you would get on the train home - Cato getting of in District 2 and you in District 8. You wouldn’t see him until the Victory Tour and after that you’d only see him once a year as long as you two were mentors.

It felt like a nightmare, you were able to make it out together and now you were going to live separate lives far away from eachother. You doubted the Capitol would make an exception for one of you to move Districts, and even if the would that would mean one of you had to leave behind their family, which was at least just as devastating as not seeing eachother.

„Come on, we have to go honey“, Aspasia seemed to understand your gloomy mood more than your team, but still firmly urged you towards Cecilia and Wuff. „Thank you“, you squeezed her shoulder lightly and followed your mentors to your platform under the stage.

You could already hear the audience going wild, impatient to finally see the four winners of these years hunger games. It was still crazy to you that the gamemakers let all of you live, but you were immensely grateful nevertheless. „Come here, give me a hug darling“, Woof grinned uncharacteristically and you stepped into his arms with a sense of doom.

He buried his mouth close to your ear in your hair, seemingly not wanting anyone to see what he was about to say and your heartbeat surged without him even starting. Something was wrong. „You’re in trouble (Y/N). The Capitol is furious having been shown up like that in the arena, they’re the joke of Panem“, he muttered just loud enough for you to hear and you did your best to freeze your smile in place and not to let anything show.

He let you go and gently urged you into Cecilia’s arms. „You need to convince them you were so desperately in love you didn’t know what you were doing. Your love story is definitely more believable than Katniss and Peetas but you still need to watch it“, she whispered, hugging you tightly before ushering you onto the platform that would take you up to the stage with a pounding heart.

You knew what she meant with more believable - you and Cato were from different districts, and Cato didn’t profit from you relationship at all, so people wouldn’t think you pretended to be in love to have advantages with sponsors or anything. But you were still deathly afraid at the thought of the Captiol being angry with you, knowing what gruesome retaliation they committed in the past.

The four of you were probably in much more trouble than you could comprehend, but the platform was moving after everyone from the teams were introduced and then you had to smile convincingly. As soon as you could be seen, the light blinding you for a moment, the crowd went wild, screaming all of your names, whistling, clapping, cheering.

You were entranced by the sight for a moment, before suddenly being swept into two strong and familiar arms, giggling between the kisses Cato pressed to your lips and holding onto him tightly. Cecilia was right, you didn’t even have to act. His big hand was cradling your face gently, while the other was holding you close by the waist, not planning to let go anytime soon.

The crowd was going crazy, and you could only imagine Katniss and Peeta looking similar to you. Caesar tried to interrupt Cato after a few minutes, but considering he was much taller and stronger, Cato just ignored him and didn’t even budge in favor of keeping on kissing you. You didn’t complain. Finally Cecilia did manage to get you to get him to move over to the couches Katniss and Peeta were already waiting on for you, cuddled together and wearing grins that seemed just a bit over the top.

The two of you sit together, Cato pulling you close, one arm securely around your waist and the other laying on top of your lap, gripping your thigh firmly with a smirk, making the crowd whoop. You blushed, while Caesar started with a few jokes and then you watched the summary of the games.

It was hard to keep a positive face while watching all those horrible moments again, basically reliving them and you were glad you had Cato next to you. Seeing your own reaping was weird, and it was terrible to watch every single death again, especially the ones from the tracker jacket nest that Katniss dropped on the careers shortly after you left - and damn were you glad that you did, and that Cato followed you.

Rue’s death was especially tragic, you didn’t even know that her and Katniss were allies but you liked the girl from district twelve even more for that. Watching the scenes of you and Cato kissing was kind of uncomfortable, but the audience loved it so you just smiled shyly. It became clear to you more and more the further you got into the summary why Peeta and Katniss did have to prove themselves more than Cato and you, your own love story just appearing more natural. But you could definitely see that there was something between them, Peeta at least was seriously in love.

After the moment with the berries, and the end of the Games, the anthem played again and you stood when Presdient Snow himself took the stage. The crowd went wild again, and then you could hear the confusion when they saw there was only one crown. But then he gave it a twist, and it separated into four individual slender crowns, and the crowd uhhed and ahhed excitedly.

He started with Cato, reaching up to place the crown on the tall careers head, before stepping infront of you with a smile that gave you goosebumps. He placed the crown on your head, his eyes snakelike, but when he placed the crown on Katniss head who was standing next to you, you could see a shift, and you knew even if all of you were willing to eat the berries, she was the one he blamed, she was the one he saw as the instigator.

————————

The Victory Banquet was as uncomfortable as one would imagine, shaking hands with sponsors and talking to everyone for hours, but at least Catos angry stare kept men from trying to dance with you, so you only danced with him a few times (which was a nice break from the turmoil around you). Katniss wasn’t so lucky, and you could see her cringe in the arms of a stranger a few times.

What was at least something positive, was that Cato and you were staying on the same floor, you had moved into the female tributes room on the floor from District 2, which was a weird feeling considering the last person wo slept here was Clove.

You would have your private interview with Caeser tomorrow at 12, Katniss and Peetas turn was after you at 2pm, and so Brutus had sent you both to bed immediately after dinner, not giving you alone time with Cato whatsoever. He still seemed a bit pissed at how Cato acted when you got out of the arena.

Now you were laying in bed wearing some comfortable pyjamas and the only thing you wanted was Cato. You couldn’t sleep, your thoughts running way to fast with everything that happened and all the things that could happen, and you were contemplating sneaking over to Catos room.

Everyone else should be in bed by now, you hadn’t heard any movement from the other side of the door the last hour, so after contemplating for another 30 minutes you finally got up and carefully slipped out of your room. Sneaking through the hallway you prayed that you wouldn’t encounter Enorbia or Brutus (you were pretty sure Cecilia and Woof wouldn’t make you go back to bed) and when you turned the corner and almost made it, you ran into somebody.

You would’ve screamed in shock if a big hand hadn’t muffled the sound - thank god because you really didn’t wanna wake anybody. „It’s just me“, a familiar voice whispered and Cato slowly took his hand of your mouth. „You scared me half to death!“, you hissed, but he only chuckled quietly and pulled you into his arms without much resistance from your side.

„Were you coming to see me?“, he smirked and you couldn’t help but blush eventhough he was obviously on his way to you too. „Couldn’t sleep“, you mumbled, and he pressed a kiss to your head. „Seems we had the same idea then“, he whispered, „come on.“

He picked you up effortlessly and carried you towards his room bridal style, closing the door behind him quietly and moved the both of you under the covers, before wrapping you in his embrace securely.

„What are we gonna do Cato?“, you finally broke the tense silence between you, knowing you had to talk about it. You pulled back a bit and saw how he only closed his eyes in agony instead of answering. „We won’t be seeing eachother for months, and after the Tour…“, you let the sentence hang in the air, not being able to say out loud how you would only see eachother once a year without choking up.

„Brutus says they want to play our lovestory from the tragic side“, Cato finally broke his silence, „he says…he says well never be able to be together.“ It was what you had anticipated, but hearing it out loud, made it real - and the pain that came with that was almost as intense as when you thought Cato would die. Because once one of you wouldn’t be a mentor anymore, you would probably never see eachother again.

Before the two of you could sink any deeper into your despair, Cato pressed his lips to yours in desperation. „Let’s just forget about that tonight“, he panted between kisses, his hands gently gliding underneath your night shirt, „please.“ The agony in his voice could’ve made you cry if it weren’t for the heat pooling in your lower body, when he took your shirt off.

Maybe it was best to be as close as possible tonight, try to savor it, try to savor him. You quickly got rid of his shirt, your hands roaming over his muscles. They moved beneath his skin when he pulled down your Pyjama pants, throwing them somewhere and leaving you only in your panties.

Breathlessly he pulled back, his eyes taking in every part of your body, seemingly trying to burn every detail into his memory. Cato wanted to make sure you wouldn’t forget him, because he sure as hell would never forget you. Even the thought of you moving on with some boy from you district made him see red, pushing you onto your back and kissing you in a way that feels like he’s trying to show your body on an instinctual level who you belong to.

He needed to make you cum, needed to feel your body comply with his actions, needed to know that you would always be his. His lips skipped your breasts, his body moving straight towards where you needed him most. In his desperation he tore your panties straight off of you, making you yelp in shock, before it turned into a moan when he dove straight in without giving you room to breathe.

His tongue spread your folds with a groan, his lips wrapping around your clit immediately and your back was arching with the intense pleasure that flooded through you. „Cato“, you whimpered, trying not be too loud and your hands found purchase in his hair while he mercilessly stimulated your clit with his tongue.

It didn’t take long for you to approach your high, the familiar feeling in your belly rising. You were about to give him a warning, when suddenly his teeth grazed your clit and you were thrown over the edge with such an intensity that your thighs clamped around Catos head while you were grinding your pussy into his greedy mouth.

„Good girl“, he growled when you came down from your orgasm, but he didn’t let you catch your breath. He was a bit more gentle, but he still flattened his tongue against your overstimulated clit, slowly moving and holding you in place so you couldn’t twitch away.

„Cato“, you whined, pussy clenching around nothing and you weren’t sure if you wanted to move towards the pleasure or away from the tongue moving against your swollen and sensitive folds, „it’s too much.“

„Shh baby, give me one more, I know you can“, he hummed against your pussy, the feeling spreading through your body liked fire, even your fingertips tingling with the sensation. You only registered his fingers when they were knuckle deep inside of you, curling into your sweet sport and stretching you out.

You didn’t know up and down any more, god this was so much more intense and overwhelming than your first time, and you could only guess how much Cato held back then. Not that you were complaining that he wasn’t holding back now.

His fingers were relentlessly moving in and out, your cunt clenching tightly around him as if you couldn’t wait for him to replace his fingers with his cock. But he needed to feel you cum for him a second time before taking you fully.

You were already so riled up that it didn’t take very long, he expertly stroked the spongey spot inside of you while his tongue lapped at your clit. You were whimpering, trying to keep your moans quiet and when you finally snapped and came hard around his fingers, you had to clutch your hand infront of your mouth to suppress the sounds escaping you.

After helping you ride out your second orgasm Cato finally pulls away from you for a moment to shed his pants, his rock hard member already leaking precum. You were still panting when he laid down on top of you, his cock sliding through your messy and wet pussy, coating him enough to easily slip inside of you.

„You ready?“, he asked, lightly nipping at your neck and you were momentarily stunned by how much in love you were with him. „Yeah“, you stared up at him lovingly when he pushed himself onto his forearms above you, „I love you.“

Catos heart stumbled when he heard you, no matter how many times you’d say it, it would always make him feel like the first time you did. He kissed you gently, sliding into you steadily and your breath hitched. „I love you“, he mumbled against your lips, starting to move right away, not being able to hold back - fortunately you were so wet you didn’t really need time to adjust.

His hips found their rhythm, pounding into you hard but oh so good. You tried to soak it all in, the way the head of his cock relentlessly brushed against that one spot inside of you, the way the stretch burned so good, and the way his hand snuck down between you and started circling your clit so perfectly you couldn’t form any coherent thoughts anymore.

Cato could tell the both of you wouldn’t last very long, emotions were running too high and he could feel you clenching around him tightly as if to pull him in even further. He littered your pretty face with kisses, one hand grabbing your thigh and pulling your leg higher up around him, the changed angle making you moan so loudly he had to quiet you with a kiss.

And then suddenly you came, gripping him so hard he followed you right off the edge, pushing into you as far as possible and spilling his load deep into your still fluttering pussy, making a satisfied hum leave your lips.

He buried his head in your neck, almost being overwhelmed by his emotions. This felt just like the night on the rooftop, the possibility of barely seeing eachother again looming over the two of you. But here in the dark, in eachothers arms, you were able to push it aside in favor of holding onto the other and reveling in the feeling.

——————————

The private interview with Caeser without an audience went as good as it could’ve, but that also meant that you were back on the train and in less than an hour Cato would be the first to get off in District 2. You were currently sitting in the back of the train, in something resembling a sunroom, big windows lining the couches that were put in there.

You were lying in Catos arms, both of you dreading the moment Enorbia or Brutus would come to tell you it was time. You had managed not to cry just yet, but after many gentle kisses and caresses the door did slide open and it was Brutus who delivered the bad news. Cato had to go.

He even looked a bit emphatic, and now that you were following him through the train towards the door where Cato would get off, you couldn’t help your tears anymore. Cato was walking in front of you, holding your hand tightly so he couldn’t see the tears silently running down your face and you tried to calm down before reaching the door and wipe them away.

You didn’t succeed. When you stopped and Brutus gave you a moment while going to collect Enorbia and Catos team, he turned around and his face fell wenn he saw your tears. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but closed it again and just pulled you into his arms. Then you really couldn’t stop the tears anymore.

„Its gonna be okay love“, he whispered, and you could hear people starting to pour into this part of the train, his prep team, mentors and so on, but they were giving you two space. You didn’t say anything, your throat closing up anytime you were even thinking about letting him go, so you just held on tighter when you felt the train pull into the station.

„Cato we need to go“, Enorbia said next to you, and you could hear the train door whoosh open, probably giving the cameras outside the perfect view of the tragic couple. You could hear the crowd cheering for their victor and forced yourself to release Cato.

„I love you“, he said one last time, cupping your cheeks and wiping your tears away. „I love you“, you chocked out, and then he kissed you for the last time in months, before stepping outside to be greeted by his district and leaving you behind.

—————————

The past months had been agonizing, and it was terrible to think that this was your life now, seeing Cato once a year if at all. It was great to see your parents and your younger brother again, and your were so happy that now that you were a Victor you could provide a better life for them. Your district welcomed you back proudly, but you could definitely feel the underlying tension, the unhappy grumbling people did more openly, criticizing the Capitol.

Your last months had been filled with lots of time spend with your family, who didn’t have to work anymore now that you’ve won the Games, but also lots of time to think and overthink. You and Cato hadn’t had any chance to contact eachother, as contact between districts was strictly forbidden and sanctioned if caught.

But it was almost time for the Victor Tour, and while you didn’t look forward to the Tour itself, you could barely wait to see Cato again. You were incredibly excited to see him again, but also a bit nervous. Since you hadn’t had any chance to talk to eachother, you didn’t know what had happened back in his district. Maybe he thought the long separation wasn’t worth it or maybe he met someone else. Not that you honestly believed that, your brain was - as usual - playing the worst case scenarios.

Your prep team would arrive today, fixing you up and filming your talent for the audience. Your talent was obviously going to be embroidery, it was what you could do best and it also represented you district.

You heard them before you saw them, the bell ringing and your mother welcoming them, your father and little brother had left to go to the market and avoid the Capitol crowd for now - the both of them didn’t like the hustle they brought with them. Your mother didn’t either, but she knew you needed someone there.

„We missed you so much!“, Jaethe basically squeaked, the small man with orange hair embraced you warmly, followed by Loidy and Agatha, completing your prep team. „Aspasia wants us to get you back to a blank canvas, she’s downstairs and left you to our capable hands“, Loidy grinned, already unpacking all the ointments, creams and tools the brought with them. You shivered when they mentioned a blank canvas, that meant every hair on your body was going to get waxed. Ouch. „We have so much to catch up on!“, Agatha added. Double ouch.

—————————

You loved our prep team and Aspasia, but you would be lying if you said you weren’t glad to finally be on the way to the train. You were, of course, sad to say goodbye to your family again, but atleast this time you weren’t in danger of dying. Also there were only a few minutes separating you and Cato, making your heart pound so hard you could feel it.

The Tour would start in District 11, going towards the Capitol and leaving out the Districts of the Victors, which you would seperately visit afterwards. It was much more complicated this year, as the four of you came from different districts.

This would also mean, that Cato was the first one that had been picked up, you had watched his farewell in his district on the tv, the smile not being able to be wiped from your face again. And now it was your turn to be picked up, the train rolling into the station. Somewhere in that massive metal construction, Cato was waiting for you. At least you hoped he was - hoped he was still as in love with you as you were with him.

When the door opened with a hiss, Cecilia ushered you forward and as soon as you took the first step into the wagon, a big hand pulled you in all the way, strong arms tugging you into a familiar broad chest. You knew the cameras were most likely rolling, but you didn’t care, you were just so relieved that Cato seemed to have missed you just as much.

Without saying much, he pulled you away from the others immediately, away from the prep teams, mentors and cameras, towards the end of the train and the sitting area you had to say goodbye in last time. The door closed behind you and you had some privacy, and you were about to say something when he interrupted you with a desperate kiss.

You gasped in surprise, your hands shaking slightly from all the overwhelming emotions, but simultaneously holding onto his shirt tightly. One hand was grasping your waist firmly, while the other was holding your face gently and he was changing pace, his lips moving softer and slower now.

When you finally pulled back panting, you weren’t sure how you ever made it without him for so long, without that deep feeling of belonging and safety, and of course his kisses. „I missed you so much“, Cato rasped, his thumbs trailing your jaw, your eyes meeting his and your lips pulling into a smile that made his heart skip a beat.

„Missed you too“, you whispered, letting yourself be pulled down onto the couch and into his arms again, just enjoying what little time you had together for now. „I don’t know how we’re supposed to live like this“, he sighed, his forehead resting against yours, and instead of answering, you just kissed him again

——————————

You had greeted Katniss and Peeta with a hug when they entered the train, showing a united front to the cameras outside, but also because you really liked them and actually did consider them friends. You were in this together. And now you were sitting through Effie’s summary of the upcoming tour together.

„Yes and of course after we’re done in District 1, you’ll have the great honor to attend and enjoy the party at the presidents mansion thrown just for you! You will be staying in the training center of course, but that’s exciting too isn’t it?“, she was ranting on and on, asking questions without really wanting an answer and eventhough she really romanticized all of this, you couldn’t even be really mad at her, she was just too naive.

„Okay Effie I think they got it, why don’t we send them off to bed they have and early morning tomorrow“, Haymitch finally interrupted her and send you victors a small wink. „Yes, yes you’re quite right, you should get some sleep, go on!“, she ushered you out of the dining room like a ruffled chicken, and the lot of you couldn’t keep in the small chuckles and giggles that left you, on the way to your respective bedrooms.

Peeta and Katniss went into their rooms separately, while you and Cato had to walk down the hallway a bit further into another wagon to your rooms. Instead of going into his though, Cato followed you into yours naturally, sending you a smirk when the door closed behind the two of you.

„I really did miss you“, he hummed, taking steps towards you until he stopped right in front of you. „I missed you too, so much“, you whispered, holding your breath in anticipation when his fingers grasped the bottom of your dress, pulling it upwards slowly. „Gonna show you how much“, he grumbled, pulling your dress over your head and laying you down on the bed. You really missed him, and you definitely missed this too.

——————————

When you were stepping out onto the stage in District 11, the first district of your tour, you could immediately feel the tense atmosphere. Peeta had volunteered to give the speech, and you were glad, because even if you hadn’t known Rue very well, she was the death that hurt the most. You could see how hard Katniss was trying to rule in her emotions at the devastating picture Rues family painted.

„Thank you. We’re honored to be here with you today“, Peeta started reading the speech Effie hat written for him, and your eyes wandered over the disgruntled faces in the crowd, the high number of peace keepers all around, and you wondered what happened here. „And to be with the families of your fallen tributes“, he continued, but stopped for a moment letting his gaze roam over the crowds too. And then he put away the paper with Effie’s speech, and Cato held your hand a bit tighter.

„Though they fought and lived with honor and dignity until the end, both Thresh and Rue were so young. But our lives aren’t just measured in years, they’re measured in the lives of people we touch around us. For myself, for Katniss, for all of us, we know that without Rue and without Tresh we wouldn’t be standing here today“, Peeta spoke from his heart, and you could see the people of 11 appreciated that.

„So in recognition of that, knowing that it in no way can make up for your loss, we’d like to donate one month of our winnings to the families of the Tributes every year, for the rest of our lives“, the people applauded his generosity, and you thought it was a really sweet gesture. But it also was something that’s never been done before, and you had a bad feeling about what the Capitol might think about it, and what might become of this.

„Thank you“, Peeta said, and you were turning to go back inside, when Katniss suddenly spoke up. „I just wanted to say that, I didn’t know Thresh. I only spoke to him once. He could have killed me, but instead he showed me mercy - he showed us mercy“, she found your gaze, reminding you of the way he sacrificed himself at the end of the games and let you go, a wistful smile on your lips. „That’s a debt we’ll never be able to repay.“

„I did know Rue. She wasn’t just my ally, she was my friend. I see her in the flowers that grow in the meadow by my house. I hear her in a Mockingjay song. I see her in my sister Prim. She was too young, too gentle. And I couldn’t save her. I’m sorry“, a few lone tears were rolling down Katniss cheeks, matching your own, while you held onto Cato tighter.

Suddenly an old man in the crowd whistled the melody you recognized as Katniss and Rues signal from the games, raising three fingers to his mouth and then into the air. Then the whole crowd followed his example. And while you were being pushed from the stage, watching in horror as the old man was dragged onto stage, the people in the crowd screaming and being beaten, you knew your bad feeling was right. Just as the door was about to be shut, you could feel yourself scream when you saw the old man being executed.

———————

Haymitch had ushered you through the Justice Building through corridors and up several stairs, until you were finally in some dingy attic, where you were sure nobody could overhear you. And he looked pissed. Your mentors stayed behind to distract people and deal with the fallout. „You four had a really simple task“, he joked humorlessly, and you knew something bigger than what you knew was going on.

„I never meant for anyone to get killed! He has to know that“, Katniss was in tears and you were trying to hold it together, only managing so with Cato silently being your rock and holding you securely. „What are you talking about?“, you asked, and Haymitch seemed to be just as confused adding, „Who has to know what?“

„Snow. He came to see me.“, and that was the moment you all knew you were in bigger trouble than you thought, „He’s worried about rebellion in the districts.“ Now the scene downstairs made a bit more sense. „He thinks that they didn’t believe our love story. Mine and Peetas that is, because I had the idea with the berries.“

„So he wants you to make them believe it?“, Haymitch inquired, pacing back and forth. „To calm things down“, Katniss was breathless. „You know Katniss, you shoulda told me that before I went out there, and tried to give these people the money!“, Peeta was angry too, and you could feel Cato getting angry behind you. „I’m sorry, I didn’t know what to do! He threatened to kill my family!“, Katniss was desperate, but you also had to admit she was thinking of herself in that moment.

„We have families too, Everdeen! People we need to protect, this isn’t just about you, we’re all in this together if you haven’t noticed“, Cato sarcastically spat, while Peeta just covered his mouth and shaking his head at Katniss. „What about them? Who protects them?“, Haymitch pointed out the tinted window, and you knew he was right, „Katniss what were you thinking?“

„I was thinking about Rue“, Katniss was so devastated you had to step in. You gently grabbed Haymitch sleeve, making him look towards your frightened face. „Haymitch please, please can’t all of you just help us make it through this trip? Just help us get through this“, you pleaded with him, and Katniss nodded in support.

„This trip girl? Wake up“, he snapped his fingers impatiently, „this trip doesn’t end when you get back home. You never get off this train, you four are mentors now, that means that every year they’re gonna drag you out and broadcast the details of your romance, in your case“, he pointed to Katniss and Peeta, „all the happy milestones and in yours“, he nodded towards you two, „they’re never gonna let you be together, dragging that tragic love story form two districts out every year. They want to punish you, every year, your private life becomes theirs. From now on your job is to be a distraction, so people forget what the real problems are.“

„So what are we gonna do?“, Peeta asked, and the sense of dread settled deeper and deeper into your stomach. „You’re going to smile, you’re going to read the cards that we give you, and you’re going to play along. Think you can do that?“

———————————

The districts weren’t calming down, it felt like they were getting angrier with every pre-written speech and fake smile. And you also couldn’t stop thinking about what Haymitch said, how you and Cato would never be allowed to be together to keep the tragic romance going, your outlook on life getting severely darker.

Cato seemed to be affected too, you didn’t really talk about it, really no sense in discussing what you couldn’t change, but you noticed how he was with you every minute that was possible, always touching you in some way. He wasn’t good with words, but you heard him anyway, in his own way.

You made it through the Districts, Katniss and Peeta deciding to get engaged in the Capitol to make their romance more believable, and the people were eating it up. One more thing you and Cato would never be able to do.

You were in the Presidential Palace, „the party of the year“, as Effie had called it, and were currently dancing with Cato. You were still trying to wrap your head around the fact that people here threw up their food on purpose to eat more, and in other Districts children starved to death, when you spotted Katniss dancing with the middle aged man you were earlier introduced to called Plutarch Heavensbee. He was going to be the new Headgamemaker - after his predecessor Seneca seemed to have met a premature end.

You were just happy that Cato, once again, threw harsh enough glares at all the weird and kind of slimy Captiol men who looked like they wanted a dance with you, so that they left you alone. Suddenly the anthem started playing, effectively stopping your dancing and making everyone turn towards the balcony.

„Tonight, on this, the last day of their tour, I want to welcome our four Victors. Four young people, who embody our ideals of strength and valour. And I personally, want to congratulate two of them on the announcement of their engagement“, Presidnet Snow started and the crowd was cheering and you could see how uncomfortable Katniss was, Peeta could fake it way better.

„Your love has inspired us, and I know it will go on inspiring us, every day, for as long as you may live“, President Snow ended the speech, raising the glass and a firework started. Everyone was looking at it, but you always noticed the little things, not missing the interaction between Snow and Katniss. He shook his head.

————————

Saying goodbye to Cato was rushed this time, the Peace keepers basically pushing you out of the train and holding Cato back, the rebellious mood cutting the celebrations in your respective Districts shorter than normal, and only when you were laying back in your own bed, could you really start to miss him.

Over the following months you missed him dearly, every day the ache was there, even if it grew more dull. And life back at home was harder. Peacekeepers were even stricter than before, whipping people, imposing curfews and even executing people here and there, it was horrible. You still remembered the scene from District 12, where Katniss was about to stop the new Headpeacekeeper, when the broadcast cut off, so you figured it wasn’t different in the other Districts either.

You and your family were sitting on the couch together, waiting for the Quarter Quell to be announced, President Snow stepping onto the balcony. You were nervous about what you had to deal with as a first time mentor this year. „Ladies and Gentlemen, this is the 75th year of the Hunger Games. And it was written in the charter of the Games, that every 25 years, there would be a Quarter Quell, to keep fresh for each new generation, the memory of those who died in the uprising against the Capitol“, he started, and you already had goosebumps in anticipation of whatever horrible twist those games would have.

„Each Quarter Quell is distinguished by Games of a special significance. And now on this the 75th anniversary of our defeat of the rebellion, we celebrate the 3rd Quarter Quell. As a reminder that even the strongest cannot overcome the power of the Capitol“, he continued, and you leaned forward in dreadful anticipation of what that meant, „on this, the 3rd Quarter Quell Games, the male and female Tributes are to be reaped, from the existing pool of Victors in each district.“ The scream you let out was agonizing, your mother pulling you into her arms sobbing.

————————

It was horrible, walking up towards the stage on the day of the Reaping, only you, Cecilia and Woof being up there, knowing you’d have to most likely go into the arena again. It was either you or Cecilia, and you wouldn’t expect either of you to volunteer for the other. The Reaping in 12 was already over, you heard it was Katniss and - after volunteering for Haymitch - Peeta again. You could cry thinking about going trough this again with the same people, knowing at some point you couldn’t be allies anymore.

And you also had no way of contacting Cato about this, no way of talking about this horrible turn of events. He was the only one of you four that actually had a pretty good chance at not being reaped, considering there were so many Victors in his District. But you knew him, and you knew that the Reaping from District 8 happened several hours before District 2, and should it be you that would be chosen, he would volunteer instead of whoever got reaped in his District to be with you, to protect you. You just knew it, knew how stubborn he was. And you loved and hated him for that at the same time.

„We‘ll start with the gentlemen this time“, the escort for your District smiled uncomfortably, pulling out the lonely paper that was at the bottom of the big jar, „Woof Jasone.“ Emotionless the old man stepped forward and faced the crowd. Your heart was basically jumping out of your chest. Now was the moment of truth. „Your turn Ladies“, you couldn’t even think of how inappropriate she was being in this situation, just staring at her hand reaching into your jar.

She opened the piece of paper slowly, your hands all clam and cold with fear. „(Y/N) (Y/L/N)“, she read the same name she said last year. Yours.

===========

Finally finally a third part and I’m incredibly sorry, I just sometimes can’t motivate myself to write!! Also funny thing I just moved from Germany to Australia for a year so that’s exciting :) Let me know how you like this part and if you wanna read more and want to be tagged! xx

Taglist: @lisedanie @iskamr @fangirlninja67 @star611 @markeyateallyourfood @urmomsbananabread @faces-ofvenus @hopefulatrocity @inej-ruination-ghafa @trainboom @dxrkheavensworld

#x reader #fluff #angst #smut #fanfic rec #cato hadley x reader #cato hadley #cato hunger games #hunger games #catching fire #katniss everdeen #peeta mellark #fanfic #fanfiction

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7s3ven · 1 year ago

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… [ MASTER LIST ] ༊*·˚

“ he hit me & it felt like a kiss 💋 ” - ultraviolence, lana.

↓

who i write for ,

Harry Potter - Slytherin gang (fancast too), Golden trio, Tom Riddle, Cedric Diggory

Hunger Games - Cato Hadley + The Careers, President Snow, Peeta, Finnick O'dair

Maze Runner - Minho, Thomas, Gally

Percy Jackson - Luke Castellan (<3), Percy Jackson, Clarisse La Rue, Stoll brothers, Jason Grace (<3)

Avatar - Jake Sully, Lo’ak, Neteyam, Tsireya, Aonung, Quaritch, Recoms

Miscellaneous - Gilbert Blythe (AWAE), Tristan Dugray (Gilmore Girls), Hannibal Lecter, Tim Bradford (Rookie)

Call of Duty - Simon Ghost Riley, Kyle Gaz Garrick, John Price, John Soap Mactavish, Philip Graves, Kortac (coming soon)

˗ˏˋ ´ˎ˗

HARRY POTTER…

HUNGER GAMES…

MAZE RUNNER...

PERCY JACKSON...

AVATAR...

CALL OF DUTY…

#minho tmr x reader #hunger games x reader #x reader #masterlist #percy jackson fanfiction #percy jackson series #percy jackson x reader #percy jackon and the olympians #luke castellan pjo #cato hunger games #marvel hunger games #thg series #president snow #avatar wow #miles quaritch #lyle wainfleet #avatar way of water

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bravo4iscool · 4 months ago

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torn apart chapter index

(cato hadley x fem!(plus-size!)reader)

join my tag list for "torn apart"!

Once the both of you reach the library Cato pushes you inside and closes the door behind him. You spin around to look at him, a thousand questions spinning around in your head. “What is all this?” You point between you and him.

Cato sighs and twists his mouth. “Your parents offered me your hand in marriage,” he cuts it short.

Your eyes widen and your jaw falls slack. “Excuse me? Have I heard that correct–”

“You have,” Cato says. “They offered and…I said yes.” He slowly walks closer to you while you start to shake your head. This couldn’t–this couldn’t be true. Why would your parents do something like that? “I know it’s a shock,” his voice is calm as he talks to you and you raise your hand to signal him to stop.

or, you’re in an arranged marriage with cato hadley after he wins the 74th hunger games

chapter 1

chapter 2

chapter 3

chapter 4

chapter 5

chapter 6

chapter 7

chapter 8

chapter 9

chapter 10

chapter 11

chapter 12

chapter 13

chapter 14

chapter 15

chapter 16

chapter 17

chapter 18

chapter 19

(masterlist overview | hunger games masterlist | join my tag list for "torn apart"!)

#writing #ao3 #fanfiction #archive of our own #story writing #cato hadley #hunger games #the hunger games #cato hadley x you #cato x you #cato #cato hadley x reader #cato x reader

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alavestineneas · 1 year ago

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Home

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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neytirisheaven · 1 year ago

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THE HUNGER GAMES MASTERLIST ் ༘

[ ↷ m. masterlist ]

[ ❏ legend , ]

✿ fluff ! ☁︎ angst ! ★ smut !

♥︎ personal favorite ! ✓ complete !

ᝰ currently writing !

❛ finnick odair ❜

𓄼 oneshots 𓄹

ᝰ | only love can hurt like this:

( only love can hurt like this, paloma faith )

☁︎

IN WHICH seeing finnick with annie every second of every day hurts more than all of the pain you felt in the arena combined, and you wonder, maybe this is love

ᝰ | how could you be so reckless?:

( reckless, madison beer )

☁︎

IN WHICH finnick only ever spoke to you to play with your heart, and even johanna's tired of his recklessness

𓄼 mini-fics 𓄹

tba

❛ cato hadley ❜

𓄼 oneshots 𓄹

ᝰ | maybe this time i'm better alone:

( pity ya, denise julia )

☁︎

IN WHICH you know that cato and clove have feelings for each other, but you've made the mistake of getting your hopes up and convincing yourself into thinking that maybe you have a chance

ᝰ | can you make it last forever?:

( see you again, tyler, the creator & kali uchis )

☁︎✿

IN WHICH you and cato volunteered for the 74th annual hunger games knowing one of you or both of you wouldn't make it

𓄼 mini-fics 𓄹

tba

#the hunger games #the hunger games catching fire #the hunger games mockingjay #the hunger games fanfiction #finnick odair #finnick odair x reader #finnick odair x y/n #cato hadley #cato hadley x reader #cato hadley x y/n

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sleepingorshifting · 29 days ago

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Introducing... district1!reader

district1!reader whos the fastest person the hunger games have ever seen

district1!reader who grew up as a part of one of the richest families in district one, yet could still never compare to the captiol

district1!reader whos been training for the hunger games her entire life

district1!reader who judges the other tributes hard

district1!reader who dreamt of a lavish capitol life

district1!reader who would hate to be associated with any of the 'lower' districts

district1!reader who only respects district 2 as they're really her only competition

district1!reader who hated the idea of having to be in the career alliance with distrct 4 because of the rumour that they all smelt like fish

district1!reader whos parents are head of perfume production in district 1

district1!reader whos described as a bitch by many, yet admired by all

district1!reader who had many many thoughts of ditching the career alliance but never went through with any of her thoughts

#hunger games #hunger games fanfiction #moodboard #the hunger games #thg series #thg #hunger games x reader #cato hadley #cato hadley x reader #marvel sanford x reader #finnick odair x reader #district1!reader

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twobraincellkentwell · 11 months ago

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WAIT I’VE JUST REALISED THAT I NEVER POSTED THESE PHOTOS ON HERE!!

I present you… Alexander Ludwig with myself (dressed as Clove). Doing my service to the clato fandom one photo op as a time!! And with my best friend (our Katniss - yes she’d got roasted, no she didn’t mind)

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ladymirdan · 5 months ago

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Hah! I actually managed to write and post stories two days in a row. Go me!

Todays prompt was “BDSM”

I still got Chaplain brainrot but this time Sicarius got some action:

#40k #warhammer 40k #warhammer #ultramarines #space marines #cato sicarius #elianu trajan #my fanfiction #fanfiction

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welldonebeca · 1 month ago

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Happier Than Ever: Year 0 (2/2)

I'm starting to think I'm stuck in a dream, cause we're young and we don't know better.

Summary: Cato comes home from winning the 74th Hunger Games, and Luna has to adapt to how such a thing changes not only their once-peaceful life, but Cato himself. WC: 7.5k words. Warnings: Canon divengence - Cato wins the 74th Hunger Games. Tension. Pregnancy. Luna is autistic, and we deal with quite a bit of autistic overstimulation here. A little bit of angst because of that. Fluff. Smut. Emotional Hurt/Comfort. Smut. D/s undertones. Husband/Wife kink. Pregnancy. Pregnant sex. Praising kink. Dirty talking. A little bit of degrading kink. Orgasm control/denial. Smut.

Luna stayed there, unmoving, on the floor. She turned onto her side, curling up into a tighter ball, the plushness of the carpet keeping her comfortable.

She stayed in there for a long time before getting up and turning on the light inside, and just then realise the closet wasn’t exactly empty.

This one was enormous, easily the size of her bedroom back at her parents’ house. She stared for a moment, taking in the high ceilings, the built-in shelves, and rows upon rows of empty hangers, and it wasn’t filled all around, but there were enough clothes in there to surprise her.

At least ten dresses hung on display, delicate and impossibly feminine, all of them airy and light, as if they were meant to lift off the ground at the slightest breeze, all in pastel, soft tones.

She stepped closer, brushing her fingers along the soft fabric of one. It felt expensive, like they were for someone else much more important.

Not for her at all.

Luna peeked into the room before opening the door fully, and held her dress to her chest as she made sure it was empty, and peeked out through the curtain at the sound of people in the garden.

It was a nice garden. There were flowers in there and lights. Cato was out there, looking every bit the part of the charming victor as he spoke animatedly to the camera, his smile wide and seemingly genuine – though, if she knew him, that could be an act.

Lyme had told her about the Capitol, what it really could be like. If she was to marry Cato, she had to understand that they were the ones who dictated the terms. They wanted to craft a story, a fairytale of romance and triumph, and they had certainly been getting their wish.

And since her interview with Caesar – when Cato was one of the last tributes in the arena – they were getting it.

It had to be partially her fault, how easily she folded and gave them fuel. They wanted to make Cato interesting then, when it became clearer how he was going to win. He was not only a hero whose victory was not just a personal achievement, but part of a grand narrative. He won the games, and then he came home to collect his prize: his blushing bride.

Luna.

She watched him from behind the curtain quietly, not sure of what to even do as they kept rolling and laughing and entertaining. It felt like a lifetime until the crew finally left, and she was able to take a deep breath before slipping back into her dress.

She smoothed out the fabric nervously, and was about to leave when the door opened and Cato walked inside, completely stiff as he stepped inside.

Luna squeezed her fingers nervously, embarrassed and he huffed for a moment before clearly forcing himself to calm down.

“The closet?” he asked, his frustration barely masked. “Really?”

Luna he twisted her engagement ring.

“She was on my face,” she mumbled. “And touching me.”

“We talked about this,” Cato reminded her, his eyes strong as he stepped up to her. “You promised me you would behave well, that you could do it, and then I come home and you hide in the closet!”

She looked down at her feet, her skin burning in embarrassment.

“I’m sorry,” she twisted the ring more.

“Do you know how lucky we are they even let you be here?” Cato hissed, snappy. “That they let you welcome me, and all you do is cry and hide!.”

She glanced up at him.

Didn’t he understand all that she had gone through?

The horror of watching him fight with two dozen people for his life in the Hunger Games? Waking up to see him covered with blood in the TV, not knowing if it was his or someone else’s, escaping death time and time again?

“We haven’t seen each other in weeks,” she shot back. “Of course I was crying. I spent half that time scared you might not come back.”

He stopped, his shoulders sagging as if the weight of everything was pressing down on him.

“Everyone always knew I was gonna win,” Cato declared.

But he didn’t even sound like he believed in it.

And how could he? He had barely escaped the giant wolves – dogs? Beasts! - before his fight with Thresh.

She’d seen him almost fall down not once, but six times. It almost killed her!

If something had happened to him… Luna couldn’t even think off what would be of her.

“Well, I didn’t,” Luna mumbled, not looking at him as she crossed her arms tightly.

She couldn’t say it looking at his face – she knew she shouldn’t doubt him. As his wife, Luna should be his first fan and louder cheerer.

“You were expecting me to die?” he asked, a mix of hurt and disbelief in his tone.

She looked right back at him.

“I was afraid you were going to die!” she corrected him.

Cato exhaled heavily, and she turned away again just as he walked over, gently pulling her arm to uncross it.

“Well, I didn’t,” he said softly, parroting her words right back to her.

Luna looked away, but he moved his hand to her face, holding her by the chin and making her look at him.

“I’m here,” he said softly. “I didn’t die.”

She bit her lip, tears welling up in her eyes again as she struggled to hold them back.

He moved his fingers up to her face, and ran his thumbs over her cheeks, careful.

“I’m sorry you felt like that.” he told her. “It must have been terrifying.”

Luna swallowed down, her throat tightening.

It was. Very much so.

He leaned in and kissed her forehead, and that was all it took. Luna broke down into his chest, crying and whimpering like a child. Cato cradled her gently, holding her so tightly it was like he was afraid she would slip away.

They didn’t stay in that room.

Actually, after that day, the third floor just remained empty and untouched even by the staff.

The wedding preparations were… inexistent. Between the day Cato came back and the day of the wedding, a month later, Luna visited her home twice, spending a week there each just to get everything moving.

Mum was desolated that she had to leave, and Juno even cried at saying goodbye to her the day she officially left her bedroom – even after saying so many times she would love to be able to tear down her wall and make a mega room for herself now.

The studio was given back, and she gifted her old stone-cutting machine to some other aspiring sculptor, and tried on her dress for the first time two weeks before the actual wedding.

It was… terrible.

No, not terrible.

But it was strange.

Everything of the wedding was strange, like it was made for someone else – and it was; it was made for the Capitol, from start to end.

They skipped the bread ceremony, took their traditional vows away, and made it so different it was barely a wedding for Luna and probably anyone watching it in the district.

Yes, watching it. They made a wedding special about it and filmed every little thing – from the moment she had her dress on to the moment they closed the door of the top floor bedroom for their ‘wedding night’.

Luna didn’t remember a moment of it. The whole day was a blur of following instructions. And then, the two days after were a blur of trying to recover because she was so exhausted she could barely speak and couldn’t take a single brush of a hand against her arm, much less do anything a married couple was meant to do.

“Layers and layers of translucent chiffon and organza, gracefully cascading over the other on the skirt and sleeves,” Caesar Flickerman read on his card as the camera paned on an image of Luna herself smiling shyly to the screen on the TV show. “The bodice was embroidered with silver and pearls in the motif of flowers and took eight days of nonstop work to complete, that is fantastic, look at her.”

Luna was looking. And it wasn’t her – herself. The woman on the Wedding Special rerun was a stranger, decorated with so many shining things it almost hid the dull of exhaustion in her eyes.

“You looked like doll,” Cato rubbed his hand down her thigh, his touch very gentle. "They even made you blonde."

Luna was sat on his lap, her face hidden on his neck, her nose right where he used to have a beautiful mole.

“I was,” she sighed. “Ellyn just made me into a walking mannequin.”

Her hair was still growing out that colour change.

She glanced up at the screen, and the Bride was smiling at her Groom, slipping a ring into his finger with a shy smile.

“She looked straight out of a dream,” the commentator affirmed. “What was that nickname you gave her when we were talking?”

“The Capitol’s Delight,” Caesar declared openly.

Luna recoiled in discomfort, and Cato turned to look at her.

“You want me to turn it off?” he asked softly.

Luna sighed.

They hadn’t watched the special when it first aired, and she had no intention of watching it again now.

“We’ll be seeing them together soon on the Victory Tour!” Caesar’s voice boomed before she could respond. “Do you think she’ll have that marriage glow? She’s just so adorable, the way she looks at him.”

The commentator chuckled alongside him.

“Well, she’ll certainly have something new to show off,” he added, motioning toward his stomach in a crude gesture.

Her tongue soured.

“Please,” she mumbled.

Cato didn’t hesitate. He grabbed the remote, switched the TV off, and then turned back to her, his hand gently cradling the small curve of her belly where their baby grew.

They were having a boy — a very healthy, big boy. The doctors had told her that repeatedly, though one could barely tell by looking at her. She was ten weeks away from giving birth, and her belly barely showed it. Something wasn’t translating between the size of the baby and her own body - she was tall and strong, the doctors said. It was normal, apparently.

Cato was going to leave for his Victory Tour the day after tomorrow, and when Ellyn came to show her the dress she would be wearing to accompany him when stopped at their District to his way to the Capitol, the moment she put it on, she looked no more pregnant than she had on her wedding day.

“I don’t even look like I’m carrying him,” she mumbled, frustrated.

Cato’s fingers gently drifted to the spot where their boy usually kicked, tracing light circles over her belly.

“Well, he’s right there,” he whispered, leaning in to kiss her cheek. “We’ve been seeing him every two weeks for months now, little Loony."

Luna chuckled, the silly nickname lifting some of the weight from her chest.

“Our little Prince,” she corrected with a teasing smile. “Cato II.”

His cheeks flushed pink, the name still embarrassing him. It had been her choice, something she’d been quietly thinking about ever since he returned;

“I still can’t believe you picked that name,” he muttered.

“You deserved it,” she whispered, reaching up to caress his jaw. “Our son deserves it too.”

Cato’s face softened at her words, but there was still that boyish nervousness, a side of him she adored to see. It meant he was still himself.

Slowly, he looked down and away from her, focusing on the baby before sighing.

“Speaking of him,” he spoke slowly. “And the tour.”

Luna focused on him again, frowning.

He would leave for the tour the day after tomorrow, and spend a day on each district.

Cato promised a lot of things. Little trinkets from every place – a lump of coal from 12, some fruit that was only ever available on 11, fish and pearls from 4… things like that. It was silly and adorable.

“I was talking to Ellyn,” he looked at her face, very serious. “And we talked about what you will be wearing when I stop at two.”

Luna exhaled.

Yes, she would be there with him at his stop at District 2. She would give him his flowers and his hero welcome.

“Yeah?”

He moved his hand a bit more, caressing her belly under the big shirt she wore for sleep.

“She told me to… tell you... to wear something for the day,” Cato spoke slowly.

Luna hardened herself, clenching her jaw. That didn’t sound good at all.

“Which would be?”

Cato swallowed down, exhaling.

“A belly,” he told her, his voice barely loud enough. “So you’ll look… bigger.”

Bigger.

More pregnant, they had probably said.

She could almost hear the Capitol’s stylist team talking — round and glowing, a perfect picture of maternal beauty. Not… this. Not her little bump that barely showed at all and looked like a bloat after lunch and not an actual baby.

She got up from his lap, not meeting his eyes as she put on her shoes again. It wasn’t like they could say anything, was it? It wasn’t a suggestion, it was a command.

“Sure,” she mumbled, putting on her shoes. “Just tell her to bring it with the dress.”

Cato sighed, not moving from his spot on the couch.

"Luna," he called softly, his voice gentle, almost pleading. "Please."

But she didn’t listen to him, feeling her eyes already stinging with tears, and the lump in her throat tightened as she stepped away from him.

He hated to see her cry, they both knew that. What did falling into tears do? It didn’t help anything.

She stepped outside into the garden, the cold biting at her skin almost immediately, and she wrapped her arms around herself as she looked over the little strawberry bush the gardener had been nice enough to plan for them, boxed up in order to not infiltrate the soil.

Why couldn’t they just let her be?

She hadn’t won anything. She wasn’t a victor, she was just a random sculptor who happened to be married to one.

No other Victor’s family was expected to perform, and yet, they put all that on her.

The door to the house opened behind her, and she felt the big covers being put over her shoulders before Cato even spoke up, standing by her side.

“You know it’s not something I approve,” he murmured. “If it was for me, you’d have all the privacy you want. You wouldn’t have to show up, you wouldn’t have to wear those stupid clothes and that fucking…” he let out a long, angry breath, as if words alone couldn't express the size of his frustration.

Yeah, she knew that.

She didn’t doubt, even for a second, that if Cato had his way, she would never be subjected to the Capitol’s whims. But knowing that didn’t ease her own frustration.

If she didn’t have a choice in all this, then Cato — even with all his strength and status as a victor — had even less.

Luna’s hands tightened on the edge of the blanket, her knuckles turning white.

“They would ignore me if I was normal,” she breathed out, staring at the big fruit tree they hadn’t seen giving fruit yet.

“Normal,” Cato echoed quietly, his voice barely louder than a breath.

“Normal,” she looked at him, unable to hide the bitterness in her voice.

He had to know that.

She had heard it her whole life, how she wasn’t normal. How she was defective and would never be good enough.

"If I could perform, smile on cue, play the part like they want me to. If I didn’t hide the second someone wanted to talk to me, didn't flinch when they touched me... they would ignore me. I'd just be another wife, someone who would be blended into the background."

Cato’s jaw tensed as he looked down at her, the frustration evident in his eyes. He knew she was right. If she played along, if she gave them what they wanted—acted like the Capitol’s perfect little puppet… they wanted her because they knew she didn’t like the attention, because she wanted to blend in. They called her adorable because they knew she couldn’t help herself and it wasn’t an act!

Because she was odd.

“You wouldn’t be yourself, then,” Cato spoke suddenly, breaking the silence.

Luna turned her head slightly, confused as she met his eyes. Before she could ask, Cato leaned in, pressing a tender kiss to her temple, his warm breath against her cold skin.

“If you weren’t… yourself,” he repeated, his voice more resolute this time. “The way you are now? That’s what makes you you.”

Luna blinked, trying to process his words.

“It's what’s right about you, your oddness,” he affirmed. “Normal girls are boring.”

She chuckled, feeling her heart warming up.

“I wouldn’t love you more if you were any different,” he told her. “If it helps.”

Luna smiled, breathing.

It did, a little bit.

“Let’s get inside,” he patted her shoulder. “It’s cold here, you don’t want to catch a chill.”

He led her inside, his hand warm against her back as he ushered her back to the couch where they’d been before. Cato didn’t hesitate — he pulled her back onto his lap, just like before, wrapping his strong arms around her as if shielding her from the world. Luna didn’t resist; she tucked her head into the curve of his neck, inhaling his scent that hadn’t changed since the first time she’d been close to him.

They could have touched his face, but he was still himself.

“You’re so beautiful,” he breathed out, his fingers tracing slow, soothing circles on her thigh. He paused, as if savouring the words before speaking again. “My wife.”

The word set warmly in his chest – Cato loved repeating it into her ear, and now they didn’t need to hide that.

She shivered, feeling moving right up her skin, making her breath hitch. Cato knew exactly how sensitive she’d become lately, and he seemed to fucking adore this.

“My very beautiful wife,” his touch climbed higher, and his fingers ran over the back of her thighs, tickling her.

“Cato,” she squirmed, her voice coming out in a half-whine.

But he only hummed, feigning innocence as he leaned closer, his face hovering near hers.

“Yeah?”

His breath was warm against her cheek, as his eyes sparkled with that mischievous glint she knew all too well.

Her face burned and she cast her eyes down, but Cato simply grinned, nuzzling his nose against hers, and his hands moved higher up, grazing the sensitive spot on her inner thigh, and she parted her legs just a little, instinctively.

“What are you thinking?” he taunted her gently, brushing his fingers against the inside of her thigh from behind.

“Cato…” she took a hand up, her fingers curling into the fabric of his shirt

He just pouted teasingly.

Luna leaned in, closing the space between them, her lips barely an inch away from his before he pulled back.

“You have to ask,” he reminded her.

She glared at him.

He was such a tease.

“Kiss me,” she mumbled.

Her husband’s smile widened into a bit grin before he finally leaned in and closed the distance. His lips met hers, soft but insistent, and she melted into the kiss, moving her hand up and around his neck

There he was, firm and delicious – damn intoxicating. And maybe his lips felt a little bit different, but what he knew to do with them was still always perfect.

Cato moved his hand around her thigh, and she stretched one of her legs to give him space to touch her between them, but he just caressed her knee, dragging his teeth over her lower lip as he pulled back.

Well, at least he tried.

She pushed her fingers into his hair, tugging and pulling him closer again, and he met her right away again.

Cato devoured her as much as she devoured him, until her lips were aching and she was so hot that the feeling of his hand just caressing her knee was torture.

He pulled away from her lips, taking his kisses down to her jaw, and she was panting when he start giving her jaw little nibbles. And his hand hadn’t fucking moved.

“Cato,” she whined. “Your hand…”

His tongue licked up the skin of her neck, and she gasped when he dragged his teeth over her sensitive spot.

“My hand?” he cooed back.

Luna spread her legs more, giving up on being subtle.

She had barely anything on – a big old shirt of his and her panties, nothing much.

“Please,” she sighed, closing her eyes when he sucked a bruise on her skin.

He chuckled right against her neck, his hand travelling up, and she nearly cried in relief as his fingers caressed her skin, up her sensitive inner thigh and to her cotton underwear as he sucked onto her skin.

“Yes, please,” she panted.

“Right here?” he hummed, rubbing his knuckle over her seams.

She arched her hips, chasing the touch, but he took it away just as she tried to.

“Please,” Luna whined. “Husband.”

His knuckle ran over her pussy lips and pressed against her clit, and she couldn’t help her moan.

“Wife,” he whispered back.

And he pulled his hand away!

Luna reached for his wrist, completely impatient, and he laughed.

“So impatient!” he clicked his tongue.

She kicked the couch, and he pushed her hand away from his own, holding her in place.

“Behave, wife,” he taunted her.

She pouted, and his touch moved right up her torso, pushing her shirt up with it, and Luna knew too well the way he hoisted her up with an arm on her back, dragging the fabric over her belly and her chest right as his lips came to her tit.

Her breasts were so sensitive since he came back. Maybe even before, but she hadn’t paid attention.

“Cato,” she moaned.

His lips curled against her skin as his teeth dragged over her poor nipple as she squirmed, hot between her thighs.

He didn’t relent, sucking onto her, holding her in place as she writhed in his grip. By the time he changed to the other side, she was moaning wordlessly and her underwear was probably fucking soaked.

“Cato,” she reached for his arm, his grip too strong to escape.

Cato just hummed against her chest, licking up her skin and flicking her nipple before sucking her flesh into his mouth.

Luna tried to close her legs, but he was much faster, slapping her inner thigh and spreading her more as she cried at the sting, not even taking his lips away.

Fuck, he was so fucking mean. Her pussy clenched around nothing, empty as his fingers squeezed her.

“Cato,” she cried, arching her body. “Please. Please.”

His hand was free, couldn’t he just fucking touch her?

Cato let her breast go, his chin wet with saliva when he looked up at her, his eyes dangerous and predatory, and she gasped when he slapped her poor thigh again, holding her so tightly she could barely squirm.

“Ask nicely,” he commented.

She whined, spreading her legs as far as they would go, trying to thrust her hips and make his hand move higher.

“Please,” she begged. “Cato, please.”

Didn’t he know what she wanted?! What she needed?

He raised his hand, and instead of slapping her thigh, he smacked her right between her legs, practically over her clit, and she cried out and jumped in surprise.

It was maybe the third time he did that, and fuck it if it didn’t make her brain melt.

“With words,” Cato corrected her. “Not trying to shove that needy pussy on my hand.”

Her whole face burned in embarrassment as she panted, trying to hide her face in his neck, but he didn’t let her, resting his forehead on top of hers, looking into her eyes.

“Go on,” Cato nearly purred. “Be a good wife.”

She could feel herself getting wetter at that

“Please,” she closed her eyes, her voice as soft as it could be. “Touch me.”

He didn’t relent, rubbing his nose on hers.

“Where?” his fingers caressed her inner thighs. “Where do you want it?”

God.

“My pussy,” she whimpered. “Please, Cato.”

He moved his hand up slowly, his knuckle caressing her up and down.

“Like this?” Cato asked, all sweet.

Oh, she wanted to fucking cry.

“Please,” Luna whined. “You know it!”

He kissed just her chin sweetly.

“I do?” her husband asked, practically fucking cooing at her, like she was a puppy. “I know what you want?”

She felt her eyes all wet, filling up with tears.

“Yes,” she practically whispered.

“You want me to touch your pussy?” he pressed his knuckle on her clit.

Luna whimpered.

“Inside me,” she pleaded, panting whining.

He hummed along, not stopping his slow caresses.

“And what do you want inside you?” he circled her clit mindlessly.

She couldn’t even speak, thrusting her hips forward for more pressure, but he took his hand away.

“No, darling, use your words,” Cato insisted. “I can’t read your mind yet.”

Luna grabbed his wrist, clenching her hand around it.

“Take it off,” she whispered. “Please?”

He licked her lip and moved slowly, hooking his finger on the gusset of her panties and chuckling.

“Oh, my wife,” he purred. “Look at that.”

She wanted to hide even more as he pulled her panties down her thighs and legs, obediently letting him strip her.

Cato moved his head away from her, and she opened her eyes just in time to see him moving the fabric in his hand.

“Look at this,” he smirked, showing it to her. “I buy you all that pretty fancy underwear and what do you do with it? You soak it up.”

He clicked his tongue and Luna’s neck burned along with her face in her embarrassed flush. The gusset was shining completely, she couldn’t even look. But she did, and Cato didn’t even think before sticking out his tongue and licking up her wetness from the fabric, and she whimpered, even emptier now.

“Poor wife,” he looked at her face. “So wet you’ve ruined the pretty panties.”

Luna panted, trying not to pout more, and gasped when Cato moved his hand between her legs, caressing her wet lips with two fingers, and she felt her eyes moisten as small tears slipped down her face.

“My poor darling,” he mocked her, circling her entrance with the pad of his finger, and she moaned softly, unable to keep her sounds down. “I know better, don’t I?”

She panted, unable to tear her eyes from his.

“Please,” she whimpered. “Cato.”

His thumb gave her clit a wide circle.

“Don’t I?” he insisted.

“Yes,” she moaned. “Yes, Cato, yes.”

He pushed two fingers into her slowly, rubbing against the sensitive entrance of her cunt, and she practically sobbed in response as he curled them against her sweet spot.

Luna couldn’t help how loud her moan was, and he fucking mocked her by opening his mouth the way she did as she moaned.

“Like that?” he purred. “You like that, wife?”

She couldn’t even answer him, his fingers taking her whole mind, and he grinned when she only nodded.

“So pretty,” Cato licked his lips, his eyes moving right down her body.

The praise climbed up her spine and made her brain tingle.

“Why don’t you take that off, my pretty girl?” he told her. “So I see all of you while I give you what you need?”

She barely thought before tugging on her shirt, and though it was a bit of a struggle, she took it off and tossed it away, earning a very intense look from him.

It would never tire her, the way Cato looked at her like she was the hottest woman he had ever set his eyes on.

He moved his fingers slowly, keeping his eyes right on her as he moved his lips down to her chest again, kissing her raw nipple again before taking it in his mouth again, sucking and biting, making her brain go haywire with the double stimulation. Her eyes outrightly rolled back when he pressed his palm against her clit, and she couldn’t help the big moan that came out of her lips.

It was fucking heaven.

He played her like her body was an instrument, too well-versed in it to keep her wanting at all, and soon Luna was a squirming mess.

“You hear that?” he asked, his fingers moving fast, and it took her mind a minute to process what he was trying to make her listen to.

Squelching?

Wet-

“Oh, fuck,” she groaned.

Herself.

She squirmed, unable to keep her walls from clenching around him as she tried to hide her face into his neck. But he was faster, pushing his fingers into her hair and holding her right in place.

“What a good wife I have, don’t you think?” Cato praised as the knot in her belly tightened. “Taking my fingers so well in her needy cunt, like a good, good, good wife.”

Each time he repeated good she clenched more.

His eyes were right on hers, the beautiful blue almost gone in a pool of darkness, and she struggled to keep her own eyes open.

“No, no,” he pressed the heels of his hand against her clit when they fell closed. “Look at me.”

Her whole body roared in response.

“Cato,” she grabbed his shirt.

Please, she was so fucking close.

“Keep your eyes on me,” he commanded. “I wanna see.”

Luna squirmed more, her vision blurring with the tears.

“Please,” she stuttered. “Cato, please.”

She inhaled deeply, nearly dizzy as he kept moving, fucking her in and out, rubbing her everywhere.

“You want to cum on my fingers?” he asked, his voice too soft against her moans, too controlled when her mind was all his and not hers at all. “Is that why you’re squeezing me so sweetly?”

Luna nodded, panting, desperately clinging to him.

“Yes, Cato, please.”

He moved faster, keeping his eyes right on her, and Luna’s whole body just gave in to him, melting as she was pushed closer and closer and closer to the edge, and she could practically felt her foot sleeping over it before he fucking pulled away.

She cried out at the loss of his fingers, her whole body shaking with the unfulfilled pleasure, and he laughed cruelly at her reaction.

Cato moved like a blink of an eye, so fast that her melted mind couldn’t notice. All she knew was that he was holding her wrists together, her hips were pinned down and her back was against his chest.

“Cato!” she cried out, trying to free her own hands as hips thrusting against nothing. “Please!”

His cock twitched against her ass, already hard in his sleeping pants.

“Please, what, my darling?” he spoke against her ear. “You had asked me to touch you, I did. I gave your pretty pussy my fingers, I touched your pretty clit and sucked you pretty tits… what else could you want?”

Her voice was broken and raw when she found it.

“I want to cum,” she pleaded, her head falling on his shoulder. “Please.”

He laughed, completely amused by her suffering.

“Oh, my poor wife,” Cato lamented. “You want to cum? You do?”

Luna pressed her ass against him, trying to at least get him to break.

“Please, please,” she pleaded. “Cato.”

He raised her hands, moving them all the way to behind his neck.

“Keep them right there,” he commanded, kissing her cheek.

Luna squirmed. God, please, she couldn’t take more teasing.

“It is a craving, my little wife?” he caressed her torso, running his hand over her belly before going up to her tits, squeezing both. “Are you craving cock?”

He pinched her nipples, tugging on them.

“Am I keeping a poor,” he spoke slowly, twisting them. “Sweet, needy, pregnant woman from her biggest craving?”

She tried to move her hips more, but he just moved a hand down, holding her in place.

“My darling, poor you,” he mocked her.

His fingers came right between her legs again, caressing her faintly.

“I mean, you are making a big, big mess,” he noted. “Got my pants all messed up already, my darling.”

She pushed her fingers into his hair to stop herself from moving her own hands.

“What are you going to say to the cleaner?” Cato asked mockingly. “That my wife is ruining her underwear and my clothes because she can’t stop craving cock?”

Her whole face burned, and he exhaled longingly.

“Well, I can’t deny a craving,” Cato sighed, dramatic. “I did promise you that, right? Can you imagine if the baby came out looking like… well. Me.”

Well, Luna didn’t have time to laugh or think about if the old midwife joke was funny or not, he was already moving her.

The couch stretched under her body as he lied her down on it, expanding to at least a small bed – the size of the bed they first had in her little studio.

Cato slipped to her side, turning her to her side and slipping right behind her, moving his lips right to her neck.

“Say please again, darling?” he kissed her earlobe. “Please, husband, fuck me with your cock?”

She closed her eyes, melting as his hand came came around her side, squeezing her breast.

“Please, husband,” Luna moaned. “Fuck me with your cock?”

He let out an amused chuckle behind her, so soft she only knew it because she felt it.

“So obedient,” he praised her, squeezing her neck, pinching her nipple, tugging and twisting it for effect, making her moan in reaction.

“Cato,” she panted.

“Shh,” he kissed her cheek. “It’s okay, my darling, you were so good, weren’t you? Waited for me so well…”

He moved his free hand down, and Luna’s eyes fell closed as she felt his cock brushing against her wet lips, and Cato teased her with the tip, up to her clit and down to her entrance before going up again.

“Please,” she whined, reaching for his arm. “Please, no more teasing.”

She couldn’t take it. Please.

“My poor sweet wife,” Cato kissed her cheek. “It’s okay, it’s okay...”

The tip of his cock finally – finally, God, fuck – breached her.

He pushed inside so patiently it burned her up, and the sound that left her lips was a raw moan – desperate really, but she couldn’t control it.

Cato moaned into her neck right before taking his hand up again, pressing her whole body against his.

“Like, this, darling?” he moved his hips slowly, fucking her ever so gently.

Luna’s eyes practically rolled back.

“Cato,” she pleaded.

But he just adjusted her to make it easy to touch both her breasts, and Luna gasped out when he simply moved back to playing with her nipples, running his short nails over the tips and making her mad with pleasure and frustration.

“Love how sensitive these have become,” he bit her earlobe. “Could spend a whole da playing with them, making my sweet wife so needy.”

Luna clenched around him, moving her hips, trying to thrust them back to his.

“Please,” she cried, breathless, trying to grab his hand and push down between her legs. “Cato, please.”

His grip was soft enough she could drag his hand down her torso and to her pussy, and Cato chuckled into her neck, slapping her thigh.

“Please, please, please,” he mocked her. “Don’t I have my cock inside you, wife?”

She whined, trying to move his hand again, but he didn’t budge, pushing his cock all the way in slowly and pulling out just as gently.

“I was so excited, thinking all about the ways I can touch you and make you feel good,” Cato taunted her. “How I would spend my day worshipping your tits, making you cum just from them...”

Luna felt herself squeezing him just from the thought of it.

“But you are so impatient,” he slapped her other thigh. “So demanding…”

He moved the hand he had on her breast up, wrapping it around her neck, and she felt her whole body twitching.

It was how he did it, how he teased her when they were like that.

A hand on her neck and another on her clit. He never squeezed or hurt her – it was about power.

“What do you want?”

Well, he knew what she wanted. He always knew.

And he never gave in.

“I want to cum,” she pleaded again. “Cato, please.”

It wasn’t fair.

He turned her head to make her look at him, and Luna practically melted when their eyes met.

“Of course,” Cato gave her lips a little peck. “How can I ever deny you?”

And then he did it all at once.

His hips picked up pace as his finger came right to her clit, and she practically screamed in reaction to him, fighting to keep her eyes on his as he gave in to her pleas.

“Like this, wife?” he practically growled.

The muscles of her torso tightened in reaction.

“Yes, Cato, yes.”

She fucking ascended into the high of space.

Luna still remembered when they were starting, when he was a bit too big and she was a bit too nervous, but how eager he was for this – for what they had now.

“Always takes me so fucking well,” he rubbed her clit in tight circles. “Always so good for my cock, aren’t you? It’s why you’re giving me a baby.”

Her eyes nearly crossed, the pleasure pumping in her blood.

“My sweet darling, my sweet wife,” Cato moaned into her sin. “Drenched every single time I get inside her, so easy to arouse… just a couple of kisses and firm touches, right baby? Almost like you want me to put another baby inside you already.”

Luna moaned out, the thought making her drift even more.

Another baby, yes. He could give her as many babies as he wanted.

“Let’s make you cum first,” Cato rubbed his nose on hers. “Get that sweet cunt to milk me.”

Her toes curled against the soft fabric of the couch, and his finger didn’t stop, smart and trained on her body, and she shook under him.

“Cato,” she pleaded, feeling the knot in her belly so tight it was all she could feel.

“Go on, darling, cum on my cock.”

Maybe she said his name – maybe she just said something that didn’t make any sense in English. Luna just became a mess, her cries flowing out in pants as she rolled her hips, desperate, floating.

“There you go, there you fucking go,” Cato slammed his cock into her, hips hitting her ass so hard and fast the sound of flesh against flesh echoed through the room.

And Cato didn’t stop.

Not with his hips, not with his fingers, and he took his hand from her neck to play with her nipples again, teasing and twisting and taunting her beyond her mind’s power of processing.

He was everywhere and everything at once.

It overwhelmed her in the first few times – how big and good it felt when he focused on her, so eager.

And it overwhelmed her in a completely different way now.

Luna could barely do more than breathe and moan, limp, being thoroughly fucked and used by him.

“Please,” she panted. “Please, it’s too much.”

Cato’s fingers twisted her poor nipple, and she yelped in shock.

“I can’t-”

“Again,” he commanded, the circles on her clit tight and fast. “You’re gonna cum again.”

Her eyes filled with tears and she couldn’t help the way her whole body sobbed as he pused her further and further, completely out of control.

“Ca- ah,” she cried.

He slammed himself into her hard and tight.

“Cum on my cock again.”

Luna did so, her throat dry and her cheeks wet when she did, and Cato squeezed her breast so tightly it was bound to leave a bruise.

She was still riding her high when he pushed her and spread her legs wide open, slamming his cock into her as his hand held her hips in a bruising hold, hurting her deliciously.

His face came to her neck and he sunk his teeth tight into her skin, moaning right into it as he filled her to the god damn brim.

He kept fucking her, slowly down little by little, into they were just wrapped around one another quiet, panting, and she rested against his chest when Cato leaned in and kissed her tear stained cheeks, probably tasting them.

“I love you,” he whispered, nuzzling her skin. “I love you.”

She rested her headon his shoulder, panting and sniffing as Cato rubbed and kissed her skin, and she squeezed his shoulders when he wrapped his arms around her waist and picked her up to go to bed.

They had taken the biggest bedroom on the second floor, right beside his office and across a nice bathroom.

It was better than the top floor room – much closer to everything in the house, less isolated and with way less empty space.

When the baby was born, they were going to keep his crib by their bed, and there was a room nearby when little Cato was old enough to stay in his own bed.

Luna was half-sure they'd spend years with their little Prince between them in the bed anyway, even after he was weaned out.

Caro held her for a long time before leaving her, and Luna exhaled as she rested on the cool mattress, feeling the sweat drying on her skin, and opened her eyes when he came back into the room.

Oh, he was a vision. Tall and strong, chiseled like he was sculpted by hand on every little inch of his body.

She tried to keep it off her mind that in some ways, he was.

"Open up," he spoke softly, coming to her.

Luna spread her legs, and winced in surprise when he cleaned her skin with a soft warm cloth - she was still sensitive!

"So sensitive..." he spoke softly, running it over her thighs. "My enduring mystery of a woman..."

She chuckled, but kept herself in place, and he kissed her ankle before stepping away.

Luna spread herself on the bed for a moment, relaxing on the cool, soft sheets.

They had good sheets.

He came back and slipped into bed by her side, settling a little lower, resting his head right by her belly before cradling it in his big hand.

Luna looked down at him, and his eyes distant as he ran his fingers over her side.

"Is he awake?"

She chuckled. Oh, God, she hoped not!

Their baby was a little bit of a night owl. He usually woke up around eleven at night and made sure she knew he was unsatisfied that the night was for sleeping.

“No,” she reached down, petting his hair. “But I’m sure he’ll be awake soon.”

Cato didn’t say anything, only brushing his lips against her skin.

“Do you think he’ll like me?” he asked suddenly, raising his eyes to meet hers.

Luna’s shoulders fell in surprise, and she felt herself softening as she petted his hair.

“Of course he will!” she affirmed.

But Cato shook his head, looking away from her.

“I hate my dad’s guts,” he reminded her. “It might be a family curse.”

She moved her hand down to his cheek, caressing his skin, but he refused to meet her gaze.

“Your father deserves to have his guts hated,” she reminded him.

Luna knew enough about Mr Hadley, and she was very glad that even when he returned from his tenure as a Peacekeeper, he would be far away from them.

He would never meet their baby, and he wouldn’t ever insert his bitterness into their little family.

Cato kissed her belly slowly, as if he was doing it to their baby.

Luna ran her fingers up to his hair again, breathing out slowly.

“What are you thinking?” she asked.

She knew that face of his.

But Cato didn’t answer for a long time.

“The nightmare,” he mumbled.

Luna swallowed down, closing her eyes.

He had many nightmares since the games.

The Trackerjackers, the explosion of the mines, the death of Clove, the mutants, the fight with Thresh…

But that wasn’t what was he was speaking of. It was an old nightmare, not from the games.

“His hands,” he hissed, eyes completely unfocused as his face curled in anger and he too his own hands to his neck. “Squeezing her as she fought him, like she was some enemy. Not his wife!”

Cato almost spat the word, and Luna was quick to move down, pulling him up, holding his face in her hands.

She caressed his cheeks as he grimaced, never one to cry, but she just knew him. She knew it hurt.

Luna kissed his skin, all over his face – every bit she would reach.

“You’re not him,” she affirmed, emphatic. “You’ll never be him.”

#cato hadley #cato hunger games #cato hg #cato #cato x reader #cato x oc #cato hadley x reader #hunger games #hunger games fanfiction #district 2 the hunger games #cato thg #cato thg smut

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ervotica · 1 year ago

Note

hey babes, since we both have a raging crush on cato could u do something where a guy is harassing you and he comes to ur rescue 😍 (cliché ik but like he would be so hot doing it, we love a protective man)

pairing: cato hadley x fem!reader

warnings: cato is possessive and hot, the district 6 boy is a jerk (idk if this is accurate to canon at all but idc sue me)

hunger games masterlist

You're watching Cato practice throwing spears with Marvel on the first day of training. You observe the way his biceps flex, pushing the veins out of his arms as he lifts the weapon over his shoulder and puts his weight behind the throw- you really do pity the ones who will be on the receiving end of him in the coming weeks.

You glance down, twisting a knife between your fingers, watching enraptured as it glides through your digits and light bounces from the metallic blade, throwing a myriad of whites and blues across the other weapons hung on the walls.

You don't hear the boy sneak up behind you, his broad hands coming to rest on your waist in a place he most definitely should not be touching; your elbow drives back into him instinctually as you spin to face him, and you pin him to the wall by your forearm. It's the boy from District 6 - Jason, you recall. He's seemed to be keeping a low profile until now, until his disdain towards Cato has seemed to reignite in a bout of fury. And, well, he has to take it out on someone.

"What do you think you're doing?"

He hums noncommittally.

"I think they call this making alliances, sweetheart," Jason says, grinning crudely. Your blood is running hot, rushing in your ears as you push against his neck with your arm and bare your teeth.

"You call me sweetheart again and I'll cut your eyes out. I don't care where we are," you spit, stepping back. "Leave me alone."

His hand bunches into the back of your t-shirt as you start to retreat and he yanks you backwards; your back hits the wall with a loud thump and you hiss, kicking out at him as he presses his chest to yours and rakes his eyes over every inch of your body.

"You don't wanna do this," you laugh, a smirk creeping onto your face that you just can't hold back as you let him hold you there and wait.

"Why's that? I don't see anyone else around," he murmurs, his face so close you can feel his hot breath. "Just you and me."

You raise your eyebrows before you're tilting your head and screaming over his shoulder.

"Cato! Cato!"

Cato's head snaps up and he thrusts the spear he was using into Marvel's hands; he's across the training room floor before you can even shriek his name again.

Jason doesn’t have time to as much as step back before Cato is behind him, chest heaving in a barely concealed fury, pale face flushed and ready for another fight. Jason is lifted seemingly out of thin air by only the back of his neck and he starts to thrash as he’s tossed across the hard training room floor.

“Are you stupid?” he seethes. “She told you to leave her alone! You’ve just sealed your fate, you’re the first one I’m coming after when we get to that arena.”

You creep up next to him, leaning coyly against Cato’s shoulder as you stare down at the District 6 boy.

“I told you. You shouldn’t have done that,” you tease. Cato's thick arm comes up and over your shoulders protectively as he holds him to the floor with his boot clad foot.

"Come on," Cato says. "We're leaving."

His grip is like iron around your hand, his knuckles white as the blood drains from them. You can feel the anger rolling off of him in waves - shoulders squared, jaw ticking.

He drags you all the way back to the tribute quarters, slamming the door closed behind the pair of you and spinning on his heel to pace the length of the room.

"Cato, c'mon," you murmur. "He's just an asshole. He can be the first one we kill in there."

"It's more than that," he groans. "Why does he think he can come and talk to you like that? That prick has overstepped more than once."

"I know." You tug him back towards you and cradle the side of his neck; he's hot, and his pulse thrums under your touch. "It doesn't matter anymore, he's a prick and we'll get rid of him."

"Okay," Cato whispers, leaning down to brush his nose against your own. You hum and push out the creases in his forehead where his brow has knit. His eyes soften at the gesture, and you smile in response, scrunching your nose as he rubs his cheek against yours. He grumbles.

"Stop being so pretty, I'm trying to focus here."

You laugh and wrap your arms fully around his shoulders and neck, reaching up on your tiptoes to slot your lips between his. His muscles, coiled tight and tense, start to relax at your touch. He presses into you, deepening the kiss, hungry for you. He's consumed by it, by the possessiveness he feels over you, by the rage that Jason laid a hand on you at all. You lose yourself in it: in his smell and his touch and how he feels against you enveloping your senses. Reluctantly, you pull away and grin at him, knuckles brushing his sharp cheekbone.

"C'mon, we gotta start making a plan for the games. I'll put Jason first on the list."

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

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lovebeinaprincessworld · 7 days ago

Text

Hopeless Love (Cato Hadley x reader)

Masterlist

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4

Description: It was hard going back, this time with even lower chances of survival - but at least you could spent your last days with Cato.

Warnings: p in v, no protection, oral (f receiving), fingering, rough sex, dominant Cato, possessive Cato, talk of death, slight breeding k!nk

11454 words

You were waiting in the same room you were in the first time around, and any minute your family should’ve come in to say goodbye - but they didn’t. The only people who came in were the peacekeepers to get you to go to the train. “Wait, I didn’t get to say goodbye yet!”, you called, but they roughly shoved you forward and you guessed that was it. You’d never see your family again, and because Snow hated you all so much, you didn’t even get to say goodbye one last time.

On the train you were a bit out of it, staring out the window and Cecilia - now yours and Woofs mentor, which was probably so weird for him and her - gave you some space and your fellow tribute Woof was somewhere else in the train. Suddenly she interrupted your melancholic mood, and looked a bit pitiful: “The reaping from 2 is just up.”

Your heart plummeted, and from her facial expression you already knew that your biggest fear came true. You still turned on the screen and saw Cato and the other victors of District 2 stand on the stage. There were lots more victors than in most of the districts and as soon as the male tribute got picked, Catos hand shot up and he was calling out: “I volunteer as Tribute!”

You couldn’t watch the rest, watch how he left the stage and walked towards his death basically. You stood up and went into your room, feeling Cecilia’s sad eyes on your back. Once the door was closed, you let your tears fall for the first time since you left the stage. You knew he did it for you, did it because he loved you, but still - he just volunteered to die with you, and you were feeling so guilty for it, and so angry with him for being so stubborn.

——————

The hustle and bustle before the parade was so different than the last time, when everyone kept to themselves and was rather shy. This time most of the Tributes had known each other for years and they were mingling and chatting when you stepped into the Hall. You spotted Katniss stroking her horse, and excused yourself from Woof and Cecilia to do some mingling of your own - Cato wasn’t here yet after all, and you still couldn’t decide how to handle that situation.

Katniss saw you coming and gave you a small genuine smile, and you couldn’t help yourself, you gave her hug even though you knew she was a bit awkward with all that. “Hey, it’s good to see you”, you smiled, and she nodded. “It’s weird isn’t it”, she said, looking around the premises and you had to agree. “Yeah, I feel a bit like an outsider”, you hummed, also stroking the mane of her horse, when suddenly you were interrupted by a Tribute with very little clothing, Finnick Odair - District 4.

“Katniss, (Y/N)”, he greeted you with a grin. “Hello Finnick”, you smiled, despite Katniss grumpy face. “Do you want a sugar cube? I mean it’s supposed to be for the horses, but…I mean who cares about them right, they’ve got years to eat sugar, whereas us three…well, if we see something sweet, we better grab it”, he smirked, giving you a wink, and throwing the sugar cube into his mouth.

“No thanks, but I would love to borrow that outfit someday”, Katniss sassily replied, and you giggled. “You look pretty terrifying in that dress up. What happened to the pretty little girl dresses?”, he joked, and Katniss had a clever answer ready: “I outgrew them.” “You certainly did”, he was still grinning, but it felt a bit more fake than before.

“Shame about this Quell thing, now you…you could’ve made out like a bandit in the Capitol. Jewels, money, anything you wanted”, he was speaking seductively, and you could tell after only a few minutes of taking to him, that it was a facade. “Well, I don’t like jewels, and I’ve got more money than I need, so…what did you do with all your wealth anyway?”, Katniss asked and gave Finnick a look.

“I haben dealt in anything as common as money for years”, he said ominously. “Well, then how do people pay for the pleasure of your company?”, Katniss was being sarcastic and you smiled. Finnick got a bit more serious, stepped closer and said lowly: “With secrets. What about you Girl on Fire? Any secrets worth my time?”, he smirked, and Katniss retaliated: “I’m an open book. Everyone always seems to know my secrets before I know them myself.”

“Unfortunately I think that’s true”, he answered, seeing Peeta walk closer and switching topics, “I’m sorry you had to cancel your wedding. I know how devastating that must be for you.” He bit down on one more of his sugar cubes, and bid his goodbyes with: “Have a good day.” Then his eyes moved to something behind you, and he grinned to himself before gently pushing some hair back behind your ear that fell out of your updo. “It was lovely to meet you (Y/N). You look dashing in that dress.”

You were confused when he gave you a wink, until you suddenly felt two large hands on your hips, and looked up to see Catos angry stare following Finnick back to his carriage. “What did he want?”, he asked you, and you noticed Peeta was next to Katniss too, but not nearly as possessive as Cato. “Is this how you greet me now?”, you were a bit pissed at him - first of all for even volunteering at all, and it irritated you that he was so possessive now. Most of the time you liked it, but when you were angry with him anyway, it didn’t help things.

He looked a bit surprised at your anger, before turning you around and pulling you into a firm hug. “You know I did it for you”, he started, quietly talking into your ear, Katniss and Peeta occupied by their own conversation. But his sentence made the guilt only flare up even more and consequently your anger at him for volunteering and at yourself (for who knows what, maybe for allowing him to fall for you). “Shut up, I don’t want to talk about that right now”, you mumbled, pushing your face further into his chest, not being able to resist his closeness even if you were mad. Plus you knew if you talked about it now, you would probably start crying. This wasn’t the right time.

———————

You didn’t want to face Cato again after the Parade, and you didn’t even know why. You knew he only meant well, and he loved you and wanted to protect you and all that, but now you’re back to square one, even worse probably, you wouldn’t make it out together again - hell the Capitol wouldn’t let any of you win with the rebellious mood in the Districts, not Cato, Katniss, Peeta or you, they’d be stupid to. So now you were both going to die.

You just couldn’t face him, you had to deal with your emotions alone, at least tonight. You knew he’d never want you to feel guilty, but you did anyways. You rushed towards the elevator as soon as your carriage stopped, stepping inside and Katniss and Peeta joined you with Haymitch. You didn’t look out of the elevator, but Katniss nudged you slightly as a warning (considering Peeta also volunteered for her, she probably knew how you felt even if she wasn’t showing it so outwardly) and Cato stepped inside too.

He didn’t seem to accept the distance you put between the two of you, and just pushed himself behind you, pulling your back into his chest and hugging you to him. He didn’t press a floor button, so you guessed he’d ride to your floor with you, before going back down.

You didn’t fight his embrace, didn’t want to cause a scene and also no matter if you felt guilty, you still loved him and wanted to be close to him, and you had missed him so much. You just wished you could push your feelings aside and just enjoy being with him for now - but you couldn’t blend out everything that was going to happen.

Before the doors could fully close, Johanna Mason stopped the door and stepped in - District 7 if you remembered correctly. “You guys look amazing”, she said annoyed, turning around with her back to you and taking stuff out of her hair. “Thanks”, Katniss said, looking annoyed by her presence. “My stylist is such an idiot”, Johanna starts to complain, “District 7, Lumber, trees, ugh. I’d love to put my axe in her face.”

You were a bit shocked by her krass language, and you were even more shocked when she continued shedding her accessories and her clothes. “Now, what do you think, now that the whole world wants to sleep with you?”, she grinned, and Katniss scoffed. “I don’t think that-“, but Johanna interrupted her and turned around. “I wasn’t talking to you”, she smirked provokingly, making Katniss roll her eyes and you immediately wondered what had happened to Johanna, that made her this prickly.

“Unzip me?”, she asked Peeta, and you saw Katniss was definitely bothered by her, grinding her teeth together in annoyance, and you were glad she left you and Cato alone - not that you thought Cato would ever agree to unzip her dress. Peeta on the other side, was too polite for his own good, actually unzipping her and then she was naked in front of you all.

You were shocked to say the least, Katniss next to you stiffening too and you reluctantly looked upwards to see if Cato was looking at her - she had an awesome body, and even Peeta took a quick glance before looking away (Haymitch didn’t bother, he seemed to enjoy the show). But when you looked up, you met his eyes right away, and you blushed and looked down again. Of course he wouldn’t look, he’d only looked at you. He reassuringly squeezed your waist and your feelings of guilt and sadness and anger started to fade a bit.

“Thanks”, Johanna said when you stopped at her floor and left the elevator, “Let’s do it again sometime!” “Thank you”, Haymitch chuckled and you just knew Katniss wanted to punch him. Next was your floor and reality hit again - Cato wouldn’t be getting off with you, because you were regular tributes again, not victors sharing a floor. So you just pulled yourself out of his embrace and left with a quick “I’ll see you all tomorrow!” You could feel his stare on your back, but you just couldn’t face him.

The silence in the elevator was loud as it was going up to floor 12, and Katniss took pity on the tall victor next to her. “You know she feels guilty right”, she said and Catos head snapped towards her, a bit confused. “Guilty?”, he wanted to know what she meant, wanted to know how to make things between you right again even though he didn’t really know what went wrong. He thought you might be a bit angry, but not like this.

“Yeah, she feels like she’s the reason why you’re going to die, because she got reaped and you volunteered for her”, she stated and then glanced towards Peeta who just stared at the wall and Haymitch who stared at the ceiling. “Or at least that’s what I think she feels”, she added, and Cato realized she was probably right - and sensed that Katniss was feeling similar about Peeta.

When they left the elevator on the twelfth floor, he pressed the button for two and called after her: “Thanks Everdeen!” Katniss just nodded over her shoulder before the doors closed again. Cato rubbed a hand over his face and slumped against the wall. He really hoped you’d meet him on the roof tonight, just like last time, just so he could fix this.

————————

Cato was waiting on the roof, and he had been waiting or the last two hours - his hope that you were actually coming up was dwindling by the second. He knew you felt bad and stuff, but how was he supposed to fix this if you wouldn’t talk to him? This was one of the last few nights you’d probably ever get to spend together and you’d rather stay in your room? Eventhough he got where you were coming from, he was also growing a bit angry.

He did it for you after all, after he saw the reaping in District eight, he couldn’t just let you walk into the arena alone. He knew you’d both probably die this time, no way were you gonna make it out again, but if it meant spending at least a bit more time with you, he’d gladly sacrifice his life for that. There was nothing left in District 2 for him anyway, his grandfather had died a few months back, and he was the last of his family - so to live in a world where even you were gone, wasn’t an option.

He had to make you understand that, you couldn’t go into the arena like this, he needed you. So he got up with newly invoked fervor, a plan forming in his mind how he would sneak into your room - he wasn’t stupid, he new if the people responsible here didn’t want him to sneak in, he wouldn’t be able to, he just hoped they would let him.

You on the other hand laid in your bed crying in that moment. It was just too much. The guilt of him volunteering for you, and now the guilt of him probably waiting for you but you being too cowardly to meet him, and talk to him about it, it just overwhelmed you. You were clutching the comforter to your chest, tears silently running down your face and your head simultaneously running wild with thoughts and being completely empty, when you heard it.

It was already late, so it was weird that someone was walking around near your door, that had never happened before, but before you could react, your door opened and someone slipped inside. You held back a scream, when you recognized the familiar shadow, and just stayed silent when he turned on the bedside lamp.

He looked a bit angry, probably because you left him waiting up there (and you briefly wondered how he was even able to sneak in), but when he took one look at your tear stricken face, your eyes meeting with all those emotions in them his face softened and sat down next to you, leaning against the headboard and pulling you into his arms.

That’s broke all your walls and you were just sobbing into his chest, holding onto him like he was the only thing keeping you together, and he probably was. It felt like hours passed with Cato comforting you quietly, stroking your back whispering sweet words into your ear, when you finally calmed down.

“I’m sorry”, you whispered, tears still staining your face, but the flow had stopped, “this is all my fault.” “Hey”, Catos voice was gentle but insistent, “Don’t say that, do you hear me, none of this is anyone’s fault but Snows.” You were exhausted from all that crying: “But if I wouldn’t have been reaped we wouldn’t be here, you wouldn’t have to go into the arena again - better yet, if I wouldn’t have been reaped in the first games, or just wouldn’t have made it out, you would’ve won and would probably be living happily now, not dying because of me.”

Cato was silent for a moment, and then suddenly turned you both around so that he was pinning you to the bed with his body, his hips wedged between your legs and his eyes had an anger in them that almost made you wince. “(Y/N) I never want to hear you say that again. You really think it would’ve been better if we never met? If you fucking died? That’s bullshit and you know it. My life wouldn’t be worth living if you weren’t in it. That’s why I volunteered. I love you, and I’d rather spent a few more days with you, protect you as good as I can, than see you die on screen and live the next 50 years in misery, missing you. You know that, you know how much I love you, so can we please, please get over this and just enjoy the time we have together now?”

He seemed to have talked all his anger out, only gazing down at you softly now with a hint of desperation. “Please?”, he gently brushed some hair from your forehead, grabbing your cheek and waiting for your answer. Looking into his eyes like that, hearing him say how much he loved you again and again, it made you realize how stupid you were being. You didn’t want him to die - but he was also an adult making his own decisions, and you weren’t responsible for those.

Suddenly the answer came to you easily, and you were also just so exhausted.

“Yeah”, you whispered, “yeah, let’s just…just kiss me, please.” He didn’t waste any time, capturing your lips in a long awaited kiss, and immediately you felt at home again. You couldn’t believe how stupid you were to avoid him, you should’ve known he can erase your insecurities and doubts in a heartbeat, like he always could.

His grip on your jaw pulls you in closer, his tongue gently tracing your lower lip and slowly slipping into your mouth to meet yours, making the butterflies go crazy - but in that moment you also realized that there was something deeper, something that felt like your relationship was on another level, more devoted and serious. You knew it before, but it hit close to home in that moment, that Cato was the one for you - you would’ve wanted everything with him, marriage, kids, a home. But Snow was going to take that from you.

————————

When you stepped into the training gym the next morning, Woof immediately went off to find his old friend, while you didn’t see Cato yet and decided to go over to Katniss who seemed to be as lost as you felt. “Hey”, you smiled and leaned against the table with what seemed to be fishhooks on it. “Morning”, she sighed, clearly unhappy about something.

“Where’s the bad mood coming from? Something specific?”, you were curious, and she met your eyes and seemed to have a moment of enlightenment. “Would you…I mean Haymitch says we need to find allies, and since we already know each other”, she let the rest of the sentence hang in the air, and you giggled a bit, knowing she just was a bit socially awkward. “Of course! I think us four would make a good team right? This time from the beginning”, you agreed, kinda happy that you could present Cecilia with a win tonight at dinner.

She seemed a bit relieved too, nodding and smiling a bit. “Who else have you thought about? I think Mags is lovely, she seems very smart”, you said thoughtfully, it was just a gut feeling, but the way she volunteered for that young girl from her district, showed she’s got her priorities straight. “I actually met her earlier, and I agree, also thought about Wiress and Beetee - they’re very smart too”, she recounted what happened before you arrived.

“They showed me something”, she told you, her eyes quickly and without drawing attention to her, pointing towards the judges sitting up high and conversing while drinking. At first you were confused, trying to not stare to obviously while trying to figuring out what she meant, when you saw it. A tiny kinda blurry spot in midair. “What’s that?”, you wondered, turning back to her and she seemed to suppress a grin.

“It’s a force field”, she chuckled, “I shot an arrow at them last year, so that’s my fault I guess - well actually just at a pig at their table, but I guess it makes no difference.” The both of you had to laugh after her confession, and you were glad that even through all this horror you seemed to at least have made a friend. The thought of how long the friendship would last once the number of tributes in the arena would be dwindling, was pushed to the back of your mind.

Cato still wasn’t there, so the two of you stuck together and did a few stations, while talking more, until you arrived at what seemed to be a simulation that could be used to train with weapons, that the Careers used very impressively. But you knew who could be even more impressive. “You should have a go”, you elbowed Katniss towards the entrance and she seemed reluctant, but after a bit more encouragement, she gave in.

And just like you thought, she totally cleared every single target - the craziest part was, they were actually simulated attackers which seemed to be inspired by the other tributes. When she was done, you noticed how quiet the gym had gotten, and saw that every single tribute was standing there, looking at Katniss - which was well deserved after that performance.

“She’s impressive huh”, someone whispered in your ear, hugging you from behind and you almost had a heart attack. “Don’t scare me like that!”, you scolded him playfully, turning around and accepting the short kiss he pressed to your lips. “You should really be more aware of your surroundings, love”, he scolded you back, and you watched as the other tributes spread out across the gym again after the show was over.

“It’s weird to think about where we were last year at this time isn’t it”, you sighed, the thought suddenly crossing your mind, as you remembered how your relationship started. “Yeah, I definitely remember that asshole from your district trying to feel you up all the time”, he scowled, and you just giggled at his antics. “You’re an idiot”, you shook your head, planting another short kiss on his lips, and smoothing out the lines on his forehead. “Come on, we definitely need to use the time to work on your self defense”, he stated, pulling you along with him.

—————————

The next day at training, Cato was actually there first, but you had convinced him that you needed a break from his self defense training today - you were still sore from yesterday. So he reluctantly went off to train some more, while you were standing together with Mags who showed you how to make a fishhook. She was so sweet, and very helpful even though she couldn’t talk, encouraging you without words.

Suddenly though you felt a large hand on your hip, and at first you thought it was Cato, but the grip was a little too hard, and the feeling to unfamiliar. So you looked to your right, seeing Gloss standing there - the Career tribute from District 1 - with a creepy grin on his lips. You tried to pull away, but he just held on even tighter, your chest tightening in fear.

“You think you can win these games with some fishhooks sweetie? You’re even more innocent than I thought”, he smirked, and you tried again to push his hands away, panicking when he just pinned you against the table with his other hand. “Let me go”, you tried to keep your voice steady, but the slight tremor in it betrayed you. You threw a desperate glance towards Mags, who was suddenly gone, and no peacekeeper seemed to pay attention to you either. Oh no.

“Don’t be like that, mhm”, he looked at you like he tried to see right through your clothes, a shiver of disgust running through you, “you spread your legs for one Career already didn’t you, why not for another? I could show you a good time.” You kept trying to wind yourself out of his grip, thinking about screaming for help, but you hated causing a scene and you were a bit overwhelmed by this.

“It’s not like that”, you mumbled, looking away and he just chuckled. “No? You didnt let him touch you then? Maybe you’re right, you’re such a young naive girl, sweet and pretty, such a shame we’re heading for the arena.” You kept glaring at him, trying to catch the gaze of a peacekeeper, but considering you couldn’t even see their eyes, this was hard.

Mags didn’t just leave you alone of course, but she knew there wasn’t a lot she could do to help you, so she hurried off to find Cato. He was currently training with his swords, talking to Peeta a bit, who he had shown a few things to, when someone tapped him on the shoulder. He turned around quickly, confused who’d interrupt him, and was even more confused when he saw the old lady from District 4.

“Do you need something?”, he tried to be polite, knowing you liked her and would want him to be. He knew she couldn’t talk, but when she started gesturing towards something, and he saw you being grabbed by Gloss, he knew why she came to him anyway. He immediately started stalking over there, his face dark and the panicked look on your face was stoking the anger boiling in his chest. What did that fucker think he was doing?

“…such a young naive girl, sweet and pretty, such a shame we’re heading for the arena”, was what Cato could hear as he got closer and he saw red. He didn’t even want to imagine what else that scumbag told you before, so once he was within reach, Cato ripped him away from you and had him face down on the floor in seconds, pinning him by his neck and kneeling on his upper body. Gloss was a pretty impressive Career, but he was also older and shorter than Cato.

“Yeah? Maybe you’re too old for this, shouldn’t spew such bullshit if you can’t deal with the outcome grandpa”, Cato hissed, and Gloss just groaned when Cato put even more weight into his hold, “I’ll fucking kill you, first chance that I get asshole.” And with that he let the Tribute go, holding his hands up in a peaceful manner when the Peacekeepers came to pull him off, and turned to you to pull you away from the scene.

He pulled you into an empty little nook close to the unoccupied climbing station, that you couldn’t see into from outside, and held you close for a minute, allowing himself to quench his anger and you to calm down a bit. “What a fucking asshole, who does he think he is taking to you like that”, Cato grumbled, mostly to himself while stroking your hair, knowing you were upset about it. “Thanks for saving me - again I guess, lost count of all the other times”, you chuckled a bit, and he just held you closer.

“I shouldn’t have left your side, hope he fucking learned his lesson now”, Cato wanted so badly to go back and make sure he understood to stay away, but he knew he’d get in trouble, so he tried to make do with the thought he’d be able to kill him soon. You seemed to know what he was thinking, because you distracted him with a gentle kiss, trying to eradicate the feeling of the other man touching you - the soft grip Cato had on you comforting you now, a stark contrast to before.

———————

You were just changing into your pajamas, looking for some underwear in the drawers of the closet in your room, when you came across something interesting. You were used to wearing pretty basic underwear in you district, and also here in the training center, it was just what you knew and what was practical. You knew your mother had some nicer nightgowns, she once told you they were from her wedding night (which you only really understood as you got older), but they were nothing like what you had found.

The underwear that someone must’ve put in your drawer probably did serve the same purpose, which you roughly guessed was to look more enticing to your partner, but they had significantly less fabric, and looked almost sinful. Where you would normally wear a plain cotton bra, this one was adorned with lace and some pearls, delicately sewn onto the fabric, and you could only admire that handiwork as a fellow seamstress. It was beautiful.

The panties however, were pretty much nonexistent, the front displaying the same lace and pearls as the top, but the back was only a small sliver of fabric, which would leave nothing to imagination. Actually you were sure no part of this matching set left a lot to imagination. You were blushing even thinking about putting it on, not to mention Cato seeing you in this. You briefly wondered if someone put it there on purpose, but when you checked the time, you saw that you were running late meeting him on the rooftop, so you had to decide what to do with it now.

You stared at it for a few moments were it was laying on your bed, and after taking a deep breath you decided - fuck it. You were going to die in that arena, so why not be a bit brave and put it on to feel pretty, and for him to take it off of you. You were blushing already, but the thought also made you excited. So you quickly slipped it on, putting on your pajama pants and shirt on top, before taking a blanket and sneaking out onto the roof.

Your blood was rushing in you ears, and your cheeks were bright red, and when you stepped onto the roof and rounded the corner, Cato was already there and could immediately tell something was up. He brought a blanket too, so when he saw you had one as well, he put his on the ground so you could sit on it, and pulled you into his lap as soon as you were in reach, before spreading your blanket over the two of you.

“You okay? Did something happen?”, he inquired once you were in his arms comfortably, and suddenly all that bravery from earlier when you put the underwear on, had vanished. Damn it. “Nothing”, you tried to sound confident, but your voice wavered slightly, and trained Career that he was, Cato picked up on it right away.

“Okay now you’re worrying me, what’s wrong love?”, he looked at you with furrowed brows and you bit your lip trying to build up the courage to show him, trying to tell yourself he’s not gonna think it’s silly. Which it kind of felt now, but there was no going back. “There’s something I found in…in the closet in my room”, you reluctantly started, turning around in his arms and sitting on your knees in front of him now, between his bent legs, and you were holding onto his knees for support - mostly moral.

“Okay?”, Cato was curious now, quirking one eyebrow. He could see you were nervous the moment you rounded the corner, all blushed and fidgety, and he really wanted to know what it was you found now. “Did you bring it?”, he asked further when you didn’t elaborate, and you seemed to blush even more, and he couldn’t help but smile at how pretty you looked.

“Kind off, yeah”, you stuttered, and he was only more confused now, where was it then? But you seemed to gather your courage after all, and what you showed him was not at all what he expected. You took you pajama shirt off, and under it was a basically fucking see through lace bra. His brain stopped working for a minute, totally caught off guard by that move, the gears only starting to turn again when you tried to cover yourself, because you were growing more and more nervous, and he caught your hands to stop you.

“Fuck, is that what you found hm?”, Catos voice was raspy, lower than normal, because he couldn’t wrap his head around how you put that on for him. Just him. He knew stuff like lingerie from District 2 of course, they were equipped with luxuries like that a lot better than your District, but the thought of you finding this, being confused at first, and then coming to the conclusion that you wanted to wear it for him, had him hard in seconds.

You on the other hand were growing hot under his predatory gaze. He always watched you in that possessive way whenever you two got intimate, but never before had he looked at you like this - like he wanted to do unspeakable things to you, all dark and handsome. “You put that on just for me, did you? Fuck you’re so perfect”, he growled pulling you closer and then immediately manhandling you down onto the blanket, trapping you underneath him. God, he was so intense, you were growing wet already.

“Just for you”, you whispered, still a bit shy, your hands softly moving over his arms, and holding onto his shoulders, the muscles moving underneath your touch, his hips grinding the bulge in his pants against your clothed core, the tough friction making you whimper a bit. His eyes were still glued to your boobs, his finger delicately stroking the lace, cupping them before pulling the cups down, and revealing your nipples to him.

You sucked in a harsh breath when he pulled your right nipple into his mouth, flicking it with his tongue, sucking on it, while his other hand gave attention to your other nipple, gently rolling it between his fingers, the tingling sensation moving all over your body, right to your pulsing core, where he was still grinding into you.

He pulled back suddenly, looking down at you with a smirk that made the parties stick to your folds, and his fingers teased the waistband of your pants. “Are you wearing the matching panties?”, he grinned, and you blushed again, your cheeks hot under his gaze, and just shyly nodded. He bent down his mouth brushing your ear. “Good girl”, he hummed, suddenly pulling down your pants and throwing them somewhere, pausing to take you in for a moment.

Cato looked down on you, your tits spilling out of the cups, still glistening from his mouth and pretty nipples all perky. You were telling the truth, the matching panties - more like a thong - were clinging to your soaked pussy, and you looked like a fucking goddess. And you were all his. He quickly shed his shirt, propping himself above you once more and completely taking off your bra, his lips finding yours in a short but passionate kiss, before he descended until his head was right in front of your soaked panties. You were so perfect.

Catos tongue started moving over your panties, and you were stunned by how sinful the sight was, and by how good it felt. He pressed the lace against your clit slightly, moving it around, and the resulting sensation had you moaning his name. His fingers were gliding underneath your panties, pushing them aside a bit and then pushing into you easily, you were so wet already he could’ve fucked you right away, but he wanted to take his time.

He knew your body like the back of his hand by now, curling his fingers just right, his tongue still moving over your clit and bringing you closer and closer towards your first orgasm, and then he suddenly pulled his fingers out, ripped the panties right off of you, and sucked your now bare clit into his mouth with such vigor, that you came on the spot.

Cato was painfully hard and his grip on his patience was slipping, so when your legs tightened around his head, your moans echoing into the night, he was already pushing down his pants and boxers while continuing to eat you out through your orgasm. Once you were coming down, twitching away from him sensitively, he let up, pulling himself up and above you.

“Fuck I love you so much, you have no idea”, he groaned, his heart almost beating out of his chest when he looked down at you, and he leaned down to capture your slightly swollen lips in a soft kiss, his cock sliding between your folds, making you both moan into the kiss. “I love you, Cato, please”, you whimpered, “I need you.”

That was all it took to throw over his self control, amd he positioned himself at your entrance, before pushing in, the stretch burning so good, your pussy pulsing to accommodate his size. When he bottomed out, the head of his leaking cock pressing against your cervix slightly, he pulled back without giving you a moment, a gasp leaving your mouth when he started thrusting firmly, grazing that spongey spot inside of you with every move.

“Cato”, you breathlessly moaned, and he buried his head in your neck, groaning at the feeling of you clenching, sucking him in even deeper, and his thrusts became a bit harsher, making you hold onto his back, the muscles all flexed and tight. When he changed his angle, his pelvis was lightly grazing you clit with every other thrust, pushing you closer to the edge with every movement, and he could tell, by the pleasured expression on your face, that you were close.

“Fuck, you’re gonna cum for me hm?”, he hummed in your ear, a precise thrust making you whimper and nod in desperation. “God you’re so perfect, I’m almost there, gonna fill you up so good”, his mouth was a bit looser than normal, your little show with the lingerie making him hornier than usual, but by how much you were clenching around him, he knew you liked it.

“You like that don’t you? Fuck, in another life I would’ve gotten you pregnant some day, would’ve given it all to you”, he growled, the thought suddenly so emotional, that it pushed him to the edge, and it seemingly did the same to you, because you shattered around him, moaning his name, and he followed right after you, pushing into you a few more times, before cumming inside of you with a deep groan, holding onto your thighs firmly.

You were both catching your breath for a minute, when he gently pulled out of you, watching as his cum leaked out of you slowly, but he pushed it back into your swollen pussy, a whimper leaving your mouth when he touched the sensitive area. He laid down next to you with a smirk, closing your legs firmly, before pulling you closer and covering you with the second blanket. “Keep me inside won’t you”, he hummed possessively, grinning a bit when you blushed at his naughty words, but pressing your legs together all the same.

“You know”, you started after a while of you two just cuddling in silence, “I would’ve wanted that someday. If we ever had the chance I mean. A family.” He looked down at you, the both of you a bit melancholic at the thought of what could’ve been, if it wasn’t for Panem - if it wasn’t for Snow. “I love you”, he kissed you gently, just focusing on having you here with him in that moment, soaking in the way it made him feel impossibly happy. “I love you”, you whispered back, kissing his cheek, and interlacing your fingers with his, holding onto this moment.

————————

It was the last day of training before the individual sessions would be held and Cato was as always very clingy - especially after the incident with Gloss. “I’ll just go over to the fire station, you’ll have a clear view of me don’t worry”, you tried to convince him he didn’t have to interrupt his training just to come with you, squeezing his hand calmly, but he looked unconvinced. “Cato”, you scolded a bit, seeing as he was about to open his mouth to tell you he’d come with you, and he shut it again. “Alright”, he grumbled and you smiled before giving him a kiss and bounding off towards the fire station, wanting to refine your skills a bit more - Cato was the muscles out of the two of you, and even though you were pretty swift and bendy, you wanted to level up your survival skills.

Finnick saw this as an opportunity to make a move - in a tactical way of course. He knew Katniss and you liked Mags, the problem was the both of you liked him not so much. Or more like Katniss didn’t trust him, and you didn’t know him enough to actually judge him. He knew if he wanted to secure an alliance in the arena, you were the link of their group that would be most likely to stop Katniss from killing him, so he needed to make a good impression, which wasn’t so easy with Cato being around you all the time.

You were a bit startled when the Tribute from District 4 sat down next to the fire you just managed to start. “Finnick”, you smiled politely. You were always good at reading people, and you had noticed from the first word he spoke back when you met him that he wasn’t actually all cocky and cheeky - what he actually was like you didn’t know though.

“Nice fire you got going there”, he acknowledged it with a nod and you thanked him. “Katniss taught me last year. What brings you here?”, you asked, wanting to know what he wanted before Cato noticed him and interrupted you two. “Mags tells me you picked up on making a fish hook pretty quickly too, she likes you”, he ignored the question, making you cock your head slightly.

“I like her too”, you decided to play his game for now, “It was very brave of her to volunteer for that young girl from your District.” And that got a reaction, one you thought it might get - Finnicks mask slipped slightly. “Annie, right?”, you softly inquired - it seemed like speaking her name kinda made him sink into himself a bit, and you realized your hunch was right. You had seen it in the way he looked at her during their reaping.

Finnick was caught off guard, he underestimated you a bit, thinking of you as the slightly innocent and oblivious girl, but you seemed to keep your talents on the low - nobody has ever read him so fast, and he was impressed. “You love her”, you smiled, but not in an evil way, like you just had gained information you could use against him, no in a touched and pure way, like you just thought it was sweet and nothing else.

“Yeah, I do”, he said, it seemed like the thought of Annie made him a bit melancholic and you were glad he had come to talk, happy to see behind his mask for just a moment. “I’m sorry you had to leave her behind”, you said, your smile turning a bit sad when you squeezed his biceps in comfort. “I’m sorry you have your love here with you”, he gave you the same sad smile, and you understood what he meant - it was sad to leave his love behind, but he was still glad she wasn’t here with him.

You held his gaze for another moment, before he suddenly looked behind you, grimacing. “I’ll get going before your Career kills me before we even get to the arena”, he grinned, his cockiness back and the moment gone, and you just shook your head with a grin. “I’ll see you”, you waved when he moved, and a moment later you were scooped up by the waist, piled into a familiar strong chest, and you rolled your eyes.

“What was that?”, Cato sounded on edge, and you had to admit possessive Cato never got old. “Nothing”, you smiled, turning in his arms and the way his big hand gripped your waist made your panties stick to your folds almost immediately. You were feeling a bit naughty, thinking about how you could mess with him a bit, maybe he’d be a bit rougher with you later tonight. “What were you doing touching his arm like that then?”, Cato scowled, and you knew he didn’t actually think you were flirting with Finnick, it was just the fear of losing you combined with his already protective nature - he trusted you fully. You smiled innocently, a plan forming in your mind.

“He just wanted to me to feel his muscles to see if he was ready for the arena, that’s it”, you explained, acting as if that was completely normal, and as you anticipated, Catos gaze darkened significantly. “I’ll kill him”, Cato exclaimed, trying to march away from you and to wherever Finnick disappeared to, but you stopped him with a laugh. “You didn’t honestly believe that did you? I’m just messing with you baby”, you giggled, and he cocked one brow.

He looked at you for a moment, observing the way you blushed under his gaze, and leaned down. “You’re a bit naughty today are you? I can’t leave you alone for five minutes, you’re too pretty, attracting so much attention - and then you go and touch him”, his voice was raspy when he lowly whispered in your ear, leaving goosebumps everywhere. “Doesn’t matter why”, he shut you up when you wanted to protest that the touching wasn’t flirty or anything, “I think I still need to make sure you know you should only touch me hm?”

He noticed the way you squeezed your thighs together immediately, a smug grin on his face and determination in his gaze. “Come one”, he exclaimed, pulling you along to the elevator, and considering training was over anyway, that didn’t attract too much attention.

You were suprised that no one stopped him when he stepped onto your districts floor with you - in retrospect you figured someone was watching you all the time, so that must mean they let you two do this. “Cato”, you tried talking to him once the door to your room shut behind you but he just interrupted you with a rough kiss.

You were a bit shocked, especially when he made quick work of you your clothes, leaving you bare infront of him - well except for you panties, and the dangerous glint in his eyes made the wet patch on them grow. You were reaching for him, wanting to touch him and undress him too, but he caught your wrist in his big hand, easily holding it where he wanted.

“You don’t get to touch baby”, he smirked, suddenly turning you around and bending you over the bed, his still clothed rock hard erection pressing against your thinly covered pussy, and your head turned to the side, looking at him over your shoulder. “Cato”, you whined, but he just chuckled and started grinding into you, bending down and gently kissing your cheek, before claiming your lips in a passionate kiss again, his hand tangling in your hair and pulling a bit - not enough to hurt but just right to get you even more excited.

He pulled back and stood up straight again, admiring his perfect girl in front of him, and quickly shed his shirt and pants before letting his hands run up and down your back a few times. You held your breath in anticipation of what he would do next, kinda really enjoying this even more dominate side of him, and when he finally pulled your panties to the side and his fingers found you all dripping, the groan he released made you bite your lip to stop an embarrassing whine from coming out.

“Fuck love, is that all for me?”, he grumbled, then bent down a bit and growled, ��or for Odair?” And then he slid two fingers in to the knuckle making you moan out in suprise, clenching the covers in your fists. He didn’t let you catch your breath, instead immediately setting a fast pace, curling his fingers into that spongey spot inside you and totally overwhelming your senses. “You! For you Cato, please”, you whimpered, not sure if you were asking him to stop or to keep going.

“Don’t worry, I’ll always be here to take of you even if you’re misbehaving”, your eyes were clenched shut, but you could still hear the grin in his voice. He added his thumb to circle your clit, making you see stars and rapidly approaching your high, but just as you reached the edge, he pulled back and left you hanging.

“Cato”, you pouted at him over your shoulder, and he seemed pretty satisfied with himself. “You’ll only cum on my cock today, I need to make sure you understand you’re mine”, he smirked, lining himself up with you and then only pushing his head in, teasing you a bit, “need to make sure you’ll cum with my cock deep inside you, feeling it’s only me who can make you feel like this.” You were so fucked out, you heard him but couldn’t answer, instead just clenching around his tip, making him groan and push all the way in - fuck you’ve never done it from behind before, but his angle felt like he was deeper than ever before.

“Cato”, you moaned when he picked up the pace right away, thoroughly fucking you, his hips slapping against your ass with every thrust. “Fuck you’re so tight”, he groaned, molding himself to your back while continuing his assault on your poor pussy - not that you were complaining. You weren’t sure if you talking to Finnick actually bothered him, or if it was just all the stress combined, but damn were you glad this was the way he chose to handle it.

Contrary to his rough thrusts, he laid his hand on top of one of yours, sliding his digits between yours, while balancing himself on his other arm as not to crush you with all of his weight. “I love you so much, I hope you know that”, he hummed into your ear, and even though he simultaneously brought you closer and closer to the edge, you couldn’t help but smile - even when he was being rough, he was still a softie inside (at least for you).

“Love you too”, you mumbled, squeezing his hand and gasping when that made him pick up speed, a small move changing the angle so that he was drilling into the right spot, and because he fucked you with your panties on, they were conveniently rubbing your clit with every move of his hips. “C-Cato”, you stuttered, suddenly very close to reaching your high, you walls already clenching around him in anticipation and he buried his face in your hair with a moan.

“It’s alright come for me, I’m close too”, he grunted, his thrusts getting slightly more sloppy but never losing power, and then you were cumming all over his cock, the angle letting you feel him so deep, that your vision went white for a second, and your walls squeezed him so tight, he pushed as close a he could with a moan, his dick twitching inside you as he filled you up.

You two stayed like that for a minute, fingers still tangled, his front still covering you and his cock still inside. He seemed to go lax though, so he started crushing you a bit and while you loved having him close, you also liked to breathe. “Cato”, you mumbled, wiggling a bit but he just released a content hum, not moving an inch. “You’re crushing me”, you complained, but not being able to hold back your giggle, squeezing his hand.

“Sorry love”, he whispered, his mood suddenly totally relaxed, as if he really got all the stress and frustration out of his system. He gently pulled out, quickly pulling your panties back in place, so that his cum couldn’t leak out, and looking over your shoulder you could see he was smiling like he just accomplished something. You could only roll your eyes (even though you secretly thought it was hot).

Before you could attempt to move on your own, he carefully picked you up, holding you infront of him, before pulling back the covers and situating the both of you underneath. When he pulled you into his chest, his arms wrapping around you, making you feel safe. “You okay? I wasn’t too rough?”, he asked, pushing some hair behind your ear and you smiled at him. “I’m good, that was great”, you sighed, pushing your face into his neck. “I hope you know that there was no reason to actually be jealous though”, you added, your hand painting little pattern on his chest, making him kiss your head with a smile.

“I know”, he admitted, “doesn’t mean I like seeing that pretty boy close and personal with you.” You giggled, leaning up a bit and kissing his jaw fondly. You loved the sex with him, but you loved these cuddly, intimate moments with him after even more. “You wanna know what we were talking about?”, you started, the hand on your hip squeezing lightly to signal you to continue, “he was telling me about that girl he loves, back in his district.”

“Girl?”, Cato was curious, and you weren’t suprised he had no idea, his skills in the combat department were off the charts, but his observance when it came to people, was pretty bad. “The one Mags volunteered for”, you explained, and he just gave a thoughtful hum, kissing your temple, and pulling you even closer. “That makes me hate him a little less”, Cato smirked, and you just accepted that with sigh.

—————————

You and Cato were laying on the rooftop together, exhausted but happy to spent some time with each other. You finished the individual sessions today, Cato excelling his last score with 11 and you holding your 7 steady. “I’m still wondering what Katniss and Peeta did to get that 12, that’s insane”, Cato wondered out loud, and you were nodding, the way everyone around the screen gasped still fresh in your memories.

“I don’t think it had anything to do with their actual skills, knowing Katniss she probably did something to provoke them. I should ask her about it tomorrow”, you shared your thoughts, and considering she told you she shot an arrow at the gamemakers last year, you probably weren’t far off. “But Peeta? He doesn’t seem like the type of guy to outright provoke the Capitol like Katniss would”, he said, his hand on your back absentmindedly drawing circles on your back and you sighed in bliss, cuddling even closer into his chest.

“No not outright, but he knows how to get a rise out of people without actively attacking you know”, you mused, and Cato hummed in thought. You two laid there under the stars, in one of the last nights you had to yourselves, but you stopped these negative thoughts. You just tried to live in the present.

“We should do something passive aggressive when we have the interviews tomorrow you know”, Cato said after a while, making you raise you brows in suprise. He was right of course, but you hadn’t thought that far yet, trying to block out the looming threat of being on live television again. “What do you have in mind?”, you wondered, and he was silent for a few moments.

“Has to be something that riles up the people you know, even the Capitol jerks have to be angry we’re gonna be send back in there”, he started, and you realized he had been thinking about this for a while already. “Yeah, you’re right, maybe something that makes them feel like they’ve been left out of the love story, something that makes it even more tragic”, you agreed, raking your brain for a suitable idea. It was quiet for a few minutes while you two thought about it, when suddenly Cato stunned you with his idea.

“Marry me”, he whispered, and you went rigid in his arms, sitting up in shock and looking down at the tall career. “What?”, you asked, louder than necessary and he sat up too, his hand on your waist immediately, the other cradling your jaw.

“Think about it, if we told them we got married in secret, like if we had to face death anyway, we want to be together forever after we die or something, you know - that makes them feel left out, they didn’t get to see our wedding or whatever, we can tell them it was just us, on a quiet evening, that combined with the tragedy of me volunteering to die with you, might actually make them really upset”, he explained his idea, and you had to admit he was right.

Your finger gently ran over his jaw, down his neck and settled on his chest, giving you time to think, before you finally nodded. “Yeah, let’s do it, I wanna make them as upset as possible”, you agreed, and the thought of ‘marrying’ him even if it wasn’t real real, made your cheeks redden. “Okay, okay, I’ll wake Brutus up when I go back down and ask him if he can organize rings before the interview, to make it more believable”, he replied, his thumb brushing your lip, before his mouth replaced it.

You two lay there together for a while, occasionally kissing, but generally just enjoying each others presence. “You know”, he started again, “If I had the chance, would’ve done this right, would’ve gotten you a ring, proposed - I would’ve given you a real wedding.” You shifted your head on his shoulder slightly, your lips pressing a gentle kiss to his jaw that made the arm around you tighten. “I would’ve loved that”, you whispered, his lips finding yours in a soft kiss.

—————————

As soon as you stepped out of the elevator, Cecilia stirred you towards Cato and Brutus, who seemed to be waiting - she was on board immediately when you told her about your plan this morning. It seemed like Brutus was able to acquire some rings, because Cato was holding a small box. “Hey”, he greeted you, a soft kiss to your cheek, and a hand on your waist.

“We’ll leave you to it”, Cecilia smiled, and Brutus nodded. “Yeah, we’ll get you when you have to line up”, he added, and the two of them were off talking to old friends. “You look beautiful”, Cato smiled, kissing you properly now that your mentors were gone, and you couldn’t help but smile too. The too of you were matching, your stylist thinking all black would be adding a dramatic effect - married and wearing clothes as if someone died (or is going to, aka you two). So you were wearing a black dress, and Cato matching in a black tux.

“Thanks, you look pretty too”, you giggled, his eyebrows raising in surprise. “Pretty?”, he grinned, pulling you in closer, and you just laughed. “Yeah, also strong and scary of course”, you rolled your eyes fondly, and he pinched your side, before directing your attention to the box in his hand, flipping the lid open and revealing two rings: one larger basic golden band, and on delicate thin gold ring with a diamond in the middle. “Wow, they’re so nice, considering Brutus only had today to get them”, you gasped, and he nodded, laying his cheek on top of your head while you two admired them for a moment.

“I…guess we should put them on, huh?”, he mumbled, and you nodded, the moment feeling more serious all of a sudden, as if - even if you didn’t officiate anything - you would actually be married. He took yours out and you held out your hand for him, shaking slightly, and he gently slipped the ring on your finger. It fit perfectly.

You looked at it for a moment, before taking his out, and slipping it onto his big hand, smiling to yourself at the way it looked - the way it meant (even if only for show) that he was yours forever. “This feels good”, he suddenly said, and your eyes snapped up, meeting his gaze and the love in his eyes almost overwhelmed you. “It feels real”, you added, and he nodded, pulling you into his arms completely, cradling your jaw and stopping right in front of your lips.

“You may now kiss the bride”, he grinned, and your giggle was stifled by his lips. “I love you”, you said between kisses, your hands locking behind his neck. “I love you”, he whispered, his lips back on yours, until you were pulled apart by your mentors when it was time to line up. Let the show begin.

————————

“Married?”, Caesar gasped, the crowd was stunned and your heart beat out of your chest where you were waiting backstage. You were thankful Cato had to go first and break the news - not that he had to do much, Caesar noticed his ring right away. “Yeah, we just thought, if this is going to end soon, we want to be together forever after you know”, Cato said, and you basically see all the women in the crowd swooning over the big, bad Career being so soft. Not that you weren’t, you were always swooning over him.

“And you kept it a secret?”, Caesar asked, intrigued by the story, but you also saw that he knew what you two were doing. “We didn’t want anyone to take that moment from us too”, Cato said, and the underlying message wasn’t lost on most people, “and you know, she’s the one for me, why wait for a time that we both know is not going to come.”

“Is that why you volunteered? To be with her again?”, Caesar asked about what most people were probably interested in. “Yeah”, Cato took a deep breath, “I was hoping she wouldn’t get reaped, and when I saw she did, I knew I had to volunteer and be here with her. I couldn’t have lived a life where I didn’t try everything to protect her - and I guess even if we wouldn’t be here, you wouldn’t have let us have our happy end anyway huh?” That shut Caesar up for a moment, and then Catos interview was over. You had to stop yourself from rolling your eyes at all the crying woman in the crowd.

“So (Y/N), how is married life treating you? Is Cato a good Husband? Your ring is beautiful by the way”, Caesar started your interview with a joke. You laughed politely, the crowd joining in. “Thank you Caesar. He’s the best, he always is”, you smiled, then put your sad face on, “I just wish we could’ve had it all you know? Growing old together, having kids, grandkids…” You were suprised you were able to push a tear out, and the crowd ate it right up.

“Yes, we would have loved to see that”, he said with empathy, squeezing your hand, “but life sometimes plays out differently, and you’re both here together - tell me, how did you react, how did you feel when you saw he volunteered?” Now your face actually fell, the moment Cecilia told you still fresh in your mind. “I was so angry at first”, you sighed, remembering how you lashed out at the parade.

“Why is that?”, Caesar replied, urging you to continue. “I knew I was going to die when I was reaped, and I didn’t understand why he would volunteer just so he could die with me you know”, you explained reluctantly, not sure if you actually wanted to share your real thoughts with everyone, but you continued anyway, “but when we saw each other again, and he…made me understand how he couldn’t live without me, and how much he loves me, I understood why he did it - I would’ve done the same.” The crowd was a wreck after this, lots of woman crying again and talking about how much you deserved to be together. But what really made them lose it, was Peeta dropping that Katniss was pregnant.

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It was colder than the other nights in the rooftop, Catos arms keeping you warm under the blanket where you were laying. You were both still naked, the sweat from your previous activities drying - the last time you would ever get to do that. “I can’t believe this is out last night together”, you whispered, trying to hold back the tears that were threatening to overwhelm you, “we’ll be back in the arena tomorrow.”

Cato arms tightened around you, your face buried in his neck, and his lips ghosting over your hair. “Please baby, let’s not think about this, let’s just…”, his voice gave out, and you could tell he was trying to keep it together, your own tears flowing over and hitting his skin. “I love you so much, please always remember that”, he told you, taking a deep breath, his finger gently stroking your back. “I love you too, I’ll always love you”, you whispered, and you left the few drops of liquid that hit your hair uncommented, kissing his neck gently instead.

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The moment Aspasia gave you your clothes for the arena you knew it would be different than last time - the lightweight, thin material pointing towards a warmer climate. Your thoughts were running wild and at the same time it felt like you couldn’t process anything at all, you couldn’t believe you were about to enter the Hunger Games again.

“For what it’s worth, I loved being your stylist”, Aspasia broke the silence, trying to give you a smile but failing to conceal the sad look in her eyes. “I loved being styled by you”, you said, and it was genuine - she had always been really sweet with you. She opened her mouth again to respond, but the voice from the speakers interrupted her - it was time to go into the arena.

She wordlessly pulled you into a tight hug, and then seemed to remember something. “Wait, I almost forgot, that would’ve been a disaster! They cleared your ring”, she quickly pushed your wedding band, the one that Cato had put on you and that you had to give up before coming to the arena, onto your finger. “Thank you”, you whispered, actually happy about having it with you - who knew what would happen, at least you had a piece of him with you.

You forced yourself to step into the tube, the door sliding shut, and it took a while longer than last time for you to be going up, but when you did, you were blinded by the sun immediately - it was so hot and humid, you were probably right about a warmer climate, probably tropical. And when your eyes adjusted, you were proved right again, the arena was a huge jungle, but the part that worried you laid before you.

The cornucopia was in the middle of a circle shaped body of water, the tributes only separated by strips of rock leading towards the island in the middle. You started to panic, seeing the water slosh against the platform you were standing on and the countdown sounding in your ears. Then you remembered you weren’t alone, your eyes shooting up and trying to spot Cato, or really any of your allies, no matter if Katniss or Peeta.

You spotted Cato about a quarter of the circle away from you, his eyes already on you, taking in the way you looked at him wide eyed, your eyes darting towards the water and back up again, and when you subtly (as not to give your weakness away to the other tributes) shook your head, you could see it dawned on him that your plan of running towards each other again would be a problem, his eyes reflecting your own panic - you couldn’t swim.

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So finally a next part, I’m so sorry I always take so long, but even though I have a thousand ideas I’m soo lazy when it comes to actually writing them down ahahah! Hope you liked it anyway, I’m not completely happy, but let me know what you think and if you wanna be tagged in the next part :)

Taglist: @lisedanie @iskamr @fangirlninja67 @star611 @markeyateallyourfood @urmomsbananabread @faces-ofvenus @hopefulatrocity @inej-ruination-ghafa @trainboom @dxrkheavensworld @itsmytimetoodream @heartsforsha @enchantingpiratepeace @thorins-queen-of-erebor @darlingtonbubbles

#x reader #fluff #angst #smut #fanfiction #the hunger games #panem #cato hadley x reader #cato hadley #cato x reader

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