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Broken
Chapter One
A/N: This has to be AU since she shot sexy Cato in the fucking head e.e
We're just going to pretend that she aimed for the heart and epically failed!
That's it…I think…
Peeta raced through the small, narrow streets of the Seam heading towards Katniss's house. He moved to knock on the wooden front door of the dilapidated house and found the door already barely open.
"Hello?" called Peeta quietly, easing the door open slowly. The only sound that greeted him was the creaking of a rocking chair from the small living area.
"Katniss?"
No answer.
Peeta moved forward about to place his hand on Katniss's shoulder and stopped dead, his eyes frozen in horror at the terrible sight of the mangled, bloody corpses of Prim and Mrs. Everdeen sprawled on the coal-dust covered rug in front of Katniss.
"Peeta," sounded Katniss's voice suddenly, her body unmoving, just swaying in the rocking chair.
Peeta backed away from the scene, and Katniss finally turned, her tongue darted out like a snake's. Her nails morphing into elongated claws. "What's the matter Peeta? Don't you love me?"
Peeta tried to scream but no noise came out.
Katniss kicked the rocking chair aside stalking towards Peeta. Her claws brushed against the side of his face.
"Come here and give Katniss a kiss!" she hissed.
Peeta woke up screaming, startling a Capitol doctor and a nurse in front of his hospital bed. Peeta's chest heaved from the exertion of his nightmare and his eyes carefully swept the room, surveying the expensive-looking equipment around him.
The shrill beeps and chirps of the machines operating on him demanded every moment of his current attention span.
"Mr. Mellark?" called a faint voice that sounded like it was coming from far away.
"Mr. Mellark…."
Peeta's ears began to ring and his eyes fixated on the doctor's lips not hearing one word tumbling from them.
His gaze turned towards the nurse eyeing him with a worried expression, she fiddled with a syringe filling it with a clear liquid, mumbling something to the doctor lost to Peeta. When she turned back around, Peeta slammed his head into the headboard of the bed roughly trying to crawl away from her.
"Mr. Mellark what's wrong?" rang Katniss's voice from the nurse's throat, she moved towards the foot of the bed, dropping the clipboard to the white-tiled floor. Peeta sprang out of bed as her three-foot long claws sprang out of her nails and stabbed into the bed.
He scrambled with the doorknob and flung it open hastily, staggering down the pristine, white corridor. He turned at the sound of her gentle voice, "Peeta, where are you going? I thought you loved me," she said her face melting into something inhuman. Her mouth opened and fangs glistened instead of human teeth.
An arrow shot out of her open mouth and buried itself in the side of Peeta's throat. Peeta gasped and fell backwards against the wall, clutching at the wound trying to stem the stream of blood gushing from the wound. He slid down the wall leaving a crimson trail and stared at his life flowing down all over his hospital gown.
A sharp prick snapped him back to reality as the nurse jabbed a needle into his arm, sedating him with a sleeping agent. Peeta succumbed once again to the blackness pressing in on all sides, thrashing around as the visions of Katniss as a mutt struck in a string of violent images.
Peeta let his jaw gape in silent horror as she struck again and again killing every last tribute in the arena, saving him for last. Her claws and fangs drenched in the blood of children.
"Why are you doing this?" he asked waiting for the mutt-Katniss to pounce any second.
"For the rebellion of course."
Peeta stared past her at the lifeless corpses of hundreds hanging from trees, with nooses around their necks, the small corpses of children of all ages from the Capitol hanging from every branch in the forest making up the 74th Hunger Games' arena.
Blood began to run down their clothes and a wave of crimson surged forward from the woods bathing the mutt-Katniss in it. The blood enveloped her like a cocoon and she burst from it, spreading her wings. The black feathers bristling against the breeze racing through the meadow by the lake.
The grotesque Mockingjay took flight and raven-colored razor sharp talons dug into Peeta's shoulders roughly and pulled him from the river of blood. She carried him high in the sky above the ruins of the burning Districts below, and a completely destroyed Capitol. Voices like whispers in the wind filling his ears, "No one left…no one left…no one left."
Katniss's iron grip suddenly faltered and Peeta crashed through the glass ceiling of the banquet hall in Snow's mansion and felt a sharp pain like thousands of knives stabbing into him as his body slammed into the ground shattering every bone inside of him in a split second.
Peeta's eyes snapped open once again this time finding himself alone with the doctor.
"W-What did you do to me?" asked Peeta.
"Some of your treatment had tracker jacker venom in it. Your body is still trying to recuperate from it so there might be some adverse side effects to it."
"What do you mean tracker jacker venom?!" said Peeta suspiciously.
"Don't worry about it," replied the doctor indifferently.
After a period of silence, Peeta glanced up to see him filling out a small stack of paperwork. "So am I allowed to leave my room?" he asked hopefully.
"I don't see why not, all your internals are stable so there shouldn't be a problem," the doctor remarked.
Peeta yanked several wires off of him and slid out of bed heading for the door. He fumbled with the doorknob for a minute before throwing it open.
He slowly stepped out into the empty corridor, the long white hall seeming to never end. A door to another patient's room swung open a few rooms down, and a mountain of a man stepped out, his fingers running through his blonde hair.
"I know him from somewhere."
"I just can't put my finger on it…"
The man turned his direction, meeting Peeta's gaze, a warm smile crossing his lips.
"Cato," said Peeta breathlessly.
President Snow passed through the halls of his private hospital, stopping casually beside a vase of unkempt roses, fixing them up as best as he could.
His snake-like eyes darted from patient to doctor searching for Doctor Novak. "How is Mr. Mellark doing?" asked Snow, his voice plunging shards of ice into the back of Doctor Novak's neck. He spun around clearly startled, "The hijacking was a success it seems," announced the doctor, nervously skimming through all of his reports. "The mere mention of her name seems to induce hallucinations at times."
"That's good, but we need him stable enough to answer questions about her and the Rebellion tomorrow. He will denounce the rebels in front of all of Panem," said Snow his eyes burning into Novak's, the bloodred rose in his lapel emanating a pungent odor.
"O-Of course sir!" stammered the doctor, "Mr. Mellark seems to be making terrific progress despite the amount of venom we had to administer into him to make the hijacking a success."
"Excellent, I expect him to be well enough to appear on national television in twenty-four hours," said Snow walking past him, with an almost regal stride.
The doctor knew not to protest only to meet Snow's quota. His life was of no significance to the President, he was as replaceable as a bowl of lamb stew, a thought that would easily bother anyone.
Cato smiled, making his way towards Peeta, "Hello Peeta."
"How are you alive?" said Peeta slightly flustered. "Wait this is just another one of my hallucinations."
"Honestly I have no clue. The doctors in the Capitol were able to completely repair the damage done to me by the mutts."
"So he remembers, but clearly not everything otherwise he would be throttling me right now."
"All I can remember is a random hand pushing me off of the Cornucopia down into the swarm of mutts and listening to the thunderous sound of their growls and teeth tearing into me," finished Cato with an almost imperceptible shudder.
"It was Katniss," said Peeta suddenly, surprising even himself. His face slowly draining of color.
"You remember?" asked Cato incredulously.
"I keep seeing her kill every single tribute in my mind."
"I don't think even she's capable of that," said Cato examining Peeta curiously, "Are you sure you're okay Peeta?"
Peeta took another step forward, whispering into Cato's ear, "It's because she's not human. She's a mutt engineered by the Capitol."
Cato began to laugh really hard at this stopping when he caught sight of Peeta's expression, "You're serious?" he asked stifling more laughter.
"I don't know what to think anymore," snapped Peeta, his fingers soothingly kneading his temple, "Half of me thinks she's a monster and the other half thinks she's just human but betrayed me for a cause she didn't even know if it existed or not."
Peeta continued, "I can't even tell dream from reality anymore. Hell, this could all be another hallucination. I hope it isn't I need a friend right now."
"Let's go for a walk," said Cato quietly, placing a gentle hand on Peeta's shoulder guiding him towards the elevator, "I want to show you my favorite place to go when I have something on my mind."
Peeta felt his stomach surge up as the elevator suddenly plummeted towards the bottom floor, slowing in an instant. A small chime rang in their ears as the doors slid open, allowing them to enter the hospital's main lobby.
Cato veered off towards the back doors holding it open for Peeta. Peeta took his first steps outside, shielding his eyes from his first rays of sunshine in a few weeks. Peeta's awe-filled gaze swept over the fields of different flowers spread all over the gardens. Cato ducked into a round trellis covered in ivy, shielding a koi pond inside from herons and other predators. The small ornate fountain, pouring water into the pond.
Cato gently grabbed Peeta's hand helping him sit next to him on the small stone bench. "This place is better than the rooftop garden on top of the Training Center in Capitol," said Peeta, his eyes still catching every minute detail around him.
"This place has become my sanctuary over the past few months," said Cato still holding Peeta's hand, not that Peeta cared.
"Peeta will you tell me what happened in the Games?" he asked his eyes full of hope.
Peeta took a deep breath and recalled everything at once in random order, his memories bursting through his mind in a river of colors. The Bloodbath, his time in the Career pack, the tracker jacker hive. Everything just tumbled from his lips. One last memory slammed into Peeta with the force of a freight train, catching him off guard.
The artificial stars hung high above the forest surrounding the two shadowed tributes, sitting around a small fire. Their voices muffled by the symphony of nocturnal insects and animals all around them. The only sound permeating the thick of the noise was the crackling of the burning brush.
Suddenly, Cato's lips pressed against Peeta's softly, his hand cupping the back of his neck, catching Peeta completely by surprise. The images skipped to their forms clothed only by the thermal blanket wrapped protectively around them both.
Peeta stared at Cato, his face flushing, the words caught on the tip of his tongue.
"What is it Peeta?" asked Cato with a shit-eating grin.
"Does he know?!"
"I'm slowly starting to remember everything now, sorry for trying to kill you multiple times," said Cato gently squeezing Peeta's hand in apology.
"The first time we fought wasn't real, you were helping Katniss and I escape," said Peeta a faint smile crossing his lips.
"That doesn't excuse all the other times," replied Cato quietly, "I almost killed you," he continued with something hidden in his gaze.
"So…" Peeta began breaking the awkward silence while averting Cato's heavy gaze.
"Peeta," he interrupted calmly, "I remember that night."
"Oh," replied Peeta, daring to meet Cato's eyes.
"I shouldn't have said or done anything, I probably only succeeded in confusing the shit out of you about Katniss," said Cato dryly, dropping his eyes towards the fish darting around beneath the pond's shimmering surface.
"Only a little," said Peeta with a laugh, placing his other hand on top of Cato's.
"Did it…mean anything to you…anything at all?" asked Cato almost inaudibly, his eyes filled with hope.
"Of course," replied Peeta, his voice cracking slightly, "I would have never used you like that. I just don't know what to think anymore…about anything."
Cato placed his hand on Peeta's cheek gently, his fingers gently brushing over his nearly flawless skin. Peeta placed his hand on top of Cato's. "Peeta I said something to you that night…I don't want to hold you to anything."
Peeta leaned forward, and pressed his lips against Cato's in a searing kiss. His eyes daring to flutter open to see Cato's surprised expression. Cato rested his head against Peeta's his lips brushing against his slightly. His hands fell to pull Peeta close to him, snugly wrapped around his waist.
Peeta dared to press his lips against Cato's again, their mouths openly inviting the hungry embrace. Peeta's hands slid up Cato's muscular chest to wrap around his neck, he parted his lips to allow Cato to return to exploring his mouth. The feeling from over a year ago rising in his chest.
Cato broke the kiss, his breathing heavy as his lips sucked and kissed a trail up Peeta's jaw to his neck. Peeta let out a small gasp as Cato's teeth gently nipped his flesh. Peeta began to pull away when Cato sucked on the spot sweetly earning a quiet moan from Peeta.
"That's going to leave a mark," protested Peeta with a fake pout. Cato smirked at him and silenced him with another searing kiss.
Peeta felt warmth surge though him past his navel and could already feel Cato's growing arousal brushing against his own, restricted only by the thin fabric of their hospital gowns.
Peeta placed a hand on Cato's chest stopping his advance as he resumed teasing his neck. "We can't do this here," he said eyeing the windows viewing the gardens, "Someone will see us."
"Let them watch then," growled Cato, lust clouding his eyes. His lips crashed down on Peeta's again and his hand slid under Peeta's hospital gown, leaving a burning trail up his inner thigh.
Peeta let out an almost inaudible whimper and let his hand trail upwards towards Cato's broad chest, his fingers tracing every muscle and ab on the way up.
Cato's lisps rested on Peeta's ear, "You're mine," he whispered.
"I'm yours," echoed Peeta, "All yours. No one can change that."
Peeta's hand wrapped around Cato's member pumping it slowly. "Shit Peeta, that feels so good," groaned Cato slightly thrusting up into Peeta's touch.
Peeta groaned inwardly as he remembered just how huge his lover was, almost a solid nine and a half inches compared to his seven. Cato eased up the hospital gown up further allowing Peeta's trapped arousal to spring free.
Cato's fingers curled around it already moving to Peeta's rhythm, "Not bad," remarked Cato with a smirk.
Peeta flushed slightly at Cato's antics, letting outa moan as Cato ground his arousal against Peeta's sending an electric shock through the both of them.
Peeta felt Cato's hands fall on his hips, lifting him slightly as Cato's length teased his entrance, the head prodding against it gently. Cato pressed his lips against Peeta's as he entered him slowly, Peeta's moan of pain lost in the back of Cato's throat.
The pain quickly passed as an all-to-familiar sensation washed over Peeta. Cato's hands expertly guided Peeta's hips in a steady rhythm, as their bodies met again and again. "Fuck Peeta!" grunted Cato, tossing his head back a little.
Peeta felt Cato's movements becoming less controlled as he pounded into him for several more minutes. Ecstasy coursed white hot through the two of them.
A flood of white blurred Peeta's vision, as one of Cato's hands began to stroke him slowly. With one last pump Peeta found his release and poured his warm seed all over Cato's hand, biting back a scream of pleasure.
Cato let out a string of curses and erupted deep inside of Peeta, both boys staring into each other's eyes trying to catch their breath. Peeta leaned down and scooped up handfuls of water and cleaned both Cato and himself off.
"Mr. Mellark?" rang out the voice of Dr. Novak's assistant as she entered the sphere of ivy in search of him.
She let out a tiny squeak of surprise and embarrassment at the sight of them and spun on her heel, bolting back inside.
Peeta looked at Cato mortified, frowning at Cato laughing at his expression. "I told you someone would see us," said Peeta hitting him playfully.
He moved to go after her, Cato slapped his ass as he left, "Don't be gone long."
"I won't be," said Peeta with a smile.
Peeta walked through the winding halls of the hospital, finally finding his room. He eased the door open gently peering inside nervously, "Claudia?" he called out in almost a whisper.
Glancing around the room, he found himself alone.
"You'd think two men wouldn't traumatize her like that. That sort of thing is common in the Capitol."
He turned towards the armchair turned toward the window, a head of white hair currently occupying it.
"Nice of you to join me," called out a voice that demanded respect, "Peeta, you're a curious one, you seem to move from one plaything to the next rather quickly."
"How does he know about Cato? Did he watch us?!" thought Peeta in disgust.
"Miss Claudia seemed rather perturbed when she came in so I gave her the day off," said Snow, rising from the plush armchair.
"I mean no disrespect sir, but do you need something of me?" asked Peeta, gulping down the lump rising in his throat.
Snow's gaze burned into his skull as if skimming through his secrets and memories like an open book. Not that he didn't know every secret about him already.
"Not the type for idle chat it seems, pity I didn't peg you to be so much like Miss Everdeen," said Snow, the smell of blood and roses beginning to suffocate the room in its sickeningly sweet stench.
"Well then to the business at hand, it seems Peeta that I require a favor from you," continued Snow, picking up one of Peeta's sketchbooks.
"A favor sir?" asked Peeta casually, watching Snow skim through his artwork.
"These are very beautiful," commented Snow setting the book back down. "You seem like a smart young man Peeta, so you must know with war comes casualties. On both sides… and with casualties we risk losing a sustainable population."
"And then we have a broken system," finished Peeta for him.
Snow gives an approving nod, clearly amused, "I need you to call for a ceasefire on a nationwide broadcast. This war will end in a bloody stalemate. So what's there really to win?" he asked.
"Absolutely nothing sir," replied Peeta monotonously.
"And you're absolutely right," says Snow flashing his white teeth in a feral smile. "You just have a way with words unlike Miss Everdeen. I'm sure that in time, you could convince all of Panem to lay down their arms. By doing this for me, you will save countless lives not to mention I will spare the lives of the remaining Victors: Mr. Odair, Miss Cresta, Mr. Abernathy, Miss Mason, Enobaria, Beetee, and yourself."
"What about Katniss?" asked Peeta, knowing this was a test.
"She will be spared as well," said Snow in confirmation, "Her family too."
"Sounds like there's nothing to lose for me," said Peeta with a slight shrug of the shoulders.
"Excellent," replied Snow, clasping his hands together, "Mr. Flickerman will perform the interview in the City Circle tomorrow afternoon."
"Sounds great," said Peeta with a nervous laugh.
"I'll let you go back to Cato. Wouldn't want to keep him waiting now would we?" asked Snow turning to leave.
"Sir," Peeta called out, surprising even himself. "Why did you save him?"
"Three Victors aren't enough for you Peeta," Snow laughed before shutting the door behind him.
A simple act of mercy was definitely not part of Snow's agenda. He had allowed Cato to live purely as a means to an end. But to what end?
Peeta left the room returning to the elevator to deliver him to the bottom floor again, his eyes never leaving Cato still waiting for him in the gardens.
Peeta held his gaze, lost in thought. No man had ever made him feel this way before. There was just something about Cato that called to him.
Peeta glanced up at the streaks of orange surrounding the setting sun. Peeta knew one thing. The girl on fire had to be stopped before her flames brought down all of Panem with here. By whatever means necessary.
A/N: Well, I think that was an excellent start, what about you guys? Can't wait to get started on the next chapter, already have it written out in my notebook for you.
Reviews make the world go round :P
Send me a PM if you have any questions or leave it in your review and I will get back to you. I will update as soon as I can for all of my stories. School starts back up again tomorrow which will seriously hamper my writing time ;-;