Sometimes, he glanced at her at training.

Just glancing over at her at random intervals, usually after being told to take a damn break Cato, you're scaring the brats. He would spot Clove at the same training spot, with the same deadly knives in her grasp. He didn't have to look over at her to know that those knives would hit every target, and he already knew that she was admiring her own handiwork. Cato didn't blame her one bit. With those knives, she was death. Death was not merciful, and neither was Clove.

Sometimes, he watches for weakness.

Cato noted her tendency to avoid hand-to-hand combat. He noted how even if she were just walking past on her way to the knives, she would speed past. It was as if she was scared of being pointed out and being challenged to a fight that she wasn't completely sure she would win. The thought brought a smirk on Cato's lips, and it's decided. She would die at his bloody hands, and breakher. Break her until she's screaming for mercy. Maybe he would even tack her onto a tree with her own knives. This daydream energized him, and he would train for hours in preparation for that day. Yet he kept glancing over at her for no reason, and he brushed it off as a habit.

Sometimes, she noticed him staring.

Clove wasn't stupid. He wasn't all that subtle at his gawking, anyway. She could always feel Cato's hard eyes staring straight at her and it interested her. The fact that the idol of the entire training center was watching little old her, delighted her. It meant Clove was superior. She was superior to him and his gawking eyes. He was just watching because he was jealous, obviously (even if this wasn't the case at all, a smirk always appeared on her face at the thought). Who wouldn't be jealous of her knives always hitting bulls-eye? She was precise and a killer. Cato was a brute who could only be deadly with swords and his hands. She could kill him with one mere throw before either one even touched her.

Sometimes, he imagines them in the Hunger Games together, ready to kill.

His daydream becomes reality. District Two's ecstatic escort nearly bursts Clove's eardrums as she says Clove's name, ignoring the children covering their delicate ears. Clove moves towards the stage, her feet lightly touching the ground. There were no volunteers. Enlarged on the screens, her face is emotionless. The joy her face would display freely in the center when she felt her knives was now gone, as if it never existed. Someone's grumpy,he thinks to herself as he volunteers for the 74th Hunger Games.

Sometimes, they actually speak to each other while eating.

Eating boiled eggs as his mentor insisted, Cato peeked at Clove. "What about District one? They seem…" He trailed off, trying to find a word that made them seem respectable. "Disappointing? Not as strong as the usual tributes or as strong as us? Agreed." Clove finished, a smirk pasted on her face, turning back down to her eggs. Feeling the knife in her hand, she sharply stabbed her egg. The knife wasn't very sharp, but it would do. "Jealousy doesn't look good on you, Clover." He teased back, in an attempt to provoke her. A corner of her mouth twitched at the childish nickname and she looked back up into his eyes. Her eyes were bright and full of amusement, taking him aback for a moment. "You wouldn't know."

He slams her into the wall of his room and kisses her that night. She kisses back with the same ferocity that of a tiger.

Sometimes, they talked in the darkness of the arena.

A day passes after Glimmer's death, and Clove still hasn't stopped complaining about the unfairness of it all. Marvel learned to tune her out, but Cato continued listening, entertained by her. "I was supposed to get rid of her first. She was my first and that Lover Girl had to ruin it for me. The first chance I get, she's be torn apart." Her mood barely lifts at the thought of the girl on fire's death.

"Right. Like your knives are going to kill the 'girl on fire'," Cato mimics Flickerman's voice, regardless of the comments made back at home. "By the time they get near her, they'll be long gone. I'll stab her myself. Just one swipe and she'll be bleeding to death." He let out a cruel laugh and Clove bares her teeth. "Oh, do you want me to show you just how ridiculous my knives are? You'll be at your knees after I'm done with you."

Cato's smile falls and his eyes darken. "Marvel. we'll catch up with you. I need to have a word with Clover." He calls. Marvel turns back, and sighs, as if he already understood that was happening. "I'm not waiting if you take too long." He gripped the spear tighter as he walked off.

Clove raised an eyebrow once Cato had turned to her. "What are you going to do? Stab me with your oh so mighty sword? Please." She let out an icy laugh. "By the time you pull out your sword, you'll be bleeding out of your neck." The tribute snickered, and Cato only stifled a growl. Clove had already tried to storm away from him, up until he grabbed her shoulders and pulled him closer to her with one hand. Lowering his mouth to her ear, he began to whisper as she squirmed in his grasp. "I don't need a sword to kill you." The male promptly put another hand on her back, pulling her tighter against him. "I can break you with my own two hands easily. I could destroy you right now." He could feel the smile sneaking up on Clove's face as he continued. He twisted a lock of her black hair around his finger. "I'll break your every limb until you're begging for mercy. Then I'll shove all your ridiculous knives right into your stomach. I'll leave you there bleeding, and the cannon is going to sound and I'll be the victor of the 74th Annual Hunger Games."

The crickets filled the silence between them. Moments passed before Clove laughed mirthfully. Taken aback, Cato didn't recover fast enough to keep Clove in his grasp. Now she was standing in front of him, avoiding his grabs at her. "I'll look forward to that, Cato." The girl started off into the direction Marvel had went only minutes ago. "Marvel's going to be pissed if we don't catch up to him, probably scared Lover Girl is going to try to kill him." She began walking again, not surprised to hear Cato mumble, "bitch" under his breath.

Sometimes, Clove thought about victory.

It was the morning of the feast. After an hour of threatening and compromising, they came up with a plan. Clove would get rid of the girl, even with Cato's complaints about getting the leftover tributes. Both were preparing for the day ahead of them, with Clove deep in thought. "Cato, we're winning, right?" She remarked her back to him as she reorganized which knives to use. His reply was a mere scoff. "Course we are. Lover Boy's bleeding out there, and Lover Girl's probably starving out there with him." He affirmed, showing a cocky grin that Clove shouldn't see. "Why? You scared she's going to kill you like I said?" Clove finally turned to him, a resigned smile on her face. It was empty of the bliss she had felt the past few days. "Just making sure." She replied defensively, turning back to the knives.

Sometimes, Cato begged.

He knew that pleading was a weakness, and that he should demand everything he needed. He also knew that demanding wouldn't do anything. If anything, she would die quicker to mock him. So he held her.

Not gently, by any means. He was always rough with her, and she wouldn't appreciate any softness as it ended for her. "Stay with me, come on." He growled to her, shaking her slightly. "We're going to kill them all, with your ridiculous knives." Cato whined. Clove looked back at him with blank eyes and a weak smile. She was too weak to utter a word.

Clove was not Death. She was Icarus, the one who flew too close to the sun and fell into the sea. Maybe he was too, maybe they all were. He set Clove on the ground gingerly – she was too far-gone to complain – and went after 11.

The cannon sounded.

[ a/n - ...Hi? This is my first fic so please don't be harsh on me...or you can be harsh because criticism is nice. welp. I'm bad at fic so I'm sorry if I portrayed your favorite characters (or not because i don't know who read these fics) badly because I love these characters too. u.u but if you actually read this, then I love you and thank you! ...yeah i don't know what else to put. ]