After Cato boarded the train, he felt two arms snake around him. He swallowed as his lips gently met the top of Cloves head. He had never seen her cry. Not even once. She was not a tearful girl, but this was tear-worthy.
"I-I won't kill you, Cato!" she sobbed, "I won't do it!" Cato sighed, stroking her soft dark hair. The hair that he had spent years admiring.
"Clove. Clove. Calm down." Cato felt sick as he watched the tears rushed down her cheeks like waterfalls. His mind swirled as the reality of the situation had sunk in. He had always viewed that Hunger games as, well, a game. He had wanted to be reaped. The chance that he and Clove would both be participating in this together had never crossed his mind. Now the Hunger games was nothing more than a nightmare to him. He hated the games now and winning was not the slightest concern of his now.
"Calm down? How can I calm down when-when I know that only one of us can come out of this thing alive? I can't lose you, Cato! I can't!"
Tears threatened to spring into his own eyes now. "You have to." he said firmly. When she started to protest he interrupted her, "You have to. I'm gonna keep you alive. I'm gonna go through the games with you and keep you alive and then I'll kill myself-"
"NO!" Clove sobbed, Caton pulled her into a tight embrace, refusing to release her even as she struggled. "I won't let you! I'll do that! I'd rather die than let you kill yourself! Even if you did, I'd do the same afterwards!"
Anger swelled within him. "Don't talk like that!" he said through clenched teeth, anger surging throughout his whole body. "One of us can live and it's gonna be you!"
Clove glared up at him, her eyes still shimmering with tears. "Don't challenge me on this, Cato. I'm going to keep YOU alive and then YOU'RE going home."
"No! I mean it. YOU'RE going home. I'll kill them all until it's down to us and then you'll become the victor and you'll go home!" Cato shouted fiercely.
The two were seperated now, arms crossed as they glowered at one another intensely. Cato refused to lose this girl. This girl that he had been in love with for so long. He had so many memories with her and they would not go to waste. He flet tears well into his own eyes now and the two collided into another hug thta was so tight that nothing seemed capable of seperating the two.
"I love you..." Clove whispered, feeling Cato's hold tighten.
"I-I love you too." Cato's voice broke and he knew that it was the first time that she had ever seen him cry as well.
They had always played it off so tough. They were the unbreakable pair and nothing could them down. Back home, they were supposed to be victorious and strong. They were supposed to be flouncing around the train, owning the place, ready to fight and win. Nobody would believe it if they saw the way they were shattering now, into billions of pieces.
"Promise me that you won't kill yourself." Clove begged, holding him tighter. "Please? At least try to win. It's always been your dream to win the hunger games. You've always wanted to be a victor! I won't spoil that for you."
"That's not important to me! Not anymore! I don't wanna win the games! I just wanna be with you!"
"You can't! You can't now! You can find someone else!"
"No! Damn it, Clove! NO!" Cato wanted to throw something. He wanted to scream until his throat was raw.
"Well, I say that we form an alliance in the games, Kill them all off and then just refuse to kill each other!" Clove whiped her tears.
"That won't work! They'll just find some other method! I have to die!"
"You said that you wouldn't let anything stand in your way of winning the games if you were reaped! That can't just change! You're a winner, Cato!"
Cato shook his head. "There's no convincing you, Is there?"
"No." Clove responded firmly.
"Then I guess that means we'll see what happens in the end." Cato knew how it would end, though. He was going to protect her and die in the end. She was going home.
"If I'm killed before you, though...You'll go home. Do you promise?"
Cato didn't want to make this promise, but that was the only way that he knew to convince her. "Only if you promise to do the same for me."
Clove hesitated before nodding. "Okay. Promise that you won't purposely get yourself killed in there, though."
Cato sighed, nodding once again. He wanted as much time with her that he could have before...the end. Besidse, he needed to keep her alive until all of the other tributes were dead. "You promise me that too."
"Fine. I promise."
Her lips met his and it was bittersweet as they both let it sink in that this would be one of their last kiss. They knew that it would only show weakness if they declared their love for one another. They had to look tough like the careers that they were. They needed sponsers and weakness did not gain that. They would win for each other until the time came when they would be forced apart forever.