For the flawless Cate, part of The Hob challenge on Fire is catching.
Prompts: up all night - one direction; "If you wanted me to rip my clothes off, you should have just asked." - Jace Wayland, TMI ; - blood red; passion; sapphires
Pairing: Prim/Rory
I do not own the Hunger Games.
She could remember it clearly.
She had only been seven years old but she had never forgotten. And Prim knew her family and the Hawthorne's would never let her forget, as it was one memory the families brought up whenever they could. It was a memory full of laughter and the promise that things can get better. And they those things weren't always easy to find.
It began when Katniss and Gale had just began hunting together, causing the mothers of the two to meet and become fast friends. Her mother was starting to break out of the cocoon she had created for herself: she stopped staring at the walls and muttering to herself, she answered Prim back when she asked her a question, she made meals and cared about their survival. She gave Prim what she had wanted back for so long; a mother. Things were looking up. And then there was the addition of Rory.
Rory was unlike any other boy she had met. He was always cheeky, with an answer back for everything, he appeared cocky most of the time and she rarely ever saw him unsure of himself. It was annoying, but also strangely reassuring.
"So Gale," Began Rory one lunch time at the Hawthornes, with a mischievous glint in his eye, which Prim had learned to look out for. "Is Katniss your girlfriend now?"
Gale choked on the water he was drinking, spluttering it everywhere, as Katniss proceeded to thump him heartily on the back.
Katniss answered for him whilst he recovered, seeming genuinely surprised at the suggestion. "No. We're really just hunting partners."
"Oh really well why did Gale-"
Gale had then hurriedly interrupted Rory, in a louder voice than his usual calm one. "What about you and Prim? You're very friendly."
"Ahh yes Prim is obviously my girlfriend!" Said Rory with a grin before holding hands with Prim triumphantly, who simply raised an eyebrow at his antics. She was used to boys proposing to be her boyfriend, seeing as most of the girls in her year were following this fashion and many of these so called relationships would only last about a week.
"Right, so are we going to hear of an engagement by the end of the week?" Teased Gale, enjoying the retribution, and how quickly they were getting off the topic of him and Katniss.
"What a great idea," Replied Rory, never one to back down from a challenge. "Prim, will you marry me?" Rory, true to his style, flung himself dramatically to the floor on one knee and gave her his heart stopping grin that made Prim's ears turn pink.
Knowing she couldn't refuse, Prim decided to play along, and giggling all the way managed an answer of: "Why I think I will Mr Hawthorne."
The two mothers had watched the scene with much amusement, and found a scrap piece of metal, with a hole in the middle. Which Rory delicately placed on her finger making sure to exaggerate the process as much as possible.
She had kept that ring. Placed neatly in the depths of a box along with drawings, flowers she picked on the way home from school and anything interesting Katniss had bought back for her from the woods.
And to her it was the most important thing in the box.
.
When Katniss was reaped he was there, pulling her out of her sadness. He made her laugh and smile, when she never thought those things would happen again. When she cried he wiped away the tears - perhaps whilst pulling a face - and then he'd give her a hug, telling her all these false words to make her feel better. And yet it had worked. When Katniss was reaped for the Quarter Quell he did it all over again, and he didn't complain once.
She could remember it clearly.
He took her on a sort of a date.
Although if anyone asked they denied it.
It was back in the days before the electricity at the fence was turned on, in the middle of the winter where survival was needed the most, and the snow had just begun to fall. He led her by the hand and they'd first stopped off at the bakery to buy the Mellark's famous white chocolate cookies. Mr Mellark had given them an extra cookie with a secretive wink.
To Prim's surprise and reluctance he'd taken her into the woods. She hoped he wasn't taking her to hunt, when the animals fell to the ground it was all Prim could to do to stop herself from running to them and crying into their thick woolly fur, but she trusted Rory. And just as she began to worry they would never find their way back out of the maze of trees, he stopped. They had arrived at a lake covered in a thick layer of ice, it was like a long mirror stretched across the woods, so clear that everything was reflected back in it. The surrounding woodland didn't looked threatening to Prim any more, it looked beautiful, dusted in fresh frost that had yet to be disturbed. It was the picture of tranquility.
Rory had planned it all out, and insisted on fixing strange pieces of metal to their shoes. Then he stepped boldly onto the lake and began to slide gracefully over the ice, her eyes watched him as he appeared to be almost dancing. Prim followed cautiously, putting forward one foot anxiously, though her efforts were in vain and she slipped over within the first few seconds. She shouted at Rory from the floor, trying to hide her embarrassment.
"Rory! Did you only took me here so you could laugh whilst I fall over?"
"Who, me?" Rory gave her an angelic look, with a devilish smile. "Like I'd do anything like that."
Prim continued grumbling as she leaned on Rory and he slowly taught her how to move without losing balance. He let her go and she found she could glide, maybe slowly but she wasn't on the floor, no Prim was floating. Picking up confidence she accelerated and laughed giddily, it was amazing when you weren't lying on the floor, cold and wet. She closed her eyes and smiled dreamily, pulling out her arms into the air, like a bird in flight, free.
Then it occurred to her: she couldn't stop.
"Rory, I can't stop!" She flailed her arms around, hoping that miraculously she would somehow be perfectly still and safe from harm.
Rory held his arms out to try to stop her or catch her, whatever it was didn't work as they both crashed onto the ice. Which luckily held steady.
"I'm so sorry Rory," Babbled Prim, quickly rolling off of him to stop any blush that could spring to her cheeks, because of her silly crush on him. She knew Rory only saw her like a sister, someone to make fun of and have a laugh with.
"It's alright; it's not every day I end up with a pretty girl lying on top of me." He said with a carefree smile, flirting recklessly once again.
Prim could feel herself flush, and it just wasn't from the cold. But she knew it was all a facade and Primrose Everdeen didn't accept false compliments.
"I'm not that pretty Rory," She said honestly, voicing aloud what had always troubles her about her appearance. "I don't like my hair or eyes, I always feel like the odd one out when I'm playing with everyone from the Seam."
He gave her a very Rory like grin. "I've always loved your eyes, you know they look like sapphires."
She snorted in disbelief. Waving away his compliments. "You are such a flirt Rory Hawthorne!" And it was true, he always seemed to find a new girl go out with every week, but he always came back to Prim in the end.
"You're pretty, a stunner, beautiful!" He poked her in the stomach, as if to emphasise his point.
"I'm not beautiful! I'm Cute and sweet and adorable and urgh," She said with obvious dislike, screwing up her nose. For it was true Prim was always the cute one. Only her mother called her beautiful, but that didn't really count.
"You're definitely the prettiest girl in our year, district, whole of Panem maybe." Prim laughed at that, knowing he was definitely exaggerating for her benefit now, but she didn't tell him to stop. "You affect everyone you meet, and endear yourself little by little in that strange way of yours. You're beautiful Prim, never think any different."
And then he kissed her softly and purposely on the lips.
And weeks passed, where the kiss wasn't mentioned and they would pretend to be normal, and she didn't have the courage to bring it up herself. Maybe she was supposed to forget it ever happened. Maybe Rory just didn't like her in that way. Maybe that moment was a mistake.
.
She could remember it clearly.
Bombs were tearing down District 12, all Prim could hear was the deafening noise they made as the exploded, and some part of her wanted to curl up in a corner and cover her ears until it all went away. Her home was gone, she hadn't even had time to rescue Buttercup, or Lady, or anything from home. Prim could feel the tears threatening to spill, she was so frustrated and scared. Was this it? Was she going to die? But she followed her mother to the meadow clutching her hand and not letting go. They heard the distant shouts of Gale and they followed.
There were hovercrafts, but these didn't have the Capitol's emblem, no this was an unfamiliar one, District 13. But that was impossible.
"We need you on this hovercraft, there are injured people inside." It was Gale, helping anyone he could to escape from the fires. "Promise me you'll stay safe. Promise?" Gale looked her in eyes. She could see the cracks through the brave mask, just for that second. She nodded, unable to find the words to say goodbye. "Good girl." And he walked away to help who he could.
She didn't pause to think as she ran inside with her mother, she trusted Gale. And people needed her help.
Inside the floor was crimson with blood, people were moaning and crying on the floor. She knew she should have thought like a medic, but she saw him and didn't even think before she ran over.
"Rory, what happened?"
She could feel her heart racing and the panic her voice, and she had to force herself to be calm. She leaned over him for closer examination, her long blonde hair forming a barrier between them and the rest of the world.
"Hey Prim, just a bit of an accident," He smiled weakly. "Did I ever tell you, your eyes look like Sapphire's?"
She smiled back. "You did a while ago," She began undoing his shirt, where most of the blood was seeping out.
"Hey, Prim. Trying to get me out of my clothes are you? Always knew you secretly only wanted me for my body."
She rolled her eyes, as she often did around Rory. Now was not the time for his casual flirting. "Not now Rory. Where's most of the pain?"
"I don't know, everywhere." He gestured with his hands, before wincing in pain.
"Did they give you morphling or something?" Maybe it was the endorphins, she thought, but he wasn't acting completely like a heavily injured boy.
He laughed. "No like they'd waste any of that on me, hey Prim could you do something for me?"
She leaned closer, and she couldn't help but notice their noses were almost touching.
"Sure." She whispered.
He steadily brought up a hand to cup her face. He drew her nearer before he placed her lips on hers. She was unsure what to do for a second all the doubt that has been plaguing their relationship for the past few months filling her head, before she sharply told it to shut up. She leaned into the kiss, burying her hands in his hair. He tasted of blood and hazelnuts and something else that was just so unbelievably Rory. She pulled away her eyes wide and her lips pouted, a million questions in her head.
"I didn't think you liked me like that." Was all she could say.
His eyes flashed in surprise. "I thought you didn't like me! You never brought up the kiss, so I just acted like we always had. But we are sort of engaged Prim, don't forget."
She felt herself grinning, he hadn't forgotten about that day either.
"Maybe, someday."
She leaned back to kiss him again, but stopped hearing someone cough loudly from above her. "Prim people are dying, can you kiss later?"
She turned a very visible red and ducked her head away from the stare of her mother, who was attended to a patient nearby.
"Hey Mrs Everdeen!" Cheered Rory, seemingly oblivious to his previous activities.
"Hello Rory," Laughter was plain in Mrs Everdeen's eyes. "I need to help these people, I suggest you do the same, Prim."
"You're so cute when you hide behind you hair." Teased Rory, as soon as Mrs Everdeen had finished disapproving of their behaviour.
"Time to be serious Rory, tell me what happened."
Rory always thought she saved him that day. He could have lost so much more blood then he had. And then when the time came for it, he couldn't save her.
.
He could remember it clearly.
The goodbyes, where he had kissed Prim with more passion then he had ever felt for anything before. There had been the begging, begging to be trained or picked to go with Prim. But his requests were ignored. There had been the waiting, wondering and hoping that Prim would return with her usual smile. Then there had been Gale sitting him down, man to man, and telling him Prim didn't make it back. Prim was dead. Gone.
From that moment onward it was as though the colour went out of everything, it all seemed darker and duller. Every time he smiled he found it was fake, nothing seemed to matter enough to make him happy anymore. Even when the rebels took the Capitol he couldn't bring himself to go to the celebrations. Yet he felt a grim satisfaction when Coin and Snow had died, watching the arrow pierce Coin's skin and it turning blood red. But revenge didn't bring Prim back.
And though Rory eventually grew old and got married and the colour came back into his life, he never forgot a girl with blonde hair, and sapphire eyes, whom he promised he would marry.