disclaimer: i own nothing.
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She's sharpening her knives at the end of practice, grinning from ear to ear at her victory and ignoring the insults thrown from Verone when Cato thinks he might love her.
(He's not entirely sure yet; hasn't exactly made up his mind).
She can feel his eyes burning a hole in her back, she smiles gently to herself, he's a dick but she likes the attention. She spins around on her heel and glares at him, eyes like the daggers she's holding in her hand.
"Do you want me to throw this at you? Get lost, Cato," She sneers, waving him off with the hand that holds her knife.
He runs before he can die (but he knows that she'd never throw it).
::
They sit next to each other in class, theirs arms almost touching and he has to hold his breath or else his breathing would be all weird and she'd know that something was up.
He can barely focus in class, their teachers talking about weapons and the history of the hunger games but all he can pay attention to is the fact that if he shifts his arm a tiny bit closer he'd be touching Clove.
Clove's hand that's close to his shoots up in the air, an answer to a question rolling off of her tongue and a star going up next to her name on the board.
That's her eightieth star this week.
She doesn't put her arm back on the table, she places both arms in her lap and smirks.
::
There's a poster stuck to the school notice board that reads: School Valentines Day Dance! Bring the one you love.
They'd been taught about this Valentine's Day, a holiday from the old world. A holiday for love, as his teacher had exclaimed, rambling on about chocolate hearts and roses and how sweet the whole thing was. Cato doesn't think twice before ripping the poster down and listing ways he can ask Clove to accompany him.
He can't buy her roses, they only exist in the Capitol but if he uses his pocket money he could buy her those nice chocolates from the bakery. And then she'll have to say yes. He grins the whole way back to class until he sees Lyll asking Clove to be his date to the dance and Clove accepts.
Cato scrunches the poster up and throws it in the bin before racing off to the bathrooms.
(And if you ask him if he cried, he'll deny it).
::
Cato doesn't go to the dance, instead he stays at home up in his room reading up on the history of the hunger games for the upcoming test, and he practices his axe fighting out in the garden.
His brother beats him each time, and his dad calls him pathetic. How are you supposed to win? His father sneers with anger, shaking his head with disappointment as he retreats back towards the house.
Cato rushes back upstairs and throws himself into studying. He's decided that he wants to be the smartest, that he wants to knock Clove out of the water and amaze everybody with his talent for academics.
He's good at the physical stuff, despite what just occurred earlier. He's the best male contender for the hunger games, and when he turns fifteen he'll be inside of the games and he'll be winning, taking home another victory for district two. It's been written in the stars.
At twelve, an unexpected visitor arrives in his doorway. Clove's crying, and her dress is a mess and she's saying that she just wants her best friend, and Cato's hugging her and really wishing that he wasn't just her best friend.
"He tried to kiss me," She pouts, shaking her head as the images flash back to her. Leaning against a tree, dirt getting all over her dress, Lyll's lips so close to hers, "I said no and ran away." She explains, curling up against Cato's stomach, eyes traveling across his room, examining the books he has out. A small laugh exits out of her lips at the sight.
::
When he's fourteen he plucks up the courage to ask her out, his brothers told him not to do it, that it'll ruin their friendship but he marches through the training area and straight up to her and asks her anyway.
"Do you wanna go out with me?" He asks, trying his best to sound confident, interrupting Clove explaining the pros and the cons of her new knife. Her mouth drops open just a little bit, she smiles sadly, shakes her head and runs off before he can corner her again.
He locks himself up in his room and burns everything that reminds him of her.
(He burns up nearly his whole room).
::
They don't talk for three months, and it kills Clove nearly as much as it kills Cato.
After practice one day she attempts to talk to him, but he ignores her, so she rolls her eyes and kisses him on the mouth. He tastes like sugar, and she's sad that she wasted her first kiss on him when it was meant to be saved for someone special. She stands still for a minute, and so does he before he breaks out into a grin and reaches out to stroke her hair.
"I'm sorry," She mumbles, the word sorry is foreign to her. Cato looks confused, about to ask, sorry for what? but he doesn't get the chance. She runs off towards the door and the only thing she can think is how much she'd like to kiss him again, to kiss him again and have it not be a tiny peck because he tastes like sugar and she doesn't really regret giving him her first kiss.
(And maybe she loves Cato, but she's not supposed to love anything).
::
She goes over to Cato's house the next night, his father lets her inside, he's upstairs, and she runs up the stairs as fast as she can. She pushes open the door as fast as she can, she finds him lying on his bed, studying the ceiling. She lets out a laugh, alerting him of her presence.
She shuts the door, and she kisses him again.
(He still tastes like sugar).
And she tastes like rainbows and happiness and those little toffee lollies you buy from the lolly shop.
He's glad that it's not just a peck this time, and she whispers yes and he doesn't need to ask what she means because he knows she's accepting his proposal to go out and he's never been happier.
::
Everything is perfect for the first week but Cato isn't surprised when she breaks up with him, a sad smile and promises of them still being friends. Best friends.
(But he ruined that).
And she's not supposed to love anything, or anyone; not even him.
::
They don't talk after that.
And when they're sixteen they're sent to the games together.
Mentally he promises himself to make sure she wins.
Mentally she promises herself to make sure she wins.
(But she wants him to win, deep down).
And they're foolish, and they're stupid, and they get drunk off of the wine that the capitol has and end up confessing their love for one another on Clove's bed at two in the morning.
"But it doesn't matter now, does it?" Clove ponders aloud, sighing.
::
(Cato doesn't want to kill Katniss because of her score. He wants to kill her because he can tell that she doesn't love that Peeta boy, and it should be Clove and him gaining the crowds attention. It should be the two of them being star crossed lovers, and being given a chance to win the games together).
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an: i don't know what this is. wow i haven't written clato since i was eleven\twelve and first came onto this site. this is a very different clato story than i usually tell haha