Clove sat on the couch watching the reruns of the Reaping on the large screen that dominated the entire wall of that room. She could vaguely hear Cato behind her, probably throwing another temper tantrum, since she noticed the Avox boy cowering out of the corner of her eye. She tried to focus most of her attention on the screen, but she'd always had trouble not paying attention to other things around her. She thought she looked a little too smug on that stage during the Reaping, but when the camera shifted to Cato volunteering she knew nobody paid her any more attention. At least that's what she thought. She knew within seconds of seeing Cato that he wasn't entirely balanced.
"Why are you watching that again!" he demanded loudly from behind her, but she hardly paid the noise any attention. She knew he was accustomed to everybody being afraid of him, but she just wasn't one of those people. She could cut him up and make his body into a unique little puzzle for the Gamemakers to put back together before sending him home in a casket long before he could get close enough to snap her neck.
"Because the scores will be up soon," Clove answered simply, lacking a defensive edge in her voice. Everybody got defensive around Cato because he had a way of making everyone feel like they weren't enough, that everything they did was cow's shit compared to what he could do with his eyes shut. Cato stalked over to where she sat and plopped down on the chair beside the couch she sat on. He leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees as he cocked his head to look at the screen.
The tributes from District 11 walked across the stage and looked at each other, the little girl beaming like she's so excited to get killed in a week. The boy looked like he huffed at her before looking out at the audience, his eyes seeming to linger on one person. A mother? Father? Siblings? Girlfriend? Clove discarded the thought since it didn't really matter. He may have been of the same build as Cato, but Cato could use any number of weapons to kill a man, and that dark boy there might find his skills in picking fruit a little lacking in the arena.
And then District 12's emblem flashed across the screen, and Clove reached for the remote to shut it off before she showed up on there. Cato, however, pulled the remote away and tossed it rather violently to the far side of the room, his eyes fixated on Katniss Everdeen, her cheap and old blue gown, her braided hair, her far-easier-to-kill little sister. Clove leaned back on the couch and forced her eyes on the screen as well, well aware that Cato's next outburst was due to come any second now. When Lover Boy showed up, so did the temper. Cato flipped the table in half a second, and the cup of tea Clove had been drinking flew and emptied the hot liquid onto the floor and walls.
"Are you finished?" Clove snapped at him, usually better able to handle him and his temper. Cato turned to her and almost snarled like a hungry animal, but turned away before his lips pulled back over his teeth. When the scores were announced, Cato calmed down dramatically. In the half second his temper took to flare, his victory at his score took over. Clove only smiled to herself at her own score, and the two enjoyed a few minutes of celebratory cheers as the other Districts received their scores. As though he knew it was coming, Cato turned back to screen in time to watch District 12's scores. Everybody in the room, their mentors, the Avoxes, the stylists, moved away from Cato immediately. They knew what the score meant and how well Cato received news.
Before his temper could flare, however, Clover stepped to him, rather foolishly according to everyone else in the room, and looped her arms around his neck. When she pressed their lips together Cato's temper took on a new form. His arms went around her roughly and pulled her against him to tightly, she could almost feel the bruises starting to form. He moved his lips against hers hard and slipped his tongue into her mouth with almost no regard to how she felt. Turning them, he forced her up against the protrusion of the wall that acted like a room divider. Pinned between him and the wall, Clove let go of everything around her, letting herself be taken by him however he wanted. One of his hands dug into her hip so hard, she wouldn't be surprised the next morning if there was a bruise the size of his hand. His other hand, however, was making quick work of the buttons on her blouse, then shoved into the article of clothing, his nails catching on her skin in the process.
Whether everyone was still in the room watching or had escaped, Clove wasn't sure. Cato didn't care at all. He just continued taking what he wanted from Clove, who had so far proven to be quite willing in their after-dark adventures. After a few more minutes, he slowed and pulled away from her to take a breath. Her lips were red and swollen, her blouse and skew and one strap of her bra was pushed down her shoulder and poking through the bottom of her sleeve. She only stared up at him, her eyes clear and hard and wholly unaffected by their actions. Part of him wouldn't be surprised if she killed him the first night with her handy little knife, but then part of him wondered if she really enjoyed their trysts enough to let him live.
Before he could say anything, she shoved him back with both her arms, pushed her bra strap back up and fixed her blouse. With a slight rustle of her hair, she looked like nothing had happened at all. She poured herself another cup of tea, realizing that everyone had indeed stayed present for the duration of their kiss, then turned back to the screen. She walked across the room and sat back down and eyed the spot where the table had been only minutes ago.
"Well, somebody put the table back," she snapped before looking over her shoulder at the nearest Avox, who scrambled to accommodate her.
Please Review! And don't forget to check out my other one shot "The Tributes of District 11"