Loneliness.

That was the worst part of being a victor. Living in a house away from your family and the people, or person, you loved.

Gale had to carry on his work in the mines, had to hunt to feed his family. After all, during the Games, it was sold that we were cousins; we had to keep up appearances. I gave him a chunk of money every weekend, so going outside the boundary was now more of a hobby than a chore for him, but he still had to do it.

Saturdays.

I lived for them. The twenty four hours I had with Gale. The break from the silence, from the boredom, from the nightmares, from the guilt of what I did to Peeta. For me, Saturdays were like what I imagine pocket money day is for the children of Districts One, Two, and Three. They were what I lived my whole week for, everything was worth doing if it meant I would get my Saturday at the end of it. Even visiting Haymitch became bearable if I just thought about the funny stories I could recount to Gale about it later.

When it got to Friday nights, I could barely contain myself with excitement. I would tidy the house three times. Check there was plenty to eat and drink in the kitchen. Have a shower under every setting. Pick flowers from the garden and put them in a pretty vase. Hell, I would even try on my mother's old dresses and tie ribbons in my hair in an attempt to make myself look nice for him.

There was a definite routine to it. I would wake up at seven o'clock, as I always do, wrapped in my beautiful white duvet, on my magnificent four poster bed, in my beautiful room with the painted floorboards, and the gorgeous antique wooden cupboards and chests of drawers. I would roll over and look out of my window, I never shut my curtains again after the Games, it made me feel trapped. I would look out and see the green canvas of my garden, covered in the paint stroke rows of vibrant flowers. I'd follow the ribbon of gravel path from my garden to the road, and then follow that until it reached the real District Twelve. I loved looking at my District from my window, seeing it from a distance. I could see the hustle bustle of the Seam, and of the Hob and occasionally, I imagined I could see a tall, dark-haired boy disappearing under a gap in an old electric fence.

I'd finish my watching at around eight, when I would go and have a long shower, washing my hair thoroughly and using the strawberry shower gel that Gale liked. When I got out of the shower, I would braid my hair and go downstairs for nine o'clock, which is when the phone would ring. Gale. He'd be on his way.

That was the worst bit. Waiting. It was a ten minute jog from the Seam to Victor's Village, and I would spend the whole time pacing the hallway, imagining I could hear the garden gate opening or footsteps on the path. I swear, lifetimes could have passed in those minutes it took for Gale to get to my house after the phone call.

There was one time when it seemed to take even longer than normal. I kept checking the clock, again and again, until half an hour had passed with no sign of the dark-haired boy. I started to worry; it never took him this long. Maybe he didn't want to see me and was dawdling? Maybe something had happened to his family and he couldn't come? What if something had happened to my mother and Prim?

It was a full hour before I heard the squeak and scrape of the gate being swung open. I was a complete mess by this time, frantically pacing, running my hands through my hair and wiping my sweaty palms on my trousers. I heard the gate and ran full out to the door, pulling the heavy wood open and running down the garden path before slamming into him, throwing my arms around his waist and nuzzling into his chest.

"Whoa", he said, "Hey there Catnip."

He ran his hands over my hair and kissed the top of my head, mumbling my name into my braid.

"Sorry I was so late; I had to run over to the Hob to get a few things on the way over. It was heaving in there today, it was a job that should have taken two minutes but ended up taking twenty."

He kissed my head again, apologising.

"But, I do have something in my pocket that you might be interested in. I saw it and couldn't help but think of my beautiful little girl."

I reached into the pocket of his coat, and my fingers curved around a small box. I pulled it out. A present. It was rare that anyone received these, unless it was their wedding or someone in their family was very wealthy. Gale laughed nervously as I just admired the box, taking in the smooth black cardboard, the silky red ribbon. Sensing how nervous he was, I pulled the ribbon and opened it.

A tiny pendant shone back at me. A little silver bow and arrow that seemed to sparkle in the sunlight. I was so overwhelmed by the beauty of the gift that I couldn't say anything, only looking up at the tall boy, and grinning, before wrapping him in the tightest hug I've ever given him. He laughed and reached for the necklace to put it on me. It was perfect.

We decided to take things inside. The moment I closed the door he was on to me, grabbing my hands and holding them above my head while he kissed me. It was urgent, him instantly sliding his tongue into my mouth, while pressing his body up against mine, both of our hands out of the way, so I could feel his hips pressing against my own. I could feel his breathing picking up as he started to bite along my neck, bites that would leave marks, but we didn't care; we'd waited all week for this.

He was hungry for it, moving from little nips to wide bites, the tingling and pain it caused shivering up my neck and making me moan. He ground his hips into me, I could feel how hard he was, pushing onto me. There was nothing I could do though, he had my hands. Clearly today was on his terms.

After what felt like an age, he scooped my legs up and carried me upstairs, and into the bedroom, dropping me on the bed before jumping on top of me. He unbuttoned my shirt and slid it off, running his hands all over my torso, all the while pushing his dick against my thigh. He reached behind me and undid my bra, pulling it off and immediately reaching to play with my chest, rolling my nipples between his thumb and fore-finger, making me arch my back towards him. He knew what I wanted. He lowered his face and took my nipple in his mouth, sucking and flicking it with his tongue, biting down gently, but hard enough to make me moan for more.

Without taking his mouth away, he unbuttoned my trousers and pulled them down with my pants. He ran his hands over my naked body, giving me goosebumps. He started to stroke between my legs, putting more and more pressure on me with his hands. I saw him smile at how wet I was already; I was practically dripping for him.

In response to his smirk, I pushed my hips up towards him, making it clear what I wanted, what I needed. He took his mouth away from my chest, stopping briefly to kiss me before leaving a trail of kisses and bites from my mouth, along my jaw, down my neck, and down my chest and stomach.

Then he stopped.

He looked at me, writhing on the bed. Pleading with my eyes. Begging him. I was so turned on that it was actually starting to hurt. I was pulsing between my legs, I needed something there.

He pulled his top over his head, exposing his torso, muscly from the years hunting and working the mines. He unbuttoned his trousers, pulling them down slowly, trying to prolong my agony. I needed him so much. I gave in to what I knew he wanted, and moved my hand down my stomach, feeling the heat between my legs. I found my button, and circled it with my fingers, moaning at the feeling. I shifted to a sitting position and slid my fingers inside myself, humming at the sensation but still longing for him.

Once he was undressed, he came back to the bed, watching me for a while. Eventually he tapped my wrist, telling me to stop. He smiled as my fingers went instinctively to my mouth. He replaced my fingers with his own, going faster and deeper than I could. He started to nip my thighs while fingering me, making me squirm in pain and pleasure.

I grabbed his head and pulled it central, forcing it down to where I needed it. I felt his tongue on me, circling the ball of nerves, sucking, biting, all the while fingering me hard until I tensed and came, shouting loudly.

I looked into his face; there was a strange look in his eyes. Almost menacing. He walked over to my wardrobe and pulled out two scarfs and my rope belt. He looked at me and grinned. I knew what was coming. He grabbed my hands, tying them together and to the bed with the belt, checking I had some room, but the minimal amount of it. He then moved to my legs, spreading them wide and tying my ankles to the bottom bedposts. He looked at his handiwork and grinned, before lying over me and kissing me.

With him lying on top of me, I wanted nothing more than to throw my arms around him and run my hands along his back, feeling his warmth, his unbelievably soft skin. Gale had nuzzled his head into my neck, biting me hard, making me gasp. I could already feel myself getting wet again as I attempted to push my hips up into his. I heard a throaty sigh as my hips came into contact with his own. He started to bite me harder, sucking on my pulse point until I was thrusting my hips into his in a rhythm, wanting his dick inside me.

Finally, he gave in to me, lowering himself slightly and entering me, pushing all the way up into me until my lips came into contact with his hips. He picked up a rhythm, fucking me faster and harder with every thrust, taking my nipple in his mouth and biting me again, making me cry out.

After what only felt like minutes, I came, screaming his name. Feeling me tighten around him sent him over the edge and he released his hot jet of liquid into me, making me scream again.

He untied me and we kissed gently, holding each other and trying to get as close as we could to feel the other's warmth. After all, it'd be a whole week before we saw each other again.