A/N: I have ALWAYS wanted to try writing for Peeta, because he's perfect.
Courage gained, it's finally time to do this.
Cato/Peeta and Gale/Peeta, my first Hunger Games fic.
My knowledge of this series only goes as far as the movies so my apologies for any inaccuracies.
Apologies spelling, grammar and OOCness
Disclaimer: I do not own any part of the Hunger Games franchise in any way whatsoever
The arena was silent, save for one tent in the middle of the career camp about ten yards away from the camp fire where Clove and Marvel kept watch.
Cato let his hand tangle and curl in Peeta's hair, watching as the other teen's head bobbed up and down in his lap and let out a deep moan as the blonde licked and sucked around his length. Before his hand tightened in those blonde locks and he pulled the other teen off his cock and up to his face.
"Cato?"
Peeta was breathing hard, staring at the career with flushed cheeks and bruised lips eyes blown wide with lust. Cato felt desire pulse through his veins and his chest swell with warmth before he moved forward to force the other tribute down against the sleeping bag to capture those bruised lips with his own in a deep kiss, tasting himself on the other's tongue while Peeta moaned as he opened his mouth to allow the career access and his arms wrapped themselves around his neck.
Peeta Mellark.
Cato would capture stars for this boy if he could; follow him to the ends of the earth as long as it meant that he could hold him close.
It wasn't meant to be this way.
He was meant to volunteer as tribute, win the games and go home as victor. That's how it was meant to be, that's all he'd planned on doing.
Falling in love with a baker boy from shitty district twelve was not part of the plan. Cato found himself torn between absolute joy and complete heartache.
Joy because he got to meet Peeta. Cato got to spend just a few days with this incredible creature, he got to keep him locked in his arms and pretend that Peeta was his even if he knew that it would all have to end eventually. For just a few hours of the day he wasn't just another Capitol monster bred from the day he was born to be some kind of bloodthirsty killer and Peeta wasn't a scrawny nobody meant to be his prey. He got the opportunity to be happy, truly happy for just a few hours of the day as long as he kept Peeta close and locked in his arms.
Then there was heartache, because he knew that it all had to end. The joy and love he felt for Peeta couldn't last, it was never meant to last. From that first time he kissed the blonde that night on the roof before the games were meant to start, he knew. Eventually Peeta would have to die and he would be the one who would have to do it. It couldn't be any other way. Peeta is his after all; he has to be the one to do it. To watch those full lips blow out their final breaths and watch those bright blue eyes dull and fade away. Because he loves Peeta too much to watch him die at the hands of someone else.
Cato felt heart ache, because he knew that he would follow Peeta into the world of the dead if he could, but he couldn't. He has to live on.
He has to win the games and become victor, because Peeta won't and if Cato isn't victor then Peeta will die at someone his hands.
Cato broke the kiss to start kissing and sucking his way down the boy's neck, drawing out sharp gasps and moans as Peeta writhed beneath him.
The only problem he still had to deal with was Gale.
Gale Hawthorne is district twelve's first ever volunteer and the reason why Peeta joined the career camp in the first place.
During the interviews Peeta claimed that he was in love with Gale on national TV and he put on a show so good the entire Capitol believed him.
Cato knows that Peeta was only doing it for Gale's sake.
District twelve didn't usually get a lot of sponsors since they haven't won the games in more than twenty years, but in order to win the games you need sponsor's on your side and nothing grabbed at the greedy money grubbing hearts of Capitolists than a heart breaking story of two lovers destined for destruction. Throw in the fact that said lovers were both male and you have yourself quite a show.
So Peeta confessed on national TV so that Gale could have a fighting chance and get back to his family. Peeta's own family despised him, his mother treated him like crap and his siblings didn't care. His father is just about the only one that ever seemed to give a shit but he was too weak, too tired to stand up for his own son and keep him safe.
Peeta didn't have a reason to live for back in twelve, but Gale had a mother, two brothers and a sister that all depended on him and needed him to come back home.
Peeta was going to make sure he got home.
Peeta didn't plan on going home, he actually feared the idea of going back to twelve where no one wanted him and no one cared. He's perfectly happy dying in the arena, he doesn't want to go back.
Of course Cato knows that Peeta's feelings for Gale weren't all fake, he cared for the hunter. Not as much as he cares for Cato but enough for Peeta to put his life at risk by joining the careers in an effort to buy Gale some more time.
Peeta's willing to die for him.
That fact should have Cato feeling less than cooperative; it should've had Cato gunning for Gale right off the bat especially after Peeta told him that Gale kissed him just moments before the kiss that they shared on the roof.
And he did.
That day they got Gale cornered in a tree, Cato had actually looked forward to killing someone for the first time since they reached the Capitol. But then he saw the look in Peeta's eyes and he just crumbled. Gale got away thanks to the tracker jackers and Cato didn't actively go after him again.
It's ridiculous how this one boy could break him down and pull him apart with nothing more than just a look.
Peeta loves him, there's no doubt about that in Cato's mind so he held back on hunting Gale and managed to convince the other careers to do the same. Gale will have to die eventually though. Cato can only hope to make sure that Peeta dies before Gale does. It would tear the tribute apart if he had to watch Gale die after he did so much to make sure he survived.
That being said, Peeta wouldn't want to watch Cato die either. But there can only be one victor of the Hunger games, so Peeta has to go first and Cato is willing to grant him that much.
"Cato."
Peeta gasped as Cato started to rut into the shorter teen, breathing hard as he marked his neck and chest for the entire world to see. Marks that will still be there even after Peeta's blood runs cold and his heart stills. He'll always be Cato's.
Peeta dies tomorrow.
Cato decided that when they got back to the camp after the mines around their supplies blew sky high and they managed to salvage just a few supplies. With the boy from three dead after the explosion and the little girl Rue earlier that day, that left only seven tributes left.
Cato, Peeta, Hawthorne, Marvel, Clove, Thresh and the girl from five.
He and Clove already decided that Marvel needed to be the next to go. She'd take care of it while they kept watch while he took care of Peeta the next morning.
The alliance they formed at the beginning of the games is strained. None of the careers wanted Peeta to join them but Cato insisted so they were all just waiting on an opportunity to get rid of lover boy and with just four of them left, the alliance was all but dissolved.
They're going their separate ways and Cato's going after Gale, Peeta can't see that. He shouldn't have to see that so Cato's going to make sure he doesn't.
"Cato please..." Peeta whined and Cato felt his heart thump a little harder at the sound, he grabbed Peeta's hands and kept them restrained up above his head before sealing their lips in another deep kiss. With one hand keeping the boy restrained the other slid down to rest on Peeta's neck, gently feeling around the boy's throat to feel his pulse and giving a slight squeeze as he deepened the kiss and Peeta's pulse jumped as he moaned into Cato's mouth.
It's a little frightening just how much Peeta trusts him. Cato could kill him right now, he could've killed him the moment they stepped into the arena and Peeta wouldn't even blame him if he had. Cato knows Peeta would never hate him, not even if he knew what was set to happen tomorrow.
At that thought Cato moved back up to seal their lips together and kissed the shorter boy with a level of desperation so strong that Peeta was caught off guard for a moment before he just gave in and gave himself to the career, feeling as if his soul was being claimed and pulled from his body through the kiss and not seeming to care either. He'd give his life for Cato, his very soul.
"ATTENTION CONTESTANTS; THERE HAS BEEN A RULE CHANGE"
Cato didn't stop; he let his hand slip down to trace every inch of skin he could reach on Peeta's chest before slipping down to his waist to pull the hemline down. Peeta didn't break the kiss either; just lifted his hips so Cato could pull the offending material off. Whatever Seneca had to announce probably wouldn't help either of them either way anyway so there was no point in listening.
What they needed was a way to leave the games together. For Cato to maintain his family's pride and keep the baker boy from shitty district twelve that somehow managed to save his life. What Peeta needed was a way to escape, not just from the games but from his cold harrowing life as well.
But what they needed could only be achieved by means of a miracle and the Capitol rarely ever afforded their citizens miracles. The odds were never really in their favor.
"THE RULE OF ONLY ONE VICTOR OF THE ANNUAL HUNGER GAMES HAS BEEN ALTERED-"
At that Cato had to pull back and break the kiss staring back at Peeta's wide blue eyes since and Peeta took deep gasping breaths to get some more oxygen to his brain since he couldn't possibly have heard what he thinks he just heard.
"THERE CAN NOW BE TWO VICTORS OF THE HUNGER GAMES, REGARDLESS OF WHICHEVER DISTRICTS THE TRIBUTES COME FROM. I REPEAT; THERE CAN NOW BE TWO VICTORS FOR THE SEVENTY FORTH ANNUAL HUNGER GAMES. GOODLUCK AND MAY THE ODDS BE EVER IN YOUR FAVOR"
Cato stopped breathing as he stared into the other teen's eyes and a new emotion suddenly over took him.
Relief. Deep harrowing relief that made the heavy weight that had settled on his chest since that moment that he realized that he had fallen in love with Peeta suddenly lift.
Now, he can have Peeta, even after all of this is over, he can keep him.
They can leave the games together and Cato wouldn't have to kill him, Peeta would never have to leave his side. Neither tribute could understand what on earth had happened to make the game organizers change the rules so drastically but neither one really cared either.
Peeta's eyes filled with the same relief that Cato felt and the blonde took in a deep breath as he looked up at the blonde and whispered, as if he feared that it might all be a dream and that he would break the spell if spoke too loudly.
"Does it… does that mean what I think it does?"
"Two victors, meaning we have a chance." Cato breathed speaking equally quietly as he brushed the blonde's hair away from his forehead with a smile so warm Peeta's breath hitched in awe before doing the same. "We can both leave here together."
Peeta immediately pulled Cato down for a deep kiss and the career could almost feel the strain just fade away from both of their forms as Peeta's body seemed to melt beneath while his own went lax. They kiss was slow and intense almost as if they'd won already, like they had already left the arena. Cato imagined having Peeta just like this back home in two and Peeta almost forgot that they were still in the tent but of course fate couldn't let them rest for too long.
A shriek of pain suddenly tore through the air from somewhere nearby and the two pulled apart. Cato knew that voice, it was Marvel but that would mean that Clove-
The loud booming roar of the cannon echoed all across the arena and Cato's eyes went wide.
No, it's too soon.
"Cato?"
The flap barrier that separated them from the outside world suddenly opened with a loud rip and Clove appeared with a bright smile on her face and bloodstaining her chest and hands. "Cato, have you-"
The girl froze at the scene that she found in the tent; a half-naked baker boy flushed and panting underneath her fellow tribute. Clove's skin flushed in anger and she glared, it only took one look into Cato's eyes to know that he had no intention of leaving the arena, at least not with her and she hissed.
"Son of a bitch."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
The 74th annual Hunger Games.
This year things turned out a lot more different than Gale and probably most of the Capitol and the twelve districts thought they would.
Firstly, this year it wasn't compulsory for there to be one boy and one girl chosen as tribute from each district. They could both be boys or girls, as long as your name was picked from the bowl then the game officials really didn't care. This was apparently due to the new trend circulating in the Capitol.
Homosexuality.
It was frowned upon in previous years, since the human population was so dangerously low, but now it seemed to be the new thing.
Of course the lower districts still weren't very fond of the idea.
Still.
This year tribute pairs could consist of a boy and a girl or two boys or two girls, which is how Peeta Mellark and Gale Hawthorne ended up getting reaped for the 74th annual Hunger games.
That's the second surprise that shocked quite a few people all across the twelve districts. Not just the fact that district twelve had two male tributes this year, but the fact that one of the tributes actually volunteered.
A first in district twelve's history since no one from that district has ever volunteered before.
But Gale hadn't really had much of a choice.
It was either volunteer or watch Rory fight for his life all for the Capitol's amusement. The moment that Rory's name was called in front of the entire district, Gale's blood ran cold and it almost felt like time stopped for a full moment. For a moment everything was silent and no one so much as blinked until time suddenly started moving again and all of the sudden he was watching as peacemakers escorted his brother towards the stage.
Gale can't remember much about the next few moments, he moved and spoke too quickly for his mind to really be able to keep up but once it had he suddenly found himself on the stage next to Effie Trinket while the entire district stared at them in awe and sadness. Its only after he looked up to see the bakers son Peeta Mellark standing next to him wide eyed and pale with fear that he suddenly realized the full gravity of what he'd done and surprisingly enough as Effie stood there with her cheerful smile and district twelve silently watched their tributes Gale felt oddly calm.
It was like a wave of cool comfort had fallen right over him and blanketed him in its embrace, for a moment he felt resigned to his fate and he held no regrets, not as long as his family stayed safe. But of course Gale forgot.
He forgot the fact that his family needed him to be safe. Ever since his father passed on Gale's been the one to take care of his mother and siblings. He worked in the coal mines and sold whatever he managed to catch hunting just outside of twelve's barrier. His mother, Rory, Vick and Posy, they all looked to him for comfort and support. What on earth would happen to them once he went to the games, what would happen to them if he died during the games?
Gale only realized these things as he held his family in his arms just before they were set to leave for the Capitol, just after his mom gave him a kiss goodbye and left the small room in the back since she couldn't bear to watch him get on the transport since she knew the chances of him returning were slim to none. What mother would want to see their child off on a ride towards their death?
Katniss came to say goodbye as well, the girl spoke calmly and with all the composure that she could muster even as her face started to stream with tears and she flushed with heartache. Katniss understood, she said that she would have done the same thing if Prim's name had been picked so she didn't spend ten minutes crying and asking why Gale volunteered the way his siblings had done even though they knew why. She just gave him a kiss and made him promise that he'd make it back alive and Gale kissed her back, knowing that he wouldn't be able to keep that promise just before Effie came to pull him away and tell him that it was time to leave and Gale said his final goodbye to the one girl he thought he could possibly spend the rest of his life with.
As the peacemakers led him away, he caught sight of Peeta on the other side of the room; no one else was there to see him off other than his father and for a moment Gale couldn't help but feel sorry for the other boy. He didn't really know much about Peeta, other than the fact that he was the baker's son which made him only a little bit better off than the rest of the lower class that lived in district twelve, but as he watched Peeta speak to his father he couldn't help but feel sorry for him. The old man looked tired, worn out and aged beyond his years; he looked at Peeta with a level of concern so great it seemed as if the man was sure that Peeta was already dead. Peeta smiled weakly at his father in return before the older man gave him a hug. It looked awkward, like Mr. Mellark had never even touched his son before let alone wrapped his arms around him and Peeta hugged him back with a sense of desperation so great it was like he was holding on to his last life line. But then the peacemakers forced them to pull apart and escorted Peeta to the transport.
The train ride to the Capitol was uneventful for the most part. Effie had Gale, Peeta and Haymitch sit down for dinner so that they could start discussing the games and a possible strategy. Unfortunately Haymitch didn't really have much advice to give them other than hiding and waiting for the herd to thin out first. The man told them quite bluntly that the chances of them winning the games were slim to none and that the only way that they'd have a snowball's chance in hell was if they got sponsors and unfortunately no one ever put money on district twelve. Haymitch said that he got lucky, but even luck isn't enough to get you through the games.
Peeta asked questions during that time, asking about possible loopholes and tricks they could use, he seemed so interested one would have thought that he had every intention of winning the games and getting back home and in that time Gale remembered his mother and brothers and his little sister Posy, just knowing that they wouldn't be able to make it without him. So as the train made it swift decent through the gates of the twelve districts and up to towards the Capitol Gale made a decision. To beat the games and make it back home to his family no matter what.
Once they made it to the Capitol they were greeted by flashing cameras and cheering crowds. It was all so bright and beautiful that Gale almost forgot that those cheering crowds were cheering over his imminent death, Peeta sure seemed to since he smiled and waved at the crowd once they got off while Gale just watched on with a disgusted sneer. There was a short ceremony that was held to welcome all the tributes as they arrived. With district twelve being one of the furthest districts away, they arrived just before the ceremony ended and were ushered off to be scrubbed plucked and shaved in a way that only residents of the Capitol could.
The experience was maybe just a little bit traumatizing but once it was all over Gale felt cleaner than he has in a very long time. All of that stubborn grime and dirt that clung to his skin due to an entire life spent in twelve was suddenly just gone and for the first time in a very long time Gale felt like he could finally breathe.
Of course Peeta received the same treatment and Gale was surprised to see the baker boy look so… beautiful.
The moment that Gale ran into Peeta just after their cleansing he just sort of stopped and stared. Peeta's skin was pale before but now it looked like porcelain, polished and smooth with the faintest pink flush underneath his skin. His blonde hair almost seemed to glow like a halo in the bright lighting in the hall where they stood and his blue eyes sparkled despite how they seemed to have aged well beyond his years.
Peeta broke eye contact first, looking away just as Portia came out and hurried the blonde away to one of the next rooms to get dressed while Cinna did the same with Gale and they didn't see each other again until the opening ceremony about an hour later, which is about how long it took Cinna's team to get Gale into that skin tight fire suit but it was all worth it when they rode out on the carriages and the Capitol seemed to actually notice district twelve for the very first time, especially after Peeta grabbed Gale's hand and they held them up in front of the crowd. He hadn't wanted to at first but then he remembered what Haymitch said about the sponsors, if they were going to get the help they needed in order to survive the games they needed to put up an image that would get them sponsors, so they settled on the image of the star-crossed lovers.
Or rather Peeta settled on that image, Gale had absolutely no clue about what the blonde had planned to do during the interviews so saying that he was shocked when Peeta suddenly announced that he was in love with him on national television would have been the understatement of the year. Gale was at a complete loss for words. He was just grateful that he'd already done his interview since he knew that Caesar would ask him about the confession if he hadn't and he'd have absolutely no way of answering the man if he did.
Once they made it back up to the room however, Gale had made it passed the shock and immediately started ripping the blonde a new one, thankfully Haymitch interrupted just before things could get out of hand and explained that he and Peeta had discussed the move before the interviews. It was all part of the games, a way of getting more sponsors to help them both out during the games since the whole doomed lovers' thing was sure to give them a great show. And Gale relented, if only because there was hardly any time left before the games were set to start and holding a grudge against Peeta just hours before what was meant to be a fight for their lives seemed sort of pointless in the long run.
But then it happened.
It was the night before the games, Gale was anxious and fearful of the events that would take place the next day and he wasn't able to get much sleep so instead he decided to wander around the building for a bit until he got to the roof and found Peeta sitting near the edge staring out over the Capitol, looking oddly calm for someone who was about to take part in a death match.
Peeta looked up at him in surprise, like he was expecting someone else before he suddenly sat down beside him but he didn't leave. They sat there staring over the city for a while and just talked. Peeta told Gale a little bit about his family and his life back in twelve and although the blonde didn't really say much, Gale could still tell that Peeta didn't really care whether or not he survived the games. His life was hard, so hard in fact that dying in the arena didn't really seem like such a bad idea.
Gale couldn't help but gape at the blonde, before he asked if Peeta wouldn't miss his mother or siblings but Peeta just tensed at the mention of his mother and said,
"I don't really think they'd care either way, no one does."
There was a cold sort of resignation in Peeta's tone, like he'd accepted his fate but at the same time it didn't seem like he was giving up either if that makes any kind of sense. The blonde quickly changed the subject and steered the conversation away from himself as he asked about Gale and his siblings, apparently Peeta knew a little bit about him but that's only because of Katniss.
From what he could tell Peeta seemed to have had a bit of a crush on the girl, had being the operating word here since Gale could tell that those feelings have long since worn off. But he still admired Katniss in a way, so Gale sort of lost himself for a bit as he spoke about her even going as far as to tell the blonde about the first kiss they shared in the forests outside of the fences surrounding district twelve. Peeta blushed and admitted that he's never had his first kiss before, the blonde gave a humorless snort as he commented on how pathetic it was that he was about to quite possibly die and he's never even done that before and Gale… Gale moved without even fully realizing it.
Peeta just looked so vulnerable and sad and just so beautiful that he couldn't help it.
He's been noticing the other over the past few days that they've been together for the games. He saw those beautiful baby blues that seemed to have aged with pain and that rare brilliant smile whenever he managed to get something right during training with the instructors.
He realized that Peeta is beautiful, not in the same way that Katniss is but still in a way that made Gale ache with… something. Something he didn't couldn't describe or rather something he didn't want to describe, which is why he reacted so strongly to Peeta's sudden confession. For a moment, when Peeta smiled and glanced up at Caesar with a soft blush spreading over his face he almost hoped that it was true, he hoped that Peeta really felt the way he said he did completely forgetting the girlfriend he left back home.
But Peeta denied it, said it was just part of the games and Gale's heart sank.
So when they were sitting up there on the roof, with Peeta blushing that same blush as the pale moonlight made his hair and skin glow so beautifully Gale couldn't stop himself from acting on that ache that started throbbing in his chest all over again. He grabbed the blonde's chin to hold him still and kissed him right on the lips, earning a surprised yelp before Peeta leaned into it and clumsily tried to kiss back.
It was perfect; Peeta's lips were soft and warm while the hand he raised to reach up and hold onto Gale's shoulder to pull him closer was strong and firm. It was an odd contrast that was different from what it was like with Katniss and Gale was surprised to realize that he liked it quite a bit. Gale moved forward letting his hand slide down to the blonde's waist to pull him even closer and just feel more of him when Peeta suddenly broke the kiss, breathing hard as he looked away and said that it was getting late and that they should probably be getting back to bed. Gale stared at Peeta in confusion, wondering what on earth just happened but Peeta just turned away and looked back over the city.
Gale got up and left in an angered huff and went to bed but was in an even worse state than he was before and barely got any sleep whatsoever. The next morning the games started and Gale hardly had any time to think about the incident again until he got cornered by the careers and could hardly do more than just stare in shock when he found out that Peeta had joined them. Gale felt angry and betrayed and he didn't even feel an ounce of guilt when he dropped the tracker jacker nest on their heads, at least not until he got stung and Peeta actually helped him get away. That's when he realized that Peeta was playing the game, not for himself but for Gale, although he should've noticed earlier.
Peeta wasn't planning on winning the games, he was ready to die one look into the blonde's eyes could tell you that clear as day, but with the way that he was behaving you'd think that the baker boy had every intention of winning the games. But if that were true then he would have done more than just joined the careers wouldn't he? He could've killed Gale when he had the chance after the jacker nest broke but he didn't.
Hours turned into days and Gale was left to mule over Peeta's behavior and in that time, Gale tried to avoid the other tributes, despite his desire to make it back home Gale still couldn't stomach the idea of taking a human life, so he made sure to stay close to the shadows out of reach as the days went on, all while the cannon roared through the air and new pictures with names went flashing across the game makers artificial night sky. And every night he'd feel a little more relieved when Peeta's face didn't flash across the night sky even though he still wasn't sure what to make of these feelings that he had towards the blonde.
Gale ran into a little girl named Rue, the same one that tipped him off about the tracker jackers, the girl reminded him a little bit of Posy so they stuck close together for a while, but then they got cornered by Marvel and Clove and were forced to separate. Gale spent the rest of his night sick and throwing up when he saw Rue's face flashing across the artificial sky as he was wracked with guilt; firstly at the fact that he couldn't protect her and secondly because of the brief feeling of relief that washed over him when he realized that he wouldn't have to kill her.
After all there can only be one victor of the hunger games and whether Gale liked it or not, if he wanted to go home, then he'd at least have to kill one person in order to win.
That time would come the very next day.
In the middle of the night, when Seneca announced that there could be two victors of the games the first thing that Gale thought of was Peeta and so he made his way over towards the cornucopia where the careers had their camp set up only to discover it to be completely deserted.
There was fresh blood on the ground beside what looked like the last dying ambers of a camp fire while one of the tents looked ransacked and completely torn apart which had a fair amount of fresh blood on it as well.
Obviously something went on there before he got there and of course Gale heard the two cannon fires earlier, he just hoped that neither one of those was for Peeta.
It wasn't till a few hours later that two new faces flashed across the sky the first one belonging to Marvel and the second one to Clove, just before Seneca made an announcement for a feast the next day.
Gale spent the better half of the night looking for Peeta but to no avail until morning broke and he headed out to the cornucopia. The feast was an obvious attempt at the game makers trying to draw the tributes together and force them to fight, but Gale was running dangerously low on supplies and if he was going to make it through the games then he was going to need all the help that he could get. Plus, there was a chance that Peeta would try to brave the feast as well and if Gale found him they could try and win the games together.
Unfortunately Peeta didn't show, Gale got to the cornucopia just in time to catch a glimpse of the girl from five running straight for the forest and away from the feast and he headed towards the center of the cornucopia only to run into Thresh instead.
That day Gale had no choice but to defend himself and in the end, he made his first kill right there in the center of the clearing. The hunter was so shocked that he barely even noticed when he moved and grabbed two bags with the emblems for twelve written on them as he ran back towards the safety of the forest and hid in the dense brush as he tried to recover from the horror he just committed.
One hour later, Gale went through the bags and found a note from Haymitch reading that Peeta was painted and hiding. Suddenly all that time Peeta spent at the camouflage table during training made sense.
He found Peeta, gave him the medicine that he found in the bags at the feast and the rest is history.
Gale shifted a bit against the hard bumpy wall in the cave, being careful not to disturb the figure sleeping against his chest before pulling the thin blanket he had draped over both of them a little higher so it was covering the blonde's shoulders. Peeta finally managed to settle down about an hour after ago and the wound on his leg was already starting to scar. That's Capitol medicine for you.
Gale couldn't help but give a snort at the thought as he ran a hand through Peeta's hair, pushing the blonde locks away from his forehead as he watched him breathe deeply in the soft embrace of sleep. He looked different that way, his features were even softer than normal and his expression was completely relaxed. Gale let the pad of his thumb brush over the blonde's cheek, smiling when Peeta almost seemed to lean into his touch only to frown again when the blanket slipped to reveal the marks that dotted his pale skin over his neck and chest.
He knows where Peeta got them; he's not stupid after all. He saw what they were like that first day when the careers came after him even if the others didn't. Gale noticed the way that Cato looked at Peeta, how his eyes seemed to just completely melt when the blonde was close and how Peeta couldn't keep eye contact with him for too long before a light blush bloomed across his face and he was forced to look away.
He knows how Peeta feels about Cato, he could see how much the baker boy cared for the career when he told him about what happened at the camp, how worried he was about Cato and whether or not he managed to get away from Clove, the deep relief in his eyes when Gale told him that Cato was still alive.
Peeta's in love with Cato.
Gale wanted to feel angry at that, he wanted to be angry at Peeta for falling for the career instead of him and that the kiss they shared on the roof really didn't seem to mean anything to him, but Gale wasn't.
Somehow Gale managed to convince himself that Peeta was just confused, that his fear of going back to twelve was driving this insane love affair and that he really didn't know what he was doing. Somehow Gale's feelings for Katniss faded while his feelings for Peeta grew even in the blonde's absence over the course of the past few days.
Gale wanted to go home to twelve, he wanted to see his mother and siblings again but most of all he wanted Peeta to go home with him. He wanted to protect the blonde keep him safe, make him smile like he did those few times after they reached the Capitol and kiss him the way he did that last night on the roof. He wanted Peeta to love him the way he clearly loved Cato, for that confession he made on national TV in front of the entire Capitol to be true.
It was right in the middle of these thoughts that Gale's hand drifted down to gently touch Peeta's parted lips and the urge to feel them against his own just one more time hit him in a surge. So Gale took a deep breath before leaning down as he lifted the blonde's chin and gently touched their lips together in a soft kiss.
Gale pressed down a little harder, savoring the taste of the other's lips against his own along with the heat that radiated from the blonde's body, no longer the searing heat it was before his infection induced fever went down but a gentle calming warmth that sent Gale into a moan as he pulled the blonde's firm body against his own only for the moment to shatter when a voice suddenly spoke near the cave's entrance.
"Get the hell away from him."
Peeta stirred at the sound of Cato's voice and Gale felt a stab of hurt as he pulled back to look up and find the blonde brute from district two glaring at him with hell-bent rage as he stood in the cave's entrance with a sword in his left hand.
"I don't like repeating myself Hawthorne." Cato hissed out as he took a step closer, "Get away from him, right now."
"Cato?" Peeta mumbled out as he pried his eyes open and started to pull from Gale's grasp, around the same time that the artificial moon moved and light suddenly came to light up the inside of the cave. Obviously the game makers are still watching. "What, why are-"
Peeta looked between the two tributes and his eyes went wide, suddenly wide awake when he realized what was about to happen as Cato's grip tightened on his sword and Gale reached for his hunting knife. Peeta froze.
"Peeta, leave." Cato growled out, not looking away from Gale for so much as a second while Gale did the same. "Wait outside."
Peeta didn't move, he just watched as Gale slowly stood as well, "But-"
"It's O.K, go." Gale said steadily and Peeta could do nothing more than stare, "There can only be two victors remember, would you rather make the choice yourself?"
Peeta's breath hitched and his eyes darted between Cato and Gale before he got up and left the cave, moving around the side to lean back against the outer wall and shut his eyes when the first clash of metal suddenly rang through the air. The blonde sank down to the ground as his eyes began to sting and he sound of grunts and clashing metal echoed through the air until one final groan of pain and a loud thump.
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"Everything will be perfect you'll see."
They set up camp a few yards away from the cornucopia, Cato wanted to get some more supplies and keep an eye out for the girl from five in case she showed up and they could get an opportunity to end the games once and for all.
It was nearing daybreak. Cato had Peeta curled up in his arms the way they've been since the career killed Gale and found Peeta on the ground just outside the cave. They didn't talk about Gale, Cato just kept whispering in his ear about how they've almost made it and how wonderful things would be once they left the games and Cato took Peeta back with him to two.
But no matter how hard Cato tried to distract him, Peeta couldn't stop thinking about Gale and his family and how on earth they'd make it without him. When his name was drawn from the bowl, Peeta never really held any hopes that he might win and make it back home. He didn't want to go back home after all his mother despised him and his siblings treated him like dirt, the only person that really cared was his father but he was old and weak and sometimes Peeta felt like his presence at home was just causing his father more grief than he should have to go through. So no, Peeta never planned on going home, but he did plan on doing everything he could to make sure that Gale got home. Not just because of his family but because of Katniss as well.
Peeta used to love Katniss when they were younger, even going as far as to risk his mother's wrath by giving her some bread from the bakery once a few years ago. No, he didn't quite feel the same way about Katniss but he still cared about her and he admired her. Gale had a life back in twelve, while Peeta just didn't.
So he went along with Haymitch's plan of taking advantage of the Capitols newest affection for the homosexual orientation and pretended to be in love with Gale all while he was really falling in love with the career tribute from district two.
The first time they spoke was after the carriage ride around the arena after the opening ceremony. Cato was handsome and charming, incredibly cocky but that aspect of the others personality never bothered him too much.
During their time in the Capitol Peeta would sneak out to meet with Cato, on the roof or in the training areas after everyone else had left. Cato wasn't too pleased about the plan to gain sponsors by pretending to be in love with his fellow tribute but he understood.
But then Gale kissed him, that night before the games and Peeta felt… confused.
He didn't love Gale the way he pretended in front of the camera's but he did care about the hunter so when Gale kissed him Peeta kissed him back until he quickly came to his senses as he remembered Cato and pushed the other tribute away.
Gale was sweet kind and thoughtful. Peeta could see what Katniss saw in him but before Gale actually kissed him Peeta had honestly never really thought about him that way but after that kiss.
It was Peeta's first; Cato hadn't kissed the baker boy until after Gale did before the games so at first Peeta thought that maybe that would explain his was his reaction to Gale. But then came that moment in the forest with the tracker jackers and the other moment after Gale found him in the woods and now Peeta's just confused.
He was relieved when Gale told him that Cato was still alive, of course he was but at the same time Peeta was also relieved that Gale was still alive and that he's the one that found him in the woods.
He wanted to see Gale, one more time before whatever happened next happened and the idea of going home with Gale instead of Cato didn't make him feel as upset as it should have.
But none of that matters now.
Gale is dead, there's no point in dwelling on what could have been now, it's too late for that. And besides Peeta loves Cato and Cato loves him right back, they'll be happy together, Peeta will finally get to leave his abusive home and Cato will get to keep that little bit of happiness that he's come to cherish so dearly since before the games began.
There are just three tributes left, Peeta, Cato and the girl from five. Cato promised to take care of her since he knew that Peeta wouldn't be able to, not after that first night when Marvel and Glimmer forced the baker boy into killing a girl that they'd managed to trap all alone in order to prove his loyalty and Peeta was grateful for it.
Peeta leaned into Cato a little more, tightening his arms around the tribute's waist as he breathed him in and Cato smiled as he pressed a kiss on his forehead.
Soon it'll all be over, of course Peeta would prefer it if the problem with the last remaining tribute somehow managed to dissolve on its own.
If the cannon's violent roar suddenly echoed across the arena and they were declared as victors, then Cato wouldn't have to kill anyone else and Peeta wouldn't feel any more guilt at the thought of all the lives that were lost just so they could go back home.
It was right at that moment that Peeta remembered how loud the cannon was. How you could hear the signal announcing another tributes death from anywhere in the arena, no matter how far out you were. And at that thought Peeta suddenly remembered that the cannon never roared after Cato killed Gale.
But wouldn't that mean…
Peeta froze.
"What's wrong?" Cato asked as he stared down at the blonde in concern just as a sudden snap of a twig came from nearby and Peeta sat up to see a figure standing right behind them. Bloodied and heavily wounded the figure lifted a hand up to his lips as he raised the hunter's knife in the other.
The End
A/N: Yup
This is an open ending cause I really like Cato and Peeta together, like I love them together, but I don't have the heart to kill of a bakerboy love sick Gale either, so you guys can decide how it ends for yourselves.
I am going to do another hunger games fic but it's going to be an AU and that's only later.
Anyway please review.