Chapter Two: Everything

Cloves fingers ran along the back of the couch. She should be sleeping, she knew that much but she just couldn't. Her eyelids were starting to droop but years of training meant she had more control over her body than it did of her and she forced them open, rubbing a few droplets of sleep out of them.

She hadn't been able to focus much since bumping into Cato in the elevator, she could feel things changing between them and not like they had before. They had gone form hating each other, to being overly competitive, to somewhat tolerating each other for training purposes, to accidentally caring, to Cato thinking she was an intruder back to something almost like caring and now she felt like they were slipping apart. And with the possibility of war looming ever nearer Clove wasn't sure she was willing to give him up. As selfish as it was she needed him, even though she felt he didn't need her; that he could go on without her, she wanted to have him close.

He came into their small apartment moments later and she felt her chest tighten at the sight of him; his hair stuck out at random angles, sweat staining his pale skin, his eyes slightly closed off until he spotted her standing in the center of the room and then they softened a little, but just enough for her to know she was welcome to explain why she was there.

It was then she realized she didn't know what to say. Were there words to tell Cato that she was scared? That he made her a vulnerable mess? That he made her want to throw a knife into him for making her feel that way but she knew she never could? Well there must have been but Clove couldn't find any. Her mouth was incapable of forming the sounds.

So instead she just walked slowly towards him, her eyes staying connected to his as the possibilities ran through her mind. Her fingers trailed along the top of the soft couch and she couldn't help trying to remember how Cato's skin had felt under her fingertips, how it had been surprisingly soft and delicate but she could still feel the power of his muscles pressing against the thin layer of skin.

She watched his eyes darken with a primal curiosity as he watched her place one foot tentatively in front of the other, the careful steps causing her hips to sway more than her usual confident strides. He found something about watching the usually certain girl come undone before him one of the greatest things. To see that she had a softer side, and know that it was reserved just for him made him feel almost unworthy of her. He couldn't offer her anything, and she wouldn't want him to be as weak as he felt without her, she liked him strong and feeling like he didn't need her. She needed someone she could lean on when she did feel vulnerable, not someone who fell apart because he got to see those moments.

She stopped when she reached him, her eyes still fixed on his, and he couldn't help but notice as he looked back down that he could see the top of her breasts peaking out over the top of her tank top and his memory wandered back to what it had been like to taste them, and the way her back had arched against the mattress and she had accidentally sighed at the feeling. He felt his body reacting to the memory and figured that the shower tonight would have to be a cold one.

But then she leaned up, still not having said a word so far, neither of them really needing to because they trusted each other enough to know that they weren't in any danger and that was all that they were taught to care about. Danger. Immediate danger. But no one ever warned them about the long term dangers. About how they had fallen into something they could never walk away from, and how that thing broke every rule they had ever been told. That they should always look out for themselves, that the only thing they should really feel passionate about is their weapon training, to make allies not friends or anything stronger.

Clove pressed her lips against Cato's; she felt her body react to him being there, her skin growing slightly flushed as her heart rate picked up at the simple contact. She felt her arms go up to circle his neck as he brought his down to rest on her hip bones, both of them feeling instantly more comfortable now that their hands were settled where they belonged.

They were never good with words, Clove knew she could never match the words that were written in the books that lined the wall here, but she didn't feel like she needed them with Cato. That when they joined together like this there was no need for an explanation, no need for reasons or cares or why they had to do these things because they both knew what the other was feeling. And so what if they didn't want words to prove it? To label them as star-crossed lovers because what did it matter if anyone else knew? He would always be the boy with the swords and her the girl with the knives and no words would change that.

Clove braced herself as Cato spun them around and pushed her against a wall with a fair amount of force but he didn't worry about having to be gentle with her. In all honesty she barely even registered the walls presence other than to note how Cato's hips were pinning her against it.

She parted her lips to allow his tongue to enter her mouth and she noted how he tasted slightly salty as she ground her hips against him, noting the growth in his trousers that felt all to pleasurable against her. Her tongue became trapped between Cato's lips as he sucked on the tip lightly and she felt her knees weaken and she leant against the wall for a little extra support.

He took advantage of this to break away from her lips and begin planting heavy kisses down her neck, her breathing growing more ragged and desperate the further down his lips travelled. Her skin felt warmer that it had mere minutes before and she felt the uncontrollable need to rip the clothes from her body. But Cato was quickly distracting any thought process she could form as his tongue darted out and ran a line from the outermost part of her clavicle and then continued down her sternum. His mouth wandered along the top of her tank top, and she hooked her fingers into the waistband of his trousers and pulled him harshly against her. He was a little uncomfortable with his neck bent at such an angle but they way Cloves chest was moving rendered him incapable of even thinking about moving.

Cloves fingers wrapped around the bottom of Cato's shirt and she pulled it sharply over his head. His lips breaking away from her skin only for as long as necessary before they crashed back into hers, their tongues tangling together uncontrollably once again. She was vaguely aware of Cato's hands as they skimmed across her breasts, their warm presence causing her nipples to react and become harder as he squeezed them lightly. She moaned as she exhaled and the noise led to Cato ripping the flimsy material of her top open.

He took a second to lean back a little and appreciate the view; he doubted he'd ever tire of watching Clove like this. The way her breasts curved so beautifully as her chest moved with every breath. At times he wished he could see her heartbeat, wishing he could see the proof of the tiny organ that did so much to keep her alive. But there was enough of Clove to take in already and he was still looking at her hungrily as her own eyes darkened into a deeper brown, reflecting his own eyes.

He debated telling her how perfect she was to him, with her pale skin now a pale pink in places except where his mouth had become too carried away and red circles could be seen, but she didn't need reminding.

So instead he let his mouth return to hers, the place he knew it would always return to, and made quick work of undoing the buttons on her trousers and sliding his hand into her underwear. He knew from the gasp she let out that she would feel moist but it didn't stop the feeling of almost pride he got at experiencing it. She pressed her back flat against the wall, her hips tilting upwards slightly as Cato stood over her, leaning his head into her neck as his hand began to stroke along her clitoris. When he first touched the nub she gasped, her upper body propelling off of the wall and she bit into the skin over his clavicle in an attempt to control the moan that escaped her. It failed.

His finger tip moved in slow circles and she felt her skin cover in a thin layer of sweat but all she could really focus on was leaning into Cato as his fingers masterfully moved to make her really lose control.

Cato never really got over seeing Clove coming undone. Seeing her eyes squeeze shut tightly as her plump lower lip dropped open a little and the air got trapped in her airway and her muscles tightened simultaneously before sharply relaxing again as she felt the full force of her release. It was the same thing he was aiming for now, as her warm breath hit the sweat coating his own skin and he made a conscious effort to remember which movements made her breathing hitch just that little bit more, which ones even sometimes caused a low moan to escape her usually cautious lips.

Clove felt her breathing picking up further, her muscles feeling heavier and heavier as Cato's strokes grew more hurried and her teeth scraped along the bare skin of his torso she grabbed tightly onto his shoulder blades, preparing for the mind-blowing high that Cato always delivered. She felt the warmth in her stomach grow and tighten before Cato applied just a little more pressure and sent her tumbling over the edge of no return. She pulled his body tighter against his as her orgasm raced through her body, alighting her blood as it coursed through her veins making every part of her feel more alive than anything else could.

She stood for a moment, Cato's breath running through her hair as she tried to collect herself, all the while aware that while one of his hands was wrapped around her waist holding her upright the other was still comfortably residing at the apex of her thighs.

Eventually, when she thought she could form a coherent thought again, she leaned back to set her head against the wall, ignoring the slight bang that echoed throughout the apartment as she eyed up Cato for a moment. He was staring into her eyes with plenty of unasked questions, all of which she had one answer to.

She reached forward and hurriedly slid down his trousers and boxers, only for them to get caught at the bottom of his legs since he still hadn't had time to remove his shoes. He quickly pulled his shoes off as Clove shimmied out of the tight trousers that still clung to her legs and when Cato looked back up from where his shoes lay abandoned on the ground he let his mouth get ahead of him as he uttered the words, "You're everything I never thought I needed."

She didn't really know why he said the words, or why he had said them now, while her head was still spinning just a little bit but one thing she was certain of was she wanted to have that feeling with him, again. As soon as possible, which turned out to be rather soon.

She wrapped her arms around Cato's neck, tugging slightly on the hairs there as she pulled his face down towards her and let their lips meet. Over and over again their lips slid over each others and their minds got more and more tangled as their bodies pressed tightly against each other. Cato suddenly decided to take things a little further and lifted Clove up by the back of her thighs and pressed her up against the wall, enjoying the way her legs naturally found their way around his waist.

Clove let herself grow used to the feeling of having Cato's hips between her thighs. She sighed a little into his mouth when she first rocked her hips a little and felt his erection run along her slit. She pulled back a little and looked into his darkened blue eyes as she ran a hand down his torso and took a hold of the base of his length, noticing the way he hissed a little through his teeth as she did so, before positioning herself so that she could slide down over him.

He growled slightly as he plunged deeper into her than he had before, and she moaned at the same time, feeling her walls stretching to their capacity. He let her settle for a moment, replacing her hands on his neck and placing herself so that she could watch him as he began thrusting in and out of her slowly.

His pace increased once she started to grip more tightly onto his hair and her ears grew fond of the sound of their skin coming together mixed with the occasional grunts from Cato.

They continued, each refusing to look away form the others eyes as they continued. At times Clove thought she should look away, but something about Cato's stormy gaze made it a short lived thought. It drew her in, she watched the pleasure and primal instincts flit through them and she waited for them to release, refusing to look away incase she missed it.

Her breathing grew ragged and she felt herself building for a second time just as she caught site of some other emotion flitting through his eyes. He would never tell her that he knew how to make sure she reached her pleasure before he did. Would never let her know that the only image that really slowed the thrill of being with her was the thought of her lying dead at the Cornucopia. Because she didn't have to know, all that mattered was the hooded gaze she was looking at him with now as she wondered how he did it as her eyes took an entirely new shade of brown. And that was more than enough for him.

Soon after he felt her release for a second time and he came quickly after, the pressure of her walls closing around him tipping him over the edge right after her. He rested his head at the crook of her neck and she ran her fingers through his thick hair, noting how his scalp was slightly damp.

"You said never," she breathed eventually and he pulled himself up from her neck and looked down at her, confusion now clear in his eyes. "What you said before. You said I was everything you never thought you needed."

"Yes," he confirmed, the word coming out raspy as he still struggled to regain his breath. He had no problem with any other type of cardio but it was just something about Clove that made him more breathless than he should have been.

"Never is an odd word to use," she pointed out, holding his gaze and letting him know he wasn't going to get away without answering the question.

"It's appropriate though," he started and with the way she cocked her head to the side he knew he'd have to continue. "All my life I thought there was just the Games. That all there was to life was training, blood, death and glory. And then there was you, you were the ever present reminder that I could lose everything I knew I needed. I needed the glory, and you were the only one who I ever thought could take it from me. You were the competition that I needed in my life to make myself better.

"Then you became something more. Something that I couldn't quite place in my mind. I could no longer think of you as the competition because that would mean I wanted to kill you, and I didn't. As much as I still wanted everything else from the Games I needed you more. I needed you to look at me like you are now, and I never knew I needed you until I lost you. I knew, as soon as I watched you die in the Games, that I didn't need glory. I didn't care about that. I realized that when the tracker jackers fell on us I needed you to get out, when they announced the feast I let you go because I didn't think Thresh was stupid enough to try and run in and it would keep you out of danger. But I was wrong. I sent you to your death by trying to protect you. I never knew just how much I needed you until I tried to go on without you. Without you I was just the boy with the sword. The one who should have won. With you, I was everything I had the potential to be," he answered and Clove felt something in her chest tighten at his words. Because they were true for her too.

"I always suspected you were more than a training partner," Clove confessed and he leaned forward and pressed his lips against hers lightly, sealing all the other feelings that they didn't quite say. "We should, umm, head to sleep," she muttered, feeling guilty but also feeling exhausted from the long days she had been going through.

"Together?" Cato asked, his eyes almost pleading with her even though she already knew her answer. And it was very rare for Clove to change her mind about anything.

"Together," she agreed.

Author's Note: My lord I got far too into writing this scene! So I hope you all enjoyed this as much as I enjoyed writing this. I love having a few like proper Clato moments in amongst all the madness of the Shadows and the rebellion and everything else that's going on in Dancing With Shadows. Anyways I owe so many of you guys a massive thanks for reporting the plagiarized version of this story and I have since blocked the user who stole it, so hopefully they don't see that I've updated and I would recommend you guys do the same just in case. But it seriously means the world to me that you reported and even reviewed it so, once again, THANK YOU! Also, I am planning a Glimmer and Marvel scene for the next chapter of this, because I really love their relationship far too much! And then it will be back to Dancing With Shadows for some updates on the rebellion!

-R