A/N: My plans for during the Christmas holidays and afterwards are posted in the below A/N!

Warning: Hinted rivalry, OC, hints of future violence, major sexual and emotional abuse, hinted rape.

Sorry for any typos! :)

Chapter Ten

Compared to the previous drug den in which Peeta had been traumatised in, this one did not seem as bad. The hygiene was lot more up to standard, for starters, and it was a bar so there was constantly alcohol at hand. Peeta didn't know if he would be capable of getting through the night if he didn't have a drink in his hand. It seemed that all he ever seemed to be now-a-days is drugged up or drunk. Suspicion told him that this was better than going through all this crap completely sober.

Whoever owned the bar didn't owe a debt. According to Cato, he was actually a constant and loyal customer. Peeta wondered how you become close and loyal to such a violent bunch of people. Was it because they always had Nightlock? Or was it because once you make one purchase, you were already addicted?

Peeta wondered why he was here at all. After the Russian Roulette issue, he had thought that Cato would give him some time to adjust but it seemed that Cato was actually extremely determined to get Peeta adjusted to his ways. So that they could be together more often or something. At least no-one was going to get shot this time. Or, at least, Peeta hoped they wouldn't.

This place was supposedly popular, but Peeta had never heard about it. But then again he was more of a 'buy some vodka at the off license and drink it at home' sort of person opposed to a 'let's go out and get wasted!' sort of drinker so he wouldn't know which bars were popular and which weren't. Cato's crew were all there and it seemed that they had made a group decision that since this particular customer owned a bar that they should all just go out and get shit-faced after making the exchange. Peeta couldn't help thinking about how easy a life drug dealing must be. Make an exchange then you are free for the night. The money must be good, as well, since they hardly seem to do any work other than sorting out the shipments from where-ever they came in from.

This time, they didn't party in a private room, nor where they the only people in the bar. This made Peeta more nervous. Could the other patrons tell that they were criminals? Did he look like the accomplice of a criminal? Surely they couldn't tell. And even if they did, it should surely only be hunch. Right? The idea made Peeta want to shrink and slip between the floorboards.

None of the girls were there this time around. This was another factor that made Peeta nervous. The whole 'sharing partners' thing that Finnick had previously spoken about was the scariest thing Peeta had ever heard. It seemed alright when Gale and Marvel and Joel were all mixed in with their own girls but when none of them were there, did that mean that Peeta was fair game? Peeta could only hope that Cato stayed close.

The guys-Peeta was surprised that he still hadn't learned the name of their . . . drug crew?-did multiple drinking games. The sort that the only thing you can see is arms going up every few seconds to down vodka shot after vodka shot. It wouldn't take them long to get shit-faced. Peeta sometimes got tipsy enough from just drinking one shot too fast. He expected Cato to stumble over to him soon, being his usual drunken kissy self, and start demanding for sex just like he had done before when he and Finnick tried to rape him. Peeta shuddered and tried to focus his mind on other things. Except there wasn't much else to think about.

Someone sat beside him at the bar. Out of the corner of his eye, Peeta saw familiar blond hair, green eyes and muscular build. He spun a little in his seat, expecting to see Cato, and nearly fell out of his seat when he realized it wasn't. Thank God he didn't say anything. Discreetly pushing his fingers through his hair and leaning his head away, Peeta cradled his glass with his free hand while he fought back the embarrassed fire he felt threatening to spill out onto his face.

A finger tapped his shoulder. "You're Peeta, right?" A deep but smooth voice asked.

Peeta peered through the gap of his arm at the Cato's doppelganger suspiciously. "What if I am?" he asked cautiously. He had to be careful. He didn't know whether Cato would be happy if he saw him talking to other people. Especially not an insanely attractive male.

"Adrian Hadley," the man said, placing a hand on his chest in reference to himself. "I'm Cato's brother."

"Cato has a brother?" Peeta asked in disbelief. He straightened up a little but kept his guard up just in case.

"Didn't mention me?" Adrian sighed. Peeta shook his head. It would explain why they looked so similar. "Can't say I'm surprised. We don't exactly get along all that well. For . . . reasons . . ." Shaking his head, Adrian added, "You're his boyfriend though, right?"

"If you don't get along, how do you know who I am?" Peeta asked.

"Oh, everyone knows," Adrian laughed. Peeta must have looked alarmed as he backtracked to make is sound less . . . frightening. "It is the duty of every member of every gang to know everything about every member of every opposing gang. Especially in the case of people like Cato and Finnick. They're especially . . . popular."

Peeta rolled his eyes. "So you're a drug dealer too? Does it run in your family's blood or something?" he muttered.

"Certainly not in my mother's, anyway," Adrian answered. This made Peeta believe that maybe Adrian wasn't an imposter. Cato had mentioned that his mother had kicked him out when he turned eighteen because of his Nightlock addiction. "Cato and I, however, we haven't spoken in months. Probably because my lot and his, we don't usually mix."

"Why's that?" asked Peeta.

"Cato deals Nightlock, I prefer in dealing with the hard stuff," Adrian explained.

Peeta swallowed. Hard stuff? He would have thought that Nightlock was the hard stuff. It was certainly capable of a lot. It turned him into a needy whore, apparently, and could wipe hours of your memory out in one clean slide. What possibly be harder than that? "What's harder than Nightlock?" he whispered in interest.

Adrian lowered his voice to a stage-whisper, amused by Peeta's worry of others overhearing them. "Tracker Jacker venom."

Peeta's eyes widened. Tracker Jacker's were deadly. Too much of their venom was fatal and even if you got stung once you would experience awful hallucinations. Why anyone would willingly inject themselves with the poison was beyond his comprehension. Adrian must have seen Peeta's shock as he elaborated.

"In recommended doses, obviously. Don't want the customers dropping like flies now, do I?" he said.

"How many different drugs are being dealt in the Capitol, exactly?" Peeta asked, still not confident enough to raise his voice above a whisper.

Adrian shrugged. It was odd how open he was about the profession whereas Cato was closed off on the topic. "I don't know, really. There's Nightlock dealers, Venom sellers . . . The saliva of a Jabberjay can work as Viagra and it sells well, depending on the season. Um, really any Capitol mutation has a euphoric fault."

Peeta took an anxious sip of his drink. His mind was whirling and, in retrospect, the alcohol didn't help. "And you say that all of these . . . dealers . . . know that I'm dating Cato?"

"Of course," said Adrian. "Come on, surely you didn't think that it wouldn't get out that Cato Hadley finally had a squeeze?"

A squeeze? That's what these people thought of him? Peeta took another drink and shook his head. He had never been one to care about what others thought of him but the term 'squeeze' made him sound like some sort of harlet who Cato rented out every weekend for a fuck. "Well that's just charming," he muttered sarcastically.

He could feel Adrian's eyes on him, even when he wasn't looking in his direction. The sensation they caused wasn't exactly as poignant as that of Cato's eyes but they still made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. Maybe it was a Hadley thing. After what felt like years of sitting in silence, Adrian finally broke it by asking the bartender to refill Peeta's drink and bring him a 'girl on fire', whatever that was.

Peeta could hear Cato's crew whooping at the back of the bar and he was glad that he wasn't there. They'd probably have him wedged in the middle, where his body would probably end up being a playground for those who didn't know how to keep their hands to themselves. "Cato's folks were always so unprofessional," Adrian muttered, a pint glass of red liquid pressed between his lips. "Drinking on the job? So foolish."

"Tell me about it," Peeta muttered back. He glanced at Adrian. "Younger or older?"

"Twin, actually," Adrian surprised Peeta by saying.

"Oh . . . wow." Adrian stared at Peeta in the same way as Cato and that worried him. If Cato saw that Adrian was here at all, he'd probably flip his lid, never mind the fact that Peeta was talking to him. "Penny for your thoughts?"

"Honest thoughts?"

Peeta shrugged. "Sure, why not?"

"Well, I'm just saying to myself that I wouldn't mind having my face between those legs." Adrian nodded his head in the direction of Peeta's thighs, making the younger boy flush and cross one knee over the other.

"Are all of you obsessed with sex or is just a gang thing?" Peeta asked, trying to keep his voice in line.

Adrian shrugged with an easy smile. "I'm pretty laid back, I'll admit. You did ask for honesty, remember. You can't have honesty and pussy footing at the same time."

Peeta knew this was true but he couldn't help how overwhelmed he still felt from the constant innuendos that seemed to come from all corners. Not all of them were directed at him, either. Gale sometimes told Joel he had a nice ass or Finnick would chew on Marvel's earlobe like a piece of gum. It was weird and disgusting. Peeta was just glad that he couldn't remember any of them having their hands on him.

"Want to know a secret?" asked Adrian, his voice finally hushed.

Peeta, curious, leaned closer when Adrian beckoned him closer. "You see Cato's lot? They wouldn't know true beauty if it walked up to them and smacked them across the face. They just want something to blow their load inside something that's half decent looking. My guys?" Peeta flinched when Adrian's fingertips grazed his face and sat back the tiniest of bits. "My guys know what a beautiful creature looks like and we know how to treat them too."

Wetting his dry lips, Peeta asked, "What are you trying to say?"

Adrian's green eyes seemed to have a flicker of brown speckles in them. They weren't as bright as Cato's either. "If you ever tire of being treated like shit, I'm not too hard to find. I know how my brother works and the front you put up doesn't hide the pain you're harbouring."

"You want me to . . . what? Choose you?" Peeta asked incredulously.

"Not me, my side," said Adrian. Peeta could smell the alcohol on Adrian's breath and couldn't tell if he was being completely honest or not. "My people wouldn't dare harm pretty creatures. Cato never could see how bruises marred beauty."

Peeta could see where Adrian was going with this. It seemed that Cato and Adrian's rivalry ran so deep that his boyfriend's twin was trying to steal him away to his own side. "I'm sorry, you're too late," Peeta said curtly, slipping off his stool and leaving his drink only half empty. "I'll just stay with Cato. Besides, I know my way around his lot better . . ."

Adrian smirked. "I'm sure you do."

Peeta's jaw unhinged in horror. "I didn't mean in that way! I just"-

"I know what you mean. You walk with a limp, it's obvious that you've been maltreated," Adrian shrugged. His eyes took on a serious look. "But if you think my brother will change then you're wrong."

Adrian's seriousness struck Peeta in a way he didn't like. He spun on his heel and walked away at a quickened pace, joining Cato and his pack of drunken idiots at the back. They welcomed him with open arms but instead of being wedged in the middle, Cato sat him down on his lap and used his ear as a chew toy for the remainder of the night.

Peeta tried to banish everything Adrian had said from his mind. He had to be loyal to Cato. Cato and no one else.

~PS~

Cato dragged his mouth down Peeta's bare chest and enclosed a soft nipple between his lips. Peeta moaned and threw his head back, his body arching upwards into Cato's. The sheets were tangled around them, their clothes strewn on the floor. Peeta had barely a chance to get a word in before Cato was stripping his clothes off for him. Something felt a little off, like Cato was trying to prove something, but Peeta didn't know what.

In moments like these, where Peeta felt so vulnerable and where he couldn't help himself, that he forgot completely about how his body was black and blue. About how most of his movements were enunciated with stiffness and pain. Moments like this one was when he could allow himself to fall away and just imagine he was making love with Cato.

A greedy hand grabbed his cock and stroked it mercilessly. Peeta cried out and begged Cato not to stop, even though he knew his boyfriend wouldn't dream of it. Cato bit down on the rock hard peak of Peeta's aroused bud before sliding his lips across the small distance to treat the neglected one, which had already hardened anyway and was aching with want. Peeta's knees drew together on instinct as his partner's hand continued to caress his throbbing manhood but they bumped into Cato's rock hard thighs inside of succeeding in covering himself up.

"I saw you talking to Adrian," Cato suddenly said.

Peeta tried to answer but instead cried out in pain when Cato's spare hand clutched his waist so tight the bruises screamed. So much for forgetting they were there. "I d-d-didn't . . . h-he came to m-me"-

"I know," Cato snapped, planting an almost bruising kiss on Peeta's mouth. He looked down between them, suddenly avidly interested in what his other hand was doing to Peeta. He watched his hand slide up and down his boyfriend's aroused cock, making the smaller boy underneath him flush in embarrassment. "What did he want?"

"I don't know," Peeta panted. The grip on his penis tightened to the point where it was no longer pleasurable and he screamed in agony. "I really don't know, Cato, I swear."

"What did he say to you?"

"He . . ." Peeta frantically searched his hazy brain and grabbed at the first thing he remembered. "He kept saying things about beautiful creatures and being treated well. I think he was propositioning me to join his side or something! He said you weren't going to change!" Tears streamed from his eyes as the pain down below increased.

"What did you say to him?" Cato demanded. Peeta shook his head, unable to remember. Cato stroked his cock, slow and hard. "What did you say to him?!" he roared.

Peeta sobbed brokenly. "I left! I went to you and the guys! I wouldn't join his side ever! I love you Cato, not him!" he yelled, laying it on thick. "I would never dream of leaving you in a million years!"

Cato had gone back to staring at his hand, which clutched Peeta's manhood like a vice. He smiled in this scary, deluded way that made Peeta want to run out of the house as fast as he could. "You know you belong to me, right?" he said slowly, his grip loosening. Peeta gasped in relief and whimpered when Cato started softly stroking his tender cock again, probably hoping to reignite what had been happening beforehand. "You belong to me, not to Adrian or anyone else."

"Okay," Peeta replied. He quickly rubbed his eyes and brushed the tears from his face. "I know, Cato. I'm sorry. I won't talk to him again." His stomach coiled tight with nerves and he trembled uncontrollably underneath Cato. "C-can I go to sleep now?"

"No." Peeta's heart sank as Cato gently pressed his face into the crook of his neck and pressed careful kisses there. "We haven't even started yet." A finger tenderly caressed the cleft of Peeta's ass, a hint to what Cato meant. Peeta resisted the urge to burst out crying again. All he wanted to do now was sleep.

Sleep and maybe, just maybe, never wake up again.

A/N: My Plans for Christmas and Afterward:

CHRISTMAS HIATUS: 16TH OF NOVEMBER-10TH OF JANUARY

However, there may or may not be a Christmas Peetato one shot brewing around in my mind to be posted during the holidays ;)

Plans for after Christmas:

Continue scheduled updates of 'Tremble'.

Plan out where to go with 'Puppet Strings', pre-write some chapters and organize a schedule for it as well.

Get back to 'Me Katniss, you Peeta,' and 'Will you love me in the morning?'. Plan and organize! Yes, I really want to get back to both of these stories!

Hopefully please my readers! Sadly, January is when my mock exams begin but I'm going to try and do what I can for you all in between studying :D