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199th Reviewer: Larka Rinna Luna -chapter 12-
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201st Reviewer: The Giggling Gummy Bear12 -chapter 14-
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The Giggling Gummy Bear12: This chapter is dedicated to you! Yes, you! Congrats! I hope you like it :D I'm sorry it took so long. School started again -.- But I made sure to write while in class in a notebook that way I could type things up the second I got home :)
Chapter 14: Of Hopefully Fiancés and Generous Hosts
-With Cato-
The rule change announcement had put him in such high spirits that the second Katniss was dry enough to be moved away from the fire, he set out for their other supplies. He felt light as he jogged to their old campsite and back, regardless of the actual weight he was carrying. One, two, three times. Now their new cave had a neat little pile in the far corner of everything they had left. He guessed that they had enough food and water for another week and a half. Hopefully by then the Games would be over, but that depended solely on how quickly Haymitch and Brutus got Katniss's medicine.
Speaking of Katniss, said tribute had slept through most of the night with little to no noise or interrupted sleep. Cato had checked her temperature periodically since she'd fallen into her dream-filled abyss at dusk. Her fever had returned around the time Cato had come back with his second load of their supplies, but it wasn't as strong as it had been before he broke it in the river. He figured they would try to break it again when she woke up in the morning, but for now he'd let her be. She was so peaceful that he couldn't imagine waking her and he realized that he would be no good to her the next day if he didn't get some rest as well. Although he wasn't 100% comfortable sleeping without adding some more camouflage to the cave's entrance.
After filling in as many of the small gaps between leaves on the vines with moss and mud, so the firelight wouldn't be visible from the outside, Cato laid carefully behind Katniss. Every aware of his presence, she turned and snuggled closely into his chest, getting a firm grip on his shirt and making any hopes he had of escaping before she awoke impossible. She was far enough from the fire that her fingers were a little cold, despite her mildly feverish temperature everywhere else, so he figured wrapping an arm loosely around her waist and snuggling couldn't hurt that much, right? Right. He slipped into sleep with ease. Dreaming was the hard part. Literally. Apparently the rule change had made his subconscious justify thoughts about their future or more specifically: their honeymoon.
He wasn't even entirely sure that he was dreaming. After all he could feel the silk, the tulle, her hair under his fingers. The dress, no doubt custom made by one of District 8's finest dress makers-although probably designed by Cinna-was perfect. It accentuated her curves, breasts, thighs and ass, in a way that damn near made him drool. He was afraid that he would give in and just rip it from her, but he managed not too. Instead settling for pulling her up from the mattress and into his arms. She laid her head on his shoulder while he worked on undoing the corset on her back. Once the dress had loosened its grip on her torso he slid it down, pooling the immense amount of fabric at her waist. He openly growled with lust at the sight of her bare chest and even more so at the blush creeping into her skin. Mine, Mine, Mine, Mine, Mine.
He wasn't expecting her to grab him through his pants and hissed in surprise at the contact. She smirked like the little vixen she is and purred, "I can't have all the fun, Cato…"
He begged to differ. "Who said I wasn't having fun?" He replied. To that she giggled and leaned in to press her lips against his.
"Mm…Cato…"
She surprised him again when she took control and shifted her weight so she could push him onto his back. She straddled his waist, smirking down at him like the naughty little kitten he knew her to be. His vision was blurring, confusing him, but he ignored it when she brought her searing hot lips onto his once again. Somebody is definitely HOT and bothered, he thought with a smirk, not to mention mine for the taking. He snaked his hands up her spine, pulling her closer while he gently clawed between her shoulder blades. That elicited a primal moan from Katniss, a sound he adored, so he did it again. The more he touched, the more she moaned and the more her body burned him. Logic would tell him to move away, as he was certain he would get blisters from her skin. However he found himself unable to do so. She had him pinned, he couldn't move outside of touching her, kissing her, and trying to get that damn dress off of her. Her fingers raked over him in return. They burned his cheeks, his scalp when she threaded them in his hair, his chest. No fire was spared for the painful erection in his pants either. She had pain and pleasure mixed into a twisted vortex of confusion. Not that he was complaining.
"Why are you so hot, Baby?" he murmured against her flaming lips.
"I'm not. You're the sex appeal in this relationship." She mumbled in reply.
He chuckled. "Not true, but I wasn't talking about your looks. You almost feel feverish…?"
She pulled back. Resting her forehead and nose against his while she searched his eyes.
"I feel fine." She said. Why did she sound so…out of it all of a sudden? And good god she was making him sweat from all the heat coming off her skin. He shook his head, trying to clear the fog building there, as well as the blurriness in his vision. He groaned, all his energy suddenly gone as he squeezed his eyes shut and counted to five.
When he opened them he was back in the cave. He could faintly hear birds outside, meaning it was morning. He noticed that the heat from Katniss's body in the dream was actually Katniss's body. For said tribute was straddling him, with her forehead and nose against his, a confused and slightly off look in her eyes while she studied him. He breathed deeply, trying to awaken his clouded senses and shifted slightly under her weight. It took him a few minutes before he could fully grasp the situation.
"Katniss, sweetheart, you really need to get off of me now." He said gently.
"But we were having fun…" she whispered hoarsely with a pout.
"I know, Baby, I know, but your fever is hitting you really hard again. We need to keep you alive while we wait for medicine."
"But I feel fine." She pouted.
For now. You'll probably go all toddler speech on me again in an hour….he thought, sighing at her antics.
"You just don't want me!"
"Katniss. Come on, don't pull that card on me." He groaned, sitting up and bringing her with him so she was sitting in his lap instead. "I'll make you a deal…" This caught her attention- thankfully- and she waited for him to continue.
"Once you're better, after we get you medicine and everything, if you're still adamant about…playing around then we can. Okay?" She resumed her pouting.
"Come on, Kitten. I don't want you to get sicker."
"You don't want me at all…"
"Katniss Everdeen, you know that's not true." He snapped, as softly as he could. He'd be lying if he said her words weren't getting to him, but this was fever-talk after all, so he couldn't exactly hold it against her. Two years apart had clearly put some doubting in her subconscious and she couldn't separate fact from fantasy in this state.
She gave him a hard look. "Liar."
"You're just mad because you're horny and I said no."
She crossed her arms over she chest and looked away. After mentally shaking his head at her, he nudged her in the cheek with his nose, nuzzling and butterfly kissing her skin until she finally met his eyes again.
"I love you, Grouchy." He said sweetly.
"I love you too, PussyBlocker."
He snorted and kissed her cheek again. If Katniss was this amusing while high on poison, how much fun is she when she's drunk? He'd have to find out once they got their asses back to District 12. For now, he just needed to focus on keeping her fever down, making sure her bandages stayed clean, forcing her to eat. That was the hardest part. The poison, which he assumed was a mixture of diluted LatroLoxo venom and a very small amount of Nightlock berry skins, was giving her anorexia. ((In any hospital database it would be referred to as LLN-P4 (Back in District 2 they just called it LatLoxN (lAt-lOx-In) for short.)) The government only manufactured it for special cases in which a patient would need it- as the substance was surprisingly antibacterial and antiviral- to cure some other ailment. It was only allowed in the Games because the Capitol is full of sick twisted fucks.
She fought him over every meal. Whether it is because she was too tired to open her mouth and chew the food, or because she was just outright refusing, it didn't matter. She'd barely eaten in days- which was only going to help the LatLoxN slowly damage her nervous system and reduce muscle function. After an hour long battle over food and a small victory of two strips of dried meat in Katniss's belly, Cato decided her fever had raged long enough. She wasn't going to like it, but it was Bath Time.
"Let's go for a swim," he suggested nonchalantly.
Katniss stiffened, glaring up at him from her seat beside him. He could feel the muscle tension under his fingers where his arm was draped over her shoulder. Argument number 3 commencing in 3…2…1…
"Uh uh."
"Come on, you love water." He tried.
"Warm water."
The whole point it that the water is cold, Kitten. He was suddenly struck with an idea. A win-win situation for both of them technically, - getting her heart rate up wasn't the best idea, but letting her sit and boil her brain was a much worse option. "Kitten, what if I gave you a bath?" She looked at him skeptically. "As in possibly a little…play time."
"I'm listening…" she said slowly. She wasn't willing to admit it, but slur and far away-ness was returning to her voice. It wouldn't be long before she was talking like a toddler again. With one word sentences and repeating simple phrases over and over until he understood her. Not exactly the easiest way to communicate.
"We won't do anything if you don't agree to get in the water." He told her.
"But it's cold…" she whimpered. He just raised a brow at her. Silently asking is it worth it? while she tried and failed to pity party her way out of the situation. It didn't take long for her to realize that he was putting her in the water whether she liked it or not.
"O-kay…" she mumbled in defeat.
He smiled at her, standing and offering his hand to pull her up from the floor. She was a bit lightheaded and off balance, but his grip on her waist kept her steady. She held onto his shoulders for balance while he reached up her shirt to unclasp her white cotton bra. They managed to get it off while keeping her t-shirt on. It was daylight after all, and he'd be damned if the last thing Loverboy or any of the other tributes saw before Cato drilled a spear into their head, was Katniss's naked flesh. She also got to keep her panties and leggings on, Cato didn't want the Capitol to see that part of her. Although he was sure they'd turn off the camera's if he asked them too-like they had at the stream-, he'd rather their sponsors see firsthand that they were slowly letting her die. That she was weak, despite her adamant refusal to the fact. He knew that when she came, it wouldn't be that full body muscle spasm that caused her to go almost completely still for a few seconds. Her body just didn't have the energy for it. She'd probably slowly seep into her climax, tensing only a little, her fevered mind rendering her speechless while he held her. And as she came down from Cloud 9 lethargy would sneak up on her. She'd be asleep before she fully recovered from her orgasm.
Cato sighed while he undressed down to his undershorts, which weren't quite leggings, as they weren't skin tight, but they served the same purpose – being another layer between his pants and his boxers. Katniss nuzzled against his bare chest the second his shirt left his skin and he couldn't help but chuckle at her. He gently scooped her up in his arms, bridal style, as not to interrupt the affection she was giving him from his collarbones to his ribs. Her touch was heavenly, and he could feel the muscles jump when she touched him. He didn't understand how one girl- nay, woman- had this effect on him. He loved it of course, but it also scared him. She could be used against him so easily or even hurt because of him. He shook his head, trying to banish his unwelcome train of thought.
He reached the water quickly and tentatively took his first steps into the shallows. The water was a good ten degrees cooler than it had been last night, which told him that the Game Makers were watching. That they were trying to help, that the nation was on his side. Hopefully, Haymitch and Brutus were working their asses off trying to collect the sponsor money. Hopefully, Haymitch was sober. Hopefully, Katniss wouldn't notice his reaction to the water. Hopefully. She started to squirm when they got to the edge of the shallows, glaring daggers at the frigid depths below her. He wondered if he let her glare long enough that she'd realize that the water wasn't going to get warmer just because she wanted it too.
"How cold?" she murmured.
"It's not that bad," he lied. "It's gonna feel colder to you because of your fever."She groaned as he kneeled down, balancing her in his arms above the water while he got himself into a position where he could easily get on to one of the rocky platforms below the surface.
"Band-aids hurt less if you just rip them off in one swipe. That's the logic we're using today." He told her. She grunted in response and readjusted her grip on his shoulders.
He pushed them over the edge and into the icy water. His feet hadn't touched the platform when she started thrashing, weakly of course. She was out of the water from her neck up in the position he was holding her in, but she still acted as if she was drowning.
"Out! Out! Out!" she squealed angrily.
"Sorry, Kitten. Not until your fever breaks again. Now shut up before somebody hears you."
She attempted a human version of a growl. He thought she did quite well.
"Keep growling like that and I'll just have to change your name to puppy instead."
If looks could kill…
"You don't like 'Puppy'?"
"N-n-no." she growled, her teeth already chattering from the cold.
"Then quit acting like one."
Aside from her teeth, she became a silent shivering ball in his arms. It bothered him in the beginning that she felt so hot compared to the water, as she had last time, if not a little worse. He pacified his discomfort by watching their surroundings and planning Clove's death. He'd spent his last three months before the games training with her. He knew ever strengths, every flaw, every weakness. Her crush on him made her spill more secrets than she should have. Including her greatest fears. He knew exactly how to kill her to make her scared, to make her suffer and he intended to do just that. Nobody touched his Kitten and got away with it.
The coolness of the water kept him alert. He multitasked, keeping an eye out for other tributes while sorting through his scrambled thoughts. The second Katniss's skin felt the same temperature as his own; he took her out of the water. They went back into the cave. He set her down so he could rebuild the fire. She sat on the stone part of the floor in a shivering angry ball. It reminded him of Prim's cat (Buttercup?) when Katniss had tried to drown it. Wet, hunched over and seething. She directed her fiery glare at him, eyes following him as he moved around the large space. He knew why- she thought he had tricked her into agreeing to get in the water. Little did she know, he fully intended on keeping his part of the deal, he just wanted her to be dry first, so she wouldn't fall asleep uncomfortable.
"I haven't told you the good news yet have I?" he asked, kneeling beside her and brought them both closer to the fire.
"N-news?"
"There was a rule change when you were asleep last night. The Game Makers announced it after the Fallen Tributes bit."
She tilted her head to the side, waiting for him to continue.
"If the games get down to one male and one female…they will both be crowned victors." He said slowly, gauging her reaction. Although she wasn't as coherent as she could have been, her eyes widened and she sat up a little straighter. She understood.
"Go home?" she whispered.
He smiled gently. "Yes, Kitten. We're going home. Both of us."
Her lips opened and closed a few times as she struggled to find whatever words she was looking for. He waited patiently while she hesitated and gnawed her bottom lip.
"Cake…?" she said softly. He tilted his head, urging her to continue. "Prim…toast…dress..?"
He scooted so he was sitting in front of her and rested his forehead against hers.
"I think the word you're looking for is 'wedding', Kitten." She blushed, causing him to chuckle. "Yes, Katniss, we'll go home, get married and live with Haymitch in Victors Village. Maybe with some company he won't need to drink so much. Maybe he'll actually clean his house for once or something."She had tears in her eyes, which he tried to wipe away, but she was smiling.
"No alone?"
"No alone." He repeated. "Never again."
She crawled into his lap and while they finished drying. She fell asleep shortly after with her head buried into the crook on his neck, mumbling incoherently while she slept. He held her tightly, periodically checking her fever. At one point, he laid her down so he could change her bandages. That's when he realized that he may as well get some more sleep. With the rule change and the anxiety of Katniss's condition, they would be safe. He had no doubt they had the hearts of most of the nation on their side. Mainly the Capitol. Those people are suckers for a good love story and he wasn't even faking it, nor was Katniss. With those happy thoughts in mind, he laid beside her. Napping was a good idea, especially if her fever returned in the night. Her cool temperature only added to his good mood and he let himself peacefully fall asleep.
-With Haymitch and Brutus-
In the time since the Game had begun, the District 12 suite had become Brutus' second home. He'd spent so much time with Haymitch and the rest of the D12 team that he felt like he was part of the group. In essence, he was one of them. Cato's decision to stay with Katniss in District 12 gave Brutus a free pass to the coal-mining district as well so that he could stay with his young protégé. The cameras would be expecting Brutus and his drunkard companion to act as father figures for their respective tributes. When the Games ended and the kids returned, Haymitch would probably be responsible for 'presenting' Katniss to Cato on their wedding day while Brutus would probably play the Man of Honor or just be the 'Father-of-the-groom'. He knew for a fact Cato wouldn't want his biological father anywhere near Katniss or District 12 in general. The Capitol would abide his wishes if it meant they got to see more of the happy couple and check on their lives every few weeks, months, years. Whenever. For now, they had a much more difficult task ahead of them.
Sponsors.
Outside of the Arena, the fan base had divided into its usual groups. With so few tributes left, (Cato-Katniss, Joan, Thresh, Clove, and Peeta) people had picked a team. There was of course, the largest group: Team Catoniss. Then there was Team Clatove(dense, stupid, stubborn ass Capitolite fucks who want Cato to be tricking Katniss for a good show), Team Cleeta (obviously some Capitolites have been hitting the morphling a little too hard if they think CLOVE is going to end up with PEETA). Team Throan(sounds like 'thrown', it could happen) Team Peetoan(laugh, laugh, laugh). And then the remaining bets being placed on individual tributes. Cato and Katniss were tied at around forty perfect each, Clove with about eight percent, the others in a three way tie of four percent.
With most of the odds already in their favor (87% to be exact), the two mentors shouldn't be having much trouble collecting all the sponsor donations. Tonight was the third night of Katniss's illness, if things had been going properly, they would've had her medicine a day and a half ago. However all the banking systems associated with the Games were acting up. None of the mentors could use their accumulated earnings to buy anything. Withdrawals were currently impossible in every way shape or form. The mentors knew this. The sponsors knew this. So guess what was happening? Sponsors were waiting to give money to mentors until the bank issue was fixed. Now this was fine and all, the big problem was getting Catnip's medicine, but this had never happened before. The mentor banking system is a fail proof system. The technology in the Capitol is too advanced for this kind of a setback. So somebody had planned this. Somebody was interfering.
Somebody like Seneca Crane.
"I swear to god, Brute," Haymitch began with a heavy sigh. "He better get his happy little Game Maker ass and fucked up original Da Vinci designed beard up here before I go find him."
"Seneca will take his sweet time like always," he reminded him with a quiet chuckle.
"Because he's convinced that we're supposed to wait on him like avoxes," Haymitch grumbled.
Brutus didn't have a reply to that one, since it was most likely true. Of course, the man in question, who held the subject of their conversation made himself known. Both mentors turned towards the elevator doors as they chimed open and Seneca stepped into the room. His suit was crisp, fresh from the cleaners. His beard was trimmed to perfection and amusement had a seemingly permanent position in his features, although neither of them could decipher as to why that was.
Brutus had shifted in his seat at the sound of the elevator. He was on one side of the couch and Haymitch on the other with a large gap of empty space between them. Haymitch had flicked a glance in Brutus' direction before returning his focus to their newest companion. He had one ankle resting atop the opposite knee while sipping leisurely from a glass of wine. If you asked him, he would probably tell you that he figured Seneca would take the plush leather one-seater closer to the TV, rather than sitting between them or standing.
"Evening, Gentlemen." Seneca said politely, walking across the foyer-like area of the room. He went around the couch to the seat Haymitch had mentally predicted and sat. They were graced with a well-practiced TV smile that Mr. Crane probably thought would ease their nerves in his presence, maybe make them less hostile. Silly Mr. Crane.
Haymitch's guarded stare never wavered. He also refused to give any reply to Seneca's earlier greetings. Brutus had expected this reaction from his longtime friend and immediate put his I-don't-hate-you-but-I-hate-you attitude in place, (Haymitch called it his Capitol-ass-kissing attitude.) Then he politely replied, "Good evening, Mr. Crane."
"Oh please. Mr. Crane was my father. I think we know each other well enough to go by first names don't we?" Seneca asked cheerfully.
"Of course." Brutus agreed. Haymitch rolled his eyes and slouched down farther into his seat.
Seneca only smiled wider, clearly enjoying himself for some reason. Brutus was amazed that Haymitch hadn't began to rip him a new one yet, seeing as Brutus was one fake smile away from breaking Seneca's face. All the petty small talk, the bullshit. He knows they want answers, they want to know what the fuck his plan is, but he's stalling an being a dick. Or maybe he'd be considered a douche… Brutus would discuss it with Haymitch later.
"Well I'm sure you two are curious as to why the mentor banking system is down," Seneca began-"No shit?" Haymitch breathed quietly as he went to take another drink. Brutus was sure that Seneca hadn't heard him- "and I'm happy to inform you that I'm going to take you up on your offer. Eighty-three percent of the fan base is rooting for your tributes. It would be catastrophic if we let either of them die. So we won't.
"The fallen tributes announcement will be airing in the Arena in about fifteen minutes. We'll announce a feast shortly after and we'll be sure to derive any tributes away from Katniss while Cato goes to retrieve the medicines she needs. Also, to ensure that they will make it out alive, thus preventing another uprising, we will be putting limitations on what the remaining mentors can send into the arena. This will not be publically announced, nor will the other mentors realize it. We will just make sure that anything truly useful is too expensive for them. This handicap is not applied to either of you so long as you don't send anything to Clove, Brutus. And I don't think Haymitch has any intentions of helping Mr. Mellark …?"
"Kid never had a chance, with or without my help." Haymitch said with a shrug.
"Excellent. The feast will be at dawn Arena time, it's about 11 here now, so around 5 or 6 in the morning tomorrow for us. Celebrate. Take a breather. The banks will be up the day after tomorrow, so you don't really need to worry about collecting more sponsors right now. Although you have eighty-three percent of them, how many more can you get?" Seneca said in a light, joking manner.
"Another seventeen percent." Haymitch said dryly, causing Seneca stared at him with a strange look in his eyes while Brutus held back laughter.
"Excuse him he's been drinking." Brutus said, not really meaning it.
"It's fine, Brutus, really. I just wanted to tell you these things in person, clear up any confusion you might have had. Any questions?"
"No. A request however." Brutus replied.
"Another one?"
His lips twitched into a smirk. "Don't interrupt Cato killing Clove. You may not even want the cameras on it. I know he's going to save her for last. It won't be pretty and it sure as hell won't be civilized."
"How so?" Seneca asked, way to interested in the topic. Sick bastard.
"Well, he knows Clove's fears. She's terrified of the water, so she never learned to swim. Suffocation is the type of death she's the most afraid of. She's got ridiculously low self esteem. The list is nearly endless. Cato knows every bit of this and probably more. He's going to make sure to touch on every soft spot, he's going to remind her of the abuse she dealt with from her father and step father after her biological father died. If you think Cato really gives a fuck about her feelings after what she did to his Kitten? I pity the fool."
Haymitch sniggered on the rim of his wine glass. "You mean 'I pity the psychopathic bitch with a knife fetish.'"
"In not so many words, yes."
Seneca just chuckled at their exchange and stood from his seat, Haymitch and Brutus mimicked him. "I'll be sure to set up conditions which will help Cato exact his revenge. Perhaps the height of the waterfall at the south end of the river could be extended. Do you think Cato would prefer to see Clove drown from a bird's-eye view?"
Haymitch and Brutus exchanged a glance.
"If we let him know that the water fall is accessible, through a coded message of course, then he would most certainly take advantage of the situation." Brutus assured him.
"Of course, of course," Seneca said, waving a hand as if to show how minor of a detail that was. He walked over to the elevator and pressed the button. Haymitch and Brutus followed him half way out of courtesy. "If any other concerns arise, you know where to find me. Good night, gentlemen."
"Good night, Seneca." They chorused as the elevator doors opened to receive the head Game Maker. Then they closed just as quickly, carrying him away. Haymitch set his empty wine glass on a small table beside the sofa and sighed with relief. Brutus gave him a 'Thank God that's over' look, Haymitch nodded in agreement.
"We don't need to check on the sponsors until tomorrow. Wanna just watch the Games and drink until we start sharing personal stories we won't remember talking about in the morning?" Haymitch asked.
"Sure," Brutus agreed. "What's the worst thing one of us could say to each other? It's not like we've never drank together before."
They both agreed on that fact and decided to go change into more comfortable attire before they relaxed. For Brutus, this meant a quick trip down to the District 2 apartment. Brutus wouldn't dare travel down there are walk into what he knew would be a very stressful situation if he didn't love Haymitch like a brother. Not that the selfish drunk gave a damn aside from getting a drinking buddy and having a good time. Brutus sighed as he stepped into the elevator and angrily jabbed the 2 button with his knuckle. He contemplated Enobaria's reaction to his sudden arrival. None of his theories included her being happy to see him or not trying to rip his throat out with her fangs. Not that he couldn't take her, easily, he'd just rather not have to hit a girl. Even if it's hard to tell that she is one.
"Look what the rats dragged in." Enobaria called from the couch as he stepped into the foyer.
"Shut up, Bitch, I'm not here to see you, talk to you, nor tolerate you. So do us both a favor and shut the fuck up." Brutus snapped. Fuck her feelings, she deserved about as much kindness from him as Clove deserved from Cato. Well, maybe Clove deserved a lot less kindness but the point remains the same.
"Aww, somebody's grumpy. Did Abernathy fuck your ass too hard again?"
Brutus ignored her cackles and went down the hall to his bedroom. He packed a few days worth of clothes from the assortment in his closet, his toothbrush, razor (gotta stay trim, right?) and a few other random items just in case he needed them. Then he changed into a pair of sweats and a grey t-shirt, relaxing as soon as the stiff suit he'd been wearing all day fell from his skin. Being a mentor has got to be one of the most uncomfortable jobs on the planet.
With his comfy clothes on and night bag on his shoulder, he strode into the living room again. This time completely ignoring Enobaria's attempts to get under his skin as he walked to the elevator and pressed the button. Tapping his foot impatiently when it took seven seconds instead of two for the doors to open- he counted. The doors shut quickly, protecting him from the verbal harassment he'd been tuning out and he sighed in relief when they reopened and revealed the District 12 suite once again. Haymitch was already waiting for him on the sofa with the Games on, two empty scotch glasses on the coffee table and two bottles.
"The left is half wine half grape juice, the right is the weakest shit I could find in the pantry." Haymitch called over his shoulder as the elevator doors slide closed behind Brutus.
"Why such a weak assortment?" he asked as he came around the couch and sat beside his companion, leaving a reasonable gap between them. He set his bag on the floor and leaned into the sofa.
"Believe me, I would love to get wasted. I'll probably end up getting wasted anyway, but there's no way in hell I'm gonna scare off sponsors tomorrow when we go downstairs and make sure that we still have support." Haymitch replied
"Katniss will be proud."
"I don't give a fuck."
"I know." Brutus said with a small smile. He poured himself a glass of spirits, finding that it was indeed very, very weak and leaned back again while he slowly drained it.
The cameras were switching between each group periodically. Clove in the woods, sleeping. Thresh in the grain field, sleeping. Joan hiding in some bushes in the middle of nowhere, sleeping. Peeta, pretending to be a rock and slowly dying by the river, less than 500 yards from where Cato and Katniss's cave was. The star-crossed lovers, the female was sleeping, and the male was barely awake. He had his head resting gently on Katniss's stomach was blinking slowly, watching the dim firelight. Brutus wished he knew what he was thinking, but he didn't have to try very hard. Cato made a face and turned up to look at the sleeping girl under him. Her lips turned down just slightly in her sleep, her brow just barely creasing as the smallest of whimpers left her throat.
"Well if you'd eaten more when I'd offered you food you wouldn't be hungry, Kitten…" the young tribute mumbled.
"Seneca said the banks would be working tomorrow, so midnight?" Brutus asked.
"I guess. Why?"
"She would probably eat soup or something he body is used too. Something from 12."
"Can't hurt to try." Haymitch agreed. "One of us can go downstairs and send it at midnight. The announcement should be soon."
Cato checked Katniss's fever constantly. He must have noticed his paranoia as well because he quickly tried to busy himself. He reorganized their supplies, changed Katniss's bandages. Tried to fall back asleep, but only had small triumphs of 5 to 10 minutes of rest at a time. It didn't take long for Haymitch and Brutus to finish the two bottles and even less time for the liquor to take its effect on their brains. Everyone managed to be distracted enough that the time between Cato getting up/Haymitch and Brutus beginning their alcohol consumption and the feast announcement/Haymitch and Brutus being mildly wasted, was nearly nonexistent.
"Attention, Tributes, attention. Tomorrow at dawn there will be a feast at the cornucopia. Now, this is no ordinary occasion. Each of you needs something, desperately. And we plan to be…generous hosts. This will be with final announcement. Good luck and may the odds be ever in your favor." Claudius Templesmith's voice drifted through the room from the television. The two mentors bumped fists and sniggered at Cato's reaction. The relief worked its way through his entire body and he laid next to his intended again, nuzzling into her neck.
"You're gonna be okay, Kitten," he whispered. "I promise."
Haymitch and Brutus 'Aww'd sarcastically like the drunk ass holes they are and stopped paying the TV as much attention as they had been while they cleaned up their mess.
"Brutus, can I ask you a hypothetical question?"
"Haymitch, I didn't know 'hypothetical' was part of your vocabulary. I'm impressed." Brutus replied sarcastically.
"That was so funny that my laugher is too strong to come out."
"Funny, the last woman you had sex with said you used a similar excuse for a different issue."
Haymitch raised a brow. "That stung a little."
"I tried."
"Anyway, my question?"
"Right right. Please continue."
They put their glasses in the sink and the out the empty bottles. Then they each leaned against a counter for a few moments to talk, since there wasn't anything particularly exciting at this hour.
"Brutus...hypothetically, I cannot stress that enough. Hypothetically, if I was gay would you still be my friend?"
"Of course. You're like a brother to me, why wouldn't I?"
"It was a hypothetical question and product of my alcohol induced brain."
"You have a brain?"
"Fuck you."
Brutus chuckled. "Hey, Haymitch?"
"That's my name, don't wear it out."
"Hypothetically speaking…"
"Of course."
"If I were gay, would you still be my friend?"
"Maybe."
"You're only saying 'maybe' because you have to keep up your reputation as a hypocrite."
"Yep."
Brutus shook his head and sighed. "Well since our kids are still alive, Seneca Crane has pretty much guaranteed their survival, and I'm drunk I think I'll go to bed."
"Me too."
"Night, Mitch."
"Night, Brute."
The two mentors went their separate ways. Brutus to the room Peeta had occupied before the Games began and Haymitch to his bedroom. They both set alarms so they could get up at watch what would happen at the feast the next morning, and quickly fell into drunken slumbers. Both of them glad that they had a stronger bond than they're realized.
I had to end that kind of randomly, sorry. :3 Okay it took forever to get this chapter up. School started on the 27th for me and I'm in all advanced classes so I'm still adjusting. It's quite stressful. -.- But I'm working through it. Hopefully I can update every weekend and work on chapters in my notebooks during the week at school.
I'm not doing an RRC this chapter, I know shocking right? But I'm exhausted. So if there's anything important that you guys wanted me to touch on, just PM me. I'll reply every time.
I wanted to throw an idea out there. Haymitch and Brutus. There's a few ways I can go with these two. Bromance and Yaoi are my favorites. Yaoi because I wouldn't focus on it, most of the relationship would be behind closed doors- since the focus point of this story is Cato and Katniss- but then when they're with the group the teasing that would inevitably ensue would be hilarious. Bromance is kind of what we've got going on right now, kind of mild, again they aren't the focus point. I just wanted to get some opinions. I probably wouldn't write and H/B lovin'(Limes- maybe/Lemons-probably not) in this story, but I can tell you if I did make them in love with each other then it would add in a little more fun and drama for when we get to the Catching Fire portion of this story. So think about it. Review and tell me what you'd prefer. Review and tell me what you thought of this chapter, actually. :) I'm gonna go to sleep now. Goodnight my lovely readers and reviewers. I'll update as soon as I can :) Chapter 15 is the feast! So common sense tells us that a certain Kitten gets her meds. So that *technically* isn't a spoiler. We all know I won't kill her anyway. :P
Review! XOXOXO
~D.A.K-hime