Chapter Thirty-Eight – The Reunion
As Prim emerged from beneath the stage, she raised a hand to wave at the crowd. Seeing as she had been placed on the far left of the stage, she looked to her right and saw Cato just having done the same. And all her worry for his well-being melted away, as a slightly delirious giggle left her mouth and she ran for the person she had almost died with.
Cato had played the cocky Victor to the crowd upon emerging, but when he looked around and saw her on the other side, he knew Haymitch's warning was almost unnecessary. He would remember it, yes, but he didn't need to act as if he cared for Primrose Everdeen. Evidently, he already did — maybe even always had.
Absentmindedly, he fiddled with the stem of the rose.
He caught her when she launched herself into his arms, stumbling lightly to keep their balance. Cato pulled her flush against him, lifting her up to the point that she could wrap her arms around his neck and bury her face there. He closed his eyes as he inhaled her scent and let his cheek rub against the side of her head. They barely realized the audience's reaction, so absorbed in their reunion.
When they slowly began to pull away, they kept their eyes on each other. For a moment, they were back in the arena, deciding whether to live or die. He didn't let her pull away completely as he swooped in to kiss her.
The kiss caught her off guard, but it was definitely different from most of the ones they've shared. Soft and sweet, Cato cupped her cheek with one hand while the hand holding the rose slowly let her back on her feet. They parted as she regained her footing, and both were smiling even more than they already had.
He offered her the white rose, "A rose for my Rose."
Shouts and cheers due to their kiss gave way to 'Ooh's and 'Aww's from the audience. And then it isn't Cato pulling her in for a kiss, but the other way around. She took hold of the lapels of his suit jacket and tugged so that she could press her lips to his. The kiss was short and sweet, with the crowd going wild because their Angel initiated it.
This time, when they drew apart, it was with Caesar Flickerman encouraging them to join him in the center of the stage. Where an ornate chair usually stood beside Caesar during this ceremony was a loveseat.
As they situated themselves, Cato met Haymitch's hard gaze, and he knew he had to do something. Their earlier display may have been enough to appease the masses about their reunion, but this event needed to be nothing less than absolute perfection.
He placed an arm on the edge of the loveseat so that his arm was around Prim. A quick glance at Haymitch and Cato saw the District Twelve Victor shake his head, and Cato finally understood why Haymitch had gone and warned him. He didn't know whether Prim had been warned as well, but Haymitch knew Cato wouldn't hesitate to be assertive in his relationship with Prim. He needed to get everyone to believe that they were madly in love or that he at least was crazy enough to do anything that Primrose Everdeen demanded of him; his and Prim's lives depended on it.
Cato adjusted their position so that he was seated fully on the loveseat with his legs somewhat outstretched and Prim was on his lap. She nearly had her whole back to the audience, but Cato knew that the blush that just rose on her cheeks at the action and the way she had jokingly hit him with the rose in her hand was caught on camera. They looked the epitome of foolish young love.
Caesar Flickerman made more jokes, then it was time for the show. It was going to last three hours, and now that Prim and Cato had lived through it, they were both amazed at how several weeks were condensed in three hours.
They both looked up, realizing that they were going to see people that they knew (and cared about) die before them. Cato supposed it was understandable that the highlights would spend a disproportionate amount of time on them, but it was odd to see nonetheless.
The first half hour or so focused on the pre-arena events: the reaping; the chariot ride through the Capitol; the training scores; and the interviews. Once they were in the arena, there's a detailed coverage of the bloodbath, and then alternated between shots of tributes dying and shots of them.
Cato saw the way he and Prim when they had been a part of the alliance. He watched as he was portrayed to be a jealous lover when he kept mentioning Peeta and taunting Clove. He watched how Prim almost died at Pan's hands. Prim took to hiding her face by his neck whenever a death was shown. He couldn't believe it. It was surreal to see all that had happened cut into such a show that made it seem as if it were someone else entirely in that sequence.
Prim and Peeta's reunion had Cato tightening his hold on Prim. He placed a kiss on her shoulder and then rested his chin there as they continued to watch. He watched Prim provide for her little group, hunting and healing when needed. They watched as Cato slept, with Clove standing guard. How she had come near him upon hearing him speak. How Clove had heard him whisper "Rose" during the time that he had been separated from them. The small gasp from Prim wasn't lost on anyone. Neither of them had known about that.
They saw as Clove died, and Prim's tears fell as she turned to Cato, who looked stone faced. She pressed a kiss to his mouth, wanting to distract him from the pain that surely resurfaced from seeing his best friend's death. Prim getting stung by Tracker Jackers was also something new for them to see. Carried by Thresh, she had alternated saying Cato's and Katniss' names. Even when she wasn't entirely there, she had had him in her mind.
Thresh's death had Prim burrowing into Cato's embrace once more.
Their reunion was aired with dramatic music and Cato's reassurance after Prim had killed Glimmer echoed in her ears. All their kisses had been shown, and the passionate way in which Cato made Prim stay with him looked more romantic than manic with the way they had shown it. Then it was Peeta and Rue traveling to the Cornucopia and Cato promising to kill them so that he and Prim would be the Victors.
Rue's death and the mayhem that followed it made for an interesting build up to the climax. They showed how her body had been moved to rest in a more serene place, but they mostly showed how Cato looked at Prim the entire time. It was as if every move he made was reliant on her.
The events that followed prompted no tears from either Victor. Instead, Prim watched the entire thing in a nearly catatonic state. They saw how Cato was willing to sacrifice so that Peeta still had a chance with Prim. They saw how Prim very nearly saved Peeta, but ultimately saved Cato instead. Their argument about being killed or killing was aired word for word, along with their decision and their almost death. What surprised Prim was that neither of them had actually said "I love you." She had been so sure someone had said it in their final moments.
What really sold their love story, Cato supposed, was the way they had screamed each other's names and then ran for each other. They hadn't kissed, but he had fallen very much into Prim's arms thanks to his injury, and even when he was probably pulling her completely down, she made sure to keep him up. They looked as if no one else had mattered — and he supposed in that moment, no one else had.
The anthem began to play and everyone rose as President Snow took the stage followed by a little girl carrying a cushion that held a crown. Everyone was confused for a moment until President Snow took the crown and twisted it, splitting it into two. They are crowned and Cato couldn't help but feel that President Snow's eyes did not match his perfect smile. If looks alone could harm a person, there was no mistake that Primrose Everdeen would no longer be standing before him.
There are a lot of waving and smiling especially as the ceremony ended and they were escorted to the Victory Banquet, where sponsors and Capitol Officials alike swarmed them and elbowed each other for the chance to get their pictures taken with the newest Victors. Cato was sure he would have snapped if it weren't for the fingers intertwined with his. They would occasionally look to each other, sharing a small reassuring smile before returning to whatever they had been in the middle of. They occasionally caught a glimpse of members of their teams, but they never seem to be able to speak to them as someone is always bent on getting another's attention.
By the time they were returning to the Training Center, Prim had fallen asleep cradled in Cato's arms in the car. Cato didn't know how anyone did it, but he and Prim were given permission to share a room in her floor — probably because they've already done so. He was grateful she woke up just as they arrived on her floor, so she could change into her sleeping attire. He didn't miss the way Haymitch kept an eye on him as he entered Prim's room.
It was as they were cuddled in bed that Cato finally felt a bit of the tension he had been feeling the whole day leave him. With her head on his chest and an arm around his waist, neither of them had felt as at ease as they had in weeks.
"Primrose." He debated telling her. He assumed she knew nothing, but perhaps Haymitch had said something already? Decision made, Cato moved so that he was pinning her to the bed. He leaned in so that his lips were by her ear. She stiffened, reminded of a different time, but close her eyes as he spoke. "Close your eyes and pretend I'm telling you something funny." She lets out a small laugh, and he went on to repeat what Haymitch had said to him before the coronation. "Now laugh loudly and push me off."
"Cato, n-no!" Prim pushed him away, a lot harder than either of them had expected. It was understandable though, with all the tension in her body.
Cato's leered at her and went on to very literally pounce on her and then hide their bodies under the covers. It was better safe than sorry, because Cato knew the chances of them being watched were high. They situated themselves so that they were on their sides and virtually no space separated them.
"What do we do now?"
"We do what we can. We show them we're very much in love."
"Okay, we can do that."
And that was how they fell asleep.
The following day meant the final interview. They woke up after about three hours of sleep, feeling restless. It was then that they discovered the door to Prim's room had been locked from the outside, causing them to feel a sense of dread. Cato was suddenly grateful for the precautions that he had taken before they had fallen asleep.
When Effie finally arrived to shoo Cato out and ensure that everyone was ready for their interview in a couple of hours, the pair were more than happy to be in the company of others. Cato returned to his floor, surprised to find that there was now a Peacekeeper stationed inside the elevator.
Prim is silent for most of the morning. She made idle chit-chat, but for the most part was content to once again be the doll to Cinna's wonderful creations. This time she wore a gauzy white dress that was perhaps the simplest of Cinna's looks that she had ever worn. He made sure she looked every bit as angelic as she had always been made to seem, and Prim bit her tongue despite wanting to ask if Cinna knew anything of the position they were in. The feeling of being watch had never left her since her reunion with her team, and had only increased ten fold with what Cato had revealed.
By the time they were reunited, it was with Caesar Flickerman.
No audience were present, with only a handful of cameras with them on stage, which was done up beautifully in an assortment of red, pink, and white roses. Their teams were behind the cameras, with Haymitch on one side of the stage while Enobaria and Brutus on the other. Lyme was farther away, doing who knew what. All that really mattered to Cato was that they got through this
The interview itself was easy enough. Caesar assured Prim that she would do as wonderfully as she had in their first interview, and when they were called to take their places, they asked if they could sit the same way as yesterday. Caesar had agreed, thinking that it was rather sweet.
In the usual way that Caesar Flickerman handled an interview, he was wonderful. He teased, he joked, and he choked up at the right moments. Prim, in spite of her nerves, handled the interview well. She was sweet and joked with the interviewer, while Cato easily matched her word for word.
Eventually, Caesar began to pose more intrusive questions. "So Cato, the first time we spoke, you had told me that you wouldn't have hesitated to kill Prim given the chance. When did that change?"
They both froze at that, but Cato let out a laugh that mellowed out into a soft smile as he turned to Prim.
"I lied." He turned to Caesar and shrugged. "More like I was lying to myself really. A friend of mine told me that when I found the right person for me, things would be different, and I wasn't ready to accept that. I didn't know what to do with myself, knowing that I cared about my Rose, but also that I couldn't have her — not in the way that mattered."
"And in what way would that have been?"
Cato looked up at her then, chin on her shoulder, "I'd want to spend the rest of my life with her. I would always be grateful the games gave me the opportunity to meet the one person I knew was perfect for me."
Caesar was relentless even after he dabbed at his eyes with a handkerchief, having been so touched, "So how did you feel when the rules were changed; when you knew that both of you could win?"
"It changed everything…because for the first time, it felt like…I could keep her." He had looked away by then, his fair complexion giving way to the pink blush that covered his cheeks. Prim placed a kiss to his temple, because it was more convenient due to their position, and Cato chanced a look at Haymitch, who looked pleased with his reply.
It wasn't over though, as Caesar set his sights on Prim. "And what about you, Prim? You've been caught in this love triangle from the very beginning. What made you choose Cato?"
Her hand, the one that had been soothingly rubbing his nape, stilled momentarily before continuing once more. She looked down and met Caesar's gaze from beneath her lashes, looking every bit as bashful as she suddenly felt. She raised her other hand to rest on his chest, feeling his heartbeat against her palm.
"I guess it was the way he always chose me." She finally looked at him, a smile on her face. "All he'd ever really asked of me was to never leave his side, and I'm very grateful that he had never tried to change me." Without even asking, she continued, "But I knew I loved him when he went back for Peeta. He knew that there was a chance I could've left him for dead, but he risked that for my happiness, and really, what more can I ask?"
The interview continued with the easy rapport the trio had, and it wasn't until they brought up the end that the pair began to truly feel anxious once more.
"Prim was standing there, offering to die." Caesar began, and Cato tried his best not to relive that moment. "Had things changed so much that you were willing to die for her?"
"I love her," He couldn't look at Prim as he spoke. "Maybe it looked like everything has changed, but really, I'm just more honest to myself. I love her and I know that a life without her would be meaningless."
"And you, Prim?"
Prim used a hand to turn Cato's head to her. She looked into his hazel eyes and said softly, "How can I go on without you?" Tears fell from her eyes.
There was no dry eye in the room by the time the interview finished.
Everything after that was a blur. Prim and Cato were placed into different trains with the arrangement of having them spend time with each other before the Victory Tour.
END OF ACT ONE
Author's Notes: And that wraps up the first arc!
Couple of things I'd like to address:
1. I changed the title to better emulate the entirety of the three arcs. So from "Possession and Obsession" which was only really meant to describe the Prato version of The Hunger Games, I've changed it to "Roses and Revolutions" which I feel better depicts what I feel I'm going for when it comes to basically re-writing the entire trilogy.
2. I'll be going through the previous chapters and editing them and posting those edits over the weekend, just so everything's up to 'standard'. I'll be taking a week or two off to plot out the next Act properly and hopefully get a couple chapters ahead, and then we'll be all set.
3. This is also out on AO3, so if you wanna look at it there (cause I actually prefer the interface there, tbh), feel free to do so.
Man, it feels good to finally have this out. Thanks for reading this far!
Much love,
MJ