Warnings: Swearing.

I don't own anything.

--

Katniss's POV

When I wake up I try to move, only to be reminded of last night. Cato finally stayed, and now he's wrapped completely around me: he still has his big arms holding me tightly and securely against his chest, and he also has a leg draped over mine, while I can feel his hot breath on my head.

I decide I'm actually perfectly content with this, whatever it is, and I just lie there, doing nothing.

Nothing but thinking, that is. About me and Cato, and what is happening between us. Are we friends? When did we became that? I suppose after we arrived in twelve, since the first night I stayed at his house, after we held hands... But this, this feels like more than friends. Friends don't sleep in the same bed, do they?

I'm not sure what to do with that. Do I like Cato? Okay, yes, I do. But do I like-like him? I guess I'm attracted to him, though I don't know if that counts, because really, he's that hot.

I'll have to figure it out later. The changing in Cato's breathing pattern signals he's waking up. At first nothing happens, but then within seconds he releases me and withdraws to the other side of the bed.

I turn to face him. I don't know if I should be amused or disappointed with how quickly he pulled back. I don't mention it. "Hi."

"Hey," Cato responds. "How long have you been up?"

"Couple of minutes. Did you sleep well?"

He shrugs. "Yeah."

We stare at each other in silence. Cato's hair is messy from sleep, and I must say it looks really sexy. I feel an urge to move my hand through it. I don't of course.

After a moment he gets up and leaves. I figure I should do the same. I take a quick shower before going downstairs.

--

Cato's POV

I was embarrassed to find myself so close to Katniss when I woke up. I had no idea I'm this touchy when I'm asleep. She didn't seem to mind though, so I guess it's fine.

Sadly she left before lunchtime. She said she'd return in a couple of days. So I go back to what I did before: eat, exercise and shovelling. I could hire some people to have it done mechanically, but by doing it like this the construction is a way of working out in itself.

Throughout it all I never stop looking out for Katniss. Nothing gets my attention however, not until late into the afternoon when I see that asshole,

Gavin was his name...? Gale! That was it,

ringing her front door.

--

Katniss's POV

I open the door to find Gale standing in front of me. I suppress the strong tendency to throw it back shut in his face.

"What do you want?" I say disinterestedly.

Gale takes a single step forward. "Katniss, I'm sorry for how I acted last time. Please forgive me."

That's really all it takes for me to throw myself in his arms. Gale might've been a jerk last time, but all those years we've been through together makes me want to forgive him more than anything. "I've missed you, Gale," I whisper as he hugs me back.

"I've missed you too. I'm sorry," he says.

We break apart and I give him his time to explain. "I was just so stressed the entire time you were in there. I believed in you, I did, but that didn't save me from being worried sick, and when that sadistic monster from two got his hands on you I thought it was over..." Gale takes a deep breath. "And yet I had to stay strong here, for both of our families. I had an incredibly tough time keeping them fed, so when you returned with him, the damn bastard who tried to murder you, I suddenly just got angry," he finishes.

I'm slightly annoyed with this silent war going on between Cato and Gale, but I'm afraid there's not much I can do about it. What I can do however, is make up with Gale. "I understand, Gale. I haven't had the chance yet to thank you for keeping Prim and my mom alive. So thank you. It means the world to me, and I'll never forget. But Gale, I don't care what you think, Cato is my friend now. Sooner or later you guys have to start acting civil towards one another. I'll leave it up to the two of you to start with that."

Gale seems irritated again. "What do you even see in him. He beat that Mellark kid to pulp. Both of them."

"He did, but he had his reasons. He's changed, Gale. I don't expect you to accept that this instant, but that's okay. I just wish that you guys would stop hating each other for no reason," I explain tiredly.

I can see that Gale is biting back a remark. "Well, alright. I guess I'll see you later, Katnip," is what he ends up saying, before strolling off.

I'm about to close the door when I see that Cato has taken Gale's place. He's again shirtless, his rippling 8-pack, chest and biceps there for the world to be awed by, and...

God I really need to control myself, but ugh, why can't he ever put on a shirt.

I'm shaken out of my thoughts by his deep voice. "What was that asshole doing here?"

I swear I was just telling Gale to knock it off and here's Cato calling him an asshole. Boys are impossible. "He's not an asshole, he's my friend. We were just talking. That's what friends do, you know?" I say, not hiding my annoyance.

He ignores my tone. "What were you talking about?"

I cock my head slightly. "Uhm, why should I even tell you? He was apologising, that's all. What's it to you?"

Cato has suddenly taken an interest in his own shoulder. "Nothing."

"Then why...?" I start, then, "Wait a minute. Cato, are you jealous?"

His head shoots up, and he says, "No," a little too quickly.

I'm blushing now, but it can't hurt to check if Cato likes me. "Well if it's nothing to you you're probably not interested in the fact that he asked me on a date just now."

Cato's expression looks as though I just punched him. He's also clenching his fists.

"I'm kidding," I say quickly. After all seeing Cato's reaction pretty much confirms what I thought, which causes this weird feeling in my chest. "Gale and I are best friends. Nothing more, nothing less."

"Oh," is all Cato responds. By the look on his face he seems to have figured out what I did, but he doesn't have a way to cover it up, so he just looks at me sheepishly.

"I gotta get back to my shovel," Cato says lamely after a similar staring contest to the one of this morning.

"Right."

"Bye Kat," he turns around.

Kat? What's with the nicknames? "Bye Cay," I call after him.

Cato instantly snaps back. "Really? 'Cay'? That all you got?"

"It's more original than 'Kat'," I fire back.

He appears to be contemplating something. "Okay, you can call me 'Cay'," he smirks, before walking away.

I'm left to replay in my head what just happened several times, a big smile creeping onto my face. When I walk into the living room Prim immediately notices.

"Why're you happy?" she asks sweetly.

"Can't I be happy?" I say, smiling softly.

Prim smiles back. "Of course you can!" Then she looks at me knowingly. "Has it anything to do with who you were just talking to?"

My face gets red. "No. Maybe."

Luckily Prim leaves it at that. I decide that I'm going back to Cato tomorrow.

--

Cato's POV

The following day

I was happy to see Katniss back today already, and even though I tried to play it cool, she knew. Her tricking me yesterday into showing jealousy kinda threw my feelings for her out in the open.

She hasn't shown any sign of rejection yet, so I am optimistic.

I can make her like me back. And then I'll make her happy. She can be happy with me, right?

--

Katniss's POV

We just had dinner and now we've taken place on the couch, facing the other with our back against the opposite armrest, with our knees pulled to our chests, are toes touching a bit past the middle (his legs are longer).

I'm not a hundred percent certain if Cato likes me, because I can't read his mind, but I I'm pretty confident that he does. He's still trying to hide it somewhat. I think it's because he's afraid I'll turn him down

I don't want to hurt him by rejecting him either. I don't want to change how comfortable we are with each other now. I only don't know if I like him in that way, if I want to like him in that way.

"Tell me something about district twelve," Cato says, pulling me back to reality. "I'd like to know my new home."

The fact that he's staying, even though technically he doesn't have a choice, still warms my heart. "Well, what do you want to know?"

He shrugs, which I'm starting to think is becoming his thing. "I don't know, anything."

"Okay. Uhm, so you already know we're the coal district. Most of the men here in the Seam go to the mines for work."

"What's the "Seam"?"

I laugh, trying to figure out how to explain this to someone who isn't from here. "Me, is the short answer. Really everything about me. Where I live, how I live, how I look, and just who I am. Becoming a victor changed some of those things, but I'm still a Seam girl at my core. There are some exceptions: my mother and Prim have blonde hair and blue eyes like the people from town, but they're still treated as Seam when they go there."

Cato nods. "How is the town different than the Seam?"

"They're the merchants. They're richer than us, but only by so much. They have just as much hunger as we do during the winter. They treat the people from the Seam like we're inferior. I don't know why, or how and when it started; after all we're in the same boat, with the Hunger Games and the poverty of our district," I tell Cato, who is listening intently, with his ethereal blue eyes boring into mine. I blush a little at his stare.

He doesn't say anything about it, but the corners of his mouth quirk upwards slightly. "But not all of them are like that, are they? That girl you visited-" Cato looks down at his knees and blushes himself "-when I followed you, it seemed like you were friends. And Loverboy even declared his love for you," he says the word 'love' as though it's the first time ever that he's uttered it.

"Don't call him that," I say with a small voice. "You used to do that then."

He shrugs apologetically, brushing my foot with his toes. "Sorry. Habit, I suppose." He continues, "Was that real, you and him? I saw you kiss when we watched the recap, but I can't remember seeing you bother him at all during training, even though he looked like a lovesick puppy around you."

I didn't know Cato paid as much attention to me during training. It's probably nothing... "It wasn't real the way you'd think. I didn't love him like that, but I think he did with me. I feel guilty for lying to him."

Cato gets up and scoops me up like a rag doll. He sits back down and settles me between his legs, wrapping his arms around me. I let him do everything without complaint, though I'm very much flushed from this closeness and his warmth.

"You shouldn't feel guilty, Katniss. I understand where he came from with the live confession, but he should have told you before so you had some time to figure yourself out. Either way it would've ended badly. There can only ever be one winner."

I sigh. I know he's right, that Peeta was going to die inevitably, just like I probably would've died. "When did you become an expert on this emotional stuff?" I tease to lighten the mood.

I feel Cato's chest rumble softly with his chuckle. "I'm amazing at everything," he teases back.

"Totally. Especially at being modest," I say. I'm surprised at my own words. I didn't know I was capable of flirting like this.

Cato tightens his hold on me. He brings his lips to my ear. "Only to you," he says, causing a shiver to run through my spine.

Suddenly I feel overwhelmed by Cato's massive body all around me, making me feel really small. I gently peel away his arms and stand up, telling him that I'm going to bed. I'm relieved to see that he isn't hurt as much, more so just uncertain. I send him a reassuring smile before heading upstairs.

--

Cato's POV

Maybe that last part was a bit over the top from me. I'm kind of forcing myself on her.

If she didn't like you back at least a little bit, she would've shoved you off already. You have achance. Don't screw it up.

I nod absentmindedly, agreeing with myself. I stand up and head to bed as well.

I can wait. As long as she's mine in the end.

--

I see her, Katniss. We're in the arena. She's running to get her bag from the feast.

I've been here before. What happens next again? Oh, right. Clove.

Clove dashes out of her hiding place and floors Katniss. She pins her down and starts taunting her.

Okay, Eleven's turn to appear.

I wait for the district eleven male to make his entrance.

Any time now. Any time...?!!

Suddenly the air is filled with Katniss's screams.

Clove is torturing her!?!! This isn't supposed to be happening!

I get up and make my way to them at an inhuman speed.

"Hello, Cato," Clove says evilly when I'm near enough. "Have you come to watch her die?"

I growl lowly. "Back off, Clove. She's... she's my kill," I get out unconvincingly.

Clove doesn't look up. "No, I don't think I will. Time to say goodbye."

She resumes cutting Katniss,. I try to stop her, but the familiar feel of being frozen in place is once again with me.

Katniss's screams are earpiercing, mixing with Clove's hysterical laughter. "You can't save her! You can't save her!" Clove taunts.

I'm getting a headache from everything, my brain becoming fuzzy. It's so miserable to be forced to watch this that I'm about to just collapse to never get up again, when I hear a new sound, vaguely recognising the melody of a song. I struggle my way towards it, away from the cornucopia, trying to put all my focus on each note to block out Katniss's screams and Clove's laughter. I get close enough to distinct words, but I can't get further out of sheer exhaustion. All there is left for me to do is to listen to the voice and follow her song.

Deep in the meadow, under the willow

A bed of grass, a soft green pillow

Lay down your head, and close your sleepy eyes

And when again they open, the sun will rise.

Here it's safe, here it's warm

Here the daisies guard you from every harm

Here your dreams are sweet and tomorrow brings them true

Here is the place where I love you.

Near the end of the song I notice that the screaming is gone. I also feel something moving in my hair that wasn't there before. I seemed to have closed my eyes while listening, but as I open them I see that I'm no longer in the arena. Instead I find two grey eyes staring down at me.

"Hey! Hey, it's okay. Cato!" the owner of the eyes says softly.

My mind is playing tricks on me. There's no way Katniss is sitting on my bed, with my head in her lap and her hand in my hair.

I stare blankly in front of me, straight through fake-Katniss

I receive a slap on the cheek. "Cato. You were having a nightmare. I'm here now."

Instead of looking past the grey eyes, of which I silently know who they belong to, I look into them. "You're dead," I choke out, my voice sounding thick and hoarse.

She shakes her head. "I'm not," she says, "Can't get rid of me that easily," she smiles a little.

I slowly close my eyes again, not moving an inch. I don't want her to go yet...

--

Katniss's POV

I keep straddling Cato's hair for a while. It's surprisingly soft and kind of addicting.

When he seems like he's okay again I slowly get up, laying his head back on the pillow, but before I manage to get off the bed Cato snatches my hand and holds onto it like it's a lifeline.

I look into his eyes and understand his silent message. He wants me to stay like I wanted him to last time, but even now he's too proud to say it out loud.

I don't need to hear it. "Okay," I say quietly. "I'm getting myself some water first."

I turn on the nightlight and head to the bathroom to get myself a glass of water. Upon my return I place the glass on the nightstand, sit on the side of the bed, take a sip of water, and roll over to Cato.

I'm shocked with the sight that meets my eyes. Cato's back is completely covered with scars. I see scars from burns, cuts and something I recognise as a whip, and it breaks my heart. I brush my fingers over the biggest one. "Cato..."

He stiffens. "Katniss..."

I nearly cry. The pain he must have gone through with all of this combined. How did I not notice these before? "How did you get these scars?" I ask sadly. "There are so many..."

Cato sighs. He opens his mouth to answer, but I already know what he'll say, "Training."

I'm upset with seeing all this damage. It feels awful to see such a beautiful body be this hurt. "But how? You said you were the best."

"That's exactly the reason why," he says. "They didn't want me to get overconfident; to think that I was above punishment. They made an example out of me to the other students, saying that even the best could fall, and that it may not be fair, but neither are the Hunger Games."

I decide that I hate that damn academy and everything that has anything to do it. Before, I and everyone I knew thought that they trained careers like I trained with my bow. But it's so much more than that. Cato was like a tool to them. Thinking this, I slowly place my lips on a scar on his shoulder blade. Cato holds his breath.

"You know," I say quietly, "What I find the most upsetting, is that you thought this was all okay. It's not okay, Cato."

"Maybe not. But I think... I think it somehow satisfied me because I felt like I deserved it. For beating up the other kids."

I smile at this. Subconsciously he knew what he was doing was wrong. He's a good person on the inside, it just got beaten out of him.

I wrap my arms around him from behind the same way he did with me last time, but because of our size difference it must look silly. It doesn't matter.

"It's over now. They can't get their hands on you anymore."

"Yeah," he says. Then he chuckles.

"What?"

"I'm just thinking; us and our nightmares..."

I smile and repeat. "Us and our nightmares. Next time it's my turn again," I joke.

"Actually, was I screaming or something, like you do? How'd you know I had a nightmare?"

"You don't scream. Your body shakes like crazy. The entire bed was shaking with you, which caused the headboard to hit the wall," I explain to him.

"Oh. Sounds freaky," he says.

Cato wrestles free of my arms and lies on his back, pulling me close. I raise my eyebrows at him. He remains silent, placing a hand behind my head and gently laying it on his chest.

I'm fine with this new arrangement, so I just snuggle deeper into his chest and let myself get carried away into sleep, but not before I hear Cato whispering, "Thank you. For everything."

--

AN: Sorry for not updating for a while. At least this chapter was longer than average. For those that noticed the change in format; the line breaks wouldn't save so I changed it.

Quickly answering Arata7kasuga's question: it's really the fact that Katniss's death would've turned her into a martyr. After the revolts in Eleven, Snow was afraid that if Panem watched Katniss be tortured, more unrest would come.

This is a widely used concept in Hunger Games fanfiction, though to be honest I admit my story has some holes in its plot. But it's my first ever, so I think it's okay.

On this chapter: I've never read a character call Cato "Cay"/"Cey" (basically only the first syllable) before, but I thought it matched "Kat", so tell me if you like or hate it. If it's cool then Katniss might call him that again. If not then this was just a onetime way to tease him.

The next chapter will be up much faster than this one was. I wrote them getting together even before I wrote the first chapter, so... yeah. It'll probably appear in around a week. I'm waiting so I can manipulate the algorithm a bit, but also in case the following chapter takes longer to write.

Thanks for taking the time to read this. I wish you all a happy 2021.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. If you did, consider reviewing. Anyway, I'll see you guys in the next one!