A/N: Hello, there. This was my first ever attempt at a Cato/Katniss. Tell me what you think, yea? And then maybe I'll write more. x
Grey eyes faced her. The girl staring back at her was beyond beautiful, as radiant as the sun. She turned away from the mirror. What had they done to her? She looked around the room – white walls, a high ceiling with a chandelier dangling on top, a white vanity table with a chair, a plush velvet couch on the side and a full length window which opened to a balcony. She was looking for something, something familiar to comfort her, to remind her of a place that she dared not to think of – home. She found no reassurance in that room whatsoever and it was eating her up slowly. She leaned against the table and took a shaky breath, as if it would take off all the tension in her body.
Her thoughts lingered to her family, to Prim. No hour passed by when she did not think of Prim – the only person whom she was sure she loved. When she left, it was an ache to see her tears, to see her in such pain. To think, it was her that caused the tears to fall from her tiny but beautiful face. Prim always reminded her of her father. An ache shot through her. She was hollow, now that she was away from them. Tears threatened and she had to take a steady breath to stop it from falling. No, she was not going to cry. She forbade it. She refused to cry. She was going to see Prim again, surely. She was going to embrace her once more. There was no way that the last time she would see Prim was when she was crying. Another shot of pain pulsed through her, and she shook it away and shoved her thoughts of Prim, her father away. She missed her, there was no denying that, but she was going to do anything to go home to see her soon.
A breeze ran through her room, and she could feel it on her bare back. A shiver ran through her. She wrapped her arms around herself and started rubbing her upper arms. She looked around the room to see that the window was slightly open. She continued to rub her arms for heat as she walked slowly to the window for the purpose of closing it. However, as she approached the window, she couldn't feel how cold it was anymore. She couldn't feel anything anymore. Numb, but not quite. She walked out into the balcony and stared at the horizon where the orange met the blue. The beauty of the horizon was diffused by the blue aura that surrounded the building.
She sighed as a picture of the very same scene ran through her head. His smile – she remembered it. The countless sunsets they watched after they had gone hunting. The way the wind blew as they sat on top of a hill, sharing bread or whatever they caught. Although, a heavy feeling formed in her chest and she was finding it hard to breathe. She took deep steadying breaths in the hope of making the feeling disappear but it didn't work. His face flickered on her mind again and she groaned in frustration. NO. What was she doing to herself? She forced herself to think of anything else but them. She abandoned all thought of him, of Prim, of home, and shoved it to the back of her mind. She was not going to think of any of them until the games were over, until she emerged as the victor.
She stared at the horizon again. Nonetheless, it was a beautiful sight to see – something the people who enjoy the killing of the innocent didn't deserve to see. The beauty would be wasted on such people. She took a gulp of air, and retreated back into the room. She turned to close that window and secure it in place when she heard the door to the room open and close behind her.
"Cinna," she said, twisting the knob to lock it. "Is it tim-" she turned around and stopped in mid-sentence. She had turned around and found the intense gaze of blue eyes.
She froze, her lips parted as she took a deep breath. What was he doing here? He moved inside the room with the ferocity of an animal and stopped right in front of her until she was looking up at him – his gaze intense as if he was a man with a mission. Before she could say anything, his lips found hers. He pushed her back to the window, his hands on her hips. As her body met the surface of the window, his hands trailed up her body to frame her face, tilting it up to meet his. She felt the weight of his body on her and at that moment, she felt herself kissing him back, countering him perfectly.
He was ruthless with his kisses, stopping only to breathe, but at an instant, his lips would be on hers again. She placed her hands on his arms, feeling the ripple of his muscles as he moved his hands to the back of her head, holding her in place. Their tongues fought for dominance. They moved in perfect countering to one another, pouring all they felt into the kiss. But in time, his kisses became tender and slow – something she was sure that he couldn't do. One of his hands moved down her body to her waist and pulled her closer to him while the other stroked her cheek. He pulled away, leaning his forehead on hers. He opened his eyes, and their gaze met. Katniss saw something in him that she had never seen before – vulnerability.
"You don't know how long I've wanted to do that. Now, you know." He said his voice low. He placed a tender kiss on her lips once more because stalking out of the room without so much as a backwards glance, leaving her as confused as ever. His words floated in the air.
Her hands went to her lips involuntarily as she stared at the door. They were numb. She felt something in the pits of her stomach as if something was fluttering inside her. Whatever it was, it needed to die. She was trying to calm her breathing, but she couldn't seem to. She couldn't move from where she stood, scared that if she attempted to walk, her legs would give up on her and she would fall to the ground. Now she knew what? She had absolutely no idea.
The door opened and her heart skipped a beat and she stiffened. A head poked in and she felt herself as she saw Cinna's bright smile. "Come on, girl on fire," he said, going inside the room and walking towards her to take her hand. He looked at her, and raised an eyebrow. "What happened to your lipstick?" He asked her and she shrugged in response as she felt the heat on her cheeks. "Here," he said, pulling out the tube, opening it, and applying it on her. "Now, you're perfect," he said, tugging her hand, and started slowly walking towards the door. She was following behind him, her hand clamped around his. He looked back and grinned, "It's show time."
She was thankful that she found the ability to walk again. They walked through the hallways, and she found herself wondering which room belonged to Cato, but quickly dismissed the thought. She was frustrated yet happy at the same time. And happiness wasn't a feeling she knew and could tolerate well, which only frustrated her more. They arrived at the studio. Cinna motioned for her to sit next to Peeta who was smiling widely at her. She looked uncertainly at Cinna and he nodded, encouraging her. "Just remember what we talked about, Katniss," he said, reassuringly.
She took her spot beside Peeta, not before shooting a glance at Cato who was as intimidating and breathtakingly beautiful as ever in his silver suit. She knew from day one that he was bad news and could be her biggest enemy in the arena. She would have to kill him eventually. She couldn't make ties now. Yet, there was something about him that drew her close. She was like Pandora and he, the box. There were so many secrets hidden in him as if they were only meant for her to know.
A/N: Review, please. I would love to know what you think. x