The night air feels cold. It's dark out, except for the beautiful hue of lights from the ships in the water. The surrounding area is completely abandoned with buildings that have rotten, fallen apart, or are in the process of deteriorating. It's an exceptionally creepy location, and Gale loves it. Domi, he has decided, is a bit of a weird cat; and that's good in his book.
"This served as a navy base in the 1940's," she says. "It's supposedly haunted."
Gale looks over his shoulder at her, a slight half smirk making it's way across his lips. "Do you believe in ghosts?"
Domi shakes her head, then furrows her brows. "Not ghosts, but something supernatural did visit me while I was sleeping once."
Intrigued, Gale presses her to go on. "What happened?"
"Before you call me crazy, you need to understand that I don't believe in ghosts or any of that stuff, but," she looks away, remembering her encounter. "I used to work these crazy hours. I'd start at four in the morning, so I was usually up by two. Well, about a year ago, I was taking a short nap before work. I wasn't even asleep, I just put my head down in the pillows. Then I heard something. It was a voice. It whispered, 'You can hear me, I can feel you now.' It scared the living shit out me. And then I felt something press my head deeper into the pillow. I was too scared to move or do anything. It happened at three in the morning. I did a little bit of reading, because it scared me and all, and I learned that the witching hour is at three am. Isn't that creepy? It's also about the time most people die in their sleep." She looks at Gale. "You think I'm crazy, don't you, pumpkin? I wouldn't believe me if I were in your shoes either."
Gale frowns at her. "I believe you."
"You do?" Domi asks, shocked.
Gale nods his head. "Yeah, I do. I mean, I'm sure there are forces in this world that we do not understand yet. Maybe we never will. Who knows?" He parks the jeep by the old military hospital and looks over at Domi. "I'm sorry about what happened to you. Have you had any experiences like that since it happened?"
Domi shakes her head and looks out at the decaying buildings. She's always loved this place. It made her feel… normal. "It's places like this that make me love life."
"Why is that?" Gale asks. Domi could be a complete mystery sometimes. Even when she was sitting right next to him in the car, she could be on the other side of the world at the very same time.
She gazes out the window, observing the dozens of broken windows of the miniature hospital. "Because without the darkness and hurt in the world, we could never truly appreciate living. You have to hurt to know what it is to love. You need to lose something close to you to understand what it is that we take for granted everyday. I'd rather feel the pain of living than not know what is real." After a moment of silence, she looks over at Gale. He's watching her every detail. This girl was the most complex creature he's ever lain eyes on. "Do you want to go inside?"
"Inside the hospital?" Gale asks.
"Only if you're not afraid, little dove." Domi smirks.
"I'm not afraid." Gale answers. He opens the door, jogs to the passenger side, and opens the door for Domi. Their fingers lace as they walk towards the building. There's a chunk of wood in front of one of the large windows and they instantly know that's the way to get inside. In any other circumstance, Gale would insist on the lady going first, but this place was incredibly sketchy. He hops through the window, takes a quick glance around the room until he's sure no one is inside, then helps Domi through.
If it weren't for all of the broken windows and street lights outside, it would be pitch black inside. Luckily, there is enough light to illuminate the rooms. All of the furniture had long since been removed. The floors and walls are covered in grime, dust, and other debris. The rooms, however, are otherwise bare. They make their way to a metal door, the only one that isn't locked. Opening it, they realize it leads upstairs.
Without having to say a word, they climb up the metal stairs, ignoring the other floors until they get to the very top. They open the door and a breeze flows through their hair. This door led to the ceiling. They giggle and make themselves comfortable on the edge of the building, looking out into the ocean. The lights from the ships create a beautiful golden hue against a purple ocean. It's a breathtaking scene.
Comfortable silence fills the air as they watch the ships. Gale looks over at Domi until she looks back. His head snaps back out at the scenery ahead. "You know, I never thought you and I would be here, doing something like this. I never expected to even really meet you."
"Why is that, pumpkin?" Domi asks, intrigued by his statement.
Gale looks down at his lap, suddenly embarrassed, but he decides he can trust her. "Because of the FaceBook page. And don't tell me you didn't see it. I'm sure the whole world has seen it by now."
"I'll have you know," Domi says, "I reported it and had it removed. It's not on there anymore."
Gale's head snaps in her direction. "Wait, really? Why would you do that?"
Her eyes narrow in anger. "Because that page was cruel and whoever made it deserves to burn for it."
The shock Gale feels in inexplainable. He wasn't expecting that. "It didn't… it didn't gross you out? Or make you think I was a fag or something?"
"What? Of course not!" Domi shrieks. "Whoever did that to you did it because they needed to control you. That man is nothing more than a weak coward that hurts people. I could never think less of you or anyone for something they couldn't control. And even if you could, it wouldn't matter. That man is sick and whatever happened in your past is exactly that- history. It happened and there is nothing we can do to change that. All we can do is focus on what's here, right now, and the people we love and care for. This moment is all that matters."
Gale carefully thinks about her words. He has been so reckless, uncaring, self-destructing for so long. Everything has always been so negative. And here's Domi, looking beyond all of that.
"I told my father after it happened," Gale admits. He starts gnawing at his knuckles. "He was having a drink in the living room when I told him. I- I didn't… he was so angry when he left. He was going over to Gem's and… I shouldn't have told him!"
"Shhh, it's okay, sweetheart. It's not your fault. I know you blame yourself for it, but you needed to tell him. Someone was hurting you and you needed help. There's no shame in that." She tilts his head up with her pointer and middle fingers. "Look at me."
He looks up at her, trying not to break down and says, "Needing help means being weak."
Frowning at him, Domi shakes her head. She pulls up her sleeve to reveal several scars from her wrist to the middle of her arm. "No. When someone is hurting, they need help. We need people in our lives to help us get by. We need love, we need someone to care."
A tear manages to travel down Domi's soft cheek and falls to the ground. She doesn't even realize she's crying. Gale watches her in awe, mesmerized by her. He scoots closer to her, wraps his arms around her, and gently wipes away the tear with his thumb. "You're really beautiful."
Domi offers him a small smile. "As are you, lovely."
This is it. This is the moment Gale has been waiting for. The sun begins to rise and he leans in closer to her; closer and closer until… their lips meet in a soft kiss.
It was a perfect sunrise.
Comfortable and warm, Myka can't remember when sleeping in his own bed felt this amazing. He slowly stirs from his peaceful sleep, his eyes just barely opening when he takes in his surroundings. He's not in his own bed. He looks over his shoulder behind him to see a very naked and content Finnick with his arm draped around Myka's waist, lips pressed against his shoulder blade. Feeling a bit guilty, Myka carefully lifts Finnick's hand away from his body and very tentatively places it on the pillow beside him. Finnick momentarily stirs in his sleep and Myka freezes in place until he can see that Finnick is still softly snoring.
Quietly as he can, he picks up his clothing from the floor and exits the room with feet like a fox. He quickly puts on his clothes and immediately leaves the house, wanting to get as far away as possible. He closes the door behind him and start to walk away.
The moment the door closes, Finnick wakes from his slumber. He notices Myka is no longer in the bed with him. He hastily races from his bedroom to the living room and opens the door. "Myka!" he shouts.
Myka stops in his tracks only feet from the house. He looks up at Finnick and his eyes nearly bulge out of their sockets from shock.
"Where are you going?" Finnick asks with a pout.
Scratching the back of his neck, Myka looks around to see if anyone is watching them. "You're… you're still naked."
"Don't try to change the subject. Where are you going? Come back inside. Please?" Finnick begs with his beautiful sea-green eyes. "I'll make you breakfast."
Myka opens his mouth to speak, but the words do not come. He looks around him, unsure what to do. He notices an older woman and her daughter across the street watching the scene with interest. He assumes Finnick will quickly run back inside and he will be off the hook.
Boy, was he wrong. Finnick just smiles, standing proudly, completely naked for the world to see in all his glory. He waves at his neighbors. "Hello, ladies!"
"Finnick! How are you?" The younger woman asks with a cheeky grin. She was definitely enjoying the sight.
"I'm doing great! I'm about to make my boyfriend some breakfast, but he's feeling kind of shy. Tell him to come back inside so I can cook him some of my world famous french toast." Finnick winks.
Myka turns a bright red, running inside the house as fast as his legs will carry him before the women can say anything. This was just too awkward. He'd do anything to get away from having his sex life displayed to the world. He already had a bit of a reputation, not to mention his shit excuse of a past. Finnick cocks his eyebrow, waves goodbye to his neighbors, and joins his guest in the living room.
He reaches out for Myka, who's turned away from him and facing the wall, and lightly touches his shoulder. The contact seems to set off a ticking bomb.
"What the hell was that?" Myka shouts.
Taken by surprise, Finnick leaps back, almost afraid that the brunette will strike at him. "Baby, what's wrong?"
"Don't call me that! My name is Myka, not 'baby!' What the hell was all that about?" Myka demands.
"Why are you so angry? Myka…" Finnick coos, wrapping his arms around Myka's waist. "I want you to be here. But more than that, I want you to want to be here with me." He kisses the brunette's forehead.
Myka seems to calm down. He takes in an audible breath and closes his eyes. "This is just a lot, Fin. I didn't… this wasn't supposed to happen."
"But it did happen," Finnick presses. "And I wanted it to. And you did, too. Everything was perfect. What are you so scared of?"
"I wasn't myself yesterday." Myka whispers.
Finnick furrows his eyebrows. "We're always ourselves, even when we aren't trying to be. You were happy. You can't deny that. And you know what? You were happy with me."
"I was strung out on coke." Myka finally admits. Perhaps it was slightly cruel, but this needed to be said. He expects Finnick to yell, scream, even hit him.
Finnick lifts his hand to Myka's face, increasing his suspicions, and he recoils in fear. But when the skin makes contact with skin, it's gentle and loving. He caresses Myka's cheek and whispers in his ear with a voice of genuine concern and sadness. "Please don't do drugs again."
Stunned by his reaction, Myka snaps his head up and stares at Finnick, observing his face, and more particularly, his eyes. "Are you ordering me not to?"
"No. I'm begging you not to."
The air in the room feels heavier and the mood has completely changed. Despite the fact that these two only met recently, and that they do not know each other completely well, Finnick suspects he might be in love with the brunette with the cat-like eyes. Myka, on-the-other-hand, he doesn't know what he's feeling anymore- except, perhaps, very confused.
Sensing his distress, Finnick leans in close and kisses Myka on the forehead, tangling his fingers in the messy jet-black hair before working his way to Myka's lips. He nibbles on his bottom lip, begging for entrance with his tongue. Unsure, but giving in to the pleasure, Myka grants him access. Minutes later, the phone chimes, interrupting their make out session.
"Sorry," Myka mutters.
"Don't be." Finnick shrugs. He tickles their noses together. "I'm supposed to make you breakfast anyway. Go lay down in the bed, watch tv or something, and I'll bring it up to you in a bit."
Myka tries to suppress a smile, but does as he's told. On his way upstairs, however, Finnick calls out, "And you're more than welcome to join me in a birthday suit! It's my favorite, you know. Especially with an ass like that!" He winks as he watches the brunette blush in embarrassment. "On second thought, I think I prefer undressing you myself. You can keep your clothes on… for now."
What does anyone say to something like that? Myka shakes his head in disbelief and makes his way back into the bedroom. When he's comfortable, he takes a look at his phone. He doesn't recognize the number. He reads the text message.
"Your dead fag"
Looking down at the text message he had just sent, Marvel instantly knows what he did was stupid, but he doesn't care. He's had a lot of time to think about things and he realizes it all started with that faggot-ass new kid. He's the one that fired Cato up. He's the one that broke his fucking nose! Cock sucking pansy! The profanities in his head are endless and all he can think about is getting revenge. He's going to hurt the kid so bad he won't be able to walk for a week.
His phone vibrates and he notices Myka has responded.
"It's spelled, 'You're dead, fag.' Note the apostrophe, the letter 'e,' and the comma. You're welcome."
At this point, Marvel is fuming. That stupid, fucking, piece of shit, little fucktard! Was that even a word? Who the hell cares? Who the fuck does he think he is correcting him on his spelling anyway? Know-it-all piece of shit! If he weren't in this hospital right now…
But that's exactly it, he's still in this hospital. He can't leave for another day or so. He'll be missing the big party with all his friends and Glimmer and Cato. He wonders what Cato is up to and suddenly he's not angry anymore. He's just broken. Is Cato thinking about him right now? What will he look like for the masquerade? Who is he going with? What will become of their friendship now that Cato knows his secret?
He can't even bother to wonder anything about Glimmer. He just doesn't care right now. He wants Cato. Why can't he be here? He needs him.
He needs him now.
But Marvel is not currently on Cato's mind. Dressed in a fine black dress shirt, pants, suit, and silver tie, he looks dashing as ever. He fixes his hair in the mirror, deciding he doesn't need to look completely formal. He opts to keep his hair in its usual style. He's always been very particular about his hair, constantly fixing it any time he sees his reflection. His mother would always laugh and say sometimes she wonders if she were meant to have a baby girl. It irritated him. In fact, it bothered him so much that he'd do anything in his power to prove otherwise. Joining the football team, playing soccer, basketball, rugby, it was all part of proving her wrong. She was never an easy woman to please or impress.
Satisfied with his reflection, he decides now is a good time to pick up Peeta. He sends him a text message.
"Are you ready?"
Peeta looks at the text message in horror. He assumed Cato was ignoring him and that they wouldn't be going to the party after all. He quickly dials Cato's number.
"Hello?"
"What the hell, Cato?" Peeta shrieks. He can hear Cato laughing on the other line.
"What's up, sunshine?"
"I called you and text you so many times yesterday and you didn't respond or pick up!"
"I do that sometimes. Are you ready?" Cato asks, uninterested in much else.
"No, I'm not ready!" Peeta huffs. "I thought we weren't going!"
"Ah, well I'm going to pick you up in thirty minutes. Be ready by then." And with that, he hangs up.
That's it? No explanation, no apology, nothing? Peeta angrily slams his phone on his dresser and debates on whether or not he should even go. Either way, he knew Cato would show up at his door in half an hour. He decides to call Katniss and get her opinion.
"Of course I think you should go!" She says after Peeta has explained what happened.
"But he ignored me all day yesterday and now he just expects me to do what he says? C'mon, Katniss!" Peeta whines. He thought she'd be the first person to convince him to tell Cato to fuck off.
"Yeah, but from everything else you told me, it sounds like he has a lot on his plate right now. You know, he and Marvel have been best friends since they were barely out of diapers. I don't know a whole lot about Gloss, but they're still friends. And I heard that Cato is on academic probation for fighting with Myka again. They're both looking at a possibility of being expelled. Besides, how else are you going to be able to talk with him and get your answers? Look, if things don't work out, you can call me and I'll pick you up. Just go have fun!"
"Thanks, Katniss." Peeta smiles. She really was one of the best friends he could ask for. "I'll talk to you soon. Bye!"
"Bye!"
And with that, Peeta hastily gets ready for the masquerade party. He finds his suit and puts it on. It's a black suit with matching dress pants, a white dress shirt, and a black tie. He slicks his hair back and looks for his mask. He is nothing short of gorgeous right now.
As if on cue, the doorbell chimes and he knows Cato is waiting for him. He grabs his mask and races downstairs. When he opens the door, he freezes in place upon looking at Cato. This boy was fucking delicious! The suit made his masculine figure look that much more charming.
Cato smirks at Peeta's blatant appreciation. "You ready, kid?"
Snapping out of his daydream, Peeta blushes and nods before picking up the gift he bought for Glimmer next to the door and follows Cato to his car. The car ride is mostly silent and slightly awkward. You could almost slice through the tension with a knife.
"What did you get for Glimmer?" Cato asks, breaking the silence.
"Oh, um… I got her a dress. I notice she likes designer a lot, so I had my brother help me pick something out." He says.
"You bought her a designer dress?" Cato asks, amused.
"Well, my brother is dating this girl who works with designer clothes. She was able to get me a really good deal." Peeta explains.
Cato nods his head in approval.
"What did you get her?" Peeta asks.
Cato shrugs his shoulders. "I don't buy gifts for anyone. I put money in a card for her."
Oh. Guess that was always a good idea. Saved from the hassle of trying to figure out what to get, that's for sure.
Moments later, they arrive at an absolutely breathtaking house up in the hills. It's huge. The house looks incredibly beautiful and modern, with a huge space overlooking the green, lush mountains. If Peeta felt intimidated before, he was having a near panic attack now. They let themselves inside and the interior blows his mind away. Crystal chandeliers stand out amongst the marble floor. There's a banquet of food, wine, punch, and sweets on a long table draped with golden cloth and candles. On the other side of the room, a group of musicians play the violin, piano, and other instruments. Everything is so elegant.
They leave their gifts in a pile on a designated table close to the swirling staircase. Glimmer is already dancing with multiple people, enjoying her birthday. She looks intoxicating. Her dress is completely sheer light silver with what appeared to be diamonds and rhinestones covering her most intimate parts. She's also wearing long sheer gloves to match, adorned with beautiful diamond jewelry. Her mask is also out of this world, a custom made piece with sparkles and streams of silver beads traveling down the corners.
Other friends are also on the dance floor, with the exception of Clove, who's talking with Cashmere by the punch. They look stunning as well. Cashmere is in a pink corset dress with a matching pink mask, while Clove wears a dark brown dress with straps that fall off her shoulders and a black mask.
"C'mon," Cato says, tugging on Peeta's arm. "Let me show you the rest of the house."
He takes Peeta upstairs and shows him the space outside overlooking the mountains. It's dark out, but you can still see the beautiful scenery with all of the lights and the bright stars shining down on them. Even this space has been carefully decorated with comfortable sofas surrounding elegant tables adorned with golden cloths and stunning centerpieces. There's another food banquet to the very left side from the door.
"Wow." Peeta breathes.
Cato smirks and pulls him back inside the house. There was still more to see. He takes him to the furthest door down the hall and opens it. It's the guest bedroom.
"What are we doing here?" Peeta asks shyly as Cato quietly shuts the door behind him. He looks around the room, observing the interior. The walls are painted blue with little white, gold, light blue, and purple stars. The sheets are a dark violet and the blankets are a soft hue of orange, maroon, and purple. It looks like another galaxy. It's quite creative, and stunning.
Suddenly Peeta feels himself being pushed towards the bed. He turns around and Cato smashes his lips into his own. Shocked, Peeta doesn't know how to react. He breaks away from the kiss. "Cato! What are you doing?"
"I promised we'd talk about what happened." Cato answers huskily before smashing his lips against Peeta's again.
Peeta breaks away for a second time. "This… isn't exactly talking, Cato."
"Shut up." Cato says flatly before going back to kissing Peeta.
He gives in and kisses Cato back, the moment growing more hot and heavy as they continue their feverish kissing. Cato tosses their masks to the ground before lifting his shirt off to reveal a very fit, muscular chest and abs. He kisses down Peeta's neck and quickly pulls his shirt off, too. Peeta can't help but feel very self-conscious. Though not out of shape, he wasn't nearly as fit as Cato. But soon he forgets that when he feels Cato's hands traveling all over his body, increasing his body temperature, making him squirm, hot with passion.
He feels Cato tugging on his pants. He looks down, terrified of being undressed in front on this man. But he also wants Cato so badly, he'll let Cato do anything he wants to him. The conflicting feelings cloud his judgement, and he lets everything unfold on its own. He watches as Cato pulls at his pants, becoming incredibly shy. Cato doesn't say anything, just continues kissing Peeta's neck.
Cato tangles his fingers into Peeta's golden locks, messing up the slick style into something much more messy and wild. "Don't stop." Cato pants. His pleasure is in overdrive and he's about to take things further when he hears the door open.
"Oh my God! What the fuck?"