I can't believe I'm saying this but here's the last chapter. I'm so sad but happy, too. I can concentrate on other stories now but I'm going to miss this one so much. I will say, a sequel is in the works but I don't know when will it be finished or if it'll ever get finished. I'm trying to decide how I want to write it but anyway, here's the last chapter. Thank all you guys, you mean so much to me! This story wouldn't be here without you.
MangoMagic17: It means so much to me you made an account to follow this story! Thank you. You've stuck with me through it all and it means a lot. I hope the last chapter lives up to its exceptions and expect a sequel sometime in the future! Much love.
DrarryFrerard: Thank you! I really enjoy writing it. Hope you enjoy the last chapter. much love.
SakuraDrops141: Here you go! The last chapter. Hope you enjoy it! Thanks for reading!
HungerHead4978: haha oh my god, don't accidentally kill yourself over my story. It means a lot though! And yeah, I love Katniss, I do, but how everyone treated her made me not like her as much as I can. here's the last chapter, thanks for reading!
Setsuna Hyuga: Thank you so much! I hope you like the last chapter. Thanks so much for reading.
CascadingWaters95: I LOVE YOU! All your reviews made me so happy. Thank you so much, it means a lot! I'm glad to have you as a fan. And yes, a sequel is in the writes, it just may take a while. I'll check out that story when I have time! I've never really read a MarvelxCato so it may be interesting to see how that is, even though I'm madly in-love with PeetaxCato. I even named my cat Potato because of them haha! I hope you love the last chapter, much love!
ENJOY GUYS!
Chapter Twenty.
The thing lets out a howl as Cato digs his sword into its throat, heaving it away from Peeta with a loud grunt. It twitches on the ground, its paws kicking and scratching at the grass, growls full of blood leaving its mouth. Cato grabs Peeta by his arm and heaves him up, throwing it over his shoulder. Howls are echoing all around outside the Cornucopia and the things dying growls are echoing back to their ears. It's almost too much to hear and Peeta wishes he was deaf, for just that moment. He doesn't lean on Cato, since his legs are working fine, but he knows he would be off balance, without his arm around Cato. They rush from the Cornucopia and to the side of it. They need to get to high ground, before those things make it to them. Their howls are getting closer and they can hear a scream. Katniss. No canon sounds, though, so she's still alive. Cato begins to help Peeta up the side of the Cornucopia when the first one breaks the forest line. Its fur is a brilliant golden color, its eyes a fierce green. Glimmer. Holy fuck, it's Glimmer. Panic and fear shoots Peeta and he can't pull himself up. He wonders if Cato realizes what those things are and he must of, because he sees Cato's eyes linger on Glimmer, shock in his face, before he's trying to push Peeta up. Peeta can't get a grip though, not without his other arm.
"You go first!" he yells to Cato, over the howling and yelping and snarls. "Pull me up."
Cato looks torn but he knows he can't argue. With a few grunts and some strength Peeta will never understand where he gets it from, he's up. He reaches down for Peeta and Peeta grabs his hand and Cato begins to pull him up, as that thing that looks like Glimmer darts towards him. More break the forest line, eyes the same as the fallen tributes, fur the same as their hair. Peeta's heart is loud in his ears, his palms are sweaty, and his stupid feet keep slipping on the Cornucopia as Cato grunts and pulls him up. Glimmer reaches him just as he's almost to the top and jumps, its jaws opening wide and its teeth latching on his leg. The pain he feels is like no other and he screams out, his other leg kicking out and smashing into its face repeatedly. He can feel the growls its emitting vibrating up his leg and through his body, shaking him to his core. "Motherfucker!" Cato yells and he's holding Peeta up while wielding his sword. Somehow, he manages to bend down and stab at Glimmer. The thing bites down harder at first but as Cato's sword goes into its eye, it yelps and releases Peeta.
Cato doesn't waste time since the others are on its tail down. He yanks Peeta up, blood smearing all over the gold of the Cornucopia in the process, and drags him to the center. Peeta's so relieved when he realizes the things can't climb; the things try but they keep slipping, falling back down and snarling and growling and howling and it's horrible sounds. He falls flat on his back, the pain unbearable. Cato falls beside him, staring down at his leg, his eyes wide. Peeta doesn't even want to look at it, it must look horrible, disgusting. "Oh my god, holy shit." Cato whispers, looking at Peeta's face. "Are you fucking okay?"
"Just dandy." Peeta grumbles, staring up at Cato.
Cato lets out a breathless laugh, the shock and worry and fear swimming in his eyes. "I fucking love you." he says, leaning down and kissing Peeta, desperately, his eyes glassy.
"No, this isn't goodbye," Peeta says, his good arm going up and grabbing Cato by the shirt, shaking him some. "This isn't a goodbye. Maybe that rule change was real-" he chokes on his own words, on the pain, the pain in his leg, the pain that he's going to lose Cato. That it's here so soon and he's going to lose him, just like that. He thought he could handle it when it came. He had lied to himself.
"I fucking love you." Cato repeats, diving down and kissing him again. He lets a sob out against Peeta's lips and tears are already sliding down Peeta's temples and into his hair. He pulls back and Peeta strokes his cheek, wiping away a tear. Cato is crying again and he hates it. He hates seeing this side of Cato because he isn't used to seeing Cato so broken. Cato is stronger than this. Cato is. But Peeta himself is a crying mess because he knows he's about to lose Cato. It's just the same thing. Cato feels just as strongly as Peeta does for him. It's natural for Cato to cry.
"I love you." Peeta whispers, his voice thick and shaky and full of pain, emotionally and physically.
"You're my Boy on Fire. Boy with the Words. The Boy with the Bread. Lover boy. 12. Everything." Cato sucks in a sharp breath, his eyes wide as tears pour down his cheeks. "My everything."
"Cato-" Peeta's voice breaks off into a sob. Who knew Cato could be so good with romantic words. His heart swells and pounds heavily, his leg throbs in pain, his head spins, and he can't stop crying. He's not sure if he'll ever stop. "I love you," he repeats shakily. Cato kisses him again, hard and rough and so Cato, and pulls back.
"I lo-" his words cut short into a pained grunt and blood sprays across Peeta's face. Cato's blood. His jaw slacks as he sees the arrow tip sticking from his chest, where his heart is, blood dripping from the tip and onto Peeta's cheek, sliding down off to the side and down his neck and onto the golden floor below. Cato looks down in shock and it's just like his dream: the arrow tip, the blood soaking his shirt and jacket, the shock in Cato's eyes. And Peeta's inability to say anything, Peeta's shock taking him over. As Cato lifts his eyes back to him, blood beginning to dribble from the corner of his open mouth, the smile, the smile reserved for Peeta only, graces his lips. "Win this, Lover boy." he whispers, falling to the side.
Finally, Peeta finds his voice. "Cato!" he screams and pushes himself up, grunting in pain. "Cato!" he repeats, reaching for him but the canon sounds, above his pounding heart, the howls and growls and snarls below, and his sobbing. Cato's gone. The arrow is still sticking from his chest, his eyes are still open but the light is gone from them, and that damn smile is on his lips, a dribble of blood coming from the corner of his mouth. "Cato," he whispers, in pure shock. The sound from the things below is suddenly gone and Peeta can see them fleeing back into the forest, leaving, going back where they came from. He slowly looks up more and sees Katniss, posed atop the horn, perfectly balanced, staring at Peeta, her bow in one hand, the other hanging uselessly at her side. It must of hurt horribly bad to force herself to use her broken arm, the arm Cato broke, but this is Katniss and she pushed through it.
The sun is beginning to raise, casting rays across the land and those things, those mutt dog things, are gone, no more snarls or growls or howls. It's pitch quiet, a couple Mockingjays in the distance beginning to sing. Katniss slowly slips down the horn and nearly loses her balance, considering her one arm is useless. How she shot, Peeta will not understand. They're staring each other down, Peeta's eyes still pouring water, Katniss' hard and unsure.
Suddenly, Claudius Templesmith's voice is echoing around them. "Hello to the remaining two tributes of the Annual 74th Hunger Games. The previous rule change," he pauses, as if in a bit of shock himself, "has been, um, revoked. There can only be one winner. That is all and may the odds be ever in your favour."
Fierce determination, anger, sadness. These are just a few emotions that are running through Peeta but currently the strongest. He reaches forward with his heavy arm, the other steadily waking up but not fast enough, not taking his eyes off of Katniss, and prys Cato's cooling hand off of his sword. More tears drip from his eyes and his vision is blurred but he can make Katniss out. Her arm is useless, it'll take a good amount time to load an arrow. That's probably why it took so long for her to take down Cato. He sucks in a sharp breath as he begins to raise to his feet, his other leg useless, his other arm useless. But he doesn't feel useless. The sword hangs at his side and Katniss and him are staring each other down. A grin, a grin he can only get from a blood thirsty Career that made him feel lava, comes onto his face. It's twisted, he can feel it, it's ugly. Katniss moves her foot back but doesn't take a step back, watching him warily.
"Yes." Peeta says, his voice reaching Katniss who is backing up and trying to get an arrow out of her quiver with much difficulty, "There can only be one winner."
...END...
So, thoughts? And yes, that's the actual end. I'm actually going to go look over the sequel now and try to figure out what I want to do with it. So, guys, thanks again for sticking with me! Much love to you all. I'll see you guys again once the sequel is up! Till next time, my lovelies.