Chapter 16
Cato
I lean back into my plush chair, laughing at an amusing anecdote told by Caesar Flickerman, my interviewer.
He's beside himself as I recount the story of when Peeta found the bottle of lube in the bag we won at the feast. The audience is in hysterics and even Peeta, sitting next to me cracks a smile.
"I'm telling you, Caesar I've seen tomatoes paler than his face was," I say, another roar of laughter erupting from the crowd.
"Oh, mercy," Caesar says, holding his stomach.
He leans forward, his smile fading into a solemn look, the laughter dies down and a hush falls on the crowd.
"Cato," he begins, I brace myself as I know what he's going to bring up, "in the arena there was a moment where the heart of everybody in this room broke for you. Am I right?" They all nod their agreement.
Caesar directs the attention of the audience to the huge screen behind us. It shows a clip of Peeta in my arms, his blood covering us both, then me crying after I hear the cannon, thinking he's dead.
"What was going through your mind when you heard the cannon?" Caesar asks, his voice soft as silk.
"I wouldn't wish it upon my worst enemy," I reply. There's a moment of tense quiet before the sound of a woman in the back row bursting into tears echoes throughout the room.
"Your face when you realize Peeta's still alive is priceless," Caesar says, lightening the mood as he directs the audience's attention back to the screen where a freeze-frame of me is displayed. It catches me mid-blink, making me look drunk, the audience gets a good laugh out of it.
"Peeta, I bet you're confused. Can you explain what happened, Cato?" Caesar suggests.
"Well, you know we thought Katniss only had five arrows?" I ask and Peeta nods, "If you remember, when we chased her up the tree Glimmer shot an arrow at her and Katniss kept it. So when she was hanging off the edge of the cornucopia she still had an arrow left and she managed to shoot you before she fell off. When I heard the cannon I thought you'd died when it was actually Katniss who had."
"Oh," he says, taking my hand, "I never realized. I'm sorry that happened, I won't do anything like that again"
"It wasn't your fault," I say with a light laugh.
"Still, I never want you to feel like that,"
A round of aw's come from the audience. Peeta looks apologetically at me.
"Sheesh, get a room," Caesar mutters playfully.
He conducts us through the rest of the interview and the conversation between the three of us runs seamlessly.
"You two sort of clicked, didn't you?" Caesar asks, after showing the audience some clips of Peeta and I.
"Yeah, as soon as we met we realized there was like a connection and we found out we had lots in common. It was like meeting a kindred spirit," I say, looking into Peeta's eyes as he nods.
"There were some moments where you didn't get along, though weren't there?" Caesar asks.
"There was that petty argument we had over that crate," Peeta says, "do you remember?"
"Do I remember?" Caesar asks sarcastically, "I could smell the testosterone from here. You had to vent afterwards, didn't you Cato?"
The screen shows a night vision camera catching me masturbating. Before I let embarrassment show on my face I begin to laugh.
"What can I say? He's hot when he's angry," I say, Peeta now the embarrassed one.
Caesar talks us through the rest of the games, going through the death of each of our allies. I see Marvel getting a knife from Clove. Glimmer's body deforming from so many stings. Three dying in his sleep from his infected stings. Clove dying for the same reasons.
"Well, that's all we've got time for, folks. We'll be looking forward to the Victory Tour in a few months time. But for now, the winners of the seventy-fourth Hunger Games: Cato Ludwig and Peeta Mellark!"
The deafening cheers last for a few minutes then Peeta and I exit the stage, still holding hands.
Peeta
"Well done, Peeta!" Effie says as she pops open a bottle of champagne, the cork ricochets off the train wall. Haymitch and I hold our glasses as she pours a generous amount in each one.
"Why don't you get Cato, he'll want to celebrate too," she suggests.
As I walk down the long passenger carriages I try a sip of champagne. It tastes horribly bitter. I pass a potted plant and tip the contents in there.
I stand outside Cato's door. The window shows the countryside whizzing past. That's where I'm going. I'm going home. I haven't spoken to Cato since our interview. The first thing he did when we got on the train was go to his bunk. For some reason I delay knocking on his door.
My knuckles hover over his door, I close my eyes and knock. After waiting with no reply I knock again. Have I done something to annoy him? I look down at the doorknob and I see there isn't a lock. I could walk in. I decide against it, I guess he just needs time.
As much as I want to return to my district I can't help but dread what I will return to. It's been twenty-four years since there was a district twelve victor and he's an alcoholic shut-in. Maybe that's what will happen to me. But I could have won with Katniss, not Cato. She could be returning home with me today and everybody knows that. I won't be winning any popularity contests upon my return. Maybe they'll cut me some slack, I didn't exactly know that there could be two winners.
Why did I choose Cato? It's something that just happened. It's got to be connected to the night before the games, somehow. I've been able to go back and think about it since the anti-venom but haven't for fear of what I might find, Cato gave me amnesia for a reason. He said he planted thoughts in my head. I've assumed up to this point he made me attracted to him, which I thought was unnecessary because I was attracted to him, anyway.
In spite of the voice telling me not to, I think back to the days before the games. Katniss and I were planning to be team-mates and even though I knew one of us would die, I was willing to do it. Then the night before the games, while having sex, Cato kept telling me I would become a Career.
That's the reason I chose him over Katniss. Now I know it wasn't me who did the choosing. He knew that once I became a career I'd be putty in his hands. I've known that part of our relationship needed to be faked to ensure our survival. But this, it makes me feel like I've been manipulated from the start. There's no knowing what was real and what was just for show. I figured that getting feelings for Cato would be easier than pretending to have feelings for him. I let myself get fooled by him when I should have known better. I need a drink.
I return to Haymitch and Effie, watching TV and laughing at a commercial for washing up liquid. It ends with a catchy tune and they repeat it back to each other, finding it funnier than it actually is. Effie drains the last of the champagne, drinking straight from the bottle. She must be drunk if she's ignoring basic manners.
"Peeta!" she shouts, noticing me enter the carriage, "Come on, the party hasn't even started,"
"I don't know," I say, slouching into a chair. I play with one of the polished knives, watching the light reflect off it.
She sloppily makes her way to the drinks cabinet, grabbing crystal bottles of different coloured shining liquids. Haymitch copies her and they both put their collected bottles on the table in front of me. Most of them are dark browns and purples, some are clear while others are bright green or blue, standing out.
"Which one?" she asks, indicating the gleaming drinks.
"I don't know what any of them taste like," I say.
"No, which one first?" she asks.
I start with a glass of wine, each new year since I was thirteen my father has given me a glass to celebrate. It doesn't taste much better than champagne, but I grin and bear it as I down the rest. Effie then pours me some blue liquid, it looks like it will taste nice, but I can't let that fool me.
"What is this?" I ask as I smell it, noticing it has a fruity aroma.
"It's a vodka mix, try it, you'll like it," she says, pouring herself a glass, spilling some.
I take a sip and like the sweet taste. I gulp down the rest and pour myself a second glass. Finally, a drink I actually like.
By the third glass I begin to feel better though my head is quite foggy. I've stopped thinking about Cato, and I've joined in with the shenanigans of Haymitch and Effie. When he drops his glass and it shatters on the floor I can't help but laugh. When Effie trips over her chair I laugh then, too.
Effie lines five small glasses in front of me. She pours each one with a different drink, no more than a mouthful in each. She indicates I drink one. I pick it up and go to take a sip.
"No, don't drink it like that," she says, "here, watch me,"
She picks one up, puts it to her lips and tips her head back in one jerk, sending the drink down her throat. She screws up her face then slaps down the empty glass. I feel compelled to copy her despite how her face is telling me it will taste bad. I choose a glass with what looks like water in it, lulling me into a false sense of security when in reality it tastes like fire is burning its way down my throat.
"Ah!" I say, before drinking from a bottle thinking it's water only to find it's the very same drink. I spit it out, Effie and Haymitch doubled over laughing, while I frantically search for some real water.
I see a vase of daffodils, my only safe bet. Not thinking, I pull the flowers out and drink deeply. Once I've recovered I see Haymitch, Effie and even the Avoxes staring at me. Effie begins to laugh and Haymitch slumps onto the sofa, a smirk on his face.
By my fourth 'shot', as Effie calls them, the carriage is wrecked. It's like the voice of reason has vanished and I decide to do the exact opposite of what I usually would. The chairs are overturned, empty bottles litter the floor and throw pillows are strewn everywhere.
"Hey Effie," I say, sipping the green drink, spilling a lot on myself, not noticing how it burns my mouth, "Haymitch is asleep,"
He lies on the cushion less sofa, snoring loudly, an empty flask in his hand. Effie crawls over to him, some of her orange curls falling loose, giggling cheekily. She produces a black marker pen and scrawls on his face. She focuses hard on what she's writing but when I take a closer look none of it is readable. They're just black scribbles on his face.
"Oh Peeta," she says inspecting her work, "I think I'd better get some sleep, we've got a big day tomorrow,"
She picks up her discarded heels and makes her way down the corridor, bumping into the walls as she goes. I lie back on the floor, I feel like I'm flying. I don't feel tired at all. Maybe Cato's awake.
I wait for the voice to tell me not to but I remember that it isn't there any more. I stand up, clinging to the wall until I'm stable. The corridor seems to turn as I walk down it, my hands firmly hold the window pane to stop me from falling over.
I stand outside what I'm sure is Cato's room. I begin to sway as I wonder what I will say. Am I going to start an argument? Before I realize it I've already walked into his room. He's asleep in his bed at the centre of the room. He sits straight up when he sees me stumble in.
"Cato, we need to talk," I say, letting myself sit on his bed.
"What the fuck, Peeta have you been drinking?" he says in a shocked and displeased tone.
"Maybe a little," I reply, trying not to laugh. I should be bothered by how angry he looks.
"Can you just go to bed? I'm tired," he says. I notice he's topless, his golden hair is a mess and his eyes are half open. Why does that turn me on?
I lean forward and lightly kiss his lips that look so soft in the dim light. He looks at me pained and confused. He doesn't look annoyed or unwilling but doesn't look wanting either. I kiss him again, my tongue tracing his lips. He kisses back but it doesn't feel like he's into it.
"What's wrong?" I ask, fearing what the answer may be.
"Peeta, I..." he tries, not looking at me, "never mind."
He places his hand on my cheek and kisses me, gradually pulling himself on top of me. His kisses become rougher, more passionate. No, not passionate, eager. Like he's kissing somebody he has seen in a long time. It doesn't make sense. Something feels wrong. I pause, just so I can look into his eyes, his calming blue eyes.
It's like twilight has been placed inside two orbs as I look into his eyes for a millisecond. I see a flash of guilt before he looks away and starts kissing my neck.
"All right, what's wrong?" I ask.
"Nothing," he replies as he begins to unbutton my shirt.
"No, seriously," I say as I shuffle into a sitting position.
"Can we not talk about it?" he says, trying to kiss my neck.
"Cato, what's the matter?"
"I have a boyfriend!" he snaps back, raising his voice. He puts his head in his hands with a long, drawn out sigh.
"You have a boyfriend?" I ask with a sarcastic laugh. The words escape my mouth before I can process them.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you. I just..."
"...meant to use me?" I suggest, finishing his sentence.
"I didn't want any of this to happen, I didn't think I'd get this... involved" he says, his head still buried in his hands.
"Oh really?" I say with more sarcastic laughter, "You thought you could fake an entire relationship without there being any consequences? While in a relationship with a complete other person? Are you really that stupid? I guess you didn't expect me to last long, did you? You'd be back with him before any damage was done."
"Peeta, stop it," He says, his eyes becoming glassy.
"Why? Is it too much to hear the truth, Cato?"
"What would you have done? I didn't expect them to change the rules, you know. I was glad that we could both win, I wanted us to. Can't we just focus on that?"
"Well how can I trust you? You're good at making me do that and it hasn't done me any favours so far. How do I know what was for me and what was for the Capitol? I mean, I gave myself to you, Cato."
"No you didn't, you were forced to, lucky I helped put it off for you"
"In front of them. I was forced to do it on national TV. You think I wouldn't have done it without a second of hesitation if it was just us two? Wait, you helped put it off?"
He hesitantly looks at me, I see him choose his words carefully.
"I knew you didn't want to so I... Gave you more anti-venom than you needed," he says, like it's nothing.
"You what?" I think back to the fever I had got after taking the anti-venom and thinking how kind Cato was to be looking after me.
I stand up, my head does flips and I find nothing to hold on to. Cato catches me before I fall.
"Whoa, you've had a lot to drink," he says, laying me down.
"No, let me go," I say as I try resist the comfort of a blanket being pulled over me. I make vain attempts at sitting up but I haven't realized how tired I am. I reluctantly find myself succumbing to Cato as he soothingly strokes my hair, sending me into a peaceful sleep.
I wake up with a terrible head ache. I bury my face in my pillow when I realize Cato is lying next to me.
"My head..." I groan.
"Yeah, that's a hangover," he says with a chuckle, "look I'm sorry for everything. I really am. It might not to be easy seeing each other every year, I know it won't be for me, but can we put this behind us? It's not like we'd be able to have a future, anyway. We can at least focus on being alive? I don't want you to hate me for doing what I did,"
"I was very drunk last night, a lot of things I said... I probably shouldn't have. Yeah, we're good," I say, my eyes barely open.
I close my eyes as I hear Cato turn the shower on. At least this time I know that it's him who's in there. I let my mind drift and follow a random trail of thought, knowing I should get as much rest as I can. In the words of Effie: today is going to be a big big big day!
A/N: So this is the end of this story. Yes, I'm going to be making another, but they're just different ideas at this point. An idea I'm working on is the possibility of Gale becoming an important person for Peeta. I know I've given the impression that it's over between Cato and Peeta but possibly as I introduce Gale and Cato's boyfriend that could make them open their eyes. I don't know, it's just a thought.
I hope I executed this chapter well. I did plan on revealing Peeta is still alive in the previous chapter but I decided not to. Just to clear up an confusion: Peeta got shot while Katniss was hanging on for life, Cato was so focused on Peeta that he didn't notice Katniss falling and dying, when he heard the cannon he thought it was for Peeta but when he went to Katniss to go kill her and finding her dead he realized Peeta was alive.
I know this may sound weird but the reason I haven't updated sooner is because I couldn't think of a second name for Cato. I knew that I'd have to think of one eventually so I just used the second name of the actor who portrayed him in the film.
I don't know how long it will be before the next story. I have an idea for a Doctor Who story from the season four episode The Unicorn and the Wasp. If any you guys have watched it you might remember that Lady Edison's son Rodger had a thing going on with one of the servant boys? I rewatched the episode a while ago and got fascinated by the possibility of a story. So if any of you are fans of Doctor Who that may be something to look forward to.
Wow, I went full rant. Okay, I hope you enjoyed it and everybody who reviewed I love you all. If you've made it to the end of my story then you probably liked it so I hope you know how grateful I am, you're awesome! Thanks for reading.
P.s. there were so many reviews and they mostly revolved around one thing: Peeta's 'death'. So I'll just say I'm sorry for leading you all into thinking Peeta was dead, I maybe shouldn't have done that.
Update: Okay, I'm having trouble with the sequel and I'm coming to you guys for help. The more I think about it, Cato was a huge douche to Peeta and like Dreamless kounichi said, Peeta should be more pissed off him. So it would only make sense for Peeta to try forget Cato, but the more involved Gale gets with Peeta, the less chance I see Cato and Peeta working. At the same time Gale and Peeta seems more likely. Does that make sense? As much as I want to be in control of what I'm writing I also want you guys to tell me what you want, so if you don't mind me doing with the story what I want, then fine, I will. If you want to give me a suggestion then please please message me, it will give me some peace of mind.
New update: I've written about 4k words on the first chapter of the sequel. Not sure how long until it'll be finished. Still, if any of you want a preview don't be afraid to ask. I still need to think of a title for it.