That night, he sat at dinner, waiting to get Brutus alone to ask him about Peeta.
"What am I wearing for my interview? I don't want to look slutty like Glimmer." Clove demanded, staring at Amerite.
The woman sighed, tired of Clove's demands. She was sick of being interrogated, and Clove had been relentless since about the moment she met the woman.
Clove's actual stylist, a man named Vyan, had not been around much since the tribute parade. Amerite said he was working on their clothes, but Cato suspected he was just hiding from Clove. She was particularly more difficult than the typical tribute, even a Career.
"I don't know Clove, I don't make your designs. I'm sure Vyan will make you something you're happy with. I'll pass on your message when I see him" she answered the girl.
"Clove, try to watch your manners. It is rude to be so demanding." Their escort, a very short woman with orange skin and bright purple hair named Zinea, scolded her.
Clove rolled her eyes, stabbing her fork into her dinner.
Cato minded his business, ignoring their incessant chatter, trying to piece together that was Peeta Mellark joining the Careers.
The boy was decent with the spears, good aim, definitely strong enough to get them to stick. He was too busy with his sword to notice him with the knives, but he had winded Marvel in hand to hand. He would be useful, but how long would it last? Would Cato have to meet up with Katniss and tell her Peeta had died in their fight with the Careers, or by the hand of some other random tribute? Was he supposed to protect Peeta, because trying to save the life of one tribute was bad enough.
The same went for Rue. Cato knew he couldn't abandon her, and he would never be able to bring himself to kill her. He'd be haunted until the day he died remembering the faces of the tributes he would kill to save Katniss, even the other Careers. As disgusting as they were, Cato knew all too well what the Academy did to them to create the monsters seen in the game. He also knew that in killing them, they would lose their shot at waking up, their shot at redemption.
Like his mentors, Brutus had been a powerhouse in his games. Now, you only had to catch him off guard for a moment to see the regret constantly painted across his face. Enobaria went as far as to rip her opponents throat out with her teeth. Cato remembered hearing through the whispers at the Academy that she was held down by 5 Capitol doctors during the procedure to sharpen her teeth. Not because she was in pain, but because she didn't want to live with the constant reminder of what she had done. Their pride, their continued bloodthirst, it was all an act. Once you knew about how the Academy treats the kids, you could see right through all of it.
But Rue, the tiny girl from 11, Cato would not live through killing her. She was more innocent and purer than anyone else in the arena, a sly little thing too. He had seen how she hid in the shadows, climbed the nets above them, slinked around seeing Clove's knives, sneaking arrows from Glimmer. She was quiet and quick. She had a decent shot of hiding it out like the morphlings had, if Cato wasn't hell bent to save Katniss.
Peeta and Rue were problems for him because he didn't want either of them to die and knew he couldn't kill them. He had to hope something else would take them out, which he didn't even want to do. The rage he always felt at the games was bubbling beneath the surface, the disgust of watching all the kids in the training room prepare for their deaths. It was never about reparations for the rebellion, and only about revenge and brutality. But these children should not pay for the mistakes their great-grandparents made. All in all, Cato wished they would have won the war. Then this disgusting affair would have never even started.
"Cato, how are you planning to play your interview?" Enobaria asked him, pulling him out of his mental anguish.
The absolute last thing I give a shit about is the interview.
"I don't know" He shrugged, "I'm just hoping to get off with my good looks." He smirked at her, hoping that answer would be substantial enough.
"I'm sure that will go smoothly then dear." Zinea tapped his arm, right where Katniss had.
Her hand was too small, her orange skin felt too soft, to cold. He ignored her the same way he did Glimmer.
"Cato, when you're done eating, I need to speak with you about your interview plans, and I'd like to go down and work on your swing form a bit more." Brutus nodded to him.
There we go.
"I'm done now." Cato threw his silverware down and stood up, normally he wouldn't be so rude. But right now, all that mattered was his plans for the arena.
The two men stepped onto the elevator and shot to the roof. Cato opened his mouth to speak, but Brutus shushed him.
"Wait a second."
The doors opened, revealing his meeting spot with Katniss. He almost expected to see her here, leaning against the balcony. The mental image of her in front of him, with tears streaming down her cheeks sprung into his mind. The pain in his chest at the thought of it all.
"We have a problem" Brutus turned to him. Just then, the door to the attendant's elevator opened. Haymitch, still sober and properly dressed, sauntered over to where Cato and Brutus stood.
"Those two are on my last nerve." He scowled, the look on his face reminded Cato of Katniss's signature scowl.
Focus, you can whine and miss her like a lovesick puppy later.
"Katniss insisted on joining this little pow-wow, so she is on her way. I got Cinna to stall her with 'measurements' for a few minutes, but she won't stay for long" The previous drunk explained.
"Peeta doesn't really trust you." Brutus chimed in, turning to Cato.
"Well then what the fuck is he doing joining the Career pack?"
"I still can't believe he did that. He thinks you're faking your alliance with Katniss in order to kill her faster. He joined your group so if you guys come across her, he will be there." Haymitch threw himself on the bench.
"He's also still planning on admitting his little crush on Katniss in his interview with Caesar." The man finished.
"Well, what the hell am I supposed to do about that? Threaten him? I don't think that will help my case. If he makes it about Katniss and him- I'll never be able to get the sponsors off the love triangle shit. Like you said Haymitch, they'll force me and Peeta to fight at some point. How would that even work with his alliance with the us? They're going to think he's double crossing them and kill him in the bloodbath." Cato was stressed, pacing. He had no idea when he became bothered that Peeta Mellark didn't trust him.
"No, we have to tell Katniss the truth. If we don't, he could try to turn her against you." Brutus looked at Cato, "You're going to have to assume when she gets up here that she will trust you even if Peeta doesn't. Why would she follow his lead anyways? It's obvious he doesn't like you because of his crush on her."
"Katniss has no idea that Peeta has a thing for her." Cato explained.
"Tell her then." Brutus shrugged, right as the elevator door opened.
Could I tell Katniss that her district partner is also obsessed with her? We were trying to avoid a love triangle, and yet here I am, standing in the middle of one. Great. That's just fucking great.
"UGH! Cinna and his stupid measurements. Doesn't he have them already? My parade costume fit! I swear, he measured me in the same spot eight times!" Katniss stormed onto the roof, not noticing the heated conversation happening. She looked beautiful, even with her sunny disposition. Scowling and storming ahead, until she noticed Brutus's presence.
"Oh" the color drained from her face at the sight of the massive man. Brutus was even taller and broader than Cato, with very large muscles. He suspected that the man worked out and kept up to date on his weaponry as a distraction, or maybe it was just still a habit.
Well, I guess that Brutus is intimidating on first glance.
Cato remembered being wary of him when he first met him. Brutus was younger then and seemed a lot angrier at the Academy. He had softened a bit since, relaxing into more of a sadness than the rage at the betrayal.
The larger man chuckled, noticing Katniss's discomfort. Giving her one of the softest looks Cato's ever seen him give anyone, he stuck out his hand towards her.
"Katniss, it's nice to finally meet you. I'm Brutus Gunn, Cato's mentor."
Katniss relaxed then, but still seemed awkward as she shook the older man's hand. It was almost comical, watching the tiny girl stand in front of Brutus's massive form. Yet, she held her chin up and twisted her face into one of determination.
That's my little flame, never showing fear.
"It's nice to meet you too, Cato told me a lot about you."
"Sweetheart" Haymitch piped up, leaning forward on the bench.
Where the hell did he get that nickname from? I wonder if she hates that or Kitty more...
By the scowl Katniss gave the older man, Cato judged her distaste for both was about the same.
"The boy isn't too fond of your alliance with Cato here."
Katniss looked like she was about to explode with rage at this news.
"Oh, I am FULLY aware of that. He came in my room after you talked to him about it. Ranting and raving- "
Okay, not news to her. At least I don't have to worry about her listening to Peeta. Wait, he was in her room?
"-about how Cato is going to kill me, and he's just like the rest of the Careers, and how it's all some elaborate plan. Then, he had the nerve to tell me not to trust him and he would take care of it. As if- "Katniss was spitting mad, stuttering over her anger. "As if I'm some kind of helpless lamb that needs saving! I'm not stupid, I wouldn't form alliances with him if I didn't think he was trustworthy. Ugh, I threw him out."
Good girl.
"Wait, is that why I saw him over with the Careers today? What did he say to you? I swear, I'm about over his protective- "
Cato cut her off, "He joined the alliance with the Careers."
For the second time that evening, all of the color drained from Katniss's face. She snapped her head towards Haymitch for confirmation.
He nodded at her, "That boy thinks Cato is lying to you."
"Which I am not, just to make it clear." He interjected, cutting Haymitch off.
"Right, anyways he joined the careers so that when Cato supposedly 'tries to kill you'" the man made air quotes with his hands, "He will be there to stop him."
Katniss looked like she was about to explode, the fire in her eyes was almost as bright as it was at the reaping.
"Does everyone think that I am some damsel in distress, just waiting to be saved?" She threw her hands in the air and sat down next to Haymitch.
"No, you just have two boys trying to save your life. You're more popular than you realize little one" Brutus added, throwing in a new nickname. Katniss didn't glare at the man, instead just stared blankly.
"You're saying that Peeta is also trying to do what Cato is trying to do?"
"That's exactly what we are saying sweetheart." Haymitch elbowed her.
"What is wrong with everyone? Why is everyone trying to kill themselves for me?" She looked down, her face a mixture of annoyance and grief.
"Because you don't realize how special you are." Cato answered her, stepping in her direction.
She lifted her head, and her silver eyes met his. She had the same quizzical look on her face, the one she used when she didn't trust him. He tried to convey everything without words. Maybe if she looked hard enough, she would see that he loved her.
But of course not, because Katniss Everdeen invented obliviousness.
Instead, she shook her head, looking over to Haymitch.
"So, what do we do now?" She asked.
"Your plan in the arena hasn't changed. Get out of the bloodbath, find water, wait for Cato to make his move and find you. You two can either hunt them down or hide until the end after that." The older man answered.
"And what about Peeta? And you?" She turned towards Cato.
"Whenever I figure out how to break from the careers, I'll take Peeta with me. If it ends in a fight, I won't hurt him." He answered Katniss, once again trying to get her to see the truth in his eyes.
"I don't like this plan. At all." She crossed her arms and scowled at the blonde.
"Well, blame Peeta for that then. He is going to be an issue unless he comes around to Cato." Brutus gruffed out.
"Yeah? I'm sure he will be! What if he tries to kill Cato before this stupid escape plan? What if he tells the other Careers about our alliance?" Katniss stood up, poking her finger into his chest.
Yell at me forever if you want little flame, especially when you're worried about my safety.
"He's not going to try to kill me Katniss, he knows he won't win. And he's not going to tell them about our alliance, he doesn't even think it's real. He thinks they are in on it too." He answered her, staying calm even in the face of a very angry Katniss.
"Cato's right sweetheart, all those things would get him killed. He basically tied his own hands when he allied with them. He would have been better off if he stayed with you." Haymitch interjected.
"Then tell him to ditch the alliance when the cannon goes off and come with me!"
"He can't. The Careers would know something is up. We can't have any distrust in the group before Cato gets out. Something as small as that could lead to them all turning on eachother real fast, trust me." Brutus answered her.
"Katniss, it's going to be fine. Peeta will either trust me and come with me, or he won't, and he'll go out on his own. Maybe it's better off that way, you don't want it to come down to the three of us."
She gave him that look again, the one where the fire in her eyes looked different and she seemed almost sad but wasn't. This time it seemed a bit more pained. One day, he would understand what it meant when she looked at him this way. It was the only emotion she showed that he couldn't read.
"And what happens when it's just me and you? Are you going to turn on me? Decide you want to see Alice again after all and then kill me?"
Shit.
He didn't like this question. She knew he planned to die for her. She knew he didn't want to return home if she didn't, believed that he wouldn't be able to live with himself if she died. Why was she asking him this? Why was she torturing him?
"No Katniss. I am not going to turn on you. I already told you-"
Remember my story little flame, remember how much I trusted you.
"I already told you everything." He didn't want to admit it all in front of Haymitch and Brutus again, but Haymitch understood what he meant.
"Not to mention, he couldn't go home to 2 anyways. After all this, ditching the careers, protecting a girl from 12? They wouldn't want anything to do with him. He'd probably be banished from the district so he wouldn't be able to see his family anyways, forced out of the Academy's trainer positions. He probably wouldn't even mentor for the games. There's nothing for him after this, but all of us know you need to go home little one. We all saw your sister. Hell, everyone saw how the entirety of district 12 respects you. You're walking out of that arena a victor." Brutus came to his rescue.
Katniss just stared at Cato. He could see she was trying to read him.
You can't solve a puzzle if you don't have all the pieces Katniss, and you're missing the most important one. I would never turn on you because I love you.
Ignoring the words he wanted to say, he met her gaze. "I already told you, I'm not going to hurt you. I want you to win. Brutus is right, I haven't seen Alice or my mom in 10 years. My alliance with you would be frowned upon in 2, even if I kill you in the end. I'll still be a traitor. They will not want me in 2. I'll have nothing. You have to go home because your sister needs you, mine doesn't."
"So what, when it comes down to the two of us you just ask me to kill you? I'm not doing that. No." Pain flashed in her eyes as she looked up at him, "I'm not going to kill you."
He steeled his gaze on hers, trying to swallow the lump in his throat before he spoke.
"You have to… or I will have to kill myself."
Katniss looked heartbroken, her eyes watering a bit as she looked up at him. If he didn't know better, Cato would believe she cared about him. But no, it was just her empathy. The same trait that made her wipe away his tears, hold his hand in his story, yes. It was her massive amount of empathy and her good heartedness that caused the sorrowful look in her face.
"Well, isn't this a lovely topic of conversation. C'mon sweetheart, tomorrow is your last time to train before the evaluations. You need to sleep."
Katniss looked away from him just as a singular tear fell from her eyes, following Haymitch to the elevator.
Brutus and Cato stood shell shocked. Brutus due to Cato's admittance that he would rather kill himself than kill her, and Cato due to all that had happened.
Why was she so hell bent on confusing him? Was it really her empathy that caused her tears, or was it the thought of him dying? Did she care about him? If she did care about him, how much emotional damage would it be to watch him die? It was better if she felt nothing other than empathy, thanks for saving her. It was better if she didn't grieve him.
The two men walked to the stairwell, their footsteps echoing down the empty corridor.
Some sick, twisted part of me really wants it to be because she loves me.