Cato Hadley woke up on the morning of the 74th Annual Hunger Games to the first rays of sunshine beginning to stream overtop the buildings of the Capitol. He sat with his back against the wall of the roof, surrounded by a garden of flowers. In the distance, he could hear the first sounds of the birds chirping. Otherwise, the normally bustling city was still silent.
The calm before the storm.
Asleep in his arms was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. His heart swelled at the memory of the night prior. Him finally admitting he loved her, and to his surprise, his feelings were returned. How she had begged for them to spend the night up here, begged for him to stay, curled into his arms and fallen asleep. He leaned down, placing a feather soft kiss on her forehead. He allowed himself a few moments to bask in his happiness. In just a few short hours, they would be escorted to the arena. He would be separated from her for a long time, unable to ensure her safety, unable to see her. In the meantime, either one of them could die at any moment. This moment could very well be his last with her. In the wake of this thought, he studied her sleeping form. He drank in every inch of her, storing it away in his memory. The way her arms were wrapped around his body, twisted fists in his shirt, parted soft lips, the curve of her nose, the way her heartbeat seemed to be in sync with his, long, dark eyelashes, the freckles across her cheeks, the one particularly dark one of the left side of her nose, her soft breaths, and finally the sleepy, content smile on her lips.
Cato thought back on his promise from the night before. He had vowed to not only her, but himself, that he would find a way back to her. He would not allow this to be his last moment with her. He would never leave her. He would find a way for them both to walk out of that arena, come hell or high-water.
The wind was calmly blowing across them, the soft melody of the windchimes always in the background. He took a deep breath, allowing himself to enjoy the moment fully. This may not be his last moment with Katniss, but it would be his last before he had to wear his mask again. Today, he would most likely have to kill an innocent person. The thought made him nearly sick to his stomach, but he drove it away before the anxiety could take root. Today was his last day only being haunted by the memories of his childhood. Sighing, he resigned himself to facing reality and gently shook Katniss's frame a bit.
"Wake up, love" He called to her, smiling as her eyes started to flutter and she pressed himself closer to her.
"Cato" she said his name softly, curling into his larger frame. His heart swelled with joy upon hearing his name on her lips, uttered softly in a sleepy haze.
"It's time to wake up Kitty-Kat" He smirked at her.
"Shush, no it's not. And you know I hate that." She scowled and shoved her face into his neck.
Ah, there she is.
"We have to go back before they realize we're missing; they'll think we ran away." He smirked at her.
"Can't we just actually run away?" She pouted. He felt her huff against his body. She had no idea how he wished they could. They would go far away, where they would never have to be separated. They would never know the horror of the arena, never have to face the consequences of volunteering.
"Sure we can, where do you want to go?" He decided to indulge her.
She sighed, thinking for a moment before answering. "The moon." She said softly.
He chuckled at her, squeezing her body to his tightly, "Why the moon love?"
"Because there's nothing else there. There's no Hunger Games, no districts, no Capitol. We could just be left alone." She answered, a sad tone in her voice, "And it's pretty." He smiled softly, turning his head to place a kiss on her temple.
"Okay, we'll go to the moon." He said, wrapping one hand under her knees and the other around her back. Slowly, he stood up, stretching his stiff body with her in his arms.
I didn't need to be sore from sleeping on the ground today, but I wouldn't trade last night for anything.
"What the hell are you doing?" She pulled back and scowled at him.
"Taking you to the moon, obviously." He answered, smirking as he looked into her grey eyes.
"I wish. Ugh, Effie will throw a fit if I'm not back in time, put me down." Her scowl grew deeper. He gently placed her on the ground in front of him, already missing the contact of her body wrapped around him.
She looked up at him, and it was as if the reality of today had finally snuck up on her. Gone was her peaceful morning bliss, her bantering about running away, her playful frowns… now, the only thing he saw on her face was fear.
"What if this is-"He cut her off, crashing his lips down onto hers. He refused to let her speak it into existence. He refused to even let her think it. He had promised it wouldn't be, so it wouldn't.
I've never been one to break a promise.
Yet, a certain desperation swirled through their kiss. It was as if they were both trying to memorize the other, engrain every single detail about it into their memories. He allowed this. He let her fire wrap around him once more. He would need it whenever the cannon went off, during the bloodbath, during everything until he saw her again. The memory of what he was fighting for was the only thing that would keep him in line.
"Don't." He commanded her, pulling away. This time, the burning feeling lingered. He wondered if they had finally become one. Fire and ice finally indistinguishable from one another.
"Don't say what if, don't say goodbye. Just don't. I promised you I wouldn't die, didn't I?" He asked her.
She nodded, sadness filling her eyes. He wished there was anything he could do to take it away from her.
"Promise me you will stay alive too." He begged her, reaching a hand up to cup her cheek. She closed her eyes, leaning into his touch. "I promise." She whispered.
"Say it like you mean it." He grabbed her other cheek now, the stance they were in was so familiar to the one they shared last night.
"I promise Cato. I promise I'll stay alive." She said firmly.
"I love you. I promise, no matter what you see me do in there, no matter what I say, I love you. Promise me you'll remember that." He asked her, feeling vulnerable. He didn't want to face the reality that she would watch him do horrible things.
"I know who you are Cato. I trust you. I'm sorry I made it seem like I didn't last night. I know the guy from the interview wasn't you. I was just caught up with everything. I promise, I know it's not you. I know you love me, and I love you." She leaned up, meeting her lips with his softly. He could feel her love for him in the kiss, it's as if she was telling him without saying the words. His body felt like jelly, drunk off the feeling.
"I guess I'll see you soon." He said as they pulled away. They slowly walked towards the elevator. She pressed the button at the speed of a snail.
"I love you." She said as the doors dinged open.
He leaned down, taking her in his arms one last time. He memorized everything for the third time today. He took a deep breath, allowing himself one final moment before he pressed a kiss against her forehead. "I love you too. Stay safe." He answered her.
She stepped onto the elevator, tears trailing down her face. He was too focused on her to realize if he was crying too or not.
He gave her a sad smile as she pressed the button for 12, and he heard the gears on the doors begin to shift.
"Meet me on the moon." He told her, right as the doors began to close. The last thing he saw was a small, sad smile spread across her face. And then she was gone.
He took deep breaths as the rays of sun started to fall across the rooftop. He resigned himself to being who he had to be. Forced determination out of his broken heart as he swallowed the lump in his throat.
I'll find a way to give you the moon someday, Katniss. I promise.