hi
i took a break but i'm back
i was struggling for a while trying to decide what direction to go in here, and a big s/o to magic-saphira on for helping me realize i had it right the first time and i was being dumb. they have been an invaluable resource in helping me sort out my thoughts recently and they're just so sweet and kind. the absolute best of the best.
i'm sure i will get comments about the decision i went here, and thats okay. this is literally the only way to make the story make sense and if you dont like it, im sorry but its the way it's gotta be.
anyways, life kinda threw me for a curveball. i turned 22, got a new kitten, went to like 10 concerts in a month, went to tampa, went to seattle, went to houston. i've been all over the country doing all kinds of things- it's been great but i am so tired. so, heres a short chapter for you all. i've got a good one going through editing rn so expect that tomorrow too.
The morning light filtered through the window, lighting up the room with bright warm light. For the first time, Cato truly took in what Katniss had done in this room. Above the bed hung a beautiful photo of them and their families, taken the day they all met. His family had ridden in on the train, and he had only gotten about 3 seconds to hug his mother and Alice before reporters started pouring out of the train cars behind them. They followed them the whole way to Victor's village where Katniss's family had been waiting. Everyone was in the picture, even Haymitch had crawled out of his house, and they smiled at one another completely blind to the cameras behind them. He hadn't seen the photos before, but Katniss had seemingly found them and chosen the best ones. She chose the real moments, the ones where his career persona dropped, and they were just two families joining together for the first time.
The walls were painted a soft cream, replacing the dark blue wallpaper that had previously marred the walls. The bed had been replaced; the opulent gold metal frame had been replaced with one simpler in warm wood tones. She had taken the capitol out of their house and reinvented it. It was theirs, and they had spent the last few days claiming it.
Three days, to be exact. Three days were spent lost in one another. He had explored every inch of her body and kissed every birthmark and dimple. She had done the same, with every touch of her small hands and brush of her lips he was cleansed of the sins of his past. The beautiful room she had created was a mess of blankets strewn and feathers that had escaped the pillows. Katniss lay in front of him, her back pressed into his chest and his arms wrapped securely around her. The sun lit up her face, kissing her hair and highlighting the deep red tones in it that shone like fire. The waves fell in tresses behind her with soft white feathers trapped in them that seemed to be placed perfectly. She looked more peaceful than he had ever seen her, a smile on her face as she slept, her breaths slow and even. His wife was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen, breathtaking in every way.
But it was over. In one short hour, Effie would arrive with prep teams and camera crews in tow. They'd split them apart and spend all day dressing them up like dolls. Snow, in his apparent infinite wisdom, had decided it would be a great idea for the people of the capitol to vote on their wedding attire. They had already voted each of their outfits down to a few final selections, and today they would to a photo shoot to model for the final vote. The thought of Katniss in a white dress made him smile, but they were already married in their minds, and nothing could ever top the way she had looked in front of that fire a few nights ago.
But it was over, and now they had to go back to the real world. It physically pained him to wake her up, to break the beautiful bubble they had created over the last few days. Still, he figured it was better than letting Effie barge in here and find them naked in bed together.
He kissed her shoulder, taking a moment to savor the way her skin tasted on his lips before waking her up.
"Katniss, my love, it's time to get up." He said in her ear.
"Can't you just try to look happy for five seconds?" Effie frowned as the camera flash went off once more.
Katniss blinked, trying to get her eyes to adjust to the searing bright light continually flashing in her eyes. "How am I supposed to look happy when I can barely even breathe in this thing?"
She looked down at the dress she was wearing. After the third dress of the day, they all began to blur together. Katniss had even lost count of the number of dresses she'd been forced into, or the number of hairstyles her prep team had done on her. It was all a mess of sparkling white tulle and bobby pins. The only reason this dress stood out was because it was so tight, she couldn't force herself to take a deep breath.
"Katniss, I have worn a corset every day of my life for as long as I can remember. You can handle wearing one for twenty minutes." Effie answered her, "Now smile."
She shoved a bright smile on her face that didn't quite reach her eyes, and it wasn't long until the dress had been taken off like all the others and replaced with a soft white robe.
"Okay." Effie looked up from her clipboard, "This is the last dress."
"Oh, is that all?" Katniss sneered at the woman sarcastically, "I thought there'd be more."
Her prep team got to work again, pulling out her previous hairstyle and creating a new one. Octavia was in front of her, touching up her makeup. Katniss spent most of her time wondering how much powder could possibly be applied to her face, and then Octavia mentioned how she couldn't get shrimp for a party she threw.
"Why? Is it out of season?" Katniss joined in the conversation.
"Oh, Katniss, we haven't been able to get any seafood for weeks!" Octavia answered, "The weather has been just terrible in District 4.
Katniss thought back to the victory tour, the unassuming people that stared up at her in front of a glimmering beach. Without question, she knew that District 4 had revolted as well.
For the rest of the hairdo, Katniss continued prodding about items they were having a hard time finding. Seafood from 4, fabrics from 8, certain electronics from 3. Venia recounts how a building under construction near her apartment cannot be finished due to a lack of wood from 7. Her prep team, as blithely innocent and gullible as they may be, aren't used to wanting anything. Now that they had experienced it, they wouldn't stop complaining as if the world nearly ended because Flavius couldn't buy a new suit in his favorite color, yellow.
All the thoughts of rebellion seemed to twist a knife in her stomach and send her spiraling with excitement all at once.
Her final hairstyle was finished, and she barely noticed as they slipped the final dress on. It was all she could do to be thankful for the fact that this one was the most comfortable of all. She was crouched down as Flavius placed a crown in her hair when her favorite voice sounded behind her.
"Hey beautiful," Cato said, leaning against the doorframe. She took him in through the mirror she was standing in front of. He was clad in an all-black suit as usual, except the fabric used for this one was glossier than normal. It shined like oil as it stretched across his broad shoulders. His black undershirt was adorned with a chain running across the black tie and pinned to the lapel of his jacket. The suit had subtle embroidered details, gold, and silver woven to create subtle swirls of design on the cuffs and neck. His hair was not slicked back like the capitol usually styled it, but rather left messy, some of the blonde strands falling in his face where his scar was left on full display. Out of all of the suits she had seen him wear, this was by far her favorite.
"Looks like we match." He smirked.
For the first time, she looked at the dress she was wearing in the mirror. All of the others had been shining jewels and puffs of tulle, she had looked like a bride in every sense of the imagination. But this dress…this dress was Cinna's creation for her. She looked like a warrior, draped in flowing white silk gilded with the same gold and silver from their wedding bands. The bodice was tight, but perfectly fitted to cup her waist and bust. Embellished with crescents of gold and perfectly placed silver gems, there were small sleeves that draped off her shoulder. Her skirt flowed behind her in layers of pressed organza and silk, a slit running up her thigh to show the gold heels laced up her calf. Her hair had been styled simply, flowing down her back in ringlets with two braids pulling the hair from her face and framing the crown atop her head.
And the crown was a work of art in and of itself, the matching set to their wedding bands. It shined with rubies and sapphires, gold, and silver weaving around the gems.
For the first time today, she overlooked the layers of makeup and hairspray caking her. She looked past the glitz and the glamour of her upcoming capitol wedding, seeing the strong woman she had become with Cato by her side. She saw Cinna's vision, of two warriors declaring their love for one another in front of the entire nation, and watched it come to life in front of her.
Cato crossed the room, stepping behind her as she stared at herself in the mirror. He brushed her hair off her shoulder, leaning down to kiss her neck.
"I know we're already married, but you look fucking amazing in white." He whispered in her ear, earning a laugh from her.
She didn't even notice the camera flash.
As fast as Effie came, with her camera crews and prep team in tow like a tornado of glitter, they disappeared even faster. One minute, both of their houses were filled with people, and the next it was as if nothing had ever happened.
He didn't mind putting on a few suits and posing for the cameras, and he finally got the chance to thank Effie for smuggling the medicines that saved his life to 12. He had no idea how the woman did it, but he was thankful, nonetheless. She never offered any explanation either, about how she knew he was dying or how she managed to acquire the drugs, only a soft pat on his shoulder and a kiss on the cheek.
Katniss, on the other hand, was absolutely miserable. They had scrubbed every inch of her body, much to Cato's dismay as he had spent the last 72 hours claiming it. Her ankle, which was finally starting to heal, was now swollen and throbbing from standing in heels all day. She was exhausted, half asleep, and freshly showered where they sat curled on the couch.
Everyone was over at their house to watch the airing of their photoshoot tonight. Clearly, Snow had planned it so their entire day would be spent reminding them of their upcoming lavish wedding. He didn't mind, as Katniss was curled into his side half asleep on his shoulder and Prim was mirroring her sister on his other side. Alice sat on the floor between his legs. He was surrounded by his favorite girls in his new favorite place, so he couldn't find it in himself to be annoyed with the massive display Caesar was putting on.
"Oh my, look at our girl on fire in this ballgown… have you ever seen a thing quite like this Claudius?" The man's chipper voice boomed through the speakers as a photo of Katniss appeared on the screen.
"No Caesar, I have not. She looks plucked straight out of a fairytale!" His co-host replied.
Katniss looked absolutely miserable in the photo; a fake smile plastered on her face.
"You look like a cupcake, sweetheart." Haymitch hadn't stopped laughing since the photos began airing.
"Shut up, Haymitch," Katniss growled, never even opening her eyes.
"I think she looks pretty, but that dress is definitely not the one." Alice frowned at the TV.
"And here is our Cato Hadley, decked out in a fabulous navy-blue tux. I must say, this one is absolutely a contender." Caesar's voice interrupted them.
His photo flashed on the screen, showing the dark blue suit with crisp silver edges that he had worn. He barely even recognized himself in the photo.
"I don't like it." His mother frowned.
Katniss perked up, her eyes scanning his image on the screen. "The last one was the best." She shrugged, "None of the others even come close."
"I agree." Evelyn nodded.
"And now for our final selection and my goodness… I may be at a loss for words. Claudius, look at our lovebirds!" Caesar introduced the final outfits, the ones that he and Katniss both favored.
"Caesar, I thought this was going to be a hard decision… but I think after our audience sees this one their minds will be made up for them." The co-host answered.
The image that popped up on the screen took his breath away. It was a candid shot of them in their matching outfits. He was leaning down, whispering in Katniss's ear as she laughed. The picture was taken in the mirror, so her dress and his tux were fully displayed. She looked radiant, smiling, and laughing without a care in the world, and he had never seen himself look so happy as he did in the picture before him.
"Someone remind me to call Effie for a frame of that photo," Katniss spoke up next to him. Her fingers intertwined with his, her half-lidded eyes shining up at him like pools of starlight.
"We surely know how to take a picture, Mrs. Hadley." He whispered in her ear, just as he had in the photo.
"What can I say? The camera loves me." She boasted.
"Katniss, you know I love you, but it's safe to say the camera hates you just as much as you hate it." His mother teased.
The family's chatter continued on, even as Caesar's program ended, and the national anthem began playing. He ignored it, too busy focusing on the bickering between Katniss and Haymitch, until President Snow's voice filled the living room.
"Citizens, this will be the 75th year of the Hunger Games." His voice was as snake-like as ever. It ripped through the room like poison, sucking the life out of all of them.
"It must be the reading of the card," Evelyn suggested.
"I think this calls for a drink." Haymitch frowned, walking over to the bar cart in the corner.
Usually, Cato would chastise him for drinking in front of the girls, or even having a drink at all now that the man was with his mother. Memories flashed in his mind of Haymitch's games, the way he had gripped the cold toilet seat as he vomited after watching a disemboweled Haymitch collapse on that cliff. He felt his grip on Katniss tighten subconsciously as he listened to the president's speech.
"Each quarter quell is distinguished by Games of significance. And on this, the 75th anniversary of our defeat of the rebellion, we celebrate the 3rd Quarter Quell."
Cato's stomach twisted into knots as he thought of mentoring a child through a Quarter Quell. What could he even say to give them a fighting chance? He wasn't so sure that it was better to survive the games than to die in them. If he didn't have Katniss, he was sure the guilt and the pain would have eaten him alive by now.
Maybe I'll take a page from Haymitch's book and have a drink myself.
A small boy appeared on the screen, standing on President Snow's right side holding a tiny wooden box. Cato wanted to scream for the boy to run as Snow turned his slitted eyes on the child, so similar to the ones he sent to their deaths every year. The small slip of paper was grasped in Snow's hand then, containing the torture to be inflicted on the districts this year.
As he read the card, Cato was sure he saw the ghost of a smile on the man's lips. It was in that moment, on the precipice, that Cato felt his world stop turning.
"As a reminder that even the strongest cannot overcome the power of the Capitol, this year's tributes are to be reaped from the existing pool of victors in each District, that is, the district they currently reside in. All Victors will present themselves on Reaping Day, regardless of age, state of health, or any other hindrance. They will compete in this pageant of honor and sacrifice until one lone victor remains, earning the ultimate crown."