692Important Notes: First off, I'm going to let you know that I am simply following a prompt chart from , the fanfic50 challenge community, table 3. I happen to like looking at a word and writing a whole scene off of it just to see where it ends up.
Second- As much as I love Peeta/Katniss, I feel the need to write some Cato/Katniss. This being said, I am giving you a warning that this will become a full R-Rated fic soon enough, if it isn't already with just Cato's foul mouth. There will be dark themes, and I mean a step further than just kids killing kids. Sexual themes, etc. I am also going to warn you that this will be AU, because I am entertaining the idea of Peeta dying instead of Cato and Cato being chosen as the other victor, much to Katniss's dismay. Snow will have a field day with that, I'm sure.
Disclaimer: NO. I don't own anything. The Hunger Games belongs to Suzanne Collins, as do the characters.
:::035. Strong:::
Katniss has seen power before. She has seen it in the way that the Capitol controls everyone and everything. She has seen it in Gale, how he protects not just his family, but hers as well. She saw it in her father, with his kindness and understanding. She has seen it within Peeta, his simple smile and charming wit, his strong baker hands.
She has also felt power. Katniss felt it wrack her body with pain as the District 2 Tribute slammed her down on the training mat, knocking all the air from her starving lungs. There is some polite clapping from the constant group of trainers and onlookers in the training room. Triumph glints in the blue green eyes of the monstrous boy crouching above her.
"Get off me," Katniss hisses as her breath comes back to her.
Her opponent smirks mockingly and leans back, his large hand leaving her neck where he had been holding her pinned to the floor. The female Tribute from District 2 comes walking over smoothly to join her counterpart. "Well done, Cato," the small looking girl commented, amusement blatantly marring her face.
Katniss scowls and rubs her neck, faintly realizing that Cinna would be dealing with more than one bruise on her skin tonight. A hand is held out to her and she softly smiles up at Peeta as he helps her up. "Are you alright," he whispers to her.
Katniss shrugs, making a conscious effort to not rub her aching back. "Sure, if feeling like you got hit with a brick feels alright," she mutters back.
Peeta glances over his shoulder at the careers and rolls his eyes. "Whoever thought pitting you against that beast was a good idea must have been off their rocker. I'm not even sure I could go at him one on one."
Katniss scowls. "It doesn't matter does it? One way or another we are going to be stuck in an arena with him."
Peeta shudders. "I try not to think of it," he says as he walks back to the practice arena to work on camouflage.
Katniss frowns at the world and thinks about how she can't avoid the inevitable and how she is going to have to get her hands on a bow in the arena, or else Mr. Muscles probably wasn't going to be dying by her hand.
Close combat just wasn't an option there.
:::
The girl from District 12 is a threat; she just doesn't know it yet. It started the night that the Tributes were shown to the world in their chariots. Cato and Clove had looked glorious together, both confident in their own strengths, on victory. Then came the awe of the crowd as District 12 came rolling in on fire- on fucking fire.
Clove complained about the loss of sponsors over this and Cato had told her to shut her damn mouth before he shut it for her. After all, complaining could be seen as a weakness and they couldn't afford to shame their district with weakness, not when they had been working so hard for this chance.
He heard the District 12 prep team gloating over how the pair had definitely stolen the show and he glared in their general direction. Please. Dressing up those ghetto rats wasn't going to be enough to help them win. Just because it looks like a prize horse doesn't mean it runs like one after all.
And when it came to Cato he could talk the talk and walk the walk.
He had intended to show those two upstarts exactly what being a career meant. Cato had been thrilled when the training master had decided to set up some one on one combat skirmishes just to test out the skills of some of the Tributes.
The trainer had drawn names, and it was simply luck that he got the frowning girl from District 12. Her sharp grey eyes had fallen upon his face the moment his name had been called alongside her own. The guy she had come with seemed to pale just a little and Cato found this interesting because he had heard that the two had been holding hands in their chariot. A couple? You had to be joking.
They took their positions on the mat and Cato smirked while the girl before him scowled. He came to wonder if she ever cracked a smile, but he supposed people from the coal mine district didn't have much to smile about anyway. The trainer signaled them to start and hesitation came to the girl's face as she tried to decide what to do.
Cato's grin widened as he charged, knowing she wouldn't be able to block him if he came at her like a tornado. At the last moment she dove out of the way like a coward, but he clipped her, causing her to go down. Within moments he turned and went after her, seeing another opening while she was down. Cato quickly found that she was quicker than she looked and she rolled out of the way, gaining her footing quickly, dancing away from him.
He came at her again and faked to the left, watching as she started to go right. Too bad for her, he had anticipated this move. He got sturdy footing and swung his arm out, his large hand catching her around the neck and he used as much force as he could to slam her down to the ground without breaking her neck, which would be regrettable because then he'd be in trouble.
There was a thud as her back hit the mat and the air rushed out of her body. He held her down, watching as she desperately tried to get air. He briefly thought about tightening his hold on her neck, just to see her eyes constrict with fear as she fought for air.
But he didn't do it. There was time for that in the arena and excessive violence in the training room could get him in trouble too, or worse, thrown out.
Later that night as Cato was prepped by his team he dwelled on the idea that he had finally shown Katniss Everdeen who was boss. It clearly wasn't her. He faintly heard the door open and heard loud heels clicking on the stone floor. "Hello, Cato," Clove said airily, sitting beside him as his stylist worked on his blonde hair.
He grunted his acknowledgment. Clove gave him an amused look, "Oh, not so friendly this evening. You know what I think?"
His lips curled. "Enlighten me, Clove."
Her cold grin grew larger. "I think you had fun playing with slum girl today. I know how you enjoy putting people in their place below you."
Cato couldn't help but feel like that comment had a double meaning in it. He simply decided to not look into it further because Clove was always going on about his sadistic tendencies, she had been ever since training school back home in District 2. "They upstaged us, I was just showing them winning wasn't going to involve makeup and a few pretty clothes."
The girl simply smiled endearingly at him- as if looking at a favorite toy. It was one her most disturbing tendencies, this super superiority complex of hers. She ran a slight hand down his cheek and said, "Just keep telling yourself that. I know you have too much fun making people your victim."
Cato rolled his eyes. He hated it when she was right.
:::
AN: Let me know what you think so far. I know, not a lot of romance yet, but we have to work to get there (I believe in quality work over the fast, pointless gratification of pairings hooking up instantly, which is unrealistic. I plan to make this as realistic as this pairing can freaking get. Seriously.)
The more you review, the faster I update :)