ɢᴀᴍᴇ ᴏꜰ ᴄʜᴀɴᴄᴇ: ᴄᴀᴛᴏ x ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ

𝟚𝟟. 𝕃𝕖𝕥𝕥𝕖𝕣

Shrieks of horror from the crowd erupted. Coin rolled her eyes backwards, her face turning to one of horror as she fell down the platform, falling down to her backside as she faced her killer.

An awful, gurgling cackle came from Snow's lips, as he leans forward. Blood spurts and dribbles down his chin, as he laughs vigorously at the event. No doubt was Snow amused at what just happened.

You yourself - along with Clove who stood beside you - snickered in amusement. You were able to hold it in long ago, but now? Karma bit Coin back, and she deserved it. For all you knew, she could've restarted the Hunger Games once more.

Your grin spread across your face, unable to hide it this time. Some guards in grey suits had dragged you and Cato away, as the rebels had charged toward Snow.

Whilst he was spewing his life out, you saw the rebels bring him down from the pole, probably about to beat him to death.

You noticed from the corner of your eye Katniss smirking in amusement at the corpse of the 'new' president. Seems like she's proud too.

President Coin had blood dripping down her mouth, the arrow lodged into her heart, and a small pool of red surrounded the arrow.

You, Cato, and Katniss all ended up in a large room. It was very old, with two guards blocking the doors. You huffed, sitting down on the floor along with Cato and Katniss. You kicked a stone away from you, letting it roll away.

No one called for you, and even hours later. You let your mind slip away into your thoughts, imagining Clove. You smiled, seeing as she appeared beside you at the right given moment.

Something inside you made you stop, causing your smile to drop. Why would the Capitol send you, Katniss, and Cato here? Katniss had assassinated Coin, and you had laughed at her death. Cato may have interacted with you, but was that enough to be punished?

The thought of being tortured, interrogated, and even publicly executed came to your thoughts. You could feel fear start to seep up inside of you, until Clove spoke up, gripping your shoulders.

'Why does it matter if they execute you three? We've been through hell and back, dying wouldn't be that bad, don't you think?' She told you, tilting her head as she stared at you, waiting for an answer.

You blinked. She was right. Why the hell could you care about what they did to you now? You've already been through hell and back. They can't break you anymore. The only thing that you crave for is a happy ending. But you were denied that many times. After the first games. After the Quarter Quell. What else could scare you now?

You got up from the stairs, chuckling. "You're right, Clove," You murmured, bringing the other's attention to you.
You twirled around the room, like a child dancing in the rain. "What could scare us now?" You laughed, letting yourself let loose for once. Clove smirked/smiled, joining you as well.

Cato chuckled at your childish behaviour, while Katniss watched you smiling. How you could smile at a situation like this? She couldn't know. It was as if you couldn't fear death anymore. Well - you couldn't. You could greet it with open arms if the time came. So you can be with Clove and the others who died.

However, you still feared death for Cato. And your family, you still lived for them. You wouldn't willingly let death come to you, after all - you're only becoming 20 soon. Maybe in a year or in a few months, you didn't even know.

After a good 20 minutes, someone came at the door and whispered something unintelligible to the two guards. They all left, and Haymitch came stumbling in. You stopped your twirling, and went back to sit beside Cato. Haymitch sat beside Katniss, after nodding to you and Cato.

"I'll say this for you, Katniss," Haymitch started, holding a piece of paper in his hand. "You don't disappoint." Haymitch nodded to Katniss in approval, whilst Katniss didn't respond.

"Plutarch gave me a letter for you,"

"I don't want it." Katniss declared.

"You never make it easy, do you?" No response from Katniss, as you, Clove, and Cato watched the interaction. You were definitely amused. Probably not as good as the assassination, but still amusing nonetheless.

"Ok, I'll read it." Haymitch unravelled the letter and read it out loud.

"Katniss, maybe the country was shocked tonight by your arrow, but once again I was not. You were exactly who I believed you were. I wish I could give you a proper goodbye, but with both Coin and Snow dead, the fate of the country will be decided tonight and I can't be seen at your side. Tonight the twelve district leaders will call for a free election. There's little doubt that Paylor will carry, she's become the voice of reason. I'm sorry so much burden fell on you, I know you'll never escape. But if I had to put you through it again for this outcome I would. The war is over, and we'll enter that sweet period where everyone agrees not to repeat the reason of horrors.

"Of course, we're fickle, stupid beings with poor memories and a great gift for self destruct. Although, who knows? Maybe this time we'll learn. I've secured you, as well as (Y/N), and Cato a ride outside the Capitol. It's better for you three to be out of side, and when the time is right, Commander Paylor will pardon you. The country will find its peace, I hope you can find yours."

Haymitch finished the letter, looking back at you three. You could only assume why they wanted you three out of sight.

"What now?" Katniss asked softly.

"Home," Haymitch slightly smiled. "We go home."

You turned to Cato, realizing what that meant.

"We can go home..." You murmured. Cato smiled at you, as you embraced each other. "We can start a new life in Two, just us. We can visit your family if you want. And Clove's dad."

"We can make a memorial for her, too," You added, relaxing in Cato's arms. "We're finally going home."

-

As you and Cato started to head to the train, your family, as well as Clove's dad, came to bid you two goodbye. You exchanged hugs to your parents, and your siblings held onto you. "You promise you'll visit us?" Lily asked, sadly. You nodded. "Pinky promise."

Cato and Clove's father gave each other a respectful handshake, smiling at each other before you two boarded the train.

You sat down at one of the velvet couches, watching as the trees, mountains, and nature sped past you so quickly. "I forgot, Enobaria will be our neighbour." You remarked, turning to Cato and joked. He smiled back. "Oh, yeah I forgot."

Looking down at your hands, you grazed one of your fingers over your nails, feeling the smooth feeling of the painted nail.

"Cato, what are we gonna do when we get to 2?" You turned to him, staring into his eyes. They were exhausted, just like yours were. Not just from the war, but from everything. The games. The loss of Clove. The Quarter Quell. Losing you to the Capitol.

"We learn how to live a normal life. Without the games to worry about." He held your hand softly, caressing your fingers. You nodded to him, leaning on his shoulder. "We could live in one of the homes from the Victor's Village. And we could travel to visit the others too."

Cato nodded, resting his head on yours. "I'd like that." He murmured, as he stroked your hair softly.

You closed your eyes, feeling truly safe for once. This was the true feeling of a Victor, a feeling in which one can live the rest of their life in peace, no longer needing to worry about anything else. Just as you felt yourself drift into sleep, you could feel another person hold your other hand.

'I told you that you'd make it out.' The familiar voice of Clove echoed through your ears, making a small smile grow on your face.