A Mockingjay Fettered (HeavenSundered & Randomname)

[HeavenSundered]

The morning had been as unproductive as it was bleak and grey, barely any hints of dim sunlight occasionally shining through the thick blanket of dark clouds overhead. It wouldn't be too much longer before the storm came, and Katniss would much rather not be caught out in it if she could avoid it. Unless she found some suitable game soon, however, she might not have a choice.

Her mother had been forced to sell most of their reserves at the market just to pay the mortgage on their house, so there wouldn't be any food on the table at supper unless Katniss brought some back. The wild forest was packed with enough wildlife that she generally didn't have much trouble, but today was different. She kept running into tracks - human tracks, and several sets of them, too. At least four that Katniss could count.

Probably some amateurs that were making far too much noise and scaring off any potential prey, if she had to guess. Huffing with frustration, the sixteen-year-old pulled up the collar on her leather jacket to better protect herself from the chilling wind as she headed in the opposite direction of the tracks, expecting to have more success that way.

That assumption proved to be correct. Even more so than Katniss could have anticipated, in fact. Peering into a small clearing through the thick foliage of a bush, she spotted not just the usual squirrel or rabbit, but one of the rare and prized deer that could occasionally be spotted in the forest. Katniss had only ever seen one maybe three or four times herself, but she'd never managed to get close enough to land an arrow.

With a silent gasp, she carefully retrieved the bow from her back and drew an arrow out of her quiver while finding a way around the bush, not wanting to risk startling the animal by rustling any leaves. Katniess couldn't help but admire the beautiful creature while she made her approach, part of her feeling a tinge of guilt for what she was about to do. Still, her first priority was towards her mother and little sister. She had to keep them safe and fed, even if that meant taking the life of an innocent and noble animal.

Just like she'd done thousands of times before, Katniss nocked her arrow, held her breath while pulling back on the bowstring, and finally released what was probably the most important shot of her life thus far. The sharpened projectile whirred briefly through the air before sinking deeply into the deer's side. The poor creature took off running, but it barely made it fifty feet or so before collapsing. Running over to it, Katniss put it out of its misery quickly with her knife.

Next, she had to figure out how to actually bring her catch back home with her. This wasn't something that happened every day, so she wasn't exactly prepared. At first, Katniss considered building some type of rack or sled for the carcass out of branches and rope, but she ultimately decided that it would take too long and probably wouldn't help much anyways. The deer was small enough that she should be able to drag it by the leg.

It was difficult, but not impossible. She'd made it about three quarters of the way back already when the sounds of voices nearby caused her to look for a place to hide. With how close the voices were, there was no way that Katniss could get out of sight fast enough while dragging the deer carcass behind her, so she was forced to leave it and hope that the strangers she heard passed by without taking notice. Unfortunately, she wasn't so lucky.

"Hey, check over there, what's that?" one of the men alerted his buddies before the group of four headed over to the deer.

"What the...must be our lucky day, boys," another one commented, kneeling to inspect the deer more closely.

"You got any idea how much one of those is worth at the Hob? We'll be set for at least a month!" the first man added excitedly.

"Well, don't just stand there, idiots! Grab it and let's go!" the one kneeling, apparently the leader, commanded.

That was when Katniss jumped out into the open. "No, don't touch it! I killed it, it's mine," she exclaimed, holding out an arrow with a bloody tip in her hand. She realized how dangerous it was, challenging four grown men all in their early twenties by herself, but there was no way that she was letting them steal her biggest catch ever.

A couple of them started laughing. "Put your arrow away, little girl, that doesn't prove anything," the leader replied brashly. "We're the ones who killed this deer, and we're the ones who're gonna collect the rewards, so piss off before collect a little something from you, too."

Without thinking, Katniss allowed her anger and frustration to get the better of her as she drew her bow and swiftly shot an arrow, planting it into a tree trunk just an inch away from the leader's face as a warning. Sadly for her, it had the opposite of the intended effect as the four men all came rushing at her rather than running away in fear.

She clipped the first one in the face with her bow, sending him reeling before one of the others grabbed her arm. Twisting her body to face him, Katniss drove her knee between his legs, drawing a pained grunt from him as he let go of her and doubled over. By then, the other two were on her, though, and she wasn't able to fight them all off.

A hard backhand across the face dazed her long enough for the men to throw Katniss over a fallen tree, one of them holding her down by her arms while the leader got behind her and roughly pulled her pants down to her knees. "NO!!!" she howled when his hands reached for the waistband of her white panties, and she managed to knock him back with a wild kick.

Still having to free herself from the other guy holding her down, Katniss bit him hard on the arm as her most desperate survival instincts took over. Cursing loudly and angrily, the man let her go, and she immediately rolled off of the log, landing on the cold forest floor. "AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!" She screamed at the top of her lungs while struggling to pull her pants back up so that she could stand, praying that someone else might hear her, as unlikely as it probably was. "AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!! AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"

 

[randomname98766789]

Life in Panem was not that great for anyone unless he or she lived in District One or Two. Even then, some people still struggled and were oppressed in those districts. Growing up in school, Troy Smith was taught to love his nation and to love his President and the necessary evils that take place. They often described the Districts as supplying the Capitol with materials and in turn, the Capitol protected them. That couldn’t be further from the truth. Troy is one of many whom realized how wrong all this was but no one had the nerve to stand up about it. His parents raised him better and raised him to treat everyone equally, that’s why he had gotten so many floggings, beatings, and whippings at the hands of peacekeepers, trying to protect the innocent ones.

Little did the just turned seventeen year old know that his knack of trying to save other people would come up later that day once again. Early in the morning, he got up and worked his shift at his parent’s shop, the shop that he would probably take over when he got out of school in the next year. Being from District Twelve, he was in the poorest of the Districts, however, his parents ran something called a “Trading Market.” Unlike other illegal markets, this was legal and sanctioned by the Capitol. Miners from the mine would bring coal to their shop and in turn, the workers would package them up to be shipped out to the Capitol while they worked with other Districts trading with them. This way, Troy got to know a lot of people and his family also made a good amount of money, considering the situation. He was a very charitable person, giving all that he can, whenever he can. He really was a rare breed but he embraced his kindness even though it could get him killed.

Troy’s shift ended early in the afternoon as another middle-aged male that his father went to school with took over. The clouds were making the whole area seem so dark and grey and eerie that it made him shiver visibly, tugging his jacket over his body. Along with being so kind and respectful, Troy also had the body of a god, or so he was told but never really accepted it because he was modest. Although their district was underfed, lugging around hundred pounds of timber, coal, and whatever else came through their store for his entire life had definitely helped him build and maintain a muscular physique. The blonde haired, blue eyed boy was also staggeringly tall at nearly six feet and three inches. His voice seemed gruff and cold though he was usually quiet unless he needed to speak or someone needed to speak in general. His gruff voice also had a soothing tune to it that a few people heard if they were hurt or sad, Troy was truly one of a kind. That’s why he was very popular around school, everyone loved being around him and he reciprocated that love.

In District Twelve, the district is separated into two main sections. On one side is the richer side (although not rich at all), is the Town side, where he is from. They are often referred to as “Townies.” They tend to be snot-nosed and arrogant towards people from the other section of the district, the Seam. However, as one may assume, Troy didn’t fit that stereotype either. Some of his best friends were from the Seam and no matter how often he was ridiculed for freely walking around in the Seam, associating with the “disgusting coal dust people”, he still did it anyways. They were humans too, why treat them differently?

Today he was going on a walk and for no particular reason found himself wandering around in the Seam. It was cold outside so he had on a long sleeved, black t-shirt and a jacket that was made of wool and was of the same color. He was also wearing a new pair of blue jeans that he had purchased earlier that week. He wore just some regular old tennis shoes that he wore on long walks so he didn’t wear out the comfortable ones so soon. He liked to maintain his shape so soon his walk turned into a light jog around the district. He gave some greetings to the people and even stopped to help an older woman bring some stew inside her home as she couldn’t even pick up the large pot. The Seam’s situation was just pitiful and it broke Troy’s heart, but there’s only so much a teenager can do.

Before long, Troy was taking a rest near the fence that separated his district from the rest of the world and what was assumed to be District 13 before the war seventy-four years ago. He always heard that the fence was to keep away dangers from the outside, but Troy wasn’t stupid. He knew much better than that. It was too keep the district citizens inside the fence and under the control. He always heard that the fence was electrified but he’d checked a few times and heard no buzzing and could tell that it wasn’t. He was about to head back on his way home until he heard something off in the distance, in the woods, past the fence.

He raised his eyebrow and listened closer and he could tell that it was screaming. A girl screaming, and it didn’t sound like she was having fun. Knowing the consequences of being outside the fence, he left all logic and reason behind him and bolted through the fence. The barbed wire cut a small spot on the left thigh of his jeans and drew just a smidgen of blood but of course he wasn’t occupied with that at all, now.

As he got closer to the noise, he heard voices and scuffling and arguing and more screaming. Soon, getting into view, he saw four mean and one girl. He had seen her at school before, Katniss Everdeen, he had a class with her last semester. Then he saw that her pants were pulled down and the men tried to grab her.

“Hey, stop moving you bitch! You should have just let us take the deer!” The man that she kicked in the groin scowled at her, attempting to grab her arms. Troy could see that the girl was putting up a decent fight but it was still too much. At some point, one of the men had taken her bow and one of her arrows and taunted her with it, aiming at her. The men hadn’t seen Troy yet and the one holding the bow aimed at Katniss as the other men tried to hold her down and steady her so he could shoot. However, right before the man shot, Troy swooped in like a super hero and sent a sickening, loud thud of a kick to the man’s chest, sending him flying a few feet away and the bow and arrow crashing to the ground.

Troy stood tall above all the men, despite them having a few years on him. He looked more muscular and manly than them all and his stare was cold and gruff and relentless.

“Let her go.”

Troy demanded coldly to the other three men as the leader still lay on the ground, groaning from the pain of the kick that clearly took away his breath at the least.

 

[HeavenSundered]

A hard kick to her ribs sent Katniss rolling on to her back before she could manage to pull the waistband of her pants back up and regain her footing. Clutching her side, she groaned heavily as tendrils of pain spread out from the point of impact, leaving her unable to defend herself against her assailants when they all rushed her again, this time with fury in their eyes. Still reeling from the kick, her struggling proved insufficient as two of the bandits yanked her up by her arms before roughly shoving her back against a tree, keeping her pinned there.

Meanwhile, their leader scooped up the bow and quiver of arrows that Katniss had lost during the scuffle. He inspected and weighed the bow momentarily before nocking an arrow and aiming it straight at her chest. Her grey eyes widened with terror when she realized what the maniac planned to do. "NNNUUUUUUGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!" the girl roared defiantly, her muscles straining hard as she desperately tried to rip herself free from the clutches of the two men holding her arms. Katniss didn't want to die, and especially not like this - not by the bow that her own late father had lovingly crafted for her. If he was out there, watching somehow, she didn't want him to have to see that.

Unfortunately, despite possessing a surprising amount of strength for a thin girl of average stature, measuring only five feet and seven inches, it was still far from enough to overpower the two larger and stronger men. Katniss hated crying, but she couldn't stop her eyes from growing moist with tears as they focused in on the tip of the arrow pointed at her. Her chest heaved up and down with panicked, shallow breaths while her heart pounded furiously in her chest, expecting death to come at any moment.

When she heard a noise and registered a sudden movement, Katniss thought that was it, clenching her eyes shut and turning her head away involuntarily, expecting to feel the arrow piercing through her body. And yet...she felt nothing.

Instead, she heard a loud thud, followed by some surprised and angry shouts, as well as one new, gruff voice that sounded oddly familiar. Her mind was too jumbled to make the connection, but when she finally dared to open her eyes, Katniss recognized Troy Smith from school. Having always been the time to keep mostly to herself, and going especially out of her way to avoid the haughty Townies, she didn't really know him personally. She'd might have heard through the grapevine that he was a good person, and she knew that her father used to do business with the Smiths when he was still alive and working in the coal mine, but she'd never bothered to learn more.

No matter what Katniss thought about Townies, though, she was still extremely relieved and grateful for Troy showing up when he did. One of the two men let go of her to go after Troy instead while the other wrapped an arm around her torso, keeping both her arms pinned against her body as he raised a knife to her throat. Seeing Troy outnumbered two (and soon to be three) to one after he'd risked his own life to save hers outraged and concerned Katniss even more than the threat to herself.

Acting on pure instinct, she slammed her head back into the bandit's jaw, hurting and stunning him badly enough that she was able to wrench herself free from his grasp. Ignoring the pain spreading through her own head, Katniss grabbed the man's wrist with both hands, twisting it until he dropped the knife before throwing him over her hip, using his own weight against him to slam him down to the ground. Feeling around for the knife, she found it and raised it high while looking down at him with an almost crazed look of loathing in her eyes. Part of her wanted to just drive the blade into the bastard's heart as revenge for what he and his buddies tried doing to her, and to avoid stop him from even doing it to anyone else, but she hesitated, and he took off running into the woods.

Remembering Troy, Katniss scrambled back to her feet, finally succeeding in pulling her pants back up before rushing to his aid.

 

[randomname98766789]

Needless to say, Troy was more than ready for a fight. When the first man came charging at him, Troy stood on the toes of his shoes, ready to make a countermove. The man hurled towards him, trying to fire out a hard right fist. If it would have connected, Troy would have been knocked down probably, but instead, Troy dodge to his right and then slipped behind the man, placing both hands on the back of his neck, lifting him up and slamming him hard into the ground, driving his knee into the man’s back. Troy was also a wrestler at school and he was the very best so he was no pushover.

Despite being as strong as he is, he couldn’t protect himself from an attack from behind. He felt himself get tackled down and pinned down while another man, the man that he kicked at first, showed up and sent a hard kick to his face, busting open his nose. This infuriated Troy… and when a boy of his size is infuriate, things get ugly. Troy was a calm person but if he got set off, then it was over for everyone. With a heave of his body, he threw the man that was on his back off to the side and grabbed the foot of the other, twisting it as hard as he could and hoping he would snap his ankle or something. He wasn’t quite sure of what the injury caused but the man immediately fell to the ground, clutching his ankle.

Troy shot up to his feet and saw out the corner of his eye as Katniss was running to his aid now. The other man had ran away and one of them lay on the ground, writing in pain. It was an even fight now, two on two. Troy felt a fist connect to his jaw but he immediately sent a right hook back to the assailant’s jaw. He heard the scuffle going on between Katniss and the other man but he didn’t have time to look close enough, he just glanced to make sure that the dark haired girl was okay. After that, he turned his attention back and simply grabbed the man by his throat and slammed him down, punching him right over the bridge of his nose three or four times in a rage. However, it seemed that he spent too much time with him right as he felt a horrible, gut wrenching, stabbing pain in his side.

Troy coughed and immediately went to grab his side but he was surprised when he didn’t feel his own shirt or his skin… he felt the handle of a knife. Whatever happened with Katniss and the other man caused the man to run away, bloody. However, on his run away, he passed Troy and stuck a knife in his side. The man that Troy was just punching was now trying to get up and scramble away, dispersing from the area after exchanging a few swear words. Troy hadn’t ever felt such a terrible pain before and he just was doubling over but was biting his lip so he didn’t scream out or do anything of that manner.

Finally, he built enough strength to muster up enough fight to stand up. It hurt like nothing else ever had but he stood tall, his large hand clutching his side. He didn’t know too much about injuries but he was pretty sure if there was a stabbing incident, that the knife shouldn’t be taken out without a tourniquet ready. All he had to use for that was his shirt but his first priority was to get Katniss back into the District, safely. Turning to the smaller girl, he looked her up and down and didn’t think he saw any major injuries. “Are you…. Okay?” He asked, breathing heavily and clearly disgruntled with the pain of the knife.

 

[HeavenSundered]

With all of the remaining bandits having turned their attention to Troy, who clearly represented the much bigger threat, it was easy enough for Katniss to sneak up on one of them from behind. Scooping up a large rock on her way, she slammed it against the back of the man's head. Not hard enough to kill, but enough to send him stumbling forward into the ground, moaning and writhing weakly as he barely clung to his consciousness. When he eventually regained enough of his composure to move, he noticed that his companions had fled and opted to do the same, awkwardly crawling and hobbling away.

Having gained in confidence now that the tides had turned in their favor, adrenaline still pumping heavily through her body, Katniss turned back towards Troy, ready to take on any of the remaining bandits only to realize that they were all gone. She was immediately faced with a new problem, however, when he eyes dipped down to the knife handle sticking out of the boy's side and the dark red stain on his shirt all around it. When he asked her if she was okay, Katniss shot his back a perturbed glare, wondering if he was crazy - he was the one with the knife sticking out of him, after all, not her - but most of all she was extremely concerned.

"Oh no, shit, shit, shit!" she blurted out, rushing over to him. Katniss moved to his right side, supporting the muscular and much taller boy as best as she could, easing him down into a sitting position against a thick tree. Then she quickly circled around to his left, which was the side that the knife was stuck in, trying to get a better look at the wound as she knelt next to him. The good news was that it appeared to be some sort of skinning knife with a relatively short blade, so even through it been shoved in to the hilt, it probably wasn't deep enough to hit a vital organ. Still, it was bleeding like hell, causing a wave of panic to sweep over Katniss as she tried to figure out what to do. The girl did know some first aid basics that he father had taught her, but they were suddenly very difficult to recall when the situation was dire and the pressure was on.

Bandages, first of all, she needed bandages, or anything that could make a passable substitute since she wasn't carrying any on her. Without any hesitation, she hastily removed her jacket before pulling her dark grey shirt up over her head, leaving her wearing nothing but a white bra from the waist up. Bunching the shirt up, Katniss wrapped it around the handle of the knife and pressed down, applying pressure to hopefully slow the bleeding.

"Troy? Troy?!" she called his name, trying to make sure that he wasn't in danger of passing out from the blood loss and also to get his attention. "I need to pull the knife out, okay?" Not wanting to alarm him, Katniss did her absolute best not to sound half as nervous or scared as she felt. Still applying pressure on to the shirt with one hand, she grabbed the handle of the knife with the other. "Take a deep breath and get ready, on three. One, two..." Before she'd even finished with the two, Katniss pulled the knife out as quick and straight as she could to minimize any more damage.

Ignoring Troy's cries or screams, if he made any, she tossed the bloody weapon aside and went back to applying pressure with both hands, looking into his eyes to try keeping him calm. "Alright...alright..." she breathed, more to herself than to him as she tried to think of the next step. "I need you to keep the pressure on, like this, okay?" Katniss asked, taking Troy's hands one at a time and placing them over the shirt.

Once he agreed, she got up and frantically scanned the area, looking for her quiver. Spotting it a lying on the ground not too far away, she went over to retrieve it. It wasn't the arrows that Katniss was interested in at the moment, but rather the leather strap used to sling the quiver over her back. After disconnecting the strap from the quiver, she ran back over to wrap it tightly around Troy's torso, over her blood-soaked shirt, providing a more permanent source of pressure.

"Can you walk?" Without waiting for a reply, Katniss was already circling back over to Troy's uninjured side to help him up. "I think I managed to slow the bleeding, but we have to get you home, fast. My mom's a healer, she'll know how to take care of you." The girl tossed a single hesitant glance back over her shoulder at the deer carcass that was still sprawled out on the ground, finding it difficult to leave her prize behind, but Troy's well-being was obviously far more important, so she shook her head to disperse any disappointment and instead focused on getting him back to her house safely.

 

[randomname98766789]

It was odd, seeing the much smaller Katniss Everdeen trying to support the much taller, stronger, and bigger Troy Smith. Usually, Troy would be the one who would comfort someone else or be the one that would try and help someone through an injury. This time, he was the one that was hurt and the knife in his side wasn’t helping him feel any better. Once he was sitting up against the tree, he groaned and grumbled in pain. “Damn bastards…” He huffed, he had never seen the men before and he wasn’t quite sure if he would ever see them again.

“It looks better than it feels.” He said with a dry chuckle, trying to find humor in his particular situation. He couldn’t tell what kind of knife it was by the feel but he felt like it was some kind of strange, exotic knife but he knew better. He wished he could do more to help himself, he didn’t like that all the pressure was on the girl now but he couldn’t really do that much.

Troy always thought that Katniss was a good looking girl but he didn’t want to see her undressing like this. The thought made him laugh inside as he tried to distract himself, his vision getting a bit blurry. Even though the knife wasn’t that long, it was causing a hell of a lot of bleeding. He also thought it was ironic that she seemed even more nervous or scared than he was. “Do what you- FUCK!” He groaned once she pulled out the knife. Nodding and biting his lip from the pain he moved his hands over hers as she told him to apply pressure.

Once she asked if he could walk, he tried to get up himself but she was already at his side. Groaning as he tried to pull his own weight, he huffed slightly. “Sorry about the shirt… I’ll get you another one.” He said and offered her a weak smile as he limped along, moving his free hand to hold his side. He noticed her disgruntled look at the deer and he would have to pay her back for this and the deer. “And don’t worry about the food… after I’m good, I’ll cook you a three course meal. How does that sound?” He asked with a soft chuckle again but the laughing hurt his side so he did his best to control it.

It never really hit him what would have happened if he hadn’t shown up when he did but it was clear that it wasn’t good. Her deer would have been taken, she would have been beaten, raped, or even killed but instead she was escaping without a scratch or just a minimal injury. He had always been there to help with something like this, a few townie boys bullying on one of the Seam girls, or some bastards trying to mess with some of the Seam stores but nothing as major as this. It was definitely big deal. Now, they were closing in on the fence and Troy knew like Katniss that they needed to check to see if the electricity was on, and of course, it was not because they had no reason to do so. The pair slipped through the fence and Troy groaned as he tried to move accordingly to get through. “Where is your house?” He questioned, coughing up slightly and coughing up some of the blood that he had. He still was doing his absolute best to support his full weight and he was doing a better job than most, feeling bad that he ruined her hunting trip and her clothes but he’d amend for that later.

 

[HeavenSundered]

Supporting part of Troy's weight as they walked was no easy task, especially since Katniss was already quite tired and sore from dragging the deer and then fighting off her attackers, but she managed to suck it up. She had no choice, and every time that her muscles felt like they wanted to quit, she reminded herself that Troy had it a lot worse than her, so she couldn't give up. Hearing him speak made her feel a bit more optimistic that everything would be alright, but at the same time, she hated hearing him groan in pain when he tried to chuckle.

"Stop talking!" Katniss snapped more harshly at him than she'd intended. It was mostly out of concern for his well-being, though she also wasn't a fan of being reminded that her family was struggling, nor did she appreciate offers of charity. Especially when they both knew perfectly well that she was the one who owed him, not the other way around. If Troy hadn't shown up and been brave enough to intervene when he did, Katniss knew she would have lost a lot more than just the deer.

That thought bothered her a great deal, which probably contributed to her less than sunny disposition. Ever since her father had passed away, Katniss had taken it upon herself to fill that void for her family as best she could. That meant keeping her mother and sister safe, and to do that, she needed to be strong. If there was anything that she absolutely hated, it was feeling weak, feeling helpless, being made to cry. She felt embarrassed that Troy had seen that.

Once they'd gotten through the fence, with some difficulty on Troy's part due to his wound, it was only a few more minutes to Katniss' house. "This way." She lead him through the mostly deserted streets of the Seam, most people still busy working at this hour, though they did get some bewildered looks from the few pedestrians that they did cross. Keeping her head down, Katniss ignored them and got Troy to her house, barging through the front door with him.

"MOM!" she shouted through the house while guiding Troy towards the room which her mother used as a clinic. Mrs. Everdeen showed up in the doorway with Primrose in tow just as Katniss was helping Troy sit up on the elevated table in the center of the room.

"Kat! Honey, are you alright?!" Rushing into the room, Katniss' mother grabbed her by the shoulders and inspected her, obviously concerned and confused as to why she was all dirty and only wearing her bra beneath her jacket.

"I'm fine. Mom, really, I'm fine!" Katniss insisted as she untangled herself from her mother, who shared little resemblance to her. The bruise from the kick to the ribs that she'd received was still hidden beneath her jacket, and she decided to keep it that way for now. Troy was the one with a more pressing need for his wound to be properly tended to, so she got out of the way to let her mother get a better look. "He got stabbed. Don't ask." she said firmly, not wanting to get into the details right now. "I did my best to slow the bleeding, but I think he lost a lot of blood. His name is Troy."

"Okay, Troy, let's take a look," Mrs. Everdeen spoke in a reassuring tone as she stepped forward and began undoing the leather strap from around his torso. Meanwhile, Prim ran in to give her older sister a hug until her mother asked for the scissors, at which point Katniss' little sistes quickly jumped back into her role as their mother's assistant. Not bothering to have Troy lift his arms to take his shirt off, Mrs. Everdeen simply cut it off instead. "Here, bite down on this," she told him, holding a thick piece of cloth up to his mouth before using another cloth imbibed with alcohol to clean his wound. "Now, I'm going to have to give you a few stitches." Prim had already laid the suture kit out on the table next to Troy for her mother to use.

Katniss was content to stay out of the way, sinking into the chair in the corner of the room, though she kept her eyes locked on Troy while her mother started with the stitches. She'd never noticed before just how well built he was. Without thinking, she allowed her eyes to roam over his arms, his chest, down to his chiseled and incredibly well defined abs...

"Now, do either of you care to explain what happened?" Mrs. Everdeen's voice - sterner now than before - finally drew Katniss' attention away from Troy's body.

Blushing slightly, Katniss crossed her arms over her chest and looked away, clearly still not intent on sharing any of the details. Realizing that she wasn't going to get anything out of her daughter, Mrs. Everdeen momentarily turned her inquisitive gaze up towards Troy before continuing with his stitches.

 

[randomname98766789]

The strange looks from the passing pedestrians didn’t really bother Troy all that much. He was used to getting those kinds of looks although those looks were for different reasons than why they were being looked at strange now. Troy shut up when he heard Katniss scold him and he continued pushing on with her, doing his best to push his body to the limit and not give up even though it hurt so much.

When they barged through the front door of her house, he let her guide him to the room and before he knew it, he saw her mother and her sister in the doorway as he was being laid down onto the counter. The moment that Mrs. Everdeen started to touch his wound, he hissed in pain but did very well to stay still and not interrupt with her workings. She definitely thought that he was doing well compared to some others who would just outright kick, scream and shout and not allow her to get anything done. Troy bit down like she asked and was rather quiet, still wanting to seem like the big man that didn’t ever get hurt although it hurt like hell. Soon enough once his body was all sutured up and he was breathing heavily as the whole process was over, he caught a glance of Katniss looking at his body but she didn’t even seem to notice that he knew because she continued staring at him until her mother spoke.

Since he was still the guest here at the house, he kept quiet at first in case Katniss wanted to explain but she kept quiet so he then took the cue to speak up. “I was going for a jog and I was taking a rest near the fence at the end of the District.” He explained and pushed himself up to sit up straight and take a deep breath, looking at her mother. His muscles contracted and expanded, rippling even more as he pushed to sit up. He wiped some sweat from his face and then stretched his arms as he spoke, unintentionally twisting his body in seductive ways that Katniss could have a perfect view to stare at if she desired to do so. “Then I heard a scream so I just ran out into the woods and there were four men that were on Katniss, one had her bow and was about to shoot her so I stepped up and tried to help her. We fought them off and they ran but one got to stick a knife in me on his way out.”

Troy explained with a nod. “Katniss helped me, she fixed up my wound and helped me get here, I wouldn’t have been able to do it without her. Thank you, Mrs. Everdeen for the assistance and thank you too, Katniss, for helping me.” He said, now turning to look at her daughter and gave her a smile, his pearly white teeth showing the smile that made so many girls swoon over him at school and now he smiled right at Katniss, looking deeply into her grey, Seam eyes before turning back to her mother. “And Katniss killed a deer but she wasn’t able to bring it back and I feel really bad about it, I’d be happy to make up for it and make up for using your time and supplies, is there anything I can do?” He asked and now moved to stand up. He was about to go so he didn’t waste any of their time or their space but Mrs. Everdeen shook her head and pushed him gently to get him to sit back on the counter. “No, you need to stay here so we can look after you for a bit.” She answered simply. Indeed, she still did love her daughter even though she wasn’t the best at showing it and he figured there was more than just for guys on top of her and she read in between the lines that her Katniss might have been dead if he weren’t there. She was truly grateful to the boy and was more than happy to look after him although she kept a blank look on her face as usual. “I’ll make you some tea.” She added before nodding to Primrose and exiting the room with her. Troy shrugged slightly and then sat back down, turning to Katniss, then looking down at the blood all over her counter. “I’m sorry about the counter, too…” he grumbled, looking at the mess his blood had left.

 

[HeavenSundered]

Brooding in the corner, Katniss could only bite the inside of her cheek angrily while Troy recounted everything that happened to her mother. Of course, her mother kept her composure in front of their guest while she listened to the story, but Katniss knew that they would be having an extremely unpleasant talk very soon. More specifically, she knew that her mother would try forbidding her from going out to hunt because it was clearly too dangerous, even though they'd have no way of making ends meet without the game that she brought back. It was also the only thing that Katniss was particularly good at, so what else was she going to do?

Since she'd been looking away, Katniss missed most of Troy's unintentional flexing, although she did turn around just in time for him to flash her an obnoxiously charming smile. The last thing that she wanted was to make eye contact, and yet her eyes felt almost magnetically attracted to his. She got lost in those icy blue spheres for a few seconds while her mother and sister retreated out of the room, closing the door behind them.

"Couldn't you make something up?" Katniss asked sharply, standing up out of her chair. "Do you have any idea what I'm going to have to deal with now?! I mean, you could clearly- " she stopped herself mid-rant, playing the words back through her mind and realizing just how bitchy and ungrateful she sounded. Taking a deep breath, Katniss tried starting over, "I'm...I'm sorry." Evidently, those words did not come very easily to her.

"Look, forget about the counter, that's what it's there for," she assured him before finding a rag to mop up the blood. The way Troy was acting, so polite and humble, Katniss wasn't sure if she found it more endearing or unbearable. "You don't owe me or my mom anything, I'm the one who owes you for helping me." She couldn't bring herself to use the word saving, even though it would certainly have been appropriate in this case. "You should get cleaned up. I'll go run you a bath while my mom brings you the tea, after that she can bandage you up. I'm pretty sure my dad's clothes will fit you."

Katniss' heart was racing as she hurried out of the room, wondering what in the world was wrong with her. Whenever she looked at Troy, she couldn't stop feeling embarrassed and nervous, her palms even getting sweaty. It was more than just the fact that he'd seen her in a compromising position and rescued her out of it, but she just couldn't come to grips with what it was exactly, and it was really pissing her off. Making sure to avoid her mother, she stormed off upstairs to run the bath, fetching a couple of towels and some of her dad's clothes while the tub filled up. There was probably only enough hot water for a single bath, so Katniss would have to use cold water for herself after Troy was done, but she was used to that, so it wasn't a very big deal.

A few minutes later, after taking her jacket off and throwing a shirt on, she went back downstairs to fetch Troy, opening the door to the room he was in and signaling him to follow her with a nod of her head.

 

[randomname98766789]

When Katniss went on her bitchy rant, Troy couldn’t help but look down and feel bad. He had no idea that she wanted him to make something up, he didn’t understand that getting game was her only way of survival and had no way to see about her fears of not being allowed to go back and hunt. For some reason, he felt awful that he had upset Katniss, like it was the worst thing that he could ever do in his life. Once she apologized, he shook his head back and frowned “No, no, I’m sorry, I didn’t know…” he sighed quietly to himself and frowned, he just didn’t want her to be upset at him, for some reason. It was a strange feeling.

He felt even worse that he was going to be using her father’s clothes, but regardless, he was going to pay her back in some way, some form. When Katniss left, her mother returned with his tea and he sipped on it slightly as she thanked him for saving Katniss and little Primrose did the same. He then sat there, silently thinking to himself about how to make up for this and how to make up for speaking to her mother about the incident.

Once she came back, he gave her a nod and followed her up the stairs to the bathroom. He then stood in the doorway at the tub and thanked Katniss for the bath and the clothes. He assured her that he wouldn’t take that long. Next to come off was the bandage because Mrs. Everdeen told him that she’d apply some more after his beth. Of course, the stiches would sting like hell. He did need to strip down to get in and he looked at Katniss to let her leave when she was ready. After she had gone, he gave her another one of those charming, happy smiles. He then stripped out of his jeans and his boxers before dipping into the water. It was relatively warm and it felt so good and then he started to wash himself off, getting all the dirt and grime and blood off his body. Once he was all cleaned up, he was like a new man. He let the water drain and then did his best to clean up the bathtub and took the small towel and dried off. Next, he slipped on his underwear and then the pair of jeans and once of her father’s shirts. No matter how big her father was, he didn’t have that much on Troy. The shirt was a tight fit on Troy, and by tight, his rippling muscles were even more apparent and his nice, manly, muscular figured was shown through the clothes and he looked like a Career with his muscles.

After he was done, he went downstairs to find Katniss and let her know that he was finished. He gave her a smile when he was done “Bathroom all clear now.” He smiled and nodded.

 

[HeavenSundered]

Trying to keep herself busy while Troy took his bath, mostly to avoid thinking about Troy taking that bath, Katniss used the time to tidy up her mother's clinic, cleaning and putting everything back in its place. It wasn't until she reached up to place the bottle of alcohol back into a raised cabinet that she was reminded about her bruise, feeling a searing pain spread through the right side of her body over her ribs. Wincing and groaning heavily, Katniss leaned against the counter for a moment before moving over a few feet where there was a large square mirror on the counter, propped up against the wall.

Turning so that her right side was facing the reflective surface, Katniss gingerly lifted her shirt up high enough so that she could see the bruise and assess the damage. The dark reddish-purple patch roughly the size of a boot contrasted quite vividly against her creamy pale flesh. She would have to be careful not to let her mother catch a glimpse of it, no reason to give the woman even more ammunition for the inevitable conversation where she tried to talk Katniss out of continuing her hunting trips.

She jumped and gasped when Troy's voice startled her. She whipped her head around to face him, her eyes widening slightly in surprise as she hastily pulled her shirt back down. The bruise hadn't yet formed when she'd removed her shirt in the woods, and Katniss had kept it hidden beneath her jacket after that, so he wouldn't have seen it. She didn't know why it felt so embarrassing for him to see it now. It didn't really make sense...nothing about the way that she felt around Troy made any sense. The fact that he looked stunningly handsome wearing her father's shirt which just barely fit him while tightly hugging all of his sinewy muscles did not help matters one bit.

"Oh...okay, then, I'm gonna go..." Katniss said stiffly as she brushed by him to leave the room in a hurry, not even bothering to complete her sentence.

Running upstairs, she drew another bath for herself, this time a cold one. At least she was used to it already, since there was often only enough hot water for her little sister, and even when there was more she left it for her mother rather than herself. Still, that didn't mean that Katniss enjoyed the freezing cold baths, so she cleaned herself quickly and efficiently and got out of there as fast as possible. After drying herself off, she put on a fresh set of pink panties as well as a matching bra and finally a short jade green dress. She wished that she didn't have to wear a dress right now, but she only had a single set of hunting clothes, and both of her pairs of jeans were already in the laundry hamper.

After checking herself in the mirror to ensure that she at least looked presentable, Katniss went back downstairs to find Troy in the clinic with new bandages over his cut. "Are you staying for dinner?" she asked, already certain that her mother had asked him to while she was upstairs bathing. "I'm sure it won't be anything as...fancy as you're used to, but she's going to be really disappointed if you don't stay." It would also be the last of their reserves, so they would have to go pawn some of their few belongings of any value to buy food if they wanted to have supper. Katniss wasn't exactly in any shape to go out hunting again that afternoon, even her mother allowed it, which she certainly would not.

"We can go wait in my room, if you want," she added before making her way back upstairs, expecting him to follow. Katniss would have suggested the living room, but she didn't want her mother or sister overhearing anything in case they went back to discussing the events from the forest. She shared the room with Prim, so there were two beds, and other than that just a few pieces of mismatched furniture and some clothes randomly scattered about. The only thing out of the ordinary was Katniss' small work table in a corner of the room where she crafted her arrows. She sat down on one of the beds, expecting Troy to sit on the other one across from her, and hoping that this whole situation wouldn't get too awkward.

 

[randomname98766789]

Troy wasn’t quite sure what to make out with her hasty leaving of the room and then her not completing the sentence. He was there long enough to see the bruise on her side and it saddened him to know that she went through that pain. This connection he felt with her was unspeakable. He has met so many other people but he hasn’t ever felt such a strong feeling before to anyone else. Is this what… love… was like? But that was impossible, right? He barely even knew her? But he did feel his heart drop when he saw those men trying to hurt her, he wanted to crawl in a whole when he upset her, and he wanted to take away her pain in her side when he saw the bruise. Troy had never been in love before and wasn’t sure what it felt like but his idea went a little something like this, as absurd as it could seem to anyone else.

During the moments when Katniss was gone taking a bath, Troy had spoken to Mrs. Everdeen as she bandaged his wound back again after cleaning it properly once more. In fact, she did ask him to stay for dinner and he felt bad that he would be taking some of their food but he nodded because he would pay them back in full and make sure they didn’t have to struggle. That reasoning wasn’t only because he felt obligated, but it was of genuine feeling for Katniss. A beautiful girl such as herself shouldn’t have to struggle for food. It wasn’t right. And this beautiful girl appeared to be just that in her nice, green dress. He made sure not to stare at her for too long, just stealing a glance here or there but something about the way she had been looking at him before told him that she would probably be doing the same thing to him.

“It sounds like your mother isn’t the only one who wants me to stay for dinner, hm?” He asked her in a teasing, playful tone. Perhaps she was jus doing it out of courtesy or perhaps she really wanted to be around him for a longer period of time. Regardless, he took the time to do just a tad bit of flirting with her and playing around, hoping to make the situation more comfortable for them both. He did walk with her to her room and indeed sat down on the bed across from her and sat to face her. However, she looked as ready to jump into his arms as he looked ready to jump into hers. He caught her gaze for a second and sighed softly. “I’m sorry about earlier with your mother… I didn’t know that you wanted me to say something different…” He admitted and shrugged slightly.

After a bit of small talk, he decided to give her some compliments now. He wanted to see her smile, he wanted to see those pretty pink lips turned upwards and her eyes gazing on his. “You know, this house is really nice. It feels great here.” He said with a nod, just complimenting her house even if she dind’t think it was much and Katniss should probably realize better than anyone that for a Townie to step into the Seam was so rare but for him to willingly stay in a Seam home and not mock anything and compliment on the house, that must be a first. Troy truly wasn’t like everyone else and all the rumors she heard about him being really nice and sweet were seen to be proven true. Troy was a gentle giant unless provoked. He risked his life for a girl that he knew nothing more than her name. Not to mention the difference of class they were from. Most Townies might have even joined in with the men but not Troy. He had morals and he had a big, loving heart.

“By the way, I must say that you have the most gorgeous set of eyes that I have seen. And you look really beautiful in that dress, I think green is a good color on you- or maybe you just look good in everything.” He commented with a cheeky smile and his compliments weren’t in an arrogant, seductive, racy tone at all. They were simply said in a nice, friendly, genuine way to show that he did think she was pretty and that he wanted her to feel that way too. Nothing suggestive was about his words and he was simply being nice and just flirting with her a little bit. He always had known her to be alone for most of the time and she probably didn’t get that many compliments but he wanted to change that for her.

 

[HeavenSundered]

It kind of annoyed Katniss when Troy suggested that her mother wasn't the only one who wanted him to stay for dinner, but only because she was pretty sure that he was correct. She usually wanted to know less about people, not more, but with him it was the complete opposite. She had this undeniable craving to learn more about him; about what he liked or didn't like, about what had made him turn out so much nicer than the other Townies, about what pushed him to intervene and risk his life on her behalf in the woods when he could have just safely continued on his way instead...

Katniss didn't know how to ask any of those questions. She wasn't particularly well-versed in receiving compliments from anyone other than her mother and sister, either. "Please," she replied to Troy's comments about her house, rolling her eyes incredulously. Even though the houses in the Town were modest compared to the mansions of Victor's Village, they were still leagues ahead of anything that could be found in the Seam, so Katniss seriously doubted that he saw anything to be impressed about. Still, the softer side that she constantly worked so hard to repress did appreciate the kind words, whether they were hollow or not.

It was a lot more troublesome for Katniss when Troy then moved on to say some very flattering things about her instead. She'd never really thought of herself as being pretty or attractive. She didn't consider herself to be ugly either, just very...ordinary. Part of her had always silently envied her mother and sister for their blond hair and vibrant blue eyes while she was stuck with unexciting Seam features. But there was something about the way that Troy said what he said that made Katniss want to believe him. He just seemed so real and genuine, far more than any Townie she'd ever interacted with.

His words did draw a faint, bashful smile from her lips, but even more obvious were her cheeks lighting up with a deep shade of pink as she looked down at her own feet, feeling really weird and tingly all over. Her flesh was just itching for Troy's touch, and the unshakable sensation only grew stronger the more she thought about him. It was actually too much for her to bare it any longer. Bringing her fingers up to her mouth, Katniss nibbled on her fingernails briefly while trying to formulate a response, only to keep coming up blank.

She'd always been a lot better at communicating with actions rather than words, though, so she decided to go with that instead. Getting up from the bed, she went over to the door and locked it before turning back and facing Troy. Hesitating for one last moment, Katniss bit her bottom lip softly before slipping the straps of her dress off of her shoulders and allowing the garment to crumple around her feet on the floor, leaving her standing in just her underwear. She didn't give a damn about hiding the bruise anymore, she just wanted Troy to see her, hoping that he still thought she was beautiful and that he wanted to touch her as badly as she wanted it.

Katniss closed the gap between them, walking up until she was standing right in front of him where he was seated on her sister's bed. She'd never done this before, so she had no knowledge or past experiences to go off of, but her instincts were very clear. Reaching down, she grabbed one of Troy's much larger hands, pulling it up so that she could place it on her thigh.

"Thank you...for what you did for me..." she breathed huskily, her whole body trembling subtly with a combination of excitement and anxiety.

 

[randomname98766789]

Troy followed her actions with his eyes and he wasn’t quite sure what she was doing. At first he thought she was going to be leaving the room and just disappearing but he heard the door lock. Again, he thought that meant that it was bad but then her dress came off and there Katniss Everdeen stood just in her underwear right in front of him. It seemed all too much like a dream or a fantasy and she was soon walking in closer to him. When she moved his hand to her thigh, he grinned up at her. This was totally unexpected but he surely wouldn’t be complaining about it. “You know… I can do something else for you too, now.” He said in a more gruff, husky voice as well, moving his other hand to the back of her other thigh and pulling her even closer, moving his lips to kiss over the bruise she was sporting. “My poor Katniss, with her bruise, I’m sorry that I couldn’t save you from all harm.” He whispered and kissed it a bit again before getting an idea and grinning at her “Or maybe I should just give you a few more marks.” He winked and then reached to kiss right under her bra, nipping and sucking at the skin, leaving a dark hickey where only she could see. He was marking her as his in a sense and showing his dominance. She was coming onto him now and he was making sure to take advantage of it.

Next, Troy spent some more time with her abdomen, kissing all around her skin there and then right above her waistline and where her panties were. Once he had kissed over every single inch of her skin that he could reach from that angle, he pulled her down onto the bed with him and quickly rolled on top of her. “Just relax.” He whispered into her ear in a soft, slow, seductive voice as his lips kissed under hear earlobe and then down her neck, throat, collarbone and then to her chest. He moved his hands to raise up her body slightly and once he did this, her bra came off and he tossed it to the side. Next was his shirt, or her father’s shirt, rather, that he took off and moved it over to the other bed. His defined, muscular physique was now exposed and all for the girl from the Seam. He moved to take her hands in his, placing them on his rock hard abs and smirked at her. “Go on, touch them… touch all of me, I know you want to, I saw you earlier.” He added with a wink and was soon kissing all over her breasts, taking her nipples into his mouth, sucking and nipping them lightly while leaving more love bites on her chest. He was taking his sweet, slow time and was hoping that she had a bit of warmth in between her legs by now. His hands strategically placed on her bare thighs still, he rubbed slow circles with his large fingers and continued to press his body against hers. After kissing back down her abdomen, he connected their lips together for the first time. The feeling was electric and satisfying and it made Troy want more andmore. Shoving his tongue into her mouth, he let out a soft moan into her mouth as his head tilted to try and deepen their kiss even more than it already was although that was difficult to do. He definitely loved where this was headed.

 

[HeavenSundered]

Judging from the look on Troy's face, Katniss could only assume that he did indeed like what he saw, which helped to embolden her with enough confidence to keep going. She held her breath when he grabbed her with his second hand and pulled her closer, her body stiffening slightly from the excitement brought on by his touch. Troy's teasing about her bruise would have pissed her off had it come from anyone else under any other circumstances, but in this case, she couldn't help but smile and blush some more, her cheeks and upper chest practically glowing bright red by that point.

Katniss gave out a short gasp when his soft lips lightly touched her tender, bruised flesh, causing her to feel a pang of pain as well as an intense jolt of arousal that left her knees feeling weak. "You could try..." Katniss whispered back suggestively in response to Troy's little comment about giving her some more marks, and he seemed more than eager to take her up on that challenge. "Mmmgghh..." she moaned softly, placing both of her hands on the back of his head when he leaned in to kiss and suckle her flesh just below her breasts. His lips felt like molten, liquid silk against Katniss' tingling flesh, causing her to push his head forward more insistently while she arched her back to thrust her own chest and stomach forward, demanding more of his kisses.

She couldn't suppress a short, very girlish yelp when Troy suddenly tossed her on the bed and climbed over her. Even with his wound surely causing him some discomfort, he was still more than capable of manhandling her as if she weighed no more than a feather, which Katniss found surprisingly exhilarating. He went right back to work with his mouth again, making Katniss writhe and moan softly beneath him, her hands caressing all over his muscular back and shoulders. As enjoyable as all of Troy's teasing was, it was also driving her crazy with lust, so it came as a massive relief when he finally removed her bra, allowing her full C-cup breasts to spill out freely, her nipples already stiff and erect.

Katniss licked her lips hungrily when Troy removed his own top, revealing those impressive muscles of his yet again, only this time he was straddling her thighs, close enough to touch. When he invited her to go on, Katniss didn't need to be told twice, allowing her hands to roam around sensually all over those godlike abs, enjoying his warmth and taking in every single sinewy ripple. Her nails dug into Troy's flesh slightly when he sucked on one of her highly sensitive nipples, causing her to moan louder than she wanted to as a pleasureful shudder ran up her spine. The continued onslaught of kisses and touches all over her body had Katniss feeling like she was on fire in the best possible way, especially down between her legs where it practically felt like a furnace, her panties already moist from her heightened arousal.

When Troy finally brought his lips to bear against hers, Kaniss enthusiastically returned the kiss, moaning hard as she opened her mouth so that she could challenge his hot, wet tongue with her own, pushing and swirling against it. Meanwhile, her hands grew more aggressive in their exploration of his body, one of them even daring to slip past the waistband of his jeans, looking to grasp and stroke his manhood. "I want you..." she murmured, breaking their kiss momentarily as she nipped at the corner of Troy's lower lip with her teeth, "...So fucking bad. Take me!" Katniss practically begged, arching her body up against his, demanding more of his warmth.

 

[randomname98766789]

It was strange how one second they could go from just learning about each other and an awkward silence to making out on the bed and about to be making love. However, Troy still wasn’t complaining and all of Katniss’ noises and actions told him that she was liking what he was doing to her body and she seemed to enjoy his dominance. No matter the pain that he felt in his side at that moment, he continued to control her and once she was begging to be fucked, he only winked at her in reply and slid his pants off the rest of the way. Lastly, off came his boxers and he was now nude, crawling down her body slightly. His manhood was starting to get erect and he made no attempt at hiding it. He knew that he was big, just about eight inches long and over three in girth. He rubbed it teasingly against her thigh to make her want him even more and next to come off was the last piece of clothing in between them and sex. Her panties were slid down to her knees as he started to concentrate on kissing and teasing her clit, spreading out her legs wide with his hands. There were so many things he wanted to do to her right now but he would just settle with this since her mother and sister were home and they didn’t have all too much time. He let his tongue slip inside her opening for a slight moment before pulling back and slowly crawling up her body, making sure to brush his shaft all the way from her knee up to her thigh and then close to her pussy lips.

Next, he took both her wrists gently in his large, masculine hands and moved to pin them down above her head and firmly against the soft mattress. Grinning down at her, he started to spend more time kissing with her neck. He was just down at her thighs so he was well aware of how wet she was and he assumed by taking an even more dominant stand and having more fun with her that her arousal would elevate. He took good notice of her erect nippled and the way her body shivered under his. “I’m going to make you my own little slut, Katniss.” He whispered into her ear, not using the term as a degrading meaning, but as a seductive, sexy meaning. He was her master and she was his slave, his slut and he was going to fuck her silly- that’s what he was saying and he knew she could figure that much out as he kissed under her ear and down her neck.

Finally, even he had enough of his teasing as his entire length was fully erect now and he felt like he couldn’t wait any longer at all to start their fun. With that, he pressed their lips together again, noticing how naturally they fit as if made only for each other. Once he and Katniss were engaged in the kiss again, he slowly slid his large, bulging manhood inside of her womanhood and slowly rolling his hips. He hadn’t asked her but he was sure that she was a virgin. Judging by who she was and how incredibly tight she was, there’s no way she’s had any sexual relation. That was perfect, he really could mold her like he wanted but now he just focused on how good it felt for her wet folds to clamp around him and to hear the noise of her wetness sloshing up against his huge cock as he kept the thrusting at a slow, reasonable pace so he wouldn’t hurt her. If this continued on and she seemed to be doing fine with it, he’d definitely and happily go faster and harder and kept that at the back of his mind

 

[HeavenSundered]

When Troy pulled his pants and boxers down, getting completely naked and letting his burning hot shaft come into contact with her thigh, Katniss felt the primal, overwhelming urge to have him inside of her, like she'd never wanted anything more badly in her life. Not only was his cock amazingly soft, but it also felt huge as he started tantalizingly grinding it against her thigh, making her wonder how it was going to feel. A small part of Katniss was worried that it would hurt, but for the most part she was just extremely excited, her whole pussy feeling swollen from the blood rushing to it.

She lifted her butt off the bed to help him slide her panties down to her knees, revealing her womanhood as well as the smallish, neatly trimmed patch of dark pubic hair covering her mound. With a bit of strategic wiggling, Katniss was able to pull the panties the rest of the way down, removing them entirely just in time for Troy to spread her legs and unexpectedly bury his face between them. Her thighs squeezed against the sides of his head as his lips closed around her stiff and throbbing little clit, wracking her body with jolts of vivid ecstasy, the likes of which she'd never experienced before. Remembering that her mother and sister were downstairs, and that the walls of the house were rather thin, Katniss had to ball her hand up into a fist, shoving her knuckles into her mouth and biting down just to muffle her cries of pleasure as Troy even penetrated her slightly with his nimble tongue.

She felt a tinge of disappointment when he stopped and pulled away just as her arousal was soaring to new heights, but that was quickly remedied by a renewed wave of lust as he pinned her wrists above her head dominantly, grinning down wolfishly at her. For once, Katniss wasn't bothered by the fact that she felt frail, vulnerable and at someone else's mercy, as if it were an outlet for all of those emotions that she'd been repressing for years to come pouring out in a safe and private environment, shared only with one other soul, and that only made their connection feel even stronger.

Far from taking offense when Troy promised to make her his little slut, Katniss was incredibly turned on, her pussy clamping down as she gyrated her hips and moaned pleadingly for him to finally let her have his cock. She didn't take the word in its literal meaning, but rather as Troy saying that she was going to represent the epitome of desire and eroticism to him, which she was absolutely eager to do. There was also something naughty and taboo about the word which made her clit tingle with delight. "Mmmmghhhh yeahhh...I'll be your dirty slut, just fuck me!" Katniss growled, her breath warm against his face in between their passionate kisses. "Do anything you want to me, I'm yours...aaaahhh!!"

She shoved her lips back against Troy's, locking them tightly and moaning hard into his mouth to keep quiet as the huge, bulbous head of his manhood parted her glistening folds. Katniss' small, tight opening burned with the most exquisite combination of exhilaration and a touch of pain as she was penetrated for the very first time. Her inner walls instinctively contracted, making her already tight, virgin passage even tighter for Troy's immense cock while he continued to push it in slowly, until finally a sharp pinching pain deep inside of Katniss told her that she was a virgin no longer. She winced slightly, but was comforted by Troy's beautiful gaze, and she was more than willing to endure a bit of pain for him, especially when she was being rewarded with ten times as much pleasure.

Katniss pushed her chest up, crushing her breasts against his muscular body, trying to rub her stiff nipples against his warm flesh as she started rocking her hips slightly, inviting him to keep going. "F-F-Fffuuuuhhhhcck, Troy, you're so big..." she murmured, her voice literally trembling with titillation. "Don't stop, don't stop!! Please! Uuuuuuunnnnggghhh!! Give me every inch, Troy, fuck me, fuck me, please!!" Katniss begged, her hips thrusting more insistently as her body demanded its sweet release, a mighty orgasm already drawing near after barely more than a minute.

 

[randomname98766789]

As the seconds passed, Troy could feel his impossibly massive cock being drenched in her juices. Judging by her words, her body, and the look in her eyes, he could tell that she was getting close to her climax and they had just began. That was wonderful to Troy, in his own opinion. What a joy it would be to make his Katniss cum multiple times for her first time having sex. That’s exactly what he planned to do and he was able to hold back his own release. He was into some kinky things but he would introduce that to her later when they weren’t surrounded by others. That kinkiness also worked out to making it harder for him to cum as quickly as normal with just their vanilla sex they were having. With that being said, he wanted to make her body melt against his, make her cum dozens of times, make her scream out his name, make her never want to be away from him or the feeling he wants to give her. At some point, he is sure that he found her sweet spot because her moans got louder and her begging was starting to be fervent.

This wasn’t like the Katniss he had heard of but this Katniss was sure sexy. Finally, he had enough of just pinning down her arms so he moved his hands to her breasts and began to fondle them before he got an even better idea to cause him even more pleasure for his own self. Troy honestly couldn’t wait to look at her nude body with her limbs all tied up and all exposed at his pleasure. Even more, he couldn’t wait to hear her muffled moans behind a cloth or tape or some kind of gag. There was no sexier noise that a girl’s muffled, helpless moan or cry, Troy knew. And since all he could really do now was use his own body, he reached his large hand over her mouth. This also made sense because he was sure that her moans would only become louder and louder and the chance for someone to hear her would be even greater. He figured she would be quite the screamer when they got alone and the thought aroused him even more.

Once his hand was on her mouth, her moans were muffled significantly and she was a little helpless, writhing, horny mess under his dominating, muscular body. The muffled noises turned him on greatly and he started to thrust harder and faster. He would move his lips all over her body wherever he could reach and kept his other hand trailing over her skin as well.This session took over ten, maybe fifteen minutes straight before Troy found his release. Moaning out louder than he had before, he moved his hand to kiss her on the lips and kiss her deeply, his warm, sticky, luxurious cum filled up Katniss’ sex as he arched his hips hard against her. He wasn’t sure how many times that she had came before he even did it once but he was more than satisfied with how the day was going. He was now breathing heavily and trying to catch his breath, his adrenaline lowering down and his body feeling the effects and the soreness taking effect almost immediately. He then dropped off her body and just laid beside of her as they both tried to calm down, moving to lay one arm over her stomach as he started pressing his soft, gentle lips over her arm.

 

[HeavenSundered]

In just the few short minutes since they'd started, Katniss had already discovered that she loved being restricted and restrained. First as Troy pinned her hands down, and then when he covered her mouth, preventing her from crying out as loudly as she wanted to, for which she was very thankful, since otherwise her family would undoubtedly hear everything. Strangely, it actually gave her a sense of freedom, allowing herself to take a break from constantly maintaining her tough and stoic persona and unburdening herself of her heavy responsibilities.

It was like a fantasy, although the stud laying on top of Katniss and driving that thick, throbbing cock into her was all too real. Her slick inner walls were forced to give way every time Troy thrust into her, his hot flesh feeling absolutely incredible as it rubbed against them, prompting her to moan into his palm again and again. Not content with only focusing on her cunt, Troy assaulted her with stimulation from multiple angles, making her melt as he groped and licked her all over.

When the buildup of arousal became too much, Katniss' grey eyes widened, her entire body stiffening momentarily before several uncontrollable contractions spread through her pussy and abdomen. Her eyes rolled back into her head slightly as she writhed and thrashed beneath Troy's weight, her vaginal canal clamping down and squeezing his cock with every spasm while her juices overflowed, mixing with the blood from her broken hymen before trickling out, creating an increasingly large red stain on the bed sheets.

With their bodied shifting around slightly, Troy ended up in a position where his thrusts caused the crown of his cock to grind perfectly against Katniss' g-spot, forcing the girl to cum again just seconds after her first climax. Even muffled by his palm, her wanton screams were still almost too loud, but she was too lost in her euphoria at that moment to care. Her hands slapped hard against Troy's lower back before trailing up, her nails leaving bright red lines upon his skin while her body was wracked with more convulsions.

Her eyes were already glazed over as the second orgasm subsided, and Katniss didn't think that she could handle any more, her cunt already feeling incredibly sensitive to the point where any further stimulation felt almost like torture, but Troy didn't stop. Like some kind of tireless sexual machine, he kept pounding her just like Katniss had begged him to do before getting her mouth covered, ripping climax after climax out of her shuddering body until he finally reached his own peak. Twisting violently beneath him, she came one last time together with Troy while he pumped her full of his thick, burning hot seed, coating her insides with it.

As he rolled off of her, Katniss practically felt paralyzed, whimpering in between ragged breaths as her chest and stomach oscillated up and down and her thighs just wouldn't stop quivering. She was so dizzy that the ceiling seemed to spin, her head somehow feeling both light and heavy at the same time, making it hard to even remember where she was or what had just happened. It took a few minutes of recuperation before Katniss could become functional again.

"Holy fuck..." she whispered incredulously, running a hand through her tousled brown locks before turning her head to the side to face Troy, immediately losing herself in his wonderful blue eyes. "I couldn't stop cumming..." Katniss spoke out loud without even thinking, blushing hard immediately afterwards.

"Oh no, shit!" Suddenly, she untangled herself from his arms and rolled out of the bed, finding a towel to clean herself with, feeling rather embarrassed while having to wait for most of Troy's cum to seep out of her pussy. "The bed," she pointed out in an alarmed tone. They'd had sex on her little sister's bed, leaving behind a stain of blood and their combined bodily fluids. Not even bothering to wait for Troy to move, Katniss swiftly ripped the sheets right out from underneath him, burying them in her laundry hamper before fetching an identical clean set. "Help me put these on," she ordered impatiently, although the slight smirk dancing upon her lips hinted at the fact that she was still very content and even a little amused at the situation.

 

[randomname98766789]

As Troy lay beside of Katniss, he watched her closely, the way she looked so tired and spent from their little session… it was fantastic. She had such sexy moans and her eyes were just gorgeous when they darkened with lust. He was happy to share that moment with her and wanted nothing more than to share it with her over and over again. The connection he felt earlier was even stronger than before and he found himself staring right back into her eyes as well.

Troy was going to comment on her blush after she said that she couldn’t stop cumming. He clearly had done an amazing job with her and he hoped she would come back for more. Before he could speak, he heard her swearing and he jumped up too, eyebrows furrowing in confusion. Watching her as she cleaned herself, he couldn’t help the smirk that was on his face. He looked at her nude body and her drying herself and cleaning herself. That was his sex juices on her, he really did make her his little slut. When she ordered for help to put the new sheets on, he did gladly and made the bed look untouched.

He knew that at any moment, her mother or sister would tell them that dinner was ready so they needed to get their clothes back on. He helped search around for the items and articles of clothing strewn around the room and handed Katniss her clothes- all except for her panties. He played a little game with her, holding them high above her head. Nearly eight or nine inches taller than the girl, he held them fully out of reached and didn’t relinquish them until he instructed her to give him a kiss, then he dropped them into the floor to watch her bend over and pick them up.

It wasn’t difficult to see that Katniss was loving how he dominated her, how he toyed with her and how he was just making her his own. Troy kept a mental note of that and once they were dressed, he walked over to the small mirror in her bedroom and fixed his hair to not look so unruly and to look like all he did was just sit on the bed as they waited.

Once this was done, he heard a light knock on the door, followed by Mrs. Everdeen’s voice. “Dinner will be finished in five minutes, go ahead and wash up!” She called out in her neutral voice before she walked away from the door, her footsteps quiet and ambiguous. Once she was gone, the tall boy turned to Katniss and playfully grabbed her again, pressing her between himself and the wall before kissing her neck. “I’m not quite done with you, yet.” He whispered in the most seductive, alluring, and sexy voice he could muster as he let his lips and his warm breath roll over against her ear. His arms slowly removed from hers and he gave her a playful wink before walking out ahead of Katniss to wash his hands. He joined the others at the table and thanked Mrs. Everdeen and Prim for the meal and thanked them for helping him. When Katniss entered, he held her chair out for her in a gentlemanlike manner before taking his own seat.

Troy had two sides, the one dominating side in the bedroom then the nice, sweet, loving boy that everyone knows. He just switched the sides quickly, dominating and fucking Katniss hard one moment and smiling and being sweet to her and her family the next. It was crazy how he could make such big changes and still be as charming as ever. The food was some rabbit stew along with a piece of bread for them each. His chair was still beside Katniss so as they ate, he would sometimes brush his leg up against hers in a playfull, loving manner as they ate and gave small talk all the way through.

 

[HeavenSundered]

Katniss wasn't oblivious to that cocky, self-satisfied expression Troy's face as he watched her, but she didn't mind. He wore the look well, somehow, so if anything it only made her want to throw herself on to him again, though she couldn't really do that now with the threat of her mother dropping by at any moment. Doing it once had been risky enough in the first place. Totally worth it, but risky nonetheless. They helped each other retrieve their clothes that had been strewn about randomly during their hasty undressing, and then Katniss put her bra and dress back on before realizing that her panties were missing.

"Don't be a jerk!" she exclaimed with mock annoyance that was given away by her giggling as she got up on the tips of her toes and even hopped in place slightly, trying to snatch her panties back unsuccessfully. Katniss couldn't actually recall the last time that she'd been able to just mess around, laugh and have fun like that, so she greatly enjoyed Troy's teasing, even though she pretended to pout when he proposed to trade her underwear back for a kiss. Of course, she soon relented and gave it to him, plunging her tongue deep into his mouth as she got up on her toes again and he leaned down to meet her. She cocked her head to the side and rolled her eyes when he dropped the panties on the floor instead of handing them over, knowing exactly what he wanted, so she gave it to him, keeping her legs straight as she slowly bent over at the waist.

Katniss didn't actually put her panties back on, though, instead fetching a brush from her dresser and moving in front of the mirror to fix her hair after her mother had come by to let them know about dinner. She was about to open the door when Troy unexpectedly pinned her against the wall, his gruffly whispered words immediately causing her arousal to flare up again. A thin rivulet of Katniss' juices trailed down the inside of her thigh while he toyed with her again, his lips finding every sensitive spot along her neck and ear, making her wish that he would kiss her, but then he denied her by walking out of the room instead. It was a bit frustrating, but at the same time it was exciting, as it already had Katniss eagerly anticipating the next time. Following Troy into the bathroom, she slipped her panties into one of his pockets before washing her hands. "Keep them you perv," she teased.

When they got to the kitchen, Prim gave her older sister a bit of a curious look when Troy pulled her chair out for her, but the way that Katniss narrowed her eyes at her dissuaded the younger girl from asking any questions. Not wearing any underwear at the table made Katniss feel rather naughty and sexy, especially when Troy would purposely brush his leg against hers, but it was her mother that did most of the talking. Mainly just asking Troy about his childhood, his parents, his work, that sort of thing. Katniss was happy to just eat and listen. When they were done, Mrs. Everdeen volunteered to clear the table with Prim, leaving Katniss and Troy to their own devices.

"So, umm...do you want me to walk you home?" Katniss asked him bashfully as they moved from the kitchen to the living room, her cheeks flushing with a rosy tint. Even though Troy clearly wasn't in too much pain to walk or anything, judging from the fucking that he'd just given her, she still didn't like the idea of him making his way home by himself, just in case. As far as she was concerned, Troy was hers now just as much as she was his, and that meant that her instinct was to keep him safe, just she'd done with her mother and sister for years.

 

[randomname98766789]

After the meal had concluded, Troy thanked Mrs. Everdeen once again and shook her hand. Troy couldn’t tell exactly what the woman felt about him but he was pretty sure that she at least liked him. He had saved her daughter and she came to get to know him and found out that he was a really nice kid. He continued to be his charming self, making sweet, gentle compliments to her mother about her cooking and her house and then to Primrose as well. Prim seemed to be very interested in his hobby of painting that he had. She loved to draw too and she asked if Troy could teach her sometime and of course, Troy agreed to do so.

Now as he and Katniss stood alone in the living room, he gave her a nod and a sweet smile. “Yes, I would love that.” He said as he waited by the door for Katniss to tell her mother that she was walking him home. Once she returned, they stepped outside of the house and began to walk into the Town part of the District. It was a good jump away though and Troy didn’t want this night with her to end so he reached for her hand and laced their fingers together and squeezed her hand.

Troy felt the same way about her now- that she was his and he was hers. No social class or economic status could deter his thinking. He was glad to hold her hand freely and the people from the Seam gave them confused looks. A Townie with a girl from the Seam? That had to be impossible, or that is what everyone thought. Troy was one of the kindest human beings that could ever be met and his attraction to Katniss went above and beyond any “standards” that was in their district. On their walk, they spoke some more and tried to get to know each other a little better. Katniss never struck him as a person to tell every detail about her life but she was opening up to Troy and he was doing the same for her. Ten minutes into the conversation and he felt like he’d known her forever. With more sly remarks and cute compliments, he hoped he was winning her heart as he still freely held her hand. He gave her a few more innocent kisses on the cheek and lips as they walked, her panties still in his back pocket. Definitely, he was keeping those forever.

Finally, they got to the Town and it was later on in the afternoon. The weird looks were coming full blast now and everyone looked disgusted except for Troy. The look on his face was one of pure adoration and emotion and feeling for Katniss. He didn’t shy away from her, act like he didn’t know her, or pushed her away. He only walked closer to her and let go of her hand so he could wrap his whole arm around her instead. He absolutely loved walking like this with her and he didn’t want to get to his house quite yet.

As they got down one of the secluded roads in between some old, stores that have closed for the night, he glanced down at Katniss. “So, does this mean that we’re together? You know- like dating?” He asked a bit awkwardly. He had so much confidence in the bed but now he was a blushing mess and it was clear that he wanted to call her as his. Then it hit him, he has to ask her, right? Isn’t that how it worked. “Um, will you go out with me – be my girlfriend Katniss?” He asked and tilted his head then having to chuckle at how disgruntled and horrible he seemed at this. “Actually, let me ask you this way.” He said and came to a halt in the middle of the road, turning and taking her face in his hands and pressing his lips against hers and kissing her like this was his last day on Earth.

 

[HeavenSundered]

After letting her mother know where she was going, Katniss put on her boots and threw her jacket on over her dress before following Troy outside. She'd been itching to hold his hand as soon as they stepped down from the porch of her house, but restrained herself only because she didn't want to embarrass him by letting everyone know that he was 'with' a humble Seam girl. Relationships between inhabitants of the Town and the Seam were heacvily frowned upon, especially by the Townies, and for that reason they were almost unheard of. Katniss' own parents had been one of the few exceptions, with her mother abandoning her more luxurious life to live with her father in the Seam.

All of that only made it that much sweeter when Troy decided to hold her hand anyways, apparently telling the world that he didn't care what they thought. They got a few confused looks as they made their way through the Seam, but nothing too crazy, and Katniss hardly even noticed since she only had eyes for Troy. She snuggled up closer to him while they walked and chatted, returning his little gestures of affection. She'd already gotten to know a good deal more about him from the questions her mother had posed over dinner, but the more that Katniss discovered, the more she became enamored with him. She was already falling in love, whether she consciously recognized it or not.

Whereas the portion of the trip through the Seam hadn't been particularly eventful, walking through the Town was completely different. There were more people still out on the streets, and just about all of them cast them disgusted, disapproving looks - mostly directed towards Katniss in particular. As tough as her skin was, even she could help but feel ashamed, not just for herself but for Troy. She didn't want his reputation to be ruined because of her, or for him to ostracized by the other Townies. Katniss tried telling him that he didn't have to keep holding her hand, even going as far as to lie by saying that it wouldn't bother her if he didn't but Troy insisted. He even seemed proud of it, which made Katniss feel incredibly special and appreciated, filling her with the most enjoyable sensation of warmth.

When he led her down a more secluded street and asked about them dating or not, Katniss was surprised at how cute and shy Troy suddenly became. Seeing the big, tough and almost perpetually confident Troy blush and fidget while asking her to be his girlfriend was just about the most adorable thing that she'd ever witnessed. Of course, Katniss would have agreed in a heartbeat if he'd given her the chance before pulling her into the longest, most romantic kiss, both of them unwilling to bring it to an end. After over a minute, she pulled her lips away just barely, nodding enthusiastically as she gazed into his eyes, a delighted smile upon her lips.

"I'd like that a lot..." she breathed before pulling him down for another kiss.

After another fiery makeout session, they finally got back on their way to his house, still holding hands. "Umm...do you think I should go?" Katniss asked nervously when they finally reached his front door. She didn't know what his parents would think or say, and she didn't want to get him in trouble or anything.

 

[randomname98766789]

Even though it was totally obvious that Katniss would accept him into a relationship, Troy still felt his heart jolt and skip a few beats when she agreed to it. Happily, he returned the last kiss that she gave him and moved his hands to hold her at her waist. Taking her hand once again, he walked her towards his house and when they stopped, he gladly shook his head when she asked if she should go. “Don’t you dare try to leave me, Everdeen, or I will just kidnap you.” He winked playfully at her but that didn’t seem like that bad of an idea. He smirked and opened the door and announced to his parents that he was home. They came to greet him with a smile and they welcomed Katniss with open arms. At first glance, everyone could see that his parents were also a marriage between the Seam and the Town. His father with the blonde hair and his mother with the dark eyes. His father was from the Town and his mother was from the Seam.

Also, his older sister came out now. She was twenty years old and had survived all her Reapings, now they were just wanting Troy to get past his last two. But that was miles away from anyone’s thoughts now as Troy explained the events of what happened. From saving Katniss to forming an unbreakable bond, he said it all- except for their little rough sex session earlier, he figured he better not say that. His parents were very happy for them and were glad that they were okay. His sister just teased him and bantered him saying it was about time he got a girlfriend, showing that he hadn’t ever been with anyone before either and that his first time was also today with Katniss.

After a bit more of introducing each other, Troy showed Katniss around his house. First was upstairs in his room. It was a nice sized room, a big bed, nice lighting, and an amazing view of a section of woods that was inside the District. No wild animals but it was peaceful. Around his rooms were paintings, paintings of different things, his parents’ store, the school, his house, the mine, the Hob, anything and everything and Troy never viewed that he was particularly talented but his painting was beyond remarkable. Anyone that looked at it could see how lively it looked and how much it looked like a picture. “Don’t worry, I’ll paint you a picture, just give me a request and I’ll do it.” He told her with a smile, sitting down on the bed and looking up at her, explain some of the memorabilia he had, like his grandmother’s clock, a necklace from his grandfather, and some old antique items that clearly had value but he wouldn’t trade them for a world. Afterwards, he showed her around upstairs, her sister’s closed room, the bathroom, and a little free room that he would paint in sometimes or read or just do anything. Almost like a living room that he and his sister shared to do various things. It wasn’t large by any means but it was a nice, cozy space and very clean- his mother was a clean freak. He then explained how they all worked at the store and how her sister wanted to be a doctor and was trying to do some training.

He then showed her downstairs, in the kitchen and the living room, and the nice little porch and patio that they had. It was getting dark now and he didn’t want his Katniss to be stuck out at night so he walked her out to the porch once it was time for her to go. Standing with her, he brought her hands to his chest and leaned down to kiss her once again, feeling his heart flutteragain when they touched. “How about I meet you at your house tomorrow and walk you and your sister to school?” He whispered “Then after school, maybe we could have a picnic or something?” He asked softly and looked down at her, pressing his soft lips to her forehead now.

 

[HeavenSundered]

Smiling appreciatively at the way that Troy insisted for her to stay, Katniss was happy to oblige, following him up the stairs to the porch and into the house, which looked quite impressive and well maintained from the outside. She was still a little apprehensive about meeting his parents, but she trusted Troy, since he didn't seem particularly worried about it. Katniss soon understood why. To say that she was surprised would have been a gross understatement, and it must have been pretty evident on her face by the way that she stared back at the older couple with wide eyes.

Troy's parents as well as his older sister all made Katniss feel completely welcome, almost as if she was already part of their family. She was still a little bit guarded, as per usual, especially with the whole surprise about Troy's mother being from the Seam catching her by surprise, but she still managed a bit of banter and small talk, even complimenting Troy on how brave he'd been when he came to her aid earlier. The Smiths' household had such a comfortable, accepting and positive atmosphere that it made it easier for Katniss to open up.

She also found out from Troy's sister that it had been his first time too, which was an interesting bit of information that she was happy to learn, although she didn't comment on it. Judging my how he'd fucked her senseless, though, he must have been a very fast learner. The tour of the house was something new for Katniss as well, since she'd never actually seen a Town house from the inside. She couldn't help but marvel at the luxury and feel a bit envious, not even so much for herself but for her mother and sister. They weren't as strong as she was, and they didn't belong in the Seam. It was already taken a heavy toll on her mother, and she was afraid that it would eventually do the same to Prim as well.

Troy had also mentioned that he painted as a hobby while having dinner at her house, so that didn't come as a surprise, but Katniss definitely hadn't expected him to be so talented. Some of his painting actually left her in awe. She was flattered when he offered to paint her something, telling him that she would need some time to think of a worthy request.

Eventually, though, it started getting late, and the pair of them knew that they would have to be separated for the first time since having met. Maybe it was silly, feeling so strongly about a boy she'd only known for half a day, but Katniss' stomach twisted into knots just at the thought of being apart from him. She wished that she wouldn't have to go, or that she could bring him back with her, but they both had families and responsibilities to take care of. Agreeing to meet the next morning before school, they shared a long goodbye kiss before she finally forced herself to let go and head back home to the Seam.

The next day, Katniss was up before the crack of dawn. Her mother had already needed to pawn some things just to buy them supper last night, and it was going to be the same for breakfast unless she brought something back. Thankfully, her hunting trip went much better this time, and she returned with a squirrel, a rabbit and a basket full of foraged fruits with an hour to spare before school. After getting cleaned up, Katniss changed into a pair of jeans and a tight sweater, paying a bit more attention to how she looked than usual. Prim helped her fix her hair into a single thick braid, which she often liked to wear, and then they shared breakfast before heading out to the front porch to wait for Troy. Prim seemed pretty happy to learn that he'd be meeting them, though not half as much as her older sister who'd barely been able to sleep the previous night because she was so busy pining for him.