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A Mockingjay Fettered (HeavenSundered & Randomname)

Troy laughed along with Katniss and gave her a shake of his head. He was glad they could at least share that little moment of laughter and happiness. If you asked Troy, he would think things were opposite- that Katniss was the perfect one and he was the one whom had many flaws. Katniss was still perfect in his eyes, regardless, and Haymitch could tell immediately how deeply they cared for one another.

After Kat had spoke up about her strengths, he saw haymitch nod then look to him to which Troy replied. “I am considerably strong. I was a good wrestler too so that is my strength.” He said with a nod. It was more than true, Troy was the best wrestler at the school. With his size and his strength, no one could bring him down and he just totally dominated the competition. He would be exceelent with hand to hand combat and any type of blunt weapons.

Haymitch nodded and made mental notes of all that his young tributes had told him. They had finished up their meal now and it was getting late. “Alright, you two just go on back to your rooms and get some sleep. In the morning, we will arrive in the Capitol and that’s when the real fun starts. Just enjoy the rest while you can and we’ll see you in the morning.” He said with a nod before standing up, grabbing a bottle of booze and stumbling out to his own car.

Troy stood up as well once he was gone and met Katniss halfway. He took her hand in his and gave it a squeeze, then pressing the back of her hand to his lips as he maintained eye contact with her throughout. Now, they were walking back to their own car where their bedrooms were and they slipped inside the bedroom designated originally just for Katniss. Troy wasn’t sure if he could sleep again but he would try. They needed to sleep and get ready for the next day so when they lay down, he tightly wrapped his arms around her and tried to snuggle as close as possible.
 
While Troy listed his own skills and strengths, Katniss contemplated how they would do as a team. Again, they complimented each other very well just like they did in their relationship, with him being better suited for close combat while she excelled from range. That was nice and all, but the Career tributes were probably skilled in every area, not just one or two, so that hardly guaranteed their success.

When Haymitch got up to take his leave after calling an end to the meeting, taking a bottle from the table with him, Kat wondered if he actually needed alcohol to survive more than he needed oxygen. Obviously, it wasn't reassuring that their mentor appeared to be a raging alcoholic, but still, he'd taught them quite a bit already that they needed to mull over. In particular, Katniss didn't want to let Troy down on the whole public appeal aspect, so she would need to work on that, even if she let him do most of the talking.

She walked back to her room with him feeling much better than before, both thanks to the food and the talk. After pulling Troy into the room with her, Kat stripped all of her clothes off and changed into just a pair of boyshort panties that hugged her curves and a black sports bra which was more comfortable than regular ones for sleeping in. She slipped into bed and waited for Troy to join her under the covers once he'd changed too, turning her back to him so that he could spoon her.

For the first few minutes, Katniss tried to close her eyes and fall asleep, but she couldn't seem to turn her mind off from all of the emotions and new information running through it. Seriously needing to release some of her pent of stress and emotional baggage, Kat started to lightly grind her ass against Troy's crotch, wondering if she might be able to tempt him into helping her out with that. If not, then she might have to take care of it on her own.
 
The only thing covering Troy right now was a pair of light blue boxers. He would always sleep with minimal clothing on, and Katniss seemed to always enjoy that. He happily spooned Katniss, it was a nice end to a stressful day. However, once he felt like his eyelids were heavy enough to fall asleep, he felt something moving against him. He thought it was just Katniss trying to get comfortable but when the feeling kept going and going he realized it was something else. Opening his eyes, he could feel his erection starting to poke through the material of his boxers and against Kat’s ass which he was sure that she enjoyed.

Now he was wide awake and a good fucking session with Katniss wouldn’t hurt right now. Perhaps tomorrow they could look around for rope or something to use as a restraint because Troy loved having her all tied up when they had sex but for now he wouldn’t be able to do anything. “Aren’t you overdressed for this?” He whispered to her after grinding his crotch right back against her ass. His hands worked to remove of her sports bra, waiting for her to lift off her side so he could remove it and toss it away.

Getting the message that she must wanted him inside of her ass from her grinding her ass against him, Troy quickly flipped her onto her stomach and moved to straddle the back of her thighs. He was also sure that himself and Katniss would have a lot of sex in the next couple weeks. Either way, one of them was going to die and that was reality, so might as well get all the fun in they can. But Troy wasn’t thinking about death, no, he was thinking about how smoking hot Katniss was and how sexy her ass was. The boyshort panties just hugged it perfectly and it looked bigger than normal.

Smirking, he took his hand up and gave her a couple good slaps over her ass before removing her boyshorts and then tossing them away as well. “Okay, be a good little slut for your master and get on all fours.” He instructed with that sly smirk, working to quickly dispose of his boxers. Once they were both nude and Katniss was in the position for him, his hands worked around her body to grab her breasts and start playing with them as he teased her, grinding his erect length against her ass.
 
It wasn't long before Katniss could feel Troy's manhood starting to harden against her butt, causing her to smile and lick her lips in anticipation as her grinding became more insistent. Pushing back harder, she managed to force his thick shaft between her ass cheeks, squeezing it there while she kept gyrating herself until he'd had enough of her teasing.

"What're you gonna do about it?" Kat challenged him when he implied that she was overdressed, and she was only all too happy to let him remedy the situation, even helping him to get her bra fully off. She couldn't wait to feel those strong but dexterous hands of his caressing and squeezing her breasts while he fucked her. Whether he wanted to give it to her in the ass, pussy or even both, Kat didn't care, she was just craving to feel him inside of her.

When Troy flipped her over on to herb belly give her a brief spanking before pulling her panties down, that really started to get her going, like it always did whenever he manhandled her. Pulling the pillow closer to her face, she yelped into it to muffle the sounds while her body flinched from each smack to her bottom, the wetness and heat between her legs growing increasingly unbearable.

Once her ass had a nice rosy hue, stinging slightly, Katniss eagerly obeyed her master's orders, pushing herself up on all fours with her back arched nicely and he legs spread wide for him. This would be a bit different from their usual, since they didn't have rope or anything else handy, but Kat didn't mind. She loved the bondage, of course, but going without it could be a fun change of pace from time to time, too. Besides, all that she really cared about was making love to Troy, everything else was secondary.

"Aaaahhhh fuuuuhckkk!" Kat hissed as he started expertly fondling her breasts, using them as leverage while he rocked his hips up and down, grinding his hot, iron-hard cock between her cheeks. "Your cock feels so good, baby...fuck, cm'on, please!" she pleaded, thrusting her ass against him. "I need you inside me, please, baby...master...master please fuck me! Fuck me! I'm such a dirty slut, please, please punish me!!"
 
Even though they didn’t have any rope or restraints, Troy still found himself very aroused. With Kat being on all fours, begging for him to punish her for being a dirty little slut as she ground her ass cheeks against his cock made him fully erect. He didn’t say anything else and just took his hand back and spanked her ass again and again, making sure to give fair attention to both cheeks, spanking them both hard and often until they were a nice, bright red color and he could hear her hissing from the slaps. He knew it made her wet, so a spanking is something he could always give her if he wanted to tease her, even when they had clothes on.

Troy didn’t move his hands from her breasts any more after the spankings. He loved how they felt in his hands, how he could just play with them all he wanted. Taking her nipples in between his fingers, he rolled them around and moaned out softly.

Now, Troy decided that he couldn’t stand this much longer himself. He needed to be inside of his Katniss, he needed to make her his little slut again he needed for her to know who her master was. He just let all worries leave his mind as he thrust his hips back then forward again to slam his huge, bulging shaft right inside of her tight ass hole.

He didn’t care who may hear them or what they may think. Right now, fucking Katniss was all that mattered to him. “Oh… Katniss!” He moaned out loudly as his huge cock slammed violently against the back of her ass over and over again, the sound of skin slamming down against skin filling the room with the bed shaking violently an fervently with each hard thrust that Troy gave to her. He held onto Katniss by her breasts so she wouldn’t slide so far up the bed and just hammered her ass, going as hard as he can, moaning out her name over and over again.
 
Stuffing her face back into the pillow, Katniss groaned hard from the second wave of smacks that Troy rained down upon her already tender ass, brightening it from pink to red and making it buzz vividly with painful heat that she was addicted to like a drug. With each slap that sent her butt jiggling, Kat's pussy clamped down cravingly, her juices already flowing freely from her arousal. Whenever she wanted Troy, which was very often, it was never just a mild desire, but a ravenous, maddening craving.

"PLEASE!! Please, master, please fuck me! FUCK ME!!" Katniss begged, falling down to her elbows, balancing herself on just one arm as she slammed a fist hard into her pillow. Her ass was on fire, her breasts and nipples felt electric as they throbbed against Troy's palms and fingers, but it still wasn't enough. She still felt empty without him inside of her.

Finally, Katniss got her wish as he rammed his massive, erect manhood right up her ass like he often did when they were both incredibly horny. She bit down hard into the pillow, but even with the sound of her cry being partially muffled, it was still incredibly loud. Being overheard wasn't that much of a concern since they were on a train, which was noisy in itself, and the car that their two rooms was in was separate than the rest, but at that point Katniss wouldn't have cared even if Effie and Haymitch were sleeping right next door.

She clutched a handful of her own hair, tugging on it hard while Troy absolutely ravaged her tight ass, stretching it out wide as he repeatedly sunk his cock in balls deep, making them slap hard against her quivering pussy. It wasn't often that Katniss has the liberty of using her hands, so she eagerly took advantage, snaking her free hand down below her body and between her legs. She slipped two fingers through her slit, pushing them in far enough to rub at her g-spot for a bit before pulling them back out so that she could fondle Troy's package whenever he thrust forward into her, spreading her wetness all over it.

"Oooohhhhhhh fuuuuuhhccckkk! UUUHHHGGHHHH!! Don't stop!! Troy, TROY, DON'T YOU DARE STOP!! AAAAAHHHHHH!! AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!" Katniss howled, moving her fingers away from his testicles to frantically rub her own clit, quickly pushing herself over the edge. "I'm CUMMING!! TROY I'M CCCUUUUHHHMING!!!!" Her juices spurted over the bed and Troy's thighs as her anal canal spasmed rhythmically around his cock, squeezing him, trying to milk that precious cum that she loved so much out of him.
 
Before getting to know Katniss and before having sex with her, Troy would have never thought that Katniss could be like this. He was pretty sure that not even she knew until they actually made love that first night and then it seemed like she just became addicted to it. Not addicted to sex in general, but addicted to sex with him. And Troy didn’t complain about that, he was addicted to her too. Whether they were having a rough fucking session or a nice, love-making, passionate scene, he loved it.

He felt her hands moving from his balls then he assumed they went to her clit immediately afterwards. He knew that she loved having her hands free but she loved having them bound as well. She should enjoy that, because he is quite sure that tomorrow night, he is going to search that tribute center high and low for some rope or something to have a bit of fun with her.

After she had released, he felt her juices pouring out on his thighs as he relentlessly fucked her and he could hear her dripping out onto the bed. He was so glad that he could do that to her, that she could feel so happy and so much relief from him and his actions. No one else could touch his Katniss like that, he would kill them first.

“That’s a good girl, keep cumming for your master.” He said with a smirk, his hands still firmly resting on her breasts before soon he was cumming too. He felt his cock twitching as it often did as her canal just clamped down tighter and tighter on his shaft, her body basically begging for his cum. He obliged soon enough, his cum spurting out all inside of her ass as he moaned out her name loudly. Even though he was loud, it didn’t compare to Katniss’ noises at all. And since she was so loud naturally, her muffled moans were even sexier and more helpless it seemed.

After he finished, he didn’t remove his cock, he didn’t remove his hands, instead, he just sat there and kept grinding against her with a smirk. “Oh, baby… you have such a fucking perfect ass… I wish I could just fuck it all day Katniss.” He whispered and then spanked her one more time for good measure. “Mmm, do my spankings make you hot Katniss? Is your little pussy getting wet again baby?” He asked and spanked her again and again because he was sure that no matter how long or how recent it had been since she had an orgasm, all he had to do was give her a few ass slaps and get some dirty talk going then he would have her dripping.

“Do you want your master’s cock in your other hole, too?” he asked with a grin. After that one quick session, he wanted another. He wanted to make her his again by fucking both holes and finally one hand moved down to start stimulating her clit as he kept grinding against her.
 
Katniss could only moan in delight as Troy pumped her ass full of his burning hot seed, the rhythmic throbbing of his manhood sending wave after wave of ecstasy rippling though her body even as she basked in the afterglow of her own orgasm. Just hearing the way that Troy moaned her name with that angelic voice of his while blowing his load in her ass was nearly enough to make her cum a second time, her tunnel still clenching down tightly around him.

Katniss never wanted that moment to end, so she was glad that he didn't pull out. She would have lived the rest of her life with Troy in that train car if she could, if it meant not losing him. A childish notion, she obviously knew that, but she couldn't stop herself from silently wishing for it anyways. She purred her agreement when Troy revealed how he'd want to be able to just fuck her all day, basically reading her mind, but then he drew a series of sharp yelps out of her with another barrage of firm smacks to her already glowing bottom.

Her twitching and writhing caused Troy's cock to stir pleasurably inside her ass, the feeling combining with the painful stinging from her butt cheeks to form an even more intoxicating sensation that had Katniss dripping wet, just like Troy had guessed. "Yes, yessss! Oh goodness, yes, you know how much I love it when you spank me, baby!" With the same hand that she'd used to stroke her clit, she spread her cunt wide open for him, showcasing the bright pink interior.

"My pussy's so fucking wet for you, master..." Kat breathed, her ass starting to gyrate slightly against him again. "It's yours, all yours, please take it...fuck me senseless like only you can!"
 
With a smirk, Troy quickly flipped Katniss onto her back. For this moment, he wanted to take is slow, to make love to her, not just fuck her hard and rough. It would be a nice change of pace, he thought. As he lay on top of her, he leaned down and kissed her on the lips before trailing his lips down her cheekbone, her jawline, her neck, and her throat. He sucked on her neck for a few moments, leaving a cute little mark on her skin in the process, right at the point where her neck and shoulder meet. After this, he kissed down the front of her chest, spending time with her breasts, taking her nipples into his mouth and sucking on them before leaving a couple dark hickeys on her breasts. His lips trailed back up her body to her shoulder before he would kiss down her arm, all the way to her fingertips, doing that with both arms.

Then he moved his lips to her abdomen and kissed down lower to her thighs, in between her thighs, down to her knee, her shin, and then down to her feet and toes before trailing his lips right back up her body all the way to her lips. In the process of filling every inch of her body with kisses, he would give her a compliment after every few kisses. Complimenting her beauty, her intelligence, and just saying how much that he loves her. He wanted her to feel absolutely loved and wanted in that moment so after he was sure that he had kissed over every inch of her skin, he kissed her on the lips once again and slid his length right back inside of her tight little cunt.

The thrusting was medium-paced as he just wanted to make sweet love to the girl that has his heart. His lips find hers and he kisses her hard and passionately as he rolls his hips against hers, his hands resting at her waist.
 
Katniss moaned with anticipation when Troy turned her over, enjoying the sight and feel of him as he leaned down over her to capture her lips with his own. Wrapping her arms around him, she dragged her nails down over Troy's shoulder blades as they shared a passionate kiss, one that was all too fleeting for Kat's liking. Tongue still hanging out desirously, she tried unsuccessfully to chase his mouth as it moved down her cheek, her jaw, her throat.

She sighed with a mix of frustration and elation, realizing that Troy planned to tease her until she was quivering with need like he so often did. Pulling down on him and arching her body up simultaneously, Katniss crushed her heaving breasts against his firm chest while she desperately tried to survive his assault. Of course, when he wanted to, Troy easily untangled himself from her, so that he could continue moving southwards.

She struggled for breath, her slender form writhing from Troy's ardent suckling of her oh-so-sensitive breasts and nipples, causing her pussy to clench down with yearning as the river of her juices continued to flow freely. Kat melted not only from Troy's adept ministrations, but his beautiful words as well. As always, he managed to make her feel like his princess, the only thing in the world which mattered to him, and she couldn't get enough.

As Troy blazed another trail of moist kisses over her tingling body all the way down to the tips of her toes, Katniss couldn't contain herself any longer, grabbing and lneading her own breasts together roughly until he returned to claim her lips. Her tongue swirled like a turbulent maelstrom against his, and she moaned right into his mouth, refusing to let him get away this time even when she felt the rush of his colossal manhood pushing past her damp folds.

Her leg's wrapped themselves around Troy's torso, heels digging into the small of his back to push him deeper inside her cunt, assisting with every thrust while her own hips rolled forward to match his rhythm. Pleasure soared through Katniss' body and filled her mind as they moved together in perfect unison, drawing moan after moan out from deep within her chest. Gently aressing the back of Troy's head with both hands, she interrupted the sparring of their tongues momentarily to catch his lower lip between her teeth, tugging back on it a little to stretch it out before letting it snap back into place.

"Uuuhhhnnghhh...so good...so good...don't stop, Troy," Kat moaned, her voice even more husky and gravelly than usual, "aaahhhhh...aaaaahhhhhh!! I love you! I love you so much, my sexy stallion, oooohhhhh fuuhhckk!! Don't stop, it feels so good...ooooohhhhhh...oooooOOOOHHHH!!" The rocking of her hips fell out of sync with his, her cadence briefly accelerating and growing more wild as she urgently pressed her lips back to his. Then kat's body went rigid with tension as her abdominals and pussy spasmed uncontrollably, her cries of ecstasy filling Troy's mouth while her juices gushed all over his pelvis and lower belly.
 
Once Katniss legs wrapped around his torso and he felt her heels digging into his back, he moaned out in ecstasy and love and passion and lust all together as he started to thrust harder and harder. Even though this was a nice little love making session, he saw no harm in taking her for a ride so he progressively increased the roughness of his thrusts and the deepness of his manhood. “Don’t worry baby, I won’t stop. I will fuck you forever if you want me to Katniss, you know I will. I love you so much.” He murmured in response and it wasn’t long before he felt her juices soaking him again which made his cock start twitching and making his legs feel weak even though he was laying down and he soon found his release as well.

After his cum released from his cock, he moaned Katniss name out rather loudly into her mouth and felt himself filling her up to the brim. Once he was done, his cock was returning back to being flaccid and he just lay on top of Katniss now, moving his lips all across her breasts and up to her lips again. Then he just fell down to her side as he was breathing heavily, draping one of his muscular legs over her body and hen pulling the covers over their bodies, his arm wrapping around her neck and pulling her close, a content sigh coming out from his nose after he pecked her lips once again.

“Wow…” he murmured and snuggled up to Katniss. He was so glad that they had each other. He couldn’t ever imagine doing this or sharing this moment with anyone else in the world. Katniss was his and he loved every bit of it. “I love you, Katniss.” He whispered and kissed her lips again, then let his head rest on her shoulder.
 
There was nothing in the world that Katniss could adore more or feel more proud of doing than making her lover cum. Her trembling legs constricted more tightly around Troy's body as he filled her second hole with another massive load of his precious seed, claiming her completely and utterly. The way that his cock continued to twitch inside of her even after he'd spent himself caused her pussy to react in kind, so they shared a few more seconds of blissful ecstasy together until the orgasms subsided.

After finally releasing Troy, she squirmed beneath him while his soft lips nipped at her breasts which were still hypersensitive following her earth-shattering climax. When he moved up to kiss her, Kat's tongue moved with lethargy against his as she brought a hand to her forehead, wiping away several strands of her damp and disheveled hazelnut hair. The words we don't have forever rang through her mind as she laid there, a hopeless sense of melancholy washing over her, but she let none of it shine through to Troy. "I love you too," she whispered back, pulling the covers up and lightly caressing his head while they drifted to sleep.

Early next morning, Effie came to wake them up, telling them that they'd nearly arrived and that she'd brought some new clothes for them to change into. "It's not much, but don't worry," she promised, "once we get you set up in the Tribute Center and have your measurements taken, you'll be dressed in nothing but the finest fashions." Katniss noticed the woman lingering briefly outside the door before finally leaving. Waking Troy if he wasn't awake already, she got up and went to take a much needed shower before changing into her new clothes, just a simple pair of jeans and a black tanktop with a grey cardigan to wear over it.

A few minutes later, the train was pulling up to the Capitol, just as Katniss and Troy joined Effie and Haymitch in the dining car. Kat stared wide-eyed through a window at the completely unfamiliar surroundings, all of the architecture being so massive, sleek and advanced that it literally seemed alien to her. It was almost as if her brain couldn't process how some people could live in a place like this while others like herself were confined to barely more than small shacks, dying from hunger. It made her stomach turn, and she instantly lost any appetite.

Then the train passed through a dark tunnel, slowing as it emerged into the station on the other side, surrounded on both sides by a legion of screaming and cheering citizens. Immediately, Katniss shied away from the window, trying to hide herself as she felt overwhelmed by all of the noise and unwanted attention. Meanwhile, Effie cast a concerned glance towards Haymitch, who just shook his head silently before taking a sip from his silver flask.
 
The clothing that was chosen for Troy was a dark gray, short sleeved t-shirt and a pair of blue jeans. The boy finally stepped into his own room for the first time since they have been on that train and used the shower to clean up as well. Once he finished, he waited outside of Katniss’ door until she exited to eat breakfast. Taking her hand, he walked with her to the dining car and then took his seat at the table. His appetite seemed to be lost as well once he saw the Capitol. Hearing about it and seeing it in person were two totally different things. It was sick how people could live the way they do with so many other people struggling. After exiting the dark tunnel and seeing all the raging people dressed in that special Capitol idiotic way, Troy glanced to Katniss and sighed. “Follow my lead, okay?”

Directing her to the window, he added. “Look at them, smile, and wave. I know you don’t want to… neither do I but we might make a good first impression and if either of us gets sponsors or wins over someone in the Capitol, it is an advantage for us both.” Troy explained and squeezed her hand, starting to smile and wave at the god forsaken Capitol citizens until the train had passed the last person. He let his façade down once the train was pulling into the private area for the tributes to exit and Haymitch followed, commenting on Troy’s move as being very intelligent- which Troy really was. He was near the smartest person at school and his intelligence with Katniss’ could be deadly.

Effie and Haymitch lead Troy and Katniss into the Tribute Center, heading to the Remake Center. “Now, you two will be separated for a while. You will go to the Remake Center and get your bodies fixed, then you will meet with your stylists. The opening ceremony will be tonight and the Chariot ride will be the big way you will make your fashionable first impressions.” Effie chirped with a smile as if this were a harmless game.

Troy took a shuttering breath, that meant himself and Katniss would be separated until the ceremonies began tonight. That would be torture for them both. Maybe their stylists would have to congregate and they would have a chance to see each other in that time period but probably not, Troy thought.

Once they got to the Remake Center, the stop was where Effie and Haymitch left them. Troy turned to Katniss and leaned down to cup her cheek and give her a quick kiss on the lips. “Be careful… I will see you tonight. I love you. Don’t slap anyone.” He said with a solemn, teasing tone. Troy knew that their relationship would be a big thing with the Games so he knew there was no use of being secretive about it. Besides, he couldn’t contain himself if he had to so he was glad that he could kiss her and hug her and hold her hand, which he did until he had to let go when they went to separate rooms with their names marked above to get their “bodies fixed”, whatever that means.
 
Katniss hesitated, glancing at Troy, then at the windows, then back to Troy again, but in the end she remembered her promise to try her best at making a good impression with the viewers and especially the potential sponsors, so she followed her boyfriend's lead. Smiling didn't come so easily to her as it did to him, but she at waved at the crowd and managed not to scowl. Her public relation skills could definitely still use a great deal of polishing, but it was better than nothing for now. Hopefully she could improve over the period of time before the Games actually started.

Once they disembarked from the train into the Tribute Center, Katniss wasn't any more thrilled than Troy to be separated, nor did getting her 'body fixed' sound like something that she wanted to do, but clearly it was not optional. "I love you too," she told him after they'd shared one last kiss. "And no slapping, gotcha. Was more in a choking mood, anyways," Kat added with an impish little smirk before leaving him and going her separate way.

The experience in the Remake Center was quite unnerving and humiliating, especially getting scrubbed down and having to endure a full body wax. Some of the people working on her even made disparaging comments, like saying that she'd need to be washed a second time or that they hoped they didn't catch any fleas from touching her. Even when her face lit up with obvious fury and indignation, they hardly seemed to care or notice, treating her more like an object than a person with actual feelings.

It wasn't until after that whole ordeal that Kat got her first glimpse of humanity from the Capitol in the form of Cinna, her appointed stylist. He was shockingly understanding and down to earth, speaking frankly about her situation as opposed to trying to sugar coat it into some sort of great honor like everybody else, so Katniss immediately took a liking to him. When he told her of his idea to go against tradition by not dressing her in the same stupid coal miner costume that District 12's tributes always wore, she was of course more than happy to accept.

A few hours later, after Cinna had taken her measurements and made all of the appropriate modifications to her costume, he wished her luck before sending her to the backstage area where Troy and their chariot would be waiting. She found him wearing an elegant, scintillating black suit that matched her own, indicating that their stylists had clearly worked hand in hand on the project. It had been explained to them that the suits were supposed to create the very convincing illusion of catching on fire, though since they were only capable of a single use, it was impossible to test them beforehand.

The suit chaffed a little bit, having been created more for appearances than comfort, and Kat's mound still stung from getting her pubic hair waxed, but other than that she felt fine enough. Riding a chariot out through the crowd while standing there silently and looking tough, that definitely sounded like something she could manage. "Hey, I missed you!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms around Troy and pulling him in for a hug. "You look fucking hot in that," Katniss added, lowering one hand to give Troy's firm butt a hard squeeze. "Don't even need the fire."
 
Troy went through a similar process as Katniss did. His body was poked, prodded, and some hair was waxed. He had more hair on his chest than he even realized that he did as the waxing stung the most in that area. Over lunch, he talked with his stylist, Portia, and she explained to him what he would be wearing- the same thing as Katniss and that the fake flames would be used.

He was ready first since he didn’t have any make up to put on or other extra accessories that Kat would have. Once Katniss finally got out, a smile spread out on his lips and he happily accepted her hug, chuckling when she got touchy with him quickly. It seemed that only a few hours away deprived Katniss more than he originally thought and it was cute to see her greeting. “I can say the same about you, I will have to chase off the entire country from trying to get a piece of your hot ass now.” He teased and pecked her cheek before standing up straight.

Some of the other tributes gave weird looks to how touchy the tributes from District 12 were, no one really knew yet about their relationship. When it was time to mount the chariot, Troy did with Katniss’ hand in his. Portia and Cinna walked up and said to hold hands the entire time, but Troy had something different in mind. Anyone could hold hands, hell, he was sure that some of the other tributes were going to do it anyways and they hadn’t even known each other before yesterday. He needed to do something special, he had to show that he and Katniss shared something more than just their district.

Troy really couldn’t care less about what the others thought. He would love Katniss until his final breath- whenever that may be- and Troy really did have more motivation than any other of the tributes. They were just fighting for their own lives, Troy was fighting for Katniss’ life. He was sure that he loved Katniss way more than any other tribute loved themselves. Troy had the motivation and reason to do the best he could possibly do.

Once the chariot ride started, Troy slipped his hand out of Katniss to wrap his arm around her waist and hold her close. Halfway through the ride as they all waved and smiled again, Troy leaned down to kiss her temple and the crowd absolutely loved it. They were throwing roses and making all kinds of sweet gestures. The flames went on and everyone was absolutely astonished. Troy had the full suit on so even though her flames were on his arms, the suit protected if something went wrong. But it gave off the allusion to anyone whom was watching that he was holding her through the fire. He hoped that some big metaphor could be made from it, that not even something that is supposed to cause death and pain could keep him away from her, reaching through fire to hold her- that’s what it would look like to anyone whom didn’t know about the suits.

They arrived to the front of the President’s mansion and hear the man deliver his speech. Throughout the speech, the jumbo-tron showed Troy and Katniss getting a lot of screen time and then the national anthem played and they were circling back to the tribute center after a rather successful Chariot Parade.
 
Unlike Troy, Katniss did care what the other tributes thought when they looked at them. She wasn't concerned about whether or not they agreed with their relationship, that was none of their business, but she was concerned that they might try to exploit the love that she and Troy shared for one another. She was used to being weary and suspicious of just about anyone, so that angle jumped out at her pretty much immediately. Hell, if it ever came down to it and she needed to prey on some of the other tributes' feelings to keep Troy safe, she'd do it in a heartbeat too.

Once they got on the chariot and the parade got under way, it was pretty awkward and overwhelming at first with what sounded like tens of thousands of people watching and cheering all at once, but Katniss managed to keep her composure, and it became easier once Troy pulled her against him. She went along with it, holding him close through the flames like only a lover would, and the crowd's explosive reaction was quite enough feedback to let them know that their little display of affection was working extremely well. Kat had to hand it to their mentor and stylists, they'd definitely called that one perfectly.

The president's speech was even more nauseating in person than it had been watching him on TV, and it was definitely weird seeing herself and Troy up on the huge suspended screens, but it was all over soon enough. All in all, Katniss had to admit that the whole experience had been quite a rush, different from anything else she'd ever felt. She wasn't even sure if she'd enjoyed it or not, but it was definitely something that she'd remember, and her adrenaline was still running hot as their chariot pulled back into the Tribute Center.

They found their stylists and mentors where waiting there to congratulate them before Effie and Haymitch invited them up to their room, which was actually an entire floor of the Tribute Center. The penthouse, to be more precise. Katniss had though that the train was incredibly luxurious, but the penthouse where she and Troy would be staying made even that look like an absolute joke. It was almost like science-fiction, it didn't even feel real. There were even several butlers standing rigid and silent, spread out through every room. Dismissing them would be the first thing on Kat's to-do list once their mentors left. Not just because they made her nervous, but also because she felt sorry for them having to just stand there like that. She didn't want butlers or servants.

Effie let them know that they had some time to go get changed and cleaned up before dinner, which Katniss was happy to do. Her costume had apparently worked wonders in the parade, but it was about time she got it off of her now, and she was dying for a shower after how sweaty the tight material had left her. Having hot water, she had to admit, was quite nice. After her shower, she found some more comfortable clothes in her new room to change into, opting for a loose white blouse and a pair of black sweatpants, both made out of absolutely sublime fabric that felt great against her skin.

Having skipped breakfast on the train and endured quite a long day, she was more than ready to eat something when she rejoined Troy and their mentors in the dining room. Hopefully, they might also get some more feedback on how they were doing in terms of public image and all that, as well as discuss their next move, whatever it was. She'd figured out that it was better to have those discussions as early as possible whenever they sat at the table with Haymitch, because it was only a matter of time until he got too drunk to carry on a conversation.
 
Troy was even quicker to remove the tight leather suit from his body once they were dismissed. The penthouse really was gigantic but of course, himself and Katniss would be staying in the same area and the same bed when nightfall would arise. The bed there was bigger than any bed he had seen before and it looked so enticing but Troy had to meet up with everyone for dinner so he showered, changed into a white v-neck t-shirt and a pair of grey sweatpants before meeting up with everyone at the table.

“You guys did amazing out there… everyone absolutely loved you, you were all the rage among my friends!” Effie exclaimed happily as if she had never had a group of tributes to do well in the ceremony before. “I have been talking you both up so much so hopefully you get sponsors… but that is not my job, of course.” She said and rolled her eyes, giving a glare at Haymitch. If anything, Effie seemed like she might even believe in Troy and Katniss and she wanted them to do well but haymitch would have to be the one to work with sponsors. He simply just shooed her with his liquor glass that he was sipping on in between bites.

Finally, once the meal had just began, the stylist teams for both tributes walked out to take a seat at the dinner table as well. They applauded them both on their performance as a recap and analysis was played of the ceremony. Troy found it sickening that all these children were being sent to their deaths and this TV show was making light of it and analyzing the future killers and giving their thoughts.

It was true that Katniss and Troy were all the rage, just as Effie had said, and the announcers would talk about it non-stop. Troy was happy that they were able to do so well, the better impression they made, the better chances they would have in the arena. Besides, Katniss would just have to survive twenty-two tributes so she was at an advantage in some way, Troy liked to think even though it may not be true.

After the twenty-two die and it’s just him and her left, he can take care of the last tribute himself so Kat can go onto victory. That’s only if their plan of fighting until the end together doesn’t work, it’s a last resort. Troy didn’t delude himself into thinking that he and Katniss could both come out of this, he wasn’t that dumb, but he hoped that it would happen, some way. Hope is all they had now. Hope and fight, that’s what they had to do.

Once the dinner of the roast beef, noodles, and cake were over, Troy glanced out the window and saw how late it was. Everyone was bidding each other goodbye and good night before the stylist team left first and then Haymitch and Effie did. “Okay you love birds… don’t get crazy tonight.” Effie said with a shining grin on her face before walking out, followed by the stumbling Haymitch. The avoxes and the other servants were now taking the plates out of the room to wherever they washed the dishes and now Troy and Katniss were alone. Troy leaned up against the table and sighed, glancing over at her before approaching her and taking her hand.

“What should we do now?” He asked and glanced around. It was getting late but not late enough to sleep, not that he could evenif they tried that is.
 
Katniss had wanted to do well in the parade, anything to increase her odds of seeing Troy through to the end of the Games, but she still had mixed feelings while watching the recap and analysis played on the huge dining room TV. As she watched the orange skinned, blue haired Caesar confer with the analysts, she was partially happy, and also partially angry at herself for being happy and even more angry at the Capitol for putting her in that position.

They'd literally made her a pawn in their dreadful game. She was told how to look, how to act, when and where to go, basically being turned into a puppet for the viewers' amusement, and so the Capitol could send their message to the districts, dissuading them from rebelling again. Ironically, despite how much Kat loved it when Troy restrained her, taking her freedom away in any other circumstances was one of the very worst thing that anyone could ever do to her.

She tried to keep her mind on the positive, which was made a little bit easier by the enjoyable atmosphere at the table with the mentors and stylists all gathered for supper. Kat liked Haymitch, even though he could be an ass and piss her off sometimes, and even Effie was starting to grow on her. When she looked past the woman's flamboyant appearance and eccentric mannerisms, Kat felt like she could see a good person underneath it all, and Effie had done nothing but try her best to help them in her own way since the start. Katniss felt kind of guilty for hating her so much at the Reaping.

Crazily enough, if Kat ignored the alien surroundings and the unfortunate circumstances that had led her and Troy there, it almost felt like sitting at the table with family, all of them talking and laughing as they ate. When it started getting late, she didn't want everyone to leave, actually wishing that they'd stay longer which was definitely unusual for her. If they left, that just meant that they were getting that much closer to tomorrow, and they didn't have very many tomorrows left.

Kat just shrugged her shoulders at Troy when he asked her what she wanted to do. Moving next to him, she leaned her head against his shoulder as they watched the servants filter out of the room, which Kat was thankful for. It was way too weird having them stand around, staring in perfect quietude. Still holding his hand, she lead him to the sumptuous living room once they were alone so that they could sit on one of the obscenely comfortable couches.

Grabbing the remote, she turned the TV on, and of course it was just more talk about the Games and the tributes on pretty much every channel. Sighing, she lowered the volume a bit and tossed the remote on the coffee table. "How can people actually enjoy watching this?" Kat thought out loud. "How can they watch other people...even kids...just killing each other in cold blood for no reason? It's so sick." She sighed heavily again. "How are you doing?" she changed the topic, brushing her fingers against Troy's cheek. Kat just wanted to know what was going on in his head, and if she could do anythign to make him feel better, then she happily would.
 
Troy let Katniss lead him over to the comfortable couch and he took a seat right beside of her. Taking her free hand in one of his hands, he gave it a light, gentle squeeze. Just as he figured, there was absolutely nothing on TV other than the opening ceremony, the chariot parade, and predictions for this year’s Games. “I don’t know how they can watch it… it really is sick. How can an entire country be so fucking blind to this? Everyone is brainwashed, it is absolutely absurd.” Troy said and scoffed slightly as he saw the images of the cheering crowd as himself and Katniss and other tributes rode by. It truly was sickening and Troy had no idea how anyone could enjoy themselves watching it.

Once Katniss spoke up again and brushed her fingers against his cheek, he turned his head to kiss her hand. “I will be honest with you… I am not doing that great… I know that neither of us are.” Troy admitted with a little sigh and a shrug of his shoulders. “I want you to know that this past year that I have spent with you have truly been the greatest of my entire life. I always wondered if I would find the right girl, if I would grow up and fall in love… I could have never thought that I would find my soulmate so early on in life… and I never would have thought that my soulmate was the most beautiful girl in the world.” He commented with a sad smile, leaning down to kiss her cheek.

“I wish that we had more time, Kat. We could have grown up together, got a house together, got married if you wanted, lived a long life and been happy forever. We could have had forever. I still like to hope that maybe we can, I know that it is impossible for two people to win but I am not willing to just lay down without giving the Capitol a fight. Regardless of what happens, one of us or both of us may not make it out… my love for you is far stronger than any country or any Hunger Games or any other tribute that has ever existed… that’s why I like to think it’s possible for us both to win. I refuse to give up on that hope until my dying breath. I love you Katniss, I will love you for the rest of my life, however long that may be- and even after my life is over, I will still love you. If something happened and you don’t make it out of that arena… I don’t think I can either. You’re truly special and perfect and you have my heart. I would cry day in and day out if I lost you. You have my heart fully and nothing can change that. No one can ever be like you, affect me the way you do… I love you Katniss and I can’t love another girl ever again. If not you, I don’t want to be with anyone. Please, remember our promise not to do anything stupid, just fight until the end. It’s all we can do.” He said in a soft tone, now pulling her into a big bear hug against his chest.
 
It grieved Kat's heart when Troy admitted that he wasn't doing very well. It shouldn't have come as a surprise, really, but she'd wanted to hope that he was feeling better than her, especially since he seemed to be handling everything far more graciously than her. Deep down, though, she must have known how absurd that sounded. She knew Troy. She knew that he had a bigger, kinder heart than anyone else she'd ever met. He didn't want to have to kill people, or even for the other tributes to kill each other, and he had to be in just as much pain as her.

Talking at length about her feelings didn't come nearly as naturally to Katniss as it did to him, but she was decent enough at listening. Still, she wasn't fully prepared for just how emotional her lover's words would be, or how deeply and painfully they would cut her. Troy poured his heart out, sharing his hopes and dreams that had been dashed by their participation in the Hunger Games, and when he mentioned how the two of them could have gotten married - implying that he actually planned on marrying her - she couldn't hold back tears of sadness any longer, wondering what could have been.

"I love you too," she said simply, sobbing as he pulled her against his stout chest. It always made Kat feel safe when Troy held her like that, but this time she knew that not even he could protect her from the danger that they both faced. "I'll love you longer than the sun and stars burn in the sky," she promised. Katniss wrapped her own arms around him, and they just sat there together peacefully for a few minutes until she'd stopped crying.

"We should...we should get some rest. Training starts tomorrow," she said eventually, gently pulling away from Troy and standing up, taking him by the hand to lead him into the bedroom. She quickly stripped down to just her panties, letting her clothes fall wherever they may before climbing into bed and pulling the silky covers up to her shoulders, waiting for him to join her.

Already, Kat was focusing on what she needed to do tomorrow. Tributes with the lowest ratings were easy pickings, but those with the highest would surely be targeted first by the careers, so she needed to somehow manage to get a very high score on the final day of training when evaluations were held. Anything to draw more attention on to herself and away from Troy. Ideally, he would get a decently high score too, enough to entice sponsors into supporting him, but not enough to get on the careers' radar.
 
Once Katniss broke down, all Troy could do was hold her. He knew that usually calmed her down but there really wasn’t much to do at all anymore. After she pulled back and told him that they should get some rest, he nodded wordlessly and held her hand to the bedroom. He stripped down to just his boxers and crawled in the bed, under the covers with Katniss. After wrapping his arms around her, he leaned in and gave her a kiss on the lips. “Good night, Katniss. I love you.” He said in a quiet whisper before nuzzling his cheek against hers and closing his eyes. He hoped they could get some sleep at least, to be prepared for training tomorrow.

Sleep did come for Troy, but it was slow and rough and it wasn’t pleasant at all. Nightmares plagued his mind the entire night and they all iinvolved losing Katniss. That was his biggest fear in life. He showed that he truly loved her with all his heart and the thought of having her ripped away from him was so disheartening and it hurt to even think about.

Finally, the next morning came and an Avox was at their door, knocking to signal that it was time to get up. Troy sighed to himself and opened his eyes, looking down at his Katniss. He greeted her with a light kiss on the lips and sat up. “I’ll go shower and meet you at breakfast, okay?” He said and offered a weak smile before standing up, turning back to her at the door to blow her a kiss. He was thankful that the walk to his room was just literally one step. Walking a long distance in just his boxers through the Center would have been awkward.

In his room, he showered quickly and pulled on some clothes before going to the dining room to join Katniss, Haymitch, and Effie. Haymitch was all business and was somewhat less drunk than usual- not sober though. He was speaking of strategy and wanted to know if they wanted to be coached together or separately though he realized that was a pretty dumb question as they would want to be together.

They spoke a bit more on what to try and work on in training and Haymitch stressed for them to stay together. Right after breakfast was over, they were to get dressed and head down to the training area.
 
Aftwer waking up and getting ready, Katniss headed to the dining room with everyone else for breakfast and brief strategy meeting before their first day of training. Haymitch suggested that they should brush up on the skills that they were lacking rather than practicing what they were already good at so that they could hide as much information as possible from the other tributes, which sounded like pretty reasonable advice to her. He gave them a few more tips on what the expect before asking if Kat and Troy would like to train separately or together on the fourth day of training when they would be allowed to have a private session with their mentors.

Haymitch seemed to think the question was no more than formality even as he spoke the words, and Troy predictably said that he'd prefer to train together with her, but Katniss probably shocked both of them when she declared that she wanted to train separately. Not because she wanted to, but because she needed to get Haymitch alone so that she could explain her plan to him and get him to help her. Without giving anyone a chance to respond, she got up from the table and briskly walked to the elevator, riding it down to one of the lower floors where the training area was located.

They made her go to the locker room and change into one of the black uniforms with red and grey trim and district numbers on the sleeves that everyone had to wear before getting started. When everyone was ready, the tributes were rounded up first so that one of the trainers could explain the rules and whatnot, the most obviously important one being that they weren't allowed to fight before the Games started. They wouldn't want the tributes to kill each other without catching it on camera, Kat thought grimly to herself while doing her best to avoid Troy, making sure that there were a few people between them.

When they were given the okay to begin, having sophisticated dummies, all sorts of devices and pretty much countless weapons at their disposal, Katniss continued her attempts at keeping her distance, though she made sure to keep an eye on Troy when he wasn't looking as well. She knew that it would be difficult to explain, and that he might feel betrayed by her decision, but she had to do what was best for him, even if he didn't know it and she couldn't tell him.

Maybe it would even be better if he hated her, she considered sadly. That way, if he did end up winning like she wanted him to, it would be a lot easier for him to move on with his life. She would need to think about it. In the meantime, Kat listened to one of the trainers giving a crash course on basic survival skills with one ear while observing the other tributes. The four careers from Districts 1 and 2 apparently hadn't gotten the same advice as her and Troy, since they were more than eager to show their skills off, and even she had to admit that it was pretty intimidating how deadly they seemed with a variety of weapons. Even more alarming was the possibility that they might be banding together into an alliance, which was definitely not unheard of in the Games.
 
What Katniss was doing to him was absolute bullshit and it pissed Troy off. He didn’t know what the hell had gotten into her, why she was suddenly avoiding him and wanting to train alone. Troy just wanted to talk to her and see what was going on but the way she kept avoiding him hurt, it hurt more than he thought. However, even during this time, Troy’s intelligence came into play. Why would Katniss want to train alone? Not because she didn’t want to be with him, but because she needed to be alone. He deducted she had some plan to tell Haymitch and he also could figure out that she was trying to avoid him because she must have wanted him to not feel as strongly about her so he could move on when she helped him win. It would be something similar that Troy could think of, Kat didn’t really fool him.

Troy started on survival skills such and knot tying and camoflauge, not paying any attention to the other tributes no matter how good they seemed. He learned how to start fires and make shelter and he felt confident about his survival skills so far. Soon, it was time for lunch and the alarm rang as Troy was finishing up with the fire station.

He filed out behind everyone as he was the last to leave and made the way to the cafeteria. He hadn’t really noticed how much he felt empty without Katniss, seeing that she was right there but he couldn’t do anything about it. He felt an overwhelming sadness wash over him. He couldn’t believe Katniss was trying to pull this kind of stunt, she acted like nearly a year worth of love and passion could be taken away just within a few days of avoidance.

After lunch, it was a few more hours of training and there, Troy went to work with throwing knives but progress was rather minimal. He just wanted to be done with training and get back up to the room. He made sure to follow right behind Katniss after training was over to talk to her. Besides, they stayed in the same room, so she would have to face him eventually. He was waiting at the elevator when he heard it ding to their floor. When the doors opened and Katniss appeared, Troy was there.

“So, that’s how it’s going to be, Katniss?” He asked and shook his head. “I wish you could understand how absurd your game plan is. Regardless of who wins, we only have a few days left together and you want to spend it avoiding each other? Are you insane?” He pointed out, the frown on his face as he leaned against the wall.
 
Throughout the day, Katniss felt Troy's gaze on her many times while she pretended not to notice, still avoiding to the best of her abilities. Even she knew that it was childish, that she was just avoiding the difficult conversation that lay ahead of them. Sure, she could keep her distance there in the training area, but they both inevitably have to return to their room in a few hours, and there would be no avoiding him then. Stubbornly, she did it anyways, running away from the problem even though she hated herself for it.

After training was over and she'd showered and changed back into her regular clothes, Katniss half-expected Troy to be waiting for her when she stepped out of the elevator to their room, and there he was. He was understandably upset, but he didn't go into a rage or shout at her. Kat wished that he would have, because it couldn't possibly make her feel as terrible as the pain and disappointment that she could read in his bright blue eyes.

"I just didn't want either of us to be distracted during training, okay?!" she fired back defensively, redirecting all of the frustration that she felt about the situation towards Troy. "You'd rather treat this like it's what? A vacation? A honeymoon?" Katniss continued, raising her voice and shoving the base of her palm into Troy's shoulder. "Well it's not! We'll never have that, so what's the point? Time to stop dreaming already!" Her face flushed red with anger even as her stomach twisted into thousands of knots, making Katniss wish that she could just die right then and there rather than having to keep doing this to him, but it was the best and only solution she could think of.
 
“No.” Troy replied coldly and looked at her, keeping a calm voice about himself, grabbing her by the hands. He looked Katniss right in her eyes and started to speak. “I don’t know what I want to treat it like, Katniss. And you’re missing the point. One of us, or both of us are going to die. We don’t have long left together. We are a team, we train as a team. Stop this nonsense, please Katniss. I know you don’t want to do this, and I sure know that I don’t. Why would you want to spend our last days together yelling and avoiding each other, hm?” He asked and shook his head.

“Katniss, just drop this, please. Come here.” He said and pulled her into his chest, pressing his lips against hers. He hoped that if his words failed, that his actions wouldn’t fail him. He kissed her like he never kissed her before, wanting her to come back to her senses, to come back to him, to stop pretending like she doesn’t want to be around him.

He really didn’t get where she was coming from, nothing she could do would change his opinion of her, so why was she trying? They didn’t have long left at all, so Troy just wanted to spend all of it with her. It’s what they even said before, it was stupid that she was trying to do this. All Troy knew is that if she was still being stubborn after this, he would do the same. He wasn’t letting her go and at some point she would see that she was wrong so he held the kiss as long as he could, wrapping his arms around her, silently and just begging, pleading, and crying inside that Katniss just kisses back and stops this nonsense.
 
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