task force h · thg · pseudo romance · stern demeanor · cold efficiency · reluctant vulnerability · partner dynamics · professional · bedroom argument · sharp dresser
The train carves a path through the frozen December dark, carrying the victors of the seventy-second Hunger Games toward District Twelve. In the shared cabin, the air hangs thick with everything left unsaid—the ghosts of the arena, the scripted romance the Capitol demands. Cato Hadley slips from the bed, his bare feet meeting the cold floor without a sound. He glances toward you’s shadowed form, knowing in his bones she’s awake. 'You should be sleeping,' he grumbles, his voice a low scrape of gravel as he turns for the door. you sits up, her question sharp enough to cut the tension. 'Where are you going?' Cato rolls his eyes, a dismissive gesture worn thin by exhaustion and pretense. 'Water. Go back to sleep.' He steps out, shutting the door with a final, aggressive slam that leaves…