Multifandom X Reader Stories

Fighting Fate (Cato)

The sound of blood pounding in your ears drowned out everything else—the screams, the clash of weapons, the roar of the Capitol crowd. Your breath came in ragged gasps as you ducked behind a crumbling pillar, trying to gather your strength, though you knew it was useless.

You were cornered. Worse than that—you were cornered by him.

Cato.

The boy from District 2 had always been a force to reckon with. From the moment the Games began, his raw strength, his unrelenting ferocity—it was clear he was unstoppable. You had known this was inevitable, but knowing didn't make the reality any less painful.

Your heart clenched as you watched him, sword gleaming in his hand, pacing the perimeter of the Cornucopia. He didn't see you yet, but it was only a matter of time. He was hunting you down, just like the others.

Your mind raced with memories from the training center—how Cato had always had that arrogant smirk, the way his sharp blue eyes followed you across the room. You had even caught a glimpse of something softer beneath his brutal exterior, in those rare moments when the Capitol's cameras weren't focused on him. But now? Now there was nothing left but the hardened, cruel expression of someone who had killed and would kill again.

You hated that, despite everything, you couldn't fully hate him.

Your fingers clenched the handle of your blade, though you knew it was futile. Cato was stronger, faster. You couldn't outfight him, and outrunning him would only delay the inevitable.

"I know you're there!" Cato's voice echoed across the arena, his tone dark and dangerous. "Don't make this harder than it has to be."

You pressed your back against the pillar, chest tightening. He sounded so calm, so certain. But you knew him well enough by now to recognize the strain in his voice. This wasn't easy for him either.

"I don't want to kill you," he added, his footsteps getting closer.

You swallowed hard, heart pounding. "Then don't."

There was a brief pause. Then, his voice, quieter now. "You know I have to."

You stepped out from behind the pillar, blade raised, your eyes locking onto his. He stopped in his tracks when he saw you, a flicker of something flashing across his face—something that wasn't anger or bloodlust, but something deeper. Pain.

"Cato," you whispered, your voice trembling. "It doesn't have to end like this."

His jaw clenched, and you could see the battle waging in his mind. He was conflicted, torn between what he had been trained to do and something he wasn't supposed to feel. You could see it in his eyes.

"I can't let you live," he said through gritted teeth, though his hand tightened around his sword, not raising it just yet. "They're watching. They'll never let us both walk out of here."

"You don't have to be like them!" you cried, taking a step closer. "You don't have to give them what they want. I know you, Cato. You're more than this."

He laughed bitterly, shaking his head. "You don't know anything."

"I know you don't want to kill me." The words were soft, but they made him falter, his chest heaving as he tried to fight the war raging inside him.

There was silence, the arena seeming to hold its breath along with you.

Cato's hands trembled as he finally lowered his sword, his expression twisted in frustration. "Damn it, (Y/N)..." His voice broke, the pain in his words cutting through you. "I don't know how to stop."

The sight of him—this strong, unbreakable force—crumbling before you broke your heart in ways you didn't expect. Slowly, you lowered your weapon and stepped closer, your gaze never leaving his.

"You don't have to be a monster, Cato," you whispered. "You don't have to let them win."

For a moment, it was just the two of you. No Capitol. No Games. Just Cato, the boy you had come to know in brief moments of vulnerability.

His eyes softened, the battle within him slowly dying down. And then, without warning, his arms wrapped around you, pulling you into him. His chest heaved as he held you close, the weight of everything crashing down around you both.

"I'm sorry," he muttered against your hair, voice rough with emotion. "I never wanted this."

You felt the tension drain from your body, relief washing over you as you clung to him. You didn't know what would happen next, but in this moment, you knew you had him. He wasn't a monster. He wasn't just a killer. He was Cato, and he had chosen you.

Suddenly, the distant sound of the Capitol anthem filled the air, and a booming voice echoed from above.

"The rules have changed!"

Both of you froze, eyes wide with disbelief as the announcement continued.

"The last two tributes may now be crowned winners of the Seventy-Fourth Hunger Games!"

You stared at Cato, hope sparking in your chest. "We—we can go home."

His breath hitched, and for the first time, you saw something like hope in his eyes too. He cupped your face with his rough hands, his gaze softening as he looked down at you.

"We made it," he whispered, voice shaking. "We're free."

In that moment, everything else fell away. The fear, the blood, the death—it was behind you now. You had won. You had survived. Together.

Cato leaned down, pressing his forehead against yours, his voice barely audible. "I'm not losing you now."

And with that, the two of you stood in the center of the arena, holding on to each other as the Capitol cameras zoomed in, broadcasting your victory to the world. But none of that mattered.

Because, for the first time since the Games began, you had something stronger than survival.

You had each other.