Caged Nightingale [Hunger Games Fanfic]

Interlude: Special Time with the Victors

Brutus:

"Where's Seneca? Working, huh?" Brutus asked boisterously as his greeting.

Katniss couldn't bite back her smile.

"Yup. Coming in still, Brutus?"

"Are you kidding me? Of course! It's more fun just you and me anyway –that stickler for the rules," he huffed, and slipped passed her and into her home.

"My room still here intact?" he grinned cheekily. Hermes immediately flew into the room and sought out the victor, happily settling onto Brutus' head like the jabberjay belonged there. Brutus cooed fondly and reached out with one blunt finger to gently stroke the bird's head.

That silly bird had an odd fondness and attachment to Brutus, and always came to the victor when he was over. It made Katniss smile and think it sweet.

"Yes, despite Seneca wanting to demolish it after that stunt you pulled," Katniss smirked at him. "You're lucky that I managed to convince him to let it go and that he'd calmed down enough to think it wasn't worth the effort."

"Oh, he knows he loves me," Brutus snickered, leading the way to her kitchen, where he sought out her fridge and then began rummaging through it.

"Are you hungry?" she asked sarcastically.

"Starving!" he exclaimed enthusiastically, and then found leftover schwarma that he grabbed. "Ohh, I want to try this!"

Katniss' lips quirked up a little. "Go heat it up, you big lug. I'll go get some wine for you."

He strangely hesitated. "I'm good on wine, thanks. I'll just go with water. And you're...sure I can have this?" he oddly sounded childlike and unsure.

Katniss stared at him, bewildered, though she tried not to show it.

"Brutus, you alright?" she asked, placing a hand on his shoulder worriedly.

His lips twitched and he gave her a halfhearted smile.

"Yeah...yeah, I'm good."

She watched him quietly as he heated up the food without another word, and then sat at her table and began to eat, still not speaking either. He had a faraway look on his face and he was uncharacteristically subdued.

She walked towards him and gingerly sat herself down on one of the chairs next to him. When she turned to him, he was staring down at his bowl tiredly.

"Brutus?"

"I get so tired sometimes," he blurted out passively. "Sometimes I get so bummed out and I don't know why. Sometimes I do know why. Sometimes I just don't care anymore. I really like it here in the house, you know? You're always here –no offense, and I know you're actually really trapped and locked up and everything. It's just...I can count on you being here and it's not lonely anymore. I don't...I don't feel so lonely. You're always here, so I'm always here. The apartment Seneca gave me is great and all, but it's not the same. I just like spending all my time here. It doesn't feel so empty, like when I'm by myself."

Katniss looked at him in astonishment, but he wasn't done.

"I'm..." he started blinking his eyes rapidly, and she was caught off guard to see him fighting back tears. "I don't know what to do with myself this time."

"Oh, Brutus," she murmured, reaching out and touching his wrist. She was taken aback to see him hiss and roughly pull his arm away, before glancing at her with wide eyes. Her own eyes widened as she saw the sleeve of his shirt bleed red.