A/N: this is a collection of one-shots from Peeta's POV.
I published this on Wattpad, and I HATE wattpad. I got four reads, and no reviews. I prefer FF much better. I knew I would get a better response here.
disclaimer: I hate these. I don't.
Peeta can't deny it. She's always got him in a high.
I stare down at my shoes, tattered, worn, and used. They look almost lonely without hers right beside mine. We would walk to class together everyday, chatting and laughing as we go. I miss her laugh.
Gale is sick today, a case of the flu is going around. At sixteen, I would expect his immune system to be strong. He says he got it from his little brother. (I just think he got it from kissing that girl, Evelyn Cartwright, Delly's older sister.) Primrose is untouched by the flu, walking with little Rue Fields from class 11. I can't say the same for Katniss. She's home sick with the flu. I make a mental note to visit her as soon as school ends for the day.
It's a long day. It feels like it's been a thousand years, and I'm still sitting in Socials class, talking about ancient Rome. Even though I know I won't ever use this knowledge, I listen. Katniss usually sits beside me, but her seat is empty. I can almost hear her scoff's over the loud ticking of the clock and-
"Mr. Mellark!" a loud voice jolts me from my thoughts. I look up to see the frowning face of Ms. Trinket. I blush furiously and sit up straight.
"I'm sorry, Ms. Trinket, I was just thinking." I say honestly. Ms. Trinket's heavily make-upped face brightens and she tries to suppress a smirk. I furrow my eyebrows. What has gotten into her these past few days? I mean, it's like every time I look at her, she's smirking at me.
Well, she is a freak in general.
"Thinking of Katniss?" she asks, her eyebrows raised is amusement. I feel my blush, and snickers erupt from the class.
"No.." I say, blinking at her. Her smile grows impossibly wider.
"See, you blinked at me!" she exclaims, her voice triumphant. So, I blinked at her. What is that supposed mean?
"You always blink when you lie!" she exclaims, clapping her hands together in a dainty manner. I feel the laughs and the 'oooooh's' coming from the older boys in class 12. I shrug.
"I was just thinking how she had the flu.." I mumble, loud enough for the class to hear. Ms. Trinket sighs dramatically, and bounces away, raving about 'young love' on the way back to her desk. I roll I try to get back to the assignment, but nudges and snickers from older boys prevent me from doing so. "Don't worry, Mellark," says Ansel, a friend of Gale's. "your woman is gonna get better!" he exclaims loudly. I sigh, and turn to face him.
"She's not my woman!" I say, unfortunately too loud. I hear Ms. Trinket sigh again, but I brush her off. For the rest of the day I get whistles and whoops from Gale's friends.
"Skipping to see Katniss!?"
"Oooh, a 2nd year skipping to see his girl!"
"Use protection!"
I blush at the last one.
They are right, I am skipping my Science class to check on Katniss. She's home alone, and she said over the phone that she felt dizzy. I think I might just skip the rest of the day, I mean it's only two classes I'm missing. I walk down the dirt road, kicking a rock as I go. On the way to Katniss' house I see a blond boy and dark-haired girl playing tag.
"Hey! No fair, I tagged you!"
"No! Hair doesn't count!" I smile at their care-free laughs. They remind me of Katniss and me. Speaking of Katniss... I get to her door, crouching down to dig up the spare key. I brush away some dirt, revealing a dull gray key. I place the key into the groove and turn. The door creaks open, and I step inside, taking off my shoes and closing the door.
"Katniss?" I hear nothing. I run up the stairs, taking two at a time, and go down the hallway to her room. Even before I turn the knob I hear her loud coughs. "Katniss?" I open the door, and there she is. Well, there's her toes. "Katniss?" I repeat, approaching her cautiously. A cough is what I get in return. I lift the blankets from where her face should be and I am met with a pair of dull gray eyes. "Kat! You look awful!" And it's true, she's as pale as a sheet and her eyes are dull. (beautiful all the same, but she's looked better.)
"Hey Peeta." she says weakly. My shoulders sag at her feeble reply. I've never seen her this sick.
"Okay, I'm gonna make us some soup, okay?" I say, keeping her door open, just in case. A feeble "okay" is her reply and I wince at how weak it sounds. I fly down the stairs, and start up a kettle. I can't make broth, but I can sure as hell boil some instant noodles. As soon as it's done I pour the noodles and broth into two bowls and balance them on my hands as I go upstairs.
I feed her the broth, slurping some of my own as I go. When we finish, I strip her of the blankets. "Peeta?" she asks.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm going to warm you up, because you're wearing a winter coat, and you have three blankets, and you're complaining that you're cold."
"Peeta, you're going to get sick."
"Katniss, can you please. Just not be stubborn this one time?"
A long silence passes.
I take the silence as a withdrawal, and I crawl in and wrap my arms around Katniss' waist. As soon as I do tiny sparks flow through my body, making me smile. After a while her breathing evens out and she falls asleep, and when she does, I tuck her back in with the blankets and kiss her forehead. "Sweet dreams, Kat."
And I fall asleep on her couch, still thinking of the way I felt when I held her.
