AUTHOR'S NOTE: One day and already 62 views and 4 alerts? Awesome-sauce (Who knows where that's from...? (; ) Anyways, heres Chapter two! Italics = flashbacks(:

(Peeta)

I was extremely surprised when she hugged me. I wasn't expecting her to come so straightforwardly, nor was expecting her release of tears. I found myself being very glad about a certain drunk mentor that had made me come to her house.

I lounged on my couch, waiting for my batch of cheese buns to finish baking. Two minutes before the oven timer rang, I heard a pounding on my door. I groaned to myself, mentally reminding myself to tell Haymitch that I had a doorbell, and that was what doorbells were used for. Walking towards the door, I wondered what Haymitch wanted. Maybe he needed some alcohol, but I didn't have any. Maybe he came to yell at me about her.

I let Haymitch into my house, and he grunted before plopping down on my couch. He reeked of liquor, and I made a note to sanitize the couch when he left.

"So boy," he said to me gruffly, "have you talked to Ms. Seclusion yet?"

I shook my head and he let out a loud snort. "Listen, Mellark. You and I both know how in love you are with her, and if you're not gonna do anything about it, then forget ever having a chance with her."

I gaped at him. "Haymitch," I began, "I can't just go over there."

"Why not?"

"Because she hates me."

"Mellark, you are delusional. She does NOT hate you, so stop acting like a wuss and go over there, or else I'll go talk to her myself." With that said, he got up from the couch and stumbled to the door. With a glance back to me, he said "What are you standing there for? Move your ass!"

I snapped out of my reverie as I felt her arms tighten around me, clinging on and sobbing. I eased myself onto the couch so that she was sitting on my lap, and a familiar tingle of warmth spread through my body. One of my hands wandered into her long brown hair and I buried my face into it. "Katniss," I whispered, "I missed you."

(Katniss)

A part of me scolded myself for throwing myself onto Peeta like that, but another part loved that I finally got to make contact with him and feel his warm body pressed against mine. I felt him maneuver us onto the couch, and I felt his hand tangle in my hair. I missed this, I missed us. I heard him whisper to me that he missed me, and I willed myself to look up.

My face was stained with tears, but I didn't care. "Peeta," I choked out, "I missed you too. I missed you so much." He pressed his forehead against mine, so that we were looking into each other's eyes, pale gray into sky-blue. I don't know how long we stayed like that, but I cherished every second of it. I thought back to how I almost lost him in the war. I thought about my feelings for him, because I didn't know what they were.

Love.

That was the first word that popped into my head. Love? Did I love Peeta? My mind was conflicted with my heart. My mind told me that I didn't, and I couldn't, because everyone I had loved was painfully wrenched away from me. My heart said otherwise.

Peeta's eyes were just like the sky. Blue and clear, with lots of memories swimming inside of them. I could see all the times we spent with each other in the past, like our kiss in the cave, or the night on the train where he held me at night. I missed that, all of that. I took a shuddering breath and closed my eyes, which made new tears roll down my cheeks.

"Katniss, don't cry," Peeta cooed softly, "Don't cry, I'm here for you." He murmured something indistinguishable, but it sounded a whole lot like "I love you."

My eyes snapped open and I did the most impulsive, unexpected thing to do. I leaned my face closer to his, and felt his lips on mine.

(Peeta)

I wasn't able to contain my shock as I felt her lips capture mine in a kiss. We haven't kissed in so long. I let out a gasp, and kissed her back.

I could feel her tears and I could taste the saltiness in them, but I didn't mind. My hands once again tangled in her long hair as we shared our moment. I finally pulled away, to see her face flushing.

"I-I'm sorry," she whispered. I looked at her sincerely and said "Don't be sorry, Katniss. I missed that."

She gave me a small smile and I felt joy course through my veins. I longed to see her smile, and she did.

We sat there, looking into each other's eyes for a long time, trying to read each other. Then, she finally spoke.

"Peeta, what are we?"

I was confused, not understanding what she meant. My first thought was "We're alive." Suddenly, it came to me.

"Katniss..."

"Peeta. I have something to tell you."

I nodded at her and she began.

"I'm so sorry about everything, about the war, about your family, and about us. I started off just pretending to be in love with you, because I knew that was what we needed to survive the games. As the time went by, my feelings grew. I didn't know what they were yet, but they grew. During the Quell, when you died because of that force field, my heart shattered. I-I..." she faded off, unable to continue.

"Katniss?"

"I'm okay, Peeta, I can finish."

I nodded at her.

"I thought you were gone, until Finnick revived you. Then, I began to realize what those feelings were. I've never felt that way for any person before, not even Gale. After you got captured by the Capitol, I didn't know what do with myself. I made myself think that you weren't coming back, or at least I tried to. My heart wouldn't let me think that, Peeta. It wouldn't. I didn't know why. When they brought you back, I was overjoyed. I just couldn't believe it, but I discovered what they had done to you. I figured that they made you hate me, and when you tried to strangle me-"

"I tried to WHAT?" I looked at her, horrified. I got most of my memories back, but I didn't remember that part.

"It's okay, Peeta."

"No, Katniss, I'm so sorry." She silenced me and kept going.

"When you tried to strangle me, I knew it wasn't the real you. It seems strange that the moment I discovered my true feeling was when you were trying to kill me."

I gave her a perplexed look.

"Katniss, what are you trying to say?"

"Peeta, I-I..."

I took her face in my hands and kissed her. It was a passionate kiss, one that I poured all my feelings into. I decided it was my turn to speak.

"Katniss, I need to say something too," She bit her lip and urged me to talk.

"Katniss, I've had feelings for you since we were five. I would always look at you in school and think about what life would be if we were together. I was really jealous of Gale, because of how close you were. It was by chance that I got reaped into the Hunger Games, after you volunteered. I never doubted my feelings for you, even when I was hijacked. You were the one that kept me going. It was you. The Capitol tried to turn me against you, but my hear wouldn't allow it, because I knew, even through all that, that I loved you. I love you Katniss. I've been waiting forever to say it to you, but I love you. I really do. No matter how broken we are, I will always love you. Always."

(Katniss)

Always. That word repeated itself in my head. It held so many sentimental meanings. "Stay with me," I had said. To that he had replied, "always."

It was true, even after all we had been through, he still loved me. I'm not what some boys would call their "ideal girl", but Peeta still loved me. I felt my heart leap as I thought about my feelings. I think I love him too. After everything, my feelings were starting to become clear.

"Peeta," I began.

"Yes, Katniss?"

"I love you too."

Always.