Tips of Brushes, Blades of Arrows

Option B

By: KaKaVegeGurl

Author's Note:

And this is Option B! This is TheSameGuy's idea, to pair them up from the beginning, some lines will be similar, some lines will be completely different, so don't be surprised when some things stay a relative same.

Thank you lot fer reading, please continue on and enjoy! Have a nice steaming cup of yaoi.

~KaKaVegeGurl

Side Notes:

Wake up, wake up, dreaming.

Chapter 5 - Confession to the World, Capitol Sincerity


I'm staring into the mirror, thinking that it couldn't be me. No, there was no way. He's far too handsome, far too charming.

The red of my top lashes, the gold on the bottom, I want to touch it. I almost do, but Portia taps my hand, and I drop it to my side immediately.

"How do you do so much with so simple of an idea?" I ask, "You hardly did anything, and I'm," I stop and stare again, words can not do it justice. The slim black suit makes both my eyes and hair simply glow, and it fits like a dream, comfortable and not stiff, like new clothes normally are.

Cute, handsome, even I'd call him that.

Portia smiles.

"Who is he?" I find myself asking, my voice wavering.

"Well," Portia starts, "He could be you, but for today, he needs to be more honest then you have been. He has to have the guts."

"Ah," I joke, "He's the Peeta with balls."

Portia laughs, "You have balls," she says, "I know, but this Peeta has bigger balls."

"Oh," I grin, "Yes, I think he does."

We leave the room and meet up with Haymitch, who's actually dressed up nice, and Katniss. My eyes must be the size of saucers as I stare at her, she's... Well. I stop, she's gorgeous, yes, but... She's not entirely herself. I force the smile, she's still Katniss, really that's all that matters.

As we walk I see her legs shaking, and I reach out my right hand reflexively to her waist from behind. She probably doesn't notice, but the last thing I need is her falling. I remember the last time, at the Reaping. I'm standing next to her now. She's not going anywhere near the carpet.

Caesar Flickerman, whose hosted the interviews for at least all of my life, jumps onto the stage with an enthusiasm that I doubt could be attained by anyone else. i guess you have to find the good where you can, even though everyone you talk to is someone that you're sentencing to death. That must be how Effie looks at it.

Caesar's hair is a soft blue, which seems to be his color theme this year, he banters with the crowd, "Hello everyone, I bet you're all ready to get this thing rolling, aren't you?" he says, "I was almost late, oh, not here. That was yesterday."

The interviews whip by, only three minutes each time and finally Katniss is walking up, shaking hands with him and sitting down. I stare at her.

"So, Katniss, the Capitol must be quite a change from District Twelve. What's impressed you most since you arrived here?" asks Caesar.

She seems to consider this for a moment before saying: "The lamb stew."

"The one with the dried plums? Oh, I eat it by the bucketful. It doesn't show, does it?" he asks the crowd and they shake their heads, give him words of comfort. Caesar is a man made for the stage, "Now, Katniss. When you came out in the opening ceremonies, my heart actually stopped. What did you think of that costume?"

"You mean after I got over my fear of being burned alive?" I let the smile pull my lips up and have to fight the laughter.

"Yes. Start then," says Caesar.

"I thought Cinna was brilliant and it was the most gorgeous costume I'd ever seen and I couldn't believe I was wearing it," Katniss says, smiling wide, "I can't believe I'm wearing this, either," She pulls up her dress only a bit and I keep my eyes trained on her face, watching her expressions, "I mean, look at it!"

She's up then, and she spins once.

"Oh, do that again!" Caesar says and I can't help but agree.

She's lifting her arms up and spinning around and around. She's amazing.

My heart swells and I'm mindless after that, hearing hardly what's going on. She stumbles, dizzy, but Caesar catches her. Her face is red and she's laughing. I can't help wishing I could get her to smile, to laugh, like that.

After a long enough time, that feels like it lasts forever, my name is called and I get up on stage, reach out and shake Caesar's strong, warm hand.

"Hello Peeta," he says, grinning.

"Hello, Caesar," I take a seat and Caesar is smiling so wide that it's completely infectious.

"How have you been liking the stay at the Capitol, Peeta?" He asks.

I think about this, let out a nervous chuckle, "It's nice," I start "Really, the food is amazing, the bread in particular, because I'm somewhere in that area; the bread is just intriguing to me. All of the different Districts have some interesting, significant breads. Because the bread from two is very hard, I don't really like it much."

Caesar laughs, "Me neither."

"It's alright, but I really like the bread from one," I continue on, "it's so rich. I find they're much like the tributes themselves, having there own little characteristics-"

"I've noticed that as well," Caesar says, "Like the ones from four taste sort of like fish."

"Yeah!" I agree "But yeah, the food is good. And the views. And the shower-"

"The shower?" He laughs.

"Oh yes," I say, grinning wide, "I was having an amusing time trying to figure those knobs out. I mean this morning, I tried out a new one. and I couldn't turn it off. Tell me, do I still smell like roses," I hold out my arms sleeve and he's smelling it.

"You do," he laughs, "I have the same problems some times, but I normally like this one," he holds out his arms and I smell it.

"Is that mint?" I ask and he nods, "It's like peppermint, I do like that." People are laughing around us and I sit back in my seat again.

"So, Peeta," Caesar starts at the end of his laughter, "You have to tell us, I'm guessing that you have a girlfriend back home in District 12?"

My stomach does a flip but I shake my head slowly, crap, now that he's mentioned this, it's my chance. I have to tell them all. Ugh.

"Handsome lad like you." He says, holding his arm out to point at me head to toe, "There must be some special girl. Come on, what's her name?"

I slowly let out a sigh to calm myself and say: "Well, there is this one girl," my face must be red, "I've had a crush on her ever since I can remember. But I'm pretty sure she didn't know I was alive until the reaping."

The crowd 'aww's in sadness and I nod.

"She have another fellow?" asks Caesar.

"I don't know," I say, shrugging, "But a lot of boys like her."

Caesar tries to cheer me up, "So, here's what you do. You win, you go home. She can't turn you down then, eh?"

"I don't think it's going to work out. Winning..." I swallow, trying my hardest to fight the tears back, "won't help in my case."

"Why ever not?" Caesar asks sadly.

"Because," my face flushes even more and I feel the sweat building up in my palms, my heartbeat racing. I don't want to tell him, but I have to, I force the reply through my lips, "because... She came here with me."

My eyes go to the cameras that are showing Katniss, with her wide eyes, her mouth hanging open in shock. My stomach has gotten so light that I'd think I was floating.

Caesar stares at me painfully as I look from her image on the screen, back to him, "Oh, that is a piece of bad luck."

I nod, trying to hide my worry, but I know it shows, so I say: "It's not good."

"Well, I don't think any of us can blame you," Caesar says, smiling sadly to me, "It'd be hard not to fall for that young lady. She didn't know?"

"Not until now," I say, smiling back.

Caesar turns and asks, "Wouldn't you love to pull her back out here and get a response?" they cheer and he tisk tisks them, "Sadly, rules are rules, and Katniss Everdeen's time has been spent. Well, best of luck to you, Peeta Mellark, and I think I speak for all of Panem when I say our hearts go with yours."

The crowd goes wild and I stand, "Thank you," I walk down from the stage and sit stiffly back in my seat by Katniss. She's staring at me with wide eyes.

The Anthem plays, we stand and finally we're back in the Training Center lobby, and I walk, wondering what Katniss is thinking.

I walk out onto the twelfth floor and Katniss stares up at me with wide eyes.

"You," she says, barely whispering, "How... why? I... You can't have been serious."

I nod.

She stares up at me still, "You were serious?"

"I was," I say, smiling, "I've wanted to tell you for a long, long time."

Katniss stares at me, stares me down so intensely and then she says softly, "But you don't even like me."

"I do."

"Peeta," she says, taking my arm, "I-"

The elevators behind us open abruptly and Effie, Haymitch, Cinna, and Portia walk out onto the twelfth floor.

They stop talking immediately and stare at us.

Effie smiles widely, "Ah, did we interrupt anything?"

I take a wide step from Katniss and shove my hands in my pockets, "Of course not."

Haymitch grins at me, "Well, who's hungry? Come on, let's eat."

Dinner went by slowly, we joined together to watch the replay of the interviews and before they even start a woman says on the screen to stay viewing after the interviews for a special announcement.

Effie looks surprised, so does Haymitch.

"What's that mean?" Katniss asks.

Haymitch shrugs, "It must be important."

The interviews are like re-living the moment, staring at Katniss twirling, proclaiming my love for her to the people of Panem. Even now my stomach bottoms out nervously.

Once they're finished, Claudius Templesmith is on the screen, grinning widely.

"Hello everyone. After quick discussion with the Gamemakers this year it's been decided that there has been a new rule change."

Haymitch gasps, "What?"

I stare intensely at the screen, "Rule change?"

"Rule change?" Katniss asks, "can they do that?"

Effie nods silently.

"Yes," Claudius says, smiling wide, "There's been a rule change in this year's Hunger Games. Under the new rule, both tributes from the same district will be declared winners if they are the last two alive."

"What?" Me and Katniss shout together.

My heart starts beating a million miles per second, have I heard that right?

Claudius pauses, as if he knows what I've asked, and repeats the change again.

I look to Katniss, she stares back at me.

"We can work together?" She asks, she thinks she's heard it wrong.

I nod numbly.

Haymitch nods as well, "It seems so."

Effie is smiling, "Well, I think they made the change for you two."

"You do?" I ask her, she nods.

"Yes," she stares at us happily, "They must have had requests for the rule.

Haymitch is nodding as well.

"In that case," I say, "What's the plan?"

"Same as before," he speaks slowly, thinking out loud, "Just get together first, distance, water. Same as before."

We nod together and stand to say our goodbyes to Haymitch and Effie. Tomorrow the Hunger Games will begin, and we won't be seeing them again before we enter the arena.

"What do we do after we've gotten to safety?" I ask Haymitch.

"Stay alive. Stick together, and stay alive."

I linger in the room to talk to Portia, Katniss goes off down the hall to her room.

"I'll see you tomorrow," Portia says, "But I want you to be careful."

"I will."

"Good," she smiles, "you take care of her, Peeta. And take care of yourself. I want you two both out and alive."

I take her into a warm hug, "I will, thank you, Portia."

"You're welcome."

I want to tell her, how grateful I am to her, how happy I am to have met such a person. If there's anyone I could call a mother, it would be her. She's looked out for me so much, and been more supportive of me then my own flesh and blood have ever been. I want to tell her, but I don't.

"I'll see you in the morning," I say and leave her in the room.

Ending Notes:

Thank you! See you next time! In the mean time, review?

~KaKaVegeGurl