This is the longest chapter of the story, so far, and what I'm considering to be the first of the "second act", so to speak. The groundwork has been laid, so now the story can really take off and it will over the next few chapters. Thanks to all who have read this and left feedback. It means the world to me.


"Get out!" Katniss yelled, storming into the compartment and straight to Haymitch. "Get the hell out!" Her arm was raised, her hand balled into a fist and ready to strike when Peeta's fingers wrapped around her wrist.

"Katniss!" Peeta shouted, pulling her away from the older man who sat placidly on the edge of the beds. "What are you doing?!"

As Peeta's question seeped into her brain, he gently coaxed her to lower her arm. What was she doing? She was about to punch Haymitch Abernathy for breaking into her and Peeta's compartment, that's what she was doing. She jerked her arm again, but was stopped by Peeta's body moving to block Haymitch from her.

"Hey," Peeta whispered, closing the space between them and tilting her head up to meet his eyes. "Are you okay?"

She wasn't, and they both knew it. How could anybody be okay after their lives had been turned into as spectacle for District 13 and the rest of the rebels? Three days before, she was sitting with Prim at the edge of the lake, dipping her toes into the water and watching to see which ripple would touch the leaves that bobbed on the surface first. Three days before, Gale was just a boy trying to feed his family while Peeta tried to escape from his. And now none of that even felt real anymore. How could anybody be okay when everything they'd ever known was suddenly so different that they could hardly recognize any of it?

Between Haymitch's audacity, Gale's heightened vengeance, and the portent of disaster that seemed to follow President Coin, seeing the smug look on Haymitch's face when their compartment door slid open was the last straw. She knew she wouldn't have regretted hitting Haymitch. He'd probably deserved it anyway.

"Let's just see what he wants first," Peeta suggested, slowly letting go of Katniss's wrist.

"He shouldn't be in here, Peeta," Katniss argued. Her body had calmed considerably, but the resentment that Gale's refusal brought earlier and the sense of violation she felt from Haymitch's trespassing still lingered.

Peeta nodded in agreement and rounded on Haymitch. "You don't get to break into our compartment and act like it's no big deal," he warned. "No matter what you're here for. It's bad enough we have to worry who may have this place bugged, or if they're listening to our conversations through that doorbell system. Don't make us worry about who's going to be trespassing while we're not here, too."

"Relax, kid. I'm on your side," Haymitch said. "But you're right to be concerned with the privacy in here, especially now that you've practically invited them in by requesting modifications."

Peeta sighed as he paced the length of the compartment once before stopping in front of Haymitch again. "Do you think they'd bug this compartment?" he asked. "Do you think they already have?"

"I don't think they would yet, but I want you to be aware that they can if you give them enough reason to want to keep more tabs on you," Haymitch explained, flashing Katniss a look that told her he was mostly talking to her.

"Why are you here?" Katniss demanded.

"Listen, Sweetheart. I'm here to help you," Haymitch said. "It was smart, what you two did in that command room the last two days. Requesting more time, taking that time to write down terms, the whole thing. But you two need to watch out for President Coin. She's power hungry, anyone can see that. And Plutarch? He's so caught up in the romanticism of war that he's best kept at arm's length."

Peeta nodded. "Is Plutarch aware of President Coin's..."

"Less than noble intentions regarding the revolution?" Haymitch finished. "He doesn't, but I'm still warning you not to put all of your trust in him. Not because he knows, but because he doesn't know. That's not the kind of person you want in your inner circle."

"And who are we supposed to want to be in our inner circle?" Katniss asked. "You?"

"Is it that much of a stretch for you, Sweetheart? I did look after you all those years you were hiding away in that grove," Haymitch reminded her. "You can consider me a mentor. By the way, nice touch going off the papers and throwing in that blondie here and your friend aren't to be touched."

"Well, you can take Gale out of that agreement," Katniss said bitterly. "He doesn't want any part of it."

"Really?" Peeta asked.

"That's what he was saying to me in the hall earlier," Katniss admitted.

"If we're being honest here, Peeta doesn't really need to be on it, either," Haymitch interjected.

"I'd prefer it if he were," Katniss said, almost pleading.

Haymitch nodded. "If it makes you feel better, he'll stay on it, but your friend is in more danger than Peeta is right now," he said. "President Coin would never touch a hair on Peeta's head. You two are too valuable to the cause. It's after everything is said and done that you should be worried about. Coin doesn't want to help you, she wants to use you to gain power and after she does?"

"That's what we were afraid of," Peeta said. "We asked Beetee for help securing a video of the meeting this morning. Extra evidence of the agreement existing."

"That's good!" Haymitch laughed. "I'm not sure I would have even thought of doing that." He turning to Katniss. "You're lucky he knows what he's doing."

"Peeta," Katniss muttered through gritted teeth. "Why did you say that to him?"

"Are you really still that worried about me, Sweetheart?" Haymitch asked. "Listen, I've been looking after you since you were eleven years old. Don't you think if was a threat I would have made sure you were found long before it finally happened?"

"So you're saying it was you that kept me and my family safe all those years?"

"No," Haymitch said, shaking his head. "But I did what I could. When nothing was biting, I even threw a few rabbits into those snares your friend liked to set up. My job was to observe you and anyone you interacted with and report everything back to Plutarch."

"Why you?" Katniss asked, more perplexed than angry. "What made Plutarch want you to look after me?"

"Let's just say that everything that's happening now is something I gave up a lot for trying to do before," Haymitch explained. "But we didn't know about an Upriser twenty five years ago. That agreement the two of you've made with President Coin only covers the duration of the revolution and any war that may start because of it, and I don't see either of you having any luck changing that, so remember this… if you fail, those closest to you will be the first ones to pay. I learned that the hard way. Remember that when you're feeling your worst. This isn't for Coin, even if might feel that way at times. You have to keep going. You have to stick together."

"What do we do?" Katniss asked. "How do we stop President Coin?"

"Don't give her the power she so desperately wants," Haymitch warned, rising to his feet. He headed to the door and as it slid open, he turned around. "You also should've requested a bigger bed so you didn't have to push two together." He laughed as he walked out the door.

XXXX

The signing went quickly the next morning. Katniss and Peeta took their turns looking at each page of the agreement, reading over any fine print to look for errors, loopholes, or changes that weren't stated at the meeting the day before. And as Katniss scanned the final page, observing that Gale's name was noticeably missing from the list of people who were not to be put in danger on account of her, she signed her name at the bottom next to Peeta's, looking up to Gale who was nodding freely, all emotion gone from his features.

Katniss was immediately reminded of Haymitch's words about Plutarch and the way he was caught up in the romanticism of war and couldn't possibly see the undignified ways in which President Coin chose to run things. Haymitch's urges to keep Plutarch at arms length due to his naive allegiance to the president forced Katniss to wonder if that was the same thing that had happened to Gale.

Had Gale gotten so caught up in winning and making the Capitol pay for his family's oppression and the death of his father that he refused to see what was really going on in District 13? There had to be more. Empty promises from President Coin, titles, authority? They were all things Gale would find appealing now that he was in a position to fight. But he lived in District 12 right along with Peeta while The Capitol was recruiting people to hunt her down. He had to know that President Snow used similar tactics to convince people to join him. With the stories he came to the grove with, there was no way he didn't know. Why couldn't he see that President Coin would never give him the opportunity to get out from under her thumb as long as he stuck by her? There was only one answer - he didn't care to see it.

President Coin didn't waste a second before signing the last page of the agreement, and without a second glance to either teenager, she turned her attention to Boggs.

"Boggs, will you please escort Miss Everdeen and Mr. Mellark to the hospital wing immediately for their physicals? The staff is expecting them," she asked, finally looking across the table. "Once you're cleared to train, you'll both go with Boggs to the training facility to meet the others in your squad and to start light training. Finally, per the agreement, surge protection and your television with a video feed of the surface will be available by the time you return to your compartment tonight."

Without so much as a pause to give Katniss or Peeta a chance to speak, President Coin breezed out of the command room, leaving the others to do as they pleased while Boggs walked the perimeter of the table to reach them.

"Are you two ready for your physicals?" he asked, pressing a button on his watch.

Why even ask? It wasn't like they had a choice.

XXXX

"How have you been feeling since arriving in District 13?" A short but intimidating woman asked, flashing a light into Katniss's eyes. "Any headaches? Nausea? Lethargy?"

"The last one," Katniss confirmed.

"Lethargy?"

"Yeah," Katniss nodded. "I don't know how to explain it."

"Can you try?" The woman urged.

"Nothing feels right here," Katniss started. She knew that wasn't what the doctor was looking for, but in order to explain how it made her feel, she had to include everything. "I don't know if it's the fact that we're underground or not, but ever since I got here my whole body feels like it's fighting to breathe."

"You're having trouble breathing?" The doctor asked, pressing a stethoscope to Katniss's back and listening.

"No, not me." Katniss let out a frustrated breath. "My body. It just feels like it's weighed down by something. I told you it was hard to explain."

"It's probably just the change in surroundings," the doctor assured her. "You spent a lot of your time in District 12 outside, right? The change in environment is enough to throw anyone out of sync. Other than the lethargy, do you feel alright?"

"Yes," Katniss nodded. "It's only the one thing, and that's enough."

"Your reflexes are excellent, muscle structures nicely developed, but there are signs of slight vitamin deficiency, which is common in some districts," the doctor explained. She turned toward a tray full of medical instruments. "Other than that, you seem perfectly healthy, so there isn't much you'll need today. Two shots and you'll be on your way."

"Two?" Katniss questioned. "President Coin only mentioned one."

"The orders from the president have two listed here for you," the doctor confirmed. "That's good, considering you're from District 12."

"What's the supposed to mean?"

Katniss didn't have to ask the question to get the answer, but she wanted to hear the doctor try to explain it anyway. District 12 was the poorest district in Panem. A district where sick and starving was the norm, that had always been true. Dozens of children died every year from eating spoiled food that caused them to become so sick they eventually died of dehydration, because not only was food scarce in District 12, so was clean water. It existed, but not all families could get to it, especially families with sick children.

"It's just... the conditions in District 12 are more favorable to illnesses," the doctor stammered, plucking a syringe from the sterile cloth that covered her tray. "Let's get you set and ready for medical clearance, okay?" Bringing the syringe to eye level, the doctor coaxed the sleeve of Katniss's hospital gown upward. "This is your birth control shot. It'll be administered into your upper arm and it'll be effective for four months."

The shot was administered before Katniss could even feel the needle pierce her skin. Without much more than wiping the area with sterile gauze and instructing Katniss to massage the injection site for sixty seconds, the doctor turned back to the tray in front of her and grabbed a second, much larger syringe.

"This one can be a little intimidating," the doctor said in response to Katniss's wide eyed stare. "But it should take care of that lethargy you mentioned. I'm going to need your forearm this time."

Not only was the second shot more intimidating, but the pain and burning that flooded Katniss's arm was at times unbearable.

"Try not to rub the area," the doctor warned. "That one needs to work its way in naturally. You can put your uniform back on now. We'll keep you here for an hour just to make sure you don't have any adverse effects to your shots and then you'll be free to go."

That hour seemed to crawl. The throbbing pain in Katniss's forearm all but disappeared within minutes of the doctor leaving the exam room, and she was left alone to stare at the only walls she'd seen in District 13 that weren't gray. The sterile white facade surrounding her seemed to brighten up and come alive as she sat waiting, and for the first time in days Katniss felt a little vitality returning to her body.

"You ready to go?"

Katniss turned to the voice only to find Boggs standing in the exam room doorway with Peeta, who was peering over Boggs's shoulder trying to see her. In the days leading up to Boggs becoming their official escort around District 13, Katniss had hardly heard him speak. He sounded a lot more personable than Ayers, but less enthusiastic than Plutarch.

With a nod, Katniss hopped down from the exam table and followed Boggs and Peeta out the door, slowing her pace to create space between her, Peeta, and Boggs at the front.

"What do you think training will be like?" Katniss asked, walking in step with Peeta.

"If they wanted us to pass a physical exam before we started, it's probably pretty intense," Peeta reasoned. "But I don't think Boggs has anything to do with anything beyond military training, so that's only half of it for us."

President Coin had been pretty vague on the details of their training, leaving Katniss and Peeta to guess what they'd be expected to learn from Boggs. But they wouldn't be left wondering for long. With a simple code punched into a keypad on the wall, a door slid open to reveal the training quarters.

It was darker than Katniss imagined it would be. The familiar dull gray walls were traded for a darker slate shade, and the floors were covered in black mats that buckled slightly under the weight of their footsteps.

There were dozens of people in the training quarters. Some were grouped together by weapon, others were gathered in a circle practicing hand to hand combat. Katniss knew right away that was the group they were headed toward when she spotted Finnick explaining weaponless sparring techniques to the group that also included both Johanna and Gale.

Boggs introduced them to the three unfamiliar faces in the group. A woman Boggs referred to as Jackson, and two men, Homes and Mitchell. They all appeared to be in their early to late forties and definitely weren't strangers to sparring or military service.

"Peeta!" Finnick called, smiling as the two newest military recruits approached behind Boggs. "Why don't you come up here and try sparring with me?"

Katniss's head whipped around to Peeta, who was already three steps ahead of her and headed toward Finnick.

"Go easy on me," Peeta said jovially. "I'm not exactly dressed for sparring."

It wasn't until Peeta pointed it out that Katniss noticed that they were the only ones in District 13's standard uniform. All of the other trainees were dressed in lighter, more breathable outfits.

"Don't worry, you'll get training clothes soon enough," Finnick said. "I'll do a quick demonstration on a live person and then the rest of you can come up and replicate what Peeta and I did."

After Peeta made his way through the others, Finnick explained they'd be working on takedowns. Each would take a turn trying to take Finnick down.

"Do you think he'll do it?"

Gale's voice caused Katniss to jump. She hadn't even heard him walk up next to her.

"Do what?" she asked.

"Do you think Peeta will be able to take Finnick down?" Gale reiterated.

"I don't know," Katniss shrugged. "Have you gone yet?"

"Not yet," Gale said, shaking his head. He fell silent briefly before clearing his throat. "Thanks for taking my name off of that agreement."

"You're welcome," Katniss replied icily. Though she still didn't understand what the harm was in making sure he was protected, she refused to revive their argument.

She tore her attention away from Gale just in time to see Peeta quickly and flawlessly sweep his body underneath Finnick's arms before wrapping his own around the top of Finnick's thighs to pull him to the ground.

"This is a good thing, Katniss," Gale whispered. "We're finally doing something. President Coin even promised to introduce me to some pretty important people soon enough."

"Do you really believe that?" Katniss snapped. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Gale, of all people, falling victim to the empty promises of a ruler who had shown herself to be no better off than the ruler who he had been determined to take down since the day she had met Gale. "Do you honestly believe that you, a brand new citizen to this district, who the president knows absolutely nothing about, is really going to amass some sort of status around here as quickly as you seem to think you will? Because Peeta-"

"This isn't just about you and Peeta, Katniss," Gale hissed. "There are other people that District 13 needs for this revolution to work. The weapons Beetee and I are working on will put us ahead of the curve. Nobody's going tol get in our way when we go to war with The Capitol."

As Gale spoke, Katniss could see the flame behind his eyes. The same flame that was born and grew for years while Katniss hid out in the grove. But this wasn't just an idea talked about in the secluded corner of the forest anymore. It was really happening, and that changed everything.

"Gale!" Finnick's voice rang out, stopping any words of warning to Gale that Katniss was thinking about giving him. "You're up! Can you beat Peeta's time of forty-five seconds? I think that's the fastest take down I've ever seen." Finnick slapped Peeta hard on the back as he made his way back to the group to observe the others spar, and he noticed the angered look on Katniss's face immediately.

"Another argument?" Peeta asked, wiping a bead of sweat from his forehead.

"He's just not seeing what's going on here," Katniss said. "He's so eager and ready to fight that he doesn't care to see a single thing wrong with President Coin's revolution."

"He probably never will," Peeta said. "You always said that this was all he ever wanted since the day you met him. You can't expect him to want to see something that's standing in the way of him attaining his goals. He probably thinks he can fight through it and come out on top, like my brothers."

"I tried to tell him what you told me," Katniss said. "About your family, but as soon as I said your name…"

"He wouldn't even listen to me when I tried to save his life," Peeta reminded her. "Do you really think he'd listen now that he thinks he's in a position of power?"

Katniss had nothing else say, because Peeta was right. The wall between her and Gale now was much thicker than the wall between Gale and a war with the Capitol, and Katniss's warnings were useless.

After everyone in the group had their turn taking down Finnick, the rest of the training session was spent getting to know the others. Boggs said if they'd be working together, they had to get to know each other. For the most part, the group stuck together. Finnick and Johanna sat with Peeta, Katniss, and Gale, but Mitchell and Jackson broke off and sat together a few yards away.

"Where'd you learn to take a person down like that, Peeta?" Finnick asked, fiddling with a rope in his hands and fashioning a knot.

"I used to wrestle in school," Peeta revealed. "And I had two older brothers, so sparring was pretty much a daily thing at home." He laughed lightly, but Katniss could tell it was forced.

"Well good, then you can help me with these sparring session next time," Finnick said. "Maybe teach the others some escapes if you have some."

"I do," Peeta confirmed. "I'd love to help out."

"What about you?" Johanna asked, turning to Katniss. "Anything you could teach us?"

"She can shoot a bow better than anyone I've ever met," Gale answered. "Been doing it since she was a kid."

"Is that true?" Johanna asked.

"I'm alright, I guess," Katniss said.

"More than alright," Peeta chimed in. "She could probably teach everyone something."

"Good, because this isn't a free ride," Johanna said. "Just because you're some symbol doesn't mean you don't have to pull your weight around here."

The group retreated down to dinner together, keeping conversation light for the rest of their time together, and disbanded when their table was dismissed with promises from Finnick that Katniss and Peeta would have their training clothes before the next day's session.

As promised, the compartment was equipped with a single television when Katniss and Peeta entered that night. It was fastened to the bare wall to their left and was already cycling through different views from the surface.

"Too bad it's so dark," Katniss said, plunking down on the edge of the bed. "You can't see much."

"You can see enough," Peeta said, walking closer to the screen. "Don't you see it?"

"Not really." Katniss squinted, but was still unable to see much on the screen.

"Do you think you can make it lighter out there?"

Peeta's question made Katniss think. Why was it so black in District 13? Her father had told her long ago that all of Panem could see when the world changed color, yet District 13 remained bathed in black that had nothing to do with the time of day.

"I don't know if I can," Katniss finally said.

"Are you feeling okay?" Peeta asked. "Why is it so black?"

"I'm fine," Katniss assured him, standing up to grab her night clothes from the closet. "That's why I'm not sure if I can do anything to make it lighter. I'm not doing that."

Peeta paced the room, something Katniss noticed he seemed to do when he was thinking. Not even the sight of Katniss stripping out of her uniform could pull him from his thoughts. It took several minutes of Katniss staring at the television screen cycling through undecipherable black shadows before Peeta lowered himself down on the other side of the two beds that were still pushed together, sliding across to meet Katniss.

"You're not causing the darkness in the district, so you don't know if you can change it," Peeta said, replaying their earlier conversation back. "But did you want to try?"

"How? I've never worked against the world, only with it," Katniss said. "This goes against everything my father told me."

"Do you remember that day in the grove," Peeta started, settling down on the bed on his side. Without question, Katniss followed, pulling Peeta's arms around her body as she settled her backside against his front. "When you changed the colors at will all on your own for the first time?"

"Yes," Katniss murmured, shivering as Peeta's fingers painted a light trail up and down her arm. "To orange, and then to red. But I didn't do that all on my own. I had you."

"You have me now, too," Peeta whispered, pressing a kiss in the crook of her neck.

Katniss allowed the warmth that flared in her stomach to overtake her as she thought about that day in the grove. Peeta's hands, first grazing her chin, then traveling further than they'd ever been. She could remember exactly how his touch left a trail of heat across her skin and his words drove her body and mind into an almost intoxicated state. She yearned for that feeling again. She turned in Peeta's arms, bringing her chest flush with his as she rested her forehead against his, closing her eyes and breathing him in.

"What was it like for you that day?" She sighed. "What'd you feel?"

"Alive," Peeta whispered. "Like I finally understood what kept me going all those years I searched for you. I felt everything with an intensity that I'd never experienced before, and it all seemed to be feeding off of you. All of the warmth you were trying to think about, I felt it. The frustration when you couldn't bring yourself to change the colors, I felt that too. And then you kissed me and it was like my entire body had finally detonated and I would never be the same again."

"Me too," Katniss whispered, pressing her lips to Peeta's. "Me too."

"Look at the television," Peeta said, pulling away.

Katniss rolled onto her back, turning her head toward the television to see that the darkness had been brightened slightly by a pink hue. The camera view then switched over to a feed of what looked to be an old city circle. In the distance were trees that looked as though they'd been dead for years. Black, charred ghosts of the leaf bearing trees they once were, they brought a haunting ambiance to the screen that was only further enhanced by the silhouettes of rubble and shells of old buildings that were probably once shops, possibly even homes.

Katniss couldn't look at it anymore. Turning back to face Peeta, she buried her face in his chest and tried to steady herself, but the anger the views of District 13 brought was too strong. An entire district gone because of the Capitol. Had this been what President Snow was trying to do to District 12 the longer she stayed in hiding? What had he done to it since their escape? She couldn't stand to think about it.

"Do you think the Capitol did that to District 12?" Katniss asked, looking up at Peeta.

"They were doing it before we even escaped," Peeta confirmed. And he was right. Katniss had seen his drawings of the destruction around the district. "I wouldn't be surprised if they finish it off once President Snow realizes you're gone."

Katniss screwed her eyes shut in attempts to drive out the horrific images that were flashing before her. "Tell me what pink means," she begged, clutching Peeta's shirt.

"Funny that pink would be the color to show up tonight. It could mean calm, but your body feels anything but calm right now, so it's not that. It could be caring, or acceptance, or..." Peeta's voice trailed off before choking out the last word. "Love."

"The district went pink a lot while I was working on controlling the colors," Katniss said, being careful not to acknowledge that those weeks spent working on her powers were also the weeks she and Peeta were apart.

"I know," Peeta said, almost proudly. "I saw it. It's what kept me going."

"And it always happened when I was thinking about you." Peeta stayed quiet, waiting for her to continue with her train of thought. She didn't like talking about her feelings, but how could she hide them from Peeta when the world around her told him exactly what she was feeling? "Would I really be able to conjure pink if I didn't feel something real for you?"

She'd been thinking a lot about Plutarch's revelation and the worries she and Peeta shared when it came to their feelings for one another. Nobody made her feel the way that Peeta did, and she refused to believe that it was simply because of what they were.

"No matter how hurt I was that you didn't tell me what your family was doing, I still couldn't stop thinking about you or how you made me feel. That has to mean something. But how can I tell the feelings apart? Which ones are because of who we are, and which ones are because..." she couldn't finish her sentence, but Peeta seemed to understand what she was trying to say.

"What does it feel like," Peeta said, slipping his fingers under Katniss's shirt and over her back. "When I do this?"

"Like fire," Katniss answered. "But the burning doesn't hurt. It just makes me feel warm all over. And it makes me feel like I can do anything. Does it ever feel like that for you?"

"It feels like that all the time," Peeta said. "Even when you're not touching me. It's the way you look at me sometimes that makes me feel different."

"What does it feel like?"

"Have you ever felt like your heart was beating so hard that it'd come out of your chest?" Peeta asked. "But you weren't scared, and you weren't angry, and the pounding didn't hurt at all? It just made you feel happy?"

Katniss thought about it. The moments where Peeta's eyes settled on her face and he looked at her like there was nobody else in the world. Moments when his lips would graze her earlobe, or kiss a trail down her neck, and those silent moments after they'd both come undone and Katniss sat perched naked and sated in Peeta's lap. She'd felt it then, for sure.

"Yes," she murmured.

"I've been thinking that maybe that is what the real feelings are," Peeta said. "I can't touch your heart with my fingers and get a response, and you can't do that for me. Yet, they still respond. And when I feel that, I know that I want you, Katniss, no matter who we are or what we are."

"I want you too," Katniss murmured as Peeta's lips came crashing down against hers.

If the lights in their compartment failing to flicker or buzz was any indication, the surge protection Beetee had installed was working. For the first time since arriving in District 13, the two were able to get lost in one another, only moving away from each other's lips when they pulled their shirts over their heads.

Peeta moved first, rolling on top of Katniss and drawing a gasp from deep within her throat as her legs fell open and Peeta settled in between them. It was new, it was different, but no less electrifying than what they were accustomed to in the small concealed spot under the maple tree in the grove. Katniss would always climb into Peeta's lap and they'd rock their hips together until their climaxes found them, but now she was feeling Peeta in a way she never had before.

He was hard and pressing against her thigh while he kissed an erratic line down her throat, stopping when he reached the cleft between her breasts. He lingered there, dotting kisses across her skin and working closer to her nipple until finally, his tongue was circling the peak and his lips came down, sucking gingerly on the node as his hands continued to drift across her body, leaving a path of heat in their wake.

There was a determination in Peeta that was causing Katniss's body to respond with zeal. The warmth of his lips sucking on her nipple had her arching her back to him, begging him to continue while her hips bucked against his arousal, which Peeta returned earnestly. The teasing was new, and though it made Katniss feel frenzied on a level that she never realized possible, she didn't want it to stop. And as Peeta pulled his mouth from her nipple and began to travel further down she realized that while she could have laid there all night with Peeta's lips painting her skin, she also needed to feel more of him at the same time.

Soon, Katniss's hands began their descent from Peeta's hair, down his back until she reached the waistband of his pants, and she wasn't shy in making it clear that she wanted them off.

But Peeta wasn't as quick to respond to her advances. He sat back on his haunches, running his hands up and down Katniss's thighs before moving his own hands to the waistband of her pants and pulling them, and her underwear, down in one quick motion.

She was naked and completely ready for him, the heat and pulsing between her legs becoming even more apparent as Peeta's hands moved to the inside of her thighs. Katniss didn't want to beg, but the longer Peeta took, the less she was opposed to pleading with him to give her what they clearly both desperately wanted.

It took Peeta's fingers slipping between her folds to temporarily quell the urge to beg. She moaned as he found her clit, the short circles sending a thrill through her in strong waves. Peeta's strokes were slow and deliberate. Any other day, the way Peeta was taking his time on her would have been welcome. They both used their time together to pore over each other for as long as they could, but Katniss knew she wouldn't be able to stand it. Her hands reached for Peeta's pants again, a whine escaping her lips when he looked down on her with intrigue.

"Peeta," she whimpered.

A knowing smile lit up Peeta's face. But rather he still resisted, moving his lower half away and out of Katniss's reach and choosing instead to dip his head down between her thighs. Katniss gasped when she felt Peeta's mouth cover her center. Her hands found his hair as his held her legs, moving them over his shoulders.

Katniss was lost in the sensation Peeta's mouth brought to her. It was warm, it was wet, it was causing her hips to buck beyond her control, and Peeta was happy to oblige. He allowed Katniss to use her hands and hips to guide his mouth where she needed him to be. She stopped him over her clit, tightening her grip on his hair to keep him in place. He sucked on the nerve gently as he slipped two fingers inside of her, hooking them upward to press against her top wall before letting her guide him again. She rocked her hips against his hand, against his mouth, feeling her orgasm build with his movement.

But then, Peeta stopped. His hands moved over to Katniss's prying the from his hair.

"Not yet," he murmured after looking up and noticing the frustration in her features. "I want to see your face every time you come tonight."

And just as quickly as he'd removed Katniss's pants before, he was pulling his own down. His cock sprang free and he took himself in hand to guide the head between Katniss's folds before pushing into her. He dropped the top half of his body down, propping himself up with a hand on either side of the bed near Katniss's head, kissing from her neck up to her lips, capturing them between his as he began to thrust in long, vigorous strokes. Katniss brought her knees up, drawing him in deeper.

Not an inch of Katniss's upper body was left neglected. Peeta's mouth seemed to find every inch of skin imaginable, leaving a heat behind that Katniss hadn't felt in weeks but was happy to let consume her while her hands moved of their own accord across the wide expanse of Peeta's chest, around his back, and stopping on the soft swells of his ass. Taking each side in her hands, she squeezed and pulled him closer, desperate to feel as much of him as she could. Judging by the breathy moans that slipped from Peeta's lips and vibrated against her skin, she was doing all the right things to bring him closer to the brink.

Neither one of them even noticed what was going on outside. Feed by feed cycled by on the television, all with the same unique mixture of red and pink swirling together through the sky. It was brightened by the flashes of lightning that struck the deep craters in the ground where the Capitol's bombs had hit years earlier.

None of it mattered to them at that moment. They were both too far gone to even think about looking at the television. Who wanted to be reminded of District 13's devastation when the heat that was coursing between their bodies was enough to pull them both over the edge with an intensity that hadn't existed even in the grove? They were closer in ways they hadn't been, and even more in tune with each other than ever before.

Katniss gripped Peeta's ass harder as she felt her orgasm nearing again, a few more thrusts was all it took before her thighs were clenching around Peeta's waist and here walls contracted around his cock. He stilled, indulging in her warmth and wetness as he watched her unravel underneath him. And when he resumed his thrusts they were slower, more meticulous. His head dropped into the crook of Katniss's neck, the way he always did when his orgasm was close, and Katniss kept him rooted there, tangling her fingers through his hair as she felt him seize up and spill inside of her.

Peeta's body collapsed on top of Katniss, his chest pressed against her and she felt it. The hard beating of his heart in his chest that matched the steady, forceful beats of her own. Not because they were hurt, not because they were angry, but because they were happy.


Thanks to ichooseupeetachu for her support through my writing process and especially for this chapter. I probably would have ripped my hair out if it weren't for your words of reassurance.