A/N: Sorry. Had serious serious writer's block. But here you go, not the longest chapter, not the best advance of the plot (at all). Mainly just some fluff. And perhaps some borderline smut? :O tell me what you think, okay? (:

-imperio-peeta (;

With Me

Earlier had been a frantic flurry of lips, fumbling hands, splashing water, and heat. Peeta had to say that he wasn't expecting it, but he was happy that it did. He definitely wasn't intending for them to make love when he got in the tub with her, but when she whispered, "Be with me" against his lips, his heart stuttered slightly before they drew together. Being with Katniss again felt right. His hands held her hips, her lips whispered his name. His heart was beating fast, but he didn't wanted it to stop. The way Katniss touched him was exhilarating.

His thoughts were then interrupted.

"Peeta!" Katniss said in an astonished tone.

She slapped his shoulder with the back of her hand. Peeta turned his face and Katniss shook her head, pursing her lips and raising her eyebrows. She knew what was going on inside his head.

"What?" He grinned, turning to look at her fully.

"Oh my gosh. Stop it!" she said. She laughed tentatively.

His grin grew larger. "Stop what?"

"You know what." She smirked at him.

He shrugged. "I can't help it. Are you telling me you're not thinking about it?"

Katniss pulled the covers up higher over her legs, and crossed her arms over her chest. "I might be, if I wasn't waiting for you to make me that breakfast in bed you promised." She raised her chin smugly.

"I can't stop thinking about it," he said, lowering his voice. Katniss tugged at the robe around her and bit her lip. He leaned in and brushed his lips against hers.

He felt her exhale shakily against his mouth. He cupped her jaw and dragged his thumb across her cheek.

"Me neither." She whispered, lowering her lashes.

Peeta kissed her deeply. "I love you, Katniss. So much."

"I love you, too." She murmured. "Now go make me breakfast."

He chuckled and stole another kiss before letting her go and sliding off the bed. He padded down the stairs and entered the kitchen to make Katniss something to eat. He settled with an omelet, some bread and jam, and waited for the kettle to heat up to make some tea. Several minutes later, Peeta had set up his and Katniss's breakfast on a tray and was bringing it upstairs.

Katniss grinned when she saw him and the corner of his mouth tilted up. "Are you happy to see me, or your breakfast?"

He set the tray down on her lap and Katniss reached up to pat his cheek. "Always you." She pulled on his chin so he'd kiss her. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. Try not to make a mess." He picked up his plate and sat down in the chair by bed.

Katniss took a sip of her tea and wrinkled her nose. "Peeta, this one's yours. No sugar." She held it out to him and he swapped their mugs.

"Sorry."

She tried scowling at him but failed and smiled instead. He chuckled and they ate their breakfast. When they were done, Katniss smiled at him and tilted her head. Peeta tilted his own head.

"What?" he asked, smiling softly.

"Nothing. Thanks for taking care of me." She said gently.

Peeta stood and planted a kiss on her head. "Anything for you." Katniss tried to kiss him on the lips but she whimpered when she shifted.

"Ouch." She protested.

"You're definitely staying in bed today." Peeta said.

Katniss pouted, so Peeta leaned down and kissed her. "I'll stay with you, if you'd like."

"Yes, please."

"Okay." He kissed her once more then took their dishes downstairs and left them in the dishwasher.

When he came back upstairs, he had brought his sketchbook and a few pencils. Katniss's face lit up when he sat down beside her. She sat quietly, waiting for him to start.

He started out with simple lines, but then it started to take shape. He glanced up every now and then, and watched Katniss's eyes roam over the paper. He loved the awed glint in her eyes, the way she leaned forwards to watch him. She put her hand on his knee when she figured out what he was drawing. When he was done, he set down his pencil and touched the paper delicately.

"It's beautiful, Peeta." Peeta smiled down at the drawing of Katniss crouched on a tree branch, snow falling around her. What he imagined she looked like last night on her snowy endeavor.

"Thank you."

"If only the part afterwards was just as graceful." She smirked. Peeta's smile grew and Katniss shoved him lightly. "Draw me something else."

"What would you like me to draw?"

Katniss tapped her finger against her bottom lip. "Hmm. A flower."

"Really?" Peeta wasn't expecting a flower.

Katniss shrugged and averted her gaze from his. "Like, a dandelion, or something."

"Why?"

A small smile quirked Katniss's lips, but she still didn't look at him. "I like them." She said softly.

Peeta watched her and when she met his eyes, she blushed and looked away again. He reached out and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear.

"Then a dandelion it is." Katniss looked up and smiled at him.

He set to work on the dandelion, drawing one plant with three flowers and one seed head in the centre. That was the hardest part, drawing all the tiny seeds, and it took Peeta a little longer than he would have liked, but it had to be perfect. Finally, when Peeta was satisfied he presented Katniss the sketchpad and rested his back against the headboard.

"Oh, Peeta, it-it's perfect." Her voice was filled with raw emotion. He saw her fingers trace the pencil lines on the paper.

"Katniss? You okay?" He didn't understand her reaction.

She shook her head. "Yeah, yeah." She glanced up at him quickly, and her eyes looked glassy.

"Are you sure?" Katniss tried to turn her face away but Peeta caught her chin. He stared into her eyes. His free hand reached out and traced a finger down her nose. "It's just a flower."

"I know." She managed a smile before pressed her lips against his. He knew she was just trying to distract him, but her kisses felt too good.

When they paused to catch their breath, Katniss began to speak.

"When you were drawing, it reminded me of something."

"What's that?" Peeta asked.

Katniss took a deep breath to fill her oxygen deprived lungs. "We have this book, this old book. From my mother's side, and it's full of information on medicinal herbs, and more recently edible plants. My dad filled some out and then I took over so that I knew what was safe to gather for my family. I've neglected it for a while, and it needs updating. I was wondering if maybe you could help me work on it. I'm useless trying to draw them. I could describe the plants, and I'm sure my mom has some at the house. You could draw the pictures and I would write notes on them."

"You'd want my help?" Peeta asked, surprised.

"Well, yeah. You're an amazing artist, Peeta. If I could draw I'd do it myself, but I'm awful. I'd really like your help." Her eyes held a shy sparkle.

"I'd love to help you." Peeta smiled.

"Thank you. The book's back at my mom's place, but we can get it tomorrow. Is that okay?"

"Yeah."

"Okay."

Katniss looked down at the drawing again, and Peeta heard a knock at the door.

He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her temple. "Be right back."

He jogged down the stairs and went to the front door. He pulled it open to find a beaming Prim standing there.

"Prim? Katniss is fine if you've come to check on her. I'm not letting her leave the bed."

"I'm glad she's okay but I'm here to tell you something else!"

"All right, what is it?"

"Katniss's wedding dresses came!"

Peeta hesitated before speaking. "Oh, alright. Did you want me to pick them up?"

"What? No way!" Prim's eyes bugged out. "You're not allowed to see them before the wedding! Plus, the box is huge."

Peeta raised his arms in surrender. "Fine, fine. Do you want to come in and tell Katniss yourself?"

"Yes please. Mom wanted me to check on her anyway."

Peeta opened the door wider and Prim came in. She kicked off her shoes and ran up the stairs. Peeta shut the door and stayed downstairs to give them some privacy. He stayed downstairs and waited for a while before Prim came back down.

"Everything good?" He asked.

She smiled. "Yeah. Katniss seemed surprisingly happy considering she's confined to bed." Prim noted. Peeta smirked, remembering their morning. "What did you do?"

"Huh? Oh. I made her breakfast in bed."

"Aw. That's sweet." Prim smiled.

Peeta cleared his throat. "Yeah. Well, thanks for stopping by, Prim. You'll come back to check on her in a few of days?"

"Of course. She's fine for now. Just keep taking care of her like you are right now and she'll be better in no time." She bent down and put her shoes on.

Peeta nodded. "All right. See you later."

She straightened and buttoned her coat. "Bye!"

Peeta opened the door for her and shivered from the cold gust that came through. He shut it and went back upstairs. Katniss was no longer in the happy state that he left her in.

"What's the matter?" He asked, frowning.

She was twisting her hands, and she glanced up at him. "The dresses. All the people looking at this wedding… we don't know how they're going to react to it." She looked out the window. "What if it doesn't matter? What if they don't care?"

Peeta sat down on the bed beside her. Katniss leaned against him. "Let's not worry about that. Not for now, at least, all right?"

Katniss sighed heavily. "I'll try."

Peeta wished he could do something to stop all of this, to stop Katniss's fears. He wanted her to feel better, to ease all her pain. But he couldn't and it killed him a little inside.

He turned his head and kissed her hair. "As long as we're together, we can get through this. Okay? Together."

Katniss looked devotedly into his eyes. "I'll be okay, Peeta. As long as you're with me."

For the next few days, Katniss didn't leave the house. Peeta would carry her downstairs in the morning and back upstairs when it was time for bed. The next time Prim came to visit, Katniss had asked her to bring the plant book, and when Peeta saw it, he was amazed. There were already many plants inside it, and Katniss wanted to add more. Before Peeta drew in the book, he would practice on a spare sheet of paper with Katniss describing it to him. When she was satisfied with what he drew, he would then copy it onto the pages of the book, and Katniss would carefully print the description and where the plant liked to grow.

He liked to watch her write, enjoyed seeing the caution in her eyes and the way she'd tuck her hair behind her ear with her free hand. She caught him staring and smiled and him.

"What?"

"Nothing. It just seems like this is the most normal thing we've done for a while."

She bit her lip. "You're right."

"We can always do more stuff like this in the future." He assured her.

She nodded absently and looked out the window.

He reached across the table and took her hand. "Tell me what you're thinking."

She sighed and dragged her eyes back to his. "We still have the big Capitol wedding, and we're going to be Mentors now. That's not normal Peeta, and it's going to kill me when we meet other kids, have to give them advice on how to win when in reality the odds of them surviving is one in twenty four." She shook her head sadly.

He brought her hand to his lips and kissed the back of it. "You won't be alone, Katniss. I'll always be there with you."

"Do you promise?" She said seriously. "That you'll always be with me?"

"Of course. Yes, Katniss. I promise."

She nodded. "I promise, too. Okay?"

"Okay."

"Let's stop working for the day. I don't feel like writing anymore." She shut the book. "Will you take me upstairs, please?"

"Yeah." He stood, and Katniss wrapped her arms around his neck. He hooked one arm under her knees and the other around her back.

She kissed his cheek half way up the stairs, and turned her lips to his ear. "Have I mentioned how much I love having you carry me around everywhere?" she murmured.

Peeta smirked. "No, you haven't, actually."

She nuzzled his ear. "Mmm. Well, I love it. You're so big and strong." She teased, nipping the shell of his ear.

He laughed quietly, reaching their bedroom. "You've got a fantastic sense of humor."

She giggled and he felt his heart warm. If he all he could do was make her laugh while she was hurt, then that was fine with him. He laid her down on the bed, but she didn't let go of his neck. Peeta had to stay awkwardly bent over the bed.

"What are you doing?" he inquired.

She smiled and played with his hair. "Will you stay with me?"

He smiled and nodded. "Always." He maneuvered over her, causing her to laugh, and then settled on his back. He carefully pulled her to him and she snuggled against him. She traced patterns on his chest, and her fingers slipped under his shirt to touch his bare skin.

"Peeta…"

He looked over at her, knowing what she wanted. He grabbed her hand, pulling it out from under his shirt. He entwined their fingers and pinned her arm above her head, and brought his lips down on her neck. Her free hand wove into his hair as she let out a sigh. She spread her legs so he'd settle between them. He did, and rolled up her shirt. She gasped as he suckled on her collar bone after she removed it from her head. He held the flat of his hand against her stomach, and her hips wriggled slightly.

He leaned into her more and they both groaned. Katniss tugged his shirt over his head, then tucked her hand between their bodies so she could unbutton her pants. Peeta pulled her hand away and sat back on his knees, pulling her pants off her hips. Her scent was so intoxicating, Peeta felt his head swim with lust.

"Katniss, I love you." He proclaimed, glancing up at her past his eyelashes.

Katniss brushed her hair out of her face. "I love you, too."

He reached up and traced a swirl on her stomach, right above the waistline of her panties. Her stomach tensed and she peered down at him, wondering what he was going to do next. He himself wasn't entirely sure either.

He played with the hem of her underwear, raising his eyebrow. "Can I take these off?"

She bit her lip, blushing, but she nodded. She slowly lifted herself up, trying not to strain her tailbone. Peeta gently pulled them off her hips, and Katniss's legs closed together. He kissed her knee and trailed his hands up her legs, coaxing her to open up.

"Peeta-" she began nervously, but was cut off when Peeta pressed a trail of kisses on her inner thigh up to her most intimate area. When he brought his mouth down on her, she gasped and her fingers curled tightly in his hair. "Peeta, oh," she panted, "oh, god."

He moaned against her, and continued his actions, pleasuring her with his mouth. He brushed his fingers against her slick skin and Katniss writhed before him. "Ow!" She gasped.

Peeta stopped abruptly. "Are you okay? Did I hurt you?"

Katniss shook her head, her face flushed, eye wild. "No, no. My tailbone. I really like what you're doing. Please, keep going, Peeta. I'm almost there," she rushed out, her voice airy.

He grinned at her and resumed what he was doing before. Katniss let out a high-pitched moan, and a few moments later, she shuddered and Peeta knew that she was finished. He rested his cheek on her thigh, and watched her face as she relaxed. She reached out for his shoulder, and he moved up to kiss her.

She pulled away, staring at him in awe. "What… was that?"

Peeta shrugged. "I… don't really know. Was it okay?"

She looked at him his disbelief. "Okay?" She kissed him hard, teasing his lips with her tongue. "It was amazing." She was blushing extremely hard. "I really liked that, Peeta." She said softly.

"Good. I liked it too."

Katniss covered her flushed face, then mumbled something about cleaning up. He handed her his shirt and she slipped it on. Then he helped her out of bed, and she insisted on trying to walk to the bathroom. She leaned heavily on him, but was able to hop on her good foot to the bathroom.

A few moments later, the door opened and she hekd out her arms for him to carry her. He did, and tucked her into bed. She was still in only just his shirt, and she pressed against him for warmth.

"Peeta, I love you so much." She whispered.

He smiled and kissed her hair. "I love you."

She was asleep soon after that, and Peeta lay awake, thinking. He wondered what was happening everywhere else. What was going on in the Capitol, what were the other districts doing, and how were things in Twelve outside of the Victor's Village? He thought of Katniss's story, about the two girls she met in the woods, heading for district Thirteen.

He glanced down at Katniss, making sure she was asleep, and silently got out of bed. He went downstairs and turned on the TV. He waited for a long time. He rested his cheek and his hand, and when he finally heard something about district Thirteen, he raised his head in alert.

The news announcer spoke about the Dark Days, and then referenced the defeat of Thirteen. They showed a shot of the ruined Justice Building, and Peeta saw a glimpse of black and white in the top corner, and he knew that it must have been a mockingjay.

He turned off the TV and shook his head. It was probably just a coincidence. He couldn't believe the story until he saw it again. If he saw it again. The concept was pretty out there. He went back upstairs and got back in bed with Katniss. She felt him moving and turned to look at him.

"Peeta?" she asked groggily.

"Shh, I'm fine." He whispered.

She reached out and caressed his cheek. "What time is it?"

Peeta took her hand and pressed a kiss to it. He glanced at the clock on the nightstand. "It's almost three thirty. Go back to sleep." He said softly.

"I'm cold." Katniss said weakly, resting her head back on the pillow.

"Come here," he said, and he wrapped his arms around her. She nuzzled her face in the crook of his neck. Her breathing steadied and the rhythm of her heart against his chest eventually lulled Peeta to sleep.