A/N: INSERT FLUFF AND FORESHADOWING AHEAD. STARTS CATO POV.

"Then we're good." I look over at the clock. Still not lunchtime yet. "Hey, you wanna move this party over to the couch for a little while?" ~

"You're throwing me a party?" ~

I laugh quietly at his adorableness. "A party for two, sure." ~

"Will there be cake?" It can't be a party without cake. ~

"Of course. We're baking after our little couch party." ~

"Okay," I reach out for him. "C'mon!" ~

Forget walking. I scoop him up from the chair into my arms, carry him into the next room, and literally throw him onto the couch with a perfect landing. ~

After losing my dignity and yelping like a puppy as I land on the couch, I curl up into a ball and extend my arms to him. He can't just leave me alone here. "Cato," I whine. "Come love me." ~

"You're needy and whiny and that won't get you anywhere with me." ~

"B...but..." I clench my hands a little in the air. "But I need you..." I look up at him with my best puppy-dog eyes and a small pout. ~

"Needy," I emphasize. ~

"So...you don't love me?" I drop my arms in defeat, and begin thinking terrible, terrible things I know'll make me cry. ...Like him not loving me. And that alone does it. I feel the first tear fall and look away from him. "I...I'll go if you want..." ~

"Peeta, no." I shake my head and kneel down next to him. "Stay." ~

"...Hm?" I look up to him from my little ball. ~

"Why would I ask you to go? I love you...and I want you here with me." ~

"'Cause I'm needy." ~

"I was only joking. So what if you're needy?" I kiss his forehead. "You're needy because you said no one cared about you like I do. You need love." ~

Well put, Cato...very well put. "I need you." ~

"I know, so...stop crying. You have me. Why are you crying?" ~

"Because, you were gonna leave me all alone on the couch." I slip a little smile out and kiss his nose. ~

"But...I was standing right there." He's so emotional. Geez. ~

"But...I was all the way over here. And now you are, too." ~

"But why did you cry?" ~

"Because...I thought about what I'd said." ~

"Oh...well, don't listen to yourself. You're not always right." ~

"Just most of the time." I try my best. ~

"Well let's test it out..." Let's just see how right you are. "I love you. Am I lying, or am I truthing?" ~

"Truthing." I say without hesitation. ~

"You sure?" I smile. He's so positive about it now. I love it. ~

"Mhm." I nod. ~

"You're wrong." Not completely. I love him, but...how I feel is much more complicated than that. ~

I feel my face suddenly go pale, and my heart stops. "...What?" ~

"I'm so..." I turn my hands in circles, as if trying to get thoughts to flow into my mind. "So...infinitely? In love...with..." I point to him. "You." ~

"You scared me." I smile a little, leaning in to kiss him softly. Oh god, does he know how to scare me. ~

"Sorry...I tend to do that, don't I?" ~

"You know best." ~

"I...suppose I do. You know what I know?" ~

"Oh god..what?" This can go any way with him. ~

"You are perfect." ~

"You barely know anything about me," I sigh, sitting up a little. "I'm far, far from perfect." ~

"Then tell me about yourself. Because until you prove otherwise, you are perfect. Perfect for me, at least." I wish other people would hear me say all this. That'd be a nice change of pace for them, me calling someone other than myself perfect. ~

"Well...ask me things, and I'll tell you." I'm not good at talking about myself. ~

"Hmm...what's your favorite flavor of cake?" We might as well get this straightened out before we start. ~

"Red velvet," I respond immediately. "It's the perfect in between of chocolate and vanilla." ~

"Mine is dark chocolate. I'm not sure if I've ever had red velvet before." I pause. "We can make red velvet cake if you want. I just don't know if we have everything...well, we probably do, but yeah. Birthday cake for you!" ~

"I'll make you dark chocolate cake. Both those go great with like...cream cheese and cinnamon icing." ~

"Okay, I can't object to cream cheese and cinnamon icing...but it's your birthday. You don't want red velvet?" ~

"I want to finally get to bake something for you now that we're not trapped in that arena!" ~

"Alright, fine! Dark chocolate it is!" I laugh, laying my head on the end of the couch cushion, right next to his hand. "I like chocolate." ~

"That makes me think...can I ask you something?" I laugh to myself. ~

"You can ask me anything." ~

"Before the Games, in that apartment building we were in...were you allowed to have dessert?" ~

"No, of course not! They said sweets would've been bad for us, slowed us down. Why, did you think you guys were the only ones not allowed to have any?" ~

"No," I laugh. "We were allowed. They told us you weren't, but I didn't know if it was to just make us feel better or something." ~

"...What?" Ouch. That hurt. "You were allowed dessert?" ~

"Mmhmm." ~

"I...I can't even look at you anymore," I joke. "I asked every night and they always said no! That's not fair!" ~

"Because we were already hopeless cases to them, so...a little dessert wouldn't harm." I laugh. ~

"But...I wanted dessert..." I sigh, "Even a little pita bread would've been nice." ~

"It was good, but don't freak out like you're never gonna have better desserts. Duh." I said, ignoring his slight innuendo. ~

"Who knows? That could've been my last chance for desserts ever! What if I'd died in there? No more desserts for me!" ~

"Well...you didn't." I hold a hand out to him to play with his hair. "And you're dating a baker." ~

"Oh, it's a dream come true," I laugh. "And you're dating...a killer." ~

"Aren't we all? Who've been through the Games... Actively or passively." ~

"But I went in there to kill." ~

"But you realized it was wrong...and when you did it again, it was so you could live. Because you knew I wanted you to win. You realized your mistake...that's leaps and bounds beyond most. The rest was necessity." ~

"I suppose so." Maybe he's right. "You're great. You know that?" ~

"Says you." I'm not. But if he thinks so. "You're not such a bad guy, either." ~

"Says you," I stick my tongue out. "And I...I told you that you aren't, either." ~

"Not bad. Just...pathetic." I laugh. "Short, baker, gay, one friend who's really just my boyfriend, hiding out from the government..." Coolest kid ever, right? ~

"Short and adorable. Really good baker. Yay gay. Boyfriend is the best kind of friend. And hiding out from the government is the coolest thing ever!" ~

"You know, having first saw you, I'd never expect this side of you...but I like it. I like it a lot." ~

"Never?" I laugh. "I'm insanely clingy, too...just warning you." ~

"And I'm definitely the jealous type. So we're even." ~

"Exactly...how jealous?" Jealous people scare me. ~

"I'd never tell you unless you asked," I laugh a little. "I just...I'm really insecure. So I get jealous over little things, but I won't mention them because deep down I know it's nothing." ~

"So...if I told you I had girls coming here every day, what would you do?" I laugh. ~

"I'd go insane." I admit with a bit of a laugh. "Tell you I had to use the bathroom and cry my eyes out there for a while. Then maybe come back out to try and clear things up without sobbing in front of you. I know myself too well." ~

Oh god he's crazy jealous. "Well, you won't have to worry about that." ~

"I'm not insane...just really insecure." I don't want him to get all scared away. ~

"Don't worry. First and only, right?" ~

"I'm yours if you're mine." Was it not about four months ago when I thought I was heading to death, and now I'm in District Two with a once Career tribute who I'm in love with...talking about being each other's one and only's. I like this turn of events. I like it a lot. ~

"Then it's settled!" Finally...someone I go after returns my feelings. This is the best. ~

"And...You're sure, right? You're not just going to change your mind and tell me you don't like guys or anything...right? I just...can't believe this. Us. How wonderful it is." Because I've gone through some sick jokes, too. And they aren't funny anymore. ~

"That's ridiculous-wait, no, I think your little speech cured me! I want the girls now!" I laugh. "Come on, you serious? I wouldn't make out with you and sleep in bed with you if I didn't like guys." ~

"Some people are just sick like that. It isn't funny, I just...worry. There are some people who think things are hilarious at the expense of others...and it's just not right." That's an understatement. But the Terra story is a story for a total other day. He'd run away screaming if he knew everything. Slowly, but surely, I'll tell him. I'll even tell him about my sixteenth birthday. He deserves to know. Just...not yet. ~

"Doesn't make any sense to me," I shrug. Making out with someone for a sick joke? Who would do that anyway? "But no, that's not me." ~

"I didn't think so..just thought I'd ask." ~

"Why, you think I'm too good for you or something?" Completely wrong. ~

"All the time." It's all I can ever really think about. ~

"Oh, please...I'm not nearly as perfect as you seem to think. I'm not too good for you." He'll realize that someday. ~

"For now...I think you're perfect. So perfect you shall be."

"No..." I whine. "Then for now, so are you!" ~

"But I'm sure I'm not! There's a difference!" I whine. Okay, so I'm really not good at compliments. Whatever. "You, on the other hand..." He's actually perfect. ~

"Either both of us are, or neither of us are. Take it or leave it." ~

"That isn't fair." He doesn't play fair. ~

"No, it's completely fair," I smirk. ~

"Ugh," I sigh, posting the spot next to me. "Just come sit with me." This was his idea after all. ~

"You're a stubborn jerk." I sit on the edge of the couch. ~

"When did I become a jerk?" ~

"When you decided not to take my compliment." ~

I don't see how that makes me a jerk. But...instead of fighting it, I just snuggle into him quietly. This is a nice thing. I like this. ~

Peeta so willingly gets close to me whenever he has the chance. That's more than I could say about other people. "There's no other like you...I just want you to know that." ~

"Even the Capitol can't replicate me, right?" ~

"Even the perfect Capitol can't replicate you." ~

"Stop!" I laugh, hiding my face. "They're not perfect. Not even close." ~

"Course not. They send twenty-three kids to their deaths every year." I pause. "But little do they know...this year it was only twenty-two." ~

"Because I'm unkillable!" ~

"Stay that way." ~

"I'll try." I've never been able to die. Even when I wanted to. I laugh to myself at the thought, cringing slightly. ~

A/N: Oh-ho-ho! Reviews, please! The ending is coming soon! Xo