A\N: An Everlark one-shot, I don't own The Hunger Games.
Time frame: During the Victory Tour.
The dream I enter is one I don't want to come out of anytime soon.
I'm in the cave, Peeta is asleep beside me, his arms are around me, protecting me from the horrors that plague the outside of our sanctuary. I sigh as I touch sweep away the blonde hair out of his closed eyes. He looks younger than 16 when he sleeps, then again so does everyone, but no one is quite as handsome as Peeta, not even Gale. He mumbles something in his sleep.
"Katniss." He says quietly, a grin appearing on his face as he dreams of me. A smile forms on my face as I stroke his cool cheek which is no longer hot to the touch with the fever that finally broke earlier this morning. "We're gonna win this and get home and be together, I promise, we'll get home." I whisper my promise so I don't wake him and disrupt his much needed sleep. He says he doesn't need sleep, that he's all right but he argues that I need mine, eventually, we came to a compromise: we both sleep together in each others arms until one of us wakes up, which seems more than fair because if I'm being honest, I don't know how much longer I can insist that I'm fine when I'm really not. I lie my head back my new favorite pillow: his chest, and slowly, listening to the beating of his steady heart thumping in its rib cage, fall back to sleep, dreaming of me and him in a meadow somewhere beyond this arena, beyond district 12, beyond the Capitol, beyond Panem, should a place exist.
I wake up to the feel of Peeta kissing me awake. I moan as my eyes open and stare into his blue ones. I smile as he helps me into a sitting position,keeping one arm around my shoulder and his other hand clasping one of mine. "Did you sleep okay?" He asks, his voice concerned. I nod. "Yeah, I did, I had the most amazing dream." I comment as I look over his shoulder at the lightning sky. I stand up, pulling Peeta up with me, leading him out of our sanctuary. "I'll tell you as we watch the sun rise." Peeta allows me to lead him outside, sitting at the river bank, our feet in the water.
We're silent, watching the sun rise over the woods, signalling the start of a new day.
"Can you tell me about this amazing dream now?" Peeta asks, I laugh before telling him.
"We were laying in a meadow, lying among the wildflowers with the sun beating down on us, you were making me a crown out of wild daisies and I was watching you, you told me you loved me before putting the crown on my head and kissing my lips, you woke me up before it could end properly." I pout, causing him to laugh, tapping my nose, I didn't tell him the meadow wasn't in Panem. "Well I'm sorry my kissing you awake disrupted your amazing dream." He says playfully. We go silent again as the sun bounces on us.
"Katniss, I need to tell you something before we go our separate ways," Peeta begins and immediately I'm confused: what does he mean 'before we go our separate ways'? Before I can ask him what he means, he's speaking to me again, his voice is soft and silky. "Katniss, you know I've loved you for a very long time and I need to know," he pauses, his eyes looking away from the stream to me. "Do you love me in the same way I love you?" Peeta asks, my mouth is dry as I ponder his question: do I love him like one loves a boyfriend? Or do I love him like a brother?
I look at the river, sighing slowly, just as I'm about to answer him, a slight winds picks up, I turn my head back to Peeta to see if he's alright, but he isn't there: I'm alone and there's no sign that he's ever been here, his jacket and boots are gone as is his backpack and weapons, there's only evidence that I've been here.
It's as if Peeta never existed in the arena with me.
I awake from my pleasant dream, well pleasant until he disappeared, leaving no trace of him, and head out of my room on the train and into the lounge car where I see Peeta is awake, drawing, a cup of coffee on the table in front of him, in his pyjamas, looking very frustrated with himself.
I lean against the wall and watch him draw, barely containing my laugh when he growls and tears out a page and throws it at the wall, narrowly missing my head.
"The victor of the 74th Hunger Games killed by a flying piece of paper, that'll be a new one." I tease, smiling when he looks at me, a smile lighting up his face. "You seem perky this time of night, I'm guessing you didn't have any nightmares tonight?" He says, I shake my head. "I actually had a pretty pleasant dream for once, until the end." I say, playing with my fingers. Peeta sighs, drops his sketchbook on the table and opens his arms to me, silently telling me he'll hold me. My feet walk over to the blue eyed boy on autopilot, I sit next to him, his arms around me, my head on his shoulder.
"Do you wanna tell me about this pleasant dream you had?" Peeta asks me. I chuckle before speaking.
"We were back in the cave, you were asleep, your were arms around me, my head was on your chest, I woke up and watched you sleep, thinking how much younger you looked when you sleep, I made you a promise that we'd get home, I whispered it to you so I wouldn't wake you. I fell asleep, having the most amazing dream, but you woke me up by kissing me as the sun was about to rise. I dragged you to the river where we put our feet in and watched the sun rise. You asked me to tell you about the dream and I did, after telling you my dream, we were quiet until you started speaking. You said something that made me confused," I pause, taking in his expression, he looks curious by this dream. "You said 'Katniss, I need to tell you something before we go our separate ways,' that confused me immediately. 'Katniss, you know I've loved you for a long time and I need to know, do you love me the same way I love you?' but before I could answer, there was a light wind and I looked to see if you were okay but you weren't there, there was no evidence that you were in the arena with me, your jacket, boots, backpack and weapons were gone, it was like you never existed." I tell him, my eyes wet, I didn't know I started crying, Peeta holds me and strokes my hair in a soothing manner.
"You weren't with me, I was alone, Peeta." Peeta sighs as he unwraps his arms from me and stands up, I'm worried that he'll leave for a minute until he kneels in front of me, taking my hands in his. "It was a dream, Katniss, I was there with you, I was, I promise and I'm here with you now." he says before he kisses me passionately on the lips. I return the kiss with the same passion he uses.
"I promise, Peeta, I do love you the same way you love me, I do, really, I do." I plead as he pulls away and sits back on the couch, pulling me onto his lap.
"I know you do, Katniss, I believe you, I believe you." He says as he kisses my hair. I sigh as I take a minute to appreciate that Peeta is holding me in his lap.
"Peeta, I promise to love you forever, for the rest of our existence." I say as he once again smiles at me. "Is that a proposal, Miss Everdeen?" He teases. I laugh. "Not right now, Mr Mellark, we're a bit too young yet, but when you propose, I promise, you'll know my answer." Peeta smiles as I lean against him. "Can I ask you something?" He asks, I nod. "Go ahead, ask me anything." I tell him as he cards his fingers through my hair.
"What are you most afraid of?" He asks, okay I was not expecting to hear that question tonight. I bite my lip. There are a lot of things I'm afraid of: my family, Gale and Peeta dying at the hands of President Snow because of me, but the thing I'm most afraid of is:
"I'm afraid of losing you, I'm afraid I'll wake up at any minute and find out that you weren't with me in the arena. I'm afraid that my love for you won't be enough for you, that you'll disappear the second my love stops being enough for you." I tell him, he's silent, thinking of how to respond to that revelation. It takes a few minutes for Peeta to speak and when he does, his voice is soft and soothing, placating my worries.
"Katniss, look at me, please, you won't lose me, your love for me will always be enough for me, do you understand? Your love is always gonna be enough for me, always." He assures me. I respond by kissing his neck.
"What are you afraid of, Peeta?" It only seems fair he tells me what he's afraid of too. Peeta sighs deeply. "Losing you." He says. I brush back a lock of his hair that has fallen into his eyes.
"I'm not going anywhere." I whisper, yawning slightly. Peeta chuckles.
"I know you're not going anywhere." He whispers. "Lets go get some sleep, we're up early tomorrow." He says as he lifts me up in hos strong arms. I put my head on his shoulder and close my eyes as he walks from the lounge car to my bedroom
"Will you stay with me?" I ask though I already know the answer. Peeta pulls the covers back, slips us both into bed, wraps the covers around us and pulls my head on his chest.
"Always." He whispers as we both drift off to sleep in the arms of each other.