Hey guys. So to start off, I'm sorry it took me forever to put this up. My muse left me right as I got the idea for this two months ago. If you see her, will you tell her I miss her and want her back? My writing sucks with her gone. But seriously, I've had just a dickens of a time writing this. Between family crap and last quarter of high school there's been little motivation and even less time to write something decent. Again, my apologies.

I have no idea what to categorize this one as though. Cause it's angsty at the beginning then fluffy at the end. So angsfy? Flufst? I dunno, you decide. I kinda like it though. Post-MJ and set in a weird way. This is only for one thing so don't kill me, but I toyed with Katniss and Gale together. And I decided I don't like it. So if they're ever together in any of my stuff, they will soon be not together. ha.

Anywho, Song of Inspiration is from my favorite band ever Grace Potter and the Nocturnals (seriously go look them up now, they're amazing). There wasn't really any clear train of thought from the song to the story, but I think it makes sense. Just go with it, yeah?

One short night with a stranger
One full moon over my head
One false move and it's over
So I always think of what we said, my baby

Strange how heavy my heart is
Strange how dark it is tonight
Strange the way this all started
I guess I'm losing track of wrong and right

And as the lights go dim
I lie down with him
And as I'm lying there
I can only smell your hair

It's like your across the hall
With your ear glued to the wall
And as I move to let him in I can
Feel you crawl under my skin

And I can feel you from the inside
Prowling like a devil that I try to hide
I can feel your heart beating
Closer than the poison of my pride

Caught up in a moment
I thought I'd feel no shame because I
Didn't have tell you lies
When the daylight came but now
Down goes that silver tear
Down goes my golden year
Down we go in a water slide
That's made up of the tears I've cried

And I can feel you from the inside
Prowling like a devil that I try to hide
I can feel your heart beating
Closer than the poison of my pride

I can feel you, you're touching me
I look at him but it's you I see, baby
I can feel your heart beating
Closer than the poison of my pride

One short night
One short night

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One Short Night

"Katniss, what are you doing up here?"

I pick up my head at Gale's question and squint in the sudden light. He's frowning at me, his eyes bleary and tired. His hair is ruffled and tossed, like he just woke up. Which he probably did. It's late. The moon's already high in the sky and even in the lights of 2 you can see the stars. Not as many as in my woods or even in 12 though. The thought makes me sad and I put my chin back down against my arms.

"Nothing." I sighed, staring back over the rooftops.

"Nothing nothing? Or really nothing?"

I raise my eyebrow at him. "What's the difference?"

"Really nothing is sitting up here waiting to fall asleep and then falling off the roof and breaking your neck." He clarifies with a yawn, leaning against the windowsill. "Nothing nothing is you're thinking about something but you don't want to tell me."

Now it's my turn to frown. I don't like how he can see through me so well sometimes. And I don't want to tell him what I was thinking, because I know he won't like it. Then he'll get mad, which will just lead to a fight. We've already had two of those today. I don't really want another. Fights with Gale rarely get resolved. Mostly, they just end up with things being smashed or doors slammed and neither of us wanting to even see each other for a while.

When did it get so bad between us? We had never been like this before in 12. Sure we had fought, but those fights were about important things. How much to sell at market that day, whether or not we could risk being in the woods all day, what to shoot, what to kill, what to take home, could we risk selling to new Peacekeepers. But that had changed after the Games. I knew that everything would if I made it home, but I didn't think my relationship with Gale would change that much.

"Katniss." He calls – almost whines – to remind me he's still there. I roll my head to the side, still resting on my arms, to look at him. He's different from back then, but then again we all are. The war changed everyone. Gale's face is only lightly scared, making him even more handsome. Or at least I've heard so from some of the women around 2. I guess I see it. Scars for me don't hold any beauty, though. I just like Gale's strong jaw and bright eyes. His smile is nice too. But it lacks the warmth of another. I shake my head angrily at the thought.

"What are you doing up?" I ask, changing the subject. "It's late. You should be in bed."

"That was my question, Catnip." He shoots back with a tired smirk. "Why are you on the roof, when you should be in our room asleep?"

I huff in frustration. He's as stubborn as ever. Even more than me sometimes.

"I asked you first." I snap childishly. Now it's his turn to raise an eyebrow. We stare at each other, fire in both of our eyes, showing our determination not to go first. Normally, I break first. He's got this odd patience that only comes out with me and dealing with my problems, which I don't have at all. Probably means he loves me more than I love him. But tonight's different. There's no way I'm telling him what I'm thinking.

Finally, Gale sighs and closes his eyes. I feel a slight sense of elation that I won this small battle, but it's short lived as I notice how tired he is. Now all I feel is guilt. But not enough to tell.

"I woke up." He admits with a shrug. "You weren't in bed, so I got worried."

My cheeks burn and I bury my face into my arms. The honest look in his eye makes my chest feel tight, like a noose around my heart. Guilt washes over me, replacing my annoyance with him for coming to look for me.

"I'm sorry." I mumble into my knees. "I needed some air."

It's not completely a lie, I think, but I know he won't believe me. Gale knows me too well to think that's the reason. But he just gives me a look, furrowing his brow while clenching his jaw, and lets it go.

"Come on, Katniss. Come to bed."

I take his outstretched hand and let him lead me to our room. I'm already dressed in my nightclothes so I crawl into bed, letting him turn out the light. The dark seems to cover us like a fog, thick and cold. Cold seeps into my bones, making my skin crawl and sending me into Gale's arms. The fire in his chest burns hot enough to warm me, but it doesn't melt the ice in between my ribs. I burrow in farther, trying to find the cure.

Gale takes my closeness to him to be need. He catches my mouth with his and I feel his passion for me. I try to respond with equal fervor, but I can't feel what I think he deserves. And that's so much more than I give him.

He falls asleep once we're done, his mouth slightly open, letting his snores fill the room. I watch him sleep, my thoughts too intense to let me rest. He looks peaceful in sleep, his face devoid of the deep lines he's developed from scowling so much. He won't admit it, but he's getting age lines around his mouth and eyebrows. But when he sleeps he looks younger, like the boy I met in the woods so long ago.

I reach out to stroke his cheek and Gale moves against me in his sleep. A happy sigh escapes from his chest, the corner of his lips turning up ever so slightly. My heart plummets in my chest and I feel the ice grow a little colder. Because I don't see him. I don't see Gale lying next to me. My mind lightens his hair and skin, doting the area under his eyes with freckles. I can smell the sweat and light tang of metals under his skin but there's a hint of bread on his breath.

I shake my head in attempt to clear my betraying thoughts. I know it's wrong to think of him when I'm so close to Gale. It's wrong to see him in my dreams and every time I close my eyes. It's wrong to imagine his lips on mine when Gale kisses me. It's wrong to hear his voice saying the things Gale only says on nights like these. It's wrong. It's wrong. It's wrong.

But it doesn't feel wrong. I think of those blue eyes and I'm warm. I imagine his smile and my pulse beats a little faster. I think of his arms around me, engulfing me in that warm scent that only he has and I feel safe. I dream of his voice telling me what he told me so long ago and the ice around my heart melts a little.

I scowl at my thoughts. The sensible part of me disapproves at these feelings. I have everything I could want here. I have a warm home with steady electricity and heat, something that even now in 12 I know is a luxury. I don't have to worry about whether I'll have enough to eat. I have Gale who loves me and tells me so every morning and night.

But then I see something – anything – that reminds me of 12 and I know I'm not happy. I want to be home. I want my woods instead of the industrial district of 2. I want to hunt every day, not because I need to, but because it calms the part of me that cries out in restlessness everyday as I sit in the chair next to President Paylor. I want my role as Mockingjay to be done and to forget all about the war two years ago. I want to hold him and tell him how sorry I am I didn't rescue him before he was tortured. I want the smell of fresh bread and his smile as he shows me he loves me like he used to.

I want Peeta. Him and all he symbolizes in my life. Hope for something new and the strength to put what happened behind me.

Gale stirs next to me and I feel my face flush. I'm as bad as the women that chase after him, thinking of another man while I lay next to one that's devoted himself to me. Except he hasn't, I think. Gale tells me he loves me for sure, but he's nowhere near as attentive as Peeta was in the Games. I shake my head stubbornly. Gale has never been that way. He knows I'm strong enough to take care of myself. But then, I think, so did Peeta. Peeta knew I was capable to do everything on my own but he did things anyways. Little things to show he cared.

I sigh and roll onto my back, staring up at the ceiling. I didn't know what to do. Every piece of me wanted to leave, but that would mean leaving Gale. I couldn't hurt him like that, could I? My eyes begin to droop and I relaxed into sleep, my mind filled with warm smiles and fresh bread.

I stare fixedly at the door, my hand clenched around my hunting bag. The doorknob's rusting slightly around the edges but it still shines in the light. The Capitol varnish couldn't stand up to 12's weather it seems.

The bakery looks almost exactly as the one his father had. Most of the buildings do, I realize. My people are more sentimental than I thought. I can hear a voice from the inside, ordering loaves for the next day's meal. One voice is brighter than the other, laughing at something someone said. It's a woman's and then I hear it. His laugh. The bright one that showed everyone he was happy and content with life.

My stomach flips around as I listen to them laugh. He's happy, I think. The last time I saw him that wasn't what he felt. I have no idea how he'll react to me, showing up without warning. I left 2 this morning after a long fight with Gale. Gale had figured me out like he always did after a few months of my constant thinking and he called me out. The look on his face was one of pure betrayal and hurt. But when I pulled on my father's jacket and opened the door he just looked defeated. Like he knew I was going to make the decision to leave him.

The door opens in front of me, jarring me from my thoughts. A woman not much older than me stands in front of me, blinking in surprise. She looks familiar, but not enough that I can place a face. We stand there for a second, looking at each other in our shock, but she recovers first.

"I'm sorry." She says with a smile. "I didn't see you."

I mumble something about me standing in the door and move to let her pass. She wishes me a good evening as she leaves, the smile never leaving her face. I watch her go, feeling suddenly guilty. I shouldn't be here. I shouldn't burden Peeta like this. He won't want me. Not with everything we've been through. He should be with someone like her. Someone who's not afraid to smile at strangers and laughs easily. My feet begin to move back towards the train station and I hope that Gale will take me back. I look back over my shoulder at the bakery and I'm filled with the urge to see him, just once no matter what happens.

Before I can lose my nerve, I grab the doorknob and push it open, letting myself into the warmth of the bakery. I stumble back from the smell and my eyes begin to water. This is it. The smell, the sense, the feeling of the room washes over me and fills me with heat. I had tried to find it in 2; that scent of wheat, burnt metal and sugar and a hint of spices. But none had been all tied up in the comforting smell of strawberries that wafted around. It smelled like him; it smelled like Peeta.

"I'm sorry, we're closed you can come back in the…"

I look up as his voice trails off and instantly I meet his blue eyes. Shock spreads over his features, his eyebrows almost lost in his hair as the skyrocket. His mouth hangs open a little bit and I hear as he breathes in surprise. His eyes, though, capture my attention. His blue eyes cloud over with something I'm afraid of. I look at my boots, my grasp tightening around my bag as I wait for him to speak.

"Katniss?" He asks in a whisper, his tone to soft for me to catch any emotion. I hear him move closer to me slowly, his steps as unsure as my thoughts. This wasn't such a good idea, I decide, and I'm ready to turn tail when I feel him wrap his arms around me. I feel my body go ridged as I feel him shake. My mind fills with the memory of his hands around my neck and the urge to bolt for the door tears through me.

"Katniss."

I freeze mid-step as I feel his hold around me grow tighter. Fear rockets through me. This was a bad idea. I surprised him completely and it's not going well. I don't even have anything to defend myself with I realize, mentally kicking myself for being so careless.

"Katniss."

"Peeta?" My voice is small, but I'm confused. He sounds like he's… laughing?

"You're here." He answers in that same breathy tone, burying his face into my hair. One of his hands comes up behind my head to press me further into him. My ear now pressed against his chest I hear his voice rumbling inside. He really is laughing.

"Peeta?" I call, trying to look at his face. "Peeta, what's going on?"

And then his lips cover mine. He's soft and light but there's so much fire behind his kiss that I'm overwhelmed and grab onto his apron for support. I kiss back, trying to show him I understand and that I feel the same.

We break for air and I have to lean against him until my head stops spinning. He just holds me, his arms almost crushing me against him. But I don't care.

"You came back." He whispers into my hair.

"Always." I answer.

"Stay. Stay this time."

I pull his face down for another kiss. This one's slow but just as heated. We part for air and I look straight into his eyes.

"I promise." I whisper, pressing my forehead against his. "I love you."