Okay, as your faithful updater talking to my faithful reviewers, I want to ask you people something. Okay, I have only read Mockingjay once, and I haven't even opened up the freaking book since. Literally. It made me so sad and depressed, except now it's like months later and I find myself wanting to read it again. In your opinion, should I read it again? Is it not as bad the second way through? Or should I never read it again because I would spend the rest of my life crying like the week after I read MJ? I really need you guy's opinions because you people are awesome.

oOo

Still Kat's POV

It was after dinner, and Peeta and I rested on my strange bed, my head on his lap. All was quiet. Neither of us spoke often, and when we did it was brief. We wanted to savor the rest of today, because who knows what tomorrow would be like? Maybe Peeta had something planned, I didn't know.

He was braiding little strands of my hair all over my head, unbraiding, and re-braiding. I didn't worry about it getting tangled. I just liked the feeling of his fingers working in my hair, gently tugging, then unraveling and choosing a different strand of hair to play with. Every now and then he bent down and pressed his lips to different parts of my head. Sometimes my forehead, the top of my head, my neck.

At one point I felt his hands leave my hair. Opening my eyes, I glanced up at him. "Are you okay, Peeta?"

He swallowed and nodded wordlessly. To someone else his face might have been casual, neutral maybe. But I could see through his mask and decided he really wasn't okay. Maybe he just needs time to think it out, though.

I slipped my hand around his. "You sure?" I didn't want to press it though.

"Yeah. I'm alright, Katniss." He offered me a small smile. "Just thinking. Moping silently to myself. The usual."

I could tell his tone was meant to be joking, but I knew him. Something was really hurting him. Never mind the 'not pushing him' thing. "But that's not the usual. Peeta, tell me what's wrong." I sat up and wrapped my other hand around the one of his I was already holding.

"I'm saving it for tomorrow. Don't worry about me." He gave me a gentle kiss on the forehead. It was sweet, but it clearly stated 'I don't want to talk about it right now, please drop the subject.'

So I did.

When there wasn't anything said back to him, Peeta lay back down again and relaxed his tensed muscles. He seemed so vulnerable the past few days. Like he could be broken so easily. I know he didn't want that to stop me from acting as though he weren't defenseless, but I couldn't help but feel a little easier towards him. I try my best not to scowl as often and be more carefree than usual for his sake, if no one else's.

Peeta's hands didn't go back to my hair. Instead, his hand curled around the back of my neck and his thumb subconsciously rubbed my upper back. It was calming, yet depressing at the same time. I could feel his hurt through the careful fingers on my skin.

I propped myself up on my elbow and looked at Peeta. His eyes were politely inquisitive. But I didn't reply with words in the form of a simple, meaningless answer. Instead, I cupped my hand on the side of his face, and kissed him tenderly. His lips were warm and soft under mine, and tasted like salt. I didn't mind, of course. All that really registered in my mind was how sweet the moment was. If only I could capture it and live in it forever. But we both knew that couldn't happen, no matter how much we wanted it to.

I pulled away gently, but kept my face close to his to see the light in his eyes I loved so much.

I could see dark blue flecks in the brilliant cerulean of his eyes. His hand rubbed slow, comforting circles on the back of my neck, and his face shone with adoration.

"Now, what was that for?" he murmured softly, face still shining.

We both knew we didn't want to have pulled away.

I smiled, feeling my heart beating inside my throat. "I don't know. You tell me."

He didn't, though. But I take it that was because he pulled me down on top of him again for a second kiss. His arms cradled me to him and it was unlike most of our other kisses. Instead of fire that was building up inside of me, begging for more, it was something different. Softer. Kind of like a placid spring breeze, except it was so sweet it almost hurt.

Peeta's hands were cupping my face, except mine were on either side of his torso so I didn't collapse completely on him and make it so where he couldn't breathe. I'm sure he didn't mind at all, but breathing is kind of important so I kept my body from crushing his.

When Peeta broke away our embrace, he looked sad. I was about to ask him what was wrong when the hand that was cupping my face trailed onto my cheekbones, he brought it back for me to see. His fingertips were wet. Honestly, I hadn't realized I was crying. I didn't even feel very upset, yet the warm tears on Peeta's fingers told all.

"Katniss, love, don't be sad…" He bent forward and brushed his lips against the corners of my eyes. "I hate when you cry." I felt the vibration of his voice through his lips on my face.

"I didn't know I was." I said honestly, taking one hand away from the mattress to brush my hand through Peeta's soft hair. "I feel normal. Happy even."

His lips trailed from the corner of my eye across to the bridge of my nose. Then down to my jaw line.

Ever place he touched my face little shivers ran the length of my body. How in the world someone could make me feel the way he made me feel, I had no clue.

Peeta's mouth brushed the tip of my nose. But never, I noticed, my lips. How rude. I could only take so much, but for now I was okay with it. In about, oh I don't know, thirty seconds I would break down and bring his lips to mine myself.

For a moment we just laid there together, bodies aligned exactly, our forehead touching. Then Peeta's hands left the sides of my face and laced together a little lower than the small of my back. I could feel his a-little-too-cold fingers brushing my bare skin just above the waistband of my annoying white pants. Gah…

The something occurred to me and I was abruptly aware that none of my weight was supported on anything except Peeta's body. I pulled away slightly so I could see his eyes. "Should I move? I'm not squishing you, am I? I'm not too heavy?"

"Are you kidding me?" He laughed lightly, a flash of dull white from his teeth when he grinned in the shadow. "You barely weigh over 100 pounds. But even if you weighed four hundred, I wouldn't want you to get off." He gave me a fond kiss on the nape of my neck. "So, no. Please don't move."

Fair enough. I relaxed against him, enjoying the slow rise and fall of Peeta's chest with every breath he took, the steady thrum of his heartbeat through my shirt as well.

But it was late, and I knew this precious moment wouldn't last long before I got tired enough to fall asleep on him. Of course, both of us would be perfectly fine with that, but if I wasn't awake with him, I didn't count that as 'with him' at all. I'm not saying I wouldn't mind falling asleep on him, just every second counts, really… I groaned, realizing how unhealthy mentally rambling is.

Peeta noticed. He took his lips away from my neck and glanced into my eyes. "Is anything wrong?"

"No." I said quickly. "Nothing. I'm fine. Keep going." Maybe those weren't the best words to use, but he knew what I meant. Peeta nuzzled his lips right under my jaw, making me gasp slightly. When our eyes met a second time, I stifled a giggle. "You're teasing me."

"What's new?" He said lightheartedly.

"I don't like it." Sighing as if I didn't like taking the matter into my own hands, I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him full on the mouth.

Peeta's reaction was immediate. His hands tightened on my back and a moan bubbled from his throat. My fingers knotted into the front of his shirt. Somewhere deep inside of me I hoped that it wouldn't permanently wrinkle it, with how tight I was holding it because I really liked how it looked on him. But at the current moment I didn't care too much. I was too focused on the electric feeling emanating from where Peeta's hands were clutching my lower back.

Hm… Say, if I took off his shirt again, would he make us stop because I was behaving badly? Or would he know that I honestly didn't mean to do anything more? As an experiment, I unknotted my fingers from the front of his shirt and subtly tugged the edge up. Wait—did I say subtly?

Peeta's hands immediately un-tightened from the back of my top and, like I expected, he pulled away enough to see my eyes. But hopefully my 'innocent' look would tell him that I didn't want to sleep with him. He would believe me, right? I was suddenly worried of what he thought of me right now. While I was just joking around, was he thinking I was just going way too far.

But, thank goodness, his face wasn't absolutely disgusted or annoyed. Instead, he looked slightly weary and amused at the same time. "Katniss…" He laughed quietly.

I didn't reply.

But he didn't really do or say anything else against it. Instead, Peeta surprised me by sliding his fingers around mine and his shirt came up over his head and he tossed it nonchalantly down next to the bed. Then he gave me a look, azure eyes glinting. "Happy now, Katniss? Satisfied?"

I couldn't really say anything back to him, because I was laughing. It was quiet and light, but nonetheless felt good. "You're…" I turned my face away, sure that my snickering made my face contort into one of unattractiveness. "Yes, okay? You are seriously insane, but yes. I am satisfied." Still grinning like mad, I slid off of Peeta's chest and curled up at his bare side. And he said I was impossible…

Silently, he brushed a strand of hair off my neck. But he let his finger trail across my shoulders and down my spine. When he was done, Peeta curled his arm protectively around my body and pressed his lips to my temple. "It's late. Maybe you should get some sleep."

"Hmm… Sleep is for losers." I was enjoying myself too much. Sleeping would mean being away from Peeta, inside my head alone for hours. And trust me when I say my head is not a pretty place to be alone. "I don't want to go to bed."

Peeta didn't say anything. His other hand just brushed lightly against my hair, again and again. I was starting to feel a little sleepy, but then tried to shove it back. No sleeping, I scolded myself. But Peeta made it so hard when he began to hum. The semi-deep purr in his throat was so soothing. But I couldn't sleep. I…couldn't…. Despite my resistance, I drifted off listening to Peeta hum me to sleep.

oOo

Gaaww I thought that was really sweet. I enjoyed writing that chapter. Fluff is like my specialty. Aside from medical stuff. But there is a difference between those two specialties. Sadly enough, I have had negative-three experience in the fluff in real life. But the medical stuff… But anyways I shouldn't ramble. It probably annoys you people. If you reviewed my story I would love you forever. Really.