A/N: Cato just keeps starting these chapters, man.

Peeta and I walk into the smallish room and I close the door behind us. There are two beds here, but we'll only be using one. I take his other hand and look into his eyes, which always look sad due to the shade of blue, but show sincere sadness. "Hi, Peeta." ~

"...Hi, love," I whisper. I'm going to break. Any moment now. ~

"I like when you call me that." Too bad I may never hear that again. No, just convince yourself. "What a day, right?" ~

"Yeah...what a day." I sigh, releasing his hand and walking over to the bed and sitting down. I pat beside me for him to come sit. ~

Not wanting to upset him, I go sit next to him on the bed. "So...that's that." ~

"I...guess it is." I look at him sadly. "And this...is it." ~

"Yeah..." I pull him in for a side-hug. "I'm still here." ~

"For now." I'm going to cry. Sob. Hysterically. But now is the time. We're alone. ~

"I...I think I'll be back, though." No lies, Cato.

Never, ever lie to me again.

I don't care if it'll make things easier.

Promise. On my life.

"I might come back." Might. A possibility. Much better. ~

"I hope you do," I whisper to him. "I do." I look down at my feet before glancing back up at him. "I'll always love you. I promise." I'm shaking now. It's becoming real. Every fear or nightmare I ever had involved him being gone...and I may see him for the last time in a week. Who knew forever was so short? ~

"I know you will. You've been telling me that almost every day since we met." Every day we were together, he'd say that to me. "I'll wait for you, you know." ~

"I just don't want you to forget..." I bite my lip. "So will I. I'll be there... I'll follow you.." I choke. "Forever." And then, I begin sobbing hysterically. ~

"Shh, it'll be okay..." This is why I changed my mind about going. I haven't even left yet and he's a mess. "I'm still here, see?" I hold him to my chest to let him cry into my shirt. "I've...I've been training for this for almost my entire life, remember?" I volunteered for those Games expecting to win. Really, I pretty much put my name in to be sent to death. That's what the Hunger Games are about. You can never win. Besides, at this point, it seems I was born to die, one way or another. I was meant for this from the start. "Now that I'm going...I'm doing it for the both of us, okay? Nobody else." ~

"Please..." I beg into his chest. "Please try to come back." I squeeze him tightly. "If not...I'll do all of this for you. I'll make this a better place. Where no one will have to go through what we did. No more Games. I swear..." ~

"Why wouldn't I try?" I can feel my entire shirt front getting soaked. "That's a really nice thought...but I have to make it back. You know why?" Time to get him to smile again. ~

"Why?" I lift my head. ~

"Because we never did it, and I swore we'd get to." I grin and kiss his forehead. "I don't break promises." ~

I laugh a little through my tears. "I'm really going to miss you." ~

"I'll miss you too. But you don't know how long I'll be gone! I could be back in less time than it took for me to be on the Victory Tour." I could be back never, but now isn't the time to mention that. "I'll always miss you." ~

"Even if you were gone for five minutes... I'd miss you." ~

"I know, I know...but maybe this is good, you know? You're very clingy. Not that it's a bad thing, but maybe spending this time apart will help you get along without me. You know, just in case you can't have me..." I can't stand seeing his blotchy, tear-stained face anymore, so I let him cry on me again. "Yeah, I'll miss you too." ~

I cry to let everything out. I cry until there are no more tears left in my eyes. I cry because I'll miss him, because I'm afraid for us, and because I don't know what the future holds for anyone. When I'm finished, I sniff a bit and whisper, "Okay...now I can be strong." ~

"You sure?" I ask him. "I'll be okay, you know. You can miss me all you want, but I'll always find a way back to you." ~

"Not sure at all." I smile. "But I've got to try some time." ~

"You've always been strong. Now give me a kiss, you girl," I laugh. ~

I give him a stern look before rolling my eyes and knocking him onto the bed with a kiss. "You're still a jerk." ~

"And I always will be." I attack him with another very sloppy kiss. "Remember me that way. Being a jerk, I mean, not for being a terrible kisser." ~

"Oh, you're far from a terrible kisser." I smile widely. "Far, far from it." ~

"Are you sure about that?" I proceed to kiss every part of his face except his mouth, suck, lick, and just be generally sloppy all over. ~

"Now you're just trying!" I laugh. "But yes, you're still a very skilled kisser." ~

"See? Laughter, kissing...I cheered you up, didn't I?" ~

"You always find a way." I smirk. "Lay down with me," I whine. ~

"You complain too much," I say, lying down on top of him. "I'm laying down. Comfy?" ~

"Oh, you've evil." I narrow my eyes and smile at him. "But I love it." ~

"I'm not suffocating you?" ~

I scoff. "You weigh nothing." ~

"I have about five feet over you and quite a few pounds." I stick my tongue out and roll over onto my back, next to him. "You can breathe now." ~

I let out a breath, not from the pressure, but from the whole idea of it. "Ha." I say sarcastically. "You underestimate me." ~

"Everyone does. You're always surprising us. Even me." I smile. ~

"And I'll surprise you when you get back. You've really never seen my best work." ~

"Best work with what? Cake or kissing?" Please be both. Please be both. ~

"Both, and so much more." I wink, giving him a smile. Maybe this need to be strong is giving me a bit more confidence in all of this. ~

"Yay." I grin. I want Peeta so much right now that it hurts, because who knows if I'll ever see him after this week? "You haven't seen my best either." ~

"Oh really?" I question. "How so?" ~

"Well, we haven't had sexytime yet," I say, thinking about it over and over in my head. How many times it almost happened. How many times it should've happened. Whether or not it will ever happen. "But I'm saving that until I get home..." ~

If he gets home. "Of course...I've gotta have something to look forward to besides seeing your handsome face again, right?" I laugh. ~

"Handsome? Not sexy? That's new." I've always been Peeta's sexy boyfriend. Always. "And it's to make sure I come back, okay? I feel like if we do it...the universe will fuck with me and decide to take me away. But because I promised you we'd do it-and I somehow end up fulfilling every promise-I think it'd be best to hold it off." ~

"Of course, I completely understand that..." It makes perfect sense. "Handsome, yes. You're sexy as well-handsome isn't a downgrade, but the highest compliment of a different category." I smile, pulling my arm around his waist. "Handsome, as in you'd look extraordinarily handsome in a suit. Which I'd also like to see you in, one day. A tuxedo." I laugh. "Sexy, as in you'd look extremely sexy if I ripped the suit off of your body." ~

"What, my suit at the interviews wasn't good enough?" I laugh. "And why would I be in a tux anyway? ...And I think it'd be extremely sexy if you did rip it off." I pause for a few seconds. "I think it'd be sexy if you ripped any of my clothes off." ~

"I agree on that last part." I smile casually. "And...I don't know." I couldn't think of many occasions down here in Thirteen that would deem he wore a tuxedo..but I'm sure he'd look fantastic in one. "And that's what got me on it. The suit from the interviews. You look good, dressed up." ~

"I look even better undressed." I wink seductively. Come on, Peeta. I know you'll get flustered. Come on. ~

I blush a little, but manage barely to keep myself composed. "Oh, I bet you do." He's so muscular, tall... Relax. No. Calm. I keep my cool. ~

"You know I do." I take his wrist and force his hand up the front of my shirt. "Like what you feel?" ~

Now, I know he's trying things. And inside, it's definitely working. I feel the tips of my ears getting warm. "Oh, absolutely." I run my fingers along each line of his muscle. When I've gotten this chance, I've always gotten distracted by...other things. And have never really appreciated how goddamn toned he is. Damn. ~

"Then stop playing around with me and just rip the goddamn ugly shirt off." ~

I'm happy to oblige. I hastily pull the shirt over his head and can't resist pulling him in for a long, long kiss. We have all night. ~

"Thank you," I say, pulling his own shirt off. "Much better." ~

There's something so perfect about feeling his own skin against mine. "You're eager for something, aren't you?" I kiss him again, putting my hands around the back of his head to entangle with his hair. ~

"Just some partial naked time with my one and only." Mostly, I just wanted that dumb shirt off. But this is more than okay with me. ~

Something about his words immediately comforts me. I kiss him from his mouth to his cheek to his ear and down his neck...the one really nice thing about Cato is that, for whatever reason, his body was always warm. It was really nice to be close to, especially when it was cold out. ~

"Oh god." The kissing is just really turning me on right now. "What are you doing to me?" I ask desperately. He's taking over... "Oh god." ~

Well then. I smile inwardly. Wherever I'm kissing must be a sensitive spot for him. Noted. I lift my head back up to his ear. "Just kissing," I whisper, before making my way back down to the spot on his neck, kissing it intensely. ~

"No, no, no, this is sexy kissing," I say stupidly. "Whyyyyy?" I hold his back with one hand and play with his hair in the other, just how I know he likes it. ~

I take a glance up at him quickly, flashing the most honest, innocent look I can manage. "Well...why not?" ~

"Because you're giving me feelings!" I whine. "Down there," I say, pointing down to my pants. ~

"Not like you don't do that to me all the time. On purpose and not on purpose." Maybe it's because I'm the younger of us two, but I seem to get much more easily turned on than him. Which made this a bit of a big deal. ~

"Yeah, but that's me doing all the sexy stuff! When did you get so aggressive with it?" No, make the feelings stop. The pants make it uncomfortable. Please stop. ~

I lift up for only a moment to speak before continuing on my mission. "Since I know I only have so much time left to tease you...so you can anticipate what more's to come when you get back." Something to look forward to. Just like I said. ~

"You're teasing?" I choke out through heavy breaths. "I don't think my parts appreciate that." Yet, he continues and it feels so good that I want to cry. "I guess it's nice to see you take charge for once..." ~

"Well, I'm glad..." I am. I just want to make the next week as good as possible for him. "And tell your parts that they'll have to wait to take me until after you're home again." ~

"If I make it...oh my god." Now I'm getting really uncomfortable. "Peeta, this is different of you..." Growing more and more uncomfortable with each passing second. "Goddamn, you never stop, do you?" ~

"Only if you want me to." I'm being completely serious. If he wants me to stop, I will. ~

"No, it feels so good...and bad, and good, and...waaaahhh." I'm so confused at how to answer. "I liked it." ~

"No, no." I whisper, pulling back with an alluring smile. "You seemed unsure. I don't want to take advantage of your confusion. I'll stop." ~

"But...no, you can't stop. Come back." I can't resist Peeta any longer. "Come on, Lover Boy. Just a little bit more...please." ~

I lean back down to his ear. "Fine." I whisper. "But only..." I kiss his ear. "Because." The top of his neck. "You said..." Lower. "Please." I go back to where I was, not actually believing this was happening, and forgetting everything else that was going on with us. Only that he was mine. Mine. ~

"Thank you..." The way he's touching me all over makes me realize how sexy and needy and wonderful he really is. He deserves everything good in the world. Better than me. Then, I start to hate myself again because of last night. He definitely deserves better than that. "Stop," I whisper. ~

I lift my head to look at him as he speaks. "What..?" I rest myself in the crook of his shoulder. I'm immediately concerned because he looks like something's wrong. Was it something I did? Something I said? ~

"You're wasting all the sexy on me." ~

"Huh?" I laugh a little, partially confused. ~

I don't laugh. "I don't deserve it all." ~

I sit up a little. "What's wrong, Cato?" What does he mean, he doesn't deserve it all? ~

"Me..." I take one of the pillows and put it over my face completely. "I'm so bad to you and you reward me with this...how am I worth it?" ~

"What brought this on?" I immediately try to pull the pillow off of his face, but he won't budge. "Cato, please..." How does he not see how he's worth my entire life? ~

"Last night did! I was so mean to you, and now you're being all...sexy to me." ~

"You were only mean to me because I was mean to you...and we were both just trying to protect each other. If those berries didn't get in the way, it would've been the same in the Games. We just have...conflicting interests. You want me to live, even if it costs you your life. I want you to live, even if it costs me my life." I yank at the pillow and manage to get it away from him. "Don't you see?" I smile. "It's a good fight to have...because it stems from the fact that we love each other so much. You're a fool to think you don't deserve everything I can give you and so much more." ~

"Are you sure?" I look at him. "I feel like I never do enough for you." ~

"So sure." I kiss the top of his head. "I've said it before, and I'll say it again. You've done more for me than you'll ever know." ~

"I don't feel like I do enough," I mutter. "Can you even name one selfless thing I did for you?" ~

"That's not what matters." I pause. "Selfless acts aren't the point of being in a relationship. The very idea that you would give up everything you've trained your whole life for...for me? That's extraordinary on it's own." ~

"Thanks." I smile. "I guess so...you're so good to me." ~

I scoff. "I'm a whiny, crybaby girl who says sorry too much." I laugh. "I'm glad you kept me around." ~

Okay, that got me laughing. "How could I not keep you around?" I give him a brief, one-second-long kiss. "Especially with lips like those, you pouty boy." ~

I give him a big grin, and it takes everything in me to not start laughing hysterically. "Finally. So you keep me around for my kisses?" ~

"Oh, absolutely." Laughing, I kiss him again. "Definitely." ~

"Well, no matter the reason...I'm glad you do." I kiss his cheek, and give a small peck to where I was kissing before, because it was starting to bruise. ~

"It's because you were my what-was-missing, remember that? That's why I keep you around." I put my fingers up to the spot that he was literally just sucking on before. "It feels weird right here." ~

"Of course." I blush a bit. "I...well, yeah. That's normal." I was a little embarrassed, but at the same time, happy. Because he was mine. And people would know. ~

"Wait, what's normal? What did you do?" ~

I sit up. "Noooothiiiiing." I laugh. If he wants to know, there's enough metal in the halls for him to see. ~

"Nooo, you did something." I pull him back down to the bed. "Tell me or I'll break up with you." ~

I groan, smiling. "I'm just letting everyone know that you're mine. In case anything happens like last time you were gone from me for a long time. Relax." ~

"What is it?!" ~

I sigh, getting off of the bed and pulling him by the wrist into the hall lined with clear metal. "Look." I point. ~

I turn my head so that I can better see the side of my neck. "What..." I trace the darkened spot with my fingers. "The fuck did you do?" ~

I roll my eyes. "For the more experienced of us two, I'd assume you'd know." I scruff his hair. I don't know if he knows that he was my first kiss. "Ever heard of a hickey?" I laugh. ~

"More experienced...? I didn't do anything with anyone...it's so...oh my god." I turn and look at his ridiculous smiling face. "You are dirty." ~

"Am not!" I whine, blushing madly. "And you're far more experienced than I..." I avoid his eyes. "You were my first kiss." I whisper. ~

"You were mine, too," I admit. "Remember, first and only everything?" ~

"Well, I mean..I didn't know." I look up at him. "I do remember that." ~

"Well, now you know...we were each other's first kiss, too." I kiss him, smiling the entire time. "Though, I don't know how anyone could resist you." ~

It's a nice feeling, kissing him and knowing only my lips have felt his. "First and only." ~

"Are we sure about only?" I groan at the ridiculous prospect of only sticking to one person. "I'm kidding. First and only," I repeat. ~

"I hope you don't mind." I whisper, referring to the mark on his neck, tracing my hand over it. ~

"You branded my neck. Of course I mind. But because it's you...I'll be okay with it." ~

"Well, you told me to keep going." I smile. "But whatever can I do for you to forgive me?" ~

"You don't need to forgive me for anything." I slap his ass and walk back into the room, turning back to say, "Thanks, though." ~

"For what?" I laugh and follow him in. ~

"For the love." ~

I smile immediately and wrap my arms around his waist from behind. "There's no need to thank me..my love was always yours. You just had to find it." ~

"Stop saying cute things." I laugh. "I have nothing cute to say back." ~

"But that's my job." I kiss the back of his head. ~

"If you don't stop, your entire body will look like this." I point to my neck. "Entire body." ~

"I don't think I'd mind that so much." I laugh. ~

"Or I can just never touch you again." ~

"No." I pout, holding him tighter. "Fine." ~

"No more cute Peeta, okay?" I say, prying him off a little bit so that I can breathe easier. "You have to start being strong Peeta. Remember, you're the man of the house while I'm gone." ~

I turn him to face me. "I will be strong. I promise." I say completely seriously. ~

"Good. You know I'll make it back." The more I say it, the more I believe it. ~

"I...know it, too." I smile. "You're stronger than them." ~

"We both are." I escaped from the Capitol once. Maybe I can do it again. I'm stronger than them. "I can't wait to get back." ~

"Me either." I squeeze his hands. "They'll be cake!" And sexytimes. ~

"There had better be cake." I laugh. "That's my favorite part of coming home." ~

"I promise, there will be." I laugh. I'm already planning. ~

"Gooooood!" I pull him closer to me for another intense, passionate kiss. I better get one like this when I come back. "I hope it tastes as good as your mouth." ~

"Even better, if you can believe it." I smile. "I swear." ~

"I know your baking is good, and I mean really good, but...you always taste so good." He always tastes like cinnamon for some reason. "Can there be cinnamon on my cake?" ~

"If you want there to be, there will be." I laugh at him. "Any other special requests?" ~

"Yes, actually. Can I feed you the first piece?" ~

I kiss him softly. "Of course you can." ~

"Yay," I say. Either way, he gets the first bite of cake. If I come back, he gets it. If I don't...

But I will.

"So now that we're both good on the situation...what now?" ~

A/N: I don't know, What now? How about ya'll review and you get to see? ;D