An Extra Tribute

-time to leave-

I wake up facing the wall, meaning that Peeta flipped us when Katniss woke him up to watch. But, I can't really see the wall, since I'm wrapped up in Peeta's arms and can only really see his jacket beneath our shared one. I look up and see him looking down at me with his beautiful blue eyes.

"Good morning, love," he whispers. I yawn and bury my head back into the jacket.

"Hi," I reply. He laughs quietly.

"You've got to keep watch, Noah," he says softly. I groan and blink a few times to wake myself up.

"Fine," I say. Quickly, he rolls us over and I pull myself up a bit so I can see over his shoulder. He rests his head against my shoulder and over the next few minutes I hear his breathing slow down. I sit in silence for about an hour an a half, thinking over my escape plan and consoling myself over my decision. I carefully turn myself over, removing my arms from Peeta and trying to find the zipper's end. I try to breathe quietly as I shift around and find the tab. I pull it down the whole way and feel the crisp morning air whip me in the hands and wrists, as my own jacket sleeves have slid up. I push Peeta's arms away from me and roll out of his grasp. I quickly zip the jacket back up so he's not as cold, but I still see him shift in discomfort. I crawl to my backpack, sword, and trident and grab them. I spin around, standing up and see that Peeta's awake and sitting up. He raises his eyebrows, looking unimpressed.

"Where are you going?" He asks. I sigh and drop my bag to the ground.

"Nowhere," I reply. He nods. I lay back down next to him and he unzips the jacket, wrapping his arms back around me. I furrow my eyebrows, annoyed. He looks at me and sighs sadly.

"Just stay until morning. Please," he whispers, pleading. I take a moment to consider his plea.

"Why? This'll be easier for everyone," I whisper.

"Because."

"You know, you're a very vague person."

"I am not."

"You kind of are."

"Whatever."

"So, why?"

"You know why."

"I do. I just don't get it. If I'm gone by the time y'all wake up, it'll be easier to forget about me and to move on to win this thing."

"Yeah, but then you're gone earlier and I don't really want that."

"Aren't you in love with Katniss?"

"Well, yeah, maybe-"

"Then, forgetting that you love me will help you know that you are in love with her and move on and live a happy life with the girl you're supposed to be with."

"How do you know I'm supposed to be with her?"

"Because then the Game Makers would've said any two tributes. But, they didn't, so I'm as good as dead. She isn't. She's your girl."

"You're my girl."

"Eh."

"You know, you're kind of annoying sometimes."

"Wonderful! Be with the girl that isn't annoying," I reply. He's making this a hundred times harder for me and I need a reason to shut him up. Especially since at some point this whispering is gonna get louder and there's no way we can let the Capitol know about this. He rolls his eyes and looks away. I sigh. Now he's mad at me. I don't need him to be mad at me. I just... need him to be with Katniss. It'll be better for both of them.

"Hey," I whisper, grabbing his face in my hands and making him look at me. "I'm sorry. I just need you to move on, alright? Consider me gone already." His eyes travel away, signaling that he doesn't want to listen to me. "Peeta," I say quietly, yet in such an emotional way that he looks back at me. This isn't fake or coincidental this time. "I love you." I pull his face towards mine and place my lips on his gently. He's quite surprised, but kisses me back, tightening his grip on my torso. I pull away quickly and am very thankful that it's dark in here and that we're covered by the jacket.