A Happily Ever After

Not Wanting to be Saved

Chapter 10

~Katniss POV~

I reach to Peeta's side of the bed. Empty. I let out a whimper, craving the radiating warmth only he can deliver.

"Peeta?" I croak hopefully. Maybe he's in the room. Nothing. "Shit." I curse, stumbling up on my feet an trudging down the stairs to the sound of crackling bacon. I rub my sleepy eyes and see Peeta shirtless and cooking at the stove. He turns and and smiles at me before returning to his work.

"Well good morning sleeping beauty." I let out a long yawn.

"I'm always freezing in the morning and you're always up at some ungodly hour doing whatever Peetas do and I have to-" I stop when I'm behind him, looking over his shoulder. "What're you making?"

"French toast and bacon." The annoyance I felt a minute ago is gone. I crawl up onto his back with my arms and legs hugging him, my cheek resting on his bare shoulder.

"You can get up at any ungodly hour you want to." He chuckles and turns his head to kiss my cheek.

"Well thank you for the permission." I smile at him and kiss his shoulder. "So what's on the agenda today."

"Uhm, let's see, we're going to check up on Haymitch and everyone's coming over for dinner tonight."

"That's it?" He asks, sliding the bacon onto a plate. I nod.

"Yup. That's it. Unless you have to go to the bakery or something." He shakes his head.

"No, it's closed on Sundays." I smile into his hair. I like having days where I just get to laze around with Peeta all day. He sits me on the counter and smiles at me, resting his head on my shoulder. "Are you going out to the woods today?" I run my fingers through his soft curls and smile.

"Nooope." I say, popping the 'p'. I feel him smile wider against my neck and press a soft kiss to it.

"Yay," he sits up and kisses my nose softly before returning to the toast. He finishes up and sets the table, coming and picking me up and sitting me in my seat. I grin up at him as he sits down across from me and we start eating, talking occasionally. When we're done he comes and stands me up. "Do you want to go over to Haymitch's now so it's out if the way or later." He asks, wrapping me in his arms.

"Let's do it now. I want to make sure he's still alive and moving." I say, tracing the muscle lines in his back. He nods and kisses my forehead, letting me go so we can go upstairs and get changed.

•••

We walk down Victor's Village towards Haymitch's house hand in hand. I look up at the sky.

"It's gonna rain." He looks up at the blue sky with white clouds. No grey.

"How can you tell?" He asks. I sniff.

"I can smell it." I say. He snorts.

"You can't SMELL rain, Kat. You can smell snow," I shake my head.

"Nope. I smell the rain, Peeta."

"Why do I doubt that?" He asks. I shrug.

"I have no idea. But I'm not lying." I say, squeezing his hand. He nods.

"Now it all makes so much sense." He says. I snort at him as we hop up on Haymitch's porch. I bang on the door.

"HAYMITCH." I holler through the door. We walk right in to the putrid smell and torn up house that never seems to change. I clench Peeta's hand a bit harder and he takes it away, only to wrap it over my shoulders. We walk into the living room to see Haymitch out on the couch, surrounded by vomit puddles and beer bottles and cans. It makes me sick.