katniss everdeen (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
burnwithus) wrote2011-02-25 11:57 pm
burnwithus) wrote2011-02-25 11:57 pm
volcanoes melt you down ➴ peeta
Every time she settles down to sleep, there's the feeling of being grabbed that shakes her awake. The Peacekeepers are her new nightmare fodder, not that Katniss was lacking in that department. It's really the only thing that she's thought about since they've returned home, the memories of screaming for Gale to shoot her hitting too close to home. Like everything is an echo.
He didn't, though. The deal Katniss had made with him did not apply to this version of Gale, just as she never quite knows how to act around this Peeta, unbroken and whole after being resigned to the reality of losing him for so long. All of the rules have changed, and she's stuck in the middle of it all, trying to adapt.
Trying is the operative word.
It's late. She's not sure how late, but the night air has the sort of stinging chill that only comes in the small hours of the night. Possibly foolish to be walking around at this hour, but she has her bow and her ears are as good as ever. Briefly, Katniss wonders if Jason's somewhere out there, now that she knows that he's watching her.
A twig snaps somewhere behind her, back to a cozy-looking house with lit windows. Katniss whips around, every muscle already tensed and only relaxes when she sees a flash of blonde hair, even by the pale light of the moon.
"Peeta?"
As always, there was a twist in her stomach when she sees him, of emotions she couldn't quite disentangle even if she were up to the momentous task of doing so. "What are you doing here?"
He didn't, though. The deal Katniss had made with him did not apply to this version of Gale, just as she never quite knows how to act around this Peeta, unbroken and whole after being resigned to the reality of losing him for so long. All of the rules have changed, and she's stuck in the middle of it all, trying to adapt.
Trying is the operative word.
It's late. She's not sure how late, but the night air has the sort of stinging chill that only comes in the small hours of the night. Possibly foolish to be walking around at this hour, but she has her bow and her ears are as good as ever. Briefly, Katniss wonders if Jason's somewhere out there, now that she knows that he's watching her.
A twig snaps somewhere behind her, back to a cozy-looking house with lit windows. Katniss whips around, every muscle already tensed and only relaxes when she sees a flash of blonde hair, even by the pale light of the moon.
"Peeta?"
As always, there was a twist in her stomach when she sees him, of emotions she couldn't quite disentangle even if she were up to the momentous task of doing so. "What are you doing here?"
no subject
"I just..." he started before trailing off, taking a deep breath and exhaling roughly. Staying away was probably better. He was working on moving forward, on having a future of his choosing. This might end up with him back in a place where he didn't really want to be. "I have to figure things out. There's this girl." He stopped again, having no idea why he had brought Claire up. She was on his mind for certain but there was no need for her to be talked about now.
Maybe he just felt that he couldn't keep that from Katniss. Not after all that they had been through. Slowly shaking his head, he found a place to start again. "Just because I don't want to know anything about the future back there doesn't mean I am going to let you be in pain. I can't do that."