The Hanging Tree || Peeta Mellark

10 - Return

"One more time? For the audience?"

Peeta extends a hand to me just as we are about to depart the train and step onto the station platform at District 12. This is the most he has spoken to me since the night of the reunion.

It's not as though I haven't tried. But Peeta is surprisingly good at building up walls around him when he wants to shut someone out.

He feels humiliated, I get it. It doesn't matter if my feelings grew to be genuine because whichever way I put it, I still went along with Haymitch's plan to play it up to the cameras in the first place.

And I don't regret it. I don't regret it all because Peeta is still alive and we have both arrived home to District 12 where our families and friends are waiting to greet us.

"Peeta-" I begin, but a cold look from him quickly shuts me down.

"Don't, Ronnie." His voice is hollow. "I don't want your pity. I get why you did what you did. I do, really. But please do me a favour and do not pity me. We greet District 12 as 'lovers', and then we get on with our lives as we were before all of this."

Okay, sure. But I guess he is forgetting we're going to be neighbours and fellow mentors for the rest of our lives.

Haymitch chooses that moment to come up behind us and wrap his arms around our shoulders, squeezing us tightly as he breathes vodka fumes down upon us.

"Alright, lovebirds? I hope you're ready for your welcoming committee. Big celebrations tonight! Remember, nice big smiles for the cameras and don't forget to act in love."

I feel Peeta tense at his words. Although Haymitch either doesn't notice or simply doesn't care.

I suspect the latter.

"Welcome home, Peeta and Veronica!" Mayor Granger greets us as we step out of the train hand in hand. His daughter, Hermione, beams at us as she clutches a huge bouquet of flowers. "Tell us, how does it feel to be walking back onto your own district together?"

Peeta immediately let's go of my hand to slide an arm around my waist, pulling me smoothly to his side. "As you can imagine," he says, smiling brightly to the waiting audience and cameras, "it's everything we dreamed of. Now Veronica and I look forward to navigating our journey together with the love of all our friends and family by our side."

As the crowd erupts in silent hand waving, Peeta holds me close and places a tender kiss on the top of my head. I sigh into him, my body relaxing for the first time in days. It's almost as though we are back in the arena - back in the cave where he was mine and I was his.

Hermione chooses that moment to step forward and thrust the heavily scented flowers in my face.

"For you," she says unnecessarily, her face going slightly red, "and can I just say that I think you two make the most wonderful couple. I cried every time you were shown on screen because I wanted you to make it. And now you have."

Peeta tenses. I try my hardest to make my smile seem genuine.

"Thank you, Hermione," I say, relieving her of the bouquet. "They're beautiful. I look forward to putting them in my new home."

"The houses are all ready for you," Hermione said. "I personally ensured that yours and Peeta's houses are next to each other. Although, maybe you want to share one? I wasn't sure..."

She goes a deeper shade of red and looks down bashfully at her feet.

"I think it's a bit soon for us to be thinking of cohabiting," Peeta says, his arm tightening around me, although I doubt out of affection. "But thank you for your thoughtful gesture."