Careless Whispers

23

I wake up the next morning with a heavy weight pressed against my back. His finger gently traces the fine lines of the branch on my back and I feel his other hand still tucked under my body as his head rests in the small of my back. I feel everything so serenely, so calm for the first time in quite a few years. So selfish of me to want to just lay here for the rest of eternity, but just a few more minutes couldn't hurt. I feel him get up a little and the hand comes up to brush my hair from my face.

"I know you're awake, Chickadee," Peeta whispers and I look at him, sighing.

"Ten more minutes," I say, turning my head away from him. I grip onto my pillow and clutch it close to my body. He leans over and kisses my shoulder.

"Are we really going to spend the entire day in bed?" He chuckles and I groan. "Not that I have any objection. I just think we got a little distracted last night in our quote unquote training." I sigh and grab onto his hand, clutching it to my chest. 

"Yeah, admittedly we will no doubt need to hunt again tonight," I say. "So for now, just let me have you all to myself just a little while longer." Peeta lays back down a little and runs his fingers across my shoulder, his breath soft and warm against my skin.

"Can I ask you something?" He asks and I glance at him before laying my head back down. 

"I suppose," I reply.

"Why this drawing?" Peeta asks. "I mean, it really isn't my best work if I'm being perfectly honest." 

"Because you drew it for me," I reply. "The first thing you ever gave me. I guess despite it's flaws, it was really special to me." He leans over and kisses my temple. brushing my hair from my face.

"Well, you are my pretty little songbird, so of course she is perfect despite the flaws," Peeta whispers. "But unfortunately for you, I am not one to spend all day in bed, so I'm going to go ahead and get ready for the day.

 He sits up and I feel him move away from me. I turn over and look at him as he gets dressed. He stops and holds up a tattered piece of red satin. I chuckle and lay back down as he throws it at me. I look over the remnants of the dress and ball it up, tossing it to the side.

"Well, looks like Johanna isn't getting that dress back," I say and he chuckles.

"Well," Peeta says, leaning back over me after having buckled his jeans. "Next time, don't be walking around in something so flimsy around me and expect it to be in one piece in the morning." He smirks and kisses my forehead. "Finnick said he would take me for some formal training in the woods. I'll see you when we get back." I sit up and blink at him. 

"You sure you want to leave so soon?" I ask and he shakes his head. 

"As tempting as the offer is, I do need to do some training outside of this room if I'm ever going to be of any real use," Peeta says, kissing me gently and turning to leave, sliding his T-shirt over his head and shutting the door. I groan and lay back down, pulling up the blanket and curling into the fading warmth of the bed. 

I hear the door creaking open and glance over as Johanna jumps onto my bed, her hands tucked under her chin like an 80's glamor shot. She glances at the balled up red fabric on the ground and then looks at me.

"I thought I heard your fuck me record spinning when I got home last night," She says. "Ordinarily I would be pissed about you ruining my stuff, but I think this time I can make an exception. Good for you, getting it on." I sigh and run my hand through my messy hair. "So, how was it. Pretty good judging from the Cheshire cat smile across that boy's face when he left here."

"You know when you wait for a decade or two to come back to town for just one more taste of a certain human?" I say. "Well, multiply that by twenty and increase it to the energy and sex drive of a newly turned vampire." Johanna smirks and flutters her eyelashes.

"Worth the wait?" She asks and I nod.

"Don't get me wrong, I much rather he wasn't a blood sucker, but now that he is, I don't think I'm letting him go easily," I say and She looks at the bloodstained sheets. She sits us and shakes her head.

"Good lord, what did you two do to each other last night?" She asks. "You two must like it rough." I sit up and grab a T-shirt, pulling it on and looking at the splatter and smears on the sheets.

"Probably just stray drops from the blood sharing," I say. "Even with my healing ability, I'm surprised that there isn't any bruising on my neck as many times as he sunk his teeth into me." Johanna looks at me and sits up, a curious look on her face. 

"Blood sharing?" She says. "You mean to tell me that you two were screwing  and instead of just one feeding off the other like happens with a human, you two were constantly-"

"Sucking each others blood when we came, yeah," I reply. "I always knew blood sharing was an intimate process, but I have never felt the connection with another person before like I did last night with him. Words don't even begin to describe what you feel when it is all crashing down at once."

"So it really, truly is him?" Johanna says. "He is Peeta Mellark, who you dictated as the King of Hearts even though he was presumed dead." I shrug and look at my hands.

"Well, to be fair, he was dead, and until the curse was working on his brain, he didn't know who I was to him," I say. "But yes, the King of Hearts has surfaced and the deck is complete. But I will not see him complete the role until he is ready and as far as I am concerned he is not."

"Agreed," She says. "He is useless to us if he can't control himself. Thankfully, the impulsive side of him has you to keep him occupied." I feel a blush rise to my cheeks and she smirks.

"What is next?" She asks and I shrug, laying back.

"Well for now, we are going to reap the world for all we can.," I reply.

"