We'll Watch the Sunset - Peeta Mellark x Reader Story

Chapter 14 - Quarter Quell

Some time had passed, Peeta and I continued to spend time together, and I stayed at the house to help look after Gale for some time.

His wounds had almost fully healed, but scars were still present across his back and most likely would be for the rest of his life.

When the time came for me to go home to my family instead of living with the boy I loved it was hard, but as Peeta said, it was for the best. He had told me about what Snow had said to Katniss, and he couldn't risk me getting hurt, and staying with him any longer than needed would increase the danger of Snow acting on his threats.

We hadn't talked about what happened the day he came home from the Victors' Tour, but it didn't affect our friendship in the slightest. We still painted and baked together. I would go into his library and pick a book to read to him. He liked it when I did that, saying my voice was soothing to him, like nothing else mattered.

Peeta helped me carry one of my bags back to my house in the Seam, before bidding me goodbye for the day, knowing that we would see each other soon.

I opened the door to the house, finding it empty, which caused the hairs on the back of my neck to rise because by this time, Mom would be preparing dinner and Axel would be playing with his wooden animal figures dad had carved for him when he was younger and I had helped paint. But the kitchen was eerily quiet, and no little animal noises that Axel would make when playing with the toys came from behind the couch.

"Axel? Mom?" I called out, looking around. I heard a noise that spooked me, and without thinking in my confused and scared state at the empty house, I ran, I didn't know where, I just let my feet just carry me somewhere.

That somewhere ended up being the Hawthorne's home.

"Gale? Gale!" I said, fearing the worst for my family, especially after Gale being hurt and Peeta telling me about Snow's threats. I heard heavy footsteps coming and a pair of arms hold me close.

"Y/N/N, what's wrong?" He whispered in my ear, rubbing his hand soothingly up and down my back.

"Mom, Axel, they're not at home, everything's gone, I don't know where they are. Where are they, Gale?" I worried, my mind going a million miles a minute.

"They're here, they're safe. They're living with us," He responded.

"What, why?" I asked, confused as I pulled away and saw them standing there while my heart raced at the frightening situation I had been in just moments before.

"We thought it would be safer, with everything going on in 12," Mother said, coming over to me, "I'm sorry we didn't tell you, it was last minute. We're okay, my sweet."

I nodded, taking a deep breath as my mom held me close, trying to calm me after the sudden spike of fear that had struck me when I saw my home cleaned out, with none of my family in sight.

*****

I sat in my new house, with the Hawthorns, and my mother and brother, watching the man with snow white hair making his speech about the 3rd Quarter Quell, the 75th Hunger Games. President Snow made me feel sick, he was a twisted man and my hatred for him only grew.

"We celebrate the third Quarter Quell as a reminder that even the strongest cannot overcome the power of the Capitol," He spoke, his voice filling the room, "On this, the third Quarter Quell game, the male and female tributes are to be reaped from the existing pool of victors in each district."

And just like that, it felt like my world came crashing down around me, Gale was immediately in uproar, his younger brothers asking what it meant as Mrs Hawthorne started weeping for Katniss. My mother placed a hand on my shoulder before telling Axel, Rory and Vick to go to bed, standing up with Posy in her arms and following them upstairs.

"He can't do this!" Gale yelled, slamming his hands down on the dining table.

"He shouldn't be able to, but he can," I said.

He turned to face me, "Y/n, if Haymitch gets reaped you know he will volunteer, Haymitch will do the same for Peeta, and Katniss has no choice," He said, "How are you not angry?"

I stared him in the eye, "I'm angry, Gale, but I don't need the younger ones to hear, it will only scare them."

He sighed and looked down, before sitting next to his mother, and trying to console her.

"I need to check on Peeta," I stood up, walking over to grab my jacket and put on my boots.

"Just be back by curfew," My mother said as she came back into the room.

"I will," I kissed my mother's cheek and left the house, making the familiar journey through the Seam, to Victor's Village, but something felt different, like a heavy weight weighing on my shoulders.

I was about to knock on his door when I heard his voice call out from behind me. I turn around to face him as he walked over from Haymitch's house. It felt like I was rooted to the ground as it finally fully hit me that he could die in that arena. Again. Slowly, Peeta ended up in front of me, and I threw my arms around his neck, him immediately returning the hug.

"It'll be fine, y/n/n," Peeta whispered in my ear, reaching out behind me to open the door and lead us inside.

"Don't make promises you can't keep, Peeta," I say, hugging him tighter. I heard him close the door, still holding me close.

"It's not fair," His voice broke slightly as we just stood their and embraced each other.

"Nothing with Snow is ever fair," I said, trying to stay strong, for his sake, but immediately failing as sobs wracked my body, "I don't want you to die."

"I've got to protect Katniss, y/n. I've survived before, I can do it again."

"These are experienced killers, Peeta. Please don't do this." I cried, hugging him impossibly tighter. He picked me up and carried me to the living room, where he placed me down on the couch and lied next to me.

We laid there in silence both crying, and in the end I fell asleep. I felt Peeta carry me upstairs and placing me on a bed, considerably more comfortable than my own, making his way over to the phone in his room to call the Hawthorne residence, both him and Katniss having requested that phones were to be placed into my house and Gale's, although the one in my old house was collecting dust, probably like the majority of surfaces in there.

"Gale, y/n is staying at mine tonight. There's no way she's in a fit state to walk home and if I was to walk her back I would be out after curfew." Silence followed, and then Peeta spoke again, "Yeah, see you tomorrow, Gale."

I then heard the sound of Peeta changing, and then he took off my coat and boots, placing me under the soft covers. Feeling the bed dip beside me, I realised, even in my sleepy state that he was staying with me like I had stayed with him many times before. I fell asleep, enjoying this peace, the calm before the storm.

My mind drifted to what Peeta had told me, I knew my love for him wasn't unrequited. I wondered, what would life be like if we didn't live in Panem? What would life be like if he had never been in the games? Would we ever live in a place without the corruption of Snow? Would we ever be able to be together, more than friends?

Edited: 21/1/23