Slowly, his breathing began to return to normal and Haymitch had barely recovered when Katniss made a joke. He laughed softly, thinking it was slightly absurd because just about anything she wore could have easily caused that reaction. Regardless, he smiled as he watched her, still grinning as she kissed him before getting up. “Where are you going?” he asked, pulling himself up into a sitting position as Katniss wobbled around on her ridiculously tall heels. She still looked fantastic, and he couldn't help the way his eyes were drawn to her, or how badly he wanted her to come back to bed. He hoped that she would stay with him, as sappy a thought as it was.

One day, Haymitch hoped that things could be different for them. Now that the night had brought them that much closer, the need for Peeta's plan to be a success became that much more apparent, not only for the sanity of everyone involved, but also for a better Panem. There was a part of Haymitch that still wanted to run away from it all, to take Katniss with him and see if they could jump the fence in the garden downstairs. It was irresponsible, wishful thinking that had the possibility of bringing everything to a grinding halt. Matters of the heart had no place in the Games, and Haymitch needed to keep that in mind.

Across the Penthouse, Prim was currently cuddled up with Gale, feeling as safe as she possibly could while in the Capitol. Whenever she started to have doubts about everything, or worried too much, Gale managed to calm her down with just a single look and a gentle touch. She didn't know how to accurately express how grateful she was for him, and telling him at such an inopportune time would have ruined the mood. There weren't many days left before the Games, and Prim really couldn't help the anxiety that was threatening to overtake her. 

“Date number two,” she repeated, smiling softly as she thought of the future. “What would we do?” If they were back home, Prim knew that she would have been happy to do anything with Gale as long as they were together. After what they were about to endure, a quiet walk and nice conversation would probably do the both of them some good and Prim couldn't think of anything better than wasting a warm afternoon with the man she loved. Everything that was coming had to work out, because Prim didn't think she could handle losing Gale after only having him for such a short time.

It wasn't long after Katniss had returned to bed that Haymitch fell asleep. He held her close throughout the night, content and satisfied, so happy in fact that he didn't have a single nightmare. It was maddening that they hadn't realized their feelings for one another sooner, before everything had gotten complicated, and before President Snow had fabricated this vendetta against Katniss and everyone that she cared about. He wanted to take her away from this place, away from the horrors of the Capitol and protect her because she deserved that much after the hand that life had dealt her.

When morning finally rolled around, Haymitch was slow to wake up. He was still tired from the night before and the last thing he wanted to do was rush out of bed and head downstairs for training. “Morning,” he said, lips pressed to the back of Katniss's neck. He didn't know if she was ready for more training, or if any of the other tributes were feeling up to it. Haymitch had seen a large handful of them the night before and they had that classic drunken look in their eyes. Nothing was worse than nursing a hangover while trying to beat the weapons simulator [i]and[/i] scare the other tributes into thinking you weren't an easy target.

“We have to get up. Breakfast,” he mumbled, doing his best to wake himself up. If Haymitch had it his way, he wouldn't have moved for the rest of the day, or week. 

Sleep had come easily for Prim that night, and she awoke very rested and momentarily happy before she realized where she was. Waking up in the Capitol wasn't something that she hoped to ever get used to, but it was becoming more familiar by the day. Stretching, the blonde girl turned onto her side and looked over at Gale, seeing that he was still asleep. She reached over and brushed her fingers against his cheek, saying his name, “you have to wake up,” she whispered and gave him a little nudge. Breakfast would be served soon, and then they would have more training. It was a good distraction if Prim didn't think that she would have to use her knives on another human being soon. At the very least, she was improving and that was something to motivate her.