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

Chapter 26 - Pods

I was in the midst of feeding Jasper some food while everyone else lounged around the building we were taking cover in, windows blown in and rubble strewn over the floor, while some furniture stayed intact, with enough space for us all to sit on chairs and benches and to sleep when we Jasper perked up, hearing something that we couldn't, barking at the noise, and walking away from me and towards the entrance, the rest of the squad looking towards the border collie with their nerves spiked, wondering what he could be barking at. Then we heard the familiar sound of an engine running, and the sound of rubber rolling along the desolate streets of the Capitol.

"Is that Peacekeepers?"

We all started walking over to the entrance, weapons in hand to approach the truck while Jackson radioed over to check we were safe, "451 to base. We've got a truck coming in from the south. Over."

She must've got a reply and quickly called to us, "Stand down, everyone.
It's friendly."

Gale, Boggs, Katniss, Finnick and I all went up the steps while two men jumped out, going round to open the doors at the back of the truck. I gasped when I saw who had jumped out and shuffled over slowly, muttering to himself. As he got closer Katniss pulled back her bow string, pointing it directly at Peeta as Gale yelled for him to stop where he was. While the others looked to Boggs to see what we were going to do, I nudged Katniss' bow out the way to walk over to him, muttering to himself.

"Y/n back away!" Gale yelled. Peeta looked up, slightly scared, due to the many pairs of eyes burning into him.

"Hi," He breathed out, and I responded with my own greeting before he pulled me into a hug, like I was his lifeline and continued muttering the same thing over and over, 'I am Peeta Mellark. I'm from District 12.'

I returned the hug, rocking the scared boy back and forth to comfort him, shielding him from the hostility being thrown his way by Gale and Katniss. I heard Boggs order Jackson to cuff Peeta, and her approaching footsteps. Pulling away from the hug, I set and gentle kiss on his cheek, muttering small words of comfort to him, and then standing beside him when Jackson reached us, Peeta placing his wrists out slightly towards the Lieutenant as she placed the fabric cuffs on him.

"Soldier, this is just a precaution till we can get everything straightened out. Yeah?" Peeta nodded ever so slightly, and I rubbed his back, leading him into the building that Katniss had stormed back into. And while I had a calm exterior, on the inside I was pissed that Coin had sent Peeta here when he was clearly not emotionally or mentally ready to be in a war zone and could attack Katniss again. Gale had went in after and a few of the others had disappeared back inside. Finnick came and fell in line on the other side of Peeta as we walked down the steps.

"Thank you," Peeta mumbled, as I showed him to where I had claimed a spot.

"For what?" I asked, as I sorted out a few things in my bag.

"For everything."

"Y/l/n, meeting, now," Jackson called me over, the majority of the group staying sitting around the room.

I came to lean against a wall near to Boggs and Jackson, Jasper staying with Peeta, resting his head on his knee, a habit the dog always did when he was around Peeta, to make sure he wasn't in anyone's way but able to comfort the bakers boy after everything he went through.

"They want us to add him to the propo. Show that he's on our side now," Boggs stated, explaining Coin's plan, "We'll move forward a few blocks tomorrow and shoot the new footage."

"He's not in control of himself," Gale muttered, raising the issue of the elephant in the room.

"I say we schedule an around-the-clock watch on him," Jackson stated, looking to Boggs and then back to me, knowing that I would be able to confirm if it was a good idea after spending hours with Peeta's doctors and using my knowledge as a nurse and as his friend to help suggest ideas with them, "The Leegs till 1700, Homes and Mitchell till 1900."