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

Chapter 30 - After The Storm

Peeta and I stood shocked as outrage rippled through the mass of people behind us as Coin fell off the stage, dead.

Some of the officials ran down to check on her health while angry hordes of rebels charged at a defenceless Snow, who was laughing maniacally.

I glanced over at Katniss who was being pushed and shoved by the crowd and yet stood her ground firmly as she watched Snow. Her movement to her shoulder caught my attention.

"Peeta!" I called to the man who was next to me over all the noise as I was pushed further away from them by the angry crowd, and he rushes forward towards my friend to stop her, his face a mixture of many emotions as hers turned into pure horror that Peeta stopped her, two guards pulling her away through the rushing flow of the angry mob of Panem citizens.

Haymitch grabbed put his hand on my back and steered me away from the crowds as some of the rebel security helped get the Victors and others away from the growing mass of people around the column as people went to move Coin and the angry mob attacked a tied-up Snow.

I looked around for Peeta, not seeing him behind us and lost in the sea of people. No matter which way I looked he wasn't there, and I started to panic the longer he was gone due to the sheer amount of Panem citizens packed into this one area of the Capitol. Then a hand slipped into mine and tugged on it, as if using it as leverage to pull themselves closer to me and wrap one arm around my waist.

Looking to my side I saw Peeta next to me, a serious expression on his face as we grew closer to an exit, and we were escorted into some cars that would take us back to the President's Mansion where we were all kept for security reasons.

Peeta and I ended up in one car together, the others piling into separate vehicles, while Peeta held me close after we buckled up.

"You okay?" Peeta asked, taking one of my hands in his and resting his head on my shoulder.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm okay," I nodded, leaning my head on his, "Are you okay?"

I felt him shrug against me, and I kissed the top of his head, placing my other hand on top of his that was clutching mine.

*****

A couple days had passed since the execution, and we had all mainly just been lounging around the mansion as we awaited further news on the future of Panem, and when some of us can go home, because at the moment, there isn't really a home for Peeta and I to go back to.

Katniss was facing the possibility of being charged for Coin's death, but Plutarch told us that he was fighting hard to get all charges against her dropped, arguing she wasn't well mentally at the time of the execution, as well as Beetee and Gale having given statements about Coin's involvement in the bombing of the Capitol citizens. According to Haymitch, the decision was most likely going to be in Katniss's favour. 

At this moment however, Peeta and I were talking with Cressida, Pollux, Finnick and Annie about the new Panem.

"Paylor's already made an agreement with the rest of the potential candidates for President that there will be a mass rebuild of the districts," Cressida stated, "That means 12 will be rebuilt."

"I've spoken to Paylor," I stated, snuggled into the side of Peeta, "I asked her what she was going to do about the 9,000 dead people of District 12."

Peeta rubbed his hand up and down my arm, knowing that I had witnessed all of the events with my own eyes, seeing people I knew be killed by the Capitol army firebombing our home. I had fell into a trance as I watched the dancing flames of the lit fireplace, and so Finnick asked me something to bring me out of my daydream, "What did she say?"

"Well, she said before any major rebuilds are done in 12, all remains will be brought to a medical facility in the Capitol and all the victims will be identified, which will take a while, but she's hoping with the advanced technology of the country, it won't be too long. She plans to make a memorial with everyone's names on it, as more people are identified, more people will be added," I explained, and sighed, an overwhelming feeling of loss building up in me as I thought about my mother. 

"That's lovely, y/n," Annie spoke softly, patting my knee from where she sat on another couch adjacent to mine, "That memorial is going to mean so much to so many."

I hummed, and we all fell into a comfortable silence, reminiscing on what we hope the new Panem will be like. But that silence was short lived as a knock on the door interrupted our peace.

The door slowly opened revealing a young-looking rebel that I seemed to recognise, "Uh, y/n y/l/n?"

I stood up from my seat and walked towards him, stopping half-way, and a glimmer of recognition flickered in his eyes, "You're the person from the briefing! I'm Marcus, the one with the dog called Petal."

That's when I remembered who he was, "I remember now, you're the guy from 13. How is Petal?"

"She's good, got through the rebellion unscathed, although she made a new friend during it, which is why I'm here," he said, and then opened the door a little wider letting a familiar black and white dog bound into the room, which had me dropping to one knee to give him the biggest hug, scratching his ear's and kissing his forehead, "My squad were the nearest ones to him, picked him up and he joined us for a while before we went back to a base. Him and Petal became the best of friends."

"Thank you so much for bringing Jasper back to me," I thanked him, tears coming to my eyes as I had started to lose hope of finding him again after not hearing anything about him since the taking of the Capitol.

"It's no problem," Marcus told me, "I'll see you around." 

I brought him over to the fancy couch I had previously been sitting on, placing myself upon it before he jumped up next to me, in-between Peeta and I, laying his head on my lap while I gave him a fuss, stroked him and scratching behind his ears. Peeta also stroked Jasper while we all talked.

*****

Peeta took me out to the gardens in the evening, both of us wrapped up warm to shield ourselves from the chilly weather. He guided me over to a bench making me sit on his lap as he rested his chin on my shoulder, wrapping his arms around my waist and pulling me flush against him, letting me lean my back into his chest as I pondered over why he brought me out here.

"Peeta, why have you dragged me into the freezing cold?"

He just pulled me closer, and whispered in my ear, his cold breath tickling my ear, "You told me and I told you that we'll watch the sunset. So that's what we're doing, watching the sunset."