Peeta Mellark (double_knot) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2015-04-25 19:16:00 |
|
|||
Entry tags: | !complete, alyssa hamilton, peeta mellark |
Who: Peeta and Alyssa
What: Peeta has a bad dream experience
Where: Alyssa’s house
When: Saturday, April 25th
Rating: PG / brief "death" and swearing
Status: Complete
The other day he had dreamt through all the pomp and circumstance of the 75th Annual Hunger Games, which included finally meeting a couple of the friends he had made here in the dreams. It was terrible to think that he was going to have to kill some of the kind people he had met in order to save his own life. President Snow was certainly pissed off with what he and Katniss had managed to pull off in the last Hunger Games and this was their punishment. All the Victors had banned together and show off a united front against the Games, but nothing could stop them. He had woken up that morning at the sound of gongs signalling the start.
He had gone about his days just being normal and trying not to dwell on what was going to potentially happen the next time he closed his eyes. It freaked him out that he was going to have to face the horror of the arena again. So, when the opportunity to go over to Alyssa’s came over he eagerly accepted and was currently sleeping in her bed when he slipped into his dreams. They were relentless as he dreamt about the bloodbath at the Cornucopia and ending up on land with his new “alliance”. Everything was going well as he dreamt about hacking a path through the jungle when suddenly he made the wrong jab with his knife and hit the force field that surrounded the arena.
The jolt, in the dream, caused him to fly back and his heart stopped. Unfortunately the dreams decided to bleed over at the same time. While he wasn’t thrown back he definitely jolted in bed beside Alyssa and his heart stopped for the moment.
Alyssa woke up when she felt a loud thumping against the bed, sitting up and looking over at Peeta. “Peeta? Y’alright, luv?” She was still sleepy, her words slightly slurred, but when he didn’t respond - didn’t move - she reached out to jostle him lightly. He was completely limp, his head lolling to the side. “Peeta?” She turned on the light, then reached out to shake him again. No response. With shaking fingers, she felt for a pulse, remembering the first aid courses she’d taken in secondary school. Nothing.
“Peeta Mellark, you hear me, you are not doing this. No.” She got onto her knees and closed her eyes, starting to glow with a gold light, illuminating the room entirely, pushing away all shadows. It was with that light spreading from her that she leaned down, moved her hair out of the way, and started to do CPR.
There was some sort of strange disconnect for Peeta. He couldn’t figure out where he was in relation to his body and while he could see Alyssa giving him CPR he was also seeing Finnick giving him CPR at the same time in the Dream world. No one had warned him that there would be a force field and he certainly hadn’t expected to die like this. Both parties were working hard to make sure that he stayed alive. And the strange golden light didn’t make any sense to him, but he remembered it was coming from Alyssa.
Everything combined finally managed to get Peeta’s heart pumping again and he slipped back into reality with a loud gasp as his back arched and he tried to get his breath again. His body was sore and he could feel the tingling in the tips of his fingers. That was certainly not something he had expected to happen from the Dreams. His lips were dry as he tried to speak and looked up at Alyssa, “Sorry.”
Alyssa had been pumping his chest again for the compressions, but then he spoke and she leaned back, laughing from sheer nervous adrenaline. “You don’t have to apologize, oh god, you’re all right.” she leaned in, still glowing, and snogged him firmly, pulling him close. The light felt like a warm blanket enveloping them both. If she hadn’t been so panicked, she’d have realized she was crying.
The light made him feel warm and he could feel some of the aching in his muscles starting to ease. The kiss was returned and then he realized that she was crying. A panicked look crossed his face as he reached up to brush her tears away, “Hit a force field in my dreams. My heart stopped there. I didn’t realize it would happen here as well. I’m sorry for scaring you.” He had no idea what to expect in his dreams anymore, but he really hoped he didn’t die anytime soon.
She smiled sadly, sniffling and wiping her other cheek with a free hand. “My granddad came through my dreams once and helped dead people who were evil possess living people? So I kind of understand. It’s all right now because you’re okay. I was just scared. I only just found you, you can’t leave yet.”
“I promise I won’t be leaving anytime soon,” he spoke gently as he leaned forward to give her another kiss. And then let out a soft groan of pain as he let himself settle back down onto the pillows, “Oh god, how am I so sore? I don’t think I want to go through that ever again. I certainly don’t want to scare you ever again either.” He knew that he cared deeply for her when he was ready to make that promise and do everything in his power to keep it.
Her eyes widened and she moved toward him again, the glow moving to concentrate just in her hands. “Where are you sore? I’ll rub it out for you.”
“That sounds so incredibly dirty, but I understand what you mean. And it’s everywhere, especially my chest. It feels like I got shocked in this world and that makes me frightened for what could happen in my dreams,” Peeta had never been truly afraid of his dreams until now, when he realized that he could be affected by them in real life. Accepting his death in the Hunger Games had happened a long time ago, but now feeling the effect of Dream pain, he was scared.
She reached out and moved to gently rub his chest, her fingers barely touching him, letting her light do the work. “Me too,” she murmured, focusing on her work. She didn’t know anyone who was a healer, not anymore, and she bit her lower lip as she worked. “Do you need anything to drink?”
There was not a complete understanding of what exactly her light did to him, but he knew that it was making him feel better the moment she passed hand over certain spots. It was strange to think that she could do something like this, but in this moment he was completely thankful for it. However, her question drew a chuckle from him which made his chest tighten just slightly in pain, “Ugh, a stiff drink would be nice.”
Alyssa nodded, leaning down to kiss his chest. “What’s your poison? I’ve got pretty much everything.” She ran her fingers through his hair, sighing a little to herself. Of all the people she knew in the world, he deserved this the least.
“Surprise me? Gale was totally right about how these dreams make you want to drink. They’re so incredibly frustrating,” Peeta wasn’t much of a drinker, but he did it when the time called for it and this was certainly one of those times. His Dreams were terrible and sometimes it was better to numb the pain than to sit around and dwell on it. Alyssa was his favorite distraction, but she was unfortunately seeing this side of him as well.
Alyssa nodded, moving toward her living room and the liquor cabinet. She poured a gin for herself and a glass of whisky for Peeta, figuring if he didn’t like it, she’d just try other things. Coming back into the bedroom, she sat down by him, handing him his glass, and setting her own down. Resuming rubbing his shoulders, she smiled sadly. “My dreams, when I first had them, I just took Ambien for weeks. Didn’t help much, but I understand having dreams so bad you just want to escape.”
There was a light smile on his face when she came back and he took the glass from her. He lifted it to his lips to take a long sip before setting the glass on his lap. His head turned to the side to look at her properly with a sad look in his eyes, “How did I get so lucky with you? You’re taking such good care of me.” He still didn’t fully understand how he had managed to catch her, but he was so thankful. She was like his guardian angel right now and he didn’t think anyone else would take care of him like this.
“I have no idea,” she murmured. “In my dreams, I can see ghosts - here too. And I don’t know, I just help them. Not that you’re a ghost, and not that you needed my help when we first met. Just ... I don’t know, it’s not in me to see someone hurt and not help. I care about you. More than you know.” She kissed his shoulder, letting her forehead rest there. “I remember the first time I had an awful dream, I just stayed awake in my room and cried. I wouldn’t wish that on anyone, much less someone I’m as fond of as you.”
“I appreciate that. It’s just different to actually have someone around that cares. It’s been too long,” Peeta admitted with a sigh, “My parents mean well, but I don’t live around them. And while I have friends who have the same Dreams they’re dealing with their own stuff as well. I’m glad that you care about me because I feel the same way about you. And I understand laying in your room and crying after one of these Dreams. They’re scary things.”
He adjusted himself slightly so he could slip his arms around her and bring her closer to him. This was that last step off the cliff and he knew that he was certainly falling in love with her. There was nothing he could do about it, but he hoped that she felt the same way and they wouldn’t end up with bitter broken hearts in the future.
“My dreams kept going,” Alyssa chuckled. “I still have them, but now I’m used to them. It’s like seeing the same horror film over and over. And of course I care. How could someone not care about you?” She stroked Peeta’s cheek, moving closer so she could kiss him. She didn’t want to tell him about her dreams, if only because she didn’t want him to have that burden too on top of everything else. “I just hope for you when yours end, they end.”
“It sounds like the Dreams just repeat for the rest of your life. And you end up with the memories of them anyway, so it’s not like they’re going to disappear forever. But I can hold out hope for a happy ending, but we’ll see,” he wanted to know more about her Dreams, but he wasn’t going to push her for answers and explanations.The time would come when she wanted to tell him and he would be there for her just as she was with him. He returned the kiss and gently rested his forehead against hers, “You continue to make me want to keep you.”
“Some people’s have stopped,” Alyssa smiled. She reached out to resume rubbing his shoulders, liking his closeness, liking that their heads were so close she thought she could hear his heartbeat. “You deserve an ending where your world realizes what utter bellends they’re being and just decide to give everyone who’s been in those games a pony and a lifetime supply of chocolate.”
“Hmm,” he hummed lightly as he melted into her touch. He could get used to this, “We’ll see what happens. And that would be an interesting ending. I don’t want a pony, but a lifetime supply of chocolate could be great. But I must admit I’m enjoying this life far much more than that life. At least here I don’t have to be forced to do anything I don’t want to do. And I think I’m pleased with my life choices so far even if they’ve left me scarred in different ways.”
“You got to stop being in the military here. There it seems they keep dragging you back in.” Alyssa stroked his cheek, smiling sadly. “I promise you, if anything shows up here and tries to harm you, I will do everything I can to keep you safe.” It went beyond her being a Rooder and protecting people; she cared for Peeta. If she was honest, she loved him a little.
“I probably would have continued in the military if the accident hadn’t happened,” he admitted with a tired voice as he leaned his cheek into her touch. It was so strange that they hadn’t been together long, but he could easily discuss his anxieties and such with her. He moved his head slightly to kiss her again when she made her declaration of protection for him. It was soothing to know that he would always have her in his corner, “And I will do the same for you, Alyssa.”
“Did you enjoy it? Well, beside the obvious.” Alyssa didn’t want to stop cuddling him; there was something important about maintaining skin to skin contact. It meant she knew that he was alive, that he was okay. “It took me ages to figure out what I want to do.”
“I didn’t mind it. I think the bakery was a much better idea, but I really didn’t hate being in the Army. So, maybe it’s better that it did happen. And you’re allowed to take time to figure out what you want to do. It’s an important decision,” he pointed out to her with a smile before placing a kiss on her temple. He almost wished he had been as carefree as her and gone to college. He had no idea what he would have studied, but it would have been fun.
“I know now, I’m going to be a psychologist. Apparently I’m easy to talk to.” She smiled, letting their legs tangle together and kissing his fingertips. “I’m just glad you’ve got your mate from the Army. I had no idea you knew Gale when you asked me out, you know.” Small worlds indeed. “Does he tease you for dating me?”
“Apparently,” a wry grin appeared on his face at that comment. He certainly found her easy to talk to and they never had a shortage of discussions when they were together. However, the comment about Gale gave him a pause and his brow furrowed just slightly, “Why does it matter if I knew him? Did you fancy him? And yes, he teases me for dating you, but mainly because I’m a dopey fool in love.”
“Ugh, Gale? I mean, he’s handsome, but dunno. It’d be like kissing someone I’m related to.” She laughed at the brow furrow. “Don’t be jealous! I was mostly commenting about how small the world can be at times, and trying to distract you from being hurt.” She pulled him closer, arms gently around his shoulders, and tried to reassure him that she didn’t have eyes for anyone but him. “You’re not dopey,” she murmured between kisses. “And if you are, you’re my dope.”
“Well, I don’t know everything you did when you were here before. Maybe you had a wild crush on him,” he pointed out with a blush on his cheeks. Okay, maybe he had been a bit jealous at the idea of anything happening between Gale and Alyssa. Thankfully nothing had happened between the two of them and he was distracted by her kisses. The dope comment earned a laugh as he rolled her over onto her back, “Oh am I? Are you claiming me for yourself?”
“Mmm, no. I’ve already dated someone who does the angsty brow furrowing thing, that’s enough for me.” She giggled when he rolled her onto her back, arching into him and biting her lower lip. “I am, is that a problem?” Mostly Alyssa was just glad he was able to roll around without being too sore.
“And nope, definitely not a problem,” he managed to murmured as he lowered his head to nuzzle against her neck. He nibbled and sucked on her neck in the hopes of leaving a hickey on her skin just for fun. His hips pressed against hers and he knew that he was feeling much better after his near-death experience.
“Good, because I’ve no intention of stopping.” He probably had no idea how much she enjoyed teeth, but the way she moved against him probably illustrated things. She let one of her legs move to his hip, looking up at him with hooded eyes. “I’m glad you feel better,” she murmured. “Because if you die again, I’ll kick your ass.”
He lifted his head long enough to see that look and he couldn’t help but give her a wide grin, “I will hold you to that. I don’t intend on dying again and I especially don’t want you to kick my ass.” With that he lowered his head once more and the two of them were able to come together as a reminder to him that he was still alive and if he got to spend his time alive with Alyssa like this then he was going to do his damndest to stay alive.