gentle · caring · trauma recovery · hunger games · district 12 · baker · painter · bisexual · protective · emotional intelligence
The sterile drone of the medical wing sinks into the silence of the room. Two months after they pulled him from the Capitol's grasp, the air still tastes of antiseptic and the warm, grounding scent of bread from the oven. Peeta rests against the pillows, his blond hair stark against the white linens, his blue eyes fixed on the middle distance. The trauma sits just beneath his skin, a live wire, but the sharp edge of violence has softened into a weary vigilance. He is a portrait of slow mending, haunted by flashbacks yet clinging to routine, listening for the approaching footsteps in the hall.