Feelings didn't come easily to Haymitch, and he wasn't very good at dealing with them either. Before Katniss, he had only been in love one other time, and Haymitch hadn't realized it until it was too late. Maysilee was careless, and because of that Haymitch had watched her die, held her hand and felt the life leave her body. It didn't have to be that way with Katniss, he could have told her how he felt before anything went wrong, but there was a lot holding him back. With a plan now in motion, whatever it was, the former Victor felt guilty for wanting to be close to Katniss. He didn't want her to make any decisions based on death, to settle for him because she thought that her time was limited. There were signs there, moments between them where Haymitch thought there could have been something more, but acting on it could lead to disastrous results. Katniss was still young and although she didn't know it, she had her entire life ahead of her. Why would she want to pin herself to some old drunk when she could have anyone else?

If Katniss didn't want to leave his room, then Haymitch wasn't going to make her. As she pulled away from him and playfully mentioned forgetting where her own room was, Haymitch raised an eyebrow. That seemed like an invitation, but the older man wasn't going to take it. Had it been anyone else, had they been back home and not about to fight for their lives, things may have been different. Maybe Haymitch would have kissed her by then, maybe he would have told her how special she was, or how he wouldn't have ever wanted to stop drinking if it hadn't been for her. The timing just hadn't been right, and that was something that Haymitch had gotten quite used to in his life—things going wrong. 

“Suit yourself,” Haymitch shrugged, although he was happy that she wanted to stay. He slept better when she was around, no nightmares, no restlessness and part of Haymitch thought that his company did the same thing for her. Katniss was much more easy going when it was just the two of them, but he had always attributed that to their friendship and similar personalities.

Friends didn't cuddle, though, and Katniss was the one who had wound herself around him on their first night in the Capitol.

Getting into bed next to her, Haymitch turned off the lights and pulled the covers up around himself. It would have felt more natural to reach for Katniss, but he continued to hesitate. His younger self would have laughed at him for it, but the newly responsible adult in him knew that being cautious was the best bet, toeing the line until it was okay to do otherwise. “You should try to sleep in anyway,” he said, but he knew Katniss would be up early regardless. 

Everything felt so surreal to Prim, and part of her was starting to think that all of this was a pleasant dream. In the morning she would wake up, alone in her bed to find out that none of this had really happened, that Gale didn't feel anything for her but friendship. The third kiss brought her out of those thoughts, it was more firm, more deliberate this time and there was no way that it was a dream. Prim found herself smiling against Gale's lips and leaning into the warmth of his hand on her cheek. It was the perfect moment, even if they had to play the Capitol's game, nothing could ruin what had just happened.

“We probably should sleep,” she agreed, although she was far too giddy and excited to just close her eyes and drift off. After getting beneath the covers, Prim was once again wrapped comfortably in Gale's embrace, which was exactly where she wanted to be. As he played with her hair, Prim laid her head down on his chest, the position began to feel familiar, like something she could easily get used to if they continued to fall asleep together. There was hope for that future and she had to keep that in mind when it came to Gale, and going home. 

Sleep was uneventful for Haymitch, and he slept through the night without a single incident of waking up in a cold sweat, or dreaming of dying in the old arena. With Katniss in his bed, his mind had been calm and in the morning, when he opened his eyes his arms were securely around her waist, her back to his chest and his face pressed against her hair. He took a deep, calming breath, his senses completely overtaken by the stubborn woman in his arms. If someone were to walk in, another Avox, Haymitch knew that it would look worse than the first time, but there was a part of him that didn't care. He was where he wanted to be, holding who he wanted. 

His arm was starting to fall asleep, and Haymitch did his best to move without waking Katniss. He knew that she needed rest, and that the week that was soon to be behind them had been long and tedious. Training always was. 

The extra sleep had been just what Prim needed, and she had woken fully rested and refreshed. It may have had something to do with falling asleep next to Gale, too. Just barely awake, Prim pushed her hair away from her face, her body still fitted to Gale's side. He truly did feel like home, and his presence was calming enough to make her forget that there was training to be done later, knives to work with and more defensive moves to learn. None if it really mattered at the moment, not when Prim was so happy.