I don’t know why I left her alone. She kissed me, and told me she could defend herself before I left for the Capitol, only to come back to the Capitol and find her curled up in a small room on a hard bed. She was nursing a stab wound she told nobody about. The first thing I did was have her moved to my bedroom, which she fought, and then have her looked at by our medic, which she also fought.

Now, I’m kneeling by her bedside, carefully changing the dressing for her wound. She rolls her eyes, sitting up and grabbing the bandages from me. She wraps the bandages herself, tying them tightly. I look at her sternly- it’s exactly what I would’ve done, sure, but my lover is not allowed to refuse care, or not tell anyone about her injury. I take her hand, Sinai can kiss her fingertips while I apologize.

She rolls her eyes, but lets me keep kissing her hand. “Lexa- Lexa! Stop apologizing. Jesus. You’re acting like I’m defenceless. It’s just one stupid injury.” She says, softening at the look on my face. “I’m sorry. I just… don’t like being cooped up, is all.” She amends, softening her face. She reaches out to touch my cheek, holding my face. She pulls me up by my breastplate, steadying herself by gripping said breastplate to pull herself up so she can kiss me.

She’s unsteady in her feet, but she still presses her lips to mine. I place my hands on her waist to gently push her away, and she stumbles. I have to catch her, and she lets out a pained noise. I give her a look, and she averts her gaze as I lay her down. She groans, curling into a ball and clothes her stomach before she realizes she’s showing her pain, and she tries to stand back up. I push her back down onto my bed.

“Stay still. Let the wound heal. Please.” I say, my hand still hovering on her abdomen. My eyes are pleading, and she knows it. She scoffs, but stays in a lying position. I sit down next to her, stroking hair out of her face. She leans into my hand automatically, pressing her cheek into my palm. I smile gently, and keep petting her hair and face as she melts under my touch. “I suppose a cage isn’t so bad when it has soft sheets and… y’know… you’re not so awful, either. Or whatever.” She says, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear and looking away from me.

“Can you have someone bring Louis in?” She asks meekly, turning away from me and tucking herself into the covers of my bed. I plop myself down on the edge of the bed and rub her back for a moment, and she gives my a shy look, followed by a soft smile. It’s barely more than a quirk of her lips, but it warms my heart. I stand and call for an attendant, who comes rushing in.