@mollywog bet your post with the books got me thinking
"She always wears black," his mother said over Peeta's shoulders.
Peeta sighed as he struggled to tie his bowtie in the mirror. He could see the moment her lips thinned.
"I've never seen her in a dress," his mother commented.
Peeta straightened his bowtie. He'd been quietly dating Katniss. No one knew, and tonight he was going public. He had the ring in his pocket. Ever since his mother had found out he was taking Katniss to the Randolphs' holiday gala, she'd had pain in his neck, speaking poorly about Katniss.
"She always smells of," his mother wrinkled her nose. "Unalived things."
"Mom, what are you trying to say?"
"What if she's a witch?"
Peeta laughed in disbelief. Then he saw how serious his mother's reflection looked in the mirror. He stopped short.
"It's not funny."
"You really don't believe that, do you?"
"All of our people say that her people dabble in the occult. I know you've had this unnatural infatuation with this..." She waved her hand around as she lifted her nose in the air, unable to say Katniss's name.
"Her name is Katniss." The Everdeens were mountain folk. They had their own traditions, which were misunderstood.
"...whatever," his mother said as she walked around Peeta and stood before him as she continued speaking. "...Peeta, she's not one of us." His mother hissed, "She will never be good enough for you. They will not fit into our way of life."
Peeta was so surprised by his mother's comment that his hands stilled, not comprehending what his mother was saying.
"Now my friend has a daughter named Lois. She's perfect. I've taken the liberty to have Lois and her family come here."
"No."
"You're going to love Lois, she's perfect."
"Mother," Peeta firmly said. "I said NO!"
"Nonsense."
"MOTHER!"
His mother blinked, then her eyes became frosty. "Peeta, you can have a season with your witch, but she-"
"Mother, it's going to be more than a season, it's going to be a lifetime."
Summary: The twins are turning three and Katniss and Peeta have a 20 year anniversary. What better way to celebrate an anniversary and two birthdays than with a family vacation. What can go wrong?
Rated T
"Hey," Peeta said, handing her a to-go cup. "Light and sweet."
"I hate this stuff," Katniss muttered as she took the cup of coffee. She took a sip and sighed. Lately, she had a hankering for coffee.
"Tired?"
Katniss wrinkled her face. She had woken up with the feeling that something wasn't right today. Before they left the house, she double checked everything. Mentally, she went down her checklist.
Plushies. CHECK.
Four suitcases packed with clothing and shoes for adults and kids. CHECK.
Disguises. CHECK.
Medications. CHECK.
First aid kit. CHECK.
Lightweight rain jackets for four kids and three adults. CHECK.
Six backpacks. CHECK.
One game bag filled with games, sippy cups, snacks, and emergency packets of ketchup. CHECK.
Identification Cards. CHECK.
Tickets. CHECK.
Four kids. CHECK.
Three Adults. CHECK.
Emergency contact list. CHECK.
Sexy reading glasses for her gorgeous baker. CHECK.
Cat and geese sitter. CHECK. (Delly was house-sitting and was given the spare key to Haymitch's place. She arrived just before they left.)
All of the "i's" were dotted, and all of the "t's" were crossed, and yet, something wasn't right. Her mom's senses were activated, and she couldn't put her finger on what it was. It wasn't allowing her to relax.
"What's wrong?"
"It's just that for some reason, something feels off. I can't put my finger on it, but something in my gut keeps on telling me something wonky is gonna happen."
"Of course, something wonky is gonna happen. We're traveling with a million kids. And a slightly sober neighbor."
She couldn't help but laugh. Haymitch looked so tired, much like the way Diana looked when she needed to nap.
"Don't worry, everything is gonna be fine. I got everything under control."
"Famous last words," Katniss muttered to herself.
READ REST HERE AO3 & FFN
Read the entire series here:
Meadow's Call
A Million Kids
Ryley Translator
Tooth Fairy Jail
Buttercup2
Crocks are Fun
Thank you to @toastbabiesweek for this event. Please donate! Also, thank you to @norbertsmom, who is my lifesaver beta and bestie, and to my proofreader and friend who I bounce ideas off of @notanislander
So I'm writing for @toastbabiesweek Toastbaby event that's going to happen in August. See LINK for information. It's Katniss and Peeta raising their kids one near-miss adventure at a time.
Meadow's Call (1st Prompt)
“Haymitch, normally she’s a great cook, like phenomenal, but lately she’s been burning everything.” After yet another burnt breakfast this morning, he couldn’t do it again. The kids were suffering as well. “This morning, the kids didn’t want to eat the burned mush she made. A few days ago, she burned hard-boiled eggs, and the centers were still runny! I’m not even sure how she did that!” Peeta stood up, “She’s so adamant about cooking so that I can rest. It’s sweet, but I’m starving, Haymitch.” He began pacing. “The kids are starving,” Peeta ran his hands through his hair. “Yesterday she made me lunch...” Peeta didn’t get to finish.
“How horrible. Your beautiful wife made you lunch.”
“She burned the bread.”
“If I recall, burned bread is a thing between both of you.”
Peeta stopped walking and frowned. “What?”
A Million Kids (2nd Prompt)
“I’m anxious about-” She took a deep breath, then launched into spilling her dizzying thoughts. How do we make them feel loved? How do we make each child feel special? How do we make sure to listen to them? How do we make them feel safe enough that they know they can be themselves? I don’t want to ostracize one of them by accident because we’re too tired. I want our kids to feel the way you make me feel.”
Curious, he asked, “How’s that?”
“Safe and warm.”
Peeta exhaled as his heart fluttered. Katniss followed her words with one of her rare, beautiful, vulnerable smiles that reminded him of why, as a kid, he fell for her.
Buttercup2 (3rd Prompt)
“It’s a miracle,” Meadow exclaimed.
Ryley stood up and cheered.
Tooth Fairy Jail (4th Prompt)
Peeta slowly started to move his son off his chest and onto the bed as Ryley was nearly half asleep. He had successfully transferred Ryley to his bed when Buttercup2 sprang out from underneath a pile of toys, waking Ryley up.
“Mo,” Ryley mumbled as he sleepily yawned.
“Okay, one more page,” Peeta said, while glaring at the daughter of Buttercup. There was something fundamentally wrong with that cat.
The first prompt is done, and @norbertsmom beta'd the story. I'm working on a prompt for each day, but I wanted to encourage others to contribute. I'm not ready to reveal more just yet.
This is for you my bestie @norbertsmom I hope it brings a smile to your face. 🤍X
This contains SOTR SPOILERS, because its from the epilouge. It's how I pictured Katniss & Peeta coming to the decision to make the incubator. It's rated G -really fluffy and cuddly. It's also unbetaed all mistakes are mine
🦆KP🦆KP🦆
Katniss wiped the tears from her face.
This process of making the memory book, which was hard, took an unexpected turn, and she wept for all that was lost. Mourning for them and vowing to never forget them. Their deaths would not be in vain.
“Katniss?” Peeta called out.
She didn’t answer, instead she hid further in the closet. She heard his uneven steps as he walked away. Katniss buried her face in her hands, as she cried, her heart hurting for the man she considered more than just a mentor.
The soft click of the door let Katniss know Peeta had found her. The outside light didn’t permeate her dark corner. Peeta didn’t speak, he simply crawled in next to her. She moved over to allow him room. Since coming back from the Capitol, Peeta had gained some of his weight back and he grew taller.
“Hey,” he said in a quiet tone, once he was settled next to her.
“Hey,” she replied back in the same tone.
They sat in the dark closet each one with their legs tucked against their chests. Katniss rested her head against his shoulder. Each one lost in the memories they were uncovering as they created the book. Last week Haymitch had begun to speak to them about Mags and Wires. Katniss had no idea they’d been his mentor and had suffered greatly because of his stunt in the arena.
However it was as Haymitch opened up and told them the truth, not the one presented to Panem did their worlds implode. Katniss began thinking of how lucky she was that she and Peeta had somehow survived Snow’s regime of unnecessary cruelty.
When Haymitch began telling them about his life before the games, how he was friends with her father Burdock and her mother Astrid, and how being taken for the Games. It was a world that was forgotten, by hunger and misery. She wept all last night when she learned of Haymitch’s love.
Everything he went through. Haymitch was a combination of Peeta and her. He had Peeta’s heart and her street smarts.
“So Haymitch?”
“Yeah,” Katniss said. Peeta always knew, he just got her in a way no one else did.
“I cried myself to sleep after he told us about his little doves.”
“All those people he lost. Lenore Dove,” Katniss whispered as more tears fell.
Peeta turned his body and crossed his legs and Katniss climbed into his lap. He wrapped his arms around her, letting her cry. She held onto him, as he too wept for the man they considered a father figure.
“We should do something for him,” Peeta said, after they’d calmed down.
“What can we do?” Katniss looked up at him.
“We have each other, but he’s in that house all by himself.”
“He comes over to eat, but then he goes back to that house at night,” Katniss said softly.
Peeta nodded.
The night was the worst time for Victors. They all faced nightmares, reliving the horrors of the arenas, Snow, the War, and everything in between.
“No wonder he drinks,” Peeta said softly.
Katniss thought of Haymitch walking with small kids following him, like geese. A plan began to form in her mind. “We should get him geese.”
“Geese?”
“Yeah, I can get them in the woods.”
“You mean to trap them?”
“No, silly,” Katniss chuckled. “I can gather the geese eggs in the woods. But they’ll need to stay warm, birds sit on their eggs until they hatch.”
“I think it’s called an incubator. I can ask Beettee to get us a book on how to build one, and I can ask Thom to source us the materials.”
“Okay, as soon as you finish making the incubator I’ll look for the geese eggs.”
“Can’t wait for the moment the geese see Haymitch and think he’s their maw.”
Katniss chuckled, at the image of a dozen or so goslings instantly falling in love with Haymitch. Getting him geese eggs wouldn’t replace all of his loved ones. It was hard to believe his stories unless you understood what malevolence Snow was capable of unleashing. The man was ruthless, he had an unnatural hate of the districts and specifically of District Twelve. They found out through Plutarch that Snow had served as a Peacekeeper in Twelve at one point.
It boggled her mind to think of Snow as a Peacekeeper in District Twelve, a real snake in the grass. The man was evil and liked control. Katniss rubbed her arms.
“Are you hungry?” Peeta asked.
“I could eat.”
“Come on, I’ve got some cheese buns in the oven that are nearly finished. We can eat them with some soup.”
Her stomach grumbled.
Together they left the closet, Haymtich didn’t join them that night. And they excitedly talked about their plans.
Less than a week later Peeta received the book from Beettee. He’d been overcome with the portrait Peeta had made of his son. Peeta’s art had a way to bring closure to people. Annie requested Peeta make a portrait of Finnick. Johanna claimed she was in tears at the sight of Peeta’s artwork.
When Katniss had first seen Peeta’s art, he had drawn the Games and it shocked her and she couldn’t understand why he was painting something so painful. Now years later she understood Peeta used canvas and paint as a way to deal and process what he had gone through. Katniss wished she had something to help her cope. She wasn’t much of a talker, and words didn’t come easy to her. During her hours of therapy she found that physical labor let her work out her trauma, the anger she felt, the anxiety and all of her unspoken emotions. A good walk always helped her calm the whirlwind of thoughts and memories. During the colder months she helped Peeta chop wood for their stove and fireplace. In the warmer months Katniss tended to a garden. Hunting also helped but there were times that she felt as if she was back in the 74th Arena. On those days she’d run back to the safety of Peeta’s arms.
Today wasn’t those days. It was one of those days she couldn’t stop her mind from racing. She was battling within herself about what they were doing. Katniss had gone into the woods early, needing to do something to release her anxiety. She came back calmer, but was restless and went outside to chop some of the cut pieces of wood into smaller pieces. After coming inside with wood, she decided to find Peeta. He had been studying the book.
Katniss found Peeta in his art studio making sketches at his draft table. Katniss peered over his shoulder, even sitting down he was taller than her. He had a ruler with him and was making a schematic of the incubator. Katniss pulled up a stool and sat next to him content to watch him work.
Peeta glanced at her with that warm smile, she noticed the way the light made his ashy blond hair golden, her heart skipped a beat. He stretched out and she couldn’t help but watch the way the muscles in his arms tensed and relaxed. Or the way his back seemed to stretch, she could envision the muscle beneath his simple shirt rippling with strength. She felt her cheeks heat up as Peeta stood to his full height.
When he sat down on the sofa to read the book, she quietly scurried across the studio to sit next to him, eventually she ended up snuggled up on his lap with her head pressed onto his shoulder. Peeta often joked that he was her personal chair or blanket, she always wanted to be draped on him.
Peeta didn’t mind, he was always softly caressing her, running his hands lightly up and down her back, pressing soft kisses on her neck, forehead, top of her head, and the tip of her nose. He also liked playing with the tip of her braid. When she let her hair loose Peeta’s hands would massage the nape of her neck, twirl the strands of her thick dark teases in his fingers.
It was strange that someone who didn’t like to be touched loved to feel Peeta hand’s on her person. She became much more affectionate, as they grew closer.
Katniss would sniff his neck, cuddle with him, kiss his cheeks, and rub his leg with ointment when he had a bad day. She would sometimes press kisses around the nub.
Haymitch called them lovey-dovey and would often react snidely to their excessive touching. Katniss however didn’t even blink. She wasn’t afraid of Haymitch’s good natured teasing. What did bother her was the need for secrecy. They didn’t want Haymitch to know what they were up to, so they were keeping a low profile. It wasn’t a hard thing to do since Haymtich kept to himself. Yet not telling Haymitch still bothered her.
Katniss closed her eyes listening to the soft woosh the pages made as Peeta flipped one page of the book to another.
“So is it possible?”
“Yes, it’s really simple to do. I just need to get some cardboard, some plastic, tape, a bowl for the water, a thermometer, and a 40 Watt bulb.”
“That seems easy enough, do you think we could make one a little sturdier?”
“Sure I can get some thin pieces of wood.” Peeta put the book down, “What about you? Any success in the woods?”
“I’ve been scouting the lake, and found a few geese nests. I’ll need to get an egg crate so that I can carry them safely from the woods in my game bag.”
“You can use the egg crate when we finish eating the eggs.”
“Sounds good.”
Katniss wrinkled her nose and sighed at the same time. She wanted to talk to Peeta about her thoughts on the incubator endeavor but didn’t know how to begin the discussion.
“What is it?” Peeta asked.
“Nothing.”
“Sweetheart!” Haymitch called out.
They paused hearing his voice, Katniss looked at Peeta feeling guilty. Since their life began, when Peeta came back, there was an unwritten rule between all three of them that they wouldn’t lie to the other. And keeping this secret was akin to lying.
“It’s okay,” Peeta calmly said, stuffing the book in between the sofa cushions. “We’re doing this because we love him.”
It always astonished Katniss that Peeta always knew how to read her. Despite the highjacking, that ability to know how to interpret her awkwardness and non-verbal reactions. “Okay,” she replied.
Peeta placed several kisses on her face. She twisted her head slightly and he kissed her on the lips. She sighed. His kisses were better than any drug the Capitol could make. The door to the studio opened.
“Ugh,” Haymtich grumbled. He slipped his hand to his eyes, “I don’t need to see you doing stuff to Sweetheart, Kid.”
Katniss hid her face in Peeta’s neck. Her embarrassment hid her anxiety.
“Hi Haymitch, you do know this is our home, and we’re allowed to live our lives as we want. Besides I don’t mind Katniss seeing me in all of my natural glory.”
“Well keep all of your natural glory hidden, Kid,” Haymitch grumbled.
Peeta laughed, “You hungry?”
“Wouldn’t be here if I wasn’t,” Haymitch said.
Peeta laughed, and Katniss had to dislodge herself from Peeta so that he could stand and follow Haymitch out the door.
Haymitch stayed with them for the rest of the day, thankfully Greasy Sae and her granddaughter stopped by and all four of them had dinner. Katniss was able to not allow her nervousness over the incubator take over.
Later that night when they went to bed, Katniss wound herself around Peeta the way Buttercup did when he wanted extra bits of bacon. Peeta spoke with Thom to give him some of the wood he needed to make the crate. He then spoke with Greasy Sae to get him hay. Lastly he spoke to Effie over the phone to get him the lightbulb with the socket and electrical cord, a metal bowl, and the plastic film. When he had everything, Peeta set out to make the incubator, and on Saturday of that week Katniss took two egg crates and went into the woods.
Getting the eggs was not easy as the geese were very protective of their nests. Like a thief in the night she pilfered the nests getting caught nearly once as the geese ran after her. When she arrived home the incubator was done. They took the eggs and shined a light through them to make sure they were good eggs. Katniss was relieved that there was only one dud in the batch. Peeta carefully placed them inside of the incubator. Both showered and put on their best clothing to make the solemn walk across the yard to Haymitch’s.
Katniss had barely knocked on the door when Haymitch swung the door open, “What are you two up to?”
“We got you something,”Peeta said, holding the incubator up.
Haymitch’s grey eyes grew twice as large.
“They’re geese eggs,” Katniss said quietly.
Haymitch blinked once, twice, and Katniss noticed how his nose became red and his eyes watered. He removed the gray handkerchief from his back pocket and blew his nose. She could see that he was fighting with himself. She knew that fight, the one that wanted to remain tough and the one that wanted to show emotion. He cleared his throat and nodded.
Gingerly he took the incubator and set it up on the table. They followed behind him, and watched as his hands shook as he reached into the incubator and lightly brushed the eggs.
“You have to make sure that the temperature stays…”
“Kid, I know how to grow the goslings,” Haymitch said in a quiet trembling voice.
“We’re having a goose tonight if you want to come, don’t worry it wasn’t one of their parents,” Katniss said.
Haymitch chuckled, “Still have the personality of a slug.”
“Couldn’t be anything less,” Katniss said quietly.
He looked up at her and nodded, and gruffly said. “I’ll be there. Kid, you make sure you got some fresh bread. I don’t want to get indigestion from the old stuff.”
Katniss snorted, and took Peeta by the hand, “Don’t worry about the bread, you just make it on time for dinner.”
Haymitch waved them away. They walked across the street back to their home and as soon as they walked into their home they crashed into each other, embracing because they knew that despite Haymtich’s gruffness, he was happy.
When the first goslings hatched Katniss took to sitting outside to watch Haymitch walk out of his house with a row of goslings following him. He would call them by name and would speak to him like any proud parent. It was the sweetest thing and she smiled, while holding her cups. There was a time she and Peeta followed Haymitch around like the innocent goslings. Haymitch was in her heart more than a mentor, he was a father figure and she and Peeta were one of his goslings.
It's the wedding of the century, the Mockingjay is getting married. Every detail is meticulously planned. And the Capitol will record it all, the only problem is that the Bride is missing.
Thank you to @thelettersfromnoone @zenkor123 and @atelierlili for tagging me in Wednesday's WIP's . This is my sneak peek of my contributionf for @fandomsunited4hr collection.
It's rated T
“Thanks,” Delly said. “Thank you and Peeta for the sheets. I remember how bad winters get here.”
“So where did you live after the war again?” Katniss slipped her hands in her pockets standing straight, her no-nonsense face in place.
Delly felt heat blossoming on her cheeks. In the time she’d spent in the district no one questioned her past. Katniss, however, did. “I’ve, ah, told you,” she cleared her throat. “I spent time in the Capitol with my brother. I lived there until he found a nice girl and settled down. Then I spent time with Johanna and Annie. They’re raising Finn together, but a lot of the time I was the third wheel.”
“Then you came here?” Katniss clipped her eyes and suddenly was focused on Delly’s midsection.
“No,” Delly said, noting how high pitched her voice was. “Then I went to District Two, for a job.” She clasped her hands together. “Then I came here. I guess there’s no place like home.”
Katniss narrowed her gaze again.
Delly stared back unable to stop her face and neck from heating up. She wasn’t supposed to mention she went to District Two. She was supposed to say she passed through District Seven, but her mind was mush. Katniss wasn’t as oblivious as others claimed. Her mind was sharp. Delly busied herself with putting away the blankets. It felt as if Katniss could detect duplicitous actions and statements. Delly wondered what Katniss had been able to piece together.
I wrote a thing…for Comment Fest,- a Canon AU please go and read Igniting Sparks : A what if trope - what if nobody watched the games and the 74th games were the last ones.
I should’ve called this the voyage home but instead it’s called igniting sparks here’s a snippet-
“While there will be no press at your arrival, the residents are quite excited to see you today. So, I beg you to please act like dignified children. You will be staying in the Mayor’s Mansion for the next week. The homes in the Victor’s Village are nowhere near sanitary.”
Haymitch snorted.
“Your house is in a particular state,” Effie said. “We thought at first to house the children there with you, but we discovered that it wasn’t fit for pigs.”
“You should know,” Haymitch muttered.
Katniss snorted out loud which earned her a deadly glare from Effie. She turned her head and noticed how Peeta's shoulders shook. His face was red, as he tried not to laugh at Haymitch's jab.
Effie smiled tightly as she spoke, “The children will stay with the Mayor…”
“Um,” Peeta began. “Wouldn't it make sense for us just to stay with our families until we know where we want to live.”
“Well that certainly is a good suggestion, however…” Effie however was cut off by Haymitch.
“The kid is right, Trinket,” Haymitch said, pouring some brown alcohol into his cup of tea. “I bet Sweetheart is anxious to see her sister.”
All eyes turned to Katniss. She nodded. Her worry shouldn't have been Peeta, it should have been seeing her sister.
"I…” Effie stammered. “...forgive me Katniss, I did not consider you would be anxious to be reunited with your loved ones.”
“I'd like to see my brothers. I became an uncle while we were away.”
“I wish we had the media present, that reunion would have been so lovely,” Effie sighed.
Katniss was glad there wouldn't be any reporters present. While she did volunteer for her sister, Katniss did not want the specter of the Hunger Games to dictate her life. She loathed the public spectacle the ex-President tried to make of her life and Peeta's. Thankfully, the man had become gravely ill right as Katniss gave Peeta the nightlock berries, trying to save both of their lives.
“Fine, the children can stay with their families. You, however, will stay here with me on this train!” Effie stood up and triumphantly walked out of the dining car.
Haymitch turned pale.
Katniss couldn't help herself and laughed. Upon hearing her laughter, Peeta laughed as well.
“Brats!” Haymitch muttered under his breath before leaving them behind.
Peeta wiped his face as they stopped laughing. “Man, he’s got it bad.”
Katniss frowned, when Peeta wiggled his eyebrows. She wasn’t following what Peeta was suggesting.
“Come on, you can see it right?”
“See what?”
“How much they like each other!” Peeta exclaimed, rolling his eyes as if it was obvious.
“Like each other?” Katniss couldn't help her astonishment. “They hate each other. They're always bickering!”
“Exactly, they like each other, but they don’t want to admit it,” Peeta said, picking up his cup of hot chocolate and sipping it.
Katniss looked down at her plate, a little weirded out about Haymitch and Effie. It was too weird. Yet again, it couldn’t be true, but they sure did watch each other. Katniss sighed.
“So what do you think about what Effie said?”
“I don’t know,” Katniss replied. Truthfully she wasn’t sure what to make out of the idea of living in another District. She was struggling with how to bring up what happened in the Arena with Peeta.
“I’m going to talk to my family, see what they say…maybe you could talk to yours too.”
“What if your family wants to leave the District and mine doesn't?” The question flew out of Katniss's mouth. Although she was confused about her feelings, the idea of leaving him behind and being separated from him didn’t feel right.
“I don’t know,” he said. “Maybe we can do it together, you know, talk to them at the same time?”
Katniss nodded. She didn’t say much afterward, only stared out as the scenery flashed by the windows. They were almost home. She could see the blue crest of the mountains and the rolling hills of the woods she hunted in as she drew closer to home.
Effie and Haymitch were once more bickering. Peeta shot her a look, and she rolled her eyes. The train began to slow.
“Children, children, please gather round, we are approaching the station. Katniss dear, why didn’t you choose one of the lovely things Cinna designed for you?”
“This is my maw’s dress,” Katniss said. “It’s special.”
“Oh, I never realized you were so sentimental.” Effie sighed, “You’re just like a piece of coal put under pressure that turned into a precious pearl.”
“Some Capitol education you got, pearls don’t come from coal,” Haymitch snorted into his flask.
Effie reached out and snatched Haymitch’s flask away. “Whilst you are living on this train with me, I have one rule, No drinking.”
Katniss turned her face away. She wasn’t going to get in trouble with Effie again or Haymitch for that matter.
“As much as the dress is sentimental, I implore you, to please put on one of the outfits Cinna designed for you.”
Katniss wanted to protest but she caught Haymitch shaking his head no. “Fine,” Katniss muttered.
—-
Please go and read some really good stuff is on there!
This is for the wonderful @gremlinddrawss who drew a wonderful Everlark This DRAWING Named the TEASE
thank you for your wonderful art...Rated T - unbeta'd - all mistakes are mine-
Katniss and Peeta’s first time was a few weeks ago, but since then they had been dancing around the other about doing it again. It wasn’t good. It was awkward, but the promise of more was there. The tension was thick between them. They exchanged shy glances. Anytime they brushed each other, Katniss would get goosebumps all over. Yesterday evening, Katniss felt flushed due to Peeta’s heated stare as she ate his flaky aromatic bread. Afterward, she’d poured water over her face to cool herself down. Cold showers were becoming the norm.
Katniss couldn’t take it anymore and she prepared.
Sunday morning Katniss couldn’t wait to spend the day with Peeta. He normally didn’t bake or paint on Sundays. It was their day to lounge about and do nothing. Katniss took a deep breath, as she dressed. It was chilly outside, and she wished for it to be warmer so that she could wear one of the pretty dresses that Cinna had designed. Instead, she wore a sweater her mother had knitted for her, on top of a crisp white shirt and comfortable pants.
She bounded down the stairs to find Peeta drinking his tea at the breakfast table. He had cooked a hearty breakfast of thick fluffy pancakes, and mounds of bacon and eggs. Typically Katniss would've devoured the food, but today she had a different breakfast in mind. She had a game in mind, something pleasurable.
“Morning,” Peeta said as he took a sip of his tea.
“Where are you ticklish,” Katniss blurted, she felt the way heat flooded her cheeks.
Peeta spat out his tea. “I’m sorry,” he said immediately grabbing a towel to dry himself off.
The situation made her want to laugh. A small giggle escaped her lips and it was followed by an unfeminine chortle.
Peeta began laughing.
“What was that about,” he asked when the mirth died down.
Katniss took a deep breath, “I want to…” Her cheeks burned, and even her hands looked flushed. “You know… upstairs.”
“Really?”
Katniss took his hand and gently tugged him forward as a way of answering his question. Peeta followed behind obediently. When they were both kneeling on the bed, Katniss noticed he shared her goofy grin.
“You first,” Katniss said biting her lip, glancing up at Peeta from beneath her lashes.
Peeta nodded and reached out and tugged off her sweater.
Katniss jovially raised her arms. Her head got wedged in the sweater, and he laughed when it finally came off. She began snorting like a pig and couldn’t help herself.
“That was graceful!” Peeta began laughing.
Couldn’t help but feel giddy and laughed a full belly laugh, as she said, “Capitol worthy!”
“You would make Effie proud with that level of etiquette,” Peeta said his blue eyes shining.
Katniss loved the fact that she could be her authentic self with Peeta. There was no pretension, no expectations, he loved her unconditionally. Her heart bee-bopped in her chest, as she leaned forward to take his sweater off. “You next.”
His muscular torso appeared slowly. Katniss was taking it slow, enjoying the show.
“Kanmifff,” Peeta said from behind his sweater.
Katniss suddenly became nervous and pulled his sweater off, dragging his head down. She could hear his laughter at her jerky movements. He then snorted loudly.
This caused her to smile uncontrollably. “I think you missed some of those classes on etiquette.”
“I think you ripped my ears off,” Peeta said.
Katniss leaned forward and gently placed her hands on his face, giving him a teasing smile, gently cupped his face. “Real,” she whispered, as she gave him a kiss on each ear. Then she whispered, “Catch me if you can baker boy.” Katniss popped off the bed and ran.
Peeta sat there momentarily stunned, as she opened their bedroom door Katniss could hear him laugh-shout, “TEASE!”
She laughed as she ran out, anticipating the chase, this was one of the good games to play.
