(Katniss' POV)
"Honey, I'm home." I call pushing open the back door leading directly into the kitchen of the bakery; my game bag dangling over my shoulder.
"Oh Peeta! Your lady love has arrived bearing gifts." Rye calls up to the register behind the revolving door separating us from the customers.
"I see you've got something for my dad. But the real question is, what do you have for me?" He comes to place his hands on my hips, those big blue eyes peering down at me expectantly. I shake my head disapprovingly before pressing my lips to his. He tastes of icing and pastries.
"Hands to yourself Peeta." Mr. Mellark interrupts with a smile, "I have told you a million times to stop fondling that girl in my kitchen."
"I brought some squirrels for you." I hold them out for him to inspect.
"Very nice, thank you Katniss." He nods, handing me a loaf of bread in return.
"I really don't need this you know, your son keeps me full enough." I say without thinking and Rye bursts out laughing. "Of food," I add immediately.
"How did I manage to raise a pair of perverts," Mr. Mellark sighs in exasperation.
"I don't know." I shrug.
"Why is no one running the register? This is why we lose customers!" Mrs. Mellark barges in. "Oh I should have known. Katniss." She greets me with a glare.
"Carolynn." I smile back, kill her with kindness, as Peeta always says.
"Put on an apron and get to work or get out. There's no time for little girls to stand around and twiddle their thumbs when you're running a business. If you're going to marry into this family you will have to put your nose to the grindstone."
"Does this mean you're finally accepting me?" I say with fake enthusiasm.
"I'm merely accepting that I can not get rid of you and I won't have you wasting anymore of my time. Apron," she thrusts it at me and watches with an annoyed expression as Peeta slips it over my head; making a neat bow at my lower back before giving my behind a little love tap. "Hair net." She insists and I pull it onto my head.
"Happy now?"
"Hardly." She sneers, "Peeta back at the register!"
"I love you." He kisses my forehead gingerly.
"I know." I grin.
"I hid some cheese at your station, made them myself." He runs his nose alongside of mine.
"Now Peeta!" Carolynn snaps her face turning beat red.
"Sir, yes, sir," he salutes her, finally marching back to the front.
"And wash your hands Katniss, I don't want our customers contracting any diseases."
"Of course not," I coat my hands in soap. Rubbing it all the way up to my elbows before rinsing it off and drying. I went back to join Rye at the counter, rolling out a fresh sheet of biscuits.
"So tomorrow's the big day." He bumps my shoulder with his own.
"Yep, Peeta's last reaping."
"I bet you're relieved."
"Well I would be but it's also Larks' first year."
"How is the little guy? I haven't seen him in a while."
"He's good. That brother of yours bought him a goat for his birthday so he's been preoccupied learning how to make cheese and stuff."
"The lucky little brat has a whole farm between you buying him the chickens and Peeta giving him the goat. What's next a cow?"
"We've talked about it but-"
"My god Katniss I was kidding, you're spoiling the kid rotten." He rolls his eyes at me.
"He's mine to spoil, butt out." No one gets to call my baby brother a brat except me.
"Whatever you say Everdeen."
I climb into bed with Peeta later that night. Both of us staring up at the ceiling.
"Peet." I nudge him gently, when I can't keep my eyes open any longer.
"Hmm?" He cracks open his right eye.
"I have to go."
"Stay with me," he pouts sleepily.
"I can't. I need to be home with Larkspur incase he gets nervous and can't sleep."
"Put me to sleep first," he grins pulling me back down on top of him.
"Fine, you're lucky you're cute."
"Damn right I'm lucky, my girlfriend is Katniss Everdeen. The girl on fire." He casts my panties and shirt aside bringing his mouth to my left nipple.
"Will you shut up already? That was one time." I thread my fingers into his hair, pulling him closer to me.
"But it was adorable." He says around my skin and I buck my wetness against his shaft. Peeta had given me my first orgasm, without realizing that it was my first orgasm and that I had no idea what was happening. I had started screaming that I was on fire. He has never let me live it down. Taking him into my hand I position myself over him, sinking down on his length. We both sigh in contentment.
"You feel so good baby." He breathes in a strained voice.
I hum in agreement; moving my hips up and then back down slowly. He quickly grows tired of my pace and rolls me beneath him, pounding me into the mattress at full force. "Do you like it when I fuck you Katniss?"
"God Peeta, love you." Is all I can manage, his taste for dirty talk is something that surprised and aroused me all at once. I love when Peeta loses control. I love that I can make him do that.
"Mmm, I love you too." He slows down monumentally and I groan. His thrusts are deep and calculated, "but that doesn't answer my question. Do you want me to fuck you? Or do you want to make love?" He rolls his hips in the most deliciously, way hitting that spot inside me I didn't know existed till he found it for the first time.
"I don't know," I trail open mouth kisses along his jawline, locking my ankles around his back. "Both?"
He chuckles reaching up to palm my breasts and I arch into him. "Both." He mulls this over, "you're a demanding little thing."
"I don't care Peeta, please!"
He turns me onto my stomach before slipping back inside. Working me over with soft kisses and caresses paired with rough thrusting, then painfully slow strokes where I feel every delicious inch of him while he tugs on my nipples harshly, biting at the sensitive skin of my neck.
"Perfect," I murmur, "perfect Peeta." I feel him smile at the nickname.
"Sweetness." I hear the teasing tone in his voice, he knows how much I hate being called that. He moves a hand down between my legs to circle my clit.
"Oh fuck." I try to wiggle away from the intensity of it but he holds me firmly in place and I whimper.
"Be a good girl and take what I'm giving you. Your sweet little pussy can handle it." His lips move over my shoulder blades.
I grip the sheets on either side of my head as he moves faster and once again I am the girl on fire. I cry out when he gives a particularly harsh thrust.
"Hush Katniss," He whispers, warm breath tickling my ear. "I'm so close, beautiful. Are you gonna cum for me?"
I nod turning my face into the pillow to muffle my screams as I tumble over the edge where only Peeta can take me. I feel him pull out to release onto the sheets with a groan. Once he's cleaned us up he flips me onto my back, I'm too lazy to do so myself. He begins stroking the sweaty hair away from my face grinning down at me. "Thank you."
"Thank you," I giggle tiredly.
"Was that ok for you?"
"Yeah it was great."
"I wasn't sure about saying that thing about your pussy but-"
"Ew stop. Please refrain from using those words unless we're doing it, that's the only way I can stomach it and you know that."
He smirks at me, "you're so pure."
"I'm serious," I snap, "I don't wanna hear either of the p words, the d, the v word, or the c word."
"By the c word are you referring to cunt or cock?"
I cringe pulling myself into a sitting postion, "Peeta please!" I cover my ears.
"I'm sorry." He kisses my shoulder, "you're just easy to mess with."
"I really do have to go this time." I pull myself to my feet, hunting down my clothes that have been strewn across the room.
"I got you something, for tomorrow." He scratches the back of his neck sheepishly as if he wasn't doing unspeakable things to me not even ten minutes ago.
"You didn't have to."
"I wanted you to have your own dress, so you don't have to wear one of your mom's hand me downs again." He pulls a brown bag from the closet, "now that I'm thinking about it I probably should have hung it up but-"
"It's beautiful," I run my finger along the soft silk material of the dark green dress. "Thank you Peeta. You're too good to me." I worm my way into his arms once more.
"You deserve to have nice things." He kisses the top of my head. "I think it's wonderful that you spend all your wages on things for Larkspur but you...are worth so much more than you know."
"I love you Peeta, more than you know." I mutter, breathing in the sweet scent of him.
"I love you more." He holds me at arms length. "I'm done stalling, it's getting late. Let me walk you home."
I nod, knowing he won't let it go until I say yes. When we reach my door he runs his thumb and forefinger down the length of my braid.
"I'll see you tomorrow."
"See you tomorrow." I kiss him soundly before turning away and pushing open my door.
"Katniss is that you?" Larkspur calls from his bed.
"Yeah, it's me little duck. What are you doing up?"
"I had a nightmare. It was my name they called at the reaping." He cries and I scoop him up in my arms running my fingers through his unruly mop of blonde hair.
"They're not gonna pick you, it's your first year, your name is only in their once. Lay down and go back to sleep."
"I can't," he argues.
"Try." I lie down beside him humming softly. Eventually his breathing slows and I allow myself to drift away.
Morning comes all too soon and I find myself bathing and dressing in the gift too wonderful to be worn on such a grim occasion. "Now you look beautiful," mother says when she's finished pinning my hair up.
"Thank you." I brush her off going to find Larkspur. He's dressed in a white button up shirt and khaki pants that are just a bit too big but he refuses to change even as I fuss with the back, tucking it in repeatedly. "I have something for you. From Madge." I add.
He perks up at this, he's had a crush on her for a while now, and she being my age found it adorable. "What is it?" He turns the gold pin over in his hand.
"It's a mockingjay pin. As long as you have this nothing bad will happen to you. I promise." I kiss his forehead quickly before the bell tolls calling us all to the town square. We hold hands until it's time to check in and we're separated into age groups. I'm lucky enough to have a clear view of the back of his head where he stands with the other twelve year old boys on my left. Peeta and Gale are beside each other across the isle from me, both of them turning to look at me. I hope I don't look as anxious as I feel.
"You ok?" Gale mouths silently.
I nod, "I'm fine." I mouth back turning my attention toward the large screens beside the stage displaying the same Capitol propaganda that I remember from my first reaping. I can feel Peeta's eyes burning a hole into the side of my head but I can't risk him seeing how absolutely terrified I am.
"Welcome, welcome to the reaping of the 74th Hunger Games. As always lady first." The pink haired woman stuck one gloved hand into the glass bowl, fishing out a name after a long moment. "Talia Waterman."
The short dark haired girl made her way to the stage wearing an expression of complete indifference. I didn't know Talia from a hole in the ground and I let out a sigh of relief. "Now for the boys."
I try to control my breathing, please not Peeta, please don't be Gale, and most of all please not Lark. I repeat the mantra to myself. The stakes are higher this year than they have ever been.
"Larkspur Everdeen." My stomach drops. I see him tucking in the back of his dress shirt and I step toward him unsure of what I plan to do only know that I need to protect him.
"I uh-" I whip my head around to find the source of the voice I know so well, "I volunteer. I volunteer as tribute!" I step out into the isle reaching for him as he passes me but his eyes are trained on the stage.
"Well, in a very dramatic turn of events here in District 12 we have our very first volunteer, Peeta Mellark." I kiss three fingers and hold them up for him, to my surprise Gale does too, followed by Larkspur and the rest of the crowd. The boy with the bread has given me yet another gift I can never replay him for.