Disclaimer: The Hunger Games does not belong to me. If I was Suzanne Collins, Scholastic, or Lions Gate Entertainment, I certainly wouldn't be writing fanfic.
A Baker's Proposal
I flee to the woods that have always been my refuge. I need their solace today. I extend my bow and let the arrows fly as I down one, two, and then three wild turkeys. I remember my lost friends and family because it's the only thing I can do.
Today is a day of loss for me. That's the way it has been for the past two years on this date and it'll always be that way for me. Yes, Panem changed for the better and there will be no more Hunger Games. Celebrations and parades are held throughout the country on the anniversary but I will spend my day in the woods in my own personal observance.
It is right that people should celebrate. The end of the Hunger Games were a cause for joy and I understand the need to remember each year, but I can't partake in it. Not when I was a part of it and not when the Hunger Games meant so much personal loss. Cinna, Finnick, Mags, I could go on and on. I can't celebrate after losing them. Prim and Rue are the hardest for me and I can't stop the tears, but there were also the deaths of so many other innocent people. The innocents always die and the rest of us must endure and go on.
As the sun starts to set I return to my house. There are no lights on inside but in the dimness I can see a cupcake sitting on my table. I recognize it immediately as one of Peeta's hot cocoa cupcakes, a special treat he created himself and only makes for me, on special occasions. Despite the solemnity of the day, I feel pleasure and thankfulness course through my body. I'm not sure I could've gone on if I had lost him too.
"I missed you today," Peeta says as he steps out of a shadow and flips on a light.
"I'm sorry," I begin feebly but he interrupts me.
"I know, Katniss, I know." He takes my hand and squeezes it reassuringly.
It's the truth. Peeta does understand. In all honesty, he is the only one who can.
He pulls out a chair at the table in front of the cupcake and I sit down to enjoy the treat. I peel back the foil but he stops me before I remove it.
"No, don't pick it up. Just eat it from the top down." Peeta smiles at me as he stands beside me with a hand on my shoulder.
I eye him curiously but I follow his instructions. I remove the marshmallows and eat each one individually. Then I move to the frosting which leaves my fingers sticky and I lick them self-consciously as I enjoy the sweetness and then wipe them on a napkin. Finally I reach the chocolate cake itself and eat it slowly. I don't eat chocolate very often and I will have to thank him when I'm done.
As I pick up the last bite I see a ring sitting at the bottom of the foil. It's an engagement ring and I drop the cake with a gasp, all thoughts of food forgotten.
Peeta gets down on one knee beside me.
"Katniss Everdeen, the past four years we've had each other's back. It started in the Games and many of the dangers we lived through we only survived because we had one another. We know each other so well, in a way that nobody else can ever understand. I love you with my whole heart. I don't just need you, I want to be with you, always."
He picks up the ring and holds it out to me. "You'll be my wife. Real or not real?"
"Real." I allow him to slip the ring on my finger and offer him my hand to pull him up.
I see that Peeta has tears in his eyes and I can feel wetness in my own as I embrace the man I love.
"I want us to have a good memory on this day," Peeta whispers in my ear as we pull apart.
I do not respond with words and instead bring my lips to his. I kiss him tenderly, my dandelion in the spring, my boy with the bread. Forever mine now.