Disclaimer : As always, I do not own The Hunger Games or any of its characters.

I See Fire

x

Carefully, I slowly rock back in forth in the rocking chair located in our bedroom. Katniss is sleeping and I don't wish to wake her.

I continue drawing the small curve of her lips from the beautiful smile she only exhibits in her dreams. But those could turn into nightmares at any second, so I need not take too long.

My eyes catch on her lips a little longer, where my own had been placed just hours before. . .

I'm giddy with excitement as I prepare to put the goat cheese and apple tarts in the oven. I haven't made them in so long but I just know that these will be amazing, because this time they'll be for her. I could feel her gaze on me and the hairs on the back of my neck stood. My whole being was in sync with my heart when it came to my feelings for Katniss. Turning around, I flashed her a smile. "Hello."

Her eyes went to my hands, "What are you making?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"I'm hungry," she said, a blush beginning to riddle her cheeks.

"We finished supper not too long ago." I remind her with a growing smile. "But anyway, it's a secret."

Now I've got her. "Secret?" She takes a step inside the kitchen, her tread admiringly quiet.

"Mhm," I answer. Watching as she makes her way over to me. I engulf her in my arms, but don't give her the ability to look behind me.

"Why can't I see?" She whined, her sparkling silver eyes capturing my gaze. They never fail to take my breath away.

"I wanted it to be a surprise,"

Her face turns sour and her voice is almost as light as air, "You know I don't like surprises."

"I know," I reply softly, afraid that she might retreat into herself and shut me out as she does so often when life feels overwhelming. I've gotten better at not triggering those times, only on reckless occasions do I forget and slip. But those times have grown to become rare and it hasn't happened in such a while, the thought of it happening again causes my throat to swell up a bit. "I'm sorry. I wanted to please you."

Her eyes grow a bit wide before they soften, "Why would you want to please me?" She gets on the tips of her toes and peers over my shoulder, analyzing the pastries on the counter. "Apple tart?"

"Goat cheese and apple tart," I correct in a whisper.

She stares at them for a long time. I begin to grow weary. Were there any bad memories tied to the pastries? I knew I should have gone with a new recipe—

"Goat cheese and apple tart." She repeats. "You used to make that at your family's bakery, right?"

Now it's my turn to startle. How did she know that? I open my mouth but nothing comes out.

I'm even more surprised when she lays a hand on my cheek. "You told me about it once, during our first games." Her eyes travel from my eyes to her hand, "Haymitch had sent us a meal from the sponsors. . . goat cheese and apples included. I ate them together once and you mentioned it. . . do you remember?"

My mouth seems to be void of any moisture and it's becoming almost too hard to breath. Of course I remember. Of all the parts from the tape of our first Games Dr. Aurelius gave me after the rebellion when I spent time in the Capitol during my recovery, the cave scenes I would replay over and over until my eyes refused to stay open.

"Peeta?"

I focus my gaze on her searching gray eyes, the longer I stay silent the more. . . fear grows in her gaze. "I'm sorry."

Confusion takes over in a flash. "Why are you sorry?"

"I'm scaring you, aren't I?" I say. "My episodes scare you."

She shakes her head softly, "No. Peeta, they aren't your fault."

"But they still scare you." I cut in shamefully. She can't lie to me. We don't lie to each other.

"Not in the way you think," she says.

I'm somehow offended by this. "The way I think?"

"Yes. Your episodes don't make me afraid of you," she purses her lips for a few moments. "They make me afraid of what might happen after. If you'll relapse. . . or if you'll realize what a terrible person I am and decide to leave."

I lay my hand on hers that's resting on my face. She's no longer looking at me, instead seeming more interested in the floor. "Katniss."

She still refuses to look at me.

"Katniss, please?"

I do the one thing I know she doesn't like and will for sure garner her full attention, I grab her waist tightly and dip her down like I learned to do with Effie during our Victory Tour days. Katniss lets out a squeal and locks her hands tightly around the back of my neck. I can't help the grin that takes over my face as she looks back up at me, her cheeks flushed a beautiful shade of crimson.

"Peeta!"

"Katniss," I say. "You can't possibly think that I'd ever want to leave you. I wish more than anything that I could take back all the nasty things I said after being hijacked, that wasn't really me. There's nothing more that I regret besides never having the gall to talk to you before we were Reaped."

Her eyes are glistening now and I refuse to let them fall. So I do the one thing I know never fails to calm her—I kiss her.

When I look into her eyes again, she's already got them fixated on my own. I'm so surprised when she captures me in another kiss that I almost lose my grip. I hold her tighter and pull her closer, careful to not scare her.

I pull her back up when she begins to prod my mouth for more, to which I willingly allow. The kiss is so wonderful, it was as if the rest of the world stood still. She awoke a fire in me only she was capable of setting ablaze and I knew that it would take everything in me to let her go.

My love for Katniss has made itself well known in my heart since the moment she asked me to move in with her. To know that she trusted me enough to live in her house despite my frequent episodes made my heart swell, but even then that could not compare to the amount of joy I felt when she invited me to stay in her bedroom. My attempts to shield her from her nightmares with my arms were almost second nature then, and the kisses that soon followed made everything feel right in the world.

I have yet to tell her I love her, but I know that deep in her heart she already knows. Just as I know that even though she herself has never uttered words of any sort of affection, she cares about me more than even she is aware. I know it in the winter when she collects sap that she knows I love to add into some of my favorite breads and pastries. I know it when—even though she's upset because she believes that she has caught nothing worthwhile and returns with the sweetest little pout—she doesn't fail to bring me back squirrels after a long hunting trip because she knows that they remind me so much of my father.

Making sure not to make any noise, I slowly get off of the chair and walk over to my nightstand on my side of our bed. I admire my finished drawing for a few moments more before closing the pad and putting it in my drawer. I put my favorite charcoal pencil carefully into its box as well before shutting the drawer closed. Katniss would have usually woken by now if it was going to be a bad night, so I think it's safe to rest now.

I slip carefully into the sheets beside her, placing an arm around her out of habit. As I stare at her peaceful complexion now, I know that the three special words aren't far from slipping past my mouth. She'll know for certain that I love her soon, and hopefully she tells me that she feels the same way too. Hours later I'm still feeling the effects of her kiss, it had ignited a whole new fire within me that would take an entire lot to quell. Her fire touches me in new ways each day. But with Katniss I am always patient, always cautious.

x

A/N ~ Hello you lovely people who have reached the end of this little one-shot! From the moment I first heard the song of the same name by Ed Sheeran who knows how long ago, I thought that it was so fitting for our beloved Hunger Games universe. And, well, who hasn't heard that Ed had submitted three songs for Catching Fire's soundtrack only to sadly be rejected. I like to think that I See Fire was one of those songs and I am so happy that he released it. This story takes place the evening before Real or Not Real, when Peeta and Katniss had finally reached the point where they were undoubtedly sure of the love they had for one another and were not afraid of it anymore. I really hope you all enjoyed it, I'm really proud of this little document that has been waiting to be posted forever. (:

If you're interested in my writing, please be sure to check out my other stories! I have updates pending and hope you decide to follow some of my other work as well!

With love, Daisy