|AN|: Hello everybody! I've finally finished the story that I wanted to write so, so, so badly. I hope you'll be happy with the results of my hard work. It's probably the longest one-shot ever, but I didn't have the heart to split it into chapters. Please forgive me for that.
So, I kinda lost my smut virginity with this fanfic, so please be gentle with your opinions about the smut part. I hope it's not bad. It's also my very first AU story.
This story is, more or less loosely, based on the lyrics of the song Home by Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros. If you know the song or listen to it before reading this story, you'll easily catch the moments where the lyric is used.
I want to apologize for all mistakes that you'll surely find in this work. Firstly the tipical grammar, vocabulary and stuff, since it's not a beta version. Secondly, I used a lot of places to write this fic and I haven't seen any of them, unfortunately, so I apologize for every place that I could end up describing completely wrong.
Well... I hope it's not as horrible as it sounds.
I'm waiting for your opinion.
DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything you can recognize from neither, The Hunger Games universe nor the lyrics of Home.
WARNING: This story is rated M because of sexual content.
"Home" by Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros
Alabama, Arkansas,
I do love my Ma and Pa
Not the way that I do love you
Well, holy moly me oh my
You're the apple of my eye
Girl, I've never loved one like you
Man, oh, man, you're my best friend
I scream it to the nothingness
There ain't nothing that I need
Well, hot and heavy pumpkin pie
Chocolate candy, Jesus Christ
Ain't nothing please me more than you
[Chorus:]
Home, let me come home
Home is wherever I'm with you
Home, let me come home
Home is wherever I'm with you
La la la la
Take me home
Mama, I'm coming home
I'll follow you into the park,
Through the jungle, through the dark
Girl, I've never loved one like you
Moats and boats, and waterfalls,
Alleyways, and payphone calls
I been everywhere with you (that's true)
Laugh until we think we'll die,
Barefoot on a summer night
Never could be sweeter than with you
And in the streets you run afree,
Like it's only you and me,
Geez, you're something to see.
[Chorus]
La la la la
Take me home
Mama, I'm coming home
‒ Jade?
‒ Alexander?
‒ Do you remember that day you fell outta my window?
‒ I sure do‒you came jumping out after me.
‒ Well, you fell on the concrete, nearly broke your ass, and you were bleeding all over the place, and I rushed you out to the hospital, you remember that?
‒ Yes, I do.
‒ Well, there's something I never told you about that night.
‒ What didn't you tell me?
‒ Well, while you were sitting in the back seat smoking a cigarette you thought was gonna be your last, I was falling deep, deeply in love with you, and I never told you 'til just now!
[Chorus]
Home, let me come home,
Home is wherever I'm with you
Our home, yes, I am home,
Home is when I'm alone with you
Alabama, Arkansas,
I do love my Ma and Pa
Moats and boats, and waterfalls,
Alleyways, and payphone calls
Home is when I'm alone with you!
Home is when I'm alone with you.
Geeze, you're something to see.
They were in Alabama, when he decided that it's finally the time. After all of those yeas of the best friendship that anyone could've imagined, after all of those years of pretending that it's just that- friendship, he realized that it's finally the time to tell her, to admit that he's in love with her, that he probably always was.
They were in Arkansas two weeks later and he still didn't do it. Maybe he was a wimp, but he was terrified. Terrified that she didn't feel the same way about him, terrified of the consequences of telling her. What if she wouldn't want to be his friend anymore if she found out the true nature of his feelings? What if instead of making them something more, he will lose her for good? He couldn't let that happen.
It was quarter past midnight and they were spending the night in a crappy, cheap motel room at the suburbs of Little Rock. They shared a room and more importantly a bed, but they've done it so many times since they were kids that it wasn't anything unusual for them. As a matter of fact, he was sure he always slept a lot better with her beside him. What used to be their pajama parties when they were kids, soon turned into study nights or after party sleepovers, sometimes movie nights or x-box nights. Even ice-cream-eating, romance-watching, boys/girls-hating after breakup nights. There wasn't a lot of the last ones though, since both of them barely had any serious relationships. He just realized that it always felt wrong, being with anybody beside her. Every relationship ended for him the moment the girl found out, that the most important person for him is not her but his best friend, and couldn't accept that. He had never regretted breaking up with somebody because of her. When he was younger, he thought it was just because he didn't like anybody telling him who to be friends with, but now he realized, that it was because he'd never needed any other woman in his life besides his best friend.
He couldn't sleep. While she was driving for the past couple of hours, he took quite a long nap in the passenger seat. Plus now, when he started to think about his feelings, he couldn't calm his mind enough to fall asleep. He looked to his right where she slept peacefully with her hair curly from the braid she wore for a whole day and her lips slightly open. Over the years he noticed that she always slept with a pillow snugly against her chest, her arms tightly around it. When they were kids it was her stuffed green turtle but even now, as an adult, she still couldn't let go of the habit of hugging something while she slept. He wished it was him she had her arms wrapped around instead of the motel pillow.
He started to wonder, for the billionth time that night, if maybe she had the same feelings for him that he had for her, but was slightly scared of voicing them as well. He knew that she loved him, that was for sure. She told him that on several occasions, but he always thought she meant it as a friendship/family love. Not romantic love. He thought about one moment though, when he wasn't so sure about that. If he had enough courage that day, maybe their relationship would be different now.
It was right after the first breakup in her life. She had a broken heart. It was evident in her grey eyes that were glossy for the whole evening. She refused to cry though, she usually did and she would definitely never allow herself to cry because of some stupid boy. They just started high-school when a friend and neighbor of hers, with whom she used to play in their backyards as a child, decided to tell her that he loved her. She was uncertain of her feelings towards him, at least that was what she confessed to her best friend, but it didn't change the fact that she was miserable after she got into a fight with that boy- Gale, after she caught him kissing another girl. She broke up with him after she punched him in the face and he said it was all her fault and accused her of being a crappy girlfriend.
The evening after that happened, she was eating a whole batch of cookies that her best friend prepared with his dad in their family bakery, questioning if she even was a good girlfriend material. He had told her multiple times that she was a great girl and Gale and her probably just weren't meant to be together, but it was hard to convince her anyway. Later she was sitting in the living room of his childhood home while he heated up some mac and cheese for them to eat for dinner.
"Boys are assholes." He stated, making her laugh for the first time that day.
"I thought you were a boy." She replied and he shrugged nonchalantly.
"I'm your best friend, though. I don't count." She frowned at his back in deep though.
"But you would never do that to a girl, right? You wouldn't kiss one while being with another, even if you thought that relationship wasn't working out." She asked, already knowing the answer. Of course he wouldn't do that. Her best friend was the best person she'd ever known.
"No, I wouldn't." He replied honestly.
"You are such a good boyfriend material." She stated, but when he looked over his arm, he noticed that she had a slightly horrified look on her face and decided that she probably didn't meant to say it out loud. He didn't want her to feel uncomfortable so he decided to turn it into a joke. He laughed a bit placing a plate with mac and cheese in front of her. She looked at it with disgust written all over her face.
"I'm not. I'm a crappy cook." He replied with a smile and she laughed, starting to eat anyway. That was the truth many years later as well. While he was a brilliant baker, he never was a good cook. As a matter of fact he was a terrible cook and somehow she was even worse.
"Oh my God, that's disgusting." She said scrunching her nose at the taste. He crossed his arms across his chest.
"Well, if you wanted a homemade meal, you should have gone home to eat and share your misery with your parents, not with the old non-cooking me." He teased faking being hurt by her words. She looked at him strangely and released a short sarcastic snort in response.
"Thank you very much. I would rather eat mac and cheese for the rest of my life with you." It wasn't that she didn't love her parents or something, she just couldn't imagine herself talking with them about her breakup. It just felt wrong. "I love my ma and pa, but certainly not the way I love you." She explained, because it seemed to be the only logical explanation for her at that time. He on the other hand was suddenly caught off guard. He tried to blame her words and acts on her slightly vulnerable state that evening but it didn't stop his mind from wondering. She was vulnerable and not herself, but were the things she was saying really because of the Gale situation or did she mean, what he thought she meant? Was he seeing more into it than there was?
He could have asked her what she meant by that statement, but he cowered back and simply let the stupid grin appear on his face again when he replied.
"Awww, you know you're the apple of my eye! I've never loved one like you as well!" She looked at him, not quite sure if he was turning everything into a joke or if he was saying it seriously. They talked about their feelings very rarely, always assuming that acts were saying much more than words. That day though, she wasn't so sure if just acts or just words are always enough. He guessed she was a coward too, because she said nothing. She simply smiled back at him.
A couple of days after they left the motel in Little Rock, they were climbing The Arbuckle Mountains in Oklahoma. He was mesmerized by the way she looked that day with her dark braid slightly disheveled by the wind, her sweat shirt sweaty and clingy and the barely-there excuse for shorts covering her backside. He couldn't take his eyes off of her.
Her foot slipped once on the dirt covered stone, but as always, he was there right behind her to catch her when she was about to fall. When they reached the top and looked around they found the view breathtakingly beautiful. There was something incredibly special about this place.
"I wish I could bake something. We could've had a great picnic up here." He said with a hint of remorse in his voice. She shrugged nonchalantly and looked away from the waterfall and straight at him with happy flames dancing in her gray eyes.
"Nah, we're here together, it's enough." He looked at her strangely. She wasn't big for voicing thoughts like that very often. Especially not so randomly.
"What?" She asked with a hint of laughter in her voice. "There's nothing else that I need." That did nothing to wipe that incredulous look from his face. "YOU ARE MY BEST FRIEND!" She screamed into the nothingness leaving him dumbfounded and amused.
Everything suddenly made sense for him, when at the end of the day she puked all over the bathroom in the apartment and spend the rest of the night in bed with a terrible headache.
"I should have known you have a sunstroke the moment you started to shout declarations of love for me from the top of the mountain earlier today." He said teasingly after bringing her a glass of water and some aspirin. She groaned loudly and covered hear head with a pillow. He reached towards her head and took the pillow out of her face. "Oh, come on sweetheart. You know, you're my very best friend too." He said and was delighted to see the faint blush covering her honey-colored cheeks. She huffed and smacked his head with the pillow.
"Shut up."
The night they arrived in Colorado they were still driving towards the campsite when the midnight stroke. He was behind the wheel, despite the fact that she saw he was already tired. Of course, like the stubborn idiot he was, he claimed that he wasn't and that it was her turn to sleep and his to drive. She smiled to herself when she saw him stifle a yawn when the speaker on the radio announced that it was already the next day. She glanced his way right before leaning towards him and planting a big wet kiss on his slightly stubbled cheek. He startled and looked at her with confusion so sweet, that she had to stifle the urge to kiss him again.
"Happy birthday!" She announced with a smile wider than Colorado River itself as his confusion gave away to groggy happiness. The mischievous twinkle in his eyes did something strange to her insides.
"Reach behind you, there is a surprise under the backseat." He said with a grin. She did as was asked and retrieved a white square box.
"Pumpkin pie!" She exclaimed, plucking the lid open and ogling the treat with pure admiration. He smiled at her enthusiasm and with a laugh reminded himself of the day, when they found out about their mutual love towards this particular treat.
They were just little kids, when he shared it with her one day, and she immediately declared that she'll never love any pastry more than pumpkin pie. Since then, every morning when she came for him to join her in the walk to school, they begged his father for a piece of pumpkin pie for lunch.
Nowadays he was the one baking goods for her from time to time. She'd never told him that, but she secretly thought that he was a better baker than his father.
"When did you manage to bake it?! Or more importantly, where did you manage to bake it?! Wait… why are you the one who baked? It's your birthday!" She exclaimed suddenly and he laughed wholeheartedly.
"Well, maybe because I would like to live to some more of my birthdays and I certainly wouldn't if you baked." She glared at him and swatted his arm playfully. "Besides, I think one puking accident is enough for the whole trip." He added reminding her of the sunstroke she gave herself in Oklahoma. She childishly stuck her tongue at him and then sighed loudly.
"I bought you your favorite chocolate candy, but comparing to this it's nothing." She said with a big fake pout and smirked, when his eyes widened at the sound of the word "chocolate". It was one of his biggest weaknesses- he was drooling at the sight of any chocolate, and this particular kind was his personal favorite. She never understood that really. He was the baker's son, for God's sake. He could have had any pastry he dreamed of, and still he would kill for chocolate.
"It's not just chocolate!" He would exclaim every time she dared to tell him that she didn't understand his love for this treat. "It's heaven, it's… I'm pretty sure the recipe for this particular kind of chocolate is written in the Bible." She would always laugh at him and then scowl when he refused to share with her. It was all just an act though. She knew he would never not share with her, even if it meant giving up the last candy.
He stopped at the side of the road suddenly and she realized that they're just by the river. She opened the door and breathed in deeply focusing on the calming sough of the water.
"Thought we could take a break here." He said appearing beside her and startling her slightly. She almost always could hear him approaching her, but right now she was so content and focused on the sound of the river that she didn't notice him at all.
"One of your best ideas." She replied smiling at him widely. "Come on, birthday boy! Let's take a blanket and go sit by the water." He didn't need to be told twice.
It was almost sunrise, when they finally spoke to one another. It was not that they didn't have anything to say to each other, because frankly, they always had something to ramble about on no end, but they simply needed the silence. There were times, he thought that the silence they shared meant for him even more than any words could. He had a thought that this might be his best birthday so far. Even better than the one when she took him into the woods for nearly the whole day and taught him how to swim in the lake, that her father discovered all of those years ago in the woods by their house. He suddenly missed home for a brief moment, but then he looked at her- laying sprawled on the blanket with her head on his lap- and thought that as long as they're together, he's home. He touched her dark braid to gain her attention and she looked at him with her bright, crystal eyes.
"I just had a thought…" He started and she smirked at him.
"You don't say!" She teased and he poked her nose gently. She rolled her eyes.
"I'm really, really glad I'm here with you." He confessed changing the mood completely. Her features softened, something that happened rarely and mostly in the presence of either her little sister Prim or… well, him. He felt particularly proud because of it. A gentle smile appeared on her face and he returned it with ease. It was always so easy to get him to smile. Comparing to her, he was a walking sunshine. He was all smiley, friendly, goofy and kind while she wore a constant frown and was socially awkward. She sometimes wondered, how they ever became friends.
"It's my pleasure." She replied, her smile widening. "I just wish I could do something more special for your birthday. I just bought the chocolate for you and you even had to bake your own damn cake. I'm sor…"
"Don't." He said more forcefully than she expected, and she startled a little. He was always a bit cross with her, when she made a big deal of the fact that she had a lot less money than he. Her family was by no mean wealthy and she always had to put a lot of effort to save money for the simplest things. She was saving for this particular trip for five years now. More specifically since they were fourteen and decided that their biggest dream was to take a road trip all around US. He would never forget the time when she wasn't speaking to him for two days (their record), just because he suggested that he could help her with the money. Since then, the only times he let himself try and pay for her were on her birthday or when she had a particularly bad day. "I don't need anything for birthday. Neither the chocolate- even if I almost cried with happiness that you bought it for me- nor the cake." She laughed a bit. "No presents, no parties and no people. Not even… Jesus Christ." He added pointing to the cross on the top of the church that they could see even from afar. She threw an outraged look at him and swatted his shoulder at this. "The only thing that I need, that pleases me the most… the only one that I would be totally miserable without, is you." He added.
He'll never forget the way she looked at him then and she'll never understand how did she manage not to kiss him.
"Look! It's your orange!" She exclaimed in a shushed tone pointing at the orange glow low on the sky, and for the first time in his life he thought that maybe sunrises are more beautiful than sunsets.
"You know what? I wish I could freeze this moment and live in it forever."
"You know what? I'd allow it."
They were just about to reach Montana when she nearly killed them because, as she claimed, "her eyes shut themselves without her permission". He yelled at her for about five minutes and then, for at least fifteen, hugged her tighter than ever and apologized for yelling at her and not driving himself.
The tension defused only, when they entered their room in the cheap motel by the end of the state Wyoming. The moment they turned on the lights they burst into peals of laughter. The bright pink walls and the size of the bed spoke for itself. They didn't have any doubts what the motel was usually used for.
His scream woke both of them that night. Sometimes he hadn't had his nightmares for so long, she'd forget he ever suffered from them. He was covered in sweat and shaking like a leaf, when she reached her arms around him and held him as he tried to calm himself. She always felt like crying when that happened, remembering the day his father came to her house to tell her and her parents, that her best friend ended up in the hospital, beaten by his mother so terribly that he had a concussion, broken leg and three broken ribs. She never hated anybody as much as she hated her best friend's mother. Even now, after all those years, when that woman remained only a very bad memory, since after that incident his father kicked her out of their house and they never heard from her again, she felt shivers running down her spine at the mere thought of that woman.
When he calmed down a bit she reached to wipe the sweat from his clammy forehead and stroked his golden locks slightly, wondering for the billionth time in her life, how is it possible to hurt someone like him. He was simply the best, the purest, the most amazing person she had ever met and she was grateful to everything that's holly, that she got to watch that beautiful face of his every day of her life. The horror of what he saw and experienced in his dream was still evident in his ocean-blue eyes when she lied him gently back on the bed and cradled his head against her stomach when he curled into a fetal position.
"Thank you." He whispered against her stomach and she shivered feeling his hot breath on her bare skin where her t-shirt had ridden up a bit. She ran her hand through his golden locks and made a shushing sound. "You're always there, always." He choked a bit and she knew he was doing everything he could to remain strong and not cry in her presence.
He thought of all those nights he woke her up with a phone call or a text message after a really bad dream, or of those few times she climbed through his window only to comfort him when he was particularly shaken and the only way he was able to calm himself was by seeing her and realizing that she's there. "I just… I… You are so good at dealing with my crap. I…"
"Hey…" She interrupted him and slid down the length of the bed to face him. "You're always there for me too. All the time." He shook his head as if trying to tell her that those things are incomparable. "You are, don't deny it." She smiled and tugged gently at his hair. "Sometimes just your presence makes me feel better. Like that time when I had chicken pox and you'd spend your whole days after school in my room. I was so happy you had already had chicken pox when you were four." He smiled at the memory. It were one of the best three weeks in the history of their friendship, even if she was all covered in red dots and he was doing everything he could to get her attention from scratching them what, due to her stubbornness, was almost a mission impossible.
"I remember. I've read you all Harry Potter books and we watched re-runs of Friends for hours." He said and for the first time since waking up smiled broadly.
"And remember that time when we were in seventh grade and Clove and Glimmer made fun of me in front of the whole school? I ran away into the woods for the whole day and when I wasn't back by seven my mom started to freak out and called your dad. My dad was at work so he couldn't go and look for me, so as soon as you found out that I was missing, you didn't think twice but ran all the way into the woods, following me into the dark jungle that you didn't know so well and was deadly scared of at that time…"
"I was not scared!" He interrupted, taking fake offence.
"Oh, yes you were." She teased with a smirk. "You were terrified! And it makes it even more amazing that you went there to look for me risking getting lost yourself. Plus, I've never seen your dad as angry with you as he was for running out like that." She answered and he grimaced at the memory making her chuckled.
"As far as I'm concerned yours was yelling at you for half an hour. At least that's what you've told me." He said and she laughed a little nodding her head in agreement.
"I was forbidden to go to the woods for two months after that." He knew it was probably the worst punishment anyone could have given her. He remembered her curled in the grass under the big oak tree, looking cold and miserable when he had found her that day. She had puffy eyes and scraped hands from the tree bark and he'd never been more happy to see her.
"You know I will always look for you though, right? No matter if I have to search the whole damn world." He said and ran his knuckles down her cheek. He'd never touched her like that before and her breath hitched a bit. She was almost sure he was going to kiss her when her phone rang, startling them both. Her sister had the worst damn timing in the world.
When she finished the call he was already half asleep and she slid into the bed beside him. Not really knowing how to act, she left some space between the two of them but he moved closer to her and draped his arm casually across her middle. She had an urge to curl into his side and feel his body close to her but was too uncertain to do anything about it.
It didn't matter. The next morning she woke up with her face burrowed against his chest and his hands under her t-shirt on the bare skin of her back. She had never slept better.
They visited his uncle Haymitch on his ranch in Montana and she immediately fell in love with that place. He's been there a couple of times before and she found out that he not only knew his way around the ranch and how to do some ranchy stuff but also, to her great surprise, could actually ride a horse. It took him nearly two hours to convince her to let him teach her how to ride.
It was one of the most fun experiences she'd ever had, especially since she was a very fast learner. His words, not hers.
They sat on the porch later, watching the sun set lazily in the horizon.
"I could grow old here." She sighed contently and wrapped the blanket that Haymitch brought her more firmly around her.
"Take this sweetheart." Haymitch said, while handing her the knit material. "You don't want to freeze your arse in those shorts, do you? The evenings are pretty cold."
She opened her eyes and looked at the pale face of her best friend. The light freckles covering his nose and cheeks slightly lit with the dim glow of the candle placed on the little table beside them.
"We'll come here again if you want to." He replied noticing how her gray eyes matched the color of the moon. "I love this place too. I've spend some of my best summers in here."
"Why aren't you here more often then?" She asked, knowing that in his case it wasn't probably the matter of money. He looked at her as if she should know the answer herself.
"Well…" He hesitated, not knowing if he should tell her the truth. "I have a best friend, you know? And I would rather spend my vacation with her." She smiled widely and leaned her back against his chest. He sneaked his arms around her and rested his chin on her head. Even a few weeks ago, he wouldn't have guessed that he'd get to hold her like that.
The next day she was barely able to walk and Haymich snickered at her and teased them both.
"Quite the night you gave her, eh boy?"
They all knew Haymitch had known her soreness was the result of their horse riding lesson, but it didn't stop him from making dirty jokes about their inexistent sex life. She blushed for the rest of the day, not because of the sex jokes, but because she discovered she really, really wanted them to be true.
Haymitch took the two of them along with some of his people to check the ranch fences and she gasped when they reached the top of the hill. From up there they could see the river, the woods and a small village in the distance.
"What are you doing?" She asked him when she saw him open a document on his phone and type The Hill in Montana at a bottom of a rather long list. She was able to catch only a couple of words from her angle.
The Boat, The Alley, The Phone booth…
The Arbuckle Mountain Waterfall was right at the bottom. He blushed slightly and slid the phone back to his pocket.
"Well I kinda… I make a list." He answered somehow shyly.
"A list?"
"Of all the places we've been together at and… you know, were special somehow." He added and she smiled widely.
"Looks like I've been everywhere with you." She joked and he smiled back. He hadn't told her that all of the places have one thing in common. They all made her happy.
They were leaving Montana a couple of days later and she felt like crying a bit. She'd grown to love this ranch, those animals, all men that work here. She'd grown to love Haymitch's house keeper- Sae who probably made the best food in Montana and her crazy daughter Jo, who nearly got her heart attack when the first day she stormed into the kitchen witch a bag of wood on her shoulder and an axe in her hand.
Damn, she had even grown to love Haymitch, even if he was snarky, slightly bitter and sarcastic.
When they made their goodbyes she hugged Haymitch awkwardly.
"It was nice to meet you sweetheart." He said patting her back slightly. "You two are welcome here whenever you want." He added and she smiled warmly.
"Thank you Haymitch." He looked on the left at his nephew who was now fussed over by a teary eyed Sae.
"He's a great kid." He said. "You could do a lot worse, you know."
She smiled and looked Haymitch in the eye.
"I'm not sure I could do any better."
He was finally mentally prepared to start the subject of his feelings for her when they crossed the border of California. All of those things they experienced together during this trip made him think that maybe he wasn't the only one who was in love here. One way or another, he needed to tell her no matter how would it end, because he was starting to lose his mind acting like he cared for her only as a friend. He only hoped, that even if she didn't have those kind of feelings for him, they friendship was strong enough to just get through this, because frankly, he couldn't imagine life without her being in it at all.
He was about to bring up the subject when she released a loud shriek and screamed to at him pull over. He was startled for a minute thinking that something bad happened, but she proved him wrong when she jumped out of the car with a wide grin, he immediately after her.
"The ocean! Look, it's the ocean!" She screamed and he regretted that he didn't get it on the camera, because she wouldn't believe the level of her own excitement if he told her the next day.
She grabbed his hand in her much smaller one and dragged him to the narrow patch of grass on the side of the road. She was still holding his hand when she looked down towards the rocks drowned in the ocean waters sparkling slightly in the afternoon sun. It was beautiful. She was beautiful. Her dark hair windswept, her cheeks rosy and her eyes glossy with excitement. He wanted to kiss her then and there. He was just about to do so, when she jumped slightly and grabbed his other hand locking their eyes together.
"Take me to a proper beach!" She exclaimed leaving him dumbfounded for a minute. "Come on! You know I've never seen an ocean before! Besides, I'm dying to swim in one!" He smiled widely, her excitement making him love her even more. She wasn't a very excitable person back home and it was probably one of the very rare moments when she was more excited about something than he. "Please! Just say 'okay'!"
"Okay."
He would tell her on the beach.
He didn't tell her where they were going so when they had passed the "Welcome to San Francisco." sign she freaked out for the second time that day. He had never thought it possible.
"You're taking me to San Fransciso?!"
"Yep!"
"But… but.." He glanced at her with the corner of his eye. "It wasn't the plan!"
"Plans are best when they are changed." He said and she threw her arms around him and planted a huge kiss on his cheek.
"I love you so much right now!"
His heart swelled.
It was almost evening when they reached the Marshall Beach and he swore he'd never see her more happy than when she took off her shoes and dipped her toes in the sand. He immediately did the same. The sun was setting lazily and she was in the water, clothes and all, before he was able to count to five.
"What are you waiting for! Come on!" She yelled at him and after a brief moment of hesitation, he stripped off his t-shirt and ran in his shorts to join her in the water. They laughed like crazy, splashing like they sometimes would in the lake at home and he picked her up by her waist with ease and threw her on the deeper water. Her laughter was music.
They were ready to get out when she grabbed his hand and stopped him. The water was reaching his hips and her middle and when he took her in, he noticed that her shirt while wet, got completely see-through. She was not wearing a bra. He was to mesmerized by the sight of her taut nipples to look away and, of course, she noticed.
"It's not nice to stare, you know." She said quietly. She sounded anything but angry. He startled anyway and looked into her eyes. She looked so fucking gorgeous.
"I'm sorry." He muttered and she placed her hands on his waist.
"You don't have to be." He couldn't stand it anymore. He leaned down and kissed her.
She seemed startled for half a second but when she realized what was happening, she welcomed his kiss with favor. He placed his hands on her neck, his thumbs were caressing her soft cheeks.
When she opened her mouth and met his tongue, he was in heaven and she thought she saw fireworks behind her closed eyelids. They had never, ever in their lives felt anything nearly as wonderful.
When they were in a desperate need for air, their lips parted, but his kept peppering small kisses across her cheek. When he reached her ear, he whispered.
"I really hope I don't have to be sorry for that either." She mewled beautifully and shook her head slightly.
"You have to." She panted, though and he broke the kisses to look in her eyes searchingly. "Took you fucking long enough to do this." He didn't hesitate before doing it the second time.
Later, they were sitting on the almost completely dark beach huddled into a blanket together. She was warm and cozy in his embrace and felt so impossibly at home that when he kissed her still slightly wet hair she almost felt like crying.
"How did we get through all of those years without this?" She asked tightening her grip around his middle to indicate the embrace.
"I seriously have no idea." He replied with a small chuckle and they stayed silent for the next couple of minutes, listening to the gentle song of the ocean.
"Katniss?" He said her name to gain her attention.
"Peeta?" She teased back and looked up at him. He chuckled and placed a kiss on her forehead, her nose and finally her lips.
"Remember the day you fell out of my window?" He asked and it was her time to chuckle. She would never forget that day. It was his eighteenth birthday and she was slightly drunk when she sat at the window's sill. The next thing she remembered was that she was laying on the concrete in Peeta's backyard.
"I sure do. You came jumping right after me!"
"Well, it would take too much time to run downstairs so I figured it would be easier! I was so freaking terrified!" She caressed his cheek with her hand gently.
"I remember. You completely freaked out." She replied and he nodded in affirmation.
"Well, you fell on the concrete so you hit your ass pretty hard. Plus you were bleeding all over the place. I thought you were dying!" She laughed at that loudly. "I really did!" He confessed and she took his face in her hands.
"Aww… poor thing!" She teased and planted a gentle kiss to his lips, he kind of wanted to deepen it, but he also knew that he had to say what he wanted to. "But you drove me to the hospital in no time at all, remember? My Mum was on shift that day. She nearly had a heart attack when she saw me."
"Yeah… I remember. I thought she was going to murder me." He replied and she laughed again. "But there's something I've never told you about that night."
"What haven't you told me?" It perked her interest.
"Well, when I was driving you to the hospital and you were sitting in the back seat, smoking a cigarette- the one that Gale forced in your hand claiming that it would distract you from the pain, the only cigarette you've ever smoke, disgust written all over your face, pain in your eyes- I was terrified that you'll never get to smoke again or do anything at all for that matter and I realized… Damn, I'm in love with her. I'm really deep, deeply in love with her. Well… I guess I didn't have the guts to tell you till just now." She was silent for a second and then burst off laughing. He looked at her strangely for a moment.
"Hey!" He exclaimed shoving her arm gently. "It was supposed to be romantic, not funny!" She laughed even harder. It was something that Katniss- his best friend Katniss- would do, and he was happy that now, being more than friends, she still acted the same way towards him. The same way, but more affectionate that is. Of course, he didn't mind one bit.
"I… I'm…. I'm, sor- sorry!" She stammered through her laughter. She lay her forehead on his shoulder and took a couple of deep breaths to calm down. "Sorry." She repeated and kissed his cheek apologetically a couple of times. He sneaked his arms around her waist. "It's just… " She chuckled one last time. "When I opened my eyes after I fell, and I really thought I'm going to die, your face was the first that I saw. And I've never been happier to see that beautiful, dumb face of yours in my life. And later, when I was sitting in the backseat of your car, and I was smoking that disgusting damned cigarette, in the review mirror I saw that beautiful, dumb face of yours again, and I suddenly realized I'm a goner. I really was for a very long time already. I think we're worth each other. I didn't have the courage to tell you too." He joined in her laughter for a brief moment, but soon she got lost in his eyes again. She kissed him full on the mouth, wrapping her arms around his neck and sucking greedily on his lower lip. He was the first to deepen the kiss by coaxing her lips open with his tongue and soon, they couldn't feel, hear or see anything besides each other. She smiled through the kiss and he pulled off reluctantly.
"What?" He asked, a smile not only on his face but in his eyes and voice as well. She giggled. He raised his eyebrows in amusement. "Did you just giggle?" She looked horrified for a moment.
"No I didn't."
"Oh, you so did." He teased, knowing how much she hated all of those giggly girls. She frowned at him, this frown he was so familiar with and he grinned. "This is so good. I just caused you to giggle!" She wiggled from his embrace and crossed her arms.
"No! Ugh… well… maybe…" She answered with resignation.
"Come on, it was cute." He said, still amused. She looked even more horrified at that thought and he laughed.
"I'm not cute."
"Yes you are."
"Nope."
"Yep."
"Come on! Everybody knows that between the two of us, you are the cute one." She said fingering the dimple in his cheek as to emphasize her point. He grabbed her hand and kissed it sweetly.
"For me, you are extremely cute. Maybe most of the people find that frown scary but I was on the receiving end of it for so many times by now that I find it so beautifully cute, it's hard to explain." She couldn't keep the smile off of her face at his reasoning. "So why did you giggle, exactly? Because I'm starting to feel self conscious of my kissing skills if they cause you to laugh." She really laughed at this and pecked his lips lightly.
"There's nothing wrong with your kissing skills. Quite the opposite to be honest." She blushed slightly admitting it. They just started having a real, physical relationship half an hour ago and she already loved it more than anything, but it still felt weird saying things like that to Peeta. Her best friend Peeta. "I giggled… well, I still think it was more of a chuckle really," he shook his head at that in an amused denial, "because of an entirely different reason." She kept talking ignoring him completely. "Remember when we were… seven maybe, or something like that? I told you then that you smelled like sugar cookies, remember?" He nodded with a smile.
"You've told me that multiple times after that episode too." He replied and she smiled.
"Yeah, I did. But then you started to grow up, use aftershave and stuff and I couldn't smell that sugar cookies smell so well anymore." She added with a small pout.
"But you know what? There's something I didn't know before." She whispered conspiratorially like they used to whisper things to each other when they were kids.
"Really? What is it?" He asked the same way, widening his eyes like a curious child.
"You taste like sugar cookies too."
"Can I have a sugar cookie kiss?" She randomly asked the next evening when they were strolling down the streets of San Francisco. After the eventful evening they had spend on the beach they didn't really feel like driving again so they'd decided to get a hotel room for a couple of nights. They usually weren't spending a lot of nights at hotels because they weren't very demanding when it came to sleeping conditions and they'd rather keep the finances low, but after they finally found out about their feelings for each other, he wanted to do something nice for her. She teased him for the whole evening that he wanted to seduce her, but deep down they both knew that it wasn't the case, even if the temperature in the room was getting higher and higher with every slightly awkward moment that passed between them. He watched them both dancing around each other with slight amusement. It was weird that before they could sleep in the same room, in the same bed, use the same bathroom multiple times, but now they didn't know how to act anymore. When he pointed that to her they were silent for about five seconds and then burst off laughing at the same time and couldn't stop for a long couple of minutes. After that they fell in the easy routine they'd perfected along the years and fell asleep wrapped in each other's embraces as soon as their heads had hit the pillow.
He kissed her before replying.
"Of course you can. You have an exclusiveness for them now." He answered when they lips parted. "You're never going to stop calling them sugar cookies kisses now, are you?" He asked with a frown and she beamed at him.
"Nope. You mind? I thought it was kind of cute." She replied causing him to chuckle.
"Well… I don't mind per se, but I'm sure some of our friends back home, well most of them to be honest, are going to have a blast on my expense when you say something like that in front of them."
"Oh, I don't know. I thought you would like me to tell Gale and Finn that your kisses are the sweetest." She teased and he groaned loudly at that. Gale was in fact Katniss's first boyfriend and the one who broke her heart making out with Madge Undersee, his current fiancée, but shortly after that, they all became friends and decided to let go of the hurt feelings towards each other.
"You just had to remind me that you actually made out with all of our male friends besides me." He said with resignation.
"You know, I already kissed you plenty of times more then I kissed both of them countin together." She answered elbowing his side teasingly. "Besides… it's not exactly my fault I was forced into kissing Finn when we played spin the bottle in seventh grade. I still have shivers when I think about that kiss." He raised his eyebrows at this. "Not the good kind of shivers, you idiot. It just felt so wrong! He's to freaking handsome. It's intimidating." She finished and he laughed.
"Well, thanks God I'm an ugly bastard." He replied and she rolled her eyes at him. He was the most perfect male human she'd ever seen, but she wasn't about to tell him that. "You know what's funny though?" He asked, this time causing her to raise her eyebrows. "That's exactly the same thing he told me when I punched him in the face."
"You did what?!" She stopped in a mid step and looked at him in horror. He shuffled his feet sheepishly.
"Well, I kind punched his face for kissing you… like that. I thought I was protective and brotherly at that time or some shit, but now looking at it I know I was simply jealous as hell." She couldn't wipe the stupid grin off of her face.
"You actually hit him?" She asked shaking her head in amusement.
"I did. Just once. Then he told me he didn't quite enjoy it because you are too intimidating for him and assured me that he's not going to do it again. We were back to being friends after that." She laughed loudly at that.
"How come I haven't heard of that one before? Besides… Gale kissed me a couple of times too when he thought he was madly in love with me. You knew about it and you didn't hit him, did you?"
"Well… I wasn't really going to admit something like that to you. I might not be afraid of the scowl and deadly stare, but I would sure as hell avoid your rage when I can. And Finn… I think he was afraid I would punch him again if he said anything. He might have that gorgeous face of his, but he's such a wimp." He replied. She sneaked her arms around his waist.
"And what about Gale?"
"Are you kidding me? He is older and so freaking huge! He would fucking kill me if he decided he had to punch me back." She laughed at that and patted his chest lovingly. He didn't tell her he had threatened Gale he would kill him if he hurt her again.
"Oh I don't know. You are such a strong, muscular, scary, manly man." He could read her sarcasm so easily by now.
"Hey! What's that supposed to mean! I've had a wrestling scholarship, I can lift a hounded pound sacks of flour multiple times a day and I do can punch a guy if needed to. I'm extremely manly!" He exclaimed in defense. She climbed on her tip toes and kissed him with a big smile.
"Of course you are manly." She said, meaning it this time. She felt him relax against her. "So extremely manly." She purred against his lips. "You know when especially?" He shook his head slightly at that and she smiled against his lips again and changed the tone of her voice a little. "When you frost those tiny little hearts and flowers on cakes." She said looking straight into his eyes. She took off running down the street laughing like a maniac as he chased her for a good minute, laughing himself as well. When he finally managed to catch her it was as if heavens opened on them and the rain started to pour thickly.
"Shit!" He cussed, when after five seconds they were completely soaked through. She laughed when his hair ended up in his eyes and brushed them away so she could see his bright blue eyes again. They noticed that they were suddenly left completely alone at the abandoned street. All of the people seemed to disappear probably in the bars and restaurants along the street. He laughed, took off his hoodie, put it on her over her light blouse and took her hand in his.
"Let's run to the hotel." He said and they took off still laughing and feeling like they were alone on the planet as the heavy rain kept soaking them to the bone.
They had made quite an entrance to the rather luxurious and fancy hotel hall gathering the attention of the staff and other guests when they stumbled through the entrance looking like two drowned rats but still laughing hysterically. A middle-aged stern looking and fancy dressed lady thrown a dirty look towards them when they disturbed the peace in the hall. The young girl working behind the counter looked quite distressed at the puddle that gathered under their feet, but still send a bright smile towards them. Katniss was sure it was meant to be more towards Peeta than her, but it was still nicer than if she was to yell at them for making a mess. Katniss thrown an apologetic smile her way when they were passing the counter and sneaked into the elevator right after Peeta. She started to shiver because of the breeze of the air-conditioning and he sneaked his arm around her and hugged her tightly. She looked up at him and couldn't help herself but kissed him. There was a ding of the elevator and an elderly couple made their way inside making them jump apart.
"You see Harriet? I've told you it was raining, look at the poor kids!" Exclaimed the man causing the woman to smile at them sadly. Katniss blushed and licked her lips. She could still taste Peeta on them.
"Poor thing! You look like you're very cold dear." The woman commented on Katniss's shivering form. She smiled and nodded at the lady.
"A bit, yeah."
"Look how adorable they are Greg! You're such a handsome lad, darling." She said towards Peeta who send her a charming smile.
"Thank you ma'am." He replied and rubbed Katniss's arm, hoping the friction would create at least a bit of warmth, he looked at her and wiggled his eyebrows as if to say hey! You see? I'm handsome.
"Oh, I'm sure the handsome lad will know exactly what to do to keep his lady warm, am I right boy?" Said Greg with a deep low chuckle. They both blushed at the comment, but Peeta seemed more amused than embarrassed.
"Oh, leave them alone Gregory!" Scolded the lady and swatted her husband's arm. Peeta noticed she did it exactly the same way Katniss did to him at times and he smiled to himself. The elevator dinged again and they realized they were on their floor.
"It's us." Commented Katniss and smiled at the elderly couple. "It was very nice meeting you." She added towards them with a gentle smile.
"Likewise, dear!"
They started laughing as soon as the elevator's door closed and the elderly couple made their way back down.
With a few swift movements he opened the door to their room and stepped inside, immediately rushing to the bathroom for the towels. He took her in when he exited the little en-suit and couldn't help but stare a little. She had sandals and shorts on, her legs almost completely covered by mud that splashed on them when they were running. When the rain started, he gave her his hoodie, but it didn't help much. It was still drenched and despite of having the hood covering her hair, little droplets of water were dripping from the tip of her braid and her fringe was plastered to her forehead. She never looked more beautiful.
"Geeze, you're something to see." He commented and she took it for sarcasm and stuck her tongue at him. "I mean it! You're gorgeous, you know? I don't think you get to hear it enough." He saw a blush creeping onto her cheeks. She was always uncomfortable when someone told her a compliment. He made his way towards her and planted a gentle kiss to her lips, then lifted the hem of his hoodie to help her get it off. At this point it was only making her feel colder. "You can jump into the shower first if you want to." He said and then smirked teasingly. "I'm also good with sharing." He added. He was sure she would swat his arm as always when he made a bad joke or roll her eyes at him. She surprised him though when she threw him a seductive smile and calmly replied.
"I'm okay with that as well." Before disappearing in the bathroom. He spent a minute trying to figure out if she was serious and if he was supposed to do that, but he was a young healthy man after all, so after a moment he decided to join her in the shower.
She was already inside when he entered and the fog was covering the glass door so all he could see was the shape of her figure. He stripped in record time and very slowly, still praying that she wasn't kidding, slid the glass door open. She turned his way when she felt the breeze of fresh air hit her skin when he entered and then his hands on her shoulders.
"I hope you weren't kidding because I sure as hell wasn't." He whispered against her ear and she shivered, but this time they both knew it wasn't from the cold.
"That was my way of telling you that I want to see you naked." She chuckled and ran her hand along his torso. He nuzzled her neck and kissed it nibbling the skin a little. She made a quite sound at the back of her throat and he instantly wanted to make her make it again.
"You could just tell me that you wanted to see me naked. I would happily oblige." She giggled at that, but he didn't feel like teasing her for it this time. "God, you are so fucking beautiful. I always knew you were but this... this is beyond anything I could've imagined." He said caressing her side and still staring at her body. She felt a little self conscious. Her whole teenage life and now, when she was barely and adult, she thought she wasn't womanly enough. She was skinny and short, her breasts were too small, hips too narrow, her bum too flat. Peeta's words, his caresses and the intensive look of amazement in his eyes made her think he really did enjoy what she looked like, though.
He kissed her then and reached for the small bar of hotel soap starting to rub it into her already warmed flesh. She knew he didn't necessarily mean to make it a sexual act, but the way his hands brushed her in all the right places, made her suddenly feel too hot as his impatient fingers started to learn her body. She reached for the bottle of shampoo and carefully squeezed it onto his blond curls, massaging his scalp as she washed his hair. It was his time to groan quietly and she kissed his lips briefly right before pushing him more under the spray of water to rinse his hair. She had always had a thing for his hair. Even when they still were just friends she couldn't help herself but touch it from time to time. Now, she had every right to play with it whenever she wanted to and she was going to enjoy doing it as often as she could. The process of washing her hair was much longer one, but she knew Peeta enjoyed himself when he run his hands through her long tresses long after it was well rinsed.
"Katniss." He whispered into her ear a little hoarsely and brought her body firmly against his. She could feel the effect she had on him on her abdomen. She felt a surge of pride rise into her, when she thought his current state was her doing. "Would you allow me to… can I… would it be okay if I took you to bed now? We don't have to… I just…"
"Yes." She didn't let him finish his thought, she opened the door and he turned the water off when she pulled on his other hand to help him get out of the shower. He grabbed a towel and carefully wrapped her petite body in it before grabbing a second one and doing a quick work of drying himself. She seemed to be frozen to the spot when she watched him move the cloth rapidly along his body and when he finished, he caught her staring at him. He smiled in response.
"I hope the view is not disappointing." He said half teasingly but she knew him well enough to know that, for some reason, he felt insecure so she took him seriously and shook her head slightly.
"I'm not sure you're able to disappoint me, Peeta." She replied and he took her head in his hands and kissed her hard. She always claimed she didn't have a way with words like him, but everything that came out of her mouth was his undoing. It was different than all of the kisses they shared before. In this kiss she could feel and taste the hunger and passion he had for her and it made her stomach jump in excitement as she felt heat spread in her lower belly. She tangled her hands in his hair when she responded to his kiss with gusto and he scooped her up in his arms, bridal style, and carried her to the huge king-sized bed in the middle of the room. She was still wrapped in the towel when he laid her gently on the sheets, never taking his lips away from hers.
"I love you." He breathed against her and she sighed and hugged him closer to herself in response. He ended the kiss to look into her eyes as he reached for her towel. She saw the question in his eyes before he even got to ask it.
"Yes." She whispered with a little nod and he unfolded the towel that, until now, was covering her body. He was still looking in her eyes when he did so and only when she gave him another nod, he dared to take his eyes off of her face and look at the rest of her instead. Her breasts weren't big, they were perfect. Roundly shaped with taunt brown nipples and a perfect size for her little frame. She felt shy at his intense stare and brought her arm to cover herself, but he grabbed it gently before it was even halfway to her chest.
"Perfect." He said looking into her eyes again. "You're perfect."
She was about to say something at that but her lips parted and she let out a little whimper instead when his thumb grazed gently across her left nipple, making it ever harder than it already was.
He had been touching her and looking at her when they were under the shower, but for some reason, this act seemed so much more intimate and it made her feel nervous. He seemed to notice her nervousness and hesitated before reconnecting his hand with her body again.
"Katniss." He whispered moving her wet hair away from her face. "We don't have to do anything if you don't want to or are not ready for it." He added gently and she smiled reaching to his face and cupping his cheek.
"No, I want to." She replied bringing his face down towards her for a loving kiss. "I love you and I… I want you." She added with a blush. She could see the fire burning in his eyes and she loved him even more for always thinking about her before himself. She was sure she didn't know any other man like him. "I'm just… well, I've never…"
"I know." He smiled at her and caressed her side gently. "And you know I haven't either…"
"I know." She replied quietly and he kissed her nose and, with his hand, started to make lazy circles around her bellybutton. He had her naked body underneath his, and while his body screamed to just touch and kiss every inch of it, his mind and heart were telling him not to rush into things too fast. She was to important to risk making even a tiniest mistake.
Of course she was a bit nervous. After all, the man that was her best friend for about sixteen years and her boyfriend for about twenty five hours, was about to become her very first lover in a couple of minutes. She was glad it was the first time for the both of them, though. Somehow she felt good with the fact that he was as inexperienced as she.
They were both twenty-one and she knew, that most people didn't stay virgins for that long, but Peeta and she decided something when they were still teenagers. One day ,they went to school to find out that one of their classmates named Glimmer, got pregnant at the age of fourteen. That evening, when they were doing homework at her place, Katniss stated that she was not going to sleep with anyone, until she would be absolutely certain she wouldn't mind rising that man's child. He agreed with her then and it became a sort of an unofficial pact. Apparently they both remembered that promise. Apparently they both kept it.
"Peeta," she breathed, when the movements of his hand made her shiver again. He looked into her eyes. "Remember when we were fourteen? Remember our pact, our promise?" She asked and he nodded at her, his eyes still locked with hers. "I kept it, because all those years, I thought I didn't find the right guy yet. I thought there was nobody in my life worth it, but… You are. You always were. I was just too dumb to realize it." He kissed her softly at that and moved his hand back towards her bosom running his thumb lightly under her left breast.
"It was always exactly the same for me." He replied with a little chuckle. "And I…- just don't freak out-… I think that, of course I wouldn't plan it for now, but if somehow I would get you pregnant I… I think I would be happy. Scared and unready, but happy." He finished, this time not meeting her eyes, being sure that he had said too much and cursing his inability to keep his mouth shut. She placed her pointy finger under his chin and forced him to look at her again.
"I think so too." She answered when he finally met her eyes again. "We would do it together, as everything apparently, and we would be okay." She added, making his eyes fill with amazement. "But let's use protection for the next couple of years, shall we?" She asked making him laugh and nod franticly.
"No kids for now." He stated and it was her turn to chuckle. "Now, I really love talking with you about everything really, but when you are naked and so beautiful under me I can't quite focus on anything but how much I want you. So if I have a permission to touch and kiss you tonight, would you mind if I started right now?" He asked in a very diplomatic and so Peet-ish way, that she had to laugh at that. She kissed every freckle on his face she could find.
"I love you." She stated simply and arched her chest against his hand just a bit, to let him know she wanted him to touch her now.
He didn't miss a bit, he kissed her passionately palming her left breast in his hand. She gasped into his mouth at the contact and capturing his lower lip between her teeth, bit on it gently. He groaned.
"I love you too." He breathed against her lips and ran his thumb along her nipple, this time observing her face as he did so. She was the sexiest thing on earth- with her mouth slightly open and her eyes shut tight- when those tiny gasps and mewls were escaping her wet lips. He couldn't take his eyes off of her.
She ran her small hands along his back making him shiver and then, hesitantly squeezed his butt cheeks, bringing him closer to her. There was something endearing about his butt and she remembered feeling possessive of it when Johanna, Sae's daughter from Montana, commented that "the baker's boy does have some lovely buns." She squeezed them again at that thought. He gasped and she whimpered when his hard member made contact with her soft pubic hair. She sucked at his collarbone and he kissed her cheek, then her jaw, her neck and that spot where it met with her shoulder. She whimpered at that kiss and that tiny, little whimper started to become his favorite sound. He wanted to make her make it again, and again, and again…
She arched her back, when he kissed the swell of her breast, first the left then the right one, and she almost shouted when his lips made a brief contact with her right nipple. He looked at her and she blushed and looked away, embarrassed of the sounds she kept making at his loving.
"Look at me." He whispered, his lips so close to her skin, she could feel his words on her, she immediately locked her eyes with his. "Please, just don't stop making those sounds." He said kissing between her breasts. "Every sound you make, lets me know if I'm doing things right or not." He added, and she wanted to tell him that he was doing wonderfully, but she couldn't find the words. "We're all alone here. You can be as loud as you want to." He added, making her blush again. He reached for her cheek. "Katniss. I want you to be loud when you feel like it. You have no idea what it's doing to me." He thrust his hips gently against hers to emphasize his point, and she couldn't help but gasped again.
He smiled into her neck, where he was planting gentle kisses again, then slid his body down along hers to capture her nipple in his lips. He didn't stop teasing it this time, when she started to make noises he would never in his life forget. He already started to learn her body language. She shivered and gasped every time he ran his tongue along her nipple, she stiffened and whimpered every time he closed his teeth gently against it, she cried out and yanked his hair lightly every time he sucked on it. She almost came that one time he did all three at once. She didn't think she could be more wet for him.
She loved every little thing he did to her body, but she also wanted to touch his, to make him feel good. She ran her hand down his torso, dragging her short fingernails along his nipples and he hissed at the contact. She didn't stop, but headed south, never hesitating as she reached for his manhood and closed her small hand around it. She didn't know much about male anatomy, but it was pretty obvious he was a very well equipped man. He was thick and heavy in her hand and when she moved it up, she realized he was also quite long. It wasn't very surprising, he was a big man after all, but it made her feel a bit uneasy. He was huge, she was petite.
"Katniss," he breathed when she moved her hand again, "you should stop, before it all ends up too soon." He added in embarrassment and she chuckled a little and kissed his brow. She reluctantly let go of his cock and kissed his forehead as she dragged her hand to his back and squeezed his butt again. It was his turn to chuckle.
He kissed his way down between her breasts, against her stomach and to her bellybutton where he dipped his tongue experimentally. She gasped and clenched her legs as she felt it between her tights. He repeated the action and she burrowed her hands in his hair again. She definitely had a thing for his hair, and his butt. She couldn't keep her hands away from neither. He looked up at her, resting his chin against her belly and she smiled, running her fingers along his cheek.
"Can I make you feel good now?" He asked, making her heart beat skip a bit.
"You're making me feel good all the time, Peeta." She replied and he smiled at her beautifully before bending his head to plant a kiss on her belly.
"Can I make you feel even better then?" He asked again and she shivered and nodded. He grinned as if he won a lottery.
She suspected what he wanted to do, but it didn't change the fact that she was amazed, curious and slightly scared. Of course, she heard from other girls that it was one of the most amazing things a man could do for a woman, but she was so inexperienced, she didn't know what to expect.
Of course she touched herself sometimes. She liked that relief her hand, working rapidly between her legs, could bring her sometimes, but she'd never had anyone do it for her.
He ran his hands along her outer tights gently and then, with his hands under her knees, spread her legs widely. She felt exposed but, he looked back up at her and instantly made her feel better.
"If you ever want me to stop, the only thing you need to do is tell me, okay?" He asked caressing her knee gently.
"Okay." She answered and nodded to let him know that it was okay to keep going.
"Just relax and… just relax. I want to try it, but if you don't like it then, I would stop." He added and she closed her eyes and tried to make her body relax. She felt his hands on the inside of her tights and whimpered, feeling him closer and closer to the place she wanted him the most. Finally he reached her and, with his thumb, spread the moisture around her lower lips. He sighed at the sight of her, she mewled at the feel of him.
"You are so sexy. So beautiful." He breathed and the feel of his breath on her pussy made her suck on her own. She was slightly embarrassed that he was staring at her most private part, but when he parted her with his fingers and touched her clit experimentally, she forget about all the embarrassment and cried out in ecstasy. He should have guessed that, despite her quiet personality, she would be a loud lover.
"There it is." He whispered, as if he just discovered America, and she would chuckle at that, if she wasn't so damn aroused. He teased her clit with his thumb again, making small circles around it and she kept whimpering. Only when he slid his fingers slightly down and put his middle finger slowly into her she gasped and jerked slightly. "I'm sorry," he said immediately, convinced that he'd hurt her.
"It's okay… you just startled me, that's all." She answered and ran her hand through his hair lightly. It was a strange sensation and she just wasn't prepared for it.
"I didn't hurt you?" He asked with concern and looked up at her.
"You didn't hurt me." She replied and he moved his fingers against her again.
"You're so wet." He commented and she blushed tomato red.
"It's your fault." She said and he chuckled a little.
"It's the best compliment you can give me right now." He nuzzled her then and she released a high pitched cry when his nose collided with her clit. "You smell so fucking good too." He added. She was so lost in those sensations, she wouldn't be able to reply to that, even if she knew what to say.
He dragged his tongue along her then and her first reaction was to clamp her tights around his head. He chuckled against her when she did so and prayed her legs back apart.
"Don't choke me now, sweetheart." He teased, but didn't give her the chance to reply before pressing the flat of his tongue against her clit. She cried out his name.
"Your taste… you're… you're just exquisite." She never knew he would be talking dirty during sex and she never knew that it would be so arousing.
In took only a few second for him to have her whimpering and panting beneath him by making tight circles around the little bundle of nerves, now swollen and begging for his attention. Her mind was in a state of pure ecstasy, so when he closed his mouth around her and sucked greedily scraping his teeth lightly against her clit, she came with a shout, whimpering his name over and over again as waves of pleasure ran through her body. He didn't take his mouth of off her until her orgasm stopped and her body went limp. He kissed her left tight, before climbing up to face her and kiss her again.
She'd never felt anything nearly as wonderful as what he gave her a couple of seconds before, and it was so beautiful that for some reason she felt like crying. She brought his head to hers and kissed his lips with passion.
"Thank you." She whispered and locked her eyes with his. He melted at that glossy look in hers, and caressed her cheek with his thumb before he planted a gentle kiss on her lips.
"Oh, believe me. It was my pleasure." He replied, his voice deep and a little raspy. She found it incredibly sexy. "I could do this to you all day." He added, whispering to her ear and she responded with a hard squeeze to his arm muscles. He was a well built man. Years of helping in his father's bakery made him stocky and muscular, and he also grown to be rather tall. She liked the way he looked. In opposition, she wasn't a big woman. She was rather short, skinny and she lacked womanly curves. At least that was what she always thought of herself, because for him, she was just perfect.
"Where did you learn to do this?" She asked rolling them over, so she was straddling his hips now. He groaned at the movement and laughed at the question. He could feel her heat against his belly where she sat and his cock twitched impatiently a couple of times. He couldn't be harder.
"I have brothers, you know." He answered and she raised her eyebrows at him, caressing his chest with her fingertips. "We have thin walls at home and I was kind of forced to listen to the conversation, when Rye asked Bannock about the best way to pleasure a woman." He added with a slight grimace. She chuckled and circled his nipple with her tongue making him moan. He jerked a moment later, when she reached near his right armpit with a light caress. She knew he was ticklish there. She always laughed at him, that he was like a big toddler. She found it incredibly cute.
"Katniss," he said, attempting a warning tone when she didn't stop tickling him, but the big, dimpled smile on his face made him sound more pleading than warning.
"Peeta," she replied, and laughed when he scowled. She bend to kiss his lips and he took the opportunity to grab her waist and roll them over again.
"Hey!" She protested grabbing his neck to not lose her balance and he pinned her underneath him.
"Don't start with me, Everdeen. I'm bigger and stronger than you." He teased nuzzling her cheek.
"I'm not afraid of you, Mellark." She replied and he softened a bit and kissed her.
"I hope you're not." He replied, and she knew he meant to make sure she was ready for the next step.
"How could I be? You're probably the gentlest person on this planet." She stated, and burrowed her hands in his hair again. "Plus, you love me." She added with certainty, and he smiled at that widely.
"That I definitely do."
She reached between them when he kissed her and as she felt his tongue slipping into her mouth, she closed her hand around his rigid cock. He groaned into her mouth. She felt a drop of pre cum on his tip and spread it around with her thumb.
"Fuck," he cursed as she kept moving her hand up and down.
"That's exactly what you're supposed to be doing now." She answered, making him groan again. She could feel the groan in his chest, pressed firmly against her own, and the vibrations were making her dizzy.
"You're gonna be the death of me." He panted and then, suddenly went completely still in her arms. "Shit."
"What is it?" She asked, worried that she did something wrong.
"Do condoms go out of date?" He asked and she moved away to look at him in surprise. He had his eyes shut tightly and a pained expression on his face. She tried not to laugh.
"I have no idea, why?" She replied with amusement.
"Well… I have one but… it's kinda the same one we were given in our sex-ed class in high-school." He stated. She lost the battle, and a laud laugh broke from her causing him to open his eyes and look at her.
"You… you kept… you k-kept a condom for six years?" She asked through her laughter and he couldn't help but smile at that too. He bit his bottom lip trying to keep the smile off of his face and look insulted at her laughter. It wasn't helping. "I don't know if they have an expiration date, but I'm not letting you use that thing. I don't want any of us to get some nasty rash or something." She replied and he groaned loudly burrowing his face in her hair against her neck. She rubbed his back and took his earlobe into her mouth. He growled at that tease.
"Please don't. It's already hard enough." He pleaded and she chuckled at his choice of words.
"I can feel that." She commented and he smiled against her collarbone and bit it gently in response.
"You're a tease." He accused in a whisper.
"I know." She replied and kissed him behind his ear, right before whispering into it. "And you are a very, very lucky man, that I'm on birth control since my mother found out about Glimmer's pregnancy."
She would have laughed at the expression of relief on his face is she hadn't felt it herself.
"It means we can…?" He asked hopefully and she nodded at him.
"It means we can." He smiled and didn't wait to kiss her again.
"Okay… okay, well. I'm obviously clean and you are too, so we're fine and I'll just go easy and…" He didn't get to finish his nervous rambling, because she grabbed his neck and brought his lips hard against her own. He moaned into the kiss in surprise.
"Shut up and fuck me, Peeta before I change my mind." She whispered and he bit her lip in response.
"Oh my God. Stop talking like that before I embarrass myself and come before I'm even inside you." He panted into her lips and she chuckled.
"Then stop talking at all." She answered and he shut both of their mouths with a greedy kiss. His hands made contact with her tights as he played with her tongue and he yanked them up and around his waist, so he was positioned right when she needed him. His manhood was resting on her lower lips and she gasped as he moved his hips forward and his tip made a delicious friction against her clit. She felt good, too good, but she couldn't help the slight nervousness that overtook her at the thought of him entering her for the first time. He could feel the slight rigidness in her body and moved his hands along her sides in a soothing motion.
"If you ever want me to stop, no matter what, just tell me and I would. I promise." He whispered to her ear, where his lips laid, and she nodded and squeezed his arms in answer.
"Just please, do it fast, quick and without warning." She pleaded and it was his turn to nod against her neck. He kissed her collarbone and dragged his tongue along it as his hands crept between them. He thumbed her clit lightly and as she gasped at the sensation, he entered her with one quick, but as gentle as he could master, thrust. She cried out a little as she felt a stretching sensation and a painful pinch deep inside her, but she always thought that it would be much worse of an experience. She was grateful he turned her attention from the invasion by rubbing her clit. She didn't notice when, with his other hand, he helped guide himself inside. He was perfectly still now, as he was finally inside her, and she knew he waited for her to adjust. She couldn't believe the level of his self control and patience as she was getting used to the feeling of fullness. Finally, he lifted his head and she knew, he was looking at her face, even if her eyes were closed.
"Look at me. Please." He whispered and she opened her eyes to see the gentle blue of his, filled with concern. "Should I stop?" He asked thumbing her cheek and she shook her head.
"No." She answered kissing the palm of his hand. "You can start moving now. Slowly though, okay?"
"Of course." He assured her. "Keep your eyes open, will you?" He asked and she nodded with a little smile.
"Of course."
He pulled out gently, never moving his eyes from her face, she winced a bit but said nothing. She gasped when he entered her again.
"Kitty… we really can stop if you want to." He whispered, even if he begged the universe for being granted a permission to keep moving inside of her, and she looked at him in shock. He hadn't called her that since they were in primary school. She smiled at him and shook her head again. He felt like an ass for feeling such a relief, that she didn't ask him to stop. She just felt so soft, so perfect around him.
"I don't want to stop. It starts to feel good." She confessed and he kissed her cheek in response and started to move again. He didn't really believe her. He knew her to well not to notice that it still hurt her, but it was her decision and if she didn't want to stop, he wouldn't do it. Only when she whimpered and burrowed her hands in his hair after a few more of his thrusts, he finally realized that she actually did start to enjoy it. Nothing could make him more happy.
"I love you." He whispered into her ear as he balanced on the edge of climax. He couldn't let that happen to soon, though. His goal was to make her come, but if not, he at least wanted her to enjoy it as much as he could make her.
"I… I love you too." She panted back and grabbed his butt in her hands. "Go… go faster." She whimpered and he could've come then and there on the mare sound of her words. She was hot and wet and surrounded him so perfectly. He started to move faster and she breathed a sigh into his ear, he raised his head to look at her. She looked lost in her pleasure, with her eyes shut and her lips slightly parted and he knew he would remember the sight for the rest of his life. Beautiful. He burrowed his right hand into her hair and as he kissed her, he teased her right nipple with the other one. She gasped into his mouth and jerked her hips up to meet his. It was too much for him.
"Katniss, I'm gonna…" She squeezed his butt and opened her eyes to look into his.
"It's okay, do it." She whispered back and he trembled, but he was determinate to make her finish as well. "Let go now." She panted smoothing his hair away from his forehead and he reached his hand between them and rubbed her clit in frantic movements. Her inner muscles squeezed him tightly in response and he finally came with a long groan. Even as he exploded inside of her though, he never stopped to rub her and the friction of his hand added to the feeling of him, pulsating inside of her, made her finish as well with a loud shout of what could be his name. She clenched around him, prolonging his orgasm.
He was still trembling as he fell on the bed beside her, utterly spent. She struggled to catch her breath as he slid out of her. He reached for the towel he'd peeled off of her earlier and gently cleaned her of the evidence of their love making. She was surprised there was no blood. He threw the towel back on the floor after cleaning himself and took her hand into his as he bonelessly fell on the bed again.
"Well, I'm definitely warm now." She commented lightly after a couple of seconds and he chuckled before laughing out loud. She joined him right away.
"I'm glad I at least accomplished that." He replied and after a second felt her full body weight on top of him, as she rolled from her back to her side and climbed him like a tree. He let out a loud "oomph" when she accidentally elbowed him in the gut. Soon, she settled on top of him, and lied her head on his chest, right above his heart. He chuckled as he dragged the covers on top of them, before settling his arms around her. She yawned against his chest.
"Comfortable?" He asked teasingly and she hummed in response. He planted a kiss to her hair. "Interesting choice of a pillow… or the mattress really." He added and felt her smile on his right pectoral.
"Well, it's your fault. You always tease me about how light and little I am, so I assumed you wouldn't mind." She replied and he tightened his arms around her.
"I was never teasing." She lifted her head to look at him with raised eyebrow. "Okay, I might have a couple of times when we were kids, but always only because I knew it aggravated you. For me it was only cute how petite you are." He stated and she brought her arms across his chest and laid her on them to look at him. She stuck her tongue at him, he replied with the same. It didn't feel as offensive now, when she knew what exactly he could do to her with that tongue. He smiled and gently poked her nose, she twitched it a couple of times in response making him chuckle. He moved a strand of her still wet hair away from her face. "You are perfect." He said rubbing her brow with his thumb. She snorted.
"Nobody is perfect and between the two of us, you are the one much closer to perfection." She rebutted and he shook his head.
"You have no idea the effect you have, do you?" He asked rhetorically. "You are perfect for me, and none of your little flaws are able to change it." He stated and she blushed unwillingly.
"Then we're perfect for each other, because for me, you are the best person that exists." She replied. "And I recommend you to take that compliment, because I'm not going to say that often." She added and he grinned and pecked her lips.
"Duly noted."
"Good." She kissed his chest. He gathered her hair to one side of her head and run his fingertips down her newly exposed neck. She shivered.
"Katniss, tonight-" he started in a more serious manner, "-what we did, what we felt… it was the most amazing night, most amazing experience in my life. Nothing was more important or more beautiful than making love to you and I want you to know that." He said and watched her expression change from playful, to the soft, gentle one, she wore definitely too rarely for his liking. She pushed herself a little bit up his body, to come face to face with him and kiss him properly. She meant to slid off of his chest, knowing it was probably uncomfortable for him, but he kept her where she was. "I like it." He answered with a shrug, when she looked at him questionably. She giggled and kissed his cheek. "You can sleep when you are. Just don't be surprised if you wake up in about fifteen minutes because of something hard poking belly." She smiled wickedly at that.
"That soon? I thought men need an hour or something for that to happen again." She stated and he smirked.
"I'm twenty-one, not forty. Give me ten minutes and I'm ready to go again." He replied. She laughed.
"Is that a proposition?"
"It might be." She chuckled but shook her head. "I think it would be too soon. I might be a bit sore from our earlier activities."
He looked at her with concern.
"I'm sorry." He murmured, caressing her cheek.
"What are you sorry for?"
"Well… I kind of did it to you." He stated and she chuckled and shook her head at him.
"Well, I kind of wanted you to." She grinned. "It was wonderful for me too, you know." She replied "Twice!" She added and he laughed a bit. "You were perfect and so gentle that, if I didn't know better, I would think you've had quite a lot of practice." He grinned at that and she couldn't help but kissed him again.
"I love you, Katniss." He murmured against her lips.
"I love you too." She replied taking in his beautiful face. She ran her hand through his hair. "You called me Kitty." She stated after a moment of hesitation, and he looked at her in confusion.
"What?"
"Earlier, when you were worried you've had hurt me. You called me Kitty again." She answered and he bit his lower lip, thinking she's cross with him.
"I'm sorry, it just slipped. I promise I'll never…"
"Don't." She cut in the middle of his speech.
"Well, I won't." He answered.
"No, I mean.. don't not call me that…" He looked at her with confusion. "…I mean, you can… you can call me Kitty sometimes." He smiled brightly at that. He always liked to call her that, but she had a moment of rebellion in junior high and told him that she didn't want him to call her that ever again because she was not a child anymore. Since then he'd never called her that. He had missed it, though. Very much. "Just not in front of our friends." She said. He nodded.
"Or our families." He nodded again, but his eyebrows rose with amusement.
"Well… basically don't do it in public." He snorted and shook his head at her, but didn't have a choice but agree anyway.
"Okay, Kitty. I promise."
Of course, he didn't keep that promise. It was probably the only one he'd ever broke. The nickname just slipped from his lips the first time they'd seen their friends after returning home.
She paid greatly for that, when she got teased by their friends for the whole evening, but so did he a couple of days later, when she revealed his nickname with premeditation.
Since then, their friends hardly ever called them differently than Kitty- Kat and the Sugar-Cookie boy.
FIN.
|AN2|: So, what do you think? Feel free to fav it and leave a review. There is a possibility of a short epilogue if there is enough interest so please let me know if you would like the epilogue to happen.
Thanks for reading!