A/N: This was inspired by the admin Effie on the FB page "Yes, frosting. The final defense of the dying" – Peeta Mellark.
This is for one of my best friends, rock and fellow mad person, Marcus. I hope you like it, darling! It is a bit fluffy, though. Happy birthday! And you're 19!
Maybe, just maybe.
Peeta glanced around the corner. Good, Katniss had just slipped into the woods. Good. He nodded to himself, satisfied. He snuck to Katniss' room. Or it could be defined better as his and Katniss' room, he slept over a lot. So much so that his own home had gathered dust. He'd moved most of his clothing articles and baking necessities to her house.
He didn't know why he was sneaking, though, it was his home, after all.
The problem was, Katniss couldn't see what he was searching for. It was the one object he had no idea where to find. Katniss hid it so well, yet he sometimes found her playing with it at random times of the day. So she couldn't hide it that far… could she?
Before he could go any further, there was a knock on the door. Peeta nearly jumped a metre in the air. He hoped it wasn't Katniss. Wait – why would Katniss ring her own doorbell?
Peeta shook his head and stepped out of the room, heading to the front door. He opened the heavy front door, and stood shocked.
"Gale?" He formed the other man's name in disbelief.
"Hey, Peeta." Gale smiled at him, stepping aside to bring Mrs Everdeen into sight. She grinned at him too.
"Hello, Peeta." She grinned, offering a hug in welcome. Peeta accepted it, wondering why they were here.
"I invited them, Peeta." Haymitch appeared behind Mrs Everdeen. "Didn't you think they'd like to be here?"
Peeta eyes Gale apprehensively. "Him too?" He jabbed his thumb at him.
"I'm right here, Peeta, and yes, me too." Gale rolled his eyes. "I still care about her, but she's happy with you – and I can settle for best friend." He patted Peeta's shoulder playfully. "Johanna's here too, though, she's just out looking for Katniss."
"What?" Peeta shrieked, his hands flying into his hair. "I'm not ready!"
"You sound like such a girl." Gale laughed, bumping into his shoulder. "Come on, Johanna's keeping her busy, we're here to help."
"Really? No offense, Gale, but I don't trust you anywhere near the kitchen." Peeta said nervously. He noticed that Haymitch had disappeared – it was odd how he did that. Peeta turned to the door as another person entered. Beetee. He grinned at Peeta too, though it was a bit half-hearted. Soon Annie and Finnick junior followed. She strangled Peeta with a hug as Finnick junior giggled happily.
"You're all great, you know?" Peeta said, his heart warming. Mrs Everdeen smiled kindly, placing her hands on his shoulder.
"I'll help you in the kitchen, shall I? While Gale goes find Johanna and help keep Katniss busy. Beetee, will you be lookout?" She seemed to be in a lot more control than Peeta had been.
"Yes, ma'am, certainly." Beetee said, whirling around and setting up station near the front door. Gale smiled again before sprinting out the front door, ready to hunt with his old comrade.
Annie offered to help in the kitchen too, though only after Finnick junior was settled down for a nap – he'd refused to sleep on the train, she said.
Peeta and Mrs Everdeen set to work, working as a team to bake some cakes and decorate them, though Peeta did the latter part – these cakes weren't just normal cakes, they were special. The occasion was special, and he was suddenly glad he had moral support.
He had more cakes to make now, plus he wanted to make a batch of cookies too, the cookies were Katniss'. Just hers.
He thought on what he planned to do later that night. He had never been this nervous, nor this afraid. He'd gone through the Hunger Games. Twice. His life had been threatened numerous times, and he'd been scared – who wouldn't be? But this was different. He was absolutely terrified!
He'd been kept as a prisoner in the Capitol too. He'd been tortured, injected with odd-looking liquids, tortured with devices he couldn't remember. Not even then he'd been this scared.
What if she said no?
What if she said yes?
Haymitch reappeared in the kitchen again, holding out the object Peeta had been looking for earlier. Peeta nearly hugged Haymitch in delight, but the other man only chuckled.
"By the way you were searching, I figured you wanted to use it." Haymitch said, placing it into Peeta's hand. Peeta was satisfied, he thanked Haymitch before going to Beetee. He'd had just gotten a very good idea.
"Hey, Peeta. How can I help?" The genius asked. Peeta smiled, not bothering to beat around the bush. He brought the two objects he had forward.
"Can you please put them together? Please?" He begged. It had to work! And it would go with the cookies!
Beetee took the two items, a smirk curling across his features.
"Of course, at least it's something to do." He shrugged. "And anything for our star-crossed lovers." He added warmly.
Peeta gave him a thankful smile before returning to his cookies. He'd managed to get some edibble pearls, which he put on the cookies. In the end he had two plates of cookies. He checked on Beetee again, who was done now with Peeta's request. He was, and the product looked amazing.
"Thank you, Beetee, so much." Peeta breathed, taking in the sight. It was perfect.
"They're coming!" Haymitch yelled, running into the house. He'd taken over Beetee's post.
"We're not ready!" Peeta panicked, running to the kitchen to get the cookies. Mrs Everdeen and Annie had brought the cakes out, placing them into carefully selected places. Peeta put the cookies on the table right in front of the door, where she would see them first.
He told the rest of them to hide; it was supposed to be a surprise. Mrs Everdeen, Annie and Finnick junior hid in the kitchen (it was hard to keep Finnick junior silent, he'd woken up a few hours ago); Beetee stood behind the door, because, according to him, it would be the first place to look – and therefore the last place to look. Peeta just shook his head, both confused and amused at Beetee's reasoning.
Katniss, Gale and Johanna were nearing the house, and Peeta, dressed to impress, was waiting next to the cookies with Beetee's invention. Haymitch stepped up next to Peeta, sporting a bowtie that Peeta was convinced Cinna once had wrestled him into. Haymitch smiled ar him, clapping him on the back playfully.
"Listen, boy, you break her heart – I'll break your body." Haymitch said with a smile. Peeta could tell that the smile was deceiving – extremely so, and that the threat rang true. Haymitch wasn't the bastard drunk he used to be, he'd changed a bit, and Katniss was like a daughter to him, even he wasn't that old. He'd seen Haymitch in a fight, he that was Peeta would lose.
He gulped, turning to face the front door and Katniss entered, gale and Johanna trailing behind her. She was laughing at something Johanna had said. She turned to Peeta.
"Can you believe it, Peeta?" She asked, her eyes alight. "I nearly killed Gale, too."
"Fast reflexes." Gale grinned, bumping into Katniss' shoulder playfully. Peeta wanted to be jealous, but he'd have to deal with Katniss and Gale's kinship. They did know each other longer, after all. And, Peeta thought with a smirk, it wasn't Gale Katniss ran to when she had a nightmare.
Katniss laughed again before turning to Peeta. She stopped laughing and stared for a second.
"Peeta, you look good!" She exclaimed, stepping closer to him. He smiled gallantly. He was aware of the blush creeping across her cheeks. He'd been noticing it for a while now, and it just added to the idea that they were ready for this step.
Katniss took another step and wiped a pesky piece of hair away from his eyes. This was it, he thought, time to face it. As he predicted, her eyes fell to the table. He stuck his one hand out to her, what Beetee'd put together in the centre of his hand. His hand was slightly shaking.
He watched her reaction. Her smile slipped to an expression of awe and disbelief. She looked up at him again, and returned her gaze to the cookies. Two words were on the two plates of cookies, written in sparkling, edible pearls.
"Marry me?"
"Oh, Peeta…" She sighed. Here it comes, he thought, she's about to say no. She doesn't love me. He closed his eyes, fighting a tear, and closed his hand around the ring. Beetee'd fastened the pearl Peeta had given her in the Quarter Quell.
He was surprised when Katniss' lips were on his. He opened his eyes in surprise, finding her eyes closed, tears leaking from behind her long lashes.
"K… Katniss?" he asked when she pulled away, uncertain. She laughed, wiping another tear away.
"Yes! Yes! It's beautiful!" She sniffed, accepting his embrace. He smiled a wide smile, holding the ring out to her. Her gaze fell to it, and she kissed him again.
"That's my pearl!" She sniffed, putting her arms around his neck again. Haymitch cleared his throat loudly, and Katniss blushed, stepping away from Peeta. He reached for her hand, slipping the ring on her finger.
"You know why we use this finger?" He asked softly. She shook her head, curious. "It's the only finger with a direct line to the heart." He explained. She laughed, kissing him wetly. He didn't know she'd be so emotional when he asked her. At least she hadn't said no.
She let out a tiny shriek when everyone appeared. She ran to hug her mother, as the two women hugged, Mrs Everdeen nodded her approval at peeta. He had her blessing, he always had, but this gesture meant the world to him.
Maybe all would be well. Maybe, just maybe, their fairy-tale ending would come true. Maybe – just maybe, happiness wasn't a fable.
. . .
A/N Please review!