A/N I decided to take on @savvylark's plea to Everlark the prompt from daily au about bringing homemade candy to grandma every Christmas. I changed it arounda little to suit Everlark.Un-betaed all mistakes are mine. Rated M.
Enjoy!!
We're stand in his kitchen making his annual batch of Christmas cinnamon shortbread cookies for my grandma. Well when I say we, I mean he is making them and I'm sitting on one of the counters in his massive kitchen drinking a glass of wine.
I need the wine for what I'm about to say to him; what do they call it? Ah yeah; Dutch courage. He looks up at me through his flaxen eyelashes. Suddenly I wish I had chosen the bottle of Jack instead of the wine.
"Everything ok Katniss? Your face is white," he asks looking at me with such concern in his eyes it makes my heart flutter.
"Ehm yeah I'm fine, just realised I don't have a new jumper for Grandma's Christmas party tomorrow," I lie. How I managed a feasible lie with what's running through my head is beyond me.
Although it's not really a lie, I don't have a jumper. Every year on the Friday before Christmas my grandma throws a party for all our family and friends we consider family with one rule; everyone MUST wear a Christmas jumper. If you don't you have to be designated driver for everyone else.
Ever since the invite extended to Peeta, his dad always sent a batch of shortbread cookies along and Peeta took over doing them the older he got.
Peeta and I have been best friends since kindergarten. The bond only intensified as we grew up especially when we both lost a parent. My dad passed away in a work accident when we were 11 and his mom passed from cervical cancer when he was 16.
"Well you have tomorrow off so why don't you just run into town tomorrow and see what you can pick up?" he replies going back to cutting out the cookies.
I look at him as if his brain has been hijacked by idiots.
"Are you kidding me Peeta? Attempt to battle town on the Friday before Christmas? When parents are running around getting last minute Santa presents? And men are doing last minute shopping? I would rather be made up in black leather, stood in front of a camera and made read a speech about freedom than do that!"
At the mention of black leather, Peeta seems to stiffen a little before coughing to clear his throat.
"Okay then Katniss do you want to end up the designated driver for the night?" he asks sarcastically. "Well then what do you suggest you do?"
I stop and think while sipping my wine. I really don't have any other option other than making my own jumper and while I'm good at sewing I don't really have the artistic flair to pull it off.
"I suppose I'll have to battle masses to try get a last minute jumper. God I can't believe I let it slip my mind" I groan, all the while I know WHY it slipped my mind. I realised about 6 months ago at one of my Grams barbeques that I'm in love with Peeta and have been my whole life.
My Grams has always been telling me we are destined for each other, but I always thought she was a bit loopy. And yet the sweet, wicked and strongest woman I've ever had the chance of meeting was right, as she always is.
I have no idea if he feels the same way I do or not. I've been terrified to find out the answer. I don't want to lose him.
No; I can't lose him. I could never survive without him in my life.
And so the last 6 months have been a battle between my head and my heart trying to figure out what to do. Or how to casually suggest us possibly being more to gauge his reaction.
So after Peeta places the tray of cookies into the oven, and pours himself a glass of wine I decide to bite the bullet.
"So, you bring my Grandma 2 baskets of homemade shortcake every year; one for the party and one for her, and she keeps hinting to me how great you are and how any girl would be lucky to make a husband out of you…" At this he snorts and rolls his eyes.
I hop down from the counter, leaving my glass there and walk away a little. I can't bear to see his reaction to the next part I want to say. I inhale a deep breath.
"So I was thinking maybe you and I should go out on a date once – you know to make Grams happy," I rush out on the exhale.
Silence is what I'm met with. I count to twenty Mississippi's before mumbling "gotta pee" and nearly sprinting to the toilet before locking myself in.
After 5 minutes of deep breaths to calm my racing heart down, pep talking to myself with the mirror, I splash a little cold water on my face and decide to face the music.
Peeta is standing in the kitchen still but looking down the hall at me in a way I've never seen him look at me like this before. I can't decipher it and that makes me want to run again. But this time out the front door.
As if sensing where my mind goes, he moves to block the door.
"Katniss… What brought that on?" he asks gently.
"The pee? The wine of course ha," I try to deflect light-heartedly.
"No Katniss, you asking me out on a date" he replies a little louder this time.
"I don't know, I'm just sick of Grams bothering me about how well we would work together I thought we could go out once and then when you didn't like it we could tell her it didn't work out romantically–"
"What makes you think I wouldn't like to date you?" he cuts me off, anger colouring his cheeks and disbelief in his eyes.
"I don't know Peeta I just never seem like the type of girl you go fo—"
He cuts me off in a bruising kiss that halts all current thoughts running through my mind. I feel like I've been hit by lightning; I feel so electric and alive. When he pulls away I chase his lips but he rests his forehead on mind breathing heavily against my lips and his hands holding my waist firmly. When I look into his eyes I see they have turned into a deep blue, deeper than I've ever seen them before.
"Katniss Everdeen, you are the only woman I have ever wanted and will ever want. You have no idea the effect you have on me do you? I have been in love you since we were 5 years old. And I will never stop wanting you. Will you let me to show you just how much I want you?"
With every one of his words my heart has been beating frantically and his last sentence made it skip a couple of beats. With new-found courage I manage to give him a coy smile and reply.
"I'll allow it" I murmur while standing back up on my tip-toes to meet his lips. Once he realises what I said he growls. His hands slide from their place on my hips to grab my ass as he lifts me up and spins me to lean us against the fridge, earning a squeak from me, but I still wrap my legs firmly around his waist. When his arousal grazes against my core just right I moan. He takes advantage of my mouth opening and thrusts his tongue into my mouth exploring all the crevices of my mouth. After what feels like hours but must have only been minutes I smell something burning over the intoxicating scent of Peeta.
"Peeta the cookies" I gasp pulling away.
"Fuck them I'll make Grams more tomorrow" he growls trailing kisses and biting down my neck as he grumbles.
"No," I say causing him to pull back and look at me shocked. "No. I want you to fuck me." I continue huskily.
Another animalistic growl leaves his throat as he resumes his biting my neck, while one of his hands leaves my ass to turn the oven off.
"I'll clean them up later" he rasps out while turning me towards his bedroom to finally claim me as his.