The Time Peeta Mellark Got Sick
By: cassandraishere
I do not own The Hunger Games
At this point in her life Katniss Mellark believed that she knew just about everything there was to know about her husband. She knew he woke up ridiculously early, she knew how he tied his shoes; how he took his tea. She knew that he didn't like eggs and that he snored (so very loudly). So the fact that Peeta was sick and was trying to hide it wasn't much of a surprise. She had even seen it coming. The weather was getting cooler, Peeta was rather irresponsible when it came to bundling up; often running out of the house to 'quickly' do this or that at the neighbours or to chop some wood. Nobody could keep him away from virus carrying children when he visited the Community home to donate his baked goods. And, in addition to all these red flags, he insisted on letting her hog the covers and sleeping with their window wide open.
Staring at her husband's back as he stands in their kitchen Katniss rolls her eyes. What would he do without her?
"What exactly do you think you're doing?" She asks calmly, smirking when he jumps and quickly spins around to face her.
"Uh… ah nothing. Just getting some tea! Starting the day right and all that." He says cheerfully, trying to hide what's on the counter with his body. "What are you doing up so early?"
"Oh, you know," she says, walking up to him and resting her hands on either side of him on the counter. "I just missed you."
His face softens, "Well, you know I didn't want to wake you so early. I was just heading out to work-"
"No you're not!" Katniss jumps back from him and lifts the evidence in her hands (all the flu related medication they keep in the house). "You're sick! You're staying right here mister!"
"Katniss!" he whines and pouts "nooo."
She shakes her head "Nuh uh. You're not spreading this virus around to everyone who eats your bread. You're staying right here and letting me take care of you."
"I'm fine!" he insists, "never felt better!"
"I don't understand why you insist on fighting this. You like nurse Katniss. Nurse Katniss good, outside bad."
He rolls his eyes "You shouldn't have to put your day on hold to take care of me. I'm a big boy, completely grown, and capable of growing a full beard!"
Katniss crosses her arms and smirks, "You just threw in the beard comment out of male pride didn't you?"
Peeta smiles himself and mimics her body language while leaning against the counter behind him. "It's a big deal, Katniss."
She rolls her eyes, sets all their medication on the counter and starts pulling him towards the stairs. "To bed Mr. Facial Hair."
"Yeah that's right! Say it again baby!"
"Peeta, go lie down!"
"Alright, time for soup." Katniss says as she concentrates on balancing the bowl on her tray.
Peeta looks away from their bedroom ceiling to look at her, a look of agony on his face. He sits up slowly and leans back against their headboard pushing away the tissues on his lap.
"Why am I worse?" he moans as she sets the tray on his lap. "I was fine this morning."
"That's because it hadn't hit you yet. You know you gotta get through the bad part first."
He pouts at her and she rolls her eyes. He looks adorably helpless, all red nosed, scruffy and with a severe case of bedhead.
"How about you feed this to me? I'm too weak!"
She laughs "I'm not going to baby you, Peeta."
His pout intensifies "Bu I'm dying!"
Katniss shoots him a look "Don't even joke about that."
"Sorry." He says sincerely ad he gathers the tissues on the bed and drops them into the garbage bag near the bed that's already overflowing with tissues. "Come sit with me."
She smiles and sits next to him on the bed leaning up to kiss his scruffy chin.
"You're going to get sick." He sniffles, "Go outside and hunt."
"For the hundredth time, no." she reaches up to feel his forehead. "Close your eyes again will you?"
Peeta chuckles but does as he's told, "You're hands still too warm?"
She kisses his eyelids. "It's the soup."
His eyes flutter open and he smiles before succumbing to a small coughing fit, he spills some of the soup onto the tray and her heart flutters just as it always does when his eyes flutter like that. "So what's the verdict?"
"A bit better, but it's still pretty bad." She reaches up to comb his hair back from his sweaty forehead.
"Ugh but I'm so cold." He digs into his soup with a shiver. "Mmm, soup."
She smiles as she watches his eat his soup. Peeta's a lot of things: He is strong, giving, noble, steady, handsome, caring, honest, diplomatic, and so very loving. And she loves all those things about him, but moments like this just might be where she loves him the most. Moments when he's joking around with her, being that person who just completes her. Being vulnerable and ridiculous and plain silly; she loves that, their lives have and always will be far from normal but these small moments make her feel so average. Normal, mundane, happy, things she never thought she was allowed to be at all.
She chuckles as Peeta burns his tongue on his soup covers his cheek in kisses (causing him to laugh and struggle to scoop soup into his mouth) and plays with his thermal shirt.
At one point she's staring right at him and he looks up and catches her gaze, eyebrows raised. "What is it? Is there something wrong with my face?"
She smiles and shakes her head "Nah there's nothing we can do about that at this point."
He sticks his tongue out at her childishly and she laughs. She's still staring straight into his eyes thought. She can't seem to stop.
"Katniss?" Peeta asks, his voice concerned.
"I love you." She says suddenly, causing her husband to blink for a surprised moment before that beautiful smile of his stretches across his face again.
"And I love you."
Thanks for reading! Please review
cassandraishere