This is set after the Capitol has been overthrown, and things are starting to settle down. Maybe six months or so after Mockingjay ends.
When All is Said and Done
Peeta and Katniss lay in the damp grass on their backs, looking up at the stars, knowing they were safe.
It was an odd feeling for Katniss, who had spent most of her life being wary of her surroundings, always on the lookout for an attack, a habit that was only intensified by the events of the two games and the culminating war against the Capitol.
"What are you thinking about?" questions Peeta, rolling onto his side and propping his head on his hand.
"Just how odd it feels." Seeing his questioning look, Katniss continued. "I'm not scared any more, and I don't have to watch my back. I feel like I should be more on the lookout for danger that doesn't exist, but knowing I don't have to… that's what is so strange to me."
Peeta smiled, and cupped her cheek in his hand. "The whole point of overthrowing the Capitol was so that we could be free again. You should be happy."
"That's true," Katniss says, smiling and leaning unconsciously towards Peeta. There was something about him that could always make her feel better. He knew just how to reassure her, and the best way to chase off the nightmares that visited her sleep every night. He was like her matching puzzle piece, and Katniss knew she had made the right choice when she picked him. They both lay down again and stared up at the stars, hoping to see the first meteor shower of the summer.
"Katniss, can I ask you something?" Peeta's voice cuts through the darkness surrounding the pair. Katniss nods her head, and then realizes he can't see her.
"Of course, Peeta."
"Do you miss Gale?"
This makes Katniss stop and think for a second. Gale had been her best friend for so long, she should miss him. But then, he tried to make their friendship more than it really was, and it had confused her. Katniss had realized, of course, that he wasn't the right person for her, but until she had come to that conclusion, he had only made her feel bad about herself and her decisions. So Katniss answered Peeta honestly.
"I guess at first I did, but I realized not too long ago that Gale was never what I needed in my life."
Peeta raises himself off of the ground once more, and turns to face Katniss. She can just make out the quizzical look on his face in the dusky light. "What did you need Katniss?"
"You," she replies simply. "It was always you, no matter what my actions said, my heart knew I needed you all along. Gale was fiery, but I have enough fire in me for two people. I needed someone like you, someone who is calm and collected, and who can balance me out. And it helped that you were there for me during the hardest time of my life. You understood what I went through in the arena, because you went through it too. I needed you Peeta, not Gale, or anyone else who may or may not have come along one day. Just you."
Katniss is rewarded for her honesty with Peeta's lips making contact with her own. He kissed her softly, and whispered in her ear, "And I am so glad you stuck with me. Even when I wasn't myself, you believed the best in me, and stayed with me. Thank you Katniss."
She kisses him again, with more vigour this time. This has always been Katniss's favourite part of being with Peeta. The kissing and the talking. They have never needed more than that; it has always been enough. They can talk for hours, about anything and nothing. And when one needs to say how they feel, but can't find the right words, the kisses do the talking for them.
Katniss and Peeta continue to kiss until the sun has ducked below the horizon and the only light comes from the fireflies as they dance across the meadow. When the two can no longer see each other's faces, they break apart, breathing heavily. Peeta reaches up, and ever so carefully brushes a hand up Katniss's jawline. She closes her eyes, and leans into his hand.
"We should probably go, your mother…" He need say no more, and Katniss takes his hand and pulls him up onto his feet. He doesn't let go, and instead of turning towards the woods, and the direction of home, he pulls Katniss towards him until she is pressed up against his body.
"I love you Katniss," he whispers.
And in that moment, Katniss loves him too, more than she could have ever imagined heself capable of.
So she tells him.