me: This is a cute little Katniss/Peeta one-shot.
Peeta: She kidnapped me.
me: MUHAHAH-coughs-coughs-hacks- Sorry. Hairball.
Peeta: This is her first Hunger Games story.
me: And my first one-shot. And my first story under FantasyAddict. Just call me FA. I use to be maxrideaddict97-10.
Peeta: The name is because we got together in the 'last five minutes' of this situation.
Disclaimer: I do not own Hunger Games. Or the setting. Or the 'You love me, real or not real real' thing at the end. Check. It was the last words before the Epilouge. I only own plot.
Peeta stares at his dirty shoes as he waits. What he doesn't know is... for what? Katniss? Not likely. Katniss has hardly come out of her house since she's arrived in District 12. It's very unlikely that she will come to his house.
So, he'll just have to come to hers.
He lifts his head and stares at the ever growing pile of dirty dishes in the kitchen sink. Maybe while he's there he can convince Greasy Sae to do his dishes in return for cake. He slowly walks towards the door, playing in his mind what he has to say to Katniss.
Katniss opens the door as soon as he knocks. She's dressed in one of the wedding gowns Cinna created for her, her face glowing. He's dressed in the best tux he could conjure up. He looks like a pile of garbage compared to her.
"Katniss..." he whispers.
"Oh, Peeta!" She throws herself into his arms, kissing him full on the lips.
Yeah. Right. He wishes.
Instead, he's dressed in the dirty clothes he was in when he saw her last. With the barrel for Prim's memorial, with the Primrose that seemed to hurt her feelings. He hears crashing in Haymitch's house, probably a bottle of beer breaking against the wall. He makes a mental note to visit him later.
He stands in front of Katniss's door, preparing for her to open it in the wedding dress she might has somehow managed to get back. He prepares to knock on the door, but hears a cry on the other side. Frowning, he turns the doorknob. The door is open, flying open practically at the touch.
He sees Katniss squatting on the floor, a wall behind her, crying into a pillow. Buttercup is playing with a stray pillow on the floor. Buttercup looks up at him and lowers his ears, threating to hiss. Peeta puts his finger to his lips, slowly places his foot on the hardwood floor.
Buttercup gives a deep throat growl, making Katniss lift her head. Her eyes are red and puffy, tear trails down her cheek. She sees me and looks away. I know she wouldn't want anyone else - except maybe Gale - to see her like this. If it was a camera crew, she would have run away.
He frowns, wondering what to do. Maybe... he could do what he saw Gale's siblings do before District 13's terrible lunches. He walks across the room and slowly sank down beside Katniss. She chunks the pillow at Buttercup, who hisses at her. Peeta shoots an angry look at the cat.
"Katniss?" he asks.
Katniss doesn't respond. Just stares straight ahead.
Peeta's hand brushes hair behind Katniss's ear before he can stop it. "Are you okay."
She nods. "Buttercup walked all the way back here from District 13. To see Prim. But she's dead! Gale's bomb killed her!"
"Gale's not here."
"Don't remind me."
Her words strike Peeta like a knife. Does Katniss still love him? No, she couldn't. His bomb killed her little sister. He opens his mouth to say something, but Katniss beats him to it.
"And Mom has abandoned me. I have no one, Peeta! Everyone I love is either dead or gone! Gale's gone doing who-knows-what, and Greasy Sae can't give advice. Haymitch is always drunk. I'm just... alone on this ride. I wish I hadn't have had to voulenteer for Prim in that reaping."
"Well, I'm happy with how the reaping turned out. Because I finally got to know you. But if there's no one you love here, then..." I start to get up and walk to the door.
"Peeta!" she calls. He turns around. "You don't have to pretend anymore. There are no more cameras."
Her words hit him like a brick. He suddently feels like he could throw up right then and there. "You still think I'm pretending?"
Katniss frowns as she stands up. (A/N, after being sent back to District 12, Katniss thinks Peeta was doing it all for the cameras. Including telling her he wasn't because they were convinced they were being filmed all the time.)"Well, yeah. Aren't you?"
Peeta purses his lips and looks down. "You are the hardest person to convice of anything." He opens the door and steps outside, slamming it behind him. But he didn't make any move to go back to his house. He sank to the cold concrete, his back supported by the door, and thought about what had just happened.
Katniss thought that he was pretending this whole time. Well, she's got a lot to learn. Because he is totally and completely in love with her. He took this time to admit it to herself.
He felt the door attempt to be opened, blocked by his body. Katniss. He slowly stood up, his back still pressed to the door so Katniss can't open it. He slowly grabbed the doornob, moving from the door but still pressing it closed.
He counts down in his head. 3...2...1...Open. He swings the door open and Katniss collapses through it.
She's shivering voliently from the cold. Peeta pulls off his jacket, revieling his thin long-sleeved sunset orange shirt. He slowly places it around Katniss's shoulders.
"Everyone I love isn't dead," Katniss says.
Peeta chooses his words carfully. "You love me. Real or not real?"
Katniss swallows. She pauses a few moments before responding. "Real. Absolutly real."
I tilt up her chin and kiss her. She doesn't hesitate to kiss me back.
me: AWWWW!
Peeta: You're a suck up, FA.
me: *slaps*
Peeta: Ow! You can say it, then!
me: Review please! I'll give you verual cookies!