Author's Note:
Hello Everyone!
At the end of "Cat and Mouse", Katniss said that she "had a surprise for grad night" after Peeta teased her to pose nude for his art class… This story is a follow up from that, and will probably be a few chapters long…IT'S MY FIRST LEMON AND I CAN'T WAIT!:)
I Love hearing from people, so please PM or Review Me!
Thank you to mcphersonraina,PinkiePie123,lime-cola, bloolover, jackyb, SEGAgirl82, SLC12793 and Embracer for the Alerts/ Subscriptions and Reviews!
Particular thanks to KnightRie for trying to tell me the difference between "Grad" and "Prom" and to Bright Lights and White Nights for the reviews and encouragement!
Please, please, please review! I always want to know what people think or if there are ways of improving! Thank You!
I do not own The Hunger Games, or the characters. Sadly, they belong to Suzanne Collins… but all scenarios within this story are of my doing. Rated M for choice language, sexually awkward advances, nudieness, pure smut and clumsy yet adorable love making sessions.
And now…. Enjoy;)
Katniss:
I smile at the girl in the mirror, who miraculously is me. The night is nearly over for the class of 2011 at the Panem Graduation Ball, our futures unknown and uncertain. For me at least; I know Peeta wants to go on to college and study music, but he's already detested moving away and leaving me, which is rather silly, pinning the rest of his life on a girl. But when love is added to the equation, does it still seem as fruitless? No. I will not let the thought of losing him ruin the night, and take an extra minute in the ladies bathroom to regroup my thoughts. I do look stunning though. Prim has really done an excellent job of up styling my hair so that it sits regally atop of my head and the dress was the result of Annie's impulsive spending off the internet. It's a fantastic creation, silky smooth against my golden, tanned skin; it hugs my hips and falls to the floor. It's also rather good in the chest department as it shows a little cleavage, but not an ugly, but rather a teasing amount. I smile to myself as I remember how Peeta's eyes nearly popped out of his head when he looked at me. Silly Baker Boy, he's naïve, but not that naïve to the female body, although we haven't actually…
"Katniss!" squeaks Annie, a little drunk and hyper from the atmosphere.
"Hey Annie!"
How glad am I to see her, disrupting the embarrassing thoughts that are taking place in my head right now.
"WE'RE FINISHED FOREVER! WE DID IT AND SCHOOL IS OOOOOVVVVERRR BEEEATCH!"
The corners of my mouth curl up at my friend's drunkenness. She hastily wobbles over to me in her platform heels, the rosy light of the bathroom illuminating the sequins and diamantes on the silver bodice of her frock, the skirt splaying out at her hips. Annie is beautiful as always.
"Kat…" she whispers, her eyes wide open and staring, like that of a child.
"Yes, Annie…?"
"I think I'm a little drunk…"
"Really? I'd never of guessed"
I can never resist being sarcastic and taking the piss when given the opportunity. I smile as Annie leans in for a hug, her mound of hair cascading over my shoulder. I pat her back, smiling at my best friend and the nonsense that she speaks.
"Have you and Peeta…?"
"Huh?" I ask. All I had heard was his name and he immediately takes over my mind. Flashbacks take me to every single moment that ever occurred between us starts playing. Why is it that I'm forever looking after people in bathrooms, be they burning from cigarette butts or not being able to hold their drink? Annie mumbles again, leaning her weight against mine as I struggle to hold her up in my high heels.
"Have you and Peeta… you know…"
I feel myself flush scarlet at the thought of what she's implying, but I have to reply to her or she'll never stop asking.
"What Annie? Have I and Peeta had sex yet? No, no we haven't" I snap at her.
Her head turns to look at mine, her eyes apologetic, and now sober.
"Sorry Katniss… That was really dumb of me to ask"
I hang onto Annie for a minute, thinking whether or not I should reveal what I've planned for tonight, but I don't. I know her too well and I don't want her telling Finnick. I don't want to start mentioning what I've planned for Peeta tonight, which would eventually spread throughout the grapevine. He's not one for hearsay or gossip spreading, and he knows that I'd feel the same way if Finnick brought up the topic for discussion. We both look in the mirror at ourselves; Annie in silver and I in a vibrant red dress that resembles a lit ember in a fire. Needing to get back to Peeta, I motion for the camera inside my purse and take a photo of the pair of us, adding to the many more I've taken from this night alone. I wait for the camera to take another photo when I hear the unmistakable voices of Finnick Odair and one, Peeta Mellark walking down the corridor and entering the bathroom.
"Annie did say that she went to look for Katniss in the bathroom; didn't she Finn?"
Finnick's head cocks in our direction and he bounds over in five gigantic steps.
"WOOOHHOOO! PHOTO TIME!"
Peeta's face meets mine, and his eyes roll into the back of his head as we both struggle to control our drunken couple.
"Shut up Finnick!... GOD! You're such a kid sometimes"
"PEETA…PEETA…I LOVE YOU MAN!"
I try hard not to laugh at Finnick holding Peeta in a tight embrace, but I fail horribly and my laughter fills the room as Peeta attempts to escape.
"I love you too Finn… now get t'fuck off of me!"
When he's free, a smile spreads across his face, his eyes majestic and gleaming in this light. I take a picture with the camera, quickly enough for the four of us to be in it, although it's a mess. Another memory for Peeta to take with him when he leaves for college… my head taunts, and the thought of losing him terrorises me again as I clutch to his chest. Finn and Annie are hugging each other in a state of drunken bliss whilst Peeta supports me. He probably knows what I'm thinking already. How photos are generally taken to remind people of happy times…times that no longer exist…times when things were different.
"Hey… Smile for me Sweetheart"
I look up at him, his eyes peeping out from under the curtain of gold that is his hair. If I am going to lose him, I want to give him something; some part to remember me by. Although I've already left my mark on him already, as I recall the burn mark on his thigh from when we first met. Annie's questions only back up my original idea, and how I should go through with it; how I should let him have me entirely. I lean up on the balls of my feet to kiss him; savouring the taste of his mouth against mine, feeling his teeth pull ever so slightly back on my bottom lip, teasing me. Baker Boy…I love you so much more than you will ever know…
Peeta:
Tonight has been perfect, apart from Finn and Annie getting completely shit faced. Katniss and I flagged a cab and stuck them inside, telling the driver to bring them home. Even in late July, Panem still has bitter winds that make it feel like winter. Standing under the hazy light of a lamppost, I see her shiver in that firecracker dress, and quickly take off my jacket, draping it carefully around her bare shoulders. I was really pleasantly surprised when I first saw her this evening, she looked so elegant, and the dress definitely showed some skin in all the right places, so much that my own pants, (which fit me well) became a bit too tight in the crotch area for my liking. I stuck out my arm to wave another taxi down, and helped her in gently to the back seat, before following in after her.
The taxi driver is a middle aged, fat man with a pudgy face and a tweed cap that rests on his head. He bellows in a jovial voice:
"Where to, young lad?"
"Number 48, Straffan Road please"
"No bodger, Roger! Have ye there in no time atall"
"Thanks"
Katniss' head bobs down onto my shoulder, as I strap her in safely, which is proving difficult in the darkness of the car. After five minutes in the car, she stirs from her slumber.
"Peeta…?"
"Yes…?"
"Are we nearly home yet?"
Already, she's treating me like her family; it makes me feel all warm inside that we're going home together; even if it is four o' clock in the morning and we're both exhausted from dancing and enjoying ourselves all night long.
"Very nearly, Katniss, just two more minutes" I whisper, pressing a kiss to her forehead, watching her eyes close in the process. I gently place an escaped ringlet of her hair behind her ear, stroking her cheek afterwards, as the cab pulls into my driveway.
"There now!"
"That's grand, how much do I owe you?"
"Eh… sure giv' us a fiver and we'll call it a night"
"Are you sure?"
"Yup, a fiver is grand stuff there lad!"
I take out my wallet from my trouser pockets, and fumble for my house keys.
"Lovely! Thank you very much! Bye now!"
"Thanks again"
I open the car door and Katniss follows, swinging her legs out, as I offer her my hand for balance. She staggers in her high heels on the gravel driveway; each step of the way in pain. I sweep her up into my arms, her weight light against my chest as I walk us to the back door. I prop her down gently on the ground as I fiddle with the door, trying to press the key into the latch quickly enough before she tumbles. She's in my arms again as I carry her through the threshold quietly, before realising that this is the first time that Katniss has ever entered my house this way, and I think fondly of the lemon tree outside my window. We slip to the kitchen stealthily, where I've left her favourite cake, plates and mugs for our return. I place her down on the sofa slowly, as she pries her shoes off; my jacket still surrounding her; keeping her warm. She looks at me, her eyes still gleaming into mine, pulling me down with her.
"Katniss… what are you trying to do?"
"Ssh…Stay here for a while"
"Do you want anything? I've made cake"
I can't help smiling as I say this, and neither can she, but her hand wraps around my arm and motions for me to move closer to her. Steadying myself with one knee on the sofa, my arms support me as I hang above her body, her eyes fixed on mine. Her hands travel from my arms to my chest, as she picks at the buttons, starting from the top and working her way down effortlessly. She's touching me so carefully, tracing me with her fingertips as if I'm made of glass. It's wreaking havoc in my trouser department, but I'm not ashamed when I give in and crash gently on top of her, our mouths colliding against one another. She's so warm and beautiful and perfect right now; not that she isn't always, but I feel it more now than ever. Her hands peel off my shirt hesitantly, and I break temporarily from her to drag the air back into my lungs.
"Katniss… we don't have to…you know… have sex... Not if it makes you worried or uncomfortable. I'm more than happy having you here in my arms, like this"
"I know Peeta…"
A tear forms in the corner of her eye and slides down her cheek slowly, her mascara smudging as I try to figure out what's wrong.
"Was it something I did Katniss? I'm so very sorry if I hurt you, or if we were moving too fast or anything, I'm really really…"
"Peeta…Sshh…You didn't do anything wrong at all…" she sobs, more tears sliding down her face, as I search for a sign or something to relieve her of her troubles.
"Sweetheart, please tell me what's wrong. I hate seeing you like this, and I don't ever want you to feel like this. Ever. Please?"
"Just with the grad… and finishing school… and you going away to college in September…I don't want you to forget me Peeta…" she cries.
I sit up, away from her and pull her into my lap, rocking us to and fro as she sobs into my chest, black mascara tears staining my skin, as I take out the pins holding her hair in place, feeling the soft curls fall in my hand.
"Sweetheart, I'm not going away to college. And more importantly, I'm never going to forget you because I will always be here, I promise"
My fingertip makes soft contact with the silk dress over the place where her heart is meant to be. I'll always be there, no matter what happens.
"Promise, promise?"
"Promise, promise" I say, wiping the tears from her face with my shirt, watching how the black liquid stains the white fabric.
She presses a light kiss on my forehead, and I continue to rock us back and forth in silence.
"Peeta…?"
"Yes Sweetheart?"
"Thank you…for that…and for the cake…can I have some?"
"Of course, I made it for you" I chuckle, seeing her dart for two plates from the cupboard and putting the kettle on to boil for the tea.
Katniss:
"This cake is nom"
"Nom, nom, nom, nom" he replies, a muffled laugh escaping his lips as we gobble our cake hungrily and take great slurps of boiling tea to wash it down, burning our mouths in the process. I have to laugh at the first memory I have of Peeta's shirtless frame; and how it scared me, offended me even. Yet now, it's something that I admire more and more as he places his free hand over mine, rubbing my knuckles slowly, which calms me down immensely. I must look friggin' awful right now, and I want out of this dress; it's so long without my high shoes that I'm guaranteed to trip over the nearest object, or even a flat surface at this rate. I just want my bed…or rather a bed, with me and Peeta in it, curling up together, not even to have sex, but just to sleep together in the most innocent of ways, and truest of words. He reads my mind before I tell him what I'm thinking.
"Kat, do you want to go upstairs? Wash your face, take off your dress and get a shower? I don't mean like that! But I'll give you one of my old shirts and you can have a pair of shorts too?"
Baker Boy is even sweeter when he's tripping himself up with his own words.
"Sure, that sounds fantastic. My shoulders are killing me"
After putting our plates in the dishwasher, we venture up the stairs, and past the grandfather clock that sits at the top of the landing. Peeta takes out towels for me and shows me the bathroom. It's painted a rich blue colour, just like the water of the coast, with a large walk in shower with a tiled floor with a plug hole for the water to drain away. He shows me how not to burn myself and other settings on the contraption that controls the water. I greedily take one last kiss before he leaves and another…just for the road.
"I'll see you soon Sweetheart" he smiles, closing the door behind him.
"You too" I smile, locking the door as he leaves, before stripping off and stepping into the warm water, losing myself in how good it feels.
It's only when I step out and dry myself that I realise the predicament I'm in.
Peeta's not left any clothes out for me, making the towel my only port of call on the clothing front. I could put the dress back on, but it's awkward and I'm already tired. I bundle up the dress and put on the bra and underwear, not wanting to be entirely naked underneath. I unlock the door and take a really deep breath before entering his bedroom but Peeta seems to be in a predicament of his own when I walk in…