Hi, everyone! This isn't beta'd, so I apologize if there are any mistakes, I just wanted to publish it for the holidays. Merry Christmas, to all those who celebrate it!
A Soldier's Wife.
"I'm really sorry, sir," the blonde woman who didn't sound sorry at all was saying, "but as you know, it's the day before Christmas. All other flights are booked."
Marine Sergeant Peeta Mellark hadn't set foot on American soil for more than three weeks in the last two years, and even less time in the two and a half years before that. But now he was coming home for good, and he was beyond excited to see his family, his friends.
His wife.
If only Mother Nature hadn't decided to drop a foot of snow on his dreams of getting home for Christmas. Absolutely no flights were leaving from New York, and the plows were doing a shitty job of clearing the roads, which meant that he wasn't getting back to his home in Panem, North Carolina for quite a while.
His shoulders dropping in defeat, Peeta trudged away from the information desk. He collapsed into a seat by one of the gigantic windows and squinted into the glare of the rising sun over the ever-growing pile of snow on the tarmac.
Hours passed with no news. He went through countless cups of coffee and ate two whole bags of Doritos in between stops at the information desk, practically begging for any way to get home. Right before dinner, a weary man with bronze hair who smelled of chlorine collapsed into the seat next to him.
"I can't believe it," the man hand mumbled, dragging his hands across his face. "This is bullshit."
"Tell me about it," Peeta scoffed. The man turns to him with bloodshot eyes.
"My wife wasn't due for another month and an hour ago she called me telling me that she was on her way to the hospital. Her water hasn't broken yet but it's only a matter of time."
Peeta hissed. "That's rough, man. Where are you headed?"
"North Carolina," the man moaned. "I'm never going to get there in time. I'm going to miss the birth of my first child and be the worst father and husband in history."
"Don't say that," Peeta said, trying to stay optimistic. "You never know what will happen."
The man sighed. "What about you? Where are you going?"
"Same place as you, actually," Peeta chuckled, twisting his wedding ring. "Back to my wife."
"How long have you been gone?" the man asked.
"Four and a half years, give or take a few weeks here and there," Peeta said with a grimace. "Wow. It sounds terrible when you say it out loud."
"I'm sure you had your reasons. Are you a military man?"
Peeta nodded and extended his hand. "Sergeant Peeta Mellark, U.S. Marines."
"Finnick Odair." He gripped Peeta's hand tightly as he shook. "Thank you for your service, man."
Peeta felt the blush tinge his cheeks as it normally did whenever someone thanked him, but he also felt a rush of pride.
"Are you on your way home for good?" Finnick asked.
"Yeah," Peeta told him with a smile. "Home for good. Damn, it gives me the chills to say it out loud."
"That's amazing." Finnick beamed and clapped him on the back. "Making it home for Christmas, isn't that something special. Or trying to, at least."
Peeta chuckles. "I haven't given up hope just yet."
The day passed and the pair dozed off, still in their chairs by the window. They woke up a few hours later and it was Christmas Eve. The snow had stopped falling, but there was still a thick coating on the ground. Men with snow shovels and snow blowers were already trying the clear the runways.
Over a breakfast of coffee and runny eggs, Finnick had Peeta nearly choking as he told him a story about his wife, Annie.
"So she's on a chair screaming, my foot is completely stuck in the wall, and I still have half a pie left," Finnick said through his laughter. "The mouse is literally just running in circles on the kitchen floor, and poor Annie, who was six months pregnant at the time, hobbled down off the chair and opened the front door, trying to shoo it out. Instead, a fucking bird flew through the door, and-she'll kill me if she knew I told you this-she literally peed her pants-"
"Excuse me." The story is interrupted by the same blonde woman from yesterday. "You two gentlemen are looking to head to North Carolina, correct?"
"Yes," Peeta said, hope surging through him.
"Well, two seats just opened up on the first flight out. It's headed to Maryland, and I know that it's not what you're looking for but-"
"We'll take it," Peeta said immediately. Finnick jumped up, grabbing his bag. The woman handed them both boarding passes and directed them to the gate.
"Good luck," she said with a smile.
"Thank you," they said in unison before taking off. They sprinted to the gate and made it just in time to be herded onto the cramped aircraft.
"There are two seats in the back," Finnick said as they shoved down the aisle, trying not to hit anyone with their bags. He led them to the very last row of the plane and let Peeta slide in first, taking the seat next to the window. Finnick shoved both of their bags into the overhead compartment and then collapsed next to him with a huff.
"Well," he said as a surly looking man who reeked of alcohol sat down in the aisle seat, "we're halfway there."
Peeta smiled and looked out the window. The flight attendant was just beginning to walk them through emergency procedures. "Yeah, Finn. We're halfway there."
"Hey everyone!" Gale Hawthorne yelled as he walked into his frat house. "This is my cousin, Katniss Everdeen. She's going to be coming to school here in the fall, and just because I'm graduating this year doesn't mean any of you fuckers can hit on her once I'm gone, alright?"
Peeta rolled his eyes and didn't look up from the game of beer pong he was playing with his friend, Delly. Gale had been talking about his cousin Katniss coming to visit for years, and you couldn't get him to shut up about it the entire week before. Peeta didn't care very much for his frat brother, and if this Katniss girl was anything like him- which Gale claimed she was- then he was happy to stay away from her for the night, and for the next two years until he graduated.
"Time out," Delly said. "We both suck at this, and I wouldn't drink this warm shit anyway. Why don't you get us something cold and then we can both work on getting laid."
"Alright," Peeta said with a laugh. "Don't start without me."
He shoved through the throngs of people to the drink table and grabbed to red solo cups. He leaned over and filled them up from the keg and once they were fully and frothy and inviting, Peeta stood up and adjusted the cups in his hand. He turned around, calling to Delly, when a petite brunette crashed into him. The cups were crushed in his grip, and beer spilled all over him and the girl.
"What the fuck?"
"I'm so sorry!"
Peeta gaped at the girl. Her hair was braided down her back, and a few strands had escaped and were framing her face. Peeta gave her a once over to make sure she was okay, even though he was pretty sure he was doing to have some major bruising on his side from her bony elbow. She had been wearing a white tank top beneath her unzipped leather jacket, and the wet fabric sticking to her chest gave him a perfect view of the black lacey bra she was wearing. "Gave" being the operative word here, since he only looked for about a millisecond before his head was twisted to the right.
"My eyes are up here, asshole," she snapped, making a V with her fingers and pointing to her eyes. Peeta dropped the ruined cups and rubbed his cheek with his palm.
"Did you just slap me?" he asked incredulously.
"Do I need to do it again?"
"What? No!" he yelled. "Jesus, why did you hit me?"
"Because you were staring at my chest! And you spilled your beer on me."
"I-What-You ran into me, causing me to spill my beer. This is your fault, not mine," Peeta snapped.
"Oh, so it's my fault that you're a testosterone-filled ass who can't control himself?" she retorted with a scowl. Her steely grey eyes were narrowed and her arms with crossed over her chest.
"What?! Look, I'm sorry that I glanced in the area of your chest for a split second after you practically body slammed me. I was just checking to see if you were okay. I'm a real pig, aren't I?"
"Yes! You are!" The girl gave him one last spiteful glare before turning on her heel and stomping away.
Peeta stayed firmly rooted in his spot, the beer seeping through his shirt and into his skin. Delly sidled up beside him and eyed her as she stalked away.
"She's a real spitfire, isn't she?" Delly said, eying her appreciatively. "And hot, too."
"Yeah," Peeta breathed. "Who is she?"
"Didn't you hear them when they came in? That's Gale's cousin, Katniss Everdeen."
As soon as the flight landed, Finnick whipped out his phone.
"Mags? Yeah, I just landed in Maryland and I'm going to try and get a flight home. How's Annie? Did she- Oh, good. Okay. I still have time."
He looked to Peeta and mouthed She hasn't had the baby yet.
"Can I talk to her? Oh, good. Hey, baby! I'm so sorry I'm not there right now...I know, I'll be there as soon as I can, I promise. Keep that little sucker in there, yeah?"
Peeta heard shouting from the other end, something about "contractions" and "the pain" and "I want this out of me" and Finnick goes pale.
"Right. Forget that, then. Who cares if the father is present for the birth of his first child? They're not nursing from me! For the love of God, push, Annie!"
Peeta laughed at his new friend's panic. The man shot him a dirty look and then his voice turned soft. "I love you so much, Annie. You're doing great, I know it. I'll be there soon, I promise...I love you."
He hung out up the phone and leaned back against the seat. The doors of the plane just opened and people were starting to stand up. Finnick looked to Peeta with a dreamy smile.
"Even though she's screaming at me through contractions...she's my world, man. God, I love her."
"Peeta, you can't be serious."
Katniss stood up and started pacing around Peeta's living room. Their living room, now that she had moved in a month before. It had only taken them a year of hating each other, six months of amicable friendship, and another eight months of dating to finally take that step.
"I'm completely serious, Katniss." Peeta grabbed her hands and pulled her back down onto the couch. "I want to do this."
She turned away from him, trying to hide the tears in her eyes. "Oh, Peeta."
"Katniss, I need you to support me in this," Peeta said. His eyes were glistening with tears, too. "I'm going to enlist regardless of what you say, but it will be a hell of a lot easier for me to do it knowing that you'll be with me through it."
He wasn't stupid. He knew that the idea of being a soldier's wife- or in this case, girlfriend- wasn't appealing. It wouldn't be fair to put that burden on her, but he wanted this so badly.
She put her hand over her mouth to stifle her sob. "Of course I will support you, Peeta," she cried. He pulled her to him, and she curled into a ball on his lap, resting her head on his chest. "I'm too selfish for this."
"What do you mean, baby?"
Katniss sniffles tucks herself closer to him. "I can't let you go," she whimpered. "I'm so proud of you for wanting to do this, Peeta. So, so proud. But I'm too selfish to let you go, knowing that you might not come back. I-I..."
"You what?" Peeta prompted, wiping a tear from his eye.
"I love you too much," she finally whispered. Peeta's heart skipped a beat. They had never exchanged those words before. Katniss had never been ready to say them, and he hadn't pushed her.
"You love me?" he repeated dumbly. Katniss chuckled and pulled back, wiping her eyes.
"Yes, Peeta," she said with a brilliant, tear-stained smile. "I love you."
He said the only thing that he could think of next.
"Marry me, Katniss."
The pair tried unsuccessfully for hours to find flights to North Carolina. It had started snowing in Maryland just after their flight landed, and now the only flights that were leaving were headed west and not south. By the time is was seven o'clock at night, both men were at their wit's end. Finnick looked like he was nearly on the verge of tears, and Peeta was beginning to lose hope.
By some miracle, Annie still hadn't had the baby yet. Her grandmother, Mags, had been keeping Finnick updated over the phone. Apparently she was only dilated seven centimeters. According to Mags, Annie's late mother had been in labor with her for thirty-six hours, and it looked as if Annie was headed for the same fate. Peeta was glad that his friend still had a chance of reaching them before his child was born, but he couldn't shake the shudder that rippled through him at the thought of someone being in labor for a day and a half.
"Peeta!" Finnick snapped his fingers, suddenly alight with new energy. "Why don't we rent a car?"
The men stared at each other, dumbfounded. How hadn't they thought of this before?
A little less than an hour later, they were shoved into one of those little black Italian cars, and on the road. By some bizarre coincidence, they found out that Finnick lived just twenty minutes away from Peeta in Panem, so the plan was to drop Peeta off and then make haste to the hospital, where-hopefully-Finnick would be able to help his wife have their first child.
As they drove, Finnick converted his nervous energy into mindless chatter. He was a good storyteller, but Peeta couldn't focus on much of anything. His mind kept wandering to the woman waiting for him at home.
They probably scarred the limo driver with the noises coming out of the back seat, but they didn't care. The elderly woman who passed them in the hallway on the way to their suite had looked like she was going to pass out when she saw the way they were entwined around each other, but they didn't care.
She was his, and he was hers, and that was all that mattered.
"So, Mrs. Mellark," Peeta purred once they were in the room. "I must say, you look absolutely ravishing this evening."
"Why thank you, Mr. Mellark," Katniss said, walking backwards and leading her husband towards the king sized bed in the middle of the room. "I must say, I am definitely in the mood to be ravished."
He didn't need to be told twice. She was out of her wedding dress in less than a minute, and soon the lump of white fabric was in a pile in a corner of the room. He took his time, laying her down on the bed and kissing every inch of her skin before removing the soft orange lingerie set she wore beneath her gown. Once she was completely naked beneath him, he moved to unbutton his uniform.
"No," his wife said, sitting up. Her brown hair was curled into soft waves and spilled over his shoulders. She gently pushed his hands away and started on his jacket. She had let it slip once that she found his Marine attire extremely sexy. Protocol did not allow him to wear it off base, but for their ceremony it had been all he was allowed to wear. Katniss didn't mind in the slightest.
Once they were both sans clothing, she did the same to him as he did to her, kissing every patch of skin across his body. Then he flipped them over to she was beneath him, and he worked her with his tongue until she found her first release.
"I love you," she moaned as she came. He wanted to hear her say that every day for the rest of their lives.
"I love you more." He slid into her while she was still shaking, and she cried out beautifully.
They made love all night long, with him on top, then her. They stopped for a bit and ordered pizza and wine from room service, and then he took her in the shower. After an hour-long catnap, she woke him up with her mouth around his cock. By the time the sun rose, they had each came half a dozen times and their skin was peppered with love bites.
It was the best night of both of their lives.
A six-and-a-half hour drive was turned into nearly eight because of the icy roads, but by the time it was four in the morning on Christmas Day, the men pulled up in front of Peeta's house. 12 District Lane.
"Good luck with Annie," Peeta said, shaking Finnick's hand. "I expect a picture of the kid soon."
"Absolutely. Merry Christmas, Peeta."
"Merry Christmas, Finnick."
He drove away, leaving Peeta standing in the falling snow with his bag over his shoulder. He took a deep breath and then started up the walkway. Peeta found the spare key they kept beneath a loose step and slid it into the lock.
It smelled like her. Pine and her lilac scented body wash. Peeta inhaled deeply as he closed the front door behind him and dropped his bag on the floor. He slipped out of his shoes and left them by the door and slowly padded upstairs.
Their bedroom door was closed, and he eased it open with shaking hands. There she was.
Katniss Mellark was curled up in a ball on his side of the bed, his favorite flannel dwarfing her figured. She stirred when the door open, and his breath caught as she sat up and rubbed her eyes.
"Peeta?" she whispered, her voice low and hoarse from sleep. "Is this real?"
"It's real," he whispered back, taking a step over the threshold.
"I thought you weren't supposed to come home until after New Year's." She wiped away a tear that had rolled down her cheek.
"Merry Christmas, Katniss," he said, coming to the edge of the bed.
His wife let out a shriek and leaped at him. He caught her and clutch her to him with no intention of letting go. She wrapped her legs around his waist and crushed their faces together, their lips touching for the first time in months. Both of their cheeks were wet and salty from their tears, but neither of them minded.
"M-Merry Christmas, Peeta," she choked out between kisses. They collapsed onto the bed, a mess of tangled limbs and tearful laughter. Peeta Mellark had never been happier.
He was home.