"I can't believe we haven't taken this tree down yet."
Johanna looks up from the TV to glance at the over-stuffed corner that Katniss is pointing at. The Christmas tree still dominates the small room. Most of the tinsel is on the floor, silver and gold dust bunnies, and the ornaments throw glittery fragments of light over the walls.
"I'm glad we went with plastic," Johanna quips, and her girlfriend nudges her.
"I'm serious. It's almost Valentine's Day."
"I'm serious, too. Can you imagine how bad this would be with a real tree? All rotting and spewing brown needles everywhere. Plastic is so much better."
Katniss pulls her hand from Johanna's and walks over to the tree.
"No, but… I'm really serious, Jo. We should take it down."
She turns and gives Johanna that look that she gets when they're arguing.
"Alright. Fine. We'll take it down."
Katniss gives her a small smile and goes to get the ornament box from their room. Johanna slumps a little lower on the couch. She didn't want to take the tree down just yet. She likes it where it is. This past Christmas was the best one of her life. Since Finnick and Annie had gone back to his parents' house for the holiday, Johanna had the apartment to herself. Well, almost to herself. She and Katniss spent the days cuddling in front of the little space heater in sweaters and blankets, drinking hot chocolate and watching bad horror movies on Netflix and smoking weed. They usually don't cuddle that much. Even now, with the second semester in full swing, they haven't done a lot of good cuddling. Katniss usually doesn't like physical contact, and, even though she's dying to touch her all the time, Johanna respects that.
This Christmas was different, though. Maybe because they were alone in the apartment, or maybe just because it was freezing and the furnace was broken, Katniss was a lot more physical, and Johanna liked it. Granted, she likes Katniss any which way she wants to be, but it was nice.
She put off taking the tree down so that she could preserve that break, those perfect few weeks, for as long as possible.
"Hey, Katniss?" she calls.
"Hm?" she hears from their room.
"Could we put on sweaters and make hot chocolate or something?"
Katniss comes back out and looks at her quizzically.
"Why?"
"I just thought it might be fun. It's Saturday, and Finnick and Annie are out, and it might be fun to have a, like, Christmas in February date night or something."
Katniss' cheeks flush. She smiles.
"Yeah, that sounds nice," she says. "Hey, do you know where we put the tree box?"
"It's in Finnick's room."
"Do you think it's cool if I go in there?"
"Katniss, yes, jeez. You basically live here, too, brainless."
She walks out of their room, dragging a large cardboard box behind her. She sets it down and walks right down the little hallway that leads to Finnick and Annie's room.
"I'll get the sweaters!" Johanna calls out, running through the door to their room. She grabs the two coziest sweaters in her drawer. Both of them are black, and very soft, for things made out of wool. She runs back out, nearly tripping over the ornament box, and throws them on the couch, before running into the kitchen to make two mugs of hot chocolate.
When she walks back into the living room, she has to pause and smile at the scene before her. Katniss is kneeling in front of the tree, pulling ornaments down. Elf is playing on the TV, and she's wearing one of the sweaters that Johanna brought out. She turns around and Johanna knows she's grinning like an idiot.
"What's wrong?" Katniss asks. "You look ridiculous."
"You put on Elf?"
"Yeah. Is that okay? I thought we should have a real Christmas night."
Johanna sets the mugs down on the coffee table and crosses the rest of the room in two strides. She kneels down next to Katniss and pulls her face towards hers to kiss her full on the mouth. Her girlfriend stiffens at first, no doubt surprised, but then she softens. She kisses Johanna back, deeply and passionately. Their mouths open at the same time, and Johanna sighs when she tastes Katniss. She tastes like green tea and fruit and weed. Eventually, her hands end up around Johanna's waist, just before she pulls away.
"What was that for?" Katniss asks. Her eyes are bright, her breathing heavy.
"I love you, brainless. Is that reason enough?"
"You…." She moves her hands up to Johanna's shoulders, her neck, her face, to cup her cheeks. "You love me?"
All the heat drains from Johanna's face. Her heart starts pounding.
"Shit. This is the first time I've said it, isn't it?" Katniss nods. "Well, then. Yeah. I do. Absolutely, I do. I love you."
Katniss strokes her thumbs along her cheekbones and her lips. Her eyes are soft but hard to read.
"I love you, too," she mumbles.
"Oh, I'm sorry? I didn't quite catch that."
Katniss bumps her hip against Johanna's.
"I love you," she repeats, more clearly.
"That what I thought you said," Johanna teases. "Now, should we take down this tree?"
Katniss looks at it and shrugs.
"It can wait another day."
She smiles and pulls Johanna in for another kiss.