Author's Note:
Hi all!
Thanks for again for all the interest in my story!
It's really encouraging for a first time writer like me.
I'm glad that you like the AU context of Peeta and Katniss!
Thanks again for the Alerts/ Subscriptions/ Reviews/ Favourite Stories/ PMs for how the story will go...It means a lot to me.
Shout out to ejmockingjay, maddog123456789, melsers718, FictionFanatic22, Torygirl , TheSocialNetworking, BehindThoseBlueEyes, HomelanObscurity, hotpielookedlikehotpie, Leslie Mellark and Jbowes98 for that.
Particular thanks to Katniss16 for your intense interest in how this story goes...
And to Bright Lights and White Nights for the review.
I honestly thrive off of your comments and encouragement!
And as always, shout out to my best friend and Beta, SilverMistKey!
Peeta:
I feel my jaw coming undone at the sound of her words, half chewed cake crumbles out of my mouth and lands with a soft thud on the plate. Just when my pants were beginning to fit comfortably again, she goes and says something provocative and all of a sudden, the material becomes increasingly confining. The pressure keeps building as she saunters in the direction of the stairs before shouting:
"Well Peeta..? Are you coming...?" she teases, before disappearing from my view. I hear her traipse on upstairs, before realising the entirety of her words.
Dear God is Katniss inviting me upstairs to…? No. She wouldn't, she's not that kind of girl and although she means the world to me, I don't know what I am to her, a friend? More? I've wondered this since the week we came back from Halloween break. I've pondered that night over and over again until I pass out from tiredness. There was a deep feeling I got when I held her on the dance floor; that wholeness, which coursed through my bones like wildfire. I thought it was just desire, lust even; I was yearning for her to be mine, even though I didn't know her, but it wasn't. Maybe I didn't realise that first time, but I have felt that wholeness with her in short bursts since. Why didn't I see this before? The girl risks her life climbing a friggin' lemon tree just for me. Not for Annie, not for Finnick, not even Madge or Delly, but me. I have to mean something more than just a friend to her, she must know. Those kisses, that banter, those provocative words circulating my mind, the way she burns into me with her gaze. My eyes shut for a minute, taking in all these thoughts and Katniss' actions. I don't know what she wants, but I know what I do. There's only one way of finding out though. I open my eyes and breathe deeply before running up the stairs towards my room. She's lying in my unmade bed, eyes closed, her braided hair falling to her waist as her ribs alter between expanding and decreasing the air in her lungs. 'What does she want?' I ask myself, standing in the doorway, looking down at her as a smile crinkles my face and my eyes soften. I can't take it anymore; I need to find out what I am to her, if I can be anything to her…anything more than what we are now. I tread deftly on the carpeted floor and lie down beside her as she sighs softly.
"K...? Are you awake?" I whisper, planting my head alongside hers on the pillow. I undo her plait and let her hair roam freely, it always looks better loose. I play with a few strands, feeling the silk like quality of it through my hand, as she stirs gently.
"Katniss…? I want to ask you something...if that's okay with you." I try again, my hand still in her hair. Her eyelashes flutter a little, like butterflies wings, before slowly opening; her grey eyes solemn and interested in what I have to say.
Oh shit. What do I do now? How do I not scare her and screw this entire thing up?
"Katnisswhatdoimeantoyou?" My voice is splintered as I try to get the splurge of vowel sounds out.
"What Peeta?" she bellows, her laughter filling the room, as she turns in the sheets.
"Katniss, I … I need…to know what I am to you…" I splutter, breathing in between the words, dropping my eyes from hers, and playing with her hair as she mulls the words over.
"Peeta Mellark, you know what you mean to me" she smiles, her eyes mischievously looking into mine.
"But Katniss…Are we … a thing?" I ask, unable and perhaps slightly shy that I want to introduce her as more than just a friend.
"I thought we already were? I mean, we're not really a conventional couple, are we?" she jokes, before relieving my nerves and adding: "You're the boy that I had to help that night on Halloween. You're the boy who I climb lemon trees for, because doors are too conventional. You're my friend, my Baker Boy, my lemon drizzle cake maker. You're honest, you're selfless, you're beautiful …" she trails off, the effect of her own words slowly spreading on her face as she realizes what she's saying.
"That's all I needed to hear. I don't want to be like the others at school, all gooey eyed and disgusting. I don't want to hold your hand, for everyone to see, I'd rather smile at you across the way, and know that it's for you, and only you, K..."
And then it's me who leans into her, feeling her soft lips pressed against mine. I pull her on top of me, so that there isn't a fraction of space between us. Her hair tickles my forehead as my hands hold her lower back, our breathing quickening and growing more and more erratic with each mouthful of her that I take of her, as her tongue flicks into my mouth in one swift movement. I feel her palms strum my jawline and the impressive amount of two day stubble as it rubs abrasively against her soft skin. I roll her over so that I'm hovering over her, holding myself up on my arms before smiling at her as her hair splays out on the pillow. And then, the words skip out before I think about them:
"I don't want to say 'the words' , but believe me K, please believe me, that you don't have to say something to feel it, to make it real" as I place a kiss on her neck, trailing my nose along the skin of her throat until I'm at her collarbones.
"Peeta…? 'The words?' As in….?" she whispers, one hand curled in my hair, the other clasped in mine as I plant kisses on her skin, loving how she arches up to meet my mouth. My touch is making her do that, and her actions are creating fireworks in my pants, although I don't care at this stage, I'm too lost in her.
"As in… the three words…The eight letters… Is this uncomfortable?" I ask, breathing heavily and looking into her eyes. I hope she can figure it out, I really do. Ever since I first saw her, I knew that she would eventually mean something to me, something more than just a friend that night. I felt it, a new kind of yearning that I had never experienced before as I held her that cold October night; the memory floods back to me, the strobe lights, the costumes, the burn, the kisses in the bathroom, what I had thought…
Katniss doesn't seem to be the doting girlfriend type, and even if she isn't, I can never let her go away from me now that I've let her in. I don't want to forget this. I don't want to forget her…
Katniss:
He loves me. He loves me so much that he's afraid of saying it to me; for fear that he'll hurt me. He is selfless; he didn't even ask me if I loved him back, he's just content to be with me, regardless of what other people think, or what defines a couple. But nothing about Peeta and I is conventional really, or normal for that matter. The way he's looking at me now, his hair tumbling into his eyes, he's adorable. I don't want to ruin the moment by saying anything too stupid, but I'm also painfully aware of what will happen if our hormones swap places with our brains, with thanks to Peeta's… instrument. I feel myself smile uncontrollably at the thought of what I just mentally called his dick. I need to be more mature when dealing with such situations.
"I hope you know that I feel it too Baker Boy… that yearning for you" I trail off, as my words fail me. But it's enough for Peeta as his mouth commences kissing my collarbones, making my spine tingle and jerk towards him, it just feels so right; us like this, being together and finally telling each other as best we can how we feel about each other.
"Ooohh…" Peeta is making me moan as his teeth gently nip at my throat. Then I really lose it and buck against him, causing him to sit upright, dragging me with him. My hands are pulling at his hair, feeling the long planes of his back, under the light fabric of the shirt, his lightly tanned arms, freckled in places, trembling under my touch. He's even more …prominent now. There are no words between us, just animalistic snorts, grunts and swoons as we tangle together, fighting the other in the gentlest of ways until the sheets catch around us and we both fall. Luckily, the floor is carpeted, so the impact isn't as bad as it could've been. Peeta's mouth is away from mine and he is dragging the air back down into his lungs, the fall must've winded him. Poor Baker Boy, I've left him breathless. He sits us up slowly, his arm propping us up before the corners of his mouth curl into that crooked smile that I love.
"Maybe that's enough for today Baker Boy, I know how sensitive you are and I don't want to damage you anymore" I laugh, looking down at Peeta's… instrument. His face is a mixture of confusion and humour as I rise from his lap, a smile playing on my face.
"Did I do something wrong?" he asks, his eyes genuinely apologetic and full of remorse.
"No, that was perfect… But let's just go slow. This is new to the both of us, and the last thing either of us want is to start thinking like that. I don't just want you like that Peeta, I want the whole of you. Good, bad and bits in between" I smile, my feet ushering towards the window.
"Come back later?" he enquires, his voice full of curiosity, as I slide out onto a branch, focusing on my balance as I clamber from one spot to the next.
"Sure thing… Entice me back with that magical lemon drizzle cake of yours " I wink, tossing him another lemon.
He catches it and smiles at the gift as I slide down the branch, away from his view. A goofy smile spreads across my face as I ponder what I know; my name is Katniss Everdeen. I am eighteen years old. I moved to Panem and hated it. Until I met Peeta Mellark. Now I don't think that Panems a shit place….as much as I did. Peeta Mellark loves me. I think I may love him too.
