Author's Note: Thank you all for the support with this story! I'm graduating from college in a little over a month, so the updates might not be very consistent, but they will definitely happen. So please be patient with me. Enjoy the chapter!
Also, the Hunger Games movie was AMAZING. =)
I wake up to an empty bed. Katniss has gone off to hunt even earlier than normal, as she does every Saturday, since the supply train comes in around noon. The sun is just a sliver between the trees, and the golden light and fresh air coming in through the window makes me smile.
I dress and head downstairs, glad that I'll have the bakery soon to make the bread. Electric mixers and high capacity ovens will speed the process up immensely. The money from the Games just sits in my account, so much that I'll never run out of funds for anything I could want. This is, of course, accounting for the fact that I don't spend much anyway. I have mostly everything I need here.
Making dough is second nature, so I watch the sky become lighter as I work. I form the loaves and set about making a dozen cheese biscuits with the last bit of fresh cheese we have in the refrigerator. More will come in the shipment later today, so I use all of it and make them extra cheesy. Her favorite.
As I push the last loaf in the hot over, I hear a commotion outside. Quickly pulling off my oven mitt, I run out and see Haymitch and Katniss facing off at the center of the Victor's Village circle. Buttercup is sitting at her heels, some feathers sticking out of his mouth. I can't help but laugh, and they both turn to glare at me with identical scowls.
"What's going on?" I ask as I approach. Buttercup meows and rubs against my artificial leg. The fluffy orange cat has always liked me for some reason.
"Stupid ass cat attacked my geese!" Haymitch growls, a nearly empty bottle of white liquor clutched in his hand.
"They were bothering Buttercup!" Katniss argues, and with the way that she talks about the cat sometimes, it's a bit surprising that she's defending him. But it isn't surprising that she will take any side that's against the geese.
Haymitch shakes his bottle at Katniss. Time means nothing to Haymitch Abernathy, considering it's eight in the morning and he's completely wasted. "You probably trained the damn thing to eat them!"
"You can't train a cat to do anything, especially Buttercup. Besides, why would I do that?" she asks, crossing her arms stubbornly.
He hiccups and squints his eyes. "'Cause you're evil."
I laugh again, because it's just too ridiculous. Katniss grins then, and Haymitch just scoffs and stomps away. "Morning," I say, stepping over and wrapping my arms around her.
"Hey," she replies, the soft smile that she reserves only for me crossing her lips. Buttercup meows again and runs off to my house to find food.
I give her a kiss and feel her relax a bit. She's still tense after yesterday, and I wonder if it's the Capitol planner or her mother that is bothering her. Probably both. But I know Katniss, and she'll talk if she wants. "Haven't seen Buttercup around for the last few days."
"I found him in the woods," she says, pulling away and grabbing my hand. We begin walking to my house so I can finish the bread. "He was just sleeping on a rock, like he lost track of time or something. I think that cat could survive a nuclear war. He has way more than nine lives, I think."
I nod, because the fact that Buttercup is here at all still amazes me. Though Katniss doesn't particularly care for the cat, they have a strange bond over their mutual mourning of Prim. When he isn't in the woods or roaming the District, Buttercup is usually in one of our houses, as he is smart enough to realize that Katniss lives in both.
She plops her game bag on the table, pulling out a rabbit and a squirrel. "I got these, another rabbit, and three more squirrels," she says as she sets up her cleaning station on the table. "I love hunting, but it'll be good when the butcher shop is set up and there is a better variety of meat."
"It'll be nice when the town is back to normal," I agree.
She scowls, her knife cleanly slicing off a part of the rabbit's skin in one movement. "Not like before. Better."
I don't know much about the town planning, but I know that there won't be a Seam. It'll just be District 12. I remember my mother talking about people from the Seam, and her cruelty made me feel ill. After I returned from the Games she had called Katniss so many derogatory names that I moved into the Victor's Village house by myself. Even though Katniss didn't love me then, I still couldn't stand anyone talking badly about her.
"Yes," I agree. "Better."
I pull out my loaves of bread as Katniss starts in on the squirrel. She moves with her normal precision, but her eyes are far away. "Peeta?" she says softly. "Do you think I should call my mother?"
This is dangerous territory. I never know what to say to her in regards to her family, since it's such a sensitive subject. Especially now, with how upset she was after the call with Annie last night. "I don't know," I say after a moment. "Do you want to?"
She bites her bottom lip and throws the squirrel's tail in the pile of furs to take into town later. "I don't know, either."
"You told Annie that you would," I remind her.
Katniss sighs, and I kiss the top of her head. "I know," she grumbles. "It's just... not fair." I stay quiet to let her figure out what she wants to say. She doesn't talk much about her feelings, so I know that it's difficult for her to find the right words. "She has a daughter. But she chooses to be with Annie."
I sit down next to her and begin wrapping the clean meat in parchment paper and twine. "I don't think she's choosing Annie over you, per se," I say slowly, hoping that I won't make things worse. "I think she's hurting and finding comfort with someone else who needs help."
Her head tilts down slightly and she stares at the blood on the table covering. "I miss Prim, too. But I'm still here."
I don't bring up the fact that she has to be here by law. She stands and washes her hands, and I still don't know what to say. I can tell her I love her in thousands of different ways, but this is too close to her for me to be able to help.
Katniss still seems disgruntled, but she forces a smile on to her face. "Breakfast?"
I smile and nod, and we go about collecting our usual Saturday breakfast. The cheese buns have been sitting in the cooling oven, keeping them warm and gooey. Katniss grabs two bananas from the counter and two glasses of milk, and we sit together and eat. A majority of fresh fruit is hard to come by currently in District 12, so most of it comes on the train. Ever shipment Katniss and I get two green bananas and let them ripen the whole week. By the next Saturday they are covered with brown splotches and taste incredibly sweet. It's a simple indulgence in a town covered in coal dust, but it's ours and that's what matters.
The breakfast is our own little ritual, a celebration for making it through another week. Because we have to step forward in little chunks, like a week at a time, though with the reconstruction about to begin the future looks bright for the first time in years. Katniss closes her eyes after taking a bite of the warm cheese bun and smiles.
We finish up and put the dishes in the sink for later. Just as we are about to head out to the train station, furs and loaves of bread in hand, she grabs my hand. "Peeta?" she says softly, and I turn to her. She's in a better mood after breakfast, but I know that she's still thinking about her mother. "Thank you for being here," she says simply, her cheeks lighting up into a pretty pink as she tries to dart out the door.
Instead I grab her wrist and pull her to me, bringing my lips down on hers for a lingering kiss. Just hearing her say those words sends my stomach into knots, but it's the best possible feeling I can imagine.
Her tongue tastes like bananas.
After a few minutes we hear a loud pounding from the front door. "Stop making out and get your asses out here!" Haymitch yells, looking in through the window.
Katniss scowls at him and I give her one more peck on the lips before we join Haymitch on the front porch. "Don't be so annoying," she tells the older man, looking like she wants to give him a swift kick in the shins.
"Don't be so lovey-dovey," he retorts. "'Specially if there are suspicious people in town."
This seems to shut Katniss up and she pulls her basket of furs closer to her body. A few geese try to follow us to town but Haymitch tosses his bottle at them and they return to the Victor's Village. "Can't wait to pen those things," Katniss mutters as we walk. I nod in agreement, thinking of different things I could plant in a garden that wasn't threatened by geese.
Practically everyone that lives in the District is packed in the area between the central square and the train station. Men and women alike are talking about the rebuilding efforts that would soon commence in town. The air is buzzing with excitement, and it's nice to feel something light for a change.
Katniss grabs my hand. She still doesn't like crowds, but she's much more at ease among the District 12 residents than she is anywhere else. Haymitch has disappeared, but he always wanders off somewhere to cause trouble. I wonder if he is actually seeking out the Capitol woman from yesterday to investigate her. He's probably just hiding behind the shell of a building with his flask, though.
Thom comes up and shakes my hand. "Morning, Peeta, Katniss!"
"Good morning," I reply. Katniss just nods.
"The official word on the demolition is that the machines and the men will arrive on the fourth and work will begin on the fifth," he tells me. "That strange Capitol planner told me, that Van... Vai..."
"Varinia Spark?" I supply.
"Yeah, that shiny bobble-headed woman," Thom says. Katniss snorts and the man grins. "Nah, she's okay, once you get past the accent and her pointless chatter. At least she knows what's going on."
"When will construction begin?" I ask, the bakery in the forefront of my mind.
"Well, Spark says that the demolition will be finished by next Sunday, so I figure that we could break ground the following Tuesday, if that suits you."
My heart nearly leaps into my throat. That soon? I guess Capitol machines have capabilities beyond what I had thought. "Y-yeah," I reply after a moment, stumbling over my words. "I can't wait." I'm silent for a moment, before I remember that I need posts for the pen. "Oh, can I have some wood posts?"
"Sure thing! Take as many as you want, right behind the construction tent."
"Thanks, Thom."
Thom gives me a pat on the shoulder and walks over to wait for the train with his wife. Katniss and I mill around and distribute our goods before we meet near the line of wagons that everyone uses to haul their items. Except for me, everyone orders their things through magazine order. Everything is currently on discount to the Districts that haven't been rebuilt, meaning that most people are getting their supplies practically for free. Of course, Katniss, Haymitch, and I pay full price, but it's not like it matters.
"Peeta?"
I turn to Katniss, her fingers still laced through mine. "Yeah?"
She turns and looks straight at me. "I love you."
It sends a buzzing sensation through my chest to hear those words. A grin breaks across my face and I lean down, kissing her cheek lightly. I feel like I'll burst from the love that's welling inside of me for my warrior woman, but I keep myself in check. She doesn't like public displays. "I love you, too," I say, and she gives me a shy smile that makes her face look soft.
At that moment, a whistle sounds in the distance. Everyone stops and stares off at the horizon. When the first puff of smoke appears, everyone cheers. We are so dependent on the trains that it's a relief when they come every week. It pulls into the station and something brightly colored darts in front of the loading bay.
"Good morning, District 12!" Varinia Spark calls out, her pants suit covered with pink and orange polka dots. The woman has a strange look on her face, but the smile she has plaster on her lips seems genuine. Katniss subtly points at her gray tinged curls and snickers. "Your Capitol representative, Varinia Spark, is here to help organize the train shipment!"
It usually takes everyone nearly seven hours to sort through the goods and food, but Varinia has set up a system that allows everyone to have their things within four. Our cart contains large sacks of flour and other baking ingredients, cheese, paints, two bananas, assorted vegetables, and the chicken wire that I asked Effie for a few days ago. Haymitch saunters over and plops his crate of white liquor and a huge bag of bird feed on the cart. Katniss glares at him but we just start pulling it back to the Victor's Village in silence.
"That Capitol woman is sneaky," Haymitch grumbles as we pass through the Village gate.
"Did you talk to her?" Katniss asks immediately.
Haymitch scratches his slightly protruding stomach lazily. "Yeah, but I seriously can't tell if she's spying or she's just a idiot. She asked me to autograph a traveling mug with my picture on it. I told her to shove it up her ass." Katniss' laughter is loud and barking, and the strange look on Varinia Spark's face makes much more sense. "I'd say just be careful what you say or do around her."
"Like I wanted to talk to her anyway," Katniss comments.
"Cut her some slack, guys," I say. It's a bit exhausting to be the voice of reason among these two sometimes. "She seems to know what she's doing. The train shipment was organized well today, and she seems to have everything in order."
"Just cause she's got her ducks in a row doesn't mean that she's got a brain," Haymitch tells me, and Katniss snickers. We unload all the supplies, leave Haymitch with his liquor and goose food on his porch, and head back into town for the wood.
"I'm with Haymitch," Katniss says when we're alone. "I don't trust her."
"You don't trust much of anyone," I point out, reaching out to take her hand.
She just huffs but squeezes my palm gently. I know what she's saying – I trust you. It makes me smile.
People are still milling around the square when we return, pulling our cart behind us. Thom helps us load up the posts, and his wife, whose name is Jule, gives us a block of butter that we had forgotten.
We have a quick lunch of bread and leftover soup from a few days ago before we start the pen. The geese are milling about and Haymitch doesn't move an inch to help us with anything. Katniss and I dig out the holes for the posts while our mentor tells us dirty jokes that embarrasses us both but makes him roar with laughter. He keeps telling Katniss that her posts are crooked, laughing at her hammering technique, and it takes all of my willpower not to laugh when she chucks her hammer at the porch. At one point Katniss gets a splinter and I have to take a rest because my leg is hurting a bit, but we make good time and have all the slim wooden posts in the ground by sunset.
Katniss runs back to her house to find a staple gun that she ordered a month ago for another project, and I lean back against Haymitch's porch. "So," I say as I watch Katniss run across the circle, momentarily admiring the sway of her hips, "how long do you think this will last?"
He knows what I mean and takes another swig of his liquor. "Plutarch will be itching to get you two back on television, but he'll want an interview. You know, the whole 'we're so in love and we're gonna get married' and shit."
"Katniss doesn't want that."
"The interview or the marriage?"
The question hangs between us and I stare down at the grass, unwilling to think about this issue. Fortunately Katniss spares me the trouble by running back with the large industrial stapler in her hand.
"How do we round these things up?" she asks me as we staple the chicken wire to the posts, creating a huge semicircle that pushes up to the side of Haymitch's house.
The geese are staring at us from various points around the Victor's Village and I shrug. "I guess we'll try to just round them up?"
She shrugs back, because we honestly hadn't thought of this problem. The pen is finished, the wide gate hanging open and empty. "How about if you come around from the left side and I come around from the right, and we try to scare them in?"
I can't think of anything better, so I agree. We walk around opposite sides of the circle. When I find her eyes, we both start running and yelling at the geese, trying to push them toward the open gate. This only gets three geese into the pen, dozens more of them just honking and scattering around the Village. Haymitch is practically rolling on his porch in laughter, and Katniss just gives him the middle finger.
We try this again a few more times, but by the end of it the geese that were originally in the pen have wandered out, and we're both tired of running. Haymitch has tears in his eyes at this point, hardly able to breathe, and I have to hold Katniss back from punching him in the face.
"Okay, new plan," I huff, sitting on the edge of the porch to catch my breath. Katniss sits next to me, leaning down hard on her elbows, her back arching to where I can see the outline of her spine through her sweaty shirt. "Let's put some food in there, maybe we can lure them or something."
This doesn't work, either. The geese ignore the food, still just sitting in the center circle and preening their feathers. I feel like I want to just give up when suddenly a ruckus comes from near my house. The geese are honking and running in every which direction, feathers flying everywhere. I see a glint of yellow and orange fluff dart around the street, hissing and spitting at the birds.
It's our turn to laugh while the geese get attacked by Buttercup. Haymitch is sputtering and cursing, while Katniss leans back and tells him that Buttercup would probably leave them alone if they were in the pen. This isn't true at all, but Haymitch's distress and drunken state are enough to convince him otherwise.
He stumbles off of the porch and sits in the middle of the pen. All he does is click his tongue. Suddenly all the geese are rushing through the gate, still honking in anger about Buttercup. The feline joins us, rubbing his face against my leg and sitting next to Katniss. When every last goose is in the pen, I close the gate and engage the latch.
"Finally," Katniss mumbles, scooping up Buttercup in her arms. "You deserve a treat tonight," she tells the cat, and he meows in agreement.
"Good night, Haymitch," I wave, but he's already passed out in the pen, the geese all sitting around him contently.
We go back to my house. "We need to shower before dinner," she grumbles, and it's true, because we are both soaked through with sweat. Katniss scowls and pushes the toe of her boot against the hardwood floor for a moment, and I know why she feels awkward. We've both never needed a shower at the same time, and there's only enough warm water to run one at once. I see her opening her mouth, probably to say that she'll go back to her house, but I silence her with a kiss.
"Come on," I say, taking her hand and pulling her up the stairs. I'm blushing, and I don't know how Katniss will react, but I don't want her to leave.
"Peeta..." she mutters, unsure of if she should object. But I just pull her into the master bedroom and begin pulling her sweaty clothes off slowly, starting with her shirt. Her skin is slick and shining, and she shivers as the evening breeze rolls through the perpetually open windows. My hands move to her back and begin fiddling with the clasp on her bra, but she just rolls her eyes and reaches behind her back to do it herself. I take this as a sign that she is okay, and step closer, pressing my lips to her neck. "We need to shower," she says, though her tone isn't convincing.
"I just... wanted to feel you for a minute," I tell her, which is partially true. I want more than that. My hands move down the sides of her body, brushing against the sides of her bare breasts and lean stomach to her hips. I unbutton her pants and push them off of her, and now I can see the fire in her eyes that makes my heart melt and my skin tingle.
She pulls off my shirt, pushing herself against me. Her mouth find my jawbone and I close my eyes, the sensation of her lips and teeth grazing against my skin sending chills through my body. We are both sweaty and smelly but it doesn't matter as she pushes me to the bed and starts in on my shorts.
Our clothes are shed before I can blink and I'm half laying over Katniss, and I kiss her while my hand trails slowly down her torso. She moans against my lips when my fingertips brush over her hip bones, and I grin. Katniss is always so strong, and it makes my body heat to feel her gasping for breath and shivering in pleasure because of me.
My hand moves between her legs and her hips buck up off the bed. "Peeta," she breathes, but I'm enjoying myself too much to rush now. My fingers push against her and she moans, pushing her face against my neck as I slowly rub the bundle of nerves that my brothers had told me about that drive a woman crazy. The desired effect is achieved and her mouth is open against my skin, my name on her breath and I want her so badly. I let a finger slide into her and she practically begging now, and I can't hold back anymore either.
I roll over her, my vision hazy to everything but Katniss, and settle myself between her legs. My hands move to her breasts, and I lean down to kiss each nipple gently, causing her eyes to flutter shut while she moans. I'm about to push into her when I stop.
"Peeta!" she grumbles, her face flushed and her hair pulled completely out of her short ponytail.
"Katniss..." I say, and I feel bad for asking, but sometimes I just need to hear her confirmation. "You want me, right?"
She opens her eyes and I'm startled with how clear they are, sparkling in the twilight, when she answers. "I want you so badly, Peeta."
That's all it takes for me to thrust forward. She cries out and grips the bed sheets, and I groan, because she's so wet and I know that it's because of me. I sit up and pull her hips toward me, thrusting into her from a different angle, and her hands find my knees and grip them tightly. "Peeta, Peeta," is her mantra, and hearing her say my name makes me want her even more.
I feel myself getting close, but I won't leave her hanging, so I pull out of her. She immediately protests, before I kneel down between her legs, and then she's moaning again. Her legs are shivering on either side of my head and she just tastes so good that it's hard for her to get my attention. "Peeta, please, I need you," she moans, and I understand her, so I crawl over her body again and push into her.
It doesn't take much longer for her to fall apart beneath me, and I come soon after, pressing my forehead against her neck. She runs her fingers through my hair soothingly, her breathing slowly returning to normal, and I roll off of her. I look at her and we both grin, laughing in happiness as I pull her close for a minute while we let our bodies relax.
But we are both so sweaty that we feel disgusting, so we don't cuddle for long. Even though we've just had sex, Katniss is hesitant to shower with me. "Come on, I'll wash your back," I say with a smile, holding my hand out to her.
After a second she joins me, her face as red as a strawberry. Fortunately the showers in the master bedrooms are large, with a bench on one side, so we aren't crowded. I turn the water to a mild temperature and let her rinse off first. Seeing the water droplets roll down her skin reminds me of the Quarter Quell, when we were on the beach. Thoughts of Finnick, Johanna, and a sea food feast come into my mind. Then I remember the pearl.
"Katniss, what ever happened to that pearl I found for you?" I ask as she switches me spots. The water feels nice and I'm momentarily distracted from my own question.
She is staring at the tile with a frown. "I lost it somewhere. I don't know if I lost it in the Capitol or if someone took it from me at some point, but I lost track of it. I'm sorry."
"No, it's okay, I was just asking." I'm a little sad that it's gone, but I understand. A pearl is nothing compared to having Katniss next to me. In the shower. Rubbing soap all over her body.
My mind is completely blank while I watch the bubbles collect on her sun-kissed skin, her body so slick and smooth...
It takes me a moment to realize that she's talking again. "...always reminded me of you," she says, and I try to focus. "Sometimes that pearl was the only thing that would keep me sane. It gave me hope that you were still alive, still okay, somewhere."
I feel bad because I think I've made her feel bad for not having it anymore. "But I'm here now and I'm not leaving, so you don't really need the pearl anymore, right?"
The words seem to soothe her because she smiles then. "Yeah, you're right."
We finish our shower quickly after Katniss' stomach growls. She tosses on her pajamas and I put on a pair of shorts and we have a small dinner of fresh vegetables and bread from the shipment. I make up a quick batch of cookies while Katniss gives Buttercup, who has waited patiently for his treat, some squirrel. We eat half of the cookies and do the dishes before heading over to Katniss' house, since the bed in mine is sweaty and needs the sheets changed.
Buttercup settles himself on the edge of her bed after we get under the covers. Katniss rolls into my arms and I hold her close, and we are both so tired that sleep isn't difficult to find.