The characters of The Hunger Games Trilogy do not belong to me.
Tides
Chapter Eight: Peeta
Peeta opened his eyes when he heard the high-pitched beeping from his phone.
Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the phone and read Haymitch's text: 'I just woke up on your couch. Everything okay over there?'
He responded quickly: 'On my way back—everything is good.'
Turning, Peeta was greeted with Katniss' pretty face, eyes closed, and looking much calmer than last night.
It seemed unreal—the whirlwind romance and wedding in Paris, her climb to the top of the fashion world, her ascension in her father-in-law's company, and the disintegration of her marriage.
And, Helena.
He would always remember the look on her face as she talked about holding her stillborn daughter; so broken, and on the brink of hysteria. How much her life had changed in the time that they were separated—it was daunting to think that she had faced all of it alone.
Peeta was angry for her. He wanted to tear Cato limb from limb.
Katniss sighed in her sleep and the angry thoughts dissipated as he stared at her weary face.
Instead, his mind went to that moment last night.
The moment he knew that his own feelings were reciprocated. Peeta could see it in her eyes, but he could also see fear.
She was not ready. So, he would wait until she was.
Katniss was worth it. Now that he had a chance, there was no going back.
Leaning down, Peeta pressed his lips to her forehead. Her eyes fluttered as she slowly woke up, her gaze going to him and her lips rising in a soft smile.
"I guess we overslept," he told her quietly.
"Guess so," Katniss replied, her voice still hoarse from crying. "I should get up, too. I have to bring Prim—"
"Don't worry about it." He gave her a smile. "I'll take her today. You should rest."
"I'll pick her up, then." She sat up and wrapped her arms around his neck. He pulled her close, almost onto his lap. "Thank you for talking to me—actually, making me talk. I tend to push people away."
"Honestly, why wouldn't you?" He met her tired eyes as they pulled away. Katniss had been through an unbelievable amount of pain. "It's only natural after experiencing what you have that you would keep people out."
"It's nice to know that you know my story," Katniss replied. "In time, I'll talk to Gale and Madge about what happened. Haymitch, too—especially if anything happens with him and Effie." She looked at the watch on her bedside table. "You better get going. You have to get ready for class."
Peeta nodded. "Lie back down and get some sleep." She raised a brow at his instruction, but followed anyway. Leaning down, he kissed her gently on the cheek smelling her familiar perfume. "I'll see you later."
Standing up, Peeta turned to leave the room.
"Peeta?" He swiveled back to her. "Did you mean it?"
"What?"
Her eyes bore into his. "You said, 'When'."
Peeta was confused for a moment until he realized that she was talking about his declaration last night.
"Yes, I meant it," he told her, his voice wanting. Peeta watched her shift in bed. "Also, I don't think I'm the only one who wants to be kissed."
Closing the door, Peeta made sure that he had locked the doorknob before walking down Katniss' porch steps. He still had two hours before he had to wake Prim up and a little time to explain to Haymitch the reason for his lengthy stay at Katniss'.
Though he was pretty sure that the older man would just heckle him about it.
"Peeta!" He turned and stiffened as he saw Delly rushing towards him in her running gear. She gave him a tense smile seeing the direction that he was coming from. "Up early, huh?"
Peeta nodded, his eyes avoiding hers. "Yeah—early. I really have to get home and get ready for the day—"
"I don't think that Katniss is very good for Prim," Delly said suddenly, her eyes going back to the house. He was willing to bet that she was hoping Katniss would hear. "I mean, the woman is so fast-paced and all about her city life. Look at her friends! She is practically brainwashing Prim to leave for New York once she can!"
"Funny. I don't remember asking you for any advice on how to raise Prim," Peeta responded snidely. Delly's eyes widened hearing the bite in his words. "Is my sister going to school regularly? Yes. Is she getting her homework done? Yes. That is all because of Katniss. Prim has been in your class for the last semester and has ditched numerous times. You tried to have her kicked out of your class, Delly!"
"She mouthed off to me, Peeta!" The woman argued back. "I can't have that in my class. I'm the teacher and if any of the kids see me letting one student get away with it, they will all take advantage of me! You're a teacher, too. You should understand that."
Peeta hated to admit it, but Delly had a point.
"I'll give you that," he told her. "Just don't question my decisions, Delly. I've always known what is right and wrong for myself and Prim. I'll see you later, okay?"
He walked past her when she reached for his arm.
"Peeta, I care about you and miss you," she told him, her eyes pleading. "It isn't fair. I came back home for you! Now, that she is here—I'm not even in the picture!"
Her blue eyes went cold as they went to the window of Katniss' room. He suspected that Katniss might be listening in and that Delly wanted to make sure that she was.
"You were never in the picture." Peeta backed away from her towards his house. "Katniss always was."
When he entered his home, Peeta found Haymitch putting his jacket on in the entryway.
"Sorry…" he told the man sheepishly.
Haymitch shrugged and gave him a smirk. "I get it. Those Uptown girls can get to you. I happen to be into the older version of your girl."
"Yeah, well, it looked like Effie was into you, too." Peeta chuckled seeing the man look down at his feet. "Treat her nice—she was Katniss' first friend in Manhattan, you know."
"Didn't know that," Haymitch responded. "I guess we can talk about it…next weekend."
Peeta grinned at the man. "Next weekend?"
"You know when she comes back to finish Katniss' house and we go to dinner…" Haymitch's voice trailed off, his slate eyes brighter than usual.
"Wow. I wish I had your game," Peeta replied.
"You were at Katniss' house all night," the man said. "What were you doing?"
"Sleeping." Peeta looked him straight into his eyes. "Before that, she told me her story. About her husband, her marriage, and what happened in New York." He felt his fists clench at the thought. "It's something."
"I can tell." Haymitch took in Peeta's stiff shoulders, tight fists, and heated cheeks. "You look like you want to hurt someone."
"One day, Katniss will tell you and you'll understand." Peeta took a deep breath to calm his rising anger. "Just don't ask Effie, either. She probably won't want to talk about it."
"From what I know, Effie was never a big fan of Katniss' husband." The man let out a gruff laugh. "Called him a 'whiny little frat boy'. He was always making Katniss do all the work—he hired Effie to keep her busy so that he could do his own thing. In the end, Effie really fell for Katniss. Thinks of her like her own daughter."
Peeta smiled at his words. "It's nice to know that there was someone looking out for her there."
"I suppose that you'll be looking out for her now," Haymitch said.
He met his friend's eyes. "If she lets me."
The week passed quickly.
Prim had officially been going to school for a month straight, much to everyone's delight. Her grades had gone up and she had taken to studying with Rory Hawthorne, who would often walk with Katniss and Prim on his way home.
"I just walk a few feet back," Katniss informed Peeta that weekend. They sat in her covered living room. Painters had come in and started working on the house. The living room was being painted light grey along with her bedroom. "I don't listen in, but when I happen to, their conversations sound harmless."
"I guess I'm okay with that," Peeta grumbled and Katniss chuckled at the frown on his face. He understood that his sister would be a teenager in a few weeks, but Peeta wasn't exactly overjoyed to see potential dates already vying for her.
Katniss scooted towards him and put an arm around his tense shoulders. "You're so upset! Prim is just turning thirteen."
"Well, I remember being thirteen." He turned to meet her eyes. "You don't know what goes on in a boy's head at thirteen!"
"I remember you at thirteen," she informed him with a smile. "I had just moved here."
"Oh, yeah…" He rested back against the cushions of her sofa as he recollected the memory. "You just moved in and my Mom invited you to my fourteenth birthday party. I remember blowing out my candles and seeing you at the entryway of the dining room."
He had wished for something completely different.
Then, Peeta looked up and from behind the smoke of his birthday candles there Katniss was—arms crossed, hair in single long, dark braid—as she leaned against the archway of the room, a smile on her beautiful face.
"I think I might've wished for you," he told her.
"What a line," Katniss replied softly and she pressed her forehead to his temple. Her lips brushed slightly against his ear and he shivered at her warm breath on his lobe. "Speaking of birthdays, can I ask you for a favor?"
If she kept talking to him like that, he would probably sign his house over to her. "What?"
"Will you teach me how to make Prim a cake?" He turned to look at her and she gave him a mock pout, trying not to grin. "Please?"
"You are pathetic," he told her with a roll of his eyes. "Of course I will."
They heard the shuffle down the stairs and Prim entered the living room along with Effie, who had donned a pretty fuchsia dress for her date with Haymitch.
"What do you think?" Prim asked them excitedly. "I told her to wear her hair down."
Katniss stood up, her eyes looking over her friend.
"You are something, Eff," she told her. "It's the first time that I've seen you with your hair down, I think."
"Well, there's a first time for everything, my dear," Effie replied in a nervous voice. "Prim was pretty good at convincing me." Her hand went to her shoulder-length blonde locks. Her worried eyes looked to Peeta. "From a man's perspective, what do you think?"
He smiled fondly at the woman as he stood up. "I think that if Haymitch doesn't try to kiss you—he's a damn moron." The doorbell rang and he looked into Effie's light eyes. "But, really—" He lean forward and kissed her cheek. "You look very pretty." He winked at her. "Why don't you grab your things? I'll let Haymitch in."
"Oh, my bag is upstairs!" Effie turned to rush up the stairs.
"Wait! I'll do a final check with you!" Prim followed the woman.
His eyes met Katniss' and they chuckled watching the two. Katniss took his hand as they walked to the entryway.
"I'm not really sure who's going on this date now," she told him when they reached the door.
"If I had my way," he told her. "Prim wouldn't be dating anyone till after college."
They opened the door to find Haymitch standing on the porch.
"I didn't know you would be here," the man grumbled at Peeta. He nodded at Katniss as he stepped inside. "On the other hand, when are you not here?"
"Shut it!" Peeta grinned at him. "You better be taking Effie somewhere nice."
"It's Panem," Haymitch replied exasperated. Peeta could see that the man was trying to hide his anxiety. "There's only one nice restaurant here. Hopefully, it's good enough."
"I'm sure it will be fine," Katniss assured him easily. "Just don't keep her out too late."
Haymitch nodded at her. "Of course—"
His eyes went behind her and his mouth melted into a grin.
Effie was strolling down the steps clinging to Prim's hand, a beaming smile on her face.
"Why don't we let you two work out your plans?" Katniss suddenly told Haymitch. "We'll be in the living room. Just close the door when you leave."
She went to Effie as the woman reached the bottom of the stairs and kissed her cheek quickly, whispering in her ear. Katniss took Prim's hand and led her to the living room.
Peeta turned to the man. "Have fun. Treat her nice. Give her your jacket when she pretends to be cold, and all that other shit."
"Manners, Peeta," Effie admonished him as she approached.
He smiled and kissed her cheek once more. "Give him hell, Effie."
Quickly, he turned and went to the living room where Prim and Katniss sat on the couch. He could see that his sister was attempting to not peek, her body bouncing in her seat.
"You're much more of a romantic than I thought," Peeta remarked as he sat next to Prim. "I'm not sure I like it."
"I just want to peek really quick…" Seeing her excited eyes, Peeta nodded in permission. She practically jumped from the couch to hide behind the archway of the room. "They're holding hands!"
Katniss met his eyes. "You're so in trouble once she starts dating."
Katniss was not good in the kitchen.
Peeta learned that the following weekend when he had attempted to teach her how to make a cake.
She owned every kind of cooking machinery, courtesy of Effie. Unfortunately, she had no idea how use any of it.
"I think it's time to give up now," she told him with a frown. Katniss looked into her third attempted batch of frosting, which was now too runny to even put on the lopsided cake that they had made. "How can it be so difficult to do this? There are only four ingredients!"
He went to where she stood at the counter, next to the mixer, and peeked inside of it. "I don't know. I watched you and everything! You're an anomaly, Katniss." Peeta took her hand and kissed her sugared knuckles. "How this happened is a mystery." He tried not to laugh at the disappointment. "How sad—Katniss Everdeen is bad at one thing."
She pushed herself onto her new marble counter, sitting next to the mixer, and removed the bowl. Dipping her finger into the bowl, Katniss tasted her thin frosting.
"Don't make fun." She glared at him. "And, it doesn't even taste that bad!"
Peeta approached her carefully, moving into the space in-between her hanging legs. "I was just joking." He reached up to wipe the powdered sugar off her cheek. "I think it's really nice that you want to do this for Prim. It almost feels like—"
He didn't want to continue. Because to him, it felt like Prim almost had a mother again.
However, that was the last thing that Katniss needed—to be burdened with the thought of having to mother an almost teenager, especially with everything she had been through.
Then, there was whatever was happening between them.
They were almost always at that brink, teetering on that invisible line between friendship and more. They talked freely like they did when they were younger. She advised him when needed. The only difference was that now he was doing the same for her.
Katniss was the closest thing he had to a partner.
She cared for Prim and for Peeta. They told one another things that they wouldn't share with anyone else.
"Like what?" she asked him, her smoky eyes imploring.
Peeta met her eyes. "It almost feels like you're her mother," he told her truthfully. "At the same time, I don't want Prim to forget Mom."
"She won't, Peeta," she replied and gave him a small smile. "Jean is here, all the time. Look at Prim—she looks exactly like your mother."
"I know." He had tried to ignore the subtle changes in Prim. The slow melting of baby fat from her face revealing the contours of his mother's delicate face shape as her body slowly caught up to her long limbs. "It hurts sometimes to look at her."
He looked down, the painful memories suddenly rising from his mind. "You know—I can't even walk near the old store." He closed his eyes, the past playing back. "They wouldn't even let me touch them at the hospital—the police needed to collect evidence. And, it's been so long that I can just barely remember Dad's laugh, or even the way my mother's hug felt."
She drew his head against her chest and he wrapped his arms around her.
They remained that way, wrapped up in their own thoughts, and wrapped in each other.
And, wrapped in that ever persistent hunger between them.
The pain, the anger, the sadness, the want rose inside him unbidden and it scared him.
Something was triggered by her closeness and he ached—in so many ways. His hold on her tightened and she reciprocated, drawing him more against her, until she was almost hanging off the counter, her legs slightly resting around his hips.
He was suddenly hard, his cock painfully aroused. It was the worst time for this to be happening.
Her hips shifted and he could feel the slow movement against his groin as she pressed her core against him. She stifled her moan, burying her mouth against his shoulder. The slight noise caused him to push his jeaned member onto her heat, eager to hear the noise escape her lips once more.
She didn't disappoint, another moan tumbling from her lips, the warmth of it teasing his skin through the thin shirt he wore. The sound of it, so wanton, that he found himself hooking one of her legs around his back to draw her even closer. Her other leg went slack and she balanced almost off the ledge, anchored only by the frantic movement of their hips.
He was so close, he could almost taste it.
Peeta's lips dragged against her shoulder, the tank top she wore allowing him more access to her sweet tasting skin. He groaned as she pushed into him, the leggings she wore not disguising her arousal as she pulsed against him.
So close—as always, they were hovering on the brink.
The doorbell rang—and they jumped apart. Katniss landing on her feet as he moved away.
Their eyes met, breathing harsh.
"I'm sorry," he suddenly said, shamed.
Katniss shook her head. "Don't be." She smoothed down her long hair. "It's probably Prim, back from her bike ride."
She rushed out and he could hear quick steps towards the door, escaping the mess they had left in her kitchen.
So, I didn't think that it would end this way.
These two are a little weird. I'm almost wanting to make them kiss each other at this point.
Delly is a bit of a pill, isn't she? God, she is such an underhanded little bit—you know what I mean.
We'll see how Haymitch and Effie's date went in the next chapter.
It went well, just so you know.
Next: Chapter Nine, Katniss—Prim's Thirteenth Birthday
