theres smut in this chapter... let me know how you feel about it
Katniss felt relieved to see nobody waiting outside her apartment, a first since she and Peeta got together. She struggled getting her suitcases up her porch stairs, wishing she had someone to help her. Peeta had stayed in L.A., which meant that Katniss flew back to New York commercial, and was not lucky enough to receive the privileges of a private car service and someone to carry her bags up three flights of stairs. Unlocking the building door, she stopped to get the mail before yanking her bags up, one at a time.
She didn't bother to knock, not expecting Prim to be up this late. It was nearing 11:30, and the younger Everdeen had always been an early sleeper. Thats why she was surprised to see Prim on the couch, making out with a boy.
Katniss dropped her keys on the floor, the young blonde jumping away from her new friend. "Katniss!" She screamed, startled.
Katniss smiled smugly. "How does it feel to be on the other side?" She waved at the raven haired boy who was currently staring at her wide-eyed. "Hey kiddo, I'm Prim's lame older sister. Sorry for interrupting."
"Oh my god, you're Katniss Everdeen," he sputtered out, looking between Prim and Katniss.
Katniss glanced at Prim, looking uncomfortable. "Yeah... And you are?"
He shook his head. "No way..." He whispered. "I'm Rory Hawthrone, my brother is Peeta's co-star." Prim turned him and slapped his arm out of disbelief.
"You did not mention that before," she said.
He shrugged. "I'm sorry, when I hook up with someone at a bar, I don't usually bring up my brother.
Katniss stared at the two with raised eyebrows. "Damn Prim, you sure know where to catch 'em. Nice to meet you Rory, I just spent the past few days in L.A. with your brother. Now if you excuse me, I just got off a 5 hour non-stop flight with not one, but three crying babies and I could really use some sleep. If you guys are gonna fuck, remember that the walls are paper thin and I can probably hear everything you say. Night guys," she said, wheeling her bags to her room.
Rory looked at Prim sheepishly. "I think that's my cue to leave," he said, giving her a kiss before standing up. He handed her his phone. "Call me?"
Prim nodded vigorously, entering her name and number. He gave an awkward wave before turning around, Prim watching his retreating form until the door closed shut behind him. Locking the door, Prim barged back into her sister's room.
"And so then I walk in the apartment and there's this clown-" Katniss looked up at her sister, who had her mouth set in a frown. "Peeta, I gotta go. I'll call you in the morning, alright?" She pressed end call, and waited for the verbal abuse to come.
"Literally Katniss, the one freaking time I try to get laid, you come and ruin it."
Katniss sat up and sighed, knowing Prim was going to try and drag this out. "I didn't say he had to leave-"
"But did you see the look on his face? You nearly scared the shit out of him. And if you had to complain about your vacation where I'm sure you got to screw your boyfriend dozens of times, you could have left out the fact that the walls are paper thin. You must have forgotten that fact last week when you tried to sneak Peeta in the house at 3 am!" Prim was breathing hard, the last part of her sentence coming out as a scream.
"Alright Prim, I'm sorry. Why don't you come in bed with me and tell me why you're so upset over some guy you met in a bar," Katniss tried, beckoning her sister into her bed. Prim huffed and crossed her arms, but climbed into bed anyway. She sat cross-legged across from Katniss.
"Well, it was Thirsty Thursday at the bar last night, and me and couple of my friends went out for some drinks. I thought he was so cute, but he was surrounded by hoards of girls and I couldn't introduce myself. And then when we went back the next day, he was there again by himself this time and I figured I should go talk to him. And he was just so friendly, and sweet, and cute.." She trailed off.
Katniss grabbed her sister and pulled her into a hug. "I'm sorry I ruined your night little duck! I promise, next time you wanna get laid let me know and I'll stay out of the house." Prim accepted her apology, hugging her tighter.
Peeta
"Wow, these are amazing!" Peeta exclaimed, picking up one of the story boards being passed around. Enobaria scoffed at him, inspecting the one in her hand.
"They're decent," She remarked casually. Peeta could tell she thought they were amazing too, but refused to show emotion.
He, Enobaria, Chaff, and Plutarch Heavensbee (who Chaff introduced as the producer of the movie) were sitting around a large table in Chaff's office, discussing the film.
"I'll let you guys take a look at the story boards, but since we have already discussed obligations and pay, all we have left to talk about is filming locations," Plutarch explained, looking at everybody for confirmation. Peeta, Haymitch and Effie already had a discussion with Chaff and Plutarch about the pay-out for the movie, and his eyes were still bugging from the 2 million dollar sum they had offered him. And that was just upfront - he also had agreed to take home 9% of the film's domestic and international gross. And if this movie stood to be successful, earning even half of what Transformers earned at the box office, Peeta Mellark was about to become a very, very rich man.
Peeta flipped through the story boards, marveling at their detail. Each one depicted a sketched scene from the movie showing him and Enobaria making their way though a post-apocalyptic world.
Chaff coughed, bringing the attention back to him. "So we're in the end of April, and I want to start rehearsals in two weeks, with shooting beginning in June." He looked around, to see if anybody had any objections. "Our first location will be in Chicago for 3 weeks. There is where we will be getting most of the urban city shots. Then we move to Detroit, for two weeks and then New York for three, which I'm sure Peeta will be happy to hear." Peeta blushed at Chaff's friendly jab, trying to ignore how Enobaria rolled her eyes and Plutarch stared at him intently. He continued. "Arizona for two weeks, and Virginia for one. And for the final stretch of four weeks, we will be shooting in North Carolina. That puts us at 15 weeks of filming, not counting reshoots. You two are ready for the commitment, yes?"
"Yes," they responded in unison.
"Meeting adjourned. I'll see you kids in two weeks," Chaff announced, standing up. Peeta shuffled all the papers in front of him before putting in his folder. Bending down to pick up his messenger bag, he jumped in his skin when he noticed Plutarch Heavensbee standing directly in front of him.
"Oh, Hi Mr. Heavensbee," he said, standing up.
"Hi Peeta, mind if we have a little chat?" He asked, and by his tone of voice Peeta knew he didn't have a choice. Enobaria and Chaff had already left the room, leaving the two of them.
"I don't mind," he lied. In reality, he had a date with Gale, 2k13, and his couch, but Peeta realized that would have to wait. All of his friends were getting ready to move back to L.A., meaning that Peeta had plans with them every night until he was supposed to go back to New York.
"I just wanted to say how excited I was when you signed on to the project. I even made sure you got that nice little pay bump, because I know Snow and I know he likes for his clients to keep him happy." And rich, Peeta added in his head.
Peeta craned his neck around the room, slightly uncomfortable. "Yes, thank you for that Mr. Heavens-"
"Call me Plutarch," he interrupted.
"Thank you Plutarch, for the generous offer on this project."
Peeta felt Plutarch studying his face. "No problem at all, Mr. Mellark. How is your girlfriend doing? She looked absolutely stunning at the Clueless premiere, didn't she?"
Peeta's eyes slanted at the mention of Katniss. He didn't want hollywood to sink it's vulture nails into her the same way they had to him. "Yes, I think she always looks very nice."
"How sweet. I'm running late to a meeting so I must go, but bring her around the studio sometime. I would really love to meet her," he said with a wink. Peeta nodded and smiled, but deep down he was ready to punch him in the throat.
Later that night, after a few beers with Gale (and a ride home in a cab), a slightly buzzed Peeta found himself requesting Katniss to video-chat. She took a minute to respond, the video opening up with her settling down on her bed with headphones.
"Hey babe," she said sleepily with a smile.
Peeta's eyes glanced to the clock in the corner of his screen. "Oh, did I wake you up? I'm sorry, I totally forgot about the time difference. You can go back to sleep," he offered, while picking up his laptop and climbing the stairs to his bedroom.
She let out a tired yawn, and rubbed her eyes. "I'm fine, I just dozed off while going through some paperwork. Plus I miss my boyfriend so I don't really mind."
"You're in New York without me for five days, and you already found a new boyfriend? Tell me this clown's name and I'll beat him up," he joked.
"Well, his name is Peeta Mellark, I don't know if you've heard of him. He claims he's a celebrity but I think he's a little bit of a loser," Katniss quipped, attempting to stifle her laughter.
"All jokes aside, how was your day?"
"Shitty," she dead-palmed. "Someone from the national inquirer came in trying to talk to me, made me accidentally bump into a bus-boy with a tray full of food. My boss was a real-hardass about it, but that's nothing new. How about you?"
He wrinkled his face, hesitant to tell her about his filming schedule. "They gave us our filming schedule, and it's not looking great." Katniss looked into his eyes through the screen, letting out a sigh.
"What does that mean?"
"I'm flying back to New York at the end of this week, and flying back out for rehearsals next sunday. I've got a week break, then I'm out for 15 weeks." He nervously awaited her reaction.
"15 weeks! I can't go four months without seeing you, are you kidding?" Her tone was more annoyed and upset than angry, which Peeta took as a good sign.
"I know it sucks, but it could be worse. We could be shooting in a foreign country, and you wouldn't be just a 2 hour plane ride away." Katniss nodded understandably, still biting her lip. "What?" He probed.
"I'm just," she paused, her face turning pink. "Lonely. God, I sound pathetic," she said, trying to laugh it off.
"What, your shower head not enough for you?" He let slip. Katniss turned even more red, but refused to meet his eyes.
He let out a laugh at her non-response. "Maybe," she sheepishly admitted.
"Nothing to be ashamed of, Katniss. I wish I was in bed with you too," he said, his voice coming off as flirtatious. He noticed Katniss shift positions so that her legs were clamped together. "And from the looks of it, you do too?"
"Are you trying to do what I think you're trying to do?" She questioned, sending him a knowing look through the screen.
"Maybe," he said, his tone lowering. "Tell me, Katniss. What are you wearing underneath your tank top?" She knew he knew the answer already - her pert nipples were already hard through the thin camisole.
While keeping eye contact with Peeta, she moved her hand to toy with the strap. "Nothing. But you knew that already, because my nipples are already so hard. Are you hard, Peeta?"
"Mmmm," he hummed. "Not yet, but I will be. Do.. Do you wanna see?" He asked hesitantly, not wanting to push her boundaries.
"Yes," she responded confidently. Moving the laptop to between his legs, Peeta shimmied out of his sweatpants and boxers before grabbing a bottle of lube in his nightstand. He felt slightly exposed, baring it all to the computer but he had to remind himself that Katniss was there, watching him.
He saw her eyes staring at his hands as he squirted some lube on his hand before rubbing it up and down his growing erection. She slowly pulled her tank top over her head, relaxing back into her pillow. She was naked aside from her blue lacy underwear, one that Cinna insisted she take home.
"Touch yourself," he urged. Her hands cautiously trailed to her panties, and even Peeta could see that they were soaked. He let out a groan. "I love the way you're so wet for me, Katniss."
Katniss moaned, plunging one hand into her already slick folds. "You always know how to get me wet so quickly," she responded.
He continued, his erection growing bigger with each stroke. "I'm thinking of the way you cry out my name when you sink down on me and ride me like it's your job."
"Peeta," she whimpered, rubbing circles around her clit. She saw him increase his speed. "Is that how you like it?" She took his grunts as an enthusiastic yes that gave her courage to continue. "I wish you were with me right now. I miss waking up in your big, strong, arms. And your fingers too - when you roll my nipples between them or when they curl inside of me."
"And if I were there with you? What would you do then?" He asked and she hummed, closing her eyes.
"I'd have my ass in the air, and I'd want you to grab it, and fuck me from behind." Expressing that thought really got Katniss going, plunging her fingers in and out while rubbing herself with her thumb.
"Jesus Christ, Katniss," he remarked, her moans becoming louder. "I wanna come, so badly. But I want you to come first, ok?" He wasn't sure how much longer he could last, his erection throbbing uncontrollably.
"I'm there Peeta, I'm there," she cried, muttering his name softly. At the sound of her voice he came, spilling over his hand and his stomach. She came soon after, her breaths becoming more labored, and her hips jerking off the mattress.
Peeta sat up, turning the screen upwards to his face and away from his softening penis. Katniss, her face red, looked at him with a large post-orgasm smile on her face.
"I really do wish you were here," she admitted.
"I do too," he stated, wiping sweat off his forehead. "It'll be rough, but thank god for Skype."
Katniss
Katniss sat at the dining table, basking in the silence while eating her breakfast. Prim had gone to school already and she didn't have to get into work until 4 P.M, leaving her with downtime to sift through her mail. They were mostly bills, but she opened each and every piece just to be sure. Midway through the stack, she saw one that caught her attention.
The envelope was from The State of New York Justice Department, addressed to her mom. Quickly opening it, Katniss scanned the letter. It said:
Dear Bristol Everdeen,
The state sends their dearest apologies for the unfortunate death of Arnold Everdeen on January 8th, 2008. He was a decorated Lieutenant, making his death a travesty to the state. According to the Public Safety Officers Benefit Program, you have yet to submit your claim for survivor death benefits. The deadline for that is 5 years and 6 months after the death of your spouse. Survivor death benefits include a one time payment of $323,035, along with insurance for any offspring until age 27.
We send this letter as a reminder that one of your offspring, Katniss Everdeen, is nearing the age 27 where she is no longer eligible for insurance. Please plan accordingly.
Forms for collecting survivor death benefits can be found online. Contact the Bureau of Justice Association at 231-555-5623 with any questions.
Katniss stared open mouthed at the letter, reading it over twice to make sure what she was reading was true. Her breathing sped up as the words sunk in. "Three hundred thousand dollars?" She whispered in disbelief. The next moment, she was seized with anger, realizing what the words meant. Her mother had known about this for five years, but still kept them in the dark? Katniss was sure this letter would have gone unread too, had Ms. Everdeen forgotten to change her address. She put the paper down and tried to breathe.
In a haste, Katniss picked up her home phone and punched in a few numbers. She started to pace around the room, waiting for the other line to pick up.
"Panem Assisted Living Facility, how may I help you?" A cheery voice chirped from the other side.
"I need to talk to Bristol Everdeen. I'm her daughter. It's important." She replied curtly, her tone harsh.
"You will be connected shortly, please hold." As cheesy music played in the phone, Katniss tried to think of what she was going to say.
Hey mom, fuck you didn't really seem appropriate, but that was the only words she could picture rolling off her tongue at the moment. Her thoughts were interrupted by a soft voice.
"Prim?" Bristol Everdeen called into the phone, sounding frail.
"Cut the shit mom, it's Katniss," she said sharply. As the words came out of her mouth, Katniss figured they weren't the best words to hear from a daughter who hadn't called in almost a year. Prim on the other hand called every month, which is why Ms. Everdeen had called out her name.
"Oh," her mother's voice showed no surprise to Katniss' tone. This was not the first angry phone call she had received from her daughter. Her tone instantly changed, taking on a harder demeanor to match her daughter's. "Hello Katniss. How are you doing?"
"I just came across a letter addressed to you. It's from the Bureau of Justice Association. Do you know what I'm talking about?"
"I don't know, I couldn't be sure unless I see it," she said hesitantly. Katniss could tell she was lying through her teeth, which made her even angrier.
"Well they're saying we could have claimed a three hundred thousand dollar benefit from Dad's death. Does that jog your memory?"
"Please, don't mention your father." She asked, taking a deep breath.
"Oh I'm sorry," she snapped with face concern. "Maybe if you had taken care of this FIVE years ago, maybe we wouldn't be having this conversation."
"C'mon Katniss," Ms. Everdeen tried, her tone almost pleading. "Are you really going to start this-" Katniss interrupted her with a scream of frustration.
"Am I going to start this? Am I going to start this? Really?" She said, her voice rising. "God you must be even more delusional than normal. What meds are they giving you there in your assisted living facility? You know, the one we've been paying for with the remainder of Dad's life insurance. Do you know how much three hundred fucking thousand dollars could have helped? Thank god you managed to file the claim that allowed them to cover Prim's schooling expenses, because I don't really know what I would have done-"
"Katniss, please," she begged, cutting her off.
"No! You're lucky you've got Prim, because if I had my way, you'd be on your own. Not that Prim owes you anything, because I practically raised her. Do you know how hard it is to grow up with a bipolar mother? One who disappears for weeks, then when she finally comes home to her family, spends the rest of the time in bed? Its sucks. It really, really, sucks. And then when you finally have a chance to redeem yourself, do something nice for your daughters who you know are struggling, you don't. What kind of person does that?" Katniss finally screams, breathing heavy into the phone. Her mom doesn't respond, but Katniss hears her breathing on the other line.
"You're dating that celebrity boy, right?" She asked, and Katniss felt her anger shooting back up.
"Oh my god. Did you lose your hearing too? Yes, mom, I am. What does that have to do with anything I just said? Were you even listening to me?"
"When he leaves you, you'll see," Ms. Everdeen started, her tone grave. "You'll understand the pain I-" Katniss' anger faded away into frost.
"Whatever, mom. I'm done. It was a mistake calling you. I'll fax over the paper," she said, clicking 'End Call' without waiting for a response. She tossed the phone across the room, not even flinching when it broke in half. There was something about talking to her mom that always left her drained. Katniss retreated back to her room, suddenly filled with the urge to empty the contents of her stomach and return back to bed.
figured i might update early because it took me such a long time between the last two chapters. thank you so much for all the reviews and faves! i'm not rly sure how i feel about the smut, i might stop writing it... let me know how u feel about it!
