So sorry for the wait, I've been so busy. And tired.
Finnick and I laughed for a long time, and I managed to crack his shell as he did mine. I learned he's 23, has a girlfriend, and is going into his second year of college. I told him about my mother and Prim. I spoke of my father teaching me about archery and even spilled that he had passed away. Finnick was truly sorry, his dashing smile fading quickly at the news.
On my drive home, I think of my father's smile and the songs he used to sing to me and Prim when we were young. My mother never approved since they always seemed to have an eerie undertone.
Are you, are you, coming to the tree where they strung up a man they say murdered three?
Strange things did happen here, no stranger would it seem if we met up at midnight in the hanging tree.
I blink away the tears as I realize the light's now green, easing the car forward, but the memories continue to assault my state of sanity.
Are you, are you coming to the tree where the dead man called out for his love to flee?
Strange things did happen here, no stranger would it seem if we met up at midnight in the hanging tree.
Oh gosh, I have to focus! I can't fucking drive with blurred vision and a busy mind. I turn on the radio, listening to some song, a girl with a loud and unique voice singing "Give your heart a break." But it's no use, just making me more distracted.
Are you, are you coming to the tree where I told you to run so we'd both be free?
Strange things did happen here, no stranger would it seem if we met up at midnight in the hanging tree.
My father's voice was so soft yet so deep, so mysterious yet melodic. He always used to hum me a song on Christmas morning while I sat on the floor next to Prim by the glow of the tree, ripping and tossing wrapping paper. He sang us other songs, but The Hanging Tree always was and will be the one burned into my brain until the day I die.
Are you, are you coming to the tree? Wear a necklace of rope side by side with me.
Strange things did happen here, no stranger would it seem if we met up at midnight in the hanging tree.
I'm ripped away from my delusion when I hear the crunch of metal, my head jerking backwards, the car stopping. Shit, fuck, shit, shit, shit, I panic, realizing what happened; I hit the back of another car while I couldn't wrap my head around reality. My breathing is short and frantic, my hands shaking. Someone steps out of the car in front of mine, dragging a hand through their hair angrily. She looks very familiar, but I don't pay any mind to the recognition. I shakily grab the door handle, stepping out, the tears still falling.
"I-I'm so sorry." I say, stepping onto the pavement.
"No, no it's okay. It's not bad." The woman is a little sympathetic now that she sees I'm a wreck. I peer up at her and notice, finally, why her face is ringing a bell. She's Enobaria. A girl I knew when I was in elementary school. Her skin is a dark mocha color, her hair black and her stressed eyes studying her bumper. She looks over at me, but it's obvious she doesn't remember. Good, she was the biggest bitch I ever knew, the first real bully I ever had to deal with. She was very tall back then, but now she's maybe three inches taller than me. "Here," She says, walking to her car and, starting it, rolls it forward a bit. The metal barely has a dent in it, but it's there.
"Maybe we should still-" I start.
"No." She snaps, stepping back out. "No, it's fine. We're done here." I am totally taken aback. Exchanging information wasn't the end of the world last time I checked, unless you're a… criminal. Oh shit.
I'm suddenly very nervous, my over reacting brain taking over. "Uh, okay." I mutter, watching her slam the door to her car. Maybe she did recognize me and wanted to get away fast enough and exchanging information would me she would have to say at least hello. Maybe she's an ax murderer. I turn and scurry to my car, digging for my phone. I dial a very familiar number.
"Hello?" He answers on the third ring, clearing his throat when it comes out croaky.
"Peeta?"
He's silent for a moment, then: "Are you okay?"
"No," I sniffle, "Can you… I hit someone's car. I'm in deep shit, Peeta. I'll be grounded for a month." I turn the keys, pulling the car over to the shoulder, turning it off again.
"Where are you? Are you hurt?" He asks and I hear the chiming of keys in the background.
"I'm on Mclain Street and no I'm fine." I reply, wiping a tear off of my cheek using my shirt.
"I'll be there in a minute. Don't move." He says curtly, hanging up. I'm saddened as I realize I should probably call my mother, but I decide against it. I sink lower into my seat, waiting.
I jump as someone taps on the window, and look up to see Peeta's blue eyes worried. "Oh thank god…" I breathe, opening my door and standing, hugging him. "I'm such a fucking mess tonight, I can't…" I don't know why, but I start to cry harder. My father always comforted me and I missed his touch so much over the years, but tonight I realized Peeta's touch is just like it; warm, caring, consoling and most of all protecting.
He hushed me softly. "I know. Come on, we'll go to my house until you get yourself together." He pulls me backwards, shutting the door behind me. Grabbing my hand, he leads me to his truck, opening the door for me and I crawl in, looking out at him as he walks to his own side.
"What about my car?" I ask.
"We'll get it later. Did you tell your mom?" He says, shutting his door. I shake my head and he purses his lips, keying the ignition and driving forward. "What's wrong? Why'd this happen?" He watches the road as he speaks.
"I couldn't stop thinking about my father." I admit, waiting for his reaction. I've never told Peeta that my father died, but I do now.
"I-I'm sorry, Katniss." He grabs my hand with his, keeping the other on the wheel. I look down at our intertwined fingers, heaving a sigh.
"I've learned to live with the fact he's not coming back. Prim hasn't. She decides to ignore it altogether." I gush. I don't even know why I'm spilling everything. "I know I can't replace him. I can't replace the feeling he gave me when he came home from work and kissed me and Prim on the top of our heads. Or the feeling when he sang to me when I was sick. I can't replace any of it, but I can come close." I look up at Peeta and he looks from the road to me with soft eyes. "You're like a drug to me, Peeta. In more ways than you know." I look down again, feeling like I'm puny.
"I love you Katniss." He whispers. Even if it was the only thing he could come up with, it's the most powerful.
I choke a sob, hearing my father's voice, not his. "I know."
Peeta sits me down on his bed after pulling me down the hall past an unfamiliar face I'd guess is Scone (Peeta, Rye and Scone; still fucking adorable). He stared for a moment before shaking his head at his mother's rising voice.
I watch him go to his closet and pull out a shirt, walking over to me. I lift up the bottom of my tee, wiping another tear although it's already soaked with them. Peeta kneels on the bed beside me, lifting my shirt up over my shoulders, helping me slide into his oversized one. "Thank you." I squeak.
He shifts, pulling me closer. I sniffle for the thousandth time that night, reveling in the moment as he wraps his arms around my middle, sitting behind me, his hard stomach pressed against my back. "You're okay." He whispers, and in his arms, I know this is true. I want to be as close as possible, breathing in his scent, taking in his every handsome feature, but I'm forced to sit and relax for a while, and I know I need it.
After an eternity of silence, he asks: "Are telling your mother? At all?"
"If I don't have to, honestly, no I'm not going to." I reply, thankful for the distraction from my thoughts.
"I think you should anyway."
"It's either I tell her or I spend time with you. You pick, Peeta." I mutter. That shuts him up. I look down, grabbing his wrists and removing them from my stomach. I stand and turn around, sitting back down on his lap, wrapping my arms around his neck. "I was close to insanity earlier." I say quietly.
"That's a common thing for you, Katniss." He mumbles sarcastically.
I give a fake laugh. "You're funny!" I snap, making him chuckle. I remove my hands from around him, moving them to the waistband of his pants. His smile immediately fades, his eyes never leaving mine. I lift up his shirt sliding it off of him, undoing the button of his jeans with two fingers. I kiss his lips slowly and passionately, though he seems a little flustered.
"Is this your thanks?" He asks, almost inaudibly. I nod with seductive Bambi eyes as he practically begs me to remove my shirt with his eyes. I lean back, doing so, unclasping my bra as well. "The door…" He adds, nodding. I look back with a frown. Standing, I cover my chest with my arm, walking to the other side of the room in a few strides. I push on the door, making sure it's closed, locking it.
"There." I say, hurrying back to Peeta who lies back, leaning on his elbows. I waste no time unzipping his pants and he lifts his hips as I tug them down his legs. I don't know where my confidence is coming from, but Peeta obviously likes it. I can see his desire through his boxers, and decide to torment him further. I place my hands on his stomach, sliding them up, all the way to his collar bone which I pepper with kisses. He moans as I grind my hips against his hard-on and I growl seductively in his ear.
He reaches down, undoing the button of my pants, pushing them down while never disconnecting our lips. I kick them somewhere, once again going down on Peeta. My fingers linger on the elastic of his boxers and I can almost hear him gulp. I pull them down his hips, revealing his marvelous erection. "Katniss…" He mumbles, watching me take him in my hand, moving it up and down, slowly at first. The friction makes him squirm and I feel all too powerful. "Please."
I smile at his voice, hearing that it's desperate. I lean down, taking him into my mouth. I repeat the movement I did with my hands and in seconds his hips move up and down in rhythm to my lead. He grabs the sheets in a vise-like grip, groaning. I look up at him through my eyelashes, pure ecstasy on his face. I place a hand on his girth as well as my lips, moving them in identical ways. Peeta growls my name, his breath hitching halfway through.
I start to pick up the pace and as I do, Peeta gets louder. "Oh fuck, Katniss!" He gasps, grabbing my hair. Suddenly, a warm fluid fills my mouth as he yells again. I quickly swallow it, removing my mouth from his member.
He's looking up at the ceiling, breathing heavily. I lick my lips, crawling on top of him as he smiles. "I really love you, Katniss."
I usually don't do BJ's in stories since I find them un-intimate and a little weird, so this was just experimentation for me. Hope you liked, sorry for the wait it won't happen again :}