Chapter 38: December 13th

Katniss

"So when is all this craziness over?"

"Never," she snorted.

Peeta eyed her through the webcam, his blue eyes suddenly mournful. "No really, when are you done with finals? I want my girlfriend back," he laughed.

"Have I been neglecting you?"

He feigned hurt. "A bit, yeah."

Katniss sighed, leaning back in her desk chair. Her finals would be over in two days, but two days had never felt like such a wide expanse of time in her entire life. The end of semester tests had always been daunting, but never before had it tried her sanity like it had this year.

Finals week lasted the entire last week of the fall semester, with the different tests spread out over the course of five days. However, her three hardest exams were clumped together on Wednesday night, Thursday morning, and Thursday afternoon. If she didn't explode from stress she would surely die from exhaustion from not getting enough sleep. She'd pulled two all-nighters in four days and she was pretty sure her body was starting to hate her. Nerves were keeping her from eating, coffee was keeping her from sleeping, and the stress of everything felt like it was about to come down on her shoulders and make her back break in two.

It was all too much.

She felt like she could crack at any second, but then where would she be? Having to look her mother and Prim in the eye and tell them that she couldn't handle the nursing program was right up on her list of failures between getting knocked up or kicked out of school.

"Thursday afternoon," she sighed. "That can't come soon enough. My last final gets out at four."

Peeta cocked his head sideways in the Skype box of her computer, his lower lip jutting out. "I'm sorry. You look tired."

She gave him a pitiful look through the webcam. "Um, thanks?"

"No," he hurried, "I didn't mean it like that. I mean you're obviously stressed and I feel bad that I can't help."

"I'm just jealous you're done," she sighed, scrubbing her hands over her face. She really didn't have time to be chatting with him, but figured she needed a Peeta-Skype-Break to keep her sanity. His gentle smile and happy eyes were a welcome sight compared to her anatomy books. She felt like she had the text burned onto the backs of her eyelids.

"Almost. I have my English final tomorrow at eleven, but that shouldn't be bad. We just had to write a paper."

"And being you, you probably breezed through it, spewing such poetic bullshit that the teacher will eat it up and bow down to you," she sighed, shaking her head. Peeta had a way with words both spoken and written that she could only pray for.

Peeta barked out a laugh, his eyes twinkling from beneath his hat. Katniss rolled her eyes.

"Take off that stupid hat! I can't see you."

Peeta smirked and twisted it back so that the brim was behind his head. "Better?"

She met his gaze in the Skype cam and smirked right back. "You're ridiculous."

"I know. So you get done Thursday at four?"

"Yes. And it will be right at four because it's going to take me the entire two hours to finish this exam. Conway is known for his insanely awful exams and I'm going to take every minute I can to try to get the best score."

"You'll do fine."

She shook her head as an entirely new wave of despair washed over her. Thursday afternoon at four seemed so far away.

"You don't have to hang out at school just for me, you know," she said. Peeta was finishing with his finals almost an entire day before she was, but insisted it was no problem to hang around his school an extra day before coming to pick her up and take her home. Even though he didn't have to do it, she was secretly touched at the small but sweet gesture. Gale couldn't pick her up because his truck was still broken, and her mother was at work trying to get some extra hours before the holidays. Without Peeta's offer, she would have been stuck at school until Sunday afternoon when her mother could finally come get her.

He shrugged. "No sense making the trip twice. I'll just hang out here til you're done and pick you up. You already said Gale's truck is still broken and your mom is working til Friday night. That gives us one night together before you have to be home."

"And what are we going to do with this one night?" she challenged.

Peeta licked his lips and gave her an intense little stare from the screen. "Stuff and things."

She narrowed her eyes at him. Peeta chuckled and coughed, his façade of sexiness fading slightly. "Um...I figured maybe see a movie or something before I have to take you home. But we can at least hang out. I won't see you again till Christmas day."

"I know," she sighed. "But that will give me time to scare Prim away from having sex with Rory."

Peeta rolled his eyes. "There's quite a difference from a boob grab and actual intercourse, babe. Don't you think you might be overreacting?"

Katniss shifted in her chair. "Yes, but things escalate quickly when you're that age. I just want to make sure she knows what she's doing."

"Noted," he laughed.

"Well," she sighed, "I should really get back to studying. Ulgh, fuck my life. Three more finals and then it's Christmas break for me! All four weeks of it. I'll see you Thursday at four? You'll be here?"

Peeta grinned. "With bells on. Jingle bells."

Katniss gripped her pencil in her hand, staring at the scantron sheet full of empty bubbles in front of her. She'd definitely had too much coffee that morning; her fingers were starting to shake slightly as she gripped it. Or was it nerves? She couldn't tell.

Taking a deep breath, she began filling in the bubbles as the minutes ticked by. A cloud of fatigued nervousness seemed to hang in the room as the minutes became an hour. Everyone around her seemed to be fighting the same anxiety she was, but that didn't make her feel any better as her last final of the semester dragged on. It didn't matter what they got, she told herself. The only thing that mattered was what she got.

This test could easily determine whether or not she got the grades needed to transfer schools.

She took a shuddering breath and shook her head. She couldn't think about that now; she only needed to get through the next hour. Taking a deep breath, she resumed her work.

A strange sense of relief settled over her as she trudged through the dirty, mucky slush back to her dorm. Usually she spent this long walk going over her answers in her head and wondering whether or not she'd done well. Today, however, she was just glad it was over.

The winter wind whipped around her as a light snow began to fall. The accumulation from the last snowstorm from a few weeks before still had yet to melt; instead, layers upon layers of new snow had fallen down on top of that. She couldn't help but feel as though winter would never end.

As she approached her dorm, something made her look up. A wide smile suddenly threatened to split her face as she took in the welcomed sight of Peeta, bundled up in a thick coat and hat as he stood against the side of his car beside her dorm. He was rubbing his gloved hands together, looking around curiously as he waited for her. When their eyes finally met, his face mirrored hers. Katniss loped carefully forward through the slick snow and ice, her breath coming out in white puffs of air. She slid to a halt in front of Peeta and threw her arms around his middle. He fell back against the cold car and laughed in her ear.

"Now that's a welcome."

She pulled back. "I've never been so glad for a test to be over," she sighed, shaking her head.

Peeta's hand pulled her side braid into his fingers, twirling the end suggestively. "Happy to see me then?"

"You know I am," she laughed. "Let me get my bags, and then we can go, alright?"

He grinned, his pale cheeks turning slightly pink. She thought it was the cold until she saw a glimmer in his eye. "Hurry back. I've got a surprise for you."

She pretended to scowl and shook her head at him as she walked away. He chuckled and jumped into his running car, making a motion for her to hurry it up. After racing up the steps to grab her bags and bid a hasty adieu to her lonely dorm room, she was back in the car within minutes. Peeta handed her a steaming to-go cup and hit his rim gently against hers.

"To finals being over. Cheers."

Katniss took a sip, the creamy hot chocolate from the coffee shop down the street greeting her throat. "This is a good surprise," she laughed, lifting the lid. "Extra whip cream too…such a gentleman."

Peeta cleared his throat as he placed his hot chocolate into the cup holder and pulled out onto the main road. "That's not the surprise actually," he grinned. His blue eyes shifted to hers as he gave her a cunning little smile.

Katniss shook her head. "You know I hate presents."

He laughed and shook his head. "No, uh….this is different. Do you think you could tell Prim you stayed an extra night at school?"

"Prim won't mind," she said, giving him a shrug. "Why?"

Peeta shifted. "Okay,well…. I'm an awful person to find the good in this, but my great aunt that lives upstate has the flu," he said. "Don't judge."

"I'm so sorry," she sighed, turning to face him as he pulled onto the interstate. "How old is she?"

Peeta cleared his throat. "I've only met her once; she doesn't care for children," he said. "So I don't really know her that well. Maybe ninety? Well….um….my mom and dad went up to see her for the night and make sure her home health care worker had everything she needed to take care of her."

"Well…that's nice of them," she replied. "But…"

Peeta took his eyes off the road for a second to give her a look. "So….do you want to come to my house and stay the night?"

Peeta's words hit her like a ten ton truck. He wanted her to go to his parents' house…alone? She felt herself start to smile.

"Um….are you sure it's alright?"

Peeta nodded. "I promise. They're gone until tomorrow. As long as we leave my house by like…eleven, we should be fine. It's a five hour drive for them, and we can take you home before they get back. But tonight we'd…have the house to ourselves."

She gripped her cup of hot chocolate and grinned. "No Mark."

"Or Cassie," he echoed happily. "I have a queen sized bed. Am I a terrible person for taking advantage of a horrible situation?"

"A little," she admitted. "But…"

Her cheeks grew warm at his suggestive tone. They'd spent their entire relationship hooking up in showers, on soccer fields, behind sheds, in dorm rooms….they'd never actually had an opportunity to be in a big bed in a private room all to themselves before. The situation they were now in began to grow in appeal as she considered it. While she wasn't crazy about the idea of taking advantage of Peeta's great aunt being sick….this was a rare gem of a moment.

"Okay," she heard herself say nervously. Peeta reached over the console and gripped her hand.

"Really? You'll go?"

She shrugged. "I want to, yeah. I mean…we hardly ever get a chance like this. Might as well take it."

She was eating her words an hour and a half later as her hot chocolate gurgled around in her stomach. Somewhere in the back of her mind she remembered Peeta saying his mother came from some money, but it became obvious she still had quite a bit the moment Peeta turned onto his street. The houses there weren't the biggest she'd seen, but they were definitely some of the nicest. One perfectly manicured, snow-covered lawn after another flashed by as he drove down the winding, quaint street.

I live in a shoebox compared to these houses, she thought.

"I'm so excited I'm shaking," he chuckled, leaning back in his seat. "You still want to do this?"

She peeled her eyes away from the last brick house she'd been ogling and looked at him. "What? Oh, um…yeah."

He didn't seem to notice her sudden moment of trepidation as he began to slow the car. Peeta finally turned down a driveway at the end of the street and Katniss gripped her empty cup. The perfectly plowed brick driveway passed by a wrought iron gate that was covered in twinkling white Christmas lights. Leaning forward in her seat, she felt her jaw drop open slightly as they wound around a series of trimmed, twinkling pine trees to reveal the brick house at the end of the dark drive. The winter evening revealed a glowing brick home at the end of the lane, the lights pouring from the outside making it somehow look big and yet cozy at the same time.

"This is where you live?" she breathed.

"Um, yeah," he chuckled. "Home sweet home. My dad uh…really loves Christmas lights. Can you tell? He likes going overboard."

"Yeah," she laughed weakly. It was like something out of a magazine or a commercial. She'd always wondered who lived in houses like this and now she had her answer.

The drive wound down to a red brick house with black shutters and a pristine white porch that was lined with small pine topiaries and nearly trimmed bushes that were covered in white twinkle lights. There wasn't a stray shutter that needed painting or chipped brick in sight; everything was shiny and new and not a speck of dirt out of place, she realized. Did places like this even exist? Katniss felt her palms start to sweat as his car wound down the driveway. Peeta pulled into the last stall of the three car garage and she thought she was going to be sick.

This wasn't a house; this was a mansion that belonged on the cover of Better Homes & Gardens, she thought. Her cheeks continued to flame as she thought back to how her own home compared. What had Peeta thought of her surroundings?

He got out of the car, dutifully picking up her bag and taking her hand to lead her into the house. After taking off their shoes in a mud room, she found herself standing in the single largest kitchen she'd ever seen. The stainless steel appliances gleamed in the dim light as Peeta dropped her bag on the window seat nearby and began flipping on the lights. She'd seen kitchens like this on Pinterest boards for perfect houses, but she never imagined people actually owning them. The beautiful granite countertops were wiped clean of any speck of dirt or crumbs, every fancy looking cooking item neatly tucked in its place. The island in the center of the room already had three miniature lit Christmas trees that were surrounded with seasonal plates and bowls full of fancy fruit and cookies. Peeta leaned against the counter as she looked around in wonder.

"This is…wow," she breathed. "Um…"

"I know what you're thinking," he interjected. "This is my parents' house, Katniss. Not mine."

"I know, but…wow," she breathed. Peeta casually mentioned his mother came from a wealthy family and that their chain of bakeries did rather well, but she'd had no idea that her boyfriend came from a family this wealthy. Her small, outdated home that had never bothered her before suddenly did. She shifted from foot to foot, suddenly feeling very out of place. This shouldn't bother her and she knew it. Peeta had never rubbed his family's wealth in her face before and Katniss knew his kindness only stemmed from a need to please. It shouldn't have bothered her, but why did it?

"You must have thought my house was gross," she sighed in defeat, suddenly unable to look at him. A feeling of shameful inadequacy settled over her limbs as she chewed her lip and leaned against the counter. She couldn't even look at him.

"What?" he gasped. "No. Why would I think that?" he asked, moving closer.

She shrugged. "My house was just so….small. And this house is like….Peeta, my house could fit in yours like seven times."

He gave her a pleading look and let his shoulders slump. "Really? Katniss…this is my parents' house. Not mine. I didn't bring you here to make you feel bad, I…I brought you here to spend time with you alone."

She nodded, tucking a few loose hairs back. "I know you did. I just…it's overwhelming. Your house belongs on Pinterest or in a magazine."

"My mom had a rich father who spoiled her rotten and still probably does. This isn't who I am, okay?" He stepped closer, wrapping his arms around her middle as he pressed her up against the countertop. "Are you okay?"

"Yes," she laughed nervously. She felt stupid for making a big deal about Peeta's house, but she simply hadn't expected it to be as well-to-do as it was. The wide spaces and shiny appliances were quite daunting.

"You know what room might make you feel better?" he asked, nuzzling his nose into her hair. She felt goose bumps rise up on her skin as Peeta's warm breath touched the skin of her neck. A shudder rolled through her limbs as he placed a slow, wet kiss against the area behind her ear. Her fingertips gripped his sweatshirt tightly as the house became less and less important. His clean, masculine scent floated towards her as she felt her eyes flutter closed. The spell he seemed to cast when he was near her like this began to quietly overpower any insecurities she had, just as it always did.

"What…w-what room?"

Peeta lifted his lip up to the shell of her ear, his hot breath making her toes curl. "My bedroom."

Her laugh echoed out across the kitchen as his hands dug playfully into her sides. "Peeta!"

The insecure feeling was momentarily forgotten as he grabbed her hand in his and pulled her out of the kitchen. She stumbled forward with another loud laugh as he led her quickly out of the hall, through a family room, and into the main entryway of the house. She was about to stop and gawk at the sprawling, two story entrance, but Peeta's tight grip kept her from pausing. Their sock-covered feet padded up the carpeted steps, the electric feeling between their joined hands seeming to grow with each step. Stopping halfway, she playfully pinned him against the wall and attacked his mouth with hers. Peeta groaned against her lips, welcoming her tongue into his mouth that still tasted like hot chocolate. She heard herself moan lightly before breaking away mischievously and pulling him the rest of the way up the steps. Peeta's throaty laughter followed her as she blindly tugged him down the upstairs hallway.

Continuing their game of relentless teasing, Peeta stopped her in the hallway, pulling her back roughly against his chest. She could feel his heart pounding through his sweatshirt into her back as he grabbed her hips and rubbed her ass suggestively across the front of his jeans. His hardness dug into her flesh as he pushed her braid to the side to suck lightly on her neck. Katniss forgot where she was for a moment as Peeta's tongue swiped against her skin and his teeth lightly nipped at her ear. His fingers began tugging at the material of her black cardigan, and soon the garment was fluttering to the hallway floor along with her tank top. While one hand held her against his groin, the other hand snaked around to the front of her body and ran his palm against the material of her bra.

"I want you," he whispered, the words sounding more like a throaty growl.

"Oh," she panted, reaching back and grabbing a fistful of his blonde hair. "Oh God", she mewled. She felt his fingers temporarily leave her bra to gently pull the fastener on the end of her braid off and toss it to the hallway floor with her tank top and cardigan. Her hair began unraveling as Peeta's efforts to arouse her increased.

"Katniss…"

"Which room?"

"End of the hall."

He pushed her forward, both of them laughing as their trance was momentarily broken. She barely had time to look at his bedroom before Peeta was kicking the door shut with his foot and hurrying them both inside. He ripped off his sweatshirt and t-shirt together, the rumpled clothing hitting the carpet.

"Are you just going to stand there?" she asked, raising one eyebrow.

His hungry eyes watched as she pulled off her socks and started unbuttoning her jeans. Peeta did the same, his pale, broad chest flexing slightly as he forcefully ripped his clothes off. The tight, black, boxer briefs showcased his muscular thighs and shapely behind as he gave her another hungry look before moving to his desk. Opening one of his notebooks, he pulled a strip of condoms from their hiding place in the pages before he practically stalked back over to her.

She met him halfway, pulling his mouth against hers frantically. They'd never had this much freedom and privacy before and the thought of it all was dizzying as they kissed passionately. The room seemed to grow stuffy and hot as they attacked each other's mouths with a fervor they'd never had before.

"Condom?" she questioned. Since she'd been taking her pill regularly they'd gone the last two times without any added protection.

Peeta gently pushed her back onto his neatly made bed, straddling her body and pinning it down. She felt him nod shyly against her shoulder as he buried his face in her hair.

"Yes. I miss finishing inside of you," she heard him mumble, his fingers slipping around to palm the front of her bra. She arched against his hand as her entire body began to flush with the normal excitement and anticipation that came with what they were about to do. His pale skin did the same, the pinkish color turning his cheeks and neck a pretty pink in the dim light of his desk lamp. While it was somewhat scary to have sex with the lights on, she couldn't help but think of how the current lighting worked to her advantage as her eyes could roam over every inch of his pale, broad chest. She felt her insides stir impatiently as he hovered above her and grinned.

"Whatever you want to do is fine with m-me," she stuttered.

Peeta pulled the dark blue comforter back, the two of them slipping clumsily inside. She lay back against the fluffy pillows as Peeta rose up on his knees and made quick work of his underwear. His hands moved to hers next, flinging them across the room with a flourish. She let a little sigh slip from her mouth as he lowered one hand to brush against her already dripping center. Her earlier insecurities had faded to the back of her mind as Peeta began running his fingers up and down her folds, teasing and probing. Reaching down, she grabbed his wrist and exhaled sharply.

"We've got all night for this. I need you now," she whispered in a needy tone. The stress of finals and the last semester was more than she could handle and right in that moment all she wanted was him.

Peeta nodded in understanding. "We do have all night. For once. I'll make it up to you," he promised, finishing his words with a deep kiss. His tongue playfully snaked through her lips as he met hers and made a small circling motion in her mouth as if he was giving her preview of what he would do later to other places. Another shiver raced through her limbs as he rose up again and quickly rolled the condom on himself and wasted no time before swiftly entering her. Katniss clenched and exhaled several times as the familiar, tight sensation spread from her middle. The first few thrusts were slow, sweet torture as Peeta thrust his hips against hers, and then seconds later he found a rhythm and started moving with purpose.

"I want to…ulgh…try something," he panted in her ear.

Katniss nodded, chewing her lip as the pleasurable tremors began spreading through her body. Peeta pulled out, making her gasp in protest.

"It's fine. Turn over, okay?"

She did as she was told, rolling over onto her stomach and allowing Peeta's warm hands to pull her up onto her knees. He crouched behind her on the wide bed as she looked over her shoulder at him. "Been reading that book, have we?"

He blushed slightly before nodding and grabbing himself with his hand. "Maybe."

She couldn't find it in herself to protest as Peeta's length slid easily back into her waiting heat. The new angle was different but in a completely good way. The pleasurable cry that left her lips was echoed by Peeta as he gripped her hips and thrust a second time. The sound of skin on skin and their moans and pants of approval soon filled the room.

"Oh Katniss…." he groaned.

She glanced over her shoulder and made eye contact with Peeta before he threw his head back. The friction between in this new position was making her climb towards her finish even shorter. Peeta's hips drove against her ass with a slightly erratic force that was almost dizzying. Realizing they were alone in the house, she let another frantic cry leave her lips as she clenched her muscles around his cock.

"Fuuuuck," he muttered breathlessly in answer. "Oh my God…"

"I know," she panted, dropping her head forwards. "Oh Peeta…I'm close. I'm…I'm…."

She let out another slow moan, chewing her lip as he gripped her from behind and drove into her harder and harder as she came. The intensely pleasurable tremors flowed from her center and into every nerve ending in her body as she let go. Peeta groaned deeply, panting harshly as he fucked her from behind.

"Katniss…"

She was so completely blissed out from her orgasm that she almost didn't see Peeta's bedroom door open. He groaned again as she tensed in panic, mistaking her clenching for joy instead of horror as a third voice sounded in the room.

"Oh my….Peeta?!"

*Hangs head in shame*

Yes, this moment in time is unfortunately from a real college-Twilightcakes experience...*sigh*

Anyway...hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Who do you think it is in the doorway? *evil laugh*

Thanks for your patience as I get ready for this wedding - eek! less than two months!

Thanks for reading and please review!