Cheese, a hunger games fanfic

The first time it happens, Katniss is really hungry and just wants to find food. She crouches down beside a tree, hugging her stomach, and wishing that she could eat even a small piece of bread. All of a sudden, she tastes the most delicious combination of bread and cheese that she has ever tasted. She savors the taste before it disappears, and she wants to cry in anger but also relief. She doesn't know how it happened, but that small taste of bread that she got gave her hope. Blinking away tears, she runs home in the rain and rifles through the notebooks and pieces of paper at the side table, little drops of water splattering everywhere. A sob almost breaks out of her when she finally finds what she is looking for, and she swallows it down as she quickly dials the number.

"Uncle Haymitch? It's Katniss. Prim and I really need your help."

The first time it happens for him, his mom had just hit him before sending him up without dinner. His dad is away on a business trip, and his brothers have sleepovers at their friends' houses. Nobody was there to stop her from beating him, and he tries not to cry as he lies down on his bed. His stomach growls, and he thinks of sneaking downstairs later to find food.

When he wakes up two hours later, he tiptoes out of his room only to find his mother at the kitchen table, working on something. She's still awake, and he's even more hungry than he was before he fell asleep. He quietly returns to his room and stares at the glow-in-the-dark stickers his parents stuck on the ceiling when his brothers were younger, and never removed. He licks his lips, and is alarmed when he suddenly tastes chocolate. He stares at the glowing stars, focusing, and can make out the taste of sugar on top of the chocolate. This continues in short bursts for ten minutes, and by the time it stops, he feels contented enough to sleep again. Just before drifting off, he wonders if his dad will be able to explain what happened to him.

"Why does my ice cream taste like fish?"

Jo just stares at Katniss before laughing uproariously, and she tries not to sulk as she pushes the bowl away and crosses her arms, waiting impatiently for her friend to stop. This continues for a full minute before Jo wipes tears from her eyes. "Brainless, I didn't know you had a soulmate."

Katniss scrunches her nose in disgust at the term. "What are you talking about? You got that from me talking about the ice cream tasting like fish?"

Her friend smirks, and leans back in her chair, pushing her own bowl towards Katniss. "Look, we got the same flavor. Try mine and tell me what you taste." She looks thoughtful for a second, before suddenly getting a glint in her eye and opening her mouth wide to shout. "Mr. Abernathy! Prim! Stop playing chess for a minute and come here! Brainless here has some news for you two! It's crazy!"

Katniss scowls down at the table, reluctantly having a spoon of Jo's ice cream before nearly spitting it out again. She's only just made herself swallow the disgusting combination of vanilla and fish when her younger sister and her uncle enter the kitchen. Prim sits beside her, looking at Johanna questioningly while her uncle shuffles towards the coffeepot, pouring himself a cup before giving Jo a hard look. "Girl, what's Sweetheart's news? I have a chess match to win."

Prim scoffs at his statement but turns to look at Jo again, who grins evilly. "Ask Katniss here what the vanilla ice cream tastes like."

Her scowl deepens and she slides down in her seat. "It's nothing. I think maybe I was just imagining things."

Haymitch stares at her for a few seconds before a look of realization comes over his face. "Sweetheart, do you have a soulmate?"

She winces when Prim squeals in delight at his statement. "Katniss! You didn't tell me you had a soulmate! What was the first thing you tasted? What did the ice cream taste like just now? How long have you known?"

Johanna looks smug, and Katniss shoots her a dark look before forcing a smile for Prim. "Sorry, Little Duck. I, er, tasted bread two years ago. Today the ice cream tasted like fish." Her sister looks like she's about to jump out of her seat in excitement, so she tries to think of more details. "Uh, one time, there was cheese, too. It's happened a bunch of times, so I can't really remember everything I've tasted."

Prim shrieks again, and she groans. She loves Prim, really, she does, but sometimes she just doesn't know how to handle her sister's dramatics. Prim finally quiets down a few minutes later after rambling about the scientific theories people have regarding soulmates, which seem to go into one of Katniss' ears and out the other. "How are you planning on finding him?"

Katniss knows her confusion can be seen clearly on her face. "I wasn't planning on looking for him?"

"Katniss! You can't not look for your soulmate!" Prim says, looking aghast at the idea. Jo snickers while Haymitch just smirks, and Katniss gets up from the table, exasperated.

"I'm 13, Prim, what am I gonna do with a soulmate? I'm going to take a nap."

Peeta smiles as he tastes chocolate again. Ever since he found out he had a soulmate two years ago, he's been trying at least once a day to taste what she's eating, and he's never disappointed. By now, he knows that she has hot chocolate every night at 9PM, and that she eats something that tastes sweet and nutty pretty regularly.

Delly flops down on the bed beside him. "Okay, I snuck out and got us some chips and three DVDs. Which movie do you want to watch?" There's a short pause before she laughs. "Are you trying to see what your soulmate's eating again? Peet, this is borderline obsessive."

He feels affronted. "Excuse me? I just want to get to know her better!"

She smirks knowingly. "Yeah, by tasting what she's eating everyday." She looks thoughtful for a moment. "Are you trying to see if she's kissing someone other than you?"

His face quickly warms and he throws a chip at her. "No! And even if she were, it would be her right. It's not like we're together," he mumbles, looking through the movie choices to keep away from his friend's prying eyes.

Delly sighs. "That's true. It's also not like you haven't kissed half the girls in class, Romeo."

Peeta gapes at her before standing up, even more offended. "I did not! Those are all rumors and you know it, Delly Cartwright! You know I'm saving my first kiss for her!"

She giggles. "It's not like kissing another girl is a crime. Everyone's doing it."

"Just because you're doing it with Rye doesn't mean everyone is doing it." His nose scrunches at the thought of his friend and his brother together, and he gives her a disapproving look. "You should stop, by the way. He's two years older than us, and I'm pretty sure he goes around kissing every girl he sees." This is a gross exaggeration, but maybe it will finally keep Delly away from his brother.

She rolls her eyes at him. "Stop being such a dad, Peeta. The two of us have an agreement, although it is one that benefits me more than it does him." She grows smug when she sees that he's confused. "Peeta, he's teaching me to kiss, and I'm teaching him how to treat girls. We both haven't gotten our soulmate signs yet, so we're just... honing our skills in certain areas." She smiles proudly, satisfied at her explanation, and Peeta feels his stomach churn at the thought of his soulmate having that kind of agreement with someone else. He quickly stands and just barely makes it into the bathroom before he loses his dinner.

"Did you know that if your emotions are really strong, you can send the taste of what you're eating to your soulmate, without them concentrating? Maybe you can try to make some kind of code and he can decipher it!" Prim bounces excitedly on her bed, a book in her hand while she stares at Katniss, who ignores her and grabs her jacket.

"I'm going to Madge's tonight. Don't wait up, Duck."

Prim pokes her tongue out before turning back to the book about soulmates, and she shakes her head as she leaves the room. "Haymitch, I'm gonna hang out with Madge! Gale will probably drive me home a bit later." She tugs on her boots and pulls the jacket on, slipping out of the house after hearing him grunt in assent. Hands in her pockets, she makes her way to Madge's house - which should really be called a mansion considering how big it is. The large windows bathe the spacious lawn in light, and she nods at the housekeeper who opens the door for her. "Hi, Alba. Is Madge in her room?"

The elderly woman smiles widely. "Yes, she is upstairs. There are already some snacks set out for you three."

"Thank you!" Katniss calls as she jogs up the stairs two steps at a time. Madge looks up when she enters, smiling.

"Kat! Gale just went out to get us some burgers. Movie or game?"

"Movie," Katniss replies as she sits down, making herself comfortable in one of Madge's many beanbag chairs, which are scattered across the room. "Is he getting some fries with the burgers?"

"Yep, with the extra packets of sauce. If he forgets, we're kicking him out for the night."

Katniss laughs. "You can't. I need a ride home later."

Madge just shrugs before smirking. "Well, then I'm kicking him out of my bed." She laughs and throws a pillow when Katniss groans. "Stop acting like that's weird! We're in high school, and we're soulmates, and it's not like Gale's forcing me to do anything. I chose to do stuff with him. Plus," she adds, suddenly looking shy. "We're actually taking it slow."

Katniss pretends to gag, and Madge flashes her the middle finger before getting up to look through the movie selections. She knows better than to try to help pick a movie, going through the grocery list in her head and adding and removing items to make the money fit. Haymitch had to close his bar for a few nights to take care of her and Prim when they both got sick, which means less funds. She's still thinking of how to make it work when she suddenly tastes strawberry, and she closes her eyes to savor the taste of the fruit before sitting up in shock.

Whatever her soulmate is tasting isn't strawberry. It tastes more artificial, and she thinks with a sinking feeling in her gut that it tastes a lot like the strawberry-flavored chapstick Prim used to buy for the two of them. She doesn't know whether she wants to throw up or run home, but she does know she wants the taste to disappear from her mouth. It lasted a total of 2 seconds, maybe 3, but she can still taste it, and she feels a bit sick at the realization that her soulmate was probably off kissing some girl. Maybe he enjoyed it so much that he even sent the taste to her accidentally.

"Madge, sorry, I forgot that I promised Prim I'd help her with her homework. I'll just go home first."

Her friend looks at her for a moment, confused, but smiles anyway and waves her off. She runs down the stairs and out the house, quickly walking to the woods at the edge of town. When she gets there, a few tears finally slip out. She doesn't know why, but she feels hurt that he didn't wait to meet her.

"Party at Amber's later! Let's go, Peeta, please! I'll let you pick our snacks for a month!"

He just looks at Delly, smirking. "You always like the snacks I pick out anyway. That's just a win-win for you."

She pouts, flipping her blonde curls over her shoulder, and he tries not to laugh when Rye stops in his tracks and stares. They've been on and off the past year, currently off, and she's been trying her best to make Rye regret whatever it is he did. Her lips curve up into a smile as she notices the same thing Peeta did, and she pulls her locks into a high ponytail. Peeta doesn't really understand it, but it makes Rye almost salivate, and he already knows that they'll be back together by the end of the week at the latest. She turns her focus on Peeta again. "Look, Rye's going to be at that party for sure, and you know Melanie has her eye on him. What if they get together then?"

He wants to laugh at the worry on his best friend's face. "Dells, you're crazy if you think they're going to hook up at the party. Melanie has been after Rye for years, but he's only ever had one girlfriend - you."

Groaning, she leans against the lockers. "Yeah, but that's the problem. I don't want him hooking up with anyone. I know that I'm the only one he's ever called a girlfriend, but he has been with some other girls before. And I know that we are technically broken up, and he's not my soulmate, so I don't have any say, but I still don't want anything like that to happen."

He sighs. "Delly, maybe I can sit this one out? You know how I feel about Amber."

"Peet, that was a year ago! Yes, she shouldn't have kissed you all of a sudden, and without your consent at that, but I'm sure she won't do it again! Didn't she apologize to you after? Plus, she has a new boyfriend now. I'm sure she won't be going around chasing you." She grins at him teasingly. "You know that you're one of the most popular and most hated guys at the same time, right? You've rejected so many girls that it's crazy."

"First, Amber didn't actually apologize. Second, I'm just trying to wait for my soulmate, and they were willing to let me check if it was them, too." He carefully places his books in his locker and closes the door gently. "It wasn't any of them, though."

The hallways rapidly empty as students make their way to the parking lot, and he winces when he notices Melanie twirling her hair around a finger while putting her hand on Rye's arm. "Rye! I'm heading home first."

His brother immediately turns, shrugging off Melanie's hand and attentions at the same time, relief visible on his face. "Okay! Tell Dad I'll be back in time for my shift!"

Peeta only raises his hand in acknowledgment before winding through the parking lot to get to his truck. Delly suddenly speaks, sounding smug. "Amber's party tonight is open to people from the Seam. Maybe you'll find your soulmate there?"

Fuck, sometimes he hates that his best friend knows him so well. He wants so badly to ignore what she's saying, but it's actually a good suggestion, and one that will benefit Delly, too. She hops out of the truck when he pulls into her driveway, but before she can walk away, he calls out to her. "Delly! I'll go with you later."

She smiles widely before going in her house, and he groans, slumping in his seat.

Five hours later, he really regrets agreeing to his best friend's request. She ditched him almost immediately to play drinking games with her friends, leaving him to fend off drunken people interested in hooking up. The last time he saw Delly, she was making out with his brother, and then he was pulled into a conversation with Marvel and Cato. Now, he's sitting on the steps outside, waiting to drive her and Rye home, since they are most definitely drunk and he had only had a sip of his beer.

He watched in amusement as a blonde girl drags a tall, dark-haired boy outside the house, marching down the steps and depositing her companion on the lawn. She pulls her phone out and quickly makes a call. "Katniss! Gale is drunk as a skunk, and he's driving me nuts. Can you pick us up?" A pause. "No, I drove here, but I drank a lot. Not as much as Gale, though." At this, she shoots the boy a dark look and kicks him lightly. "I think his truck is at home. Thanks! I'll buy you cheese buns from the bakery."

He looks away quickly when she ends the call, smiling at the knowledge that someone likes the cheese buns he's in charge of baking. It's not exactly one of the more popular products in the bakery, and it doesn't sell out quickly, so his parents decided to make it available only on Saturdays and Sundays - his free days. He watches from the corner of his eye as the blonde sits down on the grass without a second thought to her expensive-looking skirt, and the guy giggles in delight as he hugs her around the waist. She rolls her eyes, trying to look annoyed, but failing when the guy nuzzles her neck, and she starts to smile, ruffling his hair.

He wonders if they're soulmates. They certainly seem like it. He's noticed that soulmates usually seem more comfortable with each other, as compared to couples who aren't soulmates. The two look extremely content and relaxed, like the presence of the other is all they need. Maybe he'll have that kind of relationship with whoever his soulmate turns out to be. He hopes that he doesn't turn out like his parents. His dad had been with another woman before actually meeting his mother, and his mother knew it since they all went to school together. When his ex-girlfriend found her soulmate and promptly broke up with him, it was months until his parents realized that they were soulmates. When his mother knew, she felt betrayed because she had waited for her soulmate the whole time. Even now, she thinks that his dad is still hung up on his ex, and his dad is too scared and guilty to talk to her about it. The result, he thinks wryly, is that she takes her anger out on her sons. She only stopped beating them when they all entered high school and subsequently joined the wrestling team, but she still shouts at them at least once everyday.

He suddenly hears and sees a truck - even older than his own - making its way to the house. The guy gets to his feet surprisingly quickly, considering how drunk he is, and waves goofily at it. "Hey, Madge, it's my truck!"

The vehicle stops and a petite girl jumps out. He can't see her well, but as she jogs up the walkway, he feels his heart stop. Long, wavy black hair frames her small olive face, and his breath catches in his throat when her eyes connect with his briefly. They're almost silver in the moonlight, luminous, and he thinks she's the most beautiful girl he's ever seen. She hunches in her oversized leather jacket as she makes her way to her friends. "Catnip!" the guy - Gale - shouts gleefully. "You're here!" He pitches forward as he attempts to hug her, and she quickly and nimbly sidesteps it, letting him drop to the ground.

"Madge, why'd he drink so much?" she asks, looking at the guy who just laughs to himself while lying on the ground. The blonde shakes her head.

"You know he's stressed about college applications. Did you know he applied to Caltech?" She smiles wryly when Katniss nods hesitantly. "Katniss, it's okay that you know. You guys are best friends, and I didn't expect that to change when we got together. Plus, I get why he didn't tell me yet. Probably wanted to get in first." There's a few seconds of silence before she speaks again. "Is that where you're planning on going, too? I know Miss Trinket had a meeting with you a few months ago."

He peeks at them and watches as Katniss shakes her head definitively. "No, uh, Trinket's been trying to get me to consider UC Berkeley." She sighs. "I can only go if I get a scholarship, though. I don't really want Uncle Haymitch to get stuck paying for my tuition."

Madge only smiles in understanding before crouching to pull her boyfriend up, and Katniss immediately moves to help. Together, the two help the guy stagger to the truck, with the blonde's heels shaky in the grass while Katniss' feet are sure and steady. He tries not to stare too much at the shape of her legs, which are encased in skintight denim, but fails. They efficiently get the guy folded in the car in a manner that makes him think this might be a regular occurrence, before Katniss goes to the driver's side, and pulling herself up into the seat driving away.

He thinks about Katniss as he drives Delly home, gets home himself, strips, and until he gets into his bed. Just before he goes to sleep, he tries to concentrate on what his soulmate is eating and tastes mint. Maybe his soulmate is Katniss and she's brushing her teeth. The thought makes him smile, and he falls asleep feeling hopeful.

"No, Madge! You can't make me."

Johanna just keeps walking while Madge stops, pouting. "K, I'm really craving Mellark's pastries today. And it's a Saturday, so I'm sure there will be cheese buns, too!"

Katniss starts to salivate at the thought of the cheese buns before she remembers why she's trying to stay away. "No! You guys only want to go there to tease me. Can't we just go to that new taco place? Gale says you two went there recently and it was really good."

"Shit, Brainless, just go to the bakery with us. It's not like there's anything there that bites." Jo suddenly grins. "Well, someone might want to, though." She waggles her eyebrows, smirking when Katniss scowls. "Okay, I texted Prim and told her that you'd be bringing some cinnamon rolls home, so you might as well go into the bakery with us. Unless you want to let her down."

She groans, putting her hands in her pockets as Jo and Madge positively skip down the sidewalk. "Faster, K! Bread Boy's waiting for you!" Jo calls out in a sing-song manner, and Madge giggles before they push into the bakery. She pauses when she gets to the windows, watching as her friends make their way to the counter, where the baker's son is working - and promptly order two pastries, enough for only the both of them. Jo and Madge grin at her through the glass and she shoots them the middle finger before slowly walking to the door and entering.

The smell of bread immediately assaults her senses, and she pauses for a moment, inhaling, before starting to make her way to where her friends are sitting. Madge only shakes her head in disapproval, smirking when Jo opens her mouth to speak. "Brainless, aren't you getting anything? You kept telling us you were hungry on the way here."

"Do you want the usual?" the boy - Peeta, according to his name tag - calls out, looking up from wiping the counter with a small smile. She shuffles back to the counter, staring at the gleaming tiles, before making eye contact with him. He's still looking at her with that smile, and she knows that her face is reddening in embarrassment. She faintly hears her friends snicker behind her as they eavesdrop, but she doesn't really think of them at the moment - all she's thinking about is what to say to Peeta.

"Yeah, um, I want a cheese bun and two cinnamon rolls. In a bag, please."

He looks a bit disappointed as he follows her request, carefully inserting the pastries in a paper bag and sealing it with a Mellark's sticker. "Why don't you ever eat the bread while you're in here? If it's okay to ask. It's just that your friends are always eating here and I thought maybe you'd like to, too. I mean, not that there's anything wrong with having the bread to go. They'd be better warm, though, unless you pop it in the microwave first," he babbles before abruptly stopping, looking mortified, and giving her a sheepish smile. "Sorry."

She hands him the money while picking at the sticker on the bag, waiting for him to give her the change. When he hands her the coins, she clears her throat. "Um, it's just that I usually buy the bread to share with Prim and my uncle. So I just like eating with them."

He looks pleasantly surprised at her response. "Maybe I could give you another cheese bun to eat with your friends right now? It's our new promo for regulars who always buy their pastries to go." He smiles confidently as he leans over the counter, lowering his voice. "It's also a new promo for pretty customers."

She feels her face warm, and she hesitates before smiling shyly back at him. "Why didn't you give my friends extra pastries, then?"

He blinks at her in surprise before chuckling. "Sorry, let me amend that before I accidentally bankrupt our bakery from giving all our customers extra bread." He leans in even closer, bringing his mouth closer to her ear. "Not that your friends aren't pretty," he starts in a whisper, and her ear tingles at the proximity and the feeling of the puffs of air leaving his mouth. "But it's actually a promo for the prettiest customer in the bakery. Completely subjective, of course, but I've always thought that was you, so." He moves away from her again, looking satisfied when he sees how tomato-red her face probably is. "Will you take that extra cheese bun?"

She just nods silently, and he quickly places the pastry on a plate before sliding it across the counter to her. She fidgets with the loose threads of her jacket as she pulls the plate closer to her before looking up. "Um, thank you for this, Peeta."

He stares at her, mouth hanging open, and she rushes to grab the plate and go to her friends, who are falling over themselves in mirth. Madge props her chin on her fist and looks at Katniss with a big smile. "So, how did talking to Peeta go?" At this, Jo snickers, and blood rushes to Katniss' face again. She polishes off the cheese bun in three large bites, smiling briefly at how good it is, before scowling at her friends again and standing.

"I'm going first."

The two just fall into a fit of giggles again, a rare thing for Jo, before running past Katniss to exit the bakery. "Brainless, take your time!"

She moves to follow them before pausing at the door and looking back at Peeta, who quickly looks down at the gleaming counters before glancing back up at her. "Um, bye."

His mouth just falls open again, and he raises a hand before she flies out the door and into the street, scowling when she sees the identical smirks on her friends' faces, who are different in so many ways yet the same in their enjoyment of her suffering. "Not a word."

Ever since he found out that Katniss might be his soulmate, he feels as if he's been walking on air. He doesn't know for sure, and she hasn't eaten anything in front of him since that day, but she drops by the bakery every Saturday to buy bread, sometimes with her friends. They've been getting closer, and the past few months she even started laughing at his jokes. The first time she laughed, he thought his heart might stop beating at how happy she sounded and how melodic it was, and he's been trying to make her laugh ever since. Delly and Rye have been teasing him everyday, and he smiles when he thinks about his best friend and his brother. They found out six months ago that they're soulmates, and they've been blissfully happy since then, almost like newlyweds.

It's Saturday again, and as every Saturday the past year, his parents are out. They've been going to marriage counseling since his older brother, Bran, graduated from university and came home to see them fighting. He was able to convince their mom to agree, being her favorite, and it's been good for everyone as a result. Now, a year since they started, his parents are happier, and they've even started to seem in love. Their dad is less closed off and started paying more attention to them, and their mom is kinder and the most forgiving he's seen her. He thinks happily that if it turns out Katniss is his soulmate, his mom might feel okay about it, considering how much she's changed.

He shakes his head before focusing on the pamphlets for the universities he's considering. He had applied to several schools and received positive responses from all of them, but he hasn't made up his mind on where to go. His mom wants him to stay nearby and go to Panem University for business, but he applied for the art program at UC Berkeley - where he heard Katniss might be going two years ago. It doesn't hurt that the university's art program isn't bad, and it's not all the way across the country, so his mom might be amenable to it.

The bell above the door jingles and he looks up, smiling when he watches Katniss step in. She immediately gives him a small, nervous smile, and he feels warm all over. It's been two years since he first saw her, and she's only grown more beautiful in that period of time. He groans inwardly when he sees her shirt ride up as she gives a small wave while making her way over, revealing a strip of tanned skin that he wants to see more of. This has been another problem of his, and he's eternally grateful that he's not sharing a room with Rye anymore, who's off at college, because he's had progressively dirty dreams about Katniss the past year. They started out as sweet, innocent dreams with them talking and maybe kissing before quickly escalating into dreams of the two of them against a tree or shower wall, or on a kitchen table, or in his bed. He feels his body start to react to the combination of seeing Katniss and remembering his dreams, and he adjusts his jeans before banishing the thoughts from his mind. "Hi, Katniss. The usual?"

She nods, looking fidgety and nervous, and he waits for her to tell him about what's on her mind as he packages the usual pastries. The bakery is quiet with only the two of them, and he's handing her the paper bag when she suddenly opens her mouth, blurting out, "I thought maybe you could sit with me and we could eat something together today."

He pauses, then blinks, before he feels his heart beat faster. He knows what that means, and even though he's 99% sure it's her because she's the only girl who's ever caught his eye and he tested it once before, he feels nervous at the thought that it might not be. Nervous that if they're not soulmates, he won't have a reason to make her smile or laugh anymore, or see more of her tanned stomach than she reveals to anyone, or spend time with her, or learn more about her. He swallows before nodding jerkily. "Oh, um, sure. What should we have?"

She chews on her bottom lip in thought before responding. "Maybe a cheese bun for me and a chocolate eclair for you?" It's clear that she's thought this through and he feels his palms sweat as he puts the pastries on two plates. "Let's sit there?" she asks, turning, but doesn't check to see if it's okay with him. She's trembling, he realizes, probably due to nerves, and as they sit, he tries to smile at her reassuringly.

"Nothing has to change no matter what the result is, Katniss," he says, but he knows this isn't true, and she does too, because she only smiles wryly at his attempt to comfort her. The results will change their relationship for good, although he's not sure how, but what he does know is that there's too much between the two of them to ignore if they don't turn out to be soulmates. His eyes water as he reaches for his eclair. "Same time?"

Her hand shakes slightly as she holds the cheese bun, and she meets his eyes before they simultaneously bite down on their respective pastries. He chews before closing his eyes and focusing on what his soulmate is tasting, and it's cheese - the same cheese of the cheese bun he gave her. When he opens his eyes, he finds her looking at him. "So, um, I tasted cheese." He tries to laugh, but it's a nervous laugh, because she still hasn't confirmed anything.

But then she smiles and it lights up her face, her entire being, and he already knows what her answer is even before she says it. "Chocolate for me. With a hint of lemon. Is that the cream inside?" she asks, choking out a laugh while blinking away her tears. He feels his own tears run down his face as he laughs in delight, nodding in answer to her question. He hesitates before moving to sit beside her.

"Can I kiss you?" She stares at him and he quickly elaborates. "I mean, I've only ever been kissed once before, and it was an accident, so I don't really have any experience. But all these years thinking about what you're eating and tasting made me think a lot about what it would be like to taste what you're tasting directly, and how much better it would be." Her olive skin takes on an adorable flush, and he decides that she looks even more beautiful when she's blushing.

When she finally nods, he moves closer to her before finally pressing his lips to hers. And a few minutes later, after she's opened her mouth to him, he can confirm that it really is better to be tasting everything directly. Because not only can he taste what she's tasting directly, but he can taste Katniss, too, and he can smell her soap and lavender shampoo, and he can feel her lips moving against his and her hands at his neck.

And she's everything he ever wanted.

His paintings and a picture of the two of them smiling at their university graduation are finally hung up around the room, and Katniss groans as she sits on the couch, the only piece of furniture in the living room that can be sat on. The rest of the apartment is still filled with boxes, with the bed frame lacking a mattress because Peeta, true to form, has been unpacking all the kitchen tools and equipment first. He said that the bed would be easy to fix, and he wanted to cook them something for their first night in their apartment. It doesn't seem like it's going well, though, and she smiles when she hears some metal things falling to the floor and Peeta cursing. "Shit!"

She stands and walks a few feet to the kitchen, leaning against the wall and watching as her boyfriend crouches on the floor, carefully picking up the pots and pans that had fallen. "Giving up now?"

He looks up at her, ashy blonde waves falling across his forehead and almost obscuring his bright blue eyes, before pointing a finger at her playfully. "Do not say anything. I'm getting this done tonight so we can have cheese buns and lamb stew for dinner, and hot chocolate for dessert. You can get your take out tomorrow."

Smirking, she just watches him move around the kitchen in determination, taking in the sight of his muscular, stocky figure. Her mouth waters as his jeans pull tightly over his ass when he crouches to check on the cabinets before placing the more rarely used kitchen tools inside. She bites back a laugh when he stands up and accidentally hits his head on the cupboards, and she walks over to him, winding her arms around his waist and hugging him. She gives him a kiss on his chest before looking up at him. "Peeta, it's 5:30, and I just want to spend this first night with you. Let's order in then fix our bed and cuddle there tonight, and maybe you can cook me that feast tomorrow? We're both tired."

She feels the tension leave his body as he considers this, and he places a kiss on top of her head with a bright smile. "Really, what would I do without you? Let's do that then. What are you feeling tonight?"

"Chinese. And maybe one pizza."

He hums. "Sounds good to me, love. Do you wanna break in the bed before the takeout comes?"

She bursts out laughing and can feel his body shaking in laughter as well. "Peeta! If you can get the bed set up quickly, then yes." Her face burns as she says this, and he only chuckles, nuzzling her hair.

He can't believe that she still blushes over this stuff, but he loves how pure she is. "Katniss. You. Are. Adorable." He punctuates each word with a kiss to her eyes, nose, then lips, before smiling softly at her. "And I love you."

She smiles up at him fondly. "I love you, too."