note: hi, everyone!
this is the first story i ever published and i decided to translate it to english and repost it here (with a few improvements). it's not perfecy but i'm really proud of it and i hope you enjoy this little fluffy one-shot. if you can please leave a comment!
i also have a playslit for them, you can check it you at: playlist/11I74sb5ytu4EbZkbx5pSx?si=6314af7379a44d43
I wake up with sunlight in my eyes and wonder who could have been cruel enough to open the damn curtains so early in the morning. I look around and immediately see the culprit. Peeta is standing in our bedroom doorway laughing at the frown I'm probably making for having been forced to wake up like this. Before he has time to prepare, I grab my pillow and throw it with all my strength, hitting him right in the face.
"Let me sleep in peace or else the next thing I throw at you is gonna be way heavier" I say trying to sound threatening but failing miserably.
I watch Peeta pick up the pillow and quickly hide under the covers to avoid retaliation, but after a few moments I partially come out of my hiding and come face to face with the most beautiful blue eyes I have even seen, those capable of calming me down even in my worst moments and giving me hope that life can be so much more than what we've lost.
"Good morning, sweetie" he says, using the nickname Haymitch gave me and that he knows I hate "Sorry to wake you up so early but I thought we'd do something special today."
"What do you mean something special?" I say looking at him with suspicion "You know I don't like surprises."
All I get in response is a mysterious raise of eyebrows before Peeta leaves the room without another word. I stand for a moment not knowing what exactly awaits me and hear him yell from the kitchen:
"Wear your hunting clothes, I'm taking you to the forest today."
If I wasn't scared of what this surprise might be before, now I was. What could Peeta want to do taking me to the place he's least familiar with in the entire district?
When I arrive downstairs, already dressed in my "hunting clothes", I find Peeta and Haymitch sitting at the table drinking coffee and eating homemade bread.
"Good morning, sweetie," says my sarcastic ex-mentor "Your little boyfriend here was telling me about the little surprise he prepared for you."
"Tell me what it is, I don't have time for this mystery you two are trying to pull off" I say trying to sound as angry as I can, even though I'm deep down excited to know that Peeta prepared something for me that definitely took effort.
"As much as I like the idea of being a party pooper, I like even more to see you get all worked up. Besides, this time the star crossed lover here worked very hard so I'll try not to spoil it for you two lovebirds" he replies, exchanging a knowing little smile with the blonde sitting next to him.
"Wow, that's so touching, Haymitch" Peeta said with a sarcastic tone as he puts his hands over his heart "Be careful or I'll start to think you're going soft on me"
"Fuck off, baker" The older man replied trying to shove Peeta out of the stool the was siting in.
Giving up trying to get something out of this old drunk, I sit down in the chair across from Peeta and start eating the delicious cheese buns he's made. Watching the two most present men in my life right now, I reflect on how much things have changed in the last 10 years of my life. The 16-year-old Katniss Everdeen who volunteered at the games to save her sister could never have imagined that she would have to sacrifice everything most important in her life in the name of Panem. It's been almost 8 years since the fall of the Capital and with immeasurable efforts I managed to get back on my feet, despite knowing that I will never be completely free from my nightmares and from the demons that haunt me even in the daylight.
"Katniss?" Peeta calls me after a couple minutes as he realizes I've lost focus "Can we go? I promise there will be food where we're going"
"Not until you tell me what's going on" I reply, getting more suspicious by the minute.
"Too bad, you're going anyway" he says smiling smugly, aware that I would never say no to him.
A few minutes later I'm crossing the meadow and passing what was once the never-electrified fence of District 12. Peeta had won me over in the argument and once again proved that: a) I can't live with curiosity and b) he's still the only person able to make me shut up and follow instructions. The day is clear, spring giving its first samples in a clear blue sky and a few flowers blooming among the low grass. The fresh air ruffles my hair, now shoulder-length, a different cut I'd adopted as a way of disassociating myself a bit from the Mockingjay image. The scent of the first primroses of spring fills my lungs and I feel a pang of heart remembering my sweet duckling.
We go into the forest and walk for about an hour, way deeper into the woods than I was expecting Peeta to venture without my lead, until I'm aware of where I am and realize that he is taking me to the lake I used to go to with my dad. Despite the attempts, the baker cannot keep me from knowing where I'm going in a place I know as well as the back of my hand. I remember the first time I brought Peeta here, a few months after he returned to 12, and how he had been enchanted by the beauty of the lake and how that sunset had broken down barriers between the two of us.
8 years ago
Walking with Peeta in the forest is an experience that can put a smile on anyone's face. It's Impossible to keep a straight face seeing his efforts to ensure that the prosthetic leg does not drive away all the animals in the vicinity with the noise and failing miserably. I walk a few meters in front of him, secretly laughing at all the trouble he's having to cross the forest, unlike me.
"I know you're laughing Katniss, no need to try to hide it" he says sound frustrated "I don't even know why you called me here, anyway, you know I'm dead weight inside the forest"
"It's fine,stop being so moody or else Haymitch is gonna accuse me of being a bad influence on you." I reply turning my head and shooting him a smile without stopping "Besides, I didn't come to the forest to hunt today, I'm taking you somewhere special"
Seeing the excitement in his eyes as I say the words makes me smile and for just a moment I decide to forget all the bad things that had happened to both of us. As much as there was no cure for my depression or for the poison still coursing through Peeta's veins, his presence was the only thing that could pull me out of my lowest point a few months ago, and I like to believe I've helped him as well. Since his arrival my world had come out of trance and into a state of recovery and everything I struggled daily to improve was because of him. He is the inspiration and the driving force that kept me going in my darkest nights and the arms that held me whenever I thought they were never going to pass.
"Since this is gonna take a while can we play real or not real?" Peeta asks.
"Sure" I answer, already used to the game at this point.
For the past few weeks, the approximation process between the two of us had been going slowly. I still felt guilty about what had happened to Peeta and he was still afraid that he would have a fit at any moment and end up hurting me. The only thing that had been able to bring us closer together was this game and I could never deny the truth to the boy who gave everything he had for me, even if his questions scared me with their sincerity.
"The night before the Quaternary Massacre, when Haymtich and Effie released us from training, we both went up to the roof and spent the afternoon together. True or false?"
"True" I reply "This was probably the only, and the last, good day I had since the beginning of those Games."
"I remember you falling asleep and how your hair was spread across my lap, all I could think about was how I wished I could protect you from all that" he says, sounding a bit out of breath behind me "I must have loved you deeply."
"You did" I say it bluntly.
We keep going in silence, both of us immersed in our many inner demons. When we finally reach the clearing with the lake I can't help but smile at the most beautiful sight in the district. The sun is already high in the sky so the first thing I do is spread a towel on the floor and lay on it to enjoy the pleasant heat it irradiates.
From my resting position I look at Peeta and see that he hasn't left the entrance of the clearing yet, mesmerized by the beauty and magnitude of the nature that surrounds us. I'm glad I brought him here and trusted him with this place that reminds me so much of my father. The beautiful smile that forms on his face as he finally moves and lays beside me makes it all worth it.
"It's gorgeous, Katniss," he says after a couple minutes of silently laying side by side "Thank you for bringing me here."
I smile at him in response and, before I start talking about my feelings I get up and work on something for us to eat. As I go through the bag I packed and take out the ingredients to make sandwiches, Peeta helps me by harvesting roots I point to as edible. When the meal is ready we sit side by side, staring at the lake and silently enjoying our food. We spend a lazy afternoon on the edge of it, eating wild berries, talking about the past and even sharing comfortable silences that used to be reserved only for Gale. Lying on Peeta's lap as he draws on the pad he brought makes me feel safe and for the first time I start to believe in a life where the grief isn't so crucking as to destroy all the good things in the world.
"Katniss, look! The sun is setting" Peeta says when we are already preparing to leave, looking hypnotized by the beauty of it.
I look around and see the breathtaking sigh, the genuine smile on his face and I can't help but believe that maybe I can be happy and honor the memory of everyone who gave their lives so that we both could live. I get up from laying in Peet's lap and we sit face to face. I know he's sharing my thoughts, it's astonishing how our connection has grown so strong these past weeks that I could tell something like that, so in that moment of hope I make a risky attempt and lean in to kiss him.
For a second I think he's not going to reciprocate or even have some kind of aggressive attack, but then I feel his lips opening up to mine and his hands gently cupping my neck, pulling me closer. The kiss is tentative at first but after a while it feels just like the one I remember from the beach, sweet, gentle, intoxicating, addictive and able to heal the wounds of my soul. With my lips on him I feel that hunger again and I let it consume me as I run my hands through his hair, his neck and down his back with such intensity it surprises us both. He responds with the same eagerness, kissing me until we are both breathless and I can feel the smile on his mouth.
We don't open our eyes immediately, we just sit there in each other's arms, foreheads touching and eyes closed. I can feel his hard breathing and sense his heart beating as I lower my hands from his back all the way to his lap where his hands are resting. He interlaces our fingers giving it a gentle squeeze and I squeeze back. When we finally look each other in the eye it's like I've finally stepped into the daylight after years in the dark and I know, in that timid and sweet moment, that we are going to be alright because nothing will ever be strong enough to come between us again.
"I was remembering the first time I brought you here" I say as finally enter the clearing following Peeta and catching the first glance of the lake "the sunset was beautiful that day, maybe today we are lucky to see one like that"
"I hope so too. It looks like we'll have to content ourselves with relaxing in the shade of the trees for today, the water's probably still too cold to go in" he says grabbing my hand and and giving me a smile "but we can lay here and eat the food I prepared for as long as we like"
"What about my surprise?" I ask looking at him and trying to catch any hints of what it might be
"You're too demanding, maybe my surprise is just finding the way to the lake without your help and preparing a beautiful meal to share with my girlfriend" he replies, letting go of my hand and starting to set the towel on the ground so we can sit.
"You're so dramatic!" I say laying down in the new arrangement and staying there as he prepares the food, not bothering to help as if that is going to get him to break.
When I finally accept he's only going to tell me when he wants to I begrudgingly indulge in his attempts to start a conversation and soon we're eating and enjoying each other's company like we always do when we come here. We sit there talking about our small day to day problems and about our plans for the week as only two people so used to being part of each other's lives can. He talks about the wedding cake he's going to make today for a girl from the district we still saw as a child sitting in our living room waiting for my weekly singing lesson to start. I tell him about the letter Johanna sent me with pictures from her visit to Annie and her son and when the conversation finally dies down we share a comfortable silence like we did that afternoon six years ago as I lay in his lap and he draws on his pad.
To some people it may seem monotonous to have these little routines in a relationship but to us it was the most cherished part of it. When you have a childhood like ours it's impossible not to long for safety and for me it comes in the form of a blonde man with the sweetest blue eyes and the most gentle hug. He is the one who's there when I still wake up screaming calling the name of long gone ghosts and I am the one who holds him when he's fighting his own self. After all these years it may be easy for some people to take for granted the peace but not to us because the price we paid for it was way too high to be forgotten.
The sun is already starting to set when we get up and Peeta stops me from gathering our things. He says it is finally time for my surprise and commands me to close my eyes then count to ten. I admit that I do that way faster than a watch would but he knows me and he is ready when I open my eyes. The sight is probably one I'll never forget: Peeta kneeling in front of me, the sun casting a golden halo around him as one of his trembling hands reaches for mine and the other holds a little red box. Inside it there's the most beautiful ring I have ever seen, a delicate silver band with a pearl on top of it, our pearl. It's simple and unusual but it's so perfect that my face is already wet when he finally works up the courage to start speaking.
"I thought a lot before making this decision and I know you never wanted to get married and have kids or anything like that but I know you've changed a lot over the years and I hope I haven't misread that you did so in this topic as well or we're going to face an awkward walk home" he says trying to sound light and break the ice, even though we both know there's truth in his words.
I decided not to interrupt him but I squeeze the hand he is holding tighter in a sign of reassurance and Peeta lets out a relieved sigh. He still sounds insecure when he starts again but I can see his confidence growing because I still haven't left but mostly because he knows me really well. He's been by my side almost every day for the past eight years and he would be insane if he didn't think I intend to spend my whole life by his side one way or another.
"Katniss" he resumes, looking me right in the eye with an expression so passionate I almost kneel by his side and kiss him "since the first time I saw you in that little red dress I knew I was destined to a life in love with you, what I didn't expect was to be loved by you in return. Our path was not easy and you know as well as I do everything I face daily, but the only certainty I have is that if I'm alive it's thanks to you. In the first Games you risked your life to save me without even knowing me, in the Massacre you made plans to protect me at all costs, even if that meant leaving your family behind, and during the war you were the only one able to bring me back to reality when everything I did made me look like a monster to everyone else. You always found a way to protect me and since then I have tried every day to return at least a portion of the kindness you've shown me, but I think not even a lifetime by your side would fulfill that. Even so, I'd like to go ahead and try. Katniss Everdeen, would you do me the honor of staying with me for the rest of my life?"
When I answer there's no need for hesitation. I say yes for all the people who sacrificed their lives for us, for my sister who always wanted to see me happy and, most of all, for ourselves. Peeta and I lost everything but somehow we found our way back to each other and that's what has kept us alive this long and there is not a version of this day where I don't choose to keep fighting by his side. So I jump into his arms, the only home I'll ever need, and answer him.
"Always"