Hello again! So this took me a second, I know, but there is some smut in this chapter. I hope that makes up for it! This is my first time with obscene writing, so if you have some tips, they are greatly appreciated:) Honestly, that's what I was caught up on for so long! Anywho, good news, I have two more chapters after this. Yay! One is the second part of this chapter, and the final is the epilogue.
I'll stop talking now and let you get to this long read!
Enjoy!
"How was work," Haymitch asked while they sat in the living room eating leftover pizza.
"Good," Katniss said through a mouthful of crust. "Old Cray came in today."
Haymitch made a face. "He's not giving you any trouble, is he?"
"No more than usual, plus, the guy seems harmless enough. Just a bitter pain."
He grunted. "Well, you let me know if he gets out of hand. I've had three calls this week over Cray raising hell in town."
"I almost feel sorry for the guy, " Katniss said before taking another bite.
"Well don't, the man is old enough to be responsible for his actions, " then Haymitch turned up the football game on the TV.
After summer rounded to an end, so did Katniss's summer job at the pool. She was lucky enough to land a job at The Hob, a local sports bar in Panem, considering she lacked the proper social skills that came with the job description. Not to mention that she's never waited on a table in her life.
Haymitch just so happened to be good friends with the owner of the establishment, Sae, a kind but no-nonsense middle-aged woman. Sae reminded Katniss of a female Haymitch, though Haymitch would never want the word kind as a way to describe him. Their friendship threw the odds in her ball court, and before she knew it, she was helping drunk sport-crazed patrons while trying not to drop a tray full of beer on her white work shirt.
She and Haymitch finished eating dinner in silence, the game softly playing in the background. Katniss grabbed their plates from the coffee table and set them in the dishwasher, then bounded up the stairs to her room. Tonight Peeta and her planned on skyping each other, and she was excited since it was the first time they've ever tried it. Normally they'd call each other when they had free time, but Peeta came up with the idea and suggested they try it.
She shortly got ready for bed, changing into a pair of sleep shorts and a tank top. Her laptop laid perched on a pillow near the foot of the bed, giving her enough room to sprawl out on her stomach against the comforter.
Katniss chewed on her nail while she waited for her screen to light up with a call from Peeta. Nervous jitters wracked through her, and she continued to tell herself that it was only Peeta. But the fluctuations resumed anyway, only getting worse when her screen lit up.
The picture of her and Peeta popped up from a camping trip with his family two years ago.
A hand reached to subconsciously smooth her hair, and she stopped, chastising herself for being self-conscious. She tapped the green button to answer the call and waited for Peeta's face to clear. When the internet finally gave way to a clear image, Katniss wasn't prepared for what she saw on the screen.
Peeta sat leaning back on his bed, hair a tousled mess, and, more importantly, the expanse of his bare chest was on full display. She'd seen Peeta half-naked a countless of times, and somehow, this time felt different. Before, they would normally be with a group of people, either his family or friends. Now it was just the two of them. Katniss tried really hard not to gawk, but her eyes were fixed on the light dusting of brown hair between Peeta's pectorals. How she never thought that the hair on other parts of his body wouldn't match the blonde hair on his head. Though she's never had much interest in the proof until now.
She sucked in a breath, releasing a "hey" on the exhale.
He gave her his boyish smile, eyes slightly crinkling in the corners, and she felt herself relax. It was only Peeta.
"Hey." His voice sounded groggy, making Katniss believe that he probably just woke up from a nap, explaining the tousled hair. "How are things?"
Katniss dished out stories about her job, most including Cray. How she actually found herself enjoying her classes, even though she was sure she would hate the majority of them. Especially a first-year experience class that was a requirement. Then Katniss told him Haymitch is helping her browse for cars that Wednesday, something she's been all too eager for.
Haymitch has been chaperoning her around for the most part, unless he wasn't patrolling that day. It was plainly noticeable to spot a cop car in a small town like Panem. And also embarrassing when all eyes fell on Katniss as they watched her step out of Haymitch's cruiser. Haymitch didn't mind. One. Bit. Even flashed his lights before he drove off, causing Katniss's face to turn a deep shade of red.
"How do you like college hockey so far," she asked Peeta.
"Hockey is great, just...exhausting. The practice is definitely harder, I come back to my dorm feeling sore every day. But, it's a full ride," Peeta shrugged then ran a hand over his face." Classes aren't terrible either. A few of the guys I play with share the same professors as me, so it makes it bearable."
She snorted. "You're the biggest nerd I know. I'm sure you're doing just fine, or you'll sweet-talk your way in getting an A."
Katniss could recall all of the times Peeta had flattered his way out of something in school. It definitely worked on Ms. Johnson, a fresh out of college teacher that taught history. Her face would turn red at whatever Peeta said, producing a few snickers from his friends.
He gave a throaty chuckle, the sound doing things to her body that she had no control over.
"Hey, I recall my talents helping you out a few times. It's a gift!"
"I never said it wasn't, " she laughed.
The movement caused her newly sensitive breasts to rub uncomfortably against the rough fabric of her tank top; the position she laid in pushed them flush against the material. Peeta continued talking about classes and some friends he made, while Katniss moved to sit up.
She crossed her legs, sitting Indian style, and listened to Peeta while adjusting her shirt that rode up. Suddenly she was aware of the quiet in her small room, and she looked up at the screen to find that Peeta stopped talking. His face was tinged pink, and his eyes seemed to look somewhere off, avoiding her own.
"Uh, Katniss," his voice hoarse. "I can see, your um..."
What? Katniss looked down, and her eyes bugged. The thin tank top gave no way of concealing the reaction her body had earlier, showcasing the outline of her chest for Peeta to see. Her arms quickly flew across her chest, cheeks hot, and she glared at him.
"Look away!"
He rubbed the back of his neck, looking down as she clambered off the bed and searched for one of her old t-shirts in her dresser.
When she came back, she tried to scowl at Peeta, but she couldn't help the way her stomach rippled when a flash of disappointment crossed his face.
"It happens," he tried to reassure her, but she felt he was only giving rise to the situation by proceeding to bring it up.
She covered her face with her hands, groaning into them. "Peeta, stop. This isn't helping. Can we just... forget, um, what you saw?"
A frown creased between his eyebrows, his eyes still trained on her. Katniss wished she knew what was going through his head at that moment, hers currently racing a mile per second. Then, the screen moved. Peeta pushed the laptop further down his lap until she saw it.
An audible gasp left her mouth.
Not only was he exhibiting a bare chest, but he didn't have pants on either. A pair of tight dark grey briefs was his only barrier from being stark naked. They were flush against his body that Katniss could make out the noticeable outline of his excitement through the piece of clothing.
"There now you don't have to be embarrassed. You've seen my junk, and I've seen your tits."
All she could manage was a nod, remaining silent when he didn't move the laptop back up his body. She felt they have crossed the invisible threshold in their friendship, scaring and exciting her. Katniss has never done any of this with a boy, not that this was really anything to boast about.
A niggling curiosity twined itself into her brain the more she eyed Peeta's hidden arousal on the screen, and she couldn't help but wonder…
"Was that from, um," she trailed off, too embarrassed to actually say the words aloud.
"Yeah," he nodded and slightly adjusted himself in front of her. The movement sent heat pooling into the pit of her belly. Her breath hitched. Peeta's eyes rounded somewhat, not expecting the noise, his expression now unreadable.
Katniss cleared her throat, ready to apologize, but he spoke before she could get anything out.
"I liked seeing you in that tank top, Katniss," he told her boldly. Her heart skipped a beat. They were entering taboo territory- something Katniss tended to shy away from when it came to Peeta, fearing whatever the outcome would be.
His words settled between them like a heavyweight, and she found herself completely lost of words.
"Oh," she squeaked.
She sat there, unsure of herself. It was just a shirt, right? But Katniss knew that there was more to it. The whole time Peeta's eyes never strayed away from her, not pressuring her to do anything more with his words but waiting for her next move.
Slowly she began inching the t-shirt up the length of her torso until it was bunched up under the swell of her breasts. Her heart accelerated when she watched Peeta bite his lip in anticipation.
Then, there was a noise coming from downstairs, halting Katniss from going any further. A soft knock resounded against her bedroom door. How could she possibly forget that Haymitch was still in the house, probably hearing everything she and Peeta have been talking about. Katniss haphazardly tugged her shirt down in panic.
"Katniss," she could hear Haymitch say on the other side. "Are you okay? I thought I heard some noise up here."
Dread filled her, he had heard. Maybe it wasn't exact words, but he had heard. She was all too thankful for the small fact that Haymitch wouldn't open the door, but, if anything, it embarrassed her more. Haymitch probably had the assumption that there was more than talking going on behind the closed door to her bedroom.
"Um, yeah." She cringed at how squeaky her voice sounded. Peeta smirked and Katniss shot him a steely stare. "I'm just talking to Peeta."
A deafening pause ensued and some muffled shuffling. "Oh...alright," came Haymitch's gruff voice seconds later, though it felt as if eons passed by as she was all too aware of her uncle standing outside her door. "Tell him I said hi," then she heard his retrieving footsteps down the hall.
Katniss let out a breath, her heart beating wildly against her chest. Now that they were left alone, the moment was lost, evaporating, she came back to awareness. Her reasoning was yelling at her for answers, questioning for an explanation. She couldn't believe what she almost did with her best friend, and that she wanted to. Oh, how she wanted to. A few seconds ago, if Peeta told her to run around naked, she would.
Thankfully, Peeta moved the laptop back up his body, discomfort unmistakable on his face. Did he regret what they were about to do too?
"So, um, that was-" he started, but Katniss cut him off.
"A mistake."
Peeta scratched his ear, looking down so she couldn't see his face. "Yeah...a mistake."
She bit the inside of her cheek, contemplating a way to erase the rapidly growing tension. But Peeta knew precisely what to say, unfortunately, it wasn't a topic she wanted to digest at the moment, "so I hear aunt Effie and Haymitch have been getting cozy."
The next time she and Peeta skyped each other, Katniss was just getting home from class, hot and sweaty from the surprisingly warm fall weather. Against her better judgment, she wore a summer dress, the light cotton material sticking to her sweat-slick skin. Katniss felt like a hot mess with her dress gripping to her damp legs as she walked, her braid was messy, loose strands falling against her neck and forehead.
She didn't even have time to shower before the incoming call Skype tune started to play from her laptop on the bed.
Katniss pushed the screen open, accepting the call, this time greeted by a less naked Peeta. He was wearing a red sweatshirt and basketball shorts while sitting on a rumpled old couch. There was a barely noticeable five o'clock shadow gracing his jawline. As he scratched it, saying hi, Katniss took notice of how prominent his jaw had become... or had it always looked like that?
"Katniss?" Peeta's head was cocked to the side, a crooked smile splayed on his lips.
She shook her head to rid herself of her escaping thoughts. Her mind has been doing that a lot since that night, giving her dreams of a very naked Peeta, consuming her attention with images of Peeta. Everything reminded her of Peeta. She couldn't even look at the color grey without thinking of how good Peeta looked in those too-tight pair of briefs, the memory of his apparent arousal bringing wet heat to her core. It was exhausting how strung up her body has been all because of a silly tank top.
Worst of all, she couldn't quench the fire that sat deep in her belly, burning her with desire. No matter how many nights she's slipped her hands into her sleep shorts, her fingers trying to seek some sort of release, she could only bring herself close to the precipice, never over.
In the past, when she first grew curious about her desires, she was always able to reach the end. Touch that feeling which made her brain a little fuzzy, soft heat lapping through her veins, as she floated in a euphoric state. Of course, it wasn't without a little help from an x-rated video she found on some porn website. Now, all she managed to achieve were light flutters, disappointment, and unsated sexual frustration.
And it was all Peeta's fault.
"Katniss," Peeta said again, and she realized she never answered him the first time.
She blushed from being caught daydreaming about Peeta while he sat in front of her. "Sorry, long day," she lied.
His chuckle was warm and low, long fingers twirling the chord to his headphones between them. "I can tell. Do you want to talk about it?"
Her blush festered. No, she really didn't want to talk about it. Especially with Peeta. "Uh, no. I mean, it was...my classes, and it's hot as all hell here." She found it easier to talk the more she rattled on. "And I'm pretty sure Haymitch turned the heat on by accident this morning, so I came home to a scorching house."
He shifted to a lying position, the laptop presumably resting on his stomach. "I mean, you could take your clothes off," he winked.
Katniss knew he was joking, but the thoughts in her head reeled, her nerve ends at attention again from the idea of lying naked in front of Peeta. She really wished it was someone other than Peeta in front of her, someone else that she craved so deeply. But, of course, the world was against her.
"It would cool me off," she said to herself.
Peeta appeared to sit up straighter. "I'm joking, Katniss," there was a lilt to his voice at the end, such as when she remembered him going through puberty and his voice would change octaves.
Testing the waters, Katniss inched the skirt up over her crisscrossed legs until it sat just before the point on her thighs that still saved her modesty.
"Katniss," his voice husky. "What are you doing?"
Her body reacted to his words, gooseflesh covering her skin, even though her small bedroom was stifling from the setting sun beating through her curtains. She leaned back, the movement bringing the skirt up higher until it nestled softly against her panty clad center. "I'm cooling off."
His blue eyes followed her, encouraging Katniss to inch the dress up more, the thin material of her black panties now visible. Katniss should be embarrassed for acting so carelessly; she should have stopped when he told her he was joking.
You can do things like this with your best friends, right?
When her navel was revealed, he finally took his eyes off of her to glance around, his adam's apple bobbed. "Fuck, Katniss, I can't do this here. I'm in my common room," he told her, a noticeable panic on his face, then Katniss heard the light chatter of voices walking by. Snapped out of her stupor by the sound of other people, she tugged her dress back down and avoided any eye contact with Peeta. Her body was now feverish for other reasons.
"What's gotten into you?" He let out a deep breath.
Katniss threw herself back against her pillows, letting out a breath of her own. "I don't know." She bit her lip, before continuing. "I've been all out of sorts since that night."
"Oh," he said slowly, not catching on to her meaning. Then he must have remembered because the word fell from his mouth again with more interest. "I'm sorry."
She rolled her eyes, those were not the words she wanted to hear, but then what did she want to hear? "Ugh, don't apologize Peeta, it only makes me feel worse."
Katniss couldn't see his face from this position, but she could only imagine the silly grin plastered on his face.
"Everyone gets horny, you're not immune to the feeling. You make it sound like it's a bad thing."
"Normal people don't flash their underwear to their best friends." It sounded worse when she said it out loud.
"It's nothing I haven't seen before, besides-"
Katniss snapped up, her vision filling with tiny black dots from the head rush. "Peeta Mellark, when did you see my underwear?"
Peeta let out a nervous chuckle and averted his eyes from her challenging ones. "Do you remember that camping trip we went on with my family?" He didn't wait for her response. "Well, you were changing and forgot to zip up the tent all of the way. So, uh, I accidentally saw you without pants."
Although she just flashed him her best underwear, she was mortified, the telltale warmth of a blush rising to her cheeks. "Peeta!"
He lifted his hands in defense. "I didn't do it on purpose, it was an accident. I didn't say anything because I knew you'd be embarrassed!"
"I'm embarrassed now," she groaned.
His mouth quirked as he said, "Katniss, how is it any different from you, showing me your underwear a few minutes ago?"
"Because this time I wasn't wearing a pair of light pink underwear with a cheesy saying on the butt." She scowled at him.
A playful smile pulled at his mouth, "I don't know, I didn't see the butt on these ones."
"And now, you never will."
Katniss felt a change with her and Peeta after that day. Even the way they messaged each other was different, leaning more toward a flirty trend. Perhaps it was only in her head. Regardless, it was all new to her. He's still her best friend, that part hasn't changed. But it was jarring, to believe this was her best friend sending her messages in the middle of the day, something he's hardly done in the past. Or adding winky faces when he told her goodnight.
She repeatedly reminded herself that Peeta doesn't see her like that, as something more than a friend. Katniss wondered if she had been taking his words out of context, as that first night. Peeta could have been simply complimenting her, and she went and made a big deal out of it. And the last time she all but stripped in front of him, his reaction could have been easily mistaken for saving her dignity.
All of this was what ran on a wheel in her head, calculating texts and phone calls as if she were deciphering hieroglyphics. Yet she couldn't ignore her own traitorous feelings, that much she knew. Something was changing with her attitude toward Peeta, bringing her into a panic. When her thoughts flooded with all things Peeta, she'd quickly banish them and busied herself with homework or housework.
She put more effort into fighting off impending thoughts, than she did anything else, and she was starting to feel like a lunatic for being so hung up on one person.
A few days passed before Katniss talked to Peeta again. It was a Saturday and late into the night. She was snuggled into her bed, ready to fall asleep after a long day at work, when her phone hummed on the nightstand.
Her hand reached across the bed, grasping empty air a few times until she grabs the phone on the third try, silencing the noisy vibrations against the wood. She answered without looking at the caller I.D., too exhausted to stare into the bright light of the tiny screen.
"Hello," her voice thick.
"Katniss," she heard Peeta slur into the phone.
"Peeta?" Katniss looked over at the clock and saw that it was nearly midnight, suggesting it had to be one in the morning in Minnesota. "Why are you calling so late?"
"Drunk," he said, although it was already apparent. "I wanted to talk to my best friend." His words were jumbled, some even laced together to where she almost couldn't understand.
"That's nice, but it's midnight. I'm tired-"
"I'm sorry."
Katniss sighed, she already felt the sleep subsiding the longer she stayed on the phone. "It's okay. What do you want to talk about?" She heard him moving on the other side of the phone and wondered where he was. "Do you need me to call a cab?"
"Uh, no, I'm in my room." Oh. "Just talk to me."
What was she supposed to say? She had been put on the spot, and her brain had already retired for the night.
"How are you?" It was a dumb thing to say; Peeta was probably too far gone to even answer the question.
But he surprised her.
"Tired," and she slightly heard it in his voice. "I miss you. I've been thinking about you a lot. I can't get the image of those black underwear out of my head."
Tiny butterflies bloomed in her belly, bouncing around and making her giddy, but she pushed the feeling away. "You're only saying that because you're drunk, Peeta."
There was a groan from Peeta. "I'm drunk but I know what I want."
Katniss held her breath. "And what do you want?"
"I wanted to rip that pair of underwear from your body, and kiss my way up those smooth legs." The longer he talked, the soberer he started to sound. "Fuck, I want you Katniss."
A small gasp escaped her, and she bit her bottom lip to keep any more sounds from escaping, knowing Haymitch was sound asleep two doors down the hall. Liquid heat pooled in her core, and she rubbed her legs together to ease the ache there.
"You have no idea what you do to me. I'm so hard just thinking about you."
Another moan escaped her.
"Tell me you think about me too," he rasped, and there was some rustling against the speaker.
"Yes," she said breathily. "Always."
"Fuck, Katniss. Tell me how wet you are." Her body was on autopilot, moving without her accord, and her hand slipped past her pajama shorts to her underwear. The tips of her fingers brushed against the top of her mound and she gasped. "Tell me," Peeta growled.
"So wet, Peeta." She moaned as she put some pressure just above the bundle of nerves that begged for her touch so desperately. Katniss couldn't believe she was having phone sex with Peeta.
"That's it, Katniss. God, I love it when you say my name." He grunted and Katniss wondered if he was also searching for his own release. "Move your hand down and play with your clit for me."
She did and bit back the breathy moan that tore through her when the pressure sent white-hot heat up her spine.
"I want to hear you Katniss," he groaned. Katniss moved her fingers again, Peeta's name falling from her lips. "You're so fucking hot, Katniss. God, imagine that's my mouth there instead of your fingers." She did, oh, she did. "My finger sliding into your slick heat as I suck on your clit."
At his words, Katniss slid her fingers down further until she felt her weeping center, where she pushed in her middle finger. Her hips rose from the intrusion, imagining it's Peeta's fingers instead of her own. "God, Peeta."
"Are you fucking yourself?" All she could manage is a moan. "I want you to make yourself come," his words hitched at the end.
Katniss pushed another finger into herself to join the first, the new sensation of being stretched dizzying, then she ground her palm against the tiny swollen bundle. It didn't take many passes of her palm until her back bowed, and Peeta's name fell from her lips in a quiet mantra. All of her pent up frustration from the past two weeks ebbing away, leaving her feeling alight, and slightly lightheaded.
"Fuck," she heard Peeta grunt into the phone, followed by a low moan and his heavy breathing.
They were quiet, both basking in the afterglow of their orgasms. Katniss pulled her fingers from herself, wincing as her sensitive muscles clenched around them again. She grimaced as she wiped the sticky substance stuck to them on her underwear, reminding herself to change when she got off the phone.
"One moment," Peeta mumbled, probably to clean himself off as well. She could hear Peeta set the phone down, a muffled movement ensuing after. "I'm back," he said seconds later.
Now what? Do they pretend nothing happened? Will Peeta even remember doing this with her after tonight? Her mind raced, and she tried to think of something to keep the onslaught of questions from ruining her good mood.
"I've never done that before," she admitted. It was the first thing she could think of.
He yawned. "Never," his voice sounded slightly surprised.
"Never."
"Not even with Darius?" His tone was playful.
"No, I told you I didn't see him like that," she was slightly annoyed that he even brought Darius up.
"So does that mean you're a-"
"A virgin? Yes. God Peeta, being a virgin isn't a horrible thing."
He gave a small chuckle. "I'm just surprised that you'd choose me to have phone sex with, that's all."
Katniss rolled her eyes to cover up her embarrassment. Why was she embarrassed? "It's not like I've been holding out for someone special. Don't these things just happen? I'm sure your first time was with one of those girls that show up at hockey games to check out the merchandise."
A beat went by before Peeta cleared his throat. "I've actually never been with anyone," he said quietly.
Her brain tried to process what he was saying. "You're telling me you and Clove never tried anything when you dated," she asked incredulously.
She could feel his eye roll through the phone. "Now who's the one making assumptions. No, the only person I've done remotely anything with, was Glimmer, and we didn't even go that far. Clove told me she wanted to wait until marriage or something like that."
Katniss would have never guessed Clove to be someone to wait until marriage. Then again, the fact that she thought Peeta had already gotten his feet wet, proved just how well she was at interpreting people.
"Well, uh, I'm glad I was your first then," she choked out.
"Only you would make having phone sex weird," he laughed.
"Whatever." Her face was warm.
They talked for the next fifteen minutes, and she was unsure how they started to talk about Game of Thrones. As she was about to change the subject, she was interrupted by loud snores flowing through the speaker, followed by a groan. He had fallen asleep.
"Good night, Peeta."
Then she hung up the phone, and snuggled back into her comforter, a silly smile splayed on her mouth the entire time. Her dirty clothes were completely forgotten, then she fell asleep.
She pulled her coat tighter around herself as she walked to the campus parking lot. The cold fall days had finally fallen on Panem, resulting in lots of rain and minimal sunshine. Katniss didn't mind it as much, but she hated the number of layers she had to wear. Or the fact that the cold made it harder to roll out of bed in the morning her body not wanting to leave the warm protection of the comforter.
Katniss pulled the keys out to her new Accord, cold fingers fumbling with the button that unlocked the door. Haymitch had told her that the car was dull, with the lack of fancy bells and whistles. He suggested other vehicles, ones Katniss could never afford. Still, Katniss was instantly set on the car when she saw it. The size was perfect, and she didn't need anything fancy to get her around.
"Hey!" A voice called out from behind her, breaking Katniss's concentration with the key fob. She peeked over her shoulder where a tall figure was jogging her way. "You dropped this."
Finally, getting her door unlocked, Katniss turned to discover Gale Hawthorne walking up to her. She'd never really talked to him, even though he was one of Peeta's closest friends. She couldn't stand the majority of Peeta's friends, Darius is the only one she could now slightly tolerate.
His hand was extended, and he was holding one of her flash drives, the initials K.E. written in white permanent marker on the bottom. If she lost this, she would have just thrown one week of writing away, and possibly a letter grade.
"Thank you," she said and plucked the tiny object from his fingers. "I'd be screwed if I lost this."
"No problem," he said with a smile. "It's Katniss, right?"
Did he really not know who she was, she thought. Katniss conceded that she had only talked to him enough times to count on one hand in past years, all of which have been short 'hello's' after sitting at the lunch table next to Peeta. It was no wonder that his memory of her was just as insignificant.
Katniss gave him a slight nod of her head. "You're Gale?" She didn't need to ask, for obvious reasons, but she thought it the polite thing to do- acknowledging his existence over the last five years. Admittedly, it was a common courtesy.
He pulled the strap up higher on his shoulder and nodded. "I think we're in comp together." Katniss was stunned silent because she didn't deem herself a person you could pick out of a crowd easily. "I hope that's not creepy that I said that! I don't want you to think that I'm stalking you!"
"Oh, no! Don't worry about it," she urged. "I was just, um, caught off guard, I guess. At least I know one person there," Katniss finished lamely.
"Yeah, me too. I don't have a partner yet for that group project due next Friday."
Katniss scuffed the pavement with her worn canvas shoes. She didn't have a partner either, her lack of people skills stopping her from going up to an already established group to ask if they needed an extra hand. "Uh, we can be partners."
Gale smiled down at her. "That would be great," then he turned. "I've got to go, have to be at work in ten minutes, but I'll see you tomorrow?"
She nodded, giving a brief wave to his retrieving form, then she hopped in her own car and drove off.
When Katniss got home, she was excited that she actually had something interesting to talk about with Peeta, other than the recycled stories from her job at The Hob. Katniss plopped on her bed and pulled her laptop into her lap, then clicked on the little call icon near Peeta's Skype picture.
It rang twice before he picked up, his bare chest meeting her unexpecting stare. She almost forgot what she was going to say, the words caught in her throat from the distraction. Their night of phone sex instantly popped into the forefront of her mind. Katniss looked down at her lap to keep the inappropriate feelings from permeating her thoughts.
"Hey," he said. "What's up?"
"Oh, I wanted to tell you that I share a class with Gale." She peeked up at him, now only the top of his pectorals and up visible.
Telling him about Gale didn't seem to have the effect she thought it would; she figured Peeta would be somewhat interested to hear about one of his friends from back home. But his manner hardly changed from the news, if anything, he seemed distracted.
"What's your problem," she puffed, feeling irritated.
"I'm fine-" there was a soft thud in the background, and an unmistakable female giggle followed by another male voice. Katniss could see Peeta glare over the top of the screen. Then she heard, "Is that her?"
"Finnick, can't you guys fuck in her dorm room, "Peeta snapped at whoever was in the background. Katniss was a little taken aback by his harsh tone, never imagining him to speak to anyone like that.
There was more giggling, "come on, we should leave Peeta to talk to his Kitty before he bites your head off." Kitty? A soft click of a door emerged moments later.
Peeta looked back at the screen, the skin between his eyebrows pinched. "Sorry, my roommate has a girlfriend, and he's been keeping me up all night when he invites her over for sleepovers." He rolled his eyes at the mention of the last word.
Katniss frowned. "Is he allowed to do that?"
Peeta ran a hand through his hair, then released a sigh. "No, but he's a good roommate. I don't care for them being all over each other while I'm in the room. I can count on all ten fingers and toes how many times I'm sure they had a secret rendezvous while I laid not even ten feet away."
She let out a humorless laugh. "Sounds like I could relate once."
He gave her a sheepish look. "I told you I was sorry."
She didn't want another reminder of that night, so she backtracked. "Maybe you two should set some ground rules, you know, so you could sleep?"
Shrugging his shoulders, "probably. I didn't mean to brush you off with what you said earlier," he gave Katniss an apologetic look. "Gale's a nice guy. He stayed back to help his dad run the family business. Even had a full ride to a school in New York."
Her eyebrows raised. "Wow, that was nice of Gale."
"Yeah, it was."
Then he reminded her about his first game of the season coming up, implying he won't be able to make Skype calls for two weeks because of practice. Her heart sank, their calls have been so regular recently, that it would feel strange not talking to each other for that long.
"We can talk longer today, though. I don't have practice tonight. But no promises if my roommate comes barging back in here."
Her mood perked up. "Okay, I'm going to change real quick, one moment." She rolled off the bed and walked to her dresser.
"You're not going to let me see?"
Katniss rolled her eyes, a blush creeping up her neck. Why was she blushing? She let Peeta say dirty things to her a few days ago, and somehow this made her flustered. "Peeta, don't be a perv. Besides, I remember someone saying, verbatim, that it's nothing they haven't seen before. If you want to see someone naked, why don't you ask one of your admirers to drop their clothes for you? I'm sure they wouldn't hesitate."
A heartbeat went by "because they're not the ones that I want to see naked."
Her back went ramrod straight, the band tee in her hands twisted from the grip she had on it. She stood near her dresser wearing her bra and panties, her heart thudding dangerously in her chest. Why did Peeta have to say these bold words that made her body so worked up. But she couldn't help but wonder how different this would be from last weekend now that they could see each other.
"Katniss?"
She dropped the shirt in her hands, and deliberately moved over to her bed, her feet feeling like cinder blocks with each step. A voice in her head told her to retreat and grab the forgotten pajamas on the floor, but she locked the internal voice away. Her interest in the unknown was getting the better of her.
Katniss propped herself back onto the bed, legs crisscrossed as per usual, ignoring Peeta's intense stare until she was comfortable again.
"Oh my God, Katniss, "Peeta groaned. She looked up through her lashes where Peeta was running a hand over his face.
"What," she said innocently.
He removed his hand from his face and set a pair of intense blue eyes on her, the look brought on that slow burn in her center. "My best friend is sitting in front of me in nothing but a bra and a pair of panties, and I can't do anything about it."
"What would you do," she asked breathily, the want that began to pool low in her belly made her dizzy and short of breath.
His eyes roamed over her half-clad form. "You don't want to know what I'd do to you."
Her breath hitches at the thought, "Tell me."
Peeta leaned back against the wall, scooting the laptop further down his lap until his arousal under black sweats was in sight of her hungry eyes. His blue eyes were darker when she looked back up at them, sending her stomach for a loop. The sudden feeling made her give a quick intake of breath.
Katniss was instantly thankful that Haymitch had to work a late shift tonight.
"First, I want you to remove your panties." His voice was demanding. Katniss hesitated, her fingers shaking as she gripped the lace trim at the top of her underwear. "Katniss," Peeta said, urging her to continue.
On trembling knees, Katniss slowly slid the dainty garment down her legs, the whole time trying to remember if she shaved her pubic area that morning. She couldn't take her eyes away from Peeta's face, watching the changes in his expression the further her underwear went. He bit his lip, before giving a molasses smile when he noticed she was bare as the day she was born. Katniss leaned back to peel the underwear off her legs until the only barrier was her bra.
She reached behind her to unhook her bra, but Peeta stopped her with a shake of his head. "Not yet." And her arms dropped down to her sides.
His eyes seemed to be drawn to the apex of her thighs, and she started to fidget as she waited for Peeta's next set of instructions. Dark blue eyes landed on her silver ones, then he told her to remove her bra. She wanted to huff in annoyance, but she knew she was the one that handed him the reigns, so she did as he asked.
With a quick flick of her wrist, the bra came loose. Black straps fell down her shoulders, but she held the cups to her body to keep the bra from falling down altogether. Not meeting Peeta's eyes. She was self-aware of her small breasts, knowing that they were hardly as big as Glimmer's, or even Clove's. It was part of the reason that she hated tight tops because she had nothing to show off.
"Katniss," Peeta brought her out of her evasive thoughts, his voice more gentle. She brought her eyes back to his face and gave him a nervous smile. "Show me."
Her hands slowly let go of her last article of clothing, and she felt it rub against the skin of her arms, only slowing down to catch on her erect nipples until it dropped to the mattress with a soft thud.
"Oh," he breathed, the sound sending a pleasant shiver down her spine. "Katniss, you're so fucking sexy," he groaned.
His words encouraged her to cup her breasts and gently tug on her nipples. She rolled her head back when the action shot straight to her core. Then she stopped when she noticed that Peeta still had pants on.
"I want to see you." She was shocked how disembodied her voice was, not believing that was her that said those words.
Peeta's lips spread into a grin, and she watched as his hands reached down for the waistband of his pants. Her heart rate quickened as she anticipated seeing his cock, curious if it was as big as the current tent in his pants.
Just as the dark pubic hair became visible, a loud banging resounded from Peeta's room, and he jerked his pants back up.
"I brought Pizza," said the male voice from before. Finnick was his name.
Peeta glared over his screen and chucked one of his pillows across the room. "Fuck, Finn, don't you knock?"
There was a loud laugh. "Man, this is my room too."
Peeta's eyes looked back down at the screen, taking in her horrified naked form. He gave her a small smile. "Sorry, but I should go unless you want Finnick in the room."
"Are there tits on the screen," Katniss could hear Finnick asking, making her face hot. She reached for one of her pillows to cover herself.
Peeta shot Finnick a steely stare. "No," he said firmly. "And it's none of your business."
"Okay, I'll let you go," Katniss told Peeta softly. Her body was still coming down from the lust-filled high it was in.
He gave her another apologetic smile. "I'll talk to you tomorrow?"
"Yeah, okay."
"Bye, Katniss."
She gave him a small smile. "Bye, Peeta."
When the screen went black, Katniss's heart thudded wildly against her chest. She threw herself back against the comforter, staring up at the popcorn ceiling of her room. One thought bounced around as she laid there: Peeta Mellark saw her naked and she wanted him to.
"Okay, class, we'll meet again after the break…"
Katniss tuned out whatever Mr. Thompson said as she stuffed her things back into her backpack, rushing to get to her car for work. As she stood and walked out into the now crowded hallway, she felt an elbow bump into her. Instinct told her to apologize, for no apparent reason, but as she looked over, Gale was smiling down at her.
"Hey, you know there's a faster way to get out of this hallway."
Katniss arched her eyebrow, but Gale nodded his head to a set of double doors. She followed him, and they pushed through to a very quiet hallway. Katniss realized they were in the medical technology building.
"Are we allowed to be in here," she whispered when they received a couple of glances from some of the staff.
"Eh, as long as you're quiet. Not many people take this way, so I don't think they have minded, for the most part. Come on, the exit is up ahead."
They reach a stairwell that leads to the main level where the parking lot sat a few feet away. The alternative has saved her ten extra minutes.
"Thanks, I'm always late because my professor extends his lectures by five minutes."
He shrugged. "I thought I'd help a friend out." Gale walked with Katniss to the parking lot. "So how do you think we did on that group project, I don't think anyone received a grade for it yet."
"I don't guess on letter grades, it's like the odds fall against you if you do."
Gale laughed. "I didn't take you for the superstitious type, but yeah, I can see what you mean." They reach her car a few paces later, "there's something I've wanted to ask you?"
Katniss dug in her coat for her car keys, not thinking anything of what Gale just said. "What is it?"
"Would you want to go out sometime?"
She came up short, not foreseeing the question. Her mind immediately raced to Peeta. They weren't a couple, after all, nothing was stopping her from saying yes. But she still felt a small form of hesitation about going out with someone else, like she was betraying Peeta somehow.
"Think about it, "Gale told her when she didn't answer, then he turned on his heel to walk toward his own vehicle. "I'll see you later," he threw over his shoulder.
That night, Katniss had called Peeta, but he didn't answer, his phone cutting to the voicemail after the final ring. She sent him a text message instead, knowing he would see it later on.
'So Gale asked me out today.' She bit her lip before hitting send.
A frown formed, when moments later, Peeta replied. She wondered why he was too busy not to answer his phone, but he was able to text her so freely.
'What did you say?'
'I didn't say anything,' she quickly replied.
Some minutes go by before she received another message.
'Listen if you're asking for my permission, you don't have to. You can do what you want, I already told you that Gale was a good guy.'
Katniss swallowed hard, her throat constricting at his words. How else did she expect him to react? Yet a small part of her almost wished he would have answered differently. That tiny voice in her head was telling her, 'I told you so.' There's a reason that you don't fool around with your best friend.
'Fine.'
'Goodnight, Katniss.'
'Goodnight, Peeta.'
"I can't believe you talked me into this," Haymitch grumbled beside her. They were walking up the clear sidewalk, despite last night's snowfall, to the Mellark's front door.
Katniss finally had a day off of work to watch one of Peeta's games, telling Peeta he'd go to his parent's game day party. They hadn't talked much since last week, not to mention how busy he's been since the season started. She hadn't even given Gale an answer yet, she'd been avoiding him, deciding that to be more comfortable than telling him no to his face. It was cowardly, but Katniss was never good with these things- confrontation.
This morning, Katniss woke up before Haymitch and made him a cup of coffee, anything to schmooze her uncle into going to the Mellark's today. Her last resort was mentioning the free alcohol that was going to be there. Though she should have started with that. It would have saved her the trouble.
"What else did you have planned today," Katniss countered.
Haymitch muttered something under his breath and hitched the three cases of soda higher in his arms.
"You sure you can carry those, old man?" Katniss snickered when Haymitch shot her a glare.
They reached the big red door to the Mellark's residence, and Katniss reached over to ring the doorbell. It chimed once throughout the big white house before the door was pulled open, the smell of food emanating from the opening, to reveal the kind face of Mr. Mellark.
He was handsome for his age. Sometimes, Katniss thought that Peeta was the younger version of his father. From the hair color, down to the way their mouths quirked in the corner when they smiled. The only noticeable difference was the color of their eyes. Where Peeta had bright blue eyes from his mom, Mr. Mellark's were a soft brown, like the color of honey.
"Katniss, you made it!" He gave her a kind smile, then looked at Haymitch. "Thanks for coming, Haymitch."
"This one wouldn't stay quiet if I didn't," Haymitch nodded toward Katniss. She felt heat radiate to her cheeks, and she fixed Haymitch with a sharp look. One that he blatantly ignored.
Mr. Mellark noticed the exchange and gave a low chuckle. "Let me help you with those, Haymitch." He grabbed the top two cases, and they followed him into the warm house.
Haymitch followed Mr. Mellark into the kitchen, while Katniss roamed into the living room where she could hear loud chatter drifting down the hallway. Effie's ever chipper voice was the loudest amongst the others.
Katniss poked her head around the corner that opened up to the living room, but her view was obstructed by someone's back. She felt her anxiety fester when she realized just exactly how many people crowded the large room. Wasn't this supposed to be a little get-together? Katniss couldn't quite make out how many bodies there were, but she guessed that it was well over thirty.
She made ready to turn back around and find Haymitch. Though the back that was facing her turned around, and she was met with the familiar face of Peeta's older brother, Rye. He was four years older than Peeta, the middle child out of the Mellark boys. Katniss hadn't seen him in years, possibly since he graduated and moved to New York for school. She faintly remembers Rye teasing her and Peeta when they were young, always calling Katniss Peeta's girlfriend. Peeta only ever blushed and pushed his older brother out of the room.
Now that he's older, Katniss can see the stark resemblance between Rye and Peeta. It seemed all of these Mellark men acquired the same features.
He started, clearly never hearing Katniss come up behind him, then his brows furrowed. "Katniss?"
Katniss nodded and shifted under his scrutiny, uncomfortable with the new attention.
"I hardly recognize you," he continued. "I still remember the scrawny tomboy that ran around the yard with Peeta. Now you're all grown up!"
Katniss frowned at his comment. "Thanks," she muttered. She peered around him to find an empty place to sit, hoping Rye would take the hint that she was done with formalities.
But he doesn't, he took it as an opening to spur on more conversation.
"Come on, I'll find us a place to sit."
They end up sitting next to Peeta's oldest brother, Graham, on the large sectional. In his lap, he held a giggling toddler, his chubby little hands holding Graham's. Katniss believed she'd only met Graham all but once, and that was maybe seven summers ago, so she had no idea that he even had children.
But he greeted her like they were old friends. Katniss supplied him with a quiet "hello" and gave the babbling child a small smile, uncertain how to act when it came to kids. He grew shy and hid his face in Graham's chest.
"Can you believe this is Peeta's Katniss," Rye said to Graham. Katniss choked on her spit at being referred to as Peeta's Katniss. Her chest did that fluttering thing again. Since when was she anyone's anything?
Graham and Rye gave her worried looks when she coughed, but she waved them off, eventually controlling her coughing fit. "I'm fine," she wheezed.
"I'll get you something to drink," Rye said and stood up before Katniss had room to protest.
Katniss sat quietly next to Graham until Rye returned with a bottle of water. "Thank you," she told him.
He was on to say something, but Effie announced very loudly that the game was about to start. This seemed to soften some of the conversations in the room. "Everyone, our Peeta is on!"
The announcer came onto the screen, then it flashed back to the rink as players filed out onto the ice. Katniss's eyes were trained on each player's jersey, looking out for the one that would be Peeta's. But when he skated onto the ice, Katniss realized that she would recognize him anywhere. Something about the way he held himself, with such confidence, was a dead giveaway.
After all of the players were in the rink, the national anthem was sung, the camera panned the stands. People waved at the camera when they discovered they were on the screen, some would shy away and look at their phones. Then they zoomed in on a group of girls that clearly go to the University of Minnesota, all dressed in maroon and gold. But one girl, in particular, caught Katniss's attention.
She was a pretty blonde holding up a sign that said '# 12's Biggest Fan'. Katniss felt her body stiffen, but she tried to cover it with a cough when Rye looked over at her. Her mind was racing. Was Peeta seeing that girl? Why didn't he tell her? Most importantly, why did she care? Then Katniss remembered what they almost did last night, making her feel overall cheap.
Katniss stood up and excused herself from the room, ducking out into the hallway. She pushed open the door to the guest bathroom, closing it behind her, and sat on the lid of the toilet.
Why was she bothered? What they did the other night was a mistake, right? Her mind tried to formulate her jumbled thoughts. Recently, she couldn't push this feeling away every time she saw Peeta with a girl. Every time she saw Peeta. First Glimmer, now this nameless girl that cheered Peeta on in the stands. For as long as they've been friends, it's never bothered Katniss when Peeta dated. Why now?
Like a ton of bricks, it hit her, she developed feelings for Peeta that exceeded the limit of their friendship. Though she wasn't sure if it was love.
How did she let this happen? She'd been so careful about keeping the fine line drawn, now it's formed cracks, bleeding in unwanted feelings. But she should have prepared herself for the unlikely chance that she would fall for her best friend. She concluded that she needed to banish these newly developed emotions before it goes far beyond her control of the situation.
Later that night, when Katniss and a drunk Haymitch arrived home, Katniss texted Gale and agreed to go on a date with him.
To be continued...
So what do you think? Did I properly perform in the smut category? Also, what do you think of the shift in Katniss's feeling toward Peeta, and do you think Peeta returns them?
Thank you for reading:)
