Companion

AN:

First date.

Playlist: 'I Only Have Eyes for You' by The Flamingos and 'Sea of Love' by Cat Power

Special thank you to my dear friend, GinnyGinervaWeasley, for betaing my story.

P.S. I love the Hunger Games. Suzanne Collins owns everything!

CHAPTER 6

"You should go out," Sae says while peeling potatoes for lunch. Katniss, Peeta, and Lindy sat around the table, helping with the vegetables. "Just go out. You are always here."

"What do you mean, Sae?" Katniss replies. She revels at the sharp knife that makes her work efficient.

"Have dinner somewhere else," she rasps, unbelieving that Katniss does not understand a concept so simple in her mind.

"I believe the proper word is a date, Sae," Lindy chirps. "She's right, Katniss. You and Peeta should go out. You spend all your weekends here."

The suggestion catches both of them by surprise, but it is not at all unwelcome. Peeta already had plans to make dinner for Katniss but is just waiting for the right moment to ask. He glances at Lindy and Sae and thinks that this way works too.

"I suppose we could do it," Peeta says softly, then takes another potato to peel. "Would you like to go out for dinner with me, Katniss?"

Katniss stops her peeling and looks at him casually. Peeta holds his breath. "Yes, I would love that," she answers.

"Tomorrow night then?"

"Tomorrow night, " she repeats.

They return to their potatoes.

"We have to be back to tuck in Annie, though. She hasn't had a night without me putting her to bed. We have to be back before nine."

Sae and Lindy breathe out together. This much they know and expect. Katniss would never put anything else above the children, most especially Annie.

"Don't worry, we will," Peeta assures her with his bright tone.

Sunday comes, and Katniss is barred from the kitchen. Sae and Peeta were cooking the meals with Elrick, who was happily recruited. With nothing to do, Katniss spends the whole day with Annie. They read books and knit together a new doll. They play some musical instruments in the living room, and Annie joyfully sings with her friends, Sophia and Byron. They all love to sing, and their young voices are angelic. When the young ones are all tired, Katniss retreats to the woodwork room to finish the set of outdoor chairs that she has been working on. There is still a lot to do, and she hammers on with all her power tools.

"Hey, Katniss!" Delly chirps from the door frame. She needed to shout to be heard over the loud sanding machine. "Don't you have a date with someone?"

"Hey, Delly," she replies and glances at the clock before turning off the power tool. "Peeta will get me in fifteen."

"Fifteen, eh? So what are you wearing?"

Delly studies her friend. She is covered in sawdust, and wood shavings cling to her hair. Her already calloused hands are dry and rough from all the sanding, and there's a checkered adhesive bandage covering one of her fingers. There is no bag housing a change of clothes, and she seems to not be in a rush.

"Don't tell me you're wearing that to your date?" Delly says, waving her hand all over Katniss' dark green trousers, sturdy brown belt, and worn black shirt.

"Why not? We're having dinner in the garden."

"Hey!" Peeta calls from the doorway. "You ready?"

"Ready." Katniss nods and flashes him a smile. She then starts clearing her workstation.

"Hi Delly," Peeta greets. "What do you have in the bag?"

Delly rolls her eyes. "Could you give us fifteen minutes, Peeta?"

"Sure, Delly. Take as much time as you need."

Delly watches Peeta as he walks down the hallway. She taps her shoes and shakes her head. Peeta is the same as Katniss. He is wearing his usual work clothes and even has some soup stains on the edge of his white shirt. Thank goodness he's handsome because his wrinkled clothes have her frowning. She'll have to fix him up next time. Right now, Katniss has her full attention.

"I don't like that look you're giving me, Delly."

"Come on, Katniss," Delly says with a playful smile. She takes her forearm and drags her to the office. Delly makes Katniss choose a dress to wear before fixing her hair while Katniss scrapes at the sawdust stuck under her nails. Katniss chooses an evergreen, sleeved cotton linen flare dress, and Delly brings out a pair of canvas shoes that she is sure Katniss will not refuse. Some powder blush finds Katniss' cheeks, and a nude lipstick finishes her makeup. Delly observes her work and nods at Katniss with approval. Simple and natural, she describes her. "You look like yourself, just a little better," she says and chuckles.

"Thanks, Delly," she says, grateful that she does look like herself, just a little cleaner and more refined than usual. She could still move freely in her dress, and her shoes were so comfortable on her feet, she could sleep with them on.

Dinner is at the garden, where Elrick and Peeta set up a table for two. Fairy lights are wrapped around the small gazebo, providing light along with a few candles on the table. Peeta is leaning on one of the posts waiting for Katniss to come. Delly took more than fifteen minutes to fix her up, but he is not complaining.

"Hey," she greets, and Peeta flashes her a charming smile. She really likes his smile.

"Hey," he greets back and meets her at the path. "You look beautiful."

"It's Delly."

"I know," he laughs.

"You look good, too, Peeta."

"Thanks," he replies, shaking his head as he looks at his shoes. "I was lucky that I had a spare long sleeve shirt in my bag. I kind of knew that Delly was making you dress up when I saw her with the bag. I changed shirts right away."

They both laugh. Katniss and Peeta didn't plan to wear anything nearly as "formal" as what they were wearing now. They had both agreed to just have dinner together in the garden.

"I must say though that you really look beautiful," Peeta says and offers her his arm. Katniss takes it, and Peeta's heart skips a beat. "Here we go."

Peeta surprises her with a plated appetizer, done masterfully as if it were from a restaurant. He has prepared heirloom tomatoes with herbs and aioli, served with a slice of rustic bread. The produce is all from the garden, freshly picked that morning.

"Wow, this is great, Peeta," Katniss says as she smells the dish. "Where did you learn to cook and plate like this?"

Peeta shakes his head before answering. He urges her to start eating.

"It's a funny story, but a girl I used to date in Three is a chef, and she taught me a few things in the kitchen."

"Oh," she starts, "How long were you dating?" She looks at him, casually waiting for a reply.

"Almost a year," he begins. "Until I took her to a company barbecue and she met my good friend, Alexander. They hit it off after that." He chuckles and takes a bite of his bread.

"Really? She went off with your friend?"

"It didn't happen right there, but that's where they met. We stopped dating after that. We're cool, though."

"Where are they now?"

"Happily married, and my godson and goddaughter will have their birthdays this December."

"Oh."

"It's all right. We're all good friends, Katniss," Peeta offers, his tone light and positive. "Isabelle and I sort of knew that our relationship was ending anyway."

"And Alexander?"

"We're still good buddies. I love them both, and we're better friends after everything. They're perfect for each other, actually."

"I'm sorry."

"Nothing to be sorry about," he replies. "I'm glad they met. I'm really happy for both of them. They have such lovely children. I'm also really, really happy to be here instead."

"Right," she says evenly, then pauses, "Doesn't it feel weird, though? I mean, you dated her for almost a year, and you must have more than just kissed, then now she is married to your close friend."

Peeta swallows his slice of bread then Katniss blushes, realizing what she had just implied through her question. She takes a large bite of her bread too and exaggerates her chewing. They're hilarious in their responses to each other.

"Honestly, I never really thought about it, but now that you asked, I think it was a little awkward at first." He's laughing carelessly as he says this, and the atmosphere becomes light and easy again. "Seeing the person you've been dating kissing your friend and having babies."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry," she says and laughs with him.

"You can ask me anything, Katniss. Anything you want."

When they finish their appetizer, Peeta stands up to clear the table then brings out a plate of pan-fried duck breast with mushrooms, grapes, and shallots. It's laid over grits with hearty duck gravy. Katniss' mouth waters as she catches a whiff of the dish. Peeta gestures for Katniss to try, and she savors the moist and tender meat.

"Don't look at me like that," Peeta says as he takes his first bite, "I got lucky cooking with Elrick. He basically did all the research on how to perfectly cook duck breast."

"Delly should get him to cook more then."

She takes one bite after another and finishes the whole meal in just a few minutes. Peeta does the same and downs it with a glass of orange juice. The meal is delicious, and they couldn't possibly let it grow cold.

"Go ahead," Katniss says after putting her fork down, "Ask me about Gale. I asked you about your past girlfriend it is only fair you ask me back."

"Oh really?"

"Go on. I'll answer you." Her tone is friendly, open. She could only be this way with Peeta, no one else.

Peeta thinks for a minute then asks his first question.

"When is his birthday?"

"January 13"

"How many siblings does he have?"

"Three. Rory, Vick, and Posy."

"Where is his mother now?"

"Hazelle?"

"Lovely name. Yes, Hazelle."

Katniss becomes suspicious of Peeta's questions but answers him nonetheless. "She's in District Two with her children."

"Where does Gale live now?"

"In District Two, with his family."

"Right."

"Right."

"Right," he finishes with a grin.

Katniss eyes him and waits for more questions, but they don't come. Peeta simply stands up to clear the table again.

"That's it? You're not going to ask me why we canceled our engagement or how we were before?"

Peeta stops his clearing and taps her nose before saying no and smiling down at her. "I got the answer that matters anyways."

"And what is that?"

"That he lives in Two, and his family is there with him."

Katniss gives him a confused look.

"He's happy with his family, Katniss."

She thinks of something to say but stops herself after a thought hits her. Is Peeta making sure that Gale won't be coming to Twelve any time soon? she thought. She shakes her head and watches Peeta continue clearing the table.

"There is one question that I would love to ask you, though," Peeta says, then lays down a six-inch, round lemon cake with fluffy cream cheese frosting at the center of the table. He gives Katniss a big slice of the decadent dessert, and Katniss accepts it hungrily. The cake is soft, delicious, and perfectly lemony. She savors her first bite, and Peeta couldn't help but chuckle as Katniss closes her eyes in satisfaction.

"This lemon cake is so good, Peeta."

"Thanks. I'm glad you like it."

"Don't tell me Elrick helped you again with this?"

"No, not this time. I made that all by myself."

They help themselves to another slice while having animated conversations. They talk about happy memories with their families and friends. It was a surprise to them how comfortable it was for them to talk about their past and the people who were long gone. Somehow, remembering Prim and Peeta's brothers with each other did not cause them pain but rather joy about the life that they cherished with their siblings. Peeta's wristwatch beeps, and their conversation is halted. They go upstairs and tuck Annie and her roommates into bed. It was short and sweet, and Annie was tired from a day of games, knitting, and singing.

Katniss begins to roll up her sleeves to help Peeta wash the dishes, but he surprises her by catching her hand and pulling her back to the garden. Peeta had planned one more thing for them, and washing dishes together definitely was not it. Under the stars, Peeta pulls up a small black box from his pocket, and Katniss holds her breath. She remembers that Peeta has one question he really wants to ask her, and there's a sudden knot in her stomach. She eyes the box and glances at Peeta, waiting for some sign until he finally opens it. There are two oval-shaped things in the box, and she gives him a look of confusion.

"It's for your ears, Katniss. They're earphones for listening to music," Peeta explains with a boyish grin. He takes one piece and tucks Katniss' hair behind her ear before putting it on. His big hands are lightly trembling as it brushes the curves of her ears. He wears the other piece and plays music.

"This is amazing," Katniss says as her head is filled with song. Peeta takes her hand in his, then places his other hand gingerly on her back. He invites her to dance.

"I couldn't really play music while the children are trying to sleep, so I thought of this instead," he says with a soft smile. "Also, I have two left feet, so watch your toes."

This makes Katniss' heart flutter, and she leans her temple on Peeta's cheeks. She whispers in his ears, "I have two right feet, so I guess we should be okay."

They dance to old music while under the stars and the crescent moon. The light breeze from the mountains draws them closer, sharing warmth as the air becomes increasingly colder. Crickets chirp from the meadows, and a few fireflies make their way to visit. When Peeta's watch beeps again to warn the hour for his train back to Three, they reluctantly untangle from their light embrace. They take the slowest walk to Katniss' house in Victor' Village if only to spend more time with each other. But the walk is only twenty minutes. They settle at the porch swing, Katniss leaning her head on his shoulders while he wraps her in his arms. They let the time pass together.

"What was it that you wanted to ask me?" Katniss says, remembering that Peeta still hasn't asked his question.

"Oh - I almost forgot," he replies. He shifts to face Katniss, then gently cups her left cheek. His hand is warm and trembling. He looks at her, and she looks at him with equal fervor. "What's your favorite color?" he asks with a soft smile. Katniss melts from his smile.

"It's green …," she replies delicately. "What is yours?"

"Orange - like the sunset."

"Beautiful"

"Beautiful," he answers in a daze, then leans in to give her a feather-light kiss on the lips. Her calloused hands tenderly slide to his neck, and she gingerly pulls him down for another kiss. Their soft lips meet once more, moving perfectly with each other, curving and opening deliciously. They taste cake, and their bodies grow warm and fuzzy. Katniss becomes keenly aware of Peeta's musk, it's like steam seeping out from his chest, and his scent allures her. Just as when they felt ready to deepen the kiss, Peeta's wristwatch beeps - yet again - signaling the time for his train to leave. He only has ten minutes to get to the station. They break off the kiss, eyes closed and breathing together rhythmically. A fire has been ignited within them.

"I really don't want to go right now," Peeta says while he leans on her forehead.

"You will be back by Thursday …" Katniss whispers, swallowing a lump that had formed in her throat. He will be back a day earlier to help with the Town Festival. She couldn't possibly ask him to stay. He has responsibilities in Three, and she knows that these weekend visits are taking him away from the work he loves.

Peeta just nods in answer, half agreeing and half shaking his head. She tips his head and presses her full lips on his right cheek. He savors it, focusing on the softness and warmth of her mouth.

"I'll see you on Thursday," he says in defeat. He walks down the steps and smiles and waves at her before bolting. He only has less than six minutes to get to the station.

What do you think about their first date? What song would you have Peeta and Katniss have their first dance to?