Companion

AN:

Important next moves. Snow fluff. Preparations.

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

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

CHAPTER 11

The train arrives at two past midnight, and Peeta walks Elrick back to the orphanage. He slips a piece of paper with Dice's home number inside a programming book beside Elrick's bed and says his goodnight. The air is colder than usual, so Peeta jogs to Victor's Village to keep himself warm. He goes to what has turned into his room for a quick shower before heading to Katniss' room, where his mattress lays on the floor. In less than two hours, he would need to wake up to go to the woods with her, but instead of sleeping, he finds himself studying Katniss' face in the dim light of the room. Her eyebrows are wrinkled, and her eyes are moving rapidly under their lids. She's having a nightmare and will soon begin to scream. He reaches for her hand, and her face relaxes with his touch, and she lets out a deep breath. Peeta smiles to himself and falls asleep sitting beside her bed, leaning his back on the familiar nightstand.

He doesn't know how long he has been asleep when he feels movement on his left. He opens his heavy eyes and finds Katniss lifting the covers and settling beside him.

"Hey," he says sleepily.

"Hey," she says back, and together they settle down on the bed. "I did it," Katniss says while staring at the ceiling.

"Did what?" he delicately asks.

She rolls onto her side to face him. "I filled out the forms to adopt Annie."

Peeta smiles broadly, his smile reaching his eyes. "Good girl."

"I did it last night and left the forms in Delly's office. She'll see it in the morning."

Peeta leans over to lay a featherlight kiss on her lips.

"I'm still scared, Peeta," she says quietly. Their faces were inches from each other, but Peeta almost didn't hear her. It was like she was whispering to herself.

Peeta tucks a strand of hair behind her ear before saying, "I don't think it will ever go away. But you will learn to overcome it. You've already made the first step. That's an important leap in the right direction."

Katniss searches his eyes and finds truth in them. His eyes are reassuring and supportive, and she appreciates that about him. Peeta has been a very dear friend to her in just a short amount of time, and with that thought, she reaches for his hands under the covers and hugs them to her chest. They fall asleep in the quiet of the morning, looking forward to the promise of a new day.

It is like winter arrived overnight, and the path is filled with two feet of snow. Peeta and Katniss forego going to the woods, thinking that much more needs to be done in the orphanage because of the sudden change in weather. They walk lazily, surrounded by the beautiful covering of freshly fallen snow. Peeta has never seen that much snow, and a lightness finds his step. They walk around Victor's Village first to explore. Then when they circled around, Katniss teases Peeta by pushing him down along the path where he falls leisurely, making snow angels with his limbs. He pulls Katniss down when she extends her hand to help him, and they sink deeper into the soft covering. They hug, roll around, and laugh at their silliness. They could never seem to deal with the harshness of nature the same way as others would. When there was torrential rain and thunderstorm they played and splashed on puddles. And now, when there is two feet of snow from an overnight blizzard, they make snow angels and roll on the ground without care, huffing and puffing frivolously as snow falls on their faces. They're childlike in these times, unconcerned, happy, and living deeply in the moment.

Peeta rolls Katniss over one more time, and she gasps from his strength and quickness. Like a skilled wrestler, Peeta has her pinned on the ground. He is hovering over her in their burrow of snow. He leans on his knees and elbows so as not to hurt her, clearly mesmerized by the contrast of Katniss' olive complexion with the white snow. She's so fetching, he thought, and his heart was pounding under his thick coat.

"I really want to kiss you right now," Peeta says, grinning at a pinned-down Katniss. He searches her gray eyes for an answer.

"Then kiss me," Katniss says, almost like a dare.

Slowly yet hungrily, Peeta covers her mouth with his, and the coldness of her lips invites him to cup her left cheek with his warm hand. He lingers on her bottom lip before being pulled in deeper by Katniss. She weaves her gloved hands into his curls and nape, and they both can't stop the moans that escape them as their lips meld perfectly against each other. The delicious flavor and softness of each other's mouths shoots electricity to their bundled cores. The cold weather is in steep contrast with the crawling heat inside them.

"Why are you covered in so much snow?" Annie asks in her regular high-pitched voice. She's watching Katniss and Peeta from the hallway while they remove their thick coats. Neither wants to explain their recent game, but Peeta gives in after the awkward silence. He tells her that he had fallen over in the snow, and Katniss helped him up, but because he was heavy, she fell on the snow as well.

"But why did you fall in the snow?" Annie continues to ask innocently. Peeta is carrying her now in his arms, on their way to the cafeteria. Katniss, who is right behind them, is turning red from holding in her laughter because it was her who had pushed Peeta in the first place.

"I tripped over my own foot. I was so excited to see so much snow!" Peeta answers convincingly.

"I know! There's just so so much!" Annie shouts with a squeaky voice.

"Hey," Peeta says sleepily with his eyes closed. He felt Katniss brush his hair and woke up from the sensation. "Is it time?"

"No," Katniss coos while facing him. It's still the middle of the night, and they are warmly tucked under the same covers.

"Did you have a nightmare?" Peeta asks, still with his eyes closed.

"I had a dream," she whispers.

"That's nice," he says and digs his head a little into the pillow. "Go back to sleep."

"Peeta," Katniss calls softly to make sure he is awake. "I think I should repaint the house. It's too dark in here for Annie." Her house is full of heavy and garish furniture, and the wall patterns are intricate. Not at all easy on the eyes of children.

Ever since her interview with Delly, Christa, Lindy, and even Sae, her nightmares seem to be getting less and less. Instead, they are replaced by repeating dreams. She finds herself in the meadow, the field made golden with the afternoon sun and peppered with wildflowers. In the distance, she watches Annie wearing a light green dress smiling playfully with a man whose back is always turned away from her. Every time she tries to remember his features, they always disappear from her memory the moment she wakes up. It leaves her wanting, wishing to fall asleep again if only to find him in her dreams once more. Aside from Annie, she always finds a baby with grey eyes bundled up against her chest, suckling milk from her breast as he tries to sleep. His cheeks are rosy and plump, and his hair is covered by the soft cloth that swaddles him. She calls him "baby" and never by his name. Tonight, Katniss had the same dream again and is left with thoughts of readying her house for when Annie comes home.

"What color should I use, Peeta?" she asks him as he drifts to sleep.

"Hmmm ...," he replies with a deep tone. Peeta had been tired all day, shoveling snow to make paths around the orphanage. He still offers her an answer despite his spent state, "How about Annie's favorite color?"

Katniss thinks about his answer before speaking. "She likes green, but it may be too much to be a wall color. We can have green curtains and pillowcases, and plants around the house. But I think the color should be another one."

"Okay," Peeta says, then shifts to put his hand on her waist under the winter blanket. He rubs her skin lightly over her nightgown.

"I was thinking a pale yellow or oranges from the sunset. What do you think?"

"That's nice. It's my favorite color."

"I'll also trade some of the heavy furniture to get lighter-colored ones. If not, I'll order from District 7."

"Sounds good. I'll help you in the morning," Peeta answers, then scoots closer to her to rest his head on her shoulders, indirectly telling her to go back to sleep. Katniss rolls on her back to accommodate him, and in less than a minute, Peeta is asleep, exhaling warm air over her collarbone. But Katniss' mind is so awake, and she makes a list of things to do in her head. Satisfied with her list after two hours of thinking, she allows herself to sleep, absorbed in Peeta's embrace.

They work on the house on days that Peeta is there, waking up early in the morning and sleeping late at night. They paint, and they move furniture. They hunt and scavenge. They help at the orphanage, then paint some more before finally going to bed. They do everything together except the work at the orphanage. Sarah and James come in regularly for their volunteer hours, and Katniss always feels a sting in her heart whenever she sees them with Annie, Sophia, and Byron. Peeta tries to reassure her, but she can't shake the feeling.

They talk about anything and everything while they labor on the house. It's effortless being with each other and the work becomes more enjoyable despite the long hours. When there is a good layer of freshly fallen snow, they allow themselves a few minutes to roll around in the backyard. They create a snow burrow while sharing kisses that they can never seem to get enough of. Ever since their adventure during the thunderstorm, a new branch of their relationship is slowly growing. There is a magnetism pulling them together, and they find themselves distracted from work more times than they want to.

In about a month, the house is almost done. The six bedrooms, the living room, the dining room, and the kitchen have all been fixed, redesigned, and repainted. The last items for Annie's room will arrive in a few days, so Katniss and Peeta allow themselves to rest in the meantime. It's past midnight, and they are exhausted from a long day of work. They lay in bed staring at the ceiling, quietly settling their breathing to find rest. They are not close enough to sleeping at all. Their breathing creates a conversation that they do not intend to have. A huff here, a deep inhalation there, a slow shift to pull the thick winter blanket, and some light scratching and moving of different body parts make their dialogue. Finally, they both calm down to create true quiet.

Peeta gently rolls onto his side to find a better position and presses his head on the soft pillow. His eyes are closed from trying to sleep, but when he slightly opens them to check on Katniss, his breath catches at the sight of her touching herself. The white blanket is just under her breasts, pushing them up a little that they appear fuller in the dim light that he had left on by the nightstand. She is wearing a thin nightgown, the peaks of her nipples showing through the gray silk. She is lightly running a finger over her lips, moving it side to side, pleasuring herself with the gentle touch. She moves her fingers along her face, running them smoothly all over her skin, activating the fine nerves underneath. Peeta is enthralled by the sight of her. She is a goddess incarnate. Katniss glances to her side where Peeta lays, and he quickly closes his eyes, pretending to be asleep. Once sure, he watches her again as she runs her fingers down her neck and jawline, settling to form circles in the hollow between her collarbone. It sends a throbbing feeling down Peeta's shaft, and he turns away from her, facing the other way. He did it slowly enough to appear normal, but his heart was pounding out of his chest and he could hear his pulse drumming in his ears because of lust.

"Peeta?" Katniss calls to see if he is awake. When he doesn't answer, she leans over him, pressing her hot body to his back as she reaches to turn off the night light. It sends shivers down Peeta's form, and he exhales deeply, keeping the curse that would have been said if he didn't have enough self-control. Katniss runs her hands down his side, smoothing over his ribs and chest, settling to cup the muscle through his shirt where she could feel his strong, beating heart. She presses a kiss on his back and lines her legs up with his, fitting their bodies together like a perfect puzzle piece under the thick winter blanket. Katniss falls asleep in a few minutes, tickling his nape with her sweet breath. He feels enclosed, pressed by her body from head to toe, and it feels like home. He cups her hand over his heart before saying, "I love you, Katniss Everdeen."

And that is Peeta's first I love you.

Let me know what you think!