Movie Star Peeta Mellark
A short story from a prompt from promptseverlark on Tumblr.
"Johanna and Katniss, watching a movie starring Peeta Mellark, a former high schoolmate."
P.S. Suzanne Collins owns the Hunger Games trilogy. She's a rock star!
"Damn, Peeta's really good at this shit," Johanna says as she gets another handful of overpriced cheesy popcorn from the bucket between us. We're on our monthly movie night, and tonight we're watching "Forever Amore" featuring Peeta Mellark and Delly Cartwright. Both are young superstars in their early twenties. Peeta from our district and Delly from the Capitol.
"Seriously, had I known, I would have cornered him under the bleachers in Panem High. Bread boy makes kissing feel like having an enormous orgasm," Jo loudly whispers in my ears.
Good thing it's nighttime as we watch this romantic film in the town square because there is no way Jo wouldn't notice the hot flush on my cheeks. Watching Peeta Mellark and Delly Cartwright kiss passionately under the sunset stirs up my insides like a tornado. It causes a slight pinch on my lower abdomen as it twists like a spring.
I sigh heavily as Peeta finally releases Delly's plump red lips and leans his forehead against hers. He keeps his eyes closed as he inhales the moment and cradles Delly's face between his big hands. Having made three romantic movies with Peeta in just two years, Delly's the luckiest girl in all of Panem.
Who would have thought that Peeta Mellark, the quiet boy from our old high school, would become a famous Capitol heartthrob? He can make any girl on screen desirable with just one movie. And honestly, every girl wants to be desired by him.
Maybe even, including me.
I have got to get a hold of myself.
I guess it's in the way Peeta looks at his on-screen love interest. Those brilliant and kind blue eyes penetrate your heart, soul, and in Jo's terms, also your panties. I didn't know that the human eye could speak so much and induce less than wholesome bodily reactions. One wink from Peeta equals fifty fans losing consciousness in a massive crowd.
Apart from his eyes, it's also the way he delivers his lines with such intense emotions and perfect timing. He has such a way with words. I find myself wanting to catch his every line, every nuisance in his intonations, and maybe even every breath. A sigh from Peeta Mellark is felt by the whole viewing population. It's evidenced by the collective exhales and sniffles I hear around me now as he breathlessly runs after Delly Cartwright under the rain by the seashore. His partly open plump lips and rain-soaked shirt glue everyone to the screen. Everyone craves the tension and revelation of his muscles from his white Henley clinging to his skin. We all wish we were the love of his life so we could indulge in him to no end.
Wait, did I just think that? Breathe, Katniss. Breathe.
Peeta has always had that boy-next-door face that everyone finds endearing. Well, he wasn't popular like our football quarterback and prom king, Cato Mitchell, was popular. But I never heard a single bad word said about Peeta Mellark. He's a good guy, and the few times our eyes chanced upon each other in the hallway, he always offered me a shy smile.
"I hope there's more than just mind-blowing smooching in this film." Jo scans the lot, always on the lookout for couples to make fun of. "I think babies will be made after this movie. Look at Thom and Bristle over there. They're practically on top of each other now."
"You want some chocolate bar?" I ask pathetically, uncertain how to follow that comment. I avoid looking at Thom's truck as Jo grabs the nut bar and takes a hefty bite.
"At least let Delly take Peeta's shirt off or something. Bless us with those broad shoulders and delicious V sloping down his powerful hips," she adds in between chews.
Jo is practically eating her fill of Peeta Mellark with her wide-set brown eyes, much like all the other girls in this square.
I can't blame them, though. Peeta's musculature is not some Capitol creation. It's all him from years of joining the wrestling team and working endlessly at the bakery. He can throw hundred-pound flour bags over his head as if they were nothing. I've seen it many times when I pass by the bakery. He was beautiful to look at, even from afar.
The one year that Peeta Mellark wasn't the champion of the wrestling competitions was because his brother, Rye, was the team captain. Once Rye graduated, Peeta won medal after medal in every season, as he should have been. I've always noticed how he pulls back on his games for his older brother, anyways.
After our simple high school graduation, Peeta Mellark just dropped from the face of District 12. Nobody knew where he went, and his family was oddly mum about it. Even his profusely chatty brother, Rye, didn't offer an answer.
There were many speculations on Peeta's disappearance. One was that his mother finally got to him, and he ran away. Another was that he was secretly married to another girl in District 2 for financial gain. I didn't want to believe the many speculations but three years of him being gone made me think about him a lot. I worried about Peeta Mellark. Dare I say, he was always on my mind.
"There, he finally caught up with her! Damn, Delly, why are you running away from bread boy?"
Jo's not really speaking to me, she's just a talkative moviegoer. I'm glad for her, though, because she's the only female friend I have, and thankfully she's also a fan of Peeta Mellark. It's comforting having someone to talk to about him. Even if all we talk about are his movies and gazillion paparazzi photos.
"Thunder and lightning! This is going to be good! Trapped in a cabin until the storm passes trope!"
"Ssssshhhh …," Marvel McGee shushes beside us, and Jo flips him off.
Peeta has never gone back to District 12 since he left. Two years ago, the mystery of Peeta's disappearance was answered when he unexpectedly appeared in a movie trailer as a supporting actor to superstar Finnick Odair. We were all taken aback by the baker's youngest son being on TV. Every movie house across all the twelve districts in Panem had his poster on the wall, surrounded by brightly twinkling lights. It was very surreal seeing his face everywhere but having no chance to talk to him at all. Peeta Mellark became an unreachable dream instead of an immediate reality overnight. I don't know if I cried the whole night out of joy or sadness when I saw his poster.
Assumptions about his discovery were the talk of the town the day after. Ripper said that an agent chanced upon Peeta while he was decorating cakes at the bakery and was offered an audition slot at the Capitol immediately. Leevy pressed that an agent watched him knead bread dough and was captivated by his quiet charisma. Then Darius insisted that he saw Peeta stopped in the middle of the square and given a calling card by a high-class Capitolite lady. There were more odd stories at the Hob. Town folks said he was asked to read a horror script in the cemetery or recite a poem to a squirrel under a crabapple tree. The butcher said he performed a Seneca Crane impression from his "Maid in Panem" romantic comedy. Either way, Peeta got a call the day after graduation from an agent, and the rest was history. He's been making movies, advertising soap and hair products, appearing on talk shows like Good Morning Panem, and winning awards ever since. Caesar Flickerman is practically his best buddy every time he has a film coming up.
"Oh, look! Look! They're entering the beach house, brainless. This is going to be good!" Jo half whispers, half shouts as she rubs her hands together in delight. "Please take each other's clothes off ... Please take each other's clothes off ..." Jo is practically praying to the movie gods.
I swallow the nothingness in my mouth as the scene pans out before me. Peeta and Delly are drenched from running in the rogue thunderstorm, and the beach house where they find refuge only has dim lights when they enter. Peeta lights up a few candles before walking towards the fireplace. If Jo is correct, it's where they will make love for the first time in this best friend-to-lovers movie.
Peeta has never had any actual sex scenes before. It was always implied that he and his co-star did the deed after some creative editing of kissing scenes and wild touches. A hand on the hips while gripping skin always clues in the audience. Multiple camera angles of a passionate kiss make us hold our breath. Then there's the occasional removing of shirts or unbuttoning them slowly while Peeta's lips migrate to his co-star's neck and ears. It all makes you wish you were the one on-screen receiving his lips.
The definitive allusion to lovemaking is when Peeta and his lover go down on the bed. In his first movie, it was in the back of a red Honda Accord. It was tasteful and fitting for the enemies-to-lovers storyline. On his second, it was over a blanket by the meadows in District 11. The meadow scene was more beautiful in my eyes. It was so Peeta to be gentle and hopelessly romantic with his beloved.
When the lights begin to fade out, and romantic music plays louder and louder, we know that the director will close the door and stop our paid viewing of the passionate lovemaking that will ensue between Peeta and his love interest. Secretly, I'm thankful when this happens because I don't know if I'll be able to continue watching Peeta making love with his co-star. Even if they weren't real they would all be too much for me to bear.
"I read in the Mockingjay feed this morning that this movie has a long kissing scene. Much longer than usual," Jo rambles on. "If that's the case, my movie ticket just became gold!"
I chance a glance at Jo before returning my eyes to the screen. I already feel like crawling out of my skin at the thought of seeing Peeta kiss longer and lower than a woman's neck.
Peeta kneels in front of the fireplace and busies himself with the firewood. Delly looks around the room while rubbing her arms for some heat. She touches their few childhood photos on display in the living room and smiles when she sees their middle school class photo. When Peeta has the fire going, Delly sits beside him, holding the picture out for him to see.
"Do you remember the time when you stood up for me in middle school?" Delly hums as she locks eyes with Peeta. She's so captivating and is such a great actress.
"They shouldn't have said those awful words to you, Aurora. They hurt you a lot ... you cried for days." Peeta gives Delly a sad smile, and a few tears fall from the corners of his eyes.
"Your mother wouldn't have let you stand up for me, Lorenzo ... You got into trouble in school for me. My heart broke for what they did to you." Delly or her character, Aurora, then gingerly holds Lorenzo's cheeks, brushing her thumb where the purple welt used to be.
"I don't care. You deserved to be treated better than that, Aurora." Peeta covers her hand and turns his head to kiss her palm firmly.
"Oh, Lorenzo ..."
"This is so fucking romantic." Jo sobs and stuffs her mouth with more popcorn. "They've both been through so, so much. They deserve a happy life with each other and a dozen adorable babies."
I simply nod my head and then hug my knees as I lean back on the bed of my old pickup truck. I couldn't tell Jo that this scene reminds me of what Peeta did for me many years ago. It was such a difficult time in my childhood, and he was the one who gave me hope. Peeta's kindness helped me find a way to survive and provide for my mother and Prim. I never did thank him for the bread nor repaid that debt, though.
"Best friends to lovers is one of my favorite tropes," Jo says as she opens a pack of sour worms loudly. "The slow burn is excruciating but totally satisfying when they have their first sexual encounter. Pure bliss, I tell you, brainless. Bliss!"
At the same instant Jo says bliss, Delly leans into Peeta's lips and kisses him with fervor. She straddles him, and his hands flatten on her back, tracing patterns of his love on her pearlescent skin. The sounds of soft moaning fill my ears, punctuated by Jo's "yes" as Delly deepens the kiss and snakes one hand inside Peeta's white Henley. The background music progressively gets louder as the musical ensemble plays when Peeta's shirt slides off his chest, and Jo gets her wish.
"Fuck yeah!" Jo curses into the air. I close my eyes to limit my senses because I can't watch this. But just like in hunting, when I shut my eyes, my hearing gets hyperfocus. I pick up the subtle pants and moans between Delly and Peeta. The change to ASMR sounds is torturous, and my imagination runs wild thinking of what Peeta and Delly could be doing on screen now.
"I love you, Aurora," Peeta murmurs as the sound of lips gliding past each other pauses. A few tears fall from my eyes. The immediacy of hearing Peeta say those three words overcomes me.
When I open my eyes, I find him as nothing but perfect. Immaculately perfect in his expression of love.
Peeta's jaw clicks with the right amount of tension, and his lips tremble as he inhales the air before him. Savoring the moment of finally being able to love his best friend like he wanted to since he was a young boy shows in his hooded eyes. When he shifts his gaze to take in Delly's flushed face, I can't help but close my eyes again and cover my mouth with my hand. Pure love and adoration unfold before me. It was flawless.
"Damn, Peeta. I'm a mess now," Jo hiccups without preamble. I try to block her out and focus on the warmth spreading on my chest. I try to convince myself that this is what excellent movies can do and not because I feel deeply about Peeta Mellark.
"I love you too, Lorenzo," Delly replies easily, and I'm all too jealous that she could say those words of love to him. Heartsickness overtakes me all too quickly.
The scene fades out when Peeta begins to lay Delly down on the carpeted floor, hovering over her as she weaves her fingers on his curls.
"Damn, just look at the chord of muscles on bread boy's back. Those Venus dimples are to die for ..."
Mindlessly, I begin chewing the insides of my bottom lip, and my fingers twitch of their own accord as I run my eyes on Peeta's symmetrical lower back dimples.
"I'll be damn. He's like a Greek god. Majestic and sculpted from marble!"
The movie ends with an epilogue set four years after their first time. Giggling laughter flurries on the scene, and we're shown an adorable three-year-old girl with naturally curly hair. Beside her is Peeta wearing an evergreen apron while cooking very fluffy pancakes. With the world's brightest smile, he lifts his on-screen daughter and gives her raspberry kisses. The child's cheeks bloom rosy pink, and joy radiates from my previously saddened heart. Seeing Peeta this happy, even if it were just in the movie, gives me much pleasure.
In the background, Delly is humming as she sets the table and picks out a dandelion from the flower vase. Peeta's movies always have dandelions in them. I wonder if he has a hand in the choice of flowers.
Cheerily, Delly walks towards Peeta and their child and places the flower on their little girl's hair before kissing her husband. It's a very domestic site to behold, and a perfect way to end their love story. No doubt this film is another small treasure I will keep in my memory.
"I'm pretty sure this will be a blockbuster hit," Jo claims like she usually does. She finishes the rest of the snacks, slurping the soda float we had forgotten. "He'll probably get a best actor nomination or, at the very least, get the best kiss award from the Capitol Teen Award. If he doesn't, there's going to be an uprising."
"I'm sure he'll win," I supply confidently, my heart filled with life and heat from the happy ending for Lorenzo and Aurora.
"He doesn't have much competition anywhere," I add because Peeta really doesn't. Not in my book, at least.
"Time to go back to our plain old reality now, brainless. Let's go?"
"Yeah, Jo," I mumble and rub my forehead as the end credits roll out.
I'm going back to my regular life where I pine away at the only boy, and now, man, I have ever considered giving my heart to.
- The End -
Don't worry. There will be part two. I'm just ironing it out =)
Let me know what you think! This is my first time writing Johanna.