A/N: Well all I can say is sorry, I don't even know how long it's been since my last upload but, I've basically been so swamped with everything that I haven't actually had time to sit down until now :P So i got a pretty harsh review saying my Fanfic was too far fetch to be believable and well sorry but, this is a fanfic... and The Hunger Games trilogy is about kids getting put in an arena to be killed... I think that if you're annoyed about how far fetched my Fanfic you might as well just stop reading now because it's going to get crazy soon...
Also I've been reading over my writings and I've realised it's kind of crazy grammar and spelling wise. I just wanted to clear up that my Dad is American and my Mum is English, I live in England but, I kind of mix up the phrases I use so sometimes it's 'mom' and sometimes it's 'mum'. So sorry!
Chapter Seven: Meeting the demons.
"I just figured that there's no point in being late and getting a strike and being kicked out of school when I could just get up five minutes earlier than usual." Finnick explained to Peeta while I helped Peeta cook dinner by chopping carrots.
"Well done Finn, you just learnt something that normal people learn when they're six years old." Peeta replied with a grin and passed me another peeled carrot, his fingers brushing against mine.
"Saw that." Finnick said quickly and I continued chopping.
"I passed Katniss a carrot? Congrats, mate." Peeta said sarcastically and Finnick threw a piece of popcorn at Peeta's head.
"No, you passed her a carrot with your hand 3/4 of the the way down it so when she took the carrot she would touch your hand. So I'm guessing you shagged?" I blushed and looked away and Peeta tensed up. "So, how was it?" Finnick asked and I put the saucepan of chopped carrots on the hob.
"Leave it, Finnick." Peeta said tightly and Finnick shook his head.
"Not until you tell me why you aren't all happy and smiley." Finnick says chewing on pop corn.
"We did it and now it's a dirty little secret that no one can know about. Happy?" Peeta said and I swallow.
"Morning, beautiful." Peeta murmured when he woke up and kissed my forehead. "Did you sleep well?" I nodded and he instantly knelt up. "What? What's going on?" He asked and I shrugged. "Don't shut me out. Don't do that. What's happening?" He asked again.
"It shouldn't have happened, Peeta." I told him quietly and he pulled his boxers on awkwardly because he couldn't stand up. "We can't do it again." Peeta grabbed his clothes and crawled out of the hole, I quickly followed him. He looked upset when I reached him and I automatically put my hand on his arm but he pushed my hand away.
"Stop it! Stop messing me around for God sake! It's like I'm dealing with a snake! One second you're fine the next you're biting me!" Peeta had shouted angrily and I had blanched.
"Peeta, I'm sorry! But, it was wrong!" I said, trying to convince myself as well as him.
"I have three questions, Katniss." I nodded as he pulled his t-shirt over his head. "You have to answer truthfully." I nodded again as he pulled up his jeans. Peeta turned and looked me in the eyes. "Did it feel wrong when I was inside you?" He asked me bluntly.
"No." I replied quietly.
"Did it feel wrong afterwards when I was sleeping on you?" His tone had softened now.
"No." I replied again.
"So you're doing this so Prim doesn't get hurt?" Peeta said and moved towards me.
"Yes." I said and he kissed my forehead.
"Prim is always going to be in danger of something or someone. You need to stop being her mother."
"I don't know how not to be her Mother anymore." I said and Peeta wrapped his arms round me.
"Be with her how you are with me." He said into my hair.
"What? Naked, horny, blushing and moaning?" I asked and smiled.
"No, yourself. Naked, horny, blushing and moaning is only for me. Okay?" Peeta asked, holding my face and looking into my eyes. "No one else any more okay?"
"I'm yours and you're mine." I confirmed.
"Right okay, but you're sort of together but not together but together without people knowing together?" Finnick muses and I look up at Peeta who shrugs. "So why aren't you in bed right now? I mean, you guys are home alone, I can listen to some loud music, go for it?" Finnick said like it was the most obvious thing in the world and I stuck my tongue at him.
"We aren't doing it while you're in the house, Finn." Peeta told him as he took the potatoes out of the oven and shook the tray so they turned over.
"You should get locks on your rooms." Finnick says as I pull myself up onto the counter and sit comfortable next to where Peeta is carving meat.
"That's not going to be hard to explain at all." Peeta says sarcastically and then is hit over the head by a piece of popcorn. The popcorn gets stuck in Peeta's hair and I flick it out.
"Nah, you can say you don't want Prim or Katniss walking in on you and Katniss can say she doesn't want any of the horny Mellark boys to walk in on her! Sorted!" As Finnick finishes explaining, his phone rings and he takes it out of his jumper pocket and answers while walking out of the kitchen.
"Lock would be handy..." I start to say but Peeta looks at me with such blue eyes my voices disappears.
"What?" He asks, a small frown forming between his eyebrows and I reach up and smooth it away with my thumb.
"You're beautiful." I say quietly and he grins.
"That's an odd thing to say to a guy, Kat. Its something I say to you." Peeta says and I roll my eyes.
"Guys can be beautiful and you are!" We gaze at eachother for a second be fore I pull him towards me by hooking my finger into the collar of his polo shirt and pulling him towards me. His lips touch mine gently before a door slams, scaring us apart, I drop to the floor and take a sip of water.
"She is my mother!" I hear Rye yell and Peeta immediately tenses. "I live in this house so I can see her when I want!" Peeta's grip on the carving knife tightens and I brush my fingertips over his knuckle so he loosens the grip slightly.
"This is my house, Rye! You consult me with these damn things! Especially now the girls are here!" Ben roars back and I move closer to Peeta and rest my forehead on his bicep, rubbing his back. Prim walks in and smiles awkwardly at me, unphased by mine and Peeta's contact. "Where the hell are you going!" Ben shouts harshly from somewhere upstairs and then Evan runs into the kitchen out of breath. I step away from Peeta but, I think he saw.
"Evan?" Peeta asks, concerned and puts the knife down and moves towards his brother.
"Peet..." Evan pants and tries to catch his breath.
"Where's my darling boy, then?" A low, feminine voice rings out Peeta steps backwards as his mother appears at the doorway.
She's short, with dark brown hair tied in a bun. Her face was hard with a fake smile forced to her lips. She had a pointy chin and pointy nose and she was skinny. She was just like Rye, or rather he was like her.
"Peetie, sweetie!" She said happily and stepped into the room, Peeta backed up against the breakfast bar and then pressed his lower back into it when he couldn't move back any further. "Give your dear mother a snuggle!" She moved towards him and I was about to step forward and slap her when Prim gripped my wrist. I looked down at her and she shook her head frantically.
"Linda!" Ben bellows and she doesn't take her eyes off Peeta. "Er, Katniss and Primrose. This is the boys mother." Ben said tightly but I couldn't look away from Peeta, he was white as the snow outside, I could only see half his face but that half looked terrified.
"It's lovely to meet you two." Linda said harshly, her eyes blatantly roamed over Peeta and bit the inside of my cheek.
"Perhaps you two could go upstairs?" Ben suggested and Prim pulled me out of the kitchen. As we passed Peeta I could hear his laboured breathing and it took so much self confidence to not wrap my arms around him.
"Katniss, don't be so obvious!" Prim whispered as we crept up the stairs, she pulled me into her room and I started pacing.
"I should be with, Peeta." I say, biting my nails and Prim sits at the foot of her bed.
"He's a big boy. He has to learn to deal with his crazy mother." Prim rolled her eyes and I paced faster.
"You don't understand!" I say and she gestures for me to explain. "I can't tell you Prim! It isn't my business to tell you!" At that moment Melissa calls up that dinner is ready and I literally run out of the room and down the stairs, straight into Evan.
"Katniss, wait. Peeta's not here." Evan says quickly and quietly and I stop trying to push past him.
"Where is he? Is he ok?" I ask frantically and Evan glances around.
"I don't know, he just disappeared. He'll be fine, he knows how to look after himself." Evan replies and smiles sweetly, he knows something is going on between Peeta and I.
"I'm not hungry." I say and Evan chews his lips. "I just want to shower then sleep, okay?" Evan considers this before nodding and leading Prim into the dining room.
Once I've showered, I slip into Peeta's room and sit on the edge of his bed. I take in his room finally. The walls are cream except for the wall where the head of the bed is, that's wall is brown with brick shapes in it so it looks like a brick wall. The bed is huge with brown and cream linen on and the headboard has a sort of shelf on top where Peeta has a couple of books, a pair of glasses and some haphazard condoms. His bedside tables have green lamps on, one of them with a book on and the other an alarm clock. I wander over to his desk and shuffle a few papers. I sit down in his leather swivel chair and run my fingers across his writing. I reach across and pull open one of his drawers in the desk. The first one has a pile of school books and textbooks in, the second an array of envelopes, writing paper and stamps and the third drawer won't open. I move position and when it still won't open I look carefully and notice the keyhole in the top corner of the bottom drawer. I can't help being curious as to what Peeta needs to lock in a drawer.
After an hour and a half I figure it would be awkward if someone walked in and found me lounging in Peeta's room so I cross the hall back into my room.
I walk straight to my desk and tug on the third drawer of my desk, it opens easily and is empty. So Peeta has a custom desk. I tell myself to stop being a creeper lay back on my bed easily, reaching for my reading glasses and 'To Kill A Mockingbird' to read.
I don't know when I fell asleep but when my eyes spring open, I've still got my reading glasses on and the book is on my chest. I look across and see it's eight in the morning therefore, perfect timing for a run.
It doesn't take long before I'm slipping out the back door with my music on and going for a run.
I'm just jogging round the garage on my way back to the house when my music shuts off, the player out of battery so I pull the ear phones out. I nearly crash into a little pink mini and stop myself about to swear when I look up and then crouch quickly.
A blonde girl is walking round the corner of the house and I'm about to stand back up, laughing at myself for being so jumpy but, Peeta appears behind her. My stomach lurches.
He's wearing light grey lounging pyjama bottoms with no shoes and no top. I blink a few times to focus my eyes as the blonde reaches her lips up and kisses Peeta's jaw, just below his ear. His eyes close and she then kisses his mouth.
"You're amazing. Call me?" She says and I stand up quickly. "Jesus!" The blonde exclaims and Peeta's eyes fly open, guilt flooding his face.
"Sorry, I was tying my lace." I say with a smile, still holding my earphones. "Don't mind me." I grin at the blonde and turn away to walk to the back door of the house. My breathing getting faster and my bottom lip starting to tremble.
"Katniss..." Peeta calls quietly and I can hear him walking behind me quickly, I'm about to turn and look at him but I hear the blondes car rev off and I pull the back door open roughly.
"Hello, Katniss." Rye's boring voice stops me from moving. "Is something the matter?" He asks curiously and Peeta closes the back door behind him. "What did you do, Peeta?" Rye asks accusingly and Peeta ignores me and reaches his hand to my forearm, when his fingers tough me it physically burns and I jolt away from him. "Alright, back off Peeta." Rye says.
"Fuck off, Rye." Peeta snaps and Rye coughs.
"She clearly doesn't want to be around you, leave her alone. Come her, Katniss." Rye says in his ridiculous voice.
"No, she's fine. I'll take her to her room." Peeta says roughly and I gulp. Rye walks to me briskly and puts his arm around my shoulders awkwardly and starts leading me away. "What the fuck are you doing!" Peeta shouts suddenly making Rye spin round.
"Don't be so irrational, Peeta!" Rye says and then looks Peeta up and down. "I see your blonde bimbo really brought out her claws." My eyes latch onto the scratches across Peeta's chest and I feel the tears swell in my eyes.
"Motherfucker!" Peeta yells and Rye laughs.
"I know you are but what am I?" Rye taunts and Peeta clenches his fist and swings. If my eyes weren't full of tears, I would have seen Peeta's swinging fist, I would have seen Rye jump back and I would have seen Peeta's fist collide with me. But my eyes were full of tears so I saw none of this.
Instead I just felt the sheer impact of his fist hitting the edge of my nose, my head shaking and then the opposite side of my head hitting the fridge door before I fell backwards.
"Holy shit! Katniss!" I heard Peeta's strangled cry.
"You see what you've done!" Rye shouted and then everything went black.
"I didn't mean to. It was an accident. Jesus. Shit. Is she ok? Is she hurt?" Peeta says in a rushed, scared tone. I'm aware of the sound of running water.
"Does she look ok?" I hear Ben snap and then a warm cloth dab at the side of my head I flinch away and then moan when my entire head throbs. "Katniss? Sweetie?" I moan in reply.
"Katniss?" Prim's voice forces my eyes open. Or should I say eye because my left eye doesn't seem to want to open. Prim comes into focus first, she's leaning over me with a towel in her hand. "Hiya." She grins and I sigh. Then Ben comes into focus, he's wrapping a bag of ice in a tea towel.
"Here, put this on your eye." Ben says carefully but I don't seem to have the energy to lift my arms so he does it for me. I see Peeta in the corner of the kitchen biting his fingernails and I'm about to smile at him when I see the red marks on his body and remember the blonde girl.
"Is it bad?" I mutter to Prim and she pulls a face.
"Black eye and stitches I think. I'd do the stitches but you won't sit still for goodness sakes." Prim scolds me and I instantly freeze as she starts to dab at the right side of my head, blood appearing on the towel. "Okay now sit still." Prim says quietly as she unwraps a sterile needle.
"I'm sure I should take her to the hospital." Ben mutters, adjusting the ice.
"I can do it just fine." Prim says and then I grip my shorts at the sharp pain. I count four stitches in my hair line so it isn't so bad. "You need to sleep now." Prim said and I moaned in agreement. "You shouldn't walk though." Prim said and she looked at Peeta.
"I'll carry her." Peeta said quickly and everyone ignored my protests. Prim said she'd be up a little later to check on me so it was just Peeta and I as he climbed the stairs with me in his arms. I was trying my hardest not to touch him which was obviously futile. "I'm sorry." Peeta whispers halfway up the stairs. I don't reply and I turn my head away from him. "Please believe me."
"You're only sorry you got caught, Peeta." I whisper as he lays me on my bed.
"That's not true!" Peeta pleads and I close my eyes and turn away from him. "Katniss, please!"
"I'd like you to leave now." I tried to say it with strength but my voice cracked halfway through. "Just go, Peeta!" I said desperately and I heard my door close before I let out a sob.
I was his and he was mine. That's what he said. So what the fuck was he doing. Maybe he was saying that I couldn't be with anyone else but he could. Son of a bitch!
Peeta's P.O.V
I held down number three on my phone and then slammed the phone to my ear as I slammed my door shut. The phone rang off so I rang again and again and again before he answered.
"Peeta, I'm kind-ugh busy ugh." Gerry grunted and I struggled to keep my composure.
"I need to talk to someone!" I say quickly and I hear a feminine moan.
"Seriously Peet, fuck that's it, just call Finnick! Ugh! Please!" Gerry pleaded and I clenched my fists.
"I punched Katniss!" I nearly shout and then start to pace.
"Wait a second," Gerry mutters to whoever he's with and the girl calls him a whore before a door slams. "Okay, so by punched I really, really hope you mean some sexual thing?"
"No, I swung at Rye and he moved and I hit her. I hit Katniss." I say quickly and pull on a shirt and jeans.
"Oh, it was an accident? All good, apologise, fuck her, sorted." Gerry says and I hear him start walking around then hear Elijah shout his name. "Hey, buddy!" Gerry says away from the phone.
"I don't think me punching her is the problem here, I mean, obviously it is but..."
"What did you do, Peet?" Gerry cuts me off, I hear his car beep unlock and then he climb in and slam the door.
"She caught me with some girl." I mutter and walk out of my room.
"What like, caught you? Or caught you?" Gerry asked and I pulled on my jacket.
"She was out running and saw me walking Millie back to her car after last night and put two and two together with the scratches over my chest and Millie kissing me." I say as I tug my boots on and leave the house.
"So she didn't actually catch you?"
"She as good as caught me! I just got her and now I've lost her!" I hang up the phone and climb into Gerry's car as he pulls up.
"Where to?" He asks as soon as I open the door.
"Boxing." I say simply and Gerry nods in approval.
I look up at Gerry and roll my eyes at him. It's just after 3pm and I've given up on gloved boxing and about to go for a bit of bare knuckle fighting which Gerry highly disapproves of.
"This is a bad idea, Peeta. You could get hurt." Gerry says as he sizes up the guy who bet me in the fight.
"That's the idea, Gerry." I mumble and hold out my hand for Gerry to tape up.
"Right, so you're gonna get pummelled because you messed up with Katniss and want to punish yourself?" Gerry wraps the tape round my hands.
"Nice theory. But, nope." I stand up and climb into the ring before leaning back over to Gerry. "I just want to feel something that has nothing to do with, Katniss.". Gerry gives me a look but I'm turned away already so don't see it properly. Mikael is already in the ring and I smile at him.
Mikael is a six foot five, professional bare knuckle fighter with biceps the size of my waist. He's huge and he's relentless and he's going to beat the crap out of me.
"Oi, pretty boy!" Mikael shouts at me and I clench my fists. "I'll try not to break you face!" His group laugh as he turns to face them and grin a huge grin so I lunge forward and punch his side.
He turns and punches me in the shoulder, I raise my arms and block my face as he send out punches to my chest and gut. I lunge out and catch his jaw and he instantly spits out a mouth full of spit tinged red with blood, I punch his collarbone and instantly regret it when I hit pure muscle and bone. Mikael punches straight into my thigh and my leg gives in and I skid along the floor on my bag.
"Why you fight me, pretty boy?" Mikael asks and I stand up, aware of the warm blood dripping down my back.
"Because you're a whore." I reply and then get punched repeatedly in my face before Gerry starts yelling.
"Alright! Stop stop stop! Mikael!" Gerry yells, jumping into the ring between Mikael and I.
"Why he fight me?" Mikael asks and Gerry sighs.
"He cheated on his girlfriend and wants to punish himself for it because she won't." Gerry explains and I roll my eyes as I wipe the blood from my nose. "He's an idiot."
"He is. No cheat on ladies. Bad thing. Bad person." Mikael says in his broken english before walking away.
"I didn't need your help!" I snarled at Gerry.
"Don't push me away Peet. Come on, let's go. I'm starving. Come back to mine yeah?" Gerry asks as he picks up my stuff and I shrug at him. "So was it worth it? Did it hurt?" Gerry asks suddenly.
"Not until you said she was my girlfriend." I mutter and then wince.