Katniss-
I'm used to waking up early to hunt, I can hear that Mr. Mellark is already down stairs working when I open my eyes. I grab the bag with my clothes and hurry into the bathroom to shower and dress before Peeta wakes up. Last night, after I heard him take a shower, I heard him get into bed. All I could do was face the other way and replay the day's events in my head. He must not have had any nightmares for the rest of the night because his breathing stayed slow and rhythmic.
After I shower, I dress and braid my hair, neatly tucking all of my things into the bag that I brought. I forgo the bra; the bakery is so hot that I don't need it. I mostly wear it, or an undershirt, when it starts to get cooler during the days, right now it's only cool at night. I stash the bag close to my bed, gather the dishes from last night before heading down stairs to help Mr. Mellark. I steal one last look at Peeta before I go down. He looks so handsome with his freshly washed curls and no shirt, wrapped in the sheets from his bed.
"Good morning, Mr. Mel- um, Wheat."
"Ah, Katniss. You're up early! How did the night go? Were you comfortable, have everything that you need?" I hope he can't tell that I was completely uncomfortable, but not in the way he would think.
"Yes, I am always up before the sun. Everything went well, Peeta woke during the night screaming. I think he had a fever, so I came down to make him some tea and got him something to eat. He seemed much better after that, and no other nightmares." I start to pause, I'm not sure if I should say anything else… "he also told me about Mrs. Mellark hitting him, it made him really upset and I told him that we shouldn't talk about it right then."
"My poor boy, I hope he knows that I won't ever let that happen to him or his brothers again. Thank you again for being here. I know that your mother spoke with Ms. Macey and you were excused from school today and tomorrow." Ms. Macey is a tall, thin, angry woman and also the school principle. But my mother and her were friends when they were younger and they have always cut Prim some slack on attendance when she has to go on appointments with my mother.
"That sounds great, since I'm here – do you need any help with anything? Peeta is still asleep. I could pretty much help with any task, but you might have to tell me what to do."
"How about you go get us a few eggs from the coop and we will start with breakfast." He says with a wink.
Mr. Mellark and I have breakfast, he made something called French toast. He says it's something his grandmother used to make before the Dark Days. It was day old bread dipped in the eggs that I fetched from the coop out back, with cinnamon and cream. The breakfast was wonderful and he even promised to make it for Prim and my mother as well. I helped make rolls and he even showed me how to make crackers. It was easy and I think it was the only thing that I could do without messing it up. I really like spending time with him. He has those dad qualities that I've missed. Even though my dad and I would have spent time in the woods together, not in a kitchen, it was still nice to be there with him.
At some point, Rye and Dan came downstairs. Mr. Mellark was telling us a story about how he got his pants caught on the window sill when he was trying to sneak back into his house after a date when he was a teenager. He would never say who he had been out with, he only blushed harder when Rye asked him who he had snuck out to see. We all laughed until our sides hurt. We must have woken Peeta because he came down stairs immediately after. He looked so much better than he had just a day ago. The color was in his cheeks and he had his beautiful smile on. It was hard not to return it.
Mr. Mellark and the boys ran up to hug him, patting him on the back, making sure he was okay. Rye asked if I was taking good care of him and I immediately turned red and pretended not to hear.
Peeta and I sat at the table while Mr. Mellark, Dan and Rye all mixed and baked different items. I watched closely as Peeta painted a beautiful sunset over the beach on a cake for the window. He looked so focused as he would bite his tongue when he was really concentrating. I made an attempt at icing a cookie and everyone had a good laugh when we compared it to Peeta's, my consolation prize was that I got to eat my cookie. It was the second best cookie that I had ever eaten, right behind Prim's birthday cookies. I can't believe that it's only been a little over a week ago, so much has happened since then.
Prim stopped by on her way to school to check on Peeta and I. She was ecstatic when Mr. Mellark packed a small bag of cookies, crackers and a roll for her to take to school. She promised to come back by after school, on her way home.
Dan, Rye and Mr. Mellark all started to open up the shop as I escorted Peeta upstairs to lay back down. We could all tell he was getting tired after frosting his second dozen cookies. I made him some tea and brought the medicine upstairs with me, in case he couldn't sleep.
In his room, I closed the drapes and shut the door to try and block out some of the daily noises that come with running a store front. I convinced Peeta to drink the tea and rubbed some ointment and herbs over his stitches, nothing looked too red or swollen. He refused to take even a couple drops of the morphling.
"Katniss, will you stay with me while I sleep?" I can't tell if he wants me to stay or if he just doesn't want to be alone.
"Sure, Peeta, I'll stay with you. Are you sure you don't need any medice-", as I look up at him he's taking off his jeans to get into bed, I whip around and cover my eyes. I've never actually seen a man get undressed before, I've never even seen Gale take his clothes off and I've slept over at their house before.
He's clearly laughing at me. "I'm just getting into bed, Katniss. I have shorts on. But can you please help me take my shirt off, so I don't wipe off the medicine off that you put on me?" I wonder if he really needs help or he just wants to make me feel even more uncomfortable. But, I am here to help and that's what's putting food on my family's table.
"Sure, um, lift your arms for me." I carefully put his arms through to the inside, I gently run my fingers up his chest and spread my fingers around the collar of his shirt. He puts his hands over mine and we guide it up over his head. His curls fall back down to his forehead. His shirt drops to the floor and his hands never leave mine, his eyes also never leave my gaze. He guides my hands back down to his chest and puts them in the center. I can feel his heart beating; he covers both my tiny hands with one of his while he wraps the other arm around me. Peeta pulls me closer to him, until my breasts are pressed against his chest. The hand that was holding mine moves up to my chin, he tilts my head up to his and he moves his lips towards my ear, along my jawline.
"Thank you for being here with me." His voice is so low and raspy, it's like his whispers go straight to my middle. He presses his lips to my cheek, pulls away from me and turns to get into bed. I can literally feel my wetness soaking into my panties.
He holds up the blankets, like he's asking me to get in with him. "Take your pants off first, you can't get in bed with pants on." He gives the same wink as his father, but it has a much different effect of me.
I go into the bathroom; I don't want him to watch me get undressed. I come out wearing my t-shirt that just barely covers below my butt. I shouldn't get into his bed; this is what my mom warned me about. I can see him watching me, even though the room is almost completely dark. I think I hear him give a soft moan that he was trying to hide. He holds the sheet back up for me and I get in, facing him. Our faces are just inches apart.
He's whispering again, "I just wanted to be close to you."
I'm not sure if it's his whispering or the feeling that we are in a tight space, but I'm doing it too. "Why?"
I can see his smile in the dark and can almost feel his face flush, "because I like you, I have for a long time. I always want to be near you."
"Peeta Mellark, you've never spoken to me until this past week… if you're trying to tell me that you like-like me, well…I won't believe it and just so you know, I will not go to the slagheap with you just so you can never talk to me again or worse." I'm getting angry at him and turned on by being so close, at the same time. I turn to get out of bed, but he takes my wrist in his hand and turns me back towards him.
"Katniss, I do like-like you." He's smiling again, but in a shy way. "I don't want to take you to the slagheap. W-well, I mean I do, but not just for that. I'd go anywhere with you. I was always so afraid to talk to you, I thought you were with Gale for the longest time. Have you ever been with Gale?" He actually seems nervous to ask.
"No, Gale and I are only friends. He helps feed my family when I can't." I don't want to talk about us being hungry when he has so much here, I don't want anyone to feel sorry for us. "I, um, have never been with anyone. Gale did kiss me once, and I punched him." I'm scared to ask if he's been with anyone. I'm still unsure about him liking me, although his words seemed very sincere. And he actually seems happy that I punched Gale.
"Well, I was going to kiss you buuuuut, I'm not sure that I should now. I don't need two black eyes." I can almost hear the smirk on his face in his voice.
Was he really planning on kissing me?
Peeta-
The morning was perfect; I woke to sound of her laughing downstairs. She sounds happy and that makes me happy. I dreamt of her all night, knowing she was just a few feet away from me. I'm not sure that she was truly asleep after I got out of shower, but didn't want to tempt her and I wasn't sure if she heard me moan her name in the bathroom.
I take another quick shower, again to hopefully drown out the sounds of me jerking off to her. The way she looked lying in her bed when I woke to check on her several hours after we went to sleep. The blanket had been pushed down and her shirt had inched up, barely showing her hip bone.
When I went downstairs everyone was laughing and telling stories. This is the atmosphere that I love, no one angry and trying to hit me, everyone is happy. Prim stops in, she's so sweet and caring. She looked over my stitches and nodded approvingly. Dan asked to me decorate a cake for the window, since mother isn't here I can do one that I love: the beach. Katniss watches my piping bags and icing brushes as I make the waves and the birds. I can't help but watch her out of the corner of my eye. She is so beautiful. I went ahead and did a couple sets of cookies to help out, but concentrating so hard was making my head hurt.
Once they opened up the store, father suggested that I go lay down. Katniss, being the attentive caregiver that she is, made me some tea. Upstairs, she put medicine on my head and I try not to let her see me cringe in pain. I also try not to act as tired as I really am. I don't want her to go, I want to wake up and find her still here with me.
"Katniss, will you stay with me while I sleep?" I truly don't know if she will say yes, she takes a minute to answer.
"Sure, Peeta, I'll stay with you. Are you sure you don't need any medice-", she abruptly stops talking and I see her spin around… I really didn't think me taking my pants off for bed would startle her, her mother is a healer after all.
She's so cute, I can't help but laugh. "I'm just getting into bed, Katniss. I have shorts on. But can you please help me take my shirt off, so I don't wipe off the medicine off that you put on me?
"Sure, um, lift your arms for me." My heart skips a beat when she runs her fingers up my chest and helps me pull my shirt off. I can't risk letting her hands go, I don't want to let go of her ever again. I keep hold of her hands and pull her to me. I want to kiss her, her lips look so soft and delicious. Instead I run my lips along her jaw and she moved her face ever so slightly to give me better access to her.
"Thank you for being here with me." I whisper in her ear, I can feel my knees weaken and I pull her tighter for a second. I don't want her too close, because I know she will feel the effect she has on me pressing into her stomach.
I want her back in my bed with me, so I lift up the blanket to invite her in. "Take your pants off first, you can't get in bed with pants on." I give her a quick wink; I see the corner of her lip start to turn upwards.
Katniss goes into the bathroom and returns just a second later, her t-shirt falls just above her thighs and I have to press my dick down to keep it from straining. I'm not sure what to say, so I just lift the sheet back up to offer her a place beside me.
She's so close to me, just inches away. "I just wanted to be close to you."
"Why?" She's so fucking sexy and I can't help but smile. This, THIS is my chance.
"Because I like you, I have for a long time. I always want to be near you."
"Peeta Mellark, you've never spoken to me until this past week… if you're trying to tell me that you like-like me, well…I won't believe it and just so you know, I will not go to the slagheap with you just so you can never talk to me again or worse." Is she angry at me? Is that the only thing she thinks I want from her?
"Katniss, I do like-like you." I can't believe I'm saying this. "I don't want to take you to the slagheap. W-well, I mean I do, but not just for that. I'd go anywhere with you. I was always so afraid to talk to you, I thought you were with Gale for the longest time. Have you ever been with Gale?" I'm not really sure if I want to hear about her fucking Gale.
"No, Gale and I are only friends. He helps feed my family when I can't." I want to be the man that helps her, does anything and everything for her and her family. "I, um, have never been with anyone. Gale did kiss me once, and I punched him." Well, that's kindof a relief, it would be worth the punch to kiss her lips.
"Well, I was going to kiss you buuuuut, I'm not sure that I should now. I don't need two black eyes." She's smiling.
"Katniss, there is something that's blurry in my mind…could you tell me if something is real or not real?" I want to ask her about the kiss last night.
"Yes, of course. My mother said that might happen. What is it that you can't remember?" Ugh, surely it was a dream.
"Well, I remember being on the table yesterday or maybe it was Saturday night – I, um, I'm not sure exactly. But you were right there, and you, um, kissed me? Was that real?"
"Oh, I – um – real."
It was real!