Coffee and Classics
Hey all! Thanks for reviewing on that last chapter, it was fun to write! And now, you will all find out Gale's fate! Enjoy!
I do NOT own The Hunger Games.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE:
"WHAT?!" I scream. I look over to Johanna and see her mouth hanging open, unable to speak. Then I look at Peeta, his glass is in midair, obviously about to take a sip when Gale spoke; his eyes are bugling and he looks at Gale in disbelief. I glance around the table and every one looks the same—mouth open and eyes wide. Apparently, I'm the only one who can speak.
"Gale, you haven't even seen her in a year! How the fuck can you be the father?" Gale suddenly looks away from me, down at the table, and picks at the molding.
"Um, that's not entirely true." He says, finally sitting back down next to Johanna. She moves closer to Delly, not wanting to touch Gale; it breaks my heart. "We had a blackslide."
My eyes bulge and rage rips through me. "When?" I sneer, my teeth clenched.
"About six months ago. I didn't know that she had just started dating Marvel—I thought she was still single. When we were done she said that it was a mistake because we didn't want the same things and she kicked me out."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
He grimaces. "Because I knew you would give me the look you're giving me right now: a scowl with the perfect combination of lividness and disappointment." I nod, understanding. That's exactly how I feel right now, and it doesn't surprise me at all that he knows my face that well.
"Well that still doesn't mean you're the father," Peeta finally pops up returning us back to the topic at hand, setting his glass down on the table. Gale nods, rubbing his eyebrow with his left hand.
"I said that too. And then she said she went to the doctor, and they have the ability to state the day of conception within a few days. And she hadn't slept with Marvel yet until two weeks after us…" he trails off and leans down, putting his head in his hands. "Fuck me."
"Does Marvel know?" Peeta asks, his sympathizing eyes on Gale's sunken head.
"No. She just found out the conception date a few days ago, and she wanted to talk to me and see what I would do about it before she told him. She wants to know if I want to be a part of its life." He cringes slightly. "His life." I take a shuttering breath. Holy fuck, it's a boy.
Johanna moves finally, and places a quivering hand on his shoulder. He barely acknowledges it, but suddenly he moves his head and locks eyes with me.
"Katniss. You know I don't want kids. We always talked about how we couldn't have kids. What the fuck am I gonna do?" I stiffen slightly as I see Peeta looking at me shocked in the corner of my eye.
"Gale. Fuck what we said back then—it's kind of moot point right now. You have to decide if you want to be a part of his life. I know it's got to be terrifying, but Gale, do you really want to be like your father?"
Gale's father was extremely absent. He knocked up his mom and then left her, sending her child support checks, though Gale's mother was wealthy on her own. Every once and a while he popped in to say hello to Gale, write him a check, and then leave again. There's no one Gale hates more than his dad, and it's a big reason why he never wanted kids; he was afraid he would be a shitty father, just like his.
A wave of pain crosses Gale's somber face, and he shakes head softly. Then he gets up.
"I've gotta go think about this shit," he says, running his hands though his hair. Then he looks at Johanna. "I'll call you later." Quickly, Gale darts out of the restaurant, and we see him run past the window, in the direction Madge went.
The brunch kind of died after Gale's news, and we all ate our food in silence. Peeta occasionally looked at me in shock or sadness, I couldn't really tell, because I didn't look back. We all parted ways, Thresh and Delly leaving together and everyone else leaving by themselves. Peeta and I walked slowly back to my apartment in silence, his hand on my lower back. It wasn't until we were shucking off our jackets and placing them on the kitchen island that Peeta finally spoke up.
"You've had your period recently, right?" he asks, fear dripping into his concerned voice. I turn to look at him, shocked.
"Seriously?" I ask, annoyed. He nods his head, looking ashamed. I take pity on him. "Yes. While we were in our fight." I'm slightly embarrassed, even having to reveal that shit to him in the first place, but he exhales and the tension eases from his shoulders.
"I'm sorry to even ask, but fuck, after that news…" he trails off. I nod. I'm still in shock that Gale and Madge even had a backslide. They seemed so unlikely to just have sex and leave again. I move across the kitchen island and wrap my arms about him; my front is pressed to his back and I squeeze him gently.
"That won't be us. And plus, if I was pregnant you would know by my constant screaming and cursing. " I say, trying to relieve the tension. But it seems to have the opposite effect; he stiffens.
"Then it's true what Gale said." He starts. "You don't want kids."
I pull my arms away from him. Son of a bitch, we're having this conversation? "Peeta…" I trail off, hoping he takes the hint that I really don't want to talk about it. He doesn't. He turns to me, his eyes questioning.
"How could you not want to have kids, Katniss?" he asks, incredulous. "You've been a mother to Prim basically her whole life."
"That's one of the reasons why I don't. I've practically been a mom since I was seven, why would I want to do it for the rest of my life as well?" I state, waving my hands in exasperation. I really don't want to have this conversation yet. Or ever.
"And what are your other reasons?"
"Does it matter?!" I practically yell, no longer exasperated but angry.
"Yes! Please enlighten me on why you wouldn't want to be a mother." Peeta seems to be just as angry as I am.
"My parents, Peeta! Obviously!" I scream. Peeta pauses, his anger slowly fading. His blue eyes suddenly turn sad, and I have to turn away from them. "I could never put my potential children in the kind of pain and trauma I went through when I lost my parents."
Peeta takes a small step towards me, and puts his hand on my chin, pulling it to look at his face. "So that's why you never let anyone in? Because if something happens to you, you want to leave as much destruction and pain as possible."
It's barely a question, but all I can do is nod at his ability to read my mind. He slips out an incredulous half-laugh. I look at him, glaring and try to move away. He's seriously laughing at me? But he grabs my arm pulls me back.
"Baby, I love you, more than anything. But that is an impossible task. Everyone you let in, even for a second, falls for you. You're loving, smart, kind, funny, sexy, caring—you're simply incredible. And you can't not let people in because you want to prevent them harm, because in the end, it hurts you." He plants a soft kiss on my forehead. "And I don't want anyone to hurt you, especially you."
He leans down and rests his head nuzzles his head into my neck as he wraps his arms around my waist and pulling to him. Our bodies mold together, and I let my anger fade and drape my arms around his muscled shoulders.
"I want two." He breathes into my neck. "A boy and a girl." I smile softly at his meticulous planning.
"Well, you're lucky you don't have to carry them around for nine months," I laugh, pulling away from him; he laughs too. I move to the cupboard and pull out two glasses and fill them with water from the tap. I hand one to him and he mumbles a thanks. He chugs his greedily, and then sets it in the sink. Then he turns to me, his eyes glowing.
"For the record, you'd be an amazing mother." He half smiles, and moves into the living room, leaving me reeling.
"I'm gonna go to her," Gale's voice carries into my ear through the phone. His breathing is labored, like he's jogging. "I don't want to be a dad, but you were right, it doesn't matter what I want, because now I am. And I can't leave him hanging."
I take a deep breath, relieved. I knew that Gale would hate himself if he didn't step up, and I'm glad I didn't have to beat the shit out of him to make him do it.
"Thank god, Gale. You're doing the right thing, buddy." I say, smiling, even though he can't see me.
"Thanks, Catnip. I'm scared shitless, though." He chuckles uncomfortably.
"Understandable. What are you going to do about the Madge aspect of this whole thing?"
"I honestly don't know. I always thought we'd up together, you know that. And this kid might push us in that direction. But, Jo…I think I have some serious feelings for her. I just hope she can be with me even though I'll have a kid." He laughs loudly and disbelievingly. "Fuck! I'll have a kid!"
"Yeah. You will." I'm a little shocked myself. I pictured Gale having a kid even less than me having a kid. He just never seemed like the fathering type. But, he can't do anything about that now. "Call me later, when you've talked to Madge and everything."
"I will." The line goes dead, and I lean over Peeta to set my phone back on my nightstand. He looks up at me.
"He's stepping up?" he asks, setting his big left hand on my bare knee. I give him a nod. "Good for him. It's the right thing to do." I nod again and lie down next to him—where I was when I got Gale's call. I look at the clock, and see that it's past midnight. Peeta and I had just laid down when the phone rang, interrupting our kiss.
"Yeah, it is." I move my head until it's next to his on his pillow and place my hand on his bare chest, running my pinkie finger along the indentation of his pec muscle. He turns his head towards mine and plants a sweet, lingering kiss on my lips. He rubs his hand up and down my shirt-clad back. Peeta asked me to wear some of his clothes to bed tonight, and I was only too happy to do so. They are way too big, but they smell like him—like fresh bread and man; it's mouthwatering.
"Goodnight, love." He plants another soft kiss on my lips, and closes his eyes. I hook my leg through his and take a deep breath, willing myself into a deep slumber. But it doesn't work.
Blood rains out of the sky, drenching me. I run down the block, searching, looking. Then I see it. I see her. I run over to her form, crumpled on the wet cement.
"Prim?" I ask, shaking her. But she doesn't respond. I shake her again. "PRIM! Please wake up, please." I begin to sob, my words getting garbled and spit dripping out of my mouth. But it's not spit. It's more blood.
Then a shadow comes over us, and I glance up, screaming and crying.
"Seriously, baby?" Peeta sneers at me. "You had to kill your sister, too?"
"Katniss, baby, wake up!" Peeta screams, shaking me awake. My eyes pop open and I see him looking down at me. He takes a deep breath. "Thank fuck, Katniss. I've been shaking you for ten minutes." He leans down and picks me up and cradles me in his arms as silent tears begin to stream down my face.
"You'll be okay, Katniss. I'm here for you, always." He places a kiss on my forehead and rocks me back and forward, soothing me.
"Prim," I choke, pressing my face into his neck. "I need to see her." Peeta nods his head and moves to the edge of the mattress. When his feet hit the floor he stands up, still holding me and leaves the room. We walk across the hall and he gently pushes Prim's door open with his hip.
I exhale, relief flooding me as I see Prim curled up in bed, her blankets twisted up in her legs. Peeta kisses the top of head.
"She's okay, Katniss." He breathes against my hair. We stand in the doorway, watching her, for several minutes, until I place my head back on his shoulder and nod. He takes the hint and leaves, casting once last glance over his shoulder at Prim as we exit her room. He places me on my back on the bed and lies down next to me, setting his right hand on my neck as he lies on his side.
I'm glad this nightmare didn't leave me screaming like they did last time Peeta was with me, but the constant flow of tears and shuddering breathes leaves me exhausted after twenty minutes. Peeta's eyes never leave my face, and he continues to graze his thumb along my cheek reassuringly. My eyes begin to droop, the tears fading, and Peeta leans in to kiss my lip softly. He leans his forehead against the side on mine and sighs deeply.
"I love you," he whispers, his warm breath tickling my cheek. I nod slowly, and move my face so our foreheads are fully pressed together. I kiss him again, and place my left hand on his cheek too. And that's how we fall asleep.
When I wake up, the sun is just starting to rise. Peeta is lightly snoring, his head tucked into the crook of my neck and his left hand tucked under my shirt and resting at the bottom of my rib cage. I exhale deeply, willing the memory of last night's nightmare out of my head. It's the first time Peeta has been in one of them and it threw me for a loop. I never wanted Peeta to be a victim of my screwed-up nightmares, but it looks like that hope flew right out the window. I rub his arm that lies across my body, reassuring myself that he's still here—loving me. His snores falter slightly, but he just smacks his lips loudly and nuzzles deeper into my neck before they start up again. I smile down at him.
Today we will talk to Prim. I realize that it's crazy to even be considering moving in with him, but I love him. And he loves both me and Prim. So fuck logic. That I even found someone as perfect as Peeta is amazing in itself, but the fact that he actually likes me, well that's a damn miracle.
A half an hour later, Peeta finally begins to stir when I start playing with his messy, blonde hair.
"Morning," he whispers into my neck, then plants a wet kiss on my collarbone.
"Morning," I run my fingers through his hair again, and he groans.
"I love it when you do that." I feel him smile into my neck and I smile too. He tilts his head up and finally looks into my eyes. His ocean blue eyes look concerned; he cups my face with his right hand. "How are you feeling after last night?"
"Okay." I whisper, and lean in a few inches to press my lips against his. It's barely even a graze of our lips, but fire spreads across my skin. My other hand moves into his hair as well and I clutch his face to mine, my fingers pulling slightly at the soft strands. Peeta's surprise at my response quickly diminishes and he responds by moving his hand up my side and under my bra and begins to rub me enticingly. A knock on the door causes us to break apart.
"Katniss, Peeta, can I come in?" Prim calls from the other side of the door. Peeta slips his hand out from under my shirt and sets it on my side. He pulls the covers up a little bit as I let my hands drop from his hair.
"Of course, Prim," Peeta calls back. The door opens and Prim walks into my room, her blonde hair ratted.
"Why are up so early, little duck?" I ask when she sits down on the edge of my edge. She glares at me; she kind of hates the nick name I gave her when she was six. But I can't seem to shake it; to be honest, I don't even remember how it came to be, but I like it just the same.
"I wanted to talk to you guys. Something's been bothering me lately." I stiffen as worry takes over my body. Prim notices my reaction. "Katniss, take a chill-pill. It's nothing bad." I exhale and then glare at her half-heartedly.
"What is it?" Peeta asks, sitting up in bed.
"Ummm, it's kind of awkward." She states, blushing profusely. My eyebrows quirk up. What could it be? "But I think that we should get a bigger apartment."
"And why is that?" I ask, sitting up too. This is not where I thought this was going to go.
"Because this room is too small for two people," she waves her hands around my bedroom. "And this entire apartment is too small for three people. I mean, come on. We don't even have a couch that fits three people."
"What are you saying, Prim?"I ask, incredulous.
"Peeta asked you, didn't he?" she asks confused, looking at Peeta as his face morphs into smile. "I figured he would—it seems very Peeta-ish."
"Peeta-ish?" he asks, chuckling.
"Yeah. Peeta-ish: things that pertain to the personality of Peeta Mellark. Examples include, baking cookies, painting pictures with a lot of orange, comforting someone whilst cradling them like a baby or asking someone to move in together even though they've only been dating for a few months. Peeta-ish." I can't help but laugh, and we all start cracking up while Peeta gives me a shy smile. When the laughing dies out, Peeta nods at Prim.
"Yeah, I asked her. And we wanted to talk to you. About logistics and whatnot." Peeta glances at me quickly, then continues. "I love your sister, you know that. And I love you too. You're the little sister I never had." He cups her face with his right hand and lets his thumb graze across her cheek once; she gives me a smile, her eyes glassy. "But, moving in is a big step, as Katniss pointed out; especially because I'd be moving in with the both of you, and not just Katniss. So we wanted to know how you would feel about it. If you would be uncomfortable, even a little bit, we wouldn't do it. And yes, we would move out of this apartment. It'd be too cramped, and I would want a place which we could all start together." He gives her a big smile, and let's his hand drop from her face.
"Well, I would be fine with it. More than fine; I'd be thrilled. But, obviously, it's up to Katniss. I'll leave you two to chat." She gets up off the bed, and moves towards the door; she pauses before she exits and turns back to us. "And I was thinking, maybe some place closer to campus? That would be nice." She smiles quickly, and leaves, closing the door behind her.
Peeta looks at me while he slowly lowers himself until he's flat on his back again. "Well I was not expecting that." He says, chuckling. He scratches his abs, and I try not to stare as the muscles ripple.
"Neither was I," I say, still reeling from Prim. Slowly, a smile spreads across my face as I get an idea. I scooch to the edge of the bed, and lean down to grab my laptop off the floor; I move back to Peeta's side and open it.
"What are you doing?" he asks, placing his hand on my thigh, over his boxers that I'm wearing.
"Searching for apartments near campus. Prim was right; that would be nice." Peeta moves his hand and closes my laptop slowly, causing me to withdraw my fingers before they get trapped; I turn to him. "What are you do—"
Before I can finish my sentence his lips are crushed to mine. He moves my laptop off my lap and sets it somewhere, but I don't pay attention—I focus entirely on him as his tongue thrusts into my mouth deliberately. He sucks on my bottom lip and I moan as he pulls my body down onto his. He runs his hands up my back, under my shirt and grasps my shoulders in his big hands.
"I can't believe you are agreeing to this," he whispers against my lips as I move my hands to his neck.
"It's extremely crazy," I pant into his mouth. "But I don't care." He's obviously pleased by my verbal response, because he moves his hands down to cup my ass. He grinds himself against my hips, and I feel how ready he is.
"We need thicker walls, in our new apartment," I gasp as Peeta rolls over so he's on top; he rips his boxers down my legs, and then repeats the action with himself. "So we can be as loud as we want."
"Absolutely. But for now, I'll just watch you bite your lip." And then he moves into me, filling me completely in one thrust. And bite my lip I do, trying to stifle a loud moan.
Peeta's movements are controlled and slow, reveling in the moment; it's not rushed, but methodical. He nips at my neck, and whispers "I love you" into my ear. I splay my hands over his shoulders, one of my favorite parts of his body, and feel the muscles move under his skin with his rhythm.
It's over a half an hour later when Peeta's thrusts quicken—obviously close to a release. I nibble his ear and move my hand to squeeze his bare cheeks and he comes, moaning my name into my neck; I fall for the second time and pant his name into his ear as I finish.
"I can't believe we're doing this." Peeta whispers against my neck after our tremors have ceased. "I was half expecting you to laugh in my face or run in the opposite direction."
I run my fingers up and down his spine. "I'm scared," I admit, kissing his cheek. He removes his head from my neck and looks into my eyes, worry filling his. "But, I have a feeling it will all work out."
He cups my face with his large hands, and leans his forehead against mine. "Yes. It will."