Peeta's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates but he still reached for me, as though it were instinct. I wrapped my arms around him and fat, salty tears soaked the font of Peeta's T- shirt. He cradled me to him, not daring to say anything. When I finally pulled away, I rubbed my eyes and said, "Sorry about your shirt, Peeta."
Peeta looked at me as though I was insane. "My shirt? I don't care about my shirt!."
"I know." I finished drying my eyes and looked up at him. "So what now?"
Peeta shook his head slowly, the information I had just given him still settling in. "Um… I—food. I'm starving." He smiled weakly and patted his stomach.
I didn't blame him for being slightly psychotic. If he felt anything like I did, he was acting way better than me. "Er… Yeah. I am really hungry, too, but isn't it too early for dinner?" I looked around the hallway for a clock, but seeing as how it was a hallway, it didn't have one.
"Yeah, it is, but I snuck some of the leftover bread and cookies from last night's dinner. It's in my room." So Peeta and I walked to his room, taking our time.
"Do you mind if I crash on your bed tonight?" I mumbled, pressing my face against a pillow. After we had stuffed ourselves with the food Peeta had, we just sat on his bed and found shapes in the cracks on the wall.
"Not at all. You go to sleep." Peeta stretched out next to me and put his arms behind his head. After that, I fell into a deep, restless sleep.
In my dream I was back at the lake in District 12. The water was clear and warm as I swam through it. Just then, I saw someone coming and I got out quickly to see who it was.
The man had a light olive complex and jet black hair. Even though I hadn't seen him in years, I knew immediately who he was.
"Father!" I cried, running towards him, though I couldn't hear myself. My father smiled kindly at me and held his arms out. I jumped into them and wrapped my arms around him, sobbing.
"Katniss…" My father sounded amused. "Are you still asleep?"
What? I'm wide awake! I lifted my head to tell Father that, but it wasn't my dad I was hugging tightly and crying onto. It was Peeta.
I sighed. "Sorry, Peeta." Almost reluctantly, I drew away from him and rubbed my eyes. "Stupid hormones making me so freaking' emotional…"
"And tired." Peeta laughed. "You slept sixteen hours."
"What? Just—never mind." I took a few deep breaths. "I want to talk to you. Yesterday I was avoiding the subject, but I can't procrastinate any longer."
"Yeah, same here…" Peeta bit his lip and looked down at his hands. I reached over and gripped one tightly in reassurance. "So, here's the thing…"
PEETA'S POV
I remembered when she walked out of the doctors' office, face tight and shocked, cheeks still shiny with tears. Then hearing that she had Gale's child inside her shocked me as well. I wasn't surprised exactly, and I knew that there was a chance of it happening, but it didn't register in my head until it actually happened.
Part of me loathed the child and wanted to have nothing to do with it because it was Gale's baby. Conceived by Gale and half Gale. The other part of my loved and adored the baby because it was half Katniss. The girl who was my whole world. I felt guilty of telling her that I wanted her to be pregnant with our child, but I really didn't know what I wanted and it was a selfish ct, no matter how true. But now Katniss is pregnant, I don't know what to think.
As I voiced all of this to Katniss (I thought it would be unfair to keep it from her), she listened patiently, only her facial expressions giving her away.
"I understand that," she said when I was done. "I'm really shocked about it too, but it's my baby. Don't hate him. Or her."
"I don't hate him." I smiled sadly. "I am just insanely jealous of Gale, that's all."
Katniss closed her eyes and laced her fingers over her stomach. "Ha-ha."
"' Ha-ha'? Jeez, Katniss." I grinned. "May I? Katniss opened her eyes to see what I meant. My hand was partially outstretched towards her abdomen. Katniss nodded.
It was odd, touching her stomach that actually had a baby in it. A memory from the Quarter Quell came flitting back to me. Katniss and I laying on the sandy arena, waiting for sleep to come. I told her that she would make a great mother and I touched her stomach to add for the charade. Bu this time there was no charade. An actual baby was in there.
"What are you thinking of?" Katniss brought me back down to Earth.
"Us being on the beach in the Quell," When I said that, her lips tightened. The topic of the Games was a very touchy subject for her. "Sorry. I didn't mean to upset you."
"No, it's okay. Really." Katniss' face smoothed out into a normal expression and she smiled.
"So what are you thinking of?" I asked her. It was only fair that if she knew my thought I know hers.
"I am thinking of how hungry I am." Katniss closed her eyes again.
"But you ate all of my food stash yesterday! I don't have any left, so you will just have to wait until lunch."
"Well sorry," She said sarcastically.
I laid my cheek on the top of her head and we sat like that for a while.
After fifteen minutes, I couldn't stand the silence anymore. "Hey Katniss?"
"Hm?" She opened her eyes again and looked up at me.
"Well, your mother and Prim are under the impression you aren't married to me and aren't carrying our child, right? And you can't exactly tell them the baby is Gale's, right? Don't you think it would be much easier if we both get married and said the child was mine?" I hoped that Katniss wouldn't be as upset this time as she was the last time I spoke what was on my mind
"Yes, it would be." To my immense relief, Katniss smiled up at me. "It would make things so much easier."
I was taken aback. I didn't think she would agree. "Oh. Yeah, okay. Do you want to go to the green house to kill some time before lunch? And on the way we can stop by the Judge's office to get the papers,"
"Sure. I have to stop by my room to shower and change clothes first," She patted her stomach and got up.
"I should do that too," I got up with her.