And this is my "calm before the storm" chapter...
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Disclaimer: I own nothing. Just working with the idea.
"Go out with me?" Peeta asks as he kisses her neck.
"I don't like going out." Katniss tells him.
"Come on, I can only cook so much for you."
"I like our stay-at-home dates." She blushes before finishing. "They're nice."
Their dates usually ended with them tangled in the sheets, not that either of them minded. But Peeta had asked if they were going to persue a relationship that they date. So they settled for small, intimate dinners just the two of them at home. It was a battle to get Katniss to go out otherwise. Looking at the circumstances, Peeta knew it was better for her to be that way. The last thing they needed was to have Katniss out in the open.
"Alright." He kisses her. "But it's still an occasion to celebrate." Peeta pulls away, leaving Katniss confused. She watches Peeta go upstairs and return moments later with a big box.
"Peeta what the hell is that?" Katniss points at the box.
"Today is officially six months since we've been in this mess." He places the box on a nearby table.
"Peeta, I didn't get you anything."
"Just go on a real date with me when we get out of this." Peeta embraces her again and kisses her.
"Peeta-" Katniss tries to decline again, but Peeta cuts her off.
"Okay. Okay. You can make it up to me upstairs later." He kisses her again. She laughs against his lips. Peeta soothingly runs his hands up and down her arms. "Go ahead. Open it!"
Katniss opens the box. Inside is a beautifully carved wooden bow. Her fingers gently trace the design carved into it. A smile creeps up on her face as the design becomes more intricate and more familiar.
"You told me your father used to have one like it. I remember the way your eyes lit up when you described it to me. I tried my best to bring it to life."
"It's beautiful, Peeta."
"Yea? Because I could-" He's cutoff by Katniss lips crashing onto his. She runs her hands through his hair, trying desperately to bring him closer to her.
"Thank you. It's the best gift I've ever gotten." She gives him another kiss before going back to admire the woodwork.
"You want to go try it out?" Peeta asks. Katniss happily takes the bow and quiver and throws them over her shoulder. She practically drags Peeta to their favorite neck of the woods.
When they get there, Peeta sits on the ground to lean against a tree and admires the view that is Katniss with a lethal weapon. After a few minutes of watching her shoot a few arrows in silence, Peeta finally speaks.
"So this is what you do all day at work?" Katniss turns her head back to him with a smile.
"Fun, right?" She fires another arrow. Peeta watches her line up a particularly difficult shot, blocked by trees and a good distance away making Peeta squint a little.
"What exactly are you trying to hit?" He asks.
"That gong on top of that Chinese restaurant."
"I don't think even you're that good." Peeta throws his arms behind his head. Katniss can only smirk as she releases the arrow. A few seconds later a gong rings out and Peeta's eyes go wide for a moment. "Never mind."
Katniss loads another arrow, then turns back to Peeta. "Have you ever done this before?"
"Nope." Peeta says. Katniss goes over to him and gives him her hand. He takes it and she pulls him up.
"Something else to teach you. I'm just on a roll this week!" Katniss says with a smile. She places the bow in Peeta's hands and stands behind him. She places his hands in position and slightly raises his arms.
"So…What do I do?"
"Pull on the string!" Peeta gives her a face as she laughs at him. She kisses him on the cheek. "But really, pull on the string, like this. Aim by looking there." Katniss shows him.
"Okay…" Peeta does as he's told. He pulls the string back, releasing it, but the arrow falls to the floor. Peeta sighs. "I suck."
Katniss chuckles, "It's okay." She picks up the arrow and hands it to him. "Here. I'll guide you this time." Katniss places her hands over his. When she does, it's almost like an electric shock that courses through her body. She swallows, quickly trying to refocus. It wasn't a bad shock, just unexpected. A feeling of comfort, safety, and something else that she wasn't sure of ran through her. As she looked up at him, he smiles sweetly down at her. Did he feel what she just felt? Peeta turns back to the bow. Katniss pulls the string back, still unfocused. Her head leans in to him as she kisses him on the side of his neck. Peeta turns back to her. They hold each other's gaze for a moment, before leaning in for another kiss. The arrow flies moments later. Peeta drops the bow and turns to Katniss.
"Did I hit something?" Peeta asks before capturing her lips in a heated kiss. Katniss only shakes her head.
"I don't know, Peeta." She throws her arms around him before continuing to kiss him. Katniss pushes against him causing Peeta to backtrack. Eventually, he stumbles over something and falls into the pile of leaves. They fall back together in a fit of laughter. Staring up into his eyes, Katniss felt that feeling again. She had never felt the way she was feeling before. The butterflies in her stomach were working overtime, spreading up to her heart.
"Peeta, I like you." Peeta chuckles.
"I like you, too." He kisses her sweetly but Katniss pulls away.
"No, Peeta. I think I really like you."
"I really like you, too." Katniss plays with his shirt nervously.
"I never wanted this, Peeta."
"What's that?"
"Like…" She hesitates. "Love…" Peeta smiles at her.
"Love? Katniss what are you saying?"
"I'm not saying anything, Peeta…I just…I don't know…." Katniss hides her face in the crook of his neck.
"You think I wanted this? Ever?" Katniss looks up at him with a curious expression. "I never wanted to fall in love, have a wife, or kids. None of that was ever on the agenda."
"Really?" Katniss asks. She figured when he told her about him being the last Mellark, Katniss thought that he would be adamant about having his own family.
"No. I don't really meet any decent women and the thought of having children scares me. I mean, my job is dangerous. The last thing I would want is to leave the woman I love or my children because I was killed at work." Peeta runs his hand through her hair. "That pain is something I never want anyone to experience."
Peeta seemed like her perfect match. He wasn't looking for marriage or children. Neither was Katniss. That kind of commitment scared Katniss. That someone could love so strongly only to lose them. But if Katniss wasn't mistaken, she was falling for Peeta. Again, that scared her, but maybe it wouldn't be so bad to put her feelings first; to let herself fall in love with the amazing man that was Peeta. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if they eventually got married. They never had to have children, which was another thing that scared her. Katniss had to grow up fast after her mother checked out. Prim needed her and she wasn't about to abandon her little sister. She had basically raised her baby sister and it was no picnic. She never wanted to have any children because of it.
But then Katniss thought about what he had said about his work. Of course his job was dangerous and there was a good chance that something could happen to Peeta while on the job. That thought didn't sit well with Katniss. It made her uncomfortable to think of Peeta hurt, or dead. A sharp pain strikes her heart.
"I mean, not until you." Peeta says snapping Katniss out of her thoughts. She looks up him with a smile. "I wouldn't mind making you the real Mrs. Mellark."
"Maybe I wouldn't mind that either." Katniss couldn't believe what she had just said. Sure she had thought it, but to say it was a whole different story.
"Okay, but first that date and some more of that lovin' you're so good at."