Entry tags:
THG: Five, Ten, Fifteen (3/3)
Title: Five, Ten, Fifteen (3/3)
Author:![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
amaliak
Fandom: The Hunger Games
Characters: Katniss Everdeen/Peeta Mellark
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: post-Mockingjay
DISCLAIMER: I don’t own these characters. Please give all yourmoney love to Susanne Collins.
Summary: He begged her for years. It’s the only thing he’d ever really asked of her. Ten more years.
Author Notes: Thank you to all who've been reading this!
Part I: FIVE
Part II: TEN
FIFTEEN
I couldn't even really say when it started.
I hadn't sung in years, not really. But one day, I was in the yard, pulling up weeds from the melon patch when I started humming a tune, something light without any structure.
Later, Peeta nearly choked on his breakfast when I shuffled into the kitchen singing the catchy chorus of one of the new songs coming over the Panem radio that Greasy Sae liked to listen to sometimes.
Pretty soon, I was doing it all the time, humming something or other around the house. It made Peeta grin in a way that made him seem younger, even with that scruffy beard he'd gotten into the habit of wearing (I liked it, even though I asked him every day to shave it). Sometimes, he'd try to join me, and it almost always ended with the two of us on the floor gasping with laughter at just how off key he was and at the ridiculous lyrics we'd make up for the bits we didn't remember.
Haymitch caught us at this one time and mentioned brusquely that we were crazy to be behaving like that while sober. And to stay away from his geese. Peeta responded by singing a verse in his honor and I blew him a kiss. Haymitch's responding glare had us laughing even harder.
The other thing that had started were the dreams. I'd had "dreams" before, things that were mostly bright colors and ethereal shapes with soft sounds replacing the nightmares that had hadn't actually stopped entirely but simply less frequent. But now, I was starting to really dream.
Mostly, I dreamt of the past, of my father and the lake, the quiet calm of hunting alone, my mother's hands as she combed my hair. I dreamt of Lady and Prim giggling with Buttercup in her lap. I dreamt of things that had never happened, of five year old Peeta helping me make mud pies, of Madge's wedding dress, of Cinna and Portia designing the layout of my garden.
I dreamt of teaching Rue to swim out in the lake, just as my father had taught me. We laughed and giggled and she held me tight, smiling like someone far older while she told me that it was all okay to admit what I want.
Dr. Aurelius tells me that sometimes dreams are a way for our subconscious to talk to us, a way to work things out. Maybe this was a sign that I was finally ready to see what was good about life, ready to move forward into something not defined by the past.
What did I really want?
I had been asking myself that question for days now, to the point of complete distraction. I look over at Peeta, who is carefully tasting the sauce that he's making, wincing a bit before looking around for something else to add to it. He pauses when he catches me staring, glancing at the half-sliced carrot in my hands. His face grows curious as I continue to stare. "Katniss?"
"Ask me again," I hear myself say.
He's frozen in place, not a single readable thing going across his face.
I know what I want now. I can't say that I'm that surprised when I realize that it's what I've wanted for a long time.
I feel a smile begin to form. "You asked me once, when I wasn't ready," I say, discarding the carrot and cutting knife on the counter and stepping closer to him. I place my hand on his chest where I can feel his heartbeat quickening. "Ask me again now."
He lets out a strangled sound, something between a laugh and a cry but his face is absolutely beaming. He's ecstatic. I'm finally catching up.
He kisses me, hard, everything else in the world forgotten as he presses me against the counter. I laugh a bit, the feeling of giddiness rising up inside me and for once I don't feel the need to push it down. He's kissing his way down me now, light and playful until he comes to kneel before me, both of his hands on either side of my hips, his forehead pressed against my abdomen like he'd done once almost ten year ago.
I run my fingers through his hair, smoothing down the mess of curls as he looks up at me. "Aren't you going to actually ask?" I tease him, giving him my best scowl of indignation I can muster around the grin that just won't leave my face.
He schools his face into complete seriousness and clears his throat. "Katniss Everdeen." His voice actually catches in his throat, and I feel the lump forming in mine.
"Will you marry me?"
Peeta always did know how to say the exact thing that I was least expecting.
We'd been living together for fifteen years and never once in all that time had he ever actually mentioned marriage. After the farce that that had happened with the Capitol and his hijacking, I had always assumed that we'd come to an understanding that engagements and formal ceremonies weren't for us. We belonged to each other. It was never a question.
"W-what?" I hear myself stutter once I can actually form words again.
"It's something I've asked you before," he explains from his position before me, his eyes intense. "You weren't ready then. Hell, I wasn't ready then either and it was all wrong. So...I'm asking you again, now. Will you marry me, Katniss?"
I understand what he means. If we're going to do this...if we're going to start a family, it's going to be right.
I kneel down with him, taking his hands and holding his eyes with mine. "Peeta Mellark, I want be your wife. I want to have your children. I will love you for as long as I'm still breathing. I will always be with you."
Sometimes, I have a way with words too.
He's crushing me to him now and I'm holding onto his just as tightly. From this moment forward, we're starting anew, everything we do will serve a purpose. We're going to change our lives completely and forever and for once it's completely under our control.
We're going to do this right.
Just then Peeta pulls back and holds me at arms length. "Wait, Katniss. You said...children. More than one." He bites his lip like he does when he's unsure. "Real or not real?"
I feel my heart lighten because for the first time in a long time, I can give him hope. "Real."
The days are starting to get longer.
THE END
Author:
amaliakFandom: The Hunger Games
Characters: Katniss Everdeen/Peeta Mellark
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: post-Mockingjay
DISCLAIMER: I don’t own these characters. Please give all your
Summary: He begged her for years. It’s the only thing he’d ever really asked of her. Ten more years.
Author Notes: Thank you to all who've been reading this!
Part I: FIVE
Part II: TEN
FIFTEEN
I couldn't even really say when it started.
I hadn't sung in years, not really. But one day, I was in the yard, pulling up weeds from the melon patch when I started humming a tune, something light without any structure.
Later, Peeta nearly choked on his breakfast when I shuffled into the kitchen singing the catchy chorus of one of the new songs coming over the Panem radio that Greasy Sae liked to listen to sometimes.
Pretty soon, I was doing it all the time, humming something or other around the house. It made Peeta grin in a way that made him seem younger, even with that scruffy beard he'd gotten into the habit of wearing (I liked it, even though I asked him every day to shave it). Sometimes, he'd try to join me, and it almost always ended with the two of us on the floor gasping with laughter at just how off key he was and at the ridiculous lyrics we'd make up for the bits we didn't remember.
Haymitch caught us at this one time and mentioned brusquely that we were crazy to be behaving like that while sober. And to stay away from his geese. Peeta responded by singing a verse in his honor and I blew him a kiss. Haymitch's responding glare had us laughing even harder.
The other thing that had started were the dreams. I'd had "dreams" before, things that were mostly bright colors and ethereal shapes with soft sounds replacing the nightmares that had hadn't actually stopped entirely but simply less frequent. But now, I was starting to really dream.
Mostly, I dreamt of the past, of my father and the lake, the quiet calm of hunting alone, my mother's hands as she combed my hair. I dreamt of Lady and Prim giggling with Buttercup in her lap. I dreamt of things that had never happened, of five year old Peeta helping me make mud pies, of Madge's wedding dress, of Cinna and Portia designing the layout of my garden.
I dreamt of teaching Rue to swim out in the lake, just as my father had taught me. We laughed and giggled and she held me tight, smiling like someone far older while she told me that it was all okay to admit what I want.
Dr. Aurelius tells me that sometimes dreams are a way for our subconscious to talk to us, a way to work things out. Maybe this was a sign that I was finally ready to see what was good about life, ready to move forward into something not defined by the past.
What did I really want?
I had been asking myself that question for days now, to the point of complete distraction. I look over at Peeta, who is carefully tasting the sauce that he's making, wincing a bit before looking around for something else to add to it. He pauses when he catches me staring, glancing at the half-sliced carrot in my hands. His face grows curious as I continue to stare. "Katniss?"
"Ask me again," I hear myself say.
He's frozen in place, not a single readable thing going across his face.
I know what I want now. I can't say that I'm that surprised when I realize that it's what I've wanted for a long time.
I feel a smile begin to form. "You asked me once, when I wasn't ready," I say, discarding the carrot and cutting knife on the counter and stepping closer to him. I place my hand on his chest where I can feel his heartbeat quickening. "Ask me again now."
He lets out a strangled sound, something between a laugh and a cry but his face is absolutely beaming. He's ecstatic. I'm finally catching up.
He kisses me, hard, everything else in the world forgotten as he presses me against the counter. I laugh a bit, the feeling of giddiness rising up inside me and for once I don't feel the need to push it down. He's kissing his way down me now, light and playful until he comes to kneel before me, both of his hands on either side of my hips, his forehead pressed against my abdomen like he'd done once almost ten year ago.
I run my fingers through his hair, smoothing down the mess of curls as he looks up at me. "Aren't you going to actually ask?" I tease him, giving him my best scowl of indignation I can muster around the grin that just won't leave my face.
He schools his face into complete seriousness and clears his throat. "Katniss Everdeen." His voice actually catches in his throat, and I feel the lump forming in mine.
"Will you marry me?"
Peeta always did know how to say the exact thing that I was least expecting.
We'd been living together for fifteen years and never once in all that time had he ever actually mentioned marriage. After the farce that that had happened with the Capitol and his hijacking, I had always assumed that we'd come to an understanding that engagements and formal ceremonies weren't for us. We belonged to each other. It was never a question.
"W-what?" I hear myself stutter once I can actually form words again.
"It's something I've asked you before," he explains from his position before me, his eyes intense. "You weren't ready then. Hell, I wasn't ready then either and it was all wrong. So...I'm asking you again, now. Will you marry me, Katniss?"
I understand what he means. If we're going to do this...if we're going to start a family, it's going to be right.
I kneel down with him, taking his hands and holding his eyes with mine. "Peeta Mellark, I want be your wife. I want to have your children. I will love you for as long as I'm still breathing. I will always be with you."
Sometimes, I have a way with words too.
He's crushing me to him now and I'm holding onto his just as tightly. From this moment forward, we're starting anew, everything we do will serve a purpose. We're going to change our lives completely and forever and for once it's completely under our control.
We're going to do this right.
Just then Peeta pulls back and holds me at arms length. "Wait, Katniss. You said...children. More than one." He bites his lip like he does when he's unsure. "Real or not real?"
I feel my heart lighten because for the first time in a long time, I can give him hope. "Real."
The days are starting to get longer.
THE END