Chapter Text
Peeta was in trouble.
As much as he kept telling himself to stay professional or remember the kids, the reality of the situation was that what was supposed to be an innocent schoolboy (or in this case, schoolteacher) crush was quickly snowballing into something else entirely. While he managed to keep himself in check during their interactions over phone or Skype, thoughts of Katniss had strayed into his mind with increasing frequency when he was alone - many of which were far more intense, and some of which were definitely not innocent.
He just couldn’t seem to get her out of his head.
Objectively speaking, he knew that his burgeoning feelings for Katniss were completely ill-advised. Sure, he was only a couple years older than her, but she was still in college. And his student’s cousin - something that could undoubtedly land him in hot water if Effie had any suspicion his motivation for working with Katniss was anything other than educational. And then there was the part about how they’d known each other for less than three weeks, and still hadn’t met yet…
None of this, by the way, seemed to matter to his students, who seemed determined to play Cupid. The other day, he’d overheard Leevy and Rue giggling about how they ‘totally ship Mr. Mellark with Miss Katniss’ - it took a visit to Urban Dictionary to discover what that meant, and when he did, he was equal parts relieved that ‘shipping’ didn’t refer to anything inappropriate and mortified at the level of interest the girls had taken in his love life.
Not that he didn’t ship himself with her, too, but that was a different point entirely.
Of course, there was also a question of whether or not Katniss felt the same way. In class, she withstood the kids’ thinly veiled matchmaking efforts like a true professional - never shooting them (and by extension, him) down outright, but not indulging them either. In fact, aside from the occasional blush that would rise to her cheeks whenever a student (usually Posy, who had assumed the title of ringleader in the class’s endeavor to bring them together) said something particularly bold, there was little to suggest that her feelings for Peeta ran any deeper than friendly acquaintance.
Except, somehow they had taken to talking every night over the phone. Even on the weekend.
It had started as an opportunity to debrief after each rehearsal; she’d give feedback on where the class needed to make improvements, and he’d give her tips on how to handle some of his more outspoken students. After all, if they worked as a team, there would be no way for the kids to play one off the other.
But after the daily post-mortem, they’d always come up with some excuse to stay on the line longer, revealing a bit more about themselves each day. It was through these conversations that Peeta found out that Katniss loved archery almost as much as she loved music, but neither of them could hold a candle to her love for her sister. It was in these chats that he admitted that his parents didn’t really support his choice of career, wishing instead that he had opted to continue in the family baking business (not, he was quick to point out, that he was a terrible baker - he just loved being a teacher). Likes, dislikes, horror stories and funny experiences…Peeta was eager to share as much of himself as Katniss was willing to share with him.
But then, Peeta had to go and screw it all up this evening, when Katniss interrupted their usual getting-to-know-you chatter to make a special request.
“Hey, Peeta…I almost forgot. Um, so you know about the concert?”
“What concert?” he asked, feigning innocence.
“The one that’s happening in three days, you dork,” Katniss replied.
“Dork? I think you’ve been spending too much time with my students,” Peeta countered with a chuckle.
He was rewarded with a laugh on the other line. “Yeah, that’s probably true. But I wouldn’t have it any other way,” she told him.
Peeta grinned in spite of himself. “Neither would I. So yeah, what about the concert?”
Katniss hesitated for a moment before answering his question. “Well,” she began, “I was wondering if I could bring a guest.”
“Sure,” he replied easily. “Is it Prim? I can have the kids make a name plate so that her seat is reserved. From what you’ve told me about her, she’ll probably get a kick out of seeing the kids up on stage…”
“Actually, Prim’s got a final on that day, so she can’t make it.” Katniss paused. “My guest is actually someone from my program…his name is Haymitch.”
Peeta’s stomach dropped. Haymitch. That’s a new one.
Peeta removed his glasses and scrubbed his face with his free hand, relieved that Katniss couldn’t see his reaction over the phone. Don’t read into this, he reminded himself. It’s not a big deal. “Yeah, that’s fine. That’s…that’s no problem at all. I’ll make sure to reserve a seat up at the front for him.”
“Thanks, Peeta,” Katniss replied, relief evident in her voice. “He probably won’t want to go, but it’s my first time conducting a choir with children so it’s kind of a big deal for me, and-”
“You don’t need to explain,” he blurted out, a touch more brusquely than he had intended. Whatever she was going to say about this Haymitch guy, he was pretty sure he didn’t want to hear it. “I’ll take care of it.”
“Oh. Okay.” An awkward silence followed. Finally, Katniss cleared her throat. “Um, so, I think I should probably get back to studying.”
Deflated, Peeta nodded. “Yeah, you’ve got a big day tomorrow. I’ll let the kids know that Madge - I mean, Ms. Undersee - will rehearse with them for the last couple of days since you’ve got your exams.”
“Madge?”
“Yeah, she’s their real music teacher.”
“Oh.”
Peeta winced at the hurt in her tone. Shit. “She’s like my closest friend at the school. She’s a first year teacher, just like me,” he added. As if saying that will take away the sting of calling Madge their ‘real’ music teacher, you asshole.
“Well, I’m glad they’ll be in good hands,” she said. At that point, it was clear that Katniss wanted nothing more than to be off the phone. “I guess I’ll just see you at the concert.”
“Okay,” he replied tiredly. “I’ll let you go, then.”
“Okay,” she echoed. “Have a good night, Peeta.”
Desperate not to end the conversation on a sour note, he called out her name before she had the chance to hang up. “Katniss?”
“Yes?” she responded cautiously.
“Good luck with your exams. If you feel yourself getting stressed out, or need someone to talk to…I’m here.”
“Thank you, Peeta,” Katniss said, her voice soft. “Bye.”
“Bye.”
Ending the call, Peeta threw the phone onto his bed and sank back, replaying the conversation in his head. How had things gone south so quickly? So what if she wanted to bring another guy to a stupid school concert? It’s not like he was jealous, right?
Finally, that’s when it hit him: he was jealous. And then he had gone and started talking about Madge, possibly insinuating that there was something going on between them, just because he didn’t want to look like an idiot…which, of course, had only made things worse.
Peeta let out a frustrated groan. He was falling for Katniss, and he’d ruined his chances with her before he even had an opportunity to do anything about it.
Yup. He was in trouble.
—
The next morning, Peeta walked into his classroom to find two angry little girls waiting for him.
Arms crossed over her chest, Posy Hawthorne tapped her foot on the carpet floor as she cast a reproachful glare in his direction. Standing by for moral support was Rue Stenberg, whose own stern look had given way to wide-eyed hesitation as soon as she’d seen Peeta enter the room.
Peeta arched a brow as he approached his desk, dropping his briefcase on the chair. “Can I help you ladies?”
“What did you do, Mr. Mellark?” Posy asked. It was more of an accusation than a question.
“I’m sorry, I don’t follow. What do you mean?”
Posy didn’t reply, but merely continued to glare. Rue looked uncertainly at her friend before turning to her teacher to explain. “She means about Miss Katniss,” Rue said quietly. “She told Posy last night that she won’t be doing any more rehearsals with us before the concert.”
Peeta glanced at Posy, who now seemed to be fighting back tears. “Well, that is true,” he admitted, “but Miss Katniss has some important exams over the next couple of days and doesn’t have time-”
“That’s not what she told me!” Posy interjected with a sniffle. “She said she wasn’t practicing with us because Ms. Undersee is taking over, so you don’t need her.” Tears started to fall as she asked, “Why is Ms. Undersee replacing her? Don’t you like her anymore?”
Guilt washed over him as the previous evening’s conversation replayed in his head for 74th time. Walking over to them, Peeta knelt in front of the little girl and handed her a tissue. “Posy,” he said gently, “Miss Katniss has become a really good friend, and I’m so grateful for all the help she’s given me in getting you guys ready for Friday. But this was always the plan. Ms. Trinket wanted all of the classes to have time with Ms. Undersee before the concert. Not all of them have had the benefit of a musician as talented as your cousin to work with, you know,” he added, hoping the extra compliment might provide some measure of comfort.
Unfortunately, his reassurances fell on deaf ears. “But she sounded so upset!” Posy countered.
“Well, of course she was upset,” Peeta reasoned. The two girls looked at him, confused. “I would be upset too, if I had to take some really big tests instead of spend my time singing with the best fourth graders this side of the Capitol,” he said matter-of-factly.
Posy and Rue were quiet for a moment as they weighed the truth of his words. “So,” Rue asked, “Miss Katniss will still be there on Friday?”
“She wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
“And you still like her?”
Peeta paused, unsure of what to say. Finally, he decided to go with the truth. “Yes,” he said. “Very much.”
Posy wiped the last of her tears away. “Then you’d better bring her a present.”
Peeta laughed in spite of himself. If he wasn’t already aware of how much work he’d need to put into making things right with Katniss, he certainly was now.
“Don’t worry,” he assured them. “I’m already on it.”
—
“All right, everyone, there are only one or two classes ahead of us, so in a minute I’m going to need you to grab your music folders and line up,” Peeta instructed. “If you need to use the restroom, I suggest you do that now as well.” His students, all dressed up in festive colors, bounced excitedly in their seats as they nodded in assent.
“Where’s Miss Katniss?” Leevy Stone inquired.
“Ms. Trinket invited her to watch the other classes perform before we went up, but she’ll meet us backstage before you go on,” he explained. “Now, are you ready?”
“Ready!”
Taking a deep breath, Peeta lined his students up in the correct order and escorted them out of their classroom and toward the gymnasium-slash-auditorium where they would be performing. The small size of their school didn’t leave room for the students to sit and watch the other groups sing - something that secretly relieved Peeta, since it meant he didn’t have to worry about how his class’s performance compared to that of his colleagues.
Not that it was a competition. He just didn’t need any more pressure than he was already feeling.
The kids stood outside the stage door high-fiving the second graders, who had just finished their performance and were now on their way back to their own classroom. Just as the volume reached a level where Peeta felt it necessary to shush them, he heard Posy call out, “Katniss!”
Peeta turned to see Katniss approach them, accompanied by Ms. Trinket. His heart nearly leapt out of his chest as he took in the sight of her, clad in a dark green dress with a burnt orange sash about her waist. Her black hair hung down by her shoulders in soft waves, and she wore a shy smile as she moved closer to where they were standing.
She was even more beautiful in person than he could have possibly imagined.
Awe-struck, Peeta struggled to form a coherent thought, let alone come up with an articulate greeting. Thankfully, he was saved from having to speak by his students, who broke ranks as soon as Katniss was close enough and rushed over to give her hugs and high-fives. “You’re here! You made it!” they cried animatedly.
“Oof!” Katniss stumbled slightly at the onslaught of giddy fourth graders winding their arms around her petite frame. “Of course I made it,” she replied, smiling at them indulgently. “I would never miss a chance to conduct my favorite choristers.”
“Now, children,” Effie tutted, “I know you are very excited to have Miss Katniss here, but you’re also about to go onstage. I need you to line back up and follow Mr. Mellark through the stage door. Mr. Mellark?”
Shaking himself from his reverie, Peeta shifted back into teacher mode. “All right guys, just like we practiced yesterday. I need you to go up the steps as quietly as you can.”
“That goes for you, too, Sir,” Marvel Rogers pointed out. “No offense, but you kinda sound like an elephant.”
Peeta silenced him with a look before turning to the rest of the class. “Let’s go.”
Silently (or, as silent as a bunch of nine year olds can be), the group ascended the steps to the stage and watched from the wings as the third graders performed their rendition of “The First Noel.” Peeta and Katniss stood a few feet away, occasionally sneaking looks in each other’s direction as they minded the children.
Peeta gathered his nerve and leaned over to speak in Katniss’ ear. “I’m glad you made it,” he murmured. “You look beautiful, by the way.”
Despite the dark, he could see the shadow of a blush cross her cheeks. “Thank you. You look pretty amazing yourself,” she replied.
“Is Haymitch in the audience?” he asked carefully.
Katniss shrugged. “He’s always late, so if he’s here, he’ll be standing somewhere in the back.” She turned to face Peeta directly, hesitation written on her features. “I think I owe you an apology, though. I think I may have given you the wrong impression about us.”
Peeta’s heart sank. Here it comes, he thought. “You don’t owe me a thing,” he insisted. “It’s my fault; I never should have made the assumptions I did.”
Katniss breathed a sigh of relief. “Oh, good. For a minute I thought you thought Haymitch and I were actually-”
The sounds of applause from the audience drowned out the rest of Katniss’ reply. Before Peeta could ask her what she meant, he found himself swept up in the process of shuffling his kids onto the stage and into formation as the third graders made their exit.
Effie sauntered onto the stage to introduce the next set of performers. “Thank you again to Mr. Boggs’ class for yet another wonderful performance! Who knew that Mr. Boggs could play the guitar? Now, next up we have a lovely surprise. One of our new teachers, Mr. Mellark, has been collaborating with Capitol University’s world-famous Call-a-Caroller organization to help the fourth graders learn their song. And tonight, we have a member of that group here to conduct the class as they perform ‘The Holly and the Ivy.’ Please join me in giving a warm St. Alma’s welcome to our special guest, Miss Katniss Everdeen!”
The kids cheered along with the crowd as Katniss appeared on stage. All former signs of shyness gone, she strode purposefully to the piano, giving the accompanist some last-minute instructions before walking to her spot in front of the risers. Giving the children a big smile, she mouthed “you’ll be awesome” before motioning for them to open their music folders.
Watching from the wings, Peeta beamed with pride as his students performed the song they had been practicing for weeks:
The holly and the ivy,
When they are both full grown
Of all the trees that are in the wood
The holly bears the crown
O the rising of the sun
And the running of the deer
The playing of the merry organ
Sweet singing of the choir
The holly bears a blossom
As white as lily flower
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ
To be our sweet Saviour
O the rising of the sun
And the running of the deer
The playing of the merry organ
Sweet singing of the choir…
Peeta kept his eyes trained on Katniss as she conducted the children, marvelling at how easy she made it seem despite only having met them in person a few minutes before.
When they finished the final refrain, her gaze met his, and they shared a smile as applause rang out all around them.
He wished he could freeze the moment and live in it forever.
—
The hallways were crowded with parents and grandparents, eager to congratulate their children and whisk them home for the official start to the winter holiday. Peeta could hardly keep track of his students as they rushed off, yelling “Merry Christmas, Mr. Mellark!” as they ran into the waiting arms of their loved ones.
He was so engrossed by the task of seeing them safely into the care of the appropriate adults that he didn’t notice Katniss approach. Feeling a tap on his shoulder, he turned around to see her grinning at him.
“Hey.”
“Hey!” Instinctively, he reached out to give her a hug. It only lasted a moment - after all, there were at least a seventy people milling about the hallway - but when they pulled away, he immediately missed the connection. Smiling bashfully, Peeta pushed the bridge of his glasses up his nose. “You were amazing out there.”
Katniss’ smile widened at his compliment. “Thanks. It doesn’t quite feel real, you know? They sang wonderfully, and I had the best time conducting them. And it’s all thanks to you.”
“Thank your cousin,” he corrected. “Posy was the one who suggested Call-a-Caroller in the first place.”
“Well, when I win my first Peabody Award, I’ll be sure to thank her first,” she said with a grin.
“Speaking of thank yous,” Peeta began, “the students wanted me to give you something.”
“Oh, that’s so sweet of them!”
“They’re good kids,” he agreed. “I, uh, I have something for you, too.”
“You didn’t have to do that,” Katniss demurred, looking away.
“Oh trust me, it was the least I could do,” he insisted. “Anyway, it’s in my classroom if you wanted to-”
“Catnip!” a deep, male voice boomed out from down the corridor. Peeta and Katniss looked up to see a tall Adonis with dark hair making his way toward them.
“Oh my god, you made it!” Katniss exclaimed as broke into a run, throwing her arms around him as soon as she got close enough.
Peeta’s face fell. So that must be Haymitch.
The young man loosely wrapped his arm around a grinning Katniss’s shoulder as she led him back to where Peeta was standing. “Peeta,” she said, “I’d like to introduce you to my-”
“Mr. Mellark!” yet another voice interrupted. Peeta turned to see Madge gesturing for him to join her. “I have someone for you to meet. Come quick!”
Peeta turned to face Katniss, his look apologetic. “I’m sorry…duty calls, I guess,” he lamented with a shrug. “But, um, I’ll talk to you later, okay? I’ll send your present home with Posy if I can catch her before she leaves.”
Katniss’s face twisted into a look of confusion and disappointment. “Okay. Merry Christmas, then.”
“You too. And, uh,” he added as he turned to walk away, “it was nice to meet you, Haymitch.”
Peeta kept his gaze forward as he walked toward Madge, determined not to let his own disappointment show. If Katniss responded, her words were lost in the din of the crowd.
—
The last of the families having finally departed, Peeta took stock of his empty classroom. Stacking chairs on top of the desks, he did some last minute tidying up before he himself took off for the winter break.
The euphoria from the concert had worn off, leaving him feeling conflicted about what had transpired that evening. While the performance itself had exceeded his expectations, he still wished he had had the courage to tell Katniss how he felt.
Not that it would have mattered, what with Tall, Dark, and Musical to keep her company…
A knock on the door brought Peeta out of his funk and back to the present. Must be the Facilities staff, he thought. “Come in!” he called, continuing to go about his own chores.
“So, this is where the magic happens, huh?”
Peeta whirled around in shock. It was Katniss.
And she was…alone?
Lingering in the open doorway, Katniss gave him a timid smile. “Thought I would try to find you before you left for break."
Peeta gaped at her, open-mouthed. “I, uh…I thought you left with Haymitch,” he stammered.
“Haymitch? Last I heard, he was out getting drinks with Principal Trinket,” she replied with a smirk.
“But I thought-”
“But you thought what, that Haymitch was my boyfriend?” she asked incredulously. “Haymitch is my program advisor at Capitol. He came tonight to observe me conduct the choir. I’m applying to the conservatory for grad school, so I need him for a reference. Also, gross,” she added with a shudder. “I mean, no offense to your principal, but snarky middle-aged alcoholic isn’t really my type.”
Peeta’s brow remained furrowed in confusion. “Then, who was…?”
“The guy you thought was Haymitch?” Katniss supplied. “That was my cousin, Gale. Posy’s older brother. His flight into town was delayed, and none of us thought he was going to make it in time for the concert. He hasn’t been home in months, so I was excited to see him.”
A whirlwind of feelings attacked Peeta all at once: relief, elation, guilt…but most of all, embarrassment for having made so many stupid assumptions. You. Are. A. Jackass, he told himself silently.
Katniss looked down, bouncing nervously on the balls of her feet. “So….” she hedged. “How was Ms. Undersee?”
This time, Peeta was not about to let any misunderstandings get in the way. “She’s great. She wanted to introduce me to her fiancée.”
It was Katniss’s turn to look confused. “Fiancée?”
“Yeah. High school sweetheart, apparently. But this was the first time I got to meet her.”
“Oh. Ohhh,” she intoned, her eyes widening in understanding. “That’s…that’s great.”
“Yeah, it is.”
Silence descended as they both tried to think of what to say next. “Oh!” Peeta cried, stalking over to his desk. “Before I forget. This for you, from the kids.”
Katniss walked toward him and took the gift out of his hand. Tearing open the tissue, she found a framed picture of his fourth grade class. All along the matting, the children had written notes of thanks and holiday wishes. “This is adorable,” she said. “Thank you.”
“That’s not all,” Peeta said, handing over a gift bag. “They also wanted you to have this, since no Christmas is complete without sweets.”
Katniss grinned as she pulled out an array of candies and chocolate. “Green tea Kit-Kats? I’ve never seen those before!” she exclaimed.
“Yeah, those are from Cato,” he replied. “He said he wanted to give you something that was the right color for the season…and your name,” he added with a laugh.
“Amazing. Please tell them I said thank you. This is too much.”
“Well, I hope not too too much,” he told her, revealing one final gift. “This one’s from me.”
Katniss looked up at him uncertainly. “Are you sure?”
“Absolutely. Please, open it.”
Katniss inspected the long, thin box with an air of nervous suspicion before carefully unwrapping it. Removing the paper, she opened the box to find a conductor’s baton.
“Oh,” she breathed, lifting it out of its case. “It’s beautiful.”
“I hope you don’t mind, but I had it engraved,” Peeta said, reaching over to turn it. Along the length of the baton was an arrow, with the initials KE etched into the base.
“It’s perfect. You really shouldn’t have.”
“Yeah, I did,” he said. Come on, Mellark. It’s now or never. “You don’t know what the past few weeks have meant to my students…and to me.”
Taking a deep breath, he plowed on before he lost his nerve. “Look. Three weeks ago, I was convinced that there was no way I could have survived this whole concert experience. I basically phoned Call-a-Caroller out of desperation. But no matter how strange the circumstances, I’m serious when I say I’ve never been so grateful to be tone-deaf in my whole life, because it meant that I was able to get to know this kind, funny, beautiful girl with the most incredible voice I’ve ever heard. And she didn’t seem to mind that I basically put my foot in my mouth every single time we spoke,” he added with a sheepish smile.
“Well, you seem to be doing okay right now,” Katniss teased.
“Maybe, but only after I assumed that your cousin was your mentor, and that your mentor was your boyfriend,” Peeta pointed out.
“Yeah, well, I thought you were dating the music teacher.”
“There’s only one musician I’m interested in dating, and that’s you.”
Peeta’s eyes widened as he realized what he’d just said. Well, if she hadn’t gotten the hint before, it would certainly be difficult to avoid the truth now. “That is…I mean…”
“Okay.”
Peeta froze. “What?”
Katniss smiled. “I said, okay. I’ll go on a date with you.” She toyed with a lock of her hair as she admitted, “I’d be lying if I said that I hadn’t planned on asking you the same thing.”
He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “Seriously?”
“Well, yeah,” she said with a chuckle. “I’m not really all that forward when it comes to this kind of stuff, but figured my odds were pretty good after Rue and Posy told me they got you to confess that you ‘liked me very much.’”
Bless those girls. Those lovely, meddling, crazy little girls.
Emboldened, he stepped closer toward her. “So,” he murmured lowly, “you seem to have me at a distinct disadvantage. You know exactly how I feel about you, but I’m still not exactly sure how you feel about me.”
Peeta heard her breath hitch at their sudden closeness. “I told you,” she said, her voice shaky. “I’m not good at saying things in front of people. But maybe if you closed your eyes, I could find a way…”
Peeta shut his eyes as requested, waiting for her to say the words that confirmed what he hoped to be true. But no words came.
Instead, he felt her lips touch his.
Well, that works, too.
Peeta quickly recovered from his initial surprise. Pulling his glasses off, he kissed her back - tentatively at first, but with increasing fervor. Her hands wound into the curls at the base of his neck and he groaned, granting her tongue entrance. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling Katniss impossibly close as he explored her mouth with his.
Realizing they were making out in his classroom, Peeta reluctantly pulled away when they came up for air a minute later.
The pair stared at each other, still panting, before dissolving into a fit of giggles a moment later. “We probably shouldn’t be doing this in here,” he admitted. “But, um, if don’t have any plans tonight, maybe we could have dinner somewhere…?”
“I’d like that,” Katniss responded with a smile. “But after, would you be willing to come with me to Call-a-Caroller? It’s the last night of the program, and I’d love for you to meet everyone.”
“That depends. Can I make a request?” Peeta asked hopefully.
“Of course. What do you want to hear?”
“What are you doing New Year’s Eve?”
“Classic. I can sing that one, for sure.”
“No,” Peeta corrected with a grin. “I mean, what are you doing New Year’s Eve?”
Katniss smirked. “You’re such a dork.” He just kissed her in response.
Putting his glasses back on, Peeta grabbed his things and walked with Katniss out of the classroom. Smiling to himself, he gave the room one final look before shutting off the lights.
He knew that in the new year, he’d be returning to a classroom of smugly smiling nine-year-olds, full of “I-told-you-so’s” and inappropriate questions about when he and Miss Katniss were planning to get married.
Peeta took Katniss’s hand. He wasn’t going to worry about that. For now, he was just content to spend as much of his winter break as possible with her.
Best. Christmas. Ever.