Work Text:
Peeta found himself awake at an ungodly hour, the darkness of the room enveloping him as he lay in bed, his mind a whirling of conflicting thoughts. Sleep had eluded him, replaced instead by a restless anticipation that churned in the pit of his stomach. Tomorrow held the promise of a date. His first date ever, with none other than his best friend, a prospect that both thrilled him and terrified him in equal measure.
As he lay there, his thoughts raced, each more frantic than the last. How could he possibly be expected to get a good night’s rest when the girl he’s loved since childhood had practically invited herself on a date, with him? The uncertainty of what awaited them gnawed at him, leaving him unable to find solace in sleep.
Who was planning the date?
What if it goes wrong?
What are we gonna do on the date? Should I be planning something? Is she planning something?
What if she was joking? Maybe she meant we’d hang out… like usual? Shit.
What if I fuck up and then I lose my best friend?
The weight of these uncertainties hung heavy in the stillness of the night, refusing to grant him even a moment’s peace.
With a resigned sight, Peeta conceded defeat. It was 2 a.m., and he was wide awake, his mind consumed by the unknowns that lay ahead. As he rose from his bed, he knew that sleep would not come to him tonight.
Peeta finds himself seated at his desk, casting a soft glow with the lightest setting of his desk lamp, cautious not to show any signs of his early rising. If his mother caught him up this late when he had an early shift at the bakery, he would never hear the end of it. He didn’t want to risk any unwanted attention that could possibly keep him from meeting up with Katniss later.
Quietly, he pulls out a few sheets of paper and a pencil from his drawer. As he hunches over the paper, he carefully titles ones of the pages: “Katniss’ Favorite Things” With every new line of the page, Peeta delves into the depths of his memories, recalling moments shared with Katniss. Things that make her happy, the quirks that make her unique. Aimless drives around town, cheese buns, the gentle strains of folksy music, making flower crowns, dandelions.
As he lists these things on paper, he realizes what their date will be, if he has any say in it. He starts getting tired as his nerves subside, but Peeta perseveres, his determination fueled by the need to make his date with Katniss everything.
As the clock strikes noon, Peeta’s shift at the bakery comes to an end. With a sense of eagerness, he rushes up the stairs to his room, he’s brimming with confidence, convinced he’s planned everything out perfectly. He spent his whole shift daydreaming, planning every single moment, everything was under control.
Everything is not under control. Standing in front of his wardrobe after his thorough shower, he reaches for his blue button up shirt. Not his favorite, but the one Katniss always, without fail, complimented him on, the one that seemed to draw her gaze a little longer. But as he attempts to button it up, his heart sinks. A shirt that used to fill him with confidence, now refuses to accommodate to his new… look.
Peeta’s mind races. How could he have overlooked this? What was he going to do now? What the actual fuck am I gonna wear now? I look like Winnie the Freaking Pooh.. With a heavy heart, Peeta realizes that his plans for the perfect date, with the perfect girl, are already falling apart.
In a desperate attempt to salvage the situation, Peeta pulled out a plain white shirt, hoping it would suffice. It wasn't the one Katniss had complimented him on before, but it was the nicest option that fit him at the moment. Hastily, he threw it on, his hands trembling with nervous energy.
Taking a deep breath to steady himself, Peeta tried to regain his composure. He was not about to let this setback, make him lose the opportunity he’s been hoping for, for years.
Katniss said 3 p.m. It’s 2:30 p.m. and Peeta has been parked three houses down from her house for 15 minutes. He didn’t want to risk being the slightest bit late, but sitting here, being 45 minutes early for their date is making him feel like a stalker.
He’s waiting in his car, going over the plans he has for the date, when his phone dings.
Katniss: you know I can see you from my window?
Oh.
Peeta: I did not.
Katniss: you’re dumb, just come wait inside
Peeta: okay
Soon enough, Peeta is sitting in the Everdeen living room, Katniss’ sister Prim, making fun of him.
“We watched you for like 10 minutes before Katniss texted you.”
“You could have told me sooner” he mutters, embarrassed.
“Katniss didn’t want to, she said it was cute”
He hears Prim snort as his face gets hot.
Prim continues making fun of him until Katniss comes in the room, making her go suddenly quiet.
“Hi Peeta” the words leave Katniss’ mouth and Peeta cannot get himself to look at her.
“Hi Katniss” he mumbles back, his gaze firm on his shoes, freshly cleaned for his date.
He can see Prim leave the room from the corner of his eye as Katniss walks up to him, her shoes visible next to his now. “Peeta,” she taps his shoulder, trying to get him to look up “are you ready to go?”
Peeta’s heart raced as he reluctantly raised his gaze to meet Katniss’ eyes. The nervous flutter in his stomach intensified as he struggled to find the right words.
“Yes,” he managed to say, his voice barely above a whisper. He felt a flush creeping up his neck as he noticed Katniss’ amused smile. “Ready to go?” she repeated, her tone light and teasing.
Together, they stepped out of the house. Peeta, usually so talkative was being unusually quiet, his nerves evident in the way he fidgeted with his keys. Katniss couldn’t help but laugh quietly at his nervous energy, as they made their way to the car. She reached for the handle, but before she could open the door, Peeta beat her to it, opening it for her with a shy smile.
“Thank you,” Katniss said, her own smile widening at his gesture. Peeta just nodded, his words escaping him.
Peeta went around the car, opening the backseat door and grabbing something before getting in the driver's seat, “I brought you something” he said as he handed her a small Mellark’s Bakery box and a bouquet of flowers he made himself. Before Katniss could thank him, he started talking, “There’s more in the back, I just thought the cheese buns would look better in a small container, but I made you a bunch. And I made you your special ones, with the grated jalapenos. So just like, I made them for you, they weren’t for the bakery, they’re yours… yeah.”
Katniss nods at his word vomit, leaning over to give his cheek a quick kiss, “Thank you, Peeta.”
As they drove in silence, Peeta couldn’t help but feel his anxiety rising. Katniss hadn’t mentioned anything about their plans, leaving him to take the reins. He was relieved he had a whole day planned, just in case. But the car was silent, he felt awkward, she wasn’t speaking, and it was all just going wrong. This was not the easy conversation he had envisioned. Desperate to break the silence, he nervously suggested she could play whatever music she wanted. It was a small gesture, but he hoped it would ease the tension between them.
Katniss took him up on his offer, looking through his box of CDs before putting one in the player. As music filled the car, Peeta was surprised she was singing along. She didn’t like singing in front of people and very rarely did it at all. He couldn’t help but slyly put the volume of the radio down, thankful for the button on his steering wheel. If she noticed, she didn’t let on and continued singing as Peeta drove.
“Are we going to our park?” Katniss asked after some time.
“Yeah, is that okay?” Peeta asked, wondering if his choice was stupid. They had spent a lot of time in that park in the past. Once Peeta got his license, they would drive to the park about an hour away from their hometown pretty frequently, whenever they both had time. Peeta had noticed that whenever they were far enough away from their hometown Katniss seemed carefree and happy, as if she forgot all her struggles. When they had started going, Prim would tag along, he never minded it, but greatly preferred it when she didn’t.
“It’s perfect.”
Soon, they arrived at the park and Peeta felt a surge of excitement. “Wait, stay in your seat,” he said to Katniss, a smile playing on his lips. With a quick jump, he dashed out of the car and rushed to her door. Opening it with a flourish, he offers his hand. Katniss laughs softly, taking his hand as she steps out of the car.
“I brought some stuff,” Peeta informs her, not letting go of her hand as he gently pulls her with him to grab his supplies. Grabbing them and carrying them to their spot, while his other hand holds hers, ignoring her offer of help.
Hesitantly, almost pouting, Peeta lets go of her hand so he can set up the picnic he had planned. Katniss tries to help, but again he denies her offer. Peeta lays down the blanket near a tree, ensuring they have enough shade before putting down the basket. He motions towards the blanket, “Sit” Katniss rolls her eyes at him as she sits down, “I’m not a dog, Peeta.”
He doesn’t react, Katniss says things like this all the time, “Oh shush, sit” he says, making Katniss smile. “Look, there’s more cheese buns and uh there’s fruits and they’re cut up kind of funky because I looked up how to cut them in cool designs but then I cut my finger, look” he shoves his finger at her before continuing “and I didn’t want to get blood all over the fruit, so I started slicing them normal again. And uh, I was thinking we could talk and listen to music but also, I brought my laptop, and I downloaded a few movies if you want to watch one or you know, whatever you want.”
Katniss nods taking it all in, “I see” she looks around, observing the oddly cut fruit before looking up at him. “I think people should talk on dates because what if you don’t end up liking the person, but you don’t know because you spent the whole time watching a movie?”
“But you already like me,” Peeta’s words cause Katniss to look at him in surprise. He had spent most of their date being clearly undeniably nervous and now he’s stating things like its fact.
“Do I now?” she questions him.
“Yup.”
“And you know this how?”
Peeta gives her a knowing and teasing smile, “Prim told me.”
Her eyebrows furrow, “What did she say?”
Peeta hands her a plate, “She said lots of things, but I’d rather hear them from you.”
Katniss doesn’t say anything, so Peeta continues, seemingly having found his words, “You think I’m cute,” he can see Katniss clench her teeth, “You want me to ask you to be my girlfriend,” the look Katniss gives him is one of frustration, but he doesn’t wait for her response, “You want me to kiss you.”
“I never said that to Prim, liar” she accuses him, her voice higher than usual and he shrugs, “That’s what she said”.
“She did not” Katniss insists, “You’re lying, you’re a big liar.”
“Fine, that’s what I think and want. I think you’re cute, I want you to be my girlfriend, and I want to kiss you.”
“And you think I want that?” she questions him, crossing her arms.
“I’m hoping you do” his voice is earnest, and his eyes look so hopeful as he waits for her response. His heart stutters as Katniss leans in closer, closing the distance between them, her lips brushing against his in a chaste and tender kiss.
Peeta’s heart is brimming with hope and happiness as she pulls away from him, her forehead pressed against his when she whispers in response, “I do.”