Work Text:
Real. Real. Real.
I wake with a start, squinting into the early morning sunrise. There’s a comforting weight against my chest. When I glance down, I see Katniss, firmly wrapped around my torso, naked, with her head right over my heart. Real. Real. Real.
I must still be dreaming.
Last night feels like a blur of arms, legs, and whispers of “More, Peeta. Yes, Peeta. Right there, Peeta!” It started innocently enough, and ended with something I never could have dreamed. Now, in the morning sun, my doubts begin to creep in. I instinctively pull her tighter to me, placing a soft kiss on her forehead. What if she regrets it when she wakes up? What if she’s changed her mind? What if she didn’t mean it when she said it was real? Every possible scenario of rejection and pain flits through my brain, causing my heart rate to pick up and my breath to become unsteady.
I freeze when I feel Katniss begin to stir. She tightens her arms around me even more, and leans up to place a kiss on my chest. She snuggles further into me, like she can’t possibly get close enough. When I finally work up the nerve to glance down at her, I sigh heavily. She’s still asleep. I’m losing my mind with worry. If I’m not careful, I’ll lose my mind in other ways, and this morning will be infinitely worse. I take deep, calming breaths and try to relax.
Please don’t leave me when you wake up.
After a few minutes of staring at her and raging an internal battle with myself, Katniss truly begins to wake. She loosens her grip on my chest and lets out a quiet, “Mmmm,” dropping another kiss over my heart. She opens her eyes and looks up at me, her signature scowl covering her face. I can do nothing but stare, terrified.
Finally, she smiles. “Good morning.”
“Hi.”
“How did you sleep?”
I sigh deeply before responding, “Wonderfully. You?”
“Very well,” she responds. I’m sure she can see the fear in my eyes, or hear the way my heart pounds erratically. She pretends not to notice. “Do you have to bake today? I think the district will survive on stale bread for 24 hours.” She’s tracing patterns on my chest and looking at me with hope and something else—mischief, I realize—in her eyes.
I falter. “I…Yah,” I clear my throat and begin again. “Yes. I may have to get some fresh bread out to Sae this afternoon, but it’s nothing that needs my attention this morning. Why?”
She leans back to stretch, giving me a perfect view of her breasts. When she catches me staring, she blushes and curls herself back into my arms, higher now, so her nose touches mine. I can’t help the small, hesitant smirk that takes over my lips. I’m sure she can feel my hands trembling against her back. She smiles, bright and big, and leans in quickly, capturing my lips with hers. She grins against my lips, and then regains her focus, kissing me fiercely. I respond in kind, running my tongue against her bottom lip, asking for permission. She grants it willingly, and I moan against her mouth as our tongues and lips duel for dominance.
Eventually—it feels like years later—Katniss pulls away and places one last, hard kiss on my lips. She looks up at me with a smile that’s infectious. “Good morning, my love,” I offer, kissing her cheek, her ear, her nose, her forehead, every inch of skin I can reach.
She blushes all the way down to her chest. I let out a loud, rumbling laugh. How can she possibly be embarrassed by words, after what we did last night? She kisses me again and then pulls away, running her thumb over my lips. She’s staring at anything but my eyes. She’s smiling, but there’s something else there. Fear, I realize. Maybe just as much fear as I was harboring a moment ago. “Hey,” I start, but she cuts me off.
“It’s going to be a good day, Peeta. No nightmares.”
“No nightmares.”
I lean in for another kiss. She responds with enthusiasm, and we get lost in each other. There’s not much talking after that.
******
We finally leave bed around noon, in desperate search of food. Katniss follows me down the stairs to the kitchen, clad only in one of my t-shirts. She grabs my arm as I reach the last stair. When I turn, I can visibly see her steeling her nerve. Her eyes are dark and serious. My stomach churns. This is where she tells you it’s over. She hops down the last stair so we’re standing level with each other.
She runs her hand down my arm and grasps my hand in hers tightly. “Peeta. I—“ she hesitates. Stops. Takes a huge breath. Starts again. “Peeta.” I smile softly, sadly, sure that this is going nowhere good. She sees something in my gaze that helps her regain her nerve. She grabs my chin and forces me to make eye contact. “I love you, Peeta,” she says, and it’s the last thing I expected her to say. I stumble backward a bit, dropping down off the stair.
She doesn’t move, still perched on the last stair, staring at me as if I’m a predator, and she’s the prey. Her eyes are large and scared.
My heart is exploding in my chest.
I move forward and wrap my arms around her, grabbing her off the stairs. She lets out a small yelp, but allows me to lift her up, wrapping her legs around my waist. She stares down at me, her eyes still scared and hesitant. I grin at her and lean in, kissing her with everything I have. She responds in kind, running her fingers through the curls at the nape of my neck. I can’t stop smiling, so I break the kiss and gently set her down while keeping my firm grip on her waist.
She beams at me, unable to control the flush that covers her face. “Cheese buns?” I ask.
She nods and kisses me again. I can feel my smile, brighter than the afternoon sun.
It’s going to be a good day.