Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/
works/5817322.
  Rating:
      Explicit
  Archive Warning:
      Underage
  Category:
      F/M
  Fandom:
      Hunger_Games_Trilogy_-_Suzanne_Collins, Hunger_Games_Series_-_All_Media
      Types
  Relationship:
      Katniss_Everdeen/Peeta_Mellark
  Character:
      Katniss_Everdeen, Peeta_Mellark, Effie_Trinket
  Additional Tags:
      Alternate_Universe_-_Canon_Divergence, Alternate_Universe_-_Modern
      Setting, Age_Difference, Consensual_Underage_Sex, Smut, Jealousy, Anal
      Sex, Angst, Some_dirty_talking, One_Shot
  Stats:
      Published: 2016-02-24 Words: 13771
****** Dare to be Bold ******
by Alliswell
Summary
     A young baker, stubbornly tries his hardest to stay away from his
     teenaged next door neighbor, could he be bold enough to get his happy
     ending?
     One Shot.
     Happy Everlarking!
Notes
     At the beginning of the year, I was dealing with a severe case of
     Writers Block, so I did what I usually do: tried reading other
     people's stories, and started on some writing exercises... One of
     them, was to just write, whatever came to mind... The result was:
     shameless, inappropriate Everlark smut, which I'm average at, if I'm
     honest with myself. Then, I wrote a story around it, to give it some
     context, and as usual ended up being an angstsy mess, so I had go
     back to the already written smut, for some adjustments... Anywho,
     long story short, I've invested way too much time in this little
     "writing exercise", to not put it out there... I hope it's alright. I
     hope you like it.
     One Shot!
     Although I've said this a million times before, 'age gap!Everlark is
     my kink, that said, I_must_disclosed: I have, absolutely ZERO first
     hand experience in the age gap subject, and I truly don't condone
     overly older man engaging in sexual behavior with too-young-a-girls,
     but if you're familiar with my stories, you probably know by now,
     that that's my trope... I would understand if the trope isn't your
     thing, and you rather not read on it, so, if this isn't your cup of
     tea, then please, I respectfully suggest, you click away from this
     fic.
     I do not own the characters of THG. This is a work of fiction, that
     probably doesn't represent the characters from their canon
     counterparts, but, then again... That's why is Fanfiction.
     All mistakes are mine.
See the end of the work for more notes
The bell above the bakery's main door rang for the hundredth time in the last
twenty minutes; a chorus of "Welcome to Mellark's" greeted the newcomer braving
the 'after-school' rush.
Everyone in the packed bakery front, was busting their asses off, leaping and
tip-toeing around each other, to serve patrons as fast, amicable, and
serviceable as they could. Almost no one, noticed the petit brunette, standing
unsurely at the back of the queue... no one, except for the baker himself.  
He felt her presence like the pull of a magnet on metal, immediately followed
by the sensation of being punched in the gut, when his nose caught whiff of the
distinct scent that made him sigh in contentment: cocoa butter lotion, fresh
pine trees, and a hint of citrusy shampoo. 
He shut his eyes tightly and bowed his head, in an attempt to reel in his own
impulses, that suddenly ran wild. His body, seemed to be conditioned to homed
in on her presence, no matter where they were. He didn't have to physically lay
eyes on her, to know where exactly, she stood in a room full of people.
'God... Please. Help me!' He pleaded in his head, breathing harshly with the
frantic drumming of his heart.
"Hey, Mr. Mellark!" called the brunette's raspy, young voice, above the din of
the busy bakery.
The cheery greeting made the young baker freeze in place. He didn't dare look
at her for fear his eyes would scream what his mouth kept wrestling back: he
missed her, like the dandelion misses the sun.
Wipping his hands on his brown and cream stripped apron, he finally turned
towards the voice he recognized as his next door neighbor's eldest daughter. He
wasn't prepared, for the sight that met him.
Almost dropping the tray of freshly baked apple and goat cheese tarts he was
carrying to the display case, he made a double take of the girl with the raven
haired braid. 
"Um-h-hi, Katniss," The man, usually known for his silver tongue, stuttered out
a greeting in return. "Wh-uh... canIdoyou?... I mean, WHAT, can  I  do,  for
 you?" He cringed, enunciating his words one at a time, with great precision.
'What the hell was wrong with him?... Oh... Right. She's standing right there.
Duh! Of course he's gonna make an ass of himself.'
But tripping over his own words, was hardly his fault. Judging by her outfit,
the girl must've come straight there, from her private school at the other end
of town.
She was wearing the shortest, plaid uniform skirt he had ever seen her in...
well over five inches above her knees. The rest of the ensemble didn't help his
cause much either; when he ventured a quick glance at the rest of her: navy
blue pullover vest atop a white button-up shirt, with short balloon sleeves and
a rounded collar, medium hight white socks, and black Mary-Jane, two inch
wedges for shoes. Every man's 'fantasy'.
She looked sweet, innocent and oh, so sexy, in her school clothes, but the way
the strap of fabric she was currently using for a skirt, had him panting like
thirsty dog, and quaking in place, where he stood.
He had always enjoyed ogling her in her uniform; there was this... 'devilish
gleam' in her pewter-grey eyes, when she knew, he was contemplating the many
ways in which to get her out of her outfit.
Today though, was different. When he finally forced his eyes to meet hers, he
realized the spark, the devilish gleam, the flirty twinkle, was gone. The
friendly smile in her full, pink lips, didn't reach her dimmed eyes, which made
a pang of sadness hit him heard in the chest for her sake.
He was, one hundred percent sure, he, and most likely her little sister
Primrose, would be the only people to even noticed, Katniss' crestafallen mood,
behind the sweet, contented veneer she portrayed. The girl was a professional
at disguising her true feelings and emotions, he hated that this time it was
his doing that made her hide feelings of sadness.
His heart stuttered painfully, betraying his resolve, but he was stubborn, he
would give in just like that. 
She watched him carefully for a full second, before her smile turned sweet the
increasingly anxious state the baker was in. She knew him well, she knew he was
struggling for words, so she responded politely,
"So, I was hoping to speak to you in private, mister Mellark... there's
this project I have in mind, and I was looking to ask your opinion about it,"
Katniss lifted the deep green messenger bag she usually carried everywhere,
draping it over her  shoulder more securely.
The keys to her beat up Jetta jingled cheerfully, when she tossed them inside
her bag, his eyes followed the keys... namely, he followed the keychains on the
keys, he always teased her about the exaggerated amount of keychains she had
for three measly keys, but she always shrugged, saying she had gotten most of
them for her sister a little tokens of love, and it was true, any time some of
significance happened for the girls, the younger one would present her sister
with a funny or silly keychain. Although, the newest one in the collection, she
got from him and not her sister. 
He had seen her fiddled nervously  with the golden keychain. A small circle,
holding a crested bird in flight by the tip of its wings. Mockingjay, she had
called it, even though he argued it was probably a sparrow, plus Mockingjays
didn't exist. "This one does!" She had said dangling the metal trinket from her
index finger. 
The baker shook the memory of his brain, and focused back on the girl. She
stood right in front of him, hands clasped together in front of herself,
waiting for him still. 
To his charging, his wandering, treacherous, blue eyes kept descending down her
long, perfectly defined, tanned legs. He finally jerked his eyes away from the
girl's thighs and knees, and grunted to himself, in almost inaudibly
chastisement. 
He returned his gaze to her eyes wearily; one of his hands went to scratch the
back of his neck nervously, as his other one gripped the counter to ground
himself to the present, his palm sweating and twitching uncomfortably on the
supple wooded surface.
He made a face, about to tell her some bullshit excuse, as to why it wasn't a
good time to talk; it really didn't have to be a lie, his staff were up to
their eyeballs serving costumers, or back in the kitchen tending the ovens. He
couldn't just drop everything in the middle of such a busy shift and disappear
with her, to do God-knows-what alone.
Sensing his reluctance, the girl chimed in, in a uncharacteristically bubbly
voice, before he could send her away.
"It'll only take a minute, I promise I will finish very quickly, and you can,
happily, go back to your affairs!" Her delicate lips twisted in a half smile,
that didn't look very genuine. She looked at him expectantly.
He had to take a deep, stabilizing breath. In his mind, all he heard were
naughty innuendos, peppering her short outburst. Whether intentional or not, he
wasn't sure... He was never sure with her when it came to that sort of things.
Katniss  could be so naïve at times, while others, she could say the most
inflaming shit... she had the uncanny ability to leave him dazed and rock hard
in seconds with just one wink, it was ridiculous!
"Uh... Well, the thing is... after-school rush, is very busy for us. As you can
see, there's a lot of stuff going on right now, and I thinking I should better
help..." 
"Nonsense!" Intervene Effie Trinket, from behind her register at the end of the
counter.
Effie was the baker's clueless second cousin and business partner. She was an
extravagant thing to look at, with very colorful wigs and matching outfits,
that most teenagers couldn't pull of even in cosplay. The young baker had
reluctantly accepted her financial help to keep the business afloat, during the
recent recession, otherwise, he would've been forced to close down a business
that had been in his family for five generations.
The bakery itself was a newer building. His grandfather bought the land and
built it himself, when the business was passed down to him from his father. The
building had been remodeled and kept on par with modern amenities. It would've
been a shame to lose a part of his family patrimony and history.   
Effie usually came in to open the bakery, she was manning the register for the
day, and had watched the short exchange between her cousin and that sweet
neighbor of his. Effie loved her cousin, and viewed him as the son she never
had, reason why, she interjected in the conversation.
For the last few weeks, she had grown worried about her cousin's exponentially
somber, almost mournful mood. She truly thought, she was helping him by saying
her next words.
"The staff can manage without you for a while, you know. We know how to run the
bakery, Peeta dear, even if you don't believe it." She said with a wide smile,
flicking her wrist to shoo him off.  
"Go on dear, take care of the girl's needs. God knows you need the distraction
someone young and lively, like her, can bring!" Effie said brightly, smiling
pleasantly at Katniss, who returned the smile sweetly. "Why she's a doll! I'm
sure, she wouldn't had bother you, if she had anyone else to go to for help
with her school work, don't be poor sport, one has to reward sweet, lovely
girls with nice manners. Now go on!"
The comment wasn't completely clueless, everyone in town knew the tragic story
of the Everdeen family, so Effie truly, really, thought she was doing a good
thing, by pushing Peeta to help Katniss.
'Fuck!' Peeta cursed inwardly, brushing back his hair, with rough his fingers.
Effie had no idea how loaded, dangerous, and scary her words rang in Peeta's
ears. So damaging... How earger was he, to do just that: Take care of the
girl's needs.The sad thing, was that he really needed a distraction, not from
work or his life, but from thoughts of the girl in front of him.
She consumed his entire being, and left him riddled with guilt, shame, and so
much longing, it ate at him. He couldn't breathe, he couldn't concentrate, he
couldn't think straight when she was around. It scared him to his core, and he
hated the feeling of helplessness and insatiable lusting after her, more than
anything in the world.
'Fuck' was right. He was completely and utterly fucked... although he wished to
be on the literal sense of the word, he would be metaphorically fucked, if he
didn't manage to grow a conscience, and make his dick take back seat for once.
But his treasonous mind had already flashed through a plethora of dirty
fantasies, in the span of their short conversation; the most prominent of all,
entailed, him pinning her down to some counter, any counter, and fucking her
fast and hard until she screamed his name in sweet agony. 
He was a dirty bastard, who was gonna burn in hell.
"Fine..." He gritted between clenched teeth, eying the temptation-made-flesh
before him, through narrowed, reproachful eyes. "Follow me, please." He
mumbled, stepping aside to allow her to squirreled around the counter.
He didn't miss they way every boy, guy and old men in the bakery, stared
appreciatively at the long legged beauty, as she gracefully glided by and
around the corner.
Instinctively, he pressed a possessive hand to her lower back, and sent a
cutting glare out at his male customers, everyone turned their faces away
immediately.
It was immature of him. It was at the very least, ill advised to act that way,
but he couldn't help the bout of jealousy that burned his insides. It was quite
common by now, the desire to rip any man's head off, when he caught them paying
too much attention to his... Neighbor.
He knew the sentiment was irrational; it wasn't like she'd ever noticed her
many admirers, anyway. She was usually oblivious to such overtures.
It was her purity of heart, her aloofness, and innocence, that endeared her to
him in the first place, along with her selflessness, boldness, and sense of
responsibility. But those were just some of the many attributes that attracted
him to her.
He found her bordering naivety, both endearing and arousing; she would never
guess, how many heads she made turn when she walked by, nor would she ever
encourage the situation further... She just wasn't that kind of girl.
She never saw herself as the stunning beauty she was, no matter how many times
he'd tell her.
The girl flashed Effie a grateful smiled as soon as she was on the other side
of the counter.
Long, tanned legs, dripping of sex appeal aside, Katniss Everdeen was the
perfect picture of propriety, which accounted for Effie's fondness.
Katniss had not a misplaced lock of hair out of her neat, tightly woven braid,
that snaked down her back ending just above her tiny waist. Her pristine school
uniform, without a wrinkle in sight, completed the image of good girl, Katniss
was known for. Effie ate up good manners, and Katniss was chock-full of them.
Effie beamed exuberantly, "Have fun, you two!" She sing-sang with a wave.
"Thank you Ms. Trinket. I'm sure we will try to." the girl's quietly voice
responded with a nod.
Peeta glared at her from his spot just a step behind her, causing the girl's
smile to falter. She seemed concerned about his discomfort, more so than the
way he was acting, seemingly rude, towards her. 
Objectively speaking, Katniss Everdeen was the poster child for exemplary
children. 
An A+ student, well mannered, quiet and responsible. She was also a very hard
worker, and frugal with her earnings from her various odd jobs around town.
No one in their right mind, would ever suspect her for the wild kind that
dabbled in hot sexual escapades, with her next door neighbor, the bakery owner
divorcee, nine years her senior. But then again, no one, except for Peeta
Mellark, knew the real Katniss Everdeen, and her struggles. Nobody knew how
having to care for an emotionally stunted and absent mother, while practically
raising herself and her younger sister, affected the young lady, to the point
of mistrust of everything and everyone.
Katniss was indeed a good girl, but she was starved for affection. Peeta always
feared that was the reason she latched to him like a vine, when he finally
returned her flirtatious attention. Peeta had his own insecurities to deal
with, but the thought that she could fall in love with him because it was the
easy thing, or out of a misguided sense of loyalty, was a big factor why he
wanted to keep away from her. 
Katniss' father had passed away in an accident, many, many years prior. The
girl took the mantel of head of the family, at the tender age of eleven, when
her mother fell into a debilitating depression, leaving her daughters to fend
for themselves while all thre of them wasted away. Katniss found ways to care
and provide for her family, causing her to grow up with a warped sense of self,
and a lot of trust issues.
Katniss was an exotic beauty, shapely, with olive color smooth and unblemished
skin, almond shaped gray eyes, and hair as dark as night, always knitted in a
rope-like braid; smart as whip, with a mind for organization and an aptitude to
run a household smoothly on a tight budget. She also had a witty sense of
humor, but most people thought her dry and uptight, since she wasn't very
talkative.
Many grown ups had sadly agreed over the years, that even as early as thirteen
years old, Katniss could've easily won any beauty pageant she entered, except,
she was never interested in the glamorous hobby, like half the girls her age in
their small town of Panem, were. Panem was very big about pageants, and most
girls were involve with them in some way or another. Not Katniss! For that,
people thought it a big waste, that she was never encouraged to exploit her
natural beauty.
For Peeta, she was perfect the way she was! Not that he had ever admit it to
her face. He just wasn't brave enough to talk to her about the things he
admired in her, which was a very stupid handicap in their relationship,
considering he had whispered scandalous things into her ears in the middle of
the night, while she thrashed and moaned loudly between his sheets.
He was grown man, and she a High School Senior, he never understood how he
could feel intimidated by her, but he was. 
Katniss was practical, choosing to engage the athletic, outdoorsy type of
activities. She had never been afraid of nature, and she rather go bow hunting
in the woods, than wearing makeup and glittery dresses, in fact, she never had
the money or time to contemplate pagents, which she ultimately persived as
frivolous.
As a kid, she had never been shy, but after having to grow up faster than her
peers and taking on responsibilities most children never faced, she had become
a little socially awkward. She was reserved and even skittish at times, only
speaking to a handful of people at school, so it wasn't too much of a surprised
that she remained oblivious to every male she encountered ogling at her.
At least, most kids were as intimidated by Katniss as Peeta was at times; no
one dared bully her for being a loner, or for never heeding kids advances. 
Only recently, had she started to realize the effect she had on people, which
made her uncomfortable and awkward. 
Katniss Everdeen had only ever had eyes for one man, and one man only. 
She had harbored a crush on Peeta Mellark, since he became her next door
neighbor, almost five years earlier. She had kept her feelings secret until his
divorce, and even then, she had to be persuaded to talk to the man by her
friends, Johanna and Madge, who provided her with a healthy serving of liquid
courage to boot. She would've never talked to the hot baker, about her
feelings, without the other two girls' intervention.
To his own surprise, it didn't take long for Peeta to see the 'girl' next door,
as more than a cute, sweet teenager. Initially, he had been flattered, he
reluctantly started to allow her to sit in his porch on his off days, their
conversations were always safe topics, and he discovered she was a Cubs fan,
liked classic rock music, her favorite pastry were his cheese buns, she had
watched ever Tarantino movie there was, and could belch and eat like a man and
didn't feel embarrassed by it.
With time, they slowly migrated into his living room; he told himself it was
because the weather was getting cooler, but deep down he knew he was just
getting comfortable with her visits. Without realizing it, he started stoking
his pantry with her favorite foods, he rented red boxes that she would enjoy,
they say closer and closer in his couch, soon they started allowing light,
chaste touches, then his movie choices got a rating upgrade... The first time
they watch a movie with nudity in it, he convinced himself it was alright, she
was nearly an adult, and she had offhandedly confessed she had watched soft
porn. 
Then one day, he realized they were holding hands, and their thumbs were
caressing each other's skins. He made the fatal mistake to look up at her, and
found her bright gray eyes, a soft smile curled her lips sweetly, and he didn't
know who leaned in first, but they didn't stop kissing until she moaned his
name from under him, the first time he ground his erection against her blue
jean covered center. 
He was scared shitless at how fast things escalated with her. He asked her to
leave, and didn't speak to her in weeks, until the day she came home with her
arm in a sling. He worriedly came to visit her, and petulantly she slammed the
door in his face. The next day, she rushed to his house in a fury, demanding he
took back the bag of bread and pastries he left for her family, while she was
at school. He laughed at her for the first time, telling her that she couldn't
return his gift, since it was for Prim. She raged at him, they ended up making
out against the inside of his front door. 
He didn't push her away after that, regardless of his anxiousness over
the glaring age difference issue, never being too far from his mind; she'd
often affirm, she didn't care there was an age gap. The problem was, the he
cared... a great deal.
For the duration of their affair, Peeta often felt like a perverted creep,
scared to death of all the potential consequences, that being romantically
involved with such a young girl, could befall him if the relationship was ever
discovered.
He felt a mild consolation, knowing that his marriage died on its own weight
long before Katniss came into the picture. It made him mildly happy to know,
she could never be blamed for his divorce, or marital problems. His marriage
had never been a happy one, doomed to fail since the beginning, because he and
his former wife, trudged along with it out of a sense of duty to their
respective families. 
Peeta finally reached rock bottom with his overwhelming guilt, over his
relationship with Katniss, almost ten months after their initial contact. He
listened to his nagging reason, and ended things with her because it was the
right thing to do for himself and for her. But, dear Lord in Heaven, did he
miss her!
Peeta lead Katniss across his bakery's kitchen, bustling with activity, past
employees that craned their necks to give the newcomer a once over as she
walked by. Peeta suppressed the impulse to bare his teeth and slap his fists
against his puffed out chest, warning them all to back off, like a gorilla in
heat; instead, he brought his hand up, to press between her shoulder blades,
gently steering her forward, until they came to face a door at the far end of
the room. 
Peeta pushed the door open, and motioned for her to walk in. The act of
gallantry, resulted being a bad idea. The door hid a staircase, and once she
started climbing it, her skimpy, too-short uniform skirt, fanned out back and
forth, with every step she took, allowing him an unobstructed view of her tiny,
barely there, bikini-cut underwear, that did almost nothing to conceal her
firm, round ass. 
He swallowed, thick and painfully. Then rubbed his eyes harshly with both his
hands. That girl was gonna be his death!
At the top of the stairs, Katniss turned around, her pewter-gray eyes silently
asking him, 'where to, now?' 
"Just... up ahead," He gestured a wave of his hand forward, sighing heavily in
resignation. It had taken all of five minutes to get up there, and his knees
already felt weakened and his hands itched for her skin. 
She stepped forward, coming into an open floor room. A flat screen TV hanged
from the wall above a brick fireplace, a raggedy suede  couch sat in front of
the tv and hearth. On the other side, a half wall, served as a small bar,
housing a kitchenette, with a small fridge and matching microwave. A round
table with four chairs on the other side of the kitchenette's bar, completed
the room Katniss surmised was a sort of break-room, for the bakery employees.
The place was painted in deep terracota colors, and adorned with a few of
Peeta's own paintings, making the place warm and cozy.
It reminded her of Peeta's house, next to her family home. It reminded her of
all she didn't have, and she had force herself to think of something else,
before she did something stupid, like cry. 
One glance showed her, two doors to the left, one labeled 'Restroom', the
other, 'Effie Trinket, Administrator', and directly across the room, to the
right, one single door, with a vintage copper nameplate bearing the words 'P.
Mellark, Baker'. The plate was faded and weathered, she absently wondered if it
had belong to Peeta's grandpa and name sake. He had told her, the bakery had
been passed down from father to son for a few generations. That he took over
it, when his two older brothers decided to find careers elsewhere.
His father had suffered a stroke when Peeta was in college, prompting him to
rush back home to tend to the business until something else could be arranged.
His mother decided she wanted to sell the bakery, and Peeta opposed. His father
couldn't work full time anymore, but Peeta could, and he could finish up
college later. He never got his degree on modern art, as he hoped to, instead
he changed majors and graduated top of his class with a business degree from a
local school that offer night courses. 
In the years it took Peeta to take sole control of the bakery, his dad had to
take a business partner, and old family friend with more money to spare and
managerial experience, they sorely needed. Said business partner had a
daughter, Peeta had intermittently dated through the years. In order to keep
business in the family, and work out a way to repay the investment Peeta
married his on again of again girlfriend, to discover very soon, they weren't
happy at all. 
The marriage collapse two years later. 
The divorce was mutual and amicable, the initial investment had been paid in
full during their first year of marriage, so he didn't feel guilty to displace
the partnership, and taking Effie on as new investor. It was better that way. 
"Wow. This is cozy," Katniss offered quietly, looking around the place with
interest. "I never knew this was up here," 
"Yeah, my dad grew up here. Him and his folks lived in the apartment until
grandpa bought their house. Then it became storage, until dad married mom, and
needed a place to live. This was their home up until my brother's arrival. They
bought a house as well, and moved out.
"The apartment sat empty for a while, but my brothers used it as a bachelor pad
at different times, then when I took over the bakery, I decided to turn it into
an employee lounge... Since I had already bought a house and all, it just made
sense," Peeta's voice was dry and curt. He figured the less friendly he was,
the better chance his brain would keep his ardent desire for the woman, at bay.
 
"Now, what are you doing here, Katniss?" He asked rather harshly. "What do you
want?" 
She merely looked at him, her eyes unreadable. Pursing her lips for a moment,
in mild amusement, she turned away from him. It drove him crazy, how she could
wrap him around her little finger in mere seconds. She took deliberate, sure
steps, deeper into the room, until she was in front of a double paneled window,
looking out to the street bellow where the bakery stood.
She touched her fingertips to the window glass, sliding her digits down until
they met the solid wood of the sill. She said absently, her eyes lost in the
horizon, thoughtfully, "Right here would've been nice..." She whispered to
herself, he barely caught her words. 
"What?" He asked, crossing his arms over his solid chest. "What was that?" 
Turning to face him, she smiled wanly, as if she just remembered he was there.
"Nothing... just daydreaming,"
"About what, exactly?"
She scowled for a moment, debating internally with the answer, "Of you. If you
really wanna know," she turned back to stare out the window, resuming her
caress of the glass, she confided, quietly "You'd be taking me from behind, and
my chest and hands would press against the crystal. It would be thrilling to
look down at the world outside, while you push in and out of me," Her eyelashes
fluttered shot, and her cheeks turned rosy,  her face fell downwards.
He huffed a breath irritably. 
"Jesus, Katniss! You can't say shit like that!"
"Oh I know. I know you don't want me anymore. I know I'm not supposed to want
you anymore either. But you know me, I'm a rebel who doesn't follow rules very
well... that's all." She said with finality. Finally turning back to him, her
face clean of emotion. 
"Damn it, Katniss." He rushed to her, grabbing her bicep roughly, "This is my
place of work! This is my livelihood. I can't have you say stuff like so
offhandedly, as if it's the most natural thing in the world!" Now he was truly
angry, his nostrils flaring with every intake of air he took. "What if someone
 hears you?" 
She slowly wiggled her arm from his grasp, and calmly stepped away from the
window. 
"I'm turning eighteen the first week of May, Peeta. I'm not a kid! Plus,
there's nothing between us anymore, remember? You were very clear..."
"And yet, you're standing here. In the middle of my bakery's private floor!" He
chuckled mirthlessly, shaking his head and averting his eyes. 
She stood right in front of him, defiance written on her eyes. "I needed to see
you. I wasn't lying when I said I was gonna be brief. I figured you rather hear
it from me, so I came,"
She leveled him with one of her, too old-for-her-age stares, before saying in a
even tone, "I'm leaving Panem, right after graduation," her voice cracked at
the tail end of the last word, she had tried to sound unaffected, but she could
only do so much while talking about something so emotionally draining for her.
"I decided, that now that mother finally, has her shit together, and Prim's big
enough to watch herself, is best if I just took off."  
Peeta's brow creased, his arms fell to his side, his lips parted and rapidly
closed. Then he spoke, "Well... That-that's good, Katniss. You can go to
college, or travel, like you and Madge have always talked about... you could do
whatever. It'll be good for you," He said trying to sound encouraging, while
forcing down the bile that suddenly knotted his throat. 
She nodded slowly. Her eyes found the floor. She adjusted her messanger bag on
her shoulder, making her skirt ride up an inch, "Yeah. You're right, as always.
Getting away from here would be good... I figured... I figured you'd like to
know," her eyes met his briefly, "Well..." She made a small waving motion with
the hand not clutching the strap of her bag for dear life. She couldn't look at
him any longer, so she side stepped him, and started towards the stairs. 
He stood there, eyes trained on the spot she had just vacated. It took his body
a minute to stir out of the frozen state her words had caused. Without
thinking, he turned on his heel, short of breath and struggling to hide his
mounting desperation.
"Wh-Where are you gonna go?" He asked hastily, "What would you be doing?" His
voice sounded louder than he intended. It was useless to try and shove down his
panic, it had already taken root in his chest, and was strangling his heart
like a vicious vine.
She slowed down, then half turned her upper body to him, her eyes sad but
determined, "What does it matter to you?" She asked in a deadened tone.
"I... Um. I'm still your friend, Katniss," he answered harshly, once he
regained his ability to speak. "I still care about you, and your wellbeing."
It was her turn to laugh derisively. The sound grating and wrong to his ears.
"Oh, Peeta please, cut the crap. You don't care about me," she said with a
pained, slightly demented smile. "I could walk into a swarm of poisonous wasps,
for all you care! It wouldn't even register to you, if I dropped dead" her
lower lip quivered imperceptibly, and her eyes glazed over minutely.
She turned back to the stairs, leaving him confused, hurt, and speechless. He
couldn't believe she just said that about him... after everything that had
happened between them, how could she believe he held her in so low regard? His
body reacted before his brain could catch up.
He closed the distance between them in two strides, and forcefully, pulled her
back to him by the shoulders. 
She stumbled backwards clumsily, disoriented. He turned her around to face him
in a quick, rough motion. His heart pounded against his ribcage, he had never
felt so intensely angry, hurt, or frightened, by any thing or any one in his
entire life.
"You can't say shit like that, and walk away from me! It's not fair, Katniss!"
He barked angrily at her. 
"Well, you, don't get to treat me like I'm your blasted property!" She hissed
back, jerking her arms out of his clutches. "You can't discard me, have your
insufferable ex wife spend the night at your place, and then demand
consideration the next day, Peeta! I didn't walk away from you. You walked away
from me!" Bitter tears fell unbidden from her eyes.
"I told you I loved you, I still do, I begged you to stay with me, I promised
you I'd be more careful, yet, you decided I was too much trouble for you. So
you don't get to demand I tell you shit about me. I came here as a courtesy,
but that was a mistake!" 
Peeta's forehead creased at her words. His heart splitting in two, at the pain
in her voice and the tears that marred her pretty face. It killed him, he was
the cause for both.
But he had have good reason to break things up with her; he was sure of it. He
kept trying to convince himself that he did right by her, letting her go; but
maybe he was wrong, maybe he was making things worse for the both of them. She
surely looked wrecked, and he felt as bad as she looked, but in all her rant,
only two things stood out: she loved him... And he had been an idiot for not
thinking, how it would've looked to her to see his ex-wife around his place.
"You saw her and thought...? No..." He mumbled incredulously, before pulling
her into his arms and crushing his mouth against hers. "No... You can't believe
that I don't care... You can't believe that I went back to her... You just
can't," his voice sounded raw against her mouth, cheeks and neck.
She tried to resist his kisses, to push him away from her, but he was bigger,
muscular, and stronger; she just couldn't fight him off, and at the end of all
things, she didn't really want to fight him off. 
"Let me go, Peeta..." She whimpered halfheartedly, feebly smacking her open
hand against his solid chest. "You fucked her last night, didn't you?" Her
voice broke helplessly with the accusation. "You fucked her, and then this
morning, when she was leaving, she fucking waved at me! She waved and smiled.
As if mocking me, as if she had known all along... You son of a bitch, I want
to hate you, and I can't! I hate you for that!"
In other circumstances, he would've laughed at her angry outburst, not in
mockery, but because she was just so cute and funny when she was pissed off,
but her sobs and sniffles, and the way she tried to hit him with her closed
fists like a powerless child, pierced his soul. He felt shame and disgust at
his poor choices, but he hadn't slept with his ex-wife, and he need to tell
Katniss she had guessed wrong, to try to erased the hurt in her eyes and voice.
He took her face in his hands, and pleaded with her, "Please, sweetheart, you
have to know... you have to know..." He insisted, pressing hot kisses to her
eyelids, cheeks, nose and chin. "It's only you, always you."
Suddenly, he slipped his big, warm, flour covered hands under her skirt,
digging his thick fingertips into the supple flesh of her bottom; he lifted her
feet from the ground, and she wrapped her legs around his waist readily.
He walked them both towards the door bearing his nameplate. He kicked the door
closed behind them, and sat her on his desk, where he continued to kiss her
face desperately. 
Ever since their first kiss, Katniss  had run the show between them; he had
always allowed her to set the pace, being content to follow her lead despite
him being the older, stronger and more experienced one in the relationship.
He had never forced her to do anything, but when she started hinting about her
willingness to  engage in intimate physical relations, he had hit the breaks so
hard, they both got whiplash from his actions. She wouldn't speak to him for
days, and stubbornly he had not seek her out either.
He refused to rob her of her innocence, arguing that she should experience
those things for the first time, with a boy closer to her age. Out of spite,
she dated her friend Gale, who had been asking her out for closed to a year.
On those days, Peeta would wait awake, sulking in his house, until he saw
Gale's truck pull up next door to drop her off. It wasn't that he was stalking
her, he wasn't the stalking type, it was just hard to not to noticed your
neighbor, when she made such an elaborate production, out of going on a date,
that the whole neighborhood was aware of her comings and goings; after all,
Katniss Everdeen going out with a boy was gossip fodder, she wasn't known
for socializing, and she was definitely not boy-crazed either, so everyone
noticed, and to Peeta's chagrin, most everyone seemed to accept Gale as an
obvious suitor.
Peeta never knew he could hate and so be jealous of a guy he'd never actually
met. If Gale Hawthorne ever came into Mellark's Bakery, he was sure to be serve
flat sodas and day old pastries. He also got the wrinkliest napkins in the
whole store, for good measure!
It was petty, immature and unhealthy, but it was Peeta's only outlet for his
maddening jealousy, until the day he saw Gale, pushing Katniss against the side
of his truck, sticking his tongue down her throat, while she curled her dainty
hands into tight fists and tried to push back without much success.
Peeta finally had open letter to react.
Pretending he had no idea, what the 'crazy kids next door' where doing in their
driveway, Peeta made a production out of taking his trash out. He banged his
trash cans loudly and repeatedly, forcing the teens to stop their activities.
Peeta's eyes fell on the teenagers feigning surprise at seeing them embraced
like that, but no sooner he spied Gale's hand freeze in its descent to Katniss'
ass, his eyes narrowed and his faced turned something scary.
Peeta didn't even made an effort to hide the fact that he was staring at the
offending hand, nor did he hide his accusing glare, once his blue eyes met
Gale's gray ones. 
Katniss gracefully and speedily, stepped out of Gale's grabby arms, and pranced
her way back inside her house, like a ballerina on tip-toe; she didn't even
said goodnight to her embarrassed looking date. She never went out on a date
with Gale after that night, but it still took Peeta a week to sit her down to
talked about their relationship, and all his fears and her hopes. 
Peeta was a worrier, and as a worrier, he decided they needed strategies and
plans of action for just about every eventuality. He thought, he had prepared
for everything concerning their relationship, until the day everything
collapsed around them. 
Almost every fear, Peeta had had, about being romantically involved with
Katniss, materialized in the form of a faulty plastic stick.
The day Katniss arrived to his house, with a pharmacy bag bearing an unopened
pregnancy test, was the beginning of the end for them.
She had been scared out of her mind, worried and uncertained, while all he did,
was helplessly watched every single emotion play out on her pretty face, while
waiting for the test results. Everything from fright, to apprehension, giving
way to tamed excitement and cautious hope, then confusion when the stick was
inconclusive... and then, the heavy disappointment and sadness filling her eyes
with reluctant tears, when finally, a doctor announced a false scare a few days
later.
It had been too much for Peeta to bear, but the worse thing was witnessing the
thinly veiled, poorly concealed longing in the girls gaze every time she saw a
family: mother, baby and father, stroll around. 
She kept talking about being relieved there was no child growing inside of her,
since she didn't want to ever have children, since she was afraid she wasn't
warm enough to be a good mother, she was afraid she'd do to her children what
her mother did to her and Prim, and she wouldn't ever subject a baby to that
life. Still, every time she saw a mother pushing a stroller, or some heavily
pregnant woman, her hand would absentmindedly caress her own, flat and empty
tummy. 
In usual, Katniss fashion, her mouth was saying something completely opposite
to what she really felt, and she did a damned good job at sounding firm in her
convictions, it was good enough to convince herself, it was too bad Peeta had
learned all her little tells, and couldn't be fooled by her words anymore.
Peeta was sure the gesture was an unconscious act, still, he felt uncomfortable
with the direction things were taking. Whatever Katniss said, she'd want
children at some point in their lives, Peeta on the other hand, was just too
afraid that he had lived too long under his Mother's volatile personality to be
able to provide a loving, happy childhood to any baby; Peeta's  own childhood
had been plagued with bouts of abused, dealt by his mother's hand or harsh
tongue.
He was afraid he wouldn't know how to be a good father, because unlike Katniss,
he never had you get siblings to care for, and even if she believed herself
cold, she would make the greatest mom on earth... It was him, who would fuck
things up, which made him fearful and full of doubts. 
The fact, that Katniss was still, only seventeen years old and in high school,
only filed his guilt and self loathing making his stomach churn uncomfortably.
He spent many nights battling insomnia, going crazy with fears and worry, until
he couldn't stand it anymore. 
He decided she was too young to be tied down to him. He was too old to give her
a happy life, even if by some miracle her mother didn't call the police on him
and the justice system threw the book at him, slapping him with a sexual
predator label he wouldn't be able to shake the rest of his life... Everything
would be ruined: her life, his life, the life of the hypothetical child she'd
be carrying in her belly if he got her pregnant for real... He feared she would
wake up one day resenting him, for stealing away her youth, her future, her
freedom, and so would him to her.
He had to stop it, walk away. So he did.
In the weeks after their brake-up, Peeta had tried to forget about Katniss, by
any means available. 
He dated other women, had tried to go out with friends, had tried to go on a
far away vacation... Ultimately, he had just simply sat at home like a hermit,
when he realized he hated going on dates, traveling alone and he couldn't
relate to his friends single-life-escapades or their married-with-family ones.
But then, his ex-wife called not even a week earlier, to discuss something
about closing down joint bank accounts and wether he should cut her alimony
checks from his business account until he got his personal one in order. Peeta
had hit a very low point in his self imposed exile from social life; talking to
his ex-wife had been easy and fun before their marriage... he wasn't thinking
straight when he asked her out for drinks, she accepted a bit surprised.
He thought, if there was a way to get Katniss out of his mind, his ex was it.
He was wrong.
Back in the present, with the epiphany, that seeing Katniss walking away from
him for good brought to his stressed out psyche still fresh in his mind, Peeta
grabbed Katniss' small hand, rubbing the callouses of her archer fingers.
He had missed the roughen skin of her hands, left behind from her bow's string
and her arrows, he brought the tips of her fingers to his mouth to kiss, and
then, in a bold move, he placed that same hand he had just kissed, flat,
against the hardened bulge, covered by his apron and under his uniform slacks. 
"You feel that?" He asked breathily, sucking on the skin under her ear; she
moaned feeling him stiff and twitching for her, "That didn't happened for my ex
last night. In fact, it hasn't happen for any one, since the last time I had
you in my bed," 
She gasped, shutting her eyes tightly, when he licked the shell of her ear and
trapped her lobe with his teeth and worried it lightly. Her legs cradled his
thighs snugly, and his hands found purchase on her hips. 
"You broke me, Katniss. I can't fuck anybody else. I don't know how you did it,
but I can't get it up for anybody else." He growled into her ear, and she
arched her back, involuntarily bringing her chest to bump against his. 
"Is that why you're mad at me?" She half panted, and half sobbed. "Is that why
you've been so angry, and mean to me? Is that why you don't want me anymore?"
Her sorrowful eyes found his, and he saw his entire future, flash in those
gray, watery orbs.
He stopped his greedy lips, separating from her to caressed her face lovingly
for the first time in weeks... months even. 
"You... have no idea, the effect you have," He breathed out almost in awe. 
"What does that even mean?" She asked petulantly, scowling mightily. 
A nervous chuckle escaped his mouth, 'There's my girl!', the thought sprang to
mind easily, giving him pause. It was true, no matter how much he tried to
stave the claims, no matter how stubbornly he had refused to see her that way,
she was his girl, and he loved her; standoffish attitude, intimidating scowls,
pig-headed-ness and all, he loved everything about her more than anything in
the world.
After swallowing the lump that formed in his throat, he responded carefully,
looking deep into her pretty, mercurial eyes, "It means, that I'm a fool, that
my heart is yours, and that you win... every time... always."
He kissed her scowl away sweetly, patiently, lovingly. "I knew this would've
happened anyway," he drew her closer to him, to continue to kiss her lips
tenderly, "I knew, I couldn't stay away from you, long," his fingers played
with the hem of her sweater vest, finally tugging on it lightly.
As if on cue, Katniss angled her torso a few inches away from him, and rose her
arms above her head, allowing him to lift the garment off of her. He sat the
vest on the back of a desk chair, careful not to wrinkle it. But soon enough he
was cupping her cheeks in his hands, thumbs caressing her cheekbones softly. He
licked his lips before diving back to her's.
She sighed contentedly when his tongue swiped her lower lip tasting her cherry
flavor Chapstick. He tugged on her lip with both of his own, and pulled it into
his mouth, sucking on it languidly before plunging his tongue deep into her
mouth. She gave as good as she took, suckling on him in return. 
His hand slid slowly, down her neck, descending along her chest, until his
fingers fiddled with the tiny buttons of her white uniform shirt, he didn't
take long to have it completely undone and parted down the middle, enough to
sneak a warm hand in. 
He groaned, taking a peek at her chest. She was wearing a pair of white,
balconette cut push-ups, that snapped closed on the front. He loved those
things. He'd never known bras that opened on the front existed, until he
started undressing Katniss on a regular basis. The girl was partial to the
style herself, and she owned several pairs of the garment. 
"I love this thing," Peeta grunted lowly, sliding a finger across the cups of
the bra and twisting it under the strap, he dragged it up and around her
shoulder, until his finger could go no further.
She tried to hide a blush by smirking knowingly, but the pink of her cheeks
made him swell in his boxers.
With another grunt, he whispered into her ear, "You're always so sexy and
appetizing without even trying... You drive me insane, Katniss," his lips
opened up to suckle on her collarbone, as her breaths became ragged. "I swear,
when I see you like this, it feels like I'd do ANYTHING you ask me to,
anything, Katniss."
He pulled on the clasp of the bra, and pushed the cups away from her breasts,
exposing the small, perky  orbs to the cold air. Her nipples hardened and
beaded even more when his fingers found them, and rolled them between his index
and thumb. She moaned loudly, throwing her head backwards. She had missed that
sensation, as much as he had missed watching her get lost in the ecstasy he
provided. 
Slowly, his mouth closed around the puckered, dark pink mounds, surrounding it
with warmth. He licked, bit, and sucked on her breasts with gusto. Her hips
started to buck against his, but he kept hold of them with one hand. He didn't
want to spoil the moment by finishing either, or even both of them with a dry
hump... There was no way in hell he'll allow that. 
After a few blissful moments, Katniss spoke. 
"I'm yours, Peeta... but that doesn't mean you're mine. How can I have so much
control over you, if you aren't mine completely?" 
"Uh-uh..." He denied with a sound at the back of his throat. Then he released
her breast with a loud pop to free his mouth, and give her a proper response. 
"I'm yours," he corrected, "You're mine. Anything else is unthinkable,
sweetheart. Please, believe that. I'm ready to let go of all my baggage, and
love you like you deserve... without reservations,"
"Really? You mean it?" 
He nodded his response, looking at the hopeful expression on her face, "I give
you my word. No more doubting, no more cowering away. I'm ready to surrender to
you completely."
He saw Katniss smile at him for a whole two seconds, before his mouth crashed
to her lips again, and from there, things escalated quite fast. 
He worked his hands up her thighs, under her skirt, hooking his fingers on the
delicate elastic of her underwear, he pulled them off, down her legs, in a
practiced motion.
She squealed in surprise, when he looped his elbows under her knees and pulled
her to him, all the way to the edge of his office desk. She was barely sitting
on it, fighting to keep herself upright, when he gave her a gentle nudge
backwards. She was still trying to right herself on her precarious sitting
position, when he pried her legs open and sank on his knees in between her
thighs. Her breath hitched, when she noticed the wolffish smile on his face,
and the hunger in his blue eyes as he admired her most intimate places. 
"Peeta?"
His eyes met her's briefly, before winking at her.
"This will be my apology, sweetheart,"
She felt all her nerve ends prick in alert, a gush of arousal coated her sex at
the sight of his devious smirk. She had long since stopped feeling embarrassed
at him actually watching her growing so wet for him, he knew, good and well the
effect he had on her, still she felt heat take over her face, chest and lower
belly... she couldn't help it, so she tried to squirm, but his big, strong
hands, kept her wide open in place for his proding eyes.
Peeta caressed one of her smooth, lower lips with his thumb, smearing the
slickness around her labia... his mouth watered. He had never seen a clean
shaved vagina in real life in all his years of being sexually active, until
her. Sure, he'd seen porn with woman as hairless as Barbie dolls, but he had
never seen, let alone touched a woman like it before, and he couldn't get
enough of it once he started giving her oral. He craved it, the feel of the
smooth flesh, but it was also her taste, her smell, it was intoxicating and
drove him mad with want.
Katniss told him once, she got the idea of getting the 'Brazilian wax' from her
friend Johanna, who had jokingly mentioned how men loved soft, hairless
pussies. Katniss got a waxing every week, in preparation for the moment Peeta
finally succumb to temptation... needless to say, when Peeta found out
Johanna's favorite cookies were his triple chocolate chip, he started giving
them to her for free, even going out of his way to keep a fresh stash just for
her hidden away. 
Peeta bit his lip, and leaned down into her center. His face came so close to
her, it was a miracle his nose didn't bump her fleshy nub. She exhaled a big
mouthful of air, she had been holding in anticipation. 
He took a deep, long breath, absorbing her scent deep into his lungs,
"Shit... I've missed your smell," he groaned lowly, digging his finger tips
into the skin of her thighs right before taking a long, hot lick, along her
slit.
She almost fell forward, when the flat of his tongue made contact with her
throbbing flesh. A moan got stuck in her throat, and all she could do was grab
at the edge of the desk with both hands, to keep herself tethered to her
perch. 
"I could eat you all day, and never tired." He mumbled against her crotch
before diving into her heat to devour her whole.
After a few seconds of slurping sounds, choked up gasps and whimpering moans,
Peeta slid his finger closer to his mouth, to rub her clit lightly, a moment
later, he pushed one finger into her warmth, making her sigh in relief, another
finger followed soon after, and yet another one only a moment more, until she
was completely full and stretched out.
She wasn't demurely sighing and gasping anymore, she was full on crying out
Peeta's name, keening and begging, loudly and desperate. Her hips kept gyrating
harshly, making the small legs of the desk thump on the floor beneath. Peeta
was growing aware that they were actually reaching the trim of the rug the desk
was on, and soon enough they'll be scratching up the hardwood floor and causing
a noise very hard to explain to the people downstairs. 
"Shhh..." He admonished with a frown, lifting his head from between her thighs,
his face was mess of juices and spittle dripping down his stubble covered chin,
he tried to sound stern as he warned her, "there's a bakery full of people
below us. You don't want any nosy interruptions, do you?" In all honesty, he
was torn at the thought that all those guys down below, would hear her cry out
his name when she came, but at the same time, the thought of any other man ever
hearing her noises in the throes of pleasure, made him insanely jealous. 
Katniss scowled at him, from her perch above, "Excuse me for enjoying your
ministrations!" she snapped, "I haven't have a guy's tongue, or fingers inside
of me in months! Sorry, if I'm out of practice swallowing my noises." 
She didn't look sorry at all, in fact, she looked pissed off.
It occurred to him, that she might've been almost to the brink of orgasm when
he stopped to chastise her for being too loud. He chuckled quietly at her
irritated response, which made her grunt in annoyance.
Looking more exasperated than ever, she reached an arm out from behind herself,
grabbed a fistful of his soft golden curls, and shoved his face back between
her legs, demanding, "Make me cum, Peeta. Stop teasing, its unbecoming."
She whined like a pampered brat, and for the first time in months, he felt like
everything was right with the the world! He tried to stifle his laugh, before
complying obediently with her command. 
It didn't take long for her to convulse and spams with her release. She did her
best to keep quiet, but still a couple of pleased moans escaped her mouth.
His greedy eyes took a full minute to drink her in: her eyes were close
tightly, her skirt was bunched up around her waist, where he'd left it before
kneeling in front of her, her chest heaving up and down with the effort it was
taking to calm her harsh breaths, her shirt and bra were hanging limply from
her arms, while her breasts stood proudly on display, tantalizingly. Her
nipples were still hard and shriveled, awaiting for his mouth to cover them. 
There was a sizable puddle of fluids, pooling under her ass. A pesky, panicked
thought tried to break through his mind, nagging him to quickly lift her off
his precious desk, to wipe off the remnants of her discharge, but not sooner
the thought started to form in his mind, the quicker he banished it. 'So what
if there was a permanent stain left behind? He'd rather have the reminder of
what had happened on his desk right that moment, than having a pristine
tabletop!' 
Before she could regain control over herself, he spoke softly, quietly.
"I'm so sorry for all the lost time, and heartache I caused you, Katniss. I was
selfish, and scared and let my fears blind me to your pain and needs. I'm a
useless bastard, I know, but I swear that from now on, I will keep my mind
open, and I will fight for you, for us... I want you in my life, and if you
still want me in yours, I am ready to stop being a wuss..."
"Shut, up, with the martyr complex. Kiss me already, you idiot!" 
He smiled widely, and stood from his kneeling position, surging up to kiss her.
His face was still dripping with her arousal, but she had never complained
about her own taste before, he knew she'd be alright if he didn't wipe her off
his mouth.
Her demeanor had changed, from sad, hurt and wounded, to unabashedly
predatory. 
Both her hands met his chest, and gently slid up to circle his neck. When he
broke the kiss to breathe, her deviant smile never left her lips.
Peeta had always thought that, that smile was bad news, still, when she decided
she wanted him, he was powerless to keep her at bay. After their first
together, he was usually the instigator, yet when she was hot and bothered, he
never figured out a way to say no to her advances... He had a nagging feeling
this was going to be one of those times. 
He wasn't trying to curb her appetite, he wasn't trying to stave her urges, he
was thrilled about them, he welcomed the devilish glint in her eye and her coy
smile, it all hinted at the dirty thoughts tuning wild in her little head. If
there was something about Katniss Everdeen, was that the girl might've been
young and reserved with most people, but there was truth to the the old saying:
'the quiet ones, are always the wildest in the sack' And only Peeta Mellark was
privy to wild side... His cock twitched, he was starting to physically hurt
with his arousal. 
"You're not mad at me anymore?" She purred, dragging a lone finger to the front
of his shirt.
"No," he said as his facial expression softened, "I was never mad at you. You
are a good little girl, there's no reason to be mad at you... ever!" 
His hands found their home around her waist, under her shirt.
"Mmm... I still think an apology, is in order," she jumped down from her perch,
and stood on tip-toe to kiss his jaw sweetly. She sort of cringed when she said
the next words, "I did something out of spite. I kind of had my friend Portia
shorten my skirt a few inches."
Peeta frowned confusedly.
"I paraded around the school like this all day," she pointed down at her skirt,
and understanding started to dawn on Peeta, "then, I came here when it was
busiest, 'cause I wanted you to see me... I wanted you to see how other guys
looked at me... I know it drives you crazy when other dudes stare at me. I
really meant to make you jealous, so you'd feel the same way I felt this
morning," 
Her vibrant gray eyes fell to the floor in contrition, as bit on the corner of
her lips, nervously, but she still had more to say, which was fine by him,
since he was speechless from her confession.
"I felt betrayed, and hurt, and like I was going to puke, when I saw her car
parked in your drive way this morning. I was getting into my own car to go to
school when she came out of your house, and waved at me. She said hello, and
asked about my mother, and all I could think of, was, did you scream her name
while you were fucking her brains out?" Katniss shook her head, face still
downcast. "I felt like crying all day long. It felt good when you finally
started acting possessive in the bakery... I'm sorry I was childish. I'll
understand if you've changed your mind about being with me again,"
"Katniss..." He breathed out slowly. "Sweetie, look at me," he curled his
finger under her chin, and lifted her face to his. 
She reluctantly complied. He wished she'd go back to being a sexy vixen,
instead of this shy doe.
"I'm not recanting what I told you a bit ago." His face was serious, and his
eyes searched her's, "I'm not happy about your little revenge stunt, or
whatever that was, but I understand being jealous, and acting up, I've been
doing that  myself for a while. I can't ask you to be a mature, grown up woman,
when I too, have acted like an immature, selfish prick."
He kissed her forehead quickly, before continuing, "I'm gonna stop acting like
I own you. I'm gonna try and be more receptive, and think of your feelings
before doing anything. I swear, I didn't touch my ex. I couldn't. I didn't want
to. The only woman I want to have sex with is you... That said, we need to set
some ground rules here," he grabbed her shirt sides, and pulled them up to
cover her breast while he talked. 
"I want you to go back to your doctor, and figure out a different way to do
birth control. We now know you can't be trusted with pills," he tried to sound
grave, but they both chuckled at the thought. It was true, she couldn't keep a
schedule with her pills for anything.
"Second, I'm not finishing inside you without a rubber, because we both know,
pulling out is not fool proof either,"
Katniss shuddered at the mention of the condoms, she hated the feel of the
latex most prophylactics were made of, and she usually begged him to not use
them in bed; the scare was a believable one, because of the whole pulling out
and Rythmn method they tried to follow wasn't exactly risk free. She knew he
was right, still she scowled at the thought. 
He took her face in his hand, to get her full attention, "Katniss, I want you
to listen closely, because our circumstances have changed. I will knock you up
for real one day. Just, not while you're in school, under twenty and not my
wife; understand?"
Her eyes widened, her arms fell to her side. She was floored with what he was
saying. The implications of his words, he was truly promising the future and
beyond to her. 
"Peeta... What are you saying?" She asked barely above a whisper.
"That when time comes, I will march to your house, knock on the door, and tell
your mother that I'm taking you out on a date. A real date, to a nice, fancy
restaurant, a movie, putt-putt, ice cream, the park... Something... All of it,
whatever it is you'll like, and then, someday down the path, I will present you
with a ring, and if you accept to wear it, then you'll make me the happiest guy
in the planet! But, and I really want to be very clear here, I still want you
to go on that road trip with your friends, I want you to go to college, I want
you to go on a trip to Paris with Prim like you've always wanted... I'll be
here, waiting. I've got time. And you still need to live your life and do all
the things you've dreamed of... Is that fair?" 
Katniss nodded vigurously, tears of joy tracking down her cheeks. She placed
another kiss on his jaw, since it was the only place she could reach easily
without stretching, "It's totally and completely fair, honey! I promise it's
fair... and very doable! And Madge and Jo are gonna freak! Oh gosh!" She
exclaimed stepping out of his arms, "I need a job! I need to start a road trip
fund!" 
Peeta laughed, and pulled her back to him. "I think Finn and Annie could use a
sitter. You should give them a call," he knew better than to offer to pay for
her trip, or give her money in any way, and employing her in his bakery, was
definitely a NO WAY IN HELL, but his  childhood friend, and only person who
knew about him and Katniss, was a great choice for a job.
Finnick had teased Peeta when he started coming up with excuses to not hang out
with him every week; Finn pushed and prodded until Peeta spilled that his
mystery lady friend, was his teenager neighbor.
To Finn's eternal credit, he didn't flip out at Peeta's admission, like  surely
any other person would, instead the copper haired Adonis, pinched the bridge of
his nose for a moment, before asking incredulously: "Didn't you just make her
Sweet Sixteen birthday cake?" When Peeta told him that he indeed made and
decorated the aluded baked good, two years prior, thank you very much!, Finn
whistled lowly, shook his head ruefully, and eyed his friend sideways, saying
"You know, in the dictionary, the illustration next to the definition for 'Jail
Bait', would be a hand-drawn portrait of Katniss Everdeen, colored in by your
own, nimble artistic fingers, right?" Peeta only nodded defeatedly, and allowed
his friend to serve him a double on the rocks. 
 
Back in the present, Peeta kissed his girl passionately once more. She wouldn't
be considered jail bait any longer in a couple of weeks time, and the thought
made Peeta feel giddy with anticipation. He was serious about taking Katniss
out on a date. He wanted to court her like she deserved, but while he was
fantasizing about sweet walks in the park, and picking up flowers for her, and
where would he take her for their first date, her mind was becoming completely
filthy. 
She sneaked a hand down his chest, lower until her fingers met the hem of his
apron. She dipped her hand lower, until she found her mark. 
He bucked back, surprised when she squeezed his softening erection. The effect
was instantaneous, his member was hard and rigid right away. His eyes widened,
and quickly narrowed at her mischief. 
"Katniss... We can't... I don't have anything here, and I'm willing to bet the
title to the bakery, you haven't taken one pill, since the last time we were
together!" 
"Who says that you have to be in my pussy to cum?" She asked innocently, still
stroking him through his clothes, batting her eyelashes at him... Yup, she was
bad news, but he didn't want her to ever change. "There are other ways..." She
didn't wait for him to process her words, nor to give her any indication of his
agreement, but she sank low on her knees. 
Before wresting with his clothes, she shed her shirt and bra off, and handed
them to him to place on top of her vest. Then, she yanked the apron around his
waist, so the strings were on the front and the front was on his back, she
fiddled with the cords for a moment, and the apron fell to the floor behind
him, then she was undoing buttons and pulling down zippers before he could
protest, his cock was out of his boxers, and into her tight fist. 
She smiled up at him, before opening her mouth wide and taking him in. 
"Fuuuuck..." He groaned throwing back his head. "Fuck, Katniss... Yes!" He
sighed. 
She was sucking and nipping and licking all over his dick, not giving him any
mercy. She pumped him at the base in tandem with her sucking, and then she
lifted her head from his crotch, just to look at him, engorged and throbbing.
"Peeta... Inside me, now!" She moaned, scrambling to her feet, still stroking
him in her hand. 
"Katniss, I already said..."
"I know... On the other entrance!" She snapped, climbing on top the desk again,
"Come on, Peeta... I know you love it when you fuck me there!" She said
breathlessly, pulling him by the shirt.
Peeta was, once again, speechless. Of course, she would come up with a way for
him to penetrate her. It had been her idea to try anal the first time, and she
loved it, he loved it too, they did it that way a handful of times, when she
was unsure about her contraceptives effectiveness.
"Please, Peeta?" 
He hated when she begged, he could never say no to that, his cock wouldn't
allow it. 
So he came to stand behind her, while she leaned on her side, propped up on her
elbow. He hooked his arm around her knee, and lifted her leg, she wiggled her
ass a bit, until it was hanging from the side of the desk. His free hand
collected her messy braid, and lovingly pulled it the side, bearing her long,
delicate neck to him. He kissed her bare shoulder, then curve of her neck, then
under her ear, then whispered into her ear,
"You'll be the death of me, meanie Kat... but that's alright," he purred
 darkly into her ear, making her skin break in goosebumps all over, "I'm gonna
fuck you so good, you'll never look at another guy,"
He pressed his fully erected dick flat across her slit, to coat himself with
her natural lubricants, that still drip copiously out of her. She moaned at the
contact, before answering. 
"Babe..." She turned her head towards his, her voice think with want, but also
amusement, "You don't have any competition anywhere," she reached her arm
around his head, twining her fingers into his hair, she crushed their mouths
together, for a searing kiss.
His fingers hadn't been idled while they kissed, they had been slowly
stretching her rear crevice, one finger at a time, causing her to gasp,
whimper, and undulate her hips into his. When he tought she was sufficiently
stretched out, he took his fingers out of her, held onto her leg once more, and
plunged right in, without warning.
She cried out, but he was quick to cover her mouth with his free hand,
effectively blocking her loud noises. There wasn't much he could say after the
shocking sensation of being inside of her ass for the first time in months. She
felt tight and throughly wet even in there, he knew her juices had been falling
there from her earlier release, which made him very thankful, he had gotten her
off once already. 
He took a moment, to gather himself, and breath deeply. When his body was back
under control, he leaned down to kiss her neck, and worry her flesh, his hands
danced all over her smooth skin, reacquainting himself with her lustrous body.
He let go of her mouth to kiss her, and after the kiss, he pressed his forehead
to hers. 
He breathed hard and deep, and his eyes focused on hers. "I'm gonna move now,
okay?" 
She nodded. Sweat started to bead up on both their faces, backs and chests. 
"I'm not gonna last long. I haven't even jerk off in a while," he said softly,
her eyes were riveted to his, but she remained quiet. "I'm gonna touch your
pussy, when I get close so we can cum together, alright?"
"Okay," she breathed out.
And slowly, he pulled out of her encasing back opening, only to push right back
in. He was measured in his movements, he deliberately slid slowly all the way
to the very tip of his head, and thrusted back in hard and quick, he kept it up
for a few thrusts, until he felt the tell-tale signs of his imminent release.
Meanwhile, Katniss bit her lips down, to keep quiet, only allowing the noises
from the back of her throat she couldn't stop, to be heard; her face was
scrunch up with pleasure, her eyes closed and her head lolled back when he
started to speed up. She truly loved  being taken that way. She truly loved
being taken by him. 
His arm coiled around her knee, he brought her thigh up, and pressed flushed
against his belly, spreading her open for his meandering fingers. He finally
made good on his promise of touching her center. 
She couldn't help the moan, nor the snap of her hips; he smiled, and again
leaned into her neck, to whisper into her ear.
"I'm very close, honey. I want you to finish with me,"
She nodded frantically. He kissed her cheek, and started to straightened up,
but her hand once more reached for his blond hair, and pulled his head down to
the crook of her neck. 
"Talk to me, please... Tell me how much you love my ass and my pussy... Talk
dirty, Peeta," her voice was broken up by the the way he was driving into her,
fast and unrestrained... A far cry from when he begun. 
He didn't need much incentive to talk dirty to her, he sometimes felt horror
and shame at things he had said to her during their more passionate trysts. He
couldn't help his mind or refrained his tongue, when he was drilling hard and
fast into her. He never knew his mouth could say such perversion, to a sweet,
innocent thing such as Katniss Everdeen, but he did... Numerous times, and what
was worse, she loved it.
But today, he would speak dirty to her on purpose, without censuring or
chastising himself later... She asked for it, and he would give her anything
she'd want, so he spoke, in a dark, deep voice, the things he would do to her
that night once she sneak out of her house, how he would undress her, eat her
up, push his fingers into her every crevice, and make her scream his name over
and over.
He spoke of his plan to buy, sex toys to use on her... He had to place his hand
over her mouth again since she was getting louder, his hips thrusting harshly
into her, making his whole desk slide a few inches forward, his other hand
rubbing her clit hard and fast, the way he knew drove her crazy. 
And finally, he felt the gush of liquid explode out of her.
"Oh fuck, what's this?" He asked in awe, slowing his pace a bit, "Did you just
squirt on me, little flower?" He asked into her ear, his voice velvety and low,
as he resumed his punishing pace. "I'm gonna have to make you do that again,
sweetie. I'm gonna make a video of you loosing control and squirting all over
my dick and fingers. I'm gonna watch it in a loop when you're away on your
cross-country adventure... I'm gonna cum so hard every time, and I'm gonna sext
you pictures of my cum, just so you know how much I miss you..."
"Oh fuck! Yes, please... I'll send you pictures of the sex toys inside of my,
just so you know I'm missing you..." 
"Aah... Ye-yes... You do that... I'm cumming, baby... I'm cumming inside your
ass... Fuck, fuck, fuck..." With a low, drawn out groan, he filled her with his
load. 
 
Peeta was mostly dressed during their encounter, so he was quick to right
himself up, and run out to the bathroom to grab a few wet napkins for her. She
refused to clean his seed off of her, just wiping her front and a bit down her
legs. Her clothes was still wrinkle free, so she simply rebranded her hair, and
re dressed. 
He stood nearby, leaning against a wall, watching her fix herself. A smile
covered his face, unapologetically. He was done being scared about his feelings
for the girl in the school uniform, currently smoothing a hand down her skimpy
too-short skirt. 
To his surprise, no one in the bakery below, heard the activities upstairs,
although every make head and eyes still followed the tanned legged girl as she
practically glided across the bakery, on her way out. Strangely, after the
steamy coital experience, and their brief heart-to-heart, Peeta felt relaxed
for the first time since the first time he kissed her all that time ago. He
didn't even felt sickly jealous of the attention she was getting... He still
threw a few dirty glares to the more pronounced offenders, so they'll back
off. 
"So... Thank you for your time, mister Mellark..."
"Peeta!" He interjected with a bright smile, "Call me Peeta." He asked softly.
Katniss' smile was the brightest he had ever seen, her eyes twinkled and danced
happily under her slightly arched eyebrows.
"Alright, Peeta. Thank you for the... Um, talk. See you later!" And in a bold
move, she rose on her tippy-toes and brushed a quick peck on his cheek.
His face turned tomato red, and hers felt tingly, but he didn't get to see if
she had blushed too, as she darted out the door right away, tossing a "Good-bye
Ms. Trinket" over her shoulder as she went. 
Effie tried to wave her goodbyes too, but the girl was gone in a flash. 
"What vivacious, sweet girl!" Effie gushed, staring at the empty door. Then she
turned to see him, as he absentmindedly agreed with a noise from deep within
his throat and chest, a goofy smile still hanged on his lips.
"Well, you look happy, dear. I knew talking to the girl would brighten up your
dreary mood. I have to tell you, Peeta, darling, sulking doesn't sit right with
you, sweet boy..."
"Effie..." He brightly interrupted her endless barrage of thoughts, "I think
it's only fair to inform you, that when that girl turns eighteen, in a couple
of weeks, I'm officially off the market!"
"What ever do you mean, by that?" Effie asked confusedly.
"That girl, that just left... She's the future Mrs. Mellark... She just doesn't
expect it right now." 
 
On May eighth, Peeta spoke to Mrs. Everdeen. That night, was Katniss and
Peeta's first official date. On the Fourth of July, Peeta got down on one knee,
in front of both their families, that had come over to Peeta's for a barbecue,
he proposed marriage to a teary eyed Katniss, who readily and wholeheartedly
agreed, amongst surprised gasps and growls of outrage fromhis mother. On August
15th, Katniss, Madge and Johanna left town on a road trip across the United
States, Peeta sexted her every day until she came back, three weeks later,  She
sexted videos of herself masturbating. 
She started collage soon after. Only an hour away drive from home. Peeta drove
up there to see her every weekend. 
On December 26th, they drove to a court house, and eloped... Her idea, of
course. Their families demanded an explanation, she simply said they were in
love and it would have happened anyway, sooner or later... And No, she was not
expecting a baby... Yet!
At their mothers' insistence, a reception-ceremony was given, to celebrate the
marriage. 
On Father's Day, Katniss dropped a pharmacy baggie on Peeta's lap, at his desk
at the bakery. His eyes darted from the innocent white paper bag, back to his
wife's amused gray eyes, he questioned her wordlessly with his eyebrow. She
shrugged in response, and motioned her finger at him to follow her into the
restroom. 
This time, the little plastic stick told him scary news... Only holding his
brand new baby daughter in his arms, would extinguish the fears roiling in his
chest. Only then, he could look at his sweet, happy bride, and accept that
nothing worth having, isn't scary, challenging, but oh so rewarding at the
end. 
 
End Notes
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