Ficlet: Written in Reverse
Written in Reverse
Katniss/Peeta | Modern AU
1300 words
Also here
Inspired by the Spoon song
"Oh my God, marry me," she said when she bit into the cake, the rich flavors of dark chocolate and cinnamon exploding across her tongue.
"I don't think we've been introduced," he replied with a wide smile. "I'm Peeta." His blond hair glowed in the dark basement, and his broad shoulders blocked out every other person at Finnick's birthday party. Or maybe it just seemed that way.
She ignored his outstretched hand and took another bite of cake instead. "So you won't marry me?"
"Not without a handshake," he said, laughing.
She took his hand.
-----
"This is my sister, Prim," she said, and Peeta waved.
"That's my dad." Peeta pointed to an older man wearing a blue apron that matched his own. "He thinks he owns this place."
Katniss quirked an eyebrow at the logo on his apron, which read Mellark & Sons Bakery. "Do you have something you want to tell me? I thought we were engaged."
He shook his head and made a disappointed face, his eyes twinkling. "These are the questions you're supposed to ask before proposing, Katniss."
Prim just rolled her eyes. "I think I'm going to need to try some of this cake."
-----
"Do you live here now, or what?" Prim asked, when Peeta answered the door.
"He's teaching me to bake," Katniss called from the kitchen.
Prim grimaced at Peeta and drew one finger across her neck. Bad idea. Peeta shrugged and pointed to his wrist. Too late.
There was no possible way that Katniss had heard them, but her voice floated out of the kitchen anyway. "Whatever you're saying out there, I don't appreciate it." Peeta's shoulders began to shake with silent laughter, and Prim shook her head.
When Peeta walked back into the kitchen, he found that Katniss had somehow managed to get cake batter in her hair, and one dark chocolatey streak of it on her cheekbone. She glared at him, hands on her hips, and Peeta knew he was in serious trouble.
-----
"Where's your boyfriend?" Johanna asked, stepping up to the pool table beside Katniss.
She nodded toward the bar and handed Jo a cue. "Went to get some drinks. Want to play?"
"You aren't even gonna deny it." Jo's voice was flat. "He must be great in bed."
Katniss whispered her response, almost impossible to hear in the noisy bar.
"What?!" Johanna's screech brought all conversation in the crowded space to a halt. In the sudden silence her voice was very loud. "Fuck him already, brainless."
Katniss put her face in her hands, and when Peeta finally arrived at the table with a pitcher of beer in one hand and four pint glasses in the other, his cheeks were still stained pink.
-----
The next morning, Katniss woke with her face squashed against an unfamiliar couch cushion and the smell of coffee in her nose. Sitting up, she rubbed her eyes and found that she was wearing the same jeans and t-shirt she'd had on at the bar last night.
There was a wastebasket on the floor next to the couch, which was mercifully empty, and a glass of water and two aspirin. She took the pills and drank the water, which at least washed away the taste of death in the back of her throat.
The apartment was neat but cozy, with a small bookshelf and a large television. There were several brightly-colored paintings on the walls, and the blanket on her knees had a Jays Hockey logo on it. A pair of ratty running shoes sat near the door, too big for a woman's feet.
Katniss frowned at the shoes, and the wastebasket, and the empty water glass. From the next room, she heard small rustling and clinking sounds. She pushed herself to her feet and shuffled toward the noises.
When she got to the doorway, she stopped. Peeta was standing in the small galley kitchen, leaning back against the counter and drinking coffee from a mug. "How do you feel?" he asked, with a smile.
She covered her eyes with one hand. "I can't believe I slept over," she said, more to herself than to him. "Jo is never going to shut up about this."
A cup of coffee appeared under her nose. "Hey," Peeta said softly. He was a lot closer than he had been a moment ago. "Just you and me here, right?"
Katniss clutched the coffee cup in both hands and sipped from it gratefully, without looking at him. Finally, she raised her head and nodded. His eyes were bright in the morning light, like a wide-open summer sky.
She felt like she was supposed to say something, but she couldn't find the words. Peeta seemed satisfied with her nod, though, because he smiled gently. "I don't go around getting engaged to just anyone, you know."
"You don't?" she asked, feeling stupid. Could he possibly be saying what she thought he was? No. It had to be a joke or something. "You get a lot of proposals, then?"
"Let's just say, you weren't the only one who was inspired by the chocolate cake," he said. "And you haven't even tasted the cheese buns."
This felt more familiar, more like simple flirting. "I should've held out for a better bargain," she joked.
"Probably," he agreed, and then the smile on his face slid into a more serious expression. "Your proposal is the only one I've ever accepted."
"Peeta..." She tightened her grip on her coffee cup and wished it was large enough to hide behind. "I'm not... I don't know how to do this kind of thing."
"There's no rulebook," he said softly. "We can do whatever works for us." This time, when she met his eyes they were uncertain. "I mean, if you want to."
Neither of them had said anything about dating or relationships or commitment. They'd never slept together or even kissed. But Katniss felt how much was hanging on this moment anyway.
"Yeah," she said, her voice rough. Whatever this was between them, she felt sure. "Yeah, I want to."
-----
His fingertips traced along her braid in a way that she might've thought was absent-minded, except that he kept brushing against the skin at the nape of her neck. She couldn't even remember what had happened in the movie they were watching, her distraction was so complete. Every time his skin skipped over hers it sent little shocks down her spine, until the heat built up in her body and began to drive her absolutely crazy.
"C'mere," she said, and pulled him over to her side of the couch, leaning back until she was resting on the padded arm of the couch and he was half on top of her.
He was still laughing as he pressed his smile to hers, mouth already opened. Their teeth collided as their bodies aligned and his fingers tugged on the end of her braid and the movie kept playing in the background. Gradually, she stopped laughing and his lips relaxed and they slid gently into a kiss.
Katniss arched her back and pushed up against his mouth, and Peeta's hand slid down her side to rest on her hip. The sound of the movie faded into background noise, forgotten.
-----
A bell clanged as Katniss pushed open the door of the bakery. Mr. Mellark was behind the counter, and he waved in her direction as he helped a customer. A moment later, Peeta came out of the back. His smile made Katniss feel warm all the way down to her toes.
"Hey," he said. "I hope you're hungry."
She reached up and brushed a streak of flour off the corner of his jaw. "What did you have in mind?" she asked.
"If you like spicy food, I know this great place around the corner," he said.
"I could eat," she agreed. As they stepped out the door of the bakery, she knocked one shoulder against his. "Want to get takeout?"
Peeta wrapped his arm around her waist and leaned close, kissing the top of her hair. "On our first date? How unconventional, Miss Everdeen."
Katniss/Peeta | Modern AU
1300 words
Also here
Inspired by the Spoon song
"Oh my God, marry me," she said when she bit into the cake, the rich flavors of dark chocolate and cinnamon exploding across her tongue.
"I don't think we've been introduced," he replied with a wide smile. "I'm Peeta." His blond hair glowed in the dark basement, and his broad shoulders blocked out every other person at Finnick's birthday party. Or maybe it just seemed that way.
She ignored his outstretched hand and took another bite of cake instead. "So you won't marry me?"
"Not without a handshake," he said, laughing.
She took his hand.
-----
"This is my sister, Prim," she said, and Peeta waved.
"That's my dad." Peeta pointed to an older man wearing a blue apron that matched his own. "He thinks he owns this place."
Katniss quirked an eyebrow at the logo on his apron, which read Mellark & Sons Bakery. "Do you have something you want to tell me? I thought we were engaged."
He shook his head and made a disappointed face, his eyes twinkling. "These are the questions you're supposed to ask before proposing, Katniss."
Prim just rolled her eyes. "I think I'm going to need to try some of this cake."
-----
"Do you live here now, or what?" Prim asked, when Peeta answered the door.
"He's teaching me to bake," Katniss called from the kitchen.
Prim grimaced at Peeta and drew one finger across her neck. Bad idea. Peeta shrugged and pointed to his wrist. Too late.
There was no possible way that Katniss had heard them, but her voice floated out of the kitchen anyway. "Whatever you're saying out there, I don't appreciate it." Peeta's shoulders began to shake with silent laughter, and Prim shook her head.
When Peeta walked back into the kitchen, he found that Katniss had somehow managed to get cake batter in her hair, and one dark chocolatey streak of it on her cheekbone. She glared at him, hands on her hips, and Peeta knew he was in serious trouble.
-----
"Where's your boyfriend?" Johanna asked, stepping up to the pool table beside Katniss.
She nodded toward the bar and handed Jo a cue. "Went to get some drinks. Want to play?"
"You aren't even gonna deny it." Jo's voice was flat. "He must be great in bed."
Katniss whispered her response, almost impossible to hear in the noisy bar.
"What?!" Johanna's screech brought all conversation in the crowded space to a halt. In the sudden silence her voice was very loud. "Fuck him already, brainless."
Katniss put her face in her hands, and when Peeta finally arrived at the table with a pitcher of beer in one hand and four pint glasses in the other, his cheeks were still stained pink.
-----
The next morning, Katniss woke with her face squashed against an unfamiliar couch cushion and the smell of coffee in her nose. Sitting up, she rubbed her eyes and found that she was wearing the same jeans and t-shirt she'd had on at the bar last night.
There was a wastebasket on the floor next to the couch, which was mercifully empty, and a glass of water and two aspirin. She took the pills and drank the water, which at least washed away the taste of death in the back of her throat.
The apartment was neat but cozy, with a small bookshelf and a large television. There were several brightly-colored paintings on the walls, and the blanket on her knees had a Jays Hockey logo on it. A pair of ratty running shoes sat near the door, too big for a woman's feet.
Katniss frowned at the shoes, and the wastebasket, and the empty water glass. From the next room, she heard small rustling and clinking sounds. She pushed herself to her feet and shuffled toward the noises.
When she got to the doorway, she stopped. Peeta was standing in the small galley kitchen, leaning back against the counter and drinking coffee from a mug. "How do you feel?" he asked, with a smile.
She covered her eyes with one hand. "I can't believe I slept over," she said, more to herself than to him. "Jo is never going to shut up about this."
A cup of coffee appeared under her nose. "Hey," Peeta said softly. He was a lot closer than he had been a moment ago. "Just you and me here, right?"
Katniss clutched the coffee cup in both hands and sipped from it gratefully, without looking at him. Finally, she raised her head and nodded. His eyes were bright in the morning light, like a wide-open summer sky.
She felt like she was supposed to say something, but she couldn't find the words. Peeta seemed satisfied with her nod, though, because he smiled gently. "I don't go around getting engaged to just anyone, you know."
"You don't?" she asked, feeling stupid. Could he possibly be saying what she thought he was? No. It had to be a joke or something. "You get a lot of proposals, then?"
"Let's just say, you weren't the only one who was inspired by the chocolate cake," he said. "And you haven't even tasted the cheese buns."
This felt more familiar, more like simple flirting. "I should've held out for a better bargain," she joked.
"Probably," he agreed, and then the smile on his face slid into a more serious expression. "Your proposal is the only one I've ever accepted."
"Peeta..." She tightened her grip on her coffee cup and wished it was large enough to hide behind. "I'm not... I don't know how to do this kind of thing."
"There's no rulebook," he said softly. "We can do whatever works for us." This time, when she met his eyes they were uncertain. "I mean, if you want to."
Neither of them had said anything about dating or relationships or commitment. They'd never slept together or even kissed. But Katniss felt how much was hanging on this moment anyway.
"Yeah," she said, her voice rough. Whatever this was between them, she felt sure. "Yeah, I want to."
-----
His fingertips traced along her braid in a way that she might've thought was absent-minded, except that he kept brushing against the skin at the nape of her neck. She couldn't even remember what had happened in the movie they were watching, her distraction was so complete. Every time his skin skipped over hers it sent little shocks down her spine, until the heat built up in her body and began to drive her absolutely crazy.
"C'mere," she said, and pulled him over to her side of the couch, leaning back until she was resting on the padded arm of the couch and he was half on top of her.
He was still laughing as he pressed his smile to hers, mouth already opened. Their teeth collided as their bodies aligned and his fingers tugged on the end of her braid and the movie kept playing in the background. Gradually, she stopped laughing and his lips relaxed and they slid gently into a kiss.
Katniss arched her back and pushed up against his mouth, and Peeta's hand slid down her side to rest on her hip. The sound of the movie faded into background noise, forgotten.
-----
A bell clanged as Katniss pushed open the door of the bakery. Mr. Mellark was behind the counter, and he waved in her direction as he helped a customer. A moment later, Peeta came out of the back. His smile made Katniss feel warm all the way down to her toes.
"Hey," he said. "I hope you're hungry."
She reached up and brushed a streak of flour off the corner of his jaw. "What did you have in mind?" she asked.
"If you like spicy food, I know this great place around the corner," he said.
"I could eat," she agreed. As they stepped out the door of the bakery, she knocked one shoulder against his. "Want to get takeout?"
Peeta wrapped his arm around her waist and leaned close, kissing the top of her hair. "On our first date? How unconventional, Miss Everdeen."