Spring After Winter
post-Mockingjay; Peeta/Katniss (Gale/Katniss)
PG; 1500 words
She’s sure that Peeta already knows the three words she’s about to say, but Katniss can’t stop herself from saying them anyway: “Gale’s coming today.”
She’s sure that Peeta already knows the three words she’s about to say, but Katniss can’t stop herself from saying them anyway:
“Gale’s coming today.”
“I know.”
“And, I love you.”
He smiles. “I know that, too.”
Katniss laces her fingers over her belly, a habit she’s formed over the last few months. “Just thought you’d like to hear it again.”
“Always.” Peeta places his hands over hers and kisses her forehead. “It’ll be fine.”
It’s strange, how nervous she is to see him. It’s been three years, since her and Peeta’s wedding. She didn’t say much to him then, but she did overhear a snippet of conversation between Peeta and Gale: “Is she happy?” Gale asked, and Katniss saw the sure nod of Peeta’s head, and Gale’s face relaxed.
But now, he’ll be here in District Twelve again, a visitor in her home in the Victor’s Village, and they will be forced into their first real conversation since Prim’s death. Katniss sits at her dining room table and instantly thinks of her only real memory in this house with Gale - treating his whipped and bloodied skin on the table, and the kisses that followed. But sorting out anything from those years results in a complete mess, so she doesn’t go back there often. She just knows that she’s happier now, with the boy with the bread and the promise of spring after the winter, and knowing that life still goes on.
Katniss thinks that Peeta can tell she’s starting to get lost in thought, so he takes her hand and says, “Come on, let’s go get the house ready for him.”
Katniss wonders if the short exchange Peeta and Gale at the wedding formed a truce between the two, because he seems genuinely excited to be making up the guest room for him, to be baking loaves and loaves of wonderful smelling breads for Gale to take back to District Two. Peeta answers the short phone call from Gale that says he’ll be at the house in almost an hour, so Peeta says, “let’s go get ourselves ready.”
Katniss isn’t quite looking to impress, but when Peeta starts the shower and strips down and pulls her in after him, she smiles and doesn’t object. Then, she loses herself to him for a few minutes, still savoring the spread of warmth that only Peeta’s touch can provide. It’s been years, but the flood of sensations that sets her nerves on edge is always exciting and fresh.
They soap each other off afterward, face each other and wash the other’s hair, Peeta still grinning. It’s one thing she noticed, how he smiles for so long afterward. “Wipe that smile off your face, it makes it seem like we did something indecent.”
“Yes, but we weren’t always married, was it indecent then?”
Katniss thinks back to that first time, just months after Peeta moved in for good and no more than a year after the Capitol fell. It had been lingering between them, this thing that was slowly building, and one winter night, when they were completely shut in from the cold, he made her dinner and then laid her in front of the fire to keep warm and then well, there was no stopping them. Peeta was grinning for two whole days afterward.
“That’s beside the point.” Katniss says with a note of finality, and guides their slippery bodies under the shower stream to rinse the soap from their heads.
They dress casually and Katniss is just finishing a loose braid when there’s a knock at the door. Peeta gets to it before Katniss can bring herself downstairs and then there he is, in her kitchen again.
There’s a long moment where they just take each other in, and she half expects him to call her Catnip, but instead it’s just a soft “hey.”
“Hey,” she says back, still absorbing him. His face is older, more structured. Strikingly handsome, but weathered at the same time. His skin is a deep tan, undoubtedly from hours spent in the bright sun of District Two. Katniss tries to remember if she knows anyone else that lives in Two. But no, her mother was still in Four, living a peaceful life in the hospital, along with Annie and her son, and Johanna and the other victors were in the Capitol. Gale must have someone there.
Katniss gets her answer over dinner. It’s a wonderful feast that Peeta’s prepared, with beef marinated in spices and thin noodles with a sweet glaze. It’s then she catches the gleam of a band on Gale’s finger, and she can’t stop herself before she asks, “You’re married?”
Gale finishes sliding his fork of noodles into his mouth and swallows before he responds. “Yeah,” he says, reaching for his glass. “Last month. Just a small, private thing, no fuss.”
Meaning, no need to be offended over the lack of invite. It has been three years, and it wasn’t exactly the wedding of the star-crossed lovers of District Twelve (Katniss drew the line at having it broadcast over Panem - this was her and Peeta’s day, not a plot move of the Capitol anymore).
Katniss doesn’t press any further, until much later. Later, when Haymitch and Greasy Sae are invited over for dessert and coffee, and everyone is keeping the conversation lighthearted and on positive things, and Katniss finds herself asking, “So, what’s her name?”
“Becca,” Gale replies, and the focus is now on him, so he continues. “She’s the news anchor for Two. For the first year or so, I was the face for the district, doing interviews, and we were constantly working together.”
Katniss vaguely recalls seeing Gale in a district feature, where news teams were going around to each district to update Panem about the new and booming economy. Gale, being a face Panem recognized, and actively involved with shaping the new government, quickly formed a following. She supposed Becca became one of the followers.
After that things settle down for the night, and Gale turns to bed early, tired after the long trip. The next morning, Gale asks if she wants to go to the Meadow.
Katniss agrees, mainly because it's something to do; Peeta owns a bakery in the new market square and spends most of his day there. Katniss isn’t sure what she’s doing with the rest of her life, now that she has a life outside the rebellion to think about. She thinks she would like to make books, like the herbal guide and the book of people lost in the rebellion, but she’s nowhere near figuring it out yet. And now, as her belly swells greater each day, Katniss has more pressing things to worry about.
“He had to talk me into it, at first,” Katniss tells Gale when he asks about the pregnancy as they walk across the village. She was interviewed after she found out, but only because they knew the other Districts would be thrilled, especially since most citizens still believe Katniss lost her first baby in the Quarter Quell. “It’s still strange, especially when I feel these little kicks. But Peeta’s helping me. I couldn’t do it without him.”
"I'm glad you have him," is all he says. They don't talk much the rest of the trip.
The Meadow is easily accessible, the wired fence taken down years ago. Citizens are allowed to travel as they please. So it’s easy for to Katniss and Gale to find their rock, and they sit and look over their old hunting grounds.
Instead of giving in to the astounding wave of nostalgia that hits her, Katniss asks Gale to update her on the new regime of the Capitol. Gale, excited to talk politics, fills her in on all he knows, from new representatives running for office or plans for remodeling Two’s infrastructure. Then it’s some lighthearted gossip, a little of who-married-who (Effie had found someone to tame her high maintenance, and Delly had just announced her engagement). As he mentions names, Katniss realizes how out of the loop she has been, keeping herself secluded in Twelve, just her and Peeta, and Buttercup and Haymitch occasionally.
“Maybe, maybe I’ll come visit more,” Katniss says when he’s finished. “I mean, after the baby is born. Let everyone meet her. I’m sure Peeta would love to spend a winter out of twelve and in the sun.”
“I think we’d all like that.” Gale reaches for her hand in a gentle, friendly way, and links their palms together. She hasn’t touched him since…since the bombing. Since she connected Prim’s death and Gale’s bombs in her head and hasn’t been able to separate the two. It’s still hard, even now, even years later, but she repeats in her head all the good things that knowing Gale has brought into her life. She knows it will never be the same between them, but it can still be something.
Katniss holds tight onto Gale’s hand, a promise that when winter ends, their spring will come.
PG; 1500 words
She’s sure that Peeta already knows the three words she’s about to say, but Katniss can’t stop herself from saying them anyway: “Gale’s coming today.”
She’s sure that Peeta already knows the three words she’s about to say, but Katniss can’t stop herself from saying them anyway:
“Gale’s coming today.”
“I know.”
“And, I love you.”
He smiles. “I know that, too.”
Katniss laces her fingers over her belly, a habit she’s formed over the last few months. “Just thought you’d like to hear it again.”
“Always.” Peeta places his hands over hers and kisses her forehead. “It’ll be fine.”
It’s strange, how nervous she is to see him. It’s been three years, since her and Peeta’s wedding. She didn’t say much to him then, but she did overhear a snippet of conversation between Peeta and Gale: “Is she happy?” Gale asked, and Katniss saw the sure nod of Peeta’s head, and Gale’s face relaxed.
But now, he’ll be here in District Twelve again, a visitor in her home in the Victor’s Village, and they will be forced into their first real conversation since Prim’s death. Katniss sits at her dining room table and instantly thinks of her only real memory in this house with Gale - treating his whipped and bloodied skin on the table, and the kisses that followed. But sorting out anything from those years results in a complete mess, so she doesn’t go back there often. She just knows that she’s happier now, with the boy with the bread and the promise of spring after the winter, and knowing that life still goes on.
Katniss thinks that Peeta can tell she’s starting to get lost in thought, so he takes her hand and says, “Come on, let’s go get the house ready for him.”
Katniss wonders if the short exchange Peeta and Gale at the wedding formed a truce between the two, because he seems genuinely excited to be making up the guest room for him, to be baking loaves and loaves of wonderful smelling breads for Gale to take back to District Two. Peeta answers the short phone call from Gale that says he’ll be at the house in almost an hour, so Peeta says, “let’s go get ourselves ready.”
Katniss isn’t quite looking to impress, but when Peeta starts the shower and strips down and pulls her in after him, she smiles and doesn’t object. Then, she loses herself to him for a few minutes, still savoring the spread of warmth that only Peeta’s touch can provide. It’s been years, but the flood of sensations that sets her nerves on edge is always exciting and fresh.
They soap each other off afterward, face each other and wash the other’s hair, Peeta still grinning. It’s one thing she noticed, how he smiles for so long afterward. “Wipe that smile off your face, it makes it seem like we did something indecent.”
“Yes, but we weren’t always married, was it indecent then?”
Katniss thinks back to that first time, just months after Peeta moved in for good and no more than a year after the Capitol fell. It had been lingering between them, this thing that was slowly building, and one winter night, when they were completely shut in from the cold, he made her dinner and then laid her in front of the fire to keep warm and then well, there was no stopping them. Peeta was grinning for two whole days afterward.
“That’s beside the point.” Katniss says with a note of finality, and guides their slippery bodies under the shower stream to rinse the soap from their heads.
They dress casually and Katniss is just finishing a loose braid when there’s a knock at the door. Peeta gets to it before Katniss can bring herself downstairs and then there he is, in her kitchen again.
There’s a long moment where they just take each other in, and she half expects him to call her Catnip, but instead it’s just a soft “hey.”
“Hey,” she says back, still absorbing him. His face is older, more structured. Strikingly handsome, but weathered at the same time. His skin is a deep tan, undoubtedly from hours spent in the bright sun of District Two. Katniss tries to remember if she knows anyone else that lives in Two. But no, her mother was still in Four, living a peaceful life in the hospital, along with Annie and her son, and Johanna and the other victors were in the Capitol. Gale must have someone there.
Katniss gets her answer over dinner. It’s a wonderful feast that Peeta’s prepared, with beef marinated in spices and thin noodles with a sweet glaze. It’s then she catches the gleam of a band on Gale’s finger, and she can’t stop herself before she asks, “You’re married?”
Gale finishes sliding his fork of noodles into his mouth and swallows before he responds. “Yeah,” he says, reaching for his glass. “Last month. Just a small, private thing, no fuss.”
Meaning, no need to be offended over the lack of invite. It has been three years, and it wasn’t exactly the wedding of the star-crossed lovers of District Twelve (Katniss drew the line at having it broadcast over Panem - this was her and Peeta’s day, not a plot move of the Capitol anymore).
Katniss doesn’t press any further, until much later. Later, when Haymitch and Greasy Sae are invited over for dessert and coffee, and everyone is keeping the conversation lighthearted and on positive things, and Katniss finds herself asking, “So, what’s her name?”
“Becca,” Gale replies, and the focus is now on him, so he continues. “She’s the news anchor for Two. For the first year or so, I was the face for the district, doing interviews, and we were constantly working together.”
Katniss vaguely recalls seeing Gale in a district feature, where news teams were going around to each district to update Panem about the new and booming economy. Gale, being a face Panem recognized, and actively involved with shaping the new government, quickly formed a following. She supposed Becca became one of the followers.
After that things settle down for the night, and Gale turns to bed early, tired after the long trip. The next morning, Gale asks if she wants to go to the Meadow.
Katniss agrees, mainly because it's something to do; Peeta owns a bakery in the new market square and spends most of his day there. Katniss isn’t sure what she’s doing with the rest of her life, now that she has a life outside the rebellion to think about. She thinks she would like to make books, like the herbal guide and the book of people lost in the rebellion, but she’s nowhere near figuring it out yet. And now, as her belly swells greater each day, Katniss has more pressing things to worry about.
“He had to talk me into it, at first,” Katniss tells Gale when he asks about the pregnancy as they walk across the village. She was interviewed after she found out, but only because they knew the other Districts would be thrilled, especially since most citizens still believe Katniss lost her first baby in the Quarter Quell. “It’s still strange, especially when I feel these little kicks. But Peeta’s helping me. I couldn’t do it without him.”
"I'm glad you have him," is all he says. They don't talk much the rest of the trip.
The Meadow is easily accessible, the wired fence taken down years ago. Citizens are allowed to travel as they please. So it’s easy for to Katniss and Gale to find their rock, and they sit and look over their old hunting grounds.
Instead of giving in to the astounding wave of nostalgia that hits her, Katniss asks Gale to update her on the new regime of the Capitol. Gale, excited to talk politics, fills her in on all he knows, from new representatives running for office or plans for remodeling Two’s infrastructure. Then it’s some lighthearted gossip, a little of who-married-who (Effie had found someone to tame her high maintenance, and Delly had just announced her engagement). As he mentions names, Katniss realizes how out of the loop she has been, keeping herself secluded in Twelve, just her and Peeta, and Buttercup and Haymitch occasionally.
“Maybe, maybe I’ll come visit more,” Katniss says when he’s finished. “I mean, after the baby is born. Let everyone meet her. I’m sure Peeta would love to spend a winter out of twelve and in the sun.”
“I think we’d all like that.” Gale reaches for her hand in a gentle, friendly way, and links their palms together. She hasn’t touched him since…since the bombing. Since she connected Prim’s death and Gale’s bombs in her head and hasn’t been able to separate the two. It’s still hard, even now, even years later, but she repeats in her head all the good things that knowing Gale has brought into her life. She knows it will never be the same between them, but it can still be something.
Katniss holds tight onto Gale’s hand, a promise that when winter ends, their spring will come.