Deep in the Meadow - Peeta Mellark X Reader

16. Home

"All the fear and the fire
Of the end of the world
Happens each time a boy falls in love with a girl
Happens great, happens sweet
Happily, I'm unfazed here, too"

𖡼𖤣𖥧𖡼𓋼𖤣𖥧𓋼𓍊𖡼𖤣𖥧𖡼𓋼𖤣𖥧𓋼𓍊

The weeks after the arena seemed to have been one big fever dream, a distant memory as I now sit in the victor's village. Peeta and I had selected homes close to Haymitch so we could feel some sense of life in the emptiness of the village. So many homes, yet only three are occupied.

I often find myself in his home, watching as he bakes for me, or learning new painting skills. Anything to keep my mind off of what happened. I never even go into my own home at this point. Just his and Haymitch's.

We help each other with the nightmares, comforting each other through everything. Coming home was hard, it felt like I was in shock at first, but I'm getting into a good schedule, and Worm's presence has been nice.

Primrose had done her best to take care of her for me, but she had grown quite thin. Apparently her and Buttercup had gotten along quite nicely.

It was clear nobody expected I would be home again, but when I had gone to return the pin to Madge, she told me to keep it. Haymitch now knew it was in my possession, but didn't mention it, though I know it hurt him to see me have it at first.

Katniss and Gale started talking to me more, and were willing to teach me more survival skills, as if I would need them again, but I can't bring myself to go into the woods if I don't have to. Even the meadow is hard to be in. What was once a safe haven for me, now brings up awful thoughts. I can't stop thinking about Thresh and our short lived alliance.

It wasn't much, but it was something. He spared my life.

He spared me. Why did he do that?

Three times.

I begin to force myself to count five things I see, four things I feel, three things I smell...

My fingers tap my knee, scratching over the fabric as my leg bounces. The movement is enough for Worm to jump off my lap.

There are hands on my shoulders now, and the weight of a head resting over my own. My body seems to relax immediately under the weight, and I am brought back to the present.

I let out a shaky breath, leaning back into Peeta's embrace.He gives my shoulders a gentle squeeze, kissing the top of my head.

"Don't think so hard, you'll get wrinkles." He says softly, clearly joking.

I roll my eyes at this, leaning my head back so I'm looking up at him from my position on the couch.

"Maybe I want wrinkles."

He smiles in response, leaning down to place a kiss onto my lips "You'd look just as beautiful with them."

And there he goes, grounding me once again, making my heart flutter like I was the only girl in the world. As if nothing had happened, as if we had just always been in love and known each other for years. How he has this effect on me, I'll never understand.

"Would you like to learn how to bake macaroons? I managed to get a recipe in the Capitol." Peeta speaks again, and I nod.

Anything he makes is better than the Capitol. He makes it all with care, so lovingly, as if the dough were a fragile baby. He asks if I want to learn how to bake things, but really, he's asking if I want to watch him bake. I never learn, or really try to, and he's okay with that. Whatever gets my mind off of things, he will do, because it helps him get his mind off of them too.