Work Text:
Peeta arrived home early from the bakery. He was hoping to surprise Katniss and maybe take her on a walk out to the meadow.
He knew right away that Katniss had already started on dinner. He could smell the meat marinating, and he saw chopped zucchini and freshly-picked basil on the counter. But Katniss was nowhere in sight and the house was silent. He scanned the lush backyard through their large picture window, and checked the downstairs study, but still he found no trace of her. So he made his way to the stairs with heavy footsteps - surely she would hear him climbing the treads. “Peeta, even on a smooth bed of needles, you’re loud. And I mean loud loud,” Katniss once told him as they walked among the pines.
Peeta reached the top step when he first heard it. A low voice, quietly emanating from behind the closed door of their bedroom. He recognized the sound immediately. The sound of Katniss moaning wasn't something he could ever forget. She was panting. Hard. And grunting too. Peeta would know these noises anywhere.
Usually, that noise alone was enough to get him up... but not right now. A feeling crept up his spine that something wasn't right. Was Katniss alone and touching herself? Or was she using something? He wouldn't mind that. He smiled to himself at the thought, and his pulse quickened as he hoped to catch her before she finished. He envisioned admiring her for a minute or two before he'd make his presence known and join her. She'd allow it. She had before. But as her moans grew louder, another thought sprinted through his mind: maybe she wasn't alone. Envy and panic coursed through Peeta’s body. He turned his ear towards the door. He couldn't hear another voice, but maybe they were being quiet. Or maybe his mouth was occupied. Or her mouth. Damn it. He needed to man up and open this door.
His hand shook as he reached for the knob. He paused to wipe the sweat from his palm onto his thigh as her panting increased in vigor. Peeta was momentarily relieved when he discovered that the door wasn’t locked. That had to be a positive sign. He slowly twisted the knob to reveal the source of the commotion.
It was Katniss, of course. Laid out on the floor in the open space between their shared bed and the bathroom. And she was alone. She was flat on her back, with her hands tucked beneath her lower back. Her legs were together and high in the air. She let out another shaky moan as she slowly lowered her heels to the floor.
What was going on?
Confused, he slumped onto the bed, which finally caused her to notice him.
"Peeta!" she exclaimed, rolling onto her stomach and revealing the thick black cushion that she’d been lying on. "I wasn't expecting you home for another hour." Her face was flushed with exertion and her braid was beginning to unravel.
"I had Thom close up for me, so I could get home to you," he explained in a flurry of words that were spoken so quickly she might not have understood.
Katniss wiped the sweat that had collected on the nape of her neck with a towel. "Is everything okay?"
"Yeah...Katniss... What's going on?" Peeta asked, confused. "What are you wearing?"
"Oh...this?" She gestured to her shiny, full body, emerald-colored jumpsuit, which read "Tribute" across her chest in silver letters. "It’s just something Plutarch roped me into." The vibrant shade of her clothing was a direct contrast to the murky waters he felt we was wading into, trying to comprehend the scene before him.
"Plutarch?"
"And Effie too."
"Effie? I don't understand. It sounded like you were... You know..."
At his insinuation, Katniss's eyes widened. "It did?"
"Yeah," Peeta said, blushing.
"Well, I'm obviously not," she retorted defensively.
"I know that now," he chuckled. "So what is all this?"
"I'm doing a challenge. Well, we're doing a challenge." Katniss supplied.
"A challenge?" Peeta echoed.
"Yes, Johanna, Enobaria and I are going to star in a series of exercise videos."
"You agreed to that?" Peeta asked incredulously.
"Well it was either this or a tour of our house. I didn't think either of us would want our privacy invaded." Katniss looked away and shrugged. "Or, you know, invaded more."
"I still don't get it."
"People in the Capitol want to know how the Victors all stayed so fit. Apparently starvation and war aren't glamorous enough reasons." Peeta chuckled despite himself. "They're calling it ‘Tributes in Training.' Catchy, right?"
Peeta shrugged his shoulders. He might've found the name to be clever before he participated in two Hunger Games. "I don’t think those videos will be too popular in the districts, but if it’s not putting you out….I suppose exercise is a good thing. Keeps your energy levels up and your body in shape.” Peeta quirked his eyebrows, which earned him an eye roll from Katniss.
“So what do you have to do?"
"I just have to do a list of exercises for 30 days. The counts increase each day. They'll take video of me doing it periodically. I don't have to be interviewed or talk at all. They're encouraging me to wear this jumpsuit, you know, to cover up my..." she trailed off.
She didn't need to finish her sentence. Peeta knew. The suit was to cover her scars.
"I think they have something like 100 participants that they're filming in the districts," Katniss finished.
"100 tributes," Peeta repeated.
Katniss only nodded. The greedy citizens still wanted a piece of their Mockingjay. A way to feel connected to her, and to all the victors who fought so bravely in the war. They were still celebrities in the minds of the Capitol citizens. But at least this way, Katniss could be their Mockingjay and still focus on her recovery..
"That's generous of you," Peeta said.
"I'm glad you think so," Katniss said, biting her bottom lip. She crawled on her hands and knees to the bed. She retrieved a fitted muscle tee that had the words "Panem Push-Up Champ" written across the chest.
Peeta's eyes widened. "Katniss?"
"They want you to do the challenge too."