If the Capitol didn't hijack Peeta...

Picnic for a Princess

Peeta's POV

Today is May 8th, Katniss' birthday. I plan to do something special.

Yesterday over dinner we talked about what she wanted to do, and she said she wanted to go to the Meadow. I have the best surprise for her.

I get out of bed and head to the bathroom to take a shower. After I come out, I dress in a green polo shirt and khakis with some dress shoes.

Since it's her special day, I make her her favorite for breakfast- cheese buns. Once they're in the oven, I head out to run some errands but am sure to leave a note.

She is going to have the best birthday ever.

Katniss' POV

I wake up from a dreamless sleep and stretch, opening my eyes and wiping the crustiness away. Rolling over expecting to see Peeta, I notice a note. It reads:

'Morning, Princess!

Happy Birthday my angel! Just ran out to pick up some things, but I promise to be right back. Always. Breakfast is downstairs, I made your favorite.

XOXO, Peeta'

After reading the first line, I remember- it is my birthday! Growing up I never really did anything because of money, but it does feel nice to have a plan.

The smell of freshly made cheesebuns hits the bedroom and I inhale deeply. I go down the stairs and sit down at the table, sinking my teeth into the delicious cheese buns. Once the last one is done, I decide to take a shower and get ready for the day.

When I get out of the shower I put on an orange sundress and sandals. I leave my hair in loose waves and brush my teeth. After I finish, I don't know what to do, so I decide to turn on the hologram projector and watch some TV.

Ten minutes pass by and he finally comes home. When he opens the door, he is holding a small bag. It looks like it might be from a jewelry store, but I could be wrong.

"Hey there," I say. "What have we here?"

"A surprise," he says with a smirk. With that note he runs upstairs.

A couple minutes later, he comes back. He sits next to me on the couch and wraps an arm around me.

"How is my Princess on this fine day?" He asks.

"I'm doing good, how is my handsome Prince?" He rewards me with one of his warm smiles.

"I'm doing great, as a matter of fact," he says, pulling out an envelope with my name written on the front. "This is for you. Happy birthday, Kat." He hands me the letter and a huge smile appears on my face. I open the letter and read it out loud.

"'Dear Princess,
You are my one and only, and I have loved you since the day I first laid eyes on you. And I will love you, forever and always. I know sometimes you don't think you deserve me, but that's not true. It is me that doesn't deserve you. Today, being your special day, I will gladly spend the day in the Meadow with you.

Yours always,
Peeta'"

That was beautiful. My eyes start to tear up as I thank him for the wonderful note. It's not much, but I think it was sweet of him to think of what I wanted to do on my special day. He wipes away the tears on my face with his thumb and I crash my lips onto his.

After a couple of seconds, he breaks it and smiles at me. I smile back, gasping for air, his smile leaving me breathless.

"So, Meadow?" He asks, still smiling.

"Always." I say, taking his hand and folding it into mine.

As we're walking to the Meadow, hand in hand, we just talk about things. Peeta mentions he wants to reopen the bakery. I promise him that I will help him with anything he needs.

Within fifteen minutes, we make it to the Meadow, where I went as a little girl with my father. I haven't been here since before the Quell. Peeta squeezes my hand and I look up at him.

"You okay?" He asks, concerned.

"Yeah." I nod my head. "It's just that I haven't been here in over two years."

"I understand," he says, pulling me into a hug. We sway back and forth like this for a while, until Peeta breaks the silence. "Where do you want to settle? Any special places in mind?"

"How about over there?" I say, pointing to a spot under a willow tree. The branches hunch over like a roof and make some shade. We put the blanket down and open up the picnic basket. Peeta made lamb stew (my favorite!) and some bread and cheese buns. He knows me so well. When we finish eating, we sit on a rock by the lake and dip our feet in. The sun starts disappearing into the horizon and Peeta goes and lays up against the willow and I lay down on his chest, him playing with my hair and me playing with some flowers. The sky turns orange, Peeta's favorite color.

"Look," I say, pointing at the sky.

"Your favorite color."

"Yeah," he says, sighing deeply.

"How'd you remember?"

"How could I forget?" I say, leaning my head back to look up at him and smiling. He leans forward and kisses me on the lips.

"I love you, Katniss Everdeen." He sas with a smile.

"I love you, too, Peeta Mellark."

"But I don't think you get it," he says, chuckling. I stood up, facing him. "I really love you, and I don't want to spend the rest of my life with anyone but you. I wanted to give you something to promise you that I am yours. So I got you this." He pulls out a box from his pockets and hands it to me. "Happy birthday, Princess." He says, smiling. I open the box and I feel the tears coming out of my eyes. Peeta took the pearl he gave me in the Quell and turned it into a necklace.

"Peeta, it's beautiful. Thank you so much." I pull him into a hug. He kisses my neck and I pull away to look at his beautiful sea blue eyes.

We stare at each other in silence for minutes. It isn't awkward at all. We just sit there and get lost in each other's eyes.

After a while, I break the gaze and he looks down, smiling. I take his face and kiss him. It doesn't last long, but it's still worth every second.

When we break, he takes a strand of hair that flew in front of my face and puts it behind my ear.

"I love you." He says.

"I love you, too."
------------------------------------------A/N

Hey! Sorry I haven't updated in a while. This chapter went through a LOT of editing, so I haven't had the chance to update it yet. Thanks a million to those of you who have stayed from the start! 2.33K reads! You guys have been amazing! Love you all!

-Disnerd1621