Fancy

Chapter 10

Peeta

I watch as Katniss walks in the door of the tattoo parlor. She gets some looks but she ignores them as she walks over to my station.

"You busy?" she asks.

"No," I say. "Not until an appointment at four. Why?"

"I just wanted to tell you I got a job," she says. "Two actually. Neither will take up too much of my time or clash with the other and both of them pay good."

"Really?" I ask. "Where?"

"The Mockingjay's Nest," she says. "I'm working there Tuesday and Thursday nights as well as alternating Saturdays singing."

"And?" I ask. She looks down.

"I'm signing a two year contract with Victoria's Secret tomorrow," she says. "Strictly catalogue work and it's once, maybe twice a month in New York. They pay for my round trip tickets and everything."

"And the Tracker Jacker?" I ask.

"I called Cashmere after I finished talking with the owner of the Mockingjay," she says. "Tonight will be Fancy's last dance. After that, I'm leaving her behind in that awful place. Packing my things from the upstairs and moving out from under that roof."

"And going where?" I ask. She nods to the back of the shop.

"Up those stairs if you'll still have me," she says. "After all, you've only asked me about ten times to move in with you. Now that I'm giving up my place, I might as well take you up on your generous offer."

"Of course you can," I say. "I'd want nothing more than to see you safe every morning instead of staying up half the night waiting for you to either come over or call to say you're going to bed." She laughs and sits down the bench.

"You sure we won't end up tripping over each other in that tiny apartment?" She asks.

"Why would we?" I ask. Before she can answer, my boss, Cressida, walks over.

"You better not be giving this one any more free tattoos, Mellark," she says. "Your little girlfriend here might run me out of business."

"Hey, that tattoo got ten new costumers for you," Katniss says laughing.

"True," she says, "But you are far too young to be covering yourself in ink without thinking."

"I know," Katniss replies. "I'm just visiting." Cressida nods and turns to me.

"Go ahead and take an early lunch," she says. "You won't be busy for a while and I think Katniss would like to have a nice meal with her boyfriend." I nod and she walks away.

"Well, are you going to take me to lunch then?" Katniss asks.

"If you want me to," I say.

"Well, I was thinking more along the lines of going upstairs and having you make something while I sit on the counter and look pretty," she says and I chuckle.

"You'd like that wouldn't you?" I say. She laughs.

"I just thought you'd want to eat with me before I go to unpacking my stuff," she says. "It'll only take me like an hour because I don't have much, but I just want to get it done." I nod and toss her my keys.

"Go let yourself in," I say. "I need to clean up my station, but I'll be right up." She walks around the table and kisses my cheek before turning and walking through the back so she can get upstairs to the apartment. I carefully put my things away and turn off my lamp before punching out and going up stairs.

I open the door to find Katniss sitting on the couch, looking through my CDs and stacking them in piles accordingly.

"What are you doing?" I ask.

"Going through and labeling your CDs before I put mine away with them," she says.

"Why?" I ask. She looks down at her hands and stands up.

"You can't take it the wrong way," she says. "I just, I don't want things to start falling together too fast. I want just a few things that are still just mine."

"Oh, that's fine," I say. "I just didn't want you to feel like you had to start doing it for everything. I don't care if you use my stuff."

"Likewise," she says as she starts slipping the CDs back. "But I'm actually kind of relieved now that I've taken a closer look at your music."

"And why is that?" I ask crossing my arms.

"We have very similar taste," she says. "Lots of overlap so we won't annoy each other too much, but I'll still put the stuff you don't have out." I nod.

"I've got boxed Mac and cheese. I'll start it if that's fine with you," I say and she nods.

"Yeah," she says distractedly. "I'll just try to get this into some sort of order." I walk back to the kitchen and get everything started while she quietly shuffles around in front of the TV and stereo.

"So how much stuff you bringing over?" I ask her.

"Just some clothes and nick nacks," she says. "Not enough to make your place cluttered or anything. I don't have much. You know that." She laughs a little and messes around with my equipment.

"What are you doing over there?" I ask.

"Making life less boring," she says and I hear the song Photograph by Def Leopard begins to play and I stare at her.

"Really?" I ask.

"Oh come on, Peeta," she says tucking a stray violet strand of hair behind her ear and back with its black counterparts. "You love this album. The cover has fingerprint smudges all over it and since it's only you and me, my guess is you play it a lot."

"Yeah," I say. "But there is a business running downstairs in case you haven't forgot. And if they hear this right after I followed you up here."

"What? You afraid they'll get the impression we snuck up here for a nooner?" She says laughing. "No offense, but I feel like I give off a little more class than to do that when you're supposed to be working."

"Cressida has a dirty mind Katniss," I say and she laughs again.

"Oh calm down," she says. "It's not as loud as you think." I sigh.

"Can't you behave yourself?" I ask. She shrugs.

"Well, no," she says. "Not really." I shake my head.

"Just go put your stuff away," I say. "I almost got lunch ready."

"Fine," she says. "But I'm going through some of your clothes and getting rid of stuff to make room."

Before I can say anything, she already ducked into the bedroom and shut the door. I walk over and find the door locked.

"Katniss?" I ask.

"Yeah?"

"You weren't serious about getting rid of my clothes, right?"

"....."

"Katniss?"

"....."

"Katniss?!"

"Just the tore up stuff with holes in it!"

"Katniss!"

"Peeta, seriously, when did you last wear half of this?"

"Katniss, come on!" She yet again goes silent except for the sound of her rifling through my closet. I sigh and lean my head against the door.

"Just don't get rid of my team shirt okay?"

"Yeah, yeah," she says. "Just watch the macaroni." I roll my eyes and go back to the stove to finish our first meal as roommates.