Hello all! This is actually an old drabble that I posted on Tumblr and I loved it so much that I decided to post it! Enjoy!

The characters of The Hunger Games Trilogy do not belong to me.

Guy Time

At the stop sign, Peeta looked through his helmet visor at the town before him.

He would have never come back if it weren't for her.

Panem was a part of his history that he kept from his friends in Miami, his home for the last five years. It was better to be Peeta Mellark, nomad with no home and no history than Peeta Mellark, all-American hometown kid from Panem, a small town in the suburbs of New York.

Kicking off, he rode past the three blocks that made up the main part of town and towards the neighborhood of identical houses with white picket fences. It was still hard to believe that his childhood friend had settled in such domesticity and was now playing the modern-day Donna Reed.

Finally, Peeta made a turn into a long driveway before kicking out the stand for his motorcycle and turning off the engine. Looking around at the white stucco house with the ivy growing on it, he unzipped his leather jacket before considering if he should call his friend to let her know that he was outside.

He didn't need to as the back door suddenly opened and Katniss rushed out of the house, a dark-haired baby in her arms.

"PEETA!" She wrapped her free arm around him and he gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. "It's so good to see you again. I've missed you!"

"Missed you too! My God, you look beautiful," Peeta responded as he stared at his friend. "Almost wondering why I didn't marry you myself!"

Katniss' cheeks turned scarlet and he admired how well it looked on her olive skin. Her hair was in its usual braid and she wore a simple t-shirt dress that displayed her well-toned legs nicely. It was a warm day in Panem, a usual for early fall days in the small town.

"Well, you didn't ask quickly enough," she retorted with a teasing grin.

"Mommy!"

A small boy of five came rushing out of the house and to his mother's side. The boy stared up at Peeta, suspicion in his grey eyes. If Peeta didn't know any better, he could swear that it was Gale staring up at him.

"Who's this?" the boy asked as he pressed himself against his mother's side.

"You're right on time, sweetheart," Katniss said before turning to Peeta. "Peeta, this is Charlotte—" She presented the baby, who reached out to swipe the sleeve of his jacket. "—and this is Liam." Her arm went around the boy to pull him closer. "Liam, Charlotte—this is Mommy and Daddy's old friend, Peeta Mellark."

"I don't know what's scarier–" Peeta said as he sat on a stool by the kitchen island, drinking the beer that Katniss had offered him after settling the kids in the living room to watch something called 'The Wiggles'. "–the fact that you're a mother of two or that you called me your 'old' friend."

"It's a trip, isn't it?" Katniss said as she pulled out the box of pasta from the cupboard and went to the stove. "Sometimes, I awaken in a daze and it reminds me of that one trip to Cabo where I drank from that bottle with the worm at the bottom."

"Oh yeah…" He mused as he scratched at his unshaven jawline. "…we went skinny dipping, didn't we?"

"We were wild ones," Katniss responded with a grin. She looked down at the pot in front of her before turning to him. "And, then I had to screw it all up by getting married."

"You were with Gale for that last year of college and he was bat-shit crazy in love with you," Peeta told her.

Katniss poured the pasta wheels into the boiling water and half-heartedly stirred it before covering the pot and joining him by the island. "He was in love with me."

"What do you mean, sweetheart?" he asked.

"You weren't there these last two years," she responded softly. "By the end, we couldn't stand one another because we were just too different." Tears filled her eyes. "Charlotte…she was our last attempt at mending what we had—and then what happens? Gale loses control on an icy road and a year later, I'm starting a new life with two children who have no idea that their parents no longer loved each other in the end."

Quickly, Peeta stood up, pulling her into his arms.

"Hey now…" He felt her bury her face into his shoulder. She often did this when they were kids, whenever she got in trouble with her parents. Katniss would come running to his house and crying all over him. Peeta never minded, liking that his best pal always needed him. "You're going to be alright. I'm here. Your favorite person in the world, right?"

Katniss pulled her away, a wet laugh escaping her mouth.

"Mommy!" They turned to see Liam in the doorway of the kitchen. He frowned at Peeta before looking to his mother. "Charlotte's diaper is smelly."

"Oh—" She looked to Peeta. "—will you just watch the stove?"

"Sure," he responded easily.

Katniss quickly rushed out of the kitchen and he was left alone with mini-Gale staring at him. Awkwardly, Peeta went to the stove and removed the lid to stir the pasta with the wooden spoon that his friend placed on the counter.

When Peeta turned around, he found himself face to face with Liam, who had taken his seat against the kitchen island.

"OH SH—I mean…" Peeta took a calming breath, startled under the boy's stony gaze. "…you scared me."

"Are you my Uncle?" Liam asked carefully.

He leaned his elbows on the island. "I guess. I was there when you were born."

"How come I've never seen you?" the little man-child continued with his inquisition.

"You were just a baby when I left," Peeta informed him. "I used to live in Florida."

Liam seemed genuinely interested in him, his grey eyes looking over Peeta. "Where do you live now?"

"I'm going to live here—in Panem," he said to the little boy. "I have a house but it won't be done for a few weeks."

"Then where will you stay?"

"Here. With you." Peeta eyed Liam warily. "Is that okay?"

The little boy tilted his head as he stared into Peeta's eyes. Those penetrating eyes were definitely from Katniss, for Peeta often found himself hypnotized by them just as he was with Liam's gaze.

After a moment, Liam sighed and gave Peeta a half-hearted shrug. "Just don't steal any of my Ninja Turtles."

Two Weeks Later…

"Thank you for doing this," Katniss said to him. "This interview is all the way on the other side of town. I should be home a little after five." She looked to Peeta worriedly. "You'll be okay, won't you?"

"Of course!" Peeta gave her an assuring smile as he bounced Charlotte in his arms. The little girl smiled at him. "See? Me and Charlie here are going to be just fine."

Then pretty, little Charlotte spit up on his shoulder.

"Oh no!" Katniss grabbed a napkin from her purse and carefully wiped his shoulder. She gave him an apologetic smile. "I'm really convincing you that staying in Panem is a good idea, aren't I?"

"If you dress like that every day then I'm totally staying," he told her with a smirk.

Katniss had put on a navy wrap dress for her interview. The silhouette hugged her curves appropriately and the V-neckline gave him just that slight glimpse of her cleavage.

"You're a little perv, you know that, right?" Katniss retorted with a grin. She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and then kissed Charlotte's soft chocolate hair. "Be a good girl for Peeta, okay? Liam should be here around three."

With a final wave, Katniss rushed out the front door.

Peeta stared at the little girl in his arms. In Charlie, he definitely saw Katniss, those large eyes with that glint of mischief and peach lips that curved more to the right when she smiled.

Going to the living room, Peeta grabbed the remote with his free hand before settling down on the couch with Charlie. Finally, he spotted something that captured his interest and he looked to the baby, who was curiously staring at the remote in his hand.

"So, Charlie," Peeta began. "Have you ever watched Armageddon?"

"Thank you!" Peeta waved to Liam's carpool driver before closing the front door. Turning, he found the boy staring at him carefully. "So, are you hungry?"

"Where's Mommy?" Liam asked.

"She had an interview but she'll be back soon," Peeta replied. "I made grilled cheese sandwiches."

He looked nervously at the kid. Liam had his father's stare, half-suspicious and half-skeptical of Peeta's sincerity. Gale had never been very crazy about Katniss' childhood friend despite the fact that he had been the one to introduce the two.

"Can I eat in front of the television?" Liam asked after a moment.

"Sure."

Peeta quickly checked on Charlie, who was asleep in her playpen and clinging to her yellow blanket before going to the kitchen to grab a sandwich for the little boy. Quickly, he went back to the living room to find Liam sitting on the floor as he watched Bruce Willis drill a hole into the asteroid set to destroy the earth.

Liam pointed to the screen. "What's this?"

"It's a movie," Peeta replied as he joined the little boy on the floor and placed the plate in front of him. "We can change the channel if you want."

"Mommy never lets me watch movies like these," Liam told him as he picked up the sandwich. "Neither did Daddy." The boy took a small bite from his sandwich. "He's dead, you know."

Peeta nodded awkwardly. "I know."

"And, he's never coming back," the boy added solemnly as he ate.

"I know," Peeta repeated. "Do you know what it means to be dead?"

"It's when you go to heaven and you never come back," Liam informed him simply. "I was sad but I don't know if I am anymore because sometimes I forget Daddy was even here." He chewed thoughtfully before meeting Peeta's eyes again. "Do you know anyone who died?"

Peeta nodded, quickly swallowing the lump in his throat. "My Dad."

He was twelve when his father had died of a sudden heart attack.

Devastated, Peeta had run away to sit on the small pier that he and his father used to fish at.

It was Katniss who had found him. Sitting next to him, she took his hand and held it, letting him squeeze hers as he sobbed.

It was the last time he ever cried.

Liam stared up at him. "Did you cry?"

"I did." Peeta gave the little boy a smile. "But, I had a good friend who let me hold their hand until I stopped."

"Who?"

"Your Mommy," he told Liam. "She is my best friend and has always known how to make me feel better without having to say a thing. It's always good to have friends who will be there for you even if you don't feel like talking."

Liam nodded. "Sometimes, I don't feel like talking."

"And, that's okay," Peeta assured him. "But know that there are people who will be there to hold your hand and sit with you until you do."

"Like you?"

Peeta smiled, his chest constricting at the little boy's earnest eyes. He could see the need in them and he wondered if Katniss knew how much her son understood, despite his youth.

"Yes, like me," he told Liam. "Any time you feel like having a quiet day or just some guy time, you'll have me. Just let your Mommy know."

Liam nodded before going quiet.

Peeta looked back to the TV watching Liv Tyler say goodbye to her father. He searched for the remote to change the channel.

"Peeta?"

He turned to Liam. "Yeah, kid?"

"Can I have another sandwich?" The little boy gave him a smile, similar to Katniss'. "Grilled cheese is my favorite."

Peeta responded with a grin. "It's my favorite, too."

"Liam is really taken with you," Katniss told him over the phone. "I don't know what you did but he keeps asking when he can have 'Guy Time' with you."

"I miss him, too," Peeta replied as he looked around the Miami airport. "I just settled everything here so I'll be on my way home."

"Hurry home," his friend warned. "You've made me miss you. Now that you've come back…you're making me want to keep you."

"I might just let you keep me," he replied not bothering to hide the blatant suggestion in his voice.

Over the past few weeks, Peeta had begun to slowly realize that he had fallen for his best friend—and not just his best friend; he was falling for her kids, too. He looked forward to hearing Liam pound his small fists against the guest room that he slept in or seeing Charlie smile whenever she woke up from a nap and saw him.

"Peeta…" Katniss called out, tenderness evident in her voice. "…maybe we should talk."

"When I get home," Peeta promised her. "I'll see you in a few hours."

"Alright." He could hear the smile in her voice. "By the way, I sent you a picture of me and the kids. Charlotte found my lipstick and well…let's just say that I'll have to watch my things now that she's learning to crawl."

"I'll check it out. See you soon."

"Looking forward to it."

Katniss hung up soon after and he looked through his messages before letting out a loud guffaw at the photo message that she sent.

Charlie's face was covered in red lipstick. She had covered her face but funnily, not her mouth. Apparently, Katniss and Liam had allowed her to draw on their faces, too, because there were squiggly red lipstick lines all over their cheeks and foreheads.

They were all beaming at the camera and his own lips drew up in a soft smile.

Suddenly, he was aching to go home to Panem where this funny little trio was waiting for him.

To distract himself, Peeta went into the gift shop close to his gate. Looking around, his eyes went to a small stuffed duck that he knew that Charlie would love. The baby was fascinated with yellow, her hands often reaching up to tug at his blond locks. Taking it, he looked around for a present for Liam and almost yelped in joy seeing the toy set at the counter.

"Hi," Peeta greeted the cashier. "How much are the action figures?"

"They're from the old series," the young man informed him. "So, about forty dollars. They're a lot smaller than the real action figures since they're made for younger kids. How old is your son?"

"He's just turned five last month," Peeta said as he pulled out his credit card. "I'll take them."

"Pretty cool kid. Not a lot of the kids are into Ninja Turtles around here," the guy explained as he rung Peeta up. "I hope he enjoys them."

Grinning, Peeta proudly showed the cashier the picture that Katniss had sent. "Liam is really into Michelangelo."

"Dope," the cashier responded. "I'm totally into him, too. I always loved that he had the nunchucks." He handed Peeta the bag with his presents before having him sign the receipt. "Your receipt is in the bag. You seem to have a pretty cool family and I hope your little boy likes his gift."

"I think he will," Peeta said as he took the bag.

"Have a good day, sir."

Peeta walked out of the store heading toward his gate. It was as he sat in his plane seat did he realize that he thought of Liam as his son.

And, he didn't mind it at all.

"Oh, thank God!" Katniss exclaimed as she opened the door hurriedly. "Charlotte is running a fever and has been crying for hours!" His friend looked harried as a loud wail rang out through the house. "I'm going to try to take her temperature again…"

"Stop." He placed his hands on her shoulders to calm her down. "First off, have you called her doctor?"

"Yes…" She nodded, her grey eyes straying upstairs to where her daughter was wailing. "…it's a low grade fever which can happen during teething."

"She's teething?" Peeta smiled at the thought of Charlie hitting such a milestone. "Well as long as we're watching her and making sure that she's comfortable, she'll be alright."

"PEETA!"

Liam was running towards him in his Ninja Turtle Pajamas and he easily picked up the boy who wrapped his small legs around Peeta's waist.

"Hey kid!" He grinned at the boy. "Have you been helping your Mommy?"

Liam held up a plastic ring. "I brought this for Charlotte from the freezer like Mommy said."

Peeta glanced over at Katniss, who looked ready to fall over. "Why don't we give that to Charlie and let your Mommy rest?" He kissed the top of the boy's head. "We can have some 'Guy Time' while we make sure that your sister's teeth don't torture her. Also, I have presents for you."

"YAY!" Liam whooped before smiling brightly at Katniss. "Don't worry, Mommy! Peeta and I will take care of Charlotte for you. You can take a nap."

"Thanks, baby," Katniss replied as she followed them up the stairs so that she could go to her room.

In the upstairs hallway, Charlotte's crying was amplified and Peeta turned to Katniss, who was hesitant to leave him alone with the kids.

He met her eyes. "We'll be fine—and don't worry, I have a present for you, too."

Katniss chuckled softly, her eyes warm. "Thanks, baby."

Four hours later…

"I think she's finally done crying," Katniss said from where she lay.

Peeta plopped down next to her on the mattress. "And, Liam has finally decided to go to bed." He looked over at his friend and smiled tiredly. "I don't know how you do it."

"Patience," his friend replied. "Lots of patience." Katniss' eyes fluttered in exhaustion. "Let's just rest our eyes for a quick minute."

Peeta closed his eyes. "Agreed."

Since arriving back from the airport, Peeta and Katniss had been juggling taking care of both the kids. For a bit, he and Liam helped the teething Charlie by holding the cold ring to her sore gums. He switched off with Katniss so that he could prepare grilled cheese sandwiches at Liam's request for dinner and the three of them had eaten in the nursery.

Then as Katniss bathed Liam, he had rocked Charlie until she fell asleep.

When it was time for Liam to go to bed, Charlie woke up and so Katniss went to her daughter as he shuffled to Liam's room, where the little boy showed him his entire collection of Ninja Turtles memorabilia and proudly displayed his present from Peeta at the center of it all.

Now, here he and Katniss were at the brink of exhaustion.

Then the wail from Charlie's room came.

He stood up, not even thinking about his tiredness. "I'll go."

"Thank you, love," Katniss mumbled, half-asleep.

"You might as well marry me," Peeta told her. "Because, this is pretty much how I imagine it."

Katniss waved him off. "Yeah…yeah…"

Standing up, he went to Charlie's nursery, a large meringue-yellow colored room and picked up the tired baby.

Cradling her close, Peeta sat down in the rocking chair next to her crib. "I know it hurts, sweetheart." He pressed his lips to her forehead. "The good thing is that your fever is down…and soon you'll feel much better and have a new set of chompers."

"Peeta?" He looked up to see Liam in the doorway. The little boy went to Peeta, crawling onto the free space on his lap. "Can't sleep."

"What can I do to help you?" Peeta asked the little one.

"Tell me a story?" Liam suggested tiredly as he settled his head onto Peeta's chest.

"How about I tell you about the first time that I met your Mommy?" he said and the little boy nodded in agreement. "I was about your age and it was my first day of Kindergarten. Our teacher had us sit in a circle and then asked who knew the Valley song, which is Panem's town song. And, your Mommy's hand just shot up."

Liam yawned. "Really?"

"Yeah." Peeta grinned as he caressed the boy's head and pressed his lips to Charlie's forehead. "She was wearing a red dress and her hair was in two braids instead of one. Your Mommy just stood right up and belted out that song like there was no tomorrow."

His eyes went to the doorway where he found Katniss watching them, her gaze focused on him.

Peeta met her eyes. "And, her singing was so beautiful that even the birds outside our classroom window stopped singing to listen. I just knew then that I couldn't live my life without having her in it. That I was just meant to love her for the rest of my life."

Looking down, he realized that both of the children were asleep.

Katniss reached for Charlie. "I'll put her to bed. You can take care of the little man."

Nodding, he stood up, cradling the sleeping boy and carried Liam out of the room. Going next door, Peeta placed him in his bed and pulled the blanket over the little one.

Leaning down, Peeta kissed the boy's forehead. "Goodnight…son."

Getting up from the bed, he went to the door and shut off the light before going into the hallway.

There, Katniss was waiting for him.

Her smoky eyes beckoned him and he went to her. "Peeta—"

His hands reached to cradle her face and Peeta drew her close, pressing his mouth to hers insistently. Katniss yielded, her mouth opening as she let his tongue plunder hers and taste what he had craved for as long as he could remember.

And, Peeta knew he was where he was always meant to be.

Backing her against the wall, Katniss bucked against his pelvis, a quiet moan escaping her mouth as she moved her hot center against his own to create a friction that had him aching to be inside her.

If she kept on, Peeta knew he would be unable to hold back. He would take her right there against the wall.

But, his concern for their children overpowered his lust.

"Should we be doing this here?" he whispered as his mouth moved to her neck and his lips sucked at her sweet skin.

She arched against him, small pants escaping her lips. "Let's go to our room."

He planted a kiss on her chin before pulling away slightly. "Our room?"

She nodded, her hand reaching to the nape of his neck to pull him in for another kiss.

"Hell yes, our room."

One Year Later…

"Can I help you?" The saleswoman asked Peeta.

"Yes," he replied and looked down at Liam. "My son and I were having 'Guy Time' and he wanted us to look for something for his mother. It's her birthday."

"That's adorable," the woman gushed. "What are you looking for, sweetheart?"

"I want to get my Mommy a necklace." Then, he pointed to Peeta. "And, he wants to get her an engagement ring. Especially since Mommy is having my little brother—and doesn't want anyone to see him through her wedding dress."

He stifled a laugh; sometimes Liam could be a little too observant.

But, Peeta wouldn't have him any other way.

Meeting the woman's amused eyes, he nodded. "Lead the way."

FIN.