Written for tumblr's Prompts in Panem's Farwell Tour. Round 8, the 7 deadly sins: Lust. I've been pretty busy lately and I haven't had much time for fan fiction. This PIP gave me the opportunity to stretch those muscles a bit.

Disclaimer: I do not own The Hunger Games; I'm just borrowing the characters.

"Hey, Katniss, it's Peeta Mellark. Listen, I know this is late notice, but I was wondering if you'd be available to sit for me tonight. Something came up and I'd need you here around 5. Call me back when you can. Thanks."

Katniss groaned. She had a major test tomorrow that she really needed to study for. She'd already been accepted into college, but the university had warned her that if she didn't keep up her grades senior year, they could withdraw her acceptance. And going to college was key to getting herself and Prim out of their house on Seam Street. On the other hand, she wasn't really in a position to turn down a night of tax- free money. The Mellarks paid well. Besides, Rye was a good kid. At four years old, a showing of Toy Story and a nighttime snack was usually all it took to pacify him. Then it would be bedtime for the toddler and she'd be free to study. She hit the "call back" button on her phone and Mr. Mellark answered on the first ring. She assured him that, yes, she was available and yes, she would see him and Mrs. Mellark at 5PM sharp.

Her mom dropped her off at the Mellark's on her way to work the night shift at the hospital. Katniss approached the large oak doors that adorned the front of the massive brick house. She had been here often enough and they were already expecting her, so she pushed open the door without ringing the bell.

"Katniss!" A blur of unruly blonde hair and blue- striped pajamas raced to her and hugged her tightly around the knees.

"Hi Rye," Katniss said, ruffling the little boy's hair. "Where are your parents?"

"Upstairs. Wanna play blocks with me?"

"Of course," she said. "Lead the way." Rye led her past the formal living and dining rooms to his playroom just off the kitchen. It was the kind of room Katniss could only dream of as a child, stocked floor- to- ceiling with every kind of toy imaginable. But Rye only ever wanted to play with his blocks. He liked to construct the "tallest towers ever" and then promptly knock them down, scattering the blocks all over the pristine floor.

They had moved onto their third "tallest tower ever" when Peeta Mellark turned up in the doorway to the playroom. Barely 30 and gorgeous, with crystal clear blue eyes, a broad chest, and tousled blond hair, he made something in Katniss's stomach flutter every time he walked into a room. The crisp, expertly tailored tuxedo he was sporting tonight did nothing to help matters. "Oh, Katniss, I'm so glad you're here. I hate to do this to you on a school night," he said, with every air of sincerity.

Katniss waved her hand through the air. "It's no problem, really. I brought homework with me. I can study here just as well as I can at home."

He smiled at her, revealing two rows of perfect white teeth. "I've got a last minute work function to go to. My business partner, Finnick was supposed to go instead, but he's stuck at home with a sick child and a pregnant wife, so I took pity on him. Hopefully we won't be out too late. Rye, here, has had his bath, but no dinner yet. The kitchen's fully stocked; help yourself to whatever you like. And Rye?" he said, commanding the little boy's attention, "You be good for Katniss, okay?"

"I will, daddy," Rye promised.

"Good. Come here and give me a hug, buddy." Rye abandoned his blocks and jumped into his father's arms, who raised him high into the air before bringing him down and planting a sloppy kiss on his cheek.

Rye giggled. "Daddy! Yuck!" He wiped his check with the sleeve of his shirt.

Peeta chuckled. "I'll see you when you wake up for school in the morning, okay?"

"Can we have dinosaur oatmeal for breakfast?" Rye asked.

"Of course we can! It's a date," Peeta promised. "Now if I can just get your mother down here… Delly!" he called, "Delly, we're going to be late!"

"Christ, Peeta, I'm coming!" called a voice from the staircase, and Delly Mellark appeared, clad in a black evening gown that hugged her ample curves in all the right places. Even with her preoccupied air whilst looping diamond earring through her earlobe, the woman was pretty enough to make Katniss feel inadequate on any given day. Now with her hair carefully styled in soft, blond curls that cascaded down her back and her makeup applied to perfection, she looked simply radiant. Peeta and Delly Mellark were the perfect couple. "You can't just spring something like this on me at the last minute and expect me to jump at your beck and call the second you need to leave. Now were is my purse?"

"It's right here," Peeta said, handing it to her. "Ready to go?" She snatched the purse from him, blew a kiss to Rye, and called a quick 'thank you' to Katniss over her shoulder. Peeta gave Katniss a wink and a last smile before closing the front door behind him.

Pushing down the renewed fluttering, Katniss turned her attention back to her small charge. "So, Rye, what do you want for dinner? Mac and cheese or chicken nuggets?"

The boy turned his blue eyes heavenward and stuck his tongue between his teeth, clearly thinking hard. "Both!" he said finally, giving her the same shit- eating grin that his father did. Stinker.

The promise of getting to have both of his favorite foods was enough to convince Rye to play on his own for a bit while Katniss started on dinner. She supposed she should probably incorporate some veggies into the meal- chicken nuggets and mac and cheese weren't the healthiest options after all- but she was the babysitter, and her job was to be fun. Let his parents push broccoli and green beans on him.

His parents. She had known Mr. and Mrs. Mellark for over a year now, and had been babysitting for Rye just as long. Her Uncle Haymitch, who was the lawyer on retainer at Peeta's company, had recommended her to Peeta when he learned that the Mellarks were looking for a sitter. Years of taking care of Prim practically on her own while her mother worked nights as a nurse and slept during the day had made Katniss an expert with children. For the most part, Rye was putty in her hands. The tough part was his father.

Peeta's presence always made Katniss jumpy. She'd never known a man so attractive and funny and kind. He made the immature boys that went to her school like Cato and Marvel look wholeheartedly unappealing by comparison. Katniss's eyes wandered to the photos on the wall of the living room adjacent to the kitchen. The largest was a framed portrait of Peeta and Delly on their wedding day that hung above the fireplace. Both of them looked stunning in their wedding finery, even though the small bump that was Rye was just visible under Delly's dress. Katniss had wondered on occasion if that was why they had gotten married in the first place. She could never understand how Delly had ended up with someone like Peeta. The woman hardly spared Katniss a glance anytime she came over and she lacked any of the charismatic warmth her husband seemed to possess in droves. Then again, maybe it was true what they said about opposites… shit!

Katniss grabbed the handle of the boiled- over pot and removed it from the heat in a flash. That's what she got for letting her mind wander. The water simmered down immediately and upon further inspection, the noodles were done anyway.

While Rye gobbled down his dinner with a side of organic applesauce for good measure, Katniss cut two thick slices of bread from the fresh loaf in the breadbox and made herself a sandwich. One thing she loved about coming here was that the Mellarks always had delicious, fresh bakery bread in the house. She had no idea which bakery it came from, but it certainly wasn't the Walmart where she bought all of her family's groceries.

Rye's selection of a bedtime movie was, predictably, of the Toy Story persuasion. This time, it was the third one. Katniss had seen each of the three with him several times over, and she had to admit this one was her personal favorite. It resonated with her. Leaving childhood behind and embracing adulthood is a theme with which she was intimately familiar. The damn movie made her cry every time.

After the last bars of You've Got a Friend in Me, (Rye always insisted on watching the credits) it was time for bed.

"Is my daddy comin' home?" a tearful Rye asked Katniss when he was tucked snugly into bed, only his little face peeking out from beneath the blankets. She was prepared for this. Separation anxiety usually kicked in about now for Rye when he was tired and at his crankiest.

"Of course," she promised. "Remember, he said he would be here when you woke up? You two have a breakfast date in the morning." Rye sniffled. "Tell you what, Rye. You close your eyes and think of happy things, and when you wake up he'll be here." Katniss stroked his curls, and Rye tucked his favorite stuffie close to his chest. She stayed with him until his breathing became rhythmic and deep, then tiptoed out of the room.

Katniss was lounging in the living room watching the enormous flat screen TV- and decidedly not studying- when Mr. and Mrs. Mellark arrived home. "How was he?" Mr. Mellark asked, perching next to her on the couch. Katniss's body thrummed with energy and she tried to remember how to form words to answer him.

"Um, fine. He was good. A little teary at bedtime, you know, but otherwise we had fun." She gave him what she hoped was a reassuring smile.

Mr. Mellark grinned. "Did he make you watch Toy Story again?"

"The third one," she affirmed.

He chuckled. "I swear I can't wait until he picks a new favorite. I could probably quote every one of those movies from beginning to end just from memory."

"I bet Rye can, too," she said. He threw back his head and laughed, eyes sparkling in the same special way every time they discussed his son.

"Well, Katniss, we should probably get you home. Delly, do you have the checkbook?"

Mrs. Mellark appeared again, rummaging through her purse. She handed the checkbook to her husband, and with a polite but stiff, "Goodnight, Katniss," disappeared upstairs.

"Sorry about that; she's just tired," Peeta said, glancing upstairs towards his wife. "We really weren't expecting to go out tonight." He pulled a pen from his suit jacket and flipped open the checkbook.

Katniss loved Peeta's car. It had a million satellite radio stations and heated seats that warmed her rear end as he sped down the highway toward Seam Street where she lived. As quiet as Katniss was, Peeta was equally as talkative. Their conversations never lagged for long. He always made sure to ask about school and how her sister, Prim was doing. Unlike other people who might ask the same questions, he genuinely cared about the answers.

When he pulled into her driveway, Mr. Mellark killed the engine and turned in his seat to face Katniss. Her heart skipped a beat. "Listen, Katniss, I was hoping I could make a standing arrangement with you. Delly and I have, um, an appointment coming up every Monday and Wednesday at three. We have a driver to pick up Rye from school, but we really need to someone to occupy him for a few hours until one of us gets home. Would you be able to do something like that for us?" Katniss didn't say anything and Peeta mistook her silence for hesitation. "Of course, our driver could pick you up from school too, if that's an issue. We'd also pay you well, and-"

"I'll do it," she said, cutting him off. "It's no problem, Mr. Mellark, really. I'm happy to do it."

"Thanks, Katniss. I really appreciate it." His grateful smile was so genuine that her stomach flipped.

"It's no problem at all," she managed to say. "I'll see you on Monday."

Chaff, the Mellark's driver, pulled up to Panem High School in a shiny black SUV the following Monday. Katniss could feel the eyes of her peers on her as she climbed into the ostentatious vehicle. Nothing like this car ever showed up in the parking lot at Panem High. Luckily, Rye was already awaiting her in the back seat and squealed with joy when she opened the door, distracting her from the questioning looks she was getting.

Katniss worried a little about Prim on the drive over the Mellark residence on the opposite side of town, but she was walking the few blocks home with her best friend and neighbor, Rue, and Rue's older brother. Thresh wouldn't let anything happen to the girls.

When they arrived at the house, Katniss thanked Chaff and chased after Rye up the driveway. She keyed in the code to open the gate. After cajoling Rye into changing out of his school uniform and into some play clothes, they settled in the kitchen with an after school snack. The afternoon went smoothly from there. They were playing with blocks again with Mr. Mellark arrived home. He looked exhausted today with deep purple bags under his eyes. Nevertheless, he scooped up Rye when the little boy ran into his arms and lifted him high above his head.

"Were you good for Katniss today, Rye- Rye?" The boy nodded and Mr. Mellark turned to Katniss for confirmation. She confirmed that yes, Rye was perfect as always, and then Rye filled in his father on every aspect of their day together, right down to the sandwich Katniss had torn into after school.

"Katniss loves our bread, daddy!" Rye exclaimed.

"Oh she does, does she?" Mr. Mellark asked. Katniss blushed deep red. She didn't want to sound so needy in front of Mr. Mellark. Maybe she should not have been so flippant about enjoying the sandwich in front of Rye, but she was so hungry it was hard not to moan when her teeth sank into that delicious bread. So she nodded her head yes. "I make it myself, actually," said Mr. Mellark.

Katniss's jaw dropped. "You do?"

"I do. And Rye, here, is my little helper." He tickled the boy's stomach.

"Sometimes we get up even before school to make it!" Rye said proudly.

"You know what, Katniss, you should take a loaf home with you!" Before she could object, Mr. Mellark was heading for the kitchen and wrapping up a fresh loaf for her. "My parents ran a bakery when I was growing up and I worked there all through high school and college." Katniss wondered fleetingly how he ended up in the insurance business when he'd baked all his life. Then again, Delly was pregnant when he married her. Did he do it to provide a better life for her and their child? Peeta turned to hand her the bread, but saw the hesitation on her face. "Please take it. Delly is on some sort of no- carb diet at the moment, and Rye and I can't possibly eat all of this." Katniss stared at the loaf in his hand, thinking just how much Prim would love it and how they wouldn't have to spend their limited grocery money on bread this week. The she looked into his kind eyes shining through the dark circles and any of her wavering resolution melted away. She took the bread.

Every week thereafter, he pressed some kind of baked good into her hands before Chaff drove her home, insisting he'd made too much that week or that no one in the house would eat it, or some other flimsy excuse. After a while, however, she noticed that many of her favorites were included in the bundle at increasingly regular intervals. Cheese buns, cinnamon nut bread, and iced cookies especially. The raisin scones that she didn't care for only made it in once. Somehow, Mr. Mellark was ferreting out her likes and dislikes. Katniss suspected that Rye was his informant. Even at only four years old, the kid was as sharp as a tack. She tried to be more careful about her eating habits at the Mellark house, but with a kitchen bursting with baked delicacies, it was admittedly difficult to restrain herself.

The next time she stepped into the house was a Saturday night. Mr. Mellark had called her once again to watch Rye, presumably so that he Mrs. Mellark and Mrs. Mellark could attend one of his work functions. She crossed the foyer to find an unusual sight. Rye was crouching in the upstairs hallway, his face peeking through the bars of the railing, his hands pressed tightly over his ears. Katniss knew in an instant why. The screaming seemed to be coming from the opposite end of the hall, in the direction of the master bedroom. Mr. and Mrs. Mellark were arguing.

Katniss beckoned to Rye, and he flew down the grand staircase into her arms. She carried him into his playroom, where the yelling was mercifully muted. "What's wrong, Rye?' She asked, smoothing his hair back from his forehead.

"Mommy and daddy are gettin' a 'force," he whispered.

A force? Did he mean Porsche? Did Delly go out and buy a Porsche without telling Peeta? That certainly could have caused an argument. Not that the Mellarks truly needed another vehicle, but it wasn't like they couldn't afford one. But she thought it best not to press Rye on the subject and distracted him with his myriad of toys instead.

"Daddy, what's a 'force?" Rye directed the question over her shoulder. Katniss whipped around to find Mr. Mellark in the doorway to the playroom, his cheeks a deep red.

"We'll talk about it later, buddy, okay? Katniss, could I talk to you in the kitchen for a minute?" She obliged, following him into the other room. Peeta leaned against the counter, running a hand distractedly through his hair. It wasn't until his shirt rode up when he lifted his arm that she noticed he wasn't even dressed up yet. Surely he wasn't planning on wearing a t-shirt and running pants to a go out, even if they did hang enticingly low on his hips, putting his toned abdominals on display. Katniss leaned into his low whisper, his words fanning across her face. "Do you think you can keep Rye entertained in the basement for a while? There's something Delly and I have to do before we leave and I don't want him to see it."

Katniss stared at him, thunderstruck. The basement could hardly be called as such, seeing as there was special flooring in place to practice all manner of sports; golf, baseball, basketball, and football among them. It was plenty to keep a four- year- old boy occupied, so that was not an issue. But there was something off in the Mellark household tonight and she couldn't quite figure out what it was. She assured him that of course, she would keep Rye out of the way for whatever it was they needed to do.

"Good," Mr. Mellark sighed, still managing to smile warmly at her through his stress. "Thank you so much, Katniss. I honestly don't know what I'd do without you." The words jolted her stomach, which left her smiling at an idiot at the nicest man she knew. Why did she always have to act like a complete imbecile around him? It wasn't like she was the most talkative person in the world to begin with, but something about Peeta left her mouth dry and her stomach full of butterflies.

The exchange stuck with her as she ushered Rye downstairs, but was quickly wiped from her mind when the boy picked up a baseball. She needed her all wits about her when he had a throwing object in his hand.

They played game after game, the occasional thump! or, bang! from upstairs interrupting the quiet. Katniss wondered what on earth the Mellarks were doing up there, but mercifully, Rye did not seem bothered by it, too intent upon their games to notice. When at last there had been no noise upstairs for the better part of an hour, Katniss determined that it was safe to go upstairs and get Rye a snack. She checked the garage and found that both of the Mellark's cars were gone. Another oddity. If they went somewhere together, why drive separately?

It was after midnight and Rye was deeply asleep in his bed when Mr. Mellark finally arrived back home, accompanied not by Mrs. Mellark, but by Chaff, the driver. Katniss assumed this was so the older man could drive her home, but she was surprised again by Peeta's insistence on giving her a ride.

"I'll be back in a little bit, okay Chaff? Thank you for staying with him," he said, beckoning Katniss out to his car. He didn't meet her eye as opened the door for her and walked around to the driver's side. Their conversation was forced and mostly consisted of meaningless small talk as he drove toward her home in the Seam. Katniss could tell there was something else on his mind. Something heavy that he was avoiding discussing with her. Sure enough, she was right.

It wasn't until he had pulled into her driveway and put the car into park that he turned to her and told her what was really on his mind. "I don't know if you picked up on what Rye meant earlier, but he overheard Delly and I discussing the fact that we're getting a divorce."

Katniss's jaw dropped. She had no idea what to say. What was the appropriate reaction when you heard someone was getting a divorce? "Mr. Mellark, I-"

"Peeta," he interrupted her. "Call me Peeta, please."

She blushed. "Peeta, I had no idea… I'm so sorry," she said, sounding like the world's biggest idiot.

Mr. Mellark shook his head. "No, it's okay, you couldn't have known. These past few weeks… Delly and I have been going to marital counseling. That's why I've been having you come over to babysit, but there's just no fixing us. She moved out tonight."

Oh. Everything fell into place at once. The arugment, the basement, the strange noises from the upper level… Peeta had asked her to keep Rye out of the way so he wouldn't see his mother packing her bags and leaving. And Peeta, being the person that he was, helped her do it. Sympathy rushed through her in a powerful wave. Anyone who could abandon such a man was a downright fool, there was no denying that fact.

Before Katniss could say anything else, Peeta spoke again. "I loved her so much," he said, more to himself than to her. He pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. "She used to be so vivacious and beautiful. She was the friendliest person I knew. She never had a bad thing to say about anyone, ever. But after Rye came along, she was just… different. She wouldn't hold him; she'd barely touch him. There were days I couldn't get her out of bed at all. She changed." He looked up again, almost surprised to see Katniss still sitting there. "I'm sorry," he said quickly. "That's not really appropriate to say. I shouldn't be bothering you with this."

But what he described was so achingly familiar to Katniss that she reached out automatically to hold his hand over the console. "My mother," she began, "After my dad died, she didn't want anything to do with me or my sister. It was weeks before we could even get her out of bed to shower. She went back to work eventually, but she's never been the same since."

He squeezed her hand and electricity shot up her arm. "You're so strong, Katniss," he whispered. "Don't think I don't know that about you. You're always working so hard and the way you talk about your sister… she's lucky to have you." Katniss blushed at the unexpected compliment, but something in his eyes held her in place. Suddenly, the heated seat beneath her felt too warm. The air in the car was stifling, and yet there wasn't a place in the world that she would rather be. "I wish I had your strength."

Katniss wasn't aware that they were leaning toward each other until their faces were mere inches apart across the console. Peeta's eyes flicked to her lips, then back to her dilated pupils. "I'm not strong." Her voice cracked. "I'm not anything." She was a girl from the poor part of town, scraping her way through high school in the mere hope that she could lead a halfway decent life one day. But in the end, she had no prospects. Nothing worth having or desiring.

Peeta was shaking his head. "I don't think you understand the effect you can have." The words stymied her reproach. He was leaning closer to her; she was drawn to him like scrap metal to a magnet. It was impossible to resist the pull. Her eyes flickered closed a second before his lips ghosted over hers. He was exceedingly gentle with her, testing her the waters before going further. When she did not draw away from him, he deepened the kiss. His hand threaded through her hair, tugging gently at the roots. His tongue traced along the seam of her lips, and she gladly allowed him entrance. He laved his tongue over hers, coaxing it into the heat of his mouth. The flavor of him was like nothing she had ever tasted before. It was sweet and manly and entirely intoxicating. His scent filled her senses, surrounding her and engulfing her in his musky warmth.

Her body thrummed with energy, stemming from the point where Peeta's lips were melded to hers. The console of the car was digging into her stomach from leaning so far over, but she didn't care. The kiss felt so good that it overwhelmed her mind. Everything else was just background noise. He pulled her bottom lip between his to nibble softly on it. An involuntary moan curled up through her throat. None of the high school boys she had ever dated kissed like this. Because they were just that- boys. Peeta Mellark was a man. And he kissed like one.

He broke apart from her with a soft smacking sound. "I'm sorry," he whispered, and her eyes flew open to see his flushed face watching her closely. "I shouldn't have done that."

The truth of the situation hit her like a freight train. Impending divorce or not, he was still married. And he had a son. And he was much older than her. He was right. They shouldn't be doing do this.

"I should go." The frigid winter air stung her flushed cheeks as she stumbled out of the car. She didn't look back at his face, but he stayed in the driveway while she fumbled with her house key and didn't he drive away until she was safely inside. She slumped against the front door, thoroughly perplexed. Peeta Mellark just kissed her. And no matter how many times she told herself it was wrong, it didn't matter. It had felt good. Her phone buzzed in her hand, displaying a text from him.

I'll understand if you don't want to come over next week.

The words sent a pang of regret to her stomach. He was giving her an out. But she wasn't going to take it.

I'll be there. She texted back.

As she lay in bed that night, it was the thought of Peeta Mellark and his sugar- sweet lips that brought her to a trembling, blissful climax under her own fingers. She wished more than anything that it was his touch to bring her pleasure.

To be continued… Find me on tumblr as everlarkstoastbabies.

xoxo