Hello! This can be read as the missing "M scene" between Katniss and Peeta during Chapter 18 of my fic, "These Games We Play", which is rated T...hence this separate segment. It can be read on its own, though, so you can read this one! Review please, I respond to them and I love to talk to fellow fanfiction readers. Have fun guys!

"oh the songs people will sing for home

and for the ones that have been

gone for too long

but oh the things people will do

for the ones they love"

Peeta and I had just returned to the house in District 12, finally away from the prying eyes of the Capitol and the harsh reality of the lives we almost had. I set my duffle bag on the ground at the same time Peeta closes the front door, and he makes a point to lock it in case Haymitch decides to stumble over in one of his drunken stupors.

Peeta dropped his bag next to mine and stepped towards me; I have to admit that we both look comical in our wrinkled clothes. I notice Peeta's shirt is on inside out, so I laugh and point to the tag sticking out in front. Peeta looks down and laughs with me, then looks up and burns a hole through me with his blue eyes.

"Well, you know, I need to fix this."

He smiles misgeviously at me, I think he might have winked, and pulls his shirt over his head.

Tonight is going to be a good night.

I laugh and basically jump on him, my arms around his neck. He kisses me and holds me close, echoing our previous adventure on the train only moments ago. The butterflies return to my stomach and I'm right back where I was, eager to get the rest of Peeta's clothes off. I run my hands down his chest, beginning the motions to unzip his pants, but he grabs my hands and stops me with a firm kiss.

"Wait," He whispers, and the word comes out in a husky tone.

Before I can respond, he swoops me into his arms and we're in my bedroom before I can focus my vision. He sets me down gently, so that I can stay on the tips of my toes in order to be level with him. He brushes his hand along the smooth material of my cotton shirt along the line of my waist. The sky is getting darker, and in the dim light I can see Peeta's expression perfectly. He isn't cracking jokes like before. His eyes are clear and steady; I know him well enough to realize he wants this to go perfectly. He wants this to go right, he wants to do and say all the right things.

Peeta, my perfect Peeta.

He takes both sides of my face in his hands, running small circles over the soft skin of my cheeks with his thumbs. He kisses my forehead, then my nose, then brushes his lips against mine impossibly softly. I don't do anything; I stay standing and frozen with my eyes glued to his. He moves one hand from my face and reaches for my braid, somewhat ragged looking. He smiles at the loose patches and the frizzy portions, made moments ago. Then he pulls my hair tie off, letting my hair fall loose. It's shorter, a bit past my shoulders, from the fire.

He follows this by running a strand along his fingers, then brushing it back behind my ear and kissing the skin right below my ear lobe. He kisses the mark on my neck, and I can feel the smile on his lips.

He looks back up at me and rests his forehead on mine.

"I love you Katniss."

"I know, Peeta."

I kiss him, and he returns the favor with his arms around me. It isn't rushed, and it isn't forced. Every movement on his part is slow and deliberate; it's like he's planned it. Although, when I look in his eyes I can see that he is also nervous. I understand that he is. Take away all that we've been though, and we're still two virgins. I'm nervous too, but I trust him and I trust this. I meant what I said on the train.

He guides me to the bed, which I didn't bother to make before we left, so I lay down on a pile of sheets. Peeta is hovering over me, and I push myself up on my elbows so he can slide my shirt off easier. It's like we're in slow motion. His hands are at the hem of my shirt, I'm surrounded by the green cotton, and then I see Peeta smiling at me with his face and freckles so close to mine. The shirt is thrown to the side and forgotten.

He slips one arm around my back so we're not completely lying down yet, and the feel of his touch on my bare back is overwhelming. If this simple touch does me in, what else should I prepare myself for?

I tilt my head back a bit to allow him easier access to my neck, which he kisses in a line down to my chest. All I can do is take a deep breath and just be. I feel the strap of my bra being pushed aside, then Peeta's lips in its place. He whispers,

"Just tell me if you want to stop."

I nod, fully aware that he can't see. I'm afraid of what my voice will sound like if I speak. He kisses me along my collar bone to the other strap, and then slides that one off too. His hand moves to my back and finds the clasp. Then he looks up at me, so I raise my head so our eyes can meet. He asks in a cautious voice,

"Ok?"

I nod, and then kiss his nose as an extra reassurance. He kisses me, then (again in agonizingly slow motion) undoes the clasp and glides the thin piece of fabric from my body. I'm very aware of my patchwork skin; the blotches made by skin grafts and the scars I have. I can tell Peeta is trying not to stare, and I look at him as he looks at me.

"Katniss..."

He whispers as he leans forward and kisses my lips, briefly and kind to tell me that I shouldn't be afraid or ashamed. I can see the marks on his body as well… we match. He kisses me again, then brushes his lips down my neck and kisses me right between my breasts. He moves then, kissing my soft skin that no one else, not even the sunlight, has seen. I feel my muscles tense up, in a good way. I take a breath and let it out a little louder than I anticipated, then grab at Peeta's arm when he reaches forward and takes one of them in his hand. I sigh again and whisper,

"Peeta, please…"

He looks up at me, worried a bit, but I kiss him so he doesn't get the wrong impression.

"You need a turn."

I kiss his nose, his ear, and the side of his neck. He holds me close to him with his one arm, and supports himself with the other. I bring my face back up to him and run his blonde hair through my fingers, kissing him again. I try to sit myself up more, so I rest on Peeta's lap while he sits back on his legs, one hand resting on my thigh and using the hem of my pants to hold me onto him while I hook my heel around his hip.

I kiss his chest, like we did that one night after I had the nightmare. I kiss every burn and scar that I see, taking care to linger so my nose and sometimes the tip of my tongue brush against his skin. I feel his chest rising and falling with every caress, and I can feel him shaking. I feel the pressure between us that I remember on the train, and I think for a wild second that I make him this way. I trace my hands down his chest again, and I kiss his arms. I kiss his lips, so soft and sweet and tasting of cinnamon. He reaches forward again and kisses my neck, running his thumb over my breast and still holding onto the hem of my pants.

I sigh in my throat and a soft sound comes out, one that I wasn't aware I could make. Peeta kisses me harder when he hears, and pulls me closer to him. I grind down on him again like I did on the train, and I let out a whimper as he sharply takes a breath and I feel his teeth gently nip the skin of my neck. He is breathing heavily now.

"Katniss… do you want… are you sure…?"

I kiss him to keep him from asking anymore questions. I lower my hands to the waistband of his kakis, undoing the button and starting on the zipper. He moves into my touch at first, then shrinks back and makes that same sound, like he can't breathe.

"Katniss… oh…my…god…"

I finish with the zipper, and Peeta quickly grabs my waist and flips me so we're lying on the bed again, and this time I'm full on my back with Peeta's body pressed to mine. He's kissing me like he never has before. We're kissing, and he's running his hands all over me. His hand finds my thigh and he pulls it up so I can hook my heel around him again. He presses onto me and we both let out a moan, still kissing. I feel my heart beating out of my chest at an inhuman pace.

I reach back down between us, pulling at his pants. Together we both manage to slide them off, and now I can plainly see exactly how excited Peeta is for this. Before I can even reach for his boxers he is unbuttoning my own jeans, leaning over me first and kissing my chin. He asks me again,

"Are you sure? I mean, are you positive? I'll stop Katniss, if you need me to."

"Damn it Peeta, if you stop I'll kill you." I whisper as I kiss him.

"Thank god. I'm dieing here."

We both crack a smile as he kisses me back and moves down to my stomach, and I notice he runs his thumb over the remnants of my razor blade scars. My pants are unbuttoned and unzipped; I lean back on my elbows and he pulls them off with one fluid motion, still kissing me. When my pants are gone he presses his body against mine again, aware that we are so, so close. His hands are running over my stomach and thighs, and I think I'll die if he waits any longer. I need him close to me, as close as he can possibly be.

Together we strip ourselves of our remaining clothes and it's just me and Peeta, skin against skin with nothing else to it. Peeta is hovering over me, looking into my eyes and we both pause. For one moment we are in silence, sweating and feeling each other's hot breath between us. He kisses my neck and whispers,

"Katniss Everdeen. You are so beautiful. Every single part of you. Katniss, my perfect, beautiful, Katniss…" He kisses me with every word he says. I whisper back to him,

"Peeta, this is real. This is so real. I need you, alright? Damn you Peeta Mellark, you're so…"

I kiss him.

"…you're everything to me."

He kisses me again, then looks into my eyes when he says, "Tell me if I hurt you, ok? I don't want to hurt you… I won't be able to stand it. I love you. I love you."

I nod, and try my best to inch forward with Peeta's weight on me. Before I know what's happening, when Peeta presses his lips to mine I feel a tight pressure and I don't do anything else, waiting. I wince, which he notices. You would think by the look on his face that he just killed me.

"Katniss? Are you…"

"I'm fine Peeta. Just, don't move for a second."

We both wait, and I sift ever so slightly. Some of the pressure goes away, and the sharp feeling is now completely gone. I look at Peeta and nod, so he kisses me again and moves so slowly that I could barley tell he did. Again I try to move my hips. This gives Peeta some more encouragement, and I feel him slowly move in and out at a slow pace so we can both get used to this sensation. It is overwhelming, completely, euphorically overwhelming. I feel like I'm burning from the inside out, and I don't want it to stop. I turn my hips, Peeta goes a bit deeper, and I swear I'm dieing. I must be. Anything this good and wonderful and intimate surely will kill me. I manage to choke out a very high pitched,

"Peeta…"

I feel him grip my hip with one hand and my hair with the other. He leans his forehead against mine, his mouth slightly open and his eyes closed. I can feel him shaking.

"K-Katniss… f-f-fuck…"

I've never heard him swear before, other than the occasional "damn", so it catches me off guard. Surprisingly, in a good way. I don't know whether to be more surprised at how good this actually feels, or how good this is making Peeta feel. We tangle our lips together, and he moves in and out of me again at a slightly quicker pace. We are tangled together, lips and limbs and hair… I don't know who is who anymore.

Every second is a new feeling, and just when I feel like it's impossible to feel any better I'm surrounded by a whole new level of tingly, fiery, passionate, overwhelming sensations. I can literally feel the love Peeta has for me; he's saying things to me without speaking a word. I try to hush myself at first, embarrassingly muffling my curse words and the whisper of his name. Once in a while Peeta will grunt, nip the skin of my neck; he's always kissing me until he absolutely has to take air into his lungs.

I don't think we can get any closer, but he grips my hip tighter and pulls me against him harder. This time I can't hush myself, I grab at his back and almost shout "Peeta…!."

More noises fall out of my mouth, soft and foreign and wonderful. I feel Peeta's heart beat increase, I hear his heavy breathing in my ear and his strangled whispers of "Katniss… oh…K-Katniss…"

It's like he's forgotten how to talk, and all he can remember is my name.

He's going faster, still gentle, and I feel like I'm going to explode. He shifts a fraction of an inch and I feel it, the explosion in the pit of my stomach growing and I can't stop it. It hits me over and over, each wave stronger than the next until I feel it in my toes, the roots of my hair; I feel it in my teeth for crying out loud…

I hold onto Peeta for dear life, and I give up on containing myself because now it's simply impossible. I grip his hair; I think I scratch his back… I'm moaning from the back of my throat, high pitched again… I must say his name fifty times, I feel Peeta move quicker and I hear him saying my name louder in my ear, so I know he's where I am, too.

I'm sure all of District 12 can hear, I know even the people in the Capitol can… I hope District 2 can hear us, too.

"Peeta…Peeta…. Oh, Peeta! Shit, d-damn, P-Peeta…!"

My mouth opens to say his name again, put in that final moment I have stars in my eyes and I can't see, I can't hear, my mouth is open and unable to even moan his name. I'm robbed of all my senses, but I feel Peeta grip me tighter and bury his face into the crook of my neck.

Seconds later the world settles around us, the stars are faded, and every breath that we make is echoed in the silence. He's still on top of me, trying to hold himself up. I don't see how he can; I can barley blink my eyes. He relents and rests his whole body on me, our foreheads meeting. We share a smile and a chuckle. I feel him gently kiss my forehead before sliding off me; I groan with his weight gone and I feel so small. I turn on my side, hooking my heel around him again and settling into his chest.

He brushes my hair from my sweaty face, I tilt my head up and our eyes meet. We kiss on the lips, holding each other, but not desperate like before.

"Katniss… I mean…"

"Ya, I know." I whisper back.

We share another small laugh, and I curl up against him, exhausted. I'm happy. No, more than that. I have Peeta, he has me, and we have each other. And, you know what? That's enough.

song credit to the head and the heart: coeur d'alene