Hey all! This is my first HG fanfic and I wrote it over a year ago. Apart from a few minor edits, nothing has changed. So go easy. More HG will come as time passes, and as I've developed as a writer since I originally thought of this, hopefully they'll be better!

Peeta Mellark was on top of the world. All of the drama with the Capitol was over, he had the girl of his dreams living in his house, he could bake to his heart's content, and he was back to normal. At least, that's what everyone said. He couldn't quite remember.

But Peeta wasn't about to complain about anything. The girl he loved was practically shoving her tongue down his throat—they had the house to themselves. If he was ever to get to sleep with Katniss, it'd be tonight.

Peeta smiled and moved his hands away from Katniss' hands and to her lower back. He deepened the kiss and pulled her closer…God her scent was intoxicating. It had taken Peeta a long time to be able to kiss Katniss without his knees buckling—his prosthetic leg didn't exactly help. And that was before she'd gotten more passionate. Now everything Katniss did gave Peeta some sort of high; she was his drug.

He smiled and slowly moved his hands up her back…under her shirt…Peeta moved faster….only to be stopped by Katniss breaking the kiss.

"What's wrong?"

"I don't know if we should do this, Peeta." Katniss said with her eyes downcast.

"Why not? We're alone. We're gonna be alone for as long as we want. No one will see us. Katniss, I love you. I always have. I always will. And if you love me there's no reason not to."

Katniss chewed on that for a moment.

"Do you see what I mean?"

Katniss grinned devilishly up at Peeta. He smiled back and picked her up, kissing her deeply as he carried her.

"Couch. Bedroom's too far away," Katniss said in between kisses.

"Katniss?"

Katniss smiled up at Peeta. She rested her head on Peeta's bare chest. She was sore and exhausted, but it had been worth it.

"Do you love me? Or are you with me because you don't think you could survive without me?"

"Peeta, did this," Katniss motioned at their naked bodies, "not prove it to you?"

"Anyone can have sex, Katniss."

"Peeta, I-"

Peeta sighed loudly and threw the blanket off of his body.

"That's it. I'm going to sleep in the guest bedroom. Good night."

"Peeta!"

"Good night, Katniss." Peeta said bitterly as he grabbed his flannel pants and walked past their bedroom and into the guest room, closing the door loudly behind him.

Katniss sighed and pulled her nightgown back on. She fluffed her pillow before lying back down. She couldn't sleep though. She kept thinking about what Peeta had said. How it sounded so much like what Gale had said. "She'll choose whoever she thinks she can't survive without."

It was even worse coming from Peeta.

Katniss slowly opened the guest bedroom door. Peeta was sleeping soundly on the bed. Katniss stood in the doorway for a moment watching Peeta as he slept. He frowned in his sleep and stirred. Katniss sighed and made her way to the bed. After she was sure that he would not awaken, she sat down next to him and swung her legs onto the bed. She slowly lay her head onto Peeta's chest.

Peeta awoke at once.

"What the-? Katniss?"

"You didn't let me finish earlier, you asshole. God, you have no patience!"

"Okay, then finish." Peeta said sourly.

"I was saying that the fact that I slept with you should have been enough. You can't see me sleeping with just anyone, can you?"

"Well no, but-"

"Here's the part where you got mad. I was about to say, 'Peeta, I love you' but then you got all pissed and left. Jesus, I said it the day we got married. Do you know why I don't make a habit of saying it?"

"Why?"

"Because I don't want the phrase to become meaningless. If something is said or heard enough, it becomes an empty phrase. Take childhood, for instance. We constantly hear from everyone how much we're loved. About how much we mean to them. You know what I mean?"

"Yeah, but-"

"Let me finish, goddammit."

"S-sorry,"

"Anyway, we hear it so much that we don't really realize the truth of what they say. Once we got together, how did you feel as far as caring or love?"

"Like I'd never loved or been loved by someone as much. Then again, that was back when you said it…"

"Peeta, I swear to God, if you don't let me finish explaining first, I'll-"

"Shit, sorry. Continue, please…"

"Jesus….like I was saying, you hear it so much you lose the meaning of love. You've heard the word thrown around so much that it becomes like just another word that you don't really even notice it anymore. I don't want to say 'I love you' out of habit. I want to say it with full knowledge of what I'm saying. I don't want to say it too much that it loses its meaning."

Reading this again, Katniss seems slightly OOC…but I have another fic to edit, then another to get to work on, so I'll just leave it as is for now. Reviews are much appreciated!