Countdown to School: 6 Days

Hey:D So, I kind of decided I wasn't going to finish my Hunger Games story. Why? Because I am not talented enough to grace this amazing world. I can't write a real story with these amazing characters. I love each and every one of them because frankly they all have lovely hooks and stories and personalities and I just love them, okay?

I grabbed my iPod, tuned into YouTube to listen to music (I often just listen to the music on my favorite fanvids while I write, pictures of the characters I'm writing about in front of me, helps a bit.) and the one I decided to watch first was like my all time favorite Peeta/Katniss video. It's amazing. And suddenly I had to write a Peeta/Katniss (because their mash up name is just plain awkward:D) oneshot… oneshots are my thing right now, sue me:P

This is the video: After the Madness [Peeta & Katniss]. Look it up. It's fantastic. I'm basing this fic off the song, which I've also fallen in love with.

So, without further ado. Here it is. My attempt at writing a cool little oneshot for our little awkward mash up of a couple :D We all know how much we love them.

and I know this couldn't have happened in the real story, but I think it's neat, so it's cool. :D

Hannah Kay Mellark (for the occasion:D)

There are moments in life that change us forever, good or bad, maybe both. The moment I heard there could be two victors, the moment they took it back, and then the moment we held the berries to our mouths, testing the Game Makers in a way that was deadly but necessary. The moment I first saw Peeta in the interview, the moment I found out about his leg, the moment I saw Gale for the first time. It all piles up inside you, forming you for who you are, good and bad, because after all, we all have both inside of us.

After arriving back in District 12, Peeta and I moved into Victor's Village with our families, life went on. Though now there was no school for Peeta and I, now we spent our days cultivating "talents" of sorts to show to the nation of Panam when we go on tour. Or so we were supposed to.

My old patterns were easily picked up. I was back in the woods with Gale, but strangely changed. He even looked at me differently though we didn't speak of it. After the madness of the Games, I wanted nothing more than to forget the whole thing while Peeta did not. I knew what he wanted to remember though. It wasn't the violence, the Tracker Jackers and Careers, no he wanted to remember those quiet moments. The moments when we lay in the cave together, beginning Haymitch for sponsors. Those moments when even out of desperation my lips graced his. That's what he wanted to remember, but for me, even those moments were tainted.

He and I'd parted ways after that though. He was angry with me, for good reason, I suppose. It'd come to light on the train that I'd been acting, at least some of the time. We'd held hands, pulled them to the air, and then walked from the train and away from each other.

I'm currently perched in a tree, thinking about Peeta, not knowing what to do. Gale was beside me, watching for game but I could feel his eyes darting to me every few minutes. Gale was a part of this whole equation that didn't fit in.

He'd kissed me. He'd kissed me and in all honesty, to this day I didn't know how I felt about it. Or how I felt about him. Or even how I felt about Peeta if I really admitted it to myself.

I let out a long sigh, dropping from the tree. I waved to Gale, telling him something under my breath as a response to his questioning look and then hurried off through the forest. For some reason my footfalls were heavier than usual, maybe because I was rushing, maybe not. Either way, it reminded me of Peeta.

I slipped underneath the fence, heading toward Victor's Village. It was quiet out, too quiet, and part of me wanted to knock on Peeta's door, say hello, make small talk, do something. I missed him in a way that I couldn't explain or justify. I missed him with a dull burning, slowly creeping under my skin until I was about to scream.

Despite this, I passed his front door instead walking into Haymitch's without knocking. He'd fallen back into his own ways, so I made a point to check in on him though his house was quite vile. He was, after all, the reason I was alive.

I barged through the house, shedding my dad's leather coat, tossing it over the back of his couch before climbing the stairs, eyes tired. The door to Haymitch's room was ajar and I peered inside, frowning at the sight. Haymitch was sitting up in his bed, stained shirt and all, bottle on his bedside table, but the perplexing part of the picture was the fact that Peeta Mellark was sitting in a chair beside the bed, angled toward Haymitch with something in his lap.

"You're early, Princess." Haymitch commented, noticing me and smirking as he glanced at Peeta.

Peeta turned, silently to look at me. He closed his book, standing. "I was just leaving." He muttered but Haymitch shook his head.

"No, no, lover boy." He argued, pushing him back down. "Sit on down. This isn't going to work." He announced, sitting up fully and pointing to me. "Grab a chair and sit, Princess."

I glared over at Haymitch, regretting coming, regretting even leaving the woods. I could be huddled in a tree with Gale right now instead of here in this completely awkward situation. I did as he said, though, because I didn't want to see drunk Haymitch mad. I moved the other chair over to the bed, as far away from Peeta as the room could accommodate.

Haymitch rolled his eyes, looking over to Peeta whose eyes were on the sketch book in his lap. "I hope you two realize that this icy behavior isn't going to fly in the capital." He told us, watching as we nodded solemnly.

Peeta nodded, standing up and pulling the sketch pad loosely to his chest. "Don't worry, Haymitch." He assured, not even looking at me. "I'll be a good Peeta when we get to the capital." He shot me a look, beautiful blue eyes hard. "I can act too." The hurt in his eyes broke my heart because I knew I'd put it there. He walked out of the room and Haymitch didn't bother calling him back this time.

"You've made a mess of that boy, Princess." Haymitch told me, grabbing the bottle and taking a long drag, savoring the burn of the alcohol on his tongue.

I nodded, shrinking into my seat, broken, sad. "I know."

He chuckled humorlessly, looking across the room. "He's been coming here every morning while you hunt with Gale, blubbering and talking to me like I care." He stated off handedly, smirking down at his soiled shirt. "I tell him that he'd be dead if it weren't for you, but he won't hear it, says he'd rather be dead than feel the way he does."

I looked out the window, heart pounding in my chest at the sound of his words. "Haymitch, you're not helping." I mumbled, standing up with a sigh.

"Just letting you know, Princess." He answered, swigging from his bottle with a shrug. "The boy can't hide that kind of pain in the Capital. There will be cameras everywhere, capturing every moment." He cut his eyes at me harshly. "You better fix this, Princess, because if this was all for nothing, I'll kill you before Snow can even get a hold of you."

Okay, so this is like an extreme of Peeta's unhappiness, madness at Katnisss. EXTREME. but I really like how it turned out. What about you? :D

Check out my other two "Countdown to School Oneshots" "iCarly's Back Together" and "it's the hair and the puppet" and stay tuned for tomorrow's one shot! :D For the full list of oneshots, open up the second one listed and the full list is right there. :D

Hanixx