Five years earlier

Peeta put down the razor, and ran his hand over his chin as he checked in the mirror to make sure he hadn't missed a spot. Deciding it would do, he reached for the hair paste.

"You ready yet, Dickhead?" Ry poked his head in the bathroom and sneered at him. "The girls are meeting us at 11, man, and you're still primping."

Peeta continued taming his blonde waves so they looked like a strategic mess rather than a severe case of bedhead. He glared at his brother in the mirror. "Fuck you, Ry. If it hadn't taken you so long to de-uglify yourself, I'd already be out of here." Ry cackled, flipped him off and disappeared.

Not for the first time, Peeta questioned whether it had been wise to move out of his dorm and into the apartment his brother shared with his friend, Finnick. Their last roommate, Gloss, had moved back to the west coast town where he and Finnick grew up after the three graduated with their business administration degrees last spring. Ry and Finn were attending law school and decided it would be easier to get a new roommate than give up an apartment they loved. Peeta had been their clear front runner and his mother had pushed hard for the move since it was cheaper than living on campus. Most of the time, he was glad he did.

Deciding he liked the way his blue button down looked over his white t-shirt, Peeta rolled up his sleeves and wandered into the apartment's shared kitchen. He grabbed a beer out of the fridge. Finn snagged it, popped the top and took a long drink. Leaning back against the kitchen counter, Finn took another sip of the pilfered beer. "This one's not cold enough for you, Peet. Better grab another one."

Finn's sea green eyes danced as he grinned impishly at Peeta, who laughed and did as he was told. "So, Annie and her roommates are meeting us at the club?"

Finnick grinned at the mention of his new girlfriend. After four years of playing the role of Panem University's biggest playboy, Finnick was deeply in love with a shy undergrad. "They're definitely coming. Why, Peet? You looking to take up the mantle for me?"

Ry snorted as he entered the room. "Hell no! That title is going to me. Baby Bro here's not man enough for that job. He's had a hard on for Katniss Everdeen since he was practically in diapers." Ry stood up and closed the fridge door, already opening his beer. "Any girl he brings home is just for practice until he finally gets into Katniss's pants."

Peeta blushed to the tips of his ears. "Ry! You are such an asshole," he blustered. This has to stop, he thought. His childhood crush on Katniss had always been a frequent target for his brothers' teasing. He didn't need it from Finn too.

"You'll notice he doesn't deny it," Ry said with a smirk as he lifted his beer to his lips.

Finnick set his beer on the counter, leaning back on his arms. His grin spread from ear to ear. "Now this is getting interesting. Tell me more about this girl, Peet."

"She's just a girl from back home," Peeta muttered, staring daggers at his brother.

Ry chortled. "Just a girl! Little Peeta came home from his first day of kindergarten and announced he was going to marry her. He hardly dated at all in high school. He was too busy mooning over Kaaa-t-niss."

"Whoa! Peet, we've been friends for years. Why am I just hearing about this chick now?"

"There's nothing to tell," Peeta said with a shrug.

"Only 'cause Peet here is too much of a pussy to talk to her," Ry said with a snort.

Finnick threw his arm over Peeta's shoulders and gave him a shake. "C'mon Ry, you can't call a guy a pussy on his 21st birthday. It is your solemn duty as his older brother to take him out and get him trashed."

Ry scoffed. "I got him drunk for the first time when he was 15."

Peeta couldn't help it. He grinned at the memory. They'd both taken a thrashing from their mother for that one. It had been totally worth it. "C'mon Ry. You didn't buy me a birthday gift. At least buy me one drink."

Ry crushed his beer can and belched. "One of these days, little brother, you're going to learn that the best gifts in life are free."

Finn laughed at Ry's antics and slapped Peeta on the shoulder before reaching for his keys and his phone. "C'mon Peet. First round's on me."

OoOoOoO

The dance floor inside the Arena was swarming with students and locals moving to the frenetic beat of the music. The boys shoved their way through the crowd toward the bar.

"Haymitch!" Finnick shouted to the bartender over the cacophony. He threw his arm around Peeta again. "I need to buy my boy a beer! He's finally legal!"

The bartender swung around slowly, pushing lank strands of salt and pepper hair from his face. Well used to under-aged students trying to pass themselves off as 21, he slowly surveyed Peeta, a sneer pasted on his lips. He grunted. "Produce the driver's licence, Boy."

Peeta slipped it out of his wallet and slid it across the bar. Haymitch chewed on the inside of his cheek as he examined it. He passed it back. "Happy Birthday, Kid. First one's on the house. Next one's on your brother," he said with a nod to Ry.

"Haymitch! I'm one of your best customers," Ry protested.

"You owe him one, Ry. Baby brother here has spent more nights drinking Coke and dragging your sorry, drunken ass out of here than I care to count," scoffed the bartender, as he slid a cold one to Peeta, who grinned because it was true. He just didn't realize that Haymitch had noticed.

Finnick checked his phone. "The girls have got a table in the back. Let's go." Within seconds, Finnick spotted Annie. She stood alone at a bar-height table, drawing Finn to her like a beacon calling out to a lost ship. Finnick navigated through the undulating sea of humanity and swept her into his arms, kissing her as though no one else in the room existed. Peeta and Ry were left to gape at them.

"Finn is just no fucking fun anymore," grumbled Ry.

"Again? They're always at it. Annie!" screamed a female voice from behind Peeta. "Get your tongue out of Finnick's throat and introduce us!"

Annie pulled away from Finn slightly and turned her head. Finnick continued to ignore them and moved his lips to her neck. "Peeta, Ry, meet my roommates. Johanna and Katniss."

Katniss.

Wide-eyed, Peeta swung around to see two dark-haired women holding drinks. One had spikey hair with purple tips and wide-spaced brown eyes. The other face, he'd know anywhere. Saw it in his dreams almost every night. Silver eyes. Olive skin. Long, dark hair that was falling over her shoulders and down her back.

"So Annie said you two are brothers?" asked the spikey haired one, dragging his attention away from Katniss. Johanna, he thought.

"I'm Ry," said his brother. "You must be Johanna. And you are every bit as hot as Finn said you'd be."

Johanna gave him a sly grin. "I like you already. This is Katniss," she said.

"Oh, we know Katniss," said Ry, with a smirk. "She's from Panem too. She and Peeta were in the same grade back home."

Johanna's gaze flicked speculatively between Peeta and Katniss before turning back to Ry. Neither of them had said a word. "Well, Gorgeous, they're playing my song. What do you say?"

Ry tossed back his drink and slammed it down on the table. "I'm in. Let's go." Johanna headed into the crowd. Ry hissed in Peeta's ear. "Happy Birthday, Peet. Here's your chance. Now fucking talk to her."

Peeta took a long pull on his beer and turned to Katniss, who was staring into her glass. "It's good to see you," he forced out. "It's been a long time."

"What?" she asked with a perplexed look.

He got closer and leaned toward her ear so that she could hear him over the pulsating bass. God. He was closer to her than he'd ever been in his life. Her hair smelled of lavender. He wanted to bury his face in it. Instead, he repeated himself.

Katniss nodded. "Yeah. You too." She stirred her drink with her straw.

Peeta could have pulled his carefully coiffed hair in frustration. He wanted to punch his brother. No, he wanted to choke his brother. No, first punch him, then choke him. Ry and Finn had obviously known Katniss would be here tonight. And instead of a cozy pub, he'd picked a noisy club for his birthday celebration, not knowing it was his one chance to talk to his dream girl.

Peeta leaned in again. "So what are you studying?"

"Environmental science," she called out over the music. "You?"

"Business. I'm a marketing major. And I'm doing a minor in fine art."

She nodded. "That makes sense."

It did? He wondered what she meant by that. "You look amazing tonight," he said. And he meant it. The dress she wore clung to her subtle curves, but it was the colour that was the most striking. It started as a pale peach at her shoulders, the colour deepening gradually as it dipped in a V between her breasts and then flowed over her hips, finally ending mid-thigh in a deep orange. Peeta thought she looked like a sunset.

"Thanks," she replied, and a slight pink blossomed on her cheeks.

A hand clapped Peeta's shoulder. He turned to find Finnick grinning beside him. He passed Peeta another beer. "Here's your birthday beer, Peet. Annie and I are heading out. There are two empty apartments going to waste." Finnick waggled his eyebrows at Peeta before leaning down to whisper in his roommate's ear. "Annie says Katniss has been nervous all week about seeing you again."

Did everyone know about this but him?

Finnick leaned over to Katniss. "See ya, Sugar." He pecked her on the cheek and Peeta felt a stab of envy that reminded him of a tall, dark shadow that used to follow Katniss everywhere.

"So, how's your boyfriend?"

Katniss gave him a puzzled scowl. "Boyfriend?"

The floor beneath Peeta's feet turned to quicksand. "Yeah, that guy. He was always hanging around you. Uh, Gale?"

Katniss rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Gale? No. That would never work." Peeta barely had time to process the news before she was staring intensely out at the dance floor. She rolled her eyes again. "Look," she said, pointing out on the floor.

Peeta followed her gaze and saw his brother grinding against Katniss's roommate. He shrugged and grinned. "That's Ry for you."

"Johanna too."

They watched them in silence for a few moments. "They're not bad, you know," said Peeta.

Katniss scoffed. "There's no skill in that. Anyone could do that."

Peeta put his beer down on the table and bit down on his lip, speculating. "You think so?"

Katniss nodded and sipped her drink. Her hips moved in time to the music.

"Uh, Katniss, I don't suppose you'd care to dance?"

She looked up at him, her lips wrapped around her straw. She nodded and put her empty glass down. Then, with a shy smile at him, Katniss started toward the dance floor, oblivious to the looks she was receiving from the other guys already out there. Before he could stop himself, he reached out, bringing his hand to the small of her back. She glanced at him over her shoulder and her eyes locked with his, the ghost of a smile still on her lips.

Ry gave him a wicked grin as they approached, and Johanna reached up to wrap her arm around his brother's neck. "What do you know? Brainless is trying to have fun," she mocked.

Katniss rolled her eyes as Peeta drew her into his arms, one hand at her waist and the other hand in hers. His heart raced. He had Katniss Everdeen in his arms. They began to sway to the music, Katniss drawing ever closer to Peeta. Soon, their legs were intertwined, their bodies pulsing in time with the music. Katniss raised her hands above her head, leaving Peeta to span her waist with his hands. He could feel himself responding to her closeness. Time to put some distance between them, he thought. He brought his lips to her ear. "You ready to show them how it's done?"

Katniss drew back and smirked. "On the count of three."

Peeta nodded, reaching up to take her hands back in his own. "The count of three. One." He could see Ry over Katniss's shoulder, watching them closely.

"Two." Their cores pressed together and Peeta felt a flash of heat rush through him.

"Three!" He moved one hand to her shoulder and then raised the hand he held in his. Katniss turned gracefully under his arm and returned to him. He checked their position and then turned her again in the other direction, before whirling her back into his arms, her breasts pressed against his chest. Peeta could see her pulse pounding at her throat and knew she could feel his arousal. He froze, waiting for her to make the next move.

Katniss returned to moving her hips in time with the music. She wound her arms around his neck to bring her lips to his ear. "What are they doing now?" she asked.

Peeta glanced over at his brother who was staring at them with the same calculating expression Peeta used to see from the opposite side of the wrestling mat during their team practices in high school. "Ry's just realized he's being challenged," he chuckled and turned them just in time for Katniss to see Ry step to Johanna's side and spin her to face him. They watched as her roommate slithered down Ry's body and back up again.

"Amateurs," Katniss scoffed. She raised her chin and gazed boldly into Peeta's eyes, raising her leg until her knee was level with Peeta's hip. Grasping her thigh, he lowered his head, until their foreheads touched. Their eyes still locked, Peeta's other hand slid up her back and into her hair. He bent her back into a low dip, her limber body bowing over his arm. Sweat glistened in the valley of her breasts. At the slightest pressure from him, she arched up to wrap her arms back around his neck still moving in time to the music. He could feel her smile against his throat, even as he lowered her leg to the floor and her hand slid down his chest.

She turned in his arms and pressed back against him. He brought his hands to her hips and rose to meet her. Her hands went to her hair, exposing the back of her neck. Peeta lowered his face to the graceful curve and breathed her in. Lost in the music and the spell they were weaving, his hands roamed from her hips to splay across her belly as he continued to grind against her. Katniss's hands left her hair and slid down, along his bare forearms until her fingers were laced with his own. She laid her head back against his shoulder. Waves of fire coursed through him with every press of her soft bottom against his rigid cock. He was contemplating how he could put some space between them so that he could calm down when she stepped away from him slightly.

She gave him a knowing glance over her shoulder and then led him out of the bar and into the night.

As the door of the club closed behind them, Ry let loose a whoop of delight.