I do not own The Hunger Games.

Pride

"Jo, are you still awake?" Katniss asks groggily. When she rolls over, I have a clear view of her Captain American pajamas in the dim light cast by the paused video of General Hospital on my laptop.

"Am I keeping you up? I can go downstairs." When she shakes her head, I make my way to the mini-fridge. "Want a snack?" Inspiration strikes so I coat a teaspoon with peanut butter, dip it in marshmallow fluff, and then swirl it in the box of Cocoa Puffs. When I look up, Everdeen is gaping at me.

"That is disgusting. And that cereal is half-mine too, you know!" She plumps her pillow and sits up in bed, which probably means more questions. I had half-hoped she would just go back to sleep so I could continue my date with Dr. Noah Drake, the original Dr. McDreamy. Yum. I munch my snack thoughtfully: it's not a bad combination, but it needs more peanut butter, which I add judiciously.

She takes in my sweaty clothes, then looks at the spoon; I can practically hear the wheels turning as she tries to figure me out. Sometimes she is such a fucking Psych major.

"Oh, no. Again? What happened?" When I munch more slowly that a cow chewing cud, she pushes the covers off and walks over to the desk chair where she sits criss-cross-applesauce style and leans toward me. "Talk to me, Jo. What's going on? Did you finally tell Brue that you like him? Oh my GOD! What did he say? If he hurt you, I will personally scoop out his heart with a spoon. I hear that hurts a lot."

It's my turn to gape: Brue? No way. I want to tell her that he and I are just friends, but the words stick in my throat as I recall his intense eyes on mine a month ago after Katniss and Peeta's first kiss. I have, quite literally, gone through two sets of batteries in my vibrator on that look. Hell, that look is the reason that I've hit on the Lenny Kravitz look alike in my Geology 101 class.

I try to play it off. "Katniss? Shut up. No, it wasn't Brue. Whatever gave you the idea that I might like him? And I don't need any help."

She shakes her head at me like she's becoming a bobble-head. "No. No way." She checks the clock to find that it's only half past midnight – pretty early, yet. "I'm getting Madge and Annie. Don't you move, Johanna Mason. We're getting to the bottom of this."

I lean my head back and munch on what tastes a little like those Reese's Sticks wafer bars while I relax and prepare myself for the inquisition. I know that the combination of Annie, Madge, and Katniss will get me to talk. The thought of the coming interrogation makes me look longingly at a frozen Rick Springfield: I just want to escape for a while. Is that so wrong? I idly consider jetting out for a run. But I know they will wait up for me and I can't go to the frat house. Brue and I just wrapped up a run an hour ago and he'll ask his own questions. Basically, I'm fucked.

And not in a good way.

-o—

"So, this guy from your class turned you down?" Annie asks. She alone has braved the Cocoa Puffs and peanut butter combination and seems to like it. She licks her spoon for emphasis, tendrils of hair that have escaped her messy bun coming dangerously close to fusing with the marshmallow fluff on her cheek. She'd probably tell me it's some sort of awesome face cream.

I nod. "Cold. It was probably the most humiliating experience of my life."

Katniss snorts. "Jo, you slipped him a note that said, 'Wanna fuck?' without even knowing his name. I can't believe you thought he wouldn't turn you down."

I glare at her. "He's eighteen. A lot of guys don't need more than that note. Peeta obviously excluded."

She grimaces at my direct hit. Peeta still hasn't shot his arrow into her quiver, if you get my meaning. "Name one guy who would take you up on that."

I don't even have to think on this one because I didn't even have to ask in this particular case. "Gale."

"Hey, now! Leave Gale out of this." Madge frowns and taps one perfect, shell-pink nail on her pale arm. Not a hair is out of place, and her pale blue silk pajamas aren't even wrinkled. I wonder if Gale ever sees her rumpled. Judging from the haze he's been in since Christmas, I would bet the answer is yes.

"Guys are interchangeable to you, so any one rejection isn't going to matter." Madge shakes her head. "Something else is going on. What gives, Jo? I doubt that it's because a guy turned you down, even if he did look like a young Lenny Kravitz."

What? Young Lenny Kravitz is fucking hot. Hell, old Lenny Kravitz is hot.

I sigh heavily: I skipped dinner, I'm a little queasy because of my snack, and I have the sudden urge to lay down and sleep. These girls are going to get it out of me sooner or later, so I might as well spill it. I don't even know how to say it, really, without hurting their feelings, so I blurt it out. "You guys are all with someone. And Valentine's Day is coming."

I sound so fucking pitiful that I want to stab myself in the eye with Everdeen's homework pencil.

Annie's sea-foam eyes get a little misty. "Oh, Jo! And you want a date for Valentine's Day?" She bites her lip and reaches across Katniss to grip my hand in a sign of sisterly solidarity. "And we didn't even notice how upset you were. I am so sorry!" She blinks a few times and sends me a sad smile. Her bottom lip is actually trembling so that, in her blue, cotton pajamas with colorful fish all over them , she looks like a cross between a Bohemian mermaid and a young Meg Ryan.

Why are all of my friends gorgeous, even in the middle of the night?

Katniss is fiddling with her braid, a sure sign she's thinking. "What about Brue?"

Madge interrupts me before I can even sputter a reply. "She hasn't said anything to him yet?"

I disengage Annie's hand from my arm. "Excuse me? I'm right here. Can you guys stop talking about me like I'm not in the room? Said what to Brue?" I look from Katniss to Madge in confusion.

Annie smiles at me indulgently and I want to smack her in her Sarah McLachlan-sad face. I grit my teeth when she says, "That you like him, of course."

Wait.

What?

"I don't like him."

"You're with him all the time." Madge points out levelly.

Katniss adds, "And you guys do that flirty thing with your eyes—"

"You mean eye-fuck?" I ask.

Annie nods.

"Guys, I do not eye-fuck Brue McLeod."

"You do," Madge says. "And, if he's not eye-fucking you back, he's at least eye-spanking."

"You guys would be so good together." Annie claps her hands. "It would be so romantic."

"No. Just…no. We're friends! It would like…like fucking Finn. Or Peeta. Or Gale." I wince a little at that last one, but I power through it and hope no one notices.

Madge crosses her arms and raises an eyebrow, catching my little gaffe. "Exactly. And you and Gale slept together."

"You need to ask him out," Katniss says.

I ignore her and focus on Madge. "I just hooked up with Gale. You know, a drunken grope at a frat party - it's not like we dated. I am not going to ask Brue out." I squirm uncomfortably.

"Why not?" Annie asks. "You obviously like spending time with him. He's single, you're single—"

"No!" I hop up and pace. "I do not like Brue MacLeod. I am not asking him out. End of discussion. Now, let's talk about something fun, like the fact that Katniss and Peeta haven't boned yet."

All three continue to stare at me, oblivious to my distraction tactics.

"You're afraid," Madge says softly. "You're afraid to ask him out."

I don't deny it: I am. I'm terrified. Because if Brue MacLeod decides I'm not worth his time, then what does that say about me? I don't think my delicate psyche can handle that kind of rejection. It's different to have some guy I barely know tell me he doesn't want me. But when I know someone, and when they know me, sex becomes so personal. I'm not sure I can handle that sort of scrutiny.

Instead, I do what I've done my whole life and turn the attack onto someone else.

"So, Katniss, am I wrong? Has Peeta seen the Christmas gift you gave yourself yet?" My desperate eyes meet hers and she knows what my game is.

She blushes and shrugs. "No."

"What Christmas gift?" Annie asks. I've forgotten that she and Madge don't know about the mystery tattoo that Katniss has somewhere on her body.

"Katniss got a tattoo over break."

"A what?!" Madge asks.

"A tattoo," Katniss answers, then drops her eyes and picks at a loose thread on the carpet. "And I would love to have the opportunity to show Peeta my body art, but he doesn't seem really all that interested."

Annie frowns. "But you two seem so happy! And that kiss…" Annie sighs deeply. Yeah. That kiss.

"We are. We're just not…we're not that physical." Katniss stares daggers at me and I stick out my tongue.

"But you want to be, am I right?" Madge asks. "Because that was an epic kiss. And the way he was holding you…those weren't the hands of a guy who isn't interested."

I snort and smirk at Katniss. "Five seconds ago, the two of you were barely talking, and now you want to ride his Ducati. How far we've come."

Madge shakes her head and shoots us each the stink eye. "Guys, focus! I know that both Katniss and Johanna would never ask for help, but I think I have a solution that would help you both." She roots through the voluminous designer bag that she takes with her everywhere for a minute and pulls out a catalog. I giggle when I see the name on it.

Victoria's Secret.

"Ladies, what is sexy? Sexy is a state of mind. It's confidence. Now, who is the sexiest person you know?"

"Tom Hiddleston," I say without a moment's hesitation. Can I help it if Loki makes me want to get on my knees and say his name? Madge frowns at me, so I backpedal. "Oh, you meant like, real people? Well, that's easy, Madge. It's you."

Annie laughs. "Jo that is so funny. I was going to say you."

Katniss looks uncomfortable for a moment. "Annie, I was going to say you."

We all laugh a little, which helps me feel safe enough to confess, "I'm not sexy. I'm nothing but snark in a push-up bra, really. And a padded one at that. Madge is the gorgeous one."

Katniss goes next. "And I'm bonier than a quail. Peeta's going to be disappointed at all of the sharp angles." She flops down on her bed and covers her face with a pillow.

"I wish I were more confident, like you Madge. Or smart as a whip, like Johanna. Or intense, like Katniss," Annie says.

"I'm fat," Madge says. It's matter-of-fact. We all gape at her before the cacophony of noise as we disagree with her starts. She holds up a hand to quiet us. "But I think we can all agree that we're too critical, too hard on ourselves. So, what is sexy? Because I think Annie hit it on the head: it's confidence, or intelligence, or intensity. It's whatever makes us special. What do each of you like about yourselves? Think about it tonight. Because tomorrow I have an idea for how to mega-boost whatever your super power is: we're going lingerie shopping so we can feel fabulous about ourselves."

"How is that going to help me?" I ask Madge. Personally, I think lingerie is a waste of money because it just ends up crumpled on the floor. Hell, half the time I don't even take my clothing completely off.

Madge gets up daintily and helps the rest of us to our feet. When we're all standing, she brushes a blonde hair off her forehead. "Ladies, it's hard to be down on yourself when you feel beautiful. Annie, imagine what Finn will do if he thinks you've got a little lingerie secret? Katniss, I think it'll give you confidence to know when the right time to get close is. Plus, it will drive Peeta absolutely wild and he won't be able to keep his hands off of you. Jo, I think you're afraid that you can't hold a guy's interest for more than the five minutes it takes you to get your panties off. Lingerie is going to help you remember that there are some things worth more than a quickie. Maybe that will give you the confidence you need to ask a certain someone out."

"But I like quickies," I mumble. Because there's no way I'm asking Brue out and risking a broken heart, no matter what I'm wearing.

-o—

We need a ride to the mall, and Annie texts Finn to see if he can take us. Somehow that evolves into all eight of us heading to Westside Pavilion in two cars. I'm pretty sure Finn must have texted the guys and told them that we were getting ready to have a porn star pillow fight because, when we pile in the car, not a single one of the guys can look us in the face. Any time Brue sees me in the rearview mirror his eyes skitter away like I'm naked in the back seat. Actually, he's seen me naked and his eyes didn't skitter away then. I can't help but think that their expressions alone make this trip worth it.

We hit Victoria's Secret and it's like a force field protects it from the guys walking through the entrance: Finn crosses the threshold, but none of the others do.

"You guys aren't coming?" he says. They all turn various shades of red. "Come on! What if they model for us—"

"Not gonna happen, Odair," Katniss says. She is the same shade of red as Peeta.

Finn looks indignant as we all shake our heads. "Man, you guys suck. What's it take for a guy to see some of this stuff up close and personal?"

I almost feel sorry for him as he touches a green satin teddy almost exactly the same color as Annie's eyes. Then Annie crosses to him in a graceful sweep of her long skirt and a jingle of bangle bracelets and whispers something that has him grinning. I don't have to guess what was said when he sweeps her into a very wet, very loud kiss on the lips.

As the guys leave for God-knows-where, I just shake my head and hope I can get through the next hour.

"What's your best feature?" Madge barks at me like a drill sergeant after they leave. I have no idea how to answer her. Just thinking about it last night had given me a headache that even Dr. Drake couldn't cure.

Annie pipes up, "Her legs, Madge. Or maybe her neck. Her hair is so adorably short."

She and Madge thrust a bunch of underwear at me to try on even as I resist.

"Guys, I have underwear. Comfortable underwear. I just got some from Finn for Christmas."

Katniss laughs. "Jo, it has your cell number on the butt."

"It's practical underwear: it helps in case I get lost, too."

Annie shakes her head and hands me a leopard-print cami and underwear set that I just know is going to make me feel ridiculous.

"What about Katniss?" I stare at her. "She's got great eyes."

I can tell Annie's really getting into this now. "And her shoulders are so petite. Something with spaghetti straps in gray or silver, I think." She combs through the racks for a satin camisole in gun-metal gray or sparkly silver.

"Red. Katniss needs red underwear." Madge is also looking through racks and holds up what I can only describe as a blood-red teddy.

I start to laugh. "Katniss in red? Guys, her underwear right now has little bows and arrows on them. Or Oscar the Grouch saying Go away. I leave out the fact that she prefers commando, imagining that would only going to start another round of lecturing from Madge.

Katniss scowls. "Keep laughing, Jo, and I'll tell Barb how much you love lingerie shopping."

I suck in my breath at her obvious threat; shopping for lingerie with my stepmom is a fate worse than death. I raise an eyebrow because it's game-on. "Hey, Madge? I think red is just the thing for Katniss."

Short Outtake: GNO 25 (The Boys)

"Anyone else want to head to Jamba Juice?" Finn asks the guys, like hanging out at the mall is totally normal for him. No one answers, so he leads the group to the food court.

"What do you think they're doing back there?" Peeta rubs the back of his neck where his blush still hasn't faded. He's a little worried what Madge means when she says that they've gone to Victoria's Secret to get some "girl confidence." He's sure that Katniss has plenty as it is and it's slowly killing him. He is still amazed that she's with him, let alone work up the nerve to do…well…all the things he wants to do to her in the dark. And on his bike, and the kitchen counter, and maybe her dorm room…

Pretty much ever since their first kiss, it's all he can think about to the point where he finds it hard to keep his hands to himself.

Of course, that didn't stop him from jumping in the car as soon as he heard their destination.

Brue laughs. "Probably just trying on clothes, in spite of what we're all thinking."

Gale chuckles too. "You mean I'm not the only one thinking it?"

Finn claps him on the back. "No, man. I think we're all sort of imagining – or hoping for – a massive pillow fight. I swear if we hear a page for Mall Security to Victoria's Secret I'll race all of you."

They laugh, order, and grab a table.

Peeta sips his drink. "You think they're going to buy anything?"

"God, I hope so," Gale says. "Madge loves the stuff and it's like, incredible when she wears it." When he sees the group gaping at him he asks, "What? It is. Peet, man, I hope that Katniss gets something. For your sake."

Peeta swallows audibly and looks at the table. It's uncomfortable enough that he's looking for Tumblr porn just so he can work out some of his tension; he's even started drawing a couple of fantasies that he just can't shake. All he wants is to be close to her, but it's getting harder and harder not to take things further.

Finn notices his discomfort and sends him a quizzical look but can't refrain from adding to the conversation. "I hope Annie buys something. I can't even imagine unwrapping her. It would be like Christmas and my birthday all rolled into one."

Peeta suddenly bursts out laughing. "Oh my God. What if – What if Johanna buys something?"

"Dude, the world does not need that. She's already a handful," Brue adds. He doesn't laugh, though.

Gale chimes in, "Lingerie isn't really her style. She's about as subtle as the freight trains that come through our neighborhood back home."

"I don't know. Maybe it's time that Jo stopped treating every guy like a blow up doll. I think she's ready for a relationship." Peeta looks at Brue. "What are you doing for Valentine's Day?"

Brue shrugs. "No idea. It's a Hallmark holiday anyway."

"You should ask Johanna out," Peeta declares. Finn almost spits smoothie out his nose and Gale has to thump him on the back.

Brue ignores the antics of the other two as he answers, "I don't think that's wise. We're friends."

Gale, still incredulous at the suggestion, says, "I don't think he has time to get a chocolate dildo ordered at this point."

Peeta ignores Gale's comment and continues, "Think about it. She could be good for you. She's…" he pauses, looking for the right word, "sassy." He looks askance at Gale. "Oh, and Gale, I'm not saying that I wouldn't know what to do with Katniss in lingerie, just that we haven't done it yet."

"What? Wait? Why wait?" Gale asks.

Brue nods and says, "I think it's awesome. Don't rush into things."

Finn looks at Brue and narrows his eyes. "Who are you? You want Peeta to wait?" He turns to Peeta. "What's going on? We're your friends, man. Ask for help if you need it, but don't just do nothing. After that kiss, we all just assumed you would be laying that out on your bed like peanut butter on Wonder Bread."

Peeta pushes back from the table so fast that Finn thinks it might be the baking analogy that's pissed him off. "I don't need help! I just don't want everyone to know what Katniss and I do as a couple. We just got together! I'm – I'm trying to be respectful."

Finn and Gale exchange a look as Peeta strides to the trash and tosses his empty cup.

-o-

Everyone meets up outside of The Body Shop and it's obvious that something's wrong: Peeta seems weirdly tense. Katniss sees it and sidles over to slide her hand into his. He looks at their connected hands, then up at her face as if she is the moon and he is the tide.

Johanna's heart can't help but give a little squeeze at that look. What would it feel like to have someone look at her that way?

"What's going on?" Johanna asks Gale. He's distracted by the contents of Madge's bags, so she turns to Brue with a raised eyebrow.

He sighs. "Peeta just got upset, that's all."

"Yeah. They haven't gotten it on." She jerks her chin at where Katniss and Peeta look in the window at the various lotions and talk quietly to him. Peeta flinches whenever Katniss's small bag brushes up against him.

Brue's lips thin out in anger. "That's none of our business. I wish you guys would leave the two of them alone."

Johanna wants to argue with him, to tell him that friends give a damn about each other, but now isn't the time – not with Katniss and Peeta standing close by. Instead, she says turns away and says over her shoulder, "I'm going inside The Body Shop."

Brue follows her into the store, as do Madge, Gale, Katniss, and Annie.

Finn wanders over to Peeta, who stares moodily through the window. "Hey, man, what's going on? I don't ever think I've ever seen the thought of a naked girl upset a guy so much."

Peeta lets out a breath. "Finn, it's easy for you, you know? You and Annie are like a golden couple."

Finn laughs and agrees. "We are fine, yes. Seriously, though, what's going on? If it's a skill thing, I'm sure I can arrange a tutorial –"

"I don't want Katniss to see me. You know." Peeta motions to his flannel shirt and jeans.

"Naked?" Finn guesses.

Peeta nods. "Yeah. I just – I'm not really comfortable being naked in front of anyone. And Katniss is special. The whole thing just needs to be – it needs to be special."

"Well, you could just do it with your clothes on," Finn advises logically.

Peeta looks insulted. "No! No. I am not going to just drop my pants and grope her. Would you do that to Annie? You said it yourself: our first kiss was so amazing, that a follow up in the dark, in a single bed, in a frat house with thin walls just seeks wrong. I'll figure something out." He watches Katniss raise a floral lotion to her nose and make a face as she sniffs.

Finn looks from him to Katniss and back again. "Ah, because you want to see her. And you can't very well get her naked if you're not. Right?" Finn pauses. "Is it, like, medical or something? Because you should just tell her. Forget your pride, man, there are boobs at stake."

Peeta frowns. "No, it's not medical! And please, don't mention anything to Jo. She'll just go tell Katniss. Or worse, she'll bring it up at dinner." He shudders. "I said I'll figure something out, and I will. Just give me a little time."

Finn puts his hand on Peeta's shoulder. "Okay. But don't wait too long. Things like this usually get harder with time. Get it? Harder?"

Peeta snorts, thinking of the drawings he has tucked under his mattress so Katniss can't find them. "You're telling me."

A/N: For FamousFremus. You know why.

Special thanks to BaronessKika, Walker, and Doc. Doc, you are so sexy with your blue pencil!

Some of you will recognize the premise of this from the Prompts in Panem Seven Deadly Sins Challenge. The basis for this was my submission for Pride, hence the name and outtake included at the end. I hope you enjoyed it!