Chapter 33: Anticipation

(Peeta's POV)

He stared across the fire, his eyes burning slightly. The intrusive light was starting to hurt, but he couldn't stop staring at what was across from him. Katniss sat with her group of girls, Prim by her side as Effie tried to lead the campers in another cheesy campfire song. Her hair was in a braid again, and all he could think about was ripping the elastic out of her hair and running his fingers through it. Like he had in the shower that night….

He sighed, shifting in his seat to avoid looking excited. Would she wear her hair down the next night? Or would she have it in a braid? His mind buzzed with possibilities as he pictured for the millionth time what their do-over would be like. It was only a night away. The next day, the kids' parents would be at the camp to pick them up and take them home. Summer had come to a close, and this was the final campfire the kids before their parents arrived. The entire camp had been present at dusk, only to have the groups turn in based on age. Only the oldest kids remained around the fire – the rest had gone to bed the hour before. He chuckled to himself as Prim rolled her eyes when Effie turned her back as the song ended.

"Oh! That was so lovely boys and girls!" Effie clapped like a maniac. Her bright smile shone brightly against the light of the fire, her blonde hair falling out of her messy braid. Her makeup was smeared again from the heat of the day, but no one had the heart to tell her. "Wasn't that lovely?" she prodded Haymitch.

The hungover blonde man sneered from his place on the log with his guitar, shaking his head and muttering something under his breath.

You can pretend all you want Haymitch. I know how you feel about her, Peeta thought to himself. Effie clapped her hands again and tried to rouse the campers into one more song before lights out. He looked up in time to catch Katniss' eye and smirk. She laughed, Prim glancing up at her in a questioning way before she could act nonchalant. He watched Prim whisper something to her before Katniss laughed again and gave her little sister a teasing elbow to the side. She was so good to Prim; he was almost a little jealous that he didn't have the same kind of relationship with his brothers that Katniss had with Prim. They had always gotten along except for the occasional teasing or prank of course, but their relationship wasn't like the one the two sisters across the campfire from him had. Sometimes it seemed like they were the only two people in the world when they were together.

He felt proud that a person like Katniss would let him in. She was guarded, but he viewed it more as selective really. She didn't like just anyone, and yet she had managed to actually love him. He was honored to know that he had somehow wedged himself into her heart like that. Shaking his head at himself, he walked over near her as the campfire died down and counselors were starting to head back to their bunks with their kids for one of their last nights. Summer was finally coming to a close.

Katniss would be spending the night in her girls' cabin for one last bonding experience, which he thought was nice. He didn't want to monopolize her time at camp; he knew Prim was the most important thing to her, and he thought that was really nice that she was so caring and thoughtful of her little sister.

He walked casually over, nodding to Prim as she gave him a knowing smile. "Peeta," she greeted, batting her eyelashes.

Katniss made a noise in the back of her throat and gave her sister a friendly shove. "Stop that, goon," she laughed.

"Just came to say goodnight. Sweet dreams, Primrose," he teased.

Prim rolled her eyes but blushed slightly before scampering off with the rest of the girls in her cabin.

"She went to find Rory."

"Have they kissed again yet?"

Katniss' shoulders slumped. "No, and that's all she can freaking talk about. I wish he would just hurry up and do it already; the poor girl is going to combust."

He chuckled, giving her a knowing look. "I know the feeling," he whispered, his hand reaching out to grab hers. He squeezed it lightly, his eyebrows raised.

"You're gonna combust, huh?"

"Maybe."

Katniss blushed and looked away. "You um…all packed for tomorrow?"

"Going to do that now, actually. The hike up the mountain tomorrow will be…interesting."

"Why's that?"

He snorted. "A bunch of horny counselors hiking up a mountain with no adult supervision? I'm not promising there will be drama, but come on Katniss."

"Did you um…get us a tent?" she asked. "Johanna said there will only be so many of the um…two person tents."

"Already snagged one and hid it," he said proudly. "Hid it behind my cabin so no one would find it and take it."

Katniss smirked and squeezed his hand again. "You're very determined to get me into bed, and it's quite sexy," she whispered hoarsely.

Peeta grinned. "Only to show you how much I love you," he answered honestly.

Katniss snorted and pressed her finger to the center of his chest as she rolled her eyes. "Suck up."

"What?" he cried in mock indignance as she walked away. Her watched as she peered over her shoulder and grinned. "I already said you could get in my pants, you can stop laying it on so thick!" she whispered loudly as she walked away.

Peeta shook his head and watched her leave, laughing to himself as the rest of the people around them started to clear out. He was being honest, but then again…he really did want into her pants. He would just have to wait until tomorrow.

Peeta glanced down at his bag and pondered the importance of an extra pair of socks. He was sure he wouldn't need them, but what if it rained? He held them in his hand and tossed them from side to side as he watched the rest of his bunkmates pack for the trek up the mountain. They would have to pack everything they needed in backpacks and hike up the mountain with everything, so packing lightly would be a necessity. The most important necessity, however, was packed into his waterproof case with his toothbrush. He didn't figure anyone would go snooping around in his toothbrush bag, so he figured that was a good a place as any. He also had two emergency ones in his wallet.

Just in case.

"You're sharing a tent with me, right bro?" Finnick asked.

Thresh looked up and shrugged. "That's what Rue told me."

Finnick nodded cockily to which Thresh rolled his eyes.

"Don't even play it like that. I know you aren't expecting to fool around with two other people in the tent," Thresh chided.

"Hey now, I'm not like that. Any fooling around I do will happen outside the tent first."

Gale snorted at Finnick. "Yeah right. Did Annie stop making faces when you walked by, or did you just resort to flat out paying her to hang out with you?"

Finnick gave them all a coy smile. "I never kiss and tell."

Thresh smirked. "That's because Annie won't even kiss him!"

The boys all hooted with laugher as Finnick's face turned a little pink.

"Whatever, I saved her life. She's super grateful and…hates me less than she used to," he laughed.

"Keep tellin' yourself that, Finn!"

"Yeah right!"

Peeta laughed as his bunkmates didn't buy a word of it. Peeta knew Finnick and Annie were a lot more serious that the light-hearted boy would let on; he had seen them talking together on more than one occasion. While they looked intense and heated, it was always innocent. He knew his jokester friend was simply playing up the attention because well…that was what Finnick did best.

"You ready for tomorrow night?" Gale asked, walking over to his bed beside Peeta's.

"What? Oh, uh…yeah. Think so. Should be pretty fun."

"Sharing a tent with Catnip?"

Peeta balked, suddenly unable to look Gale in the eye. "Um…yeah. Yeah we are."

Gale nodded. "That's cool. Madge agreed to share one with me, so…"

"Yeah?" Peeta asked in surprise.

"Yeah. She um….kinda goes for the bad boy thing. Her dad is in politics, so….she's actually kinda wild," Gale muttered with a laugh. "I guess he didn't give her much attention growing up so uh….she found other ways to get it."

"No shit?"

"Yeah man. Anyway…should be fun."

Peeta laughed and joked with his friends as they packed, lining their gear up by the front door. They were leaving early the next day as the hike to the top of the mountain would take them all day. By the time he crawled into bed that night he had tried to imagine what he would be doing that same time the next night about a million times.

He was full of nervousness as he tried to relax enough to sleep. A series of 'What Ifs?' kept scrolling through his mind.

What if he wasn't any good at it?

What if he finished before she got any pleasure?

What if they got caught?

What if she changed her mind?

What if he was so bad at it that she broke up with him the next day?

What if she never wanted to do it again?

It took him forever to fall asleep, but eventually he was able to drift off.

A clunking sound next to him woke him up, and he was relieved to see the sun shining through the windows of the cabin. The day had finally arrived.

Gale grinned at him. "It's time."

They stood in a half circle; all bleary eyed and squinting into the early morning sunlight. The birds were chirping brightly as they listened to their instructions for the trip via Haymitch.

"Now. I'm trusting you counselors to behave up there on that mountain."

"Best behaviors," Effie echoed officially, nodding.

Haymitch rolled his eyes and kept talking. "Yeah…just use good judgment, you're all adults."

"Good decisions only, people," Effie added.

"But have fun too."

"The best time!"

Haymitch took an exasperated breath to calm himself. "Thom has the radio if you guys absolutely need help. Ya'll have been a great group to have up here this summer….cost me a lot less grief than I thought ya would," he muttered, "But just be safe and use good judgment and…have fun."

"Yes boys and girls! Have so much fun on your little hike!" Effie trilled after them, waving frantically. Haymitch grabbed her arm and pulled her towards his golf cart, muttering under his breath.

Peeta rolled his eyes as he picked up his pack and scanned the crowd of counselors for Katniss. She was giving Prim a goodbye hug, waving to her as she ran off to join the rest of the kids. As she turned, her eyes met his and she grinned. Peeta gave her a nod, his own gaze scanning her body as she picked up her pack as well. She wore a plain black tank top, worn khaki shorts, and a pair of beat up hiking boots that made her lean, tan legs look amazing. Her chocolate waves were tamed into two loose braids that day, making her look classically beautiful. He sighed. How had he gotten so lucky?

She gave him a little nod before following Madge towards the start of the trail. Camp Panem was nestled into the side of a chain of tree covered, rolling mountains. The tallest, Capitol Peak, was where they would be camping for the night. The more experienced counselors like Johanna and Thom led the way up the trail as the hike began. They would stop halfway for lunch in a few hours near a smaller lake and rest for an hour before continuing on.

"Let's get this party started!" Marvel called out, gesturing to the trail. A few other counselors hollered out in agreement, and they were off. The morning was dewy and humid, signaling the start of another sweltering August morning. However, the heat had little effect on him as he trudged along, his limbs full of energy for the day. He had been waiting for this day half the summer, and now that it was finally there, well…he couldn't be more pleased.

Peeta hiked near the end of the group with Gale and Finnick, who was happily talking Annie's ear off. To Peeta's surprise, she didn't try to insult him or blow him off once during the hike.

Maybe saving her life that day in the lake really did change her mind about him. Huh, Peeta thought with a smirk.

"I thought Haymitch was gonna smack Effie," Gale laughed as they walked.

"Me too. I um…think they have a thing going on."

Gale nodded. "I can see that. A little hate fucking, if you will."

Peeta chuckled at Gale's terminology but didn't say anything else. He liked Haymitch, although he didn't much understand his choice in a woman. Effie seemed like a lot to handle, but if he was up to it then…so be it. He simply chalked it up as another story to tell that fall when he was back at school.

Looking ahead, he saw Katniss hiking alongside Delly and Rue. Her lean legs pushed her up the hilly terrain, her small hands grasping the straps of her pack as she walked. Her shapely ass looked perfect in the worn khaki shorts, and he caught himself before licking his lips. He really hoped she hadn't changed her mind about that night; he was so geared up he was ready to pull her off to the side and take her up against a tree at any second.

"Let's see what Sae packed us for lunch…." Delly muttered, rifling through the cooler. "Peanut butter and jelly….and…peanut butter and jelly. Oh and look…peanut butter," she said flatly, handing out the sandwiches. Peeta accepted one with a smile, tearing into it without another thought. He actually didn't mind camp food; fruit cups, sandwiches, smores, fish sticks, hot dogs….it reminded him of being a kid, which he could never begrudge.

"There's a lake on top of this mountain…I say we skinny dip tonight," Marvel announced. Jackie cast him an annoyed glare as Glimmer snickered.

"Oh please," Clove whined, "really?"

"Whatever, he just doesn't want to be around for when I tell all my good ghost stories," Cato laughed, slapping Marvel on the back. Peeta watched as Cato eyed Clove. "You scared?"

Clove's jaw clenched. "Of you? Never."

Cato's eyes scanned over the petite brunette's body, and Peeta felt a little unsettled. They had this weird flirty, challenging, I-hate-you-let's-have-sex kinda thing going on the past few weeks that absolutely blew his mind. He would have never thought one girl could captivate his friend the way the small girl had, but lo and behold…Cato hadn't tossed Glimmer a bone in weeks. He could tell the blonde was getting annoyed with being ignored by her former fuck buddy, but Peeta couldn't say he was surprised. Ever since Cato had spied Clove fencing that day he had been able to talk about much else.

"I'll give you something to scream about," Cato laughed.

Peeta rolled his eyes before grabbing another sandwich and heading over to where Katniss was sitting with Delly on a picnic table. They had been hiking since eight that morning and the afternoon sun was starting to make the temperature rise as they broke for lunch at the halfway point. A sign nearby pointed down the path to 'Snow Lake'.

"Think that's named after Mr. Snow?" he asked, gesturing to it.

Katniss grinned as she bit into her granola bar. "Maybe," she said. "How are you?"

"Hot. Ready to be at the top of this damn hill already. Hey Delly," he offered.

The blonde haired girl gave him a short wave. "Tell me about it. Could be worse though – we could be still trapped at camp with the little rug rats."

"Delly, it wasn't that bad of a summer," Katniss chided her friend.

Delly gave her a look of horror. "Um, excuse me? I got gum in my hair twice, attacked by yellow jackets, and then one of my kids tripped me and I sprained my wrist. Oh, and then there was the time I fell asleep on the dock and looked like a lobster for a whole week," she cried, her laughter breaking through. "Summer from hell much?"

Katniss and Peeta both chuckled. "So I guess that means you won't be coming back next summer then?"

Their good natured friend shrugged. "I might, who knows. Lord knows it's better than working retail, I mean…I might. Anyway…I'm gonna go see if I can swipe a Gatorade from that cooler, you guys want one?"

"Nah, we're good," Katniss said, giving Peeta a knowing look. "I think we might go check out the lake."

"Yeah, we have some time," Peeta agreed quickly, checking his watch. "We're here for an hour to rest, may as well."

"Okay. See ya," Delly said before walking off. Peeta watched her leave before leaning in and pressing his lips against Katniss'.

"You look hot."

She fanned herself and made a face. "I know."

"No, I mean those shorts and whatnot…and I like the two braids, very….country bumpkin, I like it."

She kissed him again, moaning against his lips. "Let's go check out that lake," she said quietly, glancing behind them. Everyone had spread out in the small clearing and was focused on eating and resting while they could. The trek halfway up the mountain hadn't been easy, so they were more than willing to take an hour to rest up. Katniss took his hand and hopped off the picnic table to pull him down towards the lake. They wound their way down the short path, stopping when they reached the body of water. It was sparkling and blue, with flat rocks lining the bottom. Tall pines surrounded the edges, framing it perfectly against the backdrop of the mountains. The sun made the surface of the water shimmer slightly as they stared at it.

"I'd love to come back here some time. Beautiful," he said. The small lake wasn't far off the trail; they could still hear the laughter and voices of their fellow counselors as they watched the gentle breeze ripple the top of the water.

"We're so high up…I bet most of its rainwater," Katniss mused. "That's why it's so blue."

Peeta wrapped an arm around her shoulders and hugged her to his side. The sun illuminated the light dusting of freckles across the bridge of her nose, so he leaned down and kissed it. "You're my nature girl. That's what I love about you…Is there anything you don't know about the outdoors?"

Katniss turned to him, wrapping her arms around his torso. Something mischievous flashed in her eyes that made his blood start to pound in his ears. She pushed him gently until he was backed up against the nearest tree, her body flush against his. eHe immediately grew hard as she pushed her hips forward to let his cock press up against her abdomen.

"There's a few things I don't know."

"O-Oh? S-Something I can help with?"

"I don't know much about having sex outside…" she whispered, leaning forward. Peeta sighed and felt his eyes droop closed as her lips pressed against his neck. His cock actually twitched in his pants as he felt her teeth lightly scrape his collar bone. "Under the stars."

"You don't, huh?" he asked breathlessly. If she wanted to play, he would willingly play.

"No. I've never had sex outside, but I've always wanted to. Would you teach me?" she whispered throatily, lifting her lips up to his ear. He groaned as he felt her tongue dart out and lightly lick his earlobe.

"Oh…yes, happily. I could teach you a lot about it, in fact."

"Oh?"

"Yes. I'll show you how to do it outside. Maybe in a tent? I have some time to demonstrate it later tonight."

"Mmm…it's a date," she practically purred, joining her lips with his. He kissed her hungrily, his hands pulling her waist harder against his. Katniss moaned again, her tongue searching out his. They met and frantically touched, battled, and explored. Her hands wove through his hair as his openly groped his body. He laughed as she pushed him harder against the bark of the tree, her tongue fighting his for dominance. He ground himself against her stomach, the friction almost more than he could bear. He was about to flip her around and push her up against the tree when a shrill, calculating voice from behind them interrupted his thoughts.

"O-Oh my God! Look what we have here."

Who could it be? Thoughts?

Forgive me for taking so long - I have bronchitis. But, I knew you guys were desperate for something, so I wrote this chapter while high on cough medicine, so...any review love for this sickie would be much appreciated : )

There will be a few chapters that take place up on mountain. I'm not ready to end this yet! What little feedback I did get on Clove/Cato chapter was good - I'm not sure if you all enjoyed it, but I really wanted to do something with them. But for now, my focus is back on K/P.

Enjoy! Please review so I have something to read while snuggled up in my bed with my cough syrup : )