Warning: This chapter contains frank discussions of sex as well as actual sex. Reader discretion is advised. The sex scenes will be edited on Fanfiction dot net but Archive of Our Own will have the full and complete scenes. Choose wisely.

Brand New Breeze
by FanficAllergy & RoseFyre

oOo

Chapter Six: Iris

oOo

Last Time in Brand New Breeze:

"You know, we should do this again sometime. Maybe without the wild dog action," Peeta suggests.

The three of us laugh and head home.

oOo

My mother looks askance at the sheep when we return.

"No!" I interject to head off any protests. "It's wool! And meat!"

"We don't need any more meat, Katniss," my mother counters. "We've probably got enough meat to last us from now until December."

"That's not all the way through winter." The fact that all of the food we've gotten won't get us through the winter worries me. It's still more food than I've seen in one place in my life, but we've got six people and a cat to feed and no general store or tesserae to supplement what we can hunt and gather.

Apparently my mother doesn't see it the same way I do because she tells us, "Stop hunting! We need fruits and vegetables."

"I brought back mulberries," Peeta offers.

She throws her hands up in the air. "Thank you! At least somebody listens!"

"Brown noser," Gale mutters.

Peeta shrugs. "I can't help it if I'm the favorite."

I shoot both boys a glare. "Knock it off."

My mother gets herself back under control. "Thank you for the wool, Katniss. And the meat. I'm sure Prim will be happy to card it and spin it while she's recovering. It'll give her something to do."

A thread of guilt shoots through my belly. Prim… I can't believe that I left Prim alone to go sort out my relationship with Gale and Peeta. What was I thinking? I look down at my feet and then back up at my mother. "Yeah, um, how is Prim?"

My mother regards me sympathetically. "Better. It's going to take her a couple of weeks to fully recover. She's got some cracked ribs and pretty deep gouges. They're going to scar, but she's still alive and she should make a full recovery. I don't want her doing anything too strenuous, but spinning and weaving shouldn't be out of the question." I can tell she's saying this to assuage my guilt. It doesn't. But I appreciate the attempt.

"That's something," Peeta says, rubbing my back tenderly.

My mother gives us a look. "So how did things go?"

"Fine," I say, not really sure what she's asking.

"Is there anything you three would like to tell me? Or maybe, should I rephrase that, ask me?" She smiles at us, crosses her arms, and waits.

Gale, Peeta, and I share a glance. I'm not really sure what to do here. Thankfully Peeta steps forward. "Um, Violet, I'd like your permission to be in a relationship with your daughter." He nudges Gale.

"Yeah, what he said."

She arches an eyebrow. "I see. How do you feel about this, Katniss?"

I shrug. "I've already had this conversation with Gale and Peeta." I look up at her. "I want this."

"You do realize you're only sixteen."

I nod my head.

My mother regards me solemnly, but I refuse to be cowed. I meet her eyes and stare back. This is what I want. This is my choice.

Finally, she nods. "Okay. Then I give all three of you my blessing." Then she narrows her eyes at both Peeta and Gale. "But if either of you does anything to hurt my daughter, I will hit you over the head with a shovel and bury you where not even the dogs can find you."

I'm a little surprised at my mother's vehemence, but I'm also a little heartened at the same time. She loves me and wants to protect me. I haven't felt that since before my father died.

"We promise not to hurt Katniss, Mrs. Everdeen," Gale vows.

"Please, I told you to call me Violet," she says with a smile.

He shakes his head. "Yeah, not gonna happen."

oOo

The first problem that we run into after my mother's wrath is how all three of us are going to sleep together. The haphazard pile of grass and reeds that all of us other than my mother and Prim have been sleeping on isn't large enough for the three of us to sleep together. Not to mention, it's pretty uncomfortable.

After one night of near sleeplessness and lots of tossing and turning, Gale says, "That's it, we're making a bed for all three of us."

"Agreed," Peeta says with a yawn. "There's only so long I can put up with sleeping like that."

I nod my head. "We really need a bed."

Gale and Peeta get started right away, felling several pine trees and putting the bed together. It still takes a couple of days, during which Rory complains on multiple occasions that if Gale and Peeta are making a bed for us, he should get a bed too.

To shut him up, I take him out hunting.

"So are you and my brother dating now?" he asks.

"It's none of your business."

Rory stops and points at me. "That means yes. Prim says that means yes."

I curse stupid meddling little sisters. "Yes, I am dating your brother."

"Woohoo!" He pauses, narrowing his eyes at me. "But, wait, what about Peeta?"

"I'm dating him too," I answer honestly.

"How's that work?"

I shrug. "Beats me. We're making it up as we go along."

"Sounds complicated," Rory says, tilting his head like a confused dog.

"You have no idea," I mutter. "I thought you wanted to go hunting."

"I do!"

"Then enough with the questions about my love life, let's see what you're made of."

Rory gets a pheasant and, remembering my mother's outburst from earlier, I call it a day.

We head back to the cave. Peeta greets me with a kiss. "So how was it?"

"It was okay." I shrug. What am I supposed to say? It's a forest in the mountains. There were rocks and trees and trees and rocks and trees and rocks and water.

"See anything interesting?"

I point at Rory's pheasant.

Peeta laughs. "I suppose that counts. You want to come into the bedroom for a second? Gale and I want to ask your opinion on something."

I'm not sure what they want, but I don't see a reason to protest. "Okay. Can you take care of the bird, Rory?"

Rory glares at Peeta for a second and then nods his head.

Peeta doesn't say anything but I can see he's sort of surprised at the pre-teen's dislike. Once we get into the bedroom he asks, "What'd you say to him?"

"Me? Nothing! He asked if I was dating you!"

"And what'd you say?"

"I said yes!"

"And did he ask about Gale?"

"Yeah."

"What'd you say to that?"

"That I was dating him too."

Peeta sighs and shakes his head. "Oh, Katniss."

"What? I told the truth. I don't want to hide." I'm confused by Peeta's reaction.

Rubbing the back of his neck, Peeta shoots me an apologetic glance. "I know, and I don't want to hide either, but it probably would've been better if it'd come from Gale."

"What would've been better?" Gale looks up from the half-assembled bed.

"Katniss told your brother that she's dating both of us."

Gale turns to me. "Katniss, you didn't."

"What?" I ask again.

"Nevermind, I forget that your sister is Prim." Gale rubs at his face with one hand. "I'll take care of it."

I have no idea what I did wrong, but it's clear I did do something. I decide to change the subject. "So… what'd you want me to have an opinion on?"

"We were just wondering where you wanted the bed," Peeta states. "Once we finish assembling it, it's going to be pretty heavy to move."

I shrug. "I don't know? Why not up against that wall?" I motion to the wall between the main room and the bedroom.

Gale shakes his head. "Peet had a suggestion, and it's a good one, so listen. He thought, since we're all going to probably be on separate watches at some point, that whoever's on the inside shouldn't have to climb over two people to get out."

"So?"

"We were thinking of putting the headboard up against one of the walls but sticking the bed out into the room so we can get in from either side."

I guess that kind of makes sense, but I think I see a problem. "What about whoever's sleeping in the middle?"

"They only have to climb over one person then," Peeta points out.

I think about it. It's not a bad idea. "Fine, um, that wall's good." I point at the far south wall.

Gale smirks, clearly pleased with himself. "I thought you'd say that."

I don't know why he's surprised. That location has the best view of both entrances to the room and, if we can figure out a way to make a couple of screens, will have the best privacy.

That brings up my next question. "So… what are we going to do about privacy?" Growing up in the Seam, I've always known what goes on between a man and a woman. But my parents were always careful to draw the curtains when they wanted to be intimate. If we get to that stage, when we get to that stage, I'm going to want that. I'm not comfortable with the rest of our group being able to see what we do. All of us, to some degree, have learned to block out the sounds, but not the sights.

"Peeta talked to your sister and asked her to weave a few large mats for us, maybe see about putting them between a few willow saplings so we can have screens. Your mom's using the bark anyways and willows are everywhere around here. I figured, for now, we might be able to use some of the material your mom brought with us as a temporary curtain, but we'll want it for clothing and other things in the long run."

That makes sense. Which brings up the next question. "What are we going to do about a mattress?"

"I want to ask your mom to see if she's okay with us taking some of the fabric and turning it into a mattress case. We can stuff it with reeds, grass, and rushes. If that doesn't work, we've got those deer hides that I tanned. We can use them," Peeta says.

I wrinkle my nose at the thought of using leather as blankets.

Gale notices and says, "You're going to have to get used to it, Catnip. When winter comes, we're going to need the warmth."

I shrug. "So is that it?"

"Not quite." Gale stands up and smiles.

"Oh?"

He comes over and wraps his arms around me. "Missed you."

"I was only gone for a couple of hours."

He bends down and nuzzles my hair. "I always miss you when you're gone."

Peeta comes up behind me, sandwiching me between them. "We both missed you."

I lean my head against Gale's chest and sigh. "I missed you both too."

oOo

I walk back out into the main room and my mother pulls me aside. "Come with me to the garden," she says.

"Um, okay?" I grab my bow and we go.

I try to figure out what she wants me to do down there and I'm hoping that there's not a predator.

When we get there, I'm even more confused. There's nothing to see.

My mother bends down and picks a few lettuce leaves and says, "So, I see that all three of you are sleeping together."

"It's just sleep."

"I know. I wanted to talk to you before it becomes more than just sleep."

I give her a look. "Didn't we already have this conversation?"

"No." She shakes her head. "This is a little different. I wanted to talk to you about sex."

"We talked about sex before," I remind her. "How not to get pregnant."

"No, not that. This is about the actual act." She tilts her head. "Did you know that it's going to hurt the first time?"

I narrow my eyes. "What do you mean, hurt?"

"Well, it depends on each woman, but there's usually some discomfort the first time a man enters a woman."

I blink. "Okay…" My mother is talking to me about sex. I don't want to talk about sex. Especially with my mother.

She doesn't seem to register my growing discomfort because she continues, "Now, if the man is an experienced lover, there are some things he can do to make it more enjoyable for his partner. Also, lubrication is important."

"Can we not have this conversation?" I ask, knowing she's going to say no. I can feel my cheeks burning

Just as I expected, my mother shakes her head. "Unfortunately, it's a mother's duty to talk to her daughter about this. You've always been a little oblivious to matters of the heart. I didn't have to worry about this back in Twelve."

I don't want her to worry about it now.

"Sex can be very enjoyable," she says, refusing to let my embarrassment deter her. "And if done right, it can be one of the most pleasurable experiences in life. I don't want to spoil the surprise for you, but I do think it's important that you at least be somewhat aware of what's going on with your body."

"Okay?" I'm not sure what I'm supposed to say to that.

My mother sighs. "Have you decided who you're going to have sex with first?"

This, at least, I know I can answer. "Peeta. Peeta asked to be my first."

"And is he experienced?"

I shake my head. "No."

"That's unfortunate," my mother says, shaking her head slightly.

"Why?"

"It'd be easier if he already knew how to make sex easier and more enjoyable for you, but I guess you'll have to teach each other."

"That's good, right?"

"It can be," she tells me. "I certainly was Solomon's first, but he wasn't mine."

I cover my ears with my hands. "I did not need to know that!"

My mother removes my hands from my ears and holds them in hers. "I just don't want you to have unreasonable expectations. The first time is unlikely to be perfect, and you may not enjoy it very much, at least after penetration."

"So why would I want to have sex?"

"It gets better. It gets a lot better. And with the right partner, or partners in your case, it can be one of the most moving experiences in the world." Her voice is sincere, like she really does care.

I pull my hands from hers. "I guess I should say thank you. Are we done?"

My mother laughs. "Not even remotely."

For the next hour, I grow progressively more mortified as my mother describes in clinical detail just what Peeta and I will need to do to make sure our first time making love is enjoyable for the both of us. I learn more about the human body than I ever wanted to know and right now I'm a little grossed out and I don't even want to think about having sex, no matter how good my mother says it feels.

"What's wrong?" Peeta asks when I return to the cave.

"I had a talk with my mother," I tell him dully.

"Oh, that talk," Gale says. "My dad had that talk with me when I turned thirteen."

"Oh!" Peeta says. "Mine had it with me a couple years ago, but I'd actually had it before then, from my brother Farl."

Gale nods, then smacks his hand to his forehead. "Aw, shit, that reminds me, I gotta talk to Rory about this."

Peeta nods. "And soon. You see how he's mooning over Prim."

I feel the blush from earlier making a return appearance. "Can we not talk about my baby sister having sex with your little brother?"

"It's going to happen someday," Gale points out.

"That doesn't mean I want to think about it now. Or ever!"

"Sorry?" Gale says with a shrug. I can tell he's not really sorry but he's just saying it because I'm upset.

"So is there anything else you want to talk about?" Peeta asks.

"No," I say, flopping down onto my mother's bed. "I'm just going to take a nap and forget this all happened."

Unfortunately I can't, because that night my mother hands Peeta the romance novel and says, "I want you to read this. I've marked the appropriate sections."

He takes the book with a confused frown, "Uh sure, Violet. What's this about?"

My mother shoots a glance at me then at Rory and Prim. "I think it's best if you just read and find out."

Peeta blushes and I feel my cheeks heat up as well. While I'm grateful to have my mother more involved in my life, having her input into my sex life is intensely embarrassing.

I wish I knew what to do to make her stop.

oOo

For the next few days, Peeta and Gale spend most of their time working on finishing the bed for us, but before they have time to start in on one for Rory, the salmon start running again.

These salmon are bigger than the last run's, which is good for food but makes the nets harder to haul in. The river is running a little higher and the current is fast moving.

We also continue to be careful about bears. In deference to my mother's request, we try to scare off any bears that approach us rather than killing them. It's somewhat successful but two bears are especially persistent. They look to be younger and less proficient at landing the swarming salmon and therefore more intent on getting an easy meal. I feel bad about killing them, but their hides are warm and useful.

Rory and Prim stay up at the cave, which makes the work even more difficult because we have fewer people. The first day goes off without a hitch, but the second we run into trouble. The first problem comes when one of our nets slips out of my hands and starts to drift away. I dive in and am able to retrieve the net, but end up losing all of the fish that were in it.

"Don't worry about it, Catnip," Gale tries to tell me.

I brush him off. I'm angry at myself for the mistake.

"We've got plenty of food," my mother says, "and we still have plenty of time to get more."

I don't want to hear it. I let food get away and I'm not sure I can forgive myself.

It's because I'm so angry with myself that I push all of us to get more.

We get a good catch, better than yesterday, but we're getting tired and my disgust at the earlier loss has me distracted.

Peeta and I are working at hauling one of the nets out from the mouth of one of the two nearby small streams that empty into the river. We discovered on the last salmon run that it's easier to net just at the edge of the mouth and we have less of a chance of getting swept away.

But less of a chance isn't no chance.

Peeta, perhaps tired from hauling in hundreds of pounds of fish, slips on the edge of the bank and tumbles head first into the swiftly moving water.

"Peeta!" Gale and I both cry.

I search frantically for his blond hair so I can leap in after him.

Several feet away, Peeta surfaces and takes a breath. I take a few steps in preparation for diving in when he shouts, "No! Katniss, stop! I'm okay, I'm okay." He starts carefully and very slowly moving towards the water's edge. "It's okay, I can just touch the bottom. Just barely, but you don't need to come in after me."

"Are you sure?" I'm ready to leap in at a moment's notice if I even think he's going to lose his footing.

Gale comes up beside me, holding a rope. "Grab it, Peet. I'll pull you in." He tosses the rope slightly upstream of Peeta so it drifts towards him.

"Thanks." Peeta grabs the rope and wraps it around his arm so that it won't slip off.

Straining against the current, Gale pulls him ashore.

When he's back on solid ground, I throw myself into Peeta's arms, not caring that it's going to get me wet. We topple to the bank together, me half in his lap. "Don't you ever do that again! I don't know what would happen if I lost you! I can't lose you!"

Gale sits down next to us and places his arm around Peeta. "Gotta admit, you gave me quite a scare there, Peet. I thought I'd be losing another member of my family."

Peeta looks at us, his eyes full of confusion and emotion. It's like he didn't expect us to care as much as we do, and thinking back on his family life, I can imagine why.

Gale must see his expression too because he says, "We're not like your ma. You may not have joined this family in the most conventional way, but you're definitely a part of it."

Peeta slips an arm around each of us and draws us closer to him. "Thanks. You guys are my family too."

oOo

The salmon run finishes the following day, which means we now have to work on preserving all of the meat. I'm down at the lower smoker, checking on the bear meat, when I hear the sounds of two people approaching behind me.

I turn to look; it's Gale and Peeta.

"Hey, Catnip."

"Hey."

"So, Gale and I wanted to talk to you."

"About what?" My tone is wary. That's never a good conversation opener.

"Um, are you okay?" Peeta asks, his voice earnest.

"I'm fine."

Gale shakes his head. "I think what Peet's trying to ask is, how are you handling all of this?"

"All of this what? I don't know what you mean?" And I don't. I'm fine. We got fish. No one was injured by a bear. I have no idea what they're talking about.

"Of course you don't," Gale says.

"Katniss, you're… you seemed really upset when I fell in the river."

"Well of course I was! You don't know how to swim and I thought you would drown!"

"But I do know how to swim. You taught me. Remember?"

"Not well! Not well enough to stand up to a current that strong!" I can feel myself getting upset just thinking about Peeta's brush with death.

"Well thankfully I didn't have to. I could still touch the bottom." He reaches out to take my hand. "But I don't want you putting yourself in danger to save me."

I pull my hand back. "But that's what you do for people you love. You try to save them, you don't let them die. I couldn't let you die, don't you understand that?"

"It's all right, Katniss, I'm here," he says, wrapping his arms around me. "You did save me. You saved me when you taught me how to swim. And Gale saved me with that rope he tossed."

"It was really stupid," I mumble against Peeta's chest. "What if he'd lost his balance and fallen in? Then I would've lost both people I love!"

"I was perfectly safe, Katniss," Gale says, somehow able to understand me.

I pull back enough to glare at the both of them. "But you don't know that! You can't know that! You might've been safe then, but what about today? Or tomorrow? Or the next time we go hunting?" I push myself out of Peeta's arms and start gesticulating wildly. "This isn't going to work! This just isn't going to work! I'm in love with you and I'm going to lose you and I'm going to turn into my mother and I just can't do that! I won't do that! I just wish that I could go back to feeling nothing for either of you!" Peeta pulls me back into his arms, pressing me against his chest so I can feel his heartbeat under my cheek. "It was safer that way."

Gale wraps his arms around both Peeta and me. "Shhhh. We're both here and we're not going anywhere, Catnip."

"You can't know that!" I cry.

"We know that right now, and for as long as we have, we're not going to go anywhere. We're not going to leave you."

"I can't take that chance."

Peeta steps back a little and tilts my head up so he can look me in the eyes. "And so you'll just wall yourself off?"

I nod my head. "If that's what it takes."

"Sounds like a lonely existence," he says gently.

"Yeah. But at least I won't end up like my mother."

Gale looks at Peeta and shrugs. "I don't understand. What do you mean?"

I tell them brokenly about how my mother went away for months after my father died, how nothing Prim or I did could rouse her from her broken state. That not even the potential death of her children could rouse her into action. That only through Peeta's kindness and my father's plant book were we able to survive.

Gale sighs and pulls me closer to him, wrapping me tightly in his arms. "I'm sorry, Catnip."

I struggle free and turn to face him. "Yeah, but that doesn't mean it's not going to happen."

"And if we lose Gale first, you'll have me to rely on," Peeta says. "And if you lose me first, you'll have Gale."

"But I don't want to lose either of you!" I protest.

"Life just doesn't work that way, Katniss," Peeta tells me a little sadly. "The people you love are going to go away someday, and there's absolutely nothing any of us can do to stop it. The only thing we can do is keep them alive in our memories and move on, living life the way they would want us to." He strokes my hair tenderly. "Do you think your father would want you to never know love? To never know the joys of having a family?"

I think about the man my father was, how he used to sing to both Prim and me. How he would lift us up in his arms and twirl us about. About the way he would look at my mother, like she was the most precious thing in the world to him.

I shake my head.

"I didn't think so."

"I still want to have a family someday, Katniss," Gale says. "Even though Posy died, it doesn't mean I don't want to have a family."

I look at Gale and realize that he's lost more than I have. "I'm sorry," I mumble.

"So am I." Gale reaches out to take one of my hands. "But I still want to have a family with you. Even if that means that I might lose you someday."

Peeta grasps my other hand. "The same goes for me. Loving someone is worth the pain. You're worth the pain."

I squeeze their hands and try to calm myself down.

After a few minutes, Peeta asks, "So… we're still a trio, right?"

I nod.

"Good. Hug?"

I nod again. The three of us step into each other's arms. It's comforting and not romantic at all. But it's what I need right now. Peeta strokes my back while Gale runs his fingers along my braid.

"Just so you know, Catnip, you just admitted that you loved us."

"Did not."

"Back me up here, Peet. She totally admitted it."

"You really did, Katniss." Peeta sounds pleased and a little hopeful.

I sigh. I can't dash both of their hopes. I won't. "Fine. I love you both. You happy now?"

"Yes," they say together.

oOo

As if my admission opened a floodgate, my relationship with Gale and Peeta quickly becomes more intense. The boys are more sure of themselves and it shows in their actions. But they're still considerate about making sure that I have time for myself.

For my part, I've become more open with the two of them, more willing to initiate physical and emotional affection.

The first time I actively flirted with Gale, he was initially shocked, but ultimately pleased.

With Peeta, it's different, a little calmer, steadier. We still flirt with each other, but it's gentle.

And then there are the kisses.

Just like the night of the Reaping, I find myself wanting more, craving more. But unlike the night of the Reaping, I know what it is that I want. I just have to work up the courage to say so.

I finally pull both Peeta and Gale aside one evening and ask them to come join me up on the top of the hill, underneath the same maple tree where the boys took me to talk before. This time I take the lead.

"You wanted me to tell you when I was ready. I'm ready." I blurt it out, afraid that if I don't say it now I never will.

"Are you sure?" Peeta asks.

"This is awfully quick, Catnip."

I shake my head. "Not really. I think I've wanted this for a long time. I just was afraid to admit it, even to myself."

"We are talking about sex here, right?" Gale asks. "Or is this, uh, something else?"

"Um, both?" I'm talking about sex, but I'm also talking about more.

"What's the something else, Katniss?" Peeta asks, his eyes intent.

Of course Peeta would ask. "Well, you know! I care about you! I want you. I want us. This isn't easy for me to say. You know how I am with words!"

Both boys laugh. "Of the three of us, I think Peet's the talker," Gale states.

I nod. I agree with that.

"So you're ready to make love? Are you sure you're sure?" Peeta asks again. "This isn't you trying to please us, right? We're happy with whatever you're willing to give us, whenever you're willing to give it to us."

"No, I'm sure." I blush, thinking about what it would feel like. "My mom says…" I trail off.

"You don't need to go any further, Catnip. Please."

Peeta blushes. "Um, I'm okay whenever you are."

I look down at my hands.

Gale runs his fingers through his hair. "Oh for fuck's sake! Just set a date and a time and we'll make it happen! I'll make sure that everybody else is out of the cave for a few hours so you two can have some privacy."

Peeta looks over at Gale. "Thanks. For everything."

"No problem, man. Just show her a good time so she'll actually want to do the deed with me. If you screw this up for me, I will take your dick and hang you from it." He turns to me. "Assuming you actually want to have sex with me too."

I nod my head. "I want to. With both of you."

"Well thank fucking goodness."

"I'd like to with you too, I mean..." I'm not sure how to say this.

Gale barks out a laugh. "I'm interpreting that sort of garbled speech to mean that you want to have sex with me on the same day as you have sex with Peeta."

I nod my head.

"Okay. We'll see what we can do. But it might not be possible, I'm just saying."

"Not gonna be able to get it up, Hawthorne?" Peeta asks, his voice light and teasing.

"In your dreams, Mellark." He turns back to me. "But seriously, there's no need to rush. When you're ready, after Peeta's shown you a good time - you'd better show her a good time, Mellark - I'll be here to show you an even better one."

"Cocky bastard."

"Excuse me, my parents were married when they had me. And I've got a reputation to maintain."

Peeta looks around the hillside forest. "With who? We're the only ones out here!"

"Shut up, Mellark."

I can't help it. I laugh.

oOo

A couple days later, Gale takes my mother, Rory, and Prim out to gather several kinds of berries that we've noted have now come into season. It's the first outing for Prim since the bear attack.

As she leaves, my mother raises an eyebrow at Peeta and me. It's clear she knows what's going on, she's just choosing not to say anything. I shoot her a grateful smile for her silence.

Peeta and I wait until we can't hear their voices before turning to look at each other.

"So…"

"Yeah, um, so…"

Silence reigns.

"You know, we don't have to do this, Katniss," Peeta says after a few long moments.

"But I want to!" I protest.

"Really? Cause I'm not getting that impression right now."

"I'm nervous!" And I am. I don't know what to do and I don't like it. Not one bit.

He takes my face in his hands. "You've got nothing to be nervous about. If you want, we can just go into the other room and take a nap, call it good."

I shake my head. "No. That's not what I want."

"So what do you want?" he asks softly.

Deciding that words are totally useless, I pull Peeta's face down to mine. The kiss is intense and I deepen it quickly. I don't know of any other way to show him just how much I want this.

Peeta starts at my boldness before pulling me into his arms. I love it. The feeling of his broad chest and strong arms around me. I feel safe. Protected. And more. We stand there, lips fused together. His tongue slips out, flicking at my lips, asking for entrance. I let him in. He tastes like raspberries and mint tea. Our tongues dance. I'm still a little new to the sensation, but I find I like it. I feel the building of desire deep in my belly, just like it has been every time we've made out since Reaping Day.

My resolve solidifies.

I want this.

I want him.

I pull back and look up at him. His skin is a little flushed and his breathing is a bit erratic. "Peeta?"

His eyes meet mine and I see his pupils are dilated. "Katniss," he whispers.

I take his hands and tug him towards the bedroom. "Let's go."

He follows me eagerly.

We stand there, at the foot of the bed, and Peeta draws me into his arms. I lift my head and he leans down to touch his mouth to mine. This kiss is gentle. He and Gale have remained smooth-shaven since they shaved after Reaping Day so I'm not distracted by his beard. Instead, I focus on how soft his lips are. There's no force to this kiss, just tenderness, and I realize Peeta is leaving it up to me to take the next step.

So I do.

I slide my hands up his chest, feeling the definition of his muscles through his shirt. His breath catches as I run my fingertips lightly over his chest, tracing each ridge of his pectoral muscles. I find his nipples and draw my fingernails over them.

He tears his mouth away from mine. "Katniss…" he draws out my name with a hiss.

"Do you like that?" I ask a bit nervously.

"Mmm-hmm. Here, let me."

He bends down to kiss me again and ghosts his fingers across my stomach and rib cage. Then slowly he drags his hands up my chest, circling my nipples with his thumbs. I gasp.

"Somebody likes that," he whispers huskily.

"Yeah."

"Good."

Peeta bends down to start kissing my neck. It's nice, but it's not what I'm craving. I tug his shirt free from his pants and beginning at the bottom, I start unbuttoning it. When I reach the button at his waist, I slip my hand under the thin fabric and lightly score my nails across his abdomen. He draws a breath.

"Ticklish?" I ask.

He lifts his head up from my shoulder before shaking it. "Ticklish isn't the word I would use."

I do it again and get the same reaction. "Oh?"

"Katniss…"

I chuckle.

I continue my task of divesting Peeta from his shirt, taking the time after each button to rub my hand across the planes of his stomach and chest. When I reach the top button, I slide both hands under the shirt, lightly flicking Peeta's nipples, much like he did to mine earlier.

His reaction isn't as pronounced as mine, but it's definitely there. Emboldened by his reactions, I push the shirt off of his shoulders, sliding the sleeves down his arms. Then I lean in to start laving kisses across his chest.

"Katniss…" he murmurs. "This is supposed to be about you. You're supposed to enjoy this."

I pull back and look up at him. "I am. We're together, right?"

"Yeah."

"So let's do this. Together."

He smiles down at me. "Sounds good. Although, one of us is slightly more dressed than the other."

"Why don't you do something about it?" I challenge.

The smile becomes decidedly more feral. He tugs my shirt over my head and tosses it on the floor. I'm not wearing anything underneath. He stares at me, drinking in my form, and I shudder at the intensity.

"Peeta…" I pull my hands up and cross them over my chest. I'm not shaped like the ideal Capitol beauty and even in Twelve my figure isn't much to speak of.

"No. Don't." He lifts his hands to stop me. "You're beautiful, Katniss. More beautiful than I'd ever imagined."

I drop my arms.

"Can I touch you?" he asks.

I nod my head, my earlier boldness gone.

He reaches up and draws a line from the tip of my chin down my neck between my breasts to my navel. He drifts lower until he reaches the buttons on my pants. There, he gently traces along my waistband before running his hand back up along my side. He repeats the action with his other hand along my other side.

It tickles slightly. "Peeta, you're teasing."

He shakes his head. "No. I'm just not quite sure if you're real." He lifts his head to look me in the eye. "You're here with me, right now. Real? Not real?"

I lift his hand and place it over my heart. "Real."

oOo

"Okay you two, time to get up."

I blink and slowly open my eyes to see Gale standing over us, his arms crossed and an amused smile on his face. "What time is it?" I ask, looking around the room.

"Time to get your butts dressed," Gale answers. "Your ma and the kids are down at the smoker taking care of a pig I shot but I can only hold them off for so long."

"Nnnngh," I groan, slipping out from Peeta's arms, looking around for my clothes. I spot my shirt in a crumpled heap near the end of the bed. I move too quickly and immediately wince. "Can you hand me that?" I ask Gale, pointing at it.

"Sure thing, Catnip," he says, retrieving my discarded shirt.

I find my pants and gingerly pull them on, tossing Peeta's at his head. "Wake up!" The area between my legs feels a little sticky and I desperately want to take a bath.

"Do I have to?" He mumbles into the pillow. "Mmm, five more minutes?"

I snatch the pillow away. "Nope. If I've gotta be up, so do you."

"Nnngh." He rolls over and looks at me flirtatiously. "Can you make it worth my while?"

I sigh and carefully crawl over the bed to give him a kiss. "Come on, lazybones, time to get up."

"Isn't that just cute? So I'm guessing you two kids had a good time?" Gale sounds eerily like my mother.

"Yes, Mom," I say.

He laughs. "I don't suppose you're up for another round?"

I think about the lingering soreness between my legs and shake my head. "No. All I want now is a nice warm bath and another nap." I pause. "Maybe some food."

"A little sore?"

I nod my head.

"I didn't mean to hurt you, Katniss," Peeta says. "I'm sorry! Tell me what I did wrong and I promise never to do it again." He looks stricken.

I want to kiss the pain in his eyes away, so I do. I don't know what to say to him to make him feel better. But this, this I can do.

Gale, thankfully, knows what to say. "I'm sure you didn't do anything wrong, Peet," Gale reassures him. "Lots of girls are sore after their first time."

"Katniss?" He's pleading with me.

I nod. "I'm fine. I enjoyed myself. I wouldn't mind doing it again, just… not today." I look at Gale apologetically.

"No worries." Gale sounds like he was expecting me to say that.

"You don't sound surprised," Peeta points out.

"Gale's got a lot more experience with girls," I tell him. "I hear he's the king of the slag heap." It's meant to sound flirtatious. It doesn't come out that way.

Gale picks up on that. "You almost sound jealous there. I promise I'll make it up to you."

I nod. "I'll hold you to that."

oOo

AN:
Written: 3/17/15
Revised: 4/8/15
Revised 2: 4/28/15

If you want the full sex scene, please go to Archive of Our Own. The link is on FanficAllergy's Profile. If you don't want mediocrely written sex complete with Clan of the Cave Bear references, we recommend you read on Fanfiction dot net.

The title of this chapter comes from the Goo Goo Dolls song "Iris." Not really much to say about it. It was pretty big in the 90s.

So it may have seemed like Katniss was really quick to move to becoming sexually active once all three of them were in a relationship. And it was, for a trio. However, if you go back to when she and Peeta first started flirting and when Gale first kissed her, it's been over a month and a half. In addition, they've been living in very close quarters with each other, and other than a brief period of "Oh my God I hate you all!" they've been dating and kissing and getting to know each other pretty steadily. Katniss is also one of those people, who, when she makes up her mind, is very quick to act on her decisions. The psychology makes sense for her, but it's also why we have the boys question it. FanficAllergy has mentioned before that Katniss to some degree reminds her of her father. Which is a little disturbing for her, but if it helps the writing process we'll go with it. This is especially true in regards to his decision-making. Her father proposed to her mother three weeks after they first met and they were married less than three months later. They have been married now for over thirty five years.

The deus ex machina book rears its ugly head again! For those of you who haven't read it, there are several poorly written head hopping sex scenes in the book and the main male protagonist is known far and wide for his ability to deflower virgins and make it enjoyable. Unfortunately, it does have its drawbacks and the thing is quite possibly one of the most purpley-prosed books ever.

Things We Randomized:
- What they hunted/gathered
- When the salmon run was, what type of salmon were running, how much they got, and bears

Thanks again for reading!