Chapter Five.

I leave Peeta at the top of the stairs. "I am going to try and find you something to wear, I will be back in a minute" I say. We stand there for a silent moment my hand lingers in his and I am reluctant to let go of it, Peeta must sense this and gives it a reassuring squeeze before slipping from my grip.

Once alone I realise that I really don't have anything for Peeta to wear. I try and rack my brains and pace the hallway for a few moments.

Suddenly a light turns on in my brain and I rush into Prim's old room.

My feet sweep cyclones of dust into the air as I make my way across the floor towards the large wooden dresser Peeta painted for her. I sit myself down cross-legged in front of it and my fingers gently trace the outline of the delicate flowers and elegant birds that grace the varnished top.

I can't help but smile as I remember Prim's face when Peeta gave her the dresser for her birthday, a few days after we moved into the new house. She squeeled in delight and beamed from ear to ear. Back then, before I got my first monthly cheque for winning our first Hunger Games we were still so poor she had nothing to put in the drawers, but now they are full with pretty silk dresses and soft cotton jumpers, now it is me that is empty.

I open the bottom drawer and baske in the faint smell of Prim that wafts from the neatly folded garments within. I lift the first item- a plain green cotton dress with the silhouette of a small cat embroidered on the breast pocket- and hold it up against my cheek. I can smell Prim's scent on the fabric, a mixture of soap and flowers with the faintest aroma of goats milk. A strange feeling of comfort and sadness spreads through me as I sit surrounded by Prim's things. I close my eyes for a few moments and try conjure her up from memory. I saw Prim so little over the last few months of her life that it is hard to remember everything correctly but I remember the important things, her smile, the kindness in her eyes, the small scar on her knee from when Lady accidently kicked her.

I sit in silence for a few moments, trying to piece together every aspect of my sister before the sound of the door creaking open behind me scatters my thoughts. "Are you ok?" Peeta whispers from the doorway "You've been in here almost an hour". I wipe a rogue tear from my cheek and pull an item from the bottom of the drawer before turning to face Peeta.

"Yes I'm fine, I was just looking for this" I say, standing up.

"What is that?" Peeta asks with a mix of surprise and disgust.

"This is my first and anly attempt at knitting" I reply with a grin on my face.

"It's..it's lovely Katniss" Peeta says taking the long brown badly knitted jumper from my hands.

"No it isn't!" I say with a chuckle "but it will keep you warm tonight".

"I will leave you to get changed" I say, almost unable to control my laughter "follow me in".

I head back to my bedroom, change into my long cotton night dress and climb under the covers. I sit for a few moments with my eyes peeled on the door waiting in utmost anticipation.

When the door opens I cannot keep a straight face and burst into tears of laughter. The jumper hangs unevenly off Peeta's shoulders and just about reaches his knees in an a-symetrical zigzag of uneven stitches, he cannot keep still as the rough wool itches at his skin.

"You think this is funny do you?" he laughs and lunges at me on the bed pinning me beneath him "yes" I squeel from beneath him "oh god yes!" I say with tears of laughter in my eyes. Peeta starts to tickle me and I can't help but snort with laughter. He alternates between tickling me and scratching at the jumper as I wiggle beneath him.

"That's it" Peeta says sitting up abruptly "I can't wear this Katniss". He pulls the jumper over his head, leaving him in just his woven boxer shorts. I pull myself up into a sitting position so that we are eye to eye and try to catch my breath. Peeta's hair is ruffled from taking the jumper off and his face is flushed from laughter. His hair and the expression on his face are that of a boy, the Boy with the Bread, but his body is that of a man's, more specifically that of a man who has been through a war. The skin on the left hand side of his chest is a mottled pink from a burn, and his toned abdomen is pitted with smaller white scars.

I can't help but run my fingertips over the smooth scarred skin above his heart. Peeta takes my hand in his and when I look back up the expression on his face has changed, his piercing blue eyes look directly into mine. I find myself almost in a trance, brought on by both the sight of his body and the intensity of his gaze and almost magnetically my mouth finds his.

OK we are getting to the good stuff next chapter! I am sorry it has taken so long but I really wanted a natural progression! I hope you don't mind! Don't worry though you will get your smut tomorrow :P