A/N: Rated Mature! This chapter is Rated M!

This summer has been brutally hot. It's not just hot; it's that searing, uncomfortable type of heat that suffocates. So today I'm sporting a pair of shorts. It's hot, and I'm walking on hot, dirt road, and I can't see because Peeta's hands are covering my eyes with such tightness that I'm afraid my eyes would sink in. He is currently excited about football.

He made the District 12 team, much to his delight. His District 13 friends, Chip and Ashton, have officially moved to our district by influence of job opportunities, and they almost did not make the deadline for the football try outs. Peeta and I helped them move in to their apartments, and I saw in one of the boxes I helped bring down from the truck, were a couple of weapons. Small guns and fancy scanners of some sort. I thought there was a new rule enforced in 13 after the war, that all weaponry and military unit be returned to the main base, then to be locked down under high security. Peeta just casually told me that you can take the boys out of District 13, but you can't take the District 13 out of the boys.

He hasn't stopped talking about football right up until I gradually feel soft grass underneath my shoes, a nice change from stepping on pebbles and sharp rocks. He finally takes his hands back and I let out a sigh of relief, my eyes painfully blinded by abrupt bright light from the sun that is hanging low above us. I let my eyesight adjust completely and I almost laugh in glee at what I see in front of me.

"Here we are!" Peeta exclaims. We are close to the riverbank, and there is a giant, magical willow tree in front of us. I've never been here before. This must be almost bordering the railways to District 11.

And out of nowhere, I lose my balance and almost topple because I wasn't expecting him to suddenly push me aside. "Last one there is burnt bread," and with that, he bolts towards the tree. I've never seen him run this fast before. I smile wickedly, and run after him. Big mistake, bread man.

I catch up to him and I see he's having difficulties with his first steps off the ground and up the tree. The man has all his footings wrong. I am poised to lift myself up but I make him look at me first. I wanted him to see my smug grin as sweat starts to frame his very determined, struggling face.

His concentration on figuring out how to climb the tree is so intense that I have to refrain from bursting out laughing. In mere minutes I reach the top and settle down on a big branch and dust myself off. I peek down at him and see he has progressed halfway up the tree.

"Ah yes. The smell of burnt bread is finally coming this way," I say teasingly.

Peeta now finds a spot to sit on another branch after the climb of the century, huffing and puffing and finally admitting he's scared of heights. I snicker and enjoy the view, as long vines surround us and sway back and forth, like soft, flowing curtains, giving small peeks into the river below, the water sparkling wildly under the summer sun.

I hear Peeta quit his complaining and sigh appreciatively out loud.

"Isn't it beautiful here Katniss? It's definitely another one of those moments I wish to freeze." I let my hair fall and keep a small smile to myself as he starts to move around and grunts in between, hugging the trunk, trying to cross over the giant tree we have climbed so he could sit beside me. He plops down cautiously and smiles at me once we're on the same eye level.

We let silence engulf us as the summer breeze kisses ours skin, and Peeta has his hand partly covering mine. Ever since the surprise revelation of my bucket list, we both skirt around the topic as if my breakdown never happened, which is a huge relief to me. I didn't think he would remember anything I said though, but this is definitely the first item on my list. Hanging out and doing nothing on a tree.

"I know it's been ten years since we have reclaimed this district, and you've always been there for me," his eyes flick to the side and I catch a slight shade of red cross his cheeks. "I'm glad to have you as a friend."

I notice how he sounds almost scripted, like he's been practicing the lines over and over. Peeta fishes out three dandelions from inside his pocket, a little mangled and dried at this point, and presents them to me.

"Do you want to go out with me?"

A smile slowly creeps across my lips before I realize it.

"Like, boyfriend and girlfriend?" I ask, my smile now a full-teethed one, feeling ridiculous but my heart can't help but feel an extra beat.

"Yeah, I mean, only if you want to, I am not…there's absolutely no pressure…"

"Okay," I tell him and nod modestly; taking the dandelions he offered and twirling them in my fingers.

He inches up closer beside me on the tree branch and we let our legs skim against each other's. He must've seen the twinkle in my eye before he moves his head down, nose hovering dangerously close over mine, his tongue quickly darting out to lick his bottom lip, before he closes my mouth with his, inviting me to participate in a soft, slow kiss. A lazy kiss that makes me feel lightheaded.

I feel light.

I've been having a staring contest with a fat rabbit, about ten feet away from me, snuggled under thick bushes. It hasn't moved at all, and at some point I actually thought it was dead, or it was a decoy being used by another hunter to attract bigger animal. I stretch my bow back and aim my arrow. Looks like rabbit stew tonight.

I lose my hand and eye coordination as another arrow coming from somewhere in my far left, whizzes past and ahead of my own arrow and pierces the rabbit in the heart. I scoff loudly, hoping the other person hears it.

I stand up from my crouch position and wait as a man steps into the picture in front of me and picks up the game, oblivious of me. He is tall, with dark short hair and skinny build, a dimple on one of his cheeks as he smiled down at his bounty. My knee-jerk reaction gets the best of me as I walk towards him.

"That was my target. And this here is my area," I gesture at the trees around us, my tone bursting with attitude. I have no idea why I'm threatening him.

He looks at me straight-faced, then his eyes flicker at some sort of recognition.

"You're the mockingjay!...Katniss…" his eyes flick upwards and gets lost in his own thought as he tries to remember my last name. I turn on my heels and start to walk away.

"Wait! I'm Gio. Nice to finally meet you, you're a legend, wow, I didn't think I'd come face to face with you!"

I slump as I suddenly feel very old.

"Hi Gio. Sorry for snapping at you. See you around."

He catches up to me and hands me the rabbit he just killed by the ears. "Please take it. I have a sack-full of these," he says, and shows me his game sack laying on the ground. Very impressive.

We pick up after ourselves and walk together on the way out of the woods. He tells me he lives just minutes away from the town square, behind the street where the mayor lives. He also gushes about how grateful he is that the Hunger Games do not exist anymore, and everyone can live in peace and free from war and fear.

Our small talk continues and we head to the Hob. I have three squirrels and plenty of mushrooms to trade in. I'm keeping the rabbit.

A familiar blonde, still with his apron on, is approaching us, his pace quickening with each step. I was about to greet him until I see the scowl on his face, staring at Gio right in the eye.

"Hey Katniss," he says, although he's not really looking at me.

"Hi Peeta, what's up?" I ask, my eyes flitting across the two men anxiously. Gio extends his hand out as a self-introduction to Peeta.

"Are you hitting on my girl?" Peeta asks Gio furiously instead of accepting his hand. My eyes widen and I am taken aback by his behavior. Gio springs back, arms up and looks confused.

"No, man, I'm not…we were just hunting…"

"You were just…'hunting'?" Peeta mimics him.

"Peeta, will you please calm down," I cut Gio off, my hand automatically tries to grab one of Peeta's rock solid arms. He slightly shrugs me away from him and closes the space between him and Gio, looking up at him audaciously.

"You will regret the day that I see you around here trying to make moves on her," Peeta threatens him.

"What, with your rolling pin?" Gio asks, his patience running thin and now as agitated as Peeta. I can pinpoint that very second as the exact moment that Peeta completely loses it and I should've seen this one coming as Peeta gives him a nice, rough shove.

Gio is about to curl his fist and punch him in the nose as I stepped in between the two men about to brawl over…me?

"Peeta please stop it! What's wrong with you!" I find myself screaming at him, as I try to block out Gio's profanities behind my back, who is now keeping his distance away. Strangers are starting to form a circle around us. This can't be happening.

Chip and Ashton show up, shocked and awed, and they escort Peeta back to the bakery, slapping some sense into him as I run back into the woods for a good chunk of the night with my game sack. It's not until around 11 pm that I sneak back into the Victor's Village after stopping by the Hob, hungry and angry because I have forgotten about making my rabbit stew.

I spread thick peanut butter and devour the fresh bread that Peeta left for me on the dining table with a small note saying SORRY tucked underneath. He must have sneaked in through the back window. I wash my face before getting comfortable in my bed. It's been quite a day.

My phone starts to ring. I pick it up, knowing who the person is on the other line.

"Hey. What are you doing?" Peeta asks.

I don't answer right away; my eyes are starting to droop.

"Staying away from you." I reply, followed by a yawn.

"Come on, I'm sorry. Men get territorial over something they want to keep," he talks in a raspy voice, I could tell he's also lying in bed and about to fall asleep.

"Peeta, that was extremely…" I pause, trying to search for the right word to describe what just transpired earlier in the afternoon. "Very high school."

I could feel him smiling into the phone as he snickers quietly. I find myself grinning into my pillow as well.

"Good night Katniss," he says before he hangs up the phone.

I feel another layer of my wall crumble to the ground.

I feel giddy.

I am browsing in the town square, looking at upcoming events posted on a bulletin board, hoping not to bump into Gio. There is a sudden drop in temperature. Autumn cannot possibly be knocking at the door already. It was just very hot last week when Peeta 'officially' asked to go steady. I see an old signup sheet for the football team.

I walk past the city hall and most of the shops in the square, and head towards the field where the new football team has chosen to rehearse in. There is new wire fence up covering the perimeter of the field, and also some benches just outside. I scan the area and there's only a few of us watching the team practice. I guess the hype has not completely caught on.

I stop and approach the fence, curling my fingers around it, as men with helmets and gray and white uniform run and collide into each other, and some passing the ball from across one end of the field. The impact looks mighty painful, but they seem to easily dust the pain off.

I see someone barreling his way through a crowd and start to clap his hands together, high spirited and energetic. He slows down to a walk and lifts the helmet off his head, revealing his curly blonde hair, wet with sweat, and tucks the helmet between his forearm and his hip. His back is turned to me still, and he suddenly glances to the side, giving me a glimpse of his profile, the word MELLARK in big bold letters written across the back of his uniform.

The uniform that he fills in very nicely.

I feel the need to close my mouth and I shake some bad thoughts away, and I let go of the fence and stalk around the perimeter as he moves inside of it. He starts to stretch and flex his muscles, and despite the number of men trying to obstruct my view, they are but a blur and all I see is Peeta standing right in the middle, pushing his hair back and dropping his helmet on the grass.

I am so busy watching his bodily movements that I don't even notice that he is staring right back at me too, across the field. He has spotted me. I jerk back from the fence as if it had become alive with electricity and I continue gliding across the grass, hoping he didn't see my flushed face, keeping one eye on him and the other at what's right in front of me so I don't crash into anybody.

A referee whistles and makes an announcement that the practice is over for the day. Some men head straight inside the building and some stall around the field. Peeta is one of latter. He stops one of his team mates for a small chat and then he's left alone. The next thing he does halts my heart from beating.

He reaches for the bottom of his top uniform and lifts it over his head, giving me a gratuitous view of his chest and his sculpted stomach, stretching his muscles as he flings the uniform onto a bench. He grabs a towel to dry himself, and has the nerve to turn and check in on me again. I swing my head back so swiftly and insist I continue pacing and try to pretend I'm not looking but I bang my knee into a bench and a little girl is laughing at me.

At this point I rush out of the training area and back into the town square. I can use some lemonade.

I find myself standing outside his door. I shouldn't do this. I should be inside my own house, writing up a lesson plan, or marking my students' quizzes from today. Anything but what I am about to do.

I push the door open. It kind of surprises me that he has left his front door unlocked. I walk in, and hear the floor creak under my shoes. I take them off and carelessly push them aside. I am about to pass through the living room when I see a quick shadow in the corner of my eye and he is suddenly in front of me.

He is bare chested and there is a flimsy towel covering from his waist down. His hair is dripping with water and messy and he smells fresh, like pine needles. There is no more kind and gentle Peeta. His eyes are dark and hungry. He invades my personal space and I can't help but take a step back.

"Productive day in the marketplace?" he asks straight-faced.

"I needed to buy more spice."

"You're a bad liar."

"You're a bad climber."

His tongue seeks and demands mine as he pulls me in for a rough kiss, our teeth clashing into each others', our eyes closing at the pleasure. The kiss is wet and messy, and I had to push him back and away from me so I can breathe. His pupils have become dilated as he rips the buttons of my shirt and discards it on my feet, and he realizes I'm not wearing any bra. He gives me a sly smile as his hand flies up to cup one of my breasts, fondling it with desire, and he brings his head down to envelope my other nipple with his mouth.

My head flings back and I gasp at the sensations as he takes his time marveling at them. My nipples are very hard and my breasts wet and glistening with trails of his saliva as he switches his focus to my pants, and how much he wants to get rid of them. But before he could reach down and unzip them, I tear the towel off of his body and I watch it drop on the floor. I pause to admire his manhood, very big and fully erect, pointing at me. I'm not thinking anymore and I blush as I reach across and grasp it, and he groans inwardly as I begin to stroke its full length. I can't take my eyes off it as I watch his thickness wrapped around my fingers, my strokes getting faster and more insistent. My knees quickly find the floor and I make his silky, hard shaft enter my mouth, my tongue teasing his tip as he starts calling out to a nameless god. My head bobs back and forth as I taste a little bit of him in my mouth, my hand gripping along tighter around him.

However that doesn't last very long and he is pulling me up and carrying me, placing me down on the high sofa table.

"Better stop that or else I'm going to go."

I hear some picture frames drop to the floor and he is pulling my pants down along with my panties, in no time I am naked on top of one of his furniture. He doesn't waste any time and he lifts both my legs in the air before his mouth finds my wet and throbbing core, his tongue delving deep into my folds.

He pauses and looks up at me. "You taste delicious." He ducks down out of my view and continues his assault.

My fingers dig deep into his hair, and I am screaming nonsensical words as his tongue darts around inside of me and my neck keeps whipping back and forth and I am sure it is about to break in half and I am on the brink of going insane.

He stops and lifts me off the furniture effortlessly and almost throws me onto the couch. I keep my legs wide open and glare at him wildly, and he looks as primal as I do. He positions himself right above me, and right before he enters me, he stutters when he tells me he loves me, and I almost don't catch it.

He stretches me, fills me in with himself as he pounds hard into me, unapologetic and aggressive, and my name escapes his lips repeatedly. His hardness is impossible, and I want all of it. I can feel him close, and I am even closer on the edge myself, and I take him in, all of him, his scent and his strength, his eyes are screwed shut, his muscles so tense, my back arched with pleasure, and he's inside me, deep inside me, and he feels so good, and he is almost reaching it, and I ride it out with him, and I feel all breath leave my body.

I shudder into consciousness, the cold wrapping my bare body. I reach for my clothes quietly and dress myself up, glancing over the naked man sleeping heavily in his bed, partly covered with blankets. I check the time on the wall. It tells me it's four in the morning.

I sneak out through the window and climb down the side of the house, and run into mine twenty steps later.

I feel frivolous.

A/N: Whew. Got over that one. Let me know what you guys think!