It All Began With A Dare

by xoxopercafanaticxoxo

Peeta Mellark and Katniss Everdeen's paths would've never crossed before the games after that night in the rain... if it wasn't for that dare. After another accidental meeting and drama, Peeta decides to become Katniss's friend, maybe even more? Katniss relents and the two of them go on simple 'outings' that eventually bring them closer and closer together.

8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

Disclaimer - I don't own Hunger Games or any of its characters.

Thanks to TragedyIsTheKey, LoveForEverlark, WordsofWonder, Sunnynurse, kj7, NicoFan-of-Apollo, ncljne17, veronique2, PeetaLover1116, Ldyglfr62, MaidenAlice, Marmar918 and HawthorneHope!

Thanks for favoriting/following/reviewing guys, it makes my day :)

Heads up - This is set two weeks after chapter seven ended, so its basically a skip in time; I guess. Also, I don't know that much about archery, so please tell me if you see any mistakes. I'll edit them out of the chapter, so let me know if you see any typos.

:)

Gale -

Its been at least two weeks after I had realized I was in love with Katniss. I am kind of worried about my feelings. After all, Katniss doesn't really believe in relationships. Which means she will become wary of me and I don't our relationship to be strained.

I bit my lip as I knocked on the door. I was coming over to her house to pick up Rory. He has been recently spending a lot of time with Prim, I found it kind of... nice? I don't know what the right word is, but it is really nice at how much time he is spending with Prim. Also, the way he talks about her at home is nice as well. I can tell that he really cares about her.

Katniss opens the door and when she sees me, she lets a smile fall onto her pretty lips.

"Hey."

I smile a little in return, "Hi. How are you?"

Katniss gestures for me to enter. "I am good thanks. Here to pick up Rory?" She asks.

I nod. "Yeah, my mother wants him to get home so he can help her with something. She's amazed at how much time he's been spending time with Prim lately."

Katniss nods, amusement glittering in her eyes. "Yes, they have been together a lot recently."

I notice that her hair is in her perfect braid and she has her hunting jacket and pants and boots on. I raise an eyebrow, "Going hunting?"

Katniss starts fidgeting uncomfortably and I feel like I have suddenly crossed a line. A line that wasn't there before.

"Katniss?" I ask in a low tone, "What's wrong?"

Katniss stops squirming and meets my gaze. "Nothing. Sorry." She mutters. "I'm just heading out into the forest. Not hunting." She adds. A smile falls onto her face, but I can tell that it is forced.

I let it go and nod. "Sure, can I come along?" I give her a smile. Katniss, instead of nodding and eagerly accepting as she always does, gives me a look that is a turmoil of emotions.

"No." I feel hurt at her tone, but I keep my expression of calmness as I nod slowly.

"Sure." I mutter, looking at my feet. I take a few seconds to regain my cool, then I look up. "Rory? You in there?" I call out. Katniss leads me into her small living room. Prim and Rory are sitting on the ground playing with an old and tattered chess set, smiling over it as they talk in low tones.

Rory looks up at me and moans. "Do I have to come home now?" He says, in that whiny voice that can always manage to annoy me.

"Yes," I say, more sharper than I intended. I force my tone to become calmer and kinder. "Mom wants you to help her with something. Besides, I think you've been spending enough time with Prim today."

Rory moans once more and stands up, casting a regretful look towards Prim. "I'll be back here tomorrow." He promises, his tone full of determination. Prim smiles in return and nods.

"And I'll be here." Prim looks at me and beams at me. "Hi, Gale. Good to see you, how are you?" She asks politely.

I shrug as I smile at her, "I'm good, thanks. Well, Rory and I have to go now, but I'll let Rory come here tomorrow."

I glance back at Katniss who is standing and watching the three of us. I raise a hand in farewell and I smile.

As Rory and I pass her on the way out, I whisper jokingly to Katniss, "You know, it seems like you're avoiding me. I'm not that bad am I?" I chuckle.

Katniss, though, doesn't seem to find this funny. Instead, her expression breaks and I see alarm. "What? No!" She whispers back hastily. I look at her in confusion, but before I can ask her anything, Rory sighs impatiently and drags me out of the house.

Katniss -

I watch Gale's retreating figure in a mixture of regret and alarm. Did he really think I didn't like him? I did, but I just didn't want him to find out about Peeta and I's meeting in the forest. I know that if Gale knew about our... relationship... between Peeta and I, he wouldn't approve.

I bite my lip as I think about why I care so much about our newfound relationship. Well, his company was refreshing. It was lighthearted and dare I say it, fun. I never thought I could have fun like that just talking to him. I liked hearing about his stories, I kind of liked that he wanted to be friends with me. I mean, as much as I think that I don't need friends, I get lonely.

The sudden pain of biting my lip too long jerked me back from my thoughts.

"Katniss?" I realize that Prim has probably been calling my name for a while. Flushing slightly, I turn to look at her.

"Yes?"

Prim meets my gaze, a little uncertainly. "Can I ask you something that you aren't probably used to talking about?" She blurts out all in one breath.

I blink, a tad bit startled. "Um, sure." I stutter. Prim offers me a weak smile and continues.

"If you like someone, but they don't like you, what are you supposed to do?"

I stare at her.

"What?"

Prim's face becomes so red I wonder how that's even possible. "I think I like Rory." She mumbles so quietly that I am amazed that I had heard her.

Hang on a sec, she likes Rory? Prim is only twelve! Which, in my opinion, is way too young to be in a serious relationship.

Instead of voicing my thoughts, I simply gape at her.

Her expression has changed while I had been thinking hard. Instead of being slightly scared and uncertain, it is now determined and strong.

"I like Rory Hawthorne. At least, I think I do. He's so funny and nice, but I don't think he likes me." Prim's composure breaks a little and I can still see that she is scared of admitting this to me, but she is keeping a strong stance. "What do you think I should do?"

I blink once. Two times. Three times. Four times.

"Katniss? Just forget it, sorry I asked." Prim's face turns red and she looks away from me and fiddles with the hem of her shirt.

I honestly do not know what to say. I want to tell her something useful, but I can't think of anything. Anything useful. Most of the things I want to tell her is that she is too young for a boyfriend and that I think Rory and her would date a year or two later.

"Talk to you later." I mumble and head out the door, feeling shame building up in me.

I should be able to talk to Prim about anything. I should be able to help her. Protect her, give her advice, the whole lot. Instead, just now, I ran away.

I feel repulsed at how I managed that scenario. Next time, I think determinedly, I will help her.

I realize with a start that I am reaching the fence. I listen intently for the sound of electricity. When I hear none, I crawl through the gap easily and stand up on the other side. I feel my pace quicken as I think of where Peeta and I will meet.

I don't really understand why I am so excited to see him again. I mean, I barely know him, right?

I near our meeting point and with a start I see that Peeta is already there. When he turns his head to look at me, I see surprise as well as eagerness in his eyes.

"Here already?" I raise an eyebrow. "You must be eager to learn."

Peeta gives me a warm grin and laughs heartily. "That sounds so cheesy." He chortles. "But sure, I am eager!"

I smile simply in return.

Peeta looks over me, and I see his eyebrows furrow confusion. "Where's your bow?" He leans against a tree looking at me quizzically.

I walk over the tree he is leaning on. "There's a reason why I asked you to meet me here. Its not just because its close to the fence. Its also where I keep my bow for safekeeping." I point at the ground and I kneel down. I scoop dirt up and soon enough I see the perfect curve of my bow. I reach down and retrieve it carefully.

I gently swipe the dirt off the bow so it becomes cleaner. I see the eagerness bright and clear in Peeta's eyes, as well as some anxiety.

"Um, where am I going to learn?" Peeta asks me, coming closer to me, his eyes staying on the bow.

I gesture around us. "Maybe you should practice here first. Aim at places on the trees." I suggest.

Peeta nods slowly. I lean down in the hole in the ground and I reach around for the familiar feel of my quiver and arrows. When I feel them, I pull them out of the ground.

I take out an arrow and hand it to Peeta as well as my bow. I bite my lip at how he handles it uncertainly. I can tell that he isn't really comfortable with it now that it is in his hands.

"Um, how should I hold it?" He asks, looking at me.

I look at his arms first. Not to check them out, of course. I notice he isn't wearing an armguard.

I glance back up at Peeta. "You don't have an armguard." I say simply.

Peeta stares at me blankly. "So?"

I resist the urge to roll my eyes. "When you draw back the bow, and let go of it, the string will slap your arm. It will hurt." I add, rather unnecessarily.

Peeta looks back at the bow nervously. "Uh, so do I need to make one?" He asks uncertainly. I look at my pockets and I reach around in them, feeling around for my armguard I wear when I go hunting. I made it out of the skins of the animals I had killed.

I pull it out and hand it to Peeta.

"It will still hurt, but not as much. I don't really feel the sting that much anymore, because I'm used to it." I watch as Peeta slips the armguard on.

"Thanks." Peeta looks at me gratefully, I nod in response.

"No problem. Here, I'll show you how to hold the bow." I take the bow back from him and I show him the technique. He watches in awe as I skillfully shoot the arrow into the tree, hitting it hard and digging deep into the wood.

"Wow, that was amazing! Nice shot!" Peeta grins in amazement and admiration.

I feel pleased at his admiring compliments and I smile at him. "Thanks." I say, handing the bow to him.

Peeta looks slightly awkward as he tries to copy my technique. I can see the mistakes he is making instantly. As he draws the bow back, I speak up.

"Don't use your arms that much, use your back muscles as well. If you use your arms like that it won't help." I point out.

Peeta nods tightly and his eyes narrow in concentration as he tries doing what I tell him to do.

After a couple more minutes of me correcting his position, I let him shoot and I watch him release the string and see the arrow fly. It zooms right past the tree and lands in a bush. I see Peeta wince and look at me nervously.

I glance at him and I shrug. "Its your first try, don't think you're bad. You just need to practice."

Peeta smiles a little but I can see that he is still a little embarrassed.

Peeta -

I practice shooting arrows for about 30 more minutes. I had carved an X into the tree and tried shooting at it. So far, I only managed to hit it once, but that was beginner's luck, in my opinion.

I was kind of disappointed with my progress. I had really wanted to impress Katniss, instead I was making a fool of myself. I mean, how many times can you miss a target?

I look at Katniss through the corner of my eye and can see her watching me intently. I feel determination strike me once more.

I need to make this shot, I tell myself forcefully.

I pull back and let the arrow fly. It strikes the tree roughly, and it is just above the X. I feel relief course through me like I've never felt it.

I glance at Katniss and I see that she is nodding in approval. She catches my gaze and smiles at me, which makes my heart do somersaults and me feeling lightheaded.

"Was that good?" I ask, unable to suppress the smile that spreads across my face.

Katniss nods once more and her smile widens. "Great improvement, if you ask me." She looks around. "We can go do something else if you want. You probably want to take a break after all that."

I nod slowly. "Sure, that would be great!" I agree, eager to spend some more time with Katniss somewhere else. I am thrilled that Katniss is the one that suggested the idea of spending time together somewhere. I can tell that Katniss is becoming my friend now. She talks about spending time together and she smiles at me more often now.

I hand the bow and quiver back to Katniss and run to get the arrow in the tree. I yank it out and hand it back to Katniss. She puts the bow and quiver full of arrows back in the ground and covers it will dirt.

I feel a little honored that she showed me the place where she keeps her bow, but I know who else probably knows as well. Gale.

I wonder what he thinks about Katniss and I. I am pretty sure he doesn't like me. I can't blame him. If I was in his position, I would probably feel the same way.

Katniss tells me that she wants to go to the meadow, and I am so glad that she wants to spend time with me, so I don't disagree. The two of us talk about recent things that happened in our life while walking side by side, when suddenly Katniss asks me a question I did not expect to come out of her mouth.

"What age do you think people should date?"

I am surprised I don't collapse on the spot. Is she sending me a silent message or something? No, don't be silly, Peeta, I tell myself. I look back at Katniss and shrug.

"I don't know. I would date someone who I really liked." I say. Katniss looks at me a little bit pointedly,

"Okay, but what age would you begin to date? Don't you think age 12 is kind of young?"

I think of why she is asking me these types of questions. Then the answer hits me, Prim. Prim probably has a crush on someone.

"Does Prim like someone?" The question comes right out of my mouth, without my permission. I feel my face turning red as Katniss turns to look at me, her expression slightly surprised.

"Uh, yeah. I think so." She clears her throat.

"Oh okay. Well..." I don't really know what to say right now, but Katniss is looking at me expectantly, so I give it my best shot. "I think that if the person she likes is good hearted and kind in general, I would approve... But, if I were you, I'd probably tell her to wait for a while for her to see if that is what she really wants. Since, you know, you don't want her to rush into things and in the end get hurt."

I wonder if what I said made sense because I can see that Katniss is deep in thought.

The two of us walk in silence for a while, me casting quick glances towards Katniss to see if she's alright, and her just walking by my side in silence.

"Thanks." Katniss says suddenly, casting a grateful look in my direction.

I smile at her and shrug. "Its no big deal. Glad to help."

Katniss smiles back at me, which makes my heart stop beating momentarily and makes me feel overwhelmingly dizzy.

Gosh, this woman will be the death of me.

The two of us walk in silence, this time is a lighthearted and calming one. Soon, enough, the two of us reach the meadow. Katniss leads me to the place where we had been two weeks ago and plops herself on the ground, lying down on her back. I follow suit.

I send her a quick, happy smile. "Thanks for taking time out of your day today to spend time with me." I say sincerely.

Katniss looks a little uncomfortable at this, but she nods. "Its no problem. I liked spending time with you." She pauses, as if debating whether she should say something else. "I like spending time with you now, as well."

I feel my breath quicken when I hear this. I turn to look at Katniss and she meets my gaze. She gives me a sweet, yet swift smile, before she turns to face the sky.

The two of lie on the ground, gazing up at the sky. I am wondering how in the world I am here, beside the woman of my dreams. I glance at her and see her grey eyes scanning the sky, a sparkle of genuine happiness in them.

I turn back and face the sky, a smile falling on my lips.

Katniss -

Gazing up at the sky, I think about how great my day has been, even though that Prim admitted about her little crush to me.

I still don't really know how I feel about that. To me, Prim is my little, beautiful and amazing, little sister. I don't like the fact that she is growing up, that realization hasn't really hit home until today, when she announced her feelings about Rory.

I sigh as I think about it. Rory Hawthorne is a good boy, he's funny and kind, but sometimes kind of annoying. I never tell him that though, I don't think he would appreciate that observation so much.

He is a good person, but good enough for Prim? I don't know.

Silently, I scold myself. Its Prim's decision, I can't tell her whether or not she is allowed to date Rory. I come to a decision, tell Prim to wait a few more months or weeks or whatever so she can decide if that is what she really wants. I don't want Prim to rush into things, I don't want to see her hurt.

Another thought strikes me. What if Rory rejects my Prim? I feel anger boil within me at the thought. I can imagine Prim containing her tears and hurt and keeping a strong composure while to talks to me about Rory.

I ponder about the consequences until I come to another decision. The way Rory had acted this morning in my house while playing chess with Prim seemed as if he liked her. The way he gently took her chess pieces and set them up before he set up his. The way he smiled at her while they played, even when she killed his queen.

"Katniss?" Peeta's questioning tone brings me out of my thoughts. I turn and look at him, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes?"

Peeta offers me a little smile, "You are thinking about Prim and her crush, right?"

I feel surprise hit me, how did he know that? The surprise must've been evident in my expression, because Peeta laughs. Its a sort of melodious laugh, that makes me feel warm somehow.

"The way you were thinking about my answer to your question earlier today. Also, its obvious how much you care about your sister. I wouldn't be so surprised to learn that she is someone who you are thinking about almost constantly." He tells me, somewhat wisely.

I feel impressed, however I keep a calm and unmoved expression. "You observed all that, huh?" I say lightly, jokingly even. Peeta turns a little red but speaks anyways.

"Well, when we hung out a couple of weeks ago, I decided that I wanted to learn everything about you." He mumbles, fumbling for words. I can't help but feel amusement at how lost he seems. He continues quickly when he catches my eye. "I mean! I don't want to sound like some stalker guy, but I really wanted to be your friend... So I wanted to learn everything about you! Not like stalking, if that's what you-"

I cut him off by breaking out in laughter. It feels weird to laugh this hard, but I decide that I should enjoy this moment. I smile at Peeta while I chuckle. Hearing a confused and stuttering Peeta is quite funny. Especially when he has an amazing talent at speaking so well that you want to just sit there and listen to his voice.

Peeta stares at me oddly as he watches me cracking up, until he finally joins in. His deep, throaty chuckle joins my loud laughter and the two of just lie down on the grass laughing.

After about five or ten minutes, we pull ourselves together. I smile at Peeta.

"I don't think I've ever laughed this hard for so long." I tell him. "Thank you."

Peeta grins at me. "No problem, Katniss."

I smile in return and the two of us return to gazing up at the sky. For some reason, I am still smiling up at the sky like an idiot. I glance sideways quickly at Peeta, and it seems at that moment, as if he was sneaking a glance at me as well.

I turn away quickly, my smile disappearing from my face and a blazing warmth replacing it.

"Katniss..." Peeta murmurs suddenly.

Startled, I look over at him. "What?"

Peeta flushes at my intense stare. "Nothing, sorry. I was just thinking about how... original your name is."

I stare at him.

"Is that good or bad?" I ask.

Peeta blushes. "Its good! Sorry if that sounded wrong. Its just... I've never heard of the name Katniss. Its original. I like original things." He tells me, stumbling over his words once more. Before I can smile or laugh again, he continues. "I like Katniss."

An extremely awkward silence fills the air.

My ears are still ringing with Peeta's recent words.

Peeta, however, seems to suddenly realize what he'd just said. His eyes widen so wide that I am surprised they don't pop out of their sockets.

"I mean - I - uh - I like Katniss - the name! You know, your name. Its original and I like original things, right? I don't like you as a crush or a love or something - I just like your name. And I like you as a friend!" Peeta stumbles over his words once more, his voice rising in panic. His eyes are looking amazingly scared and he is looking at me as if he is afraid of breaking this. This thing. Our budding friendship.

I swallow. "I know. I was just surprised." I say, in a monotone. Why, I do not know.

Peeta turns pale. "I'm sorry, I..." He continues rambling off apologies, stammering a lot, and refusing to meet my eyes.

This time, you would probably understand why, I don't laugh at his inability to speak properly.

I have a feeling that the rest of the day will probably be ruined. Just because of this little scenario. The small misconception I had had about Peeta's statement has left me in a windblown state.

I cannot think right now. I don't know what I am feeling either. I am just feeling confused. I feel such an immense turmoil of emotions that it surprises me. I want to be sure of my feelings, I hate not being able to control them.

Right now, however, my feelings are running wild. I am feelings such strange things that I never thought I would feel. What I should call them, I don't know either.

I am certain of one thing now. The cause of all this are just three simple words that came out of the boy's mouth beside me: 'I like Katniss.'

Author's Note: I'm sorry for the really bad ending. I am also sorry if the Rory/Prim thing is kind of horrible, I just wanted some more character development. You know, Prim growing up and feeling new things. Katniss getting more worried about that, and going all protective-older-sister.

I hope there was enough Katniss/Peeta for you guys here. *Spoiler alert :o* Next chapter, though, there will be some Katniss/Gale interaction. After all, stories aren't good if they don't have some sort of drama, huh? ;-D *End of spoiler alert*

The next chapter will probably be up in a week or so, no later than a month though. Right now, I am really enjoying writing this, and I hope all you guys are enjoying this as much as I am. The only thing I'm not so happy about is that I am a horrible person at writing romantic, sweet parts. In my very few relationships, I am usually very awkward when it comes to being 'romantic', because I prefer to stay as much as I can in my comfort zone...

Review Responses:

veronique2: Whoa, thanks for your long and awesome review! :) I am glad that you talked a lot about your thoughts. Those type of reviews I like reading, like when the reviewer talks about what they thought and stuff... Thanks for reviewing, I agree with your thinking, by the way! Most Hunger Games fanfics I read have Katniss being quite mean to Peeta and not thinking rationally...

I am glad that you think the pacing of Katniss and Peeta's relationship is alright, I was kind of worried about if it was going too slow or too fast. I don't know about them in this chapter though, so I'm sorry if it seems as if its rushed. I won't tell you if Katniss will date Gale or not, because I don't want to spoil too much, haha. If you want to read a really great Hunger Games fanfic with amazing writing I suggest you read ArthursCamelots's Someone to Watch Over Me and My Last Breath. In my opinion they are amazing!

Thanks for reviewing! I loved reading it!

PeetaLover1116: Haha, I know right. Whenever I read a part when Peeta is nervous I think he's adorable and that its quite hilarious. For some reason, when I think about a jealous Gale, I think that its very attractive... Why, I don't know. Haha. Thanks for reviewing!

Ldyglfr62: I'm glad that you think Peeta and Katniss's relationship is going alright. I was worrying whether or not if it was going too fast for you guys' tastes. I'm glad that you thought them watching the meadow in the sunset was sweet. :) I was looking for something romantic they could do, and then I thought about the meadow and the sunset. I wasn't originally planning for them to watch the sunset. I hope the bow lesson was good for you. In my opinion, it was kind of dull... Anyways, thanks for reviewing!

MaidenAlice: Yeah, they are bonding, huh? But at the end of this chapter, it seems as if something is going to go wrong... *dun dun dun* … That sounded lame... Haha. Thanks for reviewing!

HawthorneHope: Ooh, I really like your username! I am not sure why, it just sounds cool to me. I am glad you think the sunset thing is cute :) Haha, I am not sure if my writing talent is 'sneaky'... But thanks for the compliment! (Was that a compliment? xD I am weird) Thanks for reviewing! I am glad this chapter was alright!

Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!