Katniss stares morosely out the window. The sky was white with snow, and she can't even tell where the ground began and the air ended. Except the air wasn't even really air anymore, it was just snowflakes.
"Isn't it pretty?" Prim asks, bounding over. "I feel like now I can really appreciate it!"
Katniss looks down to her little sister, the heat from the roaring fire gracing her cheek. A smile tugs at her lips as she reminds herself that this snowstorm isn't going to be the end of them. But just as quickly as the thought comes, the next follows that other people aren't as lucky as her family has turned out to be.
"I've always hated snow," Peeta's voice says from behind them, but Katniss doesn't startle. She'd heard him walk up with his clomping steps.
"Why's that?" Prim asks innocently.
Katniss glances out of the corner of her eye to catch his cheeks alight with heat. "Because I never knew if you three were alright."
Katniss quickly looks away, her own cheeks catching flame. How could this boy- this man- be so sweet and at the same time sincere? She still can't wrap her mind around it.
Primrose merely grins and turns to her sister, mischief in her eyes. "Isn't that sweet, Katniss? I want someone to love me as much as Peeta loves you."
She does her best not to choke on her own spit, but Peeta's not so fortunate.
"Don't worry, Little Duck, you'll have all the boys wrapped around your finger soon. If you don't already," Katniss says offhandedly, as if her sister's remark hadn't sent both tendrils of fear and something a little nicer down her spine.
"As sweet as she is? She most definitely does," Peeta jokes with a light laugh, but even Katniss could tell it was slightly forced.
Prim giggles and waves them off before glancing up at her sister. "So what are we doing today?"
Katniss raises her brows. As if she knew what the plan for the day was.
"How about we roast some marshmallows?" Peeta says after a long beat of silence.
"Marshmallows?" Prim asks.
"Yeah, come on. You'll love them."
They follow him into the kitchen where he opens the pantry and reaches in, pulling out a large, clear bag full of fluffy, white, cylindrically shaped treats.
Peeta mumbles something to himself as he searches the pantry once more, and comes back with three long metal sticks with prongs on the ends.
"I've never done this before, but I've seen them do it on those horrible Capitol reality shows they insist on always playing." Peeta leads them back into the living room, where he motions for them to take a seat on the floor. Katniss hesitates but eventually sits herself next to Prim, Peeta on the other side of her sister.
He tears open the bag of marshmallows and pulls out one of the squishy lumps. "So you just take one of these and skewer it," he demonstrates the action, "then stick it in the fire?" He says in a questioning tone as he stuck the treat into the flames. "I'm not really sure how long you're supposed to leave it for, but I assume not very long." He pulls it out, but now the poor thing's on fire. "Oh, shoot," he mutters, quickly blowing out the flames. "Well. Now it's burnt."
"That's ok, Peeta. It's only your first try," Prim soothes.
"Maybe it's not so bad," Katniss says.
Peeta shrugs and slides it off, handing it to her. "You can have the first one."
Katniss blushes and looks away but takes the marshmallow from him. Her fingers brush his warmer ones and she inhales quickly at the feeling.
Quickly she pops it into her mouth and chews.
She raises her eyebrows before swallowing. "That... Was surprisingly good."
Peeta's face lights up with a smile. "Alright." He looks to Prim and asks, "Do you wanna give it a go?"
"Yes!" She exclaims, taking the stick from him and carefully sticking another marshmallow onto it. She puts it in the fire as Peeta had before pulling it out and blowing out the flames. "Do you want to try this one, Peeta?" She asks, turning to him with the burnt snack.
"No, no, I'll take the next one. Go ahead, Prim."
"Are you sure?" Her sister questions, always thinking of others.
He smiles down at her. "I'm sure." Prim shrugs and pops it into her mouth. Her mouth morphs into a smile around it and she hums.
"Dis is gud!"
Katniss tsked. "Don't talk with your mouth full, Little Duck."
Prim grins up at her unabashedly before passing on the stick and a marshmallow. Katniss rolls her eyes and follows the steps the other two had done before blowing out her marshmallow.
Turning to Peeta, she holds out the marshmallow before her face flames and she nearly drops it.
"What's wrong?" He asks with a frown.
"I- Uh, this just kind of..." She trails off, unsure how to say it without hurting his feelings. For some reason the thought of that twists her stomach up.
He must realize what she's thinking of, however, because his cheeks also pinken and he says, "Oh. I didn't think- I'm sorry, Katniss. You eat that one, I-ll-"
"No!" She cuts him off. "It's- It's ok. It's just a marshmallow, I don't know why I- Just take it."
She can't meet his eyes as she thrusts the marshmallow back towards him, accidentally catching Prim's eyes as they bounce between them. When Prim sees that Katniss is looking at her, a devious smile spreads across her face. Katniss knows that look, and also knows she's in for it later.
After they ate way too many marshmallows, Katniss excused herself and escaped up to her room to try and calm her racing heart.
She can't figure it out. She's never felt like this before. But then again, no one has ever expressed interest in her before like Peeta was.
A knock on her door catches her off guard. Swearing under her breath, she gets up from the edge of her bed and goes over to her door. Like she expected, it's Prim on the other side.
The younger girl quickly darts into the room and closes the door behind her before twirling to face Katniss.
The smile from earlier reappears on her face as she herds Katniss back over to the bed and sits down with her.
"You like Peeta."
"What-" Katniss splutters, making a choking noise.
"Oh, come on, Katniss! I saw the way you've been blushing, and then you got all funny about the marshmallows earlier-"
"Because it felt like a toasting!" Katniss hisses.
Prim rolls her eyes. "Only because you were thinking too much into it. You know who does that? Somebody who likes somebody else."
"Now you're reading too much into it," Katniss grumbles.
"Katniss. Why did you say yes to him? You've always been so adamant about never marrying; what changed? What is it about Peeta that made you say yes?" Prim peers up at her with an open, inviting look in her eyes.
"I- I don't know," Katniss says quietly. "I guess... I felt like I owed him from so long ago, and-"
Prim shakes her head and Katniss stops talking. "If that's all it was, you would have found some way to repay him already. I think you've never repaid him because, if you don't, it's like you still have a connection to him. Because I think you like him, Kat."
Katniss doesn't know how to respond. Prim pats her hand resting on the covers and stands from her perch. "It's ok. You have time to figure it all out, he's already married to you, so it's not like he can escape." She giggles at this behind her hand before heading for the door. "Just stop holding yourself back, Katniss."
And with that, she slipped out as gracefully as she had entered.