I sit down next to the fire, watching as a few of the camp women come in with warm water to fill a bath basin that was lugged in earlier. Tigris sits next to me, looking over the shallow cut on my cheek and carefully peeling off the messy dressing from earlier. 

"It looks not too bad," She says and Peeta ducks in with more firewood, "Even a scar would be gone by snowmelt."

"I'm sorry that someone felt the need to call you here for a shallow flesh wound," I say glancing at him and he just shakes his head.

"Well excuse me for being concerned over the beating you took earlier," Peeta says and Tigris just chuckles. 

"I came to check the both of you, for the record," She says nodding at the wrapping on Peeta's arm. He rubs the bandage a little and just shakes his head at me.

"Well my wound wasn't right under my eye," He retorts and I roll my eyes.

"Peeta," I say, clearly irritated and he shakes his head. "Now is not the time for such discussion." He glances over at the women filling the wash basin and sighs. 

"Perhaps we could speak in private then?" He asks and I pull myself to my feet. Looking over at Tigris and the servants, I sigh, crossing my arms.

"Ladies, you are excused for the night," I say. They slowly dip their heads and walk out with their buckets, Tigris grabbing up her bag. She stopped next to me and looks between us.

"Good luck with your first real argument," She says jokingly, But Peeta and I both just stare at one another, the fire crackling like the tension in the room. Tigris sighs and ducks out of the tent.

"What is your problem?" I ask. "It's just a scratch and I can fit almost all my fingers between it and my eye! You are acting like this is the worst thing that could possibly happen."

"You knew that we would both be defeated the moment you agreed to sparing with them!" He says and I sigh. "You intended it." I look at him and shake my head, walking over to my things.

"Yes, I expected it," I admit. "So did you. They are trained to be able to kill in hand to hand combat."

"Do you have any idea how humiliating that was for me?" He asks and I look at him, sighing.

"Peeta, everyone gets knocked on their ass by someone more advanced than them in that training hollow," I say. "It isn't a big deal."

"It is when they all already see me as weak!" He says, raising his voice and I slowly stand up, glaring at him. "When they still call me a snowflake and your pet and act like I'm just your play thing! When I can't even kiss you outside this damn tent so there won't be a freaking uprising!"

"Don't you dare yell at me over your bruised ego!" I yell back. 

"Well what the hell can I do, Katniss!" He says and I shake my head. "When I embarrass myself like I did today and you just shake it off? When everyone outside thinks I'm trash that should have been left to burn with my family!" He has tears in his eyes and his face is red, his fists clenching and unclenching as he tries to calm down. I walk around the fire and stop in front of him. "How can you look me in the eye and still want me here with you when all I am is an embarrassment?" I take a deep breath and cross my arms, shaking my head.

"Because to me, none of that matters," I say. "I see that you are still the person I care about, that I want by my side, the one I trust." I sit on the step of the wash basin and look up at him. "You may be embarrassed, but I'm proud of how you fought today. You did your best. That is all I could possibly ask." He looks at me and shakes his head.

"Katniss, if we were to walk out of this tent right now, and say that we were together, there would be a proper riot," Peeta says and I blink up at him.

"No, I really don't think there would be," I say and he looks at me as I stand up, "Not at this point."

"You don't?" He asks and stand up, walking to stand back in front of him.

"Everyone has seen what you have done this winter," I say. "Because of you, our people won't starve, have a plan for fortification, and have the finest, most beautiful weapons possible." I stop and look at him, "My people trust me. I chose you and when they hear the obvious decision, they may not all be happy, but they will not riot because they trust me. Just as I trust you." He looks at me and his hand comes up to rest on my arm. 

"You believe that?" He asks and I nod.

"I do," I say, "And if they don't, if they decide to throw me off this false throne, I would still want you by my side. You would never betray me. I knew that the moment I invited you into this tent." Peeta looks at me and leans down, kissing me gently. I rest my hand on his chest and he pulls away to look at me. 

"I didn't know you saw it that way, so foolishly," He says and I just blink up at him.

"I think you are acting like a child over something quite simple that all of us in this army go through," I say. "I did what I did today to ensure we had strong allies on our side and to find out just how much they could teach us. I did this to ensure that we could be able to be the best leaders we could be. I didn't do it to embarass you." He looks at me and slowly picks me up, setting me up on the edge of the basin.

"I know that," he says. "Doesn't make the idea that everyone sees me as not good enough for you sting any less on days like today." I rest my hand on his shoulder and shake my head. 

"Do you want to maybe end this day on a more pleasant note?" I ask and he glances at the bath behind me. 

"You want me to join you?" I asks, looking a little shocked. I stand up and start untying my dress. I shrug off the shoulders leaving me in my thong and top rapping. He looks at me and I sit back down on the edge of the bath.

"Undergarments stay on," I say, turning around and setting my legs in the water, carefully sinking into it  and standing on the warm metal bottom I turn around and look at him. "Other than that, I don't care if you were to join me." He chuckles and pulls his shirt over his head, throwing it to the side. 

I feel a flutter in my stomach as I look over his well muscled, firm torso. He slides his pants off and kicks them to the side with his boots and steps into the bath. We stand there a little awkwardly for a moment until he slowly sits down and I follow suit, sitting in front of him. 

"Sharing a bath, so scandalous Miss Everdeen!" He says and I smack his arm. "Hey! That hurts! You aren't the only one with a sword cut."

"It's just a flesh wound," I say but see that blood is starting to leach into the wet bandage. I reach forward and pull it loose, starting to unravel it. A thin trail of blood seeps from the wound and I use the rag to wipe it away. He watches me and I look up at him, kissing his cheek. His arm slowly creeps around my middle and holds me against him, tipping my chin up to kiss my lips. 

Our kiss is is soft and sweet, but the underlying hunger is slowly taking hold as my hand clings to his shoulder. My knees shift beneath the water, shifting myself closer and carefully straddling his waist under the water. I sit down onto his lap and he grips onto the cloth wrapped around my breasts. I break the kiss and poke him in the chest.

"Undergarments stay on," I reiterate. 

"It's still on you," Peeta chuckles, leaning forward and kissing my neck. I let out a soft noise and he laughs a little. "You really like that, don't you?" I wrap my arms around him and press myself closer to him.

It just feels nice to be able to relax with him like this. To feel his hands on me and his body so close to mine. I tangle my fingers in his hair and sigh a little. I feel movement beneath me and lift up a little, realizing what it is. My slit tingles and I feel my body yearning for me to go back and rub myself against him. I clench my fist as I feel him start to suck on my neck and I feel my toes flex beneath the water. 

"What's wrong, Katniss," He whispers and I glance at him. His hand reaches down and grips onto my butt, pressing me back down against him. My toes clench and I wrap my arm around his neck, gasping a little. He chuckles and I groan as he kisses my chest. He rocks my hips against him and I feel myself rubbing against his shaft. I bite my lip and feel my legs shift. "Do you want to stop?" 

"As long as we go no further, I'm okay with it," I reply and he looks at me

"You like feeling how you affect me, don't you," He says, rubbing me against him again. I feel a slight friction from the movement and kiss his neck.

"It feels nice," I say softly and he runs his hand down my back. 

"It does for me too," He whispers and I kiss him as he uses the hand on my hip to keep rubbing my slit against him. His other hand comes to rest on my breast and I pull away from him a little. Peeta smiles at me and I start moving a little on my own.

This is why I care about him, maybe even love him with my lacking frame of reference on the matter. He is gentle and caring, but willing to push the envelope that little bit and grab me just when the time is right. I rest my hand on his cheek and kiss him again, feeling my body start to take a lot of comfort in the friction between us. 

Peeta breaks the kiss and pulls the bandage around me down just a little bit, nipping at the top of my breast. I lean my head back and he smirks, running his fingers across my collar bone. My body starts to build up to that wonderful feeling again. I speed up my rocking and he grunts a little as I press harder against him. 

"Did I hurt you?" I ask and he shakes his head, kissing my throat.

"No," He says, his voice seeming to gasp a little. "Don't stop. It's so close." I look down at him and kiss him hungrily as he keeps pressure on my hips as I rock against him. 

My muscles all start to tighten and Peeta groans, pulling away a little and I can feel his member twitching beneath me. After less than a minute, my insides clench and then release, making me gasp out, chuckling a little as the release happens. I lean my head against his as we both sit there gasping.

After I catch my breath, I pull away a little. He looks at me and I kiss his forehead as I get up.

"Where are you going?" He asks and I look at him as he pulls me back down. 

"What? I was going to go get dressed and ready for bed," I say and He just shakes his head.

"Sit with me awhile," he says and I sit down next to him. Our legs weave themselves together and I just look at him.

"What is it?" I ask and he grips onto my hand.

"I would like to voice my intentions to marry you," He says and I blink at him.

"Is this about getting in my pants?" I ask and he shakes his head.

"You intend to announce that we are courting at the solstice festival," He says and I nod.

"Yes," I say.

"Well, I raise you that I would like to voice that I intend to make you my wife," He says. 

"Why?" I ask and he looks at me, looking between us.

"Because this isn't just casual courting anymore," He says. "Right?" I sigh and nod, laying my hand on his chest.

"Far from it, I would say," I reply and Peeta looks at me.

"Well then I believe that when we speak out, it should not be as something casual, but under the intention that we would marry within the year," Peeta says and I chuckle.

"Are you proposing?" I say and he shakes his head.

"I have a little more class than asking your hand in marriage in a bathtub," He says. "I'll make that more special. I'm just asking that maybe we both show that we intend to move forward as a single unit." I nod slowly and smile a little.

"I can agree to that," I say. "As long as you agree that this isn't a proposal."

"I already said it wasn't," he says. "My wifey deserves more than that."

"Fine then," I say. "We will announce that we are betrothed at the festival." He smiles and wraps his arms around me, pulling me into another tender kiss.

I let myself fall into him again and ignore the raging world outside for a few more minutes.