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Peeta stared at the burnt cookies on the counter. He didn't burn things, not unless there was a purpose, and this was the third time this has happened since they had returned from the games. He considered throwing them away but decided to hand them out to kids in the seem instead. They were just a little burnt and would be better than nothing. He put the cookies in a basket and headed out. He stopped When he saw Katniss walking out of her home, he froze. He knew that his lack of attention was due to the revelation that the love of his life was just pretending to be into him to save herself. He tried to pull himself together and waved slightly trying to smile.

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"So how do you like the new houses? Do you miss your family?"

She knew his hadn't moved with him the way hers had. Then again, they would actually be leaving something behind.

"You know, not really. I miss my dad, but I go see him all the time." His older brothers were like any other older brothers, that is to say obnoxious. And his mother, well she was just toxic.

"The house is pretty nice, I really like the ovens." He was really happy she had brought something up to talk about.

"What about you?"

"That doesn't surprise me..."

She shrugged, watching their feet as they made their way down the path.

"It's better than our last place, that's for sure."

Still, in some ways she was much more comfortable at home.

"Still doesn't quiet feel like home though, more like just a house." He knew that's how she felt. Really how could you enjoy something you came by the way they had these houses.

"Yeah. Prim and my mom seem to have taken to it well enough, but I still feel..."

Like she was sleeping in the capitol, or on the train, or somewhere plush and cozy that wasn't her own hard cot at home.

"Like you're trying to breath underwater." That was how he felt, probably not how she felt. It just came out though, tumbling from his lips stupidly like suggestions to hold hands. He was grasping for straws,struggling for air. It had felt that way since she had knock it out of him.

"Yeah."

It was a good description for it. For the whole thing. Like something was still trying top drag them down. Her grip tightened around his hand.

He responded with a gentle squeeze before he lapsed into silence again. He wanted to tell her how he really felt about everything. That getting her was the only bright lining in the nightmare that was the Hunger Games and even that had been taken away from him. It was like the Capital has used her hands to rip out his heart. He knew it was melodramatic but he could help it. He had nightmares almost every day about it. Shadowy hands grabbing her and tearing her from him embrace. He wanted to tell her, but he wouldn't.

The silence went from comfortable to cloying. She shifted, trying to find a subject. Something safe but not shallow. Unfortunately those two cancelled themselves out.

"Would you ever want to go into the woods?"

As soon as it was out she realized the woods were pretty much the antithesis of a safe subject.

"So I can scare away food." He hoped saying it was a grin would kill some of the poison in his words. He didn't mean them to sting, but he would be surprised if they did. He didn't belong in the woods, he never did. He wasn't a hunter, hell he wasn't even a gatherer, he was the poor slob that got stuck in the kitchen because he was useless everywhere else.

Besides the woods were for her and Gale. The place they met, the place they hunted. The place they fell in love? Peeta wasn't sure of the last one, but he really didn't want to know. Wounds hurt less if you tired to ignore them. At least that's what he convinced himself of.

"But seriously, you're much more suited to the woods. The last time I went into the woods I killed a girl with my stupid, and don't tell me I didn't."

Well, that was one way to put it. She didn't know how to gently break it to him that at no point did she intend 'take you into the woods' to include 'so you can learn how to hunt.' She'd have more luck with Prim.

"I was more thinking just to walk. Explore. It's a lot more...peaceful out there. You can think."

Then again maybe Peeta didn't have issues not being able to think like she did.

Peeta felt a pang in his chest. If he didn't know better it would sound a lot like Katniss wanted to get him alone, he knew that wasn't true.

"I guess that does sound nice." He hoped that didn't lead to them going to the woods together right then. He figure it was just her being nice and starting a conversation of some sort.

She smiled, glad she had finally said at least one thing that sounded nice to Peeta. It wasn't something she was very talented at.

"We'll go sometime soon."

Maybe if she was on her own turf she could actually get something out of her mouth that sounded right in the slightest.

"Okay." Thank god, he would be able to go back to avoiding her and not be trap into going somewhere alone.

"So what are you going to the seam for? anything in particular?"

"Just some shopping. It's...still a new sensation to walk into town and actually...buy things you want." She chuckled, shrugging.

"Are you going to the bakery? That's one of my stops." As they walked, she realized, they had gone from holding hand to now, brushing shoulders.

Peeta had just realized this and started blushing. Why was he mad at her, she was just doing what she had to to get back to her family. He had been prepared to die so she could do that. He guessed he just was prepared to live and have the same outcome. He wanted her in his life, why should he be picky about how she was in his life?

"Yeah." He smile genuinely for the first time since they had started walking, perhaps since they left the train. "Going to buy a cake for your sister?"

"Maybe. Have any suggeations?"

She gave him a small smile. This was nice. Way nicer than anything she'd had in awhile. Walking with him, holding hands, not stressed about all the details.

"I missed you."

Oh. Oh crap. That was about the worst thing to say to make this situation less stressful.

"I missed you too." He leaned in and playfully nudged her with his shoulder, widening his smile.

"I have a few, it'll depend on whats in stock today." He wanted to kiss her, and that was the problem with just being friends. He knew he would always want to kiss her, to touch her. One day it would just hurt too bad that it's not what she wanted, but that day wasn't today, so it didn't matter yet.

She let out a relieved sigh, nudging him back. Leave it to Peeta to be able to cover over her awkward bumbling.

"She'll like anything I buy her. She's not hard to shop for, really."

"We'll get her something nice." He squeezed her hand gently before falling into silence as they walked again. this was a silence, a calm one, not tense like the last one.

They were getting close to town, a fact that Katniss realize she was sort of dreading.

"Do you wanna walk back together too?" She said softly, feeling quite a bit like a little girl.

He was really surprised how much he wanted to.

"Sure, in fact if you don't mind waiting for a few minutes I could just stay with you. We could spend the day together." He wasn't sure what he would do if she said no.

"Sure, I can do that."

She had no place to be today. Or, really, any day. Life wasn't exactly busy for a victor most of the time, apparently. No wonder Haymitch drank so much.

"Maybe we can pick stuff up for a pick nick, go to the woods this afternoon." It was funny how something he was dreading now seemed like the best possible way he could spend his day.

"That would be really...really good." Her fingers squeezed his, as she pressed closer.

She didn't know where she would take him. Not her and Gale's little outcropping. Maybe...she didn't know if Peeta could make it to the lake. But...she wanted to take him there, she realized.