A/N: This one-shot just became a THREE chapter story! I had this idea all of a sudden. Had to get it down in print. Summarizing what happened before and during the cave scene, then extending it. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games.

Let It Rain

Katniss POV

"Peeta!" I call out in a frenzy. I've been looking for him all along this river bank. I keep walking and calling out his name, all the while watching the woods around me for a surprise attack. Just then I hear him. "Come to finish me off sweetheart?" I look all around and cannot find him. "Peeta, where are you?" I ask frantically. "Look down" he says. I look down and see all grass and rock and leaves. Then I see those unique blue eyes of his and I can't believe how he's disguised himself.

"Seriously Peeta, you could have hid out the whole games that way and nobody would have ever found you. You would totally win. The camouflage looks amazing!" I exclaim. I help him up to a sitting position. "That's great Katniss. Truth is, I would've probably bled to death first." he says.

It's just then that I look down and see how horrific he's injured. I immediately go to work. "Peeta, I've got to get you cleaned up. Can you help me take some of your clothes off? You're covered in mud and it's obviously not good for the wound." Peeta pulls his shirt over his head with one arm and then unbuttons his pants so that I can begin the arduous task of removing them.

I finish pulling them off and then drop them near the water. I put a few leaves in my mouth and grind them up. Then I spit them into my hand and apply to Peeta's wound. They'll draw some of the pus out of his leg while I work on washing his clothes. They need time to dry in the sun while I'm cleaning Peeta. After I'm done, I fill up my container of water and begin to wash him.

There is way too much dirt. "Peeta, you've got to get into the water. There's just too much dirt." He nods and starts to inch his way down. I suddenly realize that I don't want to get my clothes all wet, but I need to get into the water to bath him. I throw caution to the wind and strip out of my shirt and pants.

I can't believe I'm in a black bra and panties on national television. I try to forget the fact that everyone I love is watching, let alone the country and just focus on Peeta. Helping him is worth my embarrassment. As Peeta is inching his way toward the stream, unsuccessfully I might add, I suddenly appear in his eyesight, sans my clothes. I make eye contact with him and his eyes are bugging out of his head. I just took this up a notch while trying to help him.

I help Peeta into the water and he gasps when it runs over his leg. Peeta doesn't goof around though. He helps me get the dirt off of him and doesn't take advantage of a nearly naked teenage girl in front of him. He does however, give me his underwear to wash and dry. Now I have a very handsome, naked, Peeta Mellark on my hands.

After I"m done cleaning him, I close my eyes and help him out of the water. He laughs at me. "I don't care if you see me Katniss." he says. I'm mortified. I make certain that I am not facing him and I retrieve his underwear. I back up and hand them to him. He laughs as he puts them on, never complaining. I apply leaves a few more times to drain the pus and then finally apply some of my burn cream ointment because I don't have anything else.

I cut around his pants where his wound is so it can be free from rubbing the pants. Then I wrap it with items from my first aid kit. I look up, almost dark now. We need shelter. I assist Peeta as we hobble downstream and then find a cave.

We get inside and set up a small camp with my sleeping bag and the food that I have left. Peeta starts to burn a fever and I give him some fever pills from my first aid kit. He soon falls asleep. A few hours later when he awakens, we have our first real conversation. We tell each other stories at his request, He tells me a wrestling story and I tell him all about how I got Prim's goat. It isn't long before we both decide to sleep. He beckons me to the sleeping bag with him and I can't help but crawl into it with him. These games are hard enough. I want to be held and feel safe. Peeta and I drift off to sleep, his right arm around my waist and his left as my pillow. I sleep soundly.

When I wake up, Peeta is shivering with fever. His hair is damp and matted to his head. I brush it from his face and notice just how truly magnificent Peeta really is. I had tried not to notice while bathing him, I mean, I had a job to do then. But there was no mistaking how handsome and built his body is. I can see his abs through his shirt and all of the muscles in his arms.

His blonde hair and fair skin are foreign to me since I'm from the Seam. His blue eyes are gorgeous. I've never seen the ocean but I imagine that it's the same azure blue. And when he looks at me, I can feel them bore into my soul. I find myself gazing at his lips. They're perfect and pink, slightly puckered in his sleep. I find myself imagining what it would be like to feel his lips against mine.

Curiosity gets the best of me and I find myself drawn to his mouth. He's so attractive, inside and out, that I can't lure myself away. My lips touch his and his eyes fly open. I'm startled. I don't know what to do but move away. I begin to, but Peeta pulls me close to him. "Katniss, did you just kiss me?" he asks.

I bite my lip and try to form an intelligent answer. "Uh, maybe. Um, yes I guess I did. I'm sorry." I stammer. Peeta sits up and doesn't release me. Our faces are very close still. "Katniss, do you know how long I've been waiting and wanting to kiss you? Forever." he says. "Forever? When did forever begin?" I ask. Peeta tells me about how his father pointed me out to him on our very first day of school and how he knew he was a goner after he heard me sing the valley song in music assembly. His words are so sincere, it's impossible not to believe him.

For the second time in ten minutes, I want my lips on Peeta's. We both begin to close the gap and his hands come up to cup my face. He strokes my cheek with his thumb and then his lips meet mine. They're soft and caring and he smells like warm bread and cinnamon. Then his tongue touches the outside of my lips and I gasp in pleasure. When I do so, his tongue seizes the opportunity to find mine and our instincts take over. I slowly put my arms around his neck and pull myself even closer to him.

I run my hands down his back and up his arms, marveling at how muscular he is. He's amazing. I never break the kiss and neither does he. His hands are at the small of my back, pulling me tighter to him. He's never not a gentleman. Just rubbing my arms and running his hands on my braid. He pulls it out of the braid and then runs his hands through it, massaging my head and forcing his tongue even further into my mouth. I am on fire.

I begin to straddle him and Peeta breaks the kiss and gasps. His leg! I forgot! "Peeta I'm so sorry! I got all wrapped up in the moment. I'm so sorry!" I cry. I back away from him, my back to the wall and bring my knees up to my face. I sob into my hands. I feel his hands take mine into his. He lifts my chin up with his finger. "Don't you ever apologize for that. Ever, Katniss. I have never felt so alive.

With you, now in this cave. Please just come lay down with me? I want to hold you. Please?" He begs. I move back over to the other side of the cave where we were and we both begin to get into the sleeping bag. Just then there's an announcement.

"Tomorrow there will be a Feast at the Cornucopia at noon. There will be a bag for each District containing something that you desperately need. This is the only announcement."

Peeta and I look at each other and then I look down at his leg. "No!" He says. "You're not going!"

I cup his face in my hands and kiss his lips. "Peeta, you need the medicine. You've got blood poisoning. Please let me get it for you." I say. He shakes his head in disagreement. "No Katniss. I won't risk you. You're all I have left." I kiss his eyelids closed and then his mouth. I don't want to talk about it anymore tonight. I slide into the bag and pull him closer to me.

In the morning, the argument continues. I excuse myself to the mouth of the cave to calm down and a parachute falls near me. I open it up to find a small vial. I taste it, oh boy, it's sleep syrup! I gather some berries and stir the syrup into it. I need to act my heart out now to convince Peeta to eat it. "Peeta, look at the treat I have for you!" I walk over to him and show him the berries. "Open up, I'll feed them to you." Peeta opens his mouth and I spoon a mouthful into it. "Wow. They're really sweet. What are they?" He asks.

I get a couple of more spoonfuls into his mouth before he can figure it out. "Oh, they're sugar berries. My mother uses them all the time. Delicious." I exclaim. He takes another bite. "They're really sweet Katniss. Almost like syrup." He says. Just then our eyes click and he grabs my arm. I can see the sleep syrup beginning to work. "Katniss, you didn't. Shit, it's sleep syrup." His eyes roll back into his head and I cover him up before making my way to the feast.

Peeta POV

When I wake up, I find a needle in my leg. I discard it and then look around for Katniss. It's dark in the cave for being afternoon. There's a raging storm outside. When the lightning lights up the sky I see her form a few feet away. I crawl over to her and then flip her over onto her back. She's got a huge gash on her head. I look around for something to absorb the blood and find nothing.

I pull my shirt off and use that to soak some of it up. I need a better assessment of her injury. It's bad but not as deep as I originally thought. I grab her backpack and take out the first aid kit and the burn medicine. I don't know what they put in this stuff but I put the burn cream on it first after cleaning it out with antiseptic. It starts to heal immediately. I bandage it for good measure.

I take her jacket off and tuck her into the sleeping bag. Then I put my shirt back on. I'm starving. We don't have much food left. "Haymitch, please send us something to eat until this rain lets up. Please?" I say out loud. A few minutes later, a parachute falls. I scramble to the mouth of the cave to get it. It's a hefty serving of lamb stew and a loaf of bread. "Thanks Haymitch." I say. I tear a small piece of bread off to tide me over and then lay down next too Katniss, stroking her cheek with my finger until I nod off.

When I wake up, it's dark and the storm is still raging. Flashes of lightning light up the cave. Her grey eyes are staring back at me, her hands rubbing the length of my arms. "Are you cold?" She asks. I laugh. "Me? Hardly ever and certainly not with you right beside me. No, I'm pretty warm." I kiss her forehead and then continue.

"What you did was pretty stupid, but thank you anyway. I'm glad you made it back. I would've had to slaughter everyone else if you didn't." She nods. "But then you would have been Victor. Then you could go home." She says. I scoff. "Katniss, there is nothing for me to go home to if you're not with me. I probably would have eventually killed myself or fallen down a bottle like Haymitch. All my life, I've only ever wanted you. You're my dream, my hope. Without it, I have nothing left. My brain can't even process the thought of a world without you in it. Never mind my heart. "

I break the awkwardness of my confession by removing the bandage on her forehead. Her cut has healed over and is no longer bleeding. Crazy Capitol medicine. "Hey are you hungry? Haymitch sent us some food this afternoon. I had a small piece of bread but waited to touch the stew with you." I say. She nods and we sit up to eat. It's so dark in here.

We eat in silence for a few moments and then out of nowhere, Katniss speaks to the air. "We can't see each other naked if we don't have light ya know." I nearly drop my bowl and Katniss laughs. Sure enough, a parachute falls and there's a medium size candle inside of it. "Why did you do that? I ask her. "Do what? She replies. "Say we can't see each other naked without light." I say. "A) Because we really can't see anything in this cave without a light and B) I was testing an idea." I gulp. The thought of seeing Katniss naked warms every inch of my body.

This cave is suddenly way too hot. I can feel the sweat dripping down my back. I feel so dirty all of a sudden. I need to get out of these clothes and bathe somehow. I get up and walk out to the mouth of the cave. The rain is coming down in sheets. I don't think any of the remaining tribute are out hunting in this storm. It's a good way to slip and break your neck.

"Katniss." I call her over to me. "Yes" she answers. I take a deep breath. "What are the odds that someone is out there? I feel nasty and want to clean up. I don't want to jeopardize our safety, our location." Katniss looks around and then back to me. "How are you going to do this? Just kind of take a shower or go into the river?" She inquires. "I think the rain is good enough. But you'll have to keep watch in case Cato is brave enough to venture out. Now that Clove is dead, he's going to be out for vengeance."

Katniss nods. "I wish I could take a shower too." She says. I look up at her. I don't want the entire country seeing Katniss naked. My mind reels as to how we can pull this off. I run my fingers through my hair and just come out with it. Katniss looks me in the eyes as I begin to speak. " I don't care if people see me naked Katniss but I do care if they see you naked. I know that you're also uncomfortable with that. I have a suggestion, but it will involve me seeing you. I don't know how you would feel about that."

Katniss sighs. "I trust you Peeta. What's your suggestion?" I continue on. "Um, we die out the candle, undress in here, in the cave and I block their frontal view of you with mine. We'll just step out into the rain and let it wash down on us. I think it's all we can do without them seeing everything."

I have no idea how she's going to react to what I just said. In a few minutes time I could potentially see Katniss naked for the first time and I have no idea what to expect or how to feel about that given our dire circumstances. I feel the humidity pick up in this cave and I just can't stand it anymore. I wait as patiently as possible for her decision. She stands up and offers me her hand. "Okay Peeta." Is all she says.

I blow out the candle and stand in the darkness facing her. I don't know how much they can see inside here when it's dark but I take no chances. I pull her closer to me and turn her to face the wall.

"I don't know where the cameras are but I think they're up higher. Undress facing the wall." I tell her. "Okay" she responds quietly. After we've both undressed, I turn her around slowly to face me and pull her closer to me. I keep her backside facing the wall and guide us out into the rain. The rain hits us in waves. It's constant water pouring down onto us. I hold her and shield her from view as much as possible. She holds onto me for dear life.

It's impossible not to get excited that I'm this close to her private areas but the camera can't see it because I'm flush with her. She can feel me though, I know she can. We don't move or say anything. After a good ten minutes in the rain, I move us back into the hot cave. I motion to let go and she pulls me tighter to her. "Don't let go Peeta. Please don't ever let go." She begs.

My emotions run wild and I feel all the blood in my body race and turn me on. I crash my lips to hers and she receives me with so much enthusiasm, I have to wonder what's gotten into her. I move us over to the safety of the sleeping bag and we both kneel down, crawling into it for cover. Katniss pulls me on top of her and I swear I could cum right now. My body is lined up perfectly with hers and I want her more than anything in this world. We have to stop. We're too caught up in the moment. I don't want her to regret being with me later on. My words come out short breathed.

"Katniss, we have to stop. I don't want you to regret this." I say. Katniss takes a deep breath and looks me in the eyes, stroking my face with her hand. "Peeta, I'm not good with words like you. I never was. My actions speak louder than my words but hear me when I say this because I mean it. It has always been you. Since that day in the rain, you have always had a special place in my heart. It's fate that we're in these games together. You planted a seed that day and since we've been reaped it's grown into something that consumes me. It didn't take long for me to fall in love with you Peeta and I want nothing more than to be with you. Now and forever."

I am elated. "I love you Katniss." I say.

" I love you too Peeta, always." She says.

I bask in the glory of her confession and let my instincts take over. It's so extremely hot in this cave but I won't move the sleeping bag off of us. We're just as sweaty as we were before the shower. I kiss down her neck and shoulder blades until I reach her breasts. I take one into my mouth and she moans softly. I love the sound of it. I whisper into her ear "I don't want them to hear us. I know they can't really see anything so lets be as quiet as possible." She nods into my kiss when I'm done speaking.

I return to her breast and then pull her nipples over and over with my right hand. She feels soft and warm under my touch. I run my hands down the length of her body until I put my hand between her legs. She softly moans into the kiss, never breaking it and when I rub her opening with my finger, she saturates me. Oh my god, I need her like right now. I push my finger into her a few times so she knows what's coming next and then slide on top of her. I never break the kiss.

When I slip inside of her, my world spins and I lose my breath. She feels fucking amazing. She's so warm and tight and inviting. I feel every sense in my body come alive. I am so overcome with love and emotion for her, that I swear I could cry being this close to her. This is as close to another human being that you could possibly get. Nothing trumps this.

I wait for her to expand at the size of me and after a few moments of stillness, I pull out of her. We both gasp. Then I re-enter her and we both kiss again. I do this several more times. It feels awesome and it's helping her body adjust to me. After several minutes of this, Katniss grabs my ass and wraps her legs around me. I know she's ready now. I thrust into her fully. That's when I know I completely broke her hymen. No going back now. I thrust into her again and again until I feel a tingling at the tip of my penis and Katniss moans out loud, she pulls me tighter to her and I bore down into her. Wherever I hit, is giving her her first orgasm. She is so tight and amazing that I can't hold on my longer. I bury myself deep within her until we are both coming together. We try to be quiet. I don't know how much they heard. I don't even care right now.

As soon as we get out of these fucked up games I'm going to marry this girl.

I'm panting, out of control. I don't want to remove myself from her. Ever. She's kissing me all over. She speaks first. "Peeta, I love you. Please don't ever leave me. Stay with me."

I look down at her. "Always Katniss. I will always be with you. I love you. Marry me?" I ask her.

Katniss stops and looks at me.

She never wanted to officially get married and here I go and put it on the table. She gives me a deep kiss and answers into my mouth.

"Yes Peeta. I'll marry you."