Look, I'm not doing anything groundbreaking here. Really, I just keep thinking about Peeta kneading dough in a hot summer kitchen and felt the need to write it down. I'm not sure where this will go or how often, but if you put it on alert, I'm sure I'll come up with some stuff over the next few weeks.

PS This is fairly 'canon' but please disregard any discrepancies from the books. It's been awhile since I remembered the exact details. :)

Peeta

Push. Pull. Stretch. Slap.

Push. Pull. Stretch. Slap.

I've been kneading dough my entire life. As soon as my dad realized I could balance on my knees on his wooden stool and see above the kitchen counter, he had me shaping dough into bread and rolls to meet the District's demands.

Kneading isn't hard. Sure, it takes quite a bit of strength in your hands and arms, especially when dealing with the tough ration grain we're given here in Twelve. Right now though, I need something harder than kneading to occupy my thoughts, and I slap the counter in frustration, a cloud of flour poofing around me.

Summer ended today, and it was the first day back to school. The first day is an odd mixture of emotions in the classrooms. Some students are excited and relieved to be done working with their parents for the summer, a few classmates act upset to be back indoors after a summer of lounging outside, and then there's me. Nervous. Anxious to see her again. Katniss.

She's every bit as beautiful as I remembered, which is only fair, since I just saw her wandering the Hob last week. But there's something about summer that makes me feel like she's a million miles away, far in the distance. Unobtainable. Walking the halls of school, I could actually bump into her, end up in the same class, 'mistakenly' sit by her at lunch ... a thrill ripples through my body at the thought.

Katniss.

I sigh and go back to my dough, the muscles of my forearms rippling and flexing with each movement. A drop of sweat begins to fall from my brow, and I catch it just before it falls onto the table.

Push. Pull. Stretch. Slap.