Names

One-Shot

A/N: This isn't very long, but it was a moment I had randomly pop into my head. It takes place during one of the few days Katniss and Peeta are in the training center. It's written in present tense to give it a more Hunger Games sort offeel, and I'm not particularly fond of said tense so this was a challenge. Hey, are you guys as pumped for Catching Fire as I am? Agg! Only a month and a half to go!

EDIT(5/4/10): Pfft. It's been ages since I've been on . I was just rereading my story when I realized something: I had A LOT of typos and mistakes on here. D: I can't believe you guys didn't say anything!! I'm so embarrassed! This has been on here so long with those ugly little things staring everyone in the eyes. *Dies* Well, I fixed them now. I know some of the sentence structures are still a bit awkward, but I don't feel like fixin' 'em now. So, oh well. XD Thanks again for all the support here, guys! 3 Can't wait for Mockingjay!!! :D

Oh, and I am a KatnissxGale fan. I just thought this moment was too cute between Peeta and Katniss to pass up. Haha! Oh well.

It's the second day of training and we're at the edible plants station, Peeta and I. I'm easily naming off the plants lain out before me. I can feel Peeta gaping silently over my shoulder as I identify each one. Rhubarb. Mint. Ginger. And a few others I know from the years foraging through the forests around District 12. I name off the poisonous ones without blinking an eye. The Plants specialist is very enthusiastic; she's praising me with everyone I name correctly, which so far, is all of them.

I'm going down the row when suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I spot a familiar root pinned by its flower on an immense board to my right. "And that's Katniss," I say quietly, a ghost of a smile drifting to the corners of my lips.

"But you're Katniss." I'm startled to hear Peeta's voice, though his obvious comment makes me roll my eyes.

I turn away from the plants and head in a new direction. As I'm doing this I'm saying, "Yes, Peeta, but it's also a plant." My voice is a bit sharper than I intend it to be. I'm so used to most of the people that I talk to already knowing these things—like Gale and my mother and even little Primrose--so I don't really have much patience to explain things; Peeta's a baker's son who lives in town, of course he wouldn't know that.

"What kind of plant," he wonders, unaffected by my sharp tone. I look over my shoulder to see his blue eyes are curious and intent as they bore into mine. "Is it edible?"

"Yes," I tell him. "When you boil it down it's as good as any potato." I'm picking up a spear (which has a shaft so thick I can barely wrap my hand around it) when I hear Peeta snickering. I drop the weapon and spin to glare at him. "What?" I demand.

"Your parents named you after a wild potato." He laughs again.

This ticks me off and I immediately want to hit him with something. But instead another idea occurs to me. "Don't be so superior"—I can't help the smirk that transforms the scowl on my mouth—"aren't you named after a piece of bread? Peeta."

This doesn't make him relent as I hoped it would. Instead the grin widens on his face. He doesn't say anything so I take this as an opportunity to shoulder him off and pick up the spear at my feet. It's just passing through the dummy's stomach when he finally continues.

"Just answer one thing for me, Katniss."

"What?" I reply cautiously, furrowing my brow.

"Baked or mashed?"

It takes me a minute to grasp what he means because since Katniss is a root it can't be either of those. It isn't until I look at it from the potato's point of view that I get it.

Rather than being angry I roll my eyes and snort sarcastically. "Tuna or ham?" I throw back at him. We're even.

He's silent for a moment considering this. Then he shrugs and we both laugh, painfully aware of the many pairs of eyes suddenly glaring our way, watching us like we're a couple of idiots. Two people joking around when they're suppose to be learning how to kill each other. Right. Hilarious.

The last paragraph wasn't too much, was it? It originally ended at "Then he shrugs and we both laugh" but I figured Katniss is very bitter about the Hunger Games and the Capitol so I just added the last bit to further attest the point. Let me know how I did, please and thank-you.