A/N: I thought updates would be more frequent, but I guess I'm just less inspired. I do have another angst chapter planned, though! Because last chapter is probably my best work in this story and my favourite chapter so far.

In other news, I'm going to be participating in a fundraiser for Fandom4LLS! Basically, authors will be submitting stories for the Hunger Games, Harry Potter, and Twilight. If you donate $10 or more, you get a compilation of stories that have been submitted. refuses to let me include a link, but if you search up fandom4llsblogspot it should come up. Or even fandom4lls.

Also, I went back and edited a few chapters. I didn't let myself rewrite it though (as much as I wanted to) because I feel that this story shows my improvement and the changes in my writing style. It was mostly typos and this one sentence that really bothered me. I noticed that I made a lot of excuses for being late on the update though (not much has changed, haha).

In other news, I almost turned this chapter into a musical for a second there. Then I remembered I can't write songs.

A stocky kid races past, shoving Katniss out of his way. She narrowly avoids falling into a puddle.

"Ugh," she mumbles, righting herself and glaring in his direction. "This is why I hate kids."

"They're not so bad," I tease. I nudge her. "Besides, you love kids and we both know it."

Katniss doesn't have a comeback, so she just shoots me a dark look. "Not that one," she says.

I roll my eyes and take her hand. "You say that like you've actually spoken to him."

"I have, and he's a total brat." She sighs in response to the look I give her. "I'm allowed to dislike one kid, Peeta."

"What did he say?" I ask, curious now.

She scowls. "He called me old, he insulted my hair, and he said that anyone could survive the Games which..." Katniss trails off. She'd been counting off reasons on her fingers, but she drops her hand.

I nudge her with my shoulder because her eyes have gone to that place. "I'm sure he's not so bad. Maybe you just need to talk to him."

"No, Peeta." Katniss states, seeing the look in my eyes.

But it's too late, because I already have an idea.

I knock three times without hesitating, then count the seconds, my grip tight on Katniss's wrist. She's squirming like a child -which I'm choosing to take as a good sign.

Twelve seconds until a blonde woman opens the door. "Hello?"

"Hi," I put on my most charismatic smile. "We'd like to speak to your son please."

"Which one?" She asks, shoulders sagging. There are bags under her eyes.

"Uh...the youngest one?" I ask hopefully.

"Connu!" She calls, and a blonde kid comes running.

He stops at the door, face twisted into a scowl that reminds me of Buttercup. "What do you want?" He demands, narrowing his eyes at Katniss. She scoffs and gives me a look like I told you so.

"Connu, use your manners." His mother says halfheartedly, sighing. She looks like she could really use a nap.

"We just want to talk." I glance at his mom. "Would it help if we took him out for icecream?"

Katniss smacks my arm. "Peeta! You don't just go to someone's house and ask if you can take their kids out for icecream!" In the moments when she scolds, I am reminded of what a great mother she'd be.

Katiss turns to Connu's mother. "He doesn't mean to sound creepy, he just doesn't think properly when it comes to children."

"Not true," I protest. I meet the mother's grey-blue eyes. "I am sorry, though. That was an innopropriate question." Katniss snorts. "I'm Peeta, by the way. And this is Katniss."

Honestly, I've gotten used to eyes widening when I introduce us, the realization that we're "celebrities" setting in. But Connu's mother hardly reacts.

"Therese," She says. "And it's alright if you take him for icecream."

"Seriously?" Katniss gawks. Is she trying to make his mom back out? "You'd trust us with your kid?" Katniss makes some wild gestures at the two of us.

Therese manages a smile. "It's a new world. Besides, Connu can take care of himself." She ruffles his hair. Connu beams with pride. Normally, I'd disagree, but Connu is too heavy to kidnap. And he has big fists that look like they've seen a couple fights. If there is any kid that could handle icecream with strangers, it's this guy.

"Let's go now!" Connu exclaims, scurrying down the steps and bumping into Katniss. "Bye Mom!"

"See?" I say to Katniss. "He's cute. Just your average eight year old."

"Have fun," Therese calls, before closing her door. I hear a crash from inside the house.

"You know, for a fat kid, he sure can run." Katniss comments, maintaining a jog so that I can keep up.

"Don't call him fat! That's probably why he hates you."

"So you admit that he hates me."

"If you call him fat, yeah." I retort, slowing to a stop. "Connu! The ice cream store is this way, bud." Connu immediately veers back toward us.

"Okay, what flavour do you want?" I ask, leaning down to his level when we reach the ice cream counter.

"Strawberry, Wildberry, Chocolate, Double Chocolate...and Maple." He nods surely.

"Five scoops? How much does your mom usually let you get?"

Connu shuffles his feet, staring at his toes. "Two."

"Alright, you can have three then." I tell him, looking over the other flavours.

"Three?" He squeals, delighted.

"Three?" Katniss demands, shocked. She tugs me aside. "Peeta, I think two is already too much sugar for this kid -look at him. Besides, him mom has at least two more kids, there's no way she pays for that much ice cream. He totally lied."

"Well, it's too late now." I turn back to Connu, who seems to be debating which two flavours should be eliminated.

Katniss frowns. "What flavour are you getting?" She drifts back to the counter.

"Vanilla, probably."

Katniss rolls her eyes. "You're so predicatble. Try something different for once. Like not getting the most basic flavour."

I study the other options. "What are you getting?"

"Wildberry, maybe."

"Me too!" Connu exclaims. I think I hear him whispering to the woman at the counter to change strawberry to wildberry. Katniss was wrong about him. He wants to impress her.

"I'll have Swiss Chocolate," I decide at last, and Katniss scoffs.

"So the second-most basic flavour then," She smirks.

"No, because it's Swiss Chocolate. Did you not hear me?" I tease nudging her aside so I can pay for the icecream.

She sighs. "I'll get one scoop of Wildberry."

"So, Connu," I start.

We're all seated at one of the tables outside the icecream shop. Connu has already ploughed through his first scoop and is onto his second. Katniss is staring off in the direction of the meadow.

"Do you have anything you want to say to Katniss?" She starts at the sound of her name, and Connu looks confused.

"No...?"

This will be a tad harder than I thought. Good thing I have a way with words.

"Katniss thinks you don't like her," I admit, and Katniss is torn between looking shocked and glaring at me.

Connu scowls, but hsi brows furrow together like he's thinking hard. He wants to say he hates her, I'm sure, but I know he doesn't.

"Is that true, Connu?" I prompt.

He scowls harder, mouth working to come up with something to say. "No," He finally relinquishes -quietly, like he doesn't want her to hear.

Katniss's expression jumps from undecided to pure shock in an instant.

"But she hates me!" Connu cries, finally meeting my eyes.

"Katniss doesn't hate you," I soothe. She opens her mouth like she's about to protest, but I shake my head.

"Then how..." Connu trails off, brow wrinkling in bewilderment.

"I think there's been some miscommunication between you two. You've been being mean to each other -maybe by accident at first- and it keeps escalating." I steeple my hands, the way one of my old doctors used to at the end of our sessions. "You need to apologize to each other."

"I'm sorry for bumping into you all the time," Connu mumbles. "And calling you old and saying your hair was ugly."

'And for saying the Games were easy to win?', I almost ask; but I don't, because no child should have to know how hard they really were.

Katniss narrows one eye, like she's trying to figure out if he's telling the truth. Finally, she sighs. "I'm sorry for calling you fat. And for saying I hated you. And for calling you a brat."

"Shake hands," I whisper. Connu holds his hand out, and Katniss shakes it, grudgingly. I beam. "Good. Now, what do you say we go for a walk?"

When Connu's mother opens the door, she looks better-rested than earlier.

"Thank you for letting us take him out, Therese." I say, as Connu trots back into his house, screaming delightedly at his brothers the moment he crosses the threshold.

She smiles, brighter and less tired than before. "Thank you for taking him. I hope he wasn't any trouble."

I glance at Katniss, but she hasn't even opened her mouth to protest. Progress. "No, he was fine. We got ice cream and then we went for a walk. It was nice."

"Well, thanks again. I hope you got what you came for." There's another crash inside the house and her shoulders sag. "I have to go. It was nice to meet you."

"Bye," Katniss offers as the door closes.

I turn to her. "See? That wasn't so bad. And he wasn't as bad as you thought, either, was he?"

Katniss makes a grumbling noise. "You couldn't let me hate just one kid, could you, Peeta?"

I laugh, taking her hand. "Nope."