#It totally ruined everlark for me

[demiwizardsoul]

Panem leader: make people focus on romance so that people ignore the children dying and the dictature they are living in.

Hunger games fans : focus on romance and ignore the children dying and the dictature the character are living in while talking about the books and movies.

I think it exactly proves the point that Suzanne Collins was trying to make in the book.

And it's sad

[ecoterrorist-katara]

Ka/taang: friends-to-lovers or the Friend Zone?

It’s almost axiomatic, in any ATLA shipping discussion, that Ka/taang is the friends-to-lovers ship while Zutara is the enemies-to-lovers ship, and that differences in shipping tastes can be boiled down to whether you prefer FTL or ETL.

My first ship was Percabeth. My biggest ship was Klaine. It took me until Mockingjay to let go of my Gale-and-Katniss-are-childhood-friends rose-tinted goggles and start liking Everlark. I started dabbling in ETL because of Zutara, but I’m incredibly picky about it (do not ask me how many Dramione fanfics made me irrationally, disproportionately mad).

All this to say: as a longtime friends-to-lovers enthusiast, I should theoretically love Ka/taang. But…

My difficulty with Ka/taang as a friends-to-lovers ship boils down to this: Aang and Katara’s friendship was always narratively framed as insufficient, because Aang liked her from the start and always wanted a romantic relationship. And imo that dynamic really colours their entire friendship.

I like to think Aang would’ve been a ride-or-die friend — the type to give up the Avatar State to rescue her, the type to commit ecoterrorism and help her get arrested, the type to make her a flower necklace to cheer her up — even if he didn’t have a crush on her, but I will never know that. We never got to see the pure friendship part of friends-to-lovers, because the spectre of the romantic relationship was always there. Before the last five minutes of the show, Katara’s feelings for Aang range from “plausibly interested” (The Headband, Cave of Two Lovers) to “doesn’t hate it” (Day of the Black Sun, The Fortuneteller) to “no” (Ember Island Players). Yet Katara’s eventual capitulation to reciprocation of Aang’s feelings was always depicted as inevitable, starting from s1 when the prisoners during Avatar Day reassured him that she’d “come around” because he’s a catch. It’s as if friendship, even one full of devotion and mutual love like the one they share, is not enough.

And that’s just totally antithetical to what I love about a friends-to-lovers dynamic. I love romances where characters value each other outside of attraction, when they see each other for who they are (this goes double for pretty characters like Katara, whose complexity and imperfections are just as important as her beauty and her care for others). I love the idiots in love sub-trope, where they’re obviously into each other, yet do a bunch of mental gymnastics to remain in comfortable denial (we got a little bit of this earlier in the series, but by s3 we were firmly in Aang-pines-and-Katara-deflects territory). In every friends-to-lovers story I’m simply obsessed with the confess-and-kiss scene, but the version we got in ATLA was ruined by the lack of reciprocation, twice.

Over time, because Aang was written as so insistent about his affections, Ka/taang went from a friends-to-lovers story to a Nice Guy Friend Zone “why doesn’t she like me” story. I mentioned Everlark earlier: I got the same ick for Gale in Mockingjay as I did for Aang in s3, where the woman is not interested yet he still badgers her about it. (And considering Gale is canonically hot, I don’t think the relative attractiveness of Aang is the issue here). But Gale’s insistence was presented as his problem, his lack of empathy, his self-righteousness; Aang’s insistence was just a part of his quest to get the girl.

A lot of people say Zutara is a female fantasy, whether they mean it in a positive or pejorative way. Nobody says the same about Ka/taang, even though women definitely have friends-to-lovers fantasies too. A good friends-to-lovers story reminds me of all the times when I was an idiot before getting together with a friend I was actually head-over-heels for. Ka/taang reminds me of all the times when I was not interested in a friend and they didn’t respect my preference. Friends-to-lovers is a delicate balance, maintained only by unerring mutual respect and unconditional care for each other, and it can veer into Nice Guyism if the writers aren’t thoughtful about why this dynamic is so appealing. Which is exactly what happened with Ka/taang.

[targaryenluvs]

ok hear me out w this dark!finnick idea; post-74th everlark, snow’s trying to do damage control and tells finnick to date another victor, and finnick’s hesitance to date his former mentee— means ofc she’s picked :( it’s not like finnick would ever put on a show to get her purposefully picked, he’s totally a good mentor and he’s defiantly never thought of ruining her, but, might as well make the most of it

alternatively omg image finnick living through the rebel’s victory— but the aftermath of the takeover meant a lot of the ppl involved in the games (no matter how small apart they played) get to executed,, including the little capitol girl who was (barely) part of his team n helped him get ready (or mb his district escort, or just like a stylist idk). helpful, helpful finnick steps up n tells her he can totally help her but it’s going to involve her losing her capital ties n taking up his name (plus they really have to sell it, so good knows how far they’d have to go, but he’s always so willing n helpful)

these aren’t requests or anything, i haven’t slept in 30 hours and I watched like my nth finnick edit whilst procrastinating prepping for my applied physics final

first of all i know i always sleep at wild times but THIRTY HOURS?? BABY GO TO SLEEP!!!

second of all, i wish you the best on your physics final ❤️

third of all your mind works wonders!!

can you imagine him seeing her again for the first time after she’s picked?? imagine nervous finnick for the first time 😭

-

“just our luck huh? two idiots make fools of the capitol and we end up on damage control!” your voice was as always sweet and pretty. finnick wanted to bottle it up all for himself.

“who would’ve thought?” finnick smiled, the charm may have been turned on but god was he a mess inside.

“you look good finn, grown. how’ve you been?”

i’ve been patiently waiting for the next time i see you. he wondered if that would scare you off so he smiled instead, “waiting for my lovely mentor to show and she’s here now so great.” you giggled as your touched his bicep, and his pants felt tighter, god you were adorable. you may be older than him but he has grown, and now he towers over you, dwarfs you in comparison and he adores it.

“you look stunning per usual.” you grinned and took your dress in, a gorgeous baby blue dress, with tiny straps on each side and a slit on the right side. your neck looked oddly markable to finnick but he’d refrain for now. “and you look handsome, when’d that happen?” you teased him before pinching his cheek.

you still thought of him as the same little boy from four. he could tell, but he wasn’t a boy anymore and he’d show you that.

“who knows. now, we have people to see.” he linked his arm with yours as the two of you made your way from the foyer and into the den of the capitol, hungry eyes and touchy hands pounced at the opportunity to feel the capitols darling and diamond.

he would snap every hand if he could, you were his, even if you didn’t know it yet.

-

“yes. i’ll do it, i don’t want to- no i can’t die.” you were crying now and finnick felt bad, but you’d just agreed to marry him so he couldn’t care less.

“no tears honey, you get to live.” his voice was sweet and comforting, looking up at him you felt happy. you watched him grow up, you helped him through it and now he was helping you, you couldn’t help but feel grateful.

“thank you finnick really, you don’t have to do this.” he shook his head and wiped away your tears, “you’ve been by my side for so long it’s the least i could do y/n.” your teary eyes should’ve made him feel bad but the idea of your marriage had his own heart racing. and as you hugged him he felt his worries melt away.

you were locked in for life.

[waywardangel-wilds]

all the recent parent everlark fanart…they’re totally the type of parents to gross out their kids with affection. and both of them think they’re not bad because it’s nothing like what they were doing for the capitol. but the disgustingly sappy looks and constant touching must be disgusting to the kids and haymitch. plus peeta is a flirt

Anon, have you been in my brain recently? Was that you dusting and fluffing the pillows? How else would you know one of my favorite headcannons???

Katniss and Peeta are annoying because they don't know they're annoying. They're out there, holding hands like it's freaking middle school, looking at each other like the other person somehow hung the moon, smiling over nothing like the economy isn't a mess. Like brooo leave some joy for the rest of us!!

Nah, I'm joking, if any couple gets a free pass to be publicly in love (quite literally in front of my salad) it's them. Their kids are cool with it until middle school and high school, at which point it starts to get embarrassing. There's no intense PDA, but somehow, that's worse. They're just so in love it just comes off them, like a sticky aura of joy. Willow once complained to her BFF about having happily married parents, "UGH, why can't my parents get divorced too?" Her friend rolled her eyes and told her her father was beekeeping age.

Willow has lots of girly sleepovers at home (Katniss and Peeta don't want her sleeping at any other house), and she's constantly pushing her friends into her room to avoid the dinner theatre that is her father hitting on her mother. He makes a whole game of it, including audience involvement! Her friends don't mind, they think they're sweet (At least one of them thinks one or both of them are hotties), but Willow would rather die than let her friends watch her dad winking at her mom while he sings poorly about how pretty and dark her braid is.

Rye generally doesn't feel personally affected beyond the usual embarrassment. It gets more annoying once he starts bringing girls over and their eyes just glaze over, dreaming about being that in love. He's not sure he's ready for this yet! He just wanted to go to the tonsil hockey tryouts! His dad does tell him off for that one when his mom asks why his latest girlfriend doesn't come over anymore. What was he supposed to do? Not complain about how the parentals ruined his shot at being a playa???

In adulthood, Willow's attitude changes to "When will it be my turn!!!" To Peeta's horror (she wants to get married? And leave this house?!?!?), Rye's rolling eyeballs, and Katniss's confusion ("Marriage isn't everything sweetie," "that easy for YOU to say" "Um, Peeta, tap in" "NO BOYS! Stay with daddy forever, pretty please?" "DAD! Let me live!!") Rye doesn't care anymore, he's accepted the embarrassing aura (he found a girl, and Willow can't believe he's gonna get married before she's even moved in with a guy - Katniss: back in my day, we didn't care about marriage. Peeta: that was y-OW, OH, yeah! Pfft, being single is awesome!)

After that mess, the kids appreciate their parents for being the cute elderly couple holding hands on a park bench that they've always been. (Ignore that run-on sentence). It's fine. Someone tell Dad the jokes aren't funny tho, no one wants to think about their parents like that. Also, the singing? Painful.

[mellarked-katnisseverdeen]

Toasting

Pairing: Everlark, K+ rating.

Synopsis: One year after the revolution, Katniss thinks about the future. There isn't much she is sure about despite all her healing. But what she is sure she wants has to do with her Boy With The Bread.

A/N- At long last, an obligitory Toasting fic! As stated in a previous post, this is much over due. I love me some AU's but sometimes one has to just do a soft canon one-shot. Am of the headcanon Katniss and Peeta do marry offically, but outside of signing the paperwork the whole thing is small, for themselves and def not a traditonal wedding. The fluff is toothrotting but don't imagine anyone will complain. Hope you all enjoy!

This also reminds me I have another ficlet I gotta crosspost on Ao3 cause I totally forgot. So, that will go up there along with this sometime this weekend XD.

The one-year anniversary of the rebellion somehow comes faster, and so much slower than Katniss expects. It seems like no time has passed, but she also feels different enough that one could assume decades had gone by.

It comes on a day that isn't lost to any of them. Haymitch had not drank the day before, and she was up about an hour after Peeta starts baking prepared to savor the day. Delly and Thom come over, as does Sae, her son, and her granddaughter. Katniss helps Peeta cook at his house, which is theirs in all but official name. They talk excitedly about all the changes, good changes in the last year. What's planned for the next year in the small, rebuilding community around them. More houses, an official school. The finishing of the medicinal medicine plant.

As they eat, Paylor gives a heartfelt speech. Commending the nation on healing, on prospering after the defeat of the Capitol, and vows to help continue the efforts. It moves Katniss more than she expects and judging by the silence as they watch, their small group share similar opinions.

It's enough for the get-together to become a party.

Sae has brought a fiddle with her, and Katniss, Haymitch, and Delly are all encouraged to sing. Katniss laughs at Haymitch actually keeping up with the two of them, and Thom playfully dances with Saes' granddaughter, Hal. They are singing between laughter when Peeta nudges her, and gestures to the area that had apparently become a makeshift dance floor.

Heat rises in her cheeks. "I can't, I-"

"Don't fret, go on and dance Katniss. Me and Haymitch got it, right old man?" Delly teases.

Their dance is slow to start, but soon Katniss grows comfortable in his arms and they take turns pulling one another into different steps and patterns of swaying. It's uncoordinated but enough to make Katniss pleasantly warm from the inside out and a grin forces itself on her face. It wasn't like they didn't share a bed every night, but doing this normal thing together brings her a giddiness she tries to control and fails as they enjoy themselves.

They escape to get a drink from the kitchen while she leans on his shoulder. The thought of how much her sister would love something like this crosses her mind.

Katniss waits and prepares to fracture apart like glass at any thought that crosses her mind about her sister. Prim, who was taken too young and should be here. Should be relishing this freedom, the peace that surrounds them now. While a twist in her stomach does come, the hollowed-out part of her heart where Prim had lived ached, but she remains put together as Peeta opens the fridge and she leans on the counter. Yes her sister deserved this celebration, just as much if not more than any of them.

But just as happy as Prim would be to be here, Katniss was well aware of how angry Prim would be knowing she let missing her take away from it.

Peeta seems to notice her deep in thought and nudges her. "You okay, Kat? You can talk if you need-"

She takes his hand with a shake of her head. No, Prim was somewhere wonderful watching them…she wouldn't ruin anything by being miserable when she could manage it. "Nothing. Just, thinking. Nothing important. Come on. Let's get back so I can give poor Delly a break from trying to match Haymitch's awful-sounding tune."

He takes her hand with a snort, and they grab their glasses to go back into the living room.

__________

The next morning, she wakes to his gentle pecks on her nose and cheek. A typical morning would have her leaving the bed to go hunting before he truly stirs. This morning though she stays under the covers thinking even when he leaves to work at the bakery.

It's different than other days when she might as well have been chained to her bed. Her thoughts are even similarly centered on Prim. But instead of her loss or the grief and pain, her mind turns to what her sister would want for her now. What Prim would encourage her to do, without her? This time she considers her sister watching her from whatever perfect place someone like the youngest Everdeen would go after life, and what she would want to see her doing. Katniss was well aware it was simple, that Prim would want nothing short of her happiness, but putting that sentiment into action was more tricky.

Dr. Aurelius had said something like that. She had made a routine, had stabilized, and could function going through the motions. That eventually meaning would come from that, and she'd find something that she wanted, that she liked and looked forward to during her day and indeed further into life. The future.

Getting out of bed, Katniss lets the thought slide in favor of falling into the morning routine, minus any hunting. Showering, dressing, and going down to the kitchen where the breakfast she was planning to make already sits. A note from Peeta confirming it was made by him in case she was hungry.

A smile graces her lips as she slowly savors it. Then an idea.

There wasn't a lot she could say she wanted, yet. No solid plans for the future she yearned to make happen. Hunting, keeping herself clean, and able to connect to the small group of people surrounding her was was enough to keep her out of the dark placing in her mind most days. But she can say there are things she'd be happy never changing. Something she finds she has the desire to make permanent

The time it takes her to eat the eggs and apple Peeta set out for her is all it takes for her mind to mull over the idea to deciding to make it happen.

Standing, she goes to the counter and pulls a box out of the cupboard. The lettering spelling Mellarks Family Bakery on it and opening it reveals dozens of recipes. Pulling out one of the most basic ones, Katniss reads it and gets to work making the best dough she can manage by herself and splits it into two. By the time Peeta comes home the loaves had sufficiently been allowed to rest, and rise. Katniss gets shy when Peeta asks about them when he comes how greets her, and sees them on the counter.

"I thought, we could share some toast." That is all she gets out. "If you like- just put them in, and we can get a fire going for when it's done."

Peeta is smart enough to know exactly what she is asking. Toast shared by a fire means more in their District, and he recognizes it as easily as she would. Pinning her with blue eyes, his voice is bearly a whisper when he speaks.

"Katniss, are you sure? I will, in a heartbeat, but only if you truly want this."

She nods and kisses him. A deep and long one that leaves no question.

He can't stop grinning as he puts the loaves in the oven and sets a timer. The two of them rustle some small foods to eat with it- some fruits, and a bit of dried jerky of Katniss's making. Some butter for their toast. By the time it's done, the fire is raging while they sit on the ground in front of it, quietly holding one another with matching grins. An occasional kiss being all that disrupts the moment. The stillness changes and they can't be still when the timer goes off and they rush into the kitchen to pull it out.

When they pull them out, they go to dress while the bread cools- deciding the occasion deserved more than dirty work clothes and flour-soiled pajamas. Katniss dawns on a flowy, simple cream dress. Peeta puts on a simple dress number, a black pair of pants, and a white shirt. They try not to laugh or trip over themselves slicing the loaves, and taking their meal to the fire.

Without a word, they take two pieces of bread on pokers and toast them over the fire before buttering them, kissing, and feeding the toast to one another. Katniss had a love for bread, for the buttery taste of toast before but there was not a doubt in her mind this particular piece was the best she'd ever have.

"Peeta." She says, after swallowing her first bite.

"Yes."

"I love you." She rushes out. It still feels dangerous and scary as they fall off her tongue, even if they also feel more true and right than anything.

He takes her hand, kissing her despite their shared crumbs. "I know. I love you, too."

[justanotherghostwriter]

I'm sending you so many fic titles. You don't have to do all of them if you don't want to. I got them from what my sister and i would have Sims title books they were writing. | (Call Me Innocent) (Walk Softly) (The Benefits of Screaming) (Ghosts I Have Loved) (And the Shadows Wept) (The Stars are Different Here) (Her Name Still Echoes) (Honest Creatures) (Wooden House, Paper Unicorn) (Though All to Ruin Fell the World) (The Echo or the Answer) (Above Us, Only Stars)

Firstly: sorry I answered this so late. Life came and ate me when I thought I'd have time. Go figure.

Secondly: I'm so happy to see that somebody else thought about what to title their books in Sims. I had a list, too. In one game, I had three generations of writers, and they kept writing new books "for the same series". Obviously, the game didn't care, but I had such a fun time seeing them all in the book store xD

Thirdly: Thank you for answering this! <3 And, in particular, answering with so many great titles to chew over. This was a fun mental exercise. I'm still throwing metaphorical salt in a circle around all of this so these silly ideas don't become less silly. I'll need to live another lifetime to finish all the fic on my To Do list, at this point.

Now, onto the actual answers!

Call Me Innocent. Probably something that starts with/includes the Buddy Wakefield poem "We Were Emergencies". I know that thing off-by-heart. In particular: "Make love to me, like you know I am better than the worst thing I ever did." So... Animorphs post-war? Like many years post-war and Cassie and Jake get that second chance. Orrrr Roy and Riza after the events of canon trying to put the world back together, with a healthy side-helping of Ed, whose guilt tendencies didn't just go away after defeating Father. Shocking, I know.

Walk Softly Agent Carter fic. A fix-it for Endgame. It will be Peggysous. There will be Daniel and Jack bromance. And Daniel and Steve bromance. This is all.

The Benefits of Screaming Avatar the Last Airbender. Azula gets love, therapy and a life-changing field-trip with Zuko (and Katara). I don't know the particulars, but I think it would sort of be a community service combined with going out to see the world through new eyes sort of fic. Just letting Azula lose control in safe ways. By that I mean go penguin sledding or run through a field of flowers for no reason. And Zuko and Katara, despite being Fire Lord and Ambassador to the Water Tribe and totally responsible adults, would also have moments of just being able to be kids. Lots of both Zuko and Azula apologising to one another, and starting from scratch to build a proper relationship.

Ghosts I Have Loved An Everlark fic. I'm thinking about Peeta and Katniss more often than even I realise, I think. And, although it's been done a thousand times by very talented people, I want a fic in that space between Peeta coming back to once-Twelve and the epilogue. Possibly even beyond it. I'll always want to go to war with "I didn't want kids but Peeta really did so we had kids I hated it but you know" because it bugs me. It would include Katniss and Haymich and Annie and some other survivors, but would be mainly focused on Peeta as he grieves all the people he lost and how complicated it is. His whole family was wiped out. One of those family members was canonically at least a little abusive. He lost friends. He lost who he once was. He lost the (fake, impossible) ideal of Katniss in his head; his first love, if you will. So it would just be a slice-of-life of Peeta observing and internally commenting and also stepping in to help where he sees he can, with this motif of all the love haunting him. And how he figures out how to let each "ghost pass on", so to speak. While also watching other people around him do the same. Johanna and Peeta friendship, because they rock.

And the Shadows Wept This is such a cool title, but I couldn't think of anything proper to go with it. Only half-baked ideas. And I didn't want to delay this answer for too long wracking my brain for a fic that won't ever exist lol. So I take the L for this one.

The Stars are Different Here Going back to the second fandom I wrote for here on Tumblr for this one. Doctor Who. More Metacrisis and Rose. For the record, in case anybody cares, there will be no calling him John. Or thinking that naming him is like naming a dog. (If you know, you know.) Just the two of them having ordinary adventures. And some not-so-ordinary ones. They're still the Doctor and Rose Tyler, and they have an earth (or two) to defend. Maybe even start with Rose's adventures with that dimension canon, because that's some good untapped writing potential right there.

Her Name Still Echoes Also Doctor Who! All the places people still find Bad Wolf, and variations thereof, throughout time and space. I'd have to actually catch up with things for this, I think, which would take a while (I think I stopped actively watching around season 7 or 8 and just read Wikipedia since then lol). But just letting Rose's desire to keep the Doctor safe be OP across their lives. And, because I'm me, I'd bring in the origins of the Big Bad Wolf and probably seven references to Red Riding Hood and/or The Three Little Pigs. Possibly even a tie-in to number 6, and all the ways the Bad Wolf echoes in all the places Rose jumped with that canon. (Rose and River bff-ship is a strong need for me tbh.)

Honest Creatures I'm forever dying to poke at the Scott and Rachel father-son dynamic. Or even Scott and Laura Kinney. Friendship/adopted dad only; I don't want to think about the direction the comics took with Displaced Scott and Laura, thank you. Either in canon-verse (whatever the heck that means, any more lmao) or trying to do some clean-up with the way Scott was written as he went off the rails... but not really. Anyway. Complexities of Scott Summers, screwed-up leader and oblivious collector of children he adopts.

Wooden House, Paper Unicorn Since this is all hypothetical and I don't ever need to actually write this, this one would be used for a Firefly/Serenity fic. Simon gets captured and thrown into prison on an Alliance prison ship. While there, he starts to doctor the other prisoners. His skill becomes known by the guards. And he gets pulled out to help an Alliance girl's emergency when her parents frantically hail for help from their ship/planet. Only oooooh the Alliance people have guests for their little vacation out in space, and two of those guests are Mr and Mrs Tam. Who have, according to their official records, never had kids. The drama. The Simon Sass. More drama when Serenity tracks Simon down... No, I haven't actually thought of this concept a hundred times in my head, why do you ask? Yes, there would be Simon whump. I'm basic, and you should expect nothing better from me.

Though All to Ruin Fell the World Zutara in an AU where either the war didn't end so nicely, or where winning the war didn't magically fix everything. I'd probably re-use concepts from Battles After War. Try and do something similar to MJ's stunning Ghosts Through The Smoke, but even more hopeless. Fire Nation leveled to nothing hopeless. Zuko failed as a Fire Lord/was never allowed to take the throne hopeless. Or, like, Zuko chooses the Gaang in Ba Sing Se, but Aang still dies and Katara doesn't know she saved him and she and Zuko get split from the others and go into Survival Mode kind of hopeless. Anyway, you get the picture. The world fell to ruin, somehow. :P And, yet, Zuko and Katara protect each other and fall in love. Although it takes a long time for them to be able to call it that. Maybe it will even be a little tragic; they are never able to let love grow past a certain point, because there's just too much to do. And they end up dying as soldiers who help the world limp towards a bright future. But never together.

The Echo or the Answer Okay, but the way I love this as a title? I know it's become slightly... not pretentious, but over-used, but... I will lean into the connotations if I can ever find a thing worthy of this title. I know this isn't an answer, but I couldn't think of anything that I want to "waste" this good title on lmao.

Above Us, Only Stars Animorphs, my beloved. Again, since this is hypothetical, and I never need to actually have the skill to write any of these fic: this one would be a role-reversal where the auxes got the morphing power first. But the OG six get pulled into the war by James and his team, because the Powers That Be nudge James toward Tobias, Elfangor's son. Who has been having strange dreams of the ocean shared with Cassie, even though neither of them know why. I'd be fascinated to see the OG six as team B under James' leadership. I'd not know how to write this fic, but I'd love to read it xD

SEND ME A MADE-UP FIC TITLE AND I’LL TELL YOU WHAT I WOULD WRITE TO GO WITH IT.

[zenkor123]

",,,coin’s given me what I asked for, a ticket to the Capitol, so any news is bad news. Could she have changed her mind, decided to keep me in this prison? The thought of being kept in 13 paralyzes me; I have to get to the Capitol. I don’t have another plan. My whole life revolves around killing Snow. I turn to Haymitch and I know he can see the terror in my eyes" From Wedlock

If she feels like D13 is a prison, then Peeta now has the keys and he isn't giving them to her. If she expresses resentment Peeta could always call her a hypocrite for getting him off morphling, "suicidal fever dreams are far more dangerous then morphling" and that Peeta is merely doing the job assigned to him. Also D13 as prison; she lives in the mental hospital. Though she agreed to all this, this is all her doing. Also Peeta would state that all the reasons she needs to be in the mental hospital stating that he watched her fall apart in front of him.

What Katniss could do is have long discussions on what killing snow would entail since Peeta has a wealth of knowlege from his time in the capitol.

Annie would agree with Peeta, tell Katniss her assassination plan is silly and laugh at Katniss. They would take it seriously if it was more then a suicide plan born out of grief and anger.

Peeta thinks Katniss would need to have her body totally disguised, be dressed like a capitol citizen, and be armed with a pistol but Snow is unlikely to leave that mansion.

Katniss is going to be angry when the answer Peeta gives is "no" Peeta won't let Katniss anywhere the capitol. She put all that effort into planning Snow's death only for Peeta to ruin it. "I would like to go to hell to kill Satan with a stick"

An everlark moment is when Katniss falls asleep on top of Peeta so she does not have to go to work in the new hob and Peeta falls asleep as well. Previous attempts to have Peeta sleep without sedation have ended with Peeta drinking massive amounts of morphling, leading to Peeta vomitting,or sleeping with an axe.

WIP: Katniss agrees to continue being the Mockingjay after extracting concessions from Coin.

Why didn't Katniss make Coin promise to shut down morphling for Peeta, Prim and the victors? In the districts there was a debate whether her actions were justified, with many in the districts hating morphling and hearing of Peeta and Prim's connection to the cartel.

In D6 they began destroying morphling in honor of the Mockingjay. Coin likely haggled with Katniss and Peeta was subject to no special treatment as a district 13, but Katniss secured "all necessary resources to Peeta's recovery."

Katniss could not get Peeta and Annie out of the District 13 army due to mandatory citizenship obligations besides the promise that they would not be deployed in combat.

Katniss also secured the release of underage medics from active duty and the prosecution of those involved in the hijacking of Peeta and Annie, Coin pointed out that those involved in the hijacking were doomed anyway and she already planned on having Peeta and Annie kill them.

Katniss got final say in Peeta's treatment(or at least a say in his treatment) . Gale would also be reinstated to his former rank before his incident with Peeta.

Katniss absolutely wants Peeta's morphling addiction to be treated. The problem is he can't function without the morphling. Annie only can function becuase he has a around the clock guard.

Peeta has less of a need for that because he's a morphling addict. He literally drowns his sorrows in morphling. Also Coin and much of 13 does not see any problem with this. D6 and some of the district leaders are also complaining about morphling coming from D13.

Getting Peeta to agree would be difficult. Peeta already has to spend hours a day without morphling with a loaded gun in training. D13 if Katniss pulled away from Peeta again would probably see it in a negative light if Peeta had to suffer without his morphling.

D13 would set his incapacitator remotely but Peeta does not have a emotional support human like Annie. Katniss is not continuing as the Mockingjay without something done about the morphling addiction though.

Though I don't think it's really possible for Peeta to be unadicted to morphling after killing 3 people he probably thinks he needs the morphling even more. Annie wanted to join the cartel after the Sam's episode during which she killed 2.

Also Katniss wants to take a D13 citizen off morphling. Several districts have been pressuring D13 to shut down the morphling supply to other districts and want Katniss to help them. D13 population hates the idea of limiting their beloved morphling but Coin wants to rule Panem. This is a hard decision for Coin. Peeta still needs to work.

If Peeta is being taken off morphling can Peeta still work for the cartel? How will he work his episodes off and avoid having to Coin forbid sleep without the cartel? Peeta works hard to limit his sleep to the bare minimum required.

His time in the capitol already screwed up his circadian rhythm(an entire month with next too no sleep). Much of D13 works deep into the night. D13 is really active at night. Does Katniss want to be on guard? Also what about Peeta? What does he want? (Well this fic describes clearly what he wants).

How is he going to get his wants met? My guess is D6 could loan doctors to explain to him (and all the other victors in the cartel) why morphling is bad. He probably would slowly be taken off morphling. The cartel also is more impressive since it wants to take part in d13's reconstruction. How will Katniss cope with Nurse Galena ect.

The cartel while not a criminal organization is angry at Katniss. D13 residents might be rude to her. How is Katniss going to get Peeta to stop thinking he Is a mutt? Peeta separates what he does in 13 from his former self he partially chose the cartel because he remembered that his old self hated drugs). He could join the new Hob in D13 but he does not get the same thrill, the new hob does stay up late to serve D13 customers though.

Katniss has alot on her plate. Coin angry at Katniss has a punishment for her, Katniss and Peeta are going to have to attend the same therapy sessions and she will be the primary guard of Citizen Mellark. Katniss will also be moved to sleep (if allowed by Peeta) in the hospital apartment room closest to Peeta's. Coin in a vindictive manner believes that if she wants Peeta back she will get him, and chain Katniss to Peeta. Coin has morale arguments for this if she is willing to put Peeta through getting off a legitimate substance, bring him back to his ruins, remove him from productive work Katniss will have to eat it.

Neither Peeta or Katniss can shut eachother out. To make it balanced Coin gave Peeta authority on Katniss's treatment with doctor consent required in both cases. Coin just out of spite bans Katniss from going to the capitol without Peeta. She argues that squad 451 is not a frontline unit anyway she was tolerating her mission to kill Snow becuase it could cause damage to the capitol but she blew it with the destruction of the den. She could only go on a suicidal mission in the capitol with Peeta and Peeta had to consent.

(Katniss soon learned that Peeta was vehemently opposed to it on the following day.) Coin both wanted to punish Katniss, and help Peeta at the same time, she wasn't going to let Peeta be "screwed with by Katniss not putting in her 100 percent effort." D13 would be angry that Katniss made all this noise, fucked with their morphling only to have Peeta fucked over as well because Katniss was overwhelmed and scared.

Rather then Katniss making tentative steps toward Peeta, D13 intended to shove her towards Peeta, shackle her to him, lock the door and throw away the key.

Coin also had a growing sense that without Peeta Katniss would be uncontrollable, and unstable. Katniss would be too busy with Peeta to move against her. Plutarch salivated over the propo footage but Coin believed that the propo footage would be better if it evolved organically rather then forced. Propo footage would be secret and selective.

Coin believed that all under her were components in a machine but she did not believe in control the same way as snow, control was means to an end. Coin didn't view control in a cynical lite she regarded control as an art form, strangling your peices like the capitol did would remove the fun of randomness, it was a game to her. She enjoyed various forms of control but no control was worth it without the joy of watching people make decisions themselves not knowing you engineered the whole thing.

Either way if either of them died who cares? It was just one of many outcomes.

If Katniss and Peeta were under pressure to perform it would ruin the fun of seeing organic natural performances.

Coin ordered some degree of privacy, all footage of their treatments would now be secret, unless they agreed to have it released. If opportune she could release it anyway.

District 6 which had a mayor who's son(who I am having survive) was a hijacking victim) who offered to send aid to D13, share their research on hijacking ect.

District representatives were present in the meeting and wanted to back Katniss up and protect her from Coin.

These negotiations happened in the course of a day deep into the night. Coin and Katniss exchanged insults.

what impact would this have on the beginning of the rotation a day later? .

Their would be a complex chain of command starting with Peeta and ending with Coin herself if Katniss persuaded Peeta to come with her to the capitol to kill Snow.

Katniss was surprised when Peeta told her(Peeta had found out through Johanna that she wanted to kill Snow) "absolutely fucking not." If Katniss insists and he does not have veto power over it he wants to give her the best possible chances of success if not there's no way Peeta is letting her anywhere near the capitol.

If Katniss snuck on a hovercraft to the capitol, Peeta would demand that Coin send the hovercraft back. Peeta thinks Katniss is crazy for running into the arms that whisper her name, risking capture in Snow's dungeon to be killed on live tv for no good reason. He would rather Snow be killed with poison gas. The irony is if Katniss loses faith that Peeta will come back, the stranger will instantly shut it down.

If Katniss said "Old Peeta would be leading the charge" Peeta would say "that's because he was suicidal and had a death wish in 2 arenas, when his death would have been pointless, no different then the avoxes Snow fed to the mutts." The thought of going to the capitol probably gives Peeta the chills.

Katniss can avoid many of these concessions if she stops messing with Peeta’s morphling.

(Shes also messing with Johanna, and Haymitch's, morphling)

Coin also thought of having them visit other districts for propos.

How are they going to break the news to Peeta? (And Johanna and Haymitch).

The normalization of morphling among d12 residents in 13 was initially resisted with the most broken and very young normalizing it first, the first breach was the most broken of the victors(Peeta Johanna and Haymitch then it spread to those in D13 schools were kids morphling was given out and to those who wanted to drown their sorrows away. Avoxes in 13 survivors of Snow's genocide begin taking up the bottle.

Delly also began coping with her grief over Arthor Cartwright by drinking morphling. This caused dissent and strife among district families all over 13. The withdrawal of the victors was a major blow to the normalization of morphling in the districts. D6 was allowed to set up drug addiction treatment for d12 and district residents

The districts failed to get any stop on the supply of morphling to their districts, decided to take things into their hands. Decided that Peeta and the other victors not being part of the normalization of morphling was sufficient.

The Congress of 13 were willing to let Peeta, Annie and others slowly become sober if the issue of Morphling supply was postponed which the districts accepted.

Dr Aurelius replaced Dr Malina as Peeta and Katniss's therapist.

The doctors did indeed petition for "limited memory restoration" believing Peeta was at a critical juncture.

Katniss did not know she was given a room right next to Peeta's until she arrived.

How did Peeta get over his D12 phobia? The gnawing belief that they wanted to talk with a dead man and were only using him for charity.

Delly apologizing would go along way. Though he became friends with Prim and Haymitch. Peeta when each friendship was started with the exception of Johanna,Annie he had to shut down the thoughts that Finnick wasn't talking to him he was talking to Peeta though Peeta wanted to be friends with Finnick.

With Prim and Haymitch those thoughts were louder. He pretty much revealed thi fear that pretending to be Peeta made him an impostor early in Katniss's rotation on October 8th. Peeta would likely be convinced he was himself very slowly.

Coin dealt with the criminal aspects by pardoning Katniss declaring her crazy so free of legal consequences.

Working for the new hob would make Peeta more D12 then D13

Katniss had secured her family and friends from morphling but at a great cost.

[captainseaweedbrains]

Ship: Everlark #48

Thank you so much for sending me a prompt! I hope you enjoy! As always, drabbles don’t exist in my world. So it’s a bit longer than I anticipated. :P 

Prompt: Meeting again at a high school reunion AU

Ao3: X

Send me a ship and a prompt and I’ll write a fic/drabble!

“If you don’t go over there and talk to him, I’m going to and you know I won’t edit out any embarrassing details,” Madge warned when she saw Katniss looking over at the Welcome table yet again. 

Katniss scowled, the alcohol clearly not kicking in yet. “I don’t need your help, Madge.” 

“You’ve been sitting here for twenty minutes, Katniss,” her friend pointed out, “watching that table like a scared hawk.” 

“Can a hawk be scared?” Madge glared at her and she conceded. “All right, all right. Yes, I am acting like a scared, made-up hawk, but I can’t help it! I made a total ass of myself back in high school. I’m afraid he’ll remember.” 

“Of course he’ll remember.” 

“You’re no help. Why’d I bring you as my date again?” 

Her friend smiled a winning smile and rubbed her swollen stomach. “Because my dearest husband decided a fishing trip with his brothers was more important than coming with me to our ten year high school reunion and he bribed you with anything you wanted from his store as thanks.”

“Right, right,” she laughed. “So why are you trying to pawn your date off on some stranger, Madge Hawthorne?” 

“Please!” Madge scoffed. “Peeta Mellark is so not a stranger to you. How many times did you two hook up in high school? In the band room, under the stage in the auditorium, the Home Ec room, and correct me if I’m wrong, but didn’t you two do it in Abernathy’s office?” 

Popping the maraschino cherry from her drink into her mouth, Katniss smiled. “I’m not confirming, nor denying, anything of the sort. We were total saints in high school.” 

“Uh huh.” Madge sighed and readjusted herself in her seat. “If you were total saints, why not go over and talk about your sainthood with Peeta, then?” 

Because she had broken his heart? Because 18-year-old Katniss panicked and ruined a great thing? Because she knew for a fact, thanks to Facebook and small town busybodies, that Peeta had just gotten out of an engagement with some gorgeous blonde who looked like a model and showing up now felt like cutting open an old scar? Because she was scared of telling him how she really felt then? And how those feelings haven’t really gone away and seeing him there, smiling and laughing next to Delly Cartwright as they welcomed old classmates, reminded her those feelings were definitely still there?

“Because he’s busy working the Welcome table,” she said instead. “Don’t you hate when people chit chat you up while you’re trying to work a table?” 

“No, but that’s because I’m not weird about people like you are.” 

“I miss the shy, barely-spoke Madge from high school,” Katniss teased, bumping her foot against Madge’s. “What happened to her?” 

“I joined a sorority in college and had to do three years of recruitment,” was all she said, still giving Katniss a pointed look. “Go talk to him, Katniss. Rip the band aid off.” 

She looked over at the table and frowned. “What if he tells me off? I don’t think I can handle that kind of rejection.” 

“He won’t,” Madge comforted, resting a hand on Katniss’ knee. “But you won’t know until you go over and say hello. Here,” she tore off her name tag and ripped it in half, handing the two pieces over to Katniss. “Ask for a new name tag for me as your excuse to talk to him.” 

She gratefully took the stickers and stood up, glancing over at the table. Two people were in line, the first person animatedly talking to both Peeta and Delly she didn’t recognize from behind. Yes, she can do this. With one long shot of her drink, she went and stood in line, Madge giving a whoop of cheer in support. 

The wait wasn’t long. Five minutes tops before she was walking up to the table, the two pale blondes smiling up at her, reminding her of all those times in high school they’d be managing the ticket table at lunch for Student Council or the ticket booth for football and basketball games. 

“Katniss Everdeen!” Delly welcomed in her high-pitched squeaky voice that hasn’t changed a bit in ten years. “I thought I saw you around! You silly goose, how are you? What have you been up to? How has life been treating you? How is that lovely sister of yours?”

“Delly,” Katniss smiled. Even now, after all these years, it was hard not to reciprocate the woman’s warmth and energy. “Life’s been good, thanks. Can’t complain. Still living at home with my mom and sister. Prim’s fine. Going to school to be a doctor.”

“That’s amazing! And you’re a teacher now, I hear, right?” 

“Um—yes, I am.” Her eyes shifted to Peeta, who was all smiles as well, before focusing back on Delly. “I’m a high school choral director at the high school next town over.” 

“You did always have a beautiful voice,” Peeta stepped in and her legs almost turned to jello at the sound of his familiar yet somewhat deeper voice. “Inspiring students to find their voices.” Ever the wordsman, Peeta Mellark was. 

“Yes,” she blushed, unable to help herself. “Um. That’s a really nice way of saying I spend half my time telling my classes to quiet down so we can get some work done.” They laughed and that helped calm some of her anxiety. “How are you both? I haven’t seen either of you since we all left for college!” 

Delly answered first. “I’m a proud Stay-at-Home-Mom—” 

“Don’t get her started on her triplets or else we’ll be here all night,” Peeta teased, happily accepting Delly’s shove. 

“Wow,” Katniss breathed. “Triplets. That’s—that’s a lot of babies!” 

“That’s what Thom says—you remember Thom, right, Katniss? We all had gym together in eleventh grade. Well, he’s my amazing husband now and he’s always joking how we nailed it out of the park on the first try.” She held out her phone to show a picture of three chubby toddlers, two girls and a boy, smiling cheekily at the camera in nothing but their diapers. “Gretchen, Analise, and Tommy,” Delly explained, pointing to each happy baby. “They just turned three last month and boy, are they keeping me busy!” 

Katniss nodded. “They look adorable, Delly. Look just like you.” 

“Thank you. That’s what everyone says.” She put her phone away. “Anyone in your life, Katniss?” 

“Oh, um. No.” She looked down at the stickers in her hand, realizing she didn’t need it now with Delly talking a mile a minute. “Work keeps me pretty busy and most guys don’t understand why I prioritize a bunch of high schoolers over—well, everything.” She laughed, feeling a bit awkward now talking about her non-existent love life. 

Delly looked over at Peeta, a knowing look in her eyes. “Peeta knows exactly how that is.” 

“Delly,” he said, rolling his eyes at her. “I’m a high school art teacher,” he explained to Katniss. “And I run the school’s debate and speech teams for some extra money. So I get prioritizing your students over everything else.” 

Oh. She didn’t know he was a teacher, too. Well that made a lot of sense why it was a pain hunting him down on Facebook. How had she not put two and two together? “Elective teachers unite,” she joked half-heartedly, feeling nervous again now that the attention was on him. 

“May our program budgets always just barely make the cut,” he joined in, all smiles. She smiled back, unable to help herself. His smiles, familiar despite time away, always made her feel more at ease. 

“You know, ever since I had the triplets, my bladder has never been the same,” Delly abruptly said standing up. “I have to visit the potty. The bathroom,” she corrected herself. “We’re working on potty training right now. Peeta, guard the table while I’m away?” 

“Oh. Uh, sure thing, Dells.” 

“You keep a close eye on him, Katniss. Make sure he doesn’t cause any mischief,” Delly warned with a wag of her finger before walking away, waving to those she knew as she went, which seemed to be everyone.

Katniss stood there for a moment, forlornly watching their buffer leave. She barely knew Delly, but now as the curly-haired blonde left, she felt a bit of a betrayal of being left alone with Peeta. 

“You don’t have to watch over me,” Peeta said, her attention snapping back to him. “Delly was just teasing.” 

“Oh no, it’s okay.” It wasn’t, not really, but admitting that would make things ten times more awkward. “Madge is my supposed date tonight, but she’s been spending more time in the bathroom than with me. So it’s fine. Um.” Just get it over with! “How are you, Peeta?” 

“I’m fine, Katniss. Thank you for asking.” 

“Of course, of course.” Wishing she’d consumed more alcohol before pursuing this quest, she went forth, “I heard you moved back into town. With your brother?” 

He shook his head. “I forgot how small this town is. Yeah. I moved back. Go on and ask.” He motioned at her, rolling his eyes. “About my engagement. Everyone’s been asking about it.” 

Katniss winced. “I didn’t want to pry, but yeah, I heard.” 

“As did many others.” He sighed and leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. “I’m fine, really. I broke it off with her, actually. Wasn’t a right fit,” he explained. “I didn’t think it fair to either of us to continue further, but it still hurts a little.”

“I’m sorry to hear that, Peeta.” But was she really, though? Was she seriously happy about a guy she hadn’t spoken to in over ten years being single again? God, she was a horrible person. “But it sounds like you did the mature thing. Breaking it off like that.” 

He shrugged. “That’s what everybody tells me.” 

Someone came up behind her and she stepped aside as Peeta snapped into greetings mode. It was amazing watching him change so swiftly like that. Some people truly never changed, she realized, remembering how quickly he seemed to change moods at the flip of a switch. He did it the day she broke things off with him. How his eyes cascaded down in disappointment and she’d wondered if he might cry after confessing how he felt about her for all this time, but then someone had walked in, calling out to them, and he became all smiles and acted like nothing drastic had happened between them.

It was a bit unsettling, the more she thought about it now. 

The line of late comers started growing and Delly still hadn’t returned. Deciding to keep her promise, Katniss took a seat next to Peeta and smiled as another former classmate stepped up, ignoring the quizzical look he sent her as they were asked questions about times for the planned events and how they both were doing. Many assumed they were married now, remembering how close the two were in high school, and thank god for Peeta stepping in and saving her stumbling tongue, explaining how Katniss was just keeping Delly’s seat warm until she returned and that they hadn’t seen each other until tonight. 

After the third or fourth classmate assumed their matrimonial union, Katniss laughed, picking at the ripped sticker she’d stuck to her skirt for safe keeping. “I didn’t realize so many people remembered us together.” 

“Small town school,” he reminded her, his tone light and joking. Like she didn’t stupidly break his heart. “I’m not surprised they remembered you. You forget how much of an effect you have on people, Katniss.” 

Her cheeks warmed. “I think you mean yourself there, Mr. Popular. I was that awkward band and choir girl with the braces who never shut up about why the Baroque style was far superior to Classical.” 

“I remember those rants fondly,” Peeta laughed. “Your face would get all pinched because I barely knew what you were talking about, so I couldn’t offer any opinion. And I loved those braces! The silver brackets really brought out the silver in your eyes.” 

She rolled her eyes, remembering that line he used to pull every time she complained about her teeth. “Well I’m happy to say those days are gone. I’ve been metal-free since college.” 

“Took that long, huh?” 

“I’m pretty sure my orthodontist was just milking it for my money those last three years,” she laughed. “My teeth looked pretty straight to me.” Katniss smiled widely, showing off her white, straight teeth she suffered many mouth cuts and rubber band snaps to achieve. He joined her and wow. It really did feel like no time had passed between them. Like they were just a couple of teens back in high school, making fun of a teacher or a douchey classmate. 

Peeta looked down at the table, tapping his pen in thought. “You know,” he said after a moment, still looking down, “I am free from this table at 7.”

“That makes sense,” she nodded. “If people haven’t arrived in the first hour and a half, that’s their loss.”

“It is,” he smiled, glancing up at her. Yes, his eyes were still as clear blue as she remembered, and was it possible for eyelashes to grow? His looked longer now. “If you’d be fine with it, Katniss, I’d like to catch up with you some more.” Was it her imagination or did he seem nervous? That made no sense. She broke his heart. If anyone should be nervous, it was her. And she was. The constant flutter in her stomach more noticeable now with her sitting so close to him. 

“Oh. Um.” It was her turn to look down at her hands. “Okay. Sure. Yeah, that’d be great.” 

Peeta seemed uncertain, though. “Are you sure? Was I too forward just now? Sorry, ever since my break-up, I seem to be a bit rusty talking with people.” That was hard to believe. 

“No, no!” Katniss rushed to assure him. “I just—didn’t think you’d really want to catch up after how we ended things.” There. She mentioned it. Old heartbreak was out there now. “I know I messed things up pretty badly.” 

To her surprise, Peeta laughed, shaking his head. “Trust me, that is water under the bridge, Katniss. I was stupid and should have picked up on the vibes you were sending me.” 

“And I was stupid, too,” she said, a bit shyly. 

“High schoolers can be pretty stupid.” 

“I don’t know,” she smiled. “Mine seem a lot smarter than when we were that age.” 

“Mine too.” He pretended to think. “Perhaps we were just idiots and it has nothing to do with how young we were.” 

She laughed. “Maybe.” 

He tapped her pen with his. “To being idiots?” 

“To being idiots.” She tapped his pen back. 

And at 7 o’clock sharp, Peeta declared it was time they drank until they got so drunk, it was like they were back at Finnick Odair’s Friday night after-game parties. Katniss happily agreed, sternly reminding him she wasn’t going to make out with him tonight like they used to do in the toolshed during those parties, causing him to burst out laughing. Quickly scrawling out Madge’s name on a new sticker, she told Peeta she’d meet him at the bar. 

“I have to give my date her sticker.” He told her the booze waited for no one and headed to where a group of their classmates were chanting for someone to “Chug! Chug! Chug!” She smiled and went back to Madge, who was chatting with Leevy Anderson, an old friend of hers. 

“Well,” Madge asked after Leevy excused herself. “You were gone an awful long time. Did you get my sticker?” Katniss handed it to her with a smile. “I take it things went well? Or were you just sputtering out nonsense.” 

“It went very well,” Katniss told her, glancing over at the bar where Peeta stood, holding two drinks out, one clearly being hers. “We’re going to get crazy drunk now because this night has been extremely long for both of us. I hope you’re fine driving me?” 

“One of us needs to get crazy drunk tonight,” Madge laughed, patting her stomach. “Drink for me, too?” 

“Of course.” 

“Going to make out with Peeta Mellark like old times?” her friend teased, noticing Peeta now. “I’m sure there’s a closet you two can sneak into.” 

Katniss scoffed at her friend’s blatant assumption. “No, we’re not making out tonight, Madge.” Madge nodded, taking a sip of her pop. “We might next Friday, though,” she added a bit coyly. “He’s taking me out to dinner.” And she walked away before her friend could say anything further.

[saltpepperbeard]

A Jotato’s THG Story (novel?)

So a few days ago, the lovely @everlarkedalways asked me to Weave My THG Tale™. And, in being VERY on brand in regards for my THG Story, I’m late to the party lol! Mostly because of work, partly because I was avoiding Ballad spoilers, and a tad bit because...I’m a potato. BUT, now that I am free of any large projects and finally have Ballad in my hands, I’m finally able to look past my potato roots and talk about how a certain wATER POTATO ARCHER CHANGED MY LIFE lmao.

Ara has jokes though, let me tell you. “Keep it short” l m a o; THIS IS ABOUT TO BE A NOVEL AND WE KNOW IT. ARE YOU READING BALLAD? HERE’S A NEW 500 PAGE BOOK FOR YOU TBH-

I’ve told this story a few times before, but it’s always delightful to look back on things and see all the twists and turns I’ve experienced with this franchise. The most notable being, I started out HATING Hunger Games lol!

I was in ninth grade when THG started to become like, a global phenomenon. Everyone was reading it, everyone was talking about it, and it was everywhere. And for whatever reason, instead of actually sitting down and, idk, GIVING IT A TRY LMAO, my reaction instead was to DESPISE IT. Guess it was that edgy, irate, “I’m ABOVE the general masses ha look at me,” fresh-out-of-middle-school mentality. And also, my justification for hating it so much was along the lines of, “Wow it’s just a series about kids killing each other? WHAT’S THE APPEAL???”

Which like fjlksjdksds...If I could look back on my early 2012 self?

She had no idea what was in store for her lmao.

Anyway, the premiere of the movie came and went, and I was still hard set in my ways. THAT WAS, until that same summer. I can’t exactly remember which clips I stumbled upon first? But I know I came across the Joshifer+Liz Banks interview, and also a ton of Perfectly Legal Movie Clips™ on YouTube. Both of which silently chained my soul without me realizing LMAO. I remember thinking that the main actors were so cute and played off each other well (AGAIN LMAO, GIRL, BIG STORM COMING), and also remember being totally intrigued by all the clips I watched. It was mainly clips of Katniss in the arena, and I think it made me realize that wow hey, there’s an ACTUAL STORY HERE, WITH A FEMALE PROTAGONIST NO LESS.

The story gets a tad fuzzy for me here, but I do believe I got the books and quickly read through them shortly after I essentially watched the entire movie on YouTube through clips jdksljdks. I can’t really recall what I thought about the books really? Because, I think I BREEZED through them. I was so excited that I just ZOOMED TF THROUGH. I inhaled the series in one GIANT GULP. I think I even read THG in a single day jdlsjklaads. It definitely wasn’t a cautious read through to get a better sense of the detail and literary devices. 

BUT, despite my excitement, I still hadn’t reached the God Tier “OBSESSIVE” stage yet. The light bulb hadn’t fully come on yet. It wasn’t until late 2013 when Catching Fire came out that I REALLY STARTED TO GO BALLISTIC LMAO. Actually, one of my fondest THG memories comes from this time, because I think it was really like, the OFFICIAL starting block for my obsession.

I was riding on a bus to a Theatre Competition, and my best friend had just gotten the CF Soundtrack for us to listen to. I remember being absolutely enamored with it- Mirrors, We Remain, and Lean in particular. And idk, something at that point just kind of told me that Catching Fire was going to be my anchor. Sure enough, after the competition was over, said friend and I went to go see the movie together.

And I astral projected lmao. I ACHIEVED HUNGER GAMES ENLIGHTENMENT. THE LIGHT BULB SWITCHED TF ON.

I was quick to see it again the following day, and I think saw it another two times in theaters after that. I also started drawing fanart of it, and looking for more pictures/interviews. And the want for more content, the DESIRE to go crazy about it, is what eventually lead me to finding the fandom here on Tumblr. I had had a Tumblr since 2012, but never really used it with a purpose. But when I realized there were people posting all sorts of stuff about THG? Boom- another light bulb. I followed tons of people, and officially changed my url to what it is today. “Star’s” for my internet alias at the time, and “Mahogany” for my love of Effie/that Iconic Line.

HOWEVER LOL, Tumblr would lead me towards a different side, something I didn’t expect to get pulled into so hard at all. Because, I distinctly remember coming on one night in December of 2013, and seeing @joshmopolitan and a few others posting about Josh going to the UK game. And that of course, lead me down the Celebrity Rabbit Hole, and lead me towards the Chaotic, Wonderful, Crazy-

JOSHIFER FANDOM.

((Also, before you crinkle your nose, *raises cane* BACK IN MY DAY, EVERYONE SHIPPED JOSHIFER LOL. *Snow voice* DON’T LIE. Like, everyone thought they were cute to some sort of degree, or believed they were going to get together. Shoutout to the Joshifer Golden Days, man.))

And thank goodness for it tbh. Because it was JUST when I was itching to write fanfiction with everyone else, and just when I was struggling HARDCORE with writing Everlark. @joshmopolitan and @youarebeingridiculous were sort of my introductions into RPF, with @youarebeingridiculous giving me nudges towards my first Everlark fic, before also nudging me towards my first Joshifer fic. And when my first Joshifer fic garnered attention/when I had a blast writing it? ANOTHER. LIGHT. BULB LOL.

So I was dead af from that point on. I was absolutely drawn in. Even though I was still invested in THG, Joshifer was definitely my main focus from 2014-2016ish. I was there for the typical ship wars, there to read and write all the fanfiction, there to read all the theories, and there to partake in all the crazy moments. Shoutout to Cannes 2014 in particular lmao; I was in the car and my phone started going off like CRAZY, with many of my friends SCREAMING at me about the events/articles that had transpired.

Being attached to Joshifer also allowed me to write my first, and so far only, full length, These Words are a Lie. It started out as just a four part series, two parts of which I actually published. Befffooorrre getting to the third part and realizing I had WAY too much to deal with/explain/write, which consequently lead to me pulling them down and expanding upon them! And thus my messy, lovely, 25 chapter peanut journey started lmao. Though I look back on it now and realize how disjointed it was, I’m so thankful I was able to see that story completely through. I’m also very thankful for the SUPPORT and following it got. Wouldn’t have gotten through without y’all! 

ANYWAY LMAO, because this is my THG story and not my Joshifer story, let’s get back to that. 2014 was WHACK because...LG was utterly tripping with its promotional material. And to think, it was just the START of odd/lacking promo, seeing as they were SOMEHOW WORSE WITH MJ2 LMAO. But even though I was incredibly salty at the time, it was so fun to be mad and chomping at the bit with everyone else lol. The SUFFERING OF NOT HAVING ANY NEW CONTENT BROUGHT US CLOSER TOGETHER. Also, going to Best Buy to watch the teaser trailer under Heavy Guard??? Was an EXPERIENCE LOL??? But man was I so stoked to get my poster and pin, because that was some of the first merch I got!

ALSO, MJ1 was the time where I got the idea to create a small YouTube series called “Tributes React.” I really really wish I could have been in the fandom earlier, because it would have been, dare I say, FIRE LOL to react to more than just the MJ1 and MJ2 trailers. But it was so so fun regardless, and everyone’s participation was incredible! And now all of our early, embarrassing, INTENSE fangirling is stuck here/memorialized forever PFFFF.

And, not to mention, Fran Solo himself watched one of them. Someone tweeted the video at him, and he tweeted back that it made all the hard times worth it. MY GREATEST FANDOM ACCOMPLISHMENT RIGHT THERE???

And finally getting to watch MJ1 in theaters lmao omg. I went with my friend before, and also one of my guy friends. And the entire time, he was HARD STARING AT ME WAITING FOR ME TO CRY LOL. SO HE COULD TEASE ME. AND HE GOT HIS WISH BECAUSE OF COURSE THE LAST 30 MINUTES OR SO UTTERLY RUINED ME. I remember shivering so so SO bad when the rescue mission for Peeta started, and having to hold my friends’ hands when they were creeping through the Tribute Center, and utterly SOBBING when Peeta attacked Katniss. Because...hello...I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again...WAY WAY MORE INTENSE THAN THE BOOK LMAO??

And then came the beginning of the end. I remember that promo time was even DRYER for MJ2 lmao, and that we were all DYING. Like, I think the big trailer didn’t release until like, SEPTEMBER??? WHICH...LG WHAT THE ACTUAL-

And we were also back to watching trailers in Best Buys jfkssdkdlsk. My Best Buy was also DUMB and didn’t have any posters, but @infinitegraces​ was awesome enough to send me numerous copies! Bless you, thank you; I had them on my wall all through college lol! DESPITE THEM BEING A HAUNTING REMINDER OF HOW HARD LG SMACKED US LMAO.

Despite my salt towards the INITIAL promo though, the premieres and what not definitely lead to MJ2 having a special place in my heart. I had just gone off to college, and was a timid, lonely little freshman with nowhere to turn. But the fandom was there for me, and MJ2 promos/premieres gave me something to be excited for. It all kept me going through that ROUGH first semester, and was there for me before I met my best friends. So thank you MJ2, and thank you all for sharing that excitement with me! <3

Also, I’d like to mention that I was SO desperate to continue the tradition of seeing the premiere with my friend thaaaaatttt...I left for Thanksgiving break two or three days early/skipped class JUST to make it back home in time to see it with her lol! I WASN’T HERE TO PLAY GAMES, Y’ALL. THG > ACADEMICS APPARENTLY PFFFF.

After that though, things kind of quieted down. I found friends and activities in college, the movies were done, and Joshifer was dying out. It lead me to use Tumblr sporadically, not posting AS much as I had before. I still had tons of love for everything, and still enjoyed coming on whenever I did!

Then I sort of stumbled upon our “renaissance,” like the lovely @everlarkedalways​ posting re-reads and re-watches. It tugged me in again, and made me excited to post content! I also branched out and began to write Everlark, and began talking about them/the books/meta more than I did in my earlier years. 

And of course, said renaissance lead me to attending TOASTCON LMAO. Which I somehow managed to name. On accident. *Dabs unironically*

That of course, was such an amazing experience. Going to movie filming sites has always been on my bucket list, so getting to go to HUNGER GAMES SITES??? WITH FANDOM PEOPLE???? GOD TIER??????

I was also suffering from major panic/anxiety problems that summer, having just graduated college and being thrown out in the Real World™. So once again, THG and its fandom were there for me when nothing else could be. And despite me feeling off mentally, despite me feeling plagued by fatigue, I still thoroughly enjoyed meeting everyone/having such a once in a lifetime experience. Also, getting to FLEX on my friends when we watch the movies and go like “I WAS THERE! I WAS THERE!! I WAS THERE!!!” is...A Time PFFFF.

Then of course, I started working a full time job, and shifted a bit away from Tumblr/the fandom. Not DELIBERATELY; more like, I was too Mentally Tired to really do much after work. But now that Ballad is here, and now that we have new content once more? I feel like I’m waking back up. Hell, I even went to Atlanta to see MORE film sites right before the virus started to make its rounds.

And so here I am lol! A SEASONED THG VET WITH SEVEN YEARS AND COUNTING UNDER MY BELT. I would very much love to tag everyone who had an impact on me, and/or who I’ve interacted with and shared fun times with over the years. But A. Everyone really out here CONSTANTLY CHANGING THEIR URL’s, and B. The number would be Too Great and I would inevitably forget someone on accident.

SO THEN, if you’re reading this, and we’ve ever shared some kind of THG experience together, thank you, from the bottom of my heart. THG has been such a wondrous experience for me, and it’s lead me to meet all sorts of amazing, talented individuals. It’s also been there for me during darker times, and has supported me in every way possible.

I love you all, I love being here, and HERE’S TO MANY MORE TAGS/RAMBLES IN THE FUTURE LOL! Like lmao, a new movie, you guys??? WHAT??? TRIBUTES REACT ANYONE???

-Jotato Out <3

[hutchhitched]

The Everlark Carols (Part 1, Baby, It’s Cold Outside)

Happy December, Everlarkers! Some of you may know I was planning to finish Playlist: Home this December, but I came up with another idea after @everlarkchristmasgifts​ posted their list of prompts. No spoilers, but you might also be interested in my first story for @everlarkchristmasgifts​, Blue. Let me know your thoughts. 

The story page for The Everlark Carols is here.

“It’s cold.”

 Peeta kisses me on the cheek and hands me a mug of hot chocolate. “Drink up, Captain Obvious.”

 I roll my eyes at him, but I can’t even be mad when I taste how good my cocoa is. Peeta is a master in the kitchen. He can do anything—baking, cooking, mixing drinks. He’s a master. (There’s surely a master baker joke in there somewhere that could quickly turned into an innuendo, but I am innocent and sweet and “pure,” as Peeta likes to call me, thank you very much.)

 “It’s so good,” I breathe into the mug and let the steam heat my cool cheeks. “Thank you.”

 “Always happy to take care of my woman,” he teases and pecks my cheek with a short kiss.

 “Your woman, huh?” I ask, waggling my eyebrows at him. “You, Tarzan; me, Jane? Cave man Peeta. Hear you roar?”

 “You love me all masculine and testosterone-y.”

 “Testosterone-y. Is that what you make when you master bake?”

 He tries not to laugh, but he can’t help it. I’m clever. All he has to do is ask; I’ll tell him. Mirth bursts from him in a massive guffaw that makes me want to get him naked. I have to force myself to hold back.

 “I love you so much,” he chuckles, but then he does something really, really unacceptable. He heads to the back door and grabs his coat.

 “Where are you going?” I whine. “Stay inside where it’s waaaaarrrrrrrmmmmmm.”

 “Oh no. No, no, no. You finish up that drink and get yourself bundled up. We’ve got plans, and you are not getting out of it.” He points his index finger at me and wiggles it in a “hurry up, you!” motion that makes me want to nibble on his fingers.

 “But, baby,” I pout because I know he adores it when I call him pet names. I’m not really a pet name type of person, but somehow I want to when it’s him.

 “What, snookums?”

 “Baby… Wait for it! It’s cold outside!”

 “Oh, for… How long have you been holding onto that one?”

 “Since November 1 when it snowed.”

 “You have too much time on your hands.”

 “I’d rather have you on my hands. My hands on you? Hands on your time? I don’t even know anymore,” I babble, not entirely sure I’m even remotely sane. What am I saying?

 “Seriously, get done. I’ll be outside.”

 “You’re not fun.”

 “I’m all fun.”

 “Zero fun.”

 “All fun, all the time.”

 “Not if you’re planning to make me go out into the cold and snow and terrible-ness that’s outside this house and not spend the entire day in bed with me.”

 Peeta looks at me like I’ve lost my mind. It’s possible. I’ve been all sorts of fuzzy lately, and I don’t have any idea why my head keeps getting jumbled and I forget what I’m looking for half the time. I’d care, but I don’t. Instead, I just let Peeta take care of me, which isn’t something I’m very used to, but I decided to just go with it since he seems to like to so much. I don’t take advantage, though. That would be absolutely unlike me, and I kind of like who I am—now, anyway. It took quite a while to get there.

 “Katniss, sweetheart,” he says in a soft voice that is full of cheek and sass. “You know I love you, right? You know I’m totally head over heels, madly, amazingly in love with you. You are the love of my life, the apple of my eye, the woman above all others who has ruined me for anyone but you.”

 “Peeta, you need to stop.”

 “But darling, confused, lovely Katniss, you’ve forgotten something so very important, you’re going to kick yourself when you realize the enormity of it.”

 “I’ve forgotten something enormous?”

 “You have,” he says, his voice and expression so mournful, I’m almost scared.

 “What?” My voice cracks, and he grins at me. My husband is a total jerk.

 “They’re here.”

 “What? Who’s here?”

 “The Hawthorne Hellions.”

 “Well, shit,” I mutter. “I really did forget that.”

 Thirty seconds later, my three nieces burst through the door, and I’m lost in a chorus of “Aunt Katniss! Uncle Peeta! We’re here!”

[alliswell21]

So, @everlarkedalways had this idea of having everyone write a little bit about their journey into the Everlark rabbit hole we call fandom… lol

It’s taken me forever because I can’t manage to put down my copy of Ballad, but here it is… finally, here is mine!

I heard of the books from a friend back in 2010. We used to swap books and chat about them after, and it was great. He was dating this girl who was reading THG, and long story short, she got him hooked on them and kept telling me I needed to read them, but he never got around to lend me his copies, because that was the year my dad died, and shortly after I found out I was pregnant and even more shortly after, I was giving birth to an extremely premature child who needed all of my attention.

The series got relegated to a passing memory, until the first movie came out. The same friend from before was raging about Jennifer Lawrence being casted because she was too old/white/whatever, he also disliked the motion camera thing, he has immensely peeved about something with Peeta (That later I learned he was right about)... I didn’t know who JLaw was since I hadn’t set foot in a movie theatre since I was pregnant, and I HATED Cloverfield for the camera thing, so for whatever reason, I assumed THG movie wasn’t very good, which completely doused down any lingering interest I had on the series.

When the movie came out on DVD, my husband rented it, because of reasons, and… Holy Moley! Did we love the freaking thing!!!

I called up my friend to tear him a new one for “lying” to me about the movie, and he gave me the sacred line we readers abide by: “Meh, the books are better.” This time, he lent me the books, but while I was waiting to get them, my husband got impatient and googled up some stuff he didn’t get from the movie, I don’t even remember what it was… so, he spoiled the whole plot for me… we have a rule now, he’s not allowed to tell me stuff he googled up unless I ask.

I read the books anyway, because I was intrigued about the whole dystopian part, and I’m so glad I did, because my friend was right, the books were immensely better than the movie, and then I had all these long discussions with my friend about the books and how disrespectful it was they pretty much whitewashed Peeta’s whole everything from the film and then I told him how even knowing what was coming, I threw the book across the room and put it on a timeout when Finnick got killed, and I had this incredible urge to throttle Gale for Prim… and yes! I’m still not over Finnick. I will never be!

Anywho, I rewatched the movie, and re-read the books, and then I kept wondering about their fate… I had heard of Fanfiction before (thanks JK Rowling for validating Fanfic writers and then suing a dude for writing an unauthorized HP encyclopedia), I had never ventured into it before though, but I had read my books like three times already and I just wished there was more… and then I one day, I just wrote “katniss and Peeta had children” in the search bar, covered my eyes and peeked through my fingers, and I’ve been part of this bottomless pit of stories ever since.

Oddly enough, the first thing that came up was Prompts in Panem, and then I discovered ffnet, and after that AO3… it was mostly growing back together stories, but then one day I saw a arranged marriage AU, and I was entirely lost to the AUs… I mean, it’s my most beloved OTP in whatever circumstances you can think up! And then I read “In Name Only” and I was ruined forever! Sadly, I ate up every single Age Gap!Everlark there was, so naturally, I had to write my own… I made it as raunchy and Explicit as I could, because it was the very first time I’ve ever done anything like it… I used to write stupid little stories, originals, and not very long, but my first posted fic is to this day, my longest and my most popular. I’ve gotten better (in my opinion, which maybe be a very askew opinion).

I totally love the fandom and the friends I’ve made in here… I’ve seen people come and go, good writers, even better friends. I’ve seen people come back with awesome stories and I’ve followed authors faithfully as much as I can… Everlarkers are a big family, and we are strewn all over the globe, connected by the love we have for this characters and the stories they had to tell us...it’s crazy realizing how we live in this place online, a whole community, and it’s ever weirder to me how long it took me to get into the thick of it. It took me a while to join tumblr despite writing for PiP, I think I joined tumblr about a year after I started writing fics. Then life happened, my second child came along and I took a break for little while, but I’ve been slowly getting back on track with my numerous WiPs that I still hope to finish at some point. I’m just glad to be part of this community, and I try to cheer up any new and old writer that comes along, because I think is all our win when our archives grow… you guys make this fandom awesome, and I’m glad to part of it! ❤️

[animekpopxx]

Dammit Peeta!

So this idea came to me while at work and since today I got a 3 hour sit, I wrote majority of this. Yay productivity! So all mistakes are mine. Can’t believe I finished an everlark story even if it is a dabble~ Enjoy!

Note: Its been edited so hopefully I got all the errors now.

“No, no, no, no, no” Katniss mumbled as she looked at the results. They have known each other for years but they finally acted upon their feelings just last year. Ok...who are we kidding, it was she that finally gave in into her feelings. She was hesitant about ruining the great friendship that they had but enough was enough when an event occurred that left her totally embarrassed outside for everyone one to see but with a new found relationship.

For the first couple of months, they took it slow, trying to know each other as more than friends. But it was just over 3 months ago when they finally took that next step in their relationship and finally became one. Gag...one..ugh...how cliche is that.

There was this one time though that Peeta or Katniss knew what exactly happened, but something did happened in the aftermath from what she’s looking at now.

Peeta grunts as he finally comes, kissing Katniss as he starts to calm down. That has been the most intense sex they’ve had thus far.  Katniss has come too many times that she lost count. The wetness down there was much greater than normal that she really didn’t think about it until Peeta finally pulled out and there was a small leak in the condom.

“Oh shit! Peeta! Did the condom break?” Katniss looked up at Peeta as he tied a knot and throw it in the garbage.

“Hmm… I don’t think so. I don’t think any got inside you.” Peeta said nonchalantly.“Now come here, let me cuddle you” with a smug on his face.

What they both didn’t notice was the cum that was in the condom was quite small and they did not notice the gaping hole at the side of the condom where majority of his cum came out off and into her.

Katniss was sitting in the couch, not paying attention to the tv when Peeta came in. He put his stuff away and sat down next to her. Katniss didn’t even move an inch and Peeta found this off. Normally, she would be already jumping on him with kisses since it’s been a few days since they’ve seen each other.

Peeta turns to face her and grabs her hands to his.

“Babe, what’s wrong?” He didn’t even finished saying his sentence before she started balling.

“Hey, hey, its ok” Peeta softly says as he embraces her and moves his hand up and down her back.

“No its not” Katniss hiccups. Peeta barely heard her.

“There’s nothing that we can’t face together. Now please babe, tell me what’s wrong.”

“I’m….I….” Katniss takes a breath before she gets out of his embrace and looks him straight in the eyes.

“I’m pregnant” Peeta’s eyes widen, mouth open. Shock. That’s what it is. Peeta stays like that as a statue for what feels like forever for Katniss but it was only like 30 seconds. Gosh, these people can be so dramatic sometimes.

“What? Ho..how!” Peeta asked, trying to think back of when this could have happened.

“It has to be that time when I asked you if the condom broke.” Peeta’s eyes widen with realization.

“But it looked like there was a small ripe and it happened when it was outside.” Peeta explained.

“Well apparently not Peeta. Apparently you didn’t noticed that it leaked inside of me. Apparently you don’t seem to know that that can get me pregnant.” Katniss fumes as she says each sentence.

“That’s not what I meant and you know that. I’m just in shock and trying to process this, but Katniss, WE’RE HAVING A BABY!” Peeta’s dimple coming out loud and proud. Katniss finally gets to smile since she first found out this morning.

“And just think that that small amount of my swimmer got you knocked up!”

“DAMMIT PEETA!”

“No,no,no,no,no” Katniss mumbled as she looked at the results. Hold on, wait, deja vu moment! This can’t be happening again.

It was only that one time. It was 6 months after Willow was born and she finally started feeling good about herself. She also finally got her sex drive back that she jumped Peeta in the baker one afternoon. She didn’t care if anyone was listening in or even there.

“Damn Peeta and him being sexy while he makes dough. Ughhh” Katniss tries to think and remember back to see if Peeta put on a condom. Katniss wasn’t on birth control at the time since she had her appointment for that the following week. Well we all guess she has been taking them for nothing.

Katniss returns back to the bedroom and picks up Willow that was in the middle of the bed.

“Hi Baby~ It looks like daddy doesn’t know how to work a condom huh?” “No, he doesn’t, no he doesn’t.” Willow smiles with her dimple loud and proud as her mama talks to her.

Peeta comes home to Katniss and Willow on the floor in the living room. His daughter laughter feels the air. He smiles at the moments and thinks about drawing this moment in his sketchbook later.

Katniss looks up at him when he enters the room. “Did you put on a condom?”

“What!?” Peeta looks at Katniss taken back. What was she talking about?

“At the bakery Peeta, a month ago. Did you put on a condom?” Peeta starts to smirk as he remembers the time that Katniss jumped him at the bakery that one time. Gosh was it wonderful.

“I don’t think so. Why?” Peeta goes to seat down in front of them and goes to grab his daughter and shower her with kisses.

“I’m pregnant” Yup, that gets Peeta to stop the kisses.

“Are you sure? It was only that one time” Peeta asks as he looks at Katniss and then back at their daughter.

“As sure as you not wearing that condom that night” Katniss scowls.

“And just like that, my swimmer got you knocked up again!” Peeta grins

“DAMMIT PEETA!”

“No,no,no,no,no” Katniss mumbled as she looked at the results. Hold on, wait, deja vu moment! A deja vu IN A DEJA VU! Mind explodes.

This was earlier than her last pregnancy. Willow was just 6 months when she got pregnant last time and now her baby boy is only 4 months old.

Katniss did everything she could to have this not happen again. She talked to her doctor and got on birth control as soon as possible. So then how can this happen? They stopped using condoms because they have a bad track with it and now it looks like it doesn’t even matter. There might be something wrong with her or something.

“Mama, mama” knocks are heard as she sees a small hand underneath the space of the door.

“Hold on baby, Mama is just using the potty, I’ll be right there. Just give me a second.” Katniss says as she tries to collect herself. The knocking doesn’t stop as she keeps hearing her name being called from her first born.

She finally opens the door and smiles as she looks down at her toddler.

“Mama! Up up!” Willows says as she raises her arms up.

Xx

Peeta comes home late that night. He finds Katniss in their bedroom feeding their son. Peeta goes up and kisses his son’s head and gives Katniss a kiss hello.

“How was your day babe.” Peeta asks as he takes off his uniform and gets ready to take a shower.

“Ohhh you known...it was alright...Peeta?” She asks suspiciously.

“What?” He stops what he’s doing to look up at her.

“Why are condoms used?” Peeta looks at her down founded.

“Serious Kat? You know why” He goes back to what he was doing.

“Why don’t we use condoms anymore Peeta? Asks innocently.

“Are you serious? Because you’re on birth control that why...gosh Kat, did you eat something weird?” Peeta starts heading back to the bathroom to take his shower.

“So many weird questions” he whispered.

“I’m pregnant!” Katniss states nonchalantly. That gets Peeta to stop.

“....Again?! Damn swimmers...y’all are doing a great job!” Peeta states as he grabs his dick and walks into the bathroom.

Katniss looks down at her baby who’s still feeding and cover his ears before inhaling and saying

“DAMMIT PEETA!”

“No,no,no,no,no” Katniss mumbled as she looked at the results. Hold on, wait, deja vu moment! A deja vu IN A DEJA VU!... wait a minute, we have already done this...MOVIN ON~

Katniss knows exactly when this happened. It was the day that her sister Prim and her mom offered to watch the kids so that she and peeta have a day to themselves and that’s exactly what they did. They spent a day having a picnic in her favorite woods, just spending time together with no kids on the hip. Then talking turned into kisses that turned into what's growing inside her now. She didn’t think it was a time for her to conceive but at this point, Katniss doesn’t even question it anymore with the track record that both of them have.

Katniss doesn’t even wait until Peeta fully closes the door when he comes home to tell him.

“I’m pregnant.” She looks at him as she tells him then turns around and walks up the stairs.

“Since my boys are doing too much of good job, can you finally marry me before you start to show?” Peeta smiles as he finally closes the door.

Katniss scowls. “DAMMIT PEETA!”

Xx

“Aiden, put that down please” Katniss tells her first son as he picks up the baby in the womb display that’s seating on the table besides them. Aiden giggles as he puts it back and runs to his mother and stands in front of her.

Aiden gives her his dimple smile as he puts his adorable little hands on her six month pregnant belly.  

“Mama, baybwi, mamaaa” Aiden giggles.

“Yes, honey, baby. Be gentle to baby, honey” Katniss winces as her little boy pats her stomach a bit too hard.

Katniss turns to Peeta who’s sitting next to her. He’s sitting with their little boy on his lap.

“Peeta, shouldn’t the doctor be here by now? It’s already been 15 mins” Katniss says impatiently.

“He should be here any minute now.” Peeta turns to look at the door.

The doctor comes in a few minutes later with a file in hand.

“Hello, I am so sorry for the delay. But by looking through the results, I gotta say that I can’t believe that you both don’t have more children than what you already have.” Doctor Aurelius says with a giggle. He sits down on his chair as he opens the file. He already hears the gasps from the two other adults in the room.

“Why? Why do you say that?” Katniss exclaimed.

“Well it looks like your brother was in the right path, Peeta. From the test result from your sperm sample, it looks like your sperm is one of the highly potent ones I have ever seen. Katniss, your body is really receptive to it but the real cause of these pregnancies is Peeta’s sperm.” Katniss looks at the doctor in shocked as she tries to process what he just said. Peeta looks at the doctor with a smile on his face. His dimple out there being loud and proud.

“So Rye was right. I do have divine sperm! Bread isn’t the only thing that I can bake very well.” Peeta grins.

Katniss moves forward and covers Aiden’s ears.

“DAMMIT PEETA!”

[dandelionlovesyou]

You Love Me. I Love You.

I wrote this while actually waiting at the hospital for a check-up.  LOL. Crossing my fingers that my results are okay and that I get a clean bill of health. Enjoy the mild fluff. Everlark is the best medicine for the soul 🧡

@taleasoldasonceuponatime​

AO3  FFN

"We're not just friends, and you know it."

Peeta's words echo in my thoughts as I sit on the cool metal bench at the district hospital. I'm getting a molecular test today because Dr. Aurelius saw scars on my lungs when they took my X-ray two days ago. I haven't had the best health lately, and I could feel it. My strength is not like it used to be, and my recent bout of cough and cold left me useless for a week.

Heaven knows I hate being taken care of -- more like being a burden to Prim and my mother. They have to work at the hospital and don't need another patient at home.

Things got a little heated between Peeta and me two weeks ago. I've only seen him that angry or frustrated a couple of times since we were children because he had always been very patient. It's hard to push Peeta to the brim -- he's just one of those few people who easily empathize with others and maintains his equanimity.

The first instance I saw him angry was when our middle school classmate, Cato Miller, called me a mangy stray dog in front of everybody in school. There were a lot of bruises on my skin from a hunting injury, so he teased me endlessly until Peeta saw me cornered to my locker. Cato towered over me as I prepared to kick his shins. Abruptly, Peeta pushed him back, and a wrestling match ensued right there in the hallway. They rolled on the floor and threw punches at each other. After about three minutes, Cato was caught on a submission armbar and left tapping. The whole commotion disrupted first period, even Mr. Plutarch, who normally stayed out of these things, got out of his classroom to watch the two wrestle. To him, they were nothing but pure entertainment.

It was Mr. Boggs who broke off the fight, and Peeta's mother picked him up from Principal Abernathy's office during lunchtime. Peeta and Cato were suspended for three days. When Peeta returned, he had a purplish welt on his face which I know Cato never gave him.

The second one was in junior year when Peeta's mother almost got a hold of my hair with the intent of dragging me out of the Mellark house. Peeta and I were doing our yearend science project in his room when she found us sitting together on the carpet. There were glitters stuck on my skin because Peeta impulsively decided that I was a fairy and sprinkled the sparkly dust all over me. It was hilarious and a good relief from all the stress we had from school. I've always relied on Peeta to bring me some fun and joy into my days.

Peeta was picking the tiny specks off my eyelids when Mrs. Mellark opened the door. Abrasively, she called me a slut and a bitch out to seduce his son and ruin his future. It was nothing new as she had called me that several times before but never in front of Peeta. Like the crazy woman she was, she pounced on me right away. But I guess Mrs. Mellark underestimated my speed and agility when she tried to grab me. She, however, was able to throw a vase in my direction. It cut my left cheek. Peeta was furious when he saw blood drip down. I've never seen his eyes grow dark as the deep ocean and his skin fuming hot. His mother got scared when he balled his fists and told her to stop. I saw then a world that Peeta kept locked inside of him. In the end, Peeta and I quietly walked home to Seam Town. It was the longest walk of my life. I was worried for him when he eventually had to go back home.

When Peeta got mad last Wednesday, it was totally different, though. He got mad because I screamed at him for taking a leave from work to stay with me for three days. No one asked him to do it, but he did it anyways. I knew how tight money was for him because his mother cut him off from the bakery. Losing three days of work was a big deal for working students like us.

"You're sick, Katniss, can't you see?" he told me at first as I anchor myself on the side of my bed to remain standing. I laughed at him bitterly because it was obvious that I was sick, but I didn't need his help.

"It's just three days. I'll take care of you so that you eat properly and rest. You don't stop moving when you're home alone. I'll even bet fifty dollars you tried going to work this morning."

Who was he to insult me as such, I thought. Immediately, my head became hot but not because of the fever.

"I'm not a baby," I spat with gritted teeth. "You don't have to do this! Just go, Peeta!"

"I can't. Just look at you!" He dropped his overnight bag on the floor, frustration spilling out of his skin. I couldn't believe his overprotectiveness.

"I'm fine! ... I don't ..." A coughing fit followed, and it took me a minute or so to get another word out. I swallowed the phlegm that surfaced and eyed Peeta steely. "I don't need you!"

"You do, Katniss! You're so stubborn ..." He touched my shoulder lightly because I was hunched over my bed, but I brushed his hand away rudely. I had to prove my point. I could take care of myself, and he needed to return to work.

"Katniss, don't make this difficult ...," he pleaded, but the change of tactic flew over my thick head. In hindsight, I think it was the fever fighting with Peeta.

"It's not me. It's you! You're making this difficult!" Another round of coughing started. This time worse than the first. My head was throbbing, and my eyes were all watery and burning. I felt cold and sweaty at the same time, and my skin tingled at the slightest breeze of air that hit me. Suddenly, I felt dizzy, and the room started spinning.

I woke up in bed with a cold towel on my forehead, a humidifier with lavender oil running to help me breathe and relax, and Peeta sleeping on an old armchair beside my bed. I think he was also holding my hand.

"Hey," he cooed when I started moving. He quickly stood up to lean over me and took my temperature. "You fainted. I called your mom, and she told me what to do. Just stay in bed and rest. Here, drink this tea."

It must have been his eyes, or his soothing voice, or his warm hand running up and down my forearm that did it because I didn't argue with him. I drank the tea to the last drop. It was familiarly sweet, and when I gave him back the cup, I realized exactly what he did to me.

Sleep syrup. Damn this fever.

"Peeta, why are you doing this?" He remained quiet, and a tinge of pain hinted at his eyes when he heard my question.

"Katniss, don't ask me that," he answered as he helped me lie down. He fixed the blanket until it reached my chin, then brushed my hair back as he changed the cool towel over my forehead. It was all very soothing.

"Why not? I'm just your friend, Peeta."

"Okay, maybe best friend," I corrected myself between coughs. Eighteen years of being friends merited that label anyways. I felt the sleep syrup pulling my eyelids down, and thought that my mother must have instructed him to put a lot of the syrup in the tea.

"We're not just friends, and you know it," he whispered to me, but I'm already too far gone to process it.

"Cheese buns?" Peeta appears behind me, breaking me out of my recollection. "It's already lunchtime. Have you eaten anything yet?"

"Peeta, why are you here?" He's wearing his work clothes from the local bakery and still has some flour on his hair.

"Why not? I want to be here." How did he even find me here?

"Don't you have work? I know you have work. Please go back to work."

I'm rewarded with a chuckle that disarms me. Damn those deep dimples.

"Just eat the cheese buns, Everdeen," he commands and dangles the freshly baked treat in front of me. "Make me happy?"

"Fine."

"Awesome!"

When I'm done with my fifth cheese bun, I remember again what he said.

"Peeta?"

"Yeah? You want more?"

"No, thank you. I'm already full."

"Wonderful." His smile reaches his eyes, and I hear the person behind me sigh. I didn't know we had an audience.

"Were you going to ask me something?"

"Ummm, yeah."

"Go ahead. I'm an open book." Thank goodness the lady behind me gets called, and I feel better asking my question.

"What did you mean when you said, "We're not just friends, and I know it?" " I bite the insides of my bottom lip and wait for his answer. I don't know why I'm suddenly nervous.

"Easy"

"Easy?" I'm confused now. Why can't Peeta be straightforward?

"You love me, and I love you ... As more than just friends," he confidently says but then looks away to pack the rest of the cheese buns in his bag. His ears are all red, and his cheeks and neck are a splotchy pink. I don't miss the slight tremble of his hands and the deep breath that he takes.

"I do? You do?"

Peeta locks his eyes with mine. I know he's trying to be brave or is debating on something. This part of him, I can read. There have been many moments like this between us, but he always dismisses it and looks away. Now though, he doesn't. He even holds my hand.

"Do you?" he whispers. "Do you love me?"

I'm reminded of the kind boy who gave me bread all those years back in kindergarten. His big blue eyes were always happy to see me and were so vibrant while we played tag around the meadows. All it took for our friendship to start was my gift of a dandelion flower. I saw him looking at them during recess, so I plucked one from the ground and gave it to him. He was wistfully happy and asked me if I'd really meant to give it to him. When I said yes, he quickly gave me a hug. We've been inseparable ever since.

"I do ...," I say and touch his cheek. "Peeta, I think I do ... Love you, that is." I don't add "as more than friends" and instead give him a kiss between his eyes.

"Katniss Everdeen!" the nurse calls. Peeta leans his forehead into my lips and then kisses my palms. His eyes remain closed as he does so. How could anyone be so sweet and tender?

"Wait for me here?" I murmur, and his smile brightens even more. It's an opening, and he gets it. We have a future to live together.

"Always."

Prompt

"We're not just friends and you know it"

By @taleasoldasonceuponatime

[litlifelover]

Counting On Love (Part 2)

A/N: Hi guys! :)

You're all very kind and supportive and I really wanted to thank the people who took time to read and review. Thank you so much!

Once again my thanks also go to a couple wonderful people: @thegirlfromoverthepond​ for her constant hand holding and asking how the writing is coming along and encouraging to write, write, write! :D

And - of course - the wonderful, incredible @honeylime08​, beta extraordinary. You're awesome, thank you for your time and input and the amazing work you do!

Hugs and kisses to you ladies! :)

That's it! Hope you'll all enjoy, thanks for all the support. I love the Everlark-community!

Part 1

You can also read it here: FFn or AO3

COUNTING ON LOVE

Part 2

After Madge had dropped the proverbial bomb in the middle of the playground, it took them a few seconds to react, too stunned to do more than gape at the blonde woman.

"MAGDALENA!" Katniss finally screeched horror-stricken, while Peeta stuttered, "Well, I-I was going to …"

"That's none of your bus-" Katniss hissed at her best friend, but at the young man's words she turned around sharply, all tension leaving her body. "Wait, you were?"

He rocked slightly back and forth on his feet, one finger scratching his nose, a half-smile half-scowl on his face.

"Um … yes?"

Her mouth dropped open. "Oh."

"Oh?" He must have heard disappointment in her voice because he looked confused, his arms crossing over his broad chest. She knew it was a defense mechanism, but to her it felt like he was starting to close up again. Katniss wanted to scream at him to make him stop. To let him know how desperately she wished for him to ask her out. That she wouldn't even hesitate to accept. That the disappointment came from her anticipation for him to finally ask.

Unfortunately, she never was a woman of words. So when she elaborated, it didn't help to explain the situation. At all.

"Well, were you … or were were you?" Did she even make an ounce of sense anymore?!

For a second the three adults stared confused from one to the other. Brow furrowed, arms still crossed, and a puzzled expression on his face, Katniss would have loved to throw herself off the nearest cliff.

That was it, she thought. That was her chance with Peeta Mellark, and she totally ruined it.

"What she means," Madge tried to help then, slightly irritated by her best friend’s behaviour, "and apparently isn't able to express in the slightest, is, that if you were to ask her right now, she would most definitely say yes."

Even though only moments ago Katniss could have murdered her, at that moment she could have kissed Madge.

Peeta's posture relaxed, his arms fell to his sides and a beautiful smile suddenly beamed down at her. "Oh! Really?"

"I-"

Just then a loud scream echoed across the playground.

This was not happening! It felt like they were cursed to never finish something important. But then Tyler came running, nose bleeding and tears streaming down his face, and of course all thoughts about dates disappeared immediately.

The events following the bloodbath (Samantha's word of choice) were rushed. Not twenty minutes later Katniss found herself helping Madge pack their stuff and leaving the playground for the day, while Samantha explained in all detail what had happened.

Bentley – the little sucker – had happened. He pulled on one of Sam's pigtails, and when Tyler defended her, the little asshole hauled his arm back and sucker punched Tyler in the face. If she hadn't disliked the boy before, now she surely had no sympathy for him.

In the end Peeta picked up Tyler and their stuff and rushed off the playground, only stopping for a second to ask if it was ok if he called her later.

She just had time to nod, and then he was gone.

He hadn't called afterwards, but sent a very apologetic message around midnight, explaining that after the playground everything was a little hectic, and that he only had returned home about 25 minutes ago. That Tyler was fine (his nose wasn't broken), especially now that he was a big brother. That the baby, little Sophia, was already a heartbreaker. That Delly and Thom were overwhelmed with emotions and didn't hold the accident against him. That he was sorry that they hadn't the chance to finish their talk.

Katniss wrote back that it was ok, and that she understood, and that maybe they’d get the chance to talk in the next couple of days.

The last thing she remembered before falling asleep with a smile on her face, was his reply: I would love to.

xXx

The day before the charity bake sale found her anxious and fidgety.

Over the days following the playground incident they didn't get the chance to talk. Katniss was running errands for Sam's upcoming birthday. Prim requested a girls' night. Johanna wanted to grab a drink after work. Uncle Haymitch and his wife Effie invited her to dinner. And 20,000 other things, it seemed.

And Peeta was too busy with preparations for the bake sale.

The only thing they were able to do was text occasionally.  

Therefore when her phone vibrated on the side table at around nine one evening, it startled her. Her heart skipped a beat at the thought that maybe it was Peeta texting her. Katniss dropped the book she was currently reading beside her on the couch, put her glass of wine on the coffee table and grabbed the phone.

Primrose Everdeen: The Egyptian Cotton Sheets are worth every. Last. Penny! ;)

Katniss cringed. So much for anticipation. She really didn't need to know about her baby sisters sexcapades.

Katniss Everdeen: Thanks for the mental image. Our relationship will never be the same.

It took Prim 10 seconds to respond.

Primrose Everdeen: Your loss. Maybe you could learn a thing or two from my amazing experiences. I'm sure PEETA would appreciate it.

Jesus Christ! Her sister was just like a dog with a bone.

Katniss Everdeen: I don't know about that. It can't be that amazing if you're texting me instead of enjoying your anniversary with you fiancé. ;)

Primrose Everdeen: You're deflecting again, sister mine. And I only have the time to write because Rory is grabbing some snacks from the kitchen before Round 3. ;P

The older Everdeen nearly gagged at the image. Seriously, sometimes she regretted introducing her sweet little sister to Johanna. She was a bad influence.

Katniss Everdeen: And here's where I'm going to stop writing to you. Stop texting me, enjoy your evening. Say hi to Rory.

The silence following was answer enough. With a sigh Katniss put her phone back on the side table and picked up her book. At least the story was interesting enough to distract her from constantly thinking about the event the next day (or the organizer of the event).

Her phone chimed again.

"Seriously, Prim …" Katniss muttered, again grabbing the phone and considering whether to give her sister an earful about the appropriate time to text someone. Preferably when not having sex at the same time.

But it wasn't Prim after all.

Peeta Mellark: Hi Katniss!

Her heart skipped a beat, before resuming its rapping at double the normal speed. Suddenly her hands felt a little sweaty and the temperature in the room was slightly higher than moments ago. She nearly dropped the phone in her haste pressing the Reply-button.

Katniss Everdeen: Hey, there … stranger!

Geez! Even via text she was a linguistical klutz. She was so screwed.

Peeta Mellark: Sorry I didn't write sooner. There was a cookie disaster at the bakery.

Katniss Everdeen: Now, I'm intrigued. Explain to me what a cookie disaster entails.

Peeta Mellark: 99.9% of the time it involves my brother Rye.

She had to laugh out loud at that. It seemed siblings were a pain for everyone.

Katniss Everdeen: Tell me about it! I have a sibling, too. ;)

And then her phone went quiet. She saw the bubble with the three dots appearing and disappearing for a couple of minutes. Katniss waited, never taking her eyes off the display, as if her stare could make the screen light up with a message. When it started to fade into standby, a sigh escaped her and she put the phone down reluctantly.

Maybe she needed to start to accept that she and Peeta weren't meant to take this further - whatever this was - before she lost her mind over it. Five days ago - an awkward conversation, an even more awkward confession, and a bloody nose later - she was sure that by the weekend they’d finally have the chance to talk and figure some things out. But with every passing day this small flicker of hope got smaller. Maybe it was only wishful thinking on her side after all.

Okay, she needed to be fair here: She could have asked him herself. She could have pushed her insecurities aside and could have suggested to meet for coffee. Or lunch. Maybe - if she gathered all her courage - even dinner.

But she was a coward, discouraged by the looks given him by way more attractive women. His behavior was friendly, open, while she was monosyllabic, and reluctant, and … shy. Every time she opened her mouth in his presence she sounded like a total dork.

He looked like a fucking Greek God, while she was simply ordinary. There was nothing special about her.

It frustrated her that everybody was pushing her to 'take it in your own hands' when she never really learned how to do that. How could she?

Prim and Madge had the Hawthorne boys drooling all over them the second they hit puberty. Katniss' 'relationship' with Gale had been long done by the time he realized that he was head over heels for Madge. And just like his brother with Prim, he wined and dined her, and did everything he could to woo her, not even stopping at making a complete fool out of himself.

Of course, she knew that it wasn't roses and sunshine all the time. Relationships needed work. On both sides. The occasional fight was only natural.

Still, both Madge and Prim didn't have to experience the hardships of the dating world. It was fascinating, when they went out together for girls night guys tended to swarm around the two blondes like bees 'round a honeypot. They flirted harmlessly, enjoyed the attention, laughed and had fun, but at the end of the night they knew they would go home to the men they loved.

And while neither Madge nor Prim ever experienced it, Katniss knew what it was like to be the 'plus one' friend, only included in conversations because she simply was there, too. The friend who had to buy her own drinks. Who could step away from the conversation without someone noticing.

Katniss wasn't bitter about this. She had accepted a while ago that she simply wasn't the flirty, funny, open kind of girl that guys found attractive. And that was ok. She was only bitter when her friends made it look like the simplest thing to attract some guy.

On top of that Peeta wasn't just some guy. He had the potential to be the guy.

The phone chimed again, breaking her out of her thoughts.

Peeta Mellark: So … what are you doing right now?

Wow. It took him 10 minutes to write this? She swallowed down a curse, while rereading the message a couple of times. For nearly a quarter of an hour she was seriously contemplating whether she had lost her sanity ever since she started working for him, and this was all he could come up with?

Katniss' anger reared its ugly head. With a huff she started to type a detailed reply, but halfway through got so irritated with constantly mistyping the words that she switched to the contacts and pressed the call-button.

It rang twice before he picked up.

"Hey!" he greeted happily, she could hear the smile in his voice, "I wasn't sure if it was a good time to ca-"

"You know what?!" she interrupted his words, her frustration clearly palpable. "This needs to stop."

"Um … Katniss?" If it was possible, she could feel his confusion through the phone. She could even understand it to a certain degree. Minutes ago she was joking around with him. "Are you-"

"I can't do this anymore," she interrupted him once more, needing to get the words off her chest before the courage piqued by her anger extinguished again. Even if by now the frustration had mostly turned into resignation.

"I like you. I really like you. There! I said it. It's out there. I really, really like you. And I thought that maybe you kinda liked me, too. But this constant dancing around the topic is eating me up!" She took a deep breath, before continuing in a much calmer voice, "so, I like you. And I would love to grab some coffee sometime? Or maybe lunch? Or dinner? I don't know, whatever you want to do is fine. I'm terrible at this, I'm sorry if I got everything mixed up here-"

"Oh man, Katniss!" It was his turn to interrupt her, effectively shutting up her ramble. "I like you, too! It's fucking ridiculous!"

Ok, that hurt. More than she wanted to admit. He thought her ridiculous, and now she thought it herself, too. Calling him seemed more and more like one of her bigger mistakes.

"It's ridiculous to like me?" Even though she wanted to sound pissed, it wasn't possible to keep a hint of sadness out of her voice. She was seconds away from simply hanging up.

"NO!" he was fast to rectify. "That's not … I mean, you surely know … you have to know … Katniss!"

"What are you trying to tell me here, Peeta?"

She heard a huff, before he continued in a much softer tone, "How is it possible you can't see that I'm crazy about you even though every time I'm around you I make a total fool of myself?"

Was he serious?! He was the most eloquent guy she ever met. Her stumbling over words, her constantly blushing when he talked to her, her way of never finding the right thing to say was the mortifying part. A sarcastic snort escaped her. "Yeah, right."

"How do you do that?" He replied with the same sarcastic snort she just used.

"What do you mean?"

"You only ever hear the insignificant parts. Katniss …" he took a deep breath, "I like you. So much. I was head over heels for you five minutes into knowing you. Since that first time I stepped into your office I’ve wanted to ask you out. I really thought it couldn't be more obvious, but I would love to have dinner with you."

"Peeta …"

"Please, say yes."

She was happy he couldn't see her as she gaped like a freaking fish, mouth opening wordlessly, eyes wide like saucers. His confession caught her even more off guard than the one at the playground. And then he was standing right in front of her.

It was like every single word and phrase she ever learned got deleted from her brain. Single syllables swirled around in her mind, but the rest seemed like a gaping void.

And she still needed to answer him.

"Well," she tried to regain her composure, thinking about a way to let him know how ecstatic she felt about the whole situation. Once more she wished she was a little more articulate. Still, she promised herself this time she wouldn't screw this up. Katniss took a deep breath, and before she got the chance to overanalyze her next words, simply blurted out, "I don’t know what you’re talking about. You surely didn’t make a fool of yourself right now."

It took him a second to process what she just said.

"You're too kind, but it's true!" he laughed, dissolving some of the tension around them. "They call me silver-tongued, but when you're near by it feels like I turn into a linguistic amoeba."

She’d never heard something more ridiculous …

"Peeta! I'm the one who can’t string two words together in your presence."

His laughter made her whole body tingle, and his next words only intensified the feeling.

"So … back to the topic. Dinner sounds amazing."

"Glad we're on the same page here."

"How does next-"

She heard a ruckus on his side of the line, shortly followed by a sheepish 'Sorry, I'll clean it up right away!', before Peeta's slightly muffled and annoyed voice called out a 'Seriously, Rye?!'.

A second later he was back on the phone with her.

"And once again we get interrupted. I'm sorry, Katniss."

But this time it didn't feel so disappointing than the last couple of times. This time she knew they were on the same page. This time she still could hear his various forms of 'I like you'.

"It's okay," she assured him, a goofy smile playing around her mouth (again, she was happy he couldn't see it), "Maybe you should go and check what your brother did this time. Hopefully not another cookie disaster."

His smile was once again noticeable in his voice.

"How about we make plans tomorrow at the bake sale? We can have coffee and agree on a night that works for both of us?"

"Sounds perfect. Good night, Peeta. See you tomorrow."

"Good night, Katniss. Until tomorrow. I'm really happy you called."

"Me, too."

She hung up, a brilliant smile nearly splitting her face in two. With all the anxiousness gone she suddenly couldn't wait for tomorrow to come.

xXx

Promptly at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday Katniss entered Mellark's. Her cheeks were slightly flushed from the fresh spring morning air and her brisk walk. She never realized that the bakery was only 20 minutes by foot from her apartment.

As she stepped inside - the little bell over the door announcing her - the smell of freshly baked bread engulfed her, making her mouth water and a soft moan escape. Carb heaven, indeed.

Her eyes drifted around the store and the first word coming to mind was cozy. There was an area with several plush chairs and loveseats with small tables in front of them, lots of lamps and cushions and all kinds of different candleholders. Another area had higher tables and regular chairs for eating. One of the walls was a gigantic bookshelf, in front of that a spiral staircase lead up to a gallery with even more comfortable seating. A portion of the back wall was made out of glass, a door leading outside into a huge atrium, partly covered by a canopy overgrown with Virginia creeper. Pots full of flowers stood everywhere. A huge apple tree grew in the middle of the atrium, it looked like it was at least 150 years old.

Katniss wanted to live here.

For today's occasion, a huge banner was stretched over the back wall of the patio with 'Mellark's Annual Bake Sale' in big letters on it. Tables with white tablecloths stood scattered around the atrium, which soon would be filled with all kinds of delicious treats.

Someone cleared their throat behind her and she turned around. A dark skinned, young woman stood behind the counter, a blinding smile on her face.

"May I help you?"

"Um, hi! I'm Katniss? I'm here for-"

"Oh!" the girl interrupted, and her smile widened, if that was even possible. "You're Katniss! Welcome! I'm Rue, one of Peeta's employees. Mostly I handle the shop front. It's so nice to finally meet you."

Katniss smiled back. In a couple of their conversations Peeta had mentioned the young woman working for him. His smile was always fond when he explained yet another of the funny situations little 'Birdy' - as they called her (after all, her full name was Rueberta, the poor girl) - had caused.

But before she got the chance to return the sentiment, another person entered the storefront from the kitchen. He smirked at the two women, his blue eyes twinkling with mischievousness.

"Customer or volunteer?" He wiggled his eyebrows, leaning with his forearms against the countertop, and winked once at her. "I sincerely hope it's the latter."

"Rye …" Rue sighed, shaking her head at his attempted flirting, "This is Katniss."

Ah, okay. This was the middle Mellark brother, the one closest to Peeta, as far as she could tell. When it came to looks they surely couldn't deny their kinship.

Still, Rye lacked the sparkling blue of Peeta's eyes; his were much more icier in color. He was a little taller and leaner (which surely was helpful in his former football career), and his hair was a shade or two lighter. No doubt, he was handsome, but the big difference was that he knew he was attractive, and his whole demeanor showed that. Rye Mellark reminded her a lot of Finnick.

Katniss gave him and Rue a strange and questioning look after she noticed the look of recognition flaring up in the man's eyes. Why did it always seem like everybody knew her?

"So this is the infamous Kitty!" the middle Mellark exclaimed, his flirtiness gone, replaced by curiosity. "So good to finally be able to put a face to the name."

"It's Katniss," she deadpanned, one eyebrow raised and her arms crossed in front of her.

"Oh, you're feisty. Awesome! I like that. We're going to have a lot of fun," Rye laughed, again wiggling his eyebrows.

It was going to be a long day.

xXx

By one in the afternoon Katniss was so exhausted, she couldn't even be disappointed that she hadn’t had the chance to talk to Peeta yet.

After Rye’s suggestive comments made Rue order him back to the kitchens, the young woman showed Katniss around and explained how the patio was divided into five different sections, one table for each: cupcakes, tarts, cookies, cakes, and pastries. People wanting to buy something would come to Katniss' little table beside the patio doors with a list of goods they had chosen and pay there. Additional colorful boxes were placed around Mellark's, in case people wanted to donate to support kids in Community Homes without buying something.

Just as Rue finished her explanations, the swinging doors to the kitchen were pushed open, and Katniss could hear the last part of a sentence uttered in an annoyed voice "… can't believe you didn't tell me!".

And then Peeta stood in front of her, the counter the only thing separating them.

When his eyes landed on her form his annoyance vanished completely. Instead a huge smile lit up his face, and his blue eyes (so pretty, so beautiful) stared into hers.

"Good morning, Katniss."

She opened her mouth to respond, but the doors of the bakery opened and a bronze haired whirlwind rushed in, aiming straight for the counter.

"Peeta!"

The shout of his name was loud and excited, and a second later the boy flung himself at the surprised baker.

"Tristan," a second voice scolded slightly, making everybody turn their eyes to the entrance again. "Let's calm down a little bit."

Finnick Odair, aka Real-Life-Adonis, stood there in all his glory. It was freakin' 07:55 in the morning and he looked neat as a pin: dark jeans combined with a white Henley and Blazer, also in white. GQ magazine must've called again. And of course, his son was his spitting image. At least this time Katniss didn't feel as much like a hobo as the week before.

Peeta laughed. "Man, you're so going to regret wearing white today."

Finnick simply shrugged, a half-smirk adorning his face.

From that moment on the door to the bakery seemed to never close, people streaming in continuously. At first it was mostly more volunteers - and to Katniss' surprise they weren't only women. It seemed most of them had done this before, greeting everyone around like they were old friends before introducing themselves to her.

An older woman stepped up to her, beaming like the sun, and introduced herself as Gammy Mags.

"Finnick is my grandson, but everybody calls me Gammy. I was a math teacher when I was younger, and not to give you the wrong impression, but I'm really happy it's no longer my duty to oversee the register. I'm getting too old for all that ballyhoo."

Katniss understood now what she had meant. People constantly appeared in front of her desk. She was really thankful for her semi-photographic memory, or else she would've never been able to remember all the prices of all the different goods.

She hadn't stepped away from her place from the minute she arrived, but she couldn’t delay a break any longer. Nature called, and she really needed to answer that call.

Excusing herself, she stepped inside and headed for the ladies room.

When she stepped out of it a couple minutes later (cursing herself under her breath for not taking a bathroom break earlier) a hand wrapped carefully around her wrist. It took her by surprise, a small gasp escaping her.

By the tingle rushing through her body from the contact it could only be one person.

She turned her head, confirming her suspicion: Peeta stood half in the shadows beside her.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

"You didn't, just caught me by surprise," Katniss reassured, turning around fully.

His hand dropped from her wrist and she immediately missed the contact. But only a second later his fingers brushed over the end of her braid, leaving her skin covered in goosebumps.

"Sorry we haven’t had the chance to talk." His gaze traveled over her face, resulting in Katniss taking a step forward. She had no idea where her courage came from, but her hand suddenly rested on his chest, right over the place where his heart was beating steadily.

"Maybe we can talk n-"

"Aunty Kat!" The loud squeal made them jump apart.

Seriously?! Again?! Karma was a bitch!

Sam came running at them full speed. Katniss loved that girl to death, but her timing was unbelievable.

"Samantha-sunshine!" Peeta recovered quickly, pushing his hands into the back pockets of his pants. Katniss had to drag her eyes away from his biceps.

The girl grabbed her godmother's hands and started to jump up and down in excitement.

"Mommy and Daddy promised we’d get some cupcakes. Francie is coming over today. She's my BFF, forever and ever. And we're having a sleepover, and we'll order pizza, and watch all our favorite movies, and Daddy promised he'll build us a pillow-fort where we can sleep in, and-"

"Take a breath, sweetheart," Katniss laughed, grasping the girl by the shoulders. Sam giggled, turned around and ran back to her parents. Madge and Gale stood hand in hand at the entrance of the bakery, taking in the scene outside on the patio.

Katniss offered Peeta an apologetic look, which he returned with a soft smile.

"Later," he promised quietly, and she nodded in confirmation.

xXx

Gale, Madge and Samantha stayed for a while, enjoying their exploration of all the different tables. About half an hour after they left Prim and Rory stopped by as well, sitting together and sampling about 25 different cakes, tarts and pastries.

Every time Peeta brought another tray full of mouthwatering things out of the kitchen Prim gave her sister a look and started to wiggle her eyebrows. Katniss wanted to throw something at her, preferably something heavy and painful.

Around two in the afternoon Tristan Odair, now on a sugar-high, and his father, white clothes now covered with multi-colored frosting, were picked up by the charming Mrs. Annie Odair, still in her nurse’s uniform and by the look of it, about 8 months pregnant. They left soon after, taking Gammy Mags with them.

At some point during the afternoon she saw Tyler rushing from one table to the next, behind him a dark haired man and a blonde woman pushing a baby carriage. Peeta introduced them later as Thom and Delly, and when they heard who she was, the blonde woman squealed happily.

"So, you're Katniss! It's so good to finally meet you. I’ve heard so many good things about you."

Katniss smiled back but was sure it looked more like a grimace. Did everybody know who she was?

When baby Sophia started to wake, they bid their goodbyes and headed home. Tyler started to protest, arguing that he wanted to stay with Uncle Peet for dinner and maybe movies afterwards.

Delly scowled slightly and told him in a stern tone, "Uncle Peet doesn’t have time for dinner and movies tonight. He already has plans." She flashed a glance first in Katniss' and then in Peeta's direction, and suddenly her meaning behind the word 'plans' was unmistakably clear. Katniss flushed to the roots of her hair.

At six the bakery closed and Mellark's Annual Charity Bake Sale was officially over. Which didn't mean that they were done with the work. Katniss decided to help clean the patio, enjoying the last rays of sun of this beautiful spring evening.

Finally - around half past eight - the last volunteers and employees waved their goodbyes, leaving Mellark's to Peeta and Katniss. And Rye.

"Are we done soon?" the older Mellark whined, pushing through the doors with his arms full of dishes, "I need to catch the red-eye - the Mockingjays have an away game tomorrow." She nearly had forgotten that he was a sports commentator and not simply an annoying being.

Katniss jumped at the opportunity to finally get the chance to talk to Peeta in private. Without interruptions. Even though it had to do with cleaning a lot of dishes.  

"Oh! I can help! I have time, no worries." Was she really as eager as it sounded to her own ears? Probably, because Rye smirked knowingly, dropped the last of the dirty dishes on the counter, brushed his hands off and threw the apron on a pile of dirty laundry.

Peeta turned to her, showing concern, drying his hands on a hand towel.

"Are you sure, Katniss? You were the first one to arrive here today, and you helped all day long. You really don't have-"

"Awesome! Thank you, Kitty!" Rye interrupted his younger brother. Katniss cringed at the nickname, already accepting that she would be stuck with it now. Rye was the type for that. "See you soon, girly! Looking forward to it!" The eyebrow-wiggle was back. She rolled her eyes at him.

A couple of seconds later he was gone, leaving Peeta and her alone in the kitchen. For a few moments they stared at nothing in particular, not knowing what to say. Finally Katniss just grabbed some of the tableware and brought it over to the sink. Peeta offered her a smile in thanks.

They worked in amicable silence, Peeta washing up and Katniss drying and putting everything away. It took them about 45 minutes to finish all of the dirty dishes, but they didn't say a single word the whole time. The radio was softly playing music in the background, Katniss occasionally humming along.

Every now and then one of them glanced in the direction of the other, and every single time the other one caught it. Then they gave each other  small smiles before continuing with their task.

After she put the last steel bowl in its designated place, Katniss dried her hands on the dishtowel and turned around to Peeta.

"I think this was the la-"

He interrupted her with a kiss. She was so surprised that she couldn't even react at first, her eyes wide open and her breath stuck in her chest.

And it wasn't just a kiss. It was an all consuming, the world stopped turning, mind blowing, toe curling, I-want-to-melt-into-you kinda kiss. His hands held her carefully in place, his thumbs lightly brushing over her cheeks while his fingers were wrapped in the hair at the back of her head. Her upper lip was caught between his', and Katniss thought never felt anything this perfect.

When she didn't respond after a couple of moments Peeta pulled back slightly, only a breath away. His eyes searched hers, trying to decipher what she was thinking, while his hands still cupped her head.

"I’ve wanted to do that since I first saw you. It’s  taken all of my willpower today to keep myself from dragging you somewhere private and kissing you senseless."

Heat flushed her face, mixed with excitement and lust. It was Katniss' turn to surprise him. In a split second her lips were back on his. Her hands clutched the shirt at his sides, and she took a step closer. The fronts of their bodies brushed and both escaped a moan. They were covered in goosebumps, she could feel it under the tips of her fingers after one of her hands sneaked under the hem of his shirt. Peeta tilted her head a little further to deepen the kiss, his tongue brushing over the seam of her lips. It made her toes curl.

Katniss sighed, allowing him entrance, and soon all thoughts left her. She could only feel his tongue against hers, insistent but not forceful. His lips - warm and a little chapped, but at the same time so soft - worshipping hers like they were the most precious thing. His fingers held on tight, but they never hurt her.

Never before had a kiss felt like this; Katniss didn't want it to ever stop.

The swinging doors connecting the kitchen with the storefront were suddenly pushed open and Rye rushed into the room, his eyes fixated on the screen of his phone.

"Hey, guys, I was already on the way to the airport when I realized I forgot my walle- woaw!"

The couple turned their heads in the direction of the middle Mellark brother, but didn't lose their grip or stepped away from each other. They got interrupted so often in the past, both deciding at the same time that they simply didn't care about it anymore. Katniss even had to stop the chuckle nearly escaping her when she saw the look Peeta was throwing in Rye's direction.

"Rye, get the fuck out of my kitchen!"

And then he was back to kissing her. A little deeper. A little dirtier. Not as soft as before. Simply ignoring his brother still standing at the kitchen entrance.

She loved it even more than their first kiss.

They didn't see Rye roll his eyes, nor his playful half-smirk. And they surely didn't hear him muttering, after he grabbed his wallet and disappeared through the same door he’d just come in, 'Geez, get a room! Seriously! Nobody can tell me this isn't against health regulations.'.

xXx

Numbers were her thing.

And she hated it when they didn't add up. For the last hour and a half she'd been searching for the mistake in one of her client's accounts. Maybe some transposed digits in the calculations?

A soft knock at the open door made her look up.

"Lunch is ready," Peeta announced, "The numbers still not adding up?"

Katniss let out a frustrated sigh and shook her head. It was useless, she needed a break to clear her head or else she would search for a couple more hours without any result. Food was a welcome distraction.

Funny, when you needed a break from something that you considered to be a break from something else.

"What's for lunch?" she asked and stepped around her desk, adjusting her glasses, before rearranging the bun she'd put her hair in. It was Sunday, and she enjoyed that she didn't have to dress up.

"Tomato Soup, Green Salad and Cheese Buns. And homemade Iced Tea."

She wound her arms around his middle. A broad grin consumed her face when she felt his arms immediately wrap around her as well.

"My favorite. That's very nice of you."

"Well, I'm a very nice person," he chuckled, giving her a short peck, before they made their way to the half finished kitchen.

Boxes stood everywhere, some half unpacked, others already folded up to be put away. Dishes, pans, cutlery, and a hundred other things stood on every available surface. The kitchen was a disaster zone; Katniss was surprised Peeta had managed to make them lunch at all.

"How can you cook anything in here?" she asked when she took in all the chaos, sitting down in their sunny breakfast nook.

He smirked while putting the soup in two bowls, "I have my ways."

Katniss raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms in front of her chest, "You walked over to the bistro and let Thresh make it." It wasn't a question, but a statement.

Peeta walked over - still smirking - and put the bowls down on the table, before he leaned over and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "You're so clever, love."

They were silent while they ate, only interrupted by the occasional moan whenever Katniss took a bite from her cheese bun. She loved that he knew when she needed some quiet time to sort out her thoughts.

"You're going back to work?" Peeta asked after they finished their lunch and put their dirty dishes into the dishwasher (A dishwasher! She’d never had a dishwasher before! She was in love with the dishwasher!).

A long, whiney sigh escaped her, but she shook her head. "I can't avoid unpacking forever. I at least want to be able to get my clothes out of my closet tomorrow morning and not have to search through a hundred different boxes. I hate unpacking."

Peeta wrapped his arms around her from behind and started to pepper kisses along her neck. "Maybe I can convince you to expand your break for a little longer?" His hands slipped under the hem of her shirt.

"I'm listening …" Katniss bit her bottom lip when he reached that sensitive spot under her ear. She could feel his devilish grin against her neck.

"While you worked on your client's account I put on the new Egyptian Cotton Sheets Prim gave us as a housewarming gift."

She giggled all the way upstairs to their new bedroom.

FIN

[kalosstarters]

Me again! lmao maybe no one else is online, but I am the only one who has to work this early ;-; okay, 26, 31 & 2!!

Oh. It’s you again. (lmao) I hope you’ll have a good work day

2. Talk about three of the most important ships throughout your life.

Odl. These are difficult to choose bc I have maaany ships that have been important to me at some point. But maybe I’ll pick these ones:

Peeta and Katniss/Everlark (The Hunger Games)

OTP stands for “oh the pain” (one true pairing? I don’t know them) and this ship is certainly that. It’s just… so tragic and beautiful in basically every way, and the only thing I don’t like about it is what happens to Peeta in Mockingjay, but even that part is kinda necessary for the plot development, I feel. I was a goner from the moment when I read how Peeta had saved Katniss as a child and given her hope, and HAD FEELINGS FOR HER when they were destined to kill each other (which obviously didn’t happen), ughhhh. And then all the small moments that make me adsjfgsj. Fake dating. Peeta fiddling with Katniss’ hair when they were watching the sunset, and Katniss getting fixated by his eyelashes. Sleeping (literally sleeping) together. Comforting each other when they had nightmares (something I imagine also Marisson doing ahdsjhdsj). The hard as stone Katniss finally realizing that it was real (people who have read those books understand this reference). AND IT IS EFFING CANON AND THEY HAD TWO KIDS AND GOODBYE WORLD I HAD FORGOTTEN HOW MUCH I LOVE THIS SHIP ADFSDF. They were the ship to me before my poke/mon phase started.

Ryan and Marissa (The O.C.)

This ship messed up my life seriously during my early teenage years (and a bit after that too). I don’t have as much to say about them as I had about everlark, but the basic broody “bad” boy and the girl next door trope works every time. Tho I must admit that they had their best moments when they were not (officially) together, such as the swimming scene (and the cuddling in the Tijuana episode!!) that ended way too quickly in season 1, them planning the bonfire, and Marissa staying at Cohens’ for a moment during season 2… Those are the moments I value the most. Season 3 (none of it, not even a certain tiki hut scene) never happened to me. I hate everything about it, and hate how the writers first ruined Marissa’s character, and then… totally unnecessarily did something I can’t ever forgive. She. was. supposed. to. go. to. Greece. No. need. to. kill. her. off. Grrr. (It never happened)

I realize I talk about these ships too much considering many of my followers probably don’t care about these things…

Marissonshipping

My current OTP ♥ Without them I wouldn’t be as big a Pokémon fan as I am now. I would still like the anime and the games, but this ship was the salt this fandom needed to truly pique my interest. Now, I’ve said it 13435454 times, and I’m gonna say it again, that I don’t ship the TSME/XY&Z era Mairin and Alain romantically (i.e. in the “dffdgd get together already” way) but rather as a ship in which I see a lot of potential to be something more in the future when the circumstances are right. There’s so much I love about their friendship that I don’t even know where to start from. I love how they are like night and day (even their main colors indicate that) - the broody boy and happy girl, the classic :’) - but still learn to care about each other a lot, and Alain wants to protect Mairin and make her smile again while Mairin makes Alain loosen up a bit. And it’s pretty much canon that Mairin has a crush on him in the end, I mean have you seen how she looks like in the group photo and during the dance scene? (Obviously Alain cares about her a lot too, as seen in many occasions particularly during XY&Z) Feel free to disagree, but I also feel that the writers made them stick together at the end of xy&z for a reason. Something is building there, and while they are still way too young to start a relationship, what we see is the beginning of something beautiful :3 (Ps. the hug ♥___♥)

(shoutout to my Harry Potter ships, particularly Romione)

26. Have you noticed a pattern in your shipping? Is there a romantic dynamic you’re more drawn to?

Well, yeah. Even when you look at these ships I just listed, I’m drawn to ships in which one of the characters kinda broody/mysterious/hard to read or approach, while the other one is usually happier and someone who understands them and knows what they’ve been through and how to support them. I’m also a sucker for ships that have small, casual, adorable moments, such as cuddling and some other things I mentioned in the everlark and ryrissa sections. 

Also: “opposites attract each other” and “from enemies to friends to lovers”. Good.

31. Talk about one of your favorite headcanons for a ship you love.

My blog is full of Marisson headcanons and I don’t think there’s much I haven’t shared. But in a nutshell for those who might not be as familiar with my headcanons: I HC that after a while of searching for the mega stones Mairin leaves for her own journey and travels in Hoenn, Kanto and Johto while Alain studies to become a pokemon doctor, and when she returns, they travel through Kalos again, this time so Mairin can participate in the Kalos league (and Alain doing some field work meanwhile) and eventually realize they have feelings for each other. Mairin wins the league and gets a chance to become an E4 member but she feels she isn’t ready yet and becomes a grass type gym leader instead (she’ll become E4 later). A few years later they get married and eventually have 3 kids, Marisse, Alex and Amelia. 

That’s the “main story” I have for them, but if you want some smaller scale headcanons, I for example HC that during their second Kalos journey after Mairin’s return they end up sharing a tent and comfort each other when they have nightmares about their past - which still happens from time to time. I’m a sucker for that kind of things.

[everlarkficexchange]

P.R.I.M: Pranks Resulting in Matrimony

Written by: @ghtlovesthg

Title: P.R.I.M: Pranks Resulting in Matrimony

Prompt 28: Noting tension between Katniss and the baker’s youngest son, carefree and mischievous Prim can’t resist pranking her annoyingly uptight and very responsible sister. [submitted by @567inpanem]

Notes: Rated All Ages, Never-reaped!Everlark, Complete. 

P.R.I.M: Pranks Resulting in Matrimony

It was just a harmless little prank. The year’s Games were over, and life was feeling far too dreary. At the ripe old age of fourteen, Prim felt it was high time to add some levity to the endless drone of life in Twelve.

And each identical day, Prim knew her sister’s only thought was of survival. They were all overdue for something unexpected, no matter how small. Something that would bring a smile to Katniss’s face.

Prim’s options were limited. A prank that wasted anything usable was out of the question; it would never amuse Katniss and only add to her hardship. That left Prim with creating a circumstance that was out of the norm and unexpected.

Gathering up a little parcel of goat cheese, Prim headed to the bakery. She hoped it was enough for a loaf of bread. If all went well, her prank should be well underway half a week from now.

+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+

Katniss sighed heavily as she kicked off her hunting boots and slid the game bag off her shoulder and onto the ground.

“I’ve got a squirrel no one wanted for the stew, and a loaf of bread from Mellark’s,” she announced wearily. It had been a long day, hunting since dawn and bartering all afternoon. And to top it all off, she’d had to trade with the middle Mellark son for bread. He made no secret of his disdain for backdoor trades with Seamfolk. It seemed he took after his mother.

Katniss much preferred trading with the baker himself, or better yet, his youngest son. Both were pleasant and polite, but dealing with Peeta was especially enjoyable.

Prim ushered her away from the door and her things, intent on making sure Katniss went to wash her hands before handling the meat and bread. Katniss rolled her eyes. The extreme concern about hand sanitation must be a healer thing, she surmised.

In reality, Prim wanted her away from the hunting bag so she could switch out the fresh loaf of bread for the one she’d gotten from Mellark’s earlier that week, which was now rock-hard. It had been hidden beneath a pile of bandages in the cupboard for days.

Prim couldn’t wait to see the puzzlement on her sister’s face when Katniss thought the bread completely hardened on the way home. She would be flummoxed, Prim would surprise her with the truth, then they’d have a good laugh. The best part was, the stale bread could still be made into toast or dipped into the stew they were eating that night to soften it. There would be no waste, so Katniss could truly enjoy the creativity of the prank.

Except things didn’t go that way at all.

Katniss returned and reached into the bag for the food. Her eyebrows furrowed as she drew the unyielding bread out of the bag. Her fingers flexed, and bits of the crust flaked off and fluttered to the ground. But there was no give to the bread.

Her face grew stormier by the second. She looked furious. Prim had imagined Katniss would be more confused than incensed.

“That rotten cheat! He gave me old bread!” Katniss seethed.

Her ire, when provoked, was no small thing. And it was intimidating. The extreme reaction took Prim by surprise, and as a result, she hesitated just a moment too long in coming clean about the prank.

Before Prim had taken a bracing breath to begin her confession, Katniss was charging out the door and back to the Merchant Quarter.

Prim considered following her to clear up the whole mess before Katniss reached the bakery. She really did. But fourteen-year-olds are not known for readily accepting responsibility when they’ve transgressed, and Prim was no exception. She hoped there would still be bakery bread on their table in the future.

+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+

Katniss knocked impatiently on the bakery’s back door, and sure enough, when it opened, Pearse Mellark was on the other side.

“You again,” he muttered dully.

“Yes, me . You may think I’m beneath you, just because I’m Seam, but I traded you fresh game for that bread, and I know when I’m being swindled!

Pearse stared at her blankly. At least he wasn’t denying it, she thought triumphantly.

Katniss raised her right hand, which still clutched the stale bread, and tapped the loaf against the door frame. The banging echoed loudly around them. “Hear that? This is stale all the way through. I can’t believe you would give me this when I’ve been trading with your family for over seven years! This is so dense and hard it you could use it as a projectile!”

“Is something the matter?” a voice asked from beyond the door. Peeta stepped into view, wiping his hands on his apron. Katniss nearly swallowed her tongue. She’d couldn’t believe she’d just said all that in front of Peeta, especially the disparaging remark about bread being hurled through the air.

There was no love lost between her and Pearse, but she owed Peeta her life. Specifically because he’d tossed loaves of bread to her. Those ‘projectiles’ had saved not only her, but Prim.

She knew she must be beet-red, and it felt as though her heart had sunk to her toes, but Katniss pressed on. She might be humiliating herself, but she still had her pride, and Katniss wasn’t going to let someone who looked down on her, like Pearse, take advantage of her.

“The loaf of bread your brother traded me is at least three days old. I was trading for food, not a doorstop,” she added, still bristling. Peeta glared at Pearse as she finished her explanation.

“What, you believe her ? I didn’t!” Pearse declared.

Peeta ignored him and turned back to her. “I’m so sorry Katniss. This won’t happen again, I promise.” Another grimace was directed Pearse’s way, but the older Mellark merely rolled his eyes.

“I was just about to say how glad I was to see you,” Peeta continued. “When Prim came to trade earlier this week, I was worried you wouldn’t be around as often.”

Katniss might have puzzled over his words, and why Prim had been trading with Peeta, but he directed what could only be described as a devastating grin at her, and it took most of Katniss’s focus to remind herself she was still upset.

“I think, in the future, you should just ask for me when you come to trade,” Peeta suggested.

Katniss nodded her agreement, cheeks still pink. Pearse scoffed, turning back to the interior of the kitchen in disgust, where he began moving trays around noisily.

“That way, we can avoid any ill-conceived jokes on Pearse’s part. I don’t even know where he found a loaf of bread that old…” Peeta trailed off. “Anyways, I’ll get you a fresh one, and a cookie for your trouble.”

“There’s no need for-”

“Nonsense. I insist.” Peeta picked out a large iced cookie from a cooling rack, and reached over to a nearby tray for a fresh loaf of bread. He pressed them into her hands. “You’re my favorite trading partner. I want to take care of you.”

His smile was so sweet, and his eyes so sincere, Katniss couldn’t remember what she’d said in parting by the time she was back on the road to the Seam.

+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+

The odds were strangely in her favor, Prim theorized, as she munched on her cookie.  She’d gotten away with the bread swap scot-free. No confession necessary, no disastrous falling out between Katniss and the bakery, and they even had a fresh loaf instead of the stale one now. Plus, she’d gotten an iced cookie out of the whole deal.

It tasted heavenly. Prim had only allowed herself little nibbles to try and make it last. She was on her last bite, one day later, when someone knocked on the door.

Katniss got up and answered, and Prim was surprised to see one of the Mellarks had come out to the Seam. She swallowed the last of the cookie nervously. It was Peeta. The very person who’d traded the bread for her goat cheese. Maybe she wasn’t so lucky. Maybe the truth was about to come out. If Katniss found out she hadn’t spoken up, and had allowed her to go to the bakery to make a fool of herself and potentially ruin a lucrative trade partnership, Prim knew she was dead meat.

But Peeta didn’t even notice she was there. His eyes never left Katniss, and the way he looked at her, it was as if he’d discovered everything worth wanting in the world, all in one place.

It wasn’t very subtle. Prim bit her lip, trying not to laugh. Poor Peeta, Katniss would soon put him out of his misery. He wasn’t the first person to be quite taken with her older sister. Usually, Katniss was so oblivious, the fact that they would never have a chance became clear to the would-be suitors in record time. And when Katniss did happen to cotton-on that someone was interested, she was so matter-of-fact about conveying her disinterest that it was painful to witness.

Except, Katniss did something different, something Prim had never seen. She got all flustered. She kept tripping over her words, and reaching back to pull her braid over her shoulder, where it never stayed. She was so unpracticed and awkward in the art of flirting, it was difficult to watch.

And Peeta seemed totally enchanted.

But most importantly, Katniss was smiling . Her smiles were unfortunately rare, around anyone but Prim. But now she had an utterly goofy little grin on her face, simply because Peeta brought another loaf of bread to their home, to make sure there were no residual bad feelings from yesterday’s trade.

Prim could barely contain her excitement. As a prank, the bread swap had been an absolute failure. But as a revelation, it was a huge success. She had a job to do.

+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+

Prim decided to retire as a prankster the very next day. Though her career had been sadly short-lived, her new chosen profession, matchmaking, also involved subterfuge and a certain sense of playfulness. Or at least it would in Katniss’s case.

She couldn’t recall ever seeing someone catch her sister’s attention. And as a young lady who was quite fond of romance, sparse as it seemed to be in Twelve, Prim had been watching. This business with Peeta was a major development.

Dozens of campaigns and strategies were rejected. She conferred regularly with Lady, but her second-in-command was no help. Aside from when the two traded, there just didn’t seem to be many plausible ways to get Peeta, a busy Merchant baker’s son, in the same vicinity as Katniss, a Seam huntress who spent more time in uncharted wilderness than the district.

Winter approached, and things fell back into their bleak, old routine. Katniss hunted, Peeta baked, both kept trading, and Prim kept plotting.

Eventually Katniss had lost the pleased air about her when she returned from trading, and Prim suspected that she’d convinced herself that the admiration she so clearly had for Peeta was nothing special, or at least nothing worth acting on. That would never do.

By the time the Victory Tour rolled around, Prim was desperate to enact a plan. As usual, the Tour would kick off with a dinner for the tributes and a victory rally in the town square. Prim vowed to give Peeta and her sister a chance to interact.

She started by making a big deal of getting a vantage point for the rally in the town square. Prim wheedled until Katniss agreed to go early, to guarantee them a good spot. On the day, Prim took the lead as soon as they entered the square, declaring that she would determine the perfect place.

As Prim had hoped, the Mellarks were there early. It wasn’t a surprise, considering they lived right on the square. And as luck would have it, Peeta was standing at the back of the little group.

Prim got as close as she dared without being obvious, and stopped. “Right here. This is it. The perfect spot.”

Katniss glanced over to where Peeta stood, just out of earshot. “Are you sure?” she asked uncomfortably.

“Oh definitely,” Prim affirmed. She threw in a couple of nods and a bright smile to make it convincing. As if she cared where they stood for the dreadful Capitol-mandated rally! But Katniss denied her nothing, even when her requests were nonsense, and today was no exception.

“I’m going to go wait for Mom and the Hawthornes, and bring them over. You keep our spot,” Prim directed.

Katniss’s gaze darted back to Peeta momentarily. “I can go get them. If you want to stay here, I mean.”

But Prim had anticipated this. “Don’t be silly. No one’s going to give me a wide berth. We need someone to stay behind who can command respect.”

That had Katniss’s attention. “Did you just imply that I’m off-putting and intimidating?”

Prim smiled mischievously and gave her a quick hug. “Try not to scare too many people. Be right back.”

As she walked off, Prim bit her lip. She had absolutely no intention of leading her mother and the Hawthornes back there. If Katniss was surrounded by familiar people, there was no way she and Peeta would strike up a conversation. Prim just hoped Peeta would seize an opportunity when one was practically dropped into his lap.

+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+

Katniss grimaced. For the tenth time in two minutes, she craned her head to look over the gathering crowd. Where was everyone? She’d kept a decent space open for a while, but by now, with so many people gathered, there was no way to keep the surrounding area free of rally-goers, no matter how intensely she glared.

Little by little, the space between her and the Mellarks had closed. A few individuals stood between them now, but as people kept coming to the square, she and Peeta got jostled closer and closer.

She hated the Victory Tour rallies. There were too many bodies pressed close together, and seeing everyone herded together for the Capitol’s whims filled Katniss with a sense of desperation. The crowd had a strange energy, too. They were all supposed to be celebrating, but the event did more to elicit misery and anger than anything else. Or at least it did for her.

A cluster of merchant teens guffawed loudly behind her as more of their friends arrived. Great. More people. She rolled her eyes. Apparently there were some folks who enjoyed the ‘festivities.’

Peeta glanced over his shoulder at the sound of their laughter, and his eyes met hers.

Katniss could tell he was surprised to see her. She suspected it was because it looked like she was skulking around all alone. But Peeta only smiled, and moved behind the few individuals that stood between them, detaching from his family to join her.

“Hey Katniss,” he greeted. She noticed the scent of cinnamon and dill, instead of the smell of sweat and coal dust that had been pervasive only a moment ago.

“Hi Peeta.”

“Is your family meeting you here?” he asked.

“Supposedly,” she grumbled. Peeta nodded, brows furrowed, not sure exactly how to respond. There was a long moment of silence, and Katniss cast about for something to say. This was exactly why she hadn’t wanted to stand near the Mellarks. She could never get her mind to work quite right when Peeta was around.

“I always marvel at the fact that the Capitol insists on the whole district gathering for these rallies,” Peeta mused. “I mean, it’s inherently risky, you know? There’s strength in numbers, and everyone’s still reeling from the horror and injustice of the Games. Emotions are heightened, people are at their angriest. It seems like a recipe for unrest.”

Katniss looked incredulously at Peeta, then searched the faces of the people standing nearby to see if anyone had heard. No one seemed to be listening.

Peeta had the grace to look sheepish and a little guilty. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”

She was surprised he would voice those observations aloud. Katniss had never spoken plainly about the way things were with anyone inside the fence, only in the forest with Gale. She was both impressed that Peeta had dared to say it, and flattered that he trusted her.

Katniss told Peeta not to apologize, and found herself adding her own thoughts: “It just shows how confident they are in their control. It might be the perfect opportunity to make a statement, but no one would dream of it. And they know that.”

She stared at the empty stage, disheartened. Every one of them had been cowed and scared into silence from a young age. Herself included.

“I didn’t mean to make things seem more bleak,” Peeta said gently, as the silence between them lapsed.  “It was a stupid comment.”

Katniss shook her head. “No, it wasn’t. It’s the truth. It might have been unwise to say, but it’s refreshing to hear.”  With cameras circling, it was risky, but there was a certain thrill to it - Seam and Merchant, talking honestly about the way things were…it was novel. There had been a time when she’d sung rebellious songs as a child, songs her father had taught her. She’d been fearless. Even the might of the Capitol couldn’t stamp out that quality in the very young. It was innate to a certain age.

Innate, but not invincible. Her father died, and everything changed.  Loss was a most effective teacher, and Katniss became a student in the myriad ways one could avoid more of it in the future. Let no one get close. Fend for yourself and your own. Keep your head down.

But swapping dangerous thoughts with Peeta in hushed voices made Katniss feel just a little bit fearless again. And after feeling powerless day in and out, year after year…the change, no matter how small, was invigorating.

“Anyways, it isn’t as if this is some joyful occasion you’re spoiling. We’re here to stare at the Capitol’s latest cautionary-tale-turned-exemplar before they’re shunted off to the next District.”

“Such a terrible way to see the nation,” Peeta mused. “Imagine if it were different, though. Imagine you could just wake up one day, and decide to travel. Just board a train and see what’s out there.”

Katniss thought of such a world longingly. Had there ever been such a reality?

“Where would you go?” Peeta was smiling as he asked, and he looked so interested, so open with his infectious grin and bright eyes, that for an instant, Katniss thought wildly – anywhere – if he’d go too.

Katniss quickly shook that thought away. There had been a time when Gale had expressed a longing to take off and go wherever the wilderness took them. She’d shot him down immediately. There was no reason hearing the same sentiment out of Peeta’s mouth suddenly seemed so tempting. It was nonsense.

Instead, she focused back on Peeta’s question. She considered the climates she’d seen in the arenas, and thought of the snippets of unfamiliar cultures she’d witnessed during interviews with tributes’ families each year.

“Mountains, maybe,” she answered. “Big ones, covered in trees as far as the eye can see. But we have mountains here, and I can’t imagine any more beautiful.” 

What she said startled her. It was true that even compared to her wildest, grandest imaginings, there was no place she considered more beautiful, and nowhere she’d rather be free, than the little forest valley in which her father had taught her to thrive. She almost laughed.

“I would like to see those mountains, but I think I would always come back here. Not to the district, but to the woods. They’re home, they’re…” she trailed off, unable to completely explain what she was feeling.

“They’re a part of you,” he finished for her. Katniss nodded, relieved to be understood. “And you’re a part of them, I think.”

“What about you?”

Peeta smiled wistfully. “The ocean. On the other side of Panem. At sunset.”

“You’ve thought about this,” Katniss stated, a curl to her lips.

“I have. Life in Twelve is so small, I want to see something boundless, something that can’t be confined.

Katniss knew the feeling he sought. It was a feeling of awe, of being a part of a limitless whole. And it was just out of reach on the other side of the fence. She wished Peeta could see what she’d seen looking out over Appalachia, the rolling swells of the mountains lit by the sun, and gently drifting clouds casting shadows over the valleys.

There was breathtaking beauty in Panem. The Capitol couldn’t destroy it, but they could certainly blind their citizens to it. There were precious few who ever got a glimpse outside their district

“But what you said, about coming back. That sounds right too,” Peeta said. He looked back at her. “Even if I could go anywhere, I think I’d always return. There’d be something calling me back.”

Katniss itched to ask what had such a powerful hold on him. It was an unexpected hunger, the wish to know Peeta.

It was then that the newest Victor, along with their stylists, mentor, and escort, filed onto the stage, distracting Katniss from her surprising thoughts.

The Victor looked miserable, which was hardly unexpected. Their escort, however, flitted about the stage, adjusting people’s outfits and stances before the ceremony started. The mayor and Cray greeted them, shaking hands with the whole crew. Madge stepped forward, solemnly presenting the them each with a bouquet of white flowers. The Victor, a girl from Four, didn’t even come up to her shoulder.

“It’s such a farce,” Katniss spat. “We lavish them with all sorts of useless gifts the moment they step out of the arena - the crown, the money, exotic flowers and gifts from every district, you name it. All of it meaningless. None of that will help. They need something that will tell them that they have to press on until they find something worth staying for.”

“What would you give them, to show them that? If you could give them anything?” Peeta asked.

Katniss smiled softly. “A dandelion. Just one. To tell them that tenacity and resilience will prevail. To show them that something remains, and can thrive, even after they’ve experienced the worst thing that will ever happen to them.”

She looked away from the stage, and his eyes caught hers. There was recognition in his gaze. “I knew that’s what you would choose,” he whispered. He knew that part of her, deep down. The girl under the apple tree in the rain. And the girl afterward, who had realized she could claw her way back to life, her family in tow. No one else did, not really.

She found herself nodding. “They need to know that life will go on. No matter what. And it may feel cruel, but there’s hope in that as well.” She paused, letting her words hang in the air, before she continued.

“I know what you’d give them.” The speech between them had grown hushed.  “Bread.”

They’d never spoken of that day. She never thought she’d get the chance to tell him what those two burned loaves had meant to her that day, what he had come to mean to her.

“That bread would show them that despite the way it looks, things are never hopeless. Even when it feels like no one can see your pain, that you’re invisible, someone sees you. When the rest of the world tells you you’re not worth saving, someone still cares.”

Their eyes were anchored to each other’s. Peeta wet his lips, as if about to say something, but a hand tapped on the microphone to get everyone’s attention, and the speeches began.

Reluctant, they turned to the stage, listening to the carefully crafted words and expertly arranged artifice. But after their conversation, Katniss felt like it couldn’t reach her.

+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+

As Katniss walked home, she was pensive. Life was strange. Even living the narrow lives defined by their tightly controlled cage, people defied expectation. She’d never imagined talking to Peeta could be like that. She’d felt brave, hopeful, and adventurous, all at once. At the same time, the restlessness, anger, and despair she felt as a citizen in Panem was ever-present. But it had felt more bearable, because she’d felt understood.

They’d discussed an imagined future where the limit of one’s freedom was defined only by how far the track led, and Peeta made it seem like their existence wasn’t defined by the constraints forced upon them. She’d alluded to her past, and the most terrible day of her life. She’d felt raw, exposed, and most unbelievable of all, less alone.

Katniss had never had a conversation like it. And what was even more surprising, was that she’d done at least half the talking. He’d drawn her out. He’d helped her realize that despite what the Capitol had made of it, Katniss loved the land that District Twelve had arisen from. What Peeta could do with words, and elicit from her, had her stunned.

Prim, walking beside her, knew that something had happened. Katniss was a consummate hunter, and it was unlike her to be so caught up in her thoughts and oblivious to her surroundings. She hadn’t even been angry about them never joining her. Whatever she and Peeta had talked about, it had shifted something in Katniss, and torn at her carefully-guarded barriers. All according to plan.

+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+

An opportunity to celebrate in Twelve was about as rare as restraint in the Capitol, so the district was in high spirits for the Harvest Festival, despite the occasion punctuating the close of another disastrous cycle of the Games.

The entire District gathered in the square for the uncharacteristic night of revelry. There would be food, music, and dancing. Both her targets would be in the same place. Prim knew this was her chance.

Katniss was a fine dancer, but she never bothered to seek out a partner. Usually she just joined in on the fast dances alongside Prim. And something told Prim that Peeta wasn’t quite bold enough to ask Katniss to partner with him.

Prim had no idea what sort of dancer Peeta was, but that hardly mattered. After the way Katniss had drifted about the house in the week between the Victory Rally and tonight, deep in thought, Prim doubted she’d notice if Peeta stepped on both her feet at once.

The challenge was getting them to the ‘dance floor’ at the center of the square. Surely once they were there together, everything would fall into place, as it had at the rally.

Prim started with Peeta. He was just bringing a fresh batch of apple dumplings to his family’s stand when she caught up with him.

“Hey Peeta.”

“Hey Prim,” he said cheerfully, as he started setting out the fresh pastries. He nudged one of the smaller dumplings in her direction and winked. “Enjoying the festival?”

She nodded happily and took a bite of the generous offering. Peeta glanced at her sideways. “Is your sister here with you?”

Prim took another big bite of the dumpling, trying very hard not to smile at Peeta’s obviousness. She shrugged, mumbling “Somewhere ‘round here,” around the gooey apple goodness.

Peeta kept transferring dumplings from the trays he’d brought, and Prim finished her treat.

“Will you dance with me, after the mayor’s speech?” Prim asked.

Peeta paused, and looked at her with concern. “Aren’t I a little old for you, squirt?” he asked.

Prim rolled her eyes. As if tacking on a juvenile nickname would deter her from her purpose.

“You’re only fourteen, Prim,” he reminded her gently, before wondering aloud, “Is that too young to be dancing with boys?” He furrowed his brows and stared off to the side, as if recalling the days he’d been her age, a mere four years ago, took great effort.

“I’m not asking for real , silly. It’s for a bet.” Prim looked down at the counter and started straightening a pile of wax paper sleeves for baked goods. It was hard to lie to Peeta when he leveled his trusting blue eyes on her. “My best friend Metzi just got a boyfriend. And I’m not jealous or anything, but she refuses to talk about anything else. It’s annoying. So I told her that boyfriends were nothing special, and she said that at least she had someone to dance with at the festival.”

Prim peeked up at him to see if Peeta was following her rambling fabrication. He was nodding along. “So I told her I could get anyone I wanted to dance with me, and she bet me I couldn’t. Now if I don’t have a partner, I’ll be completely humiliated!”

Peeta frowned. “But why me? Couldn’t you ask one of your classmates?”

“I dunno,” Prim shrugged noncommittally. “Katniss seems to think you’re cute, so it seemed like a good idea.”

Peeta nearly fell out of the bakery stand. “She does?” he blurted in near disbelief. “I mean, uh, that’s nice.”

It took everything Prim had not to laugh in Peeta’s face. He was trying to so hard to look nonchalant in the face of that little piece of news, and failing so miserably.

“If you don’t want to, that’s okay. I understand.” She stepped back from the stand. “I think I’ll just have Katniss take me home. She wouldn’t want me to be the object of ridicule and teasing, and I would feel awfully ashamed if I couldn’t even find a dance partner.”

Prim turned and winced. That was laying it on a bit too thick. But it worked like a charm.

“Wait!” Peeta said. “If it’s just as a friend helping out a friend, so you can win your bet, I suppose I could be your dance partner.”

Prim couldn’t stop a mischievous grin from spreading over her face. “Why thank you, Peeta! Don’t forget, it’s the first dance after the mayor’s speech.”

And with that, she headed back to the festivities, delighted that all her plans thus far were falling into place.

+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+

As the applause following the mayor’s bolstering speech faded, and the fiddles took up, Prim turned suddenly to Katniss.

“Katniss, will you do me a favor?”

Katniss was tapping her foot along with the music as she watched couples gather in the square. “Sure Prim,” she answered easily, half-distracted.

“Glad to hear it,” Prim said briskly, “because he’s heading over now.”

Katniss glanced over to her. “He?”

Prim wore her most winning smile. “I asked someone to dance, but I think I twisted my ankle during one of that fast songs before. It’s nothing major,” she rushed to assure Katniss, knowing her overprotective nature. “ but I started noticing it more during the speech. You’ll step in for me, right?”

“I suppose…” Katniss didn’t see why Prim couldn’t just cry off. It would probably look silly, her dancing with someone Prim’s age, but she understood how her sister hated to disappoint anyone. That sweetness was one of the things Katniss sought to protect the most as Prim grew up.

“You’re dancing with boys now, Little Duck?” she asked, raising a brow.

Prim’s eyes were watching someone approach in the crowd as she answered. “No, you are.”

And suddenly, Peeta was standing there in front of them.

“This is the dance you wanted, right Prim?” Peeta greeted. He turned and smiled shyly at Katniss. “Hi Katniss.”

Speechless, Katniss turned to look at Prim. There was a look of shock on her face, like a creature that suddenly found itself in the middle of  a snare.

Prim beamed. “Sure is!” And with that, the younger girl nudged her older sister in Peeta’s direction and stepped back. “Have fun!”

Peeta wasn’t sure what was going on, but when Katniss stepped up to him hesitantly, placing one hand in his palm and laying the other on swell of his shoulder, he wasn’t going to stand around waiting for an explanation.

He clasped his fingers around hers and drew them into the nearby cluster of swaying bodies. When Peeta braced his hand on her waist, her lips parted with a surprised breath. His cheeks pinkened at her response.

“So…to what do I owe the pleasure?” He had to know how he suddenly came to be dancing with Katniss Everdeen.

“Shouldn’t I be asking that? What are you doing, agreeing to dance with Prim? She’s only fourteen, you know.” Katniss meant for her voice to sound reproving, but she was a little too breathless to carry it off.

He nodded his agreement. “She said it was to win a bet against Metzi. Something about being able to find a dance partner. I didn’t want her to be embarrassed.”

“Metzi? Who’s Metzi?”

Peeta looked puzzled. “Prim’s best friend?” Surely Katniss knew the people who were closest to her sister.

“Never heard of her,” Katniss said wryly. “Does that sound like a real name to you?” Then again, Katniss realized, she was talking to Peeta . She’d puzzled over the oddness of his name at length. Still, Katniss was sure she knew all of Prim’s friends.

Peeta seemed unconvinced. Prim was so sweet, surely she wouldn’t lie to him. “Why would she bother making that up?”

Katniss gave a rueful half-smile. “Sounds like Prim has a crush on you.” Her eyes grew shuttered and a little sad. She couldn’t decide if she was more bothered that Prim was growing into a young woman so rapidly, or that her little sister may have set her cap at Peeta Mellark.

Peeta looked at her earnestly. “Prim is lovely - she’s an Everdeen, after all. But I can assure you, there’s nothing in our shared future but friendship.”

His heart flipped at the hopeful light that entered Katniss’s eyes at his words. “Then I guess it’s lucky she sat this one out,” she said. “You don’t have to let her down gently, and Prim has a chance to set her sights elsewhere and save face.”

“Very lucky,” he agreed. There was admiration and a hint of hunger in Peeta’s gaze, and the combination of his frank regard and proximity had her breath catching all over again.

+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+

Prim congratulated herself on a job well done. Time to sit back, she figured, and let nature take its course. What more could fledgling lovebirds require than a surprise dance at the Harvest Festival?

Things looked good at first. In the weeks following the festival, Katniss returned from from trading in town each evening with elevated spirits. She hummed to herself frequently, seemingly without knowing it.

But each night, when Katniss caught sight of Prim, her mood seemed to deflate. And worse, when Prim would try to casually inquire about trading at the bakery, Katniss looked distinctly guilty.

Growing worried, Prim finally came out and asked. “How is Peeta doing?”

Katniss looked up in alarm from her task, untangling some of Prim’s yarn that Buttercup had tangled. “Why are you asking me ?”

“Because you trade with him?”

“Right,” Katniss said, relieved. “He’s good. I guess. All the Mellarks seem fine.”

“How was dancing with him at the festival?” Prim probed, a teasing smile on her face.

“Oh. It was alright, I suppose. Nothing special.”

Prim frowned. That didn’t sound good. Katniss quailed at the look on her face.

“I’m sorry you didn’t get to have your dance with Peeta, Prim! And I know you probably don’t want to hear it, but there will be plenty of time for boys when you’re a little older, don’t you think? Boys who might be closer to your own age?”

Prim opened her mouth to respond, then paused, totally confused.

Katniss continued on. “And Peeta mentioned that he considers you a friend – which is great in its own right! Peeta thinks the world of you Little Duck, but just…not… that way. Are you horribly upset?”

There was consternation and extreme worry in her sister’s eyes, and Prim realized that Katniss thought she had a crush on Peeta. Oh for odds’ sake!

Prim rolled her eyes as emphatically as she could manage. Katniss needed to realize she was being ridiculous. “Yes, I lied to Peeta to get him to dance, but only because spending the whole festival by his family’s stand looked so dull, and I thought he ought to have a little fun.”

The relief that flooded Katniss’s face was immediate.

“So,” Prim prodded, “How is Peeta?”

This time Katniss elaborated, a little smile on her face. “He’s good. He’s experimenting with some recipes at the bakery, and he made me his unofficial taste tester. He saves a little corner of whatever he’s working on for when I come to trade.”

Prim smiled knowingly. “Sounds like he really values your opinion. Anything else ?” she prompted. Surely they must be a couple by now.

Katniss furrowed her brow. “Not really. Should there be? We only talk briefly when trading.” She looked at Prim suspiciously. “Why do you ask?”

Prim pursed her lips, disappointed. “No reason. Just wondering if he had a good time at the festival.” Katniss accepted her answer, and Prim went outside to see Lady shortly after.

“It’s no good, Lady! We need another stratagem. I don’t know if they’re too shy, or too scared, but it didn’t work.”

She sighed morosely and stared up at the ceiling of the little hutch that housed Lady, trying to imagine how she could get her sister and Peeta to acknowledge the obvious.

The afternoon sunlight shone through a section of the roof that needed to be patched. The little structure was in need of repair, and Katniss had promised to get around to patching the roof for months now, even going so far as to trade for some old wooden boards. Now winter was melting to spring, and with a leaky roof, Lady’s sleeping area would soon be under a deluge every time it rained.  

A devious grin stole over Primrose’s face as an idea entered her head. “Why Lady, that just might work! I knew I made you second-in-command for a reason!” She hopped to her feet, saluted the indifferent goat with a flourish, and headed for Mellark Bakery.

+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+

Prim wanted to tear her hair out. Talking to Pearse Mellark was like trying to converse with a brick wall.

“I don’t see why you can’t just tell him yourself,” Pearse complained.

She sighed tediously. “Because. I told you, I’ve got somewhere to be, and it’s really important Peeta get this message.”

“I’m not his secretary. He’s just making a delivery to the Undersees, he’ll be back soon.”

“I can’t wait that long,” Prim protested. In reality, she had all the time in the world to wait around and deliver a message to Peeta. But she’d intentionally waited until he left the bakery, paper-wrapped parcels under his arm, before knocking on the bakery’s back door.

She needed to cover her tracks as much as possible. And getting Pearse to relay her message was the best way to do that.

“Now, listen carefully: I need you to tell Peeta that one of the Everdeen girls stopped by, and they need help fixing a roof over their goat pen this Monday, okay? Say it just like that.”

“Why would you want Peeta’s help fixing a roof? He bakes. Are you planning on spackling the holes with frosting or something?”

Prim rolled her eyes. It was obvious that Pearse thought he was pretty clever. Before he could follow up with a terrible joke about Peeta’s prowess with gingerbread house repair, Prim interrupted.

“Because he volunteered, and we took him up on it.”

Now it was Pearse’s turn to roll his eyes. “That sounds like Peeta. What a bleeding-heart,” he scoffed.

“Just deliver the message, okay? Please? Then I won’t have to come back and bother you again.”

“Fine. An annoying Everdeen wants him to fix a goat’s roof on Monday.” He shook his head incredulously at the bizarre message. “Good enough?”

Prim smirked at him. “Perfect.”

+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+

Katniss was utterly confused when, on Monday, she answered a knock at the door to find Peeta on the doorstep, hammer and jar of nails in hand, eager and upbeat.

“Hey Katniss! Ready to start?”

Her brow furrowed. “…Start what?”

“Fixing the roof. Today’s the day, right?”

She stared at him uncomprehendingly.

“Pearse said you needed my help fixing the roof over your goat pen. You told him a few days ago.”

“No, I didn’t.”

An awkward silence fell over the threshold.  Katniss wracked her brain for how Pearse could have possibly known she was planning to fix the little hutch in Lady’s pen. She’d mentioned to Gale that she’d been putting it off too long, but she could have sworn that was in the forest, not near the bakery.

“You didn’t?”

Katniss shook her head.

“Then what was he…” Peeta trailed off, then his eyes widened in realization. “Pearse totally pranked me. Because he knows I-” the last part of his sentence was choked off, though Katniss had dearly wanted to know how it would finish. “I feel like such an idiot.”

“Don’t. Pearse is the idiot. And it was nice that you were so willing to help.”

Peeta groaned. “This is so embarrassing. And I’m sorry to bother you. It sounds crazy, now that I think about it. You probably don’t even have a roof over your goat pen, and why would you ask me?”

“Actually, we do.” Katniss bit her lip, considering. Peeta looked positively mortified, and she hated to let him leave like that. Plus, it was hard not to remember how exhilarating it had been to dance with him, even just to talk with him. That hunger to know him was still there, and here was her chance.

“And it’s in pretty bad shape. I’ve been meaning to patch it up for weeks.” She tucked a loose piece of hair behind her ear. “If you’re not busy, I could use some help.”

“Oh thank goodness,” Peeta sighed, grateful for a reason to stay.

Prim, who had been waiting with baited breath in the other room, swooped out to announce that she would walk Lady to the Meadow, to keep the goat out of the way.

And so Prim headed off with Lady, silently cackling at her own genius, while Katniss and Peeta started assessing the roof.

As they gathered the boards and materials, Katniss noticed that Peeta kept sneaking glances at her. And it didn’t seem to be because she’d been stealing glances at him first.

When they traded the hammer back forth, Peeta seemed to take any opportunity to brush her hand. Katniss thought this was a marvelous idea, and started devising little ways to touch him as well - letting her thigh brush his when crouching next to him to hold a board in place, steadying herself with a hand on his shoulder when she rose back up on the sloped roof.

They chatted back and forth easily, this time about nothing of import, and as more time passed, her heart grew more and more buoyant.

She’d always assumed that if her heart was filled with anyone but Prim, it would weigh her down, and ultimately drag her to where her mother had fallen after the death of her father. But that eventuality seemed hard to believe now. The time she spent with Peeta was starting to make her feel even freer than when she was in the woods. She didn’t want to give it up.

All too soon though, the roof was finished, and the overcast sky was looking like rain.

Katniss didn’t want to let Peeta go. So she kept talking, telling the story of how she’d gotten Lady for Prim’s birthday. He’d gone to the trouble of fixing the hutch, he might as well know the story behind the goat.

Peeta followed up with his own story about a birthday present. The first time he was given paints as a gift, Mr. Mellark left them on the kitchen table as a surprise for when Peeta came down to breakfast. But since it was his birthday, Peeta had been allowed to sleep in, and when he woke up, everyone else was out tending the shop front. Painting was so rare an activity in Twelve, that Peeta, only eight, didn’t realize what his present was. Assuming they were little containers of fancy frosting, he cheerfully endeavored to paint a dozen cookies before his father intervened.

His retelling had Katniss in stitches, and as their laughter dispersed, they watched each other with admiration. Then the skies finally made good on their threat, and rain began to fall. Despite the darkness of the clouds, a light lingered inside her.

They’d been highly aware of each other for years, but it had been so long before they ever spoke. Who knows how many stories, just like this one, she’d missed out on. Katniss found herself wanting the chance to go back and talk to him much sooner.

“I guess I’d better head back home, and let you get inside,” Peeta said, his reluctance palpable. “I’ve really enjoyed being able to talk to you like this. I wish there was more chance to do it regularly. “

“I wish that too,” she said softly.

Peeta stepped closer. “Well maybe we could set aside a time, and pick a place, and just…spend some time together.” His ears were pink. She realized he was nervous, and felt a burst of warmth in her chest.

Katniss began to answer in the affirmative, and Peeta’s eyes dipped to follow the movement of her lips. His eyelashes were damp and darkened by the rain. Even clinging together from the moisture, they were still long and utterly distracting. And instead of agreeing to meet more often, as she’d intended, Katniss leaned forward and pulled toward her, until his lips met hers.

+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+

Prim started back from the meadow when it started raining.  They must have finished the roof by now; it felt like she had walked around the meadow a hundred times with Lady. When she got back, Prim headed behind the house to pen Lucky and check on the status of the hutch.

She halted in her tracks, her mouth dropping open in surprise and glee. They’d finished fixing the roof, but  Katniss and Peeta hadn’t moved far from there.  The rain was falling around them, but the two were completely wrapped up in each other. Katniss clung to Peeta like he was her last tether to the world, and Peeta held onto her like she was life itself. Prim was half-tempted to cover Lady’s eyes.

“C’mon Lady,” she whispered. “You can stay in the kitchen for a little while.”

It was some time later that Katniss entered the house. Prim grinned as she slid a cup of tea in her sister’s direction. Katniss sank heavily into her seat. Her hair was plastered to her head by the rain, and Prim could hear droplets from her jacket hitting the kitchen floor.

“So…how’d it go?” Prim teased with a grin. Katniss slumped down and buried her face in her hands.

“Oh Prim!” she moaned. “I’ve messed up!”

The smile dropped from Prim’s face. That wasn’t the reaction she expected.

“I swore I’d never do this, never get…attached. But Prim, Peeta’s different! It’s like…none of that seems to matter, nothing I’ve told myself for so long makes the slightest difference. I- I  still feel for him.”

Prim reached across the table and laid her hand over her sister’s. “Hey, it’s not so dire as you’re making it out to be. It was just a kiss, right? And what’s wrong with that? Unless…it wasn’t all that good.” Prim frowned thoughtfully. “Huh. I never thought he’d be so bad at it….”

Katniss groaned. “It wasn’t bad, Prim! It was the opposite, which is the whole problem! This wasn’t supposed to happen! I refuse to get attached to anyone. I won’t be weak. I won’t be like Mom was.”

“That seems extreme,” Prim criticized. “Besides, I always thought you were at your strongest when it came to people you loved - people you’re attached to. Like when Dad died, and you kept us going.”

Katniss’s face was awash with pain. “What happened then is exactly the reason I’m saying this.”

Prim understood why Katniss would take this approach. She’d been so young, but she remembered what their father’s death was like, the way her mother had been absent in everything but body.  Prim knew she’d never know the full extent of what Katniss had to deal with, the desperation and terror that they’d be taken to the community home or starve, but she had an idea.

But they weren’t in those straits anymore. And hadn’t been for a long time. living in perpetual expectation of a return to those days wasn’t logical or healthy. Katniss needed to embrace the possibilities of happiness that did exist in Twelve, few as they were.

“If you don’t want things to go further, they don’t have to. But there’s no need to decide immediately,” Prim said reasonably. “You can think things over, decide what you want and what you don’t…”

Katniss raised her head abruptly. “I already made my decision. I had to, while I still could. I know what I want , but it’s something I can’t have. Prim, if I’d waited, I wouldn’t have been strong enough to walk away. So it had to be before anything really started.”

Prim’s heart sank. “And you told Peeta all this?” she asked with a small voice.

Katniss looked even more miserable at the question. “Not in so many words. I told him it couldn’t- wouldn’t happen between us.”

Prim sighed sadly. She’d been so sure that Peeta would be great for her sister. “Katniss, you don’t have to punish yourself just because Dad died and Mom checked out. Just because things ended badly doesn’t mean the rest wasn’t worthwhile. You remember how things were before better than I do. Wasn’t it all worth it?”

She stared into her sister’s gray eyes, willing her to understand that connection and caring made a person stronger , not more vulnerable. But Katniss’s eyes only grew more shuttered.

Katniss stood, shaking off her coat and hanging it by the fire. Prim didn’t understand. She couldn’t, because she hadn’t seen herself those hollow days - heart broken, starving, fading away.

“No,” Katniss said. “It’s not worth it.” She exited the kitchen.

And Prim knew the conversation was over.

+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+

But saying the words and making herself believe them were two different things. In the months that followed, Katniss put a on a brave face, filled with resolve, and avoided the bakery like the plague. She threw herself into hunting and foraging, as she always had. Life in Twelve had never been bright or hopeful, but things seemed even more pallid than usual.

Every time she allowed herself to think of Peeta, an indulgence she tried to avoid, she was wracked with regret. She’d hurt him, she knew. And she missed him. Which was ridiculous, because they hadn’t even known each other all that well. But whatever she felt, Katniss had made up her mind, and she  wouldn’t second guess herself.

Prim had no qualms second guessing Katniss’s judgment. Her sister may know very well how to hunt, how to keep her loved ones fed and protected, and how to save her family’s lives, but Katniss did not know how to listen to her own needs, or do something purely for herself.

That’s why Katniss needed her interference. Err… help .

It had been months, and it was obvious that Katniss was still struggling to reconcile the way she’d left things with Peeta. She was clearly mourning her decision, she just wouldn’t admit it to herself. Luckily, Prim was perceptive enough for the both of them.

+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+

Prim wrinkled her nose as she gladly exchanged the dead squirrel for a loaf of bread. Katniss rarely traded in person with the bakery now, she usually sent Prim to do it. At least she always had the courtesy to wrap the squirrels in paper before passing them to Prim, but it was still gross.

Peeta, subdued of late, lifted hesitant eyes to her. “I was wondering if you’d deliver a message for me?”

Prim bit the inside of her cheek. She felt for Peeta, but her loyalties were with Katniss. Still, she was convinced her sister still cared deeply for the baker’s youngest son. Prim hadn’t given up on the two of them, she just hadn’t figured out how to fix things yet. If this note would only hurt Katniss further, Prim couldn’t agree to deliver it.

“I just don’t know what to do,” he continued dejectedly. “I’m good at doing nothing, I suppose. But I have to try, don’t I?”

Prim nodded sadly.

“Come on in. I’ll get it.” Prim stepped inside, and looked around at all the baked goods in varying states of completion. There was even a fancy toasting cake, with several tiers, awaiting floral accents. She didn’t know how they resisted sampling everything in sight.

Peeta returned with a folded slip of paper. “I won’t ask you not to read it. And thank you.”

Prim nodded and left. As soon as she was out of sight of the bakery, she unfolded the note and began reading.

I miss you. On the rare days you come to trade, it’s like you look right through me.  I’m sorry about that day last spring. I’ll regret that I made you uncomfortable forever.

Prim paused, exasperated. Katniss had confessed that she had been the one to initiate the things with Peeta that day. She’d become overwhelmed and needed distance from the situation, true, but now it sounded like Peeta was blaming himself for the whole thing.

Can’t we go back to the way things were right before? When we were talking more, and getting to know each other? I can’t forget what it was like to hold you, but if that’s not what you want, I will be happy with anything you’ll allow.

Please talk to me.

Peeta

Prim felt her lip tremble. These two idiots belonged together. It was time to act.

She was waiting for Katniss when she returned from hunting.

“Here. This is for you.” Prim handed over the note without another word.

Katniss was frozen. She’d been chased by bears, and faced the Capitol’s wrath daily slipping past the fence, but Katniss was clearly afraid of the note’s contents.

Prim wondered which Katniss feared more: that Peeta still returned her feelings, or that he didn’t. Prim would soon find out, as she had a plan.

“Did you read it?” Katniss asked nervously.

“No,” Prim lied. She couldn’t tell if Katniss believed her. It was irrelevant.

“Go on,” Prim prodded.

Katniss turned away and unfolded the note. She sat down at the kitchen table to read it. When she finished, she just sat there, the note before her.

Prim walked around and sat opposite her. “What are you going to do?” she asked softly.

Katniss looked miserable.

“Are you going to answer it?”

Katniss hung her head in defeat. “I can’t, Prim. I can’t.”

The younger Everdeen pursed her lips. Katniss couldn’t forsake all attachments just because she was scared. That was no way to live, and Prim cared too much to let her sabotage a chance at happiness before she’d even considered it.

“Oh,” Prim sighed resignedly. “It’s just as well.”

Katniss peeked back up at Prim warily. “Why’s that?”

“Well, I think this note is pretty old. I found it in my pocket today, but I don’t know when Peeta slipped it in there for me to give to you. He’s probably been waiting for an answer for ages. It would only make sense, seeing as he was working on that toasting cake today.”

Katniss raised a brow, suspicious. “What would that have to do with anything? Peeta decorates cakes all the time.”

“Well, I got the impression that it was his toasting cake.”

Katniss looked like she’d just swallowed some bad wild dog stew.  “Peeta’s having a toasting?” she whispered, dismayed. “To whom?”

Prim had devised her current scheme on the walk home from the bakery. There had been no chance for detailed planning.

“Madge Undersee,” she blurted, internally wincing. Katniss would never believe it.

“ Madge ? But she and Gale are inseparable!” Katniss protested. Then again, she thought with a touch of paranoia , a brooding Seam trapper probably wasn’t what the Mayor had in mind for a son-in-law. And Katniss knew that Mrs. Mellark wouldn’t take kindly to her son getting involved with a stubborn huntress who had a mind of her own. Maybe Peeta and Madge had been pressured into it by their parents, and coming off her rejection of him, Peeta had accepted.

“Did he look happy?” Katniss asked, struggling to keep the pain out of her voice.

Prim’s heart ached. She could see how much the idea of Peeta no longer caring for her was hurting Katniss.

“No,” Prim answered gently. “He didn’t.” That at least was true.

“Well that’s unacceptable!” Katniss cried. She jumped to her feet. “They can’t just throw him and Madge together! He deserves to be happy, to be with someone he loves!”

“Even if it’s you?” Prim asked archly.

Katniss deflated. “I…don’t know,” she admitted. Prim raised her eyebrows. That was progress.

“What are you going to do about the note?” she asked.

“Who says I’m going to do anything?” Katniss challenged. 

Prim changed tactics. “Do you remember that thing Dad always used to say about happiness?”

Katniss hesitated. “He used to say, ‘for people who have known much hardship, sometimes the idea of happiness is the scariest thing of all.’ It’s why he was so determined to find ways to be happy, even here in Twelve. Why he did everything to make the most out of life.”

Prim smiled at his memory. “He and mom weren’t a conventional couple. They risked a lot for happiness.”

Katniss’s face closed off. “If you’re trying to sell me on a happily ever after, citing the way things ended for Mom and Dad isn’t going to cut it.”

“Dad went to the forest, even if it was dangerous. That made him happy.”

“He did that for survival. That it made him happy was incidental.”

Prim narrowed her eyes, determined to get through to Katniss.

“Dad sung because it made him, and others, happy. There were songs he sung that could have gotten him in trouble. but he sung them anyway, because he loved to sing, he loved those songs, and he loved their message. Imagine Dad without the singing. Would you rather he made the safe decision, or would you rather he embrace what made him happy, and sing?”

Katniss was silent, and Prim knew her words had hit her mark. She took her father’s coat back off the hook and handed it to Katniss.

“Better get going.”

Katniss shook her head, laughing at her sister’s cheek. Prim was delighted, as Katniss’s mood was already visibly elevated at the prospect of seeking out Peeta.

“You’re awfully bossy for a little sister,”Katniss tossed over her shoulder as she reached the door.

“You forgot ‘wise beyond her years’ and ‘always right!’” Prim called to her retreating back.

+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+

Katniss hurried to town. She didn’t know what her endgame was, but she knew Peeta couldn’t toast Madge. Or anyone else. Not if there was a chance he still felt the same way she did.

She couldn’t believe Gale hadn’t mentioned Madge was getting toasted to someone else. Last she heard, the two of them were still sneaking around and having a grand time. The familial pressure must have been extreme for Madge, usually so independent, to just give in. Perhaps the toasting was a knee jerk response to the discovery that Madge and Gale were together.

From the bakery window, she saw the lit oven and a loaf of bread sitting on the counter. Peeta was inside, putting the finishing touches on the cake he’d undoubtedly share with friends and family after the ceremony. Madge could arrive at any moment, there was no time to lose.

Katniss burst through the back door and into the bakery’s kitchen. “Don’t do it!”

Peeta froze, a spun-sugar lily poised over the top tier of the cake.

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry I pushed you away! I was scared, and I couldn’t accept what I wanted. I don’t know what sort of future to hope for, but I do know that I want you in it, not toasted to someone else!”

Peeta lowered his arms slowly, taking great care not to shatter the fragile sugar flower.

“I want you in my future too, Katniss. In any way you’ll have me.” He breathed a sigh of relief. “I can’t begin to describe how good it is to just hear your voice. And to put you at ease, I have no toasting plans in the near future.”

Katniss had been prepared to continue her campaign to derail Peeta’s toasting, but she paused. “Isn’t that your toasting cake?”

“Mine?” Peeta looked at the confection as though he was suddenly surprised to see it there. “Who am I toasting?” There was alarm in his voice, like maybe he’d missed a rather giant detail along the way.

“Well…Madge.”

“Madge Undersee ? As in the mayor’s daughter?” Peeta asked incredulously. “Shouldn’t you be asking Gale this? I mean, I always used to wish you’d confuse me for Gale, back when I thought you and he-”

“But what about that loaf of bread right there?” Katniss cut in, desperately casting about for a threat to Peeta’s unmarried status to justify her invasion of the bakery.

Peeta contemplated the loaf in question, sitting innocently on the counter, and tried to see what so offended Katniss about it.

His head swiveled back to her. “This is a bakery, Katniss. There’s bread everywhere.”

There was a tiny smile hinting about the corner of his lips, and Katniss knew he was secretly laughing.

She spluttered in frustration at the whole situation. “So you’re just,” she waved her hand at the towering ivory dessert Peeta was still poised over, “decorating some random cake ? ”

“Yes,” he said with conviction. “And I’m almost finished. Would you mind if I put this flower on? I’m not sure how much longer I can hold it before it breaks.” He glanced back at her roguishly. “And as soon as it’s done, I’d like very much to pick back up where we left off.”

Katniss nodded and turned away from him, pinching the bridge of her nose as she tried to stave off a headache and the inevitable humiliation from her outburst. Peeta seemed wholly unconcerned by it, but she was mortified.

She’d totally misread the situation. She had no idea where Prim got her information from, but it was completely wrong. And now she’d behaved like a madwoman, in front of someone whose opinion mattered greatly to her.

All the while, Peeta was watching her reaction carefully, as he placed and adjusted the flower atop the cake. He stepped away from the cake, and approached Katniss.

“I assume you got the note I gave Prim.”

“Yes. Only, she wasn’t sure when you might have left it with her. So when she saw you working on the cake, she told me, assuming the worst - that you’d given up on me.”

“Never,” vowed Peeta. “And I handed Prim that note this afternoon.”

Katniss stared in disbelief. Loose ends and puzzle pieces, all involving Prim’s fringe involvement in recent events, started to click into place. Her sister was far more sneaky and cunning than a little duck had any right to be. She might have to start calling her little weasel or fox instead.

“So, all this worry about toasting…does that mean you’re not as completely against the concept as you said?”

“No. I mean…I don’t know.” Katniss bit her lip and paused, searching inside herself. When she finally lifted her eyes to his, she looked almost surprised at her answer. “Someday…maybe?”

Peeta smiled. He reached out and took her hands, bringing each one up in turn, so he could place a gentle, reverent kiss in each palm. He trailed his hands up her arms, and gathered her to him.

“I can work with that,” he whispered, and she trembled in anticipation as his lips met hers.

+*+*+*+*+*+EPILOGUE+*+*+*+*+*+

Prim swept the flower petals off the kitchen table. Peeta seemed intent on gently unweaving each bud and blossom from Katniss’s hair, but he had a lot of them left to go. Katniss was doing nothing to help him, simply resting her head on his shoulder, eyes closed in bliss as he played with her intricately braided locks.

She’d earned a little rest, Prim thought. Toastings were barely nuptial ceremonies by Capitol standards, but they still took effort to coordinate, small as they were, and Katniss had never been the type for event planning. Still, it had been a lovely occasion, and even after the food was eaten and their friends and well-wishers departed, the couple across from her was still glowing.

“You know, it’s all thanks to me that you two ever got together,” Prim informed them, highly pleased with herself.

“Hmph,” Katniss mumbled. She was so relaxed she sounded almost asleep. “Would’ve happened anyways.”

Peeta grinned at her answer. “We’d better head home and go to bed. You sound like you’re about to drift off any minute.” Home for them was no longer the bakery or the Everdeen residence, but a modest little house nearby in the Seam.

At the mention of their toasting night, Katniss’s eyes opened, gleaming gray and wakeful. She stood from the table, and tugged Peeta to his feet as well. “Well don’t keep a girl waiting,” she teased, and turned to say goodbye to her mother.

Prim grinned knowingly.

Just to be safe, Peeta slid the plate of remaining berry tarts in her direction. Katniss hadn’t wanted toasting cake, so he’d made pastries galore.

The offering was an unspoken thank you. As Peeta and Katniss called out their goodbyes and headed toward their future with happy, hopeful steps, Prim licked her lips and chose a tart with care. This pranking and matchmaking business paid excellent edible dividends.

End.