#i always get confused when my mum would talk about my medicine because she'd always say levetiracetam

[misiahasahardname]

i keep forgetting keppra is the name of the brand and not the medicine i take

[helloalycia]

𝐍𝐎 𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐄 𝐆𝐎𝐎𝐃𝐁𝐘𝐄𝐒 [𝐓𝐖𝐎] — 𝐊𝐀𝐓𝐍𝐈𝐒𝐒 𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐃𝐄𝐄𝐍

summary: when you finally get through the toughest of winters with Katniss, glad you won't lose her, it's all for nothing because she volunteers for her sister in the Hunger Games.

warning/s: usual the hunger games warnings.

author's note: little late today but here’s the second and final part! was fun to write a katniss and i hope you all liked the ending 🥰

one / masterlist / wattpad

It was a few days later when I visited Katniss and found her sat in the living room for a change. I had to do a double take when I saw her, so used to seeing her be bed-bound. But no, she was sat on the couch in fresh clothes and looking freshly bathed. I was surprised, unable to do anything but stare until she beckoned me to join her.

"Sorry, but you just– you're up!" I said with amazement. "Katniss."

She smiled a little, nodding. "I am. I think this is the first time I can actually hold my own."

Hearing her say that made me relax instantly, my worry and concern fully disappearing. It was all I'd ever wanted. And she was already looking a lot better, the colour returning to her cheeks, the circles under her eyes disappearing, the migraines practically nonexistent. She was beginning to look like her old self again.

"Listen," she said suddenly, and I realised she was struggling to tell me something. "Whilst I was at my worst, you did a lot when I couldn't. And I just– thank you, Y/N."

"Of course," I said dismissively.

"No, you did way too much," she added, meeting my eyes. "More than you needed to. With looking after my family and with the medicine."

"I'd do it all again too," I said with a shrug, and the look she shot me made me take on a more serious approach. "I couldn't imagine losing you, Katniss. I wouldn't know what to do. You mean so much to me and I had to get you better. There was no other option."

She exhaled uncomfortably, looking down, and I winced at my declaration. Katniss was never one for talking about her feelings, let alone hearing other people gush about theirs. She was always too busy surviving, so she never had time for it.

"Sorry," I said. "I know you hate sappy stuff."

"No," she said quickly. "It's not that. It's–" She paused, looking up at me hesitantly. "The truth is, I thought I was gonna– I wasn't sure if I'd make it. It terrified me, not being able to move or do things or take care of my family. And Prim, poor Prim... I would have had to leave her. And you, I wouldn't have been able to say goodbye. Not properly."

"But it's not like that anymore," I reminded her, taking her hand and squeezing it.

My eyes were watering after hearing her say that, knowing she'd been thinking that and fearing death. Just the thought of losing Katniss for good had terrified me, but I'd never considered how she must have felt.

"It's not," she agreed.

I hugged her tightly. "No more goodbyes."

I felt her nod in my shoulder, arms wrapping around me comfortably.

Katniss was getting better every time I saw her, still resting and not leaving the house, but on the road to recovery. One day however, she surprised me at my house, a knock on the front door bringing me to her.

"Katniss," I breathed out, both surprised and amazed when I saw her standing there in the snow, dressed in her hunting gear and holding a bag. "You're looking well."

I hugged her, still trying to accept that she was stood in front of me. It was the first time all winter that she'd been well enough to leave the house, a sight I was scared I'd never see again.

"Yeah, I felt well enough to go out and try to get things back to normal," she admitted during the hug. "My mum approved it."

I smiled, looking at her again.

"It's for you," she said, suddenly remembering she was holding a bag, and holding it out to me. "A thank you, though it's nowhere near enough."

I cocked my head with confusion before looking in the bag. There were three dead rabbits inside, perfectly shot with precision.

"You didn't have to," I said, before adding when I saw her defensive expression, "but thank you. It's more than enough."

She exhaled, definitely wanting to disagree but leaving it. I stepped to the side to let her in, closing the door behind her and calling for my parents.

"Hey, mum, Katniss brought us some–"

"Oh, Katniss, dear, you're okay!" my mum exclaimed with relief, immediately pulling her in for a hug. "It's so good to see you out and about again."

Katniss flushed with embarrassment. "Thanks, Mrs Y/L/N."

My dad soon walked out from the spare room, smiling at Katniss when he saw her.

"You look as good as new, Katniss," he complimented, patting her on the back. "So good to see you looking well."

Katniss nodded appreciatively, and I handed my mum the bag.

"She brought us some rabbits," I told her.

"Oh, how kind of you," my mum said to her with a warm smile, before looking to my dad. "C'mon, hon, we should get this prepared."

"Thanks again for the rabbits, Katniss," my dad said appreciatively, before the two of them left us as they headed to the kitchen.

I tried not to laugh as I saw Katniss' expression. "Sorry, I know they're a bit much sometimes. They just care about you."

"No, it's fine," Katniss said with a wave of her hand. "It's sweet of them."

A smile curled on my lips as I watched her once more. Stood there in her dad's hunting jacket, the tip of her nose turned red from the cold, hair braided over her shoulder... she looked like the old Katniss. The one I'd so dearly missed.

"What?" she asked, narrowing her eyes.

"Nothing."

"Don't do that," she groaned. "I hate when you do that."

I sighed. "Okay, I guess I'm just happy that you're back to how you were. It's something I was scared I wouldn't see again."

"It's thanks to you," she reminded me, stuffing her hands in her pockets.

I rolled my eyes playfully, making her smile with amusement.

"Do you wanna stay for dinner?" I asked.

"I should head back," she admitted, heading to the front door again. "Mum's orders. Plus, that was all for you and your family. Enjoy it, please."

"Right, well take it easy," I told her lightheartedly, but meaning it. "Hunting again is good, but it's still dangerous. Especially whilst you're on the mend."

She gave me a sarcastic look. "Always."

I returned it with a knowing one. "Katniss. Seriously."

Gaze softening, she nodded. "I will. After everything that happened, I'm extra careful now. Promise."

I nodded, relieved to hear that, and watched as she didn't quite look away, seemingly stuck in thought. She swallowed hard, distracted, and I was about to ask what was on her mind, but she suddenly straightened up and cleared her throat.

"I'll see you later," she said, hugging me.

I smiled a little, squeezing her gently, before watching her leave.

When Reaping Day fell upon us, I truly didn't expect Prim to be chosen. If anything, my concerns were for Gale and Katniss, whose names were in there plenty of times. Even my own, after adding it in over the winter. But Prim wasn't in my thoughts because she was only in there once. So, how the hell did she get picked?

I should have known Katniss would volunteer in her place – she loved her sister the most in the world, it was inevitable. But it also meant that I was at risk of losing her again, just like in winter. But no medicine could save her this time.

After I watched Katniss walk on that stage, everything happened so quickly. The boy, Peeta, getting picked as the boy tribute, the ceremony ending and Gale yanking me with him to support Prim and her mum. We were all scheduled to say our goodbyes to Katniss, only having a short amount of time with her.

Her family went first, having the longest time to say their goodbyes, and then it was Gale. During this time, I was trying to get over myself and think about what I would say to her, how I could help her this one last time. But nothing was springing to mind except the tears to my eyes, and I was struggling to see beyond the obvious: Katniss might never return.

Once Gale returned with the guard of a peacekeeper, I saw how he tried to hide his tears and was reminded of my own. I knew I couldn't cry in front of her. It wasn't fair and she needed hope, not a blubbering mess.

The same peacekeeper who was with Gale led me up some stairs in the Justice Building and stopped before a set of double doors, further guarded by two more peacekeepers.

"You have five minutes," one told me, and I raised my brows with disbelief.

"But that's not even–"

"Five minutes," he repeated firmly, before the doors opened and I was forced to obey.

I walked in, eyes immediately searching for Katniss, and then I saw her by the sofa, pacing. When she saw me, my plan to not cry immediately flew out the window because she'd already beaten me to it. Tears pricked my eyes as we immediately pulled each other into a hug, saying nothing. I could feel the wetness of her tears soaking my shirt, but I didn't care.

We stayed like that for two minutes, no doubt eating away into our time, but we both needed it desperately.

"I'm sorry," I muttered, pulling back and holding her at arm's length. "I wish it wasn't like this."

She swallowed thickly, meeting my eyes, and I tried to memorise every part of her face, just in case – like I would ever forget it anyway.

"Gale has probably given you all sorts of advice, but–"

"Listen," she cut me off, voice hoarse.

"What?"

As if coming to her senses, she sucked up a breath and wiped her tears away. "Don't take any tesserae, okay? Never."

Already, I was lost. "Katniss–"

"You have enough food," she snapped, the seconds ticking away and agitating her. "Gale is covering for Prim, so you won't need to spare any for her. She's also got her goat. She can sell cheese and–"

"Katniss–" I tried to cut off her rambling, but she grabbed my shoulders and squeezed them.

"Promise me!" she pleaded. "Now, Y/N!"

Sensing the desperation in her voice, I nodded. "Okay, I promise."

Her grip loosened. "Please keep walking Prim to and from school for me. Be there for her when I can't be. She's gonna need someone–"

"I will," I reassured her, grabbing her hands from my shoulders and earning her attention. "You know I will."

She pressed her lips together, nodding appreciatively before hugging me again. I rubbed her back comfortingly, though my heart was aching in my chest.

"You could win," I said into her shoulder. "You're the best hunter I know."

She shook her head defeatedly, so I pulled back to face her properly, afraid to let go of her hands.

"Try," I begged, eyes tearing up. "Please. No more goodbyes, remember?"

"I'll try," she agreed reluctantly, "but if I'm not back–"

"Don't say that."

She frowned, a tear slipping from her eyes as she looked between mine. "I love you, Y/N."

"I love you too," I said, kissing her hand. "I always will."

"No," she shook her head, "I'm in love with you."

With all the heightened emotions and fear of losing her, it took me a moment to acknowledge what she'd said. My eyebrows knitted together, and when I saw her blue eyes darkened with sadness, staring at me, I realised.

"What?"

The doors to the room slammed open suddenly, startling both Katniss and I, and then the peacekeeper approached me.

"Time's up," he stated, but my grip on Katniss' hands tightened.

"Wait, please, just wait," I begged him, before looking to Katniss. "Katniss–"

"Now!" the peacekeeper ordered, grabbing me by the shoulders and yanking me back, out of Katniss' grasp.

"Just one more minute!" Katniss shouted, but another peacekeeper came in and blocked her from doing anything.

It happened too quickly, the peacekeeper dragging me out and the doors closing behind me. I didn't even get to see Katniss one last time, her voice being cut off as the doors slammed shut. My head was reeling as they forced me downstairs and outside, trying to make sense of what just happened.

Katniss was in love with me? Since when? Why had she never told me before? Why did she wait until now?

During the Games, Gale and I did our best to be there for Prim and her mum. One of us would keep Prim company whilst her mum worked, either spending time at hers or inviting her to ours. After dinner, I'd always stop by to make sure they were both okay, and I'd watch as much of the Games as I could with them, knowing Prim needed the support.

The truth was though, I needed it too. It was difficult watching the screen, seeing my best friend paraded around the Capitol for entertainment. And when the Games actually began, it was even worse. I didn't want to watch, but I had to know how Katniss was doing, for a part of me still believed she could win.

Her words still rang in my mind, her declaration of love, if you could even call it that. I replayed the moment over and over, hating that she couldn't have said it sooner. Despising that I didn't say it back.

The star-crossed lovers of District 12 were thrown in the viewer's face every chance the Capitol got, and I wasn't sure what to make of it. Nobody was. Anyone with eyes could see that Peeta was truly and wholly in love with Katniss. I especially saw it, because I recognised it instantly, in myself. But Katniss never gave anything away, and even after all this time, as someone who knew her eerily well, I couldn't tell what she was feeling.

Of course, she led everyone to believe she loved him too, and as soon as a small part of me cringed with jealousy upon seeing them kiss, I immediately pushed it away. That was selfish of me, to be jealous when she was literally fighting for her life. I swore I'd never feel it again.

When the final moment of the Games arrived, both Peeta and Katniss were down to the final two and were going to eat the poisonous berries, ending it all. Prim gripped my hand so hard as we watched the screen, and I wanted so badly to shout at Katniss for even considering it. She had a chance to come home to her family and she was going to throw it away?

But deep down, I knew I could never understand. She wouldn't betray Peeta and she wasn't going to give the Capitol what they wanted. If this was it, her last moment, she was taking control. I shouldn't have expected anything less from Katniss Everdeen.

And then they announced the winners, the both of them, and it was the impossible finally happening. Prim, her mum, Gale and I – we were all in disbelief, then ecstatic that we were actually going to see her again, she was finally returning home!

A few days later, Gale and I were helping Prim and her mum prepare a welcome home meal for her, anticipating her arrival. Whilst Gale and I finished off the last bits such as setting the table, Prim and her mum went to collect Katniss from the train station. And I didn't realise how nervous I was until I almost knocked a glass off the table and Gale caught it.

"Hey, you okay?" he asked with concern, before offering me a small smile. "It's okay now, Y/N. She's finally home."

I swallowed hard, allowing myself to smile a little too. But he didn't know what our final exchange had been – I hadn't told anyone – and he couldn't know how much I was overthinking seeing her again. It didn't matter though, as the time to dwell on it was gone when the front door opened and revealed the Everdeens together again after all this time.

"...have a lovely meal prepared for you," Prim was saying as they walked in. "And Y/N and Gale are here too!"

Katniss smiled softly as her sister spoke excitedly, and then her eyes flickered up, scanning the room before they fell upon Gale and I with amazement.

"Hey, Catnip," Gale greeted with a boyish grin, before stepping forward to hug her.

She immediately wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly, and I tried not to overthink as I stepped forward too. Would we pretend nothing had been said and return to how we were? Was I supposed to bring it up? Was she?

The two of them pulled apart, talking, but I wasn't really listening as I got a better look at her. She looked different, like the version of Katniss I'd seen on the TV – the Capitol's version. They must have filmed her homecoming earlier as she was wearing Capitol clothes – a quality blouse and trousers – and her makeup was done, though not as extravagant as it had been in the interviews; no, it was much more natural, only accentuating what beauty she already had. Even her hair was different, left out and curled over her shoulders, pinned back with some expensive looking slides.

She was almost intimidating, but then hers and Gale's conversation ended, and her familiar blue eyes were on mine, and any preconceived notions I had didn't matter anymore because she was still Katniss, and she was back.

"Hey," I breathed out, smiling softly.

She returned my smile and we both hugged each other without another word. I swallowed hard as I closed my eyes, trying not to betray my fear as I clutched her tightly, but I was certain she could feel my shaking. Well, it was either me or her, because we were trembling.

"I see you kept your promise," I said once we pulled apart, and she seemed momentarily confused, so I added, "You tried. You won."

She exhaled in a way that was a stifled laugh without amusement. "Right. I suppose I did."

I had so much more to say, but none of it would escape my mouth. It didn't matter though, as Prim was calling us from the kitchen table and then we were both taking our seats and there was just no time right now.

It was a lovely evening, the four of us indulging on a treat from Greasy Sae, the district's resident cook who adored Katniss, and catching Katniss up on some developments she'd missed since she'd gone. Nobody brought up the Games for obvious reasons, but there was chatter of them all moving into the Victor's Village tomorrow.

It was a dedicated gated community in every district where victors of the Games and their families moved into following their win. The Everdeens were due to move tomorrow and Prim and Mrs Everdeen were excited to have somewhere with heating and hot water and everything District 12 dreamed of. Katniss, on the other hand, had nothing to say on the matter, and I could see the distant look in her eyes as they spoke. She wasn't too happy to move, it seemed. This place was her home, no matter what.

I hadn't realised how late it was, how long we'd sat talking after we ate, until Gale excused himself for the evening. I knew I should have gone too, but it felt wrong to leave their kitchen a mess when I'd eaten in it.

"Oh, Y/N, you really don't need to do that," Mrs Everdeen was saying as I began to stack the plates, bringing them to the kitchen sink basin.

"It won't take long," I assured her. "Please, let me do this and I'll be out of your hair." She was about to retort, but I nodded to Prim who was lying on her shoulder tiredly. "You should get her to bed."

Reluctantly, Mrs Everdeen gave in with a nod and led her youngest to her bedroom. I glanced at Katniss as I collected the glasses from the table she was still sat at.

"You must be tired too," I said, leaving the glasses in the sink.

She stood up, watching me closely. "I can't believe you're here."

I suppressed a smile. "I could say the same about you."

She wasn't amused by my joke, but distracted again. She'd been checked out for the latter end of dinner, but I'd put it down to tiredness. Clearly, I was mistaken.

"Katniss?"

I waited, raising an eyebrow, and then she kissed me hard. Her lips were soft, though her approach was desperate, and I found myself kissing her back, shivering as her hands settled on my waist. My back hit the edge of the kitchen table abruptly, and I was losing my breath in the urgency of it all, and then I had to pull away. She didn't let go of me as she caught her breath, eyes finding mine.

"I've wanted to do that for so long," she murmured, and it was very unlike her.

Her breath tickled my lips as I asked, "Why didn't you?"

She clenched her jaw, shaking her head, the words not coming out.

My eyes drifted from her eyes to her flushed cheeks to her swollen lips. Nervously, I said, "I wasn't sure if–" An anxious pause. "After everything, when you told me you–"

"The thing with Peeta was an act for the Capitol," she explained suddenly.

That familiar jealousy, the one I'd worked so hard to never feel again, resurfaced and was soon replaced with guilt, especially upon seeing her expression. "You don't need to explain, Katniss."

She shook her head in disagreement, eyes meeting mine with a newfound confidence. "I know, but– I need you to know that I was only doing it to keep us both alive. And the whole time, I was thinking of you."

I was surprised at her boldness, her honesty and ease of sharing her feelings. It was so unlike her, a maturity she'd grown in her time away.

"How long?" I asked, tilting my head. "Since when?"

"You remember last winter? When you stupidly used your tesserae to help me?"

My breath caught in my throat, the memory painful. I thought I'd lost her last winter.

"I couldn't lose you," she continued. "The irony was I ended up in the Games, but knowing you endangered yourself for me then, and that you could've been chosen... it made me realise how much you meant to me. More than a friend. And then the reaping happened and I volunteered and I knew it was my last chance to tell you. I didn't mean to put it all on you, but I needed you to know."

I breathed out slowly, digesting her words. I could see the nervousness in her expression, her patiently waiting for my response as she looked down. This must have been difficult for her to share, but it only warmed my heart more, knowing she'd done so for me.

"I've been in love with you for as long as I can remember," I finally admitted my own feelings, ones I thought I'd have to keep to myself forever.

She looked up at this, hopeful, and I began to smile through my tears. The fact that she was here, alive, and that she was telling me all I'd ever wanted to hear, was getting to me more than I realised.

"Come here," I said, not meaning for it to come out as a whisper, and hugged her tightly. "I missed you so much, Katniss."

Her arms wrapped around my waist, head tucking into my shoulder, and I felt her lips move against my shirt as she said, "I missed you too."