#i still like it a bit more than everlark

[basicallyjustmuggleremuslupin]

The fact that

Star-crossed lovers desperate to get home together. Two hearts beating as one. Romance.

is the perfect description for their relationship towards the end of the first arena (as well as in the second), whereas the next sentence is

Since I've never been in love, this is going to be a real trick.

, which is what katniss has thought throughout most of their relationship, as well as the complete opposite of what's actually happening, just has me dead laughing on the floor.

[thesweetnessofspring]

Prompt: a random night after they’ve grown back together Katniss falls asleep on the couch and Peeta decides to carry his lady to bed and tuck her in 🥹🥺

Took this prompt and putting my own little spin on it. Have some Everlark sick fic and fluff! Rated G

I get home from the bakery, exhausted from an order of two-tiered cake for a wedding. My arms are still cramped up from holding the piping bag up while decorating, time against the clock to get it done in time. I'm ready to eat and turn in early.

Coming through the back door, I don't see Katniss in the kitchen, where she's usually prepping for dinner before I come in and help her finish. I circle around toward the living room, calling, "Katniss?"

"In here," she says, her voice small and weak.

She's sprawled out on the couch, lips parted, face flushed, with glassy-half-closed eyes.

"You don't look good," I say, getting nearer to her.

"I'm fine," she denies, but leans into my touch when I put the back of my hand to her forehead. She's hot, the heat coming off of her uncomfortable.

"Stay there, I'll get dinner ready," I say.

She stands up, wobbling slightly before steadying. "I haven't skinned the squirrel yet."

"I can skin a squirrel, honeybee. Sit."

"No, I told you, I'm fine."

Katniss gets stubborn like this when she's sick at first. Denying it, pushing away medicine. Eventually, she'll wear herself out and rest up, but she won't stop until she can't go on anymore. The most I can do is take care of the rest of the dinner, cutting up the potatoes and shelling the peas while she takes care of the meat. Katniss is always particular about her meat.

When we sit down to dinner, she still has that blank, far-off stare and half-listens to the conversation about the wedding cake and news from town. She also insists on helping clean up, but after washing the dishes, her hands land on the counter to anchor herself.

"I got the rest," I say. "Sit down on the couch, all right?"

Her energy must be fading because she only casts me a suspicious look before shuffling out of the room. Once she's cleared out, I wipe down everything, more for Haymitch's benefit than my own. If I'm going to get sick from Katniss, I'm going to get sick. No way for me to avoid that.

Once I finish up and reach her, she's fallen asleep on the couch, head on a pillow against the armrest, mouth open, and shivering slightly. Good. I don't need her to put up a fight anymore.

When I lift her up, she's not heavy, hardly weighing more than the bags of flour I lift all day at work, but my shoulders are still stiff. Damn getting older and living through two Hunger Games, a war, and school wrestling. Doesn't help with tight muscles at all.

But it's either wake her up when she needs the sleep or leave her on the couch. After eleven years, we haven't spent a night apart from each other since she invited me under her covers again.

In my arms, Katniss turns her hot body into mine, red cheek against my shoulder. Her shivering subsides a bit and she hums, then sighs.

"I got you," I whisper, and climb up the stairs.

By the time I reach our bedroom, I'm lightly sweating, partly from the exertion but mostly from Katniss's body heat. She's completely passed out as I put her on the bed, then pull the blankets up and over her. After, I brush aside the hair on her forehead, some of it clinging to the sweat on her hairline, and kiss her where she burns with fever.

After I open the window and get ready for bed myself, I take my place next to her. She's so ill she doesn't even turn to snuggle into me, as she usually does when I get into bed following her. When I wake up once from a nightmare, she's still in as deep of a sleep as I've ever seen her.

In the morning, though, when I open my eyes, she's made a pillow of my chest. At my stirring she lifts her face with its still-red cheeks and half-closed eyes and says, "I think I'm sick."

She's so gone in her fever, she doesn't even care that I laugh at her.

[stay-with-me--always]

I need to take a moment and do a deep dive on the scene where Katniss sits with Gale after he's been whipped vs the scene where Katniss sits with Peeta as they work on the plant book.

Why these two scenes? These scenes in particular I feel like have a lot of similarities as far as Katniss' narration is concerned. They are both scenes where she is alone with either boy in an unrushed, natural environment where she is capable of really looking at them and noticing them both. and in both scenes she IS actively noticing them. it is important to note though, that the tone of these scenes are pretty different, since Gale's is right after he was whipped, and she's still reeling from her intense day. Even so, the plant book scene with Peeta takes place during a time where Katniss has more reason to be worried about her life/family than ever, so I feel like a direct comparison of these isn't too much of a stretch.

----

The Gale text in question:

"I touch parts of him I have never had cause to touch before. His heavy, dark eyebrows, the curve of his cheek, the line of his nose, the hollow at the base of his neck. I trace the outline of stubble on his jaw and finally work my way to his lips. Soft and full, slightly chapped. His breath warms my chilled skin." (CF, 116)

The biggest thing to note is the detail in which she describes him. Katniss takes her time and touches Gale's face with her hand, taking in his features. and yet, most of the descriptions are very generic and could adequately be attributed to most anyone's face, including Peeta's. Even the lines where she takes a bit more notice 'his heavy, dark eyebrows', 'the outline of the stubble on his jaw' are pretty vague and don't give much detail into her REALLY noticing him. the most detailed part we get is the last line about his lips.

Let's keep all of that in mind while we contrast that to the lines any Everlark fan probably knows by heart - the eyelash scene:

"I also become a little fixated on his eyelashes, which ordinarily you don't notice much because they're so blond. But up close, in the sunlight slanting in from the window, they're a light golden color and so long I don't see how they keep from getting all tangled up when he blinks." (CF, 161)

In the time it took for her to describe Gale's entire face, she only managed to describe Peeta's eyelashes. the level of detail that she notices about Peeta goes far beyond what she sees about Gale, even in a moment where she's really taking the time to look at him. The description she gives about Gale's face really accentuates her feelings towards their relationship - practical, obvious, concise. Whereas the description for Peeta just highlights what shes been thinking about him all along - interesting, perplexing, alluring. It's clear from those paragraphs that she just doesn't see Gale in the same way that she sees Peeta.

These scenes can be analyzed all day, and I've been busy making notes on the way she describes both boys, to be compiled and analyzed once I've gone through all 3 books, but I feel like these two scenes alone give a very good look into Katniss' mind and what she really sees in each of her boys.

[atelierlili]

What's your headcanon for Katniss and Peeta's children?

How old was Katniss when give birth to their daughter?

How many years apart between them in age?

Your headcanon for their name?

Who gets the singing and art skill from their parent?

Bonus question : please give recs of your fav everlark post-Mockingjay fanfic.

Thank you :)

@curiousthg

You’ve made a grave mistake because I have so much to say and some art as well(becuase I’m so sane for them I swear)

So I’ve always headcannon that Katniss had her first baby in her late twenties-early thirties. In my head the 5, 10, 15 years go like this. Year 5: Katniss is open to the idea of children now. The games are done, but is Panem really safe yet? Is she ready yet. No, not really. Year 10: okay, Katniss feels safer and braver now. If it happens it happens. They won’t actively try for it and will let nature take its course. Year 15: Toast boy and girl are born within a 5-ish year time span.

Katniss names the girl Marigold for the golden flowers that Peeta planted next Katniss’ Primroses. Marigolds represent warmth, creativity, joy and good luck, but they were also given away during times of grief as a gesture of kindness and solidarity as the flower’s vibrant colours helped ease the pain of grief. Gold is also the colour that represents the bond between the district 12 team that comprised of Peeta, Katniss, Effie, Haymitch, Portia & Cinna. So it’s also carries some sentimental weight as without them and their bonds, this little girl wouldn’t have been born. Of course, Peeta calls the girl Muffin. Because she’s his little muffin. His little cupcake. It’s not until Effie decides that Mary is too bland a nickname for her favorite niece that we get the girl’s most used nickname- Muffy.

Muffy is a bundle of joy to their lives. And Katniss loves being a mother more than she’d thought. Having Muffy made Katniss yearn for the mini Peeta she dreamt of on a beach in the QQ.

Toastboy pops out about three and a half years later. The age gap is so close to be about the same as Katniss and Prim’s that it makes her heart squeeze again. His name is Cress, after Watercress (wait plz don’t leave), the aquatic plant that can be found in bunches at Katniss’ special lake. They are a highly nutritious plant to eat and is said to believe to have medicinal uses like treating swelling and fevers. The name is also a small nod to Annie Cresta and Finnick because of the water connection. His curly blonde hair gets him the nickname Goldilocks from Johanna.

Both children are highly artistic and connected to nature, Katniss teaches them both to hunt, but the kiddos don’t like it as much because they don’t like to hurt animals. It hurts Katniss a little bit, but she’s glad that bloodshed and violence (even to survive) aren’t a daily part of their lives.

Muffy is a performer. She’s definitely daddy’s little girl because she loves to yap. She could yap all day and still find something to talk about. She grows up loving to dance and then wanting to sing and dance- the dreams of making it big in the Capitol as a actress. (To Katniss’ complete and under horror) She’ll definitely develope some complex when it comes to being the Mockingjay’s daughter. Especially when she starts getting movie offers to play her Mom, even when after she tries going out of her way to distance herself from Katniss by going under a different stage name.

Cress is very much not Muffy. He’s a quiet little guy who follows after his big sister like a little duckling. He’s the only one who doesn’t get tired of her yapping and genuinely listens to her. Peeta and Katniss were a little worried when they started noticing that he wasn’t speaking for a while. They go to doctors and they can never find what’s causing this speech delay, but one day he starts talking at the age of 2, and he has the softest most sweetest voice in the world. He’s a very quiet and observant kid, that gets into more trouble than you’d think. While Peeta’s art is very imagery and emotionally (and politically) focused, Cress’s art is not. He’s super talented with a pencil and really skilled at realistic/technical drawings that he’d probably go an illustrate diagrams for scientific textbooks on nature and stuff. Growing up, he probably feels like his art work is too cold and unfeeling compared to Peeta’s splash of life. But in reality, the difference between they art styles are indicative of how they see and filter the world through their art.

Anyway, this is taking waaay to long so here is some early concept art of the toast babies. I’m still messing around with the tones and hues of their design, so none of this is final. I’m probs gonna switch Cress’s skin tone to a more golden undertone as opposed to Katniss’s reddish one to match his hair color, which might get a tad darker (or lighter tbh. In the books Peeta’s an ashy blonde) Meanwhile maybe I’ll give Muffy the redder undertone? There’s something off bout her that I need to keep experimenting with. She screams Movie Katniss baby, not Book Katniss Baby, but maybe that’s only because Jen has blue eyes.

[hungergameshyperfixation]

I would say I’ve seen a lot of Everlark “learning how to love each other” stuff post-war. About how they’d have to go through the process of building intimacy again (not romantic/sexual intimacy, just being close in general)

And I know it’s been said before but imagine Haymitch learning “how to love” after the war. Regardless of who you ship him with, if you ship him with anyone at all, it would still be a process.

Of course everyone can have their own headcanons and aus, but just to put it out there….some things to think about….

Haymitch trying to put himself together, shower and dress a little bit nicer than normal. Maybe he pulls out some old suit from the Capitol, or maybe not…maybe he just chooses the only shirt and half-decent pants without stains.

Maybe he has some Capitol cologne, or maybe he has nothing. I imagine that in some AU, a much softer post-war Haymitch is using some of the natural herbs in district 12 to help freshen up his house. The smell of whiskey quieted by the smell of lavender (to help him sleep, possibly at the recommendation of Peeta or an Everdeen).

Haymitch being the slowest of slow burn characters. Years-long process to fully develop a relationship with the man 🙄 (/hj)

I like to think he’s pretty quiet, throughout the rest of his life. Maybe he can be pretty talkative in some situations, maybe if there’s a certain subject that gets him talking or a certain person he’s around.

But let’s just say he typically tries to keep his mouth shut (for a variety of possible reasons) and maybe ‘his person’ compliments that well.

If, for example, Effie is incredibly talkative, there’s one clear way they can contrast/compliment each other. He doesn’t mind listening to her talk on and on, and can engage in conversation with her in a comfortable enough way for him.

Or maybe he’s with someone who is pretty quiet. Maybe less talkative than he is. Someone who’s like him, who understands what the silence holds. And it holds so much. But maybe, one day, that silence will be peaceful and not a representation of numbed pain.

Anyway anyway.

Also wanted to throw out the idea of board games to pass the time in district 12, eating quiet meals, eventually watching over Everlark’s children. Uncomfortable conversations scattered throughout, watching the sunset. Anyway more post-war Haymitch Abernathy fanfics. Where he’s not fully broken but not living his best life. Slow-burn post-mockingjay Haymitch Abernathy fanfics when.

[folkookie97]

❝ at least for tonight ❞ — KTH

— SUMMARY: ❝ You're the new Victor of the Hunger Games. You survived, you're still alive. But at what cost? Your boyfriend – and also your Mentor – broke the one promise he shouldn't have to. ❞

— PAIRING: mentor!Taehyung x female tribute!reader

— TYPE: angst | hunger games!au, dystopia!au

— WORD COUNT: 720

— WARNINGS/TAGS: Hunger Games Setting, ambiguous/open ending, established relationship, implied/referenced character death, POV Second Person, survivor guilt, slightly PTSD, Sad!Taehyung, i wrote this while listening to Come in With the Rain (Taylor Swift)

— NOTES¹: Tributes receive Mentors who can contribute (or may not) to their win. And their Mentors are generally Victors from previous Hunger Games editions. You and Taehyung are the same age. You were dating even before his name was drawn in another Reaping, when he became a Victor. And a few years later he was your Mentor too.

— NOTES²: I wrote this inspired by one of my own old Everlark oneshots, but I changed 90% of the plot loool. Anyway, if you like it, maybe I can write more Hunger Games AU or at least develop more on this one (and make it a series in the future...)

— RELEASE DATE: March 05, 2024

— CROSSPOSTING: ao3

You never liked storms. However, the situation had been getting worse in recent months, when rainy days like that brought lots of thunder with them. Noisy thunder. Noises that resembled explosions.

And a premeditated explosion in the Arena was what killed your younger brother in the last Games. Wasn't it? At least that's what you had the displeasure of seeing several times during that stupid Victory Tour. Rewatching the same death over and over again.

Rewatching your little brother's death.

The clock struck 4:56 A.M, but the storm prevented you from closing your eyes or even thinking about trying to sleep. Fear ached in your body. Fear of falling asleep and having more nightmares about your brother. Or about Taehyung too. Just like almost every night since you and him returned to Victors' Village.

You tossed and turned on the bed, trying hard to withstand your torment. Searching for efforts to stop the screams from leaving your throat.

And it was then that your heard the first knock on the entrance door.

At first, you thought it was a hallucination, some consequence after so many nightmares. So when you noticed that everything around you remained the same, you imagined that it could be just a bird hurt by the rain.

However, the second knock came. Stronger than the previous one and more hopeless too.

Maybe the wisest thing to do would be to curl up in your blankets again. But your impulsiveness managed to overcome all your logical and rational thoughts. Wisdom and emotional intelligence wasn't something you had in a long time since since you became the winner of the Hunger Games' recent edition.

When the third knock sounded, you was already standing in front of the door. Heart racing, your eyes squinting and your eyebrows furrowed.

"Darling?" The sight in front of you also seemed like a hallucination. A much more striking hallucination than that knock door. "You okay?"

"Taehyung?" His name fell from your lips without any effort, even though your hadn't said it in a few weeks. "Why are you here?"

God! You mentally cursed yourself for saying such words, the sentence coming out harsher than you expected. So, not knowing how to apologize and being tormented by the boy's sad look in your direction, you opened the door a little wider and allowed him to enter.

Taehyung thanked you quietly as he entered your living room, his clothes soaked and his squeaky boots getting messy all the way.

"What happened? Why you get rained on just to come here? It's dangerous! You could get sick!"

You felt your hands start sweating while Taehyung bit his lip and looked at the floor.

"I wanted to know if you were okay. The storm is very heavy today and I know it brings you more nightmares." The boy had some tears in his eyes when he looked at you, sneezing once at the end of the sentence and bringing a flash of pain to your heart. "Darling, I'm so sorry."

Feeling sorry was something very all-encompassing. What was he sorry for? Your brother's death? Your nightmares? Being the mentor to the "siblings tributes" and choosing attract more sponsors for you, his girlfriend, than your brother? Even though you had begged Taehyung after the Reaping to focus on letting you die.

You never wanted to be a Victor. It was your little brother who deserved it and who he should be. And maybe he would have been, if you hadn't fallen in love with Taehyung before his own Games' victory.

Yeah, you two had a lot to talk about. And Taehyung really had a lot to apologize for. But deep down you knew you couldn't kick him out of your house in the rain.

You sighed, approaching Taehyung with slow steps, touching his arm and giving him a light caress. "Go take a shower to warm up. I still have some of your clothes in my new closet."

Taehyung's eyes widened and his cheeks flushed. "You want me to spend the night here? Are you sure?"

"Not really. I still hate you for not keeping your promises. Maybe I'll hate you forever. But we both need each other at least for tonight..."

A sad smile emerged on his lips after he sighed. "Yeah... At least for tonight."

[blackpatrxnum]

(too many) thoughts and headcanons on life post mockingjay for hayffie and everlark

- it's just pure fluff with some hurt/comfort thrown in there, whoopsie -

Haymitch becoming Katniss' caretaker is so beautiful, I truly see him keeping sober after the war - maybe he bingedrank once back at twelve because the old demons are hard to chase away, but the next day when he sees Katniss depressed he realises he is far more useful sober. He had to take care of her, he still had a purpose. He is slowly helping her get better, maybe accompanying her to the woods for the first few times. He's just there

And even though Peeta goes back home, moves in with her, loves her, keeps the nightmares at bay... Haymitch keeps coming back, keeps making dinner for them, keeps going on walks, teasing, fussing a bit (it seems like he's learnt a lot from effie)

One time, when Peeta and Katniss both have influenza, Haymitch goes full doctor/dad mode - and for the first time, a highly feverish Katniss calls him dad. I'd see Haymitch stopping whatever he was doing for a sec and fight back at smile and then giving Katniss a kiss on her forehead and telling her a less charged version of stay alive.

Eventually, I think that Effie would come to 12. She'd move into Haymitch's house and at first, that feat would bring Katniss and Haymitch even closer. Effie was everywhere, she nagged and she prodded, she got on his nerves. So Haymitch sometimes runs away to Katniss' house, he took solace in the other's kindred spirit. They'd have a laugh, she'd let him bitch about her. She liked Effie but she didn't know her well enough yet. I think in these instances Peeta would be either at the Bakery or he just knew to let them have their time, he saw what they were to each other, how important they were for the other's well being.

But then, during the last months leading up to Prim's death anniversary, right around the time Katniss starts closing in on herself, getting broodier - moodier. Haymitch and Effie's relationship changes, after months of living together, learning their tricks and ticks; they fall in love, properly, absolutely. Haymitch gets lost on the high of the honeymoon stage. It also serves as a bit of a coping mechanism to keep the nightmares and horror from the war at bay.

It's not that he ignores Katniss, or Peeta for that matter. He's just... less aware, looks at everything with rose coloured glasses. After a long time, they are fine, content. The past is past.

Katniss feels like Effie is EVERYWHERE. She's the only one out of the three victors that isn't as happy with her presence. Effie loves Katniss, she considers Katniss as hers but Katniss isn't there... yet. (I feel like this would steem from her own relationship with her biological parents' - her dad left, he couldn't help it, he died but he always took care of her and her family, he taught her how to survive / SEE THE PARALLELISM WITH HAYMITCH TELLING KATNISS TO STAY ALIVE / but her mum... she abandoned her, from a young age, Katniss had to make do, she put bread on the table, she protected Aster and Prim, and her mom at the end, once again, CHOSE to leave her behind)

So yeah, Katniss is naturally wary of Effie, pair that with her Capitol self and it could be a recipe for disaster. At some point, they'd have a row - she says stuff that hurts Effie to her core - and Haymitch hates that. He tries to mediate but he gets "scalded". Katniss starts to avoid them, him. She gets worse. The demons are louder than ever.

And Haymitch two weeks into it, finally has to take matters into his own hands. They fight like they've never done before. Katniss yelling "You're not my dad" stops them in their tracks, 'cause at some point Haymitch really forgot. He just thought they didn't do the mushy shit and say it, there was no need for more acknowledgement after that feverish night. She was his to protect, she was his to care for, she was his to love.

It'd hurt him more than he'd let on.

They'd sulk, for a bit. Haymitch would storm out, but he'd also be the one to patch them up. I think they'd talk. It would go well, even though they're not such open books. They'd compromise. They'd acknowledge in the open air what they meant for the other. They'd move on. I think this would be the point when they start working on the Tributes book; because Katniss needs to do something with all the grief inside her. The woods and the happy family was not cutting it anymore.

And the four of them would sometimes get better, other times' they'd get worse. But they're always there for each other, like proper family. After sometime Katniss would leave behind the flight/fight mode. And yeah, life goes on.

I see her relationship with Effie getting better, to the point that sometimes she goes to her instead of Haymitch for stuff. Because she knows she won't leave. She learns to accept her flaws, she learns to love her happier and more optimistic demeanor. Effie also lets Katniss see, finally, the other side to her - the more human, vulnerable side that only Haymitch was privy to. Peeta's always seen through the cracks tho, so it doesn't surprise him as much. Peeta does know he's hers. Katniss learns to see herself as hers too.

And Peeta's and Katniss' wedding comes. They're forced to make a bigger spectacle than what they wanted to. Mama Effie and Papa Haymitch come to the rescue and fight to get them as much privacy as they can. Effie plans the whole thing to their liking.

I think she'd insist on adding a bit of Capitol tradition to it: the bride and the groom spending the night before the wedding apart. At first Effie would spend the night at Peeta's and Katniss' house, to keep him company in case he has an episode. And Katniss would go to Hayffie's. But Peeta makes a funny comment "It's not like you and Effie are getting married too, there's no need to make you suffer through the night alone" and Haymitch...just gets this little twinkle in his eyes. They accept with the promise that if Peeta has any troubles he'd come to them. So Katniss is the one that spends the night at Hayffie's.

They'd have a mostly quiet night in, Effie has more outward nerves than anyone else. The next day, Effie wakes Katniss up with her "big big day". But in a flurry she's gone to Peeta's, to make sure he gets dressed and is right on schedule. It also gives Katniss and Haymitch a bit of space to sneak out to the comfort of the woods for a bit. They make sure to come back before Effie catches them. She comes back to help Katniss get ready, she's teary eyed. Haymitch too, when he sees Katniss coming down the stairs. She looks soft, beautiful.

Effie leaves with Peeta, 10 minutes before them. Haymitch is in charge of getting Katniss to the justice building, that's when she asks him to give her away. And he does. The whole thing is perfect.

After an evening of partying, they bid their farewells. And go to have their private toasting. Peeta and Katniss want this part to be just theirs.

It's winter so at Effie's and Haymitch's the fire is roaring too. And she gets... curious; she's never been privy to that part of twelve customs so Haymitch takes the hands on approach and shows her how it's done. Effie understands what he's doing halfway through, Haymitch can see the recognition in her eyes. The slight stopping, the widening and surprise in her gaze. But she lets him go on, doesn't stop him even when he leaves enough space for her to make a run for it during the last part. He says wife, she says husband and she kisses him with all her fervor. All the love she has for him, all the love she's kept from him during their time as escort and victor.

She still makes him promise they'll have a proper party after a year.

They don't tell the kids what they've done tho. That ceremony is only theirs too.

[waywardangel-wilds]

In tonight's episode of siblings or dating... both!

Okay so the girls in my Everlark discord said some very funny things and I had to write a one-shot about it:

[AU where hijacked Peeta fully forgot about the romantic tension between Gale and Katniss and he truly believes they are cousins -- using the real book dialogue as a base then going off on my merry fanfiction way-- I will be adding this to my 'cellar conversations' collection (I finally made the funny one!).]

“Thanks for the water,” Peeta says.

“No problem,” Gale replies. “I wake up ten times a night anyway.”

“To make sure Katniss is still here?” asks Peeta.

“Something like that,” Gale admits.

There’s a long pause before Peeta speaks again. “That was funny, what Tigris said. About no one knowing what to do with her.”

“Well, we never have,” Gale says.

They both laugh.

“She loves you, you know,” Gale says. “The way she kissed you in the Quarter Quell… well, she never kissed me like that.”

Peeta frowns. Kissed him? He must have misheard. “It was just part of the show,” Peta assures him, although he can't help the edge of trepidation in his voice.

“No, you won her over. Gave up everything for her. Maybe that’s the only way to convince her you love her.” There’s a long pause where Peeta wonders what the hell this conversation is about. “I should have volunteered to take your place in the first Games. Protected her then.”

“You couldn’t,” Peeta speaks somewhat slower than usual. “She’d never have forgiven you. You had to take care of your family. You matter more to her than her life.” You. Her family that you are a part of. Because you're cousins. Close cousins who look like siblings. Cousins.

“Well, it won’t be an issue much longer. I think it’s unlikely all three of us will be alive at the end of the war. And if we are, I guess it's Katniss’s problem. Who to choose.” Gale yawns. “We should get some sleep.”

“Yeah,” Peeta slides his handcuffs down his support. Maybe this is one of those normal things he forgot were normal. But whatever, who cares, he's probably going to die tomorrow anyway. This is really not his most pressing concern.

"Night," Gale rolls over and he's left to stare at the ceiling.

[Several months later, before 'so after' during 'Peeta and I grow back together']

Peeta picks up the stack of unopened mail that sits precariously on Katniss's mantle. He shuffles through the letters and sees a variety of names, including his own. Katniss sits patiently on the couch, watching him without speaking a word.

"Why haven't you opened these?" He asks with a smile as he waves some of the letters around with one hand. "Looks like everyone and their mother wrote to you."

Katniss tries to hide it but she lets out a little laugh. She rolls her eyes. "I don't think everyone wrote me a letter, Peeta."

He shrugs and goes back to shuffling the letters, taking care to tuck his own at the very bottom of the stack. No use reading those now. He pauses his shuffling when his eyes land on a familiar name. A name that's been bothering him for some time now, in the back of his mind, with an old question.

He clears his throat and attempts to appear casual. "Hey, you have a few here from Gale Hawthorne. You two got along well, right?"

Katniss visibly tenses. "Yeah." she offers nothing more.

"Well, maybe you should open those first." He smiles and offers the three envelopes to her. "Should be easy."

Katniss purses her lips. "I'd rather not start with him, thanks."

Peeta nods rapidly. "Oh. Okay, yeah that's fine." Remain casual he reminds himself. He doesn't want to offend her or anything like that. He holds the letters in one hand and reaches up to scratch the back of his neck. "Hey, um, is it okay if I ask you something?"

Katniss raises one of her ebony eyebrows. She smiles at him quizzically, "Uh, you just did."

"Ha," Peeta smiles and rolls his eyes good-naturedly. "Right. Yeah. But um it's a bit of a dumb question." He pauses. Katniss doesn't do anything other than stare at him expectantly. "Um, so, no judgment or anything like that, I mean, I'll still like you of course, but uh, was Gale actually your cousin?" He frowns almost with embarrassment as he asks. Katniss raises both her eyebrows in surprise. "I mean, ah, maybe that wasn't that big of a deal back then? I don't actually remember. I mean, well, I think I do? But uh, maybe your family was different, I mean, not that your family was different bad or anything but--"

"Peeta," Katniss interjects but he's already on a roll.

"I mean, I guess there weren't that many guys around our age who were visually interesting--"

"Peeta!" Katniss is laughing. She covers her mouth with her hands and shakes her head, but he can still see the laughter shaking her frame and lighting up her eyes. "No. No. Gale and I aren't cousins. That was just something the Capitol made up. Not real."

"Oh." Peeta nods. He presses the stack of letters to his chest and nods again. "Well, okay."

Katniss drops her hands back to her lap. She's still smiling. "Is there something else?"

"Well, I know you kissed him. He told me," he admits. "Um, was he your boyfriend or something?"

She shakes her head. "It was... complicated. Nothing ever really went anywhere. We were barely friends at the end. Probably strangers now."

Peeta takes a moment to absorb that and feels a deep sadness for her. He looks down at the letters. Maybe not strangers.

"Why don't you read these?" He insists gently, extending Gale's letter towards her. "It looks like he wants to talk."

Katniss frowns but takes them. She places the closed envelopes in her lap and pats them gently. "Maybe," she concedes. "Sometime later. When I'm ready."

He nods, "Sure." He smiles at her and walks around the coffee table to join her on the couch. "Sorry about that dumb question by the way."

Katniss laughs again, her eyes crinkling, "No it's okay. I mean I would want to know."

[and that's it! I didn't know what else to write to end it, but this was kind of funny to me]

[mellarked-katnisseverdeen]

THG Reread Thoughts...I don't know how many I am up too. Sorry XD.

Katniss and both her alliances reresent some kind of rebellion, tbh. Both of them are representing her chooseing love and compassion over obeying the Capitol.

Katniss is SMART. SO much smarter than I remember giving her credit for. She isn't uber, mastermind genius because she is still in actual fact 16. But she was able to form a plan to get a legit leg up on the Careers useing all of her and Rues skills and it works as best it can. And I don't even think ALL of that is how much she is forced to survive. I think Katniss is genuinely a sharp girl.

Mentioned it in the Rue focused post...just the way her death hit me true tears came to my eyes. The unfairness and pain Katniss expereinces took my breath away as an adult whose, this time reading it, has expereince so much more loss.

So the rule change...is interesting. I will always maintain Crane WAS a bit short sighted sanctioning it. Had he thought about the possibility of them actually both living and what that would mean I legit don't think he would have. Whitch speaks to the ambition that festers in the Capitol...they wanted a better show, a love story. To bad that became hope and a rallying cry.

Katniss calling out Peeta's name is such an iconic scene. It shows just how much she has him on her brain the first thing she does is call to him.

Forgot how real Collins got with their injuries. Peeta's leg is something you can't avoid for even a sentence. Katniss's hearing is a constant issue and showing even in a realisic way (as someone who considers herself hard of hearing, this is actually refreshing to see).

Lets talk everlark. I think I will start by saying how early Katniss expression confusion caused by the act they had to preform took me back. We see so much more of that, the constant unsure and confused mess around her emotions, but it does start almost as soon as the act does. Katniss begins to wonder what she is doing because there is something connecting Peeta and her, and what she is doing for the act very early on and importantly, it only gets worse. Lying does this kids, even with the best intentions. And it makes it hurt when you get glimpes of how much Katniss DOES love and care for him.

Katniss instantly suspecting there is some truth to Peetas story about his crush makes me give her sus eyes so hard XD. Like girl you seem very eagar for him to not be totally playing to the camara rn XD.

There moment hunting is SO sweet honestly. And one of the more real moments they got and I love it.

The feast and the medicine scenes shocked with how much they scared me rereading them this time around. For a moment I forgot Thresh spares Katniss, and was genuinely worried for her. Points to Collins for her writing being with rereading in mind! Her storytelling is exciting enough to be captivating upon rereads whitch is AWESOME and not always the case.

Peeta nurseing both him and Katniss back after she's been helping him. Get you a man who will do it like him.

Katniss and her reaction to their first 'real' kiss forgetting she landing a smooch onto his cheek. Yes it was a snarky thing then but still XD. Reguardless it is SO sweet.

'The first time I want another' about this kiss also has been the subject of a lot of back and forth. Reading it now, it is pretty clear to me that yea...Katniss is meant to be expereince SOME kind of desire here. If for nothing else, more closeness.

[unnamednarrator]

🤍 kiss at the wedding / milestone for everlark please 🧚‍♀️

i feel like everything during their growing back together period was a milestone (excuse me while i sob about this) but this is the one i decided to go for 🥹

When I wake up, I’m surprised at how quickly the fog of sleep lifts from my mind and eyes. For the past year, I’ve never woken up feeling fully rested. I always either turn around to try and capture a few extra minutes, or force myself to push through the fatigue that makes my muscles feel like they’re made of lead.

Lately, when I turn around in the mornings, it’s to settle more comfortably into Peeta’s arms. When I do so now, his eyes are already open and his gaze is soft. He has some sleep sand caught in his eyelashes. I reach up to brush them off.

‘No nightmares,’ Peeta says, when I’ve completed my task.

Oh, I realise. That’s why I don’t feel unbearably tired.

‘No,’ I say. ‘No nightmares. You?’

‘None,’ he confirms, and a tentative smile nudges little crescent-moon dimples into his cheeks. ‘None at all.’

I return his smile and we’re both still smiling when I lean in to kiss him. Neither of us can wipe the grins off our faces, which means our teeth touch more than our lips, if we’re being honest. But I couldn’t imagine this moment being more perfect if I tried.

No nightmares and kissing Peeta. A year ago, my wildest dreams couldn’t have conceived of this.

maybe i got a bit carried away but as soon as i started writing this i couldn’t stop 😭😭 thanks for sending in this prompt @thesunpersists 🧡���

from this ask game !

[thegreenthepeacetheorange]

Everlark (Catching Fire, Ch. 1-4)

(here we go again gang)

katniss constantly repeats that she's not sure of what she feels for peeta in these chapters and also that it wasn't just an act: "it wasn't just a strategy for peeta. i'm not sure what it was for me//i'm not indifferent (said to snow)//my love... was something of an act//there had been times where i didn't honestly know how i felt about him. i still don't really"

the way katniss describes gale vs the way she describes peeta is so funny. she acknowledges gale is handsome but then it's "dark straight hair, olive skin, grey eyes." peeta however: "peeta crosses to the table, the sunlight from the window picking up the glint of fresh snow in his blond hair. he looks strong and healthy" - like. it's almost like everytime she sees peeta it's through the lens of the romance cam. the descriptions are very 'main love attraction in a romcom movie arriving on the scene.'

they've not really spoken much (or at least in their usual way of talking) in about 6 months at this point so their relationship is a bit stilted. the sound of his voice is enough to twist her stomach with unpleasant emotions like guilt, sadness and fear. but she says there's longing too, only the others emotions are too powerful.

"it's not until he's handed haymitch the heel that he even looks at me for the first time" - she's been watching him all this time, while he avoids her eyes, waiting for him to look at her. and she feels some type of way about him not looking at her.

when her talk with snow finally turns to peeta, she finds she can't keep ahold of snow's gaze.

she feels disgusted that she's having to talk to snow about her feelings for "two of the people i care most about." - peeta, who she only started speaking to less than a year ago, has come to hold equal weight in her eyes as gale at this point.

in these early chapters in catching fire, we really see katniss correlate peeta with the capitol/the games. like something she's having pushed on her by this powerful entity that she resents. she notes many times that she's kissing him or hugging him or whatever for the audience, because she has to. and snow coming in and ordering her to "convince me" amplifies all that by a million. then when haymitch points out that her romance with peeta is going to have to be forever, she also stresses because her right to choose between boys or even to choose between being single or not is completely taken away from her. which fuels her more negative feelings on her situation with peeta.

again i will note that she likens haymitch's choice of being alone as "solitary confinement" - it's not something she deep down wants for herself

have to discuss her first kiss with gale (sorry)

her description of her first kiss with gale feels more romantic than her first one with peeta tbh. she mentions the warmth of his lips, his hands easily entrapping her, her making a noise in the back of her throat. her curled up fingers resting on his chest.

but then when she tries to reflect on the kiss, all she can remember is the pressure of his lips/the smell of the oranges they had. and she says it's pointless comparing that kiss with the many she's had with peeta and that she doesn't know if any of them counted. again, this is more of her feelings about cameras and the capitol taking over.

i also think her kiss with gale felt unnatural to her compared to the kisses she's had with peeta when they had fallen into their domesticity rhythm.

anyways both her and gale pretend like the kiss didn't happen but because of it gale has broken some "invisible barrier" between them and they can't go back to having their friendship of before.

even though she's not talking to peeta really still, he is still one of the key 3 people she thinks of confiding in - but she doesn't want to break him more and at this point is pretty convinced of his love/goodness that she knows he will "perform" regardless of if he knows of snow's demands or not

this is what she says about her and peeta's first kiss in months: "i can feel the steadiness that peeta brings to everything. and i know i'm not alone... he's still looking out for me. just as he did in the arena. somehow the thought makes me want to cry"

on peeta's body hair: "i can remember peeta's now, as i bathed him by the stream. very blond in the sunlight, once the mud and blood had been washed away" - very intimate

katniss is OBSESSED with peeta in the sunlight. the snow in his hair in the sunlight, his body hair in the sunlight and in a few chapters she'll notice his eyelashes in the sunlight i think in the last book she also mentioned peeta's face illuminated by the sunlight coming in through their cave. like it really feels like there's this glow around him in her eyes.

peeta's apology. so soft, so sweet. and he just wants to try be friends. at this point, he really thinks katniss was completely faking it and gale is her real boyfriend and he still comes to her with his little apology and the idea of being friends. he's just so...

she smiles when they have their conversation about their favourite colours. like a genuine one

she imagines the orange of his sunset and thinks beautiful. this leads her to think of his cookies. she associates beauty a lot with peeta, like at the end of THG when she says peeta looks beautiful the first time she sees him post-games.

later on when she sees the orange dress patterned with autumn leaves, she thinks how much peeta will like the colour. she's obsessed. peeta is going to think i'm so pretty in this orange dress! (she doesn't say or think this but you know, it's there)

they go straight to handholding again (but friendship handholding of course!) (an aside: i don't think i've ever just held my friends' hands and she also never hold gale's hands)

so many of peeta's paintings featuring katniss.

one of katniss's key nightmares is peeta bleeding to death

when peeta offers rue and thresh's families one month of their earnings every year, that comes completely from him and his heart. he didn't even know those two but for what they did for katniss and because he knows the needless brutality they faced, he does this. and it mirrors what katniss thought of doing for them when she found out thresh had died that night. they are in tune. "at this moment, it's impossible to imagine how i could do any better... so when i rise up on tiptoe to kiss him, it doesn't seem forced at all" - he continues to win her over, despite how much she thinks she has to act for the cameras

[devildogdemon]

Bracing myself for committing potential Everlark sacrilege here. Still, I’m curious: Does anyone else ever dabble in the What If/headcanon that Peeta made up his original crush on Katniss? That in the beginning, it really was all just part of his and Haymitch's plan to hype Katniss up, and help boost her favor as the super rare chance for a District 12 Victor? But in the course of the first games, and particularly while committing to the star-crossed lovers act in the cave, he ended up actually falling in love with her?

This was actually my original interpretation the first time I read the first book. That all the rest of the backstory is still true: Mr. Mellark pointing Katniss out, Katniss singing the Valley song, etc. But it was just how Peeta remembered her, not the beginning of years-long pining.

Quick disclaimer: I'm not trying to argue for this headcanon's legitimacy. In fact, I now know it's not true. While writing this post, I remembered that Peeta told Katniss during the Victory Tour he was jealous of Gale before he officially met her. So by his own words, Peeta's crush predates the first Hunger Games.

Still, reading the first book on its own, it’s a headcanon I always come back to, and I think works in its own way sometimes.

For one thing, it’s a bit beyond my suspension of disbelief that Peeta was reaped alongside the girl he was silently obsessed with for 11 years. It feels way more like convenience to me than destiny or anything like that. Not to mention, this is supposedly a crush that began and persisted long before Peeta hit puberty.

But it’s not just the realistic aspect that draws me to this hc. It's also because I love how much it contributes to the 'accidental soulmates' aspect on Everlark. The idea that these two were not meant to fall in love. That if their lives went the way they thought or planned, they never would have spoken. They would have rarely crossed paths, if at all. They would have married different people, if anyone when it came to Katniss, but Gale would be the sole candidate if she did. And they would have lived out their days and died as strangers. But through a series of completely unforeseen, bizarre circumstances in this cruel world that brought them together in the most horrific of ways, from it emerged a real bond between them. Even if it started as a charade for sponsors, it morphed into a real bond of love and care that was genuine, and beautiful, and selfless, and real.

My take is essentially that Peeta took his mother's final words to him about Katniss as bitingly true, not that that made them any less hurtful. And from that point forward, he figured if he was going to do something worthwhile before his inescapable death, it would be to help his District. And the way to do that would be to help the girl who could do that better than he ever could.

Sure, there are things like him keeping hold on Katniss' hand during the chariot ride, and teasingly prodding her for a kiss while she's treating him. But...ok, I hesitate to project onto a boy who was and is leagues above me in every way (feel free to flame me for this). But as a former 16-year old boy myself, who was roughly that age when first reading the story, I kinda figured he just wanted to experience a taste of romance before his inevitable death? Like the PG version of "I don't want to die a virgin."

Anywho, gonna whistle past that embarassing hot take lol. But I think this hc gels well too with all his actions Katniss finds questionable: telling her everyone was watching her during the chariot ride, the crush revelation, teaming up with the careers to throw them off her trail, and fighting Cato. He's doing it all for her to win, even at the expense of himself. Not because he has feelings for her (yet), but because he believes in her.

But it's at the point when Katniss finds him in the mud bank, and she does everything in her power from then on to keep him alive, that maybe his feelings for her take a turn for the real. She shouldn't be trying to keep him alive. It’s of no benefit to her whatsoever. But she refuses to let him die. She will not even discuss it. It makes zero sense to him. No one's ever valued his life this much, even his own family. Why is this girl he barely knows, who never noticed him before, suddenly sparing no expense to keep him alive? To the point of risking her own life for him?

This comes to a head when he tries to rebuke her for going to the feast:

"No! Just don't, Katniss! Don't die for me. You won't be doing me any favors. All right? "Maybe I did it for myself, Peeta, did you ever think of that? Maybe you aren't the only one who...who worries about..what it would be like if..." "If what, Katniss?" "That's exactly the kind of topic Haymitch told me to steer clear of." "Then I'll just have to fill in the blanks myself."

On that last line, I took that as Peeta seeing for the first time that Katniss actually does care about him. More than anyone ever has. That she wants him to live, just as much as she wants them to win. And that's when he truly falls for her. Sadly, he makes the mistake of presuming she feels the same way. That's the only blank he filled in incorrectly.

But did he, though? Because what follows that last line is the first kiss between them that makes Katniss feel "stirring in her chest" and "wanting another." This whole conversation made her want to shut the world out, because "whatever I'm feeling, it's no one's business but mine."

So maybe their feelings for each other kinda awoke at the same time? And deep, deep down, the two of them could sense that shift in emotion toward each other. Where performance became reality. For Peeta, much stronger. But for Katniss, she's not quite there yet.

Now yes, I'm aware Katniss gets Peeta to tell the story of his crush AFTER this happens. But as Katniss points out prior to this, he's the silver-tongued one. Not to mention an established good liar. So keeping with the idea this was when he first noticed her, maybe he blends the facts here a little, and decides to make this the point of where his crush began? He probably had it in the vault anyway since the interview.

Finally, I thought this better explained Peeta's anger at the end, when the mask is finally lifted for him. Because logically, why would he think what started as an established act would become real for Katniss? As Katniss says, they were strangers who'd never spoken before all this. Is it because he still thinks she can't lie? Well she proved him wrong there, if only for a moment. I thought the more likely reason he thought Katniss' feelings for him became real, is because that's exactly what happened to him. As I mentioned before, his presumption wasn't entirely off, and Katniss' words that "not all of it" was for the Games are true enough. But it doesn't make the revelation any less crushing for him.

I really do wonder sometimes what kind of story this would have made for if Suzanne took this approach in the sequels. I know now it's an incorrect headcanon, but I'm curious if anyone else ever shared it while reading the first book, and wonders the same.

If you read all my silly ramblings about a now-debunked headcanon, I am both eternally grateful and eternally sorry. Feel free to share, concur, roast, or do whatever in response. Thank you and may this ship be ever on your dashboard :)

[thesweetnessofspring]

Kiss Cam

In honor of Katniss's birthday, here's an Everlark fic I've had bouncing around my head for a few weeks. Modern AU; fluff; rated G

“I don’t know if I want to go anymore,” Katniss says from the passenger seat of Peeta’s car. But they’re already a half mile from the stadium, stuck in the traffic with everyone else going to the game. She fiddles with the vent to blow the cool air directly into her face, something to calm her.

“Come on, these seats are right behind home base!” Peeta says. 

“I know, but I can’t stand baseball anymore.”

“You shouldn’t let him take something you love from you.” Peeta waves a car through to merge into the narrowing lanes. 

“It’s just a game.”

“Not just a game. The game,” Peeta says. “Consider this a bit of exposure therapy.”

“You promise to get me as many nachos as I want?” Katniss asks.

“And peanuts and cracker jacks.”

The Mockingjay’s stadium came into full view then, no longer blocked by surrounding buildings. Katniss hates that Gale has soured baseball for her, the game her father had introduced to her, the memories she has of catching a fly ball and getting it signed by Haymitch Abernathy, of summer nights spent in the yard perfecting her throw and her swing. And the only way she could cope after her father’s death was by giving her all on the field with her teammates.

That’s where she’d met Gale, on the varsity baseball team at Lakeside High School. She had been the only freshman to make the varsity team that year and he was one of two sophomores. Together, they became an unstoppable pitcher/catcher duo. Katniss knew Gale’s every move, could read his decisions like they were her own thoughts. 

She thought it would always be like that.

“I talked them into putting on extra jalapenos.” Peeta hands Katniss her first round of nachos as she sits down following the national anthem.

Katniss takes the food from Peeta and dives in. There was nothing better in her mind than this–salty, creamy, spicy, with some crunch to top it off. She hums with approval at her first bite and smacks her lips to lick up the gooey cheese. When Katniss looks up to offer some to Peeta, she notices his eyes on her mouth–just briefly, but it sends a warm rush down her body.

She startles at the feeling and focuses instead on the players taking the field, getting a sense for the lineup. But Peeta reaches over to take a chip teetering with orange cheese and that flustering feeling comes back at the proximity, his shoulder bumping into hers.

Of course when he looked at her mouth, he was probably just noting how she was eating–he’d often teased her before about how ravenously she ate. That certainly made more sense than what had flitted across Katniss’s mind. Peeta was, after all…Peeta.

He moved into town their sophomore year of high school and immediately became popular. He played football, wrestling, and of course, baseball. This is where Katniss got to know him, an outfielder far away from where she was at home plate. Still, his arm was reliable in throwing the ball far, all the way to where she would catch the ball and get the out. She and Gale had already been dating for a year, but they’d never been that couple that excluded others. While Peeta socialized with anyone, he always prioritized the group Katniss had acquired (Gale, Darius, and Madge), and usually brought along the girl he was seeing at the time. None of them ever lasted too long.

Katniss had never been able to figure out why exactly Peeta had never been able to date anyone longer than two months. Sure, in high school that felt like forever, but when they moved onto college, it got stranger that of all the girls interested in Peeta, none of them seemed to stick around for longer than a couple months. So strange when Peeta had been the most loyal friend Katniss had ever had–or maybe she felt that way because while everyone else went away from their hometown for school, Peeta had stuck around just like Katniss, attending community college and then the local university.

That was the first big fight Katniss and Gale had gotten into. Gale received a scholarship to play baseball in a city four hours away. He wanted Katniss to come with him the next year, but she couldn’t leave her family. Her mom had to work overnights at the hospital and sleep during the day. She wasn’t going to leave Prim. Gale pointed out how he was leaving his family, too, and that they had to look at the future. The school he got the scholarship for was better than the small state school that didn’t boast any major sports teams. Better opportunities, better future. Katniss had stuck to her decision, though. She couldn’t leave Prim.

Long-distance had sucked, but Gale had seen her through some of the hardest years of her life and Katniss was never one to abandon someone she loved.

She should have just broken up with him then.

The Mockingjays versus the Mutts, their rival team. Katniss had to keep it together not to hiss when the first batter went up to the plate.

She wouldn't admit it to Peeta, but it was nice to get back into baseball again and she feels glad he pulled her out to the game today. Just watching it on TV hadn't been enough to remind her of how much she loved it. She needs the sun, the spring air, the cheers of the crowd and the kick of the nachos to bring back to life she'd once been so passionate about.

Then the first inning ends, and the jumbotron focuses in on a man and woman with a heart around them and in bold letters the instructions: GIVE YOUR SWEETHEART A KISS!

"Ugh," Katniss says when she sees it. "I hate kiss cams."

Peeta grins. "All right. Let's hear it."

"It's totally rude," Katniss says. "It puts people on the spot. Some people hate PDA. Some people are just friends, or they're siblings. And it's totally heteronormative! It pressures the kiss out of the people they feature and comes out of the blue so they're unprepared."

"Those are good points," he says. "After all, we're here together. And we're not dating."

"Exactly," Katniss says, though she wonders why her heart is squeezing in her chest so much hearing him say it.

"Though...we are both single," he says. The way he's talking, so measured and considering, makes her focus in on his words, connecting her gray eyes to his blue. "So if the kiss cam lands on us, you can kiss me if you feel like it."

She feels the blood rush to her cheeks and she doesn't know how to respond except to giggle, the thought of kissing him sending a strange flutter through her body.

"What?" Peeta asks. "That bad?"

"No," Katniss says. "No, I...I guess I'll allow it. On the cheek, of course."

"Of course," he says.

The next inning gets started and Katniss adjusts her hat to cover her face a bit more while her heart pounds in her chest. Why was the idea of kissing Peeta having such an effect on her? They were friends, had been friends for years. He'd been her best friend since the break-up eight months ago for sure. She shouldn't be having these feelings for him.

But as they talk and cheer for the Mockingjays, Katniss can't help but feel curious. She'd always thought Peeta was cute, even if she would never have admitted it out of loyalty to Gale. Plus there had been talk...she'd just been so confused about how Peeta, ever the kind, funny, warm, loyal man never kept a girlfriend for very long. Katniss had brought it up to her friend Johanna, wondering if maybe Peeta was actually gay.

"I guess I can't rule out bi," Johanna said. "But he's definitely into women."

"How are you so sure?" Katniss asked.

"Dude, we hooked up freshman year," Johanna said. "All I'm saying is, no gay guy is as into kissing a girl as Peeta Mellark."

"Was he...good?" Katniss asked. Being into and being good at were two separate things, after all.

"Really good," Johanna confirmed. "If he wasn't so goody-goody it would have been perfect."

Maybe that's all it is, Katniss thinks. Loneliness mixed with friendship and the burden of knowing that friend is apparently a really good kisser.

Between the fifth and sixth inning, Katniss gets up to go pee, hoping for the line to be short, but of course it's not. She takes her place and checks her phone, where a text from Prim comes in.

Having fun at the game?

Katniss types out a response: Yeah, only I think I might be into Peeta now?

The message is sent off with a swoop noise. That's when a woman coming from washing her hands stops and plants herself in front of Katniss.

"Hey, Katniss Everdeen!" she says. It's Clove Sanchez, someone Katniss had gone to school with, and was one of the girls Peeta had briefly dated.

"Oh, hi Clove," Katniss says. "How have you been?"

"Great!" Clove gives a smug smile. "My Instagram has hit a hundred thousand followers, and District Knives is sponsoring my content. Plus, I'm dating Cato Larsen."

Cato Larsen, the Mockingjay's starting shortstop. He looked like a caveman to Katniss, but Clove had always been the type of person to go for the best, which is why she'd sunk her claws into Peeta for a few weeks in high school.

"How about you?" Clove asks, and by the glint in her eye Katniss can tell she's trying to goad her.

"Good," Katniss replies briefly. "Yeah, things are good."

"I heard about you and Gale online." Clove pouts with fake sympathy. "So sorry about that."

"Well, it was for the best." Usually Katniss hates that kind of cliché phrasing, but dealing with people's comments about the end of her seven-year relationship warranted them. The only people she'd really shared her thoughts with about the situation had been Prim and Peeta. Other people like Madge and Darius warranted more details than others, since they were also friends with Gale, but it wasn't anyone else's business.

Finally a stall opens up and Katniss says, "Good catching up. I'm just going to–"

She points toward the toilet and escapes Clove. In the stall she takes a few deep breaths. Damn Gale.

They'd survived long-distance through college and Gale was getting scouted by the major leagues. The Mockingjays had made an offer, and Katniss had been ecstatic he could come back home. Then the offer from The Trappers came along, and they were a better team. The Mockingjays, admittedly, hadn't been good for the past fifteen years, so it was the better career move.

They were going to do one more year long-distance while Katniss finished up her bachelors degree. But something shifted then. Gale was the hot new rookie, pulling The Trappers from a middle-ranking team to battling for a spot in the championships. And college was very different from the pros.

Katniss, who had never been into social media much and kept everything private, had hundreds of requests to follow her from random people she didn't know. But they had figured out she was Gale's long-term girlfriend from his own posts and were curious. Worst were the comments on his pictures. Most were kind, but others seemed determined to drag her down. Criticizing how she looked, how they perceived her personality, claiming she wasn't hot enough for him, or only with him for the money. Katniss asked Gale to not post pictures of her anymore, which upset him.

"I'm trying to build my image," Gale said. "I'll get better brand deals if I have an angle to it, and part of that is you. You're my girlfriend. I want to be a solid example of a good family man, and you're part of that."

"Family man?" Katniss asked. They'd talked about kids in the far future, but they didn't have any plans soon. They hadn't even discussed marriage outside of a future, undetermined time.

"Yeah," Gale said, "After my dad left us, I had to look to other men to figure out who to be. I want to be that for other boys who might be like me."

"I hate the attention I'm getting, though," Katniss said. "I don't want to live a public life!"

"This is my career," Gale said. "It's part of the job."

They had never really been able to settle the argument. Gale didn't post pictures anymore without Katniss's permission, and occasionally she'd allow a story, but nothing permanent. Toward the end of Gale's first season, Katniss had flown out to see a game, but in his hotel room they ended with an argument about the same issue regarding social media and Gale's career. Then Gale proposed a compromise: they get married and have a baby.

"What?" Katniss asked. "How is that a compromise?"

"I'll be able to play up the dad angle and you can stay private," Gale said.

Katniss's mouth flew open. "I can't believe you want to have a baby to market yourself."

"We're going to have one anyway eventually!" Gale said.

"I don't want my kids all over Instagram where any creep can see them!"

They never recovered from that. Katniss went back home a single woman for the first time in seven years. Several pity parties with Prim and Peeta, a new job, and some time later, she felt steady enough.

Her phone pings with Prim's response: Well it's about time you realized how you felt about him.

Katniss types quickly: What do you mean by that????

It's not until Katniss is back in the stands with Peeta, who has gotten a fresh batch of nachos that Prim's response comes in.

Look, you've always had a soft spot for him. You've always said he was the greatest person to ever exist. Then when you and Gale broke up, it was like you didn't have to censor yourself. That "platonic cuddling" you were doing during winter when our heater didn't work sure didn't seem so platonic. You could have gone to his house where there was heat, after all. You give him really long hugs good-bye, you smile when his name is mentioned, you're constantly wondering why he hasn't dated anyone longer than a couple months. It's in your eyes most of all, when you think he isn't looking. Maybe I'm wrong and you're just really, really good friends, but it doesn't seem that way to me.

"Everything okay?" Peeta asks. Everyone else is on their feet and clapping at Phillip Gloss hitting a home run, while Katniss's eyes are fixed on Prim's text, trying to absorb it.

"Prim's having some boy trouble." She rolls her eyes. "Sent me a huge text about it."

"Well, good thing she has you to protect her." Peeta gives her one of his sweet smiles, with just a touch of shyness, that she's now realizing is only for her. She's never seen it on his face when greeting Prim or joking with Madge, or with any of the over dozen girls he's been with since she's known him.

Katniss puts her phone away and tries to focus on the game, but she can't with Peeta so near. Everything he does seems to draw attention to his mouth. Cupping his hands to his face so his shouts of encouragement can be heard, leaning in close to her ear to compete against the noise around them, sucking cheese off his thumb from the last of the nachos (okay, the last of his nachos–Katniss polishes those off).

Then during the seventh inning stretch, the person beside Katniss pushes against her shoulder and points to the jumbotron. There her own face stares up in confusion with Peeta's in a giant heart and those words GIVE YOUR SWEETHEART A KISS! above their heads.

Peeta shrugs with a lift of the corner of his mouth. He's prepared for a peck on the cheek, the main way to assuage the kiss cam operators to not continually embarrass those who try to refuse the attention. But some impulse comes over Katniss and she seals her lips over his. He jumps a little in surprise, but is quick to return the gesture, cradling her face with his hand and parting his lips to her. He tastes spicy and salty from the nachos, but underneath that, like an incredible delicacy. Katniss becomes so warm in her belly she's sure she swallowed a star and it's burning up in her body.

When they pull away, they're no longer on the jumbotron and a group of guys behind them whistle. Katniss shifts back into her seat, unable to look at Peeta. Oh, god. She just kissed her best friend.

Trying not to have to deal with the aftermath of this quite yet, Katniss takes out her phone and texts Prim:

Katniss: I kissed Peeta.

Prim: !!!!!

Katniss: It was for the kiss cam.

Katniss: But I liked it. A lot.

Katniss: What am I gonna do? He's my best friend. I can't lose him!

Gale had been her friend, before. Then he'd kissed her and she felt like she had to go along with it so she wouldn't lose him. And she had loved him before, had told herself that the love she had for him was good. It wouldn't be like when her mom lost her dad. Safe. That's what Gale had been.

Prim: I don't think you could ever lose him.

Then a different notification comes up on Katniss's phone. She'd been tagged in a story on Instagram. Curious, she opens the notification and saw that Clove had posted a video of the kiss cam footage to her story with the comment:

Guess @Katniss2008 is over @PitcherGale

Katniss watches in the story with horror, clicking back several times to watch the way she moves in so insistently, the way Peeta takes her up on this chance, and the eagerness both of them display kissing each other. Gale might not see this, he got tagged in so much now. But Clove, a player's girlfriend with over hundred thousand followers, had certainly assured that the whole baseball community would be talking about the kiss. This is exactly the kind of thing she'd wanted to get away from!

"Oh no," Peeta says. Katniss looks over and sees that he has the same story pulled up on his phone. He looks up at her, apology all over his face. "Should we go?"

Katniss nods her head and they gather up their things and trash to get out of that stadium. They walk briskly, mostly because Katniss has to get away from the crowds, to feel like she might have some kind of privacy in this stupid social media world.

The sky has turned orange and red with the sunset as they reach Peeta's car. Once inside, Peeta won't take the silence anymore.

"Katniss?" Peeta asks. "How are you?"

She chokes out an incredulous laugh. "I don't know! Angry, upset, embarrassed. I want to use one of those sponsored knives and cut her!"

"I'm sure you could explain to Gale," Peeta says. "If you're worried about him. About him thinking we..."

And he stops, blinking and turning away. And Katniss caught the a glimpse of the rarest emotion to cross Peeta's face–pain. He was always the first to help, the first to offer a smile or a kind word. Katniss wonders if what she's thinking is true, if Peeta has feelings for her, what it must have been like. Her and Gale together for so long, then her rants against ever dating again after what happened.

"I don't care what Gale thinks," Katniss says and meaning it. "I just hate that Clove put our personal business up for everyone to see."

"We did kiss in front of thousands of people," Peeta says. "But I get what you mean."

They sit in spent anger and simmering disappointment until Peeta says, "So, did this totally ruin any chance between us?"

"No," Katniss says. "Not for me, at least."

Peeta exhales a chuckle in relief. "Good. Because I've liked you forever."

"Forever?" Katniss asks, surprised. She'd thought it must have snuck up on him like it had for her.

"Since the first day I saw you," Peeta says. "Mrs. Trinket's history class. You looked really cool, with your leather jacket and long braid, and then Dylan Marvel threw an apple toward Rue Jackson and you reached out your hand and just caught it and threw it back at him, right on his head."

Her mouth hangs open. She vividly remembers this happening, but her memory hadn't clocked Peeta being there.

"That was the first day of sophomore year," Katniss says. "You've liked me all this time?"

"Yeah." That shy, sheepish look is back. "But you were always with Gale and it seemed pretty set. I tried to date other girls, but it didn't feel fair to date them when I still had feelings for you, so none of them really stuck."

I'm the reason he's dated so many girls, Katniss realizes. Not commitment issues or because he was closeted. Because of how he felt about her.

"But these past eight months?" Katniss asks. "Ever since Gale and I broke up?"

"You needed time, and you needed a friend," Peeta says, brushing hair out of her face. "I figured, if it was going to happen, it would happen when you were ready."

He's perfect, Katniss thinks. And then she's leaning over the car console and he's following and they're kissing, finally, finally just for themselves. And she knows it's only the second kiss of many, many more to come.

[lovepersevering13]

Hey,

Would love to read a fic or oneshot about everlark Post Revolution opening a new bakery in district 12.

Love your writing 💗

Growing - Everlark

Wonderful request!! Kinda got a bit sidetracked at the end because I love the toast babies too much.

Summary: Katniss’s perspective of Peeta falling in love with owning a bakery

Warnings: Slight references to past abuse, this has not been edited

Word count: 886

I’d never really had friends so the lack of wasn’t something that bothered me. We had Johanna and Annie, and when he wasn’t drunk off his face Haymitch too. That’s more than I ever had before the games. But Peeta was lonely, he’d never sat alone at lunch, always surrounded by a group of merchant friends. He’d always been more social than me, laughing boisterously at lunch, captivating the Capitol audience, befriending the other tributes during the quarter quell.

Right after the war neither of us had really been ready to venture back out into the world but with everyday I noticed our secluded routine wasn’t enough for him.

It had been 5 years since the war ended. Peeta deserved something good in his life.

It was actually Effie who suggested it first, we were enjoying our weekly dinner and an indepth conversation about the ever present difference between food security in the Capitol and the districts.

“Well Peeta, darling, I’m sure all of district 12 would enjoy more of your baking,” Effie suggested.

It started off slow. Peeta still held so much trauma from the dreadful environment he grew up in. We lay in bed one night, Peeta’s head on my chest as I twirled his baby soft blonde curls through my fingers,

“Do you think I’ll be like my Mother?” He asked abruptly,

“Never.” I assured him,

“If we go through with this bakery thing… I need it to be nothing like the old bakery,”

“Peeta it won’t be,”

Peeta tilted his head up to look at me, I smiled at the sight of his light, watery eyes as he asked, “How do you know?”

“Because, Peeta, I know you. You loved me when I couldn’t love you, you loved me when everything in your mind told you not to. I have no doubt that anything you could create would be full of nothing but love.”

He buried his face against my chest,

“If you want to go through with this, I will support you in every step of the way because I know it will be the most beautiful and happy place in all of district 12, nae, all of Panem.”

And so it begun, Peeta chose a lot in the centre of the new town- backing onto a large flowery field very far from the old town square.

Everyone was eager to help with getting the bakery ready. Effie ordered in all the supplies Peeta could need and Johanna even came to visit and help build furniture for the bakery.

The final product was marvellous. White wooden paneling, with a dandelion yellow trim around the roof, most importantly- a large, well lit, shiny window to display all of Peeta’s gorgeous cakes. Prim would’ve loved it…

“Do you think people will come?” Peeta asked nervously, 5 minutes before opening on the first day,

“Of course, everyone loves your baking kid,”

Haymitch assured him. I peered out the window, though it was true everyone loved Peeta’s baking, it was also true that everyone had kept their distance from their three dysfunctional victors.

“People are here,” Effie grinned, she wasn’t kidding- there was a crowd growing at the stairs to the bakery. I turned back to see Peeta who was peering over my shoulder with a contagious smile on his face. The kind of smile which you’d hardly believe possible after everything he’d lived through.

Haymitch leant over the counter and squeezed Peeta’s shoulder “Well, what are you waiting for? Let them in.”

The bakery is a huge success. Everyday the doors are flooded with regulars and new customers, all eager to fill their mouths with the sweetness of Peeta’s baking. With each day I notice Peeta’s smile grow. I used to think we’d never get the old Peeta back but every morning that I watch him kneading fresh bread in the glow of the oven it’s like nothing bad has ever happened to us.

On the bad days, which are fewer and fewer, Peeta hires one of Delly’s old friends to hold down the bakery. Everyone is always pleased when Peeta returns. On mornings I can’t get out of bed to accompany him down to the bakery he brings a warm loaf back with a bowl of soup at lunch. Somehow I’m always out of bed by dinner.

We heal, not fully, never fully healed, but better. District 12 evolves into a place of healing and growth alongside us.

Peeta’s fear of turning out like his mother becomes less by the day. I see him grow fonder of the young children running up to the display window. I think of the past, Prim, hunger, burnt bread. Peeta thinks of the future, I know he does. One day I hope to give him that future he aches for so purely.

One day, 5 maybe 10 years later our own daughter will press her nose against the window, She’ll have Prim’s eye for beauty but none of her longing. The dancing girl will never know a day where her father doesn’t sneak her a treat over the counter. That night when I told Peeta anything he creates will be filled with nothing but love will be true for not only the bakery, but the dancing girl and the boy with blonde curls who will follow shortly after.

[they-lived]

20 questions for writers

@theblueeyedfirebender THANKS FOR THE TAG FRIEND I LOVE YOU LOTS 💙💛💙💛💙💛

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

41! (And an additional 37 on ffn 🤪 for a total of 78 just cause I was curious what 11 years of a hobby produces)

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

782,267… holy crap 😅

3. What fandoms do you write for?

On my page you’ll find fics for Dragon Age (2 fics), Resident Evil (3 fics), Baldur’s Gate (2 fics), Until Dawn (2 fics), Critical Role (1 fic), Fullmetal Alchemist (6 fics), and Yuri on Ice (25 fics)!

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Bloom in the Dark (Yuri on Ice)

Сонечко - Sunshine (Yuri on Ice)

What I Wouldn’t Do (Yuri on Ice)

Truth (Yuri on Ice)

Four Hidden Talents of Yuri P (And His Hidden Achilles Heel) (Yuri on Ice)

5. Do you respond to comments?

I used to not respond because on ffn you pretty much had to dm people to do so which felt weird (especially because I was 11-17 on there and did not want anyone knowing that fact even tho it was pretty obvious in hindsight) but now I respond to almost every comment I get! Fandom is a shared experience and I want to communicate more!!!

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Lessons I Learned From Loving You Alone (Dragon Age) ~ Loghain’s wife had a really tragic life in my brain and I leaned in HARD

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

I almost always do angst with a happy ending but I think the happiest is a toss up between Сонечко or As The World Begins to End (which is my resident evil meets pride prejudice and zombies mash up)

8. Do you get hate on fics?

I wouldn’t call it hate necessarily but weirdly I get a lot of discourse around Yuri P being Ukrainian but like… I have always written him this way and I always will lol. It’s a part of my brand at this point. For the most part they’re pretty tame comments tho

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Yep! Most of the time I use sex as a way for characters to express their indescribable inexplicable connection or just to explore a couple in their most intimate moments. I love smut with funnies too so I try to throw that in there… also yes I do write porn without plot just because I want to lol.

10. Do you write crossovers?

Not really. Closest I got to was As the World Begins to End, which is Resident Evil in a similar world as Pride Prejudice and Zombies, but the zombies and lore were still RE based. It was more inspired by than anything else.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Back in the day someone wrote a fic “based on” one of mine but they just changed the names and nothing else. I still laugh about it because like… what an odd thing to do.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yup! Into Portuguese, Japanese, and Russian! It was very cool and they were so nice!!!!

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Nope but I’d be down!

14. What is your all-time favorite ship?

Don’t ask me that my stomach hurts (it’s probably Everlark or Jasper or Otayuri or Royai don’t make me choose~)

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

I never say never but golly it’s been hard to keep writing I Will Carry You idk why I really lost steam on it. I also have a fic I’m literally 25 pages deep into that was supposed to be a bit fic that I have not posted but WANT TO FINISH SO BAD

16. What are your writing strengths?

I think I’m super good at eliciting the specific niche emotion I’m looking to express and hitting the exact topic I want to address. When I want something to be heightened and funny I nail it, when I want something to be bone deep nostalgia I’ve got it. That part is really fun for me personally.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

I. Hate. Describing. Scenes. And. Action! My theater of the mind is pretty garbage so when I have to exposit what something looks like I cannot for the life of me enjoy it. My brain shuts off and on autopilot I go.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

Even though I am bilingual I still get nervous doing this. Mostly because I’m smol and embarrassed but also because I really have to decide what the purpose is. I love having multilingual characters I grew up on the border between the us and Mexico and I have constantly been surrounded by multilingualism and generally think it’s dope. But I prefer to write the dialog in italics if it’s in another language so my audience can immediately understand what’s going on and have the full picture. If I don’t want them to know what’s being said I simply gloss over it lol

19. First fandom you wrote for?

*Glances wearily at my self insert Harry Potter fic I wrote when I was 12 and had the audacity to post on ffn* … uh… Hunger Games

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

Changes by the day honestly but the top 5 are as follows in no particular order:

- As the World Begins to End (p&p will ALWAYS take me out you guys)

- Сонечко (the way I trauma dumped in this one is still so raw and so relevant. The fact that family and love really does win OUCH)

- An Ode to the Daughters of Darkness (first and only attempt at a more poetic style and some of it really holds up)

- Idioms and Idiots (idk I feel like I could turn this into a whole novel it’s wholesome and funny I smile the whole time I’m reading it I love her)

- Long May You Reign (I have reread this bitch so many times since she’s been posted I love the chaos the funnies and the feels. Idk man I just have an insatiable craving for Royai to be parents and this makes me laugh while writing it)

Tagging @masterdisastre @lou-is-lurking @kaleidodreams @weeheilandcoo and anyone else who wants to ✨✨✨✨

[fyreflys]

This or That: Everlark Edition

Katniss has a upturned nose or a hooked nose

Katniss is under 5’3 or over 5’7

Peeta is strong and muscular or chubby and round

Peeta has two dimples or dozens of freckles

They grow back together in less than 1 year or after 2 years

They’re very vanilla or they like to try spice

I’m definitely breaking the rules on some of these but just hear me out as I brainrott…

Katniss has more of a hooked nose. She is 5’ 3”. Also I definitely imagine her as being of indigenous descent, or just being mixed of some kind, be it Asian or Hispanic.

Realistically, I think Peeta would probably lean more towards muscular, but I always kind of imagine him as a more round/pudgy kid. But then he gets a big growth spurt & shoots up to 6 foot something and suddenly he isn’t that little round boy anymore, and he’s more muscular. That and the food scarcity starts to affect him and his family a little bit more, and he ends up just staying more on the lean side as a result of minor malnutrition. But after the revolution when food is less scarce and he starts to heal, he does get some chub. Still very strong, but he just fills out a lot more, ya know? Also tons of freckles EVERYWHERE. And he does have dimples, but they become more prominent when he finally puts on some more weight.

I could honestly see them growing together either way, be it less than a year or over 2 years later. One way being they end up leaning on each other more to get through their trauma (and thus get together sooner as a result), or the trauma is too great & they get kind of distanced for a while (and it then takes them longer to get together). It just depends on how you decide their characters would heal/adapt. But I think, especially from what we see at the end of Mockingjay, it seems like they might fall more towards ‘under a year’. Just because I think that at the end of the day, those two are inseparable, and they end up leaning on each other so much.

They are definitely vanilla, but only because they don’t really know ✨spice✨ exists. As soon as they figure out other possibilities…oh boy…

Thanks for the anon!