#mama katniss rocking her babies to bed

[buggiebite]

Down in the Valley

TW: slight nudity

Down in the valley, the valley so low

Late in the evening, hear the train blow

The train, love, hear the train blow

Late in the evening, hear the train blow

Go build me a mansion, build it so high

So I can see my true love go by

See him go by, love, see him go by

So I can see my true love go by

Go write me a letter, send it by mail

Bake it and stamp it to the Capitol jail

The Capital jail, love, the Capitol jail

Bake it and stamp it to the Capitol jail

Roses are red, violets are blue

Birds in the heavens know I love you

Know I love you, oh know I love you

Birds in the heavens know I love you

[paintedpeeta]

*climbs over your garden fence* have we headcanons for Father’s Day for our local Papa Peeta?

yes. yes we absolutely have 🧑🏼‍🦱👩🏽👧🏽🧒🏼.

okay so first of all you know those toasties just absolutely become his whole life, and he does everything for them so they always want to give him a special father’s day as a thank you.

his first father’s day was one of the happiest days of his life. their baby girl was only a couple of months old, so of course it was katniss who done all of the planning and gift-giving, but just being handed a card addressed to papa while his little daughter sleeps beside him set him off and he was a bubbling mess for the rest of the day. he keeps the card always, framed and in the office space of their house that he uses as an art studio. their daughter has absolutely no concept of the occasion, but she enjoys the day spent out at the lake with her mama and papa, cooing and kicking her lil legs in the shade.

and maybe katniss could have told him he was going to be a papa again on another father’s day. i think their son would be a winter baby so it sort of checks out that she tells him around this time of year, planning a special way to tell him but most likely just blurting it out while they have a picnic in the meadow. it goes right over their daughters head but peeta almost passes out, pulling his wee wife over for a giant bear hug and placing a thousand kisses on her face. “will we ever have a father’s day where you don’t cry?”

katniss always gives him a little heads up in the morning, waking him up with kisses and love before the toasts can get to him and wake him by diving onto the bed. she doesn’t want poor papa having a heart attack because chunky toddler toastboy has launched himself full speed onto their mattress while her husband is still asleep 💀

after they’ve all had their morning snuggle in the big bed, katniss takes the bubbies to make the breakfast. peeta offers to make the breakfast so they can have a lie in, but they insist on bringing it to him in bed so he sits and waits on them. katniss does most of the preparation when the toastbabies are younger, but as the years go on she gives them more and more leeway until she’s practically just supervising.

their daughter is so thoughtful and so her gifts are always perfect and from the heart. drawings done as carefully as her little hands can manage, fully concentrating to make it special for her papa. asking mama if she can buy little things from town, like brushes and paints and sketchpads. ribbons tied around bags of her papa’s favourite candies, or sweaters that mama made messily wrapped up with colorful paper and tape.

their son is a little bit more… scatterbrained(? i don’t think that’s the right word. i just picture their son being this lil wild ball of energy, but really sweet deep down) in his younger years, so his gifts are usually like a bunch of wildflowers torn up from haymitch’s yard and some rocks he found out in the woods 💀 but it’s okay because he’s so adorable and kind and peeta is so grateful to have this type of loving family that he treats all of their presents as if they were made of gold.

katniss of course has her own gifts for him, as a thank you for being such a good dad to their kids. it’s always kind of an emotional day for her too, because she lost her pa when she was so young but everyday she gets to see her own children grow up with an amazing and loving father. this is why they almost always spend the day in the woods or the meadow or at the lake, because she’s closest to her dad there and it’s the one way she can feel like her children also know their grandpa, who’d have loved them so much.

before their children come along it’s a hard day for peeta, because his relationship with his dad didn’t seem too great and he had a lot of healing to do because of his parents. it’s not until he has kids of his own that he starts to feel a reconnection with his own father, even if he still can’t wrap his head around why he allowed his wife to treat their children the way she did, he wants his babies to know about their grandfather who was kind and fair for the most part.

everlark also start to gift haymitch on father’s day, and when the toasties come along he gets a second card addressed to “grampy haymitch.”. the old drunk would grumble and go beet red everytime, but secretly he loves all of those kids so much and he keeps every single card given to him.

[hutchhitched]

Too Familiar (Part 10)

Happy Monday, Everlarkers! While I was hoping to get this chapter to you sooner than this, I’m really excited that it’s finally done. This is the last full chapter of Too Familiar, and a short epilogue will post next Monday, August 3 to wrap up the story. You can also read the story on AO3. For those of you reading it on tumblr, the rest of the story can be found here. I love hearing from you, so feel free to send me your thoughts.

Trigger warning: mature themes (including infidelity and minor character death).

____________

  “Mama Kat, when’s Dad going to be home?” Elam asked as he tossed his keys on the counter. She grinned when he leaned over and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

 “Hunter’s Little League game should be over in an hour or so,” she answered as she cut a pear into thin slices. “Probably pretty soon after that. Everything okay?”

 “Yeah. Just wanted to talk to him about graduation,” he said as he buried his head in the fridge and then emerged with a sports drink.

 Katniss swallowed hard and stilled her suddenly shaky hands. No matter how much she knew logically that time had passed, she couldn’t convince herself that Elam, the sweet boy she’d met so many years ago when her relationship with Peeta was rocky and unsure, was graduating from college in a few weeks.

 “Anything I can help with?” she asked, her voice unsteady and wavering.

 Her stepson shook his head, and she dropped her eyes to the counter. Madge wasn’t a common topic of conversation in the house. For everyone’s sake, they avoided mentioning her as much as possible. Unfortunately, that didn’t mean Peeta’s ex-wife was far from anyone’s mind. Elam’s graduation would be the first time they’d all be together since he’d graduated from high school, and Katniss squelched the anxiety that bubbled in the pit of her stomach.

 “Just trying to figure everything out,” he mumbled before heading into the living room and plopping in front of the TV.

 She almost asked him if he planned to stay for dinner, but she didn’t want to risk upsetting him. Elam rightly loved his mother, and Katniss had no desire to come in between them. She was content to be his dad’s wife, the mother to his half-siblings, and Mama Kat. Never his mother. Not the person who’d raised him from birth and had never remarried. The most Katniss could hope for was to stay in the shadows when the family gathered together and hope for the best. After all, each of them were adults, and there hadn’t been a blow up for such a long time. Madge seemed to have forgiven them as much as possible for their affair, and Peeta had long since apologized and groveled for his transgressions. More than anything, Katniss had worked really hard to be a good wife and build a solid foundation for their kids, including Elam. If nothing else, the three children enjoyed a home with a deeply loving, committed relationship at its center—no matter how terrible the beginning.

 Dinner was almost ready when the door burst open and Hunter bolted down the hall and threw himself against her stomach. Jasmine followed behind, twirling her hair around her finger with a bored expression plastered across her face. Her daughter was the very picture of teenage angst and spending the evening with her dad and kid brother wasn’t on her “cool” list.

 “Hi, sweetheart,” her husband said as he entered the room, his bulk taking up a considerable amount of space. Peeta kissed her cheek and tossed the groceries he’d picked up on the way home onto the counter. “Tiny, baby, can you help me put this away? Hunter, shower and change. Dinner’s almost ready.”

 “Daaaaaaaaad…”

 “Momma, dinner is soon?”

 She grinned at Peeta addressing her as a mom. It still thrilled her that she’d given him two wonderful children—in spite of how much they sometimes drove her up the wall. “Very soon.”

 Peeta pressed his side to hers as he emptied the grocery bags and handed the food to their daughter. The contact promised things to come after bedtime, and Katniss blushed slightly at the thought of them making love. They were intimate much less frequently than they had been earlier in their relationship, but she craved the physical connection that they’d been unable to deny when they were younger. Peeta didn’t last as long as he used to, and she wasn’t nearly as flexible as she’d been years before. Even so, they still managed to find release in each other’s arms as often as possible—even if that wasn’t nearly frequently enough.

 “Elam’s here,” she muttered under her breath. “He wants to talk about graduation with you. Probably figuring out how to stagger us with Madge so nothing happens.”

 “I’ll talk to him,” he promised. “After dinner. We don’t have many more opportunities to have all of us together anymore. It’ll be worse once he starts his job.”

 Peeta did as he promised. They sat down together for dinner, and everyone (even Tiny) filled the others in on the highlights of the past week. As Katniss readied Hunter for bed, started the laundry, and set the alarm so she and Peeta wouldn’t be late for work the next day, Peeta talked to Elam in the living room, their voices low and rumbling for almost an hour. She was in the middle of preparing for bed when Peeta slipped into their bedroom and came up behind her.

 “You’re still so gorgeous,” he said as his arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her back against him. His lips roamed her neck, and she arched her back when he rubbed his groin against her ass. “I need you tonight, Kat. It’s been a week. My dick’s gonna fall off, and my balls are going to shrivel up and disappear.”

 She snorted at his hyperbole. It had been several days since they’d had sex, but he was hardly going to die from it. She’d jacked him off one morning as he brushed his teeth, and she knew he masturbated in the shower almost every day.

“You poor baby,” she teased as she ground back against him and braced herself on their bureau. “How will you ever survive without getting laid?”

 “Thankfully, I’ll never have to find out.”

 “That’s so true,” she breathed and spread her legs.

 He grunted as he penetrated her, thick and heavy as he pushed into her from behind. His hands cupped her breasts as he rocked his hips until he was buried deep inside her. When she shivered, his right hand dropped lower and stroked her nub until she whined in the back of her throat.

 She knew they needed to be quiet. Their teenage daughter and pre-teen son didn’t need to hear their parents fucking so loudly they woke everyone on the block, but it was hard to keep her pleasure quiet when her husband impaled her on his dick so hard she was constantly balanced on her tiptoes and rubbed her clit so hard her arousal leaked out around his cock.

 “God, I love you,” he growled against her temple. “I love you so much. So much…”

 “Peeta,” she panted before she turned to begging. “Peeta, give it to me. Please.”

 He came then, spurting warm and thick inside her, and she reveled in the way he broke against her. His muscles locked, and he lost lucidity as he babbled and panted and grunted. She wasn’t much better. Her knees buckled, and she stumbled when she tried to walk.

 “You know, that was a lot easier when we were younger,” she teased. “Somehow, we got old.”

 Peeta chuckled as he tugged a pair of boxers over his hips. “We’re not in our thirties anymore.”

 “We’re not even in our forties,” she scoffed and frowned at the gray hairs that peppered her dark braid.

 “Older and wiser, I guess.”

 She grinned as he climbed into bed, and she cuddled up against him. “We’ve come a long way. It’s almost liked we figured out how to be in love or something.”

 “Love wasn’t ever the problem, sweetheart. I’ve always loved you. Even when I was stupid and married to someone else and treated you terribly, I always loved you more than I’ve loved anything else. I’m so glad we stuck this out, Katniss,” he murmured sleepily. “I’m so lucky you loved me back.”

 “How could I help it?” she yawned. When he didn’t answer, she closed her eyes and slept.

 They woke the next morning sore and exhausted, and that continued each day as they prepared for Elam’s graduation. Nervous, Katniss reached out to Madge and offered her help in arranging the party. Surprisingly, her husband’s ex-wife asked her to come over to discuss the plans.

 When she knocked on the door, Katniss shifted from foot to foot. The two women hadn’t seen each other for so long, Katniss wasn’t sure what to expect and internally berated herself for reaching out to the other woman voluntarily. Things had gone well enough between the two of them for so long, she hated to rock the boat, but she supposed her stepson’s college graduation was enough of an event warranting the two meet face to face.

 “Katniss,” Madge said when she opened the door, “come in.”

 Peeta’s ex-wife looked older since they’d seen each other last. Madge’s face was gaunt and hollow with sunken eyes and pale skin that was just on the wrong side of porcelain. Instead, her coloring edged toward sickly. As Katniss entered the house, she didn’t miss the almost imperceptible shaking of Madge’s hands.

 “I have to say, I wasn’t sure you’d want my help,” Katniss said carefully as she moved through the entryway and perched on the side of the couch. “I’m glad we can agree that Elam’s happiness is worth any uncomfortableness of our own.”

 Madge smiled wanly and motioned to the pitcher of iced tea on the coffee table. “Help yourself. I don’t have much energy today, so…”

 “Are you okay?” Katniss asked quietly. “I know I haven’t seen you for a while, but you seem a little off.”

 A flash of anger flitted across Madge’s face, and Katniss dropped her gaze to the tray of refreshments. The last thing she wanted to do was upset the other woman, but Madge did look much more peaked than Katniss had ever seen her.

 “I’m…” Madge waved her left hand vaguely in the air, and Katniss sat back with a glass in her hand. “I’m feeling a little under the weather. Have been for a while, but I need to get through this graduation before I can worry about that. After all, Elam’s the apple of my eye—all our eyes, isn’t he? We’ll put on a brave face and pretend everything’s okay.”

 “Is everything okay?”

 “Sure,” Madge insisted, but her face betrayed her inner thoughts. “Sure, everything’s just delightful.”

 “Madge, I know we’re not the best of friends or anything, but it’s obvious something’s going on. I’m happy to listen if you—”

 “If I need to confide in someone? If I need to share my innermost thoughts and vulnerabilities with the woman who stole my husband almost twenty years ago? I mean, it’s been so long, why would it matter now? Surely, we can just let bygones be bygones, right?”

 Katniss pursed her lips at the other woman’s sarcasm. It wasn’t pleasant, but she knew better than to rise to the bait. Madge had invited her over, after all, so there was a reason she wanted her here.

 “I’m not expecting anything. Just offering to listen if you have something to say.”

 “I don’t really need help with Elam’s party,” Madge admitted. “You’re welcome here, of course. Elam adores you—even if it makes me squirm a little.”

 “Okay?”

 “Katniss, I’m sick.”

 “Do you want me to leave so you can go to bed?”

 Madge shook her head. “Not that kind of sick.”

 “Oh,” Katniss answered lamely, her tongue sticking to the roof of her mouth. “I’m so sorry.”

 “I have cancer. Ovarian. It’s stage four. The prognosis is…” Her voice trails off, and Katniss twists her hands as her insides mirror the action. “Well, it’s not good.”

 Katniss cursed under her breath and blinked back sudden tears. There was certainly no love lost between them, but this was beyond anything she’d imagined. She’d expected Madge to be a part of her life as long as she lived.

 “Have you—have you tired chemo? Radiation?” When Madge shook her head, Katniss added, “Drug trials? Anything?”

 “The doctor says it’s too late. It’s metastasized— It’s— It’s too late.”

 “We’ll get a second opinion,” Katniss insisted. “We’ll figure something out.”

 “I’ve already done that.”

 “Then a third,” Katniss argued, frantic with anxiety.

 “Katniss, no,” Madge said softly. “I’ve made my peace with it. It’s why I invited you over.”

 “What’s why you invited me over? I thought I was—” Her voice broke, and she stared at the other woman.

 “I’m dying,” Madge insisted. “There’s no stopping this. It’s going to happen, and it’s terrible and shitty and awful, but it’s happening. Elam deserves to graduate without this overshadowing his accomplishment. I’ll tell him after. Once he’s gotten settled in his new job, I’ll break it to him, but right now isn’t the time.”

 Katniss nodded, unable to speak. She pressed her hand to her mouth because she was positive she’d scream if she dropped it.

 “As much as I hate to admit this, you’ve been a really good mom to Elam. A good wife to Peeta. Despite how it all started, I’m glad my boys are happy, and I know you’ll be strong for them when I go.”

 Katniss choked back a sob and shook her head. “This is absurd. This can’t be happening.”

 “It’s happening.”

 “No! No, it’s not,” Katniss snapped. “You’re supposed to hate me. I slept with your husband while you were married. I blew him when you were pregnant. I had an affair with him when you were a new mother. You’re supposed to loathe me, not expect me to replace you when you—”

 “When I die,” Madge whispered.

 “You’re not dying!” Katniss screamed, all attempts at control lost. “You’re not fucking dying.”

 Madge’s eyes welled with tears, and Katniss had to bite her cheek to stop herself from another outburst.

 “I am. I don’t want to. I don’t want to miss Elam finding himself, getting married, becoming an adult, a father, everything I ever wanted for him, but I am going to miss it. And Katniss,” Madge paused and swallowed hard. “Katniss, you cannot tell Peeta. Not yet. I have to talk to him myself because he has to be ready when I tell my son. Our son. All of ours.”

 “You can’t ask me to do that,” Katniss croaked. “You cannot expect me to lie to my husband. To Peeta. We’ve always been honest with each other.”

 Madge shot her a withering look, and Katniss cringed in response. Honesty wasn’t exactly the foundation stone of her marriage, and the woman in front of her knew that better than anyone.

 “You don’t have to lie for long. Not like in the past or anything. He’s graduating in a week.”

 “That wasn’t called for.”

 Madge sighed and raised a trembling hand to her forehead. “You’re right. You’re right. That wasn’t fair.”

 Silence stretched between them for several seconds. Madge sat with her eyes closed, breathing quietly and pressing her lips together to keep from crying. Katniss stared at her feet, unable to process the coming loss for their family. Because that’s what Madge was as much as Katniss had tried to ignore it. She was part of Peeta’s family, and, therefore, part of hers. More importantly, she was Elam’s mother, and her sweet stepson was going to lose his mother in the months to come.

 “I need to rest. Maybe it’s time for you to go.”

 Katniss nodded quickly and rose clumsily. It felt like the walls were closing in, and she needed air. She had to figure out how to get through the next few days without lying to her husband, without him seeing right through her and figuring out something was wrong.

 “Madge…” she rasped and looked at her former nemesis. “I—”

 The two women locked gazes as their eyes blurred with tears. Katniss reached for Madge’s hand, and the other woman stretched up and grasped her fingers tightly before dropping her arm.

 “Take care of my baby. Promise.”

 “I promise,” she breathed and broke for the door. Halfway home she pulled over and bawled at the unfairness of it all. For Elam losing his mother. For the pain she and Peeta had caused Madge. For the guilt in their marriage. For the broken relationships and lost time and mistakes and everything wrong.

 The rest of the week dragged. Katniss brushed off Peeta’s advances with promises that they’d reconnect “later” and “after Elam’s had his day” and a million other excuses that felt as wrong as Madge’s prognosis. Clearly frustrated, Peeta huffed and pouted, but she ignored him until he stopped.

 “I haven’t been this celibate since Tiny was born,” he teased the night before Elam’s graduation, and she shook her head and snorted.

 “I think you’ll probably pull through, Mellark. It’s been a while since I’ve had to tell you to keep it in your pants, too, but here we are.”

 He chuckled as he put his arms around her and drew her to his chest. “Can you believe my son is graduating from college tomorrow?”

 “No,” she mumbled, “I can’t.” It wasn’t lost on her that he’d said Elam was his, not theirs. Not the way Madge had included Katniss in her son’s life only a few days prior.

 “You realize what him graduating means, right?” he asked as he nuzzled her neck.

 “What’s that?”

 “That it’s been twenty-two years since I first ate you out,” he whispered in her ear as his hand dipped between her legs.

 “Peeta,” she warned as he nudged against her skin.

 “Lie down for me, sweetheart. Please.”

 “Peeta, no,” she whined, but it wasn’t any use.

 “Katniss, yes,” he insisted as he walked them backward and situated her on the edge of their bed. He dropped to his knees in front of her and tugged down her sleep shorts before spreading her legs and kissing up the inside of her thighs. When his lips met her slick heat, she closed her eyes and drove everything from her mind but the feel of her husband’s mouth on her pussy.

 “Oh, fuck,” she hissed as she twisted the sheets in her fists.

 Peeta moved slowly, deliberately, methodically. His tongue swept into her slit and licked and nipped for what felt like hours. Swirls coupled with penetration and heated breaths chased desperate groans and haggard breaths from her body until she was begging. Her back arched off the bed when he wiggled his tongue inside her and then pulled away. He blew softly on her wet lips and then buried his face into her again. He repeated the process, over and over, until she writhed under him. When he curved two fingers inside her as he sucked on her clit, she bowed and snapped. She tugged his hair as she shoved his face closer to her and wrapped her legs around his head. His tongue flicked her repeatedly as she came and then came some more. Katniss rolled her head from side to side as he continued to work her with his fingers and mouth. It felt too good to do anything but bask in the endorphins.

 As she floated, she heard the distinctive sound of skin slapping, and she realized Peeta was jerking off as he kissed along her slit. She moaned and ground against his face. His pace quickened while she twitched under him, and it was only a few more moments before he stood up and leaned over her.

 “I’m gonna come,” he grunted, and she drew him over her. Her hand wrapped around his, and he shouted her name. Hot stripes covered her breasts and face seconds before he collapsed on top of her. She wiggled against him, smearing his ejaculate across their bodies. With a tortured grumble, he licked himself off her face before kissing her deeply. She sucked the taste of herself off his tongue until he pulled away and started laughing.

 “God damn.” His breathing was ragged against her neck, and she grinned when his thumb flicked her nipple.

 “You just can’t help yourself, can you?” she teased. “Even when I push you away, you figure out a way to weasel your way back into my good graces.”

 “If by good graces you mean your pussy, then yes,” he answered with a broad smile. “I love you so much, Katniss. All these years later, and I still can’t get enough of you. Worth every hardship. Every dirty look. Every snide comment and brushoff. I’d choose you again every time,” he promised with a gentle kiss. “Every. Single. Time.”

 Katniss bit her lips, but the tears came anyway. Overcome with emotion, she shook her head when he asked her what was wrong. Instead, she curled into his arms, sticky and sated, and fell asleep with her tears washing his chest.

 She was still emotional the next morning when they woke and prepared for the graduation. She cried as Elam crossed the stage, and she teared up when she and Peeta gave Madge an awkward farewell. Peeta looked at her quizzically when his ex-wife squeezed her hand before they left.

“Okay, sweetheart,” he announced as they walked in the door, “Elam’s graduated, Tiny’s at work, and Hunter is at a sleepover. We’re alone in this house for the first time in ages. It’s time for you to spill it. What the hell is going on? You’ve been acting weird for a week.”

 “I haven’t been acting weird.”

 “Katniss, you haven’t said no to sex that many times since before Elam was born and we were still pretending we weren’t doing anything wrong just giving each other hand jobs and sucking each other off.”

 It was exactly the wrong thing for him to say, and she sank onto the couch with a deep pain in her gut. She’d forgiven herself so long ago for their affair, but Madge’s illness brought forth all the old guilt and pain she’d repressed for the past two decades. Her marriage with Peeta had weathered a million obstacles—cheating, parental disapproval, a blended family, a workplace romance, raising kids, and self-loathing—but she’d never imagined she’d be back where she was the night Madge went into labor and all hell had broken loose. She’d been convinced then that Madge’s emergency C-section and brush with death had been her punishment for tempting Peeta during his marriage, but the cancer diagnosis… It didn’t make sense that Madge was the one with the death sentence when Katniss had been the one sucking the cock of a married man.

 “Nothing’s wrong.”

 “Katniss Everdeen Mellark,” he barked. “I know you better than you know yourself. Tell me.”

 “It’s not my story to tell,” she insisted and moved to the kitchen to make herself a cup of coffee. “You’ll have to wait until she tells you herself.”

 He followed her and surveyed her with curious eyes. When she refused to speak, he sighed and ran a finger through his curls that still fell over his forehead, even if they were a little bit receded from where they’d been when they’d met. He looked tired and beaten down, and she longed to smooth out the wrinkles in his brow and the laugh lines around his eyes.

 “It’s something with Madge.”

 “Peeta, I really can’t say anything.”

 “Fine,” he snapped. “Just forget it.”

 “Peeta,” she started, but he cut her off before she could get any farther.

 “I think I’m going to meet up with Finnick. I’ll see you later.”

 She stood with her mouth hanging open as he stormed from the house. She heard the car start and drive away before she was willing to believe he’d left. It was another twenty minutes before she admitted defeat and changed into old sweats and a stretched out t-shirt.

 Three glasses of wine later, she was halfway through a horror movie when the front door opened.

She expected Tiny or Peeta, but it was Elam, face pale and eyes red-rimmed as she stood in the hallway.

 “Oh, honey,” she said softly and held out her arms to him.

 “Mama Kat,” Elam gulped. “My mama’s sick.”

 “Baby,” she whispered and wrapped him in her arms.

 The minutes ticked by as her stepson wept in her arms. Tiny returned and quietly escaped to her room when she saw her older brother crying. Sometime after midnight, Peeta slipped through the door and wobbled toward them. When Katniss shook her head, he stumbled down the hall and left them alone. In the middle of the night, she shifted Elam onto the couch and covered him with a blanket. With a kiss on his forehead, she turned and headed down the hall to her bedroom.

 She expected Peeta to be asleep, but she wasn’t prepared for his bare ass to greet her when she walked into the room. He was completely naked, passed out and snoring. A bottle of lube was on the nightstand, and a soiled towel was on the floor on his side of the bed. For all the moments she’d loved her husband, her stomach turned at the sight of him. On the very night his firstborn needed comfort, he’d gotten drunk and jacked off while his son bawled in her arms.

 Just as suddenly, a wave of sympathy and guilt flooded through her. Peeta had no idea his life was about to change dramatically again. He had no clue his first wife was dying, and his oldest child was about to lose his mother. On top of that, she’d lied to him about what was wrong. When Peeta heard the news, he’d have to deal with the shock of Madge’s terminal illness and his wife’s…betrayal, or whatever it was she’d done by hiding the truth.

 She woke late the next morning to gritty eyes and the smell of coffee. Peeta wasn’t in bed, so she grabbed her robe and stumbled to the kitchen as she twisted her hair into a messy braid. Her husband sat at the bar next to Elam, both with slumped shoulders and untouched cups of coffee in front of them.

 “What am I going to do, Dad?” Elam asked, his voice ragged and weary.

 Katniss held her breath, but Peeta offered advice she wished she’d thought of the night before when Elam and wept on her shoulder.

 “You’re going to live your life,” he insisted. “Your mother and I both love you so much, and we’re so proud of you. Mama Kat and your brother and sister and I are all here for you. We’ll always be here for you, and we’ll be your family once your mom is gone. You’re a good man, Elam, and your mom is always going to be with you, no matter what happens. She’s raised you so well, son.”

 His voice broke then, and Katniss moved into the room to lay her hand on her husband’s shoulder. He turned to her and pulled her close as tears clung to his lashes. Elam pushed his cup of coffee away and announced that he was going to spend the day with his mother.

 “You knew,” Peeta accused as soon as the door closed behind Elam. Shoving himself away from her, he looked at her with fire in his eyes and spat, “You knew, and that’s why you kept shoving me away last week.”

 “Peeta, I—”

 “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me.”

 “Madge made me promise not to. It was her news, not mine, and I didn’t want to break her trust. Not after everything I’d already done to her.”

 “You mean, not after fucking her husband while she was at home with a newborn? Not when we were screwing each other when I was going to therapy with her? When you rode my face the night before Elam was born? I’m your husband, Katniss, and we’re not supposed to have any secrets from each other! Not after everything we’ve been through to be together.”

 “I didn’t—”

 “What do you mean?” a strangled voice asked from the hallway, and they both turned to find a stricken Elam gaping at them. Peeta rose quickly and took a step toward him.

 “Son—”

 “What do you mean?” Elam repeated. “You were— You told me things started after… Oh my God. Oh my God! You were cheating on Mom? You lied to me?”

 Katniss held her breath. They were on a precipice, and their decision to withhold the truth from Elam suddenly seemed like a terrible idea. Madge had agreed only because she wanted to be spared the humiliation of knowing her son was aware of the affair, but now the walls crumbled around them.

 “I can explain,” Peeta said, but Elam backed away from them, his face a mask of disgust and fury.

 “I don’t want to hear it. I don’t want anything from you!” he yelled.

 “Elam, stop!” Peeta cried, but it was too late. Elam was out the door, his tires squealing as he pealed out of the driveway and sped down the street.

 Peeta stood outside for several minutes before returning to the house. Katniss watched as his shoulders fell and he plodded up the front steps and walked through the door. He was clearly shell-shocked, pale with red-rimmed eyes and a haunted look in his eyes. Katniss stood quietly, afraid to make a move until he indicated he was ready for her comfort, if that was something she was even able to provide. Peeta’s relationship with his oldest child had always been something only they understood.

 “This can’t be happening,” he finally gasped and doubled over. “I’ve lost him.”

 She rushed to him and wrapped her arms around his middle. Helping him to the couch, she steadied him as he collapsed into the cushions. Silent tears streaked down his face, and she clutched his hand, gripping it with a ferocity she hadn’t realized she could muster since she’d finally believed Peeta was really hers.

 Except he wasn’t exactly. Yes, he was her husband, but he was also Elam’s father and Madge’s ex. He was her children’s dad and his parent’s child. He was a brother and a friend and an employee. He was hers as much as anyone she hadn’t birthed could be, but there were parts of him she’d never be able to understand, and this seemed to be one of them. As much as she loved Elam, he had never really been hers either, so how could she comprehend the loss Peeta felt as he watched his firstborn flee?

 Things didn’t improve over the next few weeks. Calls to Elam went unanswered, and Madge’s condition worsened rapidly. Both Katniss and Peeta wanted to be there for her, but Madge insisted there was nothing they could do. She asked them to give her space to be with her son, who refused to be in the same room with his father.

 “I promise I’ll make time for you to see me,” she promised, but the days passed with no invitation to visit.

 “She’s going to die without letting us see her,” Peeta said one night, hopeless and broken. “I should have done this earlier. I should have worked harder to repair things with her instead of settling for an unspoken truce. And now…”

 “Now, it’s about Madge and not us. She’s the one dying, and she gets to make the rules now. We get to make her last days as comfortable and stress free as possible,” Katniss suggested gently. “She knows we’re sorry for hurting her. We can’t do anything else now. It’s in the past, and she’s accepted that.”

 Peeta lifted his stricken face to hers and whispered, “When she’s gone, I’ll lose every tie I have to my son. He’ll never forgive me once she’s dead. I don’t know that I’ll ever forgive myself either.”

 Katniss swallowed the pain, too terrified to answer, too scared to admit her husband might be right. That Madge’s death would mean losing a part of their relationship that had defined them since the beginning. That Elam would walk away after his mother’s death and refuse to acknowledge them after learning of their betrayal.

 “Madge will call for us, and Elam will come around. He’s hurting right now, and we need to let him know we’re here for him without pressuring him to respond. All we can do now is love him and trust that he’ll believe us when he needs that support.”

 Unfortunately, Elam didn’t seem interested in accepting anything from any of them. As Madge grew weaker, he stopped responding to their children as well. As much as Katniss understood the anger her stepson must be harboring, it hurt her more than she could stand to see her children confused that their brother had disappeared from their lives.

 Madge made arrangements for them to visit on Tuesday and Friday afternoons, and Peeta left work early both days to make the most of the time he’d been granted. Katniss joined him when Haymitch learned of their situation and allowed them leave for a family illness. Peeta sat at Madge’s bedside and held her hand. They kept up a steady stream of conversation, reminiscing about their high school and college days when they’d been young and in love, before Peeta had met Katniss and Madge realized her marriage was failing. They talked about their son and his accomplishments, and Peeta broke down when Madge admitted she’d urged their child to forgive his father.

 Katniss watched sadly, heartbroken that they’d wasted so much time in anger and hurt. Madge was funny and smart, self-deprecating and kind, but most of all she forgave them graciously every time the subject of their affair surfaced.

 “I don’t have time to hold a grudge anymore,” she said softly. “You love each other more than we ever could, Peeta. You deserve to be happy. Stop punishing yourself for something you wouldn’t change, and don’t give up on our son.”

 It surprised Katniss that the visits with Madge became a solace to both her and Peeta as the other woman weakened. Elam never allowed himself to be seen, but it was comforting to know their son was safe and loved and an active part of Madge’s final days. Peeta offered to help with arrangements for memorial and burial, but Madge declined. She and Elam had made the arrangements, and she urged them to accept his wishes.

 “But Madge,” Peeta begged, “I should help him with this. You both deserve to be supported through this.”

 “But that’s not what Elam wants, and I want what makes him happy. He’s an adult now. You have to let him come to you when he’s ready.”

 In the end, they agreed to Madge’s requests and allowed mother and son to spend as much time together making decisions and sharing memories as possible. The days ticked by, and Madge lingered, frail and fading, far longer than any of them expected. Still, it was too soon when the call inevitably came. They were at home, watching the late news after the kids’ bedtimes, when the phone rang. They exchanged looks before Peeta answered. He spoke softly into the phone for a few minutes before he hung up and turned to face her.

 “She’s gone.”

 “Elam?”

 “No. That was the funeral director. Elam didn’t want to talk to us.”

 “When is it?”

 “The day after tomorrow. We’ve been asked not to attend.”

 The words hung between them for several moments, both smarting from the sting.

 “That’s not what Madge would have wanted,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

 “No,” he replied wryly, “but she’s gone, and now Elam gets to make the decision.”

 “Peeta, honey.” She reached out to him, but he shook his head.

 “I need to be alone for a while. I’m sorry.”

 She waited until well past midnight, but he didn’t return. At work the next morning, he was quiet and withdrawn, and he barely said anything to her at home. He loved on their kids and tucked them into bed but barely kissed her goodnight. That continued until the day of the memorial service, and, although they didn’t attend, he sat vigil during the time others paid tribute to his ex-wife. The distance grew between them for weeks, until one day he turned to her and she said, “You came back.”

 Slowly, and with many lost days, they grew back together. Their home life stabilized, and they raised their daughter and son to smile and dance and laugh. They celebrated milestones and loved each other unconditionally, but there was always an empty seat where Elam should have been.

 Year after year after year passed without him.

[everlarkbirthdaygifts]

Happy birthday, insidejokepartyof1!!

On this 18th day of March, we want to wish @insidejokepartyof1 a very happy birthday! To help with your celebration, @booksrockmyface has written a little fic just for you!

Title: Springtime Joy

Gift for: insidejokepartyof1

Rated: K

Author’s note: I wish you the happiest of birthdays and I hope this little bit of toastbaby fluff fills you with all the joy your special day deserves! Many thanks to thesaltywinteradult for always prereading my fics.

________________

Peeta hurried into the house. “Katniss, get Rowan and come see what we found.”

Katniss scooped baby Rowan off the floor where he was playing and followed after Peeta. There was a trail of weeds laid out beside the raised vegetable beds. Katniss put Rowan down on his little feet and held onto his hands. He was just days from his first solo steps. They followed the path of weeds until they got to the rest of their family gathered at the end of the garden.

Peeta looked up and waved his hand excitedly.

Willow giggled and pointed, “Mama, we found some baby rabbits.”

“They’re so cute and tiny!” Reed squealed.

“Any sign of the mother?” Katniss asked as she and Rowan came closer.

Peeta chuckled. “Not yet. But we’ve been here watching them for a while.” He stood and dusted off his knees. “Come see. Then we’ll leave them alone. Promise.”

Katniss lifted Rowan up and swung him into Peeta’s waiting arms. “I was just curious. I saw a rabbit hopping around here the other morning when I went out to hunt. A big gray one.”

“Mom, can we keep one?” Reed asked.

Katniss leaned over and looked at the babies the children had been admiring. They were just a few days old. “These will still need their mama for a bit longer. But I don’t think we need a rabbit. We can just take care of these ones out here until they hop away.” Katniss looked around and then covered up their nest. She picked up a large rock and sat it just beside it. “We can come back and check on them later. Hopefully the mother won’t decide to move them.”

Peeta pointed with his foot. “You two, get those weeds and lay them out on the pans. I’ll get the compost ready for spreading in the garden.”

“Are we going to get to plant today?” Willow asked.

“We should be able to.” Peeta looked over the little patch they had just cleared. “Won’t take too long to spread the compost if we all work together.”

“Would you eat some lunch first? Rowan and I were just about to make some sandwiches.” Katniss tickled Rowan’s cheek.

“I’m sure Rowan would have smashed the bread to pieces.” Peeta pressed his nose into his baby boy’s hair. “But I would have eaten every bite.”

Katniss laughed. “Okay, I was about to make sandwiches. You and the kids wash up and I’ll get Rowan back into the house for the sandwich making.”

Peeta kissed Rowan’s chubby cheek and handed him back to Katniss. “We’ll be in in a couple minutes.”

Katniss put Rowan down to walk again with her assistance. He chattered the entire walk back. Katniss glanced over her shoulder to see Peeta watching them with a proud smile.

[katnissdoesnotfollowback]

MoreS2SL Preview(s)!

It’s that time of year again! For those of you who aren’t aware, @mores2sl is the continuation of what was once called Smut 2 Save Lives. It is a charity collection of fanworks published annually to raise funds and awareness for DIPG, a rare and usually deadly form of childhood cancer. The collection’s charity of choice is Hope for Caroline, but you don’t have to donate to them.  All it takes is a $10 (that’s an equivalent to ten USA dollars) donation to either Hope for Caroline, or to a non profit cancer research group of your choice, and you receive access to the entire MS2SL collection.

I have contributed stories to the collection for the past two years and intend to do so again this year. Cancer in general sucks, and sometimes it feels like if you live long enough, you’re going to know someone who fights with it. For me, I had a teacher, a band director, in junior high who was pretty much the only reason I got out of bed in the mornings and went to school. He was energetic and caring, empathetic and encouraging. He was also slowly dying of cancer. The worst of it occurred once I’d already moved on to high school, but I never forgot him and when one of his last requests was to have the town’s high school marching band escort him to the cemetery, I was one of the first to volunteer. How could I not?

It’s gotten a little closer to home this past year, as my Mom was diagnosed with rectal cancer earlier this year. It’s been a painful struggle and she just finished her final chemo treatment this past week. We won’t know for another month if the rounds of chemo and radiation worked or if she’ll be facing a highly invasive surgery. My Mom has been the rock in our family for decades and watching her fight this thing was both humbling and horrifying. I’ve never seen her so scared. She said something to me one day when I accompanied her to chemo and we were in a large room with five other people all undergoing some kind of chemo therapy. She said, “It’s easier to accept when they’re older, but when they’re so young...” she nodded towards the young woman in the chair just next to hers. She couldn’t have been older than 25, and that’s frightening enough. To battle cancer when you’re still a child? Unimaginable. These are the reasons I contribute.

For this year, we have something exciting! Here’s a brief preview of the Everlark story I’ll be writing, featuring race car driving Katniss and Peeta as a mechanic. It will be rated at least M, probably E though because it’s me.

9000 R.P.M.

SUMMARY: Stuck in a dead end town and a dead end job, Katniss takes a gamble with the one thing she got out of her divorce -- a beat up sports car turned racer. She was always the better driver anyways. With a little help from a mechanic with blue eyes and golden hands, she turns that gamble into a chance for a better life for her and her daughter. But racing is still a boys' club and the road is never easy for a single mom.

In the morning she wakes up and her mother is already feeding Raven. She gives Katniss a once over and shakes her head. Katniss scowls at the judgement, kisses her daughter, and fixes her own damn breakfast.

“It was your first race back since Raven was born,” her mother says and Katniss stiffens, then relaxes as her mother’s words sink in. A soft kiss to her forehead and Katniss breaks into tears. “Oh baby girl, don’t cry.”

Her mother holds her as she cries it all out and as they rock and hold onto each other while Raven smashes her cereal to dust. Katniss slowly calms. Each tear leaves more room for resolve.

“I’m gonna take care of her, Mama. Raven’s gonna have a good life. We’re gonna get out of this shit hole where everyone knows Gale cheated on me but I’m the one they call a slut. We’re gonna live in a nice house and Prim’s going to college and you’re never scrubbing another toilet or shelling out drugs again.”

“Alright, baby girl. That’s your goal, then we’ll make it happen. Just keep at it.”

AND! Because the amazing ladies over at @mores2sl have decided to try something different, should you donate $20 instead of $10, you will get access to the 2017 and 2016 collections as well. Why is this important you ask? Well because some writers (*cough cough ME*) never publicly posted their contributions to last year’s collection. So if you’ve been curious or wanting to read mine, here’s another chance to do so. It’s the first installment in what’s planned to be a trilogy, if I can ever stop getting distracted with other stories. ;-)

SUMMARY: With all the empty space between planets and stars, one would think that two galaxies colliding is a fairly peaceful process. What if it’s not? What if life complicates the process as once distant planets become neighbors? Populations of species vanish. Others colonize new worlds. And some pick up arms against fellow living organisms as resources shift and change, become scarce. And humans...we take war with us everywhere we go…

Meridia: A planet caught between strictly adhered to ancient rituals and customs, and the questions and progress that inevitably follow scientific advancements, the people of Meridia have been fighting a war to protect their sovereignty and that of their neighboring systems for over sixty years. Peeta Mellark, one of three Crown Princes vying for the throne and the future General of Meridia returns home after sustaining a severe injury in combat, but he’s not allowed to stay for long as his father sends him back across the galaxy on an errand that promises to be far more difficult than he initially thought and will test his loyalty to family, king, and home.

Arcadia: A colony of humans on a vibrant planet, intent on protecting their freedoms and their valuable resources from falling into the hands of Coriolanus Snow, self-proclaimed emperor of two still merging galaxies. In a desperate attempt to push back and end the fight once and for all, the Lady Katniss Everdeen reluctantly agrees to what she believes is a marriage of convenience in exchange for troops and allegiance from the military might of Meridia. But just because she agreed to the marriage doesn’t mean she’ll go quietly. After all, it’s more than just her life affected by this arrangement.

WARNINGS: RATED E, for explicit sexual content, sci-fi themes and elements, violence and wartime shittiness, character deaths, child soldiers, genocide, arranged marriages and associated general fuckery, one slight dub-con scene and a few serious age gaps in sexual partners, awkward public sex, interspecies sex, also polyamory and polygamy. Oh and Peeta’s bisexual and there are several scenes of him with someone who is not Katniss. Both explicit and implied mentions of Katniss and Peeta being with someone else sexually before they wind up together. There is no Peeta or Katniss committing outright infidelity here, so if that bothers you, fear not. However, other characters may commit infidelity and there are several open relationships. It's set in another galaxy and not everyone is a homo sapien here, please try to keep an open mind in terms of culture variations.

RELATIONSHIP TAGS: Contains M/M, M/F, M/F/F+ and M/M/F relationships as well as associated sexual content. While this is primarily an Everlark+ story, some of these sex scenes are with characters who are not Katniss and Peeta. As in none of the participants are named Katniss or Peeta.

Inspired by a word prompt: Agelast - A person who never laughs

Warnings and tags apply to the entire series and therefore might not apply to this specific installment. Just want you to know what kind of ride you're in for before you climb aboard. I swear it's not as depressing as all those tags make it sound. Okay, maybe it is. So the real question here is...How much do you trust me?

Movement catches his attention from the corner of his eye and he glances down. He sees the injured, not dead, Capitol soldier aiming the blast rifle, right at Katniss. He moves, but the soldier fires, the blast striking rock and causing a rockslide. He hears her scream something and everything goes black and hazy. Peeta falls on the soldier and grabs his head, smashing his face into the ground with a sickening crunch. Satisfied that the man is now truly dead, he whips his head up, heart in his throat, and scans the rocks.

“Peeta!” she yells from her position right before loosing another arrow. “North!”

He nods and takes a deep breath before motioning for his troops to follow behind him.

She’s fine. She’s fine. He has to repeat the words over and over as they move, and still, he constantly checks on her until Mitchell elbows him to get him to refocus. The snow distracts him from fretting over Katniss as it starts up again and he curses the damn stuff.

[ellanainthetardis]

First day with the baby!

[FF] & [ao3]

35. 14 Hours

On a certain level, Haymitch understood.

Going to the Justice Building and back had been torture despite the moment of uncontainable pride when he had signed the papers and had been handed April’s birth certificate. It had taken a long time for the woman behind the desk to print it and he had been anxious to go back home, to make sure his girls were alright…

Having April out of his sight for so long… Yeah, it was a source of anxiety and he got it, Effie was nervous about being parted from the baby. But…

A cup of coffee was placed in front of him on the kitchen table.

“It’s okay.” Peeta said quietly, sitting down on the chair next to him. “I understand.”

“Good for you ‘cause I don’t.” Haymitch scoffed.

When he had come back, the children had been in the bedroom with Effie and April and everything had seemed to be going well. Effie was relaxed, the baby was asleep in her arms… They had been having a nice moment, Haymitch thought, quiet conversations and a few jokes… The moment Katniss had leaned in a bit too close to settle the debate of whose nose the baby had, Effie had started freaking out, recoiling away from the girl as if in fright, her eyes a bit on the glassy side. It had woken April up and she had started wailing.

She hadn’t stopped since.

They had tried changing her, they had tried feeding her… Eating had seemed to calm her down for a while but she didn’t feed for long and it didn’t seem to sate her. She settled for about half an hour every time and then started crying again.

Effie kept repeating she was hungry as if she had a superpower but he hadn’t missed the wincing becoming more and more pronounced as the hours grew late. And the more agitated April became, the less comfortable Effie was with having people around. So far, she only kept the baby away from the children – and if Katniss was impassible about it, Peeta had looked hurt every time – but… He had tried to take her out of Effie’s arm – so she could get some proper rest – and Effie had moved back, as if to put April out of reach.

She had immediately looked at him with a horrified expression and had profusely apologized but it had been too late.

Haymitch had walked out of the bedroom in a daze. And he couldn’t claim he wasn’t grateful for the kids having decided they would camp in his kitchen.

He glanced at the clock, trying to figure out how long it would be until Larcher showed up again.

“I think…” the boy hesitated. “I’m not sure she’s very aware of what she’s doing at the moment.”

Haymitch glanced at the kid, alarmed. Had he missed anything? Because he knew Effie’s symptoms like the back of his hand. If she was about to have a panic attack, he usually knew before it happened. If she was having a flashback or if something had triggered her, he figured it out early on. And right then…

“She’s lucid.” he frowned.

“She must be in some pain.” Peeta replied in a hurried whisper because they heard Katniss coming back from the living-room.

And pain was one of Effie’s triggers.

He had asked her if she was doing alright and she had said yes… He didn’t think she was in enough pain right now for her memories to be triggered but she had faltered right after the birth… Maybe the boy was right. Maybe it would pass and he was worrying over nothing.

Still, he propped a hand on the table to stand up, swallowing the cup of coffee in two big gulps. He didn’t want to leave her alone with the baby too long. All the more so given that April’s cries were echoing around the house.

Snowball darted between his legs as he reached the first floor but almost run him down on the way back well before he even reached the bedroom. He stepped inside in time to see the dog jump on the bed and drop his purple monkey next to Effie, nudging it in the direction of the wailing baby in her arms with his nose.

Effie was silently crying and she looked up at Haymitch with so much distress he cursed himself for sulking so long downstairs.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, immediately striding to the bed.

It was plain to see what was wrong. She was shaking a little and he was ready to bet she was exhausted. He didn’t really give her a choice when he scooped the shrimp up. She didn’t protest and he pretended he wasn’t relieved by that. He rocked April gently if a bit awkwardly still, not quite sure what to do. He sniffed her but she didn’t look like she needed to be changed.

“I think she is hungry.” Effie whispered. “But…” Her sentence ended in a sob and she squeeezed her breasts in her hands. “I cannot… I do not think I am working as I should, Haymitch. I do not think she has her full. And it hurts.”

He took that in stride, torn between his need to comfort her and his new instinct not to let go of his crying baby.

“Okay.” he said calmly. “Larcher will be by soon so… There’s no need to get worked up for now, alright, sweetheart?”

She was still crying but she nodded and he wondered how exhausted she really was under the brave attitude. She opened her arms. “Can I have her back?”

He had barely been holding her for two minutes.

He compromised by sitting next to her on the bed, pushing the purple monkey damp with drool off the sheets. Snowball didn’t look very happy about that.

“It’s nice of you but that’s not what she needs.” he snorted. The puppy gave a sharp yelp of rebuke and jumped off to drag his monkey to the corner of the room. “Now, sweetheart…” he chided his daughter in a soft voice. “Stop crying, you’re upsetting your mama.”

It wasn’t a magic spell and the baby kept on crying. Effie leaned against his side and buried her face in his shoulder, not even trying to stop her sobbing.

It was a great situation to be in.

He wrapped an arm around Effie, bringing her closer to his chest, next to April. She nestled against him, wrapping her hand around the tiny foot that was unhappily kicking the air.

“Hush, little baby don’t you cry…” he hummed. “Papa’s gonna sing you a lullaby. Hush, little baby don’t say a word, Papa’s gonna buy you a mockingbird…” He kept on singing softly, probably very off key, but it seemed to calm both of them down. Effie was fast asleep by the second time he sang the lullaby, April wasn’t sleeping but she had calmed down enough that he carefully wiped the tears from her cheeks. “Not having the best first day, right, my little shrimp?”

There was a knock on the door. April started wailing again, Effie startled awake and Haymitch glared a little at the doctor who kept interrupting everyone’s rest.

“Sorry.” the man winced.

“Not at all.” Effie immediately countered, waving him in. “We have a problem.”

Haymitch sat there and listened as she explained herself, grateful for Larcher’s calm and attentive demeanor.

“I think you are jumping to conclusions, Effie.” the doctor told her gently once she was done. “It’s been less than a day, it’s impossible to tell for now. You are exhausted and you need rest.”

“My daughter needs me.” she growled, placing a protective hand on the baby Haymitch was still holding. From the corner of the room, Snowball growled in echo, clearly picking up on Effie’s behavior.

“Down.” he snapped at the dog – mainly because he couldn’t snap at Effie that way. “You need to calm down too, Effie. Look what you’re doing to Snowball, maybe you’re doing the same to her. You’re a ball of nerves.”

“Are you saying my presence is upsetting our child?” she hissed.  

“I’m saying take a nap and maybe you’ll think more clearly.” he retorted.

They glared at each other until Larcher cleared his throat.

“I would like to examine Effie now.” he said. “And I will take a look at the baby after that.”

“Okay.” Haymitch agreed at once, almost relieved to get out of bed, April protectively cradled against his shoulder.

“Be careful of her head.” Effie warned.

“Yeah, thanks, I’ve been doing it all night and I managed just fine.” he spat. “Or what? I’m not allowed to carry her now?”

A flash of anger passed on her face but then she remembered how she had recoiled earlier and she winced. “I am sorry.”

She sounded sincere enough that he sighed. Everyone’s nerves were frayed. It took some effort but he forced himself to take a deep breath. “It’s fine.”

He carried April to her nursery. She hadn’t had many chances to be in the room yet aside from when she had needed a change. He liked what they had done with the place. It was peaceful. He came to stand at the window, grabbing a soft stuffed elephant from a shelf and teasing her with it.

She was too little to know what to do naturally but she still stopped crying eventually, after he had playfully nudged her with the elephant enough times, making ridiculous noises that probably didn’t sound at all like an actual elephant.

“Mama’s just a little tired.” he told her seriously, watching as her tiny hand closed on the elephant’s trunk. She didn’t have enough strength to do much more but it still made him smile. He put the stuffed toy aside and brushed her little palm with his index, smiling wider when her fingers closed around it. “It’s gonna be better than this, you’ll see.” The soft padding of paws alerted him and he looked down to find Snowball sitting at his feet, looking up at them. “Seems like you’ve got yourself a guardian, shrimp.”

He loved the little noises she made.

He was in awe of her.

He had spent half the night watching her, committing her features to memory, but he didn’t think he would ever get tired of looking at her. She was so beautiful, so perfect…

“Haymitch?” Larcher called from the threshold.

“How’s she?” he asked quietly, not to disturb the baby.

“Asleep.” the doctor said. “Her body needs the rest. Physically, she should be recovered in a day or two.”  

“Physically.” he repeated flatly, dropping his eyes to their daughter.

“I find her… unsettled.” the man tactfully answered. “But given what she went through in the past… Her behavior isn’t that surprising.”

“She won’t let anyone touch the kid.” he scowled. “Not sure she even wants me to…”

“Please, understand it’s not an indication of her feelings…” Larcher cut him off. “New mothers are often overprotective and Effie…”

“I know.” he sighed, keeping his gaze on April. Effie had been through too much. He had too. He really got it. But it was still… “I’m not exactly jumping at the idea of letting anyone hold her either.”

The thought was disturbing. But the kids were the kids and he didn’t see the wrong in letting Peeta carry her for a minute. The boy hadn’t had an episode in months and he had been so eager about welcoming the baby… The kids were family and he might have been paranoid but not to the point of forgetting that if there was anyone he could trust with his life – and his daughter’s life – it was the rest of his family.  

“I honestly believe it will fade.” the doctor offered. “In a few days, she will feel less… raw.”

He wasn’t sure about that but he nodded all the same. “And about the other thing? The breastfeeding? That’s in her head or…?”  

Larcher pursed his lips in thought and asked if he could take a look at the baby. Haymitch shuffled his weight from one foot to the other before settling her down on the changing table, protectively hovering behind the doctor’s shoulder as he examined her. There was a matter of pot and kettle to be pointed out there, he figured, but the man was nice enough not to say anything.

He asked how many times April had fed and how many times Haymitch had changed her, he weighed and measured her…

“It’s hard to tell for now, we will know for sure in a few days.” the doctor eventually concluded. “Effie’s lactation does seem to be a little difficult.” Haymitch tried not to make a face at that word but Larcher didn’t notice, his full attention on April. “I’m hoping that it will improve but with her medical history… She was underweight at the beginning of her pregnancy and she still doesn’t quite eat as much as I would like.”

“She put on some weight.” he countered. “You said she was doing better.”

“She is.” the doctor granted. “But it’s hard to counteract years of deficiencies – I have a feeling she wasn’t exactly eating properly before either.”

“She was always on some shitty diet.” he admitted, quickly growing defensive. “She never made herself throw up or some shit like that, though. She did sports and stuff… She was slim not skinny. She’s always been healthy.”

“But she was an escort, and a model before that if I am not mistaken, and that required her to watch her figure.” Larcher pointed out. “I am not judging her, Haymitch, I’m simply stating facts.”

“Yeah.” Haymitch grumbled, making sure April’s romper was correctly buttoned before lifting her up. Having her in his arms soothed his annoyance. “So what does it mean? For April? She’s hungry?”

Because that couldn’t happen.

No child of his would be left to starve.

No child of his would ever be hungry.

“For now, I don’t think so.” the doctor answered. “You weren’t wrong earlier. Babies pick up on tension and Effie was really close to having a nervous breakdown… She worked herself up over the breastfeeding.”

“Okay.” he said, relieved. “So, April’s good?”

“We will monitor her.” Larcher said. “Weight her and measure her every day. We need to make sure she has enough. If it turns out Effie doesn’t lactate enough to sustain her we will think about adding formula bottles but that comes with its own set of problems and I’d like it better if we could stick to the breastfeeding.”

“What kind of problems?” he asked. He needed to know all the options. He needed to make sure they took the best decisions for the baby because…

“Nothing too serious for April.” the doctor sighed. “But for Effie… Most women who don’t produce enough milk blame themselves for it, they feel like they’re failing their child.”

“Capitols don’t breastfeed.” he opposed, not quite sure why. “Maybe she won’t mind.”

But that was a long shot and he knew she would. She wanted the full experience. She didn’t want to do anything like her mother had done.

Larcher didn’t look any more convinced than he was. “We will cross that bridge when and if we come to it. Try not to worry about it. You have a very healthy little girl.”

Not worrying about it was asking him a little too much but he nodded gratefully at the doctor and walked him back to the front door – escorted all the way by a dog who took his guarding duty a little too seriously.

The kids were still in the kitchen, making some sort of soup.

“We thought you might be hungry.” Katniss shrugged, her eyes trailing to the baby in his arms. “How’s Effie?”

There was real worry there and he instinctively schooled his features into detachment. “She’ll be fine, sweetheart. She just needs some rest.” April had fallen asleep sometimes between leaving the nursery and reaching the front door. He awkwardly gestured to the boy. “Care to take her off my hands for a minute?”

Peeta jumped at the chance and suffered Haymitch’s fussing with good humor. It was only once he was certain the boy was supporting her head the right way that he let go of his daughter. It didn’t stop him from hovering for a moment, suddenly feeling a terrifying urge to snatch his child back. Peeta didn’t seem to mind though, he rocked the baby gently, looking half in love with her as it was.

Haymitch hadn’t been expecting the flash and he blinked, startled.

Katniss grinned a shitty grin, shrugging her innocence as she put the camera down. He scowled at her but she shrugged again. He felt as if more pictures had been taken in the last hours than in his whole life – Effie’s orders, apparently, April’s first few days had to be documented.

Once certain the baby wouldn’t wake up and wasn’t in immediate danger of being dropped – Peeta was far too careful for that but Haymitch still insisted he had to sit down – he snatched a bowl of soup and swallowed it down, his eyes never straying from the boy and his daughter. Snowball had dropped at the kid’s feet and Katniss eventually peered over Peeta’s shoulder, slowly spooning her own soup.

“She’s cute.” the girl offered.

“She’s beautiful.” Haymitch scoffed haughtily. The kids exchanged an amused look. “Oh, fuck off.”

The ringing of the phone covered their laughter but it also had the unfortunate effect of waking April up. Clearly, she didn’t like loud noises.

“Shit.” he spat just as he picked up, about to tell Peeta to hand her over.

“That is certainly not the proper way to answer the phone, Haymitch.” a cold disapproving voice declared and he made a face.

“Elindra.” he winced, looking at the kids for help. There was none to be found. Katniss was scowling in distaste at the very mention of the name. There was a pointed cough at the other end of the line and he rolled his eyes, wondering if the woman was his cosmic punishment for everything he had done wrong in his life. “Mother.” he amended through clenched teeth.

“Is that my granddaughter I hear crying?” she asked. “Why is she crying? How is she? What does she look like? Peeta’s description was brief and imprecise – very surprising for an artist – I require more details. Would you be a dear and send pictures? Oh, by the way, I sent a package this morning, it should be delivered in the next couple of days. It should keep you afloat until you can procure more girl clothes.”

He wondered if April was going to inherit that gift for talking without pauses.

He imagined her at three, a blond chatterbox with bright blue eyes, and he found he couldn’t quite mind it.

Peeta had the situation under control, it seemed. Between his ridiculous baby talk and Katniss waving her fingers above his shoulder to get April’s attention, she had settled down. He let himself relax a little.

“She’s perfect.” he answered when she paused to take a breath, knowing there wouldn’t be another chance if she started talking again. “She looks like Effie. She’s got her eyes. Can’t say about hair color yet, she doesn’t have many… She’s got her nose too.”

“Oh, very good. Do not take it the wrong way but yours isn’t an appendage that would look good on a girl and knowing you like I do you would object to plastic surgery.” Elindra sighed.

“April doesn’t need any plastic surgery crap.” he growled. His eyes found his daughter again and he softened. That was what she had done to him, that girl… She had made him soft. And in less than a day too. “She’s perfect.”

“April?” Elindra repeated.

“April Iris Abernathy.” he confirmed. “That’s her name.”

There was a short silence and then a somehow vexed huff. “Wasn’t Iris your mother’s name?”

“Yeah.” he said, a warning in his voice. “So what?”

“Nothing, nothing.” she dismissed in a tone that implied there was something. “Your choice, I presume?”

“Well, yeah.” he snorted.

“And Effie made no suggestion to add a third middle name?” she insisted.

He was distracted by the way Katniss was using her hands like puppets, having clearly taken confidence in her baby distracting skills.

“No.” he frowned, not really following.

“No matter.” she replied quickly, a cheer in her voice. “April… It is a lovely name. A bit simple, of course, but… Lovely all the same. I cannot wait to see her.”

“Thought you’d already be on a train, to be honest.” he mocked and then immediately bit down on his own tongue. Did that sound like an invitation? He so hadn’t meant it like that.

“Well, I would.” Elindra lamented with a sigh. “However, there is this charity event for Tadius’ company… I must see to it, you understand? Besides, Tadius and Lyssa seem to think you would both prefer to have a few days to yourself to get used to the situation. I told them that we would certainly not be an encumbrance and that we might be able to help, naturally, but they were adamant. And I really do need to plan this event…” Her voice faltered a little. “You will make sure Euphemia understands, won’t you? It is not that I do not want to come immediately… I really would rather come to Twelve to meet my new granddaughter…”

“It’s fine.” he offered, realizing she was scared Effie would hold it against her. “Probably better this way. Effie’s had it rough.”

“She is alright, isn’t she?” she asked. “Peeta claimed it went well. I still think giving birth at home was an unnecessary folly but the boy did say…”

“She’s doing well.” he cut her off. “She’s just… tired.”

“I can imagine, yes.” she commented. “I thought… We might try to come at the end of next week. Would that be suitable?”

“Sure.” he agreed, not really happy with that but also resolved to having to deal with the Trinkets for the rest of his life. He had honestly thought Elindra would show up in the following days, he figured a week and a half of respite wasn’t a bad deal. “Not sure you can stay here, though.”

“It is of no consequence, the inn was surprisingly pleasant for such a rustic establishment.” she replied. “It will do. I am so impatient to see her… Please, send me pictures as soon as you can.”

“Yeah. Will do.” He would send the boy to the post office the next day and be done with that. April had fallen back asleep and Peeta was tossing Katniss a look that the girl was steadily ignoring, giving her bowl of soup her whole attention.

“And you are positive Effie is alright, yes?” Elindra insisted one last time. He hesitated long enough for the woman to obviously purse her lips at the other end of the country, her voice hardening. “Haymitch?”

He really didn’t want her jumping on a train right now.

And he would never have believed that it was something Elindra Trinket would do a year before but things were different now and he really, really didn’t want to risk it.

“It’s fine.” he grumbled. “She’s fine. It’s just… She might not… Maybe she doesn’t have enough…” He struggled with how to actually word that. Effie wasn’t a cow and he didn’t want to make her sound like one. “It’s possible breastfeeding won’t be enough for the kid.” Both Peeta and Katniss looked up at him since it was news to them. He made a face, pretty sure Effie wouldn’t like it when she found out this particular problem was now public knowledge. He cleared his throat. “I’m just not sure how she’s gonna take it if… I guess we’re all just tired.”

“There is nothing wrong with formula.” Elindra replied without missing a beat, apparently untroubled by that piece of news.

“Yeah, but…” He let out a sigh. “I’m not sure she’s gonna see it that way, that’s all.”

What was he telling her that for? Elindra didn’t really know Effie, not like he did anyway…

Except it was Elindra who had helped her get past Clay’s death, a treacherous voice murmured at the back of his mind. He was pretty sure if it hadn’t been for her mother, Effie would have happily remained trapped upstairs for a lot longer – assuming they had managed to convince her to come down at all.

“I see.” she stated. “Well… There is no use losing oneself in conjectures. When you know for certain if you need formula, do let me know. I am fairly certain I can find better brands in the Capitol than you can in your District. I will have a few boxes shipped. Only the best will do for our little April.”

He relaxed a little. There wasn’t a lot he liked in the Capitol but he couldn’t deny that they had better stuff. Twelve was evolving but there would never be the same choices and opportunities as there now were in the biggest districts or in the city. “Thanks.”

“You are welcome.” she hummed. “Well, I must dash. I will call again tomorrow, shall I? Perhaps Effie will be in better shape and can come to the phone.”

They exchanged goodbyes and he placed the phone back in its cradle with a huff. “That woman’s crazy.” He carefully stole April from Peeta’s arms. “Let’s hope you don’t become as crazy as your Grandma ‘cause your mother came close already.”

“Effie has problems feeding her?” Katniss asked, straight to the point. “She was looking forward to that.”

The she won’t like it was left unsaid.

“I know.” he said. “We’ll see, yeah? Might be nothing. Finish your soup.”

Katniss rolled her eyes. “Yes, Dad.”

“We’re going with Papa and you should really leave sarcasm to me, sweetheart.” he smirked, watching the sleeping baby.

“She’s so going to have you wrapped around her finger.” Peeta teased.

He grumbled about it but no statement had ever been truer and they all knew it.

It wasn’t really late when the kids called it a night but the last two days had been eventful. He didn’t begrudge them their right to some peace and quiet.

Haymitch wasn’t quite sure what to do with himself. Eventually, he settled April in her – blue, which probably meant it would need to be changed – bassinet in the living-room and grabbed his book. He couldn’t focus though. Every two seconds, he glanced at the baby to make sure she was alright and still breathing.

It was almost a relief when she woke up and started crying.

She calmed down when he picked her up, her tiny lips smacking open and close… He figured she was hungry and so he carried her back upstairs, grateful that she was mostly quiet. Effie was still deeply asleep, curled up under the comforter, hugging his pillow close to her chest.

He placed April down in her crib – which she really didn’t like if the agitated wriggling and the tears were any indication – and crouched next to the bed to brush his knuckles along Effie’s shoulder. She whined in protest and curled up further.

“Hey, sweetheart…” he whispered softly. “I think the shrimp’s hungry.”

“Feed her.” she grumbled, more asleep than awake.

“Yeah, I’m kind of lacking in the tits department.” he snorted. He ran his fingers through her hair, pushing her blond curls away from her face. “Come on, wake up, Princess.”

“Haymitch?” she slurred, slowly opening her eyes. “Why am I leaking?”

“Leaking?” he repeated, confused. She sat up suddenly, wrinkling her nose, holding her nightgown away from her. It was slightly wet on her chest and he made a face of his own. “That’s the crying, yeah?”

She slipped it over her head with a disgusted expression and handed the soiled fabric to him. He exchanged the nightgown for the baby. He took the opportunity of dropping it in the hamper to make full use of the bathroom. Taking a shower went a long way in helping him to relax.

He hadn’t expected to find Effie walking around when he got out, though.

She hadn’t gone far, she was just standing next to the dresser, having just stolen one of his shirt. April was back in her crib under the vigilant watch of their dog.

Effie followed his eyes and smiled. “He is cute.”

He wasn’t about to admit that the overgrown puppy was cute so he dropped a kiss on her shoulder instead. “You should be in bed.”

“You are obsessed with keeping me in bed.” she teased but her playfulness soon vanished. She looked down at her bare toes. “I truly am sorry about earlier. I never meant to imply I do not trust you with her, I just… I cannot really explain it. I am sorry though.”

He nudged her chin up. “It’s fine but…”

“I will work on it.” she nodded. “I was atrocious with the children. I really do not know… I cannot control myself, I just… I just want her to be safe.”

Her tone was almost pleading. He sighed and leaned in to kiss her.

“We’re gonna be alright.” he muttered against her lips. “We’re gonna adjust.”

“Promise?” she whispered.

“Yeah.” he said firmly.

They didn’t have a choice anyway.

[mega-aulover]

Inspired by– Run Daddy Run (by Miranda Lambert) (song lyrics in italics) 

Katniss sang “All the songs you used to sing to me. Would rock birds to sleep. I need you now so please somehow….Saw that dark cloud coming from a million miles away. Oh, how I've dreaded this God forsaken day …” the song her daddy taught her. Her voice cracked and tears spilled down her face.

She needed her daddy today, she needed her sister, she needed the people she’d lost in the war. Part of her wanted to forget, erase the past. But she couldn’t forget, their ghosts were with her. Katniss began to hyperventilate as she felt her baby kick and move within her belly.

She waddled as quickly as she could to the nearest closet shutting the door with a loud thud. The music replayed in her head again. “Mama's been crying in the kitchen. Sister's been afraid of the dark. I've been gathering the pieces of all these shattered hearts. And I don't care where you go to…And I don't care where you land. Just get out of there daddy as fast as you can,” Katniss rocked back and forth, whispering “Just get out of there daddy as fast as you can,” over and over again.

Her baby moved once more, and she placed her hands on her womb terrified she was doing some sort of damage. “It’s okay daddy’s coming, he’s coming I swear. He’ll make it all better.”

“Katniss?”

Hearing Peeta’s voice through the door was like a cool breeze on a hot day. “Peeta,” she cried.

The door to the closet opened. Katniss was trying to get up but couldn’t, her belly was in the way. She felt his strong warm arms reach out and easily carry her. She placed her tear stained face in the crook of his neck and took a deep breath. The moment his cinnamon scented penetrated her body, her trembling stopped.

Peeta carried them to the bed, she crawled onto his lapped, hiccupping several times as she listened to his voice, tell her that everything was going to be okay. That he was here, that he wasn’t going anywhere. “Remember the good things Katniss, remember the good things.”

Katniss closed her eyes and forced her brain to remember their first tentative kiss after he came back to her. The way Peeta smiled at her. The way her hands felt inside of his. The first time they’d made love. The sound of his beating heart. Their toasting. The cheese-buns. The laughter they’d shared. How he’d chased her last summer around the yard with the water hose. The moment they decided they were both well enough to have a baby. The moment she found out she was pregnant.

Her silver eyes fluttered opened to meet his hopeful blue one. Peeta was right, as long as they had each other they would be safe. Daddy had come back home.

[everlarkficexchange]

Together- Part 2.

Written By: @albinokittens300

Rating: K

Prompt: 69- Hijacked Peeta with an everlark toast baby in D13. Enough said [submitted by @elaine-spades​]

Summery: Peeta loses control for the first time in front of their daughter. It turns out it may just be the catalyst to bring them together again.

_______________________________________

All she could muster was a nod in acknowledgment. It was the first time Peeta had a level head with her since the night before she was pulled out of the arena and he was captured by the Capitol. “I understand you hate me.” She starts. Forcing the words out. But once started, they flow unaided from her mouth somehow. “It breaks my heart, and I miss the man you used to be so much. It was hard for me to accept that I loved you, and that you don’t remember us. But…however you feel about me now. Or whenever you get these memories sorted out. Willow is your daughter, and you should be allowed to see her. But she is my daughter too. And I’ll let you kill me before you hurt her.” At the last words, she looks down at her sleeping girl. Her tiny baby thumb in her mouth. “Willow…is all I have left.” And Katniss realizes he’s right. His family refused to leave 12 before the bombing, and died because of it. Willow is not only the last of Peetas family, but the only other Mellark alive. “Maybe…maybe we should try and do this together, or at least cooperate in some way? It can’t be good for her, being shuffled between us. Having to have one of us or the other at any given time. That’s unfair to her. And being around you might help me deal with you better.” He said, sounding desperate and nervous. Like he was afraid she would turn him down flat. Seeing Peeta more often, being with him and their girl at the same time all the while possibly helping him recover? It sounded almost to good to be true. “That’s a good idea.” She whispered back. Slowly, they learned to be parents together. It was difficult the first few days, sometimes Peeta had to control insults and spiting out horrible memories the hijacking told him were true. But they quickly learned to be civil. Katniss was there when Peeta was with her, and they both watched over and bonded with her. Peeta would play with her. Shaking her raddle, enticing Willows tiny hands to do the same when the toy was handed to her. Playing peek-a-boo, making her giggle and babble her baby-talk. He would, with Willow still in his lap, let them watch him draw. Both mother and daughter watched the lines and colors come to life on the page from his gentle hands.   She sang and read to her daughter, too. Willow adored her voice, singing or just speaking. Like Peeta, she also would talk to her child and tell her how much she is loved, that she was her most precious gift. Neither minded when they seemed to be having a private conversation with there daughter. Sometimes, both would go on long monologues to the infant, just to somehow hope she knew how loved she was. And that they were always going to be there for her. There were many moments, particularly in the beginning where he abruptly handed her the infant and than ran to the corner and rocked back and fourth till the memories passed. Clenching himself so tight his muscles would ache for hours afterwards. At first the talk was only about there daughter- a topic that seemed to be free of landmine triggers for Peetas rages. If anything, it served to keep him pleasant. Together, they became somewhat cohesive in parenting. Spending more and more time together, cooperating and working with one another to rear their little love child. Slowly, they seemed forced to talk about other things. It started with her singing the Meadow Song as the Willow slowly drifted to sleep in her bassinet, the one she sang to Rue as she died. It seemed so familiar to him, but not all at once. “Did…did you sing that song to someone, have I heard it before? I don’t remember it, but…it feels familiar.” He sounded shy. Katniss voice was choked as she replied. “Yes. A little girl, Rue. I sang it to her when Marvel killed her. We had been allies, in the first games. She asked me to sing for her as she was dying. It was a song I had always sung to Prim whenever she had nightmares.” “You sing beautifully…” he blushed at the comment. It was the truth. Form that point on, Katniss would sing for both of them. Peeta then began to ask questions. And he quickly found Katniss had answers, when put towards others, seemed true. While Willow napped, or even while she was with them, he would ask her about memories. Which she was slowly growing more comfortable answering. She would settle Willow in a crib to try and talk him through the moments when he had to crouch and rock to get through the memories. Even let a song be sung from her lips for just him, too. The singing and her presence seemed to ease the rages he experienced, and give him more and more control over the ones he had. Soon, they were spending more and more time together. While Willow slept, Peeta coaxed her into conversation. Random things that seemed to mean nothing. He found her inspiring- she loved so fiercely and was so determined. Caring for her entire family, sacrificing herself for her sister in the first games. He had never heard such bravery or devotion. They discussed what he remembered, what they planned to do once this nightmare was over. And were shocked when they had the same answer- both wanted to return to 12. Rebuild and remake their old home. A place Willow could grow up in, safe and sound. After a particularly painful session with Dr. Aurelius, he had come out wiping tears from his eyes. Sometimes he felt so alone. His mother was hard to miss after what she put him through, but his father and brothers loved him. They were his family, his home. All of them were dead, now. Gone. And he was utterly on his own. It was only when he saw Katniss and Willow waiting for him did he begin to reconsider that thought. “What are you doing here?” He asked, curiously. Seeing him, Katniss grinned shallowly and stood up. “We thought we would wait for you to go to lunch.“ Katniss says. As if it was common sense. Willow giggled and reached out to him. With a matching grin, Peeta pushed any hurt away and took her into his arms. Planting a flurry of kisses on his little girls cheek. Shifting her into one arm as Katniss offered him a hand. And when he sat with them in the cafeteria and begin idling talking, Peeta realized Katniss chose to be with him. Looking over at Prim and her mother sitting with the Hawthornes and Johanna, it was clear Katniss would have been welcomed there. She chose to be here. When he looked over at her gently wiping Willows messy face with a napkin, he felt a sudden lifting sense joy and pride. This may be a work in progress, but they were his family.  She showed him the meadow of the greenhouse in District 13, and they had a picnic of the small bit of lunch they were allowed. Once finished, Katniss allowed him to braid some of the flowers into her hair and Willow toddled between the two of them. Happily babbling, and using her two new and only words- Mama and Papa. The artificial light felt like a sun in the warm greenhouse, and they basked in it as if it was. Peeta had said this was the happiest he had been, most at home, since the Quarter Quell. Katniss told him about their day on the roof after that. Peeta drew them one day when Willow and Katniss decided on a nap while he painted, and Katniss was stunned to silence at it’s beauty. The Districts ebellion waged on with Katniss playing the puppet of a voice. The rebels slowly gained ground with their ‘leaders' uplifted spirit. Because she was nursing Willow, Katniss didn’t see a lick of true battle. And it suited her just fine, protecting her loved ones here. She hated being a pawn, but it was worth it. Seeing Willow grow and learn everyday made it easily worth it. Prim, Peeta, Gale, her Mother, they were all safe as well and it felt like a dream. Gale and Johanna fought like cats and dogs at first, but seemed to very attached to one another. Slowly, Peetas condition improved as he regained his memories. As more memories were sorted, he saw the truth. His love for her and her strange love for him. Katniss rejoiced when, after a session, he walked out of the room and kissed her fully on the lips. She was hypnotized, the feeling of his lips on hers so good it bordered on intoxicating. Warm, safe, familiar and perfect. On instinct, she kissed back. Sinking into him without caring for any of the small crowd that had gathered. Only him and becoming familiar with him again. Willows giggle only broke the kiss for a second, and her mother and father giggled too. Kissing became commonplace after that. One night not long after, after settling Willow to bed, Katniss held his arm as he moved to leave. Peeta didn’t fight her when she slowly lead him to her bed. They sat down, and simply both leaned in without thinking to kiss one another. Her eyes glanced at the bed, big enough for the both of them. The unspoken question between them. Silently, he got under the cover and held her close to his chest. He wrapped his arms around her snuggly and the world seemed perfect for the first time in so, so long. "Stay will me?” She whispered into his shoulder as he held her. Though it was mostly assurance. Katniss was almost positive of his answer. The feeling of the safety and security in his arms gave her the real promise. Though she wanted to hear it, too. Smiling into her hair, he only could give a single answer. Muffled by the kiss he placed in her hair. “Always.”

A/N- So, this was a little rushed, but should be good. This is just some fluffy conclusion to the first part! Hope you all enjoy :)

[paintedpeeta]

so I just watched about fifteen reels of a Mom gently rocking and bouncing her baby to sleep and I need to express how much I need Everlark soothing their little babies at night

they are definitely the type of parents to hold and cuddle their babies whenever they need them, i just don’t see them being able to let their children cry or be upset for any period of time without doing anything. this might mean sleepless nights for mama and papa, but they’d take that over a stressed out baby any day.

i think they’d have some sort of seat or chair in the nursery, maybe even an old fashioned wooden rocking chair with cushions and blankets for comfort. but anyway the chair is basically there to give mama or papa a place to sit while they nurse the babies to sleep. wispy dark hair and soft woollen bunting, gentle fingertips tracing over the bridge of a tiny nose, old lullabies hummed while she breastfeeds her baby and his eyes sting with sleep and his heart aches with love in his chest.

she loves to sing to her children, curious little eyes looking up at her while she carries her tune, the sound replacing the sore cries of an unsettled child. she can’t help but lift them out of their crib and hold them close to her, not caring that it delays her getting back to her own bed for another little while.

papa doesn’t really sing to his children, but his presence is also a comfort. since he can’t exactly feed them himself but doesn’t allow katniss to stay up alone, he’ll usually be the one to collect them and bring them into the bed with their mama and papa, helping his wife sort her nightgown to be able to feed them comfortably. he coaxes the burps from them, which makes him and his precious wife laugh quietly even in the silly hours of the morning.

letting them sleep up on papa’s chest instead of returning to the crib for the night. they look especially tiny then and katniss is unbelievably compromised at the sight, offering a hand over for their baby to cling to with chunky little fists 🥺 on nights they’re particularly unsettled, peeta will pace the floor for hours if that’s what it takes to get them comfortable. swaddled up carefully and bouncing gentle with each step, their papa’s stead hands eventually lull them into a sleep.

[paintedpeeta]

tired toastbaby boy having a tantrum & mama katniss gently calming him down afterwards headcanons?

(like maybe his nap ended a little early so he starts getting fussy about everything, but katniss helps him take deep breaths after getting a little too worked up & gives him warm milk before rocking or humming him to sleep)🍼🥺

🥺 anon…. this is absolutely adorable

sometimes kids just have bad days where they feel terrible and can’t express it with words because they’re so little, and it leads to them becoming upset and frustrated and unsettled (i think people sometimes forget that they’re tiny humans! they feel everything we feel they just can’t understand or explain it!)

and katniss would just be the sweetest little mama, she’d be so understanding and patient with her little ones because she knows how damaged both her and her husband are partly because of their own childhoods, so they’d both want to be the best parents they could be.

katniss would be super warm and caring, the exact same way that she was with prim. if her baby boy was getting worked up and upset she’d be right there to snuggle and soothe him until he was calmed, stroking through his curls or blowing cool air down his neck or on his face to get him to relax again.

and of course, feeding her baby’s would be such a big thing for her 🥺 being able to provide for and nourish her children would be so important to her for obvious reasons. she’d make sure they were well fed before she put them to bed no matter what mood they were in, and feeding her little one while rocking him over to sleep would just be the most lovely thing