#mile high everlark

[thesweetnessofspring]

Kiss Cam

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

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

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

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

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

“It’s just a game.”

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

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

“And peanuts and cracker jacks.”

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

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

She thought it would always be like that.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

She should have just broken up with him then.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Of course," he says.

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

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

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

"How are you so sure?" Katniss asked.

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

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

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

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

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

Having fun at the game?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Katniss: I kissed Peeta.

Prim: !!!!!

Katniss: It was for the kiss cam.

Katniss: But I liked it. A lot.

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

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

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

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

Guess @Katniss2008 is over @PitcherGale

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[mollywog]

Not new, but Since we’re talking Everlark in Different Districts…

Read on Ao3

He’d been 5 the first time he’d heard it. They were in one of the fenced yards District 13 used for aboveground recreational time. He'd been holding his father’s hand, watching his brothers wrestle when the first bird had flown over. It wasn’t the usual chirps and chittering, but high and clear notes intoning an unmistakable melody.

The next bird that passed echoed the song but in a slight variation, taking up the harmony.

His father’s grip tightened as he inhaled sharply. His brothers stopped their tussling and craned their necks to see the source of the sound. Even his mother, though her mouth pinched in a frown, stared up at the sky. Peeta scanned the faces of the crowd: Everyone frozen as if under a trance, the entire yard falling silent as the flock of mockingjays passed.

The mountains reverberated a final somber echo and the spell was broken.

This wasn’t the first nor the last time this anomaly occurred.

The District’s official position was simple: a genetic defect in a Mockingjay allowing it to remember a single song and repeat it back at random, inspiring a whole flock's tune: a mutation.

They had all seen the maps. The closest district was hundreds of miles away: the mockingjays would have grown tired or forgetful of even their favorite melody on their journey and the space in between the districts was harsh and uninhabitable. Where else could the song originate? The District knew best and the citizens knew not to question, so the official opinion was adopted, but that didn’t stop the stories.

Everyone had a tale of fortune or sorrow connected to the tune. That very night, his father had spoken of a girl he had known: her disappearance on a rare day when the music had returned. For his father, the melody forever inexplicably linked to the lost girl.

Some swore it predicted a good gather, a fortuitous hunt, or clear skies. The older children whispered terrifying tales to the younger: a rite of passage before their time in the woods. With two older brothers, Peeta had heard them all.

By the age of 12 a rotating job assignment were added to their daily schedules. If in any other district a twelfth birthday meant a slip in the bowl for the annual reaping, 12 was old enough to contribute to the workforce in District 13. Peeta along with the other 12 year olds had spent weeks in training, preparing them for their shifts: in the kitchens, in the woods, in the laundry room.

Over the years, the leaders of the district had established hatcheries, green houses, and herds of animals all underground, but of course not everything thrived there, so they sent gathering parties and hunters to collect what they couldn’t support. He had been paired with his brother, but when in the woods Matti felt his time best spent in pursuit of the girl he admired: Too perturbed by their father’s tale to let her out of his sight above ground. Peeta didn’t mind: his fascination with the woods far exceeding his fear.

He was alone and lost in wonderment over the alternating patterns of light and dark that the sunlight falling through the leaves cast when he realized the woods were eerily silent; void of even the usual chirps, until he heard the faint echo of a song. Not any song but the Mockinjay’s song. It had been months since anyone had mentioned the birds or their melody.

His feet moved of their own accord. He wasn’t thinking straight enough to be scared as he approached the direction of the crescendoing sound. He crested the hill and that’s when he saw her.

She stood by the lake in the valley bellow, face towards the sky, eyes pinched shut as she sang the song the mockingjays mimicked. The sun at her back casting a glowing orb around her, wild strand’s escaping her single dark braid. He could almost believe he was dreaming; but his dreams were never this pleasant and so full of light.

Shifting his weight, a branch splintered under his foot.

The birds registered the sound first, letting out a bellow, wings in a frenzy of feathers, as they took flight. It was another moment before the chaos cleared and he could again see the girl. Frozen, eyes wide, she resembled the frightened rabbits he stumbled upon: terrified, trapped.

He opened his mouth to speak, not having the faintest idea what he would say, when she turned and ran; a flash of yellow released from her grasp as she took flight like the birds that now echoed her song. Disappearing into the woods, out of sight, seemingly forever.

The melody had disappeared with the birds and the sun slipped behind a cloud throwing the landscape into a dulled affect after just being so clearly golden. He cautiously approached the spot where she had stood. Reaching down he picked up the yellow flower the apparition had dropped. He held it delicately: a taraxacum officinale, the only tangible proof of what he had witnessed.

He pressed the remnants of the flower between his pocket field guide, taking one final look at the empty forest, before turning away, back towards home.

🩶🩶🩶

“Does anyone live in the woods?” All week he’d gathered his courage to ask the question.

“Of course not! What kind of fool are you? Have you not been paying attention in school?” His mother’s words came quickly with a bitter edge.

“Yes mam” he mumbled and dropped his eyes back to his book.

“Nothing can survive out there. The weather, the wild animals, the Capital hovercrafts, no government to provide: Imagine! A worse fate than the games, that’s what it’d be!” And with that the conversation was over.

Parents told stories, cautionary tales, some even incorporated the mockingjays song: Beautiful Capitol mutts, who lured children too far into the woods, devouring them whole. As they grew older the threats became more tangible: breaking a limb as you fumbled over uneven terrain, drowning in streams, real animals hunting for prey: dogs, and bores, and bears,

He knew it wasn’t impossible to survive out there. Refugees sometimes arrived from other districts. Brave souls that made the trek through the Wilds: Dalton from 10, a couple from 5, a handful from 11. He had waited for the day an announcement would be made of new refugees, but none came.

He hadn’t told a single person about the girl: he was meant to report any unusual occurrences to the guards at the end of his shift. He wasn’t completely sure she was human but whatever she was, was too precious to share.

He hadn’t heard the song since that day nor heard reports of it either. Still, he traveled to the valley with the lake every chance he could; it was just as he remembered it, but he had yet to see the girl again. He collected the items required of him, while pacing the water’s edge, searching for signs of the girl or her song. He’d almost convinced himself the whole thing was a daydream, until he opened his pocket guide once more to caress the faded yellow remnant; the only proof he had that she truly existed.

Each time before he returned home, he collected a fistful of yellow flowers to leave on the spot she had stood, a paltry offering to his mythical songbird. The tribute missing each time he returned - lost to weather, or animal, or simply time.

Several months after the occurrence, he still made his treks to the lake. Though plentiful in haul, his valley visit had begun to leave him feeling empty and alone.

It was a particularly hot day when he came across a bush of berries he hadn’t noticed before. Picking one, he rolled it between his fingers, lifting them towards his nose to sniff.

“Drop it”

Startled, he instinctively dropped the berry, swinging his head towards the voice.

There she stood several feet away, half hidden by the shadows of the woods: arms crossed, scowling, annoyed - but very real.

He raised his empty hand, unsure of his intent: a demonstration of compliance or a greeting

“That’s nightlock.”

He stared dumbly.

She shifted her scowl away from him to the bush, “You’d be dead before they reach your stomach.”

He dropped his hand wiping it on the cloth of his pants, removing the memory of the berry from his fingers.

She remained rigid, half hidden in the shadows of the woods.

“You’re real.” He finally whispered. Perhaps the dumbest thing he could have said.

She rolled her eyes “of course I’m real. Though I can’t believe you still are!” She scoffed “Not knowing about Nightlock.” She mumbled under her breath.

“I wasn’t gonna eat it.” His temper momentarily flaring before he dropped his head in embarrassment. He had been traveling to the lake week after week to get a glimpse of this specter and now he was liable to run her off.

He peered up at her through the too-long waves that fell in his face “Is that what it’s called? This is my first summer on gathering duty. I’d never seen it before.” He reached for his pocket, but stopped when he noticed the girl position her weapon? He was used to the sleek metallic guns of 13, not this delicate wood and string contraption.

“Sorry,” He raised his hands. “I wanted to show you something… it’s in my pocket.”

She lowered her bow enough to encourage him to proceed. He pulled out his pocket field guide, holding it out for her inspection. She hesitated before flitting towards him, plucking the book from his grasp, retreating a few steps out of reach. She frowned as she leafed through the pages.

Unobscured by the foliage, he took the opportunity to commit every detail of her to his memory. He estimated her to be about his age. She was tiny, though slightly taller than him: That wasn’t much of a feat, most the girls his age were. Her skin was olive, darker than most from his district, likely in part due to the summer sun. Her raven black hair was tied back in a long single braid.

But her eyes! Her eyes were the most beguiling shade of gray. His life in District 13 was full of grays: his clothes, his compartment, even the food somehow took on the hue. Color was purposeful: to distinguish rank, to identify routes, to call attention when necessary. He was sure he had encountered every shade of black mixed with white, but he was mistaken.

Peeta tried to imagine her face with a smile: he’d seen her frown and scowl, but imagined the way her mouth would upturn and eyes dance with the motion.

“There aren’t any colors”

He snapped back to present “The colors are listed” he furrowed his brow “can’t you read?”

She scowled, holding the book out to him abruptly “Of course I can, I just don’t know how you’re supposed to tell nightlock from an elderberry based on that. Or excuse me, a conium maculatum from a sambucus nigra.” She lifted her chin as she rattled off the names from his book with an air of superiority. “You really use those long names?”

He shrugged. He'd never pondered the printed titles.

She didn’t wait for a response as she began plucking berries from the bush, a perplexing move to the boy. “I won’t do it again. You don’t have to get rid of them on my account.”

“I’m not.”

He waited expectantly. But she didn’t speak, pulling a deer skin sack from her belt and filling it, before securing the parcel to her belt. She looked up at him, annoyance evident, “They’re useful, just not for food.”

“Oh.” the book contained no reference to use, simply: name, diagram, and physical description. Gatherers were under strict orders not to eat from their hoards; they were told what to collect, not why. He knew some things served purposes beyond food: dyes, medicines, polymers. He just didn’t know which ones were which.

“Are you the one that keeps leaving the dandelions.” He forrowed his brow in confusion. “The taraxacum officinale”

“Oh, yeah. I wanted to let you know I was here.”

“Didn’t need the flowers to know you’d been here.” She motioned in the direction he had come. “You’re very heavy footed. If I had thought you were an animal, I could have easily tracked you back to your den”

“I’m a gatherer, not a hunter, I don’t need to worry about scaring off the plants.”

Her lips twitched, an attempt to contain a smile and she turned her head away from him to school her features. She turned back abruptly “you didn’t tell anyone about me or the lake, right?”

He shook his head vigorously, blonde waves bouncing. “I don’t think anyone else knows about this place. I only came here because I had wondered too far and then heard your song.”

She didn’t look wholly convinced but didn’t argue the matter either. She turned to busy herself in her gathering.

He looked back towards 13, his time quickly coming to an end. “I have to go” she didn’t acknowledge him. “I can leave you alone” still no response “you can call me if you want. If I’m on duty and I hear your song, I’ll know to come.”

She looked up at him, sharp eyes narrowed, “So now I can’t even sing for fear of you coming?”

He took a step back, stricken by her words “nevermind”

She must have detected the hurt in his eyes; Her features softened and she turned her head back to her work.

He pivoted towards District 13, a heaviness enveloping his limbs.

“Fine.”

He snapped his head back in the direction of the voice.

“I don’t really sing anymore anyways, but if you hear the song you can come.”

He nodded dumbly, dashing away quickly, before she could change her mind.

🩶🩶🩶

It wasn’t until his journey back that he began recounting the meeting and realizing how little he knew of this girl. He hadn’t even gotten her name, let alone where she had come from, who she was with, why she was there. The questions formed a queue in his mind. He kept his word and stayed away. He knew she was real and she knew the same of him as well as how to summon him.

So he waited. It was nearly a month before he heard the song. His heart soaring as he crashed through the greenery to the lake.

She did not look surprised by his presence: She shouldn’t have been - She lured him in after all and he couldn’t resist the grin that crept across his face. She eyed him wearily as he approached and he made sure to stop with plenty of space between them.

“Your book. Can I see it?” She extended her hand.

He raised an eyebrow in curiosity, but receiving no further explanation, pulled it from his bag, tossing it to the girl.

Her scowl deepened as she thumbed through the pages reviewing a select few before leafing further in the book, closing it abruptly and handing it back.

She didn’t elaborate nor did he inquire, losing the nerve to ask his questions. She wandered a bit as he wordlessly followed, finally finding a patch of white flowers with sunny yellow centers. She didn’t protest when he knelt beside her to gather them with her.

It was another month before her song and his work assignment collided once more. She again requested the book: Wrinkling her nose in annoyance as she read. Finally exclaiming, “This book is useless.”

He smiled at the outburst “I guess that depends on what the use is. I’ve already learned the plants. It’s just for reference if I forget.”

“So you can identify them, big deal. You don’t know anything about them or what they do.”

He shrugged, “don’t need to. There are people at home that do.”

“You’re not even interested?”

“We’re all doing our part, no matter how small, working together to contribute to the District’s brighter future” at least that’s what they taught them in school.

He had never thought to question it until one day when Peeta had been in the kitchen. One of the large mixers had toppled to the ground, a panel had come open and parts sprang and spilled to the floor. He had watched the mechanic reassemble the machine, collect and inspect all the parts and meticulously rebuild. A few pieces were damaged, but the mechanic didn’t bat an eye, exchanging the deformed parts for new. The old parts would be melted down and made into something useful.

Peeta had been melancholy the whole weekend. It wasn’t until class on Monday morning as they recited the pledge that he realized he was an expendable piece in well oiled machine: important but replaceable.

She rolled her eyes, “And this is your contribution?”

“For now” he said simply. There were all kinds of jobs in District 13, all balanced to support the community. His oldest brother, Solly, looked forward to his upcoming testing and placement. His father baked and his mother was a mid-ranking Commander.

“We used to have one,” she held up the book. “But it was more detailed: with colors and uses. My parents added handwritten notes in the margins. I thought if I could see the pictures again…it might remind me.” Her words trailed off. She looked into the distance away from him, throat bobbing, before turning back towards him, voice again under control, “Why wouldn’t they want you to know their use? What if you were stuck out here? Wouldn’t they want you to survive?”

He’d puzzled over the book that night. He’d never thought about it much before. Most things in 13 were straight forward, no-nonsense, portioned and precise, black and white. The book was no different. If his job was to collect specimens, this book aided him.

He was reminded again of the mixer. All the pieces working together towards a common goal, though they didn’t know what the other pieces did… although they didn’t know anything because they were just bits of metal.

After that she began to call for him more regularly, though she had dropped the pretense of viewing the book all together.

At home he’d often been told he was charming. His charisma however, seemed to have very little effect on the girl at the lake. His conversation was met with scowls rather than smiles. She was fiercely private; it wasn’t until the fifth visit that she reluctantly gifted him her name: Katniss.

They didn’t speak of home: her because she was still weary and him because she was his escape.

He couldn’t hold back the laugh that escaped the first time he made her grin and the first time he heard her laugh he felt dizzy at the sound. Her song was mythical but her laughter was magic.

🩶🩶🩶

Everything in the district was made and maintained with military accuracy. The temperature, water consumption, nutrient intake, all perfectly calculated and dispatched for plant, animal, and human alike.

His schedule contained shifts in the kitchen where his father worked making the bread. Baking no exception, the recipe precise, no room for variation, the yield uniform: Not baked for flavor but substance.

At the lake she gathered and fished, hauling a heavy load home, wherever home was, in her bag and on her back. He marveled at the variation in her catches: different shapes, colors, sizes.

It was pure luck that his thirteenth birthday landed on a gathering day and that the mockingjays happened to sing. Birthdays had little significance in th District: his name listed on the screen in the dining hall in tiny print, an extra tight hug from his father, and added responsibilities.

When he mentioned the day's significance to Katniss she frowned at the lack of acknowledgement. She asked his favorite meal and when he described the grayish fish and okra stew that ‘wasn’t half bad when warm’, she wrinkled her nose in disgust. Then taught him to harvest Katniss roots, to fish, prepare and cook their catches on an open fire. Adding fresh Rosemary and wild scallions that stung his tongue with flavor and clung to his taste buds all day that he could revel in the memory.

She laughed as he described bite after bite in vivid detail, enthralled with each new flavor. Eating in the wild gave him a new appreciation for taste. She listened to him as he filled the smokey air with the recipes he could enhance, the bread that he could make with the wild spices.

The fish from the district were born, bred, and died in underground hatcheries, just large enough for them to fulfill these duties. Peeta had always been thankful for the food District 13 provided; in much of Panem children and adults went hungry or starved. He’d been hungry before, even craved but never feared the feelings. After his sunlight meal at the lake, he imagined he could taste the Distinct fish's despondency. The echo of flavors haunting his taste buds

After that she began to introduce him to forest delicacies: mushrooms, edible barks and leaves, wild berries, strips of dried meat she had saved him. He savored each bite, licking his fingers, delighting in every new flavor as she watched on with amusement. They added notes to the margin of his field book on taste descriptions, placing symbols next to favorites.

Working in the kitchen gave him access to the food waste. He began sneaking seeds from the compost pile, squirreling them away until he returned to the lake. Taking only things discarded: shriveled peas, okra and pumpkin seeds, squash remains, a half rotten tomato, a slice of a sprouted potato. They planted them together, the seeds quickly sprouting, stems with leaves reaching greedily for the sun. Their garden blossomed like their friendship, though the latter at a much slower pace.

One day she mentioned a sister, the next time a hunting partner, a neighbor’s baby she tended: brief fleeting words that began escaping unbidden, but she slowly allowed to flow freely.

🩶🩶🩶

At fourteen his teacher caught him doodling during lessons. She’d ripped the page from his pad, and he spent the remainder of class imagining the punishment the District, or worse still, his mother, would inflict for his idleness. Instead the teacher submitted his sketches to the resource department and his work assignments shifted so his newly identified artistic skills could be put to use. He was tasked with drawing diagrams: technical sketches for soldiers and hovercraft pilots. Black and white renderings of control panels. No room for imagination or colors unless strictly necessary.

This addition to his work schedule had him on outdoor duty inconsistently. When he finally heard their song Katniss had looked both relieved and annoyed to see him. She had scowled as he complained of the dullness of his new job, but the next time they met, she brought dried berries and pressed flowers in all colors. Crushing them between rocks, they made powders mixed with water and goose grease to create inks. They sharpened mockingjay feathers to points to make quills. She doodled patterns of repeating shapes while he mixed colors, painting fleeting images on rocks and trees, that faded slowly between visits.

Katniss was more disappointed by the loss of their pictures than he was until she suggested they shade the loathsome field guide. Visit after visit they searched the ground for colors to match and mix for each page, digging iron rich clay, mixing soot from past fires. He detailed and shaded while Katniss looked on, adding notes and providing names: chamomile for inflammation and sadness, wild carrots were edible but easily confused for deadly Hemlock.

When they worked on the page labeled oenothera she gave him the common name: Primrose. Her eyes shifted from the page to covertly glance at him as she added, “my sister’s named after these.”

He bit the inside of his cheek until he could contain the smile that threatened to overtake his face at the admission. He couldn’t imagine a sweeter gift than her trust.

Little by little she shared more: now calling her sister by name, she spoke of her often, along with a cat and goat, sometimes a mother, but rarely a father. Talk of her sister brought her joy, but her parents a sadness he couldn’t work up the courage to ask about. He told her about his brothers, about his father, rarely speaking of his mother. He didn’t think she avoided talk of her father for the same reason he avoided his mother.

🩶🩶🩶

At fifteen the District began strenuous workouts to gauge physical aptitude. His mother had shaved his head in a bid to demonstrate his eagerness to serve. As a Deputy-Commander herself, it was good optics to have children ready to take up the cause regardless of how unlikely the odds. Peeta had mourned the loss of his youth as the yellow waves fluttered to the ground. He wasn’t the only one; he was amused by the scowls Katniss directed at his head for months after the change.

But it had its perks. He no longer needed to fear explaining a head of wet waves. So he gladly accented when Katniss decided time had come to teach him to swim on a day when he bemoaned the pains from his long awaited growth spurt. The cool water, she reasoned, would soothe his aching body.

It was daunting at first; the water was foreign and freezing. It didn’t help that they were half naked and painfully aware of their own hormone riddled bodies. She had made him turn as she stripped to her undershirt, wading until only her head was visible above the water. She kept her distance as she barked commands that he couldn’t quite grasp. Their frustrations mounting until the lesson devolved into bickering, then splashing, then laughter. Lessons abandoned, they stumbled from the lake feeling happily refreshed.

The next time they met she came armed with a thermos of birch bark tea for his soreness and a less ambitious objective to teach him to float. She had him lay on his back, tethering him in place by small calloused hands at his lower back and neck. Her touches were purposeful and fleeting but they sparked an ache in his chest that distracted him from the ache in his bones.

They climbed from the lake, averting their eyes from the shirts and shorts that clung to their bodies. Then sunbathed like lizards on warm rocks, staring up at the sky, naming shapes in the clouds, listening to the rustle of the leaves as the branches overhead cast shadows until they were forced to pry themselves from the ground, redressing and returning each to their separate homes.

🩶🩶🩶

At sixteen his brother Matti turned 18. His viability confirmed and his preferred match approved, he took his permanent place in the kitchen with their father and eldest brother. He walked taller in his new distinction as adult, baker, and ‘breeder’ and the brothers, once childhood companions, drifted further apart; his wife and ‘duties’ taking precedence and Peeta only a little brother who could no longer relate to his more mature endeavors.

Fraternizing was not forbidden, however coupling was strictly forbidden before adulthood. The District couldn’t risk the complications associated with a high risk young mother and wouldn’t risk birth control sterilizing an otherwise healthy female. Every viable womb mattered to the growth of the District and the doctors determined 18 years was the earliest a woman could safely support life.

He had kissed a few girls, but the memory filled him with guilt rather than pride. It had been pleasant in the moment, but left him thinking of another girl. Imagining how her lips would feel against his, her petite body cradled in his arms, hands in his hair.

He’d gone to the lake unbidden that day in hopes of clearing his head of the estrangement at home. Being underground he was often unaware of the shifts in weather. The air smelled of rain, the ground was spongy, leaves and branches littering the ground as he made his way to the valley. Not expecting to find her there, he was surprised to see a massive charred tree had fallen victim to the evident storm with a weeping Katniss on top of it. They’d rarely touched, but he didn’t hesitate in gathering her in his arms. She clung to him sobbing.

When her tears subsided She rested her head on his shoulder, Her fist gripped tightly to his jumpsuit, dazedly staring off towards the lake as the words poured out. She spoke of her father: How he taught her to hunt and to swim and to sing. How he had died shortly before she and Peeta had met. How her mother’s spirit had died with him. How she had to begin providing for her family alone early on. How the lake was his place, their place - she and her father’s. She knew it wouldn’t go on being the same forever, but each season it had changed in such a small degree that it would still remain the same in her mind. But the fallen tree had forced her to come to terms with the change, with the loss.

Once she’d recovered, they sprung into action. She picked wildflowers as he mixed hues. She taught him to weave flowers so they could adorned the tree with flower garlands and painted designs - a makeshift memorial. They had a funeral of sorts for the tree and by unspoken extension her father; hands clasped in shared sorrow.

He’d left thinking of spirits and souls - The district taught of the body and mind, but the soul, at least as Katniss described it, was something intangible; The heart and the mind combined, but not just as organs, but ideas, feelings, beliefs! It was a concept he cherished. One which he kept safely to himself like the girl who had introduced it to him.

The event seemed to overcome the final restraints on conversation, they spoke freely of their homes and families.

She shared her history: The colony living in the wilderness outside the reach of Capital rule or District restrictions. How their great grandparents' generation had fled District 12 when the first rebellion was all but lost. How they traveled north until they were far enough away finding habitable ground to establish themselves.

In exchange he told her of 13: how children were as good as currency: healthy girls - the most valuable. Not everyone could have children so those that could weren’t given a choice: they were tested and matched or a mutual preference reviewed and approved at age 18. Pairs were directed to do their duty for the greater good of the District. In exchange they were given preferential treatment. His parents were matched based on genetics not personality and had produced three sons in quick succession: Peeta’s birth had been difficult, ending his mother’s chance at producing a daughter. His birth came with her final promotion, Deputy-Commander, a bitter victory as she became convinced had Peeta been a daughter, she would have been made a full Commander, been invited into Command as well as Coin’s confidences. He was a constant reminder of her stalled career.

Her grip tightened around their linked hands. Since their funeral for the tree, they had become more liberal with touches. Not in the ways his brothers talked about touching their wives, but in comforting gestures they were rarely untethered; they’d lay in the grass holding hands or wither head on his chest. No matter how innocent the actions, her touch set his skin ablaze, the lost connection leaving him starved in a way that had nothing to do with his food.

🩶🩶🩶

His seventeenth birthday came and went with little fanfare. While his classmates made predictions and plans for their future, his final year of school was filled him with dread. The months ahead filled with testing: for occupation, status, and compatibility. A few girls and even one of the District 13 widows had propositioned him to submit a match request with them; all which he’d solemnly denied.

Whispers of a second rebellion grew louder every day. They were all required to watch the Games, to remember the Capital’s cruelty. If he were destined to be a soldier in the fight against injustice he could bear his fate, but it would not be his future if he was deemed viable (and there was no reason to believe he wouldn’t be deemed viable). All the men in his family before him had been: brothers, uncles, cousins. All had paired and all so far fruitful.

He’d be a baker or a diagram illustrator and a husband and make some woman as miserable as his mother. Not on purpose of course, but because his soul surely couldn’t survive trapped underground without Katniss and their lake. Without the array of colors and the sunshine grown fish. Without the cool water of the lake and the feel of her hand in his. Without her song!

These thoughts left him feeling like wretched. He could barely eat or sleep; maybe his bodily neglect would make him unfit.

He continued his treks to the lake, even without the Mockingjay’s song to bid him. Just being close to where she had been and would be was a comfort. He put on an unaffected air on the days she was there, but she knew him too well, could sense the shift. She placed her cool hand on his forehead then his cheeks, inspecting his exposed skin for a physical cause for his malaise.

He couldn’t burden her with his fears; wouldn’t sacrifice a single moment of fleeting joy with her to the stifling images of the future, so he begged off with tales of nightmares. These weren’t complete fabrications, for when he did sleep he dreamed in gray monotony.

Their next rendezvous she brought a small cloth sack filled with lavender, catnip, and rosemary, made small enough to be sneaked past Distinct customs. She had him lay in the grass with the parcel close, his head in her lap. The scent, the breeze, and her nimble fingers rubbing circles in his velvety hair lulled him to sleep.

His reprieve was short lived. He soon received his packet confirming his viable designation with schedules, rules, and instructions.

🩶🩶🩶

His gathering day aligned with her birthday and promised himself this would be his last trip to the lake when he heard their song. One final golden day before he wished it all farewell.

He emerged from the woods, her smiling as she spied him, his worries momentarily vanishing as he jogged down to meet her. She seemed happier, lighter, today and for a moment he let himself imagine spending every possible minute of the rest of my life with her.

He laughed “I’ve never seen you so happy to see me”

She rolled her eyes but her smile didn’t falter as she opened her bag to share her elation: goat cheese. A gift from her sister. She had said it was her favorite, but he’d only tried it once.

Katniss set the lines while Peeta gathered: chives, Dandelions, violets, keeping her in sight all the while, dreading the moment he’d have to let her go for good.

Once the fish were placed on the fire, they stripped their clothes. Floating and swimming in their underclothes, laughing and talking of trivial things. Eventually crawling from the lake to lie in the grass and pick at their feast. She placed her head in his lap as he teased out the knots in her hair while she fed him bits of fish and cheese.

“I wish I could freeze this moment, right here, right now, and live in it forever,” He felt so warm and relaxed and beyond worrying about the future that the words slipped out.

She smiled up at him from her place on his lap. “We can do this again, you know? Next time.”

He hummed. A lump formed in his throat and he averted his gaze, unable to look at her knowing it would all spill out if he looked at her now. His eyes fell on the nightlock bush, the place of their first interaction. Where he discovered she was real.

He felt her hands on his face. She’d extracted herself from his lap and was kneeling across from him, forcing his head in her direction. He closed his eyes in a last defense until she spoke his name and he could no longer deny her.

At her pained expression it all tumbling out: the tests, the impending pairing, the placement, the end to his outdoor duties.

She was up and pacing, biting the nail of her thumb, listening intently. She paused her movement when he finished, “And that’s it! You weren’t going to tell me? You were going to leave here today and never come back? Leave me to wonder what happened to you? Never knowing if you were dead or if you hated me? Or if you’d found some other girl, some other lake?” Her eyes brimming with tears.

He sat stupefied, his legs pulled tightly to his chest. He hadn’t thought that far ahead. Or maybe he’d thought she meant more to him than he did to her: That she would move on quickly, never looking back to the friend of her youth. Maybe he had wanted to save her the pain, or maybe save himself? Maybe his plan was selfish, not selfless.

He stood, “that’s the problem: there could never be another valley, another lake, another song, another girl. You have Prim, your mother, the Hawthornes. I’m the one losing something. I’m losing the little freedom and choice I have, going on to take my place as a piece in the great District 13 machine, fulfilling my empty destiny. In a place that needs my body and mind, but cares nothing for my soul. That doesn’t want nor need it. No one does.” He paused breathing heavily. “I was blind and content before I met you. I didn’t need a soul to survive but now that I know, I can’t go back. Can't go back to the bliss of ignorance, back to the District to inflict my misery on someone else for the rest of my flavorless gray life. I’d be better off dead.” He stared at the nightlock bush longingly, only a half baked idea he could never follow through on.

“I do, Peeta.” It was spoken so softly he thought he’d imagined it. “I need you, all of you; Your soul most of all.” She paused before whispering “Stay with me”

Certain he had misheard her, but seeing that she required a response he croaked out, “What?”

She grasped onto his hand pulling him down to face her, shaking her head as she spoke, “don’t go back. Come with me. You could choose your life, retain your soul. You could paint in color or bake the recipes you used to talk about. You could grow your hair long and sleep in the breeze. There are so many things still for you to experience: sunsets, fireflies, the moon. You just have to stay with me.” She’s pleading. No longer attempting to hide her tears, her eyes darting across his face, searching his face for a hint at his decision, not realizing he has always been hers.

“Always.” The word escaped along with the breath he’d be holding, “Yes.” He began nodding, “Anything. Yeah. I’ll do it” The words come crashing out in a confusing jumble of syllables, but she seemed to understand them as she let out a choked laugh. Then he laughed and she began in earnest, pressing her forehead to his as he cupped her face in his hands, swiping away fresh tears, lips quickly meeting between relieved laughter. Too giddy and high on their mirth to feel bashful about the thin damp fabric separating their embrace or the gravity of their decision.

After a while, recollected themselves, they gathered their things, heading in the direction of her home, their home, hand in hand. But only after executing one small request: A song for the birds, a final farewell and a continuation of the lore.

To District 13 it would be the song of a boy lost to the woods. But for Peeta, it would be the song of his homecoming.

[thgfanfictionlibrary]

E Rated Fics Masterlist (26)

Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 / Part 5 / Part 6 / Part 7 / Part 8 / Part 9 / Part 10 / Part 11 / Part 12 / Part 13 / Part 14 / Part 15 / Part 16 / Part 17 / Part 18 / Part 19 / Part 20 / Part 21/ Part 22 / Part 23 / Part 24 / Part 25 /

Created: December 28th, 2023

Last Checked:-----

26.2-authoresskika (ao3) Summary: Modern AU; After her best friend suffers two grievous losses in one fell swoop, Katniss devotes years to helping him rediscover just how good life can be again. When the final step Peeta wants to take is actually 26.2 miles, Katniss finds herself struggling to keep up — both with him and her own conflicted feelings. Oneshot (for now) originally written for Fandom4LLS.

Camping Anyone?-MegaAuLover (ao3) Summary: Katniss gets caught in a rainstorm during Camping she accidentally runs into the wrong Tent of the one man she's never been able to get out of her head, Peeta Mellark

Dream Come True-HGfanonezillion (ao3) Summary: Peeta thought meeting Olympian Katniss Everdeen was the highlight of his life. But in all his dreams and fantasies, he never would have thought he'd actually end up alone with Katniss in her hotel room.

Everybody's Got a Dark Side-shesasurvivor (ao3) Summary: When Katniss reminds Peeta about the time President Snow visited the study, it accidentally triggers an episode. Then Peeta decides it's time to reclaim Katniss… and the desk. Hijacked!Peeta smut, post-Mockingjay. Written as a present for everlarkbirthdaygifts on Tumblr.

The Bartender-mrspeetamellark (ao3) Summary: Katniss Everdeen is an event planner in charge of a high-profile fundraising gala at the Panem Country Club. She's working towards a promotion and needs the event to be flawless. Will she be able to impress her boss enough to achieve her goal? Who can she trust to help her ensure the event goes off without a hitch?

The Cook's Contract-HGfanonezillion (ao3) Summary: Peeta is a Duke in need of a bride. But Katniss, a servant in his kitchen, is the woman who has his eye -- and his heart.

The Potting Shed-mrspeetamellark (ao3) Summary: Post Mockingjay Everlark, canon compliant. Written for everlarkalwaysandforever on tumblr, who requested a story where Haymitch walks in on Everlark doing the deed and lectures them afterwards 😉. I hope you’ll enjoy it!

Wait For Me-nightleyss (ao3) Summary: Katniss Everdeen has already experienced a lot of strange things, but this had to be the oddest one so far. And everything just because of a marble statue that she didn't seem to be able to get out of her mind. Everlark AU/originally written for S2SL 2015.

Wrapped In Red-katnissdoesnotfollowback (ao3) Summary: Katniss is trying to be a good friend to her recently divorced pal. She really is. But this holiday season, fate, her own feelings, and Peeta’s daughter have other plans. An advent style Everlark story.

You Are What You Are-Abagail_Snow (ao3) Summary: During Catching Fire, Katniss and Peeta get snowed in.

[ao3feed-everlark]

She Didn’t Mind The Shoes

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/wZQrFVm

by MegaAuLover

It's Prim's 21st Birthday and Katniss is going to spend it with her sister celebrating it in style with mile-high shoes. However, the celebration goes awry when she's trapped in an elevator with a handsome blonde stranger and those shoes that she can barely walk in...

Words: 4090, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandoms: Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins, Hunger Games Series - All Media Types

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: F/M

Characters: Katniss Everdeen, Primrose Everdeen, Delly Cartwright, Peeta Mellark

Relationships: Katniss Everdeen/Peeta Mellark, Katniss Everdeen & Peeta Mellark, everlark - Relationship

Additional Tags: Romance, Alternate Universe - Hunger Games Setting, Fluff, Flirting, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Awkward Flirting, Childhood Memories, Childhood Friends, Crush, Peeta is Gorgeous

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/wZQrFVm

[lemonluvgirl]

In the Clouds

An Everlark Birthday fic for Sparkling Stella

I wrote this fic for the wonderful, funny, amazing, and talented @the-sparkling-way !!! It’s her birthday today so don’t forget to send her well wishes! Hope you like it my friend! And a special thanks goes out to @pookieh​  for helping me with the Canadian phrases and slang. LOL you helped me so much! And also to @jhsgf82​ for helping me beta read and giving me feedback! Part 2, with smut, coming soon!

“Get your head outta the clouds boy,” Captain Abernathy barked at Co-Captain Peeta Mellark. 

Peeta grunted in annoyance and looked away from the retreating form of the beautiful woman who had just come in to let them know they were ready for take off. 

“Sorry, Captain,” Peeta replied, fighting a flush at being caught staring at one of the flight attendants. 

She was the newest stewardess to start with Panem Airlines in recent weeks, and her name was Katniss. 

“Don’t be such a keener, Mellark,” Haymitch said as he barked out a laugh at his younger co-captain’s expense. “You should make your move, kid. Those American girls are less aggressive than our women. A lot of them wait for the man to initiate things. And you’ve been drooling over that bittie like a puppy eyeing a box of Timbits for weeks now,” Captain Abernathy said. 

Peeta scoffed, but didn’t reply. He disliked that his crush on Katniss was being compared to a dog eyeing a box of donuts. 

Even if it was slightly accurate. 

He had noticed Katniss right away when she started working at Panem Air because she was very pretty, exotic-looking even. Being Canadian, from Toronto, he had grown up around a mix of different people from different places. He had always had a penchant for olive skin and dark hair. But so far none of the women he’d tried dating had left any kind of lasting impression.

Unlike his new coworker. 

One thing he never knew about himself until he met Katniss was just how affected he was by steely gray eyes, or long dark hair braided into a thick plait. She hardly even wore makeup. But he’d never met a girl so understatedly beautiful. 

 He also noticed other things about her. Like how she was quiet, hard-working, and not one of the pilot-chasers. A good portion of stewardesses and pilots were known to carry on interpersonal relationships despite company regulations discouraging such things. It often made for awkward workplace tensions. For that reason alone, Peeta had tried to steer clear of getting involved with any of the stewardesses he’d known before he met Katniss. 

She had changed his ideas about whether dating a co-worker was worth the hassle, and he had developed a serious crush on her. Unfortunately, she didn’t seem to take notice of him, or any other pilot. 

Which was good, considering on certain days he flew with guys like Cato Anderson as his co-pilot. He was a typical cocky young buck, who thought his license to fly a plane also gave him license to chase stewardesses. Those kinds of pilots were assholes who’d sleep with anything in a skirt, and Katniss always ignored their flirting and innuendos. 

And while he was glad she didn’t fall for their tactics, Peeta was disappointed to learn she wasn’t open to dating him either. 

On their last flight, a connecting one from New York to Edmonton, his sometimes co-captain Finnick Odair had asked her to go out for drinks, and she had turned him down saying, “I don’t date pilots” dismissively before turning around and going back to her duties. 

Peeta had been happy that she’d turned Finnick down, even if the man was his friend and ultimately a good person under his playboy personna, but he had been crushed to hear about her dating policy -because it meant he was automatically barred from dating her as well. 

So, the only thing he could do was admire her from afar. 

Peeta returned his attention to the controls and the readouts coming from the displays on the cockpit circuit board. 

“All clear, Captain. Let’s give’er,” Peeta told the older gentleman, and Captain Abernathy nodded before he clicked on the announcement mic and began his rehearsed spiel about how clear the skies were and how smooth their flight would be to ease the passengers into take-off mode. 

~

Halfway through the flight, the same stewardess knocked on the cabin door and poked her head in to let the pilots know there was a couple who had snuck into the lavatory together and were causing a disturbance to the other passengers. 

Peeta grimaced as Katniss told him that the door had been locked for twenty minutes and there were all manner of strange sounds coming from inside. 

Katniss’ face had been an embarrassed shade of crimson when she had to ask for Peeta’s help in removing the couple from the washroom. 

“Yeah, no, don’t worry; I’ll get them outta there in two minutes flat,” Peeta assured her before setting his controls on standby and unbuckling from his seat. 

“Don’t go too hard on ‘em, boy. Young love knows no bounds!” Captain Abernathy chuckled in amusement as Peeta vacated his co-pilot seat. 

Peeta rolled his eyes and muttered, “Young love, eh? Probably just two hosers looking to join the mile high club.” 

Katniss apparently had heard his comment and looked back at him with a curious expression on her face. 

“Hosers. It’s Candian for idiots. Do you all still say idiots in the States?” Peeta asked her with a tilt of his head. 

Katniss pursed her lips like she was fighting off a smile. Peeta wondered what it would take to make her let go and laugh. 

“Yes. I know about the term hosers. I’ve been working around you Canucks long enough to pick up on that one,” Katniss said with a subtle arch of her left eyebrow and a twinkle in her eye. That fact that she’d picked up on the slang word for Canadians made Peeta smile, which in turn made Katniss smile back. Her expression lit up her whole face with gentle beauty. 

 It made Peeta want to lean in to get a better look at the shades of gray in her eyes, framed by thick, dark lashes. But he held back, out of politeness. After all, it wasn’t very Canadian to invade a woman’s (or anyone’s for that matter) personal space. 

Katniss cleared her throat and started over, looking away from him. “I meant the mile high club? What’s that?” she asked quietly. 

Peeta had to do a double-take to make sure he’d heard her question correctly. 

“Uh, well, you know. The mile high club. I think-er-the term was actually invented in The States…..” Peeta said, too dumbfounded by her innocence to answer her question correctly. 

Another stewardess, Johanna Mason, who had three years working for the airline under her belt, snickered when she heard Peeta struggle to answer Katniss’ question. 

“How can you be a stewardess and not know about the mile high club, Brainless?” Johanna teased, and Peeta shot her a look. He knew Johanna was virtually harmless; the girl was all bark and no bite, but he didn’t appreciate the way Johanna teased Katniss sometimes and called her Brainless. 

Katniss was an adult (22 years old, to be exact; Peeta had found out from some of the other stewardesses by asking some discreet questions), but she had this quality about her. She wasn’t naive per se; it was more like she was pure. 

“Don’t worry, give it a couple of months, and the things you’ll see on some of these planes will educate your virginal mind,” Johanna added with a smirk. 

“I’m not a virgin!” Katniss exclaimed angrily, seeming to have spoken first without thinking. 

Peeta couldn’t help but look at her in that moment. She seemed to realize what she just said, and her cheeks flushed with a dark cherry-red stain while she closed her eyes in an embarrassed wince. 

“Whoa, I didn’t say you were. I just said your mind was virginal. It would be a crying shame if a grown woman like you didn’t know about‒” Johanna started to say. 

“That’s enough, Ms. Mason. That kind of talk isn’t appropriate in the workplace,” Peeta cut Johanna off, and this time she actually clammed up and looked mildly contrite. 

Peeta snuck a look at Katniss and saw that she was scowling; because of her embarrassment or because he had intervened on her behalf, he didn’t know which one it was. 

Peeta shook his head and cleared his throat, returning his attention to the matter at hand. 

“Let’s go get those passengers back in their seats,” Peeta said sternly, and Katniss nodded before following him towards the back of the plane where the lavatory was located. 

The passengers in question, Glimmer and Marvel Jones (newlyweds, who apparently couldn’t wait until they got to their honeymoon suite) were easy enough to wrangle back into their seats after Peeta had a stern word with them through the lavatory door. 

They stumbled from the washroom pink-cheeked and disheveled and slunk off after muttering some apologies to Peeta and Katniss. 

Katniss thanked him quietly, and Peeta returned to the cockpit without further ado. 

~

“I’m really not as stupid as Johanna makes me out to be.” Katniss’ voice surprised him. Peeta turned around in the empty plane to see her standing there, determined-looking but also slightly apprehensive. 

They had just finished landing and exiting procedures at Edmonton International, and most everyone including the other stewardesses were rushing off to their next assignments.  

“I don’t think you’re stupid, Miss Everdeen, I think you’re a class act,” Peeta replied, and then he winced because he thought that sounded like something a geriatric citizen would say. He wasn’t that much older than Katniss. He got his pilot’s license at 21 and had been flying for the last four years. He was usually a lot smoother with women, but there was something about Katniss Everdeen that made him feel like a tongue-tied teenager. 

“Thank you, sir,” Katniss said in a careful tone, and Peeta groaned internally. 

She definitely thinks I’m a deadshit. He thought to himself ruefully as he tried to scrounge up a piece of conversation that wouldn’t be boring. 

“How many times do I have to ask you to call me Peeta?” he said with a sigh, because it was the only thing his brain could come up with in response. 

“I don’t know. I guess I’m just used to a more formal work environment. Back in the States there were stricter rules,” Katniss said with a huff. 

Peeta noticed her dissatisfied grimace. 

“Well, you’re in the Great North now, beautiful, and us Canadians are known for being very polite and friendly, no matter what you do, or where you’re from,” Peeta told her, and then he gave her one of his friendliest smiles. 

Katniss bit her lip and nodded. 

“I think I’m starting to understand that,” Katniss said quietly. It looked like she was biting back a smile. 

Peeta looked up with hope in his eyes, wondering if Haymitch had been right and he should just go ahead and ask her out, even if she didn’t want to date him right away, maybe they could start out as friends. 

“What you sayin’ tonight?” Peeta blurted out. 

“Huh? Where am I staying?” Katniss asked and gave him a bewildered look. 

“No! That's not what I meant, or, actually, that’s not what it sounded like. ‘What you sayin’ is a Canadian way of asking, ‘What are your plans for tonight?’” Peeta rushed to explain, and then he turned scarlet when Katniss gave him a blank, disbelieving look. 

“I’m not one of those kinds of girls!” Katniss protested, narrowing her eyes at him. 

Peeta felt like she’d slapped him across the face. 

“No! What? Of course not! I just—I thought we could grab something to eat, if you’re done for the day,” Peeta clarified nervously. 

Katniss blinked at him, still suspicious and disbelieving. 

“As friends. I know you don’t date pilots,” Peeta said in a slightly sullen voice. 

“Oh,” Katniss replied, her eyes widening in realization. But she made no other attempt to speak or answer, and after a few seconds Peeta was even more embarrassed. 

“Yeah, no, it’s fine, if you don’t want to,” Peeta said, holding up his hands. “Sorry I asked! My friends all tell me I can be a real doughhead,” Peeta said with a laugh that was supposed to come out self-deprecating and humorous but instead sounded brittle. He moved away sharply, to escape back to the cockpit since he didn’t feel like trying to get past her in the tight airplane aisles. 

“No, wait!” Katniss called after him. 

.

.

.

.

To be continued…

[seasonsofeverlark]

Petal Toss

Author: @rosegardeninwinter​

Prompt: Everlark + cherry blossoms [submitted by @daydreamsandcaffeine​]

Rating: G

Author’s Note: I hope you don’t mind that I cribbed vanlife!lark for this prompt! Any mistakes of the Washington topography are mine. 🌸 🌲 🥾 _______________

Katniss stirs from her warm-breakfast-and-miles-of-highway induced slumber to green trees and mist. She yawns and stretches her feet down into the floorboard of the front of the van. She knows she could have gone to the actual bed in the back of their van, but then who else’s snoring body would keep Peeta company? No one’s. And she couldn’t do that to him.

“Welcome back,” Peeta laughs from the driver’s side. “How was your nap?”

“Long, apparently,” Katniss laughs. “Where are we?”

“Snoqualmie Pass,” is the reply, and a consultation of Google Maps reveals that they’re driving through the mountains into the rainy forest climate of Western Washington, where they plan to spend the spring camping, hiking, and getting new inspiration both for Peeta’s stunning watercolors (which keep them afloat financially) and Katniss’s music (which will keep them afloat financially, once she releases her album. At least she hopes so).

She leans her head against the window to admire the view. It’s gorgeous out here. Lush slopes of dark evergreens and valleys rushing with mountain rivers. It reminds her of home, but wilder, and wetter. Katniss gets up and climbs into the back for her guitar and her lyric journal. Best not to keep the muse waiting when she’s got something for you.

“What are you thinking?” her boyfriend asks as she sits back down beside him.

“Thinking about home,” she says, lightly strumming her instrument.

“Homesick kind of thinking?”

“No,” Katniss says. “Just pensive kind of thinking.”

She strums a few more chords. Her father always said she had a gift with songs, that they flowed from her without much thought. That was true, in the first moments of inspiration, but if only Dad knew how much editing she did after the fact.

She glances over at Peeta and smiles softly. Two years ago she and her boyfriend had shocked both their families by deciding they wanted to pack up shop and live on the road. They’d bought a big old van that needed some love, and made it their home on wheels, furnished with as many cozy all-natural things as Cary Everdeen could throw at them and as many high end appliances as Marta Mellark could get them to accept.

In the end, with a field of dandelions affectionately painted on the side, the van has become a little paradise with an ever changing view. Except for one thing: the man beside her. Her best friend. Her first love. She leans over and kisses his dimpled cheek. His lips quirk happily as she starts to sing, but he doesn’t say anything. By the time they’re entering Seattle (to get a taste of the city before they return to the wild, Peeta says, as he pulls them into a parking lot outside Seward Park) she’s come up with a good start. She’s singing the chorus as Peeta turns the car off.

Chasing the horizon

Find out how far the stop signs go

Fast as a jackrabbit

But like a turtle shell I’m carrying my home

“What do you think?” Katniss asks her boyfriend as they gather supplies from their fridge for a picnic.

“What do I always think of your songs?” he says, spinning her around in the small space and kissing her soundly.

“You always think they’re amazing,” Katniss sighs grumpily, chasing his lips when he moves away to cut up some mango.

“No,” he says. “I always think you’re amazing for working so hard on them. I wouldn’t lie to you if I didn’t think it was good.”

Katniss smiles, satisfied.

“Wow,” she says, as they step out into the park. Neatly kept lawns of grass lead down to a bike path, beyond which is the bluest water she’s ever seen, and beyond that, a snow covered mountain rising over the skyline on the opposite bank. “This is so pretty!”

It’s no magnificent waterfall or vista, but it’s a perfect place to have lunch, and a grove of cotton-candy pink cherry trees gives it the perfect touch of romance. The air is cool and fresh, and though the pass was dreary, there’s a surprising amount of sunlight here, so they spread the picnic blanket on dry ground among the fluttering blossoms.

“I think they have a festival here,” Peeta comments as Katniss pops the lid of her sparkling water. “We might’ve just missed it.”

“That’s alright,” she says, leaning back against his chest and sipping her drink. “I like the quiet.”

Peeta tosses a grape in his mouth and then, at her impression of a baby bird, drops one in hers. The light breeze that ripples the water to their right gives them a show when it causes cherry blossom petals to flutter down on them like soft pink snowfall.

“You should sketch this,” Katniss says, gathering a handful of petals and tossing it over their heads. Peeta does a teasing trumpet fanfare of “Here Comes the Bride,” and Katniss takes his hand, kissing his fingers lazily.

“Let’s have these at our wedding. Lots of cherry blossoms.”

It’s a sign of how comfortable they are together that she doesn’t even feel his heart speed as he says. “Oh yeah? You want to get married in the spring?”

“Maybe. Depends on when you propose. I don’t want a long engagement. I’d elope if your Mom would ever forgive us for not letting her design our wedding.”

Peeta shifts slightly behind her. “How about April?”

“For the proposal? And then we get married spring of the next year? That would work.”

“How about today?”

Katniss’s heart, for all its comfort, for all that being with Peeta is like carrying her home with her, like the turtle in her new song, skips a beat. “What?”

“I was going to do this once we got to Mount Rainier but … how about today?” Peeta repeats, and laughs, as he reaches around and sets a diamond ring in her hand.

Katniss can’t speak. She can barely breathe. She just nods numbly and puts the ring on her finger, then holds her own hand to her now racing heart, and turns to face him.

“Well now we have to have cherry blossoms at our wedding,” he says. “It would be too perfect.” She tackles him among the petals, and a passing cyclist gives a congratulatory shout, as Katniss seals their impromptu engagement with a kiss.

[everlarkficexchange]

the song of my heart (plays in you)

Written by: @thelettersfromnoone

Prompt 108: Everlark fall for one another over a blood transfusion. It happens not once, but twice. His blood runs through her veins, and now hers runs through his. What are the odds they would save each other’s lives? [submitted by @mandelion82]

Rated: Teen and up; mentions of: car wrecks, physical and mental trauma, amputation.

Tags: One-shot, Soulmates, Time Jump(s), Blood-Oaths.

Word count: 2342.

Notes: Unbetaed. All mistakes are my own. Thanks to @javistg and @xerxia31 for being amazing hosts for this exchange ❤️

“The blood [of the covenant] is thicker than [the] water [of the womb].”

“Mama, tell the story again?” Grey eyes peek up shyly through dark eyelashes, fingers curling the folds of her mother’s nightgown. “ ‘bout the dream-people?”

“It’s late, darlin’,” Mama murmurs with a soft smile. She presses a kiss to her daughter’s brow. “Papa will tell the long version tomorrow, hm?”

The girl’s lower lip pops out in a pout- papa is the better storyteller, but she wants to hear the story tonight. She snuggles against her mama’s belly, whispering a ‘night-night’ to the baby they say is growing in there.

“There once was a boy who was called to war, to fight for a king in a land far from home. Though he survived many times in battle, one day, an enemy struck him, and he was hurt, something terrible. At death’s door, his friends brought him to a healer’s house, who saved his life. As he recovered, he grew to love the healer’s daughter, and she grew to love him. In time, when he was recovered, his king came calling on him again. Before he left, the boy and the healer’s daughter made a blood-oath. They drew their own blood, and held their wounds against one another. They vowed that, from that moment until they met again, the song of their blood would call out for one another, no matter how far.”

Her little hand reaches over to mama’s, pressing their palms flush. “Like this?”

“Mhm,” Mama interlaces their fingers, kissing her daughter’s knuckles. “Just like this. Every night, while he was away, all they needed to do was close their eyes, and they could feel one another’s feelings, and see through one another’s eyes.”

“Till forever?” The little girl’s eyes are growing heavy, a yawn coming in spite of her best efforts. “Mama, it’s til’ forever, right?”

Mama doesn’t answer straight away. When she does, it’s soft as a butterfly’s flight; “Till forever, until they found each other again.”

The little girl’s breathing evens out, eyes slipping shut. 

(She’s always wanting a happy ending.)

She’s twelve and using the computer unsupervised the first time she looks it up on a whim. She is meant to be researching poetry, but that quickly becomes dull. 

Instead, the rabbit hole of the web sucks her in.

According to the internet page that comes up, a Blood-Oath Soulmate is defined as a myth, steeped in legend: a couple who, when faced with separation, make a blood-oath that allows them to see, hear, and feel one another across the thousands of miles. 

The origin, exactly, is unclear. It’s a myth with several cultural variants- in her own region, Twelve, and in the northern regions of Åtta, Tio, and Tretton, the war is won, and the boy returns to the healer’s daughter. By contrast, in the southwest, they say the boy earned a glorious warrior’s death, and the girl grieves but honors his memory. In almost all the other regions, the myth is drawn out, many side-adventures and evils hinder the boy’s path home, and by the time the boy finds his way back to his love, amidst a continent of misery, they both are old and grey. It’s not clear where the myth started, some say it’s a retelling of an old Sumerian tale; others, that it comes from Viking oral lore. Some, still, argue that they all are true, that the same fate spreads itself throughout time, throughout the world, in different ways. 

All modern experts, essentially, concur on the matter of the story’s implausibility. The human body replenishes its blood count within weeks, one discussion board points out.

It was just a myth to make humans feel their love could be impermeable, or withstand the tests of distance and challenges, claims another. Or, one user with a profane avatar states, the modern meaning is just guess-work and the cultural context and any kernels of truth will forever be lost.

And everyone knows there’s no such thing as a soulmate.

Kat feels her stomach clench as she quickly exits the browser, lonely in the wake of her father’s death, and her mother’s subsequent depressive episode, and still clinging to her mother’s hushed telling of a love that is palpable down to the bone.

(She can’t decide if knowing it’s ‘just a story’ hurts or helps more. The veneer of childhood is always treasured for a reason.)

She is seventeen when it happens. 

A flash of a medical room. Harsh fluorescent lights. Thick, strong hands trying to block the light out. Starched sheets, scratching skin. A pinch of a needle and stifled shout- 

She wakes covered in sweat. 

Something is wrong, niggles at the back of her mind. Her pounding heart beats out wrong, wrong, wrong. She pushes it away, presses the thought down. She manages to lull herself back to sleep, a deep, imageless thing, but the wrongness sticks with her. 

The next night is nearly identical, except the stranger’s hands are tearing off the bedsheets. A stump of a knee rests where a leg should extend. A panicking voice, a nurse, shouts for help as the struggling and screaming begins-

“Where’s my fucking leg?!”

Kat wakes with a jolt, strangled gasps as she pushes her own blankets off, hands grasping at her limbs, the phantom terror and horror bringing bile up her throat. 

What was that?

A dreamless sleep doesn’t find her again, her eyes bruising with nights of nightmares and days of exhaustion. The hospital, the scratchy sheets, the nurses and medications and injections. 

One week, then another.

She’s in Civics class when it occurs to her. 

The blood drive, at the beginning of May. She’d turned seventeen, and finally weighed enough to donate blood.

Could it be…?

She sleeps in, one Saturday morning, when they are fitting a prosthetic on her stranger; crutches and halting steps as those beefy hands grip support bars.

“Just a step further,” a voice encourages. 

Shame and frustration, and a deep, croaking voice lashes out of the throat-

“I can’t!”

You can, you can, you can, she tries to will the stranger her confidence.

The figure stills, and for a moment, she thinks they can hear her. 

“I’m done,” they say, and in spite of the disappointment on the nurse’s face, a man in a white lab coat agrees, and helps them back into a wheelchair.

Kat feels the sinking failure, the desperate yearning to help this person, this stranger. There are only nurses and doctors, in her dreams. She knows what it means to be lonely, even when there are people around; what it means when you wake up in emotional pain, but have no one to share it with.

She wants to tell her stranger it will all be all right, but the weeks pass and she can only confide her secret to herself. They wouldn’t believe her, even if she could say it in person.

Where is your family? she tries to ask.

They never seem to hear her.

(Waking becomes harder, but she can’t confide in anyone that she wakes wishing she could live in her dreams without them thinking she’s gone mad.)

They are kneading dough, seated at a wood table in a cluttered kitchen. The prosthetic is fitting to the leg, tender today but not sore, exactly. She can smell the flour and feel the silky-smooth texture between her fingers. Smoothe jazz music is playing, from a radio over on the counter. She feels a hand squeezing her stranger’s shoulder.

“Looks good, Pete.” It’s a gruff voice, but not unkind.

“Needs to rise,” her stranger- ‘Pete’!- retorts. They don’t look up, but she can feel a flush on her ‘Pete’s’ cheeks.

“We got some coursework from the school, then.”

(She doesn’t realize this is the last she will dream of her stranger.)

The dreams evaporate, after eight weeks, as abruptly as they had begun.

In the aftermath of her first dreamless night in over a month, she wakes to the dawn breaking with no images from her stranger. 

‘Pete’. 

She tries to will herself back to sleep, compel visions back from the brink. It’s the first night she thinks to try and remember the names of the doctors and nurses, or the location of the hospital. The nametags are foggy in her memories, a nurse Jackie or Jenny and a last name they had abbreviated to, ‘A.’ 

The internet doesn’t help her any more than her own mind can. ‘An amputee named ‘Pete’ who likes to knead dough and is doing high school coursework at home’ doesn’t do much in a White Pages search. 

She writes it all down, then, each snippet and sound she can recall. She keeps the journal under her mattress, knowing her mother won’t bother, and her baby sister wouldn’t dare to look. 

Like a madwoman, she rereads her own accounts, adds notes to it every morning, hoping the dreams will start again. But every morning, the dreams seem more as if they were fantasies, and her journal reads like fiction.

A year passes. 

Her dreams now are either blank, or memories of ‘Pete’.

She could blame it on her family friend, and his stupid insistance that she attend Prom; or maybe the girlfriends she eats lunch with, who guilt her by saying that everyone needs a life outside of school, and after-school jobs.

Kat had only driven into town because she needed a damn dress. Two weeks later, and she would have been exhausted from Prom as she crossed the school stage, collecting her high school diploma.

Nothing pans out the way she imagines it will, though.

She’s alone in the car when a truck in the oncoming lane overturns at a curve in the road.

Pain bursts on her head. Flames against her skin. Crushed metal, and broken glass. In the distant fog of wailing sirens, she can hear first responders attempting to call out to her. 

The only thing she remembers seeing clearly, between the accident and the hospital, is smoke rising into a blue, cloudless sky, through a shattered windshield.

“You lost a lot of blood, Kat,” the doctor says, tone not unsympathetic. “We had to do a transfusion.”

“Oh.”

She blinks, a haze of morphling in her preventing her from fully comprehending. Some broken bones. A neck brace. Burns on her face and arms, but not as bad as they first had thought- she won’t need skin grafts.

All small mercies.

Her sister and mama are there, balloons and flowers and hugs a-plenty. Get-well-soon cards from several classmates and family friends.

“You’re lucky to be alive,” her mama murmurs, as the doctor leaves.

“Okay.”

Mama runs her fingers through Kat’s knotted hair, while her sister clings and tells her how much she loves her.

She’s not numb, not beneath the morphling. But she’s so damn tired and her skin itches under the bandages. 

(She can’t comfort her family while they try their hand at comforting her.)

She is washing her hands in the hospital room sink, when she feels a jolt, a compulsion; a chill down her spine and gooseflesh down her arms. She looks in the mirror, and feels in awe, feels a foreign elation. A burst of affection, a warmth. 

She can’t reckon with it, can’t justify it. 

It’s just… her own face. Sloppily braided dark hair. Healing stitches on her cheek, and forehead. Silver eyes, surrounded by a bruise, set in a narrow face. She gulps, leaning in closer, and trying to grasp the sensation. Out-of-body, might be the right term- dissociative, she’d read about once, for Health and Wellness. 

There’s a knock on her door, the nurse doing a check, and as Kat turns, the warmth dissipates.

The nurse comes in not long after, checks her vitals and asks a series of questions.

“My name is Katniss Everdeen.”

That warmth in her chest is back, the hair at the base of her neck stands straight.

She scrubs her hands over her face, focusing on the simple questions the nurse is asking.

“I’m eighteen years old. I’m graduating from PPH12 in Sommen in one week. I’m at Merchant Memorial Hospital.”

In the bathroom that night, she stares at her own reflection, and wonders if maybe that feeling of someone looking over her shoulder- more like looking through her eyes- if maybe….

She fogs up the mirror, and writes her room number. She stares at it, for a time, before scoffing at own ridiculousness, and wiping it away with her towel.

She only has one day left before being discharged, though she’ll miss graduation and the parties that would entail. She can’t say she is particularly disappointed; she’s never been a party person.

She’s awake when the door to her shared hospital room opens. She pays it little mind. The curtain around her bed is pulled taught, her roommate jabbering away on their phone about the food service as if this were fine dining, rather than a hospital. Kat is reading a get well card, this one signed by the whole senior class and class advisors.

There’s a thrumming in her veins, but that might be them weaning her off of the morphling.

Curtain rings scrape against metal, and she barely glances up, the nurse rounds due any minute now. Normally, though, the bubbly nurse who does the day-shift is already bustling with an overwhelming enthusiasm that makes Kat question how exhausted the nurse is at the end of the day.

Maybe it’s a different nurse or a doctor or mama, or- 

The blue eyes that are boring into hers are ones she has only seen in her dreams; she can finally see blonde curls framing them, familiar thick, strong hands brushing through the curls. 

“Pete?” she croaks, certain she’s finally lost her damn mind.

His eyes widen at the sound of his name, lips parting. 

“I found you.” 

A tone of surprise, as if he’d driven all this way, but in expectation of disappointment.

“Peeta,” he introduces himself, edging closer. His hand carefully takes hold of her own. “And… I’ve waited a long time to meet you, Katniss.”

(Her name has never been spoken as sweetly, and her heart has never felt so full.)

[sparklingdust4612]

@everlarkficquestions (there seems to be some problem and tumblr isnt letting me 'ask' people so...)

Hi! I noticed you put an asterisk after some author names in the masterlists. What are those for? Are those for you? or some indication for us?

and...is there a pilot, steward, co-pilot or mile high club everlark fic you know of? Thanks and have a great day :D

[captainseaweedbrains]

Ship: Everlark #48

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

Prompt: Meeting again at a high school reunion AU

Ao3: X

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

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

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

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

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

“Of course he’ll remember.” 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Oh. Uh, sure thing, Dells.” 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Took that long, huh?” 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“High schoolers can be pretty stupid.” 

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

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

She laughed. “Maybe.” 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Of course.” 

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

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

[lovely-tothe-bone]

*Sigh* Someday I'm gonna catch up on all my projects and I'll be able to make cool amazing things for all the stories. In the mean time here's another last minute rec without anything cool to go with it 😕

Two is Better Than One - @justme-kt

Part I || Part II

Rated M (border E imo just for the sexual content)

On a night out with her friends Katniss bumps into a face from her past she had always hoped would be in her future.

This little drabbley-one shot is in the feels vein of @papofglencoe Mile High, which always deserves a reread too. This is a quick dose of flirty fluff smut. Perfect little gem to perk you up and make your chest all light with Everlark crush giddiness.

Kismet4891 best known for Evolution and Linger but all their writing is fantastic. Unfortunately some are unfinished (Linger & D-D-D 😭) but not these.

Putting Him First Rated E 2k words

Post Mockingjay one shot on a rainy morning when Katniss struggles and overcomes a moment of depression to indulge in her connection with Peeta. Emotional, raw, Everlark love & sex. Packs punch so be prepared for feels.

Purpose Served Rated E

Warnings: Major character death(s), underage, abuse, non con/prostitution, suicide

What if Katniss, Peeta, and Gale were planning to run away from District 12 and were found out?

This is super dark and twisted. Please read with caution.

[everlarkficquestions]

Sunday Stumped Day 27

It’s another Sunday Stumped Day.

Sometimes we straight out get stumped.  So each week on Sunday we’ll post of a list of asks that we need your help on.

If you have an answer to any of these shoot us a message/ask/reply with the Post number and the fic number and we’ll add it and give you a shout out with our thanks. Any links you can provide will also be super helpful.

Thanks!

Post 1 , Post 2 , Post 3, Post 4, Post 5, Post 6, Post 7, Post 8, Post 9, Post 10, Post 11, Post 12, Post 13, Post 14, Post 15, Post 16, Post 17, Post 18, Post 19, Post 20, Post 21, Post 22 , Post 23, Post 24, Post 25, and Post 26 can be found here - and there are still fics we need your help with.

434.  kyloknightren said to everlarkficquestions:

this is very vague but any fics where they discuss having kids? obviously post mj i tried looking through lists but it was hard to narrow it down

435.  redhoodhungergames said to everlarkficquestions:

I’m looking for a fic where katniss and peeta have sex in a closet and peetas grandma opens the door on them

FOUND!

A Year of Firsts by redheadedflame

Thank you @nat11901!

436.  redhoodhungergames said to everlarkficquestions:

Fics that K and P do it in public?

FOUND!

Bros Before Ho!Ho!Hos! by papofglencoe

Mile High by papofglencoe

Bullseye by Everylark, papofglencoe

Thank you @papofglencoe!

437.  redhoodhungergames said to everlarkficquestions:

Sorry this is my third ask today 😂. Looking for a fic where katniss use to date gale and then dates peeta. She’s kind of a bad girl. They break up at the end but meet again like 10 years later

FOUND!

A Year of Firsts by Redheadedflame

Thank you @lovely-tothe-bone!

438.  bdoajdbfjfksnsnsk said to everlarkficquestions:

hi! im looking for a fic where katniss has a dream that she and peeta had kids and peeta has just dropped them off at haymitch’s(?) then peeta came back to their bedroom to find katniss rummaging in a box that they keep their sex toys and sexy times ensue including a vibrator and maybe a blindfold(?) then katniss wakes up. i think the fic was miltichapter in Panem, pre-epilogue. i’d be really grateful if u guys can help me find it. thanks!

FOUND!

Stockholm Syndrome by ohalaskayoung

Thank you @lovely-tothe-bone!

439.  lionheartedgirl542 said to everlarkficquestions:

Are there any everlark fics based on The 100? Or a similar premise?

FOUND!

Forsaken by TheMaryScribbler

Thank you @everlarkarchive!

440.  severelymaximumllama said to everlarkficquestions:

Hello!. I`m looking for a Fic. Peeta returns home. He's a chef and will to build a new restaurant with his friends Cinna and Finnick. Katniss is a photographer. Thanks and continue with his great job!

441.  redhoodhungergames said to everlarkficquestions:

Hey. I wanted to ask if there any of the stories that were turned into original works(such as Lovesick) had any references to Everlark?

FOUND!

The Guardian trilogy by @mareebrittenford (who wrote for Everlark as @iamseemaree) has roots as Everlark. The trilogy is completely finished, and you can purchase it on Amazon.

Thank you @papofglencoe!

442.  joshifer4everyone said to everlarkficquestions:

Hello there, Could you please post any fics, where prim is smart, funny or sarcastic or central to the story! I have read few fics, but unable to recollect the names! Appreciate your time!! Thank you!

FOUND!

Outside Chance Universe by Katnissdoesnotfollowback

Thank you @alliswell21!

443.  mmarie20050013 said to everlarkficquestions:

so I think this is a long shot but do you know of a fic where I think Peeta and Gale are friends in college and they go abroad (I think to the middle east?) and Peeta meets Katniss and they get married or something and she comes back to the US with him?

FOUND!

Desert Blossom by Dustwriter, but it has been removed to make into an original screenplay.

Thank you @norbertsmom!

444.  avengers4s said to everlarkficquestions:

hi! i'm looking for this smut fic on fanfictionnet that i read a while ago. it had different AUs in each chapter, e.g. katniss is a singer + peeta is an actor + they're friends with benefits when gale isn't in town, and one where peeta is a werewolf and katniss is the only one to come close and be his friend. i don't remember anything other than i think i read it on ffn and the AUs but it's never specific enough for me to find on google :( can anyone help? thank you!

POSSIBLY!

101 Ways to Say "I Love You" by papofglencoe, sirrah_sirrah

Thank you @papofglencoe!

445.  thisisfunsoenjoy said to everlarkficquestions:

Hi! I’m trying to find a certain wip and had 22 chapters but maybe more by now and it was about how katniss entered a drawing and was paid for by peeta (who lives in the capitol) to be his wife. I only got 8ish chapters in but up to that point they moved to the capitol and they do go back to 12 to visit her family and they were coming closer together by then

FOUND!

Just Like Heaven by lesbianophelia

Thank you @everhutcher and @alliswell21!

Do any of these fics ring a bell? Please let us know! 

[everlarkbirthdaygifts]

Happy Birthday, moviefangal!

Today, we wish Happy Birthday to @moviefangal! We hope you’re having a wonderful, wonderful day, and that your cake was absolutely perfect! To keep your party going a little while longer, the lovely @herainab has written a story just for you!

Title: Karaoke Dream

Gift for: moviefangal who requested “That asshole stole my song at karaoke night” with an everlark twist.

Rating: Mature

Happy birthday! Hope your day is wonderful and hopefully you enjoy my spin on this little take on Everlark and their karaoke.

---

“So we’ll meet at the bus at 6 to head off for dinner." Jo, our trip leader, reminds us. "I'll head in and check us all in and meet you where Thom parks the bus.” She gathers her things and jumps off the bus just as Thom our driver pulls up outside the hostel camping site and lets her out.

Thom easily reverses the bus down throughout the hostel camping site, and we stay on the bus as we wait for Jo. The sun was warm out, and she warned us it could take a while to check in, so we sit and wait while Thom makes fast work of unloading the 35 bags from the bus before he gets to work on cleaning the outside and we stay in the aircon waiting for Jo.

"Oh, it's cobblestone." Madge curses as she steps back onto the bus and sits beside me. She literally brought her whole bedroom with her, and she's dragging the suitcase around and cursing every single staircase she sees or Cobblestone Street she has to wheel her bag over.

“I hope we’re not too far away.” She states as we climb out of the bus with Jo’s arrival. She's a packhorse with her backpack on her back, and her camera bag slung over her shoulders.

“It’s flat I think.” I tell her, craning my neck to see what the street is like.

“Thank fuck.”

“I told you that you need to get in with the guys and get them to carry your bag.” I whisper to her. “Use those blue eyes of yours.”

“But I have a boyfriend.”

"Who's an arsehole and dropped out of the trip." I remind her. He didn't give a reason, but he didn't want to go anymore. I'm pretty sure he's fooling around with some 18-year-old girl. “You don’t have to sleep with them, just thank them with a drink or something else.”

“But that gives the wrong impression.”

"You set the boundaries." I tell her. "Besides, I think Gale boy is keen on you. He's always checking you out and gets nervous talking to you.”

She rolls her eyes. “Yeah right.”

“I’d maybe hang back and see what he does.” I look over my shoulder to see him standing just beside the bus in the shade with a few others “Make sure you grunt and moan a lot and curse the ground as you drag your bag along. He’ll swoop in like a knight in shining armour.”

“I have a boyfriend.”

“Doesn’t mean you have to sleep with him.” She thinks any favour she accepts means she has to sleep with the guy who offers. That’s what her arsehole boyfriend makes her think. She needs rid of him immediately, and I hope 40 days of travelling without him will make her realise that. Will make her realise how beautiful, kind and caring she is and that she deserves the world.

I was glad he dropped out of the trip to give us time to spend together, reminiscing and reconnecting from our high school days. If he were here, it'd be a drag, and she wouldn't be allowed to have any fun or do her own thing.

“OK, I’ll hand you out your keys. We’ll meet here at 6 pm to head for dinner. I'll collect the money from those who haven't paid me yet also." Jo says.

She hands the keys out as she reads down the list and everyone starts to move off slowly.

"312, we've got Katniss, Madge, Jacinta and Delly." Jo reads aloud. Delly is up front and grabs the room keys for us, and we head off in the direction of our cabin.

The ground is a little uneven, and our cabin is on the far side of the site. I'm glad for my luggage choice and throw my pack over my shoulders.

“You right, Madge?” I ask her as we start to follow Delly to our cabin.

"Madge, do you want a hand with your suitcase?" Gale asks her, and I smile to myself.

"Oh, you don't have to." She tells him.

"No, it's fine." He smiles at her, and they walk down the street together, Gale managing his own pack, daypack and then Madge’s oversized suitcase over the uneven ground. "We're right next to each other."

I don't wait up for them and continue on my way, listening to the small talk. I can tell Gale likes Madge and I know she is attracted to him but with her relationship status hanging over her she's closed off and cautious at what she says.

“He likes you.” I claim as soon as the door closes.

“Shush.” She says. “He can probably hear you.”

“Oh, stop being a baby.” I tell her, dumping my things on the floor beside the bunk. “Just, don’t be a stick in the mud.” I sigh. “Please just keep having a good time and don’t ever question anything you do. This is your holiday, your energy, your time and your experience. You only get out what you put in and moping around and thinking what Cato is going to think if you do something isn’t worth it.”

“We’ve been together for four years.”

“I know.” I smile at her, wiping the tears from her eyes. “But sometimes change is as good as a holiday. You’re not the same person I graduated high school with, and I can see how much he is eating away at your soul. My aunt wasted 18 years with a deadbeat guy. I don't want you doing the same thing." She nods her head. "Let's have the time of our lives tonight. I hear there's karaoke." I grin.

We work like ants to get ready for our evening. It’s the first big evening we’ve had out in a week, and everyone is keen to get dressed up and make themselves look a little more human and let loose tonight. There's a tag team for the shower, we crowd around the mirror and help each other as we decide on outfits and do our hair.

“What time do we have?” Jacinta asks.

“5:55.” I tell her.

“Shit.” She cusses, reaching for her mascara.

“You look fine.” Delly tells her as she finishes putting her shoes on.

“I look like a mess.”

“You look spectacular.” Madge reiterates. “Don’t stress.” She tells her, handing her a room key. “I’m heading to the bus if anyone else is ready.”

I follow her and quickly check in with Prim, replying to her message.

“So, are you going to get up and sing at karaoke?” She asks me.

I laugh. "You know me."

“You’re amazing, Katniss and after Barcelona, everyone loved you. They’re hanging out for you to sing again.”

“I was pretty drunk in Barcelona.” I laugh.

"You were, but you were great." She smiles “I’ll come up with you if that makes you feel better.”

“I’d love for you to sing with me.” I hug her.

My first job at uni was at a Japanese restaurant that was also popular on a Thursday, Friday and Saturday night doubling as a karaoke bar. A lot of the uni students would stumble by on a Tuesday night for cheap Tuesday. They'd get a cheap feed, drinks and would usually stick around for karaoke and nothing was more rewarding than watching drunken uni students sing off key and drunkenly sway together as they sang along to the lyrics.

I have fond memories from my days working as a waitress there, the owners were brilliant, the staff were great to work for, and the customers were always fantastic. I got to the stage of being shift supervisor eventually and in charge of close from Tuesday to Thursday night and the staff would usually stick around after the customers had left to have our own sing-a-long and drinks as we cleaned and packed up.

There I established my go-to karaoke playlist.

We had already done karaoke in Barcelona, and I knew it was time for another song in my top 5 as I couldn’t double up again. I was skipping a few going to song number 5.

Drinks are flowing by the time we settle into dinner. Our group takes up the room, and we are happy with our 12 euro jug cocktails and meals.

“Katniss, are you getting up to sing?” One of the girls yells down the table.

"Hell yeah, she is." Madge claims, slamming a shot down in front of me. "Aren't you Kat?" She says, holding her glass up to toast with mine.

I down the shot, shaking my head at the burn of the vodka. “Hell yeah. You all better stay.”

“We aren’t going anywhere.”

We're pretty close to tipsy by the time we eat our dinner and head into the next room where there is a small group gathered already waiting in anticipation for the karaoke night.

“There’ll probably be another Tribute group and a Career group too.” Jo tells us as she sits down at the table beside me. “So it’s going to be a little crazy.”

“You getting up to sing, Jo?” Thresh asks her.

“I don’t ever turn down an opportunity to sing. Why don’t we go up together?” She suggests.

“Deal.” Thresh tells her, clinking his glass.

“So what are we singing?” Madge asks me.

“Latch.” I tell her. “The Disclosure version.”

She nods in approval and orders another jug for us to drink as the room starts to fill. There's music being played for now, Jo and Thresh getting up to be the first to sing.

We’re on our feet when Thresh and Jo take the stage and the familiar sound of ‘A Thousand Miles’ starts, and we go crazy for them, singing along with them and cheering for them when they finish.

“Let’s go line up.” Madge suggests as the line is starting to grow. “Bring your drink.”

We wait in line, singing and dancing along. We wince when those tone-deaf get up on and sing out of time.

“Man I don’t know if they’re wasted or just terrible karaoke singers.” Madge says to me.

"I'd say a bit of both." I wince at the note being missed. "No, they are just terrible."

“This bring back memories from the karaoke bar?”

I nod, feeling a little sad that I haven't been there for two years now, having since moved on to my career. "I miss it now and then. They were my little family. I miss especially our closing shifts."

“I bet you do.” She smiles. “Oh well, make them proud again tonight.”

"I will."

A blond guy four ahead of us takes the stage by himself. Madge and I chat, showing each other memes on our phone to pass the silence in between the singers.

“Gale is looking at you.” I tell her as casually as I can.

“He is not.”

"In five seconds do a casual sweep of our table, and you'll see." I tell her. "5,4,3,2 and 1."

Madge casually looks up from her phone and scans the room, her eyes quickly going over our group and our table where Gale is focused on her.

“He likes you.” I tell her for the thousandth time.

“He doesn’t.”

“Madge, he does. I wished you give him the time of day cause he’s a nice guy.”

“He doesn’t even live near me.”

“You’re already jumping to….” The familiar tune of Latch begins breaking me from my sentence. “That arsehole stole my karaoke song.” I swing around to the stage to see the culprit. “Fucking arsehole. I was going to sing that song.” I whine, trying to make him out through the stage lights. "For fuck sakes."

“Katniss, it’s fine.” Madge tells me. “We can sing your next song.”

"I don't want to. I wanted to sing this song." I tell her as Blondie sings it. He doesn't butcher it and is on time. "That arsehole stole my song."

“It’s just a song.”

I know I'm overreacting, but this was one of my songs. I've had my heart set on singing this since we left Barcelona last week.

“Come on, we’ll sing Dancing Queen or something.”

‘Now I got you in my space I won’t let go of you Got you shackled in my embrace I’m latching on to you’

I look up at the stage again and death glare the song stealer. He has no idea who I am but he’ll be the arsehole who stole my karaoke song.

“Have a nice evening.” I say to the last customers who walk out the door a little tipsy. Thursday karaoke has picked up again with the warmer weather and we’re encountering a lot of work groups coming for dinner and staying to sing and have a laugh.

I've been the shift supervisor for just over six months now, and I love it. I know this place like the back of my hand, I have the confidence to fix any issue, to direct staff and deal with the few complaints we may have. The team repays me with their enthusiasm and attention to detail, and we always have a good night. I think most of them are excited for our close as we have our staff karaoke party.

I lock the door after them and watch my team move around like ants cleaning up the remaining tables, sweeping and mopping the floors and having the back of house tidied. It's just the wait staff, barman and dishwasher remaining, the cooks left when we finished our dinner service at 9.

“What’s your poison of choice tonight?” Peeta asks me from behind the bar.

“Something sweet I think.”

“I don’t know how you drink so much sweet stuff.” He comments, turning his nose up with a big smile. “I can’t do it.”

“We all didn’t grow up in a bakery.” I tease.

“I suppose that’s true.” He laughs. “Do you trust me to make you something?”

“Always. You’ve never let me down.” I smile. “I’m just going to take the money to the office.”

“Do you want to ask the rest of them what they’re having?”

“Sure thing.”

I lock the money in the safe, happy its balanced for the night and lock up the office before checking in on the rest of the staff. The waiter and waitress are helping the dishwasher with the remaining glasses and jugs and also starting on the floors.

I get their orders, bringing them to Peeta who has finished my cocktail and presents it to me on the bar.

“What is it?”

“Try it.”

I take a sip, trying to guess the flavours of this concoction. He liked trying them out on me before he added them to the specials menu the next week.

“Strawberry something?”

“Strawberry mojito.”

“This is nice.” I compliment him. “I could have a few of these.”

“I can drive you home if you want to have a few.” He laughs as he opens the beers and the can of Coke.

“Oh no, we have our exam tomorrow, don’t want to be foggy for that.”

“We’ll be fine.” He reminds me. “You’ve had a great tutor and haven’t fallen behind once.”

“Well, tomorrow might be the day.”

“Then that means I’ve failed you as a student.”

"Well, if you actually tutored me in statistics and not in your impressive movie collection."

“Hey, I didn’t hear any complaints from you.”

I stick my tongue out at him, and he laughs.

I got him the job when we returned last year for the semester. He was in my class, one I had to do to pick up the units for my degree in Environmental Science. So I enrolled in stats and Peeta has been helping me throughout the semester as he was finishing his degree in business management that he was cruising through. We’d partnered together on assignments and become fast friends.

They were in need of a bartender at work and I asked him to come and meet the owner that afternoon, and he started working that evening. He's boosted business, and we're busy every night of the week, especially with the uni students who eat for cheap on a Tuesday night.

The three of them come out from the back, and I take the broom from Brody. "You're up Ben." I tell him, pushing him towards the karaoke machine.

He puts up a small fight but doesn’t complain as he searches for his song and starts singing his go-to of Michael Jackson.

It’s our little routine. We sing. One of us sweeps the front, and the other follows behind with the mop. We dance as we close, we sing, and we laugh.

I sweep the floor, close to the bar singing along to Billie Jean and find myself in Peeta’s arms as we dance, failing the moonwalk and any other dance move we try.

‘Billie Jean is not my lover She's just a girl who claims that I am the one” Peeta sings as he moonwalks around me.

“I think you wished you were Michael Jackson.” I laugh as a sip my drink. He nods, does a spin and crotch grab as he finishes the chorus. “Don’t go too hard.”

Ben finishes, leaving for the night and Amy and Jax take the microphones and start their usual duet.  

“They are so into each other.” I comment as I lean against the bar and Peeta sips his bar.

“Oh, young love.”

“They’re a year younger than us.” I laugh.

"Still, they're cute. It's like they are 14 years old." He says. "They blush and go shy around each other. They’ll get together eventually. I mean, they’re singing High school musical songs together. That’s true love.”

“Stop it. I wish I had someone to sing high school musical with.” I admit.

“Well, we can sing high school musical if you want.”

I turn and smile at him and see him smiling slightly.

“It’s fine. I’ve got my karaoke playlist.”

“So what will it be tonight? Torn, Dancing Queen, Believe, Since you’ve been gone or will you bring out some classic Queen?”

“I’ve got something new.”

“You do?”

"Yep, I think this will go on my list."

“You're branching out. I love it." He smirks as he drinks his beer.

“Thought you would.” I smile.

The two lovebirds finish their song and Peeta pushes me forward. “Time for you to sing, songbird.”

I bite my lip to stop myself from smiling too much like an idiot and try to compose myself before I have to face him. It's a song he got me into recently on our many study and tutoring sessions. It has always happened to be on in the car if he drives me to work and he's made me obsessed. When the music plays I see the smile on his face, and I try not to watch him for too long, or I'll know I'll go red.

“Now I got you in my space I won’t let go of you Got you shackled in my embrace I’m latching on to you”

I end with massive applause like usual and thank them all. Amy and Jax leave as it's nearing 1 am, knowing it's time to head on out as well.

“So, is Latch going to become one of your go to’s now?” He asks me as he shoves his hands into his coat pockets and leads me to his car.

“I think so.” I chuckle. “You think it’s a good karaoke song?”

"Yeah, I do." He smiles. "I really do. I mean, anything you sing you nail, so you don't have to worry about what you choose." He tells me as Ariana Grande comes on in the car.

“Thanks.” I’m thankful it’s dark in the car so he can’t see my reddened cheeks. “I think that’s going to be second on my list.”

“I’ve never met someone with who actually has a karaoke list.” He laughs. “They usually have one song and just stick with it. You have a top 5."

I laugh cause it sounds a little ridiculous. “You forgot my top 5 duet list as well.”

“You have a top 5 duet list? Why haven’t I heard this?”

"Because I only duet when I've found the best duet partner, and I haven't found them just yet."

"Well, I hope for you're sake you do." He smiles. "Or you humour me one night and allow me to join you. If you allow it?"

“I’ll allow it.”

"Can't believe the arsehole stole my song." I mutter as he finishes the song to a wild applause from his group.

Blondie bows, lapping up the attention and jumping down the stairs to be surrounded by his group who hand him his beer.

“Don’t worry about him.” Madge tells me. “Do you want another drink?”

“Sure, thanks.”

She heads off to buy us two drinks while we wait in line, knowing it'll be a while before we can go up. I'm sulking big time over my stolen song and don't know if I want to back out because of it. I'm acting childish, and I know our group will be disappointed if I back down now.

“Let’s sing some Ariana Grande.” I suggest to Madge when she comes back with my drink. I've gotten over my tantrum slightly, and I don't want to put a downer on the evening. Especially Madge's when I told her to lighten up and live a little. I want her enjoying herself tonight, and if I'm not enjoying myself, she'll tap out and go back to the hostel early. “One last time?”

“Hell yeah.” She states as we clink our glasses together and drink.

It's our time to shine, and we step up on stage, grabbing our mics and putting in our request. Our group cheers us on, and I smile over at Madge as we get ready to sing.

I feel the music, enjoying the moment and the fact I'm standing up in some Florence bar singing in front of close to a hundred strangers.

Majority of the crowd dance and sing with each other, swaying to the beat and letting the alcohol do the talking.

A body emerges from the crowd. It's blondie the song stealer who makes it his mission to see who is singing this tune. A familiar song. A song that brings up memories of what seems like a lifetime ago.

“So one last time I need to be the one who takes you home One more time I promise after that, I'll let you go”

I see who the song stealer is and I’m shocked. It all makes sense now.

“Baby I don't care if you got her in your heart All I really care is you wake up in my arms One last time I need to be the one who takes you home”

I stuff up the lyrics, lose my timing and am thankful for Madge who keeps up the pace. I match her, keep the pace and try to not think of the moment we last saw each other. That Saturday night in the car park behind the restaurant. That moment after graduation. The end of our uni chapter and the start of the rest of our lives.

We were going different ways, new careers and experiences to live. He was going back to his hometown to work in his parents' bakery while he painted and decorated the cakes. I had a local government job. We were living on opposite ends of the state. Separated by distance and long stretches of highway. We broke our promise to each other and we both knew our goodbye in the car park was goodbye.

I can feel the knot of anticipation in my stomach. I can feel his hands on my body. The feel of his lips on my own. My heartbeat pounding inside my chest. I can still feel the wetness of his tears that I wiped them away.

I can’t abandon ship just yet, despite the emotions taking over my body. I do my best to pull my composure together and finish the song without doing something stupid like cry.

I turn to Madge for the ending and sing it, focusing on her.

“One last time I need to be the one who takes you home”

“What the hell?” Madge asks me as she takes my hand and we head down the stairs of the stage.

"I don't know, but I need a bathroom."

“Come on.”

She sneaks me off to the ladies room away from him.

“Have I seen a ghost?” I ask her as I sit on the toilet seat.

“No.” Madge tells me.

"He stole my karaoke song." I say to Madge. She doesn't know of the significance of my karaoke list or how it was Peeta that introduced me to this song. "I mean, it's not my song, but he stole it from me. He knew."

"I don't think he knew you were here, Kat. I think it was just a coincidence.” She says to me through the stall. “Did you know he was travelling?”

"I did, but I didn't think he was here in Italy the same time as me. I thought he was doing his own thing and bumming around."

"He's a Career." Madge laughs.

"I can't believe he went travelling with the Careers when he could have been a tribute." I laugh. "Bloody Careers." It was a running joke among our group, especially when we ran into the Careers. There was a slight rivalry between the two travelling groups, and the Careers had a reputation compared to the tribute travellers.

I wash my hands, check my hair and makeup and inhale a deep breath.

“Time to face the music.” I exhale as Madge stands beside me.

“Let’s go.”

I hesitate for a moment but follow Madge out of the ladies towards the party. I scan the room for Peeta but am pulled around the corner and against the wall.

Peeta stands in front of me, just staring at me unsure if he’s seen a ghost or not.

“Katniss, you alright?” Madge asks me.

"I'm fine. I'll catch you later." I tell her, and she walks off to join our group. A few who watch with curious eyes at the blond stranger that's pushed me against a wall and standing inches away from my body.

“I wasn’t sure if it was you up there.” He finally gets out. “I thought someone must have spiked my drink or I was hallucinating.” He breathes out. “Am I dreaming?”

“No, you’re not.”

“What are you doing here?”

“I could ask you the same question.” He smiles, biting his lip to stop the smile from growing too wide. He's like a schoolboy. A nervous schoolboy. The same nervous schoolboy that stood before me almost two years ago and poured out his heart to me. But I try not to think of that and instead focus on getting up him. “You arsehole, you stole my karaoke song.” I say, hitting his chest.

"In my defence, I didn't think you'd be here."

“You knew that was one of my songs.”

“And it’s been my song since we left each other.” He admits shyly to me with a tear escaping his eye.

I feel my heartbeat pick up as I stand in front of him. I can feel his pain, and despite the façade of him lapping up the attention, it hurts him to sing this song.

“How drunk are you?” I ask him.

“I picked the Disclosure version for a reason.” He tells me. “I’d be a ball of tears if I sang the acoustic version.”

“You’re still an arsehole for singing that song.”

“I’m sorry.” He smiles and chuckles slightly. “How can I make it up to you?”

“I think I should be asking you that question.”

He shakes his head. “Life happened, it was neither of our faults. I mean, I should have tried harder. I was scared. Scared of it not working and having a broken heart.”

“But isn’t having a broken heart count for something? Count for having a go?” I put to him.

“I’ve missed you so much, Katniss.” He tells me. “Come on, I owe you a drink.”

He buys us both a drink, and we stand off to the side where it’s a little quieter than at the tables in front of the stage.

Flashbacks from our last moments together fill my mind. The rain pouring. The bass of music coming from some club nearby. Roaming hands. Discarded clothes. Bare bodies. The leather of the backseat. Ragged breathing. Moans of pleasure.

His hand rests on my hip, his thumb drawing circles, reminiscent of that night. I can’t hold back the feelings for too much longer. I want him in my arms. Want him to cover my body with his own. Feel his lips on my own lips.

“Katniss, I should have tried harder. But you’ve been worth the wait. I made a pact with myself that when I returned home from this trip that I was going to throw all my cards on the table and see if you wanted to try dating. I’d have found a way to make it work. I’d relocate if it meant being with you.” He tells me. “If you’d allow it?”

“You still stole my karaoke song.” I tell him with a smirk.

"Well, I didn't know…"

“Shut up.”

“What?”

“Just shut up and kiss me.”

I lean up on my tiptoes, tired of playing games and initiate what I want. I've never been one to make the first move, but he is frustrating with nervous talking. I place my lips on his firmly, shutting him up.

“Oh.” He says swallowing the lump in his throat.

“Just kiss me.” I demand. “There’s time for talking later.”

He gets the idea and kisses me back, pushing me against the wall with his body pressing tightly against mine, as we get lost in the kiss. The feel of each other after two years.

“I’ve missed you so much.” I murmur against his lips.

“Me too.” He murmurs back as his lips trail across my cheek and my jaw.

I can hear our names being cheered from the tables in between karaoke songs and Peeta holds his middle finger up to them, which gets a round of applause and more cheering. I bury my face into his neck, and he just holds me in his arms.

“I do have one problem.�� I whisper.

“And what is that?”

“You’re a Career.” I laugh as I appear from his neck.

“Guilty.” He admits, holding his hands up in the air. “Sorry, I was just following my mate.”

“I’ll let you off for now.” I warn him.

“I’m glad.” He smiles and leans his forehead against mine. “Am I still the arsehole who stole your karaoke song?”

“Yes.”

“Can I make it up to you with some gelato? I happen to know a place with the best gelato. It’s Nigella Lawson approved.”

“Well then, it must be good.” I smile. “Let me just tell my friend.”

“So, it went well with the arsehole who stole your karaoke song?” Madge laughs as I embrace her.

“Well, so far. He’s taking me for gelato.” I tell her. “Will you be right?”

"Yeah, I think everyone will be out for a while yet." She smiles. "And Gale promised to take me home when I was ready."

“Look after her.” I tell Gale.

“I will.”

“Promise me. She’s my best friend.”

“I pinkie promise.”

I smile at him and then at Madge. “I’ll message you when I’m heading home.”

She embraces me one last time. “Go, enjoy your gelato date with blondie the arsehole who stole your karaoke song.”

I smirk at her, grab my bag and say goodbye to my trip leader before I find Peeta and take his hand in mine.

…

Three years later

“I think I knew from that moment they left the bar together that I should start preparing my speech. I mean, they were making out against a wall and then left for gelato. I mean, what type of guy makes out with a girl for ten minutes then takes her out for gelato? Especially a 23-year-old male?” She laughs as she speaks to the room. “I knew that when she messaged me on her way back to the hostel at 6 am that it went well and that she didn't hate the arsehole who stole her karaoke song. She advises me there was no funny business that night. It is still up for discussion. Especially since she didn't show up at the hostel until that morning.” She laughs. “But we are here today, celebrating the marriage of them both so it must have gone very well." She laughs and turns to us, wiping the tears from her cheek. "I'm going to ruin my beautiful makeup." She laughs. I see the sparkle of the diamond on her ring finger and smile, cuddling up to Peeta even more. "That night, both of our lives changed. I mean not changed, the next chapter of our lives began. We thought those six weeks away was our life-changing experience, but it was those moments within our trip that started the next stage of our lives. Thank you for inviting me on that trip. It's a trip I'll cherish right until we're old and grey and surrounded by our grandchildren who ask how we met their grandfathers.” She smiles through the tears. “To my best friend, Katniss, may you’re life be filled with many great moments to come with the fellow who stole your karaoke song.” She laughs. “Cheers.”

I embrace Madge, kissing her cheek and thanking her.

"I now call Katniss and Peeta up who have a few words they'd like to say." Finnick calls for us.

I was stepping out of my comfort zone and speaking in front of everyone gathered here today. The room was made up with the close friends from our trips three years ago who we've stayed in contact with and many we've used to crash on their couches as we've done our travelling the last couple of years.

"Wow, this is fucking nerve-racking," I admit to everyone in the audience. "Sorry kids, Aunty Katniss didn't say a naughty word."

“She’s just a little drunk.” Peeta tells them all with a cheeky grin. His nieces and nephews sit front and centre with their mothers and laugh at me. I'm not drunk. Just my nervousness has gotten the better of me.

“Aunt Katniss.” Patrick exclaims, rolling his eyes. “Not again.”

This breaks the tension, and I’m silently thanking Peeta’s 9-year old nephew for helping us. "Thanks Pat." I wink at him. "Peeta and I would like to thank everyone for joining us tonight. We're fortunate to have so many people in our lives, and we're very grateful for you all making the effort and travelling far and wide to be here with us today. We both made some wonderful friends three years ago and its proof with you all being here today. Despite half of you being Careers." I laugh, taking a dig at Peeta.

“What Katniss means is that she’s just jealous she wasn’t a career.”

"Oh no, Tribute for life. Am I right?" I jab, getting a rise from my trip mates. "It's just a shame you weren't a tribute because we could have been a tribute love story.”

“Or a Career love story.” He shrugs. “Jokes and travel companies aside, we’re proof that both companies can get along and find love after putting our differences aside.” He smiles at me. “As most of you know, we met in Uni taking a stats class. Katniss who is hopeless with numbers begged me to be her tutor, and that began our story. Nothing too romantic just the typical boy meets girl at uni love story.” He laughs. "She got me a job at the Japanese restaurant where we usually ended our shifts with a round of karaoke. She had never sung in front of me, in those few months of studying together. The first time she did sing, I knew I was a goner. I swear the birds fell silent and that’s a moment I’ll never forget.”

I blush slightly and quickly find where I’m up to on the speech. He has gone off the speech. "Where am I up too?"

“Here.” He points.

“Yes. Right. We parted ways when uni finished. Our careers and lives were going in different directions. But three years ago, in a Florence restaurant, this guy was on my radar as the arsehole that stole my karaoke song, and I was going to hunt him during the night and maybe throw a beer over him. That was until he came out of the crowd and I realised who exactly it was. It wasn’t some arsehole; it was Peeta, Peeta who rated every song choice, who cheered for me every time I sang. The boy who introduced me to that very song so knew I couldn't be mad at him for too long. And I wasn't. It was like no time or distance had passed, and we were those two 21-year-olds working late at the Japanese restaurant who would laugh, sing and dance with each other." I say smiling.

“So in honour of our fabulous relationship and because we knew this wouldn’t be a party without some karaoke. Katniss and I will be singing the first song we sang together. This song came about hitting shuffle on the machine, and this is the song it came up with." He laughs. "So please enjoy a compilation of our relationship in film reel while we embarrassingly sing our duet song.”

His brother makes fast work of setting it all up with him ready to hit play on the instrumental version of our duet song and playing the video slideshow he made for us.

“You ready?” He asks me, lowering the microphone away from his mouth and squeezing my hand.

I nod with a wide smile. “Let’s do this.”

“Would you dance if I asked you to dance? Or would you run and never look back? Would you cry if you saw me crying? And would you save my soul tonight?”

We sing to our guests who cheer for us. There's a little bit of a medley within the song of our karaoke hits from Dancing Queen, to Disney classics, 90's rock, some recent pop songs, Elvis, 80's pop and then more of Hero before it fades into Under Pressure for a few beats before it turns more upbeat into the 90's tune of Ice Ice Baby.

“Yo, Katniss, let’s kick it.” Peeta sings pointing at me. He smiles widely because he knows we have pulled off the announcement.

“Our first baby. We’re announcing our first baby Our first baby We’re announcing our first baby’ We sing, Peeta caressing my stomach as our recent ultrasound picture appears at the end of the slideshow with the caption

‘Our karaoke duet is turning into a trio in early October'

 We watch the reaction of our friends and family and Peeta whispers in my ear, with his arm around quickly before our family and friends surround us.

"Bet you're glad I'm the arsehole who stole your karaoke song?"

"Every day." I smile up at him and kiss the corner of his mouth just as I'm pulled into an embrace by my family.

[thgfanfictionlibrary]

Mature Rated Fics Masterlist (22)

Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 / Part 5 / Part 6 / Part 7 / Part 8 / Part 9 / Part 10 / Part 11 / Part 12 / Part 13 / Part 14 / Part 15 / Part 16 / Part 17 / Part 18 / Part 19 / Part 20 / Part 21 /

Created: December 16th, 2023

Last Checked:------

Little Deer, Little Sun, Little Coincidence-orphan_account (ao3) Summary: Katniss is less than enthused when Prim all but forces her to spend the evening at the fair with Johanna instead of with the twins, especially when Johanna's friend-of-a-friend joins them under the Ferris wheel. That is, until she recognizes this friend-of-a-friend: Peeta Mellark, the personable boy who went away to some fancy, big-city college six years ago. Obviously there's some catching-up to do, and more than can be done on a Ferris wheel, too, but being a single mother for nearly five years has left her a bit rusty in the flirtation department.

Miles Cross-Mejhiren (ao3) Summary: ‘And they that wad their true-love win / At Miles Cross they maun bide.’ Katniss holds Peeta through a critical episode, paralleling Janet in the old Scottish ballad of Tam Lin (often told as a fairy tale in prose form). “Miles Cross” is the crossroads where Janet pulled her lover from his horse and, by holding him through his many frightening transformations, won him from the fairies. Canon oneshot, post-MJ; written for the THG Fairy Tale Fic Challenge.

Rebound Girl-Diana_Flynn (ao3) Summary: Katniss Everdeen only goes for only one type of man. It doesn’t matter how tall he is, the color of his hair, or even his personality. What she wants is the man fresh out of a relationship. She likes being that temporary girl the guy uses to lick the wounds of his bruised heart. Too bad Peeta Mellark changes everything for her.

Refuel, Restore, Realign-JennaGill (ao3) Summary: Peeta and Katniss take a chance they missed in high school, changing life paths and testing family loyalties. “No son, it’s a family business. And blue means loyalty, family loyalty. It means obligation. It means duty. Values we Everdeens and Hawthornes hold high.” Mr. Everdeen takes a deep breath and looks me over once more. “I can see from your expression that you’re not following me son, forget the damn sign. It means my daughter will not date you. Katniss’ path is not with you.”

The Dreadful Beauty-Diana_Flynn (ao3) Summary: She watches him, the beautiful blonde boy who has become a fixture at the bar/brothel she buses tables at. He just sits there and waits, and she wishes she knew what gave him that chip on his shoulder. Mutt is her name, and no one cares to remember what her real one is, or even notice her. She doesn’t care either, as long as she makes ends meet . But her life will change when that boy with so much to hide notices her. Everlark Fanfiction Inspired by East of Eden. Takes place in World War I Era, Monterey CA.

The Mockingjay and the Mutt-Abagail_Snow (ao3) Summary: While taming a hijacked Peeta in District Thirteen, Katniss comes to understand a side of him that she had never allowed herself to see. Loosely based on Beauty and the Beast.

The Need for Speed-Peetabreadgirl (ao3) Summary: Race car driver, Peeta Mellark, is chasing his first racing title, but along the bumpy road he ends up lost, stuck in Panem Springs where he meets an enchanting, silver-eyed trophy of a different kind.

The Unexpected Message-Diana_Flynn (ao3) Summary: Years after the war has ended Katniss has a fight with Peeta, but she finds an a gift that changes her perspective.

This is Halloween-bubblegum1425 (ao3) Summary: Katniss Everdeen has been in love with her best friend, Peeta Mellark, for nearly as long as she'd known him. They'd grown together, carrying on their yearly Halloween tradition of watching The Nightmare Before Christmas and other scary movies, but this year was going to be different. This year, Katniss is finally going to use their time together to tell Peeta how she feels…if he doesn't ruin her plans first. College Everlark. Modern AU

We will call this place our home-JLaLa (ao3) Summary: “She closed her eyes, trying to hold in the disappointing sting of being duped. This man was indeed Peeta Mellark, her husband.” An arranged married in three parts. Everlark.

[wildlyglittering]

Organising Myself

I am writing this mainly to fix my brain into my head and to try and: 

a) remind myself of what I have written and;

b) record down my plans of what I aim to write

I am sort of hoping that by writing down b) and putting it out into the ether it will give me the much needed kick up the bum in terms of motivation to actually write the damn things. My rationale is that if it is out there then I am making a commitment to actually do it. 

I have tons of ideas and some I may have to let slide but this is what I’ve done so far/ aim to do so far. 

I’m only an itty bitty writer so I’m not expecting anyone to be interested (if you are then that will definitely help with the motivation) but this is more for well, organising myself and keeping myself on track. 

I guess I sort of write for two fandoms now. Everything I post on Tumblr I also post on A03 here: https://archiveofourown.org/users/writinginthedust

So, here is what I have written. It’s not much, but it’s a start. 

Everlark

Four drabbles written as part of D12 Drabbles:-

Before the Moment - "Suitcase” prompt

In Reverse - “First Date” prompt

Once - “Caught red handed” prompt

The Wedding - “Wedding” prompt 

One submission to The Everlark Games Christmas Challenge 2016. It won, so that is awesome!

The Christmas Gift

Four pieces for Everlark Birthday Gifts:-

The Things We Do For Love - arranged marriage request

Two for Two - fluff piece request

Into the Woods - smut request

Christmas Countdown - Everlark with toddlers request

Four (it seems to be the magic number) drabbles, imaginatively titled. Seriously, if someone wants to help me title those darn things let me know. 

Untitled Drabble #1 - an Everlark one night stand that doesn’t go as expected

Untitled Drabble #2 - a Father’s Day themed drabble

Untitled Drabble #3 - where Peeta really doesn’t want to be living in his parent’s basement anymore

Untitled Drabble #4 - based on the prompt ‘you’ve moved into the house next to my mom’s and she has you doing her housework.’

Nessian

The Threads That Bind Us - based off the idea that Cassian is being introduced to Nesta’s existence one painful moment at a time

To the Victor the Spoils - Cassian’s experiences in the Illyrian training camps

In the Darkness of the Sea - a Nesta angst piece reflecting on what it was like in the cauldron

Amongst the Archives - when Feyre and Rhys start reading notes from Cassian to Nesta that really aren’t intended for their eyes

You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know - Cassian and the entirety of the universe work something out before Nesta does

So, here are my plans. Plans I am desperate to commit to and so by writing this down for the eyes of others to see I am hoping it will keep me on the path! Obviously more may get added on because I am An Idiot. 

In no particular order:

Everlark

Untitled Drabble - based on prompt ‘my kid just shot a bottle rocket into your window’

Untitled Drabble - based on prompt ‘we’re both in the vegetable aisle and I just burst into tears while staring at the cabbages’

Artemis Rising - artist Peeta and gallery visitor Katniss, where some of the pieces look a little familiar to her eyes...

What Goes Around - technically this is something I started for Everlark fic exchange based on a college AU prompt. My plan is to definitely continue this one! 

Reformation - gain something I started for the Everlark fic exchange based on an Everlark historical AU. I have this outlined out, I just need to write it!

Trick or Treat - continuation of something I wrote for Halloween a couple of years ago

Untitled WIP - based on victor Peeta and seam Katniss married to Gale

The Wrong Boy - Katniss making choices. Or not. 

Untitled Drabble #4 continuation - I’m gonna do it

Everlark Birthday Gift for September - I’m actually gonna have to do it

Christmas Everlark Piece for 2018- so far I have done something for Everlark each Christmas and I don’t want to stop now

Nessian

TBC #1 - a destructive Nesta POV piece

TBC #2 - pregnant Nesta where Cassian isn’t taking the news as well as could be expected...

TBC #3 - Azriel and Nesta as friends, based on a prompt from a while ago

Surprise Party - yep. Where everyone gets a surprise. Modern au. 

The Six That Came Before - Cassian reflection on the six women that came into Cassian’s life

Untitled WIP - modern au where Cassian and Nesta are exes and Cassian starts seeing someone new

Mile High - a modern au with Cassian as a pilot & Nesta as one of his first class passengers

In the Garden, Among the Flowers - Nessian viewed through the eyes of others

It doesn’t seem like a lot but it feels like a lot especially as I take about a trillion years to do anything. 

I am desperately trying to get back into the writing malarkey and will also take any prompts if anyone wants me to write anything as it might just inspire me! 

[lemonluvgirl]

Valentine’s Day Short

(A Christmas for 3 Outtake) 

Rating: E

Here’s a little Everlark P+K+P holiday outtake! Hope you all like it! Thank you to @heathersaid​ for coming in last minute to beta on this! You’re awesome heather! Also read on AO3 as part of the Everlark for 3 series!

Peeta tapped nervously on the steering wheel, waiting for the light to turn red. He glanced at the clock on the dash. The time was 6:22. 

He was already more than twenty minutes late. His girlfriend was going to be upset.

The light turned green an eternity later and he continued to drive. He had to remind himself not to speed. He didn't want to be delayed further by getting a ticket, and his drive home was full of speed traps.

Five minutes later he pulled up to the small green American craftsman, still covered in a hearty dusting of February snow, that he now called home. He had moved in a little over a month ago. At first it had been strange not living above the bakery anymore. It added an extra fifteen minutes to his morning routine. And another fifteen minutes coming home. 

Peeta put the car in park and turned off the engine. He pulled his coat on in a hurry, grabbed his belongings, and practically bounded out of the car and up to the front door. He wasn’t particularly fond of the lengthened wait time he had to endure before he could get home and relax. 

He slipped his key into the lock one-handed as he balanced the large box of Valentine’s day specialty cakes (that would hopefully be welcome surprises), and opened the door with barely contained excitement. He had spent an inordinate amount of time baking and decorating them to resemble boxes of Valentine's day chocolates.  

 He had been looking forward to coming home all day, and revealing the cakes, so those extra fifteen minutes on top of having to close late had really gotten on his nerves during the drive home. 

But there were benefits. Sometimes the added time helped build up anticipation when he was coming home. Like right now. He had been planning this Valentine’s Day celebration for weeks. He had hoped to be here in time to help with dinner, but he guessed that was probably hoping for too much. 

Peeta shrugged out of his coat and hung it up on the coat rack. The house was pleasantly warm and it smelled like something good was cooking but he didn't hear the tell-tale hustle and bustle of a busy kitchen. He guessed he had missed his chance to help cook. Peeta sighed inwardly, hating that on Valentine's day of all days he hadn't been able to whip up something special for his heart's true love. 

He was setting the cake box down on the coffee table when he heard some small sounds floating in from the kitchen. It sounded like his girlfriend’s voice, but it was a tad too breathy and high to be coming from a regular conversation.

In fact, he couldn’t make out any words.It was just a jumble of vowels strung together. 

Peeta crept up as quietly as he could, which for him wasn’t very quiet. But she must have been too wrapped up in whatever she was doing because she didn’t hear him enter the kitchen at all.

Katniss was pushed up against the fridge, the cute little red dress with a floral print she was wearing was rucked up around her waist, exposing miles of her smooth, well-shaped, tan legs. Her head was thrown back, her mouth slightly open as she moaned. Peeta’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. 

“Oh, yeah, right there babe!” she cried as she got her neck nibbled on, at the same time she was getting fingered into oblivion. 

Peeta stood there and just watched for a minute as a head of blond, slicked-back, ashen waves, belonging to the man who was kissing and fingering Katniss, traveled lower, pulling one of the little ties of her dress’s shoulder straps undone with his teeth so he could kiss the skin at her collarbone and the rounded tops of her breasts. There was a nice high blush settling over her chest. Her thighs were trembling already, which meant she was close. Peeta wondered how long they had been at it.

 He surveyed the rest of the kitchen quickly. There were remnants of a meal cooked and already plated, probably tucked away in the warming tray under the oven. Katniss' black little high heels lay discarded on the floor, one near the kitchen island, and one near the fridge right next to the leg of the gray sweatpants the blond guy had on. 

Peeta took him in for a moment. He was average height, but stocky and well-built. His shoulders and arms were well-developed and could be seen straining through the fabric of the comfortable white t-shirt he was wearing.  His waist was trim, and he had a decent looking ass for a guy. Peeta wondered for a minute if his ass was as nicely rounded and firm as the other man's.  

“Looks like you started without me,” Peeta announced loudly, interrupting them. 

Katniss’ pretty gray eyes opened and took in the sight of Peeta standing in the doorway. They flashed like something hot, the look shooting right through him. 

“You’re late,” Katniss replied, a hint of annoyance showing through in her voice. 

“Really late,” his brother Piers added as he looked at Peeta over his shoulder, right before turning around and lowering his mouth to Katniss’ chest, nosing down the front of her dress slowly to expose more of her. 

“It's Valentine’s Day. The bakery was swamped,” Peeta said in explanation, his eyes glued to the swath of tantalizing golden skin that was being revealed inch-by-inch as his brother continued his exploration of their girlfriend’s beautiful body. The other tie came undone underneath Piers’ fingers, and Peeta swore when he realized what was under her red dress. 

She wasn’t even wearing a bra, for goodness sake. Katniss didn’t respond to Peeta’s excuse, instead she just let out a low moan as Piers’ tongue darted out to tease her already hard nipple. Then, a second later, Piers ripped off her tiny, red lacy underwear and threw them in Peeta’s direction. 

Peeta felt a rush of blood travel through him, as he caught the underwear in hand. He didn’t feel embarrassed when he brought them up to his face to inhale his girlfriend’s scent. She smelled delicious, and she was very wet judging by the state of her panties, and the little sounds she was letting out as Piers worked her into a frenzy. The sight and the smell of her got him hard fast. 

 Even after all these months it was still shocking the way his body reacted to seeing his brother’s hands and mouth on the woman he loved. Instead of jealousy, he felt his heart pick up and start racing. His eyes widened to take in the sight of Katniss being turned on, and getting off to his twin brother’s ministrations. Just a minute later, Katniss was shaking and panting as her first orgasm of the night rushed through her. 

“Fuck, you guys couldn’t wait 20 minutes?” Peeta asked, in a voice that betrayed how hot and bothered he was. Usually he liked to be the one to make Katniss come first with his hand, Piers usually liked to use his mouth on her.  Peeta knew they were doing this on purpose. 

“You couldn’t have Antonio close up? Like you said you would? He doesn’t even have a date for Valentines!” Katniss finally spoke up as she gripped the back of Piers' neck and held his face securely to her breast. She began to rock her hips against his hand, shamelessly wringing out a few aftershocks. 

The sight was so erotic, and her voice was so gruff with arousal and anger that Peeta began to peel away his clothes. His aching cock was straining hard against the material of his slacks and begged for release. 

“He found one last minute, so I told him I’d close,” Peeta mumbled as he unbuttoned his shirt. He fumbled with a few buttons when Piers switched his mouth to Katniss’ other breast and she cried out sharply, throwing her head back against the fridge in ecstasy. 

Piers’ chuckled a second later. “Bro, how many times do I have to tell you? You are too nice for your own damn good,” Piers added before going back to licking and sucking on Katniss’ perfect tits. 

Peeta couldn’t help but agree internally, but outwardly he simply groaned. Watching Katniss and Piers was a certain form of torture. He wanted nothing more than to shuck his clothes and join them in their sexy foreplay. 

But Katniss fixed him with a stare that had him stopping in his tracks. 

“Just watch for now Peeta. No touching. That’s your punishment for making me and Piers’ wait for you on our first Valentine’s day together,” she ordered, and even though it chapped his hide to not be able to close the distance and suck one of her beautiful breasts into his mouth, or join his finger alongside his brother’s and plunge into her tight, wet heat, Peeta made himself hold back. 

He looked back at Katniss with a displeased expression, but nodded. Instead of touching her, he settled for unzipping his slacks and pulling out his already rock hard shaft. He made a few lazy passes over the length, and twisted his wrist slightly before closing his hand around the head of his already weeping cock. Katniss watched him with lust-hooded eyes and licked her lips deliberately. 

“You’re doing that on purpose,” Peeta hissed out as he stroked himself slightly faster. 

“Ohhh--mmm!” Katniss moaned as she started to rotate her hips and grind down onto Piers’ hand, which elicited another tortured groan from Peeta. Nothing got him off faster than watching Katniss build higher and higher until she finally came. 

“I love it when you make him lose control, Sweetheart,” Piers murmured as he added another finger and began to tweak Katniss’ nipple with his other hand. Piers returned his mouth to Katniss’ breast, and a moment later, she started arching her back and panting his name, all while locking gazes with Peeta as he pumped his cock in hand. 

Peeta tried to sync up his rhythm with Katniss and Piers, and when he finally got it down, Katniss was calling his name too as she writhed against the door of the fridge while Piers held her up. 

“Please, I want you inside me! Piers, fuck me from behind!” Katniss wailed, her eyes scrunching tightly closed and her whole body tensing. Piers wasted no time spinning Katniss around and lowering the waistband of his gray sweatpants to let his hardened dick spring free. In one smooth fluid motion, he spread Katniss’ legs and plunged into her, eliciting a strangled cry on her behalf that was so suffused with pleasure Peeta felt a shooting spark of heat travel down his spine, in what he knew was the first sign of his own orgasm. 

Peeta had been holding back, but at the sound of Katniss’ imminent climax, he began to feel strained. He could tell by the way Piers’ was grunting as he fucked their girlfriend hard and fast that his twin was close to his own release as well. 

“Yes!” Katniss screamed, and then Peeta saw her whole body shudder and he knew that was it. 

“Oh, fuck baby, just like that! Come on my cock!” Piers shouted, as he rocked into Katniss from behind. The sight of Piers getting off on what was no doubt a spectacular one of Katniss’ orgasms almost made Peeta lose it, but he held on. 

“That was so damn good,” Piers said after his orgasm had dissipated. He pulled away from Katniss and she whimpered at the loss of him. He just pulled off his shirt and used it to gently swipe at their combined fluids,  which had begun to trickle down her golden-colored thighs. 

“It's ok, Sweetheart, I’ll be back for you before you know it. But Peeta’s still hard, Honey, and I don’t think you’re mad at him anymore, now that you’ve come a couple times, huh?” Piers asked gently as he pressed a kiss to Katniss’ bare shoulder. When Piers looked over his shoulder at his brother, he had an amused smirk on his identically handsome face.

Peeta almost rolled his eyes at Piers’ cocky grin, but he didn’t. If he hadn’t been late, Katniss would have no doubt offered to take him in her mouth while Piers fucked her, and all three of them would have come by now. 

Katniss turned around to kiss Piers on the lips deeply, and Peeta watched in fascination as their tongues tangled together. 

Finally, they broke apart and Katniss let out a breathy sigh. Piers stepped away then, and Katniss turned to Peeta and held her arms out. Gone was the look of annoyance. Instead it was replaced with longing. Peeta went to her immediately.

“We really missed you. And we had no idea if we added the right amount of white wine to the sauce. And we didn’t know if it was okay to substitute canned sundried tomatoes instead of organic ones—” Katniss began to complain sullenly. Peeta brushed her dark brown hair back from her face lovingly. She sometimes had a hard time verbalizing her feelings, and often her knee-jerk response was annoyance or even anger. But once she processed her feelings, she was often very sweet. 

“I’m sorry. I’m sure whatever you and Piers cooked it will be just lovely,” Peeta replied, before he couldn’t resist going in for a kiss. 

Katniss let out a wonderful sound that was akin to a purr and Peeta slanted his mouth over hers at an angle to deepen the kiss. Katniss reached down gently to run her hand over the length of his erection and Peeta moaned into her mouth. 

“You’re just saying that because you want to come inside me,” Katniss challenged and Peeta shook his head. 

“No, I know Piers doesn't enjoy cooking as much as I do, but he’s damn good in the kitchen in a pinch,” Peeta said with a small strained chuckle as Katniss continued to slowly stroke his dick. He didn’t bother to try and say he didn’t want to come inside her because that just wasn’t true. He always wanted to come inside her. But that wasn’t why he had said what he said. 

“Oh, so if it's good it's only because of Piers?” Katniss asked, pulling away from him a little. Peeta shook his head, slightly aggravated. 

“No, I just meant I knew you were in excellent hands if I couldn’t be here to help you,” Peeta replied, stepping towards her again and kissing up the side of her neck. 

“Hmm, yes he did come in handy while you were busy closing up for the fifth time this week,” Katniss replied playfully, looking over at Piers who shot her a lascivious grin. He had already pulled his pants back up and was simply watching the two of them flirt and argue. 

“Oh, come on Katniss. I’m sorry, okay? I should have made Antonio close like we agreed. There? Happy now?” Peeta said as he nuzzled his nose against her cheek, breathing in her wild clean scent. She smelled like a field of wildflowers. 

“No. I won’t be happy until I have your hard, thick cock pounding me until I come again Peeta. It's the least you can do to make up for being late to our Valentine's dinner,” Katniss replied as she tiptoed up and took his earlobe in her mouth, biting down just hard enough to send a shockwave of pain-laced pleasure to his dick. Peeta gasped out a curse as he pulled her closer to his body. 

“Is that the apology you really want, my love? No problem. How do you want it? From behind again, against the fridge?” Peeta asked, his voice thick with desire. 

“Against the fridge, yes. But not from behind, I want to watch you. So you better pick me up,” Katniss ordered, and Peeta didn’t hesitate to comply. He kicked his pants the rest of the way off. Then he hoisted her up and let her wrap her slim legs around his torso, enjoying the warm wetness of her center pressed against his abdomen. He carried her on sure feet and pressed her back against the fridge. She shivered delightfully in his arms. Peeta licked his lips. 

“You know you looked so desperate a minute ago that I really thought you were gonna fuck her with your work slacks around your ankles bro,” Piers commented with a chuckle as he leaned back against the counter.

“Well, you both made it look so incredible. And you didn’t even take your clothes all the way off. Love this red dress by the way,” Peeta told his twin and then complimented Katniss with a smile. 

“I hoped you would both like it,” Katniss replied as she fiddled with the strap that had come undone. The top of her dress was still pulled down haphazardly, her tan breasts topped with terracotta-colored nipples strained against the cool air of the kitchen. Peeta stared at her, drinking in the gorgeous sight, his thumbs gently brushing against her sides. 

“I think it's safe to assume by the automatic boners you gave both of us that Peeta and I like the dress, Sweetheart. You know, I never thought we’d like the same girl, much less share a girlfriend at the same time. But life is full of surprises,” Piers said with quiet amusement. 

“Both of you, less talking more sexing please,” Katniss interrupted and Peeta and Piers both laughed. They often joked that Katniss had a one-track mind. Peeta leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers. 

“I missed you too,” he said quietly. Katniss smiled a little against his lips before pouncing on his mouth. She threw herself into the kiss wholeheartedly, and it made Peeta’s heart swell with love. It made another part of him swell also. 

She rubbed herself against him, her molten core lighting him up from within, as Peeta rutted his hard cock along the underside of her ass, grazing the swell of her cheeks. He wanted nothing more than to watch her face as she climaxed, and fill her up with his cum before they all sat down to a nice Valentine’s dinner. 

Katniss pulled him closer and removed her mouth from his so she could begin trailing kisses across his jaw, while her hands roamed across his shoulders and chest. Peeta shifted their bodies to try and align his erection with her entrance. 

“Yes, please Peeta,” Katniss panted in his ear, and Peeta breathed her name once before plunging into her. 

“Fuck! Yes!” Katniss cried, her nails digging into his back as he held still for a moment, just basking in the feeling of her wrapped around him. She pushed her hips forward, encouraging him to move. When Peeta did, he groaned as he withdrew almost all the way out and pushed into her again. 

“You feel amazing. You’re amazing,” Peeta murmured in between thrusts, his pace picking up. Katniss encouraged him loudly to go faster and harder as she held onto his shoulders and they rocked the fridge slightly. 

“Just a little more, just-just-ahh!” Katniss cried, one hand fisting in Peeta’s hair as he tried to maintain control so she could come again. 

He would have reached down to circle her clit, but he was using both hands to hold her up as he pounded into her. So instead she snaked her own hand down in between their bodies and began to touch herself in time with their rhythm. Her moans became more urgent, and so did the driving of Peeta’s hips. 

Peeta watched as her eyes widened for a split second, then snapped closed before she threw her head back, her dark hair wild and mussed looking against the stainless steel door of the fridge, her breasts bouncing erotically as her inner muscles started to spasm around his cock. She looked prettier than a painting. 

“Peeta!” she gasped, eyes still closed. He instinctively slowed his pace but deepend his strokes, letting her ride her orgasm out slowly. 

“There you go, Sweetheart, come for me. Just like that. You’re fucking gorgeous when you loose it while I’m inside you,” Peeta told her as he gripped her ass tighter, plunging into her again, over and over, as she mewled and writhed against him. He could still feel her pulsing around him, pulling him in deeper and massaging his cock so wonderfully. 

“You’re milking me, Sweetheart, I love your cunt! Fuck! I’m gonna fill you up now, okay?” Peeta told her and she nodded frantically. 

“Come inside me, Peeta. I want to watch your face when you do!” she said just before biting down on his left shoulder. 

“Oh, God!” Peeta gasped as his rhythmic thrusts faltered and he slowed, almost to a stand still. Katniss lifted her hands to his face and caressed the sides of his cheeks. He knew she was watching him, even though he had his eyes closed from the overwhelming pleasure. He pushed into her, once, twice, and then he came. He opened his eyes and her liquid-silver stare locked onto his blue gaze as he painted her soft warmth with his hot cum, and spent himself until he was empty. 

It took them both a minute to come down from their high. All the while Peeta was murmuring he loved her quietly as he pressed his forehead against hers. Katniss kissed him softly and smiled at him, until finally he began to grow soft and he had to withdraw from her body. 

Piers grinned at them and handed them his t-shirt so they could clean up a bit. 

“That was hot,” Piers told Katniss as he helped her fix her dress and retie her straps. 

“It was a fun way to kick off Valentine's night,” Katniss agreed with a cheeky laugh before swaying up on her tiptoes and kissing Piers’ nose. Piers laughed then, a wonderfully light and happy sound, and Peeta smiled at both of them. 

The two people he loved most in the world, who also loved him. 

Peeta was sure, right at that moment, that even if their dinner was a bit cold, and Piers would have to go looking for a clean shirt somewhere, that it was going to be the best Valentine’s day he had ever had. 

[everlarkficexchange]

Rule #9

Written by: @alliswell21

Prompt 6: Modern AU. High School or College Everlark. Make the “booth Kiss” but Everlark! Peeta is the big brother of Katniss best friend, and she never imagined rule number #9 would become a problem. “Rule #9: Relatives of your best friend are off-limits.” [submitted by @alwayseverlark]

Rated: Teens and Up (rating will change in later chapters)

Tags: Canon Divergent; ‘The Kissing Booth’ (Netflix) Everlark crossover!AU; Canon disability; Slight age difference; Language; Snarky!Everlark; More tags will be added on AO3.

Notes: Thank you @alwayseverlark for the prompt… I remember when The Kissing Booth first came out a bunch of us started Everlarking the movie, but I guess neither of us ever finished it… Oops! Anyway, this is just an introduction of the fic; the rest will be posted to AO3 in chapters. I’ve already written a good chunk of it, but it still needs editing and polishing. I hope this little snippet is enough to get you going until then!

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

It’s the last Friday of summer break, and I think I’m gonna faint. The air is muggy, the sun is hot, the pool water a few yards in front of me looks inviting and refreshing, yet, I couldn’t move a muscle to save my life if I wanted to.

I arrived home from a 5 week retreat for disabled athletes, and after dumping the smelly contents of my duffle bag into the washer, I peeled off my shirt, shoes and socks and made my way to our family pool, just to be confronted by an unexpected sight.

I’ve been staring at my baby brother’s best friend in the tiniest, neon orange bikini in history, for what has to be up to a solid minute now.

“You’re such a pest, Rye!” She yells from behind a lounge chair, loading with darts a brightly colored nerf gun.

My brother is standing in the middle of the pool, aiming his water blaster in her direction, “Yeah? You think so, Kani?” Ryen mocks— ‘Kani’ isn’t her real name, though. Rye just had trouble pronouncing it properly when he was a baby, and the nickname stuck— “Eat chlorine!” He blasts his bestie as soon as she moves from her cover to shoot at him.

Is a typical scene, really. A summer staple of our childhood: my brother— Rye— chasing little tomboy, Katniss Everdeen, around the pool while shooting some toy projectile at each other; except this time the swell of Katniss’ breasts, the flare of her hips, and even the miles upon miles of sun kissed, olive skin, glimmering under the sun with water droplets scattered all over her body, gave me panting and straining.

I don’t remember her looking this way at the beginning of summer!

Objectively speaking, Katniss has always been cute, but she’s also another one of the ‘guys’, invariably tougher than Ryen, and completely out of bounds.

“I’m warning you, Ryen Mellark…surrender, or prepare to get your butt handed to you!” She roars.

“Bring it on, Kani!”

In typical Katniss and Rye fashion, her massive nerf gun gets dropped on the terra-cotta tiles for the patio, as she leaps into the pool to rough-house him.

My eyes follow her graceful ass with tunnel vision narrowness. A disgusting appreciative half moan-half grunt, escapes the back of my throat involuntarily. Worse of it is what happens below my waist, where my shorts are tenting and my muscles twitch.

“Fuck!” I heave under my breath. I can’t let Rye see me like this!

Nothing good will come of my brother noticing the effect Katniss has on my body. Rye is obsessively overprotective of her, their bond is one of the most unique, strong and special things I’ve seen, and I don’t dare messing it up.

You wouldn’t be able to tell, just looking at our house, our cars, Dad’s sprawling business, our high end education, or our perceived wealth, but our family life hasn’t been a field of flowers exactly. At times, Katniss was the only sliver of light and hope in Ryen’s existence, and vice versa when tragedy struck the Everdeens, Rye was Katniss’ sole source of understanding and companionship. They’re equally dependent on each other.

It's time to get back inside. A cold shower is in order.

My daydreams of shedding my fake leg and falling into the pool to relax in the weightlessness of the water after my long ass drive, will have to wait.

I step backwards into the living room, but my real, bare foot lands on a nerf dart. The squishy material startles me; I trip, narrowly catching myself against the open French doors.

“Shit!”

The skirmish behind me comes to an abrupt end, and I shift in place, to face them.

My brother’s eyebrows are arched, watching me quizzically. Even with one prosthetic leg I’m usually very sure footed.

“When did you get home?” Rye demands, hoisting himself out of the pool.

“About 10 minutes ago. Where’s dad?”

Rye shrugs, “Take a wild guess,”

So, the bakery then. Dad owns a chain of bakeries state wide, but he’s the head baker in the original shop, here in town.

I try to keep my eyes on Rye, chanting in my head: don’t look at her, don’t look at her, don’t look at her… it isn’t working! My eyes stray to Katniss all the same.

She climbs out of the pool as well, and it’s all I can do to not stare like a creep, as the rivulets of pool water drip down between her breasts and limbs.

I swallow harshly before rasping out the first thing that comes to mind. “Hey Rye, have you seen my jockstrap, I’m doing laundry.”

‘Jockstrap? Really? Smooth you moron!’

I have to suppress the urge to groan.

Ryen rolls his eyes, “Yeah, I just wore it this morning during all my sport tryouts.”

His sarcastic quip makes Katniss laugh. A sound I’ve found mesmerizing ever since I can remember. Her syren call is too strong to resist.

I turn in her direction, and again, my mouth runs with the first thing that comes to mind. “Everscream, are those new?��� I point at her chest, making a vague circle gesture. I’m such an idiot!

“What?” She looks down at herself confused. I can pinpoint the moment she realizes I’m referring to her boobs.

Normally, Katniss would fix me with a scowl for the nickname she hates so much, but at 17 she’s so pure, my comment about her chest just causes her sparkly gray eyes to widen in shock. Her cheeks turn a deep shade of pink, and she plops down into the nearest lounger, scrambling to pull a towel over herself.

“There’s nothing new here!” She snaps, scowling at her knees for a second. She turns her flaming gaze back on me. “Hey, Peeta, have you ever heard of a detangler? Is a grooming product that can help tame that rat’s nest you call hair! By the way, put a shirt on, you look like a hobo!”

Rye guffaws, and even I have to smirk.

She isn’t wrong. I could use some shampoo and maybe some conditioner as well; washing my hair only with the cheap bar of soap from the athletic villa for a month has taken its toll on my poor head.

“Whatever dorks. Just keep it quiet, will ya? I have a hot date with the couch and Netflix, and I don't want you two intruding in my ‘me’ time with your racket.”

I go back inside, my brother and his best snigger by the pool like they always do. I want to turn around and fling the dart I stepped on at Rye, but I know starting a war with them would just prolong my exposure to Katniss in a tiny bikini, and I just can’t endure that torture anymore.