#the shoulder length tiny braid number was in both games....why are you taking it away from me!!!!

[sadmages]

the true pain of trying to make moustache hawke in inquisition with none of the assets that make moustache hawke moustache hawke available in the character creator

[shyvioletcat]

Umm can you continue the couples retreat prompt? I need the full story or I’ll dieeeeee please please please 💘💘💘💘

Well... If your’re going to die I guess I have no choice. 

Part 1

~~~~~

They pulled up in Rowan’s 4WD, opting for that rather than Aelin’s sleek sedan for the trek up into the mountains. Aelin was out of the car in a few moments and let out a low whistle as surveyed their surroundings. The setting was picturesque to say the least. Nestled in front of a spectacular landscape of green, tree covered mountains was the main building of the retreat, and it looked like an overgrown rustic looking cottage.

Rowan came to stand beside Aelin taking in the location as well, carrying his duffel overnight bag and her medium sized suitcase.

“Nice,” Rowan said as the surveyed the area. “Care to tell me why your bag about five times the size of mine and 10 times as heavy for a weekend?”

Aelin just rolled her eyes, “You may be fine with just swapping shirts for the weekend but I like to come prepared.”

“I brought more than one pair of pants, thank yo very much,” Rowan said as they started towards the double door of the main building. “It was shoes I only brought one pair of.”

Aelin looked down to the shoes that Rowan was wearing and stopped short.

“Please tell me you’re joking?”

Rowan stopped a few feet away and looked down as well. “What’s wrong with these?”

The look on Aelin’s face was one of disbelief. “You’re telling me that for every activity over the weekend you’re going to wear those? A pair of old man sneakers?”

He just shrugged. “They’re not old man sneakers. They’re hiking boots.”

“Still old-mannish.”

Rowan just elbowed her gently once Aelin caught up.

“Welcome to The Staghorn Hideaway, can I help get you checked in?” The receptionist asked cheerily as they came through the doors.

“Galathynius, we’re booked into the couples’ retreat,” Aelin said.

“Of course, I have your packet right here,” she said as she flicked through a few stacks of paper then handed Aelin and key and A4 sized envelope. “If you would like to leave your bags here we’ll have them delivered to your room. The welcome awakening is happening in the courtyard through those doors to your left. Enjoy your visit with us.”

Rowan unceremoniously dropped his bag on top of Aelin’s and headed towards the door. Aelin gave a quick smile to the receptionist and went after him, linking her arm with his.

“Welcome ‘awakening’? What the hell have you got me into?” Rowan muttered as they passed through the second set of doors.

“It’s a couple’s retreat, what did you expect? Once we’re done with this I’m sure they’ll leave us to our own devices.” Aelin assured him.

Rowan just gave her a sceptical side glance.

The courtyard was large with views of the mountains and was surrounded by ten tiny cottages, they looked like they were the children of the main building they were so similar looking. The mini cottages were spaced far enough apart that they all had ample privacy, the trees and shrubs in between each of them adding to it. There were already a few couples milling about, chatting, eating and drinking. One of the girls spied Aelin and gave a wave. Aelin waved back and led Rowan on.

“Remember everyone thinks we’re a couple. Act the part,” Aelin whispered.

“What’s wrong with just telling them that we’re here for the food and views?”

“Because they might kick us out.” Aelin hissed back.

“Seriously?”

Whatever reply Aelin had Rowan didn’t get to hear because they had reached the other couples.

“Aelin!” The woman who had waved exclaimed, giving Aelin a brief hug. “And this must be Rowan.”

“Yep, this is Rowan. My boyfriend.” Aelin pulled in closer to Rowan and she publicly declared their pretend relationship status. “This is Claire. She works in HR.”

“Oh I remember now, I’ve seen you around,” Claire said, giving Rowan a quick once over. “Nice you meet you in person. Finally. Aelin talks about you constantly at lunchtime.”

“Pleasure to meet you too,” Rowan said, a forced smile plastered on his face.

Aelin noticed the smile and decided to escape before he gave anything away. “Let’s go get a drink.”

Arms still linked, Aelin led Rowan to the refreshment tables and picked up a flute of sparkling liquid. Rowan did the same and took a sip.

“This apple cider. Like the non-alcoholic type. Where’s the alcohol?”

Aelin took a deep drink before she answered. “There isn’t any.”

“What?” Rowan “At all?”

Aelin shrugged, “I thought you saw on the information page that this is an alcohol free weekend.”

“Are you...”

“Welcome!”

Rowan was cut off by the arrival of a woman dressed all in white, her long dark hair tied in a ponytail at the base of her neck. She drew the attention of everyone in the courtyard.

“I am Natasha and I will be your guide throughout this weekend. You have come here for many reasons. You might want to reconnect with your partner, reignite that dimming spark. Or to strengthen and build on what you already have. Or maybe your romance is budding and new and you want to start on a strong foundation. Whatever the reason, I and my team are here to help with whatever journey you find yourself on. All our exercises are about awakening connections between you and your partner. And that starts now.”

Natasha revealed a canvas bag she had been holding behind her back.

“If you would like to come in closer, put down or finish whatever you may be holding.”

Everyone did and moved into a rough circle, Natasha began to reach into the bag and hand out something small and black. Aelin received hers, looked at it and realised it was satiny eye mask.

Once Natasha had handed one to each person she stood back and announced, “Can I please get one half of the couple to stand on my right and the other on my left. Good. Now please spread out, with about an arms length circumference around you.”

Everyone complied, a quick glance at Rowan and his glowering face told Aelin he wasn’t a fan of whatever this game was.

“This exercise is about that blind connection you have between the two of you. When I instruct, please put your blind fold on then you need to find each other. Once you find your partner return to your rooms. You are not to speak to anyone. Only using the senses of touch, and smell if you can. Nothing above the shoulders or below the waist unless by invitation.”

“How are we supposed to do that?” Someone asked.

“A simple guiding hand. Now, blindfolds on.”

Aelin gave Rowan an apologetic smile and he just scowled, then the world went dark. Soft music started to play and Aelin headed to where she had last seen Rowan. Hopefully.

Minutes passed, there where a few brushing touches, the earlier ones from the people who had been closest to. It was easy to eliminate the women within a few seconds with a brief hand hold and she relied on her sense of smell when it came to the men. The man in front of her smelt heavily of sandalwood and she was quick to put some distance between the two of them. Aelin could hear less and less people milling about, culling down the number of fish in the barrel.

A definite masculine hand brushed against hers and Aelin gripped their wrist to stop them from going elsewhere. She ran a hand up his arm to his shoulder, then rand it along the breadth of his chest. He certainly felt like he was the width of Rowan. Her current companion ran his hand up her arm in a likewise manner, stopping at her shoulder, then gently ran his fingers down her braid that had been draped over her shoulder.

This could be Rowan, but Aelin wasn’t one hundred percent sure. She traced her hand back down to his hand and she felt a shudder go through his body. When she got to his hand she placed her own hand in his, palm up. Her companion held it gently and raised it to his cheek. Aelin felt a light stubble there and then felt her way to his nose. From what she could tell from the size and sharpness, it certainly felt like Rowan’s nose. Or what she imagined it to feel like. Then, before she could even think or stop herself, she was dragging her thumb across his lips and she felt his sharp intake of breath. His hand came up to her jaw on what seemed like instinct, and she felt his fingers run along her jaw. It was then that Aelin took in a deep breath through her nose, and she knew that it was Rowan who was in front of her. His fresh, but subtle pine scent hit her nose.

She pulled her blind fold off the same time that she pulled Rowan’s off, both of them blinking at the sudden onset of light. Aelin was smiling up at Rowan, but that smile fell a little when she saw an expression she could not read on Rowan’s face.

Rowan just cleared his throat then looked around, Aelin doing the same. Natasha gave them a nod and a knowing look, then turned back to the other couples who were still looking for their partners. One couple had most obviously found each other but were enjoying the excitement of the blink fold. A little too much.

Before Aelin’s lunch lurched back up to her mouth at the sight of the over amorous couple she made her way to where she had put down the welcome packet and picked it up. She didn’t look back at Rowan, the activity had left her stomach fluttering and the odd expression at Rowan’s hadn’t helped settle it, at all. When she flipped the envelope open she found a key with a large wooden key chain with a large 5 painted on it in a bright red paint. Rowan just followed as Aelin made her way towards the cottages, relying on her to find theirs. Which she did.

Within a few moments she was up the few steps and had opened the door. When she got through it she stopped.

“Damn it...” Aelin breathed.

The cottage was a single room, decked out with a sitting area and a little kitchenette. It was all lovely. But everything was made for two, well except for the bed which looked like it could fit three full grown men in it. The problem was that Aelin and Rowan had decided that they would do alternating nights on the couch. But the couch was tiny, barely enough for two people, unless someone was in someone else’s lap.

“What?” Rowan asked as he came to stand behind Aelin in the doorway.

Aelin swallowed against the dryness in her mouth as she replied, “There’s only one bed.”

~~~~~

Tags:  @fucking-winchester-trash @literary-licorice @galyxsy @tangledraysofsunshine @highqueenofelfhame @rowanwhitethornss @witchling13 @heymichelle360 @wifeofchrishemsworth

@bailey-4244 and @run-as-fast-as-you-caan if you see this I tried to tag you bt tumblr wouldn’t let me. Soz.

[funsize-lucifer-hongjoong]

We Are Stars For Each Other Ch.3 - Hearts Awakened

Genre: fluff, eventual smut, and some angst. NSFW

Female reader X Hongjoong 

Word count: 3,558

So Here’s Chapter 3, released because our boys got their first win and let’s spread some ATEEZ love, Yeah? 

The evening seems to end so fast. It's as though it didn't happen at all. You're home now, a few hours have passed since you left the venue, heartbroken and crushed.

"It's all a game to them." you sigh as you sit down, "They were born to do this to women, or maybe they just like to." Laying back you stare up at the ceiling in distaste.

You lay there, trying to figure out what went wrong. You did everything you could think of. Wooyoung didn't want anything to do with you, and if he did, he was sending mixed signals. Rolling to the side to face the wall, you notice a few tears leaking from your eyes. Had it really hurt you that bad? Maybe it's just because this is your first crush since the breakup. Yeah, that had to be the answer.

"No more fan events for me." steeling yourself and wiping the tears from your cheeks, "And no more K-pop."

Maybe that would be a vain threat to yourself. You had to work all week and there was just too much going on to put any more energy into it.

"I'm an adult, in my 30's. I can't just catch feelings for some random guy, crushes are for teenagers." Rolling over, you decide, it's just for the best.

You fall asleep, not seeing beautiful cat-like eyes, but expressive grey ones, and a beaming smile.

Waking up proved to be harder than you expected when Monday came to pass. It seemed so boring now. It was the same gross Monday morning, with the same ugly outfit, in the same beige building.

Going to work was becoming a chore. You wanted to sit at home and mope, feeling sorry for yourself. The foul mood you were sporting from a bruised ego and busted confidence shined here. It was almost as if, the longer you were in this building, the worse you felt.

Walking home was no different. There were posters on cafe doors of Ateez.

"Fuck my life." You mumble as you walk through the door, "Will these guys never go away? It's like they're haunting me."

You just need to get something to eat, and then you can go back home. Pajamas and junk food were the only things left on your to-do list.

The woman at the counter takes the order, and you sit in a corner booth. Looking out the window wishing for the mess you've made to clean itself up.

A buzzing startles you from a lovely daydream about warm summer weather. Your food is finished and you walk quickly to grab it, and back out the door past that poster again.

"I just want to go home." tears slip from your eyes. You were starting to think that it did hurt more than you originally thought.

It didn't stop you from grabbing the paper off the door, with every intention of throwing it in the nearest garbage can. Once you're in front of one, you can't bring yourself to chuck it in.

"I've got to be the worst at life. I'm just hurting myself." Stuffing the paper in your bag, you walk toward home.

Pajamas and Junk food achieved and Min Seo out of the country for a shoot, you're home alone. Just your whirling thoughts to keep you company.

"Alright Y/N, just pull that poster out and read it. Then throw it straight into the trash." You grab the paper out, reading it aloud, "Ateez Fan sign, at KBS Studios, Friday"

"It must be for an Afterschool pop chart show or something. Why else would KBS be involved?" you question softly

"I understand the whole promotion for the new album, but why are there so many different fan events?" You sit down on the floor, advertisement still in hand.

"Wooyoung looks so gorgeous here. He's so gorgeous all the time." Closing your eyes to the pain ripping through your chest.

"Maybe if I go see him, and just be myself, it'll all work out. Just one more time." A tear hits the paper, staining it and making the ink run. "I could sneak my phone number to him in a gift. Then I'll see what his intentions are."

You tilt your head back, laying the paper down to wipe both hands over your cheeks. Staining them with your pain.

"This is my last chance. I have to make it count." You stand, sticking the poster up to the fridge with a magnet. "Min Seo won't be home for another week, so I'll have to go at it alone. I got this."

With a reserve of confidence you didn't know you had. You snatched up your phone and bought the ticket, walking back to the bedroom.

"I have to do this for my own sanity. If not, I may just go crazy. You've got this Y/N!" Nodding at yourself in the mirror.

"I'm just gonna go to work the rest of the week and before I know it, it'll be Friday." You flop onto your bed.

The rest of the week goes by agonizingly slow. Anxiety bares it's teeth every time you think of how close you're getting.

When you get off of work Thursday you remember something very important, "Oh shit, the gift! I have to get something I can hide my number in. Shhhiiiittt." smacking your palm to your forehead.

"I'm so damn forgetful. Why is it always me?!" you say to the sky, where you hope someone is listening to give some kind of answer to your stupidity.

This plan won't work without the proper pieces, and you didn't remember the main one. Now instead of going home to relax, you have a pain in the ass trip to Hongdae to try to find the perfect gift for Wooyoung.

Hongdae is always busy in the evening. You liked it here when you first moved, but now you see it for what it is. A nightclub infested haven for young people, and the inability to avoid stepping in vomit on the sidewalks.

"So. Fucking. Gross." As you step around, dodging the drunk and the sick.

A small shop in a back alley catches your eye, tiny keychains hang from racks in the window. You walk through the glass door, greeting the older woman behind the counter with a smile.

You see it out of the corner of your eye as you walk the back row. A keychain coin purse shaped like a skull and crossbones, it even had a tiny zipper on the back.

"Perfect." You snatch it up and nearly run up to the woman at the counter. You were so excited you could hardly pull out your card to pay.

You found the perfect gift. What happens tomorrow is decided by fate, and maybe you could pick up a nice dress on your way back to the bus stop.

4 hours in Hongdae and a crammed bus ride later, you're finally home. Kicking off your shoes in the entryway you jog into your room, dumping out a bag onto the bed.

"Here's Wooyoung's present," you smirk, "And here's my new dress." You pick it up and hold it to yourself. The dress was beautiful on the mannequin in the shop window. The length hit just above your knee, in a grey toned fabric with the collar in white.

You hang it from the closet door and grab your phone to text Min Seo. Your fingers flying across the letters, excitement coursing through you.

**Min Seo, I'm going to the Ateez thing tomorrow at KBS.

You weren't expecting her reply so fast.

**Y/N! You're going without me? :(

You smiled at that, she hated to be left out of the fun.

**Yes Minie, I got a new dress for the occasion, I have a plan to get Wooyoung's attention this time.

**Oh yeah? Tell me this plan, maybe I can use it on San

Her reply comes bookended with drooling and eggplant emojis. You can't help but roll your eyes.

**Damn girl, calm down. Lol. I'm gonna put my phone number in this

You take a picture of the tiny toy and send it to her

****Image 234 sent

**OMG Y/N. Why didn't I think of something this brilliant? Ugh. Hey, while you're there, can you tell San I said hello? See if he remembers me, and make sure you tell me EVERYTHING ASAP!

**Alright Minie, I'll do it all for you. Cuz you da real MVP. Lol!

You finish it off with a few heart emojis and a rolling laughing before tossing your phone on the bed.

"Well, tomorrow is the big day. Let's not fuck it up now." Your pep talk ends in a sigh. Closing your eyes for any sleep you can seem to get.

Sleep didn't last as long as the excitement did. You found out quick that it was gonna be a long night, and an even longer day tomorrow.

A long day it was, filled with boring meetings and your mind drifting off to Wooyoung. What would you say to him without sounding like a stalker? This was looking like less of a good idea, the longer you thought about it.

The thought of walking home seemed like torture and taking the bus, worse. A cab seemed like the best option, even though you hated how high the rates were. You flagged one down and rode home in silence. Your mind racing.

Walking into the apartment, shutting the door and leaning against it. The fatigue of sleep loss and the excitement had you burned out at this point.

"Just get it over with. You'll feel better tomorrow, and you can sleep when you die." throwing your bag on the couch and throwing off clothes in every direction on your way to the bathroom.

The process of makeup and hair without Min Seo's help was daunting. It had to be done, even if it was subpar. When you finished, standing to brush the wrinkles from your dress, you thought it was passable at best.

Black heels, your hair braided loosely to one shoulder. The makeup was minimal, only what you knew how to put on. Your eyes were lined, and pink lipstick. You were hoping it was enough to entice Wooyoung, but then you remembered you were going to be yourself.

Dressing up like a high dollar whore last time was an epic fail. Dressing down the first time got no reaction at all. This time it was just you, and you couldn't help the feeling of it not being enough as you walked out the door. All you could hear over the thundering in your chest was the lock clicking behind you.

KBS studio was a bright building at the end of the block. You'd walked through here with Min Seo, but never by yourself. That thought shot fear through you.

Ticket in hand, you walked to the guard at the door. "Hm, no line." You thought, glancing around to confirm no one else was around.

The guard asked about your purse and the stuffed toy in your hand. You nearly forgot to put your number in it, but as he unzipped the top and looked inside to find it empty, you were grateful for your forgetful brain.

"You can pass." The guard nodded his head to the side, "Door 3. The line is in there."

"Thank you!" You scrambled to grab your bag, hooking the keychain on it.

The building itself was much larger than it looked from the street. You followed where the guard pointed you, hearing hushed voices from behind the door stamped with a red 3.

"He wasn't joking. This line is ridiculous." standing with crossed arms you realized why Min Seo always wanted to leave the apartment early.

The table At the front of the room had Ateez seated neatly in a row. Between you and them, a winding queue that looked like a snake of people.

This time was different, it looked more professional than the last fan event. Security stood at either end of the table and between the 8 boys. As the line moved slowly you could take your time to look. You knew mostly who was who now, although you did mix up Yunho and Seonghwa a few times.

Your eyes fell on Wooyoung immediately. He looked so adorable in his sweater with leather straps across his chest. His hair was paler now, almost blonde. His eyes a piercing steel blue.

Grabbing a pen and a small sticky note from your purse you wrote your number down. It was clearly legible. Below the number a tiny heart and Y/N. You folded it up, the line moving slowly still, before putting it in the pouch and pulling the zipper closed.

You were close enough now to hear them talking across the table to the fans stood before them. You clutched the toy skull in your hand, threatening to crush it.

The first one you stood in front of was Yeosang. His smile was adorable, if not a bit mischievous. His hands were thin with long fingers, a piano players hands. A few words were spoken between you as you moved to the next.

Mingi was the bad boy trope. He glanced up at you and bit his lip. While asking if you were excited to see him.

"Is this dude so full of himself that he thinks this actually works?!" You thought, smiling back at him before moving down the line.

When you looked down the table, you saw them. The trio of devilry and filth, sitting like a row of ducks in a pond. San, Wooyoung, and Hongjoong. All sitting beside each other at the end.

"Damn my luck." you said louder then you thought, "Of course they'd all sit together, they probably scheme up which poor girl they're gonna pick on to see if she faints."

You heard Jongho laugh as the next girl had taken your place in front of him. He must've heard you. At least they found you funny, even if they didn't find you charming.

"Well last I checked the score was San had 4, Wooyoung had 6, and Hongjoong had 3. That's been a week ago though." Jongho said as he smirked in your direction.

"Are you planning to be number 5, 7, or 4?" He continued his smile deepening around his eyes.

"I'll just be the first one for you Jongho." You fired back, batting your eyelashes at him. The apples of his smiling cheeks turning rosy.

The line was moving and now you were standing in front of San, and away from Jongho and his inflated ego. You were beside Wooyoung though, and that alone had you nervous.

San seemed to recognize you right away. "Y/N, you came to see me again. Where's Min Seo?"

You noticed he looked a bit sad, not seeing her with you. "She had a modeling contract, so she'll be gone the rest of the week. I came alone this time."

San replied softly, "Ah, tell her to come see me, I miss her lovely smile." he seemed to light up at the thought. It made your heart warm that he felt that way about Min Seo.

While talking with San, you hadn't noticed the eyes that looked over from Wooyoung's other side. Hongjoong was admiring you. "Such a beautiful girl." He thought, as his lip curled into a smirk. He knew you weren't there for him. He had told Wooyoung everything after the last fan event you went to.

Wooyoung had felt so sad for his Hyung then. It seemed to always be like that for Hongjoong. He wasn't the stereotypically pretty man. He was short, with long hair. He didn't follow beauty or fashion trends. There was no way, in his mind, that he could get you away from Wooyoung.

The line moved again, and this was it. Standing in front of Wooyoung. "Goddamnit, why is he so perfect?" you screamed in your head.

Wooyoung glanced up, "Y/N?"

He remembered you. Of all the people he had seen today alone, he knew your name. Your heart soared with new found confidence.

"Wooyoung, you remember my name?" you said, shocked.

"Of course, sweetheart. How can I forget you?" Wooyoung smiled then, but he wouldn't tell you the truth. He knew you alright, if only because Hongjoong Hyung constantly talked about you like you were the last woman on earth.

You stuttered slightly before choking out, "Uh..uhm...I got you something. I put something very special in the pocket, please don't lose it. Alright?"

You handed the toy skull to Wooyoung, your heart hammering away. When he grabbed it from you, his hand brushed yours. Your breath caught in your throat.

The warmth from his fingers and it seemed like all the noise of the event drowned out to silence. It was just the two of you now. He was looking at you with soft eyes and a smile.

"Something special for me?" He looked at the pirate skull noticing the tiny zipper and clipped it to his belt loop. "I'm sure you wrote me a lovely letter, sweetheart. I promise not to let anyone else read it."

Little did you know that Hongjoong had been listening in, barely paying attention to the crying fan in front of him. "She went out of her way for Wooyoung. I'm never going to make this work." He thought to himself, a fake smile plastered on his face.

You stepped in front of Hongjoong, after telling Wooyoung goodbye.

"Hello pink cheeks, back to see me so soon?" Hongjoong spoke softly as he grabbed your hand, interlacing your fingers with his smaller ones.

"Of course Shorty, I need to see my guys every now and then." You crinkled your nose at him, absentmindedly playing with the ring he wore.

He laughed. It was a breathy sound, almost as if it were just for you.

"Did you miss me so much?" He said then, pouting.

You smirked at him, two could play this game, and with no concert, there wasn't a chance for him to lure you in with his hip-swinging ways.

"Hongjoong, are you always so flirty with your fans?" You leaned in, "For a man so small, you have a huge ego."

The words had fallen out of your mouth so quickly you couldn't stop them, and Hongjoong turned a shade of red you hadn't seen before. Wooyoung must've overheard it, by the sound of the squeaking laugh to your left.

Hongjoong leaned closer to you, just as the guard was readying you to leave. "Y/N, don't assume I have a huge anything, that's for me to know, and you to find out."

You glanced into his eyes, and it was over. Time stopped, and it was Hongjoong. His pupils were blown out, and his bottom lip between his teeth. When he let go of your hand, the world started spinning again.

"Come see me again Pink cheeks, I'll miss you." He blew you a kiss.

You nodded and walked to your right in a daze. What the hell just happened, and right in front of Wooyoung? Does Hongjoong have no fucking manners?

"He's the fucking devil." You remarked as you turned back from one more look.

Wooyoung wasn't paying attention but Hongjoong was. His eyes were trained on you. He flicked his tongue out to wet his lips and you felt goosebumps run down your arms.

Hongjoong knew you weren't just playing with him. Somewhere deep down, you meant the things you had said. He just hoped he hadn't scared you.

As the fan event wrapped up, and he had watched you walk through the door and back outside, he turned to Wooyoung.

"What was it?! What did she give you? I need to know." Hongjoong sounded desperate and it broke Wooyoung's heart.

"Here hyung, open it and tell me." Wooyoung unclipped the toy and tossed it to Hongjoong.

He opened it quickly, under the table. A small piece of paper was inside and on it a neatly written phone number with a heart. Hongjoong laid his head on the table. You gave Wooyoung your number, maybe he was wrong.

"What was it, Hyung?" Wooyoung asked, concerned for the color draining from Hongjoong's face.

Hongjoong handed Wooyoung the slip of paper, but he didn't lift his head up. When Wooyoung saw what it was, he swallowed hard.

"Hyung, you know I don't want her! I swear! I can't help it!" Wooyoung said quickly, pulling at Hongjoong's sleeve in an attempt to look pitiful and get mercy.

Hongjoong lifted his head and laid his hand on Wooyoung's.

"I know Wooyoung, I know. I'm not mad at you. Would you mind if I kept her number though?" Hongjoong continued, "I need to know if I'm ever on her mind"

Wooyoung smiled at his leader. Hongjoong was tough, but he had a soft spot and you hit it.

"Sure Hyung, keep it, just don't drag me into it." Wooyoung handed the paper back to his hyung. Who then stuffed it into his wallet.

Hongjoong was going to get his answers, one way or another. Just like a pirate, he was ruthless and wouldn't give up until he had his treasure.

[ellanainthetardis]

It’s Haymitch’s birthday! I hope you enjoy this chapter!

[ff] or [ao3]

53. 6 Months & 13 Weeks

Haymitch leaned against the kitchen’s counter, not quite able to shake the soft smile off his lips. Peeta was lighting the candles on the cake, struggling to light the candles on the cake rather, and everyone was teasing him. Johanna was merciless and Katniss kept poking him in the side every time he failed, which made the boy laugh and prevented the candles from being lighted any quicker. Annie was regularly telling them to let him work but Finn was finding the whole thing hilarious and kept laughing loud, accidentally blowing out the candles Peeta had managed to light so far.

As for Effie, she was standing next to the table, holding fast to April’s waist. It might not be very proper to make her stand on the table between cutlery and plates but neither he nor Effie really cared. Their daughter had recently discovered the standing position and now did little else. She used the crib’s bars to haul herself up and then she bounced there until she fell flat on her ass. Alternatively, she also used Snowball but since the dog never really held still, the falling happened a lot quicker. She couldn’t stand by herself yet but Haymitch was pretty sure it wouldn’t be long before she was driving them crazy by walking around.

She was growing up so fast…

“You know you could help.” Peeta grumbled, glancing at Haymitch over his shoulder.

Haymitch lifted both hands in a helpless gesture. He wasn’t about to try to light forty-four candles. In his opinion, they could have lost a few in there. Or buy two big ones shaped like four. The number of candles on that cake was actually a little embarrassing.

That morning, Haymitch had been woken up with soft but purposeful kisses along the length of his jaw. He had rolled with it before he had even been properly awake, not of a mind to protest when Effie was in that mood. She had given him a blow job that had had him counting stars on the ceiling for a long, long time. Then she had let him go back to sleep only to wake him up again mid-morning by placing April on his chest.

April had been holding a couple of colorful birthday cards that had been a little worse for the wear from having been crumpled in her little fist. He hadn’t realized before he had seen the cakes and glittery words that it had been his birthday. There were cards from Effie’s parents – the glittery one that had exploded everywhere and had him forced to take a thirty minutes shower to make sure he didn’t have any left on him – her sister, Plutarch and the Clarkes. He had started protesting when Effie had carried up a breakfast tray loaded with – almost burned – toasts, coffee and an assortment of jam but she had refused to listen.

All he had been allowed to do was cuddle with April and enjoy his day.

He had never been one to celebrate his birthday. The previous year it had gone unnoticed, lost in the whole drama of trying to decide what to do with the baby she had been carrying. He hadn’t minded, that suited him very well. He didn’t think he had celebrated a birthday since his family had been alive. The last time had been his sixteenth birthday probably.

And now, there he was, celebrating his forty-fourth.

He had been surprised but strangely happy when he had answered the knock on the front door to find his arms full of little Finn, his joyful scream of “Surprise, Uncle Mitch!” loud enough to deafen him. He knew it was probably Effie’s doing but he was touched Jo and Annie had made the trip from Four for him.

The kids had showed up late, flushed, a little disheveled and guilty-looking – a clear sign to anyone with eyes of what they had been up to and probably the only reason Effie hadn’t ripped their heads off for putting the whole birthday thing off schedule. They had had a nice lunch though. And then Peeta had dashed to his house to get the cake and the candles business had started.

It was a bit overwhelming, truth be told. The kitchen seemed too small for so many people but Effie’s suggestion to move the party to the dining-room had been shut down. Their laughter was loud, there were wrapped presents on the corner of the table – and the shiny paper had caught April’s eyes earlier before she had been distracted by the tiny dancing flames – as well as a huge coffee and chocolate cake. All of it for him.

It was a bit overwhelming and he was a little stunned.

He wasn’t used to being at the center of things like that.

Katniss’ poking of Peeta’s side was slowly but surely turning into her hand rubbing his thigh under the table and Haymitch hastily looked away. As innocent and encouraging as the gesture looked, he was too aware of how quickly that sort of things could turn into something else. He was happy the kids had finally made up but he still didn’t want to know more than necessary. He had learned too much about that side of their relationship from the distressed girl during their separation as it was.

Johanna was still goading Peeta despite Annie’s amused rebukes. He didn’t know what was going on there either. Had Jo come clean in the end? It was hard to say. He wasn’t sure Annie would have held a grudge in the first place.

His smile softened even more at Finn’s antics. The boy was perched on his mother’s lap and was bouncing in excitement.

In the end, his gaze traveled to Effie. It always traveled back to Effie. She was leaning forward a little to whisper in April’s ear. He watched her press a light kiss to their daughter’s cheek, her eyes sparkling with delight.

She was glowing.

This pregnancy was so different from the first one there was no comparing. The morning sickness had finally faded and she was just… She shone bright. Her hair was up in a sort of braided crown with a few wayward strands here and there. She was wearing a dress he had never seen before but he was pretty sure he had been there when she had bought the fabric so it must be one of hers. It was a long sleeves thing, with black and white squares and a red ribbon tied under the breasts in a pretty bow… She was showing. The dress only made it more obvious.

Her baby bump was small still but it was round and always firm under his palm. She had felt the flutters for the first time a few days earlier and the smile had been permanently fixed on her lips since. He couldn’t wait to feel it too. He knew it would be a few weeks but he couldn’t wait.

Everyone’s eyes had lingered on her bump a few times but, so far, nobody had commented. Asking Effie Trinket about her budging stomach clearly wasn’t clever and everyone in that room was too much of a survivor to make that mistake. Even Johanna.

He wasn’t sure why she had chosen such a revealing outfit though, not when she had dutifully been wearing loose dresses for the last couple of months.

The sapphire wings of the butterfly sometimes caught the light making it look as if it was fluttering on her collarbone. She wore the necklace he had given her on their wedding day as often as she could and he would be lying if he claimed he didn’t like the way it looked on her.

“Those candles are broken.” Peeta snapped. “I’m telling you!”

Katniss rolled her eyes and snatched the lighter from his hand. “Let me do it.”

“More your thing anyway, girl on fire.” Jo sorted.

Effie straightened and lifted April up. She must have sensed his gaze because she turned to him with a bright smile and he walked over without thinking twice about it. He stole a kiss just because he wanted one and then plucked their daughter from her arms, trying to hide his smirk because the pretty pink dress she was wearing was all creased and the flower on her headband was all askew. He let Effie fix that while he blew raspberries in April’s neck to make her laugh.

He loved his daughter’s laugh.

“Haymitch, blow the candles before they snuff out again.” Peeta called, distracting him from his shrimp and his wife.

“You have to make a wish, Uncle Mitch!” Finn exclaimed.

A wish…

He met Effie’s eyes and she smiled knowingly, her hand briefly resting on her stomach. Johanna’s sharp gaze followed the move. Seven’s victor then met his eyes with a raised eyebrow. He smirked. She rolled her eyes.

But she held her tongue for now.

He blew out the candles but didn’t manage to get them all in one go.

“Didn’t have to put forty-four.” he grumbled, nudging the boy in the shoulder. “Help a guy, Finn.”

The kid was only too happy to help him blow on the cake.

“What did you wish for?” Jo asked with that cruel spark of mischief in her eyes that told him he and Effie would get taunted about what they were hiding for the rest of the day.

“He can’t tell us or it will jinx it.” Annie chided her.

He had wished for everything to be always like this. Easy, light and loving. Everything he never thought he could have. Everything he would die to keep.

“Open your presents.” Katniss cut in, passing one of the them along while Peeta started cutting the cake.

He pointedly drew back Effie’s chair before going back to his own, plopping April down on his lap. The girl immediately reached for the silver wrapping with a delighted noise that made everyone laugh. He let her help unwrap his presents until she got bored with tearing up sparkling paper and got interested in banging her plastic toy against the table’s edge instead. He only gave it ten more minutes before she started tossing things around, expecting them to fetch them for her – Snowball was great at that game and he decided he would let the puppy back in from the backyard if it came down to that.

He got two rare old volumes from the Trinkets – or more likely Tadius – a portrait of him with April and Effie from Peeta, a pretty shell as big as his fist from Finn – who had hunted it himself, he was told – that would do a nice paperweight, a new hunting knife from Johanna who just shrugged and insisted it was never bad to be prepared, a chime made of small delicate shells from Annie and a very expensive looking new chessboard from Katniss. And by expensive, he meant expensive. The pieces were finely crafted out of obsidian and ivory and it was beautiful.

At his interrogative glance, the girl simply shrugged.

He figured that was her way of apologizing for going ahead with the book thing without asking him first. There was still some tension between them about that but they were both too stubborn to change their minds. She felt she needed to do it to give all those dead people justice and he still felt people would buy it out of voyeurism rather than genuine compassion.

“This is from April.” Effie declared, placing a small perfectly wrapped package in front of him. She had been waltzing around almost as soon as he had hinted she should sit down. She had been doing that all day, snapping picture after picture, still dedicated to recording everything. They would need new shelves for photo albums soon at the pace she was going.

“Yeah?” he teased. “Didn’t realize she was so good at wrapping things…”

The shrimp, by now, was trying hard to snatch a piece of his brand new chessboard set and he handed her over to Peeta who delighted in distracting her by waving her rattle around.

He made a quick job of unwrapping the present, trying not to mind the flashes of the camera. It was an oval mold of a very tiny hand and he couldn’t help but smile.

“Oh, this is very cute…” Annie beamed.

Nobody could deny that. He looked up at Effie with a small smile. “Thanks, sweetheart.” She waved that away and fetched a bigger box from the pantry. He lifted his eyebrows in surprise but opened it quickly. A folded winter coat greeted him inside. Brand new, grey and warm. That must have been what she had been working on in secret in the study. “Thanks.” he said again.

She grinned at him and leaned down, wrapping her free arm around his neck and stretching her other arm so she could snatch a picture of the two of them.

“Your other gift will wait in our bedroom tonight.” she murmured in his ear. “For your eyes only.”

That meant kinky lingerie, he figured. Nice.

She giggled when he pulled her on his lap. He resolutely ignored the protests and the statements that really they were too old to behave like that and he kissed her, maybe a bit too deeply since they were in public but that day he didn’t really care. She bumped her nose against his cheek, nuzzled his ear a little…

They were all eating their cake now, talking and laughing, not paying them much attention… Haymitch chanced it and placed his hand on her bump, rubbing gentle circles on it with his thumb. She was already finishing the third month.

It was odd how time had seemed to trickle by so slowly for most of his life and now it seemed to go twice as quickly to catch up. Or maybe it was the difference between decaying away in an empty house and being surrounded by family.

Her hand covered his, pressed a little harder against her stomach. He could tell she was feeling the baby moving – or the fluttering of it – just by the secret softness of her smile.

He leaned in to kiss her again, really not caring what everyone thought about it. It was just a peck, a long tender peck that ended up with her ducking her head a little and biting her bottom lip.

“Shall we?” she asked.

He didn’t need her to clarify. They had been really good at hiding it so far. She had hidden her stomach under loose clothes or beneath her coat when they went out. Visits at the clinic could be justified by check-ups on his own health or April’s or even hers. It was the good thing with having such a young child, nobody expected you to do it again so soon. For now, not a rumor had surfaced in the District and they would rather keep it that way. It wouldn’t last, of course. The press would get wind of it eventually. But for now the jellyfish was still theirs only and he wouldn’t have had it any other way.

But he also wanted to share the news with their family.

He was almost bursting with how happy about it he was.

Sure, he still had doubts about the whole thing, about how they would manage with two young children – if they could manage at all… And it was nothing to worrying about what they would do when they would be older. Loving the babies, taking care of them… It wasn’t the difficult thing. Even raising them… Between the two of them, he believed they would succeed in not butchering that up… But once they would be old enough to ask questions… That would be the real kicker, he figured. How to explain…

Panem was already so different from what it had been three years ago.

By the time their children would be old enough to understand, there would be a generation gap.

“Now?” he asked, just to be sure. He wasn’t the one who had wanted to keep it hush-hush after all. She had wanted it on her terms this time around and, since it wasn’t a luxury she had been able to afford herself with April, he wanted to give it to her.

“It is time, I think.” she hummed, entwining their fingers over her stomach.

The end of the first trimester meant she was far less likely to have a miscarriage. And they couldn’t keep it a secret forever. Not when her bump was making her dress look slightly round at the waist.

“Alright.” he smirked.

“Alright.” she grinned. She hopped off his lap and cleared her throat. It was only when Haymitch stood up too that the others stopped talking and eating to look at them curiously. Or, in Johanna’s case, more scowling than curious. Effie clapped her hands together once in hardly suppressed glee. “First of all, we would like to thank you all for coming today.”

“The trip down the street was a hardship.” Peeta joked, a little distracted by April who was very busy trying to steal some of the cake from his plate.

Effie briefly pursed her lips at the interruption but continued as if it hadn’t happened. Her hand slid into his and Haymitch squeezed her fingers.

“We have some news!” she exclaimed.

“Oh! Us too.” Katniss commented, placing her glass of water down to look at Peeta who was beaming at her, a little surprised and a little awed.

“Now?” the boy asked.

Katniss shrugged. “Yeah, why not?”

Haymitch had a good idea of what was coming and he winced a little. “Can your news wait until later? ‘Cause it’s kind of Effie’s moment right now.”  

“Haymitch, how rude!” Effie hissed, whacking his arm with her free hand but still looking a little miffed. “Please, go ahead, Katniss. My news can wait a little longer.”

“But not nine months longer I bet.” Johanna muttered, low enough that only Haymitch and Effie heard. And Annie but Annie wasn’t really paying attention.

It was Peeta who spoke though, not Katniss, completely ignoring April who took advantage of it to splash her hand in the half eaten piece of cake and bring some to her mouth. It was mostly chocolate and it was melted so Haymitch let it go. Effie made a face at the dress getting a nice chocolate handprint but that was life with a baby.

“Well… Katniss and I…” Peeta announced slowly, smiling fondly at his girlfriend. “Let’s say we talked a lot and…” There was no stopping the beaming then. The boy beamed so much he might as well have powered the whole District in electricity for the year. “She asked me to marry her and I said yes.”

There were cries of excitement – well, Effie cried in excitement and Annie exclaimed – he and Johanna mostly remained there, unsurprised but pleased for their friends. Congratulations were passed around, hugs were given and, all the while, Effie kept a running commentary of what they would need to do, all the planning that needed to be made…

“We are not getting married now.” Katniss cut in with wide fearful eyes at the strength of their former escort’s enthusiasm. Effie’s eyes were very bright and she kept going from Peeta to Katniss to hug them in turn. “For now we’re engaged. In a couple of years we will get married.”

Effie blinked but took that in stride. “All the better for a very well planned wedding! And April will be old enough to be a flower girl by then!”

“The best we can hope for her in life.” Haymitch deadpanned, warranting himself another whack on the arm.

“Oh, hush, will you, you horrid man!” she scolded him. “My babies are getting married.”

“Your babies are twenty.” he pointed out, rolling his eyes.

“What does it matter?” she retorted and then dashed around the table to hug Peeta again. “I am so happy! So happy!”

Peeta laughed and hugged back for what appeared to be the hundredth time. “You will stand with me, Effie, right?”

Haymitch quickly stepped closer, outstretching his hands just because she seemed suddenly thunderstruck. He only had time to wince before Effie was crying. Well… Crying was better than fainting, he figured.

“It would be my honor! My absolute honor!” she exclaimed with such theatrics that Haymitch shook his head. The kids both looked a little taken aback by the strength of her reaction. She was always over the top but this was a little too much.

“You’re going to start bawling too if I ask you to give me away?” Katniss frowned at him suspiciously.

“Nah.” he joked. “Always happy to give you away.”

The girl rolled her eyes. “Nice, Haymitch.”

“Thanks, sweetheart.” he replied.

Meanwhile, Annie was trying and failing to comfort Effie who kept waving a dismissing hand and swearing she was alright even if she kept sobbing hard. Johanna had ended up with April on her lap and Finn clinging to her arm, the boy clearly a bit afraid of the scene she was making, not used to seeing her that emotional.

“Alright.” he loudly declared, taking hold of Effie’s shoulders and guiding her to a chair so she would sit down. “Hope someone got a good picture of that.”

She was a sight with her running make-up and Johanna’s snickers told him the camera hadn’t been lost for everyone during the last ten minutes.

Effie glared at him. “You are so awful sometimes.”  

“Only sometimes?” he smirked, taking the chair Katniss had vacated. The girl simply took his own seat without comment.

“You know I cannot help it.” she snapped. She hiccupped twice but the tears finally stopped because now she was getting angry at him. He lifted an eyebrow and smirked. Hormones sucked. But he had found ways around them. Except, given the way she was now glaring at him, that was dangerous. Making her furious just so she would stop crying was not a fun game. “You are insufferable.”

“Like you’re a piece of cake.” he snorted. “Speaking of…” He slid her untouched plate closer to her. “Maybe you should eat some.”

Chocolate went a long way into easing this sort of moods.

Except apparently not.

“I cannot eat this, there is coffee in it.” she hissed.

“Then why did you ask the kid for that one?” he sighed.

“Because it is your favorite!” she snapped, raising her voice loud enough that April started crying. She softened immediately and turned toward her daughter, snatching her away from Johanna and cuddling her close. “No, no, no… Mama is not angry, my darling… I am so sorry… I should not have shouted. Your papa was just being an idiot. Mama is not angry…”

In a practiced move, Haymitch spotted the rattle on the table, grabbed it and started waving it close to the shrimp’s head. It wasn’t long before the baby forgot to cry to try and catch the toy.

Haymitch sighed in relief while Effie peppered the child’s cheek with kisses.

It was only then that he realized the kitchen was deadly silent.

Everyone was staring at them as if they had grown a second head.

“What?” he scowled defensively.

Granted, they might have been acting a bit odd but…

“Alright, what’s going on?” Katniss asked, crossing her arms over her chest when nobody else dared. “The two of you have been weird for weeks. And you…” The girl pointed a finger in Effie’s direction. “You’re starting to scare me.”

“I do not know what you mean.” Effie lied, dabbing at her eyes with her napkin to catch the smudged make-up.

“Yesterday you cried because I broke an egg.” Peeta winced.

“I hate eggs.” she simply declared as if it made sense.

“The day before that you started sobbing at a cartoon on TV.” Katniss insisted. “A cartoon for April.”

“It was terribly sad.” she dismissed. “That cat almost ate the mouse. Absolutely not child-friendly if you want my opinion.”

“The cat never catches the mouse.” Annie offered. “It’s the running joke. They are kind of friends actually.”

Effie barely blinked, pretending to focus on wiping April’s hand a little more thoroughly than Johanna had done. There were a few spots of chocolate near her shoulder but Haymitch wasn’t going to point that out. He was pretty sure the dress was new and he didn’t want to upset her again.

“Well, I did not know that, did I?” she hummed. “Would someone care for more cake? No? Coffee?”

Johanna was almost dying of hilarity in her corner of the table. “Just spit it out, Trinket.”

She pursed her lips, gave Jo a brief glance and then wrinkled her nose. “This is Haymitch’s birthday and the children already stole his thunder with their news so…”

“I thought you were happy about it?” Katniss interrupted, a bit annoyed.

Peeta was more understanding. “I’m sorry, Effie… I know you went to a lot of troubles for today… We shouldn’t have…”

“No, no!” she denied, suddenly sounding horrified at her own behavior. “Oh! I am so sorry… I am happy for you. I do not know what got into me. I am not quite myself today.”

Haymitch sighed, covering her hand on the table. “Just tell them, sweetheart.”

“No.” she frowned. “It is the children’s moment now and…”

“They won’t mind.” he promised, glaring at Katniss. “Right?”

After all, he had tried to tell them to wait.

“Of course, we don’t mind.” Peeta offered.

“Yeah.” Katniss nodded. “Just tell us what the fuck is going on.”

“Not in front of the children!” Effie and Annie rebuked at the exact same time.

Finn looked up at that but it was clear he hadn’t heard much because he had been busy finishing Johanna’s share of cake.

Effie cleared her throat, nervously playing with her wedding band. “If you are certain you would not mind…”

“There are never enough good news.” Peeta smiled and then frowned a little. “It is good news, right? Because you haven’t looked that well lately and…”

Johanna rolled her eyes and opened her mouth, almost certainly to blurt the secret out.

“We are pregnant.” Effie declared before she could.

Haymitch wasn’t sure what kind of reaction he expected but it certainly wasn’t the grand deafening silence he got.

“You’re gonna have one every year or what?” Johanna taunted after a few seconds. “Must been at it like rabbits to…”

“Jo.” Annie said firmly and, miracle of all miracles, Seven’s victor fell silent. “Congratulations! I am so happy for you, Effie…”

That seemed to jerk the kids out of whatever spell they were under.

Effie stood up once more to receive hugs from Annie and Peeta. Katniss was more cautious when she approached him.

“Good or bad?” the girl asked uncertainly, watching him a bit warily.

A few years ago, he would have answered bad without a single moment of hesitation.

“Good.” he smirked. “Very good.”

Katniss relaxed and smiled, hugging him tight. “I’m happy if you’re happy.”

He accepted Peeta’s congratulations and sheepish apology about having stolen Effie’s thunder but let her handle the numerous questions their friends had for them. How far along was she? Did they know if it was a boy or a girl yet? How long had they known?

“I didn’t know you were trying…” Peeta commented at some point before flushing red at the implications. “I mean…”

“We… were not.” Effie admitted, flashing Haymitch an embarrassed look. “But we are happy all the same.”

“Careful, Haymitch…” Johanna teased. “They say good things come in three…”

“Isn’t that bad things?” Katniss frowned.

“Matter of perspective.” Jo shrugged.

“Do you already have name ideas?” Annie asked, bringing the conversation back on safer grounds.

It felt like hours to Haymitch before they were allowed to leave the table. Katniss and Jo immediately set off for a walk in the woods, Annie brought Finn back to the children’s house so he could take a nap and Haymitch seized the occasion to challenge Peeta to a game of chess while they had some peace and quiet.

As much peace and quiet as they could get with Effie insisting on clearing out the table and doing the dishes – something she was prevented to do both by him and Peeta. They took care of cleaning the kitchen while she put April down for her own nap.

They had finally settled in the living-room with the new chessboard and were admiring the pieces when she came back down and announced she was going to call her mother.

“Good luck.” he snorted.

She pursed her lips and huffed but still patted her hair in self-consciousness before striding into the kitchen like others would have marched on a battlefield.

He focused on the game but kept an ear pricked for whatever she was saying in the other room. She was silent a lot, which he figured to mean Elindra had a lot of news to impart, and it was almost fifteen minutes before he heard her clear her throat.

“Mother, I have some important news I wanted to share…” she declared. He let himself get distracted and that cost him a pawn. “No, it is not about my business. I… Yes, things are going well enough on that front. Only a couple of customers so far but the word is going around. No… Of course not. No… Yes… Mother…” He captured Peeta’s knight with a smirk. “Mother. My news? Yes. Yes, we received the card and the books. Haymitch was over the moon. I… No, I was not calling to thank you actually. I am sure he will get in touch with Father and do that himself. Yes, it went well. The cake was delicious, yes. No, my guests are not still there. Do you really think I would leave my guests to fend for themselves while I make calls? What kind of a hostess do you think I am?” A longer pause and Peeta walked straight into his trap. The boy never learned.  “I apologize, Mother, I did not mean to snap.” she hissed through gritted teeth. “It is just I am trying to tell you something important.” Haymitch rolled his eyes at Elindra’s antics. Couldn’t she just listen for two seconds? Apparently not because it was another ten minutes of “Yes” and “No” before Effie cleared her throat again. “Yes, my news. Well… Mother… You are going to be a grandmother again!” It was silent for a moment and then Effie laughed in joy. “Yes, I am pregnant. Yes. Yes. No, not yet. Three months. Yes, we are really happy.”

“Checkmate.” Peeta said smugly.

Haymitch had to do a double take and narrowed his eyes at the kid. “Doesn’t count. I was distracted.”

“Still counts.” the boy shrugged. “Another one?”

He set the pieces again, grumbling under his breath, but he got distracted again halfway through when Effie walked back in the living-room and sat on the couch with a sigh, propping her legs up.

“Being pregnant is exhausting.” she informed them and then grinned. “Mother was enthusiastic! She is going to send up paint samples for April’s new room.”

“More painting.” he muttered. “Great.”

“For your daughter, Haymitch.” she reminded him. “You want your daughter to have a pretty room, don’t you?”

When she put it like that…

He wanted his daughter to have everything.