wenslena

[wenslena]

Just a dad and his toastbaby 💚

I think Peeta wears glasses in the future, and I love it!

I don’t know what to say, he is so in love with his baby girl.

[wenslena]

everlark aesthetics :

The idea of actually losing Peeta hit me again and I realized how much I don’t want him to die. And it’s not about the sponsors. And it’s not about what will happen back home. And it’s not just that I don’t want to be alone. It’s him. I do not want to lose the boy with the bread.

[wenslena]

Hi, there was a modern au fic I remember reading not too long ago where Katniss and Peeta have an affair whilst he was married (I think to Madge?) and Katniss falls pregnant. I distinctly remember a scene where Katniss and the wife meet up either whilst Katniss is pregnant or after she’s had the baby. Peeta already has 3 children with his wife and one of them really doesn’t take well to Peeta cheating and leaving and thinks he’s replacing their family with Katniss and the new baby.

Sound familiar?

Hi walker-odair

It does indeed sound familiar. The story you're looking for is

Cleanse by Redheadedflame on fanfiction.net.

And in case you weren't aware of it there is a prequel to that story also on fanfiction.net

Dirty Little Secret by Redheadedflame.

Enjoy!

[wenslena]

“Whatever”

this is a little drabble/outtake for a fic that i’m currently working on but can’t really seem to find a place for it to fit in with the storyline.

katniss and peeta try to define their relationship a year after peeta returns back to district 12 following the war.

“Haymitch referred to me as your ‘whatever it is that I am’ today,” I say as I nestle my head into the center of Peeta’s chest, getting ready to sleep.

“Did he?” He asks as he wraps his arms around me, and I nod. He hesitates a moment before asking, “Well, what do you want to be?”

I furrow my brow and ask, “What do you mean?”

“Well, I could be your ‘friend,’” Peeta starts, and already I hear the teasing thick in his voice, “but I think we kiss and sleep in the same bed way too often for that one. I mean, how many friends do you know who share a house?” He looks at me with a grin, and I respond with an eye roll and a smile of my own.

“I could be your ‘boyfriend,’ but it feels like we’ve been through a little bit too much for that one, right?”

“Go on,” I say, never wanting him to stop talking when he’s able to run on with a joke like this.

“We could go with ‘partner,’ but it’s a bit too reminiscent of ‘ally’ for my taste,” he states, and I nod. There’s no further explanation needed.

“I could be your ‘husband.’ I mean, we both know more than half the country still thinks we’re already married, but I wouldn’t want that because,” he lowers his voice conspiratorially, “believe it or not, I have a keen ability to make really good bread, and I will be damned if people think I had a toasting without the perfect loaf,” he continues. At this point, I’m really laughing while he smiles down at me.

“Or, I could be your ‘lover,’ which might actually be the most accurate title.”

“Why, because we were ‘star-crossed lovers’?” I ask drolly.

“No, because ‘lovers’ implies we’re having a lot of sex.” In response, I smack his arm while he guffaws.

“Alright, alright,” he begins while wiping away his tears from laughing too hard, “well that’s all I can think of. You got anything?”

I look up at him. His blue eyes are shining brighter in the moonlight with the help of his happy tears, and as his eyes find mine again, an easy softness covers his features. He is perfect.

“So one day you’re gonna give me a toasting with the perfect loaf?” I ask. A smile spreads across his lips.

“The absolute best one. A perfect golden brown crust that’s crispy and buttery and herby. The inside will be nice and soft.”

“Will there be fruit and nuts?”

“If that’s what you want.”

I smile. “Then how about after that happens, you can be my husband. But until then, we know that I am yours and you are mine and we are whatever it is that we are.”

He smiles back at me, and I blush, because after a year of doing whatever it is that this is, I will never get used to how much I love it.

“I love you, my whatever,” he says, holding back a laugh as he goes to kiss me on the cheek.

“I love you, too, my whatever,” I say, unable to stifle my chuckle like he could his.

We hold each other close as the crisp autumn air fills the room. My eyes are just starting to drift closed when Peeta asks, “So, I guess this means ‘lovers’ is totally off the table then, right?”

[wenslena]

The Yellow Line

“Is this my punishment for being annoying, Katniss? ‘Cause I actually don't mind pillow fights with gorgeous half-naked women.” He grabs her wrists and pulls her closer. “I won't let it go because I want us to have this all the time. We won’t need to worry about the last bus, the weather, or someone hearing us... It'll be just you and me."

-

Two households, both alike in lack of privacy. Will Katniss and Peeta manage to get away and have a place of their own? Maybe somewhere on the yellow line?

Set six months after Katniss with a K and Codename: B³.

Read on ao3!

This is for  @browneyeddevil who left a lovely comment on Codename: B³ and requested I write something about the last part of the story, which goes:

“One of these days,” she thinks to herself, “you will spend the night in his bed in the twelfth borough. Then your displacement will not be zero.”

This got me thinking just how quickly that distance between their houses would become a source of annoyance and I wrote this short piece about how they would come to live together. Thank you, @browneyeddevil for the inspiration and the encouraging comments! ❤️

[wenslena]

The Miner's Wife by MockingJayFlyingFree (Review)

Hello Hunger Games fanfic readers, this week I am reviewing the wonderful and compelling tale of The Miner's Wife written by MockingJayFlyingFree. (Trigger warnings for  Drug abuse, alcohol abuse, forced prostitution, non-con, and mention of abortion.)

I picked this story first to review because it's at the top of Everlark Fic Questions Top Ten Fics by Statistics and because I've read it before so I figured reviewing it would be easier since I was familiar with the story. So with that reasoning explained let's get down to the review.

The story is set in Single Victor AU where Prim was never reaped but Peeta Mellark was. Peeta went on to win the 74th Hunger Games by himself and Katniss stayed in the Seam and married Gale at age 18. She had two children with him before a mine accident killed Gale and left her financially ruined and starving. In a last-ditch effort to feed her children, she turns to prostitution and finds some unlikely help in the form of the two District 12 victors.

One thing I really liked about this story was the setting felt a lot like the original trilogy. There's a certain grimness and desperation that makes it feel very authentic but the stakes are more adult in nature. There is also some extra world-building. We get to see the before-unseen shady dealings of the Capitol Elite who were not as prominent as in the original trilogy, as well as more of the Vicors/Mentors (from the Quarter Quell) who were previously one-dimensional characters in the original trilogy. By changing the timeline when the story takes place, 12 years after the 74th Hunger Games we get a different view of some very familiar characters, and different perspectives on some characters who were never fleshed out in Suzanne's Catching Fire.

Like the original books, the story starts in District 12 which is a microcosm of what is happening to Panem at large.

Peeta Mellark is back home after weeks of mandatory attendance at festivities in the Capitol. The district is dirty and grey, the people struggling even more than usual. There has been another large mine accident and many families have been affected. Including one familiar protagonist.

Katniss is all grown up with a family. She is once again thrust into the role of sole provider and head of her household. Except this time going beyond the fence to hunt won't save her family in time. She is forced to make the hard decision between her family's survival, staying true to her own values, and holding onto her dignity. Once again she chooses to do whatever is necessary to ensure her loved ones can live another day, which echoes back to the part of Katniss' character we saw in the original trilogy on the night before the start of the Hunger Games where Katniss said she couldn't afford to think about the moral quandies of killing other children because she had her sister to consider. The meaning implied is that Katniss' mindset going into the Games was doing whatever it took to win to get back home to her family because they were counting on her.

On the other side of the equation, we have Peeta Mellark. The story actually starts with his point of view and right off the bat we see that this story's version of Peeta Mellark is more in line with the hijacked version we became familiar with in the Mockingjay novel. Peeta is worn out and barely hanging on. It's been over a decade since he won his games. He's been mentoring children and watching them die for years and he's been sold as a prostitute in the Capitol for almost as long. The story delves into his depression and his alcoholism, as well as his dependence on drugs. It also touches on his past suicide attempts and his suicidal ideation. Yet through all of that, his desire to protect the people that are important to him is still there.

We see from the get-go that even though Katniss never had to go into the arena and Peeta made it out alive, they are still fighting a battle for survival mentally and physically every day. They have both been exploited in different ways and are dealing with the lingering effects of trauma. Katniss with the trauma and grief of losing both her father and the father of her children to the same mine that has killed so many Seam people, and Peeta with having to endure the horrors of being a young and desirable victor sought after by the Capitol elite, as well as mentoring a new crop of tributes every year.

The human tragedies playing out in District 12 set the stage for Katniss and Peeta's paths to cross again merge in new ways and evolve from what we saw in Collins' books. The struggles they face may be slightly different from their teenage counterparts in the original trilogy but one thing I think MockingJayFlyingFree does well is stay true to the inner core of these characters. Katniss is still a consummate survivor who in the right circumstances with the right people is won over by compassion and empathy. While Peeta goes through a horrible ordeal of having his humanity stripped away and becoming a ghost of himself, he is brought back by those who understand his pain, and his mission of trying to save the girl he threw bread to when he was eleven.

Their struggle to stay true to themselves, and find freedom and peace under an oppressive totalitarian regime is very inspiring and at moments heartbreaking. While this story does not have a clear-cut happily ever after it does end on a hopeful note and readers walk away with a very authentic and thought-provoking experience.

I enjoyed reading this story immensely and I can completely see why it's on the list of top ten Huger Games fanfiction stories. I highly recommend this fic to readers who enjoy the grittiness and high stakes of the Hunger Games.

[wenslena]

hello! can you please suggest any post-war everlark fics where their friendship is explored and is the core of the narrative? fics where their friendship gradually turn into something much deeper? sort of the same vibe of cf everlark when peeta was taking care of katniss and they were working on the plant book and katniss was inner-monologue-ing about peeta's lashes and they're friends but katniss was slowly falling deep in love and peeta was there at the bottom of the pit, ready to catch her. you know. something like that. multi-chaps are preferred, but i'll take any one-shots as well! tysm, your blog is a blessing!

Hello Anon!

I know I have a ton more than just these ones but I'll add this to future masterlist topics but for now I think these would be a good start! Happy Reading!

A Girl, A Boy, and Everything Else-CassandraO (ao3) Summary: It's been a year since the war ended. Peeta and Katniss are in the process of growing together. Peeta is learning about setting boundaries and taking better care of himself and Katniss is drowning in depression. How they grow together as friends and eventually, something else, all the while facing new challenges. A Painter, a Baker, and a Boy who Never Took Sugar in his Tea-katiac (ao3) Summary: Peeta’s months in the Capitol under Dr. Aurelius’ care as he struggles to sort real memories from false, come to terms with the horrors inflicted on him and those he loved during the war, and understand the true nature of his connection with Katniss Everdeen. Good Again-titania522 (ao3) Summary: "The sun was rising, fingers of glorious orange, red and yellow crawling across the sky. The window appeared as a frame around a picture, dawn’s ascent bursting from the folds of a delicate skirt the color of burnt copper. I sighed and turned back to Peeta, holding his hand against my cheek." After all they have experienced, Katniss and Peeta realize that things can be good again. The Missing Book - The Early Years-Hey_You (ao3) Summary: Katniss and Peeta grow back together after Peeta's return to District 12. After Katniss realizes her true feelings for Peeta, she is faced with the very real possibility that he no longer cares for her in the way she had hoped. Post "Mockingjay" but pre-Epilogue. Canon compliant. Us Among the Living-aspiringpandabear (ao3) Summary: When the air smells of spring and Peeta returns to District 12, Katniss finds a reason to live again. Classic Everlark growing together fic heavily focused on Peeta and Katniss' journeys processing their grief and trauma in the months following the rebellion. And, of course, the story of how they fall back in love while helping each other pick up the broken pieces of their lives.

I’ll be adding this to future masterlist topics! If anyone knows of any, please let me know!

As always, if you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, please feel free to shoot me an ask!

[wenslena]

THE HUNGER GAMES (2012) dir. Gary Ross THE HUNGER GAMES (2008) by Suzanne Collins (pg. 298) THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE (2013) dir. Francis Lawrence CATCHING FIRE (2009) by Suzanne Collins (pg. 352) THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY — PART 2 (2015) dir. Francis Lawrence MOCKINGJAY (2010) by Suzanne Collins (pg. 388)

[wenslena]

#im talking about this #those are my favourite lines #its unbearably heartbreaking and sweet #always

Peeta: "I must have loved you a lot."

Katniss: "Everyone says you did."

Why isn't anybody talking about this heartbreaking, perfect piece of dialogue?? Imagine essentially waking up as a whole new person and hearing all the agony, the trauma and the sacrifice the past version of yourself (that's still in there somewhere even though it doesn't feel like you) went through for this person. This one person you have now been taught to hate. This one person you can't remember loving. This one person everyone is trying to convince you loved you back, but when you ask them, they don't look sure. This one person that can't offer any reasons as to why you loved them so much you went into hell with them twice, because they don't feel worthy of your love and your reasons were always yours to keep anyway. Only now they are gone and no one seems confident you'll ever get them back.

This is master literature.

[wenslena]

my heart physically hurts while reading the scene where katniss 'chooses' gale after he is whipped (cf, 34). and not because she chooses gale. or writes off peeta as simply a part of the capitol's game (cf, 35).

but mostly, my heart hurts because of the way katniss speaks of herself. paragraphs of self-criticism interwoven between the impassioned declarations of rebellion. 

she points out how selfish she has been. a true coward, trying to run away to save her life rather than stay and join the fight (cf, 34).

and with the same disgust that gale regarded her earlier in the day, katniss concludes that she isn't a decent person (cf, 29; 34). and not even saving peeta makes up for her vices. because apparently she only did that to save herself. from returning to an unlivable life without him (cf, 34).

and perhaps the saddest part of this moment is katniss wishing that she died in the arena. wishing that seneca crane had the wits to blow her to pieces. saving her from what she considers a worthless existence (cf, 34).

and there is only one way she can be "someone of worth" to the rebellion. and to some extent, gale.

because if she decided to hold out the nightlock berries as an act of rebellion against the capitol, not because she loved the dying boy beside her, then she has worth. then she is something they can work with (cf, 34).

and this realization shifts katniss's perspective. because she spends the rest of the book desperately justifying all of her efforts to save peeta by invoking the rebellion (cf, 69). trying to suppress the real reason she has saved him over and over again.

she loves him (cf, 100). 

but the real reason isn't good enough. never has been for the rebellion (cf, 38). because the rebellion only sees katniss as a tool. a weapon to be used. and defiance against the capitol is the only trade they will accept from her.

once she loses her usefulness, there is no need to keep her around (mj, 307). better to just set her off in the wild ruins of a forgotten district and forget about her (mj, 322). 

and even her loved ones. leaving her for better opportunities in other districts (mj, 327). leaving her districts with fewer ghosts to haunt them (mj, 323). everyone follows in the example of the rebellion in how you desert a burnt mockingjay.

everyone except him (mj, 325).

because peeta's love was never about usefulness. he loved her when she was a girl with no skills to share (thg, 111). no hunt to trade (thg, 28). 

he loved her when she was singing sweet melodies that made the birds envy (thg, 301). he loved her when her song was replaced with a scowl (thg, 265).

he loved her when he fully believed that she loved him back (thg, 298). he loved her when it was seemingly clear that she didn't (cf, 100)

he loved her when she provided for her family, eyes focused on survival (thg, 27). he loved her when she was a shell of herself, her family nothing more than another casualty of the war (cf, 325).

he simply loved her. no strings attached. a truly revolutionary type of love in a place like panem.

[wenslena]

hey besties.

here are some songs that remind me of differnet hunger games characters. (note I’m a big swiftie)

Everlark

Fire on Fire - Sam Smith

Grace - Lewis Capaldi

The Great War - Taylor Swift (PMJ)

Peace - Taylor Swift

This Love - Taylor Swift (PMJ return to 12)

TV - Billie Eilish (mockingjay)

Midnight Rain - Taylor Swift (post first games)

Sweet Nothing - Taylor Swift (PMJ)

Peeta Mellark

Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me? - Taylor Swift

Not Strong Enough - Boy Genius

Set Fire to the Rain - Adele (post first games)

Wrecking Ball - Miley Cyrus (again post first games)

Down Bad - Taylor Swift

teenage dream - Olivia Rodrigo

death bed - Powfu (catching fire arena)

Linger - The Cranberries (post first games)

Katniss Everdeen

my tears ricochet - Taylor Swift

The Archer - Taylor Swift

making the bed - Olivia Rodrigo

Falling - Harry Styles (post first games)

Down Bad - Taylor Swift

teenage dream - Olivia Rodrigo

Easy on Me - Adele

I Can Do It With A Broken Heart - Taylor Swift (mockingjay)

Beautiful Things - Benson Boone (PMJ relationship with Peeta)

brutal - Olivia Rodrigo

Burn - Sinéad Harnett (heavy on this one)

Haymitch Abernathy

I Bet On Losing Dogs - Mitski

Funeral - Phoebe Bridgers

Anti-Hero - Taylor Swift (not because I think he is the problem, but I feel like he thinks he is😞)

everything I wanted - Billie Eilish

[wenslena]

I wanna ask a question, do you have any fics that Peeta never reaped and Katniss is the only victor and they gey married ?

I don’t know about getting married, but here are some sole victor!Katniss stories with an Everlark endgame (in these, Peeta is never reaped during the course of the story):

A Real Kiss - ABunchofMellarky

A Small Rebellion - madefrommemories

Amortize - DerpyAlchemist

Brokenness - chele20035

Here are some others in which Katniss is the only winner of her Games, and Peeta is reaped later on:

A Thousand Silhouettes Dancing on My Chest - ThisFragileGame

Doubt Screams, Where Are You? by BurntBreadAndShinyPearls

Saving the Boy - Embracing_Immensity

Stacked Odds - sponsormusings

Samson and Delilah - Missi Marie

and at once I knew I was not magnificent - atetheredmind

[wenslena]

„I’m so terribly afraid of losing you.”

Peeta looks up, his face so confused that it would almost be funny if my heart wasn’t hurting so badly in this moment.

“What?” he says.

“I’m terrified of losing you.”

He gives me a look that seems to indicate he thinks I’m nuts. He leans back on the couch and puts his foot up beside him.

“What are you talking about?”

“The reason why I kept you at arm’s length for so long. The reason why I wasn’t able to put words to my feelings. I loved my father and he died. I loved my sister and she died as well. I love my mother but for all intents and purposes I lost her when my father died because she couldn’t handle the magnitude of what she had lost.” I swallow hard to get rid of the lump in my throat.

“When I love people I lose them.“

[wenslena]

“You’re not very big, are you? Or particularly pretty?”

Okay so! I wrote a one shot about Peeta rectifying his D13 comment about Katniss not being pretty. I got this idea from a headcannon post by @paintedpeeta! It is longgggggg and soft. I hope you enjoy!

Katniss didn’t mean to get frustrated with him.

She really didn’t.

But, the weather in District 12 was particularly dry and sweltering. Not only that, but she didn’t catch anything in the woods. All the animals hid in the shade from the glaring sun. And increased time in the woods doing nothing gave her increased time to think.

To think about him.

Four months after the end of the war, they created a routine. Katniss finally gained the energy and the will to go back into the woods. When she was done, she would arrive home to the smell of fresh bread wafting through the entry way. While she showered, Peeta would plate the food and they would eat. During the day, they worked on the memory book, they talked, read books, and even played around with whatever new hobby supplies Effie sent in on the train that week.

Once they passed time till dusk, they would cook, eat dinner together, and retire to bed.

It wasn’t until a few months passed that they decided to share a bed again, agreeing that more sleep was worth it, even if they agreed that they were “just friends”- relearning themselves as “Katniss and Peeta” after a war that took everything from them.

But Katniss was beginning to get frustrated.

Some days, she was tired of studying his face, only for his gaze to flick away when he caught her staring. She was tired of him sliding his hands away when they got too close putting dishes in the sink. She was tired of being so, so, close to him- but feeling so far away. But other days, they seemed more in synch. Peeta would be more affectionate, light hearted, and teasing. On those days he would allow her to rest her legs on his on the couch, and he would lightly run his fingers up and down her calves. The lack of consistency confused her. Though she wasn’t positive that she would say it out loud, she knew how she felt for Peeta, and she wanted more. Finally, in a world without cameras or wars they could just be whatever they wanted; there didn’t have to be a weird air or confusion between them. But there still was. She couldn’t help but feel that maybe he had moved on. Maybe his gestures were rooted in friendship, and that his attitude of indifference or annoyance toward her in 13 had just stayed with him. Maybe he just stuck around because sticking around was the only way he knew how to protect her- and she knew he wouldn’t ever give up on that.

It got to the point where Katniss would spend all day wishing for darkness to come- which she had never done before- so that he would allow her to coil into the folds of his side and feel the warmth of his skin. Nighttime brought a certain surety for Katniss that she no longer felt in the day time.

On this particular day, one comment swirled around in her brain, over and over. “You’re not very big, are you? Or particularly pretty?”

The words weighed heavy in her brain, making her feel small and slimy, and convincing her that Peeta’s inconsistency was because he was too scared of being honest.

So after spending most of the morning sitting with her frustrations in the boiling outside air, Katniss was in no mood to talk to Peeta, let alone spend the day with him like they had been doing.

At breakfast, Peeta can tell that something is wrong. She hasn’t smiled at him once- and though he didn’t think she realized she even did it, Katniss and her soft smile coming through the door was what began his morning. She didn’t seem to be hurt, and he couldn’t fathom her having any bad interactions while out in the woods. Maybe she just didn’t feel well today. But he wanted to know. He knew Katniss was never good with words, but Peeta didn’t think that mattered. He just wanted her to be honest.

He decided to broach the topic between the loud, angry clanking of her silverware.

“Are you okay, Katniss?” She didn’t even glance in his direction.

“I’m fine, Peeta. Thank you for the rolls.”

He made one of her favorite breakfast delicacies- cinnamon rolls. Instead of scarfing down two and offering him a hug like she did usually, she rose from the table with a loud clammer, and began to wash dishes at the sink. That was usually a job reserved for him.

The war may have changed a lot, but Peeta Mellark knew Katniss Everdeen. And he knew something was wrong. And it was something he did.

Instead of finishing his own plate of rolls, he got up to follow her. If she wasn’t going to talk, he was going to try to make her feel better.

Peeta slid behind her at the sink and wrapped his hands around her waist. For awhile, he hadn’t noticed how she felt whenever he did that, but eventually he started to notice the slight shudder on her skin and the melting of her body into his own.

This time, he only felt the shudder and felt her stiffen to the likes of wood.

“What are you doing, Peeta?”

He nuzzled close to her ear. Katniss wanted to escape, desperately, before he lessened her resolve but his breath on her neck almost brought all of her thoughts to a halt.

“I’m trying to make you feel better. It’s so hot today, I was hoping you would just stay here with me. But you slipped out early instead.”

Katniss felt bad that she left him-she felt like she needed to soak it all in wherever he woke up in a particularly cuddly mood. But today was just not the day. Especially with the heat. And his warm hands burning into her waist. She wanted to turn around in his grip and hold his face, but she snapped instead.

“Exactly, Peeta, it’s hot. So get off of me.” She threw her hands in the air and he released his grip. She missed it as soon as it was gone.

“I’m sorry- I just want to be near you. I’ll get a cool cloth and we can just lay down in front of the fan together, how about that?”

Katniss immediately felt bad for snapping, but her bad mood persisted. Of course he was going to try to take care of her- it’s Peeta. But she was tired of whatever was going on, and if she wasn’t going to get answers anytime soon, she wasn’t going to let it persist.

“No. Stop trying to take care of me.” Katniss continued with the dishes and hoped that her hostility would convince him to at least leave the room.

“Of course I’m going to take care of you, what are you talking about?”

“No! You don’t need to anymore.”

“Katniss, seriously, you need to tell me what’s going on here.” Peeta tugged on her arm in an effort to get her to turn around and face him.

Katniss slammed a plate down and finally looked in his eyes.

“I don’t know what’s going on here! There’s no cameras here. You don’t have to pretend that you want to take care of me and start over with me.”

“Katniss I want to start over with you. I want to take care of you, why don’t you think I do?”

“I told you that you don’t have to pretend! It’s fine, I know that things are different now, okay?”

“Yeah, maybe things have changed a little, but-“

She cut him off. “But nothing, Peeta! You don’t even think I’m pretty, just admit it to me already!”

With the way those words cut into Peeta, you would have thought Katniss threw something. She hated the look on his face. The disappointment, the sadness, the way his broad shoulders turned slightly in.

“You...you think I don’t think you’re...pretty?”

“You told me as much.”

Realization washed over Peeta’s face and his shoulders fell even more as he remembered the retched days of District 13. The retched days where he struggled to tell the difference between the love of his life and the illusion of her the Capitol pumped in his veins. He didn’t think she remembered that day- when the venom that controlled everything spoke for him and commented on her body and her face.

“I didn’t think you remembered that.”

“Of course I remembered that.”

“It really hurt you, didn’t it?”

“I don’t know. But it doesn’t matter.”

Peeta shook his head and moved around the island to come closer to her.

“Yes, it does. You have to know that that wasn’t me in 13. Don’t you know that?”

Katniss wasn’t sure. Yes, logically she knew that her Peeta didn’t say that, but why did it still swirl around in her brain?

“Yes, I know.”

Peeta let out a small breathy laugh and rolled his eyes.

“You aren’t any better at lying these days, Katniss.”

This time it was Katniss that rolled her eyes as she stepped forward to move around him. Instead, Peeta caught her by the arm and trapped her, with her back against the kitchen island and his arms on either side of her.

As his blue eyes bore into her own grey ones, Katniss was speechless. She didn’t know how to say everything she wanted, and she wasn’t completely sure Peeta knew why she was upset in the first place. But sure enough, he did. Because Peeta Mellark knows Katniss Everdeen. That’s one thing she was sure of.

“I’m sorry I’ve been so...inconsistent. Im terrified of doing something wrong, Katniss. Sometimes I still feel like a mutt.”

Katniss interrupted him. She hated when he referred to himself as a mutt.

“You’re not-“

“I know. Sometimes I still feel like I am though. I already hurt you once, what if I snap and do it again?” Peeta lifted one hand to rub away the heat rushing to his face. “But sometimes I feel so warm and comfortable here with you that I just let myself go. Because at the end of the day, Katniss, this is all I want to do. I want to be with you, take care of you, build a life with you. I want to figure out what being us looks like after all this time and pain. But we have all the time in the world to figure that out, because it’s just you and me. So if you’ll let me, I’ll stop trying to hold back so much, and I’ll stay right here with you.”

She felt overwhelmed with so many sweet words. Peeta never lost his gift. Still, she looked him in the eyes and whispered “Always?” in confirmation.

“Always, Katniss.”

The hug he wrapped her up in was suffocating, and still felt so impossibly good as it did long ago. One of his hands came up to stroke the back of her hair, just like she did to him.

Katniss did not want to let go, but Peeta did, and he did so abruptly, grabbing her by the shoulders and pulling her back to look at him.

“I forgot something.”

Katniss let a smile creep on her lips.

“What, Peeta?”

“I think that you are the most beautiful woman in the whole world. Every moment of every day.”

As he tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ears, Katniss blushed.

His hand stayed pressed to her cheek, lightly grazing it with her thumb. They both stared at each other, not quite knowing what to do next. But Katniss caught his gaze flick to her lips, and she knew what he was waiting for.

“Damn you, Peeta Mellark! Just kiss me-!” Katniss was half laughing, but half serious. She didn’t even get to finish her sentence.

Katniss thought that their hug felt so impossibly good, but nothing rivaled the feeling she got as his lips moved against hers and made her feel like she was floating.

She felt him smile into her mouth and heard him say in a low voice,

“I thought you’d never ask.”

From that day forward, Katniss got kisses freely. And after every one, he would pull away from her and tell her she was beautiful.

When he greeted her after a trip to the woods, “Hello, beautiful.”

When she kissed him after he found a missing puzzle piece, or when they finally finished a board game that took ages, “You are so beautiful.”

When they finished an entry in the memory book, “That was beautiful, Katniss. Oh, and so are you.”

When he made her taste a new recipe, “Did you like it, beautiful?”

When he stroked her hair to lull her to sleep, “Goodnight, beautiful.”

And in no time at all, Katniss Everdeen really did feel like the most beautiful woman in the world, and Peeta Mellark would make sure it always stayed that way.

[wenslena]

Oh wow, to read!!!

Missing Moments in Canon/Canon Compliant Fics Masterlist

Created: June 6th, 2024

Last Checked: ---

20 Candles-burkygirl (ao3) Summary: Peeta works hard to make his new wife's 20th birthday special. A Grand Party-Autumnanox (ao3) Summary: This story takes place at the party at the President's Mansion on the last night of the Victory Tour. Almost-c_r_roberts (ao3) Summary: In which Katniss Everdeen does the one thing she swore she'd never do. Canon. MJ/Epilogue. A Love Like That-dracoisalooker76 (ao3) Summary: Prim stumbles upon a quiet moment between Katniss and Peeta. Set during Catching Fire. A Perfect Winter's Day-dispatchesfromdistrict7 (ao3) Summary: Katniss’ daughter asks for her mother’s help in giving her father the perfect present. Canon-based. A submission for Prompts in Panem Holidays in Panem challenge. Away We Go-Abagail_Snow (ao3) Summary: As they prepare for the birth of their first child, Katniss and Peeta try to find their place in Panem. Inspired by the film Away We Go. cellar conversations-CassandraO (ao3) Summary: Multiple versions of Peeta and Gale discussing who Katniss loves. Canon compliant. All told from Peeta's POV. Christmas In Panem-Alliswell (ao3) Summary: For 75 years The Capitol suppressed all festivities that could bring joy and hope to the Districts, but with the birth of the Free Republic of Panem, the new leaders are attempting to bringing back the forgotten costumes of the old days, when Panem was known as America. Christmas has caught the eye of one District 12 baker. Prompt by Megeaulover, for The Hunger Games: Season of Hope Gift Exchange: Katniss and Peeta first Christmas after they become a couple in canon. Getting their first tree, setting up their own traditions, Katniss tries to bake, etc. Five, Ten, Fifteen Christmases later…-Alliswell (ao3) Summary: Prompt by MegaAULover for the Christmas in Panem Exchange: “Katniss & Peeta having their first Christmas with their newborn or discovering they are pregnant. Or the Toastbabies are running wild.” Let’s meet the Mellark’s as they prepare for Christmas at home with their little ones. For Real…-Alliswell (ao3) Summary: Peeta and Katniss reach and agreement... this time for real.

[wenslena]

A hell of a fic really!!! I was reading it non-stop the whole night and rereading on the next day.

“Tell me Katniss” he says in an emotionless voice. “Do I have a daughter? Or is it a son?” My eyes dart to the paper but before I can confirm that it lists Gale as the father Peeta continues to speak. “It says the father is Gale Hawthorne but that’s not true, is it? Even if you were screwing us both, which I admit I find unlikely, you could never have known for certain. I can do math. You gave birth forty weeks after our dalliance on the train.”

“Peeta” I say, stepping closer to him.

[wenslena]

@mage-chocolate I absolutely agree on the point them getting symbolically married at 11, that is why yeah no matter what they would have grown together

this would have happened anyway is a line I think about religiously because it’s so teasingly vague … what is “this?” what would have happened anyway? her hunger? the intimacy with Peeta that blossoms out of their postwar friendship? her wanting him instead of Gale? their entire relationship? and “anyway” … in spite of what? the Games? the war? or does she just mean that she and Peeta would have found each other in any iteration of their story? whatever it is, it still makes me insane after all these years