thelittlestladylikesthis

Latest Posts by thelittlestladylikesthis

they hate it when you have sweet brown eyes and chubby cheeks

This Circle of Stars Druid is *chefs kiss* because we know powerful, sparkly, weave strong lovers are Gale’s flavor ❤️✨

Picture it 🙌🏼 Lae’zel gets mad because Gale and Tav keep distracting each other and being cute n fluffy. Shadowheart tells Lae’zel to fuck off if she won’t let them be happy and then they start fighting. Astarion sits back and gets comfy watching the chaos.

Bruh… I need it 😂

Keep calm be weird embrace the smooshy Gale faces.

This stupid fucking shirt.

Hey love your writing, I was wondering if I could request a Haymitch x reader oneshot? I was thinking the reader is an ex victor as well and is used similarly to Finnick by the capitol. Her and Hamitch start getting into in one night and he wants to make sure she’s comfortable because he knows how the capitol uses her body, so it’s super fluffy and soft smut!

Thank you so much for reaching out ❤️ I’m not doing requests just yet; still getting on my feet with writing. But stayed tuned- you’re on the right track for where I’m going 😉

The Pink Rose - Part 8

Part Eight- July 15th, 74 ADD

Masterlist

Pairing: Haymitch Abernathy x reader 

Word count: 3,019

Warnings: televised death, hetero relationship, cuddles, dirty talk, piv sex, trauma response, panic attack, memory of assault

Katniss and Peeta had been in the arena for four days now. That they had made it four days astounded many and made it that much easier for Haymitch and [Y/n] to drive any doubt the sponsors had away. The only problem left was that Peeta and Katniss didn’t stick together. [Y/n] couldn’t understand it. First Peeta had declared his feelings for Katniss on a Panem-wide broadcast and then he joined the very group of careers who wanted to kill Katniss.

“There’s only one winner,” Haymitch had said to her on more than one occasion. It still didn’t make sense.

[Y/n] and Haymitch had a scheduled lunch soiree with several of their current and potential sponsors. Due to this, Effie allowed them to skip a public breakfast and just keep up with the Games from the comfort of the District 12 penthouse. [Y/n] was grateful for this brief break from schmoozing with the very people she despised- the Capitol Elite. 

Her body was so used to waking up early, she physically could not stay asleep no matter how much she wanted to. She put on a robe and slippers over her small nightgown. At the end of the hall, she stopped when she heard the voice of Caesar Flickerman giving an update on the previous days highlights. She then noticed Haymitch’s salt and pepper curls sticking out above the couch. She walked over and plopped down next to him before cuddling into his side and resting her head on his shoulder.

“Mornin’ Sweetheart,” he said before kissing the top of her head. His gaze never left the screen. 

Noticing his seriousness, [Y/n] sat up and followed his eyes, “Did something happen?”

“Not yet. Peeta and the Careers are camped out under the tree Katniss climbed. Peeta convinced them to ‘wait it out’ instead of them tryin’ to shoot her,”

“Shoot her?”

“Yeah, that District 1 girl has the bow and arrow,”

Oh. The weapon that would’ve benefitted Katniss was a tree height away and she couldn’t get it. The camera suddenly cut from the Careers to a little girl who had climbed up a tree adjacent to where Katniss was beginning to stir. The young girl- Rue- was only 12 years old and from District 11. The odds were completely out of her favor. [Y/n] wondered whose idea it was for Rue to get close to Katniss. Rue was the same age as Primrose and that was bound to be a weakness for Katniss. [Y/n]’s mind began to wander until she heard Caesar say “tracker jackers”. [Y/n] and Haymitch now watched intently as Katniss evaluated the hive of lethal, genetically engineered wasps. If Katniss were stung, she would experience intense hallucinations; or if stung enough she would not survive the encounter.

“What the hell is she doing?” Haymitch said with an elevated voice and slight tone of concern.

“Oh hell… is she- she’s gonna drop it on them!” [Y/n] didn’t know why she panicked, but she knew Haymitch saw this as a stupid risk where Katniss could be stung too.

Sure enough, as Katniss used her knife to saw the tree limb, the tracker jackers became aware of her and emerged from the hive. One found her leg first, another her neck, a few more her hands. Finally, the limb dropped and crashed to the ground in the middle of the camp where Peeta and the Careers slept. Katniss already looked out of sorts and the group below screamed in terror at the tracker jacker attack. They completely abandoned their site, forgetting their belongings and forgetting Katniss to run for the water. The camera tried to get a glimpse of everyone before a cannon sounded- and then a second one. The female tribute from District 4 had been stung too many times. The second cannon was the female from District 1- the girl with the bow and arrows. [Y/n] and Haymitch were stunned to silence. In a few short minutes, Katniss indirectly caused the death of two other tributes and managed to evade the others trying to kill her.

“Well… not what I expected to see before breakfast,” [Y/n] said quietly.

Haymitch put his arm around her shoulders and said, “It’s not over; let’s see what else she does,”

Katniss stumbled down the tree, almost falling about halfway down. Her torn pants displayed the large purple welt on on her knee that had started to ooze a green tinted pus. The District 1 girl was swollen beyond recognition from head to toe by the time Katniss got to her. Using all the strength she could muster, Katniss ripped the bow and arrows off the girl’s lifeless body. Katniss’ face contorted into something of fear- she was undoubtedly hallucinating.

“Poor kid; I don’t envy whatever she’s seeing,” Haymitch mused sadly. 

Suddenly, a noise came from the nearby brush and out jumped Peeta with a spear. 

“Shit,” [Y/n] said with a flat tone.

“Katniss! What are you still doing here?” Peeta hissed at her- he began to prod her with the handle of the spear, “Are you crazy? Get up! Get up!” he began to yell at her, “Run! Run!”

Katniss was absolutely hallucinating. Peeta finally got her up and shoved her forward to get her moving. He was trying to save her from the returning Careers.

Haymitch threw his hands in the air as he and [Y/n] watched Peeta shove Katniss away into the brush. Katniss stumbled into the plants and down the nearby slope before passing out. Her body was still except for the rise and fall of her chest. After a moment of stunned silence that no doubt resonated across Panem, Rue entered the screen. She tiptoed to Katniss’ body as she looked around for anyone else. 

Rue used all of the strength her body could muster and dragged Katniss into a hidden area, “Don’t worry, I’ve got you,”

*  *  *  *  *

“So, how do you feel about Miss Everdeen’s newest ally?” Plutarch asked as he poured himself a cup of tea.

“Well, she’s an interesting choice that’s for sure,” Haymitch said before plucking a finger sandwich into his mouth. 

“I think what Haymitch means to say is that we never discussed the possibility of Rue or Thresh as allies because we were busy prepping them to go into the arena,” [Y/n] interjected.

Plutarch chuckled, “Districts 11 and 12 have historically been allies given how poorly they’re treated. Even after Rue made the salve for Katniss’ stings and Katniss shared her burn medicine, one would imagine they’d had some sort of conversation,”

“What’s your point?” Haymitch asked with suspicion. 

“Why do you think dialogue between Katniss and Rue was never aired?” Plutarch challenged. 

[Y/n] studied her nail as she thought about it, “They were talking about home, they were discussing their struggles,” she said without looking up.

“Precisely,” Plutarch nodded, “Now, we know better than most what goes on in other districts and I know what the tributes discuss when they take a moment to sit down,”

[Y/n] and Haymitch nodded as they tried to recall conversations they’d had with other tributes in the arena.

“So again, what’s your point?” Haymitch asked, voice laced with suspicion.

Plutarch chuckled, “Mr. Abernathy, Ms. Bellwood, how much have you heard about the resistance going against the Capitol?”

“Only that it exists- I might know a few, but not what they’re up to,” Haymitch said.

[Y/n] took a deep breath, “They operate quietly out of… well…”

Plutarch and Haymitch looked at [Y/n] while she contemplated what to say next. Had she said too much? She let this information slip and she didn’t even know if she could trust Plutarch. He was a Gamemaker- how could he be considered trustworthy at all? When it seemed as if [Y/n] wouldn’t say anything more, Haymitch placed his hand on her knee to comfort her. 

“I understand your hesitance Ms. Bellwood; you’ve been burdened with knowledge that shouldn’t have been shared with you,” Plutarch said, “But you’re not wrong, the resistance is alive. And it’s looking to build. It’s currently in adolescence, but it needs to grow up- and fast,”

Haymitch’s hand gripped [Y/n]’s knee harder; concern had him on edge and it radiated out of his hand “What happened to make you approach us?” he asked with suspicion.

“The Girl on Fire has sparked some controversy in the outlying districts. Her strength resounds and the sparks just need some oxygen to turn into flames,” 

[Y/n] sighed and chuckled softly, “You’ve really taken a shine to the fire angle,”

Plutarch smiled, “You wouldn’t be the only Victors involved; or people involved in the Games directly,” he pulled a small copper plate from his pocket, “Don’t lose this,”

He squeezed each side of the plate and a small camera opened on one side; he started the camera and looked into it saying, “The Capitol is a dictatorial plague and I am for the resistance,”

Plutarch squeezed the sides again and handed it to Haymitch, “Press the button on the back,”

Haymitch did as he was told and a small image of Plutarch projected from the camera and played back what he had said to it. 

“I hope that convinces you enough- I’m giving you this in good faith and wholeheartedly ask that you don’t lose it,” he smiled grimly.

[Y/n] placed a hand on the table and looked at him, “I appreciate you coming to us for this; we’ll discuss and get back to you tomorrow?”

Plutarch nodded in agreement, “Thank you for joining me, and don’t worry, President Snow doesn’t have cameras in here. One of the perks of being me,” as he walked about, he stopped at the door and half turned towards them, “Ms. Trinket was right- you two are a handsome couple,” he left them in stunned silence.

“Handsome. Couple. Effie said that?” Haymitch asked aloud.

[Y/n] kissed his scruffy cheek, “You know she’s an emotional romantic,”

Back at the penthouse, the District 12 crew watch the end of day summary for the Games. Haymitch and Cinna marveled over Katniss’ use of the tracker jackers, while Effie and Portia pondered Peeta’s decision to join the careers and what that would do for his image. [Y/n] picked at her food and pondered the conversation she’d had with Haymitch and Plutarch. Was she supposed to tell Haymitch how much she already knew? Should she introduce him to her contacts. Why didn’t she already know about Plutarch’s involvement?

Standing up, she drew the attention of the table, “I’m going to bed, I have an early start tomorrow,”

The group wished her goodnight; everyone but Haymitch who sensed she wasn’t being completely honest. Once the dinner ended, he made his way [Y/n]’s door and knocked softly.

“Come in,”

“I thought you had to wake early tomorrow?” he smiled

“Well why did you come to my room then?” [Y/n] snapped playfully.

Haymitch walked up and wrapped his arms around her midsection. [Y/n] smiled softly at the goosebumps that rose at the touch of his warm skin. She watched the content look on his face in the mirror as she gazed into the glass.

“Who was winning the staring match before I interrupted?”

[Y/n] scoffed with a smile, “Probably my reflection,”

Her cheeks flushed as she studied Haymitch’s strong arms around her. 

“What’s so funny?” he asked at the sight of her smile

“Oh nothing,” she sighed before slowly pressing her rear backwards and moving it side to side.

A quiet groan came from his throat, “Tell me,” he whispered, “What do you want?”

“I want you to make me feel like you did the morning of Reaping Day,”

“You mean the part before Effie interrupted us?”

“Yes- but don’t be so gentle,”

“Oh?” he said with a small grin. Haymitch put one hand on [Y/n]’s waist turned her around and pushed her against the wall, “Define: not gentle,” He ducked his head down, leaving trails of warm kisses up and down her neck.

[Y/n] bit her lip before letting out a soft sigh, “I want- mmmm,” Haymitch began kneading her chest, “Haymitch- I want you to fuck me, like you’ll never see me again,”

He moved his hands up and placed one on each side of her face, bringing her to him. This kiss was different than others; it was filled with want and need. Appreciation mixed with desire and intention spread about them. He parted their lips by mere millimeters and whispered into her mouth, “Let me know if I cross a line Sweetheart, it’s about you this time,”

[Y/n] melted as her smile kissed him again. Their lips and tongues danced together as she pulled Haymitch closer. He moaned into her mouth and trailed his hands down her body, leaving a line of heat. He lifted the skirt of her dress until it was bunched up at her hips. [Y/n] moaned into his mouth as he used his fingers to run warm circles between her legs. She could feel how wet her lace underwear was.

“Haymitch, I need your cock inside me,” her hips ground into his fingers before she jerked away to remove her underwear. As soon as she did, Haymitch had already removed his pants and briefs. He grabbed [Y/n]’s rear and lifted her so she could wrap her legs around his waist. He used the wall and one hand to hold her up and the other to aim his tip towards her entrance. 

He looked into her eyes, “Are you ready?”

“I’ve been ready,” she smiled mischeiviously. 

He slowly lowered her down until he was fully sheathed inside her. They softly moaned simultaneously. He put his other hand back to her rear and carried her across the room. He laid her down on the bed, carefully so not to remove himself completely. Once they were both lowered, he moved his hips back and forth; starting slow but gradually building speed and force. 

“Goddammit Sweetheart,” he said through gritted teeth.

“Oh my days!” her back arched up and Haymitch’s name softly emerged from her lips.

Both of them mildly concentrating on not being too loud, a symphony of quiet moans, sighs, and ‘I love you’s’ passed between them as their bodies entwined. Haymitch could feel [Y/n] tightening around him and took that as a sign to keep up what he was doing. He felt himself reach the edge of his ability to contain himself. Trying to keep himself together for her, Haymitch placed one hand on her shoulder and stroked the front of her neck with his thumb, “I needed this,” he groaned softly.

Those three words. [Y/n] felt the blood drain from her face and a knot formed in her throat. She gasped and shoved Haymitch off her before nearly jumping from the bed. Haymitch stayed frozen on the bed, utterly confused at what had just happened. Heart dropping to his stomach, he reached towards her- hovering inches from her back, he recognized the reaction. It was too similar to what happened when she awoke from nightmares of the Games. The Games he understood, but this was different. This was something else completely. [Y/n]’s hair parted over her shoulders with the movement of her sobs. Haymitch suddenly noticed a raised edge at her hairline. He couldn’t figure out how he’d never noticed it, but suspected alcohol had a hand in that. Looking closer, he realized that the raised edge was a healed scar shaped like the letter P.

[Y/n] sat on the floor and continued sobbing quietly. Haymitch held out the blanket and she quickly wrapped herself in it. Haymitch put his briefs back on and sat cross-legged and at arms length. He placed his hands on the floor palms up and watched her with a pained expression on his face. He breathed deeply through his nose and out his mouth, creating an audible rhythm for [Y/n] to hear.

[Y/n] kept hearing the phrase in her head over and over again. I needed this. I needed this. I needed this. She replayed the memory of a pair of hands stroking her neck and pinning her down. Shaking and unable to breathe, she tried to focus on Haymitch’s breaths. Her heart pounded in her ears and it took all the strength she had left to change her breathing pattern in an attempt to match Haymitch. Barely moving her gaze, she saw his hands between them. She reached her trembling hands out and gently placed them on his. Haymitch didn’t move, but continued to watch her with worry building inside him.

They sat for several minutes, hands touching and bodies moving only with each inhale and exhale. With her brain almost clear enough to put a simple thought together, she closed her hands around Haymitch’s fingers.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered.

“Sweetheart… [Y/n]... I don’t know what you’re sorry for,” he cleared his throat softly, “But I have a feeling it’s not a bit your fault,”

[Y/n] crawled forward and curled up in his lap. She leaned into his chest and he felt her tears slowly drip down his body, “Can I hold you?”

“Yes,” whispered softly.

“Do you want to talk about it?” 

She nodded her head ‘no’.

“Do you need to talk about it?”

“Not now,”

“I’m here, Sweetheart. I’m here for you,” Haymitch slowly rocked their bodies back and forth. He kept his body still, soft, and calm. As a Hunger Games Victor, he recognized a response to trauma like a star recognized the sky. He and [Y/n] had taken turns calming each other after nightmares for years. Liquor kept him calm and warm now and for years before her. But this was different. This wasn’t a flashback to the same singular death-defying moment. This was… something repetitive.

He lifted his chin so she wouldn’t feel his jaw clench as rage flashed across his face: Who hurt her?

Masterlist

Mother… Father… I’m leaving the Underdark to explore. I can’t be tied down to Lolth forever. *proceeds to be abducted by mindflayers, meet a group of weirdos, and fall in love with a vampire twink who gives good d*

This year, I want to read and draw more. Being a grown up did a number on me. Because I love it, I’m using Lore Olympus as a reference style… just less pointy.

A Knives Out x Muppet crossover would absolutely slap!

rian johnson i am begging you to reconsider the knives out x muppet crossover

The Princess Bride (1987) dir. Rob Reiner

"Don't take this the wrong way, but you're quite large for an elf"

(There is an extra 🔞 page to this on my Patreon!)

Okay, I’ll admit I’m a late bloomer when it comes to playing BG3 so I need someone to be happy for me. This nose boop had me ROLLIN’! 😂💖

The chin tilt 😍

THE SECRET GARDEN (1993) Dir. Agnieszka Holland

He's as useful as the "G" in lasagna.

The Pink Rose, part 7

Part Seven- July 11th, 74 ADD

Pairing: Haymitch Abernathy x reader 

Word count: 954

Warnings: reference to danger, anxious/fear/PTSD response, implied history of abuse/assault

Here's a little filler action to move the story along. ✨#Backstory✨

The day had come. The 74th Annual Hunger Games. Katniss and Peeta attempted to mentally prepare themselves to go to the arena. After Effie said her goodbyes, [Y/n]- flanked by Haymitch- approached them. [Y/n] smiled in an almost motherly way and Haymitch crossed his arms and looked them over.

“Any final words of advice?” Peeta asked.

[Y/n]’s face turned serious, “When the gong sounds, get away from everyone- don’t stick around and risk getting caught in that mess. The Cornucopia will be a bloodbath and you’ll need to find water and somewhere to situate yourself”.

“And after that?” asked Katniss.

“Stay alive,” Haymitch said. Everyone knew he was serious this time- there wasn’t a hint of sarcasm or humor in his voice.

After leaving their tributes to the airstrip entrance, [Y/n] and Haymitch made their way to public viewing area to watch the start of the Games. As soon as Haymitch was pulled away by a group of potential sponsors, [Y/n] felt a breath in her ear, “Are the odds in your favor?”

Startled, [Y/n] whipped around to see the familiar citrus orange face of Porcius Perfidius. His pompous grin looked down at her, “Hello sweet girl,” he sneered. [Y/n] felt her wall of confidence begin to melt as her palms grew sweaty and her heart began to race. Porcius was more than twice [Y/n]’s age, pear shaped, and weighed somewhere in the realm of two baby elephants. He wouldn’t stand a chance in the arena, but [Y/n] historically shut down whenever she came face to face with him. His pale skin had the slightest tint of orange, but his hair, eyelashes, and goatee were bright coral. Before she could respond, a green, stick-shaped version of Porcius appeared. His partner in crime: Janus Caesonius.

“Come now, Porcius. [Y/n] is a woman, we know that for a fact,” he whispered with crude amusement, “What do you think of your tributes this year? Will we get a woman on fire when this is all done?”

[Y/n] felt her cheeks burn. These men fueled a quiet rage that she didn’t know how to act on. She had to think of something to say to sate or deter these men. They’d been demeaning and harassing her for 13 years and she kept letting them. Her heart skipped a beat when she decided not to please them this time.  

“Don’t you think you’re a little old to keep up with the tributes now? Your stamina can’t possibly be the same,” [Y/n] questioned Porcius with her sweetest smile.

The men looked at her in shock- Porcius glowered at her and hissed through his teeth, “Look here you little bitch, you know exactly how hard I can make life for you and for your tributes. Don’t think the whole Capitol loving you is going to protect 12,”

“Oh I am counting on that, you can’t possibly make things any worse for me,” she shot back.

Janus grabbed her upper arm tightly, “Well if you think-”

“Janus,” a calm voice called from nearby, “It doesn’t look like you asked Ms. Bellwood if you could touch her,”

Plutarch Heavensbee.

“Stay out of this Plutarch!” Porcius sneered

Plutarch looked at him with the demeaning smile he was so good at giving others, “Well, we’re in a very public place right now and it’d be a true shame if a friend of Mrs. Caesonius or Mrs. Perfidius saw you so close and touching another woman. We know how rumors are like wildfire. And it appears District 12 has enough fire to go around right now,”

Janus let go of [Y/n]’s arm; but not before whispering in her ear, “We’ll finish this later,” He directed Porcius to follow, leaving [Y/n] rubbing her arm and standing alone with Plutarch.

With an embarrassed smile, [Y/n] thanked Plutach for intervening. 

“Your boyfriend was gone for mere seconds before the vultures made their descent,” he held out his arm, “Take a turn about the square with me?”

She suspiciously took his arm and followed his lead, “You’re not in my inner circle, you’ve never paid for the pleasure of my company, and I can’t say we’ve had more than a ‘good morning’ or ‘nice to meet you’. So what makes you think I have a boyfriend?”

Plutarch smiled as he looked ahead, “Ms. Bellwood, before you learn the hard way, I’ll let you in on a secret: I know almost everything- I’m in the business of knowing other people’s business. And fortunately for you, I’m quite observant, unlike most of the Capitol.,”

“And you’re quite humble. So who’ve you been talking to?”

“No one,” he could see the confused and frustrated expression on [Y/n]’s face, “It’s about to be confirmed a second time, but you might teach Haymitch to not drool when he looks at you. The Capitol may be full of self-indulgent imbeciles, but I’m not one of them,”

[Y/n] opened her mouth to respond when she heard Haymitch’s voice, “Heavensbee, are you picking a District to sponsor?”

“Not this year. I was simply picking Ms. Bellwood’s brain about the confidence we might hold in your tributes this year. You are noticbly more invested in them,”

“Well, sometimes you get dealt a hand you can work with,” Haymitch gave a half smile. 

Before Plutarch could respond, the countdown started. Ten… nine… eight- the tributes readied themselves- seven… six… five- the camera hopped from panicked to confident tributes- four… three… two… one.

Peeta jumped and ran for the woods.

Katniss hesitated and ran straight into the cornucopia- to the bloodbath.

In a quiet, breathless voice, [Y/n] whispered, “Fuck…”

Masterlist

Got a lil spicy today 🔥🔥

The Pink Rose, part 6

Part Six- July 8th/9th, 74 ADD

Pairing: Haymitch Abernathy x reader 

Word count: 2,780

Warnings: pet names, arguing, cursing, yelling

July 8th, 74 ADD

Haymitch invited [Y/n] to sit in on Katniss’ interview prep. After lunch, the three of them situated themselves in a triangle in the sitting room. Katniss sat down and hunched over to rest her elbows on her knees. Haymitch stayed standing and [Y/n] gracefully sat down, crossing her ankles. 

“What?” Katniss asked after an uncomfortable brief stare-down from Haymitch.

“I’m trying to figure out what to do with you,” he said, “How’re we gonna present you. Are you gonna be charming? Aloof? Fierce? So far, you’re shinin’. You volunteered to save your sister. Cinna made you look unforgettable. You’ve got the top training score. People are intrigued, but no one knows who you are,” 

“The impression you make tomorrow will decide exactly what we can secure for you in terms of sponsors,” [Y/n] added.

“What’s Peeta’s approach? Or am I not allowed to ask?” Katniss said stubbornly

“Likable. He has a sort of natural self-deprecating humor,” says Haymitch. “Whereas when you open your mouth, you come across more… hostile.”

“I do not!” Katniss almost yelled as her back straightened.

“Please. I don’t know where you pulled that cheery, wavy girl on the chariot from, but I haven’t seen her before or since,” nagged Haymitch.

“And you’ve given me so many reasons to be cheery,” she sneered back.

“Alright, knock it off you two!” [Y/n] demanded, “Katniss, you had to grow up fast and it shows- you’re an oldest child from the Seam. You know the struggle. You have your sister and… Gale? You probably feel comfortable in front of them, but being the center of attention is clearly a place you are not used to,”

Katniss nodded in understanding, “You seem to be pretty comfortable there,”

[Y/n] laughed, “I wasn’t always like that, and being used to it is not the same as being comfortable. Nowadays, I attract less attention if I dress pretty. If I were to show up for interviews wearing my normal 12 style, I think the Capital would riot. Such is the curse of being a beloved victor,”

“Exactly being a disliked victor is better,” Haymitch said proudly, “Besides, you don’t have to please us. we’re not going to sponsor you. So pretend we’re the audience,” he plopped into a chair. “Delight me.”

Haymitch conducted a mock interview with Katniss while [Y/n] took notes. Katniss tried to answer his questions in a likable way, but she was too angry with the whole thing. The longer the interview went on, the more her frustration began to show.

“All right, enough,” Haymitch said, “We’ve got to find another angle. Not only are you hostile, I don’t know anything about you. I’ve asked you fifty questions and still have no sense of your life, your family, what you care about. They want to know about you, Katniss.”

“But I don’t want them to! They’re already taking my future! They can’t have the things that mattered to me in the past!” she complained.

“Then lie! Make something up!” Haymitch almost yelled back.

“I’m not good at lying,” Katniss said.

[Y/n] spoke up, “You should work on that Kat-” 

“Because you’ve got about as much charm as a dead slug,” Haymitch interrupted. Realizing that might’ve been harsh, his voice softened, “Here’s an idea. Try acting humble.”

“Humble,” Katniss said quietly.

“That’s actually not a bad idea,” [Y/n] mused, “Yes, you can’t believe a little girl from District Twelve has done this well. The whole thing’s been more than you ever could have dreamed of. Talk about Cinna’s clothes, how nice the people are, how dazzling the Capital is. If you won’t talk about yourself, at least compliment the audience. Gush- these people love themselves and what they have- use it- make them look like fools.”

Even this didn’t work for Katniss. The next couple of hours proved that she couldn’t gush, be cocky or arrogant, funny, sexy (that pained [Y/n] to even try), or mysterious. Somewhere between arrogant and funny, Haymitch started drinking. [Y/n] tried to slow him down, but he wouldn’t listen “I give up, sweetheart. Just answer the questions and try not to let the audience see how openly you hate them.”

“He’s right Katniss-” [Y/n]

“Of course I’m right!” Haymitch shot before reeling back in at [Y/n]’s quick death glare.

She turned back to Katniss, “I was you once- but I made them like and they gave me things that kept me alive in that arena. Medicine. A bottle of fresh water. A blanket. We don’t know what your arena is, but securing sponsors is the most prepared you can be,”

Katniss sighed and nodded in understanding.

July 9, 74 ADD

Cinna, Portia, and Effie joined Haymitch and [Y/n] backstage after making up Katniss and Peeta. Peeta wore a striking black suit with flame accents to keep the theme going. Katniss wore an impressive gown designed by Cinna. The whole thing was covered in fire like jewels that looked like flames when she moved. The girl on fire. The gold accents painted on her skin shined and looked beautifully tasteful in contrast to her gown. Haymitch, [Y/n], and Effie were all dressed up for the occasion. Effie’s lavender dress matched her tall floral high heels and towering curly wig of almost the same hue of purple. Haymitch’s suit was clearly new and he wore a lapel pin that resembled a flame. [Y/n] wore a black jeweled dress that hugged her curves and, to Katniss, looked difficult to breathe in. [Y/n] was the coal supporting Katniss and Peeta’s flames. Effie and Cinna had made it very clear that this was a time for impressions. 

Just before the tributes were paraded onto the stage, Haymitch and [Y/n] walked up behind Peeta and Katniss. Haymitch almost growled as he said, “Remember, you’re still a happy set of kids from District Twelve. So act like it.”

Katniss turned around and opened her mouth to say something, but all she saw was Haymitch and [Y/n] walking away interestingly close together. She furrowed her brow in confusion as Haymitch guided [Y/n] by placing his hand gently on her lower back just above her rear. Katniss couldn’t hear what he whispered to make [Y/n]... giggle?

[Y/n] and Haymitch joined the rest of “Team Twelve” (as Effie coined them) in the backstage waiting area to watch the televised version of the interviews. Peeta looked amazing and Katniss did better than expected- but [Y/n] could still tell she was uncomfortable.

Every citizen of Panem is tuned in to watch their tribute. Caesar Flickerman, the interview host of more than forty years, bounced on stage in an Effie-like fashion. He didn’t appear to have aged in the last four decades. Same full face of makeup. Same hair in a tall bouffant that he dyed a different color every Hunger Games. At least in [Y/n]’s lifetime, he’d always worn the same ceremonial suit of midnight blue. Impressively, it was dotted with a thousand tiny lightbulbs that twinkled like stars. This time, Caesar’s hair was powder blue and his eyelids and lips were coated to match.

Caesar told a few jokes and once he had everyone’s attention, introduced the female tribute from District 1: a provocative looking girl in a see-through gold gown.

“I will never understand the sexualization of teenagers,” [Y/n] whispered to Effie.

“Oh it’s just the fashion,” Effie dismissed.

Every 3 minutes, a buzzer sounded marking the end of the interview and time to move on. Haymitch told [Y/n] to wake him at District 10 and rested his head back. [Y/n] smacked his chest lightly and told him to be an adult. She proceeded to keep Effie at ease by commenting on Katniss’ sitting posture or the effort being made to not look like she’d stepped on something smelly. Tribute after tribute they watched each interview intently and [Y/n] took notes as if she were trying to decipher each one like a puzzle.Some tributes were interesting, a few may have prompted a yawn or two. Twenty-two tributes later:

“Help me say welcome to the lovely Katniss Everdeen: the Girl on Fire!” Caesar shouted.

Katniss walked onto the stage and shook Caesar’s outstretched hand. [Y/n] and Effie gave each other small smiles as Katniss successfully walked out in heels and a gown without tripping.

“So, Katniss, the Capitol must be quite a change from District Twelve. What’s impressed you most since you arrived here?” Caesar asked with an ear to ear grin.

Haymitch clicked his tongue after Katniss had a delayed response of “The lamb stew,”

Caesar laughed, “The one with the dried plums?” Katniss nodded as the crowd joined Caesar’s enthusiasm, “Oh, I eat it by the bucketful.” He laughed as he held his stomach.

“Now, Katniss,” he said, “When you came out in the opening ceremonies, my heart actually stopped,” he turned to the crowd, “Did any of you experience this as well? My heart stopped- What did you think of that costume?”

Much to Team Twelve’s surprise, Katniss smiled, “You mean after I realized I wouldn’t burn to death?”

Caesar and the audience were in stitches, “Yes. Start then,” says Caesar. Katniss was exceeding expectations.

“I thought Cinna was brilliant and it was the most gorgeous thing I’d ever seen and I couldn’t believe I was wearing it. I can’t believe I’m wearing this, either- I mean, look at it!”

The crowd oohs and aahs as Katniss shows off the skirt of her gown. [Y/n] realized how much coaching of his own Cinna had done when Katniss spun in a circle.

“Oh, do that again!” Caesar demanded. 

Katniss lifted her arms and spun harder allowing her skirt to fly outwards, covering her in the same flames from the ceremony. The audience broke into cheers, applause, and enthusiastic screams. When she stopped spinning, Caesar gave her his arm to steady herself and begged her not to stop.

“I have to, I’m dizzy!” she giggled, matching his energy. 

“So she is a teenage girl,” Haymitch whispered to [Y/n].

Katniss struggled to take a step from the dizziness so Caesar wrapped his arm around her shoulders, “Don’t worry, I’ve got you. Can’t have you following in the footsteps of the wrong mentor.”

The crowd was in an uproar of laughter as the cameras found Haymitch and [Y/n]: one now famous for his drunken stage dive at the reaping, and the other famous for being a deadly beauty. Haymitch and [Y/n] waved the cameras away good-naturedly and [Y/n] pointed back to Katniss.

Caesar laughs and brings the crowd back in as he and Katniss returned to their seats, “So, how about that training score. Eleven. Whatever happened there?”

The cameras find the Gamemakers and Katniss says, “Um ... all I can say is I think it was a first.” The Gamemakers are laughing and nodding in agreement.

“You’re killing us- details! Details!,” says Caesar.

Katniss looks to the Gamemakers, “I’m not supposed to talk about it, right?” One of them shouts down that she can’t say anything so Katniss looks at the crowd, “Sorry. My lips are sealed.”

Caesar moped then grew uncharacteristically quiet and serious, “Let’s go back then, to the moment they called your sister’s name at the reaping and you volunteered. Can you tell us

about her?”

Katniss gave a small exhale. “Her name’s Prim. She’s just twelve and I love her more than

Anything.” The crowd was silent with emotion.

“What did she say to you? After the reaping?” Caesar asked.

“She asked me to try really hard to win.” 

“And what did you say?” 

“I said I would try. I would try and win for her,”

“And try you shall,” Caesar said, giving her hand a gentle squeeze as the buzzer sounded, “Sorry we’re out of time, folks. Best of luck, Katniss Everdeen, tribute from District Twelve.”

The crowd doesn’t stop clapping and cheering until Katniss is seated backstage. They pause for a moment until Peeta is introduced.

[Y/n] followed Katniss, “I am so proud of you- that is how you get sponsors!’ she said as the crowd laughs at something Peeta said. They missed Caesars question, but heard Peeta ask if he smelt like roses. The crowd cannot contain themselves as Peeta and Caesar sniff each other.

“Seems we won’t have trouble getting things for either of you,” [Y/n] smiles.

Caesar’s voice comes through the backstage TV, “So Peeta, tell me, is there a special girl back home?” Peeta shakes his head side-to-side as he denies having anyone, “Handsome lad like you? There must be a special girl. Come on, tell us?” Caesar sounds like he’ll die if Peeta doesn’t start talking about someone.

Peeta sighed, “Well, there is this one girl I’ve had a crush on forever,” Caesar got a knowing grin on his face, “But I’m pretty sure she didn’t recognize me until the reaping.”

[Y/n] mused as the crowd collectively expressed sympathy, “Ah, he’s taken a sympathetic angle,”

“She have another fellow?” Caesar asked sadly.

“I don’t think so, but a lot of boys like her,” Peeta said.

“Well, you go out there, and you win this thing, and she’ll have to go out with you!” Caesar said encouragingly.

Just loud enough for everyone to hear, Peeta said, “No, I don’t think winning will help too much,”

“Oh? Why not?”

Peeta’s cheeks lit up to match the flames on Katniss’ dress. Everyone- [Y/n] and Katniss included- leaned forward in anticipation of his answer, “Because… because... she came here with me.”

The cameras lingered on Peeta’s heartbroken expression. Suddenly, they are fixed on Katniss and [Y/n], mouths open in shock. Katniss closed her mouth and looked down so the cameras couldn’t see her expression and [Y/n] wrapped an arm around Katniss, trying to appear sympathetic.

“Oh, well that’s bad luck,” Caesar’s expression was full of genuine pain and mirrored on the crowd- half of whom had started crying.

The interview finished as Caesar consoled Peeta and wished him well. The crowd clapped and cheered as the last tribute left the stage. [Y/n] knew Katniss was not blushing from being flattered- the girl was embarrassed. That was [Y/n]’s cue to rush Katniss upstairs. They were back on the twelfth floor for barely a minute before Peeta and Haymitch stepped off another elevator. Before anyone could react, Katniss angrily lunged and slammed her hands onto Peeta’s chest. He stumbled and crashed into the wall. Haymitch shot forward and forced Katniss away from Peeta.

“What the hell was that? You had no right to say that about me!” Katniss yelled.

Haymitch shouted for her to stop as she loudly challenged, “You wanna train alone and now you have a crush on me? Let’s go! Right now!”

Cinna and Effie stepped off the elevator as [Y/n] angrily told Katniss to “knock it off”.

“You’re a fool,” Haymitch said with a disgusted tone, “That boy gave you something

you could never get on your own.”

“He made me look weak!”

“He made you look desirable! And let’s face it, you were about as romantic as the goddamn dirt until he said he wanted you. Now everyone wants you. The talk of the Capital: the star-crossed lovers from District Twelve!”

“We are NOT star-crossed lovers!” she shouted.

[Y/n] felt the room get more heated, “Katniss-”

“It’s a television show!” Haymitch interrupted angrily.

“Haymitch, shut up!” [Y/n] yelled- the room grew quiet as everyone stilled in shock by the angry sound, “You!” she pointed at Katniss, “Be grateful that you have people who care about you and let go of your goddamn ego. You!” she pointed at Peeta, “Don’t say anything else about your feelings for her until you’re in that arena and don’t listen to Haymitch for emotional romantic advice. And YOU!” she stood up straight and faced Haymitch, “Go to your fucking room and sober up! I cannot take this dysfunctional group for the rest of the night!” [Y/n] stormed off to her own room.

Everyone was shocked to silence for a few minutes. Katniss was surprised and had been having a hard time imagining [Y/n] as anything but a glamor woman. Haymitch and Peeta looked at their feet like schoolboys who’d just been told off. 

Effie broke the silence, “Well she didn’t need to curse,”

Haymitch, Cinna, and Peeta groaned at the comment and left the room. Effie announced that she needed to leave and bounced into the elevator, leaving Katniss alone in the entryway. 

Masterlist

Being a girl is: wanting to go to bed early but deciding to just get on tumblr/wattpad/Ao3 for a little bit and then end up finding a fic series that you really like and read until well past your usual bedtime then keeping on because it’s already past your bedtime. Then being mad when you wake up in the morning because you overslept your timer.

We all know Scratch is the best boy 😁 (sorry Gale)

Legally Blonde (2001) dir. Robert Luketic

This movie is gold!

So I killed. So I maimed. So I destroyed one innocent life after another. Aren’t I a human being? Don’t I yearn and ache and shop? Don’t I deserve love and jewelry? 

Joan Cusack as Debbie Jellinsky in Addams Family Values (1993)

The Pink Rose, part 5

Part Five- July 7th, 74 ADD

Pairing: Haymitch Abernathy x reader 

Word count: 2,119

Warnings: heterosexual relationship, light smut, fluff, reference to violence, arguing

It had been three days since [Y/n] and Haymitch had accompanied their tributes to the Capitol. Three days since Haymitch’s bad first impression had potentially revealed what the tributes were capable of. [Y/n] sat staring at her plate of eggs, toast, and bacon. She had a notebook and pen for notes as she listened to Haymitch explain the importance of the training days and knowing what their skills are. 

As in most things, Katniss was conservative about her skills. Peeta emphasized how good of a shot she was with a bow and arrow. Katniss responds by mentioning Peeta could throw hundred pound bags of flour and that he knows how to wrestle. 

“What use is that? How many times have you seen someone wrestle someone to death?” Peeta said with a grimace.

Katniss shot back with an angry tone, “There’s always hand-to-hand combat. All you need is to come up with a knife, and you’ll at least stand a chance. If I get jumped, I’m dead!” 

“But you won’t! You’ll be living up in some tree eating raw squirrels and picking off people with arrows. You know what my mother said to me when she came to say good-bye, as if to cheer me up, she says maybe District Twelve will finally have a winner. Then I realized, she didn’t mean me, she meant you!” Peeta shouted.

“Oh, she meant you,” Katniss dismissed.

“She said, ‘She’s a survivor, that one.’She is,” Peeta said quietly.

The room stood still. [Y/n] felt her heart drop and an instant dislike of Mrs. Mellark. Who in Panem tells their own child they’re going to die after being selected in a reaping. The farewell opportunity is a time to wish for their safety and build them up. That bitch tore him down- she berated her son for someone else’s daughter.

After Peeta and Katniss calm down, Haymitch hesitantly restarts the conversation and insists that they spend their training days learning a new skill and under no circumstances showing the other tributes what they’re capable of- to save that for the Gamemakers.

“One last thing. In public, I want you by each other’s side every minute,” says Haymitch. The two teens start to object before Haymitch makes everyone jump by slamming his hand on the table, “Every minute! It’s not open for discussion! You agreed to do as I said! You will be together, you will appear amiable to each other. Now get out. Meet Effie at the elevator at ten for training.”

The two of them left the room and the sound of Katniss’ bedroom slamming echoed through their quarters.

“You’re not doing yourself any favors in her eyes,” [Y/n] said.

“I’m not here to be her friend, I don’t even want to be a mentor. But since she threw a knife and you’re more invested in what you see, I’m willing to play along,” Haymitch explained., “What are you doing?”

[Y/n] looked at him out the side of her eye and saw he was referring to her notes, “I’m writing what I know. I’m trying to see what I can confidently say or twist for the sponsors. But I need to be careful,”

“Careful? I think you mean ruthless,”

“No. Careful. The deepest pockets always want something in return. I also need to remember who I have dirt on,”

“You sound like Finnick Odair,”

“Not necessarily a bad thing in this scenario. He’s good at getting sponsors and since we’re good friends, it might be entertaining to see who we can snag this year,” [Y/n] smirked.

Haymitch chuckled in unison. The idea of pulling a fast one on some of the other tributes was an entertaining thought. He didn’t realize how fast time had gone until Peeta and Katniss emerged from their rooms, ready to go find Effie.

Once they were truly alone, Haymitch rose from his chair to stand behind [Y/n]’s chair, “You should really loosen up Sweetheart,” Haymitch whispers as he starts to rub [Y/n]’s neck and shoulders. As excitable as having beloved tributes is, it is almost more stressful than having tributes who fly under the radar. [Y/n] gave a quiet moan of pleasure as Haymitch somehow gave an excellent shoulder massage. His strong, rough fingers ran up and down the stiff muscles in her shoulders, attempting to break up the solid tension that had built there. Suddenly, Haymitch’s hands slowly made their way over her shoulders and over the front of her dress. In the same instant, his lips rest just under her jawbone. He began to kiss her neck with enthusiasm; lightly sucking the skin and running the tip of his tongue over the same spot. [Y/n] felt a shiver run through her body. The heat where he kissed her neck resonated through her torso and went down between her legs. The burn increased as his hands cupped her breasts and found their way under the fabric.

Haymitch whispered against her skin, “It’s been a while since we tried this,”

[Y/n] responded with soft chuckle, “It’s been less than three days,”

“Less than three days too long,” he whispered as hands massaged her breasts.

[Y/n] reached around and ran her fingers into his curls. Her back began to arch as Haymitch circled her nipples with his thumb. His lips left her skin and he trailed his nose up until she felt his warm breath on her ear, “I wanna take you on this table,” he growled. [Y/n] melted at the sound of his lowered voice.

“This better not become a regular occurrence!” a familiar voice trilled prompting [Y/n] and Haymitch to immediately separate. Effie quickly walked across the room muttering quietly, “You’d think they own the place!”

[Y/n] stood up and placed one hand on Haymitch’s chest, “She’s right, we really should be more careful,” 

“We still have an hour to be careful,” Haymitch said as he scooped her up.

“Haymitch!” [Y/n] squealed as he quickly headed towards his bedroom.

“At least be quiet!” Effie yelled from the other room.

*     *     *

After six days in the Capitol, six days of [Y/n] schmoozing sponsors, mediating conversations between Haymitch, Katniss, and Peeta, and having a few short interviews with Caesar Flickerman, came private session day. The day where Katniss and Peeta show what they can do. The sessions started after lunch, but Katniss and Peeta would go last since they were from District 12. [Y/n] remembered how infuriating that was. If you were from 12, it was likely that the Gamemakers had indulged themselves on food and drink by the time it was your turn. They were either drunk, tired, or passed out after watching over 20 other demonstrations. 

Effie and Haymitch were engaged in a conversation about the sponsors they’d already gained when Cinna and Portia got off the elevator. It was almost dinner time and they’d want to be hearing about how the sessions went. After about 20 minutes, Peeta got off the elevator and walked to his room to change clothes. Roughly 15 minutes later, Katniss burst out of the elevator and nearly sprinted to her room. Effie, Haymitch, and Portia call after her from the sitting room, but she doesn’t stop. Peeta was in the hall when she passed him, “Hey, was she crying?” he asked with concern. [Y/n] and Effie tried to get Katniss to open the door, but she just yelled for them to go away.

Effie tried again at dinner time and this time returned with Katniss. Katniss avoided eye contact with everyone, including Cinna and  [Y/n]. After a few minutes of small talk, the Avoxes bring dinner to the table and Haymitch starts:

“Okay, enough small talk, just how bad were you today?” [Y/n] rolled her eyes and gave him a look of utter disbelief. 

Before Katniss could respond, Peeta said, ““I don’t know that it mattered. By the time I showed up, no one even bothered to look at me. They were singing some kind of drinking song, I think. So, I threw around some heavy objects until they told me I could go.”

“Figures,” scoffed [Y/n].

Cinna shook his head in disappointment, “If they’re going to send them all into the same arena, they could at least afford the same attention instead of acting like that,”

“And you, sweetheart?” asked Haymitch.

Katniss’ eyes remained on her empty plate, “I shot an arrow at the Gamemakers,” the room silenced immediately.

“You what?” Effie yelled angrily, face draped in uncharacteristic horror. 

“I shot an arrow at them. Not exactly at them. In their direction. It’s like Peeta said, I was shooting and they were ignoring me and I just ... I just lost my head, so I shot an apple out of their stupid roast pig’s mouth!” Katniss said with a matter of fact tone of defiance.

“Are you crazy?” Effie almost yelled and saw Haymitch looking at her with a smirk, “I don’t think we’re going to find this funny if-”

“If what?” Haymitch interjected, “If they decide to punish someone?” he gestured to Katniss and Peeta with one hand and himself and [Y/n] with the other, “I think they already have, loosen your corset, have a drink,”

Cinna turned back to Katniss and carefully asked, “And what did they say?”

“Nothing. Or I don’t know. I walked out after that,” she responded

“Without being dismissed?” [Y/n] probed

“I dismissed myself,”

“Are you crazy?!” Effie trilled.

Haymitch ripped off a hunk of meat from his pork chop and leaned over to take a bite before stopping and chuckling,”What were their faces like?”

[Y/n] could see the twitch of a smile on the edges of Katniss’ mouth, “Shocked. Terrified. Uh, ridiculous, some of them. One man tripped backward into a bowl of punch.”

Everyone but Effie burst into a fit laughter. Haymitch even looked as if he were going to cry. [Y/n] had not had a laugh that good in a long while.

Effie looked as if she were trying to avoid smiling, “Well, it serves them right. It’s their job to pay attention to you. And just because you come from District Twelve is no excuse to ignore you, that’s what I think,”

“I’ll get a very bad score,” the smile slowly fell from Katniss’ face.

“Scores only matter if they’re very good, no one pays much attention to the bad or mediocre ones,” Portia chipped in.

“For all they know, you could be hiding your talents to get a low score on purpose. People use that strategy all the time,” [Y/n] said with a reassuring smile.

[Y/n] turned her attempt at motherly reassurance to Peeta as he followed her with, “I hope that’s how people interpret the four I’ll probably get… if that,”

After dinner, the group settles in the sitting room to watch the scores be announced on television. A photo of the tribute appears on the screen and after they’ve been introduced, their score appears below them. The Career Tributes all score between 8 and 10. Most others score around 5. [Y/n] reminds Peeta and Katniss that this is normal. Then remembers most District 12 tributes generally score 4-6 and hopes that Katniss and Peeta don’t remember that.

Twenty-two tributes go across the screen when they finally see Peeta. The group celebrates while Peeta comes to terms with his score of 8. Katniss remained stoic in her seat, radiating anxiety before her number flashes underneath her picture:

“Eleven!” Effie squeals.

Cinna and Portia cheer and congratulate her. [Y/n] and Haymitch excitedly give each other a hug and then join the congratulations.

Katniss is still in disbelief, “There must be a mistake. How ... how could that happen?”

“I guess they liked your guts,” Haymitch said. 

“They’ve got a show to put on. They need some players with heat.” [Y/n] added.

“Katniss, the girl who was on fire,” says Cinna, “Oh, wait until you see your interview

dress.” 

“More flames?” Katniss asked 

“Of a sort,” he chuckled mischievously.

The group wrapped up the congratulations, discussed their schedules for tomorrow, and headed off to their rooms. 

Back in his room and uncharacteristically brushing his teeth before bed, Haymitch felt a pair of arms wrap around him. He looked down and recognized the carefully manicured hands of [Y/n]. 

“Hey there, sweetheart,”

[Y/n] nuzzled her forehead between his shoulder blades, “Do you think they can do it?”

“Well I know you don’t mean ‘can they both win’. So, do what?”

“Work together. Can one of them overcome this?”

“I guess we’ll see. There’s something there in both of them,”

Masterlist

Me over here having ideas for Catching Fire adjacent fanfic, but we're still on the Hunger Games...

The Pink Rose Masterlist

Hunger Games AU fanfic / Haymitch Abernathy x reader fanfic. (*) means it's got some spice.

Part 1 (*)

Part 2

Part 3 (*)

Part 4

Part 5 (*)

Part 6

Part 7

Part 8 (*)

UPDATE: Hello hello my lovelies- So I know The Pink Rose has gained a small following recently (which I absolutely appreciate). I am currently taking a small hiatus to read Sunrise on the Reaping. I hope to be back and ready to share Part 9 with you by June 1, 2025.

Thank you all.

The Pink Rose, part 4

Part Four- July 5th, 74 ADD

Pairing: Haymitch Abernathy x reader (vaguely, part 4 is mostly filler- sorry)

Word count: 1,444

Warnings: Brief violence, weapons, and reference to death

[Y/n] had slept too late, she knew Effie was going to be upset with her. She quickly readied herself to make a Capitol appearance when they arrived. Making her way to the dining car, she prepared herself to get some snide remark about punctuality from Effie. As soon as the car door opened, [Y/n] saw Peeta slap the glass of wine from Haymitch’s hand as Peeta said, “Only not to us!”

A half second later, Haymitch punched Peeta’s jaw, knocking him to the ground before reaching for the liquor cart. Without missing a beat, [Y/n] and Katniss each grabbed a knife from the nearest place setting. Katniss drove her knife into the table between Haymitch’s hand and the bottle, barely missing his fingers. In the same second, [Y/n] expertly threw a knife and sent it directly through the space between Haymitch and Katniss causing them to lean apart from each other.

Haymitch sat back in his chair, first raising an eyebrow at [Y/n], then looking at their tributes, “Well, what’s this?” he said, “Did we actually get a pair of fighters this year?”

Peeta rose to his feet and reached for the ice for his jaw, but Haymitch stopped him.

“No,” Haymitch smirked, “Let the bruise show. The audience will think you’ve mixed it up with another tribute before you’ve even made it to the arena.”

“That’s against the rules,” Peeta shot back.

“Only if they catch you. That bruise will say you fought but you weren’t caught, even better,” 

[Y/n] opened her mouth to protest but Haymitch held up a finger and turned to Katniss. “Can you hit anything with that knife besides a table?”

With an eerily blank expression on her face, Katniss removed the knife from the table and flicked it away, lodging it directly between two of the decorative wall panels. [Y/n] and Haymitch exchanged impressed looks.

“Both of you come stand over here,” [Y/n] said seriously, nodding to the middle of the room. Not being Haymitch, the tributes obeyed. [Y/n] and Haymitch examined Katniss and Peeta. They weren’t completely malnourished and seemed strong enough.

“Well, you’re not entirely hopeless. Seem fit,” Haymitch said.

[Y/n] added, “And once the stylists get hold of you, you’ll be attractive enough for the sponsors… I would know,” 

Peeta and Katniss didn’t question this, the Hunger Games weren’t a beauty contest, but the best-looking tributes always seemed to pull more sponsors.

“All right, I’ll make a deal with you two, actually, all of you,” He looked directly at Effie that time, “You don’t interfere with my drinking, and I’ll stay sober enough to help [Y/n] help you. But you have to do exactly what I say.”

“Fine,” says Peeta.

“So help us,” Katniss interjected, “When we get to the arena, what’s the best strategy at the Cornucopia for someone—”

“One thing at a time. In a few minutes, we’ll be pulling into the station. You’ll be put in the hands of your stylists. You’re not going to like what they do to you. But no matter what it is, don’t resist,” says Haymitch.

“But —” Katniss began.

Haymitch opened his mouth and [Y/n] held up her hand that time, “No buts- just let them do their job,” she nodded at both tributes, “But if they make you too uncomfortable, you tell me and I’ll handle it,”

Haymitch left the car and the train entered the last tunnel before the Capitol. As soon as the train left the tunnel, the Capitol came into view. Peeta and Katniss ran to the window to see the ruling city of Panem. As they pulled into the station, the people begin to point at Katniss and Peeta eagerly as they recognized a tribute train rolling into the city. Katniss stepped away from the window, but Peeta stayed, waving and smiling at the crowd. He stopped once out of view.

He turned to Katniss and said “Who knows? One of them may be rich.”

[Y/n] chuckled at how fast Peeta was learning and he seemed to be ready to fight in every way. Haymitch definitely misjudged him. But [Y/n] still worried about Katniss. That girl must have a hard time trusting anyone.

*     *     *

Katniss and Peeta had an interesting introduction to the Capitol- one [Y/n] still cringed at the thought of. [Y/n] at least had an idea of what Katniss would experience- exfoliated, waxed, tweezed, and practically hosed down. Then they would take her barely covered body to go meet a stranger who would decide what she wears in front of Panem. Unlike other years, [Y/n] liked the District 12 Stylist, Cinna. Even Haymitch didn’t seem to mind him. They hoped this up-and-coming stylist would make their tributes something worthwhile.

Haymitch joined [Y/n] and Effie outside the building where the chariots were kept, but he didn’t enter with them. Finally, Effie and [Y/n] saw Cinna leading Katniss and Peeta towards the chariot. Cinna’s assistant, Portia, followed behind, fussing over every strand in Katniss’ hair. The two tributes were dressed in a simple, conservative black unitard with an uncommonly high neckline. [Y/n] remembered that she had mentioned to Cinna that for her own ceremony, she’d hated how much cleavage they made her show. The unitard was accompanied by a pair of shiny leather boots laced up to their knees. [Y/n] was most surprised to see the long billowing capes and matching headpieces. The red, orange, and yellow were an impressive contrast to the black. [Y/n] heard Cinna telling them about a synthetic fire for the costume. Of course- they weren’t coal miners this year, they were the coal!

As Katniss and Peeta’s chariot took off, [Y/n] could see them whispering to each other. She couldn’t help but hope that they would do great things. As the opening music played, [Y/n] wished Haymitch would participate more. He did say he would help- but maybe he didn’t mean public appearances. [Y/n] knew she was forcibly comfortable in the public eye, but Haymitch was not quite the flavor the public eye favored. His consistent public drunkenness was not something District 12, much less the rest of Panem was happy to accept. 

Effie, Portia, and [Y/n] watched the ceremony on their own screen where they would wait to collect their tributes. Each district’s chariot crossed the screen as they listened to the commentators give their opinions on the designs. District 1: luxury items- wore fashionable, jeweled tunics and had their skin spray painted silver. A hard act to follow for the attention of the capitol- hopefully Cinna had something extraordinary up his sleeve. [Y/n] looked around wondering if she’d get a glimpse of Haymitch when suddenly she heard the gasps and cheers for District 12! Effie and Portia were beaming as [Y/n] whipped her head around and saw her tributes on fire! Cinna and Portia’s synthetic fire was just the combination of danger, beauty, and excitement that reeled in the sponsors. The ceremony music could barely be heard behind the overwhelming cheers of Katniss and Peeta’s names, the screams of appreciation, and clapping of thousands of hands.

[Y/n] jumped as a hand rested on her shoulder and the owner said, “I didn’t know she could smile,”

Haymitch could always be counted on for a sarcastic comment. Although, it was good to see Katniss helping herself and Peeta by playing to the crowd: catching a rose, blowing kisses, and proudly holding hands- Katniss was coming out of her shell. She was going to fight. 

After the ceremony, the tributes chariots were brought inside. Effie and [Y/n] rushed to meet Katniss and Peeta with the intention of beating everyone who would want to meet them. It didn’t take long for Katniss to point out that she had made several enemies already. She’d stolen sponsors from Districts 1, 2, and 3. 

Cinna and Portia helped put out the flames. Tributes weren’t usually worried about relationships, especially because there was only one winner. But [Y/n] felt like there was something between Katniss and Peeta and wondered if she should shut that down before they literally have to try killing each other. To solidify her wondering, Peeta said something that made Katniss smile and reach up to kiss his cheek. Oh no, [Y/n] couldn’t allow that- or could she? Should she let them die happy? Or risk one of them losing the other? She figured they were 16 and it wouldn’t lead to anything anyway- at least one of them would die feeling like they’d felt something for the other. 

Masterlist

Okay, but at the beginning of the game, my first impression was that Gale is irritating AF… but now the story is gettin’ spicy and he’s flirting!