#eablog fics

[everlarking-always]

...

“You watch him a lot, you know.”

Prim’s words pulled Katniss from the trance she’d been in, eyes fixed on a point across the room. Not a random point, as her sister had remarked, but fixed on a person.

“Who?” she asked faintly, not wanting to admit Prim was right.

“Peeta.”

Of course she wasn’t letting it go that easily.

Several cafeteria tables away, Peeta was sitting with Delly and some people from District 13. The group seemed in good spirits, laughing and chatting. Katniss tried to remember if she had ever heard Peeta laugh so uproariously but couldn’t recall a time. Though, to be fair, most of the time they spent together hadn’t taken place during remotely amusing circumstances.

She couldn’t help admiring the way his face brightened when he laughed.

“He seems happy,” Katniss said in lieu of a response. She didn’t have a good one anyway.

Since being rescued from the Quarter Quell and taken in by 13, she and Peeta hadn’t crossed paths much. Their schedules didn’t line up in the least. She was being trained for combat and shooting rebellious “propos”, while he had been assigned to the kitchen where his baking skills were being put to good use. Plutarch raved about how good it looked on screen - Peeta feeding the troops while she lead them on the front lines.

“He told me he likes working in the kitchen,” Prim replied. “I think it helps take his mind off things.”

Katniss hummed noncommittally, suddenly very focused on her soup. Apparently Peeta was talking to everyone except her.

The younger girl rolled her eyes good-naturedly. “You know, if you want to spend time with him, all you have to do is start up a conversation. Now that you don’t have The Capitol watching your every move, it might be different.“

“Different than what?”

“Katniss,” Prim said with a sigh. “You deserve to be happy too.“

...

[everlarking-always]

SUNRISE BAKERY // part 2

a modern everlark au part 1

Days passed for Katniss in a blur, melding together. She spent most of them lying on the couch, sometimes staring at the television, sometimes at nothing, thinking of Prim and her parents. Prim’s gnarly old rescue cat, Buttercup, kept Katniss company. He didn’t seem to mind the silent darkness of the apartment from his favourite spot, crouched at her feet.

When Prim was admitted to the hospital for the final time, Katniss quit her job to be there night and day. Months later, her small savings account had dried up, past due notices were piling up beside the door, and the grace period she’d been granted for grief was coming to a screeching halt. The landlord’s pity was gradually turning into frustration and he wasn’t the only one. Funerals weren’t cheap. She needed to start thinking about getting back to work, even if only to keep Buttercup in food and litter. Prim wouldn’t want him going hungry.

When getting up off the couch seemed akin to trekking across Siberia, the idea of looking for a job sounded like going on a space mission. All Katniss wanted to do was sleep.

The only thing she really looked forward to were her trips to Sunrise Bakery. It was part of a small, weekly routine - on Wednesdays she would venture out into the world for cat food and a bag of fresh cheese buns. Sometimes she would grab a few other things if she felt up to it, but the cheese buns were a necessity. At least that’s what she told herself each week. It had nothing at all to do with the person making them.

“Katniss, hey,” Peeta greeted her amiably when she entered the bakery. “I was hoping you'd be in today.”

“Really? Why?”

He gave her a funny look, blue eyes twinkling, like the answer should be obvious. “You’re my favourite customer, didn’t you know?” he whispered conspiratorially.

She prayed that the blush she could feel springing up on her cheeks wasn’t too apparent, and ducked her head for good measure.

“Well,” she said, after clearing her throat. “You’re my favourite baker, so I guess we’re even.”

It just slipped out, sounding more suggestive than it had in her head, in spite of it also being true. Peeta made her say all kinds of things she wouldn’t feel comfortable saying to anyone else. It was a novel feeling, albeit slightly mortifying.

[everlarking-always]

DRABBLES FROM DISTRICT 13 // part two [part one]

...

“I drew this for you.”

Peeta passed Katniss a piece of paper. It was a detailed charcoal drawing of a rolling field with trees and mountains in the distance. Although it included no color, she could practically feel the gentle wind and hear the chirp of birds greeting the day.

“It’s beautiful,” she said sincerely. “Thank you.”

“I thought you might like to have some nature down here with you.” Peeta explained, appearing unusually bashful.

She had been finding confinement difficult and counted herself fortunate that she was allowed to go hunting with Gale for a couple of hours a week. Almost dying twice had to have a perk or two. It wasn’t enough, but it was something. She felt like less of a human without her woods to ground her and it was painful to think about how those woods now stood next to a graveyard full of familiar faces. The scene Peeta depicted didn’t seem to be a real place, at least not one she had come across in District 12, and she was grateful not to have another reminder. The drawing was like a dream they both shared of a peaceful place where everyone they loved could be happy, bathed in sunlight and safe from harm. How Katniss longed to be there with him at that very moment. Instead they were deep underground, under constant threat of Capitol retaliation.

Still, it was a thoughtful gesture and Katniss found herself hit with a sudden wave of emotion. He’d been thinking of her as he brought the cozy scene to life. The notion made butterflies take flight in her stomach. He was always so thoughtful and all she had to give him was a smile in return.

When he smiled back, somehow radiant in the flat and flickering lights of the tunnels, it seemed to be enough.

...

[everlarking-always]

---  EVERLARK ONESHOT / 24 HOURS / SNEAK PEEK! ---

Acting on pure instinct, she leaned in, cutting him off mid-chuckle. Their lips met hesitantly at first, especially as it took him a moment to catch up, but that didn’t last. The fervour of the kiss escalated within seconds.

It was like having an out of body experience. Katniss didn’t go around making out with strangers. There was nothing inherently wrong with the notion, it just wasn’t how she was wired. For a number of reasons, it usually took a few dates before she felt comfortable enough to get physical with someone and she could count on one hand the number of times she’d been to a nightclub. Yet there she was, practically in a man’s lap, attached at the mouth for the whole bar to see.

She wanted to blame the couple of drinks she’d consumed, but knew that wasn’t what lowered her inhibitions. She was drunk on him. On his sweet smile, clear blue eyes, and witty commentary.

“Wow,” he murmured when they parted momentarily to catch their breath.

The awed expression on his face made her smile. She cradled his cheek with one hand, basking in it. No one had ever looked at her that way before.

[ COMING SOON TO A03 ]

[everlarking-always]

SUNRISE BAKERY // part 3

a modern everlark au part 1 / 2

“I just thought… maybe now that you’re less pre-occupied-“

Katniss’ first instinct was to slap him across the face, but she managed to refrain. Is that all Prim’s illness had been in his eyes? An obstacle to be overcome? Waited out?

“‘Pre-occupied’?” she repeated, voice hard and icy.

Gale’s face dropped instantly.

“You know I didn’t mean it like that,” he began.

“Then how did you mean it?” she snapped.

Perhaps she was overreacting - she knew that Gale didn’t intentionally mean to cause her stress, he probably even expected that his confession would warrant a measure of joy - but at that moment, Katniss didn’t care. She was angry. Angry at Gale, angry at the universe, angry that life seemed to be moving along as usual while she felt as if the world was crumbling beneath her feet.

“You deserve some happiness in your life, Katniss. I want to be the one to give it to you.”

He sounded sincere, but there was an edge of defensiveness woven in among the support being offered. She didn’t have the energy to navigate such murky, emotional waters. She needed her best friend, not another heart wrenching conversation.

“Gale…” she sighed. “Please don’t do this to me right now.”

His whole body stiffened. “Do what? Tell you I love you?”

“Yes,” she said simply. She shut her eyes tight to avoid seeing the look on his face. “I can’t give you what you want. I feel like I don’t have anything left.”

Disappointment was palpable in his tone when he spoke again. “Okay. Sorry I brought it up.”

She wanted to feel guilt or sadness when he stormed out the door, but there was only more numbness.

It was a few weeks before she heard from Gale again. He seemed content to pretend the conversation hadn’t happened, but there was an undercurrent of awkwardness between them that never existed before. Katniss hated it. It made her feel resentful in a way that coloured their every interaction.

Another thing lost.

[everlarking-always]

SUNRISE BAKERY

a modern everlark au part 1 - 443 words

... ... ...

“Hey… are you alright?”

His eyes were what Katniss noticed first, clear blue like a vast summer sky and accentuated by unusually long eyelashes. His blonde brow was furrowed with obvious concern as he took in her dishevelled state.

“I’m fine,” she said automatically, though tears were still running down her face faster than she could wipe them away using shaking hands.

“Gotta say, not the most convincing act and that’s coming from a complete stranger,” the man responded gently.

“Sorry.” She wasn’t really; Katniss just didn’t know what else to say.

“Can I… do something to help? Call someone?” he asked.

“There’s no one.”

“Oh.”

Katniss expected him to go back inside, but instead he spoke again.

“How about a cheese bun? This is my bakery right here.”

She almost felt embarrassed when her stomach rumbled audibly at the mention of food. Her last meal was a distant, prepackaged memory.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” he said with a faint smirk. “Come on inside. It’s on the house.”

All she could do was nod. He guided her inside with a warm hand to her arm and indicated that she could have a seat if she wished. Katniss was grateful to be away from the bustle of the sidewalk, and the heat and smell of fresh bread was a very pleasant combination. There was no one else in the bakery, which wasn’t all that surprising given the evening hour, yet there was a sense of life about the place. She could easily picture it teeming with eager customers first thing in the morning or at lunch time.

It was small, but clean and well-kept. Neat rows of wooden shelves and glass cases displayed all kinds of baked goods, from plain loaves of bread to intricately iced cookies. There was a counter along the left side of the room with the cash register and several stools for customers to sit at while enjoying their food. The far end flipped up to admit employees into the serving area behind.

As Katniss took a seat at one of the stools by the counter, blood flowed back to her chilled limbs and the feeling slowly returned to her fingers and toes. The man ducked underneath the counter and made himself busy. He selected a fluffy roll dotted with melted cheese from a case and placed it on a china plate. He slid it in front of her with a napkin and a grin.

“I’m Peeta, by the way,” he added.

The roll was still warm from the oven and maybe the most amazing thing Katniss had ever tasted. She couldn’t stop a pleased hum from escaping her throat after she bit into the golden surface.

[everlarking-always]

24 hours ago Baby, I didn't know that I can't live without you I wasn't looking for this Never thought that one kiss could change all that I know ...

Katniss and Peeta meet at a bar and it changes both of their lives. A fluffy Everlark oneshot ft. Finnick and Johanna. Rated M. [ READ IT ON AO3 ]