#everlark fic

[firehelpmeforget]

Positivity Tag Game

Bringing this back...I think we all could use some light and positivity as we finally inch closer to spring!

Rules: share a fic rec (recent read or otherwise) then tag others to join in! 💖💖💖

SOME WIPS I'M KEEPING A CLOSE EYE ON:

Uncross Our Stars by @mandrake-mistakes - A beautifully written Never Reaped!AU! Truly the definition of "This Would Have Happened Anyway!" It's so obvious how much time and intention Mandrake puts into this fic and it deserves all the hype it has gotten! Also apparently...there's only a handful of chapters left until it's complete!!! Go catch up right now so you're ready for the finale!

i wake with your memory all over me by @mage-chocolate - A canon-divergence of Mockingjay, where instead of Peeta being hijacked it's Katniss who was captured! Now rescued by District 13, Katniss is out of the Capitol's clutches but has lost all memory of the last two years!! Only the first chapter has been posted but a little birdie told me that this might be getting updated soon! I've been lucky enough to hear some little tidbits from Mage about where this fic is headed and I'm SO EXCITED!!

Can I Keep You? and it's companion fic Let Light Be Light by @honey-kyun - A Growing Back Together fic set 10 years after the War, as Everlark faces a new challenge and unexpected loss! I've never read a GBT fic quite like this before and I'm so excited to see where Honey takes it! The angst is perfectly balanced with such a visceral tenderness, and when I want a little extra fluff I can dip into the Thom x Delly companion piece as well! Go read this!! It has not gotten nearly enough of the hype it deserves!

Baking Lessons by @dandelionsunset1210 - Am I fully caught up on the DandelionSunset1210 Post-Mockingjay Universe? No. But don't worry about that! I'm so deeply fond of this little side story for that world's OCs that I simply can't be stopped from jumping ahead to read it!! DS1210 clearly loves these characters and loves this story and it comes through in every word!

Fire in the Sky by @peaonfire - One of a few reasons I'm happy to have almost finished my Catching Fire Retelling, is that now I can dive head first into Pea's!!! Started reading this a couple months back and had to force myself to put it down for a while because it was simply TOO GOOD!!! I kept thinking about how she approached certain moments and scenes and comparing them to my own version and her take would just not leave my head! Very excited to finish catching up on this wonderful alternate world where "...if it weren't for the baby!" was not just a trick/twist but a fully true fact!

One for the Money, Two for the Show by @cow-in-the-sunset - Everything Cow writes is Gold! It's simply a fact! I never considered the idea of an Everlark Dating!AU until this found its way to me and Cow delivers!! The characterization is exceptional! The way Cow works canon elements into this version is brilliant! I'm on the edge of my seat! And I've heard Chapter 8 is on its way! Go give this incredible fic some love!

SOME RECENT ONESHOTS I REALLY ENJOYED:

Long Story Short(s) by @electrictouchfob - I once said "I've never finished an electrictouchfob fic without it bringing a huge smile to my face" and this one-shot was no exception!! Peeta cuts an old pair of pants just a little too short and hilarity, flirting, horny use of sunscreen, and new Haymitch trauma ensues! Reading it felt like sitting in the grass on a nice, sunny, spring day!

Crimson Clover by @you-askedforthis - A stunning missing scene from Mockingjay, where Katniss and Peeta talk while she's on watch for Squad 451. It's tender, it's heartbreaking, it's beautifully written! And like everything you-askedforthis writes it had my attention from the first line to the last! Go read this now!!

Gently tagging the incredible writers listed above: @mandrake-mistakes @mage-chocolate @honey-kyun @dandelionsunset1210 @peaonfire @cow-in-the-sunset @electrictouchfob @you-askedforthis and anyone else who'd like to share their current fav fics or show love to some authors!

[mandrake-mistakes]

Uncross Our Stars is BACK baby

I'll be posting chapter 14 this Monday (Oct 20) and then planning on an every other week Monday posting schedule.

Thank you all for being so supportive and kind about me taking this time away. I did a lot of traveling and visiting without having to stress over writing and I got the outline for the remainder of the story all sorted. I don't know how long those elements will take to write but I think we're about 70% of the way through at this point.

[capric0rnie]

looooooove love love love non-reaped au everlark fics. loooooooooooove them so much.

[virginsuicly]

The Baron in the Trees

Peeta × Katniss

The summer that Katniss took to the branches of the apple trees, the coal dust of District 12 was thick enough to choke the mockingjays in their nests. She was twelve years old, her belly hollow and her ribs like the rungs of a ladder, when she swore an oath to the high canopy of the valley. Her mother had sunk into a gray, silent madness after the mines claimed her father, and the law of the Seam said a child must starve or beg. Katniss chose the trees. She told her little sister she would never set foot on the black mud of the dirt roads again, and she climbed an old white oak, her bare feet finding the knots as if she’d been born with talons.

A girl with the woods in her blood does not come down for the hunger. She stayed aloft, moving from oak to birch, from birch to apple, her skin browning under the sun until she was the color of acorns, her silver-stringed bow slung tight across her back.

Then came the baker’s boy.

He belonged to the Merchant quarters, where the air smelled of yeast and scorching sugar instead of coal slack. He was a soft-looking thing at first glance, with curls the color of harvest straw and shoulders that were growing broad from hauling flour sacks for his father. His name was Peeta.

"You're going to break your neck up there," Peeta said, looking up into the leaves. His blue eyes were bright, squinting against the midday sun. He didn't look at her with the pity the town usually kept for Seam brats. He just looked curious.

"The neck is mine to break," Katniss said, her voice sharp and dry as kindling. She pulled an arrow from her quiver, testing the fletching with a bloody thumb. She’d just gutted a squirrel on a branch three feet above his head. "And you’re wasting your father’s flour."

"It’s burnt," Peeta said, holding up the loaf. The crust was black as anthracite. "My mother told me to throw it to the pigs. But the pigs don't have to live through the winter on pine bark."

"I don't need your charity, baker's boy."

"It’s not charity," Peeta replied, a slow, easy smile spreading across his face. He tore the loaf in half, the steam rising from the white center, smelling so sweet it made Katniss’s mouth ache. "It’s a trade. You stay up there and tell me if the Peacekeepers are coming down the lane, and I’ll ensure the pigs go hungry."

He tossed the larger half upward. Katniss caught it with one hand, her fingers sinking into the warm, soft bread. She didn't say thank you, the Seam didn't have a word for it that didn't sound like a debt, but she ate it in three savage bites.

For three weeks, they played their game of borders. Peeta would come out when the ovens were cooling, his apron stained with soot and lard. He would sit on the stone wall, talking about the price of sugar or the way his brother had dropped a tray of tarts. Katniss would hang her legs from the thick limb of the apple tree, sometimes tossing down a handful of wild strawberries she’d gathered from the high briars that grew against the trunks, or a bundle of dried mint for his father’s tea.

“If my mother catches me out here with you,” Peeta told her one afternoon, leaning his head back against the rough bark of her tree, “she’ll use the rolling pin on my shins until I can't walk the floor.”

“Then climb up,” Katniss said, her voice flat.

“She’s too old to reach the first branch.”

“I’m too heavy for the small wood,” Peeta laughed. “I’d come down like a sack of turnips and take you with me.”

It was the day of the summer storms when the sky turned the color of a bruised shin. The wind came howling out of the mountains, whipping the coal dust into blinding, stinging sheets that turned the noon into twilight. The branches groaned, oak scraping against the stone wall with a sound like iron on an anvil.

Peeta didn't run for the kitchen. He stood on the wall, his apron whipping around his legs, his eyes fixed on the high canopy where Katniss’s apple tree was whipping like a blade of grass.

"Katniss!" he shouted above the roar of the wind. "The lightning’s going to strike the ridge! Come down to the cellars!"

"I gave my word!" she yelled back. The wind caught her hair, tearing it from her braid. She was gripped tight to the main trunk, her bow protected beneath her deer-skin jacket. "The ground is where they bury people, Peeta!"

A crack of thunder split the sky, so loud and close it smelled of sulfur. A dead limb from the neighboring oak snapped with a report like a rifle shot, crashing down through the apple branches. Katniss shifted to avoid it, her foot slipping on the wet, mossy bark of the limb.

She didn't fall to the earth. Peeta had scrambled up the stone wall, his big hands reaching into the green, wet fury of the leaves. He caught her by the ankle, his grip like an iron vice, anchoring her against the wind. With a roar that was lost in the thunder, he hoisted himself into the lower fork, using his weight to steady the swaying branch, his arms wrapping around her waist to pin her against the solid wood of the trunk.

They sat in the narrow notch of the tree, pressed together so tightly Katniss could feel the heavy, steady thud of his heart against her shoulder blades. The rain came down in gray sheets, drowning the District out in mud and dark, but inside their small hollow of leaves, it was warm and smelled of wet wool and old yeast.

Katniss was trembling, though not from fear. Her breath came in short, sharp gasps against his neck. She turned her head, her gray eyes meeting his blue ones, close enough to see the flour dust still trapped in his eyelashes.

"You're a fool," she whispered, her teeth chattering. "A Baker fool."

"Likely," Peeta said. He didn't let go. His hands were huge and warm through her wet shirt, holding her steady against the storm.

She didn't push him away. Instead, she turned fully in the circle of his arms, her small, hard frame tilting up toward his. When he bent his head to keep the rain from her face, her hands flew to his shoulders, her fingers bunching into the damp fabric of his shirt. He leaned down, hesitant for only a heartbeat, before his lips met hers. The kiss tasted of rain, and the bitter green of the leaves, but beneath it was the undeniable, aching sweetness of the bread he had given her.

When he finally drew back, his forehead rested against hers, his breath warm in the damp chill of the tree. The thunder gave a distant, dying rumble over the slag heaps, but neither of them moved to look at the sky.

“You’re going to ruin my reputation, baker’s boy,” Katniss said, her voice dropping to a rough, quiet murmur, though she didn’t pull away from his chest. “The Seam will think I’ve gone soft.”

Peeta let out a small, breathless laugh that brushed against her cheek, his thumbs tracing the line of her jaw, brushing back her soaked dark hair. “Let them. If anyone asks, you can just tell them you were bargaining for next week's bread.”

“And what if your mother sees you?” she asked, a faint, rare trace of amusement tugging at the corner of her mouth.

“Then I’ll tell her the storm blew me up here,” Peeta whispered, his eyes bright and steady in the green gloom of the trees canopy.

vivi's space: Calvino is one of my favourite authors, and when I read the story I just couldn't stop myself. You can find the original book on Google, under the title "The Baron in the Trees" (just search for a pdf)

[shewakessupwiththesun]

11 ⧽. sharing a bed without cuddling, but not being able to actually fall asleep until they’re holding each other

this prompt was obviously purpose written for everlark, it's perfect. Thanks for sending the prompt anon!

I groan as Peeta slips his familiar warm hand across my bare stomach. “No, it’s too hot,” I whine rolling away from him to the edge of the bed. Even that miniscule movement is laboured and difficult in this heat. 

“Okay, okay,” Peeta laughs pulling his hand away letting it find purchase on top of my head. I let out a huff of dissatisfaction at this too, but I allow it knowing that Peeta prefers to remain in some kind of contact with me when falling asleep. Honestly, I prefer to remain cuddled up in his arms too, but this last week has been so sticky and the heat so close that neither of us have been able to have a good night of sleep and that makes me worried. It’s not great for either of us if we haven’t slept enough, but it’s particularly bad for Peeta who is more likely to experience a flashback if he’s tired. 

I close my eyes, trying to let sleep over take me, but I every time I nearly drift off my eyes snap open almost instantly as visions of burning children or Capitol mutts flit across my mind. This happens several times and each time Peeta’s hand massages my head or runs down the length of my back before refinding its position. This helps a little, but each time my heart races faster and my limbs feel more and more like they are ablaze. Not with heat, but with racing blood, ready to jump at a moments notice. My limbs feel almost detatched from my body. 

My eyes snap open for what feels like the hundredth time tonight and just as I’m about to relent and allow myself to feel Peeta’ undeniable warmth envelope me, he speaks up. “Katniss, please,” he begs. I roll over to face him and find his blue eyes staring wide awake at me. “You’re not sleeping and neither am I.” 

“No, we aren’t,” I agree. 

We don’t even need to say anything else. Wordlessly Peeta opens his arm so that I can slot in to my usual spot tucked in beside him with my ear above his heart. 

“Much better,” he sighs. 

I hum my agreement placing a soft kiss to his sweaty chest before I finally fall into a dreamless sleep. 

[mega-aulover]

Oysters & Pearls

Tuesday the 5th was Oyster Day, and I really wanted a drabble of Peeta opening oysters for Katniss, because he wanted to give one to Katniss to propose.

Rated G or T - & all mistakes are mine

-

"Why do you need more oysters?" Johanna demanded over the phone.

“They’re all gone.”

“I just sent you a case this week.” 

Peeta sighed; he was hoping that he didn't have to explain to Johanna why he was purchasing oysters. "Jo, I just need the oysters."

“You’re going to poison yourself with all of the oysters you’re eating,” Johanna muttered over the phone.

“Johhana, just send me another case. I need them,” Peeta rubbed his face. 

"You know, oysters are considered aphrodisiacs." Johanna's voice carried that sly tone that made Peeta blush. "Don't tell me you and Brainless are getting it on!" Johanna cackled.

"Johanna."

Johanna didn't hear him.

"Johanna."

She was gasping for air.

"Johanna, I am trying to find a pearl like the one I gave her in the arena. It got lost during the war."

Johanna stopped laughing, "Oh, OH! Why didn't you say so!"

"I wanted to surprise Katniss, you know," he looked around to make sure Katniss wasn't around. She had the softest footsteps. He lowered his voice, "When I propose."

"You're," Johanna gasped, "You're really going to do it!?"

"Yes," Peeta said.

"Man, you two were really meant to be with each other. Hold on. Let me get Annie."

"Johanna, please don't- I don't want anyone to know!" His words fell on deaf ears as he heard Johanna hollering for Annie.

Peeta removed the receiver from his ear as Johanna was so loud it bothered his eardrum.

"Annie! Annie, sweetheart, get over here!"

After the war, Johanna went to live with Annie and Mrs. Everdeen. All three were raising Finnick Jr. together.

In the background, he heard another feminine voice, this voice one was softer.

There was a shuffle as the phone was picked up. His anxiety rose. He wanted to propose to Katniss and was secretly afraid that she would say no. They were all but living together. They slept in the same bed. Katniss often came over to his house. Too many ghosts at hers.

One true thing was that they didn't like to be without the other for too long.

However, this was a big change. This meant that they would have a Toasting and would have to pick one roof to live under. The idea of spending the rest of his life with Katniss was humbling and exciting. But it wouldn’t work if he didn’t have the pearl.

"Peeta," Annie's soft, soothing voice calmed his fears. "I know you want to find one like you gave Katniss, but pearls take years to grow inside of an oyster. I don't know if the oysters Johanna is sending you will be the ones you need. I know someone who can help, but can you be patient?"

“What do you mean?”

“I know you both were there when the bombs..." Annie's voice drifted as they both thought of Primrse. She sighed softly and continued, "It could be that the pearl was in her clothing. I know - well, Tigress said the government kept her things. They're stored in a vault. I could ask to see if it survived, or maybe we can get you a replica."

"Oh," Peeta said as his breath left his body. It was a lot for him to process. "But I don't want a plastic one, I want a real one."

"It will be real, Peeta. I promise."

"Okay, thank you."

The call was over, and now he had a lot of pent-up energy. He walked to his studio space and began to paint. Painting helped him avoid having an episode. Time must have elapsed because the door to his painting studio opened.

"There you are," Katniss said quietly.

"Hi," Peeta greeted. She looked like an angel with the light illuminating her from behind. Katniss did not comprehend how she affected everything.

"I was calling for you. I made stew, well, if you're hungry?"

His stomach growled at that moment. "Looks like I'm hungry."

"Sounds like it." Katniss then extended her hands to him, and Peeta stood. He wiped his hands and set his brush inside the glass jar with water.

He took her hand and allowed her to lead him to the sink so that he could wash his hands. When they sat down to eat, it occurred to Peeta that one of these days he would be asking her to marry him. But he had to wait and be patient. Patience was one of his traits. It was something the Capitol could not erase from him. Peeta found that he could wait for things.

He waited to be let go from his treatment in the Capitol to return to Katniss. He waited to be seen by Katniss. He waited to be loved by her. Yes, he was patient. And one day that patience paid off. The package arrived from the Capitol.

"Hey, Kid," Haymitch greeted.

"Afternoon, Haymitch," he greeted.

"This came for you." Haymitch raised an eyebrow. "Didn't know you were expecting a package?"

"Oh yes." Peeta reached out for the package. His hands trembled slightly as it could only be one thing, since he hadn't ordered anything.

"Some new gadget for the kitchen?"

"Um," Peeta said, looking at the label. It was from Tigress. "No."

"Hmm, you know Trinket called me."

"Did she? I thought you two weren't speaking."

"Yeah, that's why I found it strange that she called to give me directions about the Mockingjay's pearl." Haymitch gave him an unreadable look. "Yapped in my ear for a full 20 minutes about how half the government was put on alert and that I needed to retrieve the package and give it to you. She said they cleaned it, and it might be a little off color, but otherwise it's fine.

"What do you mean?"

"Apparently, real pearls don't burn."

"Huh," Peeta said. "Well, thank you."

"You're going to propose?" Haymitch said.

"Shh, not that loud," Peeta turned around really quick. He quickly looked around him.

Haymitch laughed. "Don't worry, my lips are sealed."

"Okay," Peeta said nodding. "See you later."

"No."

"Won't you need dinner?"

"Peeta, if you're going to propose marriage, I suppose I shouldn't be the third wheel."

"Oh, yeah," Peeta said. "Do you want a loaf to tide you over?"

"That would rightly neighborly of you."

Peeta nodded and walked into the house, grabbed a loaf, and brought it to Haymitch.

"Good luck, boy, but don't worry, sweetheart will say yes."

He opened the box and saw that inside was a small plush case. With shaking hands, he withdrew the small velvety case and threw out the box. Peeta breathed in and out; he could feel the tightness in his chest that came with an episode.

Grabbing the case and stuffing it in his pocket, he made a beeline to his studio. The painting helped. This time, however, he was aware when Katniss came over to cook. He joined her in the kitchen and made her favorite cheese buns. The entire time, he was aware that the case was in his pocket.

They were eating, laughing at something that happened to her in the woods, when Peeta knew it was time. He reached into his pocket and put the case on the table.

"What's this?" Katniss asked.

"For you." His voice sounded rough to his ears. "Marry me, Katniss?"

Her eyes flew to him. Her mouth was slightly ajar.

"Go on."

Katniss reached out and opened up the case. "Oh, how, Peeta, how can this be? I thought it was destroyed in the fire."

"Did you know pearls don't burn. They're like us, survivors."

A tear slipped from her eye, and she nodded yes and whispered, "They don't burn."

-

Author's Note: My dad was a jeweler for years. Real pearls don't burn when exposed to fire for a short period. However, if you dip them in (flammable stuff and let them soak), when they are exposed to flames, they will blow up. What will burn is the material that is used to string them up. The real pearls will turn ashy, but you can wipe them clean, and if they're a lighter color, they will be discolored a little. In this case, I'm imagining that Peeta was trailing behind Katniss, and when she was tossed by the explosion, Peeta found Katniss and put out her flames.

[ticklishraspberries]

Neck Kisses (Katniss/Peeta)

Summary: Peeta gives Katniss kisses over the years. (Week #4 of @august-anon's Tickletober prompts!! I've never written a Hunger Games fic before so let me know if y'all like it and/or want to see more!!)

The lights are blinding, and Katniss is struggling to keep that fake smile on her face. They’ve been standing, taking photos, being gawked at for what has felt like years.

Cinna has dressed her in gold. Peeta’s suit matches perfectly. He does look handsome, but she isn’t sure the color really does him any favors: The shimmer pops on her skin tone, compliments her dark hair and eyes, but Peeta’s pale and blonde and would probably suit silver more, she thinks. Not that she knows anything about fashion, nor does she care about how Peeta dresses. She only cares about how he’ll fight in the arena, and how his hand around her waist right now is really irritating. She wants nothing more than to shrug him off, to roll her eyes right at those cameras, to take all the stupid pins out of her hair.

Instead, she just stands and tries to look pretty.

Peeta’s head moves in her peripheral vision and she shoots him a confused glance, and then twitches when he presses a gentle kiss to her shoulder where the dress has left her skin exposed. No one has ever kissed her there, and goosebumps immediately spread over her skin. It doesn’t feel bad, but she still digs her elbow into his side in retaliation anyway, because he could have at least warned her that he and Haymitch were upping the affection quota.

When they’re finally free from the cameras and lights, and Katniss has shed most of her ridiculous outfit, Peeta comes and sits beside her, away from prying eyes.

“Sorry I kissed your shoulder,” he says, avoiding her eyes. “Haymitch and Effie have been trying to get me to…sell this whole love story thing. I should have asked you if that was okay first, I just had the idea in the moment and went for it.”

Katniss looks him up and down, the shyness in his body language and the genuinity in his tone, and her hard expression softens just a little. “It’s fine. Just…warn me next time.”

He nods, offering her a little smile. Then, after a moment of comfortable silence, he asks: “Did it tickle?”

“What?”

“When I kissed you. It seemed like it tickled.”

Katniss does roll her eyes now, ignoring the way her face feels suddenly warm under his scrutiny. “No, it just felt weird. And I wasn’t expecting it.”

Peeta has this stupid smile on his face that makes Katniss want to punch him. But, there are rules about tributes fighting, and she also doesn’t think she could really hurt him when he looks so innocent, so…She huffs and gets to her feet.

“So, you aren’t ticklish? I just think if we’re going to be allies, I should know your weaknesses, you know?” Peeta says, and he’s fully grinning now.

“Goodnight, Peeta,” she replies, refusing to turn back and let him see the way her lips have started to curl. Watching him try to find the light, the humor in this all, to get to know her even though it’s probable he will have to kill her…Well, those thoughts dampen her mood quite quickly.

The truth is, she is ticklish. Most of her experience with tickling has been her tickling Prim, and sometimes Gale tickling her, but she always fights him tooth and nail when he does it. He’s usually all rough hands squeezing her sides and scribbling behind her knees. What Peeta had done was different, it was gentle and made her stomach flutter…She supposes it would have felt nice, if they had been alone, and she had known he was going to do it, and could have prepared.

She falls asleep trying to ignore the little voice in her mind that wants him to do it again.

***

The sound of birds chirping outside the window is what wakes her.

Katniss blinks against the sunshine seeping into the room, and settles comfortably into Peeta’s arms that are wrapped around her waist. The morning is still, the children still sleeping instead of climbing into their bed with excited babbling as they do most mornings.

Peeta begins to stir beside her, and Katniss finds herself smiling as he nuzzles his face into the crook of her neck. “Morning,” he mumbles.

“Morning,” she replies softly.

Peeta’s lips press a soft kiss to the skin of her shoulder, and then continues to pepper those little kisses up to her jaw and back down again. She’s giggling in seconds, having been unprepared for such antics so early. She’s still stubborn as she was as a scrappy teenager in the Seam, and normally when Peeta tickles her, she holds her laughter in and fights back, turning the tables or running off into the grass. She doesn’t have that chance now, lovingly encased in his arms and still too sleepy to launch an escape plan.

She doesn’t even remember the first time he pressed his lips there, back before the first Games, on that stage with the blinding lights. That feels lifetimes away, has been buried under much worse memories, forgotten. They are making new memories now, better ones.

“Peeta, we’ll wake them,” she says, trying to keep her giggling to a low volume.

Peeta just grins. “They’ll be up soon anyway.”

And with that, he starts tickling her belly with ten fast fingers, and Katniss has no choice but to dissolve into laughter. It isn’t long until the children are roused by the sound, curious as to what their mama could be finding so funny.

Now, she starts her day with genuine smiles, laughter, and love.

[di-daynamic]

the first tendrils of spring

Katniss, home broken and heavily scarred from the Hunger Games, is surprised when it is not her sister or best friend, but the baker boy that once saved her life who is her greatest comfort.

"So you knew Peeta Mellark's name and that he's the youngest. Why?"

She scrambles for an explanation that doesn't involve detailing how close they were to dying of starvation before the boy saved them. "He was in my class."

"And you know all your classmates' names?"

"He's Madge's friend."

Prim frowns. "They aren't that close."

"I pay attention," she says loftily.

"No, you don't. Not to social stuff."