In fall 2011, two students of mine shared a book series with me that they thought I'd enjoy. In January 2012, I was alone during a(n unusual) cold snap in Houston for a few days, and I decided to read The Hunger Games trilogy. The closest comparison I had to THG was Twilight, and I was a Jacob fan. As I read, I fell in love with Peeta and hoped I wouldn't find that Katniss chose the other option like Bella did in Twilight. As I read, I become more involved in the social commentary and moral compass of the story. I read the trilogy in three days, and I joined tumblr a few weeks later. Over that summer, I found AO3 and THG fanfiction, and by fall 2013, I submitted my first Everlark story for Prompts in Panem. It's been a whirlwind, and one I'm happy to be on with so many other people.
What are your favorite things about the series?
As a historian and educator, I am fascinated by the social commentary of the series. Collins is incredible at weaving real events into a literary narrative that challenges readers and holds a mirror up to each of us. I've been confronted with social justice issues on every page of the five books, including Holocaust imagery, incarceration, hunger, fame, and war. There is so much to unpack in every book, and I find something new every time I read any of the works.
What’s something about the series that’s stayed with you or become more meaningful to you over time?
The core of the books for me is the choice Peeta makes at the end of Mockingjay. During the vote for one more Hunger Games that Coin proposes, Peeta insists that continuing to choose violence over forgiveness is futile and wrong. At his core, Peeta chooses kindness and love, even after torture, brainwashing, and unbelievable trauma. He sees every person as human, no matter what wrongs they've committed. No one is beyond redemption or should be left unprotected, and that is a beautiful, courageous, and rare thing to find in today's world.
What's something you want the fandom to know about you?
I'm a trained historian and college professor, and I can sing (well).
When did you begin creating? What inspired you to begin?
I've written my entire life, but I started writing THG fanfiction in the fall of 2013 during that year's Prompts in Panem event.
What is your favorite thing to depict in your work?
Peeta's goodness, humanity, and kindness.
What’s your personal favorite of your works?
Too Familiar is my favorite (and most popular) work. I have a lot to say about that work.
If you could recommend just one, which would it be?
Of my own works, I'd recommend The Days of 9/11 series. For others, my favorite is probably The Grandmentor series.
What are the main characteristics of your favorite canon characters you always try to maintain in your stories?
I always try to find Peeta's kindness and goodness and Katniss' ability to see the practical in everything.
Tell us about an OC of yours. What inspired them and what purpose do they serve in your works?
The only OCs I've created for Panem (that I can think of) are grandchildren of Katniss and Peeta's children. Otherwise, my characters are canon.
Tell us about your favorite relationship (of any kind) in the series. Why is it your favorite?
As obvious from my writings, I'm an Everlark writer (Katniss and Peeta), but I love the friendships between Katniss and Finnick, Peeta and Finnick, Gale and Peeta, and Haymitch, Katniss, and Peeta. There are others, but those are the main ones.
What is a question you wish we asked and what would your answer be?
How has the Hunger Games fandom changed over time, and how is it different from other fandoms? The fandom has changed dramatically over time with a shift in the number of fan events that are well-known and supported by wide swaths of the fandom. While my experience has always been in the Everlark corner of the fandom, I've interacted with others who enjoy writing other characters and pairings. However, there are fewer events and support for non-Everlark pairings. As a result, there is a smaller community and fewer events as ideas are extinguished. In addition, THG fandom is focused on canon pairings without exploration of different pairings (including slash). AUs provide a way to explore outside of Panem, but readership of those is limited as well. I appreciate the new creators who join the fandom and those who continue to run events that keep the fandom alive.
Anyone you would like to shout out in the fandom?
Shout out to the old guard, including @xerxia31, @louezem, and @jhsgf82. There are so many others, and I miss interacting with y'all.
Prompt: Hi, my birthday is August 25th, and I’d like to read about Everlark and travel, either meeting while traveling and falling in love or traveling together as a couple (AU or Canon-compliant). OR I’d like to read about Katniss and Peeta (canon or AU) celebrating an anniversary. Thank you! <3 [submitted by @jhsgf82]
Rating: G
Author’s Note: Believe it or not, this happened to me when I flew back from Canada after visiting @xerxia31 before the pandemic started. The guy, who very kindly put me at ease after messing up my seat assignment twice, and I still exchange the occasional email. I figured it was the perfect time to turn that experience into fanfic.
Happy birthday, sweet friend! Wishing a very happy new decade. You deserve all the best.
_________________
Katniss tries to make herself smaller than she already is as she hurries down the aisle, all the while avoiding the eyes of her fellow passengers. There’s something unnerving about trying to find the right seat while others watch—usually with suspicion and a wary eye.
Flopping into her seat, she glances sideways at the man next to her. He’s handsome but clearly uninterested in talking to her. With an internal shrug, she pulls her water from her bag and settles in for the flight.
“Excuse me,” says a voice in the aisle, “I think you’re in my seat.”
For a split second, Katniss has no idea that the woman in the aisle is speaking to her. When she realizes, she flushes bright red and digs her boarding pass out of her pocket to check the seat assignment. Realizing she’s read it incorrectly, she flushes from embarrassment at having sat down on the wrong side of the aisle. Muttering her apology, she scrambles to gather her belongings and plops into the seat across from where she was just sitting.
“Now you’re in my seat,” another woman announces.
Trying desperately not to sink into the floor, Katniss checks her boarding pass again and is horrified to realize that, not only has she sat down on the wrong side of the plane, she’s also in the wrong aisle. Mumbling a profuse apology, she finally sinks into the correct seat and shoves her belongings into place as her face flames and skin crawls.
“Are you sure this is your seat?”
The low rumble of her seatmate’s voice washes over her, and she raises her head to fix a steely gaze on him. Fully prepared to shoot a sarcastic barb his way, Katniss almost swallows her tongue at the sight of the man next to her. Broad shoulders and thick thighs matched with wavy blonde hair and sparkling blue eyes make her mouth water, and she has to work hard to be sure her mouth doesn’t gape open widely.
“Oh, God. Am I wrong again?” she finally manages to sputter as her heart sinks. There’s only so much humiliation a person can take before spontaneously combusting.
A bark of laughter answers her question before the beautiful vision reassures her, “No, I don’t think so. I’m sorry. That was a poorly timed joke. I’m Peeta, by the way.”
For a moment, she wonders if she should offer her hand to shake, but it’s not needed when the two of them are pressed together in the tiny confines of a small plane. Peeta’s trunk-like thigh presses against her much smaller one, and his arm rests next to hers. The sheer force of his smile is almost blinding, and she can’t help but gulp when his eyes flit down to her mouth.
“Katniss,” she sputters after several long seconds of her staring at him. “I’m Katniss.”
“What an unusual name.”
Before she can think, she blurts, “I’m named after a potato.”
Peeta blinks at her for several seconds before nodding slowly. “I see.”
Ducking her head, she berates herself silently for sounding like a total moron. It only takes her a split second to make a decision, and she tugs her wallet free and flips it open to grab a business card. Thrusting it at him, she attempts to defend herself.
“I’m really not an idiot,” she insists. “I know I’ve given you nothing but a terrible idea of who I am in the past few minutes, but you can see from my business card that I’m a fairly intelligent responsible person.”
As he studies the card she’s handed him, his eyebrows raise as he scans the information. Eventually, he nods and squeaks, “Well, your degree and job title seem to support that. I’m impressed.”
Determined to keep him interested and improve his image of her, she launches into a humorous story about collecting soil samples that ends with him giggling silently until his ears burn bright pink from trying to stay quiet. The flight passes quickly as they chat, and it’s not long before the fasten seatbelt sign is illuminated and the plane begins its descent.
“Is this home?” he asks as they land and taxi on the runway.
With a quick shake of her head, she realizes she’s running out of time, and the little flutter in her chest is enough to make her want to extend their time together. “No, I’m just connecting here. How about you?”
“Connecting through to Pittsburgh. Headed home for my parent’s anniversary.”
“Ah. Nashville. Sister’s birthday,” she explains.
As they gather their possessions and wait for the passengers seated toward the front of the aircraft to deplane, Peeta leans over and murmurs quietly, “You know, if you missed your plane, we’d have more time to talk.”
A wide smile spreads over her face, but she knows that’s not something she can afford to do. Her baby sister is waiting, and she can’t disappoint Prim. Still, there’s something about this guy, and she doesn’t want to let Peeta go. Unfortunately, there’s no choice if she wants to get home without spending a night at the airport. After a quick hug and a wave goodbye, she trudges to her gate and straight onto the plane that’s already begun boarding by the time she gets there.
This time she finds her seat with no problem and tugs her phone out to quickly check social media and send her sister a message with her arrival information. Instead, she’s thrilled to find a notification for a new email from one peetamellarkbakes. Eagerly, she pulls up the message and reads it as she bites on her bottom lip. She barely has time to get through it when the front doors close and she’s forced to turn her phone to airplane mode. Still, the warm feeling from his words keeps her giddy all the way to Nashville where her sister waits with open arms.
Prompt 77: Married Everlark are coworkers and their marriage is on the rocks. They’ve been sleeping in separate rooms. Divorce looks inevitable. On a business trip, there is *dramatic pause* only one bed. Does the forced closeness lead them to really talk for the first time in months or does it drive them further apart? Smut not required. [submitted by @katnissdoesnotfollowback]
Ratings/Warnings: M; allusions to infertility, divorce, self-loathing
“What do you mean there’s only one bed?” Katniss hissed at her husband. “We were supposed to have our own rooms, and now you’re telling me we have to share a bed? Did you do this on purpose?”
Peeta glared at her, fury flaring in his blue eyes. If she weren’t so furious herself, she’d push a little harder, but the flint-like nature of his glower convinced her that she needed to steer clear, if only by shutting her mouth once she’d voiced her opinions.
“What kind of idiot do you think I am?” he practically spat at her. “It’s not like I want to spend time with you. I get enough of that at home.”
“A big one.”
“A big one, what?”
“You asked what kind of idiot I think you are. I think you’re a big idiot.”
“Enjoy sleeping on the street,” he said with unnatural calm and turned sharply on his heel. He’d only taken three steps before she crumbled. She had no interest in sharing a bed or a room with the man she’d married a decade ago, but she definitely didn’t have any desire to sleep in the hotel lobby, or worse.
“Oh, come on!” She called after him and hurried to catch up before he made it to the elevator. “You’re not going to leave me hanging. We’re here for work, and neither of us can afford a bad performance review this year.”
“It’d be worth it,” he groused.
“And what’s that supposed to mean?”
Peeta stood to the side so those inside the elevator could clear out and then stepped into the box with his suitcase. He punched the button for their floor and leaned against the wall without bothering to glance her way as she struggled to get inside with her bag.
“Can we not?” he asked tiredly. “You can yell at me all you want in the hotel room, but it’s unseemly in public.”
“Unseemly?” She almost said more, but bit the inside of her cheek instead. She could wait until they reached their room to see how bad the situation was going to be before she said anything else. This whole thing probably wasn’t fair in any way, but she couldn’t help but feel like this was somehow all his fault.
The elevator ride concluded in silence, as did the walk from the elevator to their room. Peeta fiddled with the lock for a full minute and cursed as the red light flashed several times before finally figuring out how it worked and popping the door open to allow them to enter. He flipped on the lights as he entered, and she almost smiled at the familiarity of him scanning the corners for someone hiding in the shadows. He’d started that habit on their honeymoon when they’d not bothered to look before going at it against the door as soon as they closed it behind them. An errant cleaning lady who’d only been dropping off extra towels and pillows had gotten quite a show, very likely one she’d had absolutely no interest in viewing.
The honeymoon was a long, long time ago. So long, in fact, that Katniss wasn’t even sure if she even liked her husband anymore, let alone loved him. They hadn’t been intimate in forever, it seemed, and she hadn’t missed it at all. Well, that wasn’t true. She did miss it. She just wasn’t interested in doing anything with him. All the sexual tension, passion, and lust that had existed between them had simply dried up as real life got in the way. They’d taken out their frustrations and irritations on each other instead of looking for comfort in the other’s arms.
“Do you want to use the bathroom first?” Peeta asked as he set his bag on the edge of the bed and unzipped it.
“First, yes. If it’s okay with you.”
“I don’t care. Knock yourself out.”
He turned his back on her and stripped off his tie before unbuttoning his shirt. He got it over his shoulders and was working on his belt before she shook herself out of her daze and closed the door to the bathroom behind her. Taking her time, she showered and re-braided her hair before brushing her teeth and applying moisturizer. She was just about to pluck her eyebrows when a pounding sounded on the door.
“Can you hurry it up? I’d like to go to sleep sometime tonight.”
Irritated, she jammed her beauty products back in her toiletry bag and ripped open the door. Haughtily, she glared at him and swept by to head to the bed. When she saw what he’d done, she froze.
“What’s this?”
“What’s what?”
“Why are all these pillows in the middle of the bed?”
“They’re making a barrier.”
“Yes, I can see that, jackass. Why is there a barrier of pillows in the middle of the bed?”
“To separate us.”
“But you’re sleeping on the floor.”
“Why the hell would I sleep on the floor?”
“Because we’re not sharing a bed right now. We don’t even sleep in the same room at home anymore. Why would you think we’d do that here?”
Peeta gaped at her, completely dumbstruck. It took a while for him to put words together, but when he did, she wanted to smack him.
“Katniss, I don’t know how to tell you this, but you’re crazy if you think I’m going to sleep on the floor of a hotel just because you decided you don’t want to be married to me anymore. I’ve tried to be understanding, but this is bullshit. I’m not a puppy you can kick.” Peeta shook his head and squeezed his eyes closed and his lips together. She knew that expression because it was one he’d shown much too often in the past several months. That was the look he made when he was about to lose his temper. “Now, I’m going to shower. If you have shit to do, I’d suggest taking care of it while I’m in there because I’m tired, and I’m going to sleep once I’m done.”
She waited until he’d closed the door to the bathroom before ripping the pillows off the middle of the bed. Hell if she was going to sleep in the same bed with him. He’d made a mistake to leave her alone if he thought that was going to happen. She piled the pillows back up against the headboard and then climbed into bed. Once she was directly in the middle, she pulled the covers over herself, set an alarm, and turned off the lights. If she tried, she might actually be asleep before he came back out, and then he’d have to take the floor. They’d barely seen each other in the past few weeks, let alone touched. She certainly didn’t want to start that the night before a big meeting.
It felt like she’d hardly closed her eyes when Peeta exited the bathroom and walked over to the bed. Smirking to herself, she rejoiced in her petty victory. Except… The mattress dipped under her, and she jumped as her husband climbed in behind her. With a shriek, she sprang from the bed and stood clutching the sheets in front of her.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Indignant, she wanted to smack his face. His eyes shone wide and blue with faux innocence that quickly shifted to a self-satisfied sneer.
“I’m going to bed. I told you that before I went into the bathroom. Really, Katniss. You should pay closer attention when I tell you what I’m planning. Someone might think you don’t listen. Not very good for a relationship, you know.”
“I was there!”
“And I put up a barrier, which you demolished. Seemed like an invitation.”
“You are such an asshole,” she sputtered. “Get out the bed.”
“And you’re being a total bitch. Get back in bed, and we’ll stick the pillows back between us. I’m not sleeping on the goddamn floor because you’re too stubborn to actually talk about what’s wrong between us.”
“I’m not sleeping in the bed with you!”
“Then, have fun on the floor.”
Infuriated, she fumed at him with a slack mouth and a hollowed out chest. He knew exactly what to say to hurt her, and maybe that was the problem. He knew her too well, knew all her vulnerabilities and insecurities and disappointments. Because of that, she could hardly look him in the face. If she did, she’d have to admit all the flaws she had, and if she did that, he’d know the same way she does that she doesn’t deserve him. Not in a million lifetimes.
Gutted, she ducked her head as tears pricked at her eyes. He reached for her, but she flinched away from him. She couldn’t handle his compassion, which he offered even when they were at their worst.
“Don’t touch me,” she ordered as strongly as she could, which was a pathetic attempt at regaining control. “Don’t touch me. Just put the pillows back. Please.”
He nodded, and it was almost her undoing. Turning her back, she waited until the rustling stopped before climbing back under the covers and settling on her side. The silence was louder than any noise she’d ever heard. It was matched only by the rush of blood in her ears. She stifled a sob and squeezed her eyes closed as tightly as she could. It wasn’t until she was almost asleep that she heard him.
“Goodnight, Katniss.”
She didn’t bother to answer.
****
Katniss woke to a streak of sunlight on her face and a warm fuzzy feeling that stretched from the pit of her stomach to the tips of her fingers and toes. Safe and warm, she nuzzled into the pillow, only to realize it was hard muscle covered in soft cotton, and there was something stiff poking into her thigh.
She didn’t want to move, didn’t want to risk losing the feeling of being loved and protected and cherished. There’s been so little of that in her life. Since her father died, the only person outside of her family who loved her was Peeta. Peeta Mellark, her childhood sweetheart turned fiancé who became her husband way too young, loved her. Maybe he still did, but it was hard to cling to the possibility. More likely, he wanted a divorce. She’d probably face the rest of her life alone.
She closed her eyes and floated in the sensation of being cared for by someone who didn’t have to want her. The press of muscular thighs and cut hips and…hell, she wanted that. She needed it. Desperate, she ground against the thick shaft and moaned low in her throat. It was matched by one just as frantic and eager.
“Katniss,” he whispered, and she tipped her head back to accept his kiss. He’s a dream, someone who could see past everything she couldn’t accomplish, every failure, every disappointment. “Sweetheart, you feel so good.”
He rolled on top of her and hitched her legs around his waist. They rutted against each other, groaning and whimpering at the pleasure they received from their connection. He made her feel so much better. He made her feel like she wasn’t a failure. He made her feel worthy.
“I’ve missed you so much. Missed you so much.”
Hands scrabbled at her sleep shorts. Heat flooded between them and deep in her gut. She wanted him, craved him inside her, longed for acceptance. Something about him—
“Stop!”
Peeta froze on top of her. His reaction was immediate, which only made her feel worse. She’d lost herself, forgotten who it was in bed with her. She’d led him on and allowed him to think their marriage could survive this when he’d be a million times better off leaving than staying with someone who couldn’t give him what he wanted.
“Katniss?”
“Don’t,” she warned. “Don’t talk to me like you can fix things if you only talk slowly and calmly enough. I’m not a child.”
“Sweetheart, please. Please let me in. I don’t want to lose you,” he whispered fiercely. “Please don’t do this to us.”
“I’m not doing anything.”
“Tell me what’s wrong. Tell me what I did. Why did you pull away from me? What did I do that was so terrible?”
She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to breathe evenly, but sobs choked her. He hadn’t done anything. He’d only ever been a wonderful husband, and all that did was remind her that she couldn’t ever live up to what he should have. He was loved and respected and admired by everyone, and she was suspicious of the world. He could make anyone laugh, while she stood by awkwardly with an uncomfortable expression on her face. There were a million things like that, but the worst was what she couldn’t quite process enough to allow herself to embrace what he wanted to give her.
He wanted children, and she couldn’t give them to him.
She burst into tears, which she knew was the only guaranteed way to get him to back down from the brewing confrontation. He wasn’t so much of a masochist that he’d purposefully provoke a weeping woman, particularly not his wife, no matter how strained their relationship. Like she knew he would, Peeta released her and flopped onto his back on the mattress next to her. He didn’t try to comfort her. Instead, he allowed her to sob as her tears quickly converted from fake cries to full-fledged howling.
“I’m sorry,” she sobbed, and he accepted her apology without even demanding to know anything else. She knew he was frustrated, but he held the space for her, without pushing, as she worked through her outburst. Finally, she quieted, and he rolled onto his side and tucked a stray hair behind her ear.
“Better?” he asked with such gentleness in his eyes and voice and touch that she broke again.
“No!” she wailed. “It’s not better. It’s never going to be better.”
Exasperated, he sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed. Without a word, he stalked to the bathroom, and she heard the shower turn on and the unmistakable sound of him stepping into it. Embarrassed, she closed her eyes and tried to still her rapidly beating heart. Nowhere in her plan for this trip did she anticipate break down in front of her husband, but she also hadn’t foreseen that they’d have to share a bed. It wasn’t like they’d been doing that at home. Not for months.
“Shower’s free,” he announced as he re-entered the room with a towel slung low on his waist.
His hair, usually ashy blonde and wavy when it was dry, clung to his head as water droplets traced down his chest. A jolt of lust shot through her, something she hadn’t felt for a long time. Without a word, she passed by him to get ready. When she was done, he’d already left for their meeting. The day passed quickly, and too soon they were back in the room together with an awkward silence hanging between them. Peeta didn’t even bother to talk. He simply got ready for bed and curled up on his side with his back to the wall of pillows between them.
Katniss attempted to fall asleep for what felt like ages, but the only thing she could do was listen to the steady in and out of Peeta’s breath. The sound was so familiar to her, and it was even more dear than that. She missed him so much, and, if the morning was any indication, he wanted her as much as she needed him.
“Peeta,” she hissed. When he merely grunted, she moved one of the pillows that separated them and reached across the barrier. “Peeta, wake up.”
“What do you want?” he grumbled without turning toward her. “Sleeping.”
“I want you.”
Peeta rolled over, but he didn’t make any effort to touch her. Pillows still separated them, but the wall they’d built between them was much worse than the temporary barrier. They needed to talk, but she didn’t intend to. She could distract him, she knew. She’d always been able to with a smile and a kiss and her body.
“Talk to me first.”
“Why? What good will it do?”
“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe it would fix everything. Maybe, just maybe, we could save our marriage. If nothing else, it might make me think you want me and not just a night of meaningless sex. It’s not like we’ve exactly been jumping each other for the past several months.”
She sniffed at his sarcasm, although she couldn’t blame him. He’d put up with a lot from her, but he’d been kind of awful, too. His kindness earlier in the day didn’t make up for some of the cutting remarks and nasty actions he’d resorted to when he was frustrated. Still, his desperate plea for her to let him in struck at her heart, and she didn’t want to lie to him anymore. If she could just get started, the barrier between them could be dismantled.
“You wanted a baby.”
Her voice waved, but it was out there now. She knew it wasn’t her fault, had gone over the medical issues repeatedly, had processed all of it. Still, she felt like a failure. Knowing and feeling were almost never the same thing when it came to pain and disappointment.
“So did you.”
“It’s not the same.”
He signed loudly. Shifting away from him, she curled into herself at his irritation.
“Sweetheart, I love you. I’ve always loved you. Yes, I wanted a baby, but I want you more.”
“You don’t mean that,” she protested.
“I really, really do.”
“How am I supposed to believe it?”
Peeta sat up and grabbed the pillows between them and tossed them to the floor before grabbing her arm and tugging her toward him. He put his mouth next to her ear and hissed, “I want you more than anything else in the world. Do you feel that? Can’t you tell how much I crave being inside you?”
She shivered at the feel of him hard and plastered against her thigh. How he’d gotten there so quickly, she had no idea, but it gave her ideas, especially since she did some quick math in her head and realized it had been over six months since she’d slept with her husband. They still had a million things to talk about, a thousand misunderstandings to navigate, and a ton of baggage, but the removal of the barrier had begun.
“Peeta?”
When he hummed, she leaned in to kiss him. They had one more night in their shared hotel room. Katniss decided to take full advantage of it, and it didn’t take long before Peeta let her know how enthusiastically he agreed with her plan. Maybe they couldn’t fix what was between them, but it couldn’t hurt to try.
Summary: High school teachers Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark volunteer their services to the kissing booth at their school’s carnival to raise money for school supplies. Little did they know the hottest kisses would be the private ones shared between them later that night.
Rating: E
OTP: Everlark
Author’s Notes: Kissing Booth is part of the 2014 S2SL Collection.
Minnie!!!!!!!!!!! Who has tickets to see Monday the movie on the big screen Thursday evening? THIS GIRL! It's my week early birthday present from a friend, and I'm 300000% ready. (I have thoughts. Many, many inappropriate thoughts.)
Oh my godddd, that’s AMAZING! 🙌🏻🙌🏻 Lucky you!!! I’m so excited for you darling, I really hope it’ll be wonderful and you’ll thoroughly enjoy it 😉🥰 I myself won’t be able to see it until next week because I’m away this weekend, but I‘m already looking forward to all the gifsets 😍 Anyway, ENJOY and happy early birthday! 🥳
I didn't know you're from Samos. It's a gorgeous little island.
Aw you’ve been to Samos?
Yes, my grandparents were born in Samos and I used to live there as well. Beautiful island with very kind people. Miss it every day
