Daddy [OC/Katniss; Multiples/Katniss]
The sun was just coming down as Ethan walked through the door of his cozy little cabin that he shared with his daughter. Kicking the snow off his boots, he pulled off his coat and called out through the house. "Kat! Kat where are you sweetie? I brought you home something special." He smiled and moved into the kitchen, walking out into the butcher and prepping area to set down his game bag. There hadn't been much today, but the deer they had gotten over the weekend would last them a while anyhow.
Katniss was in the main sitting room on the second floor, the room with all the windows, facing out to the trail that led down to the lake. It was all iced over and snowed in now, which Katniss hated but from there it was a beautiful view. She was curled up in a fuzzy blanket, dressed in a pair of low cut cotten shorts and a tank top. One of the dogs was there with her, laying at her side. Hearing the call of her name, she perked up out of her half asleep state and hoped up, scurrying down the steps and into the kitchen. "Yeah daddy?" she asked, a hand rubbing at her eyes.
The man smiled and walked over, wiping his hands off on a towel after cleaning them and lifting her into the air and onto the kitchen counter. "I brought you home a new pet. Little fox kit whose momma couldn't find her way back to him. He's out in the shed right now so that the dogs don't bother him. Wanna go meet him?" he asked, smiling and shaking her lightly. He was still able to scoop her up off the floor like she was nothing, despite the fact that she seemed to be growing more every day.
Eyes lighting up, Katniss practically shoved the blanket off of her body, letting it fall to the floor as if it were noting. "Really?" she asked excitedly. Foxes were her favorite, and she'd absolutely forbid her dad from shotting them. They needed the food, the meat, but there was just something about the little creatures that she couldn't bare to see them dead. "I wanna go! I wanna see him!" She squirmed in his hold, ready to run out dressed just as she was.
The man chuckled and kept a hold on her, walking her to the door and managing to wrestle her into her coat before she managed to escape his grip and race off to the shed. Laughing, Ethan followed her out at a jog, catching up to her in time to stop her at the door. "Remember. He's scared. Scared animals sometimes lash out. I don't want him to bite you, okay, love?"
It was hard enough to get her into the coat, there was no way he was going to get her upstairs and into pants. As soon as the door opened, she took off at a run for the shed only stopping when her dad caught up. She squirmed and hopped from foot to foot, the cold chilling her to the bone but it didn't matter right then. "Okay! I'll be careful. Promise." she nodded firmly and brought her hands up, clutching them together in front of her chest. When the door finally opened, all of the excitement from her seemed to drain and she carefully crept inside. There was the fox, sitting in the middle of the room, curled up and shivering. Her eyes widened again, but rather than rushing forward she crept slowly. A foot or so away from the creature, she dropped to her knees. The concrete dug into her skin but she didn't mind it. "Hello, Mr. Fox." she said softly. "I'm Kat, we're gonna be friends okay?" she murmured.
The poor thing made a soft whiny sound and curled up tighter, shrinking away from her. Her father came up behind her and crouched with her. Holding out a bottle of milk to her, he gestured to the fox. "See if he'll take it... He probably won't, but he might be hungry, don't you think?"
Lips parting in an o shape, she nodded and hesitantly took the bottle from her father. "Maybe..." Chewing on her bottom lip thoughtfully, she slowly shuffled forward until she could hold out her arm and the nipple of the bottle was in reach of the baby fox.
The little animal stilled completely the closer she got. When she finally stopped moving, his nose twitched a little bit, smelling the milk. For a moment it didn't look like he would move, but then, slowly, he inched forward until his muzzle just barely brushed the nipple of the bottle and he was able to latch onto it.
Katniss drew in a sharp breath when the fox finally moved. Carefully holding her arm still, she whipped her head back to look at her father with large eyes. She'd done it! The little kit had trusted her enough or at least had been hungry enough to feed.
The man smiled brightly at her and nodded encouragingly before gesturning back at the fox who had gotten tired of stretching his neck and had moved even closer for easier access to the bottle. When all the milk in the bottle was gone, he scurried away, though not as far as he had been before, and curled up again.
"Alright... time to head back inside. I don't want you getting sick, Kat." He smiled and leaned in, touseling her hair. "Wanna help me with dinner?"
Pouting, she dropped her arm to her side and looked back up at her father. "But... I don't wanna go in." she whined softly. "Can't I stay with the fox a little longer? He'll be lonely out here."
Her father shook his head. "No, young lady. We're going inside. If you want to come out later, /maybe/ we can, if you get dressed properly and we have time before bed and /I/ feel like coming out here. He nudged her shoulder. "Now come on... let's get a move on, shall we?"
Sighing, she pouted deeply but eventually pushed herself up off of her knees and onto her feet. Her hands dusted off on her shorts and she shuffled for a second or two. "Okay..."
With that the two went inside to start getting dinner together. About an hour later the two sat down to a dinner of potatoes with venison steaks and milk. "So what did you do all day, baby?" Ethan asked, cutting into his meat.
Looking up from her plate of alread cut up steak and potatoes, Katniss hummed softly and took a bite. "I did my math and played with the dogs and read for a little bit." she replied as she swallowed down the bite of food. She beamed slightly, knowing that her father would praise her for being good and doing her school work.
Smiling, her father took a bite of his food. "That's great sweetheart! What book did you read? Was it interesting or boring?"
"It was funny." Katniss said with a bright smile. "Captain Underpants." she nearly giggled. It was one of her favorite book series, though she wasn't really a big reader. She liked to do it just for him though -- anything to please him.
"Oh yeah? Should I get you more of those next time I'm in town?" He reached out to pinch at her nose lightly. "I think I will." He smiled and took another bite. "And how about your math? How was that?"
"It was okay." Katniss was actually fairly decent with math, it was one of her better subjects, though it wasn't the best. "I think I did okay. Will you go over it with me after dinner?" Maybe he would let her sit in his lap and cuddle up as they looked overh er work.
"Sure, sweetheart, anything for my baby girl." He smiled and reached across the table to pinch at her cheek. "Now eat," he hummed, tucking back into his own food.
Katniss beamed happily and with that looked back down at her plate and tucked in. She had always been a slow eater, playing with her food and taking forever to chew. Ethan had to encourage her to eat a few times before she was finally done, only managing to finish about two-thirds of her food.
Once she was done eating, Ethan took their plates to the sink to start washing up. "Why don't you go get your math and bring it to the table." He smiled and watched as she ran off, the dogs tagging after her.
"Kay." She chirped. Climbing up and out of her chair, she scurried out of the kitchen and upstairs to her room. On her desk lay a colorfull workbook full of problems. Grabbing it and a pencile, she ran back downstairs to the kitchen.
Ethan had just finished soaking the cooking pots when she emerged and he smiled, drying his hands off and coming over to sit down. "Let's see what we have here, hm?" he asked, patting his lap as he sat in his chair.
Her hopeful smile turned into a full on grin as he patted his lap. With a bit of manuvering, she managed to hop up onto his lap and leaned back in against his broad chest. Opening up her workbook to the right page she held it up for him to examine.
The man smiled and wrapped his arm around her, bouncing her on his lap as he hummed a soft tune and looked over the problems. He was silent for a few moments before grinning. "Well it looks like my little girl is the sharpest tool in the shed. 15 out of 15, little girl." He kissed her cheek and set the workbook down before turning her in his lap to face him.
"Really?" Grinning widely, she turned her head to face him though she didn't have to for long. Turning in his lap, her hands clutched at his shirt and she bounced happily.
"Yep. You're one smart cookie." He smiled and kissed her cheek. "But you already knew that, didn't you?" Chuckling he lifted her up, carrying her over to the living room where he sat down in his armchair with her in his lap.
Katniss didn't have time to reply. As she was lifted, she squealed happily, the sound turning into giggles. Her arms wrapped around his neck and she burried herself close against his chest, snuggling back up as they sat down.
Ethan hummed a song as he ran his fingers through her hair, looking into the log fire he had started. "Hey baby, why don't you give daddy a kiss, hm?" He pulled his head away from hers and pressed a kiss into her soft hair before looking down at her.
Head tilting back to look up, Katniss smiled softly and nodded. She liked kissing daddy. Sitting up straighter, she strained just a bit to lean up and kiss him. It was a soft brush of lips but she lingered, her own parting against his.
Ethan smiled and pressed his lips against hers, his hand coming up to tenderly caress her cheek as his lips parted against hers, deepening the kiss, but not overpowering her. "Mmm... Yeah. That's how daddy likes it. You like that too?" he hummed, cupping her cheek.
Her tongue poked out just slightly, brushing against their lips. "Yes daddy." she murmured against him. Her head cocked to the side, cheek pressing against his hand. She wouldn't pull away until he did because she knew it made him happy and she'd do just about anything to make him happy.
"That's my girl," he murmured. "You were such a good girl today while daddy was gone. I think you deserve something special, don't you?" His fingers slid down her cheek and brushed against her neck before gliding over her shoulders and down her sides to her hip.
"I like being a good girl for you daddy." Katniss whispered. Drawing back just slightly, she rest her head against his shoulder and looked up at him. "Please?" she squirmed slightly in his lap and her hips shifted down against his hand.
The man's lips twitched up and his fingers brushed along the inseam of her shorts. "Why is my little girl wearing shorts when it's so cold out? You wanna get sick, girl?" Pausing at the apex of her thighs, he pressed the flat of his palm against her, rubbing slowly.
Her cheeks flushed pink with heat and she squirmed against him, hips pressing down against his palm. "It's warm in here." They may not have much, no TV, internet, or things like that but they weren't poor. The house was well heated and had nice appliances. Shivering, she leaned further back against his chest.
"Mmm... yeah, but you go outside with only the shorts on. That's not very smart, Kat." He brushed his lips against her ear, his stubble bristling against the sensitive skin. Slowly, his fingers crept up to unbutton her shorts, pulling them open and pushing his hand in over her underwear to rub against her. "And my little girl is very smart, isn't she?"
"Yes daddy." she breathed softly. Hips raising, she whimpered softly and gripped at his arms slightly as his fingers pushed down into her shorts. "I'm a smart girl. A good girl." she whimpered.
"Good... So when you go outside from now on, you'll be dressed appropriately?" he murmured, applying a little more pressure with his fingers and rocking up against her bottom as his cock started to harden. "You're going to do that for me, right?" he hummed. His fingers brushed along the edges of her underwear, teasing along the seam.
"I..." Her cheeks flushed pink and her hips rolled against his hand, whimpering sharply. "I thought you-- liked-- oh, me in shorts." she panted softly, biting down hard on her bottom lip.
"Mmm," he hummed and chuckled softly. "Yes... I like you in shorts... But not when you're outside in the snow." He kissed her neck and his fingers hooked her panties out of the way and brushed against her velvety lips. "Tell me you want daddy to make you feel good," he murmured.
Her hips bucked back away from his fingers, giggling breathlessly in reply. "I want you to make me feel good daddy." she whispered. Her stomach knotted with anticipation and she fought to keep her thighs spread, wanting to squeeze them together to relieve the pressure that had built up.
Smiling, Ethan pressed his fingers against her folds, parting them gently and slipping one in slowly, always sure to be gentle with his little girl.
Breath catching in her throat, Katniss's hips bucked slightly and her thighs trembled as she was stretched slowly. "D-addy." she whimpered, voice breaking slightly. Her head lulled back against his shoulder and her tiny hands gripped tighter at his arms.
"That's my girl..." he murmured, stretching her slowly. He nuzzled his nose against her neck and rocked his hip up against her. "I want you to feel good, baby... So good..." Turning his head, he sighed and breathed in the scent of her hair.
Her short nails lightly dug into the tanned skin of his arms, scratching and pulling gently. "Daddy. O-Oh." she whimpered sharply, squeezing down around his finger as he stretched her out.
Ethan hummed and slowly added a second finger, curling the first against her walls and starting to slowly pump against her, barely inserting the second past the first knuckle. He wasn't aiming to cause discomfort, only to stretch her limits to increase her sensations. He always liked to push her just a little further than the time before, to keep things interesting.
For a split second, pain laced through her hips and she bit down on her bottom lip. Head turning to the side, she pressed her face against her father's neck and whimpered again. But the discomfort soothed quickly and she was left squirming against him, hips grinding down slightly.
"That's it... You like that don't you?" he murmured, slowly taking his speed up a couple of notches. His free hand rested on her hip, gently directing her movements so that her warm body pressed right up against his hard cock, rubbing him. "Fuck..." he murmured, rocking against her as his fingers thrust into her.
Panting hard, Katniss nodded. Her hips moved back how her daddy wanted her too but she couldn't help but squirm. "Could you--" the words cut off and her cheeks flushed pink, unable to finish the sentence. She wanted him to touch her clit.
The man groaned and rubbed against her harder. As he got closer and closer to his own release, he obliged her wishes and his thumb started to flick against her clit as his fingers penetrated just a touch deeper, stretching her just a bit more and curling to brush against her g-spot.
Katniss was already a trembling mess. Her thighs shook and sweat beaded down over her forehead. She babbled softly, her words pierced by little hitches and sharp whimpers of pleasure. But then his thumb pressed against her clit and it was too much. Crying out softly her hips bucked and jerked, trying to pull away before pressing foreward once more. And then without warning her entire body stilled, only for her back to arch and her walls to clench around him as she came.
"Yes, yes, that's it," Ethan muttered, his voice tight and breathless as he coaxed her through her orgasm. Biting his lip he let her down slowly and pulled his fingers from her. Groaning, he continued to grind his hips up against her gently, not having been able to find his relief with her. Sighing, he brushed his nose against her neck and closed his eyes.
Though she'd never really touched her dad, or been exposed to him, she could feel his cock against her ass and she knew he didn't feel as good as she did -- not yet. Mewling softly, she ground down against him and tilted her head back.
Groaning faintly, the man let his eyes slide closed and he rocked against her slowly before pressing his hands to his hips. "Mmm... sweetheart... Don't need to," he murmured. "I'll be okay." He kissed her cheek and brought his hand up to rub against her chest over her nipple. "How about you go take a bath and I'll go out and make sure our new friend is warm enough for the night. Then I'll come read you a story. How about that? Or are you too old for stories already?"
"But I want you to feel good too, daddy." Katniss murmured. A shiver ran through her body as his thumb brushed down across her chest and she shifted against him, her hips pressing down. "I like stories." she murmured. "Can I sleep with you tonight?" More than his stories, she liked cuddling.
He smiled faintly. "I said I'd be fine," he murmured softly. "Now go get a bath. I'll think about the whole sleeping thing while you're gone," he murmured, giving her a little nudge. "Move along."
Making a soft sound, Katniss squirmed and hopped off his lap. "Okay..." Pouting faintly, she scurried off and up to the bathroom. As an almost eight year old, she could officially bath herself now, but sometimes she missed the days when her daddy would help her.
Ethan watched her run off with a smile and shook his head. Groaning, he sank further down in his chair and slowly rubbed against himself through his pants. Biting his lip, he quickly unfastened his jeans and tugged them and his briefs down just far enough to pull out his cock. His shaft weighed hot and heavy in his hand and he groaned faintly as he let his head fall back and he began to stroke himself quickly. It didn't take but a few more moments until he was gasping, jerking against his hand as hot cum coated his fingers. Grunting, he panted and sagged back in his chair, slowly stroking himself until his shaft went flaccid. Catching his breath, he looked down at himself and groaned before tucking himself away and then getting up to clean himself up. He went out a few minutes later to check on the fox in the shed and make sure he had enough heated spaces to hide away in in the cold of the night. That done, he headed back inside and made his way upstairs to his room where he knew Katniss would be waiting.
Katniss was anxious to get done with her bath but she knew that if she was too quick about it daddy would be mad at her. So she washed herself good and took her time about it. When she finally finished she brushed her teeth, combed her hair and grabed her robe. Not putting anything on beneath it, she belted the pink fuzzy thing around herself and ran off for her father's room. she hopped onto the edge of the bed and sat there, waiting for her dad to come in.
Leaning into the doorway, the man smiled and looked her up and down. "You wash behind your ears too?" he asked, walking over to sit on the edge of the bed. Lifting up the blanket, he grabbed one of her toes and wiggled it gently before tickling at her feet.
Squealing happily, she kicked her legs gently, as if she wanted to get away but not really trying hard. Falling back on the bed she squirmed, her robe sliding up some. "I diiiiid."
"Good," he hummed, flopping down next to her and wrapping his arms around her. "Did you bring a story, or should I make one up?" he asked.
She squirmed until she was nestled in against his chest. "Make one up." she hummed softly, head tucking down against him as she curled up.
"Hmm... Okay... Once upon a time... the end. There you go," he chirped, smiling down at her. "How was that? It was a good one, wasn't it?"
"Daaadyyyyy." Katniss whined and poked at his stomach with her tiny index fingers. "That's not a story!"
"It's not?!" he asked, surprise filling his voice and expression. "What do you mean it's not a story? It had a 'once upon a time' and a 'the end'. I thought that's all you needed for a story."
"Nooo. You need a middle! A... a talking animal, or a princess and a prince." she crinkled her nose. Though they didn't watch TV, they had a set and occasionally he'd let her see a disney movie but that was it. Her favorite was beauty and the beast.
"Ohhhh, okay." He smiled. "Once upon a time there was a prince and a princess who had a talking fox and lived in a castle and they lived happily ever after. The end." He smiled. "Ha, there you go. There was even a castle and a happily ever after too."
"Daddy!" Katniss whined, looking up at him with a deep pout. "It wasn't long enough!" Normally, he was the king of telling stories, which was why she hadn't brought a book but now she was starting to regret it.
He smiled and tickled her. "Fine. Okay, okay," he said nestling down with her in the covers and finally settling down. "Once upon a time, there was a beautiful princess with a talking pet fox named..." he looked down at her expectantly.
Giggling, she squirmed and sighed happily as he settled down with her. She nestled in against his chest and hummed softly, listening to him talk, his chest rumbling against her cheek. "Nammmed.... Button!" she supplied after a moment of thought.
He chuckled "A talking pet fox named Button. She also had a trusty little pup named Patch and his best friend Rose. Of course, they could talk too." He smiled again and tickled her. "Together, the princess and her animal friends went on all sorts of adventures and sometimes they even brought the king along as well." He smiled and kissed her cheek. He continued on with the story, letting her fill in where ever she felt the need to as the tale unfolded.
Eventually, as she did every night, Katniss started to drift off. The heat of the blanket and her father's large body curled up around her and his deep voice lulled her off to sleep. It wasn't particularly deep and she woke up more than once when he stopped, but eventually she was out for good.
Her father kept on talking until he was sure she was asleep before finally wrapping up the story. "And they all lived happily ever after... The end," he murmured, tucking the blanket more around her and then getting up to strip down to his briefs and then get back into bed with her, wrapping his arms around her tiny body.
The next week passed by like any other, with the minor exception that three or four times a day, Katniss and her father would go out and take care of the baby fox in the shed. About half way through the second they finally brought the baby inside. Katniss had never been more excited. Thankfully, the two dogs weren't all that interested in the kit and left her alone.
Ethan sat on the couch while he watched the little fox explore and sniff at her new surroundings, followed closely by his daughter who was practically entranced by the little creature. "You like your surprise, baby?" he asked, smiling over at her.
Katniss was on her hands and knees, dressed in a pink long sleeved shirt and a white skirt that kept riding up when she bent over a little too much. "Yes!" she chirped, looking back at her dad for just a second. It wasj ust long enough for the kit to get away from her. Looking back, Katniss pursed her lips together and scurried forward over to the far wall, following the animal closely.
"Well I just thought I'd let you know, it's your early birthday present~" he hummed, smiling as she chased after the fox. "You're going to give it a fright. Give her a bit more room." He chuckled.
"I'm not that close." Katniss whinned lightly, completely ignoring the comment about her birthday. She was focused on her goal, the little kit. When the creature turned around, it jerked back but Katniss reached out and gently scooped the baby fox up into her arms.
Ethan sighed and shook his head before standing up. "I'm going to go make us some lunch. Do you have any requests for me, princess?" he asked, looking back at her. "Or should I just make you whatever I'm making for myself?"
"Mac n cheese!" Katniss said quickly -- it was her favorite, but she wasn't like most kids, she wasn't picky. She'd eat anything daddy cooked, so long as it wasn't spicy. Spicy foods made her tummy ache. Looking back down at the kit she grinned and lightly scratched the baby behind her ears.
"Mac n cheese, coming up," he hummed, chuckling and walking off toward the kitchen. He hummed softly as he cooked, listening to the girl play with her new pet. When he had finished, he put two bowls on the counter -- one kid sized and one daddy sized -- and called her into the kitchen.
Putting down the fox at the call of her name, Katniss got up to her feet and trotted across the floor, into the next room. She slid to a stop next to him, bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet.
He looked down at her and raised a brow. "You'd better go wash those hands, young lady. Don't want you getting sick because you ate after touching a wild animal."
"Button isn't wild." Katniss said petulantly but she made her way over to the sink anyways. Grabbing the stool, she pulled it out and climbed onto it so she could reach the faucet. Turning on the warm water, she pushed her hands beneath the stream and washed them quickly.
When she got back, her father gave her a fork and patted the chair next to his where her bowl was sitting. Then he sat down and looked over at her before starting to eat. "What do you want to do today?" he asked.
Climbing into her chair, she sat at the edge so her feet dangled off to the ground. Picking up her fork, she took a bite and hummed softly. "Play games?" she requested. She actually had a fair bit of homework to do, but she wasn't about to mention that.
"Mmmm... What kinds of games?" he asked, scooping up some more of the macaroni. "Like... board games or like... run around and act crazy games?" he asked, smiling.
"Mmmmm.... Both!" Katniss said after a second, bouncing in her seat. Honestly, Katniss would have been happy with anything. A day when daddy stayed in and didn't go out hunting was a good day in her books.
Ethan smiled and shook his head as he ate his lunch. "Oh alright, I guess we'll do both." Humming faintly, he finished up his lunch and then the pair went off to locate their new little fox friend.
"Yay!" Katniss cheered happily. As soon as lunch was over, the little girl bounced up from her seat and scurried off through the house, trying to find her new friend. The kit was downstairs in the laundry room with Patch, curlined up in front of the dryer -- it was warm there.
She scooped her up and carefully cradled the baby in her arms before running out. The basement was mostly finished and the main area had been converted into a play room of sorts. "I found her!" She cheered, holding the fox up. The thing yipped and scratched at her arms, not at all liking the way she was holding him. Letting out a little cry, she dropped her.
Ethan rushed forward and went to a knee in front of Katniss. "Are you okay baby? Did it hurt you?" he grabbed her arm gently and pulled it to him to look for scratches.
Her lips trembled, and large tears filled her eyes. She had scratches up and down her arms and a little bit of blood was bubbling up over her skin. "It's okay." she sniffled, knowing that her dad wasn't likely to take kind to the fox hurting her. "It was my fault."
The man shook his head. "Come on. We gotta get these cleaned up." Lifting her up, he carried her back to the bathroom and sat her on the counter. Opening up one of the cabinets, he pulled out a bottle of rubbing alcohol and some bandages. Pausing, he looked up at her. "You going to be brave for me for a few minutes, baby?" he asked, unscrewing the cap off the bottle and getting a pad of gauze to dampen with it.
Still sniffling, Katniss nodded. She shifted uncomfortable on the edge of the countertop and held out her arms, letting it rest in her lap. "I'm brave." she answered, lips tugged down in a deep frown.
He nodded. "Good," he hummed. Biting his lip, he grabbed one of her hands with his and squeezed it gently before bringing the alcohol soaked gauze over her arm, wiping at her scratches carefully. He cleaned the scratches thoroughly on both arms, changing to a fresh gauze several times before finally putting the alcohol away.
Katniss flinched and whimpered but only tried to pull away from him once. Her cheeks were red and stained with tears by the time he was done but overall it wasn't terrible.
After that it was just a matter of bandaging her arms and taping it up. "You look like you have mummy arms now," he teased when he had finished, leaning in to kiss her on the cheek. "There we go. All done. Now you have to be more careful with the fox, alright? If you hurt her she'll hurt you back."
Still pouting just a tiny bit, Katniss held out her arms and stared at the bandages that wrapped her up. So much for playing princess today. "I didn't mean to hurt Button..."
"I know you didn't, sweetheart. But you have to remember that she was a wild animal. She's not used to being handled like our puppies." He kissed her arms over the bandages and lifted her off the counter. "Alright, come on and lets go find her and apologize."
Katniss's arms instantly wrapped around her father's neck and she pressed her face against his shoulder. "Okay." she murmured. "I hope she's okay." Nuzzling againt him, she turned her head to press a soft kiss to his cheek.
"Oh, I'm sure she's fine sweetie. She probably just got a little scared, like I did." He kissed her on the cheek and carried her throughout the house looking for the fox. They finally found her curled up in the living room in front of the fire, sleeping. "There we are," he murmured, setting Katniss down and then sitting on the floor next to her.
Katniss curled up on the ground, her legs pulled tight to her chest. Reaching out, she hesitantly dragged her fingers across the fine fur and laid down next to the baby. The litle fox poked it's head up sleepily and looked at Katniss. It trilled softly and cocked it's head to the side before laying it's head back down and letting Katniss pet it.
"There we go," her father murmured, reaching out to scratch behind the fox's ears. "Now she should be alright. Just remember to be aware of her claws next time you pick her up, alright?"
Nodding, she looked back up at her dad and hummed faintly. "Yes daddy." she murmured. "I'll be more careful." She still felt bad for spooking the fox.
"Good girl," he said, sitting back and crossing his legs as he sat on the floor with her. "So she's really named Button?" he asked. "For sure, for sure?" His lips quirked up.
"Yes!" Katniss said firmly. Sitting up on her knees she carefully picked up the fox and held the baby in her lap, fingers stroking down over her coat. "Or.... Princess. I like Princess..." she trailed off, lightly chewing on her bottom lip.
Ethan smiled and looked at the pair. "Well you'd better decide quick or you're just going to confuse the poor thing," he said, holding back a chuckle. "Don't want to do that, now do we?"
She shook her head no firmly. "What do you like?" she asked, looking up at Ethan. "Button or Princess?"
"Well. /You're/ already my princess. So /I/ like Button more." He smiled and looked up, calling Patch over and pulling the pup into his lap to rub at his ears.
"Button then." Katniss said firmly, nodding happily and looking back down at the kit in her lap. "Can we play dress up?" she asked suddenly out of nowhere.
He raised his eyebrows and paused. "Uhh... dress up with Button?" he asked, thinking of all the ways that was a bad idea and getting a mental image of Katniss's whole body covered in bandages, not just her arms.
"And Patches." Katniss said, her lips tugging up in a wide grin. "And you!" She bounced slightly, Button making a whiny sound as the little girl practically unlodged the kit from her lap.
Ethan smiled. "Baby, I don't think Patch and Button will appreciate playing dress up very much. I think maybe it should be just be and you doing the dressing up. But sure, we can play dress up." He smiled. "I just don't want you to get hurt more."
"Okaaaay." she said with a little pout, cheeks puffing out. She had the perfect tiara for Button though, alas, she would have to save it for another time. Hoping up she moved to her dad and held out a hand as if she were going to help him up. "Lets go!"
The man smiled and humored her, grabbing onto her hand and pushing himself up. "So. Who am I dressing up as?" he asked as they walked down the hall.
"You can be... the prince!" Katniss said, beaming up at her father. "And I'm the princess." Nodding, she pulled him down to her room where all of her toys were. That was one thing Ethan wasn't frugal about -- buying her toys.
"A prince! Does that mean I get to wear a crown?" he asked excitedly as he followed her down. "And what about a cloak and scepter. Do you have any of those?"
Katniss nodded. "Yes! But if you're gonna be the prince you have to save the princess. It's a rule." Pushing open her door, she tugged her dad inside and headed for her toy chest to dig through all the play clothes she had.
"I /always/ save the princess," he said as if he was insulted she thought any otherwise. "I wouldn't be a very good Prince if I didn't."
Nodding sagely, Katniss pulled out a pink dress and let it fall to the ground, then a long, red cape that joined the first article. After that came the crown, septer and a tiara for the princess. Leaning into her box, she dug through to the bottom as if she were missing something, but when she came up with nothing she straightened and let the lid fall back in place with a thud.
"Is this everything?" he asked, picking up the scepter. He waved it around in front of her and smiled. Ethan loved being a dad. It was probably the best thing that had ever happened to him, despite the circumstances, or maybe because of them.
Nodding brightly, Katniss picked up her dress and held it up to her. "Help?" she requested sweetly, bouncing on the balls of her feet excitedly.
He swept a galant bow and smiled. "As you wish, your highness," he murmured. Moving over he helped to take off her clothes and then get her into the dress, leaving her underwear off as well.
Katniss didn't even question it, even enjoying it when her daddy's fingers would brush across her exposed skin. Once she was in her dress, she grabbed her tiara and pulled it on. "Okay, now you stay here and then you have to come save me okay?"
"Okay," he said, pulling on his cloak and putting on the crown. "Just call out for help when you need me." He smiled and watched her walk away, chuckling as one of the straps of the dress fell down. It was just a bit big on her.
Once she turned the corner, she scurried away and ran downstairs to the first floor -- her bedroom was on the second. Going into the kitchen, she climbed onto one of the barstools at the island in the middle of the floor and kneeled. "Daddy! Prince!" she cried cheerfully.
Ethan looked up when she called and smiled. "I'm coming princess! Don't worry. I'll save you from that mean ugly dragon." He trotted downstairs and drew an imaginary sword as he entered the kitchen. Facing the stove, he assumed a fighting stance. "Now listen here dragon. This is my princess and I won't have you gobbling her up." He swung his sword at the oven and spun around, chasing "the dragon" around the kitchen. Once he had slain the beast he came over and swept the little girl off the barstool. "My princess! You're safe!"
Squealing happily, her arms wound around her father's neck and she giggled. "My hero!" she cheered. "You deserve a reward, what would you like daddy?" she grinned and kissed his cheek.
"Well hold on a second. We're not done with the story yet. We still need our happily ever after in the castle! Where should our castle be, princess kat?" He swung her up onto his back and started walking all around the house.
"Here!" Katniss said, pointing into the main sitting room. The left side wall was all windows, and a plush couch sat overlooking it, a TV that was rarely ever used in front. Sometimes, during the middle of the day, Katniss would nap there. It was her favorite place to sleep, other than her dad's bed.
"Ah yes, this shall be our castle." He cleared his throat and set her down. "Servants, retrieve the blankets of the fort!" He smiled at her. "We have to play the servants now," he whispered.
She nodded conspiratorially, as if it was some big secret and climbed down off of the couch. The other strap of her dress fell, nearly slipping down her chest but she just barely managed to catch it. Tugging her straps back up, she headed for the linnen closet, where they kept all of the extra blankets and pillows.
He grabbed some off the top shelves while she grabbed the bottom and then moved over to the couch where he started taking off cushions and positioning them to make a really nice fort. He was the master at making blanket forts to cuddle in. It was one of his specialties.
Katniss was the assistant, handing him things and doing just as she was told. When it was all said and done, the little girl crawled down into it and grinned up at her dad. She reached out and took his hand, tugging him in.
"What a wonderful castle our servants have built for us, don't you agree princess?" he asked, looking around the fort. He lounged back against the pillows and pulled the strap off her shoulder again playfully.
"Ah!" she cried in mock offense. Grabbing her strap, she went to tug it up, only for the other to fall down on her. Huffing slightly, she gave up and moved to nestle in against him. "You never picked your reward for saving me~" she hummed after a second.
"Spending happily ever after in our castle is enough," he murmured, tilting his head down to kiss her. "And you know what princes and princesses do in happily ever afters?" he asked, taking the other strap off her shoulder slowly.
"What's that?" Katniss asked. Head tilting up, she leaned in and stole another soft kiss, nothing more than a little peck.