#endlessnightlock

Author:@endlessnightlock​

Prompt: Canon-Divergent/ In Panem D12

“I waited for you” Peeta said but she didn´t reply so he kept talking “under the rain, Katniss. I waited for you, under the rain… why would you not show up?”

“I can’t do this anymore, Peeta”

“I thought you were braver!” he yelled at her looking for a reaction, something that will give him some hope. He could feel tears threatening to run down his face, but she didn’t answer and he ran away and slammed the door behind him. [submitted by @alwayseverlark​]

Rating: T (for now?) for language and mention of nudity

Author’s Note: @alwayseverlark​ I made a few tweaks to your prompt, hope you don’t mind! This is probably the first of two parts to this story. I ran out of time to finish it but look for a conclusion soon. Word count: 1,035 words
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Streams of hot water ran out of the faucet, filling the tub and engulfing the chilly bathroom with steam and sound. Waiting for the tub to fill, Peeta tugged his rain and mud-laden sweater and undershirt off, ridding himself of the miserable weight of the wet wool. He dropped the clothes to the floor, and they landed with a wet splat on the boards, soon joined by pants, underwear, and socks once the rest of his clothing was stripped off. 

Still shivering, Peeta shut the faucet off and climbed into the tub, submerging himself in water up to mid-chest. He’d like to run the bath higher—up to his neck at least or hell, maybe even over his head after this particular day, but the tub had long cracks running around the rim. He didn’t want to add mopping dirty bathwater off the floor to the chores he would have to catch up on later. Peeta planned to spend the rest of the evening flat on his face in bed, wishing the world away. Maybe the rest of the week. Who knew? He had nothing to look forward to anymore, now that Katniss was gone.

“What a shit day,” he murmured, closing his eyes, leaning back until his head rested on the lip of the tub.

Peeta lay in the tub, feeling curiously blank and numb. Only once the water went from hot to uncomfortably chilly, and he’d begun shivering again, he climbed out of the tub and drained the water. Then, of course, it took him dripping water on the bathroom floor to realize he didn’t have a towel with him, either.

What did it matter, though? He was just going to go crash on his bed. There was no one here to care if he walked around naked or if his sheets got wet. It was a depressing thought. He wanted someone to care about the stupid things he did or didn’t do.

Peeta assumed that life would be easier once his mother and father retired and moved out of the apartment above the bakery, leaving him alone to run the place with some hired help. He wouldn’t have dreamed he’d miss them. 

With nothing other than the realization Katniss was never going to commit to a real relationship keeping him company tonight, evidenced by waiting two hours in the pouring rain outside the fence for her to meet him, Peeta desperately missed the days when his father and mother or two brothers were still living here. 

Instead of dripping water on the bathroom floor all night, Peeta meandered his way down the hall toward his kitchen. Despite being naked and cold, he couldn’t find the energy to hurry. He couldn’t find it in himself to care about anything. 

He paused next to the kitchen stove and picked up the tea kettle. Studying it stupidly, he wondered if he ought to fill it up and get it going, and why was brewing tea such a big decision to make, anyway? When he heard the back door of the bakery open.

Shit. Someone was downstairs. 

His heart sunk when Katniss called his name. Why couldn’t she just go or stay, be with him or not? Katniss was the last person he wanted to see, even if his stupid heart skipped a traitorous beat at the sound of her voice. He’d meant to lock the door behind him when he got home.

But now she knew he was here, and it sounded like she was already making her way up the steps. 

“Hang on a minute,” Peeta called out, “I’ve got to get—”

Katniss was fast on her feet and apparently, determined to see him, so it shouldn’t have come as a surprise when she appeared in the doorway. Her eyes widened in shock at his nudity, and she staggered back onto the landing. “Why are you naked?” she asked, sounding shaken.

Peeta rolled his eyes at her dramatics. Katniss had a weird issue with nudity. Meanwhile, he had zero qualms about it. Who the hell cared about seeing some skin? It wasn’t like he had some raging erection at the moment; he was too depressed and cold to worry about that problem. Not that Peeta was in the habit of going sans clothing in her presence. They hadn’t done anything together that required the removal of any clothing. Now they never would, so you know what? Fuck it. If she wanted to stay and talk, she’d have to look at him.

“I just got out of the tub,” he said cooly, pulling out a kitchen chair and sitting down because, honestly, why did he care if she was uncomfortable? He was done thinking about her feelings. She obviously thought nothing of his. 

If she wants to stay and talk, she’ll do it knowing my bare ass is right underneath the table, Peeta thought grimly. He’d enjoy watching her squirm.

“Oh,” she said.

“What do you want, Katniss?” Peeta asked. “I waited for you for hours in the pouring rain. Now I’m tired and irritated, and I want to go to bed.”

“I know,” Katniss said, inching back into the room, her gaze fixed on the wall behind him. 

Peeta studied her closely. She looked contrite, but it pissed him off even more than he already was. She was always like this, sorry and regretful, but it never changed the simple fact she’d do it to him again days later if he let her.

“Where were you?” he asked.

Katniss shrugged; her expression was carefully blank. “I can’t do this anymore, Peeta.“ 

"I thought you were braver than this!” he yelled at her, looking for a reaction, something to give him some hope that he wasn’t the only one going crazy. “You never even tell me why you do this to me, Katniss! Sometimes I think you really care about me, but other times, god, I think you’re incapable of feeling anything at all!”

Peeta could feel tears threatening to run down his face. Katniss didn’t answer him, wouldn’t look at him, although the stiffness settled over her expression clued him in that he’d hurt her feelings. Good. Let her feel like he did for once.

Author:@endlessnightlock

Prompt: Hello! My birthday is coming up on March 27 and would love a fic! Anything Everlark!! ❤ [submitted by @bethpeaches123​] 

Rating:T for cheeky sexual innuendo

Author’s Note: Hope you enjoy this meet-cute @bethpeaches123! Thank you to @rosegardeninwinter for pre-reading this for me. Word count: 1100 words
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Katniss blows a stray strand of hair out of her eyes in irritation. She hates going out to shop in the evening. It always turns out that you can never find what you need because things have already been picked over. After wading through a stream of people buying random stuff like groceries and toilet paper, then past enough newborn onesies to make even the most decidedly silent biological clock think about roaring to life, Katniss finds herself where she needed to be—at the very back of the children’s department of Wal-World, facing the humongous shelving units used to display the store’s diapers. But there’s a problem. 

“Assholes,” Katniss murmurs under her breath, directing the swear at whichever corporate employees were responsible for the floor design of the store. The spot designated for the brand and size of diapers she needs is empty, save one package on the top shelf, way out of her reach. 

The solitary twenty-four count bag of diapers with the cute baby on the corner taunts her, knowing she can’t reach it eight feet off the floor. It’s an impossibility for someone five foot nothing to reach. The needs of folks on the shorter side were not kept in mind when they put this display together.

Katniss frowns up at the top shelf. She really can’t leave without those diapers. If she weren’t wearing a dress, she would just kick off her shoes and climb the shelves, she decides. Even if it leaves her ass on display for the local shoppers, she still may have to. 

Katniss is still debating the merits of just going for it when a sensation passes through her body, alerting her she’s no longer alone in the diaper aisle. Someone has approached from behind, and she picks up the pleasant whiff of spicy aftershave coming off of them. It’s a man which, whatever, but the important thing is she can sense using her peripheral vision that he’s tall enough to reach the very top of Diaper Denali. 

Katniss wouldn’t usually talk to random strangers in the store, but she’s in a desperate situation. Telling herself to drop the frown she’s been wearing most of the day so the guy isn’t put off before she can get his help, she turns enough to take a discrete peek at the newcomer. 

He’s blond, broad-shouldered, muscular, and pretty attractive. Nothing about his appearance screams weirdo to her. He smiles at her, and the way his eyelids crinkle around a pair of light blue eyes makes him seem friendly. 

Now that she has his attention, Katniss gestures to the top shelf of the diaper display. It surprises her how natural it is to ask him for help, although a sudden flutter of nervous butterflies takes off in her gut.

“I’m sorry to be a pain in the ass, but could you give me a hand? I’m so short.” The guy chuckles, and god, he is so cute, she realizes. “Would you mind grabbing that package of Hugz size four off the top shelf for me?” 

“Yeah, of course,” he says, stepping closer to her. Katniss freezes at the proximity.

She can’t help but notice the nicely muscled arm reaching over her for the package of diapers. Once he’s handed them over to her and she’s tucked them securely beneath her arm, he steps out of her space. Not too quickly, though. That’s interesting.

“They don’t make these shelves for petite women, do they?” he says, and his smile is a little crooked.

“Not many things are made for petite women,” Katniss says. She likes the timbre of his warm, friendly voice. “I appreciate the help.”

He rubs the back of his neck before dropping his arm to his side and shrugging. “Well, we can’t have babies crawling all over the place with dirty butts, can we?” Katniss rolls her eyes at him but can’t stop herself from smiling at the dumb joke. 

“I like coming to the rescue of petite women anyway. Good things come in small packages.”

He winces as soon as the phrase small packages leaves his mouth. “Well, ah, I mean, not everything in small packages is good. Some are disappointing. Umm, not that I know from first-hand experience or anything.”

Katniss wants to laugh at the growing look of horror on his face. The guy is fair-complected, and his cheeks are downright red. If he weren’t so obviously flustered by the things he’s saying, she wouldn’t be cool with the casual dick references. But seriously, he seems like a giant teddy bear and just as attracted to her as she is to him.

“Sorry,” he grimaces, “that line sounded better inside my head. I meant to say babies and uh, you know, you, are both small and cute. Not the size of certain body parts.” His blue eyes widen with each word that makes its way out of his mouth. “Oh god, why can’t I just shut up already?”

Now she’s done for. She can’t help laughing because his self-confident goofiness completely enchants her. 

He shakes his head. “Sorry, I’m usually better at not sounding like a moron. I’ll just, ah, get my things and go,” he mumbles, turning away from her and rubbing the back of his neck. “You’re probably married, anyway, and even if I’m making terrible attempts at flirting with you, I’m not that asshole.”

“I’m not married,” Katniss admits. 

He turns to her again, practically beaming at her. “You’re not?”

“No. Are you?”

“Hu-uh. I don’t even have kids. My roommate asked me to pick up some baby wipes while I was out. He uses them to get stuff off his clothes at work. Why I’m telling you all this, I don’t know. It’s just that when I’m nervous I talk too much.”

“I’m picking up diapers for my niece,” she hastily explains. “Katniss Everdeen,” she tells him, extending her hand. 

And you are too cute to be real, she mentally adds.

“Peeta Mellark,” he says softly, fingers pressing into hers, lingering a little before relaxing his hand. When her hand drops to her side again, it’s tingling.

“So, Katniss—would it be too forward to ask for your number?” Peeta requests in that same quiet, hopeful voice. “I’d love to talk to you some more.”

She shakes her head and looks away to pull her phone out of her purse. Her face is hot. She’s thankful not to be blushing the way Peeta is. “No, it isn’t. I was kind of hoping that’s where this was going. If not, this was turning into a really bizarre conversation.”