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𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘦𝘯 : 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘢𝘮 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵
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"hello, to all the capitol and the districts. this is your president, harriet fire speaking. please, call me president fire or hattie. since president snow has died, i would like to tell you all that you are safe. no more games, no more peacekeepers, just you, your family, and your life. now, i know some of you may not have a family anymore, so my door is always open to me or one of my associates who i personally picked. we are going to get construction started as soon as possible on each of the districts and the capitol, as well as shelter for whoever would not like to live in the districts anymore. i will do whatever i can to protect you, to connect with you, and to build your trust. i would love for all of you to pitch in and help the reconstruction, the exception of the victors. they are pledged with a life of peace and the life they were promised in the first place. please, go outside today and thank everyone who contributed to this new panem. a free panem."

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hattie picked up her bag and grabbed her keys. she wore a pink skirt and a white crop top, a gold medallion and pink pearl strung around her neck. "dad, will you stop feeding rue brownie eggs?" haymitch looked up from the dining table with the little blonde girl in his lap. "well, it's not like the trinket boy is coming back to cook us duck confit." "doesn't mean you have to give her brownies for every meal." she shot back, pulling her sneakers on.

"you look so sophisticated." haymitch told her, finally getting a glimpse of her. "i mean, a mom and a president at 16? no biggie," hattie shrugged, rushing over and kissing her dad's cheek before kissing rue's.

"i'll be back soon. don't make too much trouble, you two !" the teenager shouted, before finally walking out of the mansions into the spring day. the cherry blossom trees that were planted the day of president snow's execution now had blossom leaves falling off and blowing through the streets with the slow breeze of the wind. as hattie adjusted her crop top, walking down the stairs of her estate, she saw some of her friends.

"finnick ! annie !" down the street, finnick and annie odair strolled down the sidewalk while annie pushed a stroller with a baby inside. "is that baby happy i see?" "is that madam president?" finnick smirked, walking towards the girl faster before scooping her into his arms and spinning her around. "hi ! i've missed you both ! how are you?" finnick put her down and her and annie kissed each other's cheeks. "good, tired. this one has been keeping us up all night. how about you? how's peeta?" annie asked.

"i actually haven't seen him since... officially, the day you guys votes for the symbolic hunger games, but really, execution of my father. otherwise, i'm really good. i adopted rue just a couple weeks ago, and haymitch adopted me just the week before that !" hattie chuckled. "oh, congrats !" finnick said. "thanks, finn." "sorry you haven't seen, peeta, though. i heard you guys kissed right before you went to the capitol." annie apologized. "yeah, we did, but it's okay, i think we both had and have some stuff to work through, and it's better on our own. cypress has barely been here since katniss went home, he's been with her." hattie exclaimed.

"are they—?" finnick asked, and the young girl nodded. "yeah." "wow." "i know." "very unlikely couple, but one i'll take with no fight." he nodded. "anyway, i gotta go run some errands, i'm so sorry to cut this short..." "i can go with you." finnick volunteered. "yeah?" "sure, if that's okay with annie...?" "yeah, of course !" the ginger nodded. "oh, annie, you can go into the mansion, if you would like. haymitch and rue are inside, i bet rue would love to play with happy." "oh, really?" the girl nodded, "of course ! there's a ramp over there." hattie pointed over to a stone ramp, and the mother looked back to her with a grateful smile. "thank you." "no problem."

as the woman walked away, the man and girl naturally linked arms and started to wander down the street together, talking about the oddest things that they hadn't gotten to talk about since the night of hattie's 14th birthday.

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by the time hattie had walked back into her home, annie was gone and haymitch was on the couch, taking a nap. "hey, i'm home !" "mommy, mommy !" the little blonde girl ran over to her mom, and she bent down to the girl's eye level. "what's up, sweetie?" "there's a man in our backyard that i don't know ! i can't wake up papa." hattie rolled her eyes and picked up her daughter. one thing that wouldn't change, whether haymitch was sober or not, was that he was always such a deep sleeper. not even a bomb could wake him up.

she sighed as she walked through the mansion, "sweetie, i don't think there is a man in our backyard—" she opened her back door out onto the sunny and grassy backyard, and saw a blonde man working bent over, gardening. "oh my god, there is a man in our backyard. sorry i didn't believe you." she looked at the toddler with wide eyes. "never believe the child." the blonde shook her head before jumping out of her mothers arms and storming away. "sassy pants." she looked back to where the man was, and he was standing there, looking at her now.

peeta.

hattie was speechless for a moment, but tried to compose herself. "you're here." she breathed. "yeah." he nodded. they stood there like that for a minute, until peeta held up some small yellow flowers. "found these in the dry soil... rue flowers." without another second of hesitation, hattie ran across the yard, throwing herself onto the boy she called home. he instantly grabbed onto her, holding on tight so she wouldn't let go. she wasn't planning on backing away anytime soon. "i'm sorry. i'm so sorry, hattie." he mumbled.

he didn't sound like he had a couple months ago anymore. he sounded of when she had first met him, his welcoming tone and inviting aura with the dampen of his past.

"don't be sorry. i love you." she shook her head as her chin rested on his shoulder. "i love you too. so much." he responded. hattie pulled her head off of the boy's shoulder and made eye contact with him before kissing him. he immediately kissed back, letting the intensity of the kiss rise every second their lips stayed together.

eventually, they pulled apart, breathing heavily. he looked better, too. how he looked before. "you've always held a special place in my heart." peeta smiled. "and you've always had my back." "that's what boyfriends are for, hm?" he asked, tilting his head. she mirrored his actions, acting as if she was thinking for a moment. "hmm.. yes, i think so." they kissed again, for a shorter second. "you wanna take me out sunday?" she asked. he smiled, "that's 3 days from today." "absence makes the heart grow fonder." she chuckled. "whatever you say," he told her.

hattie admired the same pomegranate shade of lipstick on his lips, the same from months ago. she reached up towards his face, to wipe it off, but he stopped her. "i like it. you don't have to." she laughed at him, "it looks like you've been attacked by someone who loves the shade 'pomegranate sunrise'." "good. people know you like 'pomegranate sunrise', right, madam president?" he pulled her into a hug again, and she giggled, pulling her feet off the ground to lightly kick them around.

muffled cheers and claps sounded, and the couple turned to see haymitch, effie a hologram of katniss and cypress, and small rue, confused. they both laughed and waved, "is effie on speed dial?" she mumbled to her boyfriend. he just shrugged with a smile. they watched the blonde toddler open the door and waddle out. "what are you doing with my mommy?" she asked, grabbing onto her mom's legs. "mommy?" peeta asked, raising an eyebrow at hattie. "yeah, i found her at the capitol when me and kat went. her mom got shot, and i couldn't leave her there." peeta's lips melted into a smile at the story, and he pulled his hand over hattie's head of hair to clear her face so he could peck her lips one last time. "that's such a hattie thing to do." she rolled her eye with a smile.

he looked down to the small girl and crouched down to talk to her. "hello, i'm peeta, what's your name?" "rue. what are you doing with my mommy?" the girl asked again, arms crossed. "well, me and your mommy like each other a lot, so when you like someone a lot, you kiss them, like this—" he kissed rue on the cheek. "or like this—" he kissed her on both of her cheeks, and she started to giggle. "or this—" then, he started attacking her with kisses, and rue burst into little giggles. "why are you laughing? why are you laughing?" he asked her, acting as if she was laughing for no reason, before kissing her again.

hattie laughed, "okay, you two."

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peeta walked up the stairs of the mansion, ambling throughout the halls of presidential estate. he felt himself trembling as he looked into snow's office that was now hattie's, but just turned away and made himself keep walking. he noticed the comforting aura that overcame the office now, with pops of color and small decorations and stacks of fan mail laying around.

while he maundered down the passageway, he reached a dead end with a big vanity mirror with a decorative desk. in the mirror, peeta peered at himself, and combed his fingers through his hair once more before looking at his lips. 'pomegranate sunrise' was stained on and around his lips, faded from the kisses he had given rue, and he chuckled at himself, wiping some of the lipstick under his lips onto his thumb.

he glanced at the lipstick swipe on his hand, and rubbed it back onto his face. he loved the color. he didn't care if it looked good on him or if he looked ridiculous. all he knew was that it was hattie's favorite color and that people knew he was someone's when they looked at him.

and that someone was harriet fire.

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"the beauty of the capitol is undeniable."

hattie adjusted her outfit in her bedroom mirror, bursting into random small fits of giggles or suddenly starting to cold sweat.

today was sunday. her first date with peeta.

"rue, what do you think of mommy's outfit?" hattie spun around for the small girl on her bed, and she nodded, "pretty." she let out a heavy sigh, "okay, that's what i was going for." then, her door knocked. "he's already ready? no..." she rushed and swung open the door to see...

"cypress?" "i heard someone needs help for their first date !" hattie jumped onto her bed friend and let out a shaky breath, "thank god you're here. i've missed you." "i've missed you too. okay, what were we thinking?" he looked her outfit up and down, before running over to her closet. "i like the top, it's nice and blue, but i think you should do..." cypress pulled out dark blue pants that were dramatically wide legged. "really?" "have i ever disappointed you, honey bunches?" the late teenager looked at her through his glasses, and she rolled her eyes before snatching the article of clothing out of his hands.

"now isn't that better?" hattie gave him a look, even though she knew it wouldn't affect him. "yes..." "that's all needed to hear !" he grinned. "so, how are you and kat? where is she, by the way?" the girl asked, fixing her hair in the mirror. "she's helping peeta. we're doing really good. we're thinking about getting a chicken." hattie smiled at her best friend's excitement and shook her head. "i'm happy for you, babe." "thanks, apple of my eye. i'm happy for you too." she slapped him over her head as he just laughed. someone knocked on the door. "oh, that must be your honey bunches now !" cypress sung in a teasing matter.

"will you shut up? you're making me nervous !" she nervously chuckled to prove her point, and cypress ran to the door, turning the knob and opening it, pulling himself behind the door so hattie saw peeta in a breathtaking suit and katniss standing behind him. "hi." she breathed out. "hi." he smiled, adjusting his blazer collar. he wore a gray suit with a blue turtleneck under, the same shade as hattie's pants. cypress had set her up. "i'm so—" she stopped herself as she looked behind the blonde and smiled at katniss, "i've missed you !" katniss giggled and ran forward, hugging her best friend.

she threw hattie to the floor in excitement, and hattie cackled, hugging the woman back as they laid on the floor together, hugging one another tightly. "i've missed you !" katniss beamed, laying atop of hattie on the carpeted floor. "dude, i've missed you more !" she looked different. better. smaller bags under her eyes, healthier brown hair. "you just threw the president onto the floor." cypress pointed out. "shh !" the girls chorused, shaking their heads at the clueless boyfriend. "ruining the moment, man." haymitch commented, poking his head into the room with rue in his arms.

after a minute, the girls broke apart, and the boys walked to them to help them up. "come on, darlin'." cypress grunted, pulling his girlfriend up. peeta stood in front of hattie, crossing his arms and holding them out to her. "be careful, dude, she's heavy." cypress joked. "you, the 6 '5 man, is calling the 5' 0 girl, heavy?" hattie shot back, crossing her arms as well and grabbing onto the blonde's soft hands.

suddenly, peeta pulled hattie up with such strength, she threw her arms around his neck, and he secured his arms around her waist. "that's how it's done." peeta said. "woah." cypress let out, looking down to katniss. "he's a baker boy, honey, he spent his whole life throwing sacks of flour." katniss sighed, patting his shoulder. peeta gently placed hattie back onto the ground, and rue did a grabbing motion with her hands. "my turn ! my turn !"

before peeta could speak, haymitch bounced rue in his arms. "maybe he can later, sweetie pie. he's gotta go on a date with your mom !" he looked to hattie and quickly walked to her, kissing her cheek. "have fun. have my president home by 8." haymitch looked to peeta, and he immediately nodded, "you got it." "okay, get out of here, you two !" "okay, okay, we're leaving !" the girl laughed, not bothering to grab a jacket as she grasped onto peeta's hand and walk out.

once outside, hattie breathed in a breath of fresh air, "so, what do you wanna do?" "you're asking me, madam president? take me anywhere." peeta smiled. "i love you even more for saying that. come on !"

she pulled onto his hand as they entered the busy streets of the capitol.

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