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𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘺 : 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘴
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though the capitol was still partly unfinished, hattie still led peeta through the filled streets and told him stories of her and cypress growing up in the city while holding onto his arm. ice cream incidents, plenty games of tag, and even the anecdote of how hattie broke her arm for the first time came up.

soon, hattie brought peeta into a familiar diner that now had a huge neon light over the door that read : 'BUSTERS'. "is that harriet fire?" the moment they set foot into the diner, hattie recognized a friendly face that went by the name of buster. "hi, buster." the owner ran to her, giving her a comforting hug before backing away and realizing who she was holding onto. "peeta mellark, it is a pleasure to finally meet you !" peeta sent a glance at hattie, and she nodded her head, signalling peeta to shake the man's hand. "great to meet you, too." "table for two?" "that would be great."

buster walked them to a cushy booth in the corner of the diner with a window view of the people walking up and down the sidewalks. "enjoy, you two." they both quickly thanked the man,  before getting comfortable in their seats across from one another. "i remember this place." peeta nodded as hattie picked up a menu. "yeah? me too. back in its glory." "how's construction going in the rest of the districts?" "we're close to being done with about half of them ! some of them are taking longer than others, though. oh, an ice cream crepe cake? i would like to see that." peeta lightly shook his head with a smile at the girl as she got distracted by the menu, and opened his own.

"what is a... 'strapatsada'?" hattie looked up at the boy's question, and put down her menu. "it's like a... a plate of eggs with diced tomatoes and crumbled feta on top, but here, they add veal fat. i hate it, but everyone here loves it." peeta leaned in close, "...how is no one here obese?" at that, hattie burst out into a fit of laughter. he soon joined her. "we walk everywhere !" was her answer. as she calmed back down, she picked up her menu and sighed, "i've missed our talks." "i've missed it too." he said, reaching out and taking hattie's hand.

they stared at each other with love in their eyes, and as they continued to talk and eat, they forgot about the rest of the world around them.

« « « » » »

"hello everyone ! i have incredible news ! just as we turn the corner into summer, we have finally finished reconstruction ! though it would usually take years to reconstruct the amount that we've destroyed, everyone has helped such a tremendous amount, and i would just like to specially thank commander paylor for being my second command in this project. on the contrary—" "mommy !" "sorry, i couldn't hold her back any longer."

peeta's back and rue joined into the frame with hattie as peeta walked in with rue in his arms. hattie laughed, "you just love interrupting my broadcast announcements, don't you, rue?" the camera caught the baby blonde nodding. hattie sighed and carried rue into her lap, and peeta swung his face to fill the screen, waving. "hey, everyone." "peeta !" the girls laughed at the man's silly actions. "daddy ! get out of the camera !" rue giggled. "oh, sorry, sweetheart. don't want to ruin your screen time." peeta took his head away from the camera, but kissed hattie once more on the head. you could see the childish and colorful doodles all along his toned arm. "i'm baking maritozzi downstairs if you want any." "ooh ! that sounds great. thanks, honey." finally, hattie looked back to the camera.

"sorry, crazy family. but, on the contrary, as i was saying, on july 4th this year, instead of the hunger games, we will be having a week-long festival to celebrate the people who have died in the hunger games and the riddance of the games. isn't that right, rue?" "yay, i love festivals !" is all the girl would say, distracted by her mother's long hair. hattie laughed, "there you have it. thank you all for everything, for your patience and cooperation."

"oh, and if 'mitch sees this, dad, come home. you can't just spend all day at effie's and not call me." "come home, papa !"

« « « » » »

peeta and hattie sat quietly as the train around them inaudibly sounded.

hattie felt peeta's foot quickly tap besides hers that stayed calm and grounded on the train floor. his bionic leg sat there silently. she peered at her partner from the opposite sides of the seats, looking out the window anxiously and watching the scenery that flew by. she didn't protest to it, just drew small doodles with her fingertips on his knees as a way to assure him. they didn't need to talk. they just needed each other for comfort.

soon, the train slowed to a stop and hattie let out a sigh, slapping her thighs before standing up. "ready to see home?"

the girl let her boyfriend walk out first, and after he stepped out, she joined him. they stood right outside the train door for a moment, before they took hold of each other's hands and walked towards the district that was once destroyed.

peeta stopped in his tracks when he saw his district. his hometown. his village. it wasn't just piles of rubble anymore, nor was it a gloomy and poor looking town. farmers markets took place right in front of their eyes, the people of district 11 visiting the town and selling their goods. each of their tents had temporary roofs of brightly colored rugs, and the customers held big baskets or tote bags to keep their items in. chatter and music filled their ears for days, and the farmers market filled the whole town with the sun shining brightly down on them. everyone was there, the 915 of them that escaped were there now, with children and friends, shopping for goods while small children ran around, playing various games. peeta had never seen anything like it.

"pretty cool, huh?" hattie smiled, shifting her weight from her heels to the tips of her toes, waiting for peeta to start walking towards the crowds. but, he didn't. he just stood there, awestruck, that this used to be his own home. there were buildings now, not as sleek as the capitol, but comforting just to look at. the grass was green, flowers blossomed, and the stones that barricaded the grass and path all looked so nostalgic, even if peeta had never seen his home that way.

"you... you did this?" he mumbled, still admiring every nook that he could see from where he was standing. "well, not just me. everyone helped, of course, i just asked what they wanted for their home, and designed a blueprint. it wasn't as much as what these—" peeta cut her off as she kissed her. "thank you." she smiled at him and tilted her head, "anything for you. come on !"

she pulled him into the bustling of the people, starting to admire the different stands. "oh ! honey, look, there's honey !" "very funny." the blonde smiled stupidly. as they walked past, hattie would sometimes wave at the people manning the stands. she remembered them from her time with rue when she was younger. they had matured and grown, as had she.

the two kept walking, arms linked and shoulders touching, turning corners and talking to the stand owners. as they finished talking to a woman who sold spicy fruits, peeta slowed down when he realized they were walking closer to his family's bakery. hattie curiously continued to push the two closer, until they caught sight of it. peeta's jaw parted.

up ahead, where mellark's bakery used to be, was now a huge block of stone, between all the other shops and businesses. on it, in big lettering, it read : 'MELLARK's BAKERY » DISTRICT 12 — 2192-2223' a tribute to the bakery. to the family that had died in their own shop.

peeta dropped to his knees, putting his head into his hands as he started to cry. hattie kneeled down beside him quickly, rubbing him for comfort. it was emotional. it had to be. he had never officially gotten to say goodbye to his family nor his bakery, nor did he get to see his district in bottom shape. all he saw was videos. a victim of neglect, a victim of child abuse. yet, there he stood. he stood tall and proud. he treated rue as if his own child, even if she was neither of theirs. and hattie was so proud of him for that. she told him every day how proud and thankful she was for him and his gentle soul.

"nobody wanted to replace the shop... i thought it would be best if we—" he hugged her. he made sure she didn't fall onto the ground from the impact of the sudden embrace, but he held her tight. "i love you." he said, voice certain as hattie felt some teardrops hit her bare shoulder. she didn't care. "i love you more." and they didn't need to say anything else.

eventually, hattie stood up and crossed her arms, offering them to peeta. his lips tipped up into a smile as he crossed his own arms and took her hands, pulling himself up quickly. hattie wiped the rest of his tears, and peeta wiped hers, which she hadn't even realized she was shedding. it was an unknown habit.

the moment they were about to walk back to civilization, the couple heard voices. "hattie? peeta?" they turned and saw katniss and cypress standing in the opposite direction on the street, holding baskets. katniss held a dead bird.

hattie guessed she hadn't bought it.

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hattie woke up in a cold sweat, sitting up as soon as her eyes flinched open. it's always what she did. sitting upright to let herself know she was alive, that it was all a dream.

but, this time, she felt someone gently put their hand onto her shoulder and pull her back to lay down, wrapping their arms around her body. peeta. of course. who else would be sleeping in her bed? "it was a dream." he whispered, patiently holding her tightly as her breath slowly came back to normal. it was heavy and fast, but as she was held in her boyfriend's arms, it leisurely fell back to its regular rhythm.

she stopped herself from apologizing a million times over, remembering the dying promise she made with her father. "did you just wake up?" she mumbled, turning her body so her head could lay on his chest. "no." he answered. hattie knew what had happened just as he responded. he had a nightmare. "why don't you wake me up when you have a nightmare?" she asked, genuinely curious. the 17 year old sighed, collecting his thoughts properly.

"most of them are about me losing you or katniss. it's alright once i wake up and see you're still here, though. i know katniss is alive because of that ridiculous photo you have of the both of you." hattie turned to where peeta had pointed, and saw the framed photo of her and katniss posing as they laid on hospital beds. after the bombs on the capitol. right. trauma bonding was a ethereal experience. she turned back to him and smiled, reaching up to kiss his cheek. "you are so sweet." he slightly smiled and kissed her forehead, "you first." she chuckled at him with wide eyes, "oh, real mature."

hattie laid back onto peeta's chest, and felt his body rise and fall as the oxygen filled his body. she recalled the time peeta had told her that since he had gotten struck by the quarter quell force field, his body had always been abnormally hot. he was right. she didn't mind. he rubbed her back, and she mindlessly drew various things on his stomach. their hearts started to synchronize, to beat as if one.

"you love me. real or—?" he asked, and without letting him finish, she answered, "real. very much real." and though she couldn't see him, she knew he was smiling like she had just drew one on his lips.

"have i ever told you about the bakery?" as peeta asked the question, he noticed he had never told her anything about the shop. she just knew the name, and that was it. and yet, she still made a tribute to the store. "no, i don't think so." at the response, he thoughtfully let out a sigh, thinking up the tales he had remembered from back when he was a small child. "wanna know a story?" "sure." peeta looked down at the girl who looked back at him with intention in her eyes.

a small smile grew on the boy's face as the mental images of him as a young child passed before his eyes. "well, i started working there when i was 4, and in my second week helping out, my dad stupidly left me to handle making the bread dough..."

as the blonde proceeded to talk about his childhood memories of the family-owned bakery in a low voice, hattie felt herself become sleepy and start to drift off.

she let herself go into a peaceful slumber, knowing she was safe in the arms of the boy she called home.

« « « » » »

the sunrise was beautiful that morning. the golden yellow and orange haloed the sun, and a deep pink followed soon after. there wasn't a cloud in sight, and from the fire girl's home, she got a clear view.

hattie sat on the lush grass in the early morning, silently watching the sun come above the horizon as she picked at the grass and made half a dozen daisy crowns. the hunger games festival was tomorrow. which meant her birthday was today.

at 17, she never thought she would've been the president. hell, she didn't even think she was going to be here. she never thought she was going to have a child at this age, nor a significant other. just her best friend. she barely saw her best friend anymore. could she blame him? technically, she could, but she wouldn't. with katniss, time could fly by and you never knew. but she just wished she could see him more.

as the sun came about halfway above the horizon, hattie dragged a piece of grass through the rest of the green lawn in front of her. 17. she was 17. almost out of her teens. she felt adulthood start to creep on her in the disguise of freedom. patiently waiting until she turned 20. but when she really thought about it, hadn't it already jumped out at her?

someone sat beside her. she could feel it. the slight sound of the grass moving around and the quiet creaking noise the backdoor made whenever it opened. she knew the house's habits.

"happy birthday, sweetheart." the tired voice of haymitch came from beside hattie. of course it was her dad. "since when do you wake up this early, hangover?" she retorted. "since i became sober. it's painful, but once you see the benefits, you can actually be a productive member of society." "who knew?" she smiled. he held out a wrapped box in front of her. it looked so neat. he couldn't have done this. "from effie. this one... is from me." he held out another present, and it made more sense. a bunch of wrinkled wrapping paper, messily taped together with a gold bow on top that he must've stolen from his girlfriend.

"thanks, dad." she muttered, taking the two presents into her lap. effie's first. as she unwrapped the gift, she soon realized it was a DVD. in red pen, there was writing on the disk. "...'2 hours of peeta and hattie'?" she looked at her dad for further explanation, and the man just shrugged. "that woman has her ways. okay, okay, my turn." she did as he said, and grabbed his present, tearing the wrapping paper away to find... "you seriously did not get me your drinking glass." she deadpanned, recognizing the cup as the one haymitch would always drink from when he was an alcoholic.

"look inside." he urged. hattie hesitated, before glancing into the bottom of the glass. 'look back'. she turned back to him and saw he held a cupcake. "happy birthday to you," he started to sing. hattie giggled. "happy birthday do you, happy birthday to hattie... happy birthday to you." a sparkler was lit on top of the candle, the numbers being built from the sparks turning from 16 to 17. quickly, hattie blew out the sparkler. wished to see her best friends. all of them.

"alright, atta girl. take it." she took the cupcake and took a bite. vanilla and strawberry. "thanks, dad." she smiled. haymitch smiled back, kissing her forehead before standing up. "i'll see you in a while, sweetheart."

and for the next hour, hattie spent her time alone, eating her miniature cake and watching the sun rise. in her 17 years around the sun, she had done so much, so much later in her life. fought in a rebellion. killed her father. got adopted. adopted a kid. watched her sister die. found out her mother died. and all of that happened in the past year.

"okay," she finally mumbled to herself, standing up and grabbing the paper cupcake wrapper she left on the grass. the sun was now up and rising up to the middle of the sky, letting the rest of the sky start to turn blue. hattie watched her feet walk through the grass in her orange converse high tops, walking up the few steps before opening the door in the early morning.

"surprise !" she looked up to see a kitchen full of people at 6 in the morning. all of them were familiar. finnick, katniss, annie, haymitch, cypress, effie, beetee, and peeta. of course it was peeta. "what... what are you guys doing here?" she asked in surprise. "we're here for you, of course ! it's your birthday !" finnick grinned, walking over to the girl. "you guys remembered?" hattie smiled, hugging the blonde man. "of course we remembered, harriet." beetee nodded from his wheelchair.

peeta pulled out a tray full of hot cinnamon rolls. "breakfast !" he grinned. "where are the kids?" hattie asked. "oh, they're upstairs, asleep. but don't worry about them, we're here for you !" annie beamed. peeta walked up to hattie as she let go of finnick, taking her hands. "surprise."

she grinned even wider, throwing her arms over his shoulders.

a / n :
SORRY ITS BEEN A MINUTE ! I LOVE YOU ALL. MWAH MWAH !
xoxo,
melanie 💋