Author's note: I'm back with a new story for y'all! I had this single dad!Peeta thought and I couldn't shake it. Don't know how long this will be, but prepare yourself for a slow burn! The title comes from the Christina Perri song Arms which fits very well with this story.

Many thanks to my beta aihodineverlark for jumping in to help out with this story!

Thanks a ton to my bestie for always reading my stuff!

Trigger warnings (more for the rest of the fic than this first chapter): Teen parents, drug addiction, absent mother


See Right Through My Walls

Everlark Fanfic

Chapter One

Mornings were usually hectic for Peeta and Riley. On baker's hours, Peeta usually woke at dawn and started baking cakes. His son, on the other hand, did not. Six-year-old Riley was not a morning person. Between trying to time the cakes and get his son to school on time, sometimes they barely made it. And more than once Peeta miscalculated the time and ended up with dried-out or burnt cakes.

"Come on, Riles." Peeta shook the boy's shoulder. "First grade, first day." He shook Riley's shoulder again. "Come on, bud, we gotta get up. You can't be late today."

Riley stretched his limbs out in every direction and let out an angry groan. "Do I have to, Dad? Why can't you homeschool me?"
"Because I can't, Riley." Peeta pointed to the pile of clothes at the end of the bed. "Get dressed, brush your hair and teeth. I made waffles and if you want to eat them with syrup, you better get a move on. Otherwise it's peanut butter in the back seat."

Riley huffed, "Fine." He threw himself out of the bed and grabbed his clothes.

Peeta put a waffle on a plate for Riley and two on another for himself. He added the bacon, cooked perfectly crispy, as his son shuffled into the room dragging his backpack filled with all the necessary school supplies.

"Are you excited?" Peeta asked as he watched Riley pour too much syrup on his waffle.

Riley shrugged and shoved a syrupy bite into his mouth. "None of my friends are in my class."

"You'll see them at recess." Peeta checked his phone and took a bite before standing to remove cake pans from the oven to cool.

The kitchen was massive with two industrial-sized ovens. The home stove was practically dwarfed by those units. The open front room of the house that would normally be used for a formal living room was set up with refrigerators, tables, and all the tools Peeta needed for his cake decorating business. The rest of the house was their home.

"What kind of cake are you making today?" Riley asked around a full mouth.

Peeta smiled as he sat back down. "A big white wedding cake."

Riley ate the rest of his breakfast in silence. He chugged his milk and then wiped the back of his hand across his mouth. "You ever going to make one for yourself?"

Peeta snorted and shook his head. "I don't know, kid. Maybe one of these days." He ruffled his son's hair. "Got you to worry about. And making cakes. I don't need a wife on top of it."

"Well, you could at least have a girlfriend." Riley gave him a hard look. "You're still young, Dad."

Peeta shook his head as he picked up their plates. "Shoes and bathroom. We're out the door in three minutes."

It took them ten. Peeta had somehow forgotten to turn on the drier last night, so there were no socks. He tore his own drawers apart to find some socks of his that would work well enough for his son's small feet. And then Riley couldn't find one of his shoes when the sock problem was finally solved.

They managed to pull into the parking lot as the principal motioned for the last of the staff to head inside. Peeta let Riley out and waited until he was through the door before he drove back home.

When he got there, Annie was waiting on his porch holding two cups from the café. Peeta knew one would have tea with no sugar for him and the other would be a vanilla latte with an extra shot of espresso for her. He parked around the side and made his way up to unlock the door.

"Pearl is off to her first day of kindergarten!" Annie announced as she followed Peeta inside the house. "And I am completely free of kids until three."

"A massive accomplishment." Peeta took the offered cup and walked over to check the side of the pans he'd removed from the oven earlier. They'd still need a few minutes. "Riley didn't put up too much of a fight today."

"Good." Annie sat at the kitchen table. "So I have another motive for coming over this morning. Other than celebrating my baby's first day."

"What?" Peeta sat down across from her. He didn't like the tone she had.

"Well, this girl Finnick works with came over to eat supper the other night and we got to talking… Peeta, she is so right for you. Like your perfect complementary piece."

Peeta shook his head. This wasn't the first time Annie and Finnick had tried to play matchmaker. Every one of them failed as soon as they found out he had a kid. Especially one that was born while he was still in high school. Either that or they were extremely pushy about meeting Riley.

Annie put a hand on top of Peeta's. "It's been over a year since you had a date, Peeta."

"And that girl said she didn't want to be part of some instant family." He pulled his hand away. "I'm twenty-three, Annie. With a six-year-old. And his druggie mom is in and out of our lives. It's a whole job in itself to keep a woman interested when she knows all that."

"Try?" She begged. "For Riley? She's assistant volleyball coach in the high school. And she was really great with our brood."

Peeta sighed and finished off his tea. "Have you set this up with her?"

"No, I wanted to ask you first. What if we do some sort of gathering at our house? We'll invite other people to soften the blow a bit. You can bring Riley."

"I don't like Riley meeting girls I date before it's serious."

"Then maybe Mom and Conrad can watch him," Annie suggested.

Peeta got up and started preparing for his latest project. "She sent me a text the other day." He started mixing frosting. He didn't have to explain the "she" he was talking about. "Asked when school started. Said she wanted to see Riley."

"Did you answer?" Her voice was soft.

"I just asked her to lose my number. And then I blocked her."

Annie sighed. "She'll show up before too long anyway."

"Yeah." Peeta worked as Annie watched. It really had been quite a while since he dated. Riley's comments earlier had really got him thinking. Maybe Riley needed a mother. One that didn't come around only when it was convenient for her. Peeta sighed, "Set up the date and I'll try to get Dad and Cara to watch all the kids. Deal?"

"Deal." Annie smiled. "I don't think it will take too much convincing, though, do you?"

"All four grandkids at once? Your mom will be in heaven!" He laughed and started mixing up some buttercream.


Katniss chose archery and a beer for her unwinding after the first official day of school. Volleyball practice had started a few weeks before, so she knew those girls pretty well. Teaching PE was a challenge. She was just so ready to be past the trial stage and be seen as a real teacher. She hated being new anywhere.

Gale's soft greeting met her ears just before she let her latest arrow fly toward the target across the yard. Katniss smiled and pointed her thumb toward the house.

"Beer if you want it." She gathered her arrows from the target as he went toward the fridge just inside her back door.

"How was your day?" Gale asked when he was back outside.

Katniss sat down. "Not too bad. Kids ask a lot of questions."

Gale snorted. "No way." His voice dripped with sarcasm.

She laughed and imitated some of them. "'Hey, Coach, are you married? You got a boyfriend? A girlfriend? Got any kids? Well, why not?'" She rolled her eyes and took another drink. "So nosey."

"You should tell them how you broke my heart." He chuckled behind the mouth of his bottle.

"You broke your own heart." Katniss sat down her empty bottle and picked up her bow for another round. "I never showed interest in you or anyone else."

She shot three arrows in quick succession. Two landed in the center of the target, the third was just to the left.

"Damn, even tipsy you're perfect," Gale said in awe.

"Muscle memory." She grinned and shot her remaining arrows. After she retrieved them, she offered the bow to Gale. "Want to take a chance?"

"Not tonight." He finished his beer and stood. "Madge was just about done with supper when I stepped out. She told me to invite you."

"Save me from eating ramen noodles." She sat her stuff inside the back door and locked it up.

Gale and Madge had told Katniss about the house for sale next door when she accepted the coaching job with the District Twelve School System. She'd reconnected with Gale in her final years of college thanks to Facebook. She applied to the school hoping to get to know his wife more and rekindle her only high school friendship.

Madge welcomed Katniss with a kind smile. "I made meatloaf!" She said in greeting.

"Great!" Katniss wasn't a huge fan. But free food was still food.

"So are you looking forward to being a teacher?" Madge asked from the stove.

"The first day was good, so I think so." Katniss helped pile the table with bowls of salad, mashed potatoes, gravy, corn on the cob, and rolls.

Madge brought over the meatloaf as Gale filled all their glasses with water. "Dig in."

"It all looks so good." Katniss said as she filled her plate. "Gale is a lucky man."

"Oh, I'm the lucky one. Married a guy with a cushy enough job I can stay home." Madge grinned. "Did he tell you our news?"

Katniss looked between her friend and his wife. She was beaming with pride and he looked vaguely ill.

"We're pregnant!" Madge giggled. "Fourteen weeks."

"Wow, cool." Katniss smiled at Gale, still looking green around the gills as he chewed. "I think you'll do great."

Gale nodded.

"Anything else new with you?" Madge prodded.

"Just getting to know the other staff. And the kids," Katniss said.

"Any of the teachers single?" Madge asked.

Madge was always trying to find a way to fix her up, but Katniss always politely declined. Katniss had too many other things going on, more important things, to even consider dating most of the time. And it really never had much appeal to her anyway.

"Not as far as I know." Katniss took a bite of her meatloaf encased in mashed potatoes. Madge's were the best she'd ever eaten. And definitely masked the blandness of the meat.

Madge chattered on most of the meal, talking about getting a room ready for the baby mostly. Katniss was glad she didn't press the questions about single teachers. Annie Odair had asked her along with a group of friends the next weekend. And Annie made sure to let Katniss know one of those friends was a single dad she thought would be a perfect match for Katniss.

Back at her house, Katniss changed into her pajamas and settled into bed to watch TV until she fell asleep.

Prim sent her a text just as she was starting to doze off. Can I come to your house and do laundry this weekend?

Katniss smiled to herself. Of course.

Another reason she'd applied to this school was so that Prim could still visit. Prim had chosen to go to the same college as Katniss, Panem University, an hour away from District Twelve and three hours from their tiny hometown of Seam.

Thanks a bunch. How was the first day?

Not bad. She wasn't much for words and Prim knew it. They talked better in person, but not by much.

So I stalked your new Facebook friends. Too bad the swim coach isn't single. Prim sent a winky face.

Katniss rolled her eyes. I only got that thing to keep up with you. Stop creeping.

Is the lead volleyball coach single? She's cute.

Why was everyone so obsessed with this? I. Do. Not. Need. A. Boyfriend. Or a girlfriend. I don't have any desire to have anyone. She hit the send and then added. The swim coach's wife is trying to set me up, though.

Prim's reply came just as she sent her second text. You know I'm only joking. I know how you are. A moment later she wrote, It wouldn't hurt to at least make friends. So meet whoever it is the swim coach's wife wants you to meet. She sent a kiss emoji. Love you bunches! See you Saturday!

Katniss put her phone away and let out a long breath. Prim was right. Friends were good. She'd never had many of those.