Author's note: Written for Everlark Fic Exchange Springtime Edition 2017 form the prompt: Hi! I'd love to see the toast babies as bratty teenagers. Thanks :) [submitted by Anonymous]
Title comes from the Paramore song Still Into You.
Many thanks to my beta and bestie writingbutunpublished. Go read her stuff!
Happy reading!
Peeta heard a loud squeal from the top of the stairs. Lily came running down with powder all over her wet hair.
"I'm going to kill them both." She said angrily as she looked around for her brothers.
"What happened?" Peeta asked, lifting a hand up to brush the white from his daughter's shoulders. "Is this baby powder?"
"Yes." Lily was explosively angry. "Drew will be here in less than a half hour and those brats decided to put it in my blow dryer."
Peeta suppressed a laugh. "It'll be okay. Go use the blow dryer in mine and Mom's bathroom and it'll come out."
Rowan laughed from the living room. "Is it snowing, Lil?"
Reed held up his hand for a high-five.
"You're dead." Lily said through her teeth, launching herself toward her younger brothers.
Peeta grabbed her wrist. "Finish getting ready for your date. I'll handle these two."
"I hate you." Lily called over her shoulder as she stomped up the stairs.
Peeta crossed his arms. "Boys?"
"It was his idea." Reed pointed to his younger brother.
"Nuh-uh!" Rowan shook his head. "Reed said it would be funny. Reed made me do it."
Katniss stepped into the back door laughing with Gale. She paused when she saw the scene in front of her.
"What is it?" Katniss asked.
"Your sons decided to play a prank on their sister." Peeta explained.
"Today?" Katniss stared Reed and Rowan down. "Is this true?"
They started talking over each other, saying it was the other's idea. Gale made a mumbled excuse and backed out the door.
"Enough." Katniss held up her hand. "Just apologize to your sister. And don't prank her when she's getting ready for a date."
The boys looked between each other and then nodded and headed up the stairs.
Reed stepped into Lily's room. She wasn't there, but he knew that. No need to try to get her to stop blow drying her hair just for an apology.
Rowan followed and wandered over to the vanity. He picked up Lily's makeup bag. "Bet you'd look pretty with this lipstick." He snorted as he held up a tube.
Reed laughed and took it from Rowan. "No, it's more your color." He swiped a bit of the red lipstick under his younger brother's eyes.
Rowan laughed and did the same to Reed. They took out the eyeshadow next.
"What do you think you're doing?" Lily asked from the doorway.
"We came to apologize." Reed said, picking up one of Lily's makeup wipes and cleaning his face.
Rowan followed suit.
"Apology not accepted." Lily said. "You could have ruined my night."
"Do you ever think that might have been the point?" Rowan snorted.
Lily advanced. "Get your butts out of my room now."
"Or what?" Reed challenged.
"Or you'll be sorry." Lily said through clenched teeth.
"Oh, I'm so scared." Reed laughed.
"Look at me shaking in my boots." Rowan added.
"Dude, you're barefoot." Reed pointed out.
Rowan laughed. "You're right, I am."
Lily fumed. "Get out of my room." She picked up a shoe from the corner and threw it in their direction. "I said get out!"
Katniss leaned her forehead against Peeta's shoulder. "I wasn't ready a teenager. I definitely not ready for a dating one."
Peeta laughed and kissed the top of her head. "Well, at least we have a couple more years until the other two are teenagers. And thirteen for the new one."
"Oh, you're funny." She looked up. "I'm not sure I'm ready for sleepless nights because of a baby any more than I am because of a teenage daughter with a boyfriend."
He rubbed her arms. "You said okay when I suggested the new addition."
She grinned. "I think my exact words were somewhere along the lines of, 'Oh, god, yes!'"
He laughed and pulled her in for a deep kiss. "Repeatedly."
She laughed as she looked up the stairs. "I was going to be home earlier to help her get ready, but we got a pretty good sized deer. I helped Gale dress it, but he said he could get all the meat split up. He'll bring it to us tomorrow."
"Sounds good. But I'm so glad you're finally back. Lily has been running all over like a chicken with her head cut off. Reed and Rowan haven't helped."
"Get out of my room!" Lily screamed from upstairs.
"We just wanted to say we were sorry!" Reed replied in the same tone.
"Yeah, don't be ungrateful!" Rowan yelled.
Peeta sighed. "Maybe we should keep the news to ourselves until just before it's born."
Katniss laughed. "That won't be easy. I always start showing early."
He leaned his forehead against hers. "Either way, they won't be too happy when they find out about the new baby."
"Another one?" Lily asked. "Are you kidding me?"
Katniss and Peeta looked at each other in contrition and then to their children standing on the stairs in different levels of shock.
"You're really having another baby?" Reed asked.
Katniss nodded. "Yeah."
"This is the last thing I need." Lily stormed back up the stairs.
Rowan's eyes were big as he looked between his mother's face and her stomach. "I get to be the big brother now." He said softly.
"Yeah." Peeta said. "You okay with that?"
"I don't know." Rowan said. "That's a lot of responsibility." He wandered off to the living room.
Reed sighed. "You two are the worst." He followed his brother.
"I better change before the boy gets here." Katniss said, walking toward the stairs.
"No, leave the hunting gear on." Peeta took hold of her hips. "And it probably wouldn't hurt to be looking over your arrows when he comes in. Or sharpening your knife."
Katniss laughed and shook her head. "I'm not going to subtly threaten violence against our daughter's boyfriend. I think our girl has better sense than to need our help warning a boy. She knows our expectations."
Peeta sighed. "Okay, fair enough."
She pressed a kiss to his lips. "I'll go see if Lily needs some help." She sauntered up the stairs.
Peeta let out a soft groan. "Why are you so gorgeous?"
Katniss paused at the top of the stairs and looked over her shoulder. "You should recognize the glow by now." She winked and continued on.
Lily was shaking her hair out when Katniss walked in her room. Fine powder fell to the floor from her dark locks. She sat up and looked in the mirror. The powder was mostly gone now. Lily reached for her hairbrush.
"You want me to do it?" Katniss asked as she walked over.
Lily smiled and handed the brush over. "Thanks."
Katniss slowly ran the bristles through her daughter's hair. "Younger siblings can be a real pain in the neck, huh?"
"Yeah." Lily chewed her lip. "Why did you have go and get pregnant again?"
Katniss went to work on an intricate braid on Lily's hair before she answered. "Your father always wanted a house full of kids. I only wanted two to start out with." Katniss paused in talking to pick up a pin to slip into Lily's hair. "After you came along, I decided two wouldn't do it. I just loved you so much I could burst." She finished the braid and then sat down beside her daughter. "Of course, then the pain medicine wore off and I changed my mind for a while. That's why there's a gap between each of you." She gave her daughter a teasing grin.
"Does it hurt a lot to have a baby?" Lily asked with wide eyes.
With a laugh, Katniss wrapped an arm around her daughter's shoulders. "It's extremely painful. And I wouldn't have made it with all three of you if your dad hadn't been around to help out. So remember that and make your boyfriend wear a condom."
Lily blushed deeply. "Whatever."
Katniss kissed her temple. "Your dad and I decided we wanted another baby. No real thought behind it except we wanted another. Just know that we love you all so very much. And we never will stop."
"If it's a boy, I'm going to move in with Haymitch and Effie until I graduate." Lily said with a smirk to rival her mother's. The smile revealed a dimple in her cheek just like her father's.
Katniss laughed and gave Lily's shoulders a squeeze. "Good. One less mouth to feed here."
Lily laughed. "Maybe I'll come home for dinner. They can't cook to save their lives. I don't know how they survive."
"A lot of takeout." The doorbell rang and they both looked out to the hall. "Well, there he is."
Lily gave her mother a nervous look. "Am I going to screw this up, Mom?"
Katniss shook her head. "You'll do fine. You hang out at school. You've gone on group outings. Just behave like you normally do and everything will work out." She gave Lily another kiss and helped her to her feet. "Have fun. And call if you need us to come get you."
"Okay, Mama." There was a tremble in her voice.
"Make sure you kiss her goodnight." They heard Reed say as they made it down the stairs.
"But be careful, I don't think she brushed her teeth for a week." Rowan said.
"Boys." Peeta warned.
Drew looked up as Lily stepped into the room. "Hi, Lily."
With a blush, Lily said, "Hi, Drew."
"Why are you all red?" Rowan asked with a giggle.
"Embarrassed about her face, I bet." Reed said with a snicker.
Peeta placed a hand on each of their shoulders and pressed his thumbs in to add pressure. "Tell your sister to have a good time and then go to your rooms."
"Have a good time." Rowan said quickly.
Peeta dropped his hand from Rowan's shoulder, but Reed refused to say anything.
Lily gave her father a quick kiss on the cheek and then pulled Drew out the house.
"We expect you back by ten." Katniss called.
"Okay, Mama!" Lily said as she shut the door.
Peeta leaned down and looked into his older son's face. "Your sister is nervous enough about this date as it is. You didn't need to act like that. And when she gets home tonight, you're going to apologize. Understand?"
Reed swallowed and looked over to where Katniss stood with arms crossed, eyes giving him a pointed look that said he needed to agree to his father's terms.
"Yes, Dad." Reed said softly.
"Go to your room until I have dinner ready." Peeta straightened.
The boys stalked out of the room.
Katniss walked over and wrapped her arms around Peeta. "Do you remember our first official date?"
"I'll never forget it." Peeta said with a chuckle. "I threw up half a dozen times between the bakery and here."
"And three more times on the date."
"That you knew about." He put his finger under her chin to lift her face. "But you were so patient with me." He smiled, bringing out that dimple. "I wish it had just been nerves instead of food poisoning."
She pressed her lips to his. "You were still so cute, opening doors for me and pulling out my chair."
Peeta looked toward the window. "He seems like a good kid, but I'm still nervous."
Katniss gently scratched his back. "I am too."
"She'll be okay." Rowan said from the top of the stairs.
"Yeah, if he tries something, she'll give him that left hook Haymitch taught her." Reed said with a laugh. "And if that doesn't work, he taught it to us too. We'll kick his butt."
Katniss laughed. "I guess Haymitch is good for something." She looked to Peeta. "Did you start cooking yet?"
Peeta shook his head.
"Then let's order pizza and watch the clock." Katniss pulled her phone out of her pocket and headed for the living room.