Katniss felt Haymitch's strong arm around her shoulder, guiding her into her house in the Victor's Village. Her cold, lonely house with no one else there. The war is over, Prim is dead, her mother is in four, Gale is in two, and Peeta is in the Capitol. She stumbles blindly up the steps, thinking it ironic how Haymitch is the only person here with her now. The last person she would have ever pictured.
But here he is, depositing her in a chair in front of the fireplace, setting his bag aside as he kneels and slowly starts a fire. It's barely a minute later when she feels the warmth start to touch her skin, but she still feels cold. She tucks her feet under her, and her knees under her chin, wrapping her arms around her knees as she watches the fire. In the background, she hears Haymitch shuffling around the kitchen, but is too apathetic to go investigate what he might be doing. A few minutes later, she hears the clink of liquor bottles and glasses, and rolls her eyes to herself. Of course he would be drinking. But this time, she can't blame him. Because she would like to drink right now too.
Just as this thought crosses her mind, Haymitch kneels in front of her, holding out a plate with a sandwich, and a glass of amber liquid. She smiles through the tears she didn't realize she was crying, and reached for the plate and the glass, but he only hands her the plate. And she doesn't need to ask. He is taking care of her, making sure she's eaten before she drinks. He, of all people, knows what alcohol can do on an empty stomach.
She is about to take a bite when she sees Haymitch lift another glass to his lips, and reaches over and plucks it from his hand. When he looks up at her, she has his drink in one hand, and half of the sandwich in the other. He takes the sandwich half from her, understanding what she means. And when they finish eating, they each take a glass and knock back the drinks, the liquid burning her throat on the way down, and Haymitch pounds her back as she splutters and coughs.
When she's done choking, Haymitch takes both glasses, she assumes to get more. But he returns without them and scoops her up in his arms like she weighs ten pounds, and carries her to her room, and she doesn't ask how he knows, or if it was just a guess. It's when Haymitch is looking down at her warily when she realizes that maybe, just maybe, she isn't entirely alone in the world, and finds a single word, the first that night.
"Stay?"
And Haymitch nods, kicking off his boots before going downstairs, and she hears him come back up a minute later, entering the bathroom. When she hears the door snap shut, she numbly finds a sleeveless nightgown in a drawer, and pulls it on. She hears the water running, and Haymitch returns from the bathroom dressed in only a pair of sweatpants, and even as cold and numb as she feels, she can't help but admire his physique. He has scars across his body, but his arms and torso are obviously strong and muscular, despite years of drowning himself in a bottle.
His amused voice lifts her from her thoughts. "Like what you see sweetheart?" She knows he's joking, but when she answers, she isn't.
"Yeah I do. You look good, Haymitch." She isn't quite sure what made her so bold, but suspects it's the apathy. He snorts, but crosses the room and lowers himself on the bed, laying on his back awkwardly. She knows that he knows this isn't what she meant when she asked him to stay, to have him clear on the opposite side of the bed, but he waits for her invitation, which she gives only with her eyes.
He understands all the same, though, and scoots over to her, laying an arm out, and she curls up close to him, resting her head on his shoulder. And when his arm wraps around her, she doesn't feel quite as cold, or as lonely.
The nightmares are still there, and maybe they always will be, but waking is always easier when it happens it Haymitch's arms, because she knows he understands, and he has his own fair share too. And it isn't like Peeta's nightmares, which she remembers were only of losing her. Haymitch has nightmares like hers, where he kills or watches friends get killed. He wakes in the night yelling for Maysilee to run, and she holds onto him tightly while his heart rate slows. And when she wakes screaming the same things to Rue, he does the same for her. And after a couple of months, the nightmares begin to become less frequent, for them both.
The apathy hung around for the first couple of weeks, and she would do almost nothing, and he would let her. They would talk occasionally, but there was never a need to. Greasy Sae came to cook and clean for them, and Haymitch would make sure she ate everything she was given. And Haymitch doesn't stop drinking entirely, but he slows himself down, so that now he is only having a couple drinks at night, and sometimes she will have one too.
Finally, one day a couple of months after they had returned to Twelve, Haymitch wakes her with the sun.
"Wake up, sweetheart." She groans at him, rolling over, but he doesn't relent. "Come on Katniss. I've got a surprise for you, but you have to get out of the house to claim it." At the mention of leaving the house she stills, and as usual, Haymitch interprets it correctly. "You can't stay inside forever sweetheart. When was the last time you were in the sun?
She thinks for a minute, before rolling over in defeat. "I'm actually not sure."
He chuckles at her. "I thought so. Now come on, get ready. And none of those Capitol clothes either. Your old stuff."
She wrinkles her brow at this, but nods, and he gets up and leaves the room. She watches him leave, she still appreciates his body. She gets in the shower and scrubs herself down, realizing as she washes her hair that it had, once again, been days since she had bothered to bathe, and wasn't quite sure how Haymitch could tolerate it. Then she remembered how he used to be, and figures that he's simply immune.
It isn't until she walks back into their room that she notices just how early it is. The sky is only just turning gray in the east. Now truly curious, for she would love to see what had Haymitch up at this hour, she made her way downstairs to hear Haymitch speaking in the kitchen, and hearing the sound of silverware clinking. When she entered the kitchen, she knew a moment of shock, before she was rushing forward.
"Gale?" She asked as she launched herself into his arms.
His chest rumbled as he chuckled. "Hey there Catnip. Good to see you again."
She pulled back from him, sitting at the table where Haymitch placed breakfast in front of her. "It's good to see you too. What brings-wait... Haymitch, did you..?" She inquires, suddenly realizing that they must have arranged this.
He smiles at her, and she notices something in his eyes, but she can't put her finger on what it may be, so she ignores it. "Yeah, he called and asked if he could come for a visit. I said it might do you some good to get into the woods and hunt."
"Oh Haymitch. Thank you," she said, rising and crossing the room to where he stood, wrapping him in a grateful hug. She notices a strange look on Gale's face, but it doesn't look like jealousy. He looks... happy. And she smiles hopefully as she lets go of Haymitch, thinking that maybe they can be friends again like old times, without the awkwardness of unrequited love.
She finishes the meal that Haymitch had set out, and walks out into the brisk early morning with Gale, the sun just peeking over the horizon. They fall back into their old pattern as they walk, and Katniss feels the apathy and numbness thawing slowly as they walk to the fence, as though the breeze is blowing it from her. When they cross where the fence used to be - it had been removed - she pauses and takes a deep breath, feeling alive for the first time in months, and feels a grin spread across her face. And when she slings her arrows across her back and clutches her bow in her hand, she feels almost normal again. And she realizes she will survive.
Gale is watching her, and she knows he can tell she's coming back to life, and they move to hug each other at the same time. "Thank you Gale. This is just what I need."
He smiled at her as they began walking. "I know. I can't imagine what it must be like, coming back here." She nods silently, knowing he has more to say. "I called about a week ago. Just wanted to talk, try to clear the air a little. I wasn't expecting Haymitch to answer your phone though." She grins at this, knowing how bewildered he must be.
"Haymitch understands, more than Peeta ever did." Gale looks confused at this, and she elaborates. "Peeta only ever took life intentionally that I know of, in the first Games when he was with the Careers. His nightmares weren't about the things that happened in the arena. He told me that he didn't dream about the Games themselves that often, just losing me. But I... I see faces. It used to be every night, but it's not as often now. I see Rue and Prim. And I see all of those other tributes I killed. And Haymitch sees the tributes from his own Games."
She fell silent, and they stopped speaking for a while, Gale bringing down a couple rabbits and Katniss, surprisingly, bringing down a deer that wandered by. Gale finally spoke as they were setting snares.
"He said he was worried about you when I called. Said you were almost catatonic, and he wasn't sure what to do. I said maybe some familiarity would help, something from before the games, and he asked if I would come back, take you out hunting."
They fell to silence once more, but Katniss knew there were things she had to say. She took a breath before starting. "It wasn't your fault, Gale. It was Coin that sent Prim to the Capitol. Not you." And Gale reached for her, and they held each other.
"Thank you, Katniss. Thank you." He pulled back. "And you should know that I've sorted out my feelings. You don't have to worry about hurting me anymore, Katniss. I hope we can still be friends."
She smiled at him, glad to have her friend back. "I'd like that."
They talked more as they made their way back to the Victor's Village. Gale said that he had finished his work in District Two, and was moving back with his family. Katniss told him to tell Hazelle that the house next door to hers was open, and he said he would. It would be a good place for them, a large house to raise their family.
Haymitch was waiting for them when they came back, and the first thing Katniss did when he came out the door was pull him into a hug. She felt alive again, and the grief was no longer consuming her. There would always be a hole in her heart, where all those she loved were missing, but hunting with Gale, like the last three years had never happened, had breathed new life into her.
And when Haymitch wrapped his arms around her in return, she felt a tingle on her skin as her heart picked up pace slightly. She didn't know what the feeling was about, but it felt good, it felt alive. "Thank you so much Haymitch. I needed this."
"I know you did sweetheart. I'm glad it worked." And when he kissed her forehead, she felt the heat long after he had let her go, following Gale's instructions on skinning the rabbits as Gale himself tackled the deer. Suddenly, she felt too hot and her mind was overflowing with memories from the last few months.
She remembered the way he had guided her into the house that first night, how he had stayed with her each night since, holding her at night, caring for her each day. The way he only drank at night now, and seemed happier. How both of their nightmares only came around once a week or so, sometimes less. And she realized that something had brought Haymitch back to life as well, and that they were both on their way to healing. They would never be whole, but maybe they could come close.
Gale pulled her from her thoughts, asking for her help preparing the deer. Haymitch cooked the rabbits when they were done with the deer, packing the meat into the freezer. And Hazelle and the kids arrived that evening on the train, and happily moved into the house next to theirs.
Katniss felt happy, though, when it was only herself and Haymitch left in the house. She couldn't explain why, but she enjoyed time with Haymitch, now that he wasn't drunk every waking moment. He was crass and sarcastic, but he was real. He could be mean, and if he didn't like something he would let you know, but there was more to him than that. If he cared about you, it seemed there was nothing he wouldn't do for you, as the last couple of months had shown.
"It's nice to have you back, sweetheart. I was getting real worried there for a while."
"I know. Thank you, Haymitch. For everything. For taking care of me for so long. You didn't have to."
"I know I didn't. I wanted to. You know me well enough by now to know I won't do something I don't want to."
She grinned at this. "That I do." She felt her skin tingle when he sat next to her on the couch, and maybe it was that distraction that allowed the words to slip from her mouth. "Why did you want to?"
She looked up at him carefully, hoping she hadn't pressed too far with her question, but he seemed thoughtful. "I'm not real sure sweetheart. I just didn't want to see you like that."
On impulse, she rests her head on his shoulder, making him jerk slightly in surprise. After a moment, though, his arm goes around her shoulders, and he holds her. "Thank you..." She said sleepily. She closed her eyes, but she could feel the soft pressure of his lips against her hair. Her last thought before she lost consciousness was to wonder what it would be like to feel those lips against hers.
The next three months went by in a much better manner than the last had, with Gale and Katniss going to the woods almost every morning to hunt, and Katniss and Gale joining Hazelle, Gale and the kids for dinner at their home, and vice versa almost nightly. District Twelve was being rebuilt, and everyone was doing their share of the work. Johanna Mason came to visit about a month after Gale had come back, and never left. The memories were too much for her in Seven, and she decided to start over in Twelve.
Johanna and Gale had begun spending more time together, and the thought made Katniss smile. She thought they would be good for each other, and they got along well. Peeta had come to visit as well, with Delly Cartwright on his arm, and she was happy for them as well. She was never going to be the one for Peeta, just like she was never the one for Gale. The three of them stayed up late into the night talking, catching up. Peeta had opened a bakery in the Capitol, which was buzzing with the news of his engagement to Delly.
When she heard that the Capitol was excited over Peeta's wedding, which she and Haymitch were invited to, she felt a weight lift off her chest that she hadn't known she was carrying. She was truly free, now. Free to love who she wanted, and she was beginning to think she knew who that might be.
Things between Katniss and Haymitch had shifted slightly, they were closer now. She knew she was falling for him, but didn't for the life of her know what he thought of her in return. It was true he was still there, even after she could have obviously gone on by herself, no longer needing him there to care for her. But she was enjoying what they had together, enjoying just being friends with the real Haymitch Abernathy.
Ten months after she had returned home with Haymitch, and eleven since the day Snow and Coin had died, Plutarch called. There was to be a celebration the following month in honor of the one year anniversary of the end of the war. It was to be a couple of days long, including interviews with Caesar Flickerman for those involved in the rebellion, a service to commemorate all of those who had died, and a huge party at the former Presidential Manor.
And so, one month later, their entire group of friends hopped the train from District Twelve to the Capitol. Haymitch wasn't overly thrilled, but was going because Katniss had asked. That night, the memorial service would be first, followed by the party at the Manor.
For the first time since she had returned home, Katniss had braved the back of her closet to find something suitable to wear to the party. She happened upon a strapless, floor length gown of deep forest green, relatively simple in compared to what those in the Capitol wore, but beautiful all the same. Haymitch had asked to see it, but she wanted to surprise him, and he seemed frustrated, not knowing what she was going to wear.
Things still had not changed between herself and Haymitch, though she knew now she loved him. But she was afraid, even after seeing the glances he threw her way, that somehow he would reject her, that she had somehow misinterpreted the signs. Things were charged between them, every casual touch lighting her skin on fire. The way he would stroke her hair or brush her arm, the way he smiled so genuinely at her, or the way the laughed together. But mostly, the way he still held her every single night, never leaving her side. Katniss knew she loved him, and she had no idea how much longer she could contain it.
The memorial service had been heartbreaking, and Haymitch's arm had not left her shoulders throughout. And when over a hundred pictures shown in the sky, of Cinna, of Finnick, Prim and so many others, Katniss was the first to rise, to kiss three fingers before holding them out as every camera trained on her, and she knew it was being broadcast over all of Panem. And it seemed fitting to her that it was Haymitch who saluted next with his arm still around her shoulders, silently supporting her.
Her old prep team cried in delight when she asked them to get her ready, for old times' sake, and it was a quiet moment when she slipped into Cinna's dress, his presence strong around them. And when she met Haymitch at the door to the ballroom, she got the satisfaction of watching his eyes widen as he took her in.
The party that followed was as extravagant as the last Capitol party she had attended, here in the same place. Somehow though, it didn't bring the memories she thought it would. This was the first time in a year she had seen a lot of these faces, save her closer friends, and she was passed around on the dance floor often. From Plutarch, to Gale, to Peeta and several others, though Haymitch seemed to find her every few songs.
And it was when she was dancing in his arms that she thought, if she hadn't already known she loved him, she would have known then. Being in Haymitch's arms was like nothing she had known before, and she couldn't seem to get enough.
Gale had been talking to Peeta and Delly on the edge of the dance floor, Johanna listening quietly, when Johanna tugged his sleeve to get his attention. She jerked her head toward the dance floor, and he noticed Haymitch leading Katniss on to the dance floor.
"What? So they're dancing." He shrugged.
Johanna rolled her eyes at him and sighed. "For the sixth time tonight." He felt his eyebrows go up at her words, he hadn't noticed that. He took a good, long look, and noticed why Johanna was surprised. He had realized that she and Haymitch had grown close, but he hadn't noticed anything between them. But now he looked more closely, he could see the way Haymitch held her waist, and the way Katniss smiled at him, their bodies closer than was necessary for friends.
Haymitch looked like he couldn't see anything that wasn't Katniss, and he felt his face break into a grin. He elbowed Peeta, and pointed at them discreetly. Peeta followed his gaze, and watched for several moments. He seemed momentarily shocked, but smiled after several moments.
It was obvious by the way they held each other that neither had acknowledged the attraction between them, but Gale thought it would be the perfect night to push that along. The love and chemistry between them was painfully obvious.
Peeta seemed to have the same thought, searching the crowd until his eyes found Plutarch, and waved him over.
"Think Beetee has something to help that along Plutarch?" Peeta asked, nodding his head at Katniss and Haymitch, who were still dancing, having ignored the song change. Plutarch grinned when he realized what was going on.
"I think he just might." The four of them watched Plutarch make his way over to Beetee, who was running the music, and lean down to speak to him. Beetee's eyes found the pair as well, and lit up as he nodded. It was then that Katniss's mother came over to them, having noticed the attention they were paying to Katniss and Haymitch. She had a smile on her face that made it clear that anything that happened with them was fine with her, so long as Katniss was happy.
It was then that the song changed into one that was obviously from before the Dark Ages, and the group had to wonder where Beetee had gotten it. As they had hoped, Katniss and Haymitch stayed on the dance floor as the slow music began.
Haymitch couldn't quite believe that she was there in his arms. She looked absolutely stunning, and when he had first seen her his breath had caught in his throat. He vaguely heard the music change again, pretending not to notice in the hopes that he could keep her in his arms for a while longer. He had no idea how she felt about him, but he was hoping she loved him as much as he did her. It was when the first lyrics began to reach his ears that he realized it was a song from before the Dark Ages, and began listening to the lyrics.
"Every time our eyes meet,
this feeling inside me,
is almost more than I can take."
Now wasn't that the truth...
"I've never been this close to anyone
or anything.
I can hear your thoughts.
I can see your dreams..."
He closed his eyes as the music washed over him, the lyrics making his heart throb as he pulled her closer without realizing.
"I don't know how you do what you do,
I'm so in love with you.
It just keeps getting better.
I wanna spend the rest of my life
with you by my side..."
Yes he did. He certainly did. As the song continued to play around them, he wrapped one arm completely around her waist, using his other hand to tip up her chin. Her beauty was absolutely breathtaking, but he wouldn't lose his nerve now. He had been wanting to do this since she had thrown herself into his arms after her first Games, and he was finally going to take the chance.
His feet stopped moving as the entire world shrunk down, until it included only himself and the beautiful young woman in his arms. He took her chin between his thumb and forefinger, gently tipping her face up to his, and felt his eyes fall closed as he felt her lips against his. It took everything in him not to moan in delight when their lips met, to keep it to a simple, small kiss.
He was just beginning to panic when he felt her arms tighten around his neck, and felt her moving her lips against his, kissing him back with surprising passion. He breathed a sigh of relief as his arm tightened around her waist, pulling her body flush to his as his hand buried in her hair, matching her passion.
Too soon, though, he remembered that they were in a very public setting, and reluctantly parted from her. Her eyes were bright, her cheeks flushed and her lips slightly swollen, and he saw the glint of tears in her eyes as she smiled at him radiantly. He couldn't help but smile with her, finally feeling as though something had gone right for him, and lowered his mouth to hers for another sweet kiss. At this gesture, the tears pooling in her eyes spilled over, and he brushed them away with the pad of his thumb before pulling her close to his chest, where they stayed the rest of the night.
Hours later, in their room in the mansion, Haymitch took her in his arms again, and she thought she might explode with joy, feeling his lips on hers so tenderly. Her hands wound in his hair, bringing him closer to her, and she felt the fire that had so long tingled on her skin deep within her body, and she couldn't get close enough to him.
Their kisses grew more passionate, more frantic, and the next thing she knew she was pushing his tux jacket off his arms, fingers going to the top button of his dress shirt, when his hands stopped hers. She pulled back, looking at him in confusion and hurt, but it was quelled by the look he was giving her.
"Are you sure sweetheart?" She nodded at him, and his hands released her wrists to wind around her waist as she made quick work of his shirt, pulling it quickly off his arms to join his jacket. He kicked his shoes off of his own accord as she kicked off her heels. His fingers quickly found the zipper of her dress, undoing the clasp and sliding the zipper down without hesitation until the dress pooled at her feet, leaving her in only her bra and panties, and she didn't care one bit.
His hands on her skin were like fire, and when he lifted her up, her legs wrapped around his hips eagerly, instinctively pressing against the hardness in his pants, and he groaned into her mouth. His tongue attacked hers as he walked to the bed and dropped her onto it. She swatted his hands away from his belt, wanting to do it herself.
She made quick work of it, undoing his pants and sliding them down his legs quickly, leaving him in nothing but very tented boxers, a sight that made her body fill with heat that settled between her thighs. For the first time that night she was nervous, glancing up at him as he stood before her. He nodded his head at her, and her slightly shaking hands found the waistband of his boxers, and she slowly pulled them down his hips. When they pooled on the floor, she looked up, unable to help staring at his erection.
She reached up slowly, curiously, wrapping her hand around the base, startled by the soft feel of the skin when the muscle beneath was so hard. Another wave of heat pooled in her groin as she gently pulled her hand toward her, noting the way his breathing hitched and the slight jerk of his hips.
She repeated the motion a few more times before she noticed a drop of clear fluid leak from the tip, and curiosity overwhelmed her once more. Slowly she leaned forward, letting her tongue snake out and gingerly touch the tip of his swollen erection, shocked when he moaned and his hips bucked at the contact.
She liked the reaction, and cautiously took him into her mouth, noting the deep groan he emitted when she closed her mouth and lips over him, tongue pressing against the underside of his head. She explored slowly, enjoying the way he moaned and the rock of his hips as she tasted him, taking in the salty taste and silky texture of the skin.
After a minute, though, he gently pulled her off him, and lowered himself to the bed until he was sitting in front of her, reaching his hands around her back to unclasp her bra. He pushed her back onto the bed, and lowered himself onto her, meeting her lips with his as he cupped her breasts with his hands.
One hand slid down, hooking a finger into her panties and guiding them down her hips and off her body. His fingers gingerly found her, ready and waiting for him, and she bucked under him when his fingers met her sensitive skin. They kissed hungrily as he explored her, before lowering to suckle at her neck, working his way lower and distracting her with his fingers. He could tell she was a virgin, and so wanted to be extra careful that night, to make it special for her.
He kissed his way down her body, and he could hear her breathing erratically as he moved lower, intending to taste her as she had tasted him. A cry was wrenched from her when his tongue snaked out and touched her, and her hips bucked violently under his hands. He explored her, tasted her, just as she had him, her cries becoming louder. Lost in the taste of her and the reactions he was garnering from her, her climax took him completely by surprise as she shrieked and writhed.
He thought it was just as well for her to be that much more prepared, given his size, as he slid up her body to kiss her once more, which she accepted greedily, evidently not caring about tasting herself on him. He positioned himself at her entrance, feeling her jolt at the sensation and tense up slightly. He kissed her deeply, toying with a nipple in an attempt to distract her until she relaxed once more. When she was relaxed and entirely distracted, he pushed inside her slick heat with one quick thrust, burying himself inside her and damn near coming then and there.
He held still as her body slowly relaxed from the intrusion, fighting every instinct to rut into her wildly. And she looked so beautiful below him, eyes clouding over as he began to slowly rock inside her until she urged him to move faster.
He lowered his body until it was touching hers, but not so that she was bearing his weight. He leaned down and captured her lips with his once more, kissing her passionately as he slowly made love to her. And when she came apart beneath him with a scream of his name, he vowed he would never forget that moment as he followed her into bliss.
"So, Katniss. Peeta's wedding is all the rage here. But why don't you tell us about that special person in your life?"
Katniss sat with Caesar on the very same stage, wearing her normal hunting clothes from home - which had made Gale grin - with Caesar, telling about life since the war.
She cocked her head slightly, wondering how in the world he seemed to know about Haymitch. And judging by the twinkle in Caesar's eye, he did know. "How do you..."
Caesar grinned in delight. "Well of course there were cameras at the party last night," Caesar said with a wink. She felt her cheeks heat up slightly as she remembered the way they had danced, and kissed, and couldn't help but smile.
"Well Caesar, he actually crept up on me a bit when we went back to District Twelve together. He took care of me while I recovered from the war. It helped, having someone there that had nightmares from the Games as well." Caesar seemed to catch on to her game of playing coy, not naming her lover.
"So he's a victor as well?"
"Yes, he is," she said, grinning wider. The audience was growing wild, demanding to know who her new love interest was.
"Shall we bring him out here Katniss?"
"Well I think so, we've antagonized everyone long enough, haven't we?"
Caesar laughed loudly, gesturing to the group on the platform, all of his interviewees, beckoning to Haymitch to join them. He looked at her carefully, and she smiled in reassurance. All cameras focused on Haymitch as he stood and walked proudly toward them, and the cheers were deafening as Haymitch scooped her up, sat down, and plunked her right onto his lap. Caesar laughed, and Haymitch wrapped his arms around her waist, tugging her close.
"So Haymitch. We've heard from Katniss. What about you? When did this happen for you?"
Haymitch took a deep breath, and his smile faded slightly as his mood grew slightly somber. "On the night the Quarter Quell was announced, both Peeta and Katniss came to me separately, asking me to spare the other's life and sacrifice their own. When I agreed with Katniss to help Peeta and let her die, I realized..." He trailed off, looking down at her face. When he looked up at Caesar again, he was smiling again. "I realized I never wanted to let her go."
The teary sighs emanating from the audience were overwhelming, but she couldn't help but smile up at Haymitch. He was so tender and loving with her, in a way she never knew she could be loved. And suddenly the footage from the party last night was playing behind them, and they all turned to watch. She could see herself in Haymitch's arms, and now could see what everyone else had. Their bodies were nearly touching, and you could see how much he loved her in the expression on his face, and the way his hands framed her waist, holding her close to him. The lyrics to the song that had been playing provided the perfect background as she watched Haymitch stop moving and pull her close.
Cheers went up on all sides when they watched him lean down and kiss her, and she couldn't help but tear up at the tenderness of the moment, smiling when she watched Haymitch wipe her tears from her cheeks in the video.
With a quick, tender kiss after the video had stopped playing, Haymitch pulled them both to their feet. Caesar was looking on with interest, but he began to smile as Haymitch took her hands, and knelt before her. She knew a moment of shock when he got down to his knee, before it gave way to complete joy as he pulled a small black box from his pocket.
"Katniss Everdeen," Haymitch said, looking up at her with adoration in his eyes. "I know I'm not much, but I love you with all of my heart. Will you marry me?" Unable to speak through the tears, she nodded vigorously, and he grinned as he slid the ring on her finger, before standing and pulling her into his arms. And when they kissed, the entire room exploded in cheers and screams.