A/N: This was inspired by a review from a wonderful reader called JocyACullen to my story 'Mommy Dearest'. I found her idea wonderful and decided to expand upon it. This is part of my continuing quest to give Peeta's family a face so that people could relate to his loss.
Disclaimer: The Hunger Games and all the characters in this fic are the property of Susanne Collins.
Enjoy!
They all waited on the platform at the train station in what had to be ninety-degree heat.
"Okay. How much you wanna wager the fat one with the bronze wig faints before the train arrives?"
At the mocking tone, gentle nudge and slight head gesture in the ridiculous Capitol reporter's direction, the subdued demeanor the anxiety of finally seeing his baby brother returned to them relatively whole after his nightmarish ordeal of the past two months mitigated enough that the towheaded nineteen-year-old couldn't help release a chortle.
It was difficult keeping stoic when his younger brother had taken it upon himself to make him smile every opportunity that presented itself. And considering the very unfortunate and annoying reality that they were surrounded by a gaggle of brightly colored, flamboyant Capitolite media personnel and camera crews whom all gave off the strange illusion of melting wax in the escalating heat, it didn't appear the middle Mellark child was going to run out of material any time soon.
The soft snickering he saw his father trying to hide behind a hand and the melodic giggling of the dark-haired young woman whose waist his arms were presently wrapped tightly around weren't doing much to perpetuate his anxious mood either.
What did predictably manage to dampen the somewhat jovial familial air was the abrupt clearing of the Mellark matriarch's throat as she turned to level an icy glare at the rest of her family. "Honestly! We can at least all try to present some semblance of dignity here. I'd like to think I reared you boys well enough to know how to act like gentlemen at these kinds of occasions," She scoffed out in a harsh whisper. Then, her eye roamed disparagingly over the girl in her first-born's arms and locked with his in disapproval before continuing just as tacitly. "It's bad enough you're making a mockery of our family by parading her in front of the entire district on a day like this. It isn't enough for you that no one in town has set foot in the bakery this whole week since you selfishly made your toasting public knowledge?"
Flax's hold on his wife tightened protectively as his jaw set in defiance. He glared right back at his mother, not bothering to keep the spite out of his deep baritone. "Chrys has every right to be here to welcome Peeta home, Mom. She's family now too, whether you like it or not. As for the other Merchants who're avoiding the shop? How long do you figure they can keep that up, huh? We're the only bakery in the district! They're just being obstinate snobs because I didn't marry one of their brain-dead daughters. They'll come around eventually. It's not like they have that much choice in the matter. And, honestly, anyone who takes offense can shove their xenophobic, elitist opinion about who I chose to marry up their-"
"FLAX!"
Glacial blue eyes darted to lock with the chastising baby blues of his father and the nineteen-year-old respectfully ended his rant there. He pressed a kiss to the temple of his wife who, in turn, looked up to grace him with a brilliant smile, pale silver eyes gleaming with gratitude.
The oldest Mellark son's heart jerked at the sight.
Chrysanthemum Inglehouse should have been the quintessential Seam middle child in a family of five children. That is, of course, if her eldest brother had not been reaped at the age of twelve at his very first Reaping when Chrys was six and the baby of her family at the time.
Unfortunately, the Inglehouses were one of those Seam families that always seamed to have the odds against them at the Reapings and by the time Chrys was ten years old, she'd been promoted to oldest child in her family thanks to her elder sister's name being drawn, as well.
By this point, she had two baby brothers and no mother.
Her brothers had been twins and her mother hadn't survived bringing them into the world two years previously. Her saving grace was a devoted, loving father who was still strong enough to work in the mines and an amazing natural talent for sewing.
Everyone in the Seam knew enough sewing to mend clothes, replace buttons and stitch up worn garments, but few could sew an entire outfit or dress together the way the eldest Inglehouse girl became renowned for being capable of doing. The district tailor in the Town Square was far too expensive for most Seam residents to afford, so Chrys augmented her father's salary and kept her brothers fed by starting a small seamstress business in her home.
At first, she'd just fit the dresses girls would rent for their toastings so that they wouldn't look ridiculous in them. She became known for doing an exceptional job at fitting the white rental dresses without having to make a single cut, thus ruining the dress for the next user. This made her very sought after for her services.
Eventually, she was able to save up a little to buy the white cotton fabric to make a few of the dresses and started renting them out herself. Since she only needed enough profit to keep herself, her brothers and her father fed, her prices were fairer than the tailor's, as well. This garnered her pretty much all the Seam business when it came to renting toasting dresses by the time she was thirteen.
When Chrysanthemum Inglehouse was thirteen, there was a terrible mine collapse in District Twelve. There was an explosion. Many families lost their fathers and mothers in that collapse, but Mr. Inglehouse was one of the few to make it out alive. He did however; receive very serious burns as a result. The district doctor in charge of treating the miners dealt with the burns and declared them non-life-threatening and they likely wouldn't have been if he wouldn't have developed an infection that following autumn.
Chrys had taken her father to Mrs. Everdeen, but the healer had determined the infection was already in his bloodstream and beyond her limited ability to contain. Mr. Inglehouse passed away early that winter.
In spite of this, Chrys was determined to carry on because really- what other choice did she have? She maintained her brothers fed with her sewing business and bribed the Peacekeepers so they wouldn't take them all to the community home.
She survived… and she caught the eye of the baker's eldest son at school. She was a seamstress so she always wore dresses that were in better shape than most Seam girls. She was as thin as all the poorer Twelve residents, but had intelligent, silver eyes and waist-length ebony hair she always tied back in a messy bun. She was in the same year as Kalmia Rosen, another rather popular Seam girl in school and they were close friends.
Interestingly, neither girl found it quite as surprising that the baker's oldest son had literally asked them both out simultaneously one day as they walked down the hall of their school together as they'd found the notion of a Merchant asking them out at all. They'd both thought it was some kind of practical joke, but he was completely serious.
He'd explained they were both too pretty to pick between so he wanted to get to know both of them if they'd give him the chance. He was actually even upfront with them about the fact that there were another two girls- both Seam- he was currently technically 'dating' in the school.
This was Chrysanthemum Inglehouse's first encounter with Flax Mellark and he'd basically offered to make her part of some kind of harem.
She slapped him so hard her hand stung for three days after that- she wasn't entirely certain what Flax's jaw was made of- Kalmia did too.
She eventually learned, however, the fascinating thing about the Mellarks… they tend to burrow their way under your skin.
Flax was funny, charming, non-threatening, comforting, respectful and very, very persistent. Not even Seam boys were like this and in spite of herself and the fact that her best friend was undergoing the exact same metamorphosis, she found herself falling for him. It helped that physically, the boy had more muscle mass than anyone the young seamstress had ever met and he often showed up in his wrestling uniform which showcased every single nook and cranny on the teen's body.
She and Kalmia weren't even jealous of each other over him because they all really just hung out together. He made them feel special and appreciated. For the little while he could afford them his attention, they felt a little less awful about their lot in life.
Then, when Chrys was fifteen, her world was shattered and not even Flax could help bring it back together- or so she thought at the time.
It was an especially harsh winter and what was declared a flu epidemic, spread through the Seam like a wild fire. It seemed to target the elderly and the young specifically.
What turned out to be pneumonia took both Chrys' seven-year-old baby brothers.
Now she was alone… alone, but still determined to survive.
She dragged on, supporting herself with her tesserea and her sewing business. She went to school because it was required of her to do so, but stopped talking to Flax Mellark or Kalmia Rosen or anyone else.
She just survived.
Then, when she was eighteen and at her very last Reaping, she heard Effie Trinket call out a name that awoke the blood in her veins and reminded her she could still feel, even if what she now felt was agony.
Kalmia Rosen had just been reaped.
Tears of shame and regret streaked down her face as she saw her once best friend make that sullen march up to the stage, head held high. Unbidden, her eyes darted through the mass of eighteen-year-olds searching for those familiar glacial blues. Once she found them, she was lost to the depths of despair within those beautiful oceanic pools.
He'd lost her to the Games.
She'd waited ten months to go to him.
She'd wanted to see him sooner, but that was selfish. He'd needed to mourn her. She'd needed to mourn her before asking his forgiveness for abandoning them- for allowing her own loss and sorrow to rob them of the few happy years they could have shared together as friends.
She waited outside the bakery until she knew his mother was gone and he'd be alone at the counter before she walked in. Once inside, she only remembered fidgeting with her hands awkwardly and staring at the floor for the right way to start that conversation with him for a few seconds before she was engulfed in a suffocating hug.
To say she was surprised when he pulled away abruptly only to crush his mouth to hers would be an understatement. Even after three years, though, she found herself responding to him immediately. When they'd finally pulled away for air and he'd gasped out that he needed her, she could only nod in response. She needed him, too. They would help each other heal.
Two months later, his baby brother- the pride and joy of Flax Mellark's young life- was reaped.
But, now she was there to help him through it.
She was there with him and Rye in the Town Square every night of the Games, holding his hand as they watched Peeta use guile to try to save the girl he loved. She agonized with him as he whimpered at watching his baby brother dying slowly by that riverbank. She screeched in an annoyingly high-pitched squeal that earned her hearty chuckles from the Mellarks when Claudius Templesmith announced there could be two Victors if they were both from the same district. She recalled something very similar happening once the Seam huntress actually found her boyfriend's baby brother, only she'd been certain hopping gleefully was also involved…
Chrys had swooned at all the mushy stuff in the cave and giggled at the sometimes-ridiculous comments poor Peeta's brothers made about what he should do to get the sponsors to send them food. Like either of them would actually do half of that on national television. Of course, she knew these to be the desperate attempts of two mortified older siblings to latch onto that undying hope they'd see their baby brother again while still keeping a front of bravado. Therefore, she never said anything about it.
She'd suffered silently through the entire night right along with the brothers as they watched Peeta hold Katniss on the Cornucopia while almost bleeding to death from the gash in his calf.
She'd gasped in horror right along them two days ago, during the interview, when Katniss had inelegantly pulled up Peeta's pant leg to expose to all of Panem the dire reality that the youngest Mellark teen had lost his leg to the Games.
Of course, that last one had happened in their living room above the bakery because the moment it had been announced that both Peeta and Katniss were Victors, Flax had pulled Chrys' arm in the direction of the Justice Building, asked for a marriage license and handed her a pen. Their toasting had been that afternoon, while his mother was out getting supplies. It'd taken another two weeks for word to spread that the heir to the bakery had married a Seam girl.
It caused quite the little tiff in town. Flax couldn't possibly care less.
He was already orchestrating a scheme to get his wife a job. She wasn't Merchant. He knew she'd never be happy just moping around all day doing nothing, waiting to pop out the next baby. Seam women needed to feel useful. Therefore, as soon as the novelty of who he'd married ebbed, he'd see the tailor about gaining Chrys an apprenticeship at his shop.
Regardless of the tailor's personal views on Seam folk, Flax knew him to be a practical man. It wasn't exactly a secret his only son was only interested in how often he could get his wife pregnant. Even if the kid eventually developed a sense for the business end of his father's craft as heir, he couldn't stitch a button. Having someone who could do the actual sewing was a definite advantage to this man. He'd take the deal. If Mellarks were good at one thing, it was convincing people to do their bidding.
The towheaded nineteen-year-old's reverie ended abruptly as one of the Capitol news anchors shrieked in a pitch that should decidedly not emanate from someone in possession of male genitalia.
"Oh! The train's arriving! Cameras at the ready all!"
The entire Mellark clan seemed to release a synchronized annoyed sigh as the entire cast of Capitolites amassed before them on the platform, doing an excellent job of working interference between them and their returning loved ones on the arriving train.
This was ridiculous! Hadn't these kids been through enough already? Did they really need a camera shoved in their faces before they could even get that welcoming embrace from a loved one they almost certainly desperately craved after their ordeal?
Being the shortest in his family after his mother and thus the most impeded from a proper view of what was transpiring before him; Rye's spike in temper at the audacity of these leaches to cut him off from his baby brother was instantaneous. Coiling and uncoiling his fists, he tore his eyes away from the backs of the affronting reporters before he lost control of his rational mind and allowed his baser instincts to sway his desire to ram his way through the idiots to Peeta.
His eyes found Katniss' family beside theirs almost instantly. Her mother was craning unsuccessfully to see over the Capitol personnel, as well. That wasn't helping assuage his anger any.
He truly considered violence when his eyes landed on little Prim, who'd all but given up on getting a glimpse at her older sister, dejectedly staring at her shoes instead.
Had it not been for Gale Hawthorne suddenly picking up the rather surprised twelve-year-old and perching her over his shoulders so that she had a birds eye view of the platform, the Mellark middle child was fairly certain he would have lost it.
He noted with no small degree of satisfaction the homicidal intensity in Gale's eyes as he regarded the reporters before him.
Definitely nice to know there was kindred sentiment in this crowd!
Strangely, knowing the Seam hunter was as frustrated with this ridiculous tradition of having family relegated to a secondary status in favor of the media circus at this reunion, rather tempered Rye's fury. He was able to focus back on the arriving train.
When the train stopped and the doors opened, the frenzy would have been laughable if it weren't so mortifyingly inappropriate.
The Capitolites almost seemed to be climbing and trampling each other to get footage and soundbites of the arrived Victors.
It was madness!
When they'd had their fill of 'arrival' footage, the hoards spread out to allow Peeta and Katniss some breathing room and, for the first time, a glimpse at the families they'd survived through the impossible to return to.
This is when the bizarre really began.
The instant the sea of media parted and the elder Mellark brothers got a good look at their family's youngest, decked out in a perfectly tailored suit, ash blonde hair combed back immaculately, one hand waving congenially at the crowd as the other held the hand of the girl he'd pined for since he was five… smiling an impossibly brilliant smile that didn't even inch anywhere near his liquid blue eyes… they exchanged a meaningful look.
And in this look was both a question and a command. 'Why does Peeta have his gameface on? Put your gameface on!' If there was one thing you learned growing up in a household with the baker's wife, it was how to put on a façade to rival any show in the Capitol.
The Mellarks all hurried to Peeta the moment they were allowed to move by the crews. The baker was, of course, allowed to embrace the teen first. He crushed him in a bear hug so tightly the sixteen-year-old was at an absolute loss to reciprocate and lost the handle he'd had on a cane a Capitol attendant had handed him shortly before the families were allowed to approach. Apparently, they weren't too keen on Peeta's handicap being showcased too predominantly.
The youngest Mellark didn't even register his father's apology when he bent down to retrieve the walking aide as he was in the process of being smothered by his two older brothers.
"You two do know I still need to breathe, right? And I'm pretty sure between you and Dad something's going to be bruised on my torso by tonight."
The three siblings shared a healthy laugh as the two oldest relinquished their hold somewhat, but all three kept their foreheads touching as they whispered almost conspiratorially.
"We never stopped believing you had it in you to make it back, Peeta. But, considering who your travel partner was, you can't really blame us for not expecting you to want to try to get back here."
The hurt and almost betrayed look that flitted across their baby brother's blue eyes was not lost on them as he quirked up one end of his mouth into what, to anyone else, would read as a mischievous smirk but they knew enough to see was full of resentment. "Well, then I guess I should be forever grateful she decided to spare me so that I could come back to you guys, huh?"
He said this with a snicker that had an edge to it like a shard of glass and now they really couldn't help wonder what had happened to their little brother in that arena. This was decidedly not Peeta Mellark! What didn't they know?
Nevertheless, both Rye and Flax played up their roles with an expertise borne of years of hard-learned practice, slapping their little brother on the back good-naturedly and stepping aside so that their mother could approach.
Not surprisingly to either his siblings or his father, the teen instantly and wordlessly wrapped his mother in a hug. The baker's wife, on the other hand, was completely caught unawares by the gesture and took a good two seconds of wide-eyed gasping to return the embrace.
She had never hugged her youngest son before. She hadn't hugged any of her sons in close to two decades. She found it felt quite agreeable being enveloped in her youngest boy's arms. She also noticed he seemed very thin, as well. Well, he was a Victor now. A month of eating anything and everything he wanted would take care of that.
Then, she suddenly felt suffocated by the embrace- smothered by the guilt the comfort this boy's arms evoked. She had no claim to this comfort. She'd never afforded him any.
That was not an equitable exchange.
He'd been physically strong enough to make it through the Games, if wallowing in muck for almost a week with a bleeding, festering, bone-deep cut without dying was any testament. She could claim credit for that. She'd always fed him well enough. She'd never opposed his wrestling or any other activity he engaged in to make himself stronger. She'd beaten physical strength into him. Every healed wound meant a higher tolerance for pain. She'd helped make her son's body strong.
This was her claim in this Victor's fame. This was fair.
She abruptly pulled away from his embrace, ignoring the predictable dejection that flitted across his expression before he schooled it back into a blank mask as she spoke coolly. "I never thought I'd see you again. Your Games were very… unorthodox? What'd I tell you, though?" She now winked while smirking and gesturing with her head in Katniss' direction where she was still cocooned by Everdeens and Hawthornes alike. "That girl right there's a survivor! Never doubted it for a second!" She pretended her son's eyes hadn't hardened to stone as she lowered her voice to whisper her last pearls as close to his ear as she could. "If you've actually really managed to dig your claws into her whatsoever, Peeta, hold on for dear life… you're not doing any better than her."
She then moved aside to stand by her husband nonchalantly, leaving her youngest son reeling as if sucker punched in the gut and entirely unable to manifest it outwardly in this setting.
Flax sent a brief pitying look his brother's way before beckoning his wife forward. He had no idea what his mother had said to him, but considering her limited repertoire of kindness when it came to regarding any of them, he was fairly certain the kid was in desperate need of cheering up right now.
Peeta had some difficulty refocusing his reeling and honestly dark train of thought into something less murderous as a very pretty, familiar Seam girl came to stand before him next to his eldest brother. She held out a hand with a friendly smile as Flax, for some reason, found the need to reintroduce them. "Peeta, you remember Chrysanthemum Inglehouse…" and then his brother spoke the words that clarified why he was greeting a girl he'd known since he was twelve as if he'd never met her before. "Well, she's Chrysanthemum Mellark as of three weeks ago. She's your new sister-in-law. Isn't she just swell?"
Flax said the last part with a rapture and superior smirk that Peeta found absolutely enthralling. With an entirely inappropriately smug smile in his mother's direction, the baker's youngest son let out a genuinely malicious chortle before turning back to his brother, slapping him on the back gratulatorily. "That's just perfect, Rye! That's just about the best thing I'm likely to hear all day! I'm eternally indebted to you!"
Turning to his new sister-in-law, he enfolded her in his arms. "Welcome to the Mellark family, Sis!" Loosening his grip and gesturing with his head toward his mother. He didn't bother in the slightest checking the volume of his voice nor the insolent quality to his smirk as he added, "Wish you the best dealing with that!"
He found Chrys had a laugh as pretty as she was when she gleefully replied back with a playful swipe at his chest, "Oh, Peeta, I'm a Seam orphan…" the mirth dropped instantly from her face and her eyes turned into hardened steel as she finished in a deathly chilling tone. "She can bring it."
Peeta swallowed thickly as the sweet smile reappeared on his sister-in-law's face as if it'd never left. He inwardly mused whether all Seam girls had this terrifying ability to turn murderous in the blink of an eye. Katniss certainly possessed this quality.
He adamantly choked down the yearning thinking about Katniss promptly evoked. He couldn't think of her. The only way he was going to pull this off was by detaching his mind and his heart from his body for as long as the cameras were here. He could do the motions mechanically- remotely. He'd done it a million times before, if for an entirely different reason. So what if he was hiding a bruised pride and shattered heart instead of bruised ribs and sprained ankle.
The dance was the same and he'd mastered it long ago.
As soon as the media considered they'd given ample time for the Victors to reacquaint themselves with their families separately, they were pulled back together for family interviews.
This is where the bizarre escalated.
Considering Katniss' exceedingly poor ability to keep almost every emotion and reaction from displaying freely on her features, the baker's older sons quickly gleamed that the Hawthorne clan was in no way related to the Everdeens as had been insinuated during their interviews a few weeks prior. The girl was pretty much shocked beyond believe to find out she had 'cousins' and played it off about as well as an out of tune fiddle.
Their baby brother held her close and did an amazing job at damage control on her behalf by diverting the cameras' attention to himself with funny anecdotes about needing more family reunions in Twelve and how everyone was related in a town this small. Then he kissed her sweetly. He had every single Capitolite and most of the district present eating out of the palm of his hand.
Flax and Rye were trying their best not to outwardly cringe at the pain and effort they saw so evidently written across every congenial word and loving gesture toward the Seam huntress from Peeta. They'd never seen anything this contrived played out on this scale for this long. They knew this was draining their youngest sibling dry and they still had no clue why he was even doing it.
When the questions from the media began, they learned the true mettle of Peeta Mellark.
"Mr. Mellark, did you think you'd ever see your son again after Cato slashed him while they struggled so that Katniss could escape?"
These people had no boundaries.
"There was never a doubt in my mind my boy would come home if he wanted to make it back here."
Leave it to the baker to make it short and sweet.
"Prim, are you disappointed that technically your big sister broke her promise and didn't do everything she could to win the Games, instead choosing to weaken her odds by helping her half-dead district partner?"
SERIOUSLY?
"My sister promised to try to win and come back. She's standing right here next to me. I'd be terribly selfish to be anything but ecstatic right now. The fact that she got to know and care for Peeta along the way is absolutely wonderful! I'm glad it happened! They deserve each other after going through all that."
Oh, sweet Prim! Wise and practical far beyond her years… Was everyone certain she's really related to Katniss Everdeen? This wasn't like the Hawthorne 'cousins' thing, right?
"Mrs. Mellark," Oh, here we go… "Were you surprised your son was able to beat the odds and come home?"
"I'd be lying if I told you I wasn't." Ever the charmer… "Anyone in this district could probably attest to knowing he's got a hide as thick as an ox and anyone who's seen him wrestle probably knew he could handle himself one on one with any of those other kids. But actually surviving out there in that wilderness? I'm going to go ahead and credit his district partner for that one." Way to go Mom! "I've always said you can never underestimate how much a good woman can raise the stock of a man."
Wow! And Peeta had managed to stand there smiling, firmly holding an openly appalled Katniss who looked about three seconds away from pouncing on the baker's wife. The boy's older brothers went ahead and cringed. This was torture.
Then, of course, the straw to break the camel's back…
"Mrs. Everdeen, what do you think of your daughter's new boyfriend?"
This one was followed by much snickering from the Capitolite crowd.
"While Peeta is the very model of what a young man should be and I'm certain would treat Katniss with every respect and consideration, my daughter is only sixteen years of age. In my book, that is not old enough to have any boyfriend at all."
The healer followed this up with a pointed look at the baker's youngest son.
His older brothers feared they'd find dejection or at least contriteness in the sixteen-year-old's blue eyes as he feigned sheepishness, pulling away from Katniss amongst the laughter and taunts from the press of "Somebody's in trouble" and the like.
However, to their growing surprise, the only thing they saw gleam briefly across the boy's well practiced masquerade… was relief.
Later That Evening- The Mellark Bakery Kitchen
Peeta's eyes surveyed all the members of his family congregated in the small quarters briefly before running a hand through his hair and huffing out tiredly. "All right, I probably have all of maybe fifteen minutes with you guys before they haul me off to another event or news conference or some other god-forsaken thing. So let me get this out while I can. I missed you guys more than you'll ever know and I really hope to spend some more time with you soon. However, I know there's likely one predominant question on all your minds and I'd rather take care of it now that you're all here together instead of having to explain it over and over. Because, honestly, outside of you guys, I don't feel particularly inclined to explain this."
"My flesh and blood leg's gone. Yes, it hurts because the prosthesis is something they develop in Three that they refer to as cybernetic. The pain, although minor, comes from the fact that it's still in the process of synchronizing itself to my existing nerves so I can eventually manipulate the 'toes' and 'foot' with something close to the same dexterity I did my real one. Don't ask me how that's supposed to happen, they just told me it would. For this reason, for the time being, since I'm sixteen and still growing, it will have to be adjusted yearly when I go back to mentor for the Games."
"It doesn't come off. The core has been fused to my existing bone. The core can and will be adjusted as I grow so one of my legs is not shorter than the other. I can't 'feel' it and often have to adjust it manually when I kneel, bend or try to sit on the floor. It's powered by something called B.T.U.'s in my body, so it will function as long as I'm alive and producing body heat. Neither the metals nor the plastics in it are corrosive. So, in theory, I should be able to shower or bathe or swim in it indefinitely- if I ever learn how to swim. Any questions?"
The Mellark youngest child once more surveyed the slack-jawed, gaping expression mirrored on every single member of his family before huffing out in aggravation, "No? Good, because I'm due at a press conference at the Justice Building in about five minutes." And dashed out of the kitchen.
The Mellark Residence- One Week After Arrival
"I can't believe I finally get to have my own room!"
Peeta shot his older brother an unimpressed look out of the corner of his eye as he placed some photos and one of his father's old recipe books into the box on what used to be his bed. "You've technically had your own room since I was reaped, Rye. I wasn't exactly supposed to come back."
The Mellark middle child was getting more than a little fed up with his little brother's foul mood since arriving back in the district. Today had been the first chance they'd even gotten to see each other for longer than five minutes without a camera crew and anchorman around asking intrusive, ridiculous, personal questions. And that was only because Peeta had to move into his house in the Victor's Village- which, by the way, was also going to be a whole production later on that day- and was being allowed a few hours to gather whatever belongings he wanted to take from his childhood home with him.
A snide remark was on the tip of Rye's tongue when his older brother barged into the room, quickly locking the door behind him. "Okay, Peeta. I left Chrys alone downstairs with Mom… with Mom, Peeta, running the counter while Dad gets the supplies from the train. So, us three," he pointed with his index finger at each occupant of the room, "we're going to have a little chat that's well overdue at this point. You're going to tell us what's wrong and we're going to do everything we can to help you. Because in the sixteen years you've been around, that's how it's gone down and whatever happened in that arena isn't about to change that."
Peeta regarded his older brother with a cross between anger and gratitude before his eyes darted quickly around the room. He was fairly certain his home in the Victor's Village would be bugged but Snow hadn't had the opportunity to get to the bakery yet. However, did he really want to burden his brothers with what he'd done? With how deep the hole he'd dug for himself really went? He supposed it was only fair to at least tell them about Katniss and play the rest by ear.
"She's 'confused'." He spit the words out as if they were bile.
"Confused about what, specifically? Because, no offense little brother, but that girl isn't exactly the sharpest tool in the shed."
"Rye, I learned so many ways to mess you up without killing you while I was in there, man. Don't test me!"
Ever the mediator, Flax took a cautious step between his younger siblings sending a warning glare the middle child's way. "Don't be stupid, Rye!" He then turned softer eyes on his baby brother. "You are going to have to elaborate there, Peeta."
The sixteen-year-old huffed out an indignant breath, falling back first on his bed while bringing both hands up to rub his face in frustration. "You guys remember how Katniss never seemed to pay attention to any of the guys in school and how odd we found it? Well, it turns out this girl never gave the notion of a romantic relationship a thought a single day in her life before she volunteered for her sister!"
Rye was now prone on his own bed, propped up on an elbow. "So, what does that translate to for you?"
Peeta released a mirthless scoff. "It translates into being in love with a girl who has absolutely no notion of what romantic love is and wouldn't know how to recognize it if it kicked her in the… it's just really frustrating, okay! Then, you have to factor in the fact that I pretty much forced her to play up a romantic angle as part of the Games because I really didn't think other people would see what I see in her otherwise."
"That's for sure!"
"Rye! Ignore him, Peeta. He's a moron."
Wisely, heeding his eldest brother's advice, the younger teen continued, "So, I poured my heart out to her on national television and she took it the wrong way. Okay. I can accept that. She has no idea who I am and no previous experience to draw from. Fine. She could have let me die in the Games and she didn't because she thought she owed me. Fine. She kissed me in the cave- her first kiss, by the way- because I'd wrangled us into that whole Star-Crossed Lovers bit and she needed to get us fed. We were starving. Fine."
He now propped himself on one elbow, mimicking his older brother and regarded them both with furrowed eyebrows. "Here's where it starts messing with my head. The three of us know I've kissed a lot of girls and I can tell you Katniss had never kissed anyone before she kissed me. Even delusional with fever, I could tell she had no idea what she was doing, but I still did. I knew the kisses didn't feel real except for one."
"I know which one."
Peeta raised an intrigued eyebrow at his older brother, who shrugged with an easy grin. "She wanted more. You should have obliged her."
Pushing down that pesky longing those memories dredged up, the sixteen-year-old shook his head ruefully, responding in a low voice. "Her forehead was bleeding, Flax. I wasn't about to take advantage of a girl who was weak with blood loss. I care about her too much to do anything like that."
"So you still care about her, then?" Rye yawned out.
The baker's youngest son narrowed his eyes dangerously at his older brother. "Is there a particular reason you're trying to piss me off, Rye?"
The Mellark middle child immediately turned excited blue eyes to lock on his little brother's. "Are you kidding? I've never seen this side of you before! This tiny Seam girl has managed in two months what sixteen years of abuse at Mom's hands couldn't manage! She's brought out Angry Peeta! And let me tell you, little brother, Angry Peeta is awesome! I'm actually kind of freaked out by you!"
Rye was blissfully oblivious to the mortified way both his brother's faces warped at his statement as he laid his head back on the pillow.
Peeta's voice was almost inaudible when the next words managed their way out of his throat. "That wasn't Katniss, Rye. You really think my anger is Katniss? I watched the Career pack kill eleven helpless children before I could challenge one of them for a spot among them in the hopes of protecting her. I watched them kill a helpless girl because she set a fire to keep warm at night and held her hand until her heart stopped. When I was under the effect of the tracker jacker venom stings, I saw you and Flax and Dad and Mom and Katniss die over and over. I had to fight a boy who had a foot and fifty pounds on me and paid for it by dying a torturously painful slow death in a ditch. Then, I had something that not even a fevered mind would conjure, rip into my leg so bad I lost it. And the real kicker is the fact that I didn't leave it behind. Whatever you call Angry Peeta is proof that the arena stayed with me. I dream about it every night."
Even before he'd finished speaking, both his older brothers had climbed on his bed. Rye had his head on his lap as Flax rubbed commiserative circles on his back. The Mellark middle child was the first to break the silence that followed. "Okay. I'm an idiot. But I don't know how to fix what they did to you. I know more about girls. Let's get back to your girl problems, little brother."
Peeta graced him with a watery, half-hearted smile. "Katniss feels something more than friendship toward me, but thanks to my exposing her to the possibility of feeling more than friendship toward a guy, she thinks she feels the same way about Gale Hawthorne."
A chorused "Oh" of understanding come from both his older brothers.
Peeta sat up off the bed in a renewed bout of rage. "Yes, oh! I'm not exactly competition for the likes of Gale on a good day. And I don't deserve to be in a position to have to compete for her, anyway! I was willing to die for her! I forfeited my life to her! I deserve better than 'confused'! And if she can't see that? She can honestly shove it! I don't want to be a consolation price! Look how well that turned out for Mom! I'm a Victor, regardless of how I came to be one! I've never had to settle when it comes to girls and I'm not about to start now! If I'm not good enough for her, she can have her hunter and have fun with that!" He really wished he could've thrown something by the end of that.
"Feel better now?"
Peeta reeled to lock eyes with the calm, collected oceanic pools of his oldest brother and found the first earnest smile he'd worn in days tug at the corners of his mouth. "You know what? Yeah, I kinda do."
Flax let out a chuckle. "Good! You know, a good chunk of that was total bull, though. You know, the part about you not caring if she wants Hawthorne, the part where you basically implied you're even capable of not fighting for her… Pretty much the only thing you said that's true is that she shouldn't be confused. I'm not saying this because you're my brother. I tell Rye he's a moron all the time."
"Hey! Leave me out of this!"
Flax easily caught the pillow his younger brother swung at his head and continued. "You outclassed Gale miles ago, Peeta. If this girl can't see that, then she really doesn't deserve you."
The baker's youngest son coiled both hands into tight fists, turning away from his older brothers to nearly snarl out in frustration. "But I still want her. I still love her. I hate myself for still wanting her when she doesn't only want me."
"Then, you'll have to be patient with her."
When both his brothers snapped their heads to gape disbelievingly at him, Rye's hands flew up in exasperation. "Don't look at me like that! I told you jerks I'm good with girl problems and I'm not a moron, Flax! Short-fused and moronic are not synonyms!" He focused his liquid blue eyes on his baby brother. "She's already into you, Peeta. We all noticed that kiss in the cave was special. It was special enough to get her to notice you. It was special enough to get her to feel about you what she's never felt for anyone else before in her life, what she didn't even know existed. So, she thinks she might feel the same way about someone she's been friends with forever. She's already proven she's unbelievably slow on the uptake with anything that has to do with emotions. She's going to take a while to figure out that you're really what she wants."
Peeta brought his arms up to cross over his chest, scrutinizing his brother and ruminating his shrift before retorting obstinately, "I'm not a doormat, Rye. I'm not going to beg her to choose me. I have my pride. I'm worth more than that."
Rye let an easy smile grace his austere features as he responded flippantly. "Then, don't little brother. Don't give her anything else. Don't be rude, of course. You're still Peeta. You need to stay Peeta. You're kind and giving and all around good. But don't give her any more of that boy in the cave. Let her pine for that part of you the way you pined for her for eleven years. It's only fair."
"We have the Victory Tour in five months. We will have to pretend we're still in love for that. It's sort of the bargain we made with the Capitol for staying alive…" Peeta wasn't sure if revealing this was such a great idea, but his brothers had been so helpful thus far.
Flax eyed his baby brother with a wary smile, knowing there was more to that than what the boy was telling them but deciding not to pry. "If she hasn't made her decision by then, at least you will have had time to cool off. Maybe, you'll even be willing to accept a friendship and move on. It's better than nothing after waiting eleven years to so much as talk to her, right?"
To be entirely honest, the prospect didn't sound particularly spectacular to the baker's youngest son. However, he had to admit that he was exceptionally angry with Katniss at the present and giving whatever they did or did not have time to evolve of its own accord did sound more logical than stubbornly denying himself any kind of future relationship with her.
"Okay. I'll try it and see how it goes." He stated, turning to the half-filled box on his bed. "Are you guys sure you don't want to come live with me? The house is huge!"
Rye wrinkled his nose in distaste at the idea. "Nah, little brother. I'm going to enjoy my own room here before I marry Lacy and take over her father's shop."
Peeta shrugged and turned to Flax, who shook his head, as well. In the end, he just decided to make a different offer. "Okay. Then, we're going to the Carpenter's shop some time tomorrow and putting in an order for larger beds for both of you." He now sent a pointed look at his eldest brother. "And we're going to make sure yours has an especially thick mattress that won't squeak."
Flax raised a questioning eyebrow at his baby brother. "I don't need a new bed… and how do you know my mattress squeaks?" He couldn't help his glacial eyes traveling anxiously to his second youngest brother, who was now inexplicably guffawing and holding his sides while rolling on his bed.
Peeta snickered as he mock-whispered conspiratorially in his brother's ear. "You're a newlywed, we have very thin walls in this house and I saw the instructional tape in our human growth and development class at school."
At this point, Rye had completely rolled off his bed and was laughing on the floor.
Flax's face attained a shade of crimson his brothers had never seen before. He sputtered briefly at a complete loss before jerking the door to the room open and pointing a menacing finger at both the still-laughing occupants. His voice was deathly ice as he spoke. "Either of you breathes a word of this to Chrys and I swear I'll beat you to a bloody pulp!"
Then he was gone… a chorus of unrestrained laughter following in his wake.
FIN
A/N: This was going to be more than a one-shot but I mistakenly erased the second part after I had finished it completely, which really makes me want to leave it a one-shot!XD The second installment involved Katniss facing off with Peeta's mother about what she said to him in the Justice Building when he was reaped. Since I am so swamped with work and it will take a lot of work to rewrite it. I will only write the second part if enough people review showing interest in it. Therefore…
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