Companion
AN:
The family grows.
Special thank you to my dear friend, GinnyGinervaWeasley, for betaing my story.
P.S. I love the Hunger Games. Suzanne Collins owns everything!
CHAPTER 16
"Guess what, Annie?" Peeta asks the bouncing five-year-old. She hops off her bed at the orphanage and runs towards Peeta at the door.
"What is it? What is it?!"
"My casts are coming off today!"
"YEY! Yey! Yey!" she cheers repeatedly. She's skipping around the room, throwing her arms around, and swinging her pigtails left to right. Katniss and Peeta watch her with dazed eyes.
"Hey," Katniss greets by the kitchen door. "It smells awfully delicious in here." There's walnut bread baking in the oven and lamb stew with plums on the stove.
"How's the hunt?"
"Pretty good. Spring is definitely coming," she replies and comes close for a good morning kiss. "What's this?" She carefully reads the bunch of papers laid out on the counter.
"What do you think? I've been thinking about it for a long time now," Peeta asks, searching her eyes for approval.
"Yes," she answers clearly, happily. "Good boy." She ruffles his hair.
"What do you think?" Peeta asks Elrick, who is sitting across from him in Delly's office. The dark hardwood table separates them as they discuss the future.
Elrick remains quiet and studies the papers. He reads it several times, glossing his fingers over his carefully written name. Katniss holds Peeta's sweaty hand over her thigh.
"I don't know," Elrick starts quietly as he runs his left palm on his denim pants. "To be honest, I've stopped thinking about it for a long time now." He steals a look at Peeta then returns his gaze to the grains of the table. "I just didn't think I could have a family again in this way. I'm already turning fifteen in two weeks. Not many people want to adopt a teenager, and I understand them. I just thought I would grow out of the orphanage, study, and then live on my own."
"You don't have to, Elrick," Peeta replies reassuringly. The atmosphere around the room is pregnant but not uncomfortable, bidding Elrick to speak honestly.
"You know, I just spoke to Mariebeth two days ago," Elrick starts again, then chews his lips lightly. "She's twenty now. Mariebeth was like a big sister to me when she was here. She's doing well in Two being a pastry chef. She's saving for her own house. She gave me hope, Peeta ... That I could be okay when I leave the orphanage." Elrick pauses, breathing evenly, as he weighs his options. Peeta didn't have to ask his permission to apply for adoption, but he did anyway. Peeta said that he wouldn't go through with it if Elrick disagreed. That his opinion is valuable to him. Elrick felt strange being asked if he wanted Peeta to be his father. He already had a good plan set in his head. He will finish high school, apply for a scholarship in District 3, and work while he studies. When he achieves his degree, he will search for work and go on from there. It's a good plan, one that he believes would make him happy. But he never thought another option would be opened up to him now. Peeta has always been kind and generous to him from the very start. When he asked him to show him what he was doing during that woodwork class, Peeta simply agreed. He would bug him, ask him all he knows about physics, and even ask him for some books all the way from Three. He took him to work and let him stay in his house while interning. Peeta introduced him to Beetee. To his co-workers, to his friends, and ... to Dice. And now, he's offering him another leap, a chance to be part of a family.
"You don't have to decide now, Elrick. You can think about it," Peeta conveys. Now, he is even offering him a way out. Elrick didn't even feel he had to ask why Peeta would want to adopt him, for he had already understood. It's all Peeta and his big heart.
"No," he begins, and Peeta presses his hand against Katniss. There's a long pause. "I think I know what I want now." Elrick looks at Peeta, studies him, then looks at the papers at the table. "I would love to be part of your family ... I'm really grateful, Peeta ... thank you."
They all smile at each other, Peeta's eyes welling up with tears. He stands in humility and gives Elrick a tight hug. He exhales loudly against his shoulder and laughs with tears before ruffling the young man's dark hair. "You had me scared there for a while ... I love you, Elrick."
Elrick laughs in return, his cheeks turning pink at Peeta's funny confession. "I guess I love you too, Peeta," he replies in a tease. Delly walks into the room and cries instantly at the sight of the two men hugging. Elrick goes to her and gives her a tight embrace, crying heartily over her chest. He loves Delly. He owes her his life. Delly cared for him and loved him since he was just seven. "Thank you so much, Delly," he says to her and hugs her even tighter. He felt so much love at that moment.
"I love you too, Elrick," Delly whispers back to him.
"Are you okay?" Peeta asks Katniss, whose lips are tight as they wait.
"Yeah. Just a little nervous."
"She loves you already, you know?"
"I know," Katniss replies, trying to ease her worry. Her palms are shaking and cold, and Peeta warms them with his.
"Hey, Annie," Peeta greets as she walks through the classroom door with Delly. Katniss smiles at her brightly. She's always wearing her favorite green trousers nowadays. The soon-to-be six-year-old reminds Katniss of flowers with her colored shirts and red hair.
"Am I in trouble, Momma?" Annie asks, a little unsure why she's being invited into their knitting classroom after class. "I just got one ball of yarn for the chicken I'm making. I can return it."
"No, Annie. You are not in trouble," Delly assures her, and they sit at the small chairs around the kiddie table. "Katniss just has a question for you, dear."
"Okay." Her small innocent voice could melt any heart.
Katniss focuses on her rosy cheeks and sea-green eyes, and a bright smile already radiates from her face. She asks her finally, "How would you like to come live with me at my house, Annie? In Victor's Village," she says slowly but happily.
Annie looked confused. "What do you mean?"
Delly urges Katniss on. "I mean, would you like for me to be your mother, Annie?" Her nervousness dissipated as the question felt right to be released from her mouth.
Annie wrinkles her eyebrows and looks at the three adults in the room. They're all looking at her, but they don't seem mad. Peeta is rubbing Katniss' hand with his thumb, and Delly is smiling at her like usual. Lastly, she looks at Katniss. She's beautiful and glowing, she thought, like a wood fairy in one of her books. She pouts her lips and sways her legs under the table before she answers, "I thought you already are?"
"Oh Annie," Katniss lets out ecstatically and reaches to brush Annie's forehead. Everyone is grinning from ear to ear.
"What's in the box?" The small green box had been at the table since she entered. She had been too scared to ask about its content, but her curiosity got the best of her. "Can we open it?"
"Go ahead, Annie. It's for you," Peeta tells her cheerily and slides the box forward to her.
She takes it from the table and tries to open it with her short fingers. "May you help me, Delly?" she asks with a squeaky voice, and Delly opens the box for her. Inside is a knitted charm bracelet with small flowers hanging around it. The band is Annie's favorite green color, and the flowers are red, yellow, and pink. Katniss knitted it, especially for Annie.
"Do you like it?" Katniss asks expectantly. Annie nods with a toothy grin. Katniss puts the bracelet around her delicate wrist, fixing the flowers for Annie to see. "It's perfect."
"Thank you, Momma!" she chirps. "Can I show it to Sophia and Byron when they come to visit?" Her two friends were adopted by Sarah and James and were meeting the rest of the Aster-Mitchel family in Three. They will be back in their simple house in Twelve after the weekend.
"Of course, Annie." The five-year-old beams then pushes her chair back to skip to the door. Skipping is a fun game as her pigtails swing. "I'll show it to Elrick and Dice! They're on the videophone."
"Annie!" Katniss calls quickly. She wanted to give her a hug, but she was already out the door.
"I love you, Momma!" She hears her shout down the hallway.
"I'm so happy for you, Katniss," Delly congratulates and hugs her dear friend. "You will be a great mother."
"She already is," Peeta adds and takes the two women in his arms.
"To family," Peeta cheers on.
"Whether by blood or by choice," Delly adds confidently.
"To all kinds of families," Katniss ends.
Thank you so much for reading! I loved writing this chapter.