inspired by: post/663275163307163648/everythingfox-a-boy-meets-his-first-kitty-head
"Katniss please," Peeta pleads with his wife as their son chases after a cat as fast as his chubby toddler legs would allow.
"Peeta," she sighs, "we can't and shouldn't spoil our son by giving him everything he smiles at, or in this case, chases after,"
"But Katniss, Rye looks so happy with that cat," Peeta says with his eyes open wide (clearly trying to be cute and get a yes from her).
"And the cat's having the time of its life by running for ten minutes straight," she rolled her eyes. No matter how cute both blonds were, if there was one thing she was, it was determined.
"Fine!" he threw his arms up in surrender and went to gather their son in his arms.
As soon as Rye was away from the cat and in Peeta's arms, the toddler burst into silent tears and that broke Peeta's heart.
He tried to soothe his son as Katniss' heart cracked. Rye was one of the best damn kids she had ever seen in her life. He would sleep at night, eat all fruits and vegetables she fed him, and never cried unless he got hurt.
And seeing her son crying for a cat AGAIN was quickly killing her resolve.
Sighing, she followed her husband inside their house, feeling the beginning of a headache.
They went through their nightly routine with Rye and soon he was fast asleep.
Peeta tried to get her to talk but when he failed to garner her attention, he turned away and fell asleep, leaving Katniss to the thoughts of her baby crying for something she refused him.
The next morning, Peeta woke up to find Katniss' side of the bed empty but still a little warm and he knew she had gone recently. Where was she?
He got the answer about two hours later when he heard her calling out for them.
"Rye! Peeta! Come down here and meet someone,"
He quickly picked Rye up and carried him downstairs and out of their house.
What he saw outside made him want to melt.
There stood his wife, strands of hair messily framing her slightly flushed face as she stood with a box in her arms.
"Wha-" Peeta couldn't finish his question as Rye climbed out of his arms and ran towards his mother with a shout of 'kitty'.
And indeed, there stood the same cat Rye had been chasing for the last couple of days, looking all clean with a blue-collar in its neck.
It was as if something stopped them from looking away from the most adorable moment the couple had ever witnessed.
The cat and Rye walked to each other, it sniffed, he crouched and then…
Rye lowered his face to sniff the cat back but ended up being headbutted in his neck. And he copied, gently bumping his head with the cat's.
And they stood there, smiling and looking at the start of a lifelong friendship.
"Cookie dough!" Rye exclaimed and both parents stifled their chuckles.
"God! I didn't think anything could beat 'Buttercup'," Katniss laughed while Peeta smirked.
"Our son's much more creative than 'Buttercup' or 'Whiskers'," They smiled at each other before turning to look at Rye scratching behind 'Cookie Dough's' ears as the cat tried to lick his hand.