6.
Haymitch was very used to the patting of tiny feet now but he looked up from his book anyway, knowing the footsteps were different from those he was used to and that there was no reason for any kid to seek him out when they were supposed to be playing unless there was a problem. He was keeping an eye on them because he had quickly decided that Gale was worse than Johanna – and he had made a mental note to never ever under any circumstance have those two over at the same time.
"What's wrong, buddy?" he frowned, watching a sulking Peeta come in through the backdoor. He was sitting with his chair angled in a way that he had a good view of the backyard through the open door and the window over the sink and could watch what the kids were up too without freezing. He had made sure to lock the geese in their pen – Gale's first visit had been such a stress on the poor birds they hadn't laid an egg in two days – and had forbidden them to go anywhere near it. Last time he had bothered to ask, they were all playing hide and seek. As long as he could hear them, he figured they were okay.
"When does my auntie come?" Peeta asked, tugging on the sleeve of his coat to get it off his back. Haymitch helped him without even thinking twice about it, too used to doing it for Katniss by now.
"Half an hour, I think. She said she would be here around five thirty." he frowned. "Why? You're feeling okay?"
Peeta had never asked for Effie before, he was usually happy to stay with Katniss for as long as he was allowed. But Gale had never been there before either, he mused, and the boys hadn't exactly taken to each other well. Katniss was oblivious, as usual, but Haymitch had quickly figured that if Effie's little jealous outburst toward Hazelle was anything to go by, Peeta's would be worse.
He and Effie hadn't had many chances to see each other since the "first date that wasn't really a first date", her friends, Cinna and Portia, were out of town for a fashion show or another, which meant she was busier than usual at the shop. He had lost count of the number of times he had picked Peeta up for her at school in the last week and a half. Aside for a couple of stolen kisses when they could get away with it without the kids seeing, they hadn't gotten much further either. Chaff was forever teasing him about turning into a romantic in his old age.
The boy shrugged.
"I'm fine." he mumbled.
He could still hear Katniss and Gale playing outside, apparently not worried about Peeta's disappearance.
"You're tired of hide and seek?" he insisted.
"They're playing hunting now." Peeta told him, folding his arms on the table and resting his head on them. "Katniss says I'm too loud for hunting. And it's cold. My leg hurts when it's cold."
It was the first time Peeta had volunteered any information about his leg and Haymitch stored it for ulterior consideration. It wasn't terribly cold outside or he would have told the kids to come back inside, the pale sun was warm enough that the coats and scarves were enough protection but maybe Peeta was more sensitive to the weather.
"Want some hot cocoa?" he offered, already moving to the fridge to get the milk. He rather fancied a hot cocoa himself. "Why don't you tell Katniss and Gale to come play with you inside?"
"They don't want to." Peeta pouted. "They want to play hunting."
Haymitch expected better from his niece and he was a little disappointed although not particularly surprised by this selfish side of her. It went hand in hand with her cluelessness.
"Go get a board game from Katniss room, then." he suggested. There was no reason Peeta had to sit bored and miserable until Effie arrived just because the girl was too busy playing with a boy who insisted on calling her Catnip. It was also possible Haymitch had chosen his side in this little rivalry that had developed between the boys. Hazelle might be his friend but her kid was a brat.
"But they don't want to play." Peeta argued.
"I'll play with you." he shrugged, putting the milk on the stove. He didn't miss the flash of delight on the boy's face. Kids were so easy to please...
"Really?" Peeta perked up. "Just you and me?"
"Yeah." he shrugged again, not seeing what the big deal was. He had become quite an expert at board games now, it wasn't Katniss' favorite way to pass time but it suited them well enough when the weather was poor and they were not in a mood for watching TV or reading.
"Katniss is so lucky!" the boy exclaimed. "My daddy never plays with me..."
There were several wrong things in that statement but Haymitch found himself correcting the obvious.
"I'm not Katniss' daddy, buddy." he pointed out. "I'm her uncle like Effie's your aunt."
Peeta waved that away with the usual easiness of children who didn't get why things had to be more complicated than they actually were. "But it's the same! Except she's lucky 'cause she gets to live with you and now you're like her daddy forever. I wish I could live with Auntie forever and she could be my mommy."
Haymitch took the now hot milk off the stove and poured it in two mugs before adding the cocoa, giving himself some time to ponder how to best answer that. In the end, he set Peeta's mug in front of him, mumbling an automatic warning to wait until it was cooler to drink it, and sat back down. He glanced at the backyard but Katniss was still in sight, creeping along the dried grass while Gale hid behind the old stump left by the tree he had cut years ago.
"You know what happened to Katniss' family, right?" he asked.
Peeta nodded. "They went away, Auntie said so."
Tact wasn't his stronger suit but he forced himself to tread carefully.
"She's very sad about it. You can't tell her she's lucky, okay?" he said.
Peeta frowned. "But I would like it if I could live with Auntie and Katniss gets to live with you."
"Yeah, but it's not a good thing." Haymitch sighed. "She can never see her family again or talk to them. She misses them. Wouldn't you miss your family if you could never see them or talk to them again?"
"But I love Auntie bestest." the boy countered. And wasn't that all kind of fucked up...
Time for another angle. "Well, it's like you could never see your auntie again."
"'Cause she doesn't love me anymore?" His lips started wobbling and Haymitch was afraid he would start crying.
"No, no... She still loves you but you can never see her again because... Well..." He was at a loss and making it worse. Never try to have a philosophical debate with a kid, he mused. Never.
"'Cause Mommy doesn't want Auntie to see me anymore so I can't?" Peeta insisted, worrying his hands together. It was obvious, given how quick it came to his mind, that it was something he truly was afraid of. "I want my auntie."
"I... Yeah, she's gonna be there real soon. Forget it, all of it. Just... Don't tell Katniss she's lucky, alright?" he winced. "What about that board game? Go choose one. We'll play until your aunt gets here."
Crisis averted, he mused as the kid perked up a little at that. They spent some time playing and drinking their hot cocoa. At least, Peeta seemed to have a blast of it and even offered to start the game from scratch again when Gale and Katniss finally decided it was too cold to play outside.
He left the children to it, shooting out of his chair in relief when the doorbell rang. Effie grinned as soon as he opened the door but, instead of greeting her properly, Haymitch winced. "Look, I may have upset your boy. I'm sorry."
The grin turned to a frown and she barely had time to brace herself before Peeta ran out of the kitchen and barreled right into her, wrapping his arms around her leg like an octopus.
"What is wrong, darling?" she asked, her blue eyes darting from her godson to Haymitch.
"I don't want you to ever leave me forever." Peeta cried out. "I love you."
Effie immediately picked him up and held him close. "What did you say to him?"
He opened and closed his mouth, wondering how to explain what had happened. He still wasn't entirely sure himself. "We were talking about Katniss' family, I tried to make him understand but..." He passed a hand over his face. He was sorry he had hurt the boy's feelings but he had never claimed to be an expert with kids. "I made a mess, sweetheart, I'm sorry."
She softened a little. "Oh, it is alright, then. Peeta, I already explained about Katniss' family, don't you remember?"
"But I didn't know she loves them like I love you!" the boy mumbled in her neck. "I thought she loves Haymitch like I love you. And they went away forever and if you go away forever I will be sad but I thought she was happy because I would be happy if mommy and daddy leave and let me live with you forever."
Effie faltered and it was probably a good thing the kid had his face against her neck because Haymitch was certain she wouldn't have wanted him to see the look of anger and love battling on her face.
"I... Peeta..." she stuttered. "You cannot say things like that, it's..."
She looked at him for help but Haymitch shrugged, not knowing enough about the whole situation. Fortunately, Katniss was a welcomed distraction. Her head poked out of the kitchen and she brightened up when she saw Effie. She took two hurried steps and then slowed down, probably remembering Gale was right behind her with his two older years of wisdom, ready to call her a baby at the earliest opportunity. For some reason, the girl seemed determined to impress that kid.
"Hello, Katniss." Effie offered with a gentle smile. "I see you have a little friend over."
"I'm not little." Gale protested, wrinkling his nose. He eyed Effie distrustfully, taking in the colorful dress under the white coat, the heels and the make-up. "You look funny. Like a clown."
Haymitch laughed.
There was nothing else to do in his opinion.
"Well! How rude!" Effie huffed.
"You do look like a clown today." Haymitch pointed out. And he was being nice when he said today. "This is Gale. Hazelle's kid."
"Of course, he is." she hissed, obviously still not over her little jealousy fit.
Unfortunately, Peeta wasn't distracted by their exchange, he struggled until Effie placed him down, and glared at Gale.
"Don't call my auntie a clown." the boy snapped.
"Your auntie's a clown and you're a baby." Gale taunted. "Right, Catnip? Tell him he's a baby."
Katniss was clearly caught between a rock and a hard place.
"Enough." Effie declared. "You, little man, are rude."
"I'm not little!" Gale repeated stubbornly. "Tell him he's a baby, Catnip."
"He's a baby." Katniss repeated without much conviction but loud enough that it carried.
"Katniss." Haymitch snapped, annoyed with her for not standing up for her friend and following that boy like a sheep. "Go to your room." Katniss remained rooted there, staring at him with obvious confusion. It was the first time he had truly scolded her since she had arrived and, clearly, she wasn't used to it. "You're having a time out. Go to your room. No, wait. Apologize first."
"I don't care." Peeta said before Katniss could do it. "Maybe I'm a baby but he's an idiot."
"Peeta!" Effie clicked her tongue. "Other people's rudeness is no excuse for calling names. Apologize this instant."
"I'm sorry." Peeta said mechanically, without meaning any of it.
"I think we should go." she said, pursing her lips in displeasure at the whole ordeal.
"Katniss loves me best anyway." Gale snickered.
Effie's lips were pursed so tight they formed a thin line. She outstretched a hand to her godson. "Come on, darling."
"Effie..." Haymitch winced.
"It is alright." she reassured him, brushing her free hand against his on the way to the door. "I will see you tomorrow."
Haymitch was really angry when they were gone and he turned to his niece. "When you act like this, you don't deserve that boy. Go to your room." For a second, a spark of defiance shone in her eyes. He narrowed his. "Don't make me say it again or I won't take you to the woods again until you're twenty. And you can kiss the Brave dvd goodbye." Her lips wobbled but she jutted her chin in the air and proudly walked up the stairs to her room. With her gone, he turned to Gale who looked smug but a little afraid. "You can stand in the corner and face the wall until your mother comes to get you."
"I don't have to do what you say." Gale grumbled.
"Don't try me, boy." he growled.
Hazelle wasn't exactly happy to find he had punished her son but she was even less happy once he had told her what had happened. Gale got an earful all the way to the car.
He fixed dinner, preferring to cool down before tackling the obvious problem.
Katniss was sitting cross-legged on her brand new bed. It still shocked him when he walked in her room, how different it was from before. If it hadn't sunk in yet that this was permanent, stepping into her room would have been a good reminder. The stuffed goat was on her lap and she was toying with her Mockingjay, deep in thought. When she saw him come in, she looked away with a scowl.
"You don't get to sulk." he told her firmly. "What you did to Peeta was bad. You hurt his feelings."
"You like Peeta best." she accused in what was, he felt, a completely random way.
"Don't switch the topic." he growled. "Peeta is always nice. Gale isn't. I don't dislike Gale but I like having Peeta over better, yeah."
"You like him more than me." she clarified.
Haymitch blinked, stunned. "Where does that come from?"
"You made him hot cocoa." she scowled. "I didn't get hot cocoa."
"I made him hot cocoa because you were too busy playing with Gale to take care of your other friend and he was feeling left out." Haymitch rolled his eyes. "You're my niece. He's our friend. That's not the same thing."
"So you love me best?" she asked, the scowl morphing into a hopeful expression.
"'Course I do." he sighed. "But when you act like a little spoiled brat, I wonder why. First thing you do tomorrow at school is apologize to the boy, you get it? And to Effie too."
"But I didn't say anything to Effie." Katniss protested, wrinkling her nose. "You said she's a clown."
"Yeah, but I was teasing and she knows that." he argued. At least, he hoped she did. "You were acting like a brat. I was ashamed of you."
Her little lips wobbled and tears pooled in her eyes.
"I don't think Peeta is a baby." she sniffed. "I didn't want Gale to say I was a baby. I'm sorry. I love you, don't be ashamed of me anymore. I love you, Uncle Haymitch. I'm sorry."
And then she was really crying and jumping from the bed directly into his arms and what else could he do but hug her and say he forgave her? He didn't know if that was the right way to handle this sort of thing. He didn't know what else to do.
The next morning, she put on her only dress, the one with the flames – so she could be pretty for Peeta – and insisted on waiting for him in front of the school with a bunch of paper pencils and markers, all different shades of orange – because orange was his favorite color. She ran to hug him as soon as the boy and Effie appeared at the end of the street and Peeta seemed placated by that because, even though the kid still look a little frosty, he also didn't look resentful. Still, Haymitch noticed, he was quick in dragging Katniss to where Finnick and Annie were. Katniss didn't even ask Effie to do her hair.
"You want to grab a coffee?" he offered, once the kids were safely inside the school. Coffee wasn't normally something he would suggest but he was desperate for some alone time with her. The memory of the other night was still seared in his brain and he wanted a repeat.
"I have to go to work." she sighed. "I am still alone at the shop."
"Need some help?" he asked, because desperate was an accurate word and he had nothing better to do anyway.
"Careful what you are offering. I might say yes." she joked.
"Say yes then." he insisted.
She said yes.
They barely made it past the shop door before they were kissing.
They were moving but he had no idea as to where until his back hit the counter with the cashing machine. He slipped the coat off her shoulders, his jacket ended up being tossed somewhere on the other side of the counter... At no point did he take his mouth away from hers, too busy learning the shape of her lips, what she liked, what made her weaker in the knees...
One of his hands found her backside and squeezed. He almost expected her to bat it away but she giggled against his mouth instead. "This is very improper, Haymitch. What have you made of me?"
"I'm not done with you yet." he smirked, turning them around so she was the one pinned against the counter. It was higher than hip level and it wouldn't do – yes, he actually thought it and no, he wasn't ashamed of it. "I missed you." he mumbled before he could help himself, tilting her head to the side so he could have access to her neck. The smell of her perfume was intoxicating.
"You see me every day." she teased.
"Okay, then I missed this." he snorted, nibbling on a spot right under jaw. "Could get used to this real fast, sweetheart."
Her fingers buried in his hair, gently tugging so he would draw back.
"Me too..." she breathed out, biting on her bottom lip with a small wince. "But not in my shop?"
He snorted and stole another kiss, relocating his hands to more appropriate places. He didn't move away from her though, he didn't think he would have been able to without a very good reason.
"I'm really sorry about yesterday." he muttered, toying with her long silver earring. "I don't like your kid getting upset."
She batted his hand away with a playful grin. "It is alright, do not worry. He doesn't hold grudges so he and Katniss will probably be fine by the time school is over. He does not like Gale though. I think he is a little jealous."
"Jealous of a Hawthorne... Must run in the family." he mocked, dropping a soft kiss on her lips.
"We have established you think I am more beautiful than Hazelle so I shall be contented with that." she grinned.
"You're completely nuts." he told her very seriously.
"You love it." she accused.
"Only a little." He rolled his eyes, fighting the smile that was threatening to blow on his lips. What had she done to him that he wanted to smile like a fool? "I meant about the other thing anyway. I didn't mean to upset the boy... It's just... He said Katniss was lucky to live with me and I didn't want him to go tell my girl that, 'cause then she would have been upset. I sucked at explaining and then it was a huge mess..."
"It's fine." she hummed. "This is a sensitive subject for Peeta. The situation is... complicated."
"So you've said. Several times." he pointed out, tightening his hold on her waist. "But you still haven't explained."
She opened her mouth, probably to do just that, when the little bell announcing a new client rang and she quickly stepped out of his arms to go greet her customer. He picked up her coat and placed it on the counter. He waited a little but the client was fussy and Effie was obviously busy so he made his escape, she caught him at the door and kissed him goodbye. It was quick and still new but oh so good.
Another good thing was that Katniss and Peeta had indeed made up when he picked her up after school. Peeta greeted him with a big hug. Apparently, playing a board game with him made him the second best adult he knew.
Effie fished some envelopes out of her purse and handed them to the boy. Peeta's eyes immediately brightened and he handed one of them to a very confused Katniss. Haymitch frowned inquisitively at Effie but she simply smiled and signaled him to wait until the girl had opened the envelope, studied the card inside and handed it to him for further inspection.
"Birthday pool party." he read before glancing at Effie. "Really?"
"It's my birthday!" Peeta exclaimed. "In... How many days, Auntie?"
"Six." she answered indulgently. "But the party is in ten days. Run along and give your invitations, darling."
Naturally, Katniss went with him, after snatching her own back from Haymitch's hand.
"Pool party?" he insisted.
"It will be perfectly safe." she declared, waving away any concerns. "Water wings will be mandatory naturally, and I won't be alone. Cinna and Portia will be there to help me supervise, Peeta's father should be there too and you, of course. That makes five adults for ten children, I do think we can manage. A few parents might even be willing to stay..."
He wasn't even sure Katniss knew how to swim but that was a concern for another time.
"How am I being roped into this?" he asked.
"Because you would never leave Katniss unsupervised even with me. And also because that is what a good boyfriend ought to do." she replied.
Actually, he probably would have trusted her with Katniss at this point. He had seen her enough times with Peeta and he knew she was reliable.
"Boyfriend?" he commented flatly.
She quickly blinked and he figured the word had escaped her. "I..." Her voice trailed off and she cleared her throat. "I apologize, I did not mean to imply that we were doing anything serious... I just..."
"Serious works for me." He heard himself say. He awkwardly shook his head. "I mean… If you just want fun, I'm game for it but… If you want serious… We can do serious."
"I would like that, yes." she answered with a small smile.
"Good." he shrugged. "But a pool party? We're almost in winter."
"Oh, it's an indoor pool!" she laughed. "Do not worry, it will be warm enough. Do not forget your swimming suit."
"Indoor pool." he snorted. "Those things exist for real? And you say you're not posh?"
"I am a former model who used to live in Los Angeles." she cringed defensively. "I am entitled to a few eccentricities."
"Sure, sweetheart." he humored her.
Katniss and Peeta were still busy running around giving away his invitations, the other parents were all either talking together or to their kids... He was certain nobody noticed when she leaned in so close he could almost count her eyelashes. Her breath rolled against his jaw, prompting him to lick his lips.
"Maybe you and Katniss could have a sleepover afterwards..." she whispered. "I also have a hot tub I would be happy to introduce you to, once the children are asleep. No swimming suits will be required."
"Now, you're a minx." he accused.
But the idea remained stuck in his head and he didn't know which one, out of him and Katniss, was more impatient about the party. Besides, he would have been lying if he had claimed that he wasn't curious about Peeta's father too.
That birthday party should be interesting.
Are you excited about the upcoming party? We get to see Effie's houuuuuse... Hint hint, it doesn't look like something you would find in the Appalachians. Did you like toddler Gale? Let me know!
