Embracing (A Hunger Games fanfiction)

The following weeks

Every morning for the next two weeks, Katniss makes a run for the bathroom sink. Every morning I hold her braid back from her face.

We settle into a routine. She wakes up and I help her, I make her breakfast (her cravings have started and she seems to be obsessed with my cheese buns) and we eat on the front steps of our house, then we walk into the woods and she teaches me how to shoot arrows before going back for lunch, then a nap while I paint her, then a movie, tea and bedtime.

Two days after finding out, we finally decide to tell. First, I watched as Katniss picked up the phone and nervously dialed her mothers number. She chewed her lip for the first part of the conversation before she finally spat it out. When I heard voices yelling through the speakers, I panicked a little. What would her mother think of me for getting her pregnant? But then Katniss’s face broke into a smile and I understood.

The next person we tell is Haymitch. He stared at us for a moment before asking if it was a joke.

“No Haymitch,” I said carefully. “Katniss is pregnant.”

Haymitch burst out laughing before taking a swig of alcohol.

“Bout time,” he burped, “you start a family.”

And then we go on as if nothing’s happened.

Effie finds out through Haymitch and the next day she comes trotting into the house, arms full of baby gifts.

“I was very careful on what to get,” she said excitedly. “Since you don’t know what gender it is.”

I smiled at all the stuffed toys in her arms. Our baby’s going to be smothered by Effie.

Slowly, the people around town begin to find out. Katniss tells Greasy Sae, who tells everyone at the new ‘hob’, who tells their friends and so forth. Soon we have people coming up to us in the streets to congratulate us.

I take Katniss for weekly check ups and I couldn’t control my excitement when she had her first ultrasound.

The doctor told me what to do and I was the one to press the small instrument to Katniss’s belly.

We both cried when we see the little figure curled up inside her. I gripped Katniss’s hand as equally bright smiles spread across our faces.

Our little baby.

We decide to leave the gender a surprise so we’re even more excited when the special day comes.

Two weeks later, I begin to renovate one of the bedrooms in the houses.

I paint the walls a light lilac purple with a soft yellow ceiling. No matter what gender, the room will suit.

Haymitch comes over every now and then to help set up the room. Katniss asked to help as well but I made her lie down.

You can see a slight protrusion emitting from her belly and at night, I press my face into and whisper my love. Katniss cries whenever I do it. I don’t ask why. Whether it’s because she’s scared or just filled with the amazing adoration that fills me. I leave it to her. You can’t push these things.

We’re very careful now when we “sleep” together. Slowly, but still beautiful. When we fall asleep, I press my face into Katniss’s chest and place an arm around her waist and the other hand on her stomach.

A family.