Chapter Text
The victory tour in Seven had been brief, Johanna could tell now that Haymitch had been right about the disquiet in the districts, they had cut the time short in all of the districts and Katniss didn’t even speak at them. Just stood behind Peeta and smiled for the crowds who were under constant watch from armed peacekeepers. They hadn’t even stayed long enough in Seven for Johanna to break her rule of not contacting Katniss until she thought she was safe enough from the Capitol’s watchful eye and initiated it. And Johanna knew herself well enough to know she would have done that in a flash if she had the chance. So Johanna had been sitting in her house alone, spending longer and longer at target practice with her axes. Even Blight had grown frustrated with her one word answers and longer silences about what was wrong and had left her to her own self-destructive devices.
When finally she received a call from Twelve, Johanna had been out throwing her axes when the call had come in and she didn’t know the number but the area code clearly said Twelve and she knew only the victor’s houses would have the technology to send call messages. Johanna quickly returned the call, her heart picking up speed as she waited impatiently for Katniss to answer; only the voice on the other line wasn’t Katniss
“Johanna, hey.” Johanna felt her stomach drop, why was Peeta answering Katniss’s phone, just how much time did he spend in her house for him to answer her calls? “I hope it’s okay me calling, Haymitch gave me your number.”
“You called me?”
“Yeah, hope that’s okay-”
“From where?” Johanna interrupts.
“From… home?” Peeta answers bemused.
“Your home?”
“Oh… yeah. My home. Look I’ll cut to the chase, the reason I’m calling is to invite you up.”
“I was waiting for Katniss to invite me. I didn’t want to come up while everything was still crazy with… the tour and everything.” Johanna paused, knowing she was lying to herself, the victory tour had been over for months but she hadn’t gone up uninvited out of fear Katniss wouldn’t want to see her and everything would be back to square one, or that her going up would endanger Katniss’s family. And the fact that on the tour Katniss and Peeta had played up the loved up fools who would sacrifice themselves for one another which hadn’t helped.
“I love her, but I know she needs you more than me. Everything I say seems to be the wrong thing these days. She hasn’t been sleeping. She misses you I know she does but if I bring you up she shuts down and either changes the subject or leaves the room completely.” Peeta rushes out, his worry for Katniss clear in his tone.
“Have you told her I’m coming?” Johanna asks, ignoring the boy’s declaration of love in favour of trying to remember the train schedule for Seven, and how long it took her to get to that district on her victory tour so she can get to Katniss as fast as possible.
“Well, you’ve not told me you’re coming yet.” Johanna rolls her eyes at the blurry screen showing Peeta’s face.
“Don’t be a dolt, I’ll be there.”
“I’ll let her know.” Peeta answers and the two spend an awkward few moments in silence before Peeta clears his throat. “So, next train then? I’ll pick you up from the station.”
“Don’t bother.” Johanna starts to say but the call disconnects before she can say anything truly biting to the blonde boy.
Johanna was staring out the windows on the train compartment trying to get a glimpse of who was there to pick her up, if anyone. She didn’t actually need anyone to come get her, she had told Peeta as much after all. But that was because she didn’t want him to pick her up from the station and take her to Twelve, she wanted Katniss. But there was no way of knowing how Katniss had taken the news of her arrival. Johanna’s stomach clenched as she considered what would happen if Katniss wasn’t pleased to see her.
When Johanna departed the train and she saw the bread boy’s smiling face her heart sank, Peeta raced over to her and started chattering about her journey down but Johanna wasn’t listening to him. She subtly scanned the rest of the station and was drawn back when she heard Peeta says Katniss’s name.
“What?”
“I just said that Katniss isn’t here.” Peeta looked uncomfortable and Johanna scoffed.
“I never asked if she was.”
“Yeah but-” Peeta quickly stopped talking after he caught sight of the glare on Johanna’s face, maybe he does have some survival instincts after all Johanna mused. “I’ll take you to my house first, and then I’ll let Katniss know you’re here.” Peeta said as he attempted to take Johanna’s duffel bag from her.
“You didn’t tell her already?” Johanna asks angrily, scowling at the boy and yanking her bag back hard enough that he almost lost his balance.
“No, I did-”
“Did she know what time I was coming in?”
“Yes.” Peeta looks over at Johanna and she knows he’s watching her face for any sign of emotion but she’s had enough time while Katniss was in the Games, or on the tour, to mask her feelings for the girl.
They made it to Peeta’s house without incident, Johanna received a few interested looks as they passed through the district to get to victor’s village but everyone seemed to regard her as just another curiosity Twelve had to bear now that they had two new victors. Peeta was smiling and waving at almost everyone they passed and Johanna couldn’t help but roll her eyes, it seemed the bread boy was just as sickeningly charming wherever he was. Peeta’s house looked much like her own in Seven, minus the axe marks on almost every surface and the furniture she had made to replace the Capitol’s extravagant pieces. Although most of those had borne the brunt of her anger at returning to Seven alone at the end of the last Games while she watched Katniss and Peeta together on their victory tour.
Once inside Peeta’s house Johanna could tell the uncomfortable atmosphere between the two of them was getting to the baker boy, something she found a perverse pleasure in; Johanna sat down at the kitchen table and waited for the boy to make the tea. Just as the water started to boil Katniss burst in through the front door, Johanna stood up, trying to come up with an argument as to why she was there, or defend herself to Katniss. But she kept moving through the room when she saw Johanna and threw herself at the older victor. Katniss almost knocked Johanna to the ground with the force of the contact, her arms coming up to wrap around Johanna, trusting her to either stop the two from falling to the floor or for Johanna to cushion her fall. Johanna hadn’t known what to expect when Katniss had launched herself at her, she half thought Katniss was planning on attacking her, but was in such a state of shock at seeing her again, and so suddenly that she hadn’t thought to protect herself.
Johanna felt so happy at the turn of events she let out an unrestrained laugh, all her fears about Katniss deciding they weren’t soulmates, or it wasn’t worth the risk to continue seeing each other vanished while she felt the girl’s warm body against her own.
“I wasn’t sure of my welcome. Johanna murmurs into Katniss’s neck, the younger girl just hugs her tighter. “This show of emotion is very unlike you.”
“I missed you.” Katniss said simply, still hugging Johanna tight.
The two eventually broke apart and Johanna took in Peeta’s red face and his attempt to avoid eye contact with either of the two female victors and couldn’t help but smirk. She hoped she would stop feeling like she was in competition with the boy for Katniss’s affections soon. Hopefully with the victory tour complete by the time next year’s Games roll around the Capitol will be too interested in the new batch of tributes that she and Katniss will be able to act naturally around each other without too much media attention. Although it would probably take a few Games and a few dozen more children’s deaths before the Capitol would accept Katniss and bread boy breaking up their pretend relationship without a fuss. At least Peeta seemed fine with her and Katniss being together, Johanna conceded he could have made the whole situation much more difficult for the two of them and she should really do something nice for the boy to show him she appreciated it. Of course the thought of actually addressing the fact that he had any sway over Johanna’s life or Katniss’s affections was utterly disturbing, so maybe he’d have to settle for her not hitting him too hard next time he said something idiotic. Anyone would be pleased with that gift Johanna thought, eying the blonde boy as he flitted about his kitchen.
“Come to my house.” Katniss said her hand entwining with Johanna’s, pulling her out of her internal musings.
“Does your mother know about me?”
“No.” Katniss replies shortly, Johanna can’t hide the look of pain that word caused her fast enough and she sees Katniss frown. “After dad died my mother and I were never very close, we weren’t that close to begin with really, but afterwards she just… wasn’t there. Prim is excited to meet you though. I didn’t tell her about… everything. But I talked about you to her enough that she’s probably more excited than me to see you.” Katniss grinned at that and Johanna rolled her eyes.
“Aw, you were talking about me.”
“Well she asked me about the Capitol and the Games, you were one of the few things I actually liked talking about.”
Johanna grinned at Katniss at her confession and the younger girl blushed, rolling her eyes as she directed Johanna towards her house in victor’s village. Johanna didn’t have long to wait before she met Katniss’s mother, as soon as the two entered Katniss’s house Johanna was met by a disapproving glare from Mrs Everdeen coming from the kitchen where she looked to be sorting plants into different piles and adding some to an assortment of pots on the stove.
“Mom this is Johanna Mason from Seven, Jo this is Iris Everdeen, my mother.” Katniss introduced the two and attempted to move Johanna further into the house but Johanna resisted in favour of talking to Katniss’s mother.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you Mrs Everdeen.” Johanna said politely holding out her hand to Katniss’s mother. Katniss scoffed beside her and Johanna turned to glare at the younger girl, dropping her hand after she realised the elder woman wasn’t moving any closer to greet her.
“I don’t think I’ve ever heard you so polite before.” Katniss muttered as her mother turned her attention back to the pile of herbs and flowers in front of her, occasionally glancing at the two victors still standing by the door.
Katniss successfully manoeuvred Johanna past her mother’s disapproving glances and into the lounge area and the two sat down but were quickly interrupted by the sound of running footsteps and Johanna saw Katniss’s sister for the first time. Prim came to an abrupt halt when she saw Johanna and glanced between her sister and the victor from Seven for a few moments before her face split into a wide grin and she rushed to the seat near Katniss. Katniss brushed the hair back from Prim’s face and concerned herself with trying to tidy the young girl up, Prim pushed her hands away and stared at Johanna who was surprised at the display of warmth from Katniss. Her experience of the girl from Twelve was of someone who was reserved and didn’t easily show her affections.
“You must be Johanna.” Prim said staring at the victor from Seven contemplatively.
“Yep. Thought I’d come for a visit, see Haymitch and check out Twelve and all that.” Johanna waved her hand hoping to encompass all the other things there surely wasn’t to see in Twelve.
“You’ve never visited Haymitch before.” Prim said
“Yeah, well me and him got closer in this past Games.”
“Yes there was some gossip about you two being together in the Capitol broadcasts.” Prim grinned at Johanna. “But Peeta said he was picking you up from the station and you’ve come straight here so I don’t think that’s true. You’d want to go visit with your boy or girlfriend straight away if you were together wouldn’t you?”
“I suppose I would.” Johanna answers carefully, aware of Katniss shifting uncomfortably in her seat.
“That’s what I thought.” Prim answers happily, glancing at Katniss before smiling widely at Johanna. “You were always kinda mean when you were interviewed for stuff before.”
“I suppose I was.”
“Probably because you can be right? I mean you’re a victor you can pretty much do what you like.”
“Not quite…” Johanna said, she thought Katniss’s mother would be the one to worry about but here her twelve year old sister was making her sweat. She seemed to know more about their relationship than Johanna would have thought but maybe that was just her own guilty conscience?
“Just because we’re victors doesn’t mean the Capitol will leave us alone.” Katniss interrupted the interrogation Prim was giving Johanna and looked at her sister nervously. Prim just nodded and smiled at the two of them before standing up and moving towards the door.
“I’m going to go visit with Sal, she said she had some things Buttercup might like.” And with that Prim skipped out of the room and Katniss and Johanna both exhaled in relief.
“Jesus Katniss your sister should take over Caesar’s job.” Johanna said slumping in her seat.
“I knew I talked about you too much.” Katniss said worriedly, starting to panic. “What if she says something? What if the Capitol hears about her talking about us and takes her away to question her?”
“Hey, hey, she doesn’t know anything. And she won’t tell anyone; even I can see that she would never do anything that might hurt someone.” Johanna said moving to comfort the younger girl.
Johanna pulled Katniss into a hug and ran her hands soothingly over Katniss’s back, Katniss grasped at Johanna’s shirt and held tightly to the older victor who kept her arms wrapped around Katniss, whispering soothing promises to her until her breaths slowed down and she felt her relax against her. Katniss broke apart from Johanna self-consciously and the two wandered back into the kitchen in search of food and Johanna is once again caught by Mrs Everdeen’s disapproving gaze. Johanna does her best to ignore her and fights her usual impulse which would be to demand an explanation for the looks and possibly punch someone. But then to Johanna’s surprise Katniss intervened on her behalf.
“Can you stop being so rude to my guest.” Katniss says cuttingly.
“I don’t like that someone affiliated with the Capitol is here in our home.” She spoke up
“This is my home and I’ll have whoever I want in it. And if Johanna’s affiliated with the Capitol then I am too now.” Katniss glares at her mother and Johanna shifts awkwardly beside her.
“Whatever’s cooking smells great.” Johanna offers, trying to break the obvious tension in the room.
“It smells like rotten eggs.” Katniss’s mother said. Staring at Johanna like she was an idiot. “It’s to make a healing salve for burns.”
“Oh.” Johanna said, noticing Katniss’s amusement at her blunder.
“Mom doesn’t cook.” Katniss murmured, watching her mother leave the house in the search for more herbs, Katniss’s hand snakes up to wrap around Johanna’s waist and she leads her to the leftover game stew.
“That’s the last time I try and be nice to anyone.” Johanna grumbled, leaning into Katniss’s touch.
“Aw you held out all of ten minutes.” Katniss cooed, amused at Johanna’s annoyance. “I’ll have to tell Haymitch he won the bet with Peeta.”
“Those two bet on whether I’d be nice?” Johanna asked incredulously. “Surely Haymitch knows me better than that.”
“They bet on whether you’d try and make a good impression on my mom. Haymitch bet you’d break within half an hour. Don’t worry,” Katniss said seeing the offended look on Johanna’s face. “She doesn’t know about anything, about how I feel about you.” Johanna couldn’t help the warm glow at Katniss’s words and moved to kiss Katniss but the younger girl backed away, looking warily around the room.
“Even in your own house?” Johanna groans.
“I don’t want to give the Capitol any reason to ask Prim or my mom about us. Although they’ll probably guess something’s up, they’ve seen how I interact with Peeta, how I interact with you.”
The two make short work of the leftover food and move back into the lounge, Johanna joins Katniss on the overstuffed sofa in the room and does her best to pull Katniss as close to her as she can while the younger girl talks about her victory tour. After Johanna’s fifth yawn Katniss smiles at the older girl and checks the time.
“Come on,” Katniss said standing up. “I’ll show you to your room.”
“It’s still early.” Johanna complained.
“Yeah, but you’re dead on your feet, what time did you get up for the train in Seven this morning?” Katniss argues. Katniss leads Johanna upstairs and stops outside a bedroom, Johanna quirks an eyebrow at Katniss and goes to draw the younger girl closer to her but Katniss backs away nervously from Johanna.
“My room’s just down there.” Katniss said pointing at a room close to the end of the hall.
“I see. And are you pointing this out so I can find the right room in the middle of the night?” Johanna asks smirking at Katniss. Katniss blushes at this and Johanna stares at the younger girl, willing her to come closer to her again.
“I- I- well-”
“I’m joking Katniss.” Johanna says finally. “I know that this… this is too soon.” Johanna watches Katniss relax and she opens her arms and the younger girl steps into her gratefully. Johanna holds Katniss close to her and kisses her cheek. “I’ll see you in the morning?”
“I’ll wake you up.” Katniss replies her eyes glinting and she leans down to capture Johanna’s lips against her own.
The next morning Johanna was woken up early by the smell of bacon and coffee, she went downstairs expecting to see Katniss’s mother cooking but was instead greeted by the sight of Katniss standing barefoot in an old shirt and trousers. Katniss noticed Johanna in the doorway and gestured at the coffee on the side while she kept her attention on the stove. Johanna walked up to the younger girl and wrapped her arms around her waist, nuzzling into her neck, Katniss leaned back into the embrace and Johanna placed a kiss on Katniss’s jaw.
“Good morning Johanna.” Katniss said cheerfully.
“Mm morning. I didn’t know you could cook.”
“Well, you might want to reserve judgement until after you’ve eaten.” Katniss said, moving out of Johanna’s grip to plate up the food; Johanna took her plate and followed Katniss to the table.
“Is there any particular reason you’re up so early?” Johanna asked once she’d finished her breakfast.
“I wanted to show you the forest.” Katniss said, looking almost shy.
“We do have trees in Seven you know.” Johanna looked at Katniss and felt her heart beat faster as she saw met the younger girl’s eyes. Johanna got up from her seat and moved over to where Katniss was, cupping her hand around Katniss’s neck and tilting her head so Johanna could bring their lips together in a slow kiss. “I would like to see where you learnt to shoot your bow like that though.” Johanna said to a breathless Katniss, her fingers circling patterns on the exposed skin on Katniss’s neck. Katniss looked at Johanna starry eyed and tugged her closer for another kiss before breaking contact and smiling at Johanna as the two got ready for the walk to the forest.
Katniss and Johanna made their way towards the forest, Katniss kept lookout for Johanna and held the broken fence for her to slip through before she came through herself, Johanna smiled at the act, now Katniss was a victor it was unlikely the peacekeepers would care if she was found outside the boundary of Twelve. Not if she was with Peeta at any rate, she reminded herself, if it those two were ever found slipping off for some time together they’d probably hold a press conference and argue over rights to their wedding. Johanna shuddered at the thought, at least Katniss and Peeta had been given separate houses in victor’s village and they had both been using their parent’s disapproval over their young ages as a reason they weren’t living together. Although Johanna had to admit that excuse was wearing thin, even in the Capitol, old enough to die but not to live together? It wouldn’t be long before the Capitol demanded something more from them, or Haymitch suggested they step up their game. Johanna’s stomach clenched at the thought, she had to make sure she and Katniss were in this together, that the younger girl still didn’t have the idea that she had to play a role for the benefit of other people.
Once Katniss had taken Johanna a little way into the trees Katniss stopped dead, she hears something Johanna misses and veers off to the side. Johanna follows and they come across a dark haired boy Johanna had seen in some of the early footage about Katniss before she was in the Arena. The dark haired boy smiles at Katniss and ignored Johanna.
“So this is your cousin is he Katniss?" Johanna stressed the word the Capitol had branded the brooding boy as, interrupting the scene before her; Gale turned his gaze from Katniss to glare at Johanna.
"Another victor? I am honoured." Gale deadpans, "Twelve seems to be the place everyone wants to be these days." He holds his hand out for Johanna to shake and once they do he tightens his grip, Johanna returns his hold and the two scowl at each other while Katniss looks on, seemingly oblivious.
“Were you going hunting Katnip?” Gale said turning his attention back to Katniss, Johanna stiffens at the nickname falling from Gale’s mouth. “I’d have thought you’d have more than enough to eat now you’re living in those fancy houses in victor’s village.”
“I just wanted to show Johanna this place.”
“I would help, only I don’t have much time to be out here anymore.” Gale said staring up at the sunlight dappled through the branches. “I’m working in the mines now, I thought it best to have a job that’s guaranteed to put food on the table to feed my brothers, to make sure Prim and your mom had food.”
“Well she’s back now so you don’t have to.” Johanna said enraged at the manipulative way he had told Katniss what he was doing.
“I’m sorry Gale.” Katniss looked guilty and upset and Johanna was furious at the boy for making her feel like she owed him anything.
“Don’t worry about it Katnip, maybe I’ll be able to see you some more now you’re back. If you’re not too busy with your new Capitol friends.” Gale said glancing at Johanna who blanched at being called a Capitol citizen.
Johanna glared at Gale who nodded at Katniss, ignoring Johanna as he started back towards Twelve leaving Johanna and Katniss to continue on their walk through the woods. Once Johanna was able to focus on something other than what Gale had said Johanna starts to notice their surroundings, the trees so different from the trees in Seven, these haven’t ever seen an axe and they wouldn’t be able to get the lumber back to the district even if they did fell one with how close together everything was. But it was peaceful, it had the same soothing quality she had always enjoyed about Seven, and it was so quiet. Far away from the eyes of anyone at Twelve, or the Capitol. Johanna felt a weight lift from her shoulders and she watched the younger girl as she navigated the place she had spent most of her time, the place that had given her the skills to survive the Arena.
Johanna noticed that while for the most part Katniss seemed comfortable moving between the trees, walking soundlessly among the debris on the floor with the kind of effortless grace most people could never hope to accomplish sometimes she would suddenly start or flinch away. Sometimes from a shadow moving behind a tree or the sound of a branch creaking. After Katniss shied away from a bird as it flew out from a bush Johanna closed the distance between the two of them and grabbed Katniss’s hand, lacing their fingers together. Katniss squeezed the hand seemingly on reflex as the bird passed over the two of them, crying out in alarm as it went, then the younger girl seemed to come back to herself and looked down at Johanna’s hand in hers in surprise. Johanna watched Katniss’s face as she looked at the hands and tugged her over to a small clearing pulling the girl down onto the floor with her. The two sat in companionable silence for a while before Katniss started speaking.
“It’s not all the time.” Katniss says quietly. “Just… sometimes the memories come back when I don’t expect them. This always used to be my favourite place and now when I’m here I can’t help but think of the Arena, of what I did there. Of everyone who went in and didn’t come out.”
“That wasn’t your fault.”
“I know they all weren’t, and some were accidents, like Foxface, and Cato, he would have killed me and Peeta if he could, and the mutts had him I just gave him a clean end... but Marvel… He killed Rue. And the worst thing is I don’t feel guilty for killing him. So what does that make me?” Katniss was staring off into the woods, lost in her own private viewing of the 74th Games.
“I’m not going to tell you everything will be all right, because it won’t. There’s not some magical cure, or set amount of time before you can look back at it all without ever feeling the burn. It will get better though.” Johanna reaches over and brushes the hair away from Katniss’s face, pulling the younger girl’s gaze back to her. “And we’re not like Peeta, he was too good to win in the Arena, he didn’t think he would win, he just wanted you to live. And you shouldn’t feel guilty about that because you survived, and you brought him out too. Everything else we lay on the Capitol.” Johanna said firmly.
Johanna reached out and held Katniss’s hand, who smiled softly at the touch but remained looking into the distance, Johanna could tell her mind was still on what happened in the Arena. Johanna was content to sit there with the girl, making sure she knew there was someone to come back to after the memories of the Arena faded. She absently stroked the side of Katniss’s hand with her thumb and relaxed in the quiet of Twelve’s forest. After a time Katniss stirred and seemed ready to move on from the memories of the Arena, Johanna took a deep breath and steeled herself to ask the question she had been mulling over in her mind for weeks now, apprehensive of what Katniss’s reaction might be.
"So remember a lifetime ago, before you went into the Arena, when you said we'd talk after the Games then when we kind of came to an arrangement, I thought at least, after Caesar’s interview, but then you had the idea you had to play Juliette to bread boys Romeo? Well I was wondering if now would be a good time to, just, lay it all out there I guess? I mean, as much as I love this whole hot and cold thing we have going on it would be nice to just, you know...” Johanna paused, her heart beating rapidly after her rushed speech and looked at Katniss who was focusing on anywhere other than Johanna.
“An arrangement?” Katniss asks dryly, scraping at the ground with an arrowhead in an attempt to distract from her obvious discomfort of the situation.
"Katniss." Johanna says softly as she turns to face the younger girl.
"Why do you do that?" Katniss sighs out frustrated.
"Do what?" Johanna asks confused.
"Everyone tells me you're so hard and unfeeling and whenever you're interviewed you're just a ball of sarcasm and vitriol and I can handle you being like that. But then you look at me and everything about you softens."
"You're the only one I trust."
"You hardly know me." Katniss replies sceptically.
"That's not true." Johanna keeps Katniss's gaze "Tell me this isn't the same for you? Your name is branded onto my skin Katniss, you’re my soulmate.”
"Johanna..." Katniss trailed off, breaking eye contact with the older girl.
"Just admit it, I know you are, if you weren't you would have been quick to tell me during the Games." Johanna pulls Katniss’s gaze back to her and stares into her eyes, daring her to make another excuse, or to lie about what they both knew was true.
Katniss stared at Johanna for what seems like forever, Johanna gets lost in her gaze and only realises Katniss is lifting up her shirt with one hand when the other grabs onto Johanna’s hand clutching it tightly. Johanna's eyes dropped to the smooth expanse of skin being revealed and grinned when she saw the beginnings of Katniss’s soulmark. Johanna traced the fingers of her free hand gently over the name etched into Katniss’s skin.
"You’re mine." Johanna breathed out, her voice choked with emotion. Katniss laughs and she sounds free for the first time since she volunteered for the games, Johanna’s heart flutters in her chest
"I think if anything you're mine." Katniss teased back.
Katniss leaned into Johanna, pulling her closer by their joined hands. They met in a soft kiss that quickly gained heat and passion. Johanna’s fingers were still stroking the skin above Katniss’s soulmark, tracing invisible patterns there.
"I remember watching your games." Katniss said when she pulled back from Johanna.
"Oh?" Johanna was reluctant to let the younger girl go and tried to pull her back to her body. Katniss smiled at her and kissed her jaw holding Johanna’s hand in her own to keep them connected.
"I didn't think you'd survive." Katniss said, all trace of levity gone from her voice. Johanna looked at her and saw the pain in her eyes. "My soulmark had only come in the year before your Games and I hated it. Not only was it a signal that I could be sent away from my family to be in the Games but I couldn't stand the thought of losing anyone else. Of caring about anyone enough to let it hurt when they died. I'd already lost my father, he died when I was eleven and I had to work so hard at keeping my family together. And then you were reaped, and you were so small."
“I was 17! Older than you were when you volunteered.” Johanna exclaimed in feigned outrage.
“You’re still small now.” Katniss grinned at the older girl and muffled a cry as Johanna attempted to tickle her sides. Katniss pushes Johanna off of her and attempts to get her breath back, watching Johanna with shining eyes.
"I didn't think you'd survive either" Johanna's grin quickly slides from her face and her eyes become haunted. "I know what it's like Katniss. I know what it's like to lose the people you love. And I didn't want to care for you but I couldn't help myself. I love you, you're mine and I'm yours. And if the Capitol try to separate is again I'll kill Snow myself."
"For a moment there you were so sweet, and then you had to threaten to kill someone." Katniss smiles softly at her.
"Get used to it baby." Johanna pulls Katniss in for another kiss but Katniss puts a hand on her chest stopping her Johanna looks at her confused.
"Baby?" Katniss says with distaste.
"Honey? Love muffin? Snookums?" Johanna offers, grinning at her. Katniss rolls her eyes and pulls Johanna towards her by her shirt. "Sweet potato." Johanna gets out her grin stretching across her face. Katniss slaps her arm and tries to get up but Johanna holds on to her and crushes their mouths together, Katniss instantly relaxes at the contact and melts into Johanna.
They sit together under the trees, leaning against each other and occasionally turning to kiss the other’s lips or cheek until Katniss sighs and extricates herself from Johanna’s grasp. Johanna stares at her once Katniss gets up and the younger girl holds out a hand to Johanna who grabs it with a smile and the two slowly walk back to Twelve.