Title: Slipping Through My Fingers
Fandom: The Hunger Games
Rating: PG
Length: 453 words
Content notes: Basically adorable fluffy future!fic/kid!fic.
Author notes: Haymitch/Katniss and their son (who I've named Emery), also some Peeta/unnamed character and their daughter.
Summary: Emery's first day of school.



“Are you sure he has to go?” Haymitch asks, helping Emery into a shoe.

“Yes, for the thousandth time, he has to go.” I respond, but I can’t bring myself to be that annoyed. It’s endearing, really, how attached he is to our son.

“What do you think, buddy? Do you want to go to school, or would you rather stay here with your dad?” Haymitch asks Emery, crouched down to his level.

“I wanna go to school!” Emery slides off the couch and runs over to me. He tugs on my shirt and orders, “Mama, tell dada I wanna go to school!”

“He wants to go to school, Haymitch.” I tell my husband obediently, looking from Emery to Haymitch.

“Aw.” Haymitch puts on a mock frown. “He doesn’t love me anymore!”

Emery offers a hand to Haymitch and solemnly tells him, “If it’s scary you can hold my hand.”

“Why thank you very much.” Haymitch tells him, taking it and leaning over him to kiss me.

“Ew!” Emery remarks, wrinkling his nose. “Gross.”

I indulge Haymitch a moment longer before pulling away and opening the door. I take a few steps outside and look back at Haymitch and Emery, who haven’t moved. “Are you two coming?”

“Right behind you, sweetheart.” Haymitch lets Emery lead him out the door, pulling it shut behind him.

On the way to the school, only a few blocks away, we join up with Peeta and his daughter, Jessamine. It’s her second year of school, and she’s spent a lot of time telling Emery about it, getting him excited to go.

Jessamine and Emery spend the rest of the walk talking excitedly about school, Haymitch and Peeta occasionally chipping in on the conversation. Emery has a moment of anxiety when we get to the doors and clings to Haymitch, then to me. “I don’t wanna go, I changed my mind!”

I set him down. “It’ll be fine, Jessamine will be there the whole time, you’ll have fun, we’ll be back to pick you up this afternoon.”

We watch Jessamine take Emery's hand and drag him away into the building, and I’m amazed I’ve come this far, amazed everything’s come this far.

“He’s gonna be okay, right?” Haymitch asks me, reaching for my hand. I squeeze his hand reassuringly.

“He’s gonna be fine. And I don’t care what Peeta was or wasn’t allowed to do, you’re not actually going to sit outside the school the whole day. We’re going home now.”

It takes him a minute but eventually he turns away from the school. It really is amazing, how devoted his is to Emery. He tells me I’m a good parent, but I’m nowhere near as good as him.