So Fucking Irritated With The Narrative Of “two Men Can Be Close Platonic Friends Without Romantic

calling buddie shippers mlm fetishizers is crazy when we've been rooting for them, their friendship, and loving their trust in each other and their family dynamic with chris for 6 years. if anything... you know what, I'm gonna stay quiet 🤐

Jaytim arranged marriage? :3c

Tim wakes up in the most comfortable bed he's ever been in, feeling the most well-rested he has in months. It's the first sign that something is very, deeply wrong.

Something is wrong because last night he went to sleep in the batcave's medbay to the sound of a heart monitor, and the sheets around him are definitely not the sterilized hospital grade ones he'd internally griped about. 

He keeps his breathing even and continues to feign sleep as he tries to take in as much information for his surroundings as possible. One- most immediately notable, his side doesn't hurt- which narrowed down the list of abductors to ones with healing magic. Two- whatever fabric he was dressed in was easily the finest he'd ever touched- which definitely narrowed it down further. Three- he's pretty sure he wasn't drugged. His mouth isn't dry, his head doesn't hurt, and he certainly didn't feel any disconnect from his senses or body. So. Likely not drugged. And finally- probably most importantly- there was a source of warmth beside him. 

No- most importantly is that the source of that warmth definitely has arms, because they are wrapped around him. 

He takes a slow, deep breath. If he opens his eyes and sees green and gold he is going to freak out. Seriously. He'd been studying how to actually permanently kill the bastard, if this ever came to pass- and sure, he didn't have any weapons on him- but he was creative. And patient. And has no fewer than four friends who would launch his remains into space if he asks. 

He gathers his courage with this in mind and cracks open his eyes, immediately going lax at the sight of fine pink linens and ornately carved marble. The style alone is definitely not Ra's.

The person at his back makes a grumbling noise and he freezes again- right. Just because it wasn't Ra's didn't mean this was a good situation. 

Carefully, slowly, he shifts in place on the bed and takes a peek. 

Oh, it’s just Jason. He relaxes into the hold the sleeping man has on him, shifting to lie on his back. Jason looks young when he’s asleep, every sign of tension usually on his face melted away. Tim touches his jaw, lightly, tracing along the bone with his fingertips. He’s greeted with the fluttering of dark lashes and bright teal eyes opening to meet his. Jason tenses, too- then immediately relaxes when he recognizes him. 

“Tim?” He murmurs, sounding half asleep still. It doesn’t stop him from tugging him closer, his own hand raising to cup his cheek as he stares down at him. 

Tim simply hums in affirmation, going easily and pressing a soft kiss to the corner of his mouth. It feels good- right, actually- the scrape of stubble against his lips electrifying. Jason tilts to bring their lips together, hand sliding around his back to slip into his hair. 

Some part of him recognizes, even as his lips open in a silent invitation, that this shouldn’t be happening. He was- right, he was in the infirmary because he got stabbed not forty eight hours ago- definitely not in what had to be the fanciest honeymoon suite in Vegas or wherever they were. 

Jason’s tongue flicks across his lower lip before his teeth press into the plush flesh, and Tim briefly forgets the larger issue with his last thought. Jason’s good at kissing- gentler than he would’ve thought, if he’d ever given it any before- 

Right.. Another issue with what was happening was that he hasn’t ever given this any thought.

They don’t know where they are. 

And he’s in bed with Jason fucking Todd. 

And he has no idea how that happened or how either of them ended up wherever this was. 

He pulls back, wrenching himself from his arms and rushing to get out of the bed with an urgency that’s got him tumbling off of the thing and landing on the cold marble floor, but-

“What the fuck?!”  

"I was gonna ask you that." Tim says as he scrambles to his feet, grabbing the fine sheet when he realizes he's totally naked- 

Which only makes it clear that it was mutual, oh god. He covers his eyes with his hand and hopes his face isn't turning the same color as the sheet he's clutching around himself. 

“Where the fuck are we?" Jason sounds as lost as he is, which- 

Okay, yeah. He knows Jason's not the kind of guy to kidnap anyone for this purpose, so. That makes sense. It also does not help him figure out what's going on. 

When he cracks an eye open, Jason has a pillow placed over his lap and is looking as embarrassed and confused as he feels. It makes it marginally easier to drop his hand and start to talk.

"Yep, and no, I don't remember how we got here or where here is-" and on that note, he turns to survey the room. "And I have no clue why I woke up being the little spoon." 

"Size disadvantage, probably." Jason immediately takes the bait. So- good, he's not freaking out too bad if he's still going for the low hanging fruit. Tim wishes he could say the same.

"Hilarious." Tim shoots back dryly before returning to look at the walls. Maybe there was some kind of clue he could find on the what and the who  of this whole mess- waking up with Jason holding him and immediately thinking it was fine to go in for a kiss has him wary of the why for the moment. 

It's all finely carved marble, immaculate to the point of gleaming. The entire chamber looks like it was carved by a single piece- the columns, the floor, the ceiling-

"Hmm," Tim murmurs, paying entirely too much attention to the features on the columns in the room around them as he hears Jason shift behind him. "These are Corinthian in style, but I've never seen it done so seamlessly." He reaches out, running a hand over the transition from column to floor and can't even feel a seam.

"Incredible." He breathes. He wishes he had a camera- Cassie might have more insight on this place. Dr. Sandsmark would probably kill to see a place like this in all its glory. 

"Still doesn't fuckin' explain why we woke up naked together in a bed-" 

"Yeah, see, I'm trying to go for the possible part to solve, here." Tim mutters, "like where to find clothes, if we somehow ended up on Themyscira or something without being murdered. How to get out." 

"Though," Tim adds before Jason can open his mouth to butt in, "pretty sure even Themyscira wasn't carved out of a single piece of marble." He stands up from his crouch and turns to look at Jason again. The man has grabbed the bottom sheet and fashioned it around himself in a facsimile of a toga. 

"So, conclusion- you have no idea where we are." Jason sounds about as thrilled as he is by the prospect. 

"We have no idea where we are.” Tim corrects with a smile, “and there are no clothes set out and no immediately obvious doors. So." Tim sets out to fashion his own robe out of the sheet he had, noticing that Jason takes a turn to lift his gaze far and away from him as he does so. He appreciates the courtesy.

"You thinking magic?" Jason, once they are both as dressed as it was apparent they are going to be able to get, asks.

"Pretty high level stuff to even make this room, but- maybe? Come see if you recognize any of the inscriptions in here-" Tim waves him over to look at the intricately carved marble. 

"Huh," Jason scans the scenes carved around them- intricate battles and tender love scenes, violence and passion in equal measure. "This looks like it's from one of the epics. Haven't read that shit in years, but- this scene looks familiar." 

Tim blinks up at it and wishes, again, he'd listened better to either his parents' speculation about the classics or Cassie's wild stories about the pantheon she heard second and third hand from the Amazons. The woman is beautiful, chiton gown pulled up to her knees as she sits beside the bank of a river, holding a man in her arms. Her face is the picture of sorrow as she stares down at him during his last moments, if the blood seeping into the ground beside him the sculptor put in is any indication. 

"This is familiar." Tim agrees, eyes tracing the trail of blood as it gives way to blooms of wildflowers. Cassie was gonna give him so much shit for not knowing this. 

Or she would, if he ever told her about this. He has absolutely no intention of doing so.

He turns away, instead moving to inspect the bed. There were no seams there either, and the pedestal upon which that insanely comfortable mattress rested was also carved from the same source. 

It also has symbols carved into it, and one in particular had some things clicking in place for him. The pinks and reds that composed of the fine fabrics in the room- the gleaming white marble, polished and nearly pearlescent in the light, Corinthian style columns. the carved roses and seashells full of pearls-

"Aphrodite," he breathes, stepping back from the bed as if he'd discovered it was made of asbestos, "Jason- we woke up on an altar of Aphrodite." 

"Oh, shit. Then that's Adonis-" Jason snaps his fingers and points at the dying man carved into the wall, startling when the whole thing seems to split at a seam that definitely wasn't there and a woman walks in. 

"What are you two doing?" She doesn't waste time with niceties, the beautiful- and he's suspecting literal- goddess simply purses her perfect lips into a pout and stares at them. 

It hurts to look at her directly for too long, her beauty radiant in what might be a very literal sense. Her hair falls in a perfect cascade of waves and her eyes have the magnetism of a black hole- inevitable and endless. She is every inch the pure definition of beauty, turned up to a degree that simply made it undeniable that she was anything but a deity. 

Fear is not an improper response to being in her presence. Hopefully. Because Tim, well- this is scary. 

"You two awakened together upon the altar of Aphrodite- in my temple in Mount Olympus- and this is how you choose to use such a boon? Have the mortals gotten so blind to us as to have forgotten the meaning of our blessings?" She sounds disappointed and confused, and Tim very much wishes to fix that asap. How, is the question. Which- okay, he woke up naked on a bed with Jason Todd wrapped around him. He's pretty sure he knows the answer. How else is probably a better question.

Wasn't she supposed to be good at this? She's the goddess of love, right? How could she mess it up this much? 

"Uh," Tim says instead of any of that, shooting Jason a bewildered look. Were they supposed to wake up naked together and just go with it? "I'm so sorry, your Goddessness-" ugh, he really should've paid better attention when Cassie complained about the myriad and convoluted structure that was the pantheon and how they liked to be addressed- didn't they just turn people into swans when they angered them? Oh god- gods, whoops- between his and Jason's mouth they are definitely not getting out of here without one of them getting cursed. 

"But we're not lovers." Which feels ludicrous to even have to explain, much less to a literal goddess, but. This is apparently what his life has come to. He'll still take this over Ra's.

She shoots him an exasperated look, turning her gaze to Jason soon after. "I am aware of your history, mortals. As you seem to be- albeit somewhat- aware of mine." 

"Sure. But if you know ours then you've gotta know it's not a good history. No kinda foundation for whatever this is." Jason says, because apparently he can't stop being contrarian for one second to flatter a God that could curse them. Or- smite them, the right phrase was smite when done by a god, right?. 

They were totally gonna get smote. 

"New life blooms after the earth is scorched in flame, no matter how hot the fire." She answers easily, as if that solved everything. And- okay, she was a member of the pantheon, maybe it was that easy for them. Or maybe she couldn't admit when she made a mistake- she was a member of the pantheon, after all. 

"But it- it takes time and-" Tim realizes he's the one arguing now, looking at Jason instead of her with wide eyes. There is guilt there, on his face as he looks back at him and he has to turn his gaze back to the deity, her painful beauty less intense than the ache Jason's expression causes. "We haven't had nearly enough to be- to even be friends." 

In all honesty, he's pretty sure Jason still hates him. Sure, he'd slowly allowed the Bats to reach out without it ending literally explosively, but-

Jason avoided him pretty much all the time, and when they were forced together he was both prickly and quiet in a way he wasn't with the others. And look, Tim gets it- but he doesn't have to like that Jason still resents him for something he's not sorry for doing. It's the literal definition of an impasse. And a terrible foundation for much of anything beyond a begrudgingly allyship. 

"My husband is the god of war, I know how close mere passion and true love lie in the hearts of men." She waves her hand dismissively, "what you both feel for one another is certainly not neutrality, nor is it as far from love as you may believe." 

"So what?" Jason says with a glare, apparently eager to step into first place running for being smote. "You did this because you see potential here? Where does what we want factor into this?" 

It doesn't hurt, the acknowledgement that Jason would literally rather taunt a god into finding out what her specific brand of wrath looks like than even think of this as possible. Tim happens to share the sentiment, so it'd be really dumb to get his feelings hurt over the idea. 

Aphrodite regards Jason with an arched brow, somehow both radiating amusement and annoyance in the silent gesture. 

"You're being cruel, sister. That's my job." A thin woman interrupts as she saunters in the room, body wrapped in tight, tattered black fabric and head shaved. She's heavily ringed her eyes in kohl and is wearing an eternal smirk. 

Tim does recognize her almost immediately- the sheer amount of weird plots she's been linked to made it impossible not to. 

"Eris." He acknowledges with a neutral expression.  They were so, so, so utterly screwed. 

She sends him a grin that looks almost entirely like a sneer. "Dear sister, don't you think you should tell them why you believe in them so fiercely?" Eris continues as if he hadn't addressed her, looking over at her sister with that same smirk. 

"You know, Eris-" Aphrodite starts, looking between both of them with a slowly growing smile, "now that I've seen them together, I think this is going to be easier than you thought." 

Eris scowled, waving her hand between them to illustrate her point. "They woke up and immediately tried to escape this as if it were a trap. You're going to lose, sister. Best you accept it now." 

"I suppose we will see," Aphrodite answers easily, "much can change in a month, sister. You of all people should understand that." 

Tim balks, "lose?" He looks between the three entities in the room, horror dawning on his face. "Is this some game?" 

"Wait- and what's at the end of the month?" Jason pipes up as well, suspicion lining his features. 

"Why, your wedding, of course." Aphrodite answers. 

"Our-" Jason begins to sputter, eyes widening to saucers. Tim steps back, sitting heavily on the impossibly comfortable bed. 

"Yes," Aphrodite interrupts, looking between the both of them with a sternness her features have a difficult time pulling off. "I have not blessed a pair of mortals in quite some time, and we will celebrate the success of your anointed love in one month's time with the assembled gods of Mount Olympus-" 

"-or watch my dear sister crash and burn," Eris chimes in with a slightly manic glee, "and have to admit some things are impossible even to her." 

"-or I will be displeased with my chosen mortals." Aphrodite finishes the threat with a winning smile, gliding over Eris' interruption with ease. 

"So- let me get this straight," Jason starts, fingers rubbing at his temples as he does, "you abducted us, put us here together, and have chosen us for one another- to prove you can make even people who hate each other fall in love-" 

"-in a month's time-" Tim adds, resisting the urge to flop back on the bed and stare at the ceiling until his bones crumble to dust. 

"-after which we will be kidnapped again to get married-" 

"-if you can truthfully say you love one another." Eris added, sing-songy tone clearly indicating her thoughts on the odds of that happening, "those are the terms." 

"What if we can't?" Tim asks- blurts, really- because this was absolutely insane. He couldn't- with Jason in a month? 

"Then Eris will have six months to affect my domain without my interference." Aphrodite admits, staring hard at the both of them. 

Calling a god an idiot would be a mistake- Tim knows this, that these powerful beings are as temperamental as any human who grows up rarely hearing the word no, but- 

God, they were totally gonna lose. They were gonna lose and their entire world was going to be thrown into romantic chaos akin to what they were currently dealing with. 

"You've gotta be fuckin-" 

"-what do you get if you win?" Tim interrupts, shooting Jason what is probably a panicked look. 

"Eris must remove herself and her influence from the earthly plane for a year." Aphrodite grins, "her price for getting to choose the mortals I must bestow this gift upon." 

A year without strife. Huh. Tim looks Jason's way, who's fallen silent with a huge scowl on his features. 

Tim opens his mouth. Closes it. Sighs. He doesn't really know what to say, honestly. It's rare that there isn't something coming to him to say, even if it's incredibly stupid and deserves to stay in his brain where it belongs. 

"We will leave you two alone to discuss," Eris says, looping her arm around her sister's with the most smug grin. 

"You will be here until someone on your plane notices your absence," Aphrodite says, as if she's being gracious for roping them into this whole thing over ego. 

They leave as swiftly as they came, the room sealing itself off and the marble smoothing out any trace of their passage. 

Tim crawls into the bed, and, upon reaching a pillow, covers his face and screams into it. 

What the fuck were they supposed to do, now? 

Steph: Come on Dami, tell us who's your favorite sibling

Tim: Me. Obviously

Damian: Do you have a concussion right now, or has your caffeine habit finally caused brain damage?

Duke: Yeah unless you all were pulling my leg, Damian tried, and nearly succeeded, to kill you multiple times

Tim: Let me explain-

Damian: This ought to be good

Tim: When I started being Robin, Dick barely talked to me and now he calls me multiple times a week and we go train surfing once a month

Dick: Sorry about that. I was kinda going through....a lot

Tim: No problem. Then Jason damn near killed me and he says I'm his favorite brother. We play Smash Brothers and talk shit about you guys all the time

Steph: It's true, I've been over there a few times. There's also cake and plotting against our enemies

Tim: So I fully expect that Damian either will, or currently does, like me the best. After the second murder attempt I knew I was going to be his best man if he gets married

Damian: Oh No

Dick: What?

Damian: I just thought about it and if I had to pick a best man, it'd be a tie between you and Drake!

Tim: Just accept it. The more you try to hate me, the more you'll love me

i’m just saying if you could choose between the first queer interracial slow burn best friends to lovers storyline on network television that deals with religious guilt, ptsd, internalized homophobia, and coming out later in life while working a stereotypical macho man job or two white men kissing for the millionth time why would you not choose the first one

YOU ARE NOT GOING TO CALL OLI BIPHOBIC BC HE SAID THAT NOW THAT BUCK IS SINGLE HE WANTS HIM TO FUCK AROUND, DO YOU EXPECT BUCK TO BE CELIBATE? LMAO

the fun thing about eddie diaz is that i can make any of his storylines gay and i don't even have to try that hard. marrying his first girlfriend because he got her pregnant and the church says it's the right thing to do? gay. being in the army? gay. repression? gay. obviously. moving to LA? gay. he's from texas. what cishet texan is going to california? exactly. none. gay. never emotionally committing to women? gay. strained relationship with his parents who had expectations for him he's never going to meet? gay. growing up going to catholic school? so deeply gay in so many ways. wanting to feel normal again? this one was actually just trauma. perhaps a little gay though. having cardiac issues because someone assumed his longterm girlfriend was his wife? just start saying slurs at that point. gay. co parenting with another man? gay. not actually being with him? somehow gayer......pining and yearning are famously known for being homosexual emotions. don't even get me started on feeling like he has to perform on dates. homosexual behavior eddie diaz. fork found in kitchen some might say. fruit found in fruit bowl? whatever

I cannot believe after that episode people are like: “I love this Buck and Tommy storyline” “I’m glad Buck denied having feelings for Eddie, they’re better as friends”

Did literally no one pay actual attention? We’ve made progress but still feels like we’re in the same place.

KATNISS AND PEETA’S OUTFITS: BOOK ONE

I started this series with “interview before the games” and finished book one’s outfits with “interview after the games” (let’s say that was intentional). When I started (that was September 2020) I was sure I would finish this series very quickly. Lol. I still nowhere near the end. But at least “Hunger Games” is done! That was painful to look at my first illustrations (some of them I had to redraw completely) and I needed to make it look like a series so I fixed some things. I tried to do this “fixing” not very dramatic at some cases (like the first interview one, which I still kinda like, but I completely changed the way I draw Peeta since then so I didn’t know what to do with him lol) but hell, sometimes I thought it was easier to redraw everything. And I think I would have done if I wasn’t so lazy and always tired and I actually really want to draw new stuff. So here it is, all at once. All the (described at least in one word) Everlark Outfits from the first book!

THE REAPING

To my surprise, my mother has laid out one of her own lovely dresses for me. A soft blue thing with matching shoes. <...> “Of course. Let’s put your hair up, too,” she says. I let her towel-dry it and braid it up on my head. <...> the elaborate braided hair my mother did for the reaping <...> silky braids. / chapter 1 /// We know nothing about Peeta’s clothes. But I assume it should be something like this. Casual. Classic. Light brown/beige.

THE TRAIN

I peel off my mother’s blue dress and take a hot shower. I’ve never had a shower before. It’s like being in a summer rain, only warmer. I dress in a dark green shirt and pants. At the last minute, I remember Madge’s little gold pin. For the first time, I get a good look at it. It’s as if someone fashioned a small golden bird and then attached a ring around it. The bird is connected to the ring only by its wing tips. I suddenly recognize it. A mocking jay. <…> I fasten the pin onto my shirt, and with the dark green fabric as a background, I can almost imagine the mockingjay flying through the trees. <…> I put the green outfit back on since it’s not really dirty, just slightly crumpled from spending the night on the floor. <…> I slept in the elaborate braided hair my mother did for the reaping and it doesn’t look too bad, so I just leave it up. / chapter 3 /// Again we know nothing about Peeta’s outfit, but. But ok, it must be something casual and comfortable soooo… sweatpants?

THE OPENING CEREMONY

I am dressed in what will either be the most sensational or the deadliest costume in the opening ceremonies. I’m in a simple black unitard that covers me from ankle to neck. Shiny leather boots lace up to my knees. But it’s the fluttering cape made of streams of orange, yellow, and red and the matching headpiece that define this costume. Cinna plans to light them on fire just before our chariot rolls into the streets. <…> My face is relatively clear of makeup, just a bit of highlighting here and there. My hair has been brushed out and then braided down my back in my usual style. <…> Despite this morning’s revelation about Peeta’s character, I’m actually relieved when he shows up, dressed in an identical costume. / chapter 5

TRAINING

When I’m dried and moisturized with lotion, I find an outfit has been left for me at the front of the closet. Tight black pants, a long-sleeved burgundy tunic, and leather shoes. I put my hair in the single braid down my back. This is the first time since the morning of the reaping that I resemble myself. No fancy hair and clothes, no flaming capes. Just me. Looking like I could be headed for the woods. It calms me. <...> Haymitch and Peeta come in, bid me good morning, fill their plates. It makes me irritated that Peeta is wearing exactly the same outfit I am. I need to say something to Cinna. This twins act is going to blow up in out faces once the Games begin. <...> “One last thing. In public, I want you by each other’s side every minute,” says Haymitch. We both start to object, but Haymitch slams his hand on the table. “Every minute! It’s not open for discussion! You agreed to do as I said! You will be together, you will appear amiable to each other. Now get out. Meet Effie at the elevator at ten for training.” <...> The other tributes are gathered in a tense circle. They each have a cloth square with their district number on it pinned to their shirts. While someone pins the number 12 on my back, I do a quick assessment. Peeta and I are the only two dressed alike. / chapter 7 /// To be honest the previous version was a lot closer to book description (more tight pants and shoes obviously made from leather and here there are just leather sneakers), but hell, Cinna, Portia, what was wrong with you when you’ve created training outfits? Tight pants? For sword training?! Long sleeve? It’s damn July!

INTERVIEW BEFORE THE GAMES

The team works on me until late afternoon, turning my skin to glowing satin, stenciling patterns on my arms, painting flame designs on my twenty perfect nails. Then Venia goes to work on my hair, weaving strands of red into a pattern that begins at my left ear, wraps around my head, and then falls in one braid down my right shoulder. They erase my face with a layer of pale makeup and draw my features back out. Huge dark eyes, full red lips, lashes that throw off bits of light when I blink. Finally, they cover my entire body in a powder that makes me shimmer in gold dust. <...> I can feel the silken inside as they slip it down over my naked body, then the weight. It must be forty pounds. I clutch Octavia’s hand as I blindly step into my shoes, glad to find they are at least two inches lower than the pair Effie had me practice in. <...> My dress is entirely covered in reflective precious gems, red and yellow and white with bits of blue that accent the tips of the flame design. The slightest movement gives the impression I am engulfed in tongues of fire. <...> The dress hangs in such a way that I don’t have to lift the skirt when I walk, leaving me with one less thing to worry about. <...> Peeta looks striking in a black suit with flame accents. While we look well together, it’s a relief not to be dressed identically. / chapter 9

ARENA

Cinna does my hair in my simple trademark braid down my back. Then the clothes arrive, the same for every tribute. Cinna has had no say in my outfit, does not even know what will be in the package, but he helps me dress in the undergarments, simple tawny pants, light green blouse, sturdy brown belt, and thin, hooded black jacket that falls to my thighs. “The material in the jacket’s designed to reflect body heat. Expect some cool nights,” he says. The boots, worn over skintight socks, are better than I could have hoped for. Soft leather not unlike my ones at home. These have a narrow flexible rubber sole with treads though. Good for running. I think I’m finished when Cinna pulls the gold mockingjay pin from his pocket. I had completely forgotten about it. [Katniss] + a bright orange backpack. + silver sheath of arrows and a bow, already strung [Peeta] + I agently unzip his jacket, unbutton his shirt and ease them off him. + I hand Peeta my knife, since whatever weapons he once had are long gone, and he slips it into his belt. / chapter 10 thank goodness this one was already redone lol

VICTORY CEREMONY

Cinna comes in with what appears to be an unassuming yellow dress across his arms. <…> slips it over my head. I immediately notice the padding over my breasts, adding curves that hunger has stolen from my body. <…> Venia helps me into a pair of flat leather sandals and I turn to the mirror. I am still the “girl on fire.” The sheer fabric softly glows. Even the slight movement in the air sends a ripple up my body. By comparison, the chariot costume seems garish, the interview dress too contrived. In this dress, I give the illusion of wearing candlelight. <…> My hair’s loose, held back by a simple hairband. The makeup rounds and fills out the sharp angles of my face. A clear polish coats my nails. The sleeveless dress is gathered at my ribs, not my waist, largely eliminating any help the padding would have given my figure. The hem falls just to my knees. <…> He looks so clean and healthy and beautiful, I can hardly recognize him. But his smile is the same whether in mud or in the Capitol and when I see it, I take about three steps and fling myself into his arms. He staggers back, almost losing his balance, and that’s when I realize the slim, metal contraption in his hand is some kind of cane. <…> His shirt is made of the same yellow material as my dress, but Portia’s put him in long black pants. No sandals, either, but a pair of sturdy black boots he keeps solidly planted on the stage. / chapter 27

INTERVIEW AFTER THE GAMES

When Cinna comes in, he shoos them [prep team] out and dresses me in a white, gauzy dress and pink shoes. Then he personally adjusts my makeup until I seem to radiate a soft, rosy glow. <…> Then Peeta’s there looking handsome in red and white, pulling me off to the side. / chapter 27