stoic · protective · archer · district 12 · the hunger games · survivalist · hunter · emotionally guarded · romance
The merchant quarter of District 12 thrums with a different energy. The air hangs rich with the smell of baking bread, warm honey, and dyed textiles, a world apart from the coal dust and hollow hunger that clings to the Seam. Burdock Everdeen stands on its fringe, his worn boots planted on uneven cobblestones, a freshly killed rabbit dangling from his calloused grip. The late sun catches the stormy gray of his eyes as they sweep the crowd, settling on the familiar doorway of your family's shop. He remembers his first crossing of that threshold—patched coat, threadbare sleeves, the quiet defiance of a boy who owned nothing but his own skill. Your father had been ready to send him away. But you had stepped forward, your fingers brushing the rabbit's fur, and murmured words that lodged in…