The Hunger Games & The Underland Chronicles (Suzanne Collins' Books)

[PaperThings]

A/N So, I love Suzanne Collins' writing to death . Both The Underland Chronicles and The Hunger Games are two of my favorite series, and I thought, rather than starting two threads in one night, I would make one massive thread of drabbles/short stories for all of her books. Yayness?

I have to make a massive warning though: SPOILERS. For both series. Especially since I just finished Mockingjay .

Drabble 1. (The Hunger Games, Gale and Katniss, Gale sneezing, M/Human, Katniss's point of view, Pre-books, No spoilers)

I think that maybe he's begun to trust me. We've hunted together almost the entire year, and I think he finally understands that I know a few tricks of my own. Not as many as he does, not as well, but I'm learning.

Like most days, we don't talk. We stand back to back, my shoulders squarely below his. It's a windy day for 12, and I start to wish I'd brought something heavier when there's a rustle behind me. Gale's catch. He doesn't have to tell me; I stay quiet and ready on the other side.

I feel rather than hear him shift towards it, graceful as if he's walking through water. For someone so tall, he is awfully agile. There's a long pause, and I assume he's setting the snare.

EHhCHUH!

I whip around in alarm, because that is hardly the sound of a squirrel. My eyes dip just in time to see the startled creature scurry away: a dinner lost. Turning to Gale, I am met with another surprise.

His face is not the handsome, sculpted image I've know this past year. His deep, Seam eyes are narrowed as if in concentration, the dark hairs of his brow nettled together. I pause, almost ask him what is the matter, and then see the olive skin around his lips begin to part. A pointer finger squashes the ripple of his elegant nose, his back bowing with the effort. "HEH-CHOO!

It is the first I have seen him in a moment less-than-perfect, but I somehow cannot help but feel cross. "Prim hasn't had a squirrel all week," I say, stubbornly sticking my chin in his direction. "Her ribs are showing again."

When he rubs his pink-edged nose, it's with a smile on his face. "Then let's find her one, Catnip." Begrudgingly, I follow him, trying to recall any herbs my mother may have known for colds.

Drabble 2. (The Underland Chronicles, Gregor and Ares, Gregor and Ares sneezing, M/Human and Non-human, Third Person, Set towards the end of Prophecy of Bane, Technically a moment that probably couldn't have happened, Some spoilers)

With each flap of Ares' wings, Gregor could feel his muscles stiffening with the overwhelming task at his feet. How long ago had they left Twitchtip? Where was she now? Had she gotten herself out of the Labyrinth?

Each flash of her broken nose and fever-burdened eyes brought another slice of pain to his gut. Still, it was better than thinking about the others. Aurora andTemp. Luxa. Boots. His baby sister, who he might never see again. His baby sister, who was so innocent... who he brought to Central Park, unknowingly endangering her.

But that's how he knew he was ready. To do this. To kill the Bane. They hadn't spoken for hours, both consumed with thoughts for their lost friends, so Gregor's fingers tightened on Ares' fur in surprise at the noise.

"Fffwwwsshht!" Ares' usual steadiness faltered a moment, and Gregor saw the spout of water hitting the Labyrinth floor. The sound echoed, and he winced.

"Um, was that - ?

"Eiffffssshhh! Wffsshhh!" Two more shots of... snot? water?... splattered the stones. Ares stopped flying a moment, and Gregor could feel the muscles tightening beneath his black pelt.

"Uh, you okay Ares?" He gave his bat an awkward pat.

"Yes, Overlander, I am fine. I merely sneezed. The water..." Gregor had barely noticed, but it was true. They were both soaked through, every strand of hair and fur coated with an icy sheen of water.

"Oh, okay. Bless you."

"Bless you?"

"Yeah," Gregor replied, almost sighing. "It's what we say in the Overland, when someone sneezes." He realized then that the Underlanders probably didn't have gods, and probably didn't know what "blessing" something meant. What did it mean in the Overland, anyway? If you weren't religious? He didn't know.

"Oh. In Regalia, it is unusual to say anything when one sneezes. I do not know about the other creatures' customs."

"Right," Gregor said. He didn't care in the slightest at this point, but focusing on something arbitrary seemed the way to go. He let himself mull it over a moment, dull-minded. "Wait, so like, is it a bad thing?" he asked, after a second. "To... say something about it?"

"It is not bad, but it is not done." Ares paused. "It is yet another difference between your world and mine." Oh yeah. Another one of those. They'd piled up so high - even if you ignored the major stuff, like giant talking BATS - that Gregor barely noticed anymore.

He was about to answer, say how he wasn't sure why people said 'bless you' but that some people said 'Gesundheit' and he was pretty sure that was German, when a weird feeling washed over him. The chill from the water seemed to seep through his pores, catch his head in sort of breathless lock. He realized too late what was happening, and drew his hands together to avoid spraying Ares fur.

The feeling lingered another moment, and then, with a relieving twitch of his eyes, let him go "Eshhhooo!" The sound echoed down the corridor, but no one came their way. He sighed in relief, and sniffled his running nose.

"Overlander... what was it you say when someone sneezes? In the Overland?"

"Bless you," Gregor replied, aggravatingly. He was suddenly far too cold, and huddled his body as closely as he could in Ares' fur.

"Bless you," Ares echoed, using much the same tone his bond had earlier.

In such a grim, sorrow-filled day, it almost brought a moment of laughter. Instead, Gregor gripped his sword tighter, somehow reminded of the heavy task at hand. "Thanks."

A/N: Just so you know, I don't share Gregor's stupidity about a couple of things he says . I was just trying to capture the way his narrative is written. Thanks for reading!

[obsessed]

I skipped the second [no spoilers! aha] but the first was lovely. <3

ADORE your writing. I'll have to read something of hers.

[PaperThings]

Aww, thank you . And you DO have to read something of hers. She's brilliant. Easily my favorite author. Her books are so readable!

[scarlett_ohara2]

Oooh, I am really excited about these!! I haven't read the Underland Chronicles, but I LOVE The Hunger Games. Hope to see more soon! (Peeta/Katniss maybe? )

[Strong_and_Wild]

-gasp- Hunger Games?! Yay yay yay!! I am so in love with those books, to absoulute Death. Thank you Thank you

[Always]

Underland <3 <3 <3

Very epic drabbles, hope to see more soon (:

[Ciuty80]

AWESOME!!!!

that was sooo cute

[PaperThings]

YAY! I'm so glad people liked the first two! I'm very active in both The Hunger Games and The Underland Chronicles fandoms/websites and stuff, so it's lovely to know that other people have read the books as well.

Drabble 3. (The Hunger Games, Peeta and Katniss, Peeta sneezing, M/Human, Katniss's point of view, set between Hunger Games and Catching Fire, not really any spoilers)

I can smell the melting cheese from the doorway and know that Peeta is baking again. Good. We all need a way to occupy ourselves. While I can escape to the woods, he can do no such thing. Even if we aren't talking, I want to know he is getting by. I have Prim and my mother and Gale, and he has no one besides Haymitch and I. With Haymitch drunk, and his lingering anger at me, it often seems to me as if he is entirely alone.

He looks up the moment I enter the room, nods in greeting. We are always polite and never argue, but things are far from how they were in the arena. Except in front of the cameras, of course. "I'm making cheese buns," he says at last.

"I smelled," I reply, smiling awkwardly.

"How's Haymitch today?" he asks.

"Unconscious." As he probably expected.

There goes the conversation.

"C-can I help with anything?" I ask.

He gives me a dubious look but nods after a moment. "You can help me put the ingredients away."

Too eager for something to do, I send the flour sprawling when I reach for it. I hiss at my mistake and scramble for the dishtowel, but it is too late. A puff of flour dust has risen all around us, fogging up the kitchen.

I watch with mild interest as Peeta's blue eyes well up, his eyelids suddenly heavy on his face. A suffocated inhale meets my ears, and he politely pinches his dilated nostrils between thumb and forefinger. "Huhh-NngTCH! NnSTTT!"

My laughs surprises even me, and Peeta's wet face flashes toward me with an open-mouth. "The Baker's son... allergic to flour?" I choke. It's been too long since we had anything to laugh at.

There is a brief moment when I think he might smile, but then his face quavers and he starts to pinch his nose again. I toss the towel into his grip, and he catches it just as his breath begins to sail. "Hehhheh'TCH'oo" He recovers with a red face and running nose. "Thank you." Before I can say anything else, he has taken the timer for the oven and left the room.

Drabble 4. (The Underland Chronicles, Gregor and Luxa, Luxa sneezing, F/Human, Third Person, set between Curse of the Warmbloods and Marks of Secret, sort of a continuation of Drabble 2, No spoilers)

"This place is nice," Gregor said, chewing thoughtfully on the Regalian fish. "Really nice. Good idea, Luxa."

She smiled at him, that twinge of mocking in her eyes. "It is as I said, Gregor. The Underland is not merely a place of battle. During times of peace, it is not a bad place to live."

Gregor could almost understand her, if it wasn't for all of the stuff going on around them. All of the stuff they worried might happen. But today was nice, and there was no denying that. They'd left Boots and Hazard in Regalia, and gone on a little picnic*. The bats fished in some special stream, and he and Luxa ate together a little ways away.

"Oh, hey, look." He spotted a bunch of wildflowers by the wall. "Flowers. I thought they only grew in the jungle."

"No, there are others. But Gregor - "

"I'm going to pick them for Boots," he said, pulling them from the ground. "She'll love the pink one." He carefully tucked them into the now-empty picnic basket, oblivious to Luxa's fast-blinking eyes.

"Gregor, no, I am aller - aller hihh - "

"Oops," Gregor whispered, wincing. "Sorry." But then he remembered what Ares said, about how sneezes were generally ignored in the Underland, and pretended he didn't see.

Her violet eyes looked manic under her metallic silver lashes, flashing in and out of sight. "Hihhh'tchoo!" Exactly the practical sort of sneeze he would have expected from her, just loud enough to be a little bit reckless. Like she was. "Iiishoo! Hushhooo!" Her translucent skin had turned positively pink around the nose and cheeks, her lips parted as if an unlocked gateway. "T'ishhoo!" She bent the exact same degree forward with each sneeze, the sound growing slightly more haggard as she went on.

At last, after the tenth or so, she turned to glare at Gregor.

"What? What'd I do? I didn't know you were allergic, Luxa!"

"You migh - you might - Hihshoo!! You might offer me a handkerchief," she said, terribly congested.

"Ares said you're not supposed to acknowledge sneezes!" he retorted. Ugh, sometimes there was just no way to win in this place.

"Yes, but when the Queen of Regalia can no longer breathe through her nose, it is customary for someone to offer her a handkerchief," she said, infinitely impatient.

"Well I don't have one."

"You can hand me a napkin," she said.

"You're sitting like two feet from the nap - ugh, fine, here." He handed the fancy embroidered napkin to her, grimacing as she blew her nose. How come Luxa always managed to make him feel like an idiot?

A/N: *Yes, I know it's kind of ironic that they went on a picnic, considering the "picnic" they go on in Marks of Secret.

Oh, I love to remember how stupid Gregor is . Not quite as stupid as Percy Jackson, but pretty darn close. Okay, anyway, thanks for reading everyone!

[obsessed]

"Yes, but when the Queen of Regalia can no longer breathe through her nose, it is customary for someone to offer her a handkerchief," she said, infinitely impatient.

Funniest line ever.

I love your writing - I even read something female! O:

[Always]

I love your writing - I even read something female! O:

I second that!

I normaly don't read female, but your writing is to good to pass up!

Can't wait for more drabble-ness (:

[TheCakeIsAlive]

PaperThings, you're adding things to my never-ending list of things-to-read, darn you!

Love your writing, as always.

[justalittlemusic]

love love love this!!!

[PaperThings]

A/N: Thank you so much guys!! And Sigrith (and everyone else!), you MUST read them. They are both SUCH good series. Seriously. I will continue to advertise them until you read them

Drabble 5. (The Hunger Games, Peeta and Katniss, Peeta sneezing, M/Human, Katniss's point of view, set while they're in the cave during the first games (a missing moment that probably couldn't have happened within the time constraints), ...depends what you consider a spoiler -- A/N: I know he had a fever, and was mostly just overheated, but it did say he was really cold when the temperature fell, so... ).

"Katniss?"Peeta's voice cracks with fever, and I look up to see his shiny face. "You moved," he says, almost as a question. I wince, knowing that my presence in the sleeping bag was a comfort to him.

"It - it was too warm," I say, and feel almost instantly guilty. I do not want him to know he's worsening.

He nods, and his mouth sets with a slight grimace. "Right."

Since we're both awake, I make the best of it. I force water and pills down his throat, tend to the less severe of his injuries. But we both know it won't do any good. Not for blood poisoning. "How does it feel?" I ask at last, mostly to break the silence stewing between us.

"It feels alright," he says, breathing heavily as he tries to sit up. My hand finds his shoulder and makes him settle back against the sleeping bag. "Mostly just like I have the flu."

"Okay." I try to feed him some more broth, but he shakes his head at it. Stubbornly, I only hold up the waterskin instead. "Come on, Peeta," I urge, keeping my voice gentle. "You have to drink."

"No, one second..." I am so close to him, I can hear when his ragged breathing begins to hitch, pinning his lips back in an oh-shape. His blue eyes blur and then shut, and, feeling embarrassed that I'm staring so closely, I drop my gaze. "Hehh-TCH!" The sound is soft, but I can tell from its intensity that it was well-needed. He releases his fingers from his nose with a sigh, and wipes his eyes. Sweat trickles down the bridge of his nose, a result of the strain, and I see out of the corner of my eye when he brings his hand back up. "Hih-TCHH!" This time it is more drawn-out, a little louder. I can't help but notice that he is panting afterwards, partially in wait of another sneeze but mostly from exhaustion.

"Peeta..." I can see him beginning to sway, so I reach out to brace his back with my arm. He's burning up, but I can tell from the way he shakes that the night air feels too cold from him.

His eyes flicker to me just before they shut, and I wince as his body convulses with the next sneeze - however weak it sounds to me. "HEH-CHH-uh! Tiny droplets break free of his trapping fingers, and with a look of disgust, he drops his nose in favor of covering his mouth this time. There's a long pause as the sneeze builds in his nose, aggravating for both of us. I can feel the bottled air barely contained inside of him, wondering whether the release will be worth the arduous task of actually sneezing. It seems he has no way to hold it back however, for I watch in sympathy as his face collapses with a slight whine. "Hih'TCH'oo! Again, the sound is haggard and tired in my ears, but it seems to take the fight out of him.

He falls back to the floor of the cave, and I let go of him. "Bless you," I say gently, biting my lip as I listen to him try and recover. "Peeta, the water," I say, after a moment goes by. His chest still moves in tiny shakes, every few seconds, but he seems recovered. He opens his mouth slowly, letting me slide the cool water into his mouth.

It's then that I realize I can't live if he dies. That, regardless of whether our staged romance has any kind of truth to it, I have begun to care for the Boy with the Bread.

A/N: Sorry... I know there isn't a TUC one just now. I promise I'll do one later today or some point tomorrow or something else like that. Question... which would people want? One of Howard ( ) sneezing, I think maybe from the ashes in Marks of Secret or something, or one of Gregor with a cold, being "taken care of" by Lizzie and Boots? I can eventually do both, but which would people want next?

Comments would be lovely .

[obsessed]

Oooooh, LOVE this line.

It's then that I realize I can't live if he dies.

Argh, you're so good at these. <3

[Always]

I can't get enough of your writing, holy man.

and how about Howard first? Then Gregor after?

i would love to read something about Howard (:

[PaperThings]

A/N: Thanks you guys! Haha, I love Howard too, so here's a little part on him.

Drabble 6. (The Underland Chronicles, everyone present for the quest during Marks of Secret, Howard sneezing, M/Human, third person, takes place during Marks of Secret, full of SPOILERS)

Howard found he had trouble falling asleep that night. Usually, he knew tricks to play on his mind - either to put himself to sleep, or to keep himself awake for guard duty. Tonight, however, too many things prevented his relaxation.

His heart weighed heavily with Thalia's death and, despite what Ripred had said, he truly believed the blame rested on his shoulders. He should not have allowed the children along that day. As the oldest of their group, it had been his responsibility, and he'd failed them. Tears pricked his eyes for the second time that day, and he drew his fingers quickly over his face.

Had it really only been a day since they'd seen the nibblers? It felt like so much longer, what with all they had endured. When he remembered the mice, their bodies twisting in agony in the lava, he took a shaky breath.

"Howard," Nike whispered, her voice a soft purr. "How sleeps your cousin?"

Howard sighed, soothed by her gentle presence, and looked up to face the bat. "He sleeps soundly now, though I fear he'll wake when the sedative wears away." Hazard slept locked in Howard's arms, for the older boy seemed fearful to let him go. At only seven years old, Hazard had lost both parents. He'd lost Frill. Just this journey he had nearly died, and lost his future bond. Thalia. Howard held him tighter, letting out a shaky sigh.

"Howard," Nike repeated, her wing gently nudging him. "How fare you? Once you said you had a terrible allergy to ash." She dipped her eyes to demonstrate the cloud of decay they slept on.

Now Howard smiled, although the gesture had very little humor in it. "Yes. It is the reason I did not volunteer myself to watch," he said, gesturing to Luxa and Gregor, who sat together at the edge of the tunnel. "I feared I would not fully be able to keep my open." In truth, he did not understand the delay in the ashes' effect on him. Usually he would be doubled over in minutes, simply trying to clear the horrible smell from his nose. Then again, they'd been around so much smoke today that the delay almost didn't surprise him. Perhaps he had become immune.

"You must sleep if you can," Nike insisted, her voice kind. "You will feel better tomorrow."

"I suppose so," Howard agreed. He settled himself and Hazard against the tunnel's floor, resting Hazard's head on his arm so the small boy's head injury would grow no worse. He tried to fall asleep himself, listening to the others fall asleep around him, but he found it difficult. On level with the ashes, he felt them begin to prick him open, gnashing at his insides in such a way that made his nose run.

Carefully, he extricated one arm and used his fingers to pinch his nose. He held his nostrils shut a second, waited, then released them with a sigh. Well, it was the best he could do, unless he wanted to make a late night venture to the first aid equipment. Besides, that supplies should be saved for the people who needed it. He didn't exactly know when everyone planned to return to Regalia.

He realized his eyes had begun to water of their own accord, irritated by the ash. He would not get away so easily this time he realized, feeling his mouth seize up precariously. His balance nearly gone, his eyes shutting, he placed Hazard on the floor and crawled desperately away from the group. After all, he didn't want to wake anyone.

On his knees, his white-blonde hair flopped over his face as he pressed his hands over his face. "Heh-NNttCH! It was polite to stifle if you could, especially for a young man who trained to be a doctor in Regalia. It was simply good practice. Still, the pressure in his nose made his whole face sting and twist in pain, and he let the next sneeze seep through his nostrils the tiniest bit. "Hih--NnnTCH!

He took a great, big breath and let the next few hit him one right after the other. "Ehh-CHH! Hehh'NNggTCHH! Hehh'hehh'chhoo! He mopped his face with an ash-free section of his shirt, miserably sorry for his volume. The others deserved their rest.

"Here." Ripred's voice, dry of sarcasm, rose behind him. "Go where I was. It's cleaner over there."

"Oh. Thank you," Howard replied. He wondered as he crawled, helplessly sniffing the last of the itch away, whether or not Luxa had been wrong. Maybe Gregor knew what he was talking about. Maybe there were good gnawers in the Underland - gnawers who did things for creatures other than themselves.

Well, he thought, gathering Hazard back in his arms as he moved to the other side of the tunnel. That was a conversation for another day.

A/N: I didn't really do Howard justice, I know, but I will definitely write another one with him at some point. After all, Howard is kinda amazing. Maybe I'll do an AU one where the plague makes people sneezy?

Oh, and I realized I'd been doing the Underland speech wrong in the last few drabbles, so I did my best to correct that here. Thanks so much for reading everyone!

[obsessed]

You're sooooooooo good at these. Rawr. <3

[Always]

very much agreed with obsessed C:

And I like your idea of recreating the plauge

When I was reading the books and they mentioned a plauge, I died a little inside and hoped for at least one sneeze...

but the only sneezes we got were a few from Boots

[justalittlemusic]

more more more please!