15So we keep on with the I-don't-remember-how-many prompts challenge. For this one, the prompt was: all grown up.
This will be a two-shots. Next part next Friday! I hope you enjoy it!
A Man's Best Friend
1.
There was worse that they could have asked of him than jumping out of a cake for a girl's sweet sixteen – that much, Chaff had made clear.
It didn't mean Haymitch had to like it.
He let the pack of hysterical teenagers pat and grope him all they wanted, forcing a smile that quickly turned into something more like a wince on his lips. He made his escape as soon as he could. The house was huge – like every other Capitol house he had seen so far – and when he spotted two sliding doors in the living-room, he went through them without any sort of hesitation.
What could they do to him that they hadn't already done?
His family was dead, his girl was gone…
He had told Chaff they could kiss his ass when Eleven's victor had sat him down on the train at the beginning of this Tour of Hell and had told him what might be requested of him. There was no way he would whore himself out. There was no way they would get that piece of him. He would slit his own throat first.
There had been requests that he had ignored and his defiance had, so far, gone unpunished but Chaff had advised against rebelling over something as stupid as making a surprise appearance at one of the secretaries of state's daughter's birthday party. Choose your battles, kid, Chaff had said.
So there he was, the Quarter Quell victor in all his glory, jumping out of cakes.
The gardens were as pompous as the rest of the house but, for once, he was grateful for it. He battled the instinctive fear that griped him when he saw the colorful flowers – it was the middle of winter, how did they even get those flowers to bloom? Mutt technology? – and walked on, as far away from the manor as he dared.
There were a lot of narrow paths that twisted around bushes and topiary trees and it wasn't long before he got a little turned around so, when he heard a voice, he headed in that direction. The guests were all inside, he figured he had stumbled upon a gardener who would be able to point him in the right direction before he would be missed – who was he kidding though? He was probably already missed. The Capitol couldn't get enough of its new victor…
The voice, he quickly asserted as he came closer, was too young and too high-pitched to belong to a gardener and he was about to turn around undetected when the path abruptly twisted and he was standing in what was probably the central piece of the garden : a clearing of sort in the middle of the topiary trees with a huge fountain surrounded by stone benches.
On one of those benches sat a girl in a soft blue coat with bubblegum pink hair. His first instinct was to run away but, then, she giggled at the antics of a small animal who was jumping around next to the fountain and he relaxed because, despite the hair and the heels and the fact that she looked like a small version of those teenagers dolls inside, it was obvious she was still a kid. It was hard to tell because of the outrageous make-up Capitols insisted on coating their children with, but she was small enough to be around Hayden's age.
It hurt like a knife stab.
That this girl of eleven or twelve would be alive while his brother was dead, it was…
There was a loud gasp.
The girl had finally looked up and spotted him and she was now staring with wide eyes, tensed as if she was ready to bolt.
He immediately lifted both hands in the air in a peaceful gesture. He hadn't been the best company since his victory, hell he had pushed away everyone who had tried to be there for him and he delighted in biting the head of everyone who tried to talk to him, save Chaff, but… He wasn't enough of an asshole yet to delight in frightening an innocent little girl – if such a thing as an innocent Capitol kid existed.
And he wasn't enough of an idiot not to realize the sudden appearance of a District boy – they could dress him up all they wanted, everything about him screamed District – could be frightening to a child who was being fed lines about what monsters District people were from infancy.
"It's alright, sweetheart." he said softly. "Don't mean any harm. I just got…"
"Haymitch Abernathy."
It was a reverent whisper, the type of which he had grown used to in the last six months. The type he hated.
Still, she was just a kid who was around his brother's age and he forced himself to keep a firm hold on his temper. "I take it you're a fan?"
She was still staring at him with eyes as wide as saucers. Very blue eyes. She would be a looker when she grew up, he mused.
"Yes." she squeaked. "I… I have golden tickets for the Tour."
He wasn't sure what that meant. Probably that she attended all the stupid events they insisted on putting him through.
The animal she had been playing with let out a series of angry barks and Haymitch's attention turned to him. It was wearing a pink plushy coat. He came closer, a little curious despite himself. "What have you got here? Is that some sort of mutt rat?"
She blinked at him and back at the… thing.
"It is a dog." she answered with a small frown.
He did a double take. "This ain't a dog, sweetheart."
"It is." she insisted, her frown deepening with curiosity. "Don't you have them in your District?"
Any other time, he might have gotten angry over that question. Offended. But there was no loathing or superiority in her tone, just… She was curious, just curious.
Hayden had been a curious kid too.
"Sure, we do." He shrugged. "But this ain't a dog. This is a rat." He scoffed and walked closer to the bench, making sure she was alright with his presence before dropping down next to her, leaving a respectable distance between them. He was big compared to her small little self and he had just slaughtered people on TV less than six months earlier, he didn't want to spook her. "Real dogs are this high, at least."
He lifted his hand at the approximate height of one of the average strays that abounded in Twelve.
"Oh." she said, glancing at the rat-dog. "That is bigger. Bigger than a poodle even."
"Poodle… That's the ones that have weird haircuts, yeah?" he asked. He had seen them. Capitol dogs dyed in all the colors of the rainbow, their fur shaped into balls and cones and what not…
"I suppose." She giggled as if his definition was hilarious. "This one is a Chihuahua. It is the latest rage." She paused for a moment and then wrinkled her nose. "It fits in handbags."
Haymitch looked at the rat-dog and felt a little sorry for him. "It's yours?"
She wrinkled her nose harder. "No. He belongs to Mrs Herbely. She told me I could borrow him and amuse myself with him outside while the big girls enjoy their party." She used air quote around big girls and she looked so offended that Haymitch bit back a smirk. "I was not supposed to be here at all. The invitation was for Lyssa only but Nanny is sick and Mother says I get into mischief when I am left unattended so Lyssa had to bring me." She pursed her lips harder in a sulky pout. "Lyssa is my sister. Lyssandra. She did not tell me you would be here. I would have… I would have dressed better…"
She self-consciously patted her pink hair and Haymitch fought not to roll his eyes. As far as Capitol kids went, she was cute enough. Not obnoxious, not too entitled… Hell, she hadn't jumped on him and demanded signatures, pictures or hugs yet. She was behaving much better than the "big girls" in his opinion.
"It was a surprise for the birthday girl." he offered. "Don't think your sis knew."
She watched him for a second and he figured she had never heard the shortened version of the word sister before. A few Capitols had already commented on how funny the way he talked was – in a condescending tone that told him just how exotic they truly found it.
"Lavinia is lucky." she sighed. "I wish it were my birthday."
"Trust me, you don't want me jumping out of your birthday cake. It got messy. Cream and crumbs everywhere." he snorted. "Some of those girls got some on their dresses. They weren't happy about it."
The giggles were definitely a little wicked this time. "I hope you got my sister! Mother will have a fit."
"Not a big fan of your sister, are you?" he asked, unable to hide a touch of pain.
He remembered this. Being annoyed at Hayden just because he was younger and always eager to follow him around… He remembered Hayden being annoyed with him too.
"She is perfect." the girl answered in a tone that told him everything and nothing at all. There was sadness and envy in there. Admiration and devotion too.
He flashed her a charming smile just because he felt a little sorry for the kid. "Well, if she's half as pretty as you, I bet she is."
The girl beamed and watched him as if he was shitting fucking rainbows. He shifted on the bench, a little ill-at-ease. He had meant to be nice, not…
Suddenly, it was like a switch had been flicked. Her face closed. "If I introduced you, you would fell in love on the spot. Everyone falls in love with her on the spot."
She sounded far too bitter for such a small kid.
"Doubt that." he snorted. "Ain't free."
The words came naturally still and it was only once they had died on his lips that he remembered Mabel was gone.
He looked away from her inquisitive blue eyes but not in time to miss the disappointment in them.
She had a crush alright, this one.
"Oh, you have a girlfriend?" she asked tentatively. "They did not say on TV."
He licked his lips, staring at the dog. He meant to put an end to that discussion and stand up. That was what he meant to do. So he couldn't explain to himself why, instead of doing just that, he found himself spilling the truth. "She died."
She gasped and then her small hand was on his arm. It stayed there for a brief moment only. He was grateful she didn't leave it there or try to hug him because he didn't like being touched anymore and…
"I am so sorry! Your family, the fire… They reported it on TV. I forgot." she babbled. "I am so, so sorry! It was so insensitive of me! I…"
"It's okay." he cut her off quietly before she could work herself up even more. He tossed her a curious glance. The mention of the accidental fire that had taken his family and destroyed a good part of the Seam having made the news always made him tense. He had grown used to falsely sympathetic Capitols offering their condolences but the girl seemed genuinely upset. Her blue eyes were teary and she bit down on her bottom lips and stared at her shoes. "You're okay, sweetheart?"
"Yes." She nodded almost frantically and he wasn't sure which one of them she was trying to convince. "It is just… I… I lost someone too recently. My grandfather. He… He is the one who bought me the golden tickets. He was supposed to come to Tour events with me but…" Her voice didn't break but it grew strained and he could tell at the way she swallowed that she was fighting tears. "Lyssa is taking me instead. She does not really like you though. Grandfather… Grandfather understood. He liked you too. We even sent some money to sponsor you… Not much because I did not have much savings and Mother would have had a fit if she had found out but… He helped me send the money and…"
Her babbling came to an abrupt stop and Haymitch watched in horror as a tear dropped from her eyes and straight to her knee. She still wasn't looking at him.
He had never been good with crying girls.
Never.
Never mind one that young.
"Well… Thanks for the money." he said and it felt so lame because… She might have been the first Capitol with real feelings he had ever met. However, she was still a child. Probably she was untainted yet, still innocent in a way. "And I'm sorry for… You know… Your loss."
It felt awkward and inadequate, exactly like the words of comfort people in Twelve had tried to give him.
She took a deep breath and sat up a little straighter, her face doing something a little weird. All the emotions vanished, her features were schooled into something detached… She was too young to have needed to learn how to distance herself like that. And she looked like a cool kid. It was a shame.
"Thank you." she acknowledged. A tentative smile stretched her lips. "I am so glad to have met you. I… I really hoped you would win."
Her face flushed red. It was obvious even with the make-up.
He felt his mouth stretch into a genuine smirk. The charming one too. The one he used to direct at girls without thinking twice about it.
She almost swooned.
"I better head back." he said, almost regretfully. He would probably already get told off by his escort – and Chaff – for having disappeared that long. The girl looked disappointed but she nodded as he got back to his feet. His grey eyes fell back on the dog that immediately started growling and yapping at his ankles as if it didn't realize Haymitch could have swept it aside with a well-aimed kick. Annoying little rat… "Hey, sweetheart… Promise me something… You ever decide to get a dog of your own, get a real one, yeah?"
She wrinkled her little nose. "I am more of a cat person."
That made him laugh for some reason. "Figures."
It was only once he had found his way back to the house and the high-pitched laughter of sixteen year-old girls hit him again that he realized he had never asked her name.
Not that it really mattered.
As surprisingly refreshing as the encounter had been, he would never see her again and she would soon be forgotten…
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