Hey y'all! How's everyone doing? First of all, I'm so sorry this chapter came out so late. I used up all my writing motivation with the double update and work prevented me from recovering it until now so...yeah. No more double updates unless you guys are good with super late chapters. Second, we're on our way to the Capitol folks! Part one of my deep dive is a go. Third, I'm not gonna write long ass author's notes anymore so you guys can just jump straight into the chapter so please enjoy this really stretched out train ride where I try to build the sibling relationship between Katniss and Cato while also trying to establish the Capitol through Effie and Haymitch and attempt to give them more character depth.
Like always, I enjoy comments, in fact I thrive off of positive comments and love constructive critique ones cause it shows an author that their readers are actually paying attention and enjoying their work.
Thanks for continuing to read this story! Virtual hugs and cuddles to y'all.
Disclaimer: I still do not own anything except any OC's that may come up, any world building that has not yet been officially stated by the books or the movies, and any plot points/structures that have not been used in the books or movies.
Warning: No beta, we die like Rue.
Chapter 8: Follow the Steel Track Rail Road
Val walks in a daze, no longer really registering what's happening as a Peacekeeper directs him out of the room through a back door and down a walkway to a platform where a train hovers above the steel rails. It was a complete 180 from the wheeled box car train that brought him all the way from District 2 to District 12. Now he was going to be "traveling in style" from 12 straight to the Capitol, where the one who ordered his family to be killed lived.
Of course, none of that was really running through his head at the moment as he was still trying to recover from the elation and heartache that was Gale Hawthorne. He only broke out of his trance when a hand touched his shoulder.
Val blinked and suddenly his surroundings came into focus. He takes in the sight of the only train platform in the entire district. A sad little thing built from wood that was dark and slowly rotting from lack of proper care. It stood out in stark contrast to the train with its sleek silver walls that looked smooth to the touch. The train's glass windows shine brightly in the sunlight, almost blinding him until he turns away to look towards the source of the hand still on his shoulder.
It's Katniss with a look of worry and red-rimmed eyes that were the only evidence she had been crying again. It's a strange look on her, completely out of place even though he had just seen her cry during the Reaping. It reminded Val much too heavily of the only other time she cried, when the news of their father's death came after the mine collapse.
Katniss had fallen to her knees, crying out with a despair and desperation Val had never seen from her before. The tears never seemed to end even as he held her close and she fell asleep from the exhaustion. It was unnerving then and it's still unnerving now.
"You okay?" she asks with heavy shoulders and no sign of the usual fire she seemed to always carry within her.
Val blinks again, processing her words, before nodding. "Yeah," he finally responds, voice rough from the tears he had shed.
The hand on his shoulder moves to hold his hand and squeeze it, "We'll talk later yeah? Just the two of us...when we can?"
Val squeezes his hand back in response. Katniss relaxes at the gesture. Suddenly, a hand shoves at his back, causing him to stumble forward. Val turns to see the Peacekeeper that had escorted him, impatiently gesturing for him to enter the train. He rolls his eyes as he turns back to the train. He bites back a retort when the Peacekeeper shoves him again.
Val feels Katniss move to retaliate but he squeezes her hand again and shakes his head. No need to cause trouble now that they were leaving. No need to encourage any form of retaliation against their family. Katniss grits her teeth and squeezes his hand back in response. The two walk together, hand in hand, down the ramp and onto the train.
As they crossed the threshold, it was like walking into another world.
All the finery, the cleanliness, the shine to it all.
It was a familiar yet unfamiliar sight to Val. His heart clenches from faint grief and his stomach rolls at the display of wealth in the poorest district of Panem.
The door closes behind them with a hiss, making their shoulders tense. A slight shift of movement alerts the two to the train's departure but otherwise, they would've never known they were moving at all.
"Should we go in and sit down somewhere?" he asks after a few moments of awkward silence.
Katniss nods her agreement and they migrate further into the car towards a sitting area with elaborate leather couches bordered by dark wood cabinets decorated with fancy accessories and decorations that look rich enough to feed the entire Seam for months if not years. They sit hesitantly, uncomfortable by the displays of wealth that the Town could never hope to reach, on a leather couch.
Trying to get comfortable, Katniss leans her head against Val's shoulder while he leans his head against hers. Arms are wrapped around each other in an attempt to ground the other in the surreal situation they have yet to fully comprehend. A silence that is both tense and comforting settles around them.
Eventually, Val speaks up, "So..."
"So..." Katniss responds with a weighted pause before her actual response, "Wanna talk about it?"
"I don't know," he shrugs.
Katniss rolls her eyes and weakly slaps his arm, she has no energy for her usual violence right now. "Spill. Before I tear this place apart just so something can happen."
"Well you're more violent than usual," he says, smiling at her to which her response is another slap, this time harder and actually making his arm sting a little. He dramatically rubs the spot like she had punched him instead. "Alright. Alright. Geez...women."
"Men," she shoots back.
Val immediately thinks of Gale, "Fair enough."
"Come on, Val. Let's talk. Before we have to play the roles of grateful and courageous tributes. Blegh," Katniss said while sticking her tongue out in disgust.
Val laughs, "Ok, fine. I got the usual suspects, you know mom reassuring me that they'll be fine and Prim coming in to tell me how stupid I was. I think she's been spending too much time with you. She's starting to grow quite the mouth on her."
Katniss twitches slightly at the mention of their mother though her expression doesn't darken nor does she make any biting comments. Instead, she smiles with unnecessary pride at Val's words about Prim. He also notes her expression change but doesn't comment. She'll talk about it when she's ready.
"Then I got Peeta and Mr. Mellark. Yeah, I was kinda surprised when I saw them too cause I thought Peeta would try to get as much time as he could with you before we got shoved off," Val explained at Katniss' surprised expression, "But hey, I got us some cookies out of it so its not like it's an unwelcome surprise." He shrugs, holding the bag of decorated cookies out to Katniss who snatches it and holds it gently. She smiles fondly at the cookies with Katniss flower decorations.
"Then Gale was my last visitor, storming in and yelling at me for being stubborn and stupid which is kind of hypocritical coming from him and then he…" Val blushes before quietly mumbling out, "He kissed me..."
Katniss blinks. Then she blinks again, "I'm sorry. He did what?"
Val's face could put a tomato to shame as he forces out in a louder, higher pitched voice, "He...kissed me...Twice."
Katniss blinks a third time. "He...kissed you...twice..." she says slowly as if to comprehend each word by stringing them together. Then it all clicks and she squeals so long and high Val slaps his hands over his ears. He only drops his hands once she stops with the squealing and starts with the shit-eating smiling.
"Val! I'm so happy for you! You finally made it past the first step!" she shouts as she goes to hug him. For some reason, the hug isn't as tight or backbreaking as her usual ones. It was gentle, almost as if she's treating him like glass though he had no idea why when he's currently no longer crying and instead is blushing hard enough to probably internally burn himself.
"How do you feel?" she asks.
He returns the hug, sighing as he puts his chin on her shoulder. "I feel like," he pauses, trying to figure out how to word the way he's actually feeling, "Like that time when we tried those Katniss rolls Peeta tried baking that one time. Yes it tasted great after the first bite but once we finished them, it left this bittersweet aftertaste."
He pauses again before continuing to speak, "I've always wondered what it'd be like to be with Gale. I built this entire fantasy in my head where we'd work together in the same section of the mines, go hunting on our free days, and spend our nights just looking at the stars, never having to worry about the Games anymore and just being...together..." he sighs, "But now that I've gotten a taste of that, I almost wish he'd never kissed me so I can just continue wondering instead of mourning what could have been."
Katniss doesn't respond with a comforting comment or her usual snarky remarks. She's picked up enough tact over the years to know when not too. But she does squeeze him a little tighter and instead starts talking as if he hadn't just dropped the atmosphere to a depressing degree, "Well, let me tell you who came to visit me and I gotta say, it was both surprising and totally expected."
Val smiles, grateful for the topic shift, "Oh? Tell me all about it."
She leans her head back onto his shoulder, "So first Gale's coming in hot and firing off a bunch of advice about hunting and making weapons and finding food, water, and shelter and all that."
Val chuckles, "As he usually does."
"Right? And then I start firing back with counter situational arguments and he just shakes his head and tells me to stop being such a smart ass. Then he kind of awkwardly hugged me and left," Katniss snarks.
Val outright laughs at that, "So business as usual right?"
Katniss giggles, "Absolutely. Anyways, after him was Prim and...mom," she manages to choke out without betraying too much emotion, "We talked a bit, nothing too special. I just...needed some closure on what she did...all those years ago. There's no point in me leaving with bad blood between us..."
He nods, not wanting to push further as he too had tact that he spent years trying to teach Katniss. His lessons must've succeeded given her responses earlier, but she still had a mouth on her that he hoped she never used while they were at the Capitol. That hope was probably a pipe dream but still, one could hope...he hoped.
Katniss continues on despite his running internal monologue. "And while I'll never forgive or forget what she did...I do trust her to not leave Prim high and dry by blanking out again…" then her tone changes to a lighter, more happier one, "Then Peeta came. His dad wasn't with him. Probably because he wanted to give us both as much time alone together as we could get and we just held each other and talked. We talked about that future we dreamed about having but knew wasn't possible as long as the Capitol exists," she pauses, probably thinking about happier times.
Her expression turns wistful, almost melancholic, "And I thanked him for how happy he made me, how alive I felt whenever I was him especially after dad…" she cuts herself off, choking on unshed tears. She clears her throat and blinks the tears away before continuing, "I'm glad I was able to be with him. I'm grateful that you and Prim pushed me, literally and figuratively, to go talk to him that day because I became a different person, a better person, just for having the chance to be with him."
"Hey, don't talk like that," Val protests.
"Talk like what?" Katniss asks.
"Like this is the last time you'll ever be with him because it won't be," he says with a conviction that only has Katniss shaking her head at him.
"Ok. Sure," she responds in a tone that clearly says she doesn't believe him.
Val simply sighs and holds her tightly in comfort when he suddenly remembers something important. He puts his hand in the pocket of his slacks and pulls out his mother's pin. Katniss shifts so she can get a better look.
"Is that your mom's pin?" she asks.
Val nods, "Yeah. Prim gave it back to me. Said she wanted to give as much luck to us as she could possibly give." He holds the pin up to her, "Here. I want you to have it."
Katniss refuses, using her hands to close his own around the pin. "No. It's your mother's pin. You deserve to have that keepsake of her, of your original home...Besides," she says as she lifts her left wrist up to reveal a braided leather bracelet with a small metal charm in the shape of an arrow, "I have my own token. Peeta gave it to me. Apparently he made everything, including the charm."
"Oh really?" Val asks, raising a questioning eyebrow.
Katniss giggles a little, "Yeah. He had to bribe the blacksmith at the Hub with a week's supply of baguettes to show him how to make the charm. Took him a million tries before he got it right. He's always so stubborn about things like that. Always says I deserve the best of the best..."
She chokes a bit at the end, tears returning to her eyes as she desperately tries to hold them back. Val quickly jumps in to provide a distraction, "Hey. How about we start eating those cookies before they go bad? Could use some sugar right about now right?"
She nods and the two turn their attention to the cookies, the conversation dying off and neither sibling eager to pick it up. Admiring the designs and slowly nibbling on them to try and make them last as long as they can. Val pulls Katniss in for another comfort cuddle though his mind is far away as he stares out the window at the blurring landscape.
Meanwhile, Katniss watches him closely, cataloguing the slight redness of his eyes and unfocused gaze. As she shifts closer, he unconsciously holds her tighter. Familiar silence falls around them as Katniss decides to make a silent vow of her own.
'He's always protecting us. Always making sure we're happy and if we're hurt, we're never hurt for long or ever again. One way or another, no matter what. Even when it's tearing him apart,' she thinks as her heart grows heavy, 'He deserves to be happy. And he got the chance to be and now he's given up any hope for it, because of me.'
Resolve and regret grow in her heart, 'I'm sorry, Val. But I didn't tell you the full truth of what Peeta and I talked about. I told him I was going to do everything in my power to make sure you made it back home...and he fully supports me. Because at least we still had the chance to be together and we spent all our time knowing that one day it would come to an end. So let me be the one to protect you and your happiness this time.'
The comforting silence is soon interrupted by the sounds of a nearby door opening and the click-clack of heels following after.
"Oh there you two are!" the high pitched, falsetto voice of Effie rings out.
The siblings turn and look to see her standing there with her hands held up delicately and her left leg at a slight angle as if she were posing for an invisible photographer.
"Come, come, come! It's time for lunch!" she cries out as she impatiently ushers them off the couch, through the door she just entered from, and into a car set up as an elaborate dining room with a long, rich mahogany table covered by an embroidered silk table cloth and lavished with fresh and rich meals placed in polished silverware dishes. The smell of the food alone has their stomachs rumbling with hunger.
Katniss and Val walk to the table in a daze, just staring at the table that held enough food to feed District 12 for a week and it was all just for them. It felt like such a waste and yet was completely expected given the Capitol's known habit for having an excess of everything the Districts wish they could have.
Effie rolls her eyes and tuts at them for standing around. She struts over and pushes them towards chairs that they cautiously pull back and sit in. While Val had some exposure to a measure of the finery being displayed, he could tell Katniss was thrown off by the display and one wrong word or action away from blowing a fuse.
Thankfully for everyone in the room, Effie distracts Katniss by placing a large bowl of what looks to be lamb stew with dried plums in front of her. Despite her initial hesitation, Katniss immediately digs in, scooping up large portions of the stew and grabbing a few biscuits to accompany the dish.
Val breathes a silent sigh of relief at a crisis being averted and turns his attention to the food before him. The first thing that catches his eye is a large slab of cooked beef cut into slices with rich juices dripping from each piece and colorful, steamed vegetables cut into the shape of flower petals placed artfully around the meat.
Figuring "what the hell", Val digs in, occasionally grabbing sliced fruit from the various small plates nearby and slipping some onto the plate of a grateful Katniss who had never eaten fresh fruit that wasn't native to the forest of 12. The two also decide to split some rich, frosted vanilla cake, sweet pecan pie, and various fruit Danishes between them before washing it all down with freshly squeezed pomegranate juice. Both display rather excellent table manners due to the Townie background of their mother and Val's upbringing from 2.
Near the end of the meal, Effie hums in delight catching their attention.
She takes their focus as the permission it is not to speak her mind, "Oh! I am so glad to be your escort this year. Such clear devotion for your District and don't even get me started on your gratitude for the Capitol. Your fellow citizens should know by now that being chosen is a great honor and volunteering just shows how much you value the chance to become one of us!" At this point her lip curls in slight disgust, "The previous tributes I escorted were never as polite or passionate or even...civilized as you two seem to be."
Katniss and Val share a look as their minds flashback to the tributes from the last 5 years being all from the Seam with dirty appearances and were so malnourished you could count their ribs through thin, patched shirts. Those tributes with eyes that had no spark of life or fight left in them as soon as their names were chosen. They were all dead tributes walking and everyone knew it.
They two share a silent conversation as to how they should react as Effie continues to ramble on, "They were such ungrateful, pardon my language, pigs who would never win a single Game and not a single one has been able to make it past the Bloodbath and join us since Mister...Abernathy. I've never seen such a tribute act so disgracefully by using the arena for his schemes instead of his natural or learned skills. That's no way for a tribute to win and it just spits on our traditions though I'm not quite surprised considering he's become a drunk, lazy slob. Perfectly befitting of a cheating Victor," her barely disguised disgust then turns to excitement at the drop of a hat, "Oh! But there was this one tribute from the 10th Games, I don't quite remember her name, but she was quite the entertainer. A star who only appears once in a lifetime and it's such a shame that I wasn't able to ever see her in person. It's just not the same watching her performances on the screen. I've been told she had such a larger than life presence."
At this point, Katniss is clearly done with Effie's incessant rambling. Val quickly shakes his head, making abort motions at her because he recognizes that expression. It's her "I'm going to make you shut up by punching you in the face and if you still won't shut up, I'm going to deck you again and hope it knocks you out" expression. Katniss rolls her eyes, silently calling him a party pooper before changing her tactics.
She drops her silver cutlery onto the table with a loud clatter as it bounces off her plate and onto the wood that isn't covered by the table cloth. It startles Effie who watches with growing horror as Katniss then proceeds to start shoveling some lamb stew into her mouth with her hands, picking up pieces of plum and lamb with her bare fingers and licking the stew off. Val snorts in amusement as Katniss chews with her mouth open, her eyes sparkling with delight.
Effie merely sniffs with disdain at Katniss' actions. She turns so her attention is solely on Val and continues her one-sided conversation, "As I was saying, I'm most certainly excited to see what you two will offer this year. Never in the history of the Hunger Games has there ever been a pair of siblings competing against each other for the glory of victory. Well there were two Victors who were siblings and won one year after each other. It was always exciting to see the two together in the Capitol. Many of my friends would trip over themselves in order to pay the right price for their company. After all, two Victors as a package deal is certainly more enjoyable than just one."
She giggles as her face flushes lightly at the fantasies that run through her head. Katniss fake gags, or maybe she's actually gagging, at the sight. Val quickly swallows his mouthful of pomegranate juice before he can spit it all over the table.
Effie sighs as she leans her head onto her hand with a sad expression, "But alas, while their company as Victors will forever be appreciated and valued, their rivalry was never truly explored. It would have been so exciting! The tension, the emotions, the drama, oh all of the drama that comes from having to fight against your own sibling!"
Her sadness quickly turns into excitement, "And now there is the chance to explore all those possibilities and I was the one who chose you two!" she starts clapping with delight, "Oh! I can't wait to tell all my friends and their friends and their friends at those gatherings only reserved for those of the highest prestige in the Capitol. And I especially can't wait to speak of it with Tiffania. She was the District 12 escort before me and she never got a single volunteer or anything unique like siblings, only those dreadful, dirty creatures. Her face will turn such an ugly shade of blue and then she'll have finally learned her lesson because everyone knows dying your skin blue was so last two seasons and shades of pink are what's in now. And don't even get me started on that violent orange dye she uses for her hair. It's not an innovation as she likes to call it. It's an absolute couture nightmare!"
At this point, Katniss and Val have both lost their appetite and are looking a little green around the gills. Whether that's because they're not used to the richness of the food provided or from Effie's continued rants that lack basic human decency and were just tone deaf, Val feels like he really doesn't want to know.
Thankfully, Effie runs out of steam as her ranting finally reaches a close, "I'm so excited to see which one of you will win and receive the opportunity to finally become one of us. You may not have faith in yourselves but I have a feeling that the two of you will at least make it to the final 4. During your Reaping, I could just tell there was a fire burning within you two and a desire to receive the high honor and prestige being a Victor allows. Oh! Sometimes I wish I, myself, could participate in the Games but alas," she un-ironically raises a hand to her forehead dramatically, "The District citizens and Victors need a standard they can set themselves to and that is the heavy duty of me and my fellow Capitol citizens."
Effie drops her hand and turns her full attention back to them, all rainbows and sunshine. She looks ready to start a new rant while Katniss and Val wish they were anywhere but here. Effie opens her mouth to speak again and it's at this exact moment that Haymitch stumbles in, completely drunk off his ass of course. He somehow makes his way to a chair before collapsing onto it like a puppet getting its strings cut. Everyone watches him warily as he pulls out a flask to take another swig of alcohol.
"Ugh," he groans out after swallowing what smells like bath tub whiskey from the Hub. He blearily blinks and stares at Katniss and Val, making them squirm uncomfortably under his gaze. "Just my luck," he spits out, "Got another pair of hicks who won't know their right hand from their left. Probably not even gonna make it past the bloodbath."
He then perks up as an idea slowly occurs to him, "Or maybe you two can spare me the effort and just die before the buzzer even goes off. Triggering the mine is the fastest and most painless way to die ya know."
Val is extremely offended by what Haymitch says and given the look Katniss is sporting, she's ready to stab Haymitch with the knife she had previously discarded to annoy Effie. Val is greatly tempted to let her.
"Excuse me, Mr. Abernathy," Val says with strained politeness, "But I think you've had too much to drink and should probably go sleep it off."
Effie smiles brightly at his polite demeanor while Haymitch snorts, taking another swig of his flask, "Even worse. I gotta Townie with manners. Your mama still wipe your ass for you boy?"
Val sees red. He quickly swipes a glass of ice water from nearby and throws its contents in Haymitch's face. Effie shrieks and jumps away so that no water landed on her. Haymitch sputters indignantly, standing up as he wipes the water out of his face. He then slams a hand on the table so he can lean to grab the glass out of Val's hand only to stop short when Katniss stabs a knife in between the index and middle finger of the hand on the table.
"That table is mahogany!" Effie cries out in horror.
No one pays her any mind as Val and Katniss stare down a still drunk but surprisingly clear-eyed Haymitch. The two siblings are tense as his eyes dart between them with a focus no drunk man should have. The tension is broken when Haymitch abruptly laughs, dropping back down onto his seat. Katniss and Val share a wary look, neither of them letting go of the items in their respective hands.
"You guys got spunk, I'll give you that," Haymitch says as he takes another swig from his flask. He still smells of alcohol but it seems that he was not as drunk as everyone first thought, still retaining some degree of functionality as he continues to evaluate them. "You've both got some fight and a drive to survive that I've yet to see in any of my tributes."
He nods towards the knife still in Katniss' grasp, "You any good with that?"
Katniss rolls her eyes. She pulls the knife out of the table and throws it into a thin gap in the wall in one fluid motion. Haymitch nods appreciatively at her display while Effie wails in the background. He then turns his attention to Val, "What about you, boy? You got any skill or did your sister get all of it."
Val shares a glance with Katniss. She tilts her head towards the knife in the wall towards a painting of fruit and mouths the word "grapes". He looks at the painting, registering that the grapes she's looking at are immediately to the left of Haymitch's head. Val smirks and nods in response, making her smirk in turn. Val walks over to the knife and in the same fluid motion as Katniss, pulls it out of the wall and throws it. The knife flies right by Haymitch's face, making him flinch back as it lands directly on one of the grapes.
Effie cries out again, "That painting is a Leonel De Vinvaldi masterpiece!"
Everyone ignores her again as Haymitch laughs boisterously, slapping his hand over his knee.
"Alright. Alright. I give. You guys'll have my attention," he says amusedly before his expression turns serious, "But only if you can prove you deserve it."
He sits back in his chair, taking more swigs as he speaks, "Now...I'm gonna have a little chat with the both of you, one on one, about why I should even bother to help you. No following and no eavesdropping if it ain't your turn. Break those rules and I'm back to drinking myself silly while you two flail about in the arena. You both get one chance to convince me or I'm going to remove myself from the picture before we even get to the Capitol. Capeesh?"
Katniss and Val both hesitantly nod at his demands, still thrown off by how sober Haymtich was acting even though he was still clearly drunk. He nods at their response. "Good. Now you," he says as he points at Katniss, "Ms. Stabby Knife. Ladies first."
Haymitch stands up and moves to the sitting area car. Katniss follows, glancing back nervously at Val who can only nod encouragingly as the door slides shut behind her.
Katniss lets out a shaky breath, turning her attention from the closed door to Haymitch. He's lounging comfortably on the uncomfortable couch, legs crossed and arms resting on the unnecessarily large throw pillows behind him.
For a few moments, the two simply stare at each other. Haymitch continues to take swigs from his flask while his expression clearly shows how he'd like to be anywhere but here. Katniss shifts with discomfort, unable to figure out what to say since she's always been an action over words kind of person whereas her brother had somehow found the perfect balance between actions and words and Peeta was an artist when it came to speaking. The only thing she's ever been able to talk her way through was convincing Peeta to give her an extra cheese bun and that's only because they were together.
Haymitch sighs and claps his hands onto his knees. "Well. If you're just going to stand all day staring like a dead fish," he stands up as his tone drips with sarcasm, "I think we're done here. You've just lost your one chance, Ms. Stabby Knife. Let's hope your brother can do better. Maybe he'll actually be able to say a word or two!"
The mention of her brother is what snaps Katniss out of whatever stupor she's in. She immediately moves to intercept him, arms crossed and jaw tense with defiance.
"No."
"Oh! Ms. Stabby Knife actually can speak! Clear to explain what you mean by no?" Haymitch asks, crossing his arms in turn. His posture signaling how he's both confused and entirely done with this "conversation."
Katniss teeth grind but she speaks, determined to get Haymitch to shut up and sit down, "Look. I don't give a shit about the fact that you're a drunken bastard. You can go die in a pile of bottles for all I care."
"Really proving your case here, sweetheart," Haymitch states, dropping back down onto the couch with a sigh.
"Oh shut the fuck up already," Katniss throws out at him, "You're a shitty drunken bastard but you're still the shitty drunken bastard who's job it is to keep my brother alive."
That has Haymitch raising his eyebrow in surprise, "You're brother? You're not trying to get me to help you or anything?"
Katniss takes a deep breath in to get a reign on her temper, just like Val taught her, and lets it out. "Val is an idiot, plain and simple" she states to Haymitch's amusement, "He's always trying to appeal to the better side of everyone even if they don't deserve it. Just like how he tried to get me to understand why you are the way you are even when I couldn't care less. And I still don't but I at least I know and that's a hell of a lot better than the rest of 12."
Katniss' expression turns fond, "He's heart is ten times too big for him and since he seems to lack basic survival skills, his first reaction when the love of his sister's life gets reaped is to volunteer and find a way to protect her happiness."
Haymitch hums in thought, "That kind of empathy sure don't exist that often in District 12. Like a once in a blue moon kinda thing."
Katniss nods in agreement as her expression turns determined, "Exactly. Val is special. He's needed. I'm not. I'm just another jaded punk with a mouth from District 12, just with the benefit of having boobs. There's nothing more for me in life besides surviving."
"Then what about that boy? The one you said was the love of your life that your brother volunteered for," Haymitch asks.
At that point, Katniss grows sad. Tears start to prick the corners of her eyes but she grits her teeth and swallows them back, "As much as I hate to say it, Peeta can survive without me. He also supports my decision to save Val even though I know he doesn't want me to."
"And your family?" Haymitch asks, expression unreadable to her.
"My family can and will survive as long as one of us comes home. It doesn't matter who. But like I said...I'm expendable, another piece of grass in a field. Val is not...he's the flower that blooms even in the harshest of conditions. He makes life better and worth living just by existing. He inspires people with his strength and empathy."
Haymitch can only stare at her as she finishes her spiel. After a beat of silence, Haymitch speaks, "Alright. Get."
"Huh?" Katniss asks, bewildered.
Haymitch rolls his eyes and waves at her to leave, "Go. Skadaddle. Shoo. Leave."
Katniss continues to stand there. Haymitch throws his hands in the air in exasperation, then points at the door. Finally getting the picture, Katniss quickly moves to exit as Haymitch shouts out to her, "And send your brother in after you!"
She quickly crosses the door threshold to be greeted with the sight of her worried brother, pacing back and forth. No Effie in sight. She must have left when she finally realized her brother had no interest in continuing their one-sided conversation.
"Hey," she says, catching Val's attention.
He stops pacing, looking up and seeing her. "Hey," he says, "You good?"
Katniss sighs. "Yeah. We talked. I don't know if it helped cause you know…," she gestures absentmindedly as Val tilts his head in understanding, before she points at the door, "Anyways, it's your turn."
"Alright. I'll see you after then."
Katniss nods as Val walks to the train car door and enters. She can only hope that her less than ideal spiel actually worked to get Haymitch off his ass. Otherwise, she'll have to improvise and no one likes it when she has to improvise. The less said about the Lake Root Incident, the better.
When Val walks in, he's not sure what he's expecting but it most certainly wasn't the sight of Haymitch slamming his head into the wall repeatedly while cursing himself out.
"Why." Slam.
"Do." Slam.
"You." Slam.
"Fucking." Slam.
"Do." Slam.
"This." Slam.
"To." Slam.
"Yourself." Slam.
"Abernathy." Slam.
"Fuck." Slam.
"Uh..." Val hesitantly interjects, "You good there? Sir?"
Haymitch stops trying to give himself a concussion, turning to face Val with clear skepticism. "You can drop the sir. I already get enough of that fake shit in the Capitol, I don't need it while I'm on the way to it again," he bites out while walking back to the couch, dropping down with a dull thud. He takes a swig from his flask and gestures at Val to either stand or sit in front of him.
Val frowns as he walks over. "I'm not trying to fake anything, sir. I'm just trying to be polite and show basic human decency even if your behavior constantly makes me question that decision."
Haymitch barks out a laugh, "Ha! Your sister told me how much of a stiff you were and I didn't believe it cause how the hell could a stiff survive in the Seam."
Val crosses his arms, "Well clearly you were wrong."
"Clearly I was," Haymitch accepts with a tone of amusement as he crosses his legs and folds his hands over them, "Alright then. Talk."
"About what? Sir?" Val asks hesitantly.
"Is stupidity or short of hearing just a hereditary trait or something? Talk. Speak. Convince me that you're worth the time I'd be wasting if I tried to help you," Haymitch commands with a scoff, "And knock it off with the sir. Makes me sound like a stiff."
Val's frown drops deeper but complies nonetheless, "I'm trying to show you basic human decency, sir. And I want you to show the same in return because you're the person who's going to help protect my sister and make sure she's the one who makes it out."
Haymitch spits out the whiskey he just took a swig of in surprise. Some of it lands on Val who is clearly not amused as he wipes the alcohol and spit off his face. As Haymitch coughs out a lung, trying to reign in his shock and surprise, Val stomps over till he's standing directly in front of him. Once Haymitch clears his throat out for the hundredth time, Val jabs a finger at his chest.
"Look bub," Val spits out, "I don't care if you drink yourself to an early grave but that will have to wait until after the Games are over because unfortunately for me, you're the only one with enough influence and power to make sure my sister wins. Katniss is a jaded survivalist who has had no hope in her life and nothing worth living for besides our family until she found Peeta. That happiness is a once in a lifetime thing that will never happen again and I'll be damned if she loses that chance just cause you decided to drink a bottle too many. I will do anything to make sure she lives, even if it means dumping all your alcohol down the drain so you're at least sober enough to help her."
"Oh? Then what about you? Don't you have any happiness you wanna get back to? Why are you wasting your chance on someone who even if she's a spitfire, has the charisma of a dead slug? Even the natural sex appeal of a woman isn't going to get her anywhere," Haymitch asks, genuinely curious.
Val sees red at Haymitch's words, his overprotective brother instincts rearing its ugly head. He swipes the flask away and tosses it to the over side of the car. Haymitch stares wide eyed, gaze switching between a furious Val and the alcohol spilling out onto the expensive carpet. Val jabs a finger at Haymitch's chest again, this time hard enough to bruise.
"That's my sister you fucking perv," Val hisses, "And I don't matter. Katniss has found what I had only just gotten a taste of and I'm fine with continuing to live on with thoughts of what could have been. Because the only happiness that matters to me is the one my family gave me. They saved me. They took me in when they didn't have to and gave me the chance to have a family again," here his tone changes, gaining a hint of guilt and regret, "And when I started to spiral after the Mine Collapse, Katniss was the one who brought our family hope again. I owe the Everdeen's a debt that I can only hope to repay by making sure Katniss is the one who goes back home."
"Even if it means sacrificing yourself?" Haymitch asks, his expression carefully neutral.
Val gives a sharp nod, "I've been prepared to die ever since I was 10 years old. At least with this, my death will have meaning and can hopefully repay my debt."
"A life for a life huh?" Haymitch says as his eyes search over Val. It's like he's trying to stare straight into his soul but the effect is somewhat ruined by his still alcohol glazed eyes. After a moment, Haymitch finally dismisses him with a wave.
"Alright you can go."
"Really? That's it?" Val asks, surprised.
Haymitch's eye twitches with annoyance, "What? Did you expect me to start crying from your passionate speech of sacrifice and life debts? Maybe hold your hand and sit down on the floor to sing Kumbaya and we'll suddenly be best friends for life and I'll magically stop brooding and become sober for longer than a minute?"
Val shrugs sheepishly at that, "Maybe?"
"Get out of here!" Haymitch barks, jumping off the couch. Val's instincts, honed by the many punches and kicks that came from an unpredictably irate Katniss no matter the time of year, fail him as he tries to keep speaking with Haymitch.
"So does this mean you'll stop brooding and drinking and help?" Val asks.
Haymitch raises his fist in that familiar threatening manner of a Katniss who's ready to knock his clock clean. Getting the idea, Val immediately books it to the entryway back to the dining car. As he's retreating, Haymitch shouts out, "And let me brood and drink in peace dammit!"
As the door closes behind Val's back, Haymitch drops back down onto the couch with a groan. He eyes the flask of whiskey that's probably completely empty now if the large stain on the carpet is any indication. 'What a waste,' he thought as he rubs at his hair with a heavy sigh.
He leans back and sinks deep into the couch with an exhaustion and bone deep weariness that only came from being a Victor. All of them had it, this heavy weight on their shoulders from having survived when others had not, for trading their humanity for that survival. Many of them may not look like it, but in the end, they all felt sick and disgusted and broken when the gravity of what they and others had done to survive settled in. They either hid it better or used very unhealthy ways to cope.
Quite a few played into their roles as Capitol playthings, especially the Career Victors who changed their appearances to fit their tribute narratives to the point where they lost all sense of who they once were or treated their high commodity status as the honor the Capitol paraded it to be in an attempt to fall into the same delusions so as to forget what it took to get there. Others simply retreated from society or put on new masks to lower their desirability to the Capitol citizens like he had, only coming out when it was absolutely necessary.
Then there were the unfortunate few who lost their grasp on reality. They were the only physical reminders left of the horrific repercussions that came from winning. Though the Capitol tried their best to block those particular Victors from view so as to keep their precious narrative that being a Victor was the highest honor. Whether those attempts were successful or not, he doesn't know cause he could never be bothered to speak with any Capitol citizen about anything beyond his next drink order. But no matter the coping method, one thing was true for all of them – they would never be able to wash the blood of their fellow tributes' death off their hands.
It's thoughts like these that have Haymitch sobering up faster than any glass of ice water and knife between the fingers ever could. It makes his fingers itch to grab the bottle of whiskey sitting all tempting and pretty on a nearby table. But it's the actions of his two new tributes that give him pause.
The Spitfire Twins he decided to dub them even though they do not look anything alike at all but their attitudes of taking no shit and goals of saving the other rather than themselves makes them more similar then they themselves believe.
Ouch. That thought hurt his head. And oh...there's the hangover. How long has it been since he's had one? 8 years? 13 years? Oh wait, 24 years. Two days after he won the games and in turn lost everything. After that killer hangover, he decided he never wanted to be sober again. Not with how the thoughts, the memories, the regrets, the guilt suffocated him as if the Capitol itself was holding a pillow to smother his face.
Haymitch takes a shaky breath as he runs his hands over his face. Those two, Valerian and Katniss Everdeen...they had a spark. A spark that wasn't there before in the other tributes Haymitch had "mentored." They both had a fire that refuses to go out and will burn whoever tries to hurt the ones they love even at the detriment of their own well-being, until there is nothing left but smoldering ashes and fading embers.
It was new. It was unique. It was familiar.
It changed everything.
Making a decision to himself, Haymitch stands and walks over to the table that held the bottle of whiskey. He reaches out and grabs the pitcher of clear, ice water next to it. Then he grabs one of the glasses provided and pours himself some water.
Taking a long sip, he sighs again. The water helps to soothe his hangover, the pounding in his head slowing down to a manageable level. He is slowly but surely on his way to becoming sober. He's really doing this. Really going to break his vow to himself to never get involved with his tribute mentees ever again, not after losing them every year without fail despite everything he tried to prevent otherwise.
He drains the rest of the glass then holds it with a thoughtful expression before moving to refill it. This was more water than he has ever consumed in the last 24 years he realized. But it will be worth it. It has to be worth it. Worth it to not feel a regret so strong it would possibly cripple him if he didn't try this time. Because he owed it to her, owed so much to Maysilee. His fellow tribute who had that same fire in her eyes that never died even as she bled out and the same resourcefulness to survive when no one, not even himself, expected her too. If he didn't try this time, she would never forgive him and would definitely rise from the grave just to haunt and lecture him for all of eternity and he couldn't have that.
Continuing his train of thought, he was surprised to find that he genuinely didn't want the Everdeen siblings to die. It would be so senseless. The world, more specifically District 12, would become even more depressing than it was before. During his rather short conversation with Val, Haymitch didn't bother to bring up the fact that he recognized him. The boy from the Seam who showed every citizen of 12 basic human decency and seemed to brighten up almost everyone's (cause the baker's wife was a demon in disguise and no one will tell him otherwise) day just by saying hello.
Despite the constant alcohol fueled haze he was under, Haymitch was still aware enough to know that Val always stopped by his door, every day without fail at nine in the morning just to say hello and make sure he was still alive and functioning. Even though Haymitch could never be bothered to actually get up and go to the door, he always made the effort to at least move around or make a noise just to satisfy the boy and make him go away. And he'll never tell anyone, not Effie, not Katniss, and certainly not Val, that he was touched by the boy's gesture of empathy. Everyone in 12 had already written him off as a lost cause, a drunk who was going to die alone and surrounded by a mountain of bottles. With Val's daily routine, Haymitch could almost entertain the thought that maybe, even if he died, someone will still mourn for him.
Though he is genuinely curious about what Val meant by the Everdeen family saving him. Wasn't he born into that family? He looks similar enough to their stick of a mother and that adorable sunshine child. Bah! Whatever. Everyone's entitled to their own secrets. It's not his business to go prying.
He drains the water in the glass again. Yes, he will do everything he can to help his tributes because everything is different. Everything is changing.
So he'll try...one last time.
He slams the glass onto the table with a loud, resounding sound that seems to ring with a sense of finality throughout the room. Then he's left in silence with his running thoughts and a pounding headache. With a sigh, he goes to refill the glass with water again.
Meanwhile, Val speed walks through the train cars until he finally comes upon the sleeping car. Quickly scanning the doors, which thankfully were labeled with nameplates, Val swiftly entered the one with his name on it. He examines the room as the door closes with a click. It's a simple room, too clean and fancy just like everything else on this train but with a strict tone with how perfectly placed all the furniture and decorations were.
Suddenly feeling exhausted, he walks over to the bed with its clean grey sheets all straight from starch and tucked in at perfect 90-degree angles and sits at the end facing the window. He watches the scenery pass by, a blur of green, brown, and grey against a backdrop of light blue.
Before he has a chance for the gravity of his actions and the situation he finds himself in to sink in, the door opens and closes behind him. He doesn't even have to turn around and look to know who's there as Katniss starts off on a rant fueled by all the feelings she bottled up ever since they left 12.
"I always knew that people from the Capitol were stupid but I couldn't believe how fucking tone deaf they were as well like, really Effie? Does it ever look like the Capitol ever does shit for 12 even though we've got a Victor who's trying to drink himself into as early a grave as possible and is certainly physical proof of how much winning the Games is not an honor," she spits out with a venom so poisonous it's only reserved for anything relating to the Capitol.
"Language," Val says absentmindedly, though he does agree with everything she's saying.
Katniss continues on as if she didn't hear him, pacing back and forth while gesturing wildly, "And we're better off not relying on Haymitch to help us out. He's clearly going to be drunk off his ass the entire time and not going to help or pull through when we need it. We're better off helping ourselves like we always have."
At this, she stops pacing and sighs, "I'm really glad Peeta isn't here," her voice turns fond in tone, "He's such a bleeding heart. He wouldn't last a minute in the Capitol even though he's such a charming smooth talker."
"And that's why you love him," Val states as he pats the bed.
"And that's why I love him," she agrees as she walks over to sit in the spot he just patted.
The two unconsciously lean against each other, Katniss with her head on his shoulder and Val's head leaning against hers.
"I never realized how vain the Capitol was until Effie opened her mouth," Katniss says, voice surprisingly calm as she closes her eyes to soak in the warmth and comfort that is her brother, "Their problems all center around their wealth, social status, and physical appearances. In 12, everyone's struggling to get a full day's meal and finding work that won't shorten their life spans or isn't life threatening."
"It's survival of the fittest in the most depressing which makes the Capitol's problems seem so basic and stupid," Val sums up. Katniss nods into his shoulder, confirming what Val already knows and Katniss is only just learning to accept.
"You know...the Capitol is still very different from the Career Districts, like 2," Val throws out.
This makes Katniss open her eyes that shine with interest. "You mind telling me more about 2? That is if you're willing to. No pressure or anything," she suggests with a light tone that still betrays her curiosity. Which is fair considering how tight-lipped Val usually is about his life before 12. Val shrugs, figuring he might as well considering now is as good a time as any to stir up past memories that have long been buried.
"While 2 doesn't have the same struggles of survival as 12 when it comes to stable living and a consistent source of food, it does have this hierarchy of strength," he says.
"Like brawn over brain," Katniss states.
"Yup. Physical strength is everything in 12. If you were strong, it meant you were able to hold your own in a fight and if anyone tried to mess with you, they'd either end up in the hospital or six feet underground."
"Well that isn't morbid at all..."
Val laughs at that before continuing on, "If you weren't strong, obviously you were at the bottom of the food chain. And god forbid if you had enough brains to outwit those who were physically stronger than you. You'd be considered an instant outcast. Entirely removed from the food chain because you admitted you had to rely on something other than strength to stand above people."
"And where did you and your family fall in this hierarchy?" Katniss asks, hungry for more knowledge about her brother's past life.
He hums before responding, voice tinged with nostalgic pride, "My dad was well respected like near the top of the food chain respected. Part of it was because he was a Victor but most of it came from how he won his games through brute strength by killing half of the tributes by himself with just his bare hands."
Katniss whistles at that, morbidly impressed.
"My mom though...she was an outcast. She was an artist and her specialty was in metalwork, which was considered a predominantly male job and the forge was no place for a woman. Though that didn't stop the people who spat on her from spending money to buy her works. She was really talented," Val says fondly.
"What'd she make?"
"She loved making all these different kinds of jewelry, like my pin."
"Whoa. She made your pin? That's really impressive," Katniss says, eyeing the pin Val had taken out in awe.
"She actually made it for a marriage anniversary which also happened to be the 3rd anniversary of when my dad won the games," Val explains, "She wanted to celebrate the fact that my dad was still alive but more importantly, appreciate the fact that despite the brutal way he won, he still managed to retain his humanity and empathy."
"Which was what led him to being a rebel," Katniss realized.
"Mmhm. And the fact that he's so strong and respected protected him for a long time. At least until my mom died and I turned old enough to be sent to the academy," Val said as he eyes his pin sadly before quietly whispering, "I really miss them..."
Katniss wraps her arms around to hug him and he uses the hand not holding the pin to hold onto her arm The two let silence fall around them, trying to hold onto each other as long as they can because once they got to the Capitol, who knew when they could get the time to be alone like this again with no expectations or polite masks or their very lives required.
"Can you tell me more?" she asks.
Val hums questioningly.
"About your family. I'd like to hear more about your life before," she clarifies.
Val hesitates for a moment because he's already told Katniss more about his past then he has before to anyone else. He wants to hold onto the memories of before the Incident for as long as he can and even die with them forever buried in his heart. But he knows, deep down he knows, he wants to keep the memory of his life and family in 2 alive through Katniss after he ensures she makes it through and he doesn't.
"Alright," Val agrees.
Then he speaks.
He speaks for a long time.
About the childhood he had growing up where his dad taught him survivalist skills in their backyard with many fires and unexplained explosions happening much to his mom's frequent displeasure. About how to fight in self-defense, which he later passed onto Katniss and Prim in their free time, because his dad wanted to make sure he could take care of any bullies who tried to start something just cause he was a Victor's son. How his mom would put the fear of her wrath in him and his dad on a daily basis with the use of her metal frying pan that he was always scared would one day actually knock the brains out of his dad given the amount of times she whacked him with it. How whenever she had the time, his mom would take him under her wing and teach him how to properly weld metal together to form misshapen metal pieces that she always tried to claim were works of art even though he wasn't stupid enough to believe her anymore cause she was his mom and she's supposed to be nice about things she shouldn't have to be nice about but he appreciated the gesture anyways.
He speaks until he finally has nothing more to speak about. By that point, the two siblings are lying back on the bed, cuddling each for warmth and familiarity. When Val closes his eyes, he can almost imagine that he's not on a train to the Capitol and is instead back in the bedroom of their house in 12.
Unfortunately, the moment is ruined when the door opens and is followed by the sound of high heels clicking across the floor.
"Oh! There you two are!" Effie's voice, somehow growing higher in pitch, screeches out, forcing Val's eyes open. He bites back a groan though Katniss doesn't have the same restraint as him and she actually does groan out loud.
Effie ignores their reactions and starts ushering off the bed, "Up, up, up!"
The two sit up and stretch their limbs and backs out. "What's the rush?" Katniss grumbles out.
Effie smiles widely and excitedly answers, "We've almost arrived! Just a few more moments and we'll be there!"
Val's brain is having a hard time catching up so he asks, "Where?"
Effie actually honest to God pouts at that. "Why to the Capitol of course, dear," she responds with another wide smile, this time with all her pearly white teeth showing in a grotesque display of excitement that seems to stretch her face.
Katniss and Val look at each other with similar expressions of disdain.
"Well shit," Katniss says.
Val agrees. Shit indeed.
And that's the end of part one of three! I hope you guys can accept this longer chapter as my apology for being so late with updating. Gonna be honest here, it was also kinda hard to write this cause I was trying to figure out the direction I wanted to take with my world building without getting too repetitive or too character talkie and not enough description/exposition showy. Don't know if I succeeded but I hope you all still enjoyed reading this chapter regardless.
Anywho, prepare yourselves for part two because that's when we're at the Capitol and get to give the stylist teams more depth, personality, and plot relevance! I'm also planning to divide the chapter into different POV's like I did here cause I like the idea of giving characters more development then what they were given originally. Hope the swapping perspective wasn't too confusing for y'all cause I don't like unintentionally doing that. Also, I would appreciate comments just so I can get confirmation that people actually enjoy reading this story though the favorites and kudos are good enough too. Thank you!