Disclaimer: The Hunger Games Trilogy is property of Suzanne Collins. This is a parody fanwork by fans for fans. No money was made off of the creation of this fanwork.

Apprehension and Anticipation
by FanficAllergy & RoseFyre

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Theme: 26: Smirk
Words: 450
Summary: Haymitch wants nothing to do with his soulmate. Cressida can't wait to meet hers. Oops.

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"We're going to make our girl a star."

Haymitch started, wishing not for the first time that he had a flask or bottle of alcohol to numb his emotions. Those were his words. The same words which had appeared almost immediately after he'd returned home from the Quell. The same words which had caused his fight with Fern, which in turn caused his mother and brother to try to intercede on his behalf. The same words which were the cause of their death.

He hated his soulmate words.

Bright green. Almost glowing. Winding themselves around his right forearm like a vine. Beautiful words.

And deadly.

He looked at the woman, his soulmate, and grunted. Unwilling to say anything and confirm that she was the one he'd been dreading for twenty five years.

He wasn't about to go through that pain again.

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"You did good."

Simple words. Words Cressida heard all the time. But never as the first thing out of someone else's mouth.

She'd wondered who the person who admired a deep red, almost purple, color, like the finest of wines or Tyrian silk, was. So far, she hadn't found them. She wanted to search, hunt down the person the universe had deemed was her perfect match. Love them. Soothe them. Cherish them. If only they'd just show up. She'd show them just how wonderful they could be together.

Her eyes flicked to Haymitch, the grizzled old mentor from Twelve, and she nodded. "Thanks. It was a team effort." She attempted to move away, but his hand on her arm stopped her.

"I owe you an apology."

"Whatever for?"

He unbuttoned his shirt sleeve and rolled it up, revealing the soulmark underneath. "You said this to me three months ago."

She blinked. "And you're telling me this now?"

"Figured I couldn't say goodbye without first saying hello."

"Goodbye?" Wait. First he says he's her soulmate and he's known for three months, and then he says he's leaving? Weren't they supposed to get to know each other? Wasn't he her perfect match?

Unaware of her thoughts, Haymitch continued, "I'm headin' back to Twelve with our girl. Just thought I'd let you know, so you didn't have to keep wondering."

"Thanks for that, I suppose."

He redid his sleeve, smoothing it down with a slight shake in his hand. "I'm not asking anything of you. In fact, I think it's best if we just leave it here."

When she didn't say anything, he just turned and walked away, sidling over to greet Paylor and the other heroes of the revolution. As she watched him, a slow, almost anticipatory smirk slid across her lips. "That's not your decision to make."

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AN:
Written: 6/30/18
Revised: 7/1/18

We randomized Haymitch and Cressida, and hey, soulmates who work! Also, yay inventing more pairings.

You can get more information about our original writing here:

Website: RoseLarkPublishing

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