General reminder that Theo's pronouns are she/it!
II.
Friends, Beloved
"Alright everyone, gather 'round."
The massive bowl of pasta primavera was dropped onto the fold out table with a thump. Eight chairs were littered about the area, some right next to the table and others closer to the grass, and Theo rose from her own when the pasta was presented.
"I put a lot of work into this dinner," Romulus announced. He pulled more containers of food out—some were egg salad, others were charcuterie board cheeses and meats—and set them down around the big pasta primavera bowl. "We are falling asleep in a food coma, or we're not falling asleep at all, you hear?"
"Eat in moderation, if you can't stomach it all," Theo hastily jumped in. It picked up a bowl and began to spoon pasta primavera into it. When she looked back at Caeneus, he motioned towards the small plate of deviled eggs nearby, and Theo gladly put a couple of eggs on top of his pasta.
Despite this dinner being for Theo and Char, it was Theo and Romulus who plated everything for everyone one-at-a-time, picking up what snacks they could to pile on top of the pasta before handing the paper bowls to their friends. As the resident mom and dad of the group, it was kind of their whole deal—serving up the food, making sure everyone had enough napkins, portioning the food in amounts they knew the others could handle.
"My mom made a halloumi and black olive cake," Betty called as she approached, the last to arrive to the party. According to Char, she'd wanted what their mother was making to remain a surprise and sent him ahead ages ago to help set up. Slung over her shoulders was a pair of sleeping bags in their covers, one for her and Char each. "Think you guys will have space for it?"
Theo excitedly beamed at Betty. "I love halloumi!" it cheered. "I have to have a couple of slices."
As Daphne took the bowl Theo handed off to her, she heard Daphne laugh, "Looks like Betty became Theo's favourite person tonight."
Theo hurriedly backtracked.
"I—I love you all equally," she insisted. "I just really like halloumi."
"Ha!" Romulus turned his nose up. "See if I make you any apple crumble in the future!"
"You can make apple crumble?" Theo was a little concerned, but when he winked at it, it realised he was joking around.
"Not yet, but I could always learn while you're in the arena. You never know. I'm full of surprises."
Everyone chuckled to themselves at the exchange. It was an easy routine that they lapsed into. In fact, it felt almost like the Games weren't approaching—like the reapings weren't in a couple of days. It all just felt… peaceful.
Normal.
Dinner was filling; filling enough that despite their best efforts, some leftovers needed to be taken back home by Romulus. He'd brought Jacinta in a hopeful attempt to express his interest in her, but seemed to have failed in doing much more than bringing a plus one to the dinner so more food could be shared. Jacinta seemed nice enough, Theo thought, and it'd heard about what she got up to with her work as an apothecary of sorts. You didn't see a lot of those in District Two, but to find out Jacinta brewed the alcohol Romulus snuck to their hangouts from prickly pear cacti? It was impressive, at least in Theo's eyes it was.
Jacinta had the most questions for Theo and Char about their plan as well. Everyone else was caught up with it, but explaining it to someone else was a good refresher now that the end of the week was approaching. Only one more day before the reapings, and Theo planned to spend tomorrow with her parents after the Academy let out.
"So one of you is going to volunteer," Jacinta recounted, "and the other is going to be picked as the plus one?"
Char nodded. "We were sort of racking our brains for who should come with us into the arena. But Theo was a genius—she mentioned picking each other as the plus one, and that's how we came up with the plan."
"I really didn't want to bring any of you guys with us," Theo confessed. Romulus let out a soft, Aw, and placed a hand over his heart, looking touched by the sentiment. "And if we want Two to win next year, Daphne is the best chance for us. Ah—I mean—No offence, Betty…"
Betty giggled and waved it off. "None taken. I'm mostly at the Academy for fitness reasons rather than competitive reasons. The spot's all Daph's next year."
"As it should be," Daphne preened. She finished the last of her pasta with a smug smile. "I was so gracious, giving it to Theo this year. I should get an award for being so generous."
"Yeah, right!" McCoy laughed. They almost fell out of their lawn chair as they hollered. "I bet you showed up late every day to training this week!"
Daphne flushed red, her face resembling a tomato. "Only the first day!" she sputtered.
Everyone chuckled again as Theo stood up to collect the plates. Romulus had brought a trash bag with him, which he held open for Theo to dump the used paper bowls into as it cleaned up after everyone else.
"Do you guys know who's volunteering with you?" Jacinta asked.
Char shrugged. "We gave it to that one guy, Ajax Formido," he explained. "But we have no clue who he's picking. I think he's going to try bring someone from the Academy. Wonder if he'll convince Ebony to lie for him?"
"A hundred lashes for him," McCoy announced. "Deception of the Capitol is treason! So says the Capitol!"
"A hundred would kill him," Theo pointed out.
"Ninety-nine, then. My judgement is fair and just!"
Now it was Caeneus's turn to fall out of his seat. Char got up and hovered over him, also laughing, and Caeneus pulled him down to roll around on the ground with him. Theo managed to pick up one of the lawn chairs before they tumbled into it, and the rolling about ended with Caeneus on top of Char. Their legs were tangled together, Char staring up at his boyfriend with adoration, and Caeneus pushed Char's hair out of his face.
"You are going to look so sexy in your arena uniform," Caeneus declared.
"Oh, I'll bet. Maybe when I get back, we can do a little roleplay in it…"
Betty quickly shouted, "Get a room!"
"Get a life!" Char shouted back, unbothered. "I can't help being so hot that Caeneus can't keep his hands off of me."
"It's true," Caeneus said dramatically. "They have minds of their own."
"Keep it safe for work, you two." Romulus tied the bag closed and threw a glare at the couple. "We can't all be studs. Have some sympathy for us useless folk who can't score a date."
He threw a wink at Theo. Theo coughed to hide her laugh.
More banter followed. It truly did feel just like every other night they'd stayed at the hangout spot. This all felt so normal, so routine, and it made Theo far less anxious about going into the Games at the end of the week. It wasn't like Theo was nervous to begin with, but sometimes things cropped up in the back of her mind when she least expected it to. Things like confessing at the interview—would it make Betty hate it, using the platform that her brother was going to die in to confess to her? Things like the chariots—would they use twice as many, and if they didn't, would there be enough room for all four of them on one chariot? Things like the career alliance—despite its confidence in its leadership, would the other Districts' tributes like Theo enough to work with her?
But this… This made all the worries feel pointless. Like they'd be easily solved if they cropped up for real, instead of just a what-if that Theo couldn't prevent or even control.
As Theo rolled out her sleeping bag—conspicuously beside Betty's, though Daphne and McCoy helped with convincing Betty to sleep beside Theo—she couldn't help thinking about how exciting it would all be. Seeing the Capitol for the first time, eating halloumi for every meal if it asked, and even strategising with Char about the possible arena and mutts they'd face together as a team. Theo wasn't in this alone, she thought as she held Betty and Char's hands in her own.
Nothing of Theo's plans had changed.
Alamo Haddad hovered over Theo the morning before the reapings. Despite how much he respected Theo's training and decision to go into the arena, he was a worrywart at heart.
"You're alright?" he asked for the umpteenth time as they ate breakfast together. "Not feeling unwell? I'm sure the Academy won't fault you if you're unwell."
"I'm fine, I promise," Theo reassured him. It smiled as it finished off the last of its cereal, munching away idly. "Are you alright?"
Alamo let out a slow breath and poked at his cold toast. "I will be, eventually… You grew up so fast, you know?"
"Eighteen years isn't all that long, compared to the rest of my life," Theo pointed out. Alamo sighed and nodded in agreement.
"I suppose. When you're as old as me, though, the days all blend together. I miss when you were younger." Alamo rubbed at his brow and picked up a slice of toast. He munched on it slowly. "You used to be so small. And then you shot right up and got so strong. You get that from your mother."
Theo chuckled. It finished its cereal and picked up the bowl, and as soon as it was rinsed out in the sink, Theo returned to Alamo and pressed a kiss to his cheek.
"I get some things from you, too," Theo reasoned. "Mom doesn't have nearly this many freckles like we do."
Alamo laughed. It was enough to ease the tension in his shoulders, and he relaxed a little more in his chair. It seemed he just needed something to laugh at, and while Theo wasn't exactly joking around with what she said—it was true, Theo and Alamo had way more freckles than Rhyol did, even with Rhyol being the one who was in the sun the most—it felt nice to be able to cheer up its dad somehow.
He was just nervous. Not everyone liked the idea of their kid going into the arena.
"I just worry," Alamo admitted. Theo sat back down with him, patient and listening, and smiled as he spoke. "There's so much danger. I— It's just that there's so many ways I could lose you."
"It's okay, though," Theo reassured him. She reached over and held one of his hands on her own. "I think you're right to be worried. No one knows what'll happen until we launch. Desdemona, the last Quell victor, she's been prepping us for traps that are made to cull numbers. Forty-eight is a lot of tributes."
"And you're still confident?" he asked, voice small.
Theo sniffed, thinking on its answer. "I am," it said eventually. "And even if I don't make it to the end, despite all my confidence, I know for certain that I'll be dying at the hands of a friend, not a stranger. Char wouldn't abandon me like that. And I wouldn't abandon him like that either."
Alamo looked down. His eyes were glued to the table—to Theo's hand in his—and when he looked back up after a moment, Theo could see tears in his eyes. Alamo reached up and wiped them away, and then he was holding Theo's hand with both of his own. He traced the lines on her palm, the length of its fingers, and Alamo nodded reluctantly.
"You're a strong person," he told Theo. "You're so strong and bright and beautiful. And I hope the Capitol sees everything wonderful about you and fights to bring you back home to me. The blood will wash off eventually, with time and patience, as long as you're back here with me and your mother."
It was a kind sentiment. Theo squeezed his hands and nodded slowly.
"I bet they'll adore me," it reassured him. "Just like you and mom do."
Alamo laughed, nodding in agreement. "I just hope they don't turn you into a heartless killer with their narrative. You're far too sweet to be treated like that."
At the mention of his concerns of Theo being treated like a murderer, Theo brightened and sat up straighter in her chair.
"Actually," it said, hopeful, "there's a chance I might not kill anyone at all."
Alamo blinked, confused.
"What do you mean…?"
"Well, I have Char with me, and the rest of the career alliance will be by my side," Theo explained. "Statistically, I might not even have to kill anyone. I won't have to come home with anyone's death on my conscience."
Alamo sucked in a short, scared breath. He searched Theo's face, but for what, Theo wasn't sure. She just blinked and stared back, still smiling, but its brows were furrowed with confusion. What was wrong, to make Alamo react like that?
Alamo cleared his throat and squeezed Theo's hands. He shook his head, ridding himself of the uncomfortable expression on his face, and Theo was left confused as he shoved the rest of his toast into his mouth. Once he swallowed it all down and coughed, clearing his throat again, Alamo was acting like the conversation hadn't happened just now.
"Say," he broached, changing the subject. "Why don't we have a look at my new designs? I've worked on quite a few since you last saw them. They want me to build a new skyscraper for the Capitol—some skydeck or something. It probably won't be done until ten years down the line, but they liked my designs."
Theo rose from her chair and moved across the table to stand by Alamo's side. He seemed nervous, doing his best to ignore the topic of the Games for now, and Theo knew pushing him wouldn't help. So it kissed the top of his head and nodded, holding out a hand to help him out of his chair.
"Sounds good to me," it said, smiling broadly. Anything to put his mind at ease, Theo reasoned. "Maybe they'll let us have a look at it when it's done."
Alamo barked a laugh, hand flying to his chest to stabilise himself. "Oh, that'd be something to behold! It's almost a thousand feet tall—we'll have to wear slippers with padding on the bottom of them so we don't break the glass from the viewpoint."
"It's made of glass?" Theo gawked at its father, excited to see the design now. "You can't leave that part out! That sounds so cool!"
And as Theo dragged Alamo towards his study, she found herself falling into the same trap Alamo had laid for himself. Theo didn't think about the Games again for a while, and the morning she spent with Alamo was the first time throughout the whole week that the Games weren't at the forefront of Theo's mind. It wanted to see Alamo's skydeck be built. No, Theo thought—she wanted to climb it with Alamo and Rhyol the moment it was done!
The view from the top of Panem had to be stunning, from a thousand feet up in the air.
Rhyol didn't come home from the quarry until the evening, likely giving everyone the night off so they could spend time with their families before the reaping tomorrow morning. From what Theo knew of her work, she was a fair and reasonable foreman that people enjoyed working under. The sandstone quarry had a lot of workers in around-the-clock shifts, and it was hard work for each group. But Rhyol was well-liked among the workers and was once in the same position as them in the past, so it was hard to find fault in her judgments.
Theo met her halfway, walking towards the quarry when the Academy let out, and they waved each other down as she saw Rhyol Vanek pull off her hard hat and wipe grime from her face. Rhyol's overalls were tied around her waist and her sleeves were rolled all the way up past her elbows, the bright orange safety vest loose over her dirty undershirt, and when she saw Theo, Theo couldn't help noticing the big smile on Rhyol's face.
Much like Alamo, Rhyol adored Theo and was a wonderful parent. Theo had never known turmoil with such loving adults in its life so far, and while Alamo was very frightened of all the ways the Games could go wrong—within reason, Theo thought, because she'd seen past footage of other Games as well—Rhyol was the one who'd guided Theo with a steady hand when each of those errors were identified. If it wasn't the trainers at the Academy helping Theo identify and address risks in each scenario, it was Rhyol doing it at home between Theo's enthusiastic summaries of its day at training. While both were conscious of danger, Rhyol was the parent who faced danger with experience and caution, while Alamo shied away from danger until someone could prove to him that it was safer than it was before.
They were a perfect match in that regard.
Rhyol slung her arm around Theo's shoulder. She leaned down to pick a kiss on Theo's forehead, and Theo giggled happily at the gesture. Rhyol was one of the few people to be taller than Theo at this point—puberty had made Theo shoot up to over six feet, something it was rather proud of after all the training it'd done. The rest of Rhyol's crew passed them by, waving to Theo as they headed home, and Theo waved back with a smile the whole time.
"How was your day?" Rhyol asked. Theo beamed up at her, one hand in her pocket as she walked with Rhyol's arm around its shoulders.
"It was good," Theo chirped. It looked back to the road ahead, where she could see the sun setting on the horizon. "Me and Char have a plan worked out, and we were able to work with someone else to figure out the volunteering situation. It was all very diplomatic."
"Good," Rhyol said with a nod. She always liked it when Theo used its head for decision making, especially when Theo could've just as easily panicked and froze up. Years of having calmness and situational awareness emphasised to Theo had paid off when it came to even the seemingly miniscule decisions. "What about your training? You've been careful?"
"Careful as ever." Theo held up its other hand, the one free of its pocket, and showed off the fully formed callouses along the palm and fingertips. "My trainers have been really proud of my progress and they say I'm the best hope for Two to take a win this year. I'm still going to be cautious, but I'm pretty confident. I got perfect scores in precision and kill-strike training through the entire week, too."
Rhyol hummed and nodded again. The quarry was far behind them as they entered the rural area of District Two, and Theo could see other students from the Academy coming out of shops to meet their family members returning from the quarry. She could see Ajax was exiting a convenience store with a bag of sandwiches in one hand, and before it had a chance to wave to him, it saw a member of Rhyol's crew run over to him and hand him some money in exchange for the bag of sandwiches. They walked off together, the man not much older than Ajax, and Theo assumed he was Ajax's brother or something.
Theo's gaze lingered. She wondered who Ajax was picking to take with him—if his plan to convince Ebony, who was more skilled than him, to lie to the Peacekeepers had gained any traction. Maybe Theo and Char wouldn't find out until the day Ajax announced his partner, it thought.
A small squeeze from Rhyol's arm made Theo blink and look back up at her.
"That the boy you worked things out with?" she asked Theo. Theo nodded once, still in a good mood despite the unanswered questions surrounding Ajax.
"I didn't know he knew someone in your crew," it admitted.
"Probably his older brother. Juno talks about his younger brother struggling at the Academy a lot. I thought he wasn't good enough to volunteer?"
Really? Theo looked back at the fading visage of Ajax and Juno in the distance. Ajax was struggling? But he was second only to Char. It was no small feat to be behind Char in terms of eligibility.
Maybe, when they all volunteered, Theo should ask Ajax if he was alright…
"Hey, now," Rhyol said slowly. She gave Theo a soft nudge, pulling her child back from its thoughts. Theo coughed into her fist and blushed; was it so easy to tell what it was thinking? Or was this a Rhyol thing? Honestly, given how perceptive Rhyol was about everything else around her, it made sense if she could pick up on Theo's concerns. "I know you want to help him. But remember: As soon as you and Charles get on that train, he's not your ally. He may join the career pack with you, but speaking as someone who's witnessed twice as many Hunger Games as you have—it's far easier to stab someone in the back than to help them."
Theo furrowed her brows. She knew that, but…
"It feels like so much effort," it mumbled. "To be so vindictive."
"Some people find it easier," Rhyol said softly. "Just like how you can't fathom being vindictive, other people can't fathom being kind." She rubbed Theo's shoulder reassuringly. "It's why I'm so proud of you, baby. But it's also why your father worries. It'd pain him to see you taken advantage of by someone with ill intentions."
But Theo knew when someone was trying to be mean to it. Char and Daphne and even Betty had helped Theo see the small red flags whenever someone approached her without knowing her prior; hell, that same help allowed for Theo to understand that Betty wasn't the "stoic bitch" everyone else used to see her as. Betty was just someone who struggled to focus when someone spoke to her, and Theo learned that patience and repeating itself gently would occasionally get an enthusiastic reply. Much like Theo was taught to be on the lookout for bad faith actors, Theo also learned to see the good in people a little more clearly. And being the type to want to care for and nurture those around it, was it so bad that Theo wanted to see the good in someone before the bad?
It pursed its lips and hummed once. Rhyol huffed through her nose, barely loud enough for Theo to pick up at first, and she let go of Theo's shoulder to ruffle her child's hair endearingly. Theo winced, its hair coming loose from her ponytail, and she reached up to bat away Rhyol's hands with a playful whine.
"No more of this depressing crap, though," Rhyol decided. She pointed to a food stand set up outside the baker's small shop, and Theo could smell freshly baked croissants—likely put outside to try and sell to the quarry workers returning home. They didn't always set up the food stand out front, but tonight must've been one of the nights they did. "I think your father would adore some Danishes for dessert tonight. How about you?"
Theo thought about it for a second. "What about cream horns?"
"Anything for my superstar," Rhyol laughed. She guided Theo to the bakery, and the mood was lighter than before. Much like with her dad, speaking with Rhyol pushed the Games out of Theo's mind for a short period of time; instead, it focused on the display of pastries inside the bakery, especially once it noticed the last of the cream horns were sold to another family with a younger child.
Theo took her time scanning the selections of pastries, and each time she lingered on one, Rhyol would call out to the clerk to put it in a takeout box. When Theo finally stopped at the display of cronuts, wary of how much bigger dessert was going to be compared to dinner, Rhyol ran her finger over the front row and ordered one of each flavour of cronut. Two large takeout boxes were filled with pastries by the time Rhyol paid, and Theo hesitated to say much until they were outside of the bakery. Politeness towards customer service workers had it not wanting to kick up a fuss over too many pastries. Especially when Theo liked pastries a lot. Frankly, it felt like Theo was a child again like this—watching its mother buy groceries and seemingly not notice the goodies that had spilled onto the basket. And like when Theo was a child, wanting to be a good child took over and Theo tugged on Rhyol's sleeve as they finally left the bakery.
"This is too much for dessert, isn't it?" she asked.
"Oh, didn't I tell you?" Rhyol looked at Theo over the stacked takeout boxes. "This is dinner, too."
Dessert for dinner? That was every child's dream.
Theo fought back a smile and asked, "Are you sure this is okay?"
"Well, if Alamo doesn't have a sweet tooth tonight, it's more for us. Right?" Rhyol shrugged lazily. "And your dental work has been stellar so far. I think a cheat night is warranted, given tomorrow's events."
Rhyol started to walk. Theo scrambled after her, hurriedly taking one of the boxes. Making Rhyol carry everything wasn't right, and Theo could manage a simple box of pastries.
"And I like to think you kids were responsible last night," Rhyol went on. She smiled knowingly at Theo, and Theo beamed back at her confidently. "And you would've told me if you got up to some mischief. So a little bit of sugar is perfectly reasonable for dinner tonight."
It was hard to argue with that logic.
Theo happily followed her mother home, now that she knew what sweet delights were for dinner, and she was giddy to see what Alamo thought of them all. As much as Theo liked to believe it had better self control, it did linger on quite a few of the pastries on display at the bakery—bear claws, cream puffs, cronuts, baklava, even some slices of castella cake—and try as it might try to deny it, Theo was really looking forward to the spread that would be on the Vanek-Haddad dining table.
Alamo had to hold the door open for them as they walked inside, and when Theo took a glance at the living room, she was surprised to find the mattresses from the bedrooms on the floor. Blankets and pillows littered the floor as well, a lamp from Alamo's office at the head of the mattresses, and a stack of books was beside it. It seemed Alamo was in the middle of setting up some sheets to hang above the mattresses, and Rhyol playfully asked if he needed help with it.
"I'm the architectural expert in this household," Alamo said facetiously. His hands were on his hips, nose upturned in pride. "Setting up a blanket fort is child's play."
"It's falling apart," Rhyol said. And when Alamo turned around in disbelief, Theo had to hold back a laugh at how quickly one of the sheets flopped onto the mattresses.
"Maybe I need a second opinion," Alamo sighed.
"Well, the foreman and OSHA consultant wants to eat first. So get your pretty little head at the dining table and help us plate these bad boys up."
Alamo was muttering to himself as he led the way to the kitchen. Theo didn't hear it all, but it did catch the tail end of Alamo telling himself, "I do have a pretty little head."
The pastries were fluffy and delicious—the filling in the cronuts was extra creamy, too—and everyone sampled a bit of everything as they talked about their days. Theo excitedly told Rhyol about Alamo's latest project for the Capitol, and Alamo jumped in with extra information he'd forgotten earlier in the day. Rhyol reported on her crew's adventures in the quarry, or lack thereof, and focused more on the antics of the crew during their lunch breaks. One of the crew members whose name Theo couldn't remember tried to prank a lunch thief with some laxatives in his lunch, but he hadn't remembered his hard work sabotaging his lunch and when the lunch thief didn't take it, he excitedly dug into it—only to regret it twenty minutes later. Alamo was appalled, especially when Rhyol revealed she knew who the lunch thief was and had already reprimanded him the day before when their shift ended, and Theo couldn't help laughing as she asked if the poor crew member had enough water to drink.
"He went through three bottles by the time he was done," Rhyol scoffed. She shoved the last of her bear claw into her mouth and chewed hurriedly. "He's damn lucky we all got to go home early today. I would've made him work a double shift for trying to pull that kind of trick on someone. Too many laxatives can kill a person, you know."
"Thank God he didn't overdose," Alamo muttered. "That's a nightmare amount of paperwork for something he did on company grounds."
"Good thing he was clocked out when he laced the food and ate it," Rhyol agreed. "But he was a big guy. He was able to withstand it better than the actual lunch thief could. The other guy was only small and scrawny—fresh out of high school."
"I'm glad everything turned out okay in the end," Theo jumped in. Rhyol and Alamo looked at it with raised brows, but they both appeared to agree. "But an overdose of laxatives… Not how I'd want to go, if I'm honest. That's on par with the embarrassment of slipping in the shower and being found naked."
Rhyol hummed in agreement. "I think I'd do everything in my power to not die at the work showers," she agreed. "What about you, Al?"
"Crushed by my own buildings," Alamo said immediately. "Never mind my life ending—everyone would remember me as the man who was killed by his own design. I'd be a cautionary tale."
"True, but people might also blame the construction crew for not doing it properly," Rhyol reasoned.
"Yeah!" Theo pulled her last cream puff in half and popped the smaller half in her mouth. "You'd probably just be pitied and mourned. People consider you a genius, so losing a great mind like yours would be worthy of a national funeral."
Alamo fumbled with his words. He was red at the tips of his ears, shaking his head fervently. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves. If anyone deserves a national funeral, it's—"
And then he stopped abruptly. Alamo's gaze flickered to Theo, just for a moment, and Theo saw the way he turned from bashful to mournful. Alamo couldn't even keep his eyes on Theo's face, and he looked down at his plate with an almost empty expression. Like he just had an epiphany, but the worst possible kind.
Rhyol reached over and took his hand in her own. His hand was shaking as he squeezed it back.
"Dad?" Theo asked, quiet.
"I—I'm okay, honey," Alamo forced out. He licked his lips, trying to find more words to say, but when he couldn't, he instead pushed his plate towards the middle of the table and cleared his throat. "I'm just… not as hungry as I thought I was."
"Oh." Theo looked at Rhyol nervously. Rhyol's expression was calm and reassuring, even as some of the glaze from the pastries stained her mouth and began to dry, forming cracks that threatened to fall off at any moment. "Was it the laxative talk?"
"No. No, it wasn't that." Alamo leaned forward, resting his forehead on his palm, and he seemed to be in pain as he closed his eyes and sucked in a long, steeling breath. "I just think that, ah… This… This is really nice, you know? Sitting here like this, eating dessert for dinner and joking about silly little things. But it—" Alamo pursed his lips tightly, sucking in another shuddering breath. "It doesn't feel so silly, all of a sudden."
Theo pushed out its chair and immediately hurried to the other side of the table. She sat herself down on Alamo's other side, and Theo leaned its head on his shoulder softly as he took more time to think of his next words. The closeness seemed to calm him a bit, but he still shakily reached out and pulled Theo into a half-hug. Theo was used to kisses on the cheek and forehead whenever its parents wanted to express their love for her, so the hug itself felt… big. Bigger than a simple kiss on the face.
"I'd like to do this again," Alamo mumbled. "I really would. But there's a chance we might not get to."
"Why not?" Theo asked innocently. What could possibly stop them from having a silly dinner like this again? It couldn't be money, not with the amount Alamo made for the Justice Building Project, and Rhyol made a decent amount as a foreman at the quarry. Did they think Theo wouldn't want to again? That Theo might not be home to do this—
Oh.
That was right.
The reaping was tomorrow.
Theo was going to be going away for a while.
Theo had every chance of never coming home again.
Before Alamo could even answer—before Rhyol could answer for him—Theo moved out of its seat and pulled Alamo into a tight hug. It wasn't something Theo was used to, not to comfort someone, and hugs in this household were reserved for romantic moments between Alamo and Rhyol. But a lot of people used to say to Theo how warm and comforting hugs could be, especially from a parent, and while Theo wasn't the parent in this house, she sure as well could be someone her parents could lean on in times like this.
"You know I love you guys, right?" Theo asked. Alamo clung to it tighter with his arm, his other hand still in Rhyol's.
"I know, honey," he whispered.
"Because I love you guys more than anything in the world," Theo went on.
"I know," Alamo whimpered.
"And I'd never do anything to intentionally hurt you guys," Theo continued.
"Of course you wouldn't," Alamo agreed, and he was taking in stuttering breaths as he spoke.
Theo looked at her mother warily over Alamo's shoulder. Rhyol was nodding in agreement, encouraging Theo's attempts at comfort. Theo swallowed a lump in its throat and rubbed Alamo's back, hoping to soothe him.
"And I'm coming home," Theo said. She spoke with enough conviction and confidence, enough determination, that she hoped even the most sceptical of people would believe her. "I'm coming home so we can have pastry for dinner again and laugh about dumb ways to die together."
Alamo nodded weakly. He couldn't say anything in response.
"And—" Theo hesitated. "And if I do die, I won't go down easy. I'm gonna put up one hell of a fight, okay? So you guys don't have to see me just—just roll over and die."
Rhyol reached over and massaged Alamo's shoulders as they shook ever so slightly. Theo could feel something wet on its shirt, but didn't pull away to check Alamo's face. They just held each other tightly, for the briefest of moments pretending they were one person, one whole entity, and Theo waited patiently to hear a response from Alamo.
Eventually, in the barest of whispers, Alamo's question came: "Aren't you scared of dying, Theodora?"
The use of the full name. Alamo was very concerned.
Theo didn't hesitate this time.
"Not in the slightest," it said. Alamo pulled back, stunned, and stared at Theo in horror. But Theo just reached for his hand and smiled, hoping to reassure him with her calmness. "I'm not scared, because even if I don't go into the arena, it could happen anywhere else. Any time. I could die in my sleep tonight from—I don't know—cardiac arrest from all this sugar I ate for dinner. I could die tomorrow on the way to the reaping. I could die in seventy years, when I'm old and weathered and after you guys have already left me behind. I'm not scared. I know it's inevitable. That's why I…"
Theo paused, thinking on how to phrase this part. If it said this wrong, Alamo might think Theo was trying to commit suicide in some roundabout way with Char's help—and that was the farthest from Theo's intentions with this Quell.
"If there's a chance I can survive, any non-zero chance at all, I'll do my best. And I know everyone else will be doing their best as well. In the end, doesn't it all come down to who can survive the longest? Not who can be the most ultra-violent?" Theo laughed softly, doing her damndest to try and get Alamo to relax. He was still very stressed, very scared, but he wasn't outright horrified right now. "And I'm not going with a total stranger. I have my best friend helping me, and as sad as it'll be when we have to face off against each other at the end, I need you to understand that that's something we've come to terms with in our own time while training. I'm not going into this unprepared, Dad. You and Mom made sure of it."
Those last two sentences seemed to be what made Alamo relax a little more. Tension eased off of his shoulders, allowing for Rhyol to stop massaging them, and Alamo weakly sighed as his watery eyes slowly dried up. What tears could've fallen were wiped away by Theo's thumbs, and she held her dad's face in its hands gently. With slow movements, like handling a stressed cat, Theo leaned up and pressed a kiss to its dad's forehead gently.
"And when I come home a victor," Theo told him, "I want you to remodel my mansion in the Victors' Village. Because those things are so outdated, and even if they made one to my desire, it wouldn't nearly be as nice as what you'd come up with."
Alamo blurted out a laugh. It was half-incredulous, half-relieved, and he shook his head as he tried to hold back more laughter.
"I guess I better get started on a victory gift," Alamo eventually mumbled. He pressed his forehead to Theo's and rubbed their noses together. "When did you get so grown-up? Look at you—comforting me like I'm the child."
Theo laughed, and so did Rhyol.
"I guess I had good role models," Theo told him.
And in spite of it all—in spite of the stress still looming over Alamo's shoulder, in spite of the cautious reassurance Rhyol had to give every so often—the night felt like a dream come true. The blanket fort was completed as Theo washed the dishes, and underneath the warm glow of the desk lamp, all three members of the Vanek-Haddad family laid together on the mattresses and read quietly together, until one by one, they all fell into a much-needed slumber.