Thin Flesh (Haymitch Abernathy X OC)

Nothing Serious

🎶 The Funeral by Band of Horses🎶

"I'm coming up only to show you down for, and coming up only to show you're wrong."

After a few solid games of chess, and Patrix kicking all of our asses, I decided to go rest my hangover off a bit, before taking a very, very hot shower.

The water pressure was perfect, the temperature was enough to make my skin a tinge of pink, the only thing that made the shower slightly uncomfortable was the cut along my torso, but it needed to be cleaned anyways. The bleeding had stopped and the gauze, now in the garbage, was full of a deep crimson.

Before I knew it, I'd been in there for an hour... just as I had gotten some clothes on, a loud banging comes at my door.

"Did you use up all the hot water?!" Haymitch.

I roll my eyes and walk myself to the door, only to open it to a near naked Haymitch. Nothing was on his body aside from a white and gold towel tied around his waist.

I clench my jaw and blush, shielding my eyes, but not until a few good seconds had passed. I'd been staring.

"S-sorry. It's been a long time since I've had a shower." I mumble softly.

He takes my hand and puts it down so that I could see him again.

"You're heating up my bath water."

I chuckle and snort, "what you want me to boil you some water?"

I shouldn't have laughed. There we were in the kitchen, 3 giant pots of water waiting to warm on the stove top. I sighed heavily and stirred the water to ensure even heat distribution. Haymitch on the other hand, sat at a dining table and just watched me.

"You know, you could put some clothes on." I say, not even looking over in his direction.

"Make you uncomfortable, sweetheart?" He asks while swigging a drink.

"You know, you're probably the crappiest mentor in the games. All you've done was watch me get drunk, cut my rib in your sleep, encourage me to murder the other tributes and make me boil you some damn bath water!" I growl.

"You haven't taught me anything outside of avoiding the bloodbath and careers, which, no shit! You haven't told me how to defend myself, you just say 'kill or be killed' and call it a day!"

I grab a pair of oven mits and lift the first large pot in my hands and carry it over to the closest bathroom.

"That's not my room!" Haymitch yells for me.

"Yeah, well, take it or leave it!" I shout back, dumping the water into the tub.

A bit of it splashes back up to me and directly lands in my cut. I didn't bandage it a second time. The pain hits me and I yelp, dropping the pot on the floor.

Hearing the clanging, Haymitch runs in quickly.

"Are you alright?" He asks.

I shake my head and just can't help it. I start crying. Not heavily, but the tears just kept brimming over in my eyes. I couldn't stop it.

"Look, I can finish the bath water myself. I just thought that it would be a good-"

"You have no clue what you're doing..." I say between quiet sobs before taking a seat on the toilet.

Haymitch noticeably bites the flesh in his cheek.

"I try and I fail. Being a hard ass, keeping you both at arms length is something new I'm trying on. It'll be easier I think, for me, when you lose. No one ever wins from district 12. I've lost every tribute I've ever mentored."