Love will never meet here

[peeta_bread]

Date & Time: 7/20, afternoon
Location: Let's go to the beach, each, let's go get away
Characters: Katniss Everdeen (accidentalrebellion), Haymitch Abernathy (stagedives), Effie Trinket (powdered), and Peeta Mellark
Summary: Awkward meetings
Warnings: Will update if need be

Peeta worked his magic (asked very, very nicely and weaseled his way to get them to come) and managed to get Effie, Haymitch, and Katniss in the same area. Peeta's wearing trunks and a t-shirt, the t-shirt so Katniss isn't uncomfortable. He's slightly red from the sun. He knows the beach must bring up memories for all. But they needed to talk. He was tired of ignoring them or avoiding them. They were really important to him. He needed them to be okay.

Katniss is probably still mad at Peeta. Peeta's a little mad at Haymitch. And Katniss was mad at Haymitch. Still, they were a team. They stuck together, no matter what.

"We need to talk."

The words come out automatically, though he cringes. He doesn't want this to be like his conversation with Katniss. Where she felt trapped and attacked.

Comments

[stagedives]

Peeta was lucky Haymitch remembered the awkward conversation they'd had, even forgetting the question of whether Haymitch wanted to show up for a conversation that was bound to be awkward and painful in a way that would make Haymitch want to dive even further into the bottom of a bottle than he did on a general daily basis. And maybe it was only because it was Peeta who asked him and not anyone else that made him show up at all.

Still, he couldn't be blamed for getting staggeringly drunk first, Peeta or not, or for showing up an hour late, if he was remembering what time he was supposed to be there. Which he probably wasn't.

Come to think of it, he was definitely late, and it was definitely better that way - he preferred to stroll in mid-argument so he could throw in his own slurred two cents and then be done with it. Sit back and watch. So he was more than a little surprised when he spied Peeta across the beach and the kid was alone.

"Well, dammit." he muttered under his breath, but crossed the sand anyway, feeling it shift under his feet in a way that really delightfully accented the slight dip and sway the world already seemed to have.

When he approached Peeta, he gave his head a slight shake, and offered a somewhat sarcastic salute, "Don't tell me I missed all the fun."

[peeta_bread]

Peeta threw him a satisfied smirk over his shoulder. "Missed it? No way. I made sure you'd be the first one here."

There's something in his eyes when he looked at Haymitch, a sharpness and hurt that he can't hide. He walked over to Haymitch, his voice quiet.

"Did you really leave me?"

He wasn't looking for a fight. He just wanted to make sure it was necessary. Maybe then he could forgive him.