haymitch

[polyapathy]

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[polyapathy]

I don't know! I'll talk to her! I'll make sure she knows we need to fucking trust each other. It's better than killing her, fuck.

[oraculi]

[He pauses just long enough to make the is it? clear . . . but then deflates, sighing as he glances away.]

It's not gonna happen tonight, anyway. C'mere.

[polyapathy]

[God, but he's right. He's right, he always is, and she hates it so much in this moment.]

Everyone knows you fight with her. They'd figure you out in an instant.

[She shoves at him, biting back tears again.]

Don't make me sit through a trial like that, Haymitch. I can't do it.

[oraculi]

[God damn it . . . he glances away, hating the expression on her face. The sincerity in her voice in that moment, so raw he's aching.]

All right. All right. I won't. I promise.

But if she keeps this shit up, I'm gonna bring it up again.

[polyapathy]

Like hell you will.

[But it's said tiredly as she settles back against him, taking a shaky breath. The promise is good enough for now, and it's like he said: Nothing's happening tonight. Today is over.

She sniffs, wiping her face on her sleeve.]

...We have to get Nathan out of here, too.

[oraculi]

If we can.

[But god knows if they can even get out of here themselves. He likes Nathan, though. He likes him a lot more than he'd admit, because the guy reminds him too much of a mentor.]

[polyapathy]

We can.

[She says it firmly.]

More people are dying, but we're catching up. We know more than we did last week. We could still get ahead of this.

[oraculi]

Yeah.

[He's trying. He's really trying, but that's the most optimism he can summon. He sighs, tugging her in closer, and for a while there's nothing.]

. . . hey. That reminded me. I still don't know everybody you've slept with around here. Did you sleep with Junpei?

[polyapathy]

[She barks out a laugh, because how can she not? What a fucking whirlwind today has been.]

Yeah. Last week. Edelgard too, as a matter of fact, but that was on Monday.

[She pauses to think.]

Tuesday it was Catra, and then Beck... I guess snapper was in season this week. Otherwise, just you and Nathan.

[...]

And Monika that one time.

[oraculi]

[He pulls a fairly enormous face at Edelgard's name, but, okay, I guess.]

You, obviously. Nathan. Beck.

[So. There.]

[polyapathy]

[Oh, same here, bud.]

Hey, if I could take it back, I would. She approached me and said she wanted to get to know me better. I attempted—in vain, apparently—to broker an alliance between you two.

[...]

Well, I told her to fucking—actually, this was pretty good. So.

[She settles in against him, ready to weave the tale as she chases after his approval, honestly.]

I'm in the library, right, and she comes up to me to talk about Monika throwing me under the bus. She says, hey, if Demonika tried to frame you, that probably means you aren't a demon, so let's fuck. I'm like, of course I'm not a fuckin' demon, bud, Haymitch can vouch for me! Because she's gotta know we're close by this point, and I don't care for her laying into you all the time. Like, she's on her way to getting a box shot of her own, let me tell you.

So I give her shit about being BFFs with you, and she's like, ugh, Haymitch, what an asshole, and so on, and then she says, "What could he possibly see that I can't with my own eyes?"

[She's doing a mock Edelgard voice. It's not great.]

And I'm like, "Uh, well, he saw through Monika, for starters." Bam. Mic drop if there ever was one.

2/3 jk

[polyapathy]

[Wait.]

[polyapathy]

You fucked Nathan? Oh my god!

[oraculi]

[He laughs at that story, filled with an odd mixture of pride and-- wait for it-- flattery. It's nice, hearing that she stood up for him.

But then--]

Don't make a big deal outta it.

[Grumbled.]

[polyapathy]

Oh, come on. I don't care. He's a good lay.

[She pats his chest. This is, somehow, the most normal conversation she's had in a while. It's nice.]

Good for you, big shoots. I bet you rocked his world.

[oraculi]

Yeah, you say that, but . . .

[He notices she picked out Nathan and not, say, Beck. But then he scoffs.]

You're not kidding. He wasn't quite ready for someone who had experience.

[polyapathy]

[SHE'LL CIRCLE BACK.]

Yeah, it's no fucking wonder. You know hardly anyone asks to see him? No one knows how to handle that kid, and I bet the same is true at home.

[Which, god, this is supposed to be fun gossip hour now to wind down from that trial, but...]

He hasn't had a lot of love in his life. We traded memories.

[She sighs.]

He hasn't found his people yet, I don't think.

[oraculi]

[Has he? He doesn't know immediately, which throws him, makes him pause for a moment. He has, he thinks. Even if they're away. Even if he doesn't see them regularly, there's a reason he's been thinking of his team the more time goes past.]

He will.

Sooner or later.

[It took him twenty years between one group and another. It happens.]

[polyapathy]

[She nods. It's true, he will.]

In the meantime, he's one of us. Simple as that.

[...]

Beck, huh? She's got good taste.

[oraculi]

I'm surprised she slept with me.

I asked her before, got turned down. Kinda thought that'd be that til the other day, and then suddenly she's giving me looks and touching my hand and acting like it'd be real great if I, uh, talked about books with her.

["Talked about books", so to speak.]

[polyapathy]

[It's stupid, it's very stupid, she knows even in the moment how stupid it is—but she can't help but bristle ever so slightly as he relays the story. She'd just assumed Beck was the one to approach him.]

Well, sounds like she wised up. Good for her.

[It's lacking the enthusiasm she had while chattering about Nathan and Edelgard, but maybe he won't notice. Maybe he also won't notice the abrupt subject change!]

Have you been down to the movie theater lately?

[BECAUSE THAT SEX TAPE SURE IS SOMETHING THEY HAVEN'T TALKED ABOUT YET.]

[oraculi]

[Wait, hang on--]

You don't wanna hear more about Beck?

[She can't possibly be jealous. That'd be ridiculous. Right? Amusing, though, which is why there's the edges of a grin tugging at the corner of his mouth.]

[polyapathy]

[Goddammit, Haymitch.]

Is there more to hear?

[oraculi]

There was when it was Nathan.

[He's definitely grinning now.]

You don't like hearing about other girls?

[polyapathy]

[It's a damn good thing she's still pressed up against his shoulder. She can't see his grin, he can't see her wrinkling her nose. It works out.]

Nathan was unexpected, that's all. I like Beck just fine. I slept with her too, you know.

[It's a good thing she's better at covering her ass in trials. But then, it's easier when you aren't hiding anything.]