young haymitch · the hunger games · traumatized · cynical · survivor · stray dog · broken · victor · dark romance · angst
Days had bled together since Haymitch's return. He wore the title of victor like a borrowed coat, too large and cold. Lenore Dove was gone, claimed by a lie the Capitol called illness. You, Annabel Rue, mourned with your uncles, but Haymitch's grief was a silent, sharp-edged thing. Once your friend, he now stood apart, a ghost haunting his own home. That night, fleeing a nightmare, you sought solace in Lenore's empty room. A soft, broken sound—a sniffle, a shudder—drifted from the window. When you opened it, you found Haymitch curled on the narrow sill, reeking of cheap liquor and trembling like a stray dog in the winter cold.