Chapter Text
It was a purple door that had the "215" number. The same one that had been on the red envelope, with Snow's wax seal.
He thought, morbidly, that he was safe from the thing Chaff had implied after his Dove, Ma, and Sid got taken from him; at least the capitol won't be able to threaten anyone else to whore him out for.
Then Burdock got that white rose, and he realized nothing ever ends with Snow.
He had been mentoring for three years now, and he thought, he hoped against all hope that him chucking that rock at Asterid and never contacting Burdock again would throw off the scent off them. Then he got the knock at midnight from burdock clutching the white rose, and looking worried.
"What's this" he had asked but he knew deep down what it was.
"Don't know, The President just left my house and… and told me to take care of Asterid, that is what I want to know about Hay, how does he know abo...about her" Burdock was always the most level headed person he knew, being a hunter required that, so when he saw him stammering and panicking he knew the act was up.
So when the letter came in that envelope, with the same rose stamped on it, he knew it was his time.
Chaff spilled it on his victory tour, he hadn't meant too of course, he was drunk just like him.
"They sold you yet? got a pretty good excuse if you want to get out of that whoring- " he had pantomimed to his missing arm at that, "shit maybe it won't work for a pretty guy like you, they are freaks in the capitol"
After that he had taken a deep swig of the whiskey they were sharing after that. Then promptly become too disoriented and slurred up to provide any response to his worried questions.
Plutarch cleared it up pretty well after that though
"President Snow has an unofficial policy of selling desirable victors to high ranking capitolites, Chaff was just warning you"
"What if I don't want to get whored out for capitol freaks" he had whispered that out, the device he had gotten to debug the compartment was stopping the conversation being recorded but he still could be overheard.
"Then they kill your family and your loved ones" he had looked at him with a sad look in his face but still with some sympathy. He understood the unsaid part, that Snow had fumbled and killed his family and love too early and that he was safe.
He had guessed wrong.
He took a deep breath and opened the purple door.
His heart dropped when he saw who was on the other side.
"Maysilee Donner" the name left his mouth involuntarily. That he knew the woman sitting opposite to the door was his first realization, that he had actually talked to her a lot and somewhat even admired her was his second, the fact she was in purple skimpy lingerie that matched the door he just closed was his third.
She was sitting there the lingerie clinging on the tiny parts it covered. Everything it enhanced, and she was sucking on a red sucker.
Maysilee Donner, one of the few rich capitolites he tolerated at least before this day and he had talked to her every time they had been at a capitol party. Platinum hair that reached her shoulders, angular face with the most striking blue eyes he had ever seen. She had sought him out his first victor party.
"Don't mind Crassus Haymitch, he's just upset that his wife left him for a younger woman" she had said, her first words to him, and saved him from an unpleasant conversation with a bald headed capitolite who was a little too touchy.
He had been wearing a black shirt, with almost all the buttons opened, and had been getting a lot of unwanted touches that party. He had tried to get drunk beyond belief to combat it but the bald freak got to him before he could reach the champagne.
Crassus, he know knew his name, and he'd later learn was the one throwing the party, just bowed his head and left.
She raised her hand, because she barely reached his shoulders, and foolishly he shook it.
"Maysilee Donner" she enunciated the May almost exaggerated it. Most people he had the displeasure of talking to there emphasized their last name like he had any idea who a Valerius was meant to be. She did the opposite almost cheekily, it endeared her to him.
"Haymitch Abernathy, but you knew that" he had turned on the rascal persona somewhat and he remembered her eyes focusing at that point, at his face. Like she had sensed something interesting.
"All these ugliness and debauchery must really fuck up our perception to you don't it" the swear had dropped like every other word she had said. Elegantly but with an edge of mirth. Then he had taken it a sign of casualness, a proof that not all capitolites were heartless sleazebag bastards.
Some of them even were beautiful blonde woman, who could drop a fuck like they weren't talking to a lowly district scum but an actual friend. She found him in the first party, but he hadn't found anyone like her in the three years since.
It was a tradition after that. He didn't have to go to any parties, because the capitol had no leverage, that he knew of then, the mentoring duty he had to go to the capitol for and sometimes he had victory tour business there. The stylist always got him into more profoundly messed up outfits for those parties but he was too drunk to ever remember them.
He was too drunk for everyone except her.
She had a way of talking that made him want to talk to her more, of course he didn't tell her about Snow killing his family or the memories that made sleep impossible sometimes. He spilled on everything else though.
"No the alcohol is actually quite freeing I don't know why the TV people around here hate my best trait"
That was a conversation after both his tribute got killed in the fifty second games, both from the seam, both in the bloodbath. He had hit the bottle quite hard after that, but he still had to go to the party. It was mandated, so he decided in embarrassing himself fully 'cause what else had he left.
"Because you scare them Haymitch" her eyes bored into his soul at that her hand gripped his arm quite tightly. He didn't know a tiny girl, and she was quite small next to him barely reached the shoulders she was grabbing the arm off, could have such a grip.
"You scare them, with your fire, I scare them with capital, yours is way more powerful than mine, use it"
He had forgotten those words after he vomited on some Fabius of some 'Capitol Luxe', but those words did come back to him later. He just hadn't remembered from who till he saw her face again.
She was the heiress to a food and drink processing "conglomerate" he learnt, Plutarch had told him what that meant. She was richer than most of the people throwing those lavish parties. Their specialty was confectionery he had learned when Maysilee had given a box full of sweets the next time they talked.
"Sorry for being so crazy the last time, here complimentary sweets, do tell me which one you like" she had a smile that was almost genuine, that felt genuine to him back then. He was still dreading opening the box- it had golden embroidery and Donner Sweets written in cursive, probably worth more than the capitol clothes he was wearing- he couldn't handle their being gumdrops.
He had opened it still, she had looked genuinely apologetic her eyes which always looked perfectly angular looked almost doe like with concern. The hinge opened with some heft, the box was wooden so it had some weight.
There were no gumdrops. It was filled with sweets he recognized like toffees and sorbets and some he never had seen before.
"Thank you so much Miss Donner"
"Come on Mister Abernathy, try some" with that she had picked one up, a blondie he later learnt from the packaging, and daintily put it in his mouth. She did it so quickly he didn't even get a chance to refuse.
Then she looked at him with a look he later learnt the true meaning off, but at that point he took it as anticipation.
"It's delicious Maysilee"
"I know Haymitch"
All the memories were flooding back as he stood there dumbfounded, but that encounter stood out the most those words and how she said them took on a different meaning.
"I though you weren't going to come Abernathy" she was just sitting there, like this wasn't fucked up, like she wasn't almost naked and but it was him being whored out.
"Is this some sort of joke Maysilee" maybe it was he hoped against hope.
She stood up at that, walked slowly by him, still reaching to his shoulders not caring that he could see the swing and sway of her breasts, and how her pale skin looked perfect all over without any blemishes. He hated himself for noticing all that. He hated that she had that effect on him.
Then she reached almost to the door, raised her tiny hand the one without the sucker, and slapped him so hard that it left a ringing.
"It's Miss Donner to you, Abernathy"