dear_mun | (no subject)

Entry tags:

(no subject)

This is the third time. [The words are simple, but there's an intensity to them that says she's mad as fuck]

The third time that you've decided to tear me away from everything, just when things were starting to go - just when things were settled. You don't even have the decency to take me from somewhere earlier, where I could escape the Games. Where everyone is still alive.

You take me away from my home and give me nothing dressed up as an adventure in return. [Her expression twists] Too bad we took over the Capitol. You would've made a great Gamemaker.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Could you imagine if they took us from the Quarter Quell, though? [:|a] I don't think you would like me half as well as you do now.

She did. The first time. [Something that could almost be a smile if he wasn't dead and she didn't miss him] I didn't.

I had almost forgotten that. I try to... forget that whole time. [You know, what with getting his chest punched in and whatnot.] You learned the error of your ways eventually.

I try to forget a lot. [She runs one of her hands over the patchwork skin of the other] It doesn't work most of the time.

[And rolling her eyes] Like I had a choice.

[He smiles, reaching out to touch her hand.] They can't say we haven't tried, at least.

[And now he winks.] I'm irresistible.

[She stills for a moment when he touches her, and then very slowly, very carefully, moves her hand until her fingers thread through his. Making sure he's real.

A snort] You're something, all right. [And then a pause. When she speaks again, there's a note of desperation to her voice] You're coming though, aren't you? You'll be there.

[There's his girl. He rubs a thumb over the back of her hand affectionately.]

Admit it. [There's a nod at the question.] I knew she could never keep me out of her mind for very long. Besides, someone has to watch out for you.

[That gets a quirk of a smile out of her. Real. [She almost mouths the word, it's said so quietly.]

You need just as much looking out for as I do, you know.

Real. [He agrees with a nod.]

But we weren't talking about me.

I have a therapist. You have no idea how tired I am of talking about me.

So you want to talk about me, then?

[Opens her mouth and then scowls] Not when you put it like that, I don't.

Is this place really on the back of a giant turtle?

I think you secretly want to talk about me. [Nudging her.]

So it would seem. Think it's a mutt of some kind?

I think you think everyone secretly wants to talk about you.

[Snorting] Do you have any other explanation for how a turtle gets so big you can build a city on the back of it? [A beat] They don't usually get that big, right? [sea animals what]

Oh no. I know everyone wants to talk about it. It's not much of a secret.

[He shakes his head slowly. Nope, not really.] Not big enough for an entire city, no.

Actually, I was happy for most of my life not even mentioning you. [c':]

How big? [Tell her about turtles, sea man]

That's why it's a secret desire for you. [See, Katniss. You can't win.]

Some can be as large as a man. I've seen one once that was even bigger. And as wide as two men side by side.

My only desires when it comes to you involve punching, and they're not that secret. [She will try anyway.

Her free hand is tracing something on her thigh. It's actually the word 'turtle', like she's trying to remember it. She has a book that she puts things in] What else?

I'm seriously going to begin counting any physical harm against me as foreplay as this point.

[He watches her curiously.] Baby turtles can fit in the palm of your hand. They're such tiny things.

[Any of the jokes she could make right now involve lizards or dead children. She goes to hit him, realises what that would imply, and then hits him anyway because that's a stupid implication and it makes her grumpy.

She settles down at that next comment though. Her lips move, mouthing the words. There's a pause before she realises that that's weird] We have a book. It's mostly plants, but there are other things in there, too. Some things are good to remember.

[Dead children, he can handle. Lizards? Eh, not so much. He grins brightly at her before winking and rubbing the spot that she's hit. It's not that it really hurts, but she has sharp knuckles.]

There are always good things to remember, Katniss. It just takes people like us a little longer to do that.

[Yeah she's the one with the dead children problem. And lizards, actually. She makes a face that's like, three quarters disgust and the rest mixed fondness and amusement]

That's why we have the book. It helps. [She's silent for a long time, maybe too long] I'm going to have to do it again.

[He inspires these feelings in so many people, yes.]

I never thought about keeping a book. But I have Annie, and she's what I need to remember. [He squeezes her hand.] Do what exactly?

[She smiles a little when he says Annie. Katniss likes her, as much as she can like anyone these days. The smile is gone wuickly, though]

See you for the first time again. It won't be easy for you, either. Unless she takes you from after.

At this point, I'm an expert in negotiating my way out of being killed by the people I like the most. [Hm.] She wants to take me just at the moment the mutt... [A cough.]

I wouldn't kill you. Even if you were... [A mutt. She'd probably be willing to let him tear her apart. It's what she deserves.

She taps her fingers against her knee] At least no one will have to explain what happened this time.

This turtle doesn't run on happy endings if you talk with the local non-locals. [And he raises a martini glass in a toast.] Think of it like a vacation from your life and you'll enjoy it a lot more, sweetheart.

Happy endings. [She repeats it with a flat sort of amusement. Katniss doesn't deserve or believe in happy endings either way]

I'm not your sweetheart. [There's almost fire in her tone when she says that] I've had too many vacations from life already.

Happy. Endings. [He enunciates the two words slowly, following it up with a vague gesture.] You know. Prince defeats the dragon and saves the girl and they live happily ever after. It's all very mushy and gushy.

[Tony's ignoring the sweetheart comment - if he had a dime for every time someone's said that to him, he'd be rich. Wait, he is rich. Huh, go figure.]

So my advice is that you take this vacation as a research project. Interview some folk and darken that tan. Obviously you've had trouble making use of time off before, so you just need to get better at it.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only