Work Text:
“We could’ve taken them if Haymitch was here,” Finnick sulked as he swirled the remaining liquid around in his glass. “He was always the best darts player out of the four of us.”
Chaff and Johanna murmured in agreement. The three of them sat in their usual corner booth at the bar, surrounded by empty glasses and looking dejected at the empty seat next to Chaff.
It had been three months since Haymitch had last come out with them on a Friday night. It was a tradition for the four of them to go out once the last bus left with the students at the end of the day and head to Ripper’s for dinner and drinks before the weekend really started.
Now they barely saw him during the school day, and he had stopped joining them in any activities outside of school, which led to them losing darts games against the post office workers that also hung out on Friday nights at Ripper’s.
“Why doesn’t he like us anymore?” Finnick asked as he tore up a straw wrapper. “Even when he stopped drinking he still would come here to kick someone’s ass at whatever game he could.”
Chaff grunted. “I don’t know-- he hasn’t talked to me about anything in months now.”
A glass slammed down on the table as Johanna finished her drink. “You know wh-- We should just go to his house,” she slurred. “If he ain’t gonna come out with us… we gotta bring… the... us… to him . Goddamn bastard .”
Finnick and Chaff both snorted at the thought before stilling. They glanced at each other before looking back at Johanna.
She leaned back ungracefully and raised her eyebrows. “Well?” She tapped the side of her head. “Genius idea, right?”
Finnick nodded, finishing off his drink in one long sip and slamming it down to the table. “Let’s fucking do it.”
Which was how they ended up stumbling out of a cab twenty minutes later onto the side of the road next to the two-story bungalow that belonged to one Haymitch Abernathy. The only light came from the nearby streetlamp that illuminated part of the lawn and small front porch.
“Is he fucking asleep ?” Johanna asked as she leaned against his mailbox.
Chaff snorted. “He better fucking not be-- it’s barely nine o’clock.”
“Shit, it’s only nine?” Johanna chuckled to herself. “How am I this trashed this early when it’s not even a goddamn school night --”
“What if he has a friend up there?” Finnick interrupted as he stared up at the dark windows of the second floor.
Chaff shook his head. “Not a chance. Only Haymitch's car is in the driveway.”
Sure enough, the old pickup was the only vehicle parked nearby.
“Let’s look through his windows,” Johanna said as she stumbled her way up to the porch and peered into one of the windows. “Hey-- there’s a light on in there somewhere.”
Chaff took the steps up the porch unsteadily and hammered his fist against the door. “ Haymitch! ” he bellowed.
Silence.
He banged his fist against the door again. “ Haymitch! ”
The front porch light turned on.
“ Finally ,” Finnick muttered under his breath.
There was a clattering of noise from inside and then the door was opened, revealing--
“ Trinket ?” Chaff looked back to Finnick with confusion written on his face. “Kid, please tell me I’m too wasted and I ain’t see Effie fucking Trinket right now.”
Johanna stepped over between Chaff and the open doorway, leaning against the door jamb. “Oh hey, tight ass, what’s up?”
Finnick peered around Chaff and confirmed that, sure enough, Effie Trinket , consumer sciences teacher and member of the Family and Consumer Sciences department, was standing in the doorway, wide eyed and frozen in what could almost be construed as terror and wearing only a large shirt that barely draped down to the middle of her thighs.
“Uh, hey,” Finnick said, unsure how to bring his usual charm and flare to the situation. “I thought…” He pointed at the other man standing still nearby. “Chaff said this was Haymitch’s house?”
Effie’s eyes jumped to him but she otherwise didn't move, still seemingly frozen in place.
Another voice joined the group from within the house.
“ Hey, just give him all the cash I left on the counter, it should be enough to include a good tip .”
A voice that sounded remarkably like it belonged to the school librarian they were looking for in the first place.
“ Eff ?”
The voice was closer now, and a shadow appeared behind Effie before the familiar figure of Haymitch Abernathy appeared, shirtless with sweatpants on and nothing else. Finnick’s eyes were drawn to the gnarled-looking scar on his side, but they quickly snapped back up when Haymitch’s voice grew much louder and harsher.
“What the fuck are you all doing here?”
Johanna chose that moment to stumble over her own feet to the other side of the door jamb. “Hey, is it cool if I go throw up on your lawn?” Without waiting for an answer, she stumbled her way over to the porch railing and leaned over to empty the contents of her stomach out.
Haymitch swore under his breath and ran his hands over his face. “Jo--”
“I’m good,” she announced as she stood back up, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. “Whoops, too fast,” she muttered as she stumbled back a little. She seemed to steady herself for just a moment before she stumbled against and fell forward, smacking her head against the railing she was just leaning over before continuing down to the porch.
“ Jo! ”
Finnick got down to try and catch her but failed miserably. He rolled her onto her back and she was laughing slightly. Before he could try to help (or attempt to help since he wasn’t coherent enough to truly be of that much use), Finnick felt himself pushed to the side as Haymitch came over to kneel beside her.
“Hey-- Jo ,” he grunted, tapping the side of her cheek.
Johanna giggled at him. “Aw, you’re kinda cute when you’re worried.”
There was a scoff from behind Finnick that definitely came from Effie.
“Your head is bleeding,” Haymitch muttered. “Let’s get you cleaned up, kid.”
Minutes later, Chaff, Finnick and Johanna sat around Haymitch’s kitchen table as he and Effie disappeared somewhere else in the house.
“Do you think he’s angry with us?” Finnick asked.
Chaff chuckled. “Oh yeah, he’s pissed.”
Finnick felt himself pout at that. “I don’t want him to be upset --”
“Alright, children, let’s get you all some water.” Effie strode into the room, now wearing a baggy pair of pants that were definitely too big for her in addition to a different shirt that was much better fitted for her. She opened up a cabinet and pulled out three glasses before filling them up at the sink and bringing them over, depositing one in front of each of them. “Now drink .”
“I ain’t a child ,” Chaff grunted, but he sipped at the water anyway.
“Oh, really?” Effie asked sarcastically. “I wouldn’t have guessed considering you are currently acting like one.”
“Just because I ain’t got a stick up my ass --”
“ Hey .” Haymitch walked into the room and silenced them both with a look. He had on a shirt that suspiciously looked like the one Effie had been wearing earlier and was carrying a white plastic box. He set it down on the table in front of Jo. “Alright, look up so I can see how this looks in the light.”
Johanna tilted her head back and closed her eyes, wavering back and forth in her seat as Haymitch started to pull out first aid supplies from the box to deal with the cut from her fall.
“ So , Trinket ?” Chaff barked, his eyes focused on Haymitch. “You’re spending all this time with Trinket ?”
Haymitch glanced over at him before turning back to the task at hand. “Spending all of what time?”
“ Our time,” Chaff replied. “You’re spending all of our time with her.”
A still silence came over the room as Finnick drank his water, Chaff and Haymitch glared at each other, Johanna hummed softly to herself and swayed without Haymitch keeping her head still, and Effie stood by nervously chewing on a thumbnail.
“ Our time?” Haymitch asked.
“Friday nights are our nights,” Johanna slurred, opening her eyes. “We lost at darts because of you.” She turned her head to Effie. “Or should I say because of you , ma’am --”
“ Ma’am ?” Effie scoffed. “ Well, I--”
“Wait,” Finnick interjected, putting a hand out. Everyone stopped to look at him. He turned to Chaff. “ You were the one who said he wasn’t sleeping with her.”
“I wasn’t,” Haymitch answered. All eyes turned to him and he shrugged as he finished cleaning up the last bit of Johanna’s wound. “Now I am.”
A shrill voice cut in. “ Haymitch --”
He whirled to look at Effie. “Well I think we’re past hiding it at this point, sweetheart!”
The doorbell rang at that point, bringing all conversation to a stop once more.
“That better be the fucking pizza,” Haymitch grumbled. “If it’s another trio of fucking clowns, I’m going to--”
“ Haymitch ,” Effie warned before grabbing a wad of cash from the counter. “I will be right back.”
The second she was out of the room, Chaff turned back to Haymitch with a glare. “So you’ve been fucking Trinket this whole time, and you didn’t have the decency to give us any of the dirty details--”
“ Shut up ,” Haymitch sneered as he gently pressed a bandage to Johanna’s forehead.
The older man chortled. “Nah, bud, you’re not getting off that easy. Or do you?” He chuckled again. “Shit, she’s such a tight ass all the time, is she tight in bed too--”
“Chaff, if you would so kindly shut up, that would be wonderful,” Effie said as she strode back into the room with a pizza box in hand. She set it down on the counter and went over to pull out a couple of plates. “I’m not a fan of eating in front of guests and not offering them any, but since you all decided to be rude by showing up unannounced--” She turned to Chaff. “--and uninvited , I might add--” He scoffed. “--I am going to let this one time slide because, frankly, I am starving.”
“That’s not very manners of you, ma’am ,” Johanna slurred as she leaned back in her chair.
“Neither is showing up at my house and vomiting on my lawn,” Haymitch retorted as he grabbed a plate with a slice of pizza from Effie. “And yet here you are.”
Effie grabbed the empty glasses in front of Finnick and Chaff and refilled them. She pushed the still full glass in front of Jo an inch closer to her. “ Drink .”
Silence descended on the room once more as the intoxicated trio drank their waters and Haymitch and Effie ate the pizza they had ordered.
Finnick watched Effie pick up a napkin and dab at Haymitch’s cheek. He gently batted her hand away and shoved more pizza in his mouth, to which she rolled her eyes but smiled at him affectionately.
“I guess we probably should head out,” Finnick said as he stood up and turned to Haymitch and Effie. “Sorry about… ya know.”
Chaff snorted. “I ain’t sorry. I’m still pissed.” He stood up anyway as he glared at Haymitch. “I’d say see you next week, but I ain’t even sure if I will.”
Haymitch sighed. “I didn’t mean to stop coming out with y’all, I just…” He paused. “...got distracted.” He glanced at Effie who raised an eyebrow at his wording.
“Well, you know where to find us,” Finnick said with a semi-charming, semi-sloppy smile. “Friday night. Same time, same place.”
“He’ll be there next week,” Effie said gently, her eyes on Haymitch.
Haymitch turned to look at her. “ We’ll be there next week.”
Chaff scoffed as he walked over to the counter. “I don’t know if I’m gonna want you back if you’re gonna be looking all lovey-dovey with Miss Tight-Ass over here.” Effie rolled her eyes, but Chaff patted Haymitch on the back with his stump. “See you next week, bud.” He turned back to Finnick and Johanna. “Let’s leave these two to their not-so-secret fucking-- I’m ready for bed at this point.” He let out a loud belch.
“I bet they’re ready for bed too,” Johanna slurred from where she sat.
Finnick laughed as Effie admonished them both, and he turned to help Johanna out of her chair. She looked three seconds away from falling asleep right there at the table.
“Do you need to crash here or will you make it back to your place safely in a cab?” Haymitch asked, eyeing her nervously.
“I’m doing okay, I’ll make sure she gets back,” Finnick answered for her.
With Haymitch’s help, they got cabs called to come pick them up, and the trio went to stand outside and wait for them while Haymitch and Effie cleaned up the kitchen.
Chaff took the first cab back to his place, muttering under his breath about something only he could understand.
Finnick sat on the porch steps with Johanna as they waited for the second cab to pull up. The fresh air was helping him sober up and he hoped the same was happening for her.
“My jacket,” she murmured from beside him.
“What?”
“My jacket,” she repeated. “I left it on the table.”
Headlights were coming down the street, and Finnick bet it was their cab. “Wait a sec, I’ll go grab it real quick once we get you in the car.”
The car pulled up to the curb and Finnick helped Johanna into the back. With a quick reassurance from the driver that he would wait an extra minute for Finnick, the young man jogged back up the steps. He didn’t want to disturb Haymitch and Effie in case they had gone back to bed, so he tried the door, and as expected, it was unlocked.
He tiptoed (or it seemed he tiptoed, but in the back of his mind he was also sure that he was making a lot more noise than he intended to) down the hall to the kitchen, and paused in the doorway when he saw a light was still on and the shadows of two figures bounced off the wall that Finnick could see.
“You know you didn’t have to stop hanging out with your friends because of me,” he heard Effie say softly.
“It’s not that I meant to,” Haymitch grunted in response. “I just…” He trailed off.
Effie made a small humming noise. “Hmm, do you prefer hanging out with me, then?”
Haymitch grunted again but Effie laughed slightly and the two were quiet for a moment after.
Finnick chose that moment to take a couple loud steps and enter the room. He looked over to see Effie perched on the edge of the counter with Haymitch standing between her legs. Her arms were wrapped around his neck and they turned to look at him enter, both flushed in the face.
“Jacket,” Finnick said bluntly. He looked over at the table and, sure enough, Johanna’s jacket was neatly folded on the table. He grabbed it and held it up to show the duo that hadn’t moved from their spot at the counter yet. “See you at school!” He paused in the doorway of the kitchen and turned back to them. “I, uh, I know my opinion doesn’t matter much but… I’m happy for you two.”
Effie grinned at him as she leaned her head against Haymitch’s shoulder. “Thank you, Finnick. Get home safely.”
He nodded and turned to jog back out to the cab that was still waiting on the curb, sliding easily in the backseat next to an already-snoring Johanna.
Next Friday would certainly be a treat for all of them… and he just hoped Jo and Chaff could limit their invasive questions so Haymitch and Effie wouldn’t be uncomfortable.
Or, at least, too uncomfortable.