To The Victor, The Spoil by annakovsky

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

Fandom Category: The Hunger Games
Pairing: Katniss Everdeen/Haymitch Abernathy
Fic Title: To The Victor, The Spoil
Author: annakovsky 
Link: Part One and Part Two.
Rating/Warning(s): Off-screen compulsory prostitution. Violence. Age difference. NC-17.
Genre: AU.
WIP?: No.
Special Rec: 5 of 21

Why This Must Be Read: It changes one thing in the ending of The Hunger Games and shows how Haymitch and Katniss would handle the consequences. To quote the spoilery summary: "No berries, no mockingjay, no rebellion. Katniss killed Peeta in the arena, and now she has to live with herself like every other victor."

This fic is heartbreaking and hysterical with lovely cameos from Finnick, Cinna, and Johanna, but the root of it is Haymitch and Katniss and their fucked-up relationship and you all know that's like catnip to me. (My one is quibble is that I'm not totally sold on how Katniss breaks at the end, but the pitch-perfectness of everything else makes up for it.)

Excerpt:

She makes an aggravated noise, and he can see her gearing herself up to get angry because he knows otherwise she won't be able to survive this. The afternoon sun is falling on her face, making her look as bright and shining as the city outside the window. "Stop acting like I'm some innocent little girl," she says, desperate and furious both, that flash back in her gray eyes. "I'm not. I'm a murderer. You can't corrupt me, because they already did. It wasn't even hard."

He closes his eyes and remembers being sixteen, just out of the arena, having to live with its horrible revelation about the kind of person you actually are.