bad dreams

Abel just smirked at Elias, trying to get him to break. He was secretly delighted that Elias had noticed he wasn’t wearing all that much, even though it was obvious, it was nice to be noticed. “Do you not like my outfit, Elias?” he challenged back then, but he wasn’t as good at the serious looks, his dimpled smile breaking through easily.

elias rolled his eyes at abel’s question, looking down to dust off his pants to avoid looking at abel and his bright smile that indented his cheeks, even if it would probably help his current state of anxiety. “oh c’mon, you know you look hot tonight, you don’t need me to say it, do you?” he questioned rhetorically, another challenging look in the form of a raised eyebrow. “meanwhile, i’m hot in an entirely different, and not even slightly sexy way, i should be the one who’s worried here.” 

He had been with Elias on the train in, but he’d been looking for him, partly because he wanted to see a familiar face and partly because he felt like annoying someone who already knew him, rather than strangers. And maybe he was shaken up, maybe he was kind of freaking out, but you wouldn’t get him to admit it. “They’re trying to overcompensate,” he said, sipping on his drink wisely, hoping Elias wouldn’t notice that it was alcoholic and if he did, that he’d be fucking cool about it.

“well, they’re doing a great fucking job of it, why don’t they just get a fire started so they can watch us all stampede out of here, that’d be a fun show, too, right?” he grumbled through the mini-rant, throwing down the hem of his sweater, finally done with messing with his clothes in favor of looking over at slate instead. “what are you drinking? gimme some, i’m gonna haul over and die from the heat any second now.” 

“Told you that you should have matched me” Abel smirked, smoothing down his glittery waistcoat which sat on his otherwise bare torso. He wasn’t too hot at all. “I mean, you look lovely, of course, but a sweater isn’t exactly ball material now, is it?”

“well, someone had to wear the clothes between the two of us, and obviously it was going to be me,” he shot abel a look, as though challenging him to try and fight him on that. “since when did you become the expert on what’s ‘exactly ball material’?? you’re walking around like the ball’s still pool party themed from back in 123, you can’t berate me for wearing a sweater.”

"fuck ashton for sure, marry alder because he's a pretty chill dude, and kill silas because money can't buy me."

"marry clementine because she's like six and doesn't deserve to be killed, fuck willow and kill yuri because i guess he does deserve to be killed. nothing against him, but he's loud and gives me migraines. love his energy, though."

"you really threw hestia in here?? killing her right off the bat because that'd be like fucking my sister, fuck apricot, and marry abel."

Abel smirked back, couldn’t help it, because the lightness of the interaction almost had him believing they’d gone back in time. “I’m not naked” he said, wiggling his hips a little to show the towel that hung off him, and he was really trusting the towel in this moment. “Come on, give it a go” he tried again, pushing the instrument towards Elias. “I wanna hear some live music”

 elias blew a huff of air through his lips, the smirk still pressing up into his cheeks as rolled his eyes, and if this wasn’t already much too familiar, that settled it for him. “yeah, you’re not naked now, but you take one wrong step walking around the tower like that and suddenly everyone’s seen your dick— don’t press your luck,” he rambled his argument back as if to state the obvious. “no, no, there’s no way,” he said, shaking his head vehemently, a grimace to drive home his refusal. “you play it. you were doing so great before i came in,” he fibbed, in that playful tone that gave that much away, “why don’t you play for me??” 

The ring of his own name made him execute a mock bow by reflex. Then, he focused on what Elias had to say, furrowing his eyebrows slightly as if to hear him better. At the end of it, Hunter’s face played innocence, as if the accusation were real, as if he actually had anything to do with any shoe theft and was trying to hide it. “Take them off and I’ll play along.”

a smile slowly crept onto his face, at about the same pace he’d begun to toe his shoes off, kicking them towards hunter. “so where are they? and don’t tell me you sold them, twill, you don’t need the money.” 

i don’t think we’re supposed to be able to tell you you’re safe, that might be the idea. a bit of fear, wondering if there was about to be a plane crash or what. Addy hated that, she wanted her friends to know they were well taken care of. and if that was a slight at the capitol, even better. i think you should know you’re safe.

elias wasn’t scared, but addy’s gesture still managed hit his heartstrings and he flashed a grateful smile towards her to show her that. he figured maybe he should have been scared, all things considered. but parachuting down into the arena in his games had only managed to make him less aversive of heights, as strange as it was. “it doesn’t scare you, does it? being up so high?” 

“In Emme’s room” Abel said, a small smile, because it wasn’t a lie, Elias’ hoody really was back at his house, it wasn’t just a made up story, the black one with the white zip, he could picture it, he’d brought it to bed with him that night, like the sap that he was. “I was cleaning it out and it was behind her cot, I’ll uh– I’ll bring it to the tower next time, drop it off to you” he said then, forcing a smile this time, because he didn’t want to give it back, just like he didn’t want to drop off most of Emme’s clothes at Rhi’s. 

elias looked down at his feet at abel’s answer, couldn’t manage to meet his eyes in case they’d reveal too much. “no," he started slowly. "no. you can keep it, you should keep it, abel.” he didn’t want his sweater back. he didn’t want to take all these things he’d left, things he never meant to leave, but somehow always ended up somewhere in the backseat of abel’s car, his home, his bed. and he especially never wanted to take them back, didn’t want to feel like this was some sort of closure to something he was still regretting, something he didn’t realize he could close like he did, but he did. “you can have it. i want you to have it.” 

“i don’t smoke,” percy said, pulled a face at the mere sight of the cigarette, as though it had personally offended her. “you’re not particularly good at convincing me to wait twenty years either, you were just about to hand that to me,” she pointed out. however, something else caught her attention then, something she’d been a little too tipsy to put the pieces together of before now. she looked around, hair nearly swishing with the movement. “wait – are you even allowed to smoke in here ??”

“i pulled it away, didn’t i?? i think that just about rights that wrong,” his lips shrugged, nodding away lazily as if to sell the words. “you don’t exactly look like you’re itching for a drag anyways, so no harm done there, yeah?” he finished off. he took a drag just then, a little chuckle escaping him as he turned to face her. “no, definitely not, but everyone got a bit too drunk trying to take the edge off from dinner to care, everyone but you, i guess.” 

Harrington looked at the man and hesitated to answer. One shot wouldn’t hurt anything, right? He gave a quick glance and Colette before looking back at the man. “One shot and one shot, only.” He said before grabbing the shot glass from him.

“one shot??” he exclaimed, horrified as if the man had just confessed to some atrocious crime. “oh, c’mon now, you’re not gonna feel anything after one shot. two. at least two,” he haggled as he handed over the shot glass, a mischievous, goading look on his face.