Under the Influence {Sage + Affron}

[kap]

s a g e   s c a r b o r o u g h

Alcohol was something that Sage had never had back in District Twelve. There were likely multiple reasons for this, such as the fact that his sister would never approve of him drinking it, that he barely had any money, and that he wouldn't even really have a way of obtaining it to begin with. In the Capitol, however, there was a plethora of it, and one of the other tributes had been kind enough to introduce him to beer, which he started to see as a miracle beverage. Therefore, around midnight, Sage left his room, careful not to wake anyone that he didn't want to. Walking over to Affron's room, the younger boy rapped on the door, then proceeding to slide a note underneath it that he had written.

The note read;
Affron,
Meet me on the roof. I have something for you.
-Sage

It was a very simple note without much explanation to it, and he hoped that his friend will have woken up from him knocking on the door, as he wasn't going to wait for him until he got up to the roof. This was because he had something he needed to retrieve. Sneaking into a room that was (luckily) unlocked, he retrieved two cases of beer and brought them with him as he made his way to the roof.

Reaching the roof was easy. Sage was intelligent enough not to take the elevator, as that would make too much noise. Therefore, he took the stairs, cases of beer in hand. When he arrived on the roof, he set the beverages down and removed one from one of the cases. He'd managed to swipe up a bottle opener when he got the alcoholic drinks, too, so he used it to pop open his first drink.

As he took a sip of the chilled beverage, it felt good. It wasn't a taste he was used to how different it was quite yet, but he actually enjoyed it. Though, he felt a slight pang of guilt, knowing that Parsley wouldn't want to know he was doing this.

It only took one beer for Sage to start to get tipsy, so he knew he should wait to start the second one until Affron arrived. The boy waited patiently, looking over the edge of the roof in thought.

What terrible mess have I gotten us into? he thought to himself. It was true; he was the reason that both he and Affron were here, and likely never returning home. If Sage hadn't volunteered, he would be home, and so would his best friend. Maybe District Twelve wouldn't have even had any tributes this year. Then again, without any tributes, who knows what the Capitol would have done to punish the District. Sage began to wonder whether he had helped the whole District by volunteering, or if he'd only hurt himself, Affron and Parsley.

He was starting to think it was the latter. He'd done way more harm than good.

Soon enough, though, Sage's drunken state started to make guilt hard to feel. Instead of guilt, he felt bliss. He wanted another drink, and caved in, popping it open. The first bottle was lying next to him, empty, and he waited for Affron. It probably wasn't best for the boy to be alone on the roof when he was under alcoholic influence. Regardless, he eagerly awaited his friend. He had something to talk to him about, and it wouldn't have been easy to do with a clear head.

-

575 words
bailee

[bailee]

a f f r o n   w i l l i a m s

Affron was in the shower when he heard a knock on the door. The glorious feeling of being enveloped with hot water and steam filled his body with a feeling of bliss after a hard day of training. The water trickled down his spine and aching muscles. It cleared his body of it's woes and cleansed him of all of the dirt and grime from the day's past. Hot water wasn't a privilege that he had in his District - personal hygiene was never a priority in his mind. But yet, when he slipped underneath the burning influence of the hot water, he felt like there was never a better place to be.

After hearing the rasping on the door, he quickly hopped out of the shower, exiting the peace that the shower provided him. The room was filled to the brim with steam, collecting fog on the mirrors. He glanced at his distorted reflection before getting changed into clothes and heading out to his first class bedroom. He figured it would either be Arbor or Sage seeking his attention. He hoped for the latter - lately he'd been seeking the reassurance that his best friend's presence gave him. Whenever their skin accidentally made contact, it would send electricity through his veins and tint his cheeks a gentle shade of scarlett. Affron wasn't unintelligent enough to deny the feeling that Sage gave him. He was genuinely attracted to his district partner; although, he doubted the feelings were returned in such a deadly situation.

The door remained closed as he walked towards it, a note placed through the slit in between the door and the floor. He picked up the crinkled note and read the scrawled handwriting, who's owner was clearly obvious.

"Affron,
Meet me on the roof. I have something for you.
-Sage"

The note intrigued the boy, whom always looked for an extra excuse to spend time with his District partner. Crimson spilled across his features, as he curled up the note and placed it in his pocket. It was late enough that he knew that most of his District's entourage would be asleep, so sneaking away wouldn't be any problem.

Reaching the roof was no problem - he was surprised. He'd thought there'd be peacekeepers keeping the tributes from creating problems or shenanigans; however, that was not the case. There wasn't a single security guard in site. He opened the door to find Sage sitting cross legged and the potent smell of booze trickling through his senses. He lay with already two opened bottles of beer. The site shocked Affron. He knew there wasn't easy access to alcohol - however, Sage had already acquired several cases of it. He was impressed. He never knew Sage to be the boy to steal. That was always Affron's job.

"Is this what you were gonna give me?" He asked as he sat next to Sage. He didn't hesitate to grab a bottle and crack one open himself to enjoy. The warm beer slithered down his throat as he gulped it down, without even asking for permission first. Alcohol was a privilege he had only been able to enjoy once before - stolen, of course. He wasn't about to throw the opportunity away. He enjoyed the warm feeling that booze provided, the way it relaxed him and made his body hot and chilled. He smelled the booze off of Sage as the proximity between them closed. "Wait, are you drunk?"

table by lance

[kap]

s a g e   s c a r b o r o u g h

When Affron arrived on the roof, Sage looked in his direction and smiled. For the first time since he volunteered, the boy felt genuine happiness. Though, perhaps it wasn’t genuine. After all, he’d been drinking alcohol, which was something very new to him, and it certainly messed with the way he was thinking. As his best friend took a seat beside him, Sage watched as Affron opened up a bottle of beer for himself. He asked if this was what Sage was going to give him, and began drinking. Before the younger tribute could give a response, however, Affron spoke again.

”Wait, are you drunk?” Affron asked Sage. Sage smirked.

”Poss-ly,” he replied, which was meant to come out as a semi-sarcastic ‘possibly’ instead, but he had had too much alcohol, causing his speech to be slightly impaired. Moving a bit closer to his friend, Sage placed his arm over Affron’s shoulders. It was an odd thing for him to do, or at least, it would have been if he were sober. Normally, when Sage liked someone in the way he liked Affron, he tried to hide it. It seemed, however, that the alcohol he’d consumed made him incapable of concealing his affection for his district partner.

”So,” Sage started, an awkward, semi-goofy smile plastered on his face. ”What do you think? Ya like it? One of the girls from Four showed me where to get it,” he said, his words rushed and almost joined together as he referenced the cases of beer he’d managed to obtain. He motioned towards them so that Affron would know what he was talking about. Sage had started on his next beverage now, though he certainly didn’t need it.

”I don’t normally steal things, but after I had some a couple days ago, I had to have more. Ya had it before, Affron?” he questioned his friend. Though, ‘Affron’ came out as more of ‘Fron’ instead. It wasn’t intentional, but that was the way it sounded. Sage didn’t bother to correct himself as he consumed more of the booze from the glass bottle that was in his hand.
-

356 words
bailee