Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

Effie walked into District Twelve Victor’s house with a plastered smile on her face. Not that today was a happy day – Reaping Days were never very joyful. But she had a job to do, and she would do it, no matter how much the said job could displease her. Her mother’s words resonated once again—”Everyone has a purpose and yours Euphemia is to represent the Capitol in the Districts. There is no greater honor than that.”

“Haymitch?”

His living room was a mess and the piles of empty bottles on the floor next to the armchair made her wince. Effie prayed he didn’t drink all of that at once. There was no way she would deal with a dead Victor, even so on Reaping Day.

She threw a cautious look over her shoulder. Peacekeepers were keeping their distance with Haymitch this year, and she sighed with relief. Maybe this year they would understand that threatening a victor with a gun to Haymitch’s temple was not a good idea.

Her purse was now on the small kitchen table, along with the gift she had brought him. She headed to go upstairs. In the corridor, she called him one more time, but the house remained dreadfully empty while the door leading to his room was ajar.

Please don’t be dead.
Please be alive.

She repeated the mantra again as she braced herself for whatever was waiting for her behind this door.

Please don’t be dead.
Please be alive.

But before Effie could open the door, something—more like someone—did it for her. She blinked at the sight of Haymitch. Effie brought a hand to her chest as relief hit her. “You’re…You’re not dead,” she whispered.

If she wasn’t so keen on her good manners, Effie believed she would have hugged him on the spot.

“You sound surprised,” Haymitch replied as he leaned against the doorframe with detachment. “You look awful by the way,” he added as he gestured to her pink and blonde wig. “I don’t want to hear you complaining about headaches on the train.”

Effie didn’t bother to retort something regarding his rude comment about her outfit. She was to relieve to not have found a corpse. Instead, her eyes looked at his body from head to toe. “And you’re not naked…” her voice trailed off.

His eyes lit with a gleam as he crossed his arms against his chest. “Disappointed?”

Effie rolled her eyes at him. He was insufferable, and while he looked nice and proper, he would cause her trouble. Again, her mother's words kept coming back to her—”You could have any Victor and you ended up with the worst one. He has no manner…He will be the death of you.”

He was trouble and yet, Effie felt they made a good team, the two of them. Haymitch could be insufferable but he was no monster. Other escorts couldn’t claim the same about their Victor.

Her head tilted slightly, her wig perfectly glued to her head. “Haymitch Abernathy, did you actually shower?” she asked, surprised.

He nodded, and Effie couldn't help but blink at him. Did someone cast a spell on him? Because the man throwing up on Reaping Day from too much liquor for the past five years couldn’t possibly be standing in front of her.

Effie leaned forward. “Did something happen?”

Her tone was nervous, but she had good reasons for her to be. Mistakes such as bad temper or outragious thoughts were punished severely by the Capitol and Haymitch tended to not play by the rules.

He shrugged, and she detected uneasiness in his eyes. “I decided to behave this year. You went through too much trouble because of me last year…” he explained carefully.

Effie’s smile faltered. Last Reaping Day had been…eventful, that was for sure. A very much intoxicated Haymitch had refused to get up from the bed, and Effie had to face unfriendly Peacekeepers knocking on the door, threatening her with a very unpleasant fate if her Victor didn’t show up outside in the next ten minutes. She didn’t know how, but she eventually managed to make Haymitch go but the poor boy had been dragged to the Justice Building by the same Peacekeepers.

Her face got warmer at the sight of a presentable Haymitch.“I’m pleased to hear that.” She smoothed his shirt with one of her hands before looking up at him. He was no longer grinning, but at least he didn’t look like he was going to throw a punch at someone. Good. That was a start she could definitely work with. “Well, are you ready for a big, big, big day Haymitch?”

It was his turn to roll his eyes and she poked his arm as a result.“Don’t pout, Haymitch. We’ll be on our best behavior today. By the way, I brought you a gift,” she revealed with a gleam in her eyes.

Haymitch arched an eyebrow, unimpressed and Effie pondered whether she should poke his arm a second time. “For your birthday,” she clarified.

He frowned as he asked where she got this information from.

Effie’s gaze lowered, uneasy. “Well, you told me yourself, last year…”

A silence fell between them. Haymitch had drunk so much during the 54th Games that the last Game was probably a blur to him. It stung a little. Because if there was one thing Effie always took from the Games it was the moments where the two of them would share little details about themselves. Moments which rarely happened as Haymitch never opened up, so it was usually her talking about her life at the Capitol. But it felt nice being listened to, altough he loved pretending he never paid attention to her “gibberish nonsense”.

He shrugged as he walked past her to go downstairs. “If it ain’t liquor, I don’t want it sweetheart.”

Effie pursed her lips as she descended the stairs right after him. His beverage consumption was a common argument they had between them over the past five years. Haymitch’s favorite pastime was drowning himself in liquor. It had reached such a point that she had started hiding bottles during his stay at the Capitol.

“It is rude to refuse a gift, Haymitch. And no, it’s not booze. Given the amount of bottles I’ve seen downstairs, I’m sure you have plenty of liquor for a lifetime.”

In the living room, Haymitch looked around them.

“So, where’s my gift?”

Effie scolded him for his lack of manners, but went to grab the beautiful blue roses she had brought from the Capitol to hand them to Haymitch.

“I bought the vase as well…I wanted them to not survive the journey from the Capitol to your place,” she added with a beaming smile on her face.

“You brought me flowers,” he stated, clearly unimpressed by her choice.

Haymitch stared at her and for once in her life, Effie Trinket had no idea what she was supposed to do. The man confused her. Her smile disappeared from her face.

“Don’t you like them? It’s the next fashion in the Capitol.”

Haymitch shrugged. “Could have been worse. You could have picked white ones, or worse— the ones that almost killed me in the arena.”

He made a low chuckle while Effie put back the vase on the table with trembling fingers. She hadn’t thought of the poisonous flowers. But those ones weren't the same colours. Haymitch just told herself. So why did he look so unhappy? Her shoulders dropped. She had put so much effort into finding those flowers. Everyone back home wanted them.

Effie felt she ought to apologize but her words didn’t come out. She had brought him a gift, not a death penalty. “Did I do something wrong?” she dared to ask instead.

Their eyes met. He probably sensed her distress because he shrugged carelessly. “I am not the birthday type of guy. Don’t bother picking a gift for me, sweetheart”

“But it’s your birthday…” she mumbled. In the Capitol, people loved gifting each other things. Forgetting about someone’s birthday was scene as a severe lack of manners.

Haymitch made a step back, staring at her. “And there is no need to remind me.” He crouches down to take the empty bottles scattered on the flow. “By the way, the Capitol sends me two innocent gifts ready to die every year.” His eyes met hers. “I couldn’t be luckier, even if I tried, princess.”

Chapter Text

“I think the boy will die before the girl,” Effie heard Haymitch mutter.

The District Twelve escort gave him her usual polite smile because she had no patience today to argue. He was the pessimist of the duo so she would be his exact opposite, at least for the sake of appearances. Or their sanity. “Haymitch, let’s try to be hopeful this year, shall we?” was all she could manage to say.

He snorted at her comment as she went to sit across from him. The bottle on the table was full–which was surprising. They had just departed from District Twelve for the Capitol, and departure usually made him anxious, leading him to drink at least one bottle on his own.

“Well, at least he’ll make it past the bloodbath…Better?”

Effie shook her head in disbelief. Haymitch had a strange way of being optimistic, but she guessed it would do. At least, the reaped children hadn’t been able to catch his words as she had just come back from showing them their respective rooms.

Her hands on her lap, she tilted her head to the side as she tried to fight the pain. Her head was hurting, so much she could feel her temples throbbing. Painkillers would have to wait though, because she needed to check on her Victor first.

“Today is a big day…” she started slowly.

Haymitch raised his head to meet her eyes. Her gentle tone clearly didn’t have any effect on her. Instead, he snarled the next words. “Cut the bullshit with me, Trinket.”

Her eyes widened. He had become more insufferable over the years, and while she was the patient kind, Haymitch Abernathy was starting to get on her nerves. Tremendously.

But today was different—it was Reaping Day as well as his birthday— she would spare him. She leaned forward and smiled at him. “Given it’s your birthday, I won’t scold you for this lack of manners but….”

He cut her off with indifference.“Don’t remind me,” he grumbled as he took another gulp from his glass.

Effie rolled her eyes. Each year, it seemed the man had decided to hate his birthday even more. Again, she had sympathy for him—he had been through so much and the date fell on Reaping Day—but Effie had made sure to look after him each year for this special occasion. Last year, she gave him a new phone for his house to replace the hideous one he had. The year before, a beautiful tie. And the year even before, a watch so he would finally be on time. But the man never seemed to like whatever she brought him or claimed it was useless since he could buy whatever he needed with the money the Capitol kept giving him.

And yet, Effie would not give up. Because she wanted Haymitch to feel appreciated. He was almost thirty and had no one—except maybe the other Victors. And her…Although they were just colleagues forced to work together in the strangest circumstances.

Her body brushed against his as she closed the distance between them. He arched an eyebrow.

“Although your behaviour has been appalling my dear, I brought you something…”

A smirk formed on his face as he leaned back against the sofa. “A new tie?”

Her eyes widened at his comment, which turned his smile into a laugh. “Stop vexing me Haymitch,” she said with her high-pitched voice. Before he could mimic her—something he liked to do even on his best days, just because he loved making fun of her—her hand reached for her bag to extract a small package.

He took it from her before she could even say happy birthday. Well, there was little point in telling him he was plainly rude and at least he still hadn’t thrown the package away.

“What’s that?”

“Sweets…”

Haymitch rumbled a laugh.”How old do you think I am, sweetheart? Ten?”

Effie shook her head slowly so her wig wouldn’t fall off. Her sister had told her the idea might be stupid and she was starting to think Prosie was right all along, as painful as it was for her to admit it. But she thought if she found a new kind of addiction, Haymitch would stay away from any alcohol beverage. Not only would it make her job incredibly easier but it would also mean he wouldn’t end up being dead in the next few months or so.

She was about to take the package back from his hands—she had bought it in the best bakery in the Capitol on her off day—but Haymitch glared at her and her hands froze.

“Better idea than the tie, if you want my opinion,” he said with a wink.

Effie’s cheeks grew warmer. It was not everyday Haymitch would give her a compliment although she wished he did, given the amount of work she did for him. Her hands back on her lap, she watched as he opened her present.

“It’s the latest fashion in the Capitol,” she joyfully explained while Haymitch discovered the gumdrops she got for them. “Especially this color,” she added.

But her smile faltered when Haymitch froze while glaring at the sweets. Uh oh. What did she do wrong this time? She was about to say something, but she noticed his lips start opening.

“Red..You got me red gumdrops…” he said with a croaked voice.

Haymitch’s eyes looked haggard and Effie leaned back, not believing what she was witnessing. He looked as if she had given some sort of poison. Unbelievable.

Anger replaced his distraught quickly enough. It was as if he had changed persona within a couple of seconds. “Get out,” he warned her with a threatening voice she had never heard from him.

Effie slowly stood up on her glorious yet painful orange heels. “I beg your pardon? Haymitch Abernathy, did you just ask me to leave?”

No answer from him. But maybe it was for the best given he had a tendency to give the worst kind of snarky replies when he was in a foul mood. Yet, Effie would not allow him to disrespect her. Drunk as hell or sober.

She shrugged at his silence. “Anyway, if you’re not eager to eat them, I’ll eat them myself.” Effie leaned forward, and, as she was about to grab the small package, Haymitch caught her wrist.

“Don’t. Please, don’t.”

She looked up. Now he looked tortured, and for a moment she felt bad for leaving him with his thoughts alone. She had no idea why gumdrops would upset him so much, but it pained her to see like this. “Why not?”

“Trust me.”

“Well, it is quite a difficult task when you won’t tell me anything.”

Her eyes found his hand as he tightened his grip on her wrist. Not on purpose…He was so lost, like he was somewhere else. It didn’t last long, just enough for Effie to reach for his hand.

“Sorry,” he muttered.

“I know you won’t hurt me, Haymitch”

He snorted, as he looked for his glass. “Why are you so sure of that, sweetheart? After all, I’ve killed children in an arena just to survive.”

Effie shook her head. It had been foolish of her to think he would remember that conversation they’d had. Alcohol tended to play with his memory. She reached for the sweets again, slower this time.

“I told you princess…”

She cut him off, as gentle as she could be. “I’m throwing them away.” The small package in her hand, she turned on her heels and headed for the door. “Haymitch, are those gumdrops somehow related to your girl?” she asked, one of her hands on the doorknob while the other one was holding the sweets that had frightened her Victor.

“My girl?”

His fake ignorance almost impressed Effie. Honestly, Haymitch had become quite good over the years when it came to deception. Too bad for him, that particular trick didn’t work on her. So she paused, and waited.

“Maybe,” was all he added. “Now if you’ll excuse me, sweetheart, I have a bottle to finish before we reach the Capitol.”

Chapter Text

Haymitch glanced at his watch, then at Effie. Something was odd. At first, he thought the Twelve escort was messing with him. After all, that was their favorite game. Usually, he would drive her mad first, then she would do the same.

But maybe Effie Trinket was not teasing him. Maybe she truly had forgotten his birthday. Haymitch shook his head. There was no way she would miss it. It literally fell on Reaping Day—that was kind of a day you tended to not forget, especially when you were an escort. Besides, Effie never forgot something, although she tended to pretend to be clumsy—Haymitch was no fool. She remembered everything.

So what game was she playing for not wishing him a happy birthday ? It was almost midnight. The two reaped kids—literal kids as both of them couldn’t be more than eight years old—had gone to bed a few hours earlier. It was only him and Effie in the living room of the Capitol suite reserved for Twelve.

But nothing. Effie was sitting across from him on the couch while he had taken the armchair. She was silent. Utterly silent. It was the most un-Effie behavior. Their eyes met, and she arched an eyebrow.

“Something amiss, Haymitch? If it’s about the lack of tequila, don’t get mad but this year the Capitol had decided to only give us wine.”

Haymitch huffed. “I’ll survive, sweetheart. I guess they didn’t enjoy me doing shots with Flickerman on national TV.”

Effie bit her lips—anoyed or amused, Haymitch had trouble telling. She could be an enigma, when she wanted to. He studied her. Her hands were perfectly posed on her lap, her back was straight, and her outfit…was certainly a choice. Haymitch had no idea where she got that awful massive blonde wig, but whoever picked it for her didn’t wish her any good. Her heels were no better, and he wondered how the hell that woman could walk in those hideous things. Effie Trinket was a natural beauty, but apparently, Capitol liked their women in clown outfits. Too bad. She made her heels click, making him snap.

“So what’s wrong? You look confused.”

“Did I?” he asked with a fake Capitol outraged accent.

Effie arched an eyebrow. She never liked it when he would make fun of the Capitol people—not because she didn’t find it funny (Haymitch knew she did) but because it could be dangerous.

He slumped against the armchair. He guessed he had no choice but to tell her what was in his mind. He cleared out his throat, slightly embarrassed. “You didn’t wish me a happy birthday.”

“True,” she replied with an unusual flat tone. “Does it bother you?”

Yes. No. Truth be told, he didn’t know. Haymitch had spent the last fifteen years with Effie wishing him a happy birthday. It had become a habit, a sort of ritual that would mark Reaping Day. Each year, he had found himself trying to guess the gift she would bring him.

“I’m just surprised, that’s all” he lied as he drank the rest of his glass. Damn, he missed the tequila. He clearly needed something stronger to go through this conversation.

A smile made its way to Effie’s face. “If I may be honest with you, you don’t sound surprised in the slightest, rather disappointed.”

Haymitch rolled his eyes, and he heard her laugh filling the room. Effie was having a great time poking fun at him. She would be the death of him.

“Stop laughing, Trinket. The poor kids need their sleep,” he grunted as he filled his glass with the terrible wine they had been given.

“Trinket? Oh you’re mad, then. Don’t worry, Haymitch, I’ll keep the fact you missed having me wishing you a happy birthday for myself,” she said between two giggles.

Haymitch closed his eyes. He should have kept his mouth shut, now the woman would remind of his confession for the rest of his days.

“But I did buy something.”

His eyes shot up, and he straightened up, as if a part of him was secretly happy about getting something from Effie. His behaviour didn’t go unnoticed and Effie’s giggles grew in intensity.

“Don’t mock me, woman.”

Effie’s laugh ceased, but her smile didn’t falter. She stood up, and came back a few moments later with a huge package while Haymitch finished drinking his second glass.

“Happy birthday, Hamitch.”

She sat, and gestured for him to open the gift. He complied, but confusion hit him when he saw the content of the gift.

He looked up, frowning. “A dress?”

Effie nodded. “Well, given you never bothered to celebrate my birthday, I’ve figured I would buy myself a gift on your birthday. I did take your credit card, by the way. You don’t mind, do you?”

Haymitch stared at her, dumbfounded. She was making him terribly miss the Capitol tequila.

Her shoulders straightened as she went on. “You’re a caveman, Haymitch. I bought you flowers, tons of clothes, a phone, a watch…You’ve never liked anything. I’ve never seen you happy for a birthday gift for the past fifteen years.”

“I did change my phone with the one you gave me,” he retorted.

Effie gave him an annoyed look.

He sighed. “I'm a simple man. I don’t need materialist stuff, especially if they’re imported from that damn place,” he said as his free hand waved the District Twelve apartment.

Her hands threw in the air. “For God’s sake, I bought you a tie, Haymitch!”

Oh he remembered that tie. It had been the most hideous thing he had seen, but at least, he could take it with him for the Games. But not to wear it. He leaned forward. Now was his time to tease Effie. “Well, if my memory serves me well, I did use that tie when we…”

“Language, Haymitch.”

Haymitch grinned. Touché.

“Don’t act like a prude.” He winked at her. “You like that tie, too.”

Rolling her eyes at him, she shot up on her heels, her cheeks turned pink by the mention of them sleeping together. But Haymitch wasn’t done with her and as she passed in front of him, he grabbed her hand, only to make her sit on his lap.

“The children are in the room next door, Haymitch! Your behavior is appalling.”

He shrugged. “The kids are sleeping. Loosen up. Besides, I’m still claiming a gift, sweetheart.”

His hands circled her waist, and he felt her body relax under his touch.

“Oh, do tell me. What does Haymitch Abernathy want for his birthday?”

“See you hair.”

He had blurted out the words. He hadn’t thought about it, just said whatever had crossed his mind. Her eyes widened, and one of her hands reached for her wig, as if he would snatch it from her. Geeze, that woman really thought he had no manners…Sadly, she might have a point because when his eyes found her breast, it took him all his strength to not lift her up and go to his bedroom.

“I beg your pardon?”

He didn’t say anything, just stared at her. Damn, she looked exhausted. Even under all the make-up she put on, he could tell. Guilt hit him. He sometimes forgot Reaping Days were no fun for her either.

“Besides, you’ve already seen them…When we…When we…”

“Fuck?”

Effie smacked his arm. He laughed, tightening his hold around her waist.

“Your vocabulary is appalling.” She sighed, before whispering,“Is this really what you want?”

Haymitch nodded. He really wanted them to see properly. He had never had the chance—yes, he had been able to see them, but only a glimpse. Usually, they would have sex with the lights off, afraid to be discovered or worse, recorded. There were so many psychos in the Capitol—they had to be careful. Even more when there were already rumours for several years of them being an item. Fake rumors, obviously. They were just having a bit of fun. But one couldn’t be careful enough.

Carefully, Effie’s hands reached for her wig. With perfect precision, she pulled out one by one pins while Haymitched looked at her silently.

“Come on, woman. How many of those things do you hide in your hair?”

“Hush, Haymitch.”

A frown creased between her brows. He had never seen her so focused on a task…and the woman was an escort for the Hunger Games. She looked cute…He shook his head. Chaff would laugh at him if he could hear his thoughts right now. Cute, really? What was happening to him? She handed him the pins, one by one and he threw them on the low table next to them.

“Careful,” she warned him as the wig fell off from her head. Haymitch put it next to the pins while Effie got rid of more pins and a wig cap.

“I now understand why you take so long in the bathroom.”

She gave him a frightening look, and he got silent as she freed her natural hair. Blonde hair. Haymitch sighed, alarming Effie.

“You don’t like them?”

She tried to hide her hair, but Haymitch gently took a lock of blond hair.

“On the contrary,” he mused, his eyes trying to memorize the exact color. “You have the most beautiful hair, and yet you decide to hide it. I’ll never understand you, Capitol folks.”

Effie arched an eyebrow. “Well, if you find my hair so beautiful, I may have to give you my shampoo for your birthday next year then. It actually may be useful.”

***

Haymitch had no idea how they ended up in Effie’s bed, but he wasn’t unhappy about it. A glance in the alarm clock on the bedtable indicated to him it was almost time to wake up. Next to her, Effie was sleeping.

There was no point in lingering. He never did. Besides, he needed to get ready for some awful television program Effie had forced to attend this morning. He slowly left her bed, tiptoeing until he reached the door.

“Will you next year let me buy something for you?”

Haymitch turned to find a freshly awakened Effie. Her hair was a mess—much because of his doing and the memory of yesterday made his lips twitch in amusement. He merely shrugged.

“Probably not, unless it's your shampoo,” he said and gave her the usual wink he would save up for her.

In response, Effie threw him daggers with her eyes.

“Will you let me wish you a happy birthday at least?”

His smile grew bigger.

“Not a chance, sweetheart.”

Chapter Text

It was the day after Reaping Day and Effie Trinket had not wished him a happy birthday. It felt strange to say the least…and to his own surprise, almost disappointing. Turned out, Haymitch Abernathy had grown fond of her little celebrations despite hating the day with all his gut.

Haymitch shook his head in disbelief. Had his escort truly made him enjoy the worst day of his life? He made a low chuckle at this realization.

“You’re not eating anything,” he heard her say.

He blinked as he realized she was talking to him. Her eyes showed concern. Funny how she looked more worried for him not eating anything than the two poor kids who would probably die of a very painful death in the upcoming days. Haymitch vaguely remembered their name, but he was already a bit tipsy to try to make any sort of conversation with any of them.

“Not hungry,” he replied unintelligibly. He pushed his plate away and reached for a bottle.

“This is water, Haymitch,” she warned him as if the thing would kill him.He merely shrugged, earning him a very surprised face from his escort.

The rest of the evening felt like a blur. At some point, the two kids left to go to their room, and it was only him and Effie sat around the expensive table. His fingers tapped against it. Was it mahogany? He frankly couldn’t tell. Might something Effie would know.

“What’s on your mind?”

“Nothing,” he merely grumbled, his eyes on his plate.

“You’re usually a better liar, Haymitch,” she said with the teasing tone he was so accustomed to.

He heard her heels tap against the icy floor and within the blink of an eye, he found Effie next to him. She leaned against the table, her arms crossed against her breast. She was beautiful, despite the ugly pink outfit. Along with the clown costume, she had picked up a blonde wig, the only one Haymitch honestly liked. It made her blue eyes shine brighter. He shook his head. Why did he go soft all of a sudden ? He grabbed his drink, his eyes still lingering on Effie’s face. Shit.

“Is it about your birthday?”

He choked on the water he was drinking from his glass. How…? He tried to compose himself so she would not notice his shock for her to find out so quickly.

“Nope, sweetheart,” he said as he waved his hand off to feign his disinterest. “Don’t worry. I’ll survive with you not wishing me a happy birthday for a year.”

But his answer got him the opposite reaction. Effie’s smile grew bigger. “So you did notice. Interesting.”

“Well, it’s hard to not notice. Effie, you’re kinda the only delusional woman who dares to say anything to me on this day.”

She got closer, and his body straightened.

“Well, I just thought…Well, I thought wishing you the day after would make it easier for you to enjoy the celebration I had in mind.” She sat on his lap and his arms naturally wrapped her waist.

He knew what she was doing. Seducing him so he would spill the beans. And the worse ? It was working.

“Celebration?” he mused while her necklace grabbed his attention. Where did she get this fat ugly ruby? Her hand on his chest drew him away from it. Her eyes were now glimmering with excitation. What did this woman have in mind?

“Well,” she leaned forward and Haymitch picked her perfume. Enticing scent that he was starting to get obsessed with. “You need to undress me to find out.”

Haymitch arched an eyebrow and found himself lowering his eyes to her breast. What was she hiding ?

“Don’t tell me you’ve strapped knives or some kind of weapons down there,” he said as he stared at her decolleté.

He heard her sigh and he knew from experience it was not from pleasure.

“You’re the least romantic guy I’ve known, Haymitch….Can’t you see? I am your birthday gift!”

Haymitch tilted his head to the side. “Well, I don’t want to hurt your feelings, sweetheart but it’s not a gift if I can have you everyday.”

Effie’s pout turned into an outraged expression and he couldn't help grinning as she smacked his arm. Pissing her off might be his favorite hobby. Too bad he couldn't manage to do it all year long…Maybe he should pick up the phone more often to call her.

“I’m kidding. Damn, you can be sensitive.”

She tried to get up, but he tightened his arms around her waist. There was no way he would let her go after her generous birthday gift. He had wanted to pin the woman against a wall from the moment they walked into that damn place. He was not going to let go of her anytime soon.

“You better. Do you have any idea how much the lingerie I’m wearing cost me, Hamitch?”

One of his hands reached the zipper of her dress behind her back, and gently lowered it. He carefully looked out for cameras around them. He knew the Capitol was watching, especially in the dining room. They always did. But it didn’t mean he wanted them to see a peak of his Effie. He pressed her body against his, as if to cover her while the upper part of the dress fell out to reveal a pale pink bra. He had to admit, Effie had great taste when it came to lingerie.

The sight of her made his dick ache, and he was suddenly no longer grumpy about the fact she had not celebrated his birthday yesterday. His thumb trailed the fabric, and Effie moaned his name. Bitterness was definitely no longer the current emotion his body was experiencing.

He didn’t know, but his eyes managed to find Effie’s again. He grinned at her. “Finally a gift I can rip apart, and you won’t even get mad about it”

The fake outraged eyeroll she did indicated she was about to contradict him, but he gave her a quick kiss on the lips instead.

“It may be my best birthday party you’ve thrown for me, sweetheart.”

“How can you tell?We have not even started.”

He stood up, Effie in his arms as he replied, “Oh trust me. I know I’m going to enjoy this one.”

Chapter Text

As soon as she walked into Haymitch’s room on the train for the Twelve District, a shiver ran down Effie Trinket’s spine. It was awfully quiet. They hadn’t talked since the Reaping Ceremony. Both of them had played their roles— her as the escort and him as the mentor.

“Haymitch?”

No reply. She could still see him though. He was sitting on his couch, his back facing her. A bottle of whatever he ordered from the train staff was on the low table right in front of him. And it was, strangely, not empty.

“Shitty day, right, sweetheart?”

“Language, Haymitch,” was all she could muster as an answer.

Because this day had indeed been quite shitty, given her hand had brought her two children back into the arena. At the memory of picking Katniss’s name—the only one in the jar, given she was the only female Games winner alive in District Twelve—a tear slid down her cheek. She quickly wiped it off.

Eyes bright, chins up, smiles on.
Eyes bright, chins up, smiles on.
Eyes bright, chins up, smiles on.

A fake smile plastered on her face, she walked to close the distance between them. She sat down and looked at him. He didn’t look well and given the sad smile he was giving her, she guessed she didn’t either.

There was an awkward silence between them and Effie hated silence. It gave too much space to thinking, and if she started to think…Well, thinking couldn’t do any good these days.

“The children are settled for the journey to the Capitol. I’ve been told the journey will be quicker than last year,” Effie said as she joined her hands together, trying to shake off the adrenaline from earlier.

Haymitch covered her hands with his. She looked at their hands touching before looking up at him. He gave her a wink.

“Let’s not pretend you care for Capitol train technology, Effie.”

He had said the words with his usual nonchalance that she had grown to love. He had just escaped from being reaped again and yet he was trying to cheer her up with his sarcasm. She just nodded.

Then, her eyes fell on the table. That bottle looked expensive, and while the Capitol was keen on providing the best products for the tributes and their team—even for the star-crossed lovers who had defied the odds—this thing cost more than the actual train they were traveling in. Strange.

“You didn’t drink,” she said, aware he hadn’t moved his hand from hers.

Good, because she didn’t want him to. Her body was still on the edge, close to a breakdown she very much wanted to avoid. His touch was calming her down and she wouldn’t make any indication to show him otherwise.

Haymitch shrugged. “Well, I promised Katniss I will save Peeta this year. Easier to do this with a clear mind.”

From the corner of her eye, she saw a butterfly from her dress fall down. She didn’t move, focused on what Haymitch had just said to her. “You saved both of them last time and you were drowning yourself in alcohol,” Effie pointed out as she tried to ignore the fact that this time around, one of her two Victors wouldn’t go back.

“It’s from Plutarch actually.”

Effie tilted her head to the side and raised an eyebrow. She didn’t know that Plutarch and Haymitch had become close in recent years…Haymitch being the caveman that he was, he tended to stay away from the Capitol and its citizens. Plutarch included. She begged him every year to show up for at least one Capitol big party and now he was telling her he was actually socializing with Plutarch Heavensbee, the actual Gamemaker? Something was not adding up.

“For what occasion?”

Haymitch’s eyes found hers. He shook his head, grinning and she wondered what she said that he could find amusing.

“Effie Trinket, did you actually forget my birthday?”

Effie went still. His birthday? But today was…No. No today was…Her mouth opened then shut. Her hands recoiled from Haymitch’s touch—as if they were suddenly unworthy of being taken care of by him. As if she were suddenly unworthy of him.

“Oh Haymitch, I’m so sorry…” she started babbling.

Panic seized her. It hit her like a tornado. She had actually forgotten about Haymitch’s birthday. No—This couldn’t be. She had never forgotten about his birthday. It had been her rule. To make him feel special on the day he lost everything.

But she had been so stressed for this Reaping Ceremony…From the moment the 75th Games had been announced, she hadn’t been able to sleep well. Nightmares had been more frequent and…

But it was no excuse. She had forgotten.

Her head was throbbing.
Anxiety engulfed her.

She realized she didn’t buy him anything.
Oh Lord, she didn’t buy him anything.

She could hear the beating of her heart in her ears now. Her body was now shaking, and it was suddenly very hard to breathe.

Tears fell down. She could taste them on her lips. She didn’t even try to hide them. She was so exhausted.

“I’m so sorry…” she said as she choked on her own tears. “Oh Haymitch, I’m so sorry.”

One second later, she found herself in Haymitch’s arms.

“I feel horrible,” she said.

More tears fell down. She felt Haymitch’s hand touching her back, trying to calm her down.

“It’s just a birthday. You know I don’t even like mine.”

He sounded sincere, but Effie was still feeling awfully bad. She distanced herself from him a bit, although his arms were still wrapped around her.She stared into his eyes. He looked concerned…almost worried. Did she look so awful?

“It’s not just that…I feel horrible because I was…relieved.”

“Why?”

“Because…” Another sob. “Because I knew Peeta would volunteer the moment I reaped your name.”

Tears doubled as soon as the confession was out. Naturally, she pressed her head against Haymitch’s face.

“I’m a terrible person,” she muffled in the crook of his neck.

“You’re not. For a Capitol folk, you’re actually humane and decent, Effie.”

His words and his trailing fingers on her back seemed to finally calm her down. They stayed like this a few more minutes. Once she felt better, she detached herself from Haymitch. He still looked concerned and she felt he was worrying over her when he almost got reaped for the upcoming Games.

She touched his arm and shook her head. “Oh Haymitch, I don’t even have a gift for you. I was so anxious for the children and you that I completely forgot to buy you something.”

He wiped her tears off gently with one finger.

“Don’t worry. You already gave me something today. Let’s pretend this is my birthday gift from you.”

Effie arched an eyebrow while Haymitch’s finger was now on her lips.

“You, casting my name…This is my birthday gift. If you’d picked Peeta’s, I know I would have volunteered.” He sighed. “So it may sound selfish, sweetheart, but while I am not the happiest alive person in Twelve, the idea of dying in an arena terrifies me. So I’m actually glad you’ve picked my name. You probably saved my life, Trinket.”
“But…”

He cut her off with a kiss. “I believe the kids need us. Shall we? And don’t forget—eyes bright, chins up, smiles on.”

Chapter Text

Effie had just finished the final touch when she heard Haymitch walk down the stairs. For once in his life, the man had perfect timing.

“Effie?”

She turned a smile on her face.

“Happy birthday,” she told him, her hands gesturing to the little table next to her.

He rolled his eyes at her. She expected nothing less from the man who had loathed his birthday for as long as she had known him. But this time, she could tell the look he was giving her was different. It was softer. Tender.

Because things were different. Snow had been defeated, which meant no Hunger Games meant. And no Hunger Games meant no Reaping Days. For good.

He kissed her briefly on her lips. “You made all this on your own?”

Effie bit her lips. “My pride wishes I could say I did, but Peeta did help me with all the baking. Katniss also helped me with your gift.”

Haymitch arched an eyebrow as they both sat down to enjoy breakfast. “Katniss? Should I be scared?”

Effie shook her head while he cut her a bit of bread. The attention didn’t go unnoticed by her. Haymitch had surprisingly gotten better manners recently. Maybe her moving into his house in Twelve a few months after the end of the war had something to do with this change of attitude. She didn’t mind it, on the contrary.

They both had changed. Effie still hadn’t given up on the wigs, nor the fashion colorful dresses but they were less…Capitol styled.

“There is no reason for you to be afraid. Besides, the gift is outside.”

This didn’t make Haymitch any less reassured, but after some convincing on Effie’s part, they both returned to their breakfast. Once done, Effie got up and led Haymitch outside.

“Happy birthday to you, Haymitch,” Effie said as she clapped her hands.

He frowned. “I see nothing, sweetheart.”

Gently, she angled his body towards the geese. The birthday gift, a goose, had a pink ribbon to make it stand out from the rest and she had to thank Katniss again for doing the dirty work because there was no way she would do it herself.

He put his hands on his hips. He didn’t say anything for a few seconds, and she feared he was not liking her gift…

“Princess, did you buy me a goose?”

She nodded. “I did, hence why I needed Katniss' help. I’m still not very familiar with how to acquire things here in Twelve.”

He slowly turned to face her, puzzled by her statement. “But you don’t even like my geese.”

She hushed him. “Manners. They could hear us…And it’s not that I don’t like them…”

Haymitch barked in laughter and Effie prayed the geese would not run after them. They had the tendency to follow Haymitch along until he had fed them. And this morning he didn’t.

“You don’t, woman.”

Effie eyed the little group of geese now watching them and to her it was as if they were ready to jump on them. She gulped. Maybe Haymitch had a point. These little things did frighten her. One of them did seem to enjoy biting her from time to time, causing her to run…and to make Haymitch laugh.

She cleared her throat. “I may not like your little birds, but I like you.”

His response was immediate. With his usual cocky smile, his hands circled around her waist and he brought her towards him swiftly.

“You only like me?” he asked as one of his hands lowered to touch her ass. She managed to stay composed although she could feel her cheeks turned warmer.

“I love you. Better?”

Haymitch grinned and he leaned down to give her a long and passionate kiss on her mouth. She melted a bit, before her brain reminded her of the fact that Katniss and Peeta were probably spying on them at the moment. She broke the kiss, but Haymitch’s grip on her remained firm.

“Better. Now I will have to try to find a name for the newcomer.”

“It can’t be Pain-In-My-Ass,” she warned him “Or anything rude,” she quickly added.

The gleam in Haymitch’s eyes indicated the thought had crossed his mind. The man was insufferable, but a gift is a gift and Effie guessed it was up to him to name the poor thing whenever he liked.

“Don’t give me ideas…”

He let go of her and got nearer to his geese, admiring the goose he had just been gifted to. “Thank you for the breakfast by the way. And the gift.”

Effie’s eyes widened in delight and she let out a very loud gasp causing both Haymitch and the geese to look at her. “Haymitch Abernathy, did you just thank me for a birthday gift?”

He gave her a wink.

“Manners, princess. It’s improper to make loud noises, right?” He leaned forward and whispered for her ears only, “Although if you want to make loud noises, I can find a way…”

Effie would usually roll her eyes at him for his terrible innuendos. But this time, she would let it pass. Firstly, if she were honest with herself, she terribly enjoyed when he was throwing his bad flirting catchphrases at her. Secondly, she couldn’t complain because this was the first time Haymitch was truly embracing his birthday since they met. And hopefully, the next few years would follow the same pattern.

She batted her eyelashes. “Well, I wouldn’t mind…But the kids await for us for lunch.”

She didn’t need to say more—Haymitch already had her in his arms and was heading back to their house. “Don’t worry. I’ve learnt time management with you over the years. I’ll make sure we are not late to whatever party you prepared for me.”