effie trinket all but choked on her guava juice when haymitch appeared from the bathroom, dabbing his aromatic chin with a off-white flannel.
"..you shaved!" effie exclaimed with wide eyes, taken aback by the handsome face that had been hidden beneath untidy stubble for so long. she gripped her juice tight and conposed herself as haymitch wiped the last of the shaving foam from his face and took a step towards the woman in pink.
"gotta look good on the tube, you know" haymitch replied in his deep american accent, displaying his characteristic charm which seemed a lot more pungent without the scent of whiskey on his breath.
effie cracked a small smile but took a long sip of her juice to hide it. haymitch was crude, and far below her social standing. but he certainly looked handsome, and she could smell the aftershave he'd splashed on his neck from where she stood. her knees almost buckled beneath her. "you look…" effie paused, waving her free hand in the air as if she were grasping for appropriate words, "… amiable". it was the best she could muster, she wasn't all too used to giving compliments.
haymitch scoffed and took a few more steps towards effie. his long hair had been slicked back, and effie couldn't help but notice the prominent square to his jaw. very regal. her bottom lip quivered.
"i got rid of mine-" haymitch said loudly, tossing the flannel in effie's direction. she snatched it quickly with two fingers and held it up like a piece of trash. "now you get rid of yours" he nodded towards her, and all effie could do was roll her eyes.
haymitch raised an eyebrow. effie clutched the flannel. it had been almost twenty years since someone had seen her without her make up. her hand shook slightly and she placed her guava juice down carefully.
"i beg your pardon!" she tossed the flannel back, and moved to turn away but was entranced by the scent of his freshly shaved skin.
"come on, trinket - all's fair" haymitch said raising an eyebrow and taking another step forward. they were barely a moment apart now.
effie felt her stomach clench as haymitch raised his hand, taking the flannel and dragged it across her left cheek. she stood there, uncharacteristically dumbstruck. she looked up at him as he wiped away the mask she'd spent years creating.
"there you are" haymitch said as effie closed her eyes and he dragged the moist cloth across them. the make up was far from gone, but remained smudged on her face. but haymitch could see her now. her natural skin, the shape of her eyes.
"i'm hideous" effie said, looking to the floor. all that confidence seemed to have slipped away with each stroke of the cloth. she studied her shoes - even with them on she wasn't nearly as tall as haymitch.
haymitch placed a finger beneath effie's chin and raised it up. their eyes met once more.
"you're more beautiful now then you have ever been" he gave a manish but sincere laugh, and effie could be seen blushing through the make-up-less patches that haymitch had revealed.