"What do you mean I can't get back tonight?" Effie Trinket's voice was growing shriller and more hysterical as she talked to the Captiol man on the phone.
"I mean that the weather tonight is going to get bad. It is unsafe to send a hovercraft to pick you up, let alone let you ride in a train. I'm sorry Miss Trinket, you're staying in District 12 tonight." The transportation guide on the phone sounded bored and entirely unfazed by the situation Effie was in, much to her dismay.
"Hm! Fine, thank you anyway."
She shoved the phone into her bag and sat down abruptly on the bench beside her. Momentarily forgetting her manners, she slouched in the seat and sighed.
"Well, well, well Trinket. Got a problem?"
The sudden company made Effie jump, and she quickly straightened out her posture.
"Yes I have a problem! I'm stuck here in Twelve for the night because of some stupid storm!"
Haymitch chuckled at the colorful woman's outburst. "Looks like you're staying with me tonight."
As soon as the words left his mouth, he had to hold back the grin that was threatening to spread across his face. Effie's eyes had immediately gone large, and she looked horrified at the prospect.
"Oh come on sweetheart. Don't look so upset. It'll be fun," he smirked.
"Absolutely not! It's not proper! Surely there's somewhere else I could stay," Effie replied.
"Look around Princess. There's not much in the name of 5 star hotels around here."
She knew he was right, and gulped hard and tried to accept the fact that she would be sleeping in his house tonight. The thought of how disgusting and filthy it must be made her shudder, but she forced a smile on her face, determined not to be impolite. "Alright Haymitch, lead the way."
The smell of Haymitch's home assaulted Effie's nose the second he opened the front door. She definitely hadn't underestimated the chaotic state it would be in. Clothes, broken empty bottles and who knows what else littered the floor. There were stains that she preferred not be identified and holes in the walls where she only assumed Haymitch's drunken rage had gotten the better of him.
Haymitch didn't say anything as he headed down the hall to a closed door, and she carefully maneuvered her way to him.
"Here's where you can stay."
Effie held her breath as he opened the door to what could only be a guest bedroom, expecting the worse.
"Oh," she exclaimed.
Haymitch raised an eyebrow, "yes?"
"It's clean."
"Yeah, well, I don't have much use for it. Make yourself at home." With that, he turned and headed toward the kitchen.
Effie ventured further into the room. It was simple, with a bed, a dresser and a night table. She set her bag on the floor beside the bed and sat down to remove her shoes. Even Effie Trinket got uncomfortable in high heels all day. Once settled in, she made her way back to the living area where Haymitch was sitting on a disgusting couch nursing some sort of liquor.
"Haymitch you can't be serious!" She huffed.
He snorted, and without looking up at her replied, "you got a problem, princess?"
"You're the one with the problem! There is a lady in your home Haymitch! The last thing you should be doing is getting drunk!" Effie was furious; she had never before seen such rude behavior in a human being.
"Last time I checked sweetheart, this is my house," he shifts to make eye contact with her, "and I'll do whatever I damn please."
Effie's controlled façade threatened to falter, and she desperately tried to keep the hurt from flashing across her face. "I'm going to bed," she responded quietly, and returned to the back bedroom.
When Effie awoke a few hours later, rain pelted the roof and flashes of lighting briefly lit up the room, but this wasn't what had interrupted her sleep. From down the hall, the sounds of incoherent words and screams had woken Effie. As reluctant as she was, she crawled out of bed and went to make sure that Haymitch was alright.
As she tiptoed down to his room, her reluctance turned to worry as she realized the true terror coming from Haymitch.
"Haymitch?" Effie slowly pushed open the door to his room. The blankets had tangled their way around his legs, and he sleepily thrashed about. "Haymitch" Effie asked again, inching closer to his bed. "Haymitch, please wake up." She reached out to shake him, and was met with a wild thrash and then pain shooting through her arm. "Oh!" She yelped, and this finally brought Haymitch out of his slumber.
"Effie! What the hell?"
She could barely see the angry glare of his eyes in the dark until the lightning flashed, illuminating the room.
When he saw her standing there, clutching the wound on her arm and with tears threatening to spill from her eyes, his gaze softened.
"C'mere." He swung out of bed and led her toward the master bathroom. She sat on the counter as he rummaged through the medicine cabinet, finally coming up with a bandage and some disinfectant. "This'll sting." She winced as he sprayed her cut, and then bandaged it.
"I'm no expert in first aid, but that should keep it clean."
"Thank you."
He studied the small woman on the counter. Her blue eyes were still wet from the un-fallen tears, and she had very faint dark circles under her eyes from the lack of sleep. One mischievous blond lock had fallen into her eyes, and his unusual gentle hand brushed it away.
Effie squirmed slightly under his stare, but still he held it.
"You're beautiful Effie, without all that stuff on you."
When he didn't get a reply, he broke his gaze and left the bathroom.
He walked her back to her room and stood awkwardly in the doorway as she climbed back into bed.
"I'm so sorry Effs," he said to her, once she was settled.
"Oh don't worry about it. It was just an accident," she replied, sleep edging its way into her voice.
He lingered for a moment longer at the door, then turned to go. "Goodnight Effie."
He was barely halfway to his room before he heard her cry from her room, "Haymitch! Please don't leave."
He came again to the doorway. She looked small and helpless in the large bed. With every rumble of the thunder her body flinched slightly. Haymitch was overcome with the need to protect his infuriating house guest. He had never felt anything but distaste for the woman who 95% of the time was getting on his nerves, yet suddenly he wanted nothing more than to hold her and assure her that everything would be alright.
Effie watched as he stood in the doorway. She didn't really know why she had called back to him, it had just happened.
"You don't really have to stay. I'm just, well, we don't get storms like this in the Captiol," she said.
He didn't answer, just walked to the edge of her bed.
"Scoot over, Princess."
She did as she was told, and he climbed under the covers next to her.
"Did you know that thunder is just the vibrations from lightning bouncing off the ground and the clouds?"
Effie raised an eyebrow at him.
"I did a lot of reading after I came back from the Games. Before I started drinking, it kept my mind off of things."
"Haymitch Abernathy, the bookworm, I like it," Effie giggled.
"Yeah, yeah. Just go to sleep," he grumbled, though he was secretly relieved to hear the laughter in her voice.
She snuggled close to him, her head on his chest.
"Goodnight Haymitch."
"Goodnight Effie."
When he was certain she was asleep, he lightly kissed the top of her head.
"Sleep tight, sweetheart."
Effie hadn't been quite asleep, though when she finally succumbed to the exhaustion, a faint smile played at her lips.