Opposites Attract
Time was running out. He was merely minutes away from the instant that would change everything. He was focused, tensed. He was ready.
He clenched his fists, waiting for the signal. He swallowed with difficulty. "Haymitch." He heard a raspy voice behind him, echoing in the silence of the corridor. He was about to turn around when the female spoke again. "Don't turn around. Not right now. Don't make this harder than it has to be." It was her. Effie Trinket. Haymitch realized that her voice was no longer high pitched or thick with the Capitol's accent. She sounded raw, broken. Real. "Listen to me" she said firmly, and he obeyed. He sat on the floor, without really knowing why, and waited.
"I know what is happening, Haymitch", she said softly, after a while. He could hear her voice shake a little in her throat, and realized that she was crying; he felt his heart flinch with pain. "Not the details. Nothing that they could relate to you. You're safe, for now." Haymitch closed his eyes. "I don't need to know more. I know my place in this war; I won't stand in your way." He felt a single tear roll down his cheek and crash on the floor. "I just wanted you to know that I'm on your side. I always have been."
Effie Trinket, Rebel. As odd as it might have sounded, to Haymitch, it made perfect sense. He felt the urge to turn around, but struggled against it. He didn't want to cause her more pain. Effie cleared her throat before speaking again. "I know you are leaving. I know nothing I could say would ever change your mind. I guess it was always bound to happen; you leaving me." Leaving her. It was probably the hardest part of it all. He clenched his fist harder, his knuckles turning white. "But…" She sounded broken, hollow inside. He heard her repress a sob. "I can't let you go without telling you." She breathed deeply before continuing. "I love you, Haymitch. I have loved you for years, and I'll probably love you forever. I- I know this is unexpected, odd, forbidden. I know you'll never love me back, because I know who I am. But I can't help it. You're the only thing that's ever made sense in my life. The only one to have ever made the real Effie Trinket smile."
Her voice broke. She was sobbing without repress now. "And I guess…" She muttered, her voice barely audible. "I just wanted you to know. To give you something to remember." He felt her walk towards him. She was probably barefoot, as he didn't hear the familiar clatter of her heels on the floor. She sat back to back with him, her small body leaning slightly against him. "Don't die in vain, Haymitch. Fight on. Make it mean something. Make a change." She dropped her head backwards resting against his neck, her eyes closed, tears pouring on her cheeks, drenching her collar. They stood still, both enjoying the meaningful silent for a moment. The time was coming.
"I am insanely in love with you, Effie Trinket" he suddenly blurted out. "I can't remember a time I haven't." At this very moment, what was left of Effie's composure shattered completely. She let out a long, painful moan. Then suddenly, both at once, they turned around, finally facing each other. With shaky hands, she grabbed his shirt and pulled him towards her, burying her face in his neck, covering it with tears and soft kisses. "Why do you have to leave!" she sobbed desperately. He took her hands in his, their fingers lacing for the very first time. Finally, he noticed it. "Effie…" he said softly, pulling her away slightly so he could look at her.
She was unrecognizable. She wore nothing but a light white nightgown, her feet were bare, and her honey blond curls were falling freely on her back and shoulders, wild, messy. She had wiped all her makeup off, her blue eyes reddened and glistening with fresh tears, her cheeks wet and pink, her lips inviting. She had freckles sprinkled all over her nose. She was magnificent. "Effie…" he repeated. "You're- You're-" "Myself, finally", she said with a lopsided smile. He pressed his forehead against hers. "Beautiful", he muttered. "So- real." He realized he was crying too. But for once in his life, he didn't care showing how broken he was. Not to her.
Suddenly, the moment had come. The signal. Suddenly, lips were pressed against each other, urgent, hungry, desperate, aching for more. He buried his hands in her soft golden locks, while she stroked his cheeks, enjoying the feeling of his stubble against her bare fingers. It was messy, wet, shaky. They were both crying, their tears melting together. He pulled her body closer to his, until it was impossible to distinguish the two. They were both craving for contact, for their burning skin to touch more, both aware that their embrace might be the last. It was tragic, but it was beautiful.
For a moment, everything was forgotten. The Games, Snow, Panem, the Rebellion. Nothing existed but them, two individuals sharing a bond so strong that it would survive anything. Then, they pulled away. The fears came back, the despair too. It was time. They both rose to their feet, a faint smile on their swollen lips. What they had just given birth to would make them stronger. It would give them hope, and something to look forward to. A secret love to cherish through pain, torture, death maybe.
They walked away without turning back. But, right before opening the door, Haymitch called her softly. "Effie", he said. "I'll come back for you. I promise. I can't say when, but I will. In the meantime… Stay alive." She laughed faintly. "You won't get rid of me that easily, sweetheart." She offered him a genuine smile. "See you soon, Princess" he concluded. "Soon" she repeated, her hand on her chest, clutching the fabric. She shed one last tear before the door was closed.
Somehow, despite the odds, she still had hope. And, despite the odds, she was right.
He would come back, and she would be there.
It was gravity that had brought them together. An irresistible force of attraction that neither of them understood, yet binding them forever. Something unquestioned, unspoken. It always had been, and always would be. The Escort and the Victor, the Princess and the Wreck, the Capitol Citizen and the Rebel. After all, opposites attract.