A/N: Hello. Me again. I've received several Consortium related prompts but I couldn't write some of them (yet) because the part of the story has not come to pass. Anyway, because of those few prompts, I have decided to create Everything In Transit for where I could post prompts related to Consortium, separate from The Ballad of A Drunk And His Lady to avoid confusion (and also because it's easier for me to organise things).

Requested by anon: I have a consortium related prompt for you, please. My cousins due any day now and her baby's moving around so you can even see little bumps when its kicking and wriggling like those alien baby vids on youtube (theres one where the mother has a glass of water on her stomach and the baby kicks so hard it wobbles and drops). I know we had hayffie reacting to the twins kicking and moving- but i'd love to see their reaction to crazy movements, haymitch epesilly! thank you

Make It Fall

Timeline: Between Chapter 30 & 33

It was a warm night, the moon hung low in the sky, weaving in and out of the clouds. Inside the Abernathy's house, Effie lounged on the sofa, with the music from the radio playing softly in the background. It was quiet and peaceful, just the way Effie preferred with her husband by her side instead of locked in the study poring over documents for the appeal.

She hummed softly to the tune for the twins, rubbing her belly in circles with the lotion to prevent stretch marks. Effie looked up briefly when Haymitch walked past her towards the kitchen taking with him the dirty plates from their dinner. It didn't take him long before he return with his sleeves rolled up and slightly damp from doing the dishes.

"Thank you," she said and she meant it because if she knew Haymitch, he would have just left the dishes in the sink but he had helped her out and for that she was grateful.

He shrugged, taking a seat at the end of the sofa as Effie folded her legs to make space for him.

"You're 29 weeks in?" he inquired.

Effie nodded.

"Still a few more weeks to go," he grimaced, taking the sight of her in. Effie's belly had gotten rounder and bigger, stretching to accommodate the lives inside her. He didn't know it was anatomically possible for the skin to stretch that much before this and sometimes, he wondered how she could still walk in her state. Haymitch knew though that Effie could no longer bend forward and that each time she dropped something, he would have to be the one to help pick the item off the floor.

"Honestly, I can't wait to deliver them. I'm exhausted and my body's aching all over."

He patted her knee sympathetically. "How are they doing?"

"Very active or I think at least one of them is. Move over, Haymitch, please. Is it okay if you sit on that armchair? I want to stretch my legs."

Effie nudged him playfully with her foot.

"Not moving," he mumbled, pulling her feet up and putting them across his lap. He was already comfortable where he was. He rubbed her foot gently, knowing how much her swollen feet had been giving her grieve lately. Effie beamed up at him, sinking back into the sofa with a contented sigh.

"You're being an absolute sweetheart today," she mused.

Haymitch frowned and cleared his throat. "Don't get used to it."

"Of course," Effie nodded seriously but Haymitch could tell she was still joking from the look in her eyes. "Wouldn't want your scary, brooding reputation to be ruined now, would we?"

"Hmph."

Outside, the crickets were chirping, calling out one after another and the shrill voice of Mrs. Johnson who lived just outside of Victor's Village could be heard shouting for Danny, her son, to get inside the house and stop playing along the streets when it's dark outside. It was a normal occurrence that Effie no longer paid much attention to it.

Effie was just dozing off when the twins started moving and Haymitch stopped rubbing her foot. She blinked her eyes open to see Haymitch staring at her belly, mouth slightly open and brows crinkling in disbelief.

He shot her a startled look when her soft laughter diverted his attention. Effie pulled her blouse up to expose her belly for him and Haymitch leaned forward curiously.

"What - " he looked up questioningly, the question left hanging on his lips.

"It's a bit disconcerting, isn't it?" she asked lightly. Effie couldn't say that Haymitch's reaction was misplaced because when she herself saw the movements a few days ago, she couldn't quite believe what was going on.

Something, a hand perhaps, poked at Effie's belly, stretching the skin. Almost in a trance, Haymitch put a finger on the bump as it moved slightly to the right, before it sunk and Effie's belly resembled the usual shape that it was.

"That's disturbing," he exclaimed but Effie could hear the excitement tinging his voice. His eyes remained fixated.

"I know. Sometimes I think they're trying to break free. Watch this."

Effie pressed the right side of her stomach gently, at the exact spot where they last saw the movement and the baby responded. Haymitch saw the baby's movement across Effie's belly, a bump here and there.

"That's crazy," he breathed out. Haymitch took a leaf out of Effie's book and mimicked her, pressing again on her belly just so he could watch the movements again. "How does it feel like?"

"Ticklish," she laughed. "Like when you run a finger down my neck? But on the inside. Sometimes it feels like a muscle twitching."

Haymitch chuckled, knowing that Effie was very sensitive and ticklish around her neck. He looked around him, his eyes falling on the saucer at the coffee table.

"Let's try this," he grinned suddenly.

Carefully, Haymitch placed the saucer on her belly, just above her belly button.

"What are you doing?" she laughed at him.

"Just watch," he instructed and tap the left side of Effie's belly.

They waited for a movement.

"I think they're sleeping."

Haymitch shook his head, refusing to believe that and repeated his actions. It prompted another movement.

The saucer wobbled as a result, perched precariously on her stomach.

It made Effie laugh and not one of those polite laughter where she covered her mouth with her hand. It was an honest, genuine laugh from her just watching her husband's antics.

Haymitch was grinning, his grey eyes lighting up with mischief. It made Effie wondered if this was what a teenage Haymitch was like – a smile on his lips and cackling mischievously as he raised hell in the District Twelve - before his name was reaped and his world turned on him, taking away everyone that he loved. Effie shook her head to dispel that gloomy thought. She let him steady the saucer once again, allowing him this small moment of happiness with his unborn children.

"One of them is gonna make this saucer fall off," he said, his voice filled with determination. Effie was not expecting him to lean further forward in order to whisper conspiratorially against her skin, "make it fall off, come on."

"You're teaching them the wrong things even before they're born," she giggled.

"I'm not."

She stroked his hair as he laid his palm on her belly and pressed on it gently. Each time the saucer wobbled, Haymitch held his breath.

"It won't fall off," Effie told him after a while.

"It will," he said. "Want to put your money on – Aha!"

Effie's hand flew to cover Haymitch's own as she felt a strong, powerful kick. The saucer trembled and dipped sideways in a slow motion as it landed on the floor.

"You're lucky the floor's carpeted or that saucer would have broken to tiny pieces," was all that Effie could say. She breathed out slowly, rubbing her stomach soothingly.

"They're boys," he announced so suddenly that Effie temporarily forgot all about the saucer on the floor, "if today's anything to go by."

"It's that what you want? Boys?"

Haymitch shrugged. "Just guessing here."

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