Day 4 : Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
Bring The Capitol To Twelve!
Haymitch exchanged a look of alarm with the children when Effie Trinket stormed into his house along with a blast of freezing air, her arms full of boxes and bags piled so high she probably couldn't see where she was going.
"What in hell…" he grumbled, automatically standing up to help. Peeta had already bolted and was trying to relieve her of the heaviest packages. Katniss, he noticed, wisely kept to his newly steam-cleaned couch – apparently the only way to save it, according to their former escort.
Effie finally appeared from behind the boxes, her bright blue scarf a bit loose, the matching woolen hat sideway on her head and her face pink from the cold.
"Did you walk all the way from town like this?" the girl asked, stunned.
Haymitch didn't know why she was still surprised by the stunts Effie could pull when it came to shopping.
"The fuck are those for anyway?" he frowned, peering at the fairy lights printed on the box he had taken from her. "You add any more lights and decorations to the kids' house, it's gonna crumble."
Effie Trinket and Christmas.
He had known her for a long time and had always more or less been aware it was a big deal for her but it wasn't until she had gasped at the other end of the phone when he had said that they weren't going to do anything special that year – because they never did, it wasn't that big a deal in Twelve – that he had realized his mistake. He had been forced to sit through a twenty minutes rant about how it was their first true Christmas as a free country – technically it was the second but the first had taken place in the immediate wake of the surrender and had come and gone unnoticed – and how they needed to celebrate properly.
What kind of strings she had pulled to get Twelve decorated, he wasn't sure, but two days after that phone call, a Christmas tree had appeared in the middle of the square, lights had been pulled up on the streetlamps and, soon enough, people had gotten into it and started hanging mistletoe wreaths on their doors. When Haymitch had asked, the new mayor had scratched his head and explained the orders came from above.
Above , Haymitch had decided, meant the Secretary of Communications.
It could have stopped there if Effie herself hadn't arrived with flourish, with enough luggage for at least two weeks – which, for Effie, was a lot – and box upon box of Christmas decorations that she insisted on hanging in the children's house. It took two whole days to get everything to her liking – and he and Katniss had been forced to go to the woods, chop down a pine tree and drag it back to the Village – but by the time it was all done, the kids' house was like a miniature Christmas town. The neighbors' children kept stopping in front of it and gaping as if it was the most wonderful thing they had ever seen – and it probably was.
That, too, had kicked off a new trend of decorating throughout the District. Those days, when Haymitch walked through town, he wondered if he was still at home or in the city. People were going crazy over this.
But everyone was happy and joyful so he tried not to grumble too much.
"Those are not for the children, silly." Effie laughed and he was momentarily distracted because he loved her laugh. And if the kids hadn't been standing right there, he might have done something about it. Like kiss her or nuzzle her cold skin to warm her up…
That train of thoughts came to a screeching halt when he got a very bad feeling…
"Who are they for?" he asked, dreading the answer.
Effie tossed him an indulgent look as if he was a child acting out.
"Would you and Katniss be darlings and go fetch another tree?" she requested, placing down the shopping bags – overflowing with baubles – to step closer to him. That was cheating. In many shapes and forms, that was cheating. Because when she was looking up at him in her flat snow boots, all cute with those wild blond curls escaping her woolen hat, that little pout and those big pleading eyes…
The Haymitch from before the war, the one who hadn't spent all those months sober in Thirteen with her, might have managed to say no. But that Haymitch would have probably been very drunk and very lonely right then anyway.
She had always been very good at manipulating him into doing what she wanted but it had only grown worse since they had become something of an official item.
"I hate you." he grumbled for appearances' sakes.
Her lips stretched into an amused smile and she tilted her head, a spark in her knowing gaze. She leaned a little against his side, just enough for him to feel her familiar weight, and he rolled his eyes, annoyed to find he had become just like those former boyfriends and girlfriends of hers who had been so desperate to please her – and who he had always made fun of.
"If you say so." she challenged.
He kissed her.
Because he had no good comeback to that.
It was only a peck, a long one granted, but just a peck and it definitely didn't deserve the groans of disgust it got from the kids. He rolled his eyes again, checked what time it was and nodded at the girl. "Wanna go now?"
"Pine tree hunting." Katniss deadpanned. "What could be more fun?"
Effie pursed her lips and quietly clucked her tongue at that display of un-Christmassy spirits.
"Peeta and I will start on the house." she declared. "Do cover yourself, it is simply freezing out there."
"It's freezing but you've got no problem sending us to the woods for a fucking tree." he mumbled, stealing her scarf because he wasn't sure where his was.
"Language, Haymitch." she rebuked, removing her hat and her coat. She forced the hat on his head. He was sure he looked ridiculous but he kept it all the same.
He should be madder, he mused, once he and Katniss were on their way to the woods with a sled and an axe. After all, Effie had showed up unannounced and had taken over his house – and the children's – scrubbing it from floors to ceilings even though he hadn't done such a bad job at keeping it clean. It wasn't as good as when Hazelle had been working for him but it hadn't turned back into a pigsty either. He had tried to keep it manageable if only because Effie often visited – and he wanted her to keep coming. Point was, every time she showed up, she colonized the house a little more with her stuff and she never asked first.
And now she just assumed it was okay for her to turn his house into a replica of a Capitol Christmas even though he had been making fun of what she had done at the kids' for the past three days. And he was letting her anyway.
Why was he letting her?
He liked having sex with her, was the first answer that popped in his head. A happy Effie was a willing Effie.
He liked seeing her glowing with happiness, was the second and, probably, the truest one.
He had watched her faking cheerfulness and exuberance so hard along the years… He liked that now it was genuine. And he liked it even more when he was the source of it.
Losing his house to Christmas was a cheap price to see her beam with joy.
"The whole District's going crazy." Katniss pointed out, sitting on the sled, watching him chop down a tree. "They all act like Capitols."
It's all Effie's fault, she didn't say but he heard anyway.
"Makes them happy though." he shrugged, wiping his forehead with his sleeve, before swinging the axe again. Where was Johanna and her skills when you needed them? "They got few chances to celebrate since the war. Let them."
Rebuilding had been hard and hope was only helpful up to a point. Delay in shipments, the bones they kept finding even long after they had cleaned the ruins, the knowledge of the mass grave under the meadow, personal loss… The last year hadn't been all moonlight and roses. If people in Twelve wanted to party in style for Christmas instead of the quiet, often forgotten, celebration they usually did… He wasn't going to deny them.
He was ready to admit the kids' house was a little too much though and he hoped Effie would have enough sense not to turn his into something similar.
"Effie's out of control." Katniss snorted. "I can't believe you're letting her do that to your house."
The tree fell and they watched it for a while. He waited until they had secured it on the sled to answer.
"She loves Christmas." he explained. "Like… a lot."
"No kidding." the girl mocked. "The giant lights on my house didn't clue me in."
Haymitch rolled his eyes and started dragging the sled toward the path, slowed by the small but annoying coat of snow on the ground. "It's a special time for her. It was important when she was a kid."
He didn't know much because she hadn't really told him much. He knew Christmas was something of a special time for her and her grandfather, that he had brought her ice skating in secret every year, that he had always taken her to see the illuminations at the center of town, that he had let her be a child instead of a lady-to-be and that, at Christmas, she had been willing to indulge. He had heard plenty about her mother, father and sister over the years but very little about the grandfather whose flask she had given him at some point. That was how he knew the man had been important. Effie didn't talk much about important people. She kept what she loved close to her heart, mainly because her mother had had a bad habit of criticizing it and shredding that love beyond repair.
He also knew, without her having to voice it, that she missed that grandfather most at Christmas and that all the flair she gave the holidays was only a way to feel closer to him. So, yeah, he was alright with humoring her because when it came down to it, it was more than just her being her dramatic flamboyant self.
Even if her very Capitol ideas weren't exactly compatible with their vision of Christmas.
"Jo's right." Katniss sighed. "You're whipped for her."
"I ain't whipped for anyone." he muttered.
"You're miserable when she's away." she pointed out, with far more insight than he expected from her.
"You ain't exactly all sunshine when the boy's not around." he argued. "Same thing."
"You love her, then?" she challenged.
The words startled him and he tossed her a glance before hauling the sled harder. It didn't feel right not to answer it, though. To let the doubt linger. Not anymore. But as to actually confirm it…
"What do you think?" he spat.
"I think you should make sure she never gets back on a train." Katniss shrugged. "We're family and family should stick together."
"You want me to ask her to move in?" he scoffed, a bit incredulous.
It wasn't that the thought had never crossed his mind. Hell, it had crossed his mind every time she showed up for three days and he walked her back to the train station or every time he visited her in the city only to be forced to say goodbye on the platform. He hated goodbyes and it was becoming increasingly harder to be far from her. In the last six months, he had lost count of the number of trips they had made back and forth. She was working for Plutarch who was understanding and let her have long week-ends but sometimes she was stuck at work and he just had to go to her because he couldn't bear the idea of not seeing her for three long weeks.
Funny how life worked…
A month a year had seemed like a lot once upon a time.
"What do you want?" she retorted.
And that shut him up for good.
He blamed the girl though.
Now that someone had voiced the idea, it wouldn't leave his skull. He was distracted for days. Even when Effie gushed over the tree they brought back and forced them all to decorate it with her, even when she took advantage of his monosyllabic answers to hang fairy lights all over the porch and the windows, even when she declared they shouldhave a feast for Christmas even if it was only the four of them, even when she started piling more and more gifts wrapped in shiny papers under the tree every day… He remained distracted.
She tried to coax the reason out of him with every way she knew how: sex, cuddling, fighting, pouting, begging… He kept eluding and lying about nothing being wrong.
Eventually, she must have concluded that it was her Capitol Christmas that was bothering him because she stopped asking.
And he couldn't stop staring at the suitcases pushed in a corner of his bedroom, ready to be used again after New Year's Eve.
As it turned out, them having a feast meant forcing Katniss to go hunt a bird of some kind – the bigger the better, dear – and forcing him and Peeta to slave in the kitchen all day – because Katniss had already gone to hunt for the meal and Effie wasn't allowed near a stove – while she cleaned the good dishes – whatever that meant – and set up the table in the dining-room Haymitch couldn't remember having used even once.
If he had used the dining-room once, he might have realized he actually owned fragile looking porcelain plates and service dishes. He asked her twice if she had brought the whole thing with her but she simply huffed and puffed until he gave up.
The meal was really good.
There was far too much food for the four of them – because Effie had insisted on all her favorite things being represented so they could truly experience a real Christmas dinner – but that would simply meant there would be leftovers for a couple of days and they could give some to Sae and her granddaughter so Haymitch didn't complain about it being a waste. It was the company more than the food that made it special though. There was a cheer in the air, everyone was happy, Effie was laughing a lot, her blue eyes sparkling, and even Katniss' sullen expression gave in to something joyful. By the time they got around to dessert, they were all full.
Haymitch's hand had ended up on Effie's leg under the table and he was busy drawing mindless patterns on her thigh, not really listening to her prattle about whatever it was Plutarch had done. Apparently it was funny because the kids laughed but he only had eyes for her.
She tossed him a curious look, eyebrows slightly furrowed in a silent question, but he just smirked and squeezed her leg once.
They moved on to the living-room not long after that. They exchanged gifts – far too many gifts because Effie had completely gone overboard and had at least four wrapped packages for each of them.
"What the fuck is this?" He frowned at the device in his hand. She had squealed as soon as he had unwrapped it and opened the plastic box to set it up. He knew what the silver thing was, he had seen her matching red one often enough. It was a cell phone. The thing that was all the rage outside of Twelve's little corner.
"It will change our lives." she declared, pointing out at different apps. "With this we can see each other when we call. With this one we can talk through pictures. With this one…"
"Effie, I already have a phone." he pointed out.
"An archaic phone attached to the wall." she huffed. "I do not think you understand. We can see each other, Haymitch."
He understood very well.
Sex phone would get not only easier but a little more interesting. But… It still wasn't like the real thing and…
"You know I don't like this stuff." he insisted. He liked the new hand carved chessboard a lot more. And the books she had bought him were perfect. But this…
He got where it came from, he got it was well-meant but…
She knew he hated those new technologies. Not only the idea of walking around with a phone in his pocket but the knowledge that they were traceable and probably easier to hack and bug… He was paranoid but with good reasons. The war hadn't been so long ago.
"I just thought it would make things easier for us." she replied defensively, clearly a little hurt. "If you do not like it… Well, I do not know. Give it to someone else."
She moved away from him a little and turned her attention back to Katniss. "Open yours, dear!"
The cheerfulness was fake and that made him feel bad. Maybe the kids weren't seeing the difference but he did, the light in her eyes had dimmed a little, there was a forced hint to her voice and her smiles were strained.
She squealed when she saw the shoes he had bought her – honestly, he had just grabbed the higher heels that looked the most ridiculous, trusting that if he hated it then she would loved it – and it seemed he was forgiven because she planted a kiss on his cheek and insisted on putting them on immediately, exclaiming over the butterfly sewed on the ankle and what a lovely shade of blue they were.
They drank hot chocolate with small marshmallows afterwards and they talked a little more until Katniss's head fell on Peeta's shoulder and the boy suggested calling it a night. Haymitch and Effie promised to go to the kids for a Christmas breakfast the next morning and, just like that, the house was silent and it was just the two of them lost in too many Christmas decorations.
The mood was odd and Haymitch wasn't sure what to do so he helped her clean up the dining-room and left the dirty dishes to soak in the sink while she put away the food. It was only once they moved on to the living-room, picking up wrapping papers and the dirty mugs that he cleared his throat.
His hand closed on the silver phone that he was ready to bet he would lose or break before long anyway. "I don't want to use a cell phone."
She didn't stop picking up the discarded papers, smoothing them before folding them properly as if she intended to use them again when he knew for a fact she would throw them away and buy new ones because it probably wouldn't be proper to give a gift to someone wrapped in already used paper.
"Yes." she answered, her tone a bit curt. "I got that loud and clear. I apologize, I did not know you were so setagainst them. I simply thought it would make the distance a little easier."
"Yeah, that's another thing I don't want anymore either." he said before he could think twice about it.
She startled so badly that she dropped all her carefully collected papers. Not that she noticed or cared because she was staring at him, her face guarded like he had rarely seen in it since the Games. "What do you mean?"
"I mean I don't want to do this anymore." he repeated with a long uncertain sigh, rubbing the back of his neck.
"I see." she said flatly. She swallowed hard and averted her eyes but not quickly enough for him not to see the tears. She picked up the papers once again and started folding them so violently that some of them tore. "I won't lie I think you could have chosen a more opportune moment but, of course, I would not force you into something you do not want so… I will just go pack, shall I? We will go to breakfast tomorrow, we cannot disappoint the children. And then if there is a train… I am not sure trains are running on Christmas day. I will take the first train available. I will move to the guest room in the meantime."
"What?" he frowned, grabbing her arm before she could do something stupid like flee upstairs and actually pack. "What are you on about? I don't want you to leave."
"Was it because of Christmas?" she asked, looking up at him with bright shiny eyes. "Because I know I was a bit pushy. I just wanted it to be perfect. I… My mother always did perfect Christmas dinners so I thought… I realize you have different traditions here in Twelve and if this is about Christmas…"
"Christmas was good." he cut her off, completely confused. He cupped her cheek, wiping off a wayward tear from her cheek, at a loss for what to do. "It was great."
"Then, is it because I took over your house?" she insisted. "Did I impose too much? I… You should have told me, I understand you need your space and…"
"Effie, what the fuck are you talking about?" he snapped. "I'm telling you I don't want to do the distance thing anymore and you say you want to leave and now you're asking why like I'm the one dumping you!"
She sniffed and frowned, hastily wiping her cheeks, confusion written all over her face. "Well, you are. Aren't you?"
"Fuck, no." he scoffed, wrapping his arm around her waist because he didn't trust her not to run away. She didn't fight him off though, she leaned a little against his chest, as if in reflex, placing her palm flat over his heart like she sometimes did at night. "Are you?"
It was more uncertain and vulnerable than he would have liked but the fact was… If she broke up with him… She was the only stable relationship he had had since his girl, on a lot of accounts she was the only stable relationship he had ever had because he wasn't sure a flirt at sixteen truly counted. She was the only woman he had ever cared to make a life with and the only one he really wanted. If she decided she wanted to move on…
"Of course not!" she protested. "You said…"
"I'm saying I don't want to use the damn phone because I don't want you to be so far." he clarified. "I want you to be here. With me. All the time." He winced. "Well, maybe not all the time 'cause we'd drive each other nuts so you're okay to go out for a while but, basically, yeah… I don't want you to go back to the Capitol. I know you've got your fancy job and all but…"
"Are you asking me to move in?" she interrupted, managing the feat of sounding both flabbergasted and excited in the same breath.
"Yeah." he shrugged. "Yeah."
He wasn't sure what he expected but being kissed so hard he had to step back and then tripping on the armrest of the couch and falling backward wasn't it.
"Yes." she mumbled against his lips between two kisses. "Yes."
"So easy?" he snorted.
He had thought there would be at least several conversations about how she couldn't be expected to drop everything to move to the backend of the country and how they should maybe split their time between Twelve and the city or something…
"Do you have any idea how long I have been waiting for you to ask me?" she retorted, forcing his sweater over his head. "Oh, it is truly a perfect Christmas! This is the perfect Christmas gift!"
"Thought you liked the shoes?" he teased.
"The shoes are a close second." she chuckled. "Now hush and let me give you a Christmas treat."
He had nothing against Christmas treats, not when it involved her mouth and certain parts of his anatomy.
He could get used to Capitol Christmases after all.