"Haymitch Abernathy, I hate you!" Effie was screaming loud after a noisy rattle. I heard her voice from downstairs and I laughed a bit. I grabbed my bottle of liquor and decided to go see what was wrong this time. I walked to the kitchen where the noise was coming. Effie stood there with pots, broken plates and glass around her. The closet beside her was open and that's where the terrible rattle came from. I tried not to laugh because she was already mad.
"Princess, why did you break all my plates? Where am I supposed to eat from now?" I joked.
"Haymitch, do not call me that! And I just opened this stupid closet and these just fall out! Why can't you ever do something right? And how did you get all these to that closet? How's that even possible?"
"Princess," I decided to annoy her a little, "what were you looking for?" I ignored all of her questions. Effie stared at me like she was thinking about murdering me or something. Maybe she just wanted to punch me like a man. But that would have been bad manners probably.
"I wanted to cook something because I'm hungry and I didn't find anything to eat and I was just going to look in the closet and then all this rubbish fell on me!"
"Shh, sweetheart, don't cry." I said because she looked like she wanted to cry.
"I'm your guest, Haymitch! When you have guests you have to have something to eat, it's rude to let them starve!" Now she was really getting mad.
"I think I'll find you something to eat." I said, just to get her calm down. She didn't answer.
"Here, take this first." I gave my liquor to her. She just watched me like I was the biggest idiot in the world. I hated to admit it, but she was probably right. When she finally took the liquor, I walked over the mess to the next closet.
"Princess, this is the right closet." I mumbled and opened it. I saw just a few crisp breads and two old bananas. And some flies too. I guess I really didn't eat much. Crap.
I took the crisp breads and put them on the table. Effie opened her mouth to say something but I didn't hear a noise. She just stood there opening and closing her mouth like a fish.
"You can also have an old banana if you want." I suggested. That made her get her voice back.
"Haymitch, you are the rudest, the most disgusting sloth I've ever met. How dare you to offer me that? I'm your guest and..." She started to cry. She turned away and tried to wipe off her tears but they kept falling and falling.
I had never seen anyone crying like this. She was crying because I was a dumb idiot. Damn, Haymitch, do something. But I didn't know what to do.
"I'm sorry, sweetheart. I'm gonna get you something to eat, just wait here, princess." I said and touched her shoulder. That was all I could do. She nodded and turned around. My eyes met hers. Big, blue eyes, red from crying.
"Thank you, Haymitch." She sobbed and hugged me. She was warm. I wrapped my arms around her. I couldn't remember the last time I had hugged someone, or when someone had hugged me.
We stood there for a minute or so, she was still crying a bit.
"Princess, if you want to eat I'm gonna go now." I said. She pulled away and wiped off her last tears and tried to smile.
"Now, go get that mess off your face. I'll be back in a minute." I walked to the kitchen. "And I would love to see you without that pink thing on your head." I added without thinking. I heard a small, quiet laugh before I went outside.
I walked to Peeta's house and didn't bother to knock on the door. He was coming from upstairs and he stopped when he saw me.
"Haymitch, what are you doing here?"
"I need some food."
"When did you start to ask for food?"
"Since now. My guest is hungry and I have just crack bread and old bananas. Not good enough for the capitol clown."
"So Effie is visiting? I made some bread this morning, just take everything you need."
"Thanks, mister generous."
I walked to the kitchen and took some bread and then I went back.
"Hey, it's Effie. Let me help." Peeta said and took a basket and started to fill it. First he took the bread from me, then he opened the fridge and took cheese, a bottle of juice and some chocolate. Then he got two oranges. Finally he put a piece of cake he had made in the basket too.
"Here you go." Peeta gave me the basket.
"So you don't have anything else?" I joked.
"I'm going to bring you something when Katniss comes. And you know that just bread isn't enough. You should eat something too." Peeta was serious.
"I'm just fine. But maybe I'll have some liquor. Thanks man."
I walked back to my house and surprised when I saw that all the mess in the kitchen was gone. I didn't see Effie so I put the basket on the table.
"Princess!" I yelled as I started to empty the basket. The cake looked delicious. The oranges were fresh and the bread was still warm. "Princess, I'm back!"
I heard someone coming from upstairs. I turned around.
"Peeta gave me some bread and... wow." Effie came to the kitchen. She wasn't wearing her makeup. She wasn't as pale as with the makeup, her cheeks were slightly red, she has dark shadows under her eyes and her eyelashes were shorter than I thought. Her wig was also gone. Her hair was golden and curly. She was beautiful.
"You look pretty, princess."
"Oh, thank you, Haymitch." The redness in her cheeks deepened. We both stayed quiet.
"Still hungry, sweetheart?" I hated these silent moments between us.
"Yes. Thank you." She smiled before she sat. She took a piece of bread and cheese and started to eat. I opened a liquor bottle and sat beside Effie.
"You should eat something too."
"Peeta said that too."
"He is right."
"I'm fine with this." I took a swig of the liquor.
"No, Haymitch. You must eat. Here, take this." Effie gave me a same kind of piece of bread she had. I looked it like it would have hurted me.
"Fine." I gave in. I took the bread she gave me and put the bottle down. She smiled at me. Damn, her smile was amazing. I ate the bread as she nipped on hers. Cute, I thought. I shook my head to forget that thought.
"What?" She asked.
"Nothing, really." I answered and looked away. " You want some juice?"
"Yes, please."
I took two glasses and filled them with the juice. I gave her one of them. She took a sip. I gave her half of the piece of cake. I ate mine in a few seconds. She wasn't that fast. Or maybe she thought it wouldn't been polite.
"Well, that was really good." She said. "Thank you, Haymitch." She said after a last sip of juice.
"Princess, why do you wear that stupid wig all the time?" I asked. I had been thinking that for a few minutes.
"Haymitch!" She hissed. "Well, it looks better."
"No. You look better without it."
"Oh, thank you again, but that's not true."
"Sorry but it is. You look more... real. And you are much more beautiful without it and your makeup."
"Well..." She started.
"You don't need to thank."
She stayed quiet.
"What do you wanna do today, princess?" I asked.
"Well, I think I will help you to clean your house." She said firmly.
"Well, you can clean but I'm definitely not helping you." I laughed. She looked me angrily and walked away. She managed to find a mop somewhere and after she had collected all of the old bottles and rubbish from my house she washed the floor. After that she found a duster. So she flew around the house cleaning all dust away. She was humming happily while doing that. I just sat on the couch drinking. She did the laundry and changed my blankets. She even washed all of the windows.
Peeta and Katniss brought us some meat and after eating she washed the dishes. Once she drove me away from the couch so she could clean all spilled liquor away. I had no idea how she did that.
After she had wiped the table she had nothing to do. She sighed and sat down.
"Haymitch, do you want to eat something now?" She asked. The sun was going down.
"Not really. Come here, princess." I stood in the doorway, leaning on the wall. She walked in front of me and I wrapped my arms around her.
"Thanks, princess." I mumbled in her hair.
"You're welcome." I heard a small voice. Her head was lying on my chest and her arms were around me. I smiled and pulled away.
"I think you should go to sleep now, princess. You have done a lot today." I said. She nodded and started to walk to my guest room. I followed her. She sat on the bed and I stayed on the door.
"Come here." She begged. I walked to sit beside her. She took one of my hands in hers.
"I can't sleep. I... I don't want to see the nightmares anymore." Her voice was almost a whisper.
"Should... Should I stay here?" I asked. I watched her eyes, her lips, her perfect, red lips, and her eyes again.
"Would you?" Her eyes were full of hope.
"If you want."
She nodded and smiled a bit. My eyes fell back on her lips. I wanted to kiss her. I gulped.
"Haymitch?" Effie asked. I looked her eyes again.
"Yes?"
"Why have you been so nice to me today? I mean, after the morning?"
"Because... I kinda like you." I said. I was waiting for some kind of hissing or slapping maybe. Instead of that I felt her lips on mine. I kissed her back. She tasted like strawberries. She tasted like summer.
Soon we both pulled away.
"Wow, princess..." I whispered.
"Why are you always calling me a princess?"
"Because you are a princess." I smiled and kissed her nose.
"Should I call you a prince?" Effie obviously didn't like the nickname I had given to her. I fondled her cheek.
"Can't be a prince without a princess."
"So I should be a princess without my prince?" Effie asked.
"Not if I'm good enough for you." I smiled. She smiled back.
"Of course you are."