A/N: The plot doesn't show up in this chapter, or the next. It's going to take a minute to get to it or really see the changes. They're coming. If anyone knows me they'll know nothing is ever easy with me. Think of the first two as a sort of exposition for the real story.
Screams. Every night when Capitol Citizen and Escort Effie Trinket had to leave her comfortable life and live a life of preparing two children for slaughter, her world was inhabited by them. Not from the two small people who were shaking and afraid and being marched to their deaths. No, the two children were always quiet and she made a point to try and make them comfortable though she had to keep her distance. She had to stay apart from them but every year she fell a little bit in love with them and had to watch some other child, no more or less innocent than they were, brutally murder them. Or she had to watch them starve or burn or some other method of 'entertainment'. Every year of her life she had watched it. She had wanted the fame of being an Escort, to get to work with the valiant warriors. She had wanted to be an escort to a strong district full of winners but she found that was not the life she got.
No Effie was the Escort for 12. A district made of underdogs with no ability to fight and no real push to be victorious or spark of hope to even try. Not to mention that the mentor, though possibly attractive beneath the grime and alcohol, was a drunkard that didn't do his job. The first two she had tried to be a mother to, and encourage them to bring glory to their district and joy to the capitol, she had failed. They had both died early and brutally in a way that Effie could never stomach again, but it didn't stop her from falling in love with every single tribute she worked with even with the imagined distance she made. She thought it would make her hate Haymitch, blame him for not doing his job. It didn't. Instead she saw a man going through the same pain she was. Watching people he knew and had started to care for die over and over in the most horrible of ways. She kept her capitol face on but she never could understand how the other Escorts stayed so unaffected, unless they were hiding it like she was.
However the screams may have been the worst. Over the years she had attached to Haymitch, he was a good man under it all. She could look into his grey eyes and stubble and see the man he could have been without the games haunting him. She could see the strength and bravery and spark in him. She remembered his games. She was so young, but he had been amazing. Really he had been a shock to everyone, not just because it was the Quarter Quell but also because he was genuinely a shock to see. She wondered who he would have been without all this pain, but then she never would have known him and she had to admit something about the man drew her to him. Perhaps it was partially because he was something she couldn't have.
He hated her. There was no doubt in her mind about that. He made his views clear often by teasing everything about her. But as time went on something changed in the teasing. They had worked together for five years when it happened; suddenly the teasing went from a biting disgust to a more gentle welcome. Like his mockery was him welcoming a constant back into his life. She knew he kept his distance, though she didn't know why, but that was them being close.
Most nights Haymitch would drink himself to a blackout, particularly with tributes there. He would not sleep until even later than she, and she was a capitol woman used to going down when the sun came up after some part or gathering. Then he would drink until his mind was quiet and he was sprawled on his bed rancid and still fully clothed. She knew because she would often wake him. Tonight however was the other kind of night. The kind when his body gave out from exhaustion. They had both been in a hard situation. Both tributes, though not twelve, were 13 and 14, which was hardly any better. She had been working hard trying to get them some chance of at least dying a merciful death and Haymitch had been desperately trying to avoid everything. That was when the screams started.
Effie shot up form bed seeing the beginnings of the sun over the city. She yawned knowing it couldn't be long after she went to bed, perhaps an hour. She got up not bothering with her wig or make-up, they weren't needed for this. She had a plan, a plan that would give both of them something they needed. She stood in her lime green silk and lace nightgown, a show of luxury that she wore as a capitol citizen she knew Haymitch would hate. She walked quietly in the hall and heard the door of one of the tributes' rooms close with a gasp. She knew it must be a shock. Effie Trinket walking around without a wig or make-up was madness. She wasn't going into battle though, she was a spy this time, and she had to fit her surroundings. At this point she had worked with Haymitch nearly 10 years now. They knew each other, they were friends, and that stirring she had started feeling so long ago was only growing to the point she was either going mad, or he had started to return it, if only slightly. She had shown him other sides to her. When the tributes weren't around he got to see the part of her that was intelligent and caring. After they died he was the one to see her walk out of the room tense and close to tears, once it had been so grotesque and painful she hadn't been able to hold it back, she had cried right there and he had gotten closer and draped an arm around her in her moment of weakness. They had shared something in that moment that had changed their distant relationship forever. Now they weren't just coworkers, they were friends and her friend was being haunted, it was time she helped him out.
Effie Trinket walked up to the door of Haymitch's room in her slip of a nightgown and opened the door not even knocking. She saw him thrashing around and knew better than to wake him suddenly. She had made that mistake once while he was passed out on the couch not even having a nightmare. She had nearly died that day and he hadn't talked to her for a week after and had yet to tell her why. "Haymitch." She said standing by the door and turning on the light. He jumped up with a knife in his hand looking terrified and she slid further into the room and closed the door behind her.
"Who the hell are you." He said threateningly looking her over. She smirked, he really didn't recognize her? That was a shock. She would have been amused if it wasn't for the look of anger and fear and disgust in his face. She sighed and walked closer ignoring the knife he had pointed at her.
"Honestly Haymitch, I know I wear a lot of make-up but I didn't think I was unrecognizable after 10 years!" She said putting on an air of affront that made his eyes go huge and drop the knife.
"You look different Sweetheart. Nice dress." He said in a tone that told her he did not like the dress. She knew he wouldn't.
"I'm sorry if it offends you. Here I can fix that." She said simple and uncaringly sliding the thin straps over her shoulders and letting the dress fall leaving her in nothing but her knickers and Haymitch staring at her trying not to look like he was enjoying himself but he was half asleep and probably half drunk and she was rather attractive, that she knew well. Sex and sexuality in the capitol was rather inconsequential. She herself had a rule that she had to actually feel something before she would sleep with someone, but it was a rather rare rule. In fact she was the only one she knew with a rule like that. But it had kept her happy and safe and she preferred it. Besides, from what she understood it felt better with emotions. Haymitch did not seem to know this side of the capitol however if his response had anything to do with it. He looked like she had just told him she'd gone entirely mad, but he seemed to be enjoying it if the way his eyes roamed over her body said anything. She felt her stomach dance with anticipation. Four years was too long. She had had less interest in people since her attention was drawn to the man before her. Suddenly people she would have melted for before weren't enough to keep her happy, suddenly she needed more, and she needed him. That was part of where the idea had sparked from in her sleepy mind. He needed someone to distract him from his nightmares and grant him a restful sleep and she needed to get him out of her system so she could look at other men again.
"What the hell are you doing?" He ground out his eyes still not on hers, but rather glued to her chest. His anger seemed to be countered by the way his Adam's apple bobbed up and down at his swallow and the fire in his eyes that showed nothing of anger. She sauntered closer to him utterly comfortable in the situation and with her body, which she worked very hard on to keep flawless and knew it was amazing.
"Well I'm trying to make you more comfortable. It's impossible to seduce someone when they're tense over what you're wearing it's much more polite to take whatever they are opposed to off when you seduce them. Manners Haymitch, manners are the key to any good seduction." She chided gently flirting as she moved in a seductive way making his eyes travel her curves to land on her swinging hips. His hands shot out as she drew close enough and landed on her shoulders, keeping her at arm's length.
"Effie." He said his voice low trying to sound dangerous but thundered down her spine like an ocean of pleasurable needles zooming over her skin that was already feeling the cold, except the place his too warm hands touched her.
"Yes Haymitch." She said shimmying out of her knickers as she walked and kicking them over by her dress.
"We can't do this." He said trying to be firm but his eyes again straying to a place below her face did not help his plight. "Dear God, you people shave down there?" He said sounding shocked. She rolled her eyes and scoffed at him.
"It's not shaved, it's a hair removal treatment, and it's done with a laser. And not everyone does, most dye it but I didn't really want to go through the effort to keep that up." She said ignoring the part saying they couldn't do this. Of course they could, they were two adults, nothing was stopping them, and they obviously felt something for each other or he wouldn't have looked at her enough to know the question he just asked.
Haymitch stared for a few more seconds before shaking his head and looking into her eyes and the proximity to her he actually seemed to be able to look in her eyes and suddenly the air shifted. It was heavier and charged and she suddenly understood that there would be a change in them if they did this, only in private but there would be, even if it was just to her. She started to genuinely question if she wanted to do this. She felt like she should back out looking into his deep eyes and searching them like a cave mining for coal. She saw his pain and his fear and his demons haunting him. She saw his depth and his anguish and his intelligence and was again hit by just what the capitol had done. In that instant she knew she had to keep going, she had to do this, not for herself, but for him. She knew this would help him sleep, she knew she would be there to sooth the monsters from start to finish if she stayed here and he wouldn't be able to turn her out after. The Capitol had done this to him, and the Capitol would fix it.
"I'm sorry for waking you Sweetheart. Go back to bed." He said with a gentleness in his tone and she knew he felt it too.
She reached a hand up to his cheek and laid it there, significantly shorter than him without her heels. "I don't want to be in my bed." She said simply.
"Contrary to what you've been told, you can't get everything you want." He shot back trying to pull back and her hand dropped but he didn't release her shoulders.
"I know that. And if you can honestly tell me you don't want me here, and you can honestly tell me that you want me out and you don't feel even the slightest bit tempted to then I'll go, but it's nearly 5 am and you haven't slept more than an hour in a week and you have at least another week like this and if I can help both of us sleep then I'm going to do it." She said getting ready to list off the reasons they should do this if he asked and all the arguments she could think of to fight any other protestation he gave.
"You can't sleep?" he asked surprising her and sounding almost concerned with his hands dropping to her biceps as he took a half step forward looking as though he forgot her appearance. Suddenly she actually felt as naked as she was. She looked away from him to the corner of the very messy bed with the sheets pulled off the edge. She felt the urge to fix it but his gentle hold had her in place.
"They're young… both of them. So young. They're both so sweet. And I did this to them." She admitted to the revealed mattress her hands clenching against the need to cover herself. She just had to remember she was here to help him and she had to keep that up.
He huffed and nodded. "Yes they are. They aren't the youngest. One of the earlier years there was a girl who had only turned 12 a month before reaping." He reminded but that did not help. She looked down more and pulled back to go put back on her nightgown, this was a bad idea. Suddenly his finger was under her chin making her look back at him. "This wasn't you Princess, this was the Capitol but not you." He said firmly.
"I'm part of the Capitol." She said. She may not have her make up or her clothes or her wigs or fake nails but her accent was still there, her upbringing, her essence was a Capitol woman and he was a District Man. They were opposites, they were from different worlds but somehow they were the same too.
"Yes you are, but you're not … the same." He said not sure how to relay the information. "You're different, and I forget it sometimes but only long enough for you to remind me." He smirked and dropped his hands from her. "You should sleep. Big day tomorrow." He said and turned away. She had her moment to make the choice. She was naked and she was bared to him in nearly every way. She could run away and they could pretend this never happened and he would pretend it was a drunken stupor he'd forgotten by tomorrow, or she could make sure he would never forget.
Effie stepped forward and spun him around sealing her lips to his and pressing closer. She shocked him into being incapable of response for a moment and it was just long enough for her to lick his bottom lip running her hand over his side and feeling his muscles clench under her hand. He pushed her back looking down at her and before he could say anything she countered with a dangerous tone of warning "Don't you dare say we can't do this Haymitch Abernathy." She demanded in a firm tone.
He started again but her look stopped him. He could see it in her eyes; he wasn't going to stop this. She had her mind set and she was going to be stubborn about it. So he stopped fighting himself, he gave in pulling her to him with a strength and determination. It wasn't gentle on either side. He was ferocious like animal and she was matching his heat easily as she clawed at the pants he still on so rudely.
She finally managed to push his pants and boxers down before spinning so her back was to the bed and falling back onto the bed with a grasp on his shoulders pulling him with her, her legs parting as he fell between them. None of this was graceful or sweet as he ran his hands over her almost more like pawing at her but the feel of his callouses on her skin and touching her in ways she hadn't felt from another person's hands in years was intoxicating. Warm sandpaper hands moved over her thigh feeling so different as they moved over her skin. Suddenly she skimmed over her lower stomach and a curl of excitement shot through her making her body warm. She moaned at the sensation kissing away from his mouth to his neck nipping and biting at his skin every so often as she went then licking it with the tip of her tongue to sooth it until she found a place she liked right and the crux of his shoulder and neck and skunk in her teeth and sucking.
He hissed "Ack fuck." He growled making her pull away with a chuckle and nipping it again playfully. "Oh you think that's funny?" He grunted in a dangerously low voice that sent another wave of heat through her core.
"Yep." She said confidently up at him and seeing a twinkle of life in his eyes that she had never before seen in Haymitch, but she wanted to see it there so much more often. He moved himself lower down her going onto to his knees and pulling her higher on the bed before attaching his mouth to the tip of one of her breasts sucking on it and lightly grazing his teeth over it making her moan and gasp and arch up her groaning when she met nothing but air. "Fuck." She hissed out to the air her body pulsing to feel him fill her in the way she craved so entirely. "That's enough formalities don't you think dear?" She moaned to him looking at him telling him with her gaze what she wanted and seeing a mischievous look grace his handsome features and suddenly being worried.
"What? Ms Manners dismissing the formalities?" He teased and she growled her hand shooting out to grasp his mostly erect member rather firmly and moving her hand down it making him shout out at her "Fuck." He cursed and bat her hand away. "Fine." He grunted making her chuckle.
"Thank you." She said pulling him down and kissing him sloppily as he aligned with her center and pushed in quickly sliding easily into her telling her that she was, in fact, as wet as she had assumed she was. That didn't stop the moan that tore loudly from both of their throats at the feeling. She could feel a stretch she hadn't felt in years reminding her it had been a while. He stopped inside of her and grit her teeth making her look up at him confused as he took deep breaths. "What is it?" She asked curiously up at him laying a kiss on his chest making him make a noise that was quite obviously telling her not to do that.
"It's… been a while." He admitted through gritted teeth dropping his head to breath more with his eyes shut.
"Me too." She admitted making his head shoot up in shock and a blush coloring her cheeks, which were already rather red. She laughed and kissed him quickly. "Probably not as long as you but a few years at least." She said simply and he looked at her in awe and moaned.
"God Effie that is not helping." He grunted to her.
"Then you better work fast, Mitch." She smirked up at him and he looked down at her his eyes dark and his hand moving where they were joined finding her clit and pressing on it making her gasp and buck up under him.
"Yes, Princess." He smirked cockily at getting that reaction. He started to move in and out of her as her legs came up to wrap around him and together they found a good angle. He sent a lot of time biting his lip and trying to hold back but somehow they found a rhythm that worked her into a state until he tensed shouting out his climax as his seed surged into her in warm spirts. She wasn't quite there yet but she ran a hand through his hair as he panted over her. "I… I'm sorry." He grunted out. She smiled and leaned up kissing his temple lightly.
"It's ok." She assured gently and suddenly he was pulling out of her and where his erection had been seconds ago there were suddenly two long, thick, calloused fingers moving in and out of her and a thumb grinding down on her center of nerves making her head throw back and quickly moving her back to the heady euphoria she had been in only moments before. Soon she was brought to her own climax screaming out her peek as her body clenched and spasmed around the fingers that kept their movements until she was panting and spent. Haymitch moved to the side and she instantly rolled over behind him wrapping her arms around him so he wasn't going anywhere. He looked back at her surprised though she missed it with her heavily lidded eyes and a huge yawn. Her head was foggy and her body was warm and ached pleasantly feeling tingling and weak.
"You got pretty loud there Princess." He commented with a smirk.
"I thought I should express my appreciation." She said waving him off.
Haymitch's face fell and he grunted and she huffed. She could nearly feel the self-hate pouring off of him like the stench of alcohol usually did.
"Don't be like that. Most Captiol men wouldn't even consider doing what you did if it happened to them, and it happens often and they have much more continuous practice. So stop." She chided cuddling closer to him laying her head on his chest and feeling his arm come up around her his hand playing with her hair and making her shiver.
"I was just compared to a man from the capitol and liked it. That is disgusting." He chuckled and she could hear the relaxation and fatigue starting to hit his vice too. She sigh happily as sleep came closer. "You look better like this." He said his chest rumbling.
She chuckled at him and opened one eye looking up at him "Like what? Sex rumpled and sleep deprived?" She said sarcastically.
"Natural." He said simply making her cheeks heat.
"Goodnight Haymitch." She said putting a kiss to his chest.
"Goodnight Effie." He responded and they both drifted off to the first peaceful sleep Haymitch had ever had and Effie's dreams filled with Haymitch and a different life for the Capitol woman that was falling in love with the District man.
The next Morning Effie woke up with the sun high in the sky and the bed warm beneath her, but instead of sheets she felt skin. The tributes would be in the training rooms, which they often went to without being escorted by their mentor and escort. She opened her eyes looking up at the sleeping Haymitch her dreams and the night before rife in her mind. She sighed content and placed a kiss to his chest before moving to stand up. She stretched and then stood picking up her nightgown and knickers walking into his bathroom connected to his room and turned on the shower to her settings stepping under and breathing out happily as she got in and the warm water washed over the aches and pains she had from the night before.
Haymitch heard the water and jumped up from the bed ready to defend. He looked around for Effie frantic as he remembered that she had fallen asleep with him and everything from the night before. He looked around for signs of her but there were none other than the sound of his shower. He silently crept into the room just in case it was danger and found her in there the entire bathroom smelling like some bouquet of roses and fruit as she rubbed something into her hair.
"I'll never get those settings back the way I like them." He groused to her walking over to the mirror and looking in seeing a lack of dark circles and his usual fatigued look. Everything felt dangerous and alien, him having someone in his life. He couldn't have people in his life; they would be taken from him. But Effie was a Capitol citizen, perhaps she was safer, but they could never know, no one ever could, and it could never happen again.
"Good Morning Haymitch, I slept wonderfully thank you and yourself? Oh Good to hear." She said sarcastically reminding him of his manners.
"I had them perfect! It took me forever to figure it out." He groused back but was holding back a smile. This was bad, this couldn't happen. He couldn't have any softness for her. He was danger, he would get her hurt. She looked beautiful through the glass of the shower though and he watched intently as she moved her hands over her skin, the skin he knew so intimately now. The skin that tasted like a sweet salt and smelled like a meadow.
"Oh I'll put them back when I'm done. Do back to bed you grouch and wake up when you're happier." She teased him playfully looking at him through the glass with a look that said she knew he was staring at her.
"Fine, but I expect them back to normal in time for my shower." He said going back into his room and crawling into bed feeling infinitely more awake than he had when she was there with him. He missed having her reassuring weight on his chest and feeling her warmth. She had appeased his demons and warded them off like a light scaring away the shadows and she was deadly. He pulled the covers up higher laying on his side to try and keep from feeling the loss of her weight as he listened to her hum off key in the shower with a smile on his face.
Effie came out of the shower wrapped in one of his extra towels, which he likely didn't know existed because for all the times he had come to the Capitol he still has no clue how to live in it, and looked over at the man. He wasn't asleep, she could see that, but his eyes were stubbornly closed so she bent down and picked up his shirt smelling it. It smelled of alcohol slightly, but there was something else, something she'd only discovered the night before, a scent that was him. She smiled and finished drying her skin and wrapped the towel around her hair, which she preferred to let dry naturally because it made it softer even if she was the only one to ever feel it, and pulled on the shirt walking out of the room to get breakfast and put her clothes in the receptacles.
She started to gather food for them when she heard a man's shout and she jumped dropping everything on the counter and running towards his room worried something was happening to him. When she got into the room she saw a very naked Haymitch covered in a pinkish purple soap and looking like a drench lion unhappy at his state. "Effie! Damn it!" He growled at her and her eyes grew confused her brow knitting together. "What does this smell like?" He asked offering her his arm.
She walked right past his outstreached arm to his neck and placed her nose in the crook between his shoulder and neck where a mark was standing proudly from when she bit him last night. "Roses, Lilac, lily , vanilla, and watermelon." She listed the scents of the soap she usually used and it dawned on her and she gasped trying not to laugh.
"I smell like a fucking field! What happened to putting the setting back to how I had them?" He groused at her trying not to let his anger be assuaged by how adorable she looked at her shock and horror at her realization of how sweet she was when she was confused or the way her nose had felt against his neck.
"I'm so sorry! I must have forgotten." She said looking over him.
"You're going to get in there this second and fix it!" He demanded pointing to the shower that was still on.
"I will not! It's still on! Turn it off and I will." She said standing firm in this and crossing her arms under her bust and standing in a stubborn stance saying she wasn't budging.
"Oh yes you will." He said and suddenly the mischievous and cunning look was back in his eyes and he was over to her fast than she had ever seen him move and picked her up bridal style making her squeal.
"Haymitch Abernathy you put me down this SECOND!" She demanded kicking her legs her arms going around his shoulders for safety as the soap that was coating his body soaked into the shirt that had smelled so wonderfully of him only seconds ago masking the smell she'd been enjoying with the scent of the floral soap.
"Not until you fix it." He said stepping under the spray with her in his arms making her squeal again but she couldn't stop the laugh and could see the smirk tugging at his own lips.
"Fine! Now look what you've done! We'll have to go shopping and buy you a new shirt." She chided turning her back with the water soaking into the white shirt that was drowning her moments ago and making it cling to her small form in it as she pressed the buttons to return it to the settings he had had them on. She huffed and stepped out of the way as a blue and green soap squirted from the wall with the sharp, spicy scents that he obviously used.
"Much better. You can go now." He said with a self-satisfied smirk making her huff and glare at him.
She crossed her arms and the pressed a button on the pad making an orange beef scented soap blast from the wall as she started to run. Just as she took her first steps, a strong, thick arm wrapped around her stomach plating her back firmly in the meat scented ooze and right against his chest. "EW." She squealed laughing as he pulled her close against him.
"That's right Trinket revenge is a bitch." He growled into her ear.
She gasped at him and chided "Language!" making him laugh in her ear, a deep rumble that made her knees weak.
"I seem to remember you saying much worse last night." He teased and planting a kiss to her neck and making her blush.
"I don't know what you're talking about." She said trying to sound innocent.
He scoffed and rolled his eyes "Sure you don't Sweetheart. Now put it back."
"Please." She demanded. She would teach him manners if it killed them.
"Fine put it back, please?" He huffed out sounding annoyed.
"That's better." She said putting the settings back again and pulling back looking down at the now ruined white shirt with a huff.
"Thank you." He said then looked down at the shirt. "Just take it off." He suggested.
She looked up surprised to hear it from him. She nodded. "Good idea." She said and moved her hands up to the buttons.