This was a request on Tumblr from unscriptedcanonize- "Here's a prompt: I love AUs so an AU where Haymitch works for Effie's family in any capacity."

This was originally intended to be a one-shot, but I realised I couldn't possibly do that in just one chapter. So here we go :) I'm unsure when the next chapter will be up, as I'm working on a ton of other stuff right now.

Feedback is much appreciated!

The sun was burning hot that particular day, but Haymitch wasn't one to complain. This was the steadiest job he'd had in his entire life.

Haymitch had just turned twenty-five and he'd been working for Hector and Crystal Trinket for just over 3 months. He'd been taking small jobs here and there, but nothing had ever been offered to him on a permanent basis up until now.

Haymitch's upbringing hadn't been particularly affluent and he'd learned to live on the bare minimum. His father had even resorted to teaching him and his younger brother, Isaac, how to hunt. A strange thing for people in the 21st Century, but Haymitch's father had been brought up the same way. Taught how to stay alive when they couldn't afford to put food on the table and refusing to accept state handouts.
Haymitch was even more thankful to have been taught these skills because, when his father died, they had nothing but the woods to keep them alive. Haymitch's mother left her small job in a store in town and, at the time, Haymitch and his brother were too young to take anything except small part-time jobs here and their or do chores for their neighbours. They earned enough to pay the bills and to purchase the bare essentials of food, but apart from that, they were helpless if it wasn't for Haymitch and his brother.
As soon as Haymitch was old enough, he took the first job he could find- working three days a week in a local hardware store. It wasn't enough, but it was something. To make up the rest of what they needed to live, Haymitch decided to return to what he was most at home doing- working outdoors, just as he had done growing up. He set up his own informal gardening business, just working for neighbours before he earned enough to advertise his business in the local newspaper.
By the time he was 24, he'd built quite the reputation for his services, with offers flooding in. However, all of the offers were just temporary, people wanting their garden landscaped or a flower bed putting in.
One such person was a friend of Hector Trinket, the owner of a large property with several acres of grounds just on the outskirts of town. Apparently, Hector and his wife, Crystal, had been looking for a gardener and Hector's friend had recommended Haymitch.

Walking into the mansion for the first time was an eye-opening experience, Haymitch having never seen so much wealth with his own eyes. The décor in the house was all very classic, but with modern twists. He figured that some of the pieces of furniture must be at least a hundred years old.
The maid, who Haymitch later learned to be named Venia, led Haymitch into an office and invited him to sit, before making him a cup of tea and going off to locate Hector.
Haymitch took the opportunity to survey the office as he sipped his tea. The man was clearly a business owner, the bookshelves filled with manuals on business management and frames on the walls containing certificates and deeds to buildings Haymitch had never heard of. He soon figured the man must have owned a hotel chain, judging by some of the names on the certificates.
On the desk were several family photos, one of which was of a couple on their wedding day. The photo was old, so Haymitch decided it must be Hector and his wife. Another photo displayed Hector with a young blonde woman at a university graduation. Looking back at the wedding photo, Haymitch realised that this must be their daughter.

"That's my Effie," a man's voice sounded from the doorway and Haymitch stood up to greet him. "She usually helps out in the summer, but she's moved to New York now to manage one of my hotels."

"That's…real good for her, sir," Haymitch said as politely as he could, waiting for the man to round the desk and sit down before he lowered himself back into his seat.

"Haymitch, is that correct?" Hector smiled warmly. "My name is Hector. My good friend has recommended your services to me."

"Yeah," Haymitch nodded. "He already mentioned some of the stuff that needs done so uh…I brought some of the necessary tools with me in my truck, if ya want me to get started today?"

"I seem to have employed a very enthusiastic man," Hector grinned.

"Well, I'm jus' tryin' to make money," Haymitch shrugged, a joke which seemed to take the enthusiasm of Hector's grin down just a touch.

"Well, allow me to show you around the grounds," Hector said after a moment, standing up and gesturing towards the door.

The tour of the grounds took close to an hour and Haymitch was beginning to question what he'd gotten himself into. He just had to remind himself he was being paid close to forty dollars an hour to work for this man. That was more than enough to provide for his mother and brother back home.

The work wasn't easy, particularly when summer began to set in. Haymitch experienced his fair share of sunburns and insect bites, but Crystal, Hector's wife, was always on hand to remedy these. Haymitch had to admit that he preferred Crystal. She reminded him a lot of his own mother, except she was much softer in demeanour. Hector was friendly enough too, but there was something in him that didn't trust Haymitch, and Haymitch had no idea why.

It was the middle of August and Haymitch was in the front yard, trimming the hedges that lined the long driveway, when he heard a car pull up. The Trinkets often had visitors, so Haymitch's attention wasn't really caught by this until he heard the chirpy female voice at the foot of the ladder. Looking down, he saw who he recognised to be Hector and Crystal's daughter, Effie.

"Hey," he said gruffly, wiping his sweat from his brow with the back of his hand. "Ya might wanna move from there. Don't wanna be droppin' leaves on ya."

"It's quite alright," the woman smiled. "My name is Effie. You must be Haymitch, I assume? Daddy told me he'd hired a new groundskeeper."

Haymitch had stepped down off the ladder by this point, so he was face to face with the girl. She can't have been a whole lot younger than he was and his mind was already screaming at him that she was beautiful.

"Yeah, been workin' for your dad for a couple months," he shrugged. "He tells me this is usually your job?"

"It was," Effie nodded. "But now I'm in New York, I'm not home nearly frequently enough to keep the place looking nice. I must say, I do miss it. But I'm home for a few weeks, so perhaps you'll allow me to help you a little"

"Well, I hope I'm doin' a good job, anyway," he grunted. "You uh…your dad said you designed the layout of the gardens?"

"Yes, I did," she smiled proudly. "It was actually part of my university degree. I studied architecture and one of my modules was on landscaping. I had to design a garden and daddy liked my designs so much, he hired someone to come and put it in for me. I planted everything up myself, of course, but the manual labour involved in landscaping wasn't really my thing."

Before Haymitch had the chance to respond, the woman changed the subject.

"Anyway, you must be thirsty," she said brightly. "I can make up some lemonade for you. Would you like that?"

"Thanks," Haymitch nodded with a half smile, watching her make her way back inside the house before he turned his attention back to the hedge.

He already knew this girl was going to cause him trouble.