Effie sat upon the grand and elegant couch, flush from the heat of a fresh argument with Haymitch. The man got on her last nerve. Infuriatingly so.
"Breathe Effie, before your corset pops open" Haymitch chuckled snidely. She shot him a look that could kill a thousand strong men and continued to chew the inside of her cheek so not to cry out how much she hated him.
He loved it. Loved everything about pushing all the wrong buttons on his uptight escort. It was his daily amusement watching her porcelain skin turn as crimson as a rose.
"What?" He teased on "still angry with me for making us half a second late?"
Effie snapped and a very unlady like growl came from within "HAYMITCH YOU SWINE!" She screamed, swatting his arms with her hands. "WE WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN LATE IF YOU'D HAVE STOPPED DRINKING FROM THAT INCESSANT BOTTLE WHEN I'D ASKED AND NOT PASSED OUT LIKE THE STUPID DRUNK THAT YOU ARE! UGH!" She slapped him across the head as he continued to laugh hysterically at her feeble attempts at punishment "we were over an hour late! Every sponsor in that room will be snapped up, leaving us yet again SCREWED!"
They had been late to their sponsors meeting for the last time. As punishment, President Snow had banished them to the lounge until every other district had come away satisfied with their lot, then they would be able to enter the meeting and descend on the stragglers that were left. Usually the rich drunks and the hand wandering types. The unreliable sponsors as they were called.
"I hate you" she sneered bitterly "do you know that! ? I HATE you!"
Haymitch let out a long sigh and relaxed back against the large plush cushions. "Hate away, Princess. But do it quietly I need to rest"
The sound of her exaggerated gasp as he rested his eyes closed amused him beyond belief
"Don't you dare!"
She slapped his thigh, then his chest then was eagerly about to slap his face when his eyes fluttered open and he grabbed her wrists in his hand, pulling her half on top of him.
"You're sexy when you're angry" he said before bursting into another fit of hysterics as she struggled to get free.
Gosh, how she loathed him. Despised him!
"Well, I'm glad we weren't the only ones late"
Tora, escort from 11 wandered in with another drunk trailing behind her
"Chaff! My better half!" Haymitch grinned, throwing Effie back into her place and sitting up to high five his district neighbour.
"Mitch! My old friend!" Chaff laughed, catching his hand and settling between them both making Effie huff in disgust. She stood angrily and straightened her skirt.
"What, no kiss hello?" Chaff winked up at her making her shudder with displeasure
"I'm not falling for that again!" Effie cringed, recalling the last time they had met. A wandering hand and the slip of a tongue was prompt enough for her to never want to be in his close vicinity again.
As the men caught up, Effie greeted Tora with a hug and a digruntled sigh.
"So..." Effie raised her brow "do I even need to bother asking what or who made you late?"
Tora rolled her eyes and tutted towards her own mentor
"Like two sour apples on a perfect tree those two!" Effie hissed, loud enough that they would hear but they didn't care. Chaff blew a kiss as Haymitch dropped her a wink
She turned her back on them "they infuriate me!"
"You have to learn to let it go over your head, Effie. We won't be stuck with these idiots forever"
"If they keep showing us up like this we will! They make us both a laughing stock! You seem so calm about it"
"Oh...I'm far too fabulous to look like I have feelings Effie" Tora sighed, fixing a loose strand of her wig "if you think I want to waste an ounce of my breath on that..." She looked her mentor Chaff up and down disgustedly "You're wrong"
...
"What's eating her?" Chaff asked Haymitch discreetly, eyeing Effies long and slender legs as he always did. "Do you ever not bicker? How can you stand it? The whining, shrill, capitol voice of hers. I'm lucky my escort almost refuses to talk to me unless it's a necessity"
Haymitch followed his friends eyes and with an annoyed grunt, nudged Chaffs side to distract his attention
"Driving her crazy makes my day." Haymitch laughed "I'm happy when I make her unhappy. It's soul cleansing"
"Pah!" Chaff laughed "soul cleansing? You two are like an old married couple. She commands and you go running. Did she choose that outfit for you today?"
Haymitch looked at his navy suit and grey shirt and noticed the colours matched perfectly with Effies grey skirt and navy blouse
"Yeah, so..."
"I rest my case." Chaff shook his head as Haymitch eyed his suspiciously
...
"You mean you never argue?" Effie asked astonished
"Nope"
"Ever?" Effie was finding this too hard to believe.
"No never" Tora continued. "We hate each other, what's to argue about? I don't have an ounce of feeling or respect for that man so much so, I find it simply a chore to argue with him"
Effie huffed in frustration. Oh for the chance of a peaceful life. She caught Haymitch looking at her again and it irked her but in a way she didn't like.
He looked handsome today. They looked like a real team and she'd wanted to show him off. But yet again he'd ruined everything...
Despite his ways though she couldn't help but still have a soft spot for him.
Hidden away, deeply, so no one could ever see of find...
"You and Haymitch seem to argue all the time" Tora said all of a sudden, snapping Effie from her thoughts
"Yes" Effie shrugged innocently. "We truly do hate each other"
"No no no!" Tora protested loudly, grabbing the men's attention "People don't argue because they hate each other!" She laughed again and stood in the gap between Haymitch and Effie, drawing attention to herself "There's such a fire between the two of you. Such tension. If I didn't know any better I'd say you wanted each other!"
The sound of Haymitchs amused splutter turned the women around to face him
"You're saying we argue because we like each other?" Haymitch laughed
"Thats exactly what I'm saying" Tora grinned, always one to exaggerate "If you didn't have feelings for one another, you, Effie, wouldn't mither him so and you, Haymitch, wouldn't tease her like you do. It's schoolyard tactics"
"It's bullshit" Haymitch spat
"Is it?" Tora smiled "I see you're getting defensive. Maybe I touched the right nerve...nice outfit by the way" she winked his way and Chaff laughed out loud
"She's got a point"
"She's got nothing!" Effie tutted, quickly dodging Haymitchs eyes.
"Effie dear, you're blushing"
"I'm not blushing, I'm angry!"
"Looks like you're blushing to me" Chaff chuckled
Haymitch watched how Effies cheeks burned, how she avoided his eyes and fiddled with her dress. He'd worked with her far too long to not know when she was uncomfortable. She was indeed blushing. Had she been caught out? The sight of her silently panicking amused him. In a way he found almost adorable.
"Tora, do you believe that not one of them has denied it yet?" Chaff chuckled comedically
"Why Chaff, for once in your hanus life, you're right" she teased back. Pushing Effie to the breaking point
"Oh! You are all so infuriating!" She cried stamping her foot and stomping towards the door
Chaff and Tora were in a state of giggles but Haymitch wasn't amused either. He nudged Chaff in his side to try and quiet him down but he was having non of it so he followed after his escort.
By the time he'd reached her she was at the main doors being signed out by Snows security.
"Hey, hey come back, we have sponsors to get" Haymitch pleaded nicely, placing his hands at her waist and moving her away from the exit.
"What's the point!" Effie hissed "They'll be no reliable ones left anyways, it'll be a waste of time!" She pushed passed him again, collected her purse from security and strode through the main doors.
He caught her on the steps
"Maybe someone did hit a nerve" he whispered in her ear before passing her and heading up the gravel path towards their waiting car. Effie paused in thought for a second. What did he mean? Was he accusing or admitting? She quickened her pace to catch up with him and they got into their car in silence.
The journey back to the training centre was oddly tense. Haymitch scratched at the knee of his trousers as Effie fiddled with her gloves. He looked at her once or twice and when she'd catch his eye, they both looked away, red faced and awkward.
Arriving at the training center wasn't much more pleasant. They had a 12 storey elevator ride together.
As the doors pinged open, Effie hesitated, holding back...
"Ah, maybe I'll ah- wait for the next-" she didn't get chance to finish her sentence before she was pulled into the elevator and pushed against its mirrors.
"I gotta know" Haymitch growled lowly, pressing his nose against hers. He looked down at her tensely through the fallen hair at his eyes. She looked up through her fluttering lashes, biting her lip in anticipation
"This is a really bad idea Haymitch" she shivered, swallowing her next breath because he was making her feel so dizzy
She felt his hands on her waist tighten as his thumbs kneaded gentle circles into her sides. His body was crushed up so close to hers it made them both pant. Of course there was a fire there. But it did more than just burn at their insides, it engulfed them, it frustrated them, they argued because they had passion. Passion for their tributes, passion for their cause, passion for each...
She kissed him.
Mainly because she was impatient and mainly because she just couldn't fight it any more. Raising up onto her tiptoes she snaked her arms around his neck and drew him in with her parted lips.
He crushed against her even more, squeezing the breath out of her and breathing her in for himself. It wasn't supposed to be so right. It was only supposed to prove a point but the point was out the window as soon as his tongue met hers in a longing, stroking battle.
They kissed slowly, passionately. Groaning at the deliciousness of it all.
Even as the elevator doors pinged open again, signaling they had reached their floor, they still couldn't be parted. They stumbled out into the hall together with their lips still deliriously locked together.
"Tell me you hate me" he growled against her, pushing her up against the door as she fiddled blindly with its handle
"I hate you!" She moaned as his lips wandered down her neck "I hate you so so much"
"I hate you too" he groaned in return as her fingers snaked into the opening of his shirt
"Good!" Effie mewled, finally getting them through the door "But hate me loudly. Hate me all the way to that god damned bedroom of yours"
Yes, indeed they had fire. But tonight, they were going to create more than just a little heat. Tonight, they were burning down the house.