3.
Haymitch glanced at his watch and rubbed his eyes, slumping further in his seat. They had been training for five hours and they would need to pack up soon to leave the rink to the hockey team. They had made absolutely zero progress that day.
He watched at Katniss took the jump for what felt like the hundredth time that day and, just like every other time, Peeta caught her just fine, tossed her with a little too much strength and she twirled in the air only to painfully land on her side when she failed to put her leg under her. The boy hurried over and pulled her up by the hands. They exchanged a few words, too low for him to hear what they were saying but given the way Katniss was rubbing her butt it was probably reassurances that she hadn't broken anything. He opened his mouth to tell them exactly how much they sucked but was beaten to the curb.
"Well, that won't do." a high-pitched voice declared. He turned around and watched the blond woman walking down the stairs, perched on high heels, blinding in her pale pink coat. "What is the first rule of pair skating?"
Haymitch blinked, his mouth suddenly parched. He was vaguely aware of the kids turning in her direction, tossing him uncertain glances, but he could only stare. For a moment, he thought he was having a flashback or a hallucination – that had happened a few times when he had pushed himself to the limits of wasted, when his mind played tricks on him. It was there that he had seen her for the first time. On those very steps, in his home town's ice rink stadium.
Effie Trinket kept descending those stairs like she owned the room – some things, at least, never changed – a small frown on her face.
"Well?" she prompted when she reached the security rail surrounding the rink. "What is the first rule of pair skating, children? And where on Earth is your coach?"
"Protect the girl." he answered automatically.
He hadn't talked loud but the silence was such that his voice carried. He heard her breath catching in her throat and she turned slowly in his direction. It was obvious she hadn't spotted him before. It was also obvious she hadn't expected him to be there. She schooled her features quickly enough but he had spent years learning what the slightest twitch of her eyebrows meant. It wasn't the sort of thing you ever forgot.
"Haymitch." She sounded out of breath, as if she had just run down those stairs rather than walking them down like a queen in her throne room.
"Sweetheart…" he answered.
They stared at each other for what felt like the longest time. At some point he realized he was standing but couldn't remember when he had gotten to his feet. Her eyes were still as blue as he remembered them even if there were small lines at their corners the make-up wasn't quite hiding. Her hair was tied up in a fancy bun, she was still thin, delicate. Her legs were still endless and she was still beautiful.
And Haymitch wanted to throw up.
"What are you doing here?" he scowled, a little too aggressive.
"Plutarch called me." she retorted as if it was obvious. She blinked and jutted her chin up in the air. "Now. We are being extremely rude, I am afraid." She turned to the ice, presenting him with her back, and studied the children. He knew from her voice she was smiling and it annoyed him to still be able to tell that much. "Introductions are in order. I am Effie Trinket and you, of course, are Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark. I must say I don't usually train people for Nationals but I saw your Girl On Fire performance and I have to admit I see something in you. With a lot of work and…"
"For fuck's sake, take a breath before you pass out." he scoffed. "You still can't shut up, can you, sweetheart?"
"And you are still rude beyond measure." she scowled, glancing at him over her shoulder. "Let's not dwell on what we cannot change, shall we?"
The kids shared a look and Peeta quickly skated closer to the railing, outstretching his hand. "It's very nice to meet you."
Effie was immediately charmed. "Oh, proper manners, how refreshing. That is how it's done, Haymitch, I hope you realize."
It was familiar, too familiar, and he remained silent as she greeted Katniss. The girl kept tossing him guilty looks and it wasn't difficult to understand how exactly Plutarch had had the brilliant idea to hurl Effie Trinket back into his life.
"I would like to see the program again, if you will." she requested.
"Time's up." he shrugged. "Sorry for the wasted trip. You can go back to wherever you're bossing people around these days."
"One more time, please." she insisted, focusing on the children and completely ignoring him.
That's the moment the stadium doors opened and let in a group of unruly boys with sticks and protective helmets.
"Sorry, Haymitch's right." Peeta winced. "We're out of time."
"You are sharing the rink?" she frowned. "You should be training all day."
"It's expensive enough as it is." he scoffed. "But if you want to make a donation, please do." He looked at the kids and sneered. "See you tomorrow. No more surprises of that kind or I'm out. Thanks for the touching reunion."
He forced himself not to look back.
Giving her up once had been hard enough.
He didn't even make it to the car before he plucked his flask out of his jacket, his fingers were shaking so much he struggled to uncap it. He leaned against the side of his truck, took a deep breath and brought the flask to his lips, letting the burning taste of liquor soothe his nerves.
She would be gone the next day and everything would be fine.
He tried to convince himself he was believing it.
He wasn't great at belief.
°o°
"What the fuck are we doing here?" he grumbled as his best friend and former teammate more or less dragged him inside the building and down to the ice rink. The safety glass was in place for that night's match and Haymitch shuddered at the sight. It was too easy to remember the blood spatters, the terrified shrieks of the crowd, the voices of his teammates calling for help, the hands shoving him aside… "Chaff. What the fuck did you bring me here for?"
"'Cause I'm done watching you waste away in your misery." he spat. "You're not a professional hockey player anymore, so what? Doesn't mean your life is over, buddy."
His life was over for more reasons than just that.
"Sure. I'm just a murderer who narrowly escaped jail." he snorted.
"It was an accident." Chaff sighed. "You know it. I know it. Fuck, everyone in the business knows it. His helmet wasn't properly on. If he was a fucking moron, that's not on you. You were drunk, yeah, and then what? You…"
"Stop." Haymitch cut him off. "I don't need the pep talk."
Chaff narrowed his eyes at him, rubbing his neck with both hands. Training was a bitch on his friend lately. "Yeah, you do. Look, Haymitch… You're slipping."
"What if I am?" he snarled. "Not your business, is it?"
So what if he went on benders that lasted days and drank to the point of passing out? What if he was deliberately looking for a way to self combust? What if he just wanted to forget? What was so wrong with that?
"That's where you're wrong." his best friend scoffed. "I happen to love your stupid ass so that makes it my business. Enough bullshit, Haymitch, you're going back on skates. You belong on the ice we both know it."
"And do what?" he snorted. "Hockey's all I know."
Hockey was supposed to be a good way to make money – money that should have paid his brother's college fees. And now… Now he had savings and he didn't know what to do with them so he might as well drink all the money away.
"Yeah, that's kind of why I brought you here…" Chaff winced. "Look, you won't like it but…"
The familiar creaking sound of the doors being pushed open made him look up instinctively. The girl was breathtaking, there was no other word for it. Blue eyes, endless legs trapped in a warming pink fleece overall with a cream turtle neck underneath, blond hair pinned high on her head… He had been around ice rinks long enough to recognize a figure skater on sight. Their eyes met and he found himself smirking, automatically turning on the charm, before bringing his attention back on his friend.
"You're going to spill it or what?" he frowned. "Look, you dragged me here…"
"Well… This is certainly not what I am used to." the girl scoffed, walking down the stairs, followed by a frail looking old woman and a man who was somehow familiar. Haymitch thought he was with the figure skating federation. "I hope you are right and the trip is worth it, Mr Heavensbee, because I must confess I see nothing impressive so far."
He and Chaff winced at the same time at how high-pitched her voice was, her snobbish accent wasn't helping matters.
"Ah, Chaff." the man said with a bright smile. "How good to see you again. And you convinced him, I see…" He moved past the girl and quickly walked down the stairs to shake his best friend's hand before turning to him. "Haymitch, I am Plutarch Heavensbee. I do hope this will work out. I would hate for a skater of your caliber to be forever banned from the ice and I am convinced you will be a great asset to our federation."
Haymitch ignored the hand the man outstretched and stared at Chaff who pointedly looked at his own boots.
"Is it him?" the girl asked, sounding put out. "He is too bulky for a figure skater."
"That would be 'cause I'm no figure skater, sweetheart." he sneered, shaking his head at his friend. "You've pulled better pranks, Chaff. I'll be at the bar…"
He hopped up the stairs only to find his path blocked by her small figure. She was tinier than he had first thought but that might be because she had a regal bearing. He tried to walk around her but she hurriedly stepped aside to make sure he couldn't flee.
"I do apologize, I was rude." she said, her eyes moving from him to that Heavensbee guy. "I would like to understand. We came here to audition a possible partner for me…"
"Yeah, and that's not me." he snorted. "I don't do tights and frills, sorry." He tried to sidestep her again but she was swift and blocked his path. He lifted his eyebrows. "Don't think I won't just carry you out of my way, sweetheart."
It was half a joke and half a warning but she simply tilted her head. "Do it."
Peculiar request but he simply grabbed her by the waist, lifted her without any difficulties and placed her on the step next to him, fully intending to continue on his merry way. Her hands locked on his arm with a surprising strong grip, holding him back, and this time he didn't try to be nice as he turned to glare at her. "What?"
She pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes. "The attitude will have to go. I expect my partners to show manners. You can lift, that is very good. Now… I would like to see you on the ice."
He chuckled. "Well, I'd like to see you in a bikini but I guess we can't always have what we want."
"How improper." she huffed. "Can you skate or not?"
"Sweetheart, I'm the best skater there is." he drawled out, annoyed by her chirpiness.
"My name is Euphemia Trinket although my friends call me Effie." she snapped. "Keep your pet names for your girlfriends."
"Now…" Heavensbee tried to intervene but he was cut off by Chaff who placed a hand on his shoulder and shook his head with a small knowing smile. The great idiot was probably thinking Haymitch was taken by her bitchy attitude – he did tend to have a weakness for difficult women – but that was as far from the truth as could be. She was simply irritating.
"You wish you were my girlfriend." he mocked.
"I wish nothing of the sort, I can assure you." she hissed. "I am not overly sweet on unkempt uncivilized brutes. Did you lose your razor, I wonder?"
"Your loss, Princess." he taunted. "An unkempt uncivilized brute might knock out that stick you've got up your ass."
She glared daggers at him. "Put on your skates and let me see you on the ice right now."
He almost laughed at that. "Or what? You're not the boss of me. I already told you I'm not interested."
Slowly, her anger morphed in a challenging expression. "I think you are not as good as you claim."
"Not my problem what you think." he retorted. "Don't need you boosting my ego."
"Haymitch." Chaff finally intervened. "Give it a go."
He turned in his friend's direction. "Figure skating. Seriously, Chaff? And what did you do? Look for the most annoying girl in the country?"
She bristled next to him.
"No." Chaff shrugged. "Just for the only one desperate enough to take you on despite your temper. You're fucking twenty-three. Life doesn't end at fucking twenty-three. They're dead. You're not. Let it go. Find something else worth living for."
"Yeah, 'cause figure skating is so worth living for." he scoffed.
"A gold medal at the Olympics is." his best friend shrugged. "That was your dream not long ago, wasn't it?" He nodded at the girl. "She can bring you there."
"With figure skating." he spat dubiously.
"Hey, it's not hockey but it's still skating." Chaff shrugged again.
"Excuse me but I dislike being talked about in third person when I am standing right here." she cut in, folding her arms over her chest. "And no one said you were hired. I am still waiting to see what you can do on skates."
"Please, buddy." his friend sighed. "It's better than sitting alone in your house and drinking yourself into an early grave."
It was the worry in Chaff's voice that did it. He didn't have a lot of loved ones left. Chaff was amongst those.
"Fine." he sighed. "Fine, I'll try." He tossed a warning look in the girl's direction. "But I'm not a circus monkey."
"Maybe not a circus monkey." she muttered. "Perhaps a gorilla."
They glared at each other until the women who had been standing in silence until then, and who briefly introduced herself as Mags, ushered them down to the ice rink. A new problem arose when he was presented with black skates that clearly didn't belong to him.
"Figure skates." Heavensbee clarified. "You will get used to them."
He highly doubted it. The blade was thinner, the balance was different and the notch things at the edge of the blade were throwing him a little off his game. It took a few lapses of the rink before he felt comfortable enough to go full speed.
He hadn't been on the ice since the night of his last game and he had forgotten how much he actually liked it. The sharp cold, the noise of the blade on the ice, the rush of adrenaline as he took a sharp turn chasing after an imaginary puck…
Except suddenly there was a flash of pink and instead of the puck he found himself chasing after the girl. She was fast and swifter than he expected. She gave him a run for his money and the challenge amused him enough that he stopped playing and gave it his full attention. At some point, she looked back, angling her body so her feet were facing in different directions and she outstretched her arms.
"Take her hand!" her trainer called from the stands.
That was easier said than done. Just as his fingers brushed hers, he stumbled on those notch things and ended up sliding on his stomach. To add insult to injury, she skidded to a neat halt next to him.
"Not bad for a first try." she granted. "You will need to learn how to use figure skates though. Toe pick."
He rolled his eyes and pulled himself to his feet, brushing the ice off his jeans and shirt, ignoring his best friend's laughter. "Those skates are bullshit."
"Language." She clucked her tongue at him before turning toward their small audience. "What do you think?"
The question was addressed to Mags who was watching him with a thoughtful expression. "He has strength and speed. The rest can be taught if he's not afraid of hard work. You have chemistry."
"Chemistry, right." he mocked, slightly stunned that they were serious about this. He had thought they would make him go on the ice, realize just how stupid the whole thing was and call the whole thing off. He was a hockey player, not a damn figure skater. "You do realize I killed someone not two months ago? And that was with a team to watch me. Imagine what I will do with only one girl."
She flinched and threw her coach a startled look but Mags didn't seem taken aback by that little bit of news.
"The investigation concluded to an accident, I believe." the trainer countered.
"I was drunk." he spat. He heard Chaff's frustrated groan from where he was standing.
"Yes." Mags nodded. "And that is something you will never be on the rink again. Rule one of pair skating: protect the girl. You are all that stands between her and massive injuries, perhaps death, you will acknowledge and honor that trust."
"I didn't say yes." he pointed out.
The old woman's eyes were twinkling with amusement. "You didn't say no."
"If you do this, you have to commit." the girl – Effie – cut in quietly. "I can't take a chance and… We are talking about my whole career here. If you want to do this, as crazy as it sounds, you have to be in it one hundred percent – that includes moving to Colorado, I have a private ice rink available at all time and I can house you. It also means you will have to follow a certain diet and a training schedule. You have everything to learn so you probably won't be able to think straight at the end of the day. It's a lot to ask of someone so I beg of you if you agree to this, be sure."
"Why me?" he asked.
"Leap of faith." she answered with a strained smile.
"No." he shook his head. "We do this, you don't lie to me, sweetheart."
Her smile faltered for a second and she looked down. "I injured my knee last year. There is no guarantee I will be as good as I used to be. There aren't many choices. There aren't any choices. It is you or solo skating and, trust me, I have better chances with you." She glanced up at him with a disapproving look. "Don't call me sweetheart."
"So you've got a busted knee and you're going for a hockey player." he snorted. "Doesn't look like a leap of faith to me. Looks more like a free fall."
"Let's hope you catch me then." she challenged. "Rule one. Protect the girl."
A slow smirk stretched his lips.
°o°
"So… That didn't go as well as we hoped…" Peeta snorted.
Katniss leaned in to prop her elbows on her knees, her eyes trained on the hockey practice taking place below but her mind far away. Effie had left not long after Haymitch had stormed out, promising to come back the next day, looking slightly upset.
"That was…" she offered only to let her sentence trail off, at a loss for words.
"Intense." he supplied.
"Not what I expected." She made a face. "What is their problem anyway?"
"The mystery thickens." he chuckled. She wriggled a little on her seat, wishing she had thought to bring some ice packs. He frowned. "How's the hip?"
"Bruised." she mumbled. "She's got a point with her protect the girl speech."
"I'll keep it in mind." he smiled, his eyes twinkling with amusement. "Maybe stop throwing yourself at me so fast."
She rolled her eyes, annoyed. "And how am I supposed to throw myself at you, then? At a snail pace?" Gale goaled and she gave him a distracted thumb up. "Haymitch looked upset."
"They both looked upset." he sighed. "Maybe we should have just… stuck to our own business." She hated to admit it but he might be right. She didn't answer and they watched the training unfolding for a while until Peeta started turning his phone in his hand absentmindedly. "You think there was something between them?"
"They were partners." she shrugged.
"No, I mean… Something more." he insisted. "I watched a few of their performances and… I don't know, it kind of jumped at me."
She glanced at him and then scowled at the thought. "Relationships always complicate everything. Haymitch isn't that stupid."
"Maybe." Peeta replied.
He looked wistful.
She didn't quite know what to make of that.
So? What did you think? Let me know!
