Original Prompt : do a funny one where the team including the stylists try to put together haymitch and effie, please ! *-*
Connection
"Dancing is about connecting with your partner." Effie scolded them. "Katniss, you have to trust Peeta to lead."
Peeta was more worried about having his feet stomped upon than leading a waltz. For all her qualities, Katniss wasn't a very good dancer. Effie had deemed it necessary for them to learn how to dance before they reached the Capitol for the party at President Snow's mansion, which had led to an evening of endless entertainment for Haymitch and their stylists. Cinna and Portia were kinder than their former mentor, obviously, but still found the whole thing rather funny. They were all sitting on the various couches that had been pushed as far against the wall as possible to clear a dancing space in the center of the room, and were watching with amusement as Effie ordered them about with useless advices. Katniss was growing distinctly uncomfortable in his arms and Peeta was quickly becoming frustrated with the whole thing.
Haymitch's laugh filled the living-room cart. "That is never going to happen, sweetheart."
"Please, Haymitch, if you have nothing helpful to say, then, refrain from speaking." Effie snapped. Peeta and Katniss exchanged a look and rolled their eyes. Sometimes they were like an old married couple : absolutely insufferable. "Now, children, try again. One, two, three… One, two, three…"
"Does she know there are other numbers than one, two, three?" Katniss hissed for his ears only, watching her feet anxiously.
"No, no, no!" Effie sighed, clasping her hands. "You're doing it wrong."
"Why don't you show us?" Peeta suggested, diplomatically. He was kind of afraid Katniss would lose the thin margin of patience she had left. That, and his feet could take a break from being stepped on. "I think it would be easier if we could just watch first."
"Actually, that's a very good idea." Cinna said, kindly. "And I'm dying to dance."
He stood and held a hand out to Portia who gracefully got to her feet. In a matter of seconds, they were twirling around the room, laughing and smiling like they were having the time of their life. Peeta slumped on the couch they had vacated in relief.
"Here." Effie said, a little wistfully, coming to stand between the couch they were sitting on and Haymitch's chair. "You can see they just click together."
What Peeta could see was that Cinna and Portia obviously cared a great deal for each other and he didn't understand what it had to do with dancing. He cared for Katniss and that didn't make either of them a great dancer. And given the thoughtful way she was watching Cinna and Portia, he doubted all this had anything to do at all with them learning how to dance anyway. He nudged Katniss with his elbow and stared pointedly at Effie and then at Haymitch. Her eyes widened a little bit and she smirked, mischief written all over her face.
"Can you dance, Haymitch?" Katniss asked, innocently enough.
The glare Haymitch sent her way was anything but innocent, it promised a thousand deaths. "Not if I can help it."
"But you will have to dance at the President's mansion too, won't you?" Peeta said, flying at Katniss' rescue. "Don't you need to practice?"
Cinna and Portia stopped dancing and came closer to hear the conversation. It didn't take much more than a look for them to understand what Katniss and Peeta were up to.
"Haymitch isn't actually that bad at dancing." Effie piped in, unexpectedly. "We had to do our fair share of that along the years."
"Isn't he, now?" Cinna's smile was slow and amused. "What about a friendly competition, then? Katniss and Peeta can be the judges."
"I'm not dancing." Haymitch refused, sipping his glass of wine.
"Are you afraid to lose?" Katniss teased, leaning smugly against the back of the couch. "I think Cinna is the better dancer."
"Or maybe Cinna has the right partner. Like I said, dancing is about connecting with your partner…" Effie pointed out. "It's easier when you dance with someone you love or care for, at the very least."
"Doesn't make it easier for me." Peeta mumbled but Katniss nudged him a little, reminding him what they were trying to do. "Come on, Haymitch, you have to dance, now! It's a challenge. You can borrow Katniss." Gladly. Why would his feet be the only ones to suffer?
Haymitch snorted. "Wouldn't be much of a competition, then. That girl has two left feet."
"Well, the solution is rather obvious, isn't it?" Portia smiled. "You have to dance with Effie."
"With me? Oh, no, no, no…" Effie said, blushing a little. "Not after last time."
"What happened last time?" Peeta asked.
Haymitch and Effie exchanged a look and a slow smirk blossomed on their mentor's lips that made Effie turn crimson. "Dancing doesn't sound so bad, after all." Haymitch put his glass down on the ground and got up, holding out a hand to Effie, before staring down at Cinna playfully. "Prepared to be humiliated?"
Cinna only bowed a little in front of Portia and they were waltzing around the room again, obviously not concerning themselves with counting to three. Effie and Haymitch were slower. It took an awful amount of time for her to place a hand on his shoulder and for them to start moving. Like Portia and Cinna, they never glanced down at their feet – a feat, Peeta and Katniss would probably never be able to achieve – but were staring into each other's eyes. They didn't laugh, they didn't smile, but never, ever looked away from each other.
"Talk about a connection." Peeta sighed.
Katniss rolled her eyes. "President Snow could come in and they wouldn't even notice."
Cinna and Portia were graceful and made waltzing look easy but Effie and Haymitch… Peeta wasn't even sure they were actually waltzing. They were gliding around in small circles, looking at each other like it was the only thing that mattered… Haymitch was holding her much closer than what Effie had deemed proper for Katniss and him.
The song changed, then. No more waltz but something slower, a tad melancholic but also loving, the dancers slowed down, adjusting to the rhythm. Katniss huddled closer to Peeta and leaned her head on his shoulder. Forgetting the pretence of the waltz, Effie slid both of her arms around Haymitch's neck, he held her around the waist and they just… swayed slowly, still gazing into each other's eyes. For a few minutes, it was like a spell had been cast on the living-room cart.
And then the song ended and they stepped apart awkwardly. Effie cleared her throat. "I think that's enough for tonight. We should all get some rest."
They all agreed readily with that idea. Katniss and Cinna were the first to exit the cart, Peeta and Portia right behind them. Effie and Haymitch lingered in the room, so Peeta slowed down because he actually wanted to know at what time they were supposed to get up the next morning and Effie was the one with this information. Portia stopped too, a smile on her lips. "So, would you say Haymitch won this little competition?"
The melancholic notes of the last song escaped from the living-room cart again and they frowned at each other before curiously – but discreetly – peering into the room. Haymitch was standing near the gramophone and was looking at Effie with an honest smile – not a smirk, not a sneer but a smile. Peeta's eyebrow shot up near his hairline.
"One last dance, Princess?" Haymitch's outstretched hand didn't remain empty for long.
"It's always one last thing or another with you." Effie sighed but took his hand and let him put his arms around her. They weren't dancing as much as embracing each other. They didn't even sway, just… hugged. "One last glass of wine, one last bottle, one last dance, one last kiss…"
"I would say he certainly won something." Peeta whispered to Portia, at last, a bit uncomfortable with what they were spying on. "We should…" But Haymitch's voice cut him before he could suggest to leave them alone.
"I don't like the idea of last times, that's all." Haymitch pressed a kiss to the side of her neck and Peeta really wanted to get out of there now. "All the more so when you're concerned. If it were up to me I would never stop kissing you."
Portia tugged lightly on his arm and they retreated to the corridor, quietly closing the door behind them.
"Well." His stylist said, clearly finding the situation funny enough. "Here we were, thinking ourselves clever and subtle but I don't think they needed our help at all, after all."
"No." Peeta agreed with a smile. "I don't think they did."