Effie winced at the squeals and screams that erupted as the doors opened to the concert venue.
"C'mon, Effie, let's goooo!" Portia screamed in her ear as she grabbed Effie's arm and tugged her along in the crowd.
There were still three hours until the concert started, and even then they would still have to sit through the opening acts before Portia's favorite band hit the stage.
She could see the main stage on the other side of the courtyard they were in. Surrounding the edges were various vendors - some selling food and drinks, some selling merchandise, some just had small games where you would win a prize that had a sponsor's logo on it - all of them quickly filling up with lines as the rest of the fans flooded the area.
"It's awfully loud," Effie commented as she gazed in disgruntlement around them.
"It's a concert, Effie, of course it's going to be loud," Portia said with a laugh. "And it's The Victors playing - loud fans for a loud band!"
Effie pursed her lips. "Yes, they are also quite loud."
Portia's smile faltered. "Are you sure you're okay with being here? I know you're not the biggest fan of them-"
"Oh, darling, it's fine," Effie said, smiling reassuringly and rubbing a hand along Portia's arm. "It is your birthday, after all. I can handle a rowdy band and their rowdy fans for a few hours." She squeezed Portia's arm lightly. "Now, what booth would you like to visit first?"
They started with drinks, which Effie was more than grateful for, and sat down shortly after with some cheaply made (but not cheaply priced) food.
"I really hope they play the songs from their greatest hits album," Portia commented as she finished eating her french fries.
"I'm sure they will," Effie replied, trying to think of any of the songs on the album. "Is that song with the fire on there? Fire is catching… a girl is on fire…?"
Portia bit her lip as she tried hard not to laugh. "You really don't know anything about this band, do you?"
Effie huffed. "Sorry if their ruffian noise is just not within my tastes."
"You're fine," Portia said with a laugh. She reached over and squeezed one of Effie's hands with her own. "I'm really happy to be here, and I'm really thankful to have a wonderful friend like you who is willing to buy me tickets to see my favorite band for my birthday and go and see them with me even though you don't know any of their songs."
That softened Effie up for a moment. "I am happy to be here with you. Even if your taste in music is atrocious, I believe your taste in friends might make up for it."
The two women laughed and discarded the trash from their meal. They went to the first booth of interest to Portia, which was a local volunteer organization that was raffling off a signed poster of the latest album cover. Portia was delighted to donate some money to the cause for her one in a million chance, and Effie bought a few more for her as an additional birthday present.
Four booths later, after Portia had participated in a few more activities and they got more drinks, Effie was starting to feel drained (and bored) from too much interaction about things she didn't understand. Truly, Effie needed a minute to breathe from the first moment they had stepped into the courtyard, and her savior finally showed itself then in the form of a "Smokers Section" sign with an arrow pointing behind the large fencing surrounding the establishment.
"I need to go take a quick smoke, will you be okay for a few minutes?" Effie asked.
Portia glanced at her and then back at the booth they were in line for. Trivia. "Yeah, that's fine - I'll get someone who knows something for my team this way," she joked. "Text me when you're done if I'm not still here?"
Effie nodded and quickly made her way over to the sign, slipping through a gate and into the smoker's area.
She felt her ears ring slightly at the decreased level of noise in the secluded area surrounded by high fencing. There were benches along the walls, with a few ash trays spread around sitting on top of trash cans. She was happy to see she was the only person there, and she took a seat on a bench on the opposite wall.
Effie fiddled with her purse for a moment and took out her phone, scrolling through her notifications and just taking a moment to relax by herself.
Or at least for the time she had by herself, before another individual stepped in from another gate she hadn't noticed along the wall she was leaning against. He was scruffy looking, with shaggy hair that went just below his chin and stubble covering his lower face. He was wearing a dark grey flannel and black jeans with a leather vest and leather boots. Effie's eyes lingered longer than was probably appropriate on his body. His grey eyes met hers for a moment before both looked away, Effie's face flushing slightly. He remained standing as he fished a single cigarette out of the breast pocket of his flannel. It looked hand rolled, and he stuck one end in his mouth and held it there as his hands went into his jean pockets. He stilled before patting down his pockets and sighing.
"You got a light?" he asked in a gruff voice.
His grey eyes met hers again and she faltered before nodding, finding the lighter quickly in her purse and handing it over with slightly shaky hands. Their fingers grazed as he took it, nodding approvingly at the intricate design on her lighter before cupping it in front of his cigarette and lighting it.
He handed back the lighter with a nod of thanks, taking a long drag and then blowing it out with a sigh that seemed relieved. He looked back at her and cocked an eyebrow. "All by yourself at the concert tonight?"
Effie glanced up in surprise as she zipped up her purse with the lighter inside. "Oh, no, I'm with a friend for her birthday. I just came out here for a smoke."
He gave her a puzzled look. "Then why aren't you smoking?" he asked before taking another puff.
"I actually quit," she replied, not quite able to keep the pout out of her voice. "But I needed a break from… the crowds."
The stranger seemed to grunt in understanding. He took another drag, and that's when the smell of it hit her… but it wasn't the intoxicating scent she was used to.
"That doesn't smell like nicotine," she said with a playful smirk.
He gave a short laugh at that. "Well it's this or go back to drinking." He left it at that and continued to smoke the joint in his hands, staring at the wall opposite Effie.
Effie, on the other hand, couldn't stop staring at him. The jeans were still distracting her, and now that he had spoken she was intrigued by his voice and just wanted to hear him say more. He looked over at her and she quickly glanced away, but she flushed as she knew she was caught staring.
"You want an autograph?" he asked in a disgruntled tone.
Well that wasn't what she was expecting. "A what?" she asked with furrowed eyebrows. Was this a joke because she was staring at him? His face soon matched hers as they stared at each other in confusion.
He extended his hand with the joint in it, his face still showing puzzlement. "You want a hit?"
"Oh I couldn't possib-" she stopped and thought about it for a moment. "Well, I suppose one hit won't be the worst thing." She tentatively took the joint from his hands and sucked in lightly. He took a seat next to her on the bench and waited for her to exhale and hand it back to him. "So do you know the band then?" she asked.
He coughed mid-inhale and looked at her with narrowed eyes and a muddled expression. "Who? The Victors?"
Effie nodded. "Yes - it just looked like you came from a different entrance, I didn't know if you were working backstage or something."
He stared at her for a moment with the same expression before it slowly turned into a smirk. "Yeah, I know them a bit." He extended the joint to her again and she took it. "You a 'big fan'?" he asked with a somewhat sarcastic tone.
She laughed at that. "Oh, no, not at all." She exhaled and passed the joint back to him. "I don't really know them at all. I bought tickets for my friend for her birthday - they're her favorite band, but I'm honestly not much of a fan of their music."
He raised his eyebrows at her. "Really?" The smirk was back. "What do you not like about them?"
"Too loud," she said quickly. "It seems more like a bunch of racket than music to me."
He let out a short laugh that sounded almost like a bark. "You don't say?" He chuckled on his exhale. "So me offering to show you what it looks like backstage wouldn't be of interest?"
Effie's eyes widened as she tried not to gawk at him. His eyes were lit with mischief and the smirk didn't leave his face as he pointedly lowered his eyes down her body before lazily coming back up. "Backstage?" He nodded. "Right now?" Another nod. "With you?"
"Yes, sweetheart, with me," he replied as he stood up and deposited the rest of the joint in a nearby ashtray. He took a step towards the gate he had come through and looked back at her with a raised eyebrow.
She bit her lip as she took a moment to think over his proposition. On the one hand, she was sure her 'smoke break' was close to an end and Portia might be looking for her soon. On the other hand, a handsome stranger was offering to take her on a rare tour of the concert venue and regardless of who was playing she knew that was a once in a lifetime offer.
Mind set, Effie stood up and smoothed down her summer dress. "My name is Effie, not sweetheart." She met his eyes with a shy smile. "And I will take you up on that offer."
He grinned. "Haymitch," he greeted before opening the gate for her and ushering her through.
Effie brushed up against him as she stepped by, pretending to be none-the-wiser as his breath hitched for a moment before he closed the gate behind them. "Which way is it from here?" she asked innocently, biting her lip to try and stop the smile as she looked back at him.
And that's how she found herself in the tech closet off the side of the stage fifteen minutes later, back pressed against the closed door with one of her hands fisted into Haymitch's flannel while the other held his face to hers by his nape. He had one of her lips captured between his and was methodically moving them while one hand kneaded a breast through her dress and the other was acting as a cushion between her head and the door.
She moaned into his mouth as he pinched her nipple before breaking away from the kiss. "Haymitch," she breathed against his lips, panting as she caught her breath.
He didn't respond verbally and instead moved his mouth to her neck, kissing his way down to the low scoop neckline of her dress and nibbling. Both of her hands wandered to his hair and she gripped and pulled him back up. He let out a disgruntled hmmph before catching her lips in his again. He then moved his hands down under her dress and cupped her ass in his hands, kneading tightly and causing her to break apart from the kiss and moan.
"Shh," he whispered huskily in her ear. "We have to be quiet, sweetheart." He used his grip to lift her up against the door and she quickly wrapped her legs around his waist. He sighed in pleasure and pressed a kiss to the area behind her ear lobe. She whimpered softly. "Good girl," he whispered in her ear before nipping at her ear lobe.
Effie pulled his face back to hers and clashed her lips impatiently to his, biting at his lips and bruising her own at the pressure. He squeezed his hands on her and she whimpered into his mouth again.
Haymitch shifted so one of his hands could lazily trail its way around her thigh and skirt the edges of her panties. One finger slid under and Effie pulled away from his mouth to gasp as he pinched her clit. He chuckled and moved his mouth back to her ear.
"You are so wet," he breathed huskily as he slid one finger in.
She bit down on her lip to suppress a moan and closed her eyes while letting her head fall back with a thud against the door. "Haymitch."
"Yes, sweetheart?" She could feel his grin against her neck. Her eyes opened to meet his grey ones blown with lust.
Effie was about to capture his lips in another kiss when she felt the door rattle behind her with three succinct thuds. Knocks.
"Hey, uh, sorry - uh, Haymitch - you in there? We gotta get to the green room - opener's on soon," a hesitant voice called out. "I'll, uh… meet you down there when you're… ready."
Haymitch closed his eyes and sighed in her ear, resting his forehead against the door next to hers. "Fucking contract," he muttered. He eased his finger out of her and helped set her gently on the ground. He seemed to avoid eye contact as he brought the hand previously cradling her ass up to rub his neck awkwardly. "I gotta… go do this show."
Effie nodded even though he wasn't looking at her. "I understand." She let out a deep breath as she tried to cool herself down, her brain still trying to process everything. "I should… get back to my friend." She looked down and noticed the glisten on the finger dangling by his side. Brain still muddled by lust, she reached out and took his hand. She brought it up and made sure she caught his eyes with hers before taking the wet finger and sucking it into her mouth, running her tongue around the digit to ensure she got it all.
"Fuck," he growled, taking his finger out of her mouth with a pop! He took both of his hands and cradled her face before bringing his down to crash into hers, pressing chapped lips against her already bruised ones. He broke contact sooner than she would have liked and laid his forehead against hers. "I have to go," he said in a low voice.
"I know," she replied, pressing a quick kiss against his temple before taking two steps back to put some space between them. "I'm…" She paused. "I'm sorry, I'm still not sure how exactly you're involved in the show, but… break a leg, I suppose."
He smirked and let out a chuckle, opening up the door to the room. He led her to the door they had come through to get inside the building, where she would know how to get back to the smoker's area. Effie was suddenly feeling much less sure of herself than she was before as she lingered with her hand around the door knob. She glanced back and he was still standing there looking at her.
"Meet me after the show?" he asked, his voice oozing confidence that his face failed to show. "The bench?"
Effie grinned and she could see him relax at that. "I will see you then."
Feeling better, she quickly made her exit and took out her phone, wincing at the 9 texts and 3 missed calls. She was starting to pull up Portia's number to call as she stepped through the gate back to the smoker's area when she heard a screech and was suddenly involved in a tangle of limbs.
"There you are, you had me worried sick!" Portia exclaimed in her ear. She pulled back and did a once over of Effie. "What happened? Where did you go?" Her eyebrows furrowed as she took a moment to truly take in Effie's state. "Hold on, were you out here fuc-"
"I will explain later," Effie interrupted, noting there were a couple other folks standing and smoking nearby. "Right now, I would like to use the restroom and then go find our seats."
Portia raised an uncertain eyebrow but allowed Effie to regale the tale- leaving out as many details as possible- on the way from the restrooms to their seats.
"Honestly, good for you, girl!" Portia praised as they watched the opening act walk out on stage. "I'm going to see if Cinna will come pick me up after this is done."
"Oh, no, you don't need to-"
Portia's laugh cut her off. "Oh, yes, I think I do." Her fingers flew over the screen of her phone as she typed out a message.
Effie bit the inside of her cheek to stop the grin threatening to appear as she thought about her planned meetup. The opening act wasn't anything to write home about, but she had enjoyed a couple of their songs well enough, and soon they were waiting for The Victors to enter. The crowd was tense with anticipation and Portia was fidgeting behind her.
She couldn't even see anything happening when the cheers and screams started and she winced and covered her ears for a moment as Portia let out a screech that banshees would envy.
"Ohmygod I'm so excited this is the best present ever, Effie, thankyouthankyouthankyou!" Portia rushed out in a blur.
Effie smiled at the clear excitement on her friend's face, but that smile quickly dropped as she turned her attention to the stage and noticed the musicians in the band.
A young woman with dark hair and olive skin standing by the microphone with a guitar.
A man around her age with blonde hair doing final tune adjustments on his bass.
And a very familiar face sitting down behind the drumset and ensuring everything was within proper reach.
"Oh my…" Effie muttered, her hand flying to cover her mouth in shock.
Portia seemed to notice how still her friend had gotten and stopped jumping. "Effie? Hon, you okay?"
"Haymitch…" Effie shook her head slowly, trying to figure out how she didn't know. His smirks when she mentioned the band and asked about his job finally made sense.
"Haymitch Abernathy? The drummer?" Portia asked, looking up at him on stage. "Yeah, this is supposed to be his last year with the band - his contract is finally up and word is he isn't renewing. How'd you know his name though?"
Effie let her hand drop from her face and bit her lip and that was all Portia needed.
"Oh, Effie-" Portia let out a cackle. "Haymitch Abernathy!" She smacked Effie's arm. "Are you for real? You hooked up with Haymi-" She was cut off when Effie covered her mouth with her hand, but her muffled laughter still came through.
"Yes," Effie said quietly. "After I told him how much I didn't like the band and their music."
Portia's cackle couldn't be hidden by Effie's hand and she took it away as the singer started to welcome the audience. "Well fuck," Portia let out with a laugh.
Effie couldn't agree more.
Fuck indeed.