prompt : I love your characterisation of Finnick and Chaff. I also really like your take on their relationship with Effie. So here's a prompt: Finnick finds out that Effie's birthday is in the middle of the games. He feels bad at shouting at her and wants to make amends. So he enlists the help of begrudging Haymitch and Chaff to give her a intimate birthday party.

Heartbreak in the making

"Can't you just leave me alone?!" Finnick sighed, exasperated by Effie's incessant fussing. "Good grief, Effie, you're as bad as my own escort today!"

To his upmost horror, Effie's eyes filled with tears and she turned around and disappeared from the mentors lounge before he could even try to apologize.

"What was that?" Chaff asked, appearing at his elbow. Haymitch wasn't far behind, nursing a drink and a displeased frown.

"I don't know, she just…" Finnick shrugged, unable to put words on her uncharacteristic sensitivity. Usually, Effie was difficult to upset – not that he tried – because Haymitch had probably already thought of every insults he could and threw them at her head. "She's weird today, isn't she?"

"She's been weeping all day." Haymitch confirmed with fake detachment. "I heard her this morning and then she locked herself up in the bathroom for two good hours."

Finnick frowned, worried. "Is it because of your tributes?"

Twelve had no longer any tributes in the Games, as did Eleven. Four's boy was still alive but barely hanging on and Mags was in charge of him anyway. He had mentored the girl who had been killed a few hours earlier.

"Doubt it." Haymitch downed his glass in one go. "She had her cry after the bloodbath. It doesn't usually last that long."

"And aren't you even a bit worried about her?" Finnick pressed, done with his friend's self-denial. Haymitch could tell himself he didn't care about Effie all he wanted, they all knew the truth.

"What do you want me to do about it?" Twelve's victor groaned.

"Well, I'm no expert in crying ladies but asking her what the matter was would have popped into my mind…" Chaff snorted. "Not smooth, Haymitch."

"Oh, come on!" Haymitch rolled his eyes. "It's the kid who makes her cry and I'm the one who has to do all the work?"

"She will confide in you." Finnick pointed out. "We're not as close."

Chaff made a face. "We're not close at all, thank you very much."

"Stop that." Haymitch warned him. "She doesn't need your crap today."

Finnick couldn't help his triumphing grin. "How come you're always so protective of her when she's not there to see it?"

Haymitch mumbled something about them being disillusioned but it took only another ten minutes to convince him to go and find out what the matter was. By the time he came back with answers, Four had lost its last tribute and Chaff was pouring Finnick glass after glass of an expensive wine that really should have been savored rather than downed in one go like they were doing.

"Ah, our fearless lover boy comes back at last!" Chaff guffawed. Haymitch glared at him before snatching the glass from Finnick's hand and slumping on one of the chair. "Was the mission a success? Did you find out what was upsetting our dear insufferable Trinket?"

"It's her birthday, she's turning thirty and she seems to think it's a catastrophe." he grunted.

Chaff frowned. "Why is that?"

"Because, apparently, now she's old and her life as a fashion icon is almost over." Haymitch made a face at the sweetness of the wine. He wasn't one for sweet things.

"Tell me you didn't laugh at her face." Finnick groaned, knowing his friend probably did. He didn't like the idea of Effie agonizing over something as stupid as her age. She was a beautiful woman, everybody would have been glad to tell her that.

"I did." Haymitch nodded while Chaff burst out laughing. "And then I told her she was stupid, is that good enough for you?"

Finnick puffed out in annoyance. "We have to cheer her up."

"I don't have to do anything." Chaff countered, raising both his lump and his glass in the air. "Not my escort, not my problem."

"She's your friend and you will help." Finnick folded his arms and lifted an eyebrow in challenge.

Chaff didn't look impressed. "I'm not friends with escorts. That's Haymitch and you."

"Didn't she sign your release from the medical floor, last year? After you fell on the stairs?" Finnick leaned back in her seat, waiting for Chaff to relent.

"She did because Haymitch asked her to." Chaff winced. "Doesn't count."

She did because Eleven's escort was the most bitchy of all the escorts and she would never have gone down from the eleventh floor to fetch him nor would she have taken responsibility for him, Finnick knew. "You owe her."

"You kind of do." Haymitch agreed. "But I don't. So you both do what you want but I'm not helping."

"Do you have something better to do?" Finnick mocked.

"What do you want to do?" Chaff sighed, not letting time for Haymitch to answer. "How do cheer up an escort?"

"You throw her a surprise birthday party." Finnick grinned. "Haymitch, you're taking her out for the day. Take her shopping. Chaff and I will get everything ready."

Chaff's laugher was loud enough that several gazes turned their way. Finnick carefully hid his amusement at the horror struck look on Haymitch's face.

"Are you kidding me?" Haymitch asked. "I am not taking her shopping. You're mad."

"Well… Use your imagination. Take her out for a drink." And maybe it would kill two birds with one stone… Cheer her up and make them face the unsaid things between them.

"Yeah." Chaff breathed out between two hiccups of laughter. "Buy her flowers and jewelry and then you can ask her to marry you. That will cheer her up, I bet."

Finnick couldn't help his chuckles. "Kiss her goodnight."

"Are you two quite done?" Haymitch mumbled, downing his drink. "You sound like two pre-school girls."

Given that Haymitch looked like a boy who was pulling on Effie's ponytail to catch her attention, Finnick wasn't sure he could really throw the proverbial first stone.

In the end, it was quite easy to arrange. Lots of people loved Effie and were happy to come to a kind of improvised surprise party. Finnick's charms did the rest. With Chaff's begrudging help, everything went smoothly. By the time the elevator chimed on District Twelve floor, the penthouse was full of a few carefully selected guests, enough alcohol to accommodate everyone and more food than they would ever eat.

Effie seemed pleasantly surprised when they all jumped out of their hiding places with big smiles and congratulations on their lips. Of course, Finnick thought, it was a bit unfair that Haymitch got a kiss on the cheek for a surprise he hadn't neither planned nor organized but such was his fate. Haymitch didn't rectify her assumption that he had been the instigator of the party so Finnick held his tongue. Whatever made Effie happier, he guessed.

It was a good party, as far as Finnick was concerned. Everyone was having fun, everyone was dancing, even Chaff, and Effie was laughing from start to finish. She found him after a while.

"Are you hiding from me?" she asked, with her usual kind smile.

"Just waiting for my chance to dance with the birthday girl, that's all." Finnick held out his hand and she took it readily. They were twirling and laughing before too long, their dancing putting everyone else's to shame. "I'm sorry about earlier." he told her once their mad dancing had slowed down to a more easy pace. "I shouldn't have snapped at you."

"Given you went to all the trouble of throwing me a party, you're forgiven." she granted, a twinkle of mirth in her eyes.

"Did Haymitch tell you that?" he frowned.

"Haymitch couldn't keep a secret from me if he tried." Her grin was contagious. "But don't tell him that. I don't want to spook him."

Finnick winked at her. "I will take your secret to my grave." He glanced at Haymitch who was watching them with a gloom on his face. Making fun of Haymitch was one of his favorite hobbies when they were done with the Games. "How long do you think it's going to take him to march over here and claim you back?"

Effie stepped closer to him than propriety allowed but it was late and nobody was watching except for Haymitch. "Shall we endeavor to find out?"

He dipped her and kept her there a second too long on purpose. "I should kiss you." What was a kiss between friends? It wouldn't mean anything. There was no spark of desire between them, it was as platonic as it could be.

"Don't push your luck." she laughed.

He wasn't surprised, when they were both upright again, to feel a tapping on his shoulder. Finnick didn't even let Haymitch explain what he wanted, he handed him Effie's hand with a gracious theatrical bow. He joined Chaff by the bar and they were happy to watch them dance slowly for a while.

"Of all the women he could have chosen, he had to fall in love with a Capitol citizen." Chaff sighed, low enough that no one would hear. "An escort no less."

"I'm not sure any of us has a choice in those matters." Finnick shrugged, thinking of the girl waiting for him back home, broken and yet so sweet she had grown on him while he wasn't looking. "Effie's a good person."

"Yeah." Chaff granted, taking a sip of his wine. "But victors don't get happy ending, boy, and this… This is heartbreak in the making."