Prompt : I had an idea for a prompt. Katniss and Peeta are playing the "real/not real" game when Peeta asks her about Effie and Haymitch. Katniss insists that it's not real while Peeta insists that it makes no sense Snow putting something like that in his head. They got to Haymitch to settle things and . . . that's as far as I got really.

Canard à l'Orange

Their stroll took Katniss and Peeta to the edge of the woods, Katniss did her best not to let her eyes wander too much in the direction of the destroyed meadow she used to love so much. District Twelve was still in a pretty bad shape despite the rebuildings and constructions going all over the place.

"Do you remember the duck with the orange sauce we ate back in the Capitol?" Peeta asked seemingly out of the blue.

She only had to glance at him to understand he was either on the verge of an episode or fighting to distinguish reality from implanted nightmares. "Yes. It was good." Food had always been the only thing she liked about the Capitol.

"We could try it." he said with a small smile. "If you find a duck… I could try to do the same kind of sauce."

She shrugged. "Why not? It was good."

She sat on a large boulder and he sat down next to her before taking her hand. His thumb ran on her knuckles once or twice feather-like and she knew something was bothering him. He only did that when he was trying and failing to remember something. She didn't say anything, she just waited. It was better to let him ask when he was unsure and let him decide for himself when he wasn't. Peeta was doing much better. They all were.

"Effie likes the duck." he said, a bit uncertain.

Katniss nodded. "We could cook it for her next time she comes and visits." Effie was a regular visitor in Twelve. She came and stayed a few weeks every two months, taking turns between Katniss and Peeta's house and Haymitch's. Well… Now that Peeta and Katniss were living together, she mostly stayed at Haymitch's, she said she didn't want to bother them and Katniss was glad for the privacy. Plus, her company was good for Haymitch. They fought all day long but at least he wasn't focusing all his free time on drinking like he did when she wasn't there to stop him.

"Are they…" He frowned and closed his eyes, his jaw had tensed. He was struggling to access some memory and it was painful. Katniss traced his knuckles softly, just like he had done, silently conveying that she was there if he needed her. "Haymitch and Effie are in love, real or not real?" he asked at last.

Her eyes widened and she almost fell off the boulder in the fit of laughter that followed that stupid affirmation. "Not real." she gasped, between two chuckles. "Very much not real."

Peeta didn't look convinced. He rubbed his forehead. "I'm sure… I'm quite sure they are."

Katniss shook her head. "No way. They're always at each other's throat."

"And she's always at his house even back then when she was staying with one of us." Peeta argued. "She says she comes to Twelve to check on you and me and she spends all her time with Haymitch…"

"They're sort of friends." Katniss shrugged. She didn't want to even try to define Haymitch and Effie's weird conception of friendship. Peeta and Katniss' own relationship with her was easier : she was their escort and always would be. Just like Haymitch would always be their mentor. They were both kind of surrogate parents in their own way. Effie was certainly more present in Katniss' life than her own mother at any rate…

"They're together." Peeta insisted, squeezing her hands. "I'm sure."

"And I'm sure they're not." Katniss scoffed. "Please. We're talking about Effie Trinket. Do you really think she could be interested in someone like Haymitch?"

Effie loved pretty things. Haymitch had nothing pretty to give and even though he probably could still be considered handsome in a way, he wasn't exactly what anybody would call a catch. He was a drunk, rude and outright disrespectful. Everything Effie despised in short.

"Put enough pressure on coal and you get a pearl." Peeta said softly, his eyes still a bit unfocused.

"That's not true." Katniss rolled her eyes "And Haymitch is far from being a pearl. Don't ever tell that when he can hear you or he will probably try to kill you."

"You will protect me." he replied absent-mindedly. "That's our thing, protecting each other. Real or not real?"

"Real." she smiled.

"Good." he smiled back, standing up and pulling her to her feet. "Because we're going to go and ask him."

She lost her smile pretty quickly. "What?"

"We need to settle this." Peeta explained, already starting to drag her in the direction of the Victors' Village. "It will stay in my mind otherwise."

"You want to ask Haymitch if he's in love with Effie?" Katniss asked, subtly trying to slow him down but not succeeding. "Do you have a death wish?"

"Let me do the talking." he instructed her.

She had no time to argue with that, soon they were near Haymitch's house and they followed the sound of honking to the pen where their mentor was busy throwing crumbs around. He greeted them once they were close enough but frowned when he saw Katniss slightly hanging back.

"What's wrong?" Haymitch's voice was laced with dread as if he had been expecting something to actually go wrong. Katniss couldn't blame him. The peace and freedom still seemed surreal most days.

"I can't remember something and Katniss doesn't know the answer." Peeta said.

"I know the answer." She folded her arms on her chest stubbornly. "He refuses to believe me."

Haymitch's eyes darting from him to her and back again. "What is it, boy?"

"You and Effie." Peeta was rather blunt there in Katniss' opinion.

"Me and Effie what?" Haymitch sounded a tad too defensive and that set alarm bells ringing in the girl's mind. And he was avoiding her eyes. She had always been able to read him like a book.

"Oh my god!" Katniss exclaimed in sudden realization. "You are."

"I am what?" Haymitch grunted. He picked up the bottle of liquor propped against the side of the pen and took a long swallow.

"You are in love with Effie." Peeta stated, matter-of-factly.

Haymitch chocked on his next mouthful. "Don't be ridiculous." he snarled as soon as he got his breath back.

"She's in love with you." Peeta maintained, pressing a hand against his head. "The way she looked at you… The way she looks at you now… She's in love with you, real or not real?"

Haymitch opened and closed his mouth, pleading with his eyes for Katniss to do something. He obviously didn't want to lie to Peeta when the 'real or not real' card was on the table but he also didn't want to answer the question. Katniss didn't take pity on him and only lifted her eyebrows, waiting for an explanation. She couldn't believe she had been so blind…

"That's none of your business. Go bake a cake or something." he grumbled, pushing past them to get inside his house. He slammed the door to make them understand the conversation was over.

Peeta said to her with a proud smile. "Told you."

"How did that even happen?" Katniss wondered out loud, staring at the closed door with a tinge of regret. She wasn't one for gossiping but there must have been a hell of a story there… She wanted to know.

"Effie will be back in a week or two." Peeta grinned. "I bet I can get the story out of her before you can get it out of Haymitch."

Katniss' lips twitched. She never could resist a good challenge. "Deal."