Hayffie prompt? The train to 12 has malfunctioned so Effie and Haymitch have to hire a car. Effie has to drive because Haymitch drinks but they stop for a rest and Haymitch decides to drive whilst Effie sleeps in the back, he accidentally damages the car and they are stranded in the middle of nowhere for the night. Things get heated. Lots of Hayffie kisses I beg! :)

Stranded

"It's ridiculous." Haymitch grumbled for the hundredth time. "I can drive."

The car they had rented in Six was crammed and slow – or maybe Effie's driving was slow, it was hard to say when a snail would have been faster than them. Haymitch already regretted suggesting renting a car, he had only done so to calm Effie down. The whole trip to Four had been a bad idea in the first place but they had booked the holidays months ago – and by they, what Haymitch really meant was Effie – and the kids had said they should go, so they did after much convincing. Seven days in a resort in Four and Katniss had to choose their second day there to go in labor when she wasn't due for another two weeks.

Effie had freaked out so badly when Peeta had called them that Haymitch had been afraid she would relapse in one of her panic attacks even though it hadn't happened for years now. She had insisted they got on a train at once but the train had started malfunctioning two hours after leaving the station and it was probably a miracle it had reached Six at all. With no other trains leaving before noon the next day and no hovercraft available, Haymitch had suggested they rent a car. The open roads between the Districts were a new addition but a welcome one although they were quite deserted at the moment.

"As a matter of fact, no, you can't." Effie replied. "You consumed alcohol."

"So did you." he pointed out. They had precisely two glasses of champagne each on the train, the only amount she allowed him when they had something to celebrate.

"Perhaps, but I have an actual license which you lack." she replied, narrowing her eyes to better see the road. Night was starting to fall and they had at least five hours left to go.

"Please." he snorted. "Turn a key, steer a wheel, and push a pedal… How hard can it be?" She glanced at him, clearly annoyed. "Where are your glasses anyway? You can't be seeing shit."

"Language." She clucked her tongue in disapproval. "I dislike the glasses as you are very well aware."

"Don't go chewing my head off now, sweetheart. It's not my fault you're blind as a bat." he teased but that didn't even make her smile. He rolled his eyes. "Come on, it's only me. I don't care if you don't look your best."

That did get him a glare. "When exactly don't I look my best? If you don't like the way I look anymore, maybe we should…"

"Why are you so damn set on us fighting?" he sighed.

"Because you were the one who said nothing would go wrong with the children if we left for a few days." she finally snapped. "And look what happened! Now Katniss is having her baby and I won't even be there for her!"

"I'm pretty sure she will manage without you telling her how to do things step by step." he snorted. "She's probably relieved."

Her mouth pinched in irritation. "Everything is your fault."

"Of course it is." he mumbled. "Didn't you know? I decide when babies are born."

She didn't answer that and they went on in silence for a while. It was really late when Effie gave up and pulled over the side of the road. "It's too dark, I can't see anything."

"I will drive." Haymitch offered again.

"No, you won't." she objected. "Let me just take a short nap…"

"A nap won't miraculously cure your eyesight, you know." He tucked a wayward lock behind her ear, the rest of her curls was pinned up her head in a hasty bun. "You're straining your eyes." And all because she didn't like wearing her glasses, she was convinced it made her look old. They were both getting pretty old so Haymitch didn't understand where the problem was. In Twelve growing old was something close to a miracle, there was pride to get in silver hair, but for Effie… The lines around her eyes were a constant bother.

"I have a headache." she admitted reluctantly.

He tugged the hair tie off and combed through newly-freed strands of hair soothingly. "Katniss will be alright, sweetheart. Peeta is with her, nothing bad will happen." He very much hoped so anyway but there was no reason to be worried. Katniss' pregnancy had been easy, there wouldn't be any complication now… The dark days were behind them, life was good now even if none of them would ever forget. "Stop worrying."

"Well, you know me… Worrying is what I do best." she joked, leaning against him while he rubbed at the root of her hair. He knew exactly how to get her relaxed and before long, she was dozing off.

"Get in the back and sleep for a while." he suggested. "A few hours won't make any difference, the baby's probably born by now."

"Probably." she agreed mournfully. She was disappointed, he knew she had wanted to be there for Katniss and Peeta. "Don't do any stupid thing while I'm sleeping."

He watched as she relocated to the back and waited until he was sure she was asleep before settling behind the wheel. He hadn't technically ever driven a car but he was sure it couldn't be that difficult and he had seen plenty of people do it enough times that he knew the basics.

He turned the engine on, glanced at the rear-view mirror to check Effie was still sleeping and then they were gone. Well… after the car stalled four times which he would never mention to anybody. Haymitch had been right, driving was pretty easy and he enjoyed his hour of freedom on the road.

That was until the car stopped with a loud POP that made Effie jump in her seat. "What was that?"

"Nothing." he tried for casual. "Go back to sleep."

Her eyes narrowed at him in irritation. "Were you driving?"

"Maybe." he winced. He was sure she would banish him to the couch as soon as they were home…

She raved and ranted until they managed to find the button to lift the hood and then she stayed silent long enough for him to realize he had absolutely no knowledge whatsoever about cars engine. When he admitted as much – no choice, she was waiting for him to actually do something – she ranted some more.

"Stop lecturing me like a child!" he snapped at some point, after ignoring her voice for half an hour and staring at the engine wishing it would speak and say what was wrong. Moments like this one made him yearn for a drink.

"Then stop acting like a child." she argued. "Honestly! Who tries to drive when they don't have a license? You always do things like that, Haymitch, always. Do try to remember you are an adult now and then. I'm tired of…"

He had learned long ago, before the Hunger Games were even abolished, that there was only one thing to do when she was on that kind of angry outbursts. He kissed her hard, on the mouth, in the middle of a deserted road in the dead of night.

"Oh." she huffed when he let go of her lips in his need to breathe. "You know I hate when you do that."

"Do what?" He reached behind her to close the hood. "You hate most of what I do."

"Kiss me silent." she retorted.

He smirked, lifting his eyebrows in a mocked question. "Should I stop kissing you then, sweetheart?"

She rolled her eyes, grabbed his shirt and pulled him forward. Their lips crashed against each other.

"Thought so." he whispered in triumph.