Could you write one where Hayffie tries to keep their relationship secret but everyone catches them at one point being more than friends like Chaff catching them holding hands when they watched their tributes die, or Peeta catching them just holding each other one night during the Victory Tour or the Peacekeepers wondering why Effie was taken because she was an escort and one of them says it's not because of her part in the rebellion but because of her being close to Haymitch. Thanks for writing
Five Times Haymitch and Effie were oblivious and one time they weren't
1 – Chaff :
There was a thing as too much alcohol, Chaff thought, as he watched Effie Trinket's enticing ass sway right and left in front of him. He focused on that part of her body – her best in his humble opinion – and tried hard to forget the dead weight of Haymitch slumped against him or the truly eardrums piercing voice of the escort.
Chaff didn't particularly need a nagging rant about why they really shouldn't have drunk that much. He kind of was figuring it out all by himself.
His hold on Haymitch was slippery – a single arm wasn't good for helping someone walk, all the more so when the someone in question was being dragged rather than helped – fortunately Trinket finally stopped walking to look at him expectantly and he realized a second too late they already were in Haymitch's bedroom, in front of Haymitch's bed. He dropped the man without a second thought.
Haymitch fell face first on the bed with a painful grunt.
Trinket immediately clucked her tongue at him and helped the victor roll on his back. Chaff leaned against the dresser, wondering if he would manage to get back to his floor or if it was more reasonable to sleep in the penthouse. He was sure there was a free bed somewhere… His movements were uncoordinated and his lump bumped into a dirty glass that left his skin sticky. Haymitch's idea of decoration was original: bottles and glasses on every flat surface; some empty, some still full.
"Don't feel good, sweetheart." Haymitch complained. He curled on his side.
Chaff's drunken brain decided that wherever he would sleep, it wouldn't be in Haymitch's bedroom. The other victor looked like he would spend his whole night barfing.
"Suits you right for drinking so much." Trinket scolded his friend but her harsh words were in total contrast with her actions. Chaff watched with fascination as she helped him settle more comfortably on the bed, took off his shoes, his belt and his stained shirt. Then she disappeared in the bathroom and came back with an empty bucket and a glass of water, she left both by the bed. It was obviously a very practiced ritual. She brushed Haymitch's hair out of his eyes with a concerned – or displeased, Chaff wasn't positive – frown and then she tried to walk away. Haymitch grabbed her wrist before she could take more than a step.
"Stay." he mumbled.
Chaff was very sure Haymitch was oblivious to his presence. Trinket wasn't though. Her blue eyes darted from Haymitch to him and then back, her laugh was too high and too bubbly not to be fake. "Don't be silly."
Haymitch's disappointed pout made Chaff lift his eyebrows but Trinket was already ushering him away from the bedroom and to another door : a tribute's room. Or, rather, what used to be a tribute's room, Twelve had no such thing as tributes anymore. As he collapsed on the welcoming bed, Chaff couldn't help but notice that Trinket didn't offer him a bucket or take off his shoes despite the fact that he was just as hammered as Haymitch.
2- Johanna
They were all pretty smashed, Johanna mused, leaning on Finnick for support, following the trail of drunk victors back to the elevator. Haymitch was walking – or stumbling, depending on the way you wanted to look at things – up front, closely followed by Chaff and Seeder, Finnick and Johanna were closing the rear.
"Can't she shut up?" Johanna mumbled to Finnick's amusement. He was the only one who wasn't totally wasted and the only one who had escaped Trinket's little rant about proper behavior. Johanna would gladly have put her down a peg or two, maybe throw up on her shoes, but her head was throbbing something fierce and she didn't want to hear her own yelling, it would only make it worse.
"I don't think it's in her power, no." Finnick replied.
Trinket was at the very front of the line and kept glancing over her shoulder to make sure no one had wandered off and ranting all the fucking time. She was the duck and they were the ducklings. Johanna wanted to smash something, preferably her little doll-like face. Not going to happen though. She didn't fancy getting thrown in prison for assaulting an escort.
She watched as Trinket pushed the elevator calling button. Chaff tried to grope her and almost lost his only remaining arm in the process. She might have been only an escort but Trinket wasn't kidding around. She ordered them in the elevator with an imperious finger that Johanna longed to grip and break.
"Play nice, Jo." Finnick requested softly, as if he was reading her mind and because it was him asking, she refrained from physical violence.
The elevator was crowded with all of them. Haymitch leaned against the far wall, Trinket at his side like the faithful little dog she was, Seeder and Chaff turned their back on them too busy laughing at something the others weren't privy to and Finnick and Johanna squeezed past them. The youngest victor was pressed against Finnick and Chaff and she didn't like it one bit. Chaff did have a tendency to put his hand where it didn't belong, fortunately he seemed focused on whatever was amusing him and Seeder.
Although he wasn't the only one with wandering hands…
Her eyebrows shot up when she spied Haymitch discreetly fondling Trinket's ass. And the escort didn't say anything, she just glanced at him in annoyance – not even a little threat of cutting his hand off like she had done with Chaff a few minutes earlier.
Disgust churned in Johanna's stomach when she realized that Chaff's recurrent jokes about them might have been truer than she had thought. She opened her mouth, intending to let her feeling known on the subject when Finnick sneaked an arm around her shoulders and brought her closer, playing way more drunk than he was.
"Don't." he warned her, low enough that no one could hear.
"But…" she started angrily only to be interrupted by his squeezing of her shoulder. It wasn't painful exactly but it certainly was more brutal than strictly necessary.
"Whatever helps to cope, Jo." Finnick shrugged. "She helps him. Live and let live."
She huffed but she kept her tongue in check. It was disgusting and revolting that a victor could voluntarily attach himself to a Capitol citizen. All the more so when you knew Haymitch's history. The whole thing was revolting and she wanted nothing to do with that.
3 – Cinna
Cinna might have been new to the whole Hunger Games thing but he had spent his whole life watching the world around him in hope of imitating it in his art. He prided himself on his observation skills and liked to think of himself as an expert in human nature. He had requested Twelve because Katniss' heartbreaking volunteering had moved him and, if he was honest with himself, because he already sensed she could be so much more than just Twelve's tribute. The girl had no idea of the effect she could have on people but Cinna was sure that, guided on the right path, she could change the world.
Peeta was interesting too even though he had less potential than Katniss but Portia was happy to work with him and had nothing but good things to report about him, that was enough for Cinna. The boy was obviously madly in love with Katniss, it only took one look to figure it out. The children were simple to decipher.
The real mystery, Cinna mused as they were watching the recap of the Opening Ceremony, were the mentor and the escort. He knew Effie Trinket, of course, it would have been hard not to in the fashion field. She had been a model for a few years before becoming an escort and her feud with Viola, Eleven's escort, was legendary and still made the stylists unfortunate enough to have employed both at the same time cringe. His contacts with her prior to those Games had been limited however, his work was only starting to be recognized and Effie Trinket wasn't in the habit of mixing with stylists who weren't already famous except for special occasions. She had helped a friend of hers, a stylist that was totally unknown before she wore her dress to a red carpet, the next day, the woman had been acclaimed beyond measure. It had been a risk on the escort's part, she could have been mocked, criticized… That kind of seemingly uncharacteristic actions – and there had been others – was what made Cinna curious about her. He wondered if the bubbly, polite and a bit dumb escort was a mask she hid her true self behind; she certainly wouldn't have been the first in the Capitol but if she was, she was an exceptional actress, she never let her guard down.
The mentor was another source of puzzlement. Everybody knew about Haymitch Abernathy : he was a notorious drunkard, no manners to speak of and only bothered to go to parties for the liquor; the rumors were that Effie was the one doing all the work. That was the public image the media had given him and he had never made any move to correct it. Cinna had never met him before the Opening Ceremony and he had expected a brute barely able to function, he should have known better. Haymitch had won his Games by being clever and he was obviously still playing. He certainly emptied glass after glass but Cinna couldn't help but think he was acting much drunker than he actually was.
As for the rumors that Haymitch and Effie couldn't stand each other…
There had been other gossips too, a few years ago, that there was in fact an ongoing affair between them. Caesar had even brought it up in the after-Games interviews but they had dodged the questions easily enough. Twelve might lose every year but Effie and Haymitch were very skilled when it came to handle interviews. Nevertheless, this particular gossip had died down soon enough after multiple public squabbles and an especially explosive quarrel on the main square. It was silly to think they could even be friends according to most people, they hated each others' guts.
Cinna wasn't so sure.
They certainly argued a lot. He had lost count of the number of petty things they had bickered about since the start of the Opening Ceremony, some nasty names had been called – mostly on Haymitch's part, Effie was too polite to resort to name calling – but they moved together like a well-oiled machine. They anticipated every of each other's moves : Haymitch was handling Effie her notepad before she could reach for it, she was asking the Avox to bring him a glass of whiskey when he was about to, he was opening doors for her when she was too focused on reviewing her notes while walking… It was a myriad of those little instances – all in the spade of one day – that made Cinna wonder.
He watched as Haymitch paused behind the couch on his way back from the liquor cart, his grey eyes riveted on the TV. It wasn't Twelve yet but they were all busy commenting other Districts' outfits and nobody was paying any attention to Haymitch except Cinna.
It was so subtle he could have missed it.
Haymitch brought his glass to his lips, apparently fascinated by what was happening on the screen even though there was nothing special to report about Seven's tributes, while his other hand fell on Effie's shoulder. Even Portia, who was sitting next to the woman, didn't notice anything. It could have been an accident or a reflex, something Haymitch hadn't even been aware of doing. It could have been. Except the way his thumb ran up and down the back of her neck was very deliberate and instead of jerking away from the caress, Effie leaned into it. It didn't last long, a few seconds at best, then the mentor was back in his seat like nothing had happened at all.
Cinna suppressed a smile and stored the information for later use.
4 – Peeta
Peeta had forgotten his notes on the former victors in the living-room, he crept back there in the dark, careful not to make noise. Everyone had excused themselves to bed hours ago, either exhausted by the training like Katniss and him or by the sponsors chase like Effie and Haymitch, and Peeta didn't want to wake anyone up. He was also very keen on updating his notes every night with the smallest thing he could find out. Katniss didn't know he still kept tabs but he found it helpful to put everything down on paper.
The living-room door was half-open which was unusual, Peeta had never seen it anything but wide open. His hand was on the handle when he froze at the sound of voices.
"How are we supposed to get sponsors when we are shadowed by Peacekeepers every minute of the day? They aren't even trying to be discreet, I swear!"
It was Effie. Peeta frowned, she had been the first to call it a night.
"We're not." Haymitch snorted. "And we're not the only ones they're keeping their eyes on so don't get your knickers into a twist."
Peeta peeked through the gap, reluctant to interrupt them. Haymitch was keeping things from Katniss and him, he was sure of it and he wasn't above spying. Now he and Effie had secret meetings when the rest of the penthouse was sleeping? He couldn't see much but he glimpsed their reflection on the large mirror on the opposite wall. Effie was sitting on the couch and Haymitch was standing near to the liquor cart – nothing surprising there even though he had managed to stay mostly sober for the better part of the week.
"The star-crossed lovers story should still sell well enough…" Effie sighed. Peeta was shocked to see her slid a hand under her wig while she was speaking. She removed it as well as a dozen of pins and then dark blond hair tumbled on her shoulders, she tousled it without a single glance for Haymitch. Katniss would never believe this. "I don't understand why we don't have more sponsors lining up. Even Livia managed to approach more than me today and everybody knows Six doesn't have any chance."
Haymitch seemed to ponder that and then shrugged. "Most of them must have been given instructions. It's not hard to guess who they want to win, sweetheart."
"You mean Finnick." Effie mused, combing her hair distractedly with her fingers.
Finnick Odair, Peeta couldn't help an amused grin. The very guy Katniss couldn't stand… Peeta would have been in favor of an alliance if it could be arranged. He wasn't above backstabbing to make sure Katniss would win. Finnick could help them survive the first bloodbath and then…
"Yeah." Haymitch had gone back to pouring whiskey into his glass. "He's the only one of real value apart for the Careers and one of them could still win if anything happens to Finnick. The rest are too old and too washed up to be of any interest, as for our kids… Well… Think of it as spring cleaning. Away with the old and the cumbersome and in with the new."
Effie bolted on her feet so quickly Peeta was afraid of having been caught eavesdropping. She didn't come near the door however, she made a beeline for Haymitch who was turning his back on her and sneaked her arms around his waist, burying her face between his shoulder blades. Peeta had to rub his eyes to make sure he wasn't dreaming.
He wasn't.
No matter how hard he blinked, the image in the mirror remained the same. He couldn't see properly but he thought Haymitch had let go of the glass to place his hands on hers. Effie murmured something but it was too low for Peeta to hear.
"I'm not going to be in that arena, sweetheart." Haymitch sighed.
"No." she replied, pressing her cheek against his back. That was when Peeta realized she wasn't wearing her heels… He didn't know why he was surprised, he almost couldn't recognize the woman in front of him. It wasn't just the physical appearance, her whole demeanor was different. She was more relaxed, less guarded, less… uptight. "Not in that one."
"Effie." Haymitch snapped so abruptly Peeta startled. What was that about?, he wondered as Haymitch turned around in her arms.
"I just play dumb, you know." Effie whispered before Haymitch could say anything. "I think you forget sometimes…"
"No, I don't. But I think it's in your interest to become dumb, you understand me?" Haymitch brushed her hair away from her face and then stroke her cheek with so much tenderness Peeta was taken aback. He had seen Haymitch acting gentle with Katniss before or with him more rarely but the scene in front of him was a whole different thing. If Peeta hadn't known better…
"Yes." Effie rose on tiptoes and brushed her lips against his.
Peeta turned around and walked away as soon as Haymitch started responding to the kiss. It felt too much like intruding and there were things he didn't want to know or see for that matter. He wouldn't tell Katniss, he decided, some secrets belong to Haymitch and Haymitch alone.
5 – Plutarch
Plutarch didn't particularly enjoy having to hunt Haymitch down throughout District Thirteen. Fortunately, it wasn't as difficult a task as it could have been. With Katniss, Peeta and Finnick gone to the Capitol, the only place to check were Haymitch's room, the cafeteria and, of course, the hospital wing. A whole week since the rebels had retrieved Effie Trinket from her prison and Plutarch didn't even bother checking his quarters or the cafeteria anymore. Each time the victor had disappeared, they had found him on a chair next to Effie's bed, waiting for her to wake up from her comatose state.
She was starved and seriously dehydrated but otherwise as fine as could be expected. There were evidences of torture, of course, scars of badly healed wounds on her back, involuntary twitching of limbs that clued to a shock therapy of some sort… But all in all, it could have been much worse. It didn't stop Haymitch from wallowing in his guilt for leaving her behind, no matter that it had been Plutarch's idea at the time and, as Plutarch had repeatedly stated, probably the best outcome for her. He still stood by that. Coin was already planning the execution of every person once involved in the Hunger Games in any shape, way or form, him excluded. There was absolutely no guarantee Effie wouldn't have been shot on sight as soon as she had gotten out of the hovercraft to Thirteen after the Quell. It had been better to leave her, she might have suffered but at least she was still alive. For now.
Not that Plutarch thought anyone would ever be able to lay a finger on her anymore. Haymitch had put Johanna on guard duty when he was away. Plutarch had been surprised to hear the younger victor had accepted, short of anything else to do and because, as she had stated when he had ventured a question, she disliked Trinket but since she hated every Capitol citizen it meant her feelings were almost neutral as far as she was concerned. In short, she didn't wish the other woman dead. That would eventually work in Effie's favor, of course, the remaining victors could speak in her favor, bargain for her life… Plutarch had made sure Coin would be open to negotiations and that was as much as he could do, the rest was up to Haymitch.
He finally reached her room, relieved to find the door open and Haymitch next to her bed. He was about to knock when Haymitch spoke, startling him.
"They said I should talk to you." The victor let out a painful sigh and Plutarch frowned, wondering who was 'they' and what Haymitch would like to talk to him about. He opened his mouth to ask when it dawned on him that he wasn't talking to him but to the unconscious woman strapped to the bed. She was strapped as much for security measures as for her own interest or so he had been told. "I'm not good at this, talking to you…"
Plutarch wavered in place, hesitating between letting his presence known or retreating. But he couldn't leave without Haymitch, they were both needed in the war room.
"I… I miss your voice, okay?" Haymitch scowled as if Effie had just insulted him. "I miss your nagging. I hate it. I hate you. But I miss you and maybe… Maybe I don't hate you so much. Maybe you were right and it wasn't just about sex. Everything is a big mess so you need to wake up, straighten things up and help me figure it out."
Clearing his throat would have been a good way to tell Haymitch he wasn't alone anymore, Plutarch thought, ill-at-ease. But clearing his throat would also have been admitting hearing something and that wouldn't be the polite thing to do at all.
"Look at me, talking to an empty room…" Haymitch snorted dejectedly. "I'm ridiculous. It's your fault, sweetheart…" There was a long pause, a shaky intake of breath and then the victor's voice became soft, almost pleading. "I need you back."
Alright, enough was enough. It felt too much like intruding. He considered Haymitch a friend and unlike other people in this place, he didn't want to betray his trust. Plutarch knocked on the door, forcing his face to relax, and pretended he had just come around the corner.
"Here you are!" he exclaimed as Haymitch startled almost guiltily. "I've been looking all over for you. We're needed in the war room."
6 – Effie
The gathering was going better than she was expecting – despite Haymitch's claims, she refused to call "a party" a small luncheon with a little less than nine people, one of which was a child aged two. Plutarch was talking with Beetee and Annie in a corner of the living-room, little Finn running around their legs, Johanna was busy catching up with Haymitch and Katniss, and Peeta was helping Effie setting out the cupcakes she had ordered for the occasion on the coffee table. Haymitch's house was spotless for once, she was very pleased.
She left Peeta in charge of displaying the last cupcakes and made sure everyone had a flute full of champagne before glaring at Haymitch until he got the silent message and joined her in the middle of the room. He rolled his eyes and dragged his feet, of course. She was well aware he was finding the whole idea ridiculous but there was a proper way to do things and Effie would rather abide by it when she could.
She tapped her perfectly manicured nail against her flute to signal a toast and everybody stopped talking to look at them. Haymitch shuffled, obviously uncomfortable. Effie elected to ignore him.
"I wanted to thank you all for all the trouble you took to be present today." She smiled brightly at Plutarch, Beetee and Annie who were living the furthest from Twelve.
"I was forced if anyone cares." Johanna retorted from her spot on the couch.
"We don't, dear." Effie replied, without missing a beat. Haymitch snickered. "I know the invitation may have come as a surprise to some of you and, I am sure, most of you are going to be even more surprised by what I'm about to say but…" She grabbed Haymitch's hand in her own and squeezed. "We have an announcement."
"Please, tell me you're not pregnant." Johanna whined. "Panem isn't ready for that…"
Katniss shushed her. The girl was looking at their intertwined hands with wide eyes which was more the kind of reaction Effie had been expecting… No one else in the room seemed fazed at all. Well… Friends held hands, she supposed, so they probably didn't suspect anything yet.
"Spit it out, sweetheart." Haymitch sighed. "There's cake and I'm hungry."
"Always the romantic." she hissed back. "This is supposed to be our moment, couldn't you at least try and pretend to enjoy it?"
"Oh, I'm enjoying it…" he snorted.
"What's going on?" Katniss asked, clutching Peeta's hand in her own as if Effie was about to announce a catastrophe.
Effie took a deep breath and didn't try to repress the grin on her lips. "I know this is going to be a shock for all of you but… Haymitch and I have been seeing each other for a long time now, years really, and… Well... We are a couple."
She was expecting gasps, some gaping and a lot of shocked "what?", she only got a few bored blinks.
"And… What's new?" Johanna asked.
Effie opened and closed her mouth, glancing at Haymitch for help.
He was frowning. "You knew?"
Johanna rolled her eyes.
"Please!" she spat. "Between the eye-fucking, the drunk groping and you being all alpha male when she got to Thirteen, it wasn't that hard to figure out. How fucking stupid do you think I am?"
"Plenty." Effie said before she could help it. Johanna glared at her but there was nothing unusual in that. "However, I'm confused… You all knew?"
Plutarch shrugged. "As Johanna so aptly put it, Haymitch was quite the… alpha male."
"I'm still surprised he didn't piss on her to mark his territory." Johanna sneered.
"Thanks, Jo, we get the idea." Haymitch gritted his teeth. He looked annoyed for some reason. "We were always careful, how did you figured it out?"
The question was directed at Annie who smiled politely. "Finnick told me."
"Finnick knew?" Effie exclaimed, truly surprised. And there they had thought all this years that their secret was safe, that they were cleverer than the system…
"Almost every victor knew." Beetee piped in an apologetic tone. "You two were so obvious even back then…"
"By obvious he means the eye-fucking." Johanna snatched a cupcake from the plate. "You put sexual in sexual tension."
Effie blushed, suddenly mortified.
"I didn't know." Katniss objected, looking at Peeta. "Did you?"
"Well, yes." Peeta laughed as if it was unmistakable. "Why do you think Effie comes to Twelve every few weeks?"
"To supervise the reconstruction progress? She works with Plutarch!" Katniss waved at the Capitol man as a proof. "And she always stays at our house…"
"Yeah, not so much. She just sneaks back before dawn which is stupid in my opinion but she's a stupid woman, so…" Haymitch chuckled. "And you should learn to lock your doors at night."
Effie narrowed her eyes at him. "Don't antagonize the girl, you might sleep in her guest room soon enough. I wouldn't want you to be exposed to my stupidity."
"If it was contagious I would already have it, Princess." he teased.
They stared at each other for a few seconds and against her better judgment, Effie felt a small smile tugging at her lips. His eyes flickered to her mouth and lingered there.
"Please, can you not? There's a kid in the room." Johanna complained before elbowing Katniss. "That's eye-fucking by the way. It means they do naughty things behind closed doors. You might want to pay attention to what's around you sometimes." She rolled her eyes and nudged Peeta with her foot. "Seriously, how do you live with her? She's blind."
"She's cute." Peeta replied with a grin that warranted him a dark look from Katniss.
"Anyway." Effie cleared her throat to collect her thoughts that were very much in the proverbial gutter – and she didn't want Johanna to be right. "This was the first part of our announcement."
"Are you finally getting married?" Peeta asked innocently enough.
Suddenly, Katniss wasn't the only one glaring at him.
"No." Haymitch grumbled.
"It's under debate." Effie offered more politely.
"I said no, what's there to debate?" Haymitch scowled.
Her smile was a warning he knew to respect if he ever wanted to have sex again. "Do you want to tell them the next news?"
He rolled his eyes. "I don't see why we had to make such a big deal…" Her glare became more pointed and he sighed. "Effie's moving to Twelve. Permanently."
"Oh, that's great news!" Peeta exclaimed with a wide smile before coming to hug her. "It will be great to have you here."
Effie thanked him and hugged Katniss who looked as glad to hear it than the boy was. Annie came next with her own good wishes and then Plutarch. Haymitch looked particularly uncomfortable surrounded by people who were offering advices, comments and polite questions. Effie wandered to the couch where Johanna was sitting, feeding cupcakes to little Finnick and more generally making a mess.
"No reaction from you?" Effie wondered, grabbing a napkin to dab at Finn's mouth. She handed another one to Johanna whose hands were as smeared with chocolate as the toddler's were.
"Well, I'm certainly not hugging you." Johanna scoffed.
"God forbids." Effie agreed.
They looked at each other for a few seconds and then the victor shrugged. "Don't screw him up." Her eyes wandered to Haymitch who was still being assaulted by good wishes. "Don't let him screw you up either."
It was as much caring as Effie would ever get from Johanna Mason and it was honestly more than she expected. She glanced at Haymitch too, his grey eyes found hers easily, like they always did when they were in a crowded room. They softened slightly and she found herself smiling, happy and at peace. "No risk of that."