Prompt : hi there, so i always had this sort of headcanon that since elements of the capitol are inspired by ancient rome, the citizens were probably quite liberal and open about sex and sexuality and everything. I'm pretty sure that in one of your prompts you said something about effie flirting with women? but could you maybe do a fic where haymitch and perhaps the other victors are just like WHAT?! because they just find even the concept of being so open about it so weird? i'll leave it up to you :)

AND

prompt : So, I just saw a interview with Elizabeth and she said something about thinking that Effie is pansexual and I just can't get it out of my mind.. When you have a time could you maybe do one which her sexuality comes up or something like that

The Tease

Haymitch forced himself not to frown as he listened to the very boring sponsor who was currently talking his ear off – unfortunately, he couldn't shake him off given that he had just pledged himself to give a good sum of money to Katniss – and watched his escort's antics over the Capitol's shoulder. If he didn't know better…

Effie was talking with another Capitol woman, a sponsor in a very daring red dress, who was pretty enough despite the clownish make-up. They kept laughing which wasn't such a surprising thing. No, the surprising thing was that the woman kept touching Effie's arm but they were not casual touches, they were deliberate, her fingers lingered… And Effie seemed pleased by the attention, if anything she giggled and blushed and touched right back.

By the time he finally freed himself from his talkative sponsor and declared a break was in order, Effie was still laughing with the Capitol woman. He made his way to the bar where Chaff was already sitting, a glass of whiskey in his hand.

"Found sponsors?" his friend asked. "I found some for the boy but the girl…" He made a disheartened sound. Nobody would sponsor a twelve years old.

"Yeah, some." Haymitch shrugged, not keen on revealing too much. He ordered a glass of whiskey and almost snatched it from the bartender's hand. He had remained on the right side of sobriety too long that night. Those kids would owe him, he vowed.

"You have a real shot this year." Chaff commented quietly. "That girl of yours…"

"Your boy could make it." he replied, firm enough that Chaff understood the silent request to drop the subject. He never liked being in competition with Eleven.

"So…" his friend snorted. "What's your escort doing now? Never knew she was into that…"

He glanced at Effie to find her eyeing the woman with open interest, she wasn't even playing it coy anymore.

"No idea." he grumbled.

The obvious flirting lasted for several more minutes, the time for him to finish his drink and resist the temptation of ordering another, then Effie spotted him and made her excuses with a lot of touches, laugher and what he supposed to be promises of catching up later.

She looked puzzled by the way the two victors were staring at her but she greeted Chaff politely if coolly – she never would be a big fan of his.

"Did you get us a deal?" Haymitch asked, watching her sparkling eyes. That woman had made a number of her… It made him frown.

"Oh, ages ago!" She waved his question away with a bright smile and ordered a cocktail. It gave him an excuse to ask for another glass. She studied him closely but when she saw he wasn't actually drunk she didn't comment.

"What were you doing then?" he insisted. "What took you so long?"

Effie blinked, obviously taken aback by the question. Chaff leaned in, either because he was interested in the answer or because he was interested by the cleavage her dress was displaying.

"Well… She was pretty?" she offered as if it should have been crystal clear. "Didn't you think?" She turned around to search for her friend through the crows, absent-mindedly placing the straw of her cocktail in her mouth. Haymitch watched her perfect lips close around the plastic and realized he hadn't even given the other woman more than a customary glance. He had been too busy glaring at the way she was touching his escort. "I liked her."

"You're into women, love?" Chaff asked, lowering his voice enough that nobody around them could hear.

Effie didn't bother being discreet though. She laughed her high-pitched laugh. "I'm into whoever I like. Aren't you?"

Haymitch and Chaff exchanged a glance.

"Capitol thing." Haymitch declared.

"Yeah, people wouldn't do it like that in the Districts." Chaff snorted.

"What do they do in the Districts?" she asked, curious. "Let's say a woman likes a woman or a man likes a man, wouldn't they let the other know?"

Chaff shrugged matter-of-factly. "Nope. And if they did, they would hide."

She frowned. "Why?"

"I don't know, it's just the way it is…" Eleven's victor replied.

She looked at Haymitch but he nodded. It was the same in Twelve. Homosexuals weren't shunned precisely but… It wasn't as openly accepted as in the Capitol.

"That's…. That's barbaric!" she stuttered.

It was Chaff's turn to laugh but it was deeply ironical this time. "Sure. We're the barbaric ones." He rolled his eyes and pushed himself off his stool. "I still have sponsors to find."

"Good luck." Haymitch said while Effie took the vacant stool.

Her blue eyes were staring at him a bit too insistently for his tastes. She was dying to ask him something, he could tell, but didn't know how to go about it.

"Go crazy." he sighed. "Ask away."

He had barely finished giving his permission that the question was already out. "So you never look at men?"

"I don't like men." he replied.

"How do you know?" she frowned. "If you never tried…"

He knew because men didn't send his blood boiling like some women did. He had nothing against men who liked other men, he just wasn't interested.

"Have you tried women?" he retorted, lifting an eyebrow. Stupid question given that she had just more or less answered it but…

"Now, Haymitch…" she grinned. "A lady doesn't kiss and tell."

It was funny, he thought, how porn always made the image of two women together arousing because he didn't find anything remotely exciting in imagining her with another woman. It was exactly like imagining her with another man. Disturbing.

Disturbing and annoying and maddening.

He ordered another glass grumpily.

"You're going to see this one again?" he spat. He was irritated and he didn't even know why. She could do whatever she liked with whoever she liked, it wasn't his business.

"Why?" she teased. "Do you want to join?"

He choked on his whiskey and she laughed again. She passed him a paper napkin and he dabbed at his mouth, watching her attentively.

"I'm joking, Haymitch." She rolled her eyes.

His mouth was dry suddenly, despite the whiskey.

"Good." he sneered. He wanted to tell her he wouldn't touch her with a ten-foot pole anyway but that wasn't what came out of his mouth. What came out of his mouth was a mess in the making and he didn't get where it came from. "'Cause when I finally take you to bed, sweetheart, I won't share."

Her amusement was plain.

"Finally?" she repeated. "Are you suggesting you're the one who is reluctant to have sex with the other?" Her hand fell not so accidentally on his thigh and she leaned in a little, just enough to whisper in his ear. "That's not how it works, Haymitch. I could make you do everything I want. I'm in charge."

"You wish, Princess." he chuckled.

Her fingers trailed higher and higher to the point she was flirting with indecency. He glanced around nervously but nobody was paying them any attention and she was acting so casual anyway, no one would suspect her hand was very much in an inappropriate place. He envied her poker face. She was good.

"Horny, tonight, aren't you?" he scoffed to mask his turmoil.

A teasing grin appeared on her lips and she took her hand away. He didn't know if he was relieved or disappointed.

"Is there also something wrong with women being horny in your Districts?" she asked, crossing her legs. Her dress rode high on her thigh. It was deliberate, he was sure it was.

"It's not something they would claim publicly." he shrugged.

"Twelve seems a very boring place." she sighed, capturing the straw between her lips again.

He stared. He couldn't help it.

It seemed to amuse her to no end. "Careful, Haymitch, you're drooling."

He shook his head and lowered his eyes to his own empty glass. It seemed safer somehow. "The things your tongue is doing to that straw should be illegal, sweetheart."

Just like that, the hand was back on his thigh again.

"I will make you a deal." she grinned. "If we win this year, I will show you just what my tongue can do."

He shifted on the stool. His pants were starting to get uncomfortable because of all the stupid ideas she was putting in his head.

"And if we lose?" he challenged.

He did think they could win this year. Katniss and Peeta both had their strengths, if they played it clever… But Twelve was never lucky.

The amusement left her eyes completely and her smile faltered, still she soldiered on because that was her way. She hopped from the stool and pressed a kiss to his cheek.

"I will let you comfort me." she whispered in his ear before sauntering away to charm more sponsors into giving them their money.

He snorted at her departure.

Men or women, she was a bloody tease.