Prompt: Because I'm worried you may run out of prompts one day, here is a new one: Effie uses a new beauty product and gets an allergic reaction on her skin and totally freaks out because she can't be seen like that in the Capitol. And Haymitch has to cover for her or fetch her some medicine. And he makes fun of her and is annoyed but also secretly worried. It would make my day if you would consider writing it. Thanks !

Allergies

Haymitch hated being the responsible one.

They had a system, he and Trinket, a system that worked. She handled the sponsors, she handled the chasing after money and she handled most of his mentoring duty as well. If she was lucky and he was willing, he stuck around and helped. It worked.

Which was why he hated having to pick up the phone because it had been ringing off the hook and having to explain to an extremely annoyed old woman with loads of money why Effie had stood her up for a business brunch.

Twelve never got many sponsoring offers, they needed to keep the people who were willing to give them their money. As a consequence, he was forced to do some damage control for once. Some quick thinking and a good lie laid thick with some charm got them off the hook but as soon as he had hung up, he stormed out of the living-room and straight to her bedroom, half-angry and half-disappointed – unlike his previous escorts, he had actually trusted her to do her job instead of going shopping or partying with her friends.

He didn't bother knocking but the handle turned easily under his palm anyway. The bedroom was empty, which made him frown, although the noises coming from the bathroom soon solved that particular mystery.

"The fuck you've been doing all morning?" he spat, heading straight for the bathroom. "If you start standing up sponsors you might as well…" He abruptly stopped when he caught sight of her face in the mirror. He barely managed not to recoil in horror. "What the…"

Her face was covered with an angry rash, her eyes were puffy and swollen… She looked…

"Haymitch, I cannot make it stop."

Panicked.

She was staring at her face in the mirror, patting her skin, regularly splashing it with water… He thought she was crying too… She had clearly worked herself up into a frenzy.

He crossed the distance between them without a second thought and pulled her away from the sink, he grabbed her chin and urged her to look up. Her throat looked okay but… He brushed his knuckles against it all the same.

"You can breathe easy?" he worried.

"I look like a monster." she replied, as if it was the important point. "They will cast me out. They will…"

"You've got an allergic reaction to something." he shrugged. "Probably to that crap you put on your face…"

A face that was so much better without all that shit… But it was an endless debate he had given up on winning.

"I tried a new foundation powder." she admitted. She was shivering, he thought that was from shock. "But it was hours ago and I washed it off and the swelling won't disappear… What if it never does? What if…"

"You need to see a doctor." he cut her off.

Her puffy eyes widened and, for a second, it was almost comical.

"If you truly think, for one second, that I would show myself in public looking like this…" she hissed.

"I didn't say in public, I said a doctor." he argued. "Come on, don't be stupid. It's a bad reaction. You need meds."

She pursed her lips and the sight wasn't prettier. "Then, get them for me."

He lifted his eyebrows. "Now, why the fuck would I do that, sweetheart? It's not my problem what you…"

"As a payback for the numerous times I got you and Chaff out of trouble with Peacekeepers." she snapped. "And for the times I prevented you from drowning in your own puke."

It was his turn to purse his lips.

Presented like that…

"Fine." he said. "But if you die, it's not on me."

He thought she was glaring at him but with her eyes so puffy it was hard to say.

He went to fetch her medicine anyway – because as much as he loathed her, he didn't want her to keel over.

"You look like Frankenstein's creature." he mocked once he was back.

The swelling had gone down a bit but not much. The pills seemed to be working though, the rash was slowly fading.

"If you tell anyone about this, I will murder you." she warned.

It made him laugh.

"You can try, sweetheart. You can try."