Hello , may i propmt ? : what about i fic where haymitch gets upset or mad cuz chaf an effie keep fighting and he tries to get them to get along

Haymitch's Choice

The clicking of her heels echoed down the corridor as she neared the Peacekeepers guard post. Effie sighed before she rang the buzzer, forcing a bright smile on her lips when the door opened with a loud noise.

Her gaze, once she was inside, went straight to the cells on the far end wall. As far as cells went she supposed those ones were comfortable, there were couches and they were clean because victors – hers in particularly – weren't the only ones who indulged in one drink too many and sponsors couldn't be kept in drunk tanks that looked like drunk tanks.

Effie wished she didn't know the difference but there were Peacekeepers stations all over the city and she had fetched Haymitch from worse places than this one. The guard post in the Center was almost convenient by comparison.

"Good evening, Willehm. Albert." she nodded to the two Peacekeepers on duty – and tried not to let herself think about what it meant that she knew most of the guards by name.

"Evening, Miss Trinket." Willehm nodded with an apologetic smile. "How was the opening?"

She had been attending the inauguration of a friend's art exhibit at a small gallery in the heart of the city and she had actually been enjoying herself for once when the phone call had come.

"I did not have time to buy anything yet." she sighed. "Although that might be a good thing. I am running out of walls to put art on." The Peacekeepers chuckled politely at her joke and she flashed them a grin. "I did model for him quite a few times though. There are some very good pictures of me."

"Then, I'm sure they're masterpieces." Albert offered and Effie smiled, allowing the man his flirting. For one because she liked the attention. And then because Peacekeepers were vowed to celibacy and that couldn't be fun, all the more so in the city. "Sorry we had to ruin your evening, Abernathy was pretty insistent we called you."

She turned her eyes to the cell again, her lips pursed, and she walked closer to the force field. It was early enough still that the only two people in there were Haymitch and Chaff. She was not even surprised. Chaff was sprawled on his back on the couch, his shortened arm tossed over his eyes, and Haymitch was sitting on the floor like a ruffian, head hanging low on his chest.

Both were probably asleep by now.

She cleared her throat. Loud.

Haymitch startled badly which triggered the same kind of reaction in his stupid friend and, soon enough, two victors were gawking at her, dazed eyes and confused expressions on their faces.

"I seem to remember requesting you behave tonight since I had personal business to attend to." she huffed, glaring at Haymitch.

"'Lo, sweetheart." he mumbled, rubbing his face. "Mind not shouting so loud?"

She spoke that little bit higher just to annoy him. "My apologies. I do hope I am not disturbing you."

"Oh, quit being such a bitch." Chaff grumbled, obviously not so thrilled with the aftermath of whatever binge they had embarked on.

"Excuse me?" she huffed, lifting her eyebrows.

"You heard me." Eleven's victor spat, shooting her a short glare.

"You do realize I have other funnier things to do than spend my night signing papers to take the two of you out of here, don't you?" she hissed. "You do realize this is all very inconvenient to me and that if I so choose…"

"Yeah, spare us the fucking speech." Chaff scoffed. "You're here. You always come. You're gonna take us out anyway so stop with the lecture and get on with the getting us out."

Chaff, she decided, wasn't so drunk. Well, he was drunk, no question, but just enough not to bother minding his tone.

Haymitch, on the other hand, had that lost look that meant he was far gone and had difficulties understanding what was going on.

She clenched her jaw and folded her arms in front of her chest, more than a little irritated. "Do you know, you are absolutely right, Chaff. I always come and I always get you out of troubles and, given the thanks I get for it, I do not think I am doing you a favor so perhaps a whole night in the drunk tank would do both of you some good."

"You ain't gonna leave us here." Eleven's victor snorted as if it was the best joke.

"And why ever not?" she challenged. She might even go back to the art gallery and enjoy the rest of her night with people who understood that there were proper places to get completely wasted and that the Training Center wasn't one of them.

"'Cause he called you for help and you can't resist that, so quit being a bitch already and get us out." Chaff mocked.

"Don't." Haymitch frowned, craning his neck up to look at his friend. "She ain't…"

"Oh, yeah, she is but you like them that way so…" Eleven's victor sighed.

Effie was a little too aware of the Peacekeepers who were pretending to mind their own business behind her.

"You are a pathetic little man." she snapped. "And I am done helping you out." She turned to Willehm. "I will only sign Haymitch out. Viola can come and collect Chaff if she feels like remembering she is his escort."

She would tell Viola her victor was in the drunk tank as a show of simple courtesy even though she didn't think the other woman would care.

Chaff' face fell. "Oh, come on, love!"

"How your nicknames change…" she hummed, signing the papers Albert brought her while the other Peacekeeper lowered the force field.

She helped Haymitch to his feet and forced his arm around her shoulders with an ease that betrayed habit. He leaned on her but less than she had feared. He wasn't exactly steady on his legs but it could easily have been worse.

"Chaff?" he mumbled when she guided him out of the tank and he noticed his fellow victor was staying behind.

"Your friend insulted me one time too many. He can find his own way back." she retorted.

That clearly didn't sit well with him because he frowned and dug his heels in the ground, refusing to follow her any longer.

"But it's Chaff." he argued.

"And?" she huffed.

"He's my best friend." he slurred.

"Which is why I tolerate an awful amount coming from him." she hissed. "But there are limits."

"But he's my best friend." Haymitch insisted.

"All good, buddy." Chaff said, flopping down on his back on the couch again. "Guess I vexed her. Must be that time of the month or something…"

Effie closed her eyes, counted to ten and then opened them again with a bright smile that wasn't all fake. She turned to Albert. "If he starts to smell or if he gets sick, please do not hesitate to hose him. I am certain his escort will be grateful for your efforts."

The Peacekeepers were trying hard not to laugh, she could tell. And why not? The three of them – occasionally four if they managed to drag Finnick in their stunts – were always causing scenes.

"You want to give me a sponge bath, I ain't against it, love." Chaff taunted. "No need to get out the big guns."

She pursed her lips and looked him over disdainfully. He didn't even have the grace to glance her way.

"Let's go." she scowled, trying to steer Haymitch toward the exit.

"But we can't." he argued. "Chaff…"

"Haymitch." she snapped, her patience running short.

"He's my best friend." he insisted.

"Well, choose: either you stay here with your best friend or you come back to the penthouse with me." she hissed. "The decision is yours."

He frowned and tightened his hold on her shoulders until he was more hugging her than leaning against her. She wasn't surprised. He was wasted and a wasted Haymitch often went hand in hand with a cuddly one.

"But I want you both…" he complained.

"Good luck with that." Chaff grumbled under his breath.

Haymitch pouted. And it shouldn't have been as endearing as it was.

"Effie's my friend." he told Eleven's victor firmly.

"If that's what you want to call it." Chaff sulked.

"Effie's my friend." Haymitch insisted. "You're my friend. You two should be friends."

Chaff lifted his head and met her eyes. One look was enough for them both to agree on one thing: they would never manage that. They tolerated each other, they often forced themselves to keep a certain amount of civility, but being friends wasn't something they would ever do. If the circumstances had been different maybe…

But Chaff wouldn't see past his prejudices and refused to go past her being an escort. The victor didn't like whatever was going between her and Haymitch and she suspected he was even a little jealous because he used to be Haymitch's number one person and now… Well… Effie had arguments that Chaff didn't and that made her rank higher in his list of priorities. In her experience, men often ranked the person who offered them sex before their best friend. It was self-preservation.

"If he apologizes I will sign him out." she relented with a sigh.

The things she did for that man…

"Sorry for calling you a bitch." Chaff muttered, hauling himself off the couch eagerly.

The apology wasn't sincere but at that point she didn't really mind. She signed the papers and guided Haymitch toward the exit again. He went along happily this time, wrapping his arm tighter around her neck and resting his head against hers as if this was a lovers' stroll instead of her keeping him on his feet. She struggled but they made it to the elevator, Chaff trailing after them with his hand and his stump in his pockets.

She counted her mercies. Usually, by that point, Eleven's victor would have been trying to fondle her.

The trip to Eleven's floor was awkward.

Haymitch was wasted and had shifted to lean against the wall, trapping her against his chest by sliding his arms around her waist. His chin was propped on her shoulder and he was studying his friend.

"I don't like when you're fighting." he said as the elevator passed the third floor.

"We are not fighting." she denied.

"You're always fighting." he grumbled. "He's my best friend."

"And I respect that." she snapped. "I am not sure the reverse is true but I respect that."

Chaff leaned against the opposite wall, arms crossed in front of his chest, staring pointedly at the grip Haymitch had on her. She flushed but she jutted her chin higher in the air, refusing to be made ashamed of what she and Haymitch had. It might be just sex, it might be more. It was none of Chaff's business.

"I like her." Haymitch declared next, almost challenging.

"I know you do." Chaff replied and left it at that. Because it was the crux of the problem, really.

"Makes me happy." he insisted.

"I bet." Eleven's victor snorted.

Effie, despite herself, relaxed against the chest at her back. It was rare to hear Haymitch say that sort of things.

"Should like her too." he rebuked.

"Don't think you'd take kindly to me liking her the same way you do, buddy." Chaff teased. "You ain't exactly the sharing type."

Effie glared at him. "Please, do not give me nightmares."

"You would enjoy it, love." Eleven's victor taunted. "You would enjoy it so bad that…"

The arms around her waist tightened.

"Mine." Haymitch warned in a growl.

"See? Not so sharing…" Chaff laughed. "It's okay. You keep her."

She could have wept in relief when the elevator stopped at Eleven's floor and she did sigh when the other victor was gone and they were on their way to the penthouse.

"He's a good man." Haymitch mumbled in her neck.

She wasn't so sure. Chaff's behavior sometimes didn't qualify as what she considered to be good, particularly when he wouldn't take no for an answer and kept trying to grope her when she told him to quit. But she knew what he had done for Haymitch and she knew just how important he was to him.

"Alright." she accepted.

"You're good too." He pressed a kiss against her neck. "Don't want to choose."

She frowned and reached behind her, coiling her hand around his nape. "We would never make you choose. I will never make you choose."

"Just did." he pointed out a little too coherently, nuzzling her shoulder, making her wonder how drunk he actually was. He sometimes acted drunker than he was, just like she played at being dumb. It was a cover, a front they put on to protect themselves from the world.

"Well, it was wrong of me and I won't do it again." she admitted.

"Promise?" he insisted.

"Yes." she swore.

And she vowed to respect that promise.