Prompt : I was reading this article for school about how people who have been exposed to violence for long periods of time sometimes have outbursts where they mirror this behaviour. I was wondering if you could write something where after Effie is rescued she is sometimes uncharacteristically violent. Whether it's a defence mechanism or whether she knows she's doing it or whatever, I just thought it could be an interesting fic? :)

A Punch, A Hug And A Promise

Haymitch stared at her in shock, both hands pressed against his bleeding nose, the taunt he was about to launch dead on his lips.

Effie stared back, eyes wide, equally shocked.

It wasn't that she had never hit him before. She had gotten quite a few good slaps in over the years, particularly in the first ones, but it had been a long time ago and she had never… She had never punched him.

He wasn't sure what to say.

It hadn't been a huge fight or anything like that, ever since she had showed at his doorstep with nowhere else to go and far too much emotional baggage he had been careful not to antagonize her too much. She was… fragile still. She flinched at loud noises, she panicked when she was left alone too long, she couldn't bear staying in a room where windows and doors were all closed… She had nightmares and flashbacks and panic attacks and he really didn't want to add to that.

They had been bickering about the living-room curtains but bickering was normal for them. It was how they communicated. He really hadn't seen the punch coming. And over what? His professed dislike for her taste in fabrics? Nothing new there either, was it?

He would have sneered if it hadn't been so painful. As it was he opened his mouth to tell her to go fuck herself when she burst into tears. Before he could say anything she was on him, hands tilting his head back, nudging his own away so she could take a look…

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." she kept stuttering. "I don't know… I don't know why… I'm sorry… I'm so, so sorry…"

"It's okay." he muttered eventually, gently coiling his fingers around her wrists so he could be allowed to lower his head. "I'm fine."

"You are not fine, you are bleeding." she argued, sounding on the edge of panic. "Oh my god… What did I do? What did I do? I am so sorry. I am so sorry."

He rummaged in his pocket for a handkerchief and pressed the cloth to his nose, hoping to stench the flow. He wasn't sure she hadn't broken it, truth be told, but there was more urgent than possible broken bones. Like preventing her from getting so worked up she would have a panic attack.

"Sweetheart, I'm good." he insisted, wrapping his free arm around her shoulders and tugging her into a hug. She melted against his chest and he held her tight until the trembling stopped. He snorted even though it hurt. "Nasty punch, you've got."

"I am so sorry." she whispered again. "I did not mean to. I just… I got frustrated and… Oh my god, what if I become one of those people who abuse their spouse?" She started crying again and he pressed a kiss to the side of her head, wincing a little at the pressure it put on his nose. "I am so sorry… I get so angry sometimes… I…"

"First of, I ain't your spouse so you're safe on that front." he teased. "Second… You've been through something real bad, it's normal to be angry…"

"It is no excuse to punch perfectly innocent people!" she snapped.

"Wouldn't say I'm perfectly innocent." he sighed. "It's okay. It was an accident, yeah? Won't happen again."

She was too kind for that to become a habit. It was… Maybe it was a new coping mechanism. Something she would hopefully outgrow fast.

He would be more careful next time. He would step back or catch it.

He had a feeling hitting him would hurt her more in the long run than any lasting damage she could leave on his body so he would make it never happened again. He wasn't too worried though. She didn't have a mean bone in her body.