Prompt: oh dear lord please do a fic of the 'Imagine person A and person B being on a phone call and A has to go. They mean to say goodbye but they say I love you, only realizing after they hung up. The family in the next room just hears "FUCK!"' ... your tags were hilarious!

Well, F***.

Elindra pursed her lips as she fixed her tea to her liking, tuning out Lyssandra's senseless chatter about whatever party she had been to the previous night. She was usually happy enough to listen to her eldest daughter's gossip but she was also usually prone to be annoyed by her youngest daughter's behavior and that day wasn't any exception.

She had been more lenient lately, on account of Twelve's recent victory.

And who knew that would even ever happen? She had long been advising Euphemia to resign since it was obvious she would never get promoted and, after twelve years of arguments, her daughter actually went and reaped not one but two victors.

Nevertheless, it was simply bad manners to present yourself at your mother's house for tea and then excuse yourself for a professional call. Well… Elindra might have excused a professional call but a call to Twelve? They better not be expected to pay for the additional expense.

Victory Tour or not, she didn't see what urgent need Effie had to reach that drunk oaf who called himself a mentor.

She did not like the fascination her youngest daughter had for that man. She had never liked it.

"Scones, Mother?" Lyssa asked sweetly when she realized Elindra wasn't listening.

With a pang of guilt, since Lyssandra didn't deserve to suffer because of her sister's perpetual folly, she refused with a graceful wave of her hand but softened the refusal with a smile. "What were you saying about Fanny, dear?"

Lyssandra started again from the beginning and, this time, Elindra made sure to pay attention, nodding and humming in the right places. She was actually getting interested by the latest scandal surrounding Fanny Lauriss when the loudest "Fuck!" echoed from the corridor.

Lyssa gasped, shocked.

Elindra pursed her lips tighter and glared at the living-room's door.

Effie appeared there after a few seconds, pale and not at all composed.

"Do not swear under my roof, Euphemia." she scolded. "Truly, those ruffians have an awful influence on you. Where are your manners?"

"My apologies, Mother." Effie answered mechanically, dropping more than she sat on the couch next to her sister. Her fingers were shaking when she grabbed her cup of tea and Elindra wondered what that was about.

"Is everything all alright, darling?" Lyssa worried. "Are your victors well?"

"Everything is perfectly fine." Effie clearly lied. "I simply tripped on the carpet. I am afraid Mother is right, I do spend too much time with Haymitch. I must be losing my mind."

Elindra huffed but didn't offer another comment.

°O°O°O°

The words were still echoing in Haymitch's ear long after the phone had started ringing dead.

It occurred to him she had hung up and he could place his phone down now. But those words… She had been calling about the very important matter of the wedding dresses photo-shoot but she had been at her parents and it had been a short conversation. She had clearly been distracted, anxious like she always was around her mother…

And when he had told her he would call her in a few days to check up on her wedding plans…

'Alright. I have to dash now or Mother will murder me with the teapot. Goodbye. I love you.'

And she had hung up.

He didn't even know what to think or what to do or…

"Fuck." he whispered.

It was probably the only word to sum up the situation.