A Break

Haymitch paused at Peeta's desk, uncomfortably aware that every pair of eyes in the open office space was riveted on him, even those who were pretending to be engrossed in something else. It had been more than three years, you would think people would get over him randomly dropping by his Press Secretary's office…

"She's free?" he asked, not quite a question, more like a warning, because when the President of Panem wanted a word… Well… You were supposed to be free for him.

"Yes, Sir." Peeta nodded, distracted by the files he was moving around his desk. "Could you give her this?" He was handed a sheet of paper and then the boy turned back to whatever he had going on… "Better you than me…"

The last part was muttered and clearly not meant for his ears so Haymitch didn't comment. He slipped into Effie's office, closing the door behind him and found himself face to face with a pissed-off woman. He knew her well enough to be sure even if she didn't show any exterior signs of anger. There was a tightness around her mouth, a slight flash of annoyance in her eyes at his appearance and the way she was sitting road straight…

"Busy?" he ventured, with half a mind to turn back and go bother Katniss instead.

"Always." she replied, nodding at the paper in his hand. "Did you need something, Mr President?"

"Not really. That's from Peeta." He gave her the paper with a shrug. "Needed a five minutes break. I had a meeting with Dalton… You know, he's…"

"The new Head of the Department of Agriculture." she supplied. "Hopefully one who won't cheat on his wife with a barely legal prostitute…"

Yeah, he mused. She was in a mood.

There was a plate with muffins precariously balanced on the edge of her desk, they looked homemade and he stole one to give a sniff. Blueberry… His favorite. Hers too, coincidentally.

"How come you get good pastries and I get dry biscuits?" he scoffed, dropping on the couch in the corner of the room.

"Peeta made them." she answered. "I keep telling him he should give up politics and open a bakery."

"If he brings some every day, I'm firing Katniss and stealing him." he warned.

He barely had time to take a bite of the muffin before something big and dark dashed out from beneath her desk, jumped on the armrest, landed on the back of the couch and purposefully came to lie down with its upper body on his shoulder, its butt dangerously close to slipping off the back of the couch, its tail switching in the air back and forth…

Rascal's head butted against his cheek a few times and he turned on the purring engine.

Haymitch would have loved to believe that show of affection to be genuine but they weren't the only ones who were partial to blackberry muffins – or any sort of pastries, really – and that explained why the plate had been in such an odd place or why Rascal had been exiled under the desk, lying in wait for an opportunity…

Mice weren't his thing but muffins now… That he could hunt.

"So…" He cleared his throat, tearing another piece of muffin – leaving crumbs all over his lap and her couch – and popping it in his mouth, avoiding the swift paw that tried to accidentally catch it. "It's all good in Ten but they're having some problems in Eleven… I think I'm gonna take a quick trip there soon…"

She glanced away from her computer with a lifted eyebrow. "To check things in Eleven or to go see your friend Chaff?" she deadpanned before looking at her screen again. "You do not need an official excuse to visit a friend. Just warn Boggs first, Katniss can organize the rest."

"Don't like using Hovercraft One for personal stuff…" he grumbled. "If I add some sort of official…"

"Haymitch, you are the President." she huffed. "Nobody expects you to travel in coach."

She had a point…

Rascal head-butted his cheek again. Haymitch scratched his chin and tore another piece of muffin, more careful when he brought it to his mouth. That beast had claws and wasn't shy about using them…

"What got your panties in a twist?" he outright asked.

"Nothing." she snapped, hitting that poor keyboard with enough pent-up aggression that he was sure it would need to be replaced before the day was through.

"Fine." he sighed. "What did I do?"

Maybe he had left the toilet seat up one time too many this week… It did irritate her a lot. But it also irritated her when he left it down out of laziness and put pee everywhere so… He could never win.

"It isn't you." she growled. And yet she tossed him a glare. Ah, no… She wasn't glaring at him. She was glaring at the cat lounging on his shoulder…

He lifted his eyebrows. "Someone destroyed another pair of expensive shoes?"

He stroke Rascal under the chin like he liked best, attentive not to outlast his welcome. He didn't only have claws, he also had teeth. And right then what the cat wanted wasn't cuddles but that muffin.

"That white cat is having kittens." she declared.

Which wasn't exactly surprising given that Rascal had disappeared with her for three days and he had found them in a love nest. Haymitch even suspected their cat had actually hunted a couple of mice for her. If that wasn't a proof of love…

But Effie didn't like any mention of that white cat or of that short episode. She felt like Rascal had betrayed her, which was ridiculous on a lot of levels but he was used to her being ridiculous. He found it adorable when she was being so fixated on stupid things.

"You don't say…" he commented, discreetly feeding Rascal a little piece of pastry. The cat needed it more than he did. Rascal couldn't have had an easy morning with that piece of information brought to the light of day…

In its pleasure at finally getting a treat, Rascal's wriggling butt slid off the couch, which apparently wasn't a problem for him because he relocated it on Haymitch's other shoulder – which meant he was draped around his neck like a scarf; a heavy scarf that would insist on staying in place with sharp claws.

Just to save himself from getting mauled, he fed him another piece of muffin.

"Can you believe her owner did not even have the courtesy of warning me?" she hissed. "I found out by accident."

"Might be cause you called his cat a Jezebel on TV, had her fired from the Cat Patrol and banned from ever stepping foot again in the Mansion…" he pointed out.

"Whose side are you on?" she huffed.

"Yours, obviously." he offered quickly. He wasn't going to be denied sex over this. Again.

He finished the last of his muffin, submitting to the purring machine when Rascal decided to lick his fingers clean. Then the cat spotted the crumbs on his lap and hopped down to eat the biggest ones. If he noticed Effie was glaring at him, the General of the Cat Patrol did a superb job at appearing unbothered…

"I am thinking about suing him for half the kittens." she declared.

Good thing he had swallowed what was left of his muffin because he would have chocked on it. "What?"

"Who knows what that man will do with them…" she scoffed. "What if he gives them up to a shelter or even worse ?"

The man in question seemed like a perfectly nice guy. Only nice people got into the whole Cat Patrol thing and either procured cats or brought their own to work every day… It was an ordeal…

"Don't think you should worry about the kitties." he countered. "He's probably gonna find them good homes."

"But they are half ours." she snapped. "Rascal should sue for custody."

He opened his mouth to tell he wasn't sure there were courts for cats and then wisely closed it before she suggested the President created one. "Sweetheart… You really think we need kittens?"

"It is not a matter of needs." she objected. "It is a matter of principles. Think about poor Rascal…"

Poor Rascal didn't seem to care one way or another. He was sitting on Haymitch's lap, licking his paw, looking very happy with his fate… If experience served, he would soon lie down and start his fifth nap of the day.

"Sure looks heartbroken…" he mocked. This time, the glare was directed his way and he lifted his hands in a peace offering. "Fine. If I can convince the guy to find families you approve of for the kittens, can we not turn the Presidential Suite into a cat shelter?"

She kept glaring for a second and then sniffed disdainfully. "I suppose I can agree to that." She hit her keyboard a few times as she typed – too hard – and then scoffed again. "She did it on purpose, you know. That Jezebel just wanted the First Cat's kittens. She did not love him at all. And he was stupid enough to fall for a pretty tail…"

"And he lost his balls over it." Haymitch pointed out, a bit teasing. "I think he regrets his choices, princess… He understood you're his one great love, right, you big ugly beast?" Rascal never liked being called ugly and he stared at Haymitch, switching his tail, and very much looking like he was trying to decide what he would claw off first. It must have been Stockholm Syndrome but Haymitch felt a pang of affection for that ridiculous cat and scratched him under the chin again. The claws that had been digging in his thighs retracted. "Fuck knows why I keep you…"

But it was too fond to be genuine and he heard the soft sound Effie accidentally let out.

"The two of you are so cute." she cooed. It was the only warning he got before she lifted her phone and took a picture.

"We ain't cute." he protested. "Wasn't enough to cut his balls off, you want mine too?"

"Language." She rolled her eyes. "Fine. You are not cute. You are very sexy. Is that better?"

He smirked at her. "That's better. Wanna tell me how sexy?"

But that wasn't meant to be.

The knock on the door was purposeful and loud. "Haymitch, your next appointment's here."

That was Katniss.

At least she had stopped barging in when he and Effie were alone in a closed room… She could learn. There was hope yet.

"Come in." he called.

She opened the door but didn't come in. She stood there, looking just as pissed as always. "You're gonna be late."

"Mr President." Effie corrected like she always did, with a small frown. "Protocols, Katniss…"

Katniss rolled her eyes and turned around without answering.

"Leave her alone…" Haymitch grumbled. "I don't mind."

She had been eleven when he had met her and he had turned her into his personal assistant the moment she had reached sixteen and had been caught stealing one time too many… She was family.

"You dote on that girl." Effie remarked, not for the first time.

"Oh, and you don't dote on the boy?" he mocked.

Effie pursed her lips but granted him the point with a shrug. "Leave the cat. I want him where I can see him."

"Yeah… Ain't like he has a job or something… Right, General?" Haymitch had been thinking about doing the nice thing and take Rascal with him so he could wander out and escape the glaring but, apparently, that wasn't to be. He gave him a last scratch behind the ears. "Sorry, buddy." He lifted the cat and placed him down on the couch before hauling himself up, stepping back into the shoes of the President. "I'm gonna have Katniss send you a memo about the meeting with Danton. Ain't big news but make sure the press catches wind of it anyway… Can't hurt to show we don't care only about Five."

"Have her send it to Peeta, Mr President. He can handle it." she hummed, turning back to her computer.

"Delegating, Miss Trinket?" he asked, surprised.

"I am training him." she retorted. "As I said, he can handle it." She glanced up. "See you tonight?"

"Sure." He wanted to kiss her but the door was open and walls had ears when doors were open, so he made himself happy with a wink and a smirk. "See you, sweetheart."

The break was over…

Time to go and be President…

Rascal is under house arrest XD It seems to me like for all his protests, Haymitch does love his cat ;)