Prompt: I have a prompt request (in case it hasn't been done already). I'd love to read about how Haymitch argued with the game makers about Katniss' plastic surgery, and Haymitch and Effie dealing with the consequences of the game together before the kids woke up.

A Real Woman

Haymitch was very familiar with the white corridors of the Games Clinic for having spent enough times in there over the years. It was the first time he ended up arguing with the doctor in the corridor though.

It would have probably been easier if he had been talking to the usual doctor, the one who had been there forever – since before his Games – and who had taken care of every of his little problems ever since. He felt like he knew the guy well enough to be reasonable with him. The guy in front of him? He was young, arrogant and he was sneering down at him like…

"What is the matter?" came the familiar sing-song voice of his escort, quickly followed by the hurried click click sound of her heels on the tiles. "Haymitch, I can hear you shouting from Peeta's room!"

The rebuke was delivered in a chiding tone but the hand that she slid around his arm, nails digging into his flesh, as soon as she reached him was more of a warning.

"How's he?" he asked immediately.

"Still unconscious." She shook her head. "The doctor is monitoring him and already looking for an appropriate prosthetic… There is no infection and his fever completely broke. He will recover."

There had been no question of that.

Never ever, no matter the state they came in, a newly crowned victor had died on the operating table of the Games Clinic. The doctors and nurses knew better. The Capitol needed its pound of flesh, no matter how great the medical miracle they needed to pull.

He would know.

His free hand briefly came to press on the right side of his stomach to prevent the imaginary pain that still very much plagued him from time to time.

"Now. What is the meaning of this?" she asked pleasantly enough, with a bright smile, looking at the young doctor in front of them. "Doctor Topis. Is there a problem with Katniss' ear?"

"No, Miss Trinket…" The doctor sighed, clearly annoyed to have to repeat himself. "As I was telling your associate…"

"Victor." Effie corrected softly but with a hint or irritation that anyone with a brain would have heeded. "You were telling my victor. We should all use our proper titles, shouldn't we, Doctor?"

Her defensiveness was appreciated but unnecessary and he covered the hand that was still digging into his arm with his own, intending to convey as much. Her answer was to hook her arm through his completely as if they were about to stroll out of there and into a party.

"There is no saving that ear." the doctor retorted, gritting his teeth against the implied reminder that victors and escorts trumped Games Clinic doctors.

Effie's eyes widened in horror. "You did not cut it off…"

"Of course not." the man scoffed. "But she will experience a loss of hearing. Perhaps not complete if she is lucky but significant enough that it will an adjustment."

"She will live." Haymitch cut in, waving a dismissive hand. Katniss going deaf in one ear was the least of their problems. And he knew he sounded callous but it was the truth. He was a lot more concerned with what it would do to Peeta to wake up to a missing leg. Katniss was too stubborn not to immediately adjust. "And that's not the problem."

"Then what is the problem?" Effie insisted, a touch of warning in her voice.

He knew what she was thinking. He was the one who had told her they needed to walk on eggshells from now on and yet he was also the one who was causing a scandal in the corridor.

"He wants to pump her full of plastic." he deadpanned. "And that's happening over my dead body."

Effie immediately stood straighter, her gaze riveted to the doctor's. "I beg your pardon?"

The doctor rolled his eyes. "Pumping full of plastic… I was simply suggesting filling in the breasts a little, her rear… We could definite her cheekbones a little better too…"

"She is sixteen." Effie snapped before he could enumerate again all the things he wanted to do to that poor girl.

The doctor frowned. "Weren't you about the same age when you became a model? I seem to remember…"

"Yes." she hissed. "Everything was natural then and everything is natural now, thank you."

"Yes. I can tell." the doctor replied calmly, his eyes roaming over her in a way that made Haymitch quietly seethe. "You really should have some work done on your breasts and on your face before it is too late you know. I have a private clinic, I would be honored to…"

The man abruptly shut up when Haymitch stepped right into his face, half pushing Effie behind him in a ridiculous protective manner.

"You ain't touching her. You ain't touching Katniss. They don't fucking need it." he spat.

He was hastily pulled back by a tug on his arm. Finding himself standing next to an annoyed Effie once more, he withstood her pursed lips, narrowed eyes and tilted head without a blink. He hated it every time she talked about maybe having work done on herself – and her mother was apparently never short of suggestions.

"Well, if you do that with your eyes so much, no wonder lines are starting to appear…" the doctor hummed, nonplussed by Haymitch's reaction. He touched the skin next to his own eye, showing her. "See? A simple injection here would…"

"I do not have lines." she huffed, offended. "And this is not the point. Katniss is sixteen. She does not need plastic surgery."

"I could make her look like a real woman instead of a scrawny urchin from Twelve." the doctor said point blank.

The words chilled Haymitch to the bones.

Make her look like a woman…

He knew what that meant.

"Is that an order from the Gamemakers?" he asked, as flatly as he could.

Effie had gone equally rigid next to him and he was sure they were thinking the same thing, he was also sure they were both wondering who they would have to bribe with money or sex to keep that from happening for as long as possible.

"No. It is a personal recommendation." The doctor sighed. "She is a victor now, I assume she will want to look the part. Besides… She will want to look her best for that boy of hers, won't she?"

The question sounded genuine enough that Haymitch relaxed a fraction.

If it wasn't a request from the Gamemaker…

"No plastic surgery." he snapped. "Discussion's over."

"As Katniss' mentor says." Effie added. "No plastic surgery. She can revisit that idea when she is of age."

The doctor studied them in turn and then turned away, scoffing under his breath. Apparently their reaction was ridiculous.

Once he was sure they were alone in the corridor, he sighed and rubbed his face. She finally let go of his arm to lean against the wall, looking just as exhausted as he felt.

"You got a hold on Crane?" he asked.

She shook her head, briefly looking up to the ceiling. That was a tell she had every time she wanted to say something but was conscious of the omnipresent bugs all over the Center.

"Seneca is understandably unavailable for us." she answered, her tone just as cheerful as usual. "I am sure he is very busy organizing everything. The Crowning will be a little different this year, won't it? How exciting!"

"Sure." he said, sounding flat. Crane was avoiding her, which wasn't good on a lot of levels.

They were in trouble.

A lot of troubles.

Those berries…

Except it wasn't just the berries. It was the volunteering, the song for Rue, the bread from Eleven, people in the Districts adopting the Twelve's goodbye fingers signal as a way to pay tribute to fallen children… Never mind the fact that Katniss and Peeta basically flipped the Capitol the finger by choosing suicide over victory…

Their only hope was to convince the Gamemakers that the kids were genuinely clueless, in love… That Katniss was not a rebellious element they needed to cull, that she wasn't a danger to…

They had killed people for less than what had happened in that arena.

He would know.

Their only hope now was to make Katniss look… You did desperate things in the arena, the Gamemakers knew that, if they could convince them that Katniss was innocent and harmless outside of it… Looking like a woman wouldn't help that goal.

No more being desirable.

Now they needed her to be…

"We need…" he started but, as usual, she was ahead of him.

"I know. I will speak to Cinna." She sighed, carefully rubbing her forehead – to avoid rubbing her eyes and smudging her make-up probably.

"Good. Get some sleep after." he demanded. "I'll stay."

She shook her head. "I will be right back down. Peeta will wake up soon. I want to be there. You should keep an eye on Katniss."

Because if she freaked or caused a scene, he was the most likely one to be able to control her, she didn't say. She didn't need to.

They had developed an uncanny ability to have unvoiced conversation.

"You're sure you're up for it?" he hesitated. "He's gonna be upset. You're gonna have to break the news to him…"

"I want to do it." she cut him off. "It should be me."

He wondered if she had forgiven him for having planned all along to prioritize the girl yet. She liked the boy better and if it had been up to her…

He was glad they had gotten both back, no matter the price.

And she was too, obviously.

But he wondered if she knew just how steep the price would be.

One look was enough to confirm that, yes, she knew.

She had been playing the game too long not to know.

"Be careful." he whispered when she pushed herself off the wall with the clear intent to go find Cinna and tell him what they were aiming for.

"Isn't that my line?" She snorted like she would never have done hadn't she been so exhausted. "Do not shout on anyone else. Just send someone for me or offer them a check big enough that they will stop being a bother."

His eyebrows shot up. "Straight to bribing now, sweetheart?"

"I am too tired to keep running in circles." she complained. "Money fixes problems and I have plenty of that."

He smirked. "Money or problems?"

"Both." she deadpanned, a flicker of amusement in her eyes. It died quickly though. "I mean it. Do not shout on anyone."

"I'll try my best." he promised.

She shot him a look and then turned to leave but stopped only after three steps to look back at him. "Do I really have lines?"

She had an expressive face and she smiled and laughed a lot – fake and otherwise – of course she was starting to get lines at the corners of her eyes. He loved it.

"'Course not." he lied.

She shot him a look, clearly not believing him. "What about…"

"You look gorgeous." he assured her before she could ask about her breasts and her ass.

She hummed, unconvinced, but shook her head and started walking again. "I will be right back."

He allowed himself on moment to lean against the wall, eyes closed, and take a micro nap of one minute.

Then he pushed himself off and forced himself to go check on Katniss just in case another doctor got the idea to butcher her for their twisted idea of beauty…

I hope you liked this missing scene! Let me know your thoughts!