Prompt: how about a prompt where effie is ogling someone else's body and aymitch doesn't like it cuz ?

I had no idea for day 4 so I searched through my already written prompts waiting to be published for one that would fit the argument theme. Heeeere you go! Enjoy!

Behind Ogling

"Thank you, Soldier Vals." Effie grabbed the file the young man was handing to her and flashed him a bright smile that sent him stuttering a goodbye. She pretended she didn't hear Haymitch scoffing next to her at the briefing table and leaned in just so slightly to peer a little longer at the masterpiece on display.

"Enjoying yourself?" he grumbled, low enough to not disturb President Coin's monologue.

"Quite, actually." she hummed. "You know, if there is one thing in this whole District I could get behind – pun intended – it is how well they groom their young people. Everything is firm and shaped."

"Very ladylike, sweetheart. Your mother would be proud." he taunted.

"My mother can appreciate the beauty of a perfect bottom just like I do." she retorted without missing a beat. "I only wish the uniform would be a tad tighter. It would make for a better view."

He rolled his eyes, toying with his pen distractedly. The tremors weren't too bad that day, she noticed – there were days when the simple act of picking up a pen was impossible.

"You've got nerves." he accused, a little too loud. Beetee shot them a curious look from the other side of the table and Effie hurried in flashing him an innocent smile. Haymitch must have noticed because he lowered his voice again, letting Coin prattle about whatever security measures she now wanted to implement. "You're here, ogling everyone, and you pitch a fit every time I talk to another woman."

"Patently untrue." she denied.

"Effie, yesterday, you sulked for two hours just 'cause those women came to talk to me at lunch." he snorted. "Say it's not true, I dare you."

"Well, they were hardly another woman, were they?" she huffed. "I do not mind you talking to Cressida or our dear President. I do not mind you talking to Mrs Everdeen or that housekeeper of yours." Although she was keeping an eye on Hazelle Hawthorne. The son was already trying to steal her boy's girlfriend, she didn't need the mother trying to steal her victor. "Those women, on the other hand, were clearly interested in one thing and one thing only."

"Yeah, information about Twelve's refugees' situation." he growled.

She dismissed that with a wave of her hand. They had already fought about it the previous day and she didn't fancy a repeat. In her opinion, he was naïve. Haymitch might not have been the handsome young victor who won the Quell anymore but he was handsome still and now he was also sober – and he kept on rolling his sleeves up, displaying forearms that were strong and tanned and appealing. She knew what those women saw when they looked at him even if he didn't want to believe it.

District people were cavemen. It was a primitive urge. They looked at him and saw a potential mate.

It just happened than in these matters, Effie could occasionally be a caveman – or cavewoman rather – too.

"The brunette one practically pressed her cleavage against your nose." she argued.

"She was showing me the schedule on her wrist." he scorned.

"You love brunettes." she hissed.

"Yeah, in case you didn't notice, I'm strictly into blondes lately." he snapped. "And it seems to me like there's a case of double standards here. How come you can look and flirt and I can't?"

Given that they had never even discussed the exclusivity question, this conversation seemed a little surreal. And Effie was very sure they shouldn't have been having it during a briefing. As it was, Coin was shooting them irritated glances.

And yet she found herself folding her arms in front of her chest and leaning back in her seat to cross her legs with a pout on her face. "It is different."

"How?" he challenged, lifting his eyebrows. "'Cause I don't see it."

"I know what I want." she replied. "Who I want. I can make the difference between appreciating someone's figure and wanting to sleep with them. There is looking and innocent flirting and there is… looking and purposeful flirting. "

Haymitch studied her, apparently oblivious to the fact they were drawing stares from people all around the room. She faked taking notes for a few minutes until everyone started paying attention to the rebel president again.

"What do you think I want?" he asked after a moment.

She waited so long to answer that Coin called an end to the briefing and people bolted to their feet, happy to be released. She quickly stood up and gathered her notes and files, without looking at him. "I need to get back to the shooting studio. I am helping Finnick with the victors' eulogies."

His fingers coiled around her wrist, preventing her from making her escape.

"Seriously." he insisted, slowly getting to his feet too. "What do you think I want?"

Some people had lingered in the room, others were waiting for actual war discussions to take place, Coin was talking with Plutarch, her milky grey eyes sometimes trailing their way. Effie should have already left. She wasn't welcomed in Command when it wasn't for specific briefings or discussions about their Mockingjay. The last thing she needed was for the President to start thinking she was a spy.

"I don't think you know what you want." she whispered.

He squeezed her wrist once, prompting her to shift her eyes from the files neatly piled on the table to him. There was a puzzled look on his face.

"You think I want to fuck someone else." he accused. "You think I'd enjoy that, picking up a random woman and fucking her."

"Language." she rebuked, more annoyed by the topic than by the vocabulary, truth be told. Picturing him and a stranger was making her blood boil. "Why wouldn't you? Most men would."

"I'm not most men." he spat. "You really think I want that? Awkward sex?"

"Why should it be awkward?" she frowned.

He sneered, finally letting go of her wrist. "'Cause my hands aren't steady? 'Cause they pumped me with so many fucking drugs I can barely get it up sometimes, never keeping it up? 'Cause I can't work everyone like I can work you so, you know… Jerking off and leaving them hanging is not embarrassing at all?"

Her frown deepened. "You are painting a very ghastly picture of your sex skills. I assure you it is not like that at all."

"Maybe not to you but right now it feels like that to me." he snapped. "I trust you. I know you. I wouldn't know what to do with another woman."

"Learning to know a new partner is fun, Haymitch." she argued weakly. It had always been fun to her at least but Haymitch had never had any real steady sexual relationship before her… It had all been one-night-stands and it was true teaching him how to please her had been a long and tortuous path… Perhaps it wasn't as fun to him as it was to her. And it wasn't exactly what was bothering her. "So what you are saying is that you do not want another lover because you are comfortable with me."

"Well, yeah!" He rolled his eyes. "Took you long enough to catch up, sweetheart. Thick skull, you've got there. Or maybe it's all that hairspray suffocating your brain." She did her best to hide her sadness by ducking her head and grabbing her papers but he must have seen it all the same because he nudged her chin back up. "What is it now?"

"I don't know what you mean." she answered cheerfully, forcing a bright smile on her lips and batting her eyelashes in a clueless way.

"Don't give me that bullshit." he commanded. "You don't deceive me."

She sighed and dropped the escort mask, averting her eyes. "It is nothing. I just… I never expected you to make love declarations and I always knew you simply wanted sex out of this but… I didn't think I was second best for that. I didn't think you were sleeping with me because it was easier than going with someone else. I thought you wanted me, desired me."

Haymitch had made her feel beautiful, special. He liked her without make-up and wigs… Nobody had ever requested that of her in the Capitol… And he had taken her to bed even when he hated her… Because the passion had been simply too strong, the lust too powerful… And now… Now she didn't know. How long ago had he stopped feeling the thirst for her? How long ago had it become… habits?

"Of course, I fucking want you." he growled.

"Yes, but you want them too." she argued. "I am just the easiest.. recipient."

"Recipient." he repeated flatly. "Really?" He shook his head. "Princess, there's nothing easy about you. And there's nothing wrong with being comfortable in the bedroom either, right? I know what you like, I know what you hate. Same for you. We have fun…" He shrugged. "How do you get you're second best out of that?"

"Well, because if you were comfortable with another woman you would sleep with her too." she pouted.

"Yeah, see, that's where your reasoning's flawed." he snorted. "I don't want to be comfortable with another woman."

"Oh…" she breathed out and when it dawned on her what he was actually trying to say, she brightened, a delighted smile stretching her lips. "Oh."

"And they say you're not quick on the uptake." he taunted.

"Oh, shush!" she chided him, whacking his arm. "You are terrible at this sort of confessions." Coin was giving her an open dark look now and Effie was sure she would get kicked out very soon. "I really need to go before I am thrown in jail for distracting the rebellion's strategist."

He glanced at the President and made a face. "No more ogling people's ass, Trinket."

"I shall keep to yours." she promised with a grin. "It is a great one anyway."

She departed with a spring in her step and if she gave a small and discreet smack on his butt on her way, well…

It seemed it belonged to her after all, so she couldn't be blamed.