Prompt: I can ask for a prompt? If so I would ask one where Chaff or Finnick lose a bet with each other and have to kiss Effie, Haymitch sees and is furious. If you do I would be very grateful, I'm a big fan of your fic's they are just perfect.

A Bet, A Slap And A Challenge

"Come on, Haymitch. Cheer up." Effie hissed through her clenched teeth, without departing from her bright smile.

Haymitch had no reason or intention of cheering up. The Seventy-first Hunger Games had been long, heavy in plot twists and, above all, it had cost him a lot more than he had intended. It was bad enough that their tributes hadn't lasted more than five minutes – one day, he would find kids who would listen to him when he told them not to run straight for the Cornucopia, one day – but the extended stay in the city wasn't agreeing with him.

He had only so much tolerance for Capitols and their quirks.

And he had been to absolutely too many parties in the last month and a half.

He let his escort steer him across the room, her arm so tightly linked with his there would have been no escaping anyway, barely succeeding in snatching a flute of champagne from a passing tray. Effie was heading straight for Flickerman and Haymitch tried to dig his heels in because that man might not have been so bad for a Capitol but he was talkative and Haymitch really wasn't in a chatty mood.

"Let's go." he pleaded for what felt like the hundredth time. He had been begging for hours. He had refused to get dressed at first, had threatened to come wearing pajamas… She had lifted an eyebrow, had narrowed her eyes and had very calmly dared him to try it, in that sweet innocent tone that meant his liquor would be her next victim if he did. He had tried to seduce his way out of it too, offering to go down on his knees and remain there the whole night if she would just relent and stay at the penthouse with him… Eventually, she had gotten fed up and had caved, telling him to stay there or go to hell for all she cared. But he couldn't stay there without her, getting her not to go to the party was the whole point. Just like he couldn't really leave her side because… "Come on, sweetheart… I'll make it worth your while. Let's go back to the penthouse…"

She shot him an annoyed look.

"I do not know what is wrong with you tonight but you are seriously getting on my nerves. Quit behaving like a child." she snapped. "And do try not to look so gloom, it is bad for business. This is a victory party not a funeral."

A flicker of regret flashed in her eyes as soon as the words were out of her mouth but he pretended he didn't see.

Capitols, he thought.

Why was he even bothering? What did he care, after all?

"Go fuck yourself." he sneered, shrugging her arm off and storming away, in the vague direction of where he hoped the bar to be.

He downed his flute of champagne, annoyed to find out there was no bar, just Avoxes with infinite trays that poured out from side doors. He was at his third when he felt a clap on his shoulder. He glared at Finnick.

The champagne had relaxed him enough that he wasn't so angry at Effie for her careless stupidity anymore. No… He was back to being irritated at his friends.

He should have warned her. Spoiled the whole thing. Even if both Finnick and Chaff had sworn him to secrecy. Even if…

"Breathe, Haymitch." Finnick chuckled. "You look like you're about to have a stroke. It's all in good fun."

"Is it?" he snarled.

He had never been blind to Four's victor's crush on his escort. It had been blatant for a few years after the boy had won. It had always been pretty much innocent because he was far too young for Effie and she wasn't the kind to abuse pretty young victors but… There had been jealousy there too. Because it wasn't to Finnick's flirting that she responded. Because even though he kept denying it and would probably keep on denying it to his last breath, the sexual tension between him and his escort was obvious. Because…

Finnick had Annie now.

But that didn't stop him from still wanting to make fun of Haymitch, Effie, and their complicated relationship.

And Haymitch couldn't help but feel the boy enjoyed enraging him when she was concerned.

It was his fault anyway. He should have put a stop to it when it had happened.

Trying to figure out who would win the Games was human. Sponsors looked at it as a sport, mentors saw it in a different way, but they all had opinions. Haymitch usually avoided watching as much as he could but the Games were so omnipresent it was difficult not to see anything. Those Games had kept on dragging and he hadn't been able to escape them, so when the discussion had arisen between Chaff and Finnick the other night, he had backed Three up. Chaff had been leaning toward One. And Finnick, against all odds, had declared Johanna Mason would come out of the arena a victor.

To which, both he and Chaff had burst out laughing because Blight's tribute… She had been crying and sniffing ever since the Reaping. She had made no lasting impression on the sponsors. She was last on the betting board. And she had only come so far in the Games by pure stroke of luck.

At least, that was what Haymitch had thought until Mason had stumbled on the pack of Careers and had put her hands on an axe. It had been like a switch being flicked off. The harmless girl had swiftly turned into a killing machine, so fast Haymitch didn't know if he was sickened or impressed. Effie had certainly been impressed with the girl's acting skills.

But he hadn't known all that at the time – and now he was wondering if Finnick had had inside sources – and when he had agreed to the ridiculous bet Finnick had offered, he had been sure the Mason was going to lose. No harm done.

You will kiss Effie at the victory party, a real kiss, with tongue, Finnick had dared Chaff before pointing a finger at Haymitch, and you won't meddle.

He had never thought…

Not in a fucking million years…

"Hey, if it really bothers you…" the kid offered.

"Why would it bother me?" he snapped. "I don't fucking care."

He could have reasoned with Chaff. Finnick was twenty… He was young enough to still play those stupid games. They were old. Chaff was forty-two, he was thirty-seven… They didn't have to humor him.

But trying to reason with Chaff about something that was supposed to be good fun would have been admitting he cared a little too much about his escort. Or what his escort did and with whom.

"Of course, you don't." Finnick grinned. "It's just a joke anyway…"

He failed to see where the humor was.

And he was ready to bet Effie wouldn't be more understanding than he was.

Four's victor nudged him and he could only watch, stomach churning, as Chaff made a beeline for his escort in the crowd. His friend didn't quite look happy with the bet either. Kissing a woman on a dare wasn't the problem, they had one plenty of that before, but kissing Effie? She wasn't his best friend's favorite person. And Chaff wasn't hers.

"You know she's going to flay him alive, yeah?" he grumbled. "And you'll be next. 'Cause she'll figure it out."

"She won't flay him alive in public." Finnick waved. "This is a joke, she'll laugh it off. I'll explain on Caesar's losing District interviews if I need to. It's fine. Have some fun."

How was he supposed to have fun when his best friend was sliding his shortened arm around his… escort's waist and grabbing her nape with his good hand? How was he supposed to have fun when he dipped her without giving her time to react, in front of everyone no less, not putting an end to the kiss even when she punched his chest?

Chaff was pushing it too far, even for show purpose, and Haymitch was seething.

When he finally consented to let her go, Chaff's laughter boomed out, triggering a few chuckles around the room.

"Lost a bet!" he declared to the room at large and the cameras that had, no doubt, not lost a second of it. Haymitch was certain he would be forced to see it on a loop for days to come. "Sorry, love. Finnick's idea."

Effie played it cool. As Finnick had predicted, she laughed it off.

The moment the crowd's attention shifted to something else though…

Haymitch watched, not sure what he was expecting… He knew she wouldn't make a scene in public. He wasn't quite expecting her to storm out though. Oh, she did it with a smile on her face and without any obvious hurry but he was very used to her storming out of rooms.

He followed her, bumping hard into Chaff on the way on purpose, not answering his friendly smile and his "Now, buddy…".

Effie was fast for someone perched on towering heels. She was almost at the elevator already.

The moment she spotted him, she glared. "You knew."

He shrugged. What else was there to do? He could have lied, sure, but they didn't lie to each other as a rule. The truth was often much more hurtful anyway.

She pressed her lips tight, not amused in the slightest. Her eyes were shiny.

"Am I a toy to be passed around to your friends for their sick enjoyment?" she hissed.

"Not my idea, sweetheart." he grumbled. "And I tried to stop you from coming, you…"

"Why didn't you stop him from putting his filthy tongue in my mouth?" she cut him off.

He heard the sound of footsteps and winced because it really wasn't the right moment for… He quickly moved out of the way when she spotted Chaff and Finnick. They weren't in public anymore.

All bets were off.

And it wouldn't be his head that would roll.

"Look, love, I'm… " Chaff started, not quite worried enough about her purposeful strides.

Eleven's victor didn't see the slap coming.

Haymitch made a face, knowing from experience it would sting for a while.

"Next time you force your tongue in my mouth, I will bite it off." she stated in her usual cheerful voice.

"Look there, Trinket…" Chaff growled dangerously, rubbing his cheek, a dark look on his face.

Effie didn't even flinch, looking regal in her anger.

"Back off." Haymitch warned, taking a not so subtle step forward.

Eleven's victor tossed him an irritated look but lifted both hand and stump in the air as a surrender, his amusement actually coming back when she turned to Finnick.

"Was this your idea?" she asked.

"It was just a joke." Finnick frowned. "Effie…"

"Oh, so you find it so funny when people forcefully kiss you without your consent that you thought it clever to impose it to someone else?" She sounded disappointed, not furious.

That had always been his own mother's favorite way of making him feel guilty.

As if on cue, Finnick looked down at his shoes.

"Harsh." Chaff scowled. "You're making a fuss over nothing. It was just a kiss… If you can't take a joke…"

"A joke would have been sending Haymitch. Or even doing it himself. Someone I would not mind kissing." she cut him off. "Sending you was not meant as a joke because he knew it would upset me."

"I didn't want to upset you." Finnick denied, looking worried. "I'm sorry, I'm really sorry… I just thought Haymitch was going to lose it and that's always fun… I didn't think you would take it badly…"

"Don't care who she kisses." he grumbled for the sake of it but the glare he sent Chaff didn't make it really convincing.

Not that anyone cared, really.

Nobody was paying him any attention, locked in their staring contest as they were.

"Why?" Chaff chuckled, sneering at Effie. "'Cause you don't like cripples kissing you, love?"

"No, because I do not like you kissing me. Or groping me for that matter." she retorted without batting an eyelash. "And I make no apologies for it. Now if you would all excuse me, I find I am not feeling well and would like to go to bed early."

And on that note, she jammed the button of the elevator.

"Effie, I'm really sorry." Finnick insisted, sounding remorseful enough that Haymitch decided he would probably let the whole thing slide. The next day. For now, he was still pissed.

"Yes, well…" she huffed. "Tomorrow is another day, isn't it?"

He sneaked in the elevator just before the doors closed, leaving his annoying friends behind.

"They're giving me shit about you." he said and, when she tossed him a look, he awkwardly buried his hands in his pockets. "You asked why I couldn't stop him. They keep nagging me to admit we're fucking each other…"

If he had openly come out and told Chaff to let it go, it would have been an admission.

Not that Chaff didn't know.

But as long as nobody had admitted to anything…

"I am still mad." she declared.

As he had known she would be.

He guessed Finnick had meant to make him jealous but, as much as he didn't like watching her make out with another guy, what angered him the most was the fact that he knew she was uncomfortable with Chaff's attentions. He was always quick to step in when his friend was drunk and put his remaining hand on places it had no business to be.

Effie hated it.

She suffered it because she was an escort and she got groped on a daily basis but she hated it.

"Fair enough." he shrugged.

She folded her arms over her chest, her blue eyes riveted to the flashing floors' numbers.

"You are going to fix me a cocktail." she informed him. "Then, I seem to remember something about you getting down on your knees… You will do that too. And you won't get anything out of it. Tonight will be for me and for me only. It will be long and pleasurable and you will do it as many times as I see fit."

She was pushing it but he figured he might have deserved it a little.

"Do I get to decide what I do on my knees or are you gonna boss me around for that too?" he snorted.

The chime let them know they were at the penthouse and she walked out without a single glance back.

"Come and find out." she challenged.

He had never been able to back down from a challenge.

That was his problem.