Prompt: do you still take prompts? Could you do one where post mj haymitch has a photo of Effie in his wallet or just somewhere in his house or something and maybe Katniss or peeta see it and are like wtf? X

A Picture In A Wallet

Peeta wiped the sweat off his brow with his shirt, discarding it to the side once it was done. It was far too hot under the midday sun and the shirt was filthy anyway. He surveyed the work they had accomplished that morning when Haymitch leaned back and pressed his hands at the small of his back. The partition wall that would stand between the kitchen and the customers area was up to their hips. Haymitch hesitated and then dropped the brick still in his hand on the heap on the floor.

"Not bad." his mentor sighed.

"Yeah." Peeta smiled. "If we keep up like this, we can probably move on to the roof next week."

They were progressing slowly but surely and the bakery was slowly taking shape. It looked like barely more than a split carcass right then. They had the four outer walls but they still needed to finish the inside and there was no roof to protect them from the sun.

He checked the blueprints he had sketched while Haymitch, after a moment of hesitation, took off his dirty shirt to wipe his face too. He knew his mentor was self-conscious about the scar on his stomach but it wasn't like he hadn't seen it before and nobody would wander in at random. The whole place smelt like cold sweat, cement and dust and it wasn't really nice but Peeta was getting used to it.

"We will need to think about the plumbing too." Haymitch pointed out, stealing the plans from his hand to look them over. "Guess we can probably do most of that ourselves but it wouldn't hurt to have it checked by someone who knows what they're doing."

Peeta smiled and nodded his agreement. A few people had offered their help with the rebuilding but he didn't want to take their attention away from the more urgent housing problem. And, to be honest, he also liked the idea of doing this with his own two hands. Haymitch's help was welcomed but it didn't bother him to work alone when the older man wasn't in any… shape to do so.

"Hello?" a young voice called from what would be the bakery's entrance once they put on a door.

"Coming!" Peeta called out, his stomach suddenly rumbling. Most days, he packed some lunch or they walked back home but, sometimes, he ordered something from Sae's new restaurant on his way over. It was a small gesture to help her start.

He tossed a bottle of water to Haymitch on his way out. The man's hand shot out and he grabbed it out of the air without much grace but with precision despite the fact his attention was still on the blueprints. One day, Peeta vowed, he would manage to catch him unaware – while Haymitch was sober that was, it wasn't much fun otherwise.

The young boy Sae had hired to make take-out deliveries greeted him nervously outside, never too keen on entering the place. Tobby's mother had forbidden him to go in any of the building still in construction and since it wasn't a bad rule to follow, Peeta never insisted.

"Afternoon, Mr Mellark!" The kid flashed him a toothy smile and handed him the lunch basket. "Mrs Sae says it's wild boar in the sandwiches today. Miss Katniss killed one this morning."

"She killed a boar?" he asked, slightly worried. It seemed like a big beast to take out by herself. A little too dangerous.

"Oh, yeah!" Tobby exclaimed, stretching his arms as wide as they would go. "It was big like that."

Peeta chuckled, sensing the boy was exaggerating a lot. All the kids were fond of Katniss to her eternal puzzlement, they worshiped the ground she walked on. She kept muttering about the stupid Mockingjay role but he thought it had more to do with the fact she often came back from the woods with various huge animals slung over her not so frail shoulders.

"Wow!" he humored the kids, feeling around his pockets and coming up with a whole load of nothing. He was sure he had money in there… He always left money in his pockets in case… Remembering a particular discussion with Katniss about emptying pockets before putting clothes in the hamper – and thus making it easier for her when it was her turn to do the laundry – he groaned. "Haymitch?" he called out. "You've got any cash?"

"Wallet's in the bag." came the gruff reply from inside.

"Just a second." he asked Tobby, briefly coming back inside to find Haymitch sitting on one of the unopened bags of cement, slowly sipping his water. Peeta handed him the basket, hiding a smile when the older man jumped on one of the sandwiches as if he was starving, and rummaged around the old messenger bag Haymitch sometimes carried around when he needed to stop in town for grocery shopping. His hand clasped on the cold metal of his flask long before he found the wallet. It was an ancient frayed leather thing that was falling apart and Peeta proceeded with caution as he grabbed a few notes and walked outside to pay the kid. "Here."

Tobby thanked him, handed the change over, carefully pocketed the money and ran back in the direction of the restaurant for his next mission.

Peeta watched him go with a fond smile, knowing it was still too soon but hoping someday he could convince Katniss to have one of those. He was going to put the coins safely back in their designed area but the small zipper seemed stuck and he struggled with it, a bit afraid of breaking the whole thing. He wasn't sure if Haymitch was keeping that old thing out of sentimentality or laziness – with him, both were equally possible – and he didn't want to tell him he had been the one to tear in two what might be a family heirloom.

It was almost inevitable that he would drop the wallet.

What fell out of the torn lining and into the dust of the street now…

Peeta stared at the pictures for a few seconds before picking them up along with the wallet, tossing a guilty glance over his shoulder. The oldest one was yellow and grainy, one corner was burned and it was difficult to really make out the faces but he knew he was looking at Haymitch's family. He just knew. His mother, his brother and a much younger Haymitch.

The second one was a Polaroid that seemed to have seen better days. It had been crumpled at one point and then carefully flattened out but it was damaged.

The only time Peeta had seen Effie without her wig and make-up had been in the Capitol's belly and his memories from that period were hazy to say the least but he recognized her without a single moment of hesitation. And it threw him. Because the woman on that picture was younger and completely carefree. Also visibly very naked but anything that could have made him uncomfortable was hidden from view.

On the picture, Haymitch's broad arm was wrapped across her chest, over her breasts. It seemed he was trying to pull her back or maybe to catch the camera she was visibly holding. She was laughing, her free hand coiled around Haymitch's elbow. Haymitch was naked too – or at least Peeta assumed so given that the shot mercifully cut above their waistlines – and while he was scowling, there was also a smile tugging at his lips.

Peeta wasn't sure how old Haymitch was on there. He would have said mid-thirties but it was hard to tell. The war had aged their mentor. Sometimes, he mused that the Quell's victor looked fifty instead of forty-two.

"You're coming or what?" Haymitch called from inside. "It's too hot to eat outside, boy."

Peeta startled, feeling embarrassed and guilty even if it had been an accident. The picture was obviously a cherished one and it was such an intimate moment… He put everything back in place and stopped trying to make the coins fit.

He walked back in the bakery with an apologetic shrug and handed wallet and change over. "Sorry, I can't make it work."

Haymitch rolled his eyes and placed his sandwich down – half of it was gone already. He manipulated the wallet with the ease of habit, making the recalcitrant zipper behave. The wallet was placed in his pocket and he picked his food back up, lifting an inquisitive eyebrow when Peeta simply stood there.

"It's not rat if that's what's keeping you from the food." Haymitch offered.

He forced a smile and picked up his sandwich, sitting on another bag of cement. It wasn't the most comfortable seat but it would do.

"Katniss caught a boar." he informed him.

"Nice." his mentor smirked.

They ate mostly in silence. At least until Peeta couldn't keep it in anymore.

"Have you heard from Effie?" he blurted out.

The bottle of water froze midway to Haymitch's lips and was slowly placed back down.

"Not really." the older man answered too calmly.

Grey eyes darted to the bag where the flask was and Peeta awkwardly cleared his throat. "She hasn't called us in a while."

"She's fine." Haymitch dismissed. "Probably busy partying. You know how she gets."

"How do you know that she's fine if you haven't heard from her?" he insisted.

His mentor was studying him now. "Any reason you're so interested in Effie suddenly?"

There was a hint of suspicion in Haymitch's voice that had Peeta wincing. "No, it's just… I guess I was just wondering if you kept in touch."

"We're hardly best friends." Haymitch scoffed. "Can't say I expect her to call me every two days for some gossip session, Peeta."

"But you were close." he insisted. He hadn't needed to see the picture to know that. There were looks and private jokes that had made him feel like they enjoyed arguing too much for it to be genuine dislike. They butted heads. That was how they worked but when it came down to it… Haymitch and Effie were a formidable team. "I mean…"

"What do you mean, boy?" Haymitch cut him off, a warning growl in his voice.

Peeta inspected his sandwich more closely than necessary. "Were you and Effie…"

"None of your business, is it?" his mentor snapped, tossing what was left of his food back in the basket and hauling himself up. Peeta couldn't say he was surprised when Haymitch grabbed his bag and pulled out the flask. He seemed to freeze for a second, his thumb stroking the engraving on the side, and then he took a long mouthful before glaring back at Peeta. "You've been snooping."

He flinched at the accusation and winced. "Pictures fell from your wallet. I didn't mean to look."

Haymitch's hand flew to his pocket where he had placed the wallet, his face grim. "That was a long time ago."

"But you still carry the picture." he pointed out. "So it must mean something." Haymitch looked away, his jaw clenched. "Are you and Effie still…"

"No." his mentor spat. "Now, drop it, kid."

"But…" he pressed. "Haymitch, if you still feel something for her…"

"Never said anything about feeling for her, did I?" Haymitch snarled.

"You're carrying her picture." Peeta rolled his eyes. "You don't need to."

"I'm telling you. Drop it. Now." the older man growled and Peeta lifted both hands in a peace offering. Haymitch took a few more sips of liquor but it didn't seem enough to assuage his anger. "Don't go and talk to anyone about this either."

"Who do you want me to tell?" he snorted. "And anyway… It's not like… It's not like before, you know. Nobody will care."

"I care." Haymitch hissed, snatching his shirt from the ground and slipping it back on.

"I don't think she's doing as well as she says she does." Peeta stated firmly.

It wasn't something he had felt he could say before because it was a small betrayal toward Effie. But it had been nagging at him for some time now. She called now and then, never very regularly, and she regaled them with stories of parties and her fabulous new job and her huge brand new apartment… Katniss always ended up rolling her eyes and leaving him alone to listen to her prattle. He did listen. That was how he had noticed she was trying too hard to convince them. He didn't believe her and it made him wonder what it was really like for her in the Capitol.

Haymitch paused, the bag's strap over his head. He finished shouldering it slowly, clearly debating something. In the end, his mentor sighed. "Plutarch is keeping an eye on her for me. If it becomes… problematic, he will tell me."

"Have you tried to call her?" he frowned.

"She doesn't want to talk to me, boy. She made that very clear." Haymitch scoffed. "She wants her space. Works for me."

"Maybe she wants to talk to you again and she doesn't know how to go about it." he offered. "She always asks about you when she calls."

Haymitch shook his head. "She's done with me, Peeta. Given what happened to her… I can't blame her. Drop this. Please."

It was shocking to hear Haymitch say please. Peeta couldn't remember him ever using that word.

It was the only reason he let his mentor go without putting more of a fight.

He didn't think Haymitch was angry, not really, but the man didn't like it when it became personal and it was clear that Effie Trinket very much counted as a personal subject.

He finished his sandwich and then went back to work but he stopped after another single row of bricks. His heart wasn't in it.

It didn't take him long to gather his things and trek back to the Village. The honking from Haymitch's house was a familiar greeting sound by now but the geese's owner was nowhere to be seen. Peeta toyed with the idea of seeking him out to apologize but he was pretty sure Haymitch would be in one of those moods that were only solved by a hard binge. Nothing he would say or do by that point would be appreciated.

He hurried back to his house instead, smiling when Katniss' head shot out of the kitchen.

"It's early." she commented. "I thought you would be a while longer."

"I didn't really feel like it." he shrugged, stealing a kiss on his way to the stairs. "I really need a shower."

"I wasn't going to say anything." she teased, making a show of wrinkling her nose.

It was a whole hour before he lifted the phone from its cradle, ignoring Katniss' questioning look. He dialed the number, his eyes darting all over the room. His girlfriend had been working on her remembrance book, carefully copying something from a letter Annie had sent about Finnick, but was now studying him with a small frown.

"Are you calling Doctor Aurelius?" she hesitated. "I can go in the living-room if you want some privacy."

"It's not Doctor Aurelius." he answered right before the ringing finally stopped as someone picked up at the other end of the country. "Effie?" he asked when there was nothing but silence.

"Oh, Peeta!" she exclaimed with her usual cheer and what he thought to be relief. "How good to hear from you, dear! What a surprise!"

It was difficult to say for sure because she had always been over the top, ridiculously over the top, but he didn't think he imagined the edge in her voice, the strain. He indulged her in some small talk, listening to all her fabulous days in the city and sharing the progress of the bakery's rebuilding… Katniss had long stopped listening to the discussion, focusing back on her book.

"I was calling for a reason, actually, Effie…" he said when there was a lull in the conversation. "I was wondering… I could use some advice. It will be finished soon and I was thinking I should do something special for the reopening…"

Katniss glanced up at that but she must have thought it was a reasonable explanation because she didn't ask any question.

"Oh, you definitely should!" Effie agreed with what he guessed to be real enthusiasm. "I think you should have a tasting. Free samples, perhaps a small party… Something to show your future customers what you would offer and to get to know them."

"Yeah, that sounds good. I knew you would know what to do. You always do." he agreed.

"Now, you are trying to flatter me, dear." she laughed.

"Maybe." he grinned. "Because I have no idea how to organize something like that and you're an expert."

"Peeta…" she hesitated.

"I know you're very busy and everything but… Maybe you could take a vacation?" he cut her off. "We would love to see you. We all miss you. Haymitch was just telling me today how much he would like it if you could come."

There was a sharp intake of breath at the other end of the line that matched almost perfectly the way Katniss' head shot up. He made a face and waved his hand to indicate he would explain later. She didn't look reassured in any way.

"Did he?" Effie asked uncertainly.

"Oh, yeah…" he confirmed, praying he wasn't laying it too thick. "I think he really misses you."

"I very much doubt that, Peeta." she denied.

He hesitated. Haymitch would kill him. He would kill him.

But maybe if something good came out of this whole thing he would be too grateful and forget to?

"I was surprised too." he offered with uncertainty. "Did you know he kept a picture of you in his wallet? That's how we came to think about you to organize the reopening actually."

"You are mistaken." she insisted. "He doesn't have a picture of me."

"Oh, he does." he winced. "I wasn't really meant to see it, I think. You're not really… Well, it's obvious it's a private picture." He could pinpoint the exact second she realized which picture it must be. "I didn't really look, honestly. But it was you. I'm sure. And… Honestly, Effie, I think he wants to call you but he thinks you won't want to talk to him. He even said if you wanted to come to Twelve for a bit, you could stay with him…" Only silence greeted him at the other end of the line. Katniss was gesturing wildly, probably trying to tell him he was crazy. "Or you could stay with us, of course. Whatever you like best."

"He keeps that picture in his wallet?" she asked after a whole minute.

"With the one of his family." he confirmed soberly.

He heard her lick her lips. "I will… I will think about it."

"That's all I ask." he promised.

They didn't linger long after that. They said their goodbyes and then he was faced with a very wide-eyed Katniss.

"Have you completely lost your mind?" she hissed.

He sighed and explained everything.

She still wasn't convinced.

Haymitch reappeared at dinner, not as wasted as Peeta had feared but very much drunk. They all walked on eggshells and ignored the elephant in the room. Their mentor looked sad, not angry, and Peeta and Katniss kept exchanging glances behind his back. Katniss' gaze was accusative.

Peeta hoped he hadn't made a mistake.

His fears were put to rest the next morning, long after Katniss had left to the woods for her daily hunt, as he was about to leave to work on the bakery.

A woman was making her way up the Village's street, struggling with her suitcase. He recognized Effie at her bearings alone. She was wearing a yellow summer dress, her hair was loose on her shoulders in wild curls and she looked tired. She must have hopped on a train the previous afternoon.

He lifted a hand in greeting, ready to go help her, but the words died on his lips when he realized where she was headed. He really should have said something but he followed a little behind her instead and watched when she stopped in front of Haymitch's front door, nervously running her hands on the fabric of her dress to smooth it before knocking.

It was a couple of minutes and a few rounds of knocking before the door was torn open and Haymitch appeared, a dark scowl on his features.

It was almost comical how fast the scowl faded when he realized who was standing there.

Peeta was too far to hear what was said. He heard the echo of Effie's nervous laughter as she explained what she was doing there but that was it. Haymitch's lack of reaction seemed to make her flustered and after a whole minute of him doing nothing, she nodded as if to herself, her expression closing off, and she turned away, her hand grabbing the handle of her suitcase.

Haymitch's own hand shot out to cover hers.

She turned to him once more, her face an open question…

Peeta wasn't sure what he was expecting…

But the way Haymitch embraced her was explicit enough in his opinion. He watched his mentor bury his face in her neck, watched the desperate way they clung to each other…

And he decided it was the right choice after all.