Prompt: Could you please write a shot based on the shower scene from colony that you reposted!

Of Bugs, Showers & Pretending

Haymitch sat at the small table in the compartment Thirteen had allotted him, turning a pen between his shaky fingers. His eyes kept darting to the lamp in the corner where he knew the bug to be.

He hadn't been looking for listening devices and, clearly, Coin's men hadn't made a huge effort to hide it. He had accidentally knocked it off while cursing the lack of space and it had fallen down almost right into his hand. He had put everything back after a moment of dwelling between thrusting the proof under the President's nose and pretending not to know.

Confronting Coin would bring him nothing but probable denial and fishy explanations.

Pretending not to know… It would give him an edge.

He rubbed his face, feeling the headache starting to throb at the back of his head. Sometimes he thought if he could get a glass of liquor the whole rebellion would be a lot damn easier.

He wasn't exactly surprised. He wouldn't even be surprised to find out every compartment was bugged. Thirteen couldn't afford dissent or spies. But this District had been supposed to be a safe place, their haven in the storm and…

The door was slid open and closed just enough for Effie to slip through the crack. Given the scowl on her bare face, he supposed she hadn't had a better day than his.

"This woman is impossible." she hissed without another form of greeting. "I do not know who elected her but let me tell you she makes a ridiculous president. Why, if we manage to win this war I am not certain how long she will remain in… What are you doing?"

Her sentence ended in a screech when he pinned her to the wall. She gave in to the kiss easily enough but seemed a little surprise by the violence of it.

That was another thing he was angry about. They had let themselves slip. Not only regarding the nature of their relationship but also in what they said out loud. Neither of them would have been stupid enough to discuss politics in the penthouse or in her apartment but, there they were, spending hours criticizing Coin and Thirteen and sharing their wariness about the President's plans for the kids indoors… They had been stupid. They had let themselves think they were safe when really…

"I need a shower." he mumbled against her lips. "And you."

"I already spent my allotted five minutes of hot water this morning." she complained. "And there is no way we can do anything in that shower. Certainly not within your five minutes timeframe."

"I want you, Effie." he insisted firmly, in a tone that brought no contradiction. "Now."

It was the use of her name that truly got to her. They exchanged a long stare and she giggled, kissing him again, almost pushing him toward the bathroom, her hands already unbuttoning his shirt.

"I love when you are this passionate." she purred in a sexy tone that had nothing to do with her usual seducing voice.

He relaxed when he realized she had picked up on what he was trying to do and he followed her lead, tugging at the too big uniform she had on. After all, showering together to have a private conversation was nothing new. "You get me hot."

"Do I?" she grinned. "I better do something about it, then."

They were down to their underwear by the time they reached the bathroom. It was a very small room, barely larger than a cupboard in which a toilet, a sink and a shower were crammed. If it could be called a shower. It was only delimitated by the square of white tiles on the floor and water tended to spill everywhere in the small room. The plumbing wasn't great either, just a faucet on the upper wall and no hot and warm tap, just a button to start the water and a scan to pass your wrist under when you wanted your five minutes of allotted hot water.

She didn't bother suggesting he put his wrist under the scan. She took off her bra and her panties and turned around. The bathroom was so small that he only had to take a step to push her against the wall. He wasn't sure which one of them hit the button but soon freezing water was pouring down on them in a cacophony that should cover most of the noises they would make.

The cold water wasn't exactly helping him get in the mood but he still went on with the necessary act, touching her, making her moan – she was always loud but this was obviously fake. Eventually, his mouth roamed from her collarbone to her jaw. He sucked on her earlobe and, then, while she made indecent sounds that really were over the top given that they were both shivering and his hand wasn't that deft between her legs, he brought his lips to her ear.

"I found a bug." he murmured. "Don't know how many more. Don't know if they are watching too. We can't say anything in there anymore."

"Oh, Haymitch!" she cried out as if she was actually getting close. He felt himself twitch despite how not real it was. She kissed him hard, her fingers tangling in his hair to pull his head back. She licked the water off his throat, retracing the path up his jaw to his ear… Her voice was controlled when she talked barely over a whisper. "Why?"

He picked her up and held her against the wall, pretending to pound into her even though he was barely half hard. He hoped there weren't cameras but he couldn't be sure. And if he couldn't be sure, he would rather be safe than sorry.

She let out small increasingly loud moans and buried her face in his neck. Her damp hair stuck to his shoulder.

"Not sure." he answered. "Might be about you, might be about me. Guess Coin doesn't trust us. We put the kids first, she knows that." He nuzzled her hair a little. "Might also be a general thing and I'm paranoid."

She snorted at that but quickly covered it with a loud moan.

"What do we do?" she whispered. "Do we warn Katniss?"

Warning Peeta wouldn't be useful given how far gone the boy was. Finnick, now… But Finnick was being a good little soldier and so was Johanna to some extent. They were both committed.

Haymitch was the one openly criticizing some decisions and challenging the President. He was the one who had insisted on bringing along an escort and who was now fucking her – and he had no doubt that if he hadn't made it clear she was out of bounds, Effie would have had a much harder time in Thirteen. He was the one controlling the Mockingjay – as much as Katniss could be controlled anyway.

"No." he said eventually. It would only make it worse. The girl wasn't overly impressed with the rebels as it was and he didn't want to tilt the balance. She was reckless and if she did something stupid like trying to go off on her own… "We play exactly like we used to. Assume someone's always listening or watching." He felt her nod slightly. "Good now finish this 'cause I'm freezing my ass off."

"You and me both." she grumbled before letting out a sharp cry that, he supposed, could have convinced someone who hadn't heard her getting off for years. He added a groan for good measure and let her down, feeling around for the button. Effie had already wrapped herself in a towel by the time he turned around. Her teeth were shattering. "I just love that sort of welcome home." she grinned, her eyes bright and her tone cheerful.

He didn't like dealing with her escort persona. She had left that behind a little when she had been forced to abandon her dresses and her wigs. She still hid behind her masks but she also tended to be a little more caustic and smarter than people expected her to. He knew Plutarch had picked up on the difference between the public image she had given all her life and the obviously clever woman who had been helping him with propos and Katniss management.

"Home sweet home." he replied sarcastically.

She pursed her lips at him and twisted the damp towel around her hair, giving a longing glance to the hairdryer that was attached to the wall. There was no way to use it for now without risking electrocution.

"May I borrow your sweater?" she asked, moving back to the main part of the compartment, naked as the day she was born. He had a second of panic because he didn't remember if the curtains were drawn or not – and why they needed a plastic window giving on the corridor was anyone's guess, it made him feel like a fish in a tank.

He hurried after her, relieved to find the curtains were drawn, and absolutely not surprised to see her rummaging in the heap of clothes he couldn't be bothered to fold or put away properly. She picked out the clean from the dirty and ended up wearing a pair of boxers that were too loose on her hips and one of his grey long-sleeves undershirts. His sweater had been tossed on a chair and it wasn't long before she had grabbed that too and wrapped it around her shoulders like a shawl. Then she curled up on one of the chairs, looking a little miserable. Like a drowned rat. Not that he would make this comparison out loud.

He tossed balled socks at her before getting dressed too, unable to bear the chill in the room. She didn't even try to tell him it wouldn't look pretty, she pulled them up as far up her calves as they would go.

"Shall we skip dinner and go to bed?" she suggested.

He checked the clock and then his schedule before glancing at the communicuff he had tossed on the table earlier. It had been quiet for too long as it was. He was ready to bet it wouldn't be long before it went off.

"You're cranky when you don't get anything to eat." he remarked. "I ain't spending the whole night listening to you tossing and turning because your stomach's growling."

She made a face at him and wriggled her socked clad toes, averting her eyes. "Perhaps I should spent my nights in my own compartment from now on. I would not dream of keeping you up with my tossing and turning."

Her tone was light but he understood the offer for what it was: a question about the status quo. They hadn't really been hiding in Thirteen. They didn't flaunt it but he was pretty sure everyone with eyes knew they had something going on. The number of times Plutarch had come to fetch him in the early hours of morning and had found Effie sauntering around his compartment alone…

When it had been the Capitol breathing down their neck, hiding and denying had been the safest thing but now… It depended on who was under observation there. If it was just Effie… It if was her they were watching then she was safer as his… whatever because nobody would touch a victor's whatever. If it was him, then it was business as usual and it would be safer for them both to keep her at arm lengths. The same went if it was about both of them.

Was it worth it to take a step back now though? As it was, Thirteen had months of proof that they had a relationship. Sure, they had talked and joked about its casual nature often enough in either of their rooms but lately it had been all it was: talks and jokes. They had fought about how jealous she was of the refugees she perceived to be trying to seduce him. He had told her as plainly as he was able that she was the only one he was interested in. They crawled in bed together without having sex first. He had never worded it but his feelings… His feelings were obvious, he figured. And if it had already terrified him before, at least he had thought in there they had some sort of leeway. And now… Well…

"Nah, I need you to keep me warm." he denied after a second of hesitation.

She looked back at him, lifting an eyebrow because she was certainly not keeping him warm at night. She was always cold and her feet were always like two blocks of ice.

"Well, we cannot have you getting cold." she hummed, fighting off a smile.

"No, we can't." he snorted, tugging the black beanie low on his forehead over his wet hair only to see her purse her lips in distaste at the hat.

She was so busy glaring at it, she didn't see his approach.

She wasn't really reluctant to respond to his kiss though.