Prompt: Effie comforts Haymitch in District 13 about Peeta. She reminds him that he is not alone in his grief and he can talk to her too, because she may not be Katniss, but she can relate to his pain.

He Loves Him Too

Effie was leaning against the grey wall with her arms crossed in front of her chest, staring at the equally grey concrete floor and ignoring the soldier less than a foot from her just like he was resolutely ignoring her. It wasn't the first time she was stubbornly waiting outside Command because she hadn't been deemed important enough to be allowed to sit on a particular briefing.

Usually, she at least pretended to be cheerful about it but right then her temper wasn't the best and she was growing tired of the power plays of the rebellion's high ranking members. If Plutarch ordered her around like a glorified secretary one more time, she might just snap.

Perhaps if she hadn't remained trapped in a bunker for close to a week, she might have been able to play the game as expertly as she usually did but cowering under bombs only to come out and find a sea of white roses covering the ruins…

She had understood as soon as she had seen the flowers and so had Haymitch. It had taken Katniss a moment longer to get the message but… For those of them who were very used to President Snow's mind tricks, the white roses had been unambiguous enough.

Peeta.

Peeta who had looked so bad on propos lately, the make-up not quite enough to hide the bruises poking out. Peeta who had risked everything to warn them. Peeta who might already be dead by now. Peeta who deserved so much better…

The door opened abruptly and Haymitch stalked out, barely sparing her a glance. She ignored the other people spilling out, ignored Plutarch's raised hand that beckoned her to him, and followed her victor.

Haymitch was angry. She knew him so well, she would have figured it out even if he hadn't been scowling that hard. It was there in the tension between his shoulders, in the way he stood that little bit straighter, a little bit more threatening than usual… He was angry and worried.

"Where's the girl?" he asked, once they had turned enough corners that they were alone in another grey corridor.

She hoped he knew where they were going. Almost everyone was still confined to the bunkers bellow. As far as she knew, the soldiers hadn't explored all the upper levels and they didn't know which parts of the military base were entirely safe yet.

"Hiding in an air shaft." she sighed. "I tried to coax her out but she wouldn't talk to me. She might react better to you."

There was that, at least. Katniss had let him hug her… It must have meant she was ready to forgive him.

"Coin's authorized a rescue mission." he spat, still walking onward with purposeful strides she had difficulties keeping up with. "Boggs's leading it. They're taking off in thirty minutes."

"Finally!" she exclaimed, breathing out in relief. Haymitch had been on the rebels' case about a rescue mission for weeks. "That's marvelous news!" He only groaned in answer and kept on rushing forward even though she was starting to suspect he didn't have a destination in mind. He was finding it difficult to stay still since his forced sobriety. She frowned and grabbed his arm. "What is wrong? You do not think they will find Peeta?"

Her grip wasn't that strong but he stopped anyway and turned to face her, still tense. "There's still hope. I think."

He thought but he wasn't sure.

She studied him, noticing the way he was avoiding her eyes.

"What is wrong?" she insisted.

He was hiding something from her, she was certain.

He pursed her lips in irritation and then rolled his eyes, finally meeting her gaze. "It was volunteers only. Boggs dismissed me."

Dismissed not ignored and that rattled, she suspected.

Her first reaction was gratefulness and she tossed her arms around his neck before she could think twice about it.

At sixteen, he might have made the difference in this rebellion. At sixteen, he had been a Quell victor. At forty-one, he might hold his own in a bar brawl but he certainly wasn't a soldier and he didn't belong in combat situations. His strength was knives anyway and that called for close range. All the Peacekeepers had guns. If he had gone, he would have gotten himself killed.

"Don't get your knickers in a twist…" he grumbled, hugging her back. "Didn't hear what I said? They don't want me." He snorted. "Probably wise too. Can't really blame them not to want a drunk watching their backs."

"You are needed here." she argued. "You are the brain. Everyone knows that."

"I ain't the only tactician they have." he scoffed but he was a little amused.

"But you are the best one." she retorted with certainly. "And even if you weren't… Katniss needs you."

"Katniss hates me and she's got you anyway." he sighed. "Peeta needs me."

And there lied the crux of the problem. He might have been hiding it for hers and Katniss' sake but she knew he had been worrying sick about the boy. He loved him too.

She closed her eyes and pressed her forehead against his shoulder. "He does not need you to die for him. And he will need you once he is here with us. I cannot imagine…"

"Better not." Haymitch cut her off before her mind could try and picture what the last few months had been like for the boy. She had no real clue, no real frame of references, but she could perfectly well deduce it hadn't been pretty.

"Katniss does not hate you." she countered, a moment too late.

It was weird what Thirteen had done to them. Their team was off-balance without Peeta. He had always been her favorite and she was missing him fiercely but… Katniss had always been Haymitch's favorite and now the girl was seeking Effie out instead of him… Even their own old friendship felt on rocky ground, stronger somehow but also more fragile because… Down there, in Thirteen's guts, what they shared felt real. Not just an arrangement but a relationship.

"What about you?" he asked and he sounded tired.

She had said she hated him, hadn't she? In the first few hours in Thirteen, when everything had been confusing and terrifying and she hadn't had a clue what she was doing there… When she had found out Peeta hadn't been rescued… She had lashed out. She had thought they had put that to rest but… apparently not.

"Do not be ridiculous." she rebuked, loosening her grip on his neck. "And do not tempt me into saying words you won't want to hear."

He didn't let her go at once and, for a second, she wondered if he actually wanted her to say she loved him… But any hint of that had always triggered fights that lasted for days on end so…

He watched her for a minute and then licked his lips. "I need to go tell Katniss about the rescue mission."

"Alright." she smiled and tugged on the lapel of his woolen sweater. There was no fixing his clothes though. Nothing she could do would make either of them look stylish in those grey drabs. "Take care of her."

"I will." he promised. "Go check on Finnick, yeah?"

He leaned in and stole a brief kiss that almost felt out of place because it was so… domestic. She hadn't known they were doing domestic.

She nodded anyway and forced a bright cheerful smile to her lips. "In a few hours, our boy will be here and all will be well, you will see."

He smirked but it was an empty smirk. "I hope so, sweetheart. I hope so…"