Prompt: Hi ellana, if ur still taking prompts, how about one where effie had to act as 4's escort, bc 4's escort was suddenly out of commission or something and the games were understaffed n 12's tribute was dead anyway so effie didnt have anything to do n she agreed anyway bc its finnick but haymitch isnt taking it very well sharing effie with someone else. Love ur writing 😄😄😄

The Temporary Arrangement

Haymitch was scowling and Chaff's knowing smirk wasn't helping matters. He poured himself another glass and tried not to look in the direction of the dancefloor where Effie was twirling under a sponsor's arm. Finnick was dancing with the man's wife right next to them with a grin on his lips and a seductive glint in his eyes.

He had seen them repeat that particular act twice that night already. At the end of the dance, Finnick would direct the sponsors toward Mags, who kept sponsoring papers on her at all time, the Capitols would sign them and Effie would hurry to the Gamemakers' office to file them in while Finnick went back to being bait all on his own. And when she would come back, she would go right out there with him and be bait too.

And, at the end of the night, she would go back to Four's floor, like she had done for the two previous days and Haymitch would go up to the penthouse alone and wonder why he was still in the city when it would have been so much easier to get on a train for Twelve.

And all that because Amelia Darnes, Four's official escort, had stupidly broken her ankle stepping out of the train before the parade and Twelve had been the only District entirely out of the Games after the bloodbath. Crane had temporarily reassigned her.

The temporary aspect had been stressed to him several times: when Effie had told him, when he had barged into the Head Gamemaker's office to complain, when Finnick had gifted him with a very expensive bottle of whiskey as an apology… It didn't make it any reassuring. Escorts just didn't go up the Districts chain only to go backwards when the Games were done.

The press was all over this already, predicting she would stay in Four afterwards, that she had been overdue for a promotion anyway, that nine years in one District was five year too long… They kept pushing mic under his nose and asking him what he thought about a possible new escort, if he was happy for his former one…

She wasn't his fucking former escort. She was still his.

He was so busy not looking at the dance floor that he missed the end of the dance and the successful steering of the sponsors toward Mags.

He also missed Effie's approach and he startled a little when she perched on the armrest of his armchair like she was in a habit to do at parties. He didn't glance toward her long legs and didn't let himself think that the light pink color of the lacy dress looked good on her – nor that he would like to take it off her.

"I am exhausted!" she exclaimed, stealing the glass directly from his hand to take a sip. She made a face at the whiskey but didn't hand it back. "My feet hurt from all the dancing."

She pouted at him and he might have felt a tinge of something if she hadn't chosen to be out there dancing.

"Complain to your victor." he grumbled, snatching the bottle from the low table between his and Chaff's armchairs. They were tucked in a corner of the room, as usual at that kind of party.

"I thought I was." she huffed.

"How are you liking working with Four, love?" Chaff asked, watching them with open amusement.

"Victors actually talk to me nicely, imagine that." she deadpanned.

"Sponsors tossing money at your feet can't be bad either." Haymitch scoffed.

She pursed her lips, tilted her head and studied him with irritation. "Stop sulking, will you? Between you and me and despite all the money, I do not think Four will win. The boy has potential I suppose but he will be no match against the rest of the Careers and the girl is setting herself up for a Gamemaker trap by hiding in that cave." As usual, her analysis of the Games was on point and he didn't bother trying to argue. There was always an unknown element to any Game but after a couple of years, you started seeing the patterns. "See? Soon Four will be out and I will be able to go back to babysitting you full time."

He spared her a glare but it actually mollified him a little.

"Your concern for the kids is touching." Chaff mocked, vitriol in his voice.

Effie didn't even blink. "They are not my tributes. I am simply lending a hand."

Keeping herself at a distance then, he supposed, because they had already lost their requisite two kids that year. It must have helped that she didn't actually know Four's kids. She had only been sent to Four's floor after the tributes had been sent to the arena.

Not that it would stop her from caring but…

"Sure." Chaff deadpanned, hauling himself out of his armchair. "I'm gonna go get another bottle."

Effie rolled her eyes at his back but angled her body toward Haymitch to give him her whole attention. Her crossed legs pressed against the side of his. He liked that. His hand found her thigh without really meaning to and stroke it up and down a few times without even really realizing it. Not quite discreet. Then again, nobody was looking at them.

"Do you miss me a lot?" she asked with an angelic dazzling smile that looked a little weird with all the white foundation powder on her face.

"No." he lied. "It's great having the penthouse to myself. Nobody complains if I walk around naked."

"I have never complained about you being naked." she purred.

That wasn't strictly true but he didn't point it out.

"How's Four's floor?" he challenged.

"Lacking a roof and the view." she hummed. "Also lacking a hot man who knows how to make me feel good…"

His lips twitched into a smirk. He pressed his head harder against the armchair's headset so he could see her better. "I'm pretty sure Finnick'd oblige, you know…"

She tossed him one of those looks and he thought it was unfair because nothing would be happening that night and those looks were pure sex and…

"I want to come on your tongue." she said, lowering her voice to a sexy hum. "It is all I have been thinking about since last night. If I had been in the penthouse, I would have sneaked into your room and straddled your face."

And he would have probably accidentally strangled her in his sleep.

But she didn't mean that literally, it was a fantasy, she knew better than to wake him up like that, even for sex. She would probably have tossed a pillow at his head until she was sure he was awake and lucid enough before having her way with him.

"Yeah?" he snorted. "And what do I get in this scenario?"

"Watching me come all over your face is not enough?" She flashed him a salacious grin.

He took his hand off her leg before he did something stupid like start fingering her in plain sight at a party. It had happened before and while the risk of discovery was thrilling, it had been far much darker in the room and they had been far more removed from the crowd. Right then, it would be pure madness. Then again, more often than not, he thought they were mad.

"Treat for treat." he retorted.

Her blue eyes were twinkling. "Well then… I would probably…"

"Effie?" Finnick interrupted with an apologetic wince for Haymitch. "Sorry. I need you to file these papers right now, please."

"Of course." She stood up with a smile and grabbed the papers, her face a perfect mask of happiness, as if she hadn't just been about to describe in graphic details what she would have done to him. She winked at him before she hurried away and he shook his head at her back.

"Boy." he said before Finnick could go back to his sponsor chasing. Finnick stopped and looked at him with a frown. "I'm getting her back."

It was fair warning.

He knew what everyone had said about the temporary part but he also knew Effie was one of the best escorts actually in position and a few Districts had been after her for years, Four included. He wasn't losing her to one of them.

Finnick nodded his understanding.

Good.

He was in a much better mood when Chaff sat back down with a new bottle full of wine.