Day 2! We have special guest stars today… I give you… THE TOASTBABIES!

Prompt : "No no, the antlers are essential!"

The Reindeer and The Bear

"No, no…" Effie clucked her tongue, placing her hands on her hips, her mouth pursing into a displeased pout. "The antlers are essential."

The little girl with unruly dark hair hastily pulled up in a bun pouted right back and mimicked her attitude by placing her own hands on her own hips. Despite her slight irritation, Effie felt herself soften.

Willow Mellark was too cute for her own good.

She had been delightful as a baby, adorable as a toddler and was now positively cute as an eight year-old.

She supposed cute was already something if the girl couldn't be easy.

"I don't want to wear something on my head." the child stubbornly declared, glancing to Effie's left at the man who was sprawled on the couch, far too amused by the situation. "Tell her I don't have to, Grandpa."

Haymitch chuckled, completely disregarding her muttered "so much like her mother".

"Sorry, squirrel, but looks like it's part of the costume to me…" he pointed out. "Can't be a reindeer without antlers."

"It's a stupid costume." Willow retorted.

"It was what your school asked for." Effie replied, folding her arms in front of her chest. Not to mention she had slaved on it and the girl could show some gratitude. "Aren't you happy to have a part in the Christmas play, this year?"

"Me too!" five-year-old Rye piped up from the floor where he was playing with stackable construction cubes.

Haymitch scooped him up and settled him on his lap with easy affection, tickling him in the side. "You're still a bit too young, kid. Maybe next year you can be the fish or whatever stupid animals they have in this play."

"See!" Willow triumphed, waving at him. "Even Grandpa thinks it's stupid. Grandma, please…"

Faced with her surrogate granddaughter's puppy eyes, Effie felt herself wavering a bit. To be honest, she had seen the script – she had had to, since she had told the teachers she would take care of the costumes – and, granted, it wasn't exactly grand theater. And yet… "It does not matter, darling. You made a commitment when you agreed to be in the play and…"

"But reindeers are for food." Willow cut her off. "I wanted to be the bear."

"Well, on the bright side, without the antlers, we can't tell you ain't a bear." Haymitch snorted, adjusting his hold on Rye who was snuggling against his chest. "You look brown and furry."

"Do I?" the girl beamed.

"Don't encourage her." Effie chided him with a heavy warning look. "Willow, darling… The crux of the matter is you were cast as the reindeer and you have to be the reindeer now…"

"But I wanted to be the bear." Willow insisted with a sulk. "The bear gets all the cool songs. I just get to sing with Bert about stupid owls in the woods."

"Isn't Gwen playing the bear?" Effie coaxed, trying a different approach. "Gwen is one of your best friends, isn't she?"

Willow sulked harder. "I sing better than Gwen. I should have been the bear."

Haymitch coughed something that may have sounded like 'diva' but Effie privately agreed with the girl. She did sound better than Gwen and she was also prettier and would have made a much better leading lady – as sweet as the other child was, she didn't hold a candle to her girl.

"Darling…" Effie sighed.

"You said it would be fun to be in the play, Grandma." Willow pointed out. "It ain't fun at all if I have to be the reindeer."

Effie rubbed her temple, wondering how soon Peeta would be back from the bakery. Willow was a lot more obedient around Peeta than she was around them. Their own fault, probably. They spoiled her. They spoiled Rye too. What were grandparents for?

"Aren't you Gwen's understudy?" she asked. "Perhaps you will get to play the bear if Gwen is sick."

Haymitch almost choked in indignation. "Effie. Watch what you're teaching the girl."

"I am simply saying…" she huffed. "If Gwen is sick on the big day, Willow will play the bear and someone else will play the reindeer…"

"Me, me, me!" Rye volunteered, waving his hand in the air only to collapse in a fit of giggles when Haymitch tickled him again.

Her face softened and she smiled at the little boy. "I will make you a reindeer costume just like your sister, my darling. And she will teach you how to wear it properly with antlers." Willow rolled her eyes but, faced with her responsibility as a big sister, as usual, she caved and finally let Effie put the antlers on her head. "There. Perfect."

Willow's sulk turned into a pout. "I don't want Gwen to be sick. She's happy about playing the bear."

"That's the spirit, squirrel." Haymitch praised, hauling himself off the couch and dropping Rye back next to his cubes so the boy could get back to his game. "Need to go take a piss."

"Haymitch! Honestly!" Effie scolded him, amongst the children's peal of laughter. "And in front of the babies too!"

She was certain he had done it on purpose. He leaned closer to Effie and planted a light kiss on her cheek, lowering his voice. "Don't give the girl a cigarette and don't teach her how to light other people's costumes on fire to get the part, alright, princess?"

"That was an accident." she hissed between clenched teeth. "As you are well aware."

"Sure." he mocked. "Like all the girls you tripped down the stairs to get the star spot in your fashion stuff…"

He left the room before she could defend herself.

She was not daft.

She was not going to teach an eight year-old that sort of things.

Now, if Willow still wanted to go into acting when she was older… That was another thing entirely.

Do we think Effie is a good influence on the children? LMAO I have to admit writing Grandma Effie and Grandpa Haymitch is always a treat. They're so much older and domestic and just sooooo at peace it's like writing an AU haha. I hope you enjoyed this little one! Please do let me know!