Katniss woke later on to the clanging of metal. She opened her eyes, her sight landing on the bowl just inside the door. She began to get up, only to be stopped by what she realized were a pair of arms wrapped around her waist. She looked over her shoulder, and there was Effie. At some point she had spooned up behind the girl, her head tucked against her neck. Or it had been, until Katniss had moved.
Gently, she removed herself from the woman's arms and went to inspect the contents of the bowl. It was half-filled with an unrecognizable substance, and to the side there was a stale piece of bread. She was about to choke it down when she realized something vital-there was only one bowl and not enough food to split. She glanced over her shoulder at Effie, and then back down at the bowl. She couldn't let the woman starve, and she was used to hunger pains from the Games and from the Seam.
She carried the bowl over to Effie and sat it down beside her quietly. The older woman was shivering in her sleep, and Katniss realized the cell must be cold. It didn't bother her as she had just come out of the Games and routinely faced harsh winters in Twelve, but Effie wasn't used to such weather. She bit her lip, unsure if she should wake her or let her sleep. She decided upon the former, since she wasn't sure when the guards would return for the bowl.
"Effie, Effie, wake up. You have to eat."
The older woman woke up slowly, her eyes unfocused until she got a good look at Katniss' face. She took the bowl with murmured thanks, eating its contents with a grimace. Katniss sat and waited patiently until she was finished, then replaced the bowl by the door. Effie had lain back down, curling into herself and shivering. Without a word, the girl laid behind her, pulling her flush against her.
Effie gasped at the sensation, heat beginning to seep back into her body for the first time in days. She pushed herself further back against the welcoming body, surprising herself by enjoying the feeling of soft breasts against her back.
"Feel better?" Katniss asked.
"Much, thank you."
Katniss, much to her surprise, felt a thrill of pleasure at those words, and at holding the older woman. She had to admit, without the Capitol embellishments, Effie was quite beautiful. She blinked, startled to have such a thought. Effie was a friend, nothing more...wasn't she? She grit her teeth as she recognized the feeling beginning to pool in her stomach.
It was the same feeling she had whenever she thought about Peeta or Gale, only stronger. She began to remember all her interactions with her former escort. Looking back, she saw all the lingering looks, all the times she had unconsciously looked Effie over. Remembered all the heated arguments and the forgiveness freely given afterward. Now she recognized that under all the frustration and anger there had also been what could be described as lust.
It would certainly explain why she was so protective of a woman she used to fight over everything with. Jeez, putting it that way made them sound like an old married couple. At that thought, her imagination provided pictures of what it would be like to be married to Effie. She found herself smiling at the thought, but promptly pushed it away. There was no way they could have a relationship, especially since they were in a Capitol prison. Besides, her feelings were probably one-sided.
Unaware of the girl's thoughts, Effie was also trying to dissect her feelings. She had known from a young age that she liked both men and women, and had dated quite a few of each. Though, as she got older, she found herself more interested in women. And she had always cared for Katniss, but she hadn't realized how deep those feelings went until quite recently. And never before had she felt so thrilled at the feel of a woman's chest.
Of course, she had felt them before, but never had she expected to have feelings for Katniss. Not the girl who she coached and protected. That was what had her surprised. It was preposterous anyhow. Her feelings were probably one-sided and even if they weren't, they couldn't have a relationship, they were in prison.
The two women lay curled together the remainder of the night, lost in their own thoughts, neither willing to admit to the other what they were feeling.