Prompt: Sleepover *wink* You can write whatever you want.

A bright, burning flame

The lightning struck the fragile district in a harsh manner, quick and frequently. Although 12 was used to it's regular thunderstorms, it still came as a surprise and every clap of thunder and every flash of lightning. Haymitch Abernathy was contently nursing a bottle of whiskey when he first heard the rain pick up it's speed on a race to the ground, closely followed by a hollow groan from the clouds. He sighed and brought the bottle to his lips- there was nothing else to do.

He sat by the fire, watching the flames dance around each other for a good 20 minutes, before a quick, light tap graced his door. Haymitch didn't know what kind of person would knock on his door in this weather, but someone was obviously crazy enough to do it. Letting out another slow sigh, Haymitch shuffled over to the door, not yet drunk enough to stumble or completely fall over nothing.

As he opened the door, the rain got louder as the sound of it hitting the pavement was hard and heavy. He winced slightly- he had drunk enough for that to have had an impact. As he glanced towards the centre of the step, he realised he was wrong before. This woman was crazy enough to do anything if she desired it enough.

Effie Trinket, in all her sodden glory, stood at his doorstep. Her eyes looked big and pleading; "the puppy eyes look" as Haymitch had heard people refer to it as. He had never experienced it before and he wasn't really liking it.

"Please may I come in?" She asked. Haymitch hid a snicker. Even in the pouring rain she was polite.

"And why would you want to do that, Princess?" He asked, the roar of the fire behind him worked splendidly as a contrast for her depressing, cold background.

Effie narrowed her eyes at him. "Because it's raining and I'm getting wet."

Haymitch smirked and raised an eyebrow. "Well, if you're getting wet, Sweetheart, I don't know if it's appropriate for you to be in my house. Who knows what might hap-"

"Oh Haymitch, must you be so rude?! Please, just let me in!" Effie snapped.

Reluctantly, he stepped aside, opening the door slightly wider and sarcastically gestured for her to come inside. She smiled and flounced past him, already dripping water onto the carpet. She babbled slightly about how nice and quaint his house was. He mocked her from behind her. Although he noticed that not once he called his home, 'homely'. That was normally the first thing she said about houses. He didn't know how he knew this.

"So, Haymitch," she started once she had sat down. She didn't wait for an invite anymore, as she knew she wouldn't get one. "I bet you're wondering why I'm here," she laughed softly to herself.

"Not really- it's the victory tour tomorrow. But I'm sure you'll tell me anyway."

Effie glared at him. "Well I came a day early to sort out some more things to do with Katniss' talent. And, well I was going to go home a couple of hours ago but the train wouldn't work because of the rain." She gestured to the window. "So I stayed at the train station for a while, and unfortunately they said the trains won't be running until tomorrow. So, here I am," Effie broke for a breath and smiled at him.

"Why my house? Why not Katniss' or Peeta's?"

"Well," Effie played with her glove-covered hands. "Katniss' has Prim and her mother. Peeta has his family. I didn't want to intrude- and anyway, you seemed quite... Lonely." She looked at him sadly. Haymitch knew that look. It was pity.

"I'm perfectly happy being alone, Princess," she looked around awkwardly, before reaching on the arms of her chair, as if to stand up to leave. Haymitch knew he was going to regret the next sentence that spilled out of his mouth but he said it anyway.

"You can stay, Princess, I've got a spare room,"

Effie squealed with joy. "Oh thank-you! Thank-you!"

For a fleeting moment she looked as if she were about to hug him, and then seemed to compose herself. She coughed awkwardly.

"Please may I sit by your fire, it's quite cold in here,"

Haymitch then realised she was wearing a thin blouse and a short skirt. Effie's legs were bare and her knees were shaking slightly. He watched as her body shivered, her arms were slowly developing goosebumps and she hugged herself.

"Yeah, sure,"

She smiled and sat down near the fire. Haymitch noticed how the water had made her top go very see though, especially defined by the light of the fire. He gulped as he spied red lace underneath a white blouse. Effie reached out for the flames, which appeared to be skipping away from her. She giggled softly. Haymitch suddenly became mesmerised by this woman he had so certainly hated before.

She turned to him and smiled again. "Could we perhaps turn the heating on? Or maybe some lights?"

He shook his head. "Sorry sweetheart, the storm's blown the power out,"

Effie's shoulders sagged. "Well could I have some clothes to change into? These are awfully uncomfortable!" She pulled at her soggy skirt.

"Do you not have your own sleeping stuff?" He rubbed the scruff of his neck. The thought of Effie in nothing but his shirt made him feel slightly flustered.

She shook her head, not once taking her eyes off the flames. "No. They're on the train, sorry,"

Haymitch sighed. "Alright, stay there,"

/

A few minutes later, Haymitch returned downstairs to where Effie was still sat watching the fire. He chuckled to himself.

"What is it with you and fire?"

He saw Effie's eyes light up once a big flame reached out for her. "We don't have them in the Capitol," she finally took her eyes off the fireplace and turned her gaze to him. "It's all electric and fake. In fact, I think the only "flames" I've seen are paper ones!" She suddenly frowned. "That's really sad, the fact I've never seen something as simple as a flame before is really... Upsetting."

Haymitch had nothing to say to that, so Effie just watched the fire once more.

"I brought you a shirt to sleep in," he thrust it towards her. The fire had dried her outfit slightly, but the blouse had now stuck to her red bra, making the material more prominent.

"Oh! Thank-you!" Before he knew it, Effie was unbuttoning her blouse and peeling it off her wet skin.

"Woah, Princess... what are you doing?!"

The problem wasn't her undressing, the problem was the fact he couldn't look away from her. Her flat stomach was a surface to some rain droplets still left over. Her breasts were almost spilling out of her bra, as she bent over to pick up the shirt from the arm of the chair. He licked his lips, this woman was Effie Trinket. He was not thinking this about Effie Trinket.

She looked up at him innocently.

"Putting on the fresh shirt?" She said to him. Although it was more of a question- confusion over his concern.

"Could you not have done it in a spare room?"

She laughed. "But there's no lights?" She covered up her body agonisingly slowly, buttoning up his shirt at a snail's pace. He gulped. She took off her skirt and it dropped heavily to the floor. He quickly saw a flash of red, the same as her bra. He had suddenly gained a chill, one which wasn't from the cold.

"No trousers or shorts?" she asked, eyebrow raised.

"No clean ones."

Effie shook her head but didn't say anything. Haymitch was surprised- he was expecting at least a small nagging.

After laying out her clothes near the fire to dry, she walked over to Haymitch. She opened her mouth to say something before a clap of thunder sounded above victor's village- shortly followed by a bolt of lightning. Effie screamed and ran into him, shoving her face into his body and squeezing him tightly.

"Are you scared of... Thunder and Lightning?!" He asked. He couldn't believe it.

"Is that what it's called? I don't like it Haymitch, switch it off please!" She pleaded. Or she had said something like that, it was pretty incoherent, seeing as she had mumbled it into his shirt.

"Switch it off? What do you mean? Woman, you're making no sense," he was already tired of her child-like behaviour.

"Change the weather, switch it off and put on something nice!" She said angrily, as if it was his fault the weather was bad.

"Princess, you can't change the weather with a flick of a switch," he rolled his eyes.

"Yes you can," she looked up at him now, unburying her face from his torso.

"No you can't, where the hell did you get that idea from?"

"Well, that's how they do the weather in the Capitol. When it's winter, it's snow. When it's spring, it's raining but sometimes sunny. See? It's all done with a push of a button. It's televised and everything!" She smiled.

Haymitch was speechless. Of course they changed the weather for the Capitol. They had to have control of everything.

"Well you can't do that here, Sweetheart, sorry. You'll have to get used to it,"

"But I don't like it,"

Haymitch rolled his eyes. "Tough,"

When the new dose of thunder and lightning came, Effie snuck back into his shirt again.

/

A few hours later, Effie had gotten used to it slightly, so she was now independent again. Although she had made another use for Haymitch- a pillow. Effie breathed softly on his chest as she slipped into a sleep.

"Haymitch," she said quietly and sleepily. His heart skipped a beat upon hearing it.

"Yes princess?"

"Thank-you for looking after me tonight," she whispered.

"It's alright,"

Suddenly, she got up and sleepily kissed him on the cheek. His scruff was a perfect opposite to her perfect, soft lips. She lay back down on his chest again and eventually fell asleep. He stayed awakes until the fire burned out. Just like Effie, he realised, the flames burned too bright for this world.