Originally requested by rvsirene for a prompt list on Tumblr: 74. "You're in danger." For Hayffie omg the prompt kills my heart
Rated T, Catching Fire
In one piece
Haymitch's hand clutched around Effie's upper arm and he pulled her with him to the bathroom of her sleeping car. The train had already left District Twelve behind and Effie's eyes still brimming with tears only made him angrier.
With a swift motion he turned on the faucet so the running water would drown out their voices.
"Wipe your tears," he hissed.
She was such an idiot! The whole country had seen her shiny eyes when she read out his and Katniss's names at the reaping. And even if the Capitol viewers probably didn't think much of it, too wrapped up in their own "grief" over their favorite victors going back into the arena, it would not have gone unnoticed by Snow. If there'd ever been a chance to keep Effie out of all this it had vanished once and for all with those tears. She was a target just as much as the rest of them now.
"Maybe I don't care, Haymitch!" Effie said, too loudly. "Maybe I don't care anymore!"
"Get yourself together damn it! Is that so bloody hard?"
"Fuck you!" she cried, tears streaming down her face and Haymitch cussed and immediately pulled her into a hug.
"Alright, alright. I'm sorry. I'm sorry, sweetheart," he said, keeping her close, her sobs muffled by his woolen sweater.
"My fault," she sobbed.
"It's not. Breathe, Eff. Take a deep breath."
He held her, patted her back, giving her a chance to calm a little. For a long moment they stood there with their arms around each other and the water running in the background. Finally Effie drew a shaky breath and lifted her head to look at him, her eyes red, makeup all smudged.
Haymitch took a paper towel that he held under the faucet.
"It's too dangerous," he mumbled while he dabbed Effie's face clean with a tender hand until there were no streaks of mascara left and no tears. She let him do it, with her hands still on his waist, holding on to fistfuls of his shirt.
"Gotta stay whole, Eff", he said softly. "You can't go breaking on us now. They need you." He brushed away a stray tear with the back of his hand. "I need you."