Something Worth Living For [THG] // Finnick Odair

XXV

"Nothing is so common as the wish to be remarkable."

Finnick and I move to the centre of the room, where there are no station or any other things that can get into our way. I take a deep breath and I just can hope I don't flip this time, I don't really want to hurt Finnick, not like if I could. I fought and beat kids my age, not a grown-up man that has already won the Hunger Games, I could leave a bruise or two but not really harm him.

Finnick is the first to attempt to punch me, but I move my head just in time. I was still in my own little world thinking about not being able to harm him when I see something coming my way, I move out of instinct, I think. I reacted a bit too late but I managed to move unharmed.

Finnick keeps throwing punches at me but I find the way to dodge everything. He is so quickly that I can only dodge, I can only defend myself, I can't attack him. He throws another punch to my face, I put my hand in front of his fist to stop him just in time. This isn't working, he's too fast for me.

About twenty minutes have gone by, and I haven't really done any harm to Finnick. I don't really want to do that but I'm supposed to do it. Finnick has hit me a few times, not with a lot a force though. Except one in which he sent me to the floor, my lip is also bleeding a bit and I know I will have a few bruises tomorrow.

By now I'm really tired, I don't know when he will decide to stop it or at least let me rest for a bit. Sweat is covering my face and most of my body. Right when I feel like I can't even keep defending myself, Finnick throws a kick to my left side and I'm sent to the floor, I fall with an ugly thud. I don't even have time to think, Finnick is coming at me, I react before my brain does and swing my feet around to Finnick's direction as fast as I can, I hit him around his ankle, which makes Finnick fall to the ground as well. I crawl quickly to his side and get on top of him and right when I'm about to punch him in the face, I stop. I just stare at him with my right arm raised next to my head, ready to punch him, my hand is in a fist but I don't move.

"Go ahead."

For a moment I forgot we are just training, my life is not really in danger. But then I snapped back into reality and that's when I stopped myself from hitting Finnick. It almost happened, but I managed to come back just in time.

"No." I say, making sure I don't say I kind of flipped and I'm afraid of actually hitting him like crazy, without being able to stop like all those times back in my District. "You said I couldn't hit you in the face."

I get off of him and stand up quickly, offering my hand to Finnick. It doesn't really help him since he's too heavy for me but we both pretend it did help.

"I'm sorry about your lip." He says.

"It's nothing." I say. "It doesn't even hurt."

"It will."

Finnick searches for something inside his pockets, he finds it quickly and throws it at me. I almost drop it but I react quickly. I look at the small plastic bottle trying to figure out what it is. I look back at Finnick to ask him what it is but my words get stuck in my throat, I'm quite shocked to see that Finnick has taken his shirt off, something I didn't expect at all.

"Uhm, this, uhm..." I stutter, trying to look as normal as I can.

"It's for your lip." Finnick says. "And for any other injury I made, it will help heal the bruises as well."

"Thanks."

"I can't let the beauty of District 2 walk into the interview with Caesar all beaten up and bruised, can I?" He says, and as he does my heart skips a beat. I have forgotten about it. "We won't train any more because I want to talk about that."