AFTERGLOW // finnick odair

nine

The image stole a sob out of her lips; the door opened and with her vision blurry from the tears, she managed to see Mags.

"I can't do it Mags," she cried. "I want to go home."

The old lady took her between her arms and soothed her. Alivia was just hiccuping in a pathetic manner when her hair was brushed and braided.

"You are going to be fine, my child," she said. "But let it cry out for now. Let it cry for as long as your heart needs."

And Alivia did, but still grieving years after, she worried it might never stop.

"You are thinking too loud," Mags pointed out as she finished Alivia's braid.

"I got a deja vu." Mags hummed.

"How are you?" Alivia only grunted a response. "You should talk to him."

"C'mon Mags, you know he was just training me."

"Stubborn child," Mags muttered.

Dinner was as uncomfortable as an eyelash caught in her eye, and it had been poking her eye for half an hour. For some reason, all Victors had to go on the trip to work as mentors. So far, not one of them had said a single thing.

One of them, the one that was sitting beside Alivia, cleared his throat. Everybody turned their heads to his insistence. The man looked expectantly at her.

"I have some advice for you. Just. Keep. Going. It gets easier if you don't give up," he paused, "and avoid the careers. That's what I did and look at me now."

"I..." She was at a loss of words.

Finnick squinted his eyes at the man. "That's... very helpful of you. Thank you for your wisdom."

Judging by the proud smile on the man's face, the ironic tone in Finnick's voice went completely over his head. Not over everyone else's though. It was enough to send them to bed early.

Alivia knew she wasn't going to get that much sleep but desperately tried to roll in her bed until it felt comfortable enough. At what felt like a hundred attempts, she gave up and made her way out of her room. She tiptoed around Mags' room; wouldn't want to wake her up.

Then, she passed by Finnick's door, for a second actually considering knocking, raising her hand but withdrawing it.

She found herself curled up in a couch. The steady rain hit the window again and again. Normally, it would've lulled her to sleep but she was far too stressed for that.

The door made a sound, alerting Alivia that someone had entered the room and by the looks of the tall, lean shadow it was no other than Finnick.

"What are you doing here?" Finnick murmured.

The deeper voice announced that he'd just woken up and Alivia wondered if she made any noise to wake him up.

"Couldn't sleep," she answered simply. Alivia expected the doors to open again but they never did, instead, Finnick sat down on the couch in front of her.

"Ah, you are right. Nothing beats sleeping in a comfortable bed rather than spending the night on a stiff couch. Again."

"I know, right? The small pleasures of life."

Alivia meant to say it with a hint of humor but it got lost in the tone of her voice and her stare never drew away from the window. She wanted to tell him to go and sleep in his own room but she didn't want him to leave. Finnick snorted on the down low. He raised his gaze and stared at Alivia's face. He followed her eyes that were glued to the window and then came to her face. After a few minutes of silence, he spoke, "What's on your mind?"

The games had changed. It wasn't about Alivia's survival. It was Alivia against Finnick, no matter how she tried to twist it. And she couldn't help but wonder if, it came down to it, would he take her life?

"What were your thoughts the first time you went into the games?"

"Survival."

"Were you scared?"

"Terrified," Finnick admitted too easily.

Alivia remember vaguely Finnick's games. The confidence in that fourteen year old was shocking to everyone. That's partly the reason he became so loved so quickly (Never mind how handsome he was for 11 year old Alivia). A natural, they called him. Alivia honestly thought that was an insult.

"You didn't seem like it."

"Well, What can I say? I'm a great actor." Finnick found himself humored. "What about you?"

Playing dumb and mostly trying to avoid the question, she said, "Oh, no. I'm terrible at acting."

Finnick chuckled, not giving up that easily. "No, no. I meant what were your thoughts at your games?"

Alivia let a heartbeat pass.

"Well," she cleared her throat, "the only thing in my mind was that I had to win for my mom."

Finnick hummed. "And you did."

"Yeah... Maybe a little to late."

Finnick was left with nothing else to say for a while.

"Are you scared now?"

Finnick seemed to think about it for a second. "No. Are you?"

Barely a whisper.

"No."

It was true. Alivia wasn't afraid, not of death at least. She had so much to loose the first time but now, all she had was Mags and she knew she'll be okay; she had her kids and Finnick, of course.

"Do you want to share a dessert?" Finnick said out of nowhere.

That finally drew her face out of the windows. Watching him walk by made her realize he was in some loose clothing and barefoot. His ruffled hair was revealing enough but he still looked as handsome as always.

"I, personally, think that it is completely unsanitary that all these are left out but this has been calling my name."

It didn't surprise Alivia one bit that the dessert had strawberries on top. He grabbed it from the holder and fetched two forks as silently as he could. Still sat down across from her but the distance wasn't much she couldn't just eat with him.

Finnick hummed, "Might hate the Capitol with my whole life, but the food never disappoints."

He enjoyed thoroughly a few bites more until he decided to speak again.

"So, some advice that guy gave us, huh." Alivia chuckled.

"I don't know, I don't think it was that bad."

"You are too nice. Like too nice."

They had a late night talk filling themselves with sugar.

Alivia didn't feel herself falling asleep until she was awoken by Mags, hurrying them both to their rooms so they could get proper rest.