"Dahlia Blossom. Don't let the name fool you. She's better known as the Black Dahlia. And she didn't earn that nickname by smiling and looking pretty."
"She sure knows how to perform for the camera."
"Because she knows how to play the game. She alwa...
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There was nothing else for the surviving members of Squad 451 to do other than wait out the relentless search taking place on the surface in the basement of Tigris' shop. Though it was a tense time hiding themselves away from the dangers outside, it gave them all a chance to recover and heal in the safest environment they would be able to find in the Capitol. And it gave Dahlia a chance to pester Finnick about his injury. Despite his insistence that there was no need to check the wound that the mutts had left in his back, one stern look from Dahlia had him obediently stripping off his tactical gear and submitting himself to his wife's scrutinising touch.
"I'm telling you, Lia, it doesn't hur-- Ow!" Finnick's attempt at convincing her was immediately shut down the second Dahlia put any pressure on his wound.
Scoffing under her breath, Dahlia mocked him teasingly, "Doesn't hurt, you say? Well, I suppose you won't mind if I ask Tigris for some alcohol to clean it then. Shouldn't hurt too much if it's just a little scratch like you claim."
Just as Dahlia was standing up to go through with her joke, Finnick's hand clamped down on her wrist to halt her. Dahlia's smirking face turned to the man smugly as she noticed the panicked expression on his face and the pleading look in his eyes. "Please. Don't do that." He begged quickly, shaking his head profusely as his tough guy facade melted away. With a childish pout and puppy eyes, he whined, "It hurts."
"Why didn't you just say so?" Dahlia asked, grinning in triumph at Finnick's admittance.
Sighing to himself, Finnick pulled Dahlia to sit in front of him and gazed into her eyes as he confessed, "You are always so strong and tough. You push through your pain like it's nothing. I guess I just thought that I needed to do the same so I didn't worry you too much."
"I'll always worry about you, Finn." Dahlia retorted, squeezing Finnick's hand in her own as she lifted them up in front of her. "And you'll always worry about me. That's just what comes as part of being in a relationship. But it doesn't mean we should hide our pain from each other."
"And it doesn't mean we should put ourselves in harm's way for each other." Finnick sharply retaliated, his voice heavy with emotion as Dahlia realised what he was referring to. Now they were getting to the root of the problem. "You did a really reckless thing in those tunnels. You shouldn't have risked yourself like that. You should have let me go and left."
Dahlia dipped her head at the audible disappointment in Finnick's tone as he reprimanded her. "You're probably right. I should've left... But I didn't. And I don't regret it." She declared fiercely, refusing to let anyone make her feel silly for a choice she had made. No one would tell her what she could or couldn't do anymore. "I would do it again if I had to. Over and over and over again, if it would guarantee your life."
"And I would do the same for you." Finnick conceded, knowing there was no hiding the fact that if their positions were switched, he would've taken the same risk to ensure Dahlia's safety. "But I've lost you too many times to cope with losing you for good."
