𝙷𝙾𝚄𝚂𝙴 𝙾𝙵 𝚁𝙾𝚂𝙴𝚂 | 𝙵𝚒𝚗𝚗𝚒𝚌𝚔 𝙾𝚍𝚊𝚒𝚛

𝚂𝙴𝚅𝙴𝙽

He approached her with that stupid smirk on his face, her mind reeling at the situation as he opened his mouth no doubt to try and charm her without whatever tricks he had learned over the years.

"No," Valeria interrupted before he could say anything, watching the confusion flash across his face as he went to speak again. "Shut up."

He closed his mouth again as her eyes flashed to the table, a small birthday cake with the candles lit for her twentieth birthday and the pieces fell together.

Her grandfather was despicable. She wondered if he even knew what that day meant for her.

"Not quite the greeting I was expecting," the stupid smirk was back on his face as he tried to salvage the situation, no doubt given a very stern talking from her grandfather on not messing up. "But I-"

Valeria didn't give him a chance to finish as she walked away, leaving the Victor flabbergasted as she slammed her bedroom door behind her. He glanced around the apartment, almost as if looking to see if he was being pranked before he realized he had just been turned down, rather rudely too.

Finnick wasn't sure whether to be grateful or offended. Perhaps a bit of both as he took the white rose in his hand and set it next to the cake. Perhaps he could take a slice before receiving whatever punishment Snow had in mind for failing his job of seducing his granddaughter. He shuddered at the thought, hoping Snow would feel generous enough to let it slide. Doubtful, but one could hope.

The door opened back up as Finnick turned around, straightening up as Valeria reentered the living room, this time dressed in sweatpants and a cardigan with her hair thrown up into a messy bun. A much different picture than the outlandish dress she wore only minutes before.

She barely spared him a glance as she approached the table, pinching the candles to make the flames go out before grabbing the cake and dumping it in the trash. Finnick tried not to let his disappointment show at the trashed cake, any thoughts of enjoying it that night dashed.

Valeria turned back around to face the Victor, eying him up and down for several seconds before releasing a small sigh. 

"Listen," Valeria told him with crossed arms and a deep frown. "Whatever my grandfather put you up to for tonight, it's not going to happen."

Despite her words, Finnick noticed the way she struggled not to look at his exposed abdomen as she spoke.

"Your grandfather?" Finnick knew it was useless, but the best he could do was try to dig himself out of whatever hole he dug himself. "I don't know what you think-"

"I don't think anything," Valeria cut him off. "I know exactly what he was thinking and I- oh my god, please cover up. I can't focus with you like that."

Finnick couldn't help the amusement that covered his face as she gestured to his exposed abdomen but obeyed as he began buttoning up his shirt.

"I thought you weren't interested," Finnick commented as Valeria shot daggers in his direction, and he wondered what had the president's daughter so wound up. The girl standing in front of him was anything but the stories he had heard about her.

"I said it wasn't going to happen," Valeria corrected with a pointed finger. "I might have self-control but I'm not blind. Tell anyone I said that and I'll deny it."

Finnick released an unprompted chuckle as she brushed past him, swinging open a closet door as he watched her pull out a blanket.

"You can sleep on the couch," Valeria told him as she shoved the blanket into his arms, watching the confusion cross his face.

"The couch?" Finnick questioned, watching Valeria roll her eyes at him.

"Well, you're certainly not staying in my room," Valeria told him as he watched her walk over to the couch to set up his sleeping arrangements. "Unless you'd rather sleep on the floor. Whatever suits your fancy."

"I just thought you'd want me gone," Finnick muttered as he followed her over to the couch.

"And face the wrath of my grandfather?" Valeria's words took Finnick by surprise as he watched her throw the pillows together for him. She released a sigh as she turned to face him, noticing the expression on his face. "Listen, if you want to go tell my grandfather that you got kicked out of my apartment, be my guest. The door is that way."

Finnick followed her pointed finger before glancing back to the younger girl, watching her gather her things as she began returning to her room. 

"Why are you doing this?" Finnick paused Valeria in her tracks as she turned back to look at him. Her face seemed to soften for only a moment, so fleeting he must have imagined it, as her face hardened in his direction.

His question remained unanswered as she returned to her room, slamming the door loudly behind her. Finnick shook his head, deciding to get a good night's rest if he was going to be given it instead of worrying about things that didn't concern him. 

Still, he couldn't help as his eyes trailed over to the cake thrown into the trash to the door Valeria Snow disappeared to as he wondered what kind of person didn't like their own birthday. The Capitol celebrated it like its own holiday, that much he had learned from experience.

One with a messed up family, Finnick thought to himself as he remembered who exactly he was dealing with. 

President Snow's granddaughter wasn't one to try and sympathize with, especially if secrets he heard from clients were to be trusted. And yet somehow he was going to be indebted to Valeria Snow in some form, he thought to himself as he settled into the couch.

It was the first night after returning to the Capitol that he wasn't being forced to entertain some filthy rich citizen who treated him more like an object than a person. He could get a full night's rest, something he thought he would have to wait until returning to District 4 to get again.

He tried not to let his thoughts wander on it too much as he felt himself dozing off, thoughts of the Snows leaving his mind for the time being as he allowed the darkness to swallow him whole.