THUNDER ECHOED THROUGH THE SKY, the rain soaking through Haven and Finnick's clothes, the only sense of warmth being their connected lips, and his hands resting on her cheeks. Haven pulled back slightly, pressing her forehead to his, a wide grin spreading across her face. Her eyes fluttered open after a moment, looking into Finnick's eyes, the sea green of his irises barely visible behind the black of his pupils.
"Can you say it again? Just have to make sure I heard you right." The Odair boy said as his face broke into a smile. Haven laughed, dropping her forehead to his shoulder for a moment before lifting it again.
"I" She started, before pressing a light kiss to his lips. "Love" She continued, kissing him again. "You." Haven finished, again followed by a short kiss.
Without warning, Finnick grabbed her by the waist, picking her up and spinning her around once. "You have no idea how long I've been waiting to hear those three words." He beamed, looking down at her.
"I could say the same exact thing, Odair." She replied, lacing her fingers in between his in between them. "C'mon, it's freezing out here, let's go inside." He spoke, using their connected hands to lead her towards the door.
Once inside, the pair was met by Garrett, Mallory, and Collin staring at them, relief flooding their faces once they noticed their connected hands and apparent joy on their faces.
"I'm going to guess things went well out there?" Mallory smiled, gesturing to their intertwined hands. Finnick nodded in response, pulling Haven against his rain soaked body, her head tilting to rest on his shoulder.
"Which one of you said it first?" Garrett questioned, everyone understanding what he meant. "I did. Finally worked up the nerve to tell her I love her." Finnick replied.
Collin's face broke out into a shit eating grin, as he lightly smacked Garrett on the back of his head. "I believe you owe me some money." He laughed, Garrett groaning in response. Haven's head shot up, her and Finnick sharing a glance before she looked back at them.
"Did you two bet on us?" She questioned with a laugh. Collin and Garrett, nodded, breaking down in laughter. "Yeah, they've had a running bet for a while now on which one of you would say it first." Mallory spoke, the other two practically choking on their laughs.
Finnick tilted his head in confusion, looking at Garrett and Collin. "And why did you make this bet?" He asked. "It's a good thing you're pretty Odair, cause you're quite thick in the head sometimes." Collin teased.
"It's been painfully obvious to everyone but you two that you are in love with each other." He finished, Mallory and Garrett nodding in agreement. "Well, I guess I'm glad we finally realized it." Haven smiled, turning to walk out of the room, dragging Finnick behind her.
"Goodnight!" Finnick called over his shoulder. "Remember, the walls are thin! I can hear everything." Collin called out, chuckling. Haven looked over her shoulder, flipping Collin off before she walked around the corner.
In his room, Finnick pulled out a shirt and a pair of drawstring pajama pants, lightly tossing them at Haven, before finding dry clothes for himself. She peeled off her dress, the lavender now a darker purple shade from the water, leaving it in a pile on the floor, to be dealt with in the morning. The Cleary girl pulled on the dry clothes, before crawling into the bed beside Finnick, as he pulled the blanket over them.
He wrapped his right arm around her shoulders, pulling her flush against his chest, and lightly pressing his lips to the top of her hair.
"I can't believe it." He whispered. "Believe what?" She replied softly. "That you're finally mine." He replied, his other hand cupping her cheek as she tilted her face up to look at him.
"I'm yours and you're mine." She whispered, like it was intended only for the two of them to hear.
➸
THE NEXT MORNING, Haven still laid in Finnick's grasp, just as she had fallen asleep in. The Odair boy was the first to wake, his hand lightly playing with her hair as he observed her sleepy features.
A few minutes later, Haven began to stir, eventually opening her eyes and yawning. "Hi." She spoke quietly. "Hi." He responded, his voice raspy. Haven lightly pinched herself on the arm. "Just had to make sure I wasn't still dreaming." She joked.
"Oh, so you dream about me?" Finnick smirked. "Shut up, Odair." She laughed, before grabbing the pillow next to her and smacking him in the face with it. "Oh you are so on." He replied, as he grabbed another pillow, before turning and hitting her back. The Cleary girl took no mercy, swinging relentlessly at him with her pillow-turned-weapon.
Finnick scrambled out of the bed, holding his hands up. "Okay, okay! I surrender." He laughed, Haven holding the pillow in one hand and pumping her other first triumphantly in the air. She tossed the pillow at him, before retreating to her room across the hall.
After brushing her teeth and putting on fresh clothes, Haven left her room, finding everyone else already sitting around the dining table. "What're you talking about?" She asked as she sat in the empty chair between Mallory and Finnick.
"Oh, I was just telling him I'd bash his teeth in if he ever hurt you." Sawyer responded through a mouthful of food, making Haven giggle as she grabbed a strawberry filled pastry. Sawyer picked up his butter knife, jokingly pointing it at Finnick from across the table.
"Seriously, Odair. If you even lay a finger on her it's over for you." Sebastian interjected. "The princess has to be in good hands." Collin added.
Finnick's eyebrows furrowed together. "I swear! I would never." He exclaimed, his cheeks flustered. "Good. Just making sure." Sawyer laughed, putting the knife back down on the table.
A few minutes later, the elevator bell dinged, and a Peacekeeper stepped into the entryway of the apartment. "Ms. Cleary, your presence has been requested, please come with me." Haven's face contorted into a confused look as she hesitantly stood up. "I'm sure everything's fine." Chlöe whispered nonchalantly as she walked past.
Haven strode over, stepping into the elevator with the Peacekeeper. "May I ask what this is about?" She questioned.
"President Snow wishes to see you"
➸
(tw: mentions/implications of forced prostitution)
THE PEACEKEEPER LED HAVEN down a winding path of hallways, eventually stopping to knock on a large double door. A voice saying "Let her in." was heard softly from the other side. The Peacekeeper opened the door, and Haven's eyes met Snow's cold, piercing ones. Her stomach was in knots, as she felt like a lamb wandering into a slaughterhouse.
"Ms. Cleary, how wonderful it is to see you. Please sit." Haven gave a nod, silently walking over and sinking into the cushioned chair, Snow watching her from across the desk.
"It's quite amazing, having two Victors from the same family. Both of you, so brave, so tenacious." He spoke cryptically. "The people, they adore the both of you." Haven nodded slowly.
Snow paused, coughing into his handkerchief, Haven silently observing the spot of blood left on it. "The Capitol people, they're captivated by the Victors from District 4."
"I'm certain you are aware of the particular enthrallment with Mr. Odair?" The blonde nodded, bile threatening to rise in her throat. "People pay exorbitant prices for a moment with the Golden Boy."
The President stopped, taking a sip from the glass in front of him. "He truly embodies that title, doesn't he?"
"Yes, he seems to have a habit of brightening those around him." Haven agreed.
"As a matter of fact, he offered up more of his time, simply to protect you. So incredibly selfless." Snow continued. "We stroke up a deal if you will. Your protection, in exchange for his unwavering obedience." Haven swallowed, her nails digging into her palms out of stress.
Snow tapped a button, a hologram appearing from above the desk. The image depicted the scene from the night before, Finnick chasing after her at the party, the woman following behind him angrily.
"Deals are a wonderful thing, until they are broken Ms. Cleary, and Mr. Odair broke ours." He gestured to the hologram, now showing Finnick leaving the woman behind as he jumped into the car.
"And when deals are broken, there are consequences." Haven nodded, her hands shaking under the table. "As I said, both you and your brother are extremely beloved. So desirable, many would pay a steep price for time with either of you."
Haven felt like she'd been hit by a train, understanding the weight of the President's implication.
"I still am a fan of deals Ms. Cleary. So I'll let you decide. You or your brother?"
The words barely processed before Haven spat out, "Me. Me of course. Please don't hurt him." She choked out the last sentence, tears brimming in her eyes.
"Very well then. In fact, your first client will arrive shortly." He spoke coldly, gesturing for her to stand. "And Ms. Cleary, I do hope you remain in line. For not only your brother, but your entire family's sake." He finished, as the Peacekeeper ushered her towards the door.
The combination of trying to process the conversation, and what was about to happen, made Haven's head spin, overwhelming senses of nausea overtaking her, as she ran to throw up in the trash can in the hallway.
The Peacekeeper stood still, unsympathetically waiting for her to finish. Once she stood back up, the Peacekeeper began leading her down another series of twisting hallways, eventually stopping in front of a large wooden door, and opening it.
"Hello Ms. Cleary." A low voice called from inside the room, Haven timidly stepping through the doorway, as the Peacekeeper quickly slammed it shut behind her.
➸
HAVEN FELT ENTIRELY NUMB as the same Peacekeeper escorted her back to the District 4 apartment. Her face remained emotionless, up until the moment her eyes found Finnick's as she stepped out of the elevator.
A worried expression was plastered across his face, his heart sinking to the floor as he wrapped his arms around her, and a quiet sob escaped the Cleary girl's lips. Her reaction confirmed his greatest fear, as he hurriedly led her down the hall into his room, still clutching onto her.
Haven sunk to the floor, Finnick's arms remaining wrapped around her as he sat with her. A few tears began to fall from his own eyes as heart wrenching sobs continued to leave Haven's lips, accompanied by the steady flow of tears down her face.
"I feel disgusting." Haven mumbled, before frantically standing up and walking into the bathroom. The blonde, still fully clothed, stepped into the shower, turning on the water as she let it soak through her clothes. Finnick walked into the bathroom a moment later, stepping into the shower without hesitation, the girl clinging to him once again.
Haven stood, unmoving as her tears mixed with the stream of water from the shower head. Finnick reached forward, dispensing shampoo into his hand, before therapeutically scrubbing it into her scalp and rinsing it out, then applying conditioner to the ends of her hair. He ran his fingers through her hair, before rinsing it again, and shutting off the water.
Finnick grabbed two towels, wrapping one around Haven before draping one over himself. He led her back into the room, Haven staying leaned against the wall as Finnick took out two sets of dry clothes. The Cleary girl remained frozen in place, so he walked over, peeling off her wet shirt and pants, replacing them with a soft oversized sweater and a pair of cloth shorts.
He quickly changed into the other set of dry clothes before leading Haven over to the bed, holding the blankets back so she could crawl underneath them. Finnick slipped in on the other side, wrapping his arms around her, Haven doing the same.
The two laid wrapped in each other's arms for what felt like hours, Finnick attempting to wipe her tears as quickly as they would fall, occasionally stopping to stroke her hair comfortingly.
Eventually, the blonde's tears slowed to a slow trickle, and she took a deep breath. "S-Snow. He said that there had to be consequences for breaking your deal." She whispered, finally breaking the silence. "He gave me a choice. It was either me or Sawyer." She barely got the words out, turning her head to look at Finnick.
"Hav, I'm so sorry." He choked out, softly grabbing her cheek with one of his hands. "All I wanted to do was protect you from this, and I failed. I'm the reason this happened to you." Finnick shook his head, more tears falling down his face.
"Please, don't blame yourself, Fin. It's not anyone's fault but Snow's. I know you would never do anything to hurt me." She responded.
Finnick pulled her further into his chest, holding her tightly for a while longer. He understood what she was feeling all too well. The only difference was that while he would feel crippling loneliness in the aftermath, most times having no one to comfort him.
The Odair boy felt quite helpless in this scenario, the majority of it lying out of his control. The only thing he could do was to hold her.
To let her know she wasn't alone.
// author's note
hi <3 i am finally updating again after an unintentional break. i had a horrible case of writer's block, but i'm finally back in the swing of haven & finnick's story :)
thank you so much to all the new readers who found this book, as well as all the amazing loyal ones (sorry for keeping you waiting so long for an update!)
also! if you skipped the part with the tw and want a quick/vague summary i'd be happy to give you one!
ok here's what you've been waiting for... 😎
haven:
sawyer threatening finnick with a butter knife:
me @ haven & finnick 🥰🥰:
ok that's all love u <33
- abby