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IT HAD BEEN A FEW DAYS SINCE FINNICK STAYED WITH ARYA THAT NIGHT. Ever since, he has slept in her room whenever she had asked him to. Which seemed to be every night. But Finnick didn't mind. If Arya felt safe with him around, he would keep staying with her until she felt like she would be okay on her own. There wasn't much to it. He would sleep next to her on the bed, his arms rested behind his head, and she would often face the other way as she tried to sleep. But today, today was different.
Arya had woken up, well, she hadn't really drifted off the night before. But as she laid there, she had felt an arm wrap around her and her body being pulled against Finnick's. She almost felt like she was asleep, that she was dreaming. But as the noise outside her room gets louder, she knew it was the morning. And all she could do was stare at the wall in front of her. She couldn't exactly move. Not that she would want to if she could.
Finnick was laying beside her, his arm wrapped around her waist tightly as he held her against his body. His hand resting on the one piece of skin that wasn't covered by her shirt. His leg was intertwined with hers as his thigh rested on top of her hip. His head was rested in the crook of her neck, his breath hitting her skin. The odd snore left his lips, or he would move a bit in his sleep, but other than that, he didn't really budge an inch. The only thing he did was tighten his grip on her.
She felt her heart racing, just feeling his touch, his hold on her. Arya didn't think it would even make her stomach flutter but it did. It was filled with butterflies as his fingers dragged along her bare skin. She bit her lip as she tried to fight back a smile. Arya hadn't thought this would happen when she asked him to stay with her, but it was honestly helping her. She felt more comfortable in his arms, which she didn't think was possible.
Arya thought she would hate him touching her, especially with what she's gone through. But she felt safe. It was most likely because she knew, deep down, that Finnick would never hurt her. Instead, he would protect her. And his tight embrace brought her comfort and warmth. She didn't want to even move an inch because she felt she would wake him.
Unfortunately someone else did. Opening the door, Katniss peeked her head inside of the room. After going to Finnick's and not seeing him there, she made a guess that he was with Arya. And there he was, sleeping next to Arya. Katniss glances between the pair, seeing how tightly Finnick was holding her. She couldn't help be smile, shaking her head before bending down next to him.
Katniss places her hand on Finnicks shoulder, moving him gently. But she heard the soft snore that left him and she clearly hadnt woken him. "Finnick?" She asks, trying to keep her voice as quiet as possible to not disturb Arya. She shakes him a few more times, this time with more force until he eventually starts to stir.
"Hm?" Finnick groans, not even wanting to open his eyes. He felt so warm, so comfortable and he knew the moment he opened his eyes, that would be stripped from him. He moves his leg in order to stretch a bit, only hitting someone else's.
Finally opening his eyes, he notices that Arya was pressed against him, her back facing him as his arm wrapped around her. He furrows his eyebrows, seeing how her eyes were closed. Had he just imagined someone speaking to him? He groans a bit, dropping his head back where it was, snuggling a bit more against Arya and trying to go back to sleep.
That was until he felt someone hit his back harshly. Finnick flinches a bit, his head snapping behind him. He had to squint his eyes a bit but he saw Katniss was next to him. Finnick sighs, looking up at the ceiling. So, someone was talking to him and that meant he wouldn't be left alone now. He turns onto his back, unwrapping himself from Arya and just resting his hand on his lower stomach.
Arya felt this, trying to force the frown that was forming at the cool breeze that hit her skin. She didn't want him to let her go, she wanted to stay like that. Biting her lip slightly, she moved a bit on the bed, but just enough that they believed she was still asleep. Then, she lets out a small groan before turning her body to face the other way. Her body hits Finnick again but she rests her head on his chest, cuddling up next to him as her hands grip his shirt. Well, they tried to. But all she was met with was bare skin.
Her breath halted as her hand pressed against his abs. He had taken his shirt off. When? Arya didn't know. It wasn't that she was complaining but she could all but feel her cheeks turning a deep shade of red. Finnick stayed still, lifting his hand and placing it on her back in order to not startle her awake. "Coin wants to see us." Katniss says, finally breaking the silence. Finnick rolls his eyes, bringing his free hand up to rub his face. It really was too early to hear her bullshit. "Arya too." She adds. This causes Finnick to snap his gaze to Katniss.
"No, she's not ready." Finnick denies, shaking his head. He was about to sit up but didn't because of Arya.
"She doesn't care." Katniss admits with a sigh. "I tried to fight her on it but she said she'd just have guards escort her." She explains. And that would just end very badly... well, for the guards.
Finnick wasn't about to just allow Coin to see her though. "She's been moving all night, she barely just got to sleep." He had felt her moving, her breathing not soften as she tried to sleep. Finnick felt awful for falling asleep, but hed had trouble too before he started to stay in her room.
"I'm sorry." Katniss apologizes, knowing how hard it was for Arya to fall asleep. Her eyes flicker between them again, and she couldn't help but smirk. "You look super comfy though." She teases him as she starts to back up a little.
Finnick only glares. "Don't even start." He warns her, his voice hushed. She just laughs as she starts making kissy faces toward him. Finnick wanted to throw a pillow at her but settled to just flipping her off. Katniss gives him a wink before closing the door.
He takes a deep breath, his jaw clenching as he didn't want to move. He didn't want to wake her, especially for someone like Coin. She looked so peaceful as she rested on his chest. "Arya?" Finnick says softly, his hand rubbing her back a bit. Arya didn't want to open her eyes too soon because that would just be suspicious.
She felt his head lift, moving closer to her as his hand continued to run over her lower back. "Hey, sweetheart. You have to wake up." There it was again, sweetheart. Arya was sure she hated that nickname, until he said it again. Her heart fluttered. "Ba--" Finnick cut himself off, his eyes going wide. But luckily for him, Arya hadn't heard his mistake.
Baby. That's what he was gonna call her. Why the hell would he do that? Finnick squeezed his eyes shut as he tilted his head back. If he had said that and she heard him, he would surely just hand himself to the Capitol at that point. Finnick didn't know why that word tried to escape from his lips. It just felt natural for some reason. "Arya?" He says after clearing his throat.
Arya stirred a bit, her hand moving down his stomach. She stopped herself once she realized she was practically feeling him up. He didn't seem to stop her though but he most likely thought she was just waking up and moving a bit. "Finnick." She says, her voice hoarse as she opens her eyes. As soon as she lifted her head a bit, his hand ran through her hair. She had to keep herself from letting out a content moan. Just that feeling was enough for her.
"Sorry, I know you were asleep." Finnick apologizes as he sits up a bit, making her hand drop to his thigh. She glances at it, not really wanting to move it. But she did, because she didn't want to make him uncomfortable. She just shrugs her shoulders as she yawns a little bit.
"It's okay. I wouldve woken up soon anyways." Arya admits, rubbing her face a little bit. Finnick was silent for a second, his eyes looking at the bed.
"I didn't mean to um... invade your space." Finnick hadn't even realized he had held onto her in his sleep. He just finally fell into a deep sleep and he must have done that unconsciously. He felt horrible because he felt he was the reason she probably didn't get any sleep.
"I didn't mind." Arya denies, a soft smile forming on her lips. She didnt want Finnick to feel bad, especially since she really didnt mind him holding her as he slept. Especially if it helped him. Finnick smiled back at her. "It's what Peeta would do." She admits, shrugging her shoulders.
Finnick's smile was replaced with confusion as his eyebrows furrowed. He just stared at her for a moment. "What?" He asks her, wondering if she meant to say that. Arya meets his gaze, looking a bit lost.
"What?"
"You said Peeta." Finnick says. Arya blinks a few times. It had just slipped from her mind. But as she thinks about Peeta, sudden flashes appear of them in the cell back in the Capitol.
"I did?" Arya asks him and he nods his head. "I guess that little nap cleared some things up." She admits. Even though she had only maybe gotten twenty minutes of sleep the entire night, it did help her a bit.
"What do you mean Peeta would do that?" Finnick questions. He just wanted to know what she really did remember, especially since from the moment she got to Thirteen, she had no memory of being with Peeta in the Capitol.
Arya looked down at her hands. She thought about Peeta, how he would always try and seem like he was okay in order to be there for her. He didnt care about himself, he just cared for them. "He would hold me, let me rest on him so I didn't have to sleep on the hard concrete." Arya tells Finnick who nods his head. "Even if it meant he didn't get a good night's sleep. Not that any of us could really sleep in there." She mumbles, fiddling with her fingers.
Finnick didn't doubt for a second that Peeta did that. He had a kind soul. Which was why Finnick wanted to get them all out of the Capitol. They would surely change that. "Do you remember where you were kept?" Maybe this was the breakthrough they needed. But Finnick saw the way Arya tensed.
"In a cage." She glanced away from him, pushing the tears back that were forming in her eyes. Arya clears her throat, getting up from the bed. "You said Coin wanted to see us?" Arya asks him, brushing her hair out of her face. Finnick almost thought nothing of it but he stopped himself.
"Uh, no.." Finnick denies, looking at her. Katniss had said that, not him. Arya realized her mistake, her eyes widening slightly. She could see the smirk form on his lips. "You were awake the whole time weren't you?" He teases her, getting up from the bed. Arya blushes as she looks away from him quickly.
"I just didn't want to make it awkward." Arya admits as she notices him moving toward her. Finnick furrows his eyebrows, stopping in front of her.
"Why would it be awkward?" Finnick asks her. Arya didn't think he was serious asking that question. She had practically felt up his bare chest and he was asking why it would be awkward knowing she was awake this whole time. It didn't help that he was still shirtless, his pants hanging low on his hips.
"Uh, so where's this meeting place?" Arya questions, feeling embarrassed as she took her gaze off of his body. Finnick didn't know why she was so antsy all of a sudden.
"Uh, second floor." Finnick answers her as he grabs his shirt off of the chair. "Hey, I'll tell Coin you're not going." He tells her as he puts his shirt on. Arya turns back to him, a sigh leaving her lips.
"Finnick, you don't have to." She denies, not wanting him to get in trouble. But he didn't care, and he certainly wasn't going to give Coin any power over him.
"No, she doesn't get to force you out of your comfort zone." "You can stay here."
"Thank you." She didnt get how she ever felt annoyed by him. Well, his capitol persona definitely made her want to punch him in the face. "Finnick." She says as he gets to the door. He just turns back to face her. Arya bites her bottom lip, not knowing if she should tease him or not. "Or should I say sweetheart?" Arya asks, tilting her head a bit.
Finnick was slightly taken aback by the way her eyes looked over him. He couldn't help but chuckle, glancing around the room before taking a step toward her. She just gazes up at him and just with that one look, Finnick was ready to risk it all.
"Careful, I think you might actually be starting to like me." Finnick says as his finger brushes along her jaw with a smirk. He just sends her a wink before leaving the room. Arya all but melts as she leans against the wall.
Jesus christ, what was this man doing to her?
➳❦
COIN WATCHED AS THE GROUP FILTERED INTO THE ROOM. Her eyes scanned them as they all took a seat around the table. But there was one person who wasn't there. One that she was adamant about being there. She leant forward, narrowing her eyes. "Where's Arya?" She asks the group, seeing them glance toward each other. Mainly Katniss and Finnick.
"She's not coming." Finnick denies as he rests his arms on the table. Coin just clenches her jaw as she looks toward Katniss, the woman not meeting her gaze.
"I told you to get her." Coin points out, not seeing why Katniss didn't do what she asked. Katniss opens her mouth to say something but Finnick chimes in once more.
"Yeah, and I decided that your bullshit agenda didn't need her." He snaps, glaring straight at the president. Coin was silent for a second, the anger filling inside of her as she stared at Finnick.
"Do you want to rescue the others? Or are you satisfied with just her?" Coin asks, raising an eyebrow. Her tone was basically accusing him of only wanting Arya back. Finnick scoffs as he shakes his head.
"Oh, don't put that on me. You're the one with the resources to actually do something." Finnick retorts, crossing his arms against his chest. Coin glances around the group for a moment before her eyes go to one of the guards.
"Go grab her." Coin demands but Matthew and Finnick instantly get up from their seats in order to block the guards from leaving.
"Don't you dare lay a hand on her." Matthew threatens, narrowing his eyes. Coin only gestures for more guards, pulling back against Finnick and Matthew who fight against them.
"Go." She says. Matthew rips his arms from the guards grasp, turning to face Coin with an angered expression on his face.
"Why don't you just leave her alone?" Matthew asks her. He didnt understand why she needed Arya in the room.
"I didn't have to bring her here but I did. You should be thanking me." Coin states. Matthew couldn't believe the words that came out of her mouth. Katniss presses her tongue to the inside of her cheek.
"Thanking you?" She asks the president, a look of pure astonishment on her face. Katniss shakes her head, standing up from her chair."That's it." Katniss mutters, moving over to where Coin was but Haymitch stops her.
"Katniss, don't." He didn't need her making the situation any worse.
"Do you really expect any of us to help you when you do this shit?" Finnick asks her, crossing his arms against his chest. Coin just moves her eyes between him and Matthew.
"You don't have to be in here. I can have you escorted out." Coin threatens, standing up from her chair as well.
Before anyone can say anything else, there's a loud bang outside the room followed by some screams. They share a glance before rushing to open the door. When they do, they find one guard unconscious on the ground while another is underneath Arya, his gun pressed against his cheek.
Matthew's eyes widen as he rushes to her. "Arya!" He says, trying to get her attention. When Arya just points the gun toward him, he raises his hands in defence. "Arya, let him go." Matthew knew if she killed one of the guards, she would not only be kicked out of Thirteen, but the citizens would want her prosecuted.
But she didn't let him go. She just stared at Matthew with hatred in her eyes before looking back at the guard. That was until Finnick stepped forward. "Arya." Finnick says gently, taking a step forward. Her eyes go to him and he can see them soften. "Give me the gun." He states, holding out his hand toward her. Arya looks back at the guard, clenching her jaw but ultimately gives the gun to Finnick.
He gives it to Haymitch who instantly puts the safety on. Arya stands up, rushing into Finnick's arms and he holds her tightly. He knew she probably thought the guards wanted to hurt her. "It's okay." Finnick assures her, stroking her hair. Katniss steps forward, placing her hand on Aryas back before they begin to take Arya back to her room. Matthew watches, biting his tongue as he couldn't help but glare in Finnick's direction.
"What the hell were you thinking?" Haymitch asks Coin with a scoff leaving his lips. He just shakes his head as he wanders off, following after Katniss.
➳❦
KATNISS SIGHED AS SHE LEANT AGAINST THE WALL. Finnick had took Arya back to her room while Katniss kind of stayed back. She knew Arya was still a bit wary of her so she wasn't going to stick around when she didn't want her to. But Finnick had mentioned on their way to the meeting that Arya remembered something about Peeta. Katniss didnt want to push but she needed to know more about how Peeta was doing.
She would wait until Arya was ready to talk about it thought. She just hoped when she was, that she'd give enough information for them to get in the Capitol and get the others out. Because without Arya, Katniss knew it was never going to happen. Not with Coin in charge anyways. She keeps saying this is not the Capitol but recently, it's starting to feel a lot like it.
"We're never gonna rescue peeta." Katniss mumbles as she looks toward the floor. Haymitch and Gale were with her. Of course, Gale seemed annoyed when she brought up Peeta while as Haymitch was sympathetic.
"Hey, you don't know that." Haymitch says, putting his hand on her arm. Katniss only scoffs as she looks toward the man.
"Yes, I do. Coin is literally doing this to torture me." She believed they had opportunities to rescue him but Coin decided not to until Katniss fulfilled her mockingjay duties. Honestly, Katniss should've told her to shove it.
"She has a different way of going about things." Haymitch tried to reason but even he didn't believe that. Just with the way she handled Arya told him all he needed to know. You don't try and drag a clearly traumatized girl to somewhere she doesn't know.
"She is literal evil, Haymitch." Katniss points out. Haymitch didn't argue with that. But Gale did.
"She's done way more good for us than bad." Gale states with a shrug of his shoulders. Katniss narrows her eyes. She couldn't think of one instance that Coin helped them that wasn't in her benefit.
"Not to Arya." Katniss denies. Coin should just let the woman heal before berating her with useless questions. Coin probably just wanted to use her to show that 'they got someone out of the capitol'.
"Arya should've went willingly." Gale says with a shrug of his shoulders. Katniss didnt know if he was serious or not.
"Two guards entered her room abruptly and grabbed her, I would do the same thing she did." She explains to him. Katniss couldn't even imagine what the Capitol guards did to her. So why would she think that the Thirteen guards would be any different?
"She couldve killed them." Gale points out with a scoff, gesturing with his arm. Katniss placed her hand on her hip.
"And she would have every right." Katniss believed she wouldve been right to kill them. They put their hands on her. They could've been the enemy for all Arya knew. "What do you have against her?" She asks, wondering why Gale was so hell bent on Arya being the enemy.
"Katniss, she tried to kill you. She all but did Snow's dirty work for him. Why are we so broken up about her fake amnesia act?" Gale questions. Katniss could feel her lips part slightly as she just stared at him for a moment. Even Haymitch was staring at him like he was goddamn stupid.
"What is wrong with you?" Katniss asks him, seriously ready to hit him at this point.
"At least I'm not blinded by some fake alliance in order to get Peeta back." Gale snaps back at her. Katniss takes a step forward but Haymitch gets in between them.
"Both of you, stop it." Haymitch could see the stares that were coming in their direction. Katniss just shakes her head as she steps back.
"You have no idea what she's gone through. Don't even speak a word on her name because you probably wouldn't have lasted two seconds in the Capitol." She sneers before heading down the hall. If Gale thought he could scrutinize Arya and get away with it, he had another thing coming.
➳❦
FINNICK WALKS DOWN THE HALL, tray in hand as he headed to Arya's room. He hoped she would eat more this time but he would be lucky if she finished a quarter of it. But she probably wasn't fed much anyways in the Capitol so she was eating more than she has. A sigh leaves his lips as he thinks back to that morning. How she was awake when she had rested herself on his chest. How she called him sweetheart.
He's lucky to be the one that she trusted the most. Although there were times where he felt it was all a dream. That he was still in that arena with those goddamn birds. Finnick knew she was just joking around with him. She may not hate him but she didn't like him either. Not in the way he wanted. But finnick could live with that, as long as she was okay.
Matthew moves in front of him causing Finnick to come to a stop. A soft smile forms on his face as he looks at the older man. "Matthew, hey." He says. Matthew just stares back at him, his eyes going to the tray in Finnicks hand.
"Where are you off to?" Matthew asks curiously. Finnick looks down at the food.
"Oh, just giving Arya her food." Finnick answers him. Matthew nods his head but he had bit his tongue.
"Can't she get it herself?" He questions. Finnick knew she wouldn't end up eating anything unless he brought it to her.
"She doesn't really like leaving her room." Finnick denies.
"Well, maybe because you keep bringing everything to her." Matthew points out, almost accusatory. Finnick stares at him for a second, a bit confused.
"Uh... no. She's scared of everyone." He corrects the man. Finnick didn't understand why he was being like this all of a sudden.
"Finnick, you're coddling her." Matthew states with a scoff. "She needs to learn how to move back into society. She can't do that when you're around constantly." He explains. Finnick knew she needed to talk to other people, but it wasn't going to happen in the blink of an eye.
"She asks me to stay with her." Finnick wouldn't be around her constantly if she hadn't asked him to be.
"Then say no."
"Look, I understand that you can't have the same relationship with her because she doesn't remember you, but don't take it out on me." Finnick explains to him. He was sympathetic to the fact that Matthew lost years with Arya, but that wasn't Finnicks fault. It was Snow's.
"This is about what's best for her. She won't be able to be her own person if she's constantly relying on you." Matthew retorts. Finnick didn't even understand where all this was coming from.
"I'm just bringing her food." Finnick says.
"And how many times have you done that this week?" Matthew asks him, knowing it was probably every day since she's been here.
"Does it matter?" Finnick asks with a groan, tilting his head back slightly, becoming annoyed with the accusations.
"You're right. I can't be there for her, but you need to learn when to be and when not to be." Matthew tells him. Finnick was only doing what she wanted, and if that was being with her every day, then he would be with her every day.
"I'm gonna be there for her whenever she asks me to be." Finnick states and he could see the way Matthew rolled his eyes. A scoff left his lips as he all but laughed in Finnicks face.
"Oh, please. Don't mistake you wanting to sleep with her as generosity." He tells the man. Finnick couldn't believe his ears, his fists tightening around the tray. His jaw clenched. Why on earth would Matthew believe all Finnick wanted was to sleep with Arya?
"Excuse me?" Finnick sneers, taking a step forward. But Matthew wasn't the least but fearful as he just crossed his arms against his chest.
"That's your goal isn't it?" He asks Finnick, raising an eyebrow. "Hoping she relies on you so much that she falls in love with you?" Matthew saw the way Finnick was glaring at him like he wanted to snap his head off.
"You're out of your mind." Finnick says, shaking his head.
"But am I wrong?" Matthew asks him, staring at Finnick who's eyes drop to the ground. Finnick couldn't answer that. Because, yes, he was hoping feelings would develop between them. But not once was he trying to use her vulnerability to his advantage. He just wanted to help her. It's not his fault that she wanted him around.
"Create some space between you, you'll thank me soon enough." Matthew tells him before walking off. Finnick just continues to stare at the ground. He didn't want to just stop hanging around Arya, that would probably make her confused, thinking she did something wrong.
But maybe Matthew was right in a sense. All this relying on him, it probably would make Arya not want to go anywhere without him. Maybe even just agreeing with what Finnick did. Finnick wanted Arya to heal by herself, but he also knew she only found comfort in him. And if he took that away from her, what would happen? Would she still heal, or would her mind go back to her Capitol mindset?
➳❦
Authors Note;
Who thinks Gale should've died in Mockingjay pt 2 instead of finnick 🙋♀️🙋♀️🙋♀️🙋♀️