Rumours.

–

"My love?"

Finnick caught his 'wife to be' staring off into the distance. For a moment he fretted that he may have lost her for a spell but the somber smile on her lips told him other wise.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

Annie giggled and turned to him with soft eyes. "My love, I'm not sure you want to hear them as it involves your dear friends Haymitch Abernathy and miss Effie Trinket"

She looked away again and this time Finnick followed her gaze. It fell upon the table at the end of the cafeteria. Katniss, Gale, Haymitch and Effie were all gathered together, discussing one thing or another.

Gale and Haymitch looked argumentative, Katniss looked bored and Effie just watched with a furrowed brow as Haymitch rubbed awkwardly at his own, seemingly sore, shoulders.

"Something out of the norm?" Finnick quizzed, unsure of what Annie was smirking at still.

"No…." She sighed simply "but, that's just it…look at them. They're so normal with one another…"

Finnick snorted a laugh, but not in a teasing way. Sometimes his future bride came out with the most random nonsense but he found it endearing. To keep her amused, he kept silent and kept his eyes focused to where hers wandered.

Together, they watched Effie reach out towards Haymitch, replacing his hands with her own as she rubbed the sore spot between his neck and shoulders like it was the most natural and normal thing to do in the world. No one batted an eyelid at the gesture, not even Haymitch as he dropped his hand to let her continue and carried on his conversation with Gale.

"I think they like each other" Annie suddenly declared, turning back to her fiancé "Effie and Haymitch"

Finnick tilted his head

"What do you mean? Like…'like' each other?"

"I'm sure of it" she nodded giddily

And the pair looked over again.

Gale seemed to get a call on his radio and he and Katniss dispersed from the table, leaving Effie and Haymitch alone.

"Look at how he looks at her" Annie mused.

Haymitchs eyes were soft and tentative and Effie seemed to be nagging him about his posture with a frown on her face

"Oh, I think he could love her"

"You get that from a look?" Finnick snorted, making Annie turn with a glare.

"I knew you loved me after one look" she threw back at him making him swallow in retreat

"True, my love, I'll give you that" he kissed her hand in surrender then nodded back to the pair in question. "I've known them both for a very long time though and trust me, if they were having an affair, I'd know about it"

"You've known Joanna for a long time" Annie mused, just as Finnick was about to head away. He stopped and eyed her suspiciously.

"And?"

"And you don't know who she's been sleeping with, do you…"

Finnick blinked and shook his head in confusion.

"Joanna? Joanna mason? Having a love affair? A secret love affair?" He had to sit again to control his laughed bur it didn't last long. The innocently stern face Annie was making told him it wasn't a joke. He gulped down some air and followed her gaze again.

"Trust me, Finnick. I'm better at this than you…"

"I think we have an audience" Haymitch smirked, turning towards Effie more "Don't look now, but Annie and Finnick have been looking at us with googoo eyes for the past 15minutes"

Effie blushed and smiled "that old chestnut again…" She huffed "the amount of gossip and rumours I've heard about you and me having some wild affair is beyond exhausting"

"Gives them something to talk about I suppose" he answered with a shrug "and it's not as if you don't fan the flames" he nodded towards the hand that was still gently easing the pain in his shoulder

"I can stop if you like"

"No,no! Idle gossip doesn't bother me" he declared.

She rolled her eyes at his smirk and glanced over to the gossiping couple across the room.

"What's say we really give them something to talk about" Effie winked and moved in quickly, before he could protest, pressing a quick but lingering kiss to his lips. "That'll keep them entertained for a few days" She smirked then gathered her things.

"You're nothing but trouble, Trinket" he growled, knowing full well that there were now more than two pairs of eyes on them both.

"Just how you like me" she teased and left him alone at the table with a boyish and amused grin.

He rolled his eyes at her but she ignored him, sauntering away in her true girlish fashion.

He couldn't help but chuckle, she was a daredevil. He glanced over to Annie and Finnick once more to meet their equally quizative smiles and just shrugged.

At least someone was keeping the folks of dreary district 13 amused. It was certainly a fun was to distract himself from the war too.