I fucking ship Everlark, but for this story to work, Peeta needs to be out of the picture. Sorry, dude.


Title: Debts & Deals

Subtitle: Mission Impossible

Description: Apparently, Finnick and Johanna are —quote, unquote— "in Katniss' debt", because when Katniss' best friend volunteers to go in the 75th Hunger Games, she marches up to their poker party, slams her hands down on the table, and demands that they do everything to help Gale Hawthorne survive.

Summary: "You have to keep Gale alive."/ "Well, good morning to you too."

Rating: T for Traumatic Traumas

Main Characters/Pairings: Johanna M. + Finnick O., Katniss E. + Gale H. (friendly), Johanna M. + Gale H., Gale H. + Madge U. (mentioned), etc.

Genre: Adventure, Romance, Humor, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, etc.

DISCLAIMER: If I owned The Hunger Games, Johanna would've been kicking asses in every single fucking chapter.


A/N: Jo and Finnick are badass. Deal with it.

Also, Johanna's speech when she gets reaped is something that I've read on Pinterest. Credit to whoever thought of it first. Not mine.

Revised 01.18.19 by my amazing beta: Amber 1015


"You have to keep Gale alive," she says, slamming her hands down on the table, making the cards flutter around like ridiculously patterned butterflies.

Johanna sums her up indifferently. Her foggy gray eyes are wild and full of pain, her hands bleeding—no doubt from having assaulted some sort of glass object—her clothes are dirty and ripped, and enough leaves are tangled in her hair for it to be plausible that she had been dragged backward through an entire forest.

"Well, good morning to you too," Finnick says, a half-hearted attempt at his usual sarcastic, seductive voice. However, it lacks amusement and enthusiasm. It sounds slightly weary really.

Johanna scoffs and glares daggers at the girl's trembling hands on the table. "Well, fuck you. I was actually winning this thing."

Finnick rolls his eyes good-naturally at that. "Yeah, Katniss. I owe you for that."

Katniss' hands clench and unclench—a sure sign of danger, usually enough for all knowing citizens of District 12 to avoid her—as she glowers at a faraway point across the 7th-floor living room. "Y-You… keep him…"

Unable to finish the thought, she begins to tremble furiously, collapsing to the floor after a short moment, head between her hands and her knees supporting her chin.

Finnick and Johanna exchanges grim glances.

"I just—" Katniss moans. Her voice catches a bit, and she lets out a shudder. "Shit, I didn't plan to…" Katniss stands up again, swaying a little, and grips the edges of the poker table.

They stay silent, just staring at her.

Katniss takes a deep breath, before saying in a somewhat steady voice; "I need you two to keep Gale alive in this game."

Katniss had been expecting a lot of responses and reactions; everything from "no", to "sure thing, princess", to "are you sure you know how this thing works?". She is even prepared for Johanna and Finnick to laugh their asses off at her.

So, it takes her by surprise when Johanna sighs deeply and tosses the cards she had been collecting aside, as Finnick gathers the rest of the stack in his deft hands. She addresses her, an undecipherable expression on her face. "Gale Hawthorne? Tall, dark, broody, handsome; looks like you?"

Since there doesn't seem to be any ridicule in Johanna's voice, Katniss manages to nod stiffly at her. Of course, Johanna knew how he looked like. Since she was also going to participate in the games, she had probably watched the recap of the reapings and had made a note of the boy who had volunteered to go into the arena for Katniss.

"Your lover?" Johanna asks, and Katniss swears she can hear a little pain behind her words. Finnick shoots Johanna a worried glance as he sets the pack of cards down in a neat stack beside his drink.

Katniss squirms a little, and answers quietly. "I don't know."

Johanna nods and shrugs a little. "You know that I'm going to have to die to save your little friend, right? And if Finnick decides to help you, he has to give up Mags and Jack."

Finnick frowns. "Johanna," he starts to say.

When Katniss' eyes harden, Finnick realizes that she had readied something to say if the conversation started to veer down this path.

"You… you both owe me."

~.~.~

A Few Months Ago

~.~.~

"For this special year of the Quarter Quell, the tributes will be reaped from the existing pool of victors—"

Katniss' heart stops. Is her ear fine? Of course, it's fine, she'd had it mended by the Capitol doctors after her game last year.

But this can't be. She is the only living female victor from District 12—does this mean that she has to go into the arena again?

Her head feels dizzy, and her eyes glaze as this fact registers in her mind. She can feel herself tilting sideways, only to be held straight again by a firm grip on her arm. She can only just hear the rest of the words being spoken by that damnable, bloodthirsty ruler of the fucking country.

"—can be replaced by a volunteer of any age, but they must be the opposite sex of the reaped victor."

A volt of electricity runs through her body as she suddenly recognizes the outcome of District 12's victors.

The male tribute of their district, Haymitch Abernathy, her drunkard neighbor—maybe friend—who is also the only living male victor of District 12, will get reaped. No one will volunteer for him, and he will no doubt have to fight in the arena.

But when her name is called at the reaping…

She slowly turns to her left, to the person who was gripping her arm, preventing her from falling.

"I'm going in," Gale declares, determination clear in his voice.

"No," Katniss whispers. "No, no, no."

"Catnip. You're not going in there again," he says, his eyes shining with sadness, resignation, and maybe—purpose?

"You can't…" Katniss whispers weakly, but she knows that the voice escaping her mouth doesn't sound like hers.

She shakily drinks the glass of water Prim hands her, knowing that there's no way that she can prevent him from volunteering for her.

~.~.~

The train ride to the Capitol is the definition of grim.

The tributes of District 12 are just as Katniss Everdeen had predicted.

After the few months he'd been urged to stay sober to train for the games, Haymitch drinks more than ever. Katniss has dark bags under her eyes, trying to form a plan, not able to sleep. Gale doesn't talk. At all. Occasionally, thinking to lighten the mood, Effie opens her mouth – but shuts it quickly.

There are no discussions of the games, nor the signs of rebellion, during the ride.

~.~.~

Katniss won her 74th Hunger Games by siccing mutts on other tributes.

Yes. Gasp, gasp; surprise, surprise.

They were some kind of bear-dog-elephant mutt, with thick brown fur and sharp claws, menacing sharp teeth, and a long nose. It traveled in packs of three and devoured a tribute by sucking them in with their snouts and tearing them apart, piece by piece, with their sharp claws and teeth.

It was pretty horrifying.

Until…Katniss found out that they were musical.

Yes, musical muttations. Again, horrifying.

It started when she sang a tune for her ally, Rue, as she passed away, and the mockingjays picked up her tune. A pack of mutts she had seen ripping apart other tributes appeared out of nowhere, and she was poised to attack (or maybe flee, she was sure)—when she noticed that the mutts weren't offensive. They actually followed her and her melody, in a sort of daze.

Before the Gamemakers even noticed what was going on, and tried to pull the mutts out of the arena, she'd told the creatures to attack the other living tributes.

The crown was hers in a matter of days.

But the games weren't over. Not for Katniss, at least. She'd won her games by using the things the Capitol had created against them. President bloody Snow wasn't happy with that.

Or with the uprising that was seen in other districts, represented by a mockingjay – which had been her token and the music spreader in her games.

So, to Katniss Everdeen, the message he was sending to her – to all the living victors in the shitty country – was as clear as hell:

Katniss Everdeen has caused us trouble. You or your loved ones will pay for it.

By going into the arena.

~.~.~

The evening watching the recap is viewing a funeral—funerals. Funerals of Haymitch's old friends. Funerals of Katniss' new friends. Funerals of the victors' loved ones.

There aren't many volunteers. Most of the time, the reaped victors just rise to take their places, and nobody raises their hands to swap seats. Even District 2—the district is happy to send their famous, vicious, bloodthirsty victors into the arena again, and the victors don't appear bothered either.

However, there are volunteers. Those who love someone so deeply that they would risk their lives if that means it could save a loved one. In District 1, there are two male tributes, because Gloss Damon, the victor of the 63rd Hunger Games, volunteers for his sister Cashmere when she gets reaped. Caesar jokes that Gloss does not want her sister to take all the glory, which hangs around the dining room like a big storm cloud.

It pains Katniss that nobody stands up for Beetee Latier or Wiress Hold, the tributes from District 3 with gray hair.

When Finnick Odair gets reaped, and Mags Wetherall volunteers for him, Effie lets out a little squeal of horror. District 4 is the only district with two volunteers because when Annie Cresta starts screaming hysterically as her name is pulled, a man in his late twenties called Jack Odair volunteers for her.

Katniss lets out a little gasp. "Jack Odair…?"

"Brother of Finnick," Haymitch slurs, taking a long drink from his bottle. Of course. Katniss can see the resemblance is uncanny. Sea green eyes, tanned skin. He's not as much of a looker as Finnick, but he too is very handsome.

The mood in the train gets even darker at that statement if possible.

The only time the recap gets a happy response—not exactly happy of course, but it's something other than all the despair (even though there's the pain, pain underneath)—is the reaping of District 7. Effie Trinket lets out a sniffle and a battered sigh as the camera zooms in close in the girl's reaping bowl, with a single piece of paper sitting hollowly inside.

"Johanna Mason…" Gale mutters lowly in recognition, and Katniss is surprised to hear his voice—that is the first thing he'd said while on the train.

The commenters of the recap are quiet as the escort for District 7 walks over to the girl's bowl ("Ladies first!") and pauses dramatically for a second as the cameras whirl over to the victors in the reaping section.

There are three. Two males, and one female.

Suddenly, Johanna lets out a frustrated groan, and in the quiet space, her sound is loud and clear. She stomps onto the stage—pounces, almost—as the rest of the District, especially the escort, stare at her in surprise and horror. Even the peacekeepers stand rigid for a moment, but when the silence is broken, two peacekeepers guarding the stage take a step forward.

That's when Johanna decides to grab the paper inside the bowl for herself and waves it in the air sarcastically. She shouts loudly, "GEE, I WONDER WHO THE FUCK IT COULD BE?" Then, she shoves her escort over, not so gently, and takes over the mic. She practically rips open the paper and shouts, "HOLY FUCK, IT'S ME! I'M SO FUCKING SHOCKED!"

That's when the two peacekeepers reached her and practically dragged her away from the microphone.

A commenter hoots into his own commentary microphone, saying that Johanna Mason was still very much lively.

Haymitch and Katniss's eyes meet. "You should've done that," Katniss states simply, the barest trace of a smirk lacing her words.

Haymitch guffaws. "That's only possible because she's Johanna Mason."

Gale snorts.

District 7 has no volunteer. Johanna Mason and Blight Underwood are the tributes of the lumbering district.

District 8 brings Effie closer to bawling outright, and she has to excuse herself to fix up her makeup. When Cecelia Rivers is reaped, three of her children cling onto her, screaming her not to go. Then, Hugo Rivers, a boy who has brown skin and big expressive brown eyes just like his mother, volunteers to go into the arena in his mother's place.

He is thirteen years old.

Katniss' grip on the armchair tightens.

A man named Woof is the original male tribute of District 8.

District 9 and 10 are rather uneventful, and don't leave a huge impression, though when Seeder Williams and Chaff Carpenter—Haymitch's closest victor friends on TV, real life, whatever—are reaped, Haymitch sighs loudly and takes a too long pull from his liquor, making Katniss wonder briefly if he's drowned in the bottle. Of course, he hasn't.

And when the screen switches over to District 12, Katniss, on a sudden impulse, turns off the TV.

Nobody objects, or even responds, to her movement.

Katniss knows that she should watch Gale's reaping, and what impression he'd made as a participant in the games. But she also knows that she can't watch the reaping, how Gale volunteered for her, how Haymitch, drunk with his first bottle of liquor in months, had staggered onto the stage and puked. She knows that some memories are enough just seen once in a lifetime.

~.~.~

Fifteen males and nine females.

That's the result of the reaping this year.

Two tributes and a mentor are in her debt.

She is going to request a favor of them, so they can finally repay their debts.

~.~.~

Johanna frowns. "Owe you? Well, I don't recall—"

Katniss bangs the table with her right fist, in an almost hysterical daze, and Johanna scowls at the unnecessity of the action. "Remember? Your tribute last games? Violet?"

Finnick reaches over to Johanna and grips her hand tightly, a gesture to keep her in check as much as to soothe her. Johanna's eyes have narrowed into slits. But she doesn't say anything. Because, one thing about being a mentor-victor is that no matter how half-assed and immoral you are, if your tributes are/were in debt, you are too.

Katniss had shot an arrow at Johanna's female tribute, Violet, last year, straight through her head, even though it was her last arrow. The girl had been being ripped apart live by vultures, and between screams, she'd managed to beg Katniss to end her quickly. Johanna had been saved from watching her tribute being gruesomely torn apart.

Finnick's grip tightens around her hand as Johanna sighs and hisses lowly, "What exactly do you want me to do?"

Katniss' face shows a wave of fleeting emotions. Surprise, guilt, relief, and gratefulness. "So, you'll do it?"

"Jo," Finnick starts, sending her a warning look, apprehensive of the turn this is taking.

"Yeah, I guess," Johanna says, ignoring Finnick. "I mean, I can't die in my tribute's debt, right?" she says dryly, a trace of a smile playing on her lips.

"Yeah," Katniss whispers, relief overcoming her words. "Yeah."

"Johanna," Finnick starts again, eyebrows knitted.

"Finnick," Johanna says evenly, shooting him a dangerous look.

Some unknown communication is held between them, and Katniss holds her breath without knowing. Eventually, Finnick shakes his head and buries his face in his hands.

"Fine," he says, and Katniss' heart swells with pleasure and sorrow at the same time. She knows it's kind of wrong to ask them to give up their own lives, their loved one's lives, all for her best friend, but she can't help herself. She loves Gale too much - although in what way, she still doesn't know – but she knew she wouldn't be able to live without him as soon as he'd volunteered to take her place in the arena. "And I'm guessing my debt is Johanna?"

Katniss nods, while Johanna raises an eyebrow. Finnick doesn't lift his head from his hands.

"Me?" Johanna asks incredulously, taking Katniss a bit by surprise. She thought that Johanna had known. "What the fuck, Finnick? What the hell did you do? I thought we agreed not to—"

Johanna's words die in her throat abruptly as Finnick raises his head from his hand. His eyes are so full of pain that Katniss feels a pang in a heart herself. Johanna's sharp glance turns into one of worry, and she reaches forward. "Finnick?"

"I'm sorry," he says to no one in particular. "I'm sorry."

Johanna turns her glare at Katniss like everything is her fault. Maybe it is. "Okay, brainless. Thanks a lot for crashing our poker party. Now, what shall we do to please you?"

Katniss shakes the insult away; she isn't affected. All she wants to do is seal the deal, get the fuck out of here, curl up in her bed and cry her eyes out. She feels pained. So very pained and empty, and she curses Snow under her breath once again.

But she can't feel sorry or sympathetic for the other victors—people who she'd made friends with (well, not everyone, but there's Beetee, and Mags, and Seeder, and Cecelia, and—), people who understood her, people who shared the same pain with her – because, Gale is the most important to her, and for him to survive, the rest of them have to die.

With new rigid determination, Katniss says, "My condition is that you keep Gale alive in the games at any cost. You try your best to get him out of the arena. Try to get as many of the victo—tributes to save him too. In Johanna's case, the deal ends when you die," she tries not to flinch as she says that. She fails. "Finnick, you should do your best to keep Gale alive until the end of the game, though you can put your famil—tributes in priority, only before they die. But you are to instruct your tributes to take him as an ally."

Silence.

Johanna flicks a card from Finnick's neat pile with her finger. "You know that's kind of a lot to ask for a simple debt, right?"

Katniss doesn't trust her head at the second. She's afraid that she will nod. Instead, she chooses to remain silent and stare at the card Johanna had flipped. A damn Joker, smiling with its ridiculously stretchy mouth.

"I want you to swear to me. On something that's important to you," she suddenly says and turns to look at Finnick first. She can't bear to address Johanna with her sharp eyes, sharp jaw, sharp words.

Finnick smiles, a little dry, sad, resigned thing that makes Katniss' heart drop to her stomach in dread. It's for Gale, she reminds herself. For Gale. "Well, then, my first choice would've been swearing on Johanna, but since she's going to die anyway by this deal, I guess I'll swear on Annie." Katniss casts her eyes down. She can't cope with him too. If he said that first-choice thing genuinely or sarcastically, she doesn't know. Doesn't want to know, to be precise.

"Yeah, I swear on Annie Cresta that I'll try my best to keep Gale Hawthorne alive at any cost." With that, Finnick shoots out of his seat, knocking his chair back a bit with force, and stomps out of the room to the elevator without a second glance, in obvious distress.

Katniss slowly turns to Johanna, but rather than seeing a glare on her features, she sees such a tight, such a pained stretch of her lips, that Katniss somehow thinks it makes her look like the Joker, flipped upside on the table like some sick joke, minus the mirth.

Johanna's eyes are shining with something Katniss can't quite place, but it surely isn't joy.

"I have nothing to lose."

Katniss' mouth dries up. Of course, she hasn't. She'd read about the poorly concealed 'accidents' Johanna's family, friends, and lovers had been through in the newspapers in Twelve.

"Should I swear it on my life if that makes you happy?" Johanna asks sarcastically, even though her voice lacks any offense or enthusiasm.

"No," Katniss whispers, not daring to look at the victor of the 71st Hunger Games.

But then, before she can stop herself, she says,

"Swear it on Finnick."

Cold silence hovers between them, and Katniss wants to punch herself for being such an ass. It's for Gale. It's for Gale.

Finally, in a low, quiet – tortured – voice that Katniss never thought would come out of Johanna's mouth, she says, "I swear on Finnick Odair to keep Gale Hawthorne alive at any fucking cost."

With that, Johanna Mason leaves the living room and disappears into a room (cue the slamming door), no doubt hers.

Katniss Everdeen stands alone, in the 7th-floor living room, guilty and sort of relieved at the same time. She has seen pain, so much pain. She feels herself sway a little. Loud, white noise is buzzing in her ears.

She straightens herself and punches the 12 in the elevator so ferociously, the whole mechanism shudders.