Title: Survival – Chapter Two: Instincts
POV: Katniss
Pairing: Katniss/Finnick, future Katniss/Finnick/Peeta
Type: Catching Fire AU
Prompt: There was no plan regarding the revolution, only Finnick's plan to weave his way into the hearts of the lovers of district 12 as part of surviving the Quell.
Word Count:
It is certainly true that the more attractive tributes always got the most sponsors. People sponsored me last year because of Cinna's costumes and Peeta's (unrequited) love. People sponsored Finnick ten years ago because he looks good on his own. He really is, by far, the most attractive man I've ever met – and plenty of Capitol women agreed with me.
His District would have scrounged together all the funds they could to support him, because he was a fighter and he actually stood a chance. But the Capitol and the other Districts sponsored him because he was beautiful, and the people of Panem – and particularly the Capitol – are obsessed with beauty.
I stand beside Finnick, who is leaning against a fence suggestively and lavishing a horse with sugar cube gifts. The whole scene makes me wonder if Finnick Odair does anything in a non-evocative way. Or does everyone simply read it as suggestive because of his looks, while really he's behaving like any other guy?
He offers me a sugar cube, and I decline. After a brief pause, he asks suddenly, "Wanna be allies?"
"I thought that forming alliances off the field is against the rules?" I ask, perplexed.
"Screw the rules," he answers.
I notice his hands curling into fists, but I don't mention it. "I'll have to talk it over with my fiancé," I answer.
He looks down at me, and I watch the corners of his mouth curl up into a sneer. "You know you don't have to pretend here, right?" he asks. "There aren't any cameras around."
Half of me thinks I should argue with him, pretend I'm upset about the wedding being cancelled, rub my "pregnant" belly for a bit, blow a kiss to Peeta. The other half is glad that there's one person here who understands how confused I am about my love life. I answer simply, "That obvious, huh?"
"Yes, strikingly so. Lucky for you most of the Capitol audience has an IQ of -60."
I laugh at this, then realize that it's the first time I've laughed since the Quarter Quell announcement. He laughs a little, too, but it sounds almost forced, as if there's something to keep him from laughing – beyond the Games, because those don't really seem to scare him too much. And they shouldn't, because he's clearly the most fit, prepared tribute this year, and he's still gorgeous. Sponsors will be lining up all across Panem to send him parachutes. Might make sense to be his ally, then. The three people most likely to get the best sponsors working together – not much to stop us until we're the only ones left.
However, my answer earlier still stands, because I can't just make Peeta form an alliance he wants no part of. He'll trust my instincts, but I still owe him the explanation before I say yes.
