Prompt: Finnick's final thoughts before he dies

Finnick ran after Katniss and the others, trying desperately to catch up. He reached the ladder and began to climb. The lizard mutts had not caught up yet, but they were close. Katniss's boot came down hard on his left hand, and he lost his grip on the rung. One of the mutts dug his teeth deep into Finnick's ankle and dragged him down to the floor of the tunnel. He was able to beat it away from him with his trident, but suddenly there were several lizard mutts surrounding him. The wrestled him to the floor and snatched away his trident before one of them leaned in towards his throat.

He felt the cool spray of seafoam on his neck as he tilted his face up. When he opened his eyes, Finnick was no longer in the tunnel, but instead on his father's fishing boat. Gulls circled above, hungry for a piece of their catch. It had always been his job as a child to scare them away, and out of habit Finnick walked to the tub where they stored the fish. He waved his arms and yelled, making sure none of the birds came close enough to steal his father's catch. Finnick laughed at his own silliness and the memories being on this boat brought back. As the afternoon turned to evening, he grew tired. He sat next to the tub, and soon his eyes drifted shut.

He could smell Mags's seaweed bread tempting him out of his sleep. Finnick awoke to see a silver parachute falling towards him, and when he opened the canister, he found his mentor's freshly baked bread. "Thank you, Mags," he said aloud before stuffing the first bite into his mouth. The bread was warm, with a crunchy crust, and the salty taste of seaweed stayed on his tongue even after he swallowed.

"Planning on sharing, boy?" He heard Mags's voice from behind him. Finnick stood and turned, his face flushing pink with embarrassment. He did not know what to say to this woman, how to thank her for everything she had given him. He opened his mouth to speak, but Mags covered his lips with the palm of her hand. "We don't need words now. Enjoy your bread." She laughed at the look of confusion on his face. Finnick took another bite of bread.

When he looked up again, Mags was gone. His surroundings were unfamiliar with the exception of a tall, rocky horn. The Cornucopia. Finnick stepped cautiously towards the Cornucopia, watching carefully for any mutts or other tributes. He began to climb to the top, where he could just begin to make out a familiar form. He reached the peak to find Beetee's trident waiting for him. Finnick picked it up, the weight of the weapon oddly calming.

He surveyed the Arena, pleasantly surprised to find an ocean far in the distance. Finnick brought the trident with him as he made the trek, but dropped it promptly as he reached his destination. A woman in a green dress sat on the beach, looking out over the ocean. "Annie!" he shouted, running towards his wife. She smiled at him and met him with a warm embrace. Neither of them spoke for long moments as they watched the waves crashing into the rocks. Annie leaned up on her tiptoes to press a kiss to Finnick's lips.

The waves called to him invitingly. "Join me for a swim?" he asked Annie. She shook her head sadly, but motioned for him to go on without her. Finnick walked into the water, enjoying its coolness against his skin. When he was in deep enough, he began to swim. Finnick looked back at Annie on shore, but he continued to swim. Even when he lost sight of her, he continued out further and further into the blue-green waves, content.

A/N: I'm so sorry, I had to do it. If anyone's interested, the relevant quote from Mockingjay is "It's as if I'm Finnick, watching images of my life flash by. The mast of a boat, a silver parachute, Mags laughing, a pink sky, Beetee's trident, Annie in her wedding dress, waves breaking over rocks. Then its over."

Thanks for reading! I hope you liked it / don't hate me after reading this! I would really appreciate it if you could leave a review - I'm really excited to know what people think of this chapter in particular. Again, thank you so much for reading!

~finnicko-loves-anniec