A/N: Hey it's Brighton again. I haven't been doing much lately but here's the next chapter. I have my friend, let's call her Eliza, reading this and prototype chapters and she apparently loves it. Then again she once told me my hair didn't look frizzy at all and then I looked at it at I had an afro... :/
I don't own these characters... I really wish I did. :/
The reception is over and the bar is opened back up to others. They opened it up here a couple years ago, but for the upper class and victors of District 4. The laborers would never be able to afford to sit here and pay for the bill drink by drink.
At least Hawthorne is here to make the experience more enjoyable. He sits down next to me with two glasses of liquor.
"I haven't had this stuff in ages. Only when I was in the Capitol. Even then, I hated spending time with Capitol people." He smiles.
"Well. I call a toast." He raises his glass. "To Finnick. A brave soldier. A fearless tribute. A great husband and one. Amazing. Friend." I nod and clink my glass to his.
"He really was."
"What was he like? I really only knew him for about 6 months when he was in my training group."
My smile fades. I never planned to talk about him today. I didn't even speak at the service. I can't deal with it, even though a funeral is about closure. Might as well open up. So I down a large sip of liquor and begin.
"I met Finnick when I had my victory tour stop in District 4. I was seventeen and very unhappy that I had to face the families of the kids I killed after I won. He came up to me at their feast. We chatted, but he came off as slick and arrogant. I didn't like him. There was a party afterwards and he followed me to the punch bowl and asked me to dance. There was no getting rid of him. Reluctantly I agreed.
"He pulled me into the crowd of people, but we didn't stop to dance. We found a back door and- "
"Wait" Gale stops me mid sentence. "If your first memory of Finnick is some awkward sex thing... Then-" I smack him in the chest and jokingly glare at him.
"Hawthorne, I am appalled by your low expectations of me. No, that's not what happened. Let me finish.
"Once we were out of the building, Finnick drags me to the beach. He says we're going for a swim, because all victory tour parties are a drag.
"Let me tell you something. In January, no matter how warm it is here, the water is freezing. All the time. As soon as I popped up, I screamed. And everyone came out to see what that was, so me and Finnick ducked under water as fast as we could." Gale starts chuckling and soon he starts full on laughing.
"How long were you under water? Surely you had to come up sometime and face every one in soaking wet clothes."
"Well we were naked, so..." He stares at me but just shakes his head.
"Figures. Katniss told me about her first impression of you and him." I smile at the memory of the incident. He gulps his glass down. "Story!" I burst out laughing, but I continue.
"So, I was under water with him, waiting for the crowd to go away. We're about to come up when this otter appears. There was nothing promiscuous going on, but that otter gave me the most judgmental stare. Ever. You can imagine me, surviving the hunger games, but can't take being judged by an otter." Gale throws his head back and laughs and I join in. I realize something. "This is the first time I've laughed since... Since he died."
Gale's smile fades and he nods. "Me too. The end of the war was a hollow victory. But, why don't we forget everything for one night and continue to laugh."
So we do. We laugh about stories of Thirteen and Finnick. We talk about his job in Two. We talk about Annie and the baby. We drink until the attendant cuts us off. I've never felt so happy in a while. I can tell he hasn't either. It feels good to let go.
We stumble back to Annie's house and the light is still on for me. I turn towards Gale.
"I actually had a good time tonight. Thanks."
"I did too. I have to go. I'm on a train back to Two at noon. Goodnight." He kisses my cheek and I turn to leave, but he pulls me back. I look up and we kiss.
One kiss turns into another. Not in five minutes, I'm pressed against the wall with his body against mine. He breaks the embrace to open the front door when I remember.
"No! Annie's sharing with me while Katniss and Peeta are staying with us and the other bedroom is being turned into a nursery."
"Where should we go then?" I look around and stop at the shore behind the house. I grin at him and pull him even closer to me.
"How do you feel about the beach?"
The sun wakes me up rudely. Shit. I must have forgotten to set my alarm. Now I can't run. I notice my bed feels a lot different. And it's a lot hotter in my room than usual. Not to mention the naked man next to me.
I sit right up. I'm on the beach, not my room, with Hawthorne sleeping next to me. We're both naked, with a towel wrapped around us. Thank goodness no one's around. I look down at his face. The years are erased on his face when he sleeps. He looks younger, 16 even. But that can't last long.
I shift on top of him and give him the longest, most passionate kiss possible. He opens his eyes and kisses me back. "Morning."
"Thought I'd act a little more romantic today." He smiles but then jerks up.
"What time is it?" I look up at the sun.
"'bout eleven, maybe." I roll my eyes and lean in for another kiss when I gasp. "It's eleven! I have to sneak back in!"
"I have to be on a train in an hour. I don't think Paylor will accept 'I was sleeping with Johanna Mason' as an excuse for being late for my meeting. But I don't want to go." I sigh and stand up and pick up my dress from the sand. He gets up and starts putting his pants back on.
"Hawthorne." He looks up hopefully. "Call me, sometime." He grins. Oh, why not throw him a bone.
I walk over and kiss him while he wraps his arms around me. I pull away when I remember why I have to leave. I run up to the house with my dress and towel wrapped around me.
I sneak in through the back door, away from the kitchen. I can hear their voices laughing and smell some of Peeta's cooking. I realize I'm starving. I sprint to my room to change into clothes when I nearly collide into Peeta coming out of the bathroom.
"Oof! Johanna? Where were-" I clamp my hand down over his mouth.
"I. Am. Asleep." I whisper harshly. "You. Never. Saw. Me." I pull my hand away and he chuckles silently.
"You're acting like a teenager."
"Says the teenager."
"Just go get changed and eat with the rest of us." He playfully punches me in the shoulder and I walk into my room.
As I'm changing, I'm thinking about last night. It was amazing and I felt like myself for the first time in a while. I feel so much lighter now, freer, if that's possible. Not that I can tell anyone about this. Not for now at least.
A/N: Please R&R! I'm really excited for Homecoming at my school this year because we have a character day... so I am totally going as Johanna! I'll upload a pic on tumblr when I make the costume :)))))))