A/N: Sorry it's taken so long! I started school, senior year, actually. So I'm swamped with AP work and a million things:( senioritis has not kicked in yet. But, I'm excited about this chapter, plenty of Finnick/Annie drama for ya;)
21. It's Beginning to Get to Me
The party was going to last all night, and as Finnick glanced at the clock, he realized it was only ten. These things usually didn't die down until five in the morning, the same time fishermen would be waking up for the day.
He restrained himself from sighing and slouching in disappointment. How was it only ten? It was 9:30 three hours ago when he checked the clock. Or, maybe it just felt like three hours ago. Finnick glanced around the room until he found Annie. She sat at a table with Mags, sipping on her fruity drink and listening to their mentor talk. Annie's eyes were trained on Mags, making Finnick wonder what they were talking about.
"Can I buy you a drink?" Finnick looked up and saw a tall woman with blue skin standing in front of him. "Sure," he smirked, "rum and coke." The woman ordered two, and then she sat down next to him. They chatted over their drinks about her lovely skin. Finnick only needed to make one comment and she blabbed on for five minutes. He wasn't listening to her, he was focused on Annie, who had left her table and was now across the bar, ordering a shot.
Finnick felt a moment of panic, what if Mags had told her about what he did in the Capitol? Annie wasn't the kind of girl to do shots. And then Finnick noticed the man who just clinked his shot glass with Annie's. Finnick took his hand off of the woman's thigh to wring his hands together.
He was tattooed head to toe, and had piercings that would probably give Annie nightmares. She didn't look uncomfortable though, just…angry? Her eyes fluttered to meet Finnick's, and then they fell to the blue hand that held Finnick's tie. Finnick glared at Annie as she looped her finger through the man's belt loop. He wanted to push the alien off of him, climb across the bar and strangle that guy's neck.
He knew he couldn't do that though, so instead he just fantasized about different ways to kill him. At the moment, he was playing with a strand of Annie's hair while they waited for another round of shots.
"Finnick, did you hear me?" Finnick forced himself to look at the woman. "I said; do you want to go back to your room?" He knew he could have gotten away with saying no. The Victory Tours were not part of his contract with Snow. He could have said that he needed to keep an eye on Annie; if it wasn't for the deal he made with the President. In exchange for Annie's silence, Finnick would receive an assignment. And here she was, skin dyed blue and uglier than ever. He hated her. He hated Snow. He hated the Capitol.
He hated himself.
"Yeah, let's go." Finnick gave Annie one last, long, stare before heading out with…whatever her name was.
Annie watched them go until the doors closed behind them. She was more confused than ever. Was he bringing her home? Was she too drunk to walk or drive herself? Was he trying to make Annie jealous? Annie glanced at the guy who'd asked to buy her drink. She'd only agreed because of the heat that rose through her body when she saw Finnick's hand on that blue thigh.
"Listen, Comisar," she said to the man, glancing at the clock on the wall that read 11:00. "It's getting pretty late for me, I think I'm just going to get some sleep." Comisar cocked his head to the side, "it's only 11:00!"
"I know," she smiled apologetically, placing a hand on his arm, "that's late in District 4. Next time I'm in the Capitol we'll get together though!" Annie stood up and mixed into the crowed before they could exchange numbers. She made her way back to the table she'd left Mags at. "Are you ready to go, Mags?" Mags nodded and stood.
When they had finally fought their way through the crowd and said enough goodbyes to be acceptable, they stumbled into the hall, their arms looped. "Hey," Annie said, "do you know who that woman was that Finnick left with?" Mags looked down at her hands, "I think that you should just spend tonight in your room dear, or you could sleep in mine if you'd like." Annie's eyes narrowed, "why would you say that?"
"I think that Finnick just needs some time alone."
"Who was she?" Annie asked slowly. Mags sighed, "I don't know, dear. I'm sure that he doesn't know either. He probably just walked her home and went to bed. Let him be, sometimes he needs alone time, just like you." Mags spoke in a calming manner, and Annie stupidly believed her.
Annie tucked Mags into bed and kissed her on the cheek, "alright," she whispered, "I'll see you in the morning."
"Sleep tight, dear. Don't hesitate to come on in here if you need to." Annie smiled at Mags once more before turning out the light and heading for her own room.
Annie spent a good hour rolling around her bed, trying and failing to find sleep. And then she spent another hour pacing the floor of her room, biting her nails and contemplating if she should go to Finnick. She knew that Mags was right, Finnick had respected the night that Annie wanted to spend alone. She woke up screaming from nightmares, but she never heard Finnick banging on her door. He'd respected the fact that she wanted to be alone. Maybe he had even understood that she needed to know she could get through the night by herself.
But this was different. Annie threw a robe over herself and hurried down the hall to his door. She knocked lightly, and heard murmuring voices behind the door. Her breath came in quickly as she prayed that it was the television.
She waited another moment and then knocked louder. This time Finnick's voice came though, "I'm commin'"
She closed her eyes, her hand resting on the door until it swung open. Finnick stood before her in a pair of boxers, a bottle of alcohol in one hand. His hair was disheveled, and his eyes were wide as he watched her watching him.
"Annie," he breathed. To her surprise, his breath didn't smell of the liquor he held. His eyes were alert. He wasn't drunk.
That fact only made it worse when the blue woman came up behind him wearing only underwear. She wrapped her arms around Finnick and kissed his back and shoulders as Annie watched in horror.
"This isn't what you think, just let me explain,"
But Annie was running. Her bare feet hit the floor hard and she struggled to see out of her watery eyes.
Annie didn't knock on this door. She flung it open as sobs escaped her mouth. Annie stumbled into the bed and her mentor woke. "I'm sorry," Annie tried to quiet herself, feeling even worse now that she'd woken the old woman from her sleep.
"Shh, dear, it's alright," Annie lay down on her side and Mags wrapped her arms around her. "You're okay, darling," Annie tried to tell Mags what happened, but her sobs made her words barely understandable.
Either Mags couldn't comprehend what she was saying, or she wasn't surprised. Annie hoped it was the first.
She was too tired to try again, so instead she cried herself to sleep with Mags' arms around her. Oddly, Annie's last thought before she fell asleep was, I wonder if this is how that mermaid who threw herself into the sea felt when she realized her prince was in love with someone better.