For baronesskika whom I would not be half as motivated to write Noah if it weren't for her. Happy Early Birthday! Banner by the lovely Ro Nordmann. Disclaimer: I do not own The Hunger Games. However, I am in possession of my original characters. I am also in possession of the original content of my stories & the scenarios my characters partake in.
To InLoveWithClatoLove: I heard your request for Noah and Clove, I will get to it in the next couple entries. I'm working on the fine details.
"Noah," he groans, feeling the familiar pulsing behind his eyes and pinching along the bridge of his nose as a headache forms."You've had weeks to decide, how come you still don't know?"
"I do know!" Noah shouts pointedly at his father. "But you won't let me wear my swimsuit!"
Removing his thick framed glasses in hopes to thwart some of the escalating pain, Finnick stares down at his son with blurry vision. "It's going to be rainy and cold on Halloween, I don't want you to get sick. It's bad enough Johanna's letting you have candy before bed."
"It's tradition for a kid to get to sample their loot on Halloween night," Johanna says over the couch.
"Don't," Finnick grits his teeth, sending a jolt of pain up through his skull.
"What? I'm serious, it's trad-"
"I'm not going to get sick," Noah interjects, crossing his arms over his chest. "I want to wear my swim trunks. I want to be a diver like Daddy and Uncle Gale." His voice takes on a high pitch whine while tears begin to bubble in his eyes. Finnick can feel the throbbing in his skull more potently as Noah grabs at his shirt threatening to tear it.
"Noah, please," Finnick says softly, trying to relax the boy and get his ears to stop ringing. "We have to find something else for you to wear. How about we get you pumpkin costume or you wear the dragon costume from last year, you really like that costume."
"NO!" he wails, tears pouring down his face like rain. "I wanna be a diver!"
As if an axe comes down the middle of his skull, Finnick feels himself split him down the center like a cartoon character. With his tolerance completely worn away, Finnick throws his blubbering child over his shoulder and drops him firmly onto his bed.
The hiccup in the boy's crying has Noah looking up at his father, confusion riddled in his eyes. Finnick gathers his son's sleep wear, tossing it beside the sniffling boy.
"It's not bed time," Noah mutters.
"Nothing wrong with getting a few extra hours of sleep when you're this tired," Finnick changes the boy from his day clothes and tucks him beneath the white duvet instead of the one patterned with the solar system.
Laying down beside him, he runs his fingers through his son's thick, wavy hair until he can hear Noah's breath begin to even out. A long, loud yawn passing through Noah's lips draws a smile onto Finnick's face.
As the pain in Finnick's head calms to all but a dull ache, it roars again when the floorboards of their ancient townhouse creek with Johanna's heavy, footfalls. Noah's head perks with interest but is too tired to slide from the bed to greet his Auntie Johanna.
Crawling into bed beside him, she wraps her arms around his waist and touches a kiss to Noah's pasty forehead.
"Long day at school, kiddo?" Johanna asks above a whisper.
Finnick feels his son's head bob against his arm.
"What'cha do today?" Finnick inquires.
All he receives is a lackadaisical shrug.
"Annie liked the poem you wrote her."
"Oh yeah," Finnick's grin illuminates the room like a night light.
"She told me to tell you that you made her smile and that she will see you Saturday," Noah frowns. "Why are you seeing her Saturday?"
"Because it's the only day she's free?" Finnick looks at his son quizzically. "Is there something special happening on Saturday that I don't know about?"
"No," he yawns. "But if you're not at work, you're with Annie at night. I'd really like to see you before bedtime," Noah curls further into his father's side. "I miss having dinner with you and watching tv with you. It's not the same with Uncle Peeta or Haymitch."
Touching a kiss to Noah's head, Finnick tightens his hold on his son. "You need to tell me when something I do bothers you, okay?"
"Okay."
"Promise?"
"Prom-" Noah's voice trails off as sleep steals his consciousness. They wait until this gentle snores fill the room before lifting themselves from the mattress and leaving the boy to sleep in peace.
"So are you gonna go Trick-or-treating with him this y-"
"You knew he felt his way and you didn't tell me," Finnick drives the pads of his fingers into his temple as the headache from earlier comes rolling through his temples like a thunder storm.
Throwing herself down onto the couch she sighs, "I was gonna bring it up tonight."
"Why didn't you tell me sooner?"
"Because it's not the kinda conversation you have over the phone during a lunch break," propping her feet up on the coffee table, Johanna settles back into her groove and watches as men skate across the muted screen.
"I don't know why I thought he'd be okay with this. I knew I was pushing my luck," Finnick runs a hand through his hair and down his face. "I'm such an idiot."
"Yeah you are but not because of this," Johanna smirks. "Noah loves having dinner with Peeta and Haymitch, they spoil the crap outta him. You should see what kinda murder Noah gets away with, its like he's Jerry and they're that dog that stands in between Tom and Jerry."
"That's lovely," Finnick tries not to smile as falls back onto the sofa with Johanna. Loosen his tie and unclasping his belt, he sinks further into the leather idly watches the silent hockey game.
The Redhawks are losing 2-3.
"I can solve the costume problem if you promise to take your son out for Halloween," Johanna says.
"You've got something he'll like?"
"He'll love it. Keeps with the whole 'my family comes from kickass athletes' theme," Johanna grins to herself. Finnick chuckles.
"You're a life saver."
"Yeah yeah so I've heard," she reaches out to pat Finnick on the leg. "Just don't forget to leave work early Friday."
"I won't."
"You better, or I'm coming down to kick your overworked ass outta that chair myself.
"Yes ma'am," Finnick salutes with a chuckle.
Pacing frantically between the family room, the kitchen and his bedroom, Noah debates whether or not to knock on the door to see what is taking his Dad so long. It's already 7 o'clock and his bedtime is in an hour.
"Daddy you're taking too long," Noah says, voice wavering. "All the good candy is gonna be gone if we don't go now!"
"Hold your horses, I'm almost done!" Finnick calls from beyond the wooden separating them. With an exaggerated sigh, Noah stomps back into the family room where he slumps into the chair.
"Hey buddy, watch the jersey, I've had that since I was your age," Johanna rushes over to even out the wrinkles in the hockey jersey he's wearing.
Just as Johanna predicted, Noah adored the idea of wearing his Auntie Jo's red,white and blue hockey jersey from when she was a kid. He hadn't known there was hockey in somewhere as warm as Miami but she assured him that her reflexes wouldn't be as quick if there wasn't.
"Now if only your dad would've let me paint a black eye on yeah it'd be perfect," Kneeling down, she pushes the helmet down over his head and hands him a Vancouver Canucks pillow case for this candy before admiring her work.
"I don't want someone getting the wrong idea and calling child services," Finnick sighs heavily, spooking Noah and Johanna. For a man his stature, FInnick is uncharacteristically quiet.
Looking past his Aunt, Noah's turquoise eyes narrow as they trail up and along the length of his father's body. Wrapped head to toe in a scaly green body suit with a gold tiara resting atop his crown and a fish tail dragging behind him, Finnick leans up against the length of the gold tipped trident secure in his hands.
"What are you, Daddy?" Noah's brows knit together in puzzlement only for Johanna's laughter to force his bottom lip to jut in a pout. "What?!"
"N-no...n-no...N-noah it's not you," Johanna coughs as she pulls air back into her lungs. "It's...Finnick please tell me you're not a merman."
Finnick hums as he shrugs his shoulders, "Kinda."
"A sea monster with weapon?" Noah guesses.
"Not quite."
"Aquaman?"
"Nope."
"Poseidon?" Johanna presses her luck.
Finnick shakes his head.
"God, Daddy, just tell us already, we have to go," Noah rolls his eyes. Johanna nearly breaks out into another fit of giggles.
"The Starbucks Mascot," Finnick grins as his creative brilliance earns him a fist bump approval from Johanna after she peels herself off the ground from where she had fallen in her wheezing laughter.
"Leave it to you to come up with a coffee related costume," Johanna shakes her head as she follows behind Finnick whom is being dragged violently towards the door by Noah.
"We've been working on our campaign with Starbucks all week. I've been doing is stare at those paper cups, can you blame me?" Finnick asks with a sheepish grin as Noah guides them down the concrete stairs and onto the sidewalk where Katniss waits with Aidyn sitting in the stroller and Rosy bouncing on her toes with a bag half full of candy already. If Katniss is intrigued by Finnick's choice in costume, it doesn't show.
Shaking her head, Johanna wishes them well and requests Noah bring back twice as much candy so she can have some too. The promise dies along the cutting wind as Noah slides his fingers between those of his father's and walks to the first house with the porch light on.
"Thanks for coming with us, Daddy," Noah presses himself into his father's side.
"Of course, kiddo," Finnick squeezes the boy's hand. "I'm sorry that I made it seem like I didn't want to."
"It's okay. I know you didn't mean it," Noah says, pulling away from his father's grasp and following Rosy, who bolts up to a house with a skeleton hanging from the front door.
Turning around, hopefully to meet his father's eyes, Noah is startled by their close proximity. How did he get up here so fast? Taking another long look at his father's costume before the people open the door Noah shakes his head.
"Next year, pick a costume that isn't weird, okay?"
"I don't know, if you want me to come with you I'm gonna dress up weird," Finnick says just before the door swings open and Rosy and Noah chant 'trick-or-treat' in unison. Gathering their candy, along with an extra piece for Aidyn, they head back down to meet Katniss who takes lead, guiding them to the next house.
Stopping at every home that still has a light on, Finnick can't recall a time in the last week when Noah was this overcome with joy as much as he is now.
By the time they arrive back home, the boy can barely keep his eyes open. Wiggling him out of his costume, he is fast asleep before he can ask to try a piece of his candy.
Slipping into pajamas with a layer of fleece, Finnick watches the gentle rise and fall of Noah's body. There will be a time when Noah will outgrow all of this; where his pajamas won't fit, he won't need his teddy bear Oatmeal to cuddle when he sleeps or throw a tantrum when he can't spend an evening with his father.
Finnick doesn't want to see that day; not just yet.
Pushing back the dark, sweaty waves that curl around Noah's forehead, Finnick leans down and presses a kiss to the boy's head. "Good night, my little boy. Dulces sueños."