Author's Note:
Hey
I had an idea last night for this chapter, and I know it's completely AU, but I wanted to get Annie and Finnick in here somewhere! And Delly too!
But I also realised that I needed a bit of drama too…
As always, thank you for all subscriptions, although I'm going to sound so stupid, but please review this chapter for me!
Welcome to the madness, Lee Everdeen, nicci 1721 and Lesinx.
As always, thanks to SilverMistKey and to Katniss 16 whokeeps on encouraging me
Alright, prepare yourselves for a new perspective
I don't own the Hunger Games, or any lyrics mentioned in any of my stories btw!
….I just wish I did
Finnick:
"So man, its official? You and Everdeen are going out?" my voice asks in disbelief at what my best friend has just claimed.
He smiles at me as we rig up the amps to the guitars before practice.
"About fuckin' time! I knew you two would work! I fuckin' knew it!" I tease, laying on the ground, adjusting a snare drum to the rest of the kit, a broad smile filling my face.
"Calm down about it Finn, it's still early days; I don't want to freak her out or anything" his voice is cautious, but he too is grinning like an idiot. Then an idea floods out of my mouth, with no control from my brain.
"Dude! We've got groupies! We're actual proper musicians! We're gonna get laid every night of the week!" I chortle, before seeing the look of disgust on Peeta's face at my comment.
"Finnick Odair" his voice is filled with a mild rage which is both threatening yet controlled. He steps over the mass amount of leads and wires that cover the old carpeted floor of his garage and crosses over to me.
Jerking my head away from the drum kit, he looks at me with serious eyes; the kind that you're parents use when they tell you how disappointed they are in you. Ah shit, I feel awful at what I implied about having groupies. This makes me feel even worse, because my attempt at being funny and flippant has actually degraded the one person who means the world to me; Annie.
I'm prepared for the earful that Peeta will inevitably give, but he just looks at me, lying on the dirty carpet with a screw in my hand
"Dude, I appreciate the excitement, I really do, but you have to understand something…I don't like Katniss because she's smart, or sexy, or for the fact that if she heard what you have just said, she'd probably cut your balls off and use them as earrings. I like her because she's selfless, regardless of who's in trouble, she'll help them. She's not insensitive towards others, but shy. And the thing I like most about her? When I think I have her figured out, she just keeps on surprising me" he's reminding himself of her, his voice growing soft, as if he were talking to a child; the immature child being me of course.
"I know how you feel towards Annie…whatever you call it or describe it …it's that exactly what I feel for Katniss" he continues, picking up a nearby guitar and dismantling the strings from the neck.
"And another thing, we are musicians regardless if we get laid or not" he says confidently.
"Sorry" I mumble, like a spoilt child as I prop myself on my elbow as Peeta pulls a face at me. I fling a screw at him in response and get a dirty cloth in return. That's Peeta alright, always a gentleman, true to his word, sound and a good guitarist, although a better bassist. He's no match for me on drums though; hell animal from the Muppets ain't got nothin' on me apparently. So Annie thinks anyways; she says that I look like him when I drum, on account of the crazy faces I make when I'm pounding relentlessly into the music.
"Are the lady friends coming over, Mr. Mellark?" I call out to him in a posh accent, grinning again at Peeta and trying to sound more appropriate than I did before. The damn snare drum just keeps on sliding down away from me so I abandon it for the minute and grunt in anger.
"They should be Mr. Odair. I told my lady friend to come back later; I've even made her favourite cake. I don't know about yours though" he chuckles.
As if on cue, the two girls and Delly Cartwright walk in, giggling. My eyes divert to the mass of curling hair that is my girlfriend as she smiles at me with those vivid bottle green eyes. My hands meet hers and I lean in for a kiss. She's too good for me; far too good for me, but she gets me, and for some weird yet wonderful reason wants me too. The moment is perfect, and I spy Katniss cuddling alongside Peeta as Annie and I break for air.
"ARE WE GOING TO JAM OR NOT?" screams an angry Delly, her hands wrapped around Peeta's bass. She's furious at the sight of us couples kissing, just because the resident man- whore of Panem, Gale Hawthorne got off with her a couple of times and never asked her out. Since then, I'd figured she's hated all couples, and maybe even the male race.
"Don't lose your rag Cartwright! We'll be there in a minute" Peeta calls, before smiling at Katniss and whispering something in her eyes that makes her eyes roll into the back of her head as she titters in laughter, her head pressed to his shoulder.
Annie diverts me away from them, giving them some form of privacy, and perhaps pissing Delly off a bit more. There's a mischievous look in her eye and I know that we have to exchange notes on the newly formed couple.
"After practice?" she winks, the sunlight from outside catching her eyes as she feels my jaw with her little fingers. I know what she's really getting at, so I pick her up effortlessly and carry her to the old couch that's positioned at the door of the garage. She's so small compared to me, sometimes I'm afraid that I'll hurt her and not realize until it's too late.
"Agreed. We did it babe" I whisper, winking at Annie, who smiles cheekily back at me.
"Let's get this show on the road! Mellark, Odair, whenever you're ready, although sometime today would be good" Delly says sarcastically. I leave Annie on the couch with Katniss as Peeta and I take our places. Peeta's nerves are at him; his fingers are twitching as he raises the microphone towards his face. I sit down, picking up my sticks and count us in.
"One, two, three four!" I shout in between the sticks beating off each other, as Peeta plays a fast and complicated riff, matching Delly's speed, and my arms go to work.
I spy Annie and Katniss pointing at me, and I know that my face has warped into something crazy, but I don't care. I'm here, jamming with my best friend, and the two people that matter most to us. Although, I just can't wait to swap notes with Annie at the end and compare what we both found out.
Katniss:
I promised him that I would come back after our little escapade this morning. I wanted to figure out what it was like to have a musician for a b…. boyfriend. That's what Peeta is to me, although it seems as if the title isn't worthy of him. He means more than that to me, even if I don't quite know what that 'more' is; I know that it does exist between him and me. The term will have to do until I come up with a better one. Annie called for me and we walked down together, that goofy smile still spread on my face for all to see. It was only a matter of minutes before I cracked and told her what had happened that morning, but I had to cut her short because Delly came along. The boys greet us and the garage door is opened up to reveal the dirty remains of what once was a cream coloured carpet, but gradual neglect along with wear and tear has caused it to resemble a greyish colour. The room is decorated full of posters and musical instruments. I knew Baker Boy played guitar, he had an acoustic up in his room, but I didn't think that he was heavily involved in music, or that he was in a band with Finnick and Delly, but I smile at my multi- talented man friend as he hugs me tightly.
"Hey you" he whispers against my ear, warming me up.
"Hey back atcha" I smile, clinging onto him for warmth. It's late April, but Panem is a cold place that only seems to have one temperature setting: permanent grey clouds and bitter winds.
"After practice, when these all go away… I've got a surprise for you "he smirks, and I can tell that his mind is travelling down the sexual innuendo route, as my eyes roll back into my head.
"Not like that Katniss! I've made another cake for you! And you think that I'm dirty minded" he says, grinning like a Cheshire cat, knowing that I do not appreciate him mind- fucking me like that. I do that all by myself, and rather well for that matter, without his additions. He gestures to an old sofa that looks beaten up, yet extremely comfy at the same time. Finnick has Annie in his arms, and I can't help but feel like a space invader as he places her down next to me, before kissing the top of her head. Sometimes I wonder if he thinks of her as a china doll; porcelain, fragile, easily harmed, all of which Annie once was, but hasn't been since she met him. Peeta is already at his guitar whilst Finn hops over leads and cables as if they're poisonous snakes on the floor.
There's a lot of feedback from the amplifiers as Peeta strums the guitar at first, but it gradually settles down and the ringing in my ears eventually stops until all that's left is a fast, rocky tune. I have to laugh at Finnick, as Annie points out his drumming face to me. His eyes are scrunched up and his forehead becomes creased with lines and we crack up laughing as his face becomes more and more twisted as the beat gets quicker. Delly's not too bad either, although she is cranky due to Gale Hawthorne, the resident womaniser at school copping off with Madge Undersee instead of her. We sit on the tatty old couch as Peeta stands alongside the microphone, his eyes hidden away under the mass of blonde hair. He's nervous and shaky having to perform, but he won't falter, he never does with anything. The loud thrashing of guitars and drums lower slightly, still complex and menacing though; I can see him trying to calm down and not screw up the lyrics.
She said "I'll throw myself away,
They're just photos after all"
I can't make you hang around.
I can't wash you off my skin.
My foot begins keeping in time with the beat that Finnick is playing, although Annie is in convulsions of laughter at the sight of him hammering away at the drums. Peeta is focusing on a poster of 'The Pixies' that hangs above the garage door, obviously acting like the professional he is whilst I laugh alongside Annie. The music is so friggin' loud that I'll be surprised if I have a quarter of my hearing by the time band practice ends. I start reaching into my pocket for my lighter and box, in need of nicotine
"Annie, do you want one?" I ask, my voice competing with Peeta's roaring and the crashing sound of drums.
"WHAT? MARZIPAN?" she yells back in confusion to me.
I usher the box of cigarettes to her and she pulls one out, raising it delicately to her plump lips, as I ignite both of us with the same flame. Cigarettes lit, we lie back and exhale deeply at our man friends sweating and pounding relentlessly into their instruments.
Peeta:
"I CAN GOOOO WITH THE FLOOWWWW!" I practically yell it down the end of the microphone to the girls, my voice overpowered by the guitars. Relax Mellark, Rome wasn't built in a day, and you just need to calm down and uncoil yourself. Except I can't, I'm too wound up at the sight of her there, watching me play, watching me play. My hair's all sweaty and sticking to my face as I try to remember the chords to another song. Damn it. I can't focus due the cravings. The smell of tobacco hits me in the face like a freight train and Katniss gives me that sex kitten grin when she knows I'm in need. Fuck, it's getting worse the more I breathe, the more I feel the demons jeering in my head. My hand hurts too, the stainless steel digging into my fingers, as they shimmy up and down the neck of the guitar. I feel the sting on my face before I fully recognise what's happened, but I know that I'm in fucking agony at what just hit me, as my vision turns blurry and the last thing I see is Katniss; a look of horror spreading on her face as I fall to the floor…
Katniss:
"PEETA!"
I jump off the couch, scaring Annie in the process, as he slumps to the floor, his eyes disappearing from view. He's bleeding; a narrow gash is evident along the side of his face where the guitar string has severed the flesh. I gently pull him onto my lap, his blood everywhere; my jeans, my hands, under my fingernails…I've been here before with him. His hair is matted with sweat and blood and it's sticking to his face as I try to make him focus.
"Peeta…Peeta open your eyes…Peeta please open your eyes for me" I keep my voice quiet; I don't want to scare him or put him into shock.
The line that the guitar has left is clean enough, I hope it won't scar when it heals, not like the mark on his thigh. Finnick helps me lift him into the house, as Annie and Delly search frantically for something to stop the bleeding, leaving the room in disarray as towels, water and ice are thrown around. We place Peeta on the couch, his head is tilted back, his eyes closed. I make a start at the cut, although that's not quite what this is. A cut seems silly in comparison to this monstrosity. Oh Peeta…
"Agh…!"
"Relax dude, the guitar string snapped, and whipped you right in the face. You've got a nasty gash, but Katniss is gonna fix you up, just relax"
I'm glad that Finnick is calming him down, because I certainly can't. His words have the same effect on me, and I breathe deeply before bracing myself for this mess. I spy Annie out of the corner of my eye; she's gone very pale and looks as if her knees may cave in at any second.
"Finn…?"
"ANNIE!"
Another invalid. Fucking fantastic, I think to myself.
"Katniss, you've got this...?" he gestures at Peeta, and I nod at him, as he lifts Annie into his arms like a toddler.
"Go Finn. Bring her home, I can manage here"
He nods at me, and I take this for a thank you as he slips away from sight, Annie's head hanging in his arms.
"I'll go too, I don't wanna get in the way" Delly pipes up, before following Finnick out through the garage door that connects to the kitchen.
Then it's just Peeta and I, his eyes still closed in pain as I continue to pry through the mash up of hair, blood, skin and swelling that is his face. I forget the world around me and prioritize on cleaning this muddle up. It's stopped bleeding profusely, which is a good thing, but the swelling will give him a large shiny bruise tomorrow, as I douse the towel in warm water and gently wipe the crusted blood from his cheek, ignoring the gut wrenching sounds that he is making as I do it. Fuck, the guy is accident prone. After fifteen minutes of cleaning, it's starting to look better; he won't need stitches, but he's vulnerable to infection in his current state. I leave him for a minute and mooch through his kitchen cupboards, looking for something, anything that will stop it from becoming infected. There's a weird bottle of anti-bacterial ointment that sits in a cupboard, it looks old, but it'll have to do. His eyes flutter as I put the stuff over the wound, before bandaging it up gently, and a sigh comes from his mouth.
"That's good, it's soothing" he smiles a little, which reassures me.
"I'll have to lock you away in your bedroom so that you can't hurt yourself anymore, Baker Boy"
"Locked up? In a room? With you? Yes please!" he sings, his voice full of music.
I don't reply to him, I just stare at him in belief and press a little harder on the bandage at the side of his temple where he's cut.
"Ouch! Okay! Stop being a bitch with the bandage, it hurts!"
"That would be the point dear Mr. Mellark" I grin, my voice dripping with sarcasm.
"Katniss..?"
"Yes Peeta?"
"Thank you…again" he laughs.
I smile at him; I always seem to be fixing him up after he's hurt himself. Because that's what Peeta and I do for each other; we look after each other, because…. Because….
The words just flood out.
"Peeta, I love you…" the words hang in the air between us and I instantly regret saying them. Fuck it Katniss! What have I done? He's just staring at me intently; his eyes wide and searching mine. I have to get away; I can't stand this silence, not knowing what he's thinking; even if he feels the same as I do. I pull away, but he catches my wrist and looks into my eyes for what seems like forever before pulling me into a kiss. He tastes like the lemon cake from this morning. I'm conscious of his gash so I abruptly stop the kiss before it gets too fiery.
"Your head Peeta… It looks sore… I don't think that this is the right time"
"You're right…But I just wanted to show you that… I love you too K" he smiles, before settling back down on the couch.
"Doesn't mean, I'm going soft on you Baker Boy"
"I wouldn't have it any other way" he laughs and gives me one more small kiss before letting me cuddle up next to him for the rest of the day. It's odd, but right now, there is no place that I would rather be in the entire world other than here; wrapped up in Peeta's arms as he falls asleep whilst I look after him. Because that's what you do for someone that you… love.