Chapter Eight
"What?" Katniss asked irritably. "Why do you keep staring at me?"
The morning had been fairly uneventful. Katniss seemed a little surprised to find Finnick in her bed, but she brushed it and all the prior days events off, and acted as if there had never been a rift between the two of them.
She was acting completely normal, and now Finnick was starting to wonder if he had perhaps imagined Katniss's sleepy confession last night. Instead of answering her question, Finnick smiled at her, sidling up behind her and placing his hands on her waist. "Do I make you uncomfortable, Girl on Fire?" he whispered in her ear.
Katniss blushed, struggling against him. "Don't start with that again," she protested, turning around in his grasp and thumping his chest with her fist.
Finnick captured her hand and brought it to his lips, kissing her palm. He moved his other hand up to her cheek, leaning down, almost touching her lips. "You're a little fire cracker today," he said softly. "I like fire."
"Ugh!" Katniss cried, pushing against him. She was flushed nicely now, and Finnick smirked. He loved that he could make her squirm and blush like that. "What is your deal today?"
"I can't help it," he sighed dramatically, bringing his hand to his forehead. "You deprived me of your company all of yesterday."
Katniss frowned at him, crossing her arms. "You're being ridiculous. Now eat your breakfast and go to work."
Finnick held a hand to his heart, feigning hurt. "You're so eager to get rid of me," he bemoaned.
Katniss rolled her eyes. "Quit being a baby and hurry up. You'll be late again."
Finnick grinned at her, blowing her a kiss before scarfing down his food. Katniss may not remember what she said to him last night, but he did, and Finnick was elated. She loved him. Katniss loved him. She was in love with him, he told himself. He was sure of it. He couldn't sleep for a while after that, just marveling at the woman in his arms. He kissed her face all over and chuckled when she grumpily pushed him away, turning her back to him but pulling his arm over her so that she could be spooned. Finnick had pulled her close and buried his nose in her hair, breathing in her scent greedily. He couldn't recall the last time he had been so happy.
Work alternately dragged on and flew by. Finnick was preoccupied with thoughts of Katniss and he couldn't wait to get home to see her, and so the day dragged on. He tempered the slowness with day dreams of her.
Towards the end of the day he heard someone calling his name. He turned around, spotting Hazelle. "Hi," he called cheerily, jogging over.
Hazelle smiled at him. "Someone's in a good mood."
Finnick beamed at her. "I'm happy," he agreed.
Hazelle's smile slowly fell and she bit her bottom lip. "So, did you watch the videos?"
Immediately Finnick's bright mood darkened. "Not all of them," he told her. "Just my Games and Katniss' Games. Haymitch kicked me out after that."
"Well," Hazelle said abruptly, "I just wanted to come and check on you and invite everyone over for dinner. Of course, it might be better if we ate at your house," she mused to herself. "So many of us. I'm sure Haymitch could use a good meal, the man can hardly take care of himself."
"That would be great," Finnick agreed.
"Then I'll make dinner tomorrow night," Hazelle told him. "Vick has been insisting on it for days now." The woman rolled her eyes and winked at Finnick.
"Well you tell that son of yours he better be a gentleman towards my Mavis," Finnick said, puffing his chest out but still smiling.
"I'll be sure he gets the message," Hazelle said, laughing lightly. "I'll see you tomorrow then."
Finnick waved her goodbye before finishing his last task for the evening. They were making good progress on the school house and everyone was eager for the children to have a place to study again. Finnick jogged home, smelling the aromas from the kitchen. Katniss was making some sort of stew with a rabbit she had caught today, and Mavis was working on a dress in the living room.
Katniss turned to him when Finnick entered. "Hi," she greeted, smiling slightly.
Finnick glanced around, making sure Mavis wasn't watching, before softly closing the kitchen door. He stalked towards Katniss slowly, noting how she seemed to forget that she should be stirring her stew. He stopped in front of her, barely an inch of space between the two of them, and leaned down to look in her eyes.
"I'm going to kiss you," he said huskily, trapping her with his arms on either side of her body, and pushing her back against the counter.
"Okay," Katniss stuttered, eyes falling to his lips.
Finnick leaned forward, lightly pressing his lips against hers until she wrapped her hands around his neck and tugged him down, asking for more. He smiled against her mouth before obliging, pressing his body against hers. Katniss moaned softly against him, and Finnick lifted her up, sitting her on the counter. He slowly pressed himself between her legs and she automatically wrapped them around him.
Finnick grabbed her roughly by the hips and pulled her against him. "I want you so bad," he half whined before attacking her neck with his mouth. Katniss wrapped her arms around him, clutching his shirt. When he started sucking on the spot that drove her crazy, Katniss scraped her fingers across his back, moaning his name.
Finnick let his hands find their way under her shirt, going straight for her breasts. He squeezed her nipples sharply, and she cried out. Finnick quickly covered her mouth with his own again, hoping to stifle her noise lest Mavis come check on them. Katniss pulled Finnick to her more tightly with her legs and he groaned when he felt the heat between her legs press against his erection. Finnick let one hand move from squeezing her breast to work on the button of her shorts. Katniss stiffened for a moment, and Finnick sought out her eyes, but she kissed him again and he took it as his signal to keep going.
Denim was an awful thing, he thought. Denim and buttons and zippers. What happened to loose, flowing skirts that didn't require dexterous fingers to get past? At last Finnick was able to undo Katniss' shorts enough to slip his hand inside. She was wet, her panties damp, and Finnick bit down on her neck, trying to stabilize himself. He wanted nothing more than to push into her and fuck her over and over, but he wasn't entirely sure she was ready for it. Instead, he traced her folds through her panties, his penis pulsing with her shuddering breath, before he pulled her panties to the side and slipped a finger inside of her.
Katniss clutched his shoulders hard, giving a little cry of pleasure when he started to move his finger in and out of her. She buried her face in his neck, her cheeks flushed. "Finnick," she moaned against him. "More."
Obliging, Finnick slipped another finger inside, nipping her neck again as he felt her tight walls close around his fingers. He moved his hand faster, using his thumb to apply some pressure to her clit, and her moans redoubled, though she was doing her best to smother them against him. When he tried to insert a third finger, however, Katniss stiffened, squeezing her thighs together. Finnick pulled back, lifting her chin to look at her face and noted that she had an unpleasant grimace on. Finnick knew then, without asking, that she was still a virgin and currently three fingers was too much, let alone his own throbbing cock.
Finnick resumed his two finger assault and watched as Katniss' grimace transformed into an expression of pleasure. Finnick bent down further, catching one of her breasts with his mouth and sucking lightly, biting her nipple through her shirt, and she arched into him. She stuttered his name, weakly grabbing his shirt and she came, her walls squeezing his fingers as he kept his thumb pressed against her clit, forcing her into little spasms after she came down off her high.
Katniss laid her head against his shoulder, panting. Finnick kissed her neck a few times before removing his fingers from her still pulsing walls and bringing them to his own mouth, sucking away the juices. Katniss watched him with lidded eyes, the grey depths darkening as she watched him taste her. Finnick smirked at her, tweaking her nipple again, and she groaned. In retaliation, Katniss hesitantly brought her palm to the bulge of his pants, rubbing it unsurely. Finnick gripped her thighs tightly, the feeling of her palming him almost too much. He wanted her hands, her mouth around him. He wanted her naked beneath him and writhing in pleasure.
"Is dinner ready ye-oh my god! Sorry!"
Finnick whipped around just in time to see Mavis slamming the kitchen door. He let out a frustrated breath as Katniss removed her hand quickly, as though she'd been burned. "Fuck," he grumbled. Katniss was beet red, thoroughly embarrassed now that the haze of pleasure had been so unpleasantly broken. Finnick lifted her chin, tilting her face towards him and kissing her again, letting her know that he didn't want to be done.
Katniss kissed him back hesitantly, suddenly shy. "I um, I should you know, dinner..."
Finnick pulled back just enough to give her a heated look. "I'm not done with you," he told her huskily, but released her. He sauntered off upstairs, leaving her frazzled and staring after him. As soon as he made it to the safety of the bathroom, Finnick dropped his pants, wrapping his hand around his painfully hard erection and stroking himself. It didn't take long, just the memory of Katniss' face in full pleasure, and he burst all over his hand. He sighed happily, leaning against the wall for a minute as he enjoyed the after glow. Then he quickly cleaned himself up before heading back downstairs where both Katniss and Mavis were sitting at the table, a blush on their cheeks, and unable to look at him. Finnick smirked. While he was a bit embarrassed to have had Mavis walk in on them, he couldn't feel anything but pleasure at the thought of how he had made Katniss orgasm just minutes ago.
"I'm starved," he announced, tucking in. Finnick couldn't keep the stupid smirk off his face as he stared at Katniss across the table. She was pushing her food around her plate, occasionally taking a self-conscious bite, and sneaking glances at him. Katniss blushed every time she looked at Finnick, and each time she did he would wink at her.
They had finished their dinner and were cleaning up when a loud, persistent knocking on the front door caught their attention. Finnick got up to answer the door and stepped sideways as Haymitch nearly toppled onto him.
"You comin' over to finish these movies?" Haymitch asked him.
Floundering because he had forgotten about the movies in light of recent developments, Finnick quickly said, "Yes. Just not yet, we only now finished dinner." Haymitch swayed a little and Finnick reached out to steady him. "You want to come inside and sit down?"
Haymitch grunted and so Finnick took that as a yes. He led the man over to the kitchen table. "He reeks," Mavis complained quietly. It was true. Haymitch was soaked in the scent of alcohol and vomit. "Needs a bath."
"Are you offering?" Finnick asked her with a smile. Mavis made a face at him. "Oh go on, he won't bite."
"I don't want to," Mavis whined. She looked to Katniss for help, but the latter merely shrugged. No one wanted to take charge of a drunken Haymitch.
"Fine," Finnick sighed, grabbing hold of Haymitch and hoisting him up. "By the way, the Hawthorne's are making dinner here tomorrow." He noticed the excited flush on Mavis' cheeks as he carried Haymitch off to a shower.
"I can do it myself," Haymitch grumbled when Finnick tried to undress him.
"Alright then, go on. I'll get you a towel and throw these in the wash." Haymitch had undressed and started his shower when Finnick returned. "Need anything?"
"You need to come over and watch those other Games," Haymitch told him sternly. "There are things you need to think about before you go falling in love with Katniss."
Finnick sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Why can't anyone just tell me?" When Haymitch didn't answer, Finnick pressed on, "I heard you and Katniss talking the other day. What don't I know? What is everyone hiding from me?"
Finnick let the question linger in the air, waiting for Haymitch to respond. The minutes ticked by and Finnick grew more frustrated. When he was about ready to get up and storm off, Haymitch shut off the water. "Come over tonight. We'll talk about it then and I'll explain everything. Now get outta here and get me some clothes."
Finnick grudgingly left the bathroom, his heart pounding in excitement and fear. He would finally get some answers about his past. He rummaged through his meager collection clothes to find some that Haymitch might be able to wear and took them back to the man. He waited impatiently as Haymitch got dressed and then went in search of Katniss when the man finally emerged.
"I'm going to take Haymitch back," he told her quickly. Katniss frowned at him, opening her mouth to protest. Finnick bent down and kissed her, stifling anything she was about to say. "See you later."
Haymitch seemed more awake and sober now, and they walked quickly to his house. "Get outta the way," Haymitch complained, shooing some of his geese from the porch steps. Haymitch grabbed a bottle of liquor on his way to the room with the TV and motioned for Finnick to sit down. "I'm going to say a name, and I want you to tell me what it means to you."
Finnick nodded, a few butterflies dancing about his stomach. "Alright."
Haymitch took a drink of alcohol, fixing Finnick with a hard stare. "Annie Cresta."
The words resounded in his ears, and for some reason Finnick felt his heart fill with immense joy before clenching with despair. "Annie," he mumbled, trying the words out. "Annie," he said again, louder. He looked at Haymitch, searching the man's face for some clue. "I love her," he said slowly. "Who is she?"
"Your wife."
Finnick felt all the air leave him in a big whoosh. Wife. Annie was his wife. He had a wife. "What?" he said weakly. He didn't understand. How could he be married? He knew, somehow, that Annie meant the world to him, and yet he couldn't even remember her face.
"She's from your district. You were her mentor in her Games. She was the only woman to actually receive your love, aside from Katniss apparently. You were kind to her where other would abandon her." Haymitch got up and put one of the discs into the player. "These are her Games."
Finnick watched numbly as the video started. The introduction, interviews, and everything else were a blur until the moment Annie's name was called. Finnick's heart skipped a beat as he took in her visage: long brown hair that waved slightly and pretty green eyes. The close up on her face showed a dusting of freckles on Annie's tan skin, showed the fear in her eyes, though he face remained impassive. She walked towards the stage with the same sort of confidence that Finnick had.
His heart was thumping in his chest, and Finnick felt warm all over. He couldn't remember her worth a damn, but he loved her. Finnick watch, completely on edge the entire time, as Annie went through all the motions the Tributes had to. He flinched when she was hurt in the beginning battle, and had to look away when her District Four partner was beheaded. Her screams echoed in his ears as she ran away from the Careers, disappearing into the trees. Finnick watched, apprehensive, as the other Tributes were killed one by one. He knew Annie would make it out alive, but it was still a frightening thing to watch, as the last Tributes walked close to her hiding space, Annie curled up, hands over her ears and eyes squeezed shut, and then walked on past, unable to find her.
When the dam broke and water flooded the stadium he sighed in relief as Annie was able to swim her way to a tall tree and cling on for dear life. The other Tributes that remained weren't so lucky. One of them didn't know how to swim and immediately drowned when a wave crashed over him, and the other one floundered about for some time, often disappearing under the water for a few tense moments before reemerging, coughing and spluttering water. Finally she went down for a final time, and the last cannon shot. Annie, having been forced to swim again when her tree was overtaken, didn't seem to notice when the hovercraft rescued her from the water.
The interview was short. Annie was incapable of speaking to Cesar, spending nearly the entire time curled into herself, hands over her eyes. After a few difficult minutes at the beginning of the interview Finnick saw himself walk onstage to screams and whistles, sitting next to Annie and gently pulling one of her hands into his own. She seemed to come to a little then, and was able to answer a few short questions before Cesar let her go. Finnick watched as he walked off stage, holding the girl's hand.
The Victory Tour was equally painful, Annie barely able to stutter through her perfunctory speech at each District, and always having to look to Finnick for reassurance. He noted how he seemed extra gentle with her now, a change from how he was at the interview. He had a soft look reserved for Annie every time he ushered her off the stage, and Finnick knew that he was falling in love slowly but surely.
When the video ended he sat quietly, weighed down by what he learned. Finally he asked, "Tell me more."
Haymitch launched into an explanation of his relationship with Annie. He explained Annie's instability, and how Finnick was the one to break her from her episodes. He talked of Finnick's forced prostitution and how Annie would have been killed if he refused. He told Finnick of the time he spent in the hospital, after learning that Annie had been taken by the Capitol, then of her rescue and the happy days that had followed. He told Finnick of his wedding to Annie, one of the few bright days during the dismal war that raged around them. Then he told Finnick of his presumed death, when the Mutts tore into his flesh and they left him for dead.
"Where is she now?" Finnick asked after a long silence.
"Back home in District Four. Mrs. Everdeen is living with her, treating her and helping her."
"Katniss's mother?" Finnick asked, surprise written on his face.
"She couldn't bear to live here, she said. Too many painful memories, having lost her husband, and what she thought was both her daughters."
"I don't understand," Finnick said. "Katniss if alive."
Haymitch snorted. "You missed it all. Katniss tried for months to kill herself, locked in the hospital room after the war. She nearly succeeded a few times. Went just about as bonkers as Annie did. Even when she came back here she would stay in bed all day, never eating, never moving. Just staring off into space."
"That's why Sae comes to make food," Finnick realized slowly. "She's better now. Why doesn't her mother come back?"
Haymitch shrugged. "Started a life in Four. Last I heard she was a doctor there."
"And Katniss won't go visit her? I hardly think she'd want to stay here either," Finnick said, indignant on her behalf.
"Can't." When Finnick furrowed his brows in question, Haymitch continued, "Condition of her being let go was that she was banned from travelling out of District Twelve. Might be repealed someday, but no one seems to be in a big rush. Katniss may have been the symbol of the rebellion, but then she shot President Coin in front of everyone. Doesn't inspire a lot of faith in the masses. Now cool your jets, I ain't saying I think what she did was wrong or anything. Coin would have been as bad as Snow. Still, she couldn't just get off with no reprimand."
Finnick bit back the responses trying to force their way out. He took a deep breath. "What am I supposed to do then? What do I do?"
Haymitch shrugged. "Up to you."
Finnick glared at him. He got up and paced the room, his thoughts running wild. There was so much to process and he didn't even know where to begin. Finnick paused mid-step and glanced at Haymitch. "There's one more movie, right?"
Haymitch picked the case up and threw it at Finnick. "Watch it if you want. Not much in there anyway. Games were never finished."
Finnick turned to the TV and switched the discs. He watched silently the whole time, frowning when Annie's name was called and Mags took her place. His heart clenched as he watched District Twelve's Reaping, with Katniss the only name in the girls pile. Their escort, Effie Trinket he recalled, didn't seem so chipper this time around, as she pulled the names from the bowls. The whole district in fact seemed somber, much more somber than last time. There was a burning rage, he noticed, in all of the districts.
Finnick felt his cheeks grow hot when he saw himself at the Opening Ceremony, his form barely concealed. And if he didn't run the risk of seeming too arrogant, he could see exactly why all the women in the Capitol had fallen for him. He was gorgeous. Finnick glanced down at himself now, flexing his bionic hand and frowning. Those days were gone. His face and body were scarred, but maybe not so badly as his mind.
"So I did kiss Peeta," he grumbled out loud as he watched himself give CPR to the boy. "Ugh."
Haymitch passed out by the time Finnick and the rest were rescued from the arena. After that the movie went black. Finnick sat there for an undetermined amount of time, simply staring at the dark screen. His thoughts swirled about with Annie and Katniss and Peeta and the past that he didn't remember. When the light behind the curtains started to turn gold and bleed through Finnick realized he was crying. He brushed his tears away.
He had to see her. He had to see Annie. But then what of Katniss? Peeta will come back for her, he thought darkly. Finnick shook his head. There was only one question that was really pressing on his mind at the moment. She had known all these things. She had known about Annie and their marriage and everything else, and yet she said she knew nothing.
Why had Katniss lied?
A/N: Just wanted to apologize for the big gap between updates...I truly appreciate that all of you are reading this, and I hope that you will continue to enjoy the story. Got some time on my hands now, so hopefully the chapters will come more quickly. Thanks!
