I don't own The Hunger Games.
Finnick couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"I'm very sorry about this Mr Odair, but it can't be helped."
"It's better to be safe than sorry in these circumstances, Odair."
A meeting with Coach Brutus and Panem's leading medic had not gone ideally for Finnick. He thought that he would have to take it easy for a few day in training but would be fighting fit for their home game on the weekend, playing as the starting QB like usual. That wasn't what he was hearing right now.
"Wait. Talk me through it again." Finnick instructed, looking between Brutus and the medic.
"You have a small back strain. It's not healed much since your collision last weekend." She explained for the second time. "It's nothing major. You could probably play with it, but I'm not clearing you for practice until next week with the recommendation that you don't play against the Patriots in four days."
"I can play! I feel fine!"
"I'm not having you out for three months because you pushed this, Finnick. You're not playing. That's final." Brutus said in the tone he used for weight drills- he wasn't to be argued with.
Finnick jumped off of the examination table and pulled his t-shirt back on. He had felt like shit after playing the day before, but he always did after a game. His back only twinged with pain occasionally, and he had never taken being rested easily before. He slammed the door to the infirmary behind him as he left and took the stairs opposite two at a time until he got to the second floor. He knocked on a dark wooden door with a name slate slid into the holder.
"Come in!"
Finnick practically threw the door open and angrily shoved it shut behind him. Izabelle looked up at him warily from where she was sat at her desk, signing paperwork.
"Problem?" She asked.
"That's an understatement!" Finnick yelled.
"Calm down. It can't be that bad." Izabelle said soothingly. She gestured with her pen to one of the two seats opposite her desk. Sighing, Finnick sat down and tugged on his hair in annoyance.
"What's up?" She set the pen down. Finnick slouched back in the seat.
"I've been rested for the Pats game." He groaned.
"Finnick." Izabelle snapped, grabbing her pen again. "I thought it was something serious!"
"This is serious!" He protested as he shot upright again.
"On an importance scale of one to ten, this ranks at the bottom." She sighed, barely looking up as she continued signing paperwork.
"It's important to me." Finnick said quietly, staring at the desk in front of him. Izabelle sighed and looked up at him, rubbing her forehead tiredly.
"I'm sorry. I've just got bigger things to deal with right now. I've got to sign off on these new safety guidelines, block E needs five new seats, I've got sign off on these transfer applications and-"
"I get it." Finnick abruptly cut her off. "I'll just go talk to somebody that cares."
…
The morning of the game against the Patriots, which Annie was not due to cheer in, she decided to take an early walk around the football field before the fans started to file in. She stepped out of the tunnel and into the cold air. She took a deep breath and let the sun warm her skin slightly. She opened her eyes and found herself looking at the back of someone's head. Not just anyone- Finnick Odair. He was stood in the middle of the field with his hands in his pockets, looking at the ground. Against her better judgement, she made her way over to him.
"Hey." Annie put her hand on Finnick's shoulder, causing him to jump.
"Annie. Hey." He lifted his head to nod at her in greeting. He looked so beautifully sad that a lump almost formed in her throat.
"Shouldn't you be prepping for the big game right now?" She asked, her brow creasing in confusion.
"Haven't you heard?" Finnick kicked at the ground. "I'm being rested."
"Oh. I'm sorry, I didn't know. I haven't been properly training this week. I'm being rested, too." Annie explained, taking her hand off of his shoulder.
"You're not injured, are you?" Finnick sounded genuinely concerned, which touched Annie.
"No, I get a bye week." She quickly responded.
"Oh." He looked down at the ground again. "I wouldn't mind being rested if it wasn't such a big game. Or if my girlfriend actually gave a shit."
Annie elected not to ask more about Izabelle.
"I'm sure the team will do fine without you." She tried to sound comforting, but Finnick sighed and tugged on his hair.
"I'm not too sure I'd like that. I mean, I want them to win…Just not as well as they would with me in their ranks."
They stood in comfortable silence for a while before Annie broke it.
"You need a fun day. I know a few places, if you'd like to visit. We could hit my favourite Panem haunts." She offered Finnick a smile. Surely Enobaria couldn't punish for trying to cheer him up- she was a cheerleader. It was her job to boost the team's spirits.
"I don't know. The team…" He didn't look too sure.
"Look, Finnick." Annie folded her arms across her chest and sighed. "The score will be the same whether you're here or not. But if you stay, you'll just be miserable. So what do you say?"
She extended her hand to Finnick. He flashed her a winning smile.
"Let's go."
…
"Don't do that."
"Why not?"
"It's practically criminal!"
"What?" Finnick raised an eyebrow at Annie when she voiced her disgust at him pouring sugar over his three scoop ice-cream sundae.
"You're meant to be a professional football player, you can't seriously get away with that!" Annie laughed. Finnick smirked and shot her a wink.
"You'd be amazed at what I can get away with, Sugar." He said, and tossed the empty sugar packet at her.
"You're disgusting." Annie stuck her tongue out at him like a child.
Cato had texted Finnick the result of the game an hour ago. Panem had lost by three, their first loss of the season. It hadn't got him down, though. Annie had taken him for a walk through the backstreets of the city that he'd never been to, to a park that she said she visited when she needed to clear her head, to her favourite bookshop and now to an ice-cream parlour that was a ten minute walk from her house. He was having a great time. He hadn't stopped laughing the whole time, even now that he watched the thunderstorm raging outside. Annie was great company, and he forgotten what it felt like to have a great time without being recognized and without talking about the team.
"Are you sure you're not hungry?" Finnick asked her.
"No." Annie shook her head. "I'll grab a salad at work."
"Okay then." Finnick said, but he wasn't sure he believed her. She looked thinner than when they had first met.
"Annie," He looked her in the eyes as she did her best to avoid his gaze. "You're amazing. Don't do anything stupid, okay? I wouldn't want you to hurt yourself."
"I'm fine!" Annie insisted. "Eat your ice-cream, Finn. I have work in twenty minutes."
Annie had told Finnick all about her night shift at Walmart. The Panem cheer squad had a requirement that their cheerleaders had to either be in some sort of education or have a job. As Annie had graduated high school and wasn't attending college, she had picked up the job at the disapproval of her parents.
"Come on." Finnick shovelled down the rest of his ice-cream. "I'll give you a ride."
They walked to the doorway, and Finnick took Annie's hand before opening the door.
"Ready?" He asked.
"Ready." She answered.
They tore off into the rain and ran down the street to where Finnick had parked his car. They were laughing hard and soaked to the bone by the time they got there. Still holding her hand, Finnick pulled Annie into him.
"You're soaking!" He yelled above the rain as he leant back against the car door, pulling her with him.
"So are you!" She yelled back. Finnick stared into her eyes, grinning. They looked bright green against the dark of the storm, and they were alive with happiness. He leaned into her, and she went up on tip-toes to meet him halfway. When their mouths connected, Finnick practically felt his brain explode. The kiss started slowly but grew more hungry and aggressive, until he lost track of time and allowed himself to fully melt into Annie. He felt nothing but her cool lips on his until she pulled back.
"I'll be late." Her eyes were even brighter, if that were possible, and she was breathless.
"Right." Finnick grinned and opened the passenger door for her.
If Parker and Izabelle even existed in that moment, then neither of them had crossed the pair's minds.