Prompt: A few months after Annie's victory, she finally catches a glimpse of the real Finnick Odair and all the trauma he's been suffering.
Annie hummed a happy tune to herself as she unlocked Finnick's front door. Finnick had asked her to watch over his garden while he was in the Capitol, so every day for the last two weeks, she had come over to water his flowers. After so many weeks of being coddled following her Games, it was refreshing to be treated as an adult again, even if it was just watching over a few plants.
She had almost filled the watering can when she heard a noise from upstairs, a shrill animal shriek that shocked her into dropping the watering can. Annie frowned. She had closed the windows herself a few days before, but somehow an animal must have gotten in. Glancing around the kitchen, she found a broom, which she grabbed and brought with her upstairs. It certainly wasn't an ideal weapon, but she was sure it would be enough to fend off a raccoon or another small animal.
Annie stood on the top landing, waiting for another sound that would tell her which room to search. She heard a bang from Finnick's room. She tiptoed to the door, counting to three silently before opening it. Annie hadn't expected the animal to be nearly that big. She hit it as hard as she could with the broom and screamed.
"Ouch!" the figure yelped. Annie immediately dropped the broom.
"Finnick! I'm so sorry. Are you all right?" She was mortified to see an enormous purple bruise across the left side of his face. Surely she hadn't hit him that hard? "Come on, I'll get you some ice to put on that."
Finnick shook his head, not moving from his spot on the floor. "No, never mind. Those have been there for a while. I'll be fine." Despite his words, Annie could see that her friend was suffering. She sat down next to him.
"What happened? Did you get mugged?"
He paused for a moment too long before answering. "Yeah. They might have gotten one punch in, but you should see him now." He grinned at her. Annie smiled back, but she knew there was something Finnick wasn't telling her.
"If you don't want any ice, would you care for some lemonade?" She wanted to do anything she could to make him feel better.
"That sounds fantastic." Annie poured him a tall glass of lemonade and set it in front of him. Finnick nursed his cup for several long minutes, during which neither of them spoke. Annie stayed with him for the next few hours, but as darkness began to fall, she excused herself. Her mother might call the Capitol doctors again if she was out too long.
On her way home, she thought about Finnick and his bruise. Annie knew something more had happened than Finnick was willing to tell her, but she would not press him for more information. When he was ready, he would reach out. They were all broken, after all. Some of them just hid it better.
A/N: Thanks for reading - I hope you liked it! Extra thanks to Odestalovebaby for reviewing! Reviews, as always, are much appreciated. Until next time,
~finnicko-loves-anniec