"What is wrong with your faces?" Tyler smirked as he looked at them. "Your cheeks are going to cramp up."
Neither one of them could wipe the smiles off their faces.
"I think he's broken," Buck pointed at Finnick. His beaming smile was wide, but there were tears silently falling down his cheeks.
"Happy tears," he shrugged.
"The best kind of tears," Taiya agreed with a nod.
"Are you two going to have a first dance?" Tyler asked.
"Only if Haymitch beatboxes a tune," Taiya smirked and immediately spun to look at the blonde in the corner.
"Wha… no!" Haymitch instantly complained.
"Glossy boy?" she turned on her next target.
"Trust me, neither of us want that," he shook his head.
"Good point," Taiya nodded. His singing was horrific. He'd sung one time when tipsy and she and Cashmere bullied him for weeks. Tone deaf didn't even begin to describe it. "Hanging tree girl!" Taiya turned to Katniss whose eyes instantly widened in a panic.
"I already had to sing that earlier for the propo. Plutarch said it was your idea," she accused. "Thanks for that by the way."
"I can't believe he didn't call me over before filming that," Taiya shook her head in disappointment. "I always miss cool things when I hang out with you Gloss. You're a curse."
"Whatever," Gloss shrugged, completely unbothered. "Don't hang out with me then."
"Wha… no," she frowned. "You're meant to beg me to hang out with you. You have no other friends."
"I'm waiting for your friend Kenna to get back," he smirked. "I was planning on ditching you for her anyway."
"Heyyy. You're meant to be nice to me today."
Gloss just frowned. "Why? It's not your birthday?"
Taiya sighed in defeat. "You are always super nice to me on my birthday," she relented. "But did you say my line?" she turned back to Katniss.
"'This is dedicated to all the girls you've loved before?' Yeah, I did. Wasn't awkward at all," Katniss huffed.
"Oh. I'm glad!" Taiya chose to ignore the sarcasm. "Bestie Jo the pop star? How about a song?"
"There's only one song I'll sing," Jo scowled. She didn't want to. But she'd do it for Taiya.
"Yes!" Taiya squeaked, grabbing Finnick's hand and moving him to some open space.
"You're not seriously going to have our first dance be to this song?" his eyes widened in a panic. This song haunted his dreams.
"It's the best song I know," Taiya shrugged.
"Annie!" Finnick yelled out desperately.
"Yes, Wade?"
"Please don't call me that," he hung his head. Annie used to call him Wade two years ago when Taiya told her his middle name. He didn't like it, but eventually, Annie just forgot. Now with the wedding, she'd been reminded. "Can you sing a song for our wedding dance?"
"Me!" she chirped, clapping her hands, eager to be a part of the moment. "Yes!"
"Oh thank god," Johanna sighed in relief.
"Dance!" Annie yelled. Taiya and Finnick both jumped before they started swaying back a forth. Annie, whilst being the sweetest person in existence, was also very bossy at times. And bossy Annie, was scary Annie.
But she was a good singer. She did a wonderful rendition of the traditional District 4 wedding song. So they knew the dance to go along with it. They'd practised before.
Her voice was ethereal. Finnick and Taiya couldn't help but blush as they looked at each other. They loved this moment.
But they'd definitely need to have another ceremony when they got home. The one they'd been dreaming of for years.
"You're doing great!" Annie complimented between a verse.
Taiya let out a small chuckle as she dropped her forehead against Finnick's shoulder.
"I'm glad you wanted to do this."
"I've wanted to marry you for years, Finn."
"I know," he squeezed her waist teasingly. "I just mean I'm glad you wanted to do this now. I would have happily waited however long it took for us to get home to get married. But this is all I've ever wanted," he smiled down at her.
"Today is definitely a top-five memory for me," Taiya beamed up at him.
"Oh? We've had a shuffle then I see? Alright then, let's hear the new list."
"Well, today number 1. It's beaten June 10th on the pier," she bit her lip.
Finnick's eyes got teary again. He knew he was in all of her five top memories now. Today had ended up meaning that much to her. He was worried she wouldn't enjoy the engagement party, her thoughts on it were clear. So for her to have enjoyed the whole day this much that she now put it highest on her list of favourite memories. That meant the world to him.
They hadn't even noticed Annie finish the song. They were too caught up in their embrace.
It was Gloss' obnoxiously loud clapping that brought them back into the room. They turned with a smile to look at their family, the majority of whom were politely clapping at a noise-appropriate level.
There were two missing from the crowd though. Haymitch and Peeta.
Taiya heard a loud cough and turned to see Haymitch lingering by the door and ushering her over.
Taiya gave him a quick nod before she ran over to Annie.
"Thanks, Annie, you absolute legend," Taiya hugged her friend.
"You're welcome, Marina," Annie smiled back. Taiya immediately turned her glare to Buck who winked. Of course, he'd told her to say that.
"That was beautiful Annie," Finnick ruffled the girl's hair.
"You're going to mess it up," she whined, trying to flatten her hair down. "What a Wade move."
"Don't listen to Buck, Annie," Taiya rolled her eyes. "He's leading you astray."
"He said you'd say that," Annie crossed her arms.
"You suck man," Taiya directed her ire towards Buck. "Finn and I will be back in 5 minutes," Taiya grabbed his hand. "Gloss, tell the story!" she instructed as she pulled Finnick toward the door Haymitch was waiting by.
"Wait, what story!" Gloss immediately panicked. He had no idea what she meant. Taiya didn't either, but she figured Gloss floundering for a few minutes would be decent enough entertainment.
"How's he doing?" Taiya asked Haymitch. Peeta was standing just outside the door, with Haymitch keeping a close eye on him.
"I need to get him back to the hospital," Haymitch smiled sadly. "He's doing his best to hold on, but he's getting twitchy."
"Alright. We'll say goodbye. Thanks for staying with him tonight," Taiya nodded at the man gratefully.
"Thanks for inviting him," Haymitch sighed. "He needed to see something good."
Taiya nodded before she and Finnick walked outside where Peeta was standing.
"Bread boy!" Taiya's eyes lit up with excitement as she rushed over to Peeta, enveloping him in a warm hug.
She could sense his restlessness as his hands trembled slightly against her back, a telltale sign that he needed to return to the hospital soon.
"Thank you so much for coming. You did really well," Taiya pulled back.
"It means a lot that you came, Peeta. To both of us," Finnick placed a hand against Taiya's back, echoing her sentiments.
"I wouldn't miss it," Peeta responded with a nod. "I wouldn't miss it for the world."
Taiya gasped excitedly as she playfully shoved his shoulder. "Thanks for decorating the cake as well you cake master! It was stunning!"
"It was," Finnick agreed, nodding appreciatively. "I've never seen anything like it."
Peeta's troubled face softened slightly at the compliments, and something resembling a smile came over him. "It was nothing," he bashfully dismissed. "I'm glad you liked it though. I wanted it to be special."
"Special is an understatement," Taiya snorted. "It was a work of art. I saw the pirate hat on the side as well. Extra cool."
"I was hoping you'd notice that."
"I showed Jo as well, she loved it."
"Did you have a nice engagement party?" Peeta asked them.
"We really did," Taiya nodded.
"We just wish you could've been there," Finnick sympathised.
"Well thanks for inviting me to this one," Peeta shifted from foot to foot.
"Oh my god," Taiya jumped up in excitement. "Also! You should see if they'll let you join in the fun. I got all the victors to flip off Snow on camera."
Peeta's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Are you serious?"
"What was it you said to Haymitch earlier?" Finnick smirked. "'Legendary is as legendary does?'"
"I stand by it," Taiya shrugged. "If Plutarch uses the footage it'll probably be his best propo ever."
"Well I think you can count me out on that one, but I hope he does make it into a propo," Peeta got distracted as Haymitch came out.
"Thank you for being here," Taiya hugged the boy again. "I'll see you soon ok?" she squeezed his arm before letting him go.
Peeta just nodded and allowed Haymitch to turn him around.
"I'll be back soon," Haymitch nodded before leading Peeta down the corridor.
Taiya and Finnick exchanged a knowing look. Despite the progress Peeta had been making, he still carried a lot of weight. Being in the same room as Katniss during the ceremony was difficult for him, but he made it through. They could only hope that their wedding had brought him some comfort.
As soon as Haymitch re-entered the room, Tyler leapt up from his spot on the floor. All the victors were sitting in a large circle together laughing.
"Hey, everyone! If I could grab your attention," Tyler tried to get them to be quiet. "Haymitch hurry up and sit down," he directed the man who noisily dropped down into the spot beside Katniss. "Alrighty," Tyler grinned, a twinkle sparkling in his eyes. "You know, when these two got engaged last year, I wrote down notes for my speech. Now, I know tonight's quite casual, but Buck got to ad-lib a bit in the ceremony so I reckon I deserve a little speech."
Tyler clapped his hands together nervously. "If we had the time to plan this wedding, and yes Finnick, this is a hint for next time, I'd probably expect to be the best man as well as walking Tay down the aisle. But hey, look at you two now! You two kids mean the absolute world to me.
I'll just say, that never in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine myself becoming responsible for two 16-year-olds. It was not on my bingo card. It took some getting used to. Let's not lie, you two," he very obviously side-eyed Taiya, "caused more trouble than a cat in a fish market. Every morning I check for grey hairs in the mirror. None yet, but trust me, it's only a matter of time. It has been an absolute joy watching the two of you grow from moody, pain-in-the-ass teenagers, to fully grown, pain-in-the-ass adults.
I will admit, as your 'designated supervisor', as Tay so eloquently put it once, I have made mistakes. One of those was forcing two teenagers to live together without any adult supervision. That was a major misstep, and not very good for my stress levels. So if you two ever have kids, I'm just warning you now, don't let them move in with their teenage boyfriend or girlfriend, it's not very responsible. A fact I realised very soon after forcing them back together when I walked in on them making out in the kitchen," he cleared his throat at the uncomfortable memory.
He paused, a bit of solemnity crossing his features. "Listen, once this mess is all over, I am going to do everything in my power to make sure these two get the wedding they've always dreamed of. It will be my personal mission to see you both back safely in District 4. After everything you've been through, both as individuals and as a couple, you deserve nothing short of pure happiness.
I love you both, separately and together. You've both got a whole lot of living ahead, and I want you to savour every moment. I'm just happy I get to see it. So here's to your future - may it be filled with love, happiness, fewer life-threatening situations and fewer instances that make me want to pull my hair out."
Everyone in the room was smiling. If this was something he'd come up with on the fly, they couldn't wait for the real speech.
Taiya jumped up from her place on the floor, her eyes shining with gratitude and ran forward and enveloped Tyler in a tight hug. He reciprocated, wrapping his arms around her, and embracing her.
"Thank you, Ty," Taiya whispered, her voice filled with emotion
Tyler chuckled, patting her back gently. "I meant every word."
"You've always been the supervisor I never wanted," she joked.
"Thanks…"
"But you're the one I needed."
Taiya pulled back and tapped his cheek lightly before returning to her place beside Finnick. No one in the world irritated him more than that girl, but there was also no one left on Earth that he loved more than that girl.
"You just had to steal the limelight didn't you?" Buck scowled.
"The limelight should be on them, not us you idiot," Tyler rolled his eyes as he sat back down. "Move your knee," he aggressively shoved Buck.
"We'll make it out of this Tyler," Finnick smiled as he ran his hand through Taiya's hair. "We all will," he kissed Taiya's cheek before turning back to smile at those around him. His family. Their family.
Taiya was on cloud 9. He hadn't seen her this happy in months, she was radiating happiness. They were making their way back to their compartment and she was skipping, swinging his arm up and down, unable to keep her wide-toothed grin off her face.
Finnick couldn't stop smiling either as he watched her, her joy was equally mirrored on his face. She was happy, so he was happy.
"How does Finnick Ambersnow sound?" Taiya cheekily asked him, her voice brimming with excitement.
"Love it," Finnick replied immediately, his tone assured.
Taiya's eyebrows shot up in surprise, not expecting such a swift and positive response. "Really?" she questioned, pleasantly taken aback.
"Well, it's not fair for me to expect you to give up your name," Finnick said, a slight frown creasing his brow.
Halting mid-skip, Taiya spun around to face him, a playful glint in her eyes. "I kind of like Taiya Odair," she confessed, tapping her fingers flirtingly down his chest.
"Oh really?" Finnick smirked, his gaze locking with hers. "Now, that's definitely hot."
"Is it now… Mr Odair?" Taiya teased, tugging playfully at the collar of his jacket.
Finnick's smirk widened. "Oh, it is, Mrs Odair," he responded his hands gently finding their place on her hips.
"You're right," Taiya's eyes lit up. "That is hot," she moved her hands behind his head and pulled him down to meet her lips.
Finnick instantly smiled into the kiss, his hand moving up to find its place on her jaw.
Taiya quickly pulled away though, her excitement palpable. "Oh my god, we're married!" she squealed with unrestrained joy, practically launching herself at him.
Finnick chuckled heartily as her arms wrapped around his neck, his reflexes catching her mid-air before spinning her around in jubilation.
"It finally happened!" she exclaimed, her laughter ringing through the corridor, her legs kicking with unbridled excitement.
"Easy there, Tay," Finnick laughed, steadying himself and trying to keep their balance before slowly lowering her back to the ground.
A mischievous glint danced in Finnick's eyes as a playful idea struck him. Before she could process what was happening, he was swiftly sliding his arms under her legs, lifting her effortlessly into his arms.
"I do believe it's tradition that the groom carries the bride over the threshold," he teased.
"Well, if you insist, husband," she teased back, wrapping her arms back around him and running her hand through the curls at the back of his neck.
"Oh, I do, wife," Finnick replied playfully. "I love you so much," he confessed, his eyes brimming with affection.
Taiya grinned slyly. "So show me," she dared.
SMUT WARNING
Finnick's feet were off, whisking them quickly down to the end of the hall where their compartment was.
He made quick work of the door, and before Taiya could blink, the door was shut (and locked) behind them.
He gently lowered her back to the ground and Taiya turned to face him, biting her lip as she walked backwards, stepping further into the room as she wildly kicked her shoes off into a corner. He followed after her, step by step.
When they reached the middle of the room, Taiya grabbed his hands, pulling him closer to her.
She was transfixed by his eyes. She always was. They were a mesmerising blend of sea-green and azure, just like the serene depths of the ocean back home on a tranquil day. They were enchanting. When she looked into them, she was lost, immersed in the vast expanse of endless waters. The blend of blues and greens seemed to whisper to her. They told the story of their youth and their future. A past and future full of the purest love. His eyes were a window into a world of tranquillity that never failed to capture her.
In a parallel enchantment, Finnick found himself equally captivated by the depth and allure of Taiya's soft green eyes. As their eyes met, he felt drawn into a world of calmness, her gaze speaking volumes in its depth and sincerity.
Releasing her hand, Finnick delicately traced his fingers down the curve of her jawline, a tender smile gracing his lips as he observed her with affectionate admiration. His touch lingered, gently trailing to her lips, his thumb brushing against her bottom lip, savouring the softness.
Slowly closing the distance between them, he leaned in, his approach gentle and unhurried. They had the whole rest of their lives ahead of them.
With a gentle pull, he softly parted her lips, his kiss tender and sweet, expressing the depth of his affection. Taiya smiled into the kiss, rising on her tiptoes to get a better angle. She leaned into him, deepening the connection between them.
Finnick, in response, gently cradled her closer, slowly moving his hand from her chin to grasp her hair. He removed his other hand from her, and dragged his knuckles agonisingly slowly up her arm, up her shoulder, up her neck, until his fingers splayed to brush the front of her throat.
Finnick felt her breath jolt slightly and he chuckled, always pleased at even the smallest of reactions.
His fingers dipped, teasingly tracing the neckline of her dress before quickly retreating up her neck and moving to tuck her hair behind her ear. He pulled out of the kiss, moving his lips to her temple, trailing kisses down the side of her face and along her jawline as one hand fell from her hair and dropped down to the middle of her back, holding onto the last part of her skin before her dress began.
Once he'd kissed his way across her jawline, he gently spun her around, hugging her to him and he refocused his attention to her neck. Before he began, his lips closed around the lobe of her ear, his teeth nipping, encouraging her to drop her head back against his shoulder to give him better access.
His lips pressed against the hollow beneath her ear before he kissed his way down to the spot he knew she loved the most, his tongue sliding between his teeth as he made his way, setting her skin on fire. When he reached his favourite spot, Taiya immediately jerked back against him, desperate to feel more of his touch.
She was done facing away from him.
She spun around before he could have a chance to hold her back, her mouth immediately crashing down on his. He was never one to deny her, his tongue immediately parting her lips, exploring the inside of her mouth with a burning passion, gripping her waist as he used it as a way to pull her even closer to him.
His teeth closed around her bottom lip, nipping at it and making her gasp. He liked that sound. His fingers worked their way back around to the rear of the dress, gently taking hold of the zipper.
Taiya met this new move with her own, her hands aggressively gripping the lapels of his jacket, before throwing it off his shoulders and tugging it down his arms, forcing him to let go of the dress so she could remove it. As soon as that was out of the way, she immediately set to work on the buttons of his shirt, undoing each one as quickly as she could, desperate to get at the warm skin underneath.
He helped her with the last few buttons before allowing her to shove it off his chest, immediately replacing the feeling of his shirt, with the feeling of her right up against him, pressed as closely to his chest as she could be, quickly returning her lips to his.
"I love you so much," he groaned against her lips.
"I love you," she breathed back.
His hands returned to her zip, pulling it down agonisingly slowly. Once the zip was down, Taiya hurried to try and step out of it. She wasn't so successful, she got her foot tangled in the train of the dress and stumbled.
Finnick's hands were immediately on her waist, holding her steady.
"Shut up," she laughed against his lips, she could feel his teasing smile against her lips.
He pulled his lips away, but left their foreheads touching, encouraging her to open her eyes to look at him again. "Well, then allow me," he winked.
He moved his hands up from her waist, to her shoulders. Slowly as he possibly could, he pulled the dress fabric off her shoulders, allowing it to pool over his hands.
He didn't allow the dress to drop though, he removed his forehead from hers but kept eye contact and he held the dress, allowing it to smoothly, and excruciatingly slowly, drop down her body, lowering the dress at the same time as he lowered himself down onto his knees before her.
He dropped his head against her stomach, allowing it to rest just below her belly button.
Taiya reached down to scoop up a mop of curls while Finnick pressed a kiss against the junction between her underwear and her midriff. The pad of his thumb grazed over her underwear, making her lurch.
She quickly dropped down to his level, pulling him in for a kiss so dizzyingly sweet it consumed her.
His hands were searching, frantically reaching behind her until he felt the edge of the bed. He gripped onto it with one hand, and with the other, he wrapped it around her, lifting her just enough where he could move them both backwards, and allow them to drop down onto the bed together.
His arms were immediately encasing her, holding the sides of her face as his lips immediately attached themselves to her neck.
Taiya gasped as she wrapped her legs around him, pulling their hips together while her fingers worked at the closure of his pants. She used her feet to work his pants down his legs to a point where he was able to jerk them off and onto the floor.
His teeth raked against her neck, a combination of kisses, scrapes, nips and huffs.
Taiya hooked her legs around his before she rolled them, sending him onto his back as she straddled him. She didn't waste any time, she was already resuming the kiss. His hands ran up the outside of her thighs, before darting in to feel the inside. Each time his hands brushed the inside of her thighs, she was pushing harder against him.
She was his and he was hers.
His hands slipped beneath her underwear and gripped her butt, both of them letting out a groan as she pushed against him again. Taiya lifted herself slightly allowing him to push down her underwear and she did the same to him.
Finnick ran his hands up her back. "So beautiful," he breathed before Taiya dived back in, pulling him, and encouraging him to sit up so she could press their chests together.
"Hang on!" Taiya quickly pulled away, grabbed his left hand and proceeded to slide the ring off before she pulled off her own. "I want to keep these," she smiled as she wrapped an arm around his neck to steady herself as she leaned over and dropped the homemade paper wedding rings on the side table. "Now where were we?" she asked, returning her focus to him.
She gasped and slammed her hands onto his shoulder, arching her chest in towards him as she felt him push his fingers against her clit.
"Finn," she groaned. "I need you."
Gripping her hips, Finnick supported her as he held her up, before he pulled her back down, easing himself inside her. Both of them let out gasps of satisfaction as they held each other close.
Chest to chest. Eye to eye. Heart to heart.
"I love you more than anything in the world," she dropped her head against his.
"You are my world," he groaned, pulling her in for a hungry kiss as they both began moving against each other, allowing him to press deeper inside her.
Taiya tensed her thighs and lifted herself, feeling him move inside her, before she slid back down, letting out a breath as she felt him against her.
Finnick's hands gripped against her back as he guided her movements. He moved his lips back down to the sweet spot on her neck, and she arched her back in response, letting out a breathy moan.
"Finn," she breathed.
Finnick couldn't handle the lack of control anymore, so he flipped them around so he was on top before he dove in deeper, making both of them grab at each other in response as he picked up the pace.
He moved one hand down to circle her clit again and she let out a gasp, the beds of her fingernails turning white as she clasped harder onto his shoulder.
"Oh god Finnick," she moaned, grabbing his face and pulling him back to her lips. She pulled away with a short yelp as she felt the pressure build within her.
There was no physical way their bodies could be closer, but she was trying. The grip of her leg on his hip got tighter and tighter.
"Keep your eyes on me," he instructed when he noticed her eyelids fluttering. "Oh Taiya," he dropped his forehead against hers, bundling a fist up in her hair.
Taiya moved her hands to his lower back as her chest arched further and further into his and her pants got more and more frantic.
All he could hear in his ears was the sound of her coming undone beneath him.
Taiya pressed her head between his neck and his shoulder.
"I want to see you Taiya," Finnick protested, and Taiya immediately acquiesced, dropping her head back onto the pillow and letting out one last moan before she came undone. Her body shuddered and she lost herself to the pleasure rolling over her in waves. "Just like that," Finnick nodded, holding himself back until she was finished with her high.
The moment she was finished, she had Finnick on his back. Her hands her on his chest, and her lips were on his neck.
Right when he was on the edge, her grabbed her and pulled her back, holding her close to his eyes so he could look into hers as he came.
"God I love you so much," he whispered, kissing her cheek as she collapsed onto him.
"Stay with me always?"
"Always," he nodded, wrapping her arms around her, holding her to his chest as they both clung to each other as they tried to slow their heart rates down. For the first time, together, as husband and wife.
