“Why do you think I’d have to beat people away with my cane when we’re older?” Finnick felt his smirk widen as he searched for her hand, “I don’t think I’ve told you that I love you today.” Finding her hand, he entwined their fingers, feeling a bit more whole when holding her hand. 

 
He knew she didn’t see herself like he did, but that just meant that he had to love her enough for the both of them. And he did. Leaning forward, he kissed her forehead lightly, “I love you Annie Cresta.”

“I love you,” she said instantly, without a thought. It was something that she had never struggled saying, not like she had. Annie couldn’t be sure of many things, she got lost in her own head and often forgot where she was. But if there was something she was always sure of, it was loving Finnick.

“Finnick,” she said, folding closer to his chest. She squeezed his hand tighter, needing to remind herself that he was really there. “Finnick, I don’t like 13. It’s better than-” she stopped and closed her eyes. She held his hand tighter and remembered the sterile walls, the simple city of District 13. That is where she is, no where else, and she had to let Finnick’s hand in hers anchor here there.

“It’s still not four,” she finally added quietly, her hand holding his as tight as she could.

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So that’s who Finnick loves, I think. Not his string of fancy lovers in the Capitol. But a poor, mad girl back home.

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“I’d like that.” Growing old would mean they’d already be together for a lifetime, and Finnick couldn’t ask for anything more wonderful. Just the idea of them with gray hair made him giddy. Movement caused his eyes to flick down to Annie, immediately bringing a smile to his face. He couldn’t get enough of seeing her everyday, it almost made up for lost time.
 
“You know you’re beautiful right?” He did have months worth of compliments to catch up on, “Beautiful doesn’t even do you justice, Annie.”

Annie smiled a bit hazily and shrugged her shoulders. He’d told her that many times, but she never really listened to it. She didn’t see much when she looked in the mirror, and she never saw beauty. She most saw places from the past, people that she couldn’t be with anymore. Sometimes she just saw a poor, mad girl with wild, desperate eyes. Not the kind of girl Finnick Odair would be expected to like.

A long time ago Annie had reconciled her repulsion at herself, and Finnick’s love for her. She may wince at her reflection, but he didn’t. She always had to keep that in mind.

“To you, I am,” she said quietly.

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“I’d have nothing on you. Probably get into fights having to beat away other men with a stick.” Finnick chuckled at the thought of him poking people away from Annie with his cane, “and I’d love every minute of being old with you.”
 
Finding no more tangles, his hand began tracing patterns on her back, humming their tune. If he didn’t have to eat every once and a while, he could spend all his days like this. Just holding Annie, talking almost like they used to, being together.

Annie laughed, the mental image of Finnick smacking away men with a cane conjuring in her mind. She couldn’t help but smile wide at the idea. She imagined them living in a house in district 4, right on the ocean. Maybe they’d even have kids, if they were lucky, though the idea set nerves through Annie. It wasn’t safe for two victors to have a child in Panem. 

But, maybe someday, they could move back there. They could get a lonely little sea cottage and Annie wouldn’t have to see anyone but Finnick all day. She smiled at the thought, one of her hands twisting in the fabric of his shirt to pull him as close as possible.

“Maybe someday we will grow old together Finnick,” she said, her voice hopeful. She leaned away just a bit and opened her eyes so she could look up at him. It was amazing how comforting it was to just see him next to her.

(Source: itsanniecresta, via youfindthisdistracting)

Finnick reacted on instinct as she held him closer, his arms wrapped more tightly trying to create a wall between her and outside them. He wanted nothing more then to just stay here with Annie. 13 could be blowing up for all he cared.
 
“You? A burden? Never.” A hand found its way back into her hair, removing all the tangles and smoothing out the curls, “Let’s just sit here and grow old together. You’d still be cute with wrinkles.”
 
He no longer saw the metal around them or the white walls, instead they were back home. The ocean just outside their porch, gulls crying out in the distance. They both sat in rockers beside each other, Annie weaving something with one hand cause he claimed the other. If only.

She cuddled as close as she could to him and kept her eyes closed. If she paid close attention, she could almost convince herself that she heard the waves crashing on the shore.

“You’d be the most handsome old man around,” she whispered, smiling softly. If they could stay here, or really anywhere, it would be all right as long as she was still with him. She could always remember District 4, what the sand felt like, the nights spent with Finnick standing in the surf. She’d never have to remember the Capitol again. 

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Finnick felt the frown tug at his mouth, but Annie beside him dissipated any bitterness towards 13. He would stay in the room with Annie all day if they didn’t send the damn guards for him every morning. At least he could sneak in lunches and spend the night with her though.
 
“You’re making me never want to leave you more then I already do.” It took a few moments to disentangle his fingers from her to scoop her up into his arms. That chair really didn’t want him any closer. Besides, the bed at least had an inch of padding over the metal.
 
Between the wall and the bed, Finnick knew his back and backside would hate him later, but being Annie’s support was more important then a little back ache. And he could never complain about holding her.

She melted completely as he took her into his arms, letting her body lean fully against his. She felt an exhaustion come over her from the fit a few moments before and she closed her eyes. She could barely move on her own, and simply reacted to Finnick’s movements as he carried her over to the bed.

“I know you have things to do,” Annie said, but her voice shook a bit as she spoke. She clutched a bit closer to him, closing her eyes tight. She wanted to believe that they were still in district 4, she didn’t want to see the cold metallic room. “I don’t want to be a burden or anything.” 

(Source: itsanniecresta, via youfindthisdistracting)

“Glad you’re back.” Annie’s smile was infectious, he couldn’t help but smile back. He laced their fingers, humming a low tune from back home. Finnick missed District 4, Annie must’ve been unbearably homesick. At least he could look at Annie and feel closer to home. It wouldn’t be District 4 without her.
 
“How are you feeling?” Finnick began occupying himself with her hair, twirling it between his fingers, still humming softly.

The song that he was humming helped to relax her and bring her fully back to her room in District 13. She leaned against him, closing her eyes and remembering home, where he used to hum this song to her on the beach. She could nearly smell the ocean, the smell of salt and fish that she missed so much. She couldn’t stand the smell of metal.

“I’m a bit better now. I- I had trouble focusing, when you were gone,” she said quietly. The feeling of him playing with her hair worked to release the tension in her body and she brought her knees up, cuddling into his side.

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It was like he was holding a doll, not Annie. Not the girl who loved splashing in the water, or the girl who used to try and braid flowers in his hair when he was asleep. She was a doll, empty and limp. A part of him wanted to shake, see if she would be startled back, but he could never hurt her like that. So he just held, and waited.
 
Her voice drew him back out of his thoughts. His name. She was saying his name. She knew he was there. Finnick smiled and pressed a kiss to her temple.
 
“I’m here, Annie.”

She blinked her eyes, and his face slowly began to come into focus. The metal walls and darkness were melting away, being replaced with bright lights and Finnick’s arms around her. She kept her attention on his bright, blue eyes that always reminded her of the ocean. They had that certain way of bringing her back to District 4, of taking her out to sea and floating until she came back to herself. She sighed, smiling softly at him.

“I’m sorry, I- I missed you,” she said quietly.

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No, no, no, no, no! He knew that look.  That helpless, lost look. He would mimic it whenever he saw it. She wasn’t here. She wasn’t safe with him. She was in the Capitol or arena. Somewhere far away from here.
 
“Annie? Annie, look at me. You’re ok. Remember the beach. Come back to me. We still have to go swimming.” Finnick was kneeling beside her now, desperately clinging to her hand. She was focusing a bit now and he couldn’t help but smile. He reached up and brought her head down to kiss her forehead, murmuring ‘it’s ok’ as he held her and stroked her hair.
 
He hated it when she had her episodes. It made him want to take all her nightmares and have them himself.

Slowly, she tried to pull herself back into the present. She focused on Finnick’s voice, on the low way that it went through her, on his comforting words. She tried to think of the beach back home, in District 4. She remembered running on that beach with Finnick, her feet pushing through the warm sand but- but there was no water, anywhere, not a drop, she hadn’t seen water in years. She shut her eyes, squeezing his hand harder. She could hardly remember what the ocean felt like.

He was stroking her hair and she leaned into him, nearly falling out of the chair into his arms. She was in a barren desert, alone, and it could have been her arena. It wasn’t, but it could have been, anything could have been. Things wouldn’t have gone differently.

She rocked forward, opening her eyes and looking up into Finnick’s face. She had to return, to get a grip, to see him. He was there, for once, not just an absence in the dark. She stared up at him and forced her mouth to move, to speak.

“Finnick,” she whispered, her voice rough. A little smile creeped over her lips as she noticed the wall behind his head, the sterile bed beside it. “Finnick,” she repeated, her voice softer.

(Source: itsanniecresta, via youfindthisdistracting)

Beetee had taken up too much of his time, but damn that trident was cool. It had a net dispenser and everything. Though he cut the session in half, Annie had a rest block that overlapped training. Finnick raced through the halls, relying on his reflexes to avoid people. Running did take his mind off of how ridiculous District 13 could be at times. He could play with the trident some other time or Annie could have a different schedule, but no. It was like they didn’t want them spending time together, and like hell that was happening.
 
He almost ran past her door, these shoes had horrible grip, but caught himself in time. It wasn’t the most graceful scrambling he’d ever done, but it worked. Sliding into the room, his eyes darted about till he saw her at the table. A hand reached out and rested on her shoulder while the other grasped her hand gently.
 
“Hey.” Something was wrong, but pressing her about it wouldn’t work. It never did, even when they were kids. His fingers began tracing circles on her shoulder, more a gesture for himself then her. Annie was here. Safe. And she was never going to be taken from him again.

She heard a noise above her, but couldn’t even summon the strength to look up. Her eyes were shut tight and she strained her neck forward. If it was anyone but Finnick, she would completely break down. 

A rush of relief flooded through her as she heard his voice, and his hand on her shoulder. It was Finnick, he was there for her. It all came back in a flash; District 13, Finnick, safe, Finnick, no more Snow. She nearly burst into tears, it was there, the truth was so close and tangible but- it wasn’t enough. She could feel herself slipping away, away from his hand on her shoulder and his concerned voice. She was losing her traction and the fact that she was in District 13, and she wanted to reach out to him, touch him and pull him closer to her but she couldn’t move. She couldn’t because she was in the Capitol, crumpled against a cold metal floor in a cell that was miles under ground. There were people above, driving cars and dying their hair pink and talking about the newest games. She hadn’t seen water in months.

She felt her throat go dry. She reached forward in the dark of her cell, looking for Finnick, and knowing she wouldn’t find him. Until- there, that was his hand. She looked up, watching through hazy eyes as Finnick’s eyes came slowly into focus. He was there.

(Source: itsanniecresta, via youfindthisdistracting)