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"The force field, it's a dome. We're at the edge of the arena. I couldn't find any signs of fresh water."
Quinn squinted up at Katniss, absentmindedly twirling a knife between his fingers.
"It's gonna get dark soon. We'll be safe if our backs protected," Finnick told them. "We should set up camp, take turns sleeping. I can take first watch."
"Not a chance."
Quinn and Finnick both shared amused looks at Katniss' protest, Peeta looking between the three anxiously.
"Honey, that thing I did back there for Peeta, that was called saving his life," Finnick glared at the girl. "If I wanted to kill either of you I would've done it by now."
Finnick nodded Quinn closer to him, the Killian giving an uneasy glance to their allies.
"You wanna rest?" Finnick muttered, a hand resting softly on the side of Quinn's neck as the boy stubbornly shook his head.
Finnick sighed, taking Quinn's face in his hands and pressing a soft kiss to his lips.
"Please, rest."
Quinn frowned at the man, glancing an uneasy glance to Katniss.
"Do you really think she will try and kill us with thousands of people watching?" He whispered against the boy's ear.
Quinn hummed in reply, turning away from the woman.
"She's done worse things."
Finnick scoffed playfully, sitting on the ground and pulling Quinn down by his wrist.
"Rest," he insisted as Quinn rested his head in his lap.
Finnick ran his hand through Quinn's hair, watching with a soft smile as the boy contently drifted off.
He glanced over to Katniss, Peeta asleep on the ground nearby.
"How's Peeta?"
"He's okay," Katniss replied softly. "I think. How's Quinn?"
Finnick glanced down at the boy in question, a soft laugh falling past his lips as he traced the dark circles under the boy's eyes lightly.
"Not too good," he pursed his lips at the feeling of Katniss watching him. "The games are different, you know? Especially for him. He's not used to protecting, he's used to hunting."
Finnick felt the boy jerk under his touch, eyes flickering behind his eyelids as his body began to shake.
Katniss watched with wide eyes as Quinn jerked awake, Finnick's hand tightly pressed against his mouth to muffle a scream.
"You're safe. You're safe," Finnick repeated quietly as Quinn gripped on to him tightly. "It's okay. It's okay."
Quinn took deep breaths, his hands shaking as he lightly pulled Finnick's hand away from his mouth.
"Are you okay?" Quinn nodded slowly, blinking away the sleep, as if he were trying to make sure he was really conscious.
His nightmares had always placed him back in the arena, and now here it was in his reality as well.
"I get them too," Katniss whispered. "So does Peeta."
Quinn nodded, moving closer to Finnick so his back as pressed to the Four victor's chest. He found comfort in Finnick's hold, having woken up so many nights without the boy anywhere in sight.
"Well, if you're not gonna sleep I am," Finnick told Katniss as he pulled Quinn beside him. "You're okay," he whispered. Noticing the panic in Quinn's eyes at the thought of falling asleep again. "I'm right here."
Quinn took Finnick's hand, placing it on the side of his face and leaning into the touch.
"I adore you," he muttered to Quinn. In turn, he pressed his lips to Finnick, burying his nose into the boy's neck as they fell asleep.
What only felt like moments later, Quinn shot awake at a shrill scream. His eyes adjusting quickly to see a thick fog closing in on them.
"Run! The fog is poison!" Katniss screamed, Quinn noticing her blistered hand as Peeta and Finnick awakened as well.
"Come on," Quinn instructed as he took the lead. He slung his bow over his back, taking one of the longer knives in hand as he took off through the woods.
He could hear the twigs snapping from behind him, making sure the others were following. However, he stopped in his tracks when he heard a loud scream. Peeta running into his back as Quinn hurried toward Finnick, who had gotten caught in the fog.
Finnick groaned in pain, Quinn placing the man's arm over his shoulder and helping him stand.
"What are you doing?" Quinn shouted, Peeta and Katniss watching the two. "What are you doing? Go! Go!"
Quinn hissed between his teeth as he felt the fog bite at his skin, doing his best to drag an incoherent Finnick through the thick woods.
Suddenly, the Odair slipped from his grasp and fell to the ground, yells ripping from both men as the fog caught up to them.
"Come on, Fin." Despite the searing pain throughout his skin, and the dizziness, Quinn continued to pull Finnick along, only an inch or two in front of the poisonous mist. Up ahead, Quinn could see Peeta lying by a small pond with Katniss by his side.
Taking a sharp breath, Quinn shoved Finnick out of his grasp, the Odair falling beside Katniss, out of reach from the fog.
A scream ripped through the air, the fog hitting Quinn's skin felt like fire. Katniss, though she stumbled, hurried toward the boy, using the last of her strength to pull him to safety.
"Fin," he muttered as best he could. "Fin."
Katniss ignored the boy, glancing to the lake, clawing her way across the ground to get to it. She dunked her hand in the water, letting out a scream as the fog turned to vapor as it left her skin.
"The water," she heaved for air. "The water helps."
Peeta, too, pulled himself into the lake, muffling his cries as he rubbed out the blisters that had formed.
Quinn was slowly using his arms to crawl toward Finnick, his whole body shaking in pain as he hovered over the man.
"Finnick," the word was muffled through Quinn's swollen throat. "Finnick."
Katniss lightly took hold of Quinn's arm, helping the boy stand as he groaned in pain.
Before he knew what was happening, he was submerged in water, eyes blown wide as he felt the cold soothe the burning.
He gasped for air as he broke the water, his hair soaking wet as he regained his senses. Finally focusing on something other than the pain coursing through his skin.
"Hey, I got him." Quinn hurried over to Peeta, the boy trying to move Finnick into the lake. "Rest, I got him."
Peeta went to protest, but Quinn placed a hand on his shoulder in reassurance.
He hooked his arms under Finnick, dragging him into the water. The Four victor hissed through his teeth, his hand finding Quinn's arm and digging his nails in.
"It's okay, now." Quinn huffed out, slowly submerging Finnick deeper into the water. "It's gone, it's okay."
Finnick groaned as Quinn rubbed a hand up and down his back, the last of the blisters gone.
The Odair mumbled quietly under his breath, Quinn leaning in closer to hear.
