Reputation (Finnick Odair)

Chapter 8

     Finnick is still following the girl as she reaches whatever station she had randomly stomped up to. A quick glance up fills the girl's eyes with a view of plants and she instantly looks away. She takes a few seconds to prepare herself for facing the possibility of poisonous plants in the arena. So much dread fills her at the thought, her stomach starts to churn. She's so wrapped up in this dread, she doesn't even hear Finnick calling for her.

     "Attie?" When Atlas manages to tear her eyes away from a piece of fake Nightlock on the table in front of her, Finnick is staring at the girl with concern. Oh, how she hated that look that so many gave her. She did not need anyone's concern.

     "Finnie?" Atlas replies mockingly, hands grasping the table ledge. She grits her teeth as she says it, although not immediately regretting her words.

     Finnick simply raises an eyebrow at her, seemingly hiding a small smirk. He reaches toward her, attempting to wrap an arm around her but Atlas immediately shrugs him off.

     "If you wanna hug someone, go back to Katniss," Atlas says, finally reaching forward to identify the plants in front of her.

     Finnick stands still for a few seconds before his mouth opens slightly, "Oh, I get it."

     "What do you get? How much I want you to leave me alone?" Atlas asks, her hand grazing over a tropical leaf.

     "No, actually love, you're jealous," Finnick smirks with his hands on his hips, as if in triumph, "That's what I get."

     "Jealous of what exactly?" Atlas pulls her hand away from a piece of poison ivy on the table.

     "Me hugging Katniss."

     "Why would I be jealous of you hugging the girl who killed my sister?" Atlas replies angrily, words simply spilling out of her mouth. Although the words might not necessarily be true, that never stopped her from thinking about them.

     "Hmm," Finnick hums and that annoying look he gets when he thinks he knows everything is back in his eyes.

     "Go hum somewhere else Finnick."

     "For someone who is supposed to be so charming you are doing a terrible job at it right now," Finnick smiles, leaning in close and setting his hands next to Atlas'.

     Atlas keeps her eyes locked on the table, grateful for the curtain of blonde hair currently separating her gaze from Finnick.

     "Sad what they did to your hair," Finnick comments, twirling one of Atlas' braids around his finger, "I quite liked the red."

     Atlas can't help the blush that fires up her face, her skin painted a similar colour to the hair in question. She turns her head away from the boy, pulling the piece of hair with her, "You'd be one of the few who did. Most people preferred the blonde."

     They both hear the emphasis Atlas puts on the word "people". Sometimes said people barely acted like actual people anyway.

     "You and I both know I don't fall into the category of most people."

     Atlas finally turns back to look into Finnicks eyes, "Yeah, I do know that."

     Finnick, who seems satisfied at the girl giving him the amount of attention he was looking for, turns away to face the station in front of them. He picks up a specific leaf and waves it between their faces, "What do you think Attie? This looks pretty edible."

     "Well, that's poison ivy so if it was real, you'd have quite the rash right about now," Atlas smirks at the boy as he practically throws the fake leaf back onto the table, rolling his eyes as he does.

     "Well, I'm just lucky you'll be in there with me, if you weren't I'd probably die from eating something I shouldn't," Finnick comments, picking up a piece of bark.

     Atlas tries to ignore the memory that overtakes her vision of berries and red hair, instead deciding that it's her turn to hum. Her eyes go to her side of the station but she's once again distracted by movement from Finnick. She slaps Finnicks hand as he's about to pick up another poisonous leaf.

     "They're not even real, you didn't have to hit me," Finnick complains, clutching his perfectly fine hand.

     "You have to learn somehow, don't you? If I don't slap you in the arena you're gonna eat a random plant and I won't have time to stop you will I?" Atlas points a finger at his chest and Finnick tries to hide his grin by groaning loudly but as he turns, Atlas sees a smile slip onto his face.

     The two spend about another half hour at the plant station, surprisingly getting through with very little flirting from Finnick. The instructor is impressed by Atlas' aptitude with plants and simply stares on as she explains them all to the blonde boy next to her.

     "This one's actually quite good roasted," Atlas says, pointing at a small nut, "Although it is more of a tropical plant..."

     Atlas trails off at the end of her sentence, ideas about the arenas contents flooding her mind. Maybe a rainforest? There were enough tropical plants on the table for that to be true. Although there were some forest plants interspersed to make most people second guess that thought. A rainforest could be survivable.
Atlas would prefer a wet climate to a dry one. At least in a rainforest there would be water to cools down with.

     "Do you ever wonder what our lives would be like if we weren't picked?"

     Atlas looks up to where Finnick is tracing his finger over a blade of grass, "What?"

     "If neither of our names were pulled from the bowls. If we never won the games."

     "Well," Atlas starts looking up to make sure the instructor was out of earshot, "I'd probably be working as a florist back in my district. My sister probably would never have been picked. I'd probably live alone in a house by the flower fields. My brother would probably be happy. My mom would probably try to set me up with this nice boy who works on the dam. I'd turn him down."

     "You'd turn him down?" When Atlas glances at Finnick, she expects to see his usual mischievous look. Instead, the look on his face is soft.

     "Yeah, I don't think I could ever love anyone back home. Not like that," Atlas chooses not to glance at Finnick this time, "What about you?"

     "I'd probably be a fisherman. I'd probably live by the sea. My mom would probably live nearby. I'd probably have a dog."

     "No lover?"

     Finnick turns his gaze away from Atlas and shakes his head, "Nope."

     Atlas smiles softly and picks up a vine from the table, "I guess the worst part about not being a victor would be never meeting you."

     "I'd like to think in this alternate universe we'd still know each other."

     Atlas snorts, "Is there no district borders in this alternate universe of yours?"

     Finnicks laughs, shaking his head, "I don't think we'd ever meet obviously but I think we'd know each other. In the back of my mind I'd see this girl with long blonde hair and green eyes and I'd wonder who she was."

     "I'd be surprised if you didn't forget me immediately," Atlas states with a smile etched onto her face, humoring Finnicks ideas.

     "No matter what universe we get put into, I'll always know you," Finnick doesn't even hesitate to say as he tilts his head at the girl in front of him.

     Atlas pauses for a moment, letting the words sink in. When they do, she smiles, "I'd like to think we find a way to meet in every universe."

     Finnicks smirk finds it's way back to his stupidly handsome face, "I'd like that too."

A/N
Ehh, weird chapter because I had to fill space just at this plant station since I'm not at home and don't have the book with me lol. Can't check what comes next. I'll have the book back soon don't worry. Anyway, I've loved ted lasso for years and I'm trying to start writing for it on tumblr. Wish me luck 🤞. Also, just realized Finnick might be ooc but that's actually not my problem so 🤷‍♀️