~ Sharks and Minnows ~ Finnick Odair x Fem OC

- prologue: our morning -

I sit at my window, knees curled to my chest, watching the sun rise.

I've been awake for hours. I couldn't really sleep. There's been words echoing in my mind, but most of them surround:

Finnick's coming home.

All I've been thinking about for the last month was Finnick.

All I've ever been thinking about is Finnick.

It was just torture, having to sit by at home, watching a person I (for certain) know I truly truly love just be in a brutal death match.

Most days, people just left me alone.

They knew me as being "Finnick's girl".

That was to say, I was always near Finnick. Every class, everywhere we walked, we were always together.

I was a point of hatred for many girls.

Something I was unaware of until he was gone.

Apparently, I've been hated since elementary.

All these girls wanted to be me, to be close to Finnick. They thought we were dating, or something.

I knew I loved him. Just not like that.

I also knew so many girls wanted to be around him at all times.

They all blamed me for Finnick's lack of interest in their flirting.

Was I the reason Finnick turned down so many girls?

I assumed it was to keep his options open, or even just because he didn't want to date anyone.

Watching Finnick get reaped, saying my (could've been last) goodbyes, and sobbing as the train pulled from the station was enough to kill me.

But the vicious girls in my school had revived me, only to stab me in the heart over and over just to watch the light drain out of my eyes.

I tried to keep strong. For him. But these girls had told me, now that I didn't have Finnick's protection, they were going to make my life hell.

I seriously doubt they could've made it worse than watching Finnick leave.

I never really watched the games. Everyone understood. Not even the wretched mean girls would talk about the games in front of me.

My family would give me small, positive updates on his wellbeing. Anything more would send me off to lay in my room weeping.

My cheeks were stained with tears for a month. And they still are.

I can't stand this anymore.

I dragged my feet across the short journey to my bed.

I covered myself with my blanket, hoping that sleep would find me, this time bringing Finnick through dreams instead of nightmares.

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I hear a faint squeaking. I refuse to open my eyes.

This has to be a dream. It's been less than an hour, for sure. I'm hallucinating.

I keep myself facing the wall adjacent to my bed. I'm not falling for this.

I feel a sudden, warm, yet solid presence next to me.

He lays behind me, draping one hand over my side, the other finding the familiar strand of hair he always tugs on.

Finnick!

It's not a dream!

He's here!

I turn myself over and throw my arms around him.

"Finnick!" I squeal, but it comes out as a mumble with my face being buried in his shoulder.

"Saylor." He pulls his arms around my back, his breath fluttering my hair.

I break apart from the embrace for a second to look at him.

The same golden blonde hair, the same eyes as green as the sea, and the same tears that are used to blending into the saltwater.

It's him.

Our faces are inches apart.

I just hold him there. My hands grasping his face, his arms wrapped around my body.

I kiss him.

It's short, but I just have to.

He's here.

He's real.

"You're here. You're real!" I stupidly exclaim.

I don't wait to see his reaction before I reposition myself to lay with my head over his heart, as though to make sure it's really beating and never stops.

I make myself comfortable, slinging my other arm around his waist and my legs on top of his.

"Finnick, I... I haven't slept in a month. A-and I never watched your games on television. I barely watched the interviews and parade, I..." he gently strokes my hair as I continue my stammering, "I just knew that you won, and that you're the, like, youngest victor, and you got a like super expensive gift or something, but I-I couldn't tell you anything ab-"

"Hey," he rubs his thumb up and down my neck, "you're okay."

"You won't be mad?" I keep from shivering under his touch.

"Of course not, Minnow," his hand finds my cheek, "I couldn't be mad at you."

I reach up and grab his hand with my own smaller, colder one.

"Can I, just.." I don't finish my sentence before my eyes shut and I drift off.

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Finnick and I just lay there, sleeping.

At least, I was sleeping.

The first sleep I've had for a while.

From what I recall, though, he turned us to our sides after a while so that he could sleep some too. He told me about how he can't sleep on trains, and how he was just too frightened to sleep in the arena.

We lay there, our arms and legs intertwined as we realized just how much we needed each other.

Several things went unsaid this morning, though.

There were things that we decided could wait for a time after this morning.

This was our morning.

Nobody was going to take that from us.

We would make sure of it.

++++++++++End of prologue++++++++++

920 words