once upon a time • finnick odair

xvi. how do you save yourself?

Devon didn't know how long he and Johanna had waited for Lucian to come back, but it took a long time. He didn't know exactly how long it was, but he knew he had fallen asleep at one point because he didn't remember Lucian coming back into the room, and the moment he woke up, Devon knew that he wasn't in the hospital bed anymore. That was for sure.

After arguing with Lucian, all the energy in his body left him, and after a short, careful talk with Johanna, he fell into a deep slumber. And when he woke, instead of a white ceiling and tiles, he saw a gray ceiling and a stale mattress.

"Where ..."

"You're in a cell," a dark voice answered.

Devon turned his head around to the left looking for the wall and saw Lucian sitting with his back to the wall, looking more tired and ragged than he had ever seen him. He looked even worse than when Devon had seen him back in 12 years ago, which was saying a lot.

Devon's eye twitched. "Why the fuck are you here? Where the hell is Johanna?"

Lucian looked up, and with one glance, Devon knew that his right eye was permanently blinded by the wound he had caused him back in the arena. The eye was still a pale blue and was not focused on any place, although his left eye seemed better. It was less swollen, and Devon could see his dark eyes on that one focused on him,

"Devon," Lucian croaked out. "How are you feeling?"

Lucian looked ... cleaner. Not better, but cleaner. His face had lost the bruises and the swollen parts, but his cheekbones were more defined, and dark circles under his eyes told many sleepless nights.

"Fine," said Devon hastily. "I asked you a question. Where's Johanna? Why the fuck are we here? Did something change while I was out?"

Lucian hesitated for a moment before answering the younger man. "Somethings ... did change."

"Answer the fucking question, Lucian."

"I don't know," Lucian said, and Devon knew he was being honest. His voice was unwavering, and his face indicated no change. "I haven't seen Johanna since I met with President Snow."

Devon took a sharp intake. "What did you even talk about with Snow? What took you so long?"

Lucian avoided the topic by answering very vaguely. "We talked... about the future. Are you feeling okay? The doctors said that your leg ... they said it got worse in the arena."

"It's not that bad," said Devon, but the moment he tried to move his leg, he knew that his left leg was damaged, and worse than he had ever seen it.

The aching rose from his ankle to his knees, and he knew that even though the Capitol doctors fixed it, it would remain for a long time, maybe even until he died. Devon hissed out in pain.

"It's bad, Hyesung," said Lucian.

"Don't. Say. That name," Devon snarled. "You have no right."

"I'm sorry," Lucian said, looking down at his feet.

Devon wasn't buying it. "Stop trying to act like you're the victim here, and answer the fucking question instead of changing the topic, you fucking gaesaekki. Do you even know why the fuck we're here? You talked with Snow. Shouldn't you know?"

"He ..." Lucian cleared his throat and changed into his native tongue. "It was a private meeting. He told me that ... that he put us here because it was the safest place, away from the rebels."

Devon scoffed, but knowing he was trying to talk privately, he answered back fluently. "More like he wanted to keep us hidden before the rebels could take us."