Cress glanced around the room, raising her eyebrows when she sees Johanna nude once more and oiling up for wrestling.
"Jo, what the hell are you doing?" she asks, wandering over to her.
"Oh hey Cress, nice fall earlier. Lover boy saved you, huh?" Johanna gives her a smirk, causing Cress to roll her eyes.
"You're naked. Again. Do you have something you want to confess?" Cress wiggles her eyebrows, smirking at the connotations.
"Oh yeah, just for you baby. Come here, gimme a kiss." Johanna puckers her lips, leaning towards Cress who shoves her away while giggling.
"You're so immature Jo, I swear."
"It's my thing, you know? You've got pearls, Finnick's got.. whatever he's got, and I've got nudity! Perfect balance!" Johanna grins at her like a cat that caught the canary.
"Oh my god, you're literally the worst, have I ever mentioned that?" Cress rolls her eyes at Johanna's constant stream of absolute bullshit.
"You love me anyway." she gives Cress an angelic smile, preparing to step onto the mat once more.
"Don't go easy on them, hm?" Cress waves and wanders off, heading over to where Katniss was sitting with Wiress and Beetee.
"Cress, cresting wave, rising tide, water," Wiress mutters when she sees her.
"Yes, hello Wiress, how are you?" Cress sits down beside her, Wiress immediately touching her hair and braiding it.
"Cress." Beetee nods to her, which she returns awkwardly thanks to Wiress trying to braid her hair.
"Katniss, how are you?" she asks, absentmindedly tying a knot from a rope she'd picked up from the knot station.
"Good, yourself?" Katniss had those cold eyes that the Capitol ate up, that sharp demeanor. Oh yes, Cress would have fun with her.
"Well after a near death experience earlier, I can't say I'm doing horribly." she shrugs.
"I saw. Brutus seems to be a little too eager for the Games." Katniss' monotone voice gets a laugh out of Cress, shooting Katniss that smile of hers that had won the Capitol crowds by a storm.
"Brutus is a little bastard who's mad because he's losing his edge," she mutters, flipping Brutus off.
"Well said," Beetee says dryly.
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"Finnick, so glad you could join us." Plutarch leaned forward, Haymitch at his side. Johanna walked in after him, thankfully fully clothed this time.
"What is this?" Finnick asks, frowning. The sentiment is repeated by Johanna, who sports a similar look of distrust.
"Relax. All will be revealed in good time," Plutarch says, motioning for them to have a seat. Neither take his offer, remaining standing.
"I'm here because you said I could protect Cress, and that's it."
"I'm here to kill Snow," Johanna chimes in, glancing around at the small gathering that Finnick now realized included both Beetee and Wiress, Chaff and Seeder, and some others that Finnick couldn't be bothered to remember.
"Plutarch, can you just get to the point?" Finnick interjects, frowning at him. "Why are we here, what do you want from us?"
"We'd like to propose an alliance, rallied behind Katniss. She would be the figure head, the Mockingjay." Haymitch leans forward, glancing around the room. "The districts want rebellion."
"And Snow wants all of you dead," Plutarch adds.
"Yeah he's an old bitter bastard, we get it." Johanna rolls her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest.
"The point is, we want all of you working to keep Katniss and, by extension, Peeta alive. We need them to win this war, because it is coming. Fast." Plutarch glances around the room, looking over each tribute carefully. His gaze stops on Finnick, looking around him. "Where's Cress?"
"Not here," Finnick utters through his teeth. "I don't want her involved in this." Plutarch's eyebrows raise, noting the glare on Finnick's face.
"You didn't tell her, did you?" he concludes.
"No. I don't want her involved," Finnick repeats. "If we get found out, I don't want her associated with this.. whatever this is."
"I understand, I understand. Alright, fine, I'll let it slide." Plutarch puts his hands up, a smirk playing on his lips.
"Why aren't Katniss and Peeta here?" Beetee asks, frowning. "Isn't this about them?"
"We've decided to not involve them, to avoid suspicion."
"Yeah, probably for the better. I don't think Katniss can hold a poker face for crap." Johanna raises her eyebrows, daring someone to disagree with her. No one could, of course, as Katniss was like an open book. Her emotions were always written on her face, plain as day.
"You'd be right," Haymitch mutters. The rest of the meeting drones on for what feels like forever, so Johanna and Finnick naturally strike up a more interesting conversation.
"Are you really here just for Cress?" Johanna asks, cocking her eyebrow. "I mean, you don't have any other motives?"
"I just want to keep Cress safe and away from danger," Finnick says, a frown marring his face.
"Finnick, these are the Games. No one is safe here."
"I know, Johanna, but I'm doing my best. For her."
"You're so in love it's actually making me gag," she groans, and Finnick sits upright at that.
"I'm not in love!" he hisses, cheeks reddening.
"Oh yes you are. You, Finnick Odair, are in love with Cress motherfucking Bronzetide," Johanna snickers, poking his arm. Finnick swats at her hand as the blush intensifies, turning him into a veritable tomato.
"Shut up Johanna!"
"You're so blind, it's crazy."
YOU ARE READING
The Flying Fish (Exocoetidae)|| Finnick Odair X Fem!OC
Fanfiction"Hello Birdie." "Not in the mood Finn." The 67th Hunger Games, with Iuvartus Templesmith as Head Gamemaker, was nothing special. The victor that year was Cress Bronzetide, a 16 year old girl from District 4. She was an unexpected victor, as her dist...
