"How do you think you did?" Finnick leans over her shoulders, her wet hair clinging to her shoulders.
"I... have no idea," Cress sighs, closing her book in front of her.
"I'd bet you did great, Cressie," he said, ruffling her hair. "Now get up, sweetheart, we've got a real fun day ahead of us. We get our scores today, aren't you excited?"
"I'm oh so excited, I'm just bursting at the seams," Cress responds dryly, her eyebrows raising.
"Way to keep it positive, Cress," Finnick sighs, sitting down beside her. "So, what do you think you got?"
"Didn't you just ask me that?" she asks, a slight grin curling at the corners of her mouth.
"I asked it in a different way, there's a difference." he shrugs, giving her an angelic grin.
"I think I got at least a nine. An eight at worst." she taps her chin thoughtfully. "At best, I think a ten."
"Thanks, Finn, I try," she smiles in return. Finnick's cheeks go a bit pink, but he turns away before she could notice. "How do you think you did?"
"Oh, you know me. They can't resist my abs." he flashes that charming grin of his in her direction, causing her to roll her eyes.
"You didn't do that Johanna suggested and strip, right?" she raises her eyebrows, waiting for his answer.
"No, no, I did let them get a great view of my muscles though. The ladies really ate it up." he leaned back, taking a sip of water.
"I bet they did."
----------------------------------------------------
"Now coming up, your scores for each tribute! Let's start off with District 1, who have given us Cashmere and Gloss Tanner! Oh, how it hurts our hearts to see them in the Games once more knowing that they could be killed, but let's see if their scores will increase the odds!" Flickerman shouts, spooking Cress from her daze.
"Oh jeez, Finnick!" she shouts down the hall to where she thought Finnick was. "Scores!" A thump sounded, then a grunt. "You alright?"
"I'm fine!" Finnick shouts back. "Be there in a second! I'm kind of not dressed right now, sweetheart!"
"And next on, things I do not need to know," she mutters to herself, feeling her cheeks heat up. Why was he always nude? Does this man just never wear clothes?
"Gloss with a score of ten, with his sister close behind with a nine!" Flickerman announces eagerly, reading off of a small card in front of him. "Continuing to District 2, who have brought us the fearsome duo that is Brutus Gunn and Enobaria Golding!"
"You're missing it!" she shouts down the hall again. "He's onto District 2 now!" The door slams open and he rushes down the hall, vaulting over the couch and landing beside her. "Wow, very acrobatic of you."
"What can I say, I learned from the best." he winked at her before turning back to the screen.
"Wow, will you look at that? Both Brutus and Enobaria have gotten the incredible score of ten!" Flickerman practically shouts, Cress wincing away from the noise.
"Powerhouses," Finnick mutters to her, causing her to smile slightly.
"You'll do better, Finn, I know it."
"Of course I will, Cressie, I'm Finnick Odair for crying out loud."
"District 3, you know what that means! That's right, Wiress Plummer and Beetee Latier!"
"I'm calling a six for Wiress and a seven for Beetee," Cress muses.
"You know what, I think you just might be right." Finnick nods.
"They have respective scores of six and seven!"
"Bingo," she says, smiling proudly.
"Nice going, sweetheart."
"Now we're on to District 4, possibly one of the most, if not the most, exciting and recognised districts in there here Games! From District 4, we get our favourites, and yours, the one and only pair that is Cress Bronzetide and Finnick Odair!" Caesar's smile was so wide Cress was worried it would snap his face in half.
"Oh boy," Cress sighs, clearly nervous.
"Relax, Cressie, you're going to be fine," Finnick said softly. Caesar looks down at the card in front of him and his eyes go as wide as saucers.
"For Cress Bronzetide and Finnick Odair, a score of eleven."
"Look at us go," Finnick says dryly, taking a shot of what Cress believed was whiskey. She holds out her hand and he passed her a shot glass of her own. She downed it in one gulp, setting the glass back on the table upside down. After their scores were announced, Cress pretty much tuned Flickerman's voice out until she heard the words 'District 12'. Her eyes shoot back towards the screen, suddenly very interested in what their scores were.
Caesar, to her surprise, goes pale. Very pale. "Twelve."
Cress feels her eyebrows shoot up towards her hairline as she glances over at Finnick, trying to see if he'd heard the same words.
"Twelve?" Finnick exclaims incredulously, practically jumping out of his seat from the surprise.
"They both got twelves? What the hell?" Cress demands.
"Rigged. This shit is rigged," Finnick hisses, grabbing a glass and preparing to throw it at the wall. Cress puts her hand on his arm, forcing him to lower it.
"Finnick, breaking shit is not the solution here. You know as well as I do that the Capitol is trying to make them targets."
"Speaking of Peeta and Katniss, I want them as allies," Finnick says quietly. Cress blinks, once, twice.
"What?"
"Allies. Katniss and Peeta?"
"... You never fail to confuse me."
"You're so welcome, Cress."
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"Powerhouses, the both of them. What did I tell you?" Haymitch shrugs, raising his eyebrows at both Katniss and Peeta.
"Elevens. That's pretty damn close to our scores, Katniss." Peeta looks over at her with big eyes.
"What did they even do?" Katniss mumbles, running her hand through her hair. "What could they have done that was so wildly different from their first Games to earn an eleven?"
"I told you, they're wild cards here. Them and Johanna Mason, best allies to have."
"Well Haymitch, I think I'm starting to see your point. You know what I noticed the other day in the training area? Cress is built." Katniss raises her eyebrows at Peeta, not following what he was saying.
"What?"
"She's, um, muscular. Built?" Peeta coughs awkwardly.
"Oh yeah, Cress is actually a unit. She's been an acrobat since she was like eleven or something, Finnick told me all about her." Haymitch waves his glass in the air. "Very strong and well rounded, but still limited in the case of building muscle. Doesn't mean she couldn't throw someone like Wiress around like a ragdoll."
"I don't think I'd want to get thrown around by Cress. Ever." Katniss shudders.
"I don't think I would mind," Peeta mutters quietly before coughing. "I mean, yeah, me too." Katniss gave him a sideways glare while Haymitch snickers to himself.
"Real classy, Peeta, real classy."
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...
