Deja Vu Battle | 𝐇𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐆𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝟑 (Part 1) ✅

45.

As the group settled into their seats, the tension seemed to ease, and the conversations became lighter—an unspoken agreement to avoid any talk of the war looming over them. The food was, as usual, unremarkable, but no one commented on it. Finnick was busy trying to coax more details out of Annie about the proposal, while Katniss and Johanna exchanged a few quiet words between themselves.

Aries, sitting beside Estella, picked at his plate with his left hand, clearly frustrated. His missing right arm, a painful reminder of the rescue, still felt like a ghost limb, and the awkwardness of using only one hand grated on him. He dropped his fork after a few attempts to hold it properly, and Estella silently reached over, picking it up for him. Without a word, she began cutting the food into smaller pieces and offering it to him. It was a natural gesture; one they had fallen into without much discussion.

The others didn't comment. They all knew the story by now—Dennis had made sure of that. Everyone understood Aries wasn't in his best state, not physically or mentally. But no one pitied him. He wouldn't have tolerated it if they did.

As Estella offered him another bite, Aries caught Finnick watching out of the corner of his eye. "You'd think I'd get some kind of bionic arm by now," Aries muttered darkly, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Maybe something with lasers. But no, just left to starve, completely defenseless."

Finnick chuckled, shaking his head. "Yeah, because you're so helpless, right?"

"Exactly," Aries deadpanned, narrowing his eyes. "The horror of being hand-fed like a toddler by the scariest woman in District 13. Truly a pathetic existence."

Estella's lips twitched in the faintest hint of a smirk as she raised another forkful of food to his mouth. "If you're going to complain," she said coolly, "you can figure it out on your own."

Aries opened his mouth, accepting the food without hesitation. "You know I'm too lazy for that."

Katniss, who had been watching the exchange quietly, glanced at Estella. "Doesn't bother you?" she asked, her tone more curious than judgmental. Estella met Katniss' gaze, her expression unreadable. "Why would it?" Katniss shrugged, leaning back in her chair. "Just... wondered."

"He's still alive," Estella replied simply, her voice calm. "That's enough for me."

Johanna snorted, twirling her fork between her fingers. "You two are disgustingly functional, you know that?" Aries raised his brow, not missing a beat. "You say that like it's a compliment."

Finnick, trying to shift the mood back to something lighter, leaned forward. "Speaking of disgusting, how about we talk wedding plans?" He grinned, clearly enjoying the idea of pulling them all into the distraction. "I'm thinking something small, you know? Just a handful of people. Maybe in a bomb shelter. Really romantic."

Annie blushed at his teasing, but there was a light in her eyes. "We'll figure it out after... everything."

The laughter at the table slowly died down, replaced by the sound of forks scraping plates and soft murmurs of conversation. Aries leaned back into his chair, his towering frame relaxing a little under Estella's steady presence beside him. The atmosphere was surprisingly light, considering the weight of everything happening outside the dining hall.

Estella, still cool and composed, fed Aries another bite before resting the fork on the plate. Her gaze drifted toward Finnick and Annie, watching the way they exchanged quiet smiles, the way Finnick's hand never seemed to leave hers. It was sweet, but in this world, sweetness was fleeting.