Finnick and Annie (Short Stories)

Untitled Part 12

This one is just kinda random, I started writing it for a prompt on tumblr and then realized I got completely sidetracked. 

He had to get out of there. Not only was she old, gross, dumb and a little psychotic, but she'd also insisted that Finnick called her 'Annie'. The fucking nerve. How he'd found out about her, he had no idea but the second she'd made her request he'd run to the bathroom and puked his guts out. Maybe it was the excessive amount of alcohol he'd chugged to drown out her obnoxious voice, or maybe it was the fact that he knew she knew about her, and he was worried sick about what might happen to his girlfriend.

He could have killed her. Smothered her with a pillow, strangled her with his own hands and God knows he wanted to. Instead he drank more and pretended to enjoy himself like he did every single time.

He couldn't remember how he'd arrived back at the Training Center but he knew he couldn't face Mags. She was probably waiting up for him with a cup of tea and painkillers to ease his hangover. He couldn't stand to see the pain in her eyes as he broke down in front of her yet again while she cradled him in her arms like he was a child, as if he weren't almost twice her size. So instead he pressed the button for the twelfth floor, leaning against the glass wall of the elevator that rose so fast he was almost sick again.

He stumbled into the empty living room and looked around for his friend. Well, after Annie, Mags and Johanna, he was the closest thing he had to a friend. "Haaaaymitch!" His voice echoed through the empty hall and it was only a few seconds before his friend stormed out of his room in his robe looking very irritated.

"Are you trying to wake up the whole damn floor?"

"What? Sorry... I forgot you were sleeping..."

"Are you drunk?" he sighed. Alright, so friend wasn't the best word to describe him, he was more of an acquaintance who shared his terrible drinking habits.

"Don't be like that... have a drink with me."

"I think you've had enough."

"No offense, Man, but I don't think you're the best person to tell me when I've had enough to drink." Haymitch rolled his eyes but smiled.

"You're right about that. So to what do I owe this visit?" he asked while he poured their drinks.

"You're the only person in this building willing to get drunk with me at three in the morning," he said. Haymitch raised his glass at this and took a swig of his drink.

"Did you just get back?" Finnick answered with a nod. "I hadn't seen you this... intoxicated for a date in a while. I thought you were pretty used to it by now."

"Not to her," he groaned and chugged what was left in his glass.

"Bad one? Was she kinky? Don't tell me she tried to whip you too." Finnick frowned and shook his head, revolted by the thought of her.

"No, she was pretty... boring in that regard."

"Then what's the problem?"

"She knows... she asked me to call her by another name..."

"Oh, shit. How did she know?" Finnick shrugged. "Hey, don't worry, she's safe back home." Finnick looked at his perfectly manicured hands and sighed. He put the glass aside and reached for the phone. Haymitch tried to stop him but he just pushed him back as he dialed his home number. The phone rang five times before she picked up, her voice groggy from sleep.

"Annie," he whispered as if there were anybody (besides Haymitch) who could overhear him.

"You're drunk," she said.

"No, no I'm not," he lied. "I just needed to hear your voice."

"Ok," she sighed. He could feel his warm tears running down his cheeks and he wiped at them exasperated. Her voice had a soothing effect no amount of drugs or alcohol had on him. "How was your day?"

She didn't mean any harm, she didn't mean to remind him of the shit day he'd just had but he still couldn't stop the sobs that escaped him before he could get a grip of his emotions.

"Hey... I'm so sorry, I wish I were there-"

"No. No. No. You're not her, she's here not you. You stay home and I'll see you when you get back." He could hear her silence on the other end of the call; she was always silent when he talked of other women, at least when he was drunk and in the Capitol. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have called."

"Finn," she started, but he didn't give her the chance to try to comfort him before he hung up.

"I tried to stop you," said Haymitch. He'd almost forgotten he was there. He grabbed his glass and paced a few seconds before he smashed it against the wall where it shattered into a thousand pieces. "What the hell, Finnick?"

A short girl with brown eyes that he hadn't even noticed standing by rushed to the pile of glass to clean it up. She was an avox. God, he was such an asshole. He rushed to help her clean up his mess and before either Haymitch or the girl could stop him he was on the ground picking up shards of glass with his hands. "Ouch," he said when he saw his hands covered in glass and blood.

"Jesus, Kid, come here." Haymitch helped him back to the couch and did his best to clean and bandage his hands, it wasn't worth a trip to the infirmary. Then he saw them, Katniss and Peeta, standing in the shadowy hallway that led to the bedrooms. He wondered how long they'd been standing there and became very aware of how huge a mess he was.

"What?" he yelled. "Fuck off."

"Hey," snapped Haymitch. "Calm down." Peeta seemed startled and a little upset but Katniss just seemed confused. Not sad, not pitiful, not even surprised. It bothered him that she looked at him like that, almost disappointed, as if she expected better of him.

"So this is the real Finnick Odair," she snarked. God, he couldn't stand her. "Even Haymitch is sober for God's sake." He wanted to hurt her. He almost looked forward to hurting her in the Arena, or he would have if he hadn't made a deal with Plutarch and Haymitch.

"Come on, Katniss, let's go," said Peeta, tugging at her sleeve.

"Yes," he said, barely loud enough to hear; they all looked at Finnick. "This is the real Finnick Odair." His voice wasn't angry or defiant, it was tired and broken. They must have thought him a fool, so drunk that he hurt himself with broken glass, but he didn't care. At least they hadn't seen him crying. "If you make it out of the Arena again... you'll understand."

"I won't ever be like you," she said. "I won't become the Capitol's pet."

"But aren't you already?" he laughed. She narrowed her eyes at him, trying to figure him out but Haymitch seemed annoyed, like he didn't approve of Finnick bullying his tributes. He stood up and called the elevator. "Tell me how that wedding of yours goes," he said, stepping inside. "I heard Snow's proposal was really wonderful."