𓏲 . SURVIVAL GAME . .៹♡
                                                 CHAPTER NINETEEN
                                           ─── THE CONDITIONS

 Velren opened his eyes in panic and gasped sharply as he lurched upright in his bed. He began to breathe heavily from the nightmare that just occurred in his head. A pounding in his chest could be heard while he scanned the room.

He began to realise that he was in his room and in no immediate danger when Finnick came rushing through the door, completely out of breath and with wide, alarmed eyes.

"Vel, are you all right?" he asked worriedly while he examined him to see if he was injured or distressed. Velren  was very embarrassed that he could be heard throughout the corridor and was looking for an excuse. "Er... Yes. Yeah, it was just a nightmare."

Finnick began to relax and understanding dawned on his face. "Oh. Well... Don't worry about it. I get them all the time too. It's nothing to be ashamed of."

He stood in the doorway and stared at Velren as if expecting him to say more, and when Velren didn't, he turned on his heel to leave. "Finn," he said suddenly. "Can...can you...stay with me?"

"Vel, what are you —" began Finnick to say, but Velren interrupted him. "Stay with me, please..." he repeated softly, but this time he moved over to the side of his bed, making room for his boyfriend to join him.

He could see Finnick's confused eyes peering back at him through the darkness, but after a moment he crawled into the bed with him.

It didn't take long before the two of them had molded together like a two pieces of a puzzle. Finnick snuggled into his chest, breathing in his scent. Velren , on the other hand, held him tightly as he pulled the covers over him.

Finnick wrapped a hand around the back of Velren's neck and pulled him into a kiss. They both savoured every second of that kiss, letting every bit of emotion flow into it.

Pulling away, a smile had formed on Velren's lips for what felt like, the first time in forever. "I love you," he said softly "I love you too,"  Finnick said with a small smile. "Goodnight, Vel."

With one last peck, Velren whispered, "Goodnight,Finn."

As the two fell asleep in each other's arms, Velren felt everything around him begin to fade, disappearing into the void of existence where reality and dream met.

When he opened his eyes , he found himself in the middle of an empty bed.

                                  ────────⊹⊱🍁⊰⊹────────

The following morning, Katniss had asked for a meeting with Plutarch and President Coin. They both sat in the room and watched as Katniss decided to stand up. "Thank you for agreeing to meet with me," she said. Her voice sounded hoarse, so she cleared her throat. "I've decided that I will be your Mockingjay, and I know Velren decided that he will be your Phoenix."

She paused. Plutarch sighed with relief while Coin, as always, remained relaxed and looked at her unimpressed.

"But I have some conditions." Katniss added before she smoothed out a piece of paper on which her conditions were listed and began to read, "Peeta, and the other tributes, Johanna Mason,Aurora and Finnick Odair, will be rescued at the earliest opportunity. If and when Peeta is liberated, he will receive a full and unconditional pardon. No punishment will be inflicted. And the same goes for the other tributes."

The other two glanced at Katniss for a moment before Coin shook her head. "No." she said flatly.

Katniss stared at her angrily. "Yes,"she replied. " It's not their fault you abandoned them in the arena. They're doing and saying whatever they can to survive."

Coin didn't seem to be swayed with Katniss' remark. "Individuals don't make demands in Fourteen. There will be a tribunal and a fair judgment. Thank you." she stated as if that would end the discussion.

Katniss slammed her  hands on the table, fire in her eyes as she didn't waver her gaze from Coin's. She raised her voice as she began to speak, "The victors will be granted immunity and you will announce that in front of the entire population of Fourteen, you will hold yourself and your government responsible or you will find yourself a new Mockingjay and a new Phoenix."

Plutarch looked overjoyed as he looked at Katniss. "That's it, that's her." he said proudly while he pointed at her. " Right there. Isn't that who I promised you? Now, if she wears the costume, gunfire in the background, a hint of smoke: our Mockingjay."

Then he turned to Coin, who sat beside him, "Madam President, we're losing ground, because the people are losing heart. This is worth the risk. She and Velren are worth the risk. Pardons, tribunals. Power of the people. It can all be the bedrock of the new Panem, but, in wartime I think even the nobel of causes can be bent a little bit. Right?"

Coin nodded slowly before she sighed as she looked over to Katniss. "Do you have any other conditions?" she asked while she crossed her arms on the table in front of her.

Katniss looked down at her paper one more time before she looked back up at Coin, second-guessing if she should say it. Regardless, she did, "My sister gets to keep her cat."

                                 ────────⊹⊱🍁⊰⊹────────

Later that evening, the hall was crowded with the people of district Fourteen as they all waited for President Coin to speak. People talked in hushed voices, glancing at the tributes every now and then.

Finally President Coin stepped forward. "Good afternoon. Thank you for interrupting your schedules. They have already been adjusted to compensate for the delay. Please check in with your supervisors when you resume work." No one made a noise as Coin addresed the crowd. "I have an annoucemeny to make for the citizens of Fourteen and our welcome guests from district Twelve and Thirteen."

Velren let his eyes wander over the crowd until he found Katniss, who stopped talking to her little sister and looked up at the president. "Katniss Everdeen and Velren Black has consented to be our faces of of our cause to help unite the districts against the Capitol."

She paused for a moment before she resumed speaking, "In exchange I have promised several concessions. First, we'll assess all opportunities for the extraction of victors held hostage in the Capitol. Peeta Mellark-"

As soon as the woman had mentioned his name, the crowd went wild. Some where screaming that he was a traitor and that he should be treated as such. Others shot Katniss and Velren a glare.

"Velren, I made the deal for Finnick, too." Katniss' voice came from beside him as she took her place by his side.

 The two of them went back to listening to what Alma Coin had to say, "Johanna Mason, Aurora and Finnick Odair. Once freed, they will be granted full pardon for any and all crimes commited against the rebel cause."

The crowd went wild once more. Velren turned to Katniss. "Good."  he whispered and smiled for the first time in a while. "That's good, Katniss."

She sent him a tight smile and nodded quickly before she looked back up at Coin, "If Katniss Everdeen and Velren Black fails to fulfill their duties, the deal will be off. Thank you for your attention. Please, resume your daily schedules."

There was a lot of anger that spread through the crowd and people loudly voiced the opinions on the matter. But Velren remained silent while he made  his way to the cafeteria with his brother.

They got their tablets and walked over to a table. "Hello," they said while they sat down between Jenna Wood and Effie Trinket, who sat across from Gale and Katniss.

Velren noticed a leather-bound book that the three women were fawning over, while Katniss trailed her fingers over the black designs of whatever it was that was in the book. "What's that?" he asked, his curiosity getting the best of him.

Katniss looked up and a sad smile appeared on her lips. "It's my Mockingjay outfit. Cinna  made it." she explained to him before she turned a few pages back. Finally, she paused at a certain page and looked at it silently for a moment. Then she rotated the book so it was facing Velren, and he could take a clear look at a sketch.. "And here is your Phoenix outfit. Isabella made it."

Velren's breath caught in his throat.

It was beautiful in the most dangerous way. The tiny details of fiery red ink mixed with fiery orange were amazing. His Phoenix outfit was everything Velren could have ever wanted; it was perfect.

Velren looked up at Katniss and smiled.  "It's perfect."

━━ AUTHORS NOTE

Here is once again a chapter. Sorry it took so long for the update. Nevertheless, I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

 Please, don't forget to voteand share if you do, and if you want, comment too ! I'd really appreciate it <3

Thank you for reading this far.

Until next time, much love to you all!