➳❦

ARYA SMILES AS SHE FELT FINNICK'S FINGERS MOVING THROUGH HER HAIR. Their bodies were pressed together under the sheets, their legs tangled as she had her head resting on his chest. The cool air from the air vent hit her skin but it was nice. Just being here with him for a moment, it was what she wanted. "I wanna stay like this forever. But in a meadow, in the middle of nowhere, where no one will bother us again." Arya tells him. She wanted to escape from everything, not having to deal with any sort of drama ever again in her life. That was the ideal future for her.

"I think we can arrange that." Finnick murmurs back to her as he presses a kiss to the top of her head, continuing his movements through her hair. Arya sighs as her eyes dimmed, her jaw clenching in the slightest.

"Hm, if we survive this." Arya responds. Finnick moves so he's able to look at her and he had a frown on his face.

"Hey, stop. Stop catastophizing everything." He tells her and Arya meets his gaze. "Good things happen to us too, okay? I believe that." Finnick says as he wraps his arm around her, pulling her closer.

"You can believe that for the both of us." Arya says with a firm nod. Finnick just sighs as he stares back at her.

"You're impossible."

"Mhm. That's why you love me." Arya teases with a smirk. Finnick raises an eyebrow.

"I might take those words back if you don't stop being so negative." Finnick warns as he leans down to press a kiss to her lips. Arya sighs into it before he pulls back.

"Fine. Don't expect me to do any motivational speeches though." Arya responds as she tilts her head. Finnick rolls his eyes playfully before kissing her deeper. Arya moans into it, the kiss a bit sloppy as they were both still tired.

Finnick moves on top of her, nothing but  the sheet between them as he grips her hair, pressing his tongue into her mouth. Arya tightens her legs around him, a breathy whine leaving her as she feels him grind down against her. But the sound of the door opening makes them pull away from each other "Woah, hey--" Finnick starts to say but sees it was Johanna who had wandered in. Arya brought the sheets over to cover them. "Johanna?" He asks confused.

"Ooh." Johanna stops in her tracks as she notices them under the sheets. "Did I cockblock you?" She asks them causing Aryas eyes to widen and Finnick to just cover his face with his arm.

"Excuse me?" Arya asks her, stuttering over her words.

"I totally did cockblock you, my bad." She says, holding her hands up. Finnick shakes his head.

"Stop saying that word please." He pleads. Johanna smirks as she laughs a bit.

"Ah, so while the world is at war, you two are getting freaky." Johanna states with a wink. Arya sighs as she runs a hand through her messy hair.

"Do you need something?" Arya asks, pulling the sheets further up her body.

"I came to talk to you before you left but apparently you have other plans." Johanna gestures toward them while as Finnick let's out a long groan, stretching out his body.

"Not anymore." He mumbles. Johanna just narrows her gaze.

"Dude, you should be way less grumpy, i mean you two just fu--"

"Don't even finish that sentence." Arya warns her and Johanna closes her mouth but just smirks. "What did you need to talk about?" She asks curiously. Johanna rests against the doorframe.

"I'm gonna make sure Wesley and Peeta are fine while you're gone and incase you have any concerns, they took all my drugs so." Johanna teases as she tilts her head. Arya just stares back at her, not impressed by her comment.

"Jo."

"Geez, you two have no sense of humor." She says as she flickers her eyes between them. Finnick looks more annoyed than anything.

"And you'll be all right?" Arya questions, worried about her but she knew Johanna could take care of herself.

"Ceila will be here to stop all my bad decisions." Johanna states and once again is met with not the best looks. "Oh, my god. Would it kill you two to just laugh?" She asks as she throws her hands up in the air.

"Can you leave now?" Finnick asks her and she just places her hands on her hips.

"Wow, bye to you too finnick."  Johanna says, sticking up her middle finger and Finnick just returns it.

"We'll see you soon, Jo." Arya says, hitting Finnicks hand to which he just frowns at her.

"You better. Or else I'm gonna kill you myself." She warns, pointing her two fingers toward her eyes before turning it back to them. Arya smiles as she shakes her head but laughs as the woman shuts the door. Finnick sighs, pulling her back against him and he gazes at her. Arya meets his eyes, smiling gently as he runs his fingers through her hair.

They both bask in the comfort, in the security of one another because they knew the moment they left this room, it would all slip away.

➳❦

KATNISS WAS WITH THE GROUP OUTSIDE OF THE CAPTIOL, not really paying attention to what was being said. She just wanted to get to Snow and end this whole thing, everything wlse was irrelevant. As her gaze moves to the side, she sees two familiar faces walking toward her causing her face to light up. "Finnick? Arya? Are you with us?" She asks in a hopeful tone. Finnick chuckles as he nods his head.

"Looks like it." He answers her as Katniss pulls both of them in for a hug. She frowns though as she looks more toward Arya.

"Are you sure? I mean, you two don't have to--"

"We're sure." Finnick assures her, sharing a look with Arya. "We'll just settle down in the Capitol. You know, after we take it." He says with a wink. Katniss shakes her head but smiles at both of them.

"Gather round." Boggs says as he makes his way over to them. "Squad 451. You're my unit. Leuteniant Jackson is my second in command. Each of you is elite in some sort of combat. But  we are a non-combat unit. So, we'll be following days behind the front line troops." He explains to them. Arya groans a bit as she crosses her arms.

"Not what I signed up for." She says as she looks toward finnick who meets her gaze.

"We have another plan." He tells her and she raises an eyebrow.

"You gonna let me in on it this time?" Arya asks him and she could see the mischievous glint that formed in his eyes. He leans closer to her, lowering his voice.

"I don't know. I think I like getting you hot and bothered." Finnick states as his eyes run over her. Arya bites her bottom lip as she gazes up at the man, unbeknownst that Katniss was right beside them.

"So, you two have fucked obviously." Katniss states and Arya instantly turns bright red. Finnick on the other hand just smirks causing Arya to hit his cheat.

"Finn." She scolds and he looks at her with a chuckle.

"What? I'm just smirking." He points out and Arya tilts her head, raising an eyebrow at him.

"And it gives away everything." Arya points out. Finnick smirks more before just pressing a kiss to the top of her head. Arya sinks back against his touch as she pays attention to the conversation again.

"You're to be the onscreen faces of the invasion. The star squad." Cressida tells them as she looks around. "It's been decided that you're most effective when seen by the masses." She points out.

"So, we're not gonna fight?" Gale asks with a scoff.

"You'll do whatever you are ordered to do, soldier. It's not your job to ask questions." Boggs responds and Gale was silent momentarily.

"Yes, sir."

"I do not agree with him one bit, but I want to fight too." Arya mumbles toward Finnick. He just sighs as he wraps his arms around her waist.

"Mhm." He hums, having heard her but he also saw the look Boggs was giving them so decided not to say anything back.

"Our instructions are to shoot propaganda videos on the battle-scarred streets of the capitol. You were hand picked to intimidate their forces." Boggs tells them and Arya rolls her eyes. Great. So she was just supposed to be camera ready.

"And inspire surrenders." Cressida adds.

"Surrenders?" Arya asks, crossing her arms against her chest. "You honestly think Snow will surrender?" She raises an eyebrow. No one could be that dumb. Snow would rather die than give anyone the satisfaction of a surrender.

"That will be up to him." Boggs tells her and Arya just scoffs.

"Coin seriously has lost her mind." She mumbles with a shake of her head.

"Mind your tone, soldier." Jackson warns her.

"I'm not a soldier." Arya snaps back, taking a step forward. Finnick stops her and Xander gives her a certain look.

"Arya." He says gently and Arya looks at Xander for a moment before stepping back, hitting Finnick in the process.

"Even though we'll be working on abandoned streets miles behind the front lines, I can guarantee you, wherever they put us will not be safe. This is a war zone. It is likely we'll encounter both active pods and peacekeepers." Boggs explains to them and Arya could feel Finnick put his hand on her hip. "You're considered high value targets to the Capitol. In the event o capture, you will be given a nightlock pill, a poison that acts immediately. Leuteniant Jackson, do the honours." He gives the pouch to the woman.

Arya just stares at the pill as she receives it. At least she wouldn't have to rely on finnick, she didn't know if she would've even wanted him to kill her. She didn't want to put that pain on him. "I've already briefed you on the pods. I'll remind you they're on every block. Our unit has been given a holo. A database that contains a detailed map of the capitol and a list of every known pod." Boggs tells them. Arya looks at it curiously.

"These pods can trigger anything from bombs to traps to mutts. We cannot move without this device. I cannot guarantee that our device is complete. There could be new pods that we're not aware of. Because we don't want the gamemakers to know we have this intel, it has a self destruct on it. You flip this switch, say nightlock three times and it blows itself and anything within a ten foot radias"

"Stay with our unit. Even with the holo, it is likely new pods have been set. Whatever they contain, they are meant to kill you." Boggs tells them and Arya fiddles with her fingers. She didn't want to lose anyone else but she also knew that they couldn't plan for everything that would happen. Not when  the Capitol was so unpredictable. Finnick just leans toward Arya and Katniss, a small smirk on his lips.

"Ladies and gentlemen, Welcome to the 76th hunger games."

➳❦

ARYA WANDERED BESIDE XANDER WHO WAS OFF BY HIMSELF. She knew their last conversation was a fight bur honestly she didnt hold it against him. They both said things and now they both could move on. "So, whyd you come?" Arya asks him curiously, wondering if this was part of the plan he was coming up with with the others. Xander meets her gaze, raising his eyebrows.

"Because I knew you would." Xander admits and Arya crosses her arms against her chest.

"Aw, came to protect me?" She teases him and he just smiles as he glanced up at the sky.

"Came to make sure you don't do anything stupid." He corrects her and Arya bites her tongue. Katniss glances over at them.

"I don't think that's possible for Arya." She adds. Arya flips the woman off but she only laughs.

"You both are annoying." Arya grumbles, moving so she didn't have to walk beside them. Matthew followed her, nudging her arm and grabbing her attention.

"Hey, um.." He starts, rubbing his hands on his pants. "Be safe, okay?" Matthew tells her. Arya laughs a bit.

"It's not like we're on the front lines or anything." She points out and he nods his head slowly.

"Yeah, but it can still be dangerous." He responds. Arya stares at him but gives him a small smile.

"I will." She tells him. Matthew looks back in front of him and Arya's gaze softens. "Look, I really wish I could remember you and I promise if I do, I'll tell you." Arya says. She has been trying, she really has but its not easy to remember something that youve forgotten. Especially when it was forced from your brain. "From what people tell me, we really cared for each other and you looked after me." She states and Matthew nods.

"Yeah, i did." Matthew replies. "And I still am." He says with another nudge and Arya just runs a hand through her hair.

"I don't think finnick is gonna let me out of his sight so I'll think I'll be fine." She points out with a laugh.

"You have a lot of people who care about you, Arya." Matthew tells her and she lets out a soft sigh.

"I honestly never thought I'd find that again." She admits. Arya had lost a lot of people and truthfully, she never felt like she would find the group she has. But now she had people who loved her and it felt wrong. "I don't even know if I deserve it." Arya mutters, shuffling her feet on the ground.

"You deserve it." Matthew assures her, squeezing her shoulders. She gently smiles back at him.

"So, what was Arya like when you were training her? Was she like a complete mess?" She hears finnick ask and as she turns her head, she noticed that he was walking beside Xander who was opening his mouth to respond.

"Don't you dare answer that." Arya snaps at him, pointing her finger at him.

"What? He's right here, your mentor, how can I not ask?" Finnick questions with a cheesy smile and she just narrows her eyes.

"Do you want to be dumped by your first girlfriend?" Arya retorts, placing a hand on her hip as he moved over to her.

"Oh, please. You're never leaving this pretty face." Finnick responds, placing his hand underneath his jaw. Arya rolls her eyes at the gesture.

"God, even now your ego is insufferable." She grumbles in a playful tone as she shakes her head. Finnick smiles brightly back at her, pressing a quick kiss to her lips. Katniss makes an obvious groan causing everyone to laugh. Finnick gently glares over at her and she just smirks back to him. He just chuckles as he wraps his arm around Aryas waist as they continue on their way through the Capitol.

➳❦

AS THEY WALK THROUGH THE RUBBLED STREETS, Katniss found herself walking beside Arya who was just focusing her gaze up front. "I heard about Peeta." Katniss admits. She had found out about Peeta screaming at her before she had left thirteen. Katniss honestly wasn't surprised when she learned it was about her. Peeta barely heard her name and it triggered him. But Arya sighs as she shakes her head.

"He just got angry, it's fine." Arya admits as she shrugs her shoulders. She could handle it. Peeta couldn't help it when he got triggered, she just had to keep going back and assuring him that everything was going to be okay.

"It doesn't seem like he's getting better." Katniss denies as she stares at the ground. Arya frowns as she looks toward the woman.

"Are you giving up on him?" Arya asks her. She didn't want katniss to give up because that would just cause Snow to win. Peeta needed her to keep trying if he was ever gonna get better.

"Just being realistic." She admits. "Snow wanted to take him from me and he succeeded." Katniss says and Arya shakes her head.

"I promise he'll come back to you one day, just like Wesley did." Arya says. Sure Wesley wasn't one hundred percent right now but he was getting better every single day.

"Wesley wasn't as messed up though." Katniss hated to say it but it was true. Wesley wasn't as worse off when they had gotten him.

"No. But if he came back, Peeta can too." Arya assures her. She could tell Katniss was still reluctant but she doesn't say anything else.

"We've got a pod." Boggs tells the group as he stops. "Lets take cover." They all run over to be able to be better protected. "Shoot through those two buildings." He says to Katniss who nods her head.

"Pollux, right here. Castor. Here." Cressida says, showing them where they should be pointing the cameras. "When you're ready Katniss." She states. Katniss draws her bow. "Hold it. Pollux tighter."  Katniss rolls her eyes as does Arya. Was any of this really necessary? "Okay." Cressida says with a nod.

Katniss draws her bow again before letting the arrow go. Flames shoot out of the buildings causing everyone to duck. Finnick makes sure Arya was behind him. Suddenly a big clang sound made them all jump as a vehicle flips over between the two buildings. Once they were sure it was done, everyone was able to relax.

But as Finnick turns his head to Arya, he saw he on the ground, her head covered by her arms as she was shaking. "Arya?" He asks, concern laced in his tone as he quickly moved over to her. But as his hand places on her back, she was turning toward him and holding her knife to his throat. Finnick holds his hands out, not making any sudden movements. "Hey, hey. It's okay." His voice was calm as he just stared back at her.

He could see that she wasn't herself. The loud noise must have triggered some bad memories and it forced herself to not see clearly. It was the same as what happened back in thirteen. Finnick knew she just had to be talked back and he knew not to panic even with the knife to his throat. "What's going on?" Gale goes to say but stops himself when he notices the scene in front of him.

Everyone was wary, grabbing a hold of their guns but Xander stops them. It would only make things worse and she wasn't a threat. She just needed to realize that she was safe. Matthew bends down beside them slowly "Arya, you're fine, okay? It was just a loud noise." He assures her. His voice steady as he looks at the woman.

"Look at me." Finnick tells her but Arya's gaze was still frantically moving around. "Baby, look at me." He tries again and this time she does meet his eyes, only it didnt seem like she really recognized him just yet. "You see me, I'm right here." Finnick assures her before carefully moving his hand to rest on top of hers. "You feel me, hm?" Finnick asks and with the way her eyes softened, he could tell that the realization was finally dawning on her and she was coming back to reality.

The knife clangs onto the pavement as the girl starts shaking. Finnick could finally breathe again but all he does is wrap his arms around her and bring her close to his body. Arya was hyperventilating, her eyes squeezing shut as her fingers gripped onto his jacket. Matthew let's out a relieved sigh as he stands back up, noticing the others, the ones who didn't know Arya, were looking at her very warily.

"You're okay." Finnick whispers into her ear as he presses a small kiss to the side of her head. They rock back and forth together as she tries to calm her breathing down. "I promise you, you're okay." He assures her, his eyes lifting momentarily to look at the others. Katniss had a saddened expression on her face and so did Xander. Matthew just looked relieved if anything.

"We're all okay."

➳❦

ARYA SAT NEXT TO FINNICK, her eyes on the ground. He was drawing small circles on her back but hadnt said anything. Arya knew he didnt blame her for what happened but she still felt guilty. She hated how the smallest sound triggered her after she had made so much progress. And she hated how she attacked him. She couldve hurt him and he was acting like it was no big deal. "I regret coming now." She admits to him making his eyes move to her.

"Why?"

"Well, we're not doing anything and everyone's now looking at me like I'm a ticking time bomb." Arya mumbles, crossing her arms. Finnick sighs as he places his hand on her knee.

"That's not true." Finnick denies as he shakes his head. Arya scoffs as she tilts her head.

"Oh, really?" She responds before her eyes go to the group, a majority of them looking away once she met their gazes. Finnick clenches his jaw a bit but just squeezes her knee.

"Just ignore them, okay?" He tells her. Finnick wouldn't allow anything to happen to her, he didn't care what the others thought.

"God, they already thought of me as the psycho and now I just added the fuel." Arya states as she covers her face. Finnick shakes his head.

"You're not a psycho. You went through a trauma." Finnick corrects her. She was a person who had gone through a lot. He was surprised he himself was still standing.

"A truck flipped over and I panicked. I held a knife to your throat, Finnick." Arya says, she didn't want to hurt him and she almost did.

"Wasn't the first time." Finnick teases but she just shakes her head. He sighs as he lifts her hand to his cheek. "Look, I'm okay." He points out. "And you calmed down and came back to us." He tells her.

"What if I hadn't?"

"You did."

"But what if next time I don't?"

"Then we'll deal with it if that happens." Finnick assures her. He would be there for her no matter what. She could point a gun at him and he wouldn't flinch. He would just coax her back from it. A sound of an engine catches their attention.

"Is that peacekeepers?" 

Arya moves her head toward the window. Finnick and her move with the others to see what was going on. "451 to base we have a truck coming in from the south, over." Jackson radios. Arya furrows her eyebrows as she stands outside, Finnick close to her. "Stand down everyone. It's friendly." She tells them.

Watching closely, Arya wondered who it was as the doors opened and the guards stepped out. Moving to the back, she hears a creak and some footsteps before Peeta was walking toward them. She smiles but it drops the moment Katniss draws an arrow. Arya looks toward the woman but, she really couldn't blame Katniss for being wary, he hated her.

As peeta walks closer, katniss places the arrow in her bow and points it toward Peeta. "Okay, stop." Gale demands as he holds his hand out. Arya glares toward him. He wasn't a dog, and he was just as scared as everyone else.

"Hold up, everyone relax." finnick says as he gets in between them, not wanting anything to happen to Peeta. With this, Arya makes her way toward him without a second thought.

"Peeta, hey." She says, a soft smile on her face as she tried to meet his eyes but they were glued to the ground, his fists clenched together.

"You always sleep with the windows open." Peeta mutters under his breath. Arya rests her hands on his cheeks as she brings his gaze to hers.

"You see me?" She asks him curiously. Peeta instantly grabs a hold of her, hugging her tightly. He was still muttering to himself but she held him close. "I'm sorry." Arya tells him as she rubs his back. Finnick was lingering around them, glancing back at the others, just making sure no one else drew their weapons.

"What are we doing?" Gale asks curiously.

"Jackson, cuff him." Boggs tells her. Arya pulls back from Peeta, shaking her head.

"Hey, we don't need to do that." She denies. Peeta already felt trapped, cuffing him again wouldn't do him any good.

"Arya." Xander says softly. Arya frowns, glancing back at peeta but she steps back toward Finnick.

"Soldier this is just a precaution until we get everything figured out, yeah?" Jackson tells him and he nods his head as she places the cuffs around his wrists.

"We'll take them off soon." Arya assures him. Peeta glances toward her, his eyes moving to finnick slightly. The man offers a smile toward Peeta who gave him the smallest one back.

A few minutes later, Arya had her head rested on Peeta's shoulder as they all sat in the building. It was pretty quiet but thats because everyone was really cautious of the new arrival. "I'm not okay either." She says softly, gaining Peeta's attention. "But we'll get through this." Arya assures him. Peeta turns his head to her, causing her to lift hers up to meet his gaze.

"Did something happen?" Peeta asks concerned, glancing at the others for an answer he knew Arya wouldn't provide. Finnick sighs as he leans forward, resting his arms on his knees.

"She held a knife to my throat, it was a bit kinky." Finnick tells him, none of them expecting that second part. Peeta looked surprised but he couldn't help but smile as he raises his eyebrows. Arya on the other hand was glaring at Finnick.

"Finnick." She scolds and he only smirks as he shrugs his shoulders.

"What?" He asks and she just tilts her head. "Look at that smile though." Finnick says, pointing to Peeta. Arya looks at the man who was indeed smiling.

"Right, laugh at his annoying charm." She mumbles, crossing her arms against her chest. Peeta rubs his face as he laughs a bit.

"No I just.." He trails off, scrunching his nose up. "I can definitely see you using... props in the bedroom." Peeta teases her causing her eyes to widen. Finnick laughs loudly while as Arya slaps her hand across Peeta's mouth.

"Shut up right now." She says, feeling a blush form on her cheeks. Finnick was pretty much dying in his seat, clutching his stomach while as she was internally wishing she was anywhere else right now.

"They want us to add him to the propo, show everyone that he's on our side now." Boggs says to the small group he was with. But since it was so quiet, other than finnicks laughter, it wasn't hard for Arya to overhear their conversation. "We move forward a few blocks tomorrow, shoot the new footage." He explains to them. Gale shakes his head.

"He's not in control of himself." Gale points out. Arya rolls her eyes as she fiddles with her fingers.

"I say we schedule an around the clock watch on him." Jackson tells them as she crosses her arms against her chest. "The leegs at 1700, Holmes and Mitchell till  1900." She states. Katniss was just staring up at her.

"Give me a watch." Katniss tells her. Jackson shared a glance with Boggs before meeting her gaze.

"And if it really came down to it, you think you could shoot him?" She asks curiously, raising an eyebrow. Katniss allows her eyes to move over to Peeta.

"I wouldn't be shooting Peeta. I'd be killing a capitol mutt." Katniss mutters. Arya frowns at this comment. Although Peeta acted out, he was still himself. He just had to break through the shell that Snow had put him in. They shouldn't just give up and kill him.

"I'm not sure that kind of comment commends you for the job either, soldier."  Jackson points out with a scoff.

"Put her in the rotation." Boggs tells them before walking off. Katniss glances to the side, meeting Arya's gaze. She could tell the woman wasn't happy by what she said but it was the truth. If Peeta attacked her again, it wouldn't be him that she'd be killing. Not that she wanted to kill Peeta in the slightest, she wanted him to get better.

But right now, that seemed so out of reach and it didn't seem like that had a whole lot of time before he snapped again.

➳❦

Authors note

I honestly don't know whether to bring Wesley in as well but I feel like I may just leave him in thirteen with Johanna.... thoughts ?