Still reeling from Finnick's passionate words, Dahlia struggles to find her own voice. The idea that all these Victors are choosing to risk their lives for a girl they've come to loathe just because she inspired them to is something she just can't fathom. She's not worth their sacrifice, is all she can think. She doesn't deserve to survive these Games. As if he can hear the cogs whirring in her head, Finnick's fingers brush soothingly along the skin of Dahlia's cheeks, releasing the muscles from their tensed confusion.

"If you think, for even one second, that I'm leaving that arena without you, you're insane." He mumbles lowly, voice barely louder than the hum of a mockingjay's song. "You deserve to live, Lia. You deserve to be happy. And I will fight to my dying breath to ensure you have that happiness."

"You are my happiness, Finn." Dahlia finds herself confessing, her voice hoarse with emotions. "You calm the madness in my soul and fuel the fire in my heart. I will never be happy if you are not with me."

"So we're in agreement then." Finnick whispers then, a faint smile decorating his lips as his eyes stare into Dahlia's. "Either we both get out of that arena, or neither of us do." Dahlia nods reluctantly, not wanting to argue in what could be their final days together. They stand in silence for a while, revelling in the comfort of being in each other's arms. The freedom they are granted when they don't have dozens of eyes watching their every move is blissful and they will savour every moment they have together. Until Finnick, drinking in every tiny detail of the woman he loves, cannot contain his thoughts any longer. "God, Dahlia. How did I ever survive without you?" He mutters in disbelief, swimming in the endless storm of her black eyes and willing himself to drown in her darkness. "I can't imagine my life without you in it anymore. Can't remember what life was like before you. And I'm not willing to find out what life is like after you."

Dahlia's body floods with surprise at Finnick's heartfelt words. "Finn, I--"

"I can't do it anymore." He blurts out, eyes brimming with unshed tears as he pours out his feelings. "I can't pretend that I don't feel things for you, Lia. It's destroying me. I can't keep hiding it." Dahlia's eyebrows furrow in confusion at Finnick's rambling, searching his features desperately to try and decipher the meaning behind it. "I can't not love you. It's impossible because you've had my heart from the moment we met."

She is suddenly rendered speechless. All these years of relentless teasing, lingering touches, longing glances... They meant more to him than just friendship. "You-- You love me?"

"How could I not?" Finnick retorts softly, still sniffling to hold back the tears threatening to fall. "I don't know how or when it happened. All I know is I have loved you for a long time and I will never stop loving you." A weight is lifted from Finnick's shoulders as he finally confesses how he feels. And once he starts, he can't stop. "I wanted to tell you... but I was a coward. Too scared to put you at risk, so I just kept lying to myself." A weak, halfhearted laugh escapes his lips as he remembers his repeated denial of the love he clearly felt for her. "But I don't want you going into those Games without knowing how loved you are. I don't want to regret not spending my last few days with you." Finally, the tears slip down his cheeks and Finnick lets them. "I couldn't leave this earth without telling you that I'm in love with you, little flower. So, just tell me you don't feel the same and we'll go on as we were. I'll--"

"Finn, you idiot." Dahlia cuts the man's rambling with a joyous laugh, pressing her finger to his lip to shut him up. "Are you really so oblivious?" She giggles at his adorably confused expression while gently wiping the tears from his cheeks. "I've been trying to say that I love you for years." Dahlia's hand slides down Finnick's arm to intertwine their fingers. Then she squeezes once, "I..." Twice, "Love..." Three times, "You."

Finnick's breath catches in his throat at the realisation that she has loved him just as long as he has loved her. "How did I never notice?" He mutters in a shocked daze.

"I was never very good with words." Dahlia whispers before closing the agonising gap between them, connecting their lips instantly and wrapping her arms around his neck. Finnick only takes a moment to steady himself from the sudden attack before he's kissing back, a radiant grin spreading across his lips instinctively. His hands manoeuvre from cradling her cheeks to tangling themselves in her hair. After a lifetime of hell, finally the pair have had a taste of heaven.

They barely separate far enough for Finnick to mumble out a few words, their lips brushing with every movement, "I don't think I'll be able to stop myself anymore."

"Who told you to stop?" Dahlia whispers in reply, her eyes hooded and clouded with love. Finnick immediately dives back in to devour her lips, snaking his arms around her waist to lift her up. Getting the hint, Dahlia's legs encircle his body and Finnick's hands grip her thighs to support her. "I'm sleeping in your room tonight."

Finnick's swollen lips part in a lazy, lovestruck smile as he huskily responds, "That's fine by me." Now that they had each other, they didn't want to spend a moment apart. In the middle of revolution and war, a beautiful connection was formed in the hearts of two broken Victors who never thought they deserved such happiness. In the skies of the Capitol, the purest form of love was found; Unconditional devotion and the willingness to risk everything for the light of their life.

•——————•°•✿•°•——————•

After a peaceful night spent in each other's arms, neither Finnick nor Dahlia wanted to remove themselves from their euphoric bubble. Today was a time for training and assessing who you want as allies. Though for most of the Tributes, allies had already been chosen. They'd known each other for years and, with that, came natural friendships. Old habits die hard, so everyone knew the Careers would team up again. Many of the others would stick with their District partners. Finnick, Johanna and Dahlia were a rare trio of friends belonging to different districts, but each also had loyalties to their fellow partners. So really, today was a day for the Victors to show off their skills and intimidate their competitors. Some Tributes may not even bother to show up.

Finnick, in particular, was showing a great deal of reluctance to remove himself from the bed, repeatedly tightening his grip on Dahlia despite her berating. "Come on, Finnick." She hassled, squirming in his arms as she tried to get up. "We need to go."

"Go where?" He questions huskily, nustling his nose against her shoulder. "Go here?" His mouth brushes against her neck causing her breathing to hitch as he places a feathery kiss on the skin. "Or here?" His lips trail up to her jaw, stretching into a smirk as he feels her body tense in his arms.

"Finn." She breathes out in a warning tone, struggling to remember what exactly she was trying to achieve. Finnick made a very convincing argument for staying in bed.

"Yes, my love." He murmurs while feigning an expression of innocence. Dahlia just sends him a pointed look before taking his moment of distraction to slip from his arms. "No!" He whines childishly, hands grasping pathetically at the air in an attempt to drag her back down. He gives in when he notices her determined face as she hurries around the room to gather the training outfits they were assigned from the Capitol. His arms flop back down on the bed in disappointment. "Do we have to go?"

With a playful roll of her eyes, Dahlia leans down to Finnick's height and mumbles, "Yes, we do. We have a mission to fulfill." She quickly pecks him on the lips before straightening up and continuing to ready herself. Finnick lets out a loud groan but gets up nonetheless.

Alaric had tasked the pair to try and get Katniss to be their ally. They were the youngest Tributes in the Alliance, which meant they had the best chance of protecting Katniss against the force of the Careers. Haymitch had pleaded with them to get her on their side, a feat that is easier said than done. The District Twelve girl was not known for being a trusting person and Dahlia was not known to be a likeable Victor. They had a difficult time ahead of them.

As usual, the Careers were demonstrating their dominance in the combat stations when Dahlia and Finnick arrived in the training room. There was no sign of Katniss and Peeta yet, so the two parted ways to focus on their own skills. The tension in the room was stifling. Wary glances and calculating eyes followed the Victors-turned-Tributes wherever they went. Dahlia in particular felt the stares burning into her back, but she ignored them in favour of reuniting with her old companion. Her blades.

It was oddly comforting to feel the weight of a sword in her hand again. The sleek metal gleamed up at her as if it was welcoming her home. She was never meant for life as a Victor when she thrived so much in the chaos of the game.

By the time Katniss and Peeta graced the room with their presence, Dahlia had found herself re-acquainted with the skills she hadn't utilised since her own Games. As the Girl on Fire strolls among the Tributes with a judging expression, she finds herself flinching under the sharp eyes of the Black Dahlia. Of all the tributes she had come across, Dahlia was the one who scared Katniss the most. Simply because no one knew how far she would go. She was an uncontrollable wildfire with a hunger for destruction. And that was dangerous.

Katniss eventually manages to move from the spot she'd become rooted to and avert her eyes from the intimidating girl. Instead she approaches Wiress and Beetee at the fire station, who subtly exchange weary glances at the girl's appearance. They knew they weren't the ones she was supposed to ally with, but they couldn't turn her away without rousing suspicion. Dahlia and Finnick lock eyes across the room, discreetly agreeing that they need to step up their tactics.

Their chance finally arrives when Katniss ventures over to the knot-tying station. Finnick sends a quick wink in Dahlia's direction before striding after the District Twelve tribute. Turning on the charm he's famed for in the Capitol, Dahlia watches him demonstrate the same knot that Cove had taught her. Unlike Cove's offering of friendship, Finnick's teachings have the opposite effect. With a roll of her eyes, the teenage Victor walks away from the station, leaving Dahlia and Finnick in the same place they started. This task would be even more difficult than they'd anticipated.