#mags proves that

[helpmeimblorboing]

Hey how do you think Snow would have reacted if, in Catching Fire, when Katniss was reaped, this like 80-year old woman just hobbles her way out of the crowd, shouting about how she would volunteer in her place

And when they ask her which iteration of the Games she won ? Why, tenth, of course

[witchinatree]

the repeated "no one's making you work here" is insane knowing that there is, probably, something making them work there.

[opal-owl-flight]

More late Kirbtober! Skipped a couple of prompts bc I cant find a way to make them fit within the early Allyship/post rtdl narrative Im going for with these...

[transingthoseformers]

I have reason from the dead (sleep) to drop more lore.

The start of MiniMegs, which has been building in the background.

Rodimus's six months depressive isolation moment that no one talked about in which he worked solely from his bedroom is interupted not by his corpse but within a month of departing Cybertron they get hailed by the Peaceful Tyranny and he, Megatron, and Ultra Magnus are freaking out preparing for a fight staging the landing platform like a fre for all battle like they did with Overlord.

Only instead of fighting, Tarn and the DJD in a synchronized and definitely practiced movement (except the small blue Minibot, that's new who is slightly slower) drop to one knee in front of him, declaring they are here to follow their Lords example and wise words and as he has seen fit to seek out the Knights of Cybertron to seek their Wisdom in judging him and that these mechanisms are apparently worthy of sharing in his journey they will of course escort him and the Lost Light while learning from his and the Autobots assembled here, clearly the best of the best of they are escorting their Lord, how to move on and make Peace not War.

It is clearly very rehearsed, incredibly theatrical like something from a period drama and both not at all what anyone was expecting and very damning for Megatron who is supposed to be person non grata to Decepticons now. So he doing some quick mental gymnastics on how to handle this and reject them without setting anyone off when Rodimus comes barrelling forward having smelled weakness, missing his own former Decepticon, senses they are sincere if definitely shady (his exact type), and having not slept since Cybertron.

He graciously excepts citing that they aren't the first former Decepticons or neutral agents on the ship, but, of course, the ship is under Autobot Law and they would need to pass the same test any defector passes to prove they can do it and then looks at Ultra Magnus, who is horrified but automatically starts citing requirements to qualify.

Which Tarn counters quickly, offering up datapads and citing lines within the Tyrest Accord that legalize his Squad under Decepticon Law, offer some intel, and is confident they can pass the test which UM is familiar with given he'd worked within it before as both sides were under the TA.

What follows is a very tense hour of the DJD sitting taking the Autobot SATs while everyone stands their tense. Every comment, including Helex singing a stufy song under his breath and Vos muttering to himself, or movement, Teserus counting with his fingers as he figure out and answer and Tarn tapping to the rhythm of their theme song, makes everyone flinch.

(This is of course after Whirl mutters, "You're fucking joking." When Magnus brought out the test papers.

Tailgate meanwhile is sympathizing with Helex's struggle on Question 17 with Cyclonus noting the song would have been useful to learn.)

Finally they pass and are tenporarily shown to their ship to wait while its graded and a surprise Command Meeting ensues.

MiniMegs are actually yelling and arguing because Ultra Magnus is utterly convinced this is a plot against them as he doesn't trust Megatron yet and Megatron is defending himself trying to explain the DJD are genuinely just like that and overzealous while Rodimus watches the ping pong conversation with relish and then grinning asks if they passed.

Ultra Magnus, through clenched teeth admits, "Yes. And Tarn's essay on certain elements was particularly inspired, especially the portion on self-identification and removal of leftover protofunctionalist language I will be quoting to the board as he has eloquently risen concerns I have attempted to cite before. Nickel, the Minibot, has also supplied a scathing essay on bodily autonomy not being accurately covered that I will be asking be submitted to the Medical Board."

Megatron doesn't quite understand UM ironclad rules are rules and attempts to convince, all silver words and charm, them to allow him a moment to persuade the DJD to leave but then UM locks down that they are required to accept anyone requesting asylum and as they have passed they are considered proto-Autobots and will need to be assessed by Rung and mentored.

They follow procedure unlike some.

(Ultra Magnus's bitterness over Drift and Megatron's inclusion in their ranks does in fact come from a place of them not having gone through proper onboarding.)

Thus they start at each other's throats.

And then Nickel mentions the Autobot they "found" and everything goes even more tits up because that's Minimus's perfect big brother.

Cur bluescreen.

(MiniMegs Part 1)

So

Wait yes this so yesssssss

"(MiniMegs Part 1)"

This is a wild ride and I feel like it's gonna continue to be because holy shit yes

Poor Megatron is wondering how he'll explain so hard that this isn't some plot of his to start the war again when Roddie just damn swoops in like a Lightning McQueen flavored phoenix.

Tarn held so many study sessions to prepare for the autobot test, damn I'm actually wondering how good of a study buddy he would be because you're certainly gonna learn the topic.

Ohhh Mags, Megs... You two are gonna be dragged under just like the rest of us— no mech will be unaffected by the end of this lmao.

Everyone is bluescreening and Tarn and Roddie are sitting in in the corner making goo goo optics at each other

[courtjester69420]

Curse my contrarian nature

[magnifiquemagazine]

BOB PROCTOR - STEP 2

BOB PROCTOR – STEP 2

AVAILABLE ON SUBSCRIPTION ONLYSTEP TWO of Magnifique Magazine’s 12 Private Steps is about the Law of Vibration, also known as the Law of Resonance. This is the “primary” law that underpins the “secondary” law (Law of Attraction). Bob Proctor stresses the importance of understanding how the primary law, Law of Vibration influences the effectiveness of the Law of Attraction, because it will help…

Download Here

[aquietweirdo]

First listen to: MAG 135 - Dark Matter

What’s up with Maxwell Rayner and Elias? I don’t expect the avatars of the entities to get along, especially not with Elias. But the fact that this statement mentioned a past friendship between the two is very interesting. What happened for that friendship to end? Was it before or after Elias changed?

We’re finally starting to see this all weigh on Jon. In the beginning he sounded so resigned. Part of me wonders how Gertrude would handle all this. She was the archivist for years and stopped many rituals. I’d like to think that if she were still here then she could give Jon some advice. But we all know that she’d either kill him or give him a hard time.

This statement was fun though. The previous statements about the Daedalus project were some of my favorites. The idea of this lady doing her research while the other guys lose their minds is hilarious.

[cameleonvermillon]

Its insane to me how incapable Light is at Acting Normal. Like we all clown on him for not jerking off to porn mags but like. The way L will get inches away from his face and he DOESNT REACT. You're sitting ramrod stright next to some dude in your space PUNCH HIM BACK UP ANY NORMAL HUMAN INSTINCT. He's SO obsessed with not appearing suspicious that he digs himself a deeper fucking hole by being a FREAK. Any NORMAL person would have gotten tired of Ls shit and had a breakdown. They would have left LONG before the Yotsuba arc it does not matter if you're actually innocent or not. The closest he ever gets to being Normal is when he has amnesia and refuses to manipulate Misa. Outside of that he's still so stupidly insistent on proving his innocence to his detriment that I'm convinced he was always just Like That

[yuuminni]

pat pat citrinne on the head... my dire thunder queen......

[ketchuppee]

Something I keep thinking about from TBOSBAS is just how consistently Dr. Gual’s worldview is proven to be wrong. For all her and Snow’s talk of “this is who people are when released from control,” all three of the games we see in the series prove that wrong time and time again.

Lamina mercy kills Marcus to save him from further pain and suffering. Reaper spends his whole time in the arena — to his dying breaths — honoring the dead around him. Katniss sings to Rue as she dies and openly, publicly mourns her death. Thresh saves Katniss’s life, not for his own benefit, because arguably she is one of his biggest threats still in the arena at that point, but out of love for Rue. Mags volunteers for Annie. The Morphlings sacrifice themselves for Peeta and Katniss.

That is Gual’s “humanity unmasked.” Even when their own lives are at stake, even when they are pitted against each other in a literal fight to the death, these children’s love and compassion and humanity still finds ways to come through. Because Lucy Gray is right, there is an inherent goodness in us all.

[howthesleeplesswander]

Before, she had never needed to feign steadiness in front of him. Magnifico was her strength, her safe haven from any storm.

Now he was the storm. Amaya didn't know what to think, what to believe; but she did know what was right. She clung to that lifeline like a frightened child clutched their guardian's hand. The only thing keeping her tethered amid the maelstrom.

"We agreed to keep the book so that it wouldn't fall into the wrong hands. We agreed that forbidden magic was never the answer." But her voice shriveled the instant he attempted to justify his horrible deeds. She stumbled a step back as if she'd been struck.

"'What needed to be done'?" she repeated, the words acidic on her tongue. Her heart revolted so violently that her rib cage felt battered black-and-blue. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Once stoic features cracked open, bearing glimpses of the raw horror underneath.

"You were the only threat to our kingdom!" That rift ruptured deeper: fracturing Amaya's voice along with her composure. Aftershocks echoed through her frame, and she fisted her hands at her sides to keep from shaking apart. "Y-you—you turned your magic against your own people. You shattered their wishes, harmed innocents—you would have enslaved us all if Asha hadn't rallied the citizens against you!"

The memories of that day had joined the others that would not fade. Before, when such visions stole her smile and sleep alike, Amaya could turn her thoughts to her beloved. But now, even memories of love and comfort were as corrupt as the cursed book itself. The contempt in Magnifico's eyes as he'd accused her of being a traitor still felt like a knife in her chest. His manic laughter as he'd brought Rosas to its knees still echoed in the deepest parts of her.

In perhaps the cruelest irony of all, as she looked at him now, Amaya found herself desperately wishing. Every beat of her trembling, terrified heart begged that he would grant her wish as he always had, day after day, for all these years. He'd never needed magic. No fanfare or grandiose displays.

All she wanted was him.

A man who fulfilled her heart's every desire with his kindness, his brilliance, his generosity and love. A man who would never do anything to hurt his kingdom or his people. A man who she still loved with every ounce of herself.

Don't let him be gone. The corrupted reflection couldn't be all that was left. She would do anything. Anything, just—

Please...give him back.

It was a visible struggle to find her voice again, to force it out on an unsteady tremor. "You nearly brought Rosas to ruin. How can you possibly say that any of that was justified?"

Most days, most circumstances—most of the time, when the world was upright and everything lined up neat and perfect—his queen’s laugh was a melody of which he never grew tired. Her smile was his reason. Her voice was his just cause. Her warm and steady gaze was his strength. Magnifico would sooner find a way to bring a halt to time itself—tear the entire universe to pieces, one star at a time—than he would exist in a place absent of any of that. Absent of her.

But this time, the warbly sound leaking out through trembling lips—echoing pathetically and as hollow as the chest once containing it—only established itself as a red hot knife plunging into his sternum, through flesh and bone, twisting, biting— He’d do anything. He’d do anything. He had done anything and everything to try to protect… 

Her. She came closer to him, now. The distinct rattle of keys coaxed a sidelong glance, an instinctive, yearning look as that face drew near. And yet, by the time Amaya was right in front of him, holding herself in that elegance Magnifico knew contained entire storms of anguish, he’d averted his gaze again—feeble (feeble!) efforts to gather his own composure to a shred of hers before meeting her eye.

She spoke. Something in him bent again, farther, tighter, quaking in all endeavors to not break—

Her words were a pick against thin ice.

“Faith?” Magnifico barked, a sudden thunder that reverberated through his every limb. Finally, he spun to look at her detached, piercing stare. That something in him cracked. “Y-you…” He emitted an agitated growl in place of any words, and the shake of his head ended with another surrendering of that eye contact. (She was stronger than him. She always had been.)

Silently, he quelled the fires that had begun to lick and feed at his temper; he exhaled loudly, slowly—like she had always told him to do. “Surely you understand why I did what I did,” he countered on a forcibly level tone, teetering so dangerously on that edge of self-control. “We agreed to keep that book for emergencies, Amaya. Against threats, against… anything that would so much as try to ruin what we had built— As King, I did what needed to be done.”

[ratridingaskateboard]

Always See Your Face

New girl! Reader x Eddie

Summary: There is a new girl at Hawkins and Dustin will do anything to make sure Eddie doesn't find out.

Warnings: slight sexual innuendos, cursing, mentions of drugs. Y/N is described!

A/N: Hi! This is the first time I have written a fic in a while but I hope you enjoy it! Depending on the feedback I get from this I might write more :) FYI perspectives in this story will change and will be indicated by: --

--

Dustin had always been one to have his friends' best interests in mind. He might have overstepped boundaries at times but he knew what was best for him and his friends. Even though Eddie was several years older than him, he still knew that the last thing Eddie needed in his life was a girlfriend. What if he started hanging out with her and Hellfire stopped existing? What would happen with his band? Everything would go to shit because some girl would grab his attention for 2 seconds.

Dustin found himself every morning before school sitting in the back of Eddie's van with the back doors open. Eddie let them sit in the back and read comics while he would perform his drug deals for the kids who had extracurricular activities after school. Dustin looked up from his X-Men to observe a car he had never seen before. Strange, but not uncommon to see until he saw a figure he had never seen before.

She dawned a black denim jacket adorned with several Metal and Punk bands that Dustin would not be able to recognize but had seen in Eddie's vast cassette collection. Her legs were barely covered by a short red plaid schoolgirl skirt and her chest was wrapped in a Sex Pistols T-shirt. She was bending down to seemingly grab her backpack from her backseat and several football douchebags whistled at the response of seeing her backside. This did not catch her attention though as she quickly grabbed her backpack and placed it on the roof of her car. She glanced at Dustin and he felt himself gulp. Fuck- He was staring at Eddie's dream girl. He frequently heard Eddie go on tangents that no girl in Hawkins had the same interests as him. Now he proved himself wrong- Dustin could prove it with his own eyes. Not only did she have his style but she had a pretty face similar to that of one of the girls from one of Eddie's porn mags that Dustin had unfortunately found in his van. They both shared the same long brown hair and doe-shaped eyes.

What was Dustin going to do? Not only was this girl weirded out by the amount of time Dustin had been ogling her but she could ruin everything. She did not even understand the power she possessed by simply existing in the wrong place and at the wrong time. He had to do everything in his power to make sure neither of them saw each other.

Dustin's feet started to jog in her direction as she had already begun her strut to the front entrance of the school. Before Dustin could get the chance to tap her shoulder, she swiftly turned to face him, discomfort shown in her face.

"Hey man, I would really enjoy it if you could leave me alone." She barked.

"No no no! I don't mean anything bad by following you. I'm sorry for staring at you earlier but um... Oh! The principal had actually sent me to give you a tour of the school and to show you where your classes are!" Dustin had secured a good enough lie to not seem like the creep he was presenting himself to be.

Her eyes widened and her gaze softened.

"Oh, okay." She smiled and Dustin could feel himself getting more anxious knowing that she was that pretty when she smiled.

The bell began to rang, signaling to every student that it was time for Hell to begin. Dustin heard a familiar voice call out to Mike and he swiftly grabbed her hand and pulled her into the school, making sure to avoid any possibly common route Eddie normally took.

"Can I see your schedule?" Dustin asked, giving out his hand eagerly.

It seemed like she could hear the annoyance in Dustin's words and swiftly pulled out the crumpled sheet of paper from her pocket and handed it to him. Dustin quickly looked over the paper and let out a sigh of relief. Even though she was a senior, she did not seem to have a single class with Eddie most likely because her classes were for the more advanced students.

"Okay, Y/N. This way!"

Dustin guided her to her first classroom, Mr. Stadford's Physics class, and said that he would meet up with her after her second. After the first period was over, Dustin ran to meet up with Y/N and to make sure he was able to beat her before she left the classroom. Yes, Eddie and her shared similar hallways for classes but Eddie had a tendency to be late to each and every class he went to. Alongside this, Dustin made sure that she was always early to her classes. This cycle repeated until lunch.

--

Y/N had found herself bound to the little curly-headed boy. She shouldn't say boy he was only a couple years younger than her. Moving was hard but going to a new school was even harder. Her parents' divorce could not have been more sudden and even though he had been a tad bit too eager, she really appreciated Dustin's kindness.

She frowned after exiting her third-period class to find no Dustin. Guess she would have to find the cafeteria by herself or simply follow the crowd that had corralled its way down the hall.

Once she entered the cafeteria, she felt the eyes on her, all over her. Thankfully, there were plenty of tables that had not recognized that fresh blood had entered their school. She saw a familiar head of curls bobble in laughter and she started her stride in his direction.

Once she had gotten to the table, it seemed to be filled with only boys all wearing the same T-shirt Dustin was wearing. She assumed it must be some sort of club he had not introduced her to yet. The majority of the boys had noticed her walk up to the table and she could tell they were not often approached by women. The only ones who hadn't noticed were Dustin and an older boy with long shaggy brown hair.

"Hey," She put her hand on Dustin's shoulder and her moved her head down to his level. "I know you showed me around and I might be asking for too much but is it alright if I sit with you?"

A look of dread filled Dustin's face as he looked up at her from his lunch. She had automatically assumed that he had felt bad for not escorting her to the lunch room.

"It's okay! I found the lunch room just fine." She rubbed his shoulder to put him at ease and sat down next to him.

There was nothing but silence.

She had felt as if she had sat at the wrong table and shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Dustin was still agape and didn't seem to have changed his expression even after her reassurance. She turned to view the other boys at the table. They stared at her with a sense of confusion and wonder but all too awkward to speak first.

Finally, she turned to the boy sitting at the end of the table. His gaze softened when she gazed at him. His eyes were wide also in shock from a stranger sitting at their table but there was something different in his expression that she couldn't quiet read. Embarrassment? No. Confusion? No. Longing? Maybe but not quite.

This silence was cut short by a food tray plopping on the other side of Dustin.

"Jesus, that line was long!" A boy with a bowl cut sighed.

"Where are you guys so quiet?" He looked around in disbelief but immediately found the source when he spotted the brunette sitting on the other side of Dustin.

"Hey." She waved.

--

A/N: Depending on how things go with this I will definitely continue this as a series. Lemme know your thoughts!

[mrs-kmikaelson]

Our Song and Dance³

Pairing: Finnick Odair x reader Summary: You'd grown used to dancing the same dance over and over again, the victor's dance, but then you start dancing with Finnick Odair and you feel things you never thought you'd feel. So you let yourself enjoy the dance, even though you knew that every song inevitably came to an end. Warnings: long, exploitation of minors, mentions of forced prostitution, suicidal thoughts, implied torture, violence, complicated relationships, complex mental health issues, and i involve finnick more in everything Words: 8.1K

Masterlist | Part 4

a/n: switching it up, so this part is from finnick's pov. it's basically mockingjay one, then i'll do one more part for mockingjay 2. ly guys!

Finnick Odair was not sure that love existed. Or, at least he wasn’t. He could barely remember what his parents looked like, let alone if they loved each other. But he had Mags; she proved to him that love existed because he loved her. It was the falling in love that he was unsure about.

And then he met Annie Cresta and it was like he suddenly understood. Yes, this was what the poets were talking about. This was love. 

But they couldn’t be together.

He was being sold off all the time, taking countless visits to the Capitol. He couldn’t endanger her like that, let her get involved in the fucked up world he lived in. So he didn’t. He loved her from afar, knowing they’d never really be together.

He thought it’d end there, but then one night, he saw you. Maybe it was the alcohol or maybe it was all his own will, but he walked up to you. He’d seen you at these events before, back home, and on TV, but standing there so close to you, it was like it was just hitting him how beautiful you were.

You were a victor, too. But he realized just how alike you were when he watched as you left a hotel room, in the same state as him. After that, it was you who took a chance on him until he almost looked forward to coming to the Capitol, just to see you.

You weren’t Annie. You didn’t remind him of what poets had written. No, he couldn’t describe you or what you meant to him in just words. What he grew to feel for you over time wasn’t akin to anything he’d ever read. This was so much more than that.

He loved Annie, he always would, but being with you made him realize what it was like to be in love.

But he never told you this, never said any of it out loud out of fear that he’d lose you.

Now he lost you, anyway.

The doors to his hospital room opened. He knew it was Katniss, but he didn’t say anything, staring right at the ground in front of him.

If he looked hard enough, he could see your face.

“Finnick.”

He looked up from his feet, but still didn’t look at her. He already knew what she looked like, and it wasn’t much better than him.

She was mad at him. She’d barely spoken to him since they got to 13, but he knew that she couldn’t have been much more mad at him than he already was at himself.

His voice was quiet when he spoke. “I wanted to go back for them—for Peeta, and Johanna, and Y/N… but I- I couldn’t move.” He twiddled his fingers with the rope in his hands, wishing it was your hand he was holding, but he wasn’t. You weren’t there. He left you.

He finally looked up at Katniss. She looked both emotionless and so emotional at the same time, lifeless but alive. “I- I love her, y’know?” He looked back down at the knot he was tying, sniffling involuntarily.

He was trying to keep it together, but without you, that was like trying to fix a broken glass without any glue. 

You were the glue that held him together.

And now the Capitol had you.

The words left his lips without much thought. “I wish she was dead.” He chose to stare at a spot on the ground instead of looking at Katniss’ reaction. His chest tightened. “I wish they were all dead and we were, too.”

If they had died, then at least they wouldn’t have been going through this, having to live but feeling so dead, anyway.

Katniss was silent until he eventually heard her leave the room.

There were words she didn’t say that still floated around the room, agreement that she didn’t voice. She was just as broken as him, holding on for dear life. He hoped that she’d keep holding on.

He had to have hope. He had to have hope that he’d see you again, that this wasn’t all for nothing, that they could build a better world that you could both live in. He needed to hope.

That hope was the only thing that kept him holding on, too.

He was in the cafeteria, sitting next to Katniss and Annie when it happened. The fanfare started playing, Caesar Flickerman’s face coming to the screen. He scoffed, tuning out and looking back down at the food on his plate, swishing it around. Recently, it had been hard for him to work up an appetite.

He looked back up when Katniss grabbed his hand, hers trembling. He soon realized why.

It was Peeta, on the Capitol TV.

Katniss got up, walking to the TV and standing right in front of it, shocked. He would’ve gotten up and followed her, tried to console her, but it was as if he was paralyzed.

Peeta was on the TV.

And you were nowhere in sight.

He heard the conversation that had everyone on the edge of their seat through muffled ears. Peeta didn’t look exactly like himself, but he still looked like the golden boy Panem fell in love with. It was so obvious that the Capitol was using him, playing him like a puppet, but what confused him was that they were using him and not the much more powerful weapon they had in their arsenal.

You were the Princess of Panem. Plutarch and Coin knew that; that’s why they wanted you. Katniss could light a fire, but if they also had you, then together you could cause an explosion. If the Capitol wanted to sway public opinion, why wouldn’t they just use you, someone who the people trusted and adored?

Suddenly, his stomach fell.

If they weren’t using you, then it was because you weren’t in a condition to be shown to the public.

He felt a hand on his, turning his head to see it was Annie, looking at him with a sympathetic expression. As if she could hear his thoughts, the smallest of sad smiles grew on her lips.  “It’s gonna be okay, Finnick,” she whispered. “Everything’s going to be okay.”

How the tables had turned. Now it was her assuring him.

In that moment, he understood Annie like never before.

Because he wasn’t so sure she was right.

After Peeta’s interview, Finnick didn’t leave his room much. He’d lie in bed and stare up at the ceiling, pretending that you were there with him. He could withstand the silence if he had you by his side.

But now, the silence was deafening.

Sometimes, he didn’t hear a thing. Other times, your voice would fill the gaps, memories of you flashing before his eyes like a movie. Sometimes, they weren’t memories at all. Sometimes, he imagined a different life for you where you were both happy, in love.

And, sometimes, he imagined what they could’ve been doing to you in the Capitol.

Whenever these awake-nightmares got too vivid, he’d find Katniss and sit with her, knowing she must have been going through the same thing. It was what you would’ve done, what you did with him and Johanna.

You wouldn’t have wanted them to suffer alone.

The next time he was around everyone else, it was per Coin’s request. She announced to them all that Katniss agreed to be The Mockingjay and that, in return, she’d look for an opportunity to extract you, the victors that had been taken.

Katniss moved next to him. “Finnick, I made the deal for Y/N, too.”

It was like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. Hope—this was hope.

“Good,” he said. For the first time since he left the arena, he smiled. “That’s good, Katniss.” A small chuckle left him.

Maybe he’d get a chance to make those dreams of his a reality.

With a newfound ardour, Finnick threw himself back into the ring instead of avoiding the fight like he had been, sitting in on meetings and doing whatever he could to make this work. He would see you again; he’d make sure of it. 

He went with the propo team to 8, watching as the Girl on Fire did exactly what they’d all been waiting for her to do. He wasn’t the only one that was hopeful—so were people in the districts, the people in 13.

They played her propo at the next assembly. The crowd cheered, but as he stood with The Mockingjay herself on the sidelines, she didn’t look so cheerful. Finnick understood this, he understood it well, but he couldn’t afford to think like that with your life hanging in the balance.

She shouldn’t have to either, he thought.

He leaned closer to her, quizzing, “You don’t like hearing a fight song at a funeral, huh?” She looked up at him almost in the same way she did when he made that joke in the arena. At the memory of your response, a small smile arose on his face. “The more people on our side, the closer we are to Peeta and Y/N,” he reminded her.

She nodded, muttering, “Yeah,” and then turning back to the crowd. She didn’t look so convinced, but he left it there, knowing she was coping with this in her own way.

If Katniss loved Peeta even half as much as he loved you, then he’d let her do whatever she felt comfortable with.

But at the end of the day, it was love that kept them both going.

The next time Peeta was on TV, it was a wake up call for everyone. He didn’t look so refined anymore, so clean. There were bags under his eyes. He looked like he hadn’t slept or eaten in days.

If this was what Peeta looked like and they still had him on TV, then what about you? 

A bile rose in his throat. He ran to the nearest trash can and threw up whatever they served that morning for breakfast, your face flashing underneath his eyelids. You weren’t smiling like in the dreams he had, but screaming.

He knew you weren’t dead, that the Capitol wouldn’t kill you, but when he pictured your face, you didn’t look so alive.

Oh, he wished he could’ve made you smile more. But in the world you lived in, sometimes it was too hard to even do that.

That’s why we’re doing this, he reminded himself. We’re trying to build a better world. But there were no words that Coin could say to shake the guilt he felt, guilt for leaving you, guilt for being the reason this happened to you. There was no band-aid he could put over this wound, no pills that could kill this pain.

But he had to push through it, and he couldn’t do that by sitting in his room by himself; every time he closed his eyes, he saw you. So he went to Katniss’ room, finding her in a position so similar to his own.

That was the man she loved on TV, even if she hadn’t come to terms with her feelings. She must have been just as guilty as him, if not more so. Finnick could remember a time when he rejected his feelings for you, too, scared of caring for somebody, scared of this happening.

He went through the Hunger Games and the Quarter Quell, being sold when he was only sixteen, but falling in love with you was the scariest thing he’d ever experienced.

If that’s how Katniss felt, then he didn’t want her to be alone, not when she reminded him so much of you.

So he sat next to her in silence, letting all of the words he wanted to say hang in the air, hoping that she heard them. They sat there wordlessly until Gale came in, telling them it was time to go, that they were going to 12.

It was only when he was about to leave that he finally spoke, deciding that these were words he had to make sure that she heard, words that he needed to hear, too.

“We’re gonna get them back, Katniss.” 

She looked at him, forming somewhat of a smile and nodding. After staring at her for a few seconds, he left the room, going to get ready.

She didn’t know it, but the entire hovercraft ride on the way to 12, he repeated those same exact words to himself over and over again.

We’re gonna get them back.

While nothing could really ease Finnick’s worries, seeing the people fight back certainly helped. The revolution was picking up traction. The videos they shot in 12 had moved people so much that they were willing to put themselves at risk, just out of hope for a better Panem.

If they could do that, then he could, too.

He wondered if you knew about any of this, if you were even aware of what was happening or if the Capitol was just keeping you in the dark. Did you know? Did you hear Katniss sing?

Did it remind you of him the same way it reminded him of you?

He had so many questions, and so little answers.

Rebels in district 5 bombed a hydroelectric dam, cutting power in the Capitol. Not long after, Peeta Mellark was back on TV, talking about it. He no longer even looked like himself. He didn’t look like a victor, but like someone who had lost.

But Finnick supposed that was what a victor was.

Beetee managed to get through the Capitol’s firewall, cutting Peeta off with Katniss’ propo. They watched as tears filled his eyes on screen.

That was the first time he looked like himself.

Are you, are you comin’ to the tree?

He faltered. “Katniss?”

Finnick watched as Katniss got closer to the screen, shaking her head. She saw it, too. She saw the man that went into that arena with them.

But then, like a victor would, his mask went back up so quickly. 

“The attack on the dam was a callous and inhuman act of destruction-”

Where a dead man called out for his love to flee.

Peeta inhaled shakily, his lips so slightly quivering. “Think about it,” he said. “How will this end? What will be left?” Finnick walked closer to the screen, like he was caught in a trance. Peeta’s previously calm façade had broken and was replaced with someone who looked stricken by panic. “No one can survive this. No one is safe now. Not here in the Capitol.” He shook his head. “Not in any of the districts.” 

He stopped, looking right into the camera as if he was staring into Katniss’ eyes. He may not have known it, but he was.

“They’re coming, Katniss. They’re gonna kill everyone.” They heard quick footsteps behind the camera as Peeta rushed to get his words out. “And in district 13 you’ll be dead by morning-”

Then the camera cut out.

Finnick didn’t know what to say, glancing over at Katniss to see her cupping her mouth in shock.

Haymitch was much more calm. With Katniss spinning out, he had to be. “He’s warning us. That was a warning.” Behind him, Boggs said something in agreement.

Katniss looked to have gotten over her shock, frantically turning and fretting, “We have to get him out before they kill him.” She was ignored.

What about you? he wondered. Where did this leave you? But right now, what they needed to worry about was where it left them.

Otherwise, you wouldn’t have anything to come home to.

“It’s time for an air raid drill.” Seconds after Coin spoke, an alarm went off. Everyone that’d been fixed to their spot in the room was up, like they’d been preparing for this for a lifetime, and from what he heard, they had been.

Katniss went running, searching for her sister while he went looking for Annie and Mags, grabbing them and descending down the stairwell as soon as he saw them. Adrenaline pumped through his veins, his mind blank, just as it was in the arena.

If he let his thoughts take control, then he’d lose it, and he couldn’t do that right now. He couldn’t slip up right now with what was at stake.

It was your life on the line.

He couldn’t lose you.

But a part of him knew that, the second you were in Snow’s hands, the you that he knew was lost forever.

Down in the bunker, Finnick sat on the bottom bunk with Mags off resting by herself while Annie had fallen asleep at the top. Sometimes, with her episodes, it was easy to forget that she was a victor, too, that she had danced the same dance you had. But she was, and she was dancing like never before.

He could tell that she had been trying hard to keep it together, but with all of the panic and the noise, it was hard. She fell asleep easily. 

Although the bunker was pretty quiet, his thoughts were still so loud. The last time he saw you played out in his head. He could still taste your lips on his, still feel your soft skin, still see your beautiful eyes.

I’ll see you at midnight?

Yeah, I’ll see you at midnight.

But he didn’t. He never saw you again. He would’ve never let you go if he’d known then what’d happen. He would’ve held you longer, kissed you longer. He would’ve told you he loved you.

If he’d known this’d happen, he would’ve told you long before The Games. The truth was, he couldn’t pinpoint exactly when he fell in love with you. It had always been Annie for him, and you were just there.

But that was exactly it. You were there. You were always there. 

Maybe he started falling for you after the first time you slept together. Maybe it was after your fifth time mentoring together. Maybe it was after the time he had a nightmare and you let him hold you. Maybe it was after you smiled, and really smiled, for the first time since you decided to start pretending to be a couple. He couldn’t be sure, but somewhere along the way, you became so much more to him than just Y/N Y/L/N, Princess of Panem and victor of the 67th Hunger Games.

You became the person he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.

He just wished he could’ve told you that.

He was pulled out of his thoughts when someone walked up to him. “Hey.” He looked up, seeing Katniss. She looked beat, her voice quiet. “Can I sit?”

He nodded, moving over so she could sit next to him. She had her family down here, that’s why he hadn’t gone over to her, but he understood why she was coming to him. After going through what they went through, it was easier to be around people who went through the same thing, who were going through the same thing.

Like she was reading his mind, she asked, “Are you thinking about her?”

There wasn’t any need for further explanation. Truthfully, he answered, “Yeah,” looking down at the ground. Every moment he had that wasn’t dedicated to this revolution was spent thinking about you.

After a second, she spoke up again. “Snow’s using her to punish you. He’s taunting us with them.” She scoffed a little. “I didn’t understand that until just now watching that stupid cat.”

She was right. This wasn’t just about propaganda. This was about Snow’s little puppets misbehaving.

So now he was showing them that, even in 13, he still owned them. He still owned Finnick. He still owned Katniss. He still owned Johanna. He still owned Peeta. And he still owned you.

He was using you against him because he knew how much you meant to him, the same way he knew how much Peeta meant to Katniss, even if she didn’t see that herself.

Finnick sighed, debating on whether or not he should say what he was thinking or keep it to himself before deciding that he had held enough in, that holding his thoughts in had never done him any good. So he turned to Katniss and started, “I- Y/N and I, we hadn’t met until after she won her Games. We weren’t really friends, at first, but rumours start fast in the Capitol, especially when ‘royalty’ is involved.” He humourlessly chuckled. “People were saying that we were dating, and so she- she thought the best thing for us to do was to let them believe it, let them have their love story. The alternative, two people coping together- that was a lot darker than what the Capitol could handle.”

She tilted her head, furrowing her brows. He watched as she put it all together. “Wait, are you saying that…”

He nodded. “Yes. It was fake. Our love story was just that: a story.” Surprise was painted all over her face.

“But… you told me that you love her.”

A ghost of a smile came to his face. “I do. I love her. It wasn’t like that at first, but over time, I fell for her, Katniss.” He saw a look pass over her face: understanding. What he was describing wasn’t just you and him; it was her and Peeta. “Y/N and I, we learned how to play the game. If anyone could spot a fake relationship, it was us. After your first Games, we thought your whole romance was an act. We expected you to continue that strategy. But it wasn’t until Peeta’s heart stopped and he nearly died that… I knew I’d misjudged you. You love him.”

Katniss looked away, like what he was saying was something she’d never even considered. It was so clear to everyone that she loved him, everyone but herself.

“I’m not saying in what way,” he added, understanding her feelings so well because he’d right where she was. “Maybe you don’t even know yourself. But anyone paying attention can see it.” He maintained his stare, even as she looked away.

With the life they lived, you didn’t want to give yourself to love, to admit that to yourself, to allow yourself to be vulnerable. But you could only hide a love so strong for so long.

She swallowed, gaze still aimed at the floor. “How do you live with it?”

You’re asking the wrong person, he thought, but that wasn’t an acceptable answer. That wasn’t the answer she was looking for. Right now, Katniss was lost; he needed to point her in the right direction.

Even if he still had trouble doing that for himself.

He paused for a moment, searching for the right words to say. “I drag myself outta nightmares and there’s no relief in waking up,” he confessed. “But I- sometimes, when I’m awake, I let myself dream about her.” Finally, she looked over to him. “I dream that, one day, when this is all over, we’re living in a better world, happy.” The corners of his lips quirked up at the thought. “It’s hope, Katniss. That’s how I live with it.”

Katniss eyes were dull, red, tired, but even in the darkness of the bunker, he was able to see a tiny spark light up in her eyes.

Hope.

They’d fallen asleep in the bunker along with everyone else until Finnick woke up to Boggs shaking him, telling him that they had to go. Coin wanted Katniss to get in front of the camera, tell Panem that they were still standing after the attack.

But, as soon as they stepped outside, he watched her fall apart.

Roses.

A rose?

They’re a Capitol favourite.

You hated roses. Looking at them himself, he couldn’t even blame Katniss. He felt sick, too.

She couldn’t do it. She was almost hysterical, so of course Boggs let her go. They couldn’t put her on TV when she was like this. But they also didn’t have time to wait.

With Katniss gone, Haymitch and Boggs pulled him aside to a briefing room, getting started on a new plan.

“Okay, what are we doing?”

They gave each other a look, much like the look Plutarch and Haymitch traded right after the Quell, like they knew something he didn’t, like they were getting ready for him to explode.

���Finnick, the dam that went down in district 5 cut power in most of the Capitol,” Haymitch started. “Their defences are down—Beetee’s gonna be able to get in now.”

His brows furrowed. He already knew that. 

Sensing his confusion, Boggs cut in, “We’ve gotten word that the victors are in the Tribute Centre.”

Suddenly, it was like his heart stopped.

You were coming home.

He echoed his thoughts. “You’re going to get them?”

“Yes, I’ll be leading the mission-”

“Well, I’m coming.” Again, they both shared a look, like they were expecting him to say that, and why wouldn’t they? You were his girlfriend; of course, he wanted to be there to save you. 

“Finnick-”

He cut Boggs off a second time, repeating himself, “I am coming with you.”

“I’m afraid I can’t let you do that.”

He scoffed. “Are you fucking kidding me?”

“Finnick-”

“If you’re going to get Y/N, then I’m coming with you-”

“You are too valuable to this revolution for them to let you go,” Haymitch said, but Finnick really couldn’t give a damn about whatever reason they threw at him. You were all he could think about.

“I’m not just gonna sit here and do nothing while they’re being rescued,” he retaliated. For over a month, sitting around and doing nothing was practically all he’d been doing, fantasizing about you, unknowing of when he’d see you again or if he’d ever see you again, trying to imagine what you could’ve been going through.

He couldn’t just stand by while you were in a live or die situation.

If you died- no, he cut his thoughts off, refusing to finish the sentence.

You couldn’t die.

Haymitch sighed, glancing away before looking back at him. His eyes were always hard, but at that moment, Finnick saw flashes of sympathy. “You won’t be doing nothing.”

His eyes slightly narrowed. “What do you mean?”

The two shared another look before he told him, “Katniss can’t record right now. But you can.”

Another scoff left his lips, an incredulous look on his face as his voice was laced with sarcasm. “You want me to film a propo while you save Y/N?”

Haymitch didn’t respond right away, just staring at him like he was trying to properly articulate his words. The way he was looking at him unnerved him, like whatever he was gonna say could shatter him into a million pieces.

“Not a propo, Finnick,” he finally said, hesitation evident in his tone. “It’s a lot more than that.”

And, as Haymitch explained to him what they wanted him to do, Finnick learned just how much more that was.

Finnick Odair. That was a name synonymous with royalty, luxury, desire. Before he even met you, that was the name he’d built for himself—or, rather, the name that was thrusted into his arms.

A sex symbol.

When you won your Games, he could remember listening to the Capitol chatter. Stunning, refined, intelligent: a princess. You both already had so much in common, both from the same district, both so young when you won, but suddenly, as he watched you leave that hotel room that night in the Capitol, he realized that you had much more in common than he thought.

You were one and the same.

Those nights you spent together in the Capitol, out in the cold, you were silent. And then, even as you spoke to big Capitol fishes and gave speeches, you were still silent then, too, never speaking out about the injustices you’d been faced with.

Now, Finnick stood outside in the darkness, cold, but this time, you weren’t next to him. You weren’t next to him, and that was because Snow took you.

So he wasn’t going to stay silent anymore.

You deserved better than that.

He glanced around, almost as if he was trying to tell if his surroundings were real, if he was really doing this. 

He looked back when Cressida called his name, a careful look on her face. “Yeah,” he said, conveying he was okay without saying it, even if he really wasn’t. 

She didn’t look very convinced, but she still responded, “Okay.” She paused. “Take your time. Just remember to keep talking and don’t stop.”

He lightly nodded, looking up in front of him, seeing his breath in the air. For a moment, he was silent, but that moment didn’t last long. 

He had been silent for far too long already.

“This is Finnick Odair. Winner of the 65th Hunger Games,” he introduced himself, even though he knew that anyone watching must have recognized him right away. “And I’m coming to you from district 13, alive and well. We’ve survived an assault from the Capitol,” he recited. “But I’m not here to give you recent news.”

What he was going to tell them was much more than news about this rebellion. What he would reveal was about a war that’d started long before this rebellion ever did.

“I come with something much more valuable.”

I haven’t dealt in anything as common as money in years.

Well, then how do people pay for the pleasure of your company?

“The truth. The truth about being a victor, about being royalty.” Bitterness seeped through his tone. “Not the myths about a life of luxury. Not the lie about glory for your homeland.” He looked straight at the camera. “You can survive the arena. But the moment you leave, you’re a slave.”

We will never be free, Y/N.

He took in a breath before he spoke his next words, knowing that they held power stronger than a weapon. He may as well have been pointing the gun at his own head. But if he had to get burned to burn down the Capitol, then he would do it. He would do it a thousand times over.

And so would you.

“President Snow used to sell me. Or my body, at least. I wasn’t the only one.” Your face flashed in his mind. “If a victor is considered desirable, the President gives them as a reward or allows people to buy them. If you refuse, he kills someone you love.” Johanna.

It’s not fair. He killed her family. She said no, and he killed her family.

I know. It’s not fair, I know.

It was never fair. No riches or glory could ever be enough to compensate for that.

“To make themselves feel better, my patrons would make presents of money or jewelry. But I found a much more valuable form of payment.” The corners of his lips upturned slightly to form a small, humourless smile. “Secrets.”

The secrets he knew had the power to rip apart the Capitol’s so called “peace” at the seams. For him, for Katniss, for Johanna, for Peeta, for Annie, for you—this peace had fallen apart ages ago.

Katniss was forced to become the voice of thousands when she could barely do that for herself. Johanna turned to rage. Peeta turned to charm. Annie lost her mind. And you… what about you? 

It was about time that this peace was destroyed. It was about time that people understood exactly what victors really lost. And that Panem’s monsters weren’t hiding under the bed.

They were sitting on thrones.

“See, I know all the depravity, the deceit, and the cruelty of the Capitol’s pampered elite. But the biggest secrets are about our good President, Coriolanus Snow.” The biggest monster of them all. “Such a young man when he rose to power. Such a clever one to keep it. How, you may ask, did he do it?” He paused, looking right at the camera as if he was looking right into Snow’s eyes.

He hoped he was watching.

He hoped he was watching as they burned the Capitol to the ground.

“One word.” He lit the match. “Poison.” And then he dropped it.

“He stopped every mutiny before it even started. There are so many mysterious deaths to adversaries. Even to allies who were threats.” He could remember being at one of those dinners, watching a man fall onto his plate, his life over so quickly.

Once you were on the playing board, it didn’t matter how powerful you were. To Snow, you were all just pawns that he could knock off the board easily.

Not anymore.

“Snow would drink from the same cup to deflect suspicion. But… antidotes don’t always work, which is why he wears roses that reek of perfume. Help cover the scent of blood from sores in his mouth that will never heal.”

When Finnick learned this, he could remember the feeling he had, the satisfaction in knowing that a man who had spilled so much blood was bleeding himself. It was karmic.

How ironic was that?

“But he can’t hide the scent of who he really is,” he continued, remembering Cressida’s words. Don’t stop. “He kills without mercy. He rules with deception and fear. His weapon of choice is the only thing suited to such a man. Poison.” He scoffed. 

“The perfect weapon for a snake.”

Moments after Finnick’s last words, they were off the air. Cressida’s hand went to her ear, a dark look passing over her face. The Capitol air defence system’s coming back online, she said, and she didn’t get to say much else before he went running inside.

Much like every other day he’d spent in 13, your face came to his mind, but this time was different. This time, they went in to save you.

What if they couldn’t?

No, they had to bring you back- they had to.

He ran and ran until he got to ops, seeing Katniss crying in Haymitch’s arms. As soon as she saw him, she latched onto him and he reciprocated her hug tightly. He had to hold on. He had to.

He wouldn’t survive the fall if he let go.

He knows, he knows they’re in the Tribute Centre, she cried, and then for the second time that day, his heart stopped. He knew. Snow knew about the rescue mission.

His ears rang, eyes going blurry. And then things got a little blurry after that, too. Eventually, he ended up back in his room by himself. He didn’t know how he got there, but he did. All he could hear was your voices in his head.

No, you are coming home-

Finni-

We are both coming come. We are both coming home, Y/N, I swear.

He was supposed to protect you. He promised. He promised you that you would both make it home. But now where were you? You weren’t with him.

You never came home.

At one point, Annie came in, trying to be of some consolation, but she ended up leaving, unable to get through to him. He couldn’t hear her over your conversations that replayed in his head on a loop.

I told you. I’m not letting you die.

A tear raced down his cheek. He knew that you were maybe still alive, that you still had a chance, but that didn’t matter. It was never supposed to get to this point. He was never supposed to let it get to this point, a point where you could be dead.

He was supposed to bring you home.

Yeah, I’ll see you at midnight.

The doors suddenly slid open and Katniss walked in, breaking him out of his spell. He wiped the tears that’d fallen, clearing his throat. “Is there any news?”

Solemnly, she shook her head. “No.” He sighed as she sat down next to him, a big exhale leaving her lips, too. Both of them had passed the point of exhaustion, but it wasn’t like they could rest. Finnick wasn’t sure that he could sleep if he tried.

With this song playing so loudly, how could he?

Katniss was dancing the same dance as him, fighting the same battles. The man she loved was out there, too. She must have been just as scared as him.

They sat in silence for a while until she broke it, her voice raspy and just above a whisper. “Finnick?”

He turned to see her looking down at the ground. “Yeah?”

“I-” she stammered. It was only when she looked up at him that he saw the look in her eyes and knew why she was so nervous.

He shook his head. “It’s fine-”

She scoffed. “No, it’s not- it’s not fine-”

“Katniss-”

She cut him off. “I’m sorry.” Her words made him swallow. He knew she was going to speak them, but for some reason, hearing them was so different, surreal. She exhaled again, maintaining eye contact. “I am sorry.”

Finnick looked away. It wasn’t that he didn’t appreciate her apology, but he felt uncomfortable, looking into her eyes and just seeing the pure sorrow, pity. No, Katniss hadn’t been through exactly what he had, but at that moment, looking into her eyes was like looking into a mirror.

He couldn’t handle that right now, not when he stood at the top of the tallest mountain in the world and had such a long way to fall, everything to lose. 

He nodded, accepting her apology without words. It wasn’t her fault. She didn’t know, she didn’t know him back then. She hadn’t been a victor long enough to know yet. If anything, he was glad that she didn’t get to know their world, that she wasn’t sucked up by the same darkness that took you and him.

He was glad that her and Peeta got time in the sun, even if it was only for a little while.

“Y/N…” At the sound of your name, he turned back to her, seeing her brows furrow, eyes glazed over. “When I met her, she said something to me.” Realization flashed across her face as she looked up. “Was- was she-”

He cut her off, “Yeah. Yeah, she was.” When he blinked, he saw you walking out of that hotel room, the look on your face. He’d never forget the way you looked at him that night.

May the odds be ever in your favour, darling.

“There were more,” he admitted. “Any victor that the Capitol found desirable was taken. Annie only couldn’t because of her madness. Johanna-” a humourless chuckle left his lips. “Johanna refused, and her entire family paid the price.” He look back to Katniss to see that her mouth had fallen open, a look of horror on her face. “You and Peeta were spared because you were together. Hell, that’s the reason Y/N and I got together, to escape all this. And now look where we are.”

With you on the verge of dying and Finnick on the verge of losing everything.

You. You were his everything.

And you didn’t even know it.

“I never told her, Katniss.” He was breathless, like the wind had been knocked out of him. He’d realized this before, knew that he made a mistake, but now it was like he was realizing that he may never get the chance to correct it. “I- I never told her I loved her.”

I’m your girlfriend now?

Oh, come on, Y/N. You can’t be serious right now.

I am so serious right now.

You had no idea. You had no idea that you were the reason he kept living, that you were the reason he kept going, even when it hurt so badly. He’d walk through Hell if he could get to Heaven and be with you.

But what if you never knew that?

What if you died without knowing how he felt about you?

Katniss grabbed onto his hand. He looked to see tears welling in her eyes. “You will,” she whispered. “Hope, Finnick. You need to have hope.”

“Hope,” he echoed. Just like how he saw your face, he was able to see a future just as easily. It was so clear. That better world that Coin went on about, the better world that they were fighting for… it was just within their grasp. He nodded, managing to form somewhat of a smile. “Hope.”

He needed that, now more than ever. If he ever wanted to make it to that better world, to live in it with you, then he had to have hope—hope for the both of you.

Katniss didn’t say much after that; neither did he. Both of them were reflecting on their own, still trying to process all the turmoil that the day had caused. He spent his time thinking of you, imagining that better world.

In a better world, you and Finnick would’ve never been sold. You would’ve met, and he would’ve gotten the chance to fall in love with you the right way. He wouldn’t have been so scared to tell you. You would’ve given back to the community, not taken kids to their deaths.

You would’ve been so happy together.

But that wasn’t the world you lived in.

In the world you lived in, you and Finnick were sold at ages far too young. First, you sold your souls by winning The Games, and then your bodies were sold to people who had no business touching you.

In the world you lived in, you were only brought together because of tragedy. You only dated to try and save yourselves from a much greater evil, not because you loved each other.

In the world you lived in, Finnick fell in love with you. But he couldn’t tell you that, not when his biggest fear became losing you.

But in the world you lived in, he lost you, anyway.

So he had to have hope that a better world was possible- he had to. Not having that was another blow he wasn’t sure he could take.

When imagining your better world turned into reminiscing over all that’d happened to you both, he cut his thoughts off. He couldn’t let himself stop and break down now, not when he was so close to the finish line, so close to you.

So he pulled rope from his pocket, tying the same knots over and over again, a habit he’d picked up at a young age. Focusing on the knots was able to take his mind off everything, allowing white noise to play instead of this song.

He didn’t want to hear it without you.

He did this until he lost track of time. It was only when the doors slid open again that he was broken out of his trance. Katniss perked up right away. It was Haymitch behind the door, looking as enthusiastic as Finnick had ever seen him. “They’re back.”

She gasped, getting up and running right away, but it was as if Finnick was cemented to his spot. They’re back. 

You were back.

Just like that, he was shaken out of his shock, standing and quickly catching up with them.

They ran until they were in the medical area. As soon as they got there, he saw Johanna, ripping an IV out of her arm. Her hair was gone, shaven off, bruises all over her pale, pale face.

“Johanna,” Katniss muttered, but Finnick’s attention was elsewhere, eyes darting around the room, searching for you, heart racing.

And then he saw you.

His eyes went wide. “Y/N!” Without waiting another second, he ran to you. After over a month, here you were, right in front of him.

But it wasn’t so simple.

You flinched as his hands went to touch you, making him retract them right away. Your eyes didn’t look in his direction once.

Like you were scared of him.

At the thought, his heart clenched. It was only then that he noticed you were shaking, even as you were covered in blankets.

Your body was littered with cuts and bruises. You were pale, too, so clearly malnourished and sleep deprived. But it was your eyes that really got him. Your beautiful eyes no longer looked so lively. They looked empty.

You looked like a ghost.

“Y/N?” His voice cracked simultaneously with his heart. Why weren’t you looking at him? “Y/N-”

He was cut off. “Mr. Odair.” He turned to see a doctor standing on the other side of your bed, a hesitant look on her face and a look in her eyes that made a shiver go up spine. “Could I speak to you for a moment?”

He glanced back to you, seeing that you still weren’t looking at him. Your gaze was fixed on a spot on your bed. You hadn’t looked up once, even as the doctor spoke. Confused, he nodded, letting the woman pull him to the side, out of earshot from you.

But even as the doctor started speaking, he couldn’t get your eyes out of his mind.

That look in your eye was somehow worse than any of his nightmares combined.

“Mr. Odair, Ms. Y/L/N’s condition is… it’s quite complex,” she cautioned. He furrowed his brows, his worry increasing.

“What do you mean- is she okay-”

“No, I meant- physically, I’m not seeing much to be worried about. Of course, she could be better- much better, but this is what we were expecting.” She paused, glancing at you. “Mentally- I’m not even sure where to begin.”

He glanced back at you, too, to see that you were still staring at that same spot on your bed. He let the doctor’s words register in his brain. You weren’t okay.

“We’ve informed psych, but for now, you’re just gonna need to give her time.” Time.

He let out a breath, feeling his eyes getting wet as what she was saying really soaked in. “You’re telling me to leave.” Just as he got you back.

“Mr. Odair-”

“You’re telling me to leave.”

“Finnick.” She cut him off with a strong call of his name. “Your girlfriend’s mental state right now is unstable. She’s in shock; she’s not herself right now. It is going to take some time to get her out of this state, and it’s going to be hard for you to see her in it. In the meantime, the best thing you can do for her is take some time to collect your thoughts.”

She was telling him to go off and think. Did she know that’s all he’d been doing for hours, thinking and throwing himself into the worst possible scenarios, only to realize that one of them had become a reality?

But he didn’t tell her this, instead looking back at you. You were lifeless. When he looked back at the doctor, there was a pleading expression on her face. He didn’t want to leave you, but she made it sound like the best possible thing to do for you. So he did.

But the truth was, he just couldn’t bear to watch you when you were like that.

You were the love of his life. It was like his heart started beating again when he saw you there, alive, but then it dulled once he really looked at you.

You didn’t look like the girl he fell in love with, the girl that went into that arena, or the girl he said goodbye to. It only took a month, and now you looked like a completely different person, like you had seen things no man had ever seen.

In his haze, Finnick made it back to his room, but he didn’t make it to the bed, collapsing onto the floor, bringing his knees up to his chest as his mind spun.

You were alive. He thought that, when he finally saw you again, all of his worries would be erased, that everything would be okay again, that the world would go back to being in colour instead of this black and white that he’d been stuck in with Katniss.

But nothing seemed more colourful.

Nothing seemed better.

You were here. You were back, Y/N Y/L/N, the same woman he loved, the same woman he’d dreamt about for weeks. You were alive. 

But, oh, he should’ve known it couldn’t have been that easy.

Your heart was beating, your eyes were open, and you were there… but that didn’t mean you were alive.

I told you. I’m not letting you die.

Little did Finnick know, you were already dead. 

Taglist: @avoxrising @mxacegrey @littleshadow17 @lovelyteenagebeard @nasyanastya @catastrxblues @zodiyack @zulpix-blog @mushroomelephant @muggies @lantsovheiress @hobiebrowns-wife @notplutos @faeriepigeons

[transingthoseformers]

Magnus secretly wants a breakfast burrito, he tries to make me but he ends up accidentally burning his. Ant king! Oppy is there, helping out his mate. they end up having a cute lil breakfast burrito date and it's just really cute. Ant king! Optimus is just happy to be spending time with his mate, while Magnus lets down his guard and pats Ant king! oppy on the head.

Awww, he doesn't care that Magnus can't cook worth shit

[magnifiico]

There’s a spark. A miniature jolt that sends ribbons of static bounding across the king’s skin, down to those rigid fingertips that again twitch—no, they abhorrently flinch—despite his best efforts to steel them. He weathers a taut pull in his shoulders, muscles coiling ever tighter into condensed springs on the verge of release, and for what? The mantra again—the reminder: He’s not a threat. No matter the countenance, the irksome arrogance streaming through every crack in his facade, the manner in which he brazenly dismisses everything Magnifico has done to get here as if he is naught but his magic tricks…

Oh, no. No, no no no. He is no threat.

He’s but a little bird twittering shrilly in the ear of one desiring to rest—

He’s a pest.

Another careful, regulated exhale, one complemented by a hum, and the king presents his esteemed guest with an ever so patient smile. (Though it may be quavering at one corner; let’s not look too closely for it.) “Yes, well, magic is a splendor, certainly, but I trust you know there’s far more to maintaining the peace and order of an entire kingdom than a few”—now he looses a hand from behind his back, flourishes it in the air to mirror the musician—“fancy flaunts and shows. After all, that is more in your field of expertise…”

That same hand falls limp at his chest, fingers fluttering over the V of his neckline. “—isn’t it?” Feigned placating creases form at the corners of his eyes, embellishments to the true nature dancing behind them. He holds that pose, that stare, his thumb idly smoothing up his patterned collar—until an aloof chuckle resounds in his throat. “Señor de la Cruz—”

A single step. King Magnifico draws nearer, again a picture of sophistication, of hardly more than a generous, cordial exchange. “You’re quite right; your talents are nothing to blink at. In fact, I’ve heard the stories myself—the dedication and passion you’ve poured into your journey to success. Really, that… is an inspiration,” he concedes, diplomatically pleasant. “No small amount of… ah, sacrifice, I’d imagine? But I fear you may have misunderstood my intentions.” His attention strays from Ernesto’s face, momentarily distant and thoughtful; that smile relaxes in his cheeks.

“My first priority is my people.” I do everything for them. They don’t need and shouldn’t want anything more. (They shouldn’t want you.) “You’ll have to forgive me for my caution when welcoming strangers with your, let’s say… particular influence within our borders.”

𝐈𝐓'𝐒 𝐓𝐀𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐘𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐈𝐍 𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐏𝐎𝐖𝐄𝐑 for the charro to not outright laugh . which admittedly would be his doom ... probably . from what he's heard , the king of rosas is no ordinary king ⸻ and that was made all too evident the moment he stepped foot on his territory . the first thing he noticed were rustic yet pristine streets adorned with all manner of mural and statue in his honor . that's rather ordinary , right ? any kingdom with a good king would be commemorated as such .

but he's heard talk ⸻ from the townsfolk . evidently , the king happens to be a sorcerer capable of granting wishes . and if that provokes a pinch of jealousy in ernesto ( what greedy man would not hunger for power ? ) , he reminds himself of the fact that the king stands upon a glass pedestal . besides ... could the people truly love a king so reverently by dint of his virtues , and not the potential of their wish being made reality ? seems a little opportunistic , if you ask him ...

nevertheless , whatever power he wields holds just enough sway to have ernesto exercising a modicum of decorum ... but goodness , it's hard ! magnifico latches onto his pride so tightly , as if he has something to lose if he relinquishes it ... hah . perhaps he too craves the spotlight . has the king fashioned him into a rival already ? well ... perhaps he should be positively flattered . here stands one handsome hombre with status , and a glorious kingdom , yet all it took was a foreign celebrity to stoke his flames ?

how adorable . that condescending air ⸻ the words that belittle his own status and talent ⸻ would be far more difficult to digest if king magnifico did not wear his heart on his sleeve so eagerly .

❛ oh , por favor ... everyone remembers me ... i know how to leave an impression , señor ... and unlike you , i do not need magic to do it , ❜ he says , words dragged ever so slightly , etched with a playful drawl as he gestures with his hand carelessly at the other , as though he were speaking to none other than an old friend . ❛ don't tell me ... is the king of rosas afraid to be outshone by a common man ? though i assure you ... there is no one else like me in this world . ❜

[yawnderu]

Hi~

Can we have a smut fic between könig and sniper reader?

With the reader being a calm and polite woman (25+ years old?) who minds her business, yet she is "despised" by our colonel because of her role.

Ps: you can eventually not write it now, but it would be funny seeing colonel könig despising her for after a while fucking her

Hiii sweetheart!! Honestly? I feel like this man is an absolute cunt simply because you're living his dream at a younger age. Shit, he's fucking good at aiming and can stay still for hours, why do you have to be the sniper for the team when he's perfectly capable of fulfilling the role? Sure, he's a giant and he'd be easily spotted, but still. Logic doesn't have a place in his head, not when he's green with envy.

''You forgot to sign here.'' His gloved finger points the spot that you missed, barely even able to keep your eyes open as he forces you down on his cock again, stretching you open over and over while your shaky hand tries to reach for the pen, only to be interrupted by deeper, hard thrusts.

''Snipers are supposed to keep their hands steady.'' He scolds, the small whine escaping your lips only earns you a hard squeeze on the tits, fingers toying with your nipples and pulling while you try your best to keep a steady hand despite the way your colonel uses your sopping cunt as a fleshlight.

''And they're meant to be quiet.'' He doesn't allow you to make a single noise despite how good you're feeling, the stimulation of it all becoming too much, yet the need to prove yourself to him.

''That's a good sniper— quiet like a mouse, ja?'' You know he's teasing you, able to hear the humor in his voice despite the way he's fucking you while you try your best to sign the document he gave you. His hands grasp your hips as he thrusts into you, the tip of his cock kissing your cervix over and over, the stimulation pushing you to the edge.

Your cunt tightens up around him as you finally give up, a whiny moan escaping your lips when your orgasm hits, tears rimming your eyelids at the way the rough material of his gloves begins to rub away at your clit, intensifying the sensation yet overwhelming you quickly. He cums soon after, ropes of thick, fertile cum shooting up right into your willing cervix. Maybe if he gets you pregnant and out of the team, he can take your role.

Bullet shells fall to the floor in the shooting range, mag dumping on a poor paper dummy minutes after you told him you'll miss training because you got your period and can barely move.