there are worse games to play | part four
Summary: It’s nearing the end of your first week in District Four and you’re nowhere near solving your situation as Finnick is with figuring out why you’re here.
A/N part one: Small little time jump to give us some space to work with in the storyline :) Hope you enjoy!
One week since you found yourself immersed in a world you only ever dreamed of visiting.
One week of trying to craft a believable story for those questioning a newcomer in District 4.
One week of getting to know some of your favorite characters, still not entirely comprehending that they do in fact exist and you are indeed not imagining them.
Mags has been nothing but kind to you since finding you alone on the beach in only your pajamas and without any type of identification or belongings on your person. She’s been allowing you to stay at her house in Victor’s Village and thankfully hasn’t mentioned kicking you to the curb anytime soon.
Not like I’m planning on rushing that possibility, you think as you finish up in the bathroom for the morning. You chance a glance at yourself in the mirror and give yourself a reassuring smile. Your hands grip the edges of the sink basin as you mentally prepare yourself before breakfast.
“Okay, you can do this. It’s already been one week and you’ve managed to make it this far without coming across as a crazy person. Well, maybe not to Finnick but that’s beside the point…” You trail off as your mind drifts to your most recent interaction with the bronze haired man.
Finnick has been… interesting, to say the least, since he met you a week ago. He’s popped up at the most random moments and continues to be hot/cold with you, not entirely sure if he can trust you even though Mags continued to offer unwavering support for your presence.
He also continues to call you “gorgeous” which you are completely baffled by, but you’ve given up asking him to stop after the first few times fell on deaf ears.
Shaking yourself out of your small stupor, you open the bathroom door and trail down the hallway towards the kitchen where Mags is currently sitting at the table sipping on her morning tea. She gives you her signature smile and motions to the countertop where a cup waits for you as well as some fresh fruit from Finnick’s most recent visit.
You’ve discovered that Finnick often stops by at least once every other day. It seems like he normally would stay for an extended period of time to touch base with Mags, but since your arrival he’s seemed a little hesitant to stay since that first night.
“Well well, what do we have here? Need something, gorgeous?”
You flinch at his words, taking a small step back at the look on his face. Something flashes across Finnick’s face at your reaction, but it’s gone just as quick as it appeared.
Mags slides around Finnick’s body, planting herself in between you and him. Finnick quickly switches his focus to the older woman, obviously not happy with her current position. A silent conversation happens between them and after a few moments, Finnick’s shoulders slump and he lets out a small sigh.
Interesting, you think. So quick to jump me, but backs down at the slightest hint of disagreement from Mags.
He spares you one last glance before telling Mags that he’ll stop by in a day or two, bidding you a quick “goodnight gorgeous”. Mags turns after the door shuts and motions towards the kitchen.
You both take a seat at the table and Mags grabs a nearby notepad and pen, quickly scribbling down a few words. She slides the pad towards you.
Tomorrow we’ll go get you some clothes and we’ll go from there.
You look up and give Mags a grateful smile, your body slowly releasing the tension you hadn’t realized you’d been holding since Finnick walked in earlier this evening. You’re hesitant to ask, but you feel you need to clear the air a bit after that awkward interaction with Finnick.
“Mags, can I ask you a question?”
Mags just sits and waits. You look down at your hands, picking at your nails as you try to verbalize your thoughts.
“Is there a reason Finnick doesn’t want me here? I know I’m practically a stranger and haven’t known you for more than a few hours, but it seems like he has a bigger issue with me past the whole ‘stranger danger’ standard.” Mags lets out a small huff of air at your words, shaking her head before reaching for the notepad once more.
You watch her take a moment before writing down her response. She slides it back to you shortly after.
It’s not you, dear. Finnick just… struggles to trust people, especially people who aren’t from Four. Don’t take it personally.
You glance up after that, seeing a sympathetic look in Mags’ eyes. She reaches for one of your hands, giving it a short squeeze before motioning towards the hallway. You understood that to mean “time for bed” and quickly move towards the room that she led you to earlier in the evening.
After that night, Mags followed through on bringing you into town the next day where you finally got to experience District Four in its entirety.
Holy shit this is crazy!!! You think as you pass by the docks and head towards the storefronts that litter the streets leading from the water. People pass by with curiosity in their eyes, seemingly taken aback by the presence of a newcomer with the infamous Mags Flanagan. Normally, they’d see her accompanied by the golden boy, Finnick Odair, but he’s nowhere to be found and instead here you are.
You find yourself subconsciously tugging on your clothes as if it could hide you from their gazes. You’ve never been one for being the center of attention, but you’ve somehow garnered it over the years due to your size.
Being plus-sized was nothing new to you. But, to others, it sometimes seemed like an unfathomable concept to them and it often led to a large number of stares and comments over the years.
Hence, you’ve grown used to trying to cover yourself up more or shrink yourself down to take up less space/attention.
Mags glances at you out of the corner of her eye at your fidgeting, only reaching out a hand to point at one of the stores up ahead. We’ll stop in there.
It’s a quaint shop near the middle of the street, with white paint on the outside and blue shutters on the windows. There is an assortment of flowers growing out of the numerous pots that line the small sidewalk below both windows, giving it a softer look compared to some of the other buildings you passed on the way.
Your stomach is in knots at the prospect of shopping for clothes, knowing already that there’s going to be little to no options in your actual size, let alone any clothing that might be somewhat stylish for plus-sized women. Better accept disappointment now, you bitterly think as the bell jingles, announcing your entrance to the shopkeeper.
However, you’re pleasantly surprised to see a woman not that much older than yourself behind the counter. She makes to move out from behind to give Mags a hug and you’re shocked to see that she’s plus-sized.
Your shock must’ve been clear on your face as Mags gives your cheek a little pat while silently chuckling. The shopkeeper doesn’t bat an eye and greets you with a kind smile, “Well, it’s been a long while since I’ve seen a new face in Four! What brings you ladies in today?”
Mags motions to you and you flush a bit in embarrassment at the fact that you’re still in your pajamas from the night before. At least they’re passable as regular clothes, you think, I could’ve been wearing my boxer shorts, so thank god I chose differently the other night.
The shopkeeper, who you learn is named Deena, shows you around and tells you to let her know if you need help finding anything in particular or if you have any items that need to be hemmed or adjusted. You browse freely while Deena and Mags talk at the counter and ultimately find a few items that can tide you over for the time being.
When Mags pulls out some money, you almost turn down her offer but remember that you arrived in the district without any type of money on you, so there’s no way for you to cover the cost. So, you bite your tongue and resolve to find some way to pay Mags back for her unending kindness. You both leave the shop and wish Deena a good day, with her telling you “don’t be a stranger now!”
Arriving back at Mags’ place, you go to put away your clothes and find yourself standing in front of the mirror once more in the bathroom, staring at your body with a lost look in your eyes. You’ve swapped your pajamas for a new pair of denim shorts and a loose knit, lightweight sweater.
You still cannot believe you were able to find some clothes that fit. Somehow, you’re not having to squeeze your stomach and thighs into uncomfortably tight shorts or have to worry about having to stretch out your shirt in order for it to not fit like a second skin, clinging to ever divot and roll on your upper-body.
You don’t even register the knock to your bedroom door until you hear the faint turn of the doorknob.
You quickly move away from your spot, moving to stand in the doorway but stop in your tracks when you see who has come into your room.
“Hey gorgeous. Mags wanted me to come grab you for lunch.”
Finnick leans against the doorframe, hands in the pockets of his cotton shorts. His hair is slightly damp and even from this distance, you can smell the ever-present sea salt that seems to cling to his being. He just looks so effortlessly put together that it makes you a bit envious. His face houses his usual smirk and he takes a moment to look over your figure. He lets out a low whistle.
“Those new?” You fidget with the hem of your shirt, not expecting him to comment on your appearance. You give a short nod before moving towards the doorway, stopping when Finnick makes no move to exit.
He remains standing in front of you and you’re unsure of what the issue is now. Is he upset that Mags bought you some clothes? Is he bothered that you’re still staying here with Mags? Or does he think a girl like you shouldn’t be wearing something like this — something slightly revealing?
You feel a little fed up, already with your previous emotions in the bathroom at your appearance and now with Finnick being weird once again, you let some of your frustrations out.
“Listen, I don’t know what the hell your problem is with me when you haven’t even known me for a week. Yes, these are new and whether or not you think someone my size should be wearing shorts is something you can keep to your goddamn self, Odair. Now, if you’re done inspecting my appearance, move out of the way.”
You don’t even wait to hear a response nor to see his face as you push past Finnick to head to the kitchen. You immediately find a seat at the table and see an assortment of fruit once again along with some supplies to make sandwiches laid out.
Mags is at the counter mixing some iced tea and sends you a small smile before glancing at the doorway. You don’t even spare Finnick a glance as he walks in, sitting in the seat directly across from you. You keep your head down as you dish up, Mags giving you both a brief look of confusion while she brings over the iced tea. She locks eyes with Finnick, noticing that his demeanor is a bit off compared to when he first arrived at her house today.
Lunch goes by in a quiet manner, the only sound coming from everyone eating and Finnick making brief comments to Mags about random things happening in the district. You’ve only looked up a couple of times, once when Mags reached over to get your attention about something and another accidentally when you and Finnick both were reaching for the pitcher of iced tea.
When your eyes connected with Finnick’s, you couldn’t discern what his eyes were trying to convey to you. After everyone finished eating, Mags and Finnick started to clear the table. He seemed like he wanted to talk to you about what happened before lunch, but you made an excuse that you were tired and that you were going to take a nap.
As you were walking down the hallway, you briefly heard Finnick let out a sigh and say, “Mags, how long is she going to be staying here?” You quickly walked away, not wanting to be caught eavesdropping again. You also weren’t really wanting to hear Finnick complain to Mags once again about you being there.
You climb into bed, feeling a bubble of tears build up behind your eyes. You curse yourself as a few tears escape, angrily wiping them off your cheeks. No, I’m not going to cry over some guy not liking me. I haven’t even been here long enough for him to get to know me, not like he seems to be interested in doing that. It’s useless to think he’d want that.
You sniffle to yourself as your emotions from the past week crash over you. Being in a foreign place with nothing of familiarity around you, no way of knowing if you’re permanently stuck here, and being surrounded by strangers along with the usual feelings of insecurity and self-doubt is the perfect culmination of factors for a breakdown.
Well, you sourly think, it’s been a while since I’ve had one of these so might as well let it happen. So, you allowed yourself this time to break down and eventually fell asleep, your thoughts drifting to a certain bronze haired victor…
A/N part two: apologies if these seemed so scattered and not well-strung together. I felt inclined to update, but the timeline of the story might’ve slipped my mind a bit at certain parts (I’m getting antsy for the slow burn with Finnick lol). I’ll probably do another big time jump in the next installment, just to get some more space for my storyline to grow in. Appreciate all of you and please leave your thoughts below 💗
