Summary | You were going on a small road trip with your father and his best friend Joel. The car suddenly broke down on a street in the middle of no where. Your father had left you and Joel alone in the car while he walked down to the small gas station you guys had passed. You decided to pass time by making jokes.
Warnings | No outbreak/pre-outbreak, age gap [reader is 20, Joel is 42], light cussing, platonic relationship, joel’s like a father figure, mentions of Sarah, mentions of underage drinking/smoking, inspo from Ellie telling Joel jokes lol
“Aw fuck!” Your dad cursed as he tried to start the car for the sixth time.
You sighed in the back seat, leaning on the window. Just great. You were stuck in the middle of no where with your dad and his best friend. You loved them both, but this wasn’t what you imagined this trip to be. You already didn’t really want to go with the two down to… you couldn’t even remember. All you really knew was that you’d be outside for most of the time. But you agreed to go since you didn’t spend as much time with your father as you used to.
“Told you we should’ve taken my truck.” Joel sighed as your dad threw his head back in frustration.
“Oh shut up Joel.” He scoffed playfully.
Your dad and Joel were long term friends. You’ve heard all of the stories about their adventures growing up together. They were practically brothers at this point. He came over your house for Thanksgiving and sometimes even Christmas. There would be cookout’s at Joel’s house almost every weekend during the summer.
“Y’know it’s true old man.” Joel chuckled as he looked out of the window. His rough hair blew in the cool Texas breeze, causing him to move it out of his eyes.
“Old man? Says the one with gray hairs.” Your dad chuckled along with him. pointing out the few gray hairs in Joel’s hair. They were more common in his beard and mustache than on his head, but they were definitely there.
“The women love it.” He said smugly.
You chuckled at their playful banter. This is how they always were. Always picking at each other like they were kids. You somehow felt like you were on a trip with two prepubescent boys.
“You guys sound like kids.” You chuckled as you adjusted your position in the back seat.
They both turned in their seats to look back at you. They turned back to each other with a small grin.
“Sorry baby girl, I’ll go down to the gas station down the road. See if someone there can help.” You dad reached back and patted your knee as he unbuckled his seat belt.
“I’ll go with ya-” Joel spoke.
“No you keep an eye on her. She’s a little mischievous one. And I don’t know what type of people are out here…” Your dad cut him off.
Joel nodded and let him exit the car. He walked off and there a silence in the car. Since the car wasn't working, that means the radio wasn’t either. That was by far the worst part about this.
“What’s he mean by that? You’re mischievous?” Joel asked, turning to you. You were sat directly behind him, so it was a strain on his neck.
You giggled at the question. You were always a very curious and adventurous child, just like your father. Always getting into things you shouldn’t or something like that.
“Mischievous isn’t the right word. I’m just a bit.. curious.” You shrugged as you chuckled a bit.
“Yes you are. But mischievous is quite a word.. what have you been gettin’ into kid?”
You brought your legs up to the empty seats next to you and leaned against the door. Without the cool air conditioning of the car, you were starting to sweat in the heat.
“Nothing. I’ve been acting right in college nothing crazy. Just.. a few parties here and there. But don’t tell my dad, he doesn’t know.” You giggled. “But mischievous definitely isn’t the right word.”
“Sure it ain’t… you be drinking at them parties?” He asked in a more stern tone.
It kind of shocked you. Joel usually didn’t use that tone with you. Unless he was being real serious. You debated on lying or telling the truth. You’ve had a few drinks at some parties in the past two years, but nothing wild. Smoked a few blunts here and there, but nothing wild. No blacking out, no fights, no spontaneous hook ups.
“Okay… maybe I’ve had a few. But I been drinking since I was seven! You’ve heard the story.” You defended yourself. Joel chuckled, recalling the story of your first alcoholic experience.
You once got into the liquor cabinet and poured some whiskey out of pure curiosity at the age of seven. You didn't fully understand what alcohol was and why you couldn’t drink it. It tasted disgusting to your young taste buds and you went and told your parents about it. You asked how they ever enjoyed drinking such a disgusting drink. They laughed at it and explained to you why you shouldn’t drink alcohol until you were old enough. Incidents like that were very common with you. Even now as an adult.
“Yeah yeah.. Good point.” He looked over to your bag by your seat. “Why’d you bring so many books? We’re going to a national park, not a book convention ya little bookworm.”
That’s where you were going. Big Bend National Park.
You really needed to pay more attention. You would’ve brought better shoes to walk with if you knew you’d be walking around a lot.
“Books are amazing. Thank you very much.” You said as you reached down to grab a book. You grabbed the first one you saw. ‘Super Dad Jokes Vol. 3’. You didn’t even realize you packed this with you. But you opened the book and scanned the pages for a good joke. You came to a page with jokes all about cars. You smirked. “Why did the man remove the wheels from his car before a road trip?”
Joel sighed deeply before replying. “Oh Lord… why?”
You giggled as you heard his sigh. You’d been telling jokes from these books for years now. You always thought they were absolutely hilarious. “Cause he wanted to drive tirelessly!” You laughed as you delivered the punchline. You could hear Joel sigh again.
“That… that wasn’t funny.”
“Heyyy! That was comedic gold. Here…” You scanned the pages again. “What did the car say to the stoplight?” Joel stayed silent, waiting for you to complete the joke. “You’ve changed man!” You said loudly as you laughed even harder.
“You’re never gonna stop telling these jokes, are you?” He chuckled.
“Not as long as they keep making these books.” You smiled.
You glanced over to the rear view mirror. You could see a car driving up behind you. You saw a man and your dad in the front two seats. You swung your legs off the seat and turned your whole body to face the back of the car. Your dad got out of the car and walked up to your door. The windows were down so he didn’t open it.
“He’s gonna try and jump start the car.” Your dad said to both you and Joel. The car pulled ahead of you, maneuvering it’s way so that the front of the car was facing yours.
“Y’know… this reminds me of that one time.” Joel started. Your dad looked at him with a questioning look. “When my girl gave birth to our son in the car-”
“Son? Sarah is a girl…” You cut him off, clearly confused. Your father looked at him with more confusion than before.
“On our way to the hospital she gave birth to our son in the car. We named him Carson.” Joel finished with a small smirk on his lips.
You sat there confused for a moment. Your dad was questioning him, asking if he had some secret kid. You then realized what he said.
“Oh so you think you can out do me in jokes? That was terrible.” You scoffed as you chuckled at his attempt to make a joke.
I'm currently working on a fic that'll (hopefully..) be posted on Wattpad in a month or so. I'm about halfway through the first chapter and I plan on releasing the first 3 chapters at the same time.
It's a Tewkesbury fic (from Enola Holmes) and it's an oc insert. Go follow my Wattpad for notifications!! mwuah <3
Summary | In which you were the previous winner of the Hunger Games. It was time for the next year’s games, which was a whole new experience. You run into Finnick Odair after an interview, and he’s just as charming as everyone says. (reader is 19, Finnick is 20)
Warnings | Honestly just a bit of fluff, a bit of PTSD, anxiety, comfort, finnick being a slight flirt, maybe a bit corny (mb if it is :/)
You woke up in a cold sweat, panting from another nightmare. Ever since the games, you’ve been plagued with terrible nightmares. They’ve ranged from being killed by another tribute to coming home and finding your whole family dead.
You look over at the clock on the bedside table. You were in the Capitol, preparing for the upcoming games. Certain victors got to go to the Capitol early instead of staying in their districts to watch the reaping. After all, the Capitol needed entertainment before the games as well. There were enough victors from your district to escort the new tributes to the Capitol. You were nervous to see who they’d be this year. The reaping was in two days and you were worried that both of the tributes would be people you knew. The past few years have been kids you barely knew; kids who were way older than you were.
But this year would be so different. Being able to help the tributes in the arena before and during the game was a lot of pressure. And you knew that they’d see your help since you were the most recent victor. Truthfully, you knew almost nothing about winning. You were just skilled with a knife since your father was a butcher. You knew where and how to slice someone up. That’s from experience and knowledge, not necessarily skills. And you cannot teach that in only a week. You’d have to pray they weren’t going to be completely clueless on how to use some sort of weapon.
Pushing the thoughts of the actual games out of your head and groan as you get out of bed. The best thing about the Capitol was the glamorous treatment. You couldn’t deny that it was nice. A comfortable bed, warm running water, and the best food you’ve ever tasted. You walked over to the closet and pulled out your clothes for the day. You had a day full of interviews today, most being radio broadcasts. But there was one TV interview. It only made the slightest difference, since you felt pressured to dress up in the Capitol either way.
There was also an area where the victors stayed in the large apartment-like building they called the Victior’s Villa. It was right next to the tribute center, being connected by a small bridge. Almost all of the victors that were here were having interviews as well. Afterwards, you’d meet up with your fellow victors at the penthouse where there was a sort of lounge where the victors hung at. You took note of that and brought out a nice dress that was flowy, perfect for the summer weather. It hit about mid-thigh and was made out of a material you couldn’t name. It was perfect for the interviews and making a good first impression on your fellow victors.
After you were done with your interviews, which you had five of, you were pretty tired. Speaking about your games was… exhausting. You suffered so much in the arena, both physically and mentally. You’d seen horrors you never thought you would have to endure. But sometimes they’d ask about the upcoming games or how you liked victor life. You answered brightly, not wanting to come off as rude and cause issues in Panem. You knew how easily it was to spark a fire that could not be put out.
As you reached the Victor’s Villa, you sighed in relief. You quickly made your way inside and towards the elevators. The Victor’s Villa was two stories higher than the Tribute Center, considering it had the grand lobby and penthouse. You saw many other victors either waiting for someone, talking, or walking in and out of the building. They were all older than you, with a few exceptions with the more recent victors. You made your way to the elevators, you heels clicking on the marble floors underneath you. You pressed the button to summon the elevator and as you waited for either of the six doors to open, you heard an unfamiliar voice call you name. You turned to see who called out to you.
You saw a blonde man with the most beautiful tan skin you’ve seen walk up to you with a smirk planted on his lips. It was Finnick Odair. The youngest ever victor.
He was prettier in person.
You smiled politely at him as he walked up to you.
“Hello gorgeous. Saw your games, you’re a killer with a knife.” His smirk grew as he took in your appearance. His eyes traveled along your body, admiring your dress and the way it flowed off of your curves.
“Saw yours too. Pretty impressive at only fourteen.” You smirked back at him.
The elevator doors finally opened and you both stepped inside. You reached for the button marked with a ‘P’, but he beat you to it. He tsked at you as he looked back over to you. You couldn’t help but admire his beauty up close in the small elevator. His dirty blond hair complimented his perfectly tanned skin. His lips were shiny and moisturized. And he looked amazing as he sported a white knit polo and brown slacks.
“Starstuck much, darling?” He chuckled as he noticed your oogling. You looked away in embarrassment.
“Maybe… Just never seen any of you guys in person. Slightly intimidating honestly.” You said, trying to play it off. He chuckled at your response. He leaned against the glass of the elevator. The windows looked out to the vast lobby.
There were windows on all sides of the lobby, giving the people passing by a full view of the interior. Most people in this part of the Capitol were the high class citizens from families of generational wealth. Either that or the people like game makers, stylists, or whoever else had a part in the games. The ceiling of the lobby reached up to the roof, which was also glass. You looked away from Finnick, staring out at the lobby and the street outside.
“Felt the same way when I first won. Didn’t have any friends here, other than Mags. But she was more like a mother.” He trailed off. “But… I’ll make sure you have a familiar face outside of your district.” He turned to you with a comforting smile.
“Thank you. That’s very kind.” You exchanged small smiles with Finnick.
You looked back out the glass of the elevator and realized you were almost at the top. Your nerves started to kick in, heartbeat quickening and palms sweating. You were about to step into a places with experienced killers, since most of the victors were careers. You knew that not all of the victors were here yet, but you were still nervous. Finnick noticed your breathing and placed a hand on your shoulder. You looked over to him with wide eyes.
“It’s fine. There’s usually drinks and food up there. Most people talk to the others who won around the same time as you. They’ll look at you a bit but they truly won’t pay you any mind. Your win wasn’t out of the ordinary, so they won’t bother you much.” He soothed your rapid mind, reassuring you that the victors won’t be as scary as you imagined. The thought of food also calmed you.
“Do they have those little cocktail things?” You asked him, trying to hide the excitement in your voice.
“There’s a bar, darling. You can get whatever drink you like there.” He chuckled as he patted you on the shoulder.
The elevator came to a stop before the doors smoothly opened. The doors opened to reveal a large room. There were couches and chairs along the walls. There was a large television towards the opposite side of the room with tons of couches surrounding it. It was playing the news as one of the victors smiled brightly as they answered questions. Against the back wall, there was the bar Finnick talked about. There were avoxes all over the room holding trays of food and champagne. You looked around the room in slight awe as Finnick laughed at you lightly.
“C’mon, outside is better.” He said as he removed his hand from your back and walked further into the room towards the large double doors leading to the balcony. You didn’t even know if you could call it a balcony since the room only took up maybe about half of the roof. But you followed his lead.
There were a few victors, all significantly older than you in the room. They talked among each other. They glanced over at you, nodding their heads or smiling to greet you. You smiled back as you walked a few steps behind Finnick. You reached the doors and he opened one, letting you walk out first. The summer heat hit you as soon as you stepped out. You were glad you wore the dress. The breeze cooled you down and moved your hair off of your shoulders and let it lightly fly in the air behind you.
There were more couches and chairs out here, along with another television that seemed to be against the one that one inside. There were high tables along the perimeter of the balcony. You walked over to one, hopping in the chair. Finnick sat across from you, admiring the beautiful city.
You gazed out with him. Years ago, you never thought you’d see the Capitol twice. Now that you’ve survived the games, you have years of this to come. Years watching innocent children die for entertainment and punishment. But at least you didn’t have to experience it alone.
Because now there’s one more familiar face in this horrid world.
