You Asked For This - Finnick Odair

A Pocket of Light

"You can take your 'I'm okay' hat off now. It's just me. Fall apart. I'm not going anywhere."
— Erin Van Vuren

...

Cora and Finnick had been allowed to go home while Idris Webber went on her victory tour. They comforted their siblings. Cora especially. She was the oldest, now.

Annie did what she could to help. She, along with Mags, took care of the kids when Cora couldn't. But the seventeen-year-old girl knew the fifteen-year-old cried when she thought no one was around.

Ocean and Annie had become close during Cora and Finnick's year in the Capitol. Losing him hurt her.

When it was time for Cora and Finnick to go back to the Capitol, they took extra care to hug their siblings and tell them how much they loved them. They did the same with Mags. And Annie.

When Cora hugged Annie, she made sure to tell her just how much Ocean cherished their friendship.

And, just like that, the seventeen-year-old Victors of District 4 were back in the Capitol. Like nothing ever happened.

The first week back was miserable. She had five appointments. And she just had to let everything happen. Who knows what Snow would do next time she messed up.

The following week was better. Cora had an appointment with Xena Tinsley. They went partying and got wasted. Cora didn't have to think. She got so drunk that she forgot who she was.

"Coraaaaaa," the pink-haired girl slurred. "Can you pass me an orange vial? Pretty pleaseeee?"

The girls were back at Xena's apartment after a long night out. Percy had helped them find the apartment and set two vials on an end table before heading back to the front desk.

The strawberry-blonde did as she was asked and Xena downed the vial in a second.

"Okay, and now you," the brown-eyed girl instructed.

Cora was too out-of-it to refuse. Or to properly pick up the vial. So Xena had to pour the orange liquid into her friend's mouth.

The moment the liquid met her tongue, Cora's giddy attitude faded away. She tried to hide it, but the difference was night and day.

"What's going on, Cora?" Xena asked. "You've been off since the games and you never drink more than me."

"Nothing, don't worry about it," The District 4 girl sighed.

"Except it obviously is something."

The girls sat in silence, both too stubborn to back down.

"You can tell me, Cora. It's just me," Xena calmly said with a tone that was so kind and down-to-earth that it took Cora off guard.

The silence lasted a little more until Cora finally broke down into sobs.

Xena immediately went to hold and comfort her friend.

Eventually, the pink-haired girl was able to piece together what happened. It was hard to understand the strawberry-blonde in-between her hics, sobs, and the stuttering that resulted from them. But, in the end, Xena figured it out.

She repeated over-and-over to Cora that what happened wasn't her fault. The girl never seemed to believe her.

After Cora's breakdown, the girls got cleaned up and put on their silk pjs. That blue guest room was Cora's room, now, for whenever she spent the night.

The rest of the night was spent the same as many nights they spent together. Painting nails, braiding hair, telling wild stories about run-ins at some club. Xena helped Cora write the beginnings of a song for Ocean. It was a good night.

Coral Newport's life had been painful and would continue to be that way for quite some time. The darkness was suffocating and only ever seemed to get darker.

But, in the darkness that was Coral Newport's life, were also pockets of light. And Xena Tinsely, whether she was unhinged or understanding, was most definitely a pocket of light.