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Tom Blyth - Blog Posts
Mecore ♡
Pretty much
I ♡ Christmas
12 days of Christmas - Day Four
“Have a good evening, President Snow.”
You’re already nestled in the warm, dimly lit confines of the town car as the driver shuts the door behind Coriolanus, who slides across the sleek leather upholstery to put his arm around you and draw you close. You giggle as you lay your head against your husband’s chest. Breathing in the familiar scent of his cologne (which you picked out), you press your cheek against the crimson velvet of his lapel and smile up at him.
“You know,” you say, “this is the first time we’ve been alone together all day.”
Coryo’s eyebrows twitch together. “Is it? That can’t be true.”
“It is,” you confirm. “You were at work all day before the party, and so we came in separate cars. And the party itself was so crowded that I only had to turn my head for a moment to lose track of you.”
Gently cupping your chin, Coryo comments, “I think you’re pouting, my love.”
“Well—” You try to let your mouth soften, but now that you’ve gotten started, it’s rather difficult to stop. “It’s just that — I know the holidays are busy, but we’ve hardly spent any time together lately. It feels like we only just had the wedding, and then all of these galas and soirees started.”
To be fair to you, it likely feels as though you only just had the wedding because you did just have the wedding. You were married on November 17th, less than a month ago. Between the engagement party, the wedding and reception, and various fetes to congratulate you on the nuptials, you’ve spent most of the autumn in a panoply of gowns.
Pausing to take a breath, you peek up at him from under your eyelashes, but he doesn’t seem put off by your outburst, so you keep going. “And I know you’re an important man, and everyone wants you at their party — and once you’re there, they just want to talk to you and show off that you’ve come…”
And frankly, you can’t deny that a part of you loves that, seeing every head in the room swivel toward your husband — with you on his arm — as the two of you enter a room. Tonight, for instance, there was even a grand staircase to sweep down, and Coryo made sure to pause so that you were both framed at the top. He, in a red velvet suit jacket and blank pants, a crisp white shirt standing out like freshly fallen snow against the rich fabrics; you, in a silver and white gown with a pattern of crystals that swirled over the material like a flurry of flakes.
But—
“But then they monopolize your time, and it’s been like this all week,” you finish, an undeniably wheedling tone in your voice that you aren’t all that proud of. “And I know it’s just going to get worse all the way through Christmas.”
Coryo looks at you with a little wince pulling at the corners of his mouth. “Don’t forget about New Year’s,” he says, and your pout only deepens. He smooths his fingertips through your hair, trying to comfort you. “I know, darling. We have our obligations. I understand they can be tedious, but they are helpful. You know how important public image is for me.”
You sigh softly, rubbing your cheek against the soft material of his suit jacket. “I know,” you murmur.
He presses his lips to the crown of your head. “Although the papers just keep talking about how beautiful you look,” he teases lightly, making you giggle. “Hardly a mention of their poor president. Not that I blame them. I don’t notice anyone else when you’re in the room.”
You bury your face against his chest, in an attempt to hide your blush. It’s too dark for the ruby stain on your cheeks to show up, but if anyone would be able to discern it, it’s Coryo. Sometimes you think that your husband has the ability to read minds, at least yours.
Coryo takes the opportunity to cradle your head against his chest, fingers working into the chignon you have pinned at the nape of your neck, freeing the pins so your hair tumbles around your shoulders. You sigh softly in relief at the sensation.
“I hope you know,” he murmurs, “that if I could be spending all my time with you, I would. I’d let this country go to hell in a hand basket.”
You smile softly, even though you know that’s not quite true. Your husband has plans for Panem, and as much as he loves you, you know there’s no one in the world he would allow to get in the way of those plan s — not even his wife.
“How many more engagements do we have this week?” you ask, peeking up at him again.
The way Coryo nibbles on his plush lower lip makes it clear that there are going to be plenty. You purse your lips and let your head drop back onto his chest again.
“I’m sorry.” He murmurs his apology into your hair. “You’ve been holding up so well, darling. I know you must be tired.”
You look up at him and shake your head. “It’s worth it, to be with you,” you tell him. “If this is the only time I can see you, I wouldn’t want to be doing anything else.”
Coryo cups your cheek in his palm, smiling gently. “My sweet girl,” he says.
The car pulls up in front of the presidential mansion, and the driver comes around to your side of the car to open your door for you. You take his hand, gathering your skirt up so you can step out without tripping over the hem. Coryo follows after you, putting his hand on the small of your back as the two of you mount the steps to the front door.
“At least we have this time to ourselves,” he murmurs in your ear, as the two of you step into the front hall. “These few hours before we go to bed are often the best part of my day.”
“They are?” you say.
“Mhm,” he says. “As beautiful as you look in all your finery, there’s something so delicious about seeing you in a natural state. It’s so…”
He pauses, searching for the right world. “Clean,” he murmurs. “Pure.”
Despite the words he’s chosen, you find fresh color burning in your cheeks. Maybe it’s because you love that he thinks of you that way — pure. As if you’re something delicate and lovely, someone to be cherished and taken care of. His treasure. His beloved.
He slips his arm around your waist snugly, drawing you against his side. You kick off your shoes, and before you can bend to pick them up, Coryo says, “Leave them.”
A moment later, he has you in his arms, carrying you bridal-style down the long hallway to the master suite. You squeal with surprise — and more than a little bit of pleasure — and wrap your arms around his shoulders, giggling helplessly.
He nudges one of the double doors open with his shoulder, and deposits you on the bed, swinging his arms so that you fly through the air and land safely on the middle of the vast, soft mattress with a little fwump. You’re still giggling when your maid comes in to help you undress. The maid smiles furtively as she helps you to your feet. She’s an older woman, with soft gray curls framing her face like a cloud, and she reminds you of your nana. Especially when she shoots you a little smile like this, an expression that tells you she thinks you and Coryo are just adorable.
In your bathroom, the maid combs out your hair, applies skin cream to your neck and face, and brings you nightgowns to choose from. As you slip into one, the soft cotton wrapping around your body, your eyes widen as an idea comes to you.
“Magda,” you say to your maid. “Would you do me a favor?”
After you explain what you need, Madga giggles like a woman thirty years younger. “I would be happy to arrange that for you, madam.”
The two of you grin at each other like a pair of little girls conspiring to steal cookies from the kitchen. You haven’t quite wiped the mischievous gleam from your eye when you crawl into bed with Coryo, who looks at you with a grin, arching an eyebrow.
“And what is it that has you looking so impish?” he teases.
Your smile widens and you shrug your shoulders. “You’ll see.”
Unsurprisingly, when you awake that morning, your husband has already gone to work. But you don’t mind this time, because you have a project to work on — and you’re glad, too, that his social engagement tonight is taking place at a cigar club. Normally you would turn up your nose at a place that excludes women, but you’re glad to have tonight free.
Or mostly free, at any rate.
Magda brings you several catalogues, and you pore over them intensely, trying to find something that will both suit you and catch Coryo’s eye. At last, near the last page of the fourth catalogue, your eye lands on the perfect thing. “Magda!” you gasp, snatching up the catalogue and waving it around in your excitement. “Come here! I found it!”
You write down the name of the item as it’s printed in the catalogue, and the size and color that you want. Magda grins at you and you grin back.
“I’ll go get it right now,” she says.
After spending a few moments studying the picture in the catalogue, pleased with your find, you decide to spend the day primping. You soak in a long, hot bath mixed with lavender oil, you wash and air dry your hair before wrapping the gleaming, soft locks in around curlers. While they set, you exfoliate away any remotely rough patches of skin, adding lotion to make sure your skin is sweetly scented and smooth.
When Magda gets home, you squeal and run toward her, nearly upsetting the curlers still sitting in your hair. “Did they have it?”
She beams at you. “They did!” she says, pulling it out of the bag with a flourish. “Here it is. I think it looks even better in person than it does in the picture, don’t you?”
“I do,” you say, beaming yourself, holding it by the hanger and studying the way the material catches the light. “Do you think he’ll like it?”
You don’t have to specify who.
“Oh, madam, I think he will love it.”
Waiting for your husband to come home seems to take an age, but you finally hear the front door open and the sound of servants rushing to greet him, to take his coat and offer him a drink. You took the curlers out of your hair hours ago, and combed out your hair until it falls around your face in soft, gentle waves. You kneel in the middle of the bed, wearing the item Magda rushed out to buy for you.
When the doors to the master suite open, you see Coryo framed between them, and your breath catches in your throat. Goodness, he really is so handsome. He’s clearly still lost in whatever thoughts accompanied home from the cigar club, but then he focuses on you. Coryo’s eyes widen, and then — your breath comes out in a rush of relief — he smiles at you.
“Oh, my,” he says softly. “Did Christmas come early?”
You smile back at him. “For you,” you say. “Just one little gift.”
Coryo steps into the room, shutting the doors firmly behind him. You hear the lock click, which makes your heart give a pleasant little jump in your chest. He steps toward you, reaching out to caress one of the ribbons on your shoulder.
“My love,” he says softly, “there is nothing about you that can be diminished by a little word like just. Especially not tonight.”
Tonight, red silk clings to your skin, highlighting your curves in a warm shade of scarlet. A trim of mulberry lace rests against your thighs and follows the lines of your collarbones, standing stark against your fair skin. Ruby ribbons are tied at each shoulder. If the delicate knots are undone, the silk nightie would just slip down your body to puddle in your lap.
Coryo reaches out and unties one knot.
“You said this was your favorite time of day,” you murmur, looking up at him. “So I thought I would make it particularly special.”
He brushes his fingertips over your cheek, down the curve of your neck to your other shoulder, brushing against the ribbon without untying it.
“There is no man in Panem luckier than I am,” he says. “I was thinking about you all day. Longing for you. And now I come home to find you wrapped up in bows and silk like the most precious gift I could ever hope to receive.”
You bit your lip, looking up at him. “I’m already yours,” you say. “I have been from the moment I met you.”
He takes your hand and draws you off the bed so that you stand in front of him, his fingers finding the other knot. Coryo gives one ribbon a slow, careful pull, his eyes on yours.
“I can only hope to deserve your devotion,” he says. “And to prove to you every day, every moment, that it is entirely reciprocated. I belong to you.”
Without breaking his gaze, he gives the ribbon another tug, the knot falling apart completely. The delicate material slips over your upper body, catching on your hips for only a moment before your husband reaches down and gives a little tug, so that it slides down your legs and puddles at your feet.
“You belong to me?” you repeat.
Coryo nods. His eyes never waver.
“Yes,” he says.
Your fingers brush against the buttons of his shirt. “Then let me unwrap you, too.”
He smiles, and you think you detect a hint of pink in his cheeks. “Please do.”
Hours later, as you drift to sleep with your head pillowed on Coryo’s bare chest, you think — as much as you are looking forward to Christmas morning — no other gift is going to compare to this.
In the end "Snow lands on top" a rant
I just finished the book, and people are right, you actively find yourself rooting for Snow, for a split second you completely forget who he is, who he is to become. You want him to be a good person, the moment I knew his humanity was faltering was when he killed Mayfair and Billy Taupe. He excused it as protecting Sejanus and Lucy Gray, but at the root of it, Coriolanus Snow is a product of Capitol brainwashing and taught to dehumanize the people of the districts.
He's so complex and fucked up and sociopathic and Olivia's song is a perfect encapsulation of Lucy Gray, AND Sejanus Plinth haunting him for the rest of his life. Snow can pretend and poison and erase the memory of them but people with unfinished business tend to come back to finish it.
I had refused to read the last chapter holding it off, cause I already saw the mental change in Snow's character, I was invested but I knew my heart will be broken. Because we only ever knew her through Snow's lens; Lucy Gray Baird's fate forever a mystery, just like her life.
Thank you for reading this mini rant, I'll probably rant again after a while.
Happy birthday to me, my bestie, and our husband Tom Blyth!!!!❤️🎉👑🎊
OMG!! THANK YOU SO MUCH!! I LOVE YOUU!!♡♡♡
I Bet You Think About Me | Coriolanus Snow
Pairing: Coriolanus Snow x fem!reader (District12!reader)
Summary: On the day of his wedding he had everything... except for the bride that he wanted.
Warning/s: angst, kind of like hurt/no comfort kind of thing, wedding, marriage without love, Coryo is drinking alcohol, reader is basically Lucy Gray in this situation, possible grammar and spelling mistakes
Author's note: I'M BACKK!! I missed writing so much, to be honest. All those Coryo and Lucy Gray edits to this song, plus the music video, inspired me to do this. Enjoy!
3 AM and I'm still awake, I'll bet you're just fine
Fast asleep in your city that's better than mine
And the girl in your bed has a fine pedigree
And I'll bet your friends tell you she's better than me, huh
Coriolanus Snow. The young president of Panem. He truly now felt like he had everything. He did an outstanding job as the Gamemaker. In fact, not long after, his work was praised so much that he could finally take that last step to get what he always, truly wanted. And he, in fact, did it. He was the newest president of Panem, and he knew that that was going to last for a very long time.
He had the title. He had the riches. He never had to starve ever again. He never had to wear poorly made clothes. He had the trust of the people in the Capitol, and he had the control of those in the Districts.
But as a president, everyone expected of him to choose his First Lady of Panem as quicklyaspossible, and he knew that it couldn't be just anybody.
So here he was today. Dressed up in a traditional but quite modern black tuxedo with a white undershirt and a purely white rose tucked into his suit on the right side of his chest. Standing in front of the mirror in his bedroom, preparing his wedding speech that he will have to say once he and Livia Cardew are standing on the aisle.
Livia Cardew. She was truly perfect for him. He didn't love her, of course, but that was also his own choice. That's what made her perfect for him.
Once he was forced to find himself a bride because every elite in the Capitol kept pushing, he realized that he truly had no choice. He had to keep up his reputation respectable. So, of course, he knew that his wife, the Future Lady of the Panem, couldn't be just anybody.
Livia Cardew was rich. Her family was too, of course. Their family was respected and considered quite important. Plus, she was pretty. He couldn't really deny that, really.
He chose power, money and reputation that Livia had instead of the love, kindness and compassion that came with you.
He chose it that day that he left you in the woods of District 12. He never knew what happened to you. Did you die? Did you manage to run away in the storm that somehow messed up his head. And perhaps High-as-a-kite-Bottom was telling him some sort of truth when he said that mysteries had a way of driving people mad. And perhaps, if he stayed with you, he would marry someone for love.
Coriolanus let out a groan, shaking his head in a poor attempt to shake those thoughts away. His love for you made him weak. Weak in a way that he never wanted to experience ever again.
Livia didn't have his heart like you did. He doesn't love her. Therefore, he shall never feel weak ever again. He wanted that. He wanted to never love Livia. It was easy, though. It was easy not falling in love with her. Easy compared to you.
But no! He simply refused to think about you on this day. The day of his wedding. He refused the thoughts of you to consume his mind once again. Coriolanus wouldn't let that happen.
So he turned back to the giant mirror that stood in front of him and started to go over his vows once again.
"My darling Livia. You are the most beautiful person I have every encountered." Coriolanus felt his breath shorten at his own lies. "And today, I am honored to be your husband."
It was so fake. It was so cheesy. It was so untrue.
He had to prepare the speech for his bride. For the bride that he never loved.
"Mr. President?" One of the servants came in and addressed him shortly. "It's time."
"I will be there shortly." Coriolanus replied coldly, and the servant closed the door behind him.
Once the door was closed shut once again, he let out a quite loud sigh. In just a few minutes Livia will become a Snow and he will have to proudly show off his little wife that tormented and made fun of him for years during his academy days.
With that thought, President Coriolanus Snow stepped forward towards the door. On the doorway, he lingered. He looked out of the window across his room. He looked out on the city of the Capitol and its glamor and riches and he once again came to a realization that Livia was a perfect fit for his lifestyle unlike you. But he won't ever think of you again.
With the thoughts of you that once again swarmed his head, he loudly closed the door behind himself. Slamming it shut.
Well, I tried to fit in with your upper-crust circles
Yeah, they let me sit in back when we were in love
Oh, they sit around talkin' 'bout the meaning of life
And the book that just saved 'em that I hadn't heard of
After the priest said everything that needed to be said and after Coriolanus, and Livia, did everything that needed to be done the young, freshly married couple walked towards the reception, quickly being surrounded by the Capitol's elite that eagerly introduced themselves like they were one of the most important people there.
Perhaps they were, not that Coriolanus cared even a slightest bit.
Livia was standing in the middle of the circle made by the numerous Capitol's elite while he was standing next to her, a glass of posca in his hand. He knew that drinking that liquid in his glass was not the smartest thing for him considering the fact that the alcoholic drink was perhaps a bit too strong.
Not like he considered it worth giving a damn. He needed something very strong to wash away the feeling of Livia Snow's lips on his once the priest said that he can now kiss his bride.
And now, as he took yet another sip from the tall glass, he still felt disgusted by her. Himself. The whole situation.
A few more minutes, that to Coriolanus felt like hours, passed by. The people's excited chatter. The joy of the new President and the Panem's First Lady was over-the-top evident on everyone's face, except for his.
Livia was bathing in attention that were given to her, smiling, quite pleased with the whole situation. Coriolanus felt like he was going to throw up as he watched the scene unfold in front of him as he, too, had to pretend to be happy with everything.
And perhaps it was to much of the posca that he drowned that night or perhaps it was all of the whiteness of the entire reception that made him think what he thought. Hear what he heard.
As he took another sip from the glass, he could have sworn that he heard that melodic voice that haunted both his dreams and his worst nightmares.
But now that we're done and it's over
I bet you couldn't believe
When you realized I'm harder to forget than I was to leave
And I bet you think about me
Coriolanus watched with wide eyes as you stood a few feet away from him, dressed in the blood-red dress that reached the floor barely as it hugged your frame perfectly. You, in your red dress, stood out so perfectly among the white clothes that every guest was required to wear. You stood out so much, he wondered how nobody but him noticed you.
You stood tall and proud by the enormously big wedding cake, which required the front door to be taken away so it could be placed where it was. Snow remembered watching the staff bringing in the cake, the door laying on the grass behind the servant as they carried the said cake. It was ridiculous.
You turned towards the cake, not noticing his ever so blue eyes trailing on you as you moved.
Coriolanus felt his breath shorten once again as he watched your everlasting beauty. He was suddenly very aware of the cool glass that contained posca in his hand and the cold sweat that was sliding down his spine. Was it panic? Was it anticipation? He didn't know.
He watched you as you stretched your hand out towards the top of the cake as you stood on the gigantic table where it was placed, your red heels clicking as you did so.
Suddenly, you knocked over two figures, one of himself and one of Livia dressed up for their wedding. He let out a quiet, barely audible, gasp as you did so and then slowly lowered yourself to the ground.
A little girl, dressed in white, a guest, appeared you as Coriolanus watched. You quickly froze, standing completely still. After a very short while, you slid your finger over the icing of the cake and put the finger in your mouth, tasting the cake.
The little girl smiled and did the same. You and the girl shared the smile before you struck your hand into the cake, ripping one piece out revealing the red color under the purely white cake before you shoved it into your mouth, eating it. The little girl ran off after getting the taste of the delicious cake as you chewed on your piece.
As you did so, Coriolanus and you established eye contact. You made a grimace that clearly indicated that you were disappointed that you had been caught.
Coriolanus Snow allowed himself to blink for a moment to compose himself, and once he re-opened, you were gone.
You grew up in a silver-spoon gated community
Glamorous, shiny, bright Beverly Hills
I was raised on a farm, no, it wasn't a mansion
Just livin' room dancin' and kitchen table bills
Coriolanus and Livia sat down at the front of the reception as the entertainer did his job. He entered the guests of the Capitol’s elite with the microphone in his hand, tight grip on it, which showed Coriolanus that he was nervous.
Coriolanus brushed it off because, all things considered, he was doing quite a good job. He even found himself laughing along to the jokes that were being made.
After one more joke, he turned to one of the Capitol’s elite to quietly, with a smile on his face, discuss the joke that was made. However, the moment he turned back around, his smile disappeared at the sight in front of him.
You were standing there, in a red suit, with a red microphone on your hands, making jokes.
"And then," you spoke in the fit of giggles. "He left me in the woods to die after he told me he loved me."
You laughed after it, and every single Capitol’s elite followed. Coriolanus felt like he wanted to die at that moment, the look of pure horror planted onto his face.
"And best of all was that he HIMSELF tried to kill me with a gun!" You smiled as you tapped a few times on the table near Livia as you pointed at him with a smile, and every single guest of the wedding reception broke into laughter once again.
This can't be real, can it? Coriolanus thought to himself as he watched you.
But you know what they say, you can't help who you fall for
And you and I fell like an early spring snow
But reality crept in, you said we're too different
You laughed at my dreams, rolled your eyes at my jokes
After that, you, out of nowhere, pulled out a little red box as you made your way towards Livia, who was looking at you with anticipation and excitement.
You handed her your gift as Coriolanus found it harder and harder to breathe.
Livia quickly, but gracefully, opened the box as she removed the ribbon on top.
And as she pulled out the shawl that belonged to Coriolanus' mother, he felt like he was going to scream at the top of his lungs.
It was the shawl that Coriolanus gifted to you back when the two of you took off into the woods. That was the only thing that he found once he started to chase you through the woods. He never found you, though.
Livia placed it around her as she thanked you for the gift. Everyone around you swooned at your sweet gesture as they clapped pleasingly.
You bowed your head down slowly after you drowned the glass of alcohol, falling into the crowd of guests. Disappearing once again.
Now you're out in the world, searchin' for your soul
Scared not to be hip, scared to get old
Chasin' make-believe status, last time you felt free
Was when none of that shit mattered 'cause you were with me
Coriolanus chased after you, trying to catch you. He was suddenly blinded by the light because of the photographer that was taking pictured.
After the photographer went away, Coriolanus rubbed his eyes as his vision, thankfully, turned back to normal. He looked ahead.
And there you were. In a while wedding dress. The back of the dress was trailing behind you. The dress was also graced by white roses all over it. Your hair was in a type of hairstyle that was holding it all up. Your eyes were watching his every move as you stood in front of him.
Coriolanus felt like he couldn't breathe, and so, for a moment, he felt himself longing to cherish every moment of this.
It was just like Coriolanus had imagined it. You as his bride, himself as your groom. It was everything that he truly needed. Everything he ever wanted. Just you and him. You two of you having your first dance as a freshly married couple.
Suddenly, all lights but one went away. The white light above you shined as Coriolanus tried to catch his breath.
He slowly stepped forward, and you immediately followed his lead. Soon, you were standing in front of each other. Chest to chest. So intimate. So perfect.
He slowly reached for your hand, placing it onto his as he soaked up the feeling of your soft skin against his.
He slid his other hand around your waist, bringing you closer to him as you placed your other hand on his shoulder. For a moment, everything stood still. For a moment, the only thing that Coriolanus could hear was his breathing and the beating of his heart.
Coriolanus and you leaned your foreheads against each other, noses brushing. Coriolanus closed his eyes. He never wanted this to end. Then you started to dance.
You were moving with such grace as he spinned you around. His hand in yours as you slided around the dance floor.
"Coryo," your soft voice that whispered in his ear broke the peaceful silence, and his eyes snapped to yours. His eyes. His ocean blue eyes that were always so cold now looked at you with so much gentleness and pure adoration.
"Can I ask you something?"
"Anything, my love." Coriolanus answered without any hesitation.
"Does it make you feel sad that the love that you're looking for was the love that you had?"
Coriolanus was speechless. The look in your eyes caused the lump in his throat to be stuck there forevermore. He didn't say anything. He didn't protest to your claim. How could he? You were right. On the day of his wedding, he wished to marry you, not Livia. He never found in Livia what he did in you, and he, let's be honest, never will.
Suddenly, before he could stop you, you moved away from him, letting go of his hand and shoulder.
But now that we're done and it's over
I bet it's hard to believe
But it turned out I'm harder to forget than I was to leave
And, yeah, I bet you think about me
You lifted the front of your dress a little bit so you could walk without tripping over. You gazed over your shoulder at Coriolanus before you continued to walk away.
Once you were far away from him, you turned around, quickly causing your hair to fall down your shoulders as you leaned towards him.
All of a sudden, your dress turned red, and as you took a hold of your guitar that he knew all too well (hihi, get it?) the white roses on your dress were painted red.
The white curtain behind you fell, revealing the red light and the Covey as you played your guitar, softly swaying to the music you made.
"I hope you get what you deserve, Coriolanus Snow," you spoke softly, meeting his eyes once more. "But I don't need to worry. You will get what you deserve one day."
With a soft smile, you started to sing.
I bet you think about me when you're out
At your cool indie music concerts every week
I bet you think about me in your house
With your organic shoes and your million-dollar couch
I bet you think about me when you say
"Oh my God, she's insane, she wrote a song about me"
I bet you think about me 🌹
->
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TAGLIST:
@hellonheels-x @especiallythewomenandthechildren @prettyinsatiable @10ava01 @regulusblackcore @writesleah @thecrowdedstreetin1944 @caroline-books @runningfrom2am
I Bet You Think About Me | Coriolanus Snow
Pairing: Coriolanus Snow x fem!reader (District12!reader)
Summary: On the day of his wedding he had everything... except for the bride that he wanted.
Warning/s: angst, kind of like hurt/no comfort kind of thing, wedding, marriage without love, Coryo is drinking alcohol, reader is basically Lucy Gray in this situation, possible grammar and spelling mistakes
Author's note: I'M BACKK!! I missed writing so much, to be honest. All those Coryo and Lucy Gray edits to this song, plus the music video, inspired me to do this. Enjoy!
3 AM and I'm still awake, I'll bet you're just fine
Fast asleep in your city that's better than mine
And the girl in your bed has a fine pedigree
And I'll bet your friends tell you she's better than me, huh
Coriolanus Snow. The young president of Panem. He truly now felt like he had everything. He did an outstanding job as the Gamemaker. In fact, not long after, his work was praised so much that he could finally take that last step to get what he always, truly wanted. And he, in fact, did it. He was the newest president of Panem, and he knew that that was going to last for a very long time.
He had the title. He had the riches. He never had to starve ever again. He never had to wear poorly made clothes. He had the trust of the people in the Capitol, and he had the control of those in the Districts.
But as a president, everyone expected of him to choose his First Lady of Panem as quicklyaspossible, and he knew that it couldn't be just anybody.
So here he was today. Dressed up in a traditional but quite modern black tuxedo with a white undershirt and a purely white rose tucked into his suit on the right side of his chest. Standing in front of the mirror in his bedroom, preparing his wedding speech that he will have to say once he and Livia Cardew are standing on the aisle.
Livia Cardew. She was truly perfect for him. He didn't love her, of course, but that was also his own choice. That's what made her perfect for him.
Once he was forced to find himself a bride because every elite in the Capitol kept pushing, he realized that he truly had no choice. He had to keep up his reputation respectable. So, of course, he knew that his wife, the Future Lady of the Panem, couldn't be just anybody.
Livia Cardew was rich. Her family was too, of course. Their family was respected and considered quite important. Plus, she was pretty. He couldn't really deny that, really.
He chose power, money and reputation that Livia had instead of the love, kindness and compassion that came with you.
He chose it that day that he left you in the woods of District 12. He never knew what happened to you. Did you die? Did you manage to run away in the storm that somehow messed up his head. And perhaps High-as-a-kite-Bottom was telling him some sort of truth when he said that mysteries had a way of driving people mad. And perhaps, if he stayed with you, he would marry someone for love.
Coriolanus let out a groan, shaking his head in a poor attempt to shake those thoughts away. His love for you made him weak. Weak in a way that he never wanted to experience ever again.
Livia didn't have his heart like you did. He doesn't love her. Therefore, he shall never feel weak ever again. He wanted that. He wanted to never love Livia. It was easy, though. It was easy not falling in love with her. Easy compared to you.
But no! He simply refused to think about you on this day. The day of his wedding. He refused the thoughts of you to consume his mind once again. Coriolanus wouldn't let that happen.
So he turned back to the giant mirror that stood in front of him and started to go over his vows once again.
"My darling Livia. You are the most beautiful person I have every encountered." Coriolanus felt his breath shorten at his own lies. "And today, I am honored to be your husband."
It was so fake. It was so cheesy. It was so untrue.
He had to prepare the speech for his bride. For the bride that he never loved.
"Mr. President?" One of the servants came in and addressed him shortly. "It's time."
"I will be there shortly." Coriolanus replied coldly, and the servant closed the door behind him.
Once the door was closed shut once again, he let out a quite loud sigh. In just a few minutes Livia will become a Snow and he will have to proudly show off his little wife that tormented and made fun of him for years during his academy days.
With that thought, President Coriolanus Snow stepped forward towards the door. On the doorway, he lingered. He looked out of the window across his room. He looked out on the city of the Capitol and its glamor and riches and he once again came to a realization that Livia was a perfect fit for his lifestyle unlike you. But he won't ever think of you again.
With the thoughts of you that once again swarmed his head, he loudly closed the door behind himself. Slamming it shut.
Well, I tried to fit in with your upper-crust circles
Yeah, they let me sit in back when we were in love
Oh, they sit around talkin' 'bout the meaning of life
And the book that just saved 'em that I hadn't heard of
After the priest said everything that needed to be said and after Coriolanus, and Livia, did everything that needed to be done the young, freshly married couple walked towards the reception, quickly being surrounded by the Capitol's elite that eagerly introduced themselves like they were one of the most important people there.
Perhaps they were, not that Coriolanus cared even a slightest bit.
Livia was standing in the middle of the circle made by the numerous Capitol's elite while he was standing next to her, a glass of posca in his hand. He knew that drinking that liquid in his glass was not the smartest thing for him considering the fact that the alcoholic drink was perhaps a bit too strong.
Not like he considered it worth giving a damn. He needed something very strong to wash away the feeling of Livia Snow's lips on his once the priest said that he can now kiss his bride.
And now, as he took yet another sip from the tall glass, he still felt disgusted by her. Himself. The whole situation.
A few more minutes, that to Coriolanus felt like hours, passed by. The people's excited chatter. The joy of the new President and the Panem's First Lady was over-the-top evident on everyone's face, except for his.
Livia was bathing in attention that were given to her, smiling, quite pleased with the whole situation. Coriolanus felt like he was going to throw up as he watched the scene unfold in front of him as he, too, had to pretend to be happy with everything.
And perhaps it was to much of the posca that he drowned that night or perhaps it was all of the whiteness of the entire reception that made him think what he thought. Hear what he heard.
As he took another sip from the glass, he could have sworn that he heard that melodic voice that haunted both his dreams and his worst nightmares.
But now that we're done and it's over
I bet you couldn't believe
When you realized I'm harder to forget than I was to leave
And I bet you think about me
Coriolanus watched with wide eyes as you stood a few feet away from him, dressed in the blood-red dress that reached the floor barely as it hugged your frame perfectly. You, in your red dress, stood out so perfectly among the white clothes that every guest was required to wear. You stood out so much, he wondered how nobody but him noticed you.
You stood tall and proud by the enormously big wedding cake, which required the front door to be taken away so it could be placed where it was. Snow remembered watching the staff bringing in the cake, the door laying on the grass behind the servant as they carried the said cake. It was ridiculous.
You turned towards the cake, not noticing his ever so blue eyes trailing on you as you moved.
Coriolanus felt his breath shorten once again as he watched your everlasting beauty. He was suddenly very aware of the cool glass that contained posca in his hand and the cold sweat that was sliding down his spine. Was it panic? Was it anticipation? He didn't know.
He watched you as you stretched your hand out towards the top of the cake as you stood on the gigantic table where it was placed, your red heels clicking as you did so.
Suddenly, you knocked over two figures, one of himself and one of Livia dressed up for their wedding. He let out a quiet, barely audible, gasp as you did so and then slowly lowered yourself to the ground.
A little girl, dressed in white, a guest, appeared you as Coriolanus watched. You quickly froze, standing completely still. After a very short while, you slid your finger over the icing of the cake and put the finger in your mouth, tasting the cake.
The little girl smiled and did the same. You and the girl shared the smile before you struck your hand into the cake, ripping one piece out revealing the red color under the purely white cake before you shoved it into your mouth, eating it. The little girl ran off after getting the taste of the delicious cake as you chewed on your piece.
As you did so, Coriolanus and you established eye contact. You made a grimace that clearly indicated that you were disappointed that you had been caught.
Coriolanus Snow allowed himself to blink for a moment to compose himself, and once he re-opened, you were gone.
You grew up in a silver-spoon gated community
Glamorous, shiny, bright Beverly Hills
I was raised on a farm, no, it wasn't a mansion
Just livin' room dancin' and kitchen table bills
Coriolanus and Livia sat down at the front of the reception as the entertainer did his job. He entered the guests of the Capitol’s elite with the microphone in his hand, tight grip on it, which showed Coriolanus that he was nervous.
Coriolanus brushed it off because, all things considered, he was doing quite a good job. He even found himself laughing along to the jokes that were being made.
After one more joke, he turned to one of the Capitol’s elite to quietly, with a smile on his face, discuss the joke that was made. However, the moment he turned back around, his smile disappeared at the sight in front of him.
You were standing there, in a red suit, with a red microphone on your hands, making jokes.
"And then," you spoke in the fit of giggles. "He left me in the woods to die after he told me he loved me."
You laughed after it, and every single Capitol’s elite followed. Coriolanus felt like he wanted to die at that moment, the look of pure horror planted onto his face.
"And best of all was that he HIMSELF tried to kill me with a gun!" You smiled as you tapped a few times on the table near Livia as you pointed at him with a smile, and every single guest of the wedding reception broke into laughter once again.
This can't be real, can it? Coriolanus thought to himself as he watched you.
But you know what they say, you can't help who you fall for
And you and I fell like an early spring snow
But reality crept in, you said we're too different
You laughed at my dreams, rolled your eyes at my jokes
After that, you, out of nowhere, pulled out a little red box as you made your way towards Livia, who was looking at you with anticipation and excitement.
You handed her your gift as Coriolanus found it harder and harder to breathe.
Livia quickly, but gracefully, opened the box as she removed the ribbon on top.
And as she pulled out the shawl that belonged to Coriolanus' mother, he felt like he was going to scream at the top of his lungs.
It was the shawl that Coriolanus gifted to you back when the two of you took off into the woods. That was the only thing that he found once he started to chase you through the woods. He never found you, though.
Livia placed it around her as she thanked you for the gift. Everyone around you swooned at your sweet gesture as they clapped pleasingly.
You bowed your head down slowly after you drowned the glass of alcohol, falling into the crowd of guests. Disappearing once again.
Now you're out in the world, searchin' for your soul
Scared not to be hip, scared to get old
Chasin' make-believe status, last time you felt free
Was when none of that shit mattered 'cause you were with me
Coriolanus chased after you, trying to catch you. He was suddenly blinded by the light because of the photographer that was taking pictures.
After the photographer went away, Coriolanus rubbed his eyes as his vision, thankfully, turned back to normal. He looked ahead.
And there you were. In a while wedding dress. The back of the dress was trailing behind you. The dress was also graced by white roses all over it. Your hair was in a type of hairstyle that was holding it all up. Your eyes were watching his every move as you stood in front of him.
Coriolanus felt like he couldn't breathe, and so, for a moment, he felt himself longing to cherish every moment of this.
It was just like Coriolanus had imagined it. You as his bride, himself as your groom. It was everything that he truly needed. Everything he ever wanted. Just you and him. You two of you having your first dance as a freshly married couple.
Suddenly, all lights but one went away. The white light above you shined as Coriolanus tried to catch his breath.
He slowly stepped forward, and you immediately followed his lead. Soon, you were standing in front of each other. Chest to chest. So intimate. So perfect.
He slowly reached for your hand, placing it onto his as he soaked up the feeling of your soft skin against his.
He slid his other hand around your waist, bringing you closer to him as you placed your other hand on his shoulder. For a moment, everything stood still. For a moment, the only thing that Coriolanus could hear was his breathing and the beating of his heart.
Coriolanus and you leaned your foreheads against each other, noses brushing. Coriolanus closed his eyes. He never wanted this to end. Then you started to dance.
You were moving with such grace as he spinned you around. His hand in yours as you slided around the dance floor.
"Coryo," your soft voice that whispered in his ear broke the peaceful silence, and his eyes snapped to yours. His eyes. His ocean blue eyes that were always so cold now looked at you with so much gentleness and pure adoration.
"Can I ask you something?"
"Anything, my love." Coriolanus answered without any hesitation.
"Does it make you feel sad that the love that you're looking for was the love that you had?"
Coriolanus was speechless. The look in your eyes caused the lump in his throat to be stuck there forevermore. He didn't say anything. He didn't protest to your claim. How could he? You were right. On the day of his wedding, he wished to marry you, not Livia. He never found in Livia what he did in you, and he, let's be honest, never will.
Suddenly, before he could stop you, you moved away from him, letting go of his hand and shoulder.
But now that we're done and it's over
I bet it's hard to believe
But it turned out I'm harder to forget than I was to leave
And, yeah, I bet you think about me
You lifted the front of your dress a little bit so you could walk without tripping over. You gazed over your shoulder at Coriolanus before you continued to walk away.
Once you were far away from him, you turned around, quickly causing your hair to fall down your shoulders as you leaned towards him.
All of a sudden, your dress turned red, and as you took a hold of your guitar that he knew all too well (hihi, get it?) the white roses on your dress were painted red.
The white curtain behind you fell, revealing the red light and the Covey as you played your guitar, softly swaying to the music you made.
"I hope you get what you deserve, Coriolanus Snow," you spoke softly, meeting his eyes once more. "But I don't need to worry. You will get what you deserve one day."
With a soft smile, you started to sing.
I bet you think about me when you're out
At your cool indie music concerts every week
I bet you think about me in your house
With your organic shoes and your million-dollar couch
I bet you think about me when you say
"Oh my God, she's insane, she wrote a song about me"
I bet you think about me 🌹
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TAGLIST:
@hellonheels-x @especiallythewomenandthechildren @prettyinsatiable @10ava01 @regulusblackcore @writesleah @thecrowdedstreetin1944 @caroline-books @runningfrom2am
Memorialising Tom singing I’m Just Ken karaoke forever.
TOM BLYTH | TBOSAS Interview (x)
TOM BLYTH as CORIOLANUS SNOW in THE BALLAD OF SONGBIRDS AND SNAKES
could u write something where it's like corio and the reader are both mentors and they go to the zoo to feed their tributes. but the readers tribute is like super violent and ends up hurting them. like how Coriolanus would react to that and how he'd take care of the reader afterwards. thank you!!! 💗💗
The Zoo Accident
Pairing: Coriolanus Snow x fem!mentor!reader
Summary: Your tribute stepped over the line.
Warning/s: angst, mentions of wounds, violence, short fic, possible grammar and spelling mistakes
Author's note: Here it is! Enjoy!!
It happened too quickly for Coriolanus to process it quite entirely.
Your arm was wrapped around his, safely locked in as you walked towards the zoo, where the tributes were held before the games would start, after you left the Capitol's Academy.
You two were supposed to feed your tributes so that they don't die before the games even stared.
So once you reached the cages of the zoo you two had to separate so that you could walk up to your tributes.
You saw your tribute standing near the big rock on the ground, you called out to her and approached her.
You were trying to make a pleasant conversation as you gave her food, but your kindness was the reason for trusting your tribute too much.
Lucy Gray bit into the sandwich that Coriolanus brought her when she unintentionally looked your way. Gasp left her mouth along with the tight grip on Coriolanus shoulder and a cry of his name in desperation just so he could notice the same thing that she did.
Coriolanus looked at Lucy Gray, confused by her horrified expression until he looked at the direction she was looking at. He felt his heart jump from his chest onto his throat.
He helplessly watched your unconscious form laying on the ground, blood sliding down your forehead, glass bottle shattered and an angry expression planted onto the face of your tribute.
He ran towards you, desperately calling out your name as he tried to reach you as soon as he could.
Before he could do that though, two Peacekeepers showed up grabbing him under each arm, dragging him away from the scene. Two more Peacekeepers showed up as they started to block his line of vision.
The last thing Coriolanus heard before he was dragged back to the Capitol's Academy was the sound of the gunshot as he caught a glimpse of your now dead tribute.
The moment he was released from the Peacekeepers he ran to the hospital where you will be staying in for a little while.
Once Coriolanus Snow charmed his way into your room he watched your sleeping form in peace.
He stepped forward, his red uniform moving slightly along with his every step as he moved the chair from the corner of the hospital room towards your bed.
Coriolanus sat down onto the cold, uncomfortable chair as he took your hand into his.
He felt so weak, so helpless, so useless as he watched you in despair.
He brought your hand onto his lips, planting a kiss onto your hand and then placing your hand against his forehead, closing his eyes.
As he watched you he realized that he would sit in this cold, uncomfortable chair forever if it meant that his rose would bloom again.
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TAGLIST:
@hellonheels-x @especiallythewomenandthechildren @prettyinsatiable @caroline-books @runningfrom2am @10ava01 @thecrowdedstreetin1944
hi love!!!! your work is so amazing i love how you write
i was wondering if you could do a corionlanus x fem reader where she’s his tribute and is about to be killed in the game but it’s kind of like that scene in you where she says “no don’t kill me im pregnant” and it’s his reaction and everyone watching trying to get them to end the games? i’d love to see what you could do w that feel free to change anything u want!
Songbird's Plan | Coriolanus Snow
Pairing: Coriolanus Snow x fem!tribute!reader
Summary: The presence of a song bird can change everything for one who appreciates them or "if it weren't for the baby" TBOSAS edition.
Warning/s: a bit of angst, Coriolanus Snow being in love, nickname (songbird), mentions of death, mentions of pregnancy, short fic, possible grammar and spelling mistakes
Author's note: It's finally here. Hope you enjoy.
The moment Coriolanus Snow met you he knew that he would do everything in his power to protect you from harm no matter what.
Of course he knew that that was going to be a difficult challenge because you were his tribute.
You were supposed to be in the games, you were supposed to literally fight for your life. There was always the chance that you would die, but Coriolanus didn't allow himself to think too long of this outcome. He knew that it would simply drive him to compete and utter madness.
So once the rebels bombed the arena, once he was out of the hospital and once he made sure that his tribute was okay, he sneaked into the arena the night before the games.
He spend more than half of the night searching for the places for his little songbird to hide. He did everything he could, he truly did, and he truly did though that he would be prepared for everything.
Yet as he found himself leaning towards the screen in front of him that displayed the scene of you being attacked by Coral he felt himself automatically freeze. He felt helpless.
He felt like he let you down and that ate him inside out.
Coriolanus felt like his heart was going to simply burst out of his chest as he watched, his throat tightening.
He watched Coral getting closer to you. He felt useless.
But there was something that both of you underestimated. There was a certain connection between you two. Both Coriolanus and you were smart, willing to do anything to survive.
Once Coriolanus remembered that, he forced himself to move. He could probably wipe out Coral with those badly made drones, but he needed some distraction because if Coral sees them, it's over. He could hit you.
"Please, don't!" Your voice broke out of the screen, Coriolanus felt himself flinch at the desperation behind it.
He watched your helpless form glazing away from Coral like you were on thin ice.
Coriolanus felt like he would scream put as Coral raised her weapon against you. But that's when you yelled out something that made his heart completely stop.
"No!" Your forceful voice shouted. "Don't kill me, I'm pregnant!"
Coral stopped for a moment. Coriolanus stopped for a moment. In fact, it seemed like the entire world stopped for a moment.
Coriolanus couldn't move, his mouth slightly agape as he watched you breathe heavily as you waited for Coral to move.
"Stop the games!" Tigris shouted in despair.
Coriolanus felt himself turn around quickly as he watched the mob of students standing up, waving his hands in air as they shouted to stop the games.
Coriolanus quickly turned to the screen and watched Coral still trying to gain her composure. He moved quickly, his body quicker than his mind.
If he doesn't do anything now, it would be over for you.
So as he send at least ten drones into the arena, successfully killing Coral, and as he watched your face twist in relief, and as he heard the cheers behind him he realized that maybe the hope wasn't lost after all.
His little songbird was truly a genius.
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TAGLIST:
@hellonheels-x @especiallythewomenandthechildren @prettyinsatiable @caroline-books @runningfrom2am @10ava01 @thecrowdedstreetin1944
Writersblockiskillingme TAGLIST
All you have to do to be tagged in my works is to leave comment under this post.
You can be tagged in everything I write or you can be tagged under the specific type of characters/people I write for (ex. Damiano David, young!Coriolanus Snow, The Hunger Games/TBOSAS in general...).
You can choose 1 (one) fandom or multiple!
So when you comment, write for which type of my fics you want me to tag you in.
TAGLIST:
Måneskin
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
The Hunger Games
Marvel
Criminal Minds
Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift Inspired Fics
Descendants
Squid Game
Headcanons of being snows bestfriend and seeing him turn into that devious dude 🙏
When Did It All Go Wrong | Coriolanus Snow Headcanons
Pairing: Coriolanus Snow x best friend!reader
Warning/s: angst, old!Coriolanus Snow, talk about cruelty, death, possible grammar and spelling mistakes
Author's note: Here you go. I hope that you enjoy!
Coriolanus Snow and you were inseparable as children.
You were both born into the elite families of the Capitol so it was acceptable that your lives intertwined from a very young age.
You two used to spend those days exploring the grandeur of the Capitol, dreaming of the future where you could make a difference in all of Panem.
However, as you grew older, your ideologies began to diverge.
Snow was groomed to be a leader, thought that power and control were necessary to maintain order.
You on the other hand, developed a deep empathy for the people of Panem, especially the ones from Districts.
You believed in a leadership that was compassionate and fair.
So Snows rise to power was not sudden but gradual.
He was a master manipulator, forming alliances and eliminating threats.
He believed that fear was a necessity tool to maintain order and control.
His charisma and cunning made him a formidable leader.
You couldn't do anything but to watch as your best friend transformed into a leader you could barely recognize.
Into a person you could barely recognize.
You found yourself being torn between your loyalty to Snow and your concern for the people of Panem, but your please to him fell on deaf ears.
Many years later, a rebellion that sparked in one of the Districts marked a turning point in Snow's leadership.
The rebellion hardened Snow's resolve to rule with an iron fist.
He implemented even harsher laws and increased the frequency of the Hunger Games.
You could only stand aside and watch as your best friend turned into a tyrant.
Despite your disagreement with Coriolanus' methods, you chose to stay by his side.
You hoped that perhaps you could somehow prevail in influencing his decisions from within.
So you tried to mitigate the damage caused by Snow's politicies, often working behind the scenes to provide aid to the Districts as much as you possibly could.
In a desperate attempt to change the course of Panem's future, you planned to undermine Snow.
You secretly gathered support from like-minded individuals within the Capitol, even though there were little of those.
However, your plans were discovered, leading to a tragic fallout between the two friends that sparked another rebellion.
Your death.
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TAGLIST:
@hellonheels-x @especiallythewomenandthechildren @prettyinsatiable @caroline-books @runningfrom2am @10ava01 @thecrowdedstreetin1944
peace was so good :,) could you write about swimming with corio in the lake?
The Lakes | Coriolanus Snow
Pairing: Coriolanus Snow x fem!reader
Summary: You spend your time with Coryo at the lake in the woods as the sun sets down.
Warning/s: fluff, Coriolanus in love, possible grammar and spelling mistakes
Author's note: This one is extremely short and I changed some things, but I hope you still like it.
Soft, green grass brushed against your legs as you walked through the Meadow to get to a lake in a hidden spot outside of District 12.
The rough plants with pointy ends were brushing against your legs lightly scratching you, but you tried to pay it no mind as you tear your way through to get to the lake.
After a while you reached your destination as you came to a sudden stop. The sun was slowly setting down as you stared ahead into the distance, but it was still covering the entire Meadow giving the flowers and the lake a gorgeous shimmer making it seem like this sight is eternal.
For a moment you allowed yourself to close your eyes, enjoying the short, but somehow everlasting peace, that you got while you waited for him to come to you.
You didn't have to wait long.
All of a sudden a pair of strong yet comforting arms wrapped around you giving you a sense of protection yet you couldn't help but to let out a quiet shriek at the sudden feeling, quickly opening your eyes and turning around to look at him.
Coriolanus was already watching you, his eyes full of love for you. He revealed in the way that the wind was lightly carrying your beautiful hair around just like the sundress you wore on a weirdly warm day.
Your smile was infectious, he couldn't help but to return it as he showed you the happiness that he felt at that moment.
"Let's go and swim in the lake." You suggested as you stepped away, trying to get rid of the sundress that you wore, tossing it aside.
Coriolanus gave you a boyish smile as he started to take of his white shirt and his gray pants, agreeing with your offer to cool of.
He returned the joyous laugh that you gave him as he ran after you towards the edge of the lake, his dog tag dangling around his neck as he did that.
You two soon found yourself in the cool lake swimming towards each other. Coriolanus wrapped his arms around your chest as he slowly brought you closer to him, his piercing blue eyes never leaving yours as he did that.
He slowly glazed his hand on your cheek before moving it onto your neck to bring you closer colliding your lips together while being in a warm embrace.
You both soked up moments like these as much as you could. Giving each other the sense of comfort, protection and love.
Coriolanus never thought that anything like this was ever going to happen to him, and even if it did he wasn't so sure that he could love anyone this much who was worth risking everything in his life once again for.
The moment he met you, he knew something changed. He fell hard, but he knew the risks.
The Peacekeepers weren't supposed to be romantically involved with anyone during their time of service.
He knew very well that if anyone catches your longing glances that you were sanding to each other across the room, if anyone saw you talking to each other a little to close for comfort or if anyone saw you two spending a lot more time with each other than necessary, let alone see you holding hands or kissing you would be doomed.
If anyone noticed how you both lose your breath every time you looked into each other's eyes it would be all over for you both.
They could deport him to another District or fire him from his service. You could've been severely punished. Hell, they could kill you both, hang you on the hanging tree or just shoot you on sight.
But as you two held each other in the comforting silence that only comes when two people understand each other and as you exchanged the words that confirmed your love for each other and as you exchanged a billion kisses, he knew that it was all worth it.
You were worth it, and after a long time he came to a conclusion that he maybe deserves your endless love and comfort that you brought him every day.
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TAGLIST:
@hellonheels-x @especiallythewomenandthechildren @prettyinsatiable @caroline-books @runningfrom2am @10ava01 @thecrowdedstreetin1944
Coriolanus snow x fem!reader
She is sejanus’s twin sister and is just as anti hunger games as he is and Coriolanus always has a crush on her but since she is his best friends sister…😏
The Plinth Prize | Coriolanus Snow
Pairing: Coriolanus Snow x fem!Plinth!reader, Sejanus Plinth x twin sister!reader
Summary: You were everything he detested, perhaps that's what made him fall.
Warning/s: fluff, Coriolanus having some possessive thoughts, him actually liking Sejanus in this, possible grammar and spelling mistakes
Author's note: This one is really short, but I do believe that it's sweet enough. This for sure is not my best work, but I tried.
The Plinth family.
Truly everything had changed once Strabo, Sejanus, his twin sister (Y/N) and Mrs. Plinth who called "Ma" known as the Plinth family arrived in the Capitol. Well, more like bought your way to the Capitol.
Coriolanus Snow knew that anybody in their right mind would know that they bought their way in the Capitol because he knew that you really have to have a lot, and I mean A LOT, of money to come and live from the District 2 in the Capitol and give your two children an opportunity to attend to the Capitol's Academy of all places.
So Coriolanus must admit to himself, at first he was sceptic as hell. They were from District after all. They had no place here.
But he should've known better than to judge a book by its cover.
The Plinth twins were really something else.
The moment he met Sejanus he thought that he was annoying as hell. However, he soon realized that Sejanus kind of grew on him.
He was a kid with a kind heart, there was no denying that. He was stubborn, too. But most of all, he was so against the government's decision to hold the Hunger Games and that would annoy the hell out of Coriolanus because Sejanus had a bad tendency to speak of it out loud, with no filter, and that would often get him in a bit trouble.
The trouble that Coriolanus would often have to help him get out of. Coriolanus didn't really mind it, Sejanus was like his brother after all, but he just wished that he would stop being so reckless.
Coriolanus truly felt like he could have a heart attack, cold sweat consumed him, every single time Sejanus spoke. It honestly left him feeling anxious.
He just wished for that to stop, and once he met you it was anything but.
The moment you two shook hands after Sejanus introduced Coriolanus to his twin sister, you, he felt like the last breath was knocked out of his lungs. His chest tightened as he looked at you.
You were radiant. He thought that your beauty was unmatched. The way you carried yourself, your hair, your piercing eyes that were the exact copy of your brother, your smile, your everything, it was just perfect for him.
You were perfect for him.
From that day on he couldn't stop thinking about you and one day in class was an opportunity for him to see even more of you.
As Dr. Gaul talked about the genius of the Hunger Games, Sejanus and you snapped.
In a way he was surprised (but than again, not really) as he watched your interaction and realized that you were as much anti-games as Sejanus was.
Great.
Just great.
Now he had to look out after one more wild Plinth child. Not that he minded. He knew it shouldn't be that way, but this personality trait made you even more attractive than he thought it was possible.
As he watched you talk, his piercing blue eyes locked onto your figure watching you talk passionately, he realized that even though you're from District, that you were anti-games, and even though you were a Plinth of all people, he fell in love with you.
There was no denying that.
Perhaps, if he somehow couldn't win the Plinth Prize you would be good enough to keep, maybe even better. His, better, version of the Plinth Prize.
God, the Plinth twins are really going to ruin him.
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TAGLIST:
@hellonheels-x @especiallythewomenandthechildren @prettyinsatiable @caroline-books @runningfrom2am @10ava01 @thecrowdedstreetin1944
hiiii here’s my request idea 🫶🏽 after getting sent to district 12 coriolanus meets fem!reader (who’s a part of the covey) he thought he was in love with lucy gray but ends up falling for reader way more intensely than he did for lucy gray but reader feels guilty because lucy gray seems to really like him and she doesn’t want to betray her
Another Love | Coriolanus Snow
Pairing: Coriolanus Snow x fem!reader (Covey!reader)
Summary: He loved her from a moment he saw her, but she can't love him back.
Warning/s: angst, heartbreak, forbidden love, two or three curse words, tears, possessive Coriolanus, reader's abusive ex, ex touching the reader without permission (nothing graphic, he just grabs reader's arm), no happy ending, grammar and spelling mistakes
Author's note: I used some of the lyrics of Taylor Swift's King of My Heart as a song that "reader wrote for Coryo" and I skipped one part of the main song that I used because I felt like it wouldn't fit the timeline. So, this one's been a long time coming, but I hope you enjoy!
(Y/N) - your name
(Y/H/C) - your hair color
I wanna take you somewhere so you know I care
But it's so cold and I don't know where
I brought you daffodils in a pretty string
But they won't flower like they did last spring
Coriolanus Snow felt his nerves getting the best of him. He felt shivers going down his spine as Lucy Gray and him got closer and closer to their destination.
He was supposed to meet the rest of the Covey, her family, today. Lucy Gray held his hand tightly, squeezing it a bit more as she noticed just how nervous he truly seemed to be.
It didn't comfort him much.
Not her hand in his, it felt too small now. Nor her presence next to him. It didn't excite him as much as it did once. Yet he loved her, right?
Right?
As they finally got to the lake the lake he noticed a group of people sitting by the edge of the lake.
He could practically feel the excitement radiating off of Lucy Gray as he noticed one of them turned around noticing them and taping the ones close to gain their attention to the arrivals, too.
Lucy Gray didn't let go of him as she eagerly introduced him to evey single member of her family, the Covey.
That day Coriolanus met little Maude Ivory, Barb Azure, Tam Amber and Clerk Carmine Clade.
"And finally my big cousin, (Y/N) Baird." Lucy Gray smiled and when you looked up Coriolanus could've sworn that his heart stopped.
Your beauty was truly unmatched, your kind smile so radiant so infection that he was willing to die because of it any day you wished. Your hair was graciously flowing around in the wind just like your light summer dress. Your posture, your face. But once you spoke he knew that he was a gonner.
"Nice to meet you, Coriolanus Snow." Your voice was as kind as your eyes, it matched you perfectly.
Later on, he saw you sitting under the tree, away from the sun, away from the rest of your family.
Coriolanus felt truly, utterly, stupid for a bit as he stood a few feet away from Lucy Gray's, obviously favorite, cousin as he held a young, brightly yellow, daffodil that he found by the edge of the forest, not that far away from the lake where the rest of the Covey were.
He didn't know why did he do it. He didn't know why would he pick a flower and give it to you. He just figured that the flower was pretty (just like you were) and that you will probably like it.
But deep down he knew, but just yet wouldn't admit it to himself.
"For you."
You looked up, your eyes meeting with gorgeous blue ones as he held out a gorgeous daffodil to you. You couldn't help but to laugh out loud at the irony that consumed you.
Coriolanus watched you laugh, he never heard a sound as angelic as this, not even when he heard Lucy Gray sing.
He hated himself for it. He hated himself for wanting to bottle up that angelic laugh and keep it for himself, to protect it, to own it. But he couldn't help but to wonder why are you laughing.
"What's funny if I may ask?" He gently asked, afraid that you were laughing at him, finding his stupidity oh so amazing. He was scared of rejection, but why?
He's with Lucy Gray.
"It's just-" Your laughter turned into a giggle, Coriolanus felt blood suddenly rushing into his cheeks as he heard the sound that you were making, because of him.
"Daffodils are my favorite flowers, it's a little funny that you picked a random flower and guessed this."
Coriolanus couldn't help himself. He found himself laughing too as he sat down and got to know you.
The day passed quickly, probably because he spent it with you. So as he stepped away from you after saying goodbye and as he slipped his hand into Lucy Gray's hand he knew he fucked up.
The way his chest tightened when you laughed, the way his hand accidentally brushed against yours when you talked he realized that it fit his perfectly. Like it was made to be held by him. The way that your hair fell in front of your eyes, shielding them from him... all he wanted was to brush it away, yet he knew he couldn't.
And as Lucy Gray talked about how happy she was that he got along with everyone amazingly, he knew he fucked up because he realized that he fell in love with you even though he knew that he shouldn't have.
And if somebody hurts you, I wanna fight
But my hand's been broken one too many times
So I'll use my voice, I'll be so fucking rude
Words, they always win, but I know I'll lose
"Nothing you can take from me was ever worth keeping"
Your voice echoed through the bar as you sang your heart out on the stage.
The people around were dancing and singing along with your beautiful, angelic yet strong voice like their life dependent on it.
Coriolanus was standing in the corner, leaned against the weirdly wet wall, smile placed onto his face as he watched you perform. Warm feeling spreaded across his chest as he watched you. A fire that will soon be drowned buy cold icy feeling as he watched someone coming up to you. Talking to you while you clearly didn't want to talk to him.
"Let go of me, now!"
Coriolanus took one step forward so he could see better and try to figure out who is bothering you and clearly making you uncomfortable. He felt himself freeze once he realized who it was.
Thomas Vill. Your abusive ex.
He remembered Lucy Gray talking to him about your ex. He remembered her saying that he made your life a living hell.
Coriolanus instantly saw red the moment he realized that he harshly grabbed your hand, not letting you go. The fear in your eyes was enough to set Coriolanus to move toward the stage as quickly as he could.
He still doesn't remember how that happened, but he grabbed Thomas by his shoulders as he planted his fist directly into his face, blood spraying his fist the moment it locked onto Thomas' face.
He heard you gasp at the sight, but he didn't stop.
Coriolanus pushed Thomas onto the floor as he started to beat the audacity out of him. You never saw him this angry before.
You quickly, somehow, snapped out of the shock and started to try and pull Coriolanus off of him because you realized that if you didn't do something, he will kill him in front of you.
And it's not like Thomas didn't deserve it, but you didn't want Coryo to get into more trouble now that he had finally somewhat gotten his life into control.
Sejanus Plinth saw what happened. He was quick to join you and started to pull Coriolanus off of Thomas. He lucky succeed because he was stronger. He was a Peacekeeper after all.
You felt panic arise into your throat as you looked around and realized that almost everyone was staring at you.
Without spearing Thomas a second glance, you ran after Coriolanus and Sejanus. Your mind racing, what will Lucy Gray think? Why did her love beat up her cousin's ex in front of more than half of District 12.
Once you pushed yourself through the crowd you finally reached the outside where you saw Coriolanus spitting some blood from his mouth, your heart braking at the sight.
"What did you think that you were doing?!" You couldn't help to yell at him as you finally reached him.
"He was lucky I didn't kill him." Coriolanus answered calmly as he rubbed his lips to get rid of the blood.
"You can't do that, Coryo!" You continued, finally spilling your emotions out in front of the man you loved.
"So what?!" Coriolanus raised his voice now, too. "I could've just let that bastard touch you against your will?!"
"No!" You ran your hands through your hair in frustration. "But what would Lucy Gray think if she saw you doing that?"
You were so scared.
Was he not thinking rationally?
"I don't care." He answered, truthfully, you knew that and it scared you.
For a moment you were quiet until he spoke up again.
"You know I love you, right?" He asked you, peeking at you in the night, moonlight reflected the beauty of his deep blue eyes.
"No..." You felt every last bit of air leave your lungs as you spoke, panic raising in your chest. "You can't love me, Coryo."
"Why not?" He asked in frustration, his chest moving up and down in desperate attempt to calm himself, to try and rid himself of this injustice.
"Don't-" your voice broke. "Don't do this to me." You begged.
He gently grabbed your hand and your breath quickened, it was nothing like when Thomas grabbed you earlier. This was soft, caring even as he brought your body closer to his.
"Tell me why." He was begging now, oh God how much did he hate this. "Tell me that you don't love me."
"I-"
"Look me in the eyes, (Y/N), and tell me that you don't love me and I will walk away." Coriolanus spoke, his breath on your cold cheeks as he spoke. "Look me in the eyes and tell me that you don't want me."
"Coryo-"
"Break my heart the way it's supposed to happen." He breathed out. "Go on."
"I-" You took a deep breath, meeting his eyes not realizing that you're crying. "I love you, but I can't."
"(Y/N)-"
"You can want to love me and I can do that too, but I can't do it to my cousin." You spoke separating yourself from him as you left him in the middle of the cold night, tears streaming down your cheeks as you went.
Lucy Gray.
And I'd sing a song that'd be just ours
But I sang 'em all to another heart
And I wanna cry, I wanna learn to love
But all my tears have been used up
"Your love is a secret I'm hoping, dreaming, dying to keep."
Lucy Gray's voice echoed through the bar as she played the guitar and sang the song you wrote.
You told the Covey you weren't really feeling good so you decided to stay backstage as you listened to Lucy Gray and the rest of the Covey, and watched the crowd singing and dancing the the words that you poured out from the depths of your heart.
Your eyes were searching for Coriolanus in the bar and after a while you finally found him.
He was sitting on a par of turned-over buckets with Sejanus. He was wearing simple clothes instead of his Peacekeeper uniform, but he was still wearing his dog tag that initiated that he had probably finished his shift and he decided to show up here.
You couldn't do this.
Lucy Gray's voice was happily singing away at the cords and lyrics that were written by you as she kept her eyes looked onto Coriolanus' blue ones.
His eyes were sparkling, but not as much as they did when he was with you.
Lucy Gray was so happy with him. So full of joy, and you were so happy for her, but fuck... you loved him, too.
You knew that he loved her, but you also knew that perhaps he loved you more. Yet you knew that you couldn't and wouldn't ever break Lucy Gray's heart like that. She was your cousin and you knew that guilt would be eating you alive, it already did.
So with a tear sliding down your cheek you listened to her sing before you turned around and left.
"And all at once, you are the one I have been waiting for,
King of my heart, body and soul"
Coriolanus Snow really tried to keep his eyes on her, but once she sang that his gaze found your (Y/H/C) for a moment before it disappeared behind the curtains. His chest tightened at the sight and at the words that you wrote for him.
You were like a delicate flower, like an angel sent to guide him. You were eveything that he needed, a daffodil in the middle of the winter.
But he couldn't have you and you couldn't have him. It's just the way it had to be, no matter how painful it was.
On another love, another love
All my tears have been used up
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TAGLIST:
@hellonheels-x @especiallythewomenandthechildren @prettyinsatiable @caroline-books @runningfrom2am @10ava01 @thecrowdedstreetin1944
Peace | Coriolanus Snow
Pairing: Coriolanus Snow x reader (fem!District12!Baird!reader)
Summary: Coriolanus Snow never thought that he would find peace, until he did.
Warning/s: Snow being in love, Snow being Snow, talk about death (reader is alive, don't worry), possible grammar and spelling mistakes
Author's note: Inspired by one and only Taylor Swift.
Our coming-of-age has come and gone
Suddenly the summer, it's clear
I never had the courage of my convictions
As long as danger is near
And it's just around the corner, darling
'Cause it lives in me
No, I could never give you peace
Coriolanus Snow could swear that the rustling of the grass beneath his shoes couldn't be louder as he walked in the Meadow.
However, even though he felt an odd irritation towards that, he felt good. He was finally able to get rid of his Peacekeeper white uniform which he replaced with a simple white shirt and some gray pants that he found. His dog tag was still hanging from around his neck. He forgot to take it off from all of the haste when he was trying to find you as fast as he possibly could once his shift ended for the day.
The wind was dancing gracefully across the leaves on the trees surrounding the always oh so peaceful Meadow just a little outside of the border of District 12.
District 12.
Coriolanus Snow was still a little bit doubtful when it came to the loser District.
He could remember his hated towards, well, everyone and everything when he found out that he was going to be deported for the Peacekeepers. He could still remember that empty feeling when he sat at, what seemed like, the most uncomfortable chair in the world as someone started to cut his blonde locks away.
He lost everything. Every hope for the better.
That is up until it was reported to him that he could chose any District in all of the Panem that he wished.
Coriolanus could've been deported to a nice, clean District like 1 or 2. Yet he chose the poorest District of all. The words "District 12" left his mouth without the second thought when the authorities asked him where he wanted to be deported. He didn't even speare one single thought as he said it.
He asked himself, why did he do it? The question wouldn't leave his mind. It haunted him every day. It clouded his ever racing mind.
Why did he do it?
Yet now, he finally spotted a figure sitting on a giant rock, playing the guitar while muttering the words as she tried to write yet another masterpiece that he was going to cherish forever.
Your hair was flowing around in the wind as your fingers graced the strings of your guitar that Coriolanus got for you from the Capitol.
He tried to stay as quiet as he possibly could. He didn't want this moment to end. He didn't want you to stop singing so he froze once he got close enough so he could listen to you for a bit.
Even the mockingjays on the trees seemed to quiet down as you played the guitar. They were soaking up every melody, every note that you decided to grace the word with.
"And it's just around the corner, darling
'Cause it lives in me"
Your melodic voice rang around the Meadow. So quiet yet so powerful. Graced with softness and pure care. He didn't deserve you. He knew that.
Suddenly nothing mattered anymore. The only thing that truly mattered was the fact that you were alive.
Every doubt he had racing, cursing, his mind vanished forevermore as he listened to you sing and play your guitar, when he saw you performing with the rest of the Covey, your family, the night after he got deported to 12.
Right now, nothing was more important to him than you. He didn't care about his deportation, about Dr. Gaul, about Highbottom.
Maybe he was clueless. Maybe it was his fault for letting himself feel vulnerable in this very moment in the Meadow outside of 12. Or maybe he was just young and dumb for finally letting his guard down... but he felt like there was hope for him at last. Because you were here. You were alive, and if he had to mess up his reputation and lose everything once more just so he could here the sweetest of melodies leaving your lips he was sure that he would do it.
"No, I could never give you peace"
But I'm a fire, and I'll keep your brittle heart warm
If your cascade ocean wave blues come
All these people think love's for show
But I would die for you in secret
The devil's in the details, but you got a friend in me
Would it be enough if I could never give you peace?
Coriolanus felt himself freeze completely.
His brain nor his body was working anymore as he watched the screen along with the rest of his classmates that were chosen to be mentors for this year's tributes in the Hunger Games.
The scene was tough to watch. He wanted to look away yet he found himself unable to do so.
No matter how hard he tried he couldn't rip his eyes away from the screen that showed reaping the tribute he was supposed to mentor.
A girl from District 12.
He felt uneasy the moment he found out who he was supposed to be mentoring, he felt like his hope was lost. His hope for winning the Plinth Prize and repearing his reputation was ruined. He was ruined.
But now, as he watched you step in after your name was called out, he felt unfamiliar feeling of pure warmth growing and spreading in his chest, consuming him completely. The feeling was unknown, it made him feel weak. Out of control. He hated it.
Yet, as Coriolanus watched your hair bounce as you stepped out of the crowd in the middle of the square, he felt like he would fight the devil himself just so he could make sure that you were safe, that you were going to get out of the arena alive.
He watched your expression and your posture. You were trying to appear as calm and unbothered as possible. You were successful in your attempt, but he saw right through it.
Perhaps it was because he found himself in the similar position as he watched you or perhaps he simply observed a bit too closely.
Whatever it was, it did not prepare Coriolanus Snow for what was about to happen.
°
Why am I here? What am I doing?
These are the questions Coriolanus asked himself as he unintentionally, yet at the same time quite intentionally, tried to seek some warmth from his red Academy's uniform in his pathetic attempts to warm himself up a bit in the middle of a very cold night on his way over to the zoo where you were forced to stay before the games started.
The food wrapped in a handkerchief that had his father's initials on it started to feel too heavy in the pocket of his uniform.
Feeling the cold shiver run down his spine he realized that it's not from cold or from the fear of the Peacekeepers blocking his way over to you in the middle of the night. No. It was something else. Something he was aware of, but couldn't yet admit it to himself.
He watched every step he took so as to not startle you in the cage of the zoo.
As he got closer, he realized that he saw a figure in the dark leaned against the bars of the zoo's cage.
It was you, of course. You were looking up at the sky as your hair slightly flew around in the light, cold night's breeze.
At first he thought that his plan to play star-crossed lovers was a dumb call. That it was bad. Mentor falling desperately, hopelessly in love with his tribute was just madness and quite a desperate attempt to draw some good public's attention to give you a shot at surviving in the arena was quite pitiful, truly. Where was his head at, at that moment? Who would ever fall for that nonsense?
But as he saw how the people thrived for a tragic pair of star-crossed lovers and as he realized that good citizens of the Capitol loved a good tragic story, he came to a conclusion that maybe all of this was actually worth it.
More importantly, as he called out your name quietly as to not startle you and alert other tributes he figured that it was a right call after all.
Especially when, even tho a part of him didn't want to, as he came over to you on the other side of the bars, gave you food that he smuggled from the Academy, wiped your long lost tear as it streamed down your beautiful cheek, as he soked in your beauty, admired your gentil kindness and finally as he kissed you like he needs you more than an oxygen that he has to breath over the empty space in the middle of the bars, he wasn't really pretending after all.
Yet when it was time for him to go home just so his absence doesn't go noticed by grandma'am and Tigris, he asked you one thing that was bothering him, eating him alive. One thing that caused him absolute despair from the moment he met you.
"Would it be enough if I could never give you peace?" He whispered in the darkness as he held his hand against your cheek like you were the most delicate rose.
Your integrity makes me seem small
You paint dreamscapes on the wall
I talk shit with my friends
It's like I'm wasting your honor
Coriolanus Snow was hurrying towars the room in the Capitol's Academy in which he will be able to monitor the games along with some of his classmates.
He had to stay at home to help his grandma'am much longer than the would've liked. He was in such a hurry that once he got to the door he literally pushed it open with full force.
He strolled down effortlessly over to his chair so he could look over you as he heard the voice of one and only Lucky Flickerman.
"Now that is an entrance I'm jealous of."
Coriolanus ignored him.
He sat down next to Sejanus Plinth as he reasted his head on his hand as soon as he did that, the look of pure stress overflow his features as his piercing blue eyes locked themselves on the screen watching you.
"I may be wrong." He heard the voice of Sejanus Plinth as he stared at the screen, not looking away. "But it seems to me that you actually, genuinely care about whether or not she makes it out alive."
Coriolanus felt himself freeze for a moment, but he quickly forced himself to gain his composure back.
"I don't-"
"Don't lie to me, Coryo."
He kept his mouth shut after that.
And you know that I'd swing with you for the fences
Sit with you in the trenches
Give you my wild, give you a child
Give you the silence that only comes when two people understand each other
Family that I chose, now that I see your brother as my brother
Is it enough?
Coriolanus Snow could still remember the feeling of slight cold breeze as he hoped off of the train in 12 for the first time ever.
His boots stepped right into mud and he closed his eyes for a moment in slight annoyance. What an amazing way to alive here and do the things he was ordered to do.
He gripped more tightly just in hope to gain more confidence that he could actually pull through with this.
He stepped forward, letting out a puf of breath to steady himself.
Just as he was about to step after the rest of the new recruits as the one who is last in line he heard something that he hoped he would hear again. A voice which belonged to the person for whom he decided to go to the poorest District, paying the last bit of money he owned.
"Coryo!" Your voice shouted and he turned around slowly, almost not believing that you're here.
You ran as fast as you could just to get to him as fast as possible.
Your hair was flying around as your ran, the back of your dress dragging itself after you. The lightness of your steps, the graceful way you carried yourself, your eyes, your lips, you.
You collided against him, throwing your hands around his neck as you gripped on his shoulders as tightly as you possibly could, afraid that he will disappear from your grasp once again.
You looked so out of place. You were like a finest, most beautiful rose of all, but that rose grew in the middle of the mud. It fascinated him.
He wrapped his arms around you instantly, gripping your body strongly yet at the same time gently as he brought you to his body even closer. You felt like if he pulled you any closer the two of you would become one person.
He hid his face into your neck, breathing in your flowery scent. It smelled like home. Home which he was forcefully ripped away from, but now he was finally able to return.
"How did you-? What-?" He stuttered, couldn't get the words out.
"Tigris told me you were about to become a Peacekeeper." You got out, still holding onto his arm, your gripp still tight, afraid of losing him again. "However, Sejanus told me that you would arrive to 12."
This took him a back a little.
"You spoke with Tigris?" He asked, his voice not hiding his utter, but non the less happy, shock.
"We wrote to each other." You answered with a smile. "She's amazing, truly."
He couldn't be happier at this moment, he was so happy that it scared him.
But maybe, as he watched your smile and took your hand into his, pressing your palms against each other, he realized that just maybe life in the poorest District won't be as bad as he was afraid.
But there's robbers to the east, clowns to the west
I'd give you my sunshine, give you my best
But the rain is always gonna come if you're standing with me
One thing was for sure, life after the games was not easy.
You would have nightmares. He didn't know about them, you wouldn't told him. That is up until the rest of your family met up with him on a picnic day.
You looked so tired, so pale, you weren't acting like your usual self. It scared him.
That's when Lucy Gray pulled him aside after she saw his worried gaze on you the entire day. What she told him ripped his heart and shattered every piece.
"She's screaming at night." Lucy Gray whispered just so you wouldn't catch them, not that you could, you were so tired you were barely awake. "She has nightmares about the arena."
When he later on confronted you about your nightmares just so he could help you somehow you broke down.
You told him that maybe it wasn't the best idea for him to be with her. You were sad a lot more often, the screaming because of nightmares and everything else haunted you.
Before you could say anything else, tho. He kissed you like he would die without you.
"You're safe with me." He mumbled against your lips. "We can have a future here together, that is if you will have me."
"Of course I will Coryo, but-"
"No but's, then, my love." He told you, taking the handkerchief out of nowhere as he wiped away your tears that continued to stream down your face.
"Here, away from every harm, away from the games... maybe I could finally give you peace."
Would it be enough if I could never give you peace?
Would it be enough if I could never give you peace?
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TAGLIST:
@hellonheels-x @especiallythewomenandthechildren @prettyinsatiable @caroline-books @runningfrom2am @10ava01 @thecrowdedstreetin1944
Um hello as soon as I saw Tom Blythe i was on my knees. How is he so fucking hot?? The blonde hair's giving High reeve draco or even aaron warner
Hi!
Yesss!! My thoughts exactly! Like, we all know that Coriolanus Snow was a terrible, terrible person, but Tom Blyth is so hott. So I'm certain that he deserves all of the fics. ♥︎
Update: I wrote one and there will be more to come! You can check it out here! -> The Fall Of Snow
I can't believe that I'm saying this, but.... I will be taking Coriolanus Snow x reader requests because Tom Blyth is just too FINEEE!!
Hi, I didn’t see a what not to request thing so ignore this if your not comfortable writing death - but can I request Coriolanus Snow x reader who is a tribute in the games but dies and there’s nothing he can do about it. Just pure angst.
The Fall Of Snow
Pairing: Coriolanus Snow x fem!reader
Summary: She was just supposed to be a pawn in his games, a way to get the Plinth Prize. He wasn't supposed to care. She was just a tribute, after all.
Warning/s: angst, death, kind-of-psycho Snow, Snow in love, crying, probably some spelling and/or grammar mistakes
Author's note: So Snow's actions and behavior may be a little out of his character here, but that is because I made him helplessly in love with reader. I hope this is okay. Enjoy!
The red chair where he sat now seemed to uncomfortable to sit in.
Coriolanus' already strong grip on the armrests of the chair somehow just seemed to tighten, he felt certain that he will probably brake the wood out of which the chair is made of. He felt cold sweat dripping down his forehead as he felt the uncomfortable feeling of shivers going down his spine.
His breathing became raspy, his academy's red uniform somehow became tighter around his neck. He felt like he was grasping the last strings of air in the room crowded with the other mentors, he felt like he was breathing just for the hell of it.
His chest started to squeeze so much it started to hurt him.
He couldn't get the air to tear through to his lungs, and for the first time in a long time Coriolanus' vision became blurry with tears.
He knew that she would be dead either way. She was from District 12 for God's sake! She was the weakest target. Her lack of throat-slicing, bloodthirsty, violent nature was going to be her downfall the moment she stepped into that arena.
She was quite small, weak even, but not like that was surprising to him. She came from the loser District. She was somehow a person who wouldn't hurt a fly, let alone kill someone. Even if it was a stranger.
He knew all of this, therefore he didn't have any reason to be surprised.
Yet it felt like he was going to choke on the uncomfortable, unbearable even, feeling of something in his throat as he felt cameras moving onto his face to capture the moment where a tribute lost a mentor. Or rather mentor losing their tribute. But this wasn't like the times before, with the other mentors, with his classmates, that left the room before him.
He knew that this is different. He felt it.
Coriolanus Snow was aware that he was supposed to have the control of his emotions like many times before.
Right now, what he was supposed to do is what was expected of him to do. Look into the camera and wave it off. Play it off as if he was just happy to be here. To play a modest, charming, bright and above all young Capitol citizen and to lean over toward Lucky Flickerman's microphone, that was already showed into his face, and to answer the questions with a charming smile pressed onto his face.
Yet he couldn't even look away from the screen on the wa in the middle of the room, let alone answer Lucky Flickerman's questions like many before him.
He watched her dead body on the floor in the middle of the arena with a shaky breath that left his lips without his permission.
Lucky Flickerman's questions rang next to his ear.
It seems like he was repeatedly asking him something yet Coriolanus somehow never heard him. Every noise in the room came into his ears as a form of beeping.
His vision blurry even tho he tried to stop it.
The only noise that seemed to constantly increase its volume is his ragged breathing.
Coriolanus watched as another tribute grabbed her body by the ankles as he started to drag her over to the pile of bodies that belonged to other deceased tributes.
Coriolanus watched her laid out hand dragging itself after her, her hair everywhere as one single tear slid down her eyes that were still open.
Haunting him.
Why didn't he do more? What didn't he save her? Why didn't she win? She should have won...
She should have won.
Coriolanus Snow didn't know how it happened and why was it happening.
He suddenly stood up, his hand gripping something in the pocket of his uniform, and without even spearing one glance towards Lucky Flickerman, Clemensia who tried to grab his shoulder before he did something stupid.
He didn't spare a glance at anyone for that matter as his legs carried him away from his chair, away from the room, away from the look of her dead body.
He walked out of the room as fast as he could, trying not to look at any cameras.
He pulled the handkerchief that she used before she was violently thrown into the games to fight for her own life.
It was still wet from her tears.
He felt his own tear dropping onto the handkerchief, mixing with her tears. The tears of his now forever lost tribute.
Coriolanus Snow promised something to himself that day.
When he gets married one day, he will do it out of profit, out of perhaps mutual interest, not out of love.
Never out of love.
Love he had for his tribute brought him here. It brought him this tight feeling in his chest that, no matter what happens or what he does, he can't get rid of.
As he wiped one lost tear with her (his) handkerchief, he promised himself to never loose control ever again.
Yet he knew one thing. Those eyes, hair and smile would haunt him forever, as long as he was alive, but he will gladly remember it. The last thing, along with the handkerchief, he had left of her. His love, his tribute, that died in the arena.
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TAGLIST:
@hellonheels-x @especiallythewomenandthechildren @prettyinsatiable @caroline-books @runningfrom2am @10ava01 @thecrowdedstreetin1944
I can't believe that I'm saying this, but.... I will be taking Coriolanus Snow x reader requests because Tom Blyth is just too FINEEE!!
Lucy Gray Baird
Also known as Songbird
In love with her songs
Eyes Never Lie: Part IV
gif made by nowadays
summary: Being friends with Coriolanus for a long time lets you what drives him to succeed and survive. You've also gained the insight to guess how he's feeling or what he's about to say just by the expression on his face. But only things that you could never decipher were the thoughts behind his eyes.
A.N: I’m not dead! Had a health emergency so that's why this is late (don't hate me), but part 4 is finally here!
word count: 4.9k
divider made by firefly-graphics
Felix Ravinstill was dead.
You went by the hospital to check on him, only to hear his ventilator sound off the time of his death, sunrise on the last day of the 11th Hunger Games. You watched from a distance as his mother and father held themselves as they cried over the loss of their son, and you walked away, saddened by the death of a friend; the death toll of dead or scarred friends now rising to 3.
These were friends you had known since childhood, people you had grown up together with, people who are now dead and scarred, lives forever changed in the blink of an eye. You were walking out of the room when you were suddenly pushed into a bathroom. Your hand grabbed the sleeve of the person and pulled them off of you. You were met with yellow eyes, black hair, and a long turtleneck shirt. Your mouth fell open as you recognized the person who pulled you into the room.
“Clemmie?” you whispered and wrapped your arms around her. She hugged you back as you let a tear fall. “Why won't you visit me?” she asked, her tone having an angry edge to it. “Gaul told us you had an infectious flu.” You said, looking at her sickly appearance. “She's a liar, that snake changed me. I haven't gotten anyone sick.” she seethed, and you noticed she would hiss as her tongue would twitch with her body. Her eyes then scanned you, “You need to stay away from her, she's gonna get you killed, she already wants me dead.”
She then added to her sentence, “Don’t let her poison get to you, she wants us to be like her test!” Clemensia started to hiss as she held your arms, prompting the hospital staff to open the door, catching you two. One of them grabbed, holding one of her arms tight as another did the same.
“Watch! Her games are gonna get us all a free ticket to the next life!” Clemensia yelled before a staffer pricked her with a needle, and she went limp. Before she was dragged into another room, her shirt rode up, revealing the bottom of her torso, and a batch of scales festering in the middle.
The walk to the academy made your mind race. Your thoughts drifted to Lucy Gray, who was hopefully still alive. She has a low chance of making it out alive, that you knew. She could charm a crowd bit when it came to physical strength… yeah. Walking into the lab, you made yourself a promise: If there was any way you could help her in the games, rules be damned, you would do it. Gual was already waiting for you.
“take it you know about Ravinstill’s son?” She asked, to which you nodded in response. “Death, a certain subject you’ve become friends with these last few days.” Dr. Gaul said before leading you to a stack of cages, starting a long day of learning about her creations and how they were made.
You caught glimpses of the games, only seeing the death of Lucy’s fellow tribute, Jessup, another innocent life claimed by the games. While you were writing in your notepad, you heard a scream on the screen that broke your focus. Reaper was holding Dill in his arms, blood streaming out of her nose. She was dead. “Her illness finally took over.” you said to yourself, noticing Gaul’s eyes glued to the screen, a curious look on her face. In a turn of events, starts to line the dead tributes up in a line. This broke your focus, making you look at what he was doing.
The most shocking part came when he tore the capitol flag down from the arena, making you stand up. As he laid the flag over the fallen tributes, Sejanus’ words came into your mind. They didn't deserve this. In the corner of your eye, you saw Dr. Gaul go to a desk in front of a camera. “Start the broadcast.” She said to one of her other assistants. Reaper's words were soon cut off by Dr. Gaul.
“Capitol citizens, I’m afraid I must interrupt our Games to announce a tragic loss, one that affects us all. Felix Ravinstill, son of our beloved president, has this morning succumbed to his injuries sustained in the rebel bombing.” A few of the lab assistants gasped at the news as you turned towards Gaul, watching her break the news to Panem.
“Out there in the districts, they will be celebrating this young boy’s death as a triumph. I will not allow my Games to give our enemy such a victory. I swear to you, here and now, before the sun goes down tonight, a rainbow of destruction will engulf our arena. Even if it means there’s to be no victor in these Games.” And with that, she cut the feed.
Your mouth fell open, “You did that to cut the tribute off.” She looked at you with a cold stare, “Just one more rebel to kill.” You saw the lab assistants start to cage up the snakes, and you watched the colorful creatures of death go into a cylinder and be pushed outside, you turned and saw Coriolanus walking towards you. He was looking between you and the tank, a concerned look on his face.
He was holding his handkerchief in his hand and put it in your hand. “It holds her scent, please.” Coriolanus begged. The memory of Dr. Gaul making you retrieve the paper came back to you: the snakes didn't bite you, so they won't harm Lucy Gray. You nodded and walked to the tank, sliding it between the slot in just as it was lifted off. He gave you a grateful smile as he walked off. You walked out and saw Dr. Gaul with her back turned to you, laughing to herself, “Go watch the finale, my rose,” she said, now turning to you, “Say your silent goodbyes to your friend.”
You speedwalked into the room, finding Tigris, and sat next to her. She gripped your hand as your eyes were glued to the screen, praying the handkerchief trick worked. You watched as the youngest tribute, Wovey, walked towards the tank, not knowing it would be the last thing she saw. Soon the snakes broke the tank, and covered Wovey, charging towards the tributes.
“Not candy! Down goes Wovey.” Lucky Flickerman said and continued to announce the death of all the tributes until it all got to Lucy. You looked between the screen and Coriolanus. The snakes weren’t charging towards her, now slowly creeping. “It worked.” You said to yourself, letting out a sigh of relief. “She’s won, let her out.” Corio said. “Afraid that’s not your call to make, Mr. Snow.” Lucky Flickerman said and nodded to Dr. Gaul.
You suddenly heard Lucy start to sing, trying to calm the snakes. The way her voice took the room over, you could only imagine what her voice was doing to the other viewers. Between the snakes wrapping around her dress and her powerful voice, tears started to form in your eyes. By the end of her song, you could only hear the sound of her humming and your breath. Coriolanus now turned to Dr. Gaul, “Dr. Gaul, please, get her out.” He shouted. Tigris and you shared a brief look before you both yelled “Get her out!”
Soon the room started to fill with the refrain “Let her out” while looking at Dr. Gaul. She raised her hand, silencing the students who waiting for her answer. With a pointed look at you, she turned to a person next to her and said, “Let her out.” You didn't even hear Flickerman’s words as you hugged Tigris and she held you. Your classmates began to walk towards Coriolanus while you stayed by Tigris. “The games are as I predicted!” Lucky Flickerman shouted, tearing up his paper and releasing doves from his hands.
Amateur magician my ass.
Eventually, he broke through the crowd and found you two in the middle of the group, Tigris coming up and holding him first. After a moment, he came to you and you enveloped him into a hug. “You did it.” you whispered to him, feeling his hands squeeze you. The games were over, Coriolanus had won, and all would be well.
That afternoon, you were finishing up writing down notes of formulas Dr. Gaul assigned to you when Dean Highbottom walked in, “I assume your friend is ecstatic he won the games, as he should be.” You turned to him, taking in his tone of speech. “I find it strange, this relationship between you and Snow,” he said, “coming so close while only meeting in the Academy even though you both grew up close together, did you not?” You nodded in response, “We had mutual friends, we knew about each other, but didn't cross paths until the first day.”
“It’s been nice seeing you two help each other as best you could these years,” Highbottom said, “but I’m afraid it's come to an end, dear one.” For a second you couldn't speak, but you leaned forward. “It appears your friend slipped his songbird a compact mirror full of rat poison, assisting the kills of that sickly tribute as well as another,” Dean Highbottom said, making your blood run cold, “And a handkerchief with his father’s initials was found in the bottom of the snake bin, saving his tributes life in the end.”
You covered your mouth and cursed, “Goddamit Coryo.” you whispered to yourself, but you pulled yourself together. “So now what happens to the prize, who wins?” you asked, looking him in the eyes. “Well, as I said, cheating will be punished. Being a peacekeeper will be one suited for him I assume. As for the winner of the Hunger Games, I'm still deciding on that one.” he said, standing beside you. “In some ways, I say the viewers for having a show. In other ways, I say his songbird is a winner, she gets to live after all. But I would also say you as well.” Highbottom stated.
Now you were confused, “How do I win?” He shrugged, “You got the experience of the games, up close and personal. You, a capitol student, are now an apprentice to the Gamemaker of the Hunger Games, a survivor of a capitol bombing, and top of your class, why aren't you anything but a victor of these games?” Dean Highbottom asked. “Come on, you didn't think the public forgot your little act in the zoo already, apprentice? You made a little name for yourself without even realizing it,” He chuckled as he looked up at you, “I congratulate you.”
“For what?” you asked, looking at him. “Surviving Snow, and his games.” Highbottom said, looking past you and at Dr. Gaul who entered the room. “Why would I have to survive him?” you asked, but he shook his head. “Later, apprentice, your teacher calls.” he said, and walked out the same way he came. Dr. Gaul approached while carrying a clipboard, a teasing smirk on her face, “Death’s resounding bell tolls once more, the number of friends lost rises to four.” She then looked up, “One last thing, the snakes are getting a bit much for the rest of my assistants, help them out for me.”
You had gotten used to her random “side quest” as you called them, so you went out of the door, missing the cold and hard stare she gave you. When you approached the arena, you looked for the rest of the people.
Why was the arena empty?
That was when you heard it, the slither of snakes coming from all corners of the arena. “No…” you said to yourself, seeing snakes come from all the crevices of the arenas. You let out a scream and backed into a barrier. You began to climb the debris, ironically ending up in the same area Lucy Gray did. As the snakes wrapped around your legs, you held your breath, knowing it would be your last. You kneeled on the ground, letting your last moments of life looking at the sunset. Surprisingly, they only wrapped around your body but made no effort to harm you.
You kneeled there and watched as they swarmed your body, making a rainbow blanket over your body. For some reason, you laughed at the revelation of the handkerchief not only saving Lucy Gray but you as well. “I had a feeling my theory was correct.” You heard the voice of Dr. Gaul say. You looked at the camera pointing at you and sighed, “You knew I helped?” “I had a hunch, little rose, and I’m usually right about a lot of things.” She chuckled. “So now what, you gonna turn me over to Highbottom, turn me into an Avox?” You seethed, now having a rush of anger. “And let the newest gem of Panem go to waste, I’m not that cruel. The fact loverboy is going to the districts as a peacekeeper is punishment enough for you.” Dr. Gaul chuckled.
“No child, you shall go to 12, have a little vacation away from home.” She said as you slowly stood up, the snakes still all around you. “And do what, just stay there spinning the story to have me a permanent resident for cheating?” You shouted, looking at the camera. “No, you shall adapt. Pack a simple bag.” Dr. Gaul said, “And you shall see how blessed you were to prosper and grow in the Capitol, not in the districts like the snake you saved.” And fine the camera’s red light turned off. You sighed and slowly walked out of the arena, the snakes, surprisingly letting you move. You walked home as if you were marching in a funeral procession.
You hit the bed cried yourself to sleep, and packed your bag in the morning. Dr. Gaul made up the perfect fabricated story to your parents, and you didn’t protest, the fear of her ratting you out shutting you up. You got dressed, put your jacket on and you were on a train to the districts that early morning. The train ride might as well have been one to hell. With each tree going past you was only a reminder of being far away from home. You held your necklace in your hand, watching the greenery of the land pass you by.
When the train stopped, your face contoured into one of emptiness, the reality of your situation setting in. You were alone. No parents to vouch for you. No Sejanus to make you laugh and comfort you. No Coriolanus, you had to stop thinking about his situation to keep yourself from crying. As you held your bag tightly a dressed officer walked forward. “Gual’s student?” He asked you, to which you nodded in reply. “Welcome to District 12, this way.” He helped you into the back of a vehicle and sat in front of you.
“You’ll be shadowing and assisting the scientist in the laboratory. You have the freedom to explore, you’ll be here for a while.” He said, watching the coal miners pass you all by. “What is there to do?” You asked, looking at the buildings. The officer nodded, “There’s the Hob, group that calls themselves the Covey performs there.” Your eyes met his at the mention of “covey.” Lucy Gray was covey, so she would be here. “When do they perform?” you asked.
“I'm not sure, but hopefully soon.” he said as the car stopped in front of a building. You were coached throughout the day about the jabberjays, as well as what they were made for. Only in the late afternoon did you finally catch a break. Your hands ached from the pecks and bites of the jabberjays. You walked through the streets, hands in your pocket, taking in District 12. Birds were flying around, peacekeepers walking the streets, and someone calling your name.
Wait…
You froze and turned around, seeing a blonde girl looking at you, behind her was Lucy Gray. She immediately ran towards you and enveloped you in a hug. “You’re here,” She said, looking you up and down, “Why are you here?” “Gaul figured out I helped Coriolanus cheat during the games.” You said, and she came to a realization. “The snakes, that was you?” Lucy Gray asked, you nodded “yes.” She then hugged you once more, tighter this time than the last. You hugged her back as she asked, “What happened to Coriolanus?” Your breath hitched, and then you let it out, “He has to serve as a peacekeeper for his wrongdoings.” Her hands rubbed your shoulders, “How long does he have to serve?” You shook your head, trying not to cry, “I don’t know.” Your voice came out weak, your emotion taking over your voice.
“I’m so sorry-.” “Lucy Gray!” A voice yelled. Her expression immediately fell. “Piss off Billy!” The blonde girl who was with Lucy yelled. “Nobody’s talking to you, Ivory!” Billy yelled at the girl. “This was Maude Ivory” you realized, slowly breaking out of your trance. “Why don't you go torture another poor girl.” You shouted. Now his gaze turned to you.
“And who might you be?” Billy asked, looking you up and down. Well, shit. You didn't want people to find out you'd been sent here, lord knows how the district feels about the capitol. So you put on your best smile and sarcastic tone, “Calanthe Hemlock, and I'm so glad to meet such a waste of air like yourself.” Billy purses his lips before looking at Lucy again, “This conversation ain't over.” You three watched as he walked off before Maude Ivory looked at you, “Calanthe Hemlock huh? Where’d that name come from?” She asked. “The name “Calanthe” came from a close friend.” you explained, not missing the sorrowful look Lucy gave you. “Hemlock is one of my favorite shades of green.” You said and leaned on the building close to you.
“How long will you be here?” Lucy Gray asked, looking you in your eyes, Maude Ivory following the same movement. “I don’t know, could be weeks, could be months.” You said. Her face slows turned into a smile as she looked at Maude Ivory. “What’s that face for?” You asked. “This hell is gonna turn into a vacation.” Lucy said, sliding her arm on your back and walking you deeper into town. “You won’t have to live in your Capitol dollhouse, you can just be you.” Lucy Gray said, holding your hand and squeezing it. “Calanthe Hemlock, resident of District 12. No one knows your name, or your past, all they know is that you’re my friend.” She said.
As you watched the sunset over the trees your face slowly broke out into a smile. Calanthe Hemlock just stepped into the streets of District 12, and she was gonna have the time of her life while she had the time. The first week you still had your walls up, nervous about being alone in a new environment for the first time. By the second week, you were hanging out with Lucy every day, and by the third week, you almost forgot your birth-given name.
When Lucy Gray & Maude Ivory introduced you to their family in the Covey several weeks later, you wouldn't lie and say you were nervous. Those nerves were soon soothed by their kindness and acceptance of you. Turns out that risking your entire future for a friend ends up giving you more of them. They walked you through the woods until they came to a lake, and all rushed to jump in, all except Lucy Gray, who was watching you.
“What's wrong, Calanthe?” she asked. “I haven’t gone swimming in a while.” you said as you took your dress off. Lucy smiled softly, “Jump in or I'll shove you in myself.” She was gone in a second, jumping over the dock and into the waters. You sighed, “When in 12.” You said to yourself and ran down the dock, jumped up, and let the water cover you.
When the water ran out of your ears, The cheers of the covey filled them, chanting your name. You spent the afternoon swimming. When you all took a break, Luxy sat beside you in the grass. “I never got the chance to ask you, now did they find out you helped me?” Lucy Gray asked.
For a second, you were back in the area, the snakes slithering up your body and over your throat. You closed your eyes and took a deep breath before speaking. “Dr. Gaul, the game maker, told me I was helping the other lab assistants gather the snakes out of the arena. When I walked in I was the only one there, and the snakes swarmed me a minute later.”
Lucy Gray’s mouth fell open and closed before finally closing completely, “You know she’s an absolute nutjob right?” You nodded in response, looking out at the water. “Well, stand up. You're going out tonight.” Lucy said, grabbing your hands, and making you stand. “Where are we going?” you asked, letting her walk you down the trail. “You, Hemlock, are joining us in the Hob tonight.” Maude Ivory said, looking up at you.
You scoffed, “I didn't know I was the guest of honor.” “We’re playing tonight,” Barb Azure said, looking back at you, “and you’re dancing tonight.” You laughed, “I don’t have a choice, do I?” You asked, already knowing the answer. “Nope, now go on and kill some time, we’ll be looking out for ya.” Tam Amber said, giving you a playful wink as they walked ahead of you.
When the night was setting you took a quick shower and changed into a dress you packed and walked to the Hob. The dance was already in full swing, boots stomping on the floor and loud chatter filling the air.
A smile found its way upon your face, the change of scene is a complete 180 of the dancing you were used to, yet somehow more entertaining to see. Soon you were pulled into a dance, losing track of time and the worries being capitol fell away.
When the music stopped, you found yourself in the front, looking up at Maude Ivory. “Is it hot in here?” she yelled, you and the crowd yelling “yeah” in response. “Cause we’re plannin’ on heating it up a bet more. The one, the only, Lucy Gray Baird!” she shouted, and Lucy Gray came onto the stage. As she gave her small speech, she was given a bottle, you caught her gaze and she smiled.
“Everybody!” Lucy Gray suddenly yelled, to which the crowd responded, “Yeah!” “I'd like to give a special shoutout to my dear friend, someone who pioneered for my victory throughout the games. My dear friend Clanathe Hemlock!” She yelled, pulling you up on stage, the applause and whistles drowning out your nervous giggles. “Safe to say she's happy I survived.” Lucy Gray said, letting you back down. “Now, how about a song, huh?” Lucy Gray asked, and the music queued her in.
As soon as she started singing, you recognized the lyrics. It was the same song she sang at the reaping, but it sounded a whole lot better with the band. You then noticed she froze up on a lyrics and stopped dancing to follow her gaze, but you couldn't see who she was looking at. You did manage to see the smirk she gave shot you. That was when Billy waste of air Taupe broke through the crowd.
You turned and saw Billy Taupe shove a peacekeeper before getting shoved on his ass. You covered your mouth to laugh but that hand shot out to keep yourself between him and Lucy Gray. “Leave the girl alone, Taupe!” you yelled. His eyes met yours and all of a sudden you felt his hand slap the hell out of you, sending you back onto the stage.
The slap damn near knocked you out, but you got back up just in time to see a peacekeeper with blonde hair rush towards him, shouting “Don’t touch her.” You stood up and looked at the peacekeepers, and your eyes filled with tears as you recognized his eyes. Coriolanus was the one knocking the hell out of Billy Taupe. “Coryo stop!” you heard another familiar voice yell. “Nah get off me!” Coriolanus yelled, getting dragged away by Sejnaus. Why are you here? You watched Coriolanus look you in the eyes as your face broke into the biggest smile you ever smiled in your life.
You turned to Lucy Gray as she smiled back at you, “Well look who's here.” “You saw him when you stopped singing.” you said, putting two and two together. Her hand went to your cheek and sighed, ”Try and clean that up some, ‘Lanthe, don't want this on your record.” You rolled your eyes, “Shut up, before I make you my next test subject.” You joked. “Ya love me too much to do that.” Lucy Gray yelled as you walked away. “Unfortunately!” you shouted back, blowing her a kiss as you walked back to your barracks.
The next day the slap mark went down, but it still stung like hell. Pulling on your long sleeved dress and boots, you walked to the lunch hall. You heard from the other trainees you had the day off and immediately went to find Lucy. When you walked through town, you heard your name being called and saw Sejanus running towards you. You wrapped your arms around him and let out a laugh, “What are you doing here!” “Once I found out where Coryo was going, I followed close behind. I wasn't expecting you to be here.” Sejanus said.
Your hand ran over his hair, and you pouted. “I’m gonna miss your hair.” You said, making him chuckle. “Coriolanus was looking for you earlier,” Sejanus said, making your eyes widen. His eyes took in your expression, and he smiled softly. “You don't know how loved you are, Calanthe.” He said, smoothing out your hair before sighing. “It's nice to get away from the capitol, isn't it?” you asked, Sejanus nodding “yes” in response.
His gaze soon went behind you, and he rubbed your shoulders, “I gotta go, I’ll catch up with you later.” Sejanus gave you a short smile and then walked off. You sighed, wondering who he went to talk to as you walked around. The grass hitting the skirt of your dress. You saw a familiar figure walking through the grass and your heart jumped. Before you knew it, you broke out in a run towards him. “Coryo!” you yelled, a smile breaking your face open.
He turned and mirrored your smile, walking towards you as well. You opened your arms to bring him into a hug, which he was pulled into the second you got to him. His arms held you to his chest, so close you could almost hear his heartbeat. For the first few minutes, neither of you said a word. It wasn't until he broke the silence, “Why are you here?” Coriolanis asked. “Gaul found out I helped you, and I was sent to 12 the next day.” You saw his face flash from anger to confusion to worry.
“Your parents don't know the truth, do they?” He asked, making you shake your head “No”. Coriolanus then sighed, “It's nice to know you're here.” His eyes went to yours, to your lips, to your necklace, and then right back to your lips. “No capitol. Dr. Gaul can't control us.” He whispered, leaning towards you. His nose brushed yours, making you stand still. “We’re free, Calanthe, for once.” Coriolanus added.
You had gotten used to being called by that name, but nothing could ever beat the name coming from his lips. You hadn't realized how close he was to your face until his breath hit your lips. Looking up at him, your hands found the back of his head, and then his cheek, before resting on it. He closed his eyes for a second, soaking in the comfort of your touch. “When I was on the train, I almost wanted them to shoot me.” he said, now opening his eyes. “Why, Coryo?” you asked.
“I’d rather go through the games as a tribute than stay away from you.” He whispered, making a tear fall down your face. His hand came to wipe it away with his thumb, but his hand remained on your face. You didn't know when, but the moment changed with a soft gust of wind. Like magnets, your lips found each other in a passionate kiss. Bottled-up emotions come forth to be put into the moment. His hands went down to your waist pulling you to him and holding you there.
You wrapped one arm around his neck and one on his cheek deepening the kiss, making him chuckle. He didn't verbally respond, but he kept kissing you like he would never see you again, and you weren’t complaining. All memories of the games, you being sent to 12 faded away with every second of his kisses. This was all that mattered now.
Coriolanus Snow was here. Dr. Gaul and her meddlesome ways weren't. And right now you were kissing the boy you loved in a field of flowers; what more could you want? If Dr. Gaul wanted you to adapt, you would do as she asked: After you lived a little.
𝑽𝒊𝒓𝒕𝒖𝒐𝒖𝒔 𝑨𝒅𝒐𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 (3)
Billy the Kid x b!woc reader
Being the pastor's daughter meant you had to always be on your best behavior, never stepping off the right path, walking the straight & narrow path, and her eyes towards heaven. That was until a certain outlaw rode into your life, and taught you sometimes it okay to have a taste of hell with a little bit of heaven.
AN: readers last name is Bennett.
Word count: 1.1k
Here's the link to Part 1 & Part 2
(GIF above made by felixscatton
divider made by saradika
If the devil was Billy, you had to be Job, because he was putting you through hell and back. You finally had a day off from work and farm chores, and he just so happened to knock on the door, wanting a “study session”. “Honey, your friend is here!” Your mother called. You came downstairs, confused, “I’m not expecting company.” You said and then saw which “friend” was at the door: Billy. “Good afternoon Ms. Bennett.” He said, taking his hat off. “And a good afternoon to you as well, Billy. She’ll be out in a minute.” Your mother smiled.
You went to grab your shawl, but your brother Michael, draped it over his head. “Oh, Billy! Kiss me under the shining sun until my face is as blue as your eyes!” He teased, falling dramatically on your bed. “If you don’t shut up.” You shushed, grabbing at the shawl. “Let me ride away with you into the sunset! I love you so much!” He yelled, holding it over your head. John came in, and looked between the two of you, “Are you two done?” He asked, taking the shawl from Mike. “Our sister has a little crush, Johnny, she’s in love, can’t you see?” He said, spinning around him.
You then saw a glint of mischief in John’s eyes. “I hate you both.” You said as you took the shawl back and draped it around your shoulders. You walked down the stairs and gave your mother a kiss on the cheek before you walked out of the house. “Shall we, little Bennett?” He said, following you as you began to walk to the church. “Come on, Billy, I’d rather get this over with.” You said, looking behind you. He smiled, “Don’t mind me, I’m just admiring the view.” He said, looking at your bottom and then back to your eyes.
“You’re only looking at me.” You said, turning back to the church. “I know.” He replied. The rest of the walk was in complete silence until you got into the building. “Well, what did you want to touch on today?” You asked, opening the Bible before looking up at him. “Well since you asked-.” “I meant touching on the word, asshole.” You interrupted, knowing what he was going to say. “Did the pastor’s dove just curse, what would your father say?” Billy teased. “What would he say if he heard what you said,” You replied, “I think you’d have the worst of his rage, not me.” “Billy only chuckled with a grin on his face, “Well, you may be right.”
You chuckled in response, “I know I’m right.” He then sat beside you, “I actually know what I want to talk about for this session.” You looked up and held the page you were on down with your thumb. “Well then, what’s the subject?” You asked. “For today, lady Bennett, temptation.”
You could’ve killed him. You wanted to choke him, but given his attitude, he’d probably like it. His eyes were full of mischief and he had a grin to match it. “Didn’t know the word was even in your vocabulary.” You said in an annoyed tone. “There’s a lot of words in my mind, honey, especially for you.” Billy said, running his hand over your shoulder, making you shy away from him. “I have some for you too.” You responded. “Really?” he asked, his voice suddenly getting deeper as his hand skimmed over yours. “Yeah, the term asshole is in there somewhere.” You snapped, hitting the back of his hand with the Bible.
He only chuckled, letting his hand fall back, “You’re so fun to mess with, little Bennett.” He then looked deep into your eyes before speaking again. “I didn’t follow you here to learn about the Bible today.” He said, moving closer to you. “Then what did you come here for?” You asked, a nervous tone almost peeking through your voice. “You know, you act like you’re so innocent, but I see you, little dove.” Billy chuckled. “You could’ve had the lesson in your own home, but here you are, in the church, alone with me at last.”
You sat completely still, starting to recognize your actions. And you couldn’t deny your thoughts about him, pure and impure. He then took the Bible out of your hands and held it in his. Your heart was starting to beat faster, the feeling of his hands touching yours making your soul soar. “I don’t know if I’m overstepping your boundaries, but I have a feeling you this as much as I do.” He said, getting closer to you, leaning closer to you.
His hand then scaled up your arm and held your cheek in his hand. Billy’s thumb ran over your cheek a couple of times before his eyes drifted to your lips, and then to your necklace, the one holding your purity band. “I know you wanna be so pure, but even the saints had their sins, honey.” Billy whispered, his face inching closer to you. “Why deprive yourself of something you want and wants you in return?” He asked.
You couldn’t find an answer, the urge to argue now gone. His hand felt so warm against your cheek, putting you in his trance. The offer was in front of you, now all you had to do was take it. Billy was staying still, giving you a chance to turn him down, tell him off, curse him out, and leave. He was probably waiting on it from the look in his eyes. They were going in between your eyes and your face before locking in with your stare. In response, your eyes fell to his lips before looking into his eyes, your mind made up.
Your brothers got to do what they pleased, it was your turn.
One moment your shawl fell down your arms, the next your lips met Billy’s for a kiss. His hand brought your face to his and yours found the back of his head as your eyes closed. The rush of the moment along with the setting of the place made it more thrilling to you. Here you were, your father’s “perfect daughter” giving her first kiss to a criminal. His hand left your chin and found your waist, pulling you in closer by your hip. Your fingers began to run through his hair, making Billy let out a low groan in response.
One of his hands found the back of your neck as your lips moved against each others, and then grabbed onto your necklace. Billy pulled on it, forcing your head forward and a short gasp from your mouth. You finally pulled back for air, cracking your eyes open. You looked at his amused expression and a smile found its way upon your face, “Holy shit.” Billy let out a short laugh and threw his head back, “Well, temptation ain’t so bad after all, is it darling?” He asked, you shaking your head “no” in response.
He then tilted your head towards him and kissed your forehead. “You’re mine now, Bennett,” Billy whispered, “ ‘can’t wait to show ya what you’ve been missing.”
Let me know what you think!
Eyes Never Lie: Part III
gif made by kvtnisseverdeen
summary: Being friends with Coriolanus for a long time lets you what drives him to succeed and survive. You've also gained the insight to guess how he's feeling or what he's about to say just by the expression on his face. But only things that you could never decipher were the thoughts behind his eyes.
A.N: Part 3 is here! Sorry it’s late
word count: 4.3K
divider made by firefly-graphics
You didn’t know how you got in front of the arena, but here you were, being led to the place where all of these innocent kids would die. You then froze, and Coriolanus’ turned and looked at you. “don’t want you to be alone right now.” He added, holding your hand tighter. “Please.” He whispered, letting you know he didn’t want to be alone too. You nodded and squeezed his hand as he walked you toward the arena once more.
Before you realized it you were standing behind Lucy Gray and were ushered to walk forward. The darkness of the tunnel made it a bit hard to see, but the red lights made it easier. Walking forward, the turnstile turned and a voice said “Enjoy the show!” Definitely not creepy. Now beside Lucy, you felt her hand slip into yours, and you welcomed it.
As you walked further in, the hold on your hand got tighter, and you looked at her. She was holding onto your hand for dear life, Lucy was terrified. Suddenly, a noise made you look up and see the arena opening up the top window panels, letting the light in. It was eerie, somewhat amusing, and haunting at the same time. But the decor couldn’t dispel you from an ugly truth: 23 kids are coming into this arena, but only 1 is coming out tomorrow.
“Welcome to the arena for the 10th annual Hunger Games!” A voice cut through the arena. “Tributes, mentors, you have 15 minutes to survey the space and discuss strategy.” You let go of Lucy’s hand and rubbed your hands together. You saw her face contort into one of worry as her eyes darted to you. “Please,” Lucy whispered. “Coriolanus, please don’t let me die in here tomorrow.”
Before any of you could answer, an explosion cut your train of thought off as you were thrown to the ground. You covered your nose as you watched the arena get blown to hell and back. You, Lucy, and Coriolanus stood for a moment as the debris started to fall to the ground, a scream finally leaving your mouth as you ran away, Lucy in front of you and Coriolanus behind you. While you were running, though looked back for Coriolanus and felt a piece of the arena slide across your face, making you fall.
You felt Lucy’s hand turn you towards her, “Where’s Coriolanus?” She asked, making your blood freeze. That was when a familiar voice yelled out, “Help me!” You immediately knew it was Coriolanus. Following the sound of his voice, you soon found him under a piece of debris. You immediately tried to lift it but had trouble. You saw the fire on his back, and it almost sent you into a panic. “Lucy! Help me, please!” You begged, looking into the smoke where you think you saw her last.
She soon ran towards you and joined in the attempt of trying to get it off of him. You were so focused on lifting the beam you almost missed a tribute trying to convince Lucy to run out of the arena with her. “He wouldn’t save you.” You heard Marcus, Senjanus’ tribute say, before running to the blown open doors. But your eyes didn’t leave the beam, and to your suprise, Lucy never stopped to run.
You both lifted it just enough so he could slip away from it. You turned to Lucy, saying a quick thank you before she www dragged away. In that moment, you finally noticed your hands were singing, and saw the beam had burned your hands. But that wasn’t it, your head was also singing a symphony. In fact, the world was spinning.
The next thing you knew, you were falling to the ground, and the next, you were in a hospital bed. Your mother sprung up and hugged you, “Honey! Oh, thank god.” She sighed, holding onto you. “What happened?” You immediately asked. “The rebels bombed the arena. One of those animals from the districts escaped.” Your father said, holding onto you tight. “Coriolanus? Sejanus?” You asked, sitting up, tears starting to well up. “They’re fine, Coriolanus came in right before you did, Sejanus is fine.” Your mother said, and a breath of relief left your lips.
“You, on the other hand, will have a scar on your forehead as well as sore hands.” Your dad said, handing you a mirror. There was a long red scar starting at your left forehead, going across your eyebrow and nose, and ending in the middle of your right cheek. It was ugly, but nothing makeup couldn’t smooth out.
You then reached for your, neck and felt nothing. “My…..my necklace.” You said in a soft tone. “I’m sorry honey. We can get you another one.” Your father soothed, but you shook your head, the sentimental value now gone up in smoke. “Should I be good to go?” You asked, standing up, and finally getting a good look at yourself. You still had your uniform on, riddled now with dust and smoke, as well as your face. Other than the scar now on your face, you looked okay, as well as an exhausted Capitol child who’s survived a rebel bombing and the loss of two friends in one week can be.
You then walked past the rest of the beds, and one sight made you get chills. You saw the president’s son, Felix, your classmate, on a ventilator, scars all over his face. You let out a surprised shout before a nurse turned towards you and shut the curtain, closing off any view from him. Then started to walk out of the hospital and passed a TV.
Turns out they were still going on with the games. Lucky Flickerman was enticing the crowds once more as they were bringing out the tributes to give them one final spotting before they had to die. That was when you got an idea. You walked with a purpose past the beds, but slowed down when you saw a familiar blonde boy asleep in a bed. Coriolanus was okay, he was alive. You forced yourself to run with sore muscles to your house, and go to the back of your closet. You recalled when Lucy said she could “play the strings,” today would be her chance to prove it.
You finally found your guitar, still in its white case, and brought it out. After giving it an experimental strum, you walked towards the last showing of the tributes, and tried to sneak past a peacekeeper.
Unfortunately, you weren’t the best at it. “Hey! What are you doing back here?” One shouted. “I’m here to do one last observation for Dr. Gaul.” You said in your best calm voice, almost scaring yourself from how much you sounded like someone else. You stared back at them when one looked at the other, “Stay right there.” He said and walked out of the room. The minutes going by made you shift from foot to foot until he came back, “Go right in, we’ll be outside.” He said, letting you pass.
Slowly, you walked to the back of the stage and saw Lucy picking at her dress. “Lucy.” You whispered, getting her attention. She immediately ran towards you and before the both of you knew it, you were hugging. She looked at you, her head going to the scar on your face, “Your head.” “I’ll be fine, but I need a favor.” You said, holding the guitar out to her. “I know you said you won’t sing unless you have something to say, I get it. But this is your last chance before the games.” You said, a more serious tone in your voice.
“One last song to put your memory in the minds of everyone who has and will know your name.” You said, watching as she took the guitar and gave it a strum. “You had this? She asked, to which you nodded. You saw her nod towards you, a look of thankfulness before she walked out. You let out a sigh as you watched from a screen as she sang her song, letting her story be told for everyone to hear, making you smile. For someone who just got to the Capitol, she sure learned how to make a lasting impression, one that wouldn’t be forgotten for decades you would say.
As Lucy finished her song, she walked back towards you and tried to speak, but you silenced her. “You did amazing,” you said, taking your guitar back. You then took her hand and held it tightly. “I know you’re not my tribute, Lucy Gray, but I hope you win.” You said, before giving her one last hug before walking home. You laid in bed that night hoping for her survival. That morning you dressed and could barely eat, thinking about the games. As you left, you passed a mirror and got a glimpse of your face. Even though you put concealer over the scar, it was still red.
As you walked to the academy, you ran into Dean Highbottom. “Ah, ms capitol flower, what are you doing up here?” He asked. You then turned to him, “Just wishing my friends good luck.” You answered. For a moment, he didn’t answer, obviously looking at the scar on your face. “I’d only wish one of your friends luck, little miss.” Dean Highbottom said and turned away from you. As you looked for Coriolanus and Sejanus, Sejanus found you first.
“Hey. I didn’t see you at the hospital.” He said, looking at your face and not your eyes. “I left, they had already treated me.” You said. He then held your hand and squeezed it. “Are you okay?” He asked. “I’ll be fine.” You said, knowing what he was implying. Sejanus’ focus then shifted to someone behind you. “Corio.” Senjanus said, walking up to him. “How are you doing? You all right?” He asked, to which Coriolanus shrugged off.
He then turned to you, his eyes widening at the sight of the scar. Before he could speak, a man got the attention of the 3 of you, and signaled he wanted a picture. Sejanus put his arm across you to put his hand on Coriolanus’ shoulder as you felt his hand go to your hip, the same mannerism he used in the zoo. You put your arm around Sejanus’ back & Coriolanus’, and gave a small smile.
The man snapped the camera, immortalizing the moment in the photo. Sejanus walked off and Coriolanus suddenly held you still, looking at the scar closely. “Are you okay?” he asked, looking at you, his eyes, for once you could see how he was feeling: concerned. “I’m fine. It just stings.” you said, rubbing small circles on his hand. “Before I forget, here.” He said, holding up your necklace, the one you thought you would never see again. “How did you get it?” You asked, staring at the pendant dangling in front of you.
“I owed you and Lucy Gray a favor, this is yours.” He said, walking behind you and putting it back around your neck. You turned towards him, only to see him staring at you from over your shoulder. You two were so close to each other, you could feel the faint blow of his breath on your nose. Nervous, you broke the silence. “I hope you win, Corio.” you whispered, but he only looked at you in silence. “When I woke up in the hospital, no one had seen you, not even Sejanus. I thought you were dead.” he said, his voice breaking at the end.
“You haven't lost me, Cori, and you never will.” you said, putting your forehead to his, and kissing it. He then took your hand and kissed it, before smiling. “Happy Hunger Games.” he whispered. “And good luck to you.” you replied before walking out of the room and towards Gaul’s lab. As soon as she laid her eyes on you, that same sinister grin “Let me see you, my flower of death.” Squaring your shoulders, you approached Dr. Gaul, and her hand held your chin still. She chuckled, her eyes going over the length of your scar, before her other hand held one side of your face.
“Hmmm. This rosebud is tougher than I thought.” she then turned and went to her lab. “Come child, I have much to teach you today. For the whole day, you shadowed Dr. Gaul in her lab, learning her methods of creating her “babies” for the games, how to tame them, and how to make them vicious. During one moment, she looked at you as she handed you a snake, letting it get used to your scent. “One reason I chose the colors is to make an illusion. The colors are to make them enticing, the beauty masking their true nature, their deadly nature.” Dr. Gaul said, looking you dead in the eyes.
“Before you know it, you're too busy looking at the beauty of the colors to see you're about to be bitten with their poison, doomed to drown in the beautiful sea of death.” The snake was now circling your neck, before resting still, allowing you to let out a breath you didn't know you were holding. “Let me guess, I'm the fool drowning in the sea?” you asked. She only smirked in response, “Not yet, I'm still deciding if you're the snake not yet radicalized or the flower not yet fertilized with the malicious poison.”
“And how would the flower be poisoned, who does it?” You asked, wondering what her riddle meant. “That is a question that doesn't have an answer.” she said, chuckling as she took the snake from your neck. After a long day, you began to walk home just as a car pulled up in front of you. You began to reach up for your necklace to wrap around your knuckles just as a woman stepped out, looking frantic. You realized it was Senjanus’ mother. “Mrs, Plinth, what's wrong?” you asked. “Honey, have you seen Sejanus?” she asked, walking towards you.
“No. I haven't seen him since the games started. Did something happen?” you asked. “They captured Marcus and put him up in the arena before a tribute mercy killed him.” she said in a sorrowful tone. “One of the tributes mercy killed him, but he was home for one minute and the next he was gone.” she said, slowing her speech down to calm herself some. That was when something dawned on you, and the idea made your stomach do flips. “I'll help look for him.” you said and squeezed her hand.
“Thank you, dearie,” she said and walked back to the car. As you watched her go back, you noticed Mr. Plinth give you a nod before he joined his wife in the car. You, on the other hand, walked toward the arena and convinced yourself to not turn around with every step. You made a quick stop at Dr. Gaul’s lab, noticing she was already walking out. You both froze, looking into each other's eyes. “I take it you found out where your friend is.” She said, you nodding in response. “Go ahead, I'll send someone to go with you in a minute.” she said, and walked away from you.
“When you finally got to the gate, the peacekeepers eyed you, “Let me in, his mother is worried sick.” you said, looking between the two. It didn't take long for them to open the gates and let you in, as well as locking you in. You slowed your breath as you began to walk into the arena, missing the turnstile to avoid the sound going off. You looked around, making sure to keep your steps as quiet as possible so you could get to Sejanus. As you passed a pile of debris, you saw a bow and some arrows and decided to take one of them in case needed it. When you got close enough, his head whipped towards you and relaxed.
He didn't say anything, but he looked back toward Marcus’ body and you kneeled beside him. Against your better judgment, you helped him grieve for a moment, one of his hands finding yours, and you let your head rest on his shoulder. “Thank you.” he said, you only hummed in response. That was when you felt someone walking towards the two of you, raising the arrow in front of you, only to see it pointing at an equally nervous Coriolanus.
“I thought they'd send my ma.” Sejanus said. “I wish they had.” you said, looking back at him. “You need to go, Corio. Both of you.” Sejanus said, standing up. “I'd like to. I really would. But I promised I'd get you out.” Coriolanus whispered. So he was the backup Gaul sent? “Why?” Sej asked. “Because you're our friend.” You added, looking him in the eyes. “I have to do this. I had to go where the cameras are.” He argued. “You think anyone's watching this,” Coriolanus asked, “Gaul cut the feed. Tributes kill you in here, she's just gonna say you died of the flu.”
You then looked at the beam above you 3 and saw a tribute wake up and grab her weapon. You tightened your fist around the arrow as Corio started to pull you closer to his side. “You need to decide right now. Do you wanna fight these tributes, or fight for them?” Coriolanus asked Sejanus, “Because if you wanna make real change, you need to stay alive to do it.” “How can I make any change from out there?” Sejanus asked.
“You're rich, you have your father’s money. You're smart, you care,” you said, looking between Sejanus and the female tribute looking at you three, “You're the only one who stood up to Gaul in that class, not us.” That moment you heard a clatter from somewhere in the arena, putting all of you on edge. You could see Sejanus was starting to get antsy. “We're dead if we don't leave right now.” You whispered to Sejanus. “Come with us. Spend your father's money, and do some real good. Or just be another dead body in Gaul's war.” Coriolanus whispered, getting close to his ear.
“Please, Sejanus, trust us.” You begged, wanting him to leave with the two of you. That was when you heard a scream from the end of the arena, and saw a male tribute charging towards you. “Let's go!” you yelled and ran for the gate. Even though you were running as fast as you could, they both were faster than you. You saw Coriolanus’ hand reach for yours, and he helped you keep up with him. You were able to jump over the turnstile, Sejanus couldn't and you heard a bone in him snap. You ran over to help him up just as the tribute lashed at the three of you.
You were able to miss his first swing, but when he swung his blade low, he cut your leg, making you scream. By instinct, you swung at his leg with the arrow and surprisingly managed to get a cut on his leg before Corio bashed the boy with a piece of debris. Before you could get out the way you felt the boy's blade cut a long line up your back, dragging another scream out of your mouth.
For a moment your vision blurred, hitting the wall as Coriolanus pleaded with the tribute. It didn't work. You heard Coriolanus scream and then proceed to hit the boy with the beam before hitting him in the head, making him fall through the turnstile. You had just gone over to help Sejanus up with you saw Coriolanus hit the boy one more time, and he no longer moved. You and Sejnaus stared at the sight, the horrible display of the dead tribute making you sick. Your best friend just killed someone, and he didn’t need to.
You then heard a group of tributes start to run towards you. “Get up, Sejanus!” You yelled, hoisting him up with one arm and running towards the gate. “Open the gate!” Coriolanus yelled. You ran through the gate and let out a small sigh of relief when it slammed shut, stopping the tributes from coming through. That was when one female tribute, Coral, looked at you briefly before looking directly at Coriolanus. “Watch those screens, gorgeous. ‘Cause I may have missed you tonight, but your songbird’s next on my list.” She smirked before walking away from the gate. You let out a breath and. As you stood up, you then leaned on the gate, and a wave of pain went down your back to the cut on your leg.
Holding yourself up, you let out a whimper as you saw the blood going down your leg. You could also see the gash on Coriolanus back when Sejanus spoke up, apologizing, “I’m… I’m sorry, both of you, I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry, for all of it.” He looked up at both of you. Behind him, you saw Sejanus’ parents drive up. “My father. Let the buying begin.” He said, and slowly stood up and walked towards his mother. You had just managed to stand up straight again when you and Coriolanus caught the eyes of his father, giving you a silent but grateful nod.
You and Coriolanus were led away and back to Dr. Gaul’s lab. “Snow and his rose stormed down, down on their heads. It stormed down on their heads, and now the boy is...” She stopped and made a noise, imitating the sound of a knife slashing. “Dead.” You whispered to yourself while she chuckled. You two have had enough of the Games tonight, I see,” she said, “Come, sit, I'll stitch you up.”
Coriolanus tried to usher you forward, but you sat down in another seat, “You saved us, you first.” He didn’t argue further. As he sat down, you grabbed a stool and sat beside him. “Who could imagine Crassus Snow's baby boy fighting for his life in the arena one day? What happened in there, that's humanity undressed,” Dr. Gaul let out a sigh before continuing, “Fueled with the terror of becoming prey, see how quickly we become predator. See how quickly civilization disappears?”
“Those tributes didn’t have a choice.” Coriolanus said, finally finding his voice. “I was talking about the two of you.” She said, your eyes finding his stare. “All your fine manners, education, background, stripped away in the blink of an eye, leaving a boy with a club who beats another boy to death to stay alive.” Dr Gaul said, before looking up at you, “And a girl who takes up an arrow and draws blood out of desperation to keep her life.” “You wanna protect people, Mr. Snow? To govern them like your father?
Then it’s essential you accept what human beings are and what it takes to control them.” She then patted his back, signaling him to move.
He squeezed your hand before he slowly walked out of the lab, leaving you alone with your mentor. For a while she stitched up your back, she didn’t say a single word, and neither did you. When she turned you around to sew up your leg, that changed. “So, Snow’s rose is growing her thorns,” She chuckled, “The daughter of the Capitol goes into the arena, who would’ve thought?” “I didn’t intend to humor you tonight, I went in to get my friend.” You replied. Dr. Gaul raised an eyebrow in response, “Be cautious of your loyalty and friendship, young girl.” “They would do the same for me.” You said, looking at her. “Oh I’m sure they would, that’s why you all could’ve died tonight.” Dr Gaul chuckled.
“It’s like I said earlier. Friendship like the one you have with Snow and Plinth can help you thrive as easy as it can be to die following your friend and lover into danger.” Your mouth fell open, but she raised her hand in response. “For a child so wise, you’re very blind to see the eyes of affection that boy has for you?” Dr. Gaul teased. “How are you sure?” You asked, curiously getting the best of you. Dr. Gaul chuckled, “Do you want me to point out the fact he calls you Calanthe, which translates to beautiful flower?”
As she finished the stitch on your leg, she smirked. “Love is a funny thing, pupil. It can be your greatest strength, weapon, or weakness.” “I don’t have a crush on-.” “Don’t lie!” Dr. Gaul shouted at you, making you shut up immediately. “If you don’t love that boy why did you protect him with that arrow in your hand?” She asked, holding your arm up, showing you the arrow still in your clenched hand.
You forgot you still had it.
Dr. Gaul looked at the arrow and then at you, helping you stand up, the stitch now complete. “You’re a strange one, little flower,” Dr. Gaul said, “You don’t see your strengths.” You then looked up at her, “And what do you see?” You asked, grabbing your blazer, and getting ready to leave. As you turned to leave, her chuckle made you freeze and turn around, “I still see what I saw the first time we talked my dear: potential.”
𝑽𝒊𝒓𝒕𝒖𝒐𝒖𝒔 𝑨𝒅𝒐𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 (2)
Billy the Kid x b!woc reader
Being the pastor’s daughter meant you had to always be on your best behavior, never stepping off the right path, walking the straight & narrow path, and her eyes towards heaven. That was until a certain outlaw rode into your life, and taught you sometimes it okay to have a taste of hell with a little bit of heaven.
A.N: reader’s last name is Bennett.
A.N2: Thank you all for the likes & feedback from part one, here’s part 2!
UPDATE: Part 3 is here!
Word count: 1.1k
divider by saradika
Over the next few days, you tried to ignore Billy like the plague. He had a different idea, he would follow you like a lost puppy, never close enough for you to see, but you knew his eyes were on you. Going into town: you knew he was there. Working at the bar: you knew he was there. Even in church: you knew he was there and it drove you crazy. You all were taught to not look behind you during service, eyes forward and towards the pulpit at all times.
You were yearning to catch a glimpse of him, just to know you weren't crazy. However, you couldn't risk getting scolded by your mother for improper behavior. So you sat still, the burning of his eyes on you nagging you the entire time. As you waited for your father to finish saying goodbyes, you heard a voice behind you. “I should’ve known the pastor's daughter could clean up so well,” Billy said, looking you up and down.
“I didn't know the cowboy knew the Lord’s word either.” you responded, looking at him. “We all have our secrets, darling.” He said, a smirk appearing in the corner of his mouth. “So what are yours, Billy?” you asked, leaning on the wall and looking up at him. “I'm not telling mine if you're not telling yours, Ms. Bennet.” He grinned. You peeped inside the door and saw your father still in the middle of a conversation, so you had time. “Alright, I'll let you ask 3 questions about me, and I'll do the same with you, deal?”
“Deal. First question: Have you ever had a drink, and I ain't talking about wine?" Billy asked, to which you nodded in response. "Never. Have you ever taken someone's life?" you asked, noticing a slight twitch in his eyes. "Yes, I killed men before.” he replied, making your blood freeze. You felt your eyes go wide. “Let me guess, it goes against one of the Lord’s rules?” Billy asked, a tone of sarcasm laced in his voice. “Yes, a pretty big one!” You shouted, making him chuckle.
“Don't worry sweet thing, I'd never kill something so pure and innocent as you.” He smirked, caressing your cheek with his thumb. “I'm not so innocent, murderer.” You snapped, the grin never leaving his face. “Oh really? So you’ve held a gun before?“ Billy asked, raising his eyebrows. “Of course I have!” you answered, making him gasp loudly and putting his hand over his heart in a mocking manner. “I thought you were a proper lady Ms. Bennett! How dare you touch a gun!” he said, adding an exasperated gasp to his sentence, making you laugh.
“Shut your mouth! I know how to use one, I've just never shot one.” You said, seeing him side-eye you. “You poor soul.” you heard him whisper to himself. “So, why do you bother me so much?” you asked, giving him a sharp and challenging look. “You intrigue me, little Bennett. I don't get how you've had such a protected lifestyle.” be answered. “Having a stable life isn't protected.” You said, shrugging. “Yeah? Because I've seen those brothers of yours in the bar, and they have the same rules you do I assume.” said, making you nod.
“Bull. Shit.” he said, chuckling. “You don't even see how deprived you've been of fun because you’ve had your eyes set on heaven the whole time.” Billy said, and then you saw his smile change, his eyes darkening. “Oh. You poor little thing. You don't know what you're missing out on.” He said, making you look at the ground in embarrassment. “Eyes are up here, little girl.” he said, tilting your head up. “So then answer my last question. What do you want from me?” you asked, annoyance laced through your words.
He smirked and then grasped your necklace and tugged it slightly so you were almost nose to nose. “I thought I made my thoughts clear from the start, honey. I want you.” He said, hearing the desire in his tone.
You stepped away from him like he was a raging fire, and yet you stayed close enough to still be within arms reach. You both didn't say a word, you didn't need to. His word rang in your ears. This man was a walking sin, the devil in the form of a man: a very handsome man. His eyes glued to your face, waiting for your next move.
Just like that the word faded away. You were no longer outside the church, you were in your own little paradise. The one that surrounded you when you got lost in his eyes. Your dress softly flows in the wind, yet you don't feel the chill of the breeze. You didn't feel anything actually.
“I want you”
He didn't know how those 3 words and 8 letters affected you, but then again, maybe he did. Did he want to make you get flustered like this? Possibly. Would you slap him if no one else was around? Probably.
At the same time did you think about what he was saying? Definitely!
Before you could give him an answer, he spoke up first. “Don't you wanna live, honey?” Billy asked, giving you that same signature smile. Fuck him and his cowboy casanova ways, God excuse my French. As a matter of fact, fuck his pretty smile. Fuck his beautiful eyes. Fuck his large strong hands and make you lose your words with a simple touch. And fuck yourself for crushing on him.
Before you could answer him, you were happy to see your father walk out with your mother and father in tow. “Thank you Jesus!” you thought. “Ah! Billy. I see you've met my daughter.” He said, putting a firm hand on your shoulder. “Lovely daughter you've raised, sir. She was just helping me understand the message today, wise girl you have right there.” he said, giving you a kinder smile, but the true intentions remained a secret, one only you two knew.
“Well if you ever want to study the word more, she’ll talk to you about it. Won't you, dove?” he asked, the stern look in his eyes daring you to say “no” along with his palm on your shoulder. “Bringing a man closer to God and Jesus gets you to heaven as you always say.” You said with a nervous smile. Billy, who was now leaning on the wall, gave a knowing look in his eyes. “Closer to heaven” you say, Ms. Bennett?” He asked, a playful edge showing through his words. “Amen to that.” he said, taking your hand and kissing it softly. Before you walked away with your family, he whispered to you one last time. “Now I have a veiled excuse to have you to myself.” And with one last smirk, he walked away from you, leaving you shaken.
Your dad had no idea what he had just done. For a man of God, he seemed to be blind to the works of the blue-eyed devil in front of him.
The man who preached on saving souls from temptation just presented the blue eyed silver tongued serpent with his new Eve.
And the apples were looking riper by the minute.
Chapter 2 of Virtuous Adoration out this week!
UPDATE: Part 2 is here!
Eyes Never Lie: Part II
gif made by thorinsbeard
Coriolanus Snow x b!woc reader
(Contains spoilers for T. B . O. S. A. S.)
summary: Being friends with Coriolanus for a long time lets you what drives him to succeed and survive. You've also gained the insight to guess how he's feeling or what he's about to say just by the expression on his face. But only things that you could never decipher were the thoughts behind his eyes.
A.N: Part 2 is here!
word count: 5.4k
divider made by firefly-graphics
Turns out you were right. As soon as the both of you walked in, Dean Highbottom threatened to expel Coriolanus. They got into an exchange. “And then you, little miss. You’re not even in the competition, what were you doing there?” He asked, turning towards you. “Helping a friend, is it a crime?” You shot back, meeting his stare. That was when Senjaus jumped in, “They didn’t show those people anything they didn’t already know.”
“I don’t need your help, Sejanus.” Coriolanus whispered while you gave him a “thank you.” “That the tributes are human beings, just like us. That’s why nobody wants to watch the games—because people know, deep down, that winning a war ten years ago doesn’t justify starving people’s children, taking away their freedoms, their rights.” You could see Dean Highbottom roll his eyes while your mouth almost fell open. He’s never sounded this passionate before. Let alone so serious.
That was when an all too familiar voice interrupted the moment. “Snow and his rose fell down in the cage. It fell down in the cage but it landed….” She dragged out, looking between you and Coriolanus “On stage.” The both of you said in unison. “You’re good at Games. Maybe one day, you’ll be a Gamemaker like me.”
“If the games continue at all.” Dean Highbottom cut in. “Oh, they’ll continue. With performances like young Mr. Snow’s and my pupil’s in that zoo.” She said a smile that could only be described as sinister. “But I came here to ask your star mentor and my student a question: What are the hunger games for?”
You and Coriolanus shared a look but he spoke up first, “They’re to punish the districts for their uprising, to commemorate the end of the war-.” “Commemorate the dull, dull, dull.” She said, interrupting him and slightly poking fun at him.
“Punishment can take myriad forms. Why not drop bombs, cancel food shipments, stage executions?” Dr. Gaul then looked to you, “And you, my student, what are the hunger games for? Shit. After a moment, you sighed, “A reminder, a way of saying you should never undermine the strength of the capitol, as well as the power.” She nodded her head, a nod of approval.
“Why Games?” Sejanus chipped in. “Here we go.” you thought. “Shouldn’t we be asking ourselves whether or not they’re right in the first place?” Sejanus asked. “You have a problem with my games?” Dr Gaul asked, a small smirk growing on her face.
“Some of those kids were two years old when the war ended. The oldest of them were only eight. The Capitol is supposed to be everyone’s government now. It is supposed to protect all of us. I don’t see how making children fight each other to the death is protecting anyone.” Sejanus said.
That was when you drowned everyone out for a minute. Between the back and forth of Sejanus, Dr. Gaul’s crazy ass, High-as-a-kite Bottom staring all 3 of you down and Arachne side-eyeing you and Coriolanus, you were five seconds away from dropping out when Corio’s voice caught your attention.
“Maybe we should be viewing those tributes as human beings,” He said, looking at Dr. Gaul, “I mean, you saw those kids in the zoo, they just, they just wanted to get to know Lucy Gray.” He had a point. The children had a genuine interest in Lucy. “If she could interest a child, imagine what she could attract from the Capitol.” You thought.
“If we need people to watch, we should be letting them get closer to the tributes before the games, to make the stakes personal.”
He had a good point, as he usually did.
“Who will watch the Games if they care what happens to the tributes?” Dr. Gaul asked, a blank face on her face but an amused edge in her voice. “Everyone.” You said, chipping in, standing up and facing Dr. Gaul alongside Coriolanus. “If they thought the tribute they cared about had a chance of winning. People need someone to root for and someone to root against.” You said, giving a quick look to Corio to see if he wanted you to continue, which he did.
“We need them to invest. And if we bend a few Capitol laws, we could even have them place bets.” You avoided Sejanus’ stare as you took a breath before continuing, “I know Lucy Gray may not win in the arena, but if you give her a chance, I would bet the Plinth Prize that she can win people’s attention.” You said, giving a Quick Look to your classmates just as Dr. Gaul gave an approving look to the both of you. “I’d like you to write up a proposal of these thoughts tonight, Mr. Snow.” Dr Gaul said, giving him the stamp of approval.
“Wait. You mean you might use his ideas?” Clemensia asked. “If it’ll help the ratings, why not.” Dr. Gaul said, a smirk on her face. “Coriolanus and I are class partners, Dr. Gaul. We do all of our assignments together.” She said, standing up. “Way to make me feel loved, Clemmie.” You thought since you 3 worked together on multiple occasions. Dr. Gaul then let out one of her signature chuckles before looking between her, Corio, and one glance at you, “It’ll be an interesting test.” And then she left the room.
After class it was lunch, and you couldn’t leave the classroom fast enough. As you grabbed your tray, the thought of Lucy passed your mind. Do they even feed the tributes? You thought. Before anyone could see you, you wrapped your lunch in a napkin, grabbed an extra water bottle, and walked out of the academy, set for the zoo. You wove between other Capitol citizens as you approached the bars, you immediately spotted the color dress of Lucy and called out to her. Her head immediately turned and began to walk towards you, Jessup not too far behind her.
“What brings you here, again?” She asked as you uncovered the napkin and sat down. You passed it to her through the bar. “Lunch.” Lucy sat down and you saw another tribute stand behind her, “This here is Jessup Diggs.” You nodded to him, but he only stared blankly back. As she took the food, she handed some to Jessup, who soon walked away. You decided to not speak up about the bite on his neck as Lucy talked up before you had the chance to open your mouth.
“You know, you’re an odd one, curious even. Ya don’t have a tribute but here every day.” Lucy Gray said, taking a bite of the sandwich you gave her, making you hum. “We all have assignments, I just got one different from everyone else.” “Why you, may I ask?” She asked with a smile on her face, making you chuckle. “I’ll tell you later.” You joked, making her smirk.
“So, Calanthe, how’d you end up without a tribute?” She asked again, making your head snap up. “What’s you call me?” You asked, making her shrug. “Calanthe, that’s your name, ain’t it?” She asked, making you shake your head. “It’s just a nickname Coriolanus gave me one day.” Making her raise an eyebrow. “Hmmm.” She hummed, taking another bite.
“So, that song you sang, did you make it up on the spot, or did you have it memorized?” You asked, making her nod. “Back home I’m a performer in the Covey, it’s one of my favorites. Hell of a place too, singing ‘n dancing,” she said before looking up at you, “come and swing by, have a drink and a dance one day, sing your little heart out too.” You scoffed, rolling your eyes. “You play too?” You asked, her nodding in response. “I play the strings,” She joked, “What about you?” “I can play a bit of a tune.” You shrugged, “I guess I can carry a note as well.” “Anyone can sing, try it.”She said. “Not me. I’m not the best.” You said, shaking you head. “And sing a spell.” Lucy said, scooting closer to the bars and looking at you, a clear sign she wasn’t taking no for an answer.
So you put your water bottle down and started singing.
You come home late, fall on your cot.
You smell like something that money bought.
We don’t have cash, or so you say.
So where did you get it and how’d you pay?
Lucy then gave you a small clap, making you flip her the bird. “You know, you make the Capitol people look good.” “Oh, don’t think that.” You said, whispering the last part to her. “ right, you’re special.” Lucy said, looking at you. “Really, and what makes me so special,” You asked. “Hmmm, I’ll tell you later,” Lucy said, repeating the answer you said earlier, making the both of you laugh.
After a moment, you looked at Lucy, analyzing her. “You’re not like they say.” You said. This made her raise an eyebrow, “And what do they say about me, since they know everything?” Lucy asked, taking a drink from the water. “Some say you’re insane, others say you’re a wildcard, even a clown.”
You said, adding the snide remark Arachne made. “And what do you think I am?” She asked you. “I haven’t found out yet, you’re officially my second mystery person sweetheart.” You stated a playful grin on your face.
“Who took the number one spot from me?” Lucy asked looking at you for a brief moment before they wandered behind you, looking at Coriolanus approaching the both of you. “That guy.” You said, nodding to Corio. He came forward with his napkin of lunch and offered it to Lucy, who then offered half of it to Jessup. “I’m not hungry.” He said. “You think I can’t hear your stomach grumbling Jessup Diggs?” She asked, giving him a sharp look. As he took it and gave the both of you a long stare, he turned and walked away, letting Corio see the bite on his neck.
“What happened to his neck?” He asked, looking between you and Lucy. “A bat bite. The first night on the train, he didn’t sleep a wink the whole journey ’cause he was keeping the bats off me, so I would get some rest.” She answered, her words trailing off when all 3 of you turned to watch Arachne taunt her tribute with a drink. “One thing I learned in 12 is that hunger is a weapon. Your friend over there sure knows it.” She said, keeping her eyes on her. “She’s not my friend, she’s poison with perfect teeth.” Coriolanus said, making you snicker.
For a moment you looked around at the tributes, zoning out of their conversation. You learned this skill during the war, drowning out the sound of the outside world to stay inside the peaceful silence of your head. It’s how you stayed sane as a child. With the sound of bombs and the agonizing wails from the dying and tortured outside, your mother taught you how to drown out the noise. You were successful, most of the time. But sometimes the screams would cut themselves short, reason unbeknownst to you. Sometimes you used it when your parents would nag, or when Dean Highbottom got on your last nerve.
Somewhere in between drowning out the noise, someone grabbed your hand, snapping you out of your haze. “You’re doing it again,” Coriolanus whispered, looking up at you now. When the hell did they sit down? “Sorry.” You said, apologizing to both of them. “Your friend here was just telling me how he ate a whole jar of paste during the war.” Lucy said a small grin on her face. She then turned to the young tribute, Wovey.
“That little one. She’s so sweet. So young.
Something about her reminds me of my cousin Maude Ivory.” She said, a sorrowful tone in her voice, “I can’t stand to think of them without me like this.” She said, talking about her family. “I’m sorry.” Coriolanus whispered in response. For a moment, all three of you sat in silence before Lucy broke it. “You two seem like good people.” She said, looking between the two of you. “Sure would’ve been nice to meet under different circumstances.” She said, a smile visible on her face.
“One of your shows maybe.” You said, her nodding in response. “Yeah. We could have had a drink. A dance or two. Like we had all the time in the world.” She said, smiling at the two of you. At that moment, Arachne’s scream cut through the air, making your head snap to hers. Her tribute had her by the neck as she took the bottle, smashed it, and stabbed it into her neck. Without thinking you ran towards her while others recoiled and even ran. “Oh no, no, no, no.” You said to yourself, trying to stay calm.
As you pressed your hand to the wound on her neck, the blood slowly seeped through as she grabbed your shirt in vain, “It’s okay, it’s okay.” You whispered, trying to give her some comfort, before you yelled again, “Medic! Someone help her, please!” That was when Coriolanus ran beside you and also tried to help you. “Somebody help us, please!” Coriolanus yelled before you saw peacekeepers approaching. For a second you thought they were there to help Arachne, but instead, they aimed and fired at her tribute. You felt Coriolanus cover you as you covered Arachne.
You knew they were aiming at her tribute, when they fired you knew she was dead. As you kept your head ducked, you saw the blood from Arachne’s neck and her tributes mixed on the ground, almost making you puke at the sight.
The rest of the world seemed to fade away as your mind began to flood with the screams of Arachne, the screams from the war, it hit you light a freight train. And it wouldn’t stop. You finally looked at your hands to see nothing but red, deep red. If you didn’t know any better, your hands matched your uniform, your bloody hands.
You were suddenly pulled back, in a firm but gentle manner, but as you snapped out of your trance, you realized it was a peacekeeper. That was when the world exploded with more screams, this time of the people in the zoo. People screaming in horror, seeing a murder in front of their eyes. In between the chaos, you were able to see the medics carry Arachne away on a stretcher, and away from her crime scene. Suddenly, someone shook you, making you scream, taking you out of your shock.
A woman was looking at your hands, asking if the blood was yours. After she realized it wasn’t, she put a towel in your hand and walked away from you. That was when you finally got another look at your hands, the blood had dried in those few moments, now dark. The sound of Arachne’s final breath and the blood burbling came back to you, audible over the distant screams of the Capitol citizens.
Suddenly, a hand reached for your face and made you look up. You were met with the worried look of Coriolanus, and for the first time, you were able to open your mouth. “I couldn’t save her.” You whispered. “I know, I’m sorry.” He said, beginning to walk you down the main path out of the park. You threw one last look over your shoulder, finding Lucy looking down at the ground, and refusing to tear her eyes away.
The two of you are soon joined by Festus and Sejanus as all of you are ushered out of the zoo. Clemensia soon joined the party, giving you a soft look before waking beside you. Sejanus’ hand reached for yours, but you yanked it away, remembering you still had blood on it. As you all passed a water fountain, you froze. Not saying a word, you walked up to it, and let the water run over your hands, the red slowly pooling around the drain as you washed it away.
The scarlet stained the clear and clean water, now tainted by the blood of Arachne, slain by her starving tribute. At that moment another person joined you, Sejanus. He had the towel the woman gave you. Except his hands were clean, why was he here? He let the towel hit the water and brought it to your face, dabbing it to your left cheek. When he pulled the towel back, small dots of red were on the fabric. He then used the dry portion of the towel to dry your hands before leading you back to the group.
As they got close to Coriolanus’ residence, you turned to him, seeing him starting to tear up, and you held his hand. “Do you think Dr. Gaul will still want the proposal?” Clemensia asked, breaking the silence. “I doubt it.” You answered, her nodding in response. You saw the tears brimming her face, knowing she didn’t want to think about it tonight, especially with the death of Arachne. As the rest of them walked on, you walked Coriolanus up to the penthouse. You told Sejanus to tell your parents you were staying over for a while, and he understood.
Grandma’am jumped as soon as she saw the two of you, fretting and almost in a panic. You consoled her as you saw Coriolanus walk to the shower. As you finally let her go back to picking a dress for her funeral, you heard Coriolanus call your name. When you walked into his room, he was in one of his father’s robes, and writing the proposal. “I thought you weren’t gonna work on it, Clemensia isn’t here.” You said. “I just want to take my mind off of the mess today. You need to as well.” He said, holding your hand before kissing it, offering you a bit of comfort.
You then sat on his bed and sighed, holding your head in your hands. “Okay, I’ll do my best.” You said, taking a deep breath and looking at the ground. For the first 20 minutes, the both of you didn’t say a word, but you kept your eyes on the ceiling, having laid back on the bed, lounging. As you attempted to silence the memory of the blood bubbling from Arachne’s throat, her scream would cut through your memory. When you tried to shut that sound out, the smell of her blood on your hands came to your senses. It was a never-ending sparring match, and you were losing every round.
“You got any ideas you want to add to this?” He suddenly asked, not looking up from the paper. That freed you from your thoughts, and you looked towards him only for him to do the same action. It took a while for your mind to come up with several ideas to propose. After a minute or two, you spoke up, “Food and water for the tributes, they’re in there to fight to the death, but they don’t need to starve while they’re at it.” You said, remembering how Lucy ate her food earlier today. “Meanwhile people throw away most of their food in the Capitol.” You thought.
“I was thinking the same thing, but how?” He asked, turning completely towards you now. “Well peacekeepers won’t do it, even though they have guns the tributes could sneak up on them.” You said, making Coriolanus scoff at the thought. Then the idea struck in both of your minds, “Drones.” Your voices mixed, making you crack a smile and a laugh for the first time since you left the zoo. Coriolanus was looking at you, a soft look on his face and a smile to match it.
“What?” You asked, leaning on your arm to look back at him. “It’s nothing.” He said, the smile never leaving his face. “If it’s on your mind, it’s something to me.” You responded, urging him to answer your question. “This reminds me of our study sessions.” He said, his grin getting bigger at the memory. Over the next hour, you and Corio bounced ideas off of each other, something veering off-topic to debate if the idea would be too much of a hassle to add on such short notice. He then gave you the proposal to read over, being his final check before he was done.
“Looks perfect to me.” You said and then took a pencil, checking for spelling mistakes. “Welp, you missed dotting one I, other than that, you’re good.” You said, holding the paper down and correcting the mistake. When you turned around, you didn’t realize he had taken the robe off and stood at the door. “Can I walk you home?” He asked. You shook your head, “I’ll be fine, Coriolanus.” You said, sliding past him. He then held your arm before making you look up at him.
“Don’t lie to me.” He whispered in a firmer tone. “I’m walking you home, whether you like it or not.” Most of the walk was in silence, but you kept a firm hold on his hand, a silent comfort for the bout of you. As you got to your doorstep, you finally broke down completely. You leaned on the door and let the tears fall. You hit your hand on the wooden door several times, hard. “Damn you Arachne.” You sobbed, hitting your hand on the door once more.
Coriolanus hand then turned you away from the door and into his chest before wrapping around you. One of his hands held your head while the other rubbed your back. You heard him whisper words of comfort to you, but they sounded distant, the memory of her scream weakening the sound of his words. Only the sound of the door opening made you snap out of it. “Thank god you’re alright.” Your mother said, looking at the two of you. You felt Coriolanus kiss the top of your head before letting your mother hug you, looking over you.
You were led into the house while your father closed the door, sharing a look with Coriolanus before walking back to you. “Those damn animals, all of them.” He said in a pissed tone. “I’m just glad you and Coriolanus tried to help that poor girl.” Your mother said, caressing your head and your braids. What? Your head slowly raised to hers, “How did you know? Has word spread that fast?” You asked, looking to your mother and then your father. “They even showed some of the footage. You looked like a real hero, darling.” He said, nodding to the TV, catching the end of the segment.
While you did have a scared look on your face, you could see the serious look in your eyes, holding the wound while Coriolanus looked like he had next to no fear on his face at all. “A hero?” You said, scoffing at his choice of words. “Herod save people, Father. Arachne Crane is dead.” You said, moving out of your mother’s hands and going up to your room. As you showered, the water reminded you of the sound her blood made while bubbling out of her neck, your tears mixing with the water hitting your skin.
You barely got sleep that night, the endless nightmare of the zoo haunting you every time you got a minute of sleep. The next time you woke up, you stayed up, refusing to go back to sleep, no matter how exhausted you felt. You took the quickest shower of your life, made yourself eat breakfast, ignored the stares of your parents, and walked to school. You didn’t even try and wait for Corio, you just walked past his residence and straight to the academy.
When you got there, it didn’t get better. An assembly, and tried to stay in the back. “Calanthe.” Coriolanus whispered, finally finding you. “Hey.” You said in a hushed tone. “Why didn’t you walk with me today?” He asked, a worried look in his eyes. “Didn’t get much sleep, I decided to head out early today.” You answered, keeping your eyes on the podium. He nodded a look of understanding in his eyes. Before he could say anything else, a voice in the microphone interrupted him.
“Good morning, students.” A woman said one you recognized. Satyria Click, the communications professor. You heard her speaking, but your mind began to wander off, the lack of sleep making you drowsy. You leaned on Coriolanus's shoulder and he wrapped his arm around you, keeping you secure so you wouldn’t fall. You didn’t realize you had drifted off when he shook you, and your eyes snapped open. “Assembly’s over.” He whispered as you straightened up. After covering up a yawn, you offered him a thank you and stood up.
“Excuse me, Dr. Gaul is requesting your presence.” Someone in a lab uniform said, standing right beside Coriolanus. You gave his hand a brief squeeze before following the woman. You followed the woman into the lab but didn’t see Dr. Gaul. “Mysterious as always, making her presence known.” You thought.
“Yes, yes, yes. The innocent spring flower has tasted her first kiss of death.” Her voice spoke, echoing through the room. She then walked from behind the other portion of the lab and made an appearance. She had a blank look on her face. “While your classmates mentor their tributes, you will assist me here, learning everything I will teach you.” She said, holding her hands open. You slowly walked forward then followed her past her desk to a large cylinder of snakes.
“My newest batch of children.” She said, nodding at the colorful collage of snakes. You got closer, watching the snakes move and the color with them. “Pretty.” You commented before looking up at her and following her up the stairs. You then looked down at the open compartment of the cylinder and saw 3 pieces of paper. As you looked closer, you noticed it was the paper Coriolanus wrote up last night. “While I was reading the proposal Mr. Snow and Ms. Dovecote wrote, it slipped from my hands. Would you mind retrieving one of the papers for me?” She asked, an unrecognizable look on her face.
You slowly reached down, the snakes moving around your hand. Slowly you were able to get one of the pages in between your fingers just as one snake wrapped around your left arm. As you came up, he rested around your arm as you handed one of the papers to Dr. Gaul. She had a raised eyebrow and a smirk on her face, “Good job, little flower.” She said, taking the paper from you. The snake soon wrapped around your neck, and soon around your right arm, moving around your collarbone. “Call them in.” You heard Dr. Gaul say. You then lowered the snake back into the cylinder and tried to get the other papers out.
“Leave them, you’ve done enough for the moment.” She said her signature dark grin on her face. “Sweet little things, those snakes.” You said, closing the hatch back up. “Sweet and deadly.” She said, making you freeze. Deadly? She then turned away from you as you heard new sets of footprints come into the lab. “Mr. Snow, Ms. Dovecote, come and see my new babies.” She said and walked back towards you. You stayed still as they approached you, Coriolanus giving you a confused look, to which you shrugged.
“Is there a point to the color?” Clemensia asked. “There’s a point to everything, Ms. Dovecote, or to nothing at all. Which brings me neatly to your proposal: which one of you actually wrote it?” She asked, leaning her arm on the lid.
Oh shit, she knew.
You shared a brief look between the two of them, a longer look was given to Coriolanus, egging him on to talk. Before he had a chance to speak a full sentence, Clemensia spoke up, “I was inspired by Coriolanus yesterday, of course. His little betting idea. But the sponsorships and the gifts in the arena, those were all mine.” “You bitch” you thought to yourself, your mouth falling open at her lie. “Clemmie?” You softly spoke, looking at her. Dr. Gaul ignored you as she stopped twirling her hair and her raised arm fell.
“So it’s your sweaty handwriting on that page?” She asked, all while Clemmie only smiled at her. “Very impressive, Ms. Dovecote,” Dr. Gaul said, only for her tone to change, “Unfortunately, my assistant mistook it for trash this morning and lined the shelf of this very terrarium with it.” She said as she opened the hatch, letting them see the snakes. “So, please, Ms. Dovecote, retrieve it for us, won’t you? So we might all consider your inspired ideas.” Dr. Gaul asked, a playful tone on the edge of her voice.
She then reached down and picked up a snake, “Don’t worry, my little predators are perfectly docile with those they can trust.” She let the snake wrap around her hand as she continued to talk, “So if they’re used to your scent, if you’ve handled their food, for example, or if they’ve inhaled the sweat of your palm on a page, they’ll leave you alone.”
She then let her hand go towards your arm that was on the lid and let the snake wrap around your arm and hand before taking it back and lowering it into the terrarium. “A new scent, however,” she said, a dramatic tone in her voice as she sighed and turned to Clemensia, “you’d be on your own, little girl.” “Retrieve it.” She demanded, she said in a sharper voice. You all could see the scared look on her face as she slowly lowered her hand down into the terrarium. “Clemmie.” Coriolanus warned, trying to get her to stop. As her hand got lower, you knew the inevitable was coming, and soon it did.
Clemensia suddenly ripped her hand from the terrarium as she screamed, a snake at the end of her hand. “Clem!” You shouted as you tried to reach for her, Coriolanus doing the same, but Dr. Gaul stopped the both of you as she hit the floor, the snake slithering away. Her scream echoed around the room soon followed by her gasp for air, a new sound to haunt your thoughts being born in front of you.
“You asked about the colors, Ms. Dovecote?” She asked, looking down at her in disgust. “I want my enemies to see a rainbow of destruction engulfing the world.” She said as someone injected Clemmie with something as she was dragged away by peacekeepers. You didn’t realize you were following her before Dr. Gaul pulled you across her body, practically shoving you into Coriolanus. “I’m not above using spectacle to create a little terror. A strategy your classmates here articulated very well in their proposal.” She said, turning towards the both of you.
“They’re good, your suggestions. I’m going to recommend my team implement as many as possible tomorrow.” She said, looking between the two of you, but got no response. “What?” She asked. “Will she die?” Coriolanus asked, looking at her as he wrapped an arm around your stomach in a protective manner. “The pleasure in breaking ground in one’s research is one gets to find out.” She said in a nonchalant voice. Your eyes began to water, “Clemmie might die” you thought. “You better keep Ms. Dovecote’s fate between us. I don’t think her mother would be happy to learn how she caught this sudden… flu.” Dr. Gaul said, shrugging at the thought.
She then spoke up before either of you had a chance to protest, “Now run along, both of you. You have an arena to promote and it’s time for my milk and crackers.” She said, dismissing the both of you before turning away. Coriolanus led you out of the lab as you wiped your eyes. “I, I didn’t know about the snakes.” You said, your voice cracking. “I know, goddamnit.” He sighed, rubbing your side. “That's two,” You said, looking up at him, “That’s two friends we’ve lost in 24 hours.”
“We don’t know if she’ll die.” Coriolanus said, looking down into your eyes. “We don’t know if she’ll be alright either. Those aren’t garden snakes, Corio, they’re Gaul’s, they’re deadly!” You shouted, snapping at him. You then took a deep breath, “I’m sorry. I’m just getting tired of these games.” You said. “Which ones? Dr. Gaul’s or the hunger games?” He asked. “All of it.” You said, then turned your head to the lab and then back to him. “You go on back to class.” You said, squaring your shoulders and going towards the closest hospital, and he was close behind you. When you ran in, you were immediately met with the screams of Clemensia. You tried to see her, but the doctors wouldn’t let either of you see her.
You finally left when her parents arrived, running inside not even realizing you two were passing. You only had one more thought as Coriolanus took you in his arms once more: how many more friends would you lose to these games?
𝑽𝒊𝒓𝒕𝒖𝒐𝒖𝒔 𝑨𝒅𝒐𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 (𝟏)
Billy the Kid x b!woc reader
Being the pastors daughter meant you had to always be on your best behavior, never stepping off the right path, walking the straight & narrow path, and her eyes towards heaven. That was until a certain outlaw rode into your life, and taught you sometimes it okay to have a taste of hell with a little bit of heaven.
AN: readers last name is Bennett.
Word count: 1.3k
Here’s the link to part 2 & part 3
Divider by saradika
It was the same schedule: Wake up, pray, work, eat, give thank, sleep, repeat. It had been the routine for 20 years. Well, maybe just for you. The family consisted of her mother, father, 2 brothers, Michael and John, and then yourself. Father raised the 3 of you to have unwavering faith and trust in a higher power no one would see while you were still alive. In a way, if offered stability to your family, and yourself.
But it also came with rules, which in your case, sucked, especially being the only girl in the house. You weren’t allowed to go out late, while your brothers could come home as late as early morning. Your father wanted his “little girl” to be, as he said “the gem of the Bennett name” , and for the most part, you didn’t know what else to be, other than a farmer.
The town you resided in had enough fertile soil for people to grow their food, there was even a lake not too far from town with a few trees close by. You used to swim there, before some men decided to ransack the town. That night everyone met in the church since the raiders burnt the town hall to the ground. That very night the leaders of the community, including your father, all agreed to hire mercenaries to keep the town safe.
If this wasn’t desperation, you didn’t know what else it could be.
When everyone got back to the farm, you and your brothers questioned your father. His only excuse was “There are some times in which we can’t wait for God to save us”, and there was no further argument. “This is something we can’t pray our way out of, child! Maybe one day you’ll understand.” He shouted, making you shrink.
The next day you woke up early on the property and walked over the kitchen, where Michael was packing up a bag along with your other John. “What’s the occasion?” You asked. “Pa told us we’re going with him to meet the mercenaries the next town over.” Your brother, Michael said in a rushed tone, sitting down to stuff his belonging in a bag. “You never told me that.” You said, walking towards him. “Well you’re not my mother.” He said, not looking up at you. “But I am your sister, and older than you.” You added.
“By 5 minutes.” He said, smiling up at you. Your mother had given birth to you first on a winter day, and then Michael a few minutes later. You didn’t know if it was the fact you two were born on the same day or being twins, but you were closer to Mike then you were John.
“Are you two bickering again?” Your mother said, walking in. “We were just saying our goodbyes, Dove and I.” Mike said, putting on a smile and slinging his arm around your neck.
You had adopted the nickname Dove after your 10th birthday by your father. To him, the name symbolized what he wanted you to be: pure, innocent, peaceful. For the most part, you were pure, you didn’t have a choice to be anything but, being the pastors daughter and all. A part of you didn’t mind being stamped as “Holy” but that also meant you didn’t have the same freedoms or privileges you would’ve loved to have.
You were snapped oh of your train of thought when your father came from outside and called for your brothers. Three horses were already set up, belonging to them. None for you. “We’ll be back by the end of the week.” He said, kissing your mother goodbye, and then waking to you. “Best behavior, my dove, as always.” He said, kissing your forehead before riding away, your brothers behind him.
The next few days were full of chores, errands, and work. And boredom. Then came the day they were expected back, your mother stood next to you. “Penny for your thoughts, honey?” Your mom asked, making you nod. “He means the best for you.” She said, putting her hand on your shoulder, trying to stick her point. “He just doesn’t want to see you-.” “Act out of line? Have fun? Have a real life?” You interrupted, looking at her. “You know that’s not what I meant, love.” She said, putting some of the vegetables that were grown in a basket.
“Here, take this, throw them out, and get some air.” She said, basically leading you out of the room. “And honey?” Your mom called, making you look back, “We only treat you with different rules to keep you safe.” After throwing the vegetables out, you looked towards the town, and sighed. “Safe my god given ass.” You mumbled to yourself, walking towards the lake for the first time in a while.
There was a cool breeze coming from the lake, one that you took in with a content look on your face. You laid down in the grass and took a deep breath in, before closing your eyes. After a few minutes, all you could hear was the breeze blowing and the rustle of the leaves. It almost drowned out the noise from the town, as well as the noise in your head. It even almost drowned out the sound of the twig that snapped behind you. Almost.
Your head snapped behind you to see a tall slender boy leaning on a tree staring at you, a small smirk on his face. From his face alone, you could tell he wasn’t a local, you couldn’t even recognize him. You looked him over, his rough appearance a clear sign he wasn’t one to walk over. But his eyes were the most enchanting part of him. Those blue eyes drew you in like a siren to a sailor. And as much as you wanted to drown in them, you knew shook out of the trance; who is this man?
“You new around here?” You asked, breaking the silence. He looked you up and down, before meeting your eyes with a wolfish grin, chuckling to himself. “You could say that.” He said, looking deep in your eyes. “I’m Billy.” You nodded your head toward him, “Nice to meet you, Billy.” “So what’s your name, honey?” He asked, the smile never leaving his face. “I’m Bennett.” You said, holding out your hand. Billy then took your hand and then kissed it, “You must be the pastors daughter, you and your brothers have the same eyes.”
Here we go again
He then smirked to himself, “If I may, humor me Ms. Bennett.” You immediately turned back around and looked at the water, “I doubt I could make you shut up anyway, so go on ahead.” You said, making him huff out a short laugh.
“What’s a lady like you doing by herself?” Billy asked, looking over you with a curious look in his eyes. “Like myself, huh? What’s that supposed to mean, cowboy?” You asked, not looking away from the water of the lake. You then heard his footsteps get closer, and then he was right behind you.
“I thought the pastor’s girl would know it would be safer to stay close to the house of the lord, than out here with her back turned, vulnerable.” Billy said, and you could see his shadow cover your frame, making you turn around, holding your shawl closer to your body, covering your shoulders.
In the moment you turned around, his eyes didn’t hesitate to look over your face, and then your body. Billy’s eyes went down to your neck and chest, making no effort to avert his gaze. “What a beautiful ring,” He said, getting your attention,” You engaged?” “No, it’s my purity band.” You said, holding it out so he could get a better view, and hoping he would leave you alone.
Instead, you saw a new look in his eyes.
One that let you know he wouldn’t leave you alone.
Interest.
Let me know what you think, feedback is welcome!