#thank you clemmie | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

ichorai · 6 months

Text

weave ; coriolanus snow.

pairing ; young!coriolanus snow x capitol!reader (gender-neutral)

synopsis ; there was a rose in his hand, you realized. white, just like the one he gave to you when he first met your parents. but it wasn’t for you, since he had yet to hand it over— you figured it was for lucy gray. you would’ve thought it was sweet of him, if only you hadn’t been aware of his motivations to gain her trust. still, you’d be a hypocrite if you criticized him for it. you’d also brought something for your tribute.

words ; 6.8k

themes ; mild fluff/angst, action

warnings / includes ; themes of classism, violence/injury, lucky flickerman is a close family friend of reader's, coryo's paranoia, he's not exactly toxic yet but the seeds are very much planted, i tried to keep him in character as best i could </3

a/n ; there will be a fourth part loosely following the events of the movie (obv tweaked for the fic!)

series masterlist. main masterlist.

It was humiliating, how nervous he was. Reaping day. The Plinth prize was just a whisper away—he could nearly taste it: phantom traces of rich chocolate and edible gold on his dry tongue.

The day before the exams, you’d pulled him into the library for one last study session. You whispered that you would botch one of your papers for him—he certainly needed the Plinth prize more than you. And though he knew that you’d be far more deserving of it (your grades were near impeccable, and impossible for him to try and compete with), he also knew that his pride wouldn’t ever recover from such a blow.

Because how could he face you after that? Knowing that he was… inferior?

And so he told you not to squander your own achievements for him—that he’d figure something out. You spared him a hesitant look, before turning back to your books.

Now that the exams were over and done with, Coriolanus briefly wondered if you went ahead and botched it anyway. An irrational sort of anger flared within his chest. Did you think you were better than him? That he was your charity case?

But all those terrible thoughts—the nastiness sweltering in his chest for days after the exams—dissolved almost immediately after seeing you.

You met him in front of the academy, your dress a lovely shade of crimson, angular at your shoulders but tapering down into flowing ripples below your waist. Like fire, almost. You were glowing, he was sure of it, with the way the sun illuminated only the best of your features—the slope of your nose, the curling of your lips, the glimmer in your eyes.

“Coriolanus,” you greeted with faux formality, tilting your head to the side. He was wearing his dress shirt again—the very one you watched Tigris mend and sew and tinker many, many times. Pinned to his waistcoat was another red rose, matching the shade of your own attire.

He mirrored you, sweeping into a low bow and brandishing another rose out of seemingly nowhere. “For you, darling. Grandma’am said she could spare it—special occasion and all.”

“Oh, don’t call me that,” you said, rolling your eyes at the ridiculous pet name. It was what your parents called each other when they thought nobody was around to hear it—it made you feel old. “And tell Grandma’am thank you. It’s beautiful.”

He smiled, stepping forward to slot the rose behind your ear. “Ready for your Plinth prize?” he asked, fingers lingering by your face, thumb stroking down your jaw.

You sucked in a breath. “I don’t think it’s going to be what either of us expect.”

There was a brief pause. Coriolanus’ eyes narrowed. Had you botched your exams for him?

With a pointed glance to the academy halls, you nudged him forward. “Come on. Everyone’s already inside. Clemmie keeps asking for you.”

The two of you made your way in, weaving between red-uniformed academy students (the ones who weren’t at the very top) and professors. Behind another set of double doors were where all the top-ranking students were mingling. Sipping on bubbling glasses of colorful drinks, picking off delicate foods from ceramic plates.

While Snow was stolen away from you by a few other classmate acquaintances, Sejanus was the first to greet you, shaking your hand enthusiastically. His palms were sweating. You didn’t quite mind. “Congratulations on finishing exams, Y/N. I know how hard you’ve been studying.”

You flashed him a genuine smile. “Congrats to you, too. I’m surprised you’re here at all, actually. I know how you feel about the reaping.”

His expression faltered. “Ma made me come. Moral support for my friends, and all.”

Ma. The word sounded foreign and heavy on the tongue. Unfamiliar… but rather inviting. Homely, in a way. Despite your initial silence, you managed to recover just fine. In a lowered voice, you whispered to him, “Well, my mother thinks it’s a rather dreadful affair. A waste of potential talent, sending children to their deaths, she says. I can’t help but agree with her. Father thinks it’s necessary, though.”

Sejanus pursed his lips. No doubt questioning the necessity of watching the people he knew from his childhood in the district getting brutally murdered. It looked like he was going to say something else, but before he could, Arachne’s high-pitched voice cut through the two of you. You grimaced, catching Coriolanus’ eyes as he stood right behind her. Judging by his mildly annoyed countenance, he wasn’t having a very good time chatting to her, either.

“Spill it, Sejanus,” she demanded in a prissy tone. “Who won the prize?”

The dark curls on Sejanus’ head shook as he silently scoffed. “Oh, no, I’m not going to ruin my father’s big day. No one here actually likes him but they do love his money… you know what that’s like, don’t you, Arachne?”

Her nose wrinkled in part-contempt, part-disgust. “Funny,” she deadpanned.

Coriolanus stepped around her so he could curl an arm over your waist. “We all know who’s going to win it, anyway.” His grip squeezed over the smooth fabric of your dress.

Arachne rolled her eyes and marched away, off to find someone else to bother.

Left with just the two of you, Sejanus dipped his head and muttered, “Look, I know you guys have had high hopes for this but… there’s no prize. Not anymore.”

There was a terse pause. Your head reared back incredulously, searching Sejanus’ expression for any signs of fibbing. Then you looked to Coriolanus, eyes wide.

“What?” he asked, words sharp, looking almost offended.

“I’m so sorry—”

Before Sejanus could finish his sentence, loud trumpets echoed throughout the hall and all the students began making their way to the plush velvet seats laid out in front of the podium. Coriolanus’ hand slipped away from you, balling into a tight, pale fist. You sat down first, Sejanus going on your right, Coriolanus to your left. Clemensia was on his other side, flashing you an attractive smile. You couldn’t find it in you to smile back.

If there was no prize, what were they going to dole out instead? A free holiday, all expenses paid? A new television? A pair of fuzzy socks?

Your rather prickly thoughts were interrupted when a woman stepped up behind the podium. She was dressed in lavish plum robes, intricate beige patterns weaving through the threads. From afar, it looked like there was flesh stitched onto the fabric. Her hair was greyed and a calculated sort of haphazard. One of her eyes was beady and blue, the other dark and large, almost eclipsing any of the white bits.

She tapped the microphone once, earning herself a buzz of feedback, and tittered with unnerving laughter. Volumnia Gaul was what she introduced herself as. Her voice was low and gravelly. When she went on to say that she was the head gamemaker, your and Coriolanus' heads both snapped to Sejanus, but his gaze was fixed onto the ground, face grim.

After a bit more faddering about the future, Dr. Gaul introduced the creator of the games and dean of the academy—Casca Highbottom. He sauntered forward from somewhere within the seats, mind very clearly addled with a drug of some sorts. Morphling, you’d wager.

“I can’t believe they still allow him to speak in public,” Clemensia said to Coriolanus amusedly. He didn’t spare her a response.

He dragged on his little speech, as if he took pleasure in dangling the golden carrot in front of the donkey. Your hands twitched in an antsy fashion, and you neatly folded them over your lap.

“My own twenty-four top prospects. All waiting to hear the results of your hard studying in this prestigious institution, eager to know who’s won that Plinth prize, no doubt. And a golden future, with it.” He catered forward with a slurred laugh. “However… I’m here to tell you all that there’s been a change this year.”

Murmurs rippled throughout the crowd. Coriolanus’ chin lifted higher, back straightening.

“One last assignment to prove your worth,” Highbottom continued on. He began to pace back and forth, reminiscent to that of a caged tiger. “The esteemed citizens of the Capitol simply aren’t watching anymore. And if the games are to continue at all, there must be an audience, no?”

More murmuring. Your eyes narrowed. Twenty-four top students… twenty-four tributes…

Oh, no.

You sucked in a quiet, barely noticeable inhale with the realization. It was enough for Coriolanus’ eyes to land on you, but you were staring at Sejanus, as if trying to get him to hear your thoughts.

Tell me it isn’t true. Tell me we won’t have to play a hand in such a barbaric game.

“Head gamemaker Dr. Gaul has stepped in to… incentivize patriotic values with her own unique flair, starting with you. The Plinth prize will no longer be determined by who has the best grades.”

For a moment, Highbottom’s gaze drifted over to you. Somewhere behind you, you could hear Arachne’s affronted, “Excuse me?”

You weren’t quite sure why she was upset. It’s not like she had a chance with the prize if it were grade-based.

“Instead, it will be decided by who is the best mentor in the hunger games.”

Your jaw clenched. Clemensia appeared bewildered. Coriolanus looked shaken. Sejanus was visibly distraught.

“As the reaping begins, I will allocate each one of the top twenty-four Capitol students a district tribute. A figure behind the scenes—one who must persuade them to perform for the cameras.”

This was met by a barrage of questions and protests from the students. Highbottom waved most of them away.

“Your role is to turn these children into spectacles. Not survivors… victory in the games is only one of the considerations. Your entire future rests on this last project.”

It was a terrible thing to imagine. Two dozen district lives in exchange for a bit of cruel entertainment for the Capitol. You were never fond of it, but you kept quiet on the matter because you had the luxury of turning your head away. Turning the television off and straying away from such brutalities.

But now that you were being forced to look—no, more than that—you were being forced to pull strings, it was altogether a nauseating thought.

“Oh, and I must warn you… anyone caught cheating to give their tributes an unfair advantage…” Highbottom’s spectacled eyes swept over the lot of students. “Well, they’d just have no future at all.”

More trumpets rang throughout the hall.

The Dean clapped his hands together. “Here we go! Let the reaping ceremony begin!”

Two large screens hanging over the podium lit up for the first district—a tall boy on the left, a sallow-faced girl on the right. Dean Highbottom began to list off student names as mentors.

To none of your surprise, Sejanus got the male tribute from district two. Coriolanus shot him a thinly-veiled, wry smile over your shoulder. “You got the pick of the litter.”

Sejanus refused to meet his gaze. “You forget… I’m part of the litter.”

On the names rattled—districts three, four, five, six, and seven all passing by in a blur.

Juno Phipps was called out for district eight’s male tribute. She sat somewhere behind you, and you could hear her puff a sigh of disappointment.

Then your name came straight after.

Your head snapped from Highbottom to the screen, eyes widening.

Wovey, her name was. She was a small little thing—you could see her frail, skeletal figure even through a grainy screen from afar. The striped dress she wore was patchy and frayed, darkened with soot and dirt. How old was she? She was probably one of the youngest tributes yet—you’d guess that she was barely thirteen, maybe even twelve. Something in your stomach jolted. Momentarily, you’d forgotten that this little girl was meant to be your school project.

District eight. The textiles sector. You blinked at the screen and shifted uncomfortably in your expensive-tailored dress—a dress that very likely came from the very same district.

Highbottom called out names for the next district. Clemensia was pleased with her large, burly tribute from the eleventh district. Coriolanus was yet to be mentioned. You glanced over at him, before reaching out to take his hand. He didn’t look at you, but squeezed your palm in what you read to be silent gratitude.

And finally—with only one tribute left, Highbottom coughed out what sounded to be a laugh. “The runt girl from district twelve… she belongs to Coriolanus Snow.”

The grip he had on your hand tightened until it was bordering on painful. You said nothing about it. Highbottom had always been a grouchy man, but he seemed to have a fixation on making Coriolanus’ life as tormentable as possible.

Lucy Gray Baird.

You watched the screen in fascination when a woman sauntered out from the ranks. Her hair was dark and curly, unruly in a way that suited her perfectly. Upon further scrutiny, you noticed small wildflowers woven through the strands, limp with time. She wore makeup, which wasn’t something you often saw in tributes. A deep blue eyeshadow and slightly-smudged rouge on her cheeks and lips. But what really caught your attention, however, was the dress she was wearing. It was a startling contrast to her name—with its bright, colorful ruffles on her skirt, the front of her corset bearing lovely details of flowers and vines.

She was beautiful.

“What is that dress?” sneered Arachne, in an obvious attempt to rile Coriolanus up. “Is she some sort of clown?”

But suddenly, Lucy Gray stepped out of her path towards the stage and grabbed a girl to her right. Or, more accurately, the girl’s collar. She promptly dropped something down her dress and hurried off. Screams erupted from the screen as the girl writhed with terror, screaming for someone to, “Get it out! Get it out!”

Coriolanus stood abruptly, letting your hand go. You hadn’t noticed just how much feeling you’d lost in your arm, and gingerly shook it back to life.

The grainy screen showed a small snake skitter out of the bottom of her dress.

When Lucy Gray finally made it up on the stage, she was harshly struck across the face by district twelve’s mayor. The blow made her head crack to the side and she went tumbling down. You frowned, but couldn’t take your eyes away.

It took two peacekeepers to haul the furious mayor away. You mutely realized that the girl was the mayor’s daughter.

Lucy Gray laid there, face aching.

And then—singing. A small voice from within the crowd. Five seconds later, another joined. And another, and another. Even through the screen, when Lucy Gray tilted her bruised face up and struggled back onto her feet, you could see the pain in her eyes. Was that her family singing for her?

The woman made her way to the microphone. She began to sing with a quivering lip. Her voice was soft and smooth, silken to your ears.

“She’s singing?” Arachne commented in a pinched tone. “Is she out of her mind?”

“Shut up, Arachne,” you turned to snap at her. She made a strangled noise in the back of her throat, but didn’t say anything else, to your relief.

Coriolanus watched the screen with unsettled eyes. A million thoughts rushed through his mind at once. Most unpleasant, many rageful, some curious.

And to bring her singing to a sudden halt, Lucy Gray screamed into the microphone.

“YOU CAN KISS MY ASS!”

The students burst into laughter, incredulous gasps, and scandalized murmurs. Coriolanus glanced around. He met your eyes, and you gave him half an amused smile. His tribute knew how to put on a show, that was for sure.

He smiled back, and turned to the screen once more.

Lucy Gray lowered herself into a deep bow for the audience. District and Capitol alike.

What an intriguing girl, you thought.

“She’s mentally ill,” Arachne buzzed.

It took every bit of your willpower not to turn around and strike her across the face. But you thought back to the furious mayor, and of the little girl you were supposed to mentor, and kept your hands folded neatly over your lap.

You found yourself at the Snow penthouse that night. There was nothing to study, not anymore, so you lounged on a rickety chair and watched Tigris sew together pieces of blue fabric. She wanted to make you a dress, and though you had more than enough of your own, you couldn’t ever say no to her. Being around her took your mind off of the games, even for just a few minutes.

Coriolanus, however, was pacing back and forth in front of the two of you. Muttering angrily under his breath, nose twitching with disdain.

“He’s sabotaging us. That girl’s never going to win the games,” he hissed, plucking the rose off of his waistcoat and tugging at its petals. They fluttered down to the floor. “You saw her, didn’t you? She’s underfed. Unstable.”

Pot, meet kettle.

You pursed your lips. “Highbottom said you’re meant to make a performance out of them. It isn’t just about winning.”

“Everything is about winning!” he asserted, carding a frustrated hand through his flaxen tresses. “If not the games, then the crowd. And Lucy Gray won’t survive a minute inside that arena.”

You sighed. Little Wovey didn’t seem too likely to survive, either. She wasn’t a fighter by any means. Maybe she was a fast runner?

“So that means we have to make every second before then count.” Coriolanus reached out to cup your face, and you leaned into his touch, kissing his palm. Tigris shot the two of you a side glance and smiled to herself.

“What’re you planning?” you asked.

“I’ll make her sing again,” he said, sounding so sure of himself.

This made Tigris’ brows cinch together. “I wouldn’t sing a note for you if I was her. I wouldn’t do anything at all… not unless I knew I could trust you.”

Coriolanus regarded his cousin with a cynical stare. “She’s district, Tigris. She knows we hate her and she wants us dead. How am I supposed to get her to trust me?”

“We?” you echoed, shaking your head. “I don’t hate her. I don’t even know her. Do you?”

“I—”

You lifted up a hand, effectively cutting him off. “Do you know her, Coriolanus?”

His jaw set with a click. You had your answer.

“How can you hate someone you don’t know? Look, you don’t have to like her. Just convince her that you do.” You crossed your arms, thinking of the little girl you were meant to mentor. It was going to be hard to like her, anyway, knowing that she was going to die soon. You wouldn’t let yourself get attached.

Tigris nodded emphatically. She paused her needlework and looked up at her cousin. “Imagine it was your name they pulled, and you were ripped from your home. I’d just want to know if somebody still cared about me out here. Don’t discount her just because she’s district, Coryo. You might have more in common with her than you think.”

Coriolanus plucked the last rose petal from the stem. You watched him with soft eyes, before drawing yourself up to your feet.

“I think it’s time I head home. My family’s got dinner with the Flickermans tomorrow.” You placed a limp hand on his jaw and kissed his cheek, then drifted down to kiss his shoulder. He smelled distinctly of roses—a fresh sort of musk.

Just as you were about to pull away, he rested his hands on your forearms, rooting you to the same spot. “We should greet them at the station. Show them that they can trust us.”

You searched his face for genuinity. It wasn’t an entirely terrible idea.

“You sure?” you asked. It wasn’t a secret just how uncomfortable Coriolanus was around district folk.

“Yeah. We can… get ahead of the other students. You’re way more approachable than me, anyway. Maybe they’ll like you more,” Snow offered. A part of you wondered what he’d do if you said no.

The thought of meeting your assigned tribute made your stomach do somersaults. Finally, you nodded. “Okay. I’ll meet you at the station, then?”

Snow smiled in a charming manner. He dipped forward to slant his lips over yours, and you melted into his touch, almost forgetting that Tigris was there—until she made a noise of disgust and told the two of you, “Eugh! Do that somewhere else, please!”

Coriolanus was there before you, sticking out like a sore thumb in his academy red against the cold, rusted metals of the train cars. You wore a dark coat over your uniform, trying to look a little more discreet.

“Are they here yet?” you asked, steps quickening to him. He took your hand and squeezed.

“Anytime now.”

The two of you stood shoulder-to-shoulder as you waited, exchanging light conversation. There was a rose in his hand, you realized. White, just like the one he gave to you when he first met your parents. But it wasn’t for you, since he had yet to hand it over— you figured it was for Lucy Gray. You would’ve thought it was sweet of him, if only you hadn’t been aware of his motivations to gain her trust. Still, you’d be a hypocrite if you criticized him for it. You’d also brought something for your tribute.

A juice box. Grape. Still cold, beading with condensation.

You wondered if they had juice boxes out in district eight.

Another train rolled to a grueling halt to the track on your left. The cars were due for a good scrubbing, you thought. They were absurdly filthy—you weren’t even sure what its original color was meant to be.

Peacekeepers stepped up, disregarding the two of you, and began yanking the doors open. There were disgruntled noises coming from inside, and a few minutes later, the grey soldiers were pulling out the tributes.

You searched through the small crowd frantically. The boy from 11th—Reaper, you recalled his name was—caught your eye and just about snarled. You tried your best to ignore him.

When you found the little girl, little Wovey, you slipped away from Coriolanus and stepped forward. In your peripheral vision, you spotted him moving towards Lucy Gray.

Wovey was staring at a particularly uninteresting spot on the ground. She had her skinny arms wound around her midriff as if she was cold, despite the warm temperature that morning. When your shadow fell over her, her large, tearful eyes slid up to meet yours.

“Hello, Wovey,” you whispered in what you hoped was a welcoming, not-at-all-intimidating voice. You told her your name, making sure to enunciate the syllables slowly, so she’d have no problem repeating it back. She didn’t, but perhaps she would later. “I’m your mentor.”

“Mender?” Her voice quaked.

“Mentor. I’ll be helping you in the arena, during the game. Here, I have something for you.” You reached inside your coat, eyeing the peacekeepers warily. Either they didn’t notice, or they were just pretending not to. You wondered how many of them knew your father. “Do you guys have juice boxes back where you live?”

You held out the cold little box for her to take. She blinked at it warily.

“It’s grape,” you said.

She reached out and took it from you. You offered her a gentle smile, and she mirrored you with a shy grin.

“Can I share it?” she croaked. Wovey looked back at the male tribute from the same district—Bobbin. Were they friends?

“Of course, sweetheart,” you said warmly.

Sweetheart? Where’d that come from?

The peacekeepers began rounding up the tributes, shoving them in the direction of a truck. You dipped your head at one of the grey soldiers as he took Wovey’s arm.

“Be gentle with her,” you told the peacekeeper. He met you with a stoic expression, but nodded once, before urging Wovey onward.

It was hard to tear your eyes away from her, but you forced yourself to do so, bounding towards Coriolanus and—

“Lucy Gray,” you greeted, just before saying your own name as you moved to stand beside Snow. Her dress looked even brighter in person, even if it was caked in filth. “I hope Coriolanus hasn’t scared you off yet.”

“Who’s this?” she asked, her dark eyes flitting from Snow to you. “Another mentor?”

“Mmh. Not yours though. I’m dedicated to the little girl from district eight,” you replied.

There was something in her eyes that softened.

“You’ll take care of her?” she asked.

You exchanged an uncertain glance with Coriolanus. “I’ll try my best to. Just like my boyfriend here for you.”

“Boyfriend, huh? Y’all make an attractive couple, that’s for sure.” Lucy Gray smiled, wide and genuine. It faded instantaneously once she spotted a peacekeeper approaching. She plucked the rose from Coriolanus’ unsuspecting hands. “Well… good luck with that.”

The soldier grabbed her by the arm and shoved her into the direction of the car.

Coriolanus stepped forward. “Wait, no—I, hey, I’d like to escort my tribute—”

They all ignored him. You pursed your lips, before following behind two of the soldiers, peeking around the bend. The truck’s doors were wide open for you to slip into. Snow met your eyes when you beckoned him over.

“We can sneak in,” you whispered. “When they’re not looking.”

“Are you insane? We don’t know where they’re going!” he responded in a lowered voice, taking your arm, not unsimilar to how the peacekeepers grabbed the tributes. “I don’t want you getting hurt because of me.”

“They won’t hurt me,” you told him. It didn’t dawn on you that Coriolanus was referring to the district tributes, not the peacekeepers. Quick and chaste, you pressed a kiss to his lips. “You coming?”

A muscle ticked in his jaw. He blew out a frustrated breath, before letting you go and giving you the green light by motioning for you to get a move on. Nerves peaking with adrenaline, you glanced around again, satisfied that no peacekeepers were looking, and rushed into the truck. You felt Coriolanus’ chest brush against your back as he hurried in after you.

You hid in the shadows of the trucks’ slants just as the peacekeepers slammed it shut. A victorious smile stretched your lips thin. You made it.

Oh, your father was going to murder you. Snow first, maybe, and then you. Your mother would probably find the situation all too funny. Though, as you found all the tributes’ eyes locked on you and Coriolanus, you realized that it probably wasn’t funny at all, not in the slightest.

“Hello,” you said in an awfully wavering voice. Coriolanus echoed your sentiment, looking as if he’d seen a ghost.

“What’s the matter, pretty boy?” Reaper asked him with a scowl. “You in the wrong cage?”

“No,” he responded with a minute shrug. “This cage is delightful.”

The truck practically swayed as Reaper stormed closer to him. You instinctively grabbed his forearm, pulling him back. But clearly not quick enough, seeing as Reaper grabbed the lapels of Snow’s academy uniform, shoving him up against the wall with a loud thud. Coriolanus let out an oomf with the impact, blinking sudden white stars out of his vision.

“I’ll kill you right now!” Reaper hissed.

“He’ll do it, too,” warned Dill. The girl from his same district. “Reaper killed a peacekeeper back in eleven.”

“I say we kill them both!” another tribute from somewhere behind sneered.

“I’m in. Nothing left to lose now.”

You stood frozen, afraid that one wrong move would send Reaper into a frenzy. Instead, you spoke calm and clear, “We’re here to help.” Your eyes found Lucy Gray’s, then traveled over to Wovey, squeezed in the corner. “We want to help you.”

Crossing her arms, Lucy Gray said, “Y’all got family back home? They’ll kill them if you hurt a hair on their pretty Capitol heads. Then you. ‘Sides… the blonde one’s my mentor. I might need him.”

One of the tributes from district four curled her lip in contempt. “How come you get one?”

“You all get one!” Snow told her, which earned him another enraged shove by Reaper.

She guffawed—Coral, yes, that was her name—with incredulity. “What, and we’re just supposed to believe you?”

“Why else would we get in here with you?” you said, exasperated. “We don’t even know where they’re taking you guys.”

Coral cocked a brow so high it nearly disappeared behind her choppy bangs. “Whose mentor are you?”

You limply waved your fingers at Wovey. “District eight’s girl.”

“So how come Skinny and Rainbow get special treatment? Why aren’t my mentors here?” Coral leaned down towards Lucy Gray in a taunting fashion, barely glancing over at Wovey.

Lucy Gray smiled, all toothy. “They just got inspired, I guess.”

A moment later, a loud rumbling came from outside the truck. Had they already arrived? There was a whir, and the whole truck began to tilt downward. The doors swung open and shocked gasps echoed throughout the metal cavern.

Reaper relinquished his grip on Snow to grab hold of Dill, and you launched yourself at Coriolanus, trying your best to grapple onto the grooves in the walls so you wouldn’t slip. Lucy Gray yelled as her foot slipped and she went toppling down—

You grabbed her hand, grunting with the combined weight of two people. Coriolanus’ grip on the wall slipped, and he bumped into you, causing your fingers to fumble.

The three of you went rolling down, out of the truck, back into the blinding sunlight. Your shoulder hit the ground hard, another sharp rock digging painfully into your back. That’d definitely bruise later. Disoriented, you dragged yourself up from the ground, frowning at the stinging sensation in your legs. Coriolanus was next to you the next second, grabbing at your face and arms, asking if you were alright. You nodded a few times, before pushing him away to see if the tributes were okay.

All of them were dizzy and aching, but other than that—seemed just fine. Or, as fine as they could be, given the circumstances.

Only then did you look around your surroundings. Metal fencing, dirt pen, discarded tires—Capitol citizens watching with wide, curious eyes. You caught sight of the Capitol Zoo’s insignia on an ice cream stand just past the fencing.

“Ugh,” Coriolanus muttered, pale blonde hair properly tousled over his forehead. “What are all these people doing, staring at us? Don’t they have anything better to do? Don’t they have jobs? The children should be in school. It’s no wonder this country is in shambles.”

“The kids are on summer break, Coryo,” you deadpanned, shirking off your dark coat to give it a good dusting.

Then, a familiar voice made your head snap towards the crowd.

Cameras. Mustache. Coin flip.

“We’ll just give them a chance to stand up and catch their breath—I do have to admit I’m jealous of that big entrance! I’m Lucretius “Lucky” Flickerman, a man who needs no introduction.”

Oh, he certainly didn’t. He and your mother were tight-knit buddies when they went to school together, making the Flickermans good family friends. This was beyond embarrassing.

“Guess where I am today, folks! That’s right, the Capitol Zoo, where this year’s tributes will be held here, on display behind these bars for your viewing pleasure! That’s right, all twenty-four of them—” That was when he turned to point, and his eyes landed on you and Coriolanus. His words faltered. “What in Panem—is that academy rouge I see?”

You stiffly waved at the camera. Absent-mindedly, you passed a hand over your head to fix your hair.

“Hey, Mr. Flickerman,” you called out with a grimace.

Lucky’s eyes bugged out of his head. He exclaimed your name in part-confusion, part-shock. “Hey, what’re you doing in there, kiddo? Who’s that dashing young man with you? We’re live!” He jutted a thumb back at the camera, its lens facing straight at you.

You spared him a stiff smile, eye twitching. Oh, your father was going to pop a blood vessel, you were sure.

“Uhm… well, uh—” The words caught in your throat and you lowered your voice so only Coriolanus could hear you. You had to ignore Lucky’s constant calls for your attention. “What do we do?”

His blue eyes, even paler in the bright sunlight, roamed over the onlookers. “We do what Highbottom told us to do,” he said, rolling his shoulders. He nudged you in the direction of Wovey, and began setting off for Lucy Gray. “We put on a show.”

You watched as the two, mentor and tribute, made their way to the fencing. As if there was a flip of a switch inside him, Coriolanus began to charm the onlookers and children, showing off his pearly whites, introducing himself and his rambunctious tribute. The children were enamoured with Lucy Gray, it seemed, judging by the way they bubbled over with questions about the snake, her colorful dress, her singing.

Lucky was having the time of his life interviewing them. If not for the current situation at hand—that being you trapped in a zoo enclosure—you would’ve laughed at his earnest excitement. Being a weatherman, a reporter, and an amateur-magician was apparently growing far too monotonous for someone with as large a personality as Lucretius Flickerman.

After much deliberation and cheek-biting, you turned and made your way toward Wovey, who was sitting down next to Bobbin on a tree stump. You noted the purple juice box, now crumpled and empty, discarded on the ground between them.

“Hey, guys,” you said, lowering down to one knee to speak to Wovey. “Do you want to go introduce yourself, sweetheart? Win over the Capitol citizens’ hearts?”

The young girl screwed up her face. Whether it was from shyness or distaste, you weren’t quite sure. Perhaps both.

“I’ll be there with you. I promise,” you told her, holding your palm out for her to take.

Tentative, Wovey slipped off of the stump and clutched onto your hand. The two of you approached the barriers, with her nearly hiding behind you, clutching onto your coat.

Lucy Gray told the growing audience about her Covey family, a group of traveling musicians, and how she wasn’t actually from district twelve. Snow watched her with a somewhat proud, victorious expression.

Lucky noticed you approaching, beckoning for the cameras to follow him as he made his way over to you.

Quickly, he covered the top of the mic to lean forward and whisper, “Is the academy aware of what you’re doing?”

“No. Nobody told us not to, though.”

Lucky regarded you knowingly. “And does your father know about this little escapade of yours?”

“No,” you replied, frown-smiling.

“Ooh. Good luck with that.” He spared you an amused wince. Then, he uncovered the microphone and gave the cameras another brilliant smile, introducing you with a flourish of his hands. “I’m here with a close personal friend of mine, Y/N L/N. And here we have their tribute, yes? Who might you be, young lady?”

You tried your best to encourage Wovey out of her shyness, going so far as to pat her shoulder and to gently push back the thin strands of hair falling in front of her face. She croaked out her name and her district, and Lucky asked her another myriad of overwhelming questions.

Whilst the crowd around the ever-charming Lucy Gray was watching her with curiosity and awe, the audience you were gathering looked upon Wovey with pity and something mildly akin to empathy.

There were perks to getting the youngest tribute, maybe.

She was telling them about how she liked to climb trees back in district eight. Yes, that’d be useful in the games.

You looked over to see Coriolanus observing you with your tribute. He gave you a nod, perhaps a second too late. The man found himself wondering if he could somehow garner the crowd’s sympathy using Lucy Gray, too. How’d you manage to do that?

Before he could spare another thought on the matter, there was a dim buzzing coming from across the enclosure. A door opened, and four peacekeepers marched in.

“Looks like you’re going to get whisked away, kiddo,” Lucky told you, nodding behind. “Tell your mother I said hello. And make sure to take a nice, long shower before dinner tonight. Don’t want the smell of zoo hovering over my steak.”

You rolled your eyes as Lucky chuckled at his own quips, then looked down at Wovey with a far softer expression.

“I’ll be back. I’ll come back with more for you. Just hold on for me, okay?”

The frail girl nodded. She didn’t seem to want to let go of you, even when the peacekeepers began to semi-forcefully lead you away, out of the enclosure. Coriolanus wasn’t far behind, being manhandled far more aggressively than you were.

The soldiers shoved you out the door and shut it with a heavy click of a lock, before marching off to the sides.

Coriolanus reached out for you, hands resting on your elbows. “How was it?”

“Could’ve gone worse.” You studied his features. There was a faint trace of dirt smudged across his jaw—no doubt acquired somewhere in the truck or when everyone came tumbling out.

The two of you stared at each other for a moment longer, until you shook your head and broke into a smile, accompanied by a breathy laugh.

“Lucky called you a dashing young man.”

“He’s ridiculous,” he scoffed, and tugged you along to start walking. “Do you think either of us have a chance? At winning?”

The smile melted off your expression, and you grew somber once more. “Well… anything can happen in the arena. We just need to be smart about it. Neither of our tributes are fighters.”

Coriolanus stared off into the distance, brows cinched, heavy with thought.

“They’ll need to be,” he said. “Surviving isn’t enough. Not in these games.”

Your lips parted, wondering what in Panem he could mean by that. Did he really expect Lucy Gray to become a killer overnight? Or was he planning for her to do something else? He didn’t seem to notice your perturbed disposition, and kissed the side of your head.

Just as Coriolanus walked you to your doorstep, you gripped his hands, and your tone suddenly became very serious.

“I just wanted to tell you—before Highbottom announced the mentoring change, I was sure one of us would win the Plinth prize. And, well, I was going to give you the money if it came to me because I definitely wouldn’t need it. But now, since there’s a good chance neither of us are getting it…”

Snow’s features twisted with evident dismay.

You squeezed his hands with yours. “I can get my parents to pay your university tuition, if neither of us get that Plinth prize. Please, Coryo, don’t take this as charity. Take it because I care about you. I don’t want you to get caught up in… winning these games. Whatever you’re planning for Lucy Gray… I can’t see it being anything she’d be willing to do.”

It might’ve been a trick of light, but you could’ve sworn you saw an irksome glint flash across his eyes. He bitterly came to the conclusion that you probably did botch one of your exams for him—not that that mattered now. Besides, it was you offering money, not him begging for it. The placating thought made it easier for his features to slip into a reassuring, easy softness.

“I appreciate the offer, I really do,” Snow said, cradling your face as if you were a fragile piece of china. Yet his touch felt bruising all the same. “But you shouldn’t worry. I don’t think Lucy Gray is going to win. Not on her own, at least. So I’m going to help her—and Highbottom is going to regret ever trying to make an enemy of me.”

He dipped forward, brushed a whisper of a kiss along your cheek, and swiped his thumb over your bottom lip.

And then he was gone.

#coriolanus snow x reader #coriolanus snow fanfiction #coriolanus snow fluff #coriolanus snow x you #hunger games fanfiction #coriolanus snow drabbles #tbosas fanfiction #tbosas x reader #young!coriolanus snow x reader #young!coriolanus snow #coriolanus snow #coriolanus snow angst

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perlelune · 2 months

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Training Wheels | Coriolanus Snow | iii.

Your mother's macabre work never appealed to you as you always preferred the comfort of your books, but when her apprentice takes a special interest in you, your safe, quiet world is flipped upside down.

Warnings: DUB-CON, NON-CON, Gaul!Reader, Shy Reader, Manipulation, Parental Neglect, Drinking, Peer Pressure, Hazing, University set, Loss of Virginity, Dumbification, Insecurities, Abusive Relationship, Degradation, Suicide Attempt

This is a dark story. Heed warnings before reading under the cut.

𝖘𝖊𝖗𝖎𝖊𝖘 𝖒𝖆𝖘𝖙𝖊𝖗𝖑𝖎𝖘𝖙

“So what’s your deal?” Festus Creed asks out of the blue.

Your mouth opens in shock, a nervous laugh slipping out. “My deal?”

A mocking sneer twists his features. “Yeah, Coriolanus kept trying to get you to eat with us but you were being weird about it. If you hate us, just say so.”

While some snigger at the table, Coriolanus stares daggers at him. The mirth instantly vanishes from Festus’ face.

Clemensia bumps her elbow into his rib, chiding him, “Festus, come on,”

“I don’t…hate anyone,” you defend, your voice hardly above a whisper.

Clemensia flashes you a reassuring smile.

“Of course, you don’t. Coriolanus said you’re very sweet.”

Livia rolls her eyes.

“Ugh, whatever. Can we get back to discussing the Yuletide Ball?”

Surprise flutters through you. The name bears vague familiarity. It can be found in the archives detailing the history of the Capitol University. But it’d since long become a frivolity amidst concerns such as quelling the uprisings in the Districts. What’s a students’ dance in the face of war and famine?

“The Yuletide Ball? I thought this was an abolished tradition…I mean since the war.”

Excitement illuminates Livia’s face.

“We’re bringing back the tradition this year, thanks to Coriolanus here. He convinced the new dean.”

Coriolanus lowers his head in apparent humbleness.

“I just made a few good points and he couldn’t refuse me,” he shares. He turns to you, blue eyes sparkling. “I’m pretty persuasive when I need to be.” A chill dances through you at his low, suggestive tone.

To your relief, his attention switches to the rest of the table.

“It’s important to not let District scum ruin our way of life. Traditions must return.”

Livia smirks. “Spoken like a student body president.”

Coriolanus waves a dismissive hand but a hint of smugness lingers in his tone as he says, “Please, elections are only in a month.”

“And it’s obvious you’ll win,” Clemensia states.

He gives a light shrug.

“We shall see.”

Clemensia pivots to you.

“Ivy, Liv and I are on the Ball committee,” she preens, her face brightening. “You could join us if you want.”

You lick your lips. “I don’t know if I’d find the time with midterms coming up soon…”

Coriolanus’ fingertips graze your arm as he offers, “You should do it, angel. It’d be a good way to expand your social circle.”

“You mean her nonexistent circle,” Festus gibes.

The blond’s jaw clenches.

“Talk to her like that again and see what happens, Creed.”

Festus cowers, nervousness flickering on his face. He clears his throat.

“Sorry,” he says to you.

“It’s fine.”

Coriolanus’ fingers latch around your wrist as his steely gaze cuts into Festus.

“No, it’s not fine,” he articulates.

Undisturbed by the altercation between the boys, Clemensia prattles on about the ball.

“We meet up every Saturday morning. We’re working on winter-themed decorations right now. It’ll be so fun. It takes forever to do though.” She looks at you with emphasis. “An extra set of hands would be really welcome.”

“Clemensia…”

“Call me Clemmie,” she interrupts. “All my friends do.”

Friends? You study her hand clasped around yours. The concept is a little foreign to you. You also ponder why someone like Clemensia, with her perfect silky mane and smooth, blemish-free face would want to befriend you. She is the girl everyone gravitates towards. Charismatic, smart and nice to boot. And you might as well be a fly on a wall, ignored on the best days.

You are so stunned that it takes a shamefully long time for the words to fall back on your tongue.

“Clemmie, I’m usually busy on Saturday.”

“Oh.” She deflates, her hold on your hand loosening. “I get it. Sorry I asked.”

The excitement on her face plummets. Immediately, you feel terrible. You’ve never missed a single Saturday of studying, using that time to break down your more complicated courses of the week. But Clemmie looks crestfallen.

Perhaps, this one time, you can adjust your plans a little. One Saturday won’t make a difference in the entire year.

“But…I can try to free up some time,” you offer.

She perks up with your response.

“Great. We’ll be expecting you then.”

Lunch then proceeds, the table resuming the lively debate they were having before you showed up. Festus maintains facts about his family’s role in the reconstruction after the war while Clemensia rolls her eyes. They go back and forth and you observe them, slightly fascinated by the exchange. It’s such a rare occurrence for you to be around others that you soak every bit of their interaction. You get the inkling this happens a lot between them, them ruffling each other’s feathers. Ivy and Livia get wrapped in their own secret conversation you don’t catch a single word of. Meanwhile, Coriolanus watches all of them, taking a bite of the food on his plate every once in a while. The way he eats is slow, nonchalant, almost like he couldn’t care less what’s on his plate. Even if he doesn’t interject at any point, he looks right at home at this table. Unlike you. You recline into silence, letting every minute fly by as you wait for lunch to be over. When it finally is, relief surges inside you.

You mumble a quick goodbye and gather your things. Clemensia beams and waves at you while the others barely acknowledge your departure.

You head for the hallways, trying not to allow your mind to linger on the strange, uncomfortable lunch. Still, your mind swirls. You curse yourself for every blunder and awkward moment. You told him you don’t belong, that you’re an outsider, and always will be. It’s painfully obvious. From the way you dress, talk, carry yourself, you have nothing in common with girls like Clemensia or Livia. There’s a vast chasm between you and them. He should have listened. It astounds you that you even let yourself get roped into joining Clemensia’s committee thing. Though perhaps that won’t be too much of a hassle. You’ll show up to keep your word, then sink back into your rigid study routine.

Coriolanus’ deep voice, a sound you’re now oddly familiar with, erupts behind you.

“Let me carry those for you,” he says, swiping the books in your arms before you can protest. He falls in pace with you, a gentle expression decorating his handsome face.

You frown, the uncanny emptiness of your arms swelling your discomfort.

“You don’t have to-”

“I insist,” he interrupts, chuckling lightly when you try to reach for your books and he dodges you with ease. Your shoulders sag. Your strides hasten, an urgency limning your steps now.

Coriolanus meets no issue with your escalating cadence. He easily keeps up with you, a subtle hint of mirth lurking in his cobalt gaze.

“It wasn’t too much, was it?” he inquires. “I know they can be a lot but they’re all good people. I promise.”

A myriad of words weigh heavy on your tongue but you diplomatically swallow each, settling for a safe, innocuous remark.

“Clemmie was nice.”

The corners of the blond’s lips quirk skyward.

“I told you she was.”

The statement hovers between the two of you for a while. Clemensia seems nice indeed. The rest of his friend group…perhaps a little less so. Possibly a bit more cutthroat and self-absorbed. Though you surmise it is a requirement to be a member of Panem’s elite.

No other word is traded between you and him as you make your way to the lecture hall.

“This is me,” you announce.

You turn to Coriolanus, hands stretching towards your books. He makes no move to give them back. Your forehead creases.

He gives you a sluggish once-over before offering, “What if I drove you back home after your classes?”

You nibble your bottom lip, dismayed by his proposition. You’ve caught glimpses of his fancy new car, as you’re sure most have at the University. As heir apparent to the Plinth fortune, he gets to spend money as he likes.

“I usually walk. It’s okay.”

He gets a little closer. “Come on, angel. Just let me do something nice for you.”

You shrink until your back hits the wall, stunned when Coriolanus follows each of your steps.

“My last lecture is…Professor Bellweather tends to ramble,” you mumble, his proximity unnerving you. “I don’t…I don’t know when he’ll be done.”

He licks his lips.

“I’ll just wait for you, angel.”

He utters the words like it’s obvious. You gawk at him. It takes you a few minutes to retrieve your speech.

You scratch your arm, your frown accentuating.

“You really don’t have to. Like I said, walking home is fine.”

The gaze trained on your form sharpens.

“And I’m offering to take you home so you don’t have to exert yourself.” He bends over you, invading the already insufficient space between the two of you. “Has a friend never done something like that for you?”

“N-No,” you admit.

His tone’s heavy with suggestion as he rasps, “So let me be your first then, angel.”

Your heart stumbles inside your chest.

“I’m gonna be late for class,” you blurt out, attempting to brush past him.

Coriolanus’ hand darts out, swiftly cinching around your wrist to stop you from leaving.

“I still don’t have an answer,” Coriolanus says.

You glance from his hand, tight around your wrist, to his determined gaze. Your throat goes dry.

“Okay, you can d-drive me back home.”

He releases your wrist and returns your books, a smile ghosting over his lips.

“Wonderful. I’ll come get you later, angel.”

Clutching your books against your chest, you watch him glide away.

As promised, Coriolanus is waiting for you when you exit from your last class. You don’t even think to hide your shock as you find the blond leaning against the wall. A smirk unfans on his lips, your reaction seeming to amuse him.

He doesn’t say much to you as you walk side by side and head to his car. When you’re outside, he surprises you by opening the passenger door for you before you can even lift a hand.

“T-Thanks,” you stammer. You plop down on the plush seat. The leather smells new and expensive.

Your nerves thrum as he takes the driver’s seat and starts the car. You’ve never been alone in a car with a boy before. Uneasy, you let your eyes roam outside the window. The Capitol’s high buildings blur past you rapidly.

You’re lost in your thoughts when you notice the prickling sensation over your flesh, The burning, unwavering weight of Coriolanus Snow’s scrutiny.

Your head whirls.

Bashful words quake through your lips.

“Do I have something on my face?” Your hands reach to touch it, just in case.

He chuckles.

“No,” he replies, shrugging. “It’s a nice face that’s all.”

The casual compliment sends a wave of heat through your body.

“Can you drive?” he asks, curiosity lighting his features.

You shake your head. Getting your license has never been a priority. Besides, it’s only a thirty minute walk to get to the University. You don’t mind it, often using that time to sneak in some reading.

“No.”

“I could drive you if you like,” he offers, his gaze holding yours. “Anywhere you want to go.”

Your cheeks warm. “I’m okay.”

Coriolanus nods, his focus shifting back to the road.

“You always say that…” He hums low in his throat. “I’m just not sure I believe it, angel.”

You’re so nervous the entire drive that you don’t even notice when he arrives at your house. You stare at him, mouth agape. You haven’t given him a single instruction on how to get there.

“You know where I live?”

As he opens the door for you, Coriolanus simply replies, “You told me earlier.”

Your brows furrow. You don’t remember telling him but his tone harbors no doubt. You rummage through your brain, seeking the moment. Nothing comes up and you grow confused.

You blink up at him.

“I-I did?”

“Yes, you did, angel.” He snorts as if your line of questioning is beyond ludicrous. “How else would I know?” He slams the door of the car as you rise. “Besides…Dr. Gaul is my mentor. Of course, I know where she lives.”

You nod. That makes sense and it didn’t even occur to you.

“I…”

He cocks his head. “What?”

You fidget beneath his stare, discomfort flaring in the pit of your stomach.

“Nothing. Thanks for driving me home.”

He flashes you a wide smile.

“My pleasure. See you soon, angel.”

He starts the car and drives away. You don’t feel quite at ease until his car’s gone from view, heading towards the Corso.

Walter zooms across the room as soon as you enter the large apartment. Your eyes wander about. As usual, the place is empty besides you and Walter. Mother rarely spends any time here nowadays, her work occupying all of her time.

Walter rubs his furry head against your ankle, twirling around you as he meows. He then stands on his hind legs and starts gently raking his claws across your leg. A way for him to demand that you pet him. A small smile tugging your lips, you pick him up. The orange ball of fur purrs, curling against your chest as you carry him in your arms. You make your way to the kitchen and pour a mix of leftover meat and fish in his bowl.

You set him down on the floor. His tail wiggles as he hops to his food.

You crouch next to him.

“You wouldn’t believe what happened today, Walter,” you say while giving gentle pets to his back. “I was invited to their table.” The orange cat pauses his eating to stare up at you blankly. “Yes. Theirs,” you repeat as if he could understand you. He gives a long meow before focusing on his bowl again. You sigh. “I know. I thought the same thing.”

Once Walter’s emptied his bowl, you pick him up again and make your way to the living room.

You collapse on the couch.

“And then…Coriolanus Snow drove me home. Yes, the Coriolanus Snow. I didn’t even think he knew I existed.”

For a while, you remain on the couch, stroking Walter’s fur as he sits on your lap. His tail whips the air, his eyes closing as you pet him. His soft rumble of content reverberates against your belly, amplifying when your fingers drag behind his pointed white ears. You lean back, a blanket of peace settling over you.

Walter’s not just a strange-looking cat, he’s also a rescue…from your mother’s experiments. A kitten mutt with mismatched eyes, one blue and one yellow, his mushed, wrinkled face gives him a passing resemblance to a rodent. Pets like him are a rarity in today’s world as most creatures such as him were eaten during the First Rebellion.

Your mother finds him appalling. In her eyes, he is a failed experiment. Like you. Perhaps it’s why you have such kinship with the creature. You still recall her unsettling glance in your direction the day she asked the entire class of nine-year-olds at the Academy if they had pets they were sick of. She then proceeded to burn the flesh off a lab rat to demonstrate her pulsed energy laser.

This moment is burned into your mind forever, your mother’s clinical tone chilling your blood.

You stole Walter from the Citadel and took him home that same day.

You were careful to hide him, though you suspect your mother figured out what you did. She likely added it to her long list of disappointments when it comes to you.

Sometimes, you envy Walter. The simplicity his days hinge upon. His obliviousness to the woes of the world. His uncanny ability to sleep through the chaos of it, ignore the disarray. Walter’s world consists of food, play and cuddles.

What a blissful existence. You bet Walter never had a vexing thought in his short life.

The train of your thoughts is interrupted by the shrill ringing of the phone.

You carefully remove Walter from your lap. He meows in protest and jumps off the couch. You pick up the phone, chest clenching as a familiar face fills the flickering screen.

“Mother,” you greet. “How are you?”

She ignores your question, curtly stating, “You’re falling behind in Molecular Cell Biology.”

You know that tone all too well, the warning laced within it so achingly familiar.

Your fingers twist around the phone cord, your voice becoming small.

“I’ll get my grades up, I promise.”

Silence hovers between you and your mother for a while. Faint hope sparks within you. Perking up, you decide to tell her about your day.

“Oh, mother, today-”

“I must go,” she interrupts. “It’s time for my milk and cookies.”

Your spirits plummet. You nudge a hollow smile onto your face.

“Right. I didn’t realize,” you say, checking the clock hanging on the wall. “I’m sorry.”

She heaves out a deep sigh, her lone blue eye narrowing.

“Focus on your studies. And try not to be even more of an embarrassment to me than you already are.”

“Y-Yes, mother,” you reply, your heart shriveling inside your chest.

As she hangs up, you feel silly and horrible. Silly for trying to strike up a normal conversation with your mother. And horrible for letting her down once more.

“You came!” Clemensia exclaims as she rushes to you. You try not to tense as she gives you a tight hug. Ivy and Livia linger in the background, their eyes lifting from the crafts’ table.

You wave at them and are surprised when Ivy wiggles her fingers at you. Livia is more withdrawn, nodding to acknowledge your presence but quickly returning to her task.

You step out of Clemensia’s embrace and flash a quick smile.

“Well I promised you that I would,” you reply nonchalantly. You take a look around the room. Various decorations and posters are propped against the walls, while snowflakes cut-outs and what looks like moon dust are scattered on the table. It seems the girls have been busy.

You turn to Clemensia. “What’s the theme again?”

Ivy surprises you by answering cheerfully, “Well, it’ll be like a Winter daydream and we were thinking of making it a masquerade.”

Excitement sways in Clemensia’s bright eyes. “What do you think?”

“Sounds nice.” Your trite answer draws every gaze in the room to you. Awkwardly bouncing on your feet, you correct yourself, beaming at Clemensia. “I meant amazing.”

“I think so too,” she chimes.

She shows you the empty chair next to hers. The both of you sit down and she starts rambling about the theme and all the ideas she has to decorate the ballroom. You grow dizzy with all the information, trying to follow along her instructions at the same time.

“We’ll need to find you a date,” Clemensia says.

You shake the can of blue paint before spraying over the tree cut-out.

“It’s okay. I probably won’t be going anyway,” you respond absently.

The pencil in Livia’s hand snaps. Your head rises. The blonde’s gaping at you. You then realize…the same look of disbelief is etched on all the girls’ features. A frown mars your brow. Did you say something wrong? You didn’t realize this was such an important event.

A nervous laugh peals off Clemensia’s red-painted lips.

“No, but you have to,” she says, “It’s the first Yuletide Ball in over a decade. Everyone will be there.”

You shrug. “It’s four months away, Clemmie.”

Her onyx gaze shimmers.

“Well, a lot can happen in four months,” she sings, a mysterious smile spreading onto her lips.

#dark!coriolanus snow #coriolanus snow #coriolanus snow x reader #the ballad of songbirds and snakes #hunger games #tbosas fanfiction #dark!coriolanus snow x reader

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genshin-obsessed · 8 months

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NEUVILETTE REQ?? YOU SHOULD DO BEDTIME SNUGGLES!!

Ooh hi Clemmy! There's this one voice line that keeps giving me ideas and it might work with this! ^w^ thanks for the request!

The voice line that I'm talking about is When the Sun Is Out. Word count: 410

Neuvillette let out a soft sigh as you brushed his long, silvery locks. One thing that you've learned is that... he has a hard time with his hair. It's so long that he can't always easily get to the bottom.

"Are you tired?" You asked with a smile as you slid the brush through his silky hair. Your eyes flickered upward to look at him through the mirror.

"Yes, actually. Today was rather long and I'm looking forward to laying down." He said as his eyes drooped a little. You couldn't help but smile as your hand continued to move to brush his hair. For being the Dragon of Water... he was surprisingly human and seemed to accept that. Of course, he was still learning but at the end of the day, he was almost as human as you. Other than his 'unassailable impartiality'.

"Well, I'm just about done here so good news for you." You replied as you crouched down and removed the bow from his hair. Finishing up brushing out any tangles from the bottom, you loosely braided his hair before you were done.

"Thank you, I appreciate you doing this for me every night." He said as he looked up at you, once you stood back up and were behind him.

"Happy to help. I actually like brushing your hair." You said, placing a kiss on his head before you turned away. It allowed him to stand up and follow you to the bed, where he flopped down onto it and sighed in relief.

"It feels so nice to lay down." He commented as you laid down beside him, giggling a little. The two of you got under the covers and you reached over to turn off the lights before he wrapped his arms around you tightly and pulled you against him.

"Now that I'm laying down, you were right- it has been a long day." You mumbled as you felt the sleepiness already. The exhaustion from your day must've built up without you realizing it. You'd been running back and forth pretty much for the majority of your day without being able to even see Neuvillette, so it made sense.

"At least we're finally resting now." Neuvillette replied in a drowsy voice as he closed his eyes. His arms tightened around you as he buried his face into your chest.

"Goodnight, darling." You murmured quietly, closing your eyes and inhaling his familiar scent.

"Goodnight, (n/n)."

#genshin impact x reader #genshin x reader #genshin impact x gender neutral reader #genshin neuvillette x reader #neuvillette x reader #genshin neuvillette #🖊─ pocky’s writings

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etfrin · 3 months

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❝ꜱᴏᴜʟꜱ ᴛᴏ ᴄʀᴜꜱʜ❞ — chapter fifteen | coriolanus snow

「ᴡᴀʀɴɪɴɢ:」 NSFW | male masterbation, Coriolanus Snow, Dr. Gaul, canon typical violence, mentions of death | lmk if I forgot anything

「ᴘᴀɪʀɪɴɢ:」 young! Coriolanus Snow x fem! Reader

「ꜱᴜᴍᴍᴀʀʏ:」 you punish Coryo in your own way and Coriolanus figures out a solution for the snake problem :D

「ᴀ/ɴ:」 hope you guys like this!! <333 please remember to give your feedback, this was supposed to be longer but i decided that what i have planned will be better for the next chapter!

Beta read by the stunning ✨ @nowitsmissing ✨

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The rest of the gala went incredibly well. Being introduced as your partner made the others look at him with newfound respect. He truly had underestimated your value and felt guilty for it. He spent the rest of the night being paraded but it all ended well since even the men who weren't as interested in him before seemed intrigued.

All is well when the end is well.

The night ends with a kiss in front of the cameras. That had sealed the deal. You had truly forgiven him for his mishap now, or so he thought. In the car ride back home you hadn't looked at him. Even if he tried to make conversation with you; you replied with one-word answers.

Coriolanus looks away from you, giving his attention to the Capitol streets instead. It was very boring. He hated it. So he begins to ramble, not caring a bit that you weren't giving him attention. You were forced to listen. He begins from the top, talking about Clemmie and Festus and how they helped him. Coryo adds about Dr. Gaul. Her interactions with him.

He smirks when he sees the angry twitch of your fingers. He begins to talk about some other elite. Some opinions of awe and a few judgemental (even though he had no right to judge).

“God, you can't shut up, can you?” You groan, turning to him. Your hands pull at his suit, bringing him closer to you. You kissed him, but it was more like a sudden clash of teeth. Coriolanus didn't mind, he moaned into the kiss. His hands fisted so they didn't venture on places it shouldn't. He didn't want to make you more mad.

You suck his lower lip. The kiss was messy and sloppy. But it felt so good that Coriolanus refused to separate. He loves how good posca tasted on your tongue. He whined at the taste, feeling drunk by it. “You're mine,” he murmured against your lips.

He doesn't see you rolling your eyes. You replied, “Shut up.” And pulled him into another bruising kiss. Your hand was in his curls, and he groaned into your mouth as you pulled the blonde strands hard. “Dove-” he whines.

It didn't matter to you he felt overwhelmed.

You continued pressing him kisses until he was breathing hard and unable to kiss back properly. His brain was mush, his cock hard and because of the darkness of his pants, the pre-cum stain wasn't visible. You finally lean back satisfied when all he can do is whine pitifully. His lips were swollen, and sensitive. His eyes were closed and he couldn't speak. He wanted to beg for another kiss.

He didn't because he relaxed in his seat, unable to make eye contact with you because of the mess you made of him. You weren't going to play with him any further and he knew that. This was a punishment. His hard cock straining against his pants, wanting to cum was proof of it.

This was his own doing.

“I am sorry,” he whines, his hand pressing on his bulge.

“You're forgiven,” you sweetly lie as if you wouldn't repeat this punishment if he messed up again.

“Here ya go, safe and sound. Good night, Coryo. Sweet dreams,” your eyes drop to his bulge and you smile, “hopefully of me, pretty boy.”

He gets out of the car. Coriolanus stomps the ground, childish he knows but what else could he do? He even lets out a few curses, trying to ignore the ache of his cock. He barely talks to Tigris when he enters home. He tells her thank you for the clothes before he locks himself shut in his room.

He muffled his groan with his free hand, the other hand freeing his cock from the confines of his pants. He begins to stroke his length, dry and fast. Not caring that it's a bit painful. He needed to cum. He whimpers and whines, his eyes watering. Fuck, it burned. He spits in his hand, using it as lube. He lets out a satisfying moan before biting his lower lip. He tasted blood but didn't care.

Realizing nobody had listened to the noise, he kept going until finally, his dick shoots out ropes of white cum. He sighs, wiping his lip clean of the blood. Blinking away tears of relief. You turned him into such a mess. Only you could do that. He now realized he could never make the same mistake he did today.

He was yours.

And now everyone in the Capitol with a TV knows it. He takes off the suit and showers. He changed into his pajamas and led himself to bed.

When he dreams, it's of course about you.

✧ ▬▭▬ ▬▭▬ ✦✧✦ ▬▭▬ ▬▭▬ ✧

Snow's in the auditorium, the morning starting slow. Something had happened, and he received multiple condolences. Felix Ravinstill was dead, it was a public announcement that happened earlier when he still hadn't come to the auditorium. The reaper kid had torn off the flag and used it to cover dead bodies. A gesture with a great impact. The impact was ruined because of what the rebels had previously done and Dr. Gaul took advantage of it.

Coriolanus rolls his eyes as he sees the highlight footage of it. He has to admire the way Dr. Gaul used his classmate's death in this manner. She made it seem like it had much more importance than the death of the tributes. When it was all just the same. Coryo lets this thought wander in his mind.

His attention to the screens snaps back when he sees Coral’s pack gathering all of the remaining water bottles in a circle. Snow realized if anything was distracting the pack, it would be a perfect opportunity for Lucy Gray to secretly poison the water. He hoped Lucy Gray was smart enough to realize this too.

He encourages (tricks) several of his classmates to send food, telling them their tributes are smart enough not to get hurt. When brought up about Jessup, he refuted that the boy was sick anyway. A few mentors who felt pity for their tributes didn't need much convincing. They send several drones of water and food distracting the tributes away from the vent Lucy Gray was hiding in.

Lucy Gray takes the hint! She slips out of her vent, she's careful as she drugs the water and the surrounding food. It was barely seen by the camera. If viewed by the naked eye, it would look like she was eating the food. Coriolanus smirks, though the feeling of triumph is short-lived.

He soon thought of a line that Dr. Gaul had said during the broadcast. The enemies will be seeing a rainbow of destruction. The snakes! Dr. Gaul will be releasing the snakes into the arena. Fuck! He has to do something soon! He knew that the snakes don't react to familiar scents and he had a handkerchief stained with Lucy Gray's tears.

It has to work.

Coriolanus thought of an insane plan but there's no other way. He needs to do it if he wants Lucy Gray to win. He goes on his way to meet Dr. Gaul. The stitches in his back weren't healed yet, and Coryo pulled at them. He can feel the wound bleeding again and winces in pain.

Snow enters the lab. The snake cage in sight made him swallow in nervousness. “Mr. Snow,” Dr. Gaul acknowledged. “Came to beg for her life?” It took him a moment of panic to realize that Gaul meant the poor songbird and not you.

“The stitches pulled, I didn't go to the hospital because I didn't want them to ask questions,” Coriolanus said, praying that the excuse made sense.

“You did the right thing,” Dr. Gaul approved.

Coriolanus sat down, taking off his uniform to reveal his bleeding wounds. He could see birds in a cage and wondered in awe (and horror) about what experiment they went through. With a closer look, he noticed what they were.

Dr. Gaul confirms his suspicions.

“Jabberjays.”

“Made for the war to pick up rebel conversations and squawk it back to us word by word,” she adds, her hand picking up a remote. “Failed experiment but an instructive one.”

Dr. Gaul describes her plan for them. “I am rounding them up district by district now to see what better purposes they might serve.” Coryo paid mild attention as he saw people preparing to carry out the snake cage outside. Dr. Gaul clicks the button of the remote and the jabberjays repeat everything word by word. Perfectly. Coriolanus was a bit impressed.

“They're all done,” Dr. Gaul said. His stitches were stitched back together. He grunts softly in pain. He eyes the cage that the staff takes away. He takes his time wearing his shirt, he doesn't want to seem eager to get away. He couldn't afford suspicion.

“Thank you, Dr. Gaul.”

He walks out of the lab with shaky legs before breaking into a sprint trying to locate the cage. Thankfully he finds the cage, ready to be taken to the arena. He didn't see anyone in sight. He took the handkerchief and found a gap to push it inside. The scent of Lucy Gray will not be unfamiliar to the snakes.

Therefore if she dies, it won't be by them.

NEXT PART

355 notes · View notes

maevesheart · 4 months

Text

FOOLS - PART I

CORIOLANUS SNOW X CAPITOL!READER

note: continuing to use the mars family for reader, but different storyline than tolerate it.

PART I // PART II // PART III

summary: only fools would fall for coriolanus snow, and you’re the biggest fool of them all.

wc: 5.1k

tw: fingering, pet names, curse words

The sound of your blinds being torn apart pulls you from your peaceful slumber, and the now streaming sunlight causes you to rub your eyes and yawn.

Today was the announcement of the Plinth Prize, all of your fellow classmates would be seething when your name fell from the lips of Dean Highbottom.

The thought made you grin.

You had never once missed classed, and your grades were the very highest they could possibly be. The only thing standing in your way is Coriolanus Snow.

The boy who is just as intelligent and cunning as you are.

Rumors had been spreading for weeks as to who was going to win the lavish prize money, the most common names falling from lips were yours and Coriolanus.

It infuriated you.

The Mars family was the highest esteemed in all of the Capitol. Who deserved the prize more than you, of course, Y/N Mars?

Your Avox quickly left the room as you stood up from your massive ornate bed, feet lightly padding on the cold marble floors.

You made your way into your closet, where your long plum-purple colored dress hang. It was to your mid-thigh, a large bow sat on the back that draped to the floor. It was beautiful, made custom for you.

You slipped on a pair of thin tights and some black heels, allowing your Avox to meticulously curl your hair and do subtle yet elegant makeup upon your face.

You made your way down the marvelous marble staircase outside your bedroom, meeting your father and mother at the bottom.

“Here darling,” your mother smiled, placing her string of pearls around your neck, and delicately sliding in matching Pearl studs to your ears.

“Oh, mother, your pearls?” You smiled, your mother wore the pearls throughout the war and claimed they were what kept you all afloat.

In reality, it was your fathers expansive fortune and manufacturing company that produced the capitol’s guns and bombs, but the pearls were touching.

“Thank you,” you smiled, giving her a kiss on the cheek.

The ride to the Academy was short, and soon you waltzed into the building followed by your doting parents.

When you three entered the gathering room, where all of the Capitol’s brightest and richest stood, you father dispersed to speak to Serbo Plinth, and your mother found Mrs. Crane.

You quickly found Clemensia, your closest friend, and the two of you eased into simple conversation, discussing who you thought would win.

Clemmie assured you that the prize would soon be yours as the both of you made your way to fellow classmates Felix, Festus, and Arachne.

Arachne and you offered each other a quick hug before Felix and Festus were complimenting your dress and how marvelous it was.

“Thank you, boys,” you smile, loving the attention.

As you continue to indulge in their compliments, you feel a light touch on the back of your elbow, Coriolanus Snow now by your side.

“Finally, the Star pupil.” Arachne snottily says, looking down at Coryo’s shirt.

“Arachne,” he nods, smirking as he feels the annoyance radiating off your body.

“We were just talking about how lovely Y/N’s dress is, Coryo, don’t you agree?” Clemmie sets the bait. She has this feeling that Coriolanus and you have some deep set feelings for each other that have yet to reach the surface. You think it’s all just her imagination running wild.

But Clemmie doesn’t know about the few nights the two of you have spent together, in the back of your car, in your bed, anytime the two of you had been alone.

No one knows. And you plan on keeping it that way.

You feel Coryo’s eyes take over your figure, pausing briefly as he sets his sight on your cleavage peaking out.

“Yes, you look quite nice, Y/N.” He smiles, hand secretly toying with the end of your curls down the middle of your back.

Before you have a chance to react, Sejanus has found his way to your other side, offering you a slight peck on the cheek as greeting.

“Sejanus,” you smile, patting his arm.

The two of you were close, as you found Festus and Felix’s distaste for him to be rather childish and ignorant.

He was a nice, respectable boy. And your father and Serbo Plinth had worked closely during the war, your families were allied. Something that was especially so important now.

Coriolanus felt a tinge of jealousy as you leaned in to peck Sejanus’ cheek back. Everyone knew the two of you were close, yet it was still anger-provoking whenever he truly saw how close you two were.

Before Sejanus could fully join in the conversation, the familiar sound of Panem’s anthem began to play, signaling for you all to take your seats.

You sat between Clemmie and Coriolanus, eyes focused in front before you heard Sejanus offer a quick apology to Coryo, about something you failed to decipher.

Dr. Gaul’s sinister laugh boomed throughout the hall, and your eyes widened with shock.

She spoke of her responsibilities and how you all before her were the leaders of the new generation. You looked over to Coryo with confusion splayed on your face, his eyes wide and frantic.

Dr. Gaul stepped down from the podium and moved away for Dean Highbottom, who was once again drunk off morphling and slurring his words.

“I cannot believe they continue to let him speak in public,” Clemmie whispers, shaking her head.

“And here sit our own 24 top prospects, all waiting to hear the results of hard study in this prestigious institution.”

Your heart races as he continues to ramble on, “eager to learn who’s won that Plinth Prize, no doubt. And a golden future. However, I am here to tell you that there has been a change this year. One final assignment to prove your worth.”

Clemmie slumps back into her seat, you hear Festus behind you suck in his breath. This was it.

“…the prize will now be determined by who is the best mentor in the Hunger Games.”

The silence that follows is deafening. Against your better judgement, you are reaching for Coriolanus’s hand, and intertwine your fingers.

You knew how bad he needed this prize. You were one of the only people who knew.

His eyes flicker down to your hands twisted together, and he offers you a slight smile, but you know he is freaking out to his core.

Dean Highbottom announces how he will assign the tributes, and soon comes to sit in front of you all when the anthem once again plays out.

“Coryo..” you whisper, he looks over to you and you shake your head, a silent apology. He nods, accepting it, and shrugs. What is he supposed to do but pray he gets a good tribute from One or Two?

You and Sejanus secure the tributes from District Two, most likely his fathers doing.

You untangle your fingers from Coriolanus and reach across to grab Sejanus. You give his arm a squeez, assuring him that you are there.

He continues to look straight, obviously torn by this revelation.

Coriolanus finds himself even more annoyed, watching you fawn over the boy next to him. You were holding him first…

He immediately snaps himself out of it. He was showing weakness. He reminds himself that weakness is a curse, and there is no room for that in success.

Finally, the runt girl from District 12, belongs to Coriolanus.

He looks to the floor, shaking his head. You refrain from taking his hand again, knowing he would most likely shoo it away.

You and Arachne giggle as the girl floods the screen, wearing a rainbow dress. One quick glare from Coriolanus shuts you up and forces your eyes back on the screen.

Soon, the girl is shoving a snake down another girls back, and Coriolanus is quick to his feet, watching with rapt attention.

She starts to sing, a somber tune that you had never heard before.

“Singing?” You question, Arachne quickly adding in, “is she out of her mind?”

Coriolanus ignores you this time, eyes straight ahead.

Her singing is enchanting, and you focus in, laughing when she screams profanities into the microphone.

“Well, she’s obviously mentally ill.” Arachne claims, Sejanus still staring straight ahead, and your eyes trained on Coriolanus.

All of you quickly disperse out of the hall, your fathers hands are on your shoulders, shielding you from the press as you make your way to the car.

Once safely inside, he is stern and stoic, unwavering in his stance, “no. You will not do it.”

“Daddy, it’s just one games. We meet with the tributes maybe once, never let them get too close.”

You were fighting a battle already lost, you knew.

“Absolutely not Y/N. I will not have you frolicking around with district.”

He is seething, obviously feeling deeply betrayed and upset with Serbo, how could he not have told him?

“Please? I know I won’t win the prize, but it’s good experience.”

Your father can’t argue there. If you are to one day rule his empire with your siblings, then he must allow you to get some experience under your wing.

“Alright. But as soon as something goes wrong, which it will, you are out of the contest. Understood?”

“Understood.”

You’re laid in bed, a book propped up on your chest, trying your hardest to distract yourself from the confusing day you’ve had.

A light rap on the door shakes you from your focus.

“Come in,” you say, body slightly turning to see who would come this late in the night.

The gold handle of your massive white door turns, and to your great contentment it’s Coriolanus who silently walks in, shutting the door tightly behind him.

It wasn’t unlikely for Coriolanus to come to your home, usually you two worked on homework or studied together, but he never came at night.

The sight of his deep eye bags made your chest sink. You knew how he must be feeling.

“The Avoxes let me in,” he murmurs, making his way over to your bed.

He sits down on the edge next to you, and you feel the mattress lightly dip to support his weight.

You sit up, leaning your back against the headboard, and place your hand on his shoulder, soothing it up and down his back.

His back was to you, lightly hunched over.

“I talked to Tigris,” he speaks after moments of silence.

You hum, “what did she say?”

You lightly crawl over to him, wrapping yourself around his back, hands snaking around his waist and pulling him closer to you.

His body was warm, but you could feel his spine lightly stick out his back and the thought made you want to cry.

You place your cheek against his shoulder blade, and close your eyes, his presence easing you.

“She told me I should get the girl to trust me. Saying she’s probably so scared and feels alone right now.”

“I would be too,” you hummed back, eyes flitting up to get a better view of his face.

From your position, you can make out the trace of his nose and his light eyelashes, the moonlight coming in through your large windows accentuating his features.

He places one of his hands over yours, entwined across his lap.

“You will win, Coryo,” you assure him, a small whisper falling from your lips.

You weren’t confident, but he needed reassurance, and who were you to deprive him of what he needs most?

He doesn’t say anything, the two of you sitting in silence for a few moments.

He then turns around, glossy eyes staring straight into yours.

“Oh, love,” you coo, taking his cheek in your palm, and pulling him into you, wrapping your arms tightly around his body, one hand on the back of his head.

Coryo didn’t cry. That was weakness, and Coriolanus Snow did not show weakness.

“I need this scholarship, Y/N,” he quietly peeps, head buried in your shoulder.

You say nothing, hand massaging his scalp, and the other lightly rubbing his back.

You let him compose himself before he pulls back, and you lightly tug his arm, scooting over and giving him room to slip under the covers next to you.

You curl around his body, him only wearing a white t-shirt and loose lounge pants.

You place a small kiss to the back of his neck, assuring him you’re there as you begin to hear his light snoring fill the room.

You wake up to an empty bed. The only sign of Coriolanus even being there is the lingering scent of his cologne on your bedsheets and the light indentation in your mattress.

You want to cry. Of all the times you had consoled him, held him, given him the most sacred parts of you, he up and leaves, like you mean nothing.

Obviously you had to mean something if he kept coming back, right?

You care for him, deeply, and despite your agreement to keep your sexual relationship hushed, you cannot help but to want to care for him.

You hastily get dressed and ready, and throw a few books into your pack, rushing down to the kitchen. You have Cook pack a blueberry muffin into your pack, knowing Coryo won’t have the means for breakfast.

You have the driver take you straight to school instead of your usual stop for coffee.

Entering the classroom, Coryo’s usual seat next to you is bare. He’s never once skipped class. Why would he start now?

The screen in your classroom brights up, showing Luvky Flickerman outside the monkey cage at the zoo, where the tributes fall into.

A bright red uniform sticks out, and you’re on your feet, prying for a better look.

Dean Highbottom is watching unimpressed, Sejanus on your other side shaking his head in disbelief.

You realize it is Coriolanus and a gasp falls from your lips, he is standing with Lucy Gray, his tribute, and watch as he places his Grandma’am’s precious rose in her hair.

You couldn’t believe him. He left your bed to go be with that… that district slut!

Distaste brews in your mouth as he takes her hand and parades her around to all the young children. Clemmie watches as a scowl takes over your features.

He smugly looks into the camera, and you feel as if he’s directly looking to you, as he gives his cunning responses to every question Lucky throws his way. You know Dean will be far from pleased.

Before you know it, Coriolanus is entering the classroom, and you give him the meanest stare you can conjure.

Sejanus starts to stick up for him as Coryo takes his seat next to you. You side-eye him as he sits down, wanting him to know how stupid he is for putting his life at risk.

“Have you lost your mind?” You whisper through gritted teeth.

He doesn’t answer you, giving you a snide look before turning to the sound of Dr. Gaul entering the room.

She waltzes in, congratulating Coryo for his initiative. You scoff, and he looks down on you, eyes narrowing.

Dr. Gaul promptly leaves, and a silence engulfs the room.

Soon, your fellow peers are whispering to each other, trying to figure out how Coryo ended up in that cage.

Sejanus is silent, eyes on his shoes.

You stick your hand deep into your pack and pull out the muffin from earlier, not wanting it to go to waste.

Without another word, you shove the muffin into Coryo’s hands under the desk, and catch his eyes softening as he looks over to you.

“Dean? May I be excused?” You keep your composure, quietly slipping out of the classroom.

Clemmie watches Coryo, how he lightly shakes his head before shoving the muffin into his pack and jumping to his feet, rushing to follow you out the classroom.

He finds you in the library, your pack sitting at a mahogany table which gives you away.

He sets his down on the same table, and sets off between the rows of hardback books to find you.

This library was sprawling, three-stories of endless books, it could take hours to find you.

“Y/N?” He quietly calls out, hoping you’re nearby.

He hears a scoff a row over, quickly darting down the isle to find the one that the noise comes from.

As he rounds the corner, there you are, leaning against the wall at the end, arms crossed against your chest.

He thinks he sees a tear stain down your normally perfect makeup and complexion, and crosses over, hands falling on your face.

He turns your head in his hands, checking for signs of pain.

“What’s wrong?” He sounds worried, and you laugh, pushing him off of you.

His face twists in a mix of confusion and anger, hands falling to his sides.

You shake your head, biting your lip as you look up. You’re no longer upset, just majorly pissed off.

“You left my bed, to go greet your bitch from the districts.” You spit out at him, eyes narrowing as you watch him comprehend your words.

He knew you could get jealous sometimes, but didn’t realize it went quite this deep.

“Y/N/N—“

“Nope. I don’t want to hear it.” You hold your hand up, silencing him. You close your eyes, sighing.

But before you can open them back up, you feel Coriolanus’ lips on yours, molding together like they do so perfectly.

His hands grip your face, pulling you into him, your hands gripping onto his biceps.

The kiss is passionate, the air being sucked out of your lungs.

He only kisses you like this when he’s hungry for you, absolutely starving. When he needs you like a feral animal.

He knows what it does to you.

You use all your strength to pull back, hands resting on his chest to keep him from lunging back in.

“I’m sorry,” is all he says, “you know I would never touch another girl. Especially one from the districts.”

You nod, knowing that while your jealousy was just, it was also a little exaggerated.

The familiar sound of lunch time’s bell rings out, and Coryo backs off of you, and the two of you head for the cafeteria.

You walk with him until you spot Clemmie, excusing yourself from Coryo’s side.

You follow Clemmie to your usual table, parting with Coryo, you two girls sitting with Arachne and Livia, who both have lots to say about their chances in the games.

You ignore them, peeking over to where Coryo sits, across the cafeteria. Sejanus is sat across from him, the two of them deep in conversation.

You watch as they pack up their lunches, and stand from their spots, rushing to the nearest exit.

You stand to follow, and Arachne trails after you.

You follow them all the way to the zoo, and you once again brew anger in your core.

Arachne kneels before her tribute and begins to tease her with the food, and you watch with the audience as Coryo gives his full lunch to Lucy Gray and Jessup.

You come up to his side and snake your arm around his, plastering the most sickly-sweet smile on your face that you can muster.

“And who might this beautiful girl be, Coriolanus?” Lucy Gray asks, a slight smile pulling at her lips as she eats.

Coriolanus is taken aback by your display of affection and sudden appearance at the zoo. You’re the last person he would have expected to show up.

“This is my classmate, Y/N Mars.”

The words my classmate falling from his lips when describing you does not settle right in your stomach. But you two haven’t established what you are… just that you want each other all to yourselves.

“Splendid to meet you, Lucy Gray. That dress is just gorgeous!” You claim, talking with your hands.

Coriolanus holds back from rolling his eyes, remembering the snide comments you made at the reaping about her dress and how she must be mentally unhinged.

“Thank you, Miss Y/N.” You watch like a hawk as Lucy Gray scarfs down her sandwich and then eyes your spectacular ruby ring upon your middle finger.

“Beautiful ring,” she compliments, Coryo’s eyes flickering down to the present you received for your 17th birthday.

“Oh! This old thing, it’s quite small, I believe. I think I’ll ask for a bigger one next year,” you smile, watching Jessup and Lucy Gray’s faces twist with slight envy.

“Right,” Lucy Gray slightly smiles, sitting down.

You and Coriolanus look over to Arachne, who is waving food in front of her tribute’s face, obviously taunting her.

You purse your lips, undoing yourself from Coryo’s side. “I’m going to tell her to stop it, she might get killed over there.”

Coryo nods and watches as you make your way down to Arachne’s side.

He doesn’t want you to get too close, knowing that Arachne and her tribute are a seam ready to burst at any moment.

Just as he’s looking back to Lucy Gray, he hears your shriek and spins around, immediately at your side.

Arachne is on the ground, choking on the loss of air, a glass bottle sticking out from her neck.

“Y/N!” He screams, next to you in seconds, trying to pull you away from the monkey cage.

“Help!” You screech, using your red Academy coat to try to stop the blood.

Coriolanus falls on top of you to shield you from the gun shots that ring out, heading straight past your head to the tribute behind bars.

“Oh, Arachne,” you smooth her hair down, your eyes teary and glossy, watching as she lays limp, no longer struggling.

Peacekeepers and Sejanus reach you two at the same time, Sejanus pulling you up off the ground, and into his chest, Coriolanus watching as the Peacekeepers escort all of you away.

Coryo seethes with envy, watching you tuck your head into Sejanus’ chest as he hauls you away, loud sobs falling from your lips.

He shouldn’t be jealous, Sejanus is just comforting you. You had just watched your close friend die, how could Coriolanus be jealous while you grieve.

As the three of you renter the Academy, Sejanus stops walking, halting your movements as well, coming face-to-face with your father.

“Mr. Mars,” Sejanus nods, and your father is quick to lift you into his arms, silent whimpers coming from your lips.

“Thank you, boys,” he nods to Coryo and Sejanus, and the two reluctantly continue their movement back to the cafeteria.

“C’mon darling, let’s go home,”

Coriolanus had gone back that night to visit Lucy Gray, to make sure she was alright.

“You must love her, Coriolanus,” Lucy Gray spoke, lightly smiling while shaking her head.

“What?” He cocked an eyebrow.

“Your friend, Y/N. You shielded her body with your own. I saw the way you watched to make sure she wouldn’t get too close to Arachne.”

The wheels in Coriolanus’s head were turning, reenacting the events of earlier that day.

“And I gather she likes you just as much,” Lucy Gray finishes, “she sure doesn’t like you spending so much time with me,”

“Nonsense, Y/N is a close friend, that’s all.” He dismissed the topic like it wasn’t anything at all.

“Alright then, but I’d imagine she won’t wait these entire games for you to admit your feelings. That other boy, the one who held her, he seems quite keen as well.”

With that, Coriolanus felt his jaw tighten, angered by the idea of anyone touching you other than him. Especially Sejanus Plinth touching you.

With a quick nod, Coriolanus turned on his heel, and began his venture to your penthouse.

It was pitch black out, yet Coriolanus found himself scaling the outside of your building, finally rapping his knuckles against the pristine glass covering your window.

He sees straight in, you curled up under your silk sheets, hair around you like a halo.

He had snuck in through your window countless times now, and he lightly pressed on the bottom, and the window gave way, allowing him just enough room to crawl through and lightly pad to your bed.

He slipped off his shoes and opened the covers, sliding in and curling around you.

His finger traced shapes onto your skin, trying his hardest to calm both himself and you.

You lightly started to stir, and finally turned to face Coryo, he gave you a small tight-lipped smile, propping himself up on one elbow.

“Hi, Y/N/N.”

“Hi, Coryo,” you smile, nuzzling in closer to him.

The two of you sit in comfortable silence, your head on his chest, listening to the beat of his heart.

“I was so scared,” you murmur out, Coriolanus sensing the vulnerability in your voice, something you normally only let him see.

He pulled you closer into him, softly smoothing your hair.

“I won’t let anything ever touch you, Y/N.” He states like it’s the simplest thing in the world.

Coriolanus had declared his feelings for you vaguely a few other times, usually only when he was buried inside of you.

This was different. You were barring your soul, showing him weakness.

“Do you mean it?” You whisper out, lightly pushing off his chest to look him in the eyes.

“More than I’ve ever meant anything else.” His eyes are stern, his face unwavering.

A smile starts to overtake your lips, and Coriolanus places his hand on your cheek, lightly bringing you down to his level.

You lightly move his curls out of his face, and the two of you lean into each other, lips meeting halfway.

This kiss is different than your others, it’s slower, not as heated. It’s a kiss that two people who love each other would share.

“It could’ve been you, Y/N. How could I have lived with myself,” he lightly huffs out, in between quiet kisses.

“But it wasn’t me, Coriolanus. It wouldn’t have been your fault,” you reassure him, hand finding his under the covers.

“My father is removing me from the mentorship. Highbottom is finding another student to take my place. Nothing can touch me now,” you smile, despite being deeply upset by your father removing you from the possible achievement of a lifetime.

“I’m sorry,” he coos, genuine feeling in his words.

You fall back into him, lips connecting once more, his hands roaming, pulling you into his lap, legs going to either side of his hips.

The kiss is still the same, but now his tongue finds its way into your mouth, somehow bringing your lips even closer together.

His hands are all over you, groping your ass from over your silk pink pajama shorts, another hand gathering a fist full of your hair and wrapping it throughout his fingers, pulling you as close to your body as possible.

He had never been so vulnerably affectionate before, but the thought of losing you to someone else wrung his heart dry. He wanted you all to himself.

Soon he was pushing your shorts down, helping you quickly discard of them.

You weren’t wearing any panties, and Coryo felt himself getting hard at the sight of your bare mound.

“Fuck,” he curses, eyes dark and filled with lust. He watches as your tongue darts out over your bottom lip, and he pulls you back into him, sticking two of his fingers into you at the same time.

His lips on yours stifles your moan, and the sound of his fingers pumping in and out of your slick folds is the only thing to be heard in your large bedroom.

You start to squirm above him, the feeling of his fingers inside of you being immensely pleasurable.

He then uses his thumb to start massaging your clit, a pit beginning to form deep in your core, threatening to soon burst.

“Fuck, Coryo,” you moan, your head finding place in the crook of his shoulder.

He kisses up your bare shoulder, entwining his free hand with one of yours, “say you’re mine,” he groans, feeling you start to grind down on his fingers and slightly on his bulge.

“I-I’m yours, Coryo—“ you mewl, lightly biting his shoulder to stop from waking your parents.

“You’re mine only,” he quietly tells you, fingers picking up a faster pace as you become undone.

“I’m gonna come,” you pant, and with one last circling of his thumb, you come undone on his lap, spilling all over his fingers still deep inside of you.

He tenderly pulls them out, as you sink down into his chest, and bring the two fingers up to his mouth, sucking off all the juices that he could never get enough of.

You watch with blown pupils, he quickly reconnects your lips, and you taste yourself all over his mouth.

“I love you,” he says, pulling back, tucking your hair behind your ears.

Of all the times you’d been intimate with Coriolanus, he had never been this gentle and caring.

“Do you really?” You ask, refusing to believe his confession. You had only been waiting for those three words to leave his mouth for what felt like eternity.

“I do, really, how could I not?” he grinned as you smiled, pecking your lips. “I love you, Coriolanus. I’m yours,”

He grins at your confession, a sense of pride overcoming his being knowing that he’s won, no other man will touch you for as long as he lives.

“You’ll stay this time, right?” You ask, all walls down, barring the most vulnerable corners of your soul.

“I wouldn’t dream of leaving,” he assured you, kissing your shoulder.

Only fools would ever fall for Coriolanus Snow and his cunning love spells. But you were the biggest fool of them all, weren’t you?

#imagine #angst #smut #coriolanus x y/n #coriolanus x oc #coriolanus imagine #coriolanus fanfiction #coriolanus smut #coriolanus x you #coriolanus x reader #coriolanus snow #coryo snow #coryo x reader #coriolanus snow x reader #maeve writes 🎀

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fastlikealambo · 5 months

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burn for you: coriolanus snow x black!fem reader regency au

summary: notorious rake coriolanus snow, duke of districtshire, must marry or face financial ruin. he sets his sights on you, an extremely wealthy woman in your own right and what transpires over one year told in 4 acts will change both their lives.

this is a sample chapter, please interact, comment or reblog if you would like to see the full chapter.

@rosewine-5

@saturnville

Act One: Autumn

Just before the first leaves fell, Crassus Snow, the former Duke of Districtshire, died beneath the warm thighs of a chambermaid, a simple fact that brought joy to His Grace, Coriolanus Snow, his son and the new Duke of Districtshire every single time he thought about it.

The social season had begun and from his rooms in The Corso, he could see that the entire street had begun preparations for The Plinth Ball to open the season. Sejanus would be arriving soon to go over strategy for a successful social event but Coriolanus wasn’t the least bit worried, in fact he was annoyed.

He was a duke now, his name was on several ladies’ dance cards, he had an entire legion of staff and a village at his disposal, the world should have been his for the taking. But with his new title came his father’s old debts and the bastard loved to spend.

His Grace Coriolanus Snow, Duke of Districtshire, was flat fucking broke.

A knock at the door interrupted Coryo’s dream of a new cravat and with the arrival of his grandmother and cousin, his annoyance only grew with whatever Grandma’am was about to pester him with.

“Coryo,I fixed the buttons on your jacket for the ball, pearls from the guest room curtains worked perfectly. I need to see it on you, make sure it fits like it’s supposed to.” Tigris said

Coryo was only happy to oblige as his most beloved cousin moving back in with them after his father died had been the only bright spot in weeks. Slipping into the tailcoat, he looked in the mirror, admiring Tigris’ work.

Above all, he would look every inch the duke his father never was even if he only had a bit of cabbage and cold mutton to break his fast all day.

“It’s wonderful,Tigris, thank you.” Coriolanus said truthfully, happy to see her smile while Grandma’am continued to look dour.

“I had a letter from Lord Highbottom. He purchased the country estate without any warning and he intends to buy this home, our ancestral home, within a year if we do not pay what your father owed him for investing in his peasant child fighting establishment failure. You must marry well and marry now, Coriolanus! Do you wish me to be the laughingstock of the gardening society?”

Grandma’am rather melodramatically threw herself onto the nearest settee, sobbing into a handkerchief while Tigris patted her back and gave her cousin an apologetic look.

No.

He did not wish to marry, not when there was fun to be had, that was something for a later date of his choosing, not in his first months of dukedom.

If it took selling off a prized horse or two, so be it.

Absolutely not, not happening.

“You know my grandson, Coriolanus? He’s very much on the hunt for a suitable bride tonight! There’s not a young lady in all of Panem that wouldn’t want the title of Duchess and my grandson on their arm.”

Grandma’am’s voice unfortunately carried throughout the Plinth ballroom and it took everything in Coryo to not jump through the nearest window and to a brothel where his coin was far more interesting than his title.

“Cheer up Your Grace, you’re scaring your potential brides.” Clemensia Dovecote quipped, stealing the champagne flute from him with a smile.

“Is it really that obvious, Clemmie?”

“You look like you were bit by several snakes. Come dance with me unless you’d like to be set upon by overeager mamas in the next sixty seconds?”

Coriolanus could see Grandma’am leading an army towards him and joined the quadrille without a second thought.

All he had to do was pick the most agreeable one with the biggest dowry and their money problems would be settled with no more interference from Highbottom.

He could buy all the cravats he wanted.

No.

He was still a duke and dukes did whatever they wanted and at this moment he wanted a drink, not a duchess.

Yet as he made his way to the nearest servant, the sound of double doors opening made him stop and everyone in the ballroom cease talking and dancing.

You.

You walked through the double doors, a masterpiece for all to gaze upon and immediately every thought of leaving early left Coriolanus’ mind.

Perhaps there was fun to be had this evening.

#coriolanus snow x reader #coriolanus x reader #coriolanus snow x black!reader #coriolanus x you #coriolanus snow fanfiction #regency au

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ellieluvr420 · 2 months

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Friends? Never. Pt.21 (Ellie Williams x reader)

MASTERLIST (and information about Palestine) Please read!

SYNOPSIS: You and Ellie had been bitter enemies for years now but before that you were best friends. You had always planned to be roommates one day but when that becomes a reality the situation isn't exactly how you both imagined it.

Tada! Hope this was worth the wait, my sincerest apologies, please excuse me while i go scream into my pillow anyway, enjoy u angels !!

₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

“Flip it mommy! Flip it!”

“Okayyy, get ready, cross your fingers and your toes.” Clem looks at you perplexed and it only makes you giggle. “For good luck! I haven’t had as much practise as Mama.” She makes on O sound with her mouth before crossing her fingers and swaying as she tries to cross her toes. You take a deep breath in and flick the pan in attempt to flip the pancake. When it lands in the pan perfectly you both cheer before you quickly remember Ellie sleeping upstairs. She slept through most things but since Clem she has slept lighter, often beating you to the punch if you both heard Clem crying from a nightmare. You both giggle as you continue making the stack of pancakes. You put raspberries on the top pancake of Ellie and Clem’s plates in the shape of a smiley face before leaving Clem to pour syrup over her pancakes to her heart’s content as you check you have everything you need for when you leave. Your backpack was packed and so was Clem’s littler one so you returned to the kitchen to see the girl drowning her pancakes in syrup. She finally decides it’s enough when the syrup is almost spilling over the edge of the plate and lets you finish up your and Ellie’s pancakes.

When everything was ready you let Clem carry her plate up the stairs as you carried yours and Ellie’s. Clem creeps into the room ahead of you and with a small nod of your head you both beam and take a deep breath in.

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY!” You both yell in unison causing Ellie to jump awake. Clem quickly puts her plate on the bedside table and jumps at Ellie, wrapping her arms around Ellie’s neck and snuggling into the half-awake girl.

“Happy birthday Mama! Wake uppppp, we made you pancakes!” Ellie’s eyes jolt open and as her eyes fall on the plates in your hands a huge grin creeps across her features, it only grows as she meets your eyes.

“Thank you baby! Oh you are the best.” She squeezes Clem before shifting over to allow room for you to sit down next to her. You pass her plate to her as well as her cutlery and then pass Clem’s plate to her also. You notice Ellie looking down at the raspberry smiley face and when she looks back at you, your cheeks grow hotter at her doting gaze.

“Happy birthday babe.”

“I love you so much.” She leans in and presses a sweet kiss to your lips before pressing a kiss to Clem’s forehead. “and I love you kiddo. Thank you so much.” Clem giggles and you nod your head towards the pancakes to get her to eat before they go cold. She wastes no time before stuffing her face, Clem following her lead, as you watch them both devour what looks more like syrup with a side of pancakes, smiling at the matching smears of syrup on their chins. You put your plate down on the side and get up off the bed. “Where are you going?” Ellie scoffs through a mouthful of food.

“To get your presents silly.”

“Babe, you shouldn’t have.”

“Shut up and eat your pancakes.” You chuckle as you walk off to Clem’s room where you had hidden the presents. As you approach the room once again you hear Clem’s voice.

“Mama how old are you now?”

“I’m twenty kiddo.”

“Wow that’s really old.”

“You’re telling me.” You giggle as you walk back in the room with the presents in your arms, handing one to Clem and laying the rest on the bed.

“Go on Clemmy, give Mama her present from you.” She hands it over and Ellie handles it so carefully as she feels the softness of it under the brown wrapping paper. You had been preparing for Ellie’s birthday for some time now so each time you went on patrol you’d always be on the hunt for presents or other useful items such as the wrapping paper you had somehow managed to sneak past her, she was so oblivious sometimes. Ellie ripped open the paper and gasped as a green dinosaur plushie came into view.

“Oh thank you kiddo! This is the best. What should we name ‘em?” Ellie beams at Clem who had grown slightly flushed at Ellie’s giddiness, she was so like Ellie.

“Mmmm, Rex!” Clem chirped causing Ellie to chuckle.

“Perfect. Welcome to the family Rex.” Ellie goes to smoosh the dinosaurs nose into Clem’s face as a sort of kiss before you stopped her and pointed to your lips as your eyes flicked to Clem’s, suddenly she noticed the sticky splotches of syrup still shining on her chin and laughs.

“I’m gonna go get a cloth so we can clean you both up!” You say pointedly at Ellie that suddenly darts her tongue out of her mouth to taste her matching syrup stains.

“Wait babe I can go, you need to eat yours.”

“Ellie shut up.” You smile lovingly before disappearing out of the room again missing Ellie and Clem both trying to lick all the remnants of their breakfast of the places they could reach. You return and wipe Clem’s face with the damp cloth and then move onto Ellie before she can try and grab the rag and do it herself. “Okay, now you can play.” Ellie rolls her eyes as she smiles before diving the plushie back at Clem and nuzzling it into her face while making obnoxiously loud smooching sound with her lips.

“Ah mama that tickles!” Clem shrieks through giggles before Ellie lets up and points the plushie in your direction.

“Pucker up buttercup!” You raise your eyebrows at Ellie as your face remains deadpan. “Uh whose birthday is it? Mine, sooooo... pucker up.” She grins cheekily as you huff and pucker your lips, your eyes fluttering shut out of habit. When you feel Ellie’s lips on yours your eyes flash open, squeaking ever so slightly at of surprise. “What you thought I’d let Rex here steal my mrs? No way.” Ellie sounds so serious you can’t help but laugh at her absurdity, you swear you never laughed this much with anyone other than Ellie. She places the plushie down between her and Clem, patting him on the head before grabbing another present, this time it was rectangular and solid – a book, she thought. She looks at you for permission and with a nod of your head she rips the wrapping off with even more might than last time. “Holy fuck, babe! Are you kidding me?” She holds the book up in awe as her eyes scan over the title again and again. “Stargazing for dummies” She repeats quietly. “Are you calling me a dummy?”

“Yes but you’re my dummy.” You grin and she is so excited she doesn’t even snip back at your quip. She flips through the book quietly as you watch and her smile only grows with each page she looks at.

“I can’t wait to use this, thank you babe, really.” She cups your cheek and rubs her thumb over the expanse of skin as she looks at you like you hung the stars in the sky that she was itching to look at with you and Clem, she didn’t want to wish the day away but she also couldn’t wait for nightfall. You nudge her with the next present as she seems completely lost in the book and although you loved to watch her, you were on a schedule and you wanted enough time for the big surprise you had planned before the next bigger surprise you had also planned, you had been preparing for Ellie’s birthday for awhile...

She screeches when she reveals the set of watercolours you had found at Mabel’s stand at the market the other week. She only really drew with a pen or a pencil and after she had rambled to you about how she wishes she could add colour to her artwork sometimes, your mind was set, you were on a mission to find something to allow her to do that and Mabel, being Mabel, had the perfect timing. “Clemmy, how do you feel about me painting a picture of your cute little face?”

“Really?!”

“Oh yeah, it would be my honour. My first painting is gonna be of you and Mommy.” She beamed at Clem before muttering to herself. “My girls.” Her eyes met yours and they conveyed the love that was pouring out of her as if she was screaming the words at you, so loud and clear it caused you to tear up slightly. She looked elated and it made your heart sing.

You all sat together as she opened the last few presents, the atmosphere warm and tender as the sun glowed throughout the room. When everything was done, you offered to help Clem get ready but she seemed eager to prove she was big enough to do it herself as she hopped off the bed and sped towards her, formerly your, room as you and Ellie chuckled at her.

“Babe I genuinely don’t know what to say. I don’t deserve you.” She pulls you into her lap as you wrap your arms around her neck and lean in for a longer kiss now that Clem is out of the room. As you pull away you notice the glassy sheen over her eyes, mirroring yours. “I can’t even explain how much I love you.”

“Oh El, I love you more and you deserve the world you dummy.” You smile as you recall her reaction to the book while snuggling into her. “Do you like all your presents?”

“Are you kidding me? I’m the luckiest girl in the world, I can’t thank you enough, this has been perfect.”

“Good but the day is not over yet, we’ve got a lot planned so you need to get ready.”

“What are we doing?”

“If I tell you that it ruins the surprise, just get ready, it’s gonna be hot today by the way.” You wink before climbing off of her to take the dirty dishes downstairs leaving her dumbfounded as she tried to figure out what you had planned. You smirked knowing she never would.

₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

“Maria, I know that lake, infected never get out there because if they go that way they’re spotted by the guards at the towers and taken out. Please it’s for Ellie’s birthday, I just wanna make it special.” You begged and pleaded with Maria as she looked at you like you were a thorn stuck in her thumb.

“I wouldn’t be as opposed if it was just you and Ellie but Clem too? I don’t like the idea.”

“Oh come on Maria, do you really think I’d do something that would put her in danger? I’ve been there so many times over the years and there’s never been any infected ever. I’ll even wake up super early to check out the area and make sure it’s clear before she wakes up if it will make you let us go.” Maria rubbed her temples as she contemplated your idea.

“I will let you go, with Clem, for a few hours, I’ll send a team out to clear it in the morning so don’t get there before ten am alright?”

“Oh my god thank you thank you thank you!” You pull her into a tight hug as she chuckles at your excitement.

“Seriously though, don’t let your guard down and whatever you do, do not put that little girl in danger. If anything seems the slightest bit off, you come back, okay?”

“Of course Maria, I promise we’ll all be fine.”

₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

“Babe why are we at the gates?”

“Family outing!”

“Does Maria know?”

“You think we’d be going if she didn’t?”

“True.” Ellie climbs on Shimmer and then you help Clem up to sit in front of her before mounting Greg. Your heart jumped a little as the gates opened and you began your short journey to the lake where you and Ellie had snuck off to so many times when you were fourteen and again recently. You had mainly seen the lake at night so the image of the crystal-clear water shimmering from the sun was making you antsy to get there.

Ellie surveyed her surroundings desperately trying to guess where you were going until suddenly it popped into her mind. “Are we going to the lake?”

“I don’t know, are we Ellie?” You look over your shoulder and flash a coy smile seeing her face light up.

“Fuck yeah.” You hear her mutter causing you to roll her eyes, lovingly but still disgruntled by her potty mouth that had already worked its way into Clem’s vocabulary. It annoyed you more that you had to stifle a laugh whenever Clem swore than Ellie actually swearing but she didn’t need to know that because she’s never let you live it down.

The lake came into view and Clem screeched at the sight, she loved the pond in Jackson, but the pond didn’t compare to the large lake that shimmered exactly like you had pictured. As you dismounted the horses and tied them up, Clem bounced around unable to contain her excitement. You slid her backpack off her shoulders and emptied the contents, a swimming costume and some arm bands that would serve well while you taught her to swim. You came across them on a patrol as well as the swimming costume in a shop in the mountain resort and it gave you the idea about the lake. You still didn’t understand why they sold that stuff at the mountain resort but it worked in your favour so you didn’t dwell on it. You found a bikini for yourself that you were already wearing under your clothes so you knelt down and grabbed the options you had brought for Ellie to show her. A forest green all in one swim costume, a black bikini that was similar to yours and a pair of black swimming shorts – or trunks as the package had called them.

“I wasn’t sure what you’d want so er I grabbed a few options.” You say holding them out to her as she inspects them. She settles on the black bikini top with the black swimming trunks as you began changing Clem into her costume that was a pink all-in-one with a little frilly skirt running around her waist. She looked as cute as a button and as she span watching the skirt float around her, giggling and clapping, you knew she liked it too.

“I’m never taking it off!”

“We’ll see about that.” You grinned as you began blowing up the arm bands until they were firm then pushing them up her arms until they sat just below her shoulders. You looked up to see Ellie changed and the sight of her toned body had you licking your lips. “Why don’t you take her in? I’ll be there in two secs.” She nods and smiles before leading Clem to the water as you shrugged off your clothes to reveal the red bikini you had picked out. It was simple but it made you feel pretty and from the way Ellie’s jaw dropped as you sauntered over to the edge of the lake, you knew she agreed.

You all spent hours in the lake, teaching Clem to swim, Ellie attempting to do handstands and failing miserably causing her to cough and splutter and moan about water going up her nose though you only scolded her for not learning her lesson over and over again. Eventually she managed to stay up right with her legs bent and flailing for a couple seconds and the proud look on her face when she emerges from the water has you relenting and telling her it looked perfect just to stop her from trying again.

The sun made the water warmer but it was still a welcome reprieve from the sweltering heat on land. It was so easy to get swept up in the joy of the moment you almost missed the sun showing you it was time to head back to Jackson but you didn’t which gave you enough time to rush them out of the water and back into their dry clothes after they both practically shook off like dogs just in time.

The whole way home Ellie moaned and groaned about not wanting to leave but you promised her over and over again that you’d go back soon and that seemed to satisfy her enough that she’d stop being a pain in the ass.

₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

“SURPRISE!” Ellie screamed like she had never screamed before as she walked through the front door and was greeted by her friends and family all standing in the living room. At the exact moment her face contorted and her body jumped away from them a bright flash went off followed by Jesse’s deafening laughter as he nearly collapsed on the ground.

“I could’ve killed you all!” Ellie shrieked as she clutched her chest, you and Clem both in a similar state to Jesse.

“Yeah, yeah, sure you could kiddo.” Joel walked over to her with a cocky grin as he embraced her in a hug that she wasn’t quite recovered enough to return. “Happy birthday, I love ya.”

“Ew old man, don’t be gross.” You pinched her side and she winced before looking at her feet. “I love you too.” She muttered.

“I know. I’m great, don’t blame ya!” He chirped and all of a sudden Jesse started cackling once again as he stared down at a... polaroid. Ellie snatched it from his hand and her moment of absolute terror had been caught at the perfect moment by Jesse. Her mouth was open, mid-shriek, one leg was pulled up to her chest and her arms were crossed over defensively. You peaked over her shoulder and started cackling like a hyena as you snatched the polaroid from her.

“Look Clemmy! Isn’t this a good picture of Mama?” You managed through wheezes, Clem immediately giggled before the polaroid was ripped from your hand by Ellie once again.

“Alright, alright. Can we be nice to me seeing as it’s my birthday maybe?”

“Speaking of, happy birthday.” Jesse chimes in as he hands Ellie the polaroid camera.

“Wait, seriously?”

“Yeah, found it on patrol and figured you could use it seeing as you’re all artsy fartsy. I got you loads of the paper thingys that you put in the camera also, they’re in a bag in the kitchen. It was a sick shop.” He was so nonchalant after giving Ellie something that was going to allow her to make all the memories of Clem growing up and her growing old with you permanent.

“Jesse you fucker this is fucking awesome!” She lunges at him and hugs him like she’s trying to break his back as he pats her back lightly with the hand that wasn’t pressed as firmly to his side than the other.

“Ooh our turn! This is from me Maria and Tommy.” Joel smiled as they all stepped aside revealing something under a white sheet. Ellie inched over to it and ripped the sheet off to see an electric guitar, the amp and everything. She had seen one in the music store with Joel on patrol and picked it up saying how cool it would be to play one of them so when Joel was there a few weeks ago on patrol the idea suddenly popped into his head and he enlisted Tommy’s help to lug everything back to Jackson and fix it up so it was like brand new. He hadn’t been entirely sure it would be possible but when he tested it, it was near-enough perfect.

“Are you fucking kidding me right now? An electric fucking guitar! Babe, I am gonna serenade you so hard tonight.” She almost sings her last sentence as Joel grimaces at you.

“Sorry ‘bout that.” He says sheepishly as you chuckle.

“Don’t be, this is really impressive guys. It’s perfect.” You answered as Ellie was too busy fiddling around with everything, she didn’t even know what to do first so she just started almost glitching as she moved from the guitar, to the amp, to the wall, to the cords all wrapped up neatly on the floor, back to the guitar, then to wall again and so on until Joel took pity on the frantically excited girl and set it up for her.

“While he’s fixing that, Ellie, here’s your present from me. Happy birthday!” Dina beamed as she handed her a box. Ellie opened the lid and her jaw dropped. There were CDs, DVDs, vinyls and most importantly, the savage starlight comic that would finally answer the cliff hanger that has played on her mind since she was fourteen. She had found so many over the years but she had never found the comic that was the second part of the one she had stolen from Bill’s. “Your lovely girlfriend over there helped me a little with the other things, we kinda made the collection over the past few months but I found this the other week and figured you mightttt want to know what happened after that cliffhanger we’ve all heard you moan about for years.”

“Dina, this is insane, thank you so much.” She hugged Dina before turning back to you and enveloping you in her body like you would float away any second. “And you... Thank you, this has been the best birthday ever! You are an angel.” She whispers into your hair as you hold back happy tears that you had been fighting all day, you had been so emotional lately you were honestly considering the possibility that the strap on Ellie found was magic and you were actually pregnant. It was more likely that you were due on your period but still, it was nice to fantasize.

Ellie flipped through the contents of the box until Joel announced the guitar was ready causing her to leap over to him, almost tripping on the white sheet she had left discarded in the middle of the room. She took the guitar in her hands, slipping the strap over her neck and putting an arm through before strumming a chord then made the house vibrate ever so slightly. Clem clamped her hands over her ears as she winced slightly causing you to pick her up and kiss her cheek as she giggled with you. “Whoops, lemme turn that down a little bit.” She says sheepishly before repeating the chord with a look of awe painted all over her features.

You grabbed the polaroid camera and snapped a picture of her standing looking down at the guitar and she frowned at you as you beamed in her direction while shaking the polaroid. Your mum had always done that when she’d take a picture of you on special occasions, so you simply did it out habit and not because you knew if it actually helped or not.

The afternoon rolled round into the evening as you all sat outside round a fire Joel and Tommy had been keeping alight. So many pictures had been taken already but Ellie’s favourite by far was the one of you holding Clem, Clem cuddled into your side as you hold her on your hip, Clem was smiling cheekily at the camera and you were kissing her forehead with a smile that was evident even from the side of your face. You were glowing and she glowed even brighter every time she looked at it. She didn’t need any presents for this to have been the best birthday, it was already the best because this was her first birthday with both of you in her life, loving you was the best present she could’ve ever asked for.

Everyone stayed until there was a chill to the air and the orange and pink hues of the sky had long turned to darkness with hundreds of thousands of stars glittering over their heads. The stars seemed clearer tonight and as she thought about the stargazing book you had gifted her, her excitement only swelled.

Dina and Jesse were the last to go, Joel, Tommy and Maria leaving about an hour before, excusing themselves due to their tiredness. Ellie had scolded Joel for how much of an old man he was, as always, but when he quipped back with ‘watch out, you’ll blink and you’ll be as old as me’ she could’ve been scared at the thought, she would’ve been a year prior but as she looked at you and Clem it only made her excited for all the years you would share together.

Once everyone had left you put a defiant but very sleepy Clem to bed and returned to Ellie in the back garden with two blankets and her stargazing book.

“Oh you read my mind.”

“It’s almost like I know you super well or something.” You giggled as Ellie stomped out the fire and you both laid out the first blanket before laying down and covering yourselves with the second one. You cuddled into Ellie’s side, leaning on her chest as she wrapped an arm around you and thumbed through the book with her free hand to find the section showing her different constellations. You spent at least an hour looking at the stars, occasionally arguing over what constellation was which though you always relented eventually.

“Did you have a good birthday babe?”

“Better than good, it was fucking perfect. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“They all got you such good gifts, they know you so well. Feel like they put me to shame.” You chuckled as you said it but she picked up on the insecurity on your voice in a matter of seconds.

“Babe, the lake, the surprise party, the pancakes in bed, you literally spoiled me rotten and then the presents on top of that, they were perfect, the whole day was perfect and so are you. I love everything you got me, especially because it came from you. This day wouldn’t have been perfect without you, okay?”

“I love you Ellie, happy birthday.”

“I love you more than there are stars in the sky, thank you, for everything.” You kissed her soft, sweetly as you cradled her head, smiling into the kiss. She was right, it was a perfect day.

tags: @emiliabby @readbydayana @radioheadfan699 @lil-elliesgf @isitadinosaur @amberputh @maelovescashew @a-little-bit-of-everybody @moonspowder @bready101

#ellie the last of us #ellie tlou #ellie williams #ellie williams tlou #ellie x reader #ellie x fem reader #tlou ellie #ellie williams smut #ellie smut #ellie williams angst #ellie williams fanfic #ellie williams fluff #ellie williams imagine #ellie williams the last of us #ellie williams x reader #ellie williams x you #ellie x you

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son-of-anubis · 5 months

Note

Begging you to write Coriolanus Snow x Male!reader fics!! There’s not nearly enough!

I am happy to try! Hope you like it!

Beauty in lies?

Coriolanus Snow x Male!Capitol Reader

Content: Jealousy, not really Lucy Gray slander as reader is very aware of how cool she is but clearly doesnt like her, reference to Coryos slow decent into madness, idk what else?

A/N: not proofread sorry! It took a while to do this because my dog has been a bit sick, but I am trying! Thanks all for liking my writing!

---------------------------------------

Lucy Gray was a pain. A beautiful and talented pain. But still, a pain.

I looked at Coryo across the table. The Snow estate, once beautiful, now quite barren. I studied his face, carved to perfection. He was very slim, but most people were, the war had spared noone really.

He must have felt my staring, because suddenly I was met with blue eyes. Coriolanus was still bent over his bowl of watery soup, his eyes peering at me through his whitish blond locks. He quirked a brow, silently asking why I could possibly be observing him with such interest.

"You're tribute is quite, colorful." I hated how insecure I sounded. I wanted it to come off as nonchalant, maybe even like I was looking down on the girl.

Coryo hummed, suspicion falling over his face.

"So?" His voice sounded like honey to my ears, but the sharp edge was impossible to deny.

I almost wanted to back down. Stop my questioning and smooth it all over. But I didn't.

"You seem to be very involved. She is a interesting girl, no?" The heavy emphasis on 'girl' hung in the air. The hope was that he would volonteer information. Coryo rarely did, but maybe, just maybe this time.

"I'm her mentor, she has to perform to Capitol liking." Or maybe not.

I sighed and looked away. Most days being Coryos boyfriend made me feel special and amazing, like a precious gem, or one of his grandma'ams roses.

But every now and then Coryos clear obsessive nature and need to be the best would beat out the affection they felt for each other. I hated those times.

"I better leave." I said, clearing my throat. He was still observing me, but seemed to let my fishing for answers, that I didn't really want, go as I leaned down to quickly kiss his lips.

As I left to my own house the anxiety grew in my stomach. Something was going to go wrong, I was sure of it.

------------------------------

Wow. Just wow.

Looking at the TV from my couch I could easily see Coryo and his tribute, so close they were sharing a breath between the bars.

Lucys face was somewhat obscured by Coriolanuses but it was hard to miss when Lucy leaned into my boyfriend.

I turned the TV off. Fuck them. I knew it. I knew I was going to be cast aside. He never could let go once he latched onto something.

My face felt hot but I refused to cry, it was pathetic.

Slamming the door to my room I sat down at my desk, taking deep breaths. Why would he do this to me? Why?

I looked around my room, Coryo didn't like being at my house, he said it reminded him of a life he didn't have anymore. My eyes stopped at a frame. It was a picture of me, Coryo, Sejanus, Tigris and Clemmie at a festival that was held before the games every year. I tried to think if he ever stopped looking at me the way he was looking at me in the picture. I dont think he did? But who knows.

With a sigh I ripped my clothes off and got ready for bed. Fuck him.

------------

I woke up with a start. It was still dark outside but something was shaking me. Trying to blink the sleep away my focus quickly fell on sky blue eyes.

"Coryo......lanus." I greeted. I was probably being petty, insisting on full name formal, but I didn't really care.

He regarded me for a bit, before lightly nudging my shoulder. With a groan I moved closer to the wall and he easily joined me in bed. He must have already taken his shirt off before he woke me I concluded.

"You really shouldn't trust everything you see on TV, you know." Coryo decided to cut the silence. I hummed.

"What about trusting my own eyes?"

"Well, your eyes was seeing it from the angle the Capitol wanted, did they not?"

"I guess." I agreed, turning away.

The tension was thick and it stayed quiet for a long while before I felt his arms wrap around me.

"We didn't kiss. I'm not saying it wasn't tempting, but you are much more important than Lucy Gray. I just-"

"Get stuck, I know." I let out another tired and frustrated groan. I know, like a bloodhound he was stuck on a trace. Always.

"She-" a kiss to my shoulder, "does-" one to the top of my head, "NOT-" one to the nape of my neck, "matter." and a final on to my cheek.

I finally turned around in his arms, trying to find a lie on his face.

"You promise?" my voice sounded like a whisper, yet still echoed in the small space between us.

"Absolutely. She is going to get me the Plinth Price. Then we are on track to one day rule all of panem, the way we want to. All of it, just for us. Just for you. Okay?"

He could be lying, but the determination on his face comforted me, so I made the choice to believe him.

With a soft kiss to his lips I mumbled a 'okay', relaxing into his embrace and falling back asleep.

#coriolanus snow x reader #tom blyth x reader #male reader #the hunger games #the ballad of songbirds and snakes #coryo x reader #lucy gray baird

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ninadove · 1 month

Note

🎶✨when u get this, list 5 songs u like to listen to, publish. then send this ask to 10 of your favorite followers (positivity is cool)🎶✨

Thank you Bee! 🩵💙🧡 (<- These are now your Nina-brain-assigned colours, because Bloom)

Tumblr shut down on its own as I was writing this… The audacity…

In no particular order:

Remember Them from EPIC: The Cyclops Saga

But really, what I mean by that is the Remember Them + Ruthlessness + Monster triptych. Alternatively, the entirety of EPIC.

The end of this song (starting from 3:06) makes me think of Argos in Emotion. I might try to sketch a rough animatic! 💜🦚

The Reason by Hoobastank

Because of a Clemmy story my best friend and I wrote over a decade ago. 💙💛

Guns and Ships from Hamilton

Because of an inside joke with @dragongutsixofficial! 💖🌊

Still Holding My Hand from Mathilda The Musical

Discovered through @paracosmicat. The official Shadow Strike theme song. 💚💜

The Last Of The Real Ones by Fall Out Boy

Because Feligami. N°1 of my 2023 Spotify Wrapped. 💜🦚❤️🐉

Bonus! 🎶

How about I nominate @dragongutsixofficial, @paracosmicat, @lentachorum, @luckychatons, @graythegreyt, @neumannhartwig, @nebulousboops, @yardikins, @fishagain5846, @jay--hawk and @capricious-lily? No pressure of course! 💖

#ask games #music

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theamazingellie · 4 months

Text

♡ I can tell that we are gonna be friends - Sejanus Plinth ♡

request - “Sejanus overhears coryo talking about him in a classroom to Clemensia and he says Sejanus is not his friend, to which Sejanus hears coryo say this and is absolutely devastated. He has lost his only friend, and so he walks away and goes home and locks himself in his room and sobs for the friend he has lost“

summary - basically that but after Sejanus freaks out about losing a friend the reader tries to be there for him. DON’T WORRY THOUGH ANON!! I don’t think this is a fix-it fic. Honestly I think the reader makes it worse.

warning - Sejanus crying for the majority of this fic, heavy angst, hurt/comfort pairing - Sejanus x GN!reader (platonically?) a/n - wrote this at 1am, went over it 5 times, and i STILL cannot tell if it’s shit. Woe as me.

“He seems upset, Coriolanus. Shouldn’t you follow him? He is your best friend after all.”

“Clemmie,” snow practically seethed, “He is not my best friend or, as it seems everyone in this school assumes, even my friend. More of an acquaintance, if anything.

Well there he had it. An already bad day for Sejanus turned into one of the worst he’s ever experienced.

An outburst in class about the hunger games had led him to storming out of the room, not before he overheard Coriolanus Snows unfortunate reaction to the situation

More of an acquaintance, if anything.

Sejanus hadn’t slowed down while leaving the classroom until a little while later when it finally sank in; the meaning of coryo’s words. Sejanus was lonely in district two, seen as privileged by all his neighbors, and utterly friendless. Nothing changed when he went to the capital until Coriolanus Snow.

He had shown him kindness, not partaking in any bullying, and had charmed him into thinking Sejanus finally had a best friend. However, with the latest comments, it appeared not only was Sejanus just as foolish as everyone thought, he was also rendered totally alone.

Finally, he stopped walking. Feeling totally overwhelmed, the loss of a good friend and the stress of the Hunger Games, it all became too much.

Tears welled in his eyes as he tried, and failed, to turn the thoughts off. He pushed himself to keep walking in order to reach the safety of his bedroom. Unfortunately, the tears didn’t stop. They did quite the opposite.

“He won’t see anyone,” Mrs, Plinth frowned in the doorway.

“I just want to make sure everything’s alright. After class today and…” you trailed off, rather hesitant to recount Sejanus’s outburst to his mother.

Mrs Plinth put her hand over her heart and sighed deeply, “What a sweet thing you are. Come inside, then, I made blueberry pie.”

She opened her door wider and led you to the plinths kitchen where, as promised, a beautifully baked blueberry pie was waiting. While you ate, Mrs. Plinth explained how he hadn’t told her anything about what was wrong before storming up to his room.

“Just muttered something about school and…” she tried to jog her memory, “Oh, and something about that Snow boy! I sure hope they didn’t get in a fight. Sejanus was so happy to finally make a friend.”

Mrs. Plinth frowned as she looked at her pie. You assumed he hadn’t eaten anything since be came home either.

“I’m going to try to bring him some food. Who could say no to pie?” you assured her with a smile.

As it turned out, Sejanus could very well say no to pie. You stood there as his mother knocked on his door and told him she made him food. Even in his state, he still managed to call out a shaky ‘no thank you, ma!’

It was only when Mrs. Plinth mentioned a classmate was here to see him he actually seemed to care.

“Tell Coriolanus I don’t want to see him now.” his voice cracked when he spoke, as if he had been crying for hours.

“Actually, it’s y/n,” you said cautiously, as if approaching a wild dog that could go rabid any moment. “I wanted to check on you… see how you were doing.”

You spoke convincingly and apparently with enough conviction because finally, a lock clicked and Sejanus appeared at his door.

At this point his mother decided to leave and you were glad for it, hoping for more alone time with Sejanus. You weren’t close friends, but you got along well. You especially didn’t understand why no one talked to him. You knew that if you saw him during school hours more, you would make a point to converse.

Still, despite not being close, you were especially worried about the Plinth boy today. You weren’t sure if he had heard what Snow said about him as he left, but from the tired look of his face, and the comment to his ma, you had a sneaking suspicion that he did.

“Hey,” you cooed, softly rubbing his arm in a comforting manor. He leaned into the touch and opened the door slightly more, allowing you to step in. Without another word he went to sit down by his bed as you closed the door behind you.

“Sejanus, you look terrible! You stormed out so quickly this morning. What’s been bothering you?” you sat down next to him and his mouth flicked down into a frown. A tear slid down his cheek and he turned away.

If anything confirmed your idea that he was upset about more than just the Hunger Games, it was that.

“Snow.” you said matter-of-factly, but looked to him for confirmation. He nodded slowly and you continued.

“He doesn’t deserves you, Sejanus. He’s snooty and arrogant and he-“

“He was my only friend,” the Plinth boy pathetically choked back a sob. “It’s easy to ignore things like that when you have no one else who tolerates you.”

More tears ran down his cheek and he drew his knees up to his chin as if to hide his crying.

“I don’t fit in anywhere. I was too capital for the districts and too district for the capital,” his voice was muffled from behind his legs.

“Even if people actually liked me I don’t-“ Sejanus sniffed, seeming more irritated, “I don’t understand why I can’t just live comfortably. My whole life was changed when I moved to the capital. Even now, I finally got used to having a best friend and, well, I’m tired of having things yanked away from me.”

His anger shrank away in seconds and he put his head back down on his knees.

“I have nobody.”

You took a moment to consider this before brushing curls back from out of his hair and letting your palm rest of his cheek. You wiped away a tear that was falling.

“I’m somebody.”

To your dismay, the comment only made him sob harder, this time more pathetic than ever. You pull him into a hug before he can hide his face, and cradle his head as you softly run your nails through his curls.

He burrows his head into the crook of your neck, still crying, but feeling less alone. You gently rub his back as you speak,

“I can’t bring you back to district two, and I can’t make Snow like you,” your start solemnly, “but what I can do is make you feel a little less alone.”

You pull back from the hug and kiss his forehead as he shuts his eyes tightly. You let your thumb caress his cheek before scooting back to let him rest his head on your shoulder.

“Sorry for bothering you with all of this,” Sejanus said glumly.

“You couldn’t bother me if you tried, Sej,” you smile and take his hand. He nuzzles his head further into your neck.

“So…” you say, feeling suddenly awkward and the intimate start to your friendship. “What’s your favorite color?”

feel free to leave requests <3 (PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE)

#the ballad of songbirds and snakes #sejanus plinth #sejanus x reader #sejanus deserved better #serious lil bro is struggling #light angst #hurt/comfort #tbosas #tbosas x reader #sejanus plinth x reader

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phoward89 · 25 days

Text

Based on this ask

Written special for my amazing moot @swiftieblyth

Everything seemed to be looking up for you. The last couple of months have been great. Your old friends, the ones that had backstabbed you, were no longer in your vicinity and you made new friends out of Clemensia Dovecote and Persephone Price, the girlfriend of Festus Creed. Coryo was leery of Persephone tho; even called her a cannibal because her father, Nero, had cut a dead maid's leg off to feed his family during the war.

Yea, that disturbed you a bit, but you didn't hold it against Persephone. She was a kid; most likely didn't know what she was eating. You always swatted your boyfriend's chest when he started his cannibal talk.

And talk about Coryo, oh he was just the best boyfriend to you. Truly, he was amazing. Despite his cold, stoic, callous nature he was very loving, genuine, and thoughtful with you.

Everything was going great, until it wasn't…

It was mid-June, University’s spring semester was over, Coryo graduated with a double major degree in Political Science and Military Strategy, and he was now deep in his work as the youngest assistant gamemaker in the history of Panem. And that happens to be whenever the bullshit drama with your ‘friends’ started up again. It started with little things, really.

Like they'd walk past you when you're at the mall with Clemmie and Persephone- making snide remarks under their breath. Remarks that'd have Clemmie serving them cunt with loud clap backs that made your ‘friends’ recoil with embarrassment. Clemmie and Persephone wanted you to tell Coryo about your old friends stalking you on shopping trips; saying nasty things about you under their breath while passing by, but you told them that it wasn't bad enough for Coryo to know. That they're blowing it up into something bigger then it is. You even made Persephone promise not to tell Festus, for fear that he'd tell Coryo since they're like best friends.

Of course your girls agreed to keep the low key mall drama about your ‘friends’ to themselves. But they did make you promise to tell Coryo about it if it got too bad.

And you didn't intend to keep that promise, until one day you had to.

Things were escalating with your old friends to the point where they were trash talking you on social media- again. This time tho, well, they're dragging your boyfriend into it. Saying that he has to fight your battles, that he fights dirty by fucking up people's lives just cause you can't deal with being called out with shit, that he has to ruin everyone that looks at you the wrong way, etc, etc, etc. You knew that Coryo wasn't big on social media (he had a Pangram account, but he rarely posts or goes on it) and hoped that he wouldn't find out about the ‘friends’ drama 2.0, but unfortunately for you his other friends did have social media.

And of fucking course Festus Creed had told Coryo all about the drama. Even showed him the slew of nasty posts that the salty bitches were posting about you and him. And to say those posts pissed your boyfriend off was an understatement. He was absolutely livid.

So livid that he wants to kill all of these ‘friends’ of yours that’re talking shit. Between trash talking you and dragging the Snow name thru the mud, well, those girls better run far far away from the Capitol and fast.

But now that Coriolanus knows what's wrong he understands why you've been sulking lately. It's been frustrating for him seeing you stay in bed, buried underneath the blankets all day for days on end; not wanting to do anything. But now he understands why.

And he's determined to make you feel better.

“I bought you a new book from that author you like.” Coryo told you, walking into the bedroom you share only to see you in bed, reading a book that he swears you reread about 5-or-6 times already.

“Thank you, Coryo.” You weakly smile, feeling blah even tho you're reading one of your emotional support books.

“Festus showed me the posts that those girls are posting about us, my darling.” Your blonde boyfriend confronted you while walking over to the bed and sitting next to you. Placing a supportive hand on your knee, he asks, “Why didn't you tell me they started their bullshit again?”

Closing your book, you looked down in embarrassment and sighed, “I don't want you thinking that you have to come to my rescue over this. It's my problem with these girls, not yours.”

Placing the new book he got you on the bedside table, he gently cupped your cheeks in his large, calloused hands and tilted your head back slightly so your eyes met his baby blues. “Y/N, baby, it's my job to take care of you and protect you because I'm your boyfriend; I love you.”

Your eyes began to well up with tears. “I don't know why, I'm such a loser. You could do better, find somebody that doesn't need you to defend them all the time.” You sniffled.

Hearing you talk like that because of those ‘friends’ of yours broke his heart. Coriolanus thinks that you're amazing. You're a beautiful person with a beautiful soul who made his dark withered up heart bloom and beat with love again. How could you think he deserves better when all he wants, needs, and loves is you?

Rationally, Coryo knows that it's depression and anxiety due to the situation talking and not really you, but that doesn't mean he truly understands your words. They hurt him because he just wants you to be happy; to be happy with him.

Your platinum blonde boyfriend pressed a soft feather light kiss to your forehead only to wrap his arms around you and pull you down onto the bed to cuddle with him. “You're not a loser, darling. You're perfect for me.” He assures you, kissing the tip of your cute nose. “You know that I'm here for you, baby. You can talk to me or not, but I'm here.”

And Coryo was there for you. He did everything in his power to pull you out of your depression and to help you settle down your anxiety. He ordered your favorite pastries, coffee, and refreshers from the high end coffee shop down the street from your penthouse, only to surprise you with brunch in Grandma’am's rooftop rose garden. It was a very romantic and thoughtful gesture. One that brought a smile to your face.

Coryo also played all of your favorite board games with you in another attempt to cheer you up. The two of you sat on the bedroom floor, rolling dice, dealing fake paper money, and trying to line up little letter blocks to make words while playing game after game over glasses of wine.

Coriolanus never played board games before he got with you because, honestly, his family was too poor to afford them. But when you moved in with him and brought your game collection, well, he'd play them with you once in a while. But now that you're in a funk, well, he's busting out the games more often than not to put a smile on your face.

Even when he comes home dead tired from preparations for the upcoming 14th Hunger Games, he's still finding the time to cheer you up. To support you.

And then when he's too tired to do anything and sees that you're having a hard time with your depression; that you haven't left the bed since he left in the morning, he orders pizza for the two of you and binge watches your favorite movie series with you. He cuddles you in bed, letting you curl up in his side, while watching TV in bed and reminding you how much you mean to him.

Coryo's also devising some plans to permanently get rid of the girls that are so mean to you, but you didn't need to know that. All you needed to know was that he's your loving and devoted boyfriend who will always be by your side no matter what.

And one day when he's President Coriolanus Snow and you're his First Lady Y/N Snow everyone will be too scared to say anything mean and hateful about either one of you. And if they do, well…they won't be breathing too long afterwards once he has a special afternoon tea with them.

Tags: @kuroosbby001 @purriteen @poppyflower-22 @meetmeatyourworst @whipwhoops @bxtchopolis @readingthingsonhere @savagenctzen @ryswritingrecord @erikasurfer @tulips2715 @universal-s1ut @thesmutconnoisseur @squidscottjeans @sudek4l @wearemadeofstardust0 @mashiromochi @gracieroxzy @belcalis9503 @shari-berri @aoi-targaryen @whiteoakoak @spear-bearing-bi-witch @gisellesprettylies @loverandqueenofdragons @qoopeeya @mfnqueen1 @permanentlyexhaustedpigeon88 @v-love @joyfulyouthlover @harvey-malfoy @tian-monique @chxrrybomb22 @marvel-hiddles-stark @xjinnix @devils-blackrose @zombicupcake3 @jacesvelaryons

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littlxpxtal · 2 months

Text

Little Dove | Chapter 1

You sat in the fitting room, picking at your fingers, legs bobbing up and down waiting for Tigris to bring out the dress she hand sewn for the ceremony.

“Ta-da!” she announced pleased with herself as she wheeled the gown out on a mannequin carved to your measurements.

You gasped in awe. It was a deep red with a provocative sweetheart neckline. The length was past the floor, sprawling out. A good excuse to use the new platform heels you bought a few weeks ago.

Immediately undressing, Tigris helped you step into the dress, fitting perfectly to your curves as always. The fabric was a soft crushed velvet, lined with a slippery satin that made it comfortable to move around in.

“You’ve outdone yourself this time, Tigris”

“It was nothing! All I could think about was you on that stage wearing it.”

You blushed and kissed her cheek.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” you exclaimed. “Do you think he will like it?”

“He’s already seen it.” she winked. You stared at her quizzically.

“And?”

“He wanted me to raise the neckline. I told him I would but”

“But you didnt” you laughed

“He just doesn’t get it. He’ll forgive me someday”

You watched yourself in the mirror, heart starting to race at the thought of actually winning this award.

She showed you the different hairstyles and accessories she envisioned with her dress and you let her do her magic, saying yes to almost everything she proposed due to excitement and the inability to actually think straight from the nervousness.

You were against 3 other candidates, 2 from the gamemaker committee and one from the presidents cabinet. You constantly ridiculed your mind with doubts, these other people had far more important jobs and positions in Panem. Plus you were the only female nominee.

“Why are you so quiet all of a sudden?” She asked as she removed the last necklace option.

“Do you really think I can win?”

Her face immediately crossed at your silly inquiry.

“Are you joking? No women in Panem has had the balls to do what you’ve done. You’ve gone out of your way to get these billionaires to donate to your campaign. You went to the districts personally to see the televisions installed. You designed the campaign ads yourself and gave dozens of speeches infronts of hundreds of people to support your initiative. You did all of that ideating and creating by yourself and made it happen. None of those other losers came close to the amount of work you put in this year to make a name for yourself. If you lose this award to one of them I’ll make their wives lives hell.”

You looked down and smiled at her outburst, grabbing her hand over your shoulder and squeezing it.

“I couldn’t do this without you.”

There was a knock at the door

“Miss Y/L/N, your driver is here.” One of Tigris’s assistants announced through the door.

“That’s my cue” you said standing up preparing to have Tigris unzip the dress off of you.

“Tell Coriolanus I said hello.” she said flatly.

It was the day of the awards ceremony and you woke up to an empty bed. Coryo had mentioned he had some duties to attend before the ceremony, but you were not expecting to him to leave so early. You hadn’t been very vocal about your anxiety surrounding the event that night, in fact you rarely spoke about it with him.

It was only spoken about once during dinner with some of Coriolanus’s old peers that he would occasionally have over. Keeping them in good spirits in case he needed their support down the road.

“So did Y/N tell you about her nomination?” Clemensia asked across the table at Coriolanus, sitting at the head of the table.

His eyebrow quirked up.

“Nomination for what?”

“Innovator of the year!” She cheered, tipping her wine glass at you. You politely dabbed your mouth from the spoonful of soup you just swallowed. A blush creeping up your neck to your face you sat as still as possible, not moving your eyes away from Clemmie.

“I nominated her.” Festus chimed in. “The work shes done at the firm has been stupendous” He added.

You finally gained the courage to look over at your boyfriend and his jaw was clenched. The room was silent before he forced a smile.

“That’s lovely, congratulations Y/N” you smiled softly back at him and placed a hand over his. He didnt move, or acknowledge the touch, he kept his forced smile and used his other hand to raise his glass.

“To Y/N”

“TO Y/N” Everyone exclaimed.

It was previously planned before the dinner that you would be staying at Coryo’s that night, but after dinner you wished there had been a car waiting to take you home. The silence in the apartment after the guests left was suffocating. The clinks of glasses and dishes as you and Coryo cleaned up the table were the only sounds to be heard.

You were wiping the counter as he starting to losen his tie and uncuff his links.

“Why didn’t you tell me about this award?” He asked with no emotion.

Without turning to face him you sighed.

“It’s not really that big of a deal, it’s just a nomination. I doubt I’ll even get it.”

He huffed and walked over, standing inches infront of you.

“Tell me about it.” He looked hard at you, furrowing his brows, eyes piercing into yours.

“It’s one of the newer ones they’ve come up with for this years ceremony before the reapings begin. Its a way to celebrate everyone who’s played a part, they’re making them bigger and bigger every year.”

“Yes I know about this ceremony, we’re invited to it and I’ve gone every year since University. I’m asking you about your nomination and how you qualified.”

“I was nominated for Innovator of the year -” he interrupted “By Festus Creed” stating annoyed. He walked over to the fridge to get a glass of water.

“Well yes, I didn’t ask him to, if thats what your thinking.” He let out a dark laugh.

“No thats not what im thinking. Im thinking he did it to get under my skin. He’s always trying to find ways to undermine me, he probably knew I wasnt nominated for anything.” He sat the cup down forcefully.

That’s when you realized this anger was not from you not telling him, perhaps he even knew. He didn’t seem surprised when it was announced at dinner, he seemed annoyed if anything. The attention turning from him hosting his guests to them toasting to you. He was jealous.

“I was nominated for my implementation of the Hunger Games being televised in the homes of every district resident, and my hardwork at campaigning to get people to advertise and put money behind the games.” You simply stated. Turning to finish wiping off the counter and walking to the sink to rinse your hands.

“I don’t think I’m even going to win Coriolanus.” you sighed wiping your hands on a towel. “Im against 3 other strong candidates who have done much more important and serious jobs than this. Plus I’m a woman, there has never been a female winner in any of the categories since the beginning of the games and these ceremonies. In all honesty, I think it was Festus who was trying to get under my skin and humiliate me infront of all of Panem. For me to think I even have a chance to have my name on a screen among those who have a bigger legacy in the history of our country. I just made some flyers and put up some TVs in the districts.” Tears brimmed your eyes at the reality of it all. The shame you felt from getting your hopes up.

You heard his footsteps creep behind you, quickly wiping your tears before he could see how pathetically emotional you were getting over this. He touched the back of your arm and kissed the top of your head.

“You’re going to win.” He stated plainly, then left the room.

An Avox brought breakfast to your bedside as requested. Unable to get most of it down, you slowly sipped the tea as you flicked through the TV, finally settling on a kids cartoon just to have some background noise as you tried to calm your nerves before having to start tonights preparations.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“I can’t believe you made me come here” Tigris whispered, annoyed.

“I’m sorry he wanted us to arrive together and I couldn’t convince him to get ready at my apartment.” you shrugged.

Tigris and her crew of makeup artists got to work, putting heat on your hair and moisturizing your face.

The sun was beginning to set, and you had about a full bottle of champagne down the hatch by the time they were done. Slipping on the gold strappy platform heels you’ve been daydreaming about, you walked over to the full body mirror Coryo had hanging in the guest bedroom.

“WOW” you exclaimed. “I can’t believe you made me this pretty”

Tigris shushed you with her hands and picked up the train of your dress to lay around you, as designed. She handed you the box of the final necklace that was decided upon before whisking her assistants and tools away.

“See you at the ceremony Y/N” she cheered before shutting the door.

Taking the next few minutes of silence to admire yourself in the mirror, you were so absorbed in your own beauty that you didn’t even hear the door open, or his footsteps walking toward you.

Only until you heard his voice did you notice his presence.

“Need some help with that?” He motioned towards the jewlery box set on the stand by the mirror.

You nodded your head excitedly and he opened it, smirking at the large piece of jewlery.

You eyed the exquisite gold necklace, lined with small diamonds around the base.

“Tigris has a taste for the extravagant doesn’t she” you laughed sheepishly, not remembering it being an option she provided during your last visit.

“I actually picked this one out.” he whispered in your ear. He motioned for you to lift your hair, and he placed it gently against your collarbones, fingers tracing lightly around your neck as he clasped it.

You turned to face him, your nerves easing looking into his familiar eyes. “Thank you, I love it.”

He placed a small kiss on your cheek, avoiding the lipgloss that was applied a few moments before the team left.

“The car is here” he said standing back up straight and eyeing himself in the mirror, making sure he was in check for the event. Sweeping a hand over the side of his hair to calm a strayaway that had popped out.

“Coryo I’m nervous” you squeaked out.

He didn’t react, still staring at himself in the mirror to make sure all was put together.

“Don’t be love, you’re going to win.”

His eyes flickered over to you for a second before placing a hand on your waist.

“C’mon now, don’t work yourself up over this. Let’s just have a good time.”

Coryo wasn’t always the best at comforting your ailments, but tonight he was being particularly insensitive. Now no longer nervous, but frustrated you huffed, grabbing your purse and pulling up the train of your own dress to the car. Fiddling with your idle hands again, since he wasnt holding them, burrowing into deep thought of the morbid embarrassment you feel if you didn’t win. How sad it would be for Coriolanus to be seen with someone who was a loser. Your throat tightened, letting out a sob you had been holding the whole car ride.

“Pull over.” he demanded to the driver.

“Dove, what’s wrong?”

“I don’t think I can do this, I can’t bare to humiliate you like this. Can we please go home and forget this. If anyone should be winning anything its you. Im so silly to think-”

“I need you to listen to me right now. You will not humiliate me, you should be proud of yourself for being nominated. Its an honor, one that you have rightfully been nominated for. You wouldn’t be here if there werent people behind those doors who didnt believe that. Please pull yourself together, for me?” He held your hand, fingers tracing the side of your face as you stared into his eyes, searching for more. You wanted him to be proud of you, to be more open. About anything.

“Okay.” you whispered. “I’m ready”

“Go on.” Coryo instructed the driver. He held onto your hand until the car came to a stop again infornt of the parade of photographers outside of the building. He released your hand to step out, waving the cameras away so he could come around to your side of the car. Taking a deep breath, he opened the door and flashes blinding you slightly, making you forget where you were, what you were there for and what you were wearing. Immediately becoming self conscious, you gave a small smile to the cameras before grabbing Coryo’s hand to lift yourself from the car seat.

After regaining your composure, you put on the performance you usually gave to those outside of your close circle, a radiating confidence that had people swooning at the sight. You gave a smirk at the cameras before leaning over to give Coryo a kiss on the cheek. He rolled his eyes, only slight enough for you to see. The camera men cheered, begging for more.

This was what originally attracted Coriolanus to you. Your confidence and way with people. You couldn manipulate people with your smile, sarcasm and humour. People would fight for your attention in conversation, dying for you to hear what they have to say. You were such a people person it made him sick. You were also better at networking than him, which would make his blood boil if you took it too far.

Your flirtatious manners have gotten you into trouble a few times with him. Taking just a little too far for his liking, but he could never stay mad at you, since he knew it was all an act. All a performance. Behind closed doors your were doubtful, over thinking every interaction you had. An intense anxiety over every decision you made. On the outside you were so sure of yourself. But on the inside you were always second guessing and frightened.

That was the difference between you two.

As for Coriolanus, his confidence outside was just an expression of how he felt inside. He was more sure of himself than anyone you had ever met, which is what attracted you to him.

Together you were a force to be reckoned with.

He let you have your time with the cameras, letting them get shots of all angles of your dress and accessories.

“Who designed your outfit this evening Y/N”

“Tigris Snow of course, who else?” You smiled brightly, placing your hands on your hips and winking at the camera man the question had been asked from.

“But this necklace is from my lover, Coriolanus.” You gesture over to the man standing to the side. The cameras began to flash and point at him. They began shouting questions at him, except they weren’t the normal questions he’s usually asked at these events.

Like what new laws hes proposing, or when he will run for president.

No.

Tonight they were all questions about you.

You tried reading his face to see what he was thinking, but just like you, Coryo put on an act for the cameras.

“Do you think Y/N is going to win Innovator of the year?” One shouted.

Unable to read his expression as you guys strode up the stairs, him holding onto your train for you this time, he stops and turns to look over his shoulder

“Hell yes she is.”

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