#snowbaird drabble

[scarlettscribbles]

prologue

PART OF neither the angels in heaven above, nor the demons by the sea DRABBLE SERIES ↠ masterlist

- Lucy Gray Baird & Daughter!OC, mentioned Lucy Gray Baird x Coriolanus Snow

Summary: 1.7k words - The words were on the tip of her tongue before Coriolanus had let it slip that he'd killed three people.

As Lucy Gray became a ghost lost in the wind, so did her secrets.

a/n: i cannot stop thinking about snowbaird !! inspired by my visenya-verse and also bc i love writing about children being loved :)

also, shout out to PlayingTheGameOfThrones' It's Quiet Uptown! i was reading snowbaird fics and i was so happy to find a secret kid fic. literally squealed in excitement bc i was like, that's what's literally in my brain rn

In truth, Lucy Gray was too young to be doing this. Halfway eighteen, with her heart broken by a man — a boy, really — who almost killed her. Ironically, the suspect of her current predicament was the same person. Oh how Lucy Gray hated it that he still haunted her now.

She had Lucy Gray’s tan skin, her baby girl. The wisps of her hair stuck against her forehead were bright blond. Lucy Gray wondered if her hair would darken eventually.

Annabel Rose Baird was a sickly baby. Her heart was weak and every night, Lucy Gray would have trouble sleeping, afraid that she’d wake up with a cradle gone cold. But she was a survivor, her Annie. Much like her mother. (And father.)

But they could not live on that alone. Lucy Gray, barely recovered from birth, wrapped her baby tight on her back with a sling and took their meager belongings in a bag, setting out to find the community up North Billy Taupe had once talked about. Lucy Gray walked for miles and miles, sometimes wishing she hadn’t left behind that lovely orange scarf her lover gave her. It would’ve made for a more comfortable sleep in their journey. She could’ve given it to Annie as her baby blanket, something to remember her childhood by — the one piece of her father she would ever know or keep. But alas, Lucy Gray had left it behind along with the broken pieces of trust she once thought she could rely on.

Lucy Gray found them eventually. Or rather, they found her. It was in the middle of the night and she’d just put Annie to sleep when flashes of light shone through the gaps between the trees. Cradling her whimpering baby close to her chest, Lucy Gray raised a hand in surrender, hoping that she was saying the right words for them to not shoot her.

They took them to their leader and gave them a small cabin. It was cozy and comfortable but it wasn’t home. Not when their leader, with his calculating eyes and access to Capitol broadcasts, look at her and her baby with such intense scrutiny. Lucy Gray’s paranoia increases every time he “accidentally” chances upon her with questions about the Capitol, about the Hunger Games, about Annie. He’s not as subtle as he thinks he is. Lucy Gray endures his questions, answering casually to alleviate the suspicion upon her. Her heart threatens to beat out of her chest every single time. She could only properly breathe again when she’s back within the four walls of their cabin, with Annie safe in her arms, her little puffs of breath warming Lucy Gray from the inside out.

The one saving grace of the place was Dr. Hartree. She was training under some big shot Capitol doctor when she fled, so she knew more than the District healers did despite the meager hospital equipment she had. She diagnosed Annabel Rose with something called moderate Ventricular Septal Defect; a heart disease she had since birth. Dr. Hartree let her listen to the whooshing sound of her Annie’s heartbeat through the stethoscope. Her baby’s got a hole in her heart. Lucy Gray wept.

Dr. Hartree said that the hole might yet repair itself, that she could look for some medicine that could help strengthen Annie’s heart muscles. But if it did not, Annie would need heart surgery which Dr. Hartree was neither qualified for nor equipped to do. In that scenario, going to the Capitol would be Annie’s best hope, said the doctor. The community’s leader approved Dr. Hartree’s request for getting the medicine. In exchange, Lucy Gray had to take on additional work on top of what she’d already been assigned with to earn her keep. Lucy Gray was both thankful and suspicious. She was no fool, a big favor like that didn’t come without heavier strings. But her baby was alive so Lucy Gray kept her head down. (For the moment, at least.)

Annabel Rose grew up a happy child. She was small for her age but her presence filled the room and her heart was so full of love. Whenever she smiled, a deep dimple showed on her cheek and her warm brown eyes would shine like stars in the night sky. Her baby never did grow out of her blond hair, riotous curls tumbling down her head. She looked like an angel; Lucy Gray’s own angel.

She was truly heaven sent. There were no words to describe how much her daughter made her happy, which was something, coming from a songwriter. Oft Lucy Gray wished the Covey had a chance to know her daughter. Annabel Rose fit in alright with the children of the community, but children can be cruel sometimes. Annie’s body was weak and she ran out of breath fast, making her unable to be included in strenuous physical activities. Lucy Gray was not deaf to the whispers of “runt” that surrounded her daughter, whispers that eventually reached Annie’s ears, causing her to come home tearfully, fisting her mother’s skirt and asking what it meant. Once upon a time, Lucy Gray would have been rearing for a fight but everything was different now. She didn’t have her Covey; her and Annie were alone.

Oh, people were nice enough but, like in District 12, they seemed to be able to sense an otherness in her and Annie that made them unable to accept them fully. It didn’t help that the community leader’s demeanor was like that either. The residents liked and respected him better than the strangers they barely knew anything about, so of course they’d follow his example.

Lucy Gray had been missing her Covey so much that she contemplated going back to District 12, back to her family, when she’d heard that an electric fence was put around it, complete with Peacekeepers patrolling the perimeter. They’d never bothered with that area before, but Lucy Gray had an inkling why they suddenly found it important.

So what else could she do but grit her teeth and bear it? Every night Lucy Gray would sing songs to Annie and tell her stories about the Covey, about her family and the colorful nights and laughter they shared. And Annie’s eyes would shine in the low lamplight, humming along to the tunes.

Lucy Gray did not bring her guitar with her during her journey out of District 12, but she was able to obtain a smaller version — a ukulele — from a traveling salesman. His initial offer nearly took all her saved up money to pay for, but she was able to haggle down to a more reasonable price. At 3-years-old, Annabel Rose learned the basic chords from her mother. The first song she learned was to the tune of Lucy Gray's namesake.

It tugged at Lucy Gray’s heartstrings to hear her Annie’s sweet voice in the warmth of their home. She resolved to write a song for her daughter’s fourth birthday as a gift. Lucy Gray had her song, and so did her Capitol boy. It was only apt that Annabel Rose had one too.

It was the night of Annabel Rose's fourth birthday when everything went wrong. Lucy Gray was humming underneath her breath to the tune of a new song, their tiny kitchen fragrant with the smell of a birthday cake she’d stolen half the ingredients for to bake. She lit up a deformed red candle she attempted to mold from whatever melted wax she could find, cupping the flame between her palms briefly to keep it from being blown out. With a satisfied sigh, she wiped her hands on her apron and walked to the bed to shake her daughter awake.

All Lucy Grey felt was the cold skin of her daughter, her breathing shallow and her skin tinged blue. Her heart dropped to her stomach. With shaking hands, she wrapped Annie in a blanket and lifted her into her arms.

On the way to Dr. Hartree’s cabin, Lucy Gray would not realize that she’d been singing the song she’d written for Annie. And she will sing it under her breath while the good doctor examined her daughter, telling her the heart defect had gotten worse. She’d sing it at the back of her mind while Dr. Hartree tells her that surgery wasn’t an option anymore, that the medicine Annie’ll need is only available in the Capitol, that if she wants her baby to live she’ll need to find some way to get her a heart transplant. She’ll sing it and sing it, hoping the girl she’d written it for would awaken long enough to sing it with her.

She would only stop when Dr. Hartree clasped her hands, telling her in a hushed whisper that she’d found a way to get them to the Capitol discreetly. The doctor’s got family among the Peacekeepers in District 12 who was going to go to the Capitol in two days. Some officer fellow that was high-ranking enough to have his own private train cabin, and kind enough to share it with them. Dr. Hartree had given her temporary antibiotics for Annie with an apology that she couldn’t do anything more. When they arrive in the Capitol, Lucy Gray was on her own. Lucy Gray who had no penny to her name, who would probably be shot on sight once the Capitol had caught wind of her existence.

Her mind was racing on the morn she and a barely-lucid Annie snuck out to the gates. They were met with a heavyset man two heads taller than Lucy Gray, driving a military jeep. Time passed quickly and they encountered no hurdles getting to the train station on time. He lent them warm Capitol-style cloaks so they could blend in upon arrival. He’d even made her a cup of tea, noticing the nervousness in her demeanor. Lucy Gray had not been expecting such kindness from a Peacekeeper, no matter how highly Dr. Hartree spoke of him.

It was nighttime when they arrived, snow falling heavily on the ostentatious buildings. It wasn’t only the cold that made Lucy Gray shiver.

Under the cover of the night, Lucy Gray held her Annabel Rose and rapped on the door of the one she’d hoped would help them. If blood was not an enough reason, she could always appeal to their conscience.

The door swung open.

“Tigris, I need your help.”

[kpchrs]

Coriolanus doesn't get poetry at all.

Poetry -- ballads -- is Lucy Gray's way of life. It's the way she observes the humans, the nature, and the world. Lucy Gray loves life and children and people and she shows her love in the form of poetry. To live is to love humankind, she thinks.

Coriolanus doesn't get it. Coriolanus doesn't get it at all. Coriolanus doesn't get poetry. Coriolanus doesn't get humans; the souls. He kills the last speck of soul he has that day and he lives the life of the dead ever since.

Until he sees the poetry in the form of Katniss Everdeen.

Katniss is a poetry. She is Coriolanus' body and Lucy Gray's soul. She is a threat -- and he loves it.

For the first time in decades, he feels alive again.

Again and again, he challenges her in the way he knows how to defeat himself, because she is him. But she is also her and so the Mockingjay wins in the end.

It fills him with joy. With delight. With love. With life. With poetry.

He tells her the truth that final day. He always tells her the truth. He always tells her the truth until the end. Because he didn't tell her the truth when it ended. So, Coriolanus observes gleefully. To see what he, she, they choose. And she chooses the right thing.

"Well done, Miss Everdeen!" He explodes in laughter. "Well done!"

He laughs and laughs and laughs more after, because...

"Well done, Lucy Gray, well done!"

Coriolanus loves.

"I love it, live it --

Your poetry."

[risingoftime]

CORIOLANUS SNOW MASTERLIST ⋆⁺₊❅⋆ ⁺

ONE SHOTS

➛ one night only | c.s x reader

➛ coriolanus snow is your mentor | c.s x reader

➛ home sweet home | mafia!c.s x reader

DRABBLE

➛ coriolanus has his way with you

➛ coriolanus & you celebrate your anniversary

➛ coriolanus tells you he loves you before leaving district 12

SERIES

➛ against all odds | c.s x plinth!reader

➛ the heart of carnage | snowbaird

reblogs & interactions are always appreciated ₊˚⊹

[slipnoose]

𝗕𝗜𝗥𝗗 𝗜𝗡 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗕𝗨𝗟𝗟𝗦𝗘𝗬𝗘.

THE BALLAD. | SNOWBAIRD CENTRIC. | DRABBLE | CUTFACE.

Walking flesh, the body of a woman and the mind of a temptress. Lucy Gray had subdued him with her siren songs for that short while, but had failed to recall a man's role in history. Always overcoming. Always conquering.

[temporarily-your-saint]

Post games AU where Lucy goes to the Capitol with Coriolanus and he wakes up one night to her screaming.

There was so much screaming. Before Coriolanus could even realize what he was doing, he got up from his bed, feet instantly hitting the floor as he ran down the hall.

What was happening? Why was she screaming? What was wrong?

He couldn’t run fast enough to her room. As he threw open the door, he saw no one but the young woman. She was sitting up in the middle of her bed, clearly in distress as she heaved.

But from what?

“I’m sorry, it’s nothing. Just…nightmares,” she said, almost embarrassed. Her chest rose up and down. Her brunette curls plastered to forehead from sweat.

Nightmares? What kind of nightmares makes someone scream like that? He thought.

As if she read his mind, she turned to him and spoke. “It’s like no matter how far I run, they catch up to me,” she whispered. “But the worst ones are when I’m the one…the one—” a tear rolled down her cheek as she looked away.

Coriolanus walked up to the bed and rested a hand on hers. “Lucy?” her name fell from his lips so delicately. He hated seeing her like this—his Lucy so upset. She didn’t deserve this.

“People died because of me. Kids, Coryo. And I just keep seeing them.” Her eyes locked onto her own hands as if there was something that covered them. “I shouldn’t have been the one to make it.” Her bottom lip trembled as her voice shook from the whisper.

“Lucy Gray…” Coriolanus spoke softly and placed his hand on her cheek, wiping the remanence of a tear.

She was having nightmares of the games. Of course. How dense could I be? Is this what happened to all victors after the games? This was the trade-off for surviving. For winning. My poor Lucy Gray.

“I’ll be okay. I promise.” Lucy’s hand reached up to cover the one he placed on her cheek. “Don’t worry about me, sweetheart.” A smile sat on her lips though it didn’t reach her rich brown eyes as usual.

He couldn’t believe it. Even now, even when she was absolutely terrified, no…distraught, she was smiling. Lucy was having night terrors and here she was trying to soothe his worry for her.

Unbelievable.

His deep blue eyes found hers. It could almost break his heart the way her puffy, bloodshot eyes looked up at him. “You never have to worry about being chased. Nor will you ever have to hurt anyone. Ever. I will always protect you, Lucy Gray.”

He leaned in and kissed her forehead. As he pulled back from the kiss, he placed his forehead against hers and whispered, “You’re mine and I’m yours, remember?”

—

The SnowBaird brainrot is in full-swing after watching the movie twice and reading the book within just a few days of each other. Because of that, I of course rewatched the Hunger Games. The scene where Peeta barges into Katniss’s room because she’s having night terrors gave me the idea for this little blurb. I then couldn’t help but wonder what Coriolanus would have thought about the effects of the games on the victors, especially if he was witnessing Lucy Gray experience full PTSD from it. ANYWAYS, hope you enjoyed this small little drabble that wouldn’t leave my brain ~

[snowbaird-events]

Put together by myself ( @burntblueberrywaffles ) and members of the Snowbaird and Bread discord server, (special thanks to @megala-theia-praxidike @mitsuki91 and @crazyexshiper hehehe) we offer you:

The Snowbaird Valentine Event 2024!

Here are the prompts:

1 - Valentine

2 - Roses

3 - Birds

4 - Love at first sight

5 - Snakes

6 - Rainbow

7 - Stars

Just create a work inspired by one of these prompts, and post it between February 14 and 29 - We are open to all medium: edits, fanarts, playlists, fanfics, drabbles, moodboards, etc!

RULES:

When you post your entry, tag it with #Snowbairdvalentine2024 and tag us @snowbaird-events to get your work reblogged! 🥰 (if your work is posted outside of tumblr, you can make a post linking it)

for fanfic and other works posted on ao3, you can post to the collection!

Snowbaird must be the focus of the work. While works including other pairings are allowed, Snowbaird must be the main one

NSFW is allowed, but must be tagged appropriately/put under a "read more" if posted directly on tumblr

There’s no participation limit, so if several prompts catch your eye, feel free to make as many works as you want!

although late entries are accepted, try to post your work before the 29th ❤️

And most importantly: have fun! I cannot wait to see what people will create hehehe

For any questions, feel free to send an ask to this blog or send a DM to blog administrator @burntblueberrywaffles

Furthermore, if anyone is interested in joining our discord server, feel free to send a DM to me or @zorosnavigator for an invite!

[lucygxybaird]

12 days of Christmas teaser - day 12

snowbaird & bonneybaird drabble - December 25th

It’s Christmas Day in Paris, and the entire city has come to the opera to hear the ingenue Lucy Gray Baird sing. She is singing the female lead in Tristan und Isolde, the classic opera about two lovers town apart by fate; each time she sings, she has tears in her eyes, and the crowd is always just as moved by the time she hits the final note. Although she is charming and talented, no one can explain her sudden rise to prominence — until her childhood sweetheart, William H. Bonney, proposes marriage. She has no choice, then, but to tell William about her charming, silvery-blonde Angel of Music. Though few know it, his name is Coriolanus Snow, and what he knows for certain is that he will never let Lucy Gray go.

[vivid-ink]

Coriolucy / SnowBaird

Any of my lovely followers Hunger Games: TBOSAS fans? Any Coriolanus Snow x Lucy Gray shippers among ya? 😍 You're in luck... Lightning struck my muse last night & I have a drabble in the works. 😉

[justonemorewallflower]

WHO/WHAT I WRITE FOR

* stranger things: nancy wheeler, robin buckley, ronance, max mayfield, mike wheeler, madwheeler, will byers, byler

* wednesday: wednesday addams, tyler galpin, wyler

* harry potter: hermione granger, draco malfoy, dramione, siruis black, remus lupin, wolfstar

* the owl house: amity, luz, lumtiy, hunter, willow, huntlow

* anne with an e: anne shirley cuthbert, gilbert blythe, shirbert

* hunger games: lucy gray baird, coriolanus snow, snowbaird

* marvel: miles morales, gwen stacy, gwiles (spiderverse only)

* battlestar galactica: kara "starbuck" thrace, lee "apollo" adama, starpollo, sam t. anders, anastasia "dee" dualla

* if you have any questions about any of my fandoms or ships, feel free to ask! i may be forgetting some or if you're just wanting to know about any ships or fandoms i haven't listed!

THINGS I WRITE

- fandoms: wednesday, stranger things, harry potter, anne with an e, hunger games, the owl house, battlestar galactica

- fandoms i'm in but don't write a lot (or write nothing) for: star wars, marvel, maze runner, how to train your dragon, disney, she-ra, gravity falls, star versus the forces of evil, carnival row, spiderverse, lord of the rings, the hobbit, chronicles of narnia, miss peregrine's home for peculiar children, ever after high, teen wolf, merlin, and heartstopper

- ships: my main four are wyler, ronance, starpollo, and dramione. but my entire list consists of those, reylo, madwheeler, byler, wolfstar, snowbaird, lumity, huntlow, starco, gwiles, and shirbert

- drabbles, blurbs, one shots, fanfics and fanfic concepts

- fluff, angst, and whump or any combination of those, etc.

not writing but i also enjoy making moodboards/aesthetics and gifsets (though i am still learning gifs)

i also enjoy compiling/making playlists!!

THINGS I WON'T WRITE

- reader inserts, just not something i'm super comfortable with

- along with reader inserts is any ocs × canon characters. i prefer to write canon characters × canon characters as it's easier for me and just my preference

- toxic/bad ships, for example: snape and hermione. and i will absolutely not write ships for characters that are related to each other or have a major age difference!!! or any weird ones like dobby × harry.

- certain tws! anything that relates to r*pe, incest, pedophilia, eating disorders, sewerslide, etc. other tws i have written before and are okay for me to write, like self-harm, suicidal thoughts, heavy angst/whump, blood/violence, etc. if you're unsure you can always ask me, or i'll let you know if i'd prefer not to write a certain topic

- crack ships, it's just not my thing as i don't really write anything that's meant to be super/only comical

- certain characters: this goes along with the toxic ships, etc. but there are certain characters i will refuse to write. an example is billy hargrove or peter petigrew. the reasons of why i won't may vary but it shall be respected regardless

- smut, i especially do not rp smut period as even for personal writing i rarely write smut and only for veryyy few ships

•••

if you have any questions about any of this feel free to comment them, pm me, or send em in asks!

[burntblueberrywaffles]

OK so the actual annoucement post wont show up in the tag (I think it's because I made the sideblog today) so just gonna copy and paste it here on the main blog asfjfsgfkf (you can head to @snowbaird-events for the actual post)

The Snowbaird Valentine Event 2024!

Here are the prompts:

1 - Valentine

2 - Roses

3 - Birds

4 - Love at first sight

5 - Snakes

6 - Rainbow

7 - Stars

Just create a work inspired by one of these prompts, and post it between February 14 and 29 - We are open to all medium: edits, fanarts, playlists, fanfics, drabbles, moodboards, etc!

RULES:

When you post your entry, tag it with #Snowbairdvalentine2024 and tag us @snowbaird-events to get your work reblogged! 🥰 (if your work is posted outside of tumblr, you can make a post linking it)

for fanfic and other works posted on ao3, you can post to the collection!

Snowbaird must be the focus of the work. While works including other pairings are allowed, Snowbaird must be the main one

NSFW is allowed, but must be tagged appropriately/put under a "read more" if posted directly on tumblr

There’s no participation limit, so if several prompts catch your eye, feel free to make as many works as you want!

although late entries are accepted, try to post your work before the 29th ❤️

And most importantly: have fun! I cannot wait to see what people will create hehehe

For any questions, feel free to send an ask to @snowbaird-events or DM me here!

Furthermore, if anyone is interested in joining our discord server, feel free to send a DM to me or @zorosnavigator for an invite!

[scarlettscribbles]

a little help from your family (1/2)

PART OF neither the angels in heaven above, nor the demons by the sea DRABBLE SERIES ↠ masterlist

- Lucy Gray Baird & Daughter!OC, endgame Lucy Gray Baird x Coriolanus Snow

Summary: 1.4k words - Tigris meets her niece.

a/n: adding a tags-list for all those that want to be updated when i update this drabble series! just comment below or send me an ask

tags-list: @cdragons

Coryo came back from District 12 triumphant but different. Tigris had expected him to come back with the Victor girl — with his Victor girl — but he only came back with an emptiness in his eyes, molding him into a man that was supposed to be long dead.

It sowed the seeds of fear in her, fear that she tried so hard to smother because that was her boy. That was her Coryo. The little cousin who clung to her so tightly during the nights when hunger pains would send them crying, the boy who’d sought out her comfort time and time again, who’d come to her first with every achievement. She’d once told him that he could be good, something she’d wholeheartedly believed at the time, but now… Now it’s less of a belief and more of a desperate hope.

Their penthouse grew brighter and more opulent. Their fridge was always stocked, sometimes obscenely so. Grandma’am glowed with happiness and Tigris tried her best to mimic the same. Oh for certain there were good times, still. The day Coryo surprised her with a sewing machine and a chest full of rich fabrics and materials, he’d been so giddy and proud, looking to her for approval. Tigris had given it to him, wrapping her arms around him and kissing his cheek. They had passed the time talking— well, it was mostly Tigris talking, ranting about the new designs she was going to be able to try out, flitting about the room and showing Coryo her sketches for him.

The moment had been cut short when an alarm rang, reminding Coryo of a meeting with Dr. Volumnia Gaul.

Moments like that were few and far in between. As Coryo grew more powerful, the distance between grew, the space in his life that provided him guidance occupied by someone else. Someone who had been able to help him more than Tigris could, despite her best efforts. Being displaced was such a sore feeling. Tigris hated Dr. Volumnia Gaul for pouring poison in Coryo’s ears, but she knew that Coryo had made a choice too.

Tigris drowned herself with work, using her creations as some sort of escape. She became proficient and famous enough to no longer work under Fabricia, likely thanks in part of Coryo’s influence who had been insistent that he only wore out clothes of her making. Tigris found a temporary joy in it, that was, until Coryo informed her that he found a spot for her as a designer in the upcoming 11th Hunger Games.

It made her sick. All the new "improvements" to the Games made her sick. The Capitol loved it, of course. As if the glitz and glamor can cover up the mountain of dead bodies and the smell of blood.

Her only consolation had been Mrs. Plinth, who she’d grown close to. She was sympathetic to the tributes, though highly cautious of expressing it. More so since her son had died, Tigris thought.

Her first tribute was a kind girl from District 4 who later went on to win, to Tigris’ guilty relief. On their first meeting, Mags Flanagan asked her about Lucy Gray Baird. Tigris nearly cried at that moment, feeling grateful that someone else besides her still remembered the songs and colors of the girl who changed her life.

Coryo’s constant brushing off of her questions regarding Lucy Gray had made Tigris fretful of the fate of the young woman, thinking that he might have done something to her. There must have been something that happened to turn the smitten boy with lovesick eyes into a hateful, unyielding man whenever Lucy Gray was mentioned.

“It was a lapse of judgment, Tigris. We realized we had diverging paths. I wanted to go back here in the Capitol and she—“ He turned away from her, but not before she got a glimpse of the strange look on his face. “She wanted to sing in the woods forever.”

It was not long after that that Tigris decided to move out of their penthouse and into the apartment above her own shop. She had felt guilty for doing so, leaving her Grandma’am in the primary care of Mrs. Plinth, but she made sure to visit often. Tigris hadn’t been sure if it was a good choice, but now…

“Is that you, Lucy Gray? Lucy Gray Baird?” Tigris asked before realizing the urgency of the situation. She didn’t wait for an answer, already ushering them in.

Lucy Gray smiled tiredly as Tigris led them into the waiting of her store. She immediately sat down, sighing as she shifted the bundle in her arms. Flaxen locks peeked from underneath the coat.

“Are— are you alright?” Lucy Gray looked no less beautiful than she had five years ago, last she’d seen her on the screen. She looked more mature now, though, sad and worried.

“Tigris I apologize for coming so suddenly. I know we don’t really know each other apart from whatever Coriolanus has said but I really, really don’t know where to go to.” she said in a rush, barely breathing between each word. “My daughter, my Annie, she’s sick and the doctor said she needed a heart transplant or else—“ Lucy Gray sobbed, a lone, heartbreaking sound. Tears streamed down her face.

“Lucy Gray breathe,” Tigris coaxed, hurriedly retrieving a piece of cloth from the scraps she had by her sewing machine. “I need you to breathe okay? I’m going to do my best to help you, but first I need you to breathe.”

Lucy Gray accepted the cloth, wiping her tears and composing herself. “I’m sorry again—“

“No need to apologize,” Tigris replied kindly, sitting across her visitors.

“I suppose introductions are in order,” Lucy Gray sniffed, sliding the hood of the coat of the bundle in her arms, kissing the child’s forehead before shifting them slightly so their face could be seen in the dim lighting. “This is my Annabel Rose Baird. She’s asleep now but she would love to meet you again when she’s awake.”

Tigris couldn’t hold back a gasp. “Oh, Coryo. What have you done?” Her mind ran wild with the possible reasons why Lucy Gray raised her daughter alone. "She looks a great deal like you."

"A great deal like him too," Lucy Gray responded. “Me and him, we weren’t planning on having Annie, it just kind of happened.

“See, we were supposed to go north to escape, to run away. He’d killed the mayor’s daughter, Mayfair, and another fella shot her boyfriend, Billy Taupe. The Peacekeepers were wantin’ to hunt down the culprits and the guns used. I was a major suspect since Mayfair hated me and Billy Taupe was my ex. I said I needed to go, he said he’d come with.

“While we were on the way, he told me he killed three people but I’d only known two of them. And he wouldn’t tell me the truth. I— I think it might have been Sejanus. Plinth. The other boy who’d been in the Peacekeepers with him? They played a recording when he was executed and he kept calling out for Coriolanus and his Ma when they hung him.” Lucy Gray shivered. “The mockingjays kept echoing his cries. It’s still in my nightmares even now.”

A small part of Tigris had suspected it, but to hear Lucy Gray’s confirmation was chilling. She felt so undeserving of the generosity of the Plinth’s.

“I wanted to tell him about Annie, I really did. For a moment, I entertained this fantasy of having a complete family, of my daughter never wanting for a missing presence in her life but, well, at that point I didn’t trust Coriolanus with anything. So I ran. Next I’d heard was him shoutin’ in the forest about me tryin’ to kill him. He started firing when he heard the mockingjays repeat my song.”

Tigris felt a bit sick at the onslaught of information. There was the difference between speculation and fact. “I’m sorry, Lucy Gray. I’m sorry that you had to do this alone.”

Lucy Gray looked at her daughter — Tigris’ niece, dear god — with so much love that it made her heart hurt. “It was fine. I wouldn’t have traded her for anything,” she said. “This isn’t the farthest I would go just to see her be alright.”

A tear slipped down Tigris’ cheek. “Tell me, Lucy Gray,” she said with as much sincerity as she could. “What do we have to do?”

[nocteacakes]

Your latest Snowbaird drabble is so good 😭 Will it be continued? What is Lucy Gray even dying from?

Thank you so much! I do want to continue the idea because I love political forced/arranged marriages where the two people hate each other but obviously fall in love lol. In this AU Coriolanus was blackmailed into marrying Lucy Gray (by his detractors and enemies in the Capitol) and Lucy Gray was strong-armed into marrying Coryo as well (by the resistance who dangles the Covey in front of her). Neither of them want to be in this situation but they must publicly put on a united front.

I have a whole backstory to it I just don't know when I'll get around to really writing it out. I have an academia omegaverse AU that's 25% written, and a Siren Lucy Gray AU that I want to post for Snowbaird Film Fest!

Also Lucy Gray got shot =/ She was on her way to her rendezvous with her resistance contact but she was distracted because of an earlier fight with Coryo and wasn't paying attention to her surroundings as much as she should have. (I have all this backstory and nowhere to go with it LOL)

[scarlettscribbles]

somewhere over the rainbow

PART OF neither the angels in heaven above, nor the demons by the sea DRABBLE SERIES ↠ masterlist

- Lucy Gray Baird & Daughter!OC, endgame Lucy Gray Baird x Coriolanus Snow

Summary: 2.6k words - Coriolanus attends Tigris' first fashion collection.

a/n: idk why this is so long, coriolanus thinks a lotta thoughts

tags-list: @cdragons

There was something different about Tigris. Recently, her eyes have regained their twinkle and she pranced around with a determination about her and, dare he say, a glint of defiance. The last he’d seen her looking so dynamic was when he came home from District 12, looking harried but alive, holding in his hand the first among the many checks yet to come from the Plinth Prize.

Coriolanus was not oblivious to the distance that grew between him and Tigris. He had been busy trying to keep up with being apprentice gamemaker and a budding politician. The steps necessary to get from one to another were delicate and had needed all his attention. Coriolanus had thought refurnishing the penthouse and all the benefits his family indirectly reaped from his efforts would be enough to make up for his absence, but Tigris didn’t seem to think so. He’d only been made known of her decision to live on her own one cold morning when he found Tigris in the kitchen, nursing a cup of tea. She’d been nervous at first but she grew more confident and sure as she explained how it would be more convenient for her and how Ma Plinth would ensure that Grandma’am would be taken care of.

Coriolanus hadn’t been surprised. There’d been something flighty in Tigris eyes, something that had wanted to run ever since she’d made note of his similarity to his late father, ever since he stopped being Coryo to her.

He thought her a bit ungrateful. Why is it that the people he deemed worth keeping have a propensity for shying away from power? Why was he suddenly deemed undesirable just when he has the ability to provide and to protect them? Coriolanus wondered if that was the nature of his moving up in the world, to never be able to have everything and always having to trade what he always had for something greater.

Coriolanus refused to recognize the pervading feeling in his chest as loneliness. If Tigris no longer found her cousin charming because he was not helpless anymore, that was her decision. No matter how many diverging paths she chooses, Coriolanus will make sure that she would never be able to fully get out of his sight. Who knew what she would do when unsupervised? Get into trouble, that was what, if her behavior when given the distinct honor to be a stylist for the Games was any indication.

Coriolanus knew that she was more sympathetic to the tributes than most people. He had thought that giving her the job would curb those tendencies. Tigris had only ever seen the Games through the screen. If she had personal experience with the tributes, maybe she would realize that caring for the lives of the already dead was a futile gesture. There was no moral high ground to be found in it.

Looking back, perhaps it was the nail in the coffin for their once close relationship. Tigris’ first tribute won, but the rest had not been so lucky. There was a tendril of guilt in the sea of satisfaction he felt, seeing the haunted look in her eyes. Do you see it how I see it now? Caring won’t make a difference.

A few months before the 15th Hunger Games was set to begin, Coriolanus had been surprised when he saw Tigris at the breakfast table, conversing with Mrs.— rather, Ma Plinth while Grandma’am quietly ate. He stopped at the doorway, blinking away the sleepiness from staying up too late helping Dr. Gaul with the preparations. Upon seeing him, Ma jumped up excitedly and beckoned him inside the dining room, taking a short trip to the kitchen to fetch him a plate and a cup.

“Come sit, Coriolanus! Tigris has exciting news to share!”

He sat on the chair, picking up the envelope that Tigris slid across the table. The envelope was a sophisticated black color with holographic trimmings that shifted in the light, held close by a pressed flower wax seal. Coriolanus felt Tigris’ eyes on him, cataloging his reaction as he opened the invite to see the words “Tigris Snow’s Spectrum Collection” printed on the card inside.

Tigris’ work never suffered even when her spirits were down; but he felt as if this sudden burst of creativity came out of nowhere.

“I thought it was time for me to put out my first fashion collection,” she said. “I’ve been making custom orders and, of course, styling for the tributes but I’ve just been so inspired lately and, what better timing than doing it just before the Games? I would be too busy by then.” Tigris shook her head. “You’d come, won’t you? All of you. I would appreciate the support in case nobody else accepts the invite.”

“Oh don’t be silly, Tigris, dear. They would be a fool not to come.” Grandma’am interjected. “Only the mentally deficit would reject the invitation of the future president’s cousin.” Coriolanus held back a sigh. He loved the old woman but her fixation on his future presidency grew tiring sometimes.

“Fools indeed, Tigris,” Ma said with a kinder tone. “You’ve got real talent, the kind that changes the world. I can just see it.”

Tigris sent her a grateful smile. “You’re too kind.” She wasn’t wrong about Tigris’ talent even though Coriolanus highly disbelieved the extent to which the Plinth matriarch thought it would reach. These moments show just how district the woman was, no matter how hard she tried to hide it.

“And you’re too modest! Be sure to save me a spot. My husband is unfortunately unavailable at that date but I’ll bring my checkbook with me.”

“Checkbook? What for?” It was the first time he’d spoken since waking, his voice scratchy and hoarse. He took a sip of tea to clear his throat.

“I’m holding an auction for the pieces after.” Tigris said. Coriolanus’ brows furrowed in puzzlement. Typically, designers in the Capitol would showcase their collections then maybe do a magazine spread before waiting for orders to come to maximize returns. It was generally a slow process.

“I’m not lacking for money, Coriolanus,” she added, exasperation in her tone. “I just want to create a buzz. You know how the Capitol is, the value lies in how much it takes just to get it. For my collections to have a certain reputation, it has to be held to a high standard since the beginning. If you miss it, you’ll lose it forever. That’s what I want them to know.”

Coriolanus only hummed in response. What she said made sense, but there was a niggling feeling in the back of his mind that told him that that’s not all there was to it.

Hm, Coriolanus thought, tracing the calligraphy of the date on the card. If he finished the preliminary preparations by the end of the week, he just might be able to swing by. Perhaps it would be worth to find out what inspired his cousin.

Coriolanus began regretting his decision to go the moment he entered Tigris’ shop, which was bursting with a full crowd of Capitol citizens. The venue was ill-suited for the number of attendees. He seriously considered stepping out when a senator and his wife spotted him and called him out, attracting the attention of everybody else. He’d hoped to stay only for a short while, just enough to congratulate Tigris, and then go back to his work. His curiosity, unfortunately, would be left unfulfilled due to the mistake of one of the gamemakers under Dr. Gaul that the entire department was working hard to fix, including him. The Idiot, — because Coriolanus cannot be bothered to remember his name — went into the laboratory completely hungover, knocking over the delicate formulas of a hallucinogenic gas they were supposed to be already testing out two nights before.

He really did not have the patience to deal with people today.

With a practiced smile, he turned to greet Senator Carlisle and his simpering, overly-flirtatious wife. Coriolanus fought a recoil when she kissed his cheek, ruby red lips lingering just a bit too long. People really had no shame nowadays! She was, what, in her 60s now and married for more half of that if Coriolanus remembered correctly. She should be watching her back, not squeezing herself into stiff corsets that pulled her chest nearly to her neck.

Coriolanus was contemplating the merits of murder when he heard his name called out by a familiar voice. He sighed in relief when Tigris pulled him into a perfunctory hug, kissing his cheek and looping her arm around his.

“Thank you for coming, Coriolanus,” she smiled. “Will you excuse us Senator, Mrs. Carlisle? I have to escort my cousin to his seat.”

“I wasn’t expecting you to come,” Tigris said under her breath as she led him forward. “I heard through the grapevine that the gamemakers have been having some trouble with this year’s Games.”

Through the grapevine. If that was what you called the gossip about Dr. Gaul's very loud and very destructive outburst, sure.

“We’re making do,” he answered succinctly, finding his tongue tied about the exasperating details that he would have once shared with her. “We’ll be able to deliver on time, don’t worry.”

She muttered something under her breath that sounded an awful lot like “I wasn’t worried” but they’d already arrived at the seats. Only Ma Plinth was there, kissing his cheeks in greeting as she explained that Grandma’am had felt sickly today, thus the reason for her absence.

“Are you both comfortable? Anything I can get you?” Tigris asked in a rush. Coriolanus observed the telltale fiddling of her gloves that betrayed her nervousness.

“Nothing at all, my dear. I’m alright to just wait for the show.” Ma replied with a comforting smile.

Tigris turned to him. “Same goes with me.”

“Okay. Alright,” she took a deep breath. “The show is starting in a few minutes, I’ll be backstage for the most part, but I’ll be back during the intermission before the auction.”

Tigris turned to walk away before Coriolanus stopped her. He initially wanted to inform her that he was not going to be able to stay long, but sentiment got the best of him. This had been her lifelong dream, put on the back burner when she chose to not attend University in favor of working to support their family, to support him.

“Tigris,” he called out. “Congratulations.”

Surprise flickered in her eyes. “Thank you, Coriolanus.”

The show went relatively well until the last part.

Coriolanus had been sitting back, using the opportunity to relax on the soft seat as he absentmindedly took note of the models walking down the runway. He had always been vaguely aware of the fashion trends, most of his knowledge absorbed by virtue of being around Tigris. The Capitol, recently recovered from the war, had a propensity for fine fabrics in rich colors, trying to chase away the smoke and silence of the Dark Days.

Tigris’ collection was decidedly more out-of the box, extravagant and loud, divided into bright, monochrome outfits following the color spectrum. The crowd ate it up, polite claps graduating to cheers and the occasional wolf whistle. The behavior was a bit uncouth, but he had supposed it was a good indication of just how much money was going to be shelled out later.

He’d been admittedly zoning out, trying to curb the headache that formed just from thinking of the work he needed to go back to when he caught sight of the last model.

Coriolanus’ limbs locked as he saw the rainbow dress. The skirt was layered in full layers of tulle, significantly shorter in front, forming a window, but longer in the back, giving it a slight trail. The blouse was made of sheer fabric with bishop sleeves, the v-neck meeting the dip of an intricately molded breastplate placed on top of it.

That was not his girl. That was not Lucy Gray nor her dress, the model’s hair pin straight and a shade lighter, the dress too new. It was not, but it was close enough that it made his palms clammy, the crowd’s cheer a dull roar in his ears.

Ma Plinth was saying something, but Coriolanus could only blankly agree to whatever it was, everything else drowned out by anger and the persistent urge to run.

So he did.

He slammed the door behind him, taking in a deep breath of the crisp air outside of Tigris’ shop.

He didn’t know how much time passed, and just why he didn’t immediately go back to his office, when the door opened more gently than he shut it. Tigris leaned on the glass beside him, irritatingly silent.

“You should pull out that collection.”

Tigris did a double-take. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me.”

“I wish I didn’t,” she hissed. “The answer is no, Coriolanus.”

“Dear Tigris, right now I am asking quite nicely, aren’t I?” Coriolanus replied acidly. “I doubt you’d like me to resort to other methods. You know, I could eliminate your career before it even takes off. I could make it so that nobody would step into your little shop and all the clothes on that stage right now would gather dust.”

“You’d make them forget, then? What, just like how you made everybody forget about Lucy Gray Baird?” In his youth, Coriolanus rarely incurred Tigris’ wrath. In fact, Tigris was rarely mad at all, even when her ex-employer Fabricia would clearly take advantage of her time and skills. Right now, she had all but forgotten that restraint, face flushed and eyes flashing at him. “You think that I don’t know? Flickerman has said nothing about her or the 10th Hunger Games ever since then, and during his late night show where he made mention of a particular “songbird”, his feed was cut immediately, coming back after a few minutes due to “technical error.” She’s always skipped over during the re-runs of the Victors every year, and even the library archives don’t have the tapes, and they have everything dating back from the 1st.

“You know what, Coriolanus? You want to try to erase her existence in your life, fine. But you don’t have a monopoly on her memory. Other people are allowed to miss her, to remember her, or to be inspired by her.”

Coriolanus sputtered, not even trying to deny her accusations of tampering with the records. He could have said it was Dr. Gaul who had done it, which was the truth, but he didn’t counteract his mentor’s decisions either. “You think I did it because I want— because I miss her?” he asked incredulously.

“Don’t you?” she asked. “I think that you miss her so much that you hate it. You hate that something so simple as color and clothes reminds you of her. I think that because you couldn’t cage her, you’d make it so that you’ll be the only one who remembers her. And god forbid anybody else does.”

“Lucy Gray is nothing to me!” Coriolanus growled, jaw clenched to prevent himself from shouting. He could feel the tension forming at his temples. Tigris didn’t know him at all. “She was an insignificant girl from an insignificant district, who would have died without me. She’s nothing more than a mistake I learned the hard way, a ghost that’s better left alone.”

“A ghost,” Tigris echoed. “Is that why she haunts you now? Coriolanus, what did you do to her?”

The snake bite on his arm that had long since scarred over throbbed. “You know what, I don’t care. Keep making your dresses however you desire. Hell, honor them all after someone you didn’t really know.” He straightened his coat and stepped away from Tigris. “But I will make sure that you never escape the Games, Tigris. Every year, you’ll work with a tribute and you can dress them in whatever latest act of defiance you made. And every year, they will die and die and die. Then you’ll learn that all this is for nothing.”

[scarlettscribbles]

the 26th hunger games

PART OF neither the angels in heaven above, nor the demons by the sea DRABBLE SERIES ↠ masterlist

- Lucy Gray Baird & Daughter!OC, endgame Lucy Gray Baird x Coriolanus Snow

Summary: 1.5k words - Annie gets reaped as District 12's female tribute.

a/n: those who read annie's original name...no you didn't. i just realized that Covey names include a color as their second name lol

"And for our final tribute from District 12…" Flickerman squinted at his card, confusion overtaking his features. "Annabel Rose Baird."

Annie's blood froze in her veins. The sounds of gasps and general unease of her classmates were drowned by the high-pitched noise of panic in her ears. Her full name was something she’d not heard often, only spoken by her mother when she’s feeling particularly irate with her, and by Annie herself in the mirror every morning, trying to remind herself that she was still her mother’s daughter, despite having to hide the fact from virtually everyone she knew.

Her Ma, oh god. Annie hoped she and Tigris were together watching so they might find some semblance of comfort in each other. After all the hardships she faced just to keep her alive, only to see her daughter put on the chopping block for the same twisted games that still gave her nightmares, it was too much for one to bear.

Flickerman looked around fretfully, nervously tapping his ear piece. "It seems the feed won't come from District 12, folks but from our own…academy."

The big screen was suddenly filled with Annie's pale face. Compared to the other transmissions, this one was more grainy, likely coming from a security camera. It would be a huge giveaway otherwise.

On it, the balm she applied on her lips earlier looked almost blood red on the canvas of her skin. The words "Annabel Rose Baird" were shining in bright letters. She could feel her heart rate pick up. Her right hand twitched, wanting to follow the soothing motion she typically does over her chest, but her limbs were locked.

"Well, that was certainly a surprise. But the Capitol has confirmed that the Academy's district scholars are not discounted from the reaping. This is certainly a step up from last year’s Quarter Quell. It seems our gamemakers are very hard at work to keep us on our toes!" Flickerman laughed awkwardly.

Lies, thought Annie. She and her Ma read that contract top to bottom, ensuring nothing in it would endanger her. Besides, Tigris was the one who offered the opportunity to her and she would never have agreed to be her scholarship sponsor if this was included in the conditions.

Annie tuned out the Flickerman’s parting words. The silence after the broadcast had ended only served to highlight the drumbeat of her heart. She only snapped to attention when two Peacekeepers seemed to have come out of nowhere, guns at hand and ready to escort her.

Cassius was the first to block them, then followed the rest of her friends and the other district scholars. Annie felt more grounded as she watched her classmates form a wall around her. She surveyed their faces. Annie didn’t know most of them but she had observed over the years how the district scholars became friends with the Capitol students, softening their perception and treatment of people coming from the districts compared to the generations before them. Did the Capitol expect this, she wondered, when they first accepted twenty-four district scholars in the hallowed halls of their Academy?

She looked up to the stands where President Snow stood. He had a glazed look to his eyes, as if seeing a ghost. Did he know, then? Was he starting to figure out?

A thrum of nervousness went through Annie, that part of her that always sought out his approval rearing up. What would he think of her now, the girl who he’d promised to take under his wing after graduating at the Academy? Was he looking back at their every interaction over the years, looking for the signs that led to this moment?

“Stand down.” The Peacekeepers cocked their guns, making her classmates flinch. Despite the bravado, they were just children, and some of them never had any reason their whole life to fear the Capitol’s military arm.

Cassius had the gall to step in front of one of the Peacekeepers, the muzzle pressing to his chest. Annie wanted to scream at the brave, stupid boy. Wasn’t it only last year that this same boy was antagonizing her, calling her a Snow bastard child and Capitol-wannabe? He wasn’t wrong on the former, but he had been thinking about the wrong person as her parent.

“Back off!” Cassius shouted. “Annabel Rose is not going to be a tribute!”

Shouts of agreement rose up in the crowd. “The reaping policy is bullshit, they never said that when they sent out the acceptance letters for district scholars!”

From the stands, Crane stood up, looking annoyed at the proceedings. “And you district bastards wouldn’t have had any opportunities if the Capitol hadn’t picked up you up,” he said. “You would be starving still, and illiterate, dying in the slums you call home. Stop being so ungrateful. The least you could do is provide entertainment.”

The sound of a fist smashing against his cheek echoed in the auditorium. After the first punch was thrown, it was utter pandemonium. Annie ducked, narrowly missing getting a black eye. She had to get out of here fast. If the chaos went on for long enough maybe she could slip through the gates and run to Tigris’ house. If she knew her mother, she would be packing their things already. They would just need a mode of transportation so they could get out of this—

Annie startled when someone grabbed her arm, almost kicking the person until she realized it was President Snow. Damn, she hadn’t even made it to the door.

“I—" I need to go, please let me go, was what she wanted to say. Annie knew he was not indifferent to her. By virtue of being a talented student who was also close to Tigris, he treated her more warmly and gave her more privileges compared to any other student from the Academy, Capitol or not. Annie might not be the Dean’s golden student but, in her opinion, President Snow’s attention was far more worth than any praise from Dr. Gaul.

Annie didn’t know how far his regard went, if he appreciated her for her use or for her as a person. It was difficult to read him no matter how hard she tried.

President Snow seemed like he wanted to say something when the Peacekeepers began firing. They both jumped. Annie wanted to break away from him to run but he was quick to pull her behind him.

“What in Panem’s name do they think they’re doing?” he muttered angrily. Annie peeked around his side and, to her relief, nobody seemed to be gravely injured. The Peacekeepers had fired into the air as some sort of warning. There was no damage besides the holes on the ceiling of the auditorium.

A bark of laughter broke through the ensuing silence. Dr. Volumnia Gaul clapped slowly. Annie couldn’t tell if her piercing stare was directed at her or the president.

“Well that was some spectacle!” she said. “You’ve all provided such a good performance, but alas, the matter has been decided.” Well, that answered the question of who was responsible for the sudden change. But the question was why? Annie never antagonized Dr. Gaul nor given her any reason to suspect her identity. Why now?

“It hasn’t been.” President Snow’s clear voice answered. “Decided, that is. How come, Dean Gaul, that it is only now that I hear of this change? It certainly wasn’t detailed in the proposal you sent to me.”

Neither of them seemed concerned about the well-being of the Academy students, engrossed in what looked like a power play that stemmed from an ongoing argument. Meanwhile, Annie’s classmates were congregating together, assisting the injured ones onto chairs. The few brave ones skirted past the Peacekeepers to retrieve first-aid kits from the clinic.

“After the success of last year’s Quarter Quell, I thought I would create another twist of my own making, seeing how much our audiences loved it. And isn’t that our purpose, President Snow? To entertain?” Dean Gaul smiled toothily, teeth stark white against her blood-red lips. “Besides, Mr. Crane had the right idea of it— somewhat. What would the people think of us, President Snow, if we started treating fodder as our equals?”

The crowd stood divided. It was a strange sight. Stranger yet, perhaps, that the president was on theirs (hers?).

“Or perhaps your outlook has changed since Sejanus Plinth?” President Snow stiffened. Dean Gaul caught his reaction, looking like the cat that got the cream.

“Sejanus was my friend,” he answered. “It is partly in his honor that our Academy’s district scholars are given the opportunity here in the Capitol, under my express approval, to be given the privilege of knowledge and a good future. To share what the common Capitol citizen has.”

“I will not be criticizing your…initiative, esteemed president,” she said in a tone that definitely meant she was criticizing heavily. “In fact, I’ll give her that. A privilege to be the first from the District 12 tributes to enjoy the mentorship program like how it was intended to be.”

No—

Two Peacekeepers came in, marching forward a woman who was, for all intents and purposes, forgotten by the Capitol.

“Ma!”

[scarlettscribbles]

semper ad meliora

PART OF neither the angels in heaven above, nor the demons by the sea DRABBLE SERIES ↠ masterlist

- Lucy Gray Baird & Daughter!OC, endgame Lucy Gray Baird x Coriolanus Snow

Summary: 2.2k words - Twenty-four District children come to the Capitol, and not for the Hunger Games.

tags-list: @cdragons

Ravinstill has lost his mind.

Coriolanus slammed open the door to his room, roughly unbuttoning his coat and throwing it to the side. A scholarship program for District children? They already had the Hunger Games to quell rebellion, Coriolanus had argued. What purpose is a scholarship program but be the antithesis of their perfectly functioning system?

Coriolanus kicked his dresser, remembering the way Ravinstill had looked down on him despite his short stature. It uncomfortably reminded him of Highbottom, the drunk, dead bastard.

“You’re a bright young man, Coriolanus Snow. One day, you will do great things.” The President of Panem had said. “But now, you need to understand that making them live in perpetual fear of losing their children is not enough to quell rebellion. Those wretched ideals live on no matter how many are reaped, and the best way to change it is to indoctrinate their youth from the beginning. Don’t you see how brilliant it would be, Coriolanus? How devastating it would be to see their own children become a part of what they are fighting against?”

By the end of the meeting, Ravinstill had a manic edge to his tone, something broken in his psyche that had begun since the day he lost his son and heir. Coriolanus thought that Ravinstill’s idea held some merit— some, not a lot. He too was curious how studying in the Capitol would affect the outlook of the children, and how it would affect the Districts in consequence. But Coriolanus also knew that by executing this new program, the Capitol would be opening themselves up for vulnerability as well.

In every way, shape, and form, the Districts were inferior, unwashed and uncouth, but they were also starving. They developed a cunning borne from sheer hunger and survival instinct. Giving them opportunity to be in the Capitol is like unleashing vermin and expecting them not to infest the city and its people.

Coriolanus was the only sane person in that council. Strabo had been in the doghouse for coming home drunk on his late son's birthday. Though why Mrs. Plinth insisted on celebrating it, he didn’t know. All Coriolanus cared was that she was upset enough that Strabo thought that getting back into her good graces was to support this endeavor. Did he mean to sponsor some poor kid from District 2 to give to his wife as an apology for not being able to protect his son?

You killed him.

Even Dr. Gaul had agreed to make room for the scholars in the Academy. Coriolanus had been counting on her to disagree. Her decision against the proposal would have stopped the entire program entirely since her position as Dean gave her considerable influence on all matters of education. Her gleeful positive vote told him that he overestimated her head for logic and thoroughly underestimated her penchant for cruelty. He could practically already hear the convoluted experiments developing in her brain.

In the end, the program was unanimously approved, with Coriolanus having been forced to vote yes lest the favor of President Ravinstill that he worked hard for vanish in an instant.

The Capitol would finalize the specifics of the scholarship program in a month, and then put out the announcement a week after. Ravinstill had tasked him with the “very important” task of overseeing the mechanics of the scholarship and vetting the sponsorship applications.

Oh joy, Coriolanus thought. At least he had the authority to put in some safeguards in place. Time would only tell if the District scholars would truly benefit the Capitol, but experience had taught him that the gap between both worlds were too distinct. Never again would Coriolanus be blindsided.

Twenty-four District children were coming to the Capitol. Twenty-four children of all ages, two from each District, each one sponsored by a Capitol citizen.

Coriolanus had not been surprised to see Tigris’ name on the list. For a moment he’d thought of denying her application, but his cousin would likely take it as some sort of indication that he was still affected by the memory of her. Ever since that day years ago when they fought outside of Tigris’ shop, she had taken it upon herself to make clever quips alluding to the past Coriolanus had already shed off himself.

Coriolanus did not care for her insipid actions. He didn't care so much that he passed off the responsibility of checking who she had chosen to sponsor to some overeager lackey. Whoever it was, they would inevitably fail. And so would his cousin.

As he walked through the familiar halls of the Academy, Coriolanus strove to clear his mind of Tigris and focus on the matter at hand. He eyed the decorations critically and politely greeted the guests making their way to the auditorium, occasionally checking the rooms to ensure that there were no stragglers.

While he deeply disapproved of the program, his perfectionism demanded that the event today must be no less than perfect.

They’d chosen the commencement ceremony to take place in the Academy instead of the Presidential Palace. It was supposed to mean something significant about education, but Coriolanus knew that Ravinstill meant it as an intentional slight. Just as the scholars’ uniform were blue in contrast to the usual red was purposefully chosen for their meaning during the Ancient Roman times. Just as the motto of the scholarship was "semper ad meliora", alluding to the children's origin.

It was rather petty and over the top, Coriolanus thought absentmindedly. Any indication of the District children’s otherness would already be present in their behavior.

Coriolanus stopped in his tracks as he heard sounds coming from the Music Room. He sighed. He had no patience for disobedient students. There was a reason why he remained a Gamemaker instead of taking the offered professorship from Dr. Gaul.

He strode into the room none too quietly, the offending student making a discordant note on the piano in shock, halting their slow play of the beginning of the “Horn of Panem.”

They were wearing blue uniform, Coriolanus observed. Already making trouble on the first day, I see.

“You’re not supposed to be here.” He said.

The girl turned to him, mouth opening and closing soundlessly. She barely looked District, cheeks full and with a healthy glow about her. Her hair was bright blonde and healthy, a color and state rarely seen outside of the Capitol. Coriolanus guessed that she might have been from one of the more wealthy Districts, perhaps 1 or 2.

“I’m sorry, sir.” He stiffened at her accent. “I got lost and found this thing. It looked too pretty to just be on display.” Her voice was soft and timid, but her excitement was not lost to him.

She began fidgeting when he failed to reply immediately. Coriolanus cleared his throat and stepped closer, looking over the shiny grand piano. It had been delivered just recently, commissioned and donated by a wealthy patron of the school. It was fully transparent and made of crystal, sectioned off in the center of the room by velvet rope barriers.

It was not meant to be played, merely to be looked at, but of course this girl would violate that. Coriolanus tried to quell the amusement he felt at her little act of rebellion, reminding himself he wanted nothing to do with that word.

The amusement came nonetheless. Just this once, he let it go. She was just a little District girl.

Coriolanus looked at her again. She was too small for the piano, feet dangling and unable to reach the pedals, but she was playing rather well for someone who most likely never had access to such an instrument before.

“You sound better than most students I’ve heard play it.” She smiled, pleased but trying to hide it, unsure about the praise coming from a stranger. Coriolanus himself was unsure why he wasn’t berating her.

He was simply saying the truth, though. Coriolanus had been required multiple times to suffer the performances of the children of his influential peers during dinners and they had not sounded half as good as this District child in front of him. The Capitol had better breeding, for certain, but it sadly did not ensure brilliance. “What’s your name?”

“A–Annabel Rose from District 12, sir.” Coriolanus had figured her origin, but hearing the confirmation still felt so damning. “And thank you. I’ve only even played guitar but the keys ain’t too hard to figure out."

"What about the song?" he asked. "I can't imagine you ever learned Horn of Panem back home."

She blinked, as if confused by his question. "They asked us to memorize it on the train, sir." Ah. Coriolanus had forgotten about that. Another of Ravinstill's requests. "I figured I could memorize it better like this."

"You can play just from hearing?"

"Yes, sir. A bit."

Since she was from District 12, there was a chance that she was Covey, just going from her musical aptitude. Coriolanus could not match her appearance with anybody from the group, apart from Maude Ivory but the connection was flimsy at best and Maude Ivory was too young.

Strangely, the thought of Annabel Rose being Covey did not bother him as he expected it would. He’d been vindictive when he heard that the Mayor banned their main livelihood, feeling satisfied that there would be no songs anymore. But, he supposed, genius will still thrive no matter the circumstances that tried to suffocate it.

(He thought of Highbottom, of his high and mighty peers, of sleeping hungry and waking with the feeling twice as worse.)

“Well, Annabel Rose from District 12, that’s a remarkable talent for someone so young. My name is Coriolanus Snow from the Capitol.” he replied, offering his hand to shake. Annabel reached over to reciprocate it, her small hands dwarfed by his. “May I sit?”

The girl nodded and scooted over, making space for him. She needn’t have done so. She barely took up space as it is. “’M not that young. I’m seven.” She replied with indignance.

Coriolanus held back an outward expression of his shock. He’d expected her to be younger, just based on her stature. But he supposed the poor state of being in District 12 must have manifested somewhere, if not in her outward appearance then her stunted growth.

“I suppose it doesn’t matter,” he said, neither agreeing nor disagreeing with her response. “Your skill speaks for itself, anyway. Genius does not follow any schedule, it manifests whenever.” Or wherever, he supposed. Even in a land as barren as District 12, one can find hidden gems.

“Genius? That's too— too—“ she cut herself off, fingers twisting at the hem of her blue jacket.

“Too much? Well, I call it as I see it, Ms. Annabel Rose.” He ran his fingers over the ivory keys. Coriolanus Snow never learned how to play any instrument. At first, it was because they couldn’t afford the lessons. And then after, it was because he couldn’t stand the sound. “And I never lie.”

Small fingers played a few lonely notes. Coriolanus couldn’t tell if it was still from Horn of Panem or if it was from another song. “Really?” she looked up at him, brown eyes seeking his own.

“What did I just say?” he raised a brow, getting a giggle in reply. He watched as Annabel Rose’s shoulders lost their tension, an indication that her wariness towards him was abating. “Now, do you think you can teach me how to play?”

Annabel Rose gave him a puzzled look. “But Mr. Snow, I don’t really know how to play.”

“Then you better learn. In the meantime, would you like me to escort you to the auditorium? The ceremony is about to start and we don’t want you to be late on your first day.”

Annabel Rose hesitated, head bowed down at the keys. "I don't wanna. I'm scared."

Coriolanus was about to ask why, but he thought better of it. It was Tigris' voice that echoed at the back of his head, from a far off time, about a different girl.

"It's going to be fine, Annabel."

"They're going to be mean." He didn't even attempt to refute that. Everyone in the Capitol were certain to look down on the new scholars, perhaps treat them as exotic pets at best. In any other circumstance, Coriolanus would be there along with them but to mistreat talent like hers was simply wasteful.

"They are mean. But you're going to prove them that you're better and that you deserve to be here. I believe that and you should too. You know why?" If she does crash and burn, there's no other witness to his promises other than him and this girl. But at the moment, he felt it safe to invest in her.

She looked up at him. "Because you never lie?"

"Because I never lie." Coriolanus stood up and offered her his arm. After a second of reluctance, she held onto him as he led them out of the music room.

(Coriolanus would regret his promises later. And not after his and Tigris' eyes met across the room, with his recent acquaintance returning his cousin's relieved embrace. The regret came moments before, when the girl let go of his arm to run to her, only for Coriolanus to immediately miss her presence by his side.

Coriolanus would call it anger about his conniving cousin. But why did anger feel like an aching absence?)

[scarlettscribbles]

drabble series masterlist

- Lucy Gray Baird & Daughter!OC, endgame Lucy Gray Baird x Coriolanus Snow

Series Tags: underage pregnancy, mother-daughter relationship, aunt-niece relationship, Lucy Gray Baird & Tigris Snow friendship, angst, fluff, child sickness, happy ending (i promise)

Series Summary: In every universe, Coriolanus Snow's reckoning comes in the form of a District 12 girl.

Annabel Rose Baird may not wield a bow and arrow, but she has her mother's charms and her father's cunning.

Note: The drabbles in this series will be posted non-linearly, please keep that in mind when reading, thank you!

0 prologue

1 a little help from your family part 1

2 somewhere over the rainbow

3 a little help from your family part 2

4

5

6

7 semper ad meliora

8 best wishes to the happy couple

9

10 the 26th hunger games: the reaping

11 the 26th hunger games: the interviews

[...]