#Capitol Butte

[nocternalrandomness]

Winter storm clouds over Sedona, Arizona

[thorsenmark]

A 5-Star Day in Coconino National Forest! by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: While waking the Cockscomb Trail in Coconino National Forest with a view looking to the east-southeast through a break in some nearby evergreens to the more distant peaks of Capitol Butte. My thinking in composing this image was to have a more leveled-on view and use the trees as a portal like view of the peaks beyond.

[etfrin]

❝ꜱᴏᴜʟꜱ ᴛᴏ ᴄʀᴜꜱʜ❞ — chapter three | coriolanus snow

「ᴡᴀʀɴɪɴɢ:」 NSFW | minor character death, Coriolanus Snow is his own warning

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

「ꜱᴜᴍᴍᴀʀʏ:」 Coryo finds out the consequences of his actions and finds one of his friends dead

「ᴀ/ɴ:」 third chapter is here!! Do remember to give feedback, thank you!!

beta read:: @nowitsmissing <33

series masterlist | navigation | previous chapter

According to Coryo, Dean Highbottom deserves to be punched. Coriolanus truly wishes he could punch that man's face and break his teeth in the process.

As soon as he entered the classroom, with you in tow. Highbottom doesn't waste a second to praise your insight into welcoming the tributes at the zoo and how you acted in front of the cameras. Creating the very spectacle they had been aiming for. Snow was fuming because he was sure it was because of his songbird, not his soulmate that the views had gotten up.

But, he doesn't think Mr. High As A Kite cares. Coriolanus almost thought he wouldn't even get any attention, neither positive nor negative. He was willing to accept that outcome considering the fact he perhaps broke several rules being inside the cage along with the tributes.

He was wrong.

‘Three demerits and you will be expelled.’

And he officially has his first demerit, on his perfect darn record. He opens his mouth to speak against it-

“Snow falls down on the cage.

It falls down on the cage

But it landed…” Dr. Gauls’ voice echoes around the classroom as she walks down the stairs to Coriolanus level.

“On stage,” he replied, his face nonchalant but his hands fisted on his lap, hidden from view. He had an urge to kick at the table, his mind reeling over what if Dean Highbottom removed him from the games. Would that mean he will be disqualified from the Plinth Prize?

He can't have that. He can't.

Before his mind spirals into a panic attack, dr. Gaul steals his attention with her words.

“You're good at Games,” she said, “Perhaps one day you'll be a game maker like me.” Coriolanus Snow couldn't possibly think of a future in which he's a gamemaker, he never thought of it as a real career. Nothing of his interests nor challenging enough for him. Of course, he doesn't say his thoughts out loud.

He doesn't reply at all, he doesn't have to because Dr. Gaul asks him a question. What are the Hunger Games for? There's no true answer to that. Something so cruel, something so horrible. There's no way to justify that with the truth. Lies perhaps, lies he was taught in the textbooks.

“They’re to punish the districts for their uprising,” he said, only to be replied with “Dull, dull, dull,” by Dr. Gaul.

“Why the games?” She asked again. And Coriolanus had no answer. Because there were plenty of ways to punish the districts. Starvation. Bombing. Public execution.

Why the games?

Coriolanus Snow had no answer and Sejanus Plinth took over instead. As usual, he spewed about the wrongness of the games. The words that will go one ear in and another ear out. Dean Highbottom butts in the discussion as well, talking about how the game had run its course.

Coriolanus can't have that, he can't even fathom the thought of the games gone and in return losing his chance of winning. Coriolanus stands up, gaining the attention of his peers and authoritative figures alike with a daring but simple sentence.

“Dean Highbottom is wrong. My classmates too,” he said, his voice filled with the confidence he didn't feel.

His fingers twitch, feeling the urge to touch the burned soulmate mark on his wrist as a way to calm his soul down. He did no such thing, burying the urge deep in his mind as he began to explain his reasoning.

“People need someone to root for and to root against. . .” He continues, “And if we bend a few Capitol laws, we can even get people to place bets.”

He swallowed, trying to ignore the fact that his palms had begun to sweat as he waited for a reply. After a bit, dr. Volumnia Gaul grinned. Her smile made his bones chill.

“Very well, Coriolanus Snow,” she said, her tone calm yet underneath laid excitement. “I’d like you to write a proposal of these thoughts, Mr. Snow.”

Before Coriolanus could agree to the opportunity, you jump in. You stand up, beside Coryo. Your soft voice rang in his ear and he subconsciously closed his eyes to savor your voice no matter what it said. For a moment he didn't even seem to hear what you were saying, he quickly opened his eyes, looking down on the wooden floor instead. His pale cheeks burning, praying that no one saw that.

He finally hears what you say.

“Let's not limit the Games to the Capitol. Let's unite the whole of Panem with it,” you said, your voice filled with conviction. “I am sure Dr. Gaul if you give me the chance to write a proposal too, you won't be less than impressed.”

“Very well, miss,” she said, cordially, “I will be looking forward to seeing what the star mentors have to say.”

“Do not disappoint,” Dr. Volumnia Gaul grins before taking herself out of the classroom.

✧ ▬▭▬ ▬▭▬ ✦✧✦ ▬▭▬ ▬▭▬ ✧

After a quick lunch (not, he decided to sneak food for Lucy Gray) and a plan to meet up with you in the library at night. He sets out in the Zoo with Sejanus Plinth on his toe. The rich boy carrying a whole bag of food, something Coriolanus could only dream of. While Coriolanus had some sloppy sandwich and cold cookies wrapped in a napkin.

Shamed filled his veins about the fact that in his current abilities, he could bring stolen food for his tribute. He takes solace in the fact Sejanus’ tribute refused the bacon sandwich offered to him. A satisfaction in his mind to see Sejanus being rejected by his tribute while Lucy Gray was cooperative as before.

She takes the food, giving some of it to the district twelve boy. Coriolanus frowned as he saw her share the food he bought her. He leaned into the cage to whisper, “Are you going to share everything I give you?”

Lucy Gray replied, not skipping a beat, “You think I ought to build up my strength so I can strangle him in the arena?”

Coriolanus wishes to snap at her and say yes but he knew he had to show kindness to the songbird for her to do his bidding. He takes a deep breath to calm himself down, as Lucy Gray's eyes divert to his classmate, Arachne, his classmate who was busy amusing herself with her district ten tribute.

“Hunger is a weapon in the districts,” Lucy Gray comments, “Seems like your friend here knows it.”

Coryo barely suppressed a snort as he replied, “She's not a friend. She's poison with perfect teeth.” He smiles along with Lucy Gray. He leans down to Lucy Gray's level, his fingers gripping the bars between them. He whispered, “I may have the chance to help you. Make suggestions. I might even get the chance to send you gifts in the arena. Food and water.”

Lucy Gray replied, her voice hardening with the fact that she knew there was a catch, “What's the catch?”

“You might need to sing.”

“I don't sing when I am told. I sing when I have something to say.”

Coriolanus furrows his eyebrows as he hears her response. She would rather die in the arena than create a spectacle of herself. Stupid in his opinion, to value the integrity of art over their life. He opens his mouth to convince her otherwise but then an incident happens that leaves him shaken to his core.

The district ten girl, the tribute Arachne was playing with snatched the water bottle from his peer, smashes it against the cage… and in a blink of an eye, Arachne had her throat slit.

Horror fills Coriolanus as he rushes to her side. His hands over her wound, putting pressure to stop the flow of never-ending crimson blood. He sees her eyes losing life, he almost didn't hear the gunshots killing the tribute who caused this. He cried out for help, only to be ignored. He was grabbed by the shoulder by a peacekeeper. He was dragged away, as Arachne Crane bled out in front of him.

She was dead.

The people from the district were truly animals is his last thought, as he blinks away the tears and shock and goes to his home.

✧ ▬▭▬ ▬▭▬ ✦✧✦ ▬▭▬ ▬▭▬ ✧

In the comfort of his ruined home, he had taken a shower and had dinner with his family. He listens to the warnings his grandma’am spewed and hears Tigris voice her opinion against it. He doesn't say a word in between, his fingers tracing the scar over and over again, it was the action that managed to keep him sane for the moment.

After the dinner, he begins to change his outfit. He wears a black shirt, something from his father's closet, and too-tight grey pants. He looks at his hands and imagines Arachne on them. He takes a sharp breath and watches the red fade away from his mind. He tugs at his shirt sleeve and the burned tissue comes into view.

He does so hoping that you're waiting for him in the library. Lucy Gray was a disappointment, Sejanus too. Arachne death is a disappointment too. You were the only one he could rely on not to do the same.

He pressed his lips to the scar and for a mere flash of the moment imagines kissing you instead. For a moment, he forgets you're District, for a moment you're just his and he indulges himself in the fantasy of having your soft lips against his.

Tigris breaks him from his daydream by asking, “Are you sure that she will be waiting, Coryo?”

He looks back at Tigris, his lips pulled in a smirk, his thoughts free of mourning. He covers the scar and replies,

“She was never one to disappoint.”

Next Chapter

Current taglist: @tristanswildcat @alllriseabove @sushirollie

@ppcowboyprincess @lauravanderbooben20 @captainbabybear

@linkcommercial831 @write-from-the-heart

@kodzuvk @arzua10 @frill04 @cremebruleequeen @nan-nie @xreaderandreaderinserts @shoutingcardinal @coffee-tulips-books @555saccharine @chaoticcoffeequeen @xyraphine

@blairfox04 @gisellesprettylies @livid-euphoria @fentyxmalik @buckysjuicyplums @cryinginanuncoolway @duckielikesgames @articxari @or-was-it-just-a-dream @serving-targaryen-realness @qardasngan @wendythedarling @maybankswhore @just-a-littlebit-of-everything @bunny24sstuff

@lot4ever @diannana @abaker74 @ultrav10l3nce @jjstyles @reaganswift @freyaaah-writings @marauders-wife @tallulah477 @faephoria @imheretoread @emmawasneverfound

[lovebeinaprincessworld]

Unusual Love (Cato Hadley x reader)

Masterlist

Part 2

Description: Your chances of winning the games were zero, but you would have thought the chances of falling in love with a Career would’ve been even lower.

Warnings: first time, p in v, oral (f receiving), fingering, cum, talk of death, no protection

8811 words

This was the material of all the nightmares you had as a child. Except this time you wouldn’t wake up, that you were sure of. You hadn’t been shocked when no one volunteered when your name was called at the reaping, you lived in District 8 after all, but you had still hoped in the back of your mind. You weren’t even going to make it through the first day in the arena, that much was certain, and thinking about how this would have been your second to last reaping before you would have been save, made you feel defeated already.

You were good at what you were doing in your district, you were relatively short and your small hands were perfect for embroidering. But the skills you learned in your textile industry heavy home, wouldn’t help you killing other people. Not that you thought you would be able to actually end somebody else’s life. Trying to find allies would probably prove difficult too, you were too shy and didn’t bring any helpful skills to the table anyway.

So now that you were on the train to the Capitol and saw the reaping in the other districts, you accepted your chances were zero. The boy from your district was a year younger than you, 16 and he was so arrogant. If you remembered correctly his name was Taron. He acted as if he was too good for all of this, eventhough you could see he was scared. But you did your best to steer clear of him, especially after one ‚accidental‘ grab of your butt earlier at the meeting with your mentors. You really didn’t need that right now.

Your mentors Woof and Cecelia seemed alright, maybe you could learn a few skills just so you could escape the brutal deaths at the cornucopia. You leaned back in your seat, watching the world fly by outside and you tried not to cry (again) as you thought of your younger brother and parents back at home.

———————

When the door to your bedroom on the eighth level of the building finally shut, you fell onto the bed with an exhausted huff. You felt like a plucked chicken, your skin almost uncomfortably clean and scrubbed. Your stylist seemed nice enough, she was a little too much of course - like everyone in the capitol - but she didn’t seem to be excited at the idea of sending you off to get murdered. You had about two hours before they would pick you up to get dressed and styled for the parade, and you intended to try and not think about all the ways you could die in a weeks time.

You had to admit, the costumes Aspasia designed for you were really fitting for your district. She picked the most eyecatching fabric and surprisingly made a very simple but stunningly flattering dress for you. It hugged your body in the all the right places and was dramatic, but the focus was still on the eyecatching fabric. Your hair was styled in a half up half down hairdo, flowing over your back in soft waves. You definitely felt like a princess, and you were grateful to Aspasia that she didn’t dress you as a glittering sewing needle or some stupid stuff.

Taron hovered close to you when you stood next to the chariot you were supposed to drive out there on. His presence always gave you the ick, he seemed to try and make the most of his last days and you were doing your best to avoid him whenever you could. Suddenly you felt an intense stare on the side of your face, and when you looked over to your right, you saw it was the tall blonde Career from District 2.

Your heart immediately started to speed up, his stare wasn’t necessarily predatory but in that moment you were sure he was thinking about how easy you were to kill. You did have to note that he was very handsome, but probably just as deadly - if not more - so you quickly broke the eyecontact and tried to reign in your blush.

You couldn’t have been further from the truth though, Cato wasn’t planning on how to kill you, he was just very good at not showing emotions. In reality he was stunned by how beautiful you looked, he had seen your reaping and thought you were cute but the dress you wore made you practically glow, his heart betraying his mind and beating harder in his chest when your eyes met. When you blushed he felt something stir inside of him, but he quickly shook it off. This was stupid, you were only some easy to kill tribute from a lower district - at least he tried to convince himself of that.

—————————

You were up early the next day, you were so nervous for the first day of training and especially scared to meet the other tributes for real. God, what if you embarrassed yourself, you were sure to be a number one target of they saw how useless you were. Woof and Cecelia advised you to concentrate on survival skills rather than fighting, finding water and food was more important than knowing how to use a knife - at least in your case.

You tried to blend into the background, and you were succeeding for the most part. There was only one pair of eyes you couldn’t seem to shake and it was the same as the evening before. Why was he staring at you so much? You were getting so flustered from his stare that you couldn’t concentrate on anything. You were currently hiding out at the fire station, and you were glad he seemed to be occupied by sword training, because his attention was making you feel things you shouldn’t - things you were sure were a figment of your imagination anyway.

You were failing at starting a fire pathetically and the instructor was helping a younger boy at the moment, but suddenly someone kneeled next to you. „You’re doing it wrong“, you winced and your head snapped up. It was the female tribute from district 12. „I know“, you sighed and finally gave up, putting down the stick. „Let me show you“, she was a little rough with her words but you were stunned that she even talked to you.

In minutes she had a fire going and you were slightly embarrassed because of your incompetence. „Come on, you try“, she urged you, pushing the utensils into your hands. It took a while longer than hers, but eventually you actually had a small fire. „I did it! Thank you“, you genuinely smiled at her, „Katniss right?“ She just nodded and got up, making her way to the station with the traps. Now that you weren’t distracted anymore, you could feel Catos eyes on you again.

But you were quickly distracted again, Taron moving into your personal space with a smirk. „Oh I see you did something there sweetheart“, he chuckled and patted your back encouragingly, making you cringe away slightly. „Don’t call me that“, you muttered and started to get up, but he grabbed your arm tightly. „Now, now I was only trying to be nice“, he tutted, god he was so condescending. You tried to shake him off again and to your relief he let you go with a roll of his eyes this time.

Cato had to gather all his self control to not rush over to the boy from your district and kill him already. He tried to entertain himself with the thought that he would be the first that would be killed by him. Definitely. The boy obviously made you uncomfortable and when he grabbed your arm, Cato couldn’t keep the frown off his face. Glimmer noticed. „What is it Cato?“, she followed his gaze and frowned too.

„That guy seems like such a slimy douchebag“, she seemed to think the same as him and now Clove noticed too. At least you managed to shake him off. „Yeah, I saw him trying to feel up the redhead from District 5“, she looked appalled and now Catos thoughts were only circling about what that boy tried to do when you were on your floor. He definitely needed to teach him a lesson somehow. He turned away from the scene with a grunt, picking up a sword and releasing his frustration on one of the dummies.

————————

You felt like you were suffocating, you just couldn’t fall asleep. You needed fresh air but the windows had no way of opening and the different views you could control with the remote did nothing for you. For the last hour you had been debating if you should risk taking the stairs you had seen the avox use earlier today and see if there’s a rooftop exit.

With a quiet sigh you threw back your cover, throwing on a sweater on top of your pajama and slipping on your shoes. You silently tiptoed across the floor towards the door, hoping that no one would be around to stop you. You opened the door carefully, not knowing what exactly was on the other side, but it was just an empty concrete staircase. You were looking over your shoulder a few times when you made your way upwards, nervously tugging the sleeves of your sweater down.

When you finally made it past door 12, you were greeted with a door that said ‚rooftop‘ and was already slightly ajar. You hestitated for a second, but what’s the worst that could happen? So you silently pushed the door open. There was a small windowless building on top, probably for ac-units, but otherwise it was empty. There was a railing and you were sure there were other protections against people jumping that were invisible.

You walked towards the small building, planning to sit behind it near the edge so you can lean against it. But when you rounded the corner you stopped abruptly. There already sat a figure, and now you were reprimanding yourself for not connecting the open door to someone being here. And when you looked closer you could see it was Cato, and he was already looking at you.

„S-sorry, I’ll just go“, you stumbled over your words, his intense gaze making you nervous once more. „Stay (Y/N)“, his voice was rough and he talked in such a demanding way that your body halted on its own. He knew your name? „Sit“, he instructed you and as if you had no will of your own (or maybe you actually wanted to be near him) you walked over to him slowly and sat down, keeping some distance between you.

You sat in tense silence and you stared out onto the skyline while you could feel his eyes roam over your face. „Couldn’t sleep either?“, he asked, his voice sending a shiver down your back. A good one. „No, I felt like I suffocated in there“, you sighed, your arms hugging your knees. „Me neither“, he chuckled and you finally gathered the courage to turn your head. His blue eyes were piercing yours, not in a threatening but in a curious way. You couldn’t fight the blush and caught his smirk before you looked forwards again.

„Why? Too much on your mind?“, you questioned, trying to fill the silence. He hummed affirmatively. „This is all really different from what I thought would happen“, he elborated, but you didn’t question him further, not wanting to pry. „Yeah“, you sighed, and you continued to sit in silence. But it wasn’t tense, it was kind of comforting.

„That boy, the one from your district“, Cato started, and he could see your face scrunch up a little. „Mhm what about him?“, you asked, turning your head and meeting his eyes once again and his stomach tingled pleasantly. „He’s bothering you“, he stated, it wasn’t a question, he knew that boy made you uncomfortable and it made his anger flare up again.

„Uhm yeah, kind of“, you were unsure why Cato would care about that, but he looked so good angry you could barely question it. „What did he do?“, his voice was a little strained, but he was good at masking his emotions, you had to give him that. „It‘s not that bad, he just seems to think he has to make the most out of his last days“, you shuddered when you thought about his grab on the train, thankfully he didn’t do that again.

„Did he touch you?“, he scooted closer to you, looking serious and you shrank back a little. „N-no…just one time, in the train he…“, you didn’t dare lie to him, you felt as though he could see right through you. „He what?“, his teeth were clenched and you answered him in a whisper: „He uhm grabbed my butt.“

Cato had to clench and unclench his fists to keep calm. He didn’t understand why he reacted that way to you being disrespected like that, but he couldn’t keep it suppressed anymore. He grumbled unhappily and leaned back against the wall behind him. His chest felt kind of restricted at the thought of another man touching you, and he was going crazy because of the inner war he was fighting. You and these new intense feelings on one side and his upbringing and what he thought he was supposed to do on the other.

——————

You didn’t feel his eyes on you as much the next day at training, but you still did from time to time. You were at the station were you could learn about poisonous plants when it happened. „Where the fuck is my knife 8? I left it right here!“, Cato barked at your male counterpart, making him visibly flinch. He tried to put on a brave facade though, squaring his shoulders. „I don’t have it“, Taron answered but the Career from District 2 just laughed and menacingly walked towards the much shorter other male.

„Fuck you, I know you’ve taken it!“, Cato growled at the now obviously terrified boy and grabbed his collar, and he could see the peacemakers started to walk towards them. He leaned in close and made the point he actually started all of this for. „If you ever touch (Y/N) again you’re dead, do you hear me?“, no one heard him but the boy in his grip and he nodded so hard he could have broken his neck with some bad luck.

You watched in shock as the two males were pulled apart, actually more like Cato was pulled off of Taron. Cato held his hands up in a peaceful manner and was let go with a warning, and when he turned and met your eyes, you swear he flashed a smile at you, making your heart pound and your face grow hot.

You turned back towards what you were doing before, but your concentration was gone. Your heart calmed down eventually, but you were realizing what this was developing into. You heard the adults in your district describe it and it felt just like that. You were starting to fall for the tall Carreer.

———————

You couldn’t resist the fresh air on the rooftop tonight - and maybe you were hoping to see Cato again. And you were lucky, he sat there in just the same spot. When he heard you walking towards him, he looked over and gave you a smile, a real genuine one for the first time. „Hey“, you smiled too, and he nodded as a greeting.

You sat down next to him, a little closer than yesterday. „How was dinner? Did Taron bother you?“, Cato looked curious and you raised your eyebrows in surprise. „No he left me alone for once…“, his face lit up with a satisfied smirk and you were unsure why he would suspect something changed, but then you remembered their alteration today.

„Cato“, you looked at him wide eyed and he felt the need to protect you flare up again at your innocent stare, the way you said his name made him feel the weakest he felt in years. „Mhm?“, he was still smirking, happy that he successfully scared the boy off. „There was no knife was there“, you worded it like a question, but he knew you figured it out. „Nah“, he chuckled and looked over the skyline.

Once your brain caught up with the fact that he scared off Taron to protect you, your heart was almost jumping out of your chest. Why would he protect you? He was a Career, he was trained to win this, to murder, why would he care about you in any way? Honestly you were even more touched because of that. „Thank you“, you whispered and your hand squeezed his biceps - his big and bulging biceps - automatically.

The feeling of your skin on his spread a fire through his body he didn’t know was possible. His head snapped towards you, and it seemed to startle you because you pulled your hand away. At least you tried to, but he didn’t want you to stop touching him, so he quickly grabbed your hand with his and interlaced your fingers, his grip firm but gentle. He didn’t say anything, and you didn’t either, but neither of you let go while you were sitting there together.

—————————

The fourth day at training you were surprised again, Cato actually approached you at where you were trying your best at painting your skin to camouflage. You had sat together yesterday too, holding hands again and your head had even slid onto his shoulder, but you would have never thought he would talk to you infront of the other tributes. Wouldn’t that damage his reputation? And that only a few days before entering the arena.

„That looks pretty good“, he was being nice, it didn’t look pretty good. You weren’t really talented at this either. The only thing you knew you were good at was climbing, you had climbed trees all your childhood and your small light frame was perfect for that. But your mentors told you to not show your strengths infront of the others, but rather work on your weaknesses.

„Uhm thanks, maybe it would work if it’s dark“, you tried to convince yourself at this point looking down at your arm and then put the brush down with a sigh. „What are you doing Cato?“, you looked at him in wonder. „I just…I wanted to talk to you“, he was clearly at a loss for words, and to see the strong scary Career like that - because of you! - made you smile. „Do you think that’s a good idea? Your…friends look equally confused and murderous“, you could see the three of them look at Cato like he was insane, the girl from his district looked like she wanted to throw the knife she was holding at your head right now.

„They’re not my friends“, he rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, his muscles straining and you were flustered immediately. Why were you so unable to control yourself damn it. You didn’t look at him, but you could already envision that stupidly hot smirk. „How about I show you a few easy things with a knife hm?“, he nodded over to the weapons that you had been steering clear of until now.

„I-I don’t know I‘ve never…“, you tried to avoid embarrassing yourself but he cut you off by grabbing your arm and leading you over there, the other Careers still watching in shock. „Can’t hurt“, he shrugged and gave you a smaller knife, the object feeling foreign in your grip. You appreciated the thought and you felt it was really sweet of him to try and teach you but the only thing you wanted right now was for the floor to open up and swallow you.

———————

It wasn’t as much of an embarrassment as you thought it would be, after a few minutes the attention from the other tributes subsided eventually and Cato actually taught you a few moves, most of them selfdefense. Everytime he had you in his grip, you were blushing and he seemed to love it. You were pushing open the door to the rooftop again, glad you hadn’t been caught yet.

This time you were carrying a blanket, it was a little cold yesterday and you wanted to make sure you didn’t have to cut your time with him short. He perked up immediately when he heard you, a smile lighting up his face, and you were stunned that this was how you were spending your time before entering the arena - falling in love. Who were you kidding, you weren’t falling you already fell. It was a tragedy really.

But before you could dwell on it too much, you were close enough and to your surprise he took your hand and pulled you down in between his legs, your back to his chest and his arms around your waist. You were breathless for a second, but then remembered how to get air into your lungs and relaxed against him. You still didn’t remember how to talk though, so he took the blanket out of your hands gently and spread it over the two of you.

He couldn’t help but act on his urge to have you close, in three days you would enter the arena and he couldn’t bear the thought of losing you - he was stunned by how intense his feelings were. He was supposed to be focused on winning this, that was what he had been trained for, being honour to his District. But with you in his arms like that, your hands softly settling on top of his, he couldn’t be interested any less in that. And it scared him just as much as it made him feel in love.

„Cato, what are we doing?“, your negative thoughts were back, you shifted slightly to look up into his face. He frowned and his grip on you tightened slightly. „What do you mean?“, he grunted and didn’t meet your eyes, he knew what you meant. „This, us“, you gestured between you two, „I mean, why are you so nice to me? Not that I don’t like it, I do, but it makes no sense.“

He closed his eyes for a second with a heavy sigh, he knew sooner or later that would come up. He had hoped for later. „I don’t know, I can’t help it“, he was really bad at voicing his feelings, he was taught that it’s a weakness, „you make me…feel things I’ve never felt before.“ You heart was beating so fast you could hear the blood rush in your ears. You knew that for him that was a crazy emotional thing to admit.

„I feel it too“, you smiled, but that smile turned sad quickly and you sighed, „but you realize that…I mean we’ll enter the arena soon.“ You leaned back, your head against his shoulder and it felt like this was the only place in the Capitol you were safe.

„I’ll protect you“, he grumbled, the thought of what could and would happen in the arena made him sick, not excited as it had before. „There’s only one winner Cato“, you whispered, „ and it’s never going to be me, I’m probably the first that gets killed.“ It was almost painful to hear you say that, and only your soft grip on his hands kept him grounded. „You won’t“, he was sure he could protect you, and if it came to it, maybe he would even sacrifice himself so you could live. He was momentarily stunned by the intensity of that thought, but it was true nonetheless.

„What about the other Careers? Aren’t they your allies? They already look like they would like to kill me“, you saw how he got more agitated, „I don’t…I don’t want you to feel responsible for me, I kind of accepted my death the moment my name was called, we should just-“ He interrupted you in a way you never would have thought you got to experience before dying in the arena.

He kissed you. It was a little rough because of his anger but his lips were so soft, and your whole body was tingling pleasantly. After the initial shock you turned in his arms, your hand lacing behind his neck and your reciprocated the kiss gently. You were basically straddling him, but the thight grip he had on your hips let you know it was fine. His lips moved against yours carefully but he was definitely leading the kiss, his demanding and dominant nature making you feel some type of way.

Cato couldn’t believe he was kissing you, he hadn’t felt this good in years. He had kissed - and done other things with - girls before you, but it never ever came even close to what this innocent kiss made him feel. All thoughts of you or him dying were pushed aside for now, he just focused on you. After a few more moments he pulled away breathlessly, opening his eyes and studying your face. You were panting too, you eyes still closed and your pretty lips a little swollen, you were unbelievably beautiful in this moment. „I will protect you“, he repeated himself, not leaving any space for protest before he kissed you again, with a little more passion this time.

———————

Cato had been all over you on the fifth day of training, he didn’t leave your side, just once and only to perfect what he would show tomorrow. That gave you a little time to breathe, he was determined to teach you as much as possible, ignoring all the looks you two were getting. You were once again hiding at the fire station, not from Catos eyes but from the others this time.

„That looks much better than your first attempt“, the voice of the girl from district 12 startled you, she sat down next to you and watched the other tributes in the hall. „Thanks, I had a good teacher“, you smiled, at least someone here was decent to you - and didn’t outright look ready to kill you or was terrified because of Catos presence.

Katniss didn’t know why she approached you again, she didn’t really want any allies but your gentle nature reminded her of Prim - eventhough you were older. She was also a little relieved to talk to someone other than Effie, Haymitch and Peeta, even if it was just superficial smalltalk. The training days were starting to become a little dull. „Cato looks like he’s about to kill me“, she noticed the scary Careers stare on her now that she was close to you.

„Sorry about that“, you sighed, your fire long forgotten. „Don’t be, he’s worried for you, it’s…surprising but nice to see there is something good left in this place“, she shrugged, meeting your eyes and you nodded in agreement. You were surprised the girl talked to you, but she was nice enough. „You want me to show you how to set up a simple trap?“, she offered and you were surprised again. „Yeah sure! That would be great“, you followed her immediately, knowing that a skill like that could come in handy.

„Yeah good, just pull that string a little tighter“, she pointed to the one on the left, and you fixed it quickly. „That looks right“, she nodded, and you were a little proud you actually did it. „Thanks Katniss, you’re a good teacher“, you were happy about her company, she was a little cold but still nice. „I’ll leave you to your Career“, the ghost of a smile dashed over he face and she was gone, her place quickly filled by Cato.

„What was that?“, he sat down next to you, scowling at the retreating girl. „She showed me how to make a trap“, you pointed in front of you and he grumbled a little. „Don’t be like that, she is nice“, you rolled your eyes and the frown on his face deepend. „How about you? Ready for tomorrow?“, you tried to distract him, you didn’t want to argue about this.

„Yeah“, he was gruff but you didn’t take it personally, that’s just how he was. „Good“, you gave him a soft smile, and it seemed like that did relax him a little. „Are you ready too?“, he looked a little worried again and you saw his hand reach out for you before he dropped it again, it wouldn’t be very smart to display affection like that infront of the other tributes - they were suspicious enough as it was.

„I am, Cecelia told me not to show the others what I can do so I couldn’t practice it though“, at that he raised his brows in surprise. „What? You thought there was nothing I’m good at?“, you asked giggling and he smiled too. „No, no, I’m just curious now“, he stood up swiftly, pulling you up along with him. „Come on, I’ll teach you some more“, he decided.

———————

You were laying in his arms again, his face buried in your neck and you fingers interlaced gently. „I talked to the others today“, he suddenly said, his voice against your neck making you fidget slightly. „About what?“, you asked, his head sliding out of your neck and watching your face instead.

„They still want me to be their ally, and they promised to leave you alone“, he seemed unsure of your reaction, but he was calm nonetheless. „What?“, you were shocked, the glares you always got from them - especially Glimmer - would have never let you guess they would agree to not kill you. Than again, their chances were multiplying with Cato on their side, he was probably the strongest tribute this year.

„I told you I would protect you in there and I meant that, you are…very important to me“, he was mumbling quietly at the end, but you still heard him. „You’re important to me too, but Cato I mean realistically…what if it comes down to us two? I don’t want you to have to ki-”, he interrupted you angrily. „Don’t say that!“, his voice became louder and suddenly had an edge to it, but he took a deep breath and took your cheek into his hand, „don’t…don’t say that, please. We‘ll think about that when the time comes.“

You gently laid your hand on top of the one that was still holding your cheek and only managed to nod. Instead of trying to find the right words, you just leaned in, pressing your lips to his softly and closing your eyes. He immediately pulled you closer, reciprocating and moving his lips in sync with yours, your lips fit together perfectly.

Your taste made his senses go into overdrive, his tongue slowly tracing your lips and sliding in between them. When he sat up there with you, being this close, he could forget the future that was ahead for a few moments. When you held onto him like that it made him feel comfortable, a possessiveness and need to protect you fall over him. Contrary to Glimmer who had hung onto him the first day of training. That girl had made his skin crawl.

————————

You were sitting infront of the TV with your mentors and Taron, Aspasia and Tarons stylist being there too. You were anxiously awaiting your rating, you had given your best to quickly move and climb around the obstacles, being as swift and silent as possible and showing what you got. You had also shown some of your survival skills and skills that involved plants, so you hoped all in all it would be enough for a decent rating

Cato had sat with you when you were waiting to be called on, he was the third one that had to go but it was still nice to have some support. He obviously got a high ranking - a 10 to be exact - and you were honestly very proud of him, god you were so in love. District 7 was just finished when they put your picture on an you were nervously moving on the couch. „(Y/N) (Y/L/N) from District 8 with a rating of…7.“ Oh wow, that was so much better than you thought.

„That’s great! Good job“, Woof clapped you on the back hard and you just had to smile. „Taron Hunlor from District 8 with a rating of…5“, you were surprised he was worse than you, but then again you hadn’t seen him do anything useful at training. „That’s good!“, Cecelia tried to congratulate him, but he got up with a grunt and went to his room.

You were the first on the roof today, and after half an hour you had nearly given up hope that you would see Cato today, but then you finally heard the door open and he rounded the corner slightly out of breath. You beamed up at him and he immediately picked you up, the blanket tumbling to the floor. You squealed slightly at the way he manhandled you - but it also made you feel a little hot.

He sat down where you sat before, you now sitting on his lap and wrapped in his strong arms. „I’m sorry, I couldn’t sneak out earlier, Brutus and Enobaria stayed up forever“, he rolled his eyes in annoyance. „Don’t worry, I’m just glad you came“, you smiled gently and the frown melted off his face, his eyes studying you for a second.

You were so beautiful, the soft wind was moving your hair and the way you were always looking at him so soft and loving made him fall for you more every moment you were together. He carefully gripped your cheek in his calloused hand and pulled you in for a kiss, just a short one. „I’m so proud of you by the way, how on earth did you get a 7?“, he had been genuinely surprised that you got such a good rating, and also had been positively gloating when that boy from your district was worse.

„What’s that supposed to mean? You thought I wouldn’t?“, you grinned and he tickled your side with a chuckle, until you pushed his hands away with a laugh. „I’m quite talented at climbing and stuff, guess that was enough“, you shrugged and he raised his brows in wonder. „You must’ve been really good at that then, don’t be so humble“, he smiled and kissed you again. „Mhm, I’m proud of you too by the way, not that I didn’t expect your score“, you mumbled between kisses, but he just grunted and continued kissing you.

His hand tangled in your hair, while his other pulled you flush against him and he moved his lips against yours more urgently. You hummed contently, matching his rhythm and sinking into his embrace, you loved how intense he got when he felt you relax and be completely at his mercy. He was more than a little possessive, but you loved it - if you were being honest it made you fantasize about the other things you two could be doing, you had heard the other teens in your district talk about it sometimes.

He slipped his tongue into your mouth gently, the way it softly moved with yours making you little lightheaded. You two seperated for air, a sigh leaving your lips, his forehead pressed against yours. „I love you“, it was almost inaudible, but you could clearly hear the term slip out of his mouth, your eyes opening in shock. A fraction of a second later he went rigid, his eyes opening even quicker than yours, and you could tell that he let it slip out on accident.

„Shit, I’m sorry it’s way too early- I mean I didn’t mean to let that slip- Fuck why did I-“, you were shocked to see the normally cool and hardened Career so unsure of himself and quickly interrupted him with a short kiss. „Did you mean it?“, you whispered, you loved him, you were a hundred percent sure of that, but you needed to know if he only said that in the spur of the moment or if he honestly felt that way.

„Yeah, I did mean it“, he breathed, a little calmer but still on edge, Cato wasn’t used to wearing his heart on his sleeve, but he also felt a little relieved that he told you how he felt out loud. „I love you“, you were positively beaming, an equally happy smile lighting up Catos face, he was even more relieved now that he knew you reciprocated his feelings. You hadn’t known eachother for very long, but it felt like a lifetime already.

—————————

Your stylist team had finished your hair and makeup (and everything else that needed to be done) and now you were just waiting for Aspasia to dress you. „Hello sweetheart“, she was excited as always and couldn’t wait to show you the dress. But you weren’t prepared for the dress she pulled out. „No way“, you gasped and she looked a little confused by your intense reaction. „It’s pretty isn’t it?“, she smiled and walked over to you.

„No, no you don’t understand“, you were really excited, „that dress - I made that!“ She was stunned into silence for a moment, and looked between you and the dress in her hands in shock. „Seriously? That’s so impressive, and I mean what are the odds?“, she was so right, this was damn near impossible, but here you were. The dress ended above your knees, beautiful embroidery all over it.

„I was originally going to design you a new dress, but I saw that dress while I was out the other day, and I just was so captivated by its beauty plus I thought it would fit you perfectly“, she rambled while helping you into the dress, closing it and leading you to the mirror where the shoes were waiting. „You look stunning love“, she smiled and you actually felt like it too.

—————————

„You looked so beautiful today“, Cato panted between kisses, his hands tightly squeezing your hips and yours gently gripping his blonde hair. „T-thank you“, you were breathless when his lips left yours and wandered down your jaw and towards your neck instead. The interview wasn’t that bad actually, the fact that you had made that dress was a perfect ice breaker. „You looked very handsome too“, your voice went up at the end, Catos teeth slightly grazing the soft skin of your neck and sending a shiver down your back.

Cato just hummed, fully immersed in littering your neck with soft kisses, the reactions he pulled out of you making him grow hard. He didn’t mean to, but you were so pretty on top of him, all whining and grabbing his hair, he couldn’t help it. He didn’t even notice his hands slipped under your pajamatop, only when his fingertips grazed the underside of your breasts - fuck, you weren’t wearing a bra - and you tensed above him, did he get pulled out of his thoughts.

„Fuck, sorry I didn’t mean to-“, he immediately apologized and pulled back his hand, he was sure you’ve never done anything like that and he didn’t want to pressure you. „No! No it’s okay, I was just surprised…I’ve never…“, you were blushing and growing embarrassed and he thought you were so cute. „Don’t worry love, I don’t want to put pressure on you, I was just lost in you for a moment“, his thumbs stroked you red cheeks softly, a grin spreading on his face.

„You didn’t“, you mumbled, in reality the way he touched you had felt really good, „I liked it.“ His eyebrows were raising and you looked away shyly. You would be lying if you said you hadn’t thought about sleeping with him, you thought about how you were probably going to die tomorrow - and you wanted to be as close as possible to him tonight.

„You did?“, he was teasing you a little, but he was honestly curious what you were thinking at the moment. „Yeah…I mean I would like to…“, you had a hard time getting over your embarrassment while he was staring at you so intensely, „if you want to too, we could mhm…continue?“ You were sure the blush was spreading down your neck by now.

He was a little surprised to be honest, but also incredibly turned on by how you wanted to do this too. „I need to hear you say it pretty girl, need to make sure you actually want this“, he liked teasing you, but he was also telling the truth - he needed to make sure you consented to this. „Don’t make me say it Cato“, you were whining and squirmed in his lap, making it hard for him to concentrate, so he held onto your waist tightly, making you stop.

„I need to hear you say it (Y/N)“, he was kissing your neck softly, and you sighed quietly, making him pull you even closer. „I want to sleep with you Cato“, you whispered, but he heard you as if you shouted it, a shiver running through him, „do you…do you want to too?“ He groaned at the question. „Of course I want to baby, god you have no idea“, he moaned against your neck.

He held onto you tightly, laying the blanket across the rooftop and gently laying you down on it. „Are you sure you want this?“, he confirmed one more time, and you nodded impatiently. „Yes, yes I’m sure“, you pulled him down into a kiss, his hips wedged between your legs. He was bracing himself on top of you on his elbows, his biceps caging in your head.

While you were kissing, one his hands wandered under you pajamatop again and his fingertips softly skimmed over your skin, a shiver running through you when he ran his thumb over your already perked nipple. You sighed into his mouth and he pulled back and started peppering kisses over your jaw and to your neck. A little impatiently you grabbed the bottom of your top and pulled it over your head, and he froze for a second.

You were getting a little insecure with him just staring at your boobs, but when you blushed and tried to cover them he pushed your hands away with an unhappy grunt. „Don’t hide from me baby, you’re so beautiful“, he rumbled and you blushed even more, but before you could dwell on it, he lowered his mouth to the formerly neglected nipple and gently ran his tongue over it, making you hum and arch your back a little.

Your hands found their way to his shoulders, pulling at the fabric of his top until he let go of your nipple and helped you pull it off of him. You weren’t going to be the only one undressed, and when his toned and muscular upper body came to light you had to bite your lip not to let your moan slip out. Fuck he was so hot, and judging by his smirk he loved your reaction.

His ego inflated even more at the way you were unconsciously rubbing your legs together when he took of his shirt, and he couldn’t believe he would be your first. His lips went back to your perfectly soft boobs, and not being able to rule in his possessiveness he left a few marks, and then made his way down your belly, your hands in his hair making his brain feel all mushy.

You had touched yourself before, but never had you felt like that - your pussy was basically pulsing from his lips all over your body and you could feel there was a wet patch on your underwear. That man did things to you that made you forget everything around you. Your pants were pulled down your legs before you noticed and your lovers lips were on your body again, trailing kisses from your knee over the inside of your thigh towards where you needed him most.

„Cato please“, you were panting a little, his teasing and the anticipation were killing you. „Tell me what you want love“, he was kissing the juncture were your leg met you hips and you were writhing underneath him. „Please touch me“, you breathed, heat filling your cheeks but his grin made your lower stomach tingle in all the good ways.

„Anything you want“, he chuckled and pulled down you panties, but before you could even be selfconscious, he groaned at the sight of your dripping cunt and ran one of his calloused fingers down your slit. When he caught your clit, you whimpered, pushing your hips closer to get more of that feeling, your brain not being able to form a productive thought - you were completely at this tall Careers mercy.

„Fuck baby you’re so wet“, he groaned, his thumb circling your clit and his breath fanning over your pussy. You were so lost in the feeling of him that you didn’t notice his mouth lowering until suddenly his finger was gone and was replaced by his mouth. You gasped, the feeling of his tongue moving over your clit was overwhelming, the sight of his head between your legs so sinful you let out a moan.

He prodded your entrance with his fingers, two of them carefully slipping inside and you were blissed out. He curled them expertly into your spongey spot, your thighs basically smothering him but he didn’t seem to care, and you could feel the coil in your belly tightening. „You taste so good baby, you’re gonna cum for me? Cum all over my tongue come on“, he coaxed you and when he started sucking on your clit and added a third finger, the feeling of the slightly burning stretch and the pleasure of his mouth on you pushed you over the edge.

„Cato!“, you moaned out loud, clenching around his fingers and holding onto his hair for dear life. You were glad the streets were so loud or you would’ve been worried about being overheard. His fingers fucked you through your high, he was imagining your thight heat wrapped around him and groaned, the vibration making you twitch from overstimulation once you came down from your orgasm.

When he heard you whine, the feeling of his tongue too sensitive on your swollen and fucked out pussy, he pulled back and sucked his fingers clean while admiring your pretty face, all flushed and satisfied - satisfied by him, he thought with a smirk. While you were evening out your breathing, he quickly shed his pants and underwear before perching himself above you, his hard cock slapping against your belly, a hum leaving your mouth at the feeling.

„You’re so beautiful“, he whispered, placing kisses on your chin, forehead and cheeks, making you giggle slightly. He smiled at that, his heart beating faster and he embraced the feeling of how whipped for you he was. „I love you“, you laced your hands behind his neck, pulling him closer to kiss him and he happily yielded. „I love you too“, he mumbled between kisses, but then he felt your small hand wander down his chest and over his abs.

You fingertips slightly brushed the leaking head of his dick, a groan leaving his mouth and he grabbed your hand to stop you. „Fuck baby“, he panted, „if you touch me now I won’t last long.“ You were blushing and he just adored your pretty face, kissing you again, before grabbing your thighs and pulling them up against his hips.

„Are you sure you want this?“, he looked into your big innocent eyes, the head of his cock slipping through your wet folds, mixing his precum with your slick. „Yes, please, I’m sure Cato“, you nodded, of course you were nervous too, it was your first tim after all, but you trusted him completely. You heard the other girls talk about how it hurt the first time, and he was really big, but you were sure he knew what he was doing - why he knew that you didn’t want to think about too much, you weren’t angry or anything, but it still made you feel a little jealous.

He pushed the head of his cock into you and the stretch burned a little, but it wasn’t too bad. You could tell he had to hold back, and when you clenched around him he groaned, burying his face in your neck. You held onto his biceps, the bulging muscle straining from holding his weight up, and then he pushed his hips forward, opening you up more and more, until he finally bottomed out, his heavy balls resting against your ass. He stopped for a moment, giving you a second to get adjusted to his girth.

Cato was sure this was heaven, your cunt was so hot and tight and the sounds you made had him holding onto his selfcontrol for dear life - he had to stop himself from pounding into you right away. Your scent was enveloping him, your small hands on his arms and legs wrapped around his waist, he didn’t care about anything or anyone else in that moment - just you, and he knew you would be his priority from now on, always.

„Please Cato, need you“, you whimpered and he came back to reality when you clenched around him, pulling back from your neck and grabbing your thigh in one hand, before mounting you more securely and picking up a slow rhythm. You moaned, the way his veiny cock was dragging along your walls, filling you to the brim made you tighten around him.

He went faster, his thrusts getting harder and battering your cervix, his restraint slipping from him with each time you gushed more slick around him, pulling him into your tight pussy. „Who do you belong to (Y/N)?“, he growled, lost in his possessive nature and the way he dominated the soft girl underneath him. You couldn’t form a coherent sentence, but when he gave a punctured hard thrust, making you gasp, you could see he wanted an answer.

„You Cato, I belong to you“, you moaned, a shift in his hips making him hit that one spot inside of you, and you were getting lost in your pleasure. „Damn right you do, you’re mine“, he groaned, pulling you into a kiss, his cock never ceasing its assault of your swollen pussy, the feeling of your high approaching making you pull away from the kiss with a whine.

„Cum for me love“, he basically ordered you too, and his deep voice awoke some primal instinct inside of you. His fingers started circling your clit roughly, and you were pulled over the edge, chanting his name and squeezing his hard cock like a vice. He fucked you through your orgasm, and when you came down, he picked up his pace one more time, making you twitch around him slightly, reaching his high with a moan.

He buried himself as deep inside of you as you would take him, his balls tightening and he was spilling his cum deep into your perfect pussy. With one final rut, he stilled and just layed on top of your fucked out form for a few moments - careful not to put his whole weight on you. Both your breathing slowed eventually, Cato turning the both of you around so you were laying on top of him comfortably (his dick never slipping out) and covering both of you with the part of the blanket you weren’t laying on.

„You okay?“, he asked quietly, and you hummed happily. „Better than okay“, you giggled slightly, making him smile. „Good“, he kissed the top of your head, your hair softly falling over his right shoulder and the both of you admiring the skyline, basking in the presence of the other. „Promise me you will run to me tomorrow, I’ll do anything to keep you safe (Y/N), but I need you to run towards me baby“, his arms squeezed your waist tightly, as if afraid you would disappear right now.

„I promise“, you just said, knowing it wouldn’t do anything good to argue about the possibilities of you dying on the way to him. You just wanted to enjoy the moment right now. He seemed to relax underneath you, one of his large hand cupping your cheek and stroking your jaw softly. You kissed him gently, trying to ingrain the feeling of his lips into your brain. No matter what happened now, you would always have his love and he yours.

————————

I recently rewatched the hunger games and was fully back in my obsession with Cato, so here you go! Would really appreciate some feedback, or opinions if there should be a part 2?

[coryosmin]

politician!coryo fucking u dumb bent over and pressed against the window!!

nsfw | mdni | young politician snow x wife fem!reader | p in v, unprotected sex

when you and coryo had walked into coryo’s private office, coriolanus couldn’t keep his hands off of you. he had just begun his campaign for president and had gotten himself an office to do work for the campaign. and he wanted you to be the first to see his brand new office.

“do you like it?” coriolanus asked, gripping your hips as he pressed a kiss onto your lips.

you smiled, wrapping your arms around coryo’s neck. “i love it, sweetheart,” you replied. “i’m so excited for you.”

“i’m very excited for me too,” he murmured, pressing himself against you. you could feel his bulge poking at your thigh as he held you close to him. he kissed your lips once more. “i think we should christen this office, don’t you think?” he whispered against your lips.

you hummed in response, pressing a kiss to coryo’s lips. “i think we should.”

that moment led to you being slightly bent over as coriolanus pressed you up against the window with your dress hiked up as he thrusted in and out of your pussy at a harsh but fast rate. you were moaning loudly, unable to help the loud sounds from escaping your lips.

“you like it don’t you?” he asked, his voice shaky and breathless as he spoke. “being pressed against against the window for the whole Capitol to see that you’re mine.” coriolanus continued moving his hips, reaching a hand around you to grip one of your breasts.

“oh my god!” you moaned out, closing your eyes in pleasure. “so good!”

“fuck you’re so wet and tight,” coryo groaned, looking down at your ass. he smacked your left butt cheek, causing you to moan louder and clench around coriolanus’s cock. “oh you’re close.”

you didn’t reply, simply closing your eyes in pleasure as you pressed your cheek against the glass of the window. coryo continued his harsh movements, his cock hitting that spongy spot inside of you repeatedly. you could feel the heat in your abdomen building up as he fucked you, causing you to to breathe more heavily.

“so so close, coryo,” you moaned.

“i know, baby, i know,” he said, thrusting his hips. “i’m so close too.”

and with a few more harsh thrusts, you were cumming with a high pitched moan, your legs almost giving out if it weren’t for coriolanus’s grip on you. coryo let out a loud groan as well as he came inside of you, filling you up with his cum. when you both finished, coriolanus pulled out of you, turning you around to press a kiss onto your lips.

“i think this office will be put to very good use,” he said breathlessly, pressing his forehead against yours. you didn’t reply, your head too foggy to comprehend words. but what he said was certainly true as you guys most definitely had sex in his new office many many times after that.

[roryculkinsbf]

million dollar man // coriolanus snow

Description: Christmast Eve with breadwinner Coriolanus Snow, taking care of his future wife

TW: smut, dom!coryo, housewife!reader, controlling over the reader, praise kink

Word count: 1.5k

(English isn't my first language, and I do not own the characters)

One for the money,

two for the show, 

I love you, honey,

I'm ready to go...

Round Christmas time everything seems  a bit too busy, crowded streets and malls. People on every corner, not single free space to live. The world just turns that way as soon as November comes around. There's no exception for the chaos, not even in Capitol. City created and ruled by the cruel men who swore to be good, failing audibly after their proud hearts wished for power over ordinary human beings. Many rebels wished to tear this fucked up system down, district citizens buried themselves in fear and your boyfriend wasnt making it any better. A boy who once promised to destroy the bad, turned himself right into the dead void. Heart beating, blood pumping, but oh kindness faded by those who dared to doubt. He became a living corpse, only one who bring warmth into his existence was you. Each time you wanted to leave for better, you came running back. Something very wrong seemed like a drug in him, but before you could realize, your addiction became deadly. Merry Christmas, I guess?

"Morning, sweetheart," he splashed a kiss into your cheek. His hands grabbed you by your waist in a dominant manner. He kinda liked to show off his control, except not just kinda and mostly over you. "Morning, Coriolanus." Soft moan spilled into his mouth when he squeezed your little butt. You could hear as he kissed your neck, muffled words of "all mine". Normally you'd probably let him go on and bend you over the kitchen desk, but it was Christmas Eve today, and he simply has to wait. 

"Not now, Coryo..s-stop..." you whimpered at the feeling of him taking the best of you. His hand was moving lower by the slowest pace posssible. His fingers slipped into your underwer, you closed your eyes. One single slick by your soft spot and suddenly he wasn't touching you at all. 

When you opened your eyes, he was holding a cup and sipping the bitter-sweet liquid from it. Nothing about his expression mentioned the fact that you two almost did it. "What are you staring at, m'lady? It's you who told me to stop, remember? And you've got work to do anyway. Get into it, for me." He ordered with a smug grin not long before he walked to his office, ready to let you prepare for this whole day all by yourself. You were the housemaker afterall, not him. And you have to make sure your man is  pleased, it's your job.

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

"God Lord, Y/n...I've never eaten such a food in my life. That ham, and the mashed potatoes. Don't even get me started on the casserole, somehow you made me love green beans, princess. You're one hell of a cook, know I'm keeping you forever." There was simply no way to stop his praises. Damn well you knew you deserved them, you worked you ass off. The dishes you prepared were strange to you, yet familiar after each smile he gave you when he took the first bite. Seeing him fulfilled was all you needed.

"Thank you so much, Coryo. I made sure to prepare the best dinner I could manage, and as I see it payed off quite well, didn't it?" A warm smile filled your cheeks. He coudln't resist to reach his hand to your face, fingers delicately stroking your flushed skin. "Are you so red just for me, princess? You're such a pretty little sweet thing." 

Kisses splanded all over your lips, washing you over with passion. His brain got foggy just from the pureness of you, the redness of your skin each second. Because as they passed, he kept pulling you closer and closer, until no forces could ever possibly seperate you. His arms held you, shield from blood and flesh, the good feeling of being protected and elogiezed by a man. You gave in. No one could ever have you as much as he did, you sure know that.

Rough lips bruised your neck, leaving tumescent spots for you to admire tomorrow. Long way along your collarbone, shoulders. You were becoming his each moment, the world belonged to you two and he rulled every way that Earth dared to orbit for you. 

Part of the sky crashed when he rougly pushed you against the kitchen table. Your chin met a set of ceramic bowls fillled with food. Few glasses, wine and regular ones slipped when you pulled at the fancy cloth, what was shiny got poured over with all sorts of things. The great scent of food turned into a gross mess when a pot ringed as it hit the floor. Soup was flooding all over the dining room and you wanted to cry. No, you wanted to grab your shit-ass boyfriend by his shirt and choke him to death for daring to ruin hours of your hard work.

The sound of him rolling his eyes filled the room. "You're gonna clean that later, now be pretty and good for me. You know you can, darling." He massaged your ass under that mini skirt he made you wear. Big manly hand squeezed you until you felt incredibly helpless and small. He enjoyed he could boss you around, do anything to your tired body, play with you however he wanted to. And so he did. 

"Let me get you dolled up." From his pocket he pulled a thin fabric, wasting no time he began twisting it around your thighs, legs, butt even. It was a red ribbon, you didn't even process when he layed it over your wet pussy. 

"W-what's that for?" You couldn't understand. "Just...preparing a gift for myself, so fucking soft and all mine." He dropped right to his knees, as he pushed his face in between your butt cheeks. digging deep in he made a way across your pussy with his tongue. Somehow he was on you, in you. Digging into you, and you could feel heat all over yourself. His nails kept you in your place as he ate you out. Seeming like a starved man, he couldn't just get enough of his future wife. You were even more pressed against the table than before, nothing to muffle your moans against. Whispers echoed throughout the whole room, his pride and ego expanding with each sound.

"C-coryo..." You whimpered audibly. Closing your eyes so hard, shutting them in pleasure thinking they might not even ever open again. You couldn't stop grasping at the cloth, not until his face switched to two long fingers. He stood up and with one arm pinned you against himself, with other he got lost inside of you deep. "Shhh... princess, my pretty girl. You better get that pussy stretched out good, before I fuck you hm? Be good and let me  prepare you for me, mkay?" Despite your body shaking you nodded to his words. You could hear him purr. "That's my girl."

More minutes passed, you felt already fucked out. Brain soggy and legs trembling, all wet from how much he overstimulated you. When he pulled out, he braught his hand to your face. "Taste yourself, love. Go on." With your tongue you licked all the silky substance off. Each lick drawn made his pants tighten even more. His dick was begging to be touched, to be taken care of. 

Even if it embarassed you all too well, his will to be in charge and the bigger one just took over you. "Master, please... I... need you. S-so bad..." you whispered. Hot breath brushed around your neck. "Oh, I know you do, my princess." He unziped his pants. "You're always such a fuck-doll for me, sweetie." His dick slid out is boxers, standing in pride and arousal. "Want your master to fuck you pretty now?" He already teased your clit by fucking into the space between your thighs and pussy. "Mhm.." You whimpered. "Oh, but honey you know I need words. Tell me what you want and consider it done. Hm?" You sighed and breathed out all your self-respect into the heavy air with the  words: "Yes, please fuck me, master. Deep and hard, I can take it all for you."

"Such a good girl," He whispered as his cock slipped right into you. Precum softened the first thrust, but the ones following braught your face to red. He couldn't help but smack at your bare flesh, like fucking you wide opened wasn't enough. Like he needed to feel you all around, in his hands, in his whole power. And fuck it, let's be honest, you liked that. Each firm thrust that just felt like a crack into your body, every hit, every moan that vocalized from his mouth, his thumb massaging your tiny clit. Surrounded by torturing pleasure, you let him make this the most unforgettable Christmas of all your lives.

[nerdyandweird]

Mr. President (Coriolanus Snow x Reader)-Part 1

Summary: Reader is the daughter of the Plinth family currently studying at a University and has started working for the young President Snow. Story is presumed to be taking place 10 years after the events of TBOSAS. Reader doesn’t know about what Coryo did to her brother Sejanus. Likely the story will divide up to 2 or max. 3 parts since I was planning a one shot, but it ended up being too long and still writing.

Warning: there is a bit of age gap between the reader and Coryo. Since Coryo is the young president, he is currently 28 years old in this fic whereas the reader is a young adult in university so around 20 years old roughly. Plus, Coryo is a whole ass red flag himself.

***P.S. I love Lana Del Rey’s music (what a queen), so I was listening “Cinnamon Girl” a lot while writing this, it has such a romantic tune, and I just love the following line, “There’s things I want to say to you, but I just let you live. But if you hold me without hurting me, you’ll be the first who ever did.” It makes you feel all fluttery inside.

Also, this line from her song “Ultraviolence,” I used to love singing this line “cause I was filled with poison, but blessed with beauty and rage” to myself because it made me feel edgy, but now I just think it perfectly describes Coriolanus because you know, he poisons people and he’s handsome, but filled with anger and hatred. LOL. Anyways, enjoy the story!***

In the shadowed alleys of the Capitol, where opulence and ambition intertwine, there existed a figure rarely noticed—a young Snow. His pristine facade masked a mind ever calculating, navigating the intricate dance of power and prestige in a world that revered ruthlessness above all else. The Capitol's opulent façade hides its darker truths, so did he, veiling the depths of his ambition. All so perfectly poised to unravel the complexities of privilege, the chilling genesis of a future president.

You ran down the streets of the capitol as you were on your way home from university for which you promised your mother that you would be in time for since your family was supposed to be meeting the new President today. Time is not in your favour at this moment since you are at a very high likelihood of being late. So, you decide to take a shortcut, and run down an alleyway rather than the busy streets. Being in a rush and sprinting despite your aching legs and lungs gasping for air, you run into a hard chest, causing you fall backwards from the impact and you drop on your butt on the ground.

The impact of colliding with something unexpectedly was enough to knock the air out of your lungs and forced you to take several deep breaths to compose yourself. But the sensation did not last long as a voice pierced the stillness of the uprising darkness at the time of sunset. The voice was as smooth as velvet, and your attention was then immediately drawn to the tall figure who stood tall in front of you. The figure had pale blue eyes that glowed in the darkness and a firmness to his jaw that sent shockwaves through your body. It was almost hypnotic.

You gulped as you looked at the handsome, but strange young man apologetically. He was dressed very nicely almost like all members of high society are, but something about him was very different. The air around him just felt tense, he stared at me with his piercing cold, blue ocean eyes. A very annoyed expression adorning his face. His blonde hair styled very sharply, but a single curl had fallen loosely over his forehead, likely due to you.

Your eyes locked with his, and his expression shifted from annoyance to suspicion to curiosity all in a matter of seconds before settling to a steely resolve. His eyes narrowed from the intensity of his stare, and you found yourself struggling not to blush at the intensity and directness of his gaze. The curl that had fallen over his forehead seemed to accentuate the sharp lines of his square chin. As both of you stared at one another, you almost felt as though time had stopped to a crawl, and all you could feel was the anticipation of what he would do next.

"I'm sorry." You quickly apologized as you stood up from ground, wiping away the dirt from the back of skirt of your uniform and your hands.

The man kept his cold eyes fixed on you for a moment longer, as if he was considering something that you couldn't quite pinpoint. You swallowed nervously when he finally responded. His voice was low and steady, and it sent chills down your back.

"What's the rush?" He asked.

You scratched the back of your head nervously. "I have to get to my house in time otherwise my parents would be really mad. You see, the new president is coming to see us!" You say, foolishly divulging unnecessary information to this stranger.

The man cocked an eyebrow and a hint of amusement flashed across his face. He replied, "You have to get home because the new president will be visiting?" The man gave a sardonic half-grin, as if he found your story absurd. You could not help but notice how white his teeth were as he smirked.

You roll your eyes at the stranger. "Listen, I'm so sorry, but I have to get going. You're not hurt, are you?"

Before you could speak again, the stranger spoke once more. "Hurt?", he responded in a low, calm and calculating tone. "No, I'm not hurt." Your heart raced in your chest as he towered over you, and he gave you the faint impression of a predator sizing up its victim. His lips curved into a sharp smile that was chilling in the cold night air, and he added,

"But you should be very careful about running around recklessly in the streets like that. Someone as lovely as yourself could very easily get hurt."

Something about his words seemed like a warning, but you didn't pay attention as you ran off again, leaving him behind to get home.

Your mind reeled as you made your way down the quiet alleyway back to my home. You couldn't help but mull over the strange encounter that just happened but you dismissed it as a random chance encounter. You kept the conversation that you both shared in your heart as you rushed home, and as the front door of the house came into view, you breathed a sigh of relief.  The new president's visit would have to wait for an hour or so—you wouldn't risk you parents' anger.

You are Yura Plinth. You belong to a really prestigious family in the Capitol. Your brother Sejanus Plinth was a mentor for the 10th hunger games which happened 10 years ago, but for some reason, he joined the peacekeepers and was executed. He was accused of being part of a rebellion, and before your father could hear the news about his punishment, the damage was done. You had lost your brother, and now you’re the only one to represent the family. An embarrassment.

 Sejanus was supposed to be the new heir, the apple of your parents' eyes, but that was no longer possible because he was not around, and you were what remained. After his death, your family had selected a new heir despite your presence because they just didn't trust you enough. That person was apparently a classmate of your brother and a close friend, Coriolanus Snow, who is also now the current president. You despised him despite never meeting him before because he took your place. He took your right as an heir to the Plinth family. You’ve never met him before, but today is the day that you will.

The Plinth family was one of the most prominent families in the Capitol. They were among the wealthiest, most affluent families and were known for their shrewd business acumen and political maneuvering. The Plinth family's political connections were extensive, and their influence reached every corner of the Capitol. Over the years, the Plinth family had established a powerful political dynasty that was not to be underestimated.

When they lost their sole hair, Sejanus, 10 years ago, they picked Coriolanus Snow as their heir because in their minds, you were not fit to be an heir for many reasons. Not only were you apparently not smart enough or well-spoken as Sejanus, but it was also because you were a girl. You were deprived of your right just because you had different chromosomes from your sibling.

The Plinth family's traditionalist and conservative values shaped the way they saw the world. In their minds, it was not appropriate for a woman to lead their family, even if she was intellectually gifted and capable of doing so. They had passed over you because of your gender and instead chose the next logical heir, who happened to be a male friend of your brother.

A part of you hated your family for how they treated you, but they were the only ones you got, and without them, you would be nowhere. If you choose to rebel, your fate will face similar consequences as your late brother. So, you silently listen to your mother's complaints about your late arrival and go to your room to get ready to impress the "new president."

You felt a bitter twinge in your chest at the thought of your brother and the injustice of being overlooked for your inheritance. You knew that you could not rebel against your family and survive intact, so you quietly listened to your mothers' complaints and went to your room to get ready for the new president's visit. Your mother insisted that you wear your best dress and look your most demure to impress the president, and so you obliged. You chose a pale pink dress and matched it with your best jewelry, hoping to create a good first impression.

You were soon ready and headed downstairs to your living room, making sure to walk slow and calmly like your mother had instructed for it's not ladylike for a girl to be running around. Once you reached the bottom of the steps, you could hear chatter from the room. You walked past the dining hall into the living room to take a seat on the sofa beside your mother, but your eyes widen in shock as you meet with a familiar figure sitting in a love seat in front of you, staring at you with an amused smirk.

Your heart dropped into your stomach and fear flooded your veins when you realized that the familiar figure sitting in front of you was none other than Coriolanus Snow, the new president. The memories of your encounter in the alleyway from earlier that day came rushing back, and you couldn't help but wonder if he somehow saw you as a potential threat. Your thoughts were briefly interrupted when he addressed you, smiling with one eyebrow raised in amusement.

Him? The guy from the alleyway, he's... Coriolanus Snow? And the president? You were flabbergasted at the discovery as you paused in shock. You were probably standing for a while because your mom pulled your hand harshly to get you to sit down, and you did while your brain still could not process this information.

Coriolanus Snow's familiar voice broke your daze, dragging you out of your stupor. He was sitting opposite you, smiling widely, and staring directly at you. He appeared to be amused by the look of shock that crossed your face for he gave a small laugh and said, "Surprise, I see we've met before."

Your heart almost skipped a beat as he acknowledged you. Your parents had a look of confusion plastered on their face at the "president's" words. Your parents' confusion was a testament to how abrupt this unexpected and strange encounter was. Your mother quickly recovered from her shock and asked, "You...you already knew my daughter?" Her confusion was palpable, and her tone of voice betrayed her emotions. She was taken aback by Coriolanus Snow's familiarity with you despite having no prior introductions.

You felt the heat of embarrassment wash over you as you recalled the short encounter that you had in the back alleys earlier in the day. The memory of the cold intensity of his stare and his piercing blue eyes still lingered in your mind. You looked away from him, unable to reconcile the polite and elegant persona that he displayed before you with the cold and calculating young man that you met earlier.

"Ma, I uh... bumped into him unknowingly on my way home." You say, sheepishly. Your mother was confused by the vagueness of your explanation, and she raised an eyebrow as a skeptical look crossed her face. She said, "You bumped into him...on your way home? Is that all?"

You nod. "I see, so it was all a coincidence then." Your mother's voice had a hint of skepticism to it, but you couldn't help but to think that she was not convinced at all. You felt a twinge of irritation at her attitude towards you as you continued to look away from Coriolanus Snow to hide the emotions that were flitting across your face. You couldn't help but be affected by his presence.

Your father luckily interrupted the conversation by clearing his throat. "Corio... I mean... President Snow, we're really glad and honoured that you've made it here today, and it's wonderful that you've now met the entire family." Your father's interruption was a welcome one as it provided a chance for you to take a moment to collect yourself. You were relieved when your mother stopped questioning you and shifted her attention towards Coriolanus Snow.

Coriolanus looked at you briefly before turning his attention to your father. Coriolanus' eyes were sharp and his focus laser sharp as he looked at your father. He gave a small bow of his head, and his voice was cool and authoritative as he said,

"Ah, it's an honor to meet you, Mr. Plinth. I understand that your son and I were close, and it is my great pleasure to continue the friendship between our families."

The mention of your brother tugged at your heart, but you remained composed as they continued to speak as you zoned out from their conversation. Soon it was time for dinner, and you all stood up to make your way to the dining table. Unfortunately, time was definitely not in your favor today since you had to sit beside no one other the President, Coriolanus Snow.

The dining room was set to perfection for a formal dinner with the Plinth family. You had no choice but to swallow down the bitter taste of disappointment as you looked at the seating arrangement. Coriolanus Snow was to sit beside you, while your parents sat on either side of him, and you were stuck with him for the entire night. You were irritated by the seating arrangement as a sinking feeling began to grow in your stomach as you thought of the awkward encounter you were about to have with the new president.

You played around with the food on your plate as you stared down at it. You didn't dare lift your head to avoid having an awkward conversation with anyone, but luckily your parents were more than happy to take away any attention for you as you stayed seated at the dining table besides the new young and handsome President of Panem.

The dining hall was filled with the chatter of conversation and laughter as your parents engaged the president with their talk of politics and business. You took their lead and stayed as composed as possible as you ate slowly, keeping your eyes on your food instead of looking over at the president. You also hoped the conversation would end at some point so that you could leave the table and avoid any unnecessary exchanges with the president. However, it seemed your night was destined to be an awkward one as the dinner conversation didn't appear to be ending anytime soon.

"President Snow, I was hoping to discuss about my daughter, Yura Plinth, possibly having a chance of working with you at the office. She's currently completing her education at the Capitol's university, but I think some real-life experiences might be good for her. We'd really appreciate it if you could take her into your wing." Your father spoke to the president, making you freeze immediately upon hearing your name. Your hand gripped your fork tightly as you waited to see where exactly this conversation is going.

Coriolanus Snow glanced at you before he responded to your father, and you felt like your entire world had paused in that moment. His icy eyes swept over you for a moment again, and you could feel the weight of his gaze on you before he replied, "It would be an honor to work with the offspring of one of Panem's most prominent and respected families," he said, and you saw your mother's face light up with pride before he continued, "I will take her on board with one condition."

You quickly turned to look at him to face his side profile, his jaw so sharp like a knife and his eyes staring directly at your parents as he spoke. You watched his prominent Adam's apple move as he spoke. Coriolanus Snow's sharp gaze never left your parents as he spoke and his tone of voice was firm yet pleasant. He continued, "I will only take her if she can prove herself worthy and if she can prove that she is willing to put in the necessary work."

"Well, of course she will, she's a Plinth. Won't you, Yura?" You mom answered on your behalf as she then looked towards you to agree with her. Following her prompt, you turn your gaze to President Snow looking directly into his cold blue eyes as you said, "I promise to work really hard, President Snow. You can trust me."

Coriolanus Snow's eyes narrowed slightly at your answer, and he seemed to consider your words for a moment before he replied to you.

"I will have to wait and see if your promise holds true. Your skills will have to be tested, and if you pass, I will take you into my wing to teach you and guide you. But if you fail...well then you will face the consequences," he said, and you felt a chill run down your spine at his warning.

You nodded in agreement although you felt a bit scared. "I'll do whatever it takes." You promised.

Coriolanus Snow's facial expression remained unchanged, but you could feel his stare piercing through you as he contemplated your words. After a moment, he nodded his head in acknowledgment.

"Very well then, I will expect you to deliver on your promise because there is no room for mistakes. Do you understand?"

"Yes Sir." You spoke, and you noticed a slight smirk appear on his face upon your words. Coriolanus’ smirk was faint but it was there and it added to the air of mystery and power that he was already radiating. He kept his facial expression unchanged as he looked at you, and you had the distinct feeling that he was judging you as he said,

"Good, then that's settled then." His voice was cool as ice.

You nodded then the rest of the dinner was spent in small chatter mainly between your parents and President Snow as you were left pondering what you had gotten into.

The weekend passed by and soon the unpleasant Monday morning came as your mother woke you up for school. "Yura get up! And don't forget that you need to go to President Snow's office right after your classes are done!"

Your mother's words jolted you awake as you lay in bed, and you sat up with a groan. The words, "Snow's Office," immediately filled you with an overwhelming amount of dread and anxiety as you tried to calm down your nerves. Your mother's words made it very clear that today was the first day of your new life, and there was no escaping the responsibility that it entailed.

You finish your classes and quickly head home to take shower to get ready to go to President Snow's office. As you get ready, the anxiety sets fire to your nerves again. You wear a nice mid -length white dress with matching flats. You quickly dry your, applying mild make up to your face before looking at the time. Crap! You need only have five minutes left to get there in time! You rush outside your home before asking your chauffeur to drop you to the Capitol hall, where President Snow's office is.

You arrived in a huff, and without wasting any time you rushed into the building, making a beeline for the stairs. The building was busy with people going to work and going about their day, but you couldn't focus on anything else but where you were going and the daunting responsibility that you were about to take on. You made it in front of his office door and you inhaled a deep breath then exhaled before lifting your hand to knock on the door.

Your heart was racing and your hands felt clammy as you gathered the courage to knock at the office door. Your nerves were running wild, but you knew that you didn't have a choice as you raised your hand and knocked on the door.

"Come in." You heard a voice from behind the door call, and you slowly turned the door knob to open the door before heading inside.

When you heard Coriolanus Snow's voice from the other side of the door calling in that commanding but pleasant tone of voice, your heart skipped a beat. You turned the knob on the door and stepped inside, and you felt like you were crossing the threshold into a different world.

The room was spacious and elegant, decorated with the finest furniture. Your eyes settled on the man sitting behind his desk, and your heart skipped a few beats when you locked eyes with him.

"You're late." He remarked, making your palms get clammy and you start to play with the bottom of your dress in nervousness as you try to think of an answer. Coriolanus Snow's abrupt tone of voice sent a small surge of anxiety through you as he stated the obvious, making you fidget with the bottom of your dress. The sudden pressure of him calling out your tardiness put you on edge, and your nerves were starting to get the best of you.

"I'm sorry." You apologize quietly while looking down at the ground.

Coriolanus Snow seemed to be unaffected by your apology, and without taking his eyes off you he continued speaking, "You're a late-comer and that's an indication of tardy habits, which I cannot accept. I have high standards and expectations, and I hope you are well aware of that." The president's words were blunt and without mercy, and you felt like taking a deep breath to calm yourself as he continued speaking.

"Yes Sir. It won't happen again; I'll make sure of it." You promised.

Coriolanus looked at you intently as you spoke and his expression stayed unchanged, although you thought you saw a hint of amusement in his eyes. "That is what I expect from you, and I hope that you can uphold your end of the agreement." He stood up, walking around the desk to stand in front of you before he spoke again, "Now, follow me."

Coriolanus led you around the Capitol Hall as he gave you a tour of the halls and explained the tasks and responsibilities that were expected of you. The tour was thorough and comprehensive, and you took in every word that he said as he walked around and talked with you. You couldn't help but feel a bit overwhelmed by the amount of knowledge that you had to retain, but you also couldn't help but get a small feeling of excitement as you thought about the future that lay ahead.

President Snow asked whether you had any questions and if there was anything unclear about his expectations to which you answered no. Although you were completely overwhelmed on the inside. But there was no chance of failure, you had to prove yourself to your parents and this was the only way you could do it even though you didn't like Coriolanus Snow, you had to admit that he was quite intelligent and competent for someone of his age and calibre.

The rest of your first day was pretty simple, your only task for the day was answering phone calls for the president and leaving a message that "he was busy." It was annoying, and the ringing of the phones as still buzzing in your ears, but the day had translated into night, and it was now time to go home. You waited outside the Capital Hall as you waited for the chauffeur to come pick you up. But you were surprised when an unfamiliar car pulls up in front of you. The back window was lowered to reveal President Snow.

You tried to compose yourself as your back straightened, and you waited to see what Coriolanus Snow had to say. The president's piercing eyes stared at you for a moment before he spoke, "Can you get in?"

You quickly shake your head at his offer. "No. It's okay. My chauffeur should be here any moment. But, thank you though."

Coriolanus Snow raised an eyebrow at your response before he seemed to accept your answer, although you could tell that he didn't exactly look pleased. The president waited for a moment before he responded, "Very well then," and he looked at you with a frown on his face, "But my offer still stands. Just know that."

You gave him a polite smile with a small wave. Coriolanus Snow returned your smile with a slight nod before he rolled up his windows and drove off, leaving you by yourself again. You stared at the Capitol Hall for a moment in silent contemplation before you started to wait for your chauffeur again. This had been one of the most eventful days of your entire life.

A couple weeks go by and your responsibilities had increased to a more of an administrative or an assistant role for the president. You were responsible for organizing the president's schedule, managing his appointments, ensuring his clothes were well prepared for various events, etc. Despite trying to manage the added stresses and responsibilities, you still felt an immense amount of pressure building up within. Coriolanus Snow had shown a strict intolerance for mistakes and had never shied away from chastising you if you were to slip up in the slightest way.

You absolutely despised him but were also scared of him. Everyone in the Capitol were always walking on eggshells around him, so what were you in comparison? You were snapped out of your thoughts as the man himself entered your office abruptly.

His gaze met yours with a piercing look, and your heart started to pound as you felt the walls closing in around you. "Good evening, President Snow." You greeted him.

"Evening." The president replied with a clipped tone before he continued to speak, "We have a crisis on our hands, one that is urgent and needs to be resolved quickly. Are you aware of the tension that is brewing between the Capitol and District 12?"

"What kind of tension?"

"I've received various reports from my sources that there are rumors of rebellion brewing in District 12. I don't believe that it has gotten to that point yet." He said as he crossed his arms, "But the tensions seem to only be growing and it's important that we are aware of the situation."

"What would you like me to do, sir?"

**"I'd like for you to dig up more information that can help us establish the situation in District 12, to determine whether the rumors of rebellion were true or not.*" He stated, watching you intently as you spoke.

"Me?" You asked.

"Yes, you."** Coriolanus Snow answered firmly and without hesitating, "As my assistant, it is your duty to carry out my orders regardless of your opinions or thoughts on the matter. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes sir." You reply, not really having a choice in the matter.

Coriolanus Snow's expression stayed unchanged as you answered his question, but he didn't seem upset with you. He seemed satisfied with your response and looked at you for a moment as he spoke, "Make sure to report back to me at the end of the day tomorrow, is that understood?"

You nod, but you whine on the inside at the heavy task now sitting on top your shoulders. Coriolanus Snow appeared pleased by your response before he left the office without saying a word. You were left alone once again with your thoughts and the huge burden of responsibility given to you. You sighed and sat down at your desk as you started wondering how you were going to complete the daunting task that the president had given you.

After he left your office, you immediately left to head to district 12 and begin investigating in the matter. The tension that was growing in the air was almost palpable as you arrived into the district, and you knew that you had to tread carefully. You began conducting various interviews and asking questions around the area, trying to find out more information about this supposed uprising that had been rumored. You specifically spoke with peacekeepers assigned in District 12 to see if they had noticed anything strange out of the blue to which they refused. You even looked over Jabberjay recordings but were unable to find any sort of information that might point to a possible rebellion. When you arrived at home, you stayed up all night to create a report on your findings to present to the President tomorrow.

You were exhausted after the sleepless night that you had endured while conducting your investigation. You slowly moved through your classes the next day in your school uniform and headed straight for the Capitol Hall once your classes ended. You arrived at the building and headed straight towards the President’s Office to meet with Coriolanus Snow, but you were also beginning to feel increasingly nervous about presenting your report to him.

When you entered the suite, you didn't see the president and noticed a white rose with a note lying on the table. The note was addressed to you and the only message that was written in it read, "Come to my house, I will expect to hear about your findings there. Snow". You glanced at the note and the white rose before packing up your report and leaving to head towards the presidential residence.

After following the note's directions, you found yourself arriving at the presidential residence as the sun began to set. You were greeted by a servant who allowed you to enter and then directed you to a seat in the living room to wait for President Snow. You sat down and tried to prepare yourself for the meeting that was going to come, which you were sure was going to be a challenging one.

Coriolanus Snow walked into the room, and you quickly got up out of your seat to greet him. The president was dressed in a black suite and was holding a glass of wine in his hand, which he sipped on as he came closer to you. His facial expression was unreadable, and he was watching you keenly with those piercing eyes.

"Good evening, President Snow. How are you?" You greeted.

"Fine." The President responded with a clipped tone, although his expression did soften for a moment. He held the glass of wine up to his nose and took another sip from the glass before looking you in the eye and saying, "You may begin your report."

You nod before presenting your findings on District 12, you give him every detail that you know as you watch him listen keenly to your words. "And therefore, I don't think there is any sort of rebellion plans forming in District 12." You conclude.

Coriolanus Snow took a sip from his glass of wine before he said, "And you are positive of this?"

You nod. Coriolanus Snow continued to look at you with a piercing gaze, like he was trying to stare into your soul and read your thoughts. You could feel the pressure building up inside of you, but you tried to remain calm and keep your composure.

He finally spoke after a few moments of silence, "What would happen if I were to find out that you have withheld crucial information from me? Would you be able to handle the consequences of such an action?"

"I have not withheld any information from you. I would be a fool to do so, and I have no wish to compromise my own life or my family's for a possible uprising in the Districts." You answer.

Coriolanus Snow narrowed his eyes at you as you spoke, and you could feel how intense his stare was. He remained silent for a few moments before saying, "Are you saying that you would put your life and even the lives of your family members on the line for this investigation?"

You gulped, but you nodded anyways.

Coriolanus Snow's stare remained intense as he continued to look at you, but there was a glimmer of admiration in his eyes. You could tell that he was definitely starting to gain a great deal of respect for you.

"Well, for what it's worth, I can say that I don’t think you have anything to worry about when it comes to a rebellion rising up in district 12. I believe you when you say that there are no signs of this currently brewing."

"Thank you."

Coriolanus Snow nodded his head, "You've done exceptionally well with this report, I am satisfied with the work you've put in and the information you've provided. However, the reports that I've received from my sources are still concerning, so you will continue to provide me with updates from District 12 every week from now on to ensure that the situation does not escalate. Is that understood?"

"Yes Sir."

Coriolanus Snow finally smiled at you when you agreed to do as he asked. The president was still holding his glass of wine as he spoke, "That is all for now, you are free to leave. I have one more question to ask, before you leave though."

"Of course."

Coriolanus Snow placed his glass of wine down on the table and looked at you intently. "As you know, this discussion is highly classified and cannot leave these walls. If anyone were to ask you about what we talked about, you are to keep silent and not disclose anything. Is that clear?"

You nod before starting to leave.

Coriolanus Snow smiled slightly and nodded as he watched you begin to leave. He then spoke for the last time. "We will meet here again next time for this report. Stay alert and continue to remain mindful of any suspicious activities in District 12. You've done well today."

You nod upon hearing his words feeling like it's a habit for you now. But as you walked, you started to feel a bit dizzy, and the room began to spin as you started to lose your balance.

Coriolanus Snow's expression changed slightly as he noticed you lose your balance and start to feel lethargic. He quickly rushed over to you, not wanting you to fall and hurt yourself. "Are you feeling alright?"

You felt his arms around you to support you as he helped move you to the sofa again. Coriolanus quickly moved you onto the sofa and looked at you with concern as you began to fade in and out of consciousness. The president placed his hands underneath your head to raise you up as he looked at you, asking again, "Are you OK?"

You nodded stating that you're fine. You probably felt a bit weak due to exhaustion and because you had barely eaten today due to the stress of this report, but you don't state any of that in front of him.

Coriolanus Snow kept an eye on you as he saw that you were still looking a bit weak and exhausted. You felt yourself starting to drift out of consciousness, but you tried to remain alert and focused as you stated that you were fine.

He looked at you sympathetically as he noticed your exhaustion and knew that you could use some rest. After some more moments of silence, he broke the silence again and spoke up, "Would you like me to arrange for one of the servants to prepare some food for you to eat?"

You refused out of politeness, but again as if the time was against you, your stomach growled loudly.

Coriolanus Snow noticed your stomach's loud growling and couldn't help but smile slightly as he said, "I believe that your stomach has just expressed its opinion on that."

The president looked at you with a hint of humor in his eyes as he continued, "Let me have the servants arrange a light meal for you. It will be good for you to eat something."

You couldn't refuse as you flushed in embarrassment. The servant gave you some fruits to eat and you had some cherries since those were your favourite.

As you finished eating the fruit, Coriolanus Snow suggested that you stay for dinner. You were about to say that you should decline when you realized that the president was watching you intently, probably waiting for you to respond. You decided to stay anyway, as it was not a bad idea to take up his offer.

The servants prepared an extravagant meal for all of you, and the president sat next to you during the dinner. Although you enjoyed the delicious food, you felt a bit uncomfortable with the intense staring from Coriolanus Snow.

You thanked the president once again for the delicious dinner, and then excused yourself. You explained that it was late and if you did not return home soon then your parents might start to worry. The president nodded as he watched you stand up, and he didn't seem like he wanted you to leave already.

"You can stay the night. It's late anyways. I can speak to your parents so that they're not worried." He said asking you to stay.

Coriolanus Snow offered for you to spend the night there, as it was pretty late already. However, the idea of staying the night with the president sounded even more awkward than that intense staring. You couldn't refuse, though. The president might find it strange if you insisted on going home and making your parents worry, so you agreed and thanked him for the offer.

"But I don't have another set of clothes for the night." You say.

The president seemed to have expected that response from you since he nodded and said, "Don't worry, I have plenty of guest rooms that have fresh clothes and comfortable blankets. You can simply change into some of those and spend the night on one of the guest beds." Not having any more excuses, you reluctantly agreed.

Your acceptance of the offer seemed to have surprised Coriolanus Snow, as his face broke into a small smile at your polite acceptance. He got up from his seat and walked over to you and then placed his hands on your back as he guided you towards one of the guest rooms.

You entered the room and thanked him once again before saying "Goodnight President Snow."

Coriolanus Snow smiled down at you and replied with a simple "Good night." You entered the guest room and began to change into the fresh clothes given to you by the servants. The bed was exceptionally comfortable and relaxing, and you immediately felt tired just from laying down and closing your eyes.

In the middle of the night, you have a dream or more like a nightmare. Sejanus is standing in front of the noose and yelling out your mother's name. You gasped and sat up quickly in bed, feeling scared as you remembered where you were. You looked around at the unfamiliar surroundings, feeling uneasy and vulnerable. After some moments of silence, you decided to go take a little walk down the hallway to calm your nerves and settle your breathing.

You walked in the hallway as you looked downwards from the stairs. The mansion looked so eerily haunted in the dark, it gave you shivers as you started to descend the stairs to get some water from the kitchen.

The dark mansion was eerily haunting and unsettling as you descended the stairs, and it caused you to feel a sense of dread as you stepped into the kitchen. The quiet atmosphere gave you a strange feeling of uneasiness as if someone was watching you. You tried to shake it off and went to pour yourself a cup of water.

As you were on your way back to your room, you heard noises coming from a distant room ahead of the living room. For some reason, you followed the sounds and came near the door. You opened the door slightly to find President Snow speaking loudly to someone on the phone. You try not to eavesdrop and leave the door closed, but your curiosity gets the better of you. You decide to open the door slightly and peek at the president. You thought that the person he was speaking with on the phone was the main recipient of his attention, but before you could even process the entire situation, his gaze met yours.

You gasped upon seeing his gaze meet yours and quickly backed away from the door while trying to hide yourself, but you knew that he had probably noticed you by now. You stood there for a few moments, feeling panicked and unsure about what to do next.

You tried to quickly maneuver your way back to your room, but you heard a door sound closing from behind you and footsteps catching up to you before you feel someone grab your arm before entrapping you between them and against the wall. You were trying to maneuver your way back to your room when you felt someone catch your arm and pull you against the wall. You felt trapped and vulnerable as the person you realized to be the president held you with one arm wrapping around your arm and pressed you closely against the wall with their body.

***End of Part 1- See you in Part 2…***

***Thanks for reading!***

[the-scooby-gang]

Character assassination and delayed puberty: VelmaHBO mishandling of Fred Jones

As I write the "I watched Velma HBO so you don't have too" reviews for episode 1 and 2, I decided to post this thought process I had regarding Fred's mischaracterization and, specifically, about the choice of giving him delayed puberty.

In the show, Mindy Kaling's self insert (because that ain't Velma in this or in the next life) comes to the conclusion that Fred is such a "spoiled white privileged brat" that his body didn't see the point of growing up at all.

First of all: Fuck that

Second of all: Whose brilliant idea (we all know who, but lets pretend for a second here) was it to turn FRED JONES: cheerleader; net lover; circus enjoyer; himbo friend; golden retriever sunshine boy and "I love my friends and my van so much you guys" into THIS?!?!

Is it because he is white, blond and has blue eyes???? Because it would be easy to make him into a caricature of white supremacy???

Yes. That's exactly why they changed Fred. Because it was easy.

I will go deeper on this in the full review of episode 1 and 2 (god help me) but this whole show is written in the most lazy way possible with jokes that would have fit perfectly in a edgy early 2000s show, where characters become those straw men versions of liberals conservatives IMAGINE exist.

Where people of color complain all the time about white supremacy but don't go deeper into it, its just complaining for the sake of complaining;

Where they bring genuine arguments people make but with zero nuance or though behind them, instead the writers put what THEY imagine it is about and, 99.9% of the time, they attribute it to people being "tOo sEnSiTiVe" and " tRiGgErEd SnOwFlAkEs"

Where people blow things out of proportion and accuse people left and right of being fascists (when they call Fred "Hitler" the background character says "he looks like Hitler. And I'm not just saying that because we call anyone Hitler nowadays") completely disregarding the WHY people in real life are calling out fascist behavior when they see it. Hello rise of fascism happening on the world, how is the INVASION OF CAPITOL IN AMERICA and THE INVASION AND DEPREDATION OF THE PLANALTO IN BRAZIL going for you?!;

This show is Family Guy. I would say it's worse than Family Guy even.

Third of all: Delayed puberty is an Actual Thing That Happens To People. It's something that can happen at random or it can be a genetic disorder shared in the family. It can be a symptom of something way more serious or something benign.

Many people that suffer from delayed puberty suffer from low self esteem because they have to watch their friends grow and develop when the same thing's not happening to them. They may feel like they're never going to catch up.

People are bullied over this, people develop depression.

And now these people are the punch line of this mean spirited joke.

I can even envision a better show where Fred still has delayed puberty, but instead of being the butt of jokes where people keep commenting on the size of the penis of this HIGH SCHOOLER, they treat as the constitutional delay it is. Fred is a late bloomer. It may be caused by a pattern of growth and development in his family, it may be a chronic illnesses he has. Can you imagine Fred with something like asthma or diabetes?

Lets go with that, lets imagine a Fred with diabetes, who is not receiving a proper treatment for said diabetes (maybe because his parents subscribe to that style of parenting where they are more concerned about appearances than the well being of their kid. "No, he has no problem. He is a perfectly healthy Jones."

Or they are the kind that say shit like this: "He doesn't have blurry vision he is just a lazy student, that's an excuse," or "You would stop going so much to the bathroom to piss if you stoped drinking water all the time" or even "I told you to not stay awake all night on those weird net making websites, now you're tired in class. What kind of mother they must think I am..." "But I didn't stay up all night, I swear–" "Don't you lie to me Frederick") and as such the side effects and symptoms are left unchecked.

So the Fred Velma, and we the audience, are introduced too is the heir of this fortune... who can't stay standing because he is constantly tired, has completely given up on trying to apply himself on school because he can't see the fucking board his vision is so blurry, has passed out at least once in gym, drinks water like he lives in a dessert and is so self conscious about his body that even his girlfriend hasn't seen him shirtless even once. The swim team hasn't seen him shirtless even once, so there are these whiplash inducing photos in the year book where is a bunch of guys in speedos nest to this one dude in an early 20th century striped swimming suit.

In episode 1 itself Velma's vision of Fred can start biased, after all from a distance a person that doesn't know Fred personally can chalk his behavior to "rich dramatic boy that knows he doesn't need to put effort into learning since he already has a fortune guaranteed for him after all this, so he is just sleeping and vibing and being dramatic through high school" but as the episode progresses and she gets to know Fred, she notices that the image doesn't fit. Fred, who has such in depth knowledge about physics and mechanics, who clearly loves his girlfriend very much and feels bad about the murder of this girl he considered a friend. The image of "Rich guy that doesn't care" is not fitting.

I want it to be a Velma and Daphne epiphany. About Daphne talking about all these things Fred has told her or that she noticed about him to Velma as they look for clues and it hits Velma as a she connects all together. The tiredness, the pissing, the thirst, the blurry vision.

Daphne may have not seen it because she is too close but with Velma's outside perspective the pieces fall into place.

Now lets imagine that instead of cop lesbian moms, Daphne could have lesbian doctor/nurse moms. They take him to them and they give him what he desperately needed:

"No, dear. You're not lazy, or broken, or an attention seeker, or any other bullshit your parents called you. You have diabetes. Type 1 to be precise."

After Daphne and Velma hug a crying Fred until he has no more tears to give, the series progresses with Fred now treating his diabetes as one of its recurring plot lines.

I want Daphne to have extra insulin in her purse, I want Shaggy to help Fred with his new diet, I want Fred and Velma to go exercising together and have deep conversations about body image and how they deal with it (Fred with his delayed puberty, Velma with her extra weight)

"Mature" and "Adult" content doesn't need to be edgy sex-violence-and-drugs.

It can be simply a story of a high schooler having to deal with diabetes in a country were insulin is expensive as fuck, some parents are more willing to let their kids suffer than offer any kind of help or even admit that there may be a problem in the first place, of dealing with body image and things that are out of your control.

Just a thought.

This is a post by The-Scooby-Gang, thanks for coming to my TED Talk.

[jc-writes-bullshit]

I think too many people are hyper analyzing Snow’s relationship with Lucy Gray and trying to make a case for him (or indeed against him) in a moral sense and I’m going to say this:

((SPOILERS AHEAD!!!!!!!!))

Yes, Snow was not born evil. But he bought into the capitol propaganda against the districts and refused to entertain any sort of change in mindset despite meeting Sejanus, Bug and Smiley, and even Lucy and the rest of the Covey.

Snow may have “loved” Lucy, but it wasn’t as much as he craved wealth, power, and status. Status was the thing he was clinging to. He wanted to reinstate the Snow family as a force in the Capitol. He was clearly obsessed with Lucy (especially given all of his thoughts and feelings about Billy Taupe, no matter how warranted or not they may be) and he found her physically attractive.

Now - onto the comparisons of Katniss and Lucy Gray:

I don’t think Snow hated Katniss because he was butt-hurt about what went down with Lucy. Clearly, the reminders are everywhere; the Mockingjay, The Hanging Tree, District 12 itself, even the literal mention of Katniss root. But Katniss’s agency is not lesser or erased because of the connection we see between her and Lucy. If anything - especially because Lucy has been all but erased - it actually brings Katniss into a new sense of her own.

Snow fears and hates things he can’t control. That’s why he hated Sejanus. That’s why he, in the end, turned on Lucy Gray. She knew he betrayed Sejanus and he was going to kill her for it. He hated Katniss because, yes, while she reminded him of Lucy, she was a reminder that what can’t be controlled is dangerous and must be destroyed.

Coriolanus Snow, at his core, wanted power, status, and control more than he ever wanted love. He wanted it more than he cared about the nation and its children, even the Capitol’s children despite his own wartime experiences. He was an evil person who was given every opportunity to turn to friendship, to family, to love, and every single time decided against it.

Discuss!

[spideyhexx]

I can't get over the fact that this arrogant butt still believes he's better than district turned Capitol reader. Even though he and his family is broke and living in a rat infested apartment. Don't get me started on the grandma tho

LISTEN HES INSANE YOUR HONOR

Like it doesn’t even matter that he barely has any money to his name and his apartment is still sucky, he’s a Snow and a capitol golden child due to his charm and prestige in the academy and that’s enough to give him such a god complex.

Even when he learns how hard you worked to get where you are and he sees first hand how much you're excelling in the academy, he still thinks he's above you.

let's chat about coryo, here :)

[artdivadej]

Survivor’s Remorse (V)

Part 5

NSFW | 18+ | PTSD| Torture

Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8

I'd been sent to join the Victors Squad in the Capitol by Coin, not that the witch gave me much choice. It was obvious that she liked Peeta and despised me but wasn't sure he'd back her if it came to a vote of who to run a new Panem. I was the clear solution to that. Send the hijacked psycho to take him out because she can't control herself while so close to her torture chambers. The woman thought I was stupid but I didn't care. Anything to get some sun on my skin. Anything to breathe fresh air and get out of that fishbowl of a room I'd been locked in. 

When I'd been shoved out the back of the Humvee, I'd rolled onto the ground none too gently, but I was used to this type of treatment. I propel myself upwards using my bound hands beneath me, legs sliding out behind me in my usual protective crouch, right leg extended and left bent to my chest, hissing at the asshole who pushed me.

"You've gotta take her mouth guard off too Keil" Ryan sighs looking at him with annoyance

"I'm not going by that bitch's mouth. Let her new perfect Victors Squad take care of it" Keil snorts attempting to climb back in only for Ryan to block his path

"She's got a name. And she saved our asses. Twice. Show her some respect"

Keil looks like he'd love nothing more than to kick me again but he does eventually come closer and kneels in front of me, his curled lip conveying his distaste for me. I wish Ryan had been around for the first leg of this journey. Maybe Keil wouldn't have kicked me around so much if he had.

"If you bite me" he warns

"I doubt you'd taste any good" I snort, lisping around the mouth guard

"Pfft. Open your mouth"

I comply, having to fight the urge to gag when he roughly shoves the metal bar between my jaws, smirking at my look of disdain. I fight the urge to flinch, not wanting to be slammed onto my back again, as his hand comes towards my face. When he clicks them off, Keil holds them between his index finger and thumb with a grimace. I spit the bar out and flex my jaw, rolling my tongue over my teeth happily. I don't care how gross my saliva is to him I'm just happy to have control of my mouth again. He turns me around aggressively and shoves it into my bag before yanking me to my feet by my backpack strap. He and Ryan are behind me as we walk towards a large awning about a thousand feet ahead.

Then I see them and the blood in my veins freeze just like they do.

Katniss raises her bow, Gale his crossbow and the rest, their guns. Only Finnick remains leaning against one of the posts, appearing at ease while watching me with amusement. It's Peeta's eyes I find next and it makes my blood run cold. The realization slaps me in the face when I see there's not a weapon in his hands either and it's clear he's struggling not to come over to us. Coin really sent me here to die huh? No reason not to give the woman what she wanted I suppose. Who even was I really? No one of real importance now that my purpose had been served.

I hold up my cuffed hands as a sign of peace. Boggs comes over demanding to know what's happening. Keil shoves me forward with the butt of his gun so that I stumble toward them and I have to resist the urge to snap my jaws at him. This is humiliating enough. I don't need his fucking help in making it worse.

"Your problem now. Coins orders" he sighs happy to be rid of me

Should've let that fuckin pod kill him 2 days ago is what I should have done. Boggs assigns me a tent, telling me to set it up while he goes to confirm the order. Unlike Keil, his tone is soft like he's actually speaking to a person. Thankfully Keil and Ryan take their leave but I feel everyone's eyes on me, their weapons lowered but still in hand. Clearly, I'm not too well liked anywhere.

I move over to the outskirts of their tent circle and start trying to build mine off to the side of it. I'm aware no one will want to sleep near me. It's not personal. I'm just a fuckin wild nutcase and they're soldiers meant to be ready for anything. As the rope falls between my shackled nails again, I huff in frustration, knowing this was going to take most of the day.

I'm still sitting off the to the side fumbling with my tent around my cuffs clumsily when I hear a crunch behind me. My eyes sweep up fast as I slide my leg around in a circle out behind me so I'm back in my defensive crouch. They land on a smiling Finnick, his blue-green eyes twinkling happily, unlike everyone else's that only watched me with distrust and fear. I quickly relax and smile back at him, genuinely pleased to see him. Finnick was used to psychotic people, there was no judgement in his eyes as he knelt beside me, wordlessly helping me with my knots.

"Thanks Finn" I sigh once it's all set up not noticing his smile at my slip of the familiar nickname

"My pleasure. How you settling in?"

"Aside from everyone here wanting to slit my throat the moment I close my eyes? Peachy" I roll my eyes

"That's not true"

"Of course it is. Coin clearly has an agenda sending me here. I don't expect to make it back to 13" I shrug honestly "I'm fully aware this is the last stop on my Victors Tour"

I feel the traitorous tears burn the backs of my eyes; my throat raw as I shake my head to clear it. I feel resentment and self-loathing well in my chest. It pisses me off. I bite down on the core of my restraints giving a tentative suck. Finnick watches me curiously for a moment, allowing me to release it undisturbed. My body slumps a little against his, head lolling heavily on his shoulder. I can't help it. The sedative is quick acting, not as potent as it used to be, thankfully. I don't care that my sudden chomp has startled everyone or that I can feel them watching me warily because I'm so close to Finnick's neck. Finnick appears to be truly unbothered by my proximity or my antics.

"Like it's my fault I'm mind fucked" I hiss under my breath

"I have no plans of you dying as long as there's breath in my body"

"Thanks Finn but I'd rather you stick around for lil red. Wasn't exactly a cake walk bringing her to you"

"I hear you did a lot more than just protect her"

"Doesn't matter." I shrug

At least I made sure that someone walked away from this knowing and understanding what love is. Who they were. Knowing that when they need to break, they actually have the pieces to put themselves back together again. That was enough.

"It does to me" he shakes his head, leaning his cheek against the top of my hair

"Just be good to her. I tried too damn hard to bring her back to you in one piece for you not to"

"It's a promise"

I'm sleepy but I can't relax with all these eyes on me. I need a distraction.

Finnick taps at my cuffs curiously, so I lift them high for him to see. Beetee has made this set another pretty shade of blue to match the collar on my neck and the mouthguard now in my tent. My nails are covered because it'd been two weeks since I'd been around Prim to have them cut so they were sharp again.

"Doesn't it hurt you to bite these?"

"No. Beetee has put a sedative in them for me, right here" I drop my wrists so the cuff's center sits in his palm

It's fatter at the center with two matching holes on either side a soft orange, they glowed in the center.

"For when I feel myself losing control. After...I lost it at breakfast with you guys. He made me a new mouth guard too"

"I wouldn't call you attempting to air dirty laundry, losing it" Finnick chuckles handing me a sugar cube "It'll help wake you up a little"

One day I'd find out where he kept those stored.

"You weren't there...after. Totally lost my shit after I remembered some stuff about the Training Center. Johanna had to knock me out"

   ***

Haymitch interrupts at this. He'd come in after the fact but had never been told just what had set me off. He never pried. Always let me tell him things on my own time and the way I wanted. Another thing I genuinely love about my adopted father.

"What happened at breakfast? You never did tell me"

Peeta is shaking his head against the top of mine but he doesn't stiffen the way he did then. We've talked about this. Haymitch and I haven't. I take a deep breath and start in on that one. Might as well get some of the trackerjacker enhanced mutt version of me's memories out now before they threatened to smother me at the Capitol. Because I was going. I'll be damned if I spend that amount of time away from Peeta and they both knew it.

"I was cruel to everyone that day" I admit honestly shaking my head with shame "Most especially Peeta. I wanted him to hurt the way I was...even though I didn't understand it at the time. Still shattered beyond repair"

    ***

I was fucking starving and sick of waiting for Prim to go get some food. They'd finally actually had to adjust my food to meet my carnivorous needs and I was ravenous. I'd been allowed to walk around my room unrestrained and even get some sketching done this morning to test my motor reflexes further. They took my pencil immediately afterwards though. Prim was unusually late today, must have been put back in the rotation this week.

Yeah, screw this I'm starved.

I threw my pillow at the glass and demanded my shock collar so I could get some god damn food. It was still early hours so I was usually permitted to eat there with Prim because there were so few people there, already out for whatever work detail they were on that day.

Within 10 minutes two familiar soldiers came in. They knew better than to have my watch be men. They learned that lesson quick when I would tuck myself into places they could never hope to fit or reach. I'm much too wily and quick for their bulky bodies. These particular women were used to me and I liked that they didn't look at me like everyone else that was forced to watch me did. There was no pity in their eyes and they were genuine in trying to understand me.

The blonde was Flira. She didn't talk much but was the reason I'd been able to get my collars crafted by Beetee. She listened to me when I'd been a screaming lunatic those first couple weeks. It was clear I still trusted some people irrevocably. Beetee was on that very short list. Apparently Flira was a pretty high-ranking officer so she spent a bit of time with him for weaponry. Why she enjoyed spending time babysitting me was beyond my realm of reasoning. She'd attempted to put in a favor but he claimed I'd saved his life. Quite the opposite in fact, but I appreciated the sentiment all the same.

Now, since the last problems were my hands and teeth, a small jolt of electricity or a shot of morphling could stop that in a second. Much better than getting knocked unconscious with a baton again. I was grateful for them. They were pretty and functional without making me feel like the wild fox they'd wickedly dubbed me at the Training Center. Much thanks Beetee. A girls gotta have something pretty even if she was a monster mutt now.

In the red head Juni's hand was my collar and mouth guard.

Ok I hated the mouth guard. The way they'd strap me down to put it in always gave me flashbacks to my torment. It made me feel like less of a person to them too. Just some caged wild animal. I already had to wear the collar, was the muzzle fuckin necessary for breakfast?

I didn't realize I'd said this all aloud until they exchanged a bored glance between them before passing it back to a nurse who'd been nervously waiting at the door for me to be restrained. I shoot Juni a grateful smile and hold my hands out for my special restraints. My nails had been modified to always grow in a stiletto shape but Prim kept them rounded and short so I didn't have to wear the nail guards much. Today Juni leaves them off as she clips my adjustable restraints into place at my wrists.

Today's looking up! Gotta keep up the docile thing so it can stay that way. Lifting my chin obediently, I allow Flira to brush the hair from my neck as she secures the collar in place.

This one is a beautiful shade of blue that makes my head heart thinking about why I like it so much. Beeta making my restraints really makes me happy. They're personal, he cares that anything made for you is for you. I wish I could see how he was doing. Maybe if I behave today, I can ask? Pfft yeah right. He was important. I really wasn't.

I do hope I get to catch a glimpse of Johanna. I haven't gotten to talk to her in a while. I need to see her alright with my own eyes. Hopefully they were treating her right. I didn't want her caged and hurting like me. She'd had too much of it for my liking as it was. She was a bird that needed to be free in the trees, like Rue. They just flew through leaves as if they had wings, weightless and filled with sweet air. To think of her trapped in a white room like this, a two-way mirror for people to gawk and laugh at your misery. No, I wanted sun on her skin. It clicks that I have my bargaining chip. I have something I want from Coin now. Now we can negotiate.

"Ok, ok, ok I'm all cuffed up can we go? I'm starving!" I moan shaking my wrists back and forth as I bounce on the balls of my socked feet excitedly

"You have got to wear pants today." Flira sighs pinching the bridge of her nose as Juni takes the sedative shots from the nurse and shoos her skittish presence away. They always irritate her and this pleases me.

I'm not too keen on clothing but since I rarely get to leave my cage, it's not really that much of a problem. I wrinkle my nose but snatch up a pair of 13's ugly pants I'd shredded into shorts.

"No. Coin will kill you"

I snort and pull them up my legs, admiring how they make my fattening ass look.

"Not if she wants her precious mutt to cooperate" I sing throwing her an impish grin over my shoulder.

They roll their eyes at me but resign to let me stay shoeless and hurry me to the cafeteria, probably hoping we can get this over with quickly before their caught being so nice to me. I don't know why they risk it but I like that they were willing to get in trouble just to give me back some simple freedoms sometimes. Luckily for them it's practically empty but I don't really peruse the area. Not important right now. The smell of meat smacks me in the face making my mouth water instantly. Flashing my bracelet when the cook comes out, I practically drool at the meal he drops in front of me a minute later. 1 full turkey leg, a chicken thigh, and some beef soup that I can see vegetables floating in. My nose wrinkles at this. There's a cup of fruit that also makes me visibly gag.

Maybe I'll be able to convince Juni or Flirn to eat them? Food is too precious in 12 to waste but in 13 its practically a war crime. I wish they'd just stop giving them to me for a while. I take my cup and then seek out an empty table just happy to have my fill of meat.

Then I hear a booming, hearty laugh that makes my heart pound and my muscles constrict as if I'd been ensnared by a vicious anaconda. I know that laugh. Then, I see them.

It's the mutt sitting to the left of Katniss with Gale at her right. Finnick Odair is beside Gale, Annie tucked into his side, smiling adorably at whatever he's whispering in her ear. My eyes lock onto the cozy trio that Is the mutt, Katniss and Gale. His arm brushes hers occasionally as they speak to one another and I feel a thick disgusting jealousy welling in my throat that burns me to the core.

I don't know why I care so much but it pisses me off.

The bench of their table closest to me is full of heads I recognize too. Yulin on the end is sitting beside Delly, both District 12 residents. It's with a giddiness starting in my belly that fills me up with pure joy when I find exactly who I wanted to see beside Delly,

"Jojo!" I call out excitedly

Her head whips up as she drops the spoon in her hand, her growing curls make me grin as they bounce around her whipping face. It's Peeta who looks up first, seeing Johanna respond to a name that was most definitely not hers. When his eyes lock on mine I feel fear, hatred, jealousy and....longing well in my chest as his face frantically searches mine. It's Katniss' hand on his shoulder, trying to see what's got his attention that drives my feet forward. When Johanna turns around, I'm grinning wickedly down at her.

"I see they let you out your cage for once" she beams back

"For a little while. I can't sit without your permission though" I explain tilting my head behind me where I know Flirn and Juni will most definitely be hovering.

"Are those shorts?" she cackles

"No one was supposed to be here" I shrug, privately enjoying the way everyone's eyes roam up my exposed thighs, littered with fading bruises and wounds from my imprisonment.

I like that I can feel all of their terrified and confused eyes on us while we pay them no mind. All these scars? I earned every single one of them to protect all of their precious people. So... Fuck them.

Everyone else was all the things in this moment that I'd been for over 6 months.

Irrelevant. Discardable.

"Sit. Sit" Johanna pats the seat excitably and I plop down happily.

Flirn and Juni relax and give me a nice berth of space. I've talked to them a bit about my imprisonment time with Johanna. They know she can subdue me, if necessary and that I would welcome her over anyone else knocking me senseless. Or Primrose. But she's not available today.

I sweep my eyes up the table where Annie sits, openly staring at me with those wide jade green eyes, that seemed much clearer today. Good. She's finding her way with Finnick as her sound minded compass.

"Hey lil red" I grin, pleased to see her still unharmed. "You're lookin good"

"I am. Thank you for that. How are you?", she nods softly with a smile

This startles everyone at the table as they look back and forth between us.

"Meh so so. Best place I've been strapped down in thus far though" I laugh

Johanna snickers beside me and I'm pleased to see she's reaching for my fruit cup. After she dumps it into hers, I bump my forehead to her temple in thanks. She knocks back and I smile to myself. Jo knows I can't stand the sight of vegetables right now and she needs the fattening up anyway.

When I look up and a little to my right it's to lock eyes with Peeta. I'd wanted him to feel like I didn't care he was in close enough range to wring my neck with those big old paws of his or that I was truly terrified of him. I didn't want him to know that seeing him cuddled up with this girl made me want to rip my heart out and throw it at his feet.

I'm angry and I shouldn't be. I don't like this boy. Right? I don't want him. Right?

RIGHT?!

I look back at my food and pull another large hunk of meat of my turkey leg up with my nails, (I hate silverware) and can feel everyone's eyes on me, but it only makes me angrier. They want a show I'll fucking give them one.

"That's a lot of meat" Delly inserts quirking her brow at me inquisitively.

"Gotta catch up. They didn't exactly give us much to snack on when they were shocking our wet bodies with cattle prods" I explain in a bored tone as Johanna snorts next to me.

Annie flinches at the end of the table but I don't pay it any mind. She was fine. Safe and unharmed. I took great lengths and many an unwelcome touch to see to that. You're fuckin welcome Odair.

"But why meat?"

"All they gave me were vegetables the entire time I was there. The only protein was an egg a week. I need more protein than most" I explain to her genuine curiosity, seeing no harm in being nice to this doe eyed girl who honestly meant me none.

"Why?" Gales asks curiously, his stormy dark grey eyes looking me over like a science experiment

For fucks sake I'm wearing a collar. Does it need more explanation? I quirk a brow at him and pull my top lip back from my left canine since it was closest to his range of vision, fattening it a bit before tapping it twice. I hear everyone's gasps of surprise seeing I can change their size at will but I don't speak on it further. It's the only explanation I care to offer at the moment. I can feel them burning with questions but they dare not ask.

I dip my meat in the soup, making a spectacle of it as they all continue to watch me. A strange sideshow to their normally quaint mornings being all coupled up and fucking happy. Picture perfect fuckin families. Something that mind fucked little ole me wasn't supposed to live to see.

"So" I start, wanting to wound them the way they were me

My eyes sweep up to hold the mutt in my gaze, he's spell bound as I suck the soaked meat from my fingers and between my lips with a loud pop. I lick and suck the juices from my lips torturously slow and see that I have the rapt attention of every male at the table. Hmmm. Interesting. Even as a wild animal I was still desirable to them. Funny.

I rip off another large piece of meat and repeat this process. I hadn't had this much meat in so long. I was doing it just as much for them as I was for me.

"I see that you three figured out the poly dynamic to your re-lation-ship" I grin wickedly gesturing the meat between Gale, Katniss and Peeta before slurping it between my lips again, making sure to draw out the 'ship' when I pop my lips playfully.

As Katniss goes red in the face, sputtering for a response I lock my eyes with Peeta again, who looks as if I'd slapped him and he was trying to decide whether to hit me back. My fingers twitch as I try to control myself. I want to lunge for him before he can me but I decide to push further. Johanna snorts next to me trying to hide her amusement at my unhinged behavior. I bring what's remaining of the turkey leg up to my mouth to show them something I'd learned I could do with this new set of teeth and jaws the Capitol forced on me after my first games.

"So, Katniss" I hiss her name like a vicious snake. "Which ones better in the sack?"

Delly squeaks something about privacy and misunderstandings but I'm not looking at her. I'm looking right at Peeta, who's eyes have hardened. He genuinely looks wounded. Good. I hope she says Gale.

"Cuz if memory serves me right Mellark, you're quite a fun ride. And taste just. Like. Honey" I purr

Before he can retort I stick the entire leg in my mouth, clamp my teeth down and suck hard, my cheeks dipping so you can see my tongue hitting them as I swirl it around the leg. I pull it out painfully slowly and everyone's eyes widen. I've stripped it of every shred of meat on it, the tip of the bone leaving my full lips with a loud pop as I look him dead in his eyes and swallow. No need to chew if I don't want to honestly. I pop my lips with satisfaction and suck on the tip of the bone. Katniss looks like she'd love nothing more than to drive her fork through my face and I use this as satisfying fuel for my rage.

Serves you right. I volunteered for you and kept your precious mutt safe because he's so fuckin in love with you.

"I bet it's Gale and he's aggressive" Johanna whispers lowly in my ear so no one but me can hear

"How about it pretty boy? Is it you? I bet you're pretty demanding though" I tilt my head as I suck on the tip of my bone thoughtfully, rolling my tongue over the cartilage remaining at the tips. Gale's eyes are still on my lips and I taunt him further, beginning to suck it thoughtfully. "Hmmm might just need to test it out myself. Not like you were ever shy about handing out those kisses of yours back in 12 though, were ya?"

Gale flushes as many of the eyes at the table now sweep up to him.

"My bad about kickin you in the sack last time you tried though. I won't do that if you try to kiss me again" I purr dropping my bone and tipping my soup up to my lips, taking a sip. I drop it immediately when I smell carrots at my nose my entire taunting game discarded until I get them away from me.

I rapidly scoop them out into the empty fruit cup I had and hurriedly drop them on Johanna's plate. She dumps them in her soup happily, still watching our exchange.

I'm just getting fucking started.

"I mean. You obviously don't mind sharing?" I flick my eyes to Katniss and back again to Gale

"What makes you think you and Peeta have?" she sneers trying and succeeding to wound me, though I'll never let her know that.

I smirk, my canines on full display and this makes her pull herself back an inch or so protectively. I take a bite out of my chicken thigh and lick my fingers as if her question bores me. Just as I move to say what I want, Prim sits beside Peeta, who now has to slide directly in front of me.

I can't avoid his deep honey gaze any longer and I feel my veins thrum in warning. I don't want to be malicious with Primrose here. But now I feel I've gone to a point where I need to see this through. I genuinely need these answers for some psychotic reason. My foot rests between both of Peeta's under the table and a horrid idea comes to mind.

Let's see if I'm provoked.

With a tap to my temple, I simper at Peeta, biting my lip while gazing at him longingly beneath the lashes of my hooded eyes, feigning a desire that I genuinely felt licking the back of my consciousness.

"Hijacked or not, I've got quite a few nights on the train up here. And hmmmm...If memory serves, Mellark's fuckin hung" I sigh dreamily

He's about to get up, something in his expression tickles a memory of his mannerisms. I see it in the set of his jaw and the sadness in the tightening of his eyes. I stop him cold with my next action. My socked foot is now on his groin. I'd noticed he'd anxiously scooted to the edge of his seat while he'd watched me eat, his hands now palming the table with veins popping across the surface. His body is frozen solid. Good.

"And very, very vocal. Though not very nice in what he's saying" I sigh rubbing my foot tenderly against him back and forth, feeling a sense of triumph when he grows beneath my ministrations. This sickens me that I revel in his heat being directed at me this way. "Likes to let you take control so he can watch you too"

Desire sparks within me at his expressions. This mutt who wants me dead. The hell is wrong with me?

Katniss hisses and stomps away from the table, fed up with my shit.

"Then again" I sigh with fervor sweeping my eyes down to Finnick, who is watching me with something akin to utter disbelief but...humor rests on his lips "I do believe you owe me Annie"

Her head snaps to me and now Finnick is really lost.

"I bet you're the best at this table Odair. And seeing as how your pretty little wife does owe me my pound of flesh..." I moan the end of my sentence, just to goad them too.

I'm lashing out at everyone now.

I find Peeta's tip and squeeze, wrapping my toes around it, feeling his hips shift as he tries to control his reaction. I like this. Why? His plump lips part as he pants lowly, his hands are under the table on his thighs now. He could move my foot easily if he wanted but he doesn't recoil from my touch or move to toss my foot away.

This confuses me. I feel a crack in my mind but I don't have time to focus on that.

"What do you mean?" Finnick asks

"Oh, you didn't know?" Johanna pipes in always happy to traumatize people with Our 'Torture Tales' as we liked to call them. "She convinced them in less than a day that Annie would be of no use to them. Everything they wanted to do and try on Annie, she got them to take it out on her instead. The head Peacekeeper there had a thing for redheads but, she mind-fucked him into touching her instead"

Peeta flinches under my ministrations, I'd increased the pressure while he was staring at my face intently. But I don't want to see the disgust I know will be on his. I know I'm sullied beyond reproach, ok? Now both of my feet are on him but his trembling hands have moved to the tabletop again. Why didn't he just move my feet? And why was I happy he couldn't seem to?

"Is that true?" Prim asks me with sad blue eyes

"Mhhhmmm. So, I think I dare, Mr.Odair. It would seem I've got a thing for hot blondes hopelessly in love with someone else" I sing locking eyes with him, happy that these memories don't come back as easily as I spit them out. "We're used to it right? The Capitol just using our bodies how they want to? At least I'd be fun. You wouldn't believe the things I learned my body could do in there"

Peeta has had enough. So have the Odairs. And Johanna. Her hand is like a vice grip on my thigh, warning me to calm down. I didn't want to hurt Annie but I felt rabid and couldn't bring myself to care. I'd taken more than enough lashings for her; she could take one emotional for me.

Peeta's still hard beneath me but his hands slam on the table and I flinch backwards with my eyes on them. Now I'm the one frozen in place. They might as well be sledgehammers in my rattled mind. My own begin to tremble as I grab Johanna's hand in fear beneath the table. Ok maybe too far? He stands and his wounded eyes are hard as they hold me trapped in fear and something else.

"I don't know what you think happened on the train but that wasn't it", he hisses before retreating from the table.

He's a liar. He's definitely fucking hung. There's no way they'd just know that. Right? Or would I just know that?

No. The games. He had to have washed. Right?

Ugh. My head is spinning.

It's quiet for a little while after the Odair's, Gale and Peeta leave. I realize Prim has been watching me with the eyes of a doctor who wants to ask me things but not in front of people who don't have my confidence. Delly takes the hint and removes herself quickly. For some reason unknown to me, she touches my shoulder and gives a soft squeeze before leaving, knowing that touching me was not permitted. It was reassuring she cared enough to risk it.

Yulin finishes his food than comes to sit beside me for a minute. We were actually pretty close before I went into the games so I was happy to see he made it out. Friendship wasn't something that came easily to me. When his blue eyes hold mine, I realize he has something he wants to say without upsetting me.

"What?" I sigh ready for a lecture

"Look...I'm still friends with Peeta too. I know you don't like him right now but, don't just assume things. He's never...been with anyone before. I don't know what they did to your memories but he's never had sex" he sighs standing to go and fleeing the room quickly.

This only makes me angrier and I'm struggling to hold onto my reason.

I didn't need my heart to leap the way it did at the admission and breaking of Peeta's trust to give it to me. My head hurts.

"Why did you do that?" Prim asks amicably

"I-I don't know. I was so pissed off" I hiss gnawing at my chicken, no longer able to taste it but needing something to do before I splintered into a million pieces.

"About?"

"I can't explain it"

And I don't want to.

"Try" Johanna urges me threading her fingers through mine and squeezing twice, just like we did when we were imprisoned together. My little boost of dopamine in a world full of trackerjacker venom.

"I went through all this for him to have the life he wanted but I hated seeing it. But I hate him. Right? It's all so splintered" I sigh rubbing my temples now "I'm terrified of him. I just have this irrational fear but I wanted to touch him too. Fuck. I'm super fucked in the head. I want him dead. He wants me dead. Right? But I want his hands on me too? How could the train have been unreal? It's so clear. Bright. So bright"

"What about the train?" Prim tries knowing that trying convince me he didn't want me dead was a moot point.

"He and I... we would" I sigh, not wanting to express this to a 13-year-old, but she was the only doctor I trusted right now.

"You have memories of intimacy?"

"Sometimes" I huff as my body begins to shudder

"Only one time isn't super shiny like that but...we didn't..."

"This sounds juicy, tell me" Johanna hums leaning forward and resting her chin on her hands as she grins mischievously at me.

We'd always make one another laugh in some morbid fashion when we were imprisoned together and one of us was on the brink. I could have never endured all that I did without her.

"I didn't sleep well without him after the games...so, I never did" I sigh pulling my hands from my temples and holding Prim's clear blue eyes, drowning in their clarity

"And?"

"One night, I remember waking up to his lips on my cheek. I'd been crying out for him. I... I think I did that a lot. He curled up with me. Held me. He smelled different than the Peeta in the bright version.... like honey. Cinnamon"

"Like the bakery"

"Yes. Bread. Fresh bread"

This scares me. I'm getting too many at one time. Prim urges me on encouragingly.

"I wanted him to do more than hold me but I know it's not right to"

"Did he?" Johanna whispers conspiratorially as her pretty green eyes widened dramatically

"He's gotten...bigger than he was in the videos I remember. But he was always bigger than me. I wanted him to kiss me. I don't know why. He didn't love me. The cameras were gone. What did I want?" I grumble as my eyes dart back and forth across the table

"Oh my god bitch, did he kiss you or not?" Johanna whines

"Yes" I sigh as I feel my body clenching in a way that feels very familiar

"Keep going" Johanna purrs wiggling her shoulders

"He was on top of me. His tank tops always got swallowed by his muscles and his hands were" I stare down at mine "He always held my hands. He did it than too. His kiss was so passionate and he was everywhere" I whisper rubbing my temples again

I don't like that I can feel the heat of his body encompassing me or the tenderness in his kiss. This bothers me. Fuckin mutt. 

So desperate to have a piece of him, that I just let him take out his frustrations for Katniss with me. Telling me how pretty she was as he thrust into me so roughly. That was the truth. That's what happened. Right?

"He's got some big ass hands" Johanna observes

"But gentle in this one. I remember his hands on my ribs, my hips, his lips tasted like hot chocolate. He always...had some before bed on the train. I think?"

"That's really good, keep going" Prim presses

I don't want to. I can feel the golden haze trying to overtake this memory too. I tell her so.

"Why?"

"I hear things he's saying but it doesn't really sound like him. Like a track over the real words that don't quite match up to his lips."

"Listen to both. Figure out which one makes sense" Prim encourages

"He’s telling me that it's easy to forget Katniss with me because I had grey eyes and dark hair like her. These kisses are rougher though. He's tugging and pushing at me. He's rough and won't really look me in the eyes. They're off somehow but it's his voice. His body. It doesn't feel good for me but he likes it so I shut up like he says. His hands are on my wrists. Not in mine"

"What's the darker one saying?"

"He's calling me pretty. Sweet names. Whispering in my ear. He's holding my hands this time" I blush wanting to drop the topic now

It didn't make sense.

"Did you fuck in this one too? I like this one better" Johanna whispers practically in my lap now

"No. I... I touched him. He touched me, a little. That was it"

"Oh no, how much touching? Don't hold out on me now. I hate to read and this is a juicy story" Johanna whines as she shakes me

Maybe I'd make better progress with Johanna around when it came to my real memories? She made them easier to remember and fun even through the confusion and pain.

"Jojo maybe later" I hiss ignoring the creeping headache

Prim was still only 13 and it bothers me that she knows this much already.

"I don't mind" Prim laughs

"I do"

"Just keep going"

"I was determined not to, no matter how badly I wanted to. So, I asked to touch him instead"

His lips are on mine and the sounds that rumble in his wide barrel chest make me wet. He's so vocal as he showers me with praise between suckling at my tongue and lips. It makes my muscles clench in ways that set me ignites fire in my veins. I don't know how but he knows exactly how to suck on my tongue to make me weak. It's as if he has a roadmap to every sensitive part of me. He whimpers my name against my lips when my nails rake down his chest with desire. His lips leave mine as he throws his head back with a groan, hurriedly pulling the shirt over his head.

"Peeta" I whisper

His eyes meet mine, just holding them for a moment before he dips his head and gives me a tender kiss. His hands are on my ribs as he caresses my sides.

"Can I touch you Peeta?" I whisper into the night, my back bowing when his fingertips graze the underside of my breasts.

His eyes widen but he nods, his curls falling into his eyes as he tried to steady his breath. I want to see him come undone so I pull him down to me with my left arm around his neck and my right hand sliding through his golden happy trail. When his skin touches mine, I lay on my side, pulling him down so that he lay on his facing me. I could see him struggling not to flex his hips up into my descending fingers because his eyes never leave mine. He whispers how pretty I am as he pants against my lips, his voice unsteady and a low hum. I blush and kiss him to shut him up before I lose my nerve. As my fingers pass through the patch of curls, I wonder if they match the dirty blonde on his head. This becomes a fleeting thought when his length twitches against the side of my palm. I grab him gently at first, curious of his reactions to every touch and caress. He's pulsing in my hand as I explore his shaft in my hands. Peeta has no problem telling me exactly how he feels and I find that I really like that.

"Shit!" I hiss slamming my forehead down on the table before I feel Johanna's restraining arms wrapped around my shoulders to keep me upright

No. Mutt. Mutt. Enemy. He's going to destroy everything. But of course, me first. This isn't real. He'd never look at me that way. Never touch me so tenderly. He'd told me so.

He hated me for this fake relationship but I felt good wrapped around him so it was alright sometimes. His hands go to my throat when I ask him to slow down. He's hurting me. I go quiet but he's not finished yet. That was the real Peeta. Right?

RIGHT!?

My hand locks around Johanna's thigh in a grip that I know will leave a bruise. I'll apologize later. She doesn't flinch or move away; in fact, she moves closer so I can whisper in her ear.

"Se...date" I grit between pants

"Prim" she warns lowly trying not to alert my guards who've noticed the loud bang

Prim's hand is already on the remote. I feel the prick in my neck and I slump against Johanna's side with exhaustion. My doses are higher when I'm supposed to be around others. I want to sleep. But I can't. Not with these memories waging war in my brain.

"What the fuck? It was getting good!" Johanna hisses with mock irritation

I can't help the laugh that I choke out.

"Too good. I started to remember...the Training Center when I pull that one back up"

"Which part?" she snorts

"Mean Peeta" I whimper shrinking into her side feeling like a stupid child "Cliff too"

"Hey..." she calls lowly in a soft tone I've realized she only uses for me

I tilt my head up to hers with as much strength as I can muster, unashamed to show her my shiny eyes.

"Unless he's a quick pumper, which isn't exactly far off" she starts which makes me laugh brokenly "There's no way he actually got to you, y'know? Snow promised you to him after the interview. You fucked that up warning Peeta about the attack on 13. After Snow knocked you out, they brought you back in not ten minutes later. We were rescued a half a day later. They were on the frontlines. No one came to fuck with us in that time. I stayed up the whole time. I watched you the whole time."

"You broke your promise?"

"If you thought I really wasn't gonna need to look at your crazy ass when they brought you back, you're stupid. I know what Cliff does to the women POWs. I had to make sure you were breathing. They left you strapped down in front of my cell just like you said they would. When the grid dropped after they got bombed, I even managed to pull you into my cell before the power came on. I swear”

"It was cold"

"They took your clothes. They knew how much you love the things Cinna makes. And to make me think that you had been given to Cliff for a little while before they shipped out. I'm not dumb though. He likes to slice and beat a girl up before he can get his rocks off. You weren't bruised enough. Looked like they just beat you pretty good for the warning"

"You're lying" I begin to sob

"To you? For what? Your minds fucked enough as it is. I'd like no hand in that shit" she laughs and I join in, wrapping arms around her slowly filling out stomach

"Thanks for staying with me. I wouldn't have made it without you" I sigh sleepily, fighting my drooping lids

"Don't I know it" she smirks down at me, knocking her forehead against mine "Good. Your old man's here. Gonna need him to cart you off to bed. That meat's making you chunky"

"Good" I snicker

Prim has waves over Haymitch, who was looking for an excuse to ditch his next meeting anyway, asking him to carry me back to my room. More like my zoo exhibit cage. Johanna helps me turn on the seat, loosely wrapping my arms around his neck and back as he carries me piggyback to my room.

"Nice bruise on the forehead there darlin" he laughs around a lollipop.

A new guilty pleasure of his that helps distract him from the no alcohol rule down here. That rule definitely fuckin bites. I'd love a good drink right now.

"Had to hit something" I shrug with a yawn

"I take it you saw Peeta"

"I don't want to talk about it. My head hurts. Maybe later. I just have to sort it all out for a while first"

He hums but says nothing further as he waves his band in front of my cage to open the door. Once he sets me on the bed, he helps turn my body so I'm lying back against the pillows.

"Go ahead. I know they want you to strap me down"

"And since when have I given a shit about what other people want me to do?" he asks with a quirked brow

"True"

I roll onto my side and watch him as he sits in the chair beside the bed. It's usually occupied by the moron of a head doctor here.

"Can you stay with me until I fall asleep?"

"Of course"

I snuggle further into my blanket and just watch his chest rise and fall as he pulls a book out of his jacket and begins to read to himself.

"I'm fucked, aren't I?"

"Aren't we all?"

"You know what I mean"

"Do I?"

"My mind. There's no real helping this level of psychosis is there?"

"And what level is that?"

I hated when he answered my questions with questions like this.

"To see someone as a monster...but still want those same hands on you. No matter how terrified you are of the fact that you know they're meant to kill you. You want them anyway. Knowing it means your death. To find comfort in the arms of death?"

"Is that the crossroad you're at right now?"

"Yeah. I don't feel safe anymore. I don't know if I ever have, outside of the fractured memories that tell me I did with him. They hurt. It all hurts. What am I even still here for?"

We're quiet for a while before I begin to sob. I bawl so hard my bed rocks violently beneath me, my body releasing what I hadn't been able to in the last 6 months.

"I wish they'd killed me" I cry finally admitting to Haymitch the one thing I hadn't been able to admit to myself aloud "I can't live like this. Broken and fractured beyond repair! No one deserves to live as a shell. A ghost. A monster mutt terrified of other mutts!"

He doesn't say a word but his arms are around me in seconds, scooping me up, pulling me into the armchair so I'm sitting sideways in his lap. My sobs have only gotten harder and I'm barely breathing through them.

"That is not what you are! Do you hear me? You feel this way because you know that's not who you are! You feel her fighting, clawing desperately to get out from beneath the rubble of fucked up things that the Capitol dropped on you" Haymitch rumbles giving me a reassuring squeeze. "How about this? Everyone always wants you to pull your memories. How about we listen to some of my more sober ones of who you really are?"

"Yeah" I nod with a sniffle

So, he begins his tales. The more he talks the deeper I fall into the dream of living this girl's life as he describes her. The fire. The passion. Quickest to throw myself into the flames if it meant keeping those I claimed never to care for, away from harm. Alone since 8 but surviving on my own since 10. Preferring to keep to the woods, when possible, never was one to enjoy wearing pants. She didn't sound very nice but she was kind, passionate and strong.

I dreamt of her. In a field of dandelions, singing to the mockingjays above her head. The only times she ever felt free as a child.

***

"Ah. I always wondered what had happened" Haymitch nods before smirking at me

"That was not one of my finest moments" I scoff

"Sounded like one to me. You felt things you weren't ready to and tackled it head on anyway. Albeit, aggressively as hell but, you did it. Now, teasing the boys while you made your point? Stroke of genius" Haymitch chuckles

"I didn't even mean what I was saying. Like, Finn's cute and all, but in that annoying big brother kind of way. It's why I needed to apologize. I was trying to hurt everyone because I was hurting and couldn't figure out how to deal with it at the time. Nothing I was feeling made sense and it terrified me. It wasn't fair but I did it. It's why I had to say sorry"

"I can respect that"

"Finn's cute?" Peeta repeats above my head having apparently only heard that part of my spiel.

I shrink into his chest a little and nudge his chin up with the top of my head. Trackerjacker me tended to lean on Finnick a lot so we bonded quickly. I'd spent a lot of time with him. He was always nice to me even when I was losing my marbles. Even when I'd tried to kill Peeta again in the Capitol, he was soft in his tone and gentle in his handling of me even when I didn't know who or where I was. Used to it I suppose.

I later learned that it always stroked the beast of jealousy's back within Peeta back then.

"And Peeta is drippin wet, panty droppa, smoking hot”  I grin over at Haymitch knowing that Peeta is bright red above me.

He coughs and Haymitch hands me another clear liquor bottle to sip from.

"Finish about when you joined the squad at the Capitol" Peeta chokes

I try to ignore that he's dipped his chin so his lips are beside my neck and his left hand has released mine to trail back and forth across my waist line. I launch back into the memory before his hands distract me with hunger.

[thorsenmark]

Taking One Day at a Time in Coconino National Forest... by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: While along the Devil's Bridge Trail in Coconino National Forest. The view is looking to the south with trees and distant cliff face of Capitol Butte towering above. I later worked with control points in DxO PhotoLab 4 and then made some adjustments to bring out the contrast, saturation and brightness I wanted for the final image.

[moowithmidnight]

Hey do you have any random cashmere hcs (can be anything in particular?)

Random anon, this is the best question anyone’s ever asked me :,) 

Keep in mind this is a pretty new hyperfixation so I haven’t had a TON of time to fully flesh these out!

CW: light mentions of canon-typical sex-trafficking

Cashmere Headcanons:

Cashmere was extremely overconfident and cocky after Gloss’s win, and would constantly talk to anyone who would listen about how proud she was of her brother. Everyone at the Academy was sick and tired of her by the time she volunteered, and she just couldn’t care less.

She fell very hard for the propaganda, and fully believed in the glory of the Games before she became a Victor. As a result, she was very one-track minded about her goals: win the Games, bring honor to District 1, love the life of a Victor. I think when that illusion was shattered for her she took it extremely personally, and sort of internalized that lesson.

She was 16 when she volunteered for the Games. Originally she intended on waiting until 18, but after Gloss’s win, she wanted to volunteer as soon as she could. She didn’t understand why he tried to vaguely discourage it, and took it as a lack of faith in her abilities.

She sort of took Finnick under her wing until he became something closer to a friend, and as a result, he is the Victor she is the closest to. They both have a lot in common, and he knows a lot more about her than anyone else (excluding Gloss).

She’s bisexual. There’s quite literally no canon reason for me to believe that other than it feels right. Bisexual vibes are there.

She’s very intelligent. It’s a semi-popular headcanon that she’s a sort of bimbo, but I find that characterization extremely insulting. She rebels against the Capitol the same way the other 75th Tributes do, and I would argue she plays a majorly under-appreciated role in Catching Fire. District 2 is extremely loyal to the Capitol, even more then 1; Brutus and Enobaria weren’t going to try to stop the Games. If she hadn’t started fake crying to garner the audience’s sympathy from the jump, they would have taken the rest of the attempts a lot less seriously.

Despite not believing most of the propaganda District 1 and the Capitol sold her, she still holds a certain level of disdain for the outer districts.

Her and Johanna butt heads a lot because of their shared proximity to Finnick and blatant dislike of each other. Cashmere views her win as a cheap tactic (although admires her manipulation skills) and dislikes how loud and directly defiant she is.

She and Gloss had an extremely close relationship throughout their childhoods, and anything he did, she wanted to do too. They always relied on each other and their parents were fairly neglectful, so Gloss ended up caring for her a lot of the time. However, that relationship became extremely rocky after Gloss won his games, then her, and then Snow started selling them. By the 3rd Quarter Quell, their relationship wasn’t the same level of closeness as before, but it was decently repaired, and they felt they could rely on each other again.

She has a cat. A really prim and proper Siamese cat, with a completely opposite playful personality that she hadn’t originally accounted for. The cat was one of the first things she bought with her Victor money, and she refused to give it away when Gloss offered her a calmer one.

Even amongst District 1 citizens, she is an extremely convincing actress and liar. She knows how to manipulate the Capitol in just the right way to get what she wants, and it causes a level of distrust between her and many of the other non-District 1 Victors.

These are just a few of them! Thank you again for the ask 🫶

[lovelyladyabsinthewrites]

A Mouse in a Lion’s Den Pt.15

A Mouse in a Lion’s Den Pt.15

Pairing(s): Rhaegar Targaryen x Lannister!Reader, onesided!Jaime Lannister x Lannister!Reader

Warnings:none

Words:3221

Summary:Rhaegar has fled the capitol.

Part 1  Part 2  Part 3  Part 4  Part 5  Part 6  Part 7  Part 8  Part 9  Part 10  Part 11  Part 12  Part 13  Part 14  Part 16  Part 17  Part 18

Book One of Heir of Ash and Fire

Warm. Her forehead was too warm. It nearly burned Thalina’s hand when she went to check (y/n)’s temperature. It had been three days since Prince Rhaegar had fled the Red Keep. Three days and (y/n) was still hanging in there. It gave Thalina hope that she would wake up. Yet it was hard to be hopeful looking at her charge now. (y/n) hadn’t eaten anything in days and even when Thalina would try to get water past her lips, nothing would enter. The fullness of (y/n)’s face was disappearing, her skin becoming so thin that it showed off the skeletal features of her face.

The maesters kept saying any day now (y/n) would leave this world. That by some miracle she was still holding on. Whoever had poisoned her had still not been captured or even identified. King Aerys didn’t want to spare any of his guards to look for them while they could be in the Red Keep protecting him from the assassin. Although from the whispers that Thalina caught in the halls, many claimed that the assassin was actually Aerys himself. Or rather someone he had hired. It wouldn’t have been to difficult to poison anyone considering his status. No one would dare to question or accuse him.

Tired as she may be, Thalina pulls up her regular chair next to (y/n)’s bedside and makes herself comfortable. Her eyes burned from lack of sleep but she couldn’t leave her lady unattended.

She almost didn’t catch the gentle murmuring coming from (y/n). The room had been so quiet that any little sound seemed louder. Thalina lifts her weary eyes back up, waiting with bated breath and watching (y/n). She could’ve sworn she heard her say something.

“My lady?” She inches closer. “What is it my lady?”

A subtle twitch of (y/n)’s index finger had Thalina smiling and standing from her chair. Small movements of (y/n)’s mouth as she tried to speak in her coma. That was all Thalina needed to go call upon the maesters. Surely that had to be a good sign.

*

“No, no, no.” What fresh hell were you in now?

You covered your eyes when you catch sight of the lion’s cage that lay below Casterly Rock. Where had the dragon skulls gone? All you had been left was the sword engulfed in fire.

Coming from the dark depths of the cage were soft growls. Soft growls that had your heart hammering in your chest. You had heard them before. Right after Cersei had pushed you in. You hadn’t made matters any better by screaming and banging on the cage door.

Phantom pains ached at your back.

“Open your eyes.”

“I don’t want to. They’re going to attack me again. Just like last time.” Panicking, you scoot your butt away from the mouth of the cage. Something stops you though.

“No. Stop running away. Grab that sword and go in there. The sooner you do, the sooner you’ll wake up.”

Finally you open your eyes and look up once again at the young woman in armor. She kicked the flaming sword closer to you. “I can’t though. They’ll kill me.”

The Warrior laughs. “Kill you? Have you forgotten what you are?”

Cersei always said you were a mouse. As if reading your mind, the Warrior narrows her (e/c) eyes and kneels down. “No. You’re not a mouse. You’re not even a lion. You’re a dragon now. And dragons eat whatever they want. Including lions. So take that sword and go in there. Rhaegar needs you.”

Why did she looks so familiar? “Rhaegar?”

“Yes. He’ll need your help in the wars to come.” Her voice grows softer. “He can’t win without you. Without you, all of Westeros is lost.”

The growling of the lions grew louder. Hands trembling your fingers inch toward the hilt of the sword. You half expected it to burn you, but all you felt was a comforting warmth.

You didn’t understand her words. What you did understand was that Rhaegar was potentially in trouble. And if what she was saying held true, that he desperately needed your help.

“I’m scared.” You admit.

“I know. It’s okay to be scared.” The Warrior whispers as she stands aside. In the darkness you see bright gleaming eyes. “Remember what mother said to us.”

“You’ll be okay, my love.” Joanna’s words echoed in reply.

Inhaling a shaky breath you force your fingers to curl around the hilt with conviction. The sword lifts off the ground as you do; the flame of it making a path for you into the cage. You had never held a sword in your life. Cersei had though when she would pretend to be Jaime. She knew the art of sword fighting. She was beautiful and-

“You’re not Cersei.” the Warrior hisses. “You are leagues better than her. Best to get that through your head. Rhaegar chose you. You were the one born under bleeding stars.”

Bleeding stars? Hardly anyone spoke of your birth but never had you heard that you had been born underneath bleeding stars. You give the Warrior a skeptical glance before facing the cage once more.

“Rhaegar needs me.” You breathe out. The flame of the sword grows brighter with each step you take. “Rhaegar needs me.”

*

The first thing you see when you awake is a startled Thalina. Your hand ached as it was clenched tightly into a fist. A fist that had been holding a sword yet now there was nothing. Suddenly a wave of weariness washes over you and you’ve become all too aware of the pain in your belly and a dryness in your mouth.

“My lady!” Thalina sobs loudly and throws herself over your legs.

Your throat is too dry to speak so you’re forced to sit there and listen to her cry. After a great deal of crying, Thalina runs to the door and screams for the maesters. Screams that the princess has woken up.

Trying to sit up, you grow light headed and forced to lay back down while a stream of older men in robes swarm in.

“Incredible!” One exhales in astonishment.

Cold hands check your burning forehead as another maester checks your wrists and your throat.

In a raw, scratchy voice you ask Thalina “Where’s Rhaegar?”

*

“Awake?” Jaime breathes a sigh of relief, every muscle in his body relaxing at the news. He had to quickly compose himself though as Aerys threw aside his wine glass. “She’s awake? Good. Let the news spread and make sure there are guards outside of her room. She’s a prisoner now on behalf of her husband’s tyranny.”

“Surely she doesn’t need too much guarding.” Varys tries to coerce him. “She’s still very sickly, Your Grace. Barely woke up but a few moments ago. She’s weakened from the poison and even more so since she lost her child.”

“You underestimate a Lannister.” Aerys scowls at his Master of Whispers. Wild pinpoint eyes shoot a withering glare in Jaime’s direction. “Even one who seems as feeble and meek as (y/n). She’s of the same stock. The same wretchedness as her father. I can’t have her meeting up with Rhaegar. We need to lure Rhaegar back here so that justice can be served to him. It’s about high time that Rhaegar be brought down.”

Jaime keeps his face numb and void of any sort of reaction even at the things he was hearing. Even Ser Gerold Hightower, the Commander of the King’s Guard, watched Jaime. There’s small murmurs in the King’s Council. Uncertain ones that were spoken in such a quiet tone as to not gain Aerys’ wrath. No one wanted to die by wildfire. It was a death that no one deserved yet all knew if Rhaegar were to return to the Keep, that would be his fate. Regardless if he were the next in line. Aerys had another son whom he favored more. With Aerys’ constant suspicions though he had sent young Viserys to Dragonstone to stay with Rhaella as the queen awaited the birth of a third child.

Varys slyly glances at Jaime before nodding and giving a small bow to his king. “As you wish, Your Grace. Maester Pycelle, how long will her recovery be?”

The Grand Maester strokes his snow white beard in thought. “It’s gonna be quite a while until the young lady is even able to find strength again. The poison did a lot of damage to her internal organs.”

“But she will live?”

“It seems so. She’s defied all the odds.”

“Let her defeat no more odds.” the Mad King waves his hand. “Ser Gerold, post as many guards as you can spare. Let entrance to her room be restricted.”

“Yes, Your Grace.” Ser Gerold bows and leaves the room, nudging Jaime to follow him.

Reluctantly, Jaime leaves the Council Room to follow his commander. Silent and brooding the entire time. Aerys was treating his little sister like some kind of criminal. Not (y/n). She was innocent in all of this. Rhaegar had abandoned her as she lay dying. Whatever Aerys’ qualm was with Rhaegar had nothing to do with (y/n).

“Get a hold of yourself Jaime.” the older knight warns. “Your loyalties aren’t to your family anymore. It’s to your king.”

“But (y/n) is princess, Rhaegar’s future queen. I’m sworn to protect the members of the royal family.”

Gerold corrects him quickly. “You’re sworn to protect the king above all. Don’t let your feelings get the best of you. I don’t want to see you anywhere near Lady (y/n)’s chambers. Is that understood?”

Surely his back teeth would crack by the amount of pressure that was being put on them. The only thing keeping Jaime’s tempers in check was clenching his jaw. “Yes.” Ser Gerold’s glare bore deep into Jaime, trying to find any hint of a lie. He squinted his eyes before he shook his head and stomped away.

Jaime stood there for a moment. The muffled voices in the council room behind him being the only noise in the corridor.

Why was this world full of oaths and duties?

Tywin had always told his children that family was the most important thing and that no matter what, family came above all other things. He may have not been the best father, but at least those words rang true.

Jaime would always be loyal to his family when it came down to it. He would always be loyal to (y/n). Even if she wasn’t speaking with him, she was still his sister and his queen.

To hell with the oath he took when he was sworn into the King’s Guard. His baby sister needed him. Everyone else had failed her. Jaime was not about to do that again. He had changed since they were children. He wasn’t about to leave her all alone in the lion’s den to fend for herself.

He didn’t waste any time in going to her room. Already there were four guards stationed outside. Bored expressions on their faces saying that they would rather be anywhere else but there. Even they knew that (y/n) posed no threat to anyone. She wasn’t about to be walking around anytime soon. And even if she did she wouldn’t fight anyone. (y/n) didn’t even know how to throw a punch let alone wield any kind of weapon. She was a gentle person.

At the sight of Jaime’s shining armor and white cape, they straightened up at his presence.

“Ser. . .” The younger looking guard speaks up meekly, shifty eyes glancing to his partner. “We were instructed to not let any of her family members in. . .”

The other three guards paled in front of Jaime. Of course he knew who he was. Everyone did. And it was best that he was feared. Be more to Jaime’s advantage at the moment. “Then don’t consider me a family member. Consider me a knight of the King’s Guard, a higher station than any of you.” Authority ringing in his clear voice, Jaime puts one foot forward making the guards shrink away from him. One of them had to be at least a few years older than young Jaime, and even he shifted out of the way. Who would want to fight with the youngest man to ever be entered into the King’s Guard?

They did nothing as he pushed passed them, treating them as flies in his way.

His sister’s hand maid Thalina jumped at his presence. Her appearance was completely disheveled with heavy and dark bags under her alarmed eyes. On the bed was a withered (y/n). Her eyes were sunken into her skull from days without eating and wasting away. Her limp hair had been pulled back into a braid. (y/n)’s limps were pale as was the rest of her complexion. She looked overall tired, but her (e/c) eyes were ever alert. “Ser Jaime.”

“You may leave us.” He addresses Thalina.

She continues to stand her ground. “I will stay with my lady in case she is of need of me. The maesters have given me instructions to not let her nerves get rattled. She’s already of a delicate disposition.”

“It’s fine Thalina.” (y/n) speaks up, her voice cracked as she spoke. “You have done your duty. Even beyond. You deserve to rest.”

“But. . .”

(y/n) reaches out for her hand and holds it. “Please Thalina. You have done enough. More than I ever expected you to do. Please, rest.”

Exhaustion finally got the best of the hand maid as she reluctantly nods and kisses (y/n)’s hand. Thalina squeezes it before straightening up and telling Jaime “Make sure to send for me when you are done.”

Jaime nods and makes way for Thalina to leave. Her gait was more of a stagger due to her exhaustion but the maid kept herself well and closed the door after her. His little sister, once sweet faced, appeared so much older due to the immense weight she had lost. Still her eyes were bright and trained on Jaime as he pulls up a chair next to her bed. It wasn’t exactly comfortable sitting in armor but had to sit down to talk with her on a personal level. There was much to discuss. After all, the last time they had spoken, (y/n) had let out that she knew about Jaime and Cersei. There wasn’t much to explain about that. Hopefully she would understand that people can’t exactly choose who they fall in love with. Sometimes it just happens.

Before he could even open his mouth (y/n) was the first to speak. “I am told Rhaegar has left King’s Landing.” Voice monotone, her eyes were earnest and tired.

Jaime doesn’t want to hurt her anymore than she’s already been, but he sighs and nods. “Yes. The news that someone had tried to kill you might have scared him off.”

(y/n) shakes her head. “No. He’s not like that. He wouldn’t be scared off so easily by something like that.” Ever in love with him, (y/n) still remained loyal despite Rhaegar being absent. Yes, even Jaime hadn’t pegged Rhaegar to be that cowardly. If there was truth to Tywin’s words than maybe Rhaegar really had left to band an army together to overthrow Aerys. Jaime hoped it were true. Hoped that his sister wasn’t alone for nothing.

Her chin tilts downward a bit. “Am I to be a prisoner now? I heard the noise outside.”

He bites the inside of the cheek, glaring at the door. “Unfortunately Aerys thinks it necessary to have you on lock down. I’m not even supposed to be visiting you but I bullied the guards out front to let me in.”

A small smile quirks on her thin face. “How brotherly of you.”

Now was the time. He had the opportunity to talk with her. “(y/n). . . about what you saw with me and Cersei.”

“Really? Do you really want to talk about this now?” She sighs and closes her eyes. “I try to forget about what I saw. It was. . . traumatizing to say the least Jaime. How can you do that with your own sister? It’s-It’s gross. . .”

Internally Jaime flinches at her words. Now he knew for certain that he could never tell her of the same feelings he shared for her. He takes a deep breath and formulates his speech carefully. He wasn’t good with words. Tyrion was better at it than he was even though Jaime was the eldest. “It’s always been like that between Cersei and I. Ever since we were in mother’s womb. Haven’t you heard the story? Cersei was born and then I came shortly after holding onto her foot. It’s always just been the two of us. We’re a part of each other. It’s only fitting that we would love one another in such a way.”

(y/n) stares at him and he could sense the repulsion but she’s kind enough to keep it off her face.

“We don’t choose who we love. . .” Jaime glances down toward his hands, rough from years of using a sword.

“I know.” (y/n)’s voice is softer than a gentle breeze. “I know. . . I mean, I guess it explains why you chose her side when we were children. She’s just-”

“Terrible?” Chuckles Jaime and he’s happy to see (y/n) smile sheepishly. “Yes she is. She’s been terrible to both you and Tyrion and I can’t apologize enough for her. I tried to be a better brother to Tyrion, as I should’ve done with you. I’m sorry I failed you so much when we were younger. You needed me too.” * Your eyelids drift down at his words. He had failed you. Especially in the lion’s den that was Casterly Rock. He had let you into the cages as much as Cersei had.

You remember your dreams and immediately feel a phantom ache in your back.

“I know it’s too late to be saying all this.” Jaime admits. “But I at least want to be here in your hour of need. I hope you’ll let me. . .”

It was true what he said, people often had no control of who they chose to love. You couldn’t really condemn him for loving someone, even if Cersei was vile and his sister. From his eyes when he spoke of her, you knew he really and truly did love her. It wasn’t mere lust. He loved her as you loved Rhaegar. And seeing your situation now it wouldn’t help finally having your big brother by your side.

Whatever reason Rhaegar left, you knew it had to be important. He wasn’t the type who would up and leave you, especially when-

Especially when your baby had just died. You weren’t certain of his affections for you but you knew that Rhaegar had loved your baby even if it hadn’t been born yet. He loved your growing child with every fiber of his being. He had promised your unborn child a crown and late at night he would whisper to your belly that the baby was the prince that was promised.

“Okay.” You concede. You’d have to make due with Jaime by your side for now until you grew stronger again to figure out what to do next.

---

TAGLIST:

@esposadomd​​​

@ladybug0095​​​

@marytargaryen

@madislayyy​​

[writingraven]

Writing Tips

Commonly Misused Words & Phrases

❋

phrases

⇾ another think coming (not another thing coming)

⇾ bated breath (not baited breath)

⇾ beck and call (not beckon call)

⇾ buck naked (not butt naked)

⇾ by accident (not on accident)

⇾ by and large (not by in large)

⇾ case in point (not case and point)

⇾ change tack (not change tact)

⇾ couldn’t care less (not could care less)

⇾ deep-seated (not deep-seeded)

⇾ due diligence (not do diligence)

⇾ exact revenge (not extract revenge)

⇾ for all intents and purposes (not for all intensive purposes)

⇾ free rein (not free reign)

⇾ homing in (not honing in)

⇾ hunger pangs (not hunger pains)

⇾ jibe with (not jive with)

⇾ moot point (not mute point)

⇾ nerve-wracking (not nerve-wrecking)

⇾ nip it in the bud (not nip it in the butt)

⇾ on tenterhooks (not on tender hooks)

⇾ one and the same (not one in the same)

⇾ palm off (not pawn off)

⇾ per se (not per say)

⇾ piqued my interest (not peaked my interest)

⇾ pore over (not pour over)

⇾ scot free (not scotch free or scott free)

⇾ shoo-in (not shoe-in)

⇾ sleight of hand (not slight of hand)

⇾ spit and image (not spitting image)

⇾ whet your appetite (not wet your appetite)

❋

words

⇾ accept: receive something (verb) // except: exclusion (preposition)

⇾ adverse: something harmful // averse: feeling of dislike

⇾ advice: guidance (noun) // advise: to give counsel (verb)

⇾ affect: to influence (verb) // effect: result (noun)

⇾ all together: same place, same time // altogether: whole or complete

⇾ allowed: permitted // aloud: audibly

⇾ allude: make indirect reference // elude: escape

⇾ amiable: referring to person // amicable: referring to interaction

⇾ among: expresses relationship between several items // between: expresses relationship of one thing to another or to many other things

⇾ amoral: lacking morality // immoral: not conforming to standard morality // nonmoral: morality is irrelevant

⇾ any time: noun phrase used after preposition // anytime: adverb

⇾ assure: to tell someone something with confidence // ensure: to make certain something will occur // insure: to protect

⇾ a while: noun // awhile: adverb

⇾ bate: angry mood // bait: lure

⇾ blond: masculine // blonde: feminine

⇾ breath: air inhaled and exhaled (noun) // breathe: the action of inhaling and exhaling (verb)

⇾ canvas: closely woven close used to make items // canvass: to look closely or to elicit votes

⇾ capital: city, wealth, or resource // capitol: building where lawmakers meet

⇾ carat: a measure of the purity of gold // caret: a mark placed below the line to indicate a proposed insertion in a text // carrot: a vegetable

⇾ complement: enhances something // compliment: expression of praise

⇾ conscience: noun; one’s awareness // conscious: adjective; awake or alert

⇾ continual: occurring at regular intervals // continuous: occurring without interruption

⇾ desert: dry terrain // dessert: sweet course

⇾ dichotomy: entirely opposite // discrepancy: relatively minor inconsistency // disparity: significant difference

⇾ disc: music or throwable object // disk: computer storage

⇾ discreet: unobtrusive // discrete: separate

⇾ disinterested: impartial // uninterested: bored or not wanting to be involved

⇾ each: refers to individual object or person in a group of two or more // every: refers to a group of objects or people in a group of three or more

⇾ e.g.: for example (exampli gratia) // i.e.: in other words (id est)

⇾ emigrate: to move away // immigrate: to move into

⇾ empathy: ability to understand another’s perspective or emotions (but do not necessarily share them) // sympathy: understand from one’s own perspective (and share feelings)

⇾ envy: feeling of desiring something one does not have // jealous: feeling of fearing losing something one does have

⇾ every day: adverb // everyday: adjective

⇾ farther: physical distance // further: metaphorical distance

⇾ fazed: disturbed // phased: staged

⇾ fewer: countable difference // less: metaphorical difference

⇾ flaunt: to show off // flout: to defy

⇾ hanged: death of person via hanging // hung: to have suspended something

⇾ historic: famous or influential // historical: related to history

⇾ ingenious: to be clever and creative // ingenuous: to be innocent and unsuspecting

⇾ its: possessive form // it’s: it is

⇾ lay: placement of something // lie: act of reclining

⇾ loose: not fixed in place (adjective) // lose: to be deprived of or defeated (verb)

⇾ may: high possibility // might: low possibility

⇾ palate: roof of mouth // palette: thin board of colors // pallet: bed or platform

⇾ peak: mountain top // peek: quick look

⇾ persecute: to harass // prosecute: to bring legal action

⇾ prescribe: dictate a rule to follow // proscribe: forbid something

⇾ principal: head of organization or sum of money // principle: basic truth or law

⇾ reign: to rule // rein: to control or restraint

⇾ sleight: deceitful dexterity // slight: insult

⇾ stationary: unmoving // stationery: letter writing materials

⇾ subconscious: not in current focus awareness // unconscious: processes that occur automatically and are not available to introspection

⇾ than: for comparisons // then: for passage of time

⇾ that: restrictive; indicates something specific // which: nonrestrictive; adds information

⇾ their: possessive form // there: place // they’re: they are

⇾ to: preposition // too: adverb meaning also // two: number

⇾ well: adverb // good: adjective

⇾ who: subject // whom: object

⇾ who’s: who is // whose: possessive form

⇾ worse: comparative // worst: superlative

⇾ your: possessive form // you’re: you are

[danisbrainrot]

supermodel

tigris x reader

tw: smoking, drugs, alcohol, implied/mentioned ed, coriolanus is his own tag, (maybe a slight) power imbalance where tigris is a stylist and reader is her model (I don't know how modelling works LMFAO).

I'm purely using information I learnt from ugly betty; the title may or may not be inspired by a certain måneskin song.

you drag on your cigarette, watching the puff of smoke vanish in the afternoon air. you were waiting patiently outside as your stylist, tigris, added last minute modifications to your outfit. you'd gotten there early in the morning like she requested and you thought the photo shoot was going good, until you almost broke the shirt—her assistant struggled to zip it up. it didn't matter how tigris insisted it was her fault for not getting the correct measurements, your stomach dropped as you realise that you hadn't lost enough weight.

it was a miracle you'd managed to book this gig at all. tigris was an elusive stylist—the cousin of the president himself—and your modelling career was still in its infancy. you wonder what's taking her so long; your cigarette butt the only part still left. you groan, flicking it on the ground and stomping on it, before knocking on the door.

tigris opens it, apologising profusely for keeping you waiting, before she welcomes you back inside. you smiled tightly at her, trying to conceal the insecurity coursing through you. she directed you behind the divider and began to personally assist you, the zip sliding up smoothly. "there we go," she mumbles, a proud smile on her face.

the photographer had you try a few poses, but it seemed whatever you did it wasn't working—the angles were too unflattering, the lighting too harsh or your expression looked pained. you felt nervous, knowing how desperately you needed this gig, how it would shoot you into stardom.

tigris, noticing how anxious you were, pulls you aside. "are you okay?" she asks, placing a comforting arm on your shoulder. "it's not your fault, I promise," but you shake your head.

"it is. I'm not good enough," you reply, holding back the tears threatening to explode. she sighs softly, embracing you tightly.

she pulls away, staring directly in your eyes. "I chose you. I think you're exactly right for this photo shoot. for my clothes," she whispers, smiling reassuringly at you. you return the smile, your heart beat quickening—you couldn't help but admire the woman; you also felt a warmth in your stomach. the beginnings of a crush was forming.

"thank you," you blush softly. you tuck your hair behind your ears, a newfound confidence filling you as you step out back in front of the camera.

the rest of the day went by fast, as you struck pose after pose, leaving tigris cheering and clapping and the photographer calling out praises. you could hardly contain your infectious laughter, filling the room with joy.

after the shoot, tigris invites you back to her apartment. she offers you wine, champagne, all kinds of alcoholic beverages, while showing you more sketches she designed just for you. you don't know how she knew about you, or why she picked you, but you were eternally grateful.

it was a massive commercial success; tigris was receiving huge praise for her new line and your agent couldn't put the phone down. everyone who was anyone wanted to book you. however, you always made time for tigris—after all, she made you famous.

you had been invited to an exclusive party, for the elite of the capitol, in the president's mansion. you have no idea how, but you suspected it had something to do with the fact his cousin was obsessed with you. it was hard not to be, when you were the covergirl of nearly every magazine.

anxiously, you snorted a line of cocaine in the car, feeling the familiar buzz bring you to life. it was a typical occurrence that you were the life of the party. there wasn't a song you couldn't dance to, a silence you couldn't fill and a party you couldn't liven up.

alcohol was shoved in your face everywhere you went —it was rude to reject it, you concluded, so you gladly drank every drink offered to you. noticing how fancy everyone was dressed, you felt almost out of place in your mini dress and high heels. tigris had designed it specifically for you, however, so you couldn't not wear it. she designs most of your wardrobe, now that you thought about it.

you were conversing with some important gamemaker when tigris intercepted you, wanting to introduce you to her cousin and his wife. you smile politely, shaking hands with president snow before kissing his wife livia on the cheeks. tigris began gushing about how wonderful of a model you were, and that she was proud to have discovered you. you couldn't help but feel your stomach churn as the president eyed you up and down.

as an avox walked past, you grabbed a glass of the finest panem wine and almost downed it immediately. tigris eyed you warily, worrying about how quickly the alcohol was flowing through you. livia, noticing her husband's gaze, scowls and excuses the two of them—heading in an old academy friend's direction instead.

"are you okay?" tigris asked, taking a hold of your hand and stroking it with her thumb soothingly. "livia and coriolanus can be cold, I understand—"

"no it's not that," you lie, smiling your million dollar smile. "just feeling a bit weird, that's all." in reality, you felt yourself coming down.

you head to the bathroom and do another line, waiting for that delicious buzz to hit. the door opens suddenly, and you look up in shock to see tigris' face fall. "oh no, not you too," she sighs, grabbing you by the arm and dragging you elsewhere.

stumbling over your feet, you let her lead you to a guest room in the president's mansion. she sits you on the bed, forcing water down your throat—she also begged you to eat something, but you refused; her pleas falling on deaf ears. you couldn't afford to put any weight on as you had too many gigs lined up.

it hurt her seeing you this vulnerable. you had passed out on the bed, your hair a mess, your makeup smudged and reeking of alcohol. she sighs, sitting next to you and brushing the hair of your sweaty face. she leaned down hesitantly, unable to help herself, before pressing a soft kiss on your lips.

she scolds herself for taking advantage of you, getting up to leave when she hears you stir. "please don't leave me alone," you whimper. she turns to face you, smiling reassuringly.

"don't worry, I'll stay right here," she promises, holding your hand.

when you woke up the following morning, your head pounded and all details from last night were muggy. the only memory was of soft lips pressed against your own.

you groaned, holding your head in pain before getting up. you found the toilet, sticking your head in it and emptying last night's dinner. you almost jump in shock when you feel someone hold your hair back, rubbing their hand up and down your back soothingly.

"you're okay," tigris affirms, holding you in her arms as you cry softly. sobbing into her chest, she rests her chin against your head, her grip on you firm and comforting.

"I hate how out of control I get," you sob, sniffling as you pull away from her.

she sighs, wiping your tears away with her thumbs. "I'll help you, I promise," she squeezes your hands reassuringly.

"did you kiss me last night?" you blurt out. you'd been dying to know ever since you realised it was her hand rubbing your back as you vomited.

tigris cheeks turn a deep scarlet, as she grows flustered and tries to come up with an explanation. "i-um, im so sorry I shouldn't—"

you interrupt her, "it's fine if you did. I just kind of wish you did it when I was sober," you tease, a soft smirk appears on your face. she bites her lip and avoids your gaze in embarrassment.

"are you sober now?" she asks, refusing to meet your eyes.

you laugh, shaking your head—mostly in disbelief. "I've got vomit breath," you reply.

"I don't mind," tigris whispers, suddenly looking at you lovingly.

you pause, your breath catching on your throat as you process what she said. it's your turn to blush, as she leans in slowly. you get up, however, scouring the cabinet and finding mouthwash. tigris giggles as you swish, gargle and rinse your mouth.

"now I'm ready," you exclaim, as she stands up. awkwardly you crash into her, placing one hand on her hip and the other on the back of her head. she laughs, wrapping both her arms around your waist and kisses you back passionately.

you throw yourself into the kiss, finally letting go and enjoying it—you've wanted to kiss her ever since she'd been so understanding and caring on your first photoshoot. it was actually mortifying hiding your huge crush on her. now that you had her, you'd be sure to enjoy the blissful moment with her.