#ginnee

[moreespressoformydepresso]

I want the tributes to escape and parkour through the Capitol to escape the cops peacekeepers. Someone films it (as well as the peacekeepers failing hilariously to keep up) and it goes viral.

The kids got away by knocking out the peacekeepers coming to drag them into the cattle car and scatter in all directions, taking the opportunity to wreak havoc across the city. It doubles as a diversion for Circ and Teslee to cause a Capitol-wide power outage and for Ginnee and Otto to hijack them a totally awesome truck to cruise away in.

Mizzen and Sheaf run around causing property damage with their antics, Brandy and Tanner are busy egging the Crane household, Panlo finds news reporters to livestream as many Ways In Which Gaius Breen Sucks And Should Break His Toes Kicking Rocks, Lucy Gray is performing a song (possibly with the help of Treech, Reaper and Velvereen) while actively getting chased, Facet is breaking into Livia’s room to destroy her makeup and deface every possession of hers he can find with it, Marcus is reconciling with Sejanus so they can team up and cause mayhem, Sabyn is cashing in on Forus’ offer to give her fashion products, Dill and Hy are collecting medicine, and generally there is Chaos.

Gaul tries to have the records deleted but it is a lost cause. Everyone remembers.

[persephoneprice]

mentor/tribute pairing dynamics as lines from noah kahan songs (part 1, based on my hcs)

livia cardew & facet - new perspective

You and all of your new perspective now / Wish I could shut it in a closet / And drag you back down

palmyra monty & velvereen - northern attitude

Forgive my northern attitude / Oh, I was raised on little light

sejanus plinth & marcus - carlo’s song

I keep burning my bridges down / Just to keep you alive

florus friend & sabyn - the view between villages

Feel the rush of my blood / I'm seventeen again / I am not scared of death / I've got dreams again

io jasper & circ - halloween

It's not Halloween, but the ghost you're dressed up as / Sure knows how to haunt, yeah, you know how to haunt

urban canville & teslee - hollow

And I've tried to hold my temper and obscure my rage / But these kids, they never act their age / And I've got one foot in the grave

persephone price & mizzen - come over

I know that it ain't much, I know that it ain't cool / Oh, you don't have to tell the other kids at school / My dad will strike it rich, we'll be the big house on the block / Someday I'm gonna be somebody people want

festus creed & coral - homesick ft. sam fender

Static cranes stand lifeless, castin' shadows on the town / I stare out that hallowed ocean as if to pick a fight / For thе dreams my old man dreamt for me lay on thе other side

dennis fling & hy - still

It's like I'm still here with you / I don't, I don't, I don't wanna say goodbye

iphigenia & sol - you’re gonna go far

The only time I got to praying for a red light / Was when I saw your destination as a deadline

apollo ring & otto - anyway

And I hope I ain't the last of what the world left you

diana ring & ginnee - godlight

To know me is to hate me / Is to hate what I've become / It's to watch me as I'm fallin' / From that ladder's last rung

[catindabag]

This one is for Ginnee in your AU. What's her favourite book genre and does she and Otto talk after the book incident Diana Ring made?

Gin’s favorite book genre is smut. Specifically, ✨comedy-smut✨😉. And if you’re wondering why, just blame the Ring twins (Diana mostly).

[diiwata]

"the tributes from district 6 began a funny dance, and the ring twins got some of the audience to clap along to the rhythm." / ginnee wheeler & otto máquina

coriolanus, just say you don't have rhythm or funk and leave them alone!!!

[zippiedippievippie]

Tbosas characters as unhinged ao3 comments left on my fics

Lucy Gray 💃

Jessup 💖

Mizzen 👹

Lamina 🧚🏻‍♀️

Coral 🫦

Treech 🧟‍♂️

Reaper 🤌

Tanner 🤠

Ginnee 🚙

Bonus: Treemina 🥲

[thatthingilovewith]

TBOSAS Tributes first and last names

District 1

Facet Beauregard (French Meaning Beautiful Gaze, something nice to look at, alternative meaning may be Fair Faced, Facets are a gems face)

Velvereen Zarifopoulos (Greek meaning Golden Son) (Americanized as Greek surnames are gendered)

District 2

Marcus Batungbakal (Tagalog meaning Iron Stone, taken from @diiwata)

Sabyn Ngoc (Vietnamese meaning Precious Stone or Jade)

District 3

Circ Othman (Arabic origin meaning wise)

Teslee Mandic (Maiden name of Nikola Teslas Mother)

District 4

Coral Armstrong (Scottish meaning Strong Fighter)

Mizzen Karppinen (Finnish meaning Carp)

District 5

Hy Saengkaew (Thai meaning light from a crystal)

Sol Fritts (Charles Fritts invented to first solar Cell)

District 6

Otto George-Benz (IDK feels like a two last name guy Karl Benz credited with first practical automobile)

Ginnee Brayton (George Brayton invented the Combustion engine)

District 7

Treech Akamatsu (Japanese meaning red pine)

Lamina Vanderbyl (Americanized) / van der Bijl (Original) (Dutch meaning “from the Axe” or Descendant of woodcutters)

District 8

Bobbin Powers (Angalcized of the french Poer meaning poor)

Wovey Dyer (English, someone who dyes cloth)

District 9

Panlo Niedermeyer (German meaning low farmer, 9 is the lowest farming district)

Sheaf Bumgarner (German farming last name)

District 10

Tanner McCarthy (Real last name of cowboy billy the kid)

Brandy Smithfield (Owners of the world largest Slaughter house)

District 11

Dill Alcaraz (Spanish version of Arabic name Al Karas meaning the cherry)

FYI I used google to get the meanings/origins so if they’re wrong don’t yell at me

[darlingsnow0]

all the tributes with bows

[straightupclownin]

Associating TBOSAS tributes with songs from my playlist because I am bored and decided to do this for fun:

(Note: If any of these are your favorite song then you can say that you are the character I gave the song to.)

Facet: I / Me / Myself by Will Wood

Velvereen: Primadonna by Marina and the Diamonds

Marcus: LOOK DON’T TOUCH by Odetari & cade clair

Sabyn: Teen Idle by Marina and the Diamonds

Circ: Be Nice To Me by The Front Bottoms

Teslee: I Am Not a Robot by Marina and the Diamonds

Mizzen: Home or Boys Will Be Bugs by Cavetown

Coral: She Likes a Boy by Nxdia

Hy: Say It Ain’t So by Weezer

Sol: Cherry Bomb by The Runaways

Otto: Riptide by Vance Joy

Ginnee: Just Dance by Lady Gaga

Treech: Trees by McCafferty

Lamina: Not Strong Enough by boygenius

Bobbin: Bruno is Orange by Hop Along, Queen Ansleis

Wovey: Soldier, Poet, King by The Oh Hellos

Panlo: Lovers Rock by TV girl

Sheaf: Oh No! by Marina and the Diamonds

Tanner: Wrecking Ball by Mother Mother

Brandy: Mary by Alex G

Reaper: Twin Size Mattress by The Front Bottoms

Dill: I Bet on Losing Dogs by Mitski

Jessup: Things to Do by Alex G

Lucy Gray: I’ve Had Enough by Melina KB

[moreespressoformydepresso]

@butfilsongs okay thought it over and here’s the fix-it :)!!

Since in this post I said that I think at least some of the peacekeepers that came to grab the tributes during the arena bombing came from outside, I had an idea for how all the tributes could escape from the city.

What if, instead of running for the exit, the district 1 and 2 kids saw the tunnels blasted open and went in there instead? Ginnee and Otto survived by sheer luck of the bombs going off a little earlier, and their mentors were saved by peacekeepers. This works because of a thing @idontliketomatoesleavemealone pointed out about them wearing armor which would protect them at least a little. They are out of it, though, because blows to the head suck. Ginnee and Otto, like Panlo and Sheaf, end up greatly injured and are denied medical care. Here’s where the fun begins (for me at least, if you like Hurt No Comfort this is not for you):

Thanks to the peacekeepers coming in from outside and the tunnels being so much closer than the exit, the four escapee tributes make it out. Sabyn, Velvereen, Facet, and Marcus are on the run. They could try to escape the city and forget all about this, but… those other kids don’t deserve to die, and leaving them to their fate feels… cruel. And also, escaping the city is exactly what the Capitol expects them to do so going along with it makes it more likely for them to be caught. So they get out of the tunnels and figure out where the zoo is. Marcus clearly didn’t disguise himself, but now there are three other kids there to come up with ideas. Facet and Velvereen suggest they try to look more like Capitol kids so it’s more likely people won’t look at them twice. While they’re at it they snag some supplies for short-term disguises and then wait until it’s late to go over to the zoo.

Now, these kids may not have the best mentors (cough cough Livia Cardew cough cough) but they can see some of the others starting to care about their tributes. And these influential nepo-babies are the future of Panem. The four free tributes have had time to think things through, and the last thing they wanna do is hand the Capitol propaganda on a silver platter and turn their only hope of ending the games for good against them. In terms of trying to convince their overlords the tributes are human beings too, killing peacekeepers means they may as well confess to cannibalism and skinning puppies for fun. Also, it would be justification for the Capitol calling this an all hands on deck situation and throw everything into finding the tributes, which is the last thing they need. So the four escapees refrain from brutal murder and instead merely knock out the ones too close to the enclosure for comfort. They take some of the guns, though, because they’re not stupid enough to actually believe their attempts at showing innocence will do anything and they’d rather be armed if it comes down to the worst-case scenario.

Next they break open the zoo enclosure and wake up their fellow district kids inside. Some frantic whispering later and everyone’s awake and ready to leave. The four injured kids and Dill get carried on the backs of the stronger kids for obvious reasons, and off they go. I’ll stop here and consider collecting my ideas for the rest of their shenanigans in this City of Nightmares in a separate post because I have plans.

Yes, it does involve arson. No, Gaul’s lab does not survive. Possibly, neither does she.

That last bit is not entirely on the tributes.

[persephoneprice]

yeah yeah it’s all fun and games until ginnee steals the catalytic converter out of every car in the capitol

[tumblingghosts]

How about a time traveling ginnee?

responding to this as part of the au ask game, but if you meant this as a general ask then lmk - i would be happy to ramble even more about time travelling ginnee!

1) ginnee doesn't remember dying. she barely has enough time to register the explosion before she's blinking awake in the train car to the capitol, shaking from the aftershock of pain that she didn't get to live long enough to properly feel. otto thinks she's just had a nightmare.

2) ginnee convinces herself it's just a nightmare like otto said, right up until she sees that blonde capitol boy again and events start playing out as the did before. she can put the pieces together from there and is incredibly confused and scared to be back. she doesn't want to perform or dance anymore knowing how it ends.

3) otto doesn't know what to do about ginnee who bursts into tears when their mentors are trying to get them to do a dance. apollo and diana feel really awkward when ginnee doesn't even acknowledge them & ends up offering the food they brought to try to cheer her up. ginnee pushes it all to otto and keeps crying.

4) otto can't make himself eat all the food (no matter how hungry he is) and saves a portion of it for ginnee. ginnee ends up confiding to him about bombs in the arena, but otto still thinks that it's just a nightmare that she's having. he does help convince their mentors to move when ginnee gets jittery during the tour though.

5) when the bombs go off, ginnee and otto end up saving apollo and diana's lives. it earns them a lot of goodwill because the ring twins are grateful and talk them up (both to elevate them as tributes for sponsors and because they didn't expect it). with lysistrata also talking about how jessup saved her, there's a louder outcry to "pay them back" for saving their lives. they're able to get the tributes a doctor rather than just a vet with their combined efforts.

i don't think that it'd cause the games to stop, but it does leave apollo and diana feeling much, much worse when ginnee and otto die in the arena & they are grieving hard about it. the other mentors aren't used to the ring twins being so mopey & don't know how to handle it.

thanks for the ask spiral! :D

[thgobsessed]

Hunger Games Blogs Needed!!

Hey everyone! The owner of the Foxface, Clove, and Wiress RP blogs here :) I’m here to post a list of characters in the Hunger Games series who still need blogs here on Tumblr, incase anyone wants to start one. We need more boys!!

THE HUNGER GAMES:

-Ms. Everdeen

-Madge

-Portia, Flavius, and Octavia

-Caesar Flickerman

-Marvel

-Thresh

-Plutarch Heavensbee

-Cashmere

-Gloss

-Enobaria

-Brutus

-Beetee

-Seeder

-Chaff

-Cressida, and the rest of the propo team

-Boggs

-Alma Coin

-Commander Paylor

-Lyme

BALLAD OF SONGBIRDS AND SNAKES:

-Facet

-Velvereen

-Marcus

-Sabyn

-Circ

-Teslee

-Hy

-Sol

-Otto

-Ginnee

-Treech

-Lamina

-Bobbin

-Panlo

-Sheaf

-Brandy

-Reaper

-Dill

-Jessup

-Livia Cardew

-Palmyra Monty

-Florus Friend

-Io Jasper

-Urban Canville

-Persephone Price

-Dennis Fling

-Iphigenia Moss

-Apollo Ring

-Pliny Harrington

-Juno Phipps

-Hilarius Heavensbee

-Gaius Breen

-Androcles Anderson

-Domitia Whimsiwick

-Arachne Crane

-Clemensia Dovecote

-Felix Ravinstill

-Lysistrata Vickers

-Volumnia Gaul

-Casca Highbottom

-Lucky Flickerman

Please let me know if any of these are already taken, or if I missed anyone!

Tootles👋

[catindabag]

TBOSAS on Crack short take (43)

Coral: I’ll be honest, our Menders-

Lucy Gray: Mentors.☺️

Coral: *glares at Lucy Gray* Our Menders might be a bunch of drunk idiots, but their gift baskets and cookies were delicious.

Otto: True. I can’t seem to stop eating the blueberry flavored ones.

Mizzen: Hey, does anyone want to donate their shares to me-

Panlo: For the last time, 4, we are not giving you our shares!

Mizzen: Why?!

Panlo: You know why!

Mizzen: Seriously, I don’t-

Ginnee: You literally stole and ate half of our goods already!

Dill: You also stole and ate Wovey’s last cookie.

Mizzen: That was Brandy!

Brandy: No, it wasn’t! I was too busy stealing and eating Reaper’s-

Reaper: That was you, 10?!

Brandy: See! I told you I was committing a totally different crime at that time.

Mizzen: Fine. It was me.

Reaper: You heartless little shi-

Mizzen: But you guys weren’t eating them!

Treech: Obviously, we were saving them for later!

Mizzen: But I’m hungry.🥺

Reaper: How are you still hungry?! You literally stole all of Lamina’s cookies!

Mizzen: But I thought she didn’t want them-

Reaper: Look at her! She’s still crying over them!

Lamina: My cookies!😭

Mizzen: Well, we can always wait for pretty boy (Coryo) and his rich boyfriend (Sejanus) to give us more food-

Marcus: Please stop mentioning idiot Plinth in front of me and my stale bread.

Treech: Why, Marcus? Are you embarrassed to see your friend again-

Marcus: Idiot Plinth is not my friend!😠

Lucy Gray: But you still ate the cookies he gave you-

Marcus: I ate them out of spite!

Coral: And you’re also invited to their upcoming wedding-

Marcus: Don’t remind me!

Circ: I’ll go to their wedding if you don’t.

Lucy Gray: Me too!

Mizzen: Free food is free food.

Marcus: Ughhh! Why are you supporting crazy Plinth and his pretty blonde boyfriend?!

Lucy Gray: FYI, Coryo’s hair is not blonde. It’s white as snow-

Marcus: You’re even using his stupid nickname!

Lucy Gray: We’re best friends.☺️

Marcus: Since when?!

Lucy Gray: Since the moment I promised Coryo and Sejanus that I’ll sing ✨Snow On The Beach✨ and ✨Lover✨ on their wedding day.😌💅

Marcus: Don’t say his name!

Lucy Gray: Sejanus.

Marcus: I hate you-

Sejanus: Hi, guys!😊

Tanner: What the heck?!

Jessup: How did you get in here?!

Coryo: My fiancé payed the Peacekeepers to let us in.

Coral: That’s allowed?!

Lucy Gray: Hi, Coryo!

Coryo: Hey, Birdy.

Sejanus: Hi, Marcus!

Marcus: I ain’t Marcus!

Sejanus: But-

Lucy Gray: I thought you guys were punished by your Dean for ruining your fancy school’s reputation?

Sejanus: We were!😀

Coryo: And this is our punishment.

Treech: To annoy us?!

Coryo: Unfortunately, no. But we were ordered by ✨The Academy✨ to bring you guys some food and supplies.

Lucy Gray: How did you even get your fancy school to support us?

Coryo: ✨Ravinstill Nepotism✨.

Reaper: Ravinstill?!

Coryo: It’s the most powerful name in the Capitol.

Coral: So where are they, Blondie? Where’s my cheesecake and burgers?

Coryo: Well, I was thinking about asking you guys what you want to eat because Sejanus said that we could order takeouts today.

Dill: What’s a takeout?

Coryo: Basically, you order the food that you want to eat and someone will deliver it here for you.

Lucy Gray: We can order anything?!

Coryo: Anything. My boyfriend is rich AF.

Sejanus: Order what you want, Coryo, my love, my Snow Angel!😍

Coryo: See. I told you he’ll pay for it.

Tanner: Must be nice to be Plinth’s sugar baby-

Coryo: Boyfriend.

Tanner: Sugar-

Coryo: Boyfriend.

Tanner: Baby.

Lucy Gray: Fiancé!😀

Sejanus: Husband!😘

Mizzen: I want a stuffed salmon with lemon sauce on the side!

Coral: One roasted lobster and hash browns for me!

Tanner: Baby back ribs with fries!

Dill: Green Bean Casserole!

Jessup: One stuffed turkey!

Panlo: A grilled cheese sandwich!

Lucy Gray: Smashed Potatoes with love on the side!😘

Lamina: My cookies!😭

Brandy: Chicken! A whole ass chicken!

Coryo: Slow down! I can’t keep up with all of you shouting at the same time!

Wovey: Can we order a whole serving of Apple Berry Pie?

Coryo: Anything for you, sweetie.

Sejanus: How about you, Marcus?

Marcus: I’m on diet.

Sejanus: But-

Coryo: Babe, let me do it.

Sejanus: Ok.😞

Coryo: How about you, Marcus?

Marcus: Give me a hundred chicken nuggets. I’m hungry.🥺

[diiwata]

ginnee & otto headcanons

shout out to @persephoneprice for asking me to elaborate and @pottershawkinswp for the dance headcanon!

they didn't know each other, but their names were probably thrown around once in their respective circles b/c otto's brother was involved in some juicy exporter gossip

"yeah, poor guy got cheated on. that's his brother, otto, right there." / "that girl, ginnee, told me who he cheated on your brother with! you won't believe who!"

when they got in the cattle car, ginnee DEFINITELY treats him like a celebrity. it's like when you and your friends choose a random person to worship / follow with / incorporate into your lore bc their lives are so interesting. obviously, otto is confused

they wore clothed masks in the train to combat the intense pollution at home, and only took it off once they left district 6

during the d6 dance in the zoo, ginnee was the one who forced otto on his feet. she was starving and deprived of her favorite liquor, and wanted to use the opportunity to get a flask from one of the capitol citizens. she started off alone, then dragged him by the hand rather desperately! otto tried to look too cool for it/angry at the world/emo, but he remembered his mom teaching him, so he put in a little more effort for her

the dance they did was the lindy hop! they were probably a little sloppy with the footwork, but the capitol doesn't have that sort of funk so they think it's the most outrageous and intriguing thing they've ever seen

they were in awe of the amount of stars in the capitol. it's not as much as the more "natural" districts with less light pollution, but know that they were geeking out so bad. otto joked that he thought stars were a myth. ginnee isn't sure he's joking

they had an unspoken deal to ally. ginnee reminded otto of the co-workers he used to walk home in the dark. otto reminded ginnee of the exporters who were closed off and homesick on their first ride away from d6

when the bombs went off in the arena, ginnee helped an injured otto run to safety, his arm slung over her shoulder. but when a large piece of debris fell down from above them, he pushed her out of the way. otto died from the crush. ginnee died from the smoke.

"the tributes from district 6 began a funny dance, and the ring twins got some of the audience to clap along to the rhythm." / ginnee wheeler & otto máquina

coriolanus, just say you don't have rhythm or funk and leave them alone!!!

[deepseaorchid]

Stay With Me - Sejanus Plinth x GN!Reader

Summary: An eventless walk to your mentorship duties at the arena ends in catastrophe. When the rebel bombs in the arena severely injure you, you find your legs trapped under rubble. Fortunately, your sweet friend Sejanus Plinth arrives to help you and carry you to safety. Emotions are high between you and Sejanus, resulting in a teary-eyed confession from him that provides you with an answer to a mystery that has occupied your thoughts for months.

Pairing: Sejanus Plinth x Gender-neutral! Reader

Warnings: Romance / Comfort / Fluff / Angst / Hurt / Blood / Brief graphic violence / Canon deaths / Slight canon deviation for plot purposes / Injury / Angst with a happy ending

Word Count: 4.9k

A/N: This was a request from @flutteringphalanges

Thank you so much for requesting! I had a lot of fun with this. I really hope you like reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!

The pink morning sun shone through the curtains of your bedroom window. You woke up before your alarm, not that you managed to sleep much last night anyway. The events of this week plagued your thoughts too much to sleep easy. On the day prior to the Hunger Games, the mentors were required to show their tributes around the arena, where all but one will die. A lump formed in your throat. You were mentoring the District 6 tribute, Ginnee. She wasn’t a fighter, none of them were. They were children. 

Ginnee was a nice girl, and you like to think that if the circumstances were different, maybe you could have had a chance at being her friend. You had almost no hope she would survive the games, which made seeing her difficult. What do you say to someone who you know will likely not live to the end of the week?

You pull back the feathery covers of your bed and put your feet on the cold floor, stretching your back. You lean to the side, pulling open the crystal knob on the ornate bedside table. Your cold feet tap on the floor as you reach into the draw. Within the small table held a collection of love notes with smudged, blocky handwriting. You pick one up, turning it over in your hands. You’d read each letter a thousand times over now. They were sappy and saccharine sweet. They spoke of kissing cherry lips so gentle and a burning desire to hold you forever. It was silly and poetic but it kept you going on hard days like this. It showed you someone was looking after you, even though they wouldn’t say who they were. The only indication of the sender was a squiggle at the bottom of each note.

You stand up, putting all the letters away but one and moving towards the large wooden armoire. You open the door, pulling out the same scarlet uniform you wore every day. You grimace at the colour. You used to like it, but now the colour reminded you of blood. Blood you would inevitably see tomorrow. You tuck the love letter inside the breast pocket of the uniform.

The radio in the living room crackles softly, and a gentle tune begins playing, drifting down the hall. Your father was awake. You dress quickly and fix your hair, finishing getting ready for the day. Walking down the hall, you spot your father in the dimly-lit kitchen cooking breakfast. Following the war, you had to lay off your poor cook, unable to afford him anymore. Your father took up cooking and while his dishes were experimental at best, you appreciated the effort. 

“Hey Bud!” Your father chirps, he looks up only momentarily from the cast iron skillet. You smiled at the nickname he had used for you since childhood. You walk up to him, glancing over his shoulder to see what he’s making. Eggs again. The yellow, runny mess dances around the pan as your father stirs lazily.

“Want some?” He asks, holding the pan up to your nose. You do your best not to grimace. 

“No thanks, I’m walking to school with Sejanus,” you sigh. Your father seems displeased with that answer, his silver eyebrows furrowing slightly. 

“Is that the Plinth boy upstairs?” He asks. You roll your eyes. No matter how often you brought Sejanus over to study or just to hang out, your father seemed to forget who he was. You couldn’t decide if he was messing with you, or if he simply did not care enough about Sejanus to learn his name.

You mumble an agreement. Your father shrugs his shoulders.

“Have fun, I suppose. You really should eat something. I made these with you in mind,” he says, pointing to the yellow slop in the pan. 

“I can tell.” You chuckle quietly. Your father feigned a look of shock. “I am trying!” He gasps, he clearly had much more energy than you had this morning. You probably might have eaten the eggs if it were not for the knot forming in your stomach over your task as mentors today. It was a solemn event, and for some reason, it felt inappropriate to be eating breakfast when your tribute would likely have nothing today. 

You glance at the grandfather clock pushed against the wall. 6:50am. It was probably time to head out soon. You quietly excuse yourself, saying goodbye to your father on your way out of the heavy black front door. You walk down the hallway of the apartment building. Once grand and elegant, the pinnacle of Capitol sophistication, the building now stood in a state of disrepair. Hallway lights flickered and blinked, and a suspicious mould had begun forming around parts of the ceiling. You push the white button for the elevator. After releasing it, the button pops off and clatters to the floor. You sigh, leaning your head against the elevator wall. You hate it here.

The rickety elevator pinged, announcing its arrival. The golden gates open with a metallic rattle.

“One of those mornings, huh?” Your friend’s voice rang out. Sejanus stands with his back to the far wall, a smirk on his face that did not reach his eyes. You step in beside him. You knew that the Hunger Games were tough on him. You had no clue how he was managing even a half-smile for you at this time.

What started as simply work partners for a project in an earlier year had evolved into a quiet friendship between yourself and the District boy. You would occasionally meet in the lobby of your apartment building to go on runs through the Capitol. You were each other’s first choice for everything. School projects, lunches, a shoulder to cry on, you both had an unspoken and quiet trust in one another. It was not a particularly showy friendship, but he was your friend nonetheless. A friend who made your heart beat just a little faster.

“You know it,” you sigh in response. You reach out and rub his arm as a comforting gesture. The elevator lurches forward as it begins its descent to the ground floor. 

You study his face. Sejanus’s jaw is locked in place, eyes hard and skimming the passing floors in front of you. He was vocal about his dislike for the Hunger Games, and you understood where he was coming from. Had the hands of fate played differently, it could have been him at the reaping every year. 

He swallows hard. “How’s Ginnee?” He asks, turning his head to you. 

“She’s about as well as you can imagine,” you say, averting your gaze. The guilt you felt over the situation hung thick over you like a cloud.

“Figures,” Sejanus mutters before the elevator pinged again, stopping at the ground floor. You step out of the elevator first, striding across the marble floors over to the large glass doors of the apartment lobby. The bellhop hadn’t made it through the war. Sejanus took his job over for a moment, rushing ahead of you to hold the door. You muster a small smile for him in return. 

The walks to the Academy were usually calm. The morning traffic would just be getting going. Shops with faded displays would open their doors to customers - not that there were many anymore, and you and Sejanus would go over the material for the day’s classes. 

This was not the usual chatty, happy morning you had grown accustomed to. Both of you had no real desire to talk, opting to walk shoulder-to-shoulder instead. Your steps fall in sync and your breath hitches in your throat, terrified of what was to come with your tributes. Maybe it was just the city smog, but your breathing became shallow and you find yourself gasping against the wind.

Sejanus picks up on this and wordlessly wraps an arm around your shoulder. He pulls you into his chest, squeezing tight. You glance down at his large hand on your shoulder.

“It’ll be fine,” he mutters against your hair. His words feel forced, things wouldn’t be fine. Nothing about this was alright. But it was all he could manage at this time. You close your eyes and try to just focus on your breathing and Sejanus’s arms around your shoulders.. Things would get better one day. ‘It’s like ripping a bandage off,’ you think to yourself.

‘Once it’s done, it’s done.’

…

“Enjoy the show!” The turnstile chimes. A lump forms in your throat. Ginnee’s lip trembles, tears welling in her eyes. 

“Enjoy the show!” In front of you, Sejanus turns around, meeting your gaze. He offers you a tight-lipped smile. You couldn’t bring yourself to smile back. You swallow hard.

“Enjoy the show!” You and your tribute walk through the gate. The grating voice continues to chime as you enter the arena. You look up, glancing around. The dome covering the arena hangs above you, letting in a small amount of natural light. You examine the pedestals where the tributes would stand before the games started. The walls were entirely smooth, impossible for a person to climb. You begin to sweat. Your main strategy was to tell Ginnee to hide during the initial bloodbath, and then pick off the stragglers. You hoped this would be enough to bring her to victory, but your heart sinks seeing that there isn’t even a place to hide.

You glance back over your shoulder towards Sejanus. Marcus is walking as far away from him as possible, Sejanus trailing after him, trying to get his attention. You turn back to Ginnee, who is observing the walls, craning her neck for a better angle. You call her name to get her attention.

“Ginnee, c’mere for a second,” you say, trying to formulate a new plan with her. She takes a few steps forward. Within an instant, the wall behind her explodes and a devastating BANG fills your ears. You’re knocked over from the force of the impact, flying several feet before sliding and rolling. The only thing you hear is ringing. You cover your ears, locking your arms in front of your eyes. The ringing doesn’t stop as more dirt and smoke kick up. Your head spins. Where’s Ginnee? Where’s Sejanus? You scream, hoping someone, anyone will hear you. The ringing begins to subside. You glance around. Your dull screams mix in with that of others. Someone near you is crying. Ginnee? You reach out, trying to find someone amidst the smoke. There’s blood on your hand. Who’s blood? Yours? You try pulling yourself forward on your stomach. Pain shoots through your body and you almost pass out. You cry out in agony and turn around. A huge slab of concrete from the wall had fallen on top of your legs, crushing them.

You reach down and try to get purchase of the slab with your fingertips. The mixture of sweat and blood on your hands makes it impossible to grab. Your hands kept slipping, slicing your palms and fingers deeper. 

Another explosion went off at the far end of the arena. You see a figure - a boy, fly back. His body slams against a pile of debris with a sickening crunch, and he lays limp on the floor like a ragdoll. 

You scream in horror, trying harder to lift the rubble off your legs. You alternate between lifting with the palms of your hands, and trying to grip with your fingers. Nothing worked. You yell in frustration, your palms sliding off the rubble and tears completely blurring your vision. You should have had your father’s disgusting, runny eggs this morning. You should have reread the love note. There was so much you should have done differently.

“Help me!” You scream as loud as your lungs will let you, the sound reverberating in your brain.

You keep pushing, changing tactics to slide out underneath it. 

A rough hand wraps around yours pushing up with you. Your head snaps up. Covered in ash, dust and blood is Sejanus. He bites his lip in concentration and strain, a deep frown etched on his face as he pushes. Gradually, the concrete begins to lift. 

“I need you to run,” Sejanus yells over the sound of gunfire. The Peacekeepers had entered the arena, opening fire at tributes attempting to escape.

“I can’t!” You sob, grabbing your legs and trying to move them out. Sejanus bites his lip again, drawing blood. He looks up.

“I’m going to let go on the count of three,” Sejanus gasps.

“What? No! Please don’t leave me!” You beg. Sejanus lifts higher.

“One, two,” he starts. Another explosion. You cover your ears and brace for impact.

“Three!” He yells. Before you have time to react, Sejanus shoots behind you and hooks his hands under your armpits. Your body slides back as he practically throws you out of harm’s way. 

Sejanus had lifted the slab of rubble you were trapped under upright, helping you escape. It wobbles back and forth, shedding grey rocks as it tilts. Gravity quickly causes it to lean forward again, slamming back down onto where you just were. The impact kicks up a cloud of dust around you. Grit and dirt enter your eyes and you cough hard. Two large hands reach around your body. Sejanus wraps one hand around your shoulders, pulling you close to his chest, and reaches the other under your legs. You scream at his touch, white-hot pain shooting through you.

“I know, I know,” Sejanus says, voice shaking. “But we’ll get you to a hospital, alright?” He gasps. Your head lolls back, fading in and out of consciousness from the pain. Sejanus hoists you higher in his arms, tilting your head onto his shoulder. 

“Hey, hey, stay with me here,” he pats your arm hard, leaning into you as he stands. He touches his cheek to your forehead.

“Please,” he chokes out. Your eyes roll around in your head trying to focus on your surroundings.

“Is it bad?” You moan against his skin, gritting your teeth. “My leg?” You cough. You feel Sejanus tilt his head to look.

“No. It’s fine, you’re fine.” He breathes. You feel yourself getting jostled. The agony that courses through you from the sudden movement is unlike anything you felt before. You can’t even scream, your vision immediately fades to black.

…

The linen surrounding you smells stale. Hushed whispers bounce around you. You crack your eyes open. You need a moment to let your eyes adjust. As shapes came into focus, you see a row of neatly-made beds to your left lined up one by one. There is an arched doorway, with people dressed in white clothes and strange hats scurrying to and fro. 

To your right, a pale blue partition. A pair of boots sticks out from the side, resting on the bed. Who was that? You look down. Your feet are encased in thick white bandages. You try to wiggle your toes. Nothing. Your eyes trail up to the figure perched at the side of your bed. Sejanus held a ceramic bowl filled with clean water. In his hands, a wet rag dabbing carefully at some wounds on your fingertips.

“Hey,” you croak out. His head snaps towards you.

“Oh my god you’re awake,” He cries out. His eyes were red and puffy, like he’d been crying for hours. You try to reach up to him, but he catches your hand in his, clasping it firmly.

“How long was I out?” You ask, rubbing your eyes with your free hand. “About 12 hours,” he whispers, voice shaking. You study his face. Dirt and grime are still smeared across his face, whereas the exposed parts of your skin are clean, small bandages covering all your cuts. His injuries remain untreated. Had he been caring for you all this time?

“You’re hurt,” you say flatly.

“M’fine,” Sejanus smiles, eyes welling up. “I was looking after you,” He forces a laugh, looking away. You hold your breath. He stares fixed at the peeling wall in front of you, shoulders and head turned to you. You reach a shaky bandaged hand out and rest your fingertips atop his. His head snaps back, looking down at your hands together. A tear falls onto the back of your hand, splashing your knuckles. That’s why he turned away from you. You pull your hand out from under his and try lifting it up to wipe his tears. He catches your hand midair, gently pushing it aside.

“I should be the one comforting you,” he chokes out. Your eyebrows furrow. Classic Sejanus, always putting you before himself, even when he shouldn’t. You squeeze his hand hard. He bites his lip and looks down, inhaling sharply.

“Marcus escaped.”

“What?” You try to sit up. Sejanus places a hand on your shoulder, gently easing you back into the pillow of the hospital bed.

“He has a better chance out there in the Capitol than he does in the arena.” There is a twinge of anger behind his words. 

“They’re still holding the Games?” You raise your voice, shocked. Sejanus only nods. Your stomach knots with anxiety. There was a pregnant pause.

“And Ginnee?” You ask after a moment. Sejanus hesitates.

“There was a parade,” he speaks slowly. “And they brought out the dead tributes on the backs of horses…” You gasp at the implication, covering your mouth with your hand. “What was left of them, at least,” He finishes. You feel sick. You must have looked sick too, because Sejanus calls a nurse for a bucket. 

“I’m fine, I’ll be okay,” You say, holding your hand up to the nurse. She struts off out of sight again. You pull your forearm back for support as you try maneuvering yourself upright. This time, Sejanus didn’t stop you, moving his hand behind your back and holding your outstretched hand to pull you up. He doesn’t remove his hand from your back after sitting up, opting to rub gentle circles into the small of your back. You lean your head onto his shoulder, letting your eyes glaze over. All that for nothing. It was better her death was quick than drawn out in the Games. She didn’t suffer.

You point a shaky finger at your legs wrapped up in two neat white casts. Your toes poke out from underneath the bandages.

“Still got them, huh?” You exhale softly as a sort of half-laugh. Sejanus lets out a low chuckle.

“Yeah. They’re pretty broken though. You’ll be in a wheelchair for a while.” He glances down at you. You lift your head off his shoulder, gazing up at him. His eyes flick towards your legs, not meeting your gaze.

“Actually, in the arena…” he hesitates. “In the arena, you asked if your legs were alright when I got you out of the rubble.” You nod your head slowly at his words, recalling that moment before you lost consciousness.

“And I lied. They looked really bad. I didn’t want to scare you, so I lied and said you were fine. I could see the bone though,” his voice is little more than a whisper, lip quivering slightly. You grimace at the gruesome mental image. You feel Sejanus’s shoulders shake, and just like that he’s crying again. You wrap your arms around his shoulders, running your fingers through his soft brown hair. You feel his body tense up momentarily, before relaxing into your touch. You don’t know what to say, so you choose silence. He sobs quietly into your neck, tears wetting the collar of your hospital gown. You just keep ghosting your nails over his scalp to calm him.

“I thought you were dead,” he chokes out against your neck. “I thought you died in my arms.”

You squeeze him tighter at this admission. 

“I’m not going anywhere,” You whisper in his ear. He squeezes you back, not as hard as you did. It was as though he was afraid of breaking you even more.

Sejanus pulls back from your embrace, wiping his tears off his cheeks with his hands. His gentle brown eyes are bloodshot.

“I’m sorry,” he sniffles. He stares down at his knee for a moment. You tilt your head, trying to get a better look at his face. You have never seen him like this before.

Before you can ask him what was on his mind, he reaches over behind you to the stand beside the hospital bed. You hear metal clinking and something shuffling, before he sits in front of you again. 

“Here’s some of your stuff,” He says in a hushed voice, placing the items softly in your hand. He runs his large hand through his curls.

“I thought maybe you’d want it back. When the doctor gave back your uniform, I took the stuff out of your pockets. I didn’t mean to snoop, I’m-”

“Thank you.” You gaze into Sejanus’s eyes, interrupting him. He glances down, shying away from your words. You comb over the items in the palm of your hand. Your small gold watch’s face is cracked, but the seconds hand still ticks. You could get that fixed. 

There’s the small teddy bear keychain - the one Sejanus bought for you on the way back from a study session.

 “It reminds me of you,” he had smiled at you on that warm, sunny day. You kept it in your pocket ever since that day. Now, it is missing an ear, covered in dirt. Your eyes well up with tears.

You pick up another item. The matching friendship bracelet you made with Lysistrata Vickers when you were 12 years old is broken. The pink thread holding it together had snapped in two parts and some of the beads were missing. “B-st Frien—” it reads now. Had you been standing any closer to Ginnee, you would have met the same fate as her, scattered across that arena in several pieces. 

You’re crying now, you wipe your cheeks frantically, trying not to show it. You catch Sejanus staring at the wall across from you, pretending not to notice your tears. You silently thank him for allowing you to have a moment to gather yourself.

The last item is a tattered piece of lined paper. You unfold it with shaking hands. It’s smeared with your blood, and is torn in different parts. Some of the words are missing, but the messy, blocky scrawl instantly brings a wave of peace over you. You read what you can, holding the paper together in some parts.

You smiled at me today,

My head spins as if I’m drunk when you look my way

Your sweet lips - the word is smudged with blood, you can’t make it out.

I dream of kissing your soft cheeks

I know you don’t think of me that way

But I can’t help but wonder what your hand feels - the paper is torn

For now, I’ll hold my own hand and pretend it's you,

And my broken heart will - the mangled paper cut off the rest of the words. 

There were supposed to be an additional four lines to the note, you remember that much. The bottom of the paper is mangled and tattered, the words lost in the explosion. The contents of the love letter were terrible, truthfully. Barely even poetry. But someone loved you, someone thought about you enough to write consistently, and they tried. That was good enough for you. You close your eyes, allowing yourself to cry as you kiss the paper lightly.

“I don’t even remember what it said,” you laugh through tears. Sejanus’s head turns towards you.

“Can I see?” He asks. You hesitate for a moment. You never told him about the letters you’d been receiving. You figure it couldn’t hurt to show him. Gingerly, you hand the letter over with shaking hands. Sejanus skims the contents.

“And my broken heart will always love you. I’d follow you to the ends of the earth if you let me. We could build a house by the sea together. You have my whole heart, and I hope one day I’ll have yours.” He finishes, receiting from memory and choking slightly. The memory of the letter comes crashing over you.

“How did you-” You stop mid-sentence. Oh. 

Sejanus stares wordlessly at you, lip quivering. A tear rolled down his cheek before he buries his head in his hands and sobs. You quickly lean forward and wrap your hand around his strong arm, stroking it gently.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” Sejanus repeats over and over through tears. You reach up and pull his hands from his face. His tears had mixed with the dirt still caked on his cheeks.

“Why are you sorry?” You ask gently, trying to meet his eyes. He averts his gaze.

“M’sorry you found out this way,” he hiccups. “I didn’t want you to know until I was ready. It was supposed to be special. I was going to bring you flowers,” he says, wiping his red eyes. 

You feel your stomach drop a little. You barely even had time to process the fact that you now knew who wrote the dozen letters stacked in your bedside table at home. And finding out it was your sweet friend? You’re torn between feeling elated and heartbroken for him. 

Not wanting him to take your silence as rejection, you lift up a bandaged and bruised hand and touch his chin, gently turning his head towards you. The low light from the hospital wing casts a shadow over the right side of his face. He looks incredible. Your heart hammers in your chest. You study his face for a second, an unreadable expression across his soft features. Quickly, you lean forward on the bed and kiss his soft cheek. You press your lips against his soft skin long and hard, trying to put months-worth of unspoken feelings into one kiss.

You pull back. His mouth hangs slightly agape and his bloodshot eyes glaze over.

“I read those letters every night before bed,” you whisper. “I always carry one with me. Now you know what my lips feel like against your cheek,” you giggle softly, referencing the letter. His big dark eyes twinkle a little and he laughs. 

Your eyes flick down towards his lips for a moment. Sejanus swallows hard.

“Can I kiss you properly?” Sejanus asks quietly, his voice barely audible. You hum a response in agreement. He tilts his head slightly and leans forward. The casts wrapped around your legs prevent you from moving any further, but he meets you all the way. His lips ghost yours gingerly, before meeting fully. Just like that, the pain in your legs and the hospital scene melts away entirely, and all you can focus on is Sejanus. His lips are slightly chapped, scratching yours lightly. He kisses you hungrily, wrapping an arm firmly around your waist and pulling you in closer.

 Your hand trails up his chest and finds a home in the crook of his neck, stroking lightly. He tilts his head, meshing his lips with yours. His tongue swipes across your bottom lip. You gasp, your open mouth allowing him entry. He deepens the kiss, reaching a hand up to stroke your face. You squeeze the back of his neck gently, continuously running your fingers through his hair. Your lips are numb as he kisses you hungrily. He exhales, pulling back from you slowly. 

You touch your nose against his, rubbing softly. 

“So, does this mean you like me back?” Sejanus breathes. You giggle against his mouth, pulling him in by the shirt collar.

“Yes Sejanus, I thought it was obvious.” You smile. He pecks your lips, letting out a low hum. He presses his lips against yours harder and harder with every additional kiss.

The click of heels against marble floors interrupts you both. You hesitantly pull back from Sejanus and crane your neck. Peering over his shoulder, you watch your father stride through the tall arches of the hospital, trailing behind a nurse. He pauses upon seeing you.

“You’re awake!” He calls with outstretched arms. “I’m not interrupting anything, am I?” His tone is playful.

You laugh, shaking your head and embrace your father as he walks up to you. Sejanus shuffles out of the way. Your father hugs you tightly, squeezing your shoulders. He pulls back, turning to Sejanus.

“And you must be Sejanus, my future son-in-law! Thank you for helping,” your father beamed. His tone was still as teasing as ever, but laced with sincerity. Both you and Sejanus blush a deep red at his words. Sejanus looks down at his hands, wearing a grin that meets his ears.

“I just did what I could,” he says quietly.

“Nonsense, my boy! We must have you over for dinner soon. I’ll be in debt to you for as long as I live,” your father’s voice shakes slightly. Sejanus smiles softly, saying nothing, only nodding.

Sejanus and your father help you gather your belongings, easing you into a wheelchair and leading you out of the hospital to a waiting car. Sejanus helps maneuver your legs into the black vehicle safely and sits beside you on the red leather seats. Little star-like lights twinkled above on the ceiling, and your father enters the front to sit by the driver. The car slowly pulls out of the hospital parking lot, driving past high-rise buildings and sparkling city lights in the night. Sejanus’s warm hand wraps around yours. He leans his head closer to you, his dark brown curls tickling your skin.

“I’m happy you’re here with me,” he whispers.

[thatthingilovewith]

I feel like Ginnee has a stuffed animal collection.