#celeste drabbles

[slaymitchabernathy]

The Nanny

"Mommy, when're we gonna go to the party?"

Soarynn dabs some more powder onto her face, she can't afford to look bad tonight, "Soon sweetheart."

"Mommy, what're you wearing to the party?"

Soarynn sets her powder compact down, silver with a rose engraved onto the lid, "I'm wearing a red dress sweetheart to match your father."

"Mommy, why're we having this party?"

Soarynn pauses in her makeup routine, trying to come up with a suitable answer for Ceraphina who's seen very little of the Hunger Games so far, "We're having this party to celebrate the Victor of the Hunger Games," she explains, watching Ceraphina through the mirror's reflection, "he's coming off of a very long tour from the Districts."

Every year after the Hunger Games end and a new Victor is crowned by Coriolanus, the Victor returns home to their District where they bathe in their newfound riches and move into a beautiful house provided by the Capitol. A few months later, they embark on a Victory Tour through all Twelve Districts, paying their respects to the fallen Tributes while giving inspiring speeches about the Capitol's generosity.

This year's Victor, Beckett, has just finished his Victor Tour and arrived in the Capitol this morning for the last stop in his Tour, the President's Mansion where a huge party is being thrown for him. Having the party at the Mansion serves many purposes. It allows the public to witness the grandeur of the President's riches while also allowing them to see the Victor up close and personal. Drinks will flow and music will play and no one will remember it after five days but the Snows are required to attend as tradition demands.

The girls have been chattering about the party since Soarynn and Coriolanus got back from their honeymoon but Soarynn hasn't been able to share their enthusiasm. Not when she still remembers the last time she was around people from one of the Districts. But she can't miss the party unless she's terribly ill which she is not.

There are worse things to be forced to do but Soarynn still feels strange about the entire thing. Beckett is still a child and yet she's seen grown women lusting over him. It's a life she wouldn't wish on any child, District or not.

"Will there be cake?"

Soarynn nods, grabbing her vanilla-scented perfume, "Yes darling, there will be lots of cake and other desserts tonight." Soarynn is thankful that tonight doesn't require a sit-down dinner. There will be lots of tables with different types of foods for people to try while they mingle.

"Mommy?"

"Yes, darling?"

"I love you."

Soarynn's lips curl up into a smile and she turns around on her vanity stool to face her eldest daughter who's been so sweet since she got back from her honeymoon, "I love you," she tells Ceraphina, holding out her arms for a hug. Ceraphina doesn't make her wait, leaping into her arms and giggling when Soarynn peppers her face with kisses, "Oh, I'm so lucky to have you," Soarynn tells her. She means it too, she's so very blessed to have three beautiful children in her life.

If only she could have another.

It's been one week since Soarynn got married to Coriolanus Snow and she's still not pregnant. Not that she expected it to happen just like that but they've had sex every single night since their wedding, sometimes in the morning as well and nothing has come of it. And it's not like Coriolanus is finishing anywhere but inside of her.

Soarynn pulls away from the hug when she feels Ceraphina doing the same and she rests her hand on her stomach, wishing for it to swell with a child, "Are you feeling sick Mommy?" Soarynn quickly shakes her head, knowing how scared the children get when either of their parents doesn't feel well. After Livia succumbed to a sudden illness, a simple cough can send them into a terrorized state.

"I'm perfectly fine darling," she assures her, "now why don't you go put on your shoes hmm? We laid them out this morning remember?" Ceraphina nods and runs out of the bathroom with the promise to put her shoes on by herself since she's so grown up now.

Soarynn still can't shake the disappointment of not being pregnant yet and mix that with having to mingle with everyone in the Capitol tonight and she just might be sick by midnight. But she doesn't have time to pity herself, not when she hears her husband enter their bedroom, his loud voice booming throughout the large room. Soarynn only catches the last half of his conversation but it sounds like an important one.

"...need to reel them in before things get out of hand Quintus. With the election coming up I can't afford any shortcomings."

Soarynn checks her appearance one more time in the vanity mirror, pleased with what she sees staring back at her. She went with her natural, everyday makeup look, but added a bit of eyeliner and red lipstick to match her red dress. Speaking of her dress, she needs to put it on before they start running late.

Just as she's about to stand up, Coriolanus walks in and his gaze immediately lands on her, dressed only in her robe and slippers, "Don't come in Quintus," he says, closing the bathroom doors behind him. Soarynn offers him a sweet smile even though she can tell he's stressed. Petunia who was lounging on the edge of the tub hops onto the floor and pads over to Coriolanus, purring up a storm while rubbing her body against her leg.

Coriolanus pays her no mind and treads into their closet and Soarynn follows right behind him. She can hear him mumbling to himself, physically in their closet, mentally still in his study. Soarynn takes her dress off the hanger, admiring the silky fabric that Tigris pulled together for her tonight. It has two thin straps holding it up and a slit that goes up her right leg, sure to drive Coriolanus mad tonight.

Soarynn slides her robe off her slender figure and carefully steps into her dress, pulling it over her hips and then slipping her arms through the straps. She's almost fully got it on but she needs help with tying it in the back.

She looks over her shoulder at Coriolanus who's also getting dressed, putting on his shoes while wearing a scowl. "Coryo?"

He doesn't seem to hear her through his own troubling thoughts so she tries again, louder this time, "Coryo?"

He looks up at her, his eyes slightly widen when he drinks in the sight of her and what she's wearing tonight, "Yes, my love?"

"Could you please help me with the back? It needs to be tied," she tells him, turning around to show him where the issue lies. Coriolanus nods, swallowing down the small lump in his throat while rising from the bench to help her. Soarynn pulls her hair over her shoulder while his large hands pull at the strings, ensuring that she doesn't flash anyone tonight, "Is this alright?" He asks, his voice husky and his lips very close to her ear. Soarynn shivers, "Perfect," she whispers, letting her hair fall back down over her back, "thank you for helping me."

She turns around to admire the suit he's wearing tonight, a deep red, perfectly matching her dress. He looks so sharp and handsome like the imposing President of Panem people know him to be. She straightens out his tie and pulls his collar down, "You look very handsome Coryo."

Coriolanus sighs and rests a hand on her back, pulling her against him, "I don't feel very handsome right now." Soarynn's lips tug down into a frown and she furrows her brows, "Why not? What's wrong?"

Coriolanus shakes his head, pressing a fake smile to his lips, "Nothing to concern yourself with darling." He kisses her forehead before she can protest and turns on his heel, "I'll see you shortly alright?" Soarynn can only nod, watching as her husband walks out of their closet, leaving her more worried and confused than she was before he came in.

Petunia strolls in, not at all affected by the humans around her or their wild emotions. She hops onto the table in the center of their closet and does a big stretch while watching Soarynn, "It must be nice to be a cat," Soarynn muses, scratching behind her ears. Petunia meows in reply, "Mommy, we're ready!"

The children's voices draw Soarynn from her clouded bubble and she shakes herself out of it, "I'll see you later Petunia."

꧁ ꧂

The Victory Party is a great success.

People are laughing, drinks are flowing, food is being eaten and Soarynn is miserable.

She fakes it very well to her credit, never letting her society smile fall as people compliment her on the party and her recent wedding. "Truly, we've never seen such a stunning bride," one woman says while sipping on a purple-colored beverage.

Caspian reaches out to touch the feathers on the woman's shoulder pads and Soarynn quickly pulls his hand down, "Thank you so much, the support we've received has been overwhelming." It's not a lie, Coriolanus and Soarynn Snow's wedding has been all there is to talk about. Every billboard, every magazine, and newsoutlet has been discussing it and giving out their opinions about the ceremony.

From the guest list to the tablecloths, everyone has an opinion.

"Such a shame you couldn't away for a more dreamy honeymoon," the woman sighs, "I heard District Four has a beautiful resort this time of year, have you been?" Soarynn feigns excitement and nods, "Yes we have. We didn't want to be too far from the children though," she easily lies, trying to forget what happened in Four.

The woman nods and doesn't push it any further which Soarynn appreciates, they discuss more light-hearted topics until the woman's drunk husband stumbles into one of the soup tables and she has to go rescue him.

Soarynn bounces Caspian up and down on her hip, he was doing just fine walking by himself but he suddenly got overwhelmed and asked to be held. Soarynn could hardly decline him, not when she herself was also feeling very overwhelmed. The girls had gone off with Coriolanus to get some cake a while ago but with a party like this, Soarynn knows they've been caught up talking with some of the guests.

She takes this moment to catch her breath, scanning the ballroom for a familiar face. It's hard to spot anyone with how dark the ballroom is for tonight's festivities. The lights have been dimmed, with only small lamps providing illumination. Sofas are scattered throughout the room while servers walk around with platters of food and drinks. There are musicians floating on what must be clouds above them and Soarynn doesn't even want to know how they're doing that.

Soarynn locks eyes with the one person she so desperately wishes to avoid so of course he gives her a smile. Soarynn returns it out of necessity but panics when Beckett starts towards her. When he gets within three feet of her, Grant steps out from the shadows, acting as a buffer between them and Soarynn is suddenly so very grateful for Grant who rarely ever steps in. He lets her handle things and she appreciates it more than he'll ever know.

"Just wanted to say hello," Beckett says, nodding towards Grant who doesn't budge, "I already spoke with your husband."

Soarynn pretends to be enamored by his words and nods, "Oh, I'm so glad you did. He can be rather hard to pin down." She would know, where the hell is he?

Beckett hums and his eyes drift to Caspian who's watching Beckett curiously, "What's his name?"

Soarynn doesn't really know how this boy has managed to go this far in life without knowing the names of the President's children but she pushes all judgment aside for the sake of polite conversation, "Caspian."

Beckett seems thoroughly amused by her answer, "Ah, so they're all the same then? Ceraphina, Celeste and now Caspian, I wouldn't expect any less from President Snow."

Caspian curls into Soarynn, resting his head on her chest, "Momma go to bed," he mumbles. Caspian is her saving grace tonight. "I think I ought to put him to bed," she tells Beckett, "but it was lovely meeting you, we hope you enjoy the party."

Soarynn goes to step to the left but Beckett follows her, "I saw your wedding," he says, a strange look in his eyes, "I've never seen a more beautiful bride." Soarynn has been complimented on her beauty countless times but it feels very different coming from Beckett, "That's very kind, thank you."

Beckett's eyes rove over her body and Soarynn is beginning to regret wearing a dress with such a high slit, it seemed like a great idea two hours ago. "Do you dance?"

Soarynn is taken aback by his question since to her knowledge, no one in the Districts is familiar with the waltz, "I do," she answers, "but not tonight, I really should get Caspian to bed."

Beckett scoffs a laugh, "Just hand him off to your bodyguard," he juts his chin towards Grant who hasn't taken his eyes off of Beckett, "he'll be fine. I want to go home being able to say that I had my hands on the new First Lady."

Before Soarynn can even formulate a response to his very rude and suggestive comment, she feels a large hand come to rest on the small of her back and the scent of roses overwhelms her, "I'm afraid you'll be returning home without such an accomplishment," Coriolanus tells Beckett, looming over all of them in an imposing manner.

Beckett clears his throat, caught in his scheme, "I meant no offense."

Coriolanus laughs, a fake laugh that Soarynn sees right through, "Of course you didn't. Now run along and enjoy your party."

Beckett scurries off into the crowd and Soarynn lets out a sigh of relief, "The fucking nerve of him," Coriolanus mutters, turning Soarynn around to face him, "are you alright darling? He didn't touch you did he?" He reaches to cup her face and she melts into his touch, "No," she assures him, "Grant made sure of that, but he was awfully persistent."

She can see a million emotions flooding through her husband's eyes but the most prominent one is anger. Anger due to someone making her uncomfortable and trying to touch her. "They're all the same in the Districts," he tells her sternly, "all filthy leeches that prey on sweet things like you."

Soarynn wants to believe that there's good in some people who live in the Districts, but how can she when she's proved wrong every time?

Maybe Coriolanus is right, maybe this is the only way to keep her loved ones safe.

"I should put Caspian to bed," is all she says in response.

His eyes search hers for any lies but she has none to tell him and he slowly nods, "Come down when you're done alright?" Soarynn really doesn't want to but she knows it's not up for debate, especially when he presses his thumb further into her temple, daring her to push back on his request. "Okay," she says sweetly, batting her eyelashes up at him, a trick that always deescalates his mood if he's angry.

And it does just that. Coriolanus visibly relaxes and gives her a quick kiss before saying goodnight to Caspian and disappearing back into the crowd.

The past week the two of them have been learning from each other and learning what they will and will not tolerate in their marriage and Soarynn has quickly learned that there's nothing Coriolanus despises more than push back. From anyone really, not just her but it especially ticks him off when she questions him.

She doesn't even mean to do it in a malicious way or in a pestering manner but Soarynn is curious by nature and Coriolanus is always quick to back up his reasoning with several facts, whether or not they're valid is beside the point.

"Let's go to bed," Soarynn says quietly to Caspian who lets out a tired sigh, "Lenny go to bed," he tells her. Soarynn nods and begins to make her way through the crowded room, smiling at any guests who look in her direction despite the very uncomfortable conversation she just had with Beckett.

She truly doesn't know where any of that came from, she's never met him before, she barely even watched his Games and yet he was so insistent on dancing with her. Perhaps it's a silent fight between men who are constantly trying to assert their dominance.

Coriolanus has always been rather possessive all things considered and he's never taken kindly to those who live in the Districts. That's why the Capitol citizens love him so much.

"Oh Soarynn, I've been looking all over for you dear," Eudora calls, quickly running over to her, "you're wanted by the dessert table, some ladies from the Gallery are just dying to talk with you about next year's upcoming theme." Soarynn's only been First Lady for a week but there's no rest for the weary and she's been pulled left and right to discuss things that have been left untouched since Livia passed away.

Soarynn's lips curl up into another fake smile, the same smile she's bestowed upon everyone tonight it seems, "Of course, let me just put Caspian to bed." Eudora looks around the room for a moment and perks up when she spots the girls who are milling around, accepting compliments left and right, "Why don't we get all the children to bed?" Eudora suggests, "It's getting rather late."

She's not wrong and the girls are already up way past their bedtime. "Good idea," Soarynn agrees, beckoning the girls over to them, "Mommy! Mommy, there was a chocolate fountain!" Celeste animatedly tells her, pointing at one of the long tables filled with different treats.

"That sounds like a dream come true for you girls," Soarynn muses, resting a hand on Celeste's head, "and speaking of dreams, it's time you girls go to bed."

Both Ceraphina and Celeste immediately begin pouting but Soarynn is on her last leg right now and gives them a knowing look, "You two have had lots of fun tonight haven't you? Staying up late is a treat," she reminds them, "now let's all go upstairs please."

Before I lose my mind, she thinks to herself once the girls give in to her request. Soarynn is thankful for Eudora who accompanies her upstairs and helps her get all the children to bed. She normally can manage it just fine but with the party right below them, things are just more difficult tonight.

Caspian goes down without a complaint, letting Soarynn kiss his head goodnight while his eyes drift shut. The girls are a different story though, still on their sugar high, jumping up and down on their bed, refusing to go down. Soarynn usually doesn't mind them being antsy before bed but she needs them to cooperate tonight, mostly because Coriolanus won't be happy if she's not downstairs soon.

"Girls," she says sternly, "I need you to lie down please."

"But we're not tired!"

"Well I am tired," she tells them, pulling back the covers, "now please get under the covers or we won't have time to read a story." That strikes a chord within the girls and they finally calm down and crawl under the covers, watching Soarynn with big eyes as she picks out an easy and short story for tonight.

She gets through the story quickly, making sure to do the voices they adore so much, and presses a kiss to each of their cheeks, "I love you both very much, have sweet dreams my darlings."

They both gaze up at her, nothing but love and adoration in their blue eyes, "Good night Mommy."

Soarynn turns off the bedside lamp and quietly pads out of the room, lingering by the doors for just a minute to actually make sure that they're asleep and not just pretending. She leaves once their breaths grow steady and she's met with Grant standing outside the doors, dutifully watching over her even in the comfort of her own home.

"Are you alright Mrs. Snow?"

Soarynn furrows her eyebrows and he shakes his head, "I was referring to the District boy approaching you."

Oh.

"I'm perfectly fine," Soarynn lies breezily, walking past him, "and I have quite a few guests to attend to."

She can tell that Grant doesn't fully believe her but it's not his job to care about her feelings, "I'll assign some Peacekeepers to stand guard outside the children's doors," he says and Soarynn nods, she feels much better knowing that the children are protected while she's busy downstairs.

"Thank you, Grant."

He still looks worried but Soarynn brushes it off, she's just tired that's all.

She's fine.

꧁ ꧂

Sometimes it feels as if the party never ends.

It's well past midnight and Soarynn just said goodbye to the last party guest. She's utterly exhausted and wants nothing more than to soak in the bathtub for a while before curling up in bed, preferably in her husband's arms.

But Coriolanus snuck away an hour after she returned from putting the children to sleep. She has no doubt that he's been discussing business all night long considering how many important men attend things like this but she wishes he wouldn't leave her alone to deal with all the guests.

She silently walks down the long hallway towards his study, figuring she'll just say goodnight now and make her way upstairs. If he wants to join her, then he knows where to find her.

When she reaches the doors to his study, she can hear several muffled voices from inside, all male and all very loud.

She softly knocks, wondering if they can even hear her over their voices but the doors open a moment later and she's looking up at a very tired-looking Quintus Heavensbee, "Good evening Mrs. Snow."

Soarynn gives him a polite nod, "Good evening Quintus. I was hoping to have a quick word with my husband before I retire for the night."

He looks back into the study and Soarynn hears a quiet conversation being had before she hears her husband's authoritative voice, "Bring her in Quintus." The trusted advisor moves to the side and Soarynn slowly walks into the study, looking around at the five men who have gathered here so late into the night. The fire is roaring and she sees several half-finished drinks sitting on the table by the sofas. They've been at it for quite some time.

Her husband's gaze is cold and calculated, a stark contrast to how it usually is when they're alone but they're not alone, they're in the company of very important men and Soarynn would do well to remember that.

"I apologize for interrupting," she says sweetly, earning her several grumbles from all the men insisting that she's not a bother at all. "Come here darling," Coriolanus calls from behind his desk, holding out a hand for her, and Soarynn can't do anything but go to him. Her hand slips into his large one and his fingers curl around it, tugging her to his side, "We heard that you were approached by the young Victor," one of the men says, his voice is weathered and warbly. He looks old.

Soarynn swallows, have they been talking about that all this time?

Coriolanus squeezes her hand, pulling Soarynn back into the present, "Yes," she answers, "yes I was."

Everyone in the room shares disgusted looks, "The nerve of him," one of them mutters, shaking his head, "he ought to be punished." Coriolanus grunts in agreement, "He mentioned putting his hands on her before I came to her rescue." It's so strange to be talked about as if she's not in the room with them.

"I think a trip to Two is exactly what needs to be done," Quintus says, resting a hand on the edge of the desk, "these people need to be reminded of who they serve, who they answer to."

Soarynn looks down at Coriolanus, his face is unreadable right now, "You're going to Two?" She asks softly, her gut churning at the thought of Coriolanus being away from her, from the children. They haven't been apart, not since Four. Coriolanus pinches the bridge of his nose, "There is a high possibility that I will be paying District Two a visit within the week," he says as if reciting from a script.

Quintus offers Soarynn a smile but she does not return it, "We were hoping you might accompany your husband if he goes, it would be just what we need to show them that the Capitol is an unshakable force."

"Yes, seeing the New First Lady by the President's side would be the perfect ploy," another man chimes in.

Soarynn feels like her head is spinning. "I um...I would have to think about it," is all she says, gripping her husband's hand even tighter to steady herself, "Ceraphina still has school and I can't just leave the children."

Everyone starts talking at once but Soarynn can't hear a word they're saying while they attempt to talk over one another, discussing possible solutions or alternatives. Soarynn pulls her hand away from Coriolanus, ignoring the look he gives her, ignoring the look they all give her as she stumbles towards the door. She can hear her name being called when she goes out into the hallway but she keeps walking until she reaches the back staircase.

Coriolanus is leaving? For how long? And why does she have to go with him?

Soarynn didn't realize she was signing up for all of this when she married Coriolanus but maybe it was written in one of the thousands of contracts she signed months ago.

If she's expected to make these appearances only for the sake of Capitol morale then was that his intention from the beginning? Did he only marry her to have a First Lady to cart around when needed?

Soarynn climbs the stairs at a rapid pace despite her heels and dress getting caught with one another. She doesn't even care about the dress or the shoes, she just wants out.

She just wants out.

꧁ ꧂

Coriolanus doesn't come to bed until four o'clock in the morning when Soarynn is sound asleep. Well, she was asleep until she felt him climb into bed and pull her against him, warming her body immediately. Soarynn keeps her breaths steady while he moves around to get comfortable and remains limp when he wraps an arm around her waist, burying his face in the nape of her neck.

"I'm sorry," he mumbles, pressing a gentle kiss to her tender skin, "I'm sorry for everything tonight."

Soarynn wishes she could roll over and tell him that all is forgiven but she doesn't know if it is. She needs him to apologize when they're both awake.

He can do that tomorrow morning.

Everything will be better in the morning.

꧁ ꧂

The alarm wakes the couple with a jolt. Soarynn often forgets how the day waits for no one, especially Coriolanus who is expected to treat every day like a work day, even if he threw a massive party the night before.

Coriolanus groans and his grip around her waist tightens while he kisses her shoulder, "Good morning," he mumbles.

Soarynn would never say this out loud, but she loves his voice in the morning. It's even deeper than it usually is and it's so raspy. That's probably why she enjoys morning sex the most, because his voice alone can get her off.

Soarynn doesn't know whether to give him a hard time about last night or if she should just move on and forget about it.

She decides to give him a hard time, an easy decision in her opinion.

"What was that about last night?" She asks, rolling her hips back into him. She can hear his breath hitch from her teasing actions, he's usually pent up with energy in the morning and often wakes up with a pressing problem that can be easily solved should she spread her legs for him.

"Last...last night?" He croaks out, trying to still her hips with his hand but it's no use, his cock is already hardening in his boxers and he'd rather eat glass than solve this problem on his own.

"Mhm, last night when I was spoken about as if I wasn't in the room with the rest of you," she sweetly reminds him.

Another roll of her hips miraculously jogs his memory and he lets out a quiet moan, "Oh that," he says, "yes, yes I'm so sorry about that darling. Things have just been...just been getting tense and they think it's best if I address it personally rather than from behind my desk."

Soarynn's interest is piqued and she rolls over to her stomach, teasing long forgotten as she stares into his bright blue eyes, "Coryo what's going on? You were upset before the party and you were ice cold in your study. I hardly want to be in the same room with you right now, let alone travel to District Two to show my support for you." Her words are slightly hurtful but they're truthful and he values that more than words in a pretty package.

Coriolanus looks unfairly handsome lying on his side, curls tangled and sleep still evident in his eyes. But his eyes are gentle right now, sweet and caring, looking at her as if she's the most precious thing in the world to him.

"There have been riots in Two," he says quietly, rubbing his thumb up and down the side of her hip absentmindedly, "Beckett's victory has given them hope and we can't have that. All my advisors think it's best if I go to Two to speak to the people and publically execute anyone taking part in the riots."

Soarynn shivers at his words, at how causally he mentions people being executed. She often forgets how heartless he has to be sometimes. "I didn't want you getting dragged into this," he stresses, pressing his fingers into her skin, "but when Beckett came up to you and Caspian I just...I lost control," he admits, looking down in shame, "I wanted to bring you for the sake of my pride, to show people in Two that I'll always have the last laugh. I let my pride get the best of me Soarynn, I'm sorry for everything."

Soarynn scans his blue eyes for any signs of a lie but she only finds truth and a bit of shame. "I forgive you. And I'll say it right now while we're both of sound mind and body but I'm not going with you to Two. I...I can't go to the Districts again," she whispers, painful memories flash through her mind, "even though I don't want you to go either."

Maybe in a few years, she'll gain back the courage to leave the safety of the Capitol, but not now, not when everything is still so fresh. Their marriage, the attack, the party. Soarynn knows better than to play with fire.

"Everything will be fine darling," Coriolanus assures her and he sounds so confident, so sure that everything will be fine if he leaves, "I'll tell my advisors that you can't come and that will be the end of that."

She lets out a sigh of relief, glad she won't have to leave the Capitol or the children for that matter. The holidays are right around the corner and there's so much to be done around the house. Being the official First Lady has given Soarynn access to things she couldn't dream of, including decorating the Mansion.

Soarynn leans over to press a kiss to his cheek, one he welcomes wholeheartedly while wrapping both arms around her waist and pulling her on top of him. Soarynn giggles when his lips find hers, moving in sync with one another while she rolls her hips against his in a teasing manner. He pulls away, wearing a lazy smile with his curls all tangled, "Why don't you be on top today?"

Soarynn almost falls off of him when she hears those words leave her husband's lips. Coriolanus is a man who craves control in every situation, from his children to his wife, he wants everything and everyone to do exactly as he says. Unfortunately for him, neither his children nor his wife are keen on always following his explicit rules.

To willingly let her be on top is a shock and Soarynn can't hide her expression, "Really?"

Coriolanus scoffs and his hands slide down her waist and rest on her ass, slipping his fingers under her lace panties, "Yes, really. I want to see how pretty to look sitting on my cock darling."

He has such a way with words.

Soarynn refuses to let him fluster her though and she doesn't back down from a challenge easily. Despite his past claims about her being a "pillow princess", Soarynn is sure she can manage. At least for ten minutes until she gets tired.

"Alright," she decides, lifting her hips so she can pull down his boxers far enough to take firm hold of his cock, already hard and leaking with precum. Coriolanus lets out a strangled groan from how she handles him but he's a big boy and if she can take everything he dishes to her, then he'll be just fine with what she does to him.

Soaryn has gotten well acquainted with her husband's cock over the past week, how big it feels inside of her, how it has a slight and delicious curve to it, and how he always needs to be inside of her when he finishes.

Soarynn pulls her panties to the side, seeing no point in fully undressing if she's the one in charge this morning and she teases his tip against her folds, rubbing it back and forth the same way he does it when he's on top. Coriolanus is struggling underneath her, she can tell that he's just itching to take over and do everything how he wants to do it but he holds back.

Soarynn finally lets the tip of his cock snag onto her entrance and she slowly sinks down on it, gasping at how much bigger he feels in this position. Coriolanus holds her hips gently, helping her sink down fully onto his cock and Soarynn swears that she can already see stars from how fucking deep he is inside of her. The tip of his cock is jammed against her sweet spot, making the slightest movements so very sensitive and stimulating.

"Take off your nightgown," he says breathlessly. Soarynn gives him a knowing look, if she's in charge then he's going to have to use his manners the same way she does when she's beneath him.

Coriolanus rolls his eyes but complies to her silent standards, "Take off your nightgown please my sweet darling girl who I love so very much."

Soarynn smiles and holds her chin up high, "That's better."

She pulls her nightgown over her head and tosses it to the side, baring her breasts to him while he stares up at her. "Take it slow," he advises and Soarynn is quick to squeeze her walls tightly around him, making him groan and moan, "I know," she quips, rolling her hips around to see what she likes.

Soarynn rolls her hips clockwise, then counter-clockwise, feeling how good it feels to be on top of Coriolanus who's going against everything he believes in to give her some control.

Soarynn rests a hand on his toned chest and leans forward until her hair falls over her shoulder, creating a curtain of sorts for them as she kisses him deeply, sighing when his teeth tug at her bottom lip. "You look so heavenly like this," he mumbles against her lips and she grins, "so beautiful and angelic."

Soarynn is sure that other more vulgar words could be used to describe the sight of her on top of him but she appreciates his kinder ones. Soarynn sits back up and slowly lifts her hips up before bringing them back down, gasping at how he stretches her out. Soarynn quickly finds a rhythm that suits her needs and Coriolanus is quick to sit up and wrap his arms around her waist so he can kiss her. They move in tandem with their hips, his cock drags against her walls again and again, making Soarynn whimper.

Soarynn is already growing tired but she's always had less stamina than Coriolanus who can go for hours without tiring. "Feels so good," she pants, squeezing around him, "so deep."

Coriolanus moans when she picks up the pace and one of his hands wraps around her neck, squeezing it until she feels lightheaded. Looks like he couldn't give up control for too long. Coriolanus starts pounding up into her, the sound of skin slapping and moans are all that can be heard in their bedroom. Soarynn's eyes start to roll back and she's getting closer to her peak, "Please," she whines, "please, please, please."

Coriolanus slaps her ass, "You look so perfect like this angel, stuck on my cock like the good girl you are for me hmm? Just taking whatever I give you. Wish I could keep you like this all day long."

Soarynn tries to form a proper sentence but her mind is so clouded by lust and the feeling of him inside of her that all she can do is let out a pitiful moan. Coriolanus presses sloppy kisses to her jaw, sucking on the skin while deepening his thrusts. "Cum for me Soarynn, be my good girl and cum for me." It doesn't take much more after that, Soarynn's hips are rolling like they have a mind of their own, and suddenly that wire inside of her snaps.

All she sees is white as her back arches and Coriolanus keeps fucking her. She can hear him swearing, saying more nasty things to her while he tries to reach his own peak.

Soarynn goes limp in his hold, trusting him to hold her while he fucks up into her, finally reaching his orgasm and spilling inside of her. She moans softly at the feeling of his cum getting lodged deep inside of her, just how he likes it. Soarynn rests her chin on his shoulder and simply sits there, not in a rush to start the clean-up process.

Coriolanus rubs circles on her back and whispers sweet words and compliments, rocking them back and forth. Soarynn feels so content like this which is funny because a year ago she was so focused on the kiss they shared on the train. Now he's buried deep inside of her on a quiet morning. Her eyes fall shut and she feels him slowly lay back down and pull the covers over them. They should take a shower, Ceraphina has school today and Coriolanus has work but he always makes sure to take care of her before getting out of bed.

Soarynn doesn't know how long they lie there like that, still connected. Maybe hours, maybe minutes. She's overwhelmed by the scent of roses, comforting and reassuring that all will be well so long as she has Coriolanus. He gently taps her hip and Soarynn begrudgingly lifts her head to look down at him, "What?"

He chuckles, brushing her hair out of her face, "We have to get up darling."

Soarynn pouts, she usually doesn't mind going about their routine shortly after having sex in the morning but this just feels different and she can't explain why. "I'm sore," she whines. She's not lying, she's been in a constant state of soreness since their wedding night since neither of them can get enough of the other person.

Coriolanus smirks and lifts his head to peck her lips, "You're always sore," he sweetly reminds her, "and we have to get up before the children." He, unfortunately, has a point. Soarynn grumbles before she sits up and looks down at the ungodly sight of his cock still inside of her cunt, it does something to her and makes her want to go another few rounds before leaving their bed.

Coriolanus seems to pick up on her inner thoughts and brings a hand to her clit, rubbing it with his thumb. Soarynn moans, her back arches and she ruts against him, already overstimulated, to begin with. "Coryo," she whines, trying to pull herself off of him but he's quick to pull her back down with his other hand, "I thought you liked it when I played with you darling," he says, shaking his head with false disappointment.

It had its intended effect though and Soarynn whines, "I do," she mumbles, digging her nails into her thighs, "I do like it."

Coriolanus keeps rubbing her clit and just when she thought he couldn't do anything else, he lodges a finger in her cunt, adding to the sensation of his cock still being inside of her. Soarynn almost screams from the feeling, from the now burning and aching stretch of her cunt being filled to the brim with Coriolanus Snow.

"You always take it so well," he praises, "my fingers, my cock, and now my fingers and my cock. I really did marry a little whore didn't I?"

Soarynn wants to tell him that he's wrong, that she's not a whore but he starts moving his finger inside of her and it's all too much for her. Soarynn feels a tear roll down her face and her walls start to flutter around him, a telltale sign that she's about to cum again. "I...I'm not," she croaks, unable to look away from what he's so shamelessly doing to her. Coriolanus scoffs a laugh, condescending and taunting, "You're not what doll? Not a whore? Or not taking it like you should?"

He pinches her clit and she's done for.

Soarynn cums again and this time, she feels herself shaking and she feels herself getting wetter and wetter, she might just squirt again. He'd love that, Coriolanus has been desperately trying to get her to do it again since he found out she could do it.

Soarynn folds forward, trusting him to catch her and he does, he'll always catch her.

She lays there in his hold and feels his finger slowly slip out of her cunt and hears him groan at the mess she's made, "Such a good girl," he mumbles against her head.

That's the last thing that she hears before she gives back into sleep.

꧁ ꧂

"C'mon Mommy!"

Soarynn is out of breath from climbing all the steps leading up to the Academy but Ceraphina Snow waits for no one. Her daughter is already running through the doors into the foyer of the school, looking so cute in her little uniform. "I'm coming," she calls, shouldering her purse. Today Ceraphina is presenting her family tree and Soarynn has been given the privilege of attending her presentation.

All family members are encouraged to see their children present in front of the class but due to work, Coriolanus couldn't make it. But Soarynn could and she knows how important it is to show up.

Soarynn offers a smile to anyone she passes while following Ceraphina down the hallway, she hasn't been here in years but in the past few months, it's felt like she's lived here. Maximus walks beside her, his brown hair slicked back and his face neutral as he scans the hallway, "She's been working very hard on this project," he tells her. Maximus is much more talkative than Grant is, making him the perfect fit for Ceraphina who would talk to a rock if she could.

Soarynn hums, Ceraphina hasn't stopped talking about it since they started last month. She needed photographs of all their family members and even interviewed Coriolanus to ask him questions about the Snow family lineage. Very impressive for such a young girl.

"I'm quite excited to see what she's done," Soarynn admits, really just eager to see Ceraphina interact with her classmates. Ceraphina runs into her classroom and Soarynn hears several excited shrieks from inside.

Soarynn slowly approaches the open door, peeking inside and watching as Ceraphina hugs one of her friends who has long black hair, "Today's my day for the project," she tells her friend proudly.

"Ceraphina honey, let's hang up your coat and bag remember?" Her teacher softly reminds her, resting a hand on her back. Ceraphina nods and goes over to the hooks on the wall, "My Mommy came with me today," she tells her teacher, pointing at the door. Soarynn straightens up and steps into the classroom, nodding at Mrs. McDowell whose eyes are as wide as saucers despite meeting Soarynn several times already.

Soarynn has forgotten how important she is to people now that she's married to Coriolanus.

"Madame Snow," Mrs. McDowell gushes, bowing her head in respect, "it's such an honor to have you grace our classroom this morning."

Soarynn gives the woman a kind smile, "Thank you for having me, I'm so excited to see Ceraphina's presentation." Ceraphina jumps up and down, overcome with excitement, "Can I show her my desk, Mrs. McDowell? Can I? Can I?"

Mrs. McDowell keeps her gaze on Soarynn but answers Ceraphina, "Of course, you can honey."

Ceraphina runs over and takes Soarynn's hand, dragging her into the classroom towards all of the tiny desks. Soarynn can't get enough of how tiny everything is. The desks, the children, the school supplies. It's so adorable. "This is my desk Mommy," Ceraphina proudly tells her, resting a hand on the small desk, "I keep my crayons and pencils in here."

Soarynn raises her eyebrows, very impressed, "Well aren't you fancy? Crayons and pencils?" Ceraphina giggles and pulls Soarynn towards the front of the room where there's a chalkboard along with a bookshelf tucked in the corner, "This is our class pet, Mr. Bubbles!"

Soarynn crouches down to look at the bottom shelf and is genuinely surprised to find a goldfish swimming around in a tank, "He wasn't here when we came to the open house," Soarynn murmurs, knowing she'd remember if they had a class pet. Coriolanus on the other hand, can barely remember the teacher's name.

"We got him because we were very well-behaved," Ceraphina says matter-of-factly, wearing a proud smile on her face, "and I get to feed him this week because that's my class chore." Ceraphina points at the chalkboard and Soarynn looks over to see that there's a list of class chores scrawled across the board with the students' names written under the tasks. The line leader, feeding Mr. Bubbles, turning off the lights, passing out papers.

"How responsible of all of you." Soarynn wonders where this enthusiasm for chores goes when Ceraphian returns home and doesn't want to make her bed.

More students file into the classroom and Soarynn stands by the bookshelf, simply observing her daughter while she interacts with everyone. She hugs the girls but stays far away from the boys, something Coriolanus would be proud of. One of the girls, the girl with the black hair slowly approaches Soarynn with a wary look in her eyes, "Are you Ceraphina's Mommy?"

Soarynn nods, bending down to be at eye level with the child, "I am her mother," she confirms, "what's your name?" The girl offers Soarynn a sweet smile and clasps her hands, "Diamond." How precious. Soarynn holds out her hand, "Pleased to meet you, Diamond."

Diamond gently shakes her hand, scanning Soarynn's face which leads her to worry if she covered all of the marks Coriolanus gave her properly, "You're prettier than on television," Diamond tells her.

Soarynn withholds her sigh of relief and chuckles, "Well, thank you, that's very kind."

"Alright children, let's find our seats so we can listen to the morning announcements," Mrs. McDowell says with a clap of her hands. Diamond scurries back to her desk, right next to Ceraphina's and the girls start whispering about something, their eyes flitting to Soarynn every once in a while. Soarynn grins, remembering when she was that young and amazed by everything grown-ups did.

Soarynn stands back up and listens as the intercom crackles and the announcements begin. Most of them are mundane things like what will be served for lunch and what sports will be conducting practice after school for the older children. The children to their credit, listen attentively while Mrs. McDowell passes out papers to each of them.

Once the announcements commence, Mrs. McDowell comes to stand next to Soarynn, a bright smile on her face, "Today Ceraphina will be presenting her family tree project and the First Lady has so graciously taken the time out of her very busy day to join us."

All of the children softly gasp except for Ceraphina who kicks her feet in anticipation, "Now let's give Ceraphina our full attention while she shows us her family tree." Ceraphina slides out from behind her desk, skipping to the front to stand by Soarynn, "You can sit at my desk if you want Mommy," she whispers.

Soarynn eyes the very tiny seat that has been offered up to her, "That's very generous of you darling." Ceraphina looks up expectantly at her, clearly waiting for Soarynn to sit down so she does just that. It's a bit awkward sitting in such a small chair but Soarynn manages to do it although her knees are almost pulled up to her chest. It's a good thing she wore a long dress today.

Ceraphina nods in approval and turns to the chalkboard where Mrs. McDowell is hanging a large poster of sorts. Soarynn's eyes widen when she finally sees the family tree that Ceraphina has created and it's a very big family tree.

Ceraphina turns to face the class and clears her throat, "Good morning, my name is Ceraphina Snow and today I will be showing my family tree. Family trees are important because they help us keep track of our ance..." Her voice dies off and she glances over at Mrs. McDowell who gives her an encouraging nod, "'Cause it helps us keep track of our ancestors who are people that lived before us," Ceraphina finishes with a satisfying grin.

"My family tree has three sides, my Daddy's side," she points at a handsome photograph of Coriolanus, "my Mommy's side," she points at the photograph of Soarynn, "and my other Mommy's side," she says, touching a photograph of Livia. "My other Mommy isn't here anymore but now we have a new one because she married my Daddy," she explains, looking around the room to make sure everyone is following.

"My Daddy's parents got married and then they had him," Ceraphina points even further up the tree at two smaller photos of a Crassus Snow and his wife, "then he got married to my other Mommy," she drags her finger to Livia's photograph. "Her parents got married and had her. My Mommy and Daddy got married and they had me," Ceraphina points at herself, "my little sister Celeste and my little brother Caspian."

Soarynn follows the lines all the way down to the children's photographs and can't help but notice how cute they all look.

"But then, my Mommy got sick," Ceraphina says dramatically, pulling gasps from the children who most likely don't remember Livia, "so she died and we buried her in the ground." Soarynn looks around at the children's forlorn faces and Ceraphina bounces on her toes, "But then we got a new Mommy!"

Everyone perks up at her words, "My Daddy married my new Mommy, whose parents had her," she stands on her tiptoes and points at the photographs of Glen and Cera Nightingale, "and now we're all one big family."

Diamond lets out a relieved sigh as if this is a television show and not real life, "Over here I have other members of my family even though we aren't really related," Ceraphina says with a shrug, "I have Petunia who's our cat, then Eudora who tells my Daddy what to do and where to go." Soarynn has to cover her laugh with a cough, "We also have our bodyguards who keep us safe, Maximus and Grant. And that is my family tree!"

Ceraphina does a dramatic curtsy and everyone begins clapping including Soarynn. "Well done Ceraphina," Mrs. McDowell praises, "family trees are important because not all families are the same," she explains to the class, "they come in all different sizes."

Soarynn nods along to her words, they certainly do. The Snow family seems to be quite a set of wild cards but she wouldn't have it any other way. Not when it gave her the sweet little girl in front of her.

꧁ ꧂

It's only eleven o'clock in the morning but Soarynn is already tired. She blames it on the morning sex.

She's greeted by Eudora the second she steps inside, "How was Ceraphina's family tree presentation?" Soarynn takes off her coat and hands it to the Avox waiting to take her things, "It was adorable, " she tells the older woman, "she had photos of you and Petunia."

Speaking of Petunia, a white blur trots towards Soarynn and she grins, "Why hello little lady, looks like you finally decided to wake up hmm?"

Petunia is hardly affected by Coriolanus and Soarynn's active sex life. She has a very nice, comfortable cat bed that she sleeps in while her humans roll around in the sheets and she's never been afraid to sleep in.

Petunia purrs, rubbing her body against Soarynn's boots she chose to wear today, "No one has arrived yet for the lady's luncheon," Eudora informs her as they begin walking down the great hall, "two women had to cancel last minute and the table's already been set." Soarynn nods along to her words, running through the guest list for today's lady's luncheon. While Coriolanus deals with the elite men of the Capitol, Soarynn deals with the women.

Coriolanus has it much easier in her opinion.

Men are simple creatures with simple wants and needs. Women, on the other hand, are very complicated creatures who run off of emotions and Soarynn has dealt with a lot of emotions from different women this past week. She's attended a handful of social events since becoming First Lady and she's dealt with the three same things at every single one: drama, gossip, and tears.

Soarynn does her best to remain removed from any drama or gossip as it would taint her image along with her husband's image as well and she can't have that. She also just doesn't care for the frills of the elite social life the way other women do. Soarynn would much rather be curled up in the library with her children than at some gallery staring at white canvases with a single black dot in the middle.

She's voiced these feelings to Coriolanus who's simply said that her way of thinking is a rare thing to cherish in a world of gossiping, backstabbing women who never grew out of their schoolgirl days. He certainly has a blunt way of putting things.

"Where are the children?" Soarynn asks, ignoring any new updates for today's schedule. She's anxious to have her darlings back in her hold before she has to go host this luncheon and seeing all the adorable children in Ceraphina's class has only led her to want to have at least six more children. Coriolanus shouldn't mind and Soarynn would be more than happy to endure the pregnancies.

"In the playroom dear, oh, and the results from all of your testing finally came back," Eudora tells her, steering them towards the sitting room she does most of her work in. Soarynn focuses on the file sitting on the coffee table, the file that holds all the results from the various tests she and Coriolanus had to do before getting married.

Eudora bends down and grabs the file, holding it out to Soarynn, "Go over it when you have a minute or two. There shouldn't be anything amiss."

Soarynn hums and takes the file between her fingers, fighting the urge to sit down and read all of the results between her and her husband right now but she resists the urge. She has to see the children first. "I'm going to go see the children and freshen up before lunch," she tells Eudora, already making her way out of the sitting room.

Soarynn takes the back staircase and Petunia ends up joining her in climbing up all the stairs, "I should really start taking the elevator," Soarynn mumbles to herself. Coriolanus has mentioned the elevator before but she's never used it. She can hear Celeste and Caspian from down the hallway, giggling while they play together.

The first few days of Ceraphina going to school had been an adjustment, to say the least for everyone. Celeste had lost her partner in crime and Caspian suddenly was given a lot more attention by Celeste than he was used to. Caspian prefers to play by himself, building up his blocks, playing with his stuffed animals quietly in the corner while Ceraphina and Celeste go do whatever it is that they do.

To have Ceraphina gone was like missing a limb.

Soarynn often found herself turning to say something to her eldest daughter only to realize that she was at school and not by her side. Spending every waking moment with her children was a double-edged sword it seemed. She got to cherish every moment with them, every milestone. But those milestones meant they were growing up, getting too big to need help like they used to.

But she still has time with them and she can always have more children which will mean more time with them.

At least that's what she tells herself before walking into the playroom where Celeste and Caspian are busy building a tower out of their blocks. Celeste notices Soarynn first and perks up, a giant smile growing across her face, "Mommy!"

She almost sends their tower to the ground when she stands up and runs over to Soarynn, throwing her arms around Soarynn's legs. Soarynn chuckles, resting a loving hand on top of Celeste's curls, "Hello my darling. Did you two miss me?"

Caspian remains in his spot on the floor and nods, "Yes," he says, nodding his head, "Momma come play."

Well, she can't say no to that.

Celeste beams up at her and takes notice of the file in Soarynn's hand, "What's that Mommy?"

Soarynn shakes her head, "Just some paperwork darling."

She follows Celeste back over to the tower they're building and makes herself comfortable on the floor in between the children, asking them about this very impressive tower they're building.

"A princess lives inside of the tower," Celeste tells her matter-of-factly. Caspian adds another block to the base of the tower, "Lion." Celeste nods, "And a lion lives there too, they live together and the lion protects the princess 'cause there's a witch who wants..."

Soarynn smiles fondly while Celeste continues to explain the lore of the tower. She could say whatever she wanted and Soarynn would still find herself nodding along to her words, so enamored by the sweet girl.

Soarynn's eyes, unfortunately, drift back to the file sitting on the floor and she can't help but pick it up again and open it this time, scanning over the pages. Most of it is talking about things she doesn't really care about like her height and weight, how much muscle mass Coriolanus has. She's sure he'll spend hours reading over this when she gives it to him.

She flips to the next page, scanning over all of their blood work which seems to be normal thank goodness. She's sure that the doctor could explain it better in more detail to her if she asked him to. Soarynn turns to the next page and her eyes drop to the bottom of the page where she sees three words in bold.

Fertility Test Results

Her heart starts racing and she brings a shaky finger to the page, resting it on the words that hold her entire future.

She reads the next two lines.

Coriolanus Snow - Fertile Soarynn Nightingale - Infertile

Infertile.

Infertile?

Soarynn can't stop the sharp gasp from leaving her lips while she reads those words over and over again. This can't be, there must be some mistake. There's no way that she's infertile. She's so young, she has so much life ahead of her and yet she's incapable of creating it.

They must've mistyped this, Coriolanus will be sure to fire whoever is responsible for this. Oh, Coriolanus. How will she tell him? And what if she really is infertile?

Soarynn feels as if all of her hopes and dreams have been dashed from her before she could even start thinking about them. She can't have any children. She can't get pregnant no matter how much she tries.

Soarynn blinks back tears, she can't afford to cry right now, not in front of the children who remain oblivious to her internal dilemma.

"Soarynn dear, the ladies are beginning to arrive," Eudora says, knocking on the playroom doors. Celeste looks up at Soarynn with furrowed brows, "What's wrong Mommy? Why do you look so sad?" Soarynn has forgotten how perceptive the children can be, especially Celeste who's always worn her heart on her sleeve just like Soarynn.

Soarynn presses a smile to her lips and gently pats Celeste's cheek, "Nothing's wrong darling, I'm perfectly fine," she lies. Even though she's not. She's not fine, she's devastated.

But she has things to do, people to attend to, children to take care of.

"I'm going to go downstairs and have lunch with some very important ladies and after that, we can go pick up your sister from school okay?" She might as well treat today like a normal day for the sake of the children, and her sanity.

Celeste and Caspian nod, "Will you tell us about Ceraphina's project?" Celeste asks, grabbing onto Soarynn's arm. Celeste and Caspian had been very fascinated by the family tree project and offered their help to Ceraphina several times while she politely declined their offers. Soarynn debated taking them to the presentations today but decided against it after Coriolanus said they'd probably get antsy.

"I will," Soarynn confirms, swiftly placing a kiss on top of Celeste's head before leaning over to do the same with Caspian, "I'll be back soon okay?"

After making sure the children are okay, Soarynn follows Eudora down the hall towards the grand staircase, a million thoughts running through her mind. Coriolanus had said that he’s more than happy with the children they already have but Soarynn so badly wanted to get pregnant, to carry a little baby inside of her and then give birth. She wasn’t there for when the children were babies and there’s not enough photos that can make up for that.

She wanted her own baby and she doesn’t care how bad that sounds.

“…so don’t mention that to her and are you alright dear?” Soarynn nearly runs into Eudora who looks very concerned for Soarynn’s wellbeing, “Oh, I’m fine,” Soarynn waves her off, “just a bit hungry so I suppose it’s good that we’re about to eat.”

Soarynn can tell that Eudora doesn’t believe a word she says but she doesn’t push her which is greatly appreciated. Soarynn can already hear the excited chatter from the women downstairs, it’s not every day you get invited to have lunch in the President’s Mansion.

Soarynn can’t ruin this for them, not if she values her reputation as the ever-so-kind and gracious First Lady.

No, she’ll have to push through, wait until tonight when she can tell Coriolanus the devastating news.

After all, she’s done it before and she can do it again.

꧁ ꧂

“Such a beautiful family portrait,” Mrs. Heavensbee comments as they walk down the great hall. Lunch felt like the longest lunch Soarynn had ever been to.

It was filled with surface-level conversations and to no one’s surprise, gossip and drama. Soarynn was rather quiet at lunch and she hopes that no one took offense to it.

She looks up at the large portrait that now hangs on the wall, the same wall that was occupied by the portrait that had Livia in it.

This one looks a little bit different.

Coriolanus looks tremendously handsome in his black suit with his arm wrapped around Soarynn’s waist while she wears a beautiful red dress that drapes on the floor. The children sit in front of them on a decorative bench with Petunia in Ceraphina’s lap.

Getting Coriolanus to agree to let Petunia be in the official portrait was like pulling teeth but Soarynn luckily knew his weaknesses. After a few blow jobs, he would’ve agreed to anything.

“Thank you,” she says, allowing herself a genuine smile at the compliment, “we were quite pleased with how it turned out.”

They had it done the day she and Coriolanus got back from their honeymoon. There had been lots of whining from the children who didn’t want to sit still for that long and lots of lethal glares from Coriolanus who didn’t like whining children.

Soarynn played the Peacekeeper for the afternoon, soothing over hurt feelings from both sides and they managed to get what they needed which was all that really mattered.

“Do you have any plans for more children?”

That question cuts deep into Soarynn’s heart. She can’t cry now, not when she’s so close to getting all of these women out of her house. She simply shakes her head, “We haven’t discussed it yet,” she lies, acting nonchalant, “we already have three perfect children.” That part isn’t a lie.

Mrs. Heavensbee hums, she’s the perfect fit for her husband, both of them are somewhat reserved but very passionate when they want to be. She has two children of her own, Perlina and Plutarch who are in Ceraphina’s class.

“It was wonderful having you ladies,” Soarynn says, turning to face the rest of the group.

It really wasn’t but she’ll keep that to herself.

The women shower her with compliments about today's lunch and of course, her wedding. Even though it's been over a week since she got married, Soarynn is still asked about it. She'll have to start writing thank you cards for everyone who attended, heaven knows she'll be busy with that.

She makes sure everyone is in a car and on their way out before she allows herself to feel miserable again. How can she be unable to have children? Is this some sort of genetic thing? Is there a pill that she can take to fix it?

Marrying the President means having access to every procedure, pill, and doctor in all of Panem. If there's a way to fix this, Coriolanus will find it.

At least that's what she tells herself.

꧁ ꧂

Watching Capitol children spill out of the Academy building is not Soarynn's idea of a perfect afternoon but the children always get so excited to accompany Soarynn when she goes to pick up Ceraphina. She could hardly deny them of this small joy, even if she herself wanted to crawl into a hole and never come out.

"Oh, I see her! I see her Mommy!"

Celeste jumps up and down while holding Soarynn's hand, eager to reunite with her big sister. Soarynn had given up on trying to place Ceraphina in such a large crowd of children, instead, she searched for her bodyguard Maximus who was heads above even the tallest Academy student. And sure enough, she finds him and Ceraphina is right in front of him, her hair blonde as ever.

"School," Caspian says, pointing at the building. Soarynn hums, Caspian has been more talkative lately and she couldn't be happier. She and Coriolanus had spoken with several child behaviorists who said that the reason for his quietness was due to the fact that his mother died when he was still attached to her. Livia's death hindered his speech but now that he had a constant motherly figure in his life, Soarynn, he'd start talking more and more.

The man assured the couple that Caspian would be talking just like his sisters by the time he started going to school.

"That's right darling," Soarynn nods, "one day you'll go to school with your big sisters." Celeste pulls on Soaryn's hand, "When do I get to start ballet lessons?"

Coriolanus had decided that he wanted to enroll the girls in some sort of extracurricular activity in the new year. Soarynn had suggested lots of things such as painting, and singing, but dancing was something he and the girls both agreed on. The girls were enamored by the ballerinas they saw in their beautiful costumes.

They'd start in January but Celeste struggled to understand the concept of time. She just wanted to wear the slippers and tutu.

"In January darling," Soarynn tells her, "so in about a month."

"Can we go ride Snowflake when we get home?"

"Of course, we can sweetheart."

With the riding lessons, piano lessons, and now ballet lessons, Soarynn was bound to have her hands full getting the girls from one place to another. Coriolanus had suggested they hire a nanny and Soarynn nearly suggested that he go for a long walk outside.

She was the nanny. Now she was the children's mother. They didn't need a nanny when they had her.

No matter how thin she'd be spread, she refused to look into hiring a nanny. It was out of the question.

꧁ ꧂

"Go Snowflake go!"

Soarynn chuckles while Ceraphina tries to get Snowflake to pick up the pace but he's been trained to trot inside of the paddock, not gallop. "Take it slow darling," she calls out, "you don't want to wear him out."

It's a cold day in November, one of the last ones before they step into December which means lots of holiday events to attend. But today isn't windy which makes being outside much more bearable. Soarynn had bundled herself and the children in thick, warm coats with mittens and gloves to match. She didn't want anyone getting sick before such a busy month.

She shivers when remembering the time that Ceraphina got sick from a classmate at school and gave it to Celeste and Caspian. It had been a rough week in the Snow household. Coriolanus had practically barricaded himself in his study, claiming he couldn't afford to get sick.

Soarynn had rolled her eyes when he said that, men were so dramatic when it came down to getting sick, acting as if their arms had been cut off.

"Mommy, why is the sky gray?"

Soarynn looks up at the cloudy gray sky, it's been gloomy all day, just like her mood. "It's probably going to snow darling," she says to Celeste, "or rain."

"Are we gonna have dinner with Daddy tonight?"

Soarynn shakes her head and gives Celeste a small smile, "No sweetheart, we have dinner with him on Sundays, remember?"

After asking her to marry him, Coriolanus unknowingly exposed himself to a new lifestyle and routine now that Soarynn was here to stay. That lifestyle included having dinner as a family once a week. She wasn't unrealistic, asking him to have dinner with them every night was impossible with his busy schedule but on Sunday nights, no matter how busy he was, they all had dinner together.

The children loved it. They missed having dinner with their father so to see him for breakfast and dinner was a treat as special as any. Soarynn secretly hoped that one day he might take all of Sunday off to spend it with them but she was taking it slow, baby steps were necessary with a man like Coriolanus who despises lack of control or change.

"Oh, sorry I forgot," Celeste mumbles. Soarynn feels a frown tugging her lips down and she crouches down so that she's at eye-level with Celeste, "There's no need to apologize, Celeste, it was an honest mistake."

She reaches out to hold Celeste's face in her hand, rubbing her thumb over the child's cheek, "But I was thinking that tonight we might make dinner extra special by having breakfast for dinner."

Celeste gasps, her bright blue eyes wide as saucers, "We can do that?" Soarynn laughs, she's never done it before herself but it sounds like a fun idea, something to spice things up from their normal routine. "We sure can," she answers, "we can have waffles and pancakes, and all your favorite things."

Caspain butts in after hearing about the possibility of pancakes, his favorite breakfast food, "Panacakes?" Soarynn and Celeste giggle, "Yes sweet boy, we can have pancakes."

Celeste runs over to the paddock gate and grabs onto it, "Ceraphina! We're gonna have breakfast for dinner tonight! Mommy says so!"

Ceraphina pulls on the reigns, bringing Snowflake to a halt, "Really?" She asks, her voice doubtful. Being the oldest means she's grown to expect promises to be broken, mainly by her father who struggled to keep his word while trying to put their broken family back together.

Soarynn stands back up, a determined look on her face, "Really," she nods, "it'll be fun."

Ceraphina grins, "Okay!"

Soarynn might still feel sorry for herself but she'd never let that get in the way of the children she has right now, children she won't ever take for granted.

꧁ ꧂

Everything was going great until Ceraphina and Celeste asked how they were born.

Which was something Soarynn had limited knowledge of for a number of reasons. She hadn't been working for the Snows when the girls were born and even if she was, she certainly wouldn't have been there for the birth. But that didn't stop the girls from asking more questions about giving birth which to her luck, led to questions about being pregnant.

It was like a stab to the heart.

She answered all of their questions calmly and patiently before kissing them goodnight and promising to see them tomorrow. Only when she closed the doors behind her did the tears start to form in her eyes.

It just wasn't fair, wasn't fair that she couldn't get pregnant.

Since she could remember she's always wanted to be a mother, to have a baby and raise it as her own.

But she can't. She can't and her head hurts and she's tired and all she wants in the whole wide world right now is her husband. She slips off her heels before trudging downstairs to his study. She doesn't know how she'll tell him, how she'll apologize for not being a good wife, the wife fit for a Snow.

She vowed to bear any children he'd gift to her and she already broke it.

A few tears roll down her cheeks as she finally reaches the doors that lead to his study. She raises her fist to knock but stops when she hears voices inside. He's busy, probably in a meeting. Should she knock, she'll be told that he's busy and she can't let anyone see her like this. No, she'll just wait.

She sits on the small, decorative sofa that sits right outside of his study, pressed against the wall under a portrait of his father, Crassus Xanthos Snow. She looks up at it for a moment, he looks stern, commanding, she can see where Coriolanus got it from. She wonders if this man would see her as a good fit for his son.

Probably not.

Soarynn sits there for what feels like hours, watching the moon through the large windows across from her. She should just go to bed and tell him in the morning but Soarynn can't bear to carry this burden any longer.

She's about to fall asleep when she hears the doors to his study open accompanied by several men grumbling among one another. She slowly pushes herself to her feet, in no rush to face her humiliation. One of the men finally looks in her direction and clears his throat, bowing at the waist, "Madame Snow."

Soarynn musters up a graceful smile when the other man takes notice of her as well and does the same thing, paying their respects. Quintus is the last one out and he looks more concerned than surprised to see her lingering outside her husband's study so late at night.

"Our meeting ran a bit longer," he explains, "we do hate to keep you from your husband this late into the night." Soarynn shakes her head, she doesn't even care at this point, "It's quite alright. Have a good night Quintus."

Rarely does she ever dismiss anyone in her house but she wants to be alone with Coriolanus. She doesn't need spectators.

Quintus thankfully picks up on this and nods, "Good night Madame Snow."

Soarynn watches him walk down the long hallway, chatting with the others as if there's anything left to talk about in this world before she walks into the empty study. Coriolanus is sitting by the fireplace, deep in thought from the looks of it. He merely tilts his head in her direction, "Did you leave something behind?"

Soarynn quietly closes the doors behind her, she doesn't even want the Avoxes to hear her. "It's me," she whispers.

Coriolanus finally looks over at her and his stern expression melts off immediately, "Darling, I thought you'd be in bed at this hour." Soarynn shrugs and forces herself not to cry, "I'm not," is all she says.

Coriolanus reaches a hand out, silently asking her to come to him and she does, slower than usual but she feels like she's been chained to the ground. The moment her fingers find his, he's pulling her into his lap, resting her thighs over his and wrapping an arm around her waist. It's the type of gentleness she needs right now.

Coriolanus kisses her cheek, the smell of roses lingers around him at all hours of the day, "How was your day hmm? Did Ceraphina's presentation go well?"

Soarynn thinks back to this morning, it feels like a hundred years ago. She remembers the family tree, how under Coriolanus and Livia's name were the names of their children.

There will be no names under hers.

"It was good," she whispers, watching the fire crackle with the firewood. Coriolanus gently rests a hand on her cheek, making her look at him, "Soarynn, what's wrong? Did something happen?"

Soarynn gasps, the floodgates are wide open now. "I can't," she cries, tears spilling down her cheeks in an instant, "I can't and I've broken my vows."

she can see how conflicted and confused he is by her words, "You broke...you broke your vows? How? Darling, tell me what happened and we'll make it right."

Soarynn shakes her head, she's sobbing now, "We can't. We can't have children together."

She watches through tears as Coriolanus tries to understand her, "The results," she gasps, "I can't get pregnant."

Soarynn wants to die, she wants to close her eyes and never wake up. The stress of the wedding, of becoming First Lady, of being the perfect wife and mother has all crashed down on her all at once.

She can see how heartbroken he is, even if he tries to hide it. She knows how badly he would've loved for them to have more children together.

Soarynn buries her face in his shirt, staining it with her tears and mascara no doubt but she doesn't care right now. She feels him cradling her head, murmuring words that she doesn't care to hear right now.

She just wants to sleep and wake up to realize that this was all a bad dream.

It's all a bad dream.

꧁ ꧂

"...test results were negative..."

"...doctors can't do anything..."

"... she's heartbroken..."

"...could always go the surrogate route..."

꧁ ꧂

When Soarynn wakes up, she's in her bedroom.

The lights are dim and her mouth is dry.

Soarynn slowly sits up, groaning at her stiff limbs, she ought to start stretching before going to bed each night.

Soarynn looks over at her bedside table and sees a glass of water and two red pills next to it, no explanation as to what they'll do. She takes the water but not the pills.

Coriolanus isn't in bed but she can see the bathroom light is on. A meow comes from the floor and Soarynn cranes her neck to see Petunia looking up at her, tail bushy and ears perked. Soarynn pats the space next to her and Petunia expertly leaps onto the bed, immediately climbing into Soarynn's lap. She absentmindedly pets her soft fur, wondering what time it is, if Coriolanus is going to file for divorce. She vaguely remembers hearing his voice along with Eudora's but she doesn't exactly remember what they said.

"Oh, Petunia," she sighs, "I just got everything I ever wanted and now I'm back to where I started."

She hears a snort come from the bathroom and looks over to find Coriolanus standing in the doorway, shirtless, wearing only his boxers and an amused expression on his face. "If I recall, you started as a single, childless, quiet woman with no living family besides that cat," he says calmly, "have we already come full circle?"

Soarynn blushes and looks down, she was just being dramatic but he has a point, "No," she mumbles, "I have more than I could ever dream of." And she does. She has a husband who loves her, children who adore her, a beautiful home to call her own, food, water, all the clothes she could want, and then some. She's the luckiest woman in Panem and here she is throwing herself a pity party.

Coriolanus pads over to her side of the bed, gently sitting down next to her, "Darling," he reaches out and brushes some of her hair behind her ear, "I read over all the test results."

Soarynn looks up at him, eager to hear that it was wrong, that she misread something. He sighs, "The results were correct, you're infertile and can't get pregnant no matter what we do."

Her entire body deflates, she's gutted all over again. She had held onto a sliver of hope that maybe he'd find a way to fix this but not even Coriolanus Snow could help her. "Oh," she says glumly, "there's not...there's not like a surgery or a shot I could get?" She gives him a hopeful, desperate look but he can only return it with a sad smile, "My love, there's nothing we can do. I called the doctor and we went over every possible option. Anything we could remotely try would either lead to your death or the baby's death and I won't ever risk that."

Soarynn feels angry at him even though he's completely justified in his reasoning. Would she risk her life for her child's life? Absolutely. But could she handle losing her baby? No, she'd be devastated.

"I just really wanted it," she whispers, her voice breaks but as long as he's here then she'll be okay, "I just really wanted to have another baby." Coriolanus wraps an arm around her, comforting her in her lowest moments as he vowed to do, "I did too," he tells her softly, "but Soarynn, you can't blame yourself, you did nothing wrong. The doctor suspects it might be genetic, think of your own mother and what happened to her. Even she struggled to get pregnant if I recall."

Her breath catches in her throat she hadn't even thought of it like that but he's right. Perhaps the same fate fell onto her own mother but she was able to get pregnant. Except she didn't survive. Only Soarynn did, leaving her father alone and she knows that Coriolanus will be damned if he's left alone again.

Even if it means that his wife will be miserable for the rest of their lives, she knows he'll take that chance over anything else any day.

"Livia struggled too," he whispers, "she...she almost lost Ceraphina midway through the pregnancy. And my own mother died trying to give birth to my little sister. We've suffered from enough tragedy at the hands of childbirth for a lifetime darling, we have three beautiful children who are just down the hall so I think we should make the most of it, don't you?"

Soarynn sniffles, wiping away any last tears before looking up at him, "I do," she says, "I want to make the most of it, even if I'll always think about what could've been." Coriolanus hums, pressing a kiss to her temple, "I know you would've been good, a good mother to our new baby but we can't get caught in the past, trust me I know."

Soarynn nods, Coriolanus refuses to linger in the past, marrying her is a clear testament to that belief.

She leans into his hold, feeling safe and above all, loved once again despite her flaws, "I love you," she says.

He tightens his grip on her, "In sickness and in health darling, I'll always love you."

Always is such a sweet promise to make.

꧁ ꧂

꧁ One Year Later ꧂

"Thank you so much for taking the time out of your day to sit down with us Madame Snow."

Soarynn smiles warmly at the interviewer, "Please, call me Soarynn."

She's gotten used to living in the spotlight, being questioned for every little thing she does but Soarynn is happy with this life she's chosen. She wouldn't have it any other way.

"Alright, Soarynn, your husband just won the election, what was it like to be by his side in such a tense few months?"

Soarynn remembers the months leading up to the election, how stressed Coriolanus had been, how many meetings and interviews he conducted. He won it by a landslide but still, he had been so worried. Soarynn did what she did best, she comforted him, reassured him that he'd win, and did her best to spread her own influence amongst the people of the Capitol.

Since marrying Coriolanus, she's been adored by the Capitol, widely known as the 'Captiol's Darling' due to how many people love her.

"It was a testament to our marriage," she answers, "I vowed to stand by him no matter what, win or lose and I did. To see him do what he does best fulfills me, it fulfills our family."

The interviewer nods, "How did you come to know President Snow?"

Soarynn finds it almost strange to think back to the time when she barely knew Coriolanus, when she worked for him, and worried that she'd lose the children every day.

"I was employed by the Snow family following Livia Snow's death," she tells the woman, "Coriolanus and I got to know each other and the rest is history."

The woman hums, jotting down some notes, "If you don't mind me asking, what was your job under the Snow family? Were you an assistant to President Snow?"

Soarynn smiles, she's forgotten how many people are unaware of how she came to know the people she loves so dearly in her heart. She often wonders what her life would be like if she never applied for the position, if she never got hired, if she never let herself and her walls down around Coriolanus.

She shakes her head, she doesn't mind at all. She sits up straight and proud, knowing that she carries the Snow name and its legacy.

"I was the nanny."

| Part 14. | Final Part |

| tumblr oneshot/drabble |

| taglist: @strawberriicakes @wonderlandbound111 @villiansarehottest @kickmybark @thevoicesinmyprettylittlehead @melodyoflovee |

[2009editingtips]

58 for writing prompt 😎

Thank you thank you <3

"Would you please just kiss me?"

Rating: G Word Count: 306

Between the two of them, Dan could say confidently that he is the less clingy one.

Phil is the one who sits practically on top of Dan when they're lazing about on the couch. Even though they specifically got one big enough for both their obnoxiously long limbs to splay out comfortably on.

Phil is the one who intertwines their fingers at inopportune moments, typically when Dan needs his hand for typing responses to work emails or for gripping his switch controller so tightly it squeaks when he's up against 6th graders in Mario Kart.

Phil is the one who presses close, shoulder to foot, trapping the heat of their bodies between the sheets as they sleep. He's also the one who complains in the morning, limbs tangled, back and neck aching.

But he pulls Dan in just as close the next night anyway.

Yes, Phil is the more clingy one.

But Dan is the more needy one. Typically craving a kind word or gentle reminder of his worth above physical closeness.

But there are times, times when Phil is pressed to his side, one of his pale feet worming its way under Dan's leg and causing him to shiver at the cold, when Dan has the sudden, consuming urge to pull him closer. To press their skin together with such force that there is nothing for it to do but meld into one.

But he won't say that.

Instead he says, "Would you please just kiss me instead of putting your nasty, hobbit feet up my ass?"

And Phil giggles, light and tinkly and beautiful. He doesn't move his foot, still pressing the icy plane of it to the inside of Dan's calf, but he does shift up, pressing his face into Dan's already grasping hands to place the gentlest kiss on Dan's upturned lips.

[sincerely-astra]

Could I please have some Celeste x trans-masc reader please? ^^ I'm starving for some fluff Celeste content-

☁️Celeste Ludenberg x Trans-Masc Reader🌧️

⚠️Mentions of transphobia!⚠️

The two of you met when Celeste was in middle school, well, not Celeste actually. You met Taeko Yasuhiro.

You were a new transfer student, something that only happened because of the harassment you got from your old school for being trans, and the teacher had placed you next to her.

You both weren't exactly quick to become friends, Taeko wasn't a person who really stood out to you and Taeko wanted little part in her peer's lives anyway. For a good few months, it remained like this, you both did eventually become acquaintances where you'd at the very least say hi to each other in the morning and ask questions about the material to one another, but again, you weren't friends.

It stayed that way until a cold morning when you had made it to school early and practically ran to your classroom to get somewhat warmer from the heater and you saw Taeko sitting at her desk reading a really thick book. The pages were obviously old and clearly taken from the back of the school's library. Normally you wouldn't have acknowledged this, you had seen her reading from time to time so it wasn't anything new, but for some reason, this book seemed to catch your interest.

Swallowing your initial awkwardness, you leaned over to gaze at the book and ask, "What are you reading?"

"...European history." She finally spoke up after a long pause, her eyes narrowing at you as if to see if you were worth sharing this information with.

And luckily, you were.

You both got to talking, mainly about European culture and history, and you got to learn a lot about Taeko and her obsession with Europe. It was hard not to be mesmerized as she went on and on in excruciating details of different periods, it really got you interested in it too, albeit, not on the same level as her.

You'd occasionally chime in with your thoughts every now and then and Taeko would take them seriously, treating you as an equal to her.

Taeko would have been lying to say that she didn't enjoy talking to you and that she wasn't eager to become friends the moment you expressed interest in something so dear to her. Despite her own restraint in not wanting to scare you away, you both became friends really quickly and talked way more than before.

This being said Taeko was also quick to pick up on you being trans. Not specifically being trans, but she knew you were different from others, she had always been quite perceptive after all.

She noticed the baggier clothes you wore, the way you would spew out excuses at the teacher if they had wanted you to do any kind of physical activity, your lack of appetite, everything you might have tried to hide from others, she knew.

Granted, Taeko was pretty subtle about the whole thing, not really letting you in on her knowing only asking questions that were vague enough not to detect you. She really wanted to know what was up with her best friend, but she wasn't going to push you if you weren't ready! ...She is impatient though.

When it comes to Taeko's gambling talents, it is the one thing she likes showing off, especially to you.

You both make bets all the time, usually just betting on a snack or something easy, and Taeko has yet to lose... She technically has "lost" before but that was only because she felt kind of bad and let you win.

When she started to really let her gambling flourish and started going to some more shady places, you always insisted on going with her out of concern. You both were aware of how dangerous these places can get and with Taeko just being in high school, there wasn't a lot she could do if things got messy... It's not like you are the strongest person out there, but it makes you feel so much better knowing she has someone there just in case.

Even if Taeko acts like it's annoying, it melts her heart knowing you care so much.

Being in the place in Japan where you were born and raised, it was extremely obvious that it was not the most welcoming place when it comes to being trans or part of the LGBTQIA+ community in general. The more you thought about this and your identity itself..., you were reasonably hesitant about coming out to Taeko.

You did want to tell her, don't get it twisted, but you were just so terrified to lose one of the only friends you had.

It had taken months of preparing yourself, multiple breakdowns, and so much overthinking before you could bring yourself to ask Taeko to meet you at the park. It would be there where you open up and tell Taeko why you had been so distant lately, that you were trans, and what that involved.

Taeko being Taeko, was not surprised by the development at all, she did act like it though out of not wanting to hurt you. She gave you a warm congratulations, a hug, and made sure that you knew you were loved no matter who you wanted to be.

Taeko will probably be the quickest when memorizing your new name and pronouns, same goes for who you are okay with saying your new name to. Literally your number 1 ally and supporter!

She will definitely help you in researching for a binder and Testosterone, keep in mind though that she will be teasing you when she feels necessary.

Also, when it comes to you not having the best eating habits and skipping meals to make your curves less noticeable, she will be putting an end to that immediately. She understands why you are doing what you are doing, but not eating is not gonna make that any better. She will be making sure you feel fine with your curves whether you like it or not.

In the last months before your graduation from middle school, Taeko too starts having some changes...

It was really sudden but she came into class one day looking very different from how she usually did, her hair was longer with the addition of two twin drills in her hair, her eyes were red from the help of contacts, and her attire was barely fitting the uniform dress code with its laces and eccentricities. It was all so strange and so sudden that you couldn't help but have your mouth agape slightly at the sight...

Then she insisted on you calling her Celeste Ludenberg. That one really made you pause with how different she was.

It's not like you actively protested these changes, she had been there for you when you didn't feel like yourself so why shouldn't you be for her? You called her Celeste, you got used to her new attire, you got used to her accent, you got used to her new and improved "backstory", and you got used to her shift in personality, but it just made you wonder what caused such a change.

It was like she was playing a character, someone from those European history books she loved so much. She was not Taeko Yasuhiro, in her own words, "Whoever is stuck with such a name must be truly pathetic. A name like that with no flair is no name for me."

There were still moments when her old personality would peek through, and it wasn't like she was totally different with how she still fawned over European culture. That at the very least gave you some solace.

In a way though, it was like your friendship restarted, like you were just meeting someone completely new and not the girl you had known for the last few years. It probably didn't help that you weren't always the fondest of Celeste and her attitude...

There was always something so condescending in her tone and the way she carried herself like you were nothing more than a pebble in her shoe and it just aggravated you.

You guys would get into fights more often..., sometimes over the pettiest stuff. Your relationship was deteriorating swiftly as the days went on and it was emotionally devastating for the both of you.

Celeste was accepted into Hopes Peak Academy.

When she got her admission letter, her first thought was that she had to tell you right away so you both could celebrate, but as her hands grabbed her phone and excitedly texted you, her eyes gazed over last night's fight... Reading over the nasty words you both sent to one another, all for something she couldn't even remember, it really did sink in that going into Hopes Peak might be the breaking point in your relationship if she didn't fix this.

She didn't want that, there was no way she could just let something like that happen, not when you were... you. You, her best friend since forever, someone she so deeply cherished and always wanted by her side, you the person she loves-

...She loves you so much.

She has to fix this.

Celeste has always had a really hard time admitting she's in the wrong, it's what comes from being a stubborn person, so she knew very well that this was just gonna have to be a hard pill she had to swallow and in all honesty, she didn't even know where to start... She would scroll through both of your messages, trying to find where the whole issue started to begin with. It was really bittersweet reading through all of the years of good memories you both had with one another..., Celeste really regrets letting you go like this.

She also wasn't surprised to see that she was the one really pushing everything at the start. She wasn't Taeko Yasuhiro, of course, she was going to act differently, but she knew there were a lot of things and actions she had done/said that really shouldn't have been even thought of. Looking back on it, she even found her behavior a bit repulsive.

Gaining your trust back was going to take a while, but Celeste was fully prepared to make that sacrifice if it meant getting you back.

She did everything she could think of, she bit back whatever insult or passive-aggressive thing that tried to crawl out of her mouth, she made more time for you in her busy schedule, she tried to help more with your transition or at least made you feel somewhat less gender dysphoric, and she cut back on the gambling a little, all for you. There were times when she would occasionally snap back to her old ways, but she apologized after and that was the big difference from how it used to be.

It's hard to stay mad at someone when they go through so many lengths to make it all up to you..., you weren't any different in that regard.

It was soon after this that Celeste also happened to find out her feelings for you.

Although your relationship had mended, you both didn't want to push each other's boundaries quite yet, meaning your once lively sleepovers and hangouts had been momentarily postponed. So, when you finally worked up the courage to ask for a sleepover and were met with acceptance, it was hard to not be a little giddy.

You both did the usual thing of going to her house after school (she always insists on 'hosting' the sleepovers), talking for a while, playing some games, making popcorn, and watching a movie, and you were both getting ready for bed. This was the part Celeste was hesitant about... She knew it was dumb, but in this new persona she came up with, she never exactly turned it off around you. When she's home alone, she obviously never acts as extravagant as she does everywhere else, so you never get to see that side of her.

And that was terrifying in its own right.

But it also still had to be done, you were sleeping over after all. Celeste took off her drills, put some pajamas on, and took a quick breath before slowly opening her bedroom door to see you sitting on her bed, scrolling your phone. Her heart was practically gonna burst out of her chest from how anxious she felt as you looked up, a smile growing on your lips as you asked if she was ready for bed.

...That was it? No questions or feelings of repulsiveness? Celeste barely held back a confused expression as she nodded and went to sit by your side, nervousness dying down by the minute.

And then those words came out of your mouth..., "You're really pretty, you know." Those words singlehandedly made her heart stop as if it too were just as shocked as her. She truly did try and remain as calm as one can be in this situation, but it wasn't hard to see how uncharacteristically soft she had become.

She was sure of it before, but god, she loved you.

Celeste was pretty quick to confess after that. She wanted to make sure everything was just perfect for it to be, she asked you to go to dinner with her at this new place she had been wanting to try, acting nonchalant and not giving anything away all evening, and her plan was to confess at the end of the night when she would invite you for a little midnight stroll. It was going to be perfect!

It would have been until this absolute piece of work that was serving you two began harassing you just as you were both about to leave. Saying things like, "You aren't fooling anyone you know," and, "You will never be a real man." God, the way your face fell as you practically dragged her out of there made her want to tear him apart. Celeste was so close to just absolutely ripping that server to shreds, the only reason she didn't was because she never got the chance to when you were trying to get out of there as quickly as possible.

The rest of the night was spent with her trying to comfort you even when you would tell her that you were fine and this was a somewhat normal occurrence for you... She felt so horrible that she had chosen that restaurant over the countless others in town, all of which had the chance to not make such a wonderful night end like this.

You shouldn't have to get used to something like that, you were in no way inconveniencing him just by being trans and you being okay with this made her stomach turn into knots of so many different emotions.

As your footsteps fill her ears, her feet suddenly stop on the pavement underneath her as she watches your moonlit form unintentionally leave her behind. Celeste couldn't stop herself from letting it all out right then and there. Yelling out her love for you as you whipped around, also stopping in your tracks as she rambled on and on about how much she adores you, how much she wants to be able to help you through these horrible things, and how she loves you.

Looking into her deep, blood-red eyes... This wasn't Celeste Lundenberg, the cold gambler who was deemed, 'the queen of lairs.' This was Taeko Yasuhiro, the same European-obsessed girl you met back in middle school.

So you know Celeste's ranking system? How it goes from A-F, F being her enemies, and A being something no one has achieved. Well skipping over all of that, you have been officially promoted to S-tier! Meaning you are the love of her life and she will never let you get away. :)

She loves dressing you up in her gothic Lolita style, she finds it absolutely adorable on you and will even try to branch out and try other styles on you.

Celeste has to use the money she gets from gambling to good use and the only way she can really think of is by spoiling you. Not only are you gonna get a ton of trinkets, snacks, and whatever else you show interest in, but you are also gonna get a lot of gender-affirming items! This consists of clothes, hormones, binders, whatever you need, you will receive.

Now that you two are in a relationship, Celeste will slowly start showing the other sides of her, ones that she keeps away from everyone else. It's hard for her to stop hiding Taeko from her life, but you being there certainly helps.

Her cat loves you, like, it LOVES you. Celeste lowkey gets a little jealous because Grand Bois Chéri Ludenberg is literally all over you when you go over to her house. She's jealous of not only you but the cat as well.

She wants kisses too. :(

Celeste might not be the most outwardly affectionate person but deep down, she is so needy. She wants your attention so badly but she also doesn't want you to know that-

She's going through it.

When I say that Celeste is the ultimate transphobia shield, I mean it. It could be anywhere, anytime, and coming from anyone, whatever transphobic thing that even comes into your vicinity will be taken care of by her sharp words.

And if someone just doesn't get the hint, she isn't opposed to yelling at them to get it across.

Celeste also tries to be so well informed with the trans community since she wants to make sure you feel comfortable and safe.

If one of her friends ever dares to misgender you repeatably on purpose or make you feel unwelcome, she will drop that person so quick. You don't deserve to be treated like trash and she will make sure you know that!

Celeste loves her trans-masc boyfriend so much.

[dixie12]

The kitten appeared at his door on a cold March morning. It was alone, and when Jonny checked the rest of the property, he didn't find any sign of its mother, or any siblings. It wasn't a surprise- this part of Manitoba was known for coyotes, and it was something of a miracle that the kitten had survived to make it to his doorstep.

He let it in, and it made itself at home immediately, jumping onto the couch and falling asleep in the blanket Jonny had left there. Some company couldn't hurt, he guessed, petting the kitten's soft ears

[worldsendramen]

im not gonna lie if i were u celeste i would NOT fumble a girl like bernadette thats just embarrassing.

i dont write that often have mercy </3

[frickingnerd]

the way you look at me

pairing: celestia ludenberg / celeste x gn!reader

summary: celeste catches you admiring her...

"you've been staring at me for the last minute"

celeste pointed out, glancing to the side and meeting your gaze. you didn't think she would notice you, but it seemed like you couldn't deceive the ultimate gambler.

"what were you thinking about, hm~?"

she turned around in her seat, leaning forward. her red eyes glaring at you, following your every move. it was clear that there was nothing you could keep hidden from her. 

"i just… thought you looked pretty today!"

your confession was met with silence. celeste's eyes were still on you and it seemed like your compliment did nothing for her. she turned away again, quietly huffing. and only then you could spot the small smile on her lips…

[quietwingsinthesky]

Drabble 282/366 - Celeste

“Wait,” say the part of her, lagging behind. She’s walking now and has been since they left Granny’s cabin. Madeline turns, worried now that her fear of losing her voice, her self, will be too much for this part of her to leave the mountain.

But just as Madeline opens her mouth to reassure her—I’ll listen, I promise, I won’t leave you if you won’t leave me.—her mirrored mouth shifts from an uncertain frown to a determined pout, and she tackles Madeline, hands in her hair.

For an eternity that can’t stay, their lips touch.

And they are one again.

[kingkatsuki]

I just found my old family cam recorder and i've spent the last 2 hours going through all the videos that were taken from the day i was born till i was like 8 years old 😭 i found a few video that were literally so heartwarming like i fr missed how life used to be bacc in the early 2000s yk and this made me think how about if you/anyone and bakugo came across your old camera from like highschool or elementary school when you guys are now in your mid ages or something like i think that'll be so cute imo 🫂

Omg this made me smile so much🥺

Also just finding old purikura or photobooth reels from when you used to go on arcade dates together, and he definitely did not want you to give him pink whiskers and cat ears (but didn’t complain when you did), and he demands he gets to keep that set so he has to pay for you to do another one.

But also picturing an older Bakugou sitting down and watching home videos of his family, from the day you got married to your honeymoon and all those memories together.

And when he fishes out that old photo reel from your first date he’s smiling down at it when he tells you to get ready because he’s taking you out. And he takes you to the very same arcade that you went to on your first date, and of course it’s changed a lot.

But that same purikura photobooth is sitting there at the back of the arcade as he pulls you inside it, determined to make new memories together🥺

[mistressofthemanor]

Just a Dress

“I think that you will look adorable in this outfit.”

“Mother, no,” Celeste huffed and angrily stomped her foot as she crossed her little arms. Her tiny lip poked out and she would not meet Narcissa’s eyes.

“Oh, please, my darling. Please do this for Mummy. I promise you will love it.”

“No. I will not love it. I don’t want to wear it!”

“Well,” Narcissa sighed, bringing the dress down as she studied her daughter carefully. “If you don’t want to wear this, then what would you like to wear?”

Celeste ran towards the dresser and with Narcissa’s help, she pulled out a pair of slacks and top. “I want to wear this! I want to dress like Draco. I do not want to wear a dress.”

“No, you cannot wear that.”

“But Mummy, whyyy,” Celeste whined and threw the clothes down in a fit. “Why can’t I wear clothes like Draco?!”

“Because you are not Draco!”

“I don’t want to wear his clothes, Mother! Just clothes like him!”

Narcissa rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest with a huff. “You can’t, Celeste. I know that you want to but you don’t always get to wear things that you want to.”

“You do.”

Narcissa’s eyes narrowed as she realized that her daughter was trying to win what she thought was a fair fight. “Why do you hate this dress so much? Is it the pattern? I can find another dress with a different pattern. Or maybe it’s the color?”

“No! It’s not the color, it’s the dress.” Celeste said the word dress in the most revolting and irritating way.

“Oh, so you want something with more sleeves perhaps? Or a bit shorter?”

“I don’t want to wear a dress, Mother! I don’t care what it looks like or what color it is. I won’t wear it.”

“Simply because it’s a dress?”

“Yes! I hate them! I hate the way the look one me, I hate the way they feel and I do not like that I can’t play in one!”

“You can play in a dress.”

Celeste groaned and let her head roll back for a moment before looking at her Mother with clenched fists. “Tea parties and dolls are not playing! I want to run around and chase, ride a broom, play Quidditch….how can I do all of that in a dress!”

Narcissa stood there, staring at her daughter with wide eyes. She could not fathom her daughter playing Quidditch. Though she was competitive and loving riding around with her father, under Narcissa’s supervision, she never thought she’d actually consider playing once she arrived at the school. “Fine, wear the slacks.”

“W-What? Really,” Celeste gasped, her little hands releasing all of the anger that she had been holding inside.

“You’re so determined to wear slacks, so wear them. Just know that I’m very disappointed.”

“Mother! It’s just clothes, Merlin!”

“Celestina,” she spoke her name sharply to let her know she had enough of her attitude and this discussion. “If it’s just clothes, then you would have worn the dress. It’s clearly much more than that and I don’t have time to argue with you about the dress or I’ll be late for my meeting at Mrs. Trollinger’s house.” Narcissa turned to head back to her room to finish getting ready but she paused at the door frame. “Celeste, if I return and find so much as a scratch on you or if you’ve ripped your slacks in anyway, you will be grounded. And you will wear the dress I asked you to wear so nicely.”

“Are you serious?! Mother, you can’t be serious!”

“Dead,” she glared back at her daughter, her eyes piercing into her daughter’s with vexation. Bring up her finger, she pointed it at her and added, “Don’t talk to your Mother like that. I know what is best for you. You may be ten years old but you do not know everything just yet.”

“A dress isn’t what is best for me,” Celeste grumbled before collapsing on the bed.

“Then don’t get hurt. I’m warning you.”

“Fine. All right, I heard you the first time,” she growled into the bed sheets that she had face planted into prior. Celeste heard the sound of her mother’s heels clicking away on the marble floor and all she could think was that the day she got accepted into Hogwarts couldn’t come soon enough.

[notladylikes]

she’s sitting on the edge of her bed, cellphone in hand. her little sister. iris - the only member of her family that was still talking to her, was on her way over - or at least, she was supposed to be. picking at her cuticles, aurora glances down at her cracked device, wondering if she’d misheard her when she spoke earlier that week.

she was doing better than she was this time last year, mostly sober ( save for the adderall she bought off that college student, he didn’t count ). she had a freaking job! granted, it was in a place where the devil wouldn’t go to make deals, a certified shit hole, but it gave her a bit of cash and she was at least off the streets.

huffing out a breath, she stopped fidgeting with her fingers and slid one of them across the broken screen, unlocking her device before searching in her contacts for iris' number. pressing the words ‘baby girl’, she sat, tapping her feet against the shag carpet in hopes that she would answer.

one, two, three rings. absolutely nothing. when the sound of the voicemail message hit aurora’s ears, she perked up for a second and left a jovial little message before hanging up the call and dropping the phone in her lap. maybe she had forgotten? maybe she had decided not to come?

rory didn’t want to let those thoughts invade her brain, and so she walked over to her bedside table and took a small swig of the travel size bottle of fireball that she keeps in her nightstand drawer. the burn is enough to cause her brain to refocus. she walks into the living room and turns on the television, hoping the mindless blathering of the news reporter is going to be enough background noise to drown out the depression that’s slowly seeping it’s way back in.

hours pass and there’s no word from little sister. no missed call, no text, nothing. aurora is starting to get worried, and she dials her number again. and again. and twice more before she’s just about to give up, when finally, the call is answered, but it’s not her little sister on the other line.

“this aurora?”

the voice is not one she recognizes, but they know her name, so she figures that it must be someone who knows at least of her - but that begs to ask the question, why is this person answering her sister’s cellphone?

“who the fuck’re you?” she says, her voice taking on a defensive tone, despite the monotone way the man speaks to her - she’s already on edge and it’s not doing anyone any favors.

“s’not important.”

“the fuck it’s not. where’s my girl. where's iris?”

there is a click of tongue against teeth, a short whistle before the sound of screaming in the background has aurora jumping up from the couch.

“you took something that didn’t belong to you. so. this is payback. consider this a….well let’s call it a friendly little warning. you wouldn’t want anything to happen to baby sis, now would you?”

before she can respond, the line goes dead. the audacity! so of course, she dials the number again, only to be met with the robotic voice telling her that the person on the other line wasn’t taking calls at this time. kicking over her coffee table, she watches as the half-eaten lo mein scatters across the carpet, and her cat running up to snatch a piece of chicken.

“fuck. fuck. fuck.”

she knows what she has to do - she has to call celeste. if anyone can find her - it’s her. pressing her palm into her ocular cavities, she sighs out loud. it takes her a few minutes to build up the courage to call.

this is life or death aurora. get your shit together and call her.

pressing her fingers to the touch screen keypad, she dials a familiar number not saved in her contacts and prays to god she’s not blocked on this number - because there’s no way she can go at this alone. eva doesn’t answer at first, and so she tries again, and when the sound of her sister’s annoyed voice rings true through the line, she starts to word vomit all over the place.

“they have her. they have iris. i don’t know who they are, but they do. i….need your help. for her sake, please. celeste please. she needs us....you...she needs you.”

[slaymitchabernathy]

The Nanny

꧁ One Month Later ꧂

Soarynn studies herself in the vanity mirror.

Would her father be proud of the woman she's become?

She's always tried to make him proud but being fired by the President of Panem is a bit of a letdown, a streak on her perfectly clean record. It's truly humbled her. Which is why today, she has an interview.

An interview for a job that has no emotional reasoning, only logic is involved. She's never been a receptionist before but it seems easy enough and if her skills and personality don't land her the job, then her last name certainly will.

"There are certain perks to being a Nightingale," she says to herself, applying a layer of lipstick.

The first few days after being fired as the Snow's nanny were short of horrible. She cried for hours on end, not necessarily because she got her feelings hurt, but because of the children. She didn't think she'd get so attached, but she did, broke every rule in the book by loving them and caring for them as if she were their mother.

Even though he warned her not to.

In fact, President Snow explicitly told her not to do so and she still did.

She could certainly blame Festus Creed, but at the end of the day, it was her own fault. She didn't grow careless, instead, she cared too much and it cost her the children.

A painful lesson to learn.

She turns on her stool to face Petunia who's been lounging on her bed since they both woke up for the day, "How do I look Petunia?" Her fluffy white cat only meows in response, batting a paw in the air. Soarynn allows herself a small smile, reaching over to scratch behind her ears before getting up to get dressed.

She picked out her outfit last night so she didn't run late. A stylish red dress with a straight neckline and a belt that accentuates her waist, and a pair of black heels. Simple yet classy. She chooses a few pieces of gold jewelry to go along with her outfit, earrings, a simple necklace, and perhaps a ring. She studies her small collection of rings that she's gathered over the years and her eyes land on a ring with a rose adorning it.

She'd be lying if she said it didn't hurt to see it.

Roses now hold a very deep, personal meaning to her.

She decides on a simple gold band and just as she's slipping it on, the doorbell rings.

Soarynn frowns, she had arranged for a driver to pick her up but that's not for at least another thirty minutes. Still, she quickly leaves her closet and makes her way out of her room and into the hallway. She glides down the marble staircase, Petunia hot on her heels to also see who's at the door.

Soarynn quickly runs her fingers through her hair, just in case there's a very attractive man on the other side of the doors who was looking for a wife.

Wouldn't that be wonderful?

The doorbell rings three more times in a row and Soarynn frowns, whoever is on the other side must be in a terrible hurry. She pulls the doors open and can't stop the shock from spreading across her face when she sees a small finger attached to the doorbell, more importantly, who is attached to that little finger.

Celeste smiles up at her, "Soarynn I rang the doorbell!"

Soarynn is at a loss for words when Celeste and Ceraphina rush in to hug her, talking a mile a minute, her hands resting on their blonde curls like it's second nature. She nods along to everything they say, trying to gain her bearings. Never in her life did she think the Snow girls would be at her house. She looks up for a moment and her heart nearly stops at the sight of President Snow standing on her doorstep, Caspian in his arms.

She knows she was hoping for an attractive man looking for a wife, but this is not exactly what she had in mind.

"Did you miss us?"

That question pulls her out of her daze and she nods, looking back down at the girls, "I've missed so you very much," she whispers, getting a bit emotional.

Ceraphina smiles and her attention is quickly drawn to Petunia who's been watching from a safe distance, "Petunia!" It's a mad dash the moment she speaks, Petunia darting into the living room and the girls chasing after her, giggling up a storm.

Soarynn doesn't even know what to do or say so she simply watches President Snow slowly walk up the steps and give her a nod, "May we come in?"

Soarynn focuses on Caspian who's already reaching out for her, "You might as well," she answers, giving Caspian's hand a squeeze, "Momma," he mumbles and President Snow sighs, "I know Cas, I know." His piercing gaze settles back on Soarynn and she feels a shiver travel down her spine, "I was hoping we could talk."

Soarynn swallows, she can't really say no, not to the President of Panem. "Alright." President Snow looks around the foyer of her home wearily as if memories are flashing through his mind of a time when this house was full of life a laughter.

Now it's filled with death and darkness, much like his own home.

"Perhaps we should have this discussion in the study," he suggests, forging forward and leaving her with no option but to follow him. He seems so sure of himself walking through her house, but he's been here before if she can recall, or he at least knew her parents quite well. Caspian lets out several whimpers and whines, flailing in his father’s arms as he carries them through the house.

He leads them to her father's study, a room she hasn't touched in months. He turns on the light and turns to face her, a bit of an uncomfortable look on his face, "I think he wants you to hold him."

"Yes," is all Caspian says and Soarynn is more than happy to oblige, lifting him from his father's arms and pressing a kiss to his head once he's safely in hers, "Oh, I missed you, sweet boy," she whispers. Caspian lifts his head and she grins when she sees that little smile on his face, "Lenny misses," he mumbles. Soarynn raises her eyebrows, "Lenny misses me too? I've missed him quite a lot as well."

Caspian seems content with her confession and rests his head back on her chest, leaving Soarynn to look back up at his father who's watching them with so much conflict behind his eyes. "Let's sit down," he finally says, rounding her father's desk as if he lives here.

Soarynn doesn't fight it though, she just sits down in the chair across from him, trying to forget what happened the last time they were seated like this.

"I have come..." he starts, his teeth clicking when he shuts his mouth, shaking his head, "I...I have come to apologize to you."

Soarynn raises her eyebrows again, "You have come to apologize?"

He nods, seemingly as surprised as she is, "I have," he confirms, "I was wrong for what I did, although I will not apologize for my reasoning." Soarynn furrows her eyebrows at his contradicting words and before she can say anything he holds his hand up, silencing her, "Let me explain my reasoning first, then you can tell me what a horrible human being I am," he says.

He sounds like he's said that a thousand times, always having to explain how he does things and he probably has. Being President means making hard calls, and tough decisions, and someone is always going to be hurt by them. This time, it was Soarynn.

"When I was alerted about the...incident, my main concern was my children. At the end of the day, their safety is my main priority. Not their happiness, not their upbringing, their safety. When I heard about what had transpired feet away from their rooms, no matter who was at fault, I knew their safety had been at risk and that was reason enough for me to dismiss you."

Soarynn looks back down at Caspian, sound asleep in her arms already. He had witnessed the horrific night, and something could've happened, Festus could've acted out of anger and hurt him or the girls.

"That being said, I cannot afford to act off of emotion. I can not afford to get close to anyone, to let anyone in. Not after Livia. So when I dared to break my rules for a moment, when I allowed you to call me by my name and then within the same breath found out about what happened between you and Festus, I knew what had to be done. I knew that by breaking my own rules, there would be consequences. I didn't however, expect to reap them so soon," he admits, sitting back in the chair, "but I was hurt nonetheless."

Soarynn didn't think President Snow was capable of being hurt, not from what she's seen. But perhaps his children are the one thing, the one way to hurt him. They're the one thing he loves and it's the things we love most that destroy us.

She purses her lips, "I understand," she says slowly, "I don't appreciate how rashly you acted and how you went about dismissing me but I do understand how important your children’s safety is. Their safety is important to me too. I would never do anything to endanger them."

He lets out a bitter laugh, rubbing his temples, "I know," he tells her, "I know you wouldn't and I know that you weren't the one who started the entire thing between you and Festus."

Soarynn's eyes widen at his statement. Where was this logic a month ago?

"I...I had my doubts," he says, "not that I didn't believe Festus but it was hard to picture the timid, quiet Soarynn Nightingale throwing herself all over a man who she didn't seem interested in a few hours ago, still, I had my loyalties and I did act rashly. It was partially due to you leaving immediately after which in my eyes, made you look guilty and it also..."

Soarynn watches him struggle to find the words to say, perhaps he's never uttered them before. "It also made me feel like a fool for letting you in and confiding in you. I thought perhaps I had found someone who genuinely cared about the sanctity of my family, someone whose care went further than the surface, so to have Festus whispering those lies in my ear truly clouded my judgment."

Soarynn blinks once, twice. She was not expecting this. None of this in fact. She was supposed to go to an interview and yet here she is, sitting with the man who fired her and managed to break her heart without even being romantically involved with her.

What a terrifying concept.

"But you know now," she says slowly, not entirely trusting herself to speak, "you know what he did to me?"

President Snow nods, a displeased look on his face, "I do," he confirms, "and I'm sorry you had to go through that, alone and without a job on top of that." Soarynn feels her lip tremble but she remains intact, she is not as breakable as he thinks.

"How do you know he's lying and I'm not?"

President Snow sighs, drumming his fingers on the wooden desk, "After I dramatically fired you, the girls were a mess as you briefly witnessed. They were inconsolable, and they refused to speak to me. This went on for several weeks as you can imagine, the tantrums, the crabiness, the distancing. I've hardly been able to recognize my darling daughters," he mumbles, shaking his head, "and I'm the one to blame. But I invited Festus over a few days ago for a drink, I needed to clear my head after the month I'd endured. Looking for a new nanny has proven to be more difficult than I anticipated. You've set our standards quite high," he tells her, a small twinkle in his eyes.

Soarynn feels herself swell with pride at his comment. To know that she's left a lasting mark, a lasting impression on his family is closure enough. But he continues talking, "I brought Caspian with me," he gestures to his sleeping son, "he hasn't been sleeping well since you left. Screaming, crying, the whole nine yards. The moment he saw Festus I saw something I've never seen in Caspian's eyes."

Soarynn peers down at the sleeping angel in her arms, the sweetest boy who has eyes identical to his father’s. She can't imagine what President Snow saw that frightened him so much.

"What did you see?"

"Hate."

His answer is enough to stun her. Caspian isn't capable of hate, he wouldn't hurt a fly let alone have it in him to hate someone.

President Snow nods as if reading her perplexed mind, "Exactly. He refused to look at Festus for the rest of the night until Festus went to tickle him, trying to cheer him up and Caspian pushed his hand away, another thing that stunned me. Then Festus made a few crude comments about you when I mentioned that your departure might be a reason for Caspian's behavior. I called him out on it but he insisted I was just tired and frustrated. When Festus was leaving, he went to give Caspian a friendly squeeze, he's more than used to it," he says, watching Soarynn nod along to his words.

"And then...and then Caspian said two words, and that was all I needed to hear to know that it wasn't you who came onto Festus, but Festus who came onto you and followed you upstairs while everyone else was down at the party."

Her mouth is dry with anticipation but she manages to speak, "What did he say?"

President Snow focuses his gaze on Caspian, a bit of pride in his eyes, "He pushed Festus away again and said: 'Hurt Momma' and I knew there was no one else on the earth that he could consider to be his mother but you."

Soarynn doesn't realize she's crying until a tear lands on top of Caspian's head, causing him to rouse from his sleep and press a hand on her cheek, "Momma." She looks down into his eyes, a loving smile on her face, "I'm right here darling."

"After that, I pushed Festus into telling the truth. He claimed he was drunk as if that made it any better or excused his actions. Then I remembered seeing the bruise on your wrist. I put the rest of the pieces together before taking care of Festus."

Soarynn looks at him from across the desk, both their eyes holding different emotions, "He...he found me when I was leaving Caspian's room. I bumped the doors open trying to get away and Caspian ended up witnessing the whole thing," she gets out, more tears burning as the memories resurface, "I didn't think he'd remember any of it after I got him back to sleep."

A flash of anger passes through his eyes before they return to normal and he clasps his hands, "I can assure you that Festus will be dealt with thoroughly."

Soarynn doesn’t press to find out what he truly means. As long as she doesn’t have to worry about Festus breaking into her home at night, then it’s none of her concern.

They both sit there for a moment, staring at each other as if neither of them truly knows what to make out of the other. For a second when they were dancing, Soarynn thought she had felt something, witnessed something genuine rather than the usual cold facade she was greeted with.

But he’s closed off now, even in the safety of her own home he’s on guard, protecting himself and his children. She can hear the girls giggling in the other room and a few meows of protest from Petunia who’s most likely tired out and given in to their want to play with her.

“Is this all you came for then?” She asks, her voice steadier than she thought it would be. After all these months, President Snow still has the capability of making her nervous. Even in her father’s study.

He shakes his head, clearing his throat while doing so. “No, I…we,” he gestures to himself and then to Caspian, “have come to ask for you to come back to us.”

Soarynn’s heartbeat rapidly increases at the request, at the chance to go back to being with the children. A small part of her worries about what could lie in the future, she could be fired again, humiliated again. And for something she did not do.

But the larger part of her wants nothing more than to wake up and face the new day with the Snow children by her side. The future might be prosperous for her and she’d be a fool to let it slip through her fingers.

“You want me back?”

President Snow nods, a small smile on his lips, “I will not lie and say that the past month has been easy. Eudora has taken on the brunt of caring for the children but she can’t do two things at once forever and there’s no one in this world who can care for them the way you do. The girls won’t accept anyone but you and I’m highly certain that Caspian feels the same way.”

Soarynn almost finds herself nodding to his proposal when she realizes how much time has passed. She’s missed her interview.

“I was supposed to have an interview today,” she says, more to herself than to him. “I was going to be a secretary for a law firm.”

President Snow quirks an eyebrow yet he does not look surprised in the slightest, “I know,” he plainly states, “I was the one who referred you.” Soarynn's jaw slightly drops, she hadn't expected him to have a helping hand in landing her interview but President Snow is full of surprises it seems. He scoffs a laugh at her dumbfounded expression, "Don't look so stunned," he tells her, leaning back in his chair, "you're an excellent worker, even if you didn't list me as a reference."

Soarynn blushes at his comment, she had chosen to forego listing him as a past employer for many obvious reasons, worrying that he might say something to further ruin her reputation. But instead, he helped her.

"Then you knew about it," she murmurs, daring to look him directly in the eye, "you knew my interview would be today, so you showed up right before I left."

The President of Panem almost looks...caught if that's even possible. Guilty would be a better term for it.

He cards a hand through his golden curls and sighs deeply, "I must admit that showing up today was a strategic plan on my part and a desperate one on Eudora's part since she's quite eager to have you back with us. We figured catching you before the interview would be our best route."

Soarynn didn't realize she was so special.

"Well, I...I would not be opposed to working for your family again," she says, straightening up in her seat, "but I would like to request a few things should I agree to your terms."

President Snow gives her a teasing look as if he hadn't expected this, but Soarynn would be a fool to blindly agree to come back without a safety net in place, "Go on," he encourages, "tell me your terms and conditions."

Soarynn clears her throat, feeling as if she's conducting a business meeting with him. Her father used to do this with her all the time when she wanted something, have her draft up a business proposal, or well, a semblance of one. That's how she got Petunia, a compelling argument can go a long way.

But this isn't her father.

"I would like actions to be taken to prevent another incident from occurring," she states, watching his eyes flash with anger but not at her, she knows who he's really mad at. "Not just in your home," she elaborates, "but anywhere we go, anywhere something bad could happen."

He laces his fingers together, "Anything else?"

"Yes, the children need something to look after, some responsibility like a pet." His nostrils flare at her suggestion, you'd think she suggested setting fire to the Mansion, "A pet is a huge undertaking," he tells her, using the same voice he uses with his girls, "not to mention messy and loud. An animal in my house is quite unlikely."

Soarynn frowns and rubs soothing circles on Caspian's back when he slightly stirs, "A horse then," she decides, "build a stable and allow the girls to take riding lessons. They could learn a great deal by taking care of the horse." He looks off into the distance as if contemplating her proposal and Soarynn hopes he'll accept it, the girls love animals and while a dog might be better suited for them, a horse is a step in the right direction.

"I'll speak to my groundskeepers about building stables," he finally says.

Soarynn cheerfully nods, "Wonderful."

"Is there anything else?"

Soarynn tugs at her bottom lip with her teeth, she can't think of anything else off the top of her head, except..."I want you to listen to me when I try and tell you something," she tells him, "I want you to trust that I would never do anything to put your children in danger and if someone says I would, then I want you to come to me first, not fire me first."

His throat bobs and she knows she's got him. Soarynn shouldn't be talking to her boss this way but this might be her only chance.

"Alright Ms. Nightingale," he says slowly, "I'll agree to your conditions. They seem fair and logical, and I can have my secretary write up a contract listing all of them for the two of us to sign off on."

Soarynn is buzzing with excitement, she gets to go back, to be with the children again.

"Now let me list my terms and conditions."

What?

President Snow wears a smirk letting her know that this won't be a one-sided exchange, "For starters, you'll actually take your one day off every month instead of spending it with my children. I know you've been avoiding those days but it's important for one to have a day of rest."

Soarynn slightly slouches in her chair but doesn't argue with him, perhaps a day off every now and then wouldn't be the worst thing. "Secondly, and I'm speaking for my entire family when I say this, we want you to become a live-in nanny."

Soarynn scrunches her eyebrows in confusion. A live-in nanny?

He waves off her confusion with the wave of his hand, "You'll move into the mansion with us, be with my children at all hours of the day instead of returning to your home every night." He looks around the study that hasn't been touched since the day her father died, dust covering almost anything, "I have a feeling that it must get quite lonely in this large house."

Soarynn purses her lips, it certainly does get lonely but she has Petunia to keep her company and she can't just abandon her. "I'd have to bring my cat," she tells him, watching his jaw clench, "I can't leave her, she's all I have left of him," she whispers the last part. "Besides, the girls already love her and she won't cause any trouble I swear. All she does is sleep."

They're at a bit of a standstill, both wanting something from the other, not willing to give up or back down.

Finally, he breaks.

"Fine. Your cat may come but should she damage any of my property, she's out."

Soarynn can't hide the smile growing across her face, she gets her children back and Petunia gets to come with her. Oh, the girls will be so excited when they hear the news. "You can start today I presume?' He asks while rising from his seat. Soarynn quickly nods and does the same, adjusting her hold on Caspian, "Yes sir."

He grunts, "Very well then. Pack your things and my men will bring them all to the Mansion this afternoon. You and the children can return home once you're finished packing."

Soarynn's smile slightly drops at his orders, "You're not coming with us?" He looks perplexed by her question and sudden disappointment but shakes his head, "I have meetings to attend in the city. I assumed you would accept my offer so I would then be able to leave my children in your trusted care once again. I have another car waiting outside to take you all back home."

Soarynn purses her lips but she doesn't push him any further, this discussion has been a lot for the both of them.

"Home," Caspian repeats, now wide awake. Soarynn softly chuckles and places a kiss on top of his head, "Mhm, we're all going home Cas."

President Snow eyes her and his son, a somewhat fond expression in his eyes although she doubts it's for her and most likely for his son, but she wonders what it would be like for him to look at her that way. He might have looked at Livia like that once upon a time before their world came crashing down.

"Daddy! Daddy look!"

The girls come running into the study, drawing their focus to the topic at hand which will always be the children. Soarynn looks down to find a very annoyed-looking Petunia with a pink ribbon tied around her neck while being held in Ceraphina's arms. She lets out a pleading meow when she sees Soarynn as if saying: 'Save me.'

A small smile graces the President's lips, a genuine one at that, reserved only for his darling children, "She doesn't look too pleased about playing dress-up darling." Ceraphina shakes her head, "She loves it, don't you Petunia?"

Petunia does her best to avoid eye contact with anyone, looking at the ground instead, "Your house is so big Soarynn," Celeste tells her, reaching up to take her hand. Soarynn gladly takes it, knowing now to cherish every moment with these sweet angels, "I won't be staying in it for much longer," she muses, watching both girls grow curious faces. "What do you mean? Are you moving?" Celeste asks, tugging on her hand with an anxious look on her face.

Soarynn immediately crouches down so she's at eye level with both girls who have been dealing with loss for quite some time now, her departure only adding to that trauma, "I am moving," she tells them, watching the crestfallen looks on their faces only grow deeper causing a smile to grow onto hers, "because I'm moving in with you. I'm going to be your live-in nanny now."

The change in their demeanors is instantaneous, the girls go from on the verge of tears to shrieking and jumping up and down.

"Really?! You're really gonna come live with us Soarynn?"

"I am," Soarynn confirms, "Petunia is too."

This might be the best news the girls have ever gotten. They go from hugging Soarynn to hugging their father, thanking him for allowing Soarynn to return. Caspian rests a hand on her cheek and she turns to look into his blue eyes, identical to his father's, "Stay," he says with a determined tone.

Soarynn nods, pressing a kiss to his hand, "I'm staying," she tells him, "I'm not going anywhere."

꧁ ꧂

Everything becomes a blur once President Snow leaves.

After saying goodbye to the children and making them promise to behave, he left for his meetings and Soarynn took the children upstairs so she could start packing.

She packs the necessities first, things such as toiletries and her favorite clothing items while the girls run rampant through her room, wanting to see and touch everything she's ever owned. She doesn't mind though, she's simply happy to be back in their presence again. Caspian sits atop her bed, watching her pack her things into a suitcase while Petunia sits next to him, both their curious blue eyes watching her every move.

"Soarynn, who's this?"

Soarynn glances over at her bookshelf where Ceraphina and Celeste are staring at a photograph of her and her father together, taken the day she graduated from the Academy. "That's my father," she says with a sad smile, "he passed away a while ago."

Ceraphina reaches out to touch the photograph, gently so she doesn't risk knocking it over, "Where's the pictures of you with your mommy?"

A wave of sadness washes over Soarynn, knowing that she'll never have a photograph of her and her mother together is a painful reminder of how her mother passed away. "She died when I was a baby," she explains, "so we never got to take a photo together."

Cera Nightingale was known for her beauty and acts of kindness. She was known to be graceful and full of life, lighting up every room she walked into. So it was no surprise that she fell for Glen Nightingale, a quiet man with a large heart and a kind demeanor. The couple had been overjoyed when they found out Cera was pregnant with their firstborn daughter, who would unbeknownst to them, take Cera's life during the traumatic birth.

And yet her father remained endlessly kind and patient with her, even though Soarynn carried guilt deep down, a feeling that she was responsible for killing her mother. She didn't speak of her mother often, the last time she spoke of her was with President Snow who remarked on their similar looks and traits of kindness, both things she would never bear witness to.

"It's okay," Celeste tells her, crossing the room to place a comforting hand on Soarynn's leg, "as long as we have Daddy, we'll be okay." Soarynn finds it so very adorable and kind of Celeste to be comforting her in this time of sadness, especially at such a young age. President Snow had commented on how she might make his children more kind but that seems impossible, they're already endlessly kind.

"Yes," Soarynn agrees, "we'll all be okay."

꧁ ꧂

It's a wonderful feeling to be back in the President's Mansion. Soarynn thought she might never grace these halls again, let alone with Petunia who took one look at the grand foyer before turning her head and making her way up the stairs. It might take some more exploring to impress her.

"Here's your room dear," Eudora calls, "right down this hall."

Soarynn finds herself surprised when she realizes that her room is in the same hall as the rest of the Snow family's rooms, right in between the girl's bedrooms and Caspian's room. Probably for the convenience of things but she's still shocked to be in such close proximity to the Presidential family, especially President Snow himself who's now only a few doors down.

"Coriolanus wanted you to have this room," Eudora tells her once they all reach the doors, "he said you might enjoy the view." Eudora pushes the doors open after saying that and Soarynn can't stop the gasp from leaving her lips.

It's gorgeous.

It's also huge. There's a large canopy bed pressed against the back wall which has large windows on each side, letting in so much natural light. To the right is a large sitting area with sofas, armchairs, and a fireplace. There are also bookshelves and a large coffee table in the middle of the seating arrangements.

To the left is a large-looking vanity with a dresser and a full-length mirror in the corner. "Oh my goodness," she whispers as she walks into the room, the girls running ahead of her. "Come and see the closet!" Ceraphina says, running into what must be the closet and bathroom. Soarynn follows her as if in a trance, taking a moment to look up at the high, intricately carved ceilings.

The bathroom is just as massive with a tub, shower, and huge counter space with a large mirror as well. There are two sinks and lots of storage space under the counters as well. Soarynn also notes a built-in vanity area as well should she choose to get ready in the bathroom instead.

"You can put your dresses in here," Celeste tells her, pointing towards the closet. Celeste had taken a liking to all of Soarynn's dresses, claiming they were fit for a princess. Soarynn was honored to be considered a princess even though she felt she was far from being one.

“This is amazing,” she whispers to herself when she finally walks into the large walk-in closet. It’s as big as the bathroom with a large table in the middle with a vase of roses sitting on top of it.

“There’s a card!” Ceraphina says, standing on her tiptoes to reach the card leaning against the base of roses. Eudora ends up reaching it for her, a curious look on the older woman’s face which means she had nothing to do with this mystery letter.

Ceraphina proudly brings it over to Soarynn who reluctantly takes it, turning it over to see if anything’s been written on it.

On the front, it simply reads:

To Ms. Nightingale

She turns it and finds that the back has been sealed with a stamp, a rose in the center of the wax. “Rose,” Caspian says, touching the wax for a moment. Soarynn nods before setting the card down on one of the shelves, “I can read it later. Why don’t you girls help me unpack?”

She’s met with excited gasps from the girls and a relieved sigh from Eudora who had been so very happy to see Soarynn walking back into the Mansion. “We’ve been quite miserable without you dear,” she had said as they walked up the grand staircase, “you’ve left a mark on this family it seems.”

The girls run back out into the bedroom to start unpacking the small bag Soarynn brought with her. The rest of her things are packed in trunks, waiting to be picked up by President Snow’s men, whoever they are. Soarynn has seen so many men over the past few months, ranging from Peacekeepers to diplomats. They have one thing in common: President Snow signs their paychecks.

“I have some things to put together, you know where to find me,” Eudora tells her and Soarynn nods, “Of course. Thank you, Eudora.”

Soarynn lingers in the closet for a moment once Eudora leaves, making it just her and Caspian in this large room with so much space she doesn’t know if she’ll be able to fill it.

What if this all goes away? What if he fires me again? What if I lose the children again?

A million terrible thoughts race through her head, thoughts about being forced out of this house again but this time would be much more painful. To have to pack her things and then leave would be devastating.

But it won’t come to that. Not if she has anything to do with it.

“Rose,” Caspian says again, pointing at the letter.

Soarynn sighs and picks it up again, feeling the paper between her fingertips, “Let’s open it now hmm?”

Soarynn walks into the bathroom and carefully sets Caspian down on the countertop before tearing open the wax seal. Her fingers slightly tremble as she pulls out the thick card, only a few words written on it from what she can see.

“Soarynn! Come look at Petunia!”

Her eyes are glued to the card when she answers, “Coming darling!”

Soarynn sets the card down on the counter, letting out a sigh before collecting herself and picking Caspian back up. She has things to do, a job to do in fact and she plans on doing it better than the first time.

But the letter stays in the back of her mind the entire day.

Those words linger on the tip of her tongue and lead her to think about the man sleeping a few doors down from her.

I do hope you enjoy the view of the gardens, and I do hope you find your new room is up to your standards. Should you need anything, don’t hesitate to let me know. I hope we can share another dance in the near future. Yours truly, Coriolanus Snow

꧁ ꧂

꧁ One Week Later ꧂

“I don’t want to wear black.”

Soarynn suppresses a sigh, she knows it’s no use in fighting any of the children today. Not when it holds such a heavy burden on their hearts.

“We have to wear black because Daddy said so,” Ceraphina reminds her little sister, fixing her own black dress, “then we can go put flowers on Mommy’s grave.”

Today marks the two-year anniversary of Livia Snow's death.

It's now a national day of remembrance and many establishments are closed for the day, including all the schools in the Capitol. Soarynn had glanced out of the front windows of the Mansion earlier this morning to see a crowd of people gathering at the front gates to lay down flowers and cards for the family.

The girls were fine during breakfast, chattering away like normal but their father was far from normal, acting more curt and closed off than usual, which was saying something for the man. Caspian didn't seem to be affected by today's significance, but Soarynn still felt terrible about it.

If Livia were still alive, she wouldn't be working for the Snow family.

"It's not a princess dress," Celeste whines, stomping her foot.

Before Soarynn can offer a word of encouragement, an authoritative voice fills the bedroom, stern and sharp, "I will not allow any misbehavior today Celeste. You should know better by now."

Celeste shrinks into herself and Soarynn glances over her shoulder at President Snow, looming over all of them with an aggravated look on his face. She swallows and turns her attention back to the youngest Snow daughter, making sure her hair is properly clipped back, "It's just for a little while darling," she whispers, hoping to salvage the rest of the day, "and you look tremendously grown up in your dress."

Celeste's bottom lip quivers and tears are quick to follow, "I...I don't wanna be grown up, I want Mommy back!" Soarynn's heart clenches at the sight of Celeste in tears, clearly hurting on this dreadful day. "I'm sorry," she whispers, crouching down to comfort Celeste, "I'm sorry she's not here anymore darling. But she's watching over you, and I know she'd be so proud of you." Celeste sniffles and allows Soarynn to pull her in for a hug, a few hiccups escaping her throat, "I don't want Daddy to be mad at me," she whispers, more tears flowing down her face.

Soarynn shakes her head and wipes her tears, "He's not mad at you darling, he could never be mad at you." She looks over her shoulder again at the man who she still knows so little about, but she knows one thing for certain, he loves his children. And he's hurting just as much as they are today.

She can see the sadness in his eyes, watching his youngest daughter break down over the loss of her mother, someone she barely got the chance to know. Ceraphina had been three when Livia passed away, Celeste was two and Caspian was still a baby.

But who could forget a mother's love?

"Come here Celeste," he says quietly, holding out a hand.

Celeste looks up at him with a bit of hesitation and Soarynn gives her a gentle squeeze, "Go on darling," she encourages, standing back up and moving to the side. She watches Celeste slowly walk over to her father, her head lowered, eyes trained on the floor. President Snow sighs and gets down on one knee to be more at eye-level with her.

He takes her small hands in his large ones and while Soarynn can't distinctly make out what he says to her, she knows it's comforting from the way Celeste melts into his hold, letting him wrap his arms around her while they both grieve.

Soarynn has never seen President Snow cry but today could be the day where a tear graces his stoic face.

She looks down at Ceraphina who's watching the interaction with watery eyes as well, "Are you alright Ceraphina?" She asks, wanting to make sure all the children are equally attended to today. Ceraphina nods and wipes any trace of tears away with the back of her hand, "Daddy says it'll get easier," she tells Soarynn, not taking her eyes off of her father and sister, "he says one day we won't be sad when we think about Mommy."

She looks up and gives Soarynn a small smile, "I don't think I can be happy today though."

Soarynn nods, resting a loving hand on top of her blonde hair, "You can be sad for as long as you want darling. No one expects you to get over it in a day or even in a year."

Ceraphina hums, "I know. I'm not like Daddy."

꧁ ꧂

Soarynn hadn't expected the cemetery to be closed today.

But now that she's seen how many people have gathered outside of the fence, she's not surprised. It's the biggest crowd she's ever seen as their car pulls up to the cemetery entrance, two Peacekeepers open the gates so that their car can drive through.

Everyone is in black.

A few people wave, all their faces somber. She spots some older women sporting mourning veils while little children clutch onto their parents and watch the car drive by.

She holds Caspian a little tighter in her lap, making sure his coat is properly buttoned. It's a cold November day, cloudy and dreary, almost fitting for the occasion.

She watches Ceraphina and Celeste lean against their father, sitting on either side of them while President Snow keeps his eyes closed and his head tilted back. He must be exhausted.

The car slowly comes to a stop and Eudora is the first one out, sporting her own mourning attire, a long black coat, a black wig, and eyelashes to match. Soarynn thinks about how Livia's funeral was the hardest thing for Eudora to plan. And who could plan for something like that?

Soarynn out of all people knows how hard it is to lose a parent. No one should have to plan for something like that.

"Let's go children," Eudora calls, waving them to follow her.

Ceraphina looks up at her father before slowly sliding across the seat and out of the car, taking Eudora's hand the second her feet touch the ground. President Snow finally opens his eyes and leans down to whisper something in Celeste's ear. Her eyes widen and she nods, taking his hand once again before they both get out of the car.

"It's our turn Caspian," Soarynn says softly, making sure she's got a good hold on the youngest Snow child while she steps out of the car. She's offered a hand and manages to keep a neutral expression as she takes President Snow's hand, gracefully standing back up to her full height, "Thank you," she says.

He only nods in response before turning on his heel to lead the way.

Soarynn has never visited Livia Snow's grave so she can only follow him and watch the children. Celeste and her father stay in the front with Eudora and Celeste in the center. Soarynn and Caspian bring up the rear and she takes a quick look around and notes several Peacekeepers either following them or patrolling the perimeter of the cemetery.

Soarynn has gotten more used to their presence but seeing them with their large guns makes her anxious.

Soarynn walks a bit faster to catch up to Eudora and Ceraphina and she lowers her voice before asking her a question, "Are we...are we allowed to be with the family for this?"

Eudora keeps her gaze trained on what's ahead of her but she shakes her head, "You and I will stay back while they visit her grave."

Soarynn hums, focusing her gaze on the back of President Snow's head, his blonde curls swept back and away from his face looking so soft. She wonders if Livia ever ran her fingers through them, if she ever looked up at him so adoringly.

From what Eudora's told her, probably not.

They walk deep into the cemetery, farther than Soarynn anticipated but when she sees the sheer size of Livia's tombstone, she can see why it's so far back.

Many people in the Capitol are rich, wealthy, and elite. But you can't take your money with you when you die. Unless you're Livia Snow. Her grave isn't even a grave, it's a mausoleum with roses growing outside of it. Soarynn has seen many decrepit graves but this is not one of them. The marble stone shines as if it's brand new. They must have someone come and clean it from time to time. Soarynn knows the Capitol citizens often come to pay their respects and leave flowers as well.

The doors leading to the inside are closed and if Sosrynn remembers correctly, they're always closed to the public. Only the family is allowed inside.

President Snow and Celeste come to a halt in front of the stone structure and both of them look back at their remaining family members. Ceraphina lets go of Eudora's hand and slowly makes her way over to her father and sister, reaching up to grab her father's other hand. Soarynn takes in a shaky breath before slowly approaching Livia's gravesite, Caspian feeling so heavy in her arms all of a sudden as if there's a weight on her chest.

Caspian reaches out for his father the second he's within reach, "Momma," he says, pointing at the doors. President Snow's face is grim but he nods, "I can take him." Normally, Soarynn would hesitate, not wanting to burden her employer but today is not the day to question his orders so she silently hands the small boy off to his father who holds him as if he weighs nothing.

"Let's go visit your mother," he says to the children, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a key.

Soarynn takes this as her sign to leave and gives the girls one last encouraging nod before she walks back to where Eudora is standing. They both watch the Snow family make their way inside the mausoleum, all of them scuffling behind one another. "It never gets easier," Eudora says with a sigh, "last year was horrible if you can imagine."

Soarynn certainly can imagine how terrible it must have been, the first year is always the hardest. "He seems tired," Soarynn notes, "his patience is thinner today than it usually is."

Eudora lets out a dry laugh, "If he had his way, we wouldn't even come and visit her. He does this for the children, it helps them understand and move on. But I know he wants nothing more than to move past this."

Soarynn can't imagine wanting to move past the death of her husband if she should ever marry. She'd spend every day mourning his loss and yet President Snow looks like he'd rather be at a meeting.

"I suppose we all grieve differently," Soarynn decides.

Soarynn looks over at the fence where a crowd has gathered, watching them and the Snow family with curious eyes and a few with cameras. "Is there always a crowd?" Eudora perks up and nods, "Oh yes. Last year it was even bigger, that's why we closed down the cemetery today, it was far too chaotic the first time."

It must be terribly strange to have people watching your every move while you mourn the loss of a family member. The Snows are already under a microscope, and Livia's death has only increased people's opinions about them.

"Is it alright if I walk around for a bit?" Soarynn asks, shoving her hands into the pockets of her coat, "I feel a bit out of place just standing here." Eudora gives her shoulder a gentle pat, meant to be comforting, "Of course, dear."

Soarynn offers her a tight-lipped smile before she begins her journey to the far side of the cemetery where many elite members of society have been buried. While none of their graves compare to Livia's, they're still monumental, not to mention incredibly expensive. It's one thing to afford a nice house or apartment while you're living, but to afford a tombstone when you're dead is another thing entirely.

Soarynn wouldn't care if she was buried in a wooden box, but that's just the way things are.

She passes several plots reserved for entire families before she stops in front of the familiar plot, only space for one more grave.

Hers.

She walks up to the graves of both her parents, dusting off any dirt or leaves from the tops. Her fingertips drag over the engraved words on their headstones.

Cera Nightingale - Beloved Wife & Mother "Till we meet again in the meadow."

Glen Nightingale - Beloved Husband & Father "My grief has been the souvenir of our love."

What will hers read?

Beloved Daughter & Cat Owner?

She can't imagine what will happen when Petunia gets older, she's all she has left of her father, and her family for that matter.

"I miss you," she whispers, resting a hand against her father's headstone, "I miss you every time I close my eyes."

Soarynn hadn't known loss until she lost her father. It's terrifying to love something that death can so easily touch.

Soarynn stays there for what feels like an eternity until she hears a small voice calling out her name, "Soarynn!"

Soarynn quickly wipes any trace of tears or emotion off of her face before turning around to face Ceraphina who's run up to her, her cheeks red from the cold. She doesn't look like she's been crying her eyes out which is a good thing she hopes. "Hello darling," she greets her, brushing a stray hair from her face, "how're you feeling?"

Ceraphina shrugs, looking around at the surrounding graves, "I'm okay. We got to pick the roses and put them on Mommy's grave and then I got to talk to her and tell her I turned five and then Celeste talked to her and said she turned four. Then Caspian said something about Lenny except I can't remember the rest. Then Daddy whispered some words and now here we are."

Soarynn looks up to find that the entire Snow family has made their way over to her, Eudora included. Ceraphina peers around Soarynn's legs and her eyes zero in on her parent's tombstones, "Did you know these people?"

Soarynn hums, "These are my parents graves."

She watches Ceraphina slowly approach the tombstones, her small hand resting on her mother's stone, "Do you come to visit them a lot?" Soarynn shakes her head, more guilt eating away at her heart, "No," she answers, "I should visit more often but I don't."

She watches out of the corner of her eyes as Celeste lets go of her father's hand and reluctantly walks over to her big sister, her eyes scanning the engraved words. "Is this about the meadow song?"

Soarynn tilts her head at the question, "The meadow song?"

"Uh-huh. The meadow song with the bed of grass. It says: 'Till we meet again in the meadow.' Is that what it's talking about?"

Soarynn honestly hadn't thought of that before. She'd visited her mother's grave countless times when her father was still alive but she never really considered the meaning behind the words that were the last bits of Cera Nightingale. Leave it to a four-year-old to put the pieces together before she did.

"That's a nice way to think of it," she finally says.

The girls whisper a few things to each other and then turn back around, "Can we leave them flowers?"

A smile creeps onto Soarynn's face at their sweet request. She brought flowers in the beginning after her father died, but she stopped after a while. Stopped trying, stopped trying to heal that hole in her heart. But these girls might just be able to fix it.

"We sure can."

The girls smile and take each other's hands to go and pick some flowers growing near the fence. Soarynn watches them and feels his presence next to her, both of them grieving different losses today, "Do you think they're proud of you?"

Soarynn swallows at his question, it's a loaded one but she never had to worry about making her parents proud. That was never the most important thing to her family. "I think they're cheering me on," she answers, finally looking up at him. Even dressed in all black, President Snow is so very handsome. His gaze never wavers away from his girls but she can see how emotionally exhausting this has all been for him.

"I don't think Livia is cheering me on," he says, shaking his head, "I think she's watching me and thinking about what a failure I am to our children."

Soarynn frowns and rests a hand on his arm before she can stop herself and he finally tears his gaze away from the girls to look down at her, piercing blue meeting stormy gray, "You're not a failure," she says softly, "you're a father, and you're trying your best. Just like my father did. He certainly didn't have it all figured out on the first day."

President Snow looks over at her father's tombstone and he furrows his brows, "Your father was a good man. He had it much harder than me, raising an infant while also mourning the death of his wife and yet he never once thought about hiring a nanny. He said you deserved better, that you deserved his attention and he was right," his eyes hold a hint of what might be adoration but Soarynn isn't sure, "you do deserve better Soarynn."

She could blame it on the wind or the cold but Soarynn feels tears burning in her eyes, "You're a good father," she insists, "I've seen it with my own eyes, you love your children and you're trying to do the best by them, even if it means hiring a nanny. Admitting your weaknesses is the first step to getting stronger. You can't be there for them all the time so you found someone who can. That doesn't make you a monster, it makes you human."

She swears she can see a tear roll down his cheek but her vision is pretty blurry from her own tears.

"Sometimes I worry the grief might never leave," he admits, blinking away any possible tears, "not that we had much love for each other to begin with."

Soarynn can hear the girls running back to them, giggling while holding flowers no doubt to decorate her parent's graves. They both look over and watch the girls run to Eudora first, showing her and then Caspian, who's hugged to her hip the flowers. Caspian smiles and reaches down to touch the petals. So young and yet so much life ahead of him, ahead of all of them really.

"The grief might end someday," Soarynn says, "but the love never will."

| Part 5. |

| tumblr oneshot/drabble |

{ Part 6. }

[2009editingtips]

For the writing prompt!!! "i'll see you in the morning, 'kay?"

Early 2009 dnp late night/early morning calls all went like this and you can't change my mind.

Thank you for the prompt <3

"I'll see you in the morning, 'kay?"

Rating: G Words: 583

"I wish you were here," Phil says, voice sounding distant over the grainy phone speaker. He sounds tired.

"I guess we'll just have to live together next year so that won't be an issue anymore." Dan sounds surer than he feels. Always does over the phone, on Skype. He can preen and boast and act above it all with the miles of distance between them.

But he's pushing it now. Feels the telltale signs of a flush starting at the base of his neck. He knows.

He does it anyway.

Phil sucks in a breath. "Yeah?" He prods lightly.

He does that sometimes, doesn't ask with words, but pushes just as much as Dan does when they're like this. Sleepy and alone and hushed, with miles of distance between them.

"Yeah," Dan nods to himself, the motion sending little frissons of nervous energy across his now pink cheeks. "You and me, we... we'll live in a nice big house in the middle of London with a garden—with two gardens—and those floor-to-ceiling windows and a huge couch with the newest gaming systems and the fanciest TV-"

"And a dog," Phil adds. Dan can hear the smile in his voice. Wants to see it in person, to press his lips to it.

"Of course. What do you think the big backyard is for?"

"Yeah, 'course." Phil's yawn is audible over the phone. Dan smiles wide, stupid, in love with him.

"You falling asleep on me, Philly?"

"Hmm? No, no, just... listening."

Dan shakes his head, fondness welling up inside him, threatening to seize his vocal cords and make him say all manner of embarrassing things.

It's too soon. It's too much.

"Go to bed," Dan says instead, even though he quite liked the version of the future they were building in his mind.

"No, it's fine. I'm fine."

Dan pauses, lets himself breathe slowly for just a moment.

And then he pushes.

"I'll see you in the morning, kay? In our house, yeah? With the gardens and the windows."

There's silence on the other end of the line for a beat too long.

"Yeah, promise?" Phil asks, his voice soft, a little scared.

Dan nods quickly, making himself dizzy with it. He doesn't care. "Mhmm. I'll be there, and I'll make you breakfast-"

"You'd burn down the kitchen," Phil interjects.

Dan bites his lip to keep his smile from being audible. "Hush, this is a fantasy."

He fails.

Phil giggles, his breathing noticeably slower. "Okay, okay, sorry. Continue."

"Right, so where was I?"

Phil sighs, and Dan can hear the sound of a body shifting under sheets if he strains his ears. "You were making me breakfast," Phil says softly, "and trying not to burn it," he adds.

"Yeah, okay. So, I'm making you breakfast... and coffee. We have a big fancy espresso machine, and I know how to make it just how you like. And I bring it to you in bed—

"Our bed?"

The needle on the spinning vinyl of Dan's thoughts is abruptly thrown off. "Y-yeah," he stutters out. "Our—our bed."

Phil makes a little humming noise. Contentment laced through every note of it. "That sounds nice."

It does, doesn't it? Dan thinks. Our bed. Mine and yours. Ours.

And it's a fantasy, but if Dan squints his eyes, he can just barely make out the shape of it. The two of them, in their bed, in their house, with their dog and their fancy coffee machine, smiling so bright it's blinding.

[bewitched-if]

"A love not so genuine, a love so forced it was made to feel real."

[ DEMO ] ✧ [ RO INTROS ] ✧ [ WORLD LORE ] ✧ [ CWS/TWS ]

Overlooked your whole life, you never had any friends to turn to—except the neighbor's kid, who you could not even call your friend. Even your parents cared about others more than they cared about you. They made it clear that you were the bane of their existence, that they're ashamed to call you their child.

Sometimes, Jules tries to comfort you. They didn't know that they were the reason you were always lonely. Overlooked. Jules embodied perfection, kindness, intelligence—everything you were not. You wanted to be them. You wanted to be loved. Wanted to feel how it's like being the person everyone either wanted to be or to be with.

And now, you find yourself somewhere completely foreign. In a world filled with empires, kingdoms and dukedoms, you were suddenly the beloved heir and child of a highly respected House and Heart Lady's child. You were the so-called saint of the empire, loved and adored by all.

Everything felt surreal, forced. Everyone worshiped you, loved you, no matter what you did, no matter how you acted; they all just turn a blind eye.

You were right.

Stumbling upon an old mage's book, there you face a truth: the body you now inhabit cast a curse—bewitched—everyone—surprisingly affecting everyone but a certain group of people into loving you forever.

What will you do with this discovery? Will you continue to live through this artificial affection? Or will you fight to break the curse, risking everything to free yourself and those around you from this unnatural bond?

In a world where everyone loves you, will you ever find out what true love really means?

Play as male, female, non-binary.

Customize your character, your original body and the child of Heart Lady.

Romance any of the six romanceable options; but earn their trust first.

Find a way to break the curse.

Or maybe even meet the original soul of this body?

Buy interactive drabbles in-game using hair pins. [in the works, more info coming soon.]

✧ These are your victims companions throughout the game. Will you befriend them or will you go for something more?

Juniper de Verburgh: Crowned Heir of Kleian Empire - Embodiment of: Jules : [NB] [RO]

Juniper is the Emperor's child and Kleian Empire's future ruler. They are often considered as angelic, intelligent, and attractive. Everyone either wants to be them, or be with them. Their hair is long, straight and red while their eyes are dark blue with porcelain skin. They remind you of your neighbor's kid, untouchable and perfect. Their personalities are similar too; charming, playful and excessively flirtatious towards you. You would think being engaged to someone will stop them from being touchy with Heart Lady's child, let me tell you something: No it won't. Perhaps, it is because they're affected by the spell? Or are they?

Celeste Roselli: Matriarch of Roselli Manor - Embodiment of Beatrice : [F] [RO]

Celeste took on the role of Matriarch of Roselli Manor after her father’s passing. Since then, she’s grown distant, serious, and almost impossible to approach. Her life revolves around work, her sister, and her responsibilities, leaving no room for rest or relaxation. The vibrant person she once was has faded, replaced by someone barely recognizable to those who knew her before the tragedy. She has long white hair that is ridiculously curly. Her skin is a deep shade of chestnut, while her eyes is glowing red. She reminds you of Beatrice, who was a girl who used to watch you get isolated and overlooked. She made no effort to befriend you, instead watched you get pushed around and left out. She was distant, cold, and shy. Celeste needed someone who she could call her home, her rest. Maybe that could truly be you?

Calliope Roselli: Celeste's Sister - Embodiment of Ophelia: [F] [RO]

Calliope is nothing like her sister. She is stubborn, fierce, and foul-mouthed. She often gets into scandals due to her recklessness and short-tempered nature. It's easy to get on her bad side, and when you do, you're in for hell. She shares her father's short, slightly curly hair and blue eyes, while her skin and hair color mirrors her mother and sister's. She reminds you of Ophelia, who was your ex-best friend and the only friend who betrayed you. Ophelia used to protect you from people, and you're not sure if you're fond of their similarities. Will you tame their fire, or will you get burned?

Rhys Stevyn Nicolei: Duke of Vasina - Embodiment of Feliks: [M] [RO]

If Rhys could pick one person who he hates the most in the whole galaxy; it would be you. You don't know the reason for his hatred, but the original soul must've done something to offend him, and it doesn't help that Rhys is suspicious of you because everyone seemed to love you. Rhys kind of acts like Juniper in a way, flirtatious, known for his hook ups and carefree attitude. Rhys has a neck-length, long braided black hair. His eyes is a deep shade of violet with olive skin. He reminds you of Feliks, who was your older sister's best friend and your rival. You and Feliks always tried to one-up each other, and to be honest, Feliks found solace when he found out you were a sore loser, a loner. It only made him joyful. How far will you go to make sure Rhys does not find out about the spell?

Kieran: Commander of Kleian Knights - Embodiment of Wren: [M] [RO]

As the Commander of Kleian Knights and your bodyguard, Kieran takes his job very seriously. You thought along with the four, that he would be the same and be immune to the spell, but what the hell is this arrangement? The original soul and he have a friends-with-benefits type relationship? Kieran has heterochromia eyes: left eye; gray, right eye; red. His caramel skin is always dirty due to spars, his hair is brown and tied up. Kieran reminds you of Wren, who acted like your protector and close confidant, he always looked at you with longing stares as if he wanted to kiss you. One thing led to another, and you found yourself falling in love and you thought he did too. But joke's on you, he didn't love you. He made a bet with your sister that if he could get you to fall in love with him, your sister would date him. All of it was fake. How are you supposed to know if Kieran is affected by the spell or not?

By falling in love it could either mean: 1) MC fell in love with the idea of being loved, 2) MC had actually fallen in love with Wren.

Zara/Zeke Montclair: The Magician - Embodiment of Zoya/Zivon: [F/M] [ RO ]

Z is known to be quite... an outstanding magician. Often caught causing trouble in many ways, like accidentally setting their own tower on fire, losing valuable items given by the emperor, making kids cry, getting people sick due to their magic... Zara has short lavender hair, while Zeke has a long one. Their skin tan brown, while their eyes are black. Z reminds you of Zoya/Zivon, Your childhood friend who returned to Russia. Zoya/Zivon would always make you laugh when you were sad, always bring you food when you were hungry and starved, would always share their toys with you, would always play with you. Even though they had other friends to be with, they always chose you. But now that they're gone, you probably won't ever experience that happiness ever again. Once the only source of your happiness, now gone.

Kara (rename-able) [IRL] - Your older sister: [F]

Your sister... she's not really the easiest to get along with. Being seen as perfect in your parents' eyes, she got away with everything. Like getting into physical fights with you, humiliating you in public, messing with your stuff, et cetera, et cetera. She makes it clear that she hates your guts, and that she is overjoyed to see you suffer. How would she react when she sees you gone?

Mother [IRL] - Your mother: [F]

Your mother doesn't care about you. Not one bit. She is often away for her business trips, leaving you and Kara alone, but when she does come back, she doesn't even bat you an eye and focuses on Kara instead. She turns a blind eye whenever Kara picks on you, in front of her, unbothered. She probably doesn't even care that you're gone.

Father [IRL] - Your (step-)father: [M]

Your father... you don't have much say on him, honestly. The only time he ever talks to you was when he needs an errand child, or when he joins in on your mother yelling at you for whatever reason. There was one time where your mother asked you to buy things for your sister because she was too lazy, where you walked in on your father making out with some random woman at the back of a 7-11. He threatened to throw away the stuffed bear your biological father gave you if you ever snitched on him. He's probably overjoyed to see you gone.

??? - An otherworldly being: [?]

The voices in your head that make you go crazy, mental, second-guess, commit a crime.

reblogs appreciated <3 | demo: writing prologue; please be patient!

[atzloverr]

My favorite fics/blogs!!!

(multifandom)

The answer by @berryunho

this might me by favorite ateez fic y’all… It’s literally so GOOOODDDDD I’m obsessed… (atz x reader, cult au)

@freyaphoria

this entire blog is everything !! (never stop posting girl your stories are amazing) lovely yandere atz x reader stories

@yankpop

A blog with lots of yan bts x reader and I’m here for it!

Abundance by @angelicyoongie

ot7 hybrid bts x reader, I’m literally obsessed with this story and I still hope that the author picks it up again 😭

Caught between the devil and the deep blue sea

(ao3) LOVE this ot8 ateez x reader fic!! The story is so good I’ve literally cried reading it…

Polarity

(ao3) yandere Jungkook x reader. I don’t need to say more. Read it.

The obsidian pearl by @angelicyoongie

yandere mermaid!Seokjin x reader, only a few chapters, but still amazing!!!

Complete

(wattpad) I don’t know how many times I’ve reread this story… It’s my comfort fic i think😭 a bts x reader soulmate au fic.

The four kingdoms

(wattpad) another AMAZING bts x reader story. This fic is the first part of the “blue eyes” series, and I’ve read all four parts like a million times… The following parts:

pyramids, dynasty, mist (mist isn’t finished)

Seven sins

(wattpad) seven deadly sins!bts x reader.

Blood ink

(wattpad) tattoo artist!Jungkook x reader, gang au

Circus by @lani-heart

A sweet (and angsty) fic about ot8 hybrid!ateez x reader!!! I highly recommend it! (ongoing)

@cheollipop

suuuuuch a good blog, has atz x reader and some svt x reader

@angelicyoongie

Amazing bts x reader stories!!! (two of them are mentioned in this post lol)

@xosannie

lovely nsfw ateez x reader, I’m so happy I found this blog likeeee, obsessed with their work dirty little secret (mingi x reader)

Guerilla by @sorryimananti-romantic

serial killer!Yunho x reader, literally obsessed with this and their entire blog!!!! And I’m Yunho biased so this hit the spot

@bro-atz

One of if not THE best atz nsfw x reader fics… Literal art, go follow right now!!!

Heavy and sticky by @k-hotchoisan

some filthy Seonghwa x reader smut!!!

When flowers bloom in the dark by @makeitmingi

Already so invested in this mafia au Hongjoong x reader story. It’s sooo good

Atz as boyfriends (nsfw ver) by @sorryimananti-romantic and @eightmakesonebraincell

explicit ateez ot8 headcannons (I’m obsessed)

The feral drabbles by @mint-yooxgi

Ateez (and skz but I haven’t read) x reader one-shots/drabbles!!! Includes darker themes (yandere), and omg this writing is so good!!!

@last-words-ofashootingstar

such good ateez x reader fics and drabbles!!! this blog has yandere content as well! Love their work allure

@gyupinkys

amazing svt x reader and atz x reader!!! I love their work like crazy (yandere Seonghwa x reader)

Our leaves must fall before our flowers can bloom by @eightmakesonebraincell

poly ot8 atz x reader and ice hockey au, I literally died when reading this the writing is insanely good

Mist of celeste

(ao3) craziest read in my life. Space pirates atz x reader and this is a literary masterpiece. Read. It.

@holybibly

THE ONE AND ONLY QUEEN (atz x reader)

Sentinent by @trivia-yandere

(Oneshot) Yandere android namjoon x reader, omg I am obsessed with this and the author’s other works!!

Bloodline

(ao3) INSANE READ. I literally pray to god that this ot8 atz x reader story continues!!!

Case: It’s You by @potatomountain

Ahhhh this poly!atz x reader story was so amazing!!!! The twist in this was absolutely crazy, and I can’t wait for book 2 to get released! This author ate the enemies to lovers au

Charade

(ao3) I just LOVE this ot8 atz x reader!!! This story is a zombie-apocalypse au!

@smileysuh

I love this blog so much!!! I love their NCT and SVT fics, and I strongly recommend their fic daylighter (vampire!Wonwoo + Werewolf!Mingyu x reader)

I’ll update this post if I find new works that I enjoy!

my masterlist

[dramioneasks]

Hermione’s Birthday (2024):

Not a Fan of Birthdays by allslowadagio - E, one-shot - Hermione Granger doesn't do birthdays. In fact, she hasn't done birthdays in years. When Draco asks her what she'd like to receive as a gift, she suggests a simple hug. OR The hug is not simple at all and they actually have feelings for each other.

can i be close to you? by theseheavytimes - T, one-shot - “You know, Hermione,” Theo mused. “I’m willing to bet you don’t have to be alone on your birthday if you don't want to be. I bet there’s someone just dying to give you the birthday celebration you deserve.” Theo paused, sliding from the desk and jumping to his feet. He turned his back on Granger as if to pace the length of the room, but really he was staring directly at Draco with that worrying smirk on his face. “And I bet,” he continued, not bothering to hide the sly glee in his voice, “that you wouldn’t have to look very far to find him.” * * * (Or, Draco undergoes daily torture pining after Hermione. Theo decides to put him out of his misery.)

Happy Birthday, Granger by Simply_Lovely_Reader - E, one-shot - Inspired by a POV created by TikTok user @cortneyreinhardt that said "Draco is venting to his friends about how much he hates Granger but lets it slip that he wants to fuck it out of her…" Or, in honor of the birthday I share with the one and only Hermione Granger today, a one-shot of Hermione overhearing Draco say he wants to shag her and years later challenging him to do just that. Happy Birthday Hermione!

birthday dinner by Indigo_Dewdrops - M, one-shot - If Draco did surely he wouldn't have been so calm about facing her at work with that gaudy, golden star balloon and a cupcake, "With love from your Weasel, I assure."

Happy Birthday, Mummy by Dizzle00 - E, one-shot - “To your birth, something I thank the gods for every day.” He shakes his head as if overcome and his voice breaks a little. “The world would be a devastating place without you in it.” She tilts her head with a soft, tender smile and kisses his jaw, clinking her glass against his and taking a sip. He leans in to kiss her again. “You’ll be dessert.” He grins wickedly and Hermione hums, her insides molten at the implications. “What if I want dessert first?” “No no,” Draco tuts, his thumb brushing the bow of her lips. “Naughty girls don’t get dessert. Your job right now is to sit and relax, and let Daddy—“ she raises a brow at the vicious smirk he gives her when using the word—“feed you.”

celeste granger-malfoy by riddikulus_puff - T, one-shot - Celeste Cassiopeia Granger. Hermione’s saving grace in the form of a little pale pink bundle of joy. She couldn’t have asked for anything better.

A Manor of Iniquity by SparklesMagicLightLove, writetimewrongmuse - E, one-shot - Hermione’s hands shake at her back. The desire to look upon him—to see his piercing gaze as he inspects her, bound, naked, and bowed on the floor of his ancestral home—courses through her like ecstasy. And he knows it. Or For Hermione’s Birthday, she decides to reclaim her identity. Her husband is all too happy to oblige in her degradation fantasy.

Happy Birthday, Granger by Fawkes_in_sox - T, one-shot - An angsty double drabble for our girl's birthday. (Star-crossed lovers pine pathetically for each other instead of working out their problems on Hermione's birthday.)

Happy Birthday, Baby by morriganmercy - E, one-shot - Just because Hermione is another year older, doesn’t mean she can’t feel little sometimes. And just because Draco is nearly a year her junior, doesn’t mean she can’t call him Daddy. [One for the daddy kink girls who tragically fell in love with someone their own age.]

[morelikeravenbore]

💕Positivity prime time! Share five things you love about yourself, four things you're excited about, OR three people you care deeply about and why. Pass this along to someone whose posts make you smile💕

CA-CAW BISH 💙

CA-CAW BINCH! 💙

Thank you for sending this, ya cutie! I didn't feel like writing about myself so I uh did this instead 👉👈 hehe I hope it spreads some positivity regardless.

Silly drabble, 600~ words.

Sebastian smoothed the sheet of parchment over the desk and reviewed his work with a small nod of satisfaction. Curfew was near, and the library was deathly silent save for the near-constant stream of dark mutterings coming from the girl beside him. Aurélie, for all her beauty, humour, and charm, was a force to be reckoned with when she was in a bad mood, and after an entire day of being grumbled, glared and snapped at, Sebastian was quite ready to put a stop to it. 

'Right,' he said decisively, squinting at his untidy scrawl. 'Are you ready?' 

'No.'

'First question —' 

'I still don't understand how this is going to help!' 

Not for the first time in his life, Sebastian thanked whatever higher power had given him a twin sister and thus a lifetime of experience dealing with the wildly shifting moods of girls: Anne was certainly a  formidable foe when she was upset, but even the volatile temper of a Sallow paled in comparison to that of a French girl when she woke up on the wrong side of the bed.

Still, vast experience notwithstanding, he exhaled a deep, slow breath before calmly explaining, for the third time in a row, ‘It's called practising gratitude. It's supposed to help you shift your mood so you feel better.'

'Fine,' Aurélie pouted, slumping lower in her chair. 'Ask the stupid questions.'

‘First,’ he began, referring to the list of prompts he'd compiled. 'List five things you love about yourself.' 

'Five?' she shrieked, bolting upright as if he'd just assigned her a twelve inch essay on the history of flobberworms. 'Pass. Next.'

'We'll come back to that one, then, shall we?' he said through his teeth. 'Share four things you're excited about.'

'Going to bed,' she muttered. 

Sebastian scribbled it down. 'And?' 

'That's it.'

Unwilling to concede defeat until he at least drew out a single, tiny, begrudging smile from her, he went on. 'Next question. Three people you love deeply.'

'Shoes.'

'Shoes are not people, Aura.'

'Shoes are a girl's best friend.'

'That's diamonds!' 

'Those, too. Write that down.'

'Alright.' With mounting frustration, he added "shoes" and "diamonds" to the list of people she loved. 'Who else? Real people, Aura.'

'Celeste,' she offered, leaning forward to watch him write her best friend's name on the list. 

'And? Come on, you might play the part of World’s Most Aloof Ravenclaw, but I know for a fact you love more than just one person…' 

'Hmm, Poppy. And Esme! And Jean, and Siobhan. And Lory, Cordelia, Tessa, Rosalie, Gibby, Allegra. Ummm...' She paused to catch her breath while Sebastian's quill flew across the parchment, struggling to keep up. 'Johanna, Calypso, Matty, Eleanor, Ariane, Winter, Alyn. Oh, and Artemis, and Lydia! And Violet and Pearl, and Eloise, both of them —' 

When finally she found herself out of names, Sebastian reviewed the long list with a bemused expression. ‘All these friends and you can't think of a single nice thing to say about yourself. Anyway —’ He shook his head and turned to look at her, ‘— you're missing someone.'

'Oh?' she frowned, critically eyeing the list of names. ‘No, I don't think so.’

'Mhm. A certain charming, good-looking, highly intelligent, freckled someone.'

'Oh!' She smacked her palm to her forehead. 'You're right! Garreth Weasley.'

Sebastian nearly choked on his tongue. 'I'm not writing Garreth fucking Weasley under "people you love deeply"', he refused, throwing his quill down. 

'Oh, but he's so friendly.'

‘No,’ he said flatly. 

‘Alright, alright, grum-py. How about this?’ With an impish grin, she picked up his quill and, in a long, elegant script, wrote “Sebastian Sallow” across the top of the parchment. 

Sebastian narrowed his eyes. ‘You couldn't have put me first?’ he grumbled.

‘I could've,’ she replied, smiling for the first time that day. ‘But it's much more fun making you jealous.’

🦋 Featuring my loves and some of Aura's AU besties: @sallowsangel @sallowslove @sloanesallow @lorriiraine @2centniffler @gingerlegacy07 @mianeryh @galaxiasgreen @lyworth @ravenwind-75 @dwightschrute11 @girl-named-matty @endless-starlight-legacy @yoshitsuno @moonstruckmoony @ps-cactus @polarisgreenley @esolean @vienguinn @myokk @thesuperiorfeeling