#i know everyone’s in their coriolanus era but
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enviedear · 11 months ago
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ain't it a gentle sound, rolling in the graves
⤷ billy bonney
౨ৎ synopsis— an outlaw on borrowed time finds solace in the gravedigger's daughter. she's the flowers growing underneath the stones marking the place fit for his overdue remains.
౨ৎ warnings— talks of death and the dead, unresolved ending, billy being sad and lonesome, and a bunch of flowery language. 2.1k words
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request ⊹ send me your thoughts
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the grounds of the dead feel more like home than the adobe brick walls you've always known. rarely, does anyone else stop by to visit. your heart harbors no blame for their apprehension.. the graves attract the worst of beasts— and not the kinds such as coyotes and wolves— desperate men.
it's not uncommon for sacred remains to be unearthed times over by the forlorn. those with debts, twisted needs, and cruel intentions shovel away the sanctity of the decaying.
you've attended every burial and thus, every re-burial. sometimes the bodies are gone, never to be returned, but still the hole in the earth is filled and laid with stones. your father mutters prayers to the spirits that remain, wandering lonely without their last tie to the living.
he opts to leave as soon as possible afterward, but you never seem to find the will. just you alone with the dead.
all your time spent here, and yet, tonight is marked the first of another breathing figure standing above the graves just as you. his back faces you, legs long, hair umber, and clothes well-worn.
you're too slow to notice the pistol at his side before you make a noise, prompting him to turn to you. the wind is a quiet whistle but you only hear the thump of your frightened heart.
his pale blue eyes pierce through the fade of sunlight, sweeping across every inch of you in one swift motion before straightening, "i'll be gone soon. i apologize if i wasn't supposed to be up here this late."
there's a flash of recognition in your mind, a small sliver. the young man ahead of you is known to offer men up to early graves, a true laborer of the devil and his reapers.
you swallow hard, trying to find your voice amidst the surge of fear and curiosity, "who are you?" you manage to ask, your words barely audible.
the young man's lips curl into a faint smile, "names don't really matter in this place," he replies, a hint of amusement in his voice, "but you can call me william. or billy, if you prefer."
"billy?" the name ushers in recollection, sharp and eerie, down your spine, the weight of its significance settling heavily on your mind.
you've heard stories about him, whispered tales of his destructive deeds. a known gunslinger, killer, and outlaw alone with you. if he wanted, you could join the bodies below your soles and no one could relay the tale.
"what are you doing here?" you inquire cautiously, keeping a safe distance between yourself and him.
his eyes narrow slightly as he scans the graveyard, his gaze lingering on the weathered tombstones and wooden crosses, "i came seeking comfort," he answers cryptically, "the dead make for fine listeners."
the air grows heavy with tension as you contemplate his words. your instincts scream at you to flee, to escape from this unholy meeting. but something about him draws you in, a morbid curiosity that refuses to be ignored.
"why did you bring that?" you pause, hesitant, "the gun." nodding towards the weapon strapped to his side.
billy's expression shades for a moment before he shrugs nonchalantly, "protection," he states simply. "not t'smart to go without one. not here."
a chill runs down your spine as his words sink in. you've always known of the monsters traversing this land, but for some reason your mind refuses to place billy alongside them. you draw closer to him instead, "are you... someone i'd need protection from?" you venture to ask, your voice weak.
he chuckles softly, a sound that echoes eerily through the graveyard, "m'no different from those who wander these grounds," he says, his voice dripping with an unsettling mix of melancholy and dismay, "but i won't hurt you, sweetheart. m'just a wandering soul."
silence settles over the graveyard, broken only by the distant hoot of an owl. you study billy's face, trying to decipher the true nature behind his enigmatic words.
as the setting sun dances upon his features, you find yourself captivated by the depths of his eyes. they hold a sadness that no words could adequately convey, and yet, a glimmer of hope lingers within them. as if he carries the weight of the world upon his shoulders, but still possesses the strength to bear it.
the wind whispers through the graveyard, carrying with it the scents of flowers and freshly turned earth. you take a step closer, unable to resist the gravitational pull drawing you towards him. his presence is both intimidating and alluring, like a force of nature that you cannot help but be drawn to.
"do you have someone laid here?" you inquire softly, your voice tinged with curiosity.
billy's gaze meets yours, his eyes glimmering with a mixture of sorrow and longing, "no," he replies, his voice as gentle as a whisper on the breeze, "but i've been looking down at graves my whole life. suppose i know the dead better than the living now."
a gust of wind rustles through the trees, causing leaves to dance in the air. the atmosphere charged with a heat that seems to swelter between the two of you.
"tell me, stranger," billy says, his voice filled with an irregular vulnerability, "do you know who i am?"
you pause, the seriousness of his question sinking in, "there are posters around town," you reply honestly, "but i imagine you're just fine. probably just best left unprovoked."
a wistful smile flickers across billy's face. "yeah, something like that," he murmurs, his gaze fixed on a distant horizon. "i don't want to..." he trails off before cursing, "i won't hurt you, swear. you can come closer."
curiosity takes hold of you once more as you inch closer to him, "necessity? is that what led you down your path?" you inquire, your voice laced with compassion. he looks about your age, and you find it hard to believe he created this life for himself in earnest.
billy's eyes meet yours, filled with remorse, "desperation more like," he confesses, his words woven with regret, "i was born into a world that offered me no chances, no opportunities for redemption. so i became what they expected me to be— easier that way."
you can't help but feel a pang of sympathy as you observe the anguish etched onto his weathered face, "you seem quite soft of heart, despite it."
billy's lips twitch, a fleeting semblance of a smile before he turnes his gaze away from you. "appearances can be deceiving," he mutters, his voice tinged with bitterness. "you don't know the things i've done, the lives i've taken."
a heaviness settles in the air as silence drapes over both of you like a suffocating shroud. the wind is steadily dying down, leaving behind a bizarre calmness that mirrors the abyss of outlaws' past.
"but people can change," you offer softly, your words floating on a fragile hope, "no one is defined solely by their mistakes. not unless they want to be."
he scoffs, the sound dripping with contempt, "change is a luxury i can't afford, sweetheart" he replies, his voice carrying a bit of resignation, "some paths we tread on have no way out."
your heart aches at the defeat in his words, but a stubborn determination blossoms within you. you refuse to accept that someone stood beyond redemption, especially someone with a soul as bright as his.
"everyone deserves a chance at redemption," you press, voice infused with conviction, "no matter how far they've wandered their path."
billy's eyes flicker with an unfamiliar glimmer as he turns to face you once more, "you really believe that?" he asks, searching for sincerity.
"i do," you answer firmly, "sometimes it takes just one person to believe in us for us to find our way back."
he furrows his brows, "and how'd you figure that?"
you shrug, "my daddy digs all the graves. sometimes the entire town comes out for someone's burial, but most of the time it's just us." you sigh, taking a glance at him, "but even those with only our eyes to witness their descent get a prayer of hope. they may never know it, but the man who dug their grave offers redemption. a belief of good in the after."
"and what if i don't deserve that?" he asks, his voice laced with uncertainty.
you reach out and place a hand on his shoulder, "deserving or not, redemption isn't earned through perfection," you explain softly, “it's found in the willingness to confront our mistakes and strive for something better. all the small acts of kindness we give and a genuine desire to change."
he hums in contemplation before replying, "you're real smart, you know that? probably too smart to be wastin' your time on me."
you smile gently, your hand still resting on billy's shoulder, "maybe i am smart," you say, amusement in your tone, "but that doesn't mean i can't see the good in people." a breath, "and for wasting my time on you? i don't see it like that at all. you've given me no trouble."
billy looks at you, his eyes searching for any signs of deception. after a moment of silence, he sighs and shakes his head. "you don't know what you're getting yourself into," he warns. "i'm not the kind of man a nice girl should be redeeming."
"i'm not naïve," you reply, your voice steady and unwavering. "i won't play the part of the fool, but, i don't see fault in offering friendship."
billy's face softens as he listens to your words. it's as if a spark of hope ignites within him, one he thought had long been extinguished. "you remind me of someone," he murmurs, his voice tinged with nostalgia, "but they faded away a long time ago."
your grip on billy's shoulder tightens slightly as you lean in closer. "no one ever truly fades away," you say.
a twinge of sadness tugs at your heartstrings as you observe him. despite his reputation as an outlaw, there was something vulnerable about him that drew you in. something desperate for connection and understanding. you couldn't help but wonder what sort of troubles led him down a path so different from your own.
without thinking, you reach a hand towards him, offering a small gesture of comfort and camaraderie—or perhaps just to touch flesh to flesh after so much time among the remains.
he hesitates before slipping his own hand into your grasp, palms meeting under the fading light of dusk, "if i were a devout man i'd call you an angel," he murmurs softly, squeezing your hand gently.
you're glad that the moon is just starting to rise, casting a silvery glow over the graveyard. it makes him look almost… sacred, despite being a wanted man. you can't help but to feel safe in his presence.
your eyes drift to his hand in yours, suddenly nervous by your forward action. caught between pulling away and wondering what his touch feels like elsewhere—his skin rough, as expected, calloused from hours and hours of holding a gun.
but there's a warmth to his touch that surprises you, a sense of humanity that contradicts the tales you've heard about him. you look up to find him studying you, his eyes scanning every inch of yours while he holds onto your hand. the air thick with anticipation and something else, something unknown but suddenly intoxicating.
in this moment of solace, a large part of your mind is wrought with contemplation. the gunslinging stranger is tame as a loyal dog, but he also defies the boundaries of both your respective futures. as much as you want to hold onto him, reality begins to settle in and you reluctantly release your hold of him. the moon has risen higher in the sky, the air colder.
"i should go," billy says regretfully, cutting through the silence between you.
you nod, understanding that he needs to keep moving, "i hope to see you again, when things settle down."
it's a hopeful thing to wish for, to ask of him, but he gives you a grin, "you will. i have a bad habit of stickin' around where i'm not wanted."
as he turns to leave, you watch him go with a mess of sentiments swirling inside you. part of you wishes he could stay a little longer, but another part knows that it's for the best. his lifestyle is dangerous and unpredictable, and being around him would only put you in danger. still, you let that hopeful ember spark with the indelible nature of his words.
you take one last look at his retreating figure before turning back to the graves. finally time for you to say goodbye your solemn sanctary. as you pass stone markers and crosses, a final glance back at the graveyard where billy disappeared into the darkness and a demure prayer for the backsliders' gunman not to veer too far away.
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strangeshoepatrolbandit-alt · 9 months ago
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Summary: The difference in how he fucked during his different eras.
Warnings: NSFW, taunting, lying, manipulation, virginity taking, marriage, he smacks you, degradation.
Coriolanus Snow x Fem!Reader
Please be aware of the content you read.
-University student-
University Coriolanus Snow kept most of his thoughts in his head during this time. He was a liar who just needed to keep up a good reputation for his name since that was all that he had.
He did not have the same riches as the other Capitol students.
So, when Coriolanus ended up having a sweet Capitol girl with a rich daddy fall into his hand, nobody said a thing. Everyone thought they were perfect for each other.
Coriolanus would have preferred to wait, but he needed the reassurance that came with taking your virginity. He felt that with being your first, he could somehow permanently plant himself in your mind in case you ever thought of leaving him and his lies.
And, as he had a thumb in your mouth, letting you suck on it while he ever so slowly eased himself into your virgin hole, he hoped he could somehow make you dependent on the way he made you feel.
His kisses were soft, as was the way he thrusted his hips. You'd call this making love with Coriolanus. At this moment, the two of you weren't two Academy students trying to get by while keeping their family names afloat. No, you were two lovers making love in the bed you've slept in almost all your life.
He made it all about your pleasure, wanting you to feel special, like he actually cared about how you felt.
With a slender hand, he reached down to thumb at your clit, making your back arch off of the bed and into his own body. "Shhh. I know, I know." He spoke softly.
If you paid enough attention, you'd notice how he'd momentarily get lost in his own pleasure and would speed up while holding your hips down onto the bed, neglecting whatever you needed in order to reach your peak.
-`♡´-
-Peacekeeper-
Peacekeeper Coriolanus Snow is still knee-deep in his lying and manipulation. How he treats you depends on who you are.
If you were a District 12 inhabitant, then he's more than willing to be rougher with you. You're disposable in his eyes.
Coriolanus finds that he can take you while pressed up against the side of a tree, and when he's done, all that he has to do is give you a few soft kisses on your face before disappearing because of "work".
He's able to just seek you out for a quick fuck, not that he's the type to just sleep around. If you were someone that he was actively manipulating and using to keep him afloat while in (what he considers) the slums, then he would somehow use romance and lust as a way to get closer and closer to you. To make himself seem like the good guy in your eyes.
It would be in a compromising setting, in some sort of missionary position, with your faces right up against each other's. It's a tactic he uses to try and make you feel like you're special and have some sort of soft spot in his life. He'll try to be sweet but lose himself in the process.
Against some building, lit by the moon, Coriolanus' hips thumped against the ligaments near your pubic bone. Your legs were spread, his torso stopping you from closing them, and his hands were holding the flesh of your ass.
"Come on. Just give me a fucking kiss." He whispered, digging his fingers into the fat he holds. His mouth is open, as is yours, the two of you are breathing in each other's breath. It feels intimate to you, and the way he jams himself inside of you makes your breath stop in your throat. He took advantage of that, licking your bottom lip before locking your lips together.
Or you could always just ride him because he feels like you're not worthy enough to have him put in any work.
Now, if you were the same Capitol member as before, and you happened to follow him down to District 12, then he would be more comfortable. Hidden away in the cabin you've been staying in, your face is shoved into the pillows you've slept on for the last few months. A stolen moment between lovers. He finally had a break from his duties, and he was going to take advantage of it.
His body was hunched over yours, and his hands were on your hips, keeping them held up. He was grunting into your ear every time he pushed forward and breathing audibly every time he pulled back. You could feel his dog tag sitting on your spine.
"You're going to get me in... trouble." He panted, leaning back onto his knees, using his hands to guide your hips back and forth. "Can't stay away, can you? You need me, huh?" He smirked, watching as you nodded hastily.
"That's okay. Need you too."
No, he didnt.
-`♡´-
-Post-Peacekeeper/Capitol official/New President-
President Coriolanus Snow only sleeps with the First Lady. Congratulations! You're married. Now you're a puppet that he controls.
There's no longer a need for lies. You're already trapped!
You slept together for his pleasure only, but he'll make sure you finish just so his reputation in bed is not tarnished.
He won't go down on you. He'll only give you a little bit of foreplay before he gets antsy and just dives right in. But he'll hold your hair while you're sucking his dick!
"I'm a gentleman." He defends himself.
Your bed is bigger and softer than it had ever been. It doesn't make your muscles stiff and sore like the one down in District 12.
With your legs hooked over Coriolanus' shoulders, he thrusted back and forth, listening to the lewd squelch your combined bodies make. When you let out a particularly loud cry, he gives you a smack to your face, berating you for breaking his focus.
"I shouldn't even be giving you this, my rose." His voice has an eerie stillness to it. "You've just been acting like a whore. Coming to my office like that? I should have just made you grind against my boot. Hell, I could have just taken you on my desk." He rolled his eyes before smiling. "But I take care of you, don't I? I brought you right back to our bed, where it's comfortable." His words and smile made you feel obligated to nod and give him a 'yes', despite how it felt like he was bruising your cervix.
-`♡´-
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THIS WAS NOT MEANT TO BE POSTED YET‼️ I STILL NEED A SECOND OPINION ON IT!!!
Welp... I hope it's good enough for you.
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targaryenluvs · 11 months ago
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hiiii okay so I had an idea for like Coryo x little sister where she’s about 12 years old and she looks just like her mom and Coryo, Tigris, and Grandma’am just love her so much BUT she somehow ends up in the hunger games s a tribute and she becomes like besties with Wovey, Reaper, and Lucy- plus she’s giving Coryo a heart attack every five minutes especially during the bombing- finally during his peacekeeper era when he finds out they were evicted she was taken from their custody and so when he comes back with the plinth fortune and all that she just runs up and is all cuddly with him and he’s like “u know what fuck custody paperwork” and just snatches her back home- thank u sooo much💗
SAFE AND SOUND
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pairings: coriolanus snow x younger!sister!reader, lucy gray x younger!sister!reader
summary: somehow you’d ended up in the games, snow and lucy would do anything to keep you safe.
warnings: murderrr, possessive/selfish thoughts, child endangerment, cheating, rude ass corio, fluff in the end nd a little happy fam, deter from og storyline, protective lucy and snow, family dynamics, theyd do anything to make sure you’re okay
a/n: i did change the story line a little!!
the drones were whirring about you.
people were being knocked down as lucy grabbed you and ran to safety. “keep with me baby girl!” she shouted as you ran, your legs ached but you knew what would happen if you stopped.
coriolanus couldn’t breathe until you were safe. which is why he exhaled a long and heavy breath when you and lucy settled into the vent again. everyone around him was quiet for once, they laughed at all the tributes except you. they all loved you, every time coriolanus brought you around their horrible personalities and stuck up selves melted away with your adoring smile and sweet voice.
reprieve, or so you thought, came in the form of the large tube in front of you. but based off of lucy’s face you knew something was up, and as wovey walked towards it you couldn’t help but shout and cry for her.
“down goes wovey!” thank god. coriolanus thought. that idiotic girl was impulsive and silly, she shouldn’t have lasted as long as she did. she almost killed you with her stupidity, brung you along to her execution as you cried for her to stop.
you’d survived. somehow.
in the history of the games there had only been two victors. so far.
but at what cost? your brother had been sentenced away to district 12 and the only other person who shared any understanding for what you went through was no where to be found. in the wind, gone.
so you did what you thought best.
you ran.
all the way to twelve and the comfort of your dear older brother.
he was going insane. he’d lost you and lucy. sejanus was god knows where and probably planning something illegal. he was stressed the fuck out and all he wanted was a hug from you. for you to put secret braids in his hair when you thought he was sleeping, for you to kiss his cheek every morning before rambling on about school.
the place was alive as she sang. everyone danced but coriolanus stared. he’d found one half of the puzzle. lucy looked amazing and he found himself relaxing at the sound of her voice.
you’d peeked through the window. the noise had drawn you to it. it was your first day alone, ever, and in the worst district. you were scared beyond measure but soon to be saved as you caught a glimpse of lucy twirling on stage, her eye-line drawing you to corio.
the hug from behind caught him off guard but had his mind spinning as he recognised the small hands gripping oh so tightly at his waist. the bracelet he’d made so long ago and the smell of roses, which for once wasn’t himself, and hadn’t been for a while.
“y/n.” he breathed out as you laced your arms around his neck, “i came from the capitol. i hate it corio. they took me away from our family and put me with some random family. i don’t like it, i miss you. please, don’t take me back.” you cried as he lifted you up, resting on his hip as he made his way outside, lucy following in tow as she wiped away tears after seeing your sweet face.
the lake was quiet and tame, slow waves lapping at the jetty and land as you lay curled up in corio’s lap, lulled to sleep by lucy’s melodies. and whilst the trio of you all had no idea what the future held it all didn’t matter in this moment. you felt happy, and you hadn’t felt it in so long. corio and lucy were your family, and you loved them.
corio had done horrible things in his life, the second you were drawn into the games nothing else mattered besides keeping you safe. those horrible things were known to few, one of them being the songbird to your left.
and no would ever tell you these things.
all that mattered?
you were safe and sound with them, they’d made sure of it.
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runningfrom2am · 10 months ago
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cold nights // part twelve
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summary: may the odds be ever in your favour.
pairing: coriolanus snow x fem!reader
wc: 2.9k
masterlists / nav / requests
tags/warnings: tribute!reader and mentor!coriolanus, r is very sweet (too kind for this world. literally.), sunshine x grumpy trope kinda, he falls first, violence typical for the source material, r is very smart (as she should), district twelve!reader.
a/n: i can't believe we made it to the end of s1! i am so, so excited to move on to the next era of this story! this is a reminder if you love this series and you haven't already please reblog this or the masterlist! it makes such a big big difference for me and my fellow writers know it all too well lol.
my asks are also open to talk about this series! (i do have emoji anons open now too!)
send me any and all of your thoughts! here!
series masterlist // playlist
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Coriolanus wakes up, head on the open pages of Romeo and Juliet as people start to flood in, everyone anxious about what would happen to you.
He rubs the sleep out of his eyes, quickly casting his view to the screen ahead, camera view still locked on you. There was no one else for it to be tracking, after all. Except now, you were on Lamina's beam, lying down with your eyes closed. He wasn't sure if you were awake, or when you had even made your way down into the clearing, but you don't move. He can see the steady rise and fall of your chest as you lay with his scarf bunched up behind your head. Tigris was right, you had survived, but you wouldn't have without him. You looked peaceful- not at all like the girl he had seen crumbling apart on the same screen just a few hours prior.
"I feel as though I should inform you, they'll be going in very soon." Highbottom says, grabbing the boy's attention. "But I'd put my money on those boys being dead in there. Congratulations, Coriolanus. This means almost nothing for you."
He walks away before Coryo is even done processing what he had said. He wouldn't get the prize, most likely, but he would still have you.
You don't stir until you hear the peacekeepers entering the arena, sitting up and seeing them with guns pointed in your direction. "Don't move." One of them spits at you and you nod, eyes wide as you raise your hands. You watch as a designated team in different uniforms make their way up to enter the vents, and others spray something over the piles of snakes, stilling those that were still showing any signs of life.
"Is it over?" You ask, confused.
"Not until we can confirm you are the only remaining tribute." One of them answers and you nod, chewing on your lip as you watch the men disappear into the vents.
"Okay... Thank you."
You know what they would find in there, the bodies of the two boys trapped behind your salt line. You could tell them where the boys would be found, but then you'd be outing yourself. You had only confessed to Coryo. Only he could know. Last night, you didn't care. You have to assume he was the only one who witnessed your breakdown, your confession, because if anyone else had, you'd likely be dead by now. You have to hope your secret is safe with him if you want to go home.
The morning drags on forever as you sit there with guns pointed at you from the ground, and Coryo is pacing in the hall. There were many people around, excited to see if you would be crowned as the victor. People were rooting for you, and he was proud of that, but support didn't mean that you were promised a win.
Vipsania and Domitia were the only other two remaining mentors, whispering to each other across the room after they came back. It was eerily silent.
Then, one of the men emerges from the vent, turning all heads including yours as he just nods toward the peacekeepers watching you.
"Alright. Come on down." The same peacekeeper addresses you and you nod, a tear falling down your cheek.
"She did it." Coryo whispers to himself, realization forcing a grin onto his face.
Lucky laughs, clapping his hands together. "She's won! Y/N Y/L/N from District Twelve!" He calls out, making his way over to Coriolanus. "Coriolanus Snow is the Victor of the Tenth Annual Hunger Games!"
Coryo laughs in shock, smiling as the man pats his shoulder. He catches in the corner of his eye as his two classmates storm out, and he's quickly crowded with congratulations and praise.
"I won?" You ask quietly, feet landing on the ground again.
"Yes, they were found." He nods, and quickly your arms are being grabbed as you're led out of the arena.
"Do you know, did Coriolanus get his prize?" You ask them, but your question is ignored as you walk down the hall toward the exit, looking back over your shoulder as the gate is closed behind you.
Just outside the gates, you don't get much of a taste of freedom before you're being pushed into the back of the same truck. Empty. Bigger. Lonely.
"Empty your pockets." The peacekeeper tells you, standing at the entrance.
You do so hesitantly, holding up the compact on a shaky palm. "I'm sorry to ask, but can I have some water? Please?" You ask, once again ignored as the compact is pulled from your hand. "Please, sir, that was a gift... If you must take it can you return it to my mentor? Coriolanus Snow?"
He opens the cold metal, pulling out the piece of paper and unfolds it, quickly scanning it's contents. "That is for him, too. Though, if I had the chance now I would change it." You explain. You knew you both would be in deep trouble if you were caught for what you convinced yourself was no more than salt, and clarity came to you enough to lie about what the compact had contained all this time.
The peacekeeper hums, closing it up again and shoving both items into his own pocket, pointing the gun at you again. "Clothes off."
"Ex-excuse me?" You reply, taken aback by the request.
"Clothes off. Now." He repeats and you nod, swallowing the lump in your dry throat as you begin to slide off your dress, letting it fall at your feet. He moves the gun again, gesturing for you to continue. With trembling hands you remove your underthings, your shoes, and the scarf, placing them on the floor in front of you. He quickly gathers them, taking a step back and nodding to someone outside.
He moves out of the way and you stand there confused, watching as he shakes out your clothes and searches them, when suddenly you're being sprayed down with a hose. You yelp from the fast contact of the cold water pelting against your skin, but it wakes you up. After the initial shock, it actually feels good to be somewhat clean again.
You pant as the water is shut off, catching your breath and rubbing your arms to try and warm yourself again. Your clothes are tossed back into the truck at you before the door is slammed, and you use the scarf to try and dry yourself off a little bit before tying it around yourself the same way Coryo had. By the time you pull the second strap of your dress back on, the truck is moving and you're lurching forward.
You're driving for a while before the door is opened again, and you're relieved to get some fresh air. It was cold in there, and you were shivering in your small dress that was now also damp from your skin.
Once the doors open you're staring down the barrels of more guns as the peacekeepers usher you out and into the train station, right where you were let off all those days ago. Days... or weeks? You don't even know anymore.
"Lay off, why don't you? She's been through enough." A man in a black suit comes into your view, and they drop their weapons and let you go.
He steps in front of you and you wrap your arms around yourself to try and warm up. "Thank you, Sir." You smile, nodding at him politely.
"Nothing to thank me for..." He sighs. "I'm Dean Highbottom from the academy, it's a pleasure to meet you. Congratulations on your victory." Surprisingly to you, he doesn't seem inconvenienced. Someone other than Coryo and Sejanus seemed to be willing to talk to you, to treat you like a human again. When he congratulates you, he sounds sad.
"Thank you, Sir." You nod again. "Do I... Will I be going home now?"
"Yes. In just a few minutes." He nods, gesturing for you to follow him toward the train. "I am extremely familiar with your mentor, Coriolanus Snow." He tells you as you join his side.
"Oh, wonderful!" You force a smile. "I have some things for him, just a note and something he leant to me. I gave them to that man over there. Would you mind making sure they make it back to him?" You point out the peacekeeper as you follow him toward the train.
"I'll see to it that he gets it back, yes." Dean Highbottom nods with a slight roll of his eyes, stopping next to the stairs that would lead you onto the passenger train. "But... if I may offer you some advice?"
"Please." You nod, urging him on.
"Be grateful you survived him."
You want to ask what he means, but the anger you saw behind your friend's eyes that night in the arena would haunt you and you knew that. Surely, that's what the Dean is talking about.
"Yes." You agree, unsure what else to say when he reaches into his pocket and pulls out a stack of cash.
"Take this, your prize, I suppose." He hands it over to you. It must be hundreds of dollars. Maybe over a thousand. With this, you could do so much for your family. "Oh, and Miss Y/L/N... You wouldn't happen to know anything about the rat poison that was in that compact, would you?"
You tense up, tilting your head at him with a confused smile. "Poison? No... All I had put inside was salt." You reply. "Sejanus Plinth gave it to me, with food from his Ma. Salt is good for protection, you know, so I kept it for later. Keeps you safe from evil and harm." You ramble on, panic and shock in your tone. Sejanus had given you salt to put on some vegetables and sandwiches he brought you, but now that you're trying to piece the story together, you don't remember even opening the compact until you were in that vent. Coryo had told you not to open it, so you wouldn't have. Your own memory is confusing you.
"I've heard that." He nods, eyeing you skeptically.
The train horn makes you jump before you can even thank him.
"Go on, now." He urges you onto the train, deciding to let slide however you had came across the rat poison. Clearly, you didn't know what you had done. Or you were convincing yourself you didn't remember. "Enjoy your freedom."
You nod and step up onto the stairs. You were hoping you would get to see Coryo again, it disappointed you that you never would. Maybe it was a good thing you wrote your goodbye note, even if you had survived. "I give you, upon my knees, a thousand thanks." You smile to the man still standing on the ground below you who just nods in acknowledgment before you close the door behind yourself, Coryo's scarf still wrapped around your waist.
"Y/N?" Coryo calls out, walking into the high biology lab. He was told you had something for him, no doubt the scarf and the compact.
"She's gone." Dean Highbottom cuts in, just before Coryo spots him in the poorly lit room.
"I was told-"
"I know what you were told. Here." The Dean tells him, pointing to the metal compact on the table.
Coryo looks at it only briefly before returning his gaze to the man who offered it to him. "Where is she?"
"I wouldn't worry about that, Coriolanus. Your work is done." He explains vaguely. "Were you aware that she cheated?"
"Cheated?" Coryo asks. "How?" He feigns ignorance.
"The boys in the vents didn't die from snake venom, or violently, or, naturally- for that matter." The Dean tsk's. "It was rat poison. Which, before you argue with me, cannot be found inside the arena or even within reach of the monkey cage at the zoo. I checked. So be honest, you have no idea how she got her hands on such a substance?"
"No, I don't." Coryo lies. "But she did what she could to survive- don't take it out on her because she somehow cheated your games. Next year give them uniforms, or up security or something."
"Just thought I'd ask. She told me she got it from Plinth." He waves him off, and Coryo ticks his head in slight confusion.
"Sejanus? No, he-"
"She really... declined, in there." Highbottom cuts him off, making it evident that he at least believed that Sejanus wouldn't do such a thing. "Told me it was only salt. Genuinely, it seemed like she didn't know. Or, she forced herself to forget. A sweet girl like that, it doesn't surprise me that that's how she would rationalize her actions."
"Is she alive? Because if you killed her for that I-"
"You'll what, Mister Snow? I thought you said you just wanted the prize."
"She deserved better." He states simply, swallowing the anxiety building in his throat.
"She does. I agree." Highbottom nods. "Which is why you won't see her again."
Coryo furrows his brow. "I... I don't understand how that could be relevant."
"Oh, I know you do, Mister Snow." His superior replies, a condescending edge to his words.
Coryo snatches the compact off of the table and quickly pockets it, storming out of the room. At least he hadn't been caught for helping you cheat, though he was sure Highbottom knew better. Now, he didn't have the Plinth Prize, and he didn't have you.
When he finally got home, he couldn't help but slam the door behind himself.
"Coryo?" Tigris calls out, excited as she puts down the project she was working on and rushes to the entranceway to meet him. "I didn't expect you home so soon! Did you get to see Y/N?" Her smile fades when she sees his expression. "What's wrong?"
"They wouldn't let me see her. She's already gone." He explains, pulling off his blazer.
"Oh..." Tigris frowns, taking the blazer from him to hang it up. "I know you really wanted to say goodbye. I'm so sorry."
"She'll never forgive me." He shakes his head slightly. "If she's even still alive! I doubt they would tell me!" He laughs, bringing his hands up to rub his eyes with his palms.
"They wouldn't kill her, Coryo. People loved her too much." She is quickly reassuring, reaching out to rub his shoulders. "You did nothing wrong... You did all you could for her. She'll forgive you."
"Not that." He mutters. "It's what I told you. You didn't see the way she looked at me, Tigris. Like... Like I was a monster."
"She was already scared. She was way out of her element. I think now, that she's safe, she'll find the space to see it reasonably." She tries to soothe his worries as best she can. "You're a good friend to her, and she's a kind person. She'll understand."
"But I'll never know for sure that she does."
"You might one day... Don't beat yourself up about it, and don't give up on her."
After a long, two-day journey curled up on a bench on the train, you recognize the building the train is stopping at. Suddenly, all your energy is returned to you as it slows to a stop, and you're already waiting at the door. You hear the latch unlock and you couldn't get off fast enough.
No one you knew were there, not that you expected any kind of greeting party. You inhale the fresh air, once again surrounded by the trees and your own people. You walk out of the train station and down the street, in the general direction of your home. You tried waving at a few folks you knew on the way, but people just stared, for the most part, jaws slack with surprise. They had already grieved your death. Sometimes you were met with a sad smile, but no one wanted to speak to you. You understood. You were used to that after your time in the Capitol.
"Y/N Y/L/N, is that you?" An excited voice called after you resigned yourself to a quiet walk home, twenty minutes from the bustle of the train station. You turn your head to look up at the back entrance to the Hob, a wide smile taking over your face when you see the speaker.
Your friend is already barrelling toward you, throwing her arms around you as your eyes fill with happy tears. It was refreshing. "I never thought I'd see you again..." You sniff, resting your chin on her shoulder as you hug her back.
Rhythmically, your best friend sways you back and forth. "Oh, I know, I know, sweetheart..." She hums, rubbing your back reassuringly. You can hear her voice crack too. "But you're home now. You're okay..."
She lets you break down as she practically holds you up as you cry in each other's arms. From happiness or trauma, you're not sure. "I did some awful things, I regret it all..."
"Don't regret a thing." She shushes you. "You did what you had to."
"No, no... You don't know... You didn't see..."
"I watched, Hun. When I could." She pulls away, placing her hands on your cheeks to wipe your tears. "You did nothing wrong. All that matters is that you're home now."
You sniff again with a slight nod. "I fear too early, for my mind misgives; Some consequence, yet hanging in the stars, shall bitterly begin."
"No... Y/N/N. You're safe here. You are forgiven." She assures you, rubbing your arms. "Now, let's get you home. A good rest will do you well, your parents have been waitin' on you." She waits for you to nod before stepping to your side, guiding you in the right direction with an arm around your waist.
"Thank you, Lucy Gray." You mumble, allowing yourself to lean into her hold.
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taglist: @soulessjourney , @that-veela-girl ,  @dreamyysouls , @rockstarbfs , @maysileeewrites , @baybieruth , @kitscutie ,  @fratboyharrysgf0201 , @totallynotkaibiased , @stelleduarte , @secretsicanthideanymore , @bejeweledreverie , @drewsandsebastianswife , @niicole-87 , @queenofshinigamis , @innercreationflower , @nallasstuff , @scorpiolystoned , @iovemoonyy , @thatmarvelchick19 , @wearemadeofstardust0 , @regulusblackcore , @puredreamagination , @fantasticchaosthing , @becauseseaotters , @secretsicanthideanymore
okay suddenly tumblr isn't letting me tag more people than this so i just made some cuts unfortunately :') i just left the max amount of people i could whose users i recognized and see in my notifs all the time :) if you're not on here and you should be i'm so sorry!
also this taglist is closed now!! if you’d like to get a notification when i update, turn on my post notifications!! i promise i won’t spam y'all :,)
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m4tthewmurd0ck · 10 months ago
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Tom Blyth x Actress!Reader
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i try to avoid descriptors but i do use she/her! click [HERE] for my tom blyth masterlist :)
not one to let the media or haters get to you, you both remind everyone that you know damn well who your significant other is.
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⚫️⚪️⚪️⚪️
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⚪️⚫️⚪️⚪️
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⚪️⚪️⚫️⚪️
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tagged; tomblyth
liked by nickkbenson and others…
yourname christmas is in 2 days and guess what? snow can land on top (of me 🥵) hshexndjdnskfcnsk
username my favorite couple to ever exist!!
yourname liked this comment
rachelzegler hahaha i love you yourname 😂😂😂 caption 11/10 honestly
↳ yourname lucy gray is a better woman than i. i would’ve folded SO FAST.
hunterschafer i can’t with you 😂
↳ yourname hehe 😇🤭
username truly one of us
↳ yourname like tbh your honor i can fix him!!!! just give me a chance!
username i love that she’s her boyfriends biggest fan.
↳ yourname even in that eminem buzzcut era (and that’s how you KNOW it’s real).
joshandresrivera coriolanus had sejanus killed 🙃 but i am the captain of the yourname and tomblyth ship so i approve this message.
↳ yourname hehe love you!!! 💕
yourname all jokes aside, i love tomblyth more than anything in the world. i posted a meme of ewan and some of you took it way too far. comments are back on but next time they’ll be permanently off. tom is the sweetest most caring man i know, and i am so so lucky that i get to be with him. he tells me he loves me every day, and i am grateful always. i know how lucky i am.
↳ tomblyth i love you, so much ♥️ and i’m definitely luckier that you love me
♥️♥️♥️ 1 hour later ♥️♥️♥️
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liked by rachelzegler and others…
tomblyth 1. me (literally) when someone has the audacity to say things about yourname and i as if they know us personally. 2. only one i want to spend the rest of my life with. i love you (more) yourname ♥️
yourname even with the 😧🫤 face he’s still hot 🥵
↳ username thirsting over her mans. i respect it.
joshandresrivera people love to talk about things they know nothing about. love both of you!
↳ tomblyth love you right back mate!
↳ yourname josh i will cry right now
↳ rachelzegler it’s true. we’re on facetime and when she saw josh’s comment she was like 🥹
username i think you guys are so cute together! and i love that you’re secure enough in your relationship that you can be friends with coworkers and it’s not a big deal.
↳ tomblyth we appreciate the support!
↳ yourname 💕💕💕
yourname tom ♥️🥹 you have my whole heart always ♥️ (but also i love you more)
↳ tomblyth we’ll continue this argument later (no you don’t, i do) ♥️
username “the rest of my life with” are you guys engaged!!!!
↳ tomblyth not yet 😊
↳ username yet! yet!!!! YET!
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Tom Blyth x Actress!Reader taglist — if you requested to be tagged and don’t see your user, I wasn’t able to tag you! if you’d like to be added, let me know!
@daenerysqueenofhearts | @coconut-dreamz | @spencerstits | @callsignwidow | @inf4ntdeath | @upsidedownjill| @toeoffrog | @bada-lee-ily | @sassyangel16| @or-was-it-just-a-dream | @jolleluvsyou | @ennycutie | @ashcosmo | @urfavnoirette
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fastlikealambo · 8 months ago
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Connubium.|| Coriolanus Snow x Black Fem Reader Chapter Nine
table of contents.
Chapter One.
Chapter Two.
Chapter Three.
Chapter Four.
Chapter Five.
Chapter Six.
Chapter Seven.
Chapter Eight.
Summary: Stealing from The Capitol is a deadly offense, yet you’ve done it more times than you can count but when you do something you should not have done, Volumnia Gaul decides a fate for you that might just be worse than death.
Notes: This takes place post The Ballad of Songbirds And Snakes and Coryo is in his last year at The University, studying under Dr. Gaul. This will not follow canon, I’m not an expert on all the lore so I apologize if I get things wrong.
Disclaimer: You know Coriolanus is a POS, I know Coriolanus is a POS, please don’t yell at me because this is just a fun little story, something for thee hotties, and  if you feel that strongly against President Snow, please let me know if you’d like me to sign you up for tessarae.
18+ only
trigger warnings for blood, vomit, injuries.
We are finally at the end, wow, this has been so much fun. I'm still a little unsure about this ending but I just want to say thank you for reading over these past few months, thank you so much.
  “And we’re back with our President and First Lady to be! It’s so good to see you both smiling after such a tragic time.” Lucky Flickerman beamed into the camera.
    “Thank you for having us Lucky and thank you to everyone watching at home.” You said with a soft smile, taking Coriolanus’ hand in yours.  In return, Coriolanus lightly kissed your knuckles and the studio audience cooed in response.
    “Let's get down to why we are all here, shall we?  It’s been three long and sad months since that fateful day and what a day it was. I should know, I was there and vomited all over my favorite suit!”
    “It really was a great suit, Lucky.” Coriolanus chimed in, earning a  laugh from the audience. 
  “Tell us, Coriolanus, what was it like in those moments?  We’ve all seen the footage of you cradling your beautiful wife, the danger, the drama! In your own words, tell us and everyone watching at home, about your wedding day.”
With a last look at you, Coriolanus Snow, husband, murder, and President-elect of Panem, opened his mouth and began to speak.
The night before his wedding, Coriolanus Snow was not in search of a final fling before an eternity of matrimonial bliss nor was he drinking himself into a stupor to bid his old life behind.  
When he kissed you goodbye after your long important walk and talk, he watched you get into the waiting car, shut the blinds and got to work. Crassus Snow’s record player crackled to life and with a sonata filling the apartment, Coriolanus surveyed the upwards of hundreds of champagne bottles on the dining room table.
He had not lied, if you asked him to burn down Panem, he would fetch a match yet after tomorrow, that would not be necessary.
For you, he would poison his wedding guests and murder President Ravinstill.
And for him, but that's besides the point.
As night turned to dawn, Coriolanus packed the champagne, the scent of apples and rosewater hiding the danger beneath. His guests would get something of his own collection, sweet and light, just enough to make them vomit and collapse, enough chaos to distract from the main attraction.
For President Ravinstill, he would not stray from tradition.
Nightlock.
Not just nightlock berries ground with a mortar and pestle, that was lazy, noticeable.  Every little piece of the berry was used, sprinkled in with champagne already designated for the soon to be former president. 
He watched, oh how he watched Ravinstill, take flute after flute upon his arrival. 
Yet at the very end, the person whom Coriolanus wanted at his side to witness the end of an era was currently unconscious on the floor beneath him.
Coriolanus Snow, with all his careful planning and plotting, had lost.
It had been two minutes since you had stopped talking, one minute since you stopped breathing and ten seconds since Coryo had tried another dose of the antidote. Coriolanus looked to the purpling corpse of Ravinstill, face frozen in death, and refused to let him win. 
There was no Panem with you.
    “ Not yet, Mrs. Snow.”
 “Coryo!”
A small gasp and the click clack of heels brought Coriolanus out his head and back to you as Tigris came running into the room. He had made sure Tigris was away from the venue before the champagne was served  by simple timing but now he was glad to have her here by his side.
    “Coryo, Coriolanus? Is she-
  He did not, could not, answer that. 
    Coriolanus brushed tears back and gave you another rescue breath, watching your chest rise and fall with his help only to remain just as still.  He checked for a pulse again, felt that weak irregular beat beneath his fingertips starting to slow.
Please don’t go, he whispered.
     “Coryo, I can hear sirens, we have to get her outside.” Tigris urged, voice thick with tears and Coriolanus was vaguely aware of himself pressing his lips to your forehead before gently picking you up. It all became real in that moment and Coriolanus began to run. 
The sight in front of him was more horrific than he had imagined to be with his wedding guests in various states of consciousness and the pungent aroma of vomit and blood wafting through the venue. Peacekeepers and medics were beginning to swarm the area and  with you in his arms, Coriolanus remembered there was still a part of his work that needed to be executed.
    “Help, somebody help! There’s something wrong with my wife, I don’t know what’s happening but President Ravinstill, he’s back there, he’s collapsed! I tried to help him but-” Coriolanus broke off, false tears in his eyes as he shook his head at the listening medic. The medic nodded at two other medics and peacekeepers who ran towards where Tigris was pointing. 
  Coriolanus reluctantly let the medics take you before following them into the ambulance himself without a word, barely hearing Tigris’ promise to meet him at the hospital.  Alarms and instructions between medics faded away as he squeezed your hand.
Please don’t go.
At some point, a shrill monotone sound invaded Coryo’s ears and it was then and only then that he let himself splinter. There was more noise and action around your body and unable to hold your hand, Coriolanus curled in himself, hands in his hair, caught between suffocating fear and such incredible rage.
The ambulance came to a stop at Capitol Hospital and all Coriolanus could do was watch a nurse climb onto the gurney take over compressions and let that same gurney carrying Panem’s possibly dead next first lady pass him and race inside.
Only then when standing alone did Coryo care to notice that the inside of his mouth was stinging, letting his tongue pass over the beginnings of a bloody sore. Every time he had breathed for you, what remained of the poison on your lips traveled to his own. 
The taste of blood in his mouth was nothing new to Coriolanus. 
There would be no Panem without you, all would crumble and perish before him, there would be no capitol, no games, just the end of all.
Coriolanus Snow had made up his mind: should you pass this day, Panem would know the dark days once more.
   “I’ve never been more afraid in my life, Lucky. If I could go back and save our dear President Ravinstill too, I would have done more, I should have done more, there was just so much happening.  I couldn’t lose my wife, without her I would lose myself.” Coriolanus broke off, a small sob escaping him and the audience was more than happy to lick up his grief.
 With a soft kiss on his cheek, you guided his hand from your thigh to your stomach with a smile.
Lucky loudly blew into a hanky before gasping when he saw Coriolanus’ hand on your stomach.
   “Mrs. Snow, is there something you’d like to share with us?”
   “Because of Coriolanus,  the extraordinary medical team at Capitol Hospital, and the support of Panem, I’m still here and I’m so happy to announce I’m pregnant.”
The audience roared and it was then you knew the girl from District 6 had all of Panem in the palm of your hand.
But there were games left to play.
FIVE MONTHS LATER
  “Ma, if you can hear me, squeeze my hand.” You urged, your hand wrapped around hers, tears in your eyes. 
A few long seconds later, your mother weakly squeezed your hand, the same as your Pa the day before.  
You were taking it slow but the doctors promised they would fully wake any day now and pre- inauguration press and third trimester be damned, you would be at their side the moment they opened their eyes.
You kissed your mother on her forehead, promising to come back tomorrow. 
But now, you had a very special appointment.
   “Little thief, you’re glowing! How can I be of service?” Dr. Gaul looked up from her research with that all too familiar venomous smile.
  “I just wanted to thank you for everything you’ve done in aiding my parents’ recovery. The doctors say they will wake up any day now.” You said, taking the seat she offered.
   “How wonderful! It’s good to hear my favorite lab rats are on the mend. Hopefully seeing their daughter pregnant and married won’t send them right back into a coma.” 
 You gave a hollow laugh but sat up in your chair.
  “ They’ll be happy to know I’m still alive.  I almost wasn’t, as you well know. It took the doctors so long to treat me, they couldn’t figure out why I was so much sicker than everyone else. So many tests were run and even now they still don’t know.”
  “Have you asked Mr. Snow? He’s always had such an insight into poison.” Dr. Gaul remarked pointedly. 
It was no secret that Coriolanus was involved in Ravinstill’s death but thanks to your dramatic yet romantic near death experience being caught on camera, Panem did not care.
  “ I would but he’s been so busy touring the districts, preparing for the inauguration. Speaking of, there’s something I need to tell you, actually it’s easier if I show you.” 
 One of your security detail came forward and turned on Gaul’s television. 
Lucky Flickerman came on to the screen excitedly, a breaking news banner beneath him and to his right sat Coriolanus.
  “ Mr. President, I’ll cut to the chase, my producers have told me you have something to share with the fine people of Panem? ” Lucky asked, bouncing on the edge of his chair.  Coriolanus smiled into the camera, hands folded on his lap.
   “To honor the tragic death of former President Ravinstill and to celebrate the upcoming arrival of our daughter, the First Lady and myself would like to announce the suspension of The Hunger Games this year.”
Last night, you had asked Coriolanus if would rather be feared than loved.
This was his answer.
You couldn’t hear the TV due to the rather dramatic shrieking of Volumnia Gaul.
As if on cue, peacekeepers entered Dr. Gaul’s lab began to take it apart, boxing up research, emptying cabinets and Dr. Gaul herself stood in front of you, laughing.
  “I underestimated you, little thief. Will you kill me now or televise it?” She asked, head held high as two peacekeepers appeared on either side of her.
You stood up from your chair slowly to face the now former Head Gamemaker.
  “I don’t need to kill you. You tortured and poisoned my parents and through your puppet Ravinstill tried to kill me, death is an afternoon treat for you. I want you to witness the future of Panem, witness them forget your creations the more time passes, and one day, when someone asks what The Hunger Games were for, the answer will be simple: nothing. From now until the day you die you will remember me not as a hostage or the wife of a President, but as the little thief who stole your greatest treasure, your legacy.”
Your time with Dr. Gaul ended in the place where it all began.
If only she had chosen a girl of fine capitol breeding.
EPILOGUE
One week after the presidential inauguration of Coriolanus Snow, Rose Snow comes into the world screaming, Coriolanus holding your left hand and your mother holding your right.
Once upon a time, you had three rules.
Never be seen.
Never take what you could not carry.
Never intervene.
Now you only have one.
To live without fear, now and forever. 
Thank you to everyone who has been waiting, I hope that this was worth the wait! Thank you all for reading and I’m so happy this is out now. If you would like to see a sequel to connubium, please interact and reblog this work!
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sophiemariepl · 2 years ago
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Am I the only one who does not really get all those takes which read young Coriolanus Snow as an epitome of toxic masculinity and keep saying “OMFG, Lucy Gray, yes, girl, run away from him!1!!1”?
Like, I don’t mean that Coryo is not toxic. He, very obviously, is. That’s how he is meant to be.
But it seems to me that many people don’t get that the whole point of “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” is to show how did it come to this, how Coryo became the way he is. Suzanne Collins literally makes a reference to tabula rasa - a concept in the Western Enlightenment philosophy, which, to quote the Free Dictionary, is:
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This is the first. The point is to ask the reader: how much of a “clean slate” Coryo is as a person? How much does his experience and background shape him? How “free” is his will when he is continuously being shaped by everything around him?
Secondly, idk, did people realize that the characters of Coryo and Lucy Gray are constructed as personifications of the “civilization vs nature” conflict? A conflict which is, nomen omen, also common in Western philosophy in the Enlightenment era?
In short, Coryo is the personification of civilization - order, science, lack of spontaneity, etc. Meanwhile, Lucy Gray personifies nature - she is spontaneous, artistic, sensitive and trusting (even despite the fact that before being with Coryo she was in a toxic relationship). She believes in the inherent goodness in people, while Coryo clearly does not. And both of these two stances also derive from their upbringing.
Like, coming back to their background.
Lucy Gray, despite coming from an extremely underprivileged background and being in a toxic relationship prior to the plot of the book, seems to have had loving and trusting people around her. Most of the time, her background reinforced the story “you are good, worthy, and loved”. And this way she grew this attitude in her mind. She had developed a sense of self-worth, her own standing, her own “stone”, which saved her even when the odds were not on her side.
Meanwhile, Coryo came from a fallen high-class family embedded in Capitol’s politics - which in itself is not a good place for proper emotional development. In such an environment, you constantly have to prove your worth. You don’t matter on your own. If you don’t keep fighting, you are worthless. In a sense, you are what you do. And, to add fuel to the fire, Coryo had to hide the true economic standing of his family and almost constantly be on alert, because, in reality, everyone around him was a back-stabbing b*tch ready to hurt him. Wouldn’t you develop trust issues in this situation?
And yes, I know that many people here will mention Tigris, I know. But how much time does Coryo really spend with his cousin? How much time, ability, and opportunity does Tigris have on reversing the poison that is poured into her cousin’s head when he is outside of home, e.g. at school?
Idk, maybe it is just my experience (this is going to get private now lol), but when I read about Coryo, I found his person cruel, but weirdly relatable.
That mostly stems from the fact that I too have an experience of growing up in a very toxic environment that gave me trust issues. And it is not that I did not have a person like Tigris around me. I did, when I saw them for maximum 1-1.5 hour per day, because we both were overwhelmed with work and did not have time to talk and bond together and undo the toxicity that was constantly reinforced in my head when I had other stuff to do. Similarly to Coryo, I too had to stay in a constantly back-stabbing, non-empathetic environment, which constantly reinforced the fact that apart from very few people, I could not trust anybody. Because if I do - they will use that to hurt me in the end. So, I thought to myself that I have to be constantly on guard. When entering any friendships, a coping mechanism for me was to think of these people in the categories “what they can offer/do for me” instead of “who is this person for me as a person”. Because, you know, in case they stab me in the back, I still get something out of it.
This led to the fact that even when I supposedly could let my guard down - that is, I entered my first romantic relationship - letting this guard down felt unnatural, wrong. And it led to - tada! - wanting to possess the one I loved. Because no, I could not trust the fact them, that was not enough. I did not trust them enough to believe that they wanted to stay with me because they wanted to.
And damn, seeing that Coryo had similar issues was so… therapeutic. He just could not let go, give space and trust the woman of his life. And paradoxically, this is what largely contributes to her ultimately leaving him without a word.
The fact that Suzanne Collins understands this pattern (and most likely heavily researched it) makes me respect her so much more.
(Of course, I am in therapy. I don’t plan to repeat these behaviours anymore, I don’t want to end up like Coryo 😅 But I’m just saying that it’s still hard to unlearn these patterns years after leaving the original toxic environment because my brain got wired at some point to reinforce this “You should trust no one” story 24/7.)
And no, before you accuse me of “defending” Snow’s actions, I stop you here. I completely, fully acknowledge the fact that Coriolanus Snow, in the end, does evil things and is a truly evil person.
But what I am against is reading TBoSaS as just a story of a toxic romance between a guy embedded in toxic masculinity and a sensitive girl that he just wants to possess BeCAuSe hE Is ToXIc. This is just extremely shallow, and completely contradicts the point that, I believe, Suzanne Collins is trying to make here. And her point is still scary, if not more than just labelling Coryo as masculine in a toxic way.
The society also largely contributes to creating monsters. We create these monsters.
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districtxii · 5 months ago
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Meta: Help Rationalizing THG Worldbuilding
I originally posted this on reddit, even though I'm not really a redditor, because I've had trouble getting much traction on tumblr lately. I just made this sideblog, though, so I decided to share it just in case anyone wanted to discuss this with me.
According to the first book, all we really get about the history of the world of Panem is:
everyone kind of knows their education of history is propaganda, even if they don't have the word for it
Panem is in what used to be called North America, but an unspecified series of natural disasters and wars led to the rise of Panem's current regime
it's the 74th Annual Hunger Games, meaning that it's been somewhere about 75-80 years since the ultimate conclusion of the Rebellion of the Districts against the Capitol, implying that there was some period of time before the rebellion of the Districts and the "Dark Days" during which Panem was the seat of power that was risen up against
Before the existence of the prequel novel, I think that some of us sort of thought that this pre-Panem era might have been the dying days of the United States. However, it seems that it's pretty impossible for that to be true, given how different socially and culturally the Panem of young Coriolanus Snow.
I think it is implied that the excessive reliance upon Greco-Roman pseudo-language, nomenclature, and symbols, was part of a concerted effort on the part of those pulling the strings - people like Dr. Gaul and her ilk - to evoke certain theoretical states of being, directly and intentionally evoking panem et circenses as a mission statement and a weird if-you-know-you-know kind of dig at masses who were kept ignorant, both in and outside the Capitol. (Of course, this is really convenient when you're a YA author trying to drive home and teach a point at the same time.)
However, this had already started before the Rebellion, making it clear that the Capitol was rebuilt much in its own image, even if certain things intensified. And the Capitol of the TBOSAS movie is one that evokes both familiar imagery from the original film triology and a much harsher imagery that draws on very harsh federal and classical architecture, mixed with a kind of Soviet propaganda flavored art style and brutalism. (I'm using these words with a vague understanding of what they mean but an acknowledgment that there may be better descriptions of what I'm talking about.)
This, in turn, perplexes me, because I had sort of understood the Capitol's decadence to have been very... LA-flavored from the start. I had presumed that the Capitol had a hard time that might have more resembled starving in a resort, the way Katniss describes the situation when they're infiltrating the Capitol in Mockingjay. I had also come to the Aha moment, a couple years ago when teaching The Hunger Games (the first book) to seventh graders, that the "Capitol Accent" was a future-evolved version of verbal fry a la the Kardashians or something. I thought that the Capitol population might have been a "Hollywood Elite" run inland to the Rockies due to, I dunno, part of California falling into the sea. I thought that this might have also gone along with the idea that power is in spectacle, and there are conservative people all over who yell and scream about the Hollywood effectively being some kind of lefty shadow government, or whatever.
TBOSAS threw this perception for a loop, when one sees that the color and glitz and glamor of the Capitol, having healed and vampire-sucked the Districts for seven decades, seems to have had a weird original story with Lucy Gray and Dr. Gaul's warring colors, spectacle, and appeal.
While the Tenth Hunger Games are wiped from record as best as they can, the collective memory of Lucy Gray and how much the people started to become invested in her, along with the spectacle of the snakes, pushed and impression of a wild, freer aesthetic -- at least in terms of a first domino falling. At least, that's my current perception.
But, as described, it really challenges my prior conception of what the Capitol is, culturally speaking, and where it and the rest of Panem came from.
The Covey, also, may be an even bigger thorn in my side in this regard. I absolutely love the representation of something of my Appalachian heritage in the music that is depicted in TBOSAS. I also love the way it filters down into Katniss's story. However, the existence of the Covey also seems like something very anachronistic even for this imaginary-future timeline.
During what kind of era and circumstances where the Covey's parent generation - Lucy Gray's mother and others - existing?
Was in the the Capitol era before the Dark Days war? It must have been, right? But what came immediately before that?
The Covey seem to draw some vague flavor from pop culture perceptions of the Roma (which is kind of weird for the Appalachians but who knows and Roma can be anywhere they want), but it seems even more rooted in some kind of spiritual connection to - for example - the Carter Family becoming involved in syndication and touring with music that was previously unknown to the rest of America and the world. With Bristol, Tennessee/Virginia, being the "Birthplace of Country Music."
But that happened during the early 20th century.
One presumes that the timeline of Panem and The Hunger Games diverges from our own sometime in our own future, but has this perception on my part been wrong all along?
Is The Hunger Games universe better-perceived as something like the Fallout universe where it's sort of a nuclear-power-arms-race-punk divergent timeline well BEFORE the apocalypse that resulted in the present dystopia?
I would love to hear anyone's opinion on this, whether it's a reassurance that "just don't worry about it" is the best approach or someone who's better at worldbuilding-brain than I offering some kind of explanation - whether based on canon or fanon.
Thanks in advance for any thoughts!
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fortuna9 · 11 months ago
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EXPLAINING MY 2010S DR MORE!
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☆ Nicknames I have: Barbie, Bunny, Ellie, Ali
☆ Most popular songs: Cruel Summer, DDU-DU DDU-DU, Run away with me, Genie, Something like a party, Shooting Star, b2b heartbeat, Vroom Vroom, Tattoo, Boom Clap etc
☆ I'm the face of Thierry Mugler
☆ Other endorsements: Mattel, Sanrio, Sailor Moon, Nintendo, Toidoki, Dolls Kill, Versace, H&M, Jeremy Scott for Moschino, Blumarine
☆ I have a reality tv show that runs from 2010-2016 (so ages 15-21) (I also scripted that it won't be too hectic so I can have decent teenage years)
☆ I also am THAT girl, the it-girl to end all it-girls it's so serious
☆ There will be a Barbie doll line made inspired by me, and I will also have a cameo in the Barbie movie dressed as one of those dolls (the meta of it all)
☆ I also have cameos in movies I'm on the soundtrack for (Catching Fire, Dork Diaries, Percy Jackson and The Titan's Curse, The Great Gatsby, Barbie etc.)
☆ I also scripted that the Percy Jackson movies weren't dookie and that Dork Diaries got 3 films.
☆ I want to live that Nikki Maxwell lifestyle, so I also go to North Hampton Hills (on scholarship), I won Valentine's Sweetheart, I won an Ice Skating competition, I ran my school's newspaper's advice column, I write in my diary a lot.
☆ My rise to stardom came from my win on a talent show in 2009/2010 (the timeline here is a bit wonky)
☆ Songs I covered: Together again, Halo, Love Story, Just Dance, Umbrella, Fantasy, Loverboy
☆ Original songs I performed: Message in a bottle, Enchanted, I AM, Teenage Dream
☆ I stole Barbie's entire house from Life in the Dreamhouse zxncaskl I just scripted that no-one questions my endless closet (Elektra Crystal...yeah of course we don't know when her closet ends...makes sense)
☆ I scripted 6 albums so far (7 if you include the songs from the talents show). I scripted a trilogy (2010-2014), UTOPIA (2019), and The Phantom Pulse duology (2022). I'll post about them soon!
☆ I have two singles (Really Bad Boy released in 2016 and DDU-DU DDU-DU released in 2017). I also have a few songs I did for ads specifically (Peek-a-boo for a Halloween themed pizza commercial, Speed Drive for a Barbie ad and ICONIC for a Nike ad)
☆ I also did the soundtrack for a Nintendo game I scripted in (Odyssey), released in 2021.
☆ I'm considered the best performer of my generation.
☆ I had a mega tour from 2015-2017, bigger than the Eras tour. It was a cultural phenomenom, and the demand lead to the tour being extended.
☆ I also scripted that I know everyone's secrets cause I don't want anyone playing with me I will END your career.
☆ Still questioning if I should script young coriolanus in...I could write style about him...save me blonde tom blyth...save me..
Anyways that's all for today, that's for tuning in, you're shifting today, hope you know ♡
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thecharacterchronicler · 6 months ago
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I love your Snow stories!! I’m just intrigued why do you write him so differently when he’s a peacekeeper from when he’s a president ? (I love both btw)
Hii! Thanks for reading my stories ❤️ I’ll try my best to answer this…
So to me, Coriolanus is VERY different in The Capitol and in District 12. It wasn’t as obvious (to me) in the movies but it did strike me in the books in which his stay in district 12 is a bit less centered on the romance.
In the Capitol, he works really hard to maintain an appearance of wealth and power even though his family doesn’t have much left. Even if we don’t get to follow him through his political career, I imagine that he’d care even more about his reputation and impressing others so my idea with my “politician era” series is that he may be dark, possessive and obsessive - a walking red flag really - but no one would ever know because he makes sure to be perceived as charming and charismatic.
In district 12, he kind of lets go of the need to keep up with appearances, he doesn’t really care about impressing the other peacekeepers (only his superiors) and couldn’t care less about how he is perceived by people of the district because he only feels disdain for them. He also complained about EVERYTHING. He hated the weather, the people, everything…
So I decided to force those traits a little more in District Girl so my version of peacekeeper Coryo turned out a bit unhinged… (Oops)
Of course that’s my own personal interpretation of Coriolanus’s character which led me to write him this way, I’m sure not everyone has the same idea of how he is.
I hope this answers the question and makes sense somehow ? 🖤
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enviedear · 11 months ago
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jackie and wilson — billy bonney
⤷ modern!billy au
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tw— somehow this is 4.6k words. mentions of food and eating, talk of religion and bible verses, (i'm southern and was forced to go to church every sunday it reflects in the writing) smutty themes so, minors dni, 18+ only, kissing, fondling, skinny dipping, (they're in their undies) so horrifically fluffy
i can already tell this is going to become an ongoing series, so be sure to comment and lmk if you want more. also, this is influenced by my daily mantra
request
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the summer heat feels like it's baking you as you traverse through the long grass of your farmland. birds call and screech in the trees lining the woods beside you. if you weren't so scared of walking the shortcut in the woods alone, your risk of sun poisoning may seem less apparent.
you grip the wicker basket in your hands tighter, eyes squinting to look for the lean farmhand-for-hire. in years past, you've been keen to take his place whenever your grandparents needed someone for an oddball job. working long hours with the older couple up until you graduated from the county high school. as the seasons changed, and you got older and busier, so did your grandparents. their work on their farm proved in dire need of help.
a simple fix—you. this summer, free from university and your internship, your parents elected you to spend the free time of your summer working on your loving grandparents' farm.
in the early days of the warm season, you managed pretty well on your own. you tended the vegetables and the fruits, took care of the chickens and sheep, and sowed the large fields with grain until sunset.
everything changed after an unfortunate incident with your grandpa's gargantuan baler. luckily, you were fine, but your pa's expensive baler was wrecked all to hell.
so here you were, now relegated to some pseudo farmer's daughter role, hand-delivering water and a full lunch to none other than billy bonney.
your grandparents say billy's nice enough, mannerly yet hushed. but you know there's more to it. at least if small town gossip is anything to believe, and here, it usually is.
everyone knows the crowd billy runs around with. he's also got a vile gang of friends. angry men with sly smirks who spend most of their free time loitering the town's local bar or gambling away their lives at lawrence murphy's corral. the type of men to carry a weapon at all times without any license, and quick to threaten to shoot with even the most minor infraction.
the knowledge was enough to have you hiding away from him every time your grandparents hired him for a job.
everytime that is, until now.
you knew with the way your pa sternly stared into your eyes that a complaint wouldn't be warranted. as your grandma instructed you to bring the farmhand some, "hearty lunch for his hard work," you came to terms with the fact that you had no right to argue.
not when you owe the old man a baler.
you finally reach the young man, covered in grime and leaning against his parked pickup, out of breath and sweltering. you try not to stare at the baler attached to the tractor, about twenty feet from his parked vehicle, your embarrassment over wrecking the last one still ever present.
his truck has its' doors wide open, blaring music through blown speakers. you try to avoid making direct eye contact with him, voice raised slightly to be heard over the folk song playing, "here. figure you're hungry."
lifting the tea towel from the top of the basket, you set it on his open truck bed. despite not looking up, you can see him hurry to turn his music down before sauntering over to you from the side of your gaze.
"thank you," his voice surprises you. it's gruff but gentle. "you kin to the old couple?"
you're not sure why, but you take offense to his question. sure you've ignored him, but you know that he knows who you are. you meet his stare, your tone dry in response, "i am."
he inclines his head toward the basket, ignoring your reply with a hum, "what'd ya' bring me, hon?"
your eyes roll unabashed at his endearment, "my grandma threw a bit of everything in there. i know there's some jambalaya— the last bit of our mud cake too."
"you're spoiling me, you tell her i said thank you," he pauses, peering down at you, "are you going to be bringin' me my lunch everyday?"
his question is innocuous but something in the way he says it makes your stomach drop. you shrug, "sure, i guess."
"i'd like that." he slips the words out before his hands dive into the basket, fishing out one of the water bottles.
you nod, confused by him, "yeah well, be careful. i guess i'll see you tomorrow."
at that you turn from him, walking your trail again to get back to the house. you fight the urge to look over your shoulder and catch a glimpse of him. some proof he's really there, that the interaction actually happened.
because despite the second-hand opinion you've held on him, billy bonney was unexpected. annoyingly so.
as you finish up your day, you can't help but think about the encounter with the dark-haired farmhand. you've known of him for years, sure, but you never expected much of him.
just another one of jesse evans’ rowdy boys.
shocking, that billy would be so different. or maybe, just better at hiding his depravity. you think back to his voice, rough around the edges, yet littered with tenderness. it’s not until you think back to his gentle smile that you realize, there’s a kindness that exudes from him, and it’s got you hook, line, and sinker.
you wonder if he's always been this way? you like to think he has. even if it is only a platitude for your undeniable crush.
in the following days, you continue to bring the farmhand his lunch, stopping to talk to him longer each noon. he's easy to talk to, apt to ask you about your day, or if you need anything. you can't exactly explain why, but you're drawn to him.
it's extra muggy as you pack up his lunch and make your way to him, breaking from his time on the baler to lay in the bed of his truck.
he doesn't take notice of you until your basket finds home right beside him, blasted speakers blaring yet another folk tune.
"hey there," he greets you with a grin, his white work shirt wrought with soil, the short sleeves haphazardly rolled, "you know i'm starting t'get used to this."
you smile back, feeling a warm sensation spreading through your body, "i'm sure you are."
billy takes a look in the lunch basket, grabbing out some water first to clear the dirt on his hands, "you wanna hang around for a bit?"
you hesitate for a moment, not sure if you should. not only do you have a long list of chores, you also still find a bit of nervousness around the young man.
but billy's been nice enough, and if he's anything like his friends you assume he would have shown it by now, "i guess i have some time."
billy nods, handing you a water and patting the free space beside him. you hop up, close enough that his side brushes yours.
the sensation sends shivers down your spine as you try to focus on conversation, pulling for anything you can say. for a moment, neither of you speaks, the only sound is coming from the music blasting from his speakers. an old rock song today, different. your eyes try to look anywhere but at him, taking in the vast expanse of farmland around you.
"must be nice to have all this land to yourself," billy says, breaking the silence.
you nod, grateful for his compliment, "it is. my grandparents have worked hard to keep it running."
"i can tell," billy says, taking a swig from his water bottle, "they got a good thing goin' here."
you agree, taking a sip from your own bottle. the sun beats down on your skin, making you feel sweaty and sticky. billy, on the other hand, seems used to it. he looks up at the sky, squinting against the sunlight.
"you know, i was thinking," billy says, steady voice breaking the silence again, "what would you say if i took you out sometime?"
your heart skips a beat, your mind going into overdrive. you never expected billy to ask you out, even more so that you’d be so willing to entertain the idea.
you hesitate for a moment before answering, "i don't know. i mean, i barely know you."
this is a half truth, you know him. only this version though, the sweet billy bonney who works on your family farm and takes his lunch breaks with you. you don't have any idea who he is outside of these moments.
at least not first hand. just second hand gossip. you wouldn’t even know which stories are real or fake. you’re not sure if he’s a convincing actor or genuine soul. there are rumors he shot a man back in his hometown. that he launders money with jesse evans’ gang. that he’s a cheat from a rodeo front, taking ignorant peoples’ bet money.
billy hums, breaking your anxious thoughts, "what'd you wanna know, hon? i'm an open book."
you chew on your lip, thinking about it. it could be a smart move, you're curious about him and need to know more. you need to know what about him is fact or fiction. but at the same time, you're afraid of what the truth may be, "i don't know," you say finally. "i mean, work, for example. is this all you do?"
billy cracks a smile, "no, hon’. this s’more of a side job.” he sighs, “i was a pickup for jesse evans' rodeo for a while, but that new fella' that just came to town—mr. tunstill, he's got me a better gig."
you furrow your brows, already on edge by the mention of his previous employer, "and what exactly is that?"
he chuckles a bit, "he's got me as a producer, but i do show on the weekends."
"so what? you're a full-fledged rodeo man? with bulls and all?" you'd always know of jesse's grimy ‘rodeo’, really just used as a gambling den and club, but you're intrigued by the idea of billy actually doing it. especially working with tunstill, a sincerely kind wealthy man from overseas. it must be a stark contrast to jesse’s.
"i guess. it's a good time and you can make honest money dependin' on the event," he pauses, "it's not like jesse's, if that's what you're wondering."
you look away from him, "my pa never let me go. when i turned twenty-one i tried to go with a bunch of my girlfriends. he about had a stroke keeping me out the door."
"he's smart, you shouldn't go. those guys are bad news." he's talking quieter now, less sugary and more solemn.
you fight your previous embarrassment, opting to stare straight into his pale blues, "you hang around those guys."
your sentiment is clear and billy goes hush for a long few seconds before speaking, eyes closed, "do not carouse with drunkards or feast with gluttons, for they are on their way to poverty, and too much sleep clothes them in rags."
you know those words, heard primarily while crammed in a pew, "you're a religious man?" you don't mean to, but your question comes out a bit unconvinced.
he opens his eyes back up, a spark of something you can't place within them, "no, not really. jus' something mr. tunstill keeps repeating to me. i didn't really pay it any mind till i met you."
you try to ignore the way his hand inches closer to your own, "why's that?"
"not sure. just seems easier to abide by now. i'd hate to end up like them. i know you don't like 'em." his voice is soft, but the hand that takes hold of yours isn't.
you look down at your feebly interlocked hands, hesitating, and then taking his hand with the same conviction, "no, i don't," a breath, "but i like you."
billy's face lights up at your words, and he leans in closer to you. you can feel his breath on your face, and your heart races with excitement and anticipation. you’ve never felt to entrapped in a man before, so ready to dive in head first.
without thinking, you reach out to touch his sun kissed cheek, and he leans into your hand. your fingers trace a path down his cheek, and then down to his lips. you have an overwhelming urge to kiss him, and you're surprised when he pulls back.
"i'm sorry, i shouldn't have done that." you say, feeling embarrassed.
"no, it's not that. it's just… i want to take you out on a real date. something proper." his cheeks have grown far more pink, only this time it's not the sun's doing.
you consider his words for a moment, before nodding, "that sounds real nice, billy."
he grins, and you feel a flutter in your chest. how he managed to make you feel this way so soon, you're not sure.
"you free this friday?" he asks, amusement in his tone.
you release his hand, grabbing for your phone, "should be, my boss loves me," a stupid joke, but you hand the touchscreen to him, "put your number in, so we can plan a time."
you climb down from the bed of the truck, peering up at the farmhand as he adds his number to your phone. when he's done he hands you back the phone, the sun casting an auburn glow to his hair.
you look up at him, and he smiles down at you, "don't be a stranger." he jokes.
you give him a laugh, "wouldn’t dream of it," you add, "i'll see you friday— i'm going into town with my grandma tomorrow. i'm sure it'll last all day."
billy hums, "till' friday, honey."
you turn and head back to the house, smiling to yourself, feeling happy and alive in a way that you haven't felt in a long time.
the next day, thursday, you wake up early to accompany your grandma into town. the older woman drags you up and down shopping centre's, moaning on and on about how cheaply things are made now.
you make it through the first ten stores without your smile cracking, you think it must be a finely tuned talent.
it's not until well after lunch the woman decides to slow down, stopping at a local diner to eat. she does most of the talking, gossiping about everyone she's run into today.
you love your grandma and you enjoy your time with her, but you're too focused on tomorrow to really be good company.
if she notices your change in behavior though, she doesn't comment. highly unlike her.
by the time the sky is more dark than light, you two head home. she plays old country music the whole ride, teeny-bopper songs that remind you how young she used to be.
and when you finally lay your head down to rest, you don't try to fight off the supercut in your mind of your sweet farmhand.
the next day, fateful friday, arrives with a mix of nerves and excitement. you find yourself checking the clock more often than usual, the anticipation building as the day progresses. your mind drifts to the possible plans for the evening, wondering where billy might take you on this 'proper date.'
a bit after the sun hits noon, you finish up your chores on the farm, your thoughts consumed by your impending evening. you decide to freshen up and put on something nice, an easy way to get your mind together.
your closet here is less thorough than the one at home, but the innocent tops and bottoms of your late teens still fit. you look less severe than you'd normally for a date. forgone are the dark, tight, and sultry clothes of your college town, leaving you looking ever so sweet.
the early afternoon arrives, and you hear the distant rumble of his pickup as it approaches. you feel alight with a muddled mess of nerves as you make your way out of the house to meet him.
you look over your shoulder when you crack the door open. making sure you haven't awoken your sleeping grandparents, who rarely miss their three o'clock naps.
the summer sun is high in the sky, casting a bright glow over the landscape. billy's leaned up against his truck, staring expectantly at your front porch— staring at you, you realize.
as you walk to him, you can't help but notice the effort he put into dressing up. his filthy work shirt is replaced with a clean, green linen button-down, and there's a hint of ambery cologne in the air. he offers you a genuine smile, eyes lighting up as he takes in your appearance.
"hey there, beautiful." he greets you, a hand coming to rest on your shoulder blade, comforting.
"hi," you reply, returning his saccharine smile. "you clean up nice."
he chuckles, a bit bashful, "well, i figured it's a special occasion."
you let him lead you to the passenger side, where he opens the rusty pickup's door for you, you fight back your grin when he follows in after.
as you drive into town, the atmosphere is a blend of excitement and a tinge of nervousness. billy takes you to a quaint little restaurant a bit outside of town. it's casual but with dim lights and a cozy ambiance. certainly it's the most romantic restaurant around without heading an hour out into the city. the two of you share stories and laughs, finding little to no lull in conversation.
"you want any dessert?" you ask, fiddling a loose thread at the hem of your blouse.
billy shrugs, "i've never said no to some banana puddin'. what'd you say?"
you giggle, nodding in agreement. you feel high off of his company. you're giddy and doing a horrible job at hiding it, but he doesn't seem to mind. instead, he relegates to matching your optimism, only validating every enamored thought of him that rings in your mind.
the warm evening air swirls around you as the two of you exit the restaurant. billy offers his hand, and you gladly intertwine your fingers as you stroll down the sidewalk. the town square is alive with the soft glow of streetlights.
as you walk, the conversation continues, easy and simple. billy talks animatedly about his past few weekends at the rodeo and shares some amusing anecdotes about the other rider’s on the circuit. you, in turn, finally divulge your baler incident, much to his chagrin.
the final hours of afternoon are slowly rolling in, and soon you find yourselves back at his pickup truck. you assume he'll drive you home, but to your surprise, he takes a different route, heading towards the backroads right beside your land. you raise an eyebrow, curious about this unexpected detour.
"where are we going?" you inquire, a playful smile dancing on your lips.
billy smirks but doesn't say anything, keeping the destination a secret. the road is winding and narrow— made of dirt and full of large potholes. you know your little front-wheel drive could never make it. eventually, he slows the car off the path, onto the side of the road.
there's an apparent trail just to the right of you, and when billy opens the door for you, he immediately ushers you toward it, "don't worry, we won't go too far in."
you'd be lying if you said the setting sun wasn't adding a level of unease to the idea of entering the woods, but when you look at billy, eyes bright and smile true, you throw aside your worries.
the young man is true to his word. the trek into the woods only lasts a few minutes before you see it. an azure expanse of water— a secluded lake surrounded by towering oak trees and a backdrop of rolling hills.
you turn back to look at him, shocked, "how did you find this?"
"jus’ by chance a few years ago. i figured you'd been out here before, living so close," he remarks, "but i like that i got to show it to you." billy admits, a devoted glint in his eyes.
as you stand there, gazing at the serene lake, you feel a sense of wonder and gratitude for this unexpected and beautiful surprise. you can't remember the last time the familiar landscape of home felt so awing. billy seems to be taking in your reaction, a quiet satisfaction evident on his face.
"it's breathtaking." you finally say, your voice hushed in appreciation.
billy grins, seemingly pleased with your reaction, "so are you."
you turn back to the water to hide your flustered expression.
you watch him find a comfortable spot by the water's edge, sitting on a large flat rock. you follow suit, letting your head nestle into his chest. the sounds of nature surround you—the rustling leaves, the gentle lapping of the water, and the distant calls of birds. it's a stark contrast to the hustle and bustle of the town and the farm.
you look up at him as inconspicuously as possible, eager to commit his image to memory. his umber hair curls at the nape of his neck, slender nose burnt from the sun, his freckles apparent, and his ever-inspired blue eyes reflecting the water ahead.
you look away as your heartbeat quickens, afraid that if you peer up any longer he'll be able to hear the rhythm.
"can you swim?" you ask, toes dipping into the waters below.
billy's gaze softens, the radiant hues of his eyes flickering with warmth as he looks down at you. his calloused hand idly tracing circles on your back, comforting, "yeah, i can swim. why? you wanna go for a dip?" he replies, a playful glint dancing across his face.
enthusiastically, you nod, "i'd love to. it's been ages since i've been swimming in a place like this."
with a charismatic grin, billy stands up, extending a hand to help you rise. he doesn't hesitate to unbutton his shirt and free himself from his pants— clothed only in his black boxers.
you try to be as carefree as him, but you're slower to shed your attire. by the time you do, he's already shoulder deep in the water.
you make your way to the water's edge, stepping in. the cool embrace of the lake greets your skin as you wade in. the sun now casts a dim golden glow on the rippling surface.
as you move deeper into the water, you feel a sense of liberty wash over you. you let out a contented sigh, feeling weightless and unburdened. billy is a few feet away from you, beckoning you to come closer with a smile on his face. you oblige, splashing water playfully in your wake.
as you approach him, he wraps his arms around your waist and pulls you close. you can feel the heat emanating from his body, warming you up in the cool water. your bare skin presses against his, and you can feel a hint of longing course through your veins.
"you're s'beautiful," he whispers, his breath hot against your ear, sending shivers down your spine. "prettiest girl i've ever seen."
you chuckle slightly, looking beside him to the water, "you're just blowing smoke up my ass."
his hand finds your cheek, gently beckoning you to face him fully, "why would i ever do that?" he hums, "i only say things i mean, honey."
you blink at him, too far gone to stop your gaping, "you're a charmer, billy bonney. do you hear that a lot?"
he laughs, both hands now coming to rest at your hips, forcing you to wrap your legs around his, "i only need to hear it from you."
he says it so carelessly, without a thought. he's telling the truth, you surmise.
"why? you like me or something?" the words come out genuine, despite your teasing intent.
billy's eyes trail down to your lips, "i like you a whole lot, honey," you feel his grip grow steadier, holding you closer to him. he looks back up at you, gaze tempting, "i like you s'much i worked an extra four days on your farm jus’ to see you."
the revelation hangs in the air, and you find yourself caught in a suspended moment, the water lapping gently around you. billy's admission resonates, sinking deep into the newfound connection you've shared over these past days. his stare, earnest and reserved, locks with yours, and you can't help but feel a swirl of emotions.
a smile plays on your lips, a mixture of surprise and awe, "that's dedication." you reply, a playful sparkle in your eyes.
billy grins, his hands still securely holding you. "only for you, honey. i'm nothin' if not devoted."
you gleam at his words, intrinsically leaning closer to him. you're so close to letting your lips brush his before you stop, eager to see the weight of his affection once more, "you can kiss me now, if that's what you're waiting for."
with that, he presses his lips to yours, kissing you with a hunger that leaves you breathless. you wrap your arms around his neck, pulling him closer to you, savoring the taste of him on your tongue.
billy breaks the kiss, his lips trailing down your neck and collarbone, leaving a trail of kisses and nips along the way. you tilt your head back, giving him better access to your skin, letting out a soft sigh as he finds the sensitive spot on your neck.
"you're gonna be the death o'me." he whispers against your skin, his hot breath sending shivers down your spine.
your fingers tangle in his hair as he continues his assault on your neck, alternating between gentle kisses and nibbles. you can feel the heat building between your bodies, the water around you providing a cooling effect to your heated embrace.
billy's hands slip down to cup your ass, pulling you closer to him so that there's barely any space between you. he grinds his hips against yours, earning a moan from deep in your throat. you can feel his hardness pressing against you through the thin fabric of his boxers.
your eyes flutter open and you lock gazes with him, the intensity of his gaze mesmerizing. you tilt your head back down, allowing him to steal another kiss. his tongue teases yours. his hands roam up and down your body, exploring every inch of you he can with a passionate fervor.
you can feel yourself being taken into the depths of him until you can barely think or breathe. it's only when he finally pulls away, that you realize the afternoon has fully evolved into the beginnings of nighttime. the sky above you is almost entirely dark, littered with stars.
somehow, you still don’t think the kiss was long enough.
billy smiles at you, brushing his hair away from his eyes. you can't help but smile back, feeling content and happy.
"i think i like you too much." he murmurs, his warm breath caressing your skin. you laugh softly, feeling the same way.
a hum of agreement, "me too." you whisper back, pulling him into a tight hug. you stay like that for a while, enjoying the warmth and comfort of each other's embrace.
as the night deepens, you and billy finally decide to make your way back to the truck. billy helps you out of the water, his touch lingering as you both reluctantly part from the tranquil lake. the air is filled with the sounds of nocturnal creatures, their symphony accompanying your footsteps as you follow the narrow trail back to the pickup truck.
the woods, now cloaked in darkness, take longer to exit. the moonlight filters through the dense canopy of leaves, casting shadows on the forest floor.
once back at the truck, you find yourself wrapped in a cozy blanket billy had thoughtfully brought along. the drive home is filled with a comfortable silence, the events of the evening settling into a cherished memory. the road is dimly lit by the truck's headlights, and the night sky is a canvas of stars above.
as you approach the farmhouse, the thrill of the night lingers between you and billy. he parks the truck, and the engine falls silent. the two of you sit in the quiet for a moment, savoring the experience.
"thank you for tonight, you were real sweet." you say, breaking the silence.
billy turns to you, a peaceful smile playing on his lips. "i should be thanking you, for goin’ out with me. so thank you, darling. i think you're real sweet too."
"i'm real glad we met." you add.
he reaches over, his hand finding yours, fingers intertwining in a comfortable gesture. "me too," he replies, his gaze holding yours.
with a reluctant smile, you open the truck door, preparing to step out. billy, however, stops you with a gentle tug on your hand.
"before you go," he starts, a hint of uncertainty in his eyes, "i was wonderin' if you'd like to do this again sometime. maybe i could take you down to the rodeo?"
the question catches you off guard, but the sincerity in his expression is undeniable. you feel a warmth spread through your chest, and you nod, "i'd like that, billy."
he grins, the moonlight casting a soft glow on his features. "good. it's a date then." you agree, leaning up and placing a peck on his pink lips before stepping out of the truck.
it's not until you're safely inside that he drives away into the night, the sound of the engine fading into the distance.
even as you slip into bed, the memories of the night play in your mind like a vivid dream. you drift into sleep with thoughts of the lake, the evening kisses, and the now waivered apprehension of the farmhand.
you've found yourself ensnared with billy bonney.
—reblog and like if you enjoyed, let ur local writer know you like her work !
billy taglist— @honey-bees-13 @poppyflower-22 @black-yn @siriuslybeloved @sherlollyliveson18 @cosmicspacewitch @aravenswritingdeskblog @sabrinasbd @cqsmo @coconut-dreamz @preciouspinkyy
₊˚౨ৎ˚₊ to remain on my taglist, make sure to interact :)
559 notes · View notes
tybaltsjuliet · 2 years ago
Note
top five *and* bottom five historical eras
top five:
01. filthy victorians; they made me what i'm made of!
is it cheating to count the gilded age separately, or is it cheating to list them as the same? i genuinely cannot decide. either way, here it is, awkwardly sandwiched with the victorians, as always.
02. ancient israel, especially the period leading right up to and spanning the jewish-roman wars. three-hour long historical epic about simon bar kokhba when.
03. american revolution. i can't help it; my father celebrated the fourth of july bigger than christmas. i've come to accept that there is a part of me that will always have a little starry-eyed wonder for The American Experiment.
04. the mughal era. flashy the white queen-style miniseries about the war of succession between aurangzeb and dara shikoh WHEN!
05. late 1950s/early 1960s u.s. but, like, the spicy youth culture edition as depicted in the documentaries rebel without a cause, the outsiders, and west side story.
honorable mentions: belle époque (i know. i know i have, like, three different versions of the long nineteenth century on this list. it will happen again); The Period Formerly Known As The Dark Ages; the weimar republic; the "wild west."
bottom five:
01. antebellum southern U.S. i cannot with the way people aestheticize this period and pretend that doing so is harmless, or worse, Their Culture, and i wish everyone who's ever had a plantation wedding a very die.
02. ancient rome. it's just never been terribly interesting to me. best i can do is sit through the donmar warehouse's coriolanus.
03. the regency. bridgerton is overrated, jane austen is overrated, i hate your clothes, and you all are the reason why the victorians felt the need to cover up table legs lest they promote impure thoughts*.
04. the 15th century, not for any particular personal dislike, and it's where my man R3 hails from, so the love is there, but i always feel like everything that happened in the 15th century is either way too late or way too recent for my comfort. i don't like how few years, relatively speaking, are between geoffrey chaucer and joan of arc, or between richard iii and henry viii. the hollow crown really fucked me up.
05. I SWEAR TO GOD IF THE ZOOMERS KEEP TRYING TO BRING BACK Y2K
*that is a joke and a myth. in fairness, the stories about regency women dampening their dresses so they clung better might be a myth, too. but still.
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hungergameshyperfixation · 4 months ago
Note
It's Reaping Day! May the odds be ever in your favor.
Do you think it’s significant that the Reaping is on USA's Independence Day? Why do you think Suzanne Collins choose this date?
Do you think Reaping of 74th Hunger Games is rigged? Yes/No? Why?
If the Reaping could be rigged. Who do you think participate in this process?
Thank you.
YAY
(Long ass reply so I’ll try to divide it into sections)
~~~
I definitely do think it’s significant that Reaping Day is on July 4th, BUT I’m not sure where I stand on whether that was an intentional choice by the leaders in Panem. If that makes sense.
I 100% believe Suzanne Collins did it on purpose for the readers to understand (she’s like slapping us in the face with the book lmao), but I don’t know if I headcanon that the leaders in Panem intentionally chose that date (and what for). I’m actually really hoping that we’ll learn a bit more about this in SotR!
I think one of the main interests for me with the world of Panem IS the world of Panem—we know that the characters know they live in what was once North America (Katniss and everyone else probably knows a VERY propagandized version of history, though). But we still don’t know the extent of what ‘people behind the scenes’ know. I think (and hope) that this will be covered/briefly mentioned in Sunrise on the Reaping, with the focus being propaganda and all that.
I can’t speak on the exact WHY Suzanne Collins chose this date, but I do have some thoughts and interpretations. This arguably deserves its own mini essay lol but to keep it short…
One could say that it’s just such a clear contrast/strong imagery of The Hunger Games itself. Regardless of your thoughts on the US Independence Day (and America in general, really), July 4th has very CLEAR ideas associated with it: patriotism, freedom, celebration, etc etc (I won’t deny that I’m pretty left leaning, so I have strong opinions about those things irl, but I won’t fully go into it here). I had started to type out a lot of rambles, but to put it simply: I think July 4th as Reaping Day is because the holiday (that we know) acts as a mirror to what Reaping Day (and The Hunger Games themselves) represents.
The fervor we see, the excitement,
It’s considered a celebration to some, while to others it’s a representation of everything that’s wrong. One could even say it’s divisive, like how it is here.
The excessive and wild displays of patriotism (maybe I’m letting my own opinions slip through, sorry!). I think that’s how we can see it in regards to the era that Katniss and Peeta live in (74th Games, and the status of the Capitol at that point in time).
BUT looking at the time in tbosas, the Capitol was NOT as rich and luxurious; the wealth and power there looked different. It felt different. Whereas we see the excessive and “freakish” lifestyle the Capitol citizens live during 74th games time period, the nation during the 10th games was still recovering from a war. The culture was different. (Plus, we do see Panem through two different characters: Katniss and Coriolanus Snow. That impacts our perceptions too)
So, during tbosas, I think reaping day being July 4th is a nod to the darker side of nationalism and patriotism (the reality of the after effects of war, the Capitol in the ripe early stages of decay before fascism takes over). The resentment shown for the districts, the broader context. I view it more as implicit.
And during Katniss’s time, I think it can be paralleled to the patriotism we see as well as a representation of the “excessive.” Of the fervor that’s almost sickening to witness from Capitol citizens. The blindness to the horrors staring them in the face—the rejection of reality while also readily encouraging the cycle. I view it more as explicit here.
The Hunger Games act as a nationalist holiday, really.
~~~
I actually don’t think the 74th games are rigged! At least, not in district twelve. They could be, and I’m not opposed to the AU/concept, but unless Suzanne Collins heavily implies/confirms it, my answer lies on ‘no.’
I think them being rigged can possibly undermine some of the messaging in the series. I personally side with the opinion that the Reapings being random is part of the point.
It also makes sense with Snow’s character and worldview, if you choose to view it through him being in control of the games to some extent.
I personally think it’s a lot more powerful that the 74th reaping wasn’t rigged.
Despite what I literally just said, I do think it’s possible for reapings to be rigged in general, though. Of course it is. If Snow or even a gamemaker/someone in a higher position so chose, I don’t think it’s any stretch to say that it can and would happen. Though, as the years go on and the games become more routine, I don’t think it’s likely too many reapings are rigged.
Again, I could kind of see it either way. I guess that’s one of the perks of accepting multiple headcanons/readily exploring AUs (canon compliant and non-canon compliant).
I would view this as an AU and not canon, but I could totally see how the Capitol would rig the reapings or orchestrate the hunger games to an even further degree; they might do it to make sure they keep people engaged, choose a few districts they want to favor in winning, etc etc. Kind of like a manufactured reality show, where the show runners knew the ending before it even started production.
I feel like that would lean more into a ‘media control’ narrative though, and that’s just not fully how I view THG. I still view the hunger games themselves to be somewhat looser of a process; it’s routine, but it still allows for humans to have wiggle room (Katniss being able to volunteer for her sister, rather than it strictly being Prim only)
If the reapings WERE rigged somewhat regularly, I think there might be a special subdivision of the gamemakers or team-responsible-for-making-the-hunger-games-happen-every-year that would handle it.
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leclercsainzz · 11 months ago
Text
ILLICIT AFFAIRS PART 3
PAIRINGS: lando norris x ex!gf / tom blyth x reader
TYPE: social media au
WARNING: // cheating implied
part 1 - part 2 - part 3 - part 4 - part 5
yourusername
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liked by hunterschafer, carmenmmundt and 688,294 others
yourusername: xoxo
view 4,810 comments
user: side profile >>>
user: she’s gorgeous 😩😩😩
hunterschafer: sooo fine 😍
hunterschafer: you’re unreal, i swear
↳ yourusername: *kisses* 😘😘
user: tom’s one lucky dude
↳ user: lando*
↳ user: tom* i said what i said, babe:)
landonorris: my gorgeous girl 😍
↳ user: you mean our*
↳ user: actually, he meant tom’s*
user: babe, you’re the definition of perfect 😩
↳ yourusername: you are 💗
lilymhe: myyyy godddd 😍😍😍
tomblyth: 😳 gossip girl, is that you?
↳ yourusername: does this confirm you’ve watched gg?
↳ tomblyth: aside from that one episode you and hunter made me watch, noooo
user: my oh myyy 😍
user: MOTHER 😍😍😍
user: beauty
user: it’s the way she responds to tom’s comment but not lando who happens to be her boyfriend …..
user: so are you and tom having an affair ???
carlossainz55: peek a boo, i see you
↳ yourusername: oohh no, you’ve found me:( bummer
↳ user: carlos?? 😭😭😭
user: not even lando makes her smile this much anymore
user: REJECT ME SO I CAN MOVE ON, PLZ 😭😭😭
oscarpiastri: hellooo 👋🏼
↳ yourusername: ‘ello, mate
user: lando gets no response?? that’s crazyyy
user: pov lucy gray after she escaped coriolanus
zendaya: 😍😍😍
user: our beautiful lucy gray frrr ❤️
user: everyone getting a reply but lando
user: she’s ALWAYS flirting with tom???? like???
↳ user: he flirts with her too??? it’s not just her???
user: i feel for lando, fr 😔😔😔
user: if she doesn’t respond to my comment that means she’s secretly hooking up with tom
↳ user: me when i’m delusional
oliviarodrigo: you’re gorggg 😍😍
↳ yourusername: thank you, ml 😘 you’re gorgeous too
user: OBSESSED with you, omg!!! 😩😩😩
user: so fine and for what??
user: 😍😍😍😩😩😩
user: my favorite person ever 🫶🏼
user: where’d you buy that dress???
user: 😍😍
user: she’s so pretty wtf
user: @tomblyth babe, i see it! i’d be after her too 😍😍
user: tom secretly to yn: “break up with your boyfriend”
↳ user: ya’ll play too much 😭😭😭
user: lando’s gonna BURST out one day, i swear
↳ user: he’s gonna come for all of us 🤣
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imessage
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yourusername
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liked by tomblyth, francisca.cgomes and 698,831 others
yourusername: i swear i don’t love the drama, it loves me
view 6,846 comments
user: MOTHER IS QUOTING “I DID SOMETHING BAD” AND “ENDGAME”?!!??
user: yn in her reputation era???
user: my favorite cheater 😒😒😒
francisca.cgomes: 😍😍😍😍 OBSESSED, omggg
user: this is def about the whole lando cheating situation
↳ user: she cheated first tho????
hunterschafer: 😮‍💨😮‍💨😮‍💨😮‍💨
hunterschafer: FUCK IT UP 😍
↳ yourusername: i love youuu, my loveee ❤️
lilymhe: i’m in love with you, my godddd 😩
taylorswift: 😍😍😍
↳ user: MOTHER COMMENTED OMG AOALAPS
maxverstappen1: fun fact: i like that song
landnorris: 😍😍
↳ user: the audacity
↳ user: not him commenting
user: idk if lando’s the stupid one for fumbling or if tom’s the lucky one now that he gets to have her???
↳ user: you’re acting as if she’s a game of some kind
user: idk why you’re “upset” when you cheated first 🙄
user: shE’S in her reputation era!! i’m HErE FOR IT!!
tomblyth: you’re fancy, huh? 🤔
↳ yourusername: you could say i’ve been dressing for revenge
↳ user: OMG OMG
user: i just know lando’s crying after losing this baddie
user: funny how she’s the one who cheated on lando and acting like the victim, lmaoooo
↳ yourusername: how about you don't speak unless you know what you're talking about? 😊
↳ user: U TELL HER, YES!!!!
↳ user: yn ain’t playing no more
user: lando fumble this baddie and now it’s tom’s era!!
user: @tomblyth THIS IS YOUR CHANCE!!!
user: girl bffr yk damn well you started all this when you started sleeping around with tom while having a boyfriend
user: she’s the biggest swiftie i know, makes me love her more
user: she cheated on lando and now that lando supposedly “cheated” she wants to act like the victim 😂 honey, get a life
↳ tomblyth: how about YOU get a fucken life rather than comment on a situation you don’t know shit on
↳ user: YES BABE, STAND UP FOR YOUR GIRL
↳ user: say iT louder!!!! 👏🏼
user: the way tom defends her, i love them!!! 😩😩
user: lord 😍😍😍
user: i wanna be yn so bad 😩
carlossainz55: en tu era de reputación, no?
see translation: in your reputation era, no?
oscarpiastri: slayyyyyyy (did i do that right?)
user: queen behavior!!
user: that’s mother right there 😍😍😍
imessage
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liked by oscarpiastri, danielricciardo and 365,830 others
lando.jpg: yea yea 🖕🏼
view 3,109 comments
user: lando being shady in his jpg account??!? 👀
user: wait- i’m confused asf
user: are lando and yn still together??? 😭😭
yourusername: 😘😘
↳ user: PARENTS!!!
↳ user: mom commented!!!
user: is she lowkey being shady by commenting “😘” or??
↳ user: it seems genuine but at the same time shady?? idk how to explain it lmao
user: yn and lando being messy? orrrrr???
user: guys it’s just a caption, omg 🙄🙄🙄🙄
luisinhaoliveira99: 🤩🤩🤩
↳ user: what is she doing here?? 😬 isn’t she the one who was seen with lando in those pics???
user: DRAMA??? I LOVE DRAMA OMg
user: yn was so real when she said “i don’t love drama, it loves me” bc??????
user: he has all the right to be shady
user: shady lando >>>
user: tag her, babe, don’t be scared
user: @yourusername @yourusername @yourusername @yourusername @yourusername
user: my unbothered king ❤️
↳ user: he seems pretty bothered to me, babes
user: oh damnnn 🫢🫢🫢🫢 drama
user: things better be good between you and yn, i swear 😭😭
user: before everyone starts blaming yn or lando, ya’ll gotta remember we don’t know what happened between them
user: i NEED to know what happened!!!!!
user: why blame lando or yn???!?!? let’s all just collectively agree that it was tom’s fault
user: i would be mad if i lost the baddest bitch too
user: i never thought i’d see lando throwing shade back at yn from his jpg account 😭😭😭
↳ user: no frrrr 😩 but then again it doesn’t surprise me bc he dedicated this account to yn way before all this shit happened
user: they’re so messy, omg
user: @yourusername DRAG HIS ASS QUEEN
user: @tomblyth come defend your girl, bro
carlossainz55: pobrecito el niño 🤣
see translation: poor little boy
comment has been deleted
user: i thought i saw a comment by carlos ????
↳ user: same, omg! i think my shit’s glitching
user: keep your head up, king ❤️❤️ you deserve better
user: i hope him and yn aren’t fighting 😭😭 i cant take it
user: yn commented kissing emojis so i’ll take that as them being happy together (yes, im delulu) 🤪😜😜🤪🤪😜😎😎
user: yn will get her karma, don’t worry
yourusername
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liked by carlossainz55, taylorswift and 689,879 others
yourusername: your loss babe 💋
view 5,019 comments
user: is the caption a shade towards lando???
hunterschafer: you’re actually soo hot 😮‍💨
lilymhe: just fell on my knees, my goddd 😩
user: post break up glow up is real 😍😍😍
user: patiently waiting on lando’s comment
user: LIVING FOR YN’S REPUTATION ERA OMG
alexandrasaintmleux: the prettiest 😍
tomblyth: oohh wow
↳ yourusername: 🤭🤭
↳ user: i need them to date!!!
user: MOMMY 😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍
user: she’s so fine, oml 😮‍💨
isahernaez: dios mío 😍
see translation: my god
↳ yourusername: ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
songbirdsandsnakes: ❤️❤️
user: serving as always!!! 😍😍😍
user: gorgggg
user: that’s why tom’s the better man
joshandresrivera: you’re too cool for the world! 🤩
↳ yourusername: you said it, not me 😜
user: call him out, babe! show him what he’s missing
user: @landonorris
user: you’re unreal 😩
user: dO one better and get with tom!
charlottesiine: 😍😍😍
user: i love her friendship with the wags/ex wags ❤️
user: pretty girl
user: definitely his loss babe!!
user: yk what they say? one man’s loss is another man’s gain
itselenaberri: my oh my 😮‍💨
user: MOTHER IS SERVING AS ALWAYS!! 😍😍😍😍
user: 😍😍😍😮‍💨😮‍💨😮‍💨😮‍💨😮‍💨😩❤️❤️❤️😩😩😩
user: reputation era (yn’s version)
user: am i the only one waiting for lando to comment?? even though i know damn well he ain’t gonna comment
user: brown looks so good on you 😩😩
user: SLAYYYYYYYYY 😍😍😍😍
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yourusername
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liked by joshandresrivera, landonorris and 682,830 others
yourusername: fun times w/ some of my favorite ppl;) ❤️
view 5,028 comments
user: DYLAN AND YN??!? A DUO I DIDNT KNOW I NEEDED
user: sHe’s back with tom, yayyy!!
user: in her slay era, indeed!
user: is that lando????
tomblyth: slayyyyyyyy
↳ yourusername: slayyyyy, bbyyyyy
↳ user: “bby” 😭😭
user: lando continues losing on and off track as always
user: ONE MANS LOSS IS ANOTHER MANS GAIN, ONE MANS LOSS IS ANOTHER MANS GAIN, ONE MANS LOSS IS ANOTHER MANS GAIN, REMEMBER THAT
user: is that lando in the fourth slide????
user: lando liked this post so i’m gonna believe that’s him in the blue hoodie (i’m delusional, i know) 🤪🤪🤪
↳ user: it’s okay, babe, i’m with you
user: DYLAN AND TOM?? you’re winning 😭😭😭
user: yn ln, my best friend ❤️❤️
hunterschafer: slayyy bestie 😘
↳ yourusername: 😘😘😘😘
hunterschafer: i spy with my little eyes mr tom blyth
joshandresrivera: cute 😘 @tomblyth
user: I CHOOSE TO BELIEVE THATS LANDO
user: @landonorris mate, is that you?
oscarpiastri: am i still one of your favs? ��
↳ yourusername: always!!
↳ carlossainz55: after me, that is
↳ yourusername: 🤫
user: i Can take all three of them, idc
user: thomas meeting lucky gray and coryo when???
↳ user: coryo ain’t gonna be too happy about this
user: living for yn’s slayyyyyyy era 🤩
↳ yourusername: 🩷
user: missed seeing tom on her page, omg
user: idk who i love more tom??? dylan??? or yn????
user: everyone’s talking about tom and dylan but what about lenny????? show my boy some appreciation!!!!
user: gUys!! i haVe a theory! after lucy gray left coriolanus in the forest, she escaped and found thomas 😲😲😲
↳ yourusername: 😮😮 how’d do you know, omgg??
↳ tomblyth: ooooh??? we’re officially done
↳ user: i absolutely love these two, i cant 😭😭😭❤️❤️
user: the maze runner x the hunger games crossover?
↳ user: we sha’ll call it the maze games
user: my fav duo!! ❤️❤️❤️ #yntom
user: yntom nation rise, iT’s our turn now!!!
user: dylan, omg 🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰
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would it be a bad idea if i made a pt 4?
taglist:
@tomblyth-tsunoda @love4josh @dudde-44 @coconut-dreamz @newlifeforus @loxbbg @dakotali @f1footballluvverr @mountmaason19 @poppyflower-22 @magical-spit @nazm145 @nikolaros22 @sincerlymatakorama @36babyg @bucket-of-fanfiction @gyunheat @millyswife @onlyrealjoy @ocyeanicc @sarah-thatstings-ann @ushygushybaby @shrimpybbq @reyfolks @earth-to-lottie @smugrogerina @jenniferrvsesi @aleidag1rly @charlesswife @sheluvsf1 @omgsuperstarg @krispy-r @lwritesstuff @eutrizbea @psychiceaglepeach @theseerbetweenus @wotcherpeak @wonwoospartyhat
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floralcyanide · 11 months ago
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okay I am a slut for some good enemies to lovers and since watching tbosas... my brain has obviously been preoccupied by Coriolanus 😩😩 so what are you thoughts on Snow and being academic rivals with him? literally all I've thought about lately god help me...
— 𝚊𝚌𝚊𝚍𝚎��𝚒𝚌 𝚛𝚒𝚟𝚊𝚕𝚛𝚢 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚌𝚘𝚛𝚒𝚘𝚕𝚊𝚗𝚞𝚜 𝚜𝚗𝚘𝚠
masterlist
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⌯ pairing: coriolanus snow / gn!reader
⌯ warnings: none really, just kissing and movie/book spoilers of course.
⌯ author’s note: sorry the response is so late but I had a lot of Thoughts about this trope lol
ᴅᴏ ɴᴏᴛ ᴄᴏᴘʏ, ʀᴇᴘʀᴏᴅᴜᴄᴇ, ᴏʀ ᴄʟᴀɪᴍ ᴍʏ ᴡᴏʀᴋ ᴀs ʏᴏᴜʀs ᴏɴ ᴛᴜᴍʙʟʀ, ᴀᴏ3, ᴡᴀᴛᴛᴘᴀᴅ, ᴏʀ ᴀɴʏ ᴡᴇʙsɪᴛᴇ. ʏᴏᴜ ᴅᴏ ɴᴏᴛ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴘᴇʀᴍɪssɪᴏɴ ᴛᴏ ᴜsᴇ ᴍʏ ᴡᴏʀᴋs ɪɴ ᴀɪ ɢᴇɴᴇʀᴀᴛᴏʀs ᴏʀ ᴀɴʏᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ᴅᴏ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴀʀᴛɪғɪᴄɪᴀʟ ɪɴᴛᴇʟʟɪɢᴇɴᴄᴇ. ʏᴏᴜ ᴍᴀʏ ɴᴏᴛ ᴜsᴇ ᴍʏ ᴡᴏʀᴋs ᴛᴏ sᴇʟʟ ғᴏʀ ᴀs ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴏᴡɴ ᴄʀᴇᴀᴛɪᴏɴ
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❆ it all started when you began school together as children. growing up, you were taught to be resilient and hardworking, which made you easily become a teacher’s pet. Coriolanus Snow didn’t like being one-upped, especially by someone who was adopted and originally a district dweller. but, those facts about you only made you strive harder in school.
❆ as school droned on and the older the two of you grew, the more the rivalry intensified. when you were in the same room, it was very apparent to anyone and everyone that you disliked each other.
❆ any time there were elections of any sort, like those for clubs, you and Coriolanus would vie for victory. you’d fight tooth and nail, and most of the time, you’d win. this always infuriated Coriolanus, of course. but, he never stopped trying to beat you at everything, and sometimes he would defeat you.
❆ when the era of university came around, the rivalry was still going strong. however, you're both more mature now and act rationally. well, sometimes. when your final assignment before graduation came up, you were determined to crush coriolanus snow once and for all.
❆ despite the burning, quiet hatred you had for each other, you and Coriolanus knew you were the most strategic and smartest mentors in the Games. so, you decided to work together and work for your tributes to live longest. oddly, you two grow closer during this plan. but little did you know, Coriolanus wasn't telling you everything he was doing.
❆ finding out Coriolanus Snow, of all people, not only had the winning tribute in the 10th Hunger Games, but that he also cheated behind your back to get there, shocked you. before you could express how betrayed and disgusted you felt, he disappeared.
❆ your father is Commander Hoff, the overseer of District 12 and the Peacekeeper unit there. post-graduation, you decide to assist him in strategic training of the Peacekeepers. after all, you knew the ins and outs of District 12 more than anyone as you spent a few years of your childhood there before being adopted.
❆ the last person you expect to see on the first day of training is none other than Coriolanus Snow. when the session is over, he avoids eye contact with you and strikes up a conversation with another trainee. you call out to him as you're briskly walking in his direction. before Coriolanus can open his mouth, you land a harsh slap to his cheek. how embarrassing for him.
❆ Coriolanus annoyedly drags you away from the shocked and amused group of trainees. he explains why he cheated and why he's here. you understand, but berate him for threatening your reputation and the possibility of graduating. Coriolanus surprisingly apologizes. before he leaves to go back to the bunks, you quietly tell him where to find what he is looking for here in District 12.
❆ a part of you is jealous that Coriolanus would put everything at risk for a girl he barely knows- a district girl, of all people. why couldn't he do that for you? why couldn't he just grow a pair and confess how he really feels? of course the lines of hate and love blurred somewhere along the lines of your rivalry, but it seems neither of you wish to do anything about it.
❆ you tell Coriolanus to meet you in the meadow outside the District the next morning before dawn. you're perched on a rock underneath the large willow tree that oversees the entire patch of empty land. when Coriolanus shows up, he's confused on why he's here. you tell him this would be a good place to bring Lucy Gray, to which he responds "why would I bring Lucy Gray here?" he then tells you Lucy Gray isn't the one he cares for.
❆ Coriolanus leans down to press his lips to yours, and you let him. it only took 13 years, but both of you realize that the only way to survive in Panem is to work together. and a little bit of romance mixed in never hurt anyone, right?
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spoookymuulders · 4 years ago
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perchance to dream.
read it on ao3 here word count: 23,507 summary: With two families dead, the BAU is called to Colorado to try and connect the murders. Something about the deaths seems familiar to Reid, but he can’t quite put his finger on it. And when a familiar face shows up, it throws another cog into the machine, complicating things further. warnings: mentions of drowning, cpr, mentions of religion, mentions of death and cemeteries  a quick lil author’s note on this chapter!!  i wanna take a second to thank everyone who's read and commented on this story. it's the first multi-chapter fic i've posted in like.. ten years? probably?? and all of your comments and warm words were SO encouraging. i really really really appreciate all of y'all who read this! like i said at the beginning, this is the final chapter but it's not the end! we've got ten more seasons to get through and i already have a handful of drabbles written/half-written so be on the lookout for more additions to this series!!
chapter six. no place like home.
The summers die, one by one. How soon they fly, on and on. - Musician Herbert Kretzmer
Spencer Reid has never been a religious man. If there is a God, he’s often wondered why they would have let him suffer the way he did as a child? Why would they have let his tormentors harass him the way they did, why would they have let his mother suffer the way she does, when all she’s ever wanted is to put love and light and happiness into the world?
And why the hell would they have taken Parker away from him? Parker, the one ray of sunlight in his life - it’s where he’d gotten her nickname from. His mother had always said she’s like a ray of sunshine, and he’d always agreed. Parker is bright and happy and warm like the sun, and if anything happens to her he swears he’ll lose his mind.
People, religious people, have always told him everything happens for a reason. That’s crap, he thinks, because what reason was there for him to be tied to a goalpost at twelve? What reason was there for his father to leave when he was ten? What reason was there for him to be reunited with Parker, only to have her ripped away from him so viciously again?
Religious people have always told him God’s will must be done; that was Tobias Hankle’s whole thing. God’s will. As Morgan tears down the dirt road in the SUV, Spencer thinks that God’s will is stupid and ridiculous and he’d like to give God a piece of his mind if this is his will.
The SUV screeches to a halt, Hotch throwing the other one into park behind them as everyone hops out, drawing weapons and heading for the house. As they climb the steps, Spencer sees why Parker described it as something out of Pride and Prejudice - it looks like it’s been mostly untouched since that era. They clear the house and Spencer can hear his heart pounding in his ears.
“Where’s that brain, pretty boy, what’re you thinkin’?” Morgan asks.
“Shakespeare’s tragedies. He’s done Othello, Antony and Cleopatra, Julius Caesar, and Macbeth.” Spencer says, pacing slowly. “That leaves Coriolanus, King Lear, Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet - Hamlet.” He stops, his eyes widening, and yanks his phone out of his pocket, dialing Garcia’s number quickly.
“Boy Genius! How can I help?” She asks brightly.
“Is there a - a lake or a river or something near the house where Malloy held Parker?” He asks sharply. Garcia taps away at her keyboard quickly, chewing at her lip as she does so. 
“Yeah, there’s a lake about half a mile south of there, why?”
Spencer doesn’t answer, snapping his phone closed and shoving it into his pocket.
“He took her to the lake.”
He’s moving before anyone else can say a word, his legs pumping faster than he’s ever run. Morgan and Hotch are hot on his heels, along with the rest of the team. As the lake comes into view, Spencer spies movement a hundred or so yards away.
“Over there!” He shouts, pointing in the direction Malloy just took off. Emily and Rossi sprint after Malloy, following the sounds of heavy footfalls and snapping branches. Hotch sends Reid along one side of the lakeshore while he takes the other and Morgan goes straight to the water’s edge.
It’s Morgan who finds her.
****
           Emily doesn’t remember the last time she moved this fast - honestly, she’s not sure she ever has. She catches glimpses of Malloy through the trees as she runs after him with Rossi, her gun at the ready. When they stumble into a clearing and realize Malloy has trapped himself between them and the wall of a cliff, they slow their footsteps and move forward slowly.
           “It’s over, Jacob.” Emily calls, watching him carefully. He looks around, as though he’s looking for a way out. Emily knows he won’t find one. His eyes flick between her and Rossi, a twisted smile touching his lips. “If you come with us now, we can work something out.”
           She sees the look in his eyes - sees the moment that he realizes that there’s only two ways he’s leaving this forest; in handcuffs or in a bodybag. His eyes land on Emily again and he smirks.
           “The rest,” He says, “is silence.”
           With that, he charges at Emily. She wastes no time in firing at him twice, relaxing her stance only when he drops heavily into the grass. Footsteps coming out of the brush catch her attention and she turns, gesturing at Malloy’s body when the locals come hurrying out.
           “Come on.” Rossi says, grabbing her elbow gently and tugging her back in the direction of the lake. “I get the feeling the kid might need us.”
****
           He sees the fabric of her dress first, and he’s launching himself into the water before he has time to think about it. His heart lurches at the sight of Parker floating in the water, the green gown wafting around her delicately as she bobs up and down slowly in the waves. He slides his arms under her knees and her back, scooping her up, and hurries to the water’s edge, screaming for Hotch.
           He lays her down delicately on the rocky beach, vaguely aware of Hotch stopping Reid behind him as Reid lets out a broken noise. He wastes no time in starting CPR, pushing heavily for the chest compressions and blowing air into her mouth. He prays silently as he works, willing God not to take her. Other hurried footsteps on the beach alert him to the presence of the rest of the team, but he keeps working.
           “Come on.” He breathes, pushing against Parker’s chest again. “Come on, sweetheart, don’t do this. Wake up.”
           Behind him, JJ moves to stand beside Hotch and Reid, touching Reid’s arm gently. Prentiss and Rossi stand shoulder-to-shoulder, watching anxiously. Hotch keeps his face stoic and stays silent, keeping his hold on Reid. Morgan won’t believe that Parker is gone. Not after everything she’s been through. After escaping from Malloy once, she doesn’t deserve to go out, not like this. Not here in this shitty forest, in this shitty lake.
           He pushes again, and almost lets out a sob when she coughs suddenly, water spouting out of her mouth. He hurries to turn her onto her side, patting her back and helping her get all the water out. The tension in the air dissipates and Hotch lets his grip on Reid slacken. Reid sprints forward, dropping to his knees beside Parker and brushing her hair back as she lays against the rocks, eyes closed. Her hands curl around his wrists lightly and Morgan sits back, resting his elbows on his knees for a moment and hanging his head.
           Reid helps Parker sit up and clutches her to him when she throws herself into his arms, sobbing. He clings to her like a lifeline, pressing his face to her shoulder, tears of his own adding to the lakewater clinging to her skin. He starts whispering apologies and she shakes her head against his neck, clinging to him tighter and curling her hands in the back of his sweater.
****
           Spencer hovers by the end of the ambulance as the paramedics check Parker over. Aside from the bruising on her wrists and around her throat, she’s unscathed. His heart squeezes painfully as the paramedics step away and he sees her properly, wrapped up in an FBI windbreaker and with a heavy blanket from the paramedics around her shoulders. She’s perched on the back of the ambulance, her damp hair pushed over one shoulder, and she meets his eye and offers a tired smile. He tries to smile back, but he knows it doesn’t work.
           She pats the spot beside her lightly and he pads forward, sitting next to her quietly. They watch the house silently for a few long moments before either of them speaks.
           “I’m so sorry.” He says finally, his voice barely above a whisper. Parker shakes her head instantly.
           “Don’t.” She says, her voice hoarse but firm. Spencer glances at her anxiously. “Don’t even start. This wasn’t your fault, Spencer, it was my own fault.”
           “Parker-” He starts, but she shakes her head again.
           “Spencer, I’m the one who wouldn’t let you come outside with me. If I’d let you come.. Who knows. This might not have happened. Or it might have happened and he might have taken you, too. Or done something worse to you, and I couldn’t-” She says softly, shaking her head and sliding her arm through his gently. Spencer sighs slowly, hanging his head, and Parker leans into him, resting her cheek to his shoulder. “I’m okay. I’m here.”
           Humming softly, Spencer winds an arm around Parker gently, holding her against him tightly and closing his eyes. She scoots closer, tucking her chin to his shoulder and offering a small, tired smile when he turns his head to press a kiss to her temple. They sit in silence, shut away from the chaos of everything around them for a few minutes before Spencer kisses her forehead again and wrinkles his nose.
           “You taste like lakewater.” He says quietly, and Parker scoffs, feigning offense, and smacks his knee gently.
           “I can’t imagine why.” She retorts. Spencer looks down at her, smiling softly, and she returns it easily, winding her arms around his waist and squeezing him tightly for a moment. “D’you think the hospital will mind if I use up all their hot water to take a three-hour shower?”
****
           Two weeks later .
           Parker is still adjusting to life at home. She’s been staying with Jeremy and his family in Vegas - along with her mother and Spencer, neither of whom will let her out of their sight - and realizing that she didn’t miss the heat. She’s been getting to know AJ’s fiance, Alex, and Jeremy’s kids - her niece and nephew. It still blows her mind that she’s an aunt . That her big brother has kids . They’re all out at the park for the day, Parker perched on a bench as PJ and Luke sprint around after AJ and Alex. She smiles tenderly at the scene, then catches Spencer’s eye and jerks her head to the side. He nods and excuses himself from his conversation with Jeremy and Sophia, coming to stand beside Parker as she slides off the bench.
           “You okay?” He asks softly. Parker nods, chewing the inside of her lip.
           “Can we take a walk?” She asks quietly. Spencer nods, his hand settling at the small of Parker’s back gently as they slip away from the rest of their group. Spencer thinks at first that they’re just wandering, but it doesn’t take him long to see that Parker has a destination in mind, and he understands instantly as the gates of the cemetery come into view. She’s been putting this off since they came back to Vegas, but she knows she can’t do that forever.
           They slip through the gates silently, Spencer’s hand lowering from Parker’s back. She slips her hand into his and he brushes his thumb along her knuckles slowly. She feels like she’s on autopilot as she heads for her family’s plot. Fifty or so feet away, she stops. Spencer stops beside her, looking down.
           “D’you want me to come with you?” He asks softly. Parker shakes her head, exhaling quietly, and steps away from him. Spencer perches on a stone bench nearby as she approaches the headstone she’s looking for and sinks into the dry grass. She stares at it for a few long minutes, contemplating what exactly she wants to say. In the end, she settles for simplicity.
           “Hi, daddy.” She says softly, sniffling. She swallows thickly, twisting her lip as she stares at the tiny dash between the dates of birth and death. “I’m home.”
           Spencer watches from his spot on the bench, wondering if he should go sit with her. He decides against it - she needs to do this on her own. He takes in her body language, the way she sits with her legs criss-crossed first, leaning forward and picking at the grass. She talks to the stone for a while - something Spencer has never really understood, but he doesn’t question it - and when she finally sits back and pulls her knees to her chest and wraps her arms around them, Spencer stands and pads over to sit beside her, the grass crunching beneath his feet. She leans into him as he settles, and he wraps an arm around her shoulders, rubbing her arm gently.
           “He’d be proud of you.” He tells her softly.
           “You think so?”
           “I know so.”
****
           Jeremy has a hammock in his backyard, and that’s where Parker spends most of her time. Spencer finds her there now, one leg hanging out, the toe of her sneaker pressing against the tree one end is tied to so she can swing slowly, and an arm thrown over her eyes as she basks in the fading sunlight.
           “Hey.” He says, stopping beside the hammock. She hums in response. “Jeremy says dinner’s just about ready. He wanted me to come let you know.” Parker lowers her arm, squinting at him in the sun, and Spencer raises a brow at her as she wiggles for a moment.
           “Well, get in, dummy.” She says, squirming to adjust the hammock so there’s room for Spencer beside her. He laughs softly and climbs in carefully, draping his arm around Parker as she settles against him. He cards his fingers through her hair slowly, wrapping one of her curls around his index finger gently and admiring the way it catches the light as she rests her cheek to his chest. They swing together in silence for a few minutes before Spencer speaks, his voice just above a whisper so as not to disturb the quiet of the coming evening.
           “Penny for your thoughts.”
           Parker hums in response, brushing her fingers along Spencer’s arm absently.
           “I want everyone to stop treating me like I’m gonna break.” She murmurs finally. Spencer hums curiously, glancing down at her. She looks up at him, lifting her head to rest her chin to his chest and watch him as she speaks. “I mean - I get it. I do. But I’m not.. I’m not a teacup in a china shop. I feel like everyone is panicking about saying something that’ll upset me or whatever, and I - y’know, I’m not fine , but I’m okay. I’m not gonna shatter.”
           “Everyone’s worried.” He tells her, and she sighs softly.
           “I know, and I get it, Spencer, I do. But I just.. I wish everyone would stop treating me like I can’t handle anything anymore.” She says quietly.
           “Parker, you’re the strongest person I’ve ever met.” He says softly, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear gently. “And we know you can handle anything. But you don’t have to. Not alone.”
           “I know that, but.. I want to. I have to be allowed to do stuff on my own.”
           Spencer hums softly, tugging at one of Parker’s curls gently and watching as it springs back into place. “I know how you feel.” He says finally. She glances up at him, resting her chin on his chest gently as he speaks. “There was a case a couple years ago that.. Went south, let’s say. Everyone treated me like broken glass after, like if they said the wrong thing I was gonna shatter into a million pieces. And maybe I would have, who knows? But I got through it - and some of it, I got through alone. But most of it, I got through with the help of the people around me. My family.” Humming thoughtfully, Parker nods.
           “That’s what family is for, right?” Spencer continues, looking down at her. “They’re there by your side through the good stuff, but they’re there for you through the hard stuff, too. And you have - you have your mom, and the boys, and Sophia and the kids. You’ve got me - and the rest of my team, I think Morgan might like you better than he likes me.” Parker giggles at that, shaking her head a little.
           “What am I paying a therapist for when I have you?” She says softly. Spencer grins, pressing a kiss to Parker’s forehead and holding her closer. He closes his eyes as she settles her cheek against his chest again, and as Parker’s breathing evens out, her breaths turning slow and deep, Spencer revels for the hundredth time at how happy - how lucky - he is to have her back. Before long, he’s sound asleep, too, lulled by the lazy swinging of the hammock and the quiet backdrop of crickets and coyotes in the distance, and Parker’s heartbeat against his ribs.
           And as she sleeps, Parker dreams of her family, and her genius, and home .
There’s no place like home. - Author L. Frank Baum
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