Coriolanus Snow is temporarily blinded by the camera's flash while he watches yet another photo being taken. This must be the twentieth so far.
The room fills with nervous laughter as the girls relax from their poses. He's heard a lot of that lately, nervousness, the pretending of confidence and ease. Like they all know what they're doing now that they've graduated from the Academy.
Less than three hours ago, Coriolanus received his diploma from Dean Casca Highbottom, a horrid man who has no business working with children. Not to mention a personal vendetta against the Snow family, despite their more than generous donations to the Academy over the years. But he didn't let that stop him from being the best, from landing on top as Snow always does.
Coriolanus graduated top of his class, all honors, of course. The perfect student. The perfect son. The perfect boyfriend.
His sharp, cold gaze never leaves his girlfriend. Not when she joins in on the nervous laughter, not even when she brushes her hair behind her ears, a tell that she's already overwhelmed with today's events.
Soarynn isn't nearly as social as he is.
She has friends, of course. Anyone in their right mind would want to befriend Soarynn Nightingale. A Capitol darling in every way one can be. Old money, family ties, proper education, not to mention beautiful. Coriolanus knew long before she did that they'd end up together. It made too much sense for them not to be together. Snow and Nightingale. Coriolanus and Soarynn. Academy sweethearts.
Students envied them, mothers adored them, fathers approved of them, and the Capitol elite whispered about them. About their future. Coriolanus can taste it already. He's tasted it for years if he's being honest. Galas, charity dinners, high-end events for Capitol elites.
Soarynn by his side at all of them.
"Coriolanus, could you go get my purse? I left it in the dining room," Soarynn says sweetly. As if he could say no. Clemensia smirks at the question, giving him the fakest grin he's ever seen, as if seeing him in a committed relationship is as low as he can possibly get.
Clemmie has a talent for being sweetly annoying in every way possible. But Livia Cardew is worse. She doesn't even try to be nice. But they're natrually attatched at Soarynn's hip. So he plays nice, he plays the role of the loyal, good, doting boyfriend who treats his girlfriend's friends just as well as he treats her.
Even if he wants to fill his ears with wax every time one of them speaks.
"Of course," he inclines his head. His eyes meet Soarynn's from across the room, "I'll be right back." Soarynn smiles softly, already turning back to her friends.
He takes a second to admire how perfect she looks standing in the sitting room of her townhouse. Her cream white dress falls perfectly above the knee, clinging to her figure, with the back of her dress showing her soft skin. Her blonde hair falls perfectly down her back, curled just right. She's wearing the bracelet he gave her for her birthday, diamonds, of course.
He could see the jewels glittering when she walked across the stage earlier today to receive her diploma. She made it look so effortless, so graceful. He's not surprised that she's managing to do the same with this graduation party.
People will do anything to throw a party in the Capitol, and graduating is the perfect excuse to come together and spend an ostentatious amount of money on a single day. The Nightingale townhouse was transformed overnight into a beautiful, tasteful display of wealth and influence. Balloons and streamers were perfectly placed. Food was catered from a well-known Capitol restaurant down the street. Even the invitations were flawless, the details embossed in gold.
His mother had fawned over the attention to detail for a good five minutes when Coriolanus gave her the invitation. As if their attendance was up for question. As if his girlfriend wouldn't invite him. Still, his mother kept the invitation pinned to the fridge for a good month leading up to the party.
Coriolanus makes his way through the foyer, smiling and nodding where it suits him. There are more parents than there are students at this party, all quietly discussing their children's futures like it's the weather.
Coriolanus finds his own father in the dining room, a glass of something expensive in his hand, and Coriolanus knows it's not posca. He only catches the tail end of the conversation. "...Coriolanus attends the University in the fall."
Mrs. Dovecoat, seated opposite to his father, smiles knowingly at Coriolanus. "And what about Soarynn?"
Coriolanus returns her smile with ease. He's gotten used to people discussing him and Soarynn as if they're a single unit. A pair. A match made in Heaven.
"She'll be pursuing her studies in music at the Conservatory," he answers. "She's brilliant at the piano." Praise in its purest form.
"Clemensia never showed interest in learning piano," Mrs. Dovecote sighs. "It's fitting for a girl to learn something aside from the curriculum. You know, before getting married." A hum of agreement fills the room, all of the parents nodding. After graduating from the Academy, two things happen at once: the boys go on to university, and the girls prepare to become wives and mothers.
A few of them, like Soarynn, puruse a further education, but nothing too taxing. Their job is to focus on their future. Their future husbands.
"Music isn't for everyone," Soarynn's father tells Mrs. Dovecote. "Cera was always playing piano, but I never took to it."
Coriolanus straightens instinctively at the mention of Soarynn's late mother. Cera Nightingale was a great beauty, at least, according to what he's heard from his own parents. His father says that Soarynn is a spitting image of her mother. His mother says that it's a tragic shame that she died during childbirth.
Soarynn rarely talks about her mother, but there are traces of her everywhere in this house. Coriolanus has spent many afternoons looking at family photographs on the fireplace mantle. Photos of Glen and Cera Nightingale when they were his age. Then photos of Cera when she was pregnant, and then, just Glen and Soarynn.
He sometimes wonders if Soarynn could ever meet the same fate as her mother. Childbirth is a battlefield that not every soldier returns from. But his Soarynn is a fighter, and he won't let that happen to her. Not if he has any say in it.
"Did you need something, darling?" His mother's voice pulls him from his battle plans, and he clears his throat. "Soarynn asked me to get her purse." That earns him several loving, over-the-top sighs from the mothers in the room.
"How precious."
"So sweet."
"He's such a gentlman."
"Just like his father."
That last comment gets a knowing smirk from his father. Crassus Snow is no fool, and he's certainly no gentleman. Not truly. He plays the part extremely well, and he knows that his son does too. The roses, the dates, the sweet words. Not lies, no, but strategic moves. Perfectly planned so that people see what they want to see.
A doting husband, a loving boyfriend, father, and son. Snows.
"Do be sure to introduce Soarynn to the Dolittles, darling," his mother reminds him over her drink. The Dolittles are their downstairs neighbors who just so happen to have been invited to today's party. Mother insists on maintaining a good relationship with them in hopes of one day buying their apartment from them when they sell. Scheming, cunning, and entirely Snow. She found her match with father.
Coriolanus takes Soarynn's purse from the chair she must've set it down on. "Of course, Mother." Coriolanus offers a curt nod to the room before leaving. He finds Soarynn right where he left her. "Your purse, madame." Soarynn turns and smiles, a blush settling across her cheeks. "I told you not to call me that, Coryo."
Coryo. A name only she has the privilege of using.
"It suits you," he says, handing her the bag. "It sounds... official. Grown up." Soarynn glances up at him, a knowing smile on her lips. "More offical then Mrs. Snow?"
Coriolanus hums, resting a hand on her waist. "Well, I do like the sound of that," he admits. Marrying Soarynn right after graduation would be too...cliche, too eager, too... predictable. Coriolanus Snow doesn't do predictable. He's got another four years of schooling ahead of him, and then, he'll propose to her.
"Stay right there, you two!"
Coriolanus doesn't need to look away from Soarynn to know that Clemensia has cornered them with her camera. A birthday gift from her parents that's turned into a weapon of torment for him. The first week was the worst. Clemmie took pictures of everything and everyone, and it's gotten worse, now Soarynn wants a camera.
"Let me put on my lipstick," Soarynn tells her, digging through her purse. The purse he got for her, of course. Cream leather, perfectly crafted, with her initials engraved on the strap. "Is this the red lipstick, or the slightly less red lipstick?" He teases, his lips brushing her ear. Soarynn scoffs, but he can see her blushing despite herself.
He was there for that too. The ceremonial lipstick buying afternoon, where she must have applied ten different shades that all looked the same, to him, before she decided on the first shade she tried on.
She's a beautiful yet confusing creature sometimes, his girl.
"It's the red one," she replies dryly, "thank you very much."
"You're very welcome considering I paid for it," he counters. He's got her there. Soarynn opens the shiny tube, and Coriolanus watches her carefully paint her lips a rosy shade of red. "Only because you refuse to let me pay for anything," Soarynn reminds him.
She's correct. Coriolanus never lets her pay for anything. Dinner, a night at the movies, not even for lipstick. No woman of his will be seen swiping her banking card as long as he's breathing.
"Stop flirting and smile."
Clemensia has such a way with words. Still, Coriolanus doesn't argue. He slides his hand to Soarynn's lower back, resting his palm firmly against her warm, smooth skin. He rarely ever smiles for photos, and today is no exception. "Look happy, Coriolanus. You just graduated."
The flash goes off. He didn't smile.
"He never smiles," Soarynn murmurs, brushing her hair behind her ears. "He looks less intimidating when he does."
Coriolanus scoffs, throwing a look at her. "I do not."
She tilts her head, "No? Because I could've sworn you said that it made you look like a mother's bo-"
"That's enough, darling," he cuts her off before she can spill his secrets. "I think I need a drink."
"Me too," Clemensia says, "that ceremony took far too long."
"That's because Highbototm had one too many drinks," Coriolanus replies, guiding Soarynn towards the kitchen. Dean Highbottom is known for hating children and drinking like a fish. Coriolanus is surprised the man still has a job.
"We have punch," Soarynn interjects, never one for gossip. "Or lemonade, or water."
"I'll be having posca," he says, already eyeing the glasses filled with it. If he's old enough to be considered a legal adult, then he's old enough to drink. He'd prefer something stronger, but with adults present, it's key to set an example. A few of their classmates are lingering by the refreshments.
Festus Creed, Persephone Price, and Felix Ravenstill. A lively bunch.
"Soarynn, the party is perfect," Persephone gushes. "You've really outdone yourself."
"You should say that to my father. He couldn't believe the price of balloons," Soarynn says. "But we were long overdue to host something for the city."
Of course, when she talks about the city, what she really means is the Capitol elites. Friends, family, business partners. When you stop opening your doors, people tend to notice. Coriolanus knows Glen Nightingale well enough to know that he doesn't quite care for the glitz and glamour that the Capitol offers. The shiny galas, expensive balls, loud charity auctions. If he had his way, he would never leave this house.
But luckily for him, he has a daughter whose favor and friendship are constantly sought out.
Persephone hums in agreement, lifting her glass of punch. "Well, here's to us. The future of the Capitol."
They all raise a glass and toast to their glorious future. Coriolanus can picture it now: President of Panem with his dazzling First Lady next to him. They'll host all the time once they move into the President's Mansion. There's more than enough space in there.
Coriolanus has only been once, when the Academy arranged a private tour, but they barely scratched the surface. A sitting room, the gardens, the foyer, and then back on the bus, children!
But he saw enough to know that what he wanted was within those walls, past those guarded iron gates.
"I'll bet these two will be married before the summer's over," Festus says, his eyes darting between Coriolanus and Soarynn. Festus has the gift of finding your last nerve and killing it blindly.
"We'll be far too busy this summer to worry about such things, Festus." Coriolanus replies, wrapping his arm around Soarynn, "We're traveling the Districts this summer."
Clemensia and Persephone gasp at that news. Everyone in the Capitol knows about the Districts, but very few have the chance to see them with their own eyes. But Coriolanus isn't just anybody. His father has business in several over the summer, so naturally, they made a trip out of it.
Mother has been talking about it nonstop since they got the train tickets in the mail. It took very little convincing to get Soarynn invited. Mother adores Soarynn. Father...well, he tolerates anything or anyone who will benefit the Snow family. And Soarynn benefits them greatly.
"Which ones are you going to?"
"We're going to the beach," Soarynn says brightly, smiling up at him. Coriolanus rubs his thumb against the fabric of her dress, already picturing her wearing something lighter, barefoot on the sand. She's always wanted to see the ocean. Leave it to him to make her dreams come true.
"Oh, so District Four. My aunt used to own a timeshare there," Clemensia tells them. "She said the seafood is phenomenal."
Festus rolls his eyes, "It better be. I'm surprised you agreed to this, Snow. We all know how you feel about the Districts."
Indeed, they do. Coriolanus has no issue vocalizing his disdain towards those who live in those backwards places. But the Capitol provides security to its citizens. Well, it's civilized citizens.
"Yes, in fact, I happened to notice that our dear Sejanus Plinth wasn't invited to today's party," Felix chimes in. "Surely this wasn't your doing, Soarynn. We all know you don't have the heart to cast out poor Sejanus."
Festus snickers, and Clemmie and Persephone share knowing glances.
Sejanus Plinth is a cry for help, to put it plainly. Hailing from District Two, his father, Strabo Plinth, bought his way into the Capitol. But everyone knows you can't buy class. Or taste. Or manners. Or respect. Since the day he arrived, Sejanus has been nothing but a rebel-loving disruption in their class.
Coriolanus wouldn't be surprised if he were on a train back home already now that he's graduated. He's never liked Sejanus, not one bit. And when Soarynn was putting together the guest list, he made sure that Plinth was nowhere near getting an invitation.
Coriolanus answers for her. "I thought it was wise to keep the party contained. We don't need any outbursts."
Soarynn clears her throat, uncomfortable talking badly about anyone. Even Sejanus. "Felix, how is your uncle's campaign coming along?"
Felix's uncle is the current President of Panem and getting older by the day. Coriolanus plans to take his place one day, but he has another four years before he can make his move. But it's surprising that Felix is related to such an important man, considering how...unimportant Felix is.
"The people funding it are nervous," Felix admits with a shrug. It's not his money going down the drain. "But he's projected to win again."
"That tends to happen when you don't have anyone running against you," Coriolanus observes. Soarynn shoots him a look. She hates it when he talks politics around others. Felix, however, doesn't mind at all. "Don't compete where you don't compare, my friend."
The boys all chuckle while the girls roll their eyes. Boys will be boys.
Clemensia changes the topic back to the Districts. "When do you two leave? I wanted to go shopping for a new dress for the horse races."
The fact that the races are three months away is lost on the girls who dive into an excited conversation about coordinating outfits again, like they did last year.
Soarynn drifts away from Coriolanus, leaving him at the mercy of his two moronic friends. "Seriously, though," Festus mutters. "When are you going to propose? You two have been together for what, three years?"
"Three and a half," Coriolanus corrects. His eyes never leave Soarynn from across the room. "And I'm in no rush to get married. All good things come to those who wait, and she's not going anywhere."
"Neither is her virginity," Felix snarks.
Coriolanus smirks at the baited comment.
"I already have that," he replies coolly, "so I'm not too worried about her running off on me."
Felix gives him a pat on the back, and Festus laughs, shaking his head knowingly. "He's got it all figured out."
Yes, he does. Coriolanus knows it's taboo, not waiting until marriage. But he wasn't about to wait that long. And besides, he knows Soarynn's not going anywhere. No one could treat her as well or elevate her as much as he already has. That and he knows how the Capitol would treat a girl who didn't wait until marriage. She's his pretty little songbird in a golden cage, and from what he can see, she's perfectly content where she is.
"Of course, I do," he says calmly, sipping his posca. "Snow lands on top, remember?"
Festus scoffs. "How could we forget, Mr. Valedictorian?"
All he gets from Coriolanus is a smug smile. "Someone has to have it all figured out."
"Then here's to you," Felix says, half mocking, half serious. "To Coriolanus Snow, who already has it all figured out."
"The girl, the game, and the glory," Festus adds.
Coriolanus raises his glass again. "Here's to me."
| "i guess i thought i knew you, but you don't know yourself. my heart was on the table, yours was on the shelf. you promised me a castle, but all you built were walls. i treated you like a king, but even kingdoms fall..." | this is like house of balloons, but not. bc picking that series back up right now gives me a headache lol |
Rain patters against the windows of the dimly lit study. Coriolanus prefers to work with the overhead light turned off late into the night. It's less harsh on the eyes. Softens the edges of the ugly world he's helped to build.
He hears something else soft. Footsteps. Moving carefully through his home. They're getting closer, and closer, and closer. Then, a knock. Soft. Gentle. All the words he could use to describe her.
"Come in," he calls, still staring at the fireplace. He should add more firewood. The fire's nearly gone. The door to his study opens softly.
"Will you read to me?"
He turns at her voice. Over a year of being married to Soarynn, and her voice still surprises him every time. It guts him, if he's being honest. He is rarely honest with himself.
She's standing in the doorway of his study, barefoot, her blonde hair tumbles down her shoulders in soft waves. She's wearing a pale pink nightgown. She looks so incredibly small standing there.
Young, his mind corrects him, she looks incredibly young.
And that's because she is. In the Capitol, once a girl gets her period, she becomes a woman. Ready to be married. No matter how old she is. Or how young.
In Soarynn's case, she was sixteen when she bled for the first time. Her father said she was proud to be a woman. Her mother later whispered that Soarynn cried for hours when she realized what it meant. It meant she would be given away, married to a man likely twice her age.
Coriolanus married her when she was seventeen. He was thirty-two at the time. Ironically, he was considered to be one of the younger Commanders in the Capitol. But she was never considered to be too young to marry him.
That should've been the ironic part. Except it wasn't. Men clapped him on the back and congratulated him on securing such a pretty little wife. And she was very pretty. Narrow frame, built like a bird, long blonde hair, nearly white in the sun. What always took his breath away were her eyes, though. Big. Blue. And gray. He never knew that shade of blue existed until he met her.
Those big eyes stare at him now, filled with hope. Or as much hope as she's permitted to have living in a world like this. A world where women cannot read or write. A world where men make all of the decisions. Women are simply...ornamental. Pretty figures to stand next to their husbands while they preside over the Capitol and the Districts.
But here she is now. His little wife is standing barefoot in his study, asking him to read to her because he did it once and now it's become a habit. He still hasn't decided whether it's a good one or a bad one yet.
The first time he read to her was, in all honesty, a way to calm her down. She had gotten a terrible fever that left her bedridden for at least a week. She hated being sick. Hated the doctors who poked and prodded at her. She had been beside herself on one of the first nights. Burning up, sweating, crying a little.
Coriolanus honestly hadn't known what to do. Hugs and kisses were not his idea of comfort. He already told her she would be fine. That she would not die. That Capitol medicine would make her feel better. So in an attempt to get her to sleep, he started to read to her. Just his reports, work-related things, he started to read out loud while he worked from a desk in their room.
Apparently, his voice calmed her.
She slept for the entire night. And the night after that, and the night after that. As long as he read to her. When she got better, he assumed that was the end of his stories. He thought incorrectly. Because the next night, Soarynn padded into his study, something she never did unless summoned.
He should have turned her away. That's what he thinks to himself all the time. It would've saved him a lot of trouble. But he never does. The logical part of him understands that sometimes indulging can get you further in life than correcting can. The sentimental part, however, has not been allowed a say on the matter yet.
Because it might tell him something that he doesn't want to hear.
"Come here," he says quietly, pushing back from his desk. His study is immaculate. A large mahogany desk sits in the center, surrounded by bookshelves lined with history, awards, and medals, all proof of success. There are books everywhere in here. And she can't read a single one.
Soarynn closes the door behind her with a soft click, twisting her hands in her nightgown. She does that whenever she's nervous. She stands between his knees only for a moment before his hand comes to her waist, pulling her down until she's sitting in his lap, her back pressed against his chest.
She settles there comfortably now. At first, she was stiff as a board. Now, she reaches for the top drawer of his desk and opens it without asking. Her book is there. Well, it's not her book. It's his book. Everything in this house belongs to him. Including her.
"I think the princess is going to escape," she tells him, running her thumb over the pages. Coriolanus takes the book from her, opening it to where he last left off. "Hmm. Why's that?"
Soarynn shrugs, settling more comfortably against him. "It's nice to have happy endings." The alternative ending would be that she marries the prince. Coriolanus knows why she sees that as an unhappy ending. The same thing happened to her. Locked away in a castle.
"Well, let's see if you're right." Coriolanus begins reading, the cadence of his voice is calming, slower than his usual pace. He read faster in the beginning. Until he noticed her trying to keep up with him. She still can't read. But she tries. God, she tries. He catches her doing it all the time.
By the time he finishes reading it, her head is resting on his shoulder, inches away from his chin. Her feet dangle above the ground, and one hand sits on the armrest. Comfortable. Not asleep. Not yet.
"You're not asleep yet," he notes dryly.
She looks up at him with a frown on her pretty little face. "That wasn't a happy ending."
Coriolanus rests one hand on her waist, and the other sets the book down on the desk. "She married the prince."
"I thought she would escape."
"That is not how these stories typically end," he explains.
Soarynn frowns even deeper. "That's not fair."
A flicker of amusement crosses his face. "Most things aren't, darling."
"Can we read another one?"
He shakes his head. "You need to go to bed."
"Tomorrow then?" She asks hopefully, "Can we start a new book tomorrow?"
Coriolanus mulls this over longer than he should. Because he knows the answer he should give: no. No more books. She's a wife, not a child. Only children need bedtime stories. And yet, she is a child. Perhaps that's why he allows this. Guilt and indulgence can often feel like the same thing if you're good at lying to yourself.
He's made a whole career out of it.
"We'll see."
Soarynn sighs, slouching in his lap.
"That means no."
"You sound very sure of yourself."
She gives him a guilty look, "Sorry."
There she is. His little apologist.
She suddenly points at the cover of the book, "Is that my name?"
He looks at the cover now. The title is far from her name, but the author's name is where the confusion lingers.
Sodenhiem.
An old Capitol name. Older than Coriolanus himself.
Not her name. Not even close. But how would she know? She can't read.
"No," he says, "that is not your name."
"Oh. Sorry."
That apology again. It's almost instinct.
Coriolanus reaches for a different drawer, one she's never opened before, and pulls out a sheet of paper and a pen. Soarynn stills in his lap. "Your name is spelled differently," he explains, writing out her name in sharp, precise letters. "See the difference?"
Soarynn looks at the sheet of paper and then back at the book. Her brows furrow. "Not really," she admits.
Most men would have lost their patience by now. Most men don't read to their wives at night, though. He continues.
"Your name starts with an S-O," he points at the letters on the page, "see?" Soarynn leans forward, her eyes scanning her own name. "So does his," he points at the embossed writing on the book cover.
"...but the rest of the letters are different," she supplies, unsure of her own explanation.
"Yes," he answers.
"How do I spell my name?"
The question stuns him for a moment. Coriolanus remembers a time when every child in the Capitol knew how to spell their name. How to write. How to tell time. How to read. Soarynn was born after the Second Rebellion. Her generation was never given a chance to learn. Only to obey.
His finger moves across his writing on the page. "S-O-A-R-Y-N-N."
"Soarynn," she whispers to herself. "It looks more complicated when you spell it out like that." Coriolanus nods, reading her name in his head. "Most things are," he agrees quietly.
"How do you spell your name?"
So many questions tonight.
He writes his name out anyway.
"It's bigger than my name," Soarynn says, tracing over the letters with her finger. "Do you ever get tired of writing it out?" Something that sounds and feels like a laugh leaves his lips. "I don't," he tells her, "but I also have a signature. That makes writing a little easier."
"Signature," she whispers to herself, "my father has a signature."
"Most men do."
"But not women."
"That is correct."
"Could you make a signature for me?"
He stills at the question. Innocent in nature, but dangerous in theory. Signatures mean agency. Power. Soarynn seems to realize this, too. "I'm sorry," she says quickly, "I don't, I didn't mean to...I don't need a signature."
Coriolanus sets the pen down and places his other hand on her waist, carefully lifting her until she's seated sideways on his lap so he can see her face clearly. She looks scared.
"People usually create their own signatures," he explains, brushing her hair away from her face. "I can't do it for you."
Her shoulders sag in relief. Women can be punished for less than asking for things like that.
"Okay," she says. "Thank you for showing me my name."
He hums, not entirely mad at himself for showing her something as simple as his name. "You'd never seen it before?"
Soarynn shrugs as if it doesn't matter. "I'm sure I have seen it. I just didn't know what I was looking at."
Ah, a cruel irony. Looking at something and not recognizing it. She does the same thing with him. Looks at a monster but trusts it anyway.
"That's a flaw most humans have," he tells her. Soarynn tilts her head at that. "What's a flaw?"
He thinks for a moment. "It's an error. An inconsistency. Something that doesn't belong in the system."
Like this, he thinks to himself, you sitting in my lap while I read to you and write out your name.
"The Capitol doesn't like flaws."
Finally, something they can agree on.
"No, they don't. Now, off to bed."
Soarynn sighs, but she doesn't fight him. She slides off his lap carefully, smoothing down her nightgown like it's second nature to look presentable even at bedtime.
"Thank you for reading to me."
"You're welcome."
He watches her go, small thing she is. As she closes the door behind her, he hears her whisper something else. Not her name.
His.
Coriolanus.
꧁ ꧂
The next night, there are no stories.
The study sits untouched as laughter rings down the hall, coming from the parlor. Smoke curls around the room, and drinks are poured by servants. Coriolanus doesn't host Commanders often, but when he does, he knows just how they like to be entertained.
"District Two is reacting as expected to the enforcements," Commander Creed says over his whiskey. Several men grumble in agreement. The Districts try to rebel all the time. They never win. Not anymore.
"Most things behave better once they're trained," Commander Cardew replies with a lazy smirk. A cigar sits between his fingers with the type of lazy arrogance only a Commander could possess. Commanders are the highest ranking officals in the Capitol below the President.
Cardew's gaze travels along the fireplace mantel and comes to a stop at a framed photograph of Coriolanus and Soarynn at their wedding. Its Capitol procedure that all newlyweds be photographed for the paper. Coriolanus knows that these photos are also put into the Capitol records.
Soarynn looks impossibly young standing next to him. One of his gloved hands rests possessively on her waist. Her eyes are wide, looking at the camera. She was probably in shock. Capitol weddings aren't extravagant, but they get the message across: you belong to this man now. Permanently.
"Speaking of training, how's that little wife of yours, Snow?"
Coriolanus takes a drag of his own cigar before answering. "She's good."
That earns him a few low whistles and shared smiles. Knowing smiles.
"She's that bad, huh?"
"Figures. She looked so... obedient."
That last word draws a sharp reaction out of him.
"She is," he answers swiftly. "She knows her place."
Creed smirks, "Mhm. As all women do. How old is she again?"
"She'll be eighteen in June," Coriolanus answers. "Mature for her age."
"They have to be," someone jokes, and laughter fills the room. It's easy laughter, the kind shared between men who have power. Coriolanus finds himself laughing, too. Crane perks up from his seat by the fireplace.
"Looks like we have a visitor, gentlemen."
They all turn in their seats to find Soarynn standing near the doorway, clearly trying to listen. Coriolanus beckons her over with two fingers. "Come here, darling."
Her eyes widen with nervousness, but she listens anyway. Wives are taught to obey before they question. She's wearing a soft little yellow dress. The kind of thing that makes her look innocent. The neckline is modest, but on her, it's damnnear sinful.
Her hands clasp behind her back as she stops right next to his armchair. Coriolanus looks at ease here. Sitting and smoking with powerful men who decided that girls like her shouldn't be able to read or write. Its contradictary from how he was with her last night, writing her name out, reading to her.
He can see the confusion lingering behind her eyes.
"Soarynn," Creed says, resting his elbows on his knees. "How have you found being married to our dear Commander Snow?" He shares a knowing look with Crane. Soarynn clears her throat, uncomfortable but not enough to find a reason to leave or ignore the question.
"He's been very good to me," she says softly. Creed scoffs a laugh. "Of course he has, sweetheart. You're lucky to be married to a man like him, you know. Coriolanus doesn't like to break his toys."
Soarynn says nothing to that. Coriolanus leans back into his armchair, perfectly comfortable with this conversation. "I've been very well behaved," he says with a smirk. "Isn't that right, darling?"
Soarynn looks down at him as his hand comes to rest at the back of her knee. Calming and claiming at the same time. "Yes," she whispers. Her fingers twist in her dress, but Coriolanus doesn't release her.
"I suspect we'll be seeing little ones running around here soon," Creed muses. "My wife, Livia, is pregnant with our first."
Soarynn forces a polite smile, "What a blessing for your household."
A blessing indeed, Coriolanus thinks to himself. He can already picture it, Soarynn swollen with his child. They'll have more than one, of course. Lineage is important. A legacy. Little blonde Snows to follow in his footsteps. Strong sons and obedient daughters.
"Yes, we're looking forward to finding out the gender."
"Heaven help you if you have a girl first," Coriolanus remarks. Several of the men chuckle. Creed is desperate for a son. "I have no doubt that my wife will provide me with what I require," Creed replies coolly, his eyes lingering on Soarynn.
"They say the younger the womb, the more fertile they are."
Coriolanus feels Soarynn stiffen under his touch. His thumb brushes against her skin absentmindedly. Calming and claiming.
"I have yet to put those rumors to the test, my friend."
"How many children do you want, Soarynn?"
The question makes her freeze. No one ever asks her what she wants. Not really. Women do not get to want.
"I...I would like to have as many children as I can possibly bless my husband with," Soarynn answers carefully. Her voice only shakes the smallest amount. Coriolanus hums in approval. "Exactly. Now, darling, I believe there's laundry to be put away in our bedroom."
Soarynn nearly flies out of the parlor, glad to be dismissed. Cigar smoke curls around Creed. "She's a pretty little thing, isn't she?"
Coriolanus takes another slow drag of his cigar and hums thoughtfully.
"She's a good girl."
꧁ ꧂
Soarynn finds him in his study later that night.
The Commanders have gone back to their own homes, taking the lingering tension and cigar smoke with them.
"Coriolanus?"
He doesn't even look up from his reports. "Hmm?"
"Will you read to me?"
The pen in his hand stops, and he looks over at her.
Her hair is braided down her back tonight. One of the servants must have done it for her. Her nightgown is blue tonight. Brings out her eyes.
"Not tonight."
Soarynn's eyes shine with tears instantly. She's a sensitive girl. "Did I do something wrong?"
Coriolanus sighs. "No. You've done nothing wrong. I have reports that need to be finished before tomorrow morning. You're a big girl, now, Soarynn. You don't need to be read a bedtime story every night to fall asleep."
Her bottom lip threatens to tremble. He knows how she gets. First the eyes, then the lip, then her voice breaks.
"Oh."
There it is. That tragic little break in her voice.
"Don't cry," he tells her, "I shouldn't even be reading to you in the first place."
"Why not?"
He's taken aback by her boldness. But perhaps this is his own doing. Letting her sit in his lap while he fills her head with fairytales and the idea of happy endings. Coriolanus suddenly rises from his chair. Soarynn takes a small step back. Instincitve.
"Why should I?" He asks, folding his hands behind his back. "It's against every Capitol law there is. Reading is strictly prohibited amongst women. You know this, Soarynn. We all know this."
Soarynn looks up at him with mournful eyes. "But I thought..."
He tilts his head, slowly closing the distance between them.
"You thought what, sweetheart?"
Soarynn swallows and tries again. "I thought maybe you were different."
That stops him in his tracks.
I thought maybe you were different.
He'd almost rather her start crying instead of attempting to humanize him. To make sense of the man she's been married to. That's what good husbands do. They teach their wives to fear, to obey, to never question.
To keep them at arm's length so you can avoid disasters like this late at night.
"Different how?"
Soarynn shifts on her feet. She looks smaller like this. Younger. "Like...like the prince in the story."
Ah, her knight in shining armor. What a pity that she thought he might be good and noble. Kings are often the opposite.
"I've filled your head with fantasies," he realizes, coming to a stop right in front of her. His hand comes to rest at the side of her face. "That was an error on my part. It won't happen again."
It's like he can see her heart break right in front of him.
"What?" She whispers, tears now falling freely.
His thumb brushes a tear away. She's pretty when she cries.
"You thought this was a castle," he says gently. "Look around you, darling. All this is to you is a room. Walls. Women like you don't get happy endings. But you get a place beside me. And soon, you'll get to be the mother of my children. That is how your story ends."
Soarynn looks at him differently now. Like she's finally seeing him for who he is for the first time since she met him.
"I trusted you."
"Well," he says, pressing his fingers into her face, "girls in the Capitol aren't exceptionally smart."
Soarynn doesn't say anything else. Her silence speaks for itself. Coriolanus lets her have it, though. Women are afforded such small luxuries in the Capitol. Instead of correcting her, he kisses her forehead and sends her back to bed.
He came into his family as the youngest, the baby, the smallest. But he wouldn't have it any other way. It helps that his big sisters know everything already; they can tie their shoes and open the doors. What else could you possibly need to know?
But Caspian knows one thing for certain: his Momma is his favorite person in the whole wide world.
He's only two, so maybe things could change, but he doesn't think so. There is no one in the world like his Momma. There are faint memories of her from when he was even smaller than he is now. She says he used to fit in his Father's hand so easily because he was so small. Caspain thinks of himself to be quite big now, standing a little over two feet.
Every day when he gets woken up, her smiling face is the first thing he sees. Not his sisters or his Father, but his Momma. She is the most consistent thing in his life. Besides Lenny, of course.
Momma says that he was gifted Lenny was he was just a baby and that he's never cared for the other stuffed animals he was given. Caspian doesn't mind the other animals, but no one is like Lenny the Lion.
"Caspian, darling, come along."
He looks up from his blocks, almost finished with his tower. "Stay, Momma," he says, grabbing another block. She smiles but shakes her head, "We have to go to dinner, darling. You can play with your blocks tomorrow."
Caspian knows how long that will take. Everything feels like it takes forever these days. It's taken him forever to learn how to walk, let alone talk.
His first word was obviously 'Momma,' which surprised no one. His sisters, Ceraphina and Celeste, refer to her as 'Mommy.' It just doesn't roll off the tongue the same way to him. For the longest time, Caspian didn't realize that Momma had another name, a real name just like his.
He used to think that her name was 'Darling,' since that's what Father always calls her.
"Darling, come here, please."
"You look beautiful, darling."
"Oh, darling, I missed you."
Caspian was sure that her name was 'Darling' until Momma started taking him with her to run errands. Everyone would come up to them and say how cute he was, which he could not deny. That was when he was introduced to a new name for Momma.
Soarynn.
"Oh, he's so precious, Soarynn."
"Soarynn, you didn't tell me he looked just like his father!"
"Are you free for lunch this Saturday, Soarynn?"
Caspian decided a few things right then and there. The first being that his Momma had the prettiest name in the entire world. The second being that he much preferred to call her Momma, even if he did know her name. And the last being that everyone loved her.
Especially Father.
Father has been around just as much as Momma has, except he leaves a lot during the day and comes home at night. Momma is always so excited to see him, even if she's playing with Caspian and his sisters. She'll leave them with their nanny, whom he's still not too sure about. No one will ever be like Momma.
Momma loves to kiss Father on the face and hug him, almost never letting go. Caspian has come to the conclusion that if he is to also get married, he'll have to marry Momma, or at least someone just like her.
He won't be marrying someone like his sisters. No, no, no. His sisters can be so bossy sometimes. They love to tell him what to do and run circles around him. Caspian has told Lenny about this many times in private, how Momma and Father should've just had him instead of his sisters, and Lenny totally agrees.
It's not easy being the only boy in the family.
"Oh, but the cook made your favorite," Momma tells him, crouching down so they're at the same height. "She made you lamb stew. Remember how much you liked it the other week at the restaurant?"
Caspian remembers the restaurant very well, only because they kept bringing his family bread. Caspian had never seen so much bread in his life, and certainly not all at the same time in the same place. Momma ordered him lamb stew, and it was very yummy. Apparently, it's his favorite now.
"Yes, Momma."
Caspian doesn't really like to argue with her, not when his sisters do enough of that already. Ceraphina thinks she's an adult, so she doesn't need help with anything. Caspian has watched her swat Momma's hand away one too many times these past few weeks whenever she needed help.
Caspian can't fathom not needing Momma's help.
Celeste is no better because she just copies everything Ceraphina does. Ceraphina calls this being a 'copycat,' which is a word they're not allowed to use anymore because Father said so.
They have a lot of words they aren't allowed to say in their house.
Momma smiles and presses a kiss to his cheek. "That's my sweet boy. Come on, we don't want to keep the others waiting." Caspian allows his Momma to pick him up and carry him out of the playroom. He holds onto her with one hand and holds onto Lenny with the other.
Lenny comes everywhere with him.
They go to the dining room, and everyone else is already there.
"Mommy, Ceraphina won't let me try her water!"
Caspian buries his face in Momma's neck, smelling the sweet scent she always carries around with her. She smells like vanilla ice cream and cupcakes.
"You two have the same water, Celeste," Momma explains patiently, sitting down in her chair. Caspian stays in her lap, more than happy with his spot. He does have a highchair, but it's so uncomfortable.
"Does he really need to sit in your lap? His highchair is there for a reason, darling." Father's voice is always an unwelcome sound to Caspian's ears because he's always trying to steal Momma away from him.
"Oh, I don't mind. Caspian likes sitting on my lap."
Caspian nods in agreement. "Yes."
"See? He's perfectly fine, Coryo."
Father doesn't look too sure, though. He stares at Caspian with his bright eyes, making Caspian feel like he's in trouble. Father has always been distant from him. He's different with his sisters, he's nicer and doesn't try to take them away from Momma.
But he's always trying to keep Caspian away from Momma.
Caspian doesn't really understand why. He hardly knows the man if he's being completely honest. Father is gone when he wakes up, and comes home right before bedtime. Momma always makes him come and say goodnight to Caspian, and it's awkward for both of them.
People say Caspian looks just like his Father, so maybe Father doesn't like that. But people also say that Ceraphina looks just like Momma, and Father doesn't care at all.
"No, darling, he needs to learn how to be a big boy. Don't you, Caspian?"
Father sighs, "See? He's never going to grow up if you keep coddling him like that, darling."
Caspian clings to his Momma for dear life when he feels his Father's cold hands wrapping around him, prying his son off his mother.
"No, Momma, no!" Caspian cries, flailing his arms and dropping Lenny in the process. Momma looks heartbroken as Caspian is carried away from her despite his fighting attempts to escape. "Momma, Momma, no! No!"
"You need to be a big boy, Caspian," Father grunts, trying to put him in the highchair, but Caspian kicks his legs to stop that from happening.
"MOMMA!" He howls, tears streaming down his face.
He can hear chairs sliding across the wooden floorboards, and his Momma's soft, sweet voice fills his ears again. "Give him to me, Coriolanus. It's alright, Caspian, it's alright. Momma's right here."
Through his snot and tears, Caspian watches Momma take him back into her safe embrace, holding him so tightly against her chest. Caspian instantly wraps his arms around her neck, vowing to never let go of her as long as he lives.
"He dropped Lenny, Mommy."
Caspian looks down at Celeste, who has Lenny in her hand, holding up the Lion for him to take. "Thank you, darling, that's very sweet of you," Momma says to her. Caspian mumbles a thank you and takes Lenny back, holding onto him for dear life, too.
Father is to blame for all of this. He's decided that already.
Dinner goes by fast, and Caspian sits in Momma's lap the entire time, happy as can be. Father doesn't even look at him while they eat, but Caspian knows enough to know that he is upset about him crying for Momma.
It's a good thing he won't run into him until they have dinner again tomorrow night.
After dinner comes dessert, which was ice cream tonight. His sisters ask for chocolate while Caspian asks for vanilla since it reminds him of how Momma smells. His parents talk about things he doesn't understand, like anniversaries and doctor's appointments. They mention Petunia, and he knows who that is.
Petunia is their cat.
Father says she's evil, whatever that means.
Petunia is a white cat, so she must be vanilla flavored, too. She loves Momma, and she loves Caspian too. She'll lie next to him on the floor while he plays with his toys, and she even killed a spider once, saving his life. Caspian doesn't know how, but Petunia has the same eyes Momma has.
If Momma were an animal, she'd look just like Petunia.
It's time for a bath after that, and Caspian gets to wear his duck pajamas once he's all clean. "You look so handsome, darling," Momma coos, brushing through his curls. Caspian beams up at her. She is the prettiest person he has ever seen. Momma has a kind smile and pretty eyes. Her face has lots of dots covering it, like stars in the sky. She has long blonde hair that always smells good.
Momma is his favorite person in the whole wide world.
"Let's get you to bed, hmm?"
Caspian doesn't fuss like his sisters do. Today was a long day, and he's ready for bed. He usually dreams about going to the park and spending time with Momma. One time, he had a scary dream that Momma wasn't here anymore and woke up crying. Luckily, nothing happened to Momma, and she helped him get back to sleep.
"You're getting so big," she whispers, carrying him over to his crib. "Soon, you'll need a bigger bed!" Caspian has no qualms about his crib, he's slept in it all his life, no need to change things. He can sleep in it until he's at least Momma's age.
"Bed," he agrees. Momma gently lowers him into the crib, smiling down at him. "Goodnight, my sweet boy. Momma loves you so, so much, my darling."
She leans down and kisses his cheek, and Caspian does his best to remember the feeling of his Momma putting him to bed. Ceraphina doesn't want anyone to put her to bed, but Caspian will always want Momma to kiss him goodnight.
"Love Momma," he says to her. Momma smiles against his cheek. "I love you too, my darling. I'll sing you a lullaby to help you fall asleep."
Sometimes Momma will read him a bedtime story, and other times, she'll sing him a lullaby. Caspian watches her turn off the lights, and his room darkens, but he can still see her faint outline.
"Gumdrops make Heaven, Raindrops make Dew,
Songbirds with feathers know I love you,
Foxes are clever, Ravens are too,
But Songbirds with feathers know I love you."
As Caspian drifts off to sleep, he thinks about all the big things he'll have to do when he grows up, like sit in his own chair at dinner. But that's so far away, and Momma will always be here no matter what.
Princess Ceraphina announces her departure with great ceremony.
She doesn’t cry. She doesn’t shout. She doesn’t even look particularly upset. Quite mature for two years old.
She simply decides. No theatrics.
“I go,” she informs the empty air with solemn conviction and certainty, her small voice echoes faintly against the marble walls of the royal corridor. It feels as though the walls themselves are watching over their little princess.
She has prepared carefully for this journey.
Her most important possessions clutched in her hands: a ragged, worn, stuffed rabbit missing one button eye, a gift from when she was a baby, and a gold ribbon she had pulled from her mother’s hair earlier that morning. She drags the ribbon behind her like a train, its end whispering across the floor. Like a trail of crumbs from the tarts she likes so much.
Behind her, the palace stretches vast and endless.
Behind her, two tall shadows watch.
Prince Coriolanus Snow stands at the corner of the corridor, one shoulder resting against the stone. His arms are crossed loosely over his chest, his expression composed but attentive. It always is when it comes to his only daughter. Beside him, Princess Soarynn presses her fingers lightly to her lips, barely containing her smile. She does that often these days with Ceraphina whose personality grows bigger and bigger each passing day.
Ceraphina does not know they are there watching her.
She waddles forward with determination, her tiny slippers making soft, uneven taps against the floor. Her golden curls bounce with every step. The color and shape she inherited from her father. Her face, however, is entirely her mother’s. Carved from soft stone with gentle hands.
“I go far,” she mumbles to herself.
She makes it approximately eight feet.
Then she stops.
She turns around.
She stares at the very corridor she had just abandoned. Empty. No one comes to stop her.
Her lower lip trembles.
Soarynn inhales sharply, already preparing to rush forward to comfort as she always does for her darling daughter, but Coriolanus’ hand settles lightly around her wrist, stopping her. Gentle yet firm. As he always is with his wife.
“Wait,” he whispers.
His voice is quiet. Calm.
Observing. But faithful.
Ceraphina turns back around quickly, as if embarrassed by her own hesitation and miscalculation. She lifts her chin, clutching her rabbit tighter, and resumes her escape. Curls bouncing again.
This time, she makes it twelve feet.
A new record.
She stops again.
Her shoulders rise and fall with the weight of her decision. Her small mind, still so new to the world, struggles to reconcile independence with distance. For she’s never been this far away from her parents without them knowing.
She whispers something to the rabbit.
Soarynn cannot hear it.
But Coriolanus can read it on her face.
She misses them. Already.
Ceraphina resumes walking, slower now.
Six more steps.
Then she stops completely.
Silence fills the corridor.
She stands there, so very still, with her back to them, her tiny frame suddenly fragile against the enormous palace built to keep her safe. A decision is being made. Options weighed against one another. Risk versus reward.
Then, she turns.
Her blue eyes search.
She finds them immediately.
Her relief is instant. Obvious. Her entire face softens, her fear dissolving into certainty. Certainty that her parents are within reach like always. That they will always come when she needs them most.
“There you are,” Soarynn breathes, unable to stop herself any longer, stepping into the corridor with open arms.
But Ceraphina does not run.
Running would imply panic.
Running would imply she had failed to make her journey.
Instead, she walks toward them with careful dignity, as though this had always been her destination. Her plan. They are simply moving pieces in her story.
As though she had chosen to return herself.
When she reaches them, she lifts her little arms without a word.
Coriolanus bends first.
He lifts her easily, with one arm supporting her small body against his chest. She rests against him immediately, her beloved rabbit squished between them, her cheek settles against his shoulder as though it has always belonged there. Because it has.
He says nothing.
He doesn’t tease. He doesn’t acknowledge her attempted escape. He simply holds her. Like he was always meant to do.
Soarynn strokes Ceraphina’s curls gently, her fingers smoothing the soft gold strands from her forehead in a way that causes Ceraphina to lean into her touch before even realizing it.
“Did you go far?” she asks softly.
Ceraphina considers this very seriously.
She nods.
“Yes.”
Coriolanus’ mouth curves faintly at the corner. Not mockery. Not amusement. Something quieter. Something warmer. Something that only comes out when he’s with his girls, his Soarynn and his Ceraphina. His most treasured possessions.
Ceraphina rests safely in his arms, her grand adventure complete, her kingdom exactly where she left it. A little princess finished with her journey.
And neither of them tell her that they had been watching the entire time. Instead, they share knowing looks, soft smiles and then turn to walk back to their royal chambers to put her down for a nap.
After all, she must be very tired after such a long journey.
Coriolanus would never dare say it out loud, not to her, not to Soarynn. His girl. His love. His heart.
But her cat. Petunia. Was fat.
Some might call her fluffy, a bold-faced lie if he’d ever heard one. He’s seen fluffy before. Petunia is not fluffy. She’s a mass, a wall that moves at a slow, slow pace; sometimes, he wonders if she’s just dragging herself across his hardwood floors.
To make matters worse, Soarynn denied such claims, the one time he bravely mentioned that perhaps she ought to lay off the catnip so Petunia didn’t fall through the floor into their downstairs neighbors' apartment.
“She is not fat, Coryo,” Soarynn had loyally defended the feline, all while struggling to hold her up. “She is a woman with figure.”
Well, he figured that she could only run from the truth for so long. It’s not like she was helping Petunia out. Soarynn didn’t do it on purpose, but the little treats she’d give Petunia, the scraps after dinner, the extra meals, they caught up rather quickly.
Petunia wasn’t helping her case either. Hissing at him like she wanted him to die. Swatting and batting at his ankles whenever he’d walk by her. Sitting directly on his pillow until he got pink eye.
She was the devil. The chunky, full-figured devil.
Still, he put up with the fat cat because he loved her. Well, he loved Soarynn. Not Petunia. He had tried at first, tried winning the feline over with treats and pets, but she wanted nothing to do with him, and truthfully, the feeling was mutual. The only thing they had in common was Soarynn.
Even now, the cat glares at him from her claimed spot on his bed. Soarynn remains oblivious to the political turmoil happening right under her nose, folding laundry like it's a regular Sunday afternoon. Please, there is nothing normal about how big Petunia is.
"Look how cute," Soarynn says to him, holding up a new sweater she got the other day. Coriolanus smiles from his spot on the sofa he keeps near the fireplace. "It's perfect, darling." Petunia lets out an opinionated meow as if arguing against him. "Petunia certainly has a mind of her own," Soarynn chuckles softly. Coriolanus finds none of this funny.
One glance around his room tells him all the places Petunia has been. Tufts of fur near the windows, scratches along the hardwood floors, toys near the bathroom doors. She's everywhere all at once.
Petunia makes a move to stand up, which is rather amusing considering it takes all of her gathered effort to stand on her four chunky paws. She struggles for only a moment before she leaps onto the floor, landing with a loud thump that he's sure the whole Capitol just heard.
"Darling," he starts, watching Petunia pad across the room. "Have you ever considered that maybe Petunia could use a little exercise?" He words his question carefully, for he knows that Soarynn's fury is capable of making Petunia's fury look like child's play.
Soarynn stops her folding and lowers the shirt in her hands. She looks over at him with such serenity in her eyes that he's starting to feel scared.
"Exercise?" She repeats. Coriolanus swallows, nodding. "Yes, exercise. You know, a few laps around the apartment, something to keep her more...agile." Petunia flops onto the rug near his feet as if the five feet she just walked were five miles. Already exhausted. Pathetic.
"Cats don't need exercise," Soarynn states as if it's the most obvious thing in the world. He begs to differ. "Petunia is not like other cats," he points out. Coriolanus rises from his seat. It would be easier to get his point across if he were to lay on that famous Snow charm of his.
He walks over to Soarynn, leaning against the bedpost. She looks so beautiful right now, dressed in a light blue dress that he got her the other week. It brings out her eyes. He gets so distracted by her beauty that he's almost forgotten why he came over here in the first place. Ah, yes, Petunia and her fluff.
"All I'm saying is that Petunia is...more full-figured than other cats." He wonders if he can go to hell for lying so blatantly. Soarynn frowns, bunching up the fabric in her hands, "Are you calling her fat again, Coryo?" The fact that she has to use the word "again" is a warning within itself.
"She can barely walk five feet," he stresses, gesturing towards the white mound of fluff lying on the rug. "This isn't healthy, darling. Don't you want her to be healthy?"
Soarynn looks over at Petunia, oblivious to the discussion about her. "I feel bad," Soarynn says softly, setting down the shirt. "She's trying her best, we all are, aren't we?"
Damn her and her righteous heart. Coriolanus gently cups her face with his hand, brushing her jaw with his thumb. "We are, darling," he agrees, "but sometimes we need to try harder in certain spaces. Like health and fitness."
Her eyes light up just a little bit at those words. "Then you'll help her?"
Uh-oh.
Coriolanus finds himself...trapped. Between a fat cat and a hard place. But he dug this grave long ago, and now, all he can do is lie in it. And lie to her.
So he smiles. "Of course I will, darling. Leave it to me, and I'll have her in shape in no time."
꧁ ꧂
Two weeks later, Coriolanus finds that forcing Petunia to work out is a workout in itself. He started out small. Knowing that she would barely be able to stand, let alone run. So he started in the bedroom. He'd grab her favorite toy: a stick with a ribbon tied to it, and drag it along the perimeter of the room. Petunia would chase it for all of three seconds before flopping onto the floor and going to sleep.
Coriolanus had underestimated how difficult this fitness journey would be for them.
So he tried a different approach. If toys didn't excite her, then he knew food would do the trick. A little catnip went a long way in getting her to move those paws. Coriolanus would walk all around the apartment with the catnip, leaving some on the floor for her to find. It was like a trail of breadcrumbs. Petunia would waddle over, lick up the catnip, and waddle some more.
It felt pointless at first; he wondered who was training whom. Soarynn offered verbal support, cheering the fat cat on. But then he started to see results. Petunia was moving a little bit quicker; she didn't pant nearly as much as she used to. She could jump onto the bed now instead of needing to be picked up. It was the small victories that meant the most to him.
Soarynn noticed them too. Petunia could play for longer periods of time; she had more energy, more spunk.
Right now, he watches Petunia circle the kitchen counter with both curiosity and nervousness. If she can make this jump, then it means she's lost enough weight. But if she can make this jump, then it also means he's screwed because she'll be jumping onto everything now.
"Come on," he mumbles to himself, "show me what you've got."
Petunia glances at him, letting out a small trill before preparing to jump. Coriolanus braces himself for the worst, which would be her falling flat on her back and killing herself. She launches into the air with such grace that he wonders if this is the same cat from a few weeks ago. Her sharp claws scrape the marble counter and...she's done it.
"Well, well, well," he says, giving her an impressed nod. "Looks like the cat is finally moving like a cat." Petunia immediately hisses at him, swatting a paw in his direction. He doesn't mind it, though, not this time at least, because it means their fitness regimen is working. When Soarynn walks in a few minutes later, she lets them both know how pleased she is with Petunia's progress.
"Look at you, little lady!" She exclaims, scratching her behind the ears. "A few weeks ago, you couldn't climb a thing!"
"Or walk ten feet," he mutters.
Petunia basks in her praises, shooting Coriolanus a rather smug look. Leave it to the cat to take all of his credit. "She's made a lot of progress," he says smoothly. If he comes off too smug, then she'll pick up on it. "I'd say you're right," Soarynn agrees. "We should celebrate."
Petunia perks up at that word. Coriolanus once read that cats were extremely intelligent creatures and then decided that Petunia was the rare exception. But she knows what certain words mean. Treat, dinner, cuddle, and Soarynn. Four of her favorite words. It seems that celebration has finally crossed her radar.
She meows and nudges Soarynn's hand to keep the scratches going. "Celebrate as in what? Go out to dinner so she can gain all of it back?" He asks amusedly. Soarynn scowls at his little jab. "I was thinking we could get her a new collar or a toy." That's more reasonable. He thinks.
"Alright," he agrees. Coriolanus walks to her side, wrapping an arm around her waist. "I can't ever say no to you." He drops a kiss to the top of her head, feeling Soarynn's weight settle into his sturdy frame. Petunia, of course, has to have all the attention on her and meows loudly.
"Oh, hush," he murmurs, shooting her a smug look of his own. "Tomorrow we'll start her on a diet. Keep the weight off this time." Petunia glares up at him, not fully understanding the concept of a diet, but based on his tone, she knows this can't be good for her.
She would be right.
꧁ ꧂
He starts early that morning, before he goes to work. Soarynn is still sound asleep; she always is. But Petunia is awake. She pads after Coriolanus as he walks into the kitchen, sitting right next to her food bowl. He takes his time, pours himself some coffee, and prepares for another day at work. Petunia meows once. Just once, as if to say: hurry.
Coriolanus hums, reaching into the tall cabinet for her cat food. Petunia watches with hawk-like intensity as he scoops into the bag. He's precise, one cup. No extra handfuls or generous portions. Exactly what the doctor ordered.
He crouches down next to her and pours it in. The sound of her cat food hitting the metal bowl is music to her ears. She stands, sniffs, and looks at the bowl, circles it once, and sits back down. Petunia looks up at him and blinks slowly. Then, she meows, sharper this time as if to say: You have made a mistake.
Coriolanus stands back up; his work here is done. Petunia does not think so. She meows again, louder this time. He looks back over his shoulder at the picture of self-pity in cat form, looking at her bowl like some forlorn creature who's been wronged. She looks up at him again.
Where is the rest?
There is no rest.
"Portion control, Petunia," he calls from over his shoulder, ignoring the yowls she sends his way. She will lose weight. Even if it kills him.
꧁ ꧂
By the third day, she has developed a strategy. When he wakes up, she wakes up too. Soarynn remains a neutral party in this battle of wits and wills. Sound asleep while they fight. Petunia will roll onto her back as if she's been shot, letting one paw hang off the bed as if she is no longer with them. Her tail goes limp.
Martyrdom.
When Coriolanus finally finishes getting ready for the day and heads for the kitchen, she's at his heels instantly. The picture of miraculous recovery. When he fills her bowl, she eats like she's been starved for weeks. Then, she looks back up at him with those sharp eyes.
That was not enough.
He returns her look with one of his own.
It will have to be enough.
"She'll survive," he mutters to himself every time he leaves her in her self-pity. Although he's beginning to wonder if he'll survive.
꧁ ꧂
A month later, Petunia is down five whole pounds.
Coriolanus watches her play with her jingly ball in the living room, batting it around with those paws of hers. Soarynn sighs next to him, content and curled up with her book. He rests a hand across her shoulders, rubbing his thumb against her skin. This was worth it, he thinks to himself, all the glaring and whining, but look at her now.
Petunia remains oblivious to his inner thoughts, simply caught up in her own world that consists of herself, Soarynn, and sometimes, unfortunately, him. Soarynn likes to joke that Petunia must see him as "the spare" human. He does not find this funny.
Petunia pauses in her play, looking across the room at him with the same glare she's had since she was a kitten. Coriolanus smirks, she can hate him all she wants. At the end of the day, he's the only one who was able to conquer the great wall of fluff.
| @evilmenarehot , this one’s for you!!! happy easter, y’all <3
Coriolanus Snow is rudely woken up from his slumber when he feels two tiny bodies land on top of his large one. He groans, no one ever talks about this part of being a parent, the unwanted wake-up calls.
"Daddy! Daddy, wake up! It's Easter!"
Coriolanus groans again, it's also Sunday, which means sleeping in. He rolls over to his side, wrapping his arms around his wife's waist, pressing his nose against the soft skin of her back. "Darling, your children have come to bother us."
The girls giggle, continuing to jump on the bed and on him. "Before sunrise, they're your children," Soarynn mumbles back.
"We belong to both of you, Mommy! C'mon, we've gotta go find the Easter Bunny eggs!"
Sometimes, Coriolanus wishes Soarynn weren't such a wonderful mother who loves to celebrate every single holiday with the children. Between Santa, the Leprechaun, and the Easter Bunny, he can't keep track!
Soarynn sighs, it's pointless to fight against the girls and their wishes. Once they're up, they're up. Coriolanus cracks one eye open and spots his youngest daughter, Celeste, poking Soarynn's cheek. "Mommy," she whispers, "Mommy, did you die?"
Soarynn laughs, sitting up despite Coriolanus and his whine from the loss of contact. "No, my sweet girl," Soarynn says, kissing Celeste's forehead, "I did not die." Coriolanus rolls onto his back again, hoping to get a few more minutes of sleep. "Why are you always sleeping, Daddy?"
His eyes shoot open at his eldest daughter's accusatory question. Ceraphina has always humbled him. Sure enough, she's looking down at him with her hands on her hips. Her wild waves have come loose from the braid Soarynn put them in last night, giving her a nasty case of bedhead.
"I am not always sleeping," he defends himself, feeling as though he's being attacked. "I'm a working man, I deserve to rest. It's also Sunday, which means sleeping in and having a nice breakfast." If it weren't for this blasted holiday, Coriolanus would still be sound asleep with Soarynn in his arms. Maybe he'd wake her up with a nice back rub that would lead to other things being rubbed.
"Today is Easter," Ceraphina tells him matter-of-factly. "We need to go find the eggs! Let's go!"
Soarynn slips out of bed with the girls, all three of them padding into the bathroom so Soarynn can put on a robe and brush her hair before their egg hunt begins. That's why he's so tired in the first place, the fucking eggs.
Two days ago, Soarynn boiled some eggs and had the girls dye them with her. Caspian, their youngest, was not too impressed with the colorful dyes, but the girls loved it. Last night, Soarynn had him hide the dyed eggs, along with plastic ones filled with candies and treats. It was more difficult than he anticipated, with Petunia trying to bite his hand every five seconds.
Having children is exhausting.
"Coriolanus, darling," Soarynn calls from the bathroom over little giggles from the girls, "could you please go wake up Caspian? I know he's still asleep." Coriolanus grumbles, still groggy from being woken up so suddenly. "Yes, darling," he sighs, resigning himself to another busy day. At least Caspian has the decency to stay in bed until someone comes to get him.
He swings his feet over the bed, barely dodging the white paw that swipes out from under the bed, determined to slice through his heel.
Coriolanus stands up and stretches, he always moves around in his sleep, and Soarynn does too, which often leads to them waking up in very odd positions. Petunia crawls out from under the bed like the psychopath she is and hisses at him. It's not even eight in the morning yet.
"Don't test me," he says to the cat, ignoring the extra hiss she throws his way.
Coriolanus makes his way out of the bedroom and down the hall to the children's rooms. Celeste and Ceraphina have their own rooms, which are connected by a door on the inside, but they always insist on sleeping together. Caspian, however, doesn't like to share with anyone, so he sleeps by himself in his own bedroom.
Coriolanus quietly opens the doors to his son's bedroom, peeking into the dark room. Traces of sunlight can be seen from behind the blue curtains that hang in front of the windows. A streak of light illuminates Caspian's pale face, with his blonde hair. He approaches the small toddler's bed, bigger than he needs, but Soarynn insisted that he'd grow into it.
She had been so emotional when they got rid of his crib. She had mentioned keeping it "just in case another one comes along," but Coriolanus quickly put an end to that. Soarynn already got her birth control implant put back in, and it's for the better. They have three perfect children; no need to ruin their luck with a fourth.
"Caspian," he whispers, kneeling down to gently rub the small boy's back. Caspian's dark red pajamas are hanging on for dear life. His shirt has ridden up his back, and his pants, well, his pants are on the other end of the bed. "Come on, Cas, we have to get up," he says, pulling back the covers.
Caspian whines, rolling over to the other side, "No."
That might be his favorite word.
Coriolanus chuckles, glad to see that he's not the only one who was so opposed to the early morning. "It's Easter," he reminds his son, "the Easter Bunny came and left you some eggs to find."
"I want Momma."
Everyone wants Soarynn.
"She's already awake, so are your sisters. Now come along, it's time to join the rest of the world. Let's get your pajamas back on."
Coriolanus stands back up and goes to open the curtains, letting the natural light shine into the room. Caspian pulls the covers over his head, "No!"
Coriolanus always thought girls would be difficult, but Caspian proves him wrong every day. "Yes," he tells his son, "we need to face the day. Now come out from under the covers so we can get dressed, please."
"Momma!"
Coriolanus rolls his eyes, that boy is a momma's boy through and through, and it's gonna bite them in the ass one of these days. He doesn't even want to witness Caspian being dropped off at school for the first time.
"Fine," he mumbles, too tired to deal with attitudes this early, "I'll go get your mother."
Coriolanus finds that the girls have already begun their egg hunt, armed with pink baskets. Celeste runs past him, plastic eggs bouncing in the basket. "Excuse me, Daddy!" She's rounding the corner before he can say anything. At least she used her manners. Soarynn comes into view, dressed more appropriately with her robe, slippers, and a cup of tea.
"Where's Caspain?" She asks, noticing his empty arms. He shakes his head, "He wants you. Not me."
"Mommy! Ceraphina is taking all the eggs!"
Soarynn sips her tea, she handles the chaos of their children surprisingly well for someone so senstitve. "I'll get Caspian, you handle the girls."
"Deal," he quickly agrees. They go their separate ways, and sure enough, the girls are fighting over a yellow egg in the living room. It was delicately nestled in the bouquet of roses that sat on the coffee table in the middle of the room. A fine-looking centerpiece.
Now, it's in Ceraphina's hands while she holds it above her head, keeping it out of her little sister's reach. "Stop! Stop it, Ceraphina!" Celeste cries, jumping up and down with all her might.
Coriolanus quickly solves the problem by snatching the egg from Ceraphina's hand. Her reaction is immediate and loud as she stomps her foot. "Daddy!"
"Ceraphina," he mocks in the same tone, "stop stealing from your sister. There's plenty of eggs to go around."
Celeste clings to his leg, giving her sister a look. "Mhm. Stop stealing from me like Daddy said."
Ceraphina gives both her father and sister a glare but reluctantly goes to the kitchen. "Thank you, Daddy," Celeste says sweetly, batting her eyelashes. Celeste is his little angel, always running to him for defense. "Of course, sweetheart. You've already found so many eggs, look at you!" He drops the stolen egg into her basket, filled with pinks, blues, and greens.
He caught a glimpse of Ceraphina's basket, and she wasn't doing too shabby either. The girls keep collecting eggs while Coriolanus trails behind them in case they start fighting again. "Look, Caspian," Soarynn's voice fills the room, "the Easter Bunny came last night!"
Caspian clings to her hip while holding his prized possession, his stuffed lion named Lenny. Soarynn managed to get Caspian dressed, and his hair has been brushed. "Mommy! Mommy, look at all of my eggs!" Ceraphina runs up to her mother, proudly showing off her bounty.
Soarynn gasps, crouching down so Caspian can see better. "Oh my goodness! Look at all those eggs! Do you want to look for eggs too, Caspian?" Caspian peers into his big sister's basket and shakes his head. "No."
Ceraphina shrugs, used to his indifference. "More for me!"
Coriolanus goes over to his wife, trusting the girls to behave themselves now that Soarynn is here. "I see you managed to wrangle this wild child," he muses, resting a hand on her hip. Soarynn chuckles when Caspian scrunches his nose, "Oh, he's not so wild. Are you, sweet boy? He's just not a morning person."
"Is anyone a morning person?" Coriolanus wonders out loud.
The girls continue to fill their baskets, and Coriolanus is sure that they'll be finding eggs six months from now filled with stale candy. "Are you excited for the party this afternoon?"
The Heavensbees are throwing a huge tea party at their mansion to celebrate Easter, and all the most important Capitol families have been invited, including the Snows. Soarynn is good friends with Livia Heavensbee, formerly Livia Cardew, before she married Hilarius and came into unthinkable wealth.
"I am," Soarynn says, "we'll need to leave by noon at the latest if we don't want to miss the egg hunt." Of course, there will be more than one egg hunt today. Heaven help the children who will be going up against Ceraphina, who's known for her competitiveness.
Soarynn says she got that specific trait from him.
He does not see any similarities.
"Alright. I'll tackle breakfast and Caspian if you handle the girl's hair."
Coriolanus has learned many things since becoming a father, and one of those things is to not mess with little girls and their hair. Soarynn can handle that front. "Sounds like a plan. Now, why don't we go see what the Easter Bunny left for you?" Soarynn asks Caspian, who is already falling back asleep.
Along with the eggs, Soarynn also put together Easter Baskets for the children filled with more candy, some stuffed animals, and even a bunny ear headband.
Coriolanus goes into the kitchen, where the only eggs he will be using are the real ones. He decides to make pancakes today, something simple. The girls run in and out, opening drawers and cabinets to see if there are any more eggs hidden in here. He assures them that there are not, but that doesn't stop them from looking.
Petunia strolls in eventually, sitting on the windowsill that overlooks the Corso, watching him and the people below them. "Breakfast is ready," he calls once the pancakes are done. He also made bacon, sausage, and fresh orange juice. They have a cook six days a week, but Soarynn says that Sundays are for family.
The girls come running in wearing their bunny ears from the baskets they got. "Daddy, we got bunny ears!" Coriolanus chuckles at the sweet sight, they really are adorable. "My little cotton tails, hmm? Does this mean you'll start eating your carrots now?"
They both look at each other and frown. "Um...I don't think that's gonna happen, Daddy."
"Oh, but you will eat your vegetables today at the Heavensbee's party," Soarynn says as she walks in, Caspian running right behind her. The girls slouch, they've never really liked vegetables. They love their fruits, but who doesn't?
"Do we have to?" Ceraphina whines, throwing her head back for dramatic effect. "They make their vegetables so yucky, Mommy," Celeste complains, which gets her sharp looks from both her parents. The Snows pride themselves on raising polite, well-mannered children who do not insult other people's cooking.
"You will eat your vegetables, and you will not repeat that, young lady," Coriolanus tells her sternly, "the Heavensbees are so graciously hosting us in their home, and we will be grateful."
"Grateful," Caspian repeats, pulling himself onto a chair. "Yes, I expect the best behavior from your girls, or we will be going home early," Soarynn adds.
Her threat is not lost on the girls who silently slide into their seats at the table, looking glum now that they have to eat their vegetables later on. Coriolanus serves everyone at the table, making sure Caspian gets whipped cream and that Ceraphian gets syrup on only half of her pancake.
"Can Petunia come?"
Coriolanus looks over his shoulder at Petunia, who's still watching them from the windowsill, her tail flipping back and forth. "I don't think so, sweetheart."
"Will Diamond be there?"
Diamond Vickers is the daughter of Lysistrata and Clemensia Vickers, and she's also Ceraphina's best friend. "Yes, the Vickers confirmed that they'd be attending," Soarynn answers while cutting up Caspian's pancakes.
"Why does Diamond have two mommies, but we only have one?" Celeste asks, causing Soarynn and Coriolanus to pause. Coriolanus clears his throat. Conversations like this are important yet, uncomfortable.
"Sometimes people will have two mommies or two daddies," he gently explains, "it doesn't make them any different than you and your siblings."
Soarynn hums in agreement. "Exactly, sometimes mommies marry other mommies, and daddies marry other daddies. What matters is that their children are loved and well taken care of. Just like you three."
Coriolanus perks up at the mention of parents. "My parents will also be in attendance. Do not convince your grandmother to buy you anything today." Coriolanus loves his mother dearly, but his girls have got her wrapped around their little fingers. If they want a horse, she'll buy them a horse.
Ceraphina smiles, too sweet to be true. "We will be on our best behavior, Daddy," she promises, a mischievous glint in her stormy blue eyes. Coriolanus raises an eyebrow, not entirely trusting his oldest child, who's been known to get into trouble.
"After this, we need to start getting dressed, girls," Soarynn reminds them, "and don't think that just because it's Easter that you don't have to clean your rooms."
The girls groan, but it's pointless. Every Sunday, Soarynn has them clean their rooms, which is really just putting toys away. It's a good habit for them to develop. So they obviously hate it.
A smile grows across his lips, as tiring as it can be to manage three children, he wouldn't trade this for the world.
꧁ ꧂
"Persephone is furious with me because I got her pregnant again," Festus whispers to Coriolanus while they chase their toddlers around the Heavensbee's backyard. The easter egg hunt has begun, and Livia had the bright idea to divide the hunt by age groups. This way, the toddlers won't get trampled by the five-year-olds.
Coriolanus nearly trips after hearing those words. Persephone is arguably Soarynn's bestest friend; the two of them have been inseparable since their Academy days. But unlike Soarynn, Persephone has been very insistent on only having one child.
Cecil Creed is a spitting image of his father, the same way Caspian is. The two of them get along just fine, and Coriolanus was convinced that he would forever be an only child. Apparently not.
"How did that even happen?" Coriolanus asks, looking across the yard where the ladies are talking. Soarynn stands with her back to him, hands clasped behind her back, while Persephone talks with a lot of hand gestures. "She never got the implant put back in," Festus groans, tugging at his curls, "I'm doomed. I have a pregnant wife who's mad at me. What could be worse?"
Coriolanus chuckles at his friend's disposition. It's funny how Soarynn would love to have another child, whereas Persephone despises the idea. Opposites really do attract. They're both wonderful mothers, but Soarynn enjoyed being pregnant whereas Persephone tolerated it.
"You could have twins," he throws out. Festus scoops Cecil away from a rose bush covered in thorns. The last thing he needs is a crying child. "We already have a perfectly good son," Festus grits out, "we have our heir? What more could we need?"
Coriolanus looks over at his girls, who are collecting eggs with their friends, crouched down by the swing set Hilarius had built for his two children about a year ago. "Nothing, I suppose," he murmurs, remembering how worried he had been when they found out Celeste would be a girl.
He loves his girls dearly, but having about boy means securing the future, the legacy. Thankfully, Caspian came along and all was well.
"Egg," Caspian says, holding up a shiny blue egg. Coriolanus places his hands on his hips, "What a find. You should go show your mother." Caspian perks up when Soarynn is mentioned and runs over to her, tugging on her dress.
Soarynn Snow is a woman who values fashion, and holidays are no exception. She dressed the girls in matching Easter dresses, purple with flowers on the bottom of the skirts. Caspian was dressed in a dark blue suit and brown leather shoes. Soarynn dressed herself in a beautiful yellow dress with embroidered detailing on the front.
She looks down, smiling when she sees Caspian holding out an egg. She picks him up, which leads to all the women fawning over him like they always do. "Quite the ladies man," Festus jokes, "he's got Soarynn in the palm of his hand." Coriolanus can't even deny that.
The moment Caspian was born, Soarynn was enamored by him. The boy is spoiled beyond reason, and Coriolannus can't even get mad, not when he spoils the girls just as equally.
"I am the only man in her life," Coriolanus reminds him, watching Caspian kiss Soarynn's cheek. He's started doing that recently, and Soarynn loves it. Sure enough, all the women gasp adoringly at the little gesture.
"Doesn't look like it from here," Festus cheekily replies. Cecil toddles over with his own egg, looking unsure on how to proceed. "Looks like you found yourself an egg there, Cecil," Coriolanus says to the boy. Cecil looks up at him, then back down at his egg. "He doesn't really get the point of this holiday," Festus admits, "Persephone just likes to use it as an excuse to get together."
Coriolanus doesn't really know the point of Easter either if he's being completely honest. He knows that before the fires and floods, it was somewhat of a religious celebration. Now, it's just an excuse for the elite to flaunt their wealth. Candies for the children, dresses for the women, and drinks for the men.
Sounds like a good time to him.
Coriolanus spots his parents coming through the back doors, dressed in their Sunday best. "There are my parents. I ought to go say hello."
Coriolanus goes over to greet his mother and father, who are both fanning themselves. "You'd think they'd hold the festivities indoors," mother says, kissing him on the cheek, "I expect that Soarynn's birthday will be inside this year, right darling?"
Soarynn's birthday is the next big celebration on their calendar, and last year she threw a party outside. This did not blow over well with mother, who despises sweat, bugs, and humidity. All three were present that day.
"Yes, mother," Coriolanus assures her, "we can't risk you melting again." Mother swats at his arm, and he grins. She has a tendency to be a little overdramatic sometimes. Coriolanus greets his father with a firm handshake because men do not hug. "I'm sure Soarynn will plan something tasteful," father concludes.
Mother adores Soarynn, whereas father remains neutral in his feelings towards his daughter-in-law. Coriolanus knows that the man cares for Soarynn and the grandchildren she's given him. But it's simply the way he is.
Coriolanus won't kill himself trying to change his father.
"Grandmother! Grandmother, come look at our eggs!" The girls run up to their grandparents and almost run into Coriolanus. "No running girls," he corrects them. Celeste pouts, her curls fall into her face, which makes it hard to remain so stern. "But we're outside, Daddy, we're allowed to run outside." She has a point. "Not when other adults are around," he explains, "it's bad manners."
Ceraphina doesn't see the point in arguing, she just grabs mother's hand and pulls her along, "C'mon, we found rainbow eggs!"
Coriolanus watches mother follow the girls over to one of the tables set up under a tent. The Heavensbees tented a majority of their backyard for today. Some tents have tables for eating, while others have refreshments and food. There are a few tents with activities for the children, such as coloring and face painting. Coriolanus already shut down the face painting.
"I see Caspian hasn't left Soarynn's side," father comments, his cold gaze on Soarynn. Coriolanus does his best to remain calm. He can't let his father get to him, not on Easter, at least. "He was looking for eggs with me a few minutes ago," he tells his father, "he's only three."
Father scoffs, and it triggers something inside Coriolanus. "When you were his age-"
"When I was his age, you weren't around," Coriolanus cuts him off, leaving no room for his son's behavior to be criticized. "You were always working and wanted nothing to do with me until I turned thirteen, so don't act like you were the parent of the year."
Father says nothing as Soarynn approaches them, oblivious to the brewing argument between the father and son.
"Crassus," Soarynn cuts through the tension like a knife, "how wonderful to see you again." Father tears his gaze away from Coriolanus long enough to press a kiss to Soarynn's cheek and give Caspian a pat on the head. "Yes, my dear, so wonderful to see you so soon. How are you and the children?"
"Oh, we're just fine. Coriolanus sees to that," she says brightly, resting a hand on her husband's shoulder. Coriolanus nods, glad to have some backup even though she missed their entire argument.
"Duck," Caspian points to the animals swimming in the small pond that the Heavensbees have. Sure enough, there are a few ducks swimming in the water. "Aren't you so clever?" Soarynn coos, "You know, Crassus, I think Caspian is going to take after you where personality is concerned."
Coriolanus covers up his laugh with a cough. Soarynn doesn't realize how backhanded her comment was, and father's eye twitches. "Is he now?" Soarynn hums, completely oblivious to the growing tension that's started up again. "Yes, he'll be the strong and silent type. Just like his father."
Coriolanus smiles, she has such a way with words. "Well, it's easy to see where I get it from," he jokes. Father doesn't smile, but he never smiles. "The girls want to go pet the animals, and I promised you'd come with us, Coryo."
It's the perfect escape.
"Fatherly duties," Coriolanus says to his father, "you know how that goes."
"Enjoy the animals," father replies coldly.
Soarynn lets Coriolanus lead them away from his frigid father, looking over her shoulder just once at the older man. "He seemed a bit upset, didn't he? Did your parents get into an argument before they arrived?" Coriolanus kisses her temple, she's too sweet for this world.
"No, darling. That's just who he is, you said it yourself, strong and silent."
"Still," she mumbles, "he doesn't look too pleased with us. Did the girls say something?"
Coriolanus shakes his head, the girls might give him attitude, but they'd never try anything with their grandfather. "He's just mad that he didn't get a visit from the Easter Bunny," he replies, tickling her side to make her laugh. Soarynn giggles, leaning into his touch. "I just don't ever want to have a strained relationship with him."
Too late, Coriolanus thinks bitterly to himself.
The girls are already standing by the small pen with what he presumes to be animals inside it. Livia and Hilarius truly spared no expense for the festivities today. Their eyes grow bigger when they see that their parents have arrived. "Mommy, there's a bunny rabbit inside," Ceraphina whispers excitedly.
"But we can’t go in without adults,” Celeste adds. Ah, well that explains why the girls are so happy to see them. Looks like mother has run off to the beverage tent, he’s never known her to be without a glass of wine.
“Do you want to see the rabbits, Cas?” Soarynn asks their son who actually perks up at her question. He had to leave his beloved stuffed lion at home and he was not happy about it.
Soarynn is far more gracious with Lenny than Coriolanus is. He knows that when he’s at work, she’ll often let Lenny tag along with her and Caspian when running errands. Coriolanus tries to be firm with his decision to keep all stuffed animals at home, but even he cracks every once in a while.
“Yes,” Caspian says with confidence. Coriolanus gives Soarynn a grin, “Can’t argue with that.”
Coriolanus steps over the short fence that’s been set up to keep the animals contained, making sure he doesn’t squish a rabbit. There are rabbits and baby chicks inside of the pen, most of them chew on the grass. He helps the girls by picking them up and swinging them over the fence.
“Wheee!” Celeste says, kicking her feet before he gently sets her down. “Daddy, can we go flying someday?” Coriolanus has never flown a day in his life but a new type of air travel is in the works. Hovercrafts will soon be the fastest way to travel in Panem.
“I’ll work on that, sweetheart,” he promises her.
He offers Soarynn a hand as she carefully swings one leg over the fence, which is a bit more difficult while wearing a dress and carrying a toddler.
“Down, Momma.”
“Alright, darling,” Soarynn says, bending down so Caspian can go explore. A few chicks waddle over to him and Caspian smiles, looking up at his parents, “Bird!”
“That’s not a bird! That’s a baby chicken,” Ceraphina says to him, hands on her hips. Caspian doesn’t pay her any mind, “Baby birds!”
He’s close enough.
There’s a lone attendant working in the animal pen who explains that the girls will have to sit down if they want to hold the bunnies. Thankfully, a chair has been provided because Coriolanus knows how much Soarynn despises the girls getting their dresses dirty. And these are brand new.
Celeste gets to go first which is a treat since she’s used to being second next to her big sister.
“Now, gently place a hand on his back,” the attendant guides her through it as he places a brown bunny onto Celeste’s lap. She gasps softly, placing a hand on its soft fur.
“It’s so soft, Mommy.”
Soarynn smiles, smoothing down a few stray curls that have come loose from the headband she put in Celeste’s hair this morning. “Look at his little nose twitching.”
Even Coriolanus has to admit that these bunnies are quite cute. Much cuter than Petunia. Ceraphina tried to put her bunny ear headband on Petunia’s head after breakfast which nearly led to a cat fight.
“Be gentle, Celeste,” Coriolanus reminds her when she goes to touch the bunnies ears.
None of these rabbits seem to be energetic, in fact, he sees one sleeping by a bowl of water.
“Do lots of people own rabbits as pets?” Soarynn asks the attendant, causing Coriolanus to internally wince. The last thing they need is a rabbit in their apartment. Soarynn loves animals, she always wants to help them, to feed them, and save them.
Perhaps this whole animal experience is a scheme to trick unsuspecting parents into buying their children rabbits.
“Many do, but rabbits are a lot of work,” the attendant explains, “they can be very emotional animals.”
“We already have an emotional animal at home,” Coriolanus reminds her. Soarynn scoffs, shaking her head. “Petunia isn’t emotional. She’s a little lady.”
“That cat is no lady,” he mumbles, loud enough so only she can hear. The girls eventually switch places and Ceraphina gets to hold the bunny. “Look how big his ears are, Daddy!”
“Those are the biggest ears I’ve ever seen, darling.”
“You two are welcome to hold one as well. The children just need to be assisted,” the attendant says to them. Coriolanus politely declines, he doesn’t do rabbits. But Soarynn jumps at the opportunity and carefully picks up a little white one with a pink nose.
“White as snow,” she says to Coriolanus, swaying back and forth with the bunny in her arms. Coriolanus gingerly reaches out to pet the bunny who’s already fallen asleep in Soarynn’s arms.
He remembers how quickly Ceraphina would fall asleep in her arms when she was baby. Soarynn would sing lullabies about gumdrops and meadows, nearly lulling him to sleep as well.
Coriolanus looks over at Caspian who made himself at home with the chicks. He’ll run from one side of the pen to the other and all the chicks will follow after him, chirping as they try to keep up.
“Bird! Bird!”
“Can I pet your bunny, Mommy?”
Soarynn bends down so that Celeste can see the small rabbit in her arms. “You certainly may. Thank you for asking so politely, darling.”
One thing Coriolanus prides himself in is how well-behaved all their children are. Soarynn grew up a good Capitol girl who always knew her manners and he expects his girls to grow up the same way. Since Soarynn spends a majority of the day with the children, she’s been tasked with making sure they grow to be polite Capitol citizens.
Rarely do they ever act out in public. They use their best manners, talk respectfully to adults, and never whine. This doesn’t mean they act the same way at home, of course, but he’s more than pleased with his children’s behavior.
Especially compared to some of their other friend’s children.
Cecil Creed is a cute child but Persephone spoils him to death and Festus doesn’t have a backbone when it comes to raising his son.
“My, my, my, it looks like you all have found the Easter Bunny.” Mother’s voice comes from the other side of the pen and she is, of course, holding a glass of wine.
“It’s not the Easter Bunny, Grandmother! He already came to our house!” Celeste tells her, running over to the short fence. Mother chuckles, resting a gloved hand on Celeste’s cheek. “Aren’t you clever darling? And look at those curls! You know, your father had curls just like yours when he was little. Did I ever show you the pictures?”
“Yes,” they all answer. Who could forget mother cracking out the photo albums every time a new Snow baby was born?
“Oh. Well, I guess we’ll have to wait and see what Caspian ends up having. Curls or waves.”
Ceraphina inherited Soarynn’s wavy hair, causing her to look like her mother’s twin. Celeste got his curls and his bright blue eyes. Caspian can really go either way.
“Look at me, Grandmother! I’m holding a bunny rabbit!”
Mother fawns over Ceraphina and her rabbit while Soarynn puts hers down to go check on Caspian who’s resorted to walking now that running is too tiring.
Coriolanus looks across the yard and finds his father watching him and his family. He may not be as successful as his father when it comes to money, but he’s richer than he’ll ever be when it comes to love.
Coriolanus breaks the eye contact he held with his father, deciding to look at the one person who single-handedly gave him this life. And there she is, holding Caspian in her arms once again, smiling as she spins them around.
Coriolanus doesn’t know who he’d be without Soarynn, without her patience and kindness. She’s taught him to enjoy the little things in life, the eggs, the giggles, the drawings. She gave him three beautiful children without him even having to ask.
What could be better than that?
Soarynn catches him staring and blushes, she’s always been the shy one in their relationship. Caspian wiggles out of her arms, catching his second wind from the looks of it.
Coriolanus holds his hand out to her and Soarynn walks back over to him without saying a word. They’ve gotten to the point where words aren’t needed in their relationship anymore.
One look into her stormy gray eyes and he knows exactly what she’s thinking and feeling.
Her hand slips into his, “Is everything alright, Coryo?”
Coriolanus leans down, gently pecking her lips. He’s not one for excessive affection in public, but he’ll steal a kiss every now and then. Soarynn eagerly responds to the kiss, deepening it for a moment before pulling away.
“More than perfect,” he breathes, wrapping his arm around her. “Today has been perfect.”
Soarynn sighs contentedly, he knows how deeply she longed for a life like this. The sudden death of her father came right before Ceraphina was born, devastating Soarynn, and leaving her as the sole living member of the Nightingales.
Starting a family with Coriolanus was so important to her. This is the life she’s wanted since she was a little girl. He’s glad he could give it to her.
“It really had been perfect,” she agrees, resting her head on his shoulder, “although I do think a pet rabbit would make our family complete.”
Coriolanus chuckles, she’s persistent, he’ll give her that.
“Not a chance, darling.”
Soarynn looks up at him and grins. “It was worth a try.”
| "...it isn't that hard, boy, to like you or love you? i'd follow you down, down, down, you're unbelievable. if you're going crazy, just grab me and take me, i'd follow you down, down, down, anywhere, anywhere..." | a companion to 'Off to the Races' |
| this drabble contains sexual content ;) |
Coriolanus lasts about a month into the school year before he breaks.
It's almost embarrassing how difficult it's been for him these past few weeks, trying his best to ignore her and his feelings about her. He blames it all on that kiss, that stupid, sweet, sneaky kiss that Soarynn Nightingale planted on his cheek right in front of their parents.
If she had done it in private, if she had done it during one of their little sexual rendezvous, then he wouldn't have thought much of it. He kisses her all the time when they have sex, he kisses her, fucks her, and says dirty things to her. Nothing is off the table when you're fucking someone against a table.
But she did it in public, in front of their parents, in broad fucking daylight, and that had to mean something. He thought about it all the time, when he would fall asleep he would think about it, gently pressing the tips of his fingers against the very spot her soft lips pecked his skin.
Anyone who saw how besotted he was about her would've thought that he was madly in love with her, that she was his one true soulmate but some parts of him still truly couldn't stand the girl.
Yes, she was beautiful, funny, and smart. But Soarynn could also be very annoying, always acting like she was above everybody else including him. She would always be below him.
Snow lands on top after all.
It also didn't help that she kissed him in front of his mother, a woman who has always believed in true love and has always fought for young love. She married father when she was young and Coriolanus knows that she expected the same thing of him, father did as well.
He needed to marry a nice Capitol girl, from a good, prominent family who knew her place in the world.
But could that be Soarynn?
He didn't doubt that she knew the manners that came with being a Capitol wife, the girl was born and bred to live a comfortable life by her husband's side. But he's seen how feisty she can get, how she can throw it right back at him and it worries him. If he's going to marry this girl, he needs to reel her in, tame her, train her.
But their latest interactions at school have proven to be very difficult for him to continue his facade of indifference towards her. For starters, they haven't had sex since the races. Perhaps losing to her left a sour taste in his mouth but he hadn't sought her out since that hot afternoon and she hadn't either.
To make matters worse, they have almost every class together. Most likely, this is due to the fact that they'll graduate in the spring and classes have become more and more specific as the years have gone by. It's torture to be forced to sit in a classroom less than ten feet away from her. He usually sits in the back row with his friends, making it easier to take a nap or have a quiet conversation.
But Soarynn being the teacher's pet she pretends to be, always sits in the front row. He watches from the back as she twirls her long blonde hair around her dainty little finger, how she laughs at Perspehone's jokes, and how brightly she smiles at Ms. Feathernest when she walks into the classroom.
Then he has to see her in the hallway, stopping by her locker to collect her books, and holding hands with her friends as they weave through the crowds. It gets even worse at lunch. The weather is so pleasant that most students take their lunch out to the courtyard, Coriolanus and his friends included. Soarynn and her friends also eat in the courtyard, only one table away from where he eats.
This is when she'll shrug off her Academy jacket, showing off the perfectly tailored button-up shirt that every girl has to wear along with the mandated red skirt. The shirt itself is nothing special but when it's on her, it's something else. She also loves to leave the top few buttons undone, showing off some skin which drives him mad.
Between being sexually frustrated and emotionally frustrated, he's fucked.
He'd done his best to avoid her, to take different routes to their classes, to leave the library if she came inside but he could only run for so long. Soarynn is growing suspicious, giving him hard stares, and whispering to her friends. She'll confront him about his odd behavior sooner than later which is why after a month of hell, Coriolanus has finally decided to be honest about his feelings towards her.
Coriolanus Snow has a crush on Soarynn Nightingale.
He can see the headlines now. Their school has a student-run newspaper and this will be sure to make the front page. Being the important, popular man he is, Coriolanus has his pick of the litter when it comes to dating girls at their school. But he's never been interested, never seen or felt the need to tie himself down to anybody.
Sure, he's had a few flings, strictly sexual but he's only human. But now he needs something else, something different, something more.
He needs Soarynn.
Coriolanus strides into their first class of the day with a determined look in his bright blue eyes. He'll approach her after class ends, confess his feelings, and then, then she'll tell him that she feels the exact same way. If she doesn't, he'll go home and kill himself.
Easy.
Coriolanus finds that Festus and Felix have already arrived, slouched in their chairs like always. Neither of them are morning people and they often sleep right through their first class.
He drops his satchel on his desk, startling them awake with the noise, "Good morning," he greets them, sinking down into his chair. Festus lets out a yawn, stretching his arms and almost hitting Coriolanus in the process, "Morning," he mumbles sleepily, "you seem to be in a good mood."
Coriolanus shrugs, he's already decided to keep his big plan a big secret. Festus has a big mouth and looser lips, he doesn't want Soarynn to find out about his plan before he puts it into action. And Festus is officially dating Persephone Price, which means he often tells her things that he shouldn't be telling her.
While Coriolanus spent the first month mulling over his feelings about Soarynn, Festus put his feelings right out in the open, confessing to Persephone about how he really felt. It was admirable really, to see someone be so honest with themselves and their partner.
They've gone on six dates since and Festus has already talked about officially courting her.
There's dating and then there's courting.
Dating is simple, anyone can do it. Dating means going on little dates here and there, talking at school, simple things. Nothing is set in stone and it allows for people to get to know one another without committing to anything too serious.
Courting is serious, it's official, and only the upper class participates in courting. It means you're exclusive, that you intend to go further than a few giggles, hugs, and dates. It means that two individuals see an actual future with one another and wish to pursue it further.
Every Capitol girl dreams of courting and every Capitol boy dreads it because courting can not be done without asking the girl's father for permission. It's old-fashioned, yes, but it's the proper way to do things. Coriolanus won't be the one to break tradition.
His parents courted for years before getting engaged.
If you don't start now, then you'll be painfully behind by the time everyone else is getting married.
Coriolanus cannot afford to be left behind.
"It's a new week," he casually replies, craning his neck to see if Soarynn has arrived yet but her seat is empty, so is Persephone's.
Felix grunts, rubbing his eyes, "Yeah, a new week of assignments and exams, don't forget we have that lab due in Dr. Gaul's class today." Coriolanus ignores anything Felix says the moment Persephone walks into the room because Soarynn is always right behind her.
Except she's not.
Persephone sets her things down before walking towards them, greeting Festus with a kiss on the cheek, "Good morning," she says sweetly, completely oblivious to Coriolanus and his current dilemma.
"Where's Soarynn?" He asks, not caring if he sounds rude. Both Festus and Persephone give him questioning looks. He's always voiced his distaste for Soarynn to Festus who has always nodded his head and pretended to listen. This is a shock as big as any.
Persephone's eyes dart between him and Festus before answering, "She's with Titus."
Coriolanus almost falls out of his chair.
The Capitol is known for its odd names, his name is certainly no exception but there is only one Titus at their school. Titus Fenton is probably the one boy he inherently hates. He's tall, boastful, arrogant, cocky.
Sounds like someone he knows...
But to hear that Soarynn is with Titus is more than enough to further his hatred for the man. Like clockwork, Soarynn appears in the doorway, hand in hand with his number one sworn enemy. Titus looks all too smug while holding her hand, nodding along to whatever she's saying. Not only is Titus annoying, but he's also an idiot which is why he isn't in any of their classes.
But he can still walk Soarynn to hers.
Coriolanus watches with a cold, deadly stare as Titus leans down and presses a kiss to her lips. The lips that Coriolanus has fantasized about for weeks now, the lips that are exclusively his lips to kiss.
He's going to have to kill Titus for this, or at least badly injure him once he's safely gotten Soarynn to his side because this is just unacceptable. Titus is upper middle class at best!
Soarynn finally parts ways from that forlorn creature and approaches their small group in the back of the class, a smirk plastered across her lips. "How was your weekend?" Persephone asks her, giddy with excitement. Soarynn looks down at Coriolanus, far too proud of the hole she just tore in his heart, "Oh, my weekend was wonderful," she tells Persephone, "Titus is just oh-so attentive to my every need."
Coriolanus clenches his jaw, far past caring if she sees how it affects him or not. When they started having sex, they agreed to remain exclusive, mostly for the sake of cleanliness and also because he's slightly obsessed with her.
Persephone giggles, resting her hand on the back of her boyfriend's chair, "You certainly look well rested." Coriolanus doesn't even want to know what she means by that, because he can think of a couple things they might be talking about. The thought, the sheer thought of someone else touching Soarynn, kissing Soarynn, feeling Soarynn is enough to put a permanent scowl on his face.
Festus notices immediately, nudging him with his elbow, "What's up with you Snow? Just a minute ago you were looking forward to a brand new week."
Coriolanus glares at his friend, it's bad enough that he's dating Soarynn's best friend, but calling him out just won't do. "I didn't sleep well," he grumbles.
Soarynn sighs, placing her hand on his desk, drumming her perfectly manicured nails against the hardwood surface, "Oh, that's a shame, I slept wonderfully this weekend. Best sleep I've ever had in my life."
Coriolanus gives her such a cold look, he's surprised she hasn't turned to stone yet, "Yeah, I bet you've just been sleeping all over the place." That knocks her down a peg. Her smirk disappears and a scoff is thrown in his general direction, "Come on," she says to her friend, "class is going to start soon."
Persephone leaves Festus after one more kiss on the cheek, it's enough to make Coriolanus feel as though he might violently throw up at this public display of affection. He burns holes into the back of Soarynn's head the entire time they're in class, wishing he could grab that sleek ponytail she chose to wear today and tilt her head back, crashing his lips onto hers the way he's done so many times before.
By the time class is over, he is over the entire day, wanting nothing more than to go home and feel sorry for himself.
Is he too late? Has he befallen the same fate as his father? Will he not get the girl?
Will Snow finally not land on top?
꧁ ꧂
After spending the next three hours sulking and feeling sorry for himself, Coriolanus came up with a plan, a logical route of action.
He was going to beat up Titus in the boy's locker room.
Childish, yes, but not anything new between the boys who have duked it out before. Usually, they fought over petty things like sports or grades, it was a good way to let their anger out. Coriolanus is aware that he's an angry person, some might even say an evil person but at least he's self-aware.
That's half the battle in his opinion.
They all have the same physical education class right before lunch, which means the girls and boys go their separate ways to change into their gym clothes, red athletic shorts, and white athletic shirts for the boys, and the girls wear skirts instead.
Coriolanus glances over his shoulder at the group of girls shuffling towards the locker room, Soarynn bringing up the rear with her friends. They're all laughing like nothing else matters in this world but he only focuses on her. Focuses on her shiny blonde hair, how she chose to tie it up with a ribbon instead of an elastic band.
She looks behind her and for a split second, their eyes meet.
He expects her to glare at him, or scowl, even when they were secretly fucking, they still hated each other in public, always doing a good job to keep up that preferred image. But instead, her eyes soften, almost as if she's trying to convey a message.
He's herded into the locker room before he can do anything else, the doors shut behind him. He shakes himself out of it, he has to focus right now. He scans the large room for Titus, ignoring the rest of his classmates who are shouting and hollering, messing around like they always do. A few boys have already taken off their shirts, admiring their physiques in the mirrors along the walls.
Coriolanus finally pins down Titus, in the back corner, perfect.
He has to play his cards right, make it look like he was attacked, and not the other way around. There aren't any cameras in the locker rooms for obvious reasons but they have more than enough eye witnesses. Everyone will be questioned after this goes down.
Coriolanus slowly approaches Titus, stopping at the bench, and begins unbuttoning his white shirt, he wouldn't want to get it messy. Titus pays him no mind, opening his assigned locker and that's when Coriolanus spots a photo of him with Soarynn and a few of their other classmates.
It's not necessarily a photo of just Titus and Soarynn, but the fact that he took the time to put it in his locker is more than enough to anger Coriolanus.
Coriolanus blows out all the air in his lungs through his nose, perhaps he's acted too rashly, he could always just talk to Soarynn like a civilized human being instead.
"Something bothering you, Snow?"
Fuck being civilized.
Coriolanus straightens up, he's only a bit taller than Titus, and they're around the same size when it comes to muscle and weight. Titus is, unfortunately, a worthy opponent. He shakes his head while folding his shirt neatly so there aren't any wrinkles, "Nope, nothing's bothering me, Fenton."
Titus cocks his head, and that shit-eating grin spreads quickly across his entire ugly face. Titus isn't ugly per se, but Soarynn could do much better.
She could be with him instead.
"You sure about that? You looked pretty heartbroken this morning when I dropped Soarynn off."
Oh, so he knows. Did Soarynn tell him? Do other people know?
Coriolanus thought they had agreed to keep this between them but maybe she's set on ruining his reputation to make hers better. He'll have to talk to her about it after he beats the shit out of Titus.
"I'm great," he lies, forcing a smile onto his lips, "it's you I'm worried about, following her around like some lost puppy. You know how girls like her can get." His words have the intended effect on Titus who immediately stiffens and slams his locker shut, drawing more attention to them.
"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" Titus spits out, taking a step toward Coriolanus. If he wasn't so confident in his own strength, Coriolanus would feel very intimidated to be starting something with Titus.
Coriolanus shrugs, acting as if he's suddenly bored, "Oh, nothing, just thought you should know." Coriolanus goes to turn around but Titus reaches out, grabbing his shoulder.
Ah, there it is, the first point of contact.
Coriolanus looks over at Festus, his number one supporter and eyewitness. He gives him a wink.
"Let go of me Titus," he says loudly, loud enough to garner everyone's attention in the locker room. Titus looks around at their newfound audience and scoffs, "Don't act so fucking innocent Snow, I know you're fucking her."
Coriolanus feigns innocence, widening his bright blue eyes, "Fucking who? I'm waiting until marriage Titus, as any good man should be doing."
Titus sneers, Coriolanus is no actor, but he knows that what he says is imperative for him to walk away from this unscathed. Well, for his reputation to walk away unscathed, he might get a few bumps or bruises but that's more than fine.
"Fucking Soarynn, everyone knows she's been sleeping with you."
Coriolanus looks around the room at their captive audience, "Everyone knows? Who have you been talking to Titus and why are you spreading these vicious rumors about a young lady at our school?"
Whenever Titus gets mad, he gets physical, Coriolanus knows this because he often gets the same way. The only vice he's recently discovered has been having sex...with Soarynn. Looks like they've both been left high and dry for far too long.
He can see it now, how his muscles tense, how his jaw ticks, how his eye twitches. Titus is about to swing.
"Don't play these fucking head games with me," Titus growls, "I know she's sleeping with you because she's sleeping with me!" A few of the boys laugh, Festus included. Soarynn is the queen bee of their school, out of all the boys she could choose to sleep with, Titus would be the last on her radar. Which leads Coriolanus to wonder what she was doing with him in the first place.
Oh, well, he can ask her about it later.
"Lying is a terrible thing to do Titus," Coriolanus tells him solemnly, "now please let go of me before I have to defend myself."
It takes all of ten seconds for Titus to unhand Coriolanus, turn around, ball his hand into a fist, and come back swinging. Thankfully, Coriolanus is more than used to fighting this imbecile and intercepts the punch with his forearm, it hurts like a bitch but it's much better than a concussion.
The boys immediately start shouting, and jeering as Coriolanus swings back, in self-defense of course. A few people even start banging on the lockers, stirring up quite the racket, professors and coaches will be here in minutes.
Which means he has about one minute to show Titus what happens when you fuck with Coriolanus Snow.
He balls his own fist and swings at Titus, aiming for his stomach. He lands the punch and hears Titus groan in pain, getting punched in the stomach fucking hurts, he knows what it feels like and how disarming it can be. He punches him again as Titus doubles over from the blinding pain, this time in the side of the head, against his temple. Coriolanus feels his knuckles split and hears the doors opening, professors spilling in and shouts coming from outside.
In a last-ditch attempt, Titus lunges at Coriolanus, screaming as he wraps his arms around his torso, tackling him like some lunatic. Coriolanus lets out a shout of surprise, not expecting to be slammed to the ground. The two boys tussle and roll on the floor, exchanging blows and very vulgar words.
Coriolanus is the first to be pulled off the floor, by Coach Sickle who looks baffled by this display of violence. There are always fights in the locker rooms but they do a good job at keeping quiet. Coriolanus doesn't put up a fight though, he surrenders easily, holding up his hands, ignoring the throbbing in his head and how much his hands hurt.
"Off the floor Fenton!" Another male professor shouts, running onto the scene and grabbing Titus by the collar of his shirt, "Straight to the Dean's Office for the both of you!"
Titus is led out first, the growing crowd parts for him to pass by, listening to him shout more profanities at Coriolanus who does his best to look shaken up by this whole ordeal. "I...I need to put my shirt back on," he whispers to the Coach, "I don't want any of the girls seeing me shirtless."
The biggest lie he's ever told, these abs don't come at a cheap price.
But he looks so believable right now, his nose might even be bleeding. "Sure," Coach says, nodding at the bench, "go ahead and get dressed, then I'll take you to the Dean's Office. The rest of you, outside on the track!"
Everyone slowly shuffles out into the gymnasium, grumbling about how that was barely even a fight but Coriolanus did what needed to be done. That's all that matters.
"What uh, what happened in here?" Coach Sickle asks, scratching the back of his neck while Coriolanus gets dressed, frowning when he gets blood on his white shirt. "Titus was saying some very vulgar, untruthful things about Soarynn Nightingale," he easily says, "then when I confronted him about it, he got violent."
Now he's not only the victim, but the hero.
"Ah, well, given his track record, that's not surprising. You'll still need to give an official statement, explain yourself to the Dean, parents will have to be called."
Coriolanus nods, clearing his throat, "Of course, sir, I apologize for the trouble this has caused you." Coach sighs, shaking his head, "Boys will be boys, unfortunately. We'll question a few of the boys as well, just to make sure you've got your story straight."
Coriolanus smiles, "Of course."
꧁ ꧂
Two hours later, Coriolanus is allowed to return to class.
He walks out of the bathroom wearing a brand new shirt since he asked his mother to bring one with her after he called them to come to the school to speak to Dean Highbottom. Father wasn't too pleased to be called out of work, mostly because he hates Dean Highbottom, although Coriolanus doesn't know why.
Mother, of course, fussed over Coriolanus for a good twenty minutes, complaining about his bruised temple, split knuckles, and bruised forearm. Apparently, it could affect their family portraits but it could always be edited out.
She always focuses on what's most important.
By the time they got here, everything had been sorted out, Coriolanus told his side of the story, the truth and nothing but the truth. They all believed him, especially because it sounded like something Titus would do.
Father pushed to have him expelled, but at the end of the day, it was up to the school.
"What on earth did you get into the fight about darling?" Mother asks, dusting off his Academy jacket as he slides it back on, wincing when she pats too hard. "He said some very nasty things about Soarynn," he tells her, "and I couldn't allow a man to talk about a lady like that."
Mother nearly swoons at his chivalrous act, "How sweet. Isn't that sweet Crassus?" Father doesn't look too over the moon about any of this but he nods, "Did you win?"
Coriolanus snorts, "Of course, I did."
"Then that's all that matters," father decides, checking his watch, "now, I have to go back to work and your mother has a tea party to attend. We will see you this evening."
Coriolanus nods, he never expected to be taken out of school early, nor did he want to. Now that he won a fight, he's a celebrity and everyone will want to ask him about it and why he did it.
"I'll see you tonight," he promises mother with a kiss on her cheek. She looks so hesitant to leave her baby boy behind but father is quick to usher her through the front doors, not wanting to waste another moment in the halls he once roamed as a teenager.
"Funny thing seeing your parents together."
Coriolanus jumps at the sound of Dean Highbottom's voice, scaring the shit out of him. "I recall your father chasing after a different girl during our Academy days," he says, staring off into the distance, "it seems you've fallen under her spell as well."
Coriolanus takes one step to the right, just to be safe, "Her spell?"
Dean Highbottom nods, giving Coriolanus a pitying look, "The Nightingale girl, I remember her mother, beautiful as they come and her daughter is a spitting image of her, although, I explicitly recall her choosing Glen Nightingale over Crassus Snow, what a scandal that was back in the day."
Coriolanus frowns, he's already heard this tale from his father, he doesn't need to hear it again, and not from an outsider's perspective.
"It seems that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree," Highbottom notes with a snide tone, "good luck with your senior year Mr. Snow, and please, try and stay out of my office for the rest of it."
Coriolanus wisely remains silent, he doesn't want to end up on this man's bad side too, but he can't help but wonder how amazing Cera Nightingale was before she settled down and got married. From what he'd heard, she was beautiful, kind, funny, sweet.
Is Soarynn worth the chase people put up for her mother?
꧁ ꧂
Coriolanus strides into the courtyard, soaking in all of the attention he's immediately given by his peers. Several of his friends rush towards him, asking to see his battle scars, patting him on the back for a job well done.
"I think he was crying," Festus says with a laugh, jostling his shoulder, "Coach grilled me about the fight, but I'd never give you up."
Coriolanus rolls his eyes, betraying a friend may not be that big of a deal in the Districts, he knows for a fact that they're filled with liars and thieves, people who would gladly cheat you out of the clothes on your back if it could get them a step further than you.
But in the Capitol, that type of betrayal is taken as a serious offense, severing friendships and relationships at the head of the problem. He sometimes wonders what led to the severance of Highbottom and his father's relationship.
Maybe it was a girl, maybe it was Cera Nightingale.
He scans the courtyard for the one person who's truly responsible for all of this mess, the person he so valiantly defended, the girl he would gladly cut off a friendship for. She's already looking at him, her hair shines under the sun as she sits on a bench, watching more students ask him questions.
"My father wants him expelled," Coriolanus says over the chatter, his eyes still on Soarynn, "but it's up to the Dean."
"Coriolanus, is it true you broke his nose?"
"Coriolanus, did you get an infraction on your student record?"
"Coriolanus, were you fighting without a shirt on?"
Soarynn stands up at the last question, dusting off her skirt, taking her time like the primadonna he knows her to be. She slowly makes her way through the crowd, and if she were anyone else, he'd go to help her, but people gladly make a path for Soarynn Nightingale who smiles so sweetly as they step aside.
By the time she reaches him, he still doesn't know what he's going to say to the girl he beat somebody up over.
She bats her lashes up at him, an action that normally drives him crazy but it does even more since they haven't had sex in weeks. "I heard you got into a fight over my honor," she purrs, "how noble of you, Coriolanus."
He swallows, maybe he shouldn't have buttoned his shirt all the way to the top because it feels like he's choking. "Yes, well, well I'm very noble," he tells her and she laughs, softly and sweetly, like music to his ears. She reaches out and takes his hand, his hand, in public! In front of everyone!
He can already hear gasps and jealous whispers from both girls and boys, "Why don't we go somewhere more private to talk?" She asks, already pulling him with her and he gladly follows. If hurting people means she'll talk to him again, he'll do it every day.
He lets her lead them out of the courtyard and into one of the emptier hallways. Coriolanus can already feel himself growing excited, growing more and more restless to have his hands on her again, his lips on her lips.
So when she pulls him into an empty classroom and not a supply closet, he's very disappointed.
"So why'd you do it?"
She lets go of his hand, leaving him dumbfounded. Coriolanus watches Soarynn hop onto the nearest desk, kicking her feet back and forth. She tilts her head like a puppy, sweet and innocent but he knows that she's neither of those things.
He knows better than to believe that.
"Do what?"
Soarynn's eyes drift down his body, coming to a stop on his split knuckles. He went to the nurse once his parents arrived, got the cuts touched up, and was given a pat on the back once he was done.
"Why did you beat up Titus Fenton?"
"He said bad things about you, sexual things about you."
A cruel smirk curls across her lips, "You say bad, sexual things to me all the time, what's the difference?"
She's got him there.
"I...I don't know, I just, I didn't like that it was him."
Her smirk turns into a frown, "You wanted it to be you saying those nasty things about me?'
Coriolanus groans, rubbing a hand over his face, he hates it when people put words into his mouth.
"No! No, I didn't want to be saying those things about you, I...I wanted it to be me walking you to class, and kissing you. I want it to be me and I don't want to see you with anybody else, I don't care if I'm selfish, I know what I want. And I know what you want, you want a boyfriend, someone to take care of you and be there for you, and please you. And who better than me? I'm a Snow, I'm smart, tall, handsome, I'm the best you'll ever have and you know it Soarynn."
For once, Soarynn is at a loss for words.
He takes a step towards her, then another, then another until he's right in front of her.
"If you don't want it to be me," he says quietly, "just tell me. Don't string me along like your mother did with my father, okay? Just tell me. I know I'm not easy, and maybe it is hard to like me but I know I'm the best one for you."
Soarynn looks up at him and he nearly loses his breath, he's looked into her eyes hundreds of times, but always clouded with lust. This time, they're clear as day, blue and gray.
Beautiful.
"It isn't that hard to like you," she tells him, grabbing his hand, intertwining their fingers, "or love you."
His heart skips a beat, he hasn't ever thought about the possibility of love, he's always known that he was destined for greatness, for fame, and fortune. Love has never been on the agenda.
But maybe it's on Soarynn's agenda.
Maybe that's why her mother didn't pick his father.
Maybe for once, he needs to drop the Snow mentality and put someone else on top.
Put her on top.
"I like you," he admits, squeezing her hand so tight he's scared it might break, "I've liked you for a long time and I thought that just having sex without strings attached would be easy but it's just made things harder. So when I heard you mention sleeping with Titus I just lost contr-"
"I never had sex with Titus," she cuts him off, shrugging her shoulders as if Titus didn't have to go to the hospital after getting drilled by the Dean. "I knew it would get a rise out of you to see me with him so I went on one date with him this weekend, and asked him to walk me to class. I just didn't think you'd get into a fight over me."
Now Coriolanus is at a loss for words.
She didn't sleep with Titus? She lied? She played him like a fiddle?
Coriolanus doesn't know if he should either feel upset or impressed that she managed to get him to play directly into her hand. Soarynn is more than used to getting what she wants but he didn't know that applied to him as well.
But that means she wants him.
She. Wants. Him.
"So, so you wanted me to get jealous?"
Soarynn nods, tilting her head up at him, "Mhm. I mean, we stopped having sex and I just...I don't know, I kinda missed you. I thought after kissing you on the cheek that you'd get my hints but I forgot that teenage boys are total idiots."
Ouch.
"I thought you kissed me to embarrass me in front of everyone," he mumbles, looking down at their intertwined hands, "then I got angry." Soarynn chuckles softly, leaning forward, "You're always angry," she points out, "but I like that about you. I like boys who know what they want. And you're right, I do want a boyfriend, I want a husband who can give me everything I want."
He looks down into her eyes, alluring, enchanting, addicting.
Soarynn is a drug he could take for the rest of his life and he'll be damned if anyone else gets their hands on her.
"I thought it was sweet," she continues, "that you felt the need to beat someone up for me just to get my attention."
Well, at least she isn't upset, and if she's not mad, then he doesn't need to be either. Coriolanus finally allows himself to smile for the first time today, he feels like the king of the world right now, he won the fight and got the girl.
What could be better than that?
"Sweet, huh?" He asks, leaning down, even sitting on a desk she's shorter than him, and he likes it, likes that he's bigger than her, stronger than her, likes that he can protect her from any harm.
"Yeah," she whispers, leaning into him, "really sweet."
He closes his eyes and their lips come together in a passionate kiss, a kiss that they've both been dreaming about for months now, maybe even years. He can't believe it's finally come together, that he got the girl everyone wanted him to get.
Once again, Snow lands on top.
꧁ ꧂
One week later and Coriolanus is no longer sore or bruised from his fight with Titus Fenton, a delinquent child who was recently expelled after his appalling behavior, at least that's what mother tells everyone.
Coriolanus could honestly care less about what she has to say when it comes to Titus, now that he's out of the picture, he has nothing to worry about.
Nothing but his pretty little girlfriend.
He's roaming the halls trying to find her, eager to feel her, to kiss her, to be near her. They've only been dating for one week and he thinks he might be in love. Soarynn has hinted at courting but he still needs to ask her father, and that's a daunting task, even for Coriolanus Snow.
But she deserves the best, his girl, including his best efforts to secure their relationship as a Capitol couple.
It didn't come as a surprise to anyone when they started dating last week, it's always been expected and it was only a matter of time. Now they're the King and Queen of the Academy, stronger together than apart. He can't even remember what it was like when they were at odds with one another.
And right now, the King needs his Queen.
He finds her walking down the front hall, her heels clicking on the marble floors while she carries what looks like files in her hands. Coriolanus comes up behind her, wrapping a hand around her ponytail to give it a tug. She gasps when he pulls on it, craning her neck back to look up at him, her stormy eyes wide until she sees that it's him.
Soarynn relaxes but rolls her eyes, breaking free from his hold, "Should've known it was you," she says, "aren't you supposed to be in class?" Coriolanus shrugs, wrapping an arm around her shoulders, "Class is boring, and besides, I'm in the bathroom right now, not breaking any rules," he explains, wiggling his eyebrows which makes her laugh.
He loves that, loves hearing her laugh, seeing her smile.
He peers down at the files in her hands, curious as to what they contain. Soarynn spends this class period as an office aid since she's so sweet and helpful, Persephone is an aid as well, those girls do everything together.
"What're those about?"
Soarynn sighs, leading them around the corner towards the old gymnasium, it's no longer in use since they got a new one built last year, paid for by Strabo Plinth after his idiot son, Sejanus, almost got expelled. They're District born which automatically makes them scum in his eyes, no matter how much money they have.
"It's for the Hunger Games," she tells him, "next year's the first Quarter Quell and they want to use the gymnasium to house the Tributes for makeovers and training." Coriolanus furrows his brows, Tributes in the Academy? Has the world gone mad? Has President Ravenstill lost his mind completely?
"Sounds like a recipe for disaster," he concludes, "mixing District with Capitol, someone could get hurt, one of them could escape." He immediately tightens his grip on Soarynn, imagining a wild Tribute breaking out of the gymnasium and running into her classroom, attacking her and killing her.
His most precious rose.
Soarynn doesn't seem to be too bothered by this development, "Does it even really matter? We graduate before the next Games." She's got a point. Coriolanus chuckles, pressing a kiss to her temple, "It's just a bad idea is all, they should be kept far away from Capitol citizens until they're locked away in that arena."
Soarynn snorts at his idea, pushing open a frosted glass door that leads to the front office, Persephone smiles at them from behind the front desk, "You sound like a future Game Maker," Soarynn notes, pulling away from him which causes him to frown, "you should pitch those ideas to Dr. Gaul."
Coriolanus watches her file away the documents, chatting with Persephone about the Spring Saturnalia, a party the University throws every year. Senior students from the Academy are allowed to attend and even though it's months away, the girls have already started planning what to wear.
But he thinks more and more about what she said, he's always been gunning for an important place in society, and perhaps a Game Maker could be the route to go, Head Game Maker sounds much better though.
President sounds the best though.
President Snow and his First Lady.
"...a trip to Four next weekend," Soarynn finishes and he snaps back into action. A trip? To the Districts?
"What? You're going to Four?" He asks, gripping the edge of the desk, Persephone looks uncomfortable but she's not his girlfriend, that's between her and Festus. Soarynn nods as if it's not a big deal, "Mhm, my father has to travel there for business and he's letting me come with him."
Coriolanus can think of about a million reasons why taking Soarynn out of the Capitol is a bad idea. He used to think that Glen Nightingale was a sensible man but now he's starting to question this man's decision-making skills. If he couldn't save his wife from dying, then who's to say he can save his daughter from a terrible fate as well?
Father might have had to watch the girl he once wanted fade away into nothingness, but Coriolanus will do no such thing.
"Are you sure that's a good idea? It could be dangerous, I won't be there to protect you."
Soarynn smiles, walking up to him until they're toe to toe and she wraps her arms around his neck, tugging him down to her level, "You know, up until last week, we weren't even dating so I don't think he took my big, scary boyfriend into account when planning this trip for work."
He scoffs a laugh, "I'm not scary."
Soarynn raises a brow but doesn't contradict him, "I'll be fine, you won't even know that I'm gone," she promises with a kiss on his nose. Coriolanus blinks several times after she pulls away, disappearing to another room while he's left to think about every terrible thing that could possibly happen to her on this trip.
He has to do something, has to protect her, keep her safe.
Doesn't he?
꧁ ꧂
"I want to go with Soarynn and Mr. Nightingale to District Four," Coriolanus announces that same night during dinner with his parents. Their reactions are the same, stunned that their District-loathing son would ever want to willingly step foot in the Districts.
And he doesn't, but what he wants isn't important right now, this is about Soarynn and keeping her safe.
Putting other people's feelings before his own. Who has he become?
Father sets down his fork, his face placid like always, "Why do you wish to accompany the Nightingales to District Four, Coriolanus?"
He swallows, he was hoping mother would be the one with all the questions, but at the end of the day, father's word is law. "It's dangerous out there," he tells him, "and Mr. Nightingale will be preoccupied with meetings and work, I don't want something to happen to Soarynn."
The girl's not an idiot, if anything, she's quick as a whip, smarter than most girls her age but that doesn't mean that some District leech won't try and take advantage of her.
Mother sighs at his reasoning, tracing the rim of her wine glass with her finger, "They're always like this at the start Crassus, infatuated with each other, can't stand to be apart for more than five seconds."
Coriolanus scowls, that is not true.
Father grunts, picking his fork back up, "Yes, it seems our son has fallen under Ms. Nightingale's spell." He can say whatever he wants about Soarynn or how Coriolanus acts around her, but he remembers the pride that flashed across his father's eyes when he said they were dating.
At least one of them got the girl.
"So, can I go? If Mr. Nightingale allows it then can I go? It's only for the weekend."
Mother looks across the table at father, a silent conversation takes place right in front of Coriolanus and he doesn't speak the language. "I'm not paying for any son of mine to galavant through the Districts," father says definitively, "unless Glen offers to pay for the ticket and hotel, you'll stay here. Where you belong."
Coriolanus slouches, ignoring the look he gets from mother who is always adamant about good table manners. "Why can't I pay for my own ticket? I have the money," he counters. This earns him a sharp look from father, "Because no son of mine will be seen paying to enter the Districts. Especially not following some girl."
Mother nods much to his dismay, "He's right darling, you're a Snow, unless Glen offers to pay, you'll just have to sit this one out."
So now it's up to Glen Nightingale, great.
Coriolanus doesn't push the topic any further, it'll only lead to father taking back anything he just said. He'll just have to play his cards right.
After dinner, Coriolanus calls the Nightingale townhouse, he's done this every night since they started dating. The phone rings once before Soarynn picks up, she has a phone in her bedroom, very fancy.
"Coryo? What did they say?"
Coriolanus nearly slides down the wall in despair, he's out in the hallway since the only other phone in the penthouse is in his father's study, and he steers clear of that room at all costs. "They said I have to be invited, my father refuses to spend a cent on me visiting the Districts."
Soarynn makes an aggravated noise on the other end of the phone, "Ugh, your father can be such a windup sometimes. Whatever, I can talk to my father about it tomorrow morning, butter him up. He likes you a lot so it shouldn't be too hard."
That makes him feel a little better to know that Mr. Nightingale likes him.
If he ends up going on the trip, maybe he can talk to him about courting Soarynn. Coriolanus has heard of couples that wait months before courting but he doesn't want to waste a single second.
"Alright, did you already have dinner?"
"Yep, I'm just playing with Petunia."
Petunia, is Soarynn's cat. He's only seen a thousand photos of this cat since they started dating. She's white, fluffy, and mean-looking. She's got this snarl reserved for everyone who isn't Soarynn so of course, Soarynn loves her, says she's the sweetest angel on earth. Coriolanus has yet to meet Petunia but he doubts they'll become fast friends.
"Well, give her my regards," he says, looking both ways down the hall before saying the next part, a bit softer too, "I miss you."
Soarynn giggles, she's probably rolling on top of her bed with the phone cord wrapped around her finger, along with him. "You miss me huh? Me or my cunt?" Coriolanus smirks, as polite as she can be in public, she's an absolute slut in private and that includes phone calls that anyone could hear.
"Your cunt," he drawls, thinking about how tightly it was wrapped around him the other day. His other hand involuntarily slides down to his zipper, pulling it down swiftly, "What're you wearing right now?"
Her breath hitches, they've never done this before.
"Just a silk nightgown," she answers, her voice more sultry, "and some lingerie underneath."
"Yeah, what color?"
"Blue, same shade as your eyes."
His hand slips under the waistband of his boxers.
"Take it off," he instructs, tilting his head back against the wall, "take it all off for me Soarynn." He hears her fumble with the phone and the sound of something hitting the floor, "It's off," she says, out of breath.
Coriolanus doesn't really know how he feels about Soarynn touching herself, that's his job, no one else's.
"Good, good, now take your fingers and rub them around your nipples, just like I do it, baby." Soarynn whimpers at the petname. He calls her 'darling' but other petnames get different reactions depending on when and where he uses them. In public, it's endearing, in private, it's erotic.
Either one works for her, she's as dirty-minded as he is.
Coriolanus begins to stroke his cock up and down, imagining that instead of his hand, it's Soarynn's dainty one, and she's on her knees in front of him. With his head on a swivel, Coriolanus gives himself a handjob, glad his parents have retired to their bedroom for the evening and that he's in a dark hallway.
"Now what Coryo?" The nickname drives him towards the edge, it used to be something his friends called him when they were little and had a hard time pronouncing his full name. But Soarynn always held onto it, using it to taunt him up until last week, now, it's sweet and only reserved for her.
"Now rub your fingers up and down your clit baby," he grits out, stroking his cock faster and faster, listening to her soft moans through the phone, "keep going, don't stop until I tell you to." Soarynn mewls in pleasure and he can picture her now, spread out on her sheets, her hair strewn around her face, naked in all her glory.
"Please," she whines, he can just picture her contorted expression, her eyes fluttering, her soft lips parted, her rosy cheeks flushed.
Coriolanus quickens his pace, wanting them to finish together, even if for the first time, they aren't together.
Is this what it will come to? Phone sex while Soarynn is vacationing in the Districts?
"I'm close," she pants, bringing him back to the present moment. And it's at this moment that he's glad neither of them have siblings or nosy parents. Father rarely ever seeks him out and if mother comes to his room, she always makes sure to knock. Glen seems like the type of man to give his daughter distance, only helping when asked since he most likely has no clue what he's doing.
"Let's cum together," he grunts, rubbing the angry red tip of his cock with his thumb, "let's come together, baby."
They both let out a quiet moan, not wanting to draw any attention to themselves since they should be getting ready for bed, not fucking over the phone. Soarynn's mewls of pleasure spill into his ear while he rides out his high, mostly likely staining a perfectly good pair of trousers.
This might be payback from two days ago when he fingered her under their desks while Professor McDinnon played them an educational film since she didn't actually want to teach. It was something else to be buried knuckles deep in Soarynn's cunt, listening to her moan under her breath and watching her squirm in her chair.
She chewed him out for it afterwards but he'd just smirked and kissed her hard against the lockers. She liked it as much as he did, and he'd never purposely put her in an uncomfortable position.
They both collect their thoughts and their breaths, and not a moment too soon. Coriolanus hears a knock from Soarynn's end of the phone, "Be right there," she calls out to her father, "wow, have you ever done that before?"
Coriolanus laughs, shaking his head even though she can't see him. "Phone sex? Absolutely not, but I've never had a sexual partner before."
He's never had a girlfriend before.
Soarynn hums, rustling comes from the background, then a meow.
Did Petunia witness the whole thing?
"I've gotta go," she says quietly, "but I'll talk to my father about the trip, okay?"
Coriolanus tightens his grip on the phone cord while zipping back up. "Don't pressure him too much," he advises, "don't want him to think I'm controlling you."
Soarynn snorts at the suggestion that he could ever control her, "Sure," is all she says.
"Well then, goodnight darling, I'll come pick you up tomorrow."
Soarynn used to walk to school but now, Coriolanus picks her up. He walks her to all her classes even the ones they don't have together and he always carries her books and satchel.
Soarynn will never want as long as she's with him.
"Goodnight Coryo, sweet dreams. And don't worry about the trip, it'll all work out."
He nods again, she's right, against all odds they've made it this far and that has to count for something.
"Oh, aren't you so handsome? Yes, you are! So, so handsome, my darling boy."
Even from his study, Coriolanus can hear his wife cooing in their son's ear. Some men might get annoyed at the constant chatter, the constant narration of every single thing the eleven-month-old does, but not him.
They deserve to drink up every moment with their son.
Corioalnus thinks that maybe he'd be a little more stern with Soarynn if their son, Caspian, wasn't their firstborn, the heir to the Snow fortune. But Caspian is nothing short of a miracle.
They have gone through two gigantic losses to get to this point.
Their first baby, a girl, went so quietly one night while they were both sleeping. Coriolanus woke up to Soarynn lying in a puddle of her own blood. Neither of them knew what to do, what it meant. Soarynn was hysterical, screaming that something was wrong with the baby. He rushed her to the hospital, but by then, it was too late.
Their baby girl was no longer with them.
Sorynn had an emergency cesarean section to remove the dead fetus; five months of growing their child in her stomach meant nothing. She had been devastated, unable to move due to the stitches and her grief. There were days when he didn't think she'd ever recover.
The second miscarriage was more painful if that was even possible. Coriolanus had been at work when he got a panicked call from his wife, crying that she was losing the baby. Another little girl, almost six months along.
He rushed to meet Soarynn at the hospital, where she was observed for several days until the doctor announced that if she were to give birth to their baby in three months, it would be a stillbirth.
Oh, she cried. Coriolanus remembers how badly she cried, how inconsolable Soarynn was when they had to make the decision to have another emergency cesarean section, for the safety of her own life as well as the child's.
By this point, he was done. He was done seeing his wife, his darling girl, go through so much pain. He was done buying small caskets and getting the condolences from all their closest friends.
He was done.
The Snows returned to their penthouse with no baby bump, no baby, and no hope for the near future. It took almost a year for Soarynn to get color back in her skin, light in her dazzling eyes. She fell into a deep depression, so deep that he was terrified of leaving her at home by herself.
To help her feel better, Coriolanus bought her a fluffy white kitten. Petunia was an instant hit, something for Soarynn to nurture. In a way, it pained him to see how natural her maternal instincts were towards the cat. Soarynn would make a wonderful mother.
Eventually, things returned to normal. Both of them went to see a therapist. Coriolanus was gutted as well by the miscarriages, but he went about his grief differently, burying himself in his work.
Anything to distract himself.
They moved on, slowly but surely. They started going on little dates again, Soarynn allowed him to touch her, to give her pleasure after withholding from it for so long. Many nights were spent passionately in the bedroom where he'd whisper about how strong she was, how beautiful, and how kind. How he'd give her the world if she asked.
The nursery remained untouched. Soarynn never mentioned repurposing the room that sat unused for three years, and he didn't mention it either. Every once in a while, he'd find her sitting in the rocking chair she bought for nursing. Her eyes would be closed, and her hands would be resting on her stomach.
Coriolanus never said anything. He knew she was still grieving in her own silent way, for what is grief if not love preserving? He let her do what she felt was right. What she felt was appropriate and needed.
Needless to say, they were both surprised when Soarynn missed her period one month. He thought maybe it was stress, maybe she wasn't eating enough, or maybe it was the lingering sadness. They had sex a few times a week, that was nothing new, but Coriolanus had just assumed that she'd never get pregnant again.
He thought her body couldn't handle another pregnancy.
Soarynn must've thought the same thing, too, because when she decided to take a pregnancy test, he heard a gasp come from their bathroom.
It was a miracle. A miracle that was both a blessing and a curse.
Coriolanus was terrified to put things plainly. He couldn't lose her, he couldn't risk Soarynn's life for the slim possibility of a child. He already lost his own mother to childbirth, and Soarynn's mother passed away giving birth to her.
Childbirth was the killer in both their bloodlines, and if anything, Soarynn had gotten lucky the last two times.
He tried to talk Soarynn out of it. Tried to tell her that it could possibly end the same way the last two did, and that he refused to put her through that again. She might never come back to him if it happened again.
Soarynn becoming a shell of herself was a big and selfish fear of his.
But Soarynn was insistent, determined to see this through.
"It's a sign," she had told him, holding his face in her small hands. "Third time's the charm, right?"
He was not so easily convinced, but for the sake of her happiness, he went along with it. Now, this wasn't to say that he didn't take precautions, because he did.
Weekly visits to the doctor's office. Coriolanus wanted an ultrasound every single time. Blood was constantly being drawn despite Soarynn's hatred of needles. Coriolanus had Soarynn on a rigorous diet to ensure that she and the baby were getting all the nutrients they needed. He also made sure that she was getting plenty of exercise as well as plenty of rest.
One day, during their afternoon walk in the park, he had stopped her from bending down to feed the ducks swimming in the lake.
"You don't want to hurt the baby," he had warned.
Soarynn, halfway through the pregnancy and her patience had given him a look. "You know, pregnancy is supposed to be enjoyable," she had snapped. After that, he was a little more relaxed.
Just a little.
When it came time to find out the gender, Coriolanus was fully expecting it to be a girl. Soarynn was too, so they were very surprised to find out that they were having a boy.
A boy. A little boy.
There had been a small part of him that hoped for a girl, solely because he felt they were owed at least that after what they'd been put through. But perhaps a boy was a break in their bad luck.
Soarynn flew into action to prepare the nursery, trading out light pinks for baby blues. It made them both sad to see so many little things be sent away, little ribbons and dresses. But with goodbyes came hellos. Soarynn started buying little sweaters and suits, shiny little shoes, and stuffed bears for their future son.
When the time came to give birth, Coriolanus was a wreck. He was thrilled that they made it this far, but birth was quite the vast finish line to cross to get to the other side.
The other side being parenthood.
But Caspian Snow was born at nine o'clock at night after seven hours of labor. He weighed six pounds and had blonde hair and bright blue eyes, just like his father.
Soarynn cried tears of joy to have her son in her arms. Coriolanus might have shed a tear as well. They were thrilled to announce his birth, and Soarynn toted him around everywhere she went once it was safe to bring him to public places.
Coriolanus never realized how many people loved babies until he had one of his own. Everywhere they went, people gravitated towards them, and Soarynn was more than proud to show off her beaming baby boy.
Caspian had her wrapped around his little finger.
The past few months have been nothing short of blissful, exactly what they deserve after what they've gone through.
"Come on, darling, try again," Soarynn encourages from his nursery down the hall. Coriolanus doesn't need to see them to know what's going on. Caspian is beginning to talk and walk. He does more talking than walking right now, well, he babbles.
He knows very few words, his first being 'Momma,' which was no surprise to Coriolanus. Soarynn spends every waking moment with Caspian, whereas Coriolanus sees him after work.
But she's been quite determined to get Caspian to take his first steps. He hears more noncoherent babbling come from Caspian, probably tired of trying to walk.
Coriolanus focuses back on his work, the only reason he chose to work from home today was because he had to get his yearly physical done. He came home after the appointment, figuring he could get in a few extra minutes with his family.
He scans the papers in front of him, but his focus doesn't last long.
"CORYO!"
He's on his feet in seconds, imagining the worst. Caspian keeled over, frothing at the mouth, seizing. Unsavable. He runs down the hallway into the nursery, prepared to see the gruesome sight of his dead son, but instead, sees Caspian standing on his own two feet.
Soarynn sits on her knees a few feet away from him, smiling so big with her arms open. "Come on, darling, come to Momma! Oh, Coryo, you just missed it! Caspian took his first steps!"
Caspian holds out his hands for balance, trying to use his chubby little legs for support. Caspian whimpers, looking at both his parents for help. "You can do it, Caspian," Coriolanus encourages, nodding at the small child. Soarynn nods in agreement, holding her hands out even further.
"Come to Momma."
Caspian takes five wobbly steps towards her, almost losing his footing at one point if it weren't for the rug underneath him. But he makes it, grabbing onto Soarynn's hand the moment she's in reach. Soarynn laughs, another delighted smile on her face as she beams up at Coriolanus.
"Did you see that!? He's walking!"
Coriolanus smiles, he's not nearly as sentimental as Soarynn is, but even he can admit what a big milestone this is for Caspian. "He'll be running before you know it." Soarynn laughs, pressing a kiss to Caspian's face. "Well done, my darling, well done." Caspian basks in her attention, placing his small hand on her cheek, "Momma."
Soarynn nods, her smile still lingers as it so often does when she's with him. "That's right, darling, I'm your Momma. Now, why don't you walk over to your Father?" She points at Coriolanus, causing Caspian to follow her finger. Caspian smiles at Coriolanus, newfound confidence within his small body.
Soarynn holds onto his waist until he feels brave enough to step towards Coriolanus. He takes another step, then another step. Coriolanus is crouching down without even realizing it, holding his hands out for his son. Caspian leaves the safety of the carpet, now on the hardwood floors, but he handles it like a professional. He only stumbles once, mostly due to his socks on the slippery floor, but he recovers nicely.
"There you go," Coriolanus praises, taking Caspian's small outstretched hand. Soarynn claps while Coriolanus scoops him up, bouncing him up and down. "Already walking on the hardwood floors. He's a Snow if I've ever seen one."
Caspian babbles some more, grabbing at the buttons on his father's shirt. Soarynn rises from the floor, joining her two men at the doors to the nursery. "You're growing up so fast, darling. You'll be climbing into our bed before we know it."
Coriolanus shudders at the thought of being woken up at all hours of the night by a stir crazy Caspian. It's bad enough that Petunia sleeps with them. He didn't have it in his heart to keep her and Soarynn separated when they first got her. Soarynn was so fragile, and she needed a friend, a constant source of companionship.
"Let's hope that he enjoys sleeping in his own bed," Coriolanus says, resting one hand on her waist. He didn't know what to expect once Caspian was born. Would Soarynn stop caring about her appearance? Would she grow distant from her husband? Would she lose a part of herself?
None of these things happened, thankfully. That pregnancy glow never seemed to leave her, and Soarynn became even more doting towards Coriolanus than before, if that was even possible. As for appearances, well, she made lots of them and kept her own appearance in perfect shape. She still gets her hair trimmed every six weeks, her nails done every three, and gets full body waxes like clockwork.
Thanks to the diet he had her on, Soarynn bounced back rather quickly after giving birth. This was her first natural birth, so there was no need to worry about stitches tearing. Coriolanus still had her rest for most of the day, bringing her fruits, tea, and books. Whatever she needed, she got.
"Momma!"
Soarynn is delighted all over again, pressing kisses all over Caspian's face. "Isn't he just so clever? Just like his Father." Coriolanus puffs up at that compliment. Caspian will most likely grow to be as tall and handsome as he is, carrying on the Snow legacy.
Sometimes, after Soarynn has fallen asleep, he wonders if Caspian will manage to find a woman as fitting as Soarynn. Every boy subconsciously wants to date a girl somewhat like their mother, but Coriolanus feels that it's quite impossible to find someone else like Soarynn.
"Well," he says, "I can't argue with that."
Caspian wiggles to get out of his hold, so Coriolanus gently sets him back down on the floor. Caspian toddles right over to Petuinia, who until now, was oblivious to what just took place. She'll often join Soarynn in the nursery, lying by the crib, occasionally sparing Caspian a glance.
Their son loves Petunia, but Petunia simply tolerates him.
When they first introduced the two of them, Petunia had tried to swat at the newborn. Soarynn had gasped, clutching Caspian closer to her while Coriolanus picked up a yowling Petunia and escorted her out into the hall.
"She thinks we're replacing her," Soarynn had realized.
"Give her some time, darling, she'll warm up to him," Coriolanus promised.
One should never bet on a cat, though.
Caspian walks over to Petunia, slowly but surely, as Petunia realizes what's happened, how this new development will now permanently affect her. Her eyes widen, and she jumps up, quickly running around him and into the hallway. Caspian pouts, turning around to follow her, but Petunia is long gone.
"She doesn't want to play, sweet boy," Soarynn explains, picking him up. Caspian pouts, he always wants to play with Petunia. "We should put him in a playgroup," Coriolanus suggests, "let him play with other humans."
Soarynn nods, Caspian is big enough to start interacting with other children his age, and all their friends have started families as well. "I suppose you're right," she sighs, "and it'll be good to tire him out in the afternoons." To prove her point, Caspian kicks his feet, trying to escape her hold. "We don't kick, Caspian," Coriolanus sternly corrects him.
The change in tone does not bode well with Caspian, whose lip trembles before burying his face in Soarynn's neck. "Oh, it's alright, darling. Your Father didn't mean to upset you." Soarynn gives Coriolanus a nasty look when Caspian begins to cry, but he doesn't feel remotely guilty.
Soarynn would never reprimand their son if she had her way. And Coriolanus can't afford to have a badly behaved child who acts out in public and in private. No, it's best to nip this in the bud right now.
"Perhaps he needs a nap after all this excitement," he throws out, placing his hand on the back of Caspian's head. Little curls are already sprouting out, causing Coriolanus to wonder if Caspian will show any resemblance to Soarynn at all.
"That's not a bad idea," she mumbles, swaying side to side. Coriolanus kisses her temple, a way of saying his goodbyes before returning to his study. He can't afford to get caught up in all the excitement.
꧁ ꧂
Three days later, all of the Snows are attending a party thrown by the Heavensbees to welcome their third child, Plutarch. This is their third boy, and from what Hilarius has said, their last one as well.
Coriolanus stands with his friends, whom he's known since childhood, drinking and laughing while they recall the week they've all had.
"Well, Caspian is walking now," he says, earning a few pats on the back. "I take it Soarynn was over the moon," Festus Creed muses. Festus was the one who helped Coriolanus in his times of grief, talking it through over a drink. He'll never forget that.
"Of course she was. She screamed so loud that I thought there was a spider." They all laugh and begin discussing when their own children began walking and talking, while Coriolanus looks back over at Soarynn. She's sitting with the other wives, Caspian in her lap, while she talks to Persephone Creed, her very good friend.
"...enroll them in school early." He catches the tail end of the conversation but is already intrigued. Caspain will undoubtedly go to the Academy, the most prestigious private school one can send their child to in the Capitol. It's a steep price to pay for the best education and guaranteed connections among other rich peers.
"Persephone already wants to get Cecil's name on the waiting list," Festus says with a sigh, "apparently, it's very competitive to get a first-year student into the school." Coriolanus had no idea it was this difficult. He obviously doesn't remember the steps his own parents took to enroll him, but surely it couldn't have been this hard.
"Unless you give a generous donation," Coriolanus says, which earns him a few chuckles. Money can buy happiness, and it certainly can buy a spot in the Academy. He knows that for certain.
His money has bought him the best clothes, the best food, the best staff, and the best lifestyle. It bought him the best doctors who were able to keep his son and wife safe during their pregnancy. Anyone who says any different is lying to themselves, simple as that.
Coriolanus feels his gaze involuntarily wandering back over to Soarynn, who still, after all these years of being together, is the most constant thought on his mind. He worries for her day and night.
Some might call him overprotective, but Coriolanus simply wants to ensure that his darling wife has everything she could possibly need. If she doesn’t like the food, he’ll take her to a different restaurant. If she needs new shoes, he’ll buy her ten pairs.
He really doesn’t think of himself as going above and beyond either. This should be the standard when it comes to taking care of a woman. Soarynn is the most beautiful woman in Panem and should be treated as such.
When he sees his friends and their wives, he can’t help but compare them to him and Soarynn’s relationship. He and Soarynn rarely argue or disagree on anything. They have sex at least three times a week, and once a week, he takes her out to a nice dinner.
It’s the little things that ensure a perfect marriage.
And Soarynn is a true testimony to how well he treats her. She’s absolutely glowing right now as she holds Caspian in her lap, beaming down at their son. Caspian lets out a delighted squeal when she presses a kiss to his cheek.
Coriolanus used to see Caspian’s infatuation with Soarynn as ridiculous until he realized that Caspian inherited this slight obsession from him.
Like father like son.
“What’ll you be doing for his birthday?”
That’s a question Coriolanus has been hearing more and more as Caspian’s first birthday has begun to approach. Their friends know about the struggles they went through to start a family, and Caspian’s birth was widely celebrated by the Capitol elite.
“Soarynn has a whole thing planned,” he answers, sipping his champagne. “I’m sure it’ll cost me a small fortune, but she deserves to be excited about this.”
Coriolanus had stupidly suggested a small celebration at home, which was immediately shot down by Soarynn, who was already looking at banquet halls to rent out.
He’s wisely stayed out of her way, simply footing the bill instead.
“The invitations themselves are getting out of hand,” Festus grunts, “and who even looks at the invitations that closely?”
Soarynn does, Coriolanus thinks to himself. She’ll come to his study to show him what they got in the mail, analyzing what card stock was chosen for the invite.
He doesn’t really pay attention to those things, like the font size, the color, the theme. He has Soarynn for that.
“It’s a bridge we’ll cross when we get to it,” he decides, looking back over at Soarynn. “If you’ll excuse me, I ought to go check on my wife and son.”
Coriolanus snags a fresh glass of champagne from an Avox waiter and crosses the large room towards the woman who owns his heart and soul. Caspian has been moved to the carpeted floor where he’s attempting to take small steps under the gaze of every woman at the party.
“Isn’t he just so clever?” Soarynn gushes, holding out her hands. She looks exquisite today. Wearing a beautiful baby blue dress that shows off her collar bones, slender shoulders, and glowing skin. Soarynn had her hair fashioned in a stylish updo with a few face-framing pieces.
Coriolanus rests a hand on her shoulder, always needing some physical contact between them. Soarynn looks up at him with adoring eyes. “Look how good he’s doing, Coryo.”
He watches his son toddle around, doing his best to dodge the other children who are beginning to walk as well. “He’s doing remarkably well,” Coriolanus agrees. Caspian has been taking more and more steps since his first ones.
Baby steps, but still steps.
He knows that once he starts, he won’t stop, and then they’ll be in for it.
“Do you two have any plans for your anniversary?” Persephone asks the couple, her green eyes sparkling while her son tugs on her dress for attention.
Soarynn sighs, tired from days of planning and spending his money. “I honestly haven’t even thought about our anniversary,” she admits, taking the glass he offers her.
“It’s still a while away,” Coriolanus assures her. He could always plan it, but Soarynn prefers to have complete control over their itinerary.
“Momma!”
Caspian stumbles towards Soarynn, who reaches out to scoop him up, gasping excitedly. “Look at you! Walking like a big boy!”
Caspian is dressed exceptionally sharp for an eleven-month-old. Soarynn dressed him in a tiny suit and slicked back his baby curls. He’s even wearing little leather shoes like Coriolanus does.
“He looks just like his Father,” Persephone says. “In a good way, I hope,” Coriolanus banters, rubbing his hand up and down Soarynn’s arm.
Both women chuckle and share knowing looks. Soarynn and Persephone have been friends since they were five years old. They’re thick as thieves, and Coriolanus often wonders if it’s a coincidence that they happened to marry best friends as well.
“In a good way, darling,” Soarynn answers, smiling at him, “you are terribly attractive, you know.”
Now he’s blushing.
Soarynn is often praised for her beauty, but Coriolanus isn’t doing too shabby either when it comes to looks.
He’s tall, strong, always smells good, and has bright blue eyes that Soarynn has trouble looking away from. It must help that Caspian has his eyes.
“Just making sure,” he grunts. Caspian wiggles to be put back down, but doesn’t kick, which pleases Coriolanus. Some of these other children clearly haven’t been corrected the way they should be.
Soarynn might protest his parenting methods from time to time, but he’ll be damned if he has a son running around like a little hellion.
Coriolanus lets her take on the brunt of parenting, only stepping in when he deems necessary. All little boys need a mother’s love, but also a father’s firm hand. That’s how he was raised, and that’s how his son will be raised as well. None of this new generation parenting ever seems to end well.
“Go on, darling,” Soarynn encourages, setting Caspian back down. He toddles over to a little girl who Coriolanus believes is the Canville’s daughter. He can’t imagine what it’ll be like when Caspian starts taking an interest in girls.
“Perhaps we should go on a trip,” he suggests, and Soarynn’s eyes widen in dismay. “But we’d have to leave Caspian,” are the first words tumbling out of her mouth.
Coriolanus chuckles, Soarynn can’t stand to be apart from their son now that he’s here. “Yes, that's the idea, darling. He’ll be perfectly fine for a week.”
“A week?!”
He winces at her shrill tone. “Five days,” he recovers, “we could go to the beach. Like we did for our honeymoon.”
They both have very fond memories of their honeymoon. A blush crawls across Soarynn’s cheeks as she remembers nights and mornings spent tangled beneath the sheets in her husband's embrace.
“I’d have to arrange for a nanny,” she mumbles, now giving the idea some thought. “Caspian would need full-time care. He’s still so small. What if he got sick?”
Oh, the joys of parenthood. Coriolanus often has to remind himself of what they went through to get here, to have a son.
“They have phones,” he reminds Soarynn, “and you need some time to yourself, darling. You could read by the pool or get a massage. Just imagine dinner on the terrace every night.”
He can imagine it clear as day. If only Soarynn were as easy to convince.
“I’ll have to think about it.”
There’s no use in arguing with his wife, he never wins. He presses a kiss to the top of her head to assure her that all will be well, no matter what they decide to celebrate their anniversary.
“We’ll have to take some baby steps of our own, I see.”
Soarynn hums, watching their son gain confidence in himself and his little feet.
