Coriolanus Snow X Reader (The Hunger Games)

Part 6

     Once Coriolanus was gone, Y/N looked down at the red dress in her hand. She thought it was beautiful. She had never formally worn a dress before, her clothes had always been either torn or filthy sweaters and jeans. The dress smelled like her mentor, who she found had the scent of roses. "He just wants to make you look profitable. Our love will be enough." Aaron says after observing Y/N fiddling with the dress. "I want to wear it." Y/N whispers. "You what?" Aaron asks in a firm voice. "I want to wear it." She says louder. Aaron stands up and shakes his head. "Whatever, I won't stop you. Just remember our goal." He presses a quick kiss to Y/N's cheek before walking away to let her get changed. While changing, Y/N kept thinking about the words of both her friend and her mentor. She didn't like what her mentor did, but she didn't think he should die because of it. For all they know, it's not even his choice to do this. Besides, it's not like he was treating her like an animal like the Peacekeepers did. As for Aaron, she was caught in the middle. Did she love him? Does she trust what he's saying is true? She didn't love how he's been acting lately. In fact, she was a little afraid of him now. She knows it's just because he loves her and wants to protect her, but she didn't know how to react to that. Y/N zips the dress up, the finishing touch. There was no mirror in the cage, so she couldn't exactly see how it looked, but she felt it. She felt.. pretty. Confident. It's like the dress was made from positive energy; perhaps it was. There was something else. A weird feeling in the pit of her stomach that she couldn't make out. She decides to ignore it and goes to freshen her skin and hair up, pouring water leftover from the bottles Coriolanus had brought on her face and hair to remove any crud. She was ready.

     A few hours later, Peacekeepers arrived to snatch each tribute one by one and take them to the Capitol where they'd be given an interview in front of the citizens of Panem. Y/N watches nervously as the districts before her had their interview. It looked like most of them had the same plan as her and Aaron, with the whole loving each other thing. Though, some pulled it off better than others. Y/N wanted to make her district the most believable one. She looks to the stands where the mentors sat, searching for her own. She counted 23 of them. She did not see any of them with Coriolanus's light hair or with a rose on their jacket. She frowns. Did he forget? No, there's no way he forgot. What if something happened to him? Did Aaron's little act of defiance injure him more than she thought? Y/N shifts uncomfortably in her seat. It was her and Aaron's turn next, and her mentor was nowhere to be found.

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    "Stop moving, Coryo!" Tigris says while holding an ice pack to Coriolanus's forehead. "You could have a concussion." She sighs. "I need to go! She's on next! Tigris, I'm fine!" Coryo assures his cousin, removing the ice from his forehead and abruptly standing, causing a wave of dizziness to wash over his consciousness. Aaron's slam to the metal bar had a lot more force than Coryo had expected. This wasn't good. Not because of the head injury, he could care less about that. But, if Aaron had that much power in his muscles, it could be bad news for Y/N when it comes to their inevitable betrayal in the games. "Coryo, who cares? Look what her friend did to you! What if she does something like that next?" Tigris asks while holding onto him to keep him from collapsing. "She won't. I need to be there." He wasn't changing his mind. "Fine, but I'm coming with you so you don't end up falling on your face." She tells him, also not going to be changing her mind. Coryo nods and Tigris wraps an arm around her cousin's shoulders and helps him make his way to the mentor's stands in the broadcasting dome.

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     "Welcome tributes from District 12!" Lucretius Flickerman says excitedly into the microphone; the audience burst into applause as Aaron and Y/N walk onto the stage, their hands interlocked. "Take a seat you two!" Lucky Flickerman smiles and sits on a chair in front of the pair from 12. He studies Y/N and starts fanning himself. "Is it hot in here folks? This girl is on fire! Look at that dress!" He says into the mic and the audience agrees with claps and whistles. Y/N's face goes red; she wasn't sure if she liked all the attention, or if she even deserved it. "She's my beautiful girl." Aaron says with a smile, patting Y/N's hand. "Aww, now isn't that sweet." Lucky Flickerman beams at the two. "Did Mr. Knight get you that dress, Y/N?" He asks intriguingly. Y/N gulps and glances toward the stands again; Coriolanus Snow was still nowhere to be seen. "Actually, my mentor did.." She says slowly. The audience gasps. "Well, she means her mentor bought it for me to give to her. You know, because back in 12 we don't have a whole lot of cash like you folks up here." Aaron says with a laugh. "Speaking of mentors, Mr. Knight I do believe you have Mr. Sejanus Plinth as your mentor. Everyone give that young man a round of applause." Lucky Flickerman stands and starts the applause while the cameras lock on Sejanus who stands from his seat and smiles as he's applauded for. Once everyone calms down, Lucky Flickerman turns his attention towards Y/N. "And Y/N, it looks like you have.." he stops to look at a list he held in his hand. "Young Coriolanus Snow. What a lovely boy! Everyone give Mr. Snow a round of applause!" The cameras go to turn to Coryo, but all that comes on screen was an empty seat. "Oh.. well, that's unfortunate. Guess he forgot about his tribute's big day. We can save the applause for later." Says Lucky Flickerman with a frown.

Just as Lucky Flickerman was about to speak again, the sound of doors opening can be heard throughout the dome. The cameras immediately pan to the entrance of the building, where Coriolanus Snow and his cousin Tigris can be seen entering. Coryo was relying heavily on Tigris for his balance; his head was still spinning but he was determined to be here for Y/N. "Oh.." Lucky Flickerman makes a face of disgust as the cameras zoom in on a nasty bruise to Snow's left side of his forehead. "That does not look good!" Lucky Flickerman grimaces. "Nonetheless, welcome Mr. Snow! We're so glad you could make it. Not sure why you came with a nasty bruise like that, but oh well! To each their own folks, to each their own." He smiles and turns back to Y/N. He asks her something but Y/N doesn't hear, or at least doesn't respond. Her eyes are focused on her mentor, watching his every move as he struggles to make his way to his seat next to his fellow mentors. That same deep feeling in the pit of her stomach returns, and she suddenly becomes very anxious. "Uhm.." she starts, but then notices her mentor look at her once he was in his seat, who then nods at her. That simple nod eased some of that anxiety. "Y/N, did you do that to your mentor?" Lucky Flickerman asks, for what was the fourth time. "Huh? No! It was-" she stops for a second to see Aaron looking at her with a deadpanned expression. "It was dark and he tripped over a log in the woods." She lies, biting her lip. "Well! That's embarrassing!" Lucky Flickerman laughs, as well as the audience. Y/N looks over to Coriolanus, who looked very distressed. This was all her fault. He didn't deserve this, he was only trying to help her. Hell, he came to her interview with a nasty head injury that was now being laughed at, because of her.

"So, Aaron and Y/N. Tell me how it feels going into the arena with each other, knowing that either both of you or one of you won't make it out?" Lucky Flickerman asks, now back to being serious. Aaron starts before Y/N has a chance to speak. "It's heart wrenching. But, if the time comes I will give my life for Y/N. She is my life, and I can't live without her. If we go down, we go down together." Aaron leans over to give Y/N a kiss, and the audience eats that up. Donations were coming in fast. Their plan was working so far. Pulling back from the kiss, which lasted for a good few seconds, Y/N watches Sejanus looking very pleased. However, the young man next to him was looking.. well, he wasn't looking like anything. He was purely emotionless. She notices his cousin whisper something into his ear, and when Coriolanus looks to Y/N, a smile forms on his lips and he mouths "you did good." Was he proud of her? How? She felt like she made a fool of both of them. Lucky Flickerman wraps up their interview after one more round of applause for the tributes from District 12. Y/N immediately leaves the stage, Aaron following closely behind. "They loved us, Y/N!" He exclaims happily. "I love you so much, we're going to get through this. Together. I promise." He tells her before pulling her into a hug. Y/N hugs back gently, but she can't help but still feel awful about how she must've made her mentor feel. He was all that was on her mind at the moment. She wanted to make it up to him, somehow.