Coriolanus Snow X Reader (The Hunger Games)

Part 16

3 DAYS BEFORE THE 10TH ANNUAL HUNGER GAMES
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Being in the cage was lonely. Not to mention uncomfortable, especially after what happened with Aaron the other day. Y/N was afraid, and she would admit it. She didn't think she could trust anyone but Coryo; and while she believed her mentor when he told her everything would be okay, she still had a sick feeling in her stomach. This years games were going to be different from any before, and possibly from any later on as well. She knew it. All she could do now was hope Coriolanus was right about it ending well for them. Y/N wished it could end well for everyone, but she knew that wasn't a possibility. She was going to have to fight back, maybe even kill while she's in that arena. The thought of her shedding someone else's blood gave her chills, and she shivered against the tree behind her, her chin rested on her knees. Looking up at the crescent moon, a single tear flows down her face, soon followed by her eyes streaming what felt like a river of salty tears. Y/N buried her head between her legs and covered her face with her palms, sobbing silently. She wasn't sure why she was crying, but it felt good. She wished Coryo was here, as he always knew how to make her forget a terrible situation with his soft, comforting touch; even if it were only temporarily. He made her feel safe.

Y/N closed her eyes as she cried, humming a soft melody that used to help her feel better during hard times. "Come morning light... you and I-" she sniffled. "You and I... will be safe, and.." she thinks of what may happen if she were to lose Coryo and her sobs become more aggressive, but were still muffled beneath her hands, "..sound," she sings under her breath. Afterwards, she takes a few deep breaths to slow her heart rate. The sun was already rising, meaning she only had about an hour to get some rest before Peacekeepers woke everyone up for their final interview. Y/N leans back against the trunk of the tree, letting her eyes flutter shut as she drifts off into a light slumber. About an hour and a half later, four Peacekeepers came barging into the cage with their rifles pointing at the tributes in order to get them moving in a timely manner. Y/N grunts with exhaustion, her eyes were baggy from the lack of sleep she had gotten plus from crying the majority of the night. She begins to stand at a slow, more comfortable pace, but the Peacekeeper watching her was quick to grab her by the wrist and force her upwards violently. Y/N is dragged out of the cage and into a single file line, in which she was stood at the very end behind Aaron. With Peacekeepers on each side of the line of tributes, as well as one in front and one in back, they begin walking towards the interviewing building within the Capitol.

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     Coriolanus Snow stood formally with his fellow mentors in front of the radio broadcasting building with his hands behind his back and his chin up. Dr. Gaul and Mr. Highbottom had arrived to witness the final interviews of each tribute before the games begun. He hadn't gotten much sleep either, as each night that came made it closer to the day of the games, causing his anxiety to keep him up longer and longer each night. A few minutes after the Game Master and the Dean found their seats inside, which of course were in the front row, the tributes came marching in as if they were about to go to war. Coryo supposed in some senses, in a few days- they were. Coriolanus nods respectfully at each tribute and their mentor that passed him and entered the building, stopping when it was Sejanus and Aaron passing him and instead giving them a stone cold stare. His expression quickly changes into one of joy as soon as he sees Y/N, who embraces him tightly before being forced away by the butt of a Peacekeeper's rifle which then directs them inside, where they are separated once again. Coryo goes into the stands with the rest of the mentors as well as the other Capitol people, while Y/N goes backstage with the rest of the tributes and awaits her final pre-game.. and possibly her very final interview.

     Y/N studied every tribute's interview and how they were acting. Some were more confident than others, as some were doing a good job at getting the audience's attention, while others were refusing to talk at all. The young boy from eight talked about his family back home, he had a new baby sister and wanted to win so he could give her and the rest of his family a better life. However, Y/N saw the look in his eyes. He was the youngest tribute, and he knew he didn't have a good chance at winning, especially because he didn't think he'd be able to kill another person if it came down to that. Y/N felt awful for the poor kid, he didn't deserve this. She decided that she would do her best to keep him alive, since he had helped her too. Then soon enough it was Aaron's turn, and he had to be the most confident of the bunch. That worried Y/N immensely. When Aaron was finished, he trotted back to his backstage seat with a grin. "You're up, gorgeous." He tells her as Lucky Flickerman calls her to the stage. "And last, but not least! Our female from District 12! Come on out Y/N!" Flickerman announces into the microphone as he starts a round of standing applause for her as she walks out to the stage.

The audience calmed down and returned to their seats once Y/N sat down in the interviewing chair. "So, Y/N, I think the first question everyone is wondering is what was that singing act about during your final training session? I mean, you didn't even train! Just snapped a bow in half and sung such an eerie song! Can you explain?" Lucky Flickerman asks in an excited manner. Y/N nods and responds with, "Oh, yeah, it was just a song from back home. I wanted to give my District something to remember. Something to feel proud of, I guess." She shrugs. "Well, sweetheart, you did a lot more than gave District 12 something to remember. I believe everyone here today and everyone back home in the Districts were shocked by your performance. How do I know, you may ask? Young lady, go ahead and take a look at the donation board behind you." Says Flickerman with a happy smile. Y/N turns around and reads the board: "1158 donations." Her eyes go wide in shock. "What-" she turns back to the interviewer who looked very giddy. "This is what happens when you do stuff! Mr. Knight must be very proud of you. Speaking of him, that leads me to my next question." He tells her.

"How are you dealing with the possibility of losing one another? In your last interview, you two seemed to be the closest tributes of the same district, sprinkling some romance in there as well." Flickerman winks. "I can't imagine how awful it must be to think of losing him. Of going home alone." He says with a frown. Y/N puts on a sour face, she assumed if people still thought her and Aaron were still together, she'd get more donations. "It's like nothing I've ever felt before." She says slowly, glancing into the stands where Coryo was sat. "The thought of losing him is like a knife to the heart. Even if I were to win, nothing would be the same without him." Swiftly looking over at Coryo again, her heart races and three words escape her lips as she thinks of no one but him. "I love him." The audience erupts into cheers and applause after she announced those three special words. The donation board's number began to rise even more, making it to almost 2,000 donations. Y/N saw her mentor nod at her in approval, and she bites her lip. She didn't like lying to the entirety of Panem and especially her District, but she knew she had to in order to improve her survival chances.

"Thank you for your time, Y/N. And may the odds be ever in your favor. Flickerman and Y/N rise from their seats and shake hands before Y/N heads backstage to be greeted with a very angry Aaron. "So now you're not only going to lie to me, but use me to your advantage? What am I? A lab rat? You're unbelievable. And purely stupid. I can't believe I ever loved you. You're nothing but a disgrace to our District, and I'll show them who you truly are." Aaron scowls before walking away, leaving Y/N alone to dwell in what he had just said. Maybe he was right. Maybe she was an awful person, not just to Aaron, but to everyone at home. A disgrace. She doubts she could act like she loved Aaron for the rest of her life, so what would happen when they found out who she was actually in love with? And that she had lied to get attention. Winning The Hunger Games would mean nothing if she had no one to share her victory with. If anything, she'd probably be killed anyway. By her own friends. At the same time.. she's never felt more loved and appreciated by anyone than she did with Coryo. Perhaps her District didn't matter anymore; perhaps all she wanted.. all she needed, was to be with Coriolanus. Whether it was in the Capitol or back home. She knew she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him; she just hoped that the rest of her life would be longer than 2 and a half days.