never a god | treech

03 | At the Zoo

"Sejanus!" Vera called out, making her way over to her friend with a smile.

"Vera, I see you've brought food with you. And Coryo," Sejanus said with a soft smile. Vera glanced down at his bag, noticing the sandwiches and fresh plums inside, though none of the tributes seemed to be responding to his calls.

"Ma made some food for them, but it's no use. They don't trust me and I don't blame them," Sejanus added, glancing toward the ground as he blinked away tears. Vera put down her water as she placed a hand on Sejanus' shoulder. Sejanus quickly wiped his tears before glancing back at Vera and Coryo, holding out some food.

"Maybe you could try with your tributes. If you could get them to eat, maybe others will too," Sejanus suggested with hopeful eyes.

"Why don't we all eat? It might make everyone more comfortable," Vera suggested before scanning past the fence for Treech. Vera noticed the way the boy watched her from the corner of his eye, unwilling to show he'd been intrigued by her arrival. Vera chuckled to herself before waving at him.

"Want to join me for dinner?" Vera called out, flashing two sandwiches. Finally, Treech turned his attention toward Vera, reluctantly walking over to her.

"Why are you here? Isn't it a little past your curfew?" said Treech, avoiding Vera's gaze. Vera chuckled to herself before extending a sandwich to him.

"Maybe, but I wanted to make sure you got dinner first. Plus, I'm kind of hungry too," Vera responded, taking a seat on the ground. Treech looked down for a moment before joining her.

"Have any of the other mentors visited?" Vera asked as she unwrapped her sandwich and took a bite.

"Just you and your two friends," Treech responded, nodding to Sejanus and Coryo.

"Hopefully tomorrow then," Vera answered as she watched Treech eat, eventually taking a bite of her own when she noticed him go silent. By the time both of them finished their sandwiches, all the other tributes had started to eat, all besides Sejanus' tribute.

"Oh, I almost forgot I brought this," Vera spoke up, pulling out a cloth from her bag, "Here."

Homemade Cookies.

"I made them right after the train station, thought maybe you'd like a sweet treat," Vera added, holding open the cloth for Treech to take. Treech's eyes flickered between the cookie and Vera's bag for a few moments before he grabbed one with a nod. Vera watched closely as he bit into the cookie, eyes slightly widening at the taste, Vera smiled as she bit into her own.

"Best batch I've made in a while," Vera complimented with a chuckle, breaking off the other half of her cookie to give to Treech.

"Do you do this often?" Treech asked with he finally met her gaze.

"Bake? As often as I can. Sometimes, I make cakes, other times it's cookies, and sometimes it's something as simple as bread. I'll have to bring something else for you to try next time, you can be my taste tester," Vera replied with a grin getting even happier when Treech's lip twitched slightly, even if it was only for a split second.

"Fine. But, I won't go easy on you just cause you're my mentor," Treech countered, the most he's said since they met. Vera's eyes widened with delight.

"I wouldn't expect anything less. Tell me honestly, how were my cookies?" Vera asked, sitting up in anticipation as Treech took one last bite.

"Mmm. They're good," Treech began to say, smirking slightly when he saw Vera's smile widen, "But I've had better."

Vera laughed and playfully rolled her eyes.

"I guess I'll have to try harder to impress you," Vera countered.

"Vera, we've got to head out," Coryo yelled over to the girl, interrupting their conversation.

"One second," Vera yelled back as she cleared her space and stood up, brushing off her dress.

"Get some rest, I'll be back tomorrow after school," Vera advised as she placed two bottles of water in Treech's hands. It was only then, that Vera noticed the cameraman filming their interaction. How long had he been there?

And Vera was not the only person to notice the cameraman.

Treech's jaw clenched slightly at the idea of his conversation being filmed without knowing. But then, he remembered Lucy Gray and her mentor trying their best to get recognized for the sake of food. If they could play it up for the camera, so could he.

So, in an instant, Treech's demeanor changed completely, flashing the girl a smile as he spoke.

"You get yourself home safe, Darling. We wouldn't want to worry your parents by keeping you out too late," Treech flirted, though the hint of disdain in his voice made it clear to Vera that he wasn't serious. Nonetheless, Vera laughed.

"I'll make sure to be extra safe just for you," Vera replied, sending the boy an exaggerated wink, before turning to walk away with her friends. It was only when the cameraman turned away from the two that Vera turned back and mumbled, 'Sleep well, Treech.'

-

A/N: hi guys !! I just wanted to take a minute and say thank you guys for all of the support !! I really wasn't expecting anyone to read this, let alone like it. just know that all your comments and support mean the world to me !! I really appreciate it all sm <3

quick little notes:

1) I've finally settled on a posting schedule!! currently, I'm going to be posting three times a week. I'll be posting this fic every monday & friday at 5 pm est and then on wednesday, I'm posting for my cato fic at the same time !!

2) that being said, I've been posting updates on my tiktok if you want to check that out as well,,, I may not be a very good editor, but it's really fun to make little edits lol,,, my user is the same as my wattpad @seungielovebot <3

anyways, I hope you guys have an amazing week !! love you lots, hannah <3