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27. backstage
The following evening, it’s finally time.
The Hunger Games: A Night of Interviews will be broadcasted live all over Panem, however, by the time June makes it to the Academy auditorium in her freshly washed and pressed uniform with her family, it’s already packed. It seems even the War Department and Dr. Gaul are finally cutting Adeena Beaumont some slack and she’s able to enjoy one entertaining evening before the Games start.
But even with all of these people, many of them of high rank within the Capitol’s society like her own family, the only person she really looks forward to seeing again is Treech. It has only been a little over a day but she missed him terribly. She knows he must be alright but still, she can’t help but worry about him.
When she left the house earlier during the day to find some food coloring, she was alarmed by how long it took. Even nowadays, that sort of thing is scarce and she had to look around for quite a while. She was about to give up when she made it to a bakery with the most colorful assortment of pastries and baked goods she had ever laid her eyes upon. But most importantly, black velvet cupcakes.
She remembers how surprised the kind lady behind the counter looked when June asked about the coloring she had used for the icing, however, she didn’t hesitate much to show her. June is sure the woman hasn’t had many visitors as of late with the bakery not exactly being in a busy area, so it took little persuasion for her to leave the shop with the cupcakes, the food coloring tucked away in the pocket of her jacket. She made sure to hide it away in her bedroom when she came home and trusts it will be safe there.
The syringe will be the easiest part. Her father used to be a doctor — technically he still is, it’s just not his primary occupation — before he joined politics after all. She knows they have them at home.
Much like everyone else, her family is dressed to the nines. With the way the donation system is set up, June knows she can’t count on them to sponsor any of the tributes as everyone involved with the Games — including families of the mentors — are forbidden from doing so. Otherwise she’s sure Max would be able to persuade their parents to bet on the tributes or donate money, too.
Cas, dressed in a dark blue suit much like at the reaping, has left the family’s side quickly to find the Vickers and Plinths. She considers joining him for a moment since Sejanus is also there but decides against it since she’d rather be close to the stage. Still, when she almost breaks her neck to make him see her in the crowd, Sejanus smiles and nods affirmatively in encouragement.
Cas doesn’t go without wishing his sister good luck even though he knows she doesn’t need it. Max is as bouncy as ever, marveling at the sheer size of the auditorium. He’s talking his mother’s ear off while his father is engaging in small-talk with Tigris and Coriolanus’ grandmother.
The crowd is chattier than ever, everyone is beyond excited to see what the tributes and mentors have conjured up during these past few days and above all, everyone is eager to see the performances they were promised. It’s a bit overwhelming for June, being around this many people at once, but she manages to keep herself somewhat calm. Knowing Treech isn’t too far helps and she distracts herself by talking to her mother and little brother.
“Do you think they’re already backstage?” Max asks for the tenth time, tugging on the sleeve of his mother’s jacket. “I really wanna go!”
“You’ll see them in a bit, Max,” June reminds him. “I know you wanted to talk to them but I don’t think they’ll allow that. That’s not what tonight is about.”
Adeena Beaumont absent-mindedly runs her fingers through her son’s hair, “Exactly. We’re just here to watch their interviews and watch them perform.”
Max is clearly annoyed. His gaze trails along the black curtain separating the auditorium from the backstage area. When Festus Creed comes out and the curtains are pulled aside, he catches a glimpse of the hidden area and gasps.
“I see him!” He exclaims, pointing at the curtain with his finger. “Mom, look! There’s Treech, I see his hat!”
June’s head snaps back towards the curtains and as they sway from the movement and indeed, there he is. She wonders how he managed to get so close to the curtains but she still gets on her tiptoes to make herself more noticeable. Max does the same and when he’s sure Treech is looking, he waves eagerly. June only smiles, incredibly relieved to see he’s already nearby.
Adeena Beaumont places one hand on each of their shoulders respectively. “Behave yourselves,” she gently chides her children.
She blinks as she watches the way Treech raises his hand as if in greeting which makes Max grin. “Well, at least he has some manners,” she mutters.
She brushes some invisible dust off her daughter’s shoulders. “You’d better get going, then,” she says. “Good luck, dear. But I’m sure you don’t need it.”
June smiles and stifles a laugh when her mother pinches her brother’s arm. Max nods in agreement but is suddenly distracted by a tray one of the Avoxes is carrying. He grabs his mother’s hand and June can only watch in amusement as he drags the woman away.
“The strength that boy has when he wants something is remarkable,” her father comments. He looks as sharp and strict as ever but there’s an undeniable hint of amusement in his eyes. “Go on then, Junia. I’m sure you’ll make us proud.”
June thanks her father quietly and slips away, one hand gripping the strap of her book bag tightly. She takes a deep breath when she sees Lucky Flickerman near the stage but doesn’t give him much thought.
Festus manages to catch up with her. When he was in a hurry to see Coral backstage, he forgot his bag on the seat next to his father and went back to get it. “June,” he says. “How are you?”
“A bit nervous,” she admits and chuckles when she sees the look on his face. “Yes, I know that’s nothing new. How about you?”
“Good, good,” Festus nods. “I thought I’d bring Coral a snack before she takes the stage. I don’t know if she’ll take it but…”
“It’s the thought that counts,” June quickly says when he trails off. She shoots him a reassuring smile as they slip through the curtains into the backstage area. “The worst case scenario is she takes it but doesn’t eat it.”
Truth be told, it wouldn’t surprise her. But June has seen first-hand how much Coral cares for Mizzen and is sure that if she doesn’t eat it but takes it anyway, she might slip it into her jacket and give it to him instead.
“The worst case scenario is her breaking my hand,” Festus says with a shake of his head. “She has a tight grip.”
When he finds his tribute sitting on one of the chairs, her arms crossed over her chest, he sighs. “I better get going.”
He has seen the way she handled that broomstick during their training sessions and really doesn’t want to be on the receiving end of it. It’s enough that Lucky Flickerman is hosting the event today, he doesn’t want to add another annoyance to the list.
June bids him a farewell and quickly crosses the small distance that’s separating her from Treech. She notices him looking after Festus for longer than usual with furrowed eyebrows but she’s more focused on the fact that all of the tributes are able to roam almost freely backstage. She spots a few Peacekeepers but even they seem more relaxed than usual.
Warmth crawls up her back when Treech turns to look her up and down and though she knows he hates the Academy uniform, she finds some comfort in the fact that he smiles. He looks good, too, with his clothes fresh and smelling like lavender. She followed his request and gently sprayed his washed clothes in her perfume and he really doesn’t seem to mind.
“I almost thought you wouldn’t come here until the last minute,” he jokes. His eyes are almost glued to her face and he suppresses a sigh when he sees the way her hair is tied up. He can never decide if he likes it more up or down. She’s always so damn beautiful.
“Sometimes I feel like you like keeping me on my toes, sweetheart,” he adds with a little grin. “You okay?”
June nods, “Yeah, I’m… you know.” She lets out a laugh. “I’ll be okay. We prepared more than enough.”
She hears Lucky taking the stage but pays him no mind once again. Her and Treech are second-last so she knows they’ll still have some time before they’re called out. Somehow, that calms her down and makes her more nervous at the same time.
When she rummages through her bag to try and find the towel she brought for him, she looks up. “How are you?”
“Good. Can’t complain,” Treech replies. “I’ve got clean clothes and more food in me than ever before.”
That reassures her, too. She leads him over to the sink and soaks half of the towel in warm water, wrings it out a bit and brings it up to his face.
She begins to gently scrape off all of the dirt and grime that has gathered on his face over the past week, if not even longer. Despite his initial surprise, he doesn’t resist and relishes in the feeling of being cared for. He doesn’t remember the last time he felt this relaxed around someone but with her kind and caring attitude, he’s not surprised that he enjoys spending time with her.
When he closes his eyes, she laughs. It’s like music to his ears, a sound he managed to grow beyond fond of over these last days spent with her. He doesn’t think he has ever heard a more beautiful sound before he met her. Not even the serenity of birds chirping in the morning or the gentle stream near his family’s house compares to the way she makes him feel.
“What?” he muses. “Don’t laugh, it’s relaxing. You’re good at this.”
“Well, I do have a very troublesome little brother,” she reminds him. “I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to do this for him.”
His eyes flutter open. “Yeah, I saw him,” he says. He only saw a small part of the audience through the gap in the curtains but he’d be lying if he said it didn’t make him a bit nervous. “He looks like a good kid, though. But I don’t really see a resemblance.”
In fact, he almost feels like June, and Cas to an extent, don’t have much in common with their parents. Even from a distance, he could tell June’s mother has sharper facial features and a look on her face that would make babies cry. He had a picture in mind after seeing June’s father when he realized they don’t look alike either.
He imagined a woman just as beautiful and gentle-looking as June. He really doesn’t understand who it is that she seems to be taking after but whoever it is, he’s grateful for it. He likes her just the way she is.
That aside, he’s beginning to find it deeply unsettling how her father seems to be seeing right through him. It was like that at the zoo the morning of Arachne’s funeral, too. And he still looks oddly familiar. He hasn’t figured it out yet and doubts he ever will.
Treech did notice the way June’s spark is almost diminished around her family, though. It’s not something he’d like to see again. It's like she brightens up the further away she is from them.
But she speaks and he’s snapped out of his thoughts instantly.
She shakes her head, “Don’t let his appearance fool you. He’s as troublesome as they come.”
“I know what you mean. I think I gave Birdie the same kind of trouble when I was younger,” he says. “She’s just a year older than me but always takes care of everyone. I get exhausted just from watching her do it sometimes.”
June laughs, “Well, don’t just watch. You should be helping her.” She’s only half-joking when she says this but he grins almost bashfully anyway. “Trust me. As a big sister, I know she’d appreciate it.”
She gently taps his nose with the damp towel and he laughs. His chest feels warm at the way she speaks so certainly, as if she truly believes he’ll win and be able to go home. “I think you’d get along,” he then says. “You have a lot in common.”
When he realizes that probably sounded wrong, he shakes his head. “I’m… That came out wrong. I mean, I don’t see you like a sister but—” He scrambles for the right words. His eyes soften, “You just remind me of home, sunshine.”
She has to put in an effort so she doesn’t get choked up just from hearing that. He’s so far away from home, she wouldn’t know how to handle it if she were in his shoes. But she decides to keep things lighter before the interview.
Lyssie and Jessup are the first to be called on stage by Flickerman. After he explained how the sponsor and betting system will work, it seems they’re immediately getting down to business.
When the towel gently sweeps along his jaw, she hums, “I think I understand what you’re trying to say. I’m glad I can make you feel that way.” Softer, she adds, “And if it’s any comfort, I don’t think of you as a brother either.”
He looks at her in surprise but can’t deny that his heart skips a beat. The towel leaves a trace of warmth behind wherever it caresses him. “You don’t?” He questions.
“No, I think that’d be a bit… unfitting,” June says, considering her words carefully. “My brothers tend to give me headaches. You don’t.”
Quite the opposite, really. When she had a concussion, the only voice she really liked to hear was his. She hasn’t thought about it much but she really likes it. His voice is warm and engulfs her like a blanket on a cold winter morning.
He can’t help but laugh anyway, “That’s a good thing, I’d say. I wouldn’t want your pretty little head to hurt, sweetheart."
Even in the faint and dark light around the backstage area, he can see the way her cheeks darken. When the towel sweeps along his throat, he loosens the neckerchief until it slips into his hand.
Has he taken it off at all since the morning of the reaping? He doesn’t even know for sure what day it is.
Two more days until the Games start. Two more days until—
“You know,” she then says, “I do have good news. I’m not giving away any details but…”
She leans in, pretending to fix the collar of his jacket. “One more thing and we’ll have your ticket out of here,” she whispers. “I’ll have it by tomorrow.”
Treech blinks down at her in surprise. With the interview coming up and how much fun they had the past few days, he had almost forgotten about everything else. She just has that effect on him. It’s pleasant but it always catches him off guard.
“You’re sure?” he questions when he finally manages to tear his eyes away from the gentle curve of her lips. “You got this in the bag?”
“As good as,” she says with a small nod. To his disappointment, she pulls away and begins dabbing along his throat again. “You trust me?”
“I do,” he replies. “You can ask me that as much as you want, I’m not gonna change my mind, sweetheart.”
She smiles. “Good,” she says and when she’s done cleaning him up, she folds the towel and puts it back into her book bag. “How do you feel?”
“Clean,” he answers. He fiddles with the neckerchief and exhales softly, running his fingers along the material. “And better. Thank you.”
Unlike almost all of his clothes, his hat and the kerchief both haven’t been washed but he doesn’t mind. If anything, he’d like to at least have something on him that reminds him of home.
His eyes flit back to her, then to the fabric in his hands. “I’ve got an idea,” he then says and smoothes out the kerchief. “Turn around.”
June blinks at him in surprise but doesn’t resist. She turns around and tenses in surprise when she feels him tightening her ponytail slightly. “What are you doing?” she questions.
Treech hums, savoring the feeling of her soft strands on his fingertips, “Give me a moment.”
She can’t tell what he’s doing or what he’s planning but she trusts him. She hears the soft rustling of fabric and understands when she feels a slight pressure around her hairband. His touch is both gentle and firm in a way she can’t quite decipher but she knows she feels safe with him.
Treech wraps the neckerchief around her hairband and finishes it off elegantly, tying it to resemble a bow to the best of his ability.
“I’m not as good at this as Flint,” he finally says. After all, his oldest brother has a daughter and always does her hair. “But I’m all done.”
That aside, he remembers how Flickerman and the people in the zoo reacted when Lucy Gray and her mentor — he still can’t be bothered to remember his name — held hands. It’s not his primary concern but he imagines that kind of symbol would catch the audience’s attention. That, and the implications of her wearing something of is makes his heart skip a beat.
June reaches up behind her, brushing her fingers over the bow. She knows it’s not clean and definitely smells like his sweat but she doesn’t care. It’s a sweet gesture.
“Thank you,” she says and turns around. “There’s no mirror around here but I’m sure it looks good.”
He smiles.
They spend the rest of the time waiting to be called on stage just having occasional small-talk and comment on the other mentor-tribute pair performances.
They watch just in time to see Lyssie sitting on her chair with Jessup lifting her up easily as a demonstration of strength. That aside, though, he’s very quiet. Then there’s Io Jasper and Circ, the male tribute from Three, discussing various ways to make things easier in the arena with the bare essentials such as making a fire with just a pair of glasses. Juno Phipps and Bobbin take the stage after them and when he begins talking, the audience is stunned to hear him explain five different ways to kill someone with a needle.
Treech and June are both sitting on a table with their feet dangling above ground. The only noise in the backstage area now is Lucy Gray strumming her guitar with Coriolanus helping her warm up her voice even if she probably won’t need it.
June is absent-mindedly playing with Treech’s fingers and doesn’t even seem to notice the way he shudders when her fingertips trace the healing marks on his wrists caused by the handcuffs and shackles. Her fingers are gentle and as much as he finds it soothing, his eyes keep on darting back to the bow on her head.
Maybe he’ll let her keep it.
Coral and Festus are next and June is impressed with the way the girl demonstrates her skills with a trident. She had a feeling Coral would be a skilled opponent but seeing the way she handles the broomstick she was given as a replacement — she doesn’t even falter at the sight of the Peacekeepers with their guns pointed at her just in case she does anything — she’s incredibly glad to know Treech won’t need to worry about her at the start of the Games.
Tanner and Domitia Whimsiwick are up next. He begins talking about various slaughterhouse techniques and for her own sake, June only listens a little bit.
She takes the book bag off and manages to get ahold of her chapstick, running it over her lips. With how nervous she’s slowly becoming, she’s trying to distract herself since she knows they’ll be up next. Somehow, she thought she wasn’t nervous but now she kind of is.
Treech watches her with a mix of amusement and something akin to fascination. Of course he knows what chapstick is, he has seen his big sister and mother use self-made balms to keep their lips soft as well, but this is different — almost mesmerizing. Her lips shine in the faint light and his breath catches in his throat.
Kiss her.
He blinks at his own thoughts in surprise. Kiss her? Just like that? No, that wouldn’t be right. He doesn’t even know if she’d want that or allow it. He runs his finger over his own lips, acknowledging how chapped they are.
Still, the voice in his head grows louder and more persistent. He’d be lying if he said he never thought about it.
June looks over at him and sees the way he’s eyeing the chapstick. She holds it out for him to take, “You want some?”
“But it’s yours,” he replies, mentally patting himself on the back that his voice doesn’t crack. “It’s fine."
His gaze wanders back to her mouth. "What does it feel like?" he question.
She sighs and furrows her brows when she sees him still eyeing her face. She leans forward and gauges his reaction. When he doesn’t pull away, she brings the chapstick up and runs it along his bottom lip carefully.
This girl is going to be the death of him before he even enters the arena.
His eyes wander across her face and he has to admit that even though it’s a bit strange, the chapstick feels nice on his skin. She’s clearly not applying as much as she did with herself but he can’t help but watch her closely anyway.
Once again, it feels like there’s no one but them right here where they are. His heart skips a beat and he swallows when she smiles as soon as she realizes he’s not pulling away.
“You know, sweetheart,” he whispers, “if you think about it, isn’t this kind of like an indirect kiss?”
When he sees her rolling her eyes, the corners of his mouth twitch until he can’t help but smile. How can he not when she blushes like that?
Kiss her.
He comes to the conclusion that she’s not uncomfortable with the idea of an indirect kiss and when she’s done applying the chapstick to his upper lip as well, he rubs his lips together. He finds the feeling of chapstick strangely slippery but he doesn’t mind. If it’s keeping her lips so soft-looking, it can’t be bad.
She puts the chapstick back into her book bag and looks at him, “See? That wasn’t so bad, right?”
“It’s not bad. Just a bit strange,” he replies with a little laugh. “Makes me feel like a princess.”
June nods and lets her gaze sweep across his face. She always thought he was handsome but she thinks he looks even better up close. The audience is cheering in the auditorium but it barely reaches her over the loud thumping of her own heart. She doesn’t know why, but all she focuses on is him. It’s like she can’t tear her eyes away.
Right here and now, the Games feel further away than ever before.
Treech looks at her and doesn’t know what to do at first. He can’t read the look on her face, it’s not one he has ever seen on a girl before.
At least not when they’ve looked at him.
But it’s such a soft and tender expression, it tugs on his heartstrings. He swallows again and decides it must be safe, so he decides to test the waters. He leans in slightly and waits it out, wanting to see if she’ll move away. He’s sure he hears her breath catching in her throat but she makes no move to pull away from him either.
Kiss her.
His hand finds her cheek and he laughs softly when he feels just how soft but most importantly warm she is against his calloused hand. “You’re blushing, sweetheart,” he mumbles. “You sure you wanna go out there looking like a tomato?”
She exhales through her nose and laughs again. She ponders for a moment but smiles and his thumb brushes along the crease of her dimple. “I think I can live with that,” she finally says quietly.
Treech’s expression brightens and with her consent and his newfound courage, he leans in until—
“What an incredibly… detailed insight into the slaughterhouse! Thank you so much, Miss Whimsiwick! Tanner!”
“Are you fucking kidding me—” Treech can’t mask his irritation and his head snaps towards the stage. Even though he knows Flickerman can’t see or hear him through the curtains, he’s pissed.
Apparently the Flickerman hate club has a new member now. Surely Festus will be overjoyed that someone is finally catching on.
“Now, up next is someone our audience at home might already be familiar with! But this time, she’ll finally introduce us to her tribute!”
Even June catches onto Flickerman’s brief jab but she’s far more amused by Treech’s reaction to care. She snorts and then laughs before she pushes herself off the table. Of course she’s disappointed that they’re called on stage now out of all times but if they wait too long it won’t make a good impression either.
That aside, it’s an incredibly flattering feeling to know that he really, really wants to kiss her.
“Come on,” she urges him gently and holds her hand out for him to take. “We’ve got people waiting for us."
“Everyone, let’s give them a warm welcome!”
When the crowd begins to applaud outside, Treech gets off the table as well and takes her hand. They walk past Coriolanus and Lucy Gray — neither of whom seem to have noticed what the other mentor-tribute pair was about to do not even a minute ago — and push their way through the curtains.
He’ll make sure he gets that kiss afterwards.
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your eyes make me shy.
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don't kill me pls
june when lucky interrupted her and treech:
treech reaction:
(he was ready to kill before the games started)
i'm so so sorry but i had to. don't murder me please 🙏🤕
also i know self-advertising stinks but if you guys wanna take a look at the coral fic i'll be writing after this, i published the summary etc yesterday! <3
hope you enjoyed the double chapter today!!!<3
have a nice day everyone !!!<3
memes!