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58. the wedding
August 26th marks the day of Birdie’s wedding, and it’s perfect.
The weather is just right. Around this time of the year, the temperature is slowly cooling down, but not to an unbearable extent. The morning starts off cool, but with everyone being busy getting ready and making sure nothing is missing before the departure, it’s not that big of a deal.
Over the last few days, Cas has also grown more accustomed to life in Seven. The entire family accepted him with open arms, although there was some hesitation on both ends at first. However, it was quickly broken that same evening when Cas didn’t even think twice before he joined those that were tasked with preparing dinner without even being asked to. It broke the initial distrust because, although everyone knew he was June’s twin brother, there were still some prejudices that couldn’t be helped at first.
Treech ended up being more than happy to have both twins sharing a room with him, but whenever the nightmares come back to haunt him, he still gets up to sleep downstairs instead. June following is a given because she knows he needs her. That’s something she knows might never change, but she doesn’t mind.
It’s not that Treech doesn’t trust himself to be vulnerable about Cas; it’s just that he would rather not have yet another person see him in such a state.
June is surprised to hear that there were no invitations sent out at all, but the people in Seven and their community don’t disappoint, because by the time Birdie and her soon-to-be husband finally arrive, everything is completely set up. The area outside the Pine is decorated beautifully, with flowers adorning almost everything they can possibly touch, a huge array of tables with a large assortment of food and drinks, and even the music doesn’t disappoint.
She never cared much for weddings in the Capitol, as they were boring and plagued by formalities, but not here at all. Not even the Peacekeeper recruits walking around the area can put a damper on things, especially not for June and Cas. The second they spot Sejanus on patrol during the ceremony, it almost becomes a game for them to bet on how long it will take for him to find them.
Fifteen minutes. Three times longer than June predicted. But given the number of people, she can’t say she exactly blames him.
What matters most now is that all three of them are happy and that Treech is on the road to recovery. Going to Seven was the best decision any of them could have made, and they know very quickly that they won’t be regretting it any time soon either.
The wedding ceremony is bright and colorful and filled with laughter and joy. It’s exactly the way a wedding is supposed to be, and when Birdie and Wade exchange personalized wreaths decorated with flowers and little bows, a stark contrast to the Capitol’s tradition of exchanging rings, June swears she can even see the bride’s father shedding a few tears.
By the time the late afternoon hits and the initial ceremony has been replaced by an open buffet and music that invites people to dance, most people have already loosened up a lot more than usual, even for a place as lively as Seven. Even the Peacekeepers are more relaxed now and meddle with the crowd, which is something the people don’t seem to mind. But considering the fact that the wedding is literally taking place right outside the black market, it’s probably only natural that they’re here. And for once, they’re not even disturbing anyone, although they’re definitely going against the usual protocol.
Cas is practically dragged away from the buffet by Treech’s little brothers to meet the musicians, and June has to laugh when she sees the way her brother awkwardly hovers around the Lumberjives at first before eventually being dragged along by a girl with long, dark hair and an instrument that she can’t quite recall ever seeing before. Her nerves are quickly soothed when their leader, Reed, hands him his guitar and seems to be trying to show him the ropes.
Cas sporting what was once his most pristine suit, but without the jacket and his top buttons undone — something that would have earned him a scolding from their parents in the Capitol — looks more at peace than ever. He nods along, eager to learn, and lets the other boy adjust his posture and whatnot. He practically blends right in.
None of that seems to be disrupting the flow of the show. The younger members are perfectly capable of keeping things running, and a tune played on a flute and a lyre mixes in with a young boy’s singing to create a beautiful harmony. Their music seems to really be loved because couples eagerly swarm the dancefloor, especially Treech’s parents and the newlywed couple.
Treech remains on the sidelines outside of the ceremony. He doesn’t quite trust himself or the crowd, but the number of people that are here to celebrate with his family makes him feel good. His sister shed a few tears over the wood carving he made for her, but even that’s not enough. Throughout the entire day, Treech has been making little sketches of the wedding and hopes to be able to give her a scrapbook of the day soon enough. He knows it would make her happy, given how hard it is to find a photographer, let alone at an affordable price here.
But the most important thing is that he makes it throughout the day without any incidents. That alone already means the world to him.
June approaches the little table he has been sitting at, a plate filled with a small array of the buffet’s food in her hand. If she didn’t know where he was, she might not even have found him, but she can’t hide her surprise when she brushes past a figure coming from her boyfriend’s direction.
“Rachis!” She exclaims and quickly steps aside before he can bump into her. Admittedly, she struggles with finding something to say at first but then smiles up at him when he comes to a rapid halt. “How are you doing? I wasn’t expecting you to stop by today.”
Rachis, unlike the other few times she has seen him, looks almost relaxed. The tension that was ever present in his body has visibly worn off; he has a small smile on his face, and from the looks of it, even his shoes are newly polished. The bags under his eyes have thinned, and she has to admit that he looks a lot less pale than he used to.
“I grew up with Birdie, so it’d be rude if I didn’t show up. But I’m just here to drop off some parents; dad needs my help at the lumber yard,” he explains, placing his hands on his hips. He lets out an exasperated sigh. “Sorry, I feel like I almost always run straight into you. How… How is your nose?”
June raises her eyebrows in surprise and brings her free hand up to touch the bridge of her nose. But then she shakes her head. “If you hadn’t brought it up, I wouldn’t have thought of it,” she admits, but then offers him a small smile. “All better. Don’t worry, I don’t feel it anymore."
Rachis’ relief is palpable as he lets out a long sigh and places a hand on his chest. "Good, ‘cause I was really worried. I don’t think I can say sorry enough,” he says. “But I’m glad you’re better.”
June’s arm drops to her side, and she nods. “Thank you,” she replies honestly. But the way he’s checking in on her does make her think of something else. “How are your grandparents? Is the treatment finally taking effect?”
After all, it was the main reason why she and Treech went to see Lamina’s brother a few weeks ago anyway. She doesn’t think she’ll ever be able to forget the heavy atmosphere and sadness that filled the air surrounding them, but she also vividly remembers how fondly he spoke of his sister and how much she cared for their family.
With Treech unable to go back to the lumber yard due to the trauma the Games have inflicted upon him, he has been at home and selling his wood carvings under his mother’s name. As much as everyone in the family has reassured him time and time again that people would not mind knowing he made some of them, he prefers it this way, and his mother happily gives him all the profits, which then go to Rachis for the most part.
But his grandparents’ uncertain state has been nagging at her. It worries her to know that the Districts aren’t able to combat certain illnesses or even take measures against them. She’s still unsure what they have in the first place; all she knows is that they’re terribly ill. And they're so loved by their family that they’re willing to do anything to keep them alive.
“It’s better right now. I mean, I’m tryin’ to stay realistic, but every time things get better, it’s hard not to get your hopes up,” Rachis tells her with a shrug of his shoulders. “But they’re alive and were even able to leave the bed these past few days. It hasn’t always been like that.”
Seeing his happiness tugs on June’s heartstrings, her gaze softens in an instant. She can’t imagine the stress he has been under ever since Lamina’s reaping, and likely even before that, so seeing him so far away from his home with a smile on his face brings her some comfort.
“That’s wonderful news. I’m happy to hear that,” she says, placing a hand on his arm to give it a comforting squeeze. She sighs. “I’m sorry; I don’t mean to hold you off. Please send kind regards to your family; we’re rooting for you.”
Rachis nods, and although his eyes briefly begin to water, he forces his tears down and nods. “Thank you,” he says earnestly. “I’ll see you and Treech around some time, I hope. I’ve tried talkin’ to him, but he’s still stiff as a board.”
“It’s nothing personal,” she assures him quickly, taking her hand off his arm. She leans back to catch a glimpse of Treech with his nose deep in another drawing and shakes her head with a smile. “I should get going too. See you around soon, I hope!”
She’s unable to catch his reply as the band picks up a new song. As she departs from Rachis, June can see her brother in an engaged conversation with the girl who’s playing the lyre. June remembers her from the market and remembers her as sweet but a little bit dreamy, so it’s hardly a surprise they seem to be getting along. Still, when she offers him the lyre, Cas quickly raises his hands and shakes his head with a laugh, almost looking overwhelmed.
June feels a warmth spreading from head to toe out of happiness for her twin and manages to get to Treech easily as the crowd of people dancing thins out around the edges. Treech is entirely by himself, but he made it crystal clear that this is what he wants.
“Hey,” she says once she’s close enough, not wanting to scare him. She takes a chair along with her and lifts it so it doesn’t drag over the grass, smiling at him when he lifts his head and his shoulders relax.
She sits the chair down next to his and takes a seat, offering him the plate. “I brought you some food. I noticed you didn’t have anything in a while,” she says. Her eyes flicker over to the drawing on the table, and she tilts her head to the side. The scene depicted seems to be that of his sister and the groom on the dance floor, gazing into each other’s eyes. It’s still a sketch, but she can immediately see that this will be yet another drawing that will have her in awe.
To this day, she doesn’t understand why he never brought it up before. She thinks it’s fascinating how he’s able to bring these scenes to life, but she is also aware that not all of his drawings are lively and depict things like these. While he tends to stick to things that make him happy, she has seen some of the sketches he made of his nightmares or things he saw during the Games. She’s happy that it seems to help him, but seeing these things come to life on paper always gets her all choked up, especially because Treech’s ability to capture everything in grand detail always shows itself during these times.
She notices the weight of the plate being gone, but when she looks back at Treech, the look on his face tells her that he asked her a question. Her smile turns a bit bashful when she sees the amused look on his face. “In my defense, it’s a lovely drawing,” she quickly says. “Sorry, what did you say?”
“You already answered my question,” he simply says, and he takes one of the fruit pastries, taking a huge bite. “Thanks, sweetheart. I was starvin’.”
He doesn’t have the heart to tell her that he’d rather not eat than force his way through the crowd. He’s glad he even made it through the ceremony. Being here almost on his own is a welcome break for his now easily overwhelmed senses. He was never a huge fan of large gatherings of people, but after everything, he has almost developed some kind of fear of them. Whenever he’s near too many people, he immediately thinks all eyes are on him, even though that’s usually not the case.
“Do you want me to get you some more?” She asks, stifling a laugh at the way he practically devours the things she brought him. Again, the image of a squirrel stuffing its cheeks comes to mind, and her heart swells with affection. “Wave me over next time I’m not there. I don’t want you to go hungry.”
“Didn’t wanna bother you ‘cause you were talking to Sejanus the entire time,” he replies with a shrug. The sweet taste of strawberries lingers on his tongue, mixing in with the buttery flavor of the pastry. “You haven’t seen each other in a while. And I was keeping myself busy anyway.”
June heaves a sigh but knows that he has a point. She doesn’t know when she left his side, but when she spotted Sejanus amidst the recruits, she stopped by and talked to him for a good while. It must have taken a bit longer than intended, but she can’t deny that she doesn’t regret spending time with him. They rarely have the chance to because, even on his off-days, it’s hard for him to get too far from the base without others getting suspicious.
“Just let me know if you’re still hungry after this. I’ll get you some more,” she relents, leaning back in her chair.
Her gaze briefly flickers over his form, taking note of the way the humidity in the air makes some of his curls stick to his forehead or almost seems to make it curl more than usual, along with the fact that the lingering heat made him unbutton his shirt more than he does most of the time. She catches a glimpse of his chest but quickly forces her eyes back up, warmth crawling up her face when she’s sure he caught her looking.
She rests her head against his shoulder with a sigh, not minding much that she’s likely messing up her hairdo. She tucked it up for the day since they predicted warm weather, but she knows more than a few strands have fallen out at this point. She heard tales about how long the weddings in Seven can last, but secretly hopes that they’ll let her and Treech go earlier without commenting too much on it. He’d like to stay as long as possible for his sister, but they both know that they’re already exhausted. June because she’s naturally introverted; Treech because the number of people is overwhelming him for other reasons.
And as much as she loves Cas, she’d like to go back to the days of falling asleep in Treech’s arms without hearing her brother’s snoring right next to her. She misses the almost soundproof walls the Capitol had to offer but is glad she’s not there anymore.
Treech rests his cheek against her head and happily tucks in the food she brought him. It seems she picked a bit of everything because he really can’t complain about the variety. Small bits of dessert, a bit of the main course, and some bread as a side are filling enough for the time being, and he wipes his hands on the napkin beneath when he’s done. There’s still some left, but he has had his fill for now.
He puts the plate on the table but makes sure it doesn’t touch his drawing paper before he slumps back in his own chair and buries his nose in the crown of her hair.
However, their peace doesn’t last very long.
“Hey there, lovebirds!” Treech’s oldest brother’s voice rings through to them, and Treech groans, whereas June simply sighs and blinks over at Flint as he approaches, his hands tucked in his pockets and the same big old grin on his face. “What are you two doin’ here all on your own?”
“Gettin’ away from you,” Treech grumbles with a slight roll of his eyes, although he sounds too defeated to truly put up a fight now. “Why? What’s up?”
“Wow, you’re mean. I was just checking on my favorite little brother and his girl.” He hovers behind them and places a hand on each of their shoulders. “C’mon now, no slacking off. You should be dancing before the night is over!”
“We’re not even close to nightfall,” June protests as well. She’s still not sure how to handle Flint’s overbearing demeanor sometimes. She knows he means well and is well aware of Treech’s struggles; it’s just that his outgoing personality often clashes with theirs. “We still have some time.”
“That’s funny coming from you since both of you have an interesting perception of time,” Flint says, almost slurring his words.
Treech shoots him a wary look, and even June is confused and slightly offended for some reason. She’s not sure why, but she suddenly feels immense gratitude for her own brother. In comparison to Treech’s brothers, Cas’ teasing is almost harmless. It’s not embarrassing, but it never makes her want to dig a hole for herself to hide in.
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Treech immediately asks in a defensive tone, looking at his brother with suspicion in his eyes. “Are you drunk?”
Flint licks his lips and pulls his hands away. “A little bit, maybe,” he says surprisingly quietly before he clears his throat. “Anyway, you two might as well start practicin’ your first dance. ‘Cause with the way things are going, I’ve got a feeling you’re gonna get married sooner than you know.”
“How about you mind your own business?” Treech retorts. He’s clearly getting a bit agitated now because, while his brother’s teasing words usually never bothered him, everything has been getting under his skin ever since he came back. That aside, he doesn’t want June to feel pressured either.
He looks around. “Where’s Dawn when you need her…” He mumbles under his breath, which earns him a slight laugh from June and a big grin from his older brother. But alas, Flint’s wife is nowhere to be seen.
“Before you make plans, you should probably register yourself first anyway,” Flint goes on, completely undeterred by the way his brother is glaring daggers at him. “Are you going to change your name? ‘Cause of your parents?”
June feels her cheeks growing warm under his appraising gaze and, much to Treech’s dismay, lifts her head off his shoulder. “Well, I suppose that would be the smartest thing to do. I’m sure it would be for the best anyway. Technically, I still count as a citizen of the Capitol,” she says.
Flint hums. “You ain’t gotta change much. I’m guessin’ you wanna take our last name anyway,” he nods towards Treech, who rolls his eyes but seems visibly embarrassed. “‘Makes it harder for them to find you. And just put Juniper as your first name or something; it’s a common name. And it’s close enough.”
She has to admit that that’s not even a bad idea. It’s close to her actual name, and her nickname wouldn’t be suspicious either. It’s the closest thing she can get to her own identity without giving up her entire past. She likes that, even if she’s a bit unsettled by the idea of her future brother-in-law coming up with all of this when he’s clearly drunk.
“You want kids?” Flint then asks.
That seems to be the final straw. June’s face turns a deep red, and Treech looks like he’s about to leap at his big brother.
“Flint, I swear—”
A new voice cuts in, thankfully interrupting Treech before he can actually try to strangle his older brother.
“Sorry, but are the girls allowed to stick their hands into the cake?” Sejanus asks, immediately drawing all attention to him. He stands a bit to the side, his eyebrows knitted in worry, and stares off into the distance. “Look. Isn’t that your niece?”
Warily, everyone follows his gaze. At the sight of Treech’s ten-year-old sister Ivy holding her one-year-old niece with slightly wobbly arms, Flint pales while June and Treech stifle a laugh. The little girl reaches for the cake with her chubby fingers, an action that almost goes unnoticed in the crowd surrounding the buffet and dancefloor. Her movements are entirely uncoordinated, and a wrong move might prove itself to be disastrous.
And there’s no adult supervision in sight.
“Oh, shit!” Flint cusses, abandoning his brother and girlfriend without so much as a second thought. All that’s on his mind is saving his sister’s cake because she might behead him if something happens to it. “Ivy, put her down!”
The protest is immediate but impossible to hear over the music and chattering surrounding them. Flint manages to whisk his daughter away from his little sister and maneuvers the latter away from the cake and towards a safer section of the buffet.
“Thanks,” Treech eventually says, looking up at Sejanus. He holds up his plate, offering him one of the sweet treats he left. “Strawberry tart? Swear I didn’t touch it.”
Sejanus blinks at the pastry but then shakes his head. “No, thank you. I think I’ve already had my fill,” he says. His gaze sweeps over the crowd, and he places his hands on his hips. “I think I’ll leave you two be and go talk to Cas. I haven’t heard his voice in a while."
June smiles at her best friend and waves after him, a warmth spreading in her chest. It’s good to finally see everything falling into place after all of this time, and it fills her with happiness to know that even Sejanus has grown fond enough of Seven to feel comfortable here. As far as she knows, he sent a letter home just yesterday — a little note from her and Cas for their little brother hidden inside.
She misses Max dearly, but knowing she still has a way to reach him makes her feel better. She trusts Ma Plinth to get it to him safely.
The sound of Treech clearing his throat snaps her out of her thoughts, and she looks up at him in surprise. He’s standing in front of her now, extending his hand for her to take.
“What?” She asks confusedly, raising her eyebrows at him. “Do you want to go home already?”
“‘Course not,” he answers with a shake of his head. “I wanna dance with you. Come on.”
June is unable to mask her surprise, but her smile widens anyway, and she takes his hand, once again admiring how right it feels to hold it in her own. “Are you sure?” she asks, but he’s already dragging her towards the dance floor.
“Yeah. Flint talks a load of crap, but I guess he’s got a point. We shouldn’t be sitting around all day,” he says.
Treech picks a spot that’s both just far enough from the meddling crowd and yet close enough to hear the music the band is playing. A joyful tune surrounds them, and they stop, exchanging a curious look.
“You know how to dance?” Treech asks, dropping her hand and encircling her waist with his arms. Her sweet perfume reaches his nose and melts away any last doubts about the dance. “I kinda don’t. You can lead if you want.”
June shakes her head, wrapping her arms around his neck. “I know how to dance, but this is fine,” she answers, slightly swaying them both back and forth.
Treech follows her movements, albeit a bit clumsily at first, until he begins to take the lead. He doesn’t move them far from their original spot and gazes down at her face. The afternoon sun casts a golden glow upon them both, but all he sees is the way it reflects on her face, making the layer of chapstick on her lips shimmer almost invitingly.
June takes note of the caramel specks in his eyes that only become visible whenever he’s beneath the sun, and her heart soars when he kisses her forehead. She feels the warmth of his hands seeping through the fabric of her dress, and she smiles when he gives her waist a gentle squeeze.
She can tell he’s thinking about something, and she wonders what it might be.
“What’s on your mind?” she inquires curiously, searching his gaze. She sees the way his eyes flicker from her mouth to her eyes, and she tilts her head to the side.
“Not much,” he answers truthfully. “I just like looking at you.”
June’s smile widens, and she leans up, their lips meeting in the middle for a gentle kiss. The sound of her heart thumping loudly in her chest drowns out the music in the background. All she feels is his soft lips on her own and the taste of strawberries clinging to them.
She hears him stifle a sigh and pull away, only to laugh when his features pull into a frown. She places a hand on his cheek and is unable to mask her joy when he leans into her touch and presses his lips against her palm.
“You know, I always thought you were the prettiest girl I had ever seen,” he then mumbles, his voice so quiet that she needs to lean in to hear him better. “Even at the train station, And you were the first person in the Capitol who was nice to me. I thought I was the luckiest guy alive when you told me you were my mentor.”
June’s expression softens at his words. That warm, fuzzy feeling that has almost become a given whenever she’s around him returns tenfold, and she feels her heart racing in her chest. The genuine affection in his gaze makes her chest hurt in the best way possible.
To think that he was able to think like this even when he thought that he might not have long to live makes her feel sad. Ever since the reaping, he was treated as something barely even human by the Capitol, but she somehow made him feel comfortable enough to just act like the boy he was the entire time. She never saw him as anything less than that, and she’s beyond relieved to know that she managed to make him feel cared for amidst the Capitol’s cruelty.
“Have I ever told you how nervous I was to meet you?” she asks, although she knows she has definitely brought it up in a quiet moment before. “I’ve never been good at meeting new people or talking to them, but I practiced my introduction in the mirror for at least twenty minutes, if not even more.”
“And your voice still cracked when you talked to me anyway,” he teases, a grin tugging at his lips. He laughs when she gives him a look, and her cheeks flush. “Don’t stress about it too much. I thought it was cute.”
“I didn’t think you liked me very much that first day,” she admits. “I mean, we talked a lot, but I wasn’t under the impression that you wanted to. I know that’s not your fault, though.”
“It didn’t take me as long to warm up to you as I thought it would. I trusted you enough to keep me fed by the end of the first day,” he tells her. “But I think I only really got it into my head that you genuinely cared for me when you came to the zoo, even after Brandy killed that girl with the pigtails.”
Everything surrounding Arachne and her funeral seems so far away now, even though it hasn’t even been two months. She knows her family must still be in mourning, but a majority of the Capitol has moved on. She hopes that Treech will be able to cope with the humiliation he had to endure during both funerals, respectively, one day. She doesn’t think she’ll ever be able to forget the disgust and anger she felt.
And she now knows that it was probably one of the first things that made her want to do more than just be a regular mentor. She never saw a justification for the Capitol’s treatment of the tributes, literal children, but that truly was her breaking point. She couldn’t bear it.
“I didn’t blame you or anyone else for what happened, and I knew you wouldn’t want to hurt me,” she says quietly. “I’ve been trusting my gut since I was a little girl, and it hasn’t failed me once.”
“Hasn’t failed me either,” he murmurs, recalling the tampered-with water bottle he abandoned during the Games. He knows this is just one of the many little aspects that she influenced, and he knows as well that he owes her his life. “You took good care of me. It’s no wonder I liked you so quickly.”
They both have to laugh, but his quietens down faster, and his expression turns a bit more serious.
“The night you came to the zoo after you had a nightmare... and when you told me all about the snakes and that they’d be in the Games, I think that’s what really did it for me. I wanted to kiss you so bad,” he confesses with a bashful smile. “I hated those bars more than anything.”
June returns his bashful smile and brushes her thumb over his cheekbone, a gesture that makes his eyelids grow heavy. She’s able to drown out everything around them. It’s like the night before the interview, when all she wanted was to kiss him until her legs gave in.
“I think I only really admitted that I liked you when we were preparing for the interview. I think I knew; most of my friends seemed to know, but... I got so caught up in trying to get you home that I didn’t have that much time to think about it,” she explains. She sees the way his own smile widens and averts her gaze for a second, only to look back up at him. “I’m serious. The second they told us about the assignment, I knew I was going to go above and beyond to get you home even before I saw your face on that screen, but...”
She trails off, swallowing the lump in her throat. She doesn’t know why, but every single time they get to this point, she chickens out. There have been countless occasions in which she has longed to say those three words to him, but her own fear has left her tongue-tied and unable to say anything.
And she never even knew why she was so scared to say it either. June knows the looks they exchange say more than enough; she knows the way they treat each other is unlike anything she has ever had with anyone else before; and she knows just as much that he doesn’t brighten the way he does when he’s with her around anyone else.
But maybe that’s exactly it. They don’t carry enough meaning to really capture how she feels about him. “Love” is too little of a word; this is something entirely different. Something that has pulled her in since day one, something that has engulfed and swallowed her whole at a rapid pace, and something she never wants to live without again.
Loving him comes as naturally as breathing. There’s not much else to it, and the simplicity of the truth overwhelms her. She didn’t think it would be possible to love someone so much that she’d be willing to risk her own life for him, but it’s the truth.
June never thought she’d be able to love so unconditionally, but Treech makes it the easiest thing in the whole world. No matter what, she knows that she wants to stay by his side until she takes her last breath.
“I love you,” Treech says, and her heart misses a beat.
Even now, he's much braver than her and is able to utter those words while looking her straight in the eyes. His eyes are filled with a combination of adoration, hope, and vulnerability only a confession of love can bring out in people, and the tenderness of his gaze makes her own eyes fill with tears.
But these are not tears of sadness. For the first time since he came out of the arena, June is able to cry because his existence alone is enough to overwhelm her senses with love.
Her voice falters when she tries to speak. All she can do is cradle his face in her hands and kiss him until she can’t breathe anymore. Her hands tremble, his arms around her waist ground her, and the feeling of his lips on her own makes her feel like she’s floating far away from everything else.
She’s overcome with the urge to sob and cry. She knew it all along, but to have him say what she wanted to hear all along is still something she can’t wrap her head around. June never thought she’d be able to experience the kind of love that makes her feel whole.
She pulls away when her legs are about to give in, only to immediately pull him into a tight hug. She rests her chin on his shoulder, her fingers clinging to the fabric of his shirt, and she lets herself cry silently.
“I love you too,” she whispers. When he squeezes her waist and kisses the side of her head, she knows he heard her too.
He tucks her head against his shoulder, overcome by his emotions, and closes his eyes. A comfortable warmth replaces the usual numbness he has grown accustomed to after the Games, and he resists the urge to burst into tears as well. He doesn’t know how long it takes for her to stop crying, but when she does, she pulls away to look at him.
Both of their eyes are filled with tears, and his thumbs quickly begin wiping at her cheeks. He murmurs something incoherent, and she smiles, sniffling but beaming up at him.
He didn’t think he’d ever be able to love someone this much. After everything he has been through, this love is a soothing balm for the aches of his mind and soul.
He’ll get through this. He owes her his life, and he won’t take this second chance for granted. Her love makes him feel whole, and a look into her eyes lets him know that she feels the same way.
Treech pulls her against him for another hug, gently swaying them both back and forth. His hand rests on her back, the other on the back of her neck, and he kisses her forehead while she clings to him like a lifeline.
June can barely see anything through her tears. Her vision is blurred, but she rests against him and inhales his scent the way she always does when she feels overwhelmed. Her heart thunders loudly in her chest, but she’s still able to pick up on her twin’s voice that’s now filling the area.
Cas has taken the microphone, singing a song she has never heard before. But none of that matters to her right now.
All that she cares about is how good it feels to be in Treech’s arms and how much they love each other. The world could shatter and burn around them; it wouldn’t make much of a difference.
As long as they have each other, they’ll be okay.
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i love you.
ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ
they make me physically ill. they're so so cute
finally, they said it. it's been thought so much this entire act, i swear it was driving me crazy as well :') but they said it!!
but, unfortunately, this was the last chapter! i know, i can't believe it either, but it's true. this story is sm longer and turned out differently than i wanted it to, but i'm so happy with the changes i made
trying not to get emotional rn tbh but! it's not completely over!
stay tuned for the epilogue!! <3
also, thank you so much for 13.5k reads!<33
have a nice friday, and see you on sunday!<333
this is how june sees treech when he eats btw:
memes!