Bury me at makeout creek

by TiramisuIcecream

Summary:

“So whatever you’ve done, I promise, I will keep you safe,”

“He’ll buy you too, if he gets the chance,”

Or

What if Sejanus survived district 12 and went back to the Capitol? What if they went to university together? What if they realised they had a lot of unresolved feelings for each other?

Notes:

Okay so this first chapter is kinda messy because it’s just a retelling of the last chapter of TBOSAS to make this fic make sense.

Also Mayfair and Billy Taupe didn’t get shot in this because it didn’t work for the storyline

Chapter 1: All of this turbulence wasn’t forecasted

It had all happened so quickly.

First the jabberjay. Sejanus had started rambling on about that god awful plan and Coriolanus had done what his mind was screaming at him to do. He’d recorded the conversation, and every second from then he regretted it.

Then was the letter addressed to Strabo. When he’d woken up, cold and sweaty after a nightmare and realised just how grave his mistake had been. Lines scribbled down on the first paper he could find and rushing to mail it.

Then came the consequences. Sejanus being asked to talk to the commanding officer and never coming back. A few days later they got the news that the military base was going to be under construction for a while, having received a generous sum of donation from ‘someone’.

As if it wasn’t ridiculously easy for Coriolanus to guess who that ‘someone’ was.

Coriolanus had thought through the events countless times, wondering if he’d done the correct thing. As he sat on his bunk, buckling his shoes for yet another day, he decided it’d been for the best. Sejanus would get a nice little job at his daddy’s corporation, miserable but alive.

It made him seathe. The fact that Sejanus was so ungrateful, the fact that he took his perfect life for granted. Coriolanus deserved to be Strabo's son. He deserved to have a father with enough money to buy the world, he deserved to have a caring mother that cooked warm meals and made sure he wasn’t underfed. He deserved to have a family other than his crazy grandmother and a lonely cousin. He deserved to be in the Capitol, making a name for himself instead of on this wretched military base in district 12.

Coriolanus only realised how much he showed his irritation outwards when Beanpole rolled over, hung-over and still hazy from sleep, asking him if something was up. He shook it off, said that he was just excited to go see Lucy Gray.

It was true, wasn’t it? He was always excited to go see her, though right now his heart couldn’t focus on fluttering for her when his brain was so preoccupied by Sejanus. He buckled his shoes and slipped on whatever clothes worked. He didn’t take his peacekeeper uniform, he wasn’t in service currently, and he’d been told by Lucy Gray that the Covey didn’t like it much.

He ate a quick breakfast, barely noting what it was. Eggs? Sausages? Probably a glass of orange juice. It didn’t matter, he wanted to talk to Lucy Gray, they’d promised to meet early today so they could talk undisturbed for at least an hour or so.

Two other peacekeepers approached him on his way from the base. They’d probably been patrolling if they were up this early.

“Hey, Gent! Commander Hoff wanted to talk to you!” One of them shouted across the pavement.

Coriolanus nodded, he hoped it wasn’t something about Sejanus, would he be scolded for telling on his best friend? He hoped it wasn’t about Sejanus, he hoped he wouldn’t get scolded, but most of all he hoped it would go quickly. He wanted to see Lucy Gray again, he wanted to speak to her. He wanted to talk about the song she’d sung the night prior, the one about him.

He knocked on the door to Commander Hoff’s office and entered when he heard a confirming noise.

“Commander Hoff,” Coriolanus said.

“Private Snow, sit down,” Hoff gruffly replied. He waited for a moment so that Coriolanus could sit down in the chair across from him, and then spoke up again, “first I want to thank you. It was admirable that you spoke out about your friend Sejanus, not many would have the courage.”

Coriolanus nodded. “Thank you, sir.”

“Your test results came back, and I want you to be proud of yourself. You are the youngest peacekeeper to ever pass the officer candidate test, and you did so with flying colours. While we would usually begin training in the district you already work in, due to your high score we decided it was only reasonable we send you to an elite training program in district 2.”

Coriolanus soared with pride. He was amazing, and he was getting an upgrade from the murky district 12 to the magnificent district 2. Closer to the Capitol, closer to anyone and anything proper. More privileges, better training, better food. He was on cloud nine for a few moments, until he remembered Lucy Gray. What would she think? Would she be satisfied with just sending letters? He shook it off quickly, he could probably come back to district 12 every now and then, everything would be alright.

“Once again, thank you sir. This is truly an honour,” he answered. He had to contain himself so that he didn’t start grinning like a little schoolboy.

“I recommend you spend your free day packing everything and saying goodbye to any other friend you might have. You’re leaving tomorrow morning,” Hoff finished.

When he was excused he walked out of Hoff’s office with pride. His head was held high, his happiness only confirmed by the positive encouragement he got from the other peacekeepers.

First he had to go see Lucy Gray. He still had plenty of time, the meeting hadn’t taken more than 15 minutes. He’d spend his last hours in district 12 hanging out with her. He didn’t have many belongings anyway, it wouldn’t take more than half an hour before lights out to pack it all.

He took in a brisk pace towards the field where they’d promised to meet, he wanted as much time with her as possible. He slowed slightly when he started to get closer. The air was warm despite the early morning, and arriving already sweaty wasn’t suitable.

Lucy Gray was already there when he arrived, strumming on her guitar as she so often did. Whatever song she was humming was unfamiliar, but he’d since long learnt that the Covey had a pretty much infinite amount of songs.

“Coriolanus,” Lucy Gray acknowledged as he walked up to him.

He pulled her in for one of those tender kisses, relishing in it. How could he possibly explain what was going to happen to a girl as amazing as her? “Lucy Gray,” he whispered when she pulled away. “Your song yesterday,” he continued, “it was amazing.”

She smiled. “Just for you.”

He’d wait to tell her. He still had plenty of time, they wouldn’t have to say goodbye for many hours. He brushed some hair out of her face and pulled her in for yet another kiss. Right now he just wanted to forget everything.

“I got told off for singing the hanging tree, they said it was too rebellious. I promised not to sing it again, but we’ll see.”

Coriolanus got a bad feeling, he didn’t want something bad to happen to Lucy Gray, especially not when he was gone. “Lucy Gray, I think you should listen to them- I don’t want you to get into more trouble. You’re already disliked.”

“It’s going to be alright,” Lucy Gray promised.

The day went by in a blur. He didn’t manage to find a single time to be alone with Lucy Gray and muster up the courage to tell her about the news.

After a long day hanging out with the Covey, Coriolanus and Lucy Gray stood by the field. He gave her a kiss before starting to talk.

“Lucy Gray,” he started.

“Lucy Gray!” A familiar voice interrupted him, it was Barb Azure. “We’re leaving now, come on!”

“I’ll see you next week,” Lucy Gray said, giving him one last hug. He stood frozen in place as she walked back to the house. He should’ve called out for her, should’ve ran after her and explained it all, but he couldn’t. He sighed and turned around, starting to talk back to base.

Maybe it was for the best.

He’d send her a letter when he got to district 2, explaining everything. Maybe he’d say he got the news that evening, not having any time to tell her. What she didn’t know couldn’t hurt her.

 

-

 

He didn’t have a lot to pack. He took care of it all the morning he was sent off. He noticed Sejanus’ box of belongings was left, maybe he’d forgotten it when he was leaving. Coriolanus could remember that Sejanus didn’t even have time to say goodbye to their squad, he probably only got to bring the clothes on his back.

After a heartfelt goodbye with Beanpole, Smiley, and Bug, Coriolanus got on to the aircraft. It felt like an immediate upgrade from district 12. He had a small fridge by his side with cool drinks and the seats were soft. After drinking a soda he leaned back in his seat and took a nap.

Coriolanus was woken up after what he presumed was a few hours by a woman.

“We’ve arrived at the Capitol, your stop,” she said, waiting for him to get up.

Coriolanus’ eyes widened and he sat up straight. “No, that can’t be right. I’m supposed to go to district 2, did I miss a stop?” He asked.

“The next stop is district 2, but we were told to drop you off here. Now get out, we have to follow the timetable.”

Coriolanus was confused but took his bag and walked out of the aircraft. There stood a car with a chauffeur waiting for him, and he got in.

He recognised the avox who was driving him, it was the same one that drove him to the arena with ma Plinth the evening a few months ago. It was the Plinth’s avox. His eyebrows furrowed as he thought it over. Arriving to the Capitol, the Plinth’s avox, what was happening?

The avox dropped Coriolanus off at the Citadel, and someone informed him that ‘she’ wanted to see him. He hoped that ‘she’ was Dr. Kay and not Dr. Gaul.

Of course, he didn’t have that luck. Dr. Gaul was there, feeding her mutts. Those creatures that Coriolanus wouldn’t ever get used to, not after what happened with Clemensia.

“Did you enjoy your summer vacaiton?” She asked, dropping a piece of meat into the tank with mutts.

“Summer vacation?” Coriolanus asked.

“You didn’t think I’d just hand you off to the districts after spending so much time on you, did you?” Dr. Gaul shook her head. “No, I thought it was more fitting that you stay in the districts for the summer, to learn how it is. Then, you come back here and study under me at the university,” she explained.

Coriolanus looked appalled. “Why was I told I was going to district 2?”

“I didn’t want to ruin the surprise." When Coriolanus didn’t respond, she kept on talking. “I got your letter. And your jabberjay. You know, I was ready to send it back to an officer in district 12 and have young mister Plinth hanged for his rebellious behaviour.” Coriolanus shuddered at the thought. “But his father came running here at the last second, you see. He begged for Sejanus to be spared, and who was I to say no when he promised me enough money to create a hundred new mutts?” Dr. Gaul laughed. “No, instead he was sent back to the Capitol. He’ll also be studying at the university, though it’ll be because of his fathers money, not because I wanted him to.”

Dr. Gaul continued the conversation, talked to Coriolanus about the hunger games and what he’d learnt during his time as a peacekeeper in district 12. She finished the conversation by offering him an internship as a game maker, he accepted the role, and was soon sent out again.

He let out a sigh of relief as he left the building, that woman was mad. The car still stood there, waiting for him. He sat down, taking a moment to notice the other man, who sat across from him.

Sejanus.

Chapter 2: Quietly, it was told to believe

Summary:

Sejanus’ family and stuff

Notes:

Okay so I know next to nothing about the American university system so I apologise in advance for anything I get wrong in this or following chapters :)

Sejanus.

Sejanus looked terrible, and that was being nice. He’d spiralled again, like he did after trying to help Marcus. He’d lost some weight, the bags under his eyes were much darker than usual, his hair, although it had grown out from the buzz cut, was much more unkept than usual. Any happiness that had shown in Sejanus back in district 12 was gone.

“Sejanus,” Coriolanus addressed him.

“Snow,” Sejanus answered. That just reinforced Coriolanus’ thoughts that something was wrong. Sejanus hadn’t called Coriolanus ‘Snow’ once during their 10 years as classmates, it had always been Coryo.

Coriolanus felt.. worried about Sejanus’ health? Annoyed that he wasn’t grateful for his opportunities? Sad that he had to see a friend like this?

“What’s wrong?” Coriolanus asked.

Sejanus completely ignored the question. “My father bought your apartment, and the one above so that my family could live there. He’s going to pay all the taxes, probably your university education too.”

“He’ll buy you, if he gets the chance.” The warning echoed in Coriolanus’ head. Sejanus had warned him, but he couldn’t help but be happy, his housing problems were solved.

“That’s very generous of him.”

Sejanus didn’t answer, instead he looked out of the window during the rest of the car ride. The avox offered to carry Coriolanus’ bag when they left the car, but he thanked them no, the bag was small and the apartment had an elevator.

“Change out of your peacekeeper uniform. Ma invited you to lunch,” Sejanus said before heading up the stairs to go to his apartment.

Coriolanus carefully entered the apartment. Tigris was sitting at the dinner table, fixing a hole in a skirt.

“Oh, ms. Plinth, I wasn’t expecting-“ her face turned and she let out a shriek as she saw Coriolanus. She ran up and pulled him into a tight hug. “Coryo! What- oh Coryo!” Tigris exclaimed. She let go of him and instead grabbed him by the shoulders, her grip tight. “What happened? I didn’t know peacekeepers had vacation, how long will you be staying?”

“Tigris, I’m staying. I’m not a peacekeeper anymore,” Coriolanus explained.

“Oh! Oh my god, that’s amazing! I-“ Tigris started stammering, trying to figure out what she should say. “..I’ll go get grandma’am, I’m sure she won’t have an issue with being woken up from her nap if it means seeing you.”

Tigris went to fetch grandma’am and Coriolanus looked around the apartment. It wasn’t much smaller than their previous one, and it looked nice enough. Really, the only thing that made it cheaper was the location.

“Oh Coriolanus,” their grandmother said as she walked up to him. “I’ve been waiting for you to come back. Tigris said you were gone, but I knew she was wrong.” She pulled him in for a stale hug. He looked at Tigris with a pitying expression, he knew she hadn’t had it easy dealing with their grandmother on her own.

“I have to join the Plinths for lunch, we can drink some tea and catch up when I’m done,” Coriolanus said. He quickly changed and right as he was about to go up to the Plinths he remembered Sejanus’ belongings that he’d brought with him. He looked through the box, tossed out the morphline, and brought it with him.

Ma was the one to open the door, he handed her the box before walking into the dining room. Sejanus and his father already sat there, presumably waiting for the food.

“I’m sorry if I kept you waiting,” Coriolanus apologised.

“Oh it’s quite alright, I just finished making lunch actually.” Ma set down the food on the table. Some sort of meatloaf and baked potatoes.

Coriolanus sat down next to Sejanus, ma and Sejanus’ father across from them. The atmosphere was tense, Sejanus was miserable, Strabo was probably pissed at his son, Coriolanus didn’t really want to be there, and ma just tried holding everything together.

“You know, we’re very happy you’re back,” ma started. “And eternally grateful for how you’ve taken care of Sejanus.”

“Certainly,” Strabo agreed, wiping his mouth on a napkin.

Sejanus stared at his father, who looked at him expectantly. First he just grumbled something inaudible in response, but when his father seemed unsatisfied he spoke up. “Sure, I’m grateful.” The resentment was clear in his voice. Coriolanus was growing more and more irritated by the second, why couldn’t Sejanus just be grateful?

“It’s my duty as his friend,” Coriolanus answered. “Ma, this meatloaf is amazing, I don’t know what you put in your food to make it taste so good,” he praised.

“Well I have my two secret ingredients: love, and lots of garlic.”

Coriolanus was the only one who laughed, but it soon died out as he noticed neither of the two other men were paying attention to the conversation.

“You’re starting at the university soon, what classes are you going to take?” Ma asked Coriolanus.

“Well except for the mandatory ones I have military strategy with Dr. Gaul, and a lot of classes about politics and math.”

“Those are great choices, I’m still trying to convince Sejanus that he shouldn’t focus on becoming a doctor when he can work for my business,” Strabo said. Coriolanus knew the arguing would come long before it did.

“What if I don't want to do that? What if I want to save people instead of selling weapons to kill them?” Sejanus bristled.

“Need I remind you that I’m the one that’s paying for your education, young man? You have a clear path in front of you, I want you to follow that.”

Sejanus shoved his plate away from him and stood up, ready to walk to his room.

“Sej, you haven’t finished your food,” ma voiced.

“I’m not hungry.”

“Well we still have dessert-“

Strabo started speaking before ma could finish. “Sit down, Sejanus. You are finishing your lunch. It is extremely disrespectful to both your mother and your friend here to leave the table when you’ve barely tasted the food.” Coriolanus looked over at Sejanus’ plate. It looked like he had just played around with the meatloaf and potatoes, a stark contrast to Coriolanus' completely empty plate.

“I’ll bring out the dessert,” ma mumbled, heading to the kitchen again. She brought back a chocolate cake.

Coriolanus continued praising her cooking while eating the cake. After that it was quiet except for the occasional scraping against a plate.

Sejanus left as soon as he’d finished. Ma took care of their plates and Strabo spoke up. “Coriolanus, could you come to my office?”

“Of course, sir,” Coriolanus answered.

He follows Strabo into the office, sitting down when he was told to.

“Do you want anything to drink?” Strabo offered.

“No, it’s quite alright.”

The older man nodded. “Then I want to talk about my son. I appreciate everything you’ve done for him so far. I’m willing to pay for your apartment and your university education.

“That is very generous of you, sir.” Coriolanus knew there’d be a catch. Something more that Strabo wanted him to do.

“There’s one thing though-” there it was, “-my son and you are going to the same university. I want you to keep track of him, make sure he doesn’t land in as much trouble as last time. I want him to stop with whatever teenage angst is making him so spiteful against me.”

Coriolanus nodded along. “I can definitely help with that. He’s my friend after all, I want to help him stay out of trouble.” He paused for a beat, seeing if Strabo was going to say anything before continuing. “Though I do have a suggestion.”

“Do tell,” Strabo ordered, clearly intrigued.

“I understand you wanting him to take certain classes, and following in your footsteps when it comes to the family business. I do think there’s a point in giving him some freedom though. Let him take a few medical classes. Even one or two would suffice, but it would give him hope. It would show that you care about what he wants while still standing your ground,” Coriolanus explained. He wanted Strabo to listen to him, Sejanus would definitely be less insufferable if he got to have some choices.

“You have a good point there, I’ll think it over. I do care about him, even though he doesn’t think so.”

“He doesn’t always see what is best for himself.”

“Definetly,” Strabo agreed. “It was a pleasure talking to you, Mr. Snow.” Strabo gave him a firm handshake and slipped him a white envelope. It didn’t take a genius to guess what was in it.

Coriolanus pocketed it but didn’t acknowledge it any more than that. He walked out of Strabo’s office, saying a goodbye to ma before continuing home.

Notes:

Kudos/comments are really appreciated!!!!