A few hours later...
No POV:
"You think we should check those traps now?" Coriolanus asks, feeling the void in his stomach grow more painful
"I'll let you do the honors, golden boy." Lucy Gray says as a slight smile forms on her face
"Hold on-" She calls to him as he's walking out the door
"Take this. Before you loosen the trap, make sure it's dead and won't try and run away, 'kay?"
"Yes Ma'am."
Coriolanus takes the sharpened stick from Lucy's extended hand and heads out on his food-fetching mission
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He finds the trap and examines it, seeing as it's been triggered.
Success.
A rabbit hangs from the snare trap, rope wrapped tightly around the hind legs.
Not having thrusted a weapon at a living creature since killing Bobbin in the arena, his nerves begin driving him mad.
The flashbacks set in.
He remembers the pure terror he felt as he tried to run for the exit, the stinging pain when his skin was slashed open, and finally, the fight or flight response that led him to bashing his attacker over the head.
Coriolanus realizes how lucky he is to be away from the Capitol.
Dr. Gaul had specifically requested that the Peacekeepers did not attack any tributes to protect Coriolanus or Sejanus if anything were to happen. Dr. Gaul is not to be trusted. Not for him, not for Clemensia, and definitely not for any authority in the Capitol.
...
A tear streams down his face as he comes to. Now, it's all over. He and Lucy Gray can live a life without anything standing in between them.
They can finally be free.
This thought brings comfort to Coriolanus, giving him the strength to kill once more
-the rabbit.
His first chance since the Games where he can prove to her that he is able to provide. He will not pass up this opportunity.
With that, he winds back the makeshift spear and drives it through his target.
Food.
They finally have some.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He unties the carcass and begins walking back to the lakeside shack
Lucy Gray awaits him as he returns, and the expression on her face suggests she's proud.
Her city boy is finally learning.
"Let's get this little guy ready to cook" she says, taking the rabbit from his hand
"Still got that knife?"
"Yep. Here ya go." Coriolanus removes the utility knife from his waistband and passes it forward
"Do you want me to show you how to carve it? Or, do you feel like you're not quite ready?"
...
Desperate to impress Lucy Gray, he accepts her offer
"Okay! Let's step outside in case it gets a little messy." She suggests
He follows her outside and awaits instructions, admittedly or not, a little worried about what she means by 'messy.'
"So, you're gonna want to grab the legs- like this" Lucy Gray explains, placing her hands over his to guide him
He gets lost in thought as he admires how soft her hands are against his. Her belly and chest being pressed so tightly to his back- he can't help but smile. Luckily she can't see that from this angle
Her left hand guides his to grab the pelt on the back of the rabbit's neck
"...and pull." She instructs him, and like magic, their teamwork results in his first skinning experience.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When Lucy Gray backs off, no longer pressed against him, he snaps out of his trance. He now realizes what she meant when she said 'messy'
Both his hands, and hers, are now covered in blood
"C'mon, let's go wash up" She says, already ahead of him in this thought
...
At the edge of the lake, they scrub their hands in the water - soon resulting in a playful game of splashing each other.
"Hey, hey! We can't get our clothes wet!" Coriolanus defends himself, not wanting to be a shivering mess after dark
"Then take them off, silly." Lucy Gray says, already slipping out of her dress and reducing to her undergarments
"O-okay" He joins in, but ends up being too slow as Lucy plunges into the lake before he could get his clothes off
Not a problem though.
Coriolanus follows by jumping in with her
The two of them play around and splash each other for a while, they then settle down and begin washing off, meeting once in the midst of scrubbing for a slow, sensual kiss on the lips.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Back in the cabin, they roast the rabbit over the fire. Lucy Gray dug up some katniss for a side dish, boiling them in a pot over the fireplace.
Dinner was good. Coriolanus got to try two new foods at once. He'd never had rabbit before, nor had he had a 'swamp potato'
Now, he's tried both and to top it all off, he gets to lay and cuddle with Lucy Gray.
The first day on the run- for the second time- has been a success.
YOU ARE READING
Snow *Sometimes* Lands on Top | an alternate, fan-made, Hunger Games story
Fanfiction(Coriolanus Snow x Lucy Gray Baird) [POSITIVE ENDING AU] Coriolanus Snow, the self-proclaimed future president of Panem, ends up stuck in a rut. After falling in love with his assigned tribute, he goes the extra mile to ensure she makes it out alive...
