See How Snow Falls (The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, Reimagined)

Chapter 5: Make A Wish

About a month had passed since Crow and Sejanus had gone to the lake with Lucy Gray and Coriolanus. Crow and Lucy Gray performed, Sejanus and Coriolanus worked as Peacekeepers, and all was well. Everything was peaceful. Everyone was happy. Crow and Sejanus had begun dating, and Coriolanus and Lucy Gray could barely keep their hands off of each other. Life was good. Better than it had been in a while. Until one day, Coriolanus pulled Crow aside, intent on giving the young person whom he had become quite fond of on the many double dates the two couples went on, a warning.

      "Cori, what're you doing?!"
Crow yelped, shock coursing through them like electricity. Coriolanus had, out of the blue, pulled them aside into an alleyway, and pinned them to the wall.
      "Shut up."
He hissed covering their mouth with his hand.
      "Sorry. What I meant to say was, please be quiet. I'm trying to help you."
As quickly as his hand had been on their mouth, it was gone, back by his side, though his other kept Crow's arms firmly pinned above their head.
      "Can you at least let go of me? I'm far more willing to listen when you aren't trapping me up against the wall like a fly in honey."
Crow's voice stayed quiet, though their flushed face showed their discomfort at being trapped against the wall by the much taller and stronger, Coriolanus.
      "Fine. Just. Don't run away please? This is important."
Slowly, Coriolanus released them, still standing far too close to them for comfort, looking ready to pin them against the wall again at a moment's notice.
      "Okay. Jeez. I won't run away."
Crow muttered, staring at the ground to avoid Coriolanus's piercing gaze.
      "Sejanus is working with rebels. He wants to get you involved. I told him not to. He thinks you'll help them. He's going to get you hanged if he keeps doing this. Especially telling me of all people. He knows where my loyalties lie. He's an idiot, Crow Calamine. And I can't have you dying from his stupidity."
Coriolanus's words came out in a jumbled rush, one sentence after the other, penetrating Crow's brain. They were shocked. They didn't know how to feel.
      "I need to talk to him..."
Their voice came out so quiet Coriolanus could barely make out the words.
      "He can explain this. You probably misunderstood."
Despite their hatred of the systems of Panem, Crow was a law-abiding citizen, they would never even dream of rebelling. Yes, the system was horrid, but at least it was a system. The idea of anything else threw Crow's head into instant chaos.
      "No. You can't. The second he talks to you about it, it's too late. Then you're involved."
Coriolanus's voice came out urgent and he leaned in closer, blocking Crow from walking away from them, practically putting the two nose to nose as he stared down at them, care evident in his big blue eyes for the first time since Crow had met him.
      "How is this any different?! You know and you told me!"
Crow hissed, attempting to push past him.
      "This is different because nobody has it on record."
      "What's that supposed to mean?!"
Crow's confusion grew as they fought to move Coriolanus out of their way. Within seconds Crow was pinned to the wall again, arms above their head, waist to waist with Coriolanus as he leaned in so close that they could feel his breath on their face.
      "Please just trust me, Crow. You can't talk to Sejanus about this. Just stay away from him. I can't have you getting hurt. Lucy Gray would never forgive me."
      "Oh I see, so your real motive comes out now! You don't give a rat's ass about me, do you, Cori? You just don't want to watch my sister cry over me."
Crow's confusion at the situation, and their frustrations at being trapped made their words harsh. Coriolanus stared at them, feeling a mixture of rage and admiration for the little bird in front of him. They were so adamant, even when he had them trapped, that he couldn't help but smirk at them, stifling a laugh. There was something beautiful about their anger. There was something in them that he had never seen before, not even in Lucy Gray, though she had come close. Impulsively, he leaned in closer, lips brushing gently over Crow's, before pulling back to chuckle at their beet red face.
      "Don't you ever imply that I don't care about you, Crow Calamine. You know that I care just as much for you as I do for Lucy Gray. It'd do you well not to forget it. After all,"
He leaned in close again, lips once again brushing over Crow's, voice barely above a whisper.
      "I'm putting my life on the line to warn you. And if that's not me caring then I don't know what it is."
Satisfied with himself, Coriolanus stepped back, leaving Crow to stand in front of him, completely and totally shocked. A thousand thoughts flew through their head at once. Emotions bubbling just beneath the surface. Anger. Hurt. Excitement. Passion. Lust. Crow was speechless for a long moment, just staring at Coriolanus, before wrapping their arms around him, burying their face in his chest as tears came to their eyes.
      "I won't say anything about it. I promise."
Coriolanus rested his chin atop their head, chuckling silently at their foolishness. Unbeknownst to Crow, they had just helped Coriolanus to put the nail in Sejanus's coffin themself. Coriolanus could never go through with his plan if Crow became involved with Sejanus's rebellious ideas. Thankfully, he had noticed the way that Crow looked at him and used it to his advantage. Yes, Crow loved Sejanus, but that didn't stop them from having become infatuated with Coriolanus as well. And although he hated to admit it, he did care for them too. Both because they were Lucy Gray's sibling, and because, despite their rambunctious nature, and the fact that they were a bit young for him, they had caught his attention. Something about them simply felt right to him. And he couldn't help but want to figure out what it was. It was a similar feeling to the one Lucy Gray gave him. And although he knew that as long as Sejanus was in the picture he couldn't have them both, with this new tidbit of information, as well as Crow's newfound trust in him, he was well on his way to getting exactly what he wanted.
      "Thank you."
He finally said, releasing Crow from his arms. Crow nodded at him, still blushing, and walked out of the alleyway, attempting to act like nothing had happened. Coriolanus watched them walk away, feeling pleased with himself. Everything was falling into place.

Later that same day, the still confused Crow met Sejanus in the fields to watch the sunset. The two shared some whiskey as the sun fell, and the world grew quieter and darker around them. Autumn was starting to come, and the dandelions were turning fluffy and white. Perfect to make wishes on. As the two cuddled beneath the starlight, Crow noticed the flowers around them, and with a smile, picked one for Sejanus, and one for themself.
      "Here,"
Crow smiled, handing Sejanus a dandelion, and placing their own on the ground between them.
      "make a wish!"
They chirped, happily, feeling carefree as a gentle breeze blew over them both.
      "Hmm."
Sejanus mused, staring at the flower, brow furrowing as he tried to decide on a wish. Finally he took a deep breath blowing away the seeds.
      "I wish for Panem to be free from the Capitol."
Crow's heart fell to their stomach, no longer feeling carefree, as Sejanus's words both confirmed Coriolanus's earlier concerns and reminded them of their own infidelity.
      "Your turn!"
Sejanus smiled softly at them, oblivious to their emotional distress as he offered them the other dandelion they had picked just moments earlier.
      "I wish..."
They started, voice faltering as a thousand wishes came to mind.
      "I wish things were different. I wish I didn't know what I know. I wish things weren't the way they were. I- I wish today hadn't happened the way that it happened."
A single tear slid down Crow's face as they blew the dandelion fluff away.
      "That's a lot of wishes for one dandelion."
Sejanus joked, trying to ease the tension that had arisen from Crow's emotional moment.
      "Besides, not every day is going to be a good one. Whatever happens, happens. It's what we choose to make of it that changes the outcome."
He continued, wrapping his arms around Crow and pulling them into his lap. Crow looked into his face, his eyes were warm like honey and his smile was like a ray of sunshine.
      "Yeah... you're right."
They agreed with him, closing their eyes and wrapping their arms around him. They nuzzled their face into his chest, inhaling deeply. Although they didn't really know how to describe how he smelled, they loved it. He was warm, and fresh, and just plain good. He smelled like home, and that was a damn near impossible scent to find.
      "So... are you going to tell me why today was so awful?"
Sejanus finally asked, looking down at the curled up Crow, clinging onto him like their life depended on it.
      "I don't wanna."
Their voice came out muffled by his chest, face still hidden.
      "Today was just a lot for me."
They continued, pulling back enough to look up at him.
      "I understand. We don't have to talk about it, my little crow."
Sejanus gently ruffled Crow's hair before kissing them on the forehead. Silence fell over the fields as the two stayed like that, holding each other close under the starlight. After a long time Sejanus reached out and picked another dandelion, handing it to Crow.
      "I'm sorry that today wasn't a good day for you. But hey, a bad day deserves an extra wish."
Crow stared at the dandelion, unsure what to say.
      "Go on,"
He smiled.
      "make a wish."
In the cool silence of the night, Crow took a deep breath and blew away the dandelion, wishing silently for impossible things. And although they knew that it wouldn't come true, they felt better for having made their wish. Sejanus was right. Today wasn't a good day for them. But it had a good ending, and as they nuzzled sleepily back into Sejanus's chest, they were able to briefly ignore the guilt eating away at their heart.