𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐒𝐎𝐍𝐆𝐁𝐈𝐑𝐃 || coriolanus snow [✓]

VII

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CHAPTER 7: WHERE WE'RE FREE

*°:⋆ₓₒ
      ⇢ The Next day we meet at the same place, the covey joins us and we venture into the woods together. "Holy s- how many bugs are there?! I swear I've seen like 20 kinds..." Coriolanus whines. "Hate to break it to ya sweetheart but half of those were just knats, you've yet to experience all of them" I snicker which just makes his face shift to disgust. "Are we there yet." He asks. "Don't start." I snap, carrying Jeremy on my back. "Yes ma'am" He groans as we continue walking.

   Suddenly Coriolanus begins to squint. "Is that...I'll be right back" He says to me as I stop and wait for him, confused clearly. "Make it quick, we're almost there!" I shout to him as he quickly returns with a...dog. He has a damn dog in his hands a blonde dog with an injured leg. "You guys have dogs out here?" He says, baffled. "Just where do you think district 12 is..? Wonderland?" I deadpan. "Nono I just meant usually in the Capitol they're pets but I was told in the districts you guys..." Coriolanus tries not to be offensive and closes his mouth.

   "They do, I didn't get the chance to cook the last mutt Jeremy brought home but I think he'll appreciate this one, let hurry to the lake to get her cleaned up..." I pet the shivering creature on the head as we continue, Jeremy already ran off with Mot Ivory thankfully for I guess it was a surprise. As we approach the lake Coriolanus alerts Mot Ivory of the situation and cleans the puppy's leg off as I get into my bathing suit to deflect some of the insane heat. Mot Ivory is swooning over the thing.

   She spends most of her time on shore or close to the swallower end teaching the dog and Jeremy how to swim while me and Coriolanus are in the deeper end doing cannonballs. "Ah! Don't chase me! Are you nuts?!" I screech while laughing. He doesn't comment and tackles me into the water. We're both laughing when we come up for aid. "I think I got water in my nose oh god" I proceed to try and catch my breathe but I lose it again upon seeing Coriolanus's laughing face. Unbothered and not worried about what's to come at all.

   Peaceful and in the moment. He catches me staring and dunks me in. I come up and shake my hair out, splashing him for sure. "Hey! Here I was being super sappy and romantic in my head, you ruined the moment" I grumble, feigning anger. "Oh really now?" He raises a brow with a smile. I don't give him a response but I'm clearly trying not to smile since my cheeks hurt. He goes underwater, leaving me curious until I feel him grab my hand and pull me under too. I can see him blowing bubbles at a fish who quickly swims away. We swim back to dry land for a bite to eat. "That fish was a coward."

   He pouts like a child. "Oh please it was only a guppy." I snicker. "Yeah I would've won that fight." He shrugs. "Fight?" I question. "Like hypothetically if I was a fish." I burst out laughing. "Am I fish too in this hypothetical situation?" I add. "Hmm I guess so because you wouldn't know I exist otherwise." "Alright" I nod. "I would totally beat his ass" He whispers the profanity so Jeremy doesn't hear and I can't help but laugh. "You know what speaking of winning, I'm great at cannonballs, I win every-time we compete." I brag proudly. "You're lying." He denies. "I'm not, i really am Great at it."

   "How? You're like, 2 feet tall." He says, laying back on the blanket. "Thats an exaggeration and you know it were not that far in height. Just because I'm not 6 feet doesn't make me 2 feet tall" I argue, my arms crossed now. "To me it does" He shrugs. "Oh please I'd kick your ass, I did win the hunger games..." I try to hide my sadness at those words, recognizing this is the exact lake me and Liam used to swim at. Specifically the day of the reapin. Thankfully he doesn't notice. "Oh I'm sure you would sweetheart" he laughs. "You're taller than a few guys I know and I'm sure you can pack a punch"

   "Yeah yeah Don't butter me up it's war now" I announce as I get up and run towards the dock. Of course he runs at the same time as me so we can't really tell who won for sure. "I think I won" He said proudly as I kissed him on the cheek from behind. "Really now?" I said cockily. "If I say you won can I get another" Coriolanus asks. "Depends." I coo, he weighs his options. "Fine, you win" He admits. I give him another except on the lips and he seems pretty satisfied with the results. We splash around for a while again with everyone but decide that it's almost time to go so we stay on dry land.

   "Woah! Look (name)!" Ivory calls out to me. "It's a snake!" She beams at its colors. "That's really pretty." I kneel in front of her as the snake glides from her hand to mine. "It's friendly Jeremy, wanna touch it?" I ask softly. He shakes his head since he has the puppy in his arms. "What are you gonna name..." I trail off. "It's a girl ." Ivory laughs. He looks around quickly and runs off to pick up a plant. "Swamp potato?" Ivory laughs. "Katniss..." I whisper. "A beautiful name. I like it a lot." I smile at him and ruffle his hair. "Katniss?" Coriolanus questions. I walk over to him and we get comfortable quickly, snacking on bread I'd brought.

   "Lots of folks call it swamp potato but I prefer to call it Katniss. Has more of a ring to it." I laugh and look up. "She ain't go no money her clothes are kinda funny her hair is kinda wild and free, oh but love grows where my Rosemary goes and nobody knows like me" I sing softly as the mockingjays repeat it. "I've never seen those before" Coriolanus admits. "Mockingjays we call em, pretty right?" I laugh. He nods. "Tell me more about Rosemary, I'm invested now" He smiles and runs his fingers through my hair. "Hmm she talks kinda lazy her people say she's crazy and her life's a mystery." I continue just as softly.

   "Rosemary sounds a lot like you." Coriolanus says, probably not thinking much. "You think?" I ask. "I haven't finished that song yet, it doesn't really have an ending." I hum, looking at the clouds move across the sky. "And I just gotta tell her that I love her endlessly because love grows where my Rosemary goes and nobody knows like me..." he finished. I smiled more than I'd like to admit, covering my mouth and allowing tears to fall. "Are you crying?" He panicked. "Did I ruin your song? Are you okay?" I could hear his heart racing. I wiped away my tears quickly and shook my head. "I'll be alright sugar, some things are better kept secret."

  My past feelings felt like they didn't exist, In that moment I truly fell in love with him, not to survive or get advice, but for the sake of being in his embrace. His hands were colder than Liam's but I loved everything that made him different. I held his hand in mine. "I brought you something." He handed me a piece of fabric. "It was my mothers." He admits with smile. "I'd like for you to have it." I felt out of place holding something so precious to him but if we were to be together I'd have to get over it. "Still smells like roses." My expression softens. "I'll take good care of it I promise."

   The fabric is pressed against my chest gently like the softest touch could cause a tear. "You must miss your family so much out here." I shake my head sadly. "I do, I worry about them all the time." He sighs. "Would you go back, truly want to go back to the Capitol?" I ask, not actually asking him to stay or give me a meaningful answer. I know how important family is. "I have to, but I hope you and maybe Jeremy would come with me." He chuckles. "Capitol's not for me, I'm scared what they'd say about Jeremy too." I sigh. "At least it's civilized, has order" He comments. I feel slightly irked.

   "Hunger games is order?" I sneer. "No of course not." He answers quickly. "What if this was our life Coryo? What if we stood here, waking up whenever, spending our days carefree and growing our own food out here, we could make it, even then would you want the Capitol?" I ask. He doesn't answer me. "Hey grab the rod Jeremy! Pa wants us to bring back some fish!" I call out to him. "He misses Liam" I admit. "Do you?" Coriolanus asks, almost accusingly. "Not since he passed." I shook my head. "Must be hard for you..." He says. "It never gets easier, I see him everywhere."

   "I see him in Katniss Jeremy and Ivory bring me. I see him in the lakes we used to laugh by, I see him in Jeremy everytime he gets the courage to talk. He did a lot for my family but now thanks to his sacrifice, I get to start a new chapter of my life with the man I love..."