SPARK ✩ CORIOLANUS SNOW.¹

𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐯𝐞.

          It was interesting to see what made Jude Carlisle tick. What made him panic, what made him thrive, what made him squirm, and what made him burst alight with flame.

Coriolanus was having a lot of fun learning all of these little things about him. Unfortunately, he was running out of time to uncover each and every one of these secrets.

It wouldn't do. It wouldn't.

Jude had great aim. That made sense. He worked at a place in District 2 that Coriolanus was familiar with, had very briefly trained at before he became overqualified for it on his temporary path of becoming a Peacekeeper, called the Center.

A place like that would have been illegal if it wasn't benefitting the Capitol and the Hunger Games. Somewhere for people to train to fight with the weapons the District created? It was asking for trouble, begging for it on its knees with clasped hands.

But District 2 was too close to the Capitol to cause trouble, and benefited too much from the Capitol's leftover spoilings to dare breaching that. There was never any worry of a betrayal from them.

Jude working there was interesting indeed.

Did he work there when Coriolanus was there? Did they cross paths and not know who the other was, when Coriolanus was wrapped around the claw of a songbird and couldn't see anything past the sun that she was flying him into?

It was curious, wasn't it? Curious, curious.

He watched him now. From the safety of the plexiglassed balcony. Made sure that there were no blindspots, too, a camera installed in the entrance so that he would see if something like the previous day were to happen again.

He also was the one to credit for splitting the tributes into two for the last two training days.

Twenty four adrenaline pumped, rage fueled adults in one room was ambitious. Coriolanus was not known for lazing about and doing things the easy way, though. If he wanted to test an idea, he would. The work arounds came later.

The Astrens were good allies. If Jude had to have any, and he did, Coriolanus supposed, it would be them. Coriolanus didn't know how he felt yet about Odair. He was a flirt. He believed a little too strongly in Coriolanus's Spark.

For being the black sheep of the Odair family, Reuben was too kind.

He tried to convince himself over and over in bed during his sleepless nights that people could be kind and want nothing in return.

But Coriolanus knew the nature of people. He knew it very well, this rule particularly, because he never was nice without wanting something.

Jude's dagger flew into the target and pierced the center. The smile that broke across his face was dazzling enough that Coriolanus saw the way it lit up each of his features from a floor above.

It warmed something frozen in his chest. Something that long iced after the songbird. This was dangerous territory. Dangerous, and stupid, and all too familiar.

The thing that Coriolanus wanted with Jude was a successful first Hunger Games. That is what he told himself. It was the sole purpose that he even began to pursue this winding, twisting path that was him.

He thought it was safe because Coriolanus had never once liked a boy.

Then again, a beautiful Capitol boy that's beauty ran beyond his outward appearance was hard to come by.

Jude Carlisle was such a fucking thorn in his side.

In the training room below was Districts 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12. Jude and Mason, the married couple, the snake and her silent companion Aven, the two blondes who had yet to breach from the comfort of their own company, one of the men that ambushed Jude and his soft tribute partner Fawn, and the 12s.