𝐖𝐈𝐂𝐊𝐄𝐃 𝐆𝐀𝐌𝐄 [𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐮𝐬 𝐒𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐱 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫] 🔞

ᴛᴡᴇɴᴛʏ ᴏɴᴇ: ᴛʜᴇ ᴄʀɪᴍᴇ

Saturday rolled around quickly to your joy.

You sat on a barrel outside of the Hob, your hands messing with the hem of your skirt as you patiently awaited Coriolanus' arrival. He was nearly an hour late. No other Peackepeers have shown up either and it had you wondering if something was wrong. You attempted to calm yourself and not think negatively just yet, deciding to panic if it was much later into the night and he still hasn't shown up.

Coriolanus walked towards the Hob, dressed in the mandatory blue overalls that Peackeepers wore when they weren't in uniform. His eyes caught sight of you waiting for him and his face immediately broke into a smile. He quickened his pace as he caught your attention, your head perking up.

He waved at you as he moved closer. "Hey you." He says softly, clearly happy to see you.

You smiled back at him, walking into his arms. Your eyes closed from the warmth of his body and the comfort his arms being wrapped around you brought. "I was worried you weren't going to show. Did you get off later today?

Coriolanus nods, slowly pulling back to look at you with his arms still wrapped around you. "Yeah," He replies, his voice soft and warm. "There was a last minute inspection of the dorms, and it took longer than expected."

"Again? For what?" You ask him curiously. You couldn't help yourself, you were nosey.

He shrugs, looking away from you for a moment. It was as if he was not too interested in the subject itself. "Just routine inspection to make sure everyone was up to standards. Including cadets keeping their spaces respectable, making sure the rooms are clean... checking for contra brand like alcohol, unauthorized arms, and other illegal items. Nothing out of the ordinary."

You could feel your eyes narrow in the slightest. Though his voice was casual, you were able to catch the hint of tension in his eyes. Was it worry? You knew in an instant that he was not being completely honest with you. Something was bothering him.

You maintain a carefree demeanor at first, nodding. "Ohh okay."

He doesn't say anything, his eyes averting from yours momentarily as he moved his head slowly.

You were able to detect hesitation when he nodded back at you, leading you to decide on pointing his current state out. "Did something else happen, Coriolanus?"

He could normally keep his guard up, but with you it was different. You were able to read him with such ease, it was both alarming and fascinating. He paused for a moment, considering if he would tell you about Sejanus. He decided against it, though. He did not want to ruin your night and make you worry.

In the end, he just shakes his head. "No. Nothing happened."

You could feel a small pang in your chest from his answer. You had stressed to him months ago that honesty was to be prioritized in your relationship. You could feel anger arising within you, but pushed the feeling down, giving him another chance to come clean. "Coriolanus we talked about honesty between us. It's important. It lets us know we can count on each other no matter what. Please, what happened?"

Coriolanus sighs, unable to resist when you were asking him like that. He remains silent, briefly weighing the pros and cons of telling you, but in the end he decided that honesty towards you was more important than maintaining your peace. "I... saw something I shouldn't have. I was walking to the barracks near where we hold the prisoners. Near one of the cells of the supposed rebel we arrested last week.... Sejanus was... talking to them."

You could feel your eyebrows raise at this information. You resisted the urge to deeply roll your eyes as well. You had talked to Sejanus twice now that he needed to stop associating with these people. You sympathized with the cause as well, but the way he was going about it was so reckless and in the open. You constantly worried that he was going to end up getting himself killed one day. He had promised you that he would be more careful and it irked you that he likely was not listening to a word you said.