A Cowboy And A Capitol Girl Tanner

a cowboy and a capitol girl → tanner

tanner!tbosas x reader

notes → in which you find it a struggle to connect with your tribute, too distracted by his charm. this was supposed to be a request fill but i got too off track, sorry 😭

warnings → not edited & uploaded via iphone. 2k+ words

     you had been taking an early walk, hours before you were required to get ready for school, when you saw your classmate, coriolanus, already dressed in his uniform, a white rose in hand. he was walking with purpose, a pep in his step as if he had somewhere to be this early in the day. there was something odd about it, and before you could stop yourself, your feet were carrying you to him.

     “coryo!” you called out, running to close the gap between the two of you. the boy stopped, shocked that someone he knew was up early enough to see him. it was clear he wasn’t expecting it, as he tensed up, putting on a faux smile for you. “where are you going this early?” you pushed, squinting your eyes at him skeptically. he opened his mouth to answer, but you cut him off. “and what’s with the rose?”

     “well, y/n, i was planning to meet my tribute when she arrives at the train station.” he answered, truthfully, to your surprise. it was quite a clever idea. you recalled coriolanus’ tribute, the small girl from district twelve who sang a song after shoving a snake down a girl’s dress. her voice was quite haunting, if you were being honest with yourself, but you were almost certain she was a psychopath. that was useless to her here, though. she could do no harm given her small frame, and she was no match for the other tributes. 

     “may i join you?” you asked politely, even though you intended to do so despite whatever his answer was. you had been intrigued by your tribute ever since he was assigned to you, even taking this walk to brainstorm strategy, and you were eager to finally meet him. coriolanus obviously wanted to object, but you came from a very powerful family who’s bad side he did not want to be on. not to mention, you could help him persuade the peacekeepers if he was forced to, so he agreed. you kept a steady pace with him as you made your way to the station, walking inside the building hurriedly. the early morning breeze made you shiver, and you realized how inconveniently you were dressed. you were clothed just in your pajamas as well as a fleece cardigan with your family crest plastered on the back that didn’t offer much protection from the wind. 

      you must’ve been waiting there for a couple of hours. at this point, you opted to just sit down, leaning back against a metal post in the spacious station. you had already informed a peacekeeper to contact your mother and let her know where you were, and within the next half hour your driver arrived with your school bag and uniform. you quickly changed in the back of the spacious vehicle, digging through your bag for the small hairbrush you kept and brushing the tangles out of your hair. you were worried that the tributes would arrive as you were getting ready, but thankfully, you scrambled back into the station just as the whistle that signaled a train’s arrival blew. your brows furrowed in confusion as you saw coriolanus turning around, preparing to leave.

     “what’s wrong?” you asked the boy, placing your hand on his bicep to prevent him from walking away further.

     “it’s a cargo train, the tributes aren’t here. we might as well go home,” he informed you, continuing to leave before a distinctly human cry came from one of the carts. almost immediately, he turned around, walking closer to the train, you right beside him.

     “there’s no way…” you muttered, in disbelief that they couldn’t even provide the tributes with decent transportation before they sent them to their death. really, you shouldn’t have been all that surprised, considering the capitol’s track record. typically, you would not put something like this above them, but it felt so surreal knowing that your tribute was in one of those carts. twenty minutes had passed of you and coriolanus sitting anxiously in silence, waiting for peacekeepers to unlock the carts and let the tributes out. you had half a mind to demand them to do so, but you decided against it with a protest from coriolanus. finally, a few peacekeepers sauntered to the train, taking their time as they opened the carts one by one. the stench of manure reeked from the carts, and you gagged as the scent filled your nostrils. nothing could’ve prepared you for seeing the tributes in person, especially in the conditions they were in. coriolanus’ tribute, lucy gray, emerged from the second cart, and he became preoccupied with the girl. as patiently as you could, you waited as the peacekeepers opened the third cart, threatening the tributes to come out. 

     your eyes lit up as you saw tanner for the first time in person. his back was turned to you, but you recognized the outfit he had worn during the reaping. nervousness crept up on you as you debated approaching him, but that was the whole reason you joined coriolanus, and you didn’t want to have waited multiple hours for nothing.

     “tanner?” you called, catching his attention, as well as the few tributes around the boy. he sized you up with a menacing glare as you took a hesitant step closer to him. “i’m y/n, i’ll be your mentor.” your eyes darted up to peer into his as you stuck your hand out. he didn’t take it, leaving you slightly flushed from embarrassment. “well.. welcome to the capitol!” was the best you could do, trying to keep your cool.

     “a real warm welcome alright. your peacekeepers yanked my district partner out of the cart by her hair.” tanner scorned distastefully.

     “woah, woah, woah, who did?” you asked, tone growing concerned as your hand instinctively reached for his arm. he nodded his head in the direction of a younger peacekeeper, and you excused yourself, striding over to the man. “sir, pray tell, what does peacekeeper mean?” you demanded, stealing the man’s attention.

     “miss l/n, oh wow.. uhm, to keep peace in panem, ma’am.” he answered, surprised by your presence. it was not a shock that he knew your face, your family had been well known in the capitol for many generations.

     “right. and is pulling a girl by her hair keeping peace, officer?” you queried rhetorically. the man shook his head shamefully. “so, to make things clear, you weren’t doing your job correctly? i’d go as far to say that you were doing the opposite,” the man shook his head once more. “than i will see to it that you will no longer be employed. hell, you may never be employed again if it was in my wishes,” you remarked, promptly walking back towards tanner, whose face held a look of astonishment.

     “damn, i didn’t think you had that in you,” tanner mused, a southern drawl peeking out, giving him an alluring charm. you smiled, glad that he seemed to be warming up to you.

     “right, so.. as your mentor, i’m supposed to help you win the games, and introduce you to the capitol,” you explained in another attempt to get him to trust you.

     “how so?” he simply asked, scanning your eyes for any sign of deception, which he didn’t find.

     “well…” you thought long and hard hard for an answer, but came out empty handed. the boy laughed, and although it was directed towards you, you couldn’t help but think his laugh attractive. “i’m currently trying to figure that out. that’s why i came to greet you here! i really wanted to meet you, y’know.” the comment seemed a little too flirtatious as it escaped your mouth, and you cringed as tanner raised his eyebrows.

     “yea?” he teased, smiling slightly at your embarrassment. you nodded hesitantly, just to see how he would take the comment. tanner was amused, it was evident, but you weren’t sure that it would be enough to win his trust. from what you had gained, flattery could possibly be the way to his heart, and you decided to continue further down that path.

     “mhm, you were real handsome on camera. it won’t be hard to get the capitol to like you. you could win, too. easily, given your physique.” you complimented, just to see how far adulation could take you, and partially because you meant it. sure, it was over the top, but you would gladly take on the role of a sycophant if it meant tanner would cooperate with you.

     “well, you’re not too bad yourself, cutie,” the boy shot right back at you, causing you to stutter as you processed his statement. blood rushed to your face as you tried to brainstorm something to say. peacekeepers beat you to it, though, herding the tributes to a van near the entrance of the train. tanner was whisked away, the gap between the two of you growing by the second, and you stood next to coriolanus, slumped. your chance had slipped out of your grasp, and you were more than embarrassed as you realized you had wasted your time flirting with tanner. coriolanus was inquiring a peacekeeper about something you weren’t paying attention to, instead staring longingly at tanner’s shrinking figure climbing into the truck, disappearing from your line of sight, and suddenly coriolanus had grabbed your wrist, pulling you along with him.

     “let’s go, y/n” he said, following the path the tributes had taken to the entrance of the station. “we’re going with ‘em.” the truck heavily resembled a cage on wheels, reminding you of what they had used to transport circus animals before the rebellion. coriolanus hoisted himself into the cage, hauling you in after him. the door slammed shut behind you, making you jump. coriolanus took you to the front of the truck with him, eyeing the tributes apprehensively.

     “what’s the matter, pretty boy? you in the wrong cage?” said the boy from district eleven, reaper, if you had remembered correctly.

     “no, this cage is delightful.” coriolanus remarked. reaper surged forward, hands encircling coriolanus’ throat, you tried to back up, shocked, but instead fell into the lap of a tribute, brandy. tanner’s district partner. you were unable to pick yourself back up in the cramped car, forcing you to remain, stuck, head pushed against her knees.

     “i will kill you right now,” reaper threatened, inches away from coriolanus’ face.

     “he’ll do it too,” reaper’s district partner, dill, coughed out. “reaper killed a peacekeeper back in eleven. they never even found out who did it.” reaper growled at the girl to shut up. “who cares now?” dill hopelessly whispered.

     “i say we all kill ‘em,” spoke up bobbin, the boy from eight, viciously.

     “i’m in,” brandy mocked, glaring down at you with malicious intent. you gave coriolanus a look, both of you rigid with fear. 

     “oh, hush, brandy. she’s the one who helped you earlier, remember? got that peacekeeper who pulled you out fired. we’re not killing her,” tanner reprimanded his partner condescendingly. he was stationed nearby the girl, grabbing your hand to help you up and pulling you towards him. the contact seemed to make the rest of the world stop, leaving just you and your tribute. there was discourse occurring between the rest of the tributes, but it was simply background noise to you. it seemed only like a brief moment, but it was quickly crushed as suddenly, the cage tipped, dropping you down a chute nearly twenty feet. you landed in a heap on the floor, a pained groan escaping your lips. rock formations towered around you, and upon squinting up at your surroundings, you saw that a crowd was formed outside the bars enclosing you. you were in a cage, but not just any cage. the monkey house at the zoo.

     you took notice of the capital children that were gawking in at the lot of you. lucky flickerman’s voice, which you could recognize anywhere, boomed as he spoke into his microphone. standing up slowly, you caught your breath, locating coriolanus, as well as tanner. some of the citizens must have recognized you, calling out into the cage and alerting lucky, who asked why the two of you were in there. you stared at the crowd like a deer in headlights, unconsciously inching towards tanner, who was a foot to your left. he was looking at you expectantly, curious as to why you weren’t already begging to be rescued. coriolanus had already taken quick action, though, guiding lucy gray to the front of the exhibit and interacting with the children that stood there. you groaned in frustration as you realized that he had gotten a one up on you, already stealing the camera man’s attention. his demonstration was being aired to all of panem while you merely stood in the background.

     “is that what you’re supposed to be doing?” tanner asked, nudging you with his elbow.

     “yep,” you deadpanned. it had been a waste of time to go to the train station, you had gotten virtually nowhere in your assignment, instead embarrassing yourself in front of not only your tribute, but all of panem. “i’m sorry for bothering you, tanner. i just wanted you to warm up to me, that’s all.”

     “hey, don’t beat yourself up over it,” tanner tried, brushing your arm. you were delightfully shocked that he had made an attempt to reassure you. maybe your journey to the station had been more fruitful than you believed.

     “thanks, tanner,” you muttered, but peacekeepers soon stormed into the enclosure, striding towards you. looking between the peacekeepers and tanner, you almost didn’t want to leave, deeming him as the much better option. but it was too late for you as a peacekeeper wrapped a hand around your wrist, leading you away.

     “will you be back later?” tanner called out for you, genuine interest in his tone.

     “of course,” you smiled as you were being pulled away, and he offered you a small smile in return. you would undoubtedly be looking forward to seeing him again.

why i keep twitter

okie okie could I req something for Lamina x mentor reader (Kinda slow burn but your choice)? Where reader is anti-district like Arachne, bad mouths the districts, ends up getting assigned to Lamina (she's like can't believe I'm stuck with the girl who always cries). But after visiting the Zoo and interacting with Lamina over the few days (like interviews and tour of the arena etc) They warm up to each other and R defo get's attached. Interacting with Lamina changing her view of the districts! Also a little bit of R comforting Lamina when she cries (probs during the interview with the mentors)! Thank you sm, and feel free to make any changes! Take your time love <33 - N

power trip - lamina

requested? - yes

a/n - very unedited, there are a lot of typos in here, i may have messed up the timeline slightly because it's been a minute, you've been warned. I loved writing mean capitol reader, and yes, I did include the tribute sandwich cliché, but it makes the story entertaining. Bite me lol. Lastly, I definitely went a little overboard so I had to do some hcs thrown in with the fic so it would get done sometime this century. I hope you're okay with that <3

ship - (probably ooc) Lamina x Capitol! Fem! Reader , Arachne Crane x Capitol! Fem! Reader if you squint

cw - swear words, violence, mean reader at the beginning, classism? arachne's death is mentioned but not explicitly, angst, everyone's bad at feelings

You would argue there was absolutely no honor in dealing with the crying District Seven girl, but you (graciously, you might add), held your tongue. Maybe you were wrong about her, but really, when were you ever wrong?

                                                 ⊹ ⋆🎀 ⋆⊹

As a part of the Captiol Academy, you'd had the "honor" of being selected to mentor a tribute and knew it would be rude to refuse

besides, there wasn't any harm in recognition

you would argue there was absolutely zero honor in dealing with districts

you (graciously you might add), held your tongue though

You shared a look with Arachne, both knowing damn well why you were doing this. You wanted that recognition, and of course, the Plinth Prize couldn't hurt. Surely there wasn't anything wrong with a little friendly competition though. You'd already agreed to buy matching dresses for practically every event ou'd be invited to after this was all over, both coming from affluent and well liked families, even if you didn't win, you'd get respect. However, in all honesty, you knew yourself and you knew her. It was going to be one of you winning this thing.

For the first time in your life, you waited eagerly for Dean Highbottom's announcement. The sooner you could deal with whatever grimy tribute they assigned, the better. You had a social life to attend to, after all.

Sure enough, there she was. Your tribute, the one that was supposed to bring you glory, looking at the camera, crying. You sighed. Great, you got the crybaby. Just your luck. Maybe she would pull herself together when you met. Hopefully. Arachne always said you were too much of an optimist.

you'd found out where your tribute was being held and thought it was worth a shot visiting her

you could use the media attension and you'd have to visit her sometime to make sure she had a shot at winning anyway

so you decided to bite the bullet, put on your red uniform and favorite perfume and go see what that girl's deal was

Realizing all too late as you picked your way to the enclosure, you'd gotten dressed up, even tried to make that horrible uniform look good for nothing. Your tribute sat a ways away from the bars, slumped over, practically blending in with the enclosure. Noticing your presence, you saw her glassy eyes flick up from the ground, scanning your face, jewelry, uniform, and finally, your shoes. Feeling very strange, almost judged, you fixed your shirt, reminding yourself that girl probably wouldn't recognize a designer shoe if you threw it at her.

"District Seven, yes?" You attempted a halfhearted wave.

She nodded. What was her name again? You’d tried to remember it, but couldn’t really bring yourself to care much. It was something odd, Lily? Laminate? Laboratory? Leather? Leslie? Regardless, you were suddenly face-to-face with only bars separating you.

"I'm Lamina" Her voice was slightly thick from crying but low and softer than you'd expected.

"Oh. Lovely" Forcing yourself not to take a step back, you suddenly became very aware of the smell of unwashed bodies and the general odor that came with a monkey enclosure.

I'll be your mentor" Holding a hand out cautiously, you wondered for a second if she didn't understand what you meant to do, if perhaps she might try and bite it. Fortunatlely, she took it and you did your best not to flinch at the sight of her rather grimy nails.

This was so not worth it.

later Arachne, who had been almost impressed by your altruism, regretted asking you how your little trip went

it was like you were in love the way you were that obsessed with your District Seven girl and how much of a "total lost cause" she was.

she quite honestly wished you'd just shut up and ignore the damn tribute. That's what everyone else was doing!

You just weren't that smart! She always knew she was the brains in the friendship

She did enjoy hearing about Coriolanus' mentoring though (especially when it came to him failing at said mentoring)

Arachne almost felt bad for that little District Twelve girl who according to you, was very clearly the man's next fling

In her opinion, Coriolanus had never hesitated to come on to anything with legs. not long ago, you.’d been one of his victims. He'd been so desperately trying to get you as a date to one of his parties only a few months before, and you were so much better than that. He was just tragic

Surprisingly, Arachne had decided to go visit her tribute before you that day, and news of what happened had reached you soon after. You'd tried to tell her the idea wasn't good, but she just hadn't listened. She never did. That was the end of your friendship with Arachne Crane. Maybe one of your closest friends had been killed after doing something very very dumb, but you needed a good public image and you weren't going to let her ruin it.

You had decided to come back to the enclosure, this time with a meal and a half-assed attempt at a mentorship plan, half hoping Lamina wouldn't be there. She was though, looking through the bars, crinkled clothes, dirty nails, a tear-stained face and very clearly scared as always. Maintaining your distance, you pushed a bag of food through the bars with a bored look. Grime did not come out of your gloves easily. You’d learned that the hard way. You weren’t stupid though. She had to eat.

You weren't sure what district people ate, so you'd settled on a bowl of fruit, a bottle of sparkling water, and a sandwich. You couldn't have your tribute fainting in front of the entire Capitol, you'd be a disgrace. You’d never cooked much, but you’d tried. On second thought, maybe Caviar, Pistachio, Cucumber and Pepper Jelly hadn’t been the combination you’d thought it would be though. feeling oddly self conscious at the girl looking at the food suspiciously, you gave her a hard look,

“I didn’t poison it, you know”

Lamina didn't seem convinced, but she took a bite, still eyeing you as if you might pounce.

"It's probably time to start getting ready for the games, but that's where I come in." You figured that was a good place to start. "Basically, I'll be making sure the other tributes don’t try to kill you first.” You paused noticing the horrified look on her face. "Oh, right! And, don’t worry. I’ll also help fix this. I’ll make you- passable in no time. You’ve definitely got potential.” Gesturing towards her clothes, you earned a small scoff. That was the most attitude you’d seen, but maybe you did have a shot at her winning. That was something.

normally, Lamina tried to see the best in people, but she was having a very hard time with you

you were pretty, she wouldn't deny that, but your personality just didn't match. you were just another prissy spoiled capitol brat who only wanted to help her in order to look good

you were confusing though, you had (clearly) cooked food for her and put in effort where few other mentors did, the thing was, she was pretty sure you weren't aware of it

you continued to confuse her as you returned daily, sometimes twice to "coach" her through getting sponsors, creating a solid story for her interview, and survival tactics.

you were confused too

Some people from the Capitol Academy were concerned, they had a right to be, they knew how close you'd been with Arachne, but in all honestly, you didn't want to talk about her. You had other things on your mind.

”I have to wear one of those ugly ass uniforms and deal with that until this shit show is over” you said, pointing an accusatory painted nail at the picture of your tribute you'd set on your desk, so you didn't forget. Obviously

"Still a total baby?" The girl was concerned, clearly. You'd only talked a few times, but she was nice enough and you needed someone, anyone, right now.

you paused “Yeah, she just can't stop crying. It's unnerving"

Shaking her head, the girl brushed a glitter varnish over one of your nails. "You’ll figure something out”

You hoped so.

"Arachne's idea was stupid. I tried to tell her so, but she thought she knew best. She always did. Any ideas I had were irrelevant, even if she mentioned them first, it didn't matter. The second I said something out loud, it was a complete joke. It's no wonder her tribute killed her. I would've done the same if I was in her place."

You were shocked at how bitter you sounded. A wave of guilt washed over you. Bad mouthing your now deceased best friend was so gauche. You ignored the guilt though. It wasn’t like she would’ve had any issue doing the same if she was in your place. You really wished she was there though. Having someone like her to complain to about your assigned charity case with would be nice.

Later that night, even after changing into a silk robe, and removing your makeup, you found yourself still thinking about your tribute. You hoped she was alright wherever she was. Was she thinking about you? That was an odd thought. Since when did you actually care about your tribute? You figured you needed some rest. you always thought odd things before bed.

Through the next few days, you visited Lamina. you weren't sure why

It wouldn’t have been hard to just say fuck it and forget about her, Plinth Prize be damned. Your family could've probably started their own namesake prize if they truly wanted to.

Still, you found yourself walking back to that same monkey enclosure, more food (that you’d bought this time, thankfully) a selection of drinks, a blanket, and a box of small desserts in hand

Walking over to where you waited against the bars, she looked at you warily. "What’s that?"

you pushed the box through the bars as gently as possible.

“Dessert”

She tilted her head to the side, confused “Why?”

“They’re for you. I saw what happened with Trech. If you need to get anyone to like you, there’s enough to go around."

"Alright-"

"What? Bribery is a tactic! They have fighting skills, but you have desserts. That's definitely something!"

Lamina didn't seem convinced, but she did look slightly amused. It was better than nothing.

after the food, it was slightly easier to get through to her with your mentorship plan

for someone with that much experience in faking smiles, you had no idea how you were failing so horribly in teaching her.

even after practicing for at least an hour, the only thing that you succeeded in was producing cringes and wobbly frowns

you watched as her tragic attempt crumbled. tears were running down her face again. you wanted to be irritated, she just couldn’t get it together for a few minutes! you couldn’t manage it though.

something just felt off- similar to how you'd felt after saying those things about Arachne. your face was growing hot, you suddenly wanted very badly to crawl into a cave and stay there until this was all over.

you weren’t sure why, but you felt yourself reaching through the bars and awkwardly patting the girl on the arm

"Is something um- wrong?"

you were quickly finding that you were awful at comforting people

She sniffled, looking at you “Everything's wrong”

Lamina hadn't known this at first, but she was quickly catching on: you were very stupid. She really would have to spell it out

What was wrong? Well, she'd been forced to fight other children for the entertainment of The Capitol, people like you, who couldn't care less if she lived or died, not really. just as long as they got a good show and had the opportunity to feel good about themselves after sending a bandage to a child dying of infection.

Next, even if she did win, she'd still be known as the child who killed everyone and being celebrated for it even if the guilt was eating her alive.

Finally, Lamina knew she wouldn’t make it, she knew she didn’t want to kill, and she knew she wouldn’t see her family ever again, even though she promised they'd see her again and she hated breaking promises.

that was what was wrong, you idiot (she kindly left the last part out)

"Oh- Oh no" You were shaking your head now, blinking furiously.

You lifted your hand slightly, unsure if you were doing the correct thing, but she quickly placed a hand on yours. Looking at you now, she wondered if she'd spent too long crying and the tears had somehow glazed her eyes over but no. She was studying your face, the face of the person who was supposed to be teaching her how to achieve a perfect smile, and you were crying. Crying. She couldn't help but feel a bit of satisfaction.

You noticed her staring and turned away sharply.

“Look what you did! There's water on my face” you huffed, frantically dabbing at your eyes so your mascara wouldn’t run with your free hand. You didn't move away though.

You continued your little lesson after dabbing at your eyes a bit more, and didn't mention what had happened for the rest of the day

the next morning she woke up to your very annoyed voice arguing with a Peacekeeper, getting louder until you yelled a very exasperated "Thank you! Was that so hard?"

"Visiting hours barely started, why are you here so early?"

"Well excuse me if I want to help you out a little, I brought breakfast!"

Lamina still seemed confused

“Why are you being so kind? ”

“I- don’t know! I think I made a mistake" You weren't sure what had been going on, but you felt like being here was the right choice. Rather, you had. Right now you were really wishing she would stop asking questions and just take the pastries and coffee you'd brought

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t know, okay? You’re making me feel some odd things and I don’t understand any of them, so please don’t ask-“

“Did you really say please?”

“Yes!" You looked at her, smiling slightly now, and wished for a moment that she'd go back to crying. Anything would be better than that strange little (oddly endearing) smile of hers. "Now please shut up! I’ll be back later!"

"You’re not so bad, you know."

Turning to leave, you shook your head. She was just now realizing it? Sad.

"Of course I'm not! I'm perfect?"

She gave you a look

"I know you don't want me to take that back."

"You. Wouldn’t. Dare.”

"Really?”

You gasped, almost laughing now.

"You're mean, Lamina!"

Hearing you say her name like that made her feel very strange

Something wouldn't let you stop thinking about that little interaction, even through the arena tours, even up until the interviews.

It had been the closest thing you'd had to an actual connection with someone since Arachne had gone off and done- that, but still, this felt better somehow. The connection felt better with your tribute. You shuddered, what was happening?

All you knew was you cared about getting her through the games in one piece now, for better or for worse.

At your interview, you'd dressed well, deciding to finally ditch the Capitol Uniform for a large lacy purple dress and exaggerated gold eye makeup, lamina still in her clothes from before

It had gone well enough, however she had broke down crying once more. You couldn't even bring yourself to feel any irritation anymore, only wishing you could wrap her in a tight hug and tell her how sorry you were about everything. you didn't though

Instead, you'd done your best to use her tears to make any spectators feel connected to her, and had done a damn good job if you said so yourself, people loved her and you honestly didn't blame them

towards the end, she slipped her hand in yours. Your first instinct was to pull back, hissing “Don’t touch me!” but something made you stay still, giving her hand a small squeeze

Unfortunately, after the interview, she was still very clearly in distress

“Are you alright?”

She shook her head, shaking.

“Come” You lead her to a corner and sat down on a plush couch, pulling her into a hug. “It’s going to be okay”

“It’s not”

You cringed realizing she had a point

“Please try to be okay. Your family won't want to loose you. Honestly, I don't want to loose you either.” You cringed as she only shook more in your arms, deciding the best course of action was to just keep hugging her until she decided to move. Minutes passed and her breathing became calmer as she got up, cringing at the tear stains she'd left on your dress, looking at you now, almost like she was studying you.

“Thank you.”

”You really don’t need to thank me. I've been horrible to you and I would completely understand if you wanted nothing to do with me after this”

“I want to though. You’re kinder than you think you are.”

"What?"

“When I met you, I thought you were horrible. Pretty, but horrible. You don't notice it, but you’re not. You care about people so much even if you try not to. God, you brought me desserts just so I could build trust between the other tributes, even though I know you thought I wasn’t worth the time. What's most important is that you realized you were in the wrong and you're trying to understand why.

You sat in silence for a while, Lamina knew you were confused, you'd only recently realized the district people were worthy of respect and were taking on a lot of information at once regarding that general subject.

what she hadn't expected was being hugged and hearing the words "I don't want to loose you" or even "Thank you" from the same girl who'd been afraid to touch her a week ago.

You spoke, almost sounding choked up,

"You're going to be okay. When you win, you'll see."

"If" she corrected

"Don't even think about it. You will get through this."

You nearly froze as you felt her head fall back on your shoulder again .You settled into the couch, scared to move in case it disturbed her. She seemed calmer this time though, at least you hoped so.

"I don't really want to loose you either"

*Bonus hcs because I've lost my mind. You're welcome.*

if she wins (she does because I said so) and gets out of the arena, the first thing she notices is someone running towards her at full speed in a floor length blue gown and very jingly jewelry. You’re there practically smashing into a wall, hugging her like you’re afraid of letting go.

The first words out of your mouth were "I told you so" and she had half a mind to throw her first ever punch, but then, your face melted into a huge smile and you were whispering how proud you were. You'd been wrong, everything was not alright, she'd killed more people than she'd ever wanted to and was undoubtedly going to be working through guilt for years after, but everything was better.

next thing she knew, she was asking if she could kiss you, you nodded, and her lips were on yours

you buy her gifts constantly. She doesn’t care about material things as much as you, but knows it’s one of the ways you show love, besides you have a way of finding fun trinkets, accessories, and hair products she ends up loving.

Visiting her district and meeting her family was something you'd been nervous about, but wanted to do. they did threaten you with an axe before they knew who you were, but after your talks with Lamina, you understood why.

getting a splinter your first day in District Seven, convincing yourself you’re dying, and giving a very dramatic speech, practically eulogizing yourself while she just watches before finding some tweezers and pulling it out. You nearly fainted.

You're one of the only people she makes fun of (kindly of course) She can't help it. There's just so much for her to work with.

✨mr krabs i have ideas✨

festus with tanners mentor!girlfriend makes my brain tingle because there’s so much there

arachne and her being so happy they get to work together because they both got the 10s. controversially i am an arachne lover so childhood bestie!arachne is everything to me. they could never make me hate her. 😔

festus and her being there when arachne dies at the zoo and (according to book canon) walking home with clemmie and coryo after she’s taken by medics. festus proposes they all go to his apartment but when they get there he bursts into tears and mentor!girlfriend has to send clemmie and coryo on their way and ushers festus inside and stays with him.

later trying to convince festus to create an alliance between coral and tanner and festus teasingly telling her that he could think of a few ways she could convince him

her and festus being together at the arena but went their seperate ways to talk to other mentors and gather information. bombs go off and chaos ensues as they try to find each other

i have so many festus thoughts but im just going to leave this here and not be annoying

SpongeBob! You popped the fuck off with this one! (Also not annoying at all pls send me all your festus thoughts) also also sorry this took so long I finished uni for Christmas and have been in every day since oops, I really enjoyed writing this though. More festus to come ⁎⁺˳✧༚

- you and Arachne are basically siblings the way you grew up together

- I’m talking inseparable : born within two weeks of each-other and grew up as next door neighbours, walked into the academy on your first day together holding hands, sat next to each other at lunch every day, had joint birthday parties every year, etc

- no one could tear the two of you apart

- well, except a pretty determined festus creed, who laid eyes on you the second you walked into that classroom at 6 years old and knew he wanted to be your best friend instead

- Arachne, ever the social butterfly, was quick to attract a large group of friends around the two of you, which gave festus the perfect chance to get to know you better

- as the years went by you and Arachne stayed best friends, but if anyone asked you to name your closest friends, festus creed would also be on that list

- he was ever so charming, and a good listener (though only when it came to you) and when everyone seemed to move at Arachne’s beck and call, he would wait for yours to do anything

- it was sweet, in its own way, and it’s one of the things that drives the two of you to end up together

- like, obviously, festus has had a crush on you since he was a boy

- but you finally start to realise you like him back when all these little things start adding up

- he looks at you for your reaction whenever someone says something, he sits or walks or stands next to you at every chance he gets, he brings you the homework when you’re sick, he carries your bag around for you, he pulls your chair out for you in the canteen

- honestly the list goes on and on

- but the thing that finally gets the two of you together is when you and Arachne have a fight

- it had only been something stupid, but because everyone was Archane’s friend before they were yours, they take her side

you’d been sat on the steps outside the academy, eating your lunch alone in the sunshine while everyone else had gathered at your usual table. Though you knew you were still welcome there, you didn’t want to have to deal with the silent treatment from Arachne (and therefore everyone else) while she built up the courage to admit she was wrong like she always eventually did when it came to you. It was peaceful away from the noise of the canteen, and you found you didn’t mind being alone - at least, alone until the sound of someone running down the steps and right towards you, reached your ears.

Festus Creed took a seat right beside you, his lunch tray in hand and his backpack in the other. “You didn’t show up to lunch. I was worried sick.”

“Me and Arachne had a fight, a squabble really. It was literally over what we thought one of the answers were on the history of Panem homework.” Festus laughed as you did, swapping half of his orange with half of your apple slices. “She’s upset with me though, so I figured everyone would be upset with me.”

“Well, if it makes you fell any better, I think she’s upset with me now as well.” You looked at him confused; your confusion only growing as a smile curled on his lips. “I don’t think she’s too fond of the fact that I am oh so fond of you.”

you lean in and kiss him before his words can truly settle inside of you. but hours later, when they fully do, all you can think about is how you can’t wait to kiss him again sometime.

- when the reaping finally roles around, you and all your friends having to take on the role of mentors for the tributes, you and Arachne get the boy and the girl from 10 and it couldn’t be more perfect

- well, it’d be more perfect if you didn’t have to be mentors at all but, you know what I mean

- the two of you basically plan for your tributes to team up to fight against the other tributes because obviously 🙄 but all that goes awry when Arachne’s tribute kills her

your first reaction is complete stillness and silence. from the moment Arachne’s girl reaches through the bars of the zoo and stabs her right in the throat you have been completely silent. you couldn’t move, you couldn’t think, you couldn’t breath, you couldn’t scream. Total nothingness. you could only watch as Coriolanus ran forward, bravely pressing his hands against the wound in an effort to save your best friend. You didn’t even manage to get the words out to thank sweet Sejanus plinth, who dragged you to the floor and pressed you under him as peacekeepers rain bullets at the rouge tribute. Even when the gunfire stops and Arachne lies too still for a living person, even when Festus takes you from Sejanus and thanks him on your behalf, even on the walk home sandwiched between festus and Coryo, who’s hands are still covered in the thick of Arachne’s blood, you can’t seem to find the words. It’s only on the doorstep of festus’s apartment - the smell familiar and warm and welcoming - when things seem to catch up to you.

before he can even unlock the door to let you, Coriolanus, and Clemensia inside you’ve burst into hysterical tears: sobbing, gasping, wretching at the thought of what you’ve lost tonight. Festus sends Coryo and Clemmie on their way and ushers your inside, through the house and right to his bedroom, where he guides you to sit on the edge of the bed and kneels before you, hands cradling your face. “You’re okay, you’re okay sweet thing, just breathe.” His grip on your face tightens ever so slightly when you don’t seem to calm down, but it only helps to ground your more. “Breathe with me okay? You’re gonna be okay, sweet thing, it’s all gonna be okay.”

- you sit front row of her funeral beside Coriolanus and selfishly wish you had festus at your side instead

- when festus makes his way to his seat, which he finds is right behind yours, he reaches his hand between the gaps in the chairs and connects it with yours

- he holds your hand the whole way through the funeral and after, until the two of you end up in bed that night and he finally lets go to hold you fully, pressed against his chest as he cradled you to him

- when he wakes up the following morning however, it’s like he’s with an entirely different version of you

- it’s still you, but you’re cold, refusing to cry or grieve or do anything but focus on the games - all you want now is to get things over and done with

- winning doesn’t matter and you don’t really care what happens to your tribute, you just want to go home (which was concerning to you because physically, you were home)

“you need to convince Coral to partner up with Tanner.” you’re sitting at your dressing table as you to speak to Festus, him in his uniform on your bed as he waited for you to get ready to go and bond further with your tributes for the day. “He doesn’t stand a chance alone, he needs the help. Coral does, hell, I wouldn’t be surprised if they won.”

Festus only wiggled his eyebrows at you, meeting your gaze in the reflection of your mirror. “Well, sweet thing, I’m sure I could be convinced…” Festus is quickly quietened by your hairbrush smacking against his chest. “I was only saying!”

When he sees you try and smother the smile that tries to form on your face he stands from the bed, crossing the room, and wrapping his arms around your shoulders, speaking to your reflection. “Everything is going to be okay sweet thing. Trust me. In a week from now all this will be behind us and we can get on with the rest of our lives. You and me, a house somewhere in the upper city, two university degrees, other things. Whatever you want will be ours.” Your hands reached up to hold into his arms that wrapped around you, squeezing them lovingly as your stoic composure quickly dissolved. “But if what will soothe your roaring mind right now is an alliance between our tributes, then an alliance you shall have, sweet thing.”

You lean into his hold, titling your head to press a kiss to his clothed arm. “I love you, festus.” It didn’t matter that you knew he wouldn’t say it back just yet, he had always had a hard time verbalising his feelings, because you knew that he loved you, you could feel it right in this moment more then ever before.

- and then, only hours later, the trip to the arena came, and with it, the attack from the rebels

- festus had left your side for approximately 5 seconds, going to drag coral away from Tanner and the boy from 7 (who you hoped were all planning an alliance) when the first bomb went off

your ears ring with a shrill noise that only further disoriented you, your view blurry as you looked up from the rubbed floor of the arena and into the flames. the blast of the bomb from behind you had sent you flying forward, yet, you couldn’t see festus anywhere. smoke filled the room and rubble littered the floors, pieces of the ceiling and walls falling into the centre of the arena in the aftershocks.

you try and stand but your legs fail you and your arms shake with the effort you used to try and push yourself off of the floor. Rubble is falling closer and closer to you with each second, you can’t hear or see anything to anyone, let alone festus, and you’re sure that this is how you’re going to die.

just as you’re about it close your eyes and accept your fate, a shadow emerges from the ashes, running in your direction and yelling what you think is your name. it’s only when they grab you by the arms and hoist you up that you begin to see and hear properly again. “Coral.” You whisper, reaching out and caressing their face.

they seem unfazed, wrapping your arm around their shoulder and holding it against their collar bone while the other wraps tightly around your waist. “your leg is injured, so I’m going to have to drag you, okay? It might hurt.” your barley feel the pain in your leg and if you were any more conscious you might be worried about that, but right now all you can think about is how they came and saved you from the rubble. Coral could’ve ran, for freedom, to leave you for dead, for whatever. but they hadn’t, and a part of you didn’t really understand.

“you saved me.” you whispered, only loud enough for them to hear as they continued to drag you through the arena and to the exit. “what about you’re friends?”

“they’re fine.” they answered, helping you through the barricade and ever closer to safety. “so’s your little boyfriend. they all got dragged out by peacekeepers pretty quickly. we were too far in the destruction to be found as fast.”

you hear him before you see him. festus creed is calling your name in a wretched cry, sobs accentuating everything that came from his mouth. and when you catch sight of his frame, he’s being restrained by two peacekeepers, who seem to be insisting that he can’t go back in there, that’s they’ll find you but he needs to wait out here. before you can call out to him, Coral does so for you. “they need help! their leg!”

all eyes turn to you. you and the tribute from four gripping tightly onto each other, covered in ash and scrapes, hand gripping hand. it’s something festus never thought he’d see and it has him questioning everything he’s ever known. maybe the people from the districts were just like you and him. maybe everything he’d been told was wrong and it was silly to punish children, like himself, for the crimes of their fathers.

what he does know for certain is that he’s never run so fast in his life. he reaches you before the peacekeepers can and tears you from Corals hold, thanking them profusely even as peacekeepers drag them away to go with the rest of the tributes who made it out alive. he grips you with a strength you didn’t know he had, a hand cupping the back of your head and holding you tight against him. “I thought I lost you, God, I thought I lost you. I though you were…” he can’t say it, can’t bring himself to speak it out loud less he makes it come true. “All the rubble and the smoke and the fires, and when I tried to search for you they dragged me out. They told me I couldn’t go back in for you: I would’ve gone back in. I never should’ve left your side, what if you’d-“

He shakes his head, pulling you out of the safety of his hold so he can cup your face, thumbs runnings cross your tear-stained cheeks as he looks at you. “Never leave me. Not like that, not ever. Please. Promise me.”

He’s never sounded so pleading, so desperate, and he’s never wanted for anything more in his life. “I won’t, I’m sorry, I’m okay, I’m okay, I’m okay.” You’re a blubbering mess in festus’s arms, gripping to the back of his red blazer like your life depends on it. Your cries only worsen as the ringing in your ears starts to fade and you start to feel a throbbing pain in your leg. “I’m sorry. I love you, I love you.”

“I love you too, I love you too, I love you too.”

- festus follows you to the hospital and everywhere else after that

- but like seriously

- he already knew he wanted to spend the rest of his life with you and the attack in the arena only solidified that idea

- the hunger games are over and Lucy grey is crowned their winner within the week

- festus proposes the following morning

lol remember the mischa bachinski x reader fic on my wattpad that i havent updated in like a year????

yea what if i started writing again 🤗

Jennifer Lawrence at the Golden Globes 2024!