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Coriolanus had never been one to question the contents of a box from Ma Plinth. More times than not, it was packed full with sweets, anything they could dream of, and more. There was always an extra box that came along around the holidays, and each of their bunkmates got one on their birthdays. It would be filled with small gifts, handpicked items to try and help remind them of home.
The Covey was treated just the same, a small box sent inside of the bigger, often looking like a shoe box that could be looked past. They were treated just like they'd always been part of the Plinth family, something that always threw him off. But that's just who the Plinths were. Or, well, Ma was, at least.
But sometimes, a box would come in, and as they worked on unpacking it, there would be confusion written across his features. He never asked, some things felt like something that would make sense sooner or later. It would be little items that he'd never seen in his life, or something that seemed to excite the rest of them that had never touched the Capitol. As if it were just one more thing that separated them.
What he hadn't expected was the extra box at the bottom of that week's care package from Ma. It hadn't been a birthday, and the next holiday wasn't for a few months. And it hadn't helped the way that Sejanus had reached for it far too quickly and stuffed it into his things before the rest of their bunkmates had gotten in. There had been no real explanation, either, rather just tucked away in his go bag that he would take with him when they left for the Covey home.
Which had been all that had been on his mind as he'd gotten dressed and spotted Sejanus sling the bag over his shoulder. They had a routine, one where they were up before breakfast and before most of the barracks started to stir. It was easier to get out as far toward the Seam before the sun properly rose in the morning.
He didn't speak a word until after they'd gotten down toward the start of the clearing along the back of the Seam. And even then, he was as quiet as he could be, as if his voice any louder than a whisper would disturb the world around them. It was familiar, at least, only a few small glances as they made their way down the familiar path.
“What's in there?”
“Huh?”
His eyes rolled in response, looking far from entertained at the pretend ignorance. He was sure that Sejanus knew exactly what he meant. That there was no question just what he was asking about. “In your bag, in the box,” he answered, his fingers curling in his own bag strap. “Didn't even open it yesterday. Like you knew what was there.”
Sejanus shrugged, shaking his head as he glanced over to him. “I do know,” he answered. “Was almost expecting to find the box opened this morning, thought it was going to drive you mad.”
A soft scoff left him, rolling his eyes at the thought. “Me? Mad?” He questioned, pulling a face. As if he hadn't been thinking about it far too much. Or the fact that he'd been tempted to check the box just as he'd said. But he didn't want to admit to that. “It's just a box. But I didn't think it was anyone's birthday. Usually, when those show up.”
“Not a birthday.” That was a relief, at least. The last thing he needed was to be showing up unprepared for such a thing. But all of the Covey had Spring and Summer birthdays, ones that all seemed to be lined up right along with one another.
“A holiday then?” Coriolanus pulled another face, tucking past a tree branch as he followed the path. “I don't think so.”
“More of a… District tradition.”
District tradition. The amount of District traditions that he had learned about since he’d gotten out in Twelve made him all too confused. Pumpkin carving, harvest festival, gift exchanges, and love day. Things that he'd sat and watched the rest of them talk about as if he had completely missed out on such a life.
And it wasn't just the Covey either. The base had even celebrated some of them, as if they were just as much an extension of the Covey or the District. As if, for just a moment, they had no ties or allegiance to the Capitol itself. Instead, at least, they only cared about the people of the District. But there hadn't been any whispers about one lately. Not that he knew of, at least.
“Lucy Gray asked for it. Wrote a letter to Ma and had me send it. Didn't know if she'd be able to get it or not.” She asked for it? “So don't grumble too much about it. Might hurt her feelings.”
His eyes rolled at the warning, as if he had to be reminded about just that. But Lucy Gray had always been excited about the odd little traditions. She had found comfort in the little details, in the ability to try to make things magical still. He'd seen it far too many times, in the way she and the eldest two tried to make sure that the youngest of the Covey got to be just that. Young.
They were aware of the world around them, entirely, but at the same time… they got to live in a world where they never had to worry about it. At least not in the same way that the oldest three had had to. They got to enjoy things, they got to bounce around, to go to school, something Lucy Gray had never gotten the chance to do.
Between Tam Amber, Lucy Gray, and Barb Azure, they did everything they could to make sure that they got the chance to be as normal as they could. After everything that had happened to them, after all of the loss, after all of the violence, all they had wanted was to give them a chance to be kids. Something that none of them really had the chance to be while growing up.
“I know how to be on my best behavior,” Coriolanus answered, which earned a laugh from Sejanus in response. If there was one thing that had him acting in any way but his best, it was Lucy Gray. The two of them could get into more trouble than anything or anyone if they were given more than a few moments alone.
“Right, you just choose not to,” the older teased, shifting the bag on his shoulder as he looked back at him. “Can't leave you two alone for more than a few seconds without the chance of scarring the rest of us.”
His own eyes rolled in response, shoving at his shoulder at the teasing. Though he was far from lying, for that matter. The two of them had always found comfort in each other's touch. They could melt away under fingertips and kisses in a way that made him understand why the world kept spinning how it did. And with as little time as the two of them did get with just one another, the two were inseparable when they did get a taste of it again.
It'd been even worse when he'd been worried that he'd be leaving. After all that had happened in the summer, after all the Games had put them through, after the deaths of Mayfair and Billy Taupe, everything had been so careful. It had felt like District 12 had frozen in time while waiting for a chance to breathe again. And it had taken far too long for a chance to see her again.
There had been the lingering reminder that Officer School would come calling. That no matter what they did, or how much time they felt was promised to them, they'd be pulled apart. But it had never come. Commander Hoff had quietly removed him from the recommendations, instead opting for the opportunity to train him out in District 12. It'd given him more hours, more time focused on his job, and he'd watched too many times as Sejanus had left the base to head to the Covey home while he was stuck behind.
But it was better than nothing. After everything he had seen Lucy Gray be put through, the last thing he wanted was not to be in the same District as her. She would be safer with him there, that much he was sure. All that tied the three of them to that night, the only thing that could incriminate any of them was one another. And all that their time out there had taught them was that it wasn't going to come between them.
Not now. Not ever. There was too much in the District, in the Covey home, to ever want to risk it.
“You two aren't much better,” Coriolanus offered, some bit of calm as the Covey home came into view. It was, somehow, somewhere he could feel like he could relax inside of. Being out at the lake made it even easier to do.
Sejanus rolled his eyes at the thought, cheeks flushing at the tease. “The kids won't learn how babies are made from us, though.” A laugh left him as he caught his eye roll just the same. “I'm just sayin’. Just a bunch of trouble.”
“That's me,” he snorted at the idea. The most trouble he got into these days was sneaking out the way he did. It was his one attachment that he wasn't supposed to have. His loyalty was meant for the Capitol, for the job. Not for his pretty songbird with those wide eyes, he wanted to see the rest of his life. “Real bad news.”
He followed Sejanus through the attempt at a fence to the backyard. It was a new addition, something to help keep Shamus in the yard, along with whatever birds that Maude Ivory had seemed all too excited to be trying to raise sooner rather than later. Something that he'd seen her bounding after Lucy Gray, going on and on about.
It was quiet inside the Covey home as they made their way inside. Or as quiet as it could be, considering the fact that there was always some sort of noise. There was always some sort of singing, or some instrument being practiced, or giggling. It was the kind of noise that he had somehow found a peace sitting with, something that he never felt was possible with how much the silence back home had felt safe.
Sejanus had made it around the corner before he had, shifting his bag off his shoulder in the motion. “Those are real fine.” It was something he never knew how to place, the way that just how proper Sejanus had always seemed to be in the Capitol or around others would fall the moment he was with the Covey. Lucy Gray had always felt it was because it was the closest to home, to District 2, he had been in far too long. “Where'd you even find that many?”
“The kids spent an afternoon searchin’ for ‘em.” The voice caused his smile to grow, even before he'd made his way further into the house. “Kept them out of my hair for a few hours, took out the wheelbarrow for it.”
There she was, as gorgeous as she could be, even with how sleepy she looked. Her normally perfectly groomed curls were tucked away inside one of her scraps of scarves. And that face he adored, that he loved more than anything, looked like she'd just rolled over not long before.
“Smart,” Sejanus chuckled. “I believe this is for you,” he started, reaching into his bag to pull out the box. “Ma said she found all that she could. She would've sent more, and she will next time.”
A sleepy smile grew on her lips as she took it from him, the movement earning a small noise from within the box as the inside adjusted. “She's my lifesaver,” she breathed, settling the box onto the table next to a bucket. “I'll have to send her a million thanks.”
“She’s happy to help,” he assured, squeezing her hand before he readjusted his bag on his shoulder. “You're up early. He still asleep?”
Her head shook at the question, her head turning toward the door frame, where Coriolanus was settled. Her nose scrunched up, the way it always seemed to do at the sight of him, as she pointed just past him. “Out in his shed. Was up before I was, workin’ on something, don't know what.”
Sejanus nodded, shifting the bag once more. “I can stay and help with these if yo-”
“I've got it,” she promised, shrugging her shoulders. “I'll just have him help.”
“Yeah, good luck with that,” he teased, moving to make his way toward the doorway. “Best behavior.”
Coriolanus rolled his eyes at the teasing, shifting to slip out of the doorway to let him pass. “You too.” His attention fell back onto Lucy Gray, that smile finding its way to his lips. “Morning.”
“Mornin’.” There was that sleepy gravel to her voice, a sound that he loved more than he should. It was a sign she'd made it through the night. That he got lucky enough to have just another day with her.
He moved to pull out a small bag, shaking it as he settled it on the bar. “Brought some coffee beans, figured you were out.” His hands moved to search through one of the cabinets, pulling down a small jar. It was near empty, shifting to pour what he'd brought inside of it.
“And how'd you know that?” She teased with a laugh, something heavy getting settled on the table in front of her. There was no telling just what she was up to at that point.
His shoulders shrugged, settling the jar back on the counter. “Just a guess,” he reasoned, turning back to look at her. “Barb Azure looked ready to kill me with her mind when I said good morning at the market the other day. Which isn't new. Just… meaner than normal.”
Her eyes rolled, twisting something between her fingers as she laughed. “She's not always wishing you death.” There was that fond smile, her other hand shifting to rub at her tired eyes. “Sometimes she likes you. Like when you bring coffee.”
“One of these days, she will.” It was better than it had been, he knew that much. But he also knew that she was still uneasy about him being around like he was. That maybe he was more of a danger than he was worth. “Might be the day I die, but it'll still count.”
“No jokin’ about that,” she spoke far too quickly, shifting to pat the chair next to her. Every chair was different, whatever could be found to fit all seven of them around the table at once. They'd be used around the house during the day, dragged along into other spaces as needed. “You got work to do today.”
“Work?” He asked, his lips pressed together in a teasing pout as he made his way around the table. His brow furrowed at the sight of what had seemed to make all the noise. A bucket of… rocks? There were too many of them as it were. He'd seen plenty of things around the Covey home that had never made sense to him, and somehow, it wasn't even close to the weirdest he'd seen. “Why are we collecting rocks?”
“Tradition.”
Tradition. Rocks. He should have known, as odd as it was. But he couldn’t put anything past the Covey or even the Plinth family either. “What’s in the box then?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know?” She teased, patting the spot next to her again as if he had forgotten just where he needed to be right next to him.
He chuckled, pressing a kiss to her temple before he settled next to her in the chair, nodding at the thought. “I would, it’s why I’m asking,” he teased, shifting to reach into the bucket for one of the rocks. There wasn’t anything special about them, other than the fact that they were a bit more rounded off and bigger than just the pebbles that lined the attempt at roads in the Seam. ”And why do we have so many rocks?” Before she could answer, he shook his head with a small laugh. “And not just traditions.”
Her eyes rolled fondly at the thought, reaching across for the box, tugging it closer over to him. “It’s for the tradition,” she reasoned with a small shrug, pulling the top of it off before nudging it in front of him.
His brow furrowed as he took in the sight inside, tilting his head to the side. Paint. As much paint as he was sure that Ma Plinth could get away with sending, from the looks of it. Red, yellow, blue, white, and black, far too much of it. They didn’t have many art supplies in the District, at least not any that the Covey could afford outside of what they saved for birthdays. So this seemed like more of a treat than anything in the world. And tucked next to the paint, wrapped far too many times and likely to keep extra safe, were what looked like little candies inside. “Why do we need this much paint?”
We. It left him more times than it should have. But it had always just felt right with how intertwined their lives felt these days. How there was nothing more he wanted in the world than to be with her to the point that they were two people that existed as one.
“Tradition,” she teased, leaning over to peck his cheek before she climbed out of her seat. She moved gracefully around the kitchen, barefoot and smaller than she ever let others see, pulling things out of cabinets. A few cups and some scraps of a box, along with what he assumed were paintbrushes from the looks of it. “An old holiday. Pre-Panem.”
Pre-Panem. There was little that felt like it was left from Pre-Panem, outside of books and buildings that had been turned into the world that they knew. But the Covey was like that, it seemed, immune to the passage of time and the world changing so much. “And what holiday is that?”
Her shoulders shrugged as she filled the cups with water, making her way back over to the table slowly with the supplies. “Don’t know the name,” she admitted softly. “Just that it was one. A big one too. But this is just part of it. And you didn’t do it with rocks. Eggs. But those are… hard to come by for anything outside of food, and we’re not gonna waste those. So we do rocks instead. And then keep ‘em in the garden.”
He’d noticed the rocks in the garden before, the way that they were all colored and adorned with scribbles and drawings. But he’d never thought more about it than a passing glance. It had always just made sense to be something that the Covey did. “What do you do with the rocks?”
She smiled as she nudged her chair over closer to him, leaving little room between them. She settled back into it, legs tucked underneath her, and reached for the box to start sorting things. “Well, we paint them. They used to do the same with eggs. And then we hide them, and the kids go looking for them. Then they get treats. It’s just… something for them.” Her shoulders shrugged at the idea. Something that allowed them to still act like kids. No matter how old they got, they would just get to be kids, if that was the last thing that Lucy Gray made happen.
“We have to paint all these?” He asked, reaching over to glance into the bucket. It’d be possible, entirely, it was more just a grumble that would leave him any time that he’d actually have to be creative. It’d never been his strong suit, not by a long shot.
Her head nodded, shifting to steal a small kiss as she leaned across him to grab something before she settled back. “Yep.” Short and simple, smiling as beautifully as she always did. “Don’t have to do anything fancy, just have to change the colors of them.”
“I can do that.” Far easier than some of the things that they had gotten up to before for these holidays, she seemed to have far too much idea of. Sometimes he wondered how many of these holidays and traditions truly had carried on from before. And how much of it had been Lucy Gray just trying to keep the kids as young as she could, to give them a chance at a childhood that she had been so violently yanked from.
She worked on getting paint squeezed out and sorted for them, working on mixing colors and making new ones. He felt he was watching some grand artist making their masterpiece, as if there were nowhere else he would rather be. And there wasn’t. Anywhere that Lucy Gray was was the exact place that he wanted to be. Somehow, he was still lucky enough for that to be the case. Somehow, the world had decided to be kind to them and not yank him away after everything they had gone through. “You can just paint one side of them, we’ll put them out in the Meadow for them to hunt. And it doesn’t have to be perfect. At all. Just colored.”
He smiled as she offered him a paintbrush, stealing another kiss before reaching into the bucket for one of the rocks. He was sure that his wouldn’t look like much next to hers, but at least he’d get some time alone with her. And some days, that was more important than anything else he could ask for. “You used to do this when you were little?”
Her head nodded as she turned her attention to the rock in front of her and whatever pattern she had on her mind to work on. “We tried,” she hummed. “If we were in most Districts during the time, no, because it would… disturb the way of life or some shit,” she answered, a light blue she’d mixed being added to the rock in front of her. “But if we were in between, or one of our home bases, we’d do everything we’d like.”
“Most Districts?” He questioned, reaching across to dip his paintbrush into the red before he started working on the rock he had picked out.
“Yeah,” she breathed, smiling as she glanced over at him. “Only ever saw one other district do it like us. Or close enough to us.”
“Two.”
“Two,” she agreed, shifting in her spot. “Figured Ma Plinth would be my best bet. We ran out of what we did have of paint last year. We were just gonna reuse the ones outside if she hadn’t been able to.” She would have made it work no matter what. That was just who Lucy Gray was. That was who they all were, it felt. “And she always has the best sweets. I’d love to learn to bake like her one of these days. And to thank her in person.”
He was sure the two of them would get right along. It was a reason he felt she and Sejanus got along as they had. They had simply never fit in in the place where they were stuck. There was nowhere that they truly belonged. But somehow, they had found something that made enough sense to work. “I’m sure she’d love that.”
Her head nodded, a little song starting to move through her. It was nothing more than a hum, from the sounds of it, something that seemed to be stuck in her head. He’d never be able to keep track of all of the songs that found their way through her. He could write them down and learn every single one, and it would still never be enough. He wanted them drilled into his head, made to never leave him again. If he could listen to her every day for the rest of his life, maybe, just maybe, he’d never have anything to ever complain about again.
And it was peaceful just like that, curled up with one another and painting. Never had he thought that he would feel relaxed while doing just that. Never once had it felt like something he would like to do. But everything felt far easier to do when he had Lucy Gray next to him. There were far too many stolen kisses, taken any time that their heads would even turn to glance at each other. Maybe it had been true that the two of them couldn’t keep their hands off each other. Not that he ever really wanted to. If he never knew where one of them began and the other would end, he’d be content.
He had no clue how many rocks he had gotten through, far simpler designs than what Lucy Gray had worked on. All he knew was that it had been peaceful. It had been the most relaxed he had felt in weeks. The days he’d gotten off had been fewer, something that he had to just deal with. The alternative had been to no longer even be in the District itself, so he entirely had to take what he could get. So any moment that he had, any moment he got to be with Lucy Gray without rushing back around a corner or hiding in the shadows was one that he would take every bit of.
Even if things could have likely moved faster in another District. Or if he had gone to Officer training properly. He’d already almost be done with the year. And maybe, just maybe, he’d have been able to get placed back in Twelve, if he’d played his cards just right.
But it was too many what-ifs that would always just linger. They’d always be in the back of his mind, that if Hoff hadn’t seemed to have found some reason or another to keep him around, he wouldn’t be there with her. That he would have lost out on his time with Lucy Gray, that he might never have been back here in the end. It would all be worth it in the end, he was sure of that.
That if someone had found the guns before he and Lucy Gray had made it back out to the cabin to get rid of them. If Mayor Lipp had just kept on her like he’d tried, over and over, to get Lucy Gray hanged. If the Peacekeepers hadn’t cared so much for his girl. What could have been if the guns hadn’t gone off that night.
The thought alone had sunk into his stomach, the idea that he couldn’t be doing something as trivial as painting rocks alongside. The little moments that he would never have thought about until he was lucky enough to get to them with her. The moments that he would fight tooth and nail for now, even if he had never for a moment thought a reason for them to be important.
He had turned, easily, eyes locking on that face he loved so much. Her tanned skin, those little beauty marks, her long lashes, the soft pout that her lips sat in as she focused. Even as tired as she seemed, she was as beautiful as ever. Everything that he could want and every dream of having. And he’d wait a lifetime for the chance if he had to.
His hand reached out to touch against her chin, a soft streak of yellow paint transferring between their skin as he caught her attention. That pretty pout crept into a smile, easily clearing the small space between them to attach their lips once more. It was much more than just a stolen kiss, one that was all too pouring out of his love for her. As if the number of times they had said it just wasn’t enough. As if all they needed, at least then, was to kiss to survive. Like they could only find their breath by stealing it from the other.
A small giggle left her as they pulled apart, stealing a few more pecks as she looked up at him. Those wide doe eyes that he could melt away into and die happily within, focused entirely on him. “What was that for?”
His shoulders shrugged, smiling as he leaned in for another peck. “Just ‘cause I love you.” It was as simple as that. And wanted to make sure that he always knew that.
A fake gagging sound from behind them pulled their attention away and out of the belief that they were the only two people left in the world. There was that look from Barb Azure, as if she’d never been so disgusted in all of her years, making her way into the kitchen. “Get a room.”
“This is a room,” he answered, earning a small nudge from Lucy Gray against his shoulder. “I’m just saying,” he laughed with a shake of his head. “I’m trying to make peace, I brought coffee.”
That alone seemed to get the eldest’s attention, her eyes still narrowed as she made her way over to look at the jar on the counter. She didn’t say a word as she reached into the cabinet to start grabbing what she would need to make it. It was as silent an approval as she would offer, and it was what he would take at that point.
Lucy Gray sent him a small look, her eyes falling back onto the rock in front of her. There was some attempt at what he was guessing meant to be like wood against the surface, all too focused on it like it had to be perfect. “We should be done in a bit. Should have plenty of time to go see your gal before it gets too late.”
“Good,” Barb Azure started, working on getting her water warmed up for her coffee. “Though, I don’t know. Don’t know if I can count on any of you to not be too distracted by each other to keep an eye on the birds.”
“We know how to behave.” The look that was sent over her shoulder toward Lucy Gray caused the younger to let out a giggle. A sound that he was sure he could melt away into and never want to escape. “We behave… enough. We’ve been responsible for them plenty. We can handle them for the night.”
Barb Azure nodded, adjusting a hand over her skirt as she moved around the kitchen. “I’m going to take them to deliver some milk across the Seam. Go run some of that energy out so they’re not getting paint all over their clothes trying to help you two. It took too long to get it out last time.” She always was so worried, it felt, trying everything she could to keep everything as in check as she could. She was much more about the structure, the order, trying to keep everything upright as she could. “That enough time?”
“Probably,” she answered. “We can hide them once you get back. Let the birds drive the Peacekeepers nuts while we work on it.” Not that he ever really had any trouble out of them, the times he had sat and waited for one of them to get back from something. More times than not, they just came and talked his ear off, as if they had unfiltered access once the older Covey was gone and could get away with asking whatever was on their mind.
The eldest moved to get her coffee fixed, moving quietly around the kitchen for just what she needed. There was always such a serious air around her and what she did, even in moments just like that. She paused just long enough to take a sip of the coffee, as if she were judging it to make sure that it was just right.
He felt like he was holding his breath as she turned completely to face them, back against the small counter that was there. There was the smallest nod of approval toward him, pulling away from the counter and starting past the table with the mug in her hand. “I guess it'll do, your guest can stay.”
Somehow, that phrase felt like some kind of victory to be had as she made her way past them and back to where he could hear the kids up and moving around. “That was good, right?”
“Good enough,” Lucy Gray chuckled, shaking her head as she finished up the rock she'd been working on and settled it to the side. “One of these days she's gonna ban you from the house and I'm not going to blame her.”
“It is technically a room,” he reasoned, shrugging his shoulders as his gaze fell back onto the rock in front of him. “One of these days, she'll smile at me.”
She glanced over to him, a soft smile at the thought as she patted his shoulder. “I hate to break it to you, Darlin’, but I don't see that happening anytime soon. Though I do love that you're trying so hard.”
He shifted to lean over and peck her lips. “It's a goal, at least. Big dream of mine.” It was ridiculous, he knew, and he pushed far more than he should have. But he was also just grateful she'd accepted him in her entirely Barb Azure way.
“Better find yourself a new dream then,” she teased, reaching into the bucket for another rock. “Sorry.” She offered a kiss to soothe any bit of burn that might have come with the teasing. Though he felt he could forgive her with just how adorable she was looking up at him.
He did his best to focus back on the last few rocks that were in the bucket and tried to give a few of the more basic rocks a little more attention. Even if it was nothing more than some dots or squiggles, it was something. The two of them were quiet, outside of small giggles with each stolen kiss. Easy. That's what it was.
It was easy to get lost in their time together. No matter how much of a mess he made, or how much he stained his hands, or how… far from creative he felt, he had no doubt in his mind that the kids would love it. And that was what had to matter in moments like that. It was as much for Lucy Gray as it was for them, something that made her feel like they could all feel a bit more at ease.
He loved that most about her. Though he was sure every second he thought about her, there was something that he loved more and more. But her heart, the way that she cared so much about the people that she loved, always felt like the best. She was so filled with love for others, even when people… even when he himself didn’t deserve it for a second.
She was a rare and radiant bird. One that no one would ever be able to recreate in a lab or even in the wild. There was something about her that was better than anything else in the world. She was easy to fall for, and even easier to want to do anything for. And all he wanted, truly, was to spend every second he had wasting his time away with her.
“We want to do this one day for all the kids in the Seam,” she started softly. And he shouldn’t even be surprised by such a thing. It was just who she was. Even if the number of kids far outnumbered the number of rocks they had. “All the kids in town, if they want. If their parents would let ‘em, the Merchants are all the biggest fans of us. Hell, we could do it during school, let ‘em find them during recess.” Something that would bring the District together.
It was something she seemed to love to do most. The Hob was the center point of where that happened. It didn’t matter who you were or where you lived. When you made your way into the Hob for a show and dinner, you were all one. That was all that mattered. Together. Community. Music. Something that was just Lucy Gray, every bit.
“Hoff even thought it might be a good idea, could put all you Peacekeepers to work for once.”
“Hoff?” He asked with a small laugh, shaking his head as he reached for the bucket. He glanced inside it, moving to pull out the last two rocks. He passed one over to her before settling his own in front of him. “I think you could suggest to burn down the Mayor’s Mansion and he’d say it’s a great idea, Lucy Gray, use my lighter.”
“Probably,” she agreed with a small snort at the idea. They were trouble, that’s all they had ever been labeled as. But for whatever reason, Commander Hoff had always had a softer side toward the Covey. Even if they’d get in trouble, at times, it was a much gentler slap on the wrist than what it could have been. “He was real sweet on a Covey girl when he was younger. So I’m sure he’d let us.”
The statement went right through him as he picked out the color for the next rock, shaking his head with a small laugh. “I think you should ask and see what he sa-” The words finally seemed to sink in, his brow furrowing as he twisted in his spot to look at her. “What did you just say?”
“He’d let us do it.”
“Before that.”
Her shoulders shrugged at the idea, shifting to settle the rock down into the growing pile of painted ones. “He was real sweet on a Covey girl when he was younger,” she repeated, as casually as she could manage to be about it. “I’ve never told you that? Swore I did.”
His head shook with a small laugh, looking her over. “I think I would remember that, Lucy Gray.” He would never forget that, either. Had that been part of it all? Surely he hadn’t been able to see right through it all.
“He’s a Capitol boy,” she started, moving to mix a few colors to get what she wanted just right. “Joined the Peacekeepers, like his Daddy and his Daddy’s Daddy. Got sent out to…” Her head tilted back, as if trying to piece the right timeline together to explain. “I think District 11 first. Met a gal, had a summer together before he got pulled for officer training, sent out to District 2. And there she was, a few months later.”
How she even knew, he had no clue. There was no telling just what all Lucy Gray knew about the world that none of them were aware of. But it was clear she’d known it well enough to know the details that she did.
“Tried everything he could to forget about her. But, well, you know us Covey girls.” He did. It was impossible to. And he only wanted to know every bit of her as he could. “He was supposed to get to stay in District 2. They were shaping him to be the new commander out there. Then a spot here came open, and they felt he was perfect for it. He came out here. And soon the Covey came this way for the Summer. It used to be a favorite spot, out past the lake, we’d set up camp there for months at a time.”
“She’s out here somewhere?” He asked, pulling a small face. That’d be something, wouldn’t it? Knowing that the man who seemed so put together, so devoted to the Capitol, had a wife the entire time.
“Out under that willow.” The hidden graveyard of the Covey, far from the reaches of anyone else. “She died before I was born. About… five years into his time here. A fever. My Mama talked about her before, she had a real pretty voice. Used to play at the Hob like we did.”
“Damn.”
Her head nodded in agreement. It was the sort of heartbreaking knowing what could have been. Of the fact that the man had seemed to have known, for a moment, what it was like to love a Covey girl. And even worse, he knew exactly what it was like to lose one.
She shifted to settle her paintbrush into the cup of water, settling the last rock into their pile. There was another gentle peck to his lips before she moved to stand, working on getting the paint cleaned up around the table. “He’s not stupid. He knows exactly where you two are sneaking out to.”
The way she was so calm about the fact was what had him more shaken about the fact than anything else. It wasn’t something that needed to be known. There had always been some promise that there would be no connection, no ties, only dedication to the cause and the Peacekeepers.
“But he also knows it's not just you two sneaking out to see your people. Most of the barracks have got some gal or guy out here. The Hob’s a real good matchmaking place.” Some had been better at hiding it than others, he felt. But surely it was just Commander Hoff who had noticed. And surely only because he’d done just the same. “Also told me that I’m welcome first time I saw him after you got your orders to stay. And I sure was thankful.”
“So it was you two in cahoots, huh?” He asked, settling his last rock down before he moved to stand, carrying over the cups to the sink. “Should’ve known it was because of you that I stayed.”
“I didn’t say a word,” she reasoned with a small snort at the idea, a contented sound leaving her as his arms wrapped around her, tucking in close against her. “But I’m not gonna complain for a second that you’re still here with me.”
He pressed a few kisses against her skin, nuzzling his nose against the curve of her neck and her shoulder. It was one of his favorite spots, the way that it caused her to burst into a mess of giggles from how it tickled. And as if on command, there the giggles fell, smiling like no other against her. “I’m not either.”
“Now,” she giggled, her head tilting back as if she could get him to let go anytime soon. Even though all it did was make him want to hold her that much closer against him. “You can’t go tattling on your poor Commander about it. You’re still completely clueless.”
“I can do clueless,” he assured. He dropped another few kisses over her skin, letting his fingers search along the fabric she was draped in. “The Covey is just that irresistible to Peacekeepers, huh?”
“Sure are. Dangerous too. Seems to get you boys all kinds of tangled up, risking it all for a few minutes more.” Her head tilted to look back at him, that all too mischievous look in her gaze. “Lucky for us.”
His eyes rolled fondly at her words, shaking his head as he leaned in close to kiss her once more. Just another reminder of how much he loved her, how much he wanted to make sure that she would remember that, no matter where it was that she went. And fuck, he loved her. He loved her more than anything else in the world.
“Gross.”
A soft groan left him as the familiar call of the word sounded in the doorway of the kitchen. Maude Ivory, her little nose snarled up in the exact way that Barb Azure could do, looked at them both. Even if the girl was much more of a champion of their love than the eldest seemed to be, it didn't seem to matter when it came to being forced to see them kissing.
“Hi, Maude Ivory,” he chuckled at the sight, pressing a kiss to her temple before he worked on untangling himself from around Lucy Gray. “What is it?”
“You're supposed to watch us.” He should have known that anytime running about outside would be over far quicker than he would hope for. “Barb Azure already went into the meadow.”
His head nodded, giving Lucy Gray’s hand one last squeeze before he moved to start loading the rocks into the bucket for her. “Is there a winner in this whole thing?”
“We get candy,” Maude Ivory answered, shrugging her shoulders. That was more than enough for them, he had no doubt. The two of them could eat through the treats from Ma in one sitting if they were allowed. “And braggin’ rights, if we get the most.”
“Which definitely doesn't get annoying,” Lucy Gray teased, moving to help get the last few rocks in, shifting to press a kiss to his cheek. “I did make an extra special one this year, though. Just for Coriolanus to try and find. He's never done this.”
“He is a Capitol critter,” Maude Ivory teased just the same. A name that Barb Azure always seemed to label him as if he didn't have a clue what any of it was. One that he figured was well deserved at that point. “What if I find it first?”
He watched his Songbird grin at the thought, shrugging her shoulders. “I guess he'd better get to bargainin’ then, if he wants it. And I think he'll want it. And he's got some real good treats to try and trade for.”
“Do I get a hint?” He asked, shifting to pick up the bucket and passing it over to Lucy Gray. “Or something?”
“Nope.” Of course. “You'll know what it is, though, when you see it. Very special pebble.”
It far from helped, but before he could even question it, the backdoor had opened. In came Sejanus with CC right behind him, and just as quickly, Lucy Gray had disappeared from his touch with a small peck to his cheek.
“You did this shit when you were younger?” He asked, watching Sejanus as he settled at the table.
“Yeah.” It seemed right up their alley. Colorful. Messy. Beyond something he could completely understand. A tradition. “Ma used to put it on for some of the kids out there. Haven't really done it since I moved.”
“That's a shame,” CC commented from where he'd settled himself, his fingers picking at the bib on his overalls. “The Capitol sounds real boring. Nothing fun ever happens there, does it?”
“Is collecting rocks that much fun?” He asked, looking between the three of them. The look that was sent his way seemed answer enough, as if he'd just kicked them all in the gut for suggesting such a thing.
Maude Ivory shrugged her shoulders, looking him over as if she were nearly disgusted at him. “Penguins think it is. They think it's real romantic, too.”
His brow furrowed as he moved to settle back in his seat. “Penguins?” He repeated, looking at the other two as if they'd have any sort of answer.
“Yeah, they're birds.” Her and the birds. The entire Covey and birds, it felt. “Used to be around a long time ago, might still be, but somewhere it's always cold. Don't fly, but they picked up pretty rocks for the penguin they liked.”
Sejanus chuckled at the thought, nodding his head as if he knew exactly what it was he was talking about. “Tam Amber told her that if she shows she can learn about an animal that she wants, she might be able to get one. She’s set on geese. She’s been reading his books about birds, so." He gestured a bit, as if it explained every bit about the girl. “She might have found the section on penguins.”
“Not that she’s gonna get geese. She ain’t real responsible,” CC added, sticking his tongue out at Maude Ivory. Even if he was a bit older than her, the two of them butted heads as if they were born the same exact day.
“Shut it,” she snipped back at him, leaning forward where she was sitting beside Coriolanus. “I’m just mentionin’ the penguins because Lucy Gray made him a special rock. He’s supposed to bring it back to her, like the penguins.” She only got sassier the older she got, sure, before long, she’d be able to mouth off any of them without a fear in the world. “Maybe you’d think it was romantic too if that boy you’re always followin’ around would give you a rock.”
“You shut it.”
“No, you shut it.”
Coriolanus lifted his gaze to land on Sejanus, who just shook his head at the sight. They’d tear each other apart one of these days, always fighting like cats and dogs. Though it was all too clear just how much the two of them cared about each other. Not that they would ever let the other know, just that anytime soon.
“Nobody’s shutting anything,” Sejanus answered, shaking his head as he reached over for the box that Lucy Gray had left behind. He reached inside, digging through the wrapped sweets before he shifted them in his hold. “You don’t say a word, you get this now. If you behave.”
The two youngest gave each other a look, narrowed eyes and all, as if the other would be the first one to cross that line. There was some silent conversation shared between them before they both nodded in agreement. And just as easily, small fists reached out for the sweets from Sejanus with an expectant look.
“I think that’s called bribing,” Coriolanus commented, though he reached across for a sweet just the same. At that point, whatever would bring the smallest bit of peace before they tried to pummel each other would be for the best.
“Don’t think of it as bribing, think of it as… buying some peace?” Sejanus offered, chuckling as he unwrapped one of the pieces of candy himself. “It’s bribing.”
“I like it,” Maude Ivory spoke through a mouthful of chocolate, giggling a bit at the sound that left her. “Should do it more.”
CC nodded in agreement, seeming just as content with the sweet as the others had.
“There’s more where that came from. If you help me find that rock Lucy Gray’s talking about,” Coriolanus offered. He didn’t have much. But he did have some of the sweets that Ma had sent, and he was sure that he could trade for something from the Sweet shop in town if needed.
“What’s it look like?” CC asked, playing with the wrapper in his fingers.
“No clue.”
Sejanus took a few moments as he chewed on his piece, seeming to be thinking about it all too seriously. “Used to be a golden egg was really important. Any gold?”
Coriolanus shrugged at the thought as he tried to remember any of the rocks he had seen. “I couldn’t even tell you half of what I painted,” he admitted. “She said I’d know.” Which could mean just about anything from the sounds of it. With Lucy Gray, she loved most anything. What would make sense to be something special enough that if she were a penguin, she would love it?
The sound of the back door opening caught all of their attention as they tried to stuff down the remains of the sweets they had snagged. There was Tam Amber, giving a small nod behind him. “Should be ready. Get your baskets, birds.” That was all that he needed to say before the kids were on their feet, rushing back toward their room. He’d always been a man of few words, one who always seemed to know just when to let those words slip. Though he would always find him and Sejanus whispering to one another in their little world that none of them were able to take part in.
Coriolanus waited for the kids while Tam Amber and Sejanus made their way out. A chuckle left him as he followed after the heads of blonde as they nearly trampled past him. They’d rip the other apart while looking for these silly little rocks that they all seemed far too excited about. “Don’t forget. Whatever sweet you want if you help me.”
He followed them out through the back gate and toward the meadow that they were all too easy to slip into. They would be far from disturbed these days, as long as the Covey was on their best behavior, they were normally left alone. And as far as he knew, at least, there’d been no issues.
“Not yet!” Barb Azure’s voice sounded as they rounded the top of the slope, enough to cause the three blondes to pause in their movements. It was as if they all forgot how to breathe just the same at her call, waiting for any sign to make a move.
His eyes followed after Lucy Gray as she made her way up next to the eldest girl, the empty bucket in her hands. The sleep had disappeared from her gaze, and her pretty face, instead, met with that love that seemed to always glow from her. How lucky was he that he got to see her like this?
“Get to it!” Barb Azure called, which set the two youngest of the Covey to nearly barrel down the hill toward her.
From his spot, as he tried to make his way down a bit more carefully, his eyes could just make out the splashes of color that were peeking out from the green of the grass. And just as quickly as he seemed to focus on one, the kids were swooping up ot pick them up. But the air wasn’t filled with griping or arguing with one another. Instead, it was filled with giggles, a sound that honestly he would never be able being lucky enough to hear out here.
He made his way down to Lucy Gray, easily tucking in close against her while he watched them running around. He could get used to the sight, sure as ridiculous as the tradition was, he could see their own running around just the same one of those days. They were always fleeting moments, ones that he questioned if he was in his right mind for even having. But then, in those moments just the same, a single glance at Lucy Gray would remind him just how right it seemed.
“It used to take them an hour or two to find them all,” she commented, easily tucking in against him as he wrapped around her. A small sigh left her, one that sounded like she was already missing the moment as it was happening. It was something she would sit and complain about at times, how much she missed a moment before it even passed. He’d never truly understood just what she could mean, though at times, he felt like maybe he did.
There were moments, tucked away with her, that there was the bittersweetness of knowing that sooner than later, it would be gone. Sooner than later, he’d have to grab his bag and make his way back to base. Sooner than later, he’d have to slip out of the backroom at the Hob and disappear back into the crowd before someone noticed she was missing for too long. Sooner than later, he would have to accept the fact that he wouldn’t get to spend every moment with her.
And sometimes, sometimes, that tainted the entire moment. It made him bitter that he would never fully get a chance to wake up beside her and exist for a few hours. That he wouldn't be able to spend days on end with her without getting in trouble. That he would never get to show off that she was his, just as much as he was hers. Not here at least. Maybe it could be different somewhere else. Maybe if they’d been able to stay out in the Capitol, they would have had their chance to do just that.
But the Capitol wouldn’t be the same. He wouldn’t get to enjoy a moment like that, curled around the Songbird that he loved, the way that she was filled with giggles as she watched her Covey running around. They wouldn’t be able to spend hours soaking in the sun or hidden away from the eyes of the world. They wouldn’t have the privacy that, despite how it could feel at times, they had here anywhere outside of here.
And maybe that was okay. Maybe the time they did have, the moments they did have, would just have to be enough. At the end of it all, no matter what, he was still lucky enough to know just what he could lose. And he could only hope that he would never have to know.
“Coriolanus!” Maude Ivory’s voice pulled his attention away. The sight alone caused a laugh to leave him as he turned a bit in his spot, wrapped around Lucy Gray. There was Maude Ivory, settled right on CC’s shoulders as if the two of them hadn’t been ready to claw each other’s throats out. She was reaching just past her head toward a branch for what he could only assume was the rock that he should have been looking for.
Coriolanus shook his head, dropping a kiss to her neck before he completely unwrapped himself from her. “Now, I don’t know how you got this up here,” he started, making his way over to the kids. “Last I checked, not a single one of you than Sejanus can reach this on your own.”
“We got creative,” Barb Azure answered from her spot on the rock, tilting her head back to look at just where the rock had been crammed in the branch. “Figured you would too, Capitol critter.”
He already had a feeling he would feel it entirely in the morning and come to regret it as he shifted in his spot. It was a gentle movement, working to get help Maude Ivory climb from her spot on CC’s shoulders and onto his. He offered his hand out, gentle and steady as he could be, to help her to stand as tall as she could. One hand steadied in hers, the other wrapped around her legs to try and keep her in place. There was a small enough glance back to make sure CC was behind him before he took a step toward the branch itself.
“You better not drop me,” Maude Ivory grumbled as she twisted on her tiptoes to reach just high enough, grabbing for the rock.
“You better hurry then,” he groaned, watching her as she finally wrapped her fingers around the painted rock. The twist in her fingers was enough to catch his attention, having noticed Lucy Gray trying to work on the details of it. Wood. Or the closest to wood, likely meant to go in that exact spot to last far longer than anything. “There we go.”
His grip shifted as he did his best to tuck down, letting CC move in closer to try and help her down as best as he could. If ever there were a time to feel like he couldn’t breathe too hard, it was right then. There was a soft thud, more thankful than ever that it had been her feet landing in the dirt than he ever had before.
“Think this is yours,” Maude Ivory offered, holding her hand out to him with the rock pressed against her palm. “You gotta waddle. That’s how the penguins do it.”
A laugh left him in response, reaching to take the rock into his hand. “Thank you. Both of you.”
“We both get the sweets?” CC asked from his spot beside her, looking up to him expectantly.
His head nodded in agreement with a small snort, smiling at them. “Both. You can tell me what you like later,” he whispered, as if it were the biggest secret that they could ever have. “That all of them?” He asked, looking over to the baskets. They were filled, more than he had expected. “I think I see some down that way.”
That alone was enough for one small glance between the two of them before they took off further down the hill. They were far from gentle with one another, nudging and shoving at the other to try and get to them first. But there was laughter just the same, tumbling away after one another.
His gaze fell onto the rock in his palm, twisting it over as he made his way back over to Lucy Gray. It was a light brown, speckled with little marks that he was sure were meant to mimic the tree bark. And directly in the middle of it, in the same dark brown, was a heart, as if carved away into it a tree. In small lettering that he could just make out were a handful of letters.
CS + LGB.
It’d been handmade, just by Lucy Gray, something that could be kept in sight rather than wandering through the woods to try and find. It wasn’t something that he could keep out in the open, not in the barracks, but he knew just the perfect spot for it to sit in Lucy Gray’s space. Something that she could look at and always be reminded of just how much he loved her, even if he didn’t get to be there every single moment that he wanted to.
He easily wrapped himself around her, one arm around her waist, as he offered the other hand out to her. “I believe this is for you.” He dropped another kiss against her skin, wanting nothing more than to tuck away into her and exist there for as long as he possibly could.
A contented sigh moved through her, one that helped relax his shoulders. She was at ease. She was at peace. And that was all that he could ask for in moments like that. “I believe you were supposed to waddle to me, Darlin’.”