Reaper Ash who apologised to each tribute personally for having to kill them; armed with a pitchfork and long knife, ready to engage- but in the end, never did.
Reaper Ash who was unable to make sense of the scene before him, the stabbed bodies of Tanner and particularly Lamina; who lifted Lamina up, carried her over to where Bobbin and Marcus lay, and arranged the three in a row on the ground. Reaper Ash who dragged Tanner beside Lamina; who spent the next hour collecting Dill and then Sol; who likely dragged Jessup's body over and lifted Wovey into his arms and laid them with the other tributes; who although gaunt and unsteady, teetered over to Teslee and Mizzen and did the same. Reaper Ash who only took notice of Lucy Gray when she dared to touch Treech's body then assumed the job of transporting Treech, placing him neatly with the rest.
Reaper Ash who lay Dill in the sun in her final moments; who watched Lucy Gray fill her pockets and let her go; who traded protection from the sun to Lamina for some bread and cheese; who when Lamina pointed out the pack, chose not to engage but, withdrew behind the barricades; who made no move to kill Lucy Gray when it came down to him and her as the final two tributes.
Reaper Ash who the only times we know of him hurting people were when he killed a peacekeeper and strangled Coriolanus Snow.
Reaper Ash who tied the piece of the flag he cut for Lamina around himself like a cape, spinning slowly, looking back over his shoulder to watch it fly out behind him; who ran, spreading his arms out as the flag streamed in the sunlight.
Reaper Ash who cut away swath after swath of the Panem flag to preserve what little dignity remained of him and his fallen, fellow tributes; who swatted away the flies then shielded their bodies and his.
Reaper Ash who said he'd make it up to the other tributes when he wins by taking revenge on the Capitol- but he didn't need to win to take revenge on the Capitol to make it up to them. Reaper did that by not participating; by giving his fellow tributes what respect that he could in their deaths- an act of rebellion against the Capitol and the games in itself and probably the reason why they began removing the bodies of the dead.
Reaper Ash who didn't let the games change him; who didn't let the games turn him into some kind of monster that he was not.
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One of a kind
Summary: You are a rich Capitol-born, he is a boy from the districts that was forced into a fortuen. Two different world seem to colide and find solice in one another. A unique bond is formed, a breath of fresh air for both, changing your worlds. You enjoy the brightness he shines on your life.
Warnings: None (he has gone through enough), mentions of past mistreatment (nothing graphic to be fair), overdose of longing and yearning from both parties.
AN: This was so much fun to write and i will be writting more for him, he is my pookie wookie. Love him and hope this reaches all the Sejanus stans, he deserved so much more love, i just wann smooch him and keep him in my pocket.
Word count: 2.3k
Sejanus Plinth who even after all these years of being forced to endure the company of rich snobby students and their even more classist and stuck-up parents, still hasn’t been able to or even remotely wished to befriend or in any way connect with any of these heartless animals.
Capitol!reader who is among said rich old money children. Despite everything you have grown to be kind thing, considerate and sheltered from the world’s worst issues by your parents. Ever since Sejanus got transferred to the Academy you have wanted to talk with him. The rich clique you went out with (mostly your parents ties or leeches looking for connections) discouraged any sort of show of empathy for the district boy, saying that breathing the same air as him was below any self-respecting Capitol citizen.
Capitol!reader who is not as stupid as other people make her out to be, with a surprisingly deep rooted morals, born from nurturing of empathy shown from the avoxes taking care of the penthouse you grew up in. As any other child of busy businessman, you had been handed off to the nearest nanny or avox to handle as your parents carried on with their financial legacy. The avoxes couldn’t speak but they could write and after you had managed to learn to write from a very young age, you gave been communicating with them. Your parents would have been worried to find out all the time spent playing or writing to the supposed capitol traitors if they had noticed sooner, alas they remembered they had a child when it was time for you to join the Academy and ever since then you have been forced into a social group of spoiled delinquents. You often missed the quiet and peace you had before.
Capitol!reader who manages to escape from the hold of said clique for the lunch break and finally after almost 4 months goes and sits by Sejanus.
Sejanus Plinth who gets jump scared as he sees one of the riches students in the Academy saunter over with a small smile to sit on the seat opposite of him. He had been too focused in his own head, mulling over how all the people surrounding him get the best food there is and even throw away a big chunk of it while people in the districts were dying of hunger, but the light click-clacking of heels on the marble floor snaps him out of his trance.
Sejanus Plinth who is ready to take whatever insult you decide to throw at him. It wasn’t uncommon for other students to go from passive aggressive remarks to verbal pushing and shoving, he never reacted to it. Your small smile and clam friendly eyes, the effortless way you moved with grace and no fake bravado threw him off a little. He was aware that good or semi-sensible existed in the Capitol, they usually just didn’t go near him, scared to taint their reputation. But here you were sitting with your legs crossed and with a warm smile, asking how he found the Capitol.
No demeaning tone or hidden message, no games or mockery, no looking down or judgement.
Just a simple polite question, he hadn’t had the privilege to hear that in a long while.
Sejanus Plinth who finds himself drawn to you ever since that encounter. You had stayed with him and listened as he went on and told you about all his observations on the Capitol, perhaps not all, just the ones he knew were appropriate to say to someone he barely knew. Despite that he found his voice grow louder and surer, his statements held more meaning and more personal influence.
Capitol!reader who listens completely enthralled in whatever he is speaking. No one had shared an honest opinion on the Capitol with her, all her family, friends and overall surrounding circle were too busy sucking up to the injustice that brought them more money. The closest is some fleeting notes from some avoxes as she had grown more of age, but they couldn’t share too much, they were on a thin line as it is. And here was Sejanus speaking truths she had only pondered in her head when alone.
It felt refreshing, no bravado or overcomplicated explanation, no bending of morality to further make his life better. He felt like what she had been looking for, the fresh air she hadn’t been allowed to have.
And in this moment, it seemed that they had both found what they need. A calm and sincere connection based on truths and freedom, shared ideals. Something calm and grounded, far from the tacky taste of the Capitol.
Capitol!reader who starts to feel a tingly feel anytime she sees Sejanus, its not love, she thinks, she wasn’t particularly sure, but she was so happy to talk with someone who saw her for her and not her parents bank accounts. With every week she managed to find newer and newer excusses to leave her friend group, not even caring if they believed her. She would spring the random excuse and almost dash to go find Sejanus who somehow was always near. Shed feel her smile grow and with time he returned it.
Sejanus Plinth who couldn’t believe that someone from the Capitol would spend willingly time with him, and even go as far as to ditch her friends for him. You cleared up for him how things worked in your controlled life and how most things weren’t really your choice.
The bell of the Academy rings and all students start packing their belongings, ready to put the end to another tiring day. The mass of red uniforms moves and parts like a thunderous sea and yet amidst the chaos he spots you almost immediately. Maybe it’s the serene calmness and comfort your presence brins along as you walk with a bag swung over your shoulder and uniform just barely out of place. Or that’s jus the effect you have on him.
You seem to also spot him from your position between your circle, your face immediately shifts from expressionless and deep in thought to happy despite the obvious tiredness. You slow your walking and your friends don’t notice as they continue to walk until they eventually exit and are gone from your sight. You and Sejanus meet in the middle, both walking over hastily to the other. There is little room between you, your shoulders almost press ad you head in a slow step for the exit. Sejanus fixes your collar as you walk, putting the material back to its place, never daring to look up in fear of making things too obvious.
“How was your day? Did your history test go well? You were so worried about it.” – he asks calmly with a quiet voice as he returns to his upright position still not looking at you, despite how sweaty his hands had become from the nerves.
You feel the heat radiating off of him as you walk, as his fingers linger jus ta second too long as he touched up your uniform, but don’t say anything. You simply wanted to bask in the warm feeling it brough to you. There weren’t any butterflies or nerves jittering in your stomach, but it seemed that flowers had taken root and were blooming inside your chest, making your body feel warm and at peace, excited to be near him.
“As well as it gets with professor Plextor, I swear the man truly wants to fail us. He hates children, not sure how he got the job or why.” – you reply and rub your tired eyes, feeling the hours of stressing and studying over the week catch up with you.
Sejanus notices, he notices everything about you. He lets out a small hum, an amused breath through his nose that made it crinkle up a bit. He was so pretty.
“I always knew you had it in you.”
You continue to walk in comfortable silence, soaking up the shared feeling of content that seemed to follow your pair. Sadly, everything is measured and the entrance is reached. It had started raining on top of everything and you didn’t have and umbrella, God knows it wouldn’t fit in your overpacked bag.
You both come to a halt trying to figure out what to do. You can spot the outline of the private car that drives and picks you up from school, sitting in the parking of the school amongst other expensive vehicles. Sure, with the downpour you will get soaked even from the brief ten to fifteen minutes it will take you to reach it, but you will go home and shower before you manage to get sick.
A rustling of clothes snaps your attention back to Sejanus. His academy jacket was off leaving him in the white shirt branded with the Academy initials, it hugged his broad torso and shoulder well and tempted you to feel the soft skin and muscle under.
“What are you doing?”
“Keeping us as dry as I can manage. Come closer.” – Sejanus whispers and uses the jacket as a makeshift umbrella over the both of you. With his arms raised you can clearly see how the shirt was straining with his ribcage and shoulders, smell the expensive cologne he had sported that day, something smokey and foresty, it fit him well and made your head spin just a bit.
“You are ridiculous”
You say with a smile, voice barely above a whisper, too scared to break the bubble of your own little world. Sejanus throws you a smile with that boyish charm he often doesn’t show and you both take off. Shoes splash and splat against the wet stairs and later pavement. You’ve never ran through the rain, often just waiting for an avox to come and escort you with an umbrella.
Now you were laughing like an idiot alongside Sejanus, feeling light on your feat and at peace with the world. You had never heard him laugh, not like this. With full voice and honest happiness, nothing compared to the stifled huffs of laughter you had grown to long to hear. This was your new favorite thing.
Eventually you do reach the car and both of you come to halt Infront of it, breathless from laughing and breathing in the cold air as you ran here. You are just looking at each other, grinning like idiots. His curls were stuck to his fore head, damp but not wet, his cheeks were stretched by a big smile and his eyes shone so sincerely you would believe they were jewels.
A honk from the car and the opening of the passenger side for you startles you both. You whip around to look at the avox in the front seat who was urging you on to hop in so you wouldn’t be late for the annual family gathering. As you turn back you almost hit your head on his shoulder and you almost wish you had.
He is still standing with his arms raised protecting you from the rain and you smile. You place your hand on his shoulder and lower it down to his collarbone, feeling the slight stiffness that follows in its wake. The warmth emitting from him almost makes you dip your hand under the crevice of his shirt and feel the soft skin underneath, almost. Instead, you opt to look at him and the wat his gaze his fixated on you like you are the center of his universe, like the stars and the planets go round for you.
“Thank you, Sejanus, thank you for keeping me from the rain. Take acre and don’t get sick, would be hell to go here without you.”
You reluctantly take your hand off of him, already missing how nicely it fit against him and hop into the back seat of the car. His eyes follow you and his face has become unreadable and deep in thought as you had seen many times. You wonder if you have over stepped a line, maybe your own delusions had seeped too far in reality this time. His arms drop once you are sitting inside, both waiting for the automatic door to close. The rain falls on him in all its might and gets him soaking. His hair is stuck to his face and the shirt seems to uncomfortably cling to his frame, even if it gives you a better view of his torso you are busy worrying for his health.
He never lets his gaze drop now and simply extends his hand out for you. You look at the the broad palm and long fingers for a moment before you wrap your own around it giving it a squeeze.
“Anything for you.”
He squeezes your hand and barely visible warmth creep on his face, but you blame it on the cold. He lets go of you as the door finally kicks back into action and closes. Behind the tinted window you see him and smile, waving even if your appearance is obscured. You see him wave at you even as the car goes by him and heads for your house. You sit back down on the seat normally after you are done trying to spot him from the back window.
Your hand feels warm, the ghost of his touch still living on even after the moment, forever branded in your mind. A huge grin is plastered on your face and your cheeks have grown warm and red. Your heart is beating fast and you feel like you are glowing.
This was what love feels like.
(Being friends with the avoxes pays off, they are great wingmen. You try to avoid the smile and funny looks the driver sends you.)
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