can you please do a one shot where president!coriolanus cancels the games for his wife bc they make her stressed😭😭
"anything to protect you"
a/n: i love this idea. him being so in love with her he would literally do anything is my fav hc
summary: coriolanus snow had always thought that the hunger games were necessary, keeping them as a key part of his presidency. that is until he realizes just how distressing the games are for his wife.
warnings: minor violence, snow might be a little ooc but its ok because i love him as a softie.
It was a warm summer day in the Capitol. Usually, you would have enjoyed these days, the sun shining down automatically brightening your day. But, there was one thing that was weighing down your mind today. The Reaping ceremony.
You had grown up in the Capitol but had never understood the games. When you were in school you had a friend, Sejanus Plinth, who shared the same views as you but those views eventually got him killed. His fate served as a reminder to you, a reminder that you could never vocalize your dislike of the games.
You had married Coriolanus Snow not long after he returned from peacekeeper training. The two of you had been dating in secondary school but he ultimately broke up with you before he went away to the districts, not wanting you to spend your life waiting for him. It broke your heart to imagine being with anyone else, so you waited for Coriolanus.
Lucky for you, he was back after a couple weeks. The two of you picked up where you had left off. Coriolanus had proposed not long after he graduated. That eventually led to the position you hold now, the First Lady of Panem. Coriolanus loved that you were his first lady. You were perfect in his eyes, you'd only ever been there to support him, in both times of good and bad.
You had thought about voicing your concerns about the games to Coriolanus but no matter how much you loved and trusted him, you couldn't risk his reaction if you told him how you really felt about the games.
So, you attended the Reaping Ceremony viewing that they held in the Capitol, one of Coriolanus' ideas, something that just reinforced how he felt about the games in your mind. You and Coriolanus took your seats in the box elevated higher than the crowd, allowing for a perfect view of the screens.
You and Coriolanus had walked hand-in-hand but you shrugged yours away as you sat down, thinking that your sweaty hands would betray that something was wrong with Coriolanus. Coriolanus immediately noticed that something was troubling you. In all of the years you and Coriolanus had been together he had picked up on all of your queues, there was little you could do to hide your emotions from him now.
Coriolanus leaned over in his seat, about to voice his concern, but the trumpets sounding across the area announced that the ceremony was starting. You watched with your jaw clenched as you stared into the screen, pieces of your heart breaking off with each child's name that was called.
Your breaking point came when they called the female tribute from District 11. They called her name, your heart shattering as you saw a girl who was no older than 12 stepping out of the crowd. Tears swell your eyes and you her the girl's sobs. Even the announcer, who usually remained uninterested, seemed to be uncomfortable. You couldn't take it anymore, standing up to leave. Coriolanus watched as you left, jumping up to follow you.
"My love, wait!" Coriolanus called after his wife's retreating figure but you continued walking. It was only when he caught up to you to grab hold of your wrist that you stopped walking. Concern flooded his face as he realized you were crying, holding your face in his hands. "Y/n, darling, what's wrong?" He questioned, brushing away the tears with his thumb.
"I can't do it anymore, Coriolanus." He tensed at the use of his full name. You hadn't called him Coriolanus when it was just the two of you since the two of you were children. You shook your head as you took Coriolanus' hands off your face. You took a step back from Coriolanus, ready to leave again when he spoke.
"Can't do what, my love? What is bothering you?" Coriolanus pleaded with you, but you just shook your head.
"I can't say, I'm sorry." You spoke, turning to leave as more tears poured out of your eyes.
Coriolanus refused to return to the ceremony without you. He couldn't fathom going back in the eye of the public without you by his side. He arrived home a couple of minutes after you, seeing you hanging up your coat when he walked in.
"Please talk to me, y/n." He spoke, a defeated tone. He wanted nothing more than to take you into his arms while you confided in him, like normal. But, he could tell something was different this time. "Why can't you tell me? Do you not trust me?" Coriolanus spoke again his voice soft as you could hear it breaking.
"It's not about trust, Corio. I'm scared." You confessed. Coriolanus, his usual composure shattered, felt a lump forming in his throat. The weight of his wife's fear bore down on him. Coriolanus had never realized that his wife harbored such deep-seated anxieties.
"Scared? Scared of what?" Coriolanus questioned, taking a couple steps towards where you stood in the entryway. It was when he got closer to you that he realized you were trembling. You took a deep breath, preparing yourself to share your burdens with Coriolanus.
"Do you remember Sejanus?" You questioned, your voice fragile.
Coriolanus nodded memories of the boy they grew up with flashing in his mind. "Of course I do, what about him?"
"He rebelled against the games, against the system. That's what killed him." You began, your voice shaking as you explained. Understanding dawned on Coriolanus, causing his heart to sink.
"It's that what's been haunting you? You disapprove of the games?" Coriolanus questioned, getting close enough to you to wrap his arms around your waist. You allowed him to, missing the gentle touch of your husband.
"Yes, I do. But I was scared, that if I said something I would end up like Sejanus. Scared that I would be killed." You spoke, breaking down into sobs once more, resting your head on Coriolanus' chest.
Coriolanus felt guilty for not realizing what was going on sooner. You had always been so supportive in his times of need but the time you needed him he failed to realize. Coriolanus brought a hand to rest on your back as he drew small circles, hoping to soothe you. Coriolanus had another horrifying realization as he attempted to soothe you, you feared for your life under his rule. Coriolanus hooked his fingers underneath your chin, bringing your eyes to meet his.
"My love, I swear to, I would never let any harm come to you. No one will ever hurt you so long as I am in power. I cannot bear the thought of you living in fear." Coriolanus spoke, his own voice choked with emotion. He wished he could erase the fear that you'd felt.
"But, Sejanus was our friend, his dad was wealthy, and he was still killed. What if something-" You started to speak again but Coriolanus cut you off.
"I cannot change what happened in the past, but I can change what will happen in the future. I'm going to find a way to change things, to put an end to this. I will end the games, they've caused too much pain. I won't lose you over the games. No harm will come to you, I swear it." Coriolanus finished, you felt comforted by his vows, and you knew he would follow through.
Coriolanus pulled you back into his embrace, allowing your tears to stain his shirt. His own tears fell silently, a mixture of sorrow for Sejanus, guilt for his role in the games, and the deep love that he held for you. At that moment he realized the games had not only taken a toll on the Districts but on himself.
As Coriolanus held you he vowed to himself that he would do whatever it took to ensure a safer Panem for you. The games had taken so much from him and he was determined to salvage what remained.
