#melo bees

The fire crackled in the background of your quaint living room, it provided warmth for the rest of the small ranch house you and Billy had purchased last year. It had taken some time to convince the former outlaw to finally settle down, but you were both happy that he did. Now you had a safe environment away from the danger of guns and gunpowder that you could begin a family in. When you bought the house you had also bought several acres of land and a few animals to take care of from chickens to cows to horses that provided a steady income for the both of you. Gaining money had been a bit tough during the first few months but you were slowly gaining a bit of income now.

You were sitting down on the couch right beside the fireplace, knitting a new sweater for Billy because his old own had caught on a bit of chicken wire and torn. Billy had gone to town for the day to grab a list of supplies for the farm and some groceries for the both of you. He had left in the early morning but he hadn’t returned yet. A bit of worry plagued your mind as you sat on the couch knitting. Worrying was an old habit of yours that had developed curbing Billy’s outlaw days. You couldn’t help but think about the numerous possibilities of trouble that your husband could’ve run into.

However, just has you had began spiraling there was a creak from the front door opening. You sat up quietly and glanced back as Billy walked through the door carrying a few burlap sacks with groceries inside. He let out a small sigh as he set them down on the ground and hung his floppy hat on a nearby hook. Billy ran a hand over his scruffy face as he glanced around the living room, spotting you. A light smile spread across his face when his azure eyes met yours.

“Hi angel.” Billy murmured quietly as he walked over to the couch where you were still seated. He stood behind the back of the couch and leaned down to press a light kiss to your forehead.

“Hi Billy.” You replied while closing your eyes for just a moment. You were relieved to find him safe and sound. Billy smiled down at you and then glanced towards the yarn that was strewn across your lap.

“Whatcha’ makin’ baby?” Billy asked curiously. His hand went from his sides to your shoulders, massaging softly.

“Makin’ you a new sweater, Billy. Since you tore your last one.” You replied sweetly. Billy grinned and shook his head with a fond look on his face. He leaned down so that he was close to your ear, tucking your hair behind it at the same time.

“You’re too sweet f’me y’know that?” Billy whispered to you with a grin. You shook your head as you turned your head to face him, letting your chin rest on the back of the couch.

“It’s nothin’ really. I’m just makin’ one to keep me busy.” You shrugged with a soft smile that matched his. You tilted your head to the side and glanced at the burlap sacks on the floor. “I sure hope those aren’t stayin’ there.” You raised your eyebrows expectantly. Billy just chuckled and shook his head.

“They ain’t darlin’ jus’ wanted to talk to you before I put ‘em away.” Billy explained. Then his eyes lit up and he planted a kiss on your cheek. He stood up and crossed the floor to the sacks and rifled through one. Billy grabbed something from inside the burlap bag and held it behind his back which earned a raised eyebrows from you.

“Billy what’re you hidin’?” You asked and narrowed your eyes a little even if there was a small smile spread across your face. Billy just shook his head with a rare wide grin.

“Nothin’ doll. Jus’ close your eyes f’me yeah?” Billy asked as he approached you, the item was still hidden behind his back. You gave him a skeptical look and closed your eyes as he crossed the living room again and sat down on the couch beside you. Billy’s calloused hand reached for your smaller ones and placed a long box in it. You grasped it curiously and opened your eyes to look down at it. You raised an eyebrow.

“What’s this Billy?” You asked and turned the box over in your hand softly. Billy grabbed your hand steadily and turned the box to be face up again. He smiled a bit and spoke in a gentle tone.

“You gotta open it, baby.”

You did as instructed and gently lifted the lid from the small skinny box in your hands. You gasped when you saw a silver chain with a small ruby pendant attached to it.

“William H. Bonney! We’re supposed to be savin’ money not spendin’ it on stuff like this!” You scolded him a little but your eyes lit up as you examined the object. It was a fine piece of jewelry that must’ve cost quite a bit. Billy just smile sheepishly.

“I know darlin’ but I couldn’t help myself. I just saw it in a shop and knew it would look awfully pretty on you. ‘Sides I just want to spoil my girl. Is that too much to ask?” Billy said shyly. He gently lifted the necklace out of the box. “Can you turn ‘round for me, pretty? I wanna see it on you.” You did as asked and turned so your back was facing him on the couch. You felt his warm hands brush your hair out of the way as Billy gently hung the necklace around your neck and clasped it in the back. He pressed a kiss on your neck afterwards. “Turn ‘round f’me I wanna see what you look like.”

You turned again to face him and looked down at the necklace as Billy’s eyes softened. You gently reached up to touch the pendant hanging down. “It is awfully pretty.” You mumbled partially to yourself. Billy just smiled softly, his dark curls fell around his forehead as he leaned in close to you.

“So do you like it?” Billy asked quietly. You nodded with a small smile.

“Yeah I suppose it’s fine you spent some of our money.”

The world outside of the train sped past you as you made your way to the Capitol. It was never easy returning to the very city that had paraded you around like a lamb to slaughter only a mere few years earlier. Sometimes you wished that trip to the Capitol was your last now knowing what you had to live through every year you were forced to return for the annual Hunger Games. Because now you had to live with the stress and responsibilities of returning each year to mentor two kids from your district and attempt to keep them from suffering through the Games. Two lives hung over your head with the possibility of only one of them making it. But as you were falling deeper into your thoughts as you watched district 4 fly by lit up by the setting sun, you felt a warm hand touch your shoulder.

Finnick.

Your Finnick. Your husband. Your light through the storm. Your anchor in a roaring sea of thoughts. When you felt his hand your shoulders immediately relaxed and your eyes closed.

“Finn.” You whispered and reached up to place a hand over his as it rested on your shoulder still. He squeezed your shoulder fondly, gently. Finnick was never anything but gentle with you because he knew what it felt like to be treated with roughness.

“Hi, sweetheart.” Finnick whispered softly. He leaned down and pressed a kiss to your cheek. His lips were soft against your cheek. Finnick moved to sit next to you on the fancy plush couch. One of his strong arms wrapped around your shoulders. When you opened your eyes you could the outline of his toned arm through the blue sweater he was wearing. You instinctively curled up against his broad chest and rest your hands in your lap. The two of you had been married for nearly a year now. Ever since Finnick had been to mentor through your own Hunger Games you had drifted towards each other. Your marriage had also saved Finnick from being used by the Capitol. No one wanted to break up a happy marriage just as long a you appeared to be that way. That was the reason the two of you were co-mentoring now.

“How are the tributes holding up?” You asked quietly as you traced shapes on your lap. Finnick reached for your hand with the hand that wasn’t resting on your shoulder already. His hand was warm and calloused from days spent fishing and wielding tridents. Finnick shrugged but his iconic smile spread across his face.

“Both of them volunteered so they think they’re living through a dream right now. Oh boy, the arenas going to be a reality check for them.” Finnick chuckled a little but you could see the pain and worry in his sea-glass eyes. You gave him a look that told him you could see through the act. His eyes met yours and his grin faltered.

“I’m worried about the two of them. Especially the boy, I knew his brother back in school and their family has already been through a lot.” Finnick confessed. His shoulders dropped a little and his expression filled with earnestness. You reached up to run your fingers through his sandy hair to soothe his anxieties a bit.

“They’ve got us as mentors, Finn. One of them has to make it.” You smiled a little to reassure him but the pressure of being responsible for these kids survival weighed heavy in your chest as well. Finnick nodded in response to your words and reached up to catch your hand in his hair. He brought it down to his lips to press a kiss against your palm. His long eyelashes fluttered as his gaze flitted around your features.

“I’m glad to here with you this time, yknow? Maybe going back and staying in the Capitol for a bit won’t be as bad.” Finnick admitted, his eyes were honest and hopeful. You squeezed his hand in return and moved to press your forehead against his chest. It was clear you were both worried about the tributes this year, and you needed to find solace in each other.

“Just promise to be stay close to me, okay?” You asked as your arms wrapped around his strong frame as he leaned back against the couch. Finnick bent down to kiss the top of your head, his hand came up to run his fingers through your hair.

“I promise. I won’t leave your side for a single second, honey. Not one.”

When you heard his soft voice you knew he meant it. A feeling of safety and comfort filled your chest. You knew he would keep you safe and close in the Capitol as you trained your tributes together. You knew you would be okay whether your tributes made it or not because Finnick would be there for every step of the way.

You squeezed your eyes shut and kept your arms wrapped around Finnick, his hand kept combing through your hair. “I couldn’t stand a single second without you anyways, Finn.”

The holidays were a busy time in the Capitol. Everyone decorated their houses extravagantly for each holiday, the streets were lit with Christmas lights and equally bright faces. It was a wonderful time really. Main Street was lit up for the approaching winter holidays. Shops with windows were adorned with Christmas trees and strings of ornaments.

Citizens wrapped up in overly warm coats waddled about the city with cheery rosy-cheeked grins. Holiday spirit was flowing through the entirety of the Capitol. It truly was magical.

But with holiday buzz strict deadlines also came. Especially for the President of Panem. Coriolanus Snow had been fond of the winter months and holidays when he was younger. Before the war the Snows used to decorate his family’s penthouse to be the most festive home on the block. They threw Christmas and New Year’s parties each year. And the gifts he received as a child were wonderful. After the war, though, the holidays were a cruel reminder of what he had lost. He no longer had a big family to celebrate with. Coriolanus’ cousin and grandmother were too poor to afford presents each year. They could no longer throw parties because of the constant risk someone would discover how poor the Snows truly were. So by his teenage years he had simply stopped celebrating the holidays all together. That was until he met *you*. You had always been full of light and love from the moment he met you, that’s one of the reasons he quickly married you. He couldn’t bear to lose such a bright life in his life. Then, during the holidays your spirits grew tenfold. Your first few Christmas’ together were magical. You had quite the obsession with decking out the manor with the most extraordinary decorations. In fact, there was a tree in almost every room. Coriolanus loved spending these moments with you but they became fewer and far between once he became President.

Your husband was swamped with work. Coriolanus barely left his desk. He hadn’t even let you in to decorate his office because he thought it would be too distracting and just couldn’t have that. This made your heart ache for your husband, you thought you had healed his perspective on the holidays. Now he sat shut up in his office each holiday.

After decorating one of the last rooms in the house you approached his office. You had enough of his attitude towards the holidays. You hated seeing him cooped up in a cold room by himself. So you brought up the issue with Coriolanus. Eventually, after a bit of talking he had come up with the idea of buying a nice cabin on the snowy outskirts of the Capitol.

It had been several years since the purchase of the cabin and you adored every moment you had spent there over the holidays. Now that it was the holiday season again, the two of you had packed your things for your annual two week getaway.

The drive up to the cabin was just as magical as spending time in it. The streets were covered with a canopy of snow-topped trees. Evergreen trees acted as protection from the busy Capitol life. You couldn’t take your eyes off the window. Your husband chuckled beside you.

“You know dear, you seem so fascinated by the woods, I might just have to leave you to the trees and take the cabin to myself.”

You turned to him with a cheery smile, a smile that always made his expression soften.

“You’d get lonely in the cabin all by yourself,” you said simply. Coriolanus smiled fondly back to you. He put an arm around your shoulder as the car ride continued.

“I suppose there’s some truth to that, sweetheart.” He pressed a kiss to the top of your head. You curled up next to him in the car, the drive was a peaceful one and you were grateful that you were lucky enough to spend this time with him.

The snow filled drive only took about two hours. It was late afternoon by the time you arrived at the cabin.

The cabin itself was beautiful and extravagant. It more of a log mansion than a cabin but Coriolanus wouldn’t settle for anything smaller. The front of the cabin had humongous windows facing the snowy woods. There was a steep driveway up to the front door which was being a pain to get up to at the moment. The driver hadn’t been able to pull the car all the way up and stopped in front of the driveway. Coriolanus grumbled under his breath beside you. You place a delicate hand on his shoulder and smiled. His expression relaxed.

“It’s alright, dear. We don’t have much to bring in anyways. The driveway is only a few feet long we’ll just bring everything up with us,” you suggested. Miraculously Coriolanus agreed to this plan. He made sure you were bundled up in your long winter coat before leaving the car. He even made you pull a pair of gloves and a hat on from one of the bags. You thought he was being silly until you stepped outside. The cold immediately nipped at your nose. A cold chill ran through your body. Coriolanus stepped out of the car and walked over to you. He wrapped an arm around your waist and met your eyes.

“You can go inside if you’d like. I can grab everything we need.” He tapped his fingers on his waist anxiously. Coriolanus hated seeing you in any sort of discomfort. You shook your head with a bright smile.

“I’m alright! We’ll just be quick about getting everything inside.”

Coriolanus looked you over with a slightly worried expression. He didn’t want you to get too cold. But after a moment or two he nodded and pressed his warm lips to your cold cheek.

“Alright dove, let’s grab our luggage and go inside.”

It only took about 3 trips to move all of your belongings from the car to inside the cabin. The cabin itself was chilly on the inside as well. You shivered and hugged your arms around yourself. Coriolanus noticed this and shed his coat, draping it around your shoulders with a quick kiss to your temple.

“Come sit on the couch, my love. I’ll get a fire going. You’ll be warm in no time,” he said as he gently looped his arm around yours and led you to sit on the plush velvet couch. You curled up in his coat and watched Coriolanus place wooden logs in the fireplace. It was different to see him doing so domestic. Usually the two of you would call for some kind of servant to light a fire but you didn’t have those luxuries here. You didn’t mind, though. In fact you found it endearing. Coriolanus struck a match and threw it into the fireplace, setting the logs ablaze slowly. He gently blew on the flame to coax the fire. After a minute or two a fairly healthy flame grew in the hearth. He stepped back and found his place beside you on the couch. Coriolanus wrapped a strong arm around you and his shoulders relaxed noticeably.

“Hello, sweetheart.” He whispered. He moved a gentle hand to tuck a stray piece of hair behind your ear. The gesture made your heart flutter as always.

“Hi, Coryo.” You whispered back to him, the nickname falling off your tongue effortlessly. Coriolanus smiled at his as well and nuzzled his semi-cold nose into your hair. You shivered with a light giggle and he enveloped you in his arms. He held you to his chest with a tight squeeze. You rested your head against his broad shoulders.

“I’ve missed you.” He whispered into your hairline. You tilted your head up to look at him through your eyelashes. You spoke teasingly and rubbed his chest.

“Well, I hope you missed me a lot because you’re going to be bound to me for the next two weeks. You might go insane.”

That brought a smile to his face and he nuzzled his nose against your hairline again. He chuckled and murmured.

“You drive me insane anyways.” This earned him a playful smack to the chest and you shook your head.

“Oh hush.”

The two of you stayed wrapped up in each other for a good few minutes. That’s until you turned your head to see the lonely Christmas tree standing tall in the living room. The two of you had just decided to leave it up all year long so safe the hassle of having to put it down before leaving the cabin. Although, the other decorations were missing. The cabin almost felt lonely.

Coriolanus must have noticed how you looked around and he tilted his head.

“Should we put the decorations now, love?”

Within a few hours the cabin was already more festive than it had ever been. (You couldn’t stop yourself from purchasing more decorations in the city before your arrival). The mantle and fireplace were decorated with stockings and faux holly covered in snow. The grand windows in the cabin were trimmed with the same snowy holly. Lights were wrapped around banisters tastefully and the tree was halfway done with being decorated. An old record was playing the background. Coriolanus had mentioned it was from before the war or something like that. You hung ornaments on the tree meticulously and swayed to the music. Coriolanus was working on the other side of the tree. Or at least that’s what you thought until a pair of warm hands landed on your waist. Warm lips found your shoulder. A light laugh left your mouth and you peeked over your shoulder. Coriolanus was standing over you and swaying a little. He reached for an ornament in your hand and set it to the side. You laughed again and raised an eyebrow.

“I was going to put that on the tree. You know, where it belongs?”

He hummed and shook his head. Coriolanus’ gentle hands turned you towards him. He pulled you away from the tree and to the center of the living room.

“Take a break for a moment, darling.” He said gently. He reached up and smoothed your hair back. You smiled and raised your eyebrows, your eyes meeting his icy blue ones. There was a playful glint in his eye.

“Take a break and do what?” You asked with a small hum.

“Dance, my darling. Dance.” He said quietly. He placed a hand on your hip and squeezed the hand he was already holding. You smiled and placed a hand on his shoulder in return and swayed with him. Coriolanus hummed to the music and pressed his forehead against yours. He closed his eyes and you closed yours in return.

“What’s this song called?” You asked softly.

“Baby, It’s Cold Outside, I believe. It sounds quite old doesn’t it?” He said and then went back to humming. You let out a light giggle and listened to his voice. You loved moments like this with him. These calm peaceful moments were the highlight of your life and you held them dearly to your heart. Moments like these made you fall in love with him all over again. He must have been thinking the same thing because he pressed a soft kiss to your cheek and muttered a soft ‘I love you’. He didn’t need to say the actual words for you to know though. You felt it in his touch. You saw it in his gaze and in his gentle smiles. Even so, you whispered back.