(Co-written by myself and Eugene. Thanks again Eugene!)
The first thing Anakyn saw when he woke up was bolts of darkness, violent in swift streaks of violet, black, and blue.
Then his eyes blearily registered soft yellowed light bathing its surroundings, made of metal and plush fabric.
Soft, deep shuffles rumbled on the inside, echoing its existence with distant bumps and pulses.
His huge suitcase was on the seat next to him and his head was lying sideways against the window, the rest of his body leaning crookedly. His neck was insanely stiff and there was slight dampness on his clothes and hair.
The glass window on his left was dotted with tiny droplets of water and condensation, remnants of cold heat. All from today’s earlier turn of events. Even with the emerging dark cloak that was the night sky, he could still see his reflection somewhat thanks to the hazy colourful blocks and yellow-white light blurs from the train interior.
But the very first thing to come out of Anakyn’s head was, “Where am I?”
Ok, he could tell he was currently taking the train (trains resonated with him a lot, as if he was raised alongside them...), but something about it felt strange…
There wasn’t much noise save for some rattling and the train moving on tracks, nobody else was in the same train car as him, and the landscape outside was nothing but twisted abstract shapes.
“Come on, think! Think!!! Remember what I did today!” Wiping leftover remnants of tiredness from his eyes, he tried to rack up his brain in order to reboot it properly. He let himself rewind through the day’s events.
Earlier throughout today, Anakyn had to go to the Capitol because he had to do 2 fashion shows for different brands. As today was Saturday, his plan was to flaunt himself in high fashion for the day, head back to his dorm in the main District 3 university for bedtime, and then visit District 7 tomorrow for a date with Helen; she wanted to go out for a walk in the woods together and show him something there, so he was really looking forward to it. Ok, that and seeing his cute girlfriend. Anakyn did arrive from District 3 to the Capitol straight after his class yesterday on a Friday, but only got 4 hours of sleep because he ill-advisedly tackled a late-night mission to take out a Peacekeeper and steal his holo, expandable baton, and this cool solar-powered weapon that asshole was carrying around and testing out as a prototype. Even though this particular ‘mission’ was his own doing and not an assigned mission from the rebellion, it was really nice to kick ass by himself and with his own rules more often than usual. The rebel would’ve stolen the entire armor just by stripping the guy down, but wasn’t able to do it because he barely got away from being spotted. That and sleepiness was a huge bitch, so he had to run off and quickly sneak his way back home.
The first fashion show for today went pretty well in the morning but it was insanely hard to stay awake from the lack of sleep, let alone upright. In the catwalk, he felt wide awake, but not so much behind-the-scenes. After that, he had to pop up back home for a bit to deal with some dirty laundry from last week, help his mom out with grocery shopping, and a quick break for lunch together. Anakyn managed to be a little more alert and intact, but his eyes couldn’t help but to flicker open and close repeatedly if nobody talked to him. The second runway of the day came late in the afternoon and went towards the early evening; this one was more enjoyable to work in despite his current state... but then things suddenly went downhill. Near the end of that fashion show, Anakyn and the other models were about to do this thing at the end where they all gather together to walk the runway together as they get applause from the audience to signify a successful show. Suddenly, just when they were halfway done, part of the ceiling got destroyed and there was a huge pipe leak nearby in the middle of the venue! Like seriously, what the fucking hell?!?! Luckily nobody died from ceiling damage, but everyone practically hauled ass while most of the models ended up being drenched with a crap ton of water, soaking most of their outfits and ruining their hair and make-up. Anakyn was one of the few models lucky enough to not get splashed, but he accidentally tripped hard while running away from falling water and ceiling debris in impulse and panic, hurting his right leg and knee.
On top of that fiasco, more pipe leaks showed up on the roof and ceiling backstage, one by one. Pretty much most of the models backstage scrambled to find their agents, managers, or a ride home from their parents, friends, or drivers, barely bothering to change out of the wet clothes they modelled in. Even worse, it was raining out there! So lots of them had to wait outside just to go home immediately. Talk about triple karma. Anakyn, on the other hand, freaked out for a different reason; he nearly missed the District 3 train! Not giving a shit about changing the designer outfit he wore and just shoved his own clothes into his suitcase meant for District 3, Anakyn took off like a rocket for the train station. Suitcase in tow and limping like crazy while trying to run. He wasn’t even paying attention to the impending darkness and the raindrops landing on his hair, face, and the garments he wore at this rate, only feeling panic and pain. Luckily for the model, he very barely caught the train in time and crashed into the first empty seat he found, suddenly feeling very numb and drained from the insomnia, the pipe leaks, the rain, and the leg injury...
“Wait a minute... I must’ve fallen asleep after I got on the train.” Anakyn suddenly realized in conclusion. “Man, I’m so tired...” His yawn straight-up confirmed that statement.
Glancing over at the window again, he saw a dim yet vast looming shape that grew closer and closer…
“Hey, that must be District 3! And I’m finally at the train station!” Relief washed over him as he whooped in his head. But the train whistle interrupted his mental victory, so he literally yelled out loud, “Ok, ok, I’m leaving already!” as he hauled ass out of the train car while carrying his suitcase the best he could despite the pain shooting up his leg.
As soon as Anakyn set foot on the station, a relieved expression showed up on his face. He made it to District 3! One step closer to his university dorm. One step even closer to that date tomorrow. He could tell that the factories would be closed this late and the streetlamps would glow amber and yellow, even if they flicker and fade. Unlike almost all the escorts and Capitolites, District 3 felt like home to him. In more ways than one...
With a huge inhale of breath, he could tell that it’s gotten cold in the late night, but he could still smell the sharp, fresh scent of the forest-
“Wait, forest? And why the hell is the air- OH MY GOD.”
The train whistled from behind, closed the doors, and chugged away. “Nonononono- WAIT! WAIT! WAAAIT!” He tried to catch up to it.
But just to spite the young man, the train just chugged faster and faster until it disappeared into the darkness of the night, the echoes of the final whistle fading away. Now the train station was entirely empty, nothing but him and his suitcase.
Sometimes, Anakyn has urges to yell at society when he’s angry.
...
“FUUUCCCCKKKKKKK!”
...
This was one of them.
...
At least nobody was around to hear him. Phew.
But if he wasn’t in District 3, then where else he could be...?
Anakyn sniffed the night air again while attentively absorbing the sounds and sights surrounding the train station he stood in. Ok, the air didn’t smell thin or smoky in a sickly way from bouts of air pollution, fine dust, or factory smoke every once in a while in the poverty-ridden streets and alleyways of District 3. This air was sharp, crisp, fresh, and kinda woodsy, clinging onto his slightly damp clothes, hands, face, and hair. It made him a little chilly if anything, but at least his inner core was warm and he’s a lot more awake... for now. The only noises he could hear were rustling from trees, bushes, and the wind, maybe even bird chirps from farther away. Those dark, twisted abstract shapes he found on the window earlier weren’t factory chimneys, smokestacks, or apartment buildings; those must’ve been different types of trees. And unlike the Capitol, there wasn’t any rain at all in this place. The inky black sky right now was pretty clear and the moon shone brightly, emitting some of those blue and violet smudges he saw earlier in the train. Other than that, he couldn’t distinguish anything else this late at night.
Judging from the lack of urban life, he eliminated Districts 3, 5, 6, and 8 out of the equation. District 4 wasn’t likely because despite having trees, he would’ve smelt traces of ocean air instead of forest air. Districts 9 and 10 were also pretty close bets, but there’s more fields, farms, and flatlands than trees there. District 11’s climate was a little warmer since it’s a south-eastern district, even in autumn and at nighttime, so that’s out, too. So that currently left District 1, District 2, District 7, and District 12...?
It can’t be... I fucking swear I landed in District 3!
“Welp, only 1 way to find out.” Anakyn decided to head over to the nearest sign to check. His leg and knee still wasn’t fully healed despite the accidental nap, but at least he could walk somewhat decently. He just hoped it’ll heal in time for his and Helen’s date.
When he reached the sign, his jaw dropped upon seeing the words he discovered.
DISTRICT SEVEN
“What the fuck?!?! I accidentally landed in District 7?!”
Ok, it was 1 thing to be so tired from the mission and the fashion shows he was in. It was another thing to accidentally fall asleep on a train of all things. But this?!?!?!?!? He missed his stop at District 3 while falling asleep and ended up in District 7?!?!
“Holy crap, this is a new low. Even for me.”
Now what was he supposed to do?
Anakyn internally panicked while holding his heavy suitcase close to his chest. If he’s in Seven, it would take an insanely long time to get on another train to go back to Three this late at night, let alone go back-and-forth again just for the date. He couldn’t afford to be standing around like this though, so he quickly left the train station as fast as he could and headed over to District 7, his injured leg practically dragging out and away at the right side as he walked.
He stopped by behind the nearest building he could find and sat down to rest his leg and check over the inside of his suitcase. Anakyn turned on the light bulb from his light bulb necklace as his only light source as he did so. Good thing he transferred that thing and his precious black feather necklace from his own clothes and wore them over his currently-worn high fashion outfit after he left the venue building with the destroyed ceiling and leaks, just in case of incidents like this.
In his suitcase, his belongings were intact, his hygiene items didn’t leak, and his newly-transferred clothes were still neatly folded. The regular clothes he wore this afternoon weren’t fully bunched up from stashing them haphazardly earlier, but he refolded them to keep himself occupied from the leg pain. His tools and machine parts haven’t gone bulky from piling up. Even the hidden weapons, supplies, and spy equipment were good and safe. And then there was the small white leather box...
Anakyn deftly reached over for the box and gently opened it, illuminated light bulb in hand and neck. He smiled as soon as he saw the treasure nestled inside black velvet cushioning. There it was, the yellow gold ring with the asymmetric stone cluster. It shone in glimmers of diamonds, dusky pink sapphires, and peach spinels, with a soft swirling tempest of translucency, pale pink, and dramatic black flecks inside the natural black diamond near the middle.
His engagement ring for Helen.
His plan for tomorrow, other than the date in the woods, was to propose to Helen around that point. Although he wasn’t certain of when exactly, the rebel will think of something. He always does.
If anyone (including the Peacekeepers, government, and the other agents in the rebel cause) dares to tear them apart just because they love each other despite where they’re from, he won’t let it fucking happen.
“If they try, I’ll slaughter ’em.”
Lightning sparks sputtered inside dark blue eyes, wavering between determination and darkness.
Dark thoughts aside, Anakyn was ready to get that marriage proposal done right by tomorrow. But right now, his first priority was to find a place to stay for the night...
Suddenly, he got an idea!
A wonderfully mischievous, devious idea~!
~.~.
It was a beautiful night. The sky was crystal clear, the air free of humidity after storms had moved through the district yesterday. They were probably moving towards the Capitol sometime this week. Hopefully the rain wouldn’t put a foil on any of his plans. She knew that he had a busy day today with multiple shows, and hoped that he wouldn’t be too tired when he came over tomorrow. Although, with what Helen was planning, she was sure that he would wake up right away.
The engagement ring for Ani was laid nicely on her dresser, ready whenever she was. The black zirconium ring with the princess-cut sapphire and two small round diamonds at the sides. Seen up close, small gears were embedded onto the sapphire, with wings behind them. She already felt so nervous and excited about proposing that she was sure she wouldn’t sleep tonight. Plus, she was excited for some quality time with her boyfriend. They were both such busy people that sometimes, it was hard for them to find a moment to be together without having to be working on other projects. She was looking forward to setting everything aside to spend some time with him....
...and hopefully, end the night as an engaged couple!!
But she was getting ahead of herself. The smile was pushing across her cheeks as it did every time her mind wandered to think about him. She thought about him in little ways all the time; wondering what the weather was like where he was, imagining him studying in his dorm room, checking the time to see what it was that he might be doing wherever he was. Every time he sent her a text, she couldn’t help but smile.
Speaking of, it had been a while since he’d texted her. She knew he wouldn't be around much because he was really busy with shows and such, but he was probably on the train by this late in the evening. It was alright, but he hoped that he would let her know when he safely returned to District Three later tonight.
Helen finally finished her dinner dishes and now had the whole night in front of her. It was a rare time when she could relax for the night. But she still had a list of things to do so she could prepare for the proposal. Mostly her nails. She sat at her coffee table and got to work removing the old chipped polish, her mind drifting to happy memories they shared together.
She swirled around her color choice: trying to match Ani’s eyes with a dark blue and accenting with a lighter sapphire blue color on her ring finger. She got to work carefully painting her nails, but was only three nails in when the holo she always kept on her person buzzed.
“What could they want at this hour?!” She asked herself, strategically using her left hand to get it from her right pocket and pressing the button to relay the audio message that was sent to her. She continued to paint; usually, the messages were a warning of where Peacekeepers would be stationed in whatever district was being targeted by Junius’s propaganda and forced obedience campaign.
“Helen, there is an important mission that you must partake. However, you must remember to retain secrecy in this crisis. Find the room where you meet your assigned escort every Hunger Games. Your informant will be waiting for you there to deliver intel about your mission. Go there immediately, and that’s an order.”
Today, though, Wolf sounded serious. She had just finished her pinky, only leaving the accent nail blank, when she realized how serious this must be. Wolf was typically easygoing; didn’t like to give ‘orders’, per say. If he was telling her to go there right away, she would.
Helen quickly screwed the nail polish shut, still being careful with her right hand. If she smudged the polish on them now, she was going to have to redo everything whenever she got back before tomorrow. Helen blew on her nails in a frenzy as she looped her arm into a sleeve, praying that the paint wouldn’t stick to the inside of the sleeve. After she maneuvered herself into the coat, she grabbed her keys and wallet, barely taking a moment to lock the door before she was on her way to the train station.
Just as Wolf said, she acted natural as she walked down the streets of District Seven, trying to get her nails to catch the breeze so the paint on them would dry quicker. She walked at a brisk pace, but not too fast that it would turn heads. That was all she could do right now.
She was heading to where Wolf instructed her to receive more detailed intel with less risk of a holo being intercepted. “The room where you meet your assigned escort every Hunger Games.” She wondered if Ani was involved in this plan or not; she knew how badly he wanted to go into the fray, and would feel cheated if she was chosen to do so before him.
Looking up, going down, left, right... the closer she got to her destination, the more Helen shifted into rebel mode. The dimness of the District Seven train station at night made navigation really difficult though, having used to visit the place a lot during the day.
The room below the District Seven train station acted as an underutilized yet traditional meeting ground between District 7 and anyone from the Capitol meant to represent the lumber industry during Hunger Games season, as the escort. A ‘landmark’ for the first formal interaction, 1-on-1 and face-to face. It was meant to serve as neutral territory and a hidden place for peace, without detection and disturbances. Just them and only them. Only the District 7 Victors in history have full knowledge, access, and authority of this sanctuary, even if it was small and empty on the inside. The Seven escorts also technically have the rights to this place, but most of them don’t recognize the privacy and importance of this place, mostly out of indifference and ignorance. So not many of them dare to step foot. Only a small handful of them knew of its existence, but often found the atmosphere pretty awkward (mostly in the Capitol perspective) when they do visit, and then complain about how small, minimalist, and bleak-looking the room was. Very few of those escorts from the Capitol adjusted easily.
Helen, as the Victor of the 120th Hunger Games, has visited this room twice so far, not counting Wolf’s unexpected assignment for the rebel cause right now. She knew that Kendal and Maud have been there more times than her, while Cerulean will have to learn about this meeting place soon now that he won…
But why would Wolf send over an informant here? Just for some mission?
Helen suddenly felt nervous as she looked around the area. She was never much of a paranoid person, not even in the arena, but now… She couldn’t help but feel like she was being followed. She took a deep breath outside the door, lingering on the knob for a moment and giving a last look over both of her shoulders. Seemed to be alright. Hopefully there was nothing in the shadows. She didn’t want to be the reason Wolf had a hard time back in the Capitol.
She slowly turned the knob and, after looking both ways again, quickly opened the door and stepped inside. A sudden clamor hit her just then and Helen gasped with shock at the sudden movement around her. Who was there?! Was this all an elaborate trap?! Helen was so on-edge that the sudden movement caused her to instinctually throw up her fists.
Water dripped off of her hair and hit the floor, and she shivered a little bit as she was wet.
“Calm down, Helen,” she told herself. It was just water. Wait... water?!?!?!?
“HAHAHA! Gotcha!” came an all-too familiar voice, causing Helen to look up, her fists still raised in a fighter’s stance at the man who was hunched over laughing against the back wall, just as she was the first time they had met.
“A... Ani?!” she asked in shock, staring at him. Wasn’t he supposed to be in the Capitol!? What in the world was he doing here? And why did Wolf send her here if he was already on it?! Helen wanted to ask what the fuck was going on, but she was still in pure shock to see him there.
“At ease, soldier.” Helen stared at him for an extra moment as he lazily sauntered over to her with a smirk, still in disbelief that he was even here as she slowly lowered her fists. “It’s just me.”
Helen didn’t know what to do. She took a moment to simmer down from where she was ready to fight off whoever was challenging her. The adrenaline wore off as she relaxed the tension in her shoulders and looked up at him.
“What are you doing here?” she asked finally, as her lips broke into a smile. “Did Wolf call you too?” She looked around the room, unsure what she was supposed to do next. She couldn’t be too happy and clingy if they were both given a job from Wolf. But she was so excited to see him. “Wait a moment. Will we be able to have our date tomorrow?!”
Their date tomorrow. She realized that she was wearing the peacoat she was going to wear tomorrow, the ring box nestled deep into the front pocket, where it would be inconspicuous and ready for her to go when he got there. She sure hoped they didn’t need to empty their pockets for the mission, that would completely ruin the surprise!
“Yeah, about that...” Anakyn gazed down at the now-wet floor for some reason, a small tinge of remorse trailing off in his unaccented voice. He looked back up at the female rebel and confessed, “There isn’t a real mission and there’s no informant.” To add even more shock to the suspense, he held up his holo and waved it at her direction. His lips were then briefly spread into a crooked shit-eating grin.
“It’s actually a prank call.”
“A prank call!?” she stared at his completely serious face, still holding the holo up for her to see. “No way!” she knew that the voice she heard was Wolf. She crossed her arms and gave him a light pout.
“Yes way.”
“Nuh-uh!!”
“Mm-hmm.”
“So… all of this was just a set-up?” She looked around. It was one hell of an effort. Why would he do something that took this much effort on such a random night like tonight? She didn’t understand. “Even that?” she pointed to the wet floor caused by the release of the bucket in the door.
“Bucket’s part of the prank, too.” Ani affirmed with a cock of his head towards where the metal bucket now was, barely hanging onto the gaping doorway after it dumped all that water.
“That had to have been quite elaborate if you got Wolf involved,” she commented, still impressed. She knew that Wolf would always be happy to help, but he was just so busy she couldn’t believe he could just set everything down for a prank like this.
“No,” he quickly shook his head. “Wolf ain’t part of this; it’s all me.”
Helen looked like she wanted to straight-up deny it, so Anakyn let his voice do all the talking instead, his secret weapon.
“Helen, there is an important mission that you must partake. However, you must remember to retain secrecy in this crisis. Find the room where you meet your assigned escort every Hunger Games. Your informant will be waiting for you there to deliver intel about your mission. Go there immediately, and that’s an order.” he recited. Helen let go of her pout. It really was a clever and elaborate prank and he truly got her good. She started to giggle at how much he sounded like Wolf, and the sheer ridiculousness of it all, as he continued to quote the message she’d received in his Wolf voice.
“Helen, your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to-” Unbelievably, he actually sounded a lot like Wolf, wait- “Let me stay the night at your place before the date tomorrow.” Wait, what?! She hoped that wouldn’t ruin the surprise of the proposal in any way… She smiled at his sheepish face as he continued, sounding more like her Ani now than Wolf.
“I’m fucking rekt with less sleep from a late-night mission last night, work exhaustion, unexpected pipe leaks and ceiling damage from my second fashion show, an injured right leg, that sudden rainstorm out in the Capitol tonight, randomly falling asleep on the train, and accidentally landed in District 7 instead of District 3 just now.”
Helen started to laugh a little bit. “You had a long day. Definitely don’t go on anymore trains tonight. You’ll end up in the ruins of District Thirteen if you fall asleep again.” she teased.
But it really was a zinger of a prank tonight. It was, in all honesty, a little surreal to hear Wolf’s deep resonating timbre out of Anakyn’s mouth, which stood out the most whenever Wolf himself was serious, steely, or angry about something. But it was even more impressive to discover how easily Ani converted back into his own voice again just now, when he stated why he’s even here in District 7 in the first place.
“You really did get me good..” she laughed and shook her head at him.
“So... please?”
“You don’t even have to ask, darling.” she said. “C’mon, let’s get you home. I need a warm shower now, too.” She put her arm around his shoulders, transferring dampness from her to him in the action.
“Hey!” Ani yelped out, clearly caught off-guard from what just happened.
Helen giggled at that. “C’mere and give your girlfriend some sugar, Skyavich!” She hugged him and he couldn’t even push her away, despite her being drenched. He didn’t mind that her face was wet when she came in and kissed him. With a heated groan, Ani kissed her back hungrily with equal fervour, already missing how soft and tempting her lips are against his. Fuck, he wanted this so badly. She must’ve felt the same way as she briefly let go to nip at his bottom lip, then went straight for the kill by putting her tongue inside Anakyn’s parted mouth when his lips parted. They ended up being lost in each other, and thoroughly claimed. Even with the dampness spreading over to his clothes and skin, that didn’t stop him from pulling Helen closer to him by the waist with one hand and lightly grinding his hips against hers at the same time. Both of them just wanted the wet heat, the sultry friction, and the taste of each other, maybe even further than that. He drew the line when she tried to squeeze her hair on his shoulders, though.
“Alright alright, get moving, soldier,” he teased, sending her towards the door as she giggled. She waited up to take his hand when he came beside her and they left the building together. “You know, now that you got me wet, I could probably use a shower, too.”
Helen raised her eyebrow at him but couldn’t stop smiling. “I want to marry him so bad.” She had to resist the temptation to get on one knee right now. “Oh well, I’ll probably be down on both knees in a moment.” But she couldn’t resist teasing him. “That’s fine, I have five showers in my mansion.”
Ani squeezed her hand and laughed as she smiled facetiously. “Five showers. Really? I can take any one of them, but that’ll mean something’s missing no matter where I’ll end up in.” He couldn’t help but to flirtatiously quip back.
“But you can choose whichever you want.” She winked as she unlocked the door to her mansion and let them both in. Ani noticed how she was swaying her hips as she went in the doorway. She took off her coat and hung it up. Ani was watching her every movement, suddenly feeling much more awake. “That bucket prank isn’t the only thing making me wet today.” Ani thought to himself in his mildly horny mental state. “If anything, we’ll end up being more dirty than clean from the shower.” His dick can attest to that, no thanks to the remaining wetness on his clothes. Especially down there.
Helen turned around to where he was still standing in the doorway. “You coming or what?” she asked, before giggling and running up the steps towards the master bathroom.
Ani took off after her, still grinning. “Hey, wait for me!”
~~~
As warm and comfortable he felt, Anakyn almost didn’t recognize where he woke up the next day and felt off even in his tranquil, sleepy state.
“Wait, where the hell am I- oh yeah.....”
Now he remembered; he’s in District 7, at Helen’s place. And he’s sleeping in her bed. Not to mention, naked.
The shower sex last night was really nice. The suggestive touches, the soap, the smoldering kisses, the shampoo being massaged onto each other’s hair, the lingering bites, the sweet tightness, wetness, and friction inside of her, hearing her cry in ecstasy as they came...
The last thing Anakyn remembered before drying up and falling asleep quickly was Helen telling him something about needing to paint an accent nail for her manicure first, even though he didn’t get to see what she painted that time. He also briefly recalled feeling her quickly crawling into bed with him sometime later and he wrapped her close into his arms, protectively, possessively.
Anakyn was really tempted to get up from bed, reach out for his suitcase, and change into his clothes for the date. Where in the woods they’ll be going today in the first place, especially at this time in mid-September? But he couldn’t help but to wonder right now: Is Helen asleep or awake?
She came to, feeling his arms around her, the familiar feeling of skin on skin after a passionate night together. She wanted to wake up to this every morning. But yet, she couldn’t force herself to open her eyes. She just wanted to embrace the moment of being close to him for just a little while longer. She kept her eyes closed, taking deep breaths as she was pressed against him.
Today was the day. Today was the day she would hopefully be committed to him forever. Her heartbeat started to go faster, full of nerves and excitement as she took a deep breath.
“Helen?” he said quietly, his voice low and scratchy from having just awakened, his hand pressed against her back and feeling her heartbeat move faster.
“Morning,” she said, a smile slowly spreading across her face as she pushed herself up to cuddle against him.
Anakyn put a hand in her hair and started stroking it gently, using his arm to pull her closer to him. “I wish I could wake up to a beautiful woman in my arms every morning,” he whispered.
Helen’s face heated up at his low purr, close to her ear. “Speak for yourself, I would rather wake up in the arms of a sexy man.”
Anakyn laughed quietly, moving a piece of her adorably wild bedhead away from her face and leaning in to kiss her forehead. “I’m glad we agree.”
“Me too.” I hope we continue to agree. She wanted to stay here in his arms, but she also wanted to be engaged to him already, and the sooner they got up, the sooner they would be engaged.... Hopefully. She wasn’t sure if he would want to go public, or have a secret engagement, or only tell when asked… She would just have to wait and see. She knew that they would figure it out together. They were a team, and she wanted to be on his team forever.
“I’m not glad that you had such a long and exhausting day yesterday, but I am glad that you ended up here,” she said, tracing the shape of a flower on his bare chest with her finger.
“Me too,” he said, smiling. “It was worth the hell I went through just to spend the night here, with you.”
“You’re always welcome here,” she said, and he hugged her closer.
“Same goes for you at the Capitol,” he said. “My mom is wondering when you’ll be around again.”
“Hopefully soon,” Helen said, leaning over to give him a slow, lazy morning kiss. Both of them smiled as she pulled away. “We’ll definitely want to eat a good breakfast, we’ll be doing a lot of walking today.”
“Do you have bacon and eggs? I can get up and make them while you get ready.” He knew that she often took a while to get ready in the morning, and was always happy to make breakfast for himself and the woman he loved so much.
She was lucky that she typically wanted to look nice, so nothing about her spending a million years getting ready. She wanted to look especially nice for today, though. The two of them got out of bed and changed shamelessly in the same room. Anakyn had to excavate through the clothes inside his suitcase, originally meant for classes at District 3 University as school outfits and district outfits. If Helen said there’ll be a lot of walking in this hike today, he’ll have to be utilitarian and outdoorsy. But if he’s gonna propose with that ring, Anakyn will have to dress himself a little bit polished this time, while being autumn-appropriate. So combining those 4 aspects, hmm... Luckily, he got an idea! Ani decided on a black distressed sweater with jagged bright red, white, and army green stripes around the collar and shoulders, red plaid skinny jeans, and a silver chain belt. An interesting combination of punk and autumn vibes, without sacrificing each other stylistically. The shoes were harder to pick than he’d like to admit, but he decided on his trusty black combat boots at the end. He applied concealer on his face and brushed his hair and side bangs into its original straightness, even if almost all of his coloured streaks and highlights were nearly gone and the remnants of his soft bright red streaks look kinda pink now. Anakyn quickly put on his black feather necklace and reserved his adventure jacket for later, the dark green loose-fitting boxy hooded one with drawstrings, cropped sleeves, and large double rectangular patch pockets. After stashing his phone and ring box inside the jacket pockets, he hurriedly headed off to the kitchen.
Helen, meanwhile, had chosen a pair of light blue jeans with daisies embroidered down the left thigh, both cute and functional, that she rolled up at the bottom. She would have worn heels or even flats, but knowing that they were going to hike in the forest, she opted for a pair of Timberlands instead, which she tied up tightly. On the top, she wore a simple mesh black cardigan over a blue cami and a gold necklace with a sapphire on it that would match Ani’s ring. She did her make-up carefully while the house filled with the smell of bacon and eggs; a mostly natural look except for bold blue cat eyeliner and some golden glitter below her eyes.
She curled her normally straight and slightly wavy hair so that it was all falling the same way around her face, which took far longer than she usually took to get ready.
When she was ready, she looked at herself in the mirror one last time, nerves starting to push at her throat. She so badly wanted this to be perfect. Helen released one last breath and then went to the kitchen, following her nose to a beautiful plate and a delicious breakfast.
“Hey,” Anakyn waved from his seat at the dining table, and then went over to hold out one of the other dining chairs for the Seven Victor. “Just in time, too; I wasn’t sure what to do with the eggs at first, but I did find some cheese in your fridge. Hope that’s ok.” he admitted once she got seated. He was referring to the cheese omelets and bacon he just made for the two of them. Even with their simple yet neatly arranged plating, they look positively mouth-watering. When Helen peered curiously at the steaming cup of hot chocolate next to her plate, he stated, “I’d figured you’d want to drink something warm and sweet to wake up in.”
“You know me so well,” she said, grinning at him, before her voice became softer for a moment. “Thank you.”
Ani simply responded with a mock-salute, fork in his hand, and the two of them began to eat. The atmosphere was pretty quiet, but at least it was the comfortable and cozy kind of quiet. Helen was so nervous that it was hard for her to eat slowly, but the last thing she wanted was to make herself sick by eating too fast. She tried to slow down, munching on the savory food and sipping the sweet hot chocolate gently to enjoy the symphony of flavors on her tongue. Could he tell she was nervous? She hoped not. She wanted this to be a complete surprise... On Anakyn’s end, he was enjoying the food he cooked, too.
They both finished their breakfast around the same time, remaining in that comfortable silence together as they took their dishes to the sink and gently placed them in. Helen rinsed the dishes, ready to load the dishwasher when they got back from their walk. When that was done, they walked out to the foyer together.
“Ready to go?’ she asked, opening her coat closet.
“Yeah, I’m-” Upon seeing Helen’s bright purple peacoat, he suddenly uttered ‘oh shit’ under his breath and made a quick dash to pick up his own jacket. “Phew! At least I didn’t forget it last minute.” Anakyn commented once he got it, more to himself if anything. Man, that was close. He put on the jacket as soon as they left the mansion and headed their way into the woods.
For date time. For adventure time.
They left Helen’s house in the Victor’s Village. Ani put the hood of his jacket over to hide his face, just in case, as they usually did when they were out in public. However, he didn’t need to keep it there for very long before they were completely out of public eye, shrouded by trees that towered above them both, tucked away into a small, serene pocket of total privacy, a rarity for both of them.
When they were covered by the trees, Helen gently put her hands on his face before she pushed his hood off, revealing his soft, smiling face as she leaned in to kiss his cheek, which was slightly flushed from the autumn breeze (and slightly more flushed from her kiss). He put out his hand to her and she took it, and together they walked down the trail.
“Usually, teams of lumberjacks are here working,” Helen said, as they walked slowly together. “But since it’s Sunday, they’re all at home, and the woods are empty.”
Ani nodded as he looked around at the crisp blue sky, scattered with fluffy white clouds. “I see. I imagine they have trouble separating the beauty of this place from the toil of long days of work.”
Helen sighed quietly, but nodded. “It is beautiful, though. I’m glad that I get to share it with you.”
“Me too.” He smiled over at her as she squeezed his hand and they stepped over a root.
“I want to share everything with you.”
He looked over at her. “Oh?”
“Always,” she whispered, “Forever, in fact.”
“Forever…?” he raised his eyebrow and looked over at her, and she could see the wheels of his brain turning. Was he figuring it out?! She didn’t reach the clearing yet… Maybe she’d said too much. She stopped talking as they walked some more, and he didn’t push it again.
Forever. Something about the way Helen enunciated that word made Anakyn’s heart skip a beat. But at the same time, it made him feel a little bit on edge...? Maybe it was just his nervousness and suspicion, but was she implicating something important? Or a secret she’s been hiding? Different kinds of possibilities and meanings behind Helen’s words flitted inside his brain, in spinning gears and strings of binary. From happy to upset, from scandalous to the psychotic and yandere kind of murderous, from something cute to something incredibly daredevilish... seriously, it could be anything!!! Whatever it was, maybe it’s related to where they’re going. Speaking of the word ‘forever’, Ani placed his other unoccupied hand inside his left jacket pocket, clutching onto the white leather ring box hiding in there. His tactile beacon for what he needs to do. That sole word also gave him the decision to pop the question by the time they reach their destination.
The woods they hiked in were a beautiful and breathtaking sight, even on this early autumn day. The leaves on every tree were painted in plethoric shades of yellow and orange. Swirls and smatterings of red, light brown, and light green also adorn this fiery foliage. Dark green bristles and needles of its coniferous counterparts peppered the forest territory, along with red rosehips, jewel-like berries, and wildflower patches leftover from summer’s reign. Stray sunbeams lingered to provide warmth, only to be tempered by cooling breezes every now and then, whereas a few fallen leaves scattered and danced until they landed. High up on the autumnal branches, crows, sparrows, and finches flitted in wings and birdsongs. Although a mockingjay has flown over to hang out amongst its clamoring companions, observing the two lovers most intently.
They walked together, both of them stealing glances at the other and smiling as they went. Thankfully, the hike to Helen’s favorite clearing in the woods was not tremendously long, and they were there in twenty minutes. Ani kept moving, but Helen pulled his hand back.
“Why so fast? Let’s just stay a moment.” Helen pulled him closer into the small patch of wild daisies that grew in the clearing, only letting go of his hand to wrap her arms around him and smile up at him.
He wrapped his arms tightly around her, pulling her close to him. “Any excuse to have you in my arms,” he said, and the grin pushed across her cheeks.
“I love you, Anakyn,” she whispered against his lips.
“I love you too, Helen,” he said quietly, before his lips caught hers in a gentle kiss.
She pulled back slowly, savoring the feeling of being in his arms for a moment, before her heart started to race at the moment having finally arrived. She slowly pushed herself out of his arms, taking both of his hands and holding them for a moment.
“I want to be with you always and forever. You are my best friend, and I always want to be on your team. When I first met you, I didn’t know what to think of you. Soon, though, I learned that we are two peas in a pod. You are my best friend and my partner in crime, and I am ready to commit to being partners in crime for the rest of our lives.” Helen’s eyes became misty and she squeezed his hands and he watched as she dropped down to one knee in front of him, surrounded by the daisies as she took the ring out of her pocket and opened the box so that he could see it. “Anakyn Skyavich… Will you marry me?”
For a moment, he just silently stared. Helen’s heart started to pound with nerves as he looked at her, obviously completely shocked and surprised. He hadn’t yet said yes, though… What if this was a mistake?! Helen’s excitement slowly faded as she looked up at him, feeling terrible suddenly for putting him on the spot like this.
On his lower peripheral vision, he could see Helen looking concerned at him. She was about to slowly rise up from her position and say something-
“Ani-” she had to let him know that there was truly no pressure… Her cheeks flushed with shame and with the weather as she realized she should have waited to talk about this before asking-
“Wait!” Hands instinctively and impulsively planted her back onto one knee, the left one firmly placed onto her right shoulder. Anakyn’s right hand lightly cupped her face at first, then caressed down the side of her neck, gently touched the sapphire on her gold necklace, and finally stopped his trailing fingers down where her heart is. He swore he could’ve heard Helen hitching her breath and releasing a high-pitched sigh from those glimmering, kissable lips, just from the touches alone, despite the worry in her eyes. “Hear me out.” he simply said as soon as he let his hands go.
Helen looked confused at this turn of events, but she tilted her head up to indicate her paying attention. She stared up at him, wondering what exactly was going on in that mind of his. It wasn’t a no, though, so she started to feel a little hopeful.
“Is… Is something wrong?” she asked, her disappointment temporarily masked with confusion. He didn’t say no. Maybe he wanted a different kind of proposal?
“Nothing could be wrong when we’re together,” he said, giving her a smile.
Helen laughed nervously, still staying on the ground. Should she have planned a longer speech?
“But babe,” he couldn’t help but to let a quiet ‘heh’ escape from his throat as he confessed, “You stole my line.”
Whatever words she wanted to say ended up escaping her lips in stunned silence, her own gears starting to turn inside of her head. “Wait- what are you- Anakyn???”
This time, Anakyn dropped down on one knee to look at Helen, practically matching each other’s positions. Face-to-face and eye-to-eye. Lapis lazuli blue meeting bright green. He reached out for the left pocket of his adventure jacket and took out his own box, opening it to reveal the ring sparkling right in front of her.
“Helen Bethel... Will you marry me?”
Helen stared at the ring, and then quickly looked back up to his face before her eyes filled with tears of pure joy and she started to laugh. “But… We didn’t even talk about getting married!” she said, her voice slightly teasing as she was holding out a ring for him.
“Yeah, about that... I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about it lately.”
Helen absolutely could not believe this. She was gaping in shock, the corners of her mouth pulled up in a wide, ear-to-ear smile. “I… I can’t even… How did we think of this at the same time, the same day!? What-”
Ani smiled and put a finger on her mouth to keep her from babbling in shock anymore. “Great minds think alike,” he said, and when she looked over at him, still gaping, he winked at her.
“I-I guess they do!” They both laughed, their heads bumping together for a moment as they took in the sheer ridiculity and blissful irony of this situation as she studied the ring he had for her closely.
“Helen? My eyes are up here, you know,” he teased, and Helen blushed as she looked back at the shit-eating grin on his face and they both laughed.
After a moment of them laughing together, Anakyn became serious for a moment. “I know keeping our dating status partly secret’s practically excruciating for you. Not able to tell anyone full-blast because I felt too afraid back then... afraid of how you might feel about everyone knowing about us together like this. I’m sorry I caused you pain like this.”
Helen frowned for a moment, moving up his chin so that he was looking into his eyes. “Don’t apologize. I… I’m happy that it went like this. We didn’t allow the press to try and dictate or spread lies about us by staying private, and we were able to build our relationship together, without the outside world. I will treasure that forever.” By the last sentence, her voice had dropped to a quiet whisper, looking into his face and giving him a reassuring smile.
Ani’s voice became determined and resolute. “If we’re gonna be engaged, I- I don’t want to hide anymore. I’m ready to be full-on public now. With our relationship. With both of us.”
Helen smiled back at him, ready to take on the reporting and the press as they should: together. “Are you sure?”
He nodded with an endearing smile that always made Helen’s heart melt, but especially now that they were both kneeling in the woods next to each other. “I agree that now is a good time to go public. I’m willing to fight and risk everything for you.” She grinned and gestured with her free hand to the rings that were still sitting out. “I mean, everyone will end up finding out eventually.”
To her surprise, those words then prompted Anakyn to take out the phone he’s been carrying around in his jacket’s right pocket and waved it around for a bit, as he said the following with a devious smirk, “So why not have a little fun with it?”
“Just to be crystal clear, we’re fiancés now, right?” Helen asked, and Ani grinned and nodded quickly as he took the ring out of the box and gently slid it on Helen’s finger. Helen then returned the favor, smiling up at him the whole time.
“There. Now it’s official.” She leaned forward, taking his face in her hands and kissing him, which he fervently returned, as the breeze blew their hair and the heat radiated off of his cheeks. When they pulled back, Anakyn waved his phone again. “How’d you want to do this then, my beautiful fiancé?” At the word, Helen giggled, beaming widely as he continued. “Cute?” He made a kissy face and pointed the camera at them. “Sweet? I know some really sweet poses we could do. Or maybe, romantic? Should we both post something separately on social media about each other? Troll the fuck out of all of Panem and post pictures of the rings and nothing else? Sexy? Scandalous? I don’t mind.” He winked at her, and Helen teasingly swatted at his arm. “What’s your first order, soldier?”
“Well, my handsome fiancé,” Helen started, smiling widely at how he laughed happily at the word. “We have to go public with a stir,” she said. “Let’s troll the hell out of the nation.” She held out her hand, and they exchanged a wild grin as he put his hand in and took the picture of their rings together.
“Just put the date we started dating and today. Be sure to tag me!”
Anakyn grinned. “This country’s got a big storm coming.”
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