WINGS - Coriolanus Snow

THIRTEEN

LUCY GRAY WAS OUT buying food for her best friend. Aria had come to District 12 with a decent amount of money, allowing for Lucy Gray to buy some delicacies for the two to snack on, and hopefully mend Aria's broken heart, at least for a little while. There wasn't much variety to choose from in District 12, but luckily Lucy Gray knew of a bakery with the most amazing cakes. She was just about to walk in before a voice came from behind her.

"Excuse me?" It was a dark-haired boy in a Peacekeepers uniform, sporting a buzz cut. "This is a little awkward, but I'm here on behalf of Coriolanus."

Lucy Gray was conflicted at first. She was worried about what Aria might think, but then she decided it was best to hear him out. In her opinion, what had happened the previous day was all a misunderstanding. Coriolanus seemed to genuinely care for Aria, but after all the stress she'd been through over the last couple months on top of the experiences with boys that she'd had in the past, she was a little uneasy, cautious of trusting Coriolanus, even though she knew he'd be good to her.

"What do you need?" Lucy Gray asked.

"I need you to get Aria to talk to him. He's a good guy, y'know. All he's talked about since the day I met him is Aria. Seriously, I probably know more about her than you," he said, smiling a little at the thought of Coriolanus's obsession with Aria.

"What's your name?" Lucy Gray asked, curious.

"Bug," he replied.

Lucy Gray laughed. "What a silly name."

"It's not my real name. I don't use the real one anymore, not since I joined the Peacekeepers. Anyway, just give this to Aria, please," Bug stuck out a folded piece of paper, with Aria written carefully on the front.

"Will do," Lucy Gray replied before stepping into the bakery, leaving Bug to walk away and tell the news to Coriolanus.

When Bug walked through the door, Coriolanus bombarded him with questions.

"How'd it go? Did you find her? Did she take the letter? Did she look okay to you, not sad, or crying or anything?"

"If you don't stop asking me questions, I'll go take the letter back and rip it up," Bug hissed impatiently. Woke up on the wrong side of the bed, apparently.

"Sorry, sorry. So you gave it to her?"

"No, I could only find her friend, but she agreed to pass on the letter."

This was good news, but Coriolanus still spent his evening fretting about it. What if Aria refused to read his letter, or what if she still never wanted to see him again? Maybe he'd already ruined his chances, and giving her this letter was just going to make it worse.

"Do you think I should've given it to Aria myself, instead of letting Bug pass it on to Lucy Gray?" he asked Sejanus.

"No, she probably would've slapped you," Sejanus chuckled, "but I'm sure when she reads the letter you'll be forgiven, my friend."

Coriolanus looked around at all the crumpled balls of paper from his failed writing attempts. "I hope so."

Lucy Gray arrived home with an assortment of 'treats'. By her standards, the food was fit for a king; a real feast.

"Aria, I'm back!" she called out, walking over to where Aria sat. "I got us a cake and a couple loaves of bread," she stated proudly.

"Thank you," Aria said, smiling up at her friend.

"Oh, and before I forget, I need you to read this for me," Lucy Gray told her, not mentioning the fact that it was from
Coriolanus.

"What is it?" Aria asked.