Coriolanus

I'm not sure why I replay the video again. I know exactly what happens in it and just seeing it makes me angry. Maybe part of me is hoping it'll vanish if I press replay and I'll never have to see it again.

The video shows Fawkes Chau and Manel Lobos kissing on the roof of the Training Centre. And it's all over the internet. Everyone knows. Plutarch called me up to tell me that rebel hackers from District 3 had somehow gained access to the gamemakers' security footage and leaked the video.

I can only hope they didn't know I was planning to put Chau up for sale, that they had another motive. Maybe they intended to humiliate him, or expose his relationship with Lobos to the homophobes of District 10. I imagine if the rebels of Three knew about my victor prostitution scheme, they'd be doing more than just leaking one video of CCTV footage.

But they also ought to know that most of the people of District 10 have no access to the internet and are still unaware of the news.

Whatever the rebels' motive, I'll now have to live with the consequences of their actions. The Capitol exploded with excitement the moment that video appeared on the internet. Everyone seems to be obsessing over the new celebrity couple. It's clear that there'll be public outrage if they ever break up.

I'll never make another denarii from selling Lobos or Chau. I must admit defeat. I have to make the most of the new situation. The two victors are a couple. The people of the Capitol seem to love them together. There has to be a way I can use them.

I need to get them both on a stage as soon as possible.

Manel

"Is he alive?" I ask.

I've just woken up. I haven't even sat up or checked to see if there's anyone there to hear me. I just want to know if Fawkes is alive.

"He is," Snow says, from somewhere in the room. "The Quell's over. He won."

"What?" I ask, sitting bolt upright. This must be a dream. I must still be under the influence of whatever drugs the Capitol has been pumping into my body. "I missed the entire Quell?"

"Mr Chau's victory ceremony will be broadcast tomorrow. I'll have the Avoxes bring a TV to your room. I suggest you pay close attention. You'll need to be caught up before your guest appearance at his final interview."

"How long was I here?" I ask. I can't believe I was unconscious for the entire Quell. Was my face that badly damaged?

"A week," Snow says.

A week. If that was how long it took Fawkes to win the Quell and get out of the Remake Centre, he must be okay. Hope flares up inside me. I can feel tears of joy in my eyes.

"I didn't come here to watch you cry, Lobos," Snow snaps. "I have something important to show you."

He holds out a screen to me. It shows what looks like CCTV footage. There are two boys kissing on a rooftop in front of millions of city lights. I can feel a weight settle in my stomach. It's me and Fawkes, three years ago, the night we met.

"You're not supposed to see that," I say, my voice tight. "That was our moment. Nobody else is meant to see that!"

"It was leaked on the internet an hour or so after the Quell ended," Snow says. "Everyone in the Capitol has seen it. Probably a good portion of people in the districts have seen it, too. You and Chau are the new Star-Crossed Lovers. Do you know what that means?"

I shake my head, tears streaming down my face. I feel like the entire country is invading my privacy. They all know about me and Fawkes. I remember the last thing Fawkes told me before the peacekeepers dragged me away.

He said he wanted to leave me.

And when I begged him to stay, he never gave me an answer.

I know my relationship with Fawkes is in danger. Maybe next time I see him he'll tell me he still wants me and we can try to fix things between us. Maybe he'll tell me he doesn't and I'll have to work on letting him go and moving on. Either way, having all of Panem watching us and scrutinising every move we make will make things a million times harder.

"You two are to remain together for the rest of your lives," Snow says. "You are not allowed to break up. One day, you will have a big celebrity wedding to entertain the people."

"No," I say. I didn't want it to be like this. I didn't want Snow getting involved in my relationship with Fawkes. I wanted us both to have a choice. I'd be happy to spend the rest of my life with Fawkes but I know he might want to leave me and I don't want him being forced into this.

"No?" Snow asks.

"Fawkes might not love me," I say. "He said he wanted to leave me, last time we talked."

Snow smiles, wickedly.

"That's funny," he says. "I spoke to your Fawkes just after my peacekeepers took you away and he seemed to be absolutely devoted to you. He tried to threaten me into letting you go from your contract even if he died in the Quell. So I told him I was going to force you to sign a contract that bound you for the rest of your life. But do you know what he did? He said he'd sign the contract. He was willing to let me sell him for the rest of his life just so you could be free."

"What?" I ask. "Fawkes… was willing to do that? For me?"

Snow nods.

Suddenly, I can't breathe. I'm overwhelmed by the realisation that Fawkes was prepared to do something truly selfless for me. Because I've always thought of Fawkes as a selfish person. Part of me wanted him because he was selfish, because I wanted someone with that cut-throat desire to succeed on my side. I had no idea what it would take to get him to something selfless.

But now I realise what it takes. Fawkes cares about me. If he didn't care, he wouldn't have agreed to let Snow sell him in my place.

And, I realise, he wouldn't have tried to push me away because he believed that I deserved better than him.

"I need to talk to him," I say. Because that's the only way to know for sure. That's the only way I can convince Fawkes to stop punishing himself and let me love him. "I need to see Fawkes."

"You will," Snow says. "In two days, when he gives his interview."

"That's too long," I say. "I need to see him now. Please!"

Snow shakes his head. "You'll have to wait. Be thankful you don't have to wait forever."

He leaves. I make a move to follow him only to find my legs are strapped to the bed. I'm still a prisoner.

The next two days are going to be torture.

Knowing what you know about Plutarch - that he's involved in the rebellion - do you think he told Snow the truth? Perhaps he leaked the video of Fawkes and Manel because, even though his rebellion failed, he can still cost Snow some money, and he used the rebels as a cover story…

Also, Manel is beginning to have hope that his relationship with Fawkes might work out. And it actually might, since Fawkes actually cares about Manel. I feel a bit bad for saying this version of Fawkes is the most evil because I've realised that, aside from killing Binah and Ernest (and possibly some of the things he does in the Quell) he doesn't really do anything evil this story. I think it's because the other two main characters in this story are Snow and Manel and they bring out his good side by either being more evil than him or by motivating him to do selfless things. I've got some evil things planned for him in a different story in this AU so you might need to wait a bit but I'll get to evil Fawkes eventually.