Dubious consent due to the nature of their relationship.

Thanks to Harrisonslove on AO3 for putting this idea in my head and inspiring me to write this fluffy and smutty hurt/comfort story.

Set after 'What You Have To Offer', specifically set shortly after the 'I Live To Serve' oneshot. You don't necessarily need to have read either of those to follow the plot, but if you've previously read any of my other works I'm glad to have you back for more Beth/Snow.

Enjoy!

The bedroom was dark, the little light provided by the moon and the stars was drowned out by the thick curtains. It was quiet except for Beth's heavy breathing cutting through the silence. Her eyes shot open and focused on the ceiling while she tried her best to calm herself. Beth could feel her heartbeat pounding in her head as waves of nausea rolled over her whole body. Getting a good rest had become harder and harder over the last days as the 73rd Hunger Games drew ever closer and loomed around the corner like a dark cloud. The feelings she thought she had dealt with were resurfacing and building up in what Beth thought had to be preparation to hit her full force on the day of the reaping.

Beth turned her head slowly on the pillow, the other side of the bed was empty and cold - she had only half expected to see her husband beside her, still his absence disappointed her. There was no clock visible but it must have been at least a couple hours ago that Beth had excused herself to get some well needed rest while Snow had retired to his study to take yet another important call. The covers rustled softly when Beth pulled them off her body and swung her legs off the bed.

A shiver ran through Beth as her feet met the cold stone floor. The unrelenting feeling of restlessness that kept plaguing her lately had Beth walking through the presidential palace at all hours of the night in an attempt to get her mind off things. Beth was sure that Snow was still in his office, most nights Snow went to bed at nothing short of ungodly hours, sometimes she wondered if he slept at all. Beth had no idea how he did it, the sleep deprivation was starting to tear at the foundation of her very being. Her muscles were aching in protest as she pulled herself up and out of bed, the lack of rest had made its way into every fiber of her body.

The cool air felt soothing on Beth's hot skin as it crept through her thin nightgown and the soft noises of her feet pattering against the floors echoed through the big halls of the mansion. In the middle of the night the mansion seemed like a void offering nothing but calming darkness to anyone who happened to be making their way through it. It was the complete opposite to the never ending hustle and bustle that was usually going on during the day. A few seconds later Beth entered the library with a sharp turn but was stopped in her tracks by the soft light of a turned-on lamp illuminating the far left corner of the library. Beth hesitated, listening intently, trying to determine whether she would be met with company or not. After a few moments of careful consideration she decided that someone must have simply forgotten to turn the lamp off when they left.

Beth mindlessly strolled through the rows of bookshelves, her hand brushing along the spines of the books as she walked. The feeling of something palpable against her skin grounded her, her spiraling thoughts being pushed to the back of her mind as her focus shifted. Deep breath after deep breath forced Beth to concentrate on the present while she closed her eyes. Linen, leather, paper - the materials under her fingertips. Wood and smoke, a floral scent, something sweet reminiscent of vanilla - the smell dancing around her nose. The distant and calming white noise of an old building settling in for the night, the soft humming of the light, buzzing with electricity, that was growing louder as Beth slowly closed the distance between herself and it - the sounds that reached her ears. Beth could feel her pounding heart calm as she came to a stop at the far end of the library.

A pile of books was left on the small table, some of them open. Beth reasoned that whoever had left the lamp on must have left in a hurry. The old volumes were bound in thick leather that was worn down by its age - green. The lamp was bathing the corner in a warm light - yellow.

Beth's fingers were about to touch the open page when a soft noise behind her startled her, made her turn around, and her heartbeat once again quickened. Beth looked like a deer caught in the headlights, her mind once again racing, her stomach once again churning, as her eyes met Snow's. It seemed her assumptions about the library being unoccupied had been wrong - red.

Beth felt as if she was shrinking under his gaze and her breathing became labored as he looked her up and down. A small step back made her bump into the side of the table, the sound of it was unreasonably loud, before Beth stopped dead in her tracks. She felt like she had been caught doing something she shouldn't, even though she knew she hadn't done anything wrong. She lived here the same as he did, she had every right to be up and around at whatever hour of the day - or night - she pleased, so why did it feel so wrong? Beth stole a passing glimpse at Snow's face before she firmly trained her eyes on the floor. She'd never thought that she would find her naked toes digging into the thick carpet as interesting as she was pretending they were at that moment. But she simply couldn't bear looking at him.

The silence made Beth's breathing sound even louder while she struggled to come up with an excuse to leave as fast as she could.

Snow had not expected to find his wife wandering through the library at this hour, let alone in the state she seemed to be in. Her nightgown was clinging to her trembling body and her efforts to hide her hands behind her back did little to mask the fact that they were shaking. Beth's eyes, still focused on her feet, looked tired, her skin looked unhealthily pale and the shadow cast over her face made the bags under her eyes stand out even more and made her look sickly. Snow had been busy but still the slight change in her demeanor over the last weeks had not been lost on him. He knew that Beth had done her best to hide it, admirably so, and she had without fault succeeded when it was important, but Snow could tell that every once in a while the cracks in her facade appeared faster than she could mend them. Of course he had had his opinions on potential reasons, the upcoming Games being the more than likely culprit. The long lasting effects of the Games could be denied, ignored, swept under the rug, nonetheless they existed. Snow saw them as one of many necessary evils that he couldn't care less about, his conscience was clean and still his chest tightened uncomfortably when Beth's lip quivered before she bit down on it hard in an effort to keep it still.

A sharp inhale forced itself into Beth's lungs when the palm of Snow's hand gently caressed Beth's cheek. She shook her head barely enough to be noticed in an attempt to get away from him. Her mind was screaming at her that he couldn't see her like this, not after everything. She had worked too hard to hide her fears and worries from him, she couldn't put herself in such a vulnerable position now, couldn't put herself at this much of a disadvantage. Beth was sure he would see her state as nothing but a disgrace to herself, to him, and to their mutual agreement.

When Beth finally looked up at him though she was met with something unexpected. His facial expression was soft, his eyes showing something resembling hurt. But that couldn't be, could it? And when Snow finally spoke the tone of his voice caressed her just as his hand did and his words carried concern.

'Have you been getting enough sleep?'

They both knew the answer to that question, it was written all over Beth's tired face. The question wasn't a mere question, it was an invitation. Again Beth's lip quivered, making her bite down harder, the flesh turning white. Somehow his reaction was worse than anything Beth could have imagined, his sincerity made everything worse.

'I'm fine… I'm sorry I interrupted… I'm f…' Beth's voice was too shaky to finish her sentence. She shook her head, whether it was her body calling her out on her lie or to once again try to escape the pitiful situation she had found herself in was to remain a mystery. Again she tried to make her point. 'I'm fine…'

It was like her own words had opened the floodgates. Tears that Beth had been working so hard to keep to herself started to stream down her cheeks uncontrollable. When she tried yet again to take a step back the back of Beth's knees hit the table again which only made the tears stream faster. She was just so exhausted, so tired, and felt so weak - red hot agony.