Hunger Games ficlet: "Satiation"
Title: Satiation (no need to eat now)
Author: Keenir.
Characters/Pairing: President Snow, announcer, Katniss, Peeta.
Rating: PG-13.
Category:
Spoilers: The Big Dang Movie.
Summary: What if that final announcement hadn’t been made?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Attention, attention, Tributes,” the announcer’s voice said. “There has been a -” and the voice stopped abruptly.
Peeta looked at Katniss, his eyes full of questions as to what that might mean.
They said it for a reason, Katniss thought to herself. “Wait,” she said, though her muscles were already tensed to reach for something - habit.
They waited. And the viewers waited with baited breath to see what they would do.
***
“Mr. President,” he said, wondering why his disclaimer had been interrupted. He was just following tradition in making sure there was only a single winner, after all.
“That won’t be necessary,” President Snow said.
“Sir?”
“Your attempt. I must say, I’m disappointed - given your study and narration of so many Hunger Games, their picking up the poison berries could not have escaped your notice. Nor could you have overlooked the deathly grips both our survivors maintain on anything they perceive as potentially useful.”
“Sir, I was just -”
“Did you really think it would succeed?” President Snow asked, and received no answer. Had the girl wished the boy dead, she could have fired an arrow into him while he was a hostage, thereby feeding her only remaining compeditors to the muttations. And every time the boy has had the opportunity to kill her, he’s always had another option, even when, such as now, that option is to die. No, we will not have a victorless Games, nor will we stop the inevitable. We will not have to.
With the barest of nods to the Peacekeepers, Snow says, “Leave him to feast from the same bowl as Seneca. Who knows, perhaps they will provide after-Game entertainment,” with a light chuckle.
***
Haymitch shook his head and chuckled, wondering what dunderhead had tried to issue a retraction whose only conceivable purpose would be to back the Tributes into a wall, which would force them to unwittingly show up the Capitol. “So smart they’re stupid,” Haymitch muttered.
Effie made one of her noises that was just shy of - yet again - admonishing him with that “Manners!” of hers.
***
Katniss and Peeta saw it written in the sky while they heard President Snow’s voice from the speakers: “Congratulations, District Twelve. Winners of this year’s Hunger Games.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The end
Author: Keenir.
Characters/Pairing: President Snow, announcer, Katniss, Peeta.
Rating: PG-13.
Category:
Spoilers: The Big Dang Movie.
Summary: What if that final announcement hadn’t been made?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Attention, attention, Tributes,” the announcer’s voice said. “There has been a -” and the voice stopped abruptly.
Peeta looked at Katniss, his eyes full of questions as to what that might mean.
They said it for a reason, Katniss thought to herself. “Wait,” she said, though her muscles were already tensed to reach for something - habit.
They waited. And the viewers waited with baited breath to see what they would do.
***
“Mr. President,” he said, wondering why his disclaimer had been interrupted. He was just following tradition in making sure there was only a single winner, after all.
“That won’t be necessary,” President Snow said.
“Sir?”
“Your attempt. I must say, I’m disappointed - given your study and narration of so many Hunger Games, their picking up the poison berries could not have escaped your notice. Nor could you have overlooked the deathly grips both our survivors maintain on anything they perceive as potentially useful.”
“Sir, I was just -”
“Did you really think it would succeed?” President Snow asked, and received no answer. Had the girl wished the boy dead, she could have fired an arrow into him while he was a hostage, thereby feeding her only remaining compeditors to the muttations. And every time the boy has had the opportunity to kill her, he’s always had another option, even when, such as now, that option is to die. No, we will not have a victorless Games, nor will we stop the inevitable. We will not have to.
With the barest of nods to the Peacekeepers, Snow says, “Leave him to feast from the same bowl as Seneca. Who knows, perhaps they will provide after-Game entertainment,” with a light chuckle.
***
Haymitch shook his head and chuckled, wondering what dunderhead had tried to issue a retraction whose only conceivable purpose would be to back the Tributes into a wall, which would force them to unwittingly show up the Capitol. “So smart they’re stupid,” Haymitch muttered.
Effie made one of her noises that was just shy of - yet again - admonishing him with that “Manners!” of hers.
***
Katniss and Peeta saw it written in the sky while they heard President Snow’s voice from the speakers: “Congratulations, District Twelve. Winners of this year’s Hunger Games.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The end