love around the edges / kieran & paige
Apr 23, 2022 14:58:07 GMT -5
Post by umber vivuus 12b 🥀 [dars] on Apr 23, 2022 14:58:07 GMT -5
MAYOR KIERAN EMBERSTATT They’ve seen a lot together over the years, Kieran and the girl he’s been in love with since he was fifteen. Victors and tributes and marriages and pregnancies and children and also elections and illnesses and fights and silences. He’s glad for every second now, standing on the other side of it and looking back. Emerson is one year away from being in the reaping- Kieran’s options on what to do these days are limited. He couldn’t pull out of the mayoral race or it would look like he was trying not to pick a side in the brewing rebellion, so running for re-election was a must, which meant he would be subjected to another five years living under the public eye, his every movement documented for later use. One misstep and it was game over- Emerson would be the punishment, and Elonna is only two years behind him, Eden only a couple behind her. And that’s only if he wins. If he loses, someone else becomes mayor, hears about the rebellions that’ve been happening in other districts, and Kieran is suddenly the bad guy who held the truth from them. Who lied to them and said it was for their own good. The monster. Winning is a must. However—“I love my wife.” He smiles at her sitting there, braid falling over her shoulder, mustard-yellow shirt four sizes too big and covered in white paint from the kitchen remodel she’s been focuses on for the last two weeks. She knows already— he knows she does. He just doesn’t get tired of saying it. He hopes she isn’t too stressed— he’s been busier than ever and Emerson is almost a teenager, if anything they should be reenforced with backup, not splitting the forces they have. “Eden keeps talking about the zoo trip—” their way of cleverly disguising the need for Kieran’s presence in the Capitol for several meetings on the upcoming weekend. “I bet he’s gonna work with animals when he grows up.” Kieran certainly hoped so, because that meant he would likely be staying in Ten. Truth is that Eden wouldn’t ever dare to travel so far away from his mom regardless— sure, he was only a kid now, but Kieran didn’t see that changing anytime soon. Elonna was easy, because she’d been mentioning raising her own cows since she could speak. Emerson, though… He talks a lot about music, a lot about architecture, and a lot about leaving. He’s the most like his old man in that way, Kieran supposes, desperate to be anywhere else so he can convince himself it’s better. The job there has never been begging him to stay, though, Kieran is only going to let him know he has a home to come back to if he ever wants, when the time comes. “Everybody packed and ready for tomorrow?” |