Maintenance

Summary: Follows Fighting For Love. Sejanus makes his paddle and receives his first maintenance punishment. Lucy Gray and Coriolanus talk about what will happen if either of them break the established rules
Warning(s): Spanking with a paddle; spoilers for The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes; AU; references to violence; discussions of BDSM; possessive behaviour

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Lucy Gray had to admit, she was surprised by just how easily Sejanus had taken to making the paddle Coriolanus was going to use for his maintenance spankings.

It wasn't that much of a surprise that Sejanus was good at working with his hands. Unlike most of the people in the Capitol, Sejanus had been raised in the Districts. He was used to physical labour; more used than Coriolanus was, even though the man they both loved was getting more used to it with every day they lived at District 13.

Lucy Gray was watching as Sejanus carefully sanded the paddle. It wasn't too large; the handle would fit Coriolanus' hand perfectly. It was thin, but not so thin that a solid blow would cause it to break. It was sturdy and as Sejanus sanded it down, it was obvious it would be a perfect tool for the job.

Shifting position slightly, to make herself more comfortable, she asked softly, "Are you going to carve any writing into the paddle? Something that will help remind you who you belong to and what you shouldn't do in the future?"

Sejanus hesitated, glancing up at her. "Coriolanus didn't tell me to do that. Do you think I should? Do you think it would make him happy?"

Lucy Gray could have pointed out that what would make Coriolanus truly happy was if Sejanus took more care in keeping himself safe. That was the whole point behind the maintenance spankings, after all. None of them could risk a repeat of what had happened when Sejanus had been forced into the arena. So far, they'd been fortunate in that it seemed Doctor Gaul didn't suspect anything. But all it would take was one misstep, one wrong move, for her to realise and make a move against them.

"What do you think I should carve on it?" Sejanus had taken a knife out and held it just above the paddle's surface, looking at her inquiringly.

She thought about it, but she didn't have to for long. There was only one thing that she knew would work. One thing that would fit the most. "Snow." She rose to her feet and walked over to point at the middle of the paddle. "Carve the word Snow into the wood here. You're his property, after all. Every time you look at it, every time he uses it on you, it'll make you think of that. It'll make you remember."

He nodded slowly and took a deep breath. "I think you're right. That's what I thought when she captured me. That I belonged to Coriolanus. I knew he'd come for me. I...." His voice trailed off. "I know I hurt him. Physically, as well as emotionally. I just wish I could remember."

She placed a hand on his arm and squeezed gently. "You don't want to remember what you went through. It won't help you to learn anything. And all it'll do is give you nightmares as well."

Sejanus winced visibly. He didn't need to ask her about the nightmares; they'd been sleeping alongside Coriolanus when the other man had woken up sweating and biting his lips until they bled, so that he didn't risk disturbing anyone else with his cries. "I...I know it was hard on him. Hard on you," he whispered. "You're right. I think...no, I know I need to be reminded. I can't put either of you through that pain again."

She nodded and leaned in, brushing a tender kiss against his lips before she stepped back to watch him work.

It didn't take him long to carve out SNOW into the surface of the paddle. Then, he began to polish and varnish the wood...turning it into a smooth, dark mahogany shade. Finally, he placed it carefully on the workbench and looked at her. "It just needs to dry now. Then it'll be ready...." He swallowed, his voice faltering a bit. "Coriolanus didn't say when the maintenance spankings would start. Do you...do you think he'd do the first one tonight? So that I don't have to have it hanging over my head for even longer?"

"I'm sure he'll make the best decision for both of you." She reached out and took his hand, squeezing it gently. "You've been cooped up inside for too long. We should go out. Spend a bit of time together. Maybe have something to eat." She framed his face in both hands and pressed another tender kiss against his lips.

When she pulled back, he looked a bit dazed, like he couldn't quite catch his thoughts. "Yeah. I think...you're right? The paddle should be safe enough here."

Her smile was reassuring as she gripped his hand and led him outside their small hut.

There were a few residents of District 13 walking around, including the children Corioalanus had rescued from the arena...and their families. Lucy Gray didn't know what kind of story had been told to explain away their disappearance. Perhaps it had been left a mystery...which was likely for the best, even if too many mysteries had a way of drawing the wrong kind of attention.

"Do you think Coriolanus went fishing?" Sejanus asked, looking around at the rest of the people.

"Probably. Or he's meeting with Cutter or one of the others." She shrugged. "I know he wants to figure out a way to bring Tigris here, so she'll be safe. Especially now that Doctor Gaul will be suspicious of him." She couldn't blame Coriolanus for wanting to save the family he had left. If there was anyone left in District 12 who Lucy Gray thought would be in danger from her not being there, she wouldn't hesitate to find a way to get them safely to District 13."

"I hope he finds a way to bring her here," Sejanus murmured. "He gave up a lot to be here with us. I just...really hope that he can get something back."

She nodded, understanding what he meant, and glanced over her shoulder as she heard the sound of footsteps approaching them.

It was Coriolanus, heading towards them with a selection of fish in hand. When he caught her eye, he gave her a quick smile that reached his eyes, and strode towards them both. "I caught a good haul," he said. "We should be able to eat plenty and still have some left over to share with anyone else who's hungry." When he reached them, he leaned in and kissed Lucy Gray, then Sejanus.

"How did you sleep?" Sejanus asked, watching Coriolanus closely.

"Only one bad dream. It could have been worse." Coriolanus shrugged and headed inside their hut, still carrying the fish in hand.

Lucy Gray followed her two mates a little slower, wondering if Sejanus had noticed the same thing she had. Coriolanus sounded like he was fine, but there were dark circles under his eyes. And even if Sejanus was unaware...Lucy Gray knew Coriolanus had had more than one bad dream. She'd held him in the darkness while he clung to her, his shoulders shaking with the sobs he refused to let escape him.

Maybe they needed to have a conversation about hiding things from each other....

Inside the hut, Coriolanus moved over to their tiny kitchen area and began to prepare the fish. Lucy Gray quickly moved over to take the knife from him and gave him a gentle smile. "Let me take care of gutting them, Love. You went out and caught them for us, after all. Sit down and let Sejanus take care of you," she soothed.

Moving forward, Sejanus reached out and took Coriolanus' hand. He guided their mate towards the seats and when Coriolanus sat down, he curled up as close to the other man as it was possible to get, his head on Coriolanus' chest...like he was listening to his heartbeat.

A tiny, fond smile came across Lucy Gray's lips as she watched the two men giving each other affection. It didn't take her long to finish gutting and de-boning the fish. She then cut off the heads and tails, slicing the fish up and dropping the pieces into a boiling pot. She added dried herbs to the pot and let it simmer over the fire, every so often stirring the stew.

There was a quiet, peaceful silence that descended over the three of them. Very quickly, the smell of cooking fish permeated the hut.

Lucy Gray watched Coriolanus and Sejanus cuddle together as she waited for the stew to cook. When it was finally ready, she filled three bowls and carried them over to her two lovers, passing them a bowl each and keeping one for herself.

Coriolanus shifted enough and Lucy Gray settled on their laps, leaning up to kiss first Coriolanus and then Sejanus before she began eating.

For the next few minutes, they sat in comfortable silence, just enjoying each other's company. The stew was hot and filling and once she'd finished, Lucy Gray set her bowl down and then just let herself cuddle against the two of them, her eyes half-closing in contentment.

They continued to sit there in silence, Coriolanus' hands on both of them, cuddling each close to him. He finally spoke, his warm breath ghosting over Lucy Gray's skin. "You finished the paddle?"

"I did," Sejanus confirmed. "I...I don't know when you want to give me my first maintenance paddling, but I'm healed fully from the switching. And I...I'd rather get it over with as quickly as possible. I know how much I hurt you with what I did, and I want you to do whatever it takes to make sure I never do something so foolish again. I'm so sorry," he whispered.

Lucy Gray heard the hitch in Sejanus' voice and she winced. It was obvious that all of them were affected by what had happened...and she could understand that Sejanus didn't want to risk doing something that would hurt them again. Maybe there wouldn't be any way of healing Coriolanus from the wounds Sejanus had inflicted on him...but surely the other man submitting and allowing himself to be punished, to be humbled, would help. Even if just a little bit.

Coriolanus drew his breath in slowly and kissed the side of Sejanus' neck. "Okay." He gently squeezed Lucy Gray's waist. "Do you want to stay in here, darling? Or would you rather step outside and wait for us to be finished?"

"I'll stay." It wasn't that she enjoyed seeing Sejanus in pain, although she couldn't deny that she got a little bit of satisfaction out of seeing him brought down by Coriolanus...especially after what he'd done. But if she was there and things got too hard for either of them, she hoped she'd be able to step in and help them get past it.

"Okay." Coriolanus kissed her gently, then patted Sejanus' hip lightly. "Get up. Take your clothes off."

"All of them?" Sejanus asked, his voice dropping slightly.

"All of them," Coriolanus confirmed.

Nodding slightly, Sejanus stood up. He didn't show any hesitation or embarrassment when he began to slowly remove hi clothing, folding each piece neatly and putting it away.

Lucy Gray rose to her feet and turned to watch as Coriolanus stood and walked over to where the paddle rested. He picked it up and looked over the implement, tracing a finger over the word carved into its surface, and took a few practice swings through the air. Looking up, he caught Sejanus' eye. "You did a really good job on this. Well done."

"Thank you." Sejanus lit up at the praise, a hesitant smile appearing on his face before he straightened and asked, "Do you want me to bend over the chair?"

"No. You're going to lay across my lap." Coriolanus returned to the two-seater and sat down. He patted his lap and waited.

Sejanus didn't hesitate. He walked over to Coriolanus' side and leaned forward, positioning himself over the other man's knees. He shifted enough to get comfortable and then reached his hands out.

Lucy Gray moved forward and settled at Sejanus' head, then took his hands in both of hers. She leaned forward and kissed his forehead. "We've got you," she whispered reassuringly. "Everything will be all right."

"I love you...I love you both...so much!" Tears filled Sejanus' eyes.

"We love you too." She squeezed his hands gently, even as she watched Coriolanus raise the paddle and then bring it down in a firm swat at the top of Sejanus' backside.

Immediately, Sejanus drew his breath in sharply. A tiny whimper escaped his lips and his body shifted slightly.

Coriolanus didn't say anything, because really, what was there to say? Sejanus knew what he'd done wrong. He knew why he was being given this paddling. So there was no need for Coriolanus to scold him...to point out what he'd done wrong.

They all knew what they'd come so close to losing.

Lucy Gray gripped Sejanus' hands tighter as Coriolanus continued to bring the paddle down. Each crack of wood impacting flesh resounded through the hut, accompanied by a whimper, gasp or cry from Sejanus. His body shifted, but he made no attempt to get away from the strokes, or to pull his hands free of Lucy Gray's hold. There were tears already in his eyes, and it only took a few strokes from the paddle to encourage them to fall.

A short while after the paddling started, Coriolanus began to speak, although he didn't stop or even slow the paddling. "I will not allow you to take yourself away from me, Sejanus. Even if it's through your own actions, I won't lose you. Do you understand me?"

"Yes." Sejanus whimpered out the word, his breath hitching as the tears ran down his cheeks. "Yessir. I understand. I won't do anything that will risk taking me away from you! I promise." The declaration was fierce, even through the tears.

When Lucy Gray raised her eyes to Coriolanus' face, she saw that there were tears glistening in his own eyes too. He continued to bring the paddle down, each strike impacting Sejanus' skin firmly, but he'd lessened the force behind the strikes a fraction. Now, he spoke in a voice that was serious...nearly stern. "I'm going to hold you to that promise, Sejanus. If you break it, you won't just be facing a paddling every week. You'll be facing one every day. If that's what it'll take to stop your reckless behaviour and make it clear who you belong to." He moved the paddle a bit lower and began to bring it down against his thighs.

Sejanus yelped loudly and squirmed a fraction before his body went limp and he began to sob more forcefully.

As soon as Sejanus' body had gone limp, Coriolanus put the paddle to one side. Then, he carefully leaned down and helped Sejanus up, tugging the other man onto his lap and wrapping his arms around him tightly. "I love you. So much," he murmured.

Lucy Gray settled next to Coriolanus, wrapping her arms around Sejanus and pressing in close to both of them. She kissed Sejanus' damp cheek.

It took several long minutes, but Sejanus' tears finally slowed and then died down completely. Sniffling quietly, he nuzzled into Coriolanus and then Lucy Gray. "I really am sorry," he whispered, his voice hoarse with emotion.

"I don't want you to be sorry." Coriolanus moved his hand to the nape of Sejanus' neck and squeezed it firmly. "I want you to keep yourself safe. I don't want to risk losing you again. And if that means taking you over my knee every single day, that's exactly what I'll do," he said seriously.

"Okay." Sejanus drew in a deep, almost shaky breath. "I understand. I'll be good."

They sat there in silence for a few more minutes, the three of them cuddling and holding onto each other. Lucy Gray was reluctant to break the peace that had fallen, but she thought it was important to make sure they all knew where they stood in the relationship. "What about if one of us breaks the rules?" she asked quietly.

"What do you mean?" Sejanus' voice was still a bit hoarse.

Instead of responding with words, Lucy Gray stood up. She walked over to fill a cup with water and then brought it back over, encouraging Sejanus to drink.

While Sejanus was drinking the water, Coriolanus spoke up. "You have a good point about the rules. They probably should apply to all three of us...even if Sejanus is the one more likely to do something reckless and dangerous."

"You did kill the Mayor's daughter." Sejanus had finished the water and curled against Coriolanus' chest, blinking a few times. "That wasn't necessary. I know it was triggered by what I did...but I do think there could have been a better way that didn't end with her dead."

"She made sure Lucy Gray's name was picked at the reaping ceremony," Coriolanus said. "If she'd lived, she would have done something to hurt her. Or you. I wasn't going to take that chance." He looked towards Lucy Gray...as if trying to see if she agreed with him.

Lucy Gray bit her lip. She wasn't sure if she agreed that killing Mayfair was the right thing to do, even though she knew that the other woman would have done so much worse. They didn't have to kill anyone...outside of the arena, of course.

"Lucy Gray?" Coriolanus was watching her.

She made herself smile and leaned in to kiss his cheek. "She was dangerous. But maybe Sejanus was right. Maybe there could have been a different, better way other than killing her." She sighed. "But it's too late now. What's done is done."

"Two people were executed for her death," Sejanus whispered.

Silence descended over them. It wasn't really comforting anymore, even though it wasn't as tense as it could have been.

Coriolanus looked away, as if he couldn't make eye contact with either of them. He still had his arms wrapped around Sejanus; he wasn't pulling away physically, even if he was distancing himself emotionally. "There's nothing I can do to bring them back. I can't bring her back."

Lucy Gray nodded. She might not have agreed with his actions back in District 12, but he was also right that it was too late to do anything about them. Still.... "We might be in agreement that we can't change the past, but I think we should have an agreement about none of us being above the rules. If Sejanus is going to be punished if he does something reckless or dangerous, it only seems fair that the same thing happens to all of us."

"That seems fair," Sejanus whispered.

Coriolanus nodded slowly, letting his hands rub gently up and down Sejanus' bare skin. "I guess I can't argue with that." He hesitated, opening his mouth as if he was about to say something...but then closed it again. After a moment, he said, "We should also add lying to the list of offences that will get a punishment. Maybe not a spanking, not if it's a small offence, but some kind of punishment. Like standing in the corner."

"Or mouth soaping," Lucy Gray suggested. "If it's a small lie. I can tell you from experience, the taste of soap is not pleasant."

"You've been in this kind of relationship before?" Coriolanus tensed up visibly.

"My mama," she said softly. "She never liked being lied to. Said that honesty and trust was important. Why do you think I can't stand being lied to now?"

Coriolanus relaxed visibly and drew in a deep breath before he nodded. "Very well. Mouth soaping or corner time as a punishment for lying, as long as the lie isn't a big one. We've already agreed that dangerous behaviour will earn a spanking. The severity of the spanking depends on how dangerous the behaviour is." He let his lips rest gently against Sejanus' head as he murmured, "Maybe we should also discuss limits. Any implements or punishments that one of us can't handle."

Sejanus shifted slightly. "I...can I say that when you don't touch me during a punishment, it really hurts emotionally? I don't need to be over your knee each time...I know that sometimes the implements don't make that easy...but you not touching me at all really distresses me."

"I think I'd struggle with that, too." Lucy Gray nodded. "I don't think there are any implements that worry or scare me, though."

"I don't think I could stand being caned," Coriolanus admitted. "It would feel too much like being back at the Academy. Other than that...." He shrugged. "I might find it hard to submit to either of you, at least to begin with. I'm not used to giving up that kind of control to anyone."

"We can deal with that as it comes." Lucy Gray leaned forward and kissed his cheek. "For now, we at least know what each of us can't handle. And we know that each of us answers to each other. I think that's important." She kissed Sejanus gently on the lips and murmured, "I think two of us are wearing too many clothes...."

Sejanus sat up, a slightly impish gleam coming into his eyes. "Maybe I can help you both with that."

The rest of the day would pass peacefully for them.

The End