Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

People poured in through The Capitol’s doors, the scents of strong perfumes and colognes burning Snow’s nostrils. Like the other bars in town, Friday and Saturday were their busiest nights, but tonight was different; The Covey were playing.

Snow didn’t care for most music, preferring to listen to classical and soft rock, earning his position as a top 0.05% fan of The Carpenters on Spotify for the third year in a row. His cousin said The Covey were right up his alley, they would become a band he would love, but he had his doubts. She mentioned their beautiful lead singer too, saying that Barb Azure was a stunner, but from the few glimpses Snow caught of her, she was quite homely.

Besides, he didn’t need a partner. He had his own ambitions and didn’t need to hook up with a girl from the biggest up-and-comers in rock to get where he wanted to be. Why would he risk catching feelings and derailing his future career as an author?

“Snow!” A screeching voice hollered from across the bar. “Snowbird!”

He rolled his eyes, setting the glass he had been cleaning down on to the counter and turning toward the voice. His coworker, Clemensia, showed up off the clock and signaled for him.

“Can we get shots?” She batted her eyelashes at him, which he thought were too dramatic and long, but he kept his comment to himself.

“Anything in particular? Or do you just want me to throw together some shots?” He asked, reaching for the honey whiskey that sat off to the right. Clem’s favorite.

“You know what I love,” she smiled, batting her eyelashes again. “Maybe Fireball for the rest? I don’t really know what any of them like, I just met them tonight!”

By the time he finished pouring her seven shots and she stalked away, his bar filled up. Scantily clad individuals surrounded him, all vying for his attention to get their fix of alcohol before the band took the stage. Sweat poured down his forehead as bodies kept piling in, raising the temperature in the building. A few cheers rang out through the crowd as The Covey started to take their places on stage, who Snow took the occasional glance at. Barb Azure didn’t take her spot at the front of the stage, instead moving her keyboard and microphone back next to the young blond girl that held a guitar.

“We’re changing things up tonight, everyone!” A tall, tan boy spoke into singer’s microphone. “Barb Azure has relinquished her lead singer duties to someone who finally got the confidence to sing! She has a beautiful voice and I’m proud to call her my cousin. Our new lead singer, Miss Lucy Gray Baird!”

A girl stepped out of the crowd in a flowing gray dress that had hints of rainbow tulle sown into it. Her dark curly hair bounced as she got on to the stage, her back to the crowd until a chorus of cheers and the encouragement of the little blond girl made her turn around. Even though his bar sat far away from the stage, he could still make out the dark brown eyeshadow covering her eyelids and the deep red lipstick she had on.

“Good evening everyone, I’m Lucy Gray!” She paused for effect, letting hoots and hollers ring out. “I got the confidence to come up here after Barb Azure took me to the Stevie Nicks concert that happened down the road last week. She’s my biggest inspiration and seeing her live lit a fire in me.”

“Fleetwood Mac forever!” The person yelling sounded vaguely like Clemensia.

“Well, why don’t we start with our classic haunting hit ‘The Hanging Tree?’ Then we’ll get into some covers, I have a couple in mind.” Lucy Gray smiled and the crowd erupted again, their cheers making Snow’s head pound.

‘The Hanging Tree’ was haunting, much like Lucy Gray had claimed. They went into covers of ‘White Rabbit’ and ‘Gold Dust Woman’ afterward, with the latter making the place so silent you could hear a pin drop. Snow even stopped to watch, observing Lucy Gray’s crowd control and the way her and Barb Azure’s voices melded together.

As the final note of the song echoed throughout the bar, the crowd screamed so loud, Snow thought he might go deaf. The Covey carried on, performing their own original songs and another Fleetwood Mac cover before taking a small intermission from the stage.

“We’ll be back shortly, folks! Gotta get more water and a shot of liquid luck before we come back.” The tall boy spoke again, waving at the people closest to the stage.

Snow worked double-time to get everyone’s drinks out quickly, sliding amaretto sours one way and vodka crans another. The man in front of him slurred his words as he ordered another Tigris, but Snow ignored him and started to mix.

“What’s that pretty drink?”

His instincts told him not to look up at the person that owned that voice, his stomach churning as he topped off the drink with a maraschino cherry, but he did anyway.

Lucy Gray stood in front of him, arms crossed over the bodice of her gray dress and a smile on her face. It was more than a smile, she beamed at him, so much kindness and warmth radiating from her that Snow almost couldn’t stand it. She couldn’t be much younger than him, a year or two at most, and the way she carried herself so confidently made him question if she ever lacked confidence at all.

He was so utterly fucked.

He sent the liquor off to the slurring, tipsy man, then shoved the sinking feeling in his stomach away to respond.

“The Tigris. I named it after my cousin.”

“That’s a unique name,” the singer replied, raising an eyebrow. “What’s in it?”

“It’s not her real name, just her nickname. She used to pretend to be a tiger when we play fought growing up, it’s just stuck ever since.” He rambled, his cheeks burning at the sound of her giggle. “Sorry, not that you needed to know that.”

“It’s all right, I like to humanize my bartenders.”

“It’s Crown peach, grenadine, sprite, pineapple juice, and orange juice.”

“I’ll take one.”

Snow stumbled through the drink like it was his first day on the job, his hands trembling as he poured each element into the glass. Lucy Gray didn’t watch, instead turning to have a conversation with the regular to her right, entertaining his ideas for songs The Covey should cover. He gently slid it to her, plastering a small smile on his face in hopes that she would ignore his bright red cheeks.

“Thank you, Mr. Bartender.” She said, winking at him.

“Snow. You can call me Snow.” He said, his voice taking on a robotic quality. He could not change his tone or speech pattern because he knew he would stutter and flounder in front of the prettiest girl he had ever seen.

“Your family is full of interesting names,” Lucy Gray giggled again, then took a sip of the cocktail. “Delicious, Snow. Lucy Gray, not Lucy. I have to go back on stage now.”

“Have fun, you sound great.”

She leaned in, the smile on her face turning into a wide, sarcastic smirk.

“Not to sound like I have an ego, but I always sound great.”

He was, indeed, completely and utterly fucked.

Chapter Text

The next time The Covey visited The Capitol, Snow worked earlier in the day. Usually, the early shifts on Fridays and Saturdays were for the inexperienced staff, but the new hire called off and Snow wanted the money. He lived modestly, his apartment on the other side of town was one of the few luxuries he afforded himself, but building up his savings account was a bonus.

His parents, though far removed from his life now, would be proud to see how much he had built for himself. If only he felt like using it.

“Well, look who it is, Aimee.” A burly man strolled in at 3PM on the dot, which made Snow think they had been waiting outside. “We haven’t seen you in a while.”

Snow gave a curt nod, then went back to wiping down the bar. The two people that moved to sit at the barstools directly in front of him were Aimee and Icarus Trent, a rich married couple that claimed to “like dining with the little folk.” That comment was distasteful, even by Snow’s standards.

“Do you still remember our regulars? Can we get those?” Aimee winked at him as she pulled a pack of Camel Blues from her gaudy pink purse. Smoke filled the surrounding area as he put together her mojito and Snow coughed as quietly as he could.

“Oh, is my smoke bothering you? I can move.”

She turned in the barstool, her back now facing Snow. Icarus giggled like it was the funniest thing he had seen all week, then handed her the finished beverage. Snow got to work on his martini, trying to ignore the two customers. Of course, on his first day shift in months, he starts it with the two most annoying people he’s ever had the misfortune of encountering.

As Snow finished off the martini, more guests started to flow in. The day was steady, nowhere near as busy as it would be tonight for Clemensia, but decent enough that he would bring home good tips. He popped the caps off two more bottles of Miller Lite as the black door swung open again, letting the humidity from outside flow in for a few seconds. He focused too hard on the song one of the backwoods guys had queued up to pay full attention to his new customer.

“Hey, pretty boy.”

He paused mid-beer bottle grab and took a quick look at the woman sitting in front of him. Lucy Gray Baird, the new lead singer of The Covey and perhaps the prettiest person he had ever seen, sat across from him, her chin resting in her hands.

“Are you gonna ask me what I want, or are you just going to keep staring?” She asked, raising an eyebrow.

Snow gulped and handed off the beer to the man hiding in the corner, then turned to fully face her.

“What do you want?”

“Whiskey sour. Put your heart into it.”

The door swung open again as he made her drink and Clemensia made her way around to the bartender side of the bar, slinging her black pleather jacket on to a hook next to the register. As his coworker moved his tips to the register for him to count when the drawer exchange happened, Snow felt his fingers fumbling as he made the basic beverage.

“Whiskey sour. Heart may or may not be included.” He said, sliding it gently into her waiting hands.

Lucy Gray moved to say something, but before she could, his coworker spoke.

“Snowbird!” Clemensia shouted, even though she stood just a few feet from him. “Come cash out so I can get in here.”

He nodded at Lucy Gray, who eyed Clemensia curiously, and walked over to pull his drawer. After counting his money, he pulled his blue jean jacket from the other hook by the register and walked over to where Lucy Gray sat.

“I’m sorry I didn’t get to see you for long tonight.” Snow apologized, sliding his right arm into his sleeve. “Maybe next time?”

“You know, you’re more than welcome to stay and watch.” Lucy Gray said, twirling her straw in circular motions. “We’re debuting a new song tonight.”

Snow paused, jacket halfway on, and turned to look at her.

“Is that right?”

“It is. I think you’ll like it.”

She winked and walked away, still twirling her straw. He watched her strut through the crowd, the eyes of every patron following her and her rainbow dress as she ascended the stage. Slowly, he reached over to pull the right sleeve of his jacket off and slung it over the back of the barstool, then plopped into the seat and spun to get Clemensia’s attention.

Clemensia, much to his surprise, already had her eyes on him, a small, sly smile on her face.

“You like her.”

Snow felt warmth rise up on his face. Clemensia squealed, then jumped back from the bar and spun in a circle, her purple skirt flowing out around her like a wave.

“In the years I’ve known you, from middle school to college to now, you’ve never liked someone. I started to think that you hated everyone.”

“You’re not far off.” Snow coughed, willing the red to leave his cheeks. “Can I get a gin and tonic?”

Clemensia’s face scrunched in disgust, her eyebrows furrowing together.

“Do you want a mixer? Or are you genuinely insane?”

“Genuinely insane. Gin, tonic, lime.”

His coworker stuck her tongue out at him, then began making his beverage of choice. Truth be told, he would’ve preferred a mixer, or even a fruiter drink, but the gin would make him go red, hiding the embarrassment he felt over developing feelings for someone.

“Here’s your floor cleaner, you fucking psycho.”

“Thanks, Clem.” He said, then saluted her.

Feedback came through the speakers and Snow turned, watching as the tall guy plugged in Barb Azure’s keyboards. Maude Ivory tapped each microphone, saying “check” a couple times before she moved on to the next one. Lucy Gray stood off to the side, her hands still wrapped around the nearly-full whiskey sour, which had started to sweat.

The tall guy faced the rest of The Covey and gave two thumbs up. Lucy Gray made her way to the front of the stage, set the glass at her feet, and linked her hands on top of the microphone. She started to sing, a long note echoing around the bar as the crowd grew silent. Snow swore the crowd had doubled in size, a claustrophobic feeling creeping up his spine as people got closer to him. There was no introduction for this song, just Barb Azure playing sustained minor chords and Lucy Gray vocalizing.

Then, the band came in all at once, and Lucy Gray’s voice grew strong and loud over the crowd, her vocalizations turning into full words.

“You can’t take my heart from me,
No matter how hard you try”

Snow sat, mesmerized, letting the gin and tonic melt in his warm grip as the haunting voice of the woman in front of him carried throughout the bar. The girl next to him, she looked to be freshly twenty-one, put both of her hands over her heart and sighed.

“You claimed that you loved me
It was all just a lie
You left me hanging out to dry”

The words melted together as the sounds of The Covey swelled and grew louder, the bar seeming to shake with their pure power. Snow glanced down at his drink and, in one swift motion, downed the entire thing. He nearly gagged as the alcohol ran down his throat, but he finished it and set the glass on the counter for his coworker. He did like it, Lucy Gray had been correct about that, and he couldn’t help but feel as scorned as she did as the song continued.

Love is stupid. That was what Snow concluded as The Covey wrapped the tune up. How could you fall so deeply in love with someone and then fall out of it?

He pushed the thought aside just like his feelings for pretty Lucy Gray Baird. He refused to let himself get distracted, and he refused to get ahead in any sense of the word by getting with someone in an up-and-coming band.

Yet, as Lucy Gray left the stage, sweat glistening on her forehead and the yellow light above her imitating a halo, Snow started to second-guess himself.

“Did you like it? I wasn’t sure if you would stay the whole time.” She said as she slid up next to him, empty glass in hand.

He had no clue when she had the time to finish that whiskey sour. She must’ve chugged it on the way over like he did with his drink.

“It was fantastic.” Snow finally spoke at last, his mouth dry and his eyes running up and down her body.

“It’s about an old lover, someone that I don’t care to think about much.” The look in her eyes hardened. “Not when I have other things to look forward to, like big tour next month. Not when I have other people to talk to.”

She winked again and his face felt like it caught fire. He chewed on the inside of his cheek, something he hadn’t done in years since he beat the anxiety out of his system, and looked pointedly at the floor.

“Are you hinting at something or am I being dense?” He finally asked, looking up at the singer to see that her eyes had not left him.

“I’d like your number, if you don’t mind.”

Snow fumbled for his phone in his back pocket, sweaty hands gripping on to it tightly as he put Lucy Gray’s number in.

“Hello. Snow here.” Sent.

She saved his number and turned to smile at him, which he returned in tight-lipped fashion. The younger crowd, who, really, were only a couple years younger than himself and Lucy Gray, had taken over the bar. As he moved to speak, the walls started thumping as a college kid put on a club song, so he leaned back against the counter and sighed.

“Are you…” She trailed off, averting her eyes for the first time that night. Snow swore a light pink blush started to creep up her cheeks. “I’m bad at this. Are you free right now?”

He could worry about not falling in love later, when there were no pretty women in front of him. When the alcohol carrying his feet to a storage room was out of his system. When he got tired of the first romantic, and sexual, attraction he had felt in months. When Lucy Gray’s lips were off his.

It was quick, and slightly uncomfortable, but Snow hadn’t ridden this high in months, and clearly Lucy Gray hadn’t either. They rushed out of the storage room, in case Clemensia had to come in for whatever reason, and stood off to the side, chests still heaving.

“They’re probably waiting for me,” she mumbled so quietly, Snow almost couldn’t hear her over the bass. “I’ll call you.”

Just as quickly as she appeared earlier in the evening, she disappeared into the crowd, brown waves and rainbow dress almost a distant memory. He followed after her, trying to walk the exact path she had gone, but when he got outside and the cool nighttime air hit his face, she was nowhere to be found.

Snow walked to his car, his feet felt like they were in lead boots with how slow he went, and he sat for a few minutes, running a hand through his hair. He pulled his phone out as he started the car, queuing up the Fleetwood Mac songs he had grown to love over the last two weeks, then paused as he shifted into drive.

“Hope you made it home.”

Sent.

Before he even made it out of the parking lot, his phone chimed.

“I did. Any interest in coming over? Or is it too late for you ;)”

She even winked in text messages. He was so fucked.

“Send me your address.”

Another chime. His hands were sweaty again as he typed in her apartment, a small place about fifteen minutes from the bar. He could get there in ten if he tried hard enough.

Before he could question himself, he flew out of the parking lot, Google Maps talking to him in her robotic voice the entire time.