Disclaimer: I don't own the trilogy the Hunger Games. Thus, I also don't own any of the characters. All I own is my imagination.

A/N: In the A/N of my first Gale/Katniss story, I already mentioned that I would probably try my hand at writing more of them. This is the result so far. It's a little dramatic, especially with the setting, but I think it works. I had to get this scenario out of my head. I'm absolutely in love with these two and this probably won't be the last you hear of me when it comes to them. I hope you'll like it.

Butterfly Wings

"This is how crazy you make me..."

Katniss knew she shouldn't be standing there, looking in on a private moment between her former best friend and his latest girlfriend. She only started referring to her that way after having eavesdropped on conversations, all which denoted the fair-haired beauty with latest. Apparently, that had been Gale's curse while she had been away, fighting for her life while he had passed the time with his revolving door of girls. From what she had heard, each one of them had been more beautiful than the one before, but then what had she expected: beauty attracted beauty.

And just like she couldn't deny the blond girl's appeal-from her wild curls to the unblemished skin of her slender legs-neither could she deny Gale's. He looked as handsome as he had ever done to her, so much like the boy from the woods she had grown up with, though when she stole glances at him in silence she recognized the life experience that she lacked. Even though the Games had changed her in small ways, she still felt as young as ever when near him, especially now that his dating life was no longer kept a secret from her. It was hard to hide anything when she and Gale lived in such close quarters. Her mom had asked his family to join them in their house in Winner's Village. It was technically not allowed, but the Hawthorne's old house was still there for them to go to and the Everdeen's had too much space not to share.

Gale's girlfriend was over almost every day and Katniss should leave them to their canoodling, but she couldn't move. Her feet were one with the wooden floorboards and she was frozen in place, unable to look away. She was mesmerized by Gale's movements, the delicate way his fingers treated the other girl's skin and the emotion that Katniss could feel even though she wasn't part of it. But she could imagine herself being part of it. It was a simple and ruthless act of squinting and cutting the other girl out of the picture while putting herself in her place. Black tresses against black stresses and grey eyes against grey eyes. If she closed her eyes, she could almost feel his touch, his fingers brushing against her skin gingerly as if to lead in their first intimate encounter, her first intimate encounter after Peeta.

She remembered having felt almost the same for him once, the increase in her pulse, the moist hands, and his presence near her always being a welcomed distraction. Peeta had been her first relationship, but it felt like it had just been in preparation for something more, something larger than life. A relationship where butterfly kisses were just foreplay, a promise of something more, and exploring hands found their destination. She was supposed to be the destination, her skin, her lips. She bit down hard on her bottom lip as she watched Gale dip his head and sought out the other girl's lips with his own. There was passion, or so she thought and it fueled the hunger for it inside of her. Jealousy made her stomach ache. She lowered her gaze for a moment as she fought against the shaking and the urge to pull the girl's hair out.

The fabric of her camisole-a gift from her styling team after winning and one she wore because the fabric was thin enough for the hot summers between the fences-was bundled between the fingers of one hand while the others lay sprawled against the bare skin of her stomach, as if wanting to dig out this unfamiliar pain. She let go of the fabric, only to bury her fingers in her wild locks. She didn't know what to do with herself. She looked up, promising herself one last look and then she really had to leave. The couple had tightened their intimate embrace, although unexpectedly Gale's eyes were on her. They had been for a little while now, finding her as irresistible as ever with her hair unruly and just enough skin showing to want more. This was how he had imagined her to look in the midst of foreplay and right before...

He tightened his hold on the girl in his arms, only because that was all he could do from abandoning her recklessly and ripping that camisole Katniss was wearing in half. It was an animalistic instinct, one he had fought against ever since laying eyes on Katniss for the first time. She had been too young back then for what he had in mind and now he had enough respect for her to put their friendship above his obsession. He had seen her put her lips on Peeta's and her hands on his body-all above the clothes as far as he could tell-and he had seen her in a different light, a light that harshly illuminated to him that she had grown up beside him. Hiding that delicious body beneath ill-fitting clothes and those bedroom eyes beneath tousled locks.

His eyes were questioning, probing as they looked into hers and all she could do from saying something was to bite down into her lip once more. It wasn't deliberate although he instantly saw the sexual connotation behind it. In this hot and humid weather she was all he wanted to put his lips to, dressed appropriately in her flimsy top and cut off jeans shorts, although he wished she would have put some clothes on and covered up those long and toned legs of hers. His eyes raked across her body with such a force that she should have felt it, his yearning for her, if she had only experienced more of it. But his stormy and intense eyes on her scared her and she went running, cheeks flushed and heart beating like she had already run for miles. She was out of breath just at the thought of all the things he could do to her, show her...

The door slammed behind her and she flew down the steps of the front porch, feeling the occasional raindrop stick to her skin. The storm was about to break, but she didn't care. She needed to get away, as far as she could before he had her climbing the walls completely. If she had stayed and had escaped upstairs to her room, she would have only ended up in the shower, frenzied and with just her fingers to distract her.

She was on her way to the woods, but slowed down when she saw a hooded figure with a familiar face heading in the opposite direction she was going. He didn't see her at first, too much in a hurry to get inside before the rain really started to pour down. The blond-haired boy didn't seem too surprised to see her out despite the weather, when he finally recognized her, his eyes clear with nothing to hide. He was like an open book, one you couldn't put down... Even though they had a brief falling out after the sensation of the Games had come to an end, they hadn't been able to stay away from one another for long. Katniss was drawn to him and somewhere she still loved him, although they had both come to terms that they were better off as friends. They stayed truer to themselves doing so. Still, he was her go-to-person whenever something was missing... She knew she could get whatever she desired from him, exploiting the weakness he still had in his heart for her. He wanted her the way she wanted Gale...

"Peeta," she said his name with her eyes glinting mischievously for a second or two. It should have given him an indication that she was up to nothing good, no longer thinking clearly. "What are you doing out?"

He didn't speak at first, unable to as he was temporarily distracted by her outfit and what the water was starting to do to it. He forced himself to look away before his mind could wander too much. That time was behind them. "I had a cake to deliver. I managed to get it there dry though!"

He shot her one of his kindhearted smiles, the kind that made all of the memories of her time spent with him during the Games rush back in, and made her miss it, miss him. Even though she didn't necessarily miss him, but missed being so close with someone... the way she used to be with Gale and wanted to be again, maybe even on a more intimate level.

"What are you doing out? You're not thinking of going out into the woods, are you?"

Katniss shook her head, even though that had been her initial plan. Now she had another one. Before she could think twice about it and change her mind, she moved closer to Peeta, catching his lips with her own as he looked down at her. His eyes widened and she felt his body tense up as he struggled with himself what to do next. Before he could pull away, she inched even closer, her hands on either sides of his face as she deepened the kiss with a skill she didn't think she possessed. That was all it took to break his resistance and she knew it. His hands gripped her around her waist, fingers splayed just beneath the hemline of her camisole. She was trying to recreate the moment she had witnessed not so long ago, pretending.

The moment barely lasted.

Another pair of footsteps caused the puddles to ripple as they hurried over to where hers had disappeared to. Peeta was the first to open his eyes and notice the person that had joined them. She felt the shift in the air and Peeta removed himself from her as if it had stung, a rose with thorns. The look in his eyes was one of disbelief, anger rippling through his muscles and lips. They were judging her, harshly doing so and she knew that her selfish act would have an almost unbearable price.

"Peeta, please," she said, though it sounded like a half-hearted attempt even to her because he wasn't really the boy she wanted, not anymore.

"Fool me twice, shame on me," was all he whispered to her before passing her and disappearing into the rain.

She only turned when she knew he was no longer in sight. Instead, her eyes collided with Gale's where misunderstanding and resentment made for a combination that she felt throughout her entire body. He stood in front of her just as drenched as she was, his hair looking the way it would when underneath the showerhead. Passion made her feel light-headed and she quickly shook her head, wanting to get through her explanation so she could see what would happen next. "It's not what it looked like."

"It looked like you and Peeta were in the middle of a reunion... but, hey, if dough boy's the one who makes you feel all tingly in the right places..." he trailed off, shrugging as he tried his hardest to make it seem like he could care less. But inside a war was raging and it took him all of his self-control not to run after Peeta and tell him to stay away from her like the possessive he jerk he appeared to turn into whenever he was around her.

"Trust me, he isn't," she shared with Gale candidly. "Not that it's any of your business who makes me feel anything wherever," she followed up in milder tone.

She planned to simply look away and that would be that, but to her surprise Gale kept his end of the conversation going. "It used to be my business." His words drew her back in, like a moth to a flame, her eyes on his as he spoke. "We used to be... close."

Now it was her time to shrug. "Maybe we would be if you had any time for me."

"If you're referring to Ophira..."

Katniss rolled her eyes causing for him to narrow his eyes into slits. "Apparently any time spent with her is time spent with you," he observed sharply. "I saw you, you know."

"I wasn't trying not to be seen," she lied, wrestling with her instinct to look away, although she felt her cheeks burn.

Gale took a step towards her, intimidating her slightly with his height and aggravated demeanor. "Then what were you doing, Katniss, just watching me and my girlfriend make out?"

She cringed as his voice sounded loud even in the midst of a storm, but instead of taking a step back like she wanted, she took one forward bringing them face to face. He still towered over her, but she wasn't going to cower away from him, not when she didn't get her say across yet. "I didn't plan on it, okay. I didn't plan on any of it." She was frustrated, her eyes ablaze as she went on, "All I wanted was to survive the Games, come back here, and have things be exactly the way I had left them." She poked her index finger against his chest. "You weren't supposed to move on and get a girlfriend-"

"Move on?" he interrupted her, raising an eyebrow at her. "We were friends, Catnip," he reminded her, his affectionate nickname for her slipping out unintentionally. Her childishness was endearing to him.

His words had hurt her, something he wasn't aware of until she asked him, "And now?" Katniss felt incredibly vulnerable, like she was baring her soul.

She was baring more than that, her clothes sticking to her like a second skin and leaving very little to the imagination. She hadn't noticed, too occupied with the argument, but Gale had noticed. He had trouble keeping his eyes off her, the rain coming down on her and dripping down her lips in the most irresistible way. "We're...," he began after having torn his eyes away from her soaked frame, the lines visible through the thin fabric calling to him. As if in reaction, she wrapped her arms around herself, though when he noticed her trembling he realized that she was cold, no longer comfortable underneath the weight of her clothes.

He quickly unzipped the hoodie he had thrown on before storming after her and held it out to her, though it was also close to being drenched. But it was all he could offer her. "We should go back inside," he said, finality tinting the words as he refused to answer Katniss' question.

She pulled on his hoodie, seeing it as a peace offering and giving her the opportunity to stretch the seconds as she considered her next move. She pulled the sleeves over her hands and looked up at him again, his back already turned her way.

"Gale."

He turned and as their eyes met, she made her move.

Her hands were on his wet t-shirt, tentatively catching his attention and as he lowered his head to look down at her hands on him, she lifted her body up on her tiptoes and pressed her rain-drop covered lips against his. Their lips slid together, the sensation one that caused her knees to weaken. She had to tighten her hold on Gale's shirt; she had given him permission to kiss her and now she was almost urging him to, begging him to as he felt her body heave with excitement. His hands went for her waist, his fingers looking for bare skin wherever they touched. His grip was firm as if not believing this was actually happening. He deepened the kiss instantly.

Katniss moaned, needing air but not pulling away from his mouth, needing him more than she needed oxygen. Her eyes had long closed and the pleasure she was feeling was making her dizzy, she wanted to be closer and wanted him to touch her everywhere. She felt her knees buckle and she pulled at his shirt, in a lust-filled haze. Gale's hands increased their pressure as he lifted her from the ground, his hands slipping downwards to support her weight better. Instinctively, she wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling herself as close as she could, hips to hips. The pressure was almost too much for Gale to take and he stumbled a few steps backwards, out of view.

His back hit the wall of some abandoned building and they rubbed against one another once more. She gasped, momentarily breaking their kiss while her hands traveled over to his broad shoulders. One hand stayed behind while the other disappeared into his locks. Gale placed a few butterfly kisses on her collarbone, taking the time to admire the view he had from there. He felt her breathe against his neck and brush her lips against him, wanting his attention back on her mouth. She was needy. He couldn't help smirk as he titled his head sideways, catching her lips with his own.

And then just as suddenly as the moment had begun, it came to a halt. Lightning struck somewhere far away, but the sound boomed through the dark sky and unsympathetically pulled them out of their intimate bubble. The kiss was broken and the taste quickly washed away by the clattering raindrops. Eyes were opened to reality and something between regret and wistfulness tainted Katniss' features. He felt the confidence in her body disappear as her limbs detangled themselves from him. He helped her to the ground, but didn't remove his hands from her.

"Don't run," he pleaded with her softly.

She didn't look at him, but knew she couldn't just run away and pretend like nothing had happened, not when she heard the sadness in his words. She nodded, allowing him to pull her into an embrace.

"This beats fighting, doesn't it?"

"Depends." He pulled back a little. She bit her lip, her eyes on his chest for as long as he would allow. "Are we going back to looking at each other from across the room, not speaking? I mean, you have Ophira and-"

"Hey." Her eyes had wandered, looking everywhere but at him, but he pulled her back in, his eyes set intently on hers. His hands were on her shoulders now. "I'd rather have you, Catnip. I've always rather had you."

She held his gaze for a few silent seconds before shrugging his hands off her shoulders. "No need to sweet-talk me, Gale, not after what just happened."

"I'm being sincere." He snorted while shaking his head. "Only you would try to argue your way out of a confession like this."

"I think I like the sweet-talking better."

She had a defying way about her, but he refused to give in to his own similar side. This was his opportunity to tell her how it was, he had her full attention. He took a breath to calm his temper before trying again. He needed patience with this one. "Did you know I was jealous?"

"Of Peeta?" she asked, her natural response since that was the only relationship she had ever had. "But you've been with other girls and-"

It wasn't the reaction he expected. It meant she had been very much aware of his dating life even though she played it off differently. "Yeah, but that wasn't broadcasted for everyone to see," he gently reminded her, although he knew he was being somewhat unfair. And he had purposely kept his relationships from her, wanting to separate those girls from her. Still, he wanted her to know that it had hurt him, seeing her with someone else when all this time he had waited for his turn. "When I saw how in love you and Peeta were and how you kissed him, acting like I'd never seen you act before..." One hand was clutched to his chest.

"I'd never been in love," she honestly told him. "Or at least I thought I was in love." A faint smile lit up her features at the fond memory. " And I'd never been kissed before, so-"

"Never, before Peeta? " he asked, sounding almost amazed.

She immediately took on a more defensive stance. "We can't all be sluts, Gale Hawthorne."

He chuckled, not able to help it. "Did you just call me a slut?"

She shrugged, her manner playful and unbelievably cute in his eyes. "I don't know, did I?"

He held up his hands. "I wasn't making fun of you."

"Yes, you were."

"No, I swear. It's just, it's hard to believe that you haven't had your first kiss so much sooner. You're beautiful."

Katniss blushed but kept her eyes boldly on him. "And me standing here practically naked has nothing to do with you saying those words?"

He smiled while shaking his head. "Just take the compliment, would you? Geez, you're a difficult girl to please, aren't you?"

Her blush deepened and she had to look away. "We should get back, I can't feel my body anymore." She zipped up his hoodie, covering herself up as much as she could, though she did it more clumsily than she normally would, feeling the weight of his gaze on her.

At her words, he had to fight against his urge to look at her body. She was about to walk away, but he pulled her back and skillfully turned her so her back was against the wall. "Not so fast, what about us?" He crept closer. "Do you want there to be an us?" Her breath hitched in her throat and he smirked. "If you want me to go by your body's reaction, I think the answer's yes." As he said the last part of the sentence more slowly, he simultaneously unzipped her hoodie. "What do you want, Catnip?" he asked of her, his voice and manner seductive as he placed a butterfly kiss on her neck.

"I hate you."

He chuckled at her response, hearing the effort she had to put into sounding annoyed with him. "Good thing this wasn't your tactic in the Games." He placed another kiss on her neck before shifting his focus onto her lips.

She kissed him back, hands in his hair. He groaned and she pulled away, smiling. "Do you want there to be an us? Because from your body's reaction-"

Gale silenced her with another kiss, sweeter this time. His hands fumbled with her hoodie as he re-zipped it. "We should get you inside. You're freezing." He held out his hand to her.

"So are you," she returned, slipping her hand in his, butterflies in her stomach.

The rain continued to pour down on them as they headed back.

Please review? Well, what did you think? I thought it turned out quite well. I didn't manage to capture everything the way I intended to, but there's always the next story right? I also think I'm sticking to one parters. It's just the format I am the most comfortable with, since I tend not to finish stories. I hope you found something to like about this story. Fill me in on your favorite moment? :) Can't wait for the movie!