A/N: Hey! Sorry I took so long in getting this up and running, I had to think reaaally hard about how I was gonna start this off and make it work. But anyway, please enjoy. I know it might not seem like it from this chapter, but I assure you, Johanna and Gale WILL end up together. It's just going to take some time...and a boat-load of ridiculously hilarious mishaps, pun intended ;)
Disclaimer: I do not own The Hunger Games.
Chapter one: Vacation? Not So Much~
Let's go on a cruise, they said.
It'll be fun, they said.
Yeah, right.
Gale huffed in annoyance, crossing his arms as he moped in his plush leather chair and stared at the delectable food in front of him.
After complaining about stress at work, Gale's parents suggested they go on vacation. It didn't really matter where, just so long as they were together and away from their problems. A way to relax for a couple of weeks, they'd said. Not really taking them seriously, Gale agreed, waving it off as wishful thinking.
So imagine his surprise when he came home from work one day and his family announced they were going on a cruise, and his best friend Katniss was even going with them. Gale tried to hide it but he was just as excited as everyone else - Rory, Vick and Posy included - and if he were nine years younger, he'd probably be jumping on the beds packing his suitcase with the rest of them.
But anyway, that's not really the point.
The point is that usually when something falls into your lap that's too good to be true, it's too good to be true.
Such is the case with Gale Hawthorne, whose life was practically the epitome of this phrase.
What's that? You're not sure how a family getaway dream cruise can go so terribly wrong?
Then allow him to take you back to a time when things were simpler.
Easier.
Happier.
A time he liked to call...
Earlier that same day.
Gale and his family boarded the cruise ship, arms packed full with suitcases and toys and carry-on bags.
They were all wearing those stereotypical cliche straw hats and Hawaiian shirts that people usually wear on vacations (his parents insisted, and there was really no point in fighting it) and were just about to go find their rooms when it happened.
Gale did a double-take as he caught a glimpse of black, a streak of red.
No, he thought. It couldn't be.
The crowd around them parted and his worst fears were confirmed.
Johanna Mason, his coworker and most hated colleague, was boarding the same ship as they were.
She spotted him almost immediately, face mirroring the shocked and horrified expression of his own.
"You!" He said accusingly.
"You!" She shot back.
"Him!" He exclaimed, recognizing the man with her to be one Finnick Odair, womanizer and slacker extraordinaire.
"Her!" She shrieked, noticing Katniss.
"Them!" Katniss, Rory, Posy and Vick exclaimed, glaring accusingly at Johanna and Finnick.
Gale's parents stepped ahead to see what was going on.
"Who's this?" Hazelle asked, smiling ignorantly.
Gale glared daggers at Johanna but hid his malice from his mother.
"You guys remember Johanna, right?" He smiled tightly, ushering his family and best friend forward to meet her.
"Oh," Hazelle said cheerily, holding out a hand to shake. "You work with Gale at the factory, right?"
Johanna gave her a fake but convincing smile. "Yep. That's me."
She proceeded to shake everyone else's hand, ignoring Gale and stopping when she got to Katniss.
"We've already met," she smiled icily, withdrawing her hand even though Katniss had never offered one to begin with.
Awkward...
"Right, well," Gale's father said, clapping his hands together. "We're about to check into our rooms and go eat lunch. Johanna, would you and your friend care to join us?"
Gale's eyes snapped to his father. No. No no no no no no NO.
"Sure. I'd love to spend some more time with you guys."
Damn.
And so, that leads us to now.
Gale shifted in his chair, trying his best to appreciate their fancy dining arrangements and gourmet food instead of focusing on un-focusing his attention on the way Finnick kept coming on to his best friend sitting beside him or the annoying woman chatting happily across the table, her sickly sweet voice grating on his ears.
"So how have you been faring, Johanna?" He heard his mother asked. "We haven't heard a peep out of you since..."
Sighing, he tuned them out, choosing instead to admire the furnishings and decorations of the meal deck.
The entire room looked as though it were done by professionals (which it probably was) and he half-expected to be caught in the middle of a romantic comedy shoot.
Every table had intricately woven cloth covers and unlit candles in the center, the chairs were soft and plush, the drapes that were currently drawn back so you could get a good view of the ocean were richly colored, rows of chandeliers worth more than his house hung high above their heads, almost everything was a shade of red and gold, and the atmosphere was so lovey-dovey he could puke.
Clearing his throat, Gale stabbed a fork at his food and took a bite. He wasn't quite sure what they were having, but it looked great and tasted even better, so he wasn't going to complain.
Growing bored, he idly tuned back into the conversation Johanna and his mom were having.
"So are you and Gale friends?"
"You might say that."
"Really? Gale never mentioned you. Though I suppose boys wouldn't want to talk about their girlfriends with their mothers anyway-"
Hazelle's sentence was halted as Gale's food got caught in his throat. He heaved desperately, trying to cough it back up, though he could hardly care that he was making a scene if it meant his mother would stop talking about that topic right now.
Lucky for him when his air supply was dwindling and tears began coming to his eyes, Katniss sprang into action. Tossing her napkin down onto her plate, the brunette got out of her seat beside Finnick and brought her fist down onto Gale's back, hard.
The dastardly chunk of food came right back up to his mouth where it was supposed to be, and the onlooking members surrounding the table breathed a sigh of relief - Johanna not included.
Nodding his thanks to Katniss, he wiped his eyes and went back to his food.
Him and Johanna...The very idea was laughable. If it weren't so disgusting, that is.
The table-talk went on and, thankfully, the topic of the two of them being an item was never brought up again.
And just like that, he was stuck.
With his family, his best friend, Finnick, and Johanna. Freaking. Mason.
A/N: So that's what I got, I hope it was okay for a first chapter D:
I don't show knit about cruises, so I'm gonna have to do some research before I post the next one. I wasn't originally going to have Katniss come along, but I figured that it would add to the drama and chaos, as well as the humor aspect of the story. Besides, maybe she can get with Finnick or something...er, unless you don't approve, Sasha. I dunno yet.
Sasha, I can only hope that this fanfic turns out to be everything you hoped for and more. It's written for you, after all, so if you have any suggestions for future scenes or mishaps between these two, I'm all ears ;) Oh, and your review for the last chapter of 'Family What, Now?' didn't come through quite right. I think that this website prevents people from sharing emails the regular way with the 'at' symbol or something, i.e, Blahblah12'at'gmaildotcom. I do so wish you would get an account, though. We could pm each other all day! lol XD
Anyway, reviews are welcome, as well as constructive criticism and all that stuff.
'Til next time!
