Disclaimer: I don't own the Hunger Games.
Fingering the coins in her pocket with mittened hands, Katniss walks alongside Gale, the warm, twinkling lights of town getting closer and closer. She shivers slightly and adjusts the threadbare scarf around her neck, her breath clearly visible in the dark night as she exhales.
"Are you sure we should spend our extra money like this?" Katniss asks softly. Gale barely glances at her.
"For the millionth time, Catnip, it's fine. We have more than enough supplies to get us through the winter."
They enter the town, passing by vendors with carts stacked with candles, past the small grocery store, and keep walking until they arrive in front of the bakery. Katniss pauses, taking a moment to look at the display window, filled with elaborately decorated cakes. Gale reaches for the door handle, pushing it open. Katniss follows him through the doorway, a small bell above her head signaling their entry.
The baker comes out of the back kitchen, looking weary but brightening slightly when he sees the pair standing in front of the counter.
"Katniss and Gale," he says pleasantly. "How can I help you?"
"Could you tell us how much a cupcake costs?" Katniss asks and eyes the frosted little cakes in the counter's glass display.
"Two silver coins," the baker replies.
"Is that the actual price?" Gale cuts in, arms crossed, his pride getting in the way.
"Gale," Katniss hisses at him, giving him a pointed look before turning back to the baker with a small smile. "We'll take four."
Gale watches as Katniss points out the ones she wants to the baker. The baker carefully puts them all into a white cardboard box, tying it shut with a small length of striped plastic ribbon. Katniss reaches into her hunting jacket for her coins, and Gale pulls out his own money. They pay and thank the baker, heading back outside. Looking down at the box in her hands, Katniss already feels awful for wasting those hard-earned extra coins, gleaned from a few good trades and mostly Gale's job in the mines.
Katniss starts to head back in the direction of home, her Seam-wired mind already calculating the extra grain that could've been bought with the money they just gave to the baker. Gale grabs her upper arm and stops her. Her chain of thought broken, she turns to face him.
"Let's go into the woods. Just for a little while," Gale says.
"It's pretty cold, Gale," she replies, sounding unsure. "Besides, you should rest up for tomorrow-"
"Come on, Catnip. Just a little while." Katniss meets his gaze, seeing a quiet desperation in his eyes. They make a silent agreement, somewhat reluctant on Katniss's side, and change their direction.
They're wriggling through the gap in the fence a few minutes later, the box of cupcakes going in first, followed by Katniss. Standing up, she undoes her scarf again and rewraps it around herself so that it's partially covering her nose. She picks up the cupcakes and walks in sync with Gale, their feet automatically taking them to their meeting place.
The clearing is only illuminated faintly by the less-than-half moon hanging above their heads. They find their way to a wide tree at the outskirts of the clearing, where the wind hits them less directly. They stay standing, the cupcakes on the ground at Katniss's side. Shoulders barely touching, they're in silence for a while and staring at the swaying branches and leaves.
"Why did you want to come here so late?"
"No reason," Gale says nonchalantly. Katniss knows better.
"Gale."
"It's nothing. I just wanted to come back here for a breather. Going back in the mines tomorrow," he replies, elaborating slightly.
"Gale, really. Just tell me," Katniss insists, knowing that can't be the only reason he would want to come here in the cold at night. With an expensive box of sweets, no less.
Gale sighs heavily, finally looking at her. "This might be the last time I come here for a while."
"What do mean?" Katniss asks, giving him a blank look. "Don't talk in riddles."
"They want me to work on Sundays now. There's a shortage of miners because of the sickness that's going around."
"What?" Katniss's eyes widen considerably. "When you were planning on telling us?" She asks harshly. "You can't just hide something like that from everyone."
"I didn't want anyone to worry," Gale replies, his tone even.
"Gale-"
"And now that I told about Sunday, they also want me to work an extra hour every day," he adds quietly.
"What the hell? How can they do that? You barely get enough rest as it is, and along with having your Sundays taken-"
"Catnip, you know how they are. Besides, I'll be paid more. We'll have more money-"
"You could die, Gale." Katniss turns to him fully, resisting the urge to reach out and shake him. "I don't care about the stupid money. What if you die?"
"That's a risk I've always taken. What makes this any different?" Gale asks, his own voice rising.
"You have a higher chance of dying now. It's winter, and all that extra time... besides, what if the elevator freezes or something while you're down there? How will you get out then?" Katniss is almost hysterical in a matter of seconds, thinking about the creaky elevator and the endless darkness.
"What're you suggesting I do, Katniss? Just not show up at the mines? They'll kill me anyway!"
"I'd rather die by execution than in the mines!"
"Either way, it's the Capitol who's killing me."
His words hang in the air for a few moments.
"I-I can't lose you," Katniss says, lowering her gaze. "Not like our fathers."
Gale's expression softens. "I won't leave you, Catnip." He pulls her into an embrace, her face buried in his chest.
"You can't promise that," she says, pulling away.
"I can try."
Not knowing what overcomes her, Katniss leans upwards quickly, briefly touching her lips to Gale's. She backs away almost immediately, cheeks burning and warming her numb face.
"Catnip?" Gale asks, his voice lower than before. Katniss shivers. A range of emotions flickers in his eyes.
"J-just don't leave me," she says, leaning towards him, and this time, he leans towards her too.
Gale's arms clutch at her waist, and Katniss's arms go around his neck automatically, pressing the two of them closer. Katniss stumbles back a step and her back hits the tree trunk. Gale breaks the kiss for a moment, allowing them to both catch their breath, but immediately presses his lips to hers again. Their mouths seem to burn together, despite the biting cold. Her stomach churning with fire, Katniss digs her fingers into Gale's back and wraps her legs around his waist, leaving no space between them.
Gale pulls back, breathing hard and cheeks red. He reaches for Katniss's scarf and tugs at it gently. He dips his head, capturing her mouth in another kiss, and then trails his lips down to her jaw, pressing soft kisses there. Katniss's eyes flutter closed as he moves on to her neck, his breath fanning over her pulse. She makes a small noise and Gale gently bites her skin and earns another sigh.
Katniss puts her hands on his shoulder, gently stopping him, and then buries her face in the crook of his neck. They stay still like that for a while, neither of them willing to shatter the moment.
"I think we should go now," Katniss says into Gale's neck, still breathless. Gale nods slowly and unwraps his arms from around her. When she's standing steadily, Gale smiles crookedly at her and tells her that she might want to cover up the pretty bruise on her neck. Flushing, Katniss wraps her scarf securely around her neck.
"Where'd the cupcakes go?" she asks, looking around in the darkness. Gale points at a lumpy silhouette.
"I think that's it."
Katniss stoops down to pick up the box and opens the rumpled lid to find that all of them are now disfigured.
"I guess the kids'll have to eat smashed up cupcakes now." Gale appears at her side, looking over her shoulder into the box. "I must say though, it was worth it." Katniss shoves him roughly in the side, racing off towards the fence's opening.