He knows her so well.
Katniss overhears Peeta asking Gale about her. Gale obliges, and she is surprised by how much Gale truly knows her.
One shot Galeniss.
A. N. Peeta's questions will follow with a ~P and Gale's answers will follow with a ~G.
Katniss POV
I was sitting by Leeg one, we'd just come off rotation for Peeta watch, and Gale and Finnick were now on.
I began to ponder what the implications of Coin sending Peeta out here when I was stopped short by Peeta's question.
"Can I ask you about Katniss?" he asked. A short silence followed.
"Pretty sure, that question is to you." Finnick answered. I held in a snort.
"Me?" Gale asked.
"Yeah, well you know her best, don't you?" Peeta sounded unsure.
"Yeah, I guess. But why not ask her?" Gale enquired.
"There's a higher chance that you'll tell me the truth." Peeta replied. Gale laughed, and Finnick snorted. Jerks!
"You're her cousin, anyway. You should know the most about her." Finnick added.
"They're not cousins." Peeta blurted out. Well shit. "Right?" he asked Gale.
"Right. We've actually only known each other six years." Gale answered. There was a collective gasp amongst the group. "When people from the Capitol came to get interviews on Katniss, nearly everyone they asked pointed them in my direction. They didn't like that a guy knew her so well, so someone came up with the idea that I was her cousin. To protect her." He said defending the lie.
I could see Finnick's mouth form a surprised little 'O'.
"So, will you help me?" Peeta pleaded.
"Sure," Gale replied casually. I adjusted my position so that I could hear a little better.
"Her favourite colour is green. Real or not real?"
"Real." Gale replied easily "Her favourite shade is the dark green you normally see in a tree." OK that's oddly specific. I saw Peeta nod.
"What's her favourite food?" ~P
"Wild rabbit, although she quite liked the lamb stew with wild plumbs that she got while staying in the Capitol." ~G
"Her favourite drink?" ~P
"Goat's milk, although she quite likes herbal teas." ~G
"Favourite class in school?" ~P
"None. She hated school." ~G
"Favourite bread?" ~P
"That cheesy bread you make." ~G. That illicited a smile from Peeta.
"Favourite season?" ~P
"She'd say summer, because she likes the feel of the sun beating down on her skin. But really, it's winter. She loves it when everything is coated in a fine frost, and everything sparkles like a million diamonds. Plus when it snows so heavily it covers your tracks when hunting, and practically silences your footfalls." ~G
Wow, that was detailed.
"Is he right?" Leeg one asked.
"Yeah!" I said kind of amazed.
"Wow." she replied. Then fell silent so that we could focus on the rest of the conversation.
"Has she got a favourite cake flavour?" ~P
"No we never really had any money for anything like that." ~G
"Chocolate?" ~P
"She likes it, but again we could never afford it." ~G
"How does she take her coffee?" ~P
"She doesn't like coffee. She prefers a herbal tea, with no milk or sugar." ~G
"Umm, I think that's all I wanted to know." Peeta said sounding unsure. Gale shrugged his shoulders.
"I would like to know more, if that's OK?" Cressida asked.
"Sure," he said shrugging his shoulders.
"When did you two first meet?" ~C
"When I was fourteen, and she was twelve. We were driven into the woods by the death of both our fathers in the same mining accident. Our siblings were starving, and wee needed the food." ~G
"Wow that's tough. So were you friends from the start." ~C
"No. She was annoying as hell." Gale snorted.
"Imagine that," Finnick laughed.
Those two really were jerks.
"So how did you become friends?" ~C
"Through hunting. We both hated to take help. Both thought we knew everything. Me especially. But we quickly realised that we were stronger hunting together, than we were apart." ~G
"I've heard the tales, but never actually seen you two hunt." Finnick mused.
"Me either." Peeta added.
"I have." Cressida said. And my ears perked up. "One time when they were hunting in the woods above thirteen, I was sent up to film them to use in a propo. It was absolutely beautiful to watch, they were in perfect sink, moving silently as one, each step taken at the same time. Flowing like a really good song. It was peaceful to watch them. When I went back down I lied and said that I didn't get any good material, truth was, I thought it was too precious to share with the world."
I could see Gale's mouth hanging open. Never had anyone described our hunting in such a way before. Nor said how special it was.
It was Peeta that broke the silence.
"Why do you call her Catnip?" He asked. Gale laughed.
"Because when we first met I asked her name, but she was shy, if you could believe it, so she mumbled her name. I didn't catch it, and thought she said Catnip. She corrected me, but then two days later we were chased up a tree by a wild Lynx, so the nickname stuck." He said and the group laughed.
"What do you love most about her?" Peeta asked. I saw Gale freeze. "Don't lie...please." He pleaded.
"Her singing voice. I've rarely heard her sing, but she used to hum in the woods whenever we were hunting. She never realised she was doing it, but the whole woods went quiet." He answered.
They talked a bit more but I tuned them out. I couldn't believe that Gale knew me that much. That he payed that close attention to me. He really was my best friend.
A while later and the group were hunkering down to sleep. Leeg two and Boggs were on Peeta watch. Peeta was the calmest I'd seen him in a long while, and it was good to see.
"Right, Everdeen." Jackson said. "Spaces left are beside Odair, or Hawthorn?" she said before hunkering down in her own spot.
I didn't even need to think. My feet immediately went to Gale.
"Hey." He said softly as I lay beside him. I lay on my side, just like he was so we were face to face. Our packs resting beneath our heads, acting as pillows.
"Hey." I replied looking at him intently.
"You OK?" He asked.
"I miss you." I replied truthfully. I gently lifted a hand and tentatively stroked his face. He smiled, grabbing my hand he kissed it.
"I miss you too." He replied. I smiled back.
We fell asleep, face to face, holding hands.
He was mine. I was his. That's the only way it was ever going to be.
A. N. Hope you all liked.