Disclaimer: Ain't ownin' nothin'.
A/n: So over on LJ, the lovely kolms and gigglemonster started a Hunger Games ficathon. It woke up my muse in a hurry and has fanned the flames of my love for basically every single pairing ever. I'm completely addicted to reading and writing for this thing right now, so expect to see more HG ficcage from me as a result.
Prompt: gale/katniss, is there a chance you may change your mind? (For jada_jasmine)
It's not the same.
Something has shifted, deep and on too many levels that I don't fully understand. And we won't talk about it – the words rise in my throat and die on my lips and I just can't explain. Somewhere a wall has been built between us and I don't know how to break it down.
He leans back in the grass on his elbows, something so simple and familiar I almost want to cry. I wish, with an all-consuming ache, that I'd never have had to leave for the Capitol and play their Games.
"Gale…" I begin, not even sure what I want to say. A breeze moves through the trees, tickling at his dark hair. He doesn't turn to face me, but continues staring out over the hills and sky before us.
"You don't have to explain, Katniss." As always, and somehow even with this gap between us, he still knows what I'm thinking. Knows, somehow, even if I don't.
We're quiet for a long time, letting the quiet of nature wash over us. But the silence isn't comfortable and I'm still struggling to say… anything. (Since when have I had this much trouble talking to my best friend?)
Finally he turns to me, and the pain in his eyes scares me. He's raw and vulnerable, and as well as I know him, I've never seen him like this.
"Do you really love him?"
I can't say yes, but I can't say no either.
He looks at me searchingly but I can't tell what he's thinking until all in one quick motion, he's sitting up and pulling my head forward so that our lips crash together, kissing me fiercely and desperately, like the world will end tomorrow (and maybe it will).
And I don't know why I never saw it, never understood or realized it before, but in this moment, I realize Gale loves me – and I'm the one causing the pain I see in him, feel in him.
I'm left disoriented and breathless when he pulls back, eyes shaded and stormy.
"Sorry." He whispers. Then adds, a little louder, "I'll always be here, Katniss."
I still haven't replied when he abruptly stands, grabbing his pack and heading back along the trail.
-end-
A/n: Thanks for reading! And the ficathon is called the "Girl On Fire ficathon" (hosted at kolms' journal). The stuff is so quality, guys, check it out.
