Disclaimer: The odds are not in my favor to procure them the rights to this.

A/n: Well, here's a surprise. More Gale/Katniss! I should say, that this ficathon has made me write a whole schwack of G/K. There will be a smattering of other things, but this is where my muse has decided to make camp, apparently. Thanks for checkin' it out!

Prompt: gale/katniss; the things we do just to stay alive. (For nitro26)


Watching For The Fallout

He's only seen her cry a few times.

The anniversary of the mine explosion that killed their fathers, they lay down on their backs in the tall grass near their spot. Tears slide silently down tanned cheeks and melt away in the dirt beneath like they were never there in the first place.

The next year is better, farther away and less raw, and they share an expensive drink they had to trade half their haul for, but it's worth it to clink together the rough metal mugs and know they share the same pain.


She was always too proud to cry, and frankly in this bleak world, they were both too used to pain now to do much else than share looks and a comforting squeeze of the hand before exhaling and moving on. They had too many other things to worry about and having a personal pity party, no matter how bad it hurt, simply wasn't an option. There just wasn't time for heartbreak.


The first time he really saw her cry was one afternoon when she didn't hear him approaching in the woods and he lingered behind a tree, listening, his heart cracking, wanting to run over and comfort her but knowing she would hate it if she knew he'd heard her "weakness". He knew it was because it was Prim's birthday and she only had a few months left of being a young child before her name would be put in the bowl at the Reaping. She could only protect her sister so much.

When he'd finally emerged from the trees and joined her, her eyes were red and puffy, but there were no more tears. Without a word, he'd settled down beside her. She knew he understood the reason behind her tears and he simply curled his arm around her shoulders and held her tight, saying without words that he knew how badly she was hurting.


"Take care of them Gale, whatever you do, don't let them starve."

He always got the feeling that she would never have let anyone else see her cry.


This time the entire world is privy to her tears as she holds the little girl from 11 in her lap, singing through wet eyes and parched, quivering lips. It's all too tragic and horrible and he feels somehow personally violated and violated for her sake – this is too private, too raw and no one else should be watching, not even him.

He can't remember ever feeling more powerless.