Hi Everyone! This is kinda a spin-off of a convo between Gale and Katniss from my other story "The Darkness Behind You" which is a K&P post Mockingjay/pre epilogue. You don't have to read it to get this at all. This One-shot stands on its own, but I figured I would let you guys know in case you did...
Disclaimer: I do not Own the Hunger Games, but I do think Suzanne Collins is a genius!
I walk into the familiar, brightly-lit room. I am not sure what it was before Coin was killed, back when this was Snow's mansion, but today, just like every day for the past 2 weeks, this room has been transformed into a courtroom. On trial is my best friend, the girl I love, the Mockingjay and presidential assassin, Katniss Everdeen.
There's no doubt that she killed Coin. We all saw it, along with all of Panem. She was supposed to assassinate Snow. It had been one of her demands. A demand that she had made to Coin herself in exchange for her cooperation as the rebel figurehead. This trial is not about answering who, it is about answering why. The prosecution is trying to claim that Katniss was power hungry, that she had planned the assassination of Coin the whole time, that she wanted to be the next president. The suggestion gives me the urge to both laugh and yell, maybe hit someone hard. Katniss Everdeen... Power hungry? These morons know nothing about her. She wouldn't even be here, wasting away in whatever holding cell they have her in, if it weren't for those berries. Believe me the rebellion needed to happen. The way of the world needed to change, but I sometimes wonder if she ever wishes she had just killed Mellark.
The defence of course has taken up the other extreme, that Katniss is out of her mind, unstable, not able to comprehend what she had done because of debilitating mental illness. I know this isn't the case either. I know why she killed Coin. Her sister's death had been arranged by President Coin, as a way to sedate the Mockingjay. To eliminate her as a threat. I know this because I know what Katniss knows; that the bombs used in that explosion, the one that not only took Prim's life, but severely burned Katniss as well, those bombs were developed in part by me. Prim was like a sister to me to, and one day I hoped she would truly be if Katniss and I got married, but now she is dead, and I have to wonder if Katniss hates me for it. Although the idea that Katniss was out of her mind is a joke, she is facing execution, so I am all for this defence.
I look around the courtroom, which is inundated with reporters and ever changing spectators. It is just another normal day in the trial of the Mockingjay. A couple of rows in front of me and a little to the left sits Peeta. On the first day of the trial he shook my hand, I could feel the hijacking tremor in his grip. After that, we don't speak. I want to hate Peeta, like really want to hate Peeta, and some days I actually succeed. Some days I just want to beat him to a pulp, for whatever reason. Because he tried to strangle Katniss to death, because he's too god damn nice, but mostly it is because, at the end of the day, her heart belongs to him. I thought I had a chance after they got back from the Hunger Games. She didn't seem to want anything to do with him, and he seemed to feel the same way, but that changed quickly at the Quarter Quell. I knew she was in love with him the minute I saw them together. Never mind when they were kissing on the beach. She never kissed me that way. Hell, she never even kissed me in a close second way. From the minute she was rescued from the arena until the moment of that explosion everything about her was saturated with Peeta Mellark. How I wanted to hate him, but It feels wrong to. He saved her life more times than I can count, including right after she shot Coin. I can't claim I have done the same thing. In fact, I had a hand in killing her sister, so I'm clearly fucked in this department. Maybe after he gets past this hijacking, and if she doesn't get put in front of a firing squad, he'll love her again and they can live happily ever after. Just fucking wonderful.
A couple of seats away from Peeta sits Haymitch; him, I do hate. He may be from the Seam, and I should feel some camaraderie towards him, but I don't. He has been a little too cavalier with Katniss' and, I hate to say it, Peeta's lives. The fact they weren't told what was going to actually happen in the Quell is beyond fucked up. Maybe if they had known they wouldn't have decided to sacrifice themselves for each other. Peeta wouldn't have been hijacked and I would have had a fighting chance in the battle for Katniss' affections. I hate Haymitch!
Peeta, Haymitch and I had given our testimonies on day 2, but we have been coming every day since. I can't say what their reasons are, but I feel like I can keep her safe if I'm here, even though none of us have been able to see her since the day of the assassination. Besides us, a person who is obviously a girl has been coming every single day. She always has her hoodie pulled up though, so I have no clue who she is. I have no interest in finding out. I suppose it could be one of those Capitol freaks from Katniss' prep team.
President Paylor and her committee sit at benches at the front of the room, these men and women hold Katniss' fate in their hands. I wonder if the fact that Coin's death gave Paylor her promotion weighs in at all. The prosecutor stands, a tall and lanky man with that mole-person look to him, grey skin from years underground in Thirteen. His brown hair is thinning, and his dark eyes convey a lack of sympathy. He begins to question some low-level decision maker of Coin's. A short gray-skinned man with beady eyes. The gist of the testimony is that obviously Katniss was bestowed some great honor in being able to be the executioner. He goes on to say that if Coin had noticed any sort of instability with the girl, she would not have been allowed to execute Snow. The implication being that it was premeditated. I can't help but snort laughter, and I inadvertently glance at Peeta to see him shaking his head. It seems someone may have more to say when I hear a shrieking "Ha" coming from behind me. The hooded figure is on her feet now, when I turn towards the noise, she pulls down her hood and I recognize her right away... Johanna Mason.
"Are you fucking kidding me?" she screeches. "There was nothing premeditated about anything Katniss did."
"Ms. Mason, you need to sit down and be quiet.", Paylor's voice booms through the courtroom, but Johanna doesn't appear to be listening.
"That girl was completely broken when she took that shot. This whole trial is bullshit! She had just lost her goddamn sister, ya know, the one she volunteered for. She had just been burned from head to toe. She was manipulated by every authority figure she ever came across, and between the Capitol and the Rebellion she was torn to pieces. So you can take your premeditation and shove it up your goddamn ass." Johanna is beat red and seems to be breathing fire. It makes me smile.
"Guards, arrest Ms. Mason." I can see from my seat on the end of the 3rd to last row the guards advancing towards the back. The one who looks like he might get to her before she reaches the door on the side of the courtroom is running down my aisle. I'm proud to say it's my protruding foot that he trips over.
"Sorry.", I mutter at the collapsed guard.
Johanna safely gets to the exit, but before disappearing she turns around and gives me an evil smirk, winking one of her large brown eyes at me. Until this moment, I never realized how hot she is.
The rest of the day goes by without incident, and the premeditation offence is basically taken down by the defence attorney all but parroting Johanna's rant. I leave the courtroom as soon as we are dismissed, I have no interest in talking to anyone about today. I head back to the hotel which the rebels have taken over to house our people while in the Capitol. I strip down to a pair of boxers and collapse on my bed staring up at the ceiling. I am so sick of being here. The Capitol is a place I never wanted to see. Even though its not really The Capitol anymore I still want to leave as soon as possible. I miss home, I miss the woods, and even though home is nothing but rubble, I ache for it.
A knock on the door breaks my train of thought. I get up not bothering to put any clothes on, and open the door. Johanna Mason stands at my door with a half filled bottle of whiskey and two shot glasses. She's wearing tight green pants and a low cut V-neck black t-shirt showing off a perfect amount of breast. She flashes me the same evil grin she gave me in the courtroom, while eyeing my bare chest.
"You gonna let me in?", she asks roughly. I push the door open, leaving her enough room to walk past me, she does, but grazes the bottle of whiskey against my chest as she passes. I'm starting to feel slightly underdressed, so I grab my t-shirt off the floor, putting it on.
"No need to get dressed on my account, just more clothes to take off later." She finishes the sentence by biting her bottom lip, and I suppress a shiver.
"I'll take my chances.", I reply cockily. She stands in front of me, handing me a shot glass, then filling both shot glasses to the brim. "What's the toast?" Johanna seems to contemplate my question.
"How about to me not having to spend the night in jail?"
"I'll drink to that." and I take the first shot down, Johanna follows, she begins filling them again, after the next shot is down and our glasses filled again, she begins speaking again.
"I wanted to come by and thank you for helping me out today. I hate these assholes, almost as much as I hated the last assholes. It's the same bureaucratic bullshit, just they haven't been in power long enough to be sadistic." She pours another round and I smirk at what she said, because she's not wrong.
"I'll be happy when this trials over and I can do something else with my life." I think about the job that I was offered by Paylor in the new defence department in District 2. I think I may take her up on the job when this is all done. I notice Johanna is staring at me, and my eyes lock with her big sexy brown ones. She cocks her head at me.
"So what's the status on you and Katniss?" She downs another shot before continuing. "Have you conceded to Peeta yet?" I want to be annoyed at her for asking something like that, but as I watch her pour yet another shot for us, I can't help but laugh.
"I don't think there was anything to concede, I was never going to beat the torture angle." I notice something flash in her eyes quickly before it's gone. She downs another shot, I follow.
"Katniss told me you were whipped in your district square, that's impressive." I find my eyes falling to her chest. My mind, heavy with booze, guides my fingers to begin tracing the hem of the V of her shirt.
"I'm glad you think so.", my voice comes out soft and deep. I realize at this moment that I want to take Johanna right here, right now. Johanna seems to be thinking the same thing as she glides her fingers over the outside of my boxers, hardening me with each pass. I suppress a moan, but let out a heavy breath. Suddenly Johanna drops to her knees, and is pulling my erection free. Before I can even center myself, she has taken me into her mouth, and is sucking hard. I hiss my next breath. I can feel her teeth graze as she sucks and I have to moan out loud. My hand finds her head. Her short dark hair is so soft against my fingers. She continues her assault on me, until I can't help yelling the word "Fuck" as I empty everything into her warm wet mouth. She stands up almost instantly, wiping her bottom lip with the back of her hand.
"My turn." She grins and then shoves me towards the bed. She is really strong and I almost lose my balance. When I am finally on the bed she orders me to "Move back." I comply and rest my head on a pillow. Johanna climbs on top of me, and for the first time our mouths meet. The kiss is rough and violent; I like it. I grab the back of her neck pushing her mouth into mine, our tongues don't dance, they battle. When air becomes a necessity, she breaks away and begins biting and sucking on the skin of my neck, chest and shoulders, while my hands find the curves of her body before grabbing her ass.
I am already hard again, and Johanna knows it. She stands on the bed and strips down quickly and efficiently while standing over me. I can't believe I never noticed how hot she is. She is curvy and beautiful. and I want one of her large breasts in my mouth. She bends over and tugs down my boxers and I finish the job, kicking them off the bed. She eyeballs my t-shirt and I toss that off as well. She looks at me in my naked state and seems almost impressed.
"This isn't your first time is it?", she asks almost annoyed.
I smirk. "No, is it yours?"
"Yup, with you." She lowers herself so I enter her. Feeling her warmth around me makes me groan, and I can hear Johanna breathing get heavy. I pull her down towards me so I can bite and suck on her breast, she lets off a satisfied "Mmmm". Johanna rides me until I am yelling out and she is screaming. She whips her head back and moans loudly. Her screaming reaches a glass shattering pitch as I feel her clench around me. When I finish she collapses on top of me, and then rolls off, making me groan as I pull out of her. We are both breathing heavy.
"I think I like you, Gale Hawthorne.", she says matter-of-factly.
"Likewise, Johanna Mason." She turns on her side, propping her head up with a hand.
"Good." she gives me the same evil smirk. "We can make this a thing, it you want to make this a thing." I nod my head to her half assed attempt to start up some sort of relationship. I want to see where this goes. She gets up and starts getting dressed. I am actually sad to see her do it.
"You can stay here if you want." Trying my best to dissuade her current actions. She looks at me like I am a moron.
"On the first date Gale... really?" She rolls her eyes and finishes getting dressed she crawls on top of me again. Her mouth aiming to meet mine, but instead of a kiss, she bites hard on my bottom lip, making me gasp. "See you later, Gale." she climbs off and heads towards the door, and I already miss her inferno. I sit up and stare at her as she begins to leave. She turns to me while standing in the doorway. "Thanks again." and this face is unusual, because it is genuine and sweet, but i think I like it just as much.
The door closes and she is gone. I lie back on my bed and am surprised when I find for the first time in months I really smile.