As much as I love this story, I'm kind of sad that I decided to write Katniss this way. I think it would be a lot of fun to write her, and I'm jealous of Suzanne Collins for creating her. Touche Suzanne. Touche.
"Are you sure you'll be all right?" Peeta asked as Gale shoved a heavy brown coat into his arms.
Nodding, Gale gently pushed the boy towards the front door, his hands gentle upon Peeta's strong chest. "Yes. I promise I won't let her out of my sight. Take your time. Really."
Peeta looked down at Gales hands for a moment, then nervously looked back up and over Gale's shoulder where Katniss sat on the living room couch, staring at the fire in front of her. He wanted to make his daily trip over to see Haymitch, and Gale insisted that the blond stay with the elder man longer than usual, since he was here to watch Katniss now.
"I-I don't know-" Peeta tried again, but Gale ripped the jacket out of Peeta's arms and began putting it on the blond himself. "G-Gale-" Peeta began, trying to hide his blush at the boys touch, but the hunter cut him off.
"I told you it'll be fine. What was the point of having me come here if I can't even do what you want me to do." Gale said, shoving Peetas cold arms through the sleeves. He spun Peeta around to zip up the jacket, not caring that he was manhandling the boy inside his personal space. Just as he grabbed the zipper, Peeta grabbed Gale's hands.
"Y-You don't have to do that." Peeta said, his voice coming up barely above a whisper as he found himself staring into Gales unique gray eyes.
Gale froze, realizing just how close he and Peeta were. The atmosphere suddenly changed, and in an instant everything around them was different than it had been. He thought about letting go and walking away, but instead he continued his actions, taking the zipper and pulling it slowly up so that the jacket closed. They both stared at each other, regarding each others eyes.
Peeta swallowed down an emotion that was rising in his stomach, but for some reason he couldn't look away from Gale. He took a deep breath and forced a smile, "Thanks. I promise I wont be long." He cursed himself silently for how shaky and breathless his voice was. He didn't understand why he was acting this way, but he couldn't stop.
Gale let go of Peetas jacket and took a step back, but kept his eyes on the blond, "I know. But take your time okay?" He reached out and tugged the sleeve of the jacket, almost affectionately saying, "And keep that on. It's cold out. Wouldn't want you getting sick. Got it?"
Nodding, Peeta shoved his hands in his pockets, casting a look over at Katniss who was now staring at the two of them.
"I'll be back soon okay?" Peeta said to her, silently surprised at her sudden interest in them.
She just turned and went back looking at the fire.
Sighing, Peeta turned back to Gale, "Good luck." And with a small wave, he turned and walked out the door.
Gale closed the door behind Peeta then walked to the window. He watched as the boy made his way to Haymitch's home, not moving from the spot until he was sure the boy went inside. Gale shook his head, not sure why he cared if Peeta made it to the mans house okay, but he did.
He turned back to Katniss who was staring at the fire.
"Okay. Let's get moving."
As Gale and Katniss walked through the woods, the hunter was silently contemplating how angry Peeta would be when he got back. Really angry? Extremely angry? Angry enough that if Katniss attacked Gale in his sleep...would Peeta intervene?
He did leave a note for the boy.
Gale honestly had no clue how to handle a person with severe depression. When his father died, he had to bury the pain deep inside so that he could help support his family. His mother cried, he couldn't blame her for that, but she to had to get up and go about her days the best she could as well.
But what was going on with Katniss was way out of his realm. He didn't know the first thing about helping someone with her problem, so he just decided to do what he normally did with Katniss.
Hunt.
Granted he was well aware that hunting with her would be a bit...well a lot different than how they normally did this, but he had to give it a try. The girl who once ravaged the world like the sun was now only simmering embers in the cold morning air...and she deserved a chance to burn brightly again.
Now Gale only needed to figure out how exactly to accomplish that.
Game was scare in this cold weather, but it wasn't impossible to find. Gale set up snares here and there, knowing that Peeta and Katniss most likely hadn't much food to choose from. For a moment he wondered where they were getting their food from, then instantly knew his mother must have been involved.
He didn't miss that Katniss looked mostly the same weight wise, while Peeta had most certainly slimmed down. Gale would bet a whole deer that if he pressed the blond, he would grudgingly admit that he was giving Katniss most of the food.
Gale shook his head. If he ever doubted Peeta's love for Katniss...
Gale turned to the girl walking slowly behind him. It had taken a while to find her hunting gear, but he had located it locked up in a closet on the third floor. Gale guessed that Peeta most likely to keep it hidden because of Katniss and her bad dreams, and he couldn't blame Peeta for doing so. Still, he found the key easily, as it was hidden poorly in drawer in the kitchen. He couldn't get her to wear most of the gear, but she took her fathers hunting jacket without hesitation. Gale held onto her bows...she didn't ask for them.
"So...you up for some hunting?" Gale said, his voice loud in the quiet forest.
Katniss merely stood, staring at the ground.
Sighing, Gale turned away, hoisting the arrow holder off his shoulder before taking an arrow out of it's holster. He looked around, hoping for some movement. Crouching low beside a tree, he laid in wait for his target.
They waited for almost twenty minutes before he saw something out of the corner of his eye. In a flash he had the bow drawn and before he could let out a breath, he let it fly.
Then missed.
"Damn it." Gale whispered as the rabbit bounced away. He went to grab another bow when suddenly a flash of light before his eyes caused him to jump back. Katniss was beside him, silent and deadly as ever, and Gale turned to see the knife embedded into tree.
Also, it was imbedded into a snake.
Swallowing Gale watched as the snake shivered and shuddered for a few moments before it stilled and died. He let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding.
"Sniper." Katniss said, and Gale nodded, looking at the girl. It was the nickname they had for the deadly snake that roamed these woods.
It had another name, a real one that neither of them could remember, so they dubbed the snake the Sniper for it's deadly attack that often came before anyone even realized it was to late.
But Katniss did. She saw it...and saved Gale.
"You haven't changed a bit." Gale whispered to her, even though he was wrong. She had changed...but he knew that where it mattered most, inside, there was still the girl who would easily risk her life for those she cared about.
Katniss stood, wiping her hands on her pants, careful to avoid her beloved jacket, and said, "Try again."
Gale frowned, then turned and saw the rabbit had come back. He was curious as to why it hadn't run away, but perhaps the animals had gotten to soft from no humans hunting there for a while.
"How about you try?" Gale said, standing and offering the girl her old weapons.
Katniss regarded them, and for a moment Gale could swear he could see the longing in her eyes. But she shook her head and stepped back. "Done. I'm done." She held up her hands and pushed them towards the boy, "It's your turn now."
Not exactly sure what she meant, Gale just sighed and said, "Suit yourself. But I want some rabbit tonight."
Then he got back into position, lifted the bow, and shot again.
"Okay...I can explain." Gale said when he saw Peeta on the other side of the fence. The boy's cheeks were red from anger and the cold, but his eyes softened when he saw that they were all right. Or, more like Katniss was.
As Gale and Katniss finished crawling through the fence, Peeta helped Katniss stand before getting into Gales face, "What the hell were you thinking?" He might have been shorter, but Gale was very much aware that Peeta could be dangerous if he wanted to be.
Holding up his hands, which were full of game that came mostly from the snares, Gale calmly replied, "I was thinking that you want me to help Katniss. And one of the ways that I figured to do so is to remind her of things she used to enjoy."
He tossed a rabbit at Peeta, who caught it with a frown, "And I haven't had rabbit in over a year. So let's go." Gale finished as he walked past Peeta, heading for the house.
Peeta held the dead rabbit away from him, confused as to what he should do with it, then turned around. Katniss was staring at him, and he could see the smallest bit of a light in her eyes that hadn't been there in ages.
"I killed a snake." She said then turned and began following Gales path.
Startled, Peeta trotted after them, "A snake? Please tell me it wasn't poisonous...guys?...Guys!"
"I wouldn't have made a big deal. I would have let you two go." Peeta said with a frown over his steaming bowl of cooked rabbit. There was some vegetables in there and some kind of broth that Gale made, and Peeta was scarfing it down with immense gusto. Katniss had long since eaten and Peeta made sure to get her full of food and into bed before he even touched his own bowl. Gale tried to convince him that he should eat first, but the blond wouldn't have it.
Gale was quickly noticing that Katniss came first in everything Peeta did. He always made sure she was happy and comfortable, and while Gale understood, and even on some level respected it, he had to wonder if the blond was also taking care of himself.
He seriously doubted it.
Though Gale knew he primarily was here for Katniss, he was also realizing that Peeta needed more help than he realized.
And Gale found himself wanting to give it.
When Peeta came back from Katniss's room, exhausted from his efforts to get her to sleep, Gale was waiting for him with the bowl and a smile, not having eaten yet until the blond got to the table.
Now that it was just the two of them, night had settled over their district, and they spoke quietly in the kitchen filled with the scents of their fresh dinner.
Gale swallowed his soup, glad that his mothers recipe came out well enough despite their limited ingredients, and answered, "Maybe...but I needed to get her alone. I wanted to see how far gone she is."
"Pretty gone." Peeta muttered with a frown as he blew on his food a bit before taking another bite. He didn't notice Gale watching him, making sure he ate. He himself might not have realized how much weight he lost, but Gale did, and was intent on making sure he got some of it back.
"Hey." Gale said, placing his arm on the back of Peeta's chair and turning to the boy. Peeta looked up at him, not sure what Gale was about to say.
"You can't underestimate Katniss. She's smarter than all of us remember? That was always her biggest asset, that no one could ever guess that she could do what she did." He offered the blue eyed boy a smile, "We have to at least try to get her back."
Peeta stared at Gale for a moment, silent, choosing his words quietly, "If I tell you something, will you promise not to deck me?"
Raising an eyebrow, Gale said, "Maybe."
Offering the boy a small smirk, Peeta nearly whispered, "I-I think that...for Katniss...her biggest problem is...she...she doesn't want to come back."
Gale considered Peeta's words, and his mind immediately went to the Katniss in the woods. Her words. Her actions. The way she waved away her old, precious hunting weapons.
"Done. I'm done." She held up her hands and pushed them towards the boy, "It's your turn now."
Gale looked away from Peeta, wondering if he should tell the boy what she said. But he didn't, mostly because he didn't want to believe it himself.
"She doesn't want to go on Gale. That's the problem. She lost Prim, she doesn't have anything else she want's to live for." Peeta continued, looking back down at his bowl of soup, but not touching it. He was lost in thought.
Gale spoke the words before he could stop them, "Not even for you?"
Peeta tensed, and Gale couldn't blame him.
"I-I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that-" Gale began, but Peeta cut him off.
"No. You're right. She...if she wanted, she would fight this. Beat this to get back to us." Peeta shook his head, "But she doesn't. It was always taking care of Prim that kept her going. Kept her alive. Now...Prim's gone, and she can't replace that love. Not with anything...or anyone." Even though Peeta knew that the love he and Katniss once shared was gone, it didn't mean that it didn't still hurt when he thought about it.
Peeta began to rise, but Gale reached out his hand and grasped the boy by his arm, keeping him in his chair, "Don't go. There's still plenty of stew left."
"I-" Peeta began, but Gale reached out and grabbed the boys bowl and stood. He wanted to make sure the boy ate as much as he could before he left.
"It tastes better fresh, and there's enough left for the two of us." Gale went over and poured the food into the bowls. When he turned back, Peeta was regarding him with confusion.
"I'll teach you how to make it for the future. You did well enough when I taught you how to skin the rabbits, so when you get more animals in the future you can make different kinds of food with it." Gale continued as he walked back to the table, placing the bowl down in front of Peeta.
Peeta stared at the bowl for a second, then turned back to Gale. "You know...I was really worried about you coming here."
"Why?" Gale asked with a mouthful of stew.
"B-because of...you know. Katniss...you...me..." Peeta's voice grew quiet, but he kept his eyes steady on the brunette. "I was almost expecting you to break my jaw when I opened the door the other night."
Gale sighed and was quiet for a moment before he answered, "Look. I have to admit, I spent a good portion of the past year hating you. I know that it's not your fault. That...Katniss chose you and there were reasons behind her decision I can't blame her for." He sighed again, "But things are different now. Katniss needs our help, and you aren't nearly as annoying as I often made you out to be in my fantasies about mauling you."
Peeta let out a small chocking sound and cleared his throat a bit before squeaking out, "M-mauling-?"
But Gale waved his hand away, "It's all in the past. We have work to do now." He pushed Peeta's bowl closer to the blond, "Starting with eating. Think about what else you can make the stew with in the future when you get more game."
Peeta blinked at Gale, stunned. He hadn't expected his arrival to go like this at all. He really wasn't sure what to expect either way, but Gale being friendly, helpful and even forgiving was more than Peeta could have hopped for.
Deciding not to push his luck, Peeta picked his spoon back up. "First, I can't believe I'm going to say this but I might actually get full." Peeta started, staring at the bowl with a smile. When he looked back up at Gale, that smile faltered a bit, "Second, I can't hunt. And Katniss isn't in any mind state to do so as well." He sighed and stirred the food, watching the steam rise up, "Your mom brings us dried meat sometimes, which is wonderful. But often I just make do with what I can bake."
Gale shifted in his seat as an idea formed in his mind, "I can teach you how to hunt if you liked."
Wincing when the hot food touched his mouth, Peeta turned to Gale, frowning at the brunettes snickering at his pain. When he finally swallowed he said, "I don't know if that's such a good idea. According to Katniss I'm the worse person to take on a hunt." He scooped up another spoonful and said, "Lead feet, I believe is the term she used."
Leaning his head on his fist, Gale said, "Please. Katniss just doesn't have the patience to teach anyone. I can teach you no problem."
Pointing the spoon at gale, Peeta said, "Yes problem. Whose going to watch Katniss?"
Gale tapped Peeta's spoon with his own and answered, "You leave that to me." Then he pointed to Peeta's bowl, "And finish your stew Peet."
Frowning, Peeta took another bite, muttering, "Don't know how I feel about you calling me Peet."
But Gale just smiled, "To bad. I like it. So get used to it...Peet."
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