WARNING: OK. So MOST of this drabble-story thing is rated K. I think. Except this chapter is rated T. Just to be safe.

Girls say he's good-looking - Gale isn't deaf, he hears their talk. And he sees the look that it puts in Catnip's eyes. She merely rolls them, and mutters something about his ego as she stalks off when reaching the village. He honestly doesn't believe she has any interest in him - their relationship is strictly business (the one way to truly describe it), and he has a feeling that she's faintly disgusted with it all.

Yup, he thinks as she crosses her eyes at him. She's disgusted. (Well, for what she thinks he's doing, it makes sense. Annoyingly) Besides, she's younger than him. She may still be young enough to find kissing gross.

Really, he knows she's only been aware of this for a week. She caught him kissing Athena Lee, the girl who smelled of lavender soap (exactly the reason he called it off yesterday. Athena doesn't do tesserae and began to hint at her 'fortune').

And so Catnip was - is - a little peevish. So he was supposed to meet her in the woods that morning for a trapping lesson. So he forgot. So Catnip told him that there was no way that she was going to hunt with him if he was going to run off with every girl in the village and forget this arrangement. Especially merchants' daughters who smelt of lavender. And when she has to be near him and smell the sickly sweet scent.

Personally, she informs him, it's his life. He can do as he pleases. He can impregnate every girl in District 12. She doesn't care, as long as it doesn't affect her.

He protests to that. "Catnip..." Because now things are just a little awkward between them. (And he is definitely not impregnating every girl in District 12. He was kissing Athena. Big deal. And he's done with that girl, and her sticky kisses.)

"Com'on, Catnip. Like you said, it doesn't make a difference."

She shrugs. "No. Do what you want. I don't care, but if you'd rather sit by the school, making out, tell me now." She glances at him roughly. "Seriously, Gale, it didn't affect me until now."

"Until now?" He cocks an eyebrow at her, and she grins wryly.

"You think I'm dumb, don't ya? I've seen you with more girls than Athena."

"Yeah, but not all at the same time. You've got to be kidding me, Katniss. This is ridiculous." He can't believe she doesn't find this conversation completely and totally inappropriate.

"Probably," she acknowledges. She's pensive, and adds, "I don't think I'm ever going to get married, or have kids."

"That's because you're young." He says, thinking that once she gets older, her mind will change. She doesn't act it, but she's still a kid.

"No, it's not." She sighs, and shakes her head, "It's because I'm not going to put anybody else through the reaping. I'm not gonna watch them die. Or starve. It's hard enough to feed the three in my household, Gale. Then having to make my kids take the tesserae? No way."

Okay, so maybe not so young. What she has just said made Gale feel selfish, annoyed, and slightly stupid. She may be young, but she's probably wiser.

"Yeah, but Catnip? I seriously don't sleep with every girl in District 12."

"Whatever. Do what you want. It's kinda gross, Gale."

Okay, so partly kid. "Katniss. I swear to you...I don't have se-"

"I think we should just drop it. As in, now."

I'm totally aware that this was not graphic, just 'T' to be safe. I mean, I definitely wouldn't rate it K...

But *grins* this was fun to write.

Please review! I really appreciate it, though I'm not going to hold it over anyone's head (I hate that...) and thanks to those who have! :)

~HS1