A/N: For some of you, I'm giving you guys a slight warning. I realize that with how my story is currently going, it'd be over in less than 20 chapters. I'm gonna slow it down, and begin focusing a lot on the days leading up to the Games. There'll be a lot of personal moments between Gale and Katniss.

Disclaimer: I own nothing

To Feel Alright

Haymitch decides that it would be safer for us to speak away from the other tributes. With how the District 2 male is looking at us, I actually fully agree with him for a change. We make our way over to what are the tribute living quarters. According to Effie, each district has its own floor.

"And since you're from 12, you get the penthouse." Her tone implies it's one of the benefits of being the escort for the poorest district. "It even has direct access to the roof."

The elevator is far smoother than the elevator to the mines, it doesn't feel like it could literally just fall at any second. It still brings back those dark memories of being lowered into those mines. Ironically, I never have to go through that again, because I'll either die here, or if by some miracle I survive this, everything will be handed to me from the Capitol. I'm not sure which one I prefer more.

Our living quarters are pretty much as far as you can get from the conditions in the Seam. We went from houses the size of the bedroom in the train to a suite as enormous as the justice building. "So Katniss, this room is yours," gesturing to the room on the right. "Gale, yours is here." Gesturing to the room on the left. "Though I know only one will actually be used."

Katniss and I shoot each other lascivious smiles.

"So. Go ahead. Make yourselves right at home. We don't have much to do, but dinner is in a couple hours." With that she walks off.

"Your room, or mine Catnip?"

She simply grabs my arm and drags me to her bathroom. The first thing I did was start removing the braids in her hair, which was softer than even the silky blankets from the train. I then took off her catsuit, and immediately saw how she had absolutely no hair from the eyebrows down. The sight of her glowing body mesmerized me. When she removed my shirt, she immediately seemed rather envious that I didn't get the same harsh treatment she did, though her expression changed quickly to desiring. She quickly ripped my pants from my body, and dragged me into the shower.

The warm water washed away all the unnecessary makeup from Katniss's face, and washed away all the sweat from our bodies.

I locked my lips with hers and pressed her against the shower wall behind her. She responds with equal ferocity and desire as she reached down to where I was ready for her. She began running her hand up and down my rigid length, forcing groans from my throat. She responds with predatory growls of her own. I eventually lose control of myself, and I force her arms above her head as I forcefully kiss and suck at her neck. Her moans drive me nearly insane, and I release her hands and my mouth travels down her body. I eventually lower myself to her most sensitive area, an area already warm and wet, not from the shower.

I use my tongue to part her lower set of lips, and then circle her sensitive bundle of nerves. I repeat this over and over, she cries out my name over and over, until she lets out a loud scream. I'm pretty sure that everyone else had heard. I crawl my way back up her body, and before she fully recovers, I enter her in full. She wraps her arms around my neck and back, and begins biting into my shoulder. I don't give her any kind respite, I set a rapid fierce pace, one that she tries to reciprocate while she's still recovering from her first high. I lower my free hand between us and use my finger to stimulate her sensitive spot again. Eventually, she falls off the edge, biting hard and screaming into my shoulder. She brings me with her this time, forcing a loud groan from me. My legs give out from below me, landing me and Katniss on the shower floor, me on my back.

As we both come down from our high, my body still within her, I tell her, "I love you, Catnip."

She sits up, looking at me. "I love you too." She comes back down for another strong kiss.

We come to dinner, where Effie and Haymitch are waiting for us. If they heard our prior indiscretions, they don't give any indication they did. But that aside, the table is huge and full of a bunch of extravagant looking foods. This far outweighs what we got on the train. We simply sat down across from the two of them, and just find some simple things to eat.

Haymitch starts out the conversation. "The next three days are the most important days for both of you. Training."

Being more of a talker, I choose to respond first. "What do we do?"

"Don't show the other tributes what you're good with, that they don't know about. Gale, that would be your knife-throwing and traps, Katniss that's your archery and hunting skills."

Katniss articulates my thought, "Then what should we do?"

"Practice survival skills. Fire-setting, plant identification, etc."

Effie comes in. "You have to hide what the others can't know about you."

I think I understand what she means, "Keep our strengths a secret."

Haymitch finishes that, "Until your private session four days from now."

Effie returns to talking, "On that day, you show your strongest skills. Normally these are skills that legitimize you as threats."

Katniss finally seems to understand. "So we can show off how we can live in the wilderness, but hide the fact that we're dangerous to the other tributes?"

Haymitch is clearly happy, "Exactly sweetheart."

Effie reminds us of one thing, "Of course, looking at Gale, you can't deny how strong he obviously is."

Haymitch seems surprised. "Effie, you said something actually smart."

She simply gives him a sarcastic smile.

"Anyways, she's right. You're obviously strong, that you can let the other tributes know right off the bat."

I start to wonder what else we should do, a thought that Effie seemed to articulate from me, "You should also take a look around at the other tributes, see what their strengths are. You find their strengths, you can find their weaknesses."

With that, me and Katniss finished our meals. I get an inkling that Effie is implying the careers. "You're referring to the careers, aren't you?"

She gives a smile at me. "Yes."

I speak up. "Effie, I never would've thought that you were like this."

Her face drops a little bit. "What do you mean? You didn't think that I would try to help you? You're as much my tributes as you are Haymitch's."

This woman knows how to confuse people as to her motives and what she's thinking. She never ceases to surprise me. "Now just as important as the training is the interview with Caesar afterwards. Katniss, come with me I need you to start practicing."

She seems a bit incredulous at the sudden announcement. "What do I need to practice that's more important than training?"

"Walking in your shoes properly."

Haymitch grabs my attention and gestures me to stay with him. "She'll be fine Gale. She has to learn how to walk in Effie's favored shoe type if she's gonna make a drastic impact on the audience."

That makes sense, the shoes I see Effie constantly walking in look like they could break someone's feet. "Anything you want to say to me?"

Haymitch smiles and leans forward. "Back to what Effie said earlier, you can show your obvious physical strength right off the bat."

"How should I do that? Lifting a bunch of metal balls off the ground?"

"That can work, but I was thinking more of strength in fighting."

"That shouldn't be too hard. Do they have a station for that or something?"

He nods, "The hand to hand combat station."

Haymitch decides that we have done enough. "Alright you two need to get off to sleep. Sleep being the keyword." He says the last sentence singsongy, with a humorous smile, one that me and Katniss reciprocate.

Effie ends the conversation, telling us that training officially begins at 10 in the morning.

While we're lying together in her bed, I speak with Katniss about what we can do over the next couple of days. I weirdly feel this would so much harder and so much easier if either I or she weren't here. I wouldn't have to worry about losing someone I love if I win, but at the same time I would in effect be alone in my endeavors. At least with her here, I know that I'll have someone watching my back, just as I'll be watching hers.

"Think we should focus on the careers Catnip?"

"Definitely. They're the immediate threat in the arena."

"Okay. I'll take the boys, you the girls?"

"Okay."

I choose to change the subject to earlier today. "Were you angry earlier? When you saw that I wasn't hairless from the eyebrows down?"

She reaches up and pinches my nipple, "Hell yeah. You have any idea how much it hurts getting your hair ripped from your body."

"No."

"Of course you don't." She looks up at me, "Now, I am happy for the haircut they gave you."

The feeling is mutual, I feel better with a neater hair style. "I was kind of scared the blaming liquid was gonna turn my hair an extravagant color."

"You're not the only one."

She changes the subject again, "Do you think they're alright?"

"You mean our families back home?"

She nods. "I'm terrified for them."

"They'll be ok Catnip. The Mellarks will take care of them. Don't forget that Mr. Mellark probably still harbors feelings for your mother."

She seems somewhat torn at that, "As much as that comforts me, I still find it weird that he has or had feelings for my mother." She then perks up and looks at me. "How exactly did you know that, to begin with?"

That's a story I'm more than willing to tell her, and I smile. "Last year, one day at the Hob, after the last Games, my mother came up to me. She began talking with me, telling me and I distinctly remember her words, 'You know, nothing's gonna happen if you guys just keep staring at each other.'"

Katniss laughs at that. "Hazelle doesn't miss a thing."

Can't argue with that. "Then she told me a story, of when she and Mr. Mellark were young. Mentioning that Mr. Mellark had feelings for a girl who had an exceptional ability to heal. But he never confessed them, and she ran off with a coal miner with an exceptional singing voice. I have to admit I was surprised that your mother did that. My mom said she didn't want history to repeat itself with her daughters. Except, I got too scared, and I backed out."

Katniss props herself on her elbows, and says, "And then that girl came from nowhere trying to pick you up. And the rest is history."

"You know Catnip. I don't think I ever told you, that you are my first."

"What?"

"Looking back on that day, you mentioned something about how that girl implied to you that other girls weren't just nothing to me. Well, no girl meant anything to me until you. I'm your first, you're my first."

She leans up and straddles me, looking at me with a mix of surprise and elation. "Is that true?"

"Yeah it is Catnip."

She lowers her lips to mine. The flame between us is far calmer than earlier in the shower. She pulls me up to her running her nails gently down my back, and I run my hands up her back. The moment becomes more and more heated, and then I flip myself on top of her.

And then the night fades from us as we lose ourselves in our own reality.

Song Credit: Jar of Hearts by Christina Perri