The tributes all wait in the barely-lit hall, waiting for their name to be called to go out and face the people. Gale can hear Ceaser shouting and laughing from here, and he squirms uncomfortably in his suit. He's next in line, and he can feel Peeta's breath on his neck, and he shivers.
He turns to Peeta annoyed. "Would you stop doing that?"
Peeta's eyes meet his, then he leans in close and whispers in his ear, "You know you like it," he teases. Gale's eyes widen but he doesn't have the chance to say anything before his name is called and he's ushered out onto the stage, the screams of the Capitol ringing in his ears. Ceaser, with his blue, slicked-back hair, welcomes him.
"Gale Hawthorne, everybody!" Ceaser shows him off to the crowd like a trophy before letting him sit down in the ridiculous plush chair next to Ceaser's. The screams die down and Ceaser looks him straight in the eye, getting down to business. "So... I feel like everyone wants to know, what's your relationship status?" The ladies in the crowd giggle and swoon. Gale looks at them, vaguely terrified, and says, "I'm single, and I'm STRAIGHT," he says, looking straight at the camera.
He can almost hear Effie's sob of despair.
Ceaser looks at him skeptically. "Alrighty, then... Are you sure? You seem to be pretty comfortable with your partner..." Gale shoves his face into his hands, groaning. "Why does everyone think I have a thing for Peeta?!"
"Well, I don't know if you've ever been to the Capitol before, but we kind of live for that shit," Ceaser replies with a grin.
Before he has a chance to say anything, Ceaser says into the mic, "Hey, someone push the lover in here!" The screen behind them changes to Peeta's shocked expression as Cato pushes him on stage, laughing his ass off. Someone brings out another chair to sit next to Gale's, and Peeta sits with a grin. He leans close to Gale, trailing his fingers down the other's arm. "Hey babe," he says, leaving Gale dumbfounded.
The crowd erupts into screams.
Ceaser smirks. "Not a couple, right?" Then he straightens up. "Though very seriously, when did this start?" Peeta snakes his hand down and entwines his fingers with Gale's, answering for him, "When I first saw him I knew it was meant to be." The crowd awed at the 'couple'. Gale attempted to take his hand out of Peeta's, when Ceaser asks, "So, when are we going to have a wedding for you two?"
Finally, Gale had had enough. He tightened his hand around Peeta's, and answered for him, "We aren't really sure yet, but we hope it's soon." Peeta turns to look at him, though he hides his shock well from the cameras. Gale quickly leans in for a kiss, grabbing the back of his neck to pull him closer and kiss him deeper, Peeta's lips unmoving in shock, listening to wolf-whistles from the crowd. Seconds later he backs out of the kiss and answers any other questions Ceaser has for them before ushering Peeta out of the room.
As soon as they're out of sight, Gale shoves him against the wall. "What the hell was that, Mellark?!"
Peeta looks him in the eye, expression neutral as he spits out, "I'm saving our asses. Without this, nobody is gonna care who we are. Without this, we aren't interesting enough to keep alive."
Gale nods, seemingly agreeing, and he starts to turn, only to whip back and punch him in the jaw, Peeta's head flying back into the brick wall as he whimpers in pain. Gale is already walking away, shoving away Effie's attempts to stop him as he goes into the elevator, doors closing him in.
Gale hears the electric slide of his door opening late at night, and almost immediately he's awake and alert, sitting up to see who the intruder is.
It's Peeta, with blotchy red eyes and messy hair, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck.
"H-hey." Gale can hear the hesitation and fear in the one word and almost immediately he hates himself for putting it there.
"I'm s-sorry for... earlier. I-I should've asked y-you first." Peeta starts to walk away, and Gale groans before calling out, "Wait! Peeta, wait a minute."
Peeta turns around slowly, and Gale can see him shaking. "Are you okay?" He asks Peeta.
"J-just a nightmare," he says quickly.
Gale studies him for a moment before patting the space beside him on the bed. "C'mere. You can stay with me, if you want..." He can see Peeta hesitating, looking back to the door and then at Gale. "...are you sure?"
Gale swallows and nods, patting the bed again.
Peeta gives a small smile and walks slowly to the bed, lifting the covers and getting in, but staying as far away from Gale as possible. Gale sighed.
"Look, I'm sorry for hitting you. I'm not sorry about the reason I did it, but I'm sorry I hit you. I know it's kind of a sensitive thing for you." Peeta looked away in the other direction, refusing to look at him.
Even so, when Gale gave up on talking to him, he took comfort in the fact that he was no longer alone.
Effie smiles but doesn't say anything when she finds them in the morning wrapped tightly around each other, smiling in their sleep. She leaves them to sleep a while longer before they have to wake up and face reality.
Peeta wakes slowly, taking a deep breath, smelling rain and leather in the air.
Gale, he realizes. He's smelling Gale.
And instead of pulling away from Gale's embrace, he leans in closer, nuzzling his face into Gale's chest, warm and cozy. He knows the exact moment Gale wakes up- the arms around him tighten, pulling him even closer though it should have been impossible. And they stay like that, soaking up the silence, until Gale asks, "What is this?"
"I believe it's called cuddling."
Gale sits up, not quite letting go of Peeta yet, but making it clear that he's serious. Peeta sighs.
"What do you want it to be?"