Gale

I follow Madge into the kitchen. Holy shit. I knew their house was huge and all, but this kitchen is probably twice as big as my house. Okay that might be a bit of an exaggeration, but-well, actually it really might be twice as big.

I look around while Madge goes into the pantry, to get my money I'm assuming. Who keeps money in their pantry? I walk towards a window that overlooks their backyard. It has perfect view of the garden, and beyond that-trees.

I hear Madge grumbling about something. I wonder what- CRASH! I rush over and see Madge on the pantry floor next to a toppled over cardboard box covered in-flour? I can't help it, I bust out laughing.

"GALE HAWTHORNE THIS IS NOT FUNNY!"

Which makes the whole situation even funnier. I'm doubled over. I'm laughing so hard that I'm even crying a little bit. It's just so funny seeing the perfect Princess Undersee in such a mess. Her hair is going every which way, and flour is everywhere.

"Gale stop laughing now, or so help me.." She's standing, closed fists at her sides.

I don't stop. I probably should have. Suddenly, I'm seeing white. Did she just? She did. She just threw a giant handful of flour at me. It's all over my face and shirt. I finally stop laughing. She starts.

" I can't believe you just did that." That seems to have made her laugh harder. Oh she's gonna regret that. I grab a handful of flour and chunk it at her. It gets all in her mouth and hair.

She spits it out, "Ugh that's disgusting!" When she talks leftover flour spews out of her mouth in white puffs. Which of course makes me laugh, because come on it's hilarious. She turns and goes to grab more flour, but before she can I grab her arms and pin them at her sides. Not hard enough to hurt her, just enough to restrain her.

"Now, I think we're done with-" she suddenly bursts forward and reaches for the flour. Thankfully, I have quick reflexes and I pull her towards me, her back against my chest, my arms are wrapped around her holding her arms down. She fits so perfectly against me. And the feeling of her curves pressed against me is- Oh no. Stop that thought. "Okay, okay stop," I laugh.

Deep sigh, she huffs, then, "Fine."

I release her, there's a moment of silence, we look over at eachother, and then we both burst out laughing. Even before Katniss left I can't remember the last time I laughed this hard. She snorts, which makes us laugh harder. I've never heard her laugh so freely before today. Her face is lit up with amusement, and despite the fact that I've never seen her this undone, this much of a mess, I can't help but feel this is the most beautiful she's ever looked.

Then suddenly I remember who she is, what she represents, that I'm supposed to hate everything she stands for. My laughter dies down. I think of Katniss. I can't believe I'm here having a ball with Madge freaking Undersee, while my best friend has been sent into the Hunger Games.

It takes a few moments before Madge realizes I've stopped laughing. She looks up at me and her amusement fades into slight embarrassment.

Suddenly I'm angry at her for wasting my time, and making me forget that weare not supposed to be joking around like we're old friends. "So, are you gonna pay me or what? Unlike you Princess, I've got things to do. You know money to earn, to provide for my family? " I see hurt flash in her eyes, but it's quickly replaced with anger.

"Whatever Gale. The money is on the top shelf. I was trying to reach it when I fell. And you know what? I didn't force you to throw flour and laugh with me, so stop acting like I did something wrong. You're only mad because-"

"Stop right there Undersee. You don't get to tell me why I'm mad. You know what? Forget the money I'm out of here." I turn with the intent of storming out with a nice loud door slamming, but she grabs my arm before I can perform my dramatic exit.

"Don't be like that Gale. Just wait one second, I'll grab your money." She goes into the pantry and with a heavy sigh I follow behind her. She places the box back into place, and climbs atop to reach for the jar of money on the top shelf. As she strains to reach it her T-shirt pulls up revealing a sliver of smooth pale skin oh god, she still can't reach. The box starts to topple over like I imagine it did the first time, and I reach forward to steady her.

This is so much more trouble than it's worth, why don't I just grab it? I feel dumb for not thinking of that before. I reach over her and grab the jar easily. Standing on the box she can almost make eye contact with me without having to look up. Almost. I look down, her huge blue Bambi eyes are staring up at me through her blonde lashes. We're only inches apart. I step back and hand her the jar, "There you go."

"Thanks." I give her a hand as she steps down. Her hand's so small in mine, and soft. I pull back as soon as she steps onto solid ground. When she hands me the coins one slips through my fingers. We both bend at he same time to grab it, and our heads slam together. Hard. We both fall back to the ground and groan in pain. We look up at each other. She starts to giggle.

I look at her confused, why is she laughing?

She answers my confused look, "It's..just," she's having a hard time getting out her explanation, because she keeps giggling, "we are such a mess."

I chuckle, she's right. We're both still covered in flour, and by the end of the day I'm sure we'll each be sporting a nice big bruise on our foreheads. I think about Katniss being gone, and how I've lost my best friend, how I've lost the girl that I always thought I'd end up with. I really think I could've been in love with her, but now I don't even know if I'll ever get to see her again. I think about how I'm here with Madge Undersee, who I never thought I could be joking like this with, yet it comes so naturally. She somehow keeps making me forget that she's the mayor's daughter, and I'm just a poor boy from the Seam. She makes me forget that I hate her. But do I really hate her? I just don't know anymore. "Yeah, we really are."

She stands and reaches down to give me a hand. I raise a brow, does she really think she can lift me up? I grab her hand, I'll let her try. With suprising strength, she actually gives me quite a boost. She can definitely not lift me on her own, but she's a lot stronger than I expected.

"Wow, thanks. I wasn't aware I was in the presence of a professional power lifter."

She laughs quietly, "Oh you didn't know?" And she flexes her arms showing off her 'muscles'. I give a deep belly laugh. "Hey, you better watch out or I'll beat your ass." She gives my arm a light punch and then gets in a fighting stance. I'm not sure I've ever heard her cuss. I always kind of assumed she'd see cussing as being 'unnecessary' or that it makes you look 'unintelligent'. I like hearing her cuss.

"Oh no! Please don't hurt me!" I raise my hands in 'surrender'.

"I'll let you go this time, but you better watch your back."

We both laugh.

She bends down and hands me the coin that fell. I slip it into my pocket with the others. "Um, thanks. Do you need help cleaning up this mess?"

"No thanks. Like I said before, I know how to use a mop." She smirks.

I smile and shake my head, "Okay then. Bye Madge." I walk out and close the door behind me.

Madge

This time he follows me into the kitchen. While he looks around, I walk to the pantry to grab his money. We have a jar of money in there specifically for these oh-so-special occasions. Ugh, someone moved the jar to the top shelf. I look around for the stool we usually keep in here, but I don't see it. I start grumbling under my breath, "Of course it's not in here that would just be too easy, wouldn't it?"

I look around for something I could use as a replacement step stool. "Ah here we go." I find an empty cardboard box that must be from the shipment of fruit that came in the other day. I place it next to the shelf, as close as possible to the jar. I step up on it and reach up for the jar. "Almost there just a little more.." I grab onto a shelf to pull myself a little closer "just a little more.." the box suddenly wobbles beneath me. I try to balance it, but it's too late. I start to fall and I reach out for something to catch myself. I manage to grab a hold of something, but it's nothing helpful. I hit the ground with a crash, whatever I grabbed gone with me.

I hear Gale rushing over, and I open my eyes. "Aw shit." Once Gale reaches me he seems to assess the situation, and then-he bursts out laughing. Seriously. He thinks this is funny?

"GALE HAWTHORNE THIS IS NOT FUNNY!" This apparently amuses him, because he starts laughing even harder than he was before.

I stand up, "Gale stop laughing now, or so help me.."

You know, I was expecting maybe some concern over my well being seeing as I just took a hard fall, but no he just laughs. At me. I was trying to get his stupid money. And he's laughing at me? Oh no. I grab a hand full of flour from the floor and chunk it at him. Score! Right in the face. He finally stops laughing. And he looks so ridiculous with his mouth hanging open in disbelief, face covered with flour. I can't help it, I laugh.

He finally reacts, " I can't believe you just did that." That just makes me laugh harder. I told him to stop. He should have listened. He deserved it. It's just that look of surprise after the flour hit his face, the more I think about it the funnier it gets.

I'm still laughing hard, when suddenly I have a mouth full of flour.

I hurriedly spit it out. Pleh, pleh. Gross. "Ugh that's disgusting!" Flour flies out of my mouth when I talk. He seems to find this hilarious, because he bursts out laughing. Again.

Well he won't be laughing long. I make a fast dash to the flour, but he grabs my arm and pins them to my sides. It doesn't hurt, but I can't move. I'll just have to catch him off guard.

"Now, I think we're done with-" Now! I use all my strength and rush forward as fast as I can. I reach to the flour- and find myself being pulled back and secured against Gale's chest. Gale's quite muscular chest. His arms are wrapped around me keeping me completely restrained. Well, there goes that. Damn. He has got some nice arms. "Okay, okay stop," he laughs. His laughs send vibrations through my body, and it feels so - whoa, whoa, no. Stop that train of thought right there.

Ugh. "Fine."

He releases me, I step away. It's quiet for a moment, and then we both start laughing. This whole situation is just ridiculous. Galefreakin Hawthorne and me messing around in my kitchen, and laughing like we're old friends. Who could've seen this coming?

Suddenly, I realize that I'm the only one laughing. I look up, and my laughter leaves immediately. I can tell he's upset. I'm guessing he just realized exactly who it was he's been joking with for the past ten minutes. I'm a little embarrassed wondering exactly how long I had been laughing, while he just stood there pissed off.

"So, are you gonna pay me or what? Unlike you Princess, I've got things to do. You know money to earn, to provide for my family? "

I'm momentarily hurt by his comment, but then I remember he has no right to talk to me like that. He's been joking around just as much as I have. "Whatever Gale. The money is on the top shelf. I was trying to reach it when I fell. And you know what? I didn't force you to throw flour and laugh with me, so stop acting like I did something wrong. You're only mad because-" he interrupts me, which is kind of disappointing, because I'm pretty sure I know exactly why he's mad.

"Stop right there Undersee. You don't get to tell me why I'm mad. You know what? Forget the money I'm out of here." He turns to leave, and I roll my eyes at his dramatics. I grab his arm and stop him.

"Don't be like that Gale. Just wait one second, I'll grab your money." I go into the pantry to get his money. I don't care how rude he's being I can't just take the strawberries and not pay. He needs the money.

I put the box back as it was and climb onto it. I get on my tiptoes, but I still can't reach. The box starts to fall again, but this time Gale steadies me by grabbing my hips. You know, I bet a chair would be a lot more steady then this crappy box. I turn around to suggest this, but apparently Gale has his own idea. He steps closer and reaches above me to grab the jar. He's standing so close to me, his musty forest smell washes over me. Mhm he smells so good. I look up at him, and his eyes, the color of the sky before a storm, meet mine. We're so close.

He steps back and hands me the jar, "There you go."

"Thanks." He offers his hand to help me down, and I take it. His hand is so huge it almost completely envelopes mine. I like the feeling of his rough hands against my smooth ones. He pulls back immediately once I step down.

I count out his coins, giving him a few extra. Hopefully he doesn't notice, because I'm sure that would lead to a long and miserable lecture about how he doesn't need my 'charity'. But I know with Katniss gone he really does need it.

I hand him the coins, but one falls to the floor. I bend to grab it, and he does too I guess, because next thing I know I'm on the ground clutching my forehead in pain, with Gale across from me, a mirror image. We look up at each other.

Oh my god. If anyone came in right now, I can't even imagine what they'd be thinking. I'm sure we look completely ridiculous. The mayor's daughter and a boy from the Seam sitting on the kitchen floor, clutching their heads in pain, and covered in flour. The thought makes me giggle.

He looks confused so I try to explain. "It's..just we are such a mess."

He chuckles, "Yeah, we really are."

I stand and put out my hand to help Gale up. He raises his Eyebrow at me, and looks amused. Ha! He doesn't think I'm strong enough to help him up? I'll show him. He gives me his hand and I use all the strength I have and pull. And he sticks the landing! Yeah, I knew I could do it.

"Wow, thanks. I wasn't aware I was in the presence of a professional power lifter." He says not sarcastically at all.

"Oh you didn't know?" I flex my arms to show off my very impressive muscles. He gives a deep laugh. I like the sound of it. He's usually so serious all the time. It makes me want to make him laugh more. "Hey, you better watch out or I'll beat your ass." I punch his arm oww I just punched him why did that hurt me? I ignore the pain and get in a fighting stance.

"Oh no! Please don't hurt me!" he raises his hands in surrender.

"I'll let you go this time, but you better watch your back."

We both laugh.

I bend down to get the coin and hand it to Gale.

"Um, thanks. Do you need help cleaning up this mess?"

The offer is nice, but I want to end this little 'get together' nicely and I know we are bound to get into another fight if he stays. "No thanks. Like I said before, I know how to use a mop." I smirk.

He smiles, "Okay then. Bye Madge."

He just called me Madge.

He's already gone before I have time to reply. "Bye Gale." I shake my head and go get a broom to clean the mess up before anyone else gets home.

AN: So, how you liking it so far? I tried to use this chapter to kind of have them realize that you know- hey maybe the other isn't as bad as they thought if they can actually enjoy spending time together. But, yeah review!:)