A/N: I posted another story. I shouldn't have, but I did. And it's not Hunger Games! D:

I wasn't going to post it, at least not until this story was finished, buuuut I did :P It's an Avengers fanfiction, with a very unloved and unconventional pairing. But it's going to be cute and fluffier than a pancake by the time I'm done with it :)

Anyway, I DEEPLY apologize for not updating sooner. I can't really say I've been busy, but I have been stressing out over a lot of things (well, not necessarily stressing, per se. More along the lines of worrying and deeply thinking).

I don't plan on updating for a while, so please accept this extra-long chapter as a form of sustenance until I post again. It's split into parts, for those that are like me and can't stand (or sit) to read something so unbelievably long in one sitting :)

Disclaimer: I do not own The Hunger Games.

Chapter 26: Baseball~

After Katniss and Sae (and Prim) came back with the ice, Gale spent the next half hour sitting on his butt while Katniss comforted and consoled him and he pretended to nurse his injured groin.

It was pretty pathetic, he knew, but he felt no shame in faking an injury (or at least blowing it out of proportion) in order to get his Catnip away from other guys; namely, Cato.

In all honesty he could have stayed this way for the remainder of the day; getting a good rest while Johanna left him alone and Katniss gave him special attention with everyone pity-partying in his honor. But he also knew that like all good things, it couldn't last. And he could feel the end was nearing as Finnick Odair strutted over to him.

"Hey, Hawthorne. Heard about your..." he paused, looking at the ice pack in Gale's lap. "'accident'."

He could tell by the smirk on his face that he knew very well it wasn't nearly as bad as he was making it out to be, and Gale hoped to God that he didn't call him out on it.

"We're all getting ready for the family baseball game," Finnick explained, ignoring Gale's obviousness. "I came over to ask if you were still in, but...if you're still in pain..." He drifted off, leaving the ball in Gale's hands.

Crap. Should he do it?

It was another opportunity to show Katniss how much better he was than any of the other men trying to pine for her affections were. But at the same time, if he were to suddenly become 'miraculously' better, she would know something was up and go back to not talking to him again. Gale weighed his options.

...

Dammit.

"Uh, actually...I think I will play," he said, and he could feel Katniss and Sae's eyes on him.

"I mean, I'm not a hundred percent, but, I can still play."

Sae smirked.

Prim's eyebrows rose.

Katniss scowled.

Finnick grinned.

"Great," he said, tossing him a baseball.

Gale caught it with ease, and couldn't help but notice the 'Mason' scribbled on it in black marker.

Ugh, Johanna.

He did not want to play with her.

But the deed was done. And he was not going to back out now.

"We're gonna be playing here in about five minutes, so be ready." He said, grinning wider as he noticed Katniss' scowl.

Finnick walked away, and Gale prepared for the sudden onslaught.

"Gale! You are in no condition to be doing anything, let alone baseball!"

He sighed. "I can do it, Catnip, don't worry. I'll be fine."

"You do realize Johanna's gonna be playing, right?"

He tried not to cringe. "Yeah, and I'll be fine. I swear."

She gave him an 'are you serious?' look, and his hands flew up defensively.

"I swear!"

Katniss stared at him for a few seconds longer before relenting, and Gale could have cried with relief. With any luck she was buying into what he was selling, and he had her right where he wanted her.

"Just promise you won't overdo it. I know you, Gale. You're competitive. And Lord knows once you get going, you can't be stopped for anything."

Oh yeah. He had her.

"Promise. If it's too much, I'll just tell 'em I can't play anymore. I'll walk away."

She nodded, then stood up. She began to walk away, when she noticed he wasn't following.

"Well come on. You've got a game to win."

Gale grinned.

His Catnip was the best.

They walked out to the field, and Gale saw that this was no small thing.

It looked like everyone was out there, everyone. If he thought there were a lot of camping chairs out before, there were five times that now. It must have been one of the main attractions of the Everdeen reunion.

Finnick failed to mention that.

Katniss sat down with Prim and Rory, and Gale walked over to Finnick and the rest of the players. He ignored Johanna as he came up to them, noticing the rather large pile of bats lying against the trunk of a tree.

"This where we tool up?" He asked.

"Yep," Finnick answered, having just given a bat to his sister Annie. "Grab your stuff here. You're on the Blue Team, though, so you won't be playing with us."

He handed Gale an blue aluminum bat, and Gale twisted it around in his hands, testing its quality.

"Nice," he said. "Where's the Blue Team?"

"Over there," Finnick grinned, pointing past him.

Gale turned around, and was unable to hide the disgust on his face as his eyes landed on none other than Peeta. And Johanna.

Damn it all to Hell.

Red Team: Finnick, Annie, Gloss, Rue, Enobaria, Cato.

Blue Team: Clove, Marvel, Brutus, Johanna, Peeta, Gale.

Umpire: Ceasar.

Gale sighed as he stepped up to plate.

This was going to be the worst game of his life. He just knew it. There was no denying it. Only the option to embrace and accept it. Gale chose to brood.

Not only was he stuck on a team with two of the most annoying people on Earth, but the other team was obviously more trim and fit and cut out for this sort of thing. And Cato was on that team.

Cato freaking...whatever the Hell his last name was.

Anyway, not only that, but they had stuck Gale as a pitcher for the first inning. He had enough trouble tossing a balloon back and forth, God knows how much he was going to embarrass himself now.

But whatever. At least Johanna wasn't the pitcher for the opposite team.

Unfortunately, the positives stopped there.

Everyone got into position and, after a lecture about safety and rules from Enobaria, the game officially started.

Finnick planted his feet on home base, gripped the bat, and waited for Gale to pitch, who was trying his best to ignore how intently Katniss and her family (yes, and Rory) were watching him.

Gale threw the ball, and Finnick swung.

He hit it, and as the ball went sailing through the air Gale's heart did the opposite. He hit it! He wasn't supposed to hit it! A voice pulled him from his thoughts.

"RUN, Gale!"

Oh, yeah. Right.

Giving Katniss a wave, Gale darted towards the ball.

He still couldn't believe how much of an arm Finnick had, but he pushed that thought to the back of his mind as Johanna's nifty feet reached his current destination.

She picked up the ball, poising to throw it back at Gale, who waited with an open mitt. She seemed to think better of this, however, and instead threw it to Marvel.

Whether it was because Marvel was closer and she knew he could catch it or because she was afraid of hurting Gale again, he didn't know. But nevertheless, it did piss him off. She had probably just cost them a point.

He caught the ball as Marvel threw it back to him and turned around to throw it at the catcher, just in time to see Finnick hitting home plate. Caesar's t.v. Host voice boomed in the open field.

"HOMERUN!"

The crowd cheered.

Gale let out a disheartened sigh.

Great.

Okay, remember how Gale had thrown the first pitch and he was starting to feel somewhat disheartened about how things might turn out?

Well, it was still true.

They were currently in their third inning, halfway through the game, and Gale could practically taste loss. Or maybe that was just all the sweat and b.o. Whatever the case, it was becoming pretty clear that this was a losing battle.

Gale currently stood at second base, bending over to rest his hands on his knees in exhaustion. Had it always been this hot out?

He watched as Johanna threw the ball back with all her might, nearly knocking the air out of Cato as he caught it just before it made contact with his stomach. Gale smiled.

He'd have to thank her for that one.

So far, Gale and Johanna were pretty much the only ones on their team that amounted to anything (Peeta did have an impressive throwing arm, but he wasn't counting him), and the entire Red Team was perfect at everything. Catching, Throwing, Batting, Pitching.

It was ridiculous.

Gale looked over to the dry-erase board that Prim held, who had been given the task of keeping score.

12-28.

Yeah. Pretty sure anyone could guess which end Gale was on.

Johanna had just scored them a home run.

Johanna.

Had scored them.

A home run.

Absolutely unbelieving of the sight before him, Gale stood shell-shocked in his spot on first base as the rest of his team trotted their way to a temporary victory. Katniss' voice pulled him yet again from his thoughts (or lack thereof, considering he was in such shock right now), and he heeded the call to go and join them.

Gale hit the remaining bases, smiling happily as he skipped past Cato on the field.

As he hit home plate, his hopes were raised. The score was still only 18-28, but things were still looking up.

Who knows?

Maybe the odds were in their favor after all.

Or not.

Gale and the rest of Team Blue lined up to toss their bats into the growing pile against the base of the tree. They had lost, of course. As predicted. And Gale was feeling, not to exaggerate, like going for a stroll and jumping off the first cliff he could find.

He had lost.

He and Johanna both had won them home runs, and they still lost. How was he supposed to face Katniss and prove his worth to her if he lost? He sighed, Johanna joining his side in an equally defeated manner as they walked toward their respective family members.

"I'm sorry we lost," Johanna said suddenly, not looking at Gale.

Gale whipped his head in her direction, unsure if he'd heard right.

She was sorry?

...And she meant it?!

A little shaken, he answered back, "Uh...yeah. No problem."

She continued. "If I'd have known they were going to split the teams up like that I wouldn't even have played."

Gale nodded. "Same."

She let out an angry sigh. "It's just that that little asswipe Finnick decided he was gonna play favorites and stack the teams in his favor. It doesn't help that he used to be best friends with Cato, either."

She angrily pulled a stick of gum out of her pocket, hastily unwrapping it and stuffing it into her mouth, as though it might somehow quell her growing anger.

"Are you shitting me?" Gale exclaimed, becoming angry himself.

She nodded. "Oh yeah. You didn't know that?"

No, he didn't know that.

And if he had, he certainly wouldn't have agreed to Finnick's little 'innocent' proposal.

Asshole.

Johanna blew a bubble. 'POP!' "But at least I decked Cato with that ball, right?"

She turned her head to him, and she grinned.

And for once, Gale did the same.

Johanna walked off to join her family and bask in their sympathies, leaving Gale to find the family he belonged to.

He spotted Prim's pigtails in the crowd of players and observers alike, and began to make his way over. He wasn't looking forward to the required sympathies and condolences of the Everdeen family (Katniss especially) but there was no avoiding it.

Might as well get it over with now.

Gale came up beside his brother and Prim and plopped down in one of the empty camping chairs beside them. He instantly noticed someone was missing.

"Hey, where's Katniss?"

Prim paused her animated conversation with Rory and looked over to him, French braids bobbing.

"She's with Peeta."

He stiffened.

"What? Why?"

She shrugged. "I dunno. He just said he wanted to talk to her and they walked off together."

Gale shot up from his seat, his tired muscles suddenly getting a burst of energy. Alarm bells were going off like crazy in his head.

Katniss? And Peeta? ...Alone?!

Like Hell he was going to let that go on!

"Did you see where they went?" He asked urgently.

Prim looked at him strangely, but answered nonetheless. "Yeah. They're behind the shelter."

He wasted no time in hot-footing it over there.

Gale zoomed into the shelter, aiming for the open double-doors that led to the back.

He wasn't quite sure why, but his heart was hammering in his chest with anxiety. He didn't really expect anything to happen; he knew that Peeta was far too innocent to try anything and Katniss would surely hurt him if he did. But there was still that terrible nagging feeling.

What if something was happening?

My God, he sounded paranoid. But he paid it no mind as he swept past the raffle tables that barred his path. He still had to make sure. I mean there was no harm in being sure, right?

When he finally came to the double-doors, he froze.

They were there, alright.

He and Katniss both.

He couldn't see anything, but just the sound of their voices (in a friendly, talkative manner) relieved him greatly. He wanted to burst out there and break up whatever it was that was going on between them, but rather than blow his cover, Gale decided to do the opposite.

He decided to listen.

He heard Katniss' voice. "What exactly are you saying?"

Peeta's followed soon after. "I'm saying...that you're a good friend. A great one, in fact."

Katniss paused. "...Oh."

Gale rolled his eyes. He had lured her away from everyone else to tell her she was a great friend? Man, what a wuss! He wasn't even sure why he had bothered coming over here now.

There wasn't even anything to worry about.

Peeta spoke again. "But I want to be more than that."

Gale tensed up from behind the doors.

Katniss was shocked. "Uh...w-what?"

"I said...I said I want to be more than friends. I like you, Katniss. Like you, like you. And, it would mean the world to me if...well, here."

Gale listened.

Katniss took a long time to respond.

A very long time.

...Heck, was she going to say anything at all?

Feeling the warning bells going off like crazy in his head, Gale decided it was high-time to reveal himself.

Leaving no room for argument, he straightened his back and 'casually' walked out of the shelter.

"Hey, Katniss, I was just-"

Katniss jerked away from Peeta, and Gale couldn't believe his eyes.

That little nitwit twerp had just been kissing his best friend.

Kissing.

Not talking, not wimping out.

He'd actually done it.

Katniss' eyes were wide as dinner plates.

Peeta looked like he was about to crap himself.

And Gale was beyond pissed.

A/N: Ooh, I wonder how that will turn out? ;)

Ugh, I hope there aren't any typos.

I'm not gonna lie, I don't know shiz about baseball. I just tried to make it fun and entertaining (as baseball should be). I skimmed over a quick wikihow tutorial (complete with pictures!) but that was about it. And as a result, I skimmed and glided and glossed over the actual playing of the game, as I'm sure you probably noticed. If you spot anything wrong with the way I wrote it just tell me. I'll be sure to fix it.

This section is dedicated to the Guest reviewer Sasha.

Thanks a lot for your review, Sasha! I'm glad you like the story so much, lol. You're welcome! I was EXACTLY like you before I got an account here. Still am kinda, lol. I checked every freaking DAY for updates on my fave stories, and I've experienced the squeals of excitement that come with your patience finally paying off and the disappointment at waiting in the wings for over a year in hopes that your fave story gets updated. So props to you, girl! I admire your hard-coreness X3

Oh, and it's going to be 5 more chapters until the end. 5! Can you believe it? :D

I'm not sure when I'll start working on a GalexJohanna fanfiction, but definitely after this one is finished. If you have a certain plot or storyline in mind don't hesitate to let me know in another review! OR if you don't, please at least tell me what kind of story you prefer. Romantic comedy? Drama? Angst? Do tell ;)

I have a relatively small list of stories that I'd like to write after this, but I'm sure I can easily find a spot to put yours in between! So far I have fanfictions that I really really really wanna write for:

The Invisible (AnniexNick)

The Hunger Games (KatnissxCato and FinnickxCato, and GalexJohanna of course)

G.I. Joe (ScarlettxSnake Eyes)

Avengers (LokixPepper, already in progress)

and Left4Dead2 (ZoeyxEllis)

So there. I'll probably do The Invisible first (after this and my current Avengers fanfic is finished) and then I'll probably move on to yours. But if you're okay with it, I COULD post multiple stories at once, and then update them periodically...I dunno. It's up to you :)

Anyway, BIG thank you for any and all reviews, as well as all the views and Guests that read this. I truly appreciate it.

...Wow. This has to be like, the longest Author's Note I've ever done O.O

'Til next time!