Disclaimer: All stories are individuals of themselves and are unrelated to each other.
A/N: This is a Divergent/THG crossover! It was a request. It's also for gadge month, which was bread!
Don't eat the bread. Gale looked down at the crumpled piece of paper that was in front of him and frowned, studying the loopy handwriting that made the message. As he looked up he caught eyes with someone, a girl from Amity, who immediately retracted her gaze when he saw her. She must've been the one to throw the note.
Katniss beside him was about to shovel a big slice of bread into her mouth and Gale swatted it away. "Don't eat it," he murmured. She frowned at him. Katniss and Gale were both in Dauntless and were on security of the gate surrounding the city, but a storm blew through and the quickest place for them to get to was Amity. He slid her the note, "Someone threw this at me."
"Who?" she asked, her eyes scanning the words.
Gale looked back toward the girl who he suspected and shrugged. The girl, clearly from Amity with her yellow shirt and red skirt flowing out beneath her, was distracted and talking to the boy by her side. She had golden blonde hair and wide blue eyes, freckles danced across the bridge of her nose like mist that sprayed from the waterfall in the chasm. Again her eyes lifted and met his, she smiled sweetly before returning to converse with the boy next to her.
"I don't know," Gale answered.
Katniss groaned and slunk backwards in her seat. "How long do you think until this storm passes? Being around these banjo strumming softies is freaking me out."
"At least they gave us refuge," Gale shrugged. "Can't be much longer."
When it was time for bed and the storm was still raging on, lightning brighter than the train lights and thunder roaring in everyone's ears, Amity sent someone to lead Katniss and Gale and a few other Dauntless who were with them to a spare room. To his pleasant surprise, it was the girl he caught eyes with earlier.
"Hi," she greeted them with a smile, stepping forward and quickly wrapping her arms around all of them. It was strange but Amity has a habit of greeting people with hugs, so no one complained. Everyone introduced themselves quickly. "My name's Madge. I'm going to lead you to your compartments for this evening, if you'll just follow me."
"Thanks," Katniss said, nodding her head. Madge smiled again and turned, beginning to weave her way through the groups of Amity gathered here and there. In one corner someone was playing music, in another everyone was lying in a pile atop one another. "Do you have, um, evening activities you could be doing?"
"I suppose," Madge nodded, "but I volunteered to assist the Dauntless who are staying here, as did my friend Peeta." Madge gestured to a boy off with another group of Dauntless, all wearing black. The boy looked strong, his yellow pants were faded and his red shirt was very bright. He looked a bit out of place, but his smile was friendly. "Right this way." Madge made a few turns down a hallway and ended up right at the spare rooms. "Here you are," she said, opening the door and allowing them entry. "I'll be back bright and early to get you for breakfast. Hopefully the storm will pass by then."
"Hopefully," Katniss echoed, marching into the room. She claimed a bed first, followed by the other two, and began kicking off her shoes before she even sat down.
Gale lingered, though. Madge waited patiently for him to enter the room but he made no effort to. "Is everything okay?" Madge asked him.
"Did you toss this note?" he asked, extending the paper to her. Madge carefully accepted the crumpled piece of paper and studied the words. She didn't respond in any way, just lowered the paper and slipped it into the pocket of her skirt. "Well?"
"I'll take it by your tone that you didn't eat the bread," she finally responded. Gale cocked an eyebrow. "Yes, I threw it."
"Why? What's wrong with the bread?" Madge looked in the room at the other Dauntless who were too occupied with themselves to be paying attention to her and Gale. She then glanced over her shoulder down the hallway and shrugged. "You ate some," he said. "I saw you."
"There's a peace serum in the bread," she told him. "It calms the masses. The serum doesn't affect me." She lifted her shoulders and smiled again. "You and your friends are only here for the night. You had no reason to be drugged."
"Drugged," Gale parroted.
She nodded. "Goodnight." Before she could get too far Gale grabbed her wrist and pulled her back. The action startled her – Amity are all about peace and nonviolence – but she didn't pull away. "Can I get you something?" she asked. Gale's fingers uncoiled from around her wrist.
The serum doesn't affect me. The words bounced around in Gale's head. He had met a few people like him in Dauntless but never in any of the other factions. Most serums didn't affect him, either.
"No, never mind."
Madge smiled at him again, tipped her head, and then disappeared down the hallway.
Gale sunk onto the edge of the bed Katniss saved for him and begun to unlace his boots. "She seems nice?" Katniss asked, stretching back onto her own bed. Gale shrugged. "Pretty."
"Sure," Gale frowned. Faction over all – that's how it was. She could be as pretty and as nice as anyone but nothing would ever come of it. Gale was in Dauntless and this girl, this Madge was in Amity. "This place is weird."
"It's alright," Katniss said. She fell quiet for a moment. "I think this is what Prim will choose, Amity." She bites down on her bottom lip and turns to her friend. "I'm glad I got to see what she'll be going in to. It makes me sad knowing I'll never really see her again, though. Faction before blood, and all."
"Yeah," Gale's frown deepened. He wondered what his own siblings would choose. For now they were all in Dauntless, Gale's mother Hazelle was born and raised, so he still got to see them. But something in his stomach told him it wouldn't be forever. Vick wasn't brave, he hated wearing black all the time. Posy would probably pick Amity as well. Rory, God only knows where that kid would end up. "You'll be allowed visits, maybe."
They factions have been lightening up a bit when it comes to visitations. Faction is still more important than blood, but it doesn't discount everything that's led up to the choosing.
"I hope so," Katniss yawned. She rolled over without a goodnight.
In the middle of the night Gale was shaken awake. His eyes snapped open and he found Katniss standing in front of him. "What the hell are you doing?" he groaned.
"Let's explore," Katniss responded quietly. They looked over at their fellow Dauntless who were still sleeping on their cots. "Come on Gale, how often is it we're permitted into the Amity compound? This could be a once in a life time chance!"
So, he agreed. He was Dauntless after all.
After slipping back into their shoes they edged from their bedroom. The two barely made it down the hall when Katniss ran chest to chest into a boy, the boy Peeta from earlier.
"Oh," Peeta placed his hands on her shoulders to steady her. "I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention." Katniss went wide eyed and looked at Gale. Peeta transferred his gaze between the two before smiling to himself. "Out for a late night stroll?" he asked, removing his hands.
"I just, we, we were—"
"Yes," Gale answered. Peeta's smirk stayed. "Our apologies. We can go back to our room right now."
"Nonsense," Peeta waved his hand. "But if you want to walk around Amity compound you have to dress like the Amity. People would get suspicious." Peeta led them to a closet just down the hall filled to the brim with an abundance of clothing for them to wear. "You can change in there," Peeta said. Katniss went first, disappearing behind the door and rummaging through the clothes to find what she wanted. "You two are in Madge's group, I'm guessing? Considering you're not in mine."
"Yes," Gale nodded.
"Mm," Peeta smiled knowingly. Katniss emerged from the closet wearing a long yellow shirt and some red shorts, having left her Dauntless clothes in a pile in the back. Gale dipped in to take her place. Peeta laughed as he saw Katniss. "The clothes work," he said, "but the shoes…" Katniss still had her combat boots on. "Maybe a shirt would be better?" Katniss's scowl deepened, she already didn't like wearing anything other than black. As Gale emerged in his own Amity getup, covering his shoes and all, Katniss slipped back in. "That and the tattoos on her arm," Peeta continued, gesturing to the back of his own arm.
"Are you sure you don't mind us walking around?" Gale asked. He wanted to explore, most definitely, but he didn't want to get anyone into any trouble.
"It's no big deal," Peeta said. "Honestly. We're not hiding much. Maybe a pumpkin in a stairwell or something." Gale laughed lightly, and then Katniss emerged. Her skirt covered her shoes but she looked highly uncomfortable. "A smile might be nice, too," Peeta said. It was meant as a joke. She just scowled again. Gale chuckled. "Come with me," Peeta said, leading them down a hallway.
Though Gale wanted to explore on his own with Katniss, he's sort of grateful to have a guide.
Peeta leads them to a large open room where many people are gathered. In some corners people are reading books, in others there's more music being played.
"What's this?" Katniss asked.
"We don't exactly have a curfew," Peeta said. "Most of the teenagers hang out here. Do whatever they want." He turned to the two. "Have fun exploring. Try and get some sleep eventually, though?" Gale nodded his head. "I've got to go bake bread for tomorrow's breakfast."
"Bread," Gale echoed. Peeta again smiled knowingly. "Alright." He disappeared, waving at the two and letting his eyes linger on Katniss for a bit before fading out of sight. "I think he liked you," Gale said.
"Don't," Katniss warned. Her cheeks were pink.
They made their way into the room and Gale was drawn to the music. Katniss might have thought they were banjo strumming softies but the music was peaceful. His feet carried him and he didn't quite care where Katniss went, and she disappeared herself. Gale sunk onto the floor in front of a few who were playing music.
Moments later someone sunk onto the ground next to him. Thinking it was Katniss, he didn't turn.
"I can see your tattoo on the back of your neck," she said. It wasn't Katniss, it was Madge, and she smiled at him. "Though I do appreciate your attempt to blend in," Madge continued, gesturing to his clothes. She leaned backwards on her hands and looked toward the people playing the guitar on the stage. "Having fun?"
"We don't have these in Dauntless," he said.
"Guitars?
"Music, really." He frowned, tilting his head in her direction. "Your boyfriend gave us the clothes."
Madge lifted an eyebrow. "Boyfriend?"
"Peeta."
"Oh," she laughed. "Not my boyfriend." She brushed her golden hair from her face. "I transferred here from Abnegation," Madge said. "Transfers anywhere are always treated differently. Peeta was the kindest person I had ever met. He's lived here his whole life." She refrained from saying how Peeta's mother was kicked from Amity for failing to be kind in any sense of the word. Ever since she left Peeta had been a happier person. "He accepted me. He's my best friend."
Gale dipped his head. "You're a stiff?"
"Pardon?"
"Er." He scratched his head. "Abnegation. I'm just surprised."
"My mother came from Dauntless," Madge told him. "My father, Candor. They both transferred to Abnegation. I transferred to Amity. I suppose the only place my family hasn't been is Erudite."
"That might explain why you're Divergent," Gale murmured. Madge lifted an eyebrow. "You are, aren't you?"
"The only way you would know that word is if you were, too." Again, he dipped his head. Her smile was sweet. "Interesting." Divergent. It had been the first time Gale said it aloud in months. "Yes, I am. The girl who administered my test, someone named Johanna from Candor, she told me to go to a place where they wouldn't suspect anything. Amity, as long as I play along, they'll never know."
"What other factions did you get?" he asked her.
"All but Erudite," Madge said. "I know Amity get along with them the best but there's something about them I don't agree with."
"All?"
"Yes," she nodded.
Gale paused, "Even Dauntless?"
"Yes." Madge lifted an eyebrow and laughed slightly. "Do I not seem Dauntless to you?"
"Brave," Gale murmured. "I don't know."
"Had to take a lot of bravery for me to throw you that note," Madge said. "Didn't it?" Gale realized, almost suddenly, that there are so many different types of bravery. He misses the days in which bravery in Dauntless was something other than being aggressive and physical. She reached over and grabbed his hand. "You're kind, Gale. Did you get Amity as one of your factions?"
"No," he shook his head, following his arm down to where their hands met. "Dauntless, Abnegation and Erudite." Again she smiled. He really liked her smile. "Says a lot about a person, doesn't it?"
"It does," she nodded. Thunder rattled the building and both Madge and Gale looked to the window. "You should get some rest, you know."
"Probably," he agreed. "But I don't know the way back." Gale glanced over his shoulder. "And my friend Katniss, she was here somewhere."
"I'm sure Peeta has it covered," Madge said. Gale didn't question what she meant. Instead, he stood and helped her up.
They talked a bit more on the way back to Gale's room and he found that he liked her more and more. Madge was truly Divergent, she was kind like the Amity, brave like the Dauntless, truthful and honest like Candor, and selfless it seemed as well just like the Abnegation. He even found a bit of Erudite in her, she valued knowledge.
When they reached his room they stood close. "Do you feel like you made the right choice?" Madge asked. "Picking Dauntless?"
"Sometimes yes, sometimes no," he admitted. "Do you?"
"I enjoy Amity," Madge nodded. "It's a simple life full of simple pleasures." He stepped closer to her, his hands reaching for hers. "But factions are so…" she searched for the word. "They're conservative, the faction system. Too strict, I think."
"Why do you think that?"
"I never see my parents," she said. "Or my friends from before. And making friends with other factions now is practically impossible."
"Yet here I am," Gale smirked.
"Here you are," Madge echoed with a smile. He reached one of his hands up and cupped her cheek. Was he drawn to her because she was Divergent, or because she was Madge? As he leaned down she closed her eyes and exhaled, "Faction comes first."
"Dumb rule," Gale muttered. He quickly pressed his lips to hers and smiled as she sighed. Madge's eyes fluttered open again. "Maybe I'll get stuck in here during the next storm," he said.
"Maybe."
"Hopefully." There was still so much he wanted to know about her. Again Madge smiled. He leaned in again and this time she pressed herself on her toes to meet him in the kiss. "Ah, you are brave," he laughed against her lips.
Madge grinned and stepped away, crossing her arms over her chest. "Get some sleep," she said in mock concern. "I'll get you in the morning for breakfast."
"Mm…" he fiddled with the door handle. "Goodnight, Madge." She nodded her head at him and pressed her fingers to her lips before scurrying away with a smile. Back inside his room he found the other two Dauntless still asleep, but Katniss was staring at the ceiling. She hadn't changed from her Amity clothes yet. "How'd you get back?" he asked.
"Peeta." Katniss bit down on her bottom lip. "Amity are very kind people…" she murmured.
Gale sunk into his bed and smiled. "I know. Isn't it great?"