[fanfic] that crummy summer we had; the hunger games, gale/katniss; pg13

[krickets]

title; rating: that crummy summer we had; pg13
fandom, pairing; count: the hunger games, gale/katniss; ~400
notes: for stainofmylove and her awesome comment fic meme thing (GO PLAY)

"Can you keep a secret?"

Gale is pretty certain that she never said those words, but the memory of her whispering them into his ear -- her arms around his neck, her lips against his throat -- is so strong that he sometimes has trouble telling the truth from fiction.

But he knows, he knows, he knows.

That's not how they operate.

-

This is how it goes.

Katniss has always been the one to let him talk. He rants and raves and gets angry and he feels free because it's just her around, there in the woods where they hunt. There's no one else, not even any mockingjays, to carry what he says back into the real world that they endure when they're not alone together.

But now, after everything? After Prim? After the world changes?

Gale's simply run out of things to say.

So they skin rabbits and they don't use words, and Katniss reaches out and touches the back of his neck, and sometimes they even kiss. Okay, most times they kiss. But they never, ever talk about it.

If a tree falls in the woods...

Gale's not even sure there's a secret to keep at all.

-

When he tells her he's leaving, he doesn't say I can't wait anymore, Katnip and he doesn't say, I've always loved you, and he definitely doesn't say, Give me a reason.

In fact, he doesn't say much of anything, really.

Katniss knows all this.

He's got a bag slung across his shoulder when he meets her in the meadow and she nods and lowers her head and takes his hand, leading him deep into the woods.

"Before you go."

This, she does say, and Gale grabs her by the waist and leaves bruises on her hips and he secretly hopes that Peeta can taste him on her lips when she goes home that night.

She watches him dress, her eyes tracing the outline of him, and there's this streak of anger painted across her face, and Gale can almost not believe that she could possibly blame him for finally taking off -- for getting out, just like they'd planned all those years ago. But then, he realizes... It's not him she blames.

He touches her face, but he doesn't say goodbye, and he doesn't kiss her, and he doesn't stay long enough to see her cry.

He walks away.

Katniss says his name, but it only half comes out.

Comments

[gigglemonster.livejournal.com]

UGH I CAN FEEL THE BLADE GOING INTO MY HEART
[which is to say i love thissss]

[crickets.livejournal.com]

♥ Thank ya love! :) I do like to torture people with angst. Apparently.

[stainofmylove.livejournal.com]

Oh man, thank you so much for this. I desperately needed a pick-me-up, and even though this fic is so so so full of unhappiness and angst, amazing writing like this is seriously the ultimate gift. I love it how it hurts.

[crickets.livejournal.com]

Ah, I'm so glad you liked this. I totally only thought about the fact that you'd asked for some cheering after I'd written this. This pairing is so damn angsty by nature though that it's hard to to make them the saddest ever. ♥

[turquoisetumult.livejournal.com]

I never really picked a ship for the books (K/P or K/G) because I kind of enjoy both. And this was really nicely written.

My favorite line: "...Gale grabs her by the waist and leaves bruises on her hips and he secretly hopes that Peeta can taste him on her lips when she goes home that night."

Ouch. Gale never appeared very spiteful to me (in fact what I really enjoyed about him is that he and Peeta actually got on a bit or at least had this respectful alliance thing going on), so that really struck a cord.

Nice work, KC.

[Because I need to rant since I only recently finished the books. My heart really breaks for all 3 main characters at the end of the book. They are so messed up. Gale, most especially. I feel like Katniss and Peeta gravitated toward each other and they healed that way, but Gale... oh, God, Gale. He just sank deeper and deeper and the guilt he must feel and the pure anger and agitation and UGH. Feelings. Lots of feelings for all of them.]

[crickets.livejournal.com]

I think I kind of felt the same while reading the books, it was less that I liked them both equally but and more that I liked this pairing the best, but didn't necessarily dislike K/P. The fact that these two never got their due, and that Gale was so vilified in Mockingjay has been the reason for my gravitation toward them so strongly in a post-series kind of way, haha.

I am RIGHT THERE WITH YOU on your Gale FEELS. He's definitely my favorite character from the trilogy and the fact that his ending was so dark only contributes to that. (The angst, it's my greatest weakness.)

[mollivanders.livejournal.com]

UGH FEELINGS :( :( :(

[crickets.livejournal.com]

YES.

[softly-me.livejournal.com]

Ugh, feelings. This was marvelously done. I can really feel Gale in every work and the silence between them is just so heavy.

[profshallowness.livejournal.com]

So powerful.