#stuckinthemomentchap

Devon’s face was painted with rage when Gale and Rose arrived back at the suite. Christopher was awake, and he was ruining the couches and watching television between the rooms. Gale expected to be shouted at when Katniss’ invitation was the first thing he mentioned. However, Devon’s face lit up and, it seemed, all of her vexation disappeared. She moved aside the files in her lap to help him get the children presentable, and, within twenty minutes, everyone was prepared to leave out of the door. Gale arched a brow when he noticed the container of food that Devon had stealthily set on the couch beside her.

The reality of the situation dawned on Gale. Devon had intended to send him out with the children, so that she could get some work done. And, as immature as it sounded, Gale didn’t think it was fair, in spite of Devon’s Christopher-filled day. So, he persuaded her to go the only way he knew how: by having Christopher and Rose beg her. This predictably led to Gale getting a hushed earful of Devon’s fury while he drove the rental car, with her in the passenger seat. The children were uncharacteristically peaceful, as Rose pointed out the landmarks she was now familiar with to her half-brother.

Gale expertly recalled the location of Victor’s Village, which he had purposely avoided on his tour with Rose earlier. As he neared Katniss’ home, he wondered if he’d done the right thing by accepting her offer. It was, quite honestly, a spur of the moment response. Gale could have bailed out and sent a latent message regarding their association, hinting at the official end of their friendship. But he hadn’t.

As he parked in the driveway, Gale spotted a couple arguing in front of the other mansion in Victor’s Village. Upon closer inspection, he realized that it was Haymitch Abernathy and Effie Trinket. That was certainly a subject that Gale could bring up in case the tension grew too thick during dinner. This was what Gale’s life had become: planning through a series of strategic steps and what-ifs. It was rare to catch him off guard.

Gale and his companions exited the vehicle, and he held the bag of food in his fist protectively. It was silly, this whole dinner thing, especially because they were going to be reheating food that they could’ve eaten fresh. Gale didn’t understand why Katniss hadn’t asked for his number to arrange for a dinner that, he surmised, Peeta would cook. Then again, there was no way she could’ve planned to invite Gale over, since she hadn’t been warned of his arrival in District 12. This was going to be an awkward night, if they were lucky.

Devon rang the doorbell, allowing Rose to clutch onto her hand. Chris latched onto the other, but Gale knew that his son wasn’t frightened of strangers or anything of the like; he was simply copying his sister.

The door gradually creaked open, and Gale averted his eyes for a moment. Who was he about to see behind that door? He anticipated Peeta’s presence, but there was no way that he could’ve prepared himself to having confirmation that Peeta was still around. As far as Gale was concerned, they’d both committed unspeakable deeds. What made Peeta any better than him?

"Hello." The soft, yet dignified voice snatched Gale from his reverie. What he discovered should’ve sent him running for the heels. Instead, it comforted him. A blonde boy no older than twelve years of age was peering out at them, scrutinizing each of their faces. Once he’d gotten his fill, the corners of his mouth upturned and he settled on Gale. "You must be Gale."

Leave it to Katniss to not refer to him as Mr. Hawthorne—not that titles genuinely mattered to Gale. “I am.” He gave a curt nod, visibly uneasy. Gale subconsciously checked for the keys to the car and spotted them dangling in Devon’s back pocket.

"My name’s Rye." With that, the child stepped aside to permit them entrance to the home. Gale was the last to enter, and he kicked the door close behind him. Rye did the honor of locking it; then, he led Devon and the kids into the living room. Gale was probably meant to follow, as well, but he was stuck at the winding staircase. There was a burgundy wall on his left, and there were portraits hanging on it in every which way. Some depicted infants; others displayed a boy and a girl behaving mischievously or posing; and the bulk portrayed a jubilant family of four, with a mother who definitely didn’t need him anymore, two giddy kids, and Peeta.

Deep breaths.

"I’m enamored by them, too."

Gale had the sudden urge to vomit all over the floors, and the carpet, and the fucking wall. His head whipped around and he came face-to-face with the man who’d paid him back for saving his life by stealing Gale’s only love. “I bet.” Gale’s smile was forced, and he figured that Peeta could tell. He most likely hadn’t agreed with Katniss’ abrupt decision to invite Gale to his home. Gale felt…triumphant, for once.

Peeta closed the distance between them and took Gale’s bag of food. “We should go and get dinner ready. Katniss is starving.”

Gale couldn’t help but think that she should be starving in a number of aspects, since she’d decided to be in a relationship with someone like Peeta in the first place.

Willow was just as pleasant as her older brother, and she looked exactly like her father, though she had hints of her mother’s personality. She was, in a word, perfect. Gale had projected no less, and he was envious. It wasn’t the kids that he wished he had—Rose and Christopher were his lifelines. It was Katniss herself. The sooner he came to terms with the fact that it was pure fantasy, the better.

Dinner went by cursorily, with everyone finishing at record pace except for Devon. Gale smiled to himself; she hadn’t been raised in or been raised by someone born in District 12, so it was understandable. The children hit it off, and Rye asked if they could be excused without dessert. After exchanging glances, the four parents at the table relented.

A looming silence hung over them for far too long. Surprisingly, Katniss was the one to break it. “That’s a first. Rye never leaves the table without dessert. He must really like Chris and…and Rose.” Gale pondered whether she was pissed off about the meaning of the name. She undeniably understood his thinking.

"He hasn’t left without dessert since I started bringing treats home from the bakery," Peeta piped up, with a chuckle that couldn’t be described as anything other than ‘fatherly’. "We made banana pudding, his favorite, and he doesn’t seem to care. Are those children or angels you have, Gale?"

There was something disconcerting to the man in question about his arch nemesis speaking about his children so casually. Okay, so arch nemesis was a tad harsh. But Gale was still uncomfortable. He squirmed visibly in his seat, and Devon placed her palm on his knee to stop him. Gale chuckled softly, in the least faux fashion he knew how. “They’re children. They just behave themselves in front of company. You should see them when we’re at home.” He turned to Devon, in order to break eye contact with Peeta, and she nodded in agreement.

"I’m still stuck at the part about you even being a father, Gale," Katniss muttered. She wasn’t jealous or upset, as he’d like her to be. She seemed dejected for some other reason—ah, I didn’t tell her about the kids. In all fairness, it was like the pot calling the kettle black. He’d vowed not to open that can of worms.

Gale shrugged and pursed his lips, a twinkle in his eyes. “Things happen.”

"I suppose so. Are you involved with either of their mothers?" Initially, Gale thought it wholly presumptuous of Katniss to decree that he’d had illegitimate children with two different women. Nonetheless, it was plain fact, due to the skin colors of his kids.

"Not romantically, no." Gale said it too hastily for his own liking. He nodded to Devon, crossing his arms against his chest. "She’s Rose’s biological mother. She acts like a mother to both of them, really, and Chris doesn’t know any better, so she’s ‘Mom’ to both of my brats for now." Devon shook her head disapprovingly, though she snickered at his statement. Gale was positive that she was flattered.

Peeta laughed along, attempting to put everyone at ease. “You sure there’s nothing going on, Gale? I mean, she’s your assistant, and you’re around each another 24/7. It’s bound to—.”

"Yes, you’re made for one another," Katniss interjected, in a clipped tone. Her eyes turned to slits as they settled on Gale’s brown orbs. "Just make sure to invite us to the wedding. I wouldn’t want to learn about any other illegitimate children after the rest of the country." The way she put the words ‘children’ and ‘illegitimate’ together sounded rather disgusting, and it pulled Gale’s attention to the subtle ring gleaming on her left hand. He furled his fist beneath the table, and he counted to ten.

It did no good.

Clearly seething, Gale stood from his seat and leaned over the table, meeting Katniss’s stare. “Don’t you dare talk about my family that way. You have no right.”

It was then that Peeta flung his arm in front of Katniss, as if he was protecting her. Gale knew that he could rip the other man from limb to limb, should anything serious happen. “Whoa, calm down, Gale.” The warning in Peeta’s voice nearly made Gale cackle. This wasn’t a fight over a lost love anymore. Had it ever been a fight? After all, fights consisted of two people. Peeta had never had anything to fight over because Katniss had always been his, from the Reaping. No, this wasn’t about Katniss. This war was waged over his offspring.

"Tell your wife" —and he said it as if it was the filthiest word ever invented—"to calm down. She doesn’t send so much as a postcard to say, ‘Hey, Gale, I’m fine’, or to rub her pride and joy in my face, and she thinks she has a right to—let go of me, Devon—she thinks she has a right to demand information, of all things, from me?”

"You quit fighting for me. You ended this." Katniss’ words were spoken through gritted teeth. All four adults were standing now. She glared at him over Peeta’s broad shoulders. Suddenly, the past and the present were muddled together, and Gale wondered if she was even speaking English.

"You started this rift, and you know it!" Gale’s fist slammed into the table, and four little gasps were heard behind him.

He twisted his head around and realized that the children were watching the commotion. The younger pair had their palms clasped over their ears. Gale gulped and focused on the couple across the table again.

"I think it’s time for you to leave," Peeta grumbled, sliding his arm around the waist of a fuming Katniss Everdeen. Or was it Mellark now?

"Rosie, grab your brother. We’re leaving." With one last pointed look at his ex-best friend, Gale stormed out of the Victors’ home, his solemn crew in tow. Gale found relief in the notion that Devon’s pity for him would soon morph into scorn once they reached the hotel.

He climbed into the car and restarted it a few times before the engines revved properly. Gale peered over at the other mansion, and he noted that the development he hadn’t gotten to bring up during dinner was kissing on the front lawn. For good measure, Gale rode past them and rolled down the window to shout, “Get a room!”