Baby It's Cold Outside

*A Christmas story full of smut written in the hope of brightening your festive season. This is my first fic featuring Peeta and Gale, so it was a new writing experience for me. The following chapters will arrive very shortly (within the next day). Please review if you enjoy it! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all!*

The hunting on Sundays is what kept Gale sane. He could relax in the woods. There were no powerful stenches of coal, no wailing infants and no family members constantly pestering him. All of his problems disappeared - only temporarily, of course, because as soon as he returned to the Seam, his problems will also return.

It's tough being him at the moment.

Ever since he turned 19 and had to work in the mines, the Hawthorne family has fallen into the downward spiral of poverty. There's barely any time for him to hunt and sell the meat on anymore. But it is a task he must do to feed them.

Even though Gale is surrounded by people for the majority of his daily life, he still feels strangely alone. He lost a friend when Katniss went to the Games. He hasn't got that friend back since she returned either. He missed her companionship. She has tried to give him money, but he won't take it. It's dirty money. She earned it from killing people. He didn't want their blood on his hands. Gale can cope with rabbit blood, but not humans'. Not yet, at-least.

The two dead rabbits trapped in his game bag bounced upon his shoulder as he trudged back home through the deep snow. The foliage of the forest had stopped him from realising how heavy the snow fell. The forceful, chilling wind bellowed against his handsome face, instantaneously draining the blood from it. He exerted maximum effort in striving on, through the blizzard, even though his vision was impaired significantly. Winter was the worst season in District 12.

Soon Gale realized that he must have walked in the wrong direction as he was suddenly greeted by the towering, impressive mansions of the Victors Village instead of the ruins of the Seam. The storm was getting worse. He needed to find shelter soon.

He paused momentarily on arriving in the square. The fierce wind chilled him to the bones causing him to shiver uncontrollably. The snow battered his chiselled face. He didn't want to have to ask Katniss to stay in her house; one of his flaws is that he is just too proud.

Whereas Peeta has always been welcoming to Gale – just not in a patronizing way like her. His house was the one adjacent. Gale strode over to his door reasoning with himself that he could try to sell him some rabbit at the same time. But that wasn't the only motivation he had. Gale wanted company. He didn't realise what sort of company he was going to receive.

Peeta was in the middle of building up the wood on the fire when he heard a loud thumping on the door. He pondered as to who would visit him in this atrocious weather. Peeta didn't have many friends since he returned from the Games, everyone had avoided him. And he doubted very much that either Haymitch or Katniss had trekked over in the blizzard just to see him.

The younger boy crossed the room to the front door, hesitating slightly before opening it. But, nevertheless, he did open it.

A man was standing there, covered in the white stuff, shivering ridiculously. It was only when Peeta looked closer, that he recognised him as Gale.

'Hi…' the older boy began before Peeta swiftly interrupted him.

'Gale! What are you doing out? Come in, come in immediately. You must be freezing! Quickly!'

Gale shuffled awkwardly into the astonishing warmth of Peeta's house. The heat swept over him like a tsunami. He stood awestruck as he sighted all of the lavish decorations around Peeta's hallway.

There was some sort of a tree, but with needles, unlike Gale had seen in the forest. It was decorated with colourful balls and other equally-vibrant decorations. Suspended from the walls, stretching across the spacious room, were chains of paper hoops interlinked. Gale saw other things too. A type of silver, sparkly, threaded rope (that he came later to know as tinsel); an array of candles emitting delectable aromas; garlands of holly and other leafs; figurines of some sort of deer circled around the fireplace all dwarfed by another figurine of a large portly man dressed in only red and white. He had a long white beard, round spectacles and was wearing a hat that mirrored the one Peeta was wearing. It had a white fluffy band and was connected to a white pom-pom by a stretch of red, silky material.

The whole scene was a stimulation for all of Gale's senses. He stood motionless as he took it all in. No logical explanation reached his mind about the mix of extravagant, festive decorations. He was completely dumbstruck.

'Snap out of it, Gale!' pierced Peeta's voice. 'You need to get out of all of those wet clothes and have a shower to warm yourself up. I can't have you catching hypothermia!'

'What is all this Peeta?' enquired Gale with a beaming smile on his face gesturing towards the decorations.

'I'll explain after you've showered. The bathroom's just down the hall and on the right.'

Gale waddled down the carpeted hallway, admiring each ornament or furnishing as he went. Peeta watched Gale's shapely backside sway, still visible through his thin winter clothing. Peeta watched as Gale reached the bathroom and began to strip. Peeta watched as he removed his jacket and shirt, revealing his amazingly muscular chest and torso. Something stirred in Peeta's trousers.

Gale, unfortunately for Peeta, decided to shut the door. But the blond boy still had a smile plastered onto his face.