A/N: This is fluffy and ridiculous and probably the crackiest thing I've ever written and I'm not ashamed of it, not at all. Italics are Glimmer's texts and normal is Clove's. Canon ages for pretty much everyone are changed to fit.
No, the second pairing in the summary is not a misclick of Marvel. I'm nearly positive this is the first Glimmer/Madge fic, like, ever, and I never ever thought it would work at all but I'll defend it to the death if need be because they're absolutely precious.
When Clove was a bold little girl with all of four years to her name, she stole the toy of another little girl with a quick smile and quicker fists. That's the best mistake she ever made.
- ok so
- last night
- i met a boy
- Glim you don't even like boys
- not like that
- but anyway
- we were talking
- hes a year below us
- and apparently hes dating katniss's little sister's bff
- Wait, how old is he?
- Isn't her sister, like, eight?
- nooooo
- she's sixteen
- katniss just thinks shes still a baby
- which shes not
- remember how awful we were when we were sixteen ?
- How could I forget
- You spent half the year dating some boy who always tried to look down your shirt because his older brother gave him booze
- Cheap booze
- yeah
- that was a mistake
- That was also only two years ago
- You're not old and wise or something now
- stop interrupting
- Sorry
- no ur not
- but i love u anyway
- Love you too
- so anyway
- im talking to this kid
- hes foreign
- from missouri or something
- idk
- Missouri is a state
- That isn't foreign
- Did you even pass geography?
- shhh
- but hes coming to finnicks party this friday
- and hes bringing his cousin down from missouri
- hes gonna be a transfer student next yr
- he showed me a pic of him
- Is there a point to this story
- just let me finish
- Fine
- anyway
- let me tell you clove
- this boy is HOT
- I don't believe you
- You don't have a great track record with guys
- girls are easier
- but anyway
- REALLY HOT
- u have to meet him in person
- im making u go to that party
- I hate parties
- i dont care
- REALLY HOT
Glimmer smears some sort of paste on Clove's face as she squirms and tries to pull away. "That stuff is vile, Glim," she complains loudly, wrinkling her nose and thrashing helplessly as the blonde pins her against the mirror.
"If you'd just stop struggling, it would already be over," the other girl retorts, wrapping an arm around Clove in a headlock while she reaches blindly back for the dresser with the other. Her fingers close on a tube, and Clove immediately redoubles her efforts to escape once she sees what it is. "Oh my god, calm down! A little mascara isn't going to kill you!"
"You say that," she wheezes, scrabbling at Glimmer's arm- god, she needs to work out more; this is pathetic. "It looks like a carcinogen."
Glimmer snorts. "You say that about everything. It's like you enjoy ruining my life." She pitches her voice so high Clove tries to clamp her hands over her ears. "'Don't eat that steak, Glim!' 'Stay pale forever, Glim!' 'Don't sniff that asbestos, Glim!'"
"I sound nothing like that," she protests. Glimmer just laughs. While Clove was cringing at her imitation, she finished her makeup.
"So, tell me about this supposedly gorgeous boy," Clove says a few minutes later, leaning against the base of the bed as Glimmer leans in close to the mirror to draw on thick wings of kohl. She's holding a bottle of sky blue nail polish and carefully applying it to her toes with a surgeon's precision, tongue poking out the side of her mouth as she concentrates.
Glimmer squeals and caps the wand quickly, whirling around so that the pale pink petals of her dress flutter up around her thighs. "He's so cute, Clo, you're just going to die when you see him! I mean, from what I saw in the picture Marv showed me, he's super tall and really built. I know you're particular about hair-"
"That's an understatement," Clove sniffs. "Good hair is important."
"- but I don't think you'll be disappointed with him. At all."
- clo
- clooooooveeee
- i met someoneeeeee
- omgggg
- im rlly excited
- I couldn't tell
- shes super cute
- and sweet
- and shes wearing this goddamn white dress
- like
- its weird and shapeless and totally out of season
- it shouldnt look good at all
- BUT IT DOES
- I'm really happy for you, Glim
- and she likes strawberries
- like really likes them
- its kinda weird
- but kinda cute
- speaking of cute
- i saw u and that boy
- whatd u think ?
- I think he's an asshole
- didnt go so great then
- Not really
- Pro tip: Any sentence that starts off with "You're cute, but" probably shouldn't be said aloud
- but?
- "but you're a total bitch"
- I think he said something else after that but I'd already thrown my drink at him
- oh
- want me to go fight him for u?
- i will u know
- even tho hes like twice my size and looks like he nvr leaves the gym
- That's okay
- I have something better in mind
She looks down at the pale blue nail polish peeping through her open-toed heels and scowls. She should have gone with a different color. Maybe a red as dark as the blood she wants to see staining the floor. Cato's-blood-red, not Cato's-eyes-blue.
Clove entertains the idea of killing him as she unstraps those shoes and flings them one by one across the room. They make a faint thump as they hit the floor, but it's not satisfying enough. She wants to throw something heavier, wants to break something, wants to be broken. How dare he? The soothing sea-green fabric of her dress does nothing to calm her as she peels it over her head and tosses it beside the shoes.
It's pitch black outside, and she hasn't slept all night, but she feels alive. She's thrumming with energy, electricity coursing through her veins, anger sharpening her vision into that famed Fuhrman focus. She's competitive, always has been, and she hates to lose. She won't let this- this giant from Missouri, of all places- get the best of her. She'll show him. She'll show everyone.
God, if only he could see the way she's smiling.
- so whats ur plan
- u cant keep a secret from me forever clove
- cloverrrr
- ill find out someday u know
- Don't call me Clover
- i wont stop unless u tell me The Plan
- clover
- Oh my god
- First of all, we're not some spy team
- "The Plan" is not capitalized like a secret mission
- ur no fun
- Second, I don't really have a plan yet
- what happened to hving something better in mind?
- Didn't work out
- Did you know the TSA won't just put people on the no-fly list for you?
- What a wild world
- thats a dumb plan
- then hed be stuck here
- Cars are a thing that exist, you know
- like anybody with that body would deprive an entire airline full of people of the experience
- speaking of
- u never said if he was hot or not
- ?
- He called me a bitch
- thats not an answer
- Sorry, I guess I was too distracted by his douchebag polo to notice what his face looked like
- so u saw his body then?
- rate out of 10
- You're insane
- thank u
- Not really a compliment
- ur evading the question
- Ughh
- You were right
- HAH
- I TOLD U HE WAS HOT
- DID I NOT SAY HOW HOT HE WAS
- RLLY RLLY HOT
- AND I DONT EVEN LIKE BOYS BUT ID DO HIM
- That's actually really gross
- I WAS RIGHT
- I TOLD U SO
- Yeah
- It's unfair how someone can look that good and be that much of an ass
- tell me about it
- how is marv even friends with somebody like that
- hes such a nice guy too
- Marv?
- marvel
- remember i introduced him to u at the start of the party
- he made a joke about u being a spice girl
- and u said "wow ur parents really had their hopes crushed with u didnt they"
- Oh yeah
- I remember that now
- I guess I kind of am a bitch
- but ur hot so its ok
- So is Cato
- u learned his name?
- weird
- no one usually makes that much of an impression on u
- No one usually calls me a bitch either
- tru
She spends a few days moping around the mall with Glimmer and making some vicious comments about Cato as they try on shoes and jewelry. One afternoon, as she's in the middle of describing in excruciating detail just how the liquid of her drink struck him right in the center of his crisp white shirt, Glimmer sighs and cuts her off. "Clove, I don't think you hate Cato."
Her jaw drops, and for a minute all she can do is gape at the ridiculous idea- was she not just gleefully recounting the way she'd thrown her drink at him? When her mouth can finally work again, she says, "Are you high or something? Because you're not making any sense."
Glimmer frowns and corrects herself. "Well, I don't think you want to hate him." Clove immediately starts protesting, loudly, and Glimmer just talks louder. "I mean, really? The no-fly list? That's lame, Clo. When you were twelve, you put black hair dye in that Marina girl's shampoo because she called you stupid, and you had three other plans ready if that one didn't work. You could've made a career out of ruining lives, but now you're just going through the motions. Face it: your heart's just not in it any more."
Clove closes her gaping mouth, chest heaving and face flushing. That can't be true. Can it? She swallows hard. "Maybe he's just not worth the effort," she finally says, but neither of them is convinced.
- clo
- clove
- u going to the party tonite
- ?
- Probably not
- u should
- u can watch that peeta kid try to flirt w katniss
- u always like to watch him suffer
- That's true
- and annie will be there
- i know u guys have that weird friendship going on where u act like ur not friends but u r
- Annie's going?
- She doesn't really like parties
- finnick insisted
- hes totally crazy for her
- its rly cute
- plus youll get to see thresh and that redhead chick be all quiet and awkward
- and gales bringing some girl that katniss HATES so therell prob be a huge catfight
- its gonna be a lot of fun
- You're trying really hard to get me to go
- What's the catch?
- well
- i think cato might be there too
- Of course he is
- I'm not even surprised any more
- u should go
- show that boy ur better than him
- i have a rlly cute dress u can borrow
- its super hot
- youll look so good in it
- Okay
- wait what
- that was fast
- normally i have to threaten u w those embarrassing pics i have of the time u thought red lipstick would look good on u
- Oh my god
- and u literally looked like a clown
- I can't believe you still have those
- I thought I threw them all out the last time I was over at your place
- silly clove
- im always prepared
The dress does look good. She looks good. Glimmer surveys her with the smug satisfaction of a woman who's just created a masterpiece and nods decisively. "You look hot in orange, Clo. That dress was made for you."
Clove tugs at the low, low neckline and frowns. "Didn't you say you've worn this before? How do you even fit in it? I can barely breathe, it's so tight."
Glimmer shrugs. "Persistence and sucking in," she says airily. "I only wore it once, though. It was obscene, even for me."
"I can't imagine how short it must be on you, then." Clove shakes her head in amazement and tries to pull the hem down, but that makes the neckline move down, too, so she stops and just stares at herself in the full-length mirror. "I don't think I should bend over in this."
"That's probably a good idea. Unless you really want to show Cato how much he doesn't deserve you."
She wrinkles her nose. "Gross, Glim."
- How is your girlfriend so sweet?
- You don't deserve her
- She's like literal sunshine and happiness and it's kind of sickening how cheerful she is
- i know :)))
- im a lucky girl
- REALLY lucky
- Gross
- Anyway
- You were right
- Annie and Finnick are super cute together
- right?
- did u see marvs gf
- Yeah
- What was her name again
- Rue?
- shes SO SMALL
- I'm pretty sure Marvel's going to get arrested for dating her
- She looks like she's twelve
- ur one to talk
- At least I can say I pass the five foot barrier.
- barely
- Shut up
- omggggg r u seeing this?
- katniss and the chick gale brought are totallly going at it
- idek why but its hilarious
- peeta n gale look like theyre abt to cry
- Is no one breaking them up?
- do u want to be the one to tell some girl with an axe to calm dwn
- No
- Wait
- She brought an axe?
- Who even owns axes any more?
- apparently johanna does
- oh wait
- thresh just pulled them apart
- hes literally dangling them in the air
- this is fantastic
- hello youtube fame
- wait clo
- where even r u?
- ur missing all the fun
- Outside
- This weird kid kept inviting me to play video games at his house
- I don't know if that's a euphemism or not
- Normally I would assume yes, but this kid looks like a total nerd
- its that dress ur wearing
- i told u it was hot
- I don't think this scrap of fabric qualifies as a dress
- its street legal
- Barely
- and it literally made cato shatter a glass in his hand when u walked in
- the look on his face
- ill treasure it forever
- No way
- Are you serious?
- hell yeah
- marv gave me this look of INTENSE SUFFERING and took him to get his hand bandaged
- Serves him right
- which one ?
- Both
- lollll tru
- I'm coming back inside now
- I think the creepy nerd is gone
- clo?
- What?
- catos looking for u
- Nope
- ill try to distract him but i think hes on a mission
- uh oh
- he got away
- Shit
- clo
- are u running
- i hear shouting
- im going outside
- if ur not ok im holding marv hostage
- I'm fine
- Don't bother coming outside
- what happened?
- He just wanted to talk
- His arrogance is overwhelming
- And he KNOWS he's freakishly tall so he tries to loom over me like the freakish giant he is
- And I don't even think he can physically stop smirking
- And he tried to tell me a joke but he forgot the punchline
- And he's a bad dancer
- Like
- Really bad
- r u listing reasons to hate him or reasons to date him im confused
- Idk
- Both?
- I don't really think he's that bad
- He just got defensive when I insulted Marvel
- he told u that?
- No, I just figured
- I mean
- I can't really blame him
- If some guy tried to insult you, I'd go to prison
- awwww
- thats the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me
- its too bad ur straight
- we wld be so cuuuuuute together
- Glim
- No offense
- But you make Effie look low-maintenance
- wow
- thats low
- good thing u said no offense otherwise i wld be rly offended
Clove knocks on Glimmer's door early the next morning, hard. As soon as her best friend opens the door, hair tousled, blinking sleep from her eyes, she jams a foot in the door and throws herself inside. Glimmer just stares at her, nonplussed. "Clo, what are you doing here?"
"What should I do?" she blurts out, ignoring the question.
Glimmer squints in confusion. "What do you mean, what should you do? What are you talking about?" Her eyes take in the way Clove's skinny arms are folded defensively over her chest, the tennis shoes she always wears whenever she needs to distract herself with exercise. "Did you run all the way here?"
She starts to shake her head, hesitates, then shrugs. "Not really. I was going jogging to clear my mind and I realized it wasn't working so I figured I'd come and visit you."
"Clear your mind about what?" Glimmer can be gentle when she wants to be, and she's pulling every last reserve of softness for this.
Clove bites her lip. "It's stupid, I know, but…"
"Cato?" she prompts. Clove nods silently. "You're worried about how fast you stopped hating him, aren't you?" There's a pause, then slowly, guiltily, Clove nods again.
"It's just-" She finds a painting on the wall and stares at it like it's the most interesting thing in the world, anything to escape the knowing look in her best friend's eyes. "It feels so sudden. Like, one minute I'm throwing my drink at him and the next I'm trying not to laugh as he tries to dance. I just…" She breaks, continues. "I just don't know if it's right to forgive someone- to like someone- that fast."
"I think it's up to you," Glimmer says very softly. "Does it feel right to you?"
Her voice is raw with honesty when she says, "I don't know."
"Oh, honey, come here." Glimmer wraps her in a hug, and for a long moment, they just stand there in front of the open door, two girls so incredibly different but clinging to each other all the same. "You're my best friend and the smartest person I know. You'll figure it out. I believe in you. Always have, always will." Clove finds that painting above Glimmer's shoulder and focuses on it to remind herself that this is not an emotional moment and certainly does not require tears. It almost works.
A few minutes later, when Clove's hushed snuffling has faded or at least been forcibly quelled, Glimmer breaks the silence. "So, tell me, how bad was his dancing?"
Clove just giggles.
- Omg
- Glimmer
- What did you do?
- Glim I swear to god I'm freaking out right now
- what do u mean
- Cato is standing at my front door
- How does he even know where I live?
- um
- sorry
- i told marv what cato said to u and he said hed handle it
- i mightve sent him ur address too
- I can't believe you
- As soon as I can get Cato out of here, I'm going to hunt you down
- You're going to regret betraying me
- sorry
- whats he even doing there?
- Apologizing
- Loudly
- Through the closed and locked front door
- u didn't let him in?
- He's clearly a deranged lunatic
- So no
- how long has he been there?
- At least fifteen minutes
- I almost had him convinced I wasn't home, but he caught me running to my bedroom to get mace
- just tell him to go away
- I already did
- Multiple times
- He's stubborn
- or u could open the door a crack and spray mace in his eyes real quick before closing it again
- Tempting
- Very tempting
- But he's some sort of gym rat or something
- He could probably rip the door off its hinges if he wanted to
- I think he's trying to pick the lock
- Brb
- clove?
- omg
- pls dont be dead
- i swear if cato kills u ill hunt him down myself
- clove
- clovey
- cloveriffic
- ily so much please dont die
- im gonna count to ten before i call the cops
- one
- two
- three
- four
- Oh my god
- I'm okay
- Don't call the cops
- clove!
- ur alive!
- did u send away ur creepy stalker?
- Uh
- Not really
- omg
- r u serious
- why not?
- ?
- !
- wtf clove
- im coming over
- i shouldnt have come over
- omg
- i feel dirty
- Like I haven't walked into much worse with you and that Madge girl
- I'm pretty sure that has to be illegal
- And impossible
- Nobody can bend like that without being half snake
- shes a treasure
- but we're not talking about me
- we're talking about u MAKING OUT W THE ENEMY
- Oh my god
- It was not making out, first of all
- it was horrifying
- im pretty sure he lost his tongue somewhere in ur throat
- That's disgusting
- TELL ME ABOUT IT
- I HAD TO SEE IT HAPPEN
- It was a really nice apology
- did he apologize for being a douche before or after he tried to steal ur oxygen?
- Before
- Duh
- And I told him that if it happened again, I'd do way worse than throw my drink at him
- hell yeah
- we're strong women who can take care of ourselves
- like hello we spent a semester at the academy practicing self defense
- nd u learned how to throw knives
- which
- prob illegal
- idk why enobaria even taught u that
- im pretty sure shes a felon
- a felon w bad teeth
- but it means u can defend urself against insanely hot transfer students if u need to
- I don't think I'll need to
- just tell me if u ever do and we'll murder him together
- we can borrow johannas axe
- or sic some dogs on him
- or shave his head
- That one might actually kill him
- whatever works
- You're the best
- i know
- so
- double date?
- Do you even have to ask?