An Unlikely Pair

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By: DarkGiggle

Disclaimer: I don't own anything, I make no profit so please don't sue me.

Warnings: Un-beta'd and looking for a beta. Rating and violence level will go up.

Plot: Please skip to the very end you cheats or take a chance and try this without a heads up first.

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PART 1

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It's tense today at school but since the reaping is in two days I don't expect it to be different. The only ones that are ever excited about it are the Capitol people that invade us around this time of the year. Oh and this ridiculous teacher who brainwashed himself into being a Capitol poster boy.

Discretely I look over to my only friend, Madge Undersee, to see if she is awake for this drivel. Of course she is. Her eyes are bright, she's sitting forward and even looks like she is excitedly taking notes. Liar. I suppress a snort. If she's writing anything it's probably a limerick about Mr. Hauff's incompetence. Maybe I should ask her to read it aloud at lunch. 'RIIING.' Speaking of lunch.

Madge and I go to our usual table and like usual we have to wait to eat until our third member comes. It is unclear how we sort of started sitting with her but Madge likes her, so oh well. Just because Katniss isn't my friend doesn't stop me from nodding to her as she comes over. My nod is returned and she sits. Great, yet another silent meal.

I guess I really shouldn't think badly about the ritual quiet the three of us have; it's not like I go out of my way to talk here. Still the laughter coming from the popular kid's table makes the void all the more noticeable to me. It must be that rejects shouldn't be heard as well as seen. Not that Magde is a reject; she's quiet but awesome. We've been friends since the first day of school. People are just stupid and get so jealous of her because she's the Mayor's daughter. They don't bother to get to know her; they don't bother to find out how sweet she is. Bastards.

Katniss, on the other hand, doesn't let anyone get to know her. Dude, she's like a walking defensive wall. She has a permanent scowl, she barely talks and radiates dislike from her core. Not that she doesn't have reason to be and act tough as nails. If what happened to her happened to me, well… she's got more spine than me but that doesn't make her any easier to deal with. She, Madge and I have been sitting together since we were ten years old and everything I know about her comes from her sister. I think she still secretly hates me for giving her bread that one time. Oh and the day after, when I tried to give her my lunch… Wow, I thought she was going to clock me in my already bruised face! Yeah, lesson learned, don't do nice things for Katniss (Catpiss) Everdeen.

I sigh. Maybe it's just me and she dislikes me like the rest of our class. Maybe she's like everyone else in District 12 that just sort of tolerates me. I really do try to be friendly, I'm usually chatting to people not in our grade but I guess I'm too different. I, Peeta Mellark, am not like I should be, as the witch reminds me everyday. I don't look right, don't act right, don't talk right, I definitely don't dress right and it pisses my mother right off. In fact if Madge hadn't fixed my hair and I didn't take so much after the witch the district community home would actually be home for me. The witch wants a prissy sweet daughter, instead she has me and I'm as close to a boy as I can be without the actual parts.

Swearing, spitting and fighting are routine for me. I love rough housing with my two older brothers. My daily style is made of big pants, baggy shirts, my braid tucked under a cap and my stupid boobs bound down. None of the guys my year can beat me in any sport and if they don't like it enough to start something I kick their asses. Lately I haven't gotten in that kind of fight, they all know to pick me for their team if they want to win.

Nonetheless, this is why I don't have other friends besides Madge. Madge accepts me, she cares for me and when she's not near the brooding stone that is Catpiss, we talk, we laugh, we joke and we visit each other. We've known each other's room just as well as our own for ages. When she is not near the huntress of 12 she is my friend and she acts like it. To say I'm jealous is an understatement, but it's what Madge wants so I don't argue. I will always give her anything she wants because no matter how much I love my brothers she is the person closest to me, she is the one that means most to me.

Just as lunch ends, my best friend passes me a piece of paper. It's her awful limerick. A laugh bursts out at how bad it is. Practice does not make perfect for her. Yet as soon as I start laughing I stop, my laugh is the most feminine thing about me and I hate it. I check around, damn it, too late. People are staring, puzzled until they remember I'm actually a girl. Fuck.

The rest of school goes by without incident. Assuming the rest of the day will be just as uneventful my guard drops as I walk out the exit doors. It's not ten steps before something slams into my back, holds on and damn near makes me face plant into the dirt. Just as I right myself a scream of "PEETA!" goes off in my ear, launching me at least two feet into the air with surprise. The landing is shaky with the extra weight and set to the roaring laughter of my peers. While all this is good for the rest of the school's entertainment I am not amused.

I turn my head to glare at the cling-on attached to my back. "Get Off Rory!"

"I'd love to, care to lend me your hand?" he answers way too happily.

This gets more laughs from the building crowd. An earnest scowl forces him to sheepishly climb down. It's not a far climb for him anymore. He is getting to be as tall as me; I will loath the day when he gets taller than my five foot ten and starts calling me 'shorty' like he promises. "You're 14 now, act more adult."

He chuckles and says, "Fine then, I will. Marry me Peeta."

More laughs from our schoolmates. My face heats in anger. Stupid kid! A scan of the crowd doesn't bring up the one I'm looking for thus I yell, "Hawthorne! Come Save Your Brother Right Now Or I'm Going To Hurt Him!"

Then he is suddenly there, his handsome tall form cutting through the crowd. My face heats more at the sight of him, until I see he isn't alone. As if I didn't have reason enough to be jealous of Catpiss. She and her sweet sister cut through the crowd too, they've come to see what is going on. Damn it, its not like this doesn't happen thrice a month. Arg!

In a gruff voice what comes out is, "Can't you control him?"

Gale Hawthorne, the unhelpful jerk, just shrugs and replies, "Hormones and since he's seen-."

"SHUT UP!" It's a harsh snap but it does no good as every inch of my skin flushes bright red. Damn bastard hasn't brought that up in so long! I glare straight into his gorgeous gray eyes, "You better shut up because I won't feel bad about kicking your ass!"

He looks me over then stands straighter when he sees I mean it. He is visibly debating it. For the past year or so we have been on the edge of a fight, all Rory's fault of course, but we've both wondered who would win. He is bigger, he has reach but I'm sure my body is stronger and we're about the same speed.

Before he can take a step further the decision is taken out of his hands by Prim when she steps between us. One pleading look from her and a pout almost creeps out onto my face, if we continue now it would upset her. It's so not fair! If one person were to be picked as my almost friend it would be Prim but she is so nice to everyone it's hard to tell if she means it. I sigh and look to Rory. "This isn't funny anymore, you're getting older and eventually I will hit you."

The imp just smiles, not believing me worth a damn. I scowl at all of them and march away.

Madge is waiting for me outside of the crowd and we walk without word. I'm still too angry to really talk. It's unbelievable that freaking Hawthorne brought that up. What he was going to say was 'since he's seen you naked.' Not that the whole school doesn't already know but it was two years ago and no one needs reminders.

I blame Hawthorne for the whole mess. Two years back he really started to tomcat around and messed up the status quo with his looks. He pissed off a lot of guys by having a tumble with their girls or their crushes. He's always been tough and more than ready for a fight but his little brothers were not. Anyway some cowardly idiots wanted to get him to back off by bullying Rory. Five 16 year olds against one 12 year old did not make good odds and I've always been about fairness. Damn, I remember it so well.

Start Flashback:

'That's not good,' I think as older Seam boys corner a runt. The soon to be victim looks around for an escape route and it's then that I recognize the squirt. The debate on whether or not to step in is decided with the first punch to the gut they give him. Kid slumps to the ground and it's me in the way before the bastards can move in on him further.

They startle but shake it off with glares. "Out of the way merchant! This doesn't concern you."

"Well who does it concern?" I immediately regret it because now they look damn surprised. My voice gave me away.

"It's that girl Mellark!" Some of the braver ones snort and mock, "Run along girly."

Being a real boy would make life so much easier. "No."

One gets annoyed and tries to shove me. I swing, my fist collides with his wrist hard, it diverts his whole arm and makes him yelp. He retracts and cradles his wrist, "You freaking bitch!"

At least some of them have heard of my reputation since more don't make a move. It's a tense quiet until one of the other boys growls, "This isn't your fight Mellark!"

Over his shoulder is someone approaching that I very much want to see. "You're right this isn't my fight. I don't plan to fight you."

He snarls, "Then what the hell are you doing?"

I smirk, "Stalling you." They get a split second to be puzzled before they turn to the sound of cracking knuckles. It's a thing of beauty to watch Gale Hawthorne fight and cream five other guys. It's the first time I feel something stir in me. When it's over, the five are still down but Hawthorne is a bit of a mess too. The offer to walk them is said before I can think about it.

Hawthorne doesn't know what to make of it or me but his youngest brother comes up then, worried and scared. He starts yapping about going to the healer Everdeen so I just tell him to lead the way. It's a weird procession we make and I get to see Seam, Katniss' house and meet her sister for the first time.

Because Catpiss is gone by the time we arrive, Mrs. Everdeen is treating Hawthorne and his siblings are worriedly watching, it falls to Prim to ask me why I helped. I just shrug and say, "It wasn't a fair fight but it wasn't my fight. Then on the way back, well if they're low enough to pick on a 12 year old they're low enough to try to get you when you're down."

It's Prim that thanks me when I leave and for the next three weeks it's her who is friendly to me in the halls and a few moments after school. It was more for her that I step in for the Hawthorne squirt again. Now the cowards are at least smarter. They know the hunter is gone by this time.

Oh this is a hard fight, five Seam 16s and my one merchant 14-year-old body. We equally get our rears kicked. Madge and Rory have to half-carry me to the Everdeens. I pass out just before their home. When consciousness returns I'm cold, completely naked and being worked on by Mrs. Everdeen and Prim. Prim is tending a wound on the end of my ribs and her mother is stitching me up, right where my thigh starts. A big commotion goes on outside the door before Hawthorne throws it open. Prim shrieks, her mother doesn't notice, I stare in shock and he starts looking me over. He is taking in my wounds; the way his eyes bounced from place to place and how he pauses on my knuckles explains it. Surely he had handled plenty of girls from his fooling around so seeing me like this doesn't faze him. His looking at my naked, beat up 14-year-old body doesn't really bother me either and it probably would have ended here… if not for what happens next. Rory comes in shouting that they are supposed to wait outside and that he-. The little pervert never finishes. He sees me (all of me), stares and then he tries to come closer. I cross my legs, curl up and yell at the both of them to get out. Prim joins in to shoo them out, she looks as scandalized as I feel.

Oh and how does the little perv repay me for coming to his defense? He tells all of his friends he's seen me naked and is going to marry me because I have a huge rack. Of course his friends tell their friends, their brothers and any one who is a gossip so then everyone knows. Lots of boys call Rory a liar and to fight the slander he somehow finds out about me binding my inherited mounds down. It is not until reaping day, when my mother makes me wear a dress and no binding, that he is proven right. The pervert plagues me from that day on.

End Flash Back:

I really am growing to hate him and his brother. Hawthorne is still to blame for all of this and for not controlling Rory. Someday soon the snot will be beaten out of the both of them. I generally don't pick fights or fight kids younger than me but they have it coming.

A tap on my shoulder brings me back from my thoughts. Madge has a worried frown on her. She is about to ask what has me so moody, but I just smile and ask if she has any more limericks.

Part 1 End.

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Plot: Female Peeta and Gale are selected for the Hunger Games. I wanted to have Peeta and Gale go through the games together without having to change the games much so I changed Peeta. Fem!Peeta is a tomboy and as such did not fit in well, so I've changed Peeta's personality and history to suit.

Side Note: I am looking for a Beta for this story. My grammar is all self taught and I daydream too much to always make things clear on paper. I'm not looking for reviews from regular readers, so if you just have a random opinion about my work (good, bad or constructive) please keep it to yourself. I'm a weird writer that does not like reviews (or the effect they have on me) so please don't click that button!