Chapter Text
Gale popped his back before taking a seat, leaning back against an old tree. From here he had a good view of his little sister Posy. At the moment, the 5 year old had her tiny hands wrapped around Madge’s larger, slender ones. The two girls twirling around in some sort of unspoken game. When Madge tripped over her own ankle, she went toppling down, taking the young girl with her. Before he could make a move to check if they were alright, the blonde erupted into a fit of giggles, as did Posy.
He couldn’t stop the corners of his mouth from twitching up into a small smile, and he watched as the two sat up and started chattering amongst themselves, seeming to decide on something new to do.
“Gale! Earth to Gale?” He was pulled from his thoughts by his annoying brother Rory, gently kicking him in the side. “Have you heard anything I said?”
Gale took a look up at the 13 year old frowning down at him. “No, sorry. What’s up?”
Rory rolled his eyes, plopping down next to the 19 year old. “I said that Ma was going to be starting on dinner soon.” A smirk crossed his lips. “You were staring at her.”
Gale rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to the two girls. They now had a collection of flowers in their hands and they seemed to be trying to work out making a flower crown. “I’m just keeping an eye on Pose.”
Rory’s smirk deepened and he leaned further into his brother’s line of sight. “I think Madge has that covered. No, you seem pretty focused on Madge. It’s almost like you’re…what’s that word? Entraptured?”
Gale pressed his thumb and pointer finger to the bridge of his nose and groaned. “Enraptured Rory, and no.”
“Then why are you staring so intensely?” He smirked again.
“I’m just keeping an eye on Madge. You never know when a townie is going to crack under pressure.” He grumbled.
Only half true, in the weeks since the bombing of district 12, Madge had managed to hold her own. She was shaken at first, who wouldn’t be after watching their whole district destroyed? Especially knowing her own parents had died in the chaos. But in all fairness to the blonde, she had been holding her own pretty well.
While she didn’t participate in the actual hunting of animals, she had helped with the skinning, as well as collecting herbs for Mrs. Everdeen and Prim to use. And between all of that, she’d done a damn good job of cheering up young Posy. So while Gale might not be “Entraptured” as Rory said, he may have been staring intently.
“Right, and did you get any sort of indication of that from her swaying hips?” The 13 year old teased.
“Shove it Rory, I was not looking at her ass.” He was.
“Right.” Rory said, looking smug.
Gale reached up, delivering a swift smack to the back of his brother’s head.
“I hate you.” Rory grumbled. “You’re a bad person.”
000000
Gale wandered through the halls of district 13. Trailing just a little behind the blonde and the brunette in front of him.
He watched as Madge nudged Katniss in the shoulder and gave her a small smile. In response, Katniss gave the first genuine smile she’d given in the weeks since Mellark returned, before laying her head on the blonde’s shoulder. Madge wrapped an arm around her friend, and the two of them continued in the direction of the lunch room.
From beside him, he heard a giggle. Gale sighed, he didn’t need to take a look to know who it was. Delly Cartwright, the annoying townie, had decided somewhere along the way that they were friends. Maybe it was because his friend Thom was showing a growing interest in her, maybe it was because her brother Glen and his brother Vick seemed to be forming some sort of friendship, or maybe it was because of his own tentative friendship with Madge. Nevertheless, here she was, again.
“What, what do you want, Cartwright?” He groaned.
“You’re in love.” She smirked.
“What? No I am not.” He sputtered.
She rolled her eyes and continued to smile. “You keep looking at Madge with sad puppy eyes every time her back is turned.”
Gale scoffed. “There are no puppy eyes-and I’m not staring!”
Delly patted him on the arm. “It’s alright, you know. Even you can be happy once in a while. It won’t kill you.”
Gale grumbled, struggling not to lose it on the annoying townie.
Before he could develop a response though, her pace quickened and she started to skip past him. “But your face might crack if you smile, so be careful.” She said with a wink. And like that, she was gone, after the other two girls.
000000
Gale watched as Madge played the piano, accompanied by Clerk Carmine Clade who was the lone surviving fiddle player from District 12 and the District 13 children’s choir. It was his first time actually hearing her play, though he’d learned in the months since the District 12 bombing and moving to District 13 that Made knew how to.
As she finished the piece and smiled longingly all throughout Annie and Finnick’s vows, Gale swallowed hard. He was a goner.
As the night moved on from the ceremony and into the reception, Gale temporarily lost sight of her. Having been caught up in the line dance and other songs from District 12. He saw her again, standing with Johanna Mason as Katniss pulled Prim onto the floor.
“Aren’t you going to dance Undersee?” He asked on approach. He could tell from the roll of her eyes that Johanna was unimpressed.
“It’s been a while.” The blonde said, taking another sip of her apple cider.
“Can’t imagine the mayor’s daughter having any sort of trouble with dancing. Should be second nature to you with all those fancy parties.” He smirked, holding out a hand.
Madge bit her lower lip, a blush crept across her face. She seemed to look at Johanna for approval, but the brunette only nudged her closer to Gale. Tentatively Madge took his hand. She looked at him and smiled. “Well, if you’re asking.”
“I am.” Gale insisted, tugging her forward.
“Then I’d love to.” She beamed.
000000
She’s asleep on his couch again, Posy nestled in at her side. He’s honestly surprised she still spends so much time here. Katniss is undoubtedly her best friend, but most days it seems like she’s in his family’s compartment, spending time with his siblings.
He’s just finished covering the two girls in a blanket when his mother comes in. “Madge, I found that sheet music we were talking a-oh.” Hazelle stops dead in her tracks on seeing the sight in front of her.
For it moment, it looks like the girls might wake up, but Posy shifts in her sleep, snuggling further into Madge’s side, and the two of them relax again.
Hazelle smiles, “We should talk to Haymitch about getting her transferred into our compartment. She’s here often enough.”
Gale nods, a small smile on his lips. “Not sure where she’d sleep, but we could make it work.” He mumbles.
Hazelle heads back into the kitchen, leaving the sheet she had been intending to give to Madge on the coffee table.
Gale wipes the palms of his hands on his pants once before following her. “Ma…I need some advice.”
Hazelle looks up from the stove, she’d started to prep dinner. “Hm?”
“What would you do if someone…said they loved you?” He asks, rubbing the back of his neck.
Hazelle co*cks an eyebrow. “Check their eyesight first I suppose. Why? Is there someone I should know about?”
Gale shakes his head. “No uh, no I mean…pretend you’re a woman. A different woman,” He corrects at the look his mother gives him. “Pretend you’re a different woman and someone tells you that they love you. How would you react?”
Hazelle sighs and gives her son a small smile. “Well that depends Gale, did someone just blurt it out? Do I love them back? I need context.”
He shifts uncomfortably, shoving his hands in his pockets. “I…I don’t know if you love them back. Maybe you do? You’ve…spent a lot of time with this person.”
Hazelle puts a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “Maybe you just need to wait for the right moment. You could try to get her alone during the day? Give her a gift?”
Gale’s eyes dart towards the couch and back. “I…I wasn’t talking about me.”
“Sure Gale.” Hazelle smirks. “Why don’t you get washed up and help me start on dinner?”
000000
He didn’t tell her for a while after that. They still saw each other near every day, either when she was visiting his family or when she was with Katniss, but never alone. And if they did by some miracle end up alone, it wasn’t for very long.
Before he knew it, things were progressing faster and faster on the warfront. The Capital was stormed, Coin was dead, Snow was dead, Katniss is essentially exiled to 12. When Katniss leaves, Madge and Haymitch go with her, Prim and Mrs. Everdeen stay back as their healing abilities are needed elsewhere.
When Gale takes the transfer to 2, he decides to make a stop off at 12 first, to check in on Katniss and to see her. It’s Madge who answers the door when he gets to Katniss’ house.
“Gale!” She smiles brightly. “It’s good to see you. Katniss is just upstairs.” She says as she pulls him into a crushing hug.
“It’s good to see you too Madge.” He smiles
As he sits and talks with Katniss upstairs, he can’t help but smile. She looks a little better, not quite as haunted as she did the last time he saw her. It isn’t until he gets up to go that Katniss stops him. “She missed you.” she says.
Gale co*cks an eyebrow.
“Madge, she tries not to talk about it, but I can tell.” Katniss continues. “Don’t hurt her. She’s a good person.”
“The best.” Gale agrees.
When he heads back downstairs, he finds Madge at the kitchen table with a cup of tea. Haymitch is across from her, his own teacup in hand. Gale isn’t sure if it’s just tea he’s drinking.
“Well cousin, you’re on your way to 2 I hear?” Haymitch says.
Gale grunts in affirmation. “Madge I…would you like to take a walk before I head out?”
Madge looks from Gale to Haymitch. Haymitch shrugs, “I’ll be here when you get back sweetheart.”
Madge nods before setting down her tea and walking over to join Gale. He offers her his arm and she takes it.
They’re halfway to the remains of the fence when Madge finally speaks up. “Where are we going?”
“It’s strawberry season.” Gale says plainly. “I thought I’d take you to see your bush.”
Madge blushes. “My bush.”
Gale smiles at her. “Your bush, our bush. Whatever you want to call it.”
The blush on Madge’s face deepens and she tries to hide it by tucking her face into his side.
When they finally reach the collection of strawberry bushes in the woods, Madge is in awe. Gale freezes for a moment. It hadn’t really been that long since the last time he was here. Maybe a year at most, but it felt like it had been ages.
He’s pulled from his thoughts when Madge looks at him excitedly, holding up a ripe strawberry. “Look!”
He shoves his hands in his pockets and walks up to the bush, crouching next to her. “Yep, definitely strawberry season.”
Madge smiles as she takes a bite from the strawberry, juice dribbles down her chin. “Mmmm. I missed this, 13 never had any!”
Gale reaches out, wiping the juice from her chin with his thumb. “13 didn’t have a lot of things we had here in 12.”
Her face flushes and she takes another bite from the berry. “Do you want one?”
“No, I’m good.” He smirks. “I did want to talk to you about something though.”
She looks at him, her blue eyes wide with concern. “Is everything okay?”
He nods, “Everything’s fine. There’s just…there’s something I need to tell you before I go to 2.”
She finishes the strawberry and wipes her hands on her skirt, before kneeling fully on the ground in front of him. “I’m all ears.”
Gale takes a deep breath. “I’ve been meaning to tell you this for a while now, at first when Delly brought the idea up to me I thought she was absurd, but it’s just been nagging at me ever since and seeing how good you are with the kids and how much my mom…hell’s teeth.” He mumbled, running a hand through his hair. “Madge, what I’m trying to say is I’m in love with you. I have been for a very long time. And I’d like you to come to 2 with me.”
Seeing the shocked look on her face and how her jaw hangs open, Gale starts to back track. “Okay, clearly this was a bad idea. Just…forget that I said anything and uh…the strawberry bush is a gift. I’ll get you back to Katniss’.” He says, moving to get up.
“Wait!” Madge yells, suddenly remembering how to speak. She frantically grabs his wrist. “You…love me? And you want me to go to 2 with you?”
Gale swallows hard and searches her wide blue eyes for any sort of sign. “I…that’s what I said, yes.”
Madge leans in and presses a chaste kiss to his lips before pulling away again. “Yes.”
“Yes?”
“I’ll go to 2 with you.” She beams. “And…I love you too.” She says, flushing a deep crimson.
It takes Gale a second to process before he starts grinning madly. He picks Madge up and spins her around, before putting her back down and kissing her forehead. “My apartment is gonna be a sh*tty studio, only enough room for one bed.” He says.
“That sounds perfect to me.” She mumbles into his chest, trying some way to pull him even closer.
His face is beginning to hurt from how much he’s smiling. “So Delly was right about two things it seems.”
“Two?” Madge asks, looking up at him.
“I love you, and I’m smiling so much I think my face might crack.” He says, pressing another kiss to the tip of her nose.
Madge can’t help but laugh, a beautiful sound, music to his ears.
