Disclaimer:- Hunger Games Trilogy does not belong to me. It belonged, belongs and will belong to the legendary Suzanne Collins forever. Hail SC!
Her eyes stared back at her through the shop glass, peering at the newly laid out sheet music in the window pane. Mozart's A K 331 Minor. Her eyes were working their way through the notes, playing the tune out in her head. She could imagine the ups and downs in the tone level, the octave going high and low. She was humming the tune out for herself.
The tinkling of the bell was what got her to stop, turning her head towards a bald head popping out of the door, copiously looking at her from above the spectacles the owner was wearing.
"Oh, is that you Ms. Undersee?" the shrivelled man spoke up, weakness in his voice provoked by the nearing old age.
"Hello Mr. Kepner," Madge turned, walking upto the old man to get him a clear view of her. As soon as Madge was close enough to be seen clearly, the old man's face lit up with recognition. "And it's Mrs. Hawthorne now, Mr. Kepner."
"Or so I heard," the man's gaze fell on the basket of bread she was holding. "It's been quite long since I have seen you here."
"Oh yes, it's been quite sometime," Madge sighed. It felt like yesterday when she would come running to Mr Kepner's shop to get herself sheet music from her pocket money.
Mr. Kepner watched the young girl in front of her, who would sit with him for hours in his shop, going after one musical piece to another, choosing which one to buy. His eyes sweeped over to the sheet she had been gazing at for sometime.
"You here to buy that?" he pointedly looked at the one exclusively kept in the glass case. She was one of his best and regular costumers after all.
Madge shook her head and offered a slight smile, "No. I don't have that much money to buy it. And anyways, I haven't got enough time to sit down and play it anymore."
Suddenly realising that she had lost quite a good amount of time, she quickly apologized to Mr. Kepner for such a rough leave and made her way back to the Seam before Gale reached home.
Mr. Kepner turned to return back into his shop and towards the cash register when he was stopped right away by the tingling of the bell. Upon turning, his eyes met that of grey colour.
"Yes, how may I help you?"
Madge had been humming to herself. That beautiful pick up tone never leaving her mind the entire day, though she kept her wants in check. She can't afford to buy anything more than their necessities. Her job pay and that of Gale's all went into maintaining the house and their requirements.
She dropped a few drops on the back of her hand and tasted the soup she had been preparing and sighed. She smiled slightly to herself, Gale would love it. A bit more salt won't hurt it.
She moved to the right cabinet, reaching for the top shelf. Even when tip-toeing all the way she couldn't reach it and huffed, stretching more than earlier.
A hand reached out from behind her and got hold of the salt container before setting it down in front of her and wrapping itself around her.
"All you have to do is ask, shorty," Gale whispered in her ear, kissing her lightly beneath her ear in the space where she is most ticklish.
"You're home early," Madge sighs and turns to face him, her hands pulling at his collar and bringing him down for a welcome kiss.
Gale groans and pulls away, not liking it a bit that he has to hold himself back, "I'm covered in coal. I'll only get you dirty,"
"Fancy you thinking that even after all these years," she whispers and avoids his protests and pulls him back to her.
Gale does not hesitate this time and pulls her closer by the waist, bending down even more so to deepen the kiss.
Just when things started to get out of hand, Madge pulls away abruptly.
"My soup!" Madge pushes Gale away and turns to save what's left of the soup that has evaporated.
Gale smiles and goes to change into a new pair of clothes.
"I got you something," Gale looks up from his almost finished soup and takes in Madge's surprised look as she sips at her own.
He never wanted anything like this for her. She still seems out of place in the seam and it hurts him every single time to realize that he is the reason she is in the seam in the first place. Guilt riles up his gut but one look at Madge's face and it dissolves. She seems more happy here and it might be is conscience trying to make him feel less guilty but when she would smile up at him every time he would come home, like there's no other place in the world she did be than with him here, he feels like the luckiest man alive.
"Well, what is it?" she asks eagerly and it pleases him to know that she wouldn't act as if they are dirt poor and they can't afford anything.
"It's not much but..." he gets up from his place and walks to his vest and reaches for his inside pocket. Madge curiously watches and her happy expression turns to that of pure shock then to plain face and then ultimately sheer happiness.
"You didn't—but I—How?"
"I saw you today with Mr. Kepner," he moves to sit beside her while she goes through the music sheet Gale has purchased for her.
"Gale, this—I don't... I love you," She finally looks up and lovingly stands up to sit in his lap.
"You love me because I brought you sheet music?" Gale chuckles, sliding his hands around her waist, her around his neck.
"Ofcourse not you silly," She slide her hand across his jaw making Gale aware of his growing stubble.
"I love your huge ego," she leans in and kisses him softly on the jaw, earning a growl from him, "I love when you have little a bit of a stubble. It gives you a rugged look," and Gale decides against shaving for a couple of days, "I love how you care about me so much, about your family," she shifts and stands up, Gale following up close behind, "I love how you manage to look so enticing even after whole day's work and get some time to spend with me, hear me play music."
Gale tackles her and picks her up bridal style, carrying her to their bedroom, "I love it when you carry me like this," Gale goes on to dump Madge on the bed and gives her a menacing looks which turns her on, "I love how you sometimes handle me roughly contrary to how people think of me as soft and delicate, I love your animalistic side," Gale crawls on top of her and leans in to suck on her neck gently and she mews in response. "And last of all, I love you for how you treat me for me, like I am just me, not some Mayor's daughter or something. I love you."
Gale smiles back and reaches for the light switch, his voice echoing, "Then let's reclaim it,"
A/N:- Just something that came to me the other day. I don't think I have reproduced it as beautifully as I have thought but I like it anyways.
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