It's almost one in the morning when Madge finishes writing her lengthy essay on the influences of the Baroque era on modern music; she managed to complete it before the deadline despite her last minute visit home, and she only needed the help of one cup of coffee to get it done. She sends it to the printer and goes to her bedroom for a sweater while all 12 pages begin rolling through the machine.

The air is chillier than it should be in October, and Madge almost slaps herself when she realizes her sweaters are still in a cardboard box from home sitting in her closet, waiting to be unpacked. Surprisingly she does find one unrecognizable crew neck though; it's far too big, navy blue, smells like pine and oh , she realizes. It's Gale's.

Her heart hurts a little bit and she chews on her lip in contemplation. He must of left it here a few weeks ago by accident and she should probably just put it in her bag to give him when she sees him on campus, but it really is chilly, Madge reasons. Without thinking much more, she slips it on and inhales his scent - already feels much warmer than she did before.

Madge heads to the kitchen and turns on the kettle. While she waits for her water to boil she heads over to her desk, collecting her essay sheets, reading them over and stapling them. When her kettle begins to whistle from her stove top, she heads back over, making a cup of hot tea that will hopefully warm her up. From afar she hears the sound of pounding music and loud voices, all obviously coming from a party a few blocks down. She's grateful for her apartment that's further from campus. It's much quieter and she is not one for parties anyways. There are a couple voices still talking outside her building, but it's still far better than the cacophony of beer pong and sorority sisters.

After a couple minutes of enjoying her tea in her quiet apartment, two sharp knocks on her door interrupt Madge's train of thought. She wonders who could be at the door this late, but really, who else could it be? Madge panics, realizing she's still wearing his sweater, that she is disheveled and looks beyond fatigued. Yet, he's probably drunk, and most likely won't notice any of that anyways. She's just going to greet him, tell him she's tired and send him on his merry way.

She opens the door slowly, and of course, she's right, Gale Hawthorne is standing outside her apartment in the middle of the night; his eyes light up when he sees her.

"Hey Undersee, what are you up to?" he asks with a boyish smile. He looks worn in - his hair a little longer than she's used to and his stubble that indicates he hasn't shaved in a few days. She admires the view, he's usually so moody and dark in public but tonight he looks carefree, more like the 20 year old he really is.

Madge shrugs. "I was going to go to bed I guess, it's pretty late, don't you think?"

"Yeah I'm sorry, I was over at Lambda Chi's party, wasn't all that much fun really, and your apartment wasn't that far so.. I thought I'd pay you a visit," he explains. She hears the innuendo in his words.

"Was Katniss there?"

He looks at her like he doesn't understand what she's asking. To be honest, Madge doesn't know what she's asking either. "Uh, yeah, she was there with Mellark, why?"

Katniss was there and he decided to come here. She supposes that means something positive, but then again maybe he was just angry seeing Katniss with Peeta and came here out of spite. "I don't know. So why wasn't it that much fun?"

Gale scrunches his brow and smiles on one side. "I feel like I'm being interrogated, god, Undersee," he jokes, "Fine, I guess it was ok, it wasn't boring. I just wanted to come. I wanted to see you. Besides, we haven't seen each other in a long time, have we?"

She rolls her eyes and crosses her arms over her chest; even though she has on his sweater, her legs are bare and the draft from outside is getting in the building again. "You can't just come here in the middle of the night when you don't have any luck at your frat parties, Gale," she sighs. His eyes tease her and he smirks just a bit. A loose strand of hair is in front of her ear, he reaches out to play with it and twirls it around his fingers, and she feels a shiver run down her spine, she hopes Gale doesn't notice. "It's not like that. Besides, why not?"

Madge sighs, shrugging and looking away from his gaze. "I don't know, it just doesn't feel right. Besides, I was doing work and I was studying...", she tries to list more excuses as to why he shouldn't come in, but she can't.

He looks at her carefully, still playing with her hair. Madge realizes how close they really are when she feels Gale's breath on her, he smells sharp, like beer and peppermint gum. "Come on Undersee, I just want to talk to you, catch up a bit?"

"That's what I mean Gale, catching up, that's not what we do..."

He looks at her with intent and almost whispers, "Then what do you want to do?"

It sucks the breath from her throat. That's a really good question, one with an answer she doesn't want to say out loud, so Madge stays quiet and hugs her torso a little tighter. He might be taking her silence for rejection; she can't read him at all, one minute he's teasing her to no end and the next he gets so intense, he looks hurt almost.

It isn't that she doesn't feel anything for Gale; she feels so much for him that she doesn't know how to deal with it. It's just that they were never friends before, and just because they have an obvious physical attraction for one another doesn't mean that this could ever be a healthy relationship. Madge needs someone stable and light-spirited who won't completely consume her, and Gale is not a single one of those things. He sets a fire in her that she didn't know existed, and it's getting harder and harder to extinguish the flame before she finds herself craving his touch once again.

And it isn't that she doesn't want him to come in either. She simply knows that they can only "catch up" for so long, and that if he looks at her with any sign that he wants her at all she'll need to kiss him and Lord knows she won't be able to stop herself from kissing every inch of him after that and letting him do the same. Gale knows what he does to her when he plays with her hair, stands so close to her or talks to her like that. It's not fair, and Madge wishes she was more in control – she's almost always in control, except for when it comes to Gale.

He says her name quietly, bringing her out of her own head and back to reality. Madge looks up at him wide eyed and stammers, "Uh, I- I guess you could come in for a little bit, why not?"

She's hyper aware as he steps into her familiar apartment, she's biting the inside of her cheek as Gale takes off his coat and neatly places it on the counter. He turns to face her and just stares. He's fidgety, maybe even nervous though Madge couldn't know the reason why.

"So the party," Madge starts, breaking the silence. "You didn't stay for long, did you?"

Gale looks amused by her attempt at small talk. "Well, I was there for a few hours actually, but I only had a beer or two, mostly just talked to Thom and Darius."

"That's... That's good," she replies awkwardly. She doesn't know why she's like this, why she can't act normal right now. They get along well, but usually they're straight to the point and their mouths are occupied in many other ways before they need to speak so many words. Perhaps this is what she feared; how could they ever have anything more than casual sex when they can't even have a normal conversation?

"I know you went back home last weekend," Gale remarks, leaning back against the counter. "You went to see your mom?"

Madge nods curtly. "Yeah, she had a really bad episode, so the housekeeper called the hospital. Dad's out on a business trip so I needed to go back, to make sure she was okay."

"Is she?"

She's caught off guard. "Huh?"

"Is your mom okay?" he asks, his concern is genuine and kind.

"Honestly?" Madge starts. She thinks about whether her mom will be okay or not. She's never had migraines so bad before and her new medication makes her lucid, she's barely a person anymore. Sometimes she has moments of clarity but most of the time... "Honestly, I have no idea."

It still hurts, like a dull throbbing pain in her chest. For every time she manages to keep it together, Madge feels tears swelling up and pushes them away with her sleeve. Gale takes her arm and pulls her in, hugging her tightly. They're flush against each other, backed up against her counter but it doesn't feel perverse, it just feels correct. It's comforting to be compressed like that, she feels more together and less like her home life is falling apart. Her arms wrap around his torso and she buries her head in his chest; if she listens closely enough, she can hear his heart beating strong against her ear.

"It's going to be okay," he mumbles into her hair. "I'm sorry I brought it up, I'm so sorry Madge."

They've never been this open, this emotional with each other before, but Madge decides she likes it - likes the way he holds her, the way he comforts her. She has faith her mom will be okay, she just wishes her Dad would come home once in awhile to watch over her, not some hired housekeeper who doesn't care. Usually Madge does a good job of juggling school, friends and everything going on back home, but lately she just feels burnt out.

And she really does appreciate that Gale came over, she loves the way he feels against her. Is it selfish to want more? She pulls back a little bit so that she's looking into his grey eyes and tugging at the collar of his shirt.

"Gale?" she whispers, ever so slightly.

He hesitates a little bit, most likely thinking about what she wants to say, or maybe (just maybe) he's lost in her eyes too. Maybe he sees in Madge something that he really wants. She scared it might be true, scared it might be false. He swallows hard, his lips form a tight line.

"Yeah?"

"Kiss me, please."

There are no second thoughts, no nerves, and no questions. His lips capture hers and that's all matters. It's a kiss different from before. This one is filled with empathy and tastes like comfort. His lips are just as she remembers them; slightly chapped yet smooth, gentle yet demanding. In a surge of confidence, Madge takes his bottom lip in her mouth and bites down gently, and Gale groans into the kiss. His hands around her waist suddenly feel less soothing and more teasing, and her own are framing his face, pulling him in.

She knows it's too good to be true; Gale doesn't want her like this no matter what he says, and it takes all the strength inside of her to pull away from him. But Gale either doesn't notice her adamancy or doesn't care, because he leans in to kiss jaw, lick her earlobe, and suck on the sensitive skin on her neck. Madge gasps and silently curses herself, because she wants it, oh god, she wants it so bad.

"Gale," she starts, trying to interrupt his ministrations, but it comes out more as a gasp of pleasure. "Gale," she tries again, firmer this time, and he raises his head to look into her eyes.

"Did I do something wrong?"

"No, no, I just-"

"What is it, Madge? You can tell me anything," he asks, his voice full of warmth.

She shakes her head and opens her mouth as if to speak, but nothing comes out. "I just… I don't think you want this." It's faint, barely a whisper, and she hopes he hears her clearly because she doesn't think she can say it again.

Madge finds herself pacing quickly backwards, away from Gale. "If you want to go, you should." She finds herself at her door still looking at Gale; she turns the knob behind her and the creak of the door fills the silence, almost cuts into it. His eyes are so intense, they look like they're trying to read her, and Madge notices that she doesn't feel so cold anymore.

"I don't want to go," Gale states, pushing the door closed behind her. His arms are planted on either side of her and Madge is trapped against the door. His mouth is right by her ear when he talks, barely a whisper, "Why do you keep doubting how much I like you?"

Madge takes a deep breath with her eyes closed and realizes how neurotic she's being. When she opens them, he's looking at her with that playful, boyish smile again and she doesn't ask this time when she leans into meet his lips. What's wrong with Madge just wanting some release tonight? Who says it means anything different than the other times Gale's been over? Her arms come up to wrap around his neck, and Gale presses her into the door more persistently than before. What starts as an innocent kiss quickly evolves, as it always does, into a heated and insatiable need for Gale to caress her and take care of all her desires.

Soon, he's playing with the hem of the sweater and his fingers are grazing against her thighs. "What do you think you're doing?" Madge asks, hoping she sounds teasing. He laughs as he continues to tug it upwards, exposing her pale midriff between her ridden-up tank top and tiny shorts. Gale groans at the view. "I'm taking my sweater back, you thief."

As soon as Madge raises her arms and he tosses the sweater aside, Gale's lips are back on her skin, kissing her collarbones and worshiping her neck. He finds some skin on her shoulder and sucks gently, making Madge cry out and cradle the back of his head tighter. It's going to leave a mark, but for once, neither of them seem to care.

He makes his way down to her cleavage, nibbling and licking the tops of her breasts. His fingers tug at the straps of her tank and he looks up, grey eyes meeting pale blue ones. "Can I take this off too?"

Madge nods insistently as Gale slips her shirt off. To show him just how naked she wants to be, she kicks off her shorts too and stands in front of him clad in her panties. She's not wearing a bra - obviously, who is at 1 in the morning? He's looking her up and down intently, he takes his own shirt off too.

She admires his chiseled, tan torso as he gazes down at her. "You're so beautiful," he breathes out, reaching out to palm one of her breasts. Gasping, Madge feels her nipples hardening under his touch. When his tongue darts out to lick one of them, her back arches from the door trying to create more friction. He takes turns, sucking one taught peak as he pinches and flicks the other. He knows her body too well, knows how to make her writhe and moan. They still aren't that good with each other when it comes to feelings or small talk, but if there's one thing Gale and Madge know well, it's each other's bodies.

His mouth descends further, and when Madge looks down she see's that now he's kneeling on the floor. He kisses her stomach while his hands move back to cup her ass. "I want to taste you so badly," Gale says, and Madge whimpers. She's biting her nails in anticipation of his next move.

Gale slowly tugs at her panties until they fall to her ankles, exposing her wet desire for him. "Jesus Christ, Madge," he groans under his breath. A few gentle kisses are planted on her inner thighs, making her even wetter than she was before.

Standing there, pressed against her door with legs spread open, Madge feels paralyzed. She wishes she was the type who would say something sexy in response, or run her fingers through his hair pulling him closer between her legs, or the type to admit that she's thought about this moment before far more than she should've, but she's not. So instead she stands as she is and bites her nails, waiting for Gale to say something, anything, to ease her anxiety.

Instead, he presses a wet kiss against her lips and finds her clit between his lips to suck lightly, and Madge comes apart.

She lets out a cry as he laps at her core - slowly at first, more diligently as her moans urge him on. Daring to look down, she catches a glimpse of Gale's eyes that are dark with desire, staring at her face that contorts with pleasure. It's too intense for her, too real, so she looks away as quickly as possible before she's completely lost.

His tongue is so thick when it licks up and down her pussy lips, and her hips push forward just slightly, grinding into his face. Soon one of Gale's fingers are prodding at her entrance, and Madge can't help but buck her hips forward. Her nerve endings are on fire, every touch and every stroke bring her closer and closer to the brink. When he sinks his rough, calloused finger into her cunt, he stopped licking her and instead peppers kisses along her inner thighs. "You taste so sweet, like vanilla," he mumbles against her skin. "And I love the sounds you're making for me, baby."

Madge moans even louder after that, knowing that it's turning him on and encouraging him to go faster. She feels his second finger sliding in to fuck her too and his mouth returns to sucking diligently on her clit and feels like she's going to burst any second now.

"Oh my god, I love that. Please don't stop," she begs. She doesn't know when her hips started grinding down so diligently to meet his mouth but she can't stop; it feels so fantastic and perfect, she doesn't know how to. Her hands go to her breasts and she rolls her sensitive nipples between fingertips. When Gale sees this, he groans into her cunt. The vibrations catch Madge by surprise and she gasps loudly at the sensation.

When Madge finally reaches complexion, she cries out something similar to his name while every muscle in her body tenses up. For a second, she's lost in a bliss so overwhelming and thick that all she can do is stand there and catch her breath. She feels Gale kiss her hipbones and rise to face her.

Their lips graze ever so slightly and Madge sighs and smiles happily. "That was amazing, you're amazing," she states between kisses. "Come to the bedroom?"

He nods, and she leads the way into her bedroom. Even though they've been in this position many times before, it's so much less urgent, less rushed than before. Madge thinks that she prefers it likes this, but knows she shouldn't get too used to it. Yet still, they're on the bed in record time and Madge is pawing at his belt desperate to get it off. She's on top, chasing him towards the headboard and making quick work of his jeans and his boxers. As soon as they're off, Gale reaches back to her nightstand, grabbing a condom from the box that is always there.

The packet is torn and Gale expertly slides it on. He's about to flip her over so she can lay her head down, but she stops him, pinning his hand with her own on the headboard so that he's the one that's trapped now.

"No," she says between pants. "I want to be on top."

Gale hums in approval and dips down to catch her lips, kissing her passionately and fervently. She reaches down to give his cock a couple of lazy strokes and realizes that he's already completely stiff. He lets out a broken moan into her mouth, and Madge smiles at the way she affects him. She positions herself above above him and slowly tries to accustom herself to his length.

Madge's eyelids flutter shut as she begins to sit down on his hard cock, and he feels so thick, so perfect inside of her she sees stars. For a second there isn't anything else that matters, only Gale's hands roaming her lower back, his heavy breathing and warmth radiating off his chest. There's a voice in the back of her head telling her that he shouldn't feel so perfect; Gale is not hers keep, no matter what she wants. They established this long ago, this twisted friendship of theirs is only physical and will never mean anything more for him. Madge pushes these thoughts out of her head with ease as soon as Gale bottoms out, his entire length filling her up inside.

When Madge starts to move, his groans are in sync with every roll of her hips, his smell of coffee and sweat surround her in a sensory overload. Her swollen clit is rubbing against his skin every time she sinks down and Gale's length is stretching her walls just right, making her feel so good that she lets out a loud moan and tangles her fingers through his dark hair.

He leans forward to catch her nipple in his mouth, sucking lightly and looking up to see Madge's reaction. He plays her expertly like an instrument; she lets a broken sigh escape her mouth and he chuckles in response. Before moving to the next breast he nuzzles her cleavage and whispers into her cleavage.

"Jesus Christ, Madge, you're so perfect."

Madge whimpers in response, unable to formulate coherent thoughts, but it's easy to believe him when he's latched onto her nipple and she's sitting on his cock. She knows that he's said those same words to lots of other girls, and that his body is only responding to a desire that Madge happens to be providing, but she wants to find sweet release so bad and his voice carries so much conviction that she swears she doesn't care if he really wants her or not.

Maybe Gale only came over to fuck her, he knows that she wants him too and she's never out partying and messing with anyone else. It occurs to Madge that Gale has everyone - tons of friends, a family that loves him, girls throwing themselves at him - and she only has him to hold on to.

She stops thinking about this all together and instead grinds down on his cock harder, eliciting a strangled cry from Gale. His Adam's apple is bobbing up and down and all the muscles across his chest are tense, Madge feels the sudden urge to kiss and nibble on every inch of his taut skin. Mindless, shallow thrusts begin to meet Madge's core, and she can barely savour the moment when Gale's ministrations on her tits become faster and harder.

"Oh my god, Gale I'm so close, please," she begs, not really sure what for but he seems to understand. He lets go of her nipple and shifts upwards a little so that they're face to face. Reaching in for light kisses, their foreheads are pressed together and and Madge can see Gale's grey eyes ignited so bright she almost doesn't recognize them. His hands are guiding her her ass to meet his every thrust, her own are still woven through his hair and pulling him closer to her face.

"You drive me fucking crazy," he breathes out, and Madge can only nod in agreement. Her belly is clenching in anticipation for her release. Each move of their hips becomes more urgent and more passionate, and soon she has her arms wrapped all the way around his neck, chin resting on his shoulder and she's biting down on the nape of his neck trying to control her cries.

She comes harder than she has in weeks, wrapped in lust and Gale's ecstatic groans. As she rides out her orgasm, she feels him suddenly tense underneath her; he jerks forward and shouts her name over and over again like a chant. Soon he relaxes underneath her and Madge feels a wet kiss pressed onto her temple. Both of their eyes are closed, but they're aware of their heavy breathing, gasping for air, and the head radiating off their bodies.

Madge raises herself so that Gale's no longer inside of her and falls to the side of the bed, and he shifts himself down so that his head is on the pillow beside her. For a moment they enjoy the silence of her apartment, the ceiling fan is buzzing quietly and distant conversations are still leaking through her window. Her head turns to look at Gale; he's staring at the ceiling through drowsy lids and he's smiling to himself, chest still rising and falling with heavy breaths.

When Gale turns his face to her too, he looks looks satiated and relaxed. "What are you looking at?" he teases.

"You. Trying to figure you out," she admits.

Gale shrugs. "Nothing to figure out really."

"Why did you come here?"

"I always come here."

"No, this time was different, wasn't it? Why are you acting like this?" Madge accuses.

"No Madge it's always been the same!" he snaps, "I've always seen you like this, wanted you like this. Always. Stop trying to convince yourself that you can't be loved or don't deserve it because you deserve everything, okay?"

Madge doesn't know what to say or how to respond, but she knows that Gale's wearing his heart on his sleeve in a way he never does. She feels the need to apologize, to be forgiven for how crazy she feels she's been acting. "Look," he starts again, "I just don't want you to think I only come here because I have no one else. Well, I kind of do only have you, but I want you in more ways than that."

"Ok," Madge replies, and he looks satisfied that an agreement has been reached. She inches closer to press the shadow of a kiss onto his lips, cradling his cheek with one hand. "Stay here tonight?"

"Yeah, Madge, of course."

Gale rolls over so that he's on his back, and Madge comes closer to rest on his bare chest. He's still so warm, she can't help but think he's what was missing from her chilly apartment all along.

A/N: Just moving this over to FFN. If you liked it or hated it, give me a review, I'd love to know what you think!