Hello there! I've been wanting to make a series of drabbles for Gale and Madge for quite some time and I've finally done it! The title (not the chapter title) is a song by Marianas Trench (featuring Jessica Lee). I do hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own The Hunger Games

This chapter is dedicated to Belle (Belle453). Supposedly a Valentine's Day gift that would've been written last week but...hahaha, yeah... (*cough* school *cough*). And I know this kind of scene has been done countless of times but this has been in my mind for a very long time.

Lighten the Mood

"Go back to bed."

Madge frowns but continues to go down the stairs. "You should go back, too."

"I can't," he replies, sighing. He's been staring at the red flames that he put up about an hour ago. "It's cold," Gale tells her when he sees that she didn't bother to wear her robe. "You shouldn't be leaving the bed without a robe, Madge. You could get sick."

"Like you wouldn't," she counters. She sits beside him and stares at the fire as well. "Are you having dreams again?" When he doesn't reply, she turns to him and says, "Gale, you know all you have to do is talk to me. It's better to talk to someone about it—someone who understands, than to keep it all inside."

"It's diff—"

She cuts him off, "I don't believe it is."

"I killed Prim."

"I left my parents to die." She shifts uncomfortably on the couch. She's never been ready to tell what really happened that day. "The fire…we were ready to head out already…but I couldn't find stuffed toy, the one I've had since I was a baby. Dad was helping me look for it while Mom was with a nurse by the door waiting patiently."

Gale brings her to his arms and tucks her under his chin. He might have an idea to what comes next. "It wasn't your fault."

"When we heard the sirens, Dad brought me down and pushed me out the door," she continues. "I didn't even get to say goodbye to them." She begins to sob. "Dad, the nurse and I could have made it, but they knew that Mom wouldn't make it. Dad stayed with her. The nurse stayed because she didn't have a family anymore and we treated her like she was part of our family. I should've gone back inside."

"Don't—"

"And then I saw the stuff toy by the front garden, you know, near the shrubs...if we just went pass the runway a bit more before leaving, I wouldn't have had to beg to go back inside for a few more minutes."

"No, don't say that," Gale says. "Please don't."

Madge buries her head on Gale's chest and wraps her arms around him. "Then don't say it either. Don't blame yourself. Coin was ruthless. You didn't know that children were going to be out there, Gale. You just created something to help us be free. It's not your fault."

Gale doesn't reply, instead, he pulls her closer to him and lets his own tears fall.

After a few minutes, Madge suggests they go back to bed. "I know we both don't have work tomorrow but we deserve a comfortable bed." She places her hand on top of his. "Okay?"

He laces his fingers with hers and his other hands moves up to rub her cheek with his thumb. "You're still trembling," he tells her. "We can't just go to sleep."

She shakes her head. "Gale, it's late—"

But her fiancé is already standing and telling her to wait for him. "I'll be right back. Turn on the TV if you want. No more boring Capitol shows, right? Let's lighten up the mood, okay?"

Madge smiles and leans forward to get the remote control from the coffee table. She flips on the TV and looks for a channel that's showing a sitcom and she finds one in one of the very high channels. It's a really old one and she wonders what year it was shown. It was about a funny man wearing a suit with a teddy bear that he carries around all the time.

She hears Gale opening and closing the cupboards in the kitchen and she wonders what he's doing. "Do you need any help?" she asks.

"I got it!" he assures her. "Almost done."

Madge suddenly stands up and runs upstairs. She hears Gale calling her but she dismisses it. She goes back inside their room and grabs the blanket under their comforter. Rolling it, she runs back down and meets Gale's questioning face. "I got our blanket," she explains, "I have a feeling we'll be here for a while."

Gale smiles and leads her to their couch. "I made us hot cocoa. I put extra marshmallows on yours."

Madge gives him a kiss on the cheek before saying thank you.

The two sit beside each other and get comfortable under the blanket before grabbing the warm mugs. Madge counts the marshmallows and grins when she reaches fifteen.

"What's on?" Gale asks.

"An old sitcom."

"How old?"

"Probably very very very old." Madge sips from her drinks and sighs. "Best hot cocoa ever." Gale looks at her and chuckles. She frowns. "What's so funny?"

"You've got," he continues to laugh, "something over here," he reaches forward and brushes his thumb over her philtrum. "A cocoa mustache."

Madge blushes and giggles. She continues watching the show and laughs at the antics. She also likes to hear Gale laughing, it's deep. "Are you feeling better?" she asks.

Gale kisses her temple and answers, "Yes. I am. Are you?"

She turns and kisses him. "Much better."

Does Panem have remote control televisions...?

Anyways, I do hope you enjoy! I have an idea for next chapter already so I hope to have that up soon. (But ugh, I should be updating The Hunters of District 12...).