IV. I've never been so wrapped up, honey. I like the way you're everything I've ever wanted.

Ninety-five percent of the time—a much higher percentage than he will ever admit to, by the way—Gale likes Peeta Mellark (keep it quiet, though; It wouldn't do anybody any good to know that information). Today, however, he's feeling disgruntled, uncomfortable, and thoroughly pissed off at the Boyfriend Perfection That is Peeta Mellark.

It's Prom Season. It's Prom Season, and of course Mr. Perfect Peeta Mellark asked Katniss to go to Prom with him in his annoyingly perfect wonderful way—he painted a picture, small enough to hang in Katniss's locker, clearly of their silhouettes, sitting together at sunset, with the cloud formations forming the word "Prom?" in the sky. It was nauseating, thoughtful, still private enough for Katniss's tastes (how the hell did Mellark get her locker combo? Gale is pretty sure he fluttered his eyes at the school secretary and got his way, as usual), and disgustingly original. She ate that shit up, much to Gale's disgust, who witnessed the whole thing as he was standing next to her when she opened her locker and saw it.

Katniss is glowing (as much as Katniss can) and Gale is happy for her, so he refrains from making gagging noises or snide comments about Peeta.

In front of her, anyway. In front of Madge is a whole other story, especially since he's dismayed to see that she's eating it up, too.

"It's very thoughtful of him," sighs Madge appreciatively, taking a sip of her coffee. They're at Sae's again, studying for finals. Gale is not the most dedicated of students but he doesn't want to lose his college scholarship—it might be athletically based, but he needs to maintain a certain GPA to graduate and once he gets there. He admits that his parents have always been more proud of his academic accomplishments as well, so graduating with a high GPA is something he can do for them. (Madge, of course, is in the top 5% of her class. She probably could've been valedictorian, but insisted on taking the most difficult classes on top of her million extracurricular activities.)

"Peeta is very good at those kinds of things," Madge says.

"Uh-huh," Gale grunts because he's totally at a loss here. He realized, somewhere between seeing Peeta's stupid picture and watching Madge lick foam off her upper lip five seconds ago, that there's no one on Earth he'd rather go with to Prom than her, and having Peeta's Prom Proposal Perfection to compete with is literally making his head hurt. Another reason why he doesn't deserve Madge, why she's so above him.

He would be a terrible boyfriend, he realizes (not for the first time, but with much more emotional repercussions.) He and Katniss had tried dating a couple years ago, and he realizes now she gamely went along with it even though it was clear from the get-go that he was more into it than she was. It got weird really quickly, anyway, and the relationship didn't last more than a couple of months, but Gale never forgot that awful feeling of wanting someone more than they wanted you. Perhaps that's why he liked Peeta, in his own way—Peeta, who had been in love with Katniss since they were in primary school and always held out hope, regardless of the inequality of feelings, putting it mildly. Gale admires him, but knows he's nothing like him. Getting kicked to the curb emotionally time and time again isn't something he can subject himself to, and can't imagine having feelings strong enough that makes getting kicked to the curb the only option, because he wouldn't want anyone else.

He's always avoided relationships since Katniss, partly because of that feeling and partly because he's never found anyone worth taking the risk for… until now.

Damn Madge Undersee. It's all her fault (as usual).

"I just like how personal it all was," Madge says again, completely oblivious to Gale's internal anguish.

He lifts his head up from his gaze on his books, where he was pretending to do a statistics problem, and looks at her. "Is that what you would want?" He asks her, praying he sounds casual. "If someone asked you to prom?"

Madge blinks at him. Why is he asking? Madge tells herself that he's just curious; she would probably be the last person he'd ask to Prom. Granted, they're friends now, but still. She'd probably just embarrass him, anyway. And he definitely wouldn't want to go to Prom at Capitol, which she wants to go to- not to mention she has to go, considering she's helping to plan it.

But she answers his question honestly, anyway.

"I think it would depend," she says. "If he wasn't someone I knew very well, it would be nice for it to be thoughtful in some way, but I would be okay if he just asked me outright. If I did know this person well, though, then it would be nice if the way they asked me was personal to us and our relationship- like relating to an inside joke or a place that's special to us." Madge flushes. "But I sound really high maintenance, don't I? These are just like ideals, or fantasies. In reality it doesn't take much to impress me."

Gale tried frantically to think of a suitable response. "That's not unreasonable," he said, although he was completely bewildered as to why and how girls put so much thought into this. And why Peeta Mellark had to be born with this magical insight. "Prom's special, right?"

Madge nodded. "It's supposed to be." She looks at him and smiles. "Do you know who you're going to ask yet?"

Gale shrugs and tries to think of a suitable response that won't give him away. "I have someone in mind," he says. "But I don't know how I'm going to ask."

Madge says, clearing her throat, "I can help you, if you want? You seem kind of nervous about asking." Which is so unlike Gale. Madge has seen Gale with other girls- he's cool, detached, and charming. This Gale looks unsure and uncomfortable.

He must really like this girl, Madge thinks wonderingly, and a little wistfully, but she pushes that thought aside and sits up a little straighter. Madge Undersee is a good friend.

Gale grimaces a little. Have Madge unknowingly give advice on how to ask herself to Prom? Hell, no. Besides, she's already said enough already. But having her actively help him plan it... It sounds too much like a really bad teen movie. And his love life is too much like a joke as it is. "Ehhh, that okay," Gale says, feeling supremely awkward in letting her down. "I've... Got a plan."

Madge eyes him a little doubtfully, but lets it drop. "Well, good luck," she says. And then, a little quieter, "she's a lucky girl, whoever she is."

Gale shrugs matter of factly and says simply, "She's special." Madge feels a thread of wistfulness curl around her heart again, but then Gale smiles at her and it makes her squirm in such a way that she can't pinpoint why.

000

He doesn't ask for Peeta for help (fuck that) but, in typical Peeta fashion, he helps him, anyway.

Gale knew he shouldn't have told Katniss about Madge.

It's not as if she wouldn't have figured it out, really. The moment he froze when she asked who he was taking to Prom cued her in.

Katniss narrowed her eyes at him. "Who is it?" She said. "Must be someone I don't like if you're acting like this."

"Just the opposite," Gale muttered, feeling so ill at ease it was driving him crazy, like an itch he just couldn't scratch.

Katniss stopped walking and stared at him. "It's Madge," she said. "Isn't it?"

Gale swore softly and Katniss's eyes bugged out. "Really?" She said. "I'm right?"

Gale gave her a wry grin. "I guess being with Boy Wonder has increased your level of perceptiveness," he told her. "But yeah, I wanna ask Madge."

Katniss smirked at him. "I knew you always had a thing for her," she said triumphantly.

Gale gaped at her. "You did?"

"You're like a twelve-year-old boy, Gale," Katniss says coolly. "The one who makes fun of the girl he likes because he has no idea how to get the girl. I figured it out at Homecoming, when you reacted so strongly to Madge's dress. It was a pretty dress, Gale, and you know she probably agonized over picking one that didn't look too glamorous or expensive."

In his heart of hearts Gale did know and he still feels guilty about it.

Katniss continued on. "You were mad that she's so gorgeous and funny and awesome and you didn't think you could have her, nor did you ever think she would want you back—so you lashed out and acted like a complete jackass."

Katniss looked at him. "I'm going to keep this brief, because I'm pretty sure when Peeta finds out about this he's going to say the same thing—and make it longer. Don't fuck this up. For whatever reason, she's totally into you, and I want to see my best friends happy together, okay?"

Gale looked at her, gob smacked. Katniss wasn't totally oblivious and was giving him relationship advice?

Katniss, pleased to have stunned him into silence, walks away without saying anything else.

He had hoped—just a little bit—that she had forgotten about telling Peeta, but nope, of course not, because when he's at the bakery buying bread the next day, Boy Wonder comes out of nowhere and says simply, "I can help."

Gale closes his eyes, counts to ten, and then finishes his transaction with Bread Name #2, who watches it all in amusement.

"This guy bothering you, Hawthorne?" Peeta's brother says with a quirk of his mouth.

"I can take care of him," Gale mutters out of the side of his mouth. He jerks his head to the side and Peeta gets the hint, following him outside to Gale's car.

He looks at Peeta and sighs. "There used to be a time when you could never get her to talk," he says wistfully, speaking about Katniss. "Man, I miss those days."

Peeta glares at him for a minute, but then says, "Well, look, before I agree to help you—"

"Hang on, there," Gale scowls, because what the fuck, didn't Peeta already offer, and he didn't ask for it, anyway, but Peeta keeps going.

"I'm going to say this once, even though Katniss has already said something," Peeta puffs up, not that he needs to look any more impressive. Gale might be taller than him, but Peeta is broader and strong. "You may have hunting tools and know your way around the woods like an animal, but I know seven different ways to pin you in two seconds, and I don't need much more than that to incapacitate you and throw you in an oven faster than you can say 'pretty dress'. So—" here Peeta seems to run out of steam, clearly out of his element, before he finishes lamely, "don't hurt her, okay?"

Gale rolls his eyes. He's almost impressed, but he would never tell Peeta that. "We need to work on how you threaten people," he says, "but if it makes you feel better, I don't intend to fuck this up. Jesus, everyone keeps telling me how fucking special Madge is. You don't think I know that? I've known that for years."

Peeta frowns a little in confusion at Gale before a big grin spreads across his face. Gale's matter-of-fact, blunt honesty is a trait he and Katniss share and it's one that Peeta finds endearing (on Katniss, anyway; with Gale it's just kind of admirable and amusing.)

It doesn't take much to win Peeta Mellark over, not that Gale was aiming to. But he grudgingly lets Peeta help, and yeah, okay, he's a good guy to bounce ideas off of.

And by the end of the day, they have a plan.

000

Madge is having an awful day. She woke up late, spilled coffee on her favorite cream-colored cardigan, and is 99 percent sure she did terribly on her psychology final. Her parents forgot about her track meet again and even worse, Uncle Haymitch is sick, so he wasn't even there to cheer her on. Nor was Katniss nor Peeta, who almost always come. Nor Gale, who had come to her last meet, which was really sweet of him—not that she expects him to attend all of her meets, or anything, but still…

She's throwing a pity party for herself in her room with a cup of cocoa and her favorite book when she gets a text from Gale.

You up for a study session at Sae's?

It's only six-thirty, but she's tired and weary. She just wants to sleep.

I don't think so, she responds. Sorry. It's been a bad day.

His reply is quick. I'm sorry you've had a bad day. Maybe I can help?

Madge blushes before she can stop herself. There are several ways she can think of for him to make her day better…

He types more before she can say anything else. Come to Sae's, Madge. We don't have to study.

It's so weird, how she can hear his voice in her head when she reads his text. She knows what he sounds like, and it makes her heart beat faster. It's gentle and kind and understanding and she just wants to crawl into him and let his warmth seep into her.

Please? He says. Madge lets that sink in for a moment. She's tired and emotionally drained, but she's alone for the night, and loneliness and her crush on Gale freaking Hawthorne wins out, so she texts him that she'll be there in half an hour. She dries her damp hair, puts on some mascara, and changes out of sweats into something somewhat presentable. She should do homework, but she thinks she deserves a little reprieve after today. She knows Gale has to study, though, so she throws her novel into her purse and figures she'll read it and sip on cocoa while he studies. The image is nice and cozy and intimate and it makes her flush even more.

Will I ever stop wanting him? She thinks as she drives off. It seems unlikely, but it doesn't bother her like it used to. At least he doesn't hate her, she says. At least they're friends now, even if he'll never look at her the way she looks at him.

Sae's is unusually quiet tonight, with hardly anyone in the café, maybe one or two other people. Gale sits at the best table in the house, one that is big enough to spread out in and has the comfiest seats. He faces the door so he sees her when she comes in and she's surprised by how much his face lights up. She can feel herself smiling in response, and for a moment she lets herself fantasize about "what if" scenarios and things that will never come to be…

Keeping her eyes on his face, she walks over to the table, plopping her stuff down. He looks nervous, too, she realizes, her eyebrows knitting together in confusion for a moment. What's wrong? His eyes flicker downward for a brief moment before coming up to hers, and she follows the movement—

There are no books on the table. No pencils or notebooks. Just a multitude of teacups on saucers, spread across the table, arranged to spell PROM?

The lights go out, suddenly, and Madge realizes there were tea lights in the cups, and they're set ablaze. She gasps quietly and looks into Gale's face. He's smiling at her, and as the candlelight flickers over his face she understands his nervousness. The vulnerability in his eyes.

"Is this real?" She asks, not even caring how stupid that question may sound.

He seems to understand though, and gives her a small, affectionate smile. "Yeah," he says softly, "it's real."

Madge swallows, still standing, her voice catching. "But... but... why me?"

Gale's out of his seat in a second. He crosses over to her and catches her hands in his. She looks down at them for a moment, processing his large, tanned hands cradling her small, pale ones. He rubs his thumbs over her knuckles automatically, reassuringly, as if he's done it a million times before.

"Madge," he says, urgently, willing her to look at him, knowing and hating that her insecurity about this is all his fault, "why not you? You're smart and funny and kind and you're so—you're so gorgeous. Inside and out."

She frowns, confused. "But you've disliked me for so long—"

He shakes his head, feeling worse than ever. "I never did," he says. "I just—I've always been so attracted to you, but I always thought you were out of my league. So I pushed you away because I never thought you would want a guy like me."

Madge's frown grows deeper. "A guy like you?"

"Yeah, a guy whose family isn't that well off, who doesn't have great grades and would rather spend his weekend in the woods than doing community service, and who's moody and kind of possessive and not big into talking."

"You're talking a lot right now," Madge points out, a mischievous little smile on her face.

"Yeah, well, this is important," he tells her with a roll of his eyes.

"I can tell," she says, her eyes flicking back to his question. "This is incredible."

"Yeah?" He asks her, a pleased smile lighting up his face.

"It's…" she shakes her head, smiling. "It's more than I could've dreamed of." She's sure Sae, and maybe Katniss and Peeta, helped him plan this, especially considering it seems like they're the only one's in the café, but she could care less. This idea is from him, and it's so them, 100 percent. It's perfect.

"You haven't answered yet, you know," he tells her, a little bit anxiously.

Madge tightens her fingers around his and he squeezes back. "Here's what I want," she tells him seriously, and he nods back at her, equally solemn. "I want to go to Prom with a guy who loves his family more than anything in the world, who is incredibly smart and going to a great college, who does what he loves, and still manages to do community service—" she gives him a piercing look. "I know you help out at the Boys and Girls Club most Saturday's." She continues on before he can say anything. "And who's moody, but sweet, possessive, but loyal, and who doesn't talk a lot, but when he does," she locks eyes with his and gives him a sweet smile, "always seems to know what to say to make me like him even more."

"So, yes," she squeezes his hands again. "I would love to go to Prom with you."

Gale releases her hands so he can hug her, and she sighs into his chest, her hands coming up to wind around his neck. He presses his face into her sweet-smelling hair and kisses her head.

Madge leans back and tilts her face up to his, raising an eyebrow in a silent challenge.

Gale grins and leans down, nuzzling his nose against hers for a minute before capturing her lips. He pulls her even closer and they fall into each other for a moment, because it feels so good, and Gale doesn't think he'll ever get enough of her.

Will I ever stop wanting him? Madge thinks as Gale deepens the kiss.

Never.

000

It's Prom his senior year and he sticks his foot in his mouth (as usual). But it's all Madge Underse's fault (as usual).

She shouldn't have walked down those stairs, with both of their families right there, wearing that dress.

"Holy shit," Gale breathes as Madge descends the curling staircase into the entryway of her large house.

His mother whacks him on the head, completely mortified. "Gale!" She hisses, her eyes darting to the Undersee's, who look at him in a mixture of surprise and amusement, luckily.

He can't help it. It's not his fault that his girlfriend is absolutely stunning; she's in a league of her own, wearing a strapless white dress with a sweetheart neckline, the bodice shimmering with silver sparkles that fade into a long, fluttery chiffon bottom. Her hair is long and curled, strands swept away from her face in a waterfall braid that wraps around her hair like a crown.

She's stunning. And she's his. He thinks it's appropriate that he swears at it, because it's pretty un-fucking-believable.

Madge's lips curve up. "I take it this dress is acceptable, then?" She says dryly, referencing Homecoming.

Gale flushes, a little bit, but he says simply, "You're beautiful."

Rory and Vick make gagging noises, Asher trying to hush them up, and Posy sighs like it's a Disney movie come to life. Their mothers are snapping away with their cameras at the exchange and Mayor Undersee is looking like he's trying not to cry as he looks at his only daughter. Haymitch and Maysilee are there, too: Haymitch looks like he'd rather be gorging his own eyes out with a grapefruit spoon, but his gaze softens when he looks at his niece. Maysilee takes a picture every once in a while, but most of the time she's quiet, beaming.

"You ready to go?" Gale asks her, after the mom's have had their fill of pictures. "I don't want to be late for our dinner reservation." They decide to just do Capitol's Prom, because Seam's Prom is notoriously known as Decidedly Sketch, with too much grinding and too much booze and all of his friends have dates with Capitol girls, anyway, who aren't as willing to go to a Seam dance as Madge was.

They're having dinner, just the two of them, but after Prom they're going back to Katniss's house, where she and Peeta, Delly and Thom, and Bristel and Darius and their respective dates will be as well. Katniss has a fire pit set-up in her backyard and they're going to have their first bonfire of the summer: her father's supplied it with fresh wood and her mother bought s'more supplies for them all. Madge and Gale even packed an extra pair of clothes in Gale's car so their Prom clothes won't get smoky.

Madge squeezes his hand. "Yeah," she says, leaning up and giving him a peck on the cheek, which their mother's take a picture of, of course.

Prom is wonderful, and Gale doesn't know if there's a better feeling than being with his friends and having Madge at his side. Everyone's happy and healthy and safe and Gale wonders momentarily if he's living in some perfect dream world.

At Katniss's house, they end up being the last ones awake. Everyone's spending the night there: the girls are sleeping in Katniss's large attic room and the boys are downstairs in the finished basement, spread out on pull-out couches and sleeping bags. Gale and Madge are tired, but they're wrapped up together in a blanket and Gale is pointing out different constellations to her.

He looks down at her and kisses the top of her head as she squints up at the sky. They're going to different colleges in the fall, but the drive between them is only a couple hours, and he likes that Bristel will be there with her—Madge Undersee can look after herself, but it will be nice to know that Bristel's looking out for her as well—or rather, that they can look after each other.

But right now, a long, glorious summer, full of berry picking, swimming at the lake, morning hikes, bonfires with friends, and kisses under the stars, stretches out before them, and their futures are as bright as the stars in the sky.

Gale can't ask for anything more.

End