i never should have let you see inside
don't want it troubling your mind
won't you let it be?

"We don't need a questionnaire, Madge," Gale laughs from his spot. Her head is on his stomach and he can see her phone, she just googled fun questions to ask in a new relationship and clicked on the first link. "We can—"

"Oh, these look good!" she interrupts. Gale toys with the ends of her hair, shaking his head at her. "It'll be fun, come on Gale. We'll go down the list."

He tilts his head toward his desk and looks at his books piled atop one another, knowing that he should really be studying for finals, but he doesn't have one for another two days and Madge hasn't been over recently because she's been cramming for her own tests. It's a sunny afternoon and they've got nothing else to do.

"Fine, fine," he sighs, looking back to her. "What's the first question?"

"Number one," Madge reads. "Are you an animal lover or would you avoid keeping animals at home?"

Gale wrinkles his nose, thinking about this. He's always kind of wanted a dog but back home they never had the money for it, it was just having to feed another mouth and that was hard enough once Posy was born. But thinking to his own future he plans to have enough money where that isn't a problem. Jobs in environmental science can be hard to get – but he's good at what he does and plans to make sure people know that.

"I want a dog," Gale announces. "A big one." Madge turns her head to face him and narrows her eyes. "¿Qué? What's that look for? Don't you like dogs?"

"Maybe small ones," she answers. "Or quiet ones. I like cats better than dogs." Gale rolls his eyes so hard that he can feel a headache coming on. "They're small and soft and not loud!" Madge rolls more to face him. "Cats are little and easy to take care of and very affectionate."

"It's a known fact that cats are from hell, Madge."

"That's not true!" Madge laughs and rolls to face him completely. "They're soft and lovely and I am going to take you to a cat shelter so you can learn to love them!"

"Absolutely not." Gale's laughing too, the smile on his face so wide it's causing his eyes to crinkle. "Unless you also come to a dog shelter and play with the big ones to learn how incredible and better they are then cats."

"That isn't a thing!" Madge shifts so she's sitting up and opens her mouth to debate a bit more when her phone is suddenly ringing. She looks down and squints, answering it quickly. "Hi, Daddy." Gale shifts up onto his elbows and strains to hear the conversation despite Madge turning away from him. "You're going to the hospital?" she asks. "Right—right now?" Her freehand lifts to her head to scratch and Madge starts nodding. "Yeah, of course. I'll—yeah, I'll be there soon." She blinks hard a few times and Gale rolls from the bed, starting toward his closet to grab some shoes. "Okay, love you. See you soon. Bye."

Gale exits the closet with his shoes in hand and sits on the edge of his bed to pull them on. "Where're we going?" he asks.

"I can call a cab," she protests, starting for her own shoes. She doesn't want him to feel like he's obligated to do this for her – even if they are dating. "It isn't a big deal I don't want you to put yourself out and—"

"¡Basta! Madge, I'll take you wherever you need to go." She nods and sits on the edge of his bed as well to slide on her boots. Still nodding once she's done he turns to her and watches as she drops her head into her hands. "Hey, hey," Gale scoots over and slides his arm around her waist. Madge sucks in a sharp breath and leans into him. "Take a minute." She sniffles and nods another time as Gale's hand lifts to stroke her back.

After a few deep breaths she pulls away. "My mom's got an infection and it's pretty bad," she tells him. Madge's eyes are full of tears but she blinks hard. "They're on their way to the hospital now but my dad's not sure—"

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it," Gale murmurs gently before she gets too far. My dad's not sure if she'll make it. "Let's go."

Gale keeps one of his hands on Madge's knee as they drive, his thumb rubbing small circles as he tries to distract her. "We could go back through those questions," Gale tries. "From that website you found."

It takes Madge a few seconds to answer. "What questions?"

"When we were talking about dogs and cats," Gale reminds her. "That website you found."

Still, she's quiet, as though she doesn't remember. "Right." Gale glances in her direction and waits for her to pull her phone out but Madge's eyes stay trained on the window, watching as they zip past other cars. Her thoughts are elsewhere, but Gale still wishes he could make her be present.

"How about you plug your phone in?" he suggests. "Play some music." Madge looks in his direction again, absentmindedly reaching out for the AUX cord to plug her phone in. With a sigh he rubs his thumb across her knee another time. "Talk to me," he murmurs. "Keep your mind busy."

"She's gonna die, Gale," Madge answers. "Soon, if not today." She blinks a few times, tears filling up her eyes. Gale wants to look at her again but keeps his eyes on the road, not knowing what he can do or say to fix this. "I just have to accept that. And I can't. I can't."

"No one expects you to," he says softly.

Her voice is choked as she answers, "I do." She shakes her head and sniffles, trying not to cry. "We've known for months that this was going to happen, that she's sick and that she's going to die, and you think—you figure it would help me prepare for it when it happens."

"No," Gale counters. "I don't think it would." No one can prepare for the death of a loved one. It's still going to hurt more than anything when it happens. Madge scrolls on her phone a bit before picking a song to play, a soft easy playlist that will only further her sadness. Gale grabs her hand and pulls it toward him, kissing her knuckles gently. She looks over at him and tries her hardest to smile before turning back to look out the window, still holding his hand.

They don't talk the rest of the trip.

Once they get to the hospital they have to sit in the waiting room until Madge's dad comes out. When he does he whisks Madge away and Gale continues waiting. He texts Katniss and Peeta to let them know what's going on and sinks into one of the pleather chairs, his eyes off in the direction Madge left and wondering when she'll come back. He keeps himself busy, alternating between magazines and browsing social media on his phone, and about half an hour later Madge's father returns.

He looks exhausted but there's a smile on his face and Gale leaps to his feet.

"Sorry I didn't greet you earlier," he says, and Gale shakes his head.

"Don't worry about it. How is she?"

"Marigold's alright," Mr. Undersee says. "She's resting. One of her IVs had gotten infected but it's been cleaned and she's being treated with antibiotics, so she should be okay for now." Gale nods a few times, relief flowing through him as he glances back down the hallway again. "Thank you for bringing Madge. She's very upset, but it's good that she has you."

"Yeah," Gale murmurs, nodding another time. He doesn't feel as though he's done anything special. He wishes he could do so much more. "What about you?" Gale asks, the politeness his parents raised him with coming to mind.

"Please don't concern yourself with me," he tells him. Mr. Undersee pulls out his phone and checks the time. "Madge and Marigold are back there, room 707. I've got a few things at work to take care of but I'll be back later tonight. You can head on back." Gale nods and Madge's father lifts his hand, patting Gale's shoulder once before slowly walking away.

Gale watches him go before ducking down the hallway, scanning the numbers on the walls quickly while looking for room 707. Soon enough he finds it and Gale stops once he hears Madge's strained voice.

"I think I should, Mom," she's saying. Her voice cracks more than once and Gale leans against the wall, taking a deep breath. "It's only one semester."

"You're not taking the semester off, Madge," her mother says back, her voice smooth and reassuringly warm. "Especially not for me. What would you do, sit at home all day?"

"With you," Madge presses. Gale hears Mrs. Undersee click her tongue and then Madge taking short breaths of air. "Mom, please."

"You're not stopping your education just for me, Margaret," her mother goes on, her voice much more stern now. "That's the end of it. Alright? Your father and I want you in school. That was what we agreed on and you're not coming back to the community college – it doesn't have your program." Not wanting to eavesdrop anymore Gale knocks on the doorframe, causing Madge to leap. She looked up at Gale and wipes her eyes with the back of her hand, forcing a soft smile before sniffling. She's sitting in a chair beside her mother's hospital bed. "Oh, Gale," Mrs. Undersee smiles and tips her head. She looks paler than he remembers from the wedding but her eyes are just as clear. "Come in, come in."

"Hey," he smiles back. Gale strides for Madge, resting his hand on her shoulder. She leans into him, her forehead on his forearm. "Feeling any better?" he asks.

"I feel well, yes," Mrs. Undersee nods. Gale reaches around with his other hand to toy with Madge's hair, a soft reminder that he's here for her. Madge sniffles again but leans a little further back to acknowledge that she knows he's there. "How have you been since I've seen you last?"

"Things have been good," Gale tells her, casting his eyes down to Madge who's staring at the tiles on the floor.

"That's so wonderful to hear. Hm, Madge," she looks at her daughter. "I'm craving some ice cream." Madge furrows her eyebrows at her mom before Mrs. Undersee elaborates. "Could you run down to the cafeteria and get me some, maybe? Gale here can keep me company."

Madge looks in Gale's direction, her eyes rimmed with red, before she nods. "Sure." Gale looks as though he wants to protest but Madge is gone in a moment, leaving her seat open. He watches her exit before sighing, taking the seat by Mrs. Undersee's bed.

"So you're finally dating my daughter," she says, causing a small laugh to escape Gale as he nods. "It's about time. How are things going?"

"Really great," Gale says. His face feels warm but he doesn't mind talking about Madge. It's not as though there's anything to be embarrassed about. "She's, Madge is incredible. I'm really lucky." Mrs. Undersee smiles at him, and seeing her so frail and weak makes him want to keep that happiness. "She challenges me to be better," Gale says. "And she makes me laugh. And I still can't believe that we're actually together."

"Gale," Mrs. Undersee reaches out and he moves closer, lifting his hand to her. "You are such a wonderful boy." He forces himself to smile and nods slightly. "Please treat Madge with the respect she deserves, okay? And take care of her."

"I plan to, of course."

She looks content so Gale eases backwards, but she keeps her hold on his hand. "Have you ever lost anyone?" she asks, and Gale feels his throat close up as he shakes his head. Distant family, maybe, but no one close to him. "I know it's a lot to ask for but please, please be patient with her when it happens." Gale's eyebrows come together as he thinks about what she's said. Take care of her when I die. Be patient with Madge when I die. He nods gently. "Thank you."

Almost exactly after Madge strides into the room with a small Styrofoam cup of ice cream. Gale pulls his hand away and tries to swallow, the saliva getting stuck in his throat. "Strawberry," Madge says.

Her mother grins, "Oh goodie, my favorite."

They spend most of the afternoon and evening with Madge's mom, and she teases the two of them about dating for most of it. When Mr. Undersee comes back and Mrs. Undersee insists that she's really okay, Madge decides it's safe for them to leave. The car ride back isn't as quiet but there's still an air of sadness.

"You wanna stay tonight?" Gale asks as they pull into the parking garage. Madge lifts her shoulders and he doesn't say anything until after he parks, removing the key from the ignition. "You can, you know."

"I don't want to burden you anymore," she murmurs.

"Stop that," he frowns. Gale reaches across the console to her and grabs her hand. "You don't burden me, Madge, none of this was a burden." She blinks a few times, tears welling up in her eyes. "I don't have any finals tomorrow, we can sleep in." Madge sniffles and nods a little. "Yeah? Sound good?"

"Okay." They climb out of this truck and Gale goes straight for her, lacing their fingers together as they walk back to his dorm. She moves close to him, resting her forehead against his arm and holding his hand tightly.

Madge presses her lips tightly together to stop herself from saying anything else. You're too good for me, she thinks. I don't deserve you. How is he so devoted to her so early in this relationship? She wishes there was something she could do to convince him how much she cared for him. Gale's been nothing but patient and kind and wonderful to her, he's gone above and beyond in absolutely everything. She squeezes his hand and he looks down at her, giving Madge his signature smile.

Back up in Gale's dorm they find Thom absent, probably off somewhere with Delly, so he and Madge settle onto the couch. Gale sets up Lost on Netflix and she sinks into his arms. He presses his lips to her temple and she sighs. They watch for a while before Madge wiggles from his grip, having to pee. When she returns she watches Gale tilt his head to the side, cracking his neck, and Madge walks up and places her hands on his shoulders.

"Tense?" she asks.

"I'm fine," he tells her, glancing at her over shoulder. His lips quirk into a smile as her hands start moving, squeezing his shoulders and rubbing gently. "Mm…" he sighs, leaning into her grip. "That's nice."

Madge used to give massages to Taftan after he had long days so she's more or less perfected the art. "Here," she fists the fabric of his shirt and pulls it up and over her head before pressing her hands back to his skin. Gale cocks an eyebrow at her as she works against his back. "You've got a lot of knots," she murmurs.

"Madge," he sighs her name and she smiles.

She bends down and presses her lips to his throat. "Let's go to your room," she whispers against his skin. "It'll be easier." Gale perks up at that, grabbing his shirt from the couch and following Madge to his bedroom. "Lay down," she says, gesturing to his bed. He grins at her, closing the door behind him with a click, before climbing onto his mattress. She climbs on afterwards and kneels beside him, rubbing his back a few times before digging her knuckles into his skin. Gale groans into his pillow and Madge smiles again, bending down and pressing kisses down his spine. "How's that?" she asks.

"Mmfg."

Madge straddles his lower back and digs her knuckles back into his skin, dragging them down the planes of his back. "Let me know if I hurt you."

"Mm… Madge you don't have to—ah," Gale sighs another time. "Where'd you learn to do this?"

Her thumbs spread out across his spine. "Here and there, doesn't matter." Gale moans quietly and Madge revels in the sound of it. "Thank you for today, Gale," she says as she works. "You—you're so important to me."

"Stop," he murmurs.

"I'm serious. You do all this stuff for me and I just want you to know that I'd do the same for you." Gale rolls out of grip and Madge falls slightly. Her eyes dart down to his bare chest and he sits up, readjusting her on his lap. Madge slides her hands up his body and laces her hands behind his neck. "I would."

"I know," Gale says, nodding. "I know you would." Gale bends down to kiss her gently. "That's what relationships are, baby. That's what we do."

"It feels like so much," she whispers, but Gale shakes his head. "You didn't sign up for this."

"I signed up for you and everything that comes with you."

"It's just so soon," Madge murmurs. Gale shakes his head and kisses her again.

"It's not," Gale says. "Okay? It's not too soon or too early, it's just how it is." Madge's eyes look elsewhere and he grabs her chin, pulling her towards him. How hard is it for her to understand this? Gale kisses her gently, hoping it can convey more about how he feels than his can with his words. Gale's never been very good at speeches. But Madge is important to him, and wonderful and deserves happiness. And he's going to do everything he can to make sure she understands that.

Hours later, after Madge has fallen asleep and curled herself around Gale, he lies awake staring at the ceiling. She's nestled into his side and his fingers are absentmindedly playing with the tips of her hair. It isn't even midnight yet but Gale knows that she needs her rest—today was exhausting. Especially for her.

Gale tilts his head and looks down at her, her face slack in sleep, and the wiggles away from her. She shifts slightly but curls into his warmth once he's out of bed.

Gale grabs his phone from the nightstand and leaves the room quietly, making sure Madge doesn't wake as he ducks out. Thom texted earlier saying he was staying with Delly so the living room is quiet. Gale sinks onto the couch and pulls up his phone, dialing quickly and praying that she's not asleep.

Three rings later she answers. "¿Hola? Gale? ¿Estás bien? What's wrong?"

"Ma?" Gale sinks backwards on the couch and sighs. "Estoy bien, I'm fine, I just wanted to hear your voice." He drags his hand through his hair. "Did I wake you?"

"No, no, I just got in. Worked a late shift at the laundromat." He hears shuffling on the other side as though she's moving to another room. "¿Que paso?" she asks. "What happened? What's wrong?"

Gale sighs again, his eyes feeling heavy. "I spent all afternoon at the hospital," he tells her. "With Madge. Ma, her mom…" his throat is thick, it's hard for him to swallow. Gale coughs quietly. "Ma, she's dying and I don't know what to do to help."

"Gale?"

"She has cancer, Ma," he croaks. "Madge's mom's dying."

"Oh, Gale," Hazelle sighs. "Sweetheart…" Gale presses his hand to his forehead and squeezes his eyes tightly together. "How much time does she have?"

"A few months, I think," Gale says. His entire chest is aching, and every time he swallows it struggles to go down. "What—Ma, I need you to tell me what I can do to help, because I—I don't know, Ma, and I hate seeing her like this."

"Gale, Sweetheart," his mother sighs and Gale blinks back his tears. It's been a long day for him as well. "Tell me about it?"

The story spills from him without barriers, how he and Madge had been laying around relaxing when she got the call all the way to Madge's mother small but seemingly impossible request of him just being there for Madge when it happened. Mrs. Undersee had been talking about her own death, and Gale didn't know how to comfort someone when something so important happened.

Hazelle listens quietly, every now and then asking a question, and when he finishes they sit in silence for a long time.

"So what do I do, Ma?" Gale asks. "Tengo miedo." I'm afraid.

"Gale, listen to me clearly. ¿Vale?"

"Sí, Madre."

"You are doing absolutely everything you can." Gale lets out a shaky breath, nodding to himself. "And if it gets to be too much for you, then you have to be honest with Madge and with yourself. Is that clear?" Gale made a noise of affirmation and she sighs. He knows his mother means well but if things get to be too much for him, that means Madge is too much and he doesn't want that to be possible. "It's a scary and very sad thing, and of course she's going to need people, but Madge is loved by so many and you don't have to be the only one caring for her."

"I know."

"You like this girl, yes?" she asks.

"So much," he admits. More than he thought possible. It doesn't matter to Gale that they've been dating for such a short time, there's something about being with Madge that just makes him feel like a better person than he is, than he could ever be. She isn't just another person in her life, she accents him perfectly, and everything with her feels easy and light.

"Then all you can do is be there for her when she needs you," Hazelle tells him. "Ask her what you can do to help. And be patient, Sweetheart." Gale exhales quietly and nods, squeezing his eyes tightly together. "That's all you can do."

"Sí, I know," Gale murmurs. "I know."

They talk a little longer before Gale tells his mother that he loves her, and she echoes her love gently and bids him a goodnight. Gale drags his hands over his face a few more times before standing and making his way back to his bedroom. When he clicks the bedroom door shut Madge shifts a little, squinting into the darkness at him.

"Gale?" she calls. He climbs into bed beside her and she nuzzles up to him instantly. "Where were you?" she asks sleepily.

He pulls her close, playing with the ends of her hair. "Wanted to make sure the door was locked," he lies. Madge sighs and he turns, bending down a little so his lips can graze her forehead. "Buenos noches, Princess," he murmurs as she drifts back to sleep.

A/N: Sorry it's taken me so long! I can't believe the summer is almost over? I'm so SAD. But that means more chapters for you I guess! Here you go! Hope you're having a lovely summer!