Disclaimer: All stories are individuals of themselves and are unrelated to each other.
It was times like this that really made Madge's skin tingle. When they would lay together at night listening to the crackle of the fire of the team on watch and the wind blowing through the trees. She didn't have to think about the mutts, the undead, she could just think about Gale and how he was here holding her.
"I'll never let anything hurt you," Gale whispers, watching as Madge's eyes glaze over. "Okay?" She nods, considering that wasn't what she was thinking of. Just his warmth, the way his arms were secure around her back. Gale closes the distance between them and presses his lips to hers softly. "You're beautiful," he says, watching her cheeks spark with pink. His mouth curves into a smile and her fingers trail across his lips.
Madge's touch causes his stomach to twist, again he leans in to her and captures her lips in a chaste kiss. Gentle, slow, he wants time with Madge to be savored and well spent. Who knows when they could be taken from this earth?
Once he pulls away Madge curls into his warmth, closing her eyes and forcing the nightmares from her thoughts. Gale, just think of Gale. As if reading her mind he leans down and quickly kisses the tip of her nose. Gale leans back and curls his fingers through her golden hair, listening to her steady breathing as he tries to fall asleep.
Before Madge can stop herself she quietly says, "I love you." As her words hang in the air she doesn't regret them. Only when Gale's eyebrows knit painfully and he slowly sits up does she question what has happened. He pushes himself from her, getting up and exiting the area without uttering another word to her.
Madge stays down and runs her hand over the spot he had just been laying in. Still warm. She knows he won't be back tonight and it takes her hours to fall asleep on her own.
Gale paces the area where others keep watch and racks his brain for something he should've said. In a time like this, a time when every day could be their last, how was he supposed to love her back? He wants to, God he wants to, but what happens when they kill her just like they've killed everyone else?
A/N: Just FYI, gadge in the zombie apocalypse is on my to-do list c: I write stories that aren't gadge (shocker!) and they're just about zombies, so why not combine the two? Won't be for a while, though. I was just feeling a bit inspired. Here, have some random everlark!
"And I need everyone to form a tight circle, alright? Medic station at the center, that means my mom and…" Katniss was shouting orders at the top of her lungs, her throat was starting to turn raw. "I need a team on watch at all times. We're not letting anything happen to these people!"
"Katniss," Peeta tugged on her arm but the brunette continued making a list of things to do. Gather weapons, collect food. "Katniss," Peeta said again, his voice desperate. "You need to take a moment to breathe." Once she looked over at him everyone went off to do what had been instructed, anything to keep the undead from reaching their camp in the woods.
"I don't have time for that," Katniss shook her head and prepared to march forward. "I need to help with defense, my aim is the best we've got…"
"Breathe," Peeta said again. "You're scaring people. You're their leader, you need to remain calm." Katniss swallowed tightly, she was remaining calm. In fact, she was remaining calm while making sure everyone was safe. "Sit down," he instructed. After seeing the look of annoyance in her eyes he sighed, "Gale's got this covered for now, alright?" Katniss looked up to see her best friend continuing orders where she left off. "Now sit."
Eventually, Katniss sat down. People scurried around her treating wounds, trying to heal bites, making piles of food or a makeshift fence. "I can't do this, Peeta," she said quietly. "I can't. I can't do this."
He sat down next to her and grabbed her hand gently, "Yes you can." Katniss began to shake her head, this was too big a responsibility. Protecting half the District, feeding them, she can't lead a group this large. "You're Katniss Everdeen. We made it through the Hunger Games, we can surely make it through this."
"This is different," she stressed. Of course it was different. Instead of 22 other people she had to worry about killing her it was now the entire population of Panem. The undead. The mutts the Capitol made for sport gone wrong. "I can't just protect us, I have to protect everyone."
"No you don't," Peeta said quietly. "You're their leader, not their lifeline. Things will settle, everyone's just panicked right now. Once things get into a routine then it will be easier to manage." Still, Katniss shook her head. She had to protect her sister and her friends, everyone in the District that had made it out of the chaos. "Katniss," Peeta pleaded. "We can get through this. We can."
Katniss lifted her head from her hands and looked toward him. "Together?"
Peeta nodded, a small smile spreading across his face. "Together."
