Gale

I'm pretty sure I've never been this nervous in my life, and I illegally crossed the fence at age 14 to keep my family alive. But that, that was nothing compared to this. That I had to do, that was my duty, I just did as I was supposed to. But dinner at Madge's with the mayor and his wife; I am so out of my element.

You better believe Ma was super excited about me and Madge making it official, and she even shed a tear or two because she's "so proud to have a son like me". WellI guess I'm pretty proud of myself for getting a girl like Madge. She's the best thing that ever happened to me, now I just gotta no screw it up with this dinner.

Madge told me all of her father's conditions, and they are all surprisingly more relaxed than I expected. But the part about the "if I making it through the dinner"- that is not doing anything to help my nerves. What does he mean if I can make it through the dinner? It's just dinner right?

I try as best as I can to smooth out any wrinkles that may have appeared on my shirt from my house to here. Deep breath and- the door (the front door for once) flies open before I even have a chance to knock.

Thankfully it's Madge who opens the door. Unthankfully, before I even have time to open my mouth Mayor Undersee is right behind her. I see an older version of Madge- her mother I'm assuming- jumping to try and see over his shoulder. Madge with an apologetic grin and shrug, Mayor Undersee menacing as ever, and little Mrs. Undersee smiling wide as can be.

I reach my hand out for a shake, "Mayor," I nod. He squeezes my hand a bit harder than necessary. I only flinch a little. In my other hand I have a small bouquet of wildflowers that I hand to Mrs. Undersee, "Madge you didn't tell me you had an older sister." I say with a wink, yeah I'm laying on the charm real thick. Mrs. Undersee gives a hearty chuckle, while Madge and her father just roll their eyes.

"Oh Gale, you're a charming one aren't you? Why don't we all go inside, so I can put these beautiful flowers in a vase?" Mrs. Undersee reaches past her husband and Madge and drag me along with her to the kitchen. Wow. It never ceases to amaze me how grand this house is. I can't wrap my head around it really, who even needs this much space?

"So Gale, do you know what Madge looked like as a baby-"

"MOOOOM! No! We're so not doing that tonight."

And what do you know? Five minutes later Mrs. Undersee has us all sitting around a photo album full of pictures of little Madge; one of her running around the back garden buck-naked. Apparently little Madge had a nudist streak in her. We're all cracking up over the pictures, and even Madge can't help but crack a smile or two.

I know that Madge told me her mom was dying, but looking at her now you'd never think it. She's so aglow with happiness, and she just looks so alive. All she's done since the moment the door opened was accept me, and treat me almost like a son.

Their maid Vivian tells us that dinner is ready, so we make our way to the humongous dining room. I think this table could seat at least 30 people, probably more. And the dinner, I mean wow. There is so much food. I don't think I've ever seen so much food for one meal, and this is all just for us. My hesitance for having Madge over to my place squashes my immediate disgust. I mean I know she doesn't care about the seam/town divide, but she's never had any real experience in the seam. Or what it's like to live in poverty. Dinner at my house is going to be a real culture shock for her, and I hope she doesn't realize how she deserves so much better than me. Even though I know it's true, she deserves a guy that can do more than just provide shelter and food, she deserves nice gifts and big dinners and a beautiful house. Those things, I will never be able to give to her, but I still want her no matter how selfish it is of me.

"So Gale," Mayor Undersee begins, "Are you going to be working in the mines, or have you been offered some other sort of job?"

Oh great, and the interrogation begins. Small talk I can do (when I want to), but this is probably not going to turn out for the best. "Yes Sir, I'm going to be working in the mines. I'm going to be starting in the next week or so actually. There's not many other available jobs in 12." I say before starting in on my food, damn this is good. Maybe I can bring some home for my family. I feel bad about them not getting to share this experience with me.

"Oh don't I know it, you basically get stuck working in the mines unless your family owns a shop, or if you're quite resourceful and make a job for yourself."

I make sure to swallow before speaking. "Yeah unfortunately I don't have the brains for that."

"Ha! Please," Madge cuts in, "you're a secret genius. I know if you actually did the homework you'd have the top grades in your class. You almost always get the highest scores on the tests, even higher than me in some subjects." I'm actually surprised Madge ever paid any attention to my grades or even me before the Reaping.

"Maybe if by some subjects you mean math, because that's the only class your not the top of. If anyone is a genius it's you, I mean you're in the grade below me but yet your taking the same level classes as me." Madge blushes, but she looks pleased that I know that.

"Yeah, well.. I'm not really that smart. You're making it sound more impressive than it really is, and you do really well in writing as well."

"Hm maybe, but definitely not as good as you. My entire writing class hates you because of how Mrs. Morrison just raves on and on about how great you are. She even reads your essays to us sometimes."

"Oh Madgie! Why didn't you ever tell me how great your doing in school? It's great to hear, I'm so proud of you. And you too Gale, that's quite impressive to be top in your class in math. That is such a difficult class." Not gonna lie it feels pretty good to have Madge's mother say she's proud of me, even though she only just met me.

"Thank you, but it's really nothing."

"Nothing my ass," the water Madge was drinking shoots out of her mouth.

"Mom!" She looks so shocked, the rest of us laugh at her reaction.

"What?" Mrs. Undersee questions. "That class was one of the hardest classes I took. Gale here needs to not undersell himself." This woman actually made me blush, which surprisingly enough I don't do very often.

"But why is it Gale, that you don't do your schoolwork? It seems to me that a sharp young man like you could handle the work." Mayor Undersee questions.

Well shit. "I guess, to be perfectly honest, I don't see the point. I'm going to end up in the mines either way, and it doesn't really matter what your gpa is when your in the mines." Madge shoots me a look, and I quickly add, "Also, because it's just hard to find time. I'm always busy doing some type of work for a neighbor or my family." I look at Madge and she gives me a nod like 'yes, good work on not looking like a total bum.'

"I can understand that. It's really too bad your talents will be wasted in the mines." The whole family nods to what he says, and I'm quite stumped. I can honestly say that I never would have thought that this family could show so much compassion for someone like me. It's amazing how wrong you can be about someone.

"Thank you sir that's very kind of you to say, and thank you Mrs. Undersee for having me over, and thanks for this delicious dinner Vivian!" I call into the kitchen so she hears me.

"Before we get too comfortable Gale, we need to talk about what your intentions with my Madge are."

Madge covers face with her hands, and I barely manage to squeak out, "Intentions?"

"Yes, your intentions. What are you planning on doing with her? Are you going to take this relationship seriously? Are you planning on being monogamous? When will she be meeting your family? Speaking of we really do need to invite your mother and family over for dinner as well."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa Honey slow it down with all the questions. Poor Gale here looks like he's about to fall out of his chair." I do? What am I saying? Of course I do.

"It's no problem Mrs. Undersee. Sir, I am taking this relationship very seriously, or else I wouldn't even be here right now. Madge is a very important girl, and I would never just use her to have a bit of fun. She's amazing and she's already met my whole crazy family, and she's still willing to put up with me, and anyone that can handle my family is just a miracle sent from above. I will treasure Madge with everything I have." Madge squeezes my hand under the table and I smile at her.

Both of her parents look quite amazed at my little speech, and I kind of am too. I didn't even know I thought some of the stuff I said, but now that it's out there I know that it's true.

Madge

Surprisingly enough, Gale seems to be getting on very well with my parents. Right now they're all in the front room playing some card game that Gale taught them, while Viv and I serve up some strawberry ice-cream that Mom and I made.

It's really quite a miracle, my mother being up and about like she is right now. I haven't seen her so energized since I was like fourteen. I know it probably won't last more than for tonight, but I'm enjoying it while it lasts. She had seemed to be really going down hill these past couple months, but it seems like she's completely turned it around.

"He seems like a real nice young man, Madgie." Viv says as she hands me an empty bowl to scoop ice-cream.

"He is." I smile. Gale has made quite the impression on my whole family; practically flirting with Vivian and my mother, and sucking up beyond belief to my father. But hey, they all love him so. He even tried to help with the dishes, insisted really, but my mother would not allow a guest to do the dishes, so she made me help instead.

So I've been in here the past twenty minutes doing dishes, and scooping ice-cream while they all laugh in the other room. About what, I'm not sure, I just hope they didn't get out any more baby pictures of me. That was mortifying.

"Are you sure you don't want to join us in the front room?"

"Oh yes, thank you, but I should really be getting on home. If you can just rinse your bowls tonight, I'll clean them all in the morning."

I nod, but there's no way I'm going to leave any dirty dishes for her. "Okay, but you should bring some ice-cream for your family." We have enough, Mom and I made two huge buckets of it with the strawberries Gale brought us a couple days ago.

"That's okay, but maybe I'll bring them some tomorrow." She picks up two bowls, and I grab the other two and bring them in to the others.

"Hmm what have you brought us?" Gale questions when we walk in.

"Ice-cream."

"Really? What kind? Oh wait! Let me guess.. Strawberry." He gives me a knowing look as I set a bowl down in front of him and sit down on the couch next to him.

"Well of course, Madge and I made it ourselves." Mom says. "It was a great flashback to the old days. Madge and I used to make everything under the moon with strawberries."

Dad laughs, "Oh yes, and I always got to be the lucky taste tester."

"You liked it, and our creations were always delicious." I insist.

Dad scoffs, "I think even you didn't try them most of the time."

Humph. Gale rubs my back, "I'm sure they were all delicious Madge." Out of the corner of my eye I see him shaking his head at my dad.

I move out of back touching distance, "Hey! I can see you know."

He makes an innocent who me? expression. I roll my eyes, "Ass." I mumble under my breath, and Gale laughs.

"What was that Madge?" Mom asks with a stern look.

Now I'm the one giving the who me? look. "Oh nothing. Nothing at all."

"Sure it was." She says.

"Wow Melody, this ice-cream is delicious. You and Madge did a great job." Melody? They're on a first-name basis now?

"It was nothing, quite simple really. Madge could probably teach you sometime."

"That sounds great." I look between them, what the fu- "I'm not sure I'd be much good at it though. I think I'll just stick with the eating it." Yeah I'm not going to be part of their weird little friendship.

"I think it's probably about time for you to be getting home Gale, don't you think?" I ask/tell him.

"Already Madge? But we were all having such a grand time." Mom says.

"Yeah already Madge?" I roll my eyes at them.

"Yeah how about one more card game before you go?" My dad steps in.

I sigh, "Fine you all can go ahead, but I need to get these dishes washed."

Both my parents cheer, but Gale says, "You two can handle a game without me right? I think I'm going to help Madge with these dishes."

"That's okay Gale you can all play another round." It doesn't really bother me that they're all getting along so well, it actually makes me quite happy. I'm just shocked at how well this is really going.

"But I want to help." He insists with that sweet smile of his.

"Nobody wants to do dishes, but fine you can help." He laughs and grabs my bowl, and I grab my parent's.

Mom hollers after us, "Thanks dears! We'll try not to have to much fun playing cards without you."

In the kitchen I hand the dishes to gale and he dries. "So you and my parents seem to be getting along swimmingly." I tease him, "Do I need to worry about you leaving me for Melody?"

He laughs, "She insisted that I call her by her first name, because 'Mrs. Undersee' was too formal." He wraps his arms around my waist while I wash, and starts to kiss my neck.

I giggle, "What are you doing? My parents are in the other room."

"Yeah," he says, "The other room." And continues to kiss me. My brain waves kinda stopped working, and I think I've scrubbed the same spot for five minutes.

I swat at his nose, "Stop it you're distracting me."

"Who? Mwah? Whatever am I doing that could be so distracting?" He says trailing kisses up to my ear, and tugging on my earlobe with his teeth. I suppress a moan and push him back.

Setting down the bowl I turn, and pull him down to my level to start kissing him very thoroughly. He groans as my tongue slides into his mouth, and I pull his shirt out from his pants so I can reach under his shirt and caress his wonderful abs. He makes a growling noise and throws me onto the counter and step between my legs to continue with our snog-fest.

His hands slid up my legs pushing my dress along with them. Fuck he reaches my underwear, and I am so out of my element but I whisper in his ear that he better keep fucking going because damn it all I need it. He pushes my underwear to the side and goes straight for my wet clit, and ooooh my I don't ever want this feeling to end. CRASH!

Ho you better believe Gale had me back on my feet, and my dress straightened and his shirt quickly tucked back into his pants within 4 seconds.

"Madge! Are you two okay in there?" I quickly assess the situation. Thankfully that crashing noise was just a bowl that one of us must have knocked off the counter, probably me seeing as Gale's hands were busy elsewhere.

I blush at the thought, "Uh yeah Mom! Gale here just knocked a bowl off the counter, don't worry about it I'll sweep it up." I somehow manage to keep my voice almost completely steady.

I start giggling, but Gale looks scared shitless. "Fuck, Madge your parents were just in the other room. What were we thinking?"

I re-tuck his shirt, and use his earlier words against him, "Come on Gale they were in the other room, we were fine. And I was extremely fine, thanks for that by the way."

He kind of tries to give me a stern look, but a proud smirk covers it. "Yeah well, any time. Well not any time, preferably a time when your parents couldn't walk in on us at any moment." He tucks my hair behind my ear and gives me one more quickish kiss before taking a step back, "Where's the broom at?"

I point to a door, "Right in there." He brings it over and I drag the trashcan over. We thankfully manage to pick up the broken glass without any injuries, and finish cleaning the dishes without any more broken dishes and only one or two short kisses. What? Don't judge we haven't had much time to make out since we found out how much fun it is.

We walk back to the front room just as my parents finish up their game, and they get up to say goodbye. My Dad gives him a 'big-man' handshake, and my mom attacks him with a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "It was so great to meet you Gale! Please come again, you're welcome anytime."

"Whoa, Mom you trying to steal my man?" I joke, and we all laugh.

"But really Gale," My dad adds, "Feel welcome anytime, and we should have your whole family over some day."

Gale smiles, "That would be great," he gives me a quick hug and peck on the corner of my mouth. Barely anything but enough to make my mom sigh at how cute we are, and for my dad to give him the evil eye. "Thanks, I had a really great time tonight." He says with a wink directed towards me.

I blush, and we all call our farewells to him as he turns to leave. As soon as he turns my face gets hotter than the sun, because there on his backside are my wet handprints. I must have forgotten to dry off my hands before our make out session. Shit. My mom laughs so loud that Gale turns back around with a questioning look just as he's about to leave. I shake my head and shrug like I don't know why my mom is dying of laughter, or why my dad looks like he's about to keel over.

Gale shakes his head with a smile, and leaves. As soon as the door closes both of my parents look at me, for an explanation I guess. No way in hell am I doing that, "Goodnight!" I yell and sprint upstairs to my room.

AN: I'm sorry guys I just have no chill when it comes to the make out scenes. Again if y'all think I should up the rating I will. And I know these past couple chapters I kinda just threw the actual hunger games part to the curb and just focused on the cutesy relationship part (because that's the fun part!) but don't worry next chapter I'll try to do some damage control and bring us back to that. Also sorry if my accuracy on some stuff gets kind of whacked up, like times and stuff. I'm trying to keep to the right times but it's hard for me for some reason.. Sorry! Hope you enjoyed this chapter!