But first, the apology: If anybody had told me back in December that it would be nearly four months before my next update, I would have, I dunno, maybe hired extra help or something. I won't bore you with details. Suffice it to say that I didn't have time to read a lot of fanfic, much less write it.
I am very sorry to say that I was unable to respond to several reviews. I think that bothers me more than being unable to update. If I missed yours, know that it isn't because I don't appreciate you. I do, very much. I keep every email alert on every review, fave or follow in a separate folder. Feel free to PM me privately if you need to vent. I'm not above groveling.
Thanks, as always, to dandelionsunset for her beta work; and to sponsormusings, LadyAuroraNocturne and francesgumm for checking in on me when it seemed like I'd vanished.
So, here's the next chapter. And remember—the "M" rating stands for sMut.
Chapter 40—Friends and lovers.
After Rye took over the bakery, the band's rehearsals changed but not in the way Madge would have expected. She sort of expected that running a business full-time as well as trying to finish school would have exhausted Rye. Instead, he literally bounced with new energy. The band picked up on it, too. They sounded tighter, more confident.
Even Gale noticed. He had come to the Mayor's basement to watch the band rehearse. "I never knew Mellark had this much pep."
"Well," Madge replied, a grin tugging at her lips, "he did banish the wicked witch who had been draining his life force." Gale nudged her shoulder with his and they went back to listening.
Tomorrow was the last day of school. The Spring Festival was in two days. The weather was mild and food was more plentiful. Spirits were running high all across the District. Now that Peeta was back at the bakery, good bread and pastries were becoming available again.
When rehearsal was over, Rye announced that the time had come to have rehearsals at the bakery. "We came here because of Marigold," he explained. "That's no longer an issue. We've imposed on you long enough."
John Undersee looked despondent at the news. "You're not imposing, Rye, not at all. Besides, there's more room here." While that may have been true, Madge knew that the real reason her dad wanted the band to stay was because they brought life and laughter to a house where they had always been in short supply.
"I know and I appreciate everything you've done but after Spring Festival, we're going to have evening hours. Rehearsing there is good advertising for the band and will bring customers into the bakery."
Customers they desperately needed, apparently. Rye and Peeta had quietly confided to Madge and Katniss over lunch that the bakery was in dire financial straits, much worse than either of them had suspected.
"Well," said the Mayor, "I wish you all the best. And all of you are welcome here any time."
Madge felt a stab of pity for her father. He was, by nature, a gregarious man who would have reveled in a house full of rambunctious children. Instead, he had a half-mad invalid for a wife and a quiet, secretive daughter.
As the band started packing up to leave, Gale touched Madge's shoulder. "Can I talk to you for a moment? Maybe outside?"
Madge nodded and led Gale outside. He walked them out to the sidewalk. "Are you busy Saturday morning?" he asked quietly.
"Won't you be out with Katniss?" she asked, puzzled.
"No, she's helping Rye and Peeta get ready for the Festival. And my family is reasonably well stocked for food. I mean, I always could go out on my own but it isn't strictly necessary."
"Ok. Yes, I'm free Saturday morning. What did you have in mind?"
He leaned over to her ear and whispered, "I have them."
The condoms. He finally had the condoms.
A thrill ran up Madge's spine as she stared at Gale, her heart pounding and her mouth suddenly dry. Gale returned her gaze, a sparkle of heat in his eyes. "So, um," he cleared his throat, "are you free for a walk? Maybe a picnic? I'll come get you around 10:00."
Madge hadn't yet found her voice, so she just nodded. Gale linked his arms around her waist and pulled her close. He gave her a long, slow kiss on the mouth. "Sleep well, Madge," he said, his voice laced with humor.
"Cocky bastard," she murmured. Gale just chuckled and walked off with a bit of a swagger.
Madge used the short walk back to the house to find everybody leaving. She pulled Prim aside. "Prim, could you do me a favor, please?" she asked quietly. "Ask your mother if she's free to see me tomorrow after school."
"Of course," Prim replied. Madge thanked her, said her goodbyes to everybody and headed to bed. She was in her pajamas when her dad knocked on her door. Madge opened it to find him looking morose.
"We can always go to the bakery to hear them rehearse, you know," she pointed out.
"I know but there will be people there," he complained good-naturedly. Madge knew what he meant. He'd be accosted by constituents who would want to bend his ear. "Still," he admitted, "it's a good idea. God knows those boys could use a little success."
"You helped them make it happen, Dad. They won't forget that. By the way, Gale is taking me on a picnic Saturday morning."
Her father frowned. For a moment, Madge was worried he'd figured out what she and Gale were actually planning. Instead, he said, "I hate that he would use his family's food for that. Would he be insulted if you offered to bring the sandwiches?"
"Probably. Especially since he made a point of insisting that they were well-stocked on food," Madge admitted. "I'll bring dessert, maybe, now that the bakery is back on it's feet." She kissed his cheek goodnight.
After turning in for the night, Madge thought about how much had changed between her and Gale.
For a relationship that had begun as equal parts lust and politics, things between them had become remarkably easy. They told each other anything and everything on their minds. Weighty subjects, like the Capitol's oppression, his family's poverty and her mother's drug use, were all topics that they had hashed out at length.
Madge had also been delighted to learn that Gale was a terrible gossip. He told her about the merchants in the Hob, the peacekeepers he traded with and the petty scandals from the boardinghouse. She, in turn, told him the latest scuttlebutt around the Merchant district.
From the beginning of their relationship, Madge had thought of her and Gale primarily as lovers. The term "boyfriend" seemed inadequate. One did not plot to overthrow the Capitol with one's boyfriend.
Still, calling Gale her lover wasn't the same thing as actually being in love with him. In fact, when they first started seeing each other, she had been quite certain that she was not in love with Gale.
That...might not be so true anymore. With every passing week, her emotions towards Gale ran deeper and deeper. Their initial attraction to each other had turned into a scorching chemistry that had her distracted day and night. She caught herself daydreaming in class about how Gale's cock felt in her hands or her mouth, or the way his dark lips looked on her breast.
But as much as she desired him for his body, she just plain longed for his company when he wasn't around. He understood her very dark humor. He was the one she wanted to commiserate with when she saw something absurd or funny. He was a patient archery coach and had been genuinely proud of her when she'd started regularly hitting her targets.
Whatever else they were to each other, Gale had become the best friend she'd ever had. Madge had laughed more in the last seven weeks than she had in the last seven years.
The next day, Madge walked home with the Everdeen sisters. Katniss soon left to hunt and Prim went to her bedroom. Madge gave Mrs. Everdeen a bag of coffee and a couple of coins. She then explained that she intended to lose her virginity in the next couple of days.
"Have you been keeping your chart?" Mrs. Everdeen asked. Madge pulled it out of her school bag and handed it over.
Mrs. Everdeen spent the next quarter explaining proper condom usage. She reminded Madge to continue using the tincture and charting her cycle every day. "Come by immediately if the condom breaks or if your period is late." Finally, she issued warnings about bleeding, pain and discomfort.
It was all very clinical.
Once the consultation was over, Mrs. Everdeen made some tea. Prim soon joined them at the kitchen table and the three of them talked about the goings-on in the District. "People are talking about you and Gale, you know," Mrs. Everdeen told her. "Seam folk, I mean."
"Oh?" Madge said, not entirely surprised. "Let me guess—What's a nice young man like him doing with a drab little thing like her?"
"Something like that," Mrs. Everdeen said with a small smile. "You aren't some flighty Merchant girl toying with some poor Seam boy who doesn't know any better. Gale isn't a womanizer or a social climber. Neither of your parents are forbidding the relationship. Nobody is quite sure what to think."
"I don't suppose anybody would just accept that we're together simply because we get on well," Madge said.
"Well," Mrs. Everdeen blew on her tea, "they didn't with me."
Saturday morning
Gale carried a lunch pail in one hand and Madge's blanket in the other. Madge was carrying a small bag with brownies, a couple of water flasks and, discreetly placed at the bottom, an extra pair of panties, a washcloth and a maxi pad.
She had dressed in one of her usual school dresses. Gale hadn't told her exactly where they would be going, only told her they wouldn't be leaving the District. Everybody was getting ready for the Festival and things were much busier than usual. To avoid prying eyes, they skirted the Merchant District and headed past the lumber yard. Now they were near a part of town with empty houses scattered around. More than a few were in states of advanced disrepair.
When they got to a house that was set off from all the others, Gale walked around to the back. He opened the door and led her inside.
"Gale, whose house is this?"
"Nobody's. The carpenter says it's been empty for a long time."
"Wait. You broke in?"
Gale shrugged. "If you want to call jiggling the door handle 'breaking in', then sure. But I've been here a couple of times already to clean the place up. Let's just say we aren't the first to use this house for privacy."
"Oh. Gross."
"Yeah. There's no electricity but at least there's running water."
They walked into a living room that had a fireplace and windows that looked out into the woods.
The floors and walls were bare but clean. The windows looked freshly washed. Gale had already brought in a couple of blankets that he'd arranged on the floor.
Gale took their things and set them down on the ground by the blankets. Then he pulled her to him and held her hands between them. He looked down at their entwined hands for a long moment, looking thoughtful. "Madge, I..." Then he stopped and seemed to think some more. Finally he said, "Even if we both live through our Reapings, the world isn't likely to grant the two of us a peaceful life together. I know it's foolish to expect that we'll ever be allowed to have a toasting, or a home of our own, or kids. But," his eyes met hers, "if it ever becomes possible and you want those things, I'll do everything in my power to give them to you. You are...very important to me, Madge."
Madge was deeply moved by his tenderness. She touched his face with one hand. He wrapped his arms around her and bent his head down by her ear. "I think about you all the time." His voice had gone rough and he started trailing kisses along her ear and jaw as he spoke. His breathing—or was it hers?—started getting a little ragged.
Madge slid her arms around Gale's neck and he pulled her tight up against him. She could feel him, hot and hard, through her dress. A stab of desire shot through her. Gale moved his kisses down the side of her neck.
"I've spent most of my life wanting something," he whispered, one hand skimming down to her hip and the other up behind her neck. She plunged one of her hands into the black curls on his head. "Food," he moved one of his hands to a breast, "heat," he brushed his thumb over the nipple and Madge felt a rush of wetness between her thighs, "clothes," he ran a hand under her dress and up the back of her bare thigh, "but I've never wanted anything as much as I want you."
Madge wanted to say something equally important but the words would not come. Instead, she stroked him through the fabric of his jeans and ran her tongue up his throat.
It seemed to get her point across. Gale groaned and scooped her up in his arms. He carried them the few short steps to the blankets, lay them both down and starting kissing her, his tongue greedily exploring her mouth.
They rolled over so Madge was on her back and Gale was on top of her. He had pressed himself against her juuuust right and started rocking back and forth. Within a moment or two, Madge was moving on her own accord, her panties completely soaked. She realized that the noise in the room was her own moans. She wanted him now.
"Get naked," she ordered, pushing him away just enough to get undressed. Gale didn't even argue with her, like he usually did. He just obeyed.
Gale pulled a foil square out of the back pocket of his jeans and placed it on the floor beside them. She ran her hands down his abs and stroked his fully engorged cock. He closed his eyes for a moment but then took her hand away. "Keep doing that and it'll be a very short picnic," he warned, a little desperately.
Madge took the condom and opened the wrapper. "Are you, uh, sure you're ready?" Gale asked.
She stopped unwrapping the condom long enough to take one of his hands and place it at the juncture of her thighs. His cock twitched when he felt how slick she was.
He started to fondle her but she slapped his hand away so she could finish unwrapping the condom. "God, you're impatient," Gale teased as she rolled the condom onto his cock. "I'm losing my virginity, too, you know. Maybe I need to be romanced first, did you ever think of that?"
Madge raised an eyebrow. "How inconsiderate of me. Did you want to wait a little longer?"
"Oh, fuck no."
She pulled him back on top of her and, after a bit of fumbling, got him lined up to her entrance. Her hands were on his hips and he was resting on both elbows, looking at her face. There was genuine concern in his eyes. "Listen," he said, "if this hurts too much, be sure to let me kn-" Madge pulled him inside her in one swift motion and felt something painfully give way.
They both gasped and Madge arched her back at the pain. Neither of them moved for a moment.
"I can't believe you just did that," Gale said, his voice muffled against her neck.
"Yeah. I need a minute," she said. Gale didn't move while Madge waited for some of the burning to subside. "It's okay, now, I think. You can move."
"Oh, thank God," Gale said and he started to rock back and forth. It was, well...pretty uncomfortable but at least the pain had started to taper off.
Gale's eyes were closed and he was frowning. "Hey," she placed a hand gently on his face, "are you all right?"
"Shut up, Madge. I'm trying to concentrate." he teased.
Madge burst out laughing. Gale chuckled and opened his eyes to grin at her. He gathered her up so that her entire upper body was cradled in his arms. He was still rocking back and forth, very gently, and the pain was slowly being replaced with warmth. He brushed his nose against hers. They both had big goofy grins on their faces. She was so happy and filled with joy that she spoke without thinking.
"I love you, Gale."
He stopped moving and stared at her, his mouth open in shock. Oh, fuck, she thought, and panic began to well up inside of her.
Then he kissed her. Hard. Like he was afraid somebody would try and take her away. "Madge," he choked out. He used one hand to scoop her hips up against him. It was like he wanted her as close as physically possible. "I love you, too."
She wrapped her legs around his hips and the new position was..."Oh." Gale pulled nearly all the way out, then very slowly pushed back in. Then he did it again. There was still some pain but it was overshadowed by a maddening desire. Madge heard herself saying, "Yes" and "please" and "faster." He picked up speed and she felt more than heard his deep moans.
She was getting close when Gale's pace became erratic. He said, "Oh, God, Madge" and then groaned as he came. She felt him pulse inside her and it pulled her over the edge, the world spinning off its axis for a while.
Eventually, they caught their breath. Gale gently rolled off of her. The condom was bloody. "You all right?" he asked, concern in his voice as he took the condom off.
Madge nodded drowsily. Gale pulled her head to his chest and wrapped the blankets around them.
She would soon clean herself up and get dressed. They would eat their picnic lunch. They'd head back into town and part ways. Tonight they would be at the Festival surrounded by thousands of other people.
But for now, all that existed was them. The last thing Madge was aware of before she drifted off was Gale running his fingers down her cheek and whispering, "Madge Undersee."