Disclaimer: All stories are individuals of themselves and are unrelated to each other.
A/N: Request of "Gale and Madge being best friends since their childhood but Gale is like a playboy and dates a lot and is getting serious with a not so nice girl. Madge likes Gale but doesn't say anything ever and begins to "date" but really befriend Gale's number one enemy"
They're holding hands.
Madge shoves another french-fry into her mouth and tries her hardest to avert her eyes, but it's practically impossible. Gale Hawthorne is holding hands with Glimmer Griffin. It wouldn't be such a big deal if Madge knew that Gale never held hands with any of the girls he hooked up with ("That shows them I want to be in a relationship with them," Gale had told her, "and I don't. Much too intimate."), but here he is strolling into the cafeteria with her tethered to him.
Glimmer is a few paces in front of him dragging him along like someone drags along a puppy that's been on a walk for too long and Gale follows her dutifully to the lunch line.
"I saw that too," Peeta says, sinking into the chair beside Madge and following her gaze over to the couple. "He tell you anything?"
"Of course not," Madge responds, shoving another fry into her mouth. "We don't talk about… those things." Those things. Relationships and hooking up and sex. She doesn't need to know the details of his life, she's known Gale since he was six years old and would not like to think of him in such a compromising position (at least, not with other girls). "I mean we talk about a lot of things but never—"
"Got it," Peeta cuts her off. "Thought you were best friends."
"We have our limits," Madge mutters. Gale's been kissing girls since the third grade, there's always a new one on his arm. She never found it fitting to ask him what he was getting into because it simply was none of her business (and maybe just maybe it hurt her heart too much to know she'd never be beside him like that). "If it's important he'll tell me."
"That's Glimmer Griffin," Peeta says, tilting his head toward the lunch line where they're still holding hands. "You know what kind of girl she is."
Of course Madge does. She goes through more boys than Gale does girls. She throws parties at her parent's house every weekend and has an unlimited amount of alcohol to pass around. She's rich and careless and more in Gale's league than Madge will ever be.
Madge and Gale have lived in the same neighborhood ever since they were little and due to the way the universe works they became best friends. They would spend summers in the field a few blocks down with some other kids in the area and they would walk home when the streetlights turned on and they would sneak over to each other's houses when one or the other (usually Madge) was having a hard time. He was, and still is, her best friend. High school has changed a few things for them, and Gale has matured perhaps a bit faster than her in the, um, sexual aspects of life, but he still gives her a ride home every day after school and they do homework together on the weekends.
"Gale can take care of himself," Madge says. Peeta doesn't push the subject.
What in the ever loving hell is Taftan Mellark doing with his arm around the back of Madge's chair?
Glimmer has brought him into the library to study (they're notstudying) and the first thing to catch his eye is his childhood best friend leaning into the blonde asshole that Gale has hated since the beginning of time. Before Glimmer can even sneak her hands up Gale's shirt he nudges her away. "I've got to go do something real quick," Gale murmurs. The blonde pouts but Gale moves anyway. "Gimme a sec."
He weaves his way through the library and plops down in the empty seat across from Madge and Taftan. She looks up immediately, her pale cheeks bursting pink like springtime.
"Gale," Taftan says, tipping his head. Oh, what a pretentious douche. "Can I help you?"
"Can I help you?" he echoes, narrowing his eyes at Taftan. Taftan rolls his eyes and Gale refuses to withdraw his gaze. "What's going on here?"
Madge clears her throat and fidgets uneasily. "We're studying for chemistry," Madge says quietly. Her eyes refuse to meet his, and he knows she only does that when she's nervous. "He's the teacher's aide for my class and I'm practically failing so he offered—"
"I'm sure he did," Gale drones. He shifts his focus entirely to Madge and clears his throat. "Can I talk to you?" Taftan tips his head again as if giving Madge permission (who in their right mind has to give Madge Undersee permission to do anything?) before she eases out of her chair and away from Taftan. "Keep your hands where I can see them," Gale growls at Taftan, hating the little smirk that dons his face, before following after Madge. They meet in an empty aisle away from both Glimmer and Taftan. Madge rests backwards against a bookcase. "What the hell are you doing with him?"
"I told you," Madge says. Her cheeks are still the nicest pink he's ever seen. "I'm failing out of AP chem and he knows this stuff like the back of his hand."
"I despise Taftan Mellark," Gale annunciates. "You know that."
"Well then good thing you're not the one studying with him," Madge murmurs. "You've haven't got any reason to."
"Yes I do," Gale says. "He's a one-upper. He will try and one-up everything I say. He always has to win, always has to have the last word. Fuck, they gave him my spot on the football team, Madge!"
"For starters, maybe you should stop trying to better than everyone else," Madge hums. "Secondly, I hardly doubt he bribed the coach to get on the team, considering you were failing three classes the obvious choice was not you." He's startled at the bluntness of her words. In all the years Gale's known Madge she's never been salty like this. "Anyway, since when do you care?"
"Since—" Gale groans and drags his hands through his hair. "That's a dumb fucking question." Since the first time he saw her on the playground and she scraped up her knee but didn't shed a tear, that's how long he's cared. "Taftan Mellark is the king asshole of all the assholes in the school, Madge."
Her shoulders lift slightly. "He's been pretty nice to me."
"Of course he's been nice to you!" Gale shouts. Madge winces and his eyes dart to the books behind her. He might've forgotten that they're in a library. Dropping his voice he says, "Christ, Madge, look at you, of course he's nice to you."
She lifts her chin. "What's that supposed to mean?" When Gale doesn't answer Madge sighs loudly. "He's Peeta's older brother," Madge says, "and Peeta's one of my best friends."
"No, I'm your best friend," Gale says, "and I don't like Taftan."
"Well I don't like Glimmer," Madge quips. She edges around him. "So I've got to—"
"Are you fucking kidding me?" He steps in her way again. "This is about Glimmer?" Madge makes an effort to stare at nothing but the floor, fiddling with her fingers as she does so. "She'll be gone in a week like the rest of them."
"You've been holding her hand," Madge murmurs. The pink is back to her cheeks, an action that leaves Gale confused as to why she's embarrassed. Maybe it's because they never really talk about these sort of things. "It's not about Glimmer," she finally says. "It's not about anything other than the fact that I'm failing chemistry and Taftan is a good tutor." Madge looks up and meets his eyes and Gale is startled to find that they're a bit watery. "I've got to go. Leave it alone, Gale."
Madge marches away from him before he can stop her. He returns to Glimmer without even waiting for Madge to sit back down.
With the test just around the corner Madge is trying to get in as much study time as she possibly can. A few days after the library incident Taftan suggests getting a slice of pizza while they study so they don't get distracted and she happily agrees. They decide on a small pizza place down the corner from the bakery the Mellark's own and decide to pay separately. She's made it clear to him that this is not a date and he's made it clear that he fancies this girl in his history class anyway.
It isn't a few minutes after their pizza arrives is the door being opened, causing the little bell atop to jingle. Of course, of all people in the entire world, walks in Gale and Glimmer (and yes, they're still holding hands). Gale's eyes find Madge's immediately and she shifts her body so she doesn't have to look at him, biting into her cheesy slice and trying to block him out.
"I figured we could just go over the rest of the chapter and call it a night," Taftan says with his mouth full. "What do you think?"
"Fine with me," Madge responds after swallowing. She pats her mouth with her napkin and smiles as she lowers it. "My brain feels like it's going to explode."
"Hey you're doing great," he says, reaching over and grabbing her hand reassuringly. "You're going to ace this test no problem."
Seconds later Gale paces by the two of them down the back hall where the bathrooms are, only he locks eyes with Madge as he goes and jerks his head which says if you don't follow me I swear to God so she excuses herself quickly and paces after him down the hallway.
"You're on a date," Gale blurts once she reaches the end of the hallway. "You're on a date with Taftan fucking Mellark!" No, she's not. "You're incredible! What the hell do you even see in him, Madge?"
"I don't see anything in him," she says tiredly. Madge reaches up and rubs at her forehead. "You're the incredible one." Gale groans and drags his hands through his hair like he always does when he's frustrated. "I don't see what the big deal is anyway, Gale. You're on a date of your own. I've never once reprimanded you for your choice in girls you take to bed. Can't you just leave this alone?"
"Taftan Mellark is entirely the wrong guy for you," Gale growls. His hands are outstretched as if this will help her to understand. "He's snarky and demeaning and boastful."
"I don't like him, Gale! He's just tutoring me." Gale sighs loudly and shakes his head, clearly not accepting this as an answer. "We're not even on a date! We just wanted to get some food."
"Of all the people in the entire school that you decide to go after," he grumbles. "I can't believe you would stoop so low as to go after that dickhead because you don't like Glimmer."
What can she say to make Gale understand that she's not dating Peeta's older brother? Nothing, apparently. So before she can even consider not doing what she's about to do, she paces toward him. Madge grabs his shirt forcefully and he looks like he's bracing himself for a fight, but then she presses herself onto her tiptoes and kisses him quickly. He freezes and pulls away at once, his eyes wide. She releases her hold on his shirt carefully and steps away. They stand like that a moment, just staring at each other, before Madge drops her eyes.
"You should get back to your date," she whispers.
Before he can say anything else or she can throw up Madge spins away from him, practically sprinting back down the hallway.
Taftan raises an eyebrow at her as she arrives panting and out of breath. "You okay?" he asks. "You look really pale."
"I'm not feeling too well," Madge blurts. "My head is killing me. I really think we should go."
"Oh, sure, of course," Taftan nods, quickly gathering his supplies and shoving them into his backpack. "Want me to drive you home?"
In her peripheral vision she sees Gale emerge from the hallway but refuses to look at his face. Maybe he's angry, maybe he's confused. Perhaps he'll glare at her if she turns to look at him. So she doesn't. She nods and says, "Yes, please. Take me home."
Days pass and Madge and Gale avoid each other. She makes an effort to stay out of the hallways she knows he'll be in and decides to eat lunch with her favorite teachers so she doesn't have to run into him and Glimmer in the cafeteria. How she manages to pull an A- on her chemistry test is incredible considering she couldn't stop thinking about Gale the entirety of the time she was studying and testing.
She's known him for twelve years and nothing romantic has ever happened between them, why she thought kissing him was a good idea she'll never know.
Twelve years. Twelve years! She's known him for twelve years and he never once looked her way, not like that. Too many other girls filled the space, too many other people who were better at things like kissing and hooking up and pushing limits. But she's always liked him, at least for a while. She was foolish to think anything would come out of it, especially the way he goes from girl to girl. He's always seen her as a sister, God, kissing him probably freaked him out to the extreme.
She's gone out of her way to not talk to him and he's clearly done the same, not conversing with her either. She's even found another way to and from school because she can't stand how awkward it would be sitting in his jeep in dead silence.
It isn't until the next weekend when Madge is sitting out in the meadow under a weeping willow tree does she see him again. He pushes his way through the branches and without a word lowers himself to the spot beside her.
"Knew you'd be here," he murmurs. She shifts away from him, not wanting their shoulders to be touching. He's warm and it used to be a comforting sensation, but now it just makes her nervous. "You always come here when something's happened."
"Nothing's happened," she responds.
"You kissed me," he says. "That's a thing that happened." He scratches his head and looks toward her. "Then you ran away. And have been avoiding me. Those are more things." Madge gnaws down on her bottom lip and keeps her gaze away from him. "You got an A on your chemistry test, that's what Katniss told me. Another thing. Congrats, by the way."
"Thanks," she frowns. Madge tilts her head up at him. "You're not here to congratulate me on a chem test."
"You're right, I'm not. I'm here to talk about the kiss."
She sighs. "We don't need to do that."
"Yes we do."
She looks up at him, shaking her head. "Gale, no we—" he takes this opportunity to grab her chin, quickly lowering his mouth to hers and kissing her sweetly. Madge gasps into his mouth and he tugs her toward him, her legs awkwardly falling on either side of his lap as he pulls Madge toward him. "Gale," she clings tightly to his shirt as he peppers kisses across her chin and down her throat. "You, you're seeing Glimmer!"
"No," he shakes his head and continues to suckle across her skin. "I ended that the—the night you kissed me." Gale pops up and cradles her cheeks in his hand. "I'm the stupid one? You're the stupid one. Christ, Madge, I've been in love with you since I was ten years old." She shakes her head in disbelief but he nods, leaning down to kiss her again. "We were at the playground," he whispers against her mouth. "And I said you couldn't play some superhero game with us because you were a girl. You tripped me as I was running and said that girls could be superheroes too. I knew, fuck, I knew that day that I was a goner."
This is too much for her to process. Her brain is still mush from feeling his expert mouth against hers, the feeling driving her to incomprehension.
"You're lying," she finally blurts, blinking a few times to see straight.
"I wish. Dammit I've been trying to get you out of my head for as long as I can remember. You think I enjoy switching between girls?" His thumbs gently caress her cheeks. "I was hoping one of them would stick. Seeing you with Taftan, holy shit it took all that I had to not beat the crap out of him." His nose traces along hers, Madge's eyes flutter shut. "I already don't like him but seeing him with you? You are the only girl I've ever wanted to be with."
"Then why not?" Her lungs are still shaking, her hands unsure what to do. "Why didn't you just tell me?"
"Christ," he chuckles. "You're way too good for me, Madge. I've always been out of your league."
"Don't do this," she groans. Gale releases his hold on her cheeks and lowers his forehead to hers, now resting his hands on her hips.
"It's the God honest truth. You're smart, going places in life, you know. You're kind, too. Sweet. And no offense, but you've got a lot more money than I do. That's a bit of an issue."
"I always thought I was out of your league," she murmurs. Gale chuckles again, shaking his head slightly. "I fell for you head first," Madge tells him. She stretches forward so their lips can brush again and revels in the way his tongue slides across her bottom lip. "I was thirteen years old," Madge whispers. "You were fifteen. It was storming. My mother had just been taken to the hospital because she wasn't waking up and I couldn't go with them. You came over."
"I remember," he nods.
"Snuck in through the basement. We hid in my closet so my babysitter wouldn't know you were there. I was so scared and you—you've always known how to make me feel better, Gale." Again he kisses her, his lips warm and sweet. She never thought she'd know what Gale tasted like, and is pleased to say it's like a blueberry ice pop. "And I was always… you were always with so many girls, I never even thought you'd—"
"They didn't matter," he whispers. "You mattered. You matter. You're the only one that does." Gale pulls her cheeks toward him, pressing his lips to hers once more. "I don't know if I can do this though, Madge. I leave for college at the end of the summer which is only a few months away. And I meant it when I said that you're too good for me. Your parents wouldn't approve."
"We can make it work. Your school isn't too far. And besides, my parents get disappointed every time I go to the dance with someone that isn't you," she says. "They love you, Gale, they always have."
He sighs, resting his head backwards against the tree. "I don't want to screw this up. I've been waiting for the right opportunity for years, for things to fall into place. I always figured I'd come back after college this successful guy and finally be worthy."
"You've always been worthy," Madge frowns. She stretches forward and brushes his dark bangs from his forehead. She smiles when his lips curl upward. "You're my best friend," she says.
"And you're mine," Gale whispers back. "This is not how I expected this to happen. You had to ruin it by kissing me. I was supposed to do that first. Eventually." She giggles as he leans forward. "I always imagined having to object at your wedding."
"Mm, not quiet," she laughs. His hands rest firmly on her hips, his thumbs gently rubbing the skin where her shirt has been pushed up. The wind blows and the leaves on the willow tree dance.
"I love you," he murmurs sweetly.
She smiles. "I love you too."
"Madge, darling," her father follows her into the living room as she breezes by him, following her trail of vanilla body spray. "Why're you rushing around? What's going on?"
She turns around to face her dad and smiles brightly. "I thought I told you I have a date," she says. He lifts an eyebrow and looks her up and down. "Do I look alright?"
"Well, sure, of course you look lovely always," he says, smiling too. She's wearing a white dress and has tied her hair back in a braid with a pink ribbon. "Where're you going?" She doesn't answer because there's a loud knock on the door, a forceful knock that makes Mr. Undersee jump. "May I meet him?" Madge nods and her father strides off to answer it. He pulls open the door without looking through the peep hole and instantly is stunned. "Gale!"
"Mr. Undersee," he nods. Madge peeks out from the side. He looks great, a nice deep blue shirt and some nice slacks. "Madge," he tips his head at the blonde. His eyes dance over her figure and she can't help but feel her body heat up. "Pretty dress. You do know that we're going bowling though, right?"
"I can wear a dress and bowl," she frowns. Mr. Undersee moves out of the way. "I'll be back later, Daddy," she says to her father, pressing herself on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek.
Gale shifts uneasily. "Mr. Undersee, is this, um, is this alright?"
The old man blinks a few times until he's focused again. "Of course it's okay!" Madge's father laughs, his eyes darting between the couple who're standing a few inches apart waiting nervously for his response. They ease up when he finally speaks. "I've been waiting for this for years!"
"Oh, Daddy," Madge scolds him, lightly tapping his arm. "Don't start this."
"Well I have," the man smirks. "Ever since you two were children playing soccer out in the front lawn, honestly."
Gale clears his throat and extends his hand to Madge. "Well, um, we should be going," Madge grabs his hand and their fingers interlace, she squeezes reassuringly. "Sir," Gale tips his head again.
Mr. Undersee smiles. "Gale," he returns. "Have fun, you two. Don't stay out too late."
"No promises," Madge teases. Gale's laugh is the last thing heard before she pulls the door shut.