Disclaimer: All stories are individuals of themselves and are unrelated to each other.
Gale sits straight up in bed, jerking awake from his slumber and letting reality settle.
Peeta Mellark is sitting on the other side of the room reading a book, using the light that streams in from the window. He cocks an eyebrow at Gale and then smirks. "Did you have a nice dream?" Peeta asks. Gale shoots him a look and flips him the bird before swinging his legs off the mattress. "If you had been any louder I'm sure Madge would've heard you calling her name from the next room."
"Oh fuck off, Mellark," Gale mutters. He hadn't been that loud, had he? He's been having dreams about Madge every night since they all arrived at this godforsaken cabin in the mountains. He's had them before, but daily? They get more explicit with each passing day. "Why'd I have to share a room with you of all people?"
Gale strides out of the room leaving a snickering bread boy behind. He walks over to the bathroom that's just down the hall and hears the sink running. Gale drums his knuckles on the door.
"Just a minute!" The sink shuts off and the door swings open. Madge is on the other side, her hair damp from having just showered, wearing nothing but a fluffy white robe. Gale clears his throat and drops his eyes down the length of her body. "Sorry," she says. "I was just brushing my teeth."
"Yeah, no," Gale shakes his head and steps out of the way so she can pass. "You're fine."
Madge smiles nervously and steps past him, allowing Gale to enter the bathroom. He shuts and locks the door, groaning as he fiddles with the shower faucets.
Spring break in the mountains was originally Katniss's suggestion. It was an inkling of an idea and never meant to be taken seriously, but then Madge and Peeta started googling prices and ended up finding this cabin for cheap. The cabin has two bedrooms with two beds each, one bathroom, a kitchen, a small living space with a few couches and a fireplace, a hot tub, and an incredible view. Gale isn't sure how he ended up being roped into the trip, but he can't say he regrets it.
After showering off Gale exits the bathroom and is relieved to find Madge Undersee wearing more than just a robe. She's sitting in the living room, her hair still damp but just starting to curl, typing something up on her laptop. He isn't sure how this infatuation with her started, but ever since coming here it's gotten a bit out of hand. She and Katniss are roommates back at college and Gale sees a lot of both of them. He's spent a lot of his time secretly adoring her, everything from her freckles to her attempt at humor. It's built up into something Gale's having a hard time keeping control over.
Katniss storms past Gale to the bathroom with a frown. "You better not have used all the hot water," she mutters.
Gale rolls his eyes and enters his bedroom, which Peeta has evacuated, and tightens his towel around his waist. He can smell something sweet wafting from the kitchen and can only hope that the baker is making breakfast.
He changes quickly and exits the room, confirming his earlier thought that Peeta was cooking. Cinnamon rolls. With orange icing. Gale's already drooling. He sinks onto the couch next to Madge and peers over at her laptop. It's not like there's any Wi-Fi up here.
"What are you doing?" he asks.
"Working on a paper," she responds without even looking up. Her fingers work quickly across the keyboard and the words flow onto the screen. "It's for my bio class."
"Undersee," Gale frowns and reaches up, grabbing the screen of her laptop. "We're on spring break." He closes her computer, almost getting her fingers stuck. Madge frowns too. "No homework." Madge drums her fingers on top of the laptop before passing it over to him. "Much better." Gale moves the laptop over to the coffee table and glances over his shoulder at Peeta. "Breakfast almost ready?"
"Almost," Peeta yells over his shoulder. "I don't know why I was nominated to be the chef. I bake, not cook."
"It smells really good," Madge chimes. Peeta looks over at her and smiles brightly. "We're all really thankful, Peeta." Madge looks toward Gale. "Right?"
"Sure," Gale nods.
Peeta rolls his eyes and returns to the oven. "I'll cook tonight," Madge says. "Gale and I will. You and Katniss can do some sort of couple-y thing while we make dinner, alright?"
"Wait—" Gale protests.
"Great," Peeta grins. He pulls a tray from the oven. "Thanks, Madge."
Peeta and Katniss have been dating for a few months. The cabin is small; they don't really get as much time together as they originally hoped. They're not even sleeping in the same room. It was the least Madge could do, giving them some time to do whatever it is they do.
"You have to help me," Madge says, turning to Gale. She pokes him in the chest. "Okay? I'm not a great cook."
"Then why did you volunteer?" he asks with a frown.
"Stop frowning." His frown deepens. "We owe it to them! Come on, Gale." Madge juts out her bottom lip and pouts, causing Gale's hormones to act up. "Please?"
"Okay," he groans. "Okay, fine."
Neither of them are sure if he starts it or if she does (it was definitely Madge's fault) but somewhere between cooking the pasta for the spaghetti and warming up the sauce things start to go astray. It happens when Madge is stirring the noodles and the water splashes Gale who's stirring the sauce which burns his hand and causes him to leap, causing the sauce to splash as well, getting some on Madge's nose.
She gasps, surprised, and shoves Gale's shoulder who is unprepared for the strike. The spoon in the sauce flies upward and leaves a trail of red as it goes, splashing on the floor when it lands and leaving a big puddle. Gale laughs loudly and Madge's jaw drops. She spins around quickly to get some sort of wash cloth when she hits her own spoon, causing the angel hair pasta to splash upwards as well. The strands are short and little pieces fly out, as well as a mess flying over the edge.
The pasta that dips over the edge of the pot causes the flames at the bottom of the stove to leap. They catch fire before Madge has even retrieved the washcloth for the puddle of sauce on the floor.
"Oh, get it!" Madge cries. She darts to the sink and Gale moves to her pot. "Quick, before the smoke alarm goes off!"
He shoves the pot to the side and the whole thing topples onto the ground. "Shit," Gale watches the pasta spilling across the floor. "Madge, wait!" She spins around and slides across the floor, hot water leaking through her socks and burning her toes as she moves.
"Ow!"
"Shit," Gale says again. He leaps over the entire mess and instinctively grabs Madge's hips, pulling her up and out of the burn zone. He expects her to be heavier than she is and is thrown off balance, falling forward onto the floor on top of her. "Christ," Gale groans. At least they're out of the soupy mess. Just as he's about to apologize Madge's body starts shaking. He looks down at her, realizing his elbows are on either side of her head, and sees that she's laughing. His mouth curls upwards. "Oh, you think this is funny?"
"This is hysterical," Madge nods. Her hands lift to his chest. "You're crushing me!" He laughs too, shifting slightly so he's not putting all of his weight on her. "God, we couldn't even make spaghetti!"
The stove is still on, two fires still roaring. The spill of pasta continues to spread.
And they laugh. They laugh because of course this would happen to them. Katniss and Peeta are hidden back in one of the rooms probably having sex and are waiting to be filled up with a dinner that isn't going to be ready because Gale and Madge are incapable of properly making it.
"We're a mess," Gale chuckles, leaning down. He brushes Madge's hair from her face and is reminded of his dream from last night. She must be reminded of something too because she blinks a few times and the smile eases from her face. Not in a bad way but because she knows something is about to happen, at least she's hopeful it will. Gale licks his lips and looks at hers and Madge pushes herself up slightly.
"What the hell is going on?" Katniss's voice suddenly cuts through the air.
Gale rolls off of Madge so quickly that Flash would be jealous. Madge sits up and pats at her face and Gale forces himself to his feet, extending his hands to the mess and opening his mouth but not having any words to say.
Peeta cocks an eyebrow, looking between Gale and Madge suspiciously. He knows about Gale's dreams (apparently Gale talks in his sleep) but swore he wouldn't say anything. "Did we interrupt something?" Peeta asks.
"No," Madge blurts. "No, we, um, it just, the sauce spilled and then the pasta and—" Peeta laughs. He laughs so loudly it causes Madge to stop talking and blush, dropping her head back into her hands. "Sorry," she squeaks.
And then Gale laughs again too. He extends his hand down to Madge who takes a minute to pull herself up.
"So much for getting the security deposit back, huh?" Gale asks her. Madge elbows his chest which knocks the air out of him, but causes him to laugh all over again.
Even Katniss cracks a smile, though it takes a bit. "We'll order pizza," Peeta tells her, pulling his girlfriend away from the mess in the kitchen. "You two, clean it up!"
Madge and Gale work in silence as they clean, but every once in a while they'll look at each other. Madge's smile is infectious, and the second Gale sees it he's grinning. Couldn't Peeta have lasted a little longer in bed for Christ's sake? Gale only needed a few more seconds to kiss Madge. She looked like she wanted to kiss him too.
Gale doesn't let himself get lost in the thought. He and Madge are friends, sure, but taking it a step further is something reserved for the bedroom – and by that he means when he sleeps. Dreaming about being with Madge is the best it's going to get. She'll never want him the way he wants her. It just isn't an option.
They finish cleaning by the time the pizza arrives. They're on a mountain, sure, but the closest town is just a few minutes down the road. Peeta tips the delivery boy a lot considering he had to drive his car up the unpaved path. They're all starving when they open the box and devour the pizza easily.
Peeta keeps one of his arms around Katniss and every once in a while will lean in and whisper something in her ear, causing the brunette to smile. Gale, for the longest time, didn't like Peeta, but the guy's growing on him. He's good for Katniss. Gale tilts his head toward Madge and finds her patting her mouth with a napkin. He wonders if she's good for him.
Katniss collects everyone's paper plates when they've finished eating and Peeta leans forward. "Hot tub?" he asks.
Madge Undersee in a bikini makes Gale want to die. His hormones are acting up again but he can't look away, studying her pale collarbones and smooth stomach. Peeta clears his throat and Gale looks upwards, receiving a glare from the guy.
The hot tub is warm. Katniss and Peeta are close to each other again and it makes Gale sick. Katniss was never a PDA girl until she started dating Peeta. Gale's watched her grow up, they've been friends for as long as he can remember, so seeing her acting like the adult she is makes him feel funny.
Or maybe it's just because he wants a relationship like she has.
"So…" Katniss drags out. Her eyes dance between Madge and Gale who are sticking to opposite sides of the hot tub. Gale moves so one of the jets shoots at his back and sighs. "Well this has been fun. I'm going to shower."
"We've been out here for like ten minutes, Catnip," Gale frowns.
"Well it's been a long day, I think," her cheeks are red as she speaks. "So I'm going to shower. And sleep. I'm sleeping with Peeta tonight, also," she adds. "So, sorry Gale. But. Yeah." Gale groans and sinks further into the hot tub. "Sorry. It's been three days." Gale shrugs, giving up the argument without even fighting. He'll just sleep on the couch. "Alright. Goodnight!"
"Night, Katniss," Madge smiles, tipping her head at her friend. The brunette shimmies out of Peeta's grip and steps from the hot tub, pulling on her towel that's been hanging on the porch. She goes inside, clicking the door shut, leaving Peeta and Madge and Gale together. Peeta clears his throat awkwardly before moving to stand. "Where are you going?" Madge asks.
"….to shower," Peeta murmurs. His smile is devilish. "And 'sleep'." He even makes the air quotes. "Take your time out here, you two."
Madge groans and Gale rubs the bridge of his nose. Peeta gives Gale some sort of look when Madge isn't paying attention that says make your move for Christ's sake Katniss and I have been planning this all afternoon and jerks his head in Madge's direction. Gale splashes Peeta who hops out of the hot tub with a laugh, running inside without even retrieving his towel.
"Looks like it's just you and me," Madge says after a bit. Gale turns to face her and finds her smiling. "Sorry that you've been sex-iled and have to sleep on the couch." Gale can't say it's the first time it's happened. His roommate back at school is very promiscuous. "You could probably sleep in Katniss's bed if you wanted. I'm sure she wouldn't mind."
"Then you and me would be roomies," Gale chirps. "How would you feel about that, Undersee?" Her cheeks erupt with pink and Gale's smile stretches into a grin. "I'll be fine. Thanks for offering up someone else's bed, though." Madge rolls her eyes and crosses her arms over her chest. "Thoughtful."
"Oh, hush," she frowns. They fall quiet again, listening to the roar of the jets. "I'm glad you came with us," Madge finally says. She doesn't look at him when she speaks but rather at the sun that's descending through the trees. The sunset is incredible. "I hate always being the third wheel with them. I'm happy that they're happy, really, but they're dating and I'm… not. You know?"
"I know," Gale nods. "Thanks. I mean, you're welcome. Well, you know what I mean." Madge nods, turning to face him finally. "I'm glad I came, too. And that you're here instead of Cartwright." Delly Cartwright was the other option of people attending this trip, and it just didn't feel right. Delly weirds him out. "You're a terrible cook, however."
"Hey, you're no good either!" Madge laughs, splashing him. Gale doesn't duck in time and ends up getting hit in the face with a wall of water. His hair is soaked. He blinks a few times and finds Madge with her mouth open, still laughing. "Sorry?"
"You're going to be sorry," Gale nods. Madge lets out a high pitched cry as he lunges toward her, causing the entire hot tub to splash over the edge. They're both laughing as Gale dunks her under water, they both come up gasping for air. "How'd you like that?" he asks. "Not very fun, is it?"
"I think it was fun," Madge teases. Her smile is entirely too sweet. She doesn't move away from him, their legs are tangled together under water. Gale has a firm hold around her waist and her hands are resting on his bare chest. Madge traces her fingers downward and Gale tightens his arms around her, moving until they're against the side of the hot tub. She's staring at his belly button, too scared to look up. "You were going to kiss me earlier," she whispers, "weren't you?"
Finally, Madge lifts her gaze. Her bright blue eyes meet his and Gale is overwhelmed. "Yeah," he admits. "I was."
Her eyes drop to his mouth and her fingers move back up his chest. "Are you going to kiss me now?" she asks.
"I want to," he murmurs.
Madge licks her lips. "What's stopping you?"
"I don't know."
Her hands travel up to the back of his head, she fiddles with the ends of his hair. "I want you to kiss me," she says. Is this a dream? It's got to be a dream; he must've fallen asleep on the couch. Madge Undersee would never, ever, ever admit something like that. Not to his face. Not when she was sober. Not ever. "Gale…"
If it's a dream, he might as well go for it.
He dips down, faster than usual considering Madge is pulling him toward her, and kisses her as gently as he can. The moment their lips meet Gale knows he's not dreaming. In his mind Madge has never been so sweet, so real. His eyes snap open as their mouths push and pull against each other and he can see every freckle across her nose. Her golden eyelashes curl upward. This is really happening.
Gale lets his eyes close so he can savor the moment and laughs into her mouth. He feels her smile. Madge moves her hands to his shoulders and pushes him away slightly, raising a questioning eyebrow at him. He laughs again, moving so she's pinned against the side.
"What are you laughing at?" she wonders. Her eyebrows furrow. "Am I that bad of a kisser?"
"Christ, God, no," Gale shakes his head. He dips down again, kissing Madge sweetly. "No," he peppers light kisses to her upper lip. "No, no, God, no that's not it." She sighs and smiles as he diverts from her mouth. "I didn't think, I never thought that we'd, that you'd—"
She laughs too as he suckles down her neck. "It's about time, right?"
"Definitely," he pants. The sexual tension has been driving him insane. "I'm not sleeping on the couch," he tells her, nosing her collarbone.
"Or in Katniss's bed?" she asks, her voice high and hopeful.
"Or in Katniss's bed," he agrees. Madge pulls his chin up and he's met with a brilliant smile.
Gale kisses her again, snaking his hand behind her back to fiddle with the ties of her swimsuit. When she wiggles the rest of it off and tosses it aside, Gale can't help but pinch himself. He doesn't wake up. He isn't dreaming, and this is so much better.
A/N: Gadge month - dreams. I wrote another. I really like college!AUs