Disclaimer: All stories are individuals of themselves and are unrelated to each other.
He didn't like that she came to the meadow. If anything, it was the only place he could go to get away from everything since they turned the fence back on. Gale couldn't escape to the woods when they showed Katniss anymore. He couldn't hide when she was swarmed by jabberjays and he couldn't leave when she battled muttation monkeys. The only place he could go was the meadow.
And Madge Undersee was always fucking there.
Today was particularly difficult, watching Katniss and Peeta on the beach kissing one another desperately as though it was going to be their last. He hated the way she needed him, hated that he couldn't be the one to make her feel better or comfort her in these times, but there was nothing he could do about it now. So to the meadow he ran, swallowing his anger and repressing the heat that tried to swallow him whole.
But of course, Madge was there.
She was sitting on the ground looking up at the sky, propping herself up on her palms. The sun was beginning to set and the sky was filled with beautiful oranges and reds. He paused for a moment to catch his breath after his march over here and let the warm summer breeze dry the sweat on the back of his neck. He shoved his hands into his pockets and was about to turn around when Madge cocked her head and found him standing there.
She quickly lifted her hand to her chest as though she had been startled and forced a polite smile. "I thought I heard someone," she said.
"I was just," he shifted his head backwards to signify he was leaving. Madge sat up and he paused. "What are you doing?" Gale asked as she pushed herself to her feet.
"I can go instead," Madge said. He furrowed his eyebrows at her as she walked toward him slowly. "I know that this is your place and you like to be alone." She stopped a few feet in front of him, her pale blue eyes lifting to meet his. He kept his features guarded but felt like she could see into his thoughts, his feelings, and it unsettled him. "I'm not awful company, though," she said softly. "If you want someone to sit with you, I can." Gale kept his mouth shut and his jaw locked. Madge pursed her lips before letting out a quiet breath. "You know," she started, "you can't shut people out forever, Gale."
"I don't shut people out," he growled.
But Madge Undersee was not one of the people he ever planned to let in. She retracted her gaze and dipped her head once. "Just me, I guess." Again she sighed, this time her chest rose and fell slightly in a way that Gale couldn't help but watch. "I care about Katniss too," she finally said. "And I know you and I aren't—you've never liked me, but I care about you too." Their closeness made Gale a bit uncomfortable, the gentle rhythm of her voice didn't help much either. "And maybe… maybe it's not my place to say this but you act like this big tough guy when we both know you aren't, and it's okay to admit that sometimes. To admit that sometimes you just need someone to sit with you."
While her eyes were elsewhere he studied her face. His eyes followed the dusting of freckles over the curve of her nose, her short golden eyelashes, the flecks of silver within her eyes.
"It wouldn't help," he muttered.
Her eyes lifted to his at once. "But how could it hurt?"
And maybe it was the way that she was looking at him, like she knew all of his secrets and so much more. Or maybe it was because he was aching with Katniss gone, clearly loving another man. Or maybe it was because he'd been wanting to do it for a while. But her voice was genuine and her gaze was filled with sincerity. And it was in that brief second that he saw another life, a life where his chest didn't feel tight when he saw Katniss with someone else. He saw a life with a girl who was soft and who knew him better than he knew himself, that would be willing to wait and willing to listen. Gale saw a life that he so desperately craved, all reflected in her eyes.
So he kissed her.
It was almost magnetic. He bent down under a force that he couldn't control and lightly pressed his lips to hers. Gale heard her gasp against his mouth and it only furthered his sudden desire to kiss her that he stepped even closer, needing to deepen what was happening. But she tilted away, turning her head and lifting her hand to her mouth.
"Gale…" she whispered. Madge shook her head and wiped at her lips as though he had tainted her. Suddenly his hands were burning, he took a step backwards and licked his lips, trying to recover any taste of her that he could. But it was too quick for anything to remain other than a gentle warmness. "I should go."
Madge was at least twenty feet away when he came to his senses. "Wait," he croaked. She paused before turning to look over her shoulder at him. "I'm sorry," Gale said loudly.
She forced a polite smile, but there was something on her face that made him feel broken. "Me too," she admitted. Madge turned away and left him in the meadow, wishing he had admitted to needing someone to sit with him.