Disclaimer: All stories are individuals of themselves and are unrelated to each other.
Gale wasn't really sure when Madge Undersee started sleeping on his family's couch in their compartment in District 13. She'd been assigned to the singles dormitory, along with a large amount of people from 12 that survived the bombings, and they didn't seem to suit her.
The first time he walked into his compartment after a late night in Command he jumped at the sight of Madge curled up on the couch. She sat up in alarm and he held his hands out to ease her startling.
"Just me," he murmured. Madge rubbed at her eyes and nods. "What're you doing here?"
"Your mom said I could," Madge told him. Gale furrowed his eyebrows in confusion but nodded before running off to his own room, leaving her to sleep on the couch.
In the days following he found out his mother insisted Madge stay over instead of going to the dorms. She'd even offered up her own bed but Madge was apparently grateful enough just to be in a compartment of people she knew and settled with the couch. So Gale got into the habit of sneaking in quietly, making sure not to slam the door and being sure to tiptoe past her as she slumbered.
It became a normal thing. She started sitting with them for dinner, smiling at him even when he didn't always return it, braiding Posy's hair, little things that made her present. Gale didn't mind. In fact, he liked the way she sounded when she told Vick bedtime stories, he found himself lost in the way she looked as she concentrated on something — her bottom lip pulled between her teeth in frustration. Madge became a constant, and it wasn't the worst thing to happen. But never once did he expect her, in the weeks following, to knock on his door late at night.
He sat up when he heard the quiet knocking and then moments later Madge was peering in, her eyes wide and her lips parted. "Gale?" she called into the darkness and he shifted, grunting quietly in response. "Did I wake you?"
"It's fine," he murmured. "Come in." Madge stepped into the room and shut the door behind her with click. "You okay?" She was quiet for a moment. "Madge?"
"I shouldn't have come in," she said quickly. "I'm sorry. I'll—"
"Bad dream?" he cut her off. Madge rested her head backwards against the door and sighed. He sat up a little more and squinted, trying to find her silhouette. Gale wasn't sure if was because of how tired he was or something else, but eventually he cleared his throat. "C'mere."
"Gale—"
"C'mere, Undersee." He heard her move, and then soon she was beside him in his bed. It was natural the way he draped his arm around her waist, pulling her body against his. Her forehead pressed against his chest and she let out a shaky breath. "Get some sleep," he whispered. He felt her nod and exhale again, and his hand started tracing patterns on the small of her back, and then he, too, was asleep.
In the morning she was gone, the only reminder left that Madge had crawled into bed with him was the way her side of the mattress was indented and the smell of her shampoo that lingered. He scrubbed at his face and climbed out of bed before getting dressed quickly and striding into the living room. Madge was awake, and she looked at him only briefly before returning her attention to braiding Posy's hair.
And they didn't speak of the night before.
They were still friendly with one another, of course, and after one night Gale found himself around her more often than not. His hand would find the small of her back as he ushered her to their table in the cafeteria, his gaze would follow her as she moved from place to place, he laughed one night as she teased Rory about a girl in his class having a crush on him. But they still didn't speak of it, and Gale never thought they'd have to.
But another night, maybe two and a half weeks later, there was a gentle knock on his door again. Unlike last time he wasn't startled awake. He, too, had just woken from a bad dream. It was the whipping. The pain. The first crack woke him up and left him staring at the ceiling.
"Gale?" her voice was soft.
"Come in." She shut the door behind her and before she could ask Gale told her, "You didn't wake me." Still, she lingered by the door. "You gonna stand there all night?" Madge padded over to his bed and Gale held open the covers, allowing her to slide in beside him. Her body was warm, her hair tickled his skin as she nestled into his side, and like last time he draped his arm across her waist. They were both quiet for a moment before he cleared his throat. "You want to talk about it?"
"It won't change anything," Madge murmured.
Gale sighed, knowing that feeling all too well. "It might make you feel better," he offered.
"It won't." He toyed with the ends of her hair and felt her breath get softer. "Do you?" Madge asked softly after some time. Gale stayed quiet. "Want to talk about it?"
He echoed her words from earlier. "It won't change anything." She nodded against his chest, and soon she fell asleep. Gale followed shortly.
This time when he woke she was still there, pressed against his chest with her forehead smooth in sleep. Her chest rose and fell gently and he watched her, missed the splash of freckles across her nose that came with being outside, wondered if she missed them too. Gale wasn't sure how long it was before she stirred, shifting against him and startling slightly when she realized he was awake.
"Sorry," she whispered sleepily, but Gale shook his head.
"I get it," he told her. He wishes he didn't, but he does. The need for human contact. The need to feel safe at night, when people are most vulnerable. "Anytime you need," Gale said, "just come in. You don't have to knock."
It became a weekly thing after that. Madge would slip into Gale's room in the middle of the night or in the very early morning, and he'd hold her close to him. More than once they woke up with their legs tangled together, or Gale's hand under the hem of her shirt with his palm spread out across her back, but neither of them minded much. Before either of them fell asleep they would talk. Soft whispers about this or that, their hesitance of District 13 or the way they missed the freedom of the sun, or even the coal-stained air of District 12. Gale found himself able to tell when she was about to fall asleep just by the tone of her voice, and it always made him smile. It was in the little moments he really got to know Madge Undersee.
It was nice. And some nights when she wouldn't come into his room he'd think about creeping out to the living room and waking her, asking Madge to join him in his bed. But he always stopped himself. He thought that she deserved the sleep.
Three days before he left for a trip to District 2 she climbed in beside him. It was different this time, her hands were shaking and her eyes were filled with tears. His brain went into overdrive, pulling her close and stroking her back. Gale murmured gently to her, it's okay, I'm here, it's okay, until she could breathe normally again. It took Madge a long time to stop hiccuping for air, and when she did she pulled back to look at him.
Even in the dim light he could make out the features of her face, and just before Gale asked what was wrong she leaned up and kissed him. It was quick and gentle, but warm. And almost immediately after he leaned down and pressed his lips back against hers. His hands slid up under her shirt and hers lifted to cup his cheeks before sliding back into his thick hair, both of them pulling each other closer.
Gale pressed Madge into the mattress, kissing her deeply, needing the feel of her mouth against his, and she moaned into his mouth. Soon her hands crept up his shirt and Gale broke away, burning kisses down her throat as head lolled against his pillows.
"We shouldn't," he murmured against her throat, yet continued nipping at her skin. Soon Madge pulled back too, breathing heavily but nodding in agreement. Gale lifted his hands to cup her cheeks. "I want to," he told her. "But I'm leaving soon."
Her eyebrows came together. "What? Where? For how long?"
"District 2. Not sure how long." Her face fell so he bent down, kissing her again. "Not forever," Gale said, and she nodded again. "You can sleep in here while I'm gone." Gale kissed her again, hoping to bring that small memory of Madge with him on his trip. But she pulled away. "What?"
Madge took a deep breath before a sad smile filled her face. "You're going for Katniss," she said.
"It isn't like that," he instantly replied.
Her hand traced up his chest. "It'll always be a little like that," she murmured. Gale opened his mouth to protest and she shook her head. "It's okay," Madge whispered. "It's okay." She pulled him down, kissing him another time despite the way his brow wrinkled in confusion. "Let's just go to sleep."
So Gale rolled off of her and pulled her close, and together they slept without another word.
She was gone in the morning.
Madge didn't send Gale off to District 2 with the rest of his family, though he kept his eyes out for her in the crowd. She never showed, and in the days following their kiss she'd stopped going to the Hawthorne's compartment altogether.
He wasn't sure if it was the anger or frustration from the situation that drove him to kiss Katniss while they were in 2, or if Madge was right and it would always be a little bit about how he felt for her, but it happened. And it was awful. It wasn't warm, like Madge's kiss. It wasn't a comfort. It left both he and Katniss discombobulated, upset it even happened. And he knew, after that kiss, that things wouldn't always be a little bit about Katniss or even at all.
At District 2 his thoughts strayed to Madge more than once. He craved the feel of her skin below his fingertips, the taste of her lips and tongue, reached for her in his sleep more than once only to remember no one was there.
And then the destruction of The Nut happened, the avalanche that killed so many, the retribution Gale thought he was seeking for what happened in District 12 only to realize his mistakes too late. People were dead by then, dead by his hand, and so quickly he was back in District 13 with shaking hands and empty eyes.
Gale's family treated him the same, Posy smiling and laughing and Rory and Vick teasing him, but there was something inside of Gale that he couldn't fight. His nights became sleepless, he spent much of his time staring at the ceiling in the dark and praying for exhaustion to overwhelm him. But when it did, when he finally drifted to sleep, he dreamed of The Nut and woke with a start. Gale dragged himself through the days, struggling to stay awake and too scared to sleep, wishing he could have one small victory.
But then one afternoon he saw her walking through the hall and instantly chased her down. "Madge!" Gale must've only been home for a week, maybe a week and a half. She stopped at the sound of her name and turned to him just in time for Gale to pull her into his arms. Madge startled at the contact but Gale was exhausted, weary, and he held her tight and close. "Where—I haven't seen you," he rasped.
Madge pulled away and smiled slightly. "I didn't know you were back." Gale made a face at her and her smile grew. "Okay," Madge admitted, "maybe I did."
"Ma said you've been staying in the dorms again," Gale said, and she nodded. "I told you that you could sleep in my bed."
Her nose wrinkled and she shook her head. "I thought it would be best if I started learning to sleep on my own again." Her eyes studied his face, the scars that were healing from the battle, the bags that hung under his eyes. "I'm glad you're okay," she told him. Gale nodded and opened his mouth to say something, but stopped. He just watched her for a moment before she finally pulled her gaze away from him. "I should go," she said.
"Wait," he stopped her. Gale's voice struggled to match his thoughts but he needed to say it, though it took a moment. Madge stood there, waiting for him to speak, before he cleared his throat. "Can you come tonight?" he asked. Madge looked away from him but he kept her close. "Madge, I-"
"It's not a good idea, Gale," she whispered.
He opened and closed his mouth a few times. "I can't sleep," Gale finally said. I need you, he thought. I need you there. Please. Madge, please. She stared at him with sad eyes as he silently pleaded with her. But it didn't look like she was going to cave, and Gale couldn't stand to look small in front of her. "Never mind," he forced out. "I'll-"
"Sure," she nodded. "I'll come." Relief flooded through him and Madge grabbed his hand, squeezing once. "I'll see you tonight," she said, and Gale smiled.
And she was there that night as promised, laughing with his siblings and talking with his mom about something that must've happened while he was away. And Gale watched her, keeping his jaw locked as not to give anything away. Hazelle put the kids to bed first and then went a little after, and soon enough Madge stood and offered her hand to Gale who accepted. She pulled him from the couch and he followed her to his room. Gale climbed into bed first, and the climbed in after, nuzzling into his side just like before.
With her by his side Gale felt the buzzing under his skin disappearing. He sighed and pulled her close with a deep sigh. "I missed this," he found himself admitting.
"I missed you," she whispered back.
Gale looked down at her, and she looked up, and her lips curved into a smile. I missed you too, he thought. He said, "I kissed Katniss." Madge blinked a few times before looking away from him. "But I wanted her to be you," he followed up with. Madge pulled her bottom lip between her teeth and refused to look up. "Because I like you," Gale continued. "And I need you to know that."
"Gale..."
"I just needed you to know," he murmured. He brushed thumb over her hip. After a long time he told her, "We don't have to talk about it." Madge nodded into his chest. He wished more than anything that she wanted to talk about it.
Soon enough they fell asleep together. Gale thought he might've been able to make it through the night with Madge by his side but soon he woke, sweating and shaking and struggling to breath. She sat up too, and then her hands were cupping his cheeks, her mouth moving despite the fact that he couldn't hear her. And then her lips pressed to his chin, his cheek, his forehead, over and over, and soon her words filtered into his brain.
"I'm here. Gale, I'm here." Soon her legs were around his hips and he pulled her close, burying his face into her neck. "I'm here," Madge whispered, toying with the ends of his hair. He tried to match his breathing to hers. "I'm right here," she murmured.
Gale was still shaking but she didn't move. She let him hold her for as long as he needed to. When he peeled away he pressed his forehead to hers and Madge cupped his cheeks.
"I'm sorry," he rasped, but she shook her head. Like last time, she was the one to kiss him. Gale melted into her and kissed her back. It wasn't as needy as last time, but somehow much more intimate. Her thumbs stroked his cheeks, his nose traced down hers. Soon they parted and a sweet smile filled her face.
They went back to sleep soon after, tucked against one another. Gale didn't wake up again that night, and in the morning he peppered kisses down her throat.
He still has nightmares some nights, but not as often as he used to. Being in the Capitol with the Star Squad was difficult for him, but after the war ended and he returned to Madge she was always there to comfort him when he woke. He would hold her too on the nights she had her nightmares, and the nights she didn't, and every morning they would wake up tangled together.
It got easier with every passing night every night. For both of them, because they head each other.