Disclaimer: All stories are individuals of themselves and are unrelated to each other.
It's been a few years since either of them been home, which isn't great, but they've decided that it's about time. Instead of staying at Gale's mother's house they're staying at a motel in the middle of their small town, run by a woman named Sae.
For the fifteenth time Gale hesitates, sitting back down on the motel bed as Madge applies her makeup in the nearby mirror. "Will you stop?" she scolds him, watching as he readjusts his tie another time. "We're going, Gale."
"I know," he murmurs. "But it's been–it's just been so long." She looks at him in the mirror and he's staring at the ground. "We never told them," he finally says.
Madge sighs, turning to face him. "I know," she whispers back. "But we–we should. They're our friends." Gale lifts his gaze to her and he looks sad. "They should know that we're married."
Gale stands at once, striding the few steps to her and cupping her cheeks gently. He kisses her and she smiles when he pulls back. "It's not that I don't want them to know," Gale whispers. "I'm just not ready for the questions. And I kind of like having our own little secret."
Gale and Madge reconnected in a small city in southern California. It was chance that they ran into each other after moving far from their home in Delaware, but somehow it worked. And somehow, they worked.
And they were both so busy all the time that dating didn't seem practical - and then when it did, big weddings didn't seem practical. So they told their parents and got hitched at a courthouse and only told their friends out there. Neither of them were online enough to make a big deal out of changing their profile.
They'd just… sort of neglected telling their friends back home.
Madge talked to Peeta maybe once every three months, and Gale to Katniss all the same, and their other friends even less, so it wasn't a pressing matter. But now that they're both back home for Christmas, and Delly's invited them both, separately, to a small get together of old high school friends, they figure now's a good a time as any.
"I know," Madge whispers back. "Me too."
Gale smiles sweetly, bending to kiss her again before letting her finish with her makeup.
When they walk into Delly's living room hand in hand, they definitely get some strange looks. Katniss and Peeta are there, so is Finnick and Annie and Thom and Leevy and Bristel and Johanna, but no one says a thing. They greet everyone with hugs, listen to the haven't seen you in forever!s, and finally sat down in one of the empty spots on the couch.
Conversation is thankfully easy and makes Gale less nervous. Also Madge's hand on his knee is helping.
"Didn't you two hate each other?" Finnick finally blurts out about half an hour into it. Everyone spins to look at Madge and Gale who have since tangled their hands together gently, Gale rubbing his thumb over hers. "And now Madge is–ring. Are you two married?"
Gale and Madge exchange a little glance before Madge admits, "Yes."
Peeta sits up straight and Thom arches one of his dark eyebrows, waiting for elaboration. "What?" Katniss asks. "No you're not."
"We got married last month," Gale says in a surprisingly even voice.
"Shit," Johanna mutters.
Peeta nearly leaps to his feet. "And you didn't tell anyone?" he demands. He looks around the room. "You didn't tell any of us?" No one makes a move to say they knew, in fact all of them look aghast and shocked. "You got married," Peeta says again.
"We both work busy jobs," Madge says, trying to salvage this slightly. "It just kind of happened. We have a few pictures but nothing extreme. Our parents know. It's not like anything's different."
"But it is," Delly blurts. She has tears in her eyes. "It is different, Madge, you two are married now. And you didn't tell any of us."
"Because it's not that big of a deal," Madge tries again. "I'm still Madge, he's still Gale," she says, gesturing to her husband. "Now we just live together and wear rings." And other stuff, but she's not about to admit that at the Christmas party. They can probably figure it out on their own.
"I just can't believe you didn't tell us," Delly cries again, leaping to her feet and swatting at her eyes before darting down a back hallway.
Thom stood at once with a loud sigh, his dark eyes narrowed in their direction. "I'll talk to her," he mutters. "She is my girlfriend after all." The poison in his voice makes Madge look away and she can feel Gale tense up beside her.
"Thom," Gale nearly snaps. But then he's gone, down the hallway off to find Delly. The mood in the room has turned sour almost immediately and Gale regrets coming more than ever. "Alright," he turns to their friends. "What do you want to know?"
"How long were you together beforehand?" Peeta asks at once.
"Two years," Madge answers. "At first we weren't sure about it, so we didn't tell anyone. And then we just got used to it and–"
"Two years," Katniss repeats with a dark look on her face. "And neither of you evenmentioned…"
"It was tentative in the beginning," Gale says. "We didn't think it would last. And then when it did we just–it was past the tell everyone stage. It's not like we were keeping it a secret."
"No, that's exactly what you were doing," Thom says, having reemerged from the back hallway. "How fucking difficult would it have been to pick up the phone and send someone a text?"
Much like Thom had stood and stormed away, Madge stands quickly and exits the room. Her chest feels too tight, she feels like she can't breathe. Why is everyone so angry? She figured there'd be a little bit of tension and confusion but she never figured they'd be so mad. She swats away tears as she enters the kitchen just trying to distract herself.
In the kitchen there're an assortment of snacks. Madge looks around for a bit before finding a candy cane and snapping it in half, wishing it made her feel better. But it doesn't. Her friends are right. They should've let them know.
Just a few minutes pass before she feels hands sliding around her waist. Gale's scent fills her nose and she sniffs, trying not to cry anymore. "Thom wasn't snapping at you," Gale says gently. "He was snapping at me." Madge shrugs halfheartedly. That doesn't mean other people aren't upset with her. "Come on," Gale whispers, dipping down so his mouth is by her ear. "We knew they'd be mad."
"I know," she whispers back. He kisses her neck gently. "I just didn't think this mad, you know?" Gale shrugs as though he'd anticipated it.
"They're just confused," he tells her. "We did hate each other last time we were all together," Gale reminds her. Madge turns then and he's so close that their noses brush. "What?" he asks.
"I never hated you," Madge murmurs. Gale grins. He never hated her either. He dips down and kisses her gently, reminds Madge without words that through everything they're still together. That their friends will get over it. "You go first," she whispers when they part. "Just gimme a minute."
Gale nods before kissing her another time and slipping back into the living room. When Madge returns to join them Delly's back, though she doesn't look any less upset. When Madge settles back down beside Gale she coughs to clear her throat and then asks, "Are you two happy?"
Madge smiles, nodding ever so slightly. "Yeah, Dell," she says. "Really happy."
Delly sniffles. "You should've told us."
"I know," Madge says.
"Well I'm over this conversation," Johanna mutters loudly. "I thought they'd get together while we were still in high school."
"I totally thought so too," Finnick chimes from across the room, pointing at Jo with a grin. "I thought they were hooking up behind our backs!"
"Ew," Katniss wrinkles her nose. "Really?"
Peeta shrugs a little. "Okay, I had my thoughts at times too."
"Well Gale was into her since we were kids," Thom says from his spot in the doorway with his arms crossed over his chest. "I'm not really all that surprised."
"Oh, fuck off," Gale says, though a smile lights up his face.
Their group of friends slips back into easy conversation. Halfway through the night Annie hugs Madge fiercely and whispers a congratulations to her. Katniss even pulls her aside, albeit a bit awkwardly, and asks to make sure things are okay.
"He was my best friend," she says. "For a long time."
"I know," Madge says. "And now he's mine."
Katniss smiles at that, also hugging Madge before marching off to Gale again. Sooner or later Peeta apologizes for being snappy but still agrees they should have said something, and finally Delly materializes at Madge's side.
"Was I not important enough?" she asks. "To even get an invite?"
"No one got an invite, Dell," Madge says with a little shrug. "Gale works crazy hours at his architecture firm, my hours are always up in the air at the hospital." She fishes into her back pocket and pulls out her phone. "I found my dress at a thrift shop," she says, "and the only reason I dressed up is because when we told Hazelle–Gale's mom–she insisted we take some pictures if she couldn't be there."
Madge passes over her phone to her longtime friend and Delly tears up again. "You look beautiful," Delly whispers, looking at the photos they took. "You look really happy."
"Our honeymoon was a weekend long where we just didn't leave our apartment," Madge says. "We're not… extravagant. We didn't want the fuss." Madge reaches over and grabs Delly's hands. "But if I did have a big wedding, and if we had planned something extravagant–Delly, of course you would've been invited. You probably would've been a bridesmaid."
Delly blinks hard, smiling harder. "Really?"
"Don't be stupid," Madge says, nudging her. "Of course, really."
Delly hands her back her phone and Madge pockets it again. "I'm sorry I ran off," Delly says. "It was just–I don't know, it surprised me."
"Surprised me too," Madge admits. "Five years ago if you'd told me I'd be married to Gale Hawthorne? Yeah freaking right." Delly laughs a little and Madge feels infinitely better. "I'm sorry," she finally says. Really, truly, that she hadn't told her high school friends.
"It's okay," Delly says. "But you were right – I mean, it's not like anything's really different."
From across the room Gale watches Madge pulling Delly into a hug and a smile graces his face. He lifts his eggnog to his lips as Thom elbows him gently, making a face.
"You love her," he sing-songs.
Gale rolls his eyes, licking his lips after lowering the mug. "I mean, she is my wife." Thom laughs and shakes his head, and Gale smiles too. "I am sorry we didn't tell you."
"Me too. I could've thrown you the best bachelor party ever."
Gale throws his head back in a laugh. "I've changed my mind. I'm glad we didn't tell you. That party would've been a shit show." Thom laughs too before swinging his arm up and over his friend's shoulder. "Thanks," he says gently. Thom shrugs.
"How is it? Being married?"
Gale smiles again, looking across the room to Madge and Delly still happily chatting about something. "The easiest thing," Gale murmurs.
Thom nods a few times before looking across at the two of them too. "I have a ring," Thom says. "For Delly. I just don't know when."
"Hey, congrats," Gale says. "You'll figure it out."
"Not so sure if you'll get an invite…" Thom murmurs, though his eyes are bright with mischief. The two of them laugh another time, and things all feel okay.
By the end of the night, no one's really teasing Gale and Madge about being married. Madge settles with her back against Gale's chest as Peeta and Delly sit on the piano stool and singBaby it's Cold Outside.
Gale nibbles on her ear. "Could've gone worse," he whispers, wrapping his arms around her waist. Madge rests her hands atop his. "Yeah?"
"Yeah," she agrees. He kisses the side of her face with a smile. "But let's stay home next Christmas, okay?"
Gale laughs softly. "Deal."