Disclaimer: All stories are individuals of themselves and are unrelated to each other.
Madge wasn't a big fan of weddings. Past that, she wasn't a fan of winter weddings. Winter was her favorite season, all soft and light and cold and gave her an excuse to stay in. But winter weddings were hard to dress for, and weddings in general just reminded her how freaking alone she was.
From Gale - 7:05 PM
You're going to Thom and Delly's wedding, right?
From Madge - 7:06 PM
Yeah. You?
From Gale - 7:06 PM
Best man. No choice.
Gale Hawthorne, it turned out, wasn't a big fan of weddings either.
Thankfully they'd gotten through their high school rivalry. College seemed to help them sort out their problems. Gale understood she wasn't a stuck-up bitch, and Madge realized he wasn't an asshole for no reason. These days they had a pretty easy-going friendship that mostly involved drinks once every few weeks to catch up.
But when it came to weddings, they completely understood each other. They'd gone to at least four weddings together (about to be five when they watched their close friends from home get hitched) and spent their time getting drunk and talking about their lives. Every now and then they'd laugh at the teary speeches or the crazy outfits some older people were wearing. Together it was never all that bad.
From Madge - 7:15 PM
Pick me up at 6?
From Gale - 7:15 PM
Sure. See you tomorrow.
When Gale arrived in his truck, Madge was outside shivering. She didn't have any long dresses to cover her legs and the ground was covered with snow, so she wobbled on her heels and shivered into her coat until he pulled up.
Gale rolled his window down when he pulled up to the curb. "I'm looking for an Undersee?" he called out. "I can't find anyone but Jack Frost–"
"Shut up," she cut him off, opening his door and climbing into the passenger seat, ignoring his laughter.
"Your nose is blue," he said, his smile still wide.
"I said shut up," Madge repeated, nearly slamming the door shut. "It's too cold to exist outside of my apartment." Gale reached forward as she buckled so he could turn the heat up, and she smiled gratefully at him. "Any special best man duties?"
"I'll slip off and find Thom when we get there," Gale told her, pulling away from the curb. "Gotta walk with Delly's cousin–she's kind of clumsy. But everything else is mostly taken care of." Gale sighed loudly. "Give a speech."
"Oh, yes," Madge said, laughing. "Perfect. I'll make notes so we can discuss later." Gale rolled his eyes at her but was smiling, and they fell into easy back and forth as he drove. "I'm happy for them," Madge told him as they got closer to the church. The truck was nice and toasty now and Madge was not looking forward to climbing out to enter the tundra so she could get inside again. "But winter? Really?"
"It's got a nice color scheme," Gale said. "You basically match the bridesmaids." Madge frowned, looking down at herself. She was wearing one of her favorite blue dresses. "Theirs are lighter, though. Pale blue." Gale's eyes flickered to her dress before looking at the road again. "Not like that."
For some reason the way his voice was deep made her chest feel warm. She shuffled around in her coat to distract herself. "Like your tie?" she asked.
Gale nodded, using one hand to pull it out and show her. "Mm." He looked over again before directing his gaze. "Do you hate marriage in general?" Gale asked, his voice almost too casual. "Like, are you planning to never get married?"
"That's–no, I mean," Madge huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "I like the idea of it. But every time I don't catch the bouquet everyone's like oh, poor Madge, and I just–I hate it." Madge frowned. "I want to get married one day." She nearly rolled her eyes. "Eventually."
"You hate being reminded that you're single, is what you're saying," Gale said. Madge wrinkled her nose, not responding. Gale pulled into a parking spot at the church. "I'll see you at the reception," he said quietly, and she nodded before climbing out of his truck.
"Give Thom my best," Madge said before starting off for the church.
Madge sat with Katniss and Peeta (who were dating) during the actual ceremony, and Madge had to be honest - it was beautiful. The entire church was decorated to look as though it was a snowy scene. Silver tinsel was everywhere and large glittery snowflakes hung from the walls and the ceiling.
Delly looked stunning and a row of four girls who all looked like her - her cousins - stood behind her crying. Gale looked handsome up front too but Madge tried not to focus on that too much. He caught her eye once and winked and she felt her face go warm again.
"Here with Gale again, then?" Peeta whispered, obviously catching the gesture.
"It's basically tradition at this point," Madge murmured.
"Sure." Madge looked over at Peeta - there was something in his voice that sounded suspicious. "Pay attention," Peeta scolded her playfully.
Madge huffed before looking back up at the front of the church. Gale was looking at her again. She quickly looked toward Delly instead.
All of the tables in the reception hall had name tags and Madge was relieved to see both Katniss and Peeta at the table with her and Gale. Instead of seating by wedding party they seemed to do it by friend groups. Annie and Finnick were at the table too, and so was Johanna and her plus one (a handsome redhead named Darius).
"This is so beautiful," Madge said as she reached the table, looking around the room. Much like the church it was decorated to look like a winter wonderland, perfectly done so it wasn't too cheesy or childish. It was simple and perfect and reminded Madge part of the reason why winter was lovely. "Fits Delly perfectly."
"You should've seen the set-up," Gale said, emerging from nowhere. He arrived in time to pull Madge's chair out for her. She smiled politely and he smiled back. "Delly's not a bridezilla or anything, but she was gnawing her fingernails completely off."
"Doesn't surprise me," Peeta said with a grin. "Wait till you see the cake," he told them as he settled. "It's probably some of my best work yet."
"Ooh, what flavor?" Annie asked brightly. "I always like the ones that taste like magic."
While Annie and Peeta discussed the cake, Madge turned back to Gale. She tugged on his tie and compared it to her dress with a little wrinkle of her nose. "Your color's nicer," Gale murmured. "Looks better on you, anyway. Than this one would."
"Hm," she hummed. "Whens your speech?"
Gale swat her hand away from his tie. "Later."
"Should I videotape it?"
"I'm sure Delly's mom will already be doing that," Gale murmured, nudging her with his elbow. "You can't punish me for being the best, best man."
"No, but I can tease you."
Gale scoffed, but there was a smile on his face again.
One of things Madge did like about weddings, of course, was the open bar. Rosé was her favorite and they had plenty of it behind the counter. When she sauntered up to get her glass refilled for the third time the handsome bartender smiled at her.
"Rosé again?" he asked.
"Please," Madge hummed. She tapped her fingers on the counter to the music they were playing, something upbeat and fun a whole bunch of people were dancing to. Soon Gale was there too, leaning against the counter with a small smile. "What?" she asked.
"You're not allowed to get drunk," he said.
Madge frowned instantly. "And why not?" she asked. That's the only way she can get through weddings! Completely wasted!
"Because I'm not allowed to get drunk," Gale said. He started counting off on his fingers. "I'm best man, so I have to give a speech and make sure things are running well, I have to dance with Delly at some point, I have to drive us home…" he trailed off as Madge huffed, accepting the drink from the bartender. "Date rules. If I can't get drunk then neither can you."
"Get tipsy then," she said, lifting her cup with a smile.
Gale pulled it from her hands before it could reach her own lips and downed the wine in four large glugs. Madge scoffed and Gale smiled, passing the cup back to the bartender. "Dance with me," Gale said.
"Do you want a refill?" the bartender asked, but Madge couldn't pull her gaze from Gale. His eyes were light and the smile on his face with stupidly adorable.
He extended his hand to her and finally she caved, accepting his hand as he led her to the dance floor.
All throughout Gale's speech, Madge watched him with a smile. He stood at the front of the room, ranting and raving about Thom and his relationship with Delly and how it was about time. He knew the perfect balance of funny and playful to go with the serious care he had for his best friend.
Madge was gnawing on her bottom lip to stop herself from grinning. The words flowed so naturally from Gale. "It's insane," he was saying. "I've known this idiot since we were kids and now he's getting married? It's going to be infinitely awkward when I have to crash ontheir couch now instead of just his couch. I'll wake up to Delly cooking pancakes and looking worried, or something." She couldn't stop smiling.
Normally she would make fun of the speeches people gave. It was kind of mean, she guessed, but they were normally cheesy and awful. Not Gale's though. It was sincere, it came from his heart.
"Whatever," Gale finished. "I love you, man. Congratulations."
Madge lifted her glass to her lips as Gale and the rest of the room did the same. From her side Peeta nudged her. "You sure you two aren't dating yet?" Peeta asked.
Madge frowned at him. "Excuse me?"
"You're making heart eyes at him."
"Am not."
"You are," Peeta insisted with a smile. He turned to watch Gale cross the room to Delly and Thom's small table in the front where they both stood to hug him. "If you get together by New Years I get like fifty bucks," Peeta said offhandedly. "People have been making bets since you two showed up to Leevy's wedding together."
Madge scoffed loudly. "That's not happening! We're just wedding dates! It's been–we always do this."
"Okay, sure," Peeta said, still smiling. "But you're also looking at him with heart eyes."
Madge frowned again, lowering her cup to the table and crossing her arms over her chest. She wasn't. Was she? Gale was handsome, that was never a secret. And their wedding dates were always fun. But it always went back to normal after that - drinks every few weeks to catch up.
She wasn't sure what to say. Instead she lifted her cup and took another big drink.
When they called for the tossing of the bouquet, Madge was going to sit it out. "They say the lucky lady to catch the bouquet is going to be the next one married!" the DJ called out. And Madge had no plans on getting married any time soon. So unlike the past few weddings she'd been to, she stayed in her seat.
But today Johanna kicked her chair hard and Annie looked pleadingly at her, so Madge sighed loudly and made her way out onto the dance floor where everyone was lining up. She hadn't really tried to catch the bouquet for years, though she did often just go up and stand, so she was shocked when she felt her heart pick up speed ever so slightly.
And then Delly was counting one, two, three, and the flowers were in the air. And then they were in Madge's hands. Annie was cheering beside her (though she hadn't attempted to catch the flowers at all) and Johanna looked like she was in disbelief and all of Delly's cousins looked angry. Madge was confused as to how it happened so quickly.
"Congrats!" Delly cheered, running over to her friend and wrapping her in a tight hug. "Are you having fun?" Delly asked as she swung her arm over Madge's shoulder, and she nodded. "Good! I saw you're here with Gale again."
"Not you too," Madge huffed.
"Hey, I have money on it. And we could use some extra money for the honeymoon…"
Madge couldn't help but laugh at her friend, and she was thankful it wasn't brought back up. She allowed Madge to go back to her seat and she passed around the flowers so everyone could sniff them.
"You know," Finnick was saying to Annie, "that they only told the single girls to go up?"
Annie leaned forward to kiss Finnick's nose. "It's just a silly little game," she said to her boyfriend. Finnick kissed her really after that and Madge rolled her eyes.
Peeta looked red. It was as though he was bursting with something he wanted to say but couldn't. He looked red and smug and like he was constantly on the verge of laughing. "How many weddings have you been to?" he finally asked Madge.
"Uh, a few?"
"Don't they normally play any games with the bouquet catcher?" he asked. He knew something.
"No?"
Before Peeta could elaborate the music was changing again and the DJ was calling Delly and Thom to the front. It was time for the removal of the garter. Soon a loud dirty song was playing and all of Delly's and Thom's aunts and uncles were hooting.
"The removal of the garter," the DJ was saying, "is reserved for our groom! Ow, ow!" Thom looked cheeky as he hitched Delly's dress up, removing her garter with his teeth. Gale was whistling loudly from Madge's side with a look of pride and unreleased laughter on his face. "You get it, Thom!"
Soon the garter was off of Delly's leg and Thom had it in his hand. Delly was a little pink but she stood and bowed gracefully before pressing a kiss to Thom's cheek and making her way back to their small table in the corner.
Soon the DJ was calling up the single men, and Katniss was pushing Peeta to go even though they were together. "Oh, come on," Katniss said with a laugh. "Gale's going!"
"Gale should go," Peeta said. He was absolutely red now and had lifted his hand to cover his face. "Oh, Jesus."
"Again," the DJ announced, "it's been traditionally believed that whoever catches the garter is the next to be married! And–off it goes!" The garter flew through the air, shot like a slingshot, basically right into Gale's grasp. "Our lucky lad, everyone!"
Again there was cheering as everyone started leaving the floor again. Gale looked a little flushed, but it might've been because he just had another drink to maintain that level of tipsy he and Madge had been staying on. He grinned but looked confused as Thom grabbed one of Gale's beltloops, murmuring something to him that kept him up front.
Peeta was laughing into his hands now. "What's so funny?" Johanna pressed, but Peeta just kept shaking his head.
"Can we have our fabulous bouquet catcher up here again?" the DJ called. Almost at once both Katniss and Annie slapped their hands to cover their mouths.
"No," Katniss gasped. Peeta nodded, still laughing.
"Oh, God," Johanna said, as though she knew too. "Get up there, Princess," she teased with a wicked smile that made Madge nervous.
Delly was waving Madge to the front of the room and hesitantly she got to her feet, marching out to join her friend. "Take a seat, Babe," Delly said cheerily, motioning to the cold metal fold-up chair they'd just pulled out for her to sit on. Gale was looking just as confused, though he was smiling nervously.
"Now," the DJ said, "it's time for the lucky lad who caught the garter, to put it on our lucky lady who caught the bouquet!" Cheers radiated from everywhere and Madge felt her jaw drop. She looked to Gale who seemed to have lit up at this news, and she couldn't help but laugh. "You know the tradition," the DJ said into the speaker. Gale walked across the room to Madge, his smile fading with every step as a more intense look came upon his face, before crouching in front of Madge.
"I had no idea," Gale murmured.
"Makes two of us," Madge returned quietly.
Gale licked his lips and Madge watched the motion with a butterfly in her chest. "The higher the garter," the DJ called out, "the longer the marriage of our beautiful new bride and groom!"
Madge tugged her dress up just a little higher up her thigh than where it was resting. The DJ and the other groomsmen broke into cheers and whistles. A wolfish grin broke across Gale's face again but his eyes were still dark and intense.
"We can't let their marriage fail because of us," Madge murmured. In other words, make sure you get it up high on my leg. Gale licked his lips again as he understood this.
The DJ put on the song and the cheering began. Madge parted her legs slightly so Gale had better access, and then he was teasing the garter up her leg slowly. Gale only looked away a few times to make sure he was moving the garter at an even pace, but other than that his eyes were locked with Madge's. When he reached right above her knee Madge tugged her dress back even more. It looked like he was biting the inside of his cheek when he smirked, following her request of putting the garter even higher.
When it had reached the highest he could go his fingertips brushed the inside of her thigh lightly and Madge's eyes fluttered a few times as she got distracted by the sensation. And then it was done, and everyone was cheering.
Soon Gale was on his feet and offering his hand to Madge, and together they bowed. Gale went to go back to his seat as everyone clapped but Madge felt hot. She needed to step away for a moment. Her chest was burning and there was something… an indescribable itch all of a sudden that she couldn't quite fight.
Instead of following Gale to their table she veered to the right, out of the hot reception room where the DJ had just put on a new song and was calling people up to dance, into the hallway to get some air. She was only out there for a moment before the doors pushed open again and Gale was standing there, his eyes dark again.
He was silent as he watched her, and she was silent as she looked at him. Gale licked his lips another time.
"You look really good in that color," he forced out, his voice low and warm.
Madge stood up a little straighter. You look good in any color she wanted to counter, but her voice was gone and she couldn't get the words out.
At once he strode over to her, cupping her cheeks before fiercely bending down to kiss her. Madge groaned, clutching his shirt and stumbling in her heels at the force of him, needing Gale closer, needing to feel every inch of him. His mouth tasted like wine and his lips were needy and sweet, moving in time with hers as though they'd done it a thousand times before.
"Wait," Madge suddenly rasped. She struggled to pull back from him, her chest heaving for air. Gale's eyes were dark still, his hair was rumpled from her running her hands through it. His hands had moved from her cheeks to her waist, tugging her closer so their hips were together. "I don't want to be a wedding hook up," she breathed.
His nose bumped hers. That same wolfish smile from earlier stretched across his face. "Me neither," Gale murmured. He reached up, brushing some of her golden hair from her face. "Not for a while." Her hands crept up his white dress shirt to cradle his cheeks. Gale leaned in to kiss her softly. "You're not drunk," he whispered. "Right?"
"Right," she whispered back. Madge closed her eyes and pulled him closer, tasting him again. Soon she felt her back against a wall and Gale forced himself away, breathless again. But he wasn't away for long before he leaned in, suckling sweet kisses across her throat. Madge propped her head back against the wall and let him work, wanting to say something but not entirely sure what. "Do you think they planned that?" she finally breathed.
Gale chuckled against her collarbone. "I don't think so. Maybe."
"Peeta says he has money on us getting together. Delly, too." He looked up from her neck. "Did you know?"
"No," he said, shaking his head. They held gazes for a moment before their lips met again and Gale was groaning this time, into her mouth, as she tangled her fingers into his thick hair. "Fuck," he breathed as they parted. "We're a cliche," Gale said with a grin.
Madge tipped her chin back so their lips met before nibbling on his bottom lip. She didn't want to talk about it anymore. She wanted to kiss him. God, she wanted to never stop kissing him.
"Let's leave," she murmured.
Gale laughed, the sound of it making her feel entirely too warm for it to be winter and freezing outside. "I'm the best man," he reminded her. "I can't do that." Dawning crossed his face. "Shit, I'm the best man," he said. "I have to go back in." Madge wrinkled her nose and Gale snatched another kiss. "You're still my date," he teased. "We have the whole night."
He kissed her one last time before entering the reception area again, his lips swollen and his hair a mess. Madge waited a few moments before following with a smile of her own.
The rest of the night people looked at them suspiciously, but the two of them were good at keeping their hands (mostly) to themselves. (No one was looking under the table anyway, who cared if his hand was on her knee!)
And when the night finally came to a close they wished the happy couple well before darting to Gale's truck and getting the hell out of there as fast as they could.
When they pulled up to Madge's apartment, parked along the curb, Gale'd barely killed the ignition when Madge swung her leg up and over his hip. Gale moaned as she rocked against him and then they were kissing again, hands tangled in hair and lips warm and sweet upon one another's.
"It's going to get cold," Gale finally murmured. "We should go inside, if you want. I know you hate the cold."
"And I hate weddings," she added breathlessly.
"Not this one," Gale said.
Madge peeled back with a sweet smile. "Not this one," she agreed.