“I don’t want to hear it, Undersee,” he said sharply, focusing instead on his siblings. Taking a deep breath, he forced himself to skate out onto the ice, glaring at Rory instead of Madge.
“What?” his brother asked, the picture of innocence.
“You should have told me,” Gale growled, not even bothering to hide his anger. Vick looked between the two of them, clearly confused and more than a little uncomfortable, before skating off to join the girls. Gale stared after him, annoyed but unable to fault the boy for it.
It only frustrated him more that Madge looked like she belonged there with Posy, that smile of hers coming so easily when the little girl was near. How had it come to this? How had a stranger, a townie, Madge Undersee, become more comfortable being around his family than Gale himself? It felt wrong on multiple levels. It felt like… almost like he’d been replaced, and it stung. It stung, because he knew he could never stay, and because he knew Madge was probably great with all of them.
“She’s really not that bad, Gale,” Rory insisted, voice quiet so the others won’t hear. “And Posy likes having an older sister.”
“She’s not our family,” he snapped, scowling at them. The expression only softened when the little girl glanced over, looking concerned. He could only offer her the barest smile and a half-hearted wave. But it still made her smile, and that was what mattered.
Madge glared at him when he snapped at her, briefly, but otherwise remained unphased. She wanted to have fun and forget everything... So she would do so with Posy, helping teach the girl how to spin on the ice.
She was vaguely aware of the eyes on her and the hushed conversation happening, but that was just like how it had been in school. She was used to that. She could ignore it expertly.
Posy, on the other hand, glanced over at Gale, looking concerned... which only made Madge concerned as well... Her brow furrowed and she frowned as she followed Posy's gaze, softening as Gale caught it and smiled at his sister. Guilt washed over her. It was selfish of her to come back and rely so much on someone else's family. Someone who she hadn't even gotten along with in the first place.
Feeling the tug at her hand, Madge realized she was still staring over at Gale sadly, lost in her own thoughts. Smiling brightly down at Posy once more, she held the girl's hand and twirled her. "Want me to show you more tricks?"
Posy’s answer was an emphatic yes, always ready to learn something new. His smile turned wistful as Madge twirled her, slowly fading as the two of them turned away again. The only things he wanted for his family were for them to be safe, fed, and happy. It’s all he could ever ask for. And they were, so Gale was happy for them, even if his own life in District Two could use a few improvements.
But the fact that they’d accepted Madge Undersee of all people - it made him uncomfortable, after the way he’d treated her before, and even moreso when upon realizing that they’d kept this from him for so long (how long, exactly, he had to wonder?).
It only reinforced the fact that he didn’t belong in District Twelve anymore.
“Posy likes her,” Gale commented to his brother. “And Vick.”
“I told you she’s not that bad,” Rory replied, teasing. “They’ve got good taste. Not sure if I can say the same for you.”
His brow furrowed. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means you should stop picking fights with her,” he said pointedly, staring at him with eyebrows raised. “You know, you might like her if you could stop hating her for two seconds. She’s a good person, Gale. You should try talking to her.”
“I did try talking to her, and look where that got us,” Gale retorted, shaking his head in frustration. Rory started to protect, only to be met with a sharp, “Enough.” Fortunately, the boy knew when to give up, and merely rolled his eyes before turning to skate with the girls and Vick and instead. Gale watched the four of them in silence, noting the dynamic between all of them.
They were having fun. It was almost like - like Madge was the older sister they’d never had. She filled the void he left behind when he couldn’t bear to stay in District Twelve for more than a few days at a time. She was a kind person at heart, that much he knew from Katniss and - well, simply seeing her out and about in town sometimes. If anyone had to join their family, Madge… Madge wasn’t a bad choice, as much as it hurt to admit. But what hurt most was that they hadn’t even bothered to tell him. Gale felt replaced, but what could he do? At least she was around for the kids. And as Rory said, they liked her.
Maybe it was time he left for good, then. They wouldn’t have to miss him for long with Madge around, and he knew their mother would be enjoying having another girl around the house. He didn’t have to like it, but it was for the best, he supposed.
He watched them for a little while longer, but eventually coasted for solid ground, stepping off the ice without a word. They'd be fine without him.
Madge was eager to ignore that she was being talked about, which was far easier when she was distracting herself by teaching Posy how to make figure eights in the ice, shaky though they may be. As she did so, she kept a close eye on Vick and helped him figure it out as well.
Shortly after Rory joined them, she looked up and glanced around for Gale, concerned that he wasn't with them... Only to see him walking away. She looked back at Rory, frowning when Vick and Posy weren't paying attention- too busy practicing their figure eights.
She doubted that going after him would make any of this better- they had a knack for only exploding at each other. But this was his family- she should be the one leaving, not him.
Rory saw her hesitate, and offered a soft smile and a nod. It said if she wanted to go, she should go. He may not be the eldest, but he was old enough to watch the kids for a while if Madge wanted to go after him.
Gale, for his part, paused a few steps out from the lake to sit and unlace the worn ice skates. They were the same ones his father had worn years ago, long before any of the Hawthorne children had known the lake was even here, but stayed confined to the town like good children. Their father had taught Gale to skate, and Rory to an extent - but he’d taught the others himself, their mother never having been a fan. Memories of those times swirl though his head as the laces loosen on his feet, letting in the cold and making him shiver as he reached for his winter boots.
Rory, Vick, and Posy didn’t need him for this, he kept telling himself. Even if Madge were to leave, Rory knew how to skate and would show the younger kids with only minimal teasing. He could go back to the district or not; it wouldn’t matter, in the end. There wasn’t a single place in District Twelve that didn’t still remind him of all the war had cost him. Once he had both boots on, he stood to leave, skates tied together by their laces and dangling from his fingertips as he turned away.
Madge was thankful for the assurance, for knowing that she could follow Gale and not leave them out of luck. Patting Rory on the shoulder, she mirrored his smile and made her way to back to the edge of the lake.
Gale was, of course, several steps ahead of her already, no matter how quickly her numb fingers worked on untying the laces. Pulling on her boots and getting up, she rushed after him.
"Gale," she called out as soon as she was close enough. "I'll leave, you don't have to."
At first, when he heard footsteps behind him, Gale thought it was Rory. Rory is usually the first to keep needling him, doing it deliberately as brothers often would, but hearing Madge call out to him made him pause and glance over his shoulder, frowning.
"Who said I want you leave?" he asked coolly, keeping his face as neutral as he could manage. "The lake is big enough for all four of you. Go back and skate, Undersee. That's why you came out here, isn't it?"
"But it's not big enough for the five of us, apparently," Madge retorted, keeping as cool of a demeanor as he was. Or at least she was attempting to. She was doing her best to keep her temper under check, but it was hard.
"They're your family, you deserve to spend time with them, not me. I can go skate somewhere else... or do something else."
“Who said I wanted to stay longer?” he snapped, stopping to frown at her. “I decided to leave. Am I not allowed to make that decision on my own, Undersee? Who said it had anything to do with you?”
It had everything to do with her, the secret his own family had kept from him, but Gale refused to admit it aloud. It didn’t matter, he kept telling himself - she didn’t matter.
She couldn’t, because if she did… Where did that leave him?
Shaking his head, Gale turned to leave again, walking back toward the town without another word.
Madge trailed off with a huff, narrowing her eyes at him now. She was trying to give him the chance to spend time with his family without a stranger, more or less, trying for the same. But then he was off without another word and she was left standing there, watching him leave.
"Fine."
She went back to the lake to let Rory know she was feeling under the weather suddenly and would be at Katniss and Peeta's if they needed her.... Then made her way there, eager to just forget about how ridiculous this all was.
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“What?” his brother asked, the picture of innocence.
“You should have told me,” Gale growled, not even bothering to hide his anger. Vick looked between the two of them, clearly confused and more than a little uncomfortable, before skating off to join the girls. Gale stared after him, annoyed but unable to fault the boy for it.
It only frustrated him more that Madge looked like she belonged there with Posy, that smile of hers coming so easily when the little girl was near. How had it come to this? How had a stranger, a townie, Madge Undersee, become more comfortable being around his family than Gale himself? It felt wrong on multiple levels. It felt like… almost like he’d been replaced, and it stung. It stung, because he knew he could never stay, and because he knew Madge was probably great with all of them.
“She’s really not that bad, Gale,” Rory insisted, voice quiet so the others won’t hear. “And Posy likes having an older sister.”
“She’s not our family,” he snapped, scowling at them. The expression only softened when the little girl glanced over, looking concerned. He could only offer her the barest smile and a half-hearted wave. But it still made her smile, and that was what mattered.
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She was vaguely aware of the eyes on her and the hushed conversation happening, but that was just like how it had been in school. She was used to that. She could ignore it expertly.
Posy, on the other hand, glanced over at Gale, looking concerned... which only made Madge concerned as well... Her brow furrowed and she frowned as she followed Posy's gaze, softening as Gale caught it and smiled at his sister. Guilt washed over her. It was selfish of her to come back and rely so much on someone else's family. Someone who she hadn't even gotten along with in the first place.
Feeling the tug at her hand, Madge realized she was still staring over at Gale sadly, lost in her own thoughts. Smiling brightly down at Posy once more, she held the girl's hand and twirled her. "Want me to show you more tricks?"
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But the fact that they’d accepted Madge Undersee of all people - it made him uncomfortable, after the way he’d treated her before, and even moreso when upon realizing that they’d kept this from him for so long (how long, exactly, he had to wonder?).
It only reinforced the fact that he didn’t belong in District Twelve anymore.
“Posy likes her,” Gale commented to his brother. “And Vick.”
“I told you she’s not that bad,” Rory replied, teasing. “They’ve got good taste. Not sure if I can say the same for you.”
His brow furrowed. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means you should stop picking fights with her,” he said pointedly, staring at him with eyebrows raised. “You know, you might like her if you could stop hating her for two seconds. She’s a good person, Gale. You should try talking to her.”
“I did try talking to her, and look where that got us,” Gale retorted, shaking his head in frustration. Rory started to protect, only to be met with a sharp, “Enough.” Fortunately, the boy knew when to give up, and merely rolled his eyes before turning to skate with the girls and Vick and instead. Gale watched the four of them in silence, noting the dynamic between all of them.
They were having fun. It was almost like - like Madge was the older sister they’d never had. She filled the void he left behind when he couldn’t bear to stay in District Twelve for more than a few days at a time. She was a kind person at heart, that much he knew from Katniss and - well, simply seeing her out and about in town sometimes. If anyone had to join their family, Madge… Madge wasn’t a bad choice, as much as it hurt to admit. But what hurt most was that they hadn’t even bothered to tell him. Gale felt replaced, but what could he do? At least she was around for the kids. And as Rory said, they liked her.
Maybe it was time he left for good, then. They wouldn’t have to miss him for long with Madge around, and he knew their mother would be enjoying having another girl around the house. He didn’t have to like it, but it was for the best, he supposed.
He watched them for a little while longer, but eventually coasted for solid ground, stepping off the ice without a word. They'd be fine without him.
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Shortly after Rory joined them, she looked up and glanced around for Gale, concerned that he wasn't with them... Only to see him walking away. She looked back at Rory, frowning when Vick and Posy weren't paying attention- too busy practicing their figure eights.
She doubted that going after him would make any of this better- they had a knack for only exploding at each other. But this was his family- she should be the one leaving, not him.
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Gale, for his part, paused a few steps out from the lake to sit and unlace the worn ice skates. They were the same ones his father had worn years ago, long before any of the Hawthorne children had known the lake was even here, but stayed confined to the town like good children. Their father had taught Gale to skate, and Rory to an extent - but he’d taught the others himself, their mother never having been a fan. Memories of those times swirl though his head as the laces loosen on his feet, letting in the cold and making him shiver as he reached for his winter boots.
Rory, Vick, and Posy didn’t need him for this, he kept telling himself. Even if Madge were to leave, Rory knew how to skate and would show the younger kids with only minimal teasing. He could go back to the district or not; it wouldn’t matter, in the end. There wasn’t a single place in District Twelve that didn’t still remind him of all the war had cost him. Once he had both boots on, he stood to leave, skates tied together by their laces and dangling from his fingertips as he turned away.
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Gale was, of course, several steps ahead of her already, no matter how quickly her numb fingers worked on untying the laces. Pulling on her boots and getting up, she rushed after him.
"Gale," she called out as soon as she was close enough. "I'll leave, you don't have to."
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"Who said I want you leave?" he asked coolly, keeping his face as neutral as he could manage. "The lake is big enough for all four of you. Go back and skate, Undersee. That's why you came out here, isn't it?"
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"They're your family, you deserve to spend time with them, not me. I can go skate somewhere else... or do something else."
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It had everything to do with her, the secret his own family had kept from him, but Gale refused to admit it aloud. It didn’t matter, he kept telling himself - she didn’t matter.
She couldn’t, because if she did… Where did that leave him?
Shaking his head, Gale turned to leave again, walking back toward the town without another word.
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Madge trailed off with a huff, narrowing her eyes at him now. She was trying to give him the chance to spend time with his family without a stranger, more or less, trying for the same. But then he was off without another word and she was left standing there, watching him leave.
"Fine."
She went back to the lake to let Rory know she was feeling under the weather suddenly and would be at Katniss and Peeta's if they needed her.... Then made her way there, eager to just forget about how ridiculous this all was.