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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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.
no subject
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.
no subject
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."
no subject
"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?"
no subject
"They're your family, you deserve to spend time with them, not me. I can go skate somewhere else... or do something else."
no subject
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.
no subject
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.