Gale Hawthorne [Hunger Games] (seamless) wrote in madisonvalley, @ 2017-12-09 18:02:00 |
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Entry tags: | !closed, !completed gdoc, !log, ~2017 december, ~25 points, ~~gale hawthorne (seamless), ~~madge undersee (maundersee) |
WHO: Gale Hawthorne and Madge Undersee
WHAT: Dinner and conversation
WHEN: Evening
WHERE: Their apartment
WARNINGS: Nah
STATUS: Closed/Completed Gdoc
Things were a bit busier in the High School choral department than they had been for some time. They were getting ready for the Christmas concert, and were having extra practices, which meant that Madge had been working nearly full time for the past few weeks. She was exhausted, but was trying to power through as she always did, trying not to complain or make people worry about her.
The truth was that ever since she’d been injured in the bombing of District 12, she’d been tired. She’d never quite gotten back to full strength before she’d gotten pregnant, and now that she was, it was zapping her energy yet again. She was scared about what would happen as she got further along, and the birth itself terrified her, but she didn’t share these fears with anyone, especially Gale. He had enough to worry about without having to worry about her.
After work today, she’d gone to pick up some red and green yarn, hoping to relax a little and knit some Christmas stockings for herself and Gale. She’d started the job, but had only gotten a little bit through it when she’d fallen asleep on the couch with her knitting still in her lap.
***
Gale smiled to see Madge sound asleep on the couch when he got home from work. Once he’d realised she was asleep, he’d been extra careful and quiet, trying not to wake her. It was, he thought, a testament to how comfortable she was in Madison Valley now that she didn’t wake up when he came in. She felt secure, safe. It was a nice thing to realise.
He watched her for a few minutes, because even with her knitting on her lap, she looked so peaceful. He didn’t want to wake her. It was getting late, though, so he headed to the kitchen to fix dinner. He’d wake her when it was ready, if she didn’t wake before.
***
It wasn’t until the smells from the kitchen reached her that Madge slowly awakened. She blinked a little, trying to reorient herself. She’d been pretty deeply asleep, and it wasn’t always the easiest thing to wake up from that.
“Gale?” She called. Of course it was him - who else would be cooking in their kitchen? She took her knitting from her lap and stood slowly, heading into the kitchen.
“Hey,” she smiled, when she saw him. “Did you have a good day?”
***
He turned from the stove, stirring spoon in hand, and grinned at her. “I did. I’ve been looking at the houses that are available, trying to find something for us. I found a couple possibilities, we can look at them online while dinner cooks.” And when they narrowed it down to just two or three, he’d arrange showings so they could walk through and actually see the houses, see if one spoke to them over the others.
“And then I came home to the most wonderful sight.” He smiled a sincere smile. He loved her so much, it was hard to imagine life without her in it now.
***
“Me drooling on myself?” she teased. She hadn’t actually been drooling, but she’d been pretty deeply asleep. Her cheeks blushed a little at the way he looked at her. She’d really never expected anyone to look at her that way, and she liked it.
“I’d love to see them. We don’t need anything real big, but I’d love for the little one to have a room of its own someday.”
She put a hand on her tummy. She wasn’t really showing yet, although she was starting to feel a very slight tightness in her clothes.
“We should talk about names soon, too.”
***
“I haven’t even thought about names,” Gale admitted. He had no idea where to start. There were so many possibilities...it was hard to think about when they were still so far off from bringing the child into the world. They didn’t even know if it was a boy or a girl, which made it doubly hard to figure out where to start.
“The houses are easier. I can show you the listings on the computer.” He grinned at that. “We can do that after dinner,” he assured her. There was no rush, but he was kind of excited about it.
***
“Well, I mean, we still have time for that,” she admitted. “But it wouldn’t hurt to start bouncing some around. I think...it should have a District Twelve name. And I’d like it to have your last name.”
It was kind of strange, not knowing if it was a boy or a girl. She felt that she should, since it was growing inside of her.
“Do you have any favorites?” she asked, referring to the houses.
***
“I’m sure we can find a good name. Something nature based,” he said, thinking out loud. He wasn’t opposed to a District Twelve name. He certainly didn’t want to name his child something that would be more likely from one of the other districts.
He smiled, and turned to check on the food he had on the stove. He wasn’t a great cook, but he usually managed to avoid burning things too much.
“I like them all,” he admitted. “It’s so hard to pick just one. But maybe when we narrow it down and actually go and see the houses, it’ll be different.”
***
“Well, there are certain things we need. Like a room for the baby, when it gets bigger. I’d like a bigger kitchen than we have here. And two bathrooms would be nice.”
They were things that she could negotiate on, but her dream house still had them. So they’d be things she was looking for.
“I hope I don’t get much more tired than I have been,” she said. She wasn’t trying to worry anyone, but she was a bit worried herself.
***
“Being tired is normal,” Gale had been reading up on pregnancy, and how it affected people. He wanted to be informed, so that he’d know when something came up if it was normal, or cause for concern. So far, Madge’s pregnancy had been fairly routine, though she was perhaps a little more tired than was normal, but that was likely due to the fact she’d been seriously injured.
“We will definitely have at least two bedrooms. And a bigger kitchen. Probably two bathrooms, too.” He nodded. He would make sure Madge got what she wanted in the house. There was no point in settling for something that was less than what they wanted, and really Gale wanted the best for Madge and their child.
“I’m mostly looking at two bedrooms, but maybe even three. If it’s in our budget.”
***
“We don’t need three,” she said. Although of course, they would if they had another child, but she wasn’t thinking about that yet. “Although it might be nice to have a guest room. Of course, if it’s in our budget.”
They had a rather tight budget, and they had to stick to it. She didn’t want to be struggling all month because they spent too much on their house.
“Anywhere we are, though, I’ll be happy as long as you’re there.”
***
“I feel the same.” Even if they were in a one room shack. With a roof over their heads, and if they were together he didn’t need much more. A couple of bedrooms would be nice, though. A guest room, or room to row their family in the future.
“But if we can manage three bedrooms it might be a good idea. That way we won’t have to move again later. But we’ll see. It depends on a lot of things.” Because he didn’t want to put them in a financial strain because of the house payment.
***
“And we need to make sure it’s in a safe area, and all of that.
Not that there were really any areas in Madison Valley that weren’t safe. It was too small of a place to have slums or anything of the sort.
“I want the little ones to be able to play outside and not have to worry about anything.”
***
“Definitely.” Dinner was just about finished, and he was going to have to give it a little more attention to get it plated and on the table. “I’ll show you what I’ve found after we eat. It’s not like there’s a whole lot of real estate out there, but I know we’ll find something that works for us.”
He turned off the burners. “Would you get plates and glasses for us? I’ll take care of everything else.”
***
Of course she would. She was happy to contribute any little bit she could. Usually she fixed dinner herself, since she didn’t work full time, so she appreciated Gale’s help and the times he would do nice things for her. Like tonight. But not just tonight. He was kind to her and helpful so often that she was forever grateful that they were together.
She got the plates and glasses and helped him set the table, then sat in her seat.
“Madison Valley’s a small place. But there have to be better places to raise a baby than this apartment.”
***
“We’ll definitely move out of the apartment before the baby’s born,” he said. He would make a point to do that. The apartment was too small to bring a child into it. The cramped conditions would remind him too much of his home in Panem.
He brought the pot over from the stove and set it in the middle of the table. He scooped out a serving for Madge and one for himself. It seemed like they had forever to get things done before the baby came, but he knew that time would go quickly.
***
Madge’s stomach growled - she had definitely noticed an increase in her appetite lately. She also liked being able to use the excuse that she was eating for two when she ate more than a normal girl her age usually ate.
She finished her serving quickly, then scooped herself another. Finally, when she was slowing down a little, she looked back at Gale.
“So I’m supposed to ask...what do you want for Christmas?”
She hadn’t done any shopping yet, but she’d have to.
***
“Just to be with you,” he answered. Corny, but true. He didn’t need anything else. Next year would be a different experience, when they had a baby to spoil. This was the last time it would be just the two of them, which was exciting and daunting at the same time. A baby was a huge commitment, but one that Gale was looking forward to.
He served himself another helping. Food was so plentiful in Madison Valley he didn’t have to save anything for later. He didn’t have to share what he could with his brothers. He could eat as much as he wanted, and no one really cared how much that was.
“I suppose there are things we’d need for the new house. But I don’t know that we want to give those things as Christmas gifts.”
***
“No...I think Christmas is supposed to be something special. Something you don’t really need, right?” She had very little experience with Christmas, since this was her first one. And her first one in a place where people could have things that they wanted. Gale’s response warmed her heart, but she knew she was going to have to get him something. She wasn’t sure what, but she’d figure something out. Something just for him. That he didn’t need but would like anyway.
She’d have to think, and find something perfect if he didn’t give her any ideas. She could do that.
“Who would ever have thought that we’d find ourselves here?” she asked softly. “Together. Expecting a baby. Happy.”
***
“It is pretty amazing, isn’t it. The last year has been crazy wonderful.” He was looking forward to Christmas, simply because it was a special time of year. It was a beautiful season, regardless of the gifts.
“I’m so glad we found our way to each other.” Because obviously that was never going to happen in Panem, but it was pretty incredible to have it happen in Madison Valley. Gale couldn’t imagine his life without her in it, now.
***