Disclaimer: I'm just playing with Suzanne Collins' characters and her world. They're hers. Not mine. Any lines from the books are hers too.

Fair-y Tale Endings

Fall Senior Year

By Madge's estimation, Gale has eaten his body weight in deep-fried foods on sticks. It's a little disconcerting.

"Maybe you should slow down," she warns him as he begins gnawing on a bacon wrapped turkey leg.

She can smell the grease and heat radiating off it, see the drippings smearing on Gale's mouth.

He's going to throw up if he gets anywhere near the tilt-o-whirl.

"Can't," he tells her, after chewing up and swallowing an unreasonably large chunk of meat. "Katniss and I are competing."

Yes, Madge is aware of that. She also thinks it's a little stupid.

What mostly grown adults have eating competitions? Gale Hawthorne and Katniss Everdeen, that's who.

She just hopes this round of who-can-out-eat-who doesn't end in them making a funnel cake vendor cry and them being not-so-politely asked to leave. The county fair just the week before had been embarrassing enough.

"Look," Peeta tells them, squinting down at his coupon book, pointing at one of the tiny lines in the directory, "there's a buy one get one free coupon for the deep-fried candy vendor."

Katniss holds her hand out. "Gimme."

Licking his finger, Peeta flips through the book, stopping and ripping the tab, holding it out to Katniss.

She snatches it away before grabbing Peeta by the wrist and hurrying off.

"Madge, find that coupon," Gale mumbles between bites. "I'm getting whatever's biggest."

Rolling her eyes, Madge snorts and begins turning the pages of her coupon book as they trail after Katniss.

#######

Gale concedes after the mashed potato sundae sprint. The heaps of bacon, butter, and gravy had done him in.

"She's unstoppable," he groans, holding his stomach and wincing as it makes an unpleasant grumbling noise.

Grimacing, Madge nods and gives him a gentle pat on the shoulder as she watches Katniss drag Peeta off to her next conquest. Probably the deep-fried cheesecake on-a-stick. She downed her last one in record time, simply stuffing the entire thing in her mouth and swallowing, earning her more than a few crude comments and appreciative whistles from nearby men.

Despite all the men, Katniss had said it was her favorite treat of the day.

"Gale, Katniss almost shut down several all-you-can-eat buffet when we were in Vegas. This was a losing battle."

Plus, she'd been banned from the Chinese buffet back home for no other reason than that they simply couldn't keep up with her appetite. It was an unwinnable battle, and he should know that.

Gale only groan in response, slumps back on the bench.

Snorting, Madge leans into him and wraps her arms around him, inching up and pressing a kiss to his prickly cheek.

"I have the heartburn medicine in the glovebox when we get to the car," she informs him as she relaxes against him.

"Your an angel," he mutters, pressing a kiss into her hair.

They stay settled on the bench for the better part of an hour, watching stringy teens play rigged games on the midway and listening to the high pitched screams of kids on the rickety carnival rides.

Just as Madge is going to suggest they gather their friends and leave, she's got a paper to write for her med-surg class, Gale stands and stretches, distracting her with a taut expanse of his olive stomach.

"Come on," Gale finally says, taking her hand and pulling her up and out of her mesmerized state, leading her toward the midway.

"Gale," Madge sighs his name warningly. "I don't think it's advisable you get on anything that spins...or flips...or moves."

She'd rather not learn what deep-fried beer looks like after a few hours digestion. Or any of the other unspeakable crimes against food he's consumed through the day, for that matter.

Chuckling, Gale gives her another tug. "First of all, I've got an iron stomach. I'm full, but I'm not going to throw up."

He grins at her skeptical expression.

"And secondly, I just wanted to ride the Ferris wheel. According to Mellark the view is 'spectacular'."

"Since when do you listen to Peeta?"

"I listen when he's got something useful to say," he explains, tugging her along. "Come on."

Still certain she's going to get vomited on, Madge reluctantly lets him maneuver her through the growing crush of people.

As the evening has settled in, new groups of people have steadily trickled through the gates.

The families with kids have been replaced by rowdy youths and unsavory looking bands of people that Madge would just as soon avoid.

The smoking, which had been bad enough during the day, is tripled at night. The haze of cigarettes hangs over every venue, mingling with the odor of spilt beer, vomit, and sweat.

Covering her mouth, Madge starts to complain that she'd like to just gather up Peeta and Katniss and leave, but stops herself when she sees the bright lights of of the midway reflected in Gale's eyes and how ridiculously excited he is about the Ferris wheel.

They wait a couple of minutes, then get shuffled on one of the enclosed gondolas by a very hairy, very sweaty man.

It's a bit of a cage, with enough space for two more people on the other side, but no one else is put on. There's not even a seatbelt, which strikes Madge as a bit unsafe, but she supposed there's no point in them. If the gondola falls, they'd be stuck in the cage no matter what.

As the wheel turns, Madge turns in her seat, taking in the view. It is pretty spectacular.

The sun has almost set, streaking the sky with purples and oranges, indigos and pinks, and the lights of the city are already on, like artificial stars stretched out around them.

The haze of smoke and fried food can't even reach them, as high as they are.

"Do you remember where we parked?" She asks absently, squinting out toward the parking lot.

Some of the people they'd passed looked a bit shady and she isn't keen to lose another car.

"Madge...don't worry about the car-can you turn around?"

Frowning to herself, he sounds a bit anxious and she's sure he's about to rain vomit down on the poor souls below them, Madge turns in her seat.

Instead of a green at the gills boyfriend, she finds Gale, a little pale, crouched down in front of her.

On one knee.

"Madge, I'm not good at this kind of stuff, so let me get this all out before you say anything."

He takes a deep breath.

"I've been in love with you since junior high, and I know that sounds like an exaggeration, but it's not. You were sweet and perfect and I was..well, kinda an asshole, but you were still nice, even when I didn't deserve it. You gave me a chance, even though I asked you out wearing an Avenger's bedsheet and half drunk. You took care of me when I was too stupid to go to the hospital and my appendix was about to explode, and you put up with me when I was a being a mother hen after your surgery. I don't want to imagine my future without you, so please don't make me."

He holds out a ring.

It looks old, delicate, but beautiful and perfect.

Madge takes a shaky breath, blinks back tears.

"Gale, you know I said yes when we were in Vegas last year, right?"

He shrugs.

"People do stupid things in Vegas, like agreeing to get married."

Swatting at her eyes, Madge laughs.

"People do stupid things like actually get married when they're inebriated in Vegas." She lets him slip the ring on her finger. "I said yes then and I'll say it again everyday for the rest of my life."

The color comes back to his face and he lets out a long breath.

Laughing, he's crazy if he ever considered her saying no, Madge pulls him back up into the seat and presses a kiss to his lips.

"Yes, I'll marry you."

"Thank god," he sighs, looking relieved. "Otherwise this was going to be an awkward ride home."

Brushing a tear from her cheek, Madge looks down at the ring.

"It's from my dad's side," he explains. "They'd planned on giving it to my aunt, but then she ran off, and Levi is Levi and never getting married, so my dad got it, and my mom gave it to me when I told her what I was planning."

He takes a breath, frowning. "I should probably call them later and let them know, actually."

Madge nods, grinning stupidly.

She thinks she's more excited to talk to his parents than he is.

The wheel finishes circling and the hairy man lets them off. Gale wraps his arm around her shoulder, steering her back toward the midway.

"You know," Madge grins up from her place nestled against Gale, "you forgot to mention I protect you from bad men."

Gale laughs, bright and booming.

"My ego blocks that out sometimes."

Madge gives him a squeeze.

"Now I can protect you forever."

He chuckles. "I'm not Mellark, you know. I don't have to have you fight all my battles."

Snorting, Madge shakes her head. "No one is trying to fight Peeta."

"Yeah," Gale agrees. "Because it's like kicking a puppy."

Madge nods. That's a bit true.

"But, you fighting for me is still pretty hot."

Rolling her eyes, Madge shakes her head. Men are so weird.

"On the subject of Mellark, I'm think he'd make a great ring bearer."

"Gale…"

Frowning, Madge stops mid step, freezing them in front of the roasted corn ears.

"You didn't tell Peeta and Katniss about this did you?"

Because if he had, Madge is certain Peeta would've jumped them the second they got off the Ferris wheel.

Gale had planned this all on his own.

"Nope."

Madge feels tears well in her eyes. "You lost to Katniss so they'd run off for more food, didn't you?"

So they could be alone.

Stuffing his hands in his pockets, Gale mumbles something that's sounds suspiciously like 'yeah, 'cause I'd've won'.

It's silly, but him bowing out of a competition with Katniss just to set up a proposal…

She was more important than winning, than his endless 'battles of the iron belly' with his best friend, too important to let Peeta put his fingerprints on something as precious to him as his proposal.

This was wholly his endeavor, and that makes it all the more special.

"Gale Hawthorne, you do have a heart."

He takes her face in his hands and presses a kiss to her lips, grinning.

"And it's all yours."

Laughing, Madge pulls him along, excited to call his parents.

"You are such a softy."

His grin widens mischievously.

"Trust me, I'm not soft."

Groaning, Madge rolls her eyes. She walked into that one.

"Come on," she finally laughs, twinning her fingers in his, the engagement ring clasped between them.

They've got forever to get to.

#######

AN: And I think that's it. I know this is probably a sorry excuse for an ending, and I've left the entire junior and senior year out, but I've been working on this for a while and...yeah. I hated leaving it at a Christmas chapter for so long, but I've been burned out on inspiration and motivation for ages. Maybe someday I'll revisit this universe, but for now, I'm considering this done. Hopefully next up will be the HS au, which has been every bit as neglected as this one.

Thanks for all the encouragement over the years, you got me through some dark times and you'll never know how much the kind words meant to me. Happy trails y'all.