The first days Maverick visited Seven after leaving the Tower were his happiest since his parents died, and most certainly the first real good days since his Games. He felt more himself than in months, years, maybe. Laughter came readily, he slept better, and he woke most mornings with him hopeful rather than filled with empty dread. They’d talked about it in the last days of the Games, but Maverick hadn’t brought it up. Maybe he’d forgotten, maybe he didn’t want to rush things. On a chilly morning, over their morning coffee, Alder finally asked if he wanted to come back home with him, nervous, but of course for nothing. Maverick said yes. The rode in during the afternoon, piled into the back of a transport truck with others headed back toward his little settlement, either for work or to go home. It was forty-five minutes on uneven, turbulent roads and the back of a wide pickup meant for transporting wood, not people, but they had what they had. Alder recognized a few others there. They didn’t acknowledge him, he didn’t acknowledge them, and just hoped they didn’t recognize Maverick, even with their hoods, hats, and scarves pulled tight around their faces against the cold drizzle. It was a short walk from the dropoff point to his old home. He felt a little too hot as they approached it, his throat tight. He’d only been back briefly after winning to gather what he couldn’t live without and didn’t look back. Couldn’t look back. It was a small thing, but sturdy. It had been built just after the Dark Days, and withstood storms, cold, wind, and rain. Now neglected for months, moss was starting to crawl up the wood and stone exterior, the two glass windows at the front were foggy with dust, and the door hinges were beginning to rust. The deep red his father had painted the front door for his mother’s birthday five years ago was now peeling, there was a small pile of coppery powder beneath it. But it still stood, reliable.
He stood a few feet from the door, staring. Maybe this had been a mistake. Maybe he wasn’t ready to do this yet? @maverickmontana
