thelastbecket | The Hunger Games (Aftermath of War Edition)

The war ends and Raleigh's still alive. It's a surprise to him. He didn't have any plans for after because he hadn't planned on there being one for him. He was sure something in the war would kill him, but he had things to do like protecting Chuck and Mako without them noticing, so he fought against those things, coming out on top, and then...then it was over and he wasn't dead so he had to keep living.

He thought about being done with it while they were still sorting things out in the Capital's ruins. He still had a gun and he was so tired of everything. There wasn't a need for him anymore. His body was rendered nearly useless by scars and nerve damage. His limbs didn't do what he wanted them too a third of the time and his mind didn't cooperate most of the time. He was obsolete.

But then Mako showed up and asked him to stand with her and Stacker, just to be seen, not to say anything. Apparently, he had uses he hand't thought of. Mako keeps asking things of him, so he keeps delivering. Then they're settling down. He follows Mako to a part of the country he'd never seen before. There's forest and ocean, a beautiful combination that doesn't remind him of any games, just home and a new start. They fix the remnants of a town not far into the forest from the beach.

Raleigh elects to turn what looks like an old fishing station on a jut of the beach into his home. It's a long walk from the town, but not an unmanageable one for any of them. It's a much shorter distance to the cabin Chuck's built for himself in the forest. It's away from the town, but Mako says he travels into it often and works there.

Raleigh wants to see him, but he can't bring himself to leave the beach and the edge of the trees near his new home. He swims a lot and wonders what would happen if he just stopped treading water one day. He doesn't though, because Mako brings him food in exchange for the nets he makes and the fish he catches, the crustaceans he hauls out of the water. He feels like she'd be disappointed in him if he was gone one day.

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From:

suicidemission

He sets one of the plates aside and turns around to look at Raleigh, hands still sudsy and parts of his shirt damp. He cocks his head, corners of his mouth almost lifting before settling back into his usual expression, though curiosity glints in his eyes.

"...Yeah?"

From:

thelastbecket

"I-"

Raleigh doesn't know how to say it. He can't call this dinner, their time together fun because he doesn't have fun. This is so much more and less than fun. It's important and his head is so clear, but that's not actually helping him at all. He frowns at his hands in frustration.

"I feel--" He runs his hand over his face. "Shit." He can't explain and Chuck's probably getting a better picture of how scrambled his brain is right now.

From:

suicidemission

...Chuck rinses his hands and turns the water off, and comes to stand opposite the table of Raleigh, palms flat on the wood as he leans.

"Hey. 'S okay, yeah? Take your time, tell me what's up."

From:

thelastbecket

Raleigh takes a deep breath, sighing. He'd been doing so well, but the first time he actually feels happy and content and he can't talk about it. He ruins it, makes Chuck see how messed up he still is. He's already messed up, though, so the pressure is gone and it's easy for him to bury his face in his hands and collect himself for a moment. He looks up finally, and it's obvious he's embarrassed, ashamed of his lapse.

"This is good. That's all, but I can't even say that."

From:

suicidemission

"Y'just said it," he says gently, eyes focused on Raleigh's form and he'd -- like to maybe stroke his hair, tell him it's alright, but he just can't.

Not yet.

Maybe soon, but not yet.

From:

thelastbecket

"Yeah, after freaking out first." Raleigh shrugs and sighs. "But, it's better than last week, I guess."

Suddenly, he's tired, and not sure of what he's doing there in his nice little home with Chuck Hansen who he doesn't deserve to be in the same room with after everything he's done.

"I think...it might be a good idea for me to go rest." His head hangs, and he's ashamed of having to say it out loud, even partially implying that Chuck should leave, when he doesn't actually want him to at all.

From:

suicidemission

Chuck would...have to agree. Raleigh does look like he needs to get some rest.

"Yeah, I'll finish these then bugger off."

He only has one more plate to do. He turns, flips the warm water back on, and washes it quickly. Once it's set aside, he's drying his hands and making moves to go.

"I'll see you later, alright?"

From:

thelastbecket

Raleigh watches Chuck with dull eyes, and nods when he goes to leave, rousing himself a bit from the funk he's slipped into.

"Yeah, that's-I'll try to come. Visit, I mean. In a few days."

He pushes himself to his feet, and crosses the room to lean against his bedroom door.

"Bye, Chuck."

From:

suicidemission

"Sure."

He's not sure if that send off means 'con't come back until then' or not but --

That's...what Chuck does. Raleigh sends him away and says he'll try to come by in a few days, so Chuck waits.

From:

thelastbecket

Raleigh makes it all the way into the forest and out of the sight of the ocean and his house before he starts having problems. It's progress, but that thought isn't very helpful when he can't stay focused on the small foot path towards Chuck's cabin and the town that Mako's created with her dutiful steps. He knows that his goal is to make it to Chuck's place, that he was going to see him to see him, and to also find out if that warm feeling was a fluke or something Chuck caused like he suspected it was.

The forest, though, it makes him think of the part of the arena he and Yancy hid in the most. He thinks if he turns his face his brother might be there. Yancy, or someone waiting to kill him.

From:

suicidemission

Chuck waits and waits, though it's not always in his house. Chuck doesn't mind the forest, likes the solitude it gives him but right now he is feeling a little closed off and choked.

So he wanders around his home and the surrounding areas, ventures into the woods to climb trees or explore.

If Raleigh's wandering anywhere around that part, Chuck's gonna eventually find him.

From:

thelastbecket

Raleigh keeps getting turned around. He heads towards Chuck's house or at least the direction he thinks Chuck's house is in, and then thinks he sees something glint in the trees or on the ground like the sun catching a weapon and before he can reassure himself he is up in a tree hiding or he's thrown himself to the ground.

By the time he realizes he's not in danger he's lost the direction he's supposed to be headed in.

From:

suicidemission

Chuck spends a good couple of hours out in the woods, then finally - strangely - hears someone fumbling.

No one ever comes out here, not this far, and Chuck's immediately suspicious and concerned. He picks his waythrough the brush, until finall -- he stumbles on someone he wasn't expecting.

"Raleigh?"

From:

thelastbecket

Raleigh spins around at the sound of his name. He's actually wearing a tank top, and boots instead of walking around half naked and barefoot, but he's got a leaf in his hair and a streak of dirt across his bicep. His focus zeroes in on Chuck wildly for a moment, and then his whole body relaxes and his face melts into a ragged smile.

"Chuck. I was looking for your place. I keep getting--disoriented."

He looks at Chuck and his mind clears up almost instantly. It helps that Chuck's older, and not wearing capital or arena clothing, just plain simple stuff. He's also not obviously armed, and Raleigh can remember the warm feeling of watching him wash dishes in his home. He can remember he has a home not far away and that this forest isn't an arena. He moves towards, Chuck, but stops abruptly a little ways away because he's not sure how close is too close for Chuck.

From:

suicidemission

"...Jesus, Raleigh."

He's awash with both affection and worry, because he can tell how disoriented he is and he suddenly feels fucking awful for telling Becket to come see him.

He takes a few steps in his direction, then stops, careful of proxemity.

"--this alright? How close can I get, mate?"

From:

thelastbecket

Raleigh's so relieved to see Chuck he doesn't notice the way Chuck is horrified finding him out there. He smiles a little, ducking his head and moving closer himself when Chuck pauses, being considerate of him.

"Close as you want. It's a good day. That's why I thought I'd make it. Just-sun flashes on the trees looks like stuff from..." He blinks a little shoving that thought away as another slides into place.

"Yancy looked for what we needed, I watched for threats."

From:

suicidemission

It's a good day. Alright -- Chuck picks his way over slowly, then carefully reaches out to pick the leaf out of Raleigh's hair. He pauses though, hand pulling back with said leaf and he looks at Raleigh carefully, then drops the leaf and offers his arm.

"C'mon. I'll take you home, yeah?"

From:

thelastbecket

Raleigh smiles at the leaf Chuck pulls from his hair and he reaches out slowly touching his fingers to Chuck's elbow. He looks Chuck in the eye then when he offers his arm, and takes it, but his lips fell into a frown.

"Is today not a good day to visit?"

From:

suicidemission

"...Oh. Well, I dunno -- I thought you'd be more--"

He cuts himself off, and shakes his head.

"You know what? 'S fine. I'll show you the house 'n walk you home later, yeah?"

From:

thelastbecket

"Thought I'd be more what?"

Raleigh leans towards Chuck a little more with a small smile. He was glad Chuck was going to let him visit anyway.

"I've got some shells in my pockets that match the other one for your house."

He looks around at the forest. Now that he's got Chuck firmly at his side grounding him it doesn't look like the arena he'd gone into with Yancy at all.

"If we could mark the path somehow, maybe...large shells every few yards or knotted ropes..that would help I think. There wasn't any of that stuff, nothing like home in that arena."

From:

suicidemission

"More comfortable at your own house."

But, he seems fairly grounded once Chuck takes hold of him do maybe it'll be okay.

"...you brought me shells?" Chuck...is touched. Really, he is and it probably the nicest thing anyone has ever done for him.

"Sure. We can do that."

From:

thelastbecket

Raleigh smiles a little, both happy Chuck was considering him, but ashamed a little that interacting with him called for that kind of attention and thought. It's true a little, that he would be more comfortable in his own home, but he's also already getting that warm feeling again just standing there with Chuck and he doesn't want to give it up.

"Yes, and no. It's easier, but lonelier, too, at home. I hope I remembered which shell I was matching."

From:

suicidemission

"It'll be fine, I'm sure."

He gently guides him back along the path and towards his own house, casually keeping up a steady stream of chatter while they walk, distracting Raleigh from his surroundings.

Chuck's house resembles a tiny little log cabin; rustic, pretty simple - meticulously spartan and neat. It's not unlike Raleigh's, though there's no beach in sight. It's just quiet woods, the creak of wood under their feet as they walk in, the occasional chirp of a bird. Inside, it's as neat and simple as Raleigh's house, though the shell he'd gifted Chuck with sits prominent on the small table right inside the front door.

From:

thelastbecket

Raleigh listens attentively as Chuck talks about the town, the people there, and the work he's been doing there. He asks a couple of questions here and there, it's obvious he's paying attention and as alert as he had been the other night talking and making dinner. He's still watching the forest, he won't ever let go of that habit, probably, but his head is clear and he's not seeing things that aren't there any longer.

He likes Chuck's house, it's obviously built to be one rather than his converted beach shack, but Chuck was right in saying the houses are about the same size. He touches his fingers to the shell as he walks into the cabin, and starts pulling wrapped shells out of his pockets, turning to Chuck to unwrap them. He'd found three more that matched. He turns, holding them out and grinning at Chuck.

"Your house is cute."