Work Text:
Grunting, Maria opened her eyes, and the first thing she noticed was the mug of reheated coffee resting on the side table. The second thing, person , was her husband. Standing in front of their window, gazing at the world outside, and it almost looked as if he was completely lost in his thoughts.
He was nursing a mug of coffee of his own, and if she were right, then Tommy’s were not anywhere near as warm as hers, and as Maria sat up, the mattress creaked under her weight, especially as she draped the blanket over herself. She grabbed her (lukewarm) coffee and took a long sip of it, savoring it as much as she possibly could. It wasn’t the best, certainly not like coffee from before the Outbreak, but it was definitely better than nothing.
“Six months,” From behind him, he could hear the mattress creaking, and at that, Tommy couldn’t help but mumble. He had been up since the early hours of the morning and, at this point, he was getting tired of the loneliness. He took a sip of his coffee, before turning to face Maria, but, of course, it didn’t last. Before she could ask him what he was talking about, he was back to facing the outside world. Jackson, their city. Then the mountains that surrounded it.
Sighing, he continued, “They oughta be back by now.”
Snow continued to fall, becoming inches and inches of it. At that, he couldn’t help but muse about how much of a hard day of work all of them had ahead.
“Colorado ain’t exactly close,” Especially not in this weather, even if Joel and Ellie had left soon after fall started. Sipping once again on her coffee, Maria decides to place the mug on the side table. It wasn’t as warm as she’d like and, living in Jackson or not, none of them could afford throwing food away, “And the girl. He said she’s immune? They’re probably trying to develop a vaccine.”
Staring at his reflection on the window, Maria nodded at her husband, “You, more than anyone else, should know long these things take.”
She was trying as hard as possible to be supportive and comforting, but, in the end, Maria couldn’t do it. It might have something to do with her being a former soldier, might have something to do with her always being cynical, perhaps even a bit of both, but, in the end, she couldn’t do it, and couldn’t believe any of it. The military and CDC had tried before, and all of them failed, even with more people and resources than the Fireflies.
That girl being a miracle or not, there was only so much all of them could do.
“But it ain’t far either,” He replied back, and although Tommy tried to sound as soft as possible, it was clear all of it was bothering and slowly catching up to him as time passed and neither of them arrived. As much as, before, Tommy avoided talking about Joel and the things both of them got up to during the first few years of the CBI Outbreak, she knew him just as much as she knew the palms of her hands-- he missed Joel, missed the sort of bond only brothers shared.
“Yeah,” She couldn’t argue against that, and after a moment, Maria agreed. Soon after both of them left, it was almost as if Tommy had been happier, more hopeful, even. The first since both of them got married, but at this point, as the seasons turned and the winds changed, there wasn’t much Maria could do to comfort him anymore. “Guess not.”
“But,” Walking up to him, she left the comfort of her bed, and, once she had reached the window, Maria wrapped her arms around him, breathing his scent in before dropping a kiss on the shoulder. Outside, the snow continued falling, even if spring was around the corner. Winters in Wyoming had never been the easiest and every year, they’d end up with more dead men than they’d like, and, in the end, she’d rather much more rely on their crops and animals.
After all, being self-sustainable was one of the reasons Jackson lasted for as long as it did, unlike other cities and quarantine zones. Relying mostly on the outside was dangerous, deadly, especially with bandits getting more and more desperate as time passed,
“If both of them made it from Boston to Jackson without a scratch, then they can make it to Colorado without a scratch.”
“’Sides,” And, pressing one more kiss to his skin, she continued. “Spring’s around the corner. We never know… They might be comin’ back.”
Scoffing, it was his turn to wrap his arms around Maria, pulling her closer to his body.
Now, both of them stared outside the window. The streets were empty and quiet, typical of a freezing winter morning. Before he knew it, Tommy said, “You don’t believe that.”
And at his words, Maria couldn’t help but raise her brows and narrow her eyes, “Does it matter?”
Because, in the end, there was something about Tommy, something she couldn’t quite place her finger on. He’d always believed he could change the world with simple gestures, even the world both of them lived in, and that had attracted her to him more than anything else in him, as much as Maria herself wasn’t much of a believer. She believed in working for Jackson and the people that lived there, and as long as they thrived and lived in harmony, that was enough for her. But with Tommy, it was different: he counted down the days to see his brother again, and seeing Joel, having her meet him and his girl… it was almost as if that brought a glimpse of hope Maria didn’t know existed before.
“Guess it doesn’t,” He repeated after her. Worried as he was, that glimpse of hope was still there. Waiting for something, anything, as small as it was.
She wasn’t subtle about the change of subject, and in the end, Tommy appreciated the distraction. “That house down the street. Near Earl’s. We need to fix the roof, and the floor could use some maintenance.”
With more and more families arriving in Jackson-- desperate for a fresh start, all of them-- they ended up expanding Jackson, and more houses had been built and renewed. With the arrival of winter, some of them had to wait for their own houses, but, for now, it worked, and before either of them knew it, all of them would have their own space to live.
“-- Oh. We are fixin’ the roof, are we?” Cutting her off, he couldn’t help but laugh, getting the best out of him as he did so.
“Shush. I’m speaking,” And at that, Maria couldn’t help but join him. Laughing, she poked Tommy’s side and at the gesture, he winced. She did nothing but roll her eyes before continuing. “You’re the professional, and I’m your supervisor. We’re fixin’ the roof.”
Part of him could mention carpenters didn’t actually fix roofs, but, in the end, there wasn’t much of a point in getting yet another one of his wife’s glares. Tommy would rather avoid that. At that, all he did was add. “Aye, aye.”
“’S big enough for both of them,” Smiling up at him, she continued. “There’d be a room for Ellie, and Joel… Well. He can have the master bedroom. They’d like it.”
His lips curving into a smile, Tommy pressed himself against her, breathing Maria’s scent as he did so. “You really thought o’ everything, huh?”
“Well, not everything,” And, correcting him, Maria couldn’t help but add. “But most of it.”