Avery was back, an hour ago he had got off the train and reunited with his family, and now Damon was going to see him for the first time.

Avery's family had moved into the victors village whilst he had been in hospital and Damon had helped Lil try to make his room feel more familiar to Avery.

He knocked on the door and after hearing a weak 'come in' he entered the room. Avery was lying on his bed, shirtless, his leg heavily bandaged and his rib also wrapped in bandages. His face was extremely bruised.

"Av!" Damon breathed. Avery smiled at him.

"I missed you." Avery murmured. He reached out and hugged Damon as he approached him. "I missed you so much." Damon smiled and lay down beside him.

"How do you feel?" He asked.

"I'm fine." Avery sighed.

"What's wrong?" Damon asked him.

"I don't know, it's like... it's like I miss it." Avery frowned. Damon looked at him.

"Miss what?"

"The arena." He confessed. "I miss the arena."

"Avi-" Damon didn't know what to say.

"I know it's stupid, and there's something wrong with me, but-" Avery sighed, cutting himself off.

"It's probably normal Av, you were living there for eight weeks." Damon comforted him.

"Eight weeks," Avery mumbled. "It felt like forever."

A knock sounded at the door, Lil poked her head around the door, before entering. "I need to change your bandage Av" she told him, he nodded slowly.

Damon helped him sit up and his eyes widened in horror as Lil unwrapped th the bandages around his ribs. He knew that Avery's injuries were bad, but he hasn't thought about what they actually looked like. Avery didn't seem too bothered, despite the fact it was infected. His leg looked no better, swollen and blistered, Damon had to look away. He realised now why Avery was so warm. And this was after the capitals strange medicines had done their work.

When Lil had finished, Damon noticed the pendant on the gold chain that Avery kept messing with at his neck. It seemed to hold some comfort for him. "Av? What is that?" He asked gently, Avery said nothing, but took it off and opened it, showing Damon the picture inside. It was a picture of him and Patricia, as they walked to the remake centre, they were laughing at something together. Damon just stared at it, shocked. "Av?"

Avery was crying, Damon wasn't sure what to do, Avery had been through a lot in the time they had been apart, and it worried him. "She should have won." Damon's heart broke and he wrapped his arms around his best friend. Kissing his head.

"Av, you did all you could, and after all of that, you kept your promise." He comforted him, but he knew he was no help.

"We had a plan, we were going to work together and win." Avery whispered. Damon sighed and held his best friend closer to him.

"Av, Patricia would never have made it. You wouldn't have been able to protect her." He told him, but Avery was sobbing in his arms, repeating the same five words over and over again.

"It should have been her." Damon tried in vain to calm him down. This wasn't Avery, and he wondered whether his friend would ever be the same again.

"Avi, you're back, and that's all I could ask for. I love you Av, your family loves you, all we wanted was for you to come home." Damon whispered. "I know you're upset, that you miss her, but you beat them, you beat them all."

"I thought about you." Damon's heart leapt as Avery said this. "I didn't want you to be sad if I didn't make it." He added.

"You did make it." Damon told him, "you came home to me, just like you promised."

"It feels wrong." Avery replied.

"What does?" Damon asked, with a frown at the boy.

"Being alive." Avery replied.

"Av, do you remember what happened just before you left?" Damon asked gently, Avery thought about this.

"You kissed me." He replied, Damon nodded.

"I did."

"Why?" Avery asked, Damon laughed lightly.

"I love you."

"You do?" Avery looked confused by this, the bruises on his face suddenly more prominent.

"I do." Damon leaned in to kiss Avery, but this time Avery met his lips. "I love you Av. I love you so much."

"I love you." Avery muttered back, before hiding his face in Damon's chest.

"Avi , please be mine?" Damon asked.

"I already am." Damon smiled and held him closer, everything he had ever wanted was finally happening. Avery was safe, never to go in the games again, and he was finally Damon's. He could feel the bandages wrapped around Avery's  torso and he hated it. It was a reminder that what Avery had gone through would never leave him, there would be scars and they would haunt him until he died. It wasn't a mystery to him anymore why victors of the games rarely made it past 55. Some did, most lost it before then.

He just hoped he would not lose Avery to the torment of the capital.

"Av?" Damon had a sudden, curious thought. He had been to the capital before, but he wanted to know what Avery thought of it. "What did you think of the capital?"

Avery thought for a moment. "I found it strange. All the weird food, how to people live like that when people here are starving? There was so much colour and noise. I felt like I was drowning."

"People in the capital are selfish Av, they don't really see the districts as people, Snow hides a lot from them anyway." Damon told him, he remembered it all too well, and was glad not to be there anymore.

"Aren't you from the capital?" Avery murmured.

"I was selfish too." Damon smiled.

"You're not now, now you're you." Avery replied, lacing his fingers through Damon's.

"I suppose I am."