Page 14 of Beautiful Chaos
Edison’s eyes turn black, and Maverick startles, scrambling away from him. Edison makes him pay by turning over, fast crawling to his frightened nephew, and putting him in a submission hold.
Holmes calls out, “Stay in the fight, Mav!”
I tense, waiting for Mav to either curse or sob. Instead, he nods to H and takes a breath. It costs him to neutralize his expression, but he does it.
Good job, Mav.
Newly locked in, Mav then uses his superior size to reposition and push out of the hold. The maneuver causes Edison to lose his balance and roll off the mat. His chin hits the concrete with a solidcrack, splitting it open.
“No mercy, Mav!” Holmes calls from the side. He knows as well as I do that Mav’s first instinct would be to make sure his uncle is okay.
Mav listens to his brother and, instead of offering compassion, uses Edison’s crab move against him. Mav ruthlessly pins him to the ground until he taps out.
Edison, still bleeding, grins up at him. “We’ll work on your startle response, but way to recalibrate.”
Mav’s breathing heavily, his Adam’s apple bobbing, and…
Ah damn.
A tear rolls down his cheek.
Edison acknowledges Mav’s reaction with a quiet, “I’m still me.”
Like all of the adults in our orbit, he’s been “Uncle Eddie” for as long as Maverick’s been alive. Honoré and Holmes reacted in fear and anger when they first saw his eyes, but Mav’s emotion surprises all of us.
It shouldn’t though. Mav’s one of the sweetest guys I know.
Mav shakes his head. “I know. I just…” He sniffs. “This is why you’re always so distant. You know, compared to our other uncles.”
Edison dips his chin in acknowledgment, clearly touched.
Mav steps to the side, wiping his tears. Holmes tries to approach him, but Mav holds up his hand.
“I just need a minute.”
Holmes sways forward, then steps back. “You got it.”
Mav bounces on his feet, his head lowered as he integrates this new information.
After a few deep breaths and a biohazard clean up, Mav returns to the mat.
Hedy and I share a look. My chest feels heavy as Rae waves me in.
While Edison used his standard technique, I’ve decided to meet Mav with his own specialty. Facing him, I hold out my hand, a move I know he’ll recognize as the traditional start to a BJJ sparring match.
He grins and smacks my hand in return, and we go at each other. He’s way bigger than me, but I put him on his ass in under ten seconds.
“Fuck,” he grunts under his breath. “You’re fast.”
I wink, and because this initiation is meant to test his control and grit, I let him see my eyes.
Obsidian, like Edison’s.
Gone, however, is the emotion of that initial discovery. Mavsharpens his jaw and nods to himself.Got it,I can almost hear him say. He locks in and doesn’t give me even a second to find purchase on his body.
“Stop holding back, Sy,” Hedy calls from the sideline.
I silently double-check with her, and she sends me a single distinct nod.Okay then.
