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Occasionally Furiosa wonders if it’s normal how attracted she is to Max. Clearly he’s an attractive man, and clearly she is attracted to men as a rule. So this shouldn’t be an issue.
But sometimes she’ll just notice him, like when his eyes sparkle and his lips softly tilt up at a joke one of the girls has told, or when he’s staring in deep concentration with a furrowed brow at some car trouble he’s fixing. Or when his face is flushed with arousal and his eyes are wide and staring at her like she’s the only thing in the world.
Sometimes when she notices him the surge of want that fills her is enough to take her breath away, and Furiosa isn’t entirely convinced that the rush of attraction she feels is normal. She wonders it now, when her breath hitches just at the sight of him strolling to her across the almost empty garages. He’s dirty and sweaty from the return journey to Gas Town, and Furiosa just wants to lick every piece of chest hair she can see peeking through his undone top two shirt buttons.
She doesn’t though, just schools her expression into a warm grin when he catches her eye and smiles back at her. She also doesn’t throw him to the ground and attack his mouth with her own, as much as she feels the urge to. She can control herself that much.
“Hey,” Max murmurs softly, as though he wants to keep the fact that he found her a secret.
“Hey,” she says in reply, matching his tone of voice. “Everything go okay?”
“Hm,” he cranes his head to look at was she’s been working on, which she interprets as nothing bad happened, she’ll have to wait until she sees Toast next if she wants details.
“Good. I’m almost finished here.” She turns with every intention of returning to her work, but then Max steps closer, fully in her space. It’s like there’s a magnet inside her that makes her turn back around and pull him the last step forward until her lips can find him.
He doesn’t say anything, just gives a little hum as he returns her kiss. His free hand comes to cup her cheek and it takes all Furiosa’s will power to keep to her earlier urge of throwing Max to the ground in check. She does do a good impression of attacking his face though, deepening the kiss almost instantly and swallowing his surprised grunt.
He makes her so crazy she thinks, as he finally returns some of the force in her kiss. She really does wonder if it’s unusual to find one person so physically and emotionally overwhelming. Maybe she’s gone stark raving mad, and wanting to jump a sweaty, worn down desert scav just about whenever she sees him is a symptom of her mental instability.
Not that it matters, really, Furiosa thinks distractedly as she pushes Max against the side of the car and rubs her flesh hand down the front of his shirt. If she is losing her mind, or dying, or under a spell, or just in love, she’ll take it. Her hand wiggles a few inches lower and squeezes, and she revels in the breathy gasp that gets her, and the unconscious way his hand clenches her ass. Yes, she’ll take Max over sanity any day.
“Do you, hm, you wanna?” he’s trying to tell her something, probably ask if she wants to take this back to their room, but she’d have to stop rubbing herself over his body to do that. So she shakes her head and slots her thigh between his, grinning when he growls and grips her closer.
Mothers, she wants to get him on the ground and ride him, like, right now. She wants to get her hands on his bare skin, wants his hands on hers, wants –
The mental film of progressively filthier things she wants to do to Max is suddenly thrown off track, and Furiosa stumbles for a few seconds before she hears again what yanked her from such an enjoyable train of thought. Whirling around, she faces Toast, in the process of loudly clearing her throat for the third time.
“Toast! Wha…” Furiosa voice petters out then, a combination of being winded as though she’d just run up a few flights of stairs and unwilling to voice of the question of what Toast is doing in the garage, which she has every right to be.
“What am I doing here?” Toast asks anyway, looking at Furiosa with a dry, almost amused but-mostly-confused expression. “I was looking for you, wanted to tell you about the trade run.” Her eyes flit over to Max, who Furiosa realizes she’s standing in front of as though to shield from Toast’s gaze. She starts to move out of his way but then thinks better of it, unsure of the, ah, state, Max is currently in. Shielding him from Toast’s gaze might be the right call.
“Oh, good. That’s, that’s good, I wanted to talk to you about that.” Toast just lifts an eyebrow, undoubtedly noticing that Furiosa hasn’t stepped away from where she’s plastered up against Max’s front. “We can talk about that right, um, now. Yeah, right now’s good. Is right now good for you?”
Max shifts behind her, trying to get out from where she’s pinned him to the car. “I’ll go get cleaned up,” he mumbles.
Furiosa opens her mouth to ask him to stay, but then she sees the smirk Toast isn’t even bothering to hid from Max and decides against it. “Sure, I’ll see you later this evening.”
He gives her a glance and with a small quirk of his lips walks away.
There’s a brief silence as Furiosa and Toast stare at each other, broken only by Max’s retreating footsteps. Toast’s expression is no longer confused, and the smirk has taken on a knowing edge that makes Furiosa feel like she needs to explain herself. Which of course she doesn’t.
“We were just saying hi.” She blurts out, the embarrassed part of her brain obviously taking over and trying to explain, when what she should do is change the subject.
Toast’s smirk turns into a full-on grin, and Furiosa scowls as she feels a blush creeping over her cheeks. “Is that we’re calling it now? Saying hi?”
Furiosa just turns back the car she’s working on, blindly grabbing a wrench and twisting some bolt off. “So how was the trade run?”
~~~~~
“He’s up by the gardens, checking on the irrigation system. I was going to, but he saw me bellyaching about having to take the stairs and offered to go.” The Dag sighs, and Furiosa would think she’s exasperated at Max for doing her a favor, except that she knows Dag is just a little exasperated at everyone right now. Being less than a week from your due date, with no comfortable way to sit, or lie down, or just be will do that to you. Furiosa doesn’t take it personally.
“Thanks.”
“Why, do you need to talk to Max about something?” Toast’s voice lilts with false innocence. “Or are you just going to say hi?”
“Long way to walk just to say hi,” Dag grouses, missing Toast’s meaning and not catching Furiosa’s glare. “You should just wait until dinner, he’ll be back before then.”
“No I,” Furiosa sighs. “I’m not saying hi, Toast, I need to talk to him.”
“Good, good.” Toast gives a mock serious nod. “Personally, I think everyone should stick to saying hi within the privacy of their own bedrooms, but maybe I’m just old-fashioned like that.”
“Yes, you are,” Furiosa grits out, turning on her heel to stalk to the gardens, refusing to be drawn in by the twinkle in Toast’s eye to any further discussions of her and Max.
Hearing Dag ask Toast what she means about saying hi in your bedroom almost makes her pause, but she decides against it. She and Max can rise above the innuendos. Or at least Max can, since she’s pretty sure he remains unaware of them. Furiosa working on it.
It’s a bit of a walk up to the gardens, and she can see how Dag isn’t up for the trek these days. Max probably isn’t much up for it either, given how his knee will start to hurt if he takes too many stairs without a break. But he wouldn’t really mind volunteering, and neither does Furiosa mind following him up.
She didn’t get a chance to see him after Toast interrupted their ‘hello’ (oh come fucking on Furiosa, stop it) yesterday. She was kept out later than she’d intended to stay, and by the time she made it to their room that night Max was already asleep. Washed, in clean clothes, and smelling deliciously of unscented soap, but asleep. She might have pouted a little because it was a bit disappointing, but she didn’t disturb him. Max fell into the same category as babies and dogs when it came to the no wake rule.
She saw him briefly that morning when they woke up, but other than a very short ‘greeting’ (god damn it Furiosa) they’d been separated for the whole day. Which is why she is currently hiking towards the farthest Citadel garden, trying doggedly to think of something to talk with Max about once she gets there.
Because despite what she told Toast, ‘hello’ is as far as Furiosa has gotten for a topic of conversation. Well, not so much ‘hey’ as ‘hey, is it okay if we suck each other’s faces for a few minutes while we have the privacy and time?’ She tries, but no other topic of conversation presents itself as even remotely as interesting.
Max is alone in the far garden once she gets there, puttering away with the irrigation system that Dag keeps babying, despite the fact that they haven’t had any issues with it since it was first installed. Dag just feels protective over her special project, for which Furiosa can’t really blame her. Especially when she knows Max enjoys babying it almost as much as Dag.
He notices her right away, straightening up and giving her a small wave as she walks over. She can’t help but smile at him, surrounded by this drop of green amidst the vast desert that they’re trying to survive in.
It’s in these moments of calm and silence that Furiosa can see how different, how much better Max is doing away from the harshness of the wasteland. It’s still part of him of course, he still spends at least half of his time outside the Citadel in some capacity or another. And she knows he’ll always be connected to the stillness, the violence, the ferocious beauty of the desolation that surrounds them.
Yet life in the Citadel has changed him, for the better she believes. Guilt and despair no longer motivate his every movement. Survival is still top of mind, but there’s survival of a group now as well as the individual that she knows he cares about. And with caring about a group comes the knowledge that the group, the community cares about you. Even when Max thrashes against the restraint, as many times as he drives off, he always come back. Back to her, back to them. And even though she’ll probably never say it, she’s sure the sense of belonging plays a part in the way his eyes seem calmer these days.
Or who knows, maybe it’s just having regular sex that’s done it. Furiosa wouldn’t have thought it possible, but consistent orgasms are a large part of her better moods these days, so she wouldn’t be surprised if they have the same effect on Max. Either way, he clearly doesn’t dislike the consistent orgasms, so Furiosa intends to continue her current plan. The plan which happens to involve orgasms in the near or immediate future.
She’s beside Max now, and he responds to her grin with a soft smile of his own. “Irrigation systems shaping up just fine. Dag’s done a good job.”
“Yeah?” she says it lightly, still smiling to let Max know he has room to say more if he’d like. And he does, walking her through the garden and pointing out what’s been done where. His voice is slow but steady, no longer rusty from disuse or cutting off with hums or grunts as he did out of habit when she first met him.
Furiosa feels her chest glow as Max walks her through the intricacies of this system he helped create. It’s a combination of the fact that he’s talking, at all, that he’s obviously invested and proud of what’s been created here, that’s she the only person who will ever get such a detailed tour from him. Plus the fact that the whole thing is genuinely impressive, Furiosa can’t help the smile that eats at the corners of her mouth, threatening to burst into a grin occasionally when Max gives a particularly animated gesture.
It takes a while, and the sun is definitely setting by the time they’re done, casting a muted gold haze over the greenery that surrounds them. It’ll will be dinner time shortly, and they should leave soon if they don’t want to be late. But the silence up here is peaceful, and Furiosa still hasn’t gotten what she came for.
Gently she tilts Max’s face toward her and waits until his eyes meet hers before closing them and going in for a kiss. There’s a sigh as their lips meet, and all thoughts of dinner leave Furiosa’s mind and she feels his warmth seep over her.
Their kiss doesn’t evolve into the frantic energy of yesterday, but there’s a steady hum of desire running through it anyway that Furiosa approves of. Without breaking the kiss she places a firm hand on Max’s shoulder, humming in pleasure when he takes her hint and slowly sits down. She keeps up the pressure on his shoulder until he’s on his back in the scraggy bush grass that covers the non-growing ground up here.
Smiling, Furiosa finally breaks their kiss long enough to look down before straddling and kissing him again. He’s smiling back at her, grinning even, showing teeth and everything, and yeah, this is worth missing dinner for.
They kiss for a while, slow and deep. Furiosa doesn’t even realize that she’s been rocking up into Max until he grips her hips and angles her better, groaning into her neck. His breath is hot, yet she feels a shiver run down her spine when it tickles her ear.
“Can I –“ she cuts herself off suddenly, when a flash of white catches her eye. She blinks, willing her eyes to be tricking her, but then there’s a voice, faint from the other side of the garden.
“Furi? Max?”
“Shit.” Max looks confused as she scrambles to her feet. “Dag’s here, get up.” Understanding dawns, but he doesn’t move with the urgency Furiosa thinks the situation calls for. “Come on, before she – hey Dag, we’re here!”
Dag waddles over while Furiosa pulls Max to his feet. “What are you doing up here like that?” Furiosa waves a hand vaguely at Dag’s pregnant body. “Are you trying to induce labor?”
Dag scowls at Furiosa, but at least she’s not giving them any suspicious or knowing looks, which is a step up in Furiosa’s mind. “I’ll go where I please, for as long as my legs take me there.” She turns her scowl on Max. “Why were you lying on the ground?”
“I-“
“Your legs may take you now, but we’re the ones who carry you when they give out,” Furiosa interrupts, not wanting to get derailed with Max’s state of recline. Furiosa’s does better on the offense.
“No ones carrying me anywhere,” Dag says hotly. “Toast said I should check on you, seeing as how you're late to dinner.”
“Toast,” Furiosa mutters, just imagining that conversation.
“Furiosa wanted to check out the irrigation system.” Max volunteers, diverting to a topic he knows Dag can’t resist.
“Oh, yeah, it’s all so chrome. Do you want a tour?”
“I…” Furiosa hesitates, but only for a moment as she takes in Dag’s fiercely proud and determined expression, the way she holds her head even higher as though to counterbalance the large lump of her belly, before accepting the peace offering. “I would, please.” She gestures to one of the irrigation fixtures. “What’s this here?”
So she gets a second tour or the gardens, slower this time due to Dag’s more proficient explanations. Max trails along, contributing a word or two, mostly nodding along with Dag and not seeming at all upset that they were interrupted or are currently missing what’s left of dinner. Max has the patience of a saint when it comes to the sisters. Furiosa might be a bit envious.
It’s dark by the time the three of them make their way back down towards the lower levels, and slow going to boot given how difficult Dag finds some of the steps. “I still think Mara had the right idea, keeping you from coming up here while you’re like this,” grouses Furiosa. ”What if you’d fallen?”
The Dag rolls her eyes at Furiosa, not bothering to dignify her worry with a reply. “You should head to the kitchen and grab something before all the scraps get composted. Leave me, I’m fine.” She waves hand in the face of Max’s murmur of protest. “Hush Max, I know you’ve got to be hungry.”
“Although,” her eyes suddenly take on a mischievous glint as they turn to Furiosa. “Not as hungry as Furiosa, I’m sure. Don’t let her get too hungry Max.” She winks at Max, then turns and walks away.
“Damn it,” Furiosa mutters at Dag’s retreating back, before facing Max’s confused expression. “I guess I have to talk to Toast now.”
~~~~~
“Dag was right I guess.”
Furiosa shakes her head trying to dislodge the words from her mind but can’t stop herself from panting, “what?”
Max chuckles against her chest, sending a shiver through Furiosa while he continues to run his lips over the skin she’s managed to expose. “Said you were hungry didn’t she?”
“That, she… ugh, shut up Max.” he chuckles again and Furiosa grips his hair to bring his mouth up to her, silencing his smirk with her lips as she tugs his body closer to her. So much for Max not noticing the Dag’s crazy nonsense.
And it is crazy nonsense she tells herself, even as her right leg swings up over Max’s hip. She hasn’t had more than a taste of Max for the past few days, no wonder she’s hungry. Just some fleeting nibbles, no feast, and fuck she’s starving, and yeah, okay, that’s enough of that euphemism.
Furiosa’s debating whether they should stop long enough to make it to their room or if this dimly lit nook is good enough for what she wants, when “Max? Is that you?” pipes through the silent halls. Or as silent as they can be when you’ve got two bodies grinding and moaning against each other.
“Max?” The voice doesn’t go away, and Furiosa’s feels a surge of irritation, heightened by the arousal that has started fanning over her skin.
“Holy mothers, what is it?’ She snaps, just as Cheedo comes into view.
“Furi? Are you saying goodbye to Max?”
“Why would I be saying goodbye?” Cheedo doesn’t respond right away, prompting Furiosa to slide her leg off Max’s hip and take a deep breath. She doesn’t give a fuck what the girls think this time, she’s horny and hungry, (actually hungry, she still hasn’t eaten dinner yet) and just wants to drag Max back to their room and close away all the prying eyes. But Cheedo is looking confused, as if the idea of Furiosa plastered against Max’s body doesn’t quite compute.
“Has Toast not found you yet? There’s a distress signal from Gas Town, she’s getting a party together to head on out. Was looking for Max, see if he could come. They’re all in the garages now, getting ready to go down before the lift closes.”
“Max isn’t going anywhere, he just got back…” the words fade away as she sees the stern set of Max’s jaw, so different from the easy going grin she’d manage to coax out of him just a few moments ago. “Are you going?”
He glances at her, then away. “I, hmm, promised Toast I’d go if we got signaled. Knew it was a possibility.” He looks at her guiltily and murmurs, “Sorry.”
“No, it’s fine. I understand, just wish –“ Furiosa turns to Cheedo. “Tell Toast Max is on his way.”
Cheedo nods vigorously. “Sure I’ll just tell her you’re saying goodbye.” She flits off before Furiosa can register her words and tell her to actually say anything but that.
She shakes her head and sighs as Max brushes a soft farewell kiss on her cheek. “Sorry in advance for any nonsense Toast gives you.”
Max just huffs out a laugh, warm against her skin and she wants so badly to make him stay, keep him safe. Or at least go with him, help protect each other and what they’ve all built here. But she’d promised Dag and Capable that she wasn’t going anywhere until the baby came, and it’s only a few days away now. She doesn’t tell him to be safe, and he doesn’t tell her not to worry. All he does is press his lips once again to her skin and whispers, “Get something to eat, okay?”
And then he’s turning, disappearing into the dimly lit corridors. His shuffling footsteps fade away as Furiosa clenches her fist and wills herself not to follow him, to turn and walk slowly in the opposite direction to the closed kitchens. Worry starts to coil in her belly, but she refuses to feed it. Max will be fine, Toast will be fine, everyone will be fine. She’ll see them both again soon and then…
Well, Furiosa smiles to herself. She intends to eat some very cold, very late dinner, and then go back to her room to think long and hard about just what will happen when she gets Max alone again.
~~~~~
Furiosa swears she can hear the clang and whir of the lift that lets up the returning party from Gas Town. It’s ridiculous of course, there’s no way that sound could travel through the cavernous halls of the Citadel to where she is when word reaches her that they’re on their way back up. But she still can hear the rumble and whir of the machinery that brings them in to safety, even as she speed walks there, trying not to run.
There was no alarm, no call for medics, and no subsequent distress signals, but Furiosa still can’t help the sob of relief that bursts from her chest when she sees Max, dirty but upright, tired but alive. She freezes once her eyes land on him, and the familiar terror of affection washes over her at the sight.
I can’t believe how I’m so in love with you, Furiosa thinks.
She starts walking again, more slowly and deliberately, almost as though she couldn’t care less if she ever reaches them. Max sees her and gives her a warm smile that almost causes her to melt right then and there, but she keeps it together.
Toast pops in front of her then, and suddenly there’s a slew of people explaining what happened, talking all around her about how the whole affair went down. What she can gather is that everything’s all right, Gas Town just had a water spill and needed representatives from the Citadel to assure everyone that more water was coming before riots broke out.
There are more details, but suddenly Max’s hand is in hers and his eyes are flitting over her face and chest. She feels a coiling of tension that’s different from what she felt just a few moments ago, sweeter and more like something she wants to let build until it can’t be contained anymore. Until Max makes her, lets her release it.
“Come on,” she says, giving his hand a gentle tug. Or at least that’s what she’s going for, the jerk of his shoulder tells her there was more strength in the pull than she intended. But it gets him moving, and soon they’re briskly walking away from the chatter towards the darker interior of the Citadel. They don’t say anything until they’re behind the closed doors of their room. Max is the one to break the silence, speaking to her for the first time since leaving two days ago.
“I should be, debriefing,” he says as she turns on him after locking the door, but Furiosa doesn’t even hesitate in pushing him against it.
“They can wait,” she manages to breathe out before finding his lips with her own. It’s a glorious sensation, kissing Max after an anxious separation, but Furiosa isn’t interested in staying there. She needs more of Max, more of his skin, his breath, his weight. Her hands somehow coordinate enough to get under his shirt and on his skin while he’s slipped a palm over her breasts. It’s amazing, and not enough. She needs him all, around her, inside her, and she needs him now –
“Furiosa?” there’s a thumping on the door behind Max, and Capable’s voice calling with an urgency she rarely displays. “Furi are you in there?”
Furiosa feels herself growl as she wretches her mouth away from Max’s jawline. “What the fuck Capable, can we not get a goddamned fifteen minutes –“
“I’m sorry, I know Toast said you’re saying hi to Max, whatever that entails, but Dag’s water just broke and she won’t go down to medical unless you’re there. I’m sorry, but can you come? Now?”
It’s on the tip of her tongue to say that no, she can’t come, neither hell nor high sand is going to drag them apart this time. But Max, who always did have too much self-control when it came to this side of their relationship, has already removed his hands and is gently pushing her away so he can step back from the door. She wants to glare at him for capitulating so easily, except that she knows he’s right, and she really does have to go.
“I’ll go do my debriefing.”
Furiosa lets out a sigh. “Fine. Yes.” She closes her eyes so she doesn’t have see Max re-buckling his belt, takes a deep breath, and opens the door.
Capable is hovering by the door, looking very contrite at the interruption. “I’m so sorry Furi, really, I wouldn’t have bothered you unless –“
“Don’t be ridiculous, you had to come get me. I promised Dag didn’t I? Let’s go.”
Capable doesn’t say another word, just looks embarrassed and slightly guilty. Furiosa wants to tell her not to worry about it, but that would mean she’d have to talk about it, and that isn’t happening. As much as her and Max’s sexual escapades seem to be on display with the sisters recently, she’s doesn’t want to encourage it as a topic of a general discussion.
They just keep going, and Furiosa decidedly does not turn around when she hears Max leave their room and walk in the opposite direction.
~~~~~
The next twelve hours of pacing, breathing, squatting, pushing, screaming, and crying are all a blur. The shrill first wails of new life cut through eventually, and there is finally a baby, new life for the Citadel here at last.
Furiosa’s exhausted but happier than she’s been in a long time. She must end up dozing in the chair beside Dag’s bed, because the next thing she knows Capable is saying something about getting Max to come in.
“He can wait if you’re not ready,” she murmurs to Dag, blinking sleep out of her eyes.
“No, I want him to see. If he wants to.” Dag flashes Furiosa a look of concern, but she waves it off.
“We’ve talked about it. He’ll be happy to see her.” Assuming he’s awake she thinks. What time is it? She might doze off again, with the Dag’s daughter gripping her index finger, because suddenly her eyes are opening and Max is sitting on the other side of Dag’s bed.
“How are you?” he asks her, voice low under the general cooing that’s directed towards the sleeping bundle that’s lying on Dag’s chest.
He’s shaved, she realizes.
“I’m good. You?” He nods and looks down at the baby between them. She doesn’t say anything else, a heavy feeling of contentment and calm settling over her.
She closes her eyes, just to rest them, just for a second. The next thing she knows Capable’s voice is coming through the haze. “I think you should head back and get some rest Furi. It's been a long day.”
“Hmm,” she doesn’t argue, especially when Max comes around and offers her his hand.
“Let’s go.”
I want to rub myself all over you. She means it in a sexual way, but maybe just snuggling close and letting Max’s body heat engulf her will suffice.
“Yeah, you two need to get a room alright.” Toast’s teasing also cuts through the haze, although a less welcome intrusion. Furiosa can’t be bothered to rise to the bait though.
“We were literally just kissing Toast, that’s it. Mothers, it’s like there’s no other gossip in the whole Citadel.” Okay so maybe she does rise to the bait, but she says it without any real heat in her voice so that must count for something.
“Let’s go.” Max repeats. He's tugged her to her feet by now and is gently guiding her to the door. A chorus of goodbyes trail after them.
They walk in silence for a while, her head on Max’s shoulder and his arm around hers. Finally, finally, they’re alone, for real this time. Furiosa wills her libido to rise and meet the occasion.
“I’m going to fuck you into the mattress once we get back,” She murmurs into Max’s ear, deciding to speak this truth into existence.
Max raises an eyebrow at her, pointedly noticing the way her body was sagging into him. “Yeah?”
“Yeah,” she stifles a yawn. “Or you’ll fuck me. Either way. Just, definite, definite, fucking will occur.”
“Hmm,” Max opens the door to their room and eases Furiosa over to the bed. “Maybe in a couple hours.”
“I-“ she’s about to protest until Max crawls in beside her and she remembers her earlier concession to snuggling. “Okay, sure. But just for a few hours. Then we’re going to have so much sex, believe me.”
Max just smiles into the back of her neck, and she wants to say something about him doubting her, but all her brain can focus on is warm, and soft, and I love you so much.
She might say that last part out loud, if the way Max squeezes her tight is any indication. Just you wait Max, she thinks fuzzily before exhaustion drags her into blissful unconsciousness.