Week One

She awoke the next morning, the thralls of passion long gone yet still lingering under her skin, tingling, warm. A deep sigh brought her to this world instead of the one of dreams, where her previous night was black and peaceful. Opening her eyes to see her room, morning sunlight filling in from the window, she realized something was missing.

His arm around her.

Her brows furrowing as she heaved herself up, longing for his warmth next to her despite it being a bit too hot for her liking, she pushed the blanket off of her. Then she heard it.

Breathing.

His pale body next to her was comforting; he hadn't left, he was there, though he was splayed out on his side of the bed, blankets amiss, his chest rising and falling, rising and falling. He was there.

Capable smiled and, not wanting to disturb Nux's sleep, she shifted from the bed and walked to the bathroom, light-footed.

How amazing it was to be with him, she thought. How gentle he was with her, how he revered her and kissed her and caressed her. It was still new, and they had plenty of time to explore, plenty of time to explore their new selves. It would be time to see what Furiosa needed of her soon; she insisted on having a part in the reformation of the Citadel, no matter how small. She turned on the water to the shower, precious water that was thought to be rare so abundant in the hightower, warm and steaming the tile. She stepped in, forgetting the wasteland for a moment and thinking only of him, his body splayed out on the bed.

–

Nux woke with a start, his eyes snapping open. He'd always gotten up like that, though he couldn't remember the last time it was from his own desire and not from the morning commotion of the bunks or a night fever or the lack of oxygen as Larry and Barry choked him. He relaxed, a deep breath cleansing the sleepy air from his lungs, swallowing the saliva that was now abundant in his mouth.

Capable.

Where was she?

He sat up, searching the room. Had she left? Had he done something wrong? Was he too loud? Did he have a nightmare and thrash around too much, scaring her away? Did he-

A soft humming from the bathroom.

Oh.

Nux smiled. She stayed. She was here. Not here, but she was here, with him, just showering. He remembered how warm she had been, how breathtaking she was just the night before. He anticipated exploring her more, feeling her more, kissing her more. It was so nice to kiss, he realized. It was so nice to reach out and touch her hair. It was so nice to feel so new with her, so shiny and chrome for whatever Valhalla he resided in.

A knock on the door.

"Nux?" Furiosa called from the other side. His head snapped towards the door, suddenly brought back to this world and not the one of this thoughts. "Are you in there?"

"Ye-yeah!" he called. He pushed the blankets aside, scrambling out of bed and searching for his pants. He'd dragged them in last night, and there they were, laying in a pile beside the bed. Shuffling them on and also hopping towards the door, he buckled his pants. He turned the knob and there she was.

Though she was not how she used to be.

Her blackened forehead was absent, replaced only by refreshed skin. She wore the same linen clothes Capable had, though her physique was much different- stronger, harder. It was strange seeing her like this; she was always so hard, so tough, but now she breathed softly into offwhite linen. Her robotic arm was absent.

"Good morning," she said, peering over his shoulder, presumably to search for Capable. He must have looked frazzled and freshly woken.

"Yeah, good morning," Nux nodded.

She must have known, he realized then, what happened between he and Capable. Should he be embarrassed? Was it shameful to her? He never knew what was out of bounds, everything the women expected so strange.

"I need to talk to you, now," she met his eyes then, giving up her search for Capable.

"Yeah, of course."

He stepped out into the hallway with her.

"You have to see this," she guided him to the stairwell, covered by a curtain that she pushed aside. He followed her down to the platform deck, overlooking the platform that had risen to accept them into the hightower. He heard chanting, commotion, loudness beneath them. Were the Wretched revolting? Were the devoted followers of Immortan Joe rioting at the new leadership?

No.

He looked down to a sea of black and white, bustling with fists raised and smiling faces. War Boys, his friends, at least the ones he had left. The repairboys, the sick ones, they were there, shouting and chanting.

"Nux! Nux! Nux!"

Nux's brow furrowed. When the crowd saw him peering from the rock ledge, they raised their hands into the sacred V8, pointed towards him in reverence.

"True Traitor! Dignitary Nux!"

"Shiny and Chrome!"

"Guide us to Valhalla!"

He swallowed. The Boys must be confused- he couldn't guide anyone to Valhalla. He was just a War Boy like them, his blood running low, a transfusion needed soon.

"They're looking for a God," Furiosa called over the noise the Boys made, behind Nux. "They need someone to guide them. Someone that isn't Immortan."

He craned his neck to look back at Furiosa, who returned his look with one of fierceness, seriousness.

She wanted him to lead them.

"I- I can't," Nux swallowed. "I'm too sick."

Furiosa nodded then, approaching him to put a hand on his shoulder.

"I don't think you really have a choice," she grinned, the Boys under them calling and calling, look at me, he looked at me, True Traitor will you please- Nux, Nux, Nux.

Nux sighed, looking back down at them. Furiosa was right, obviously they'd latched onto the idea of a War Boy being something more. Something more than battle fodder, a sacrifice and a means to and end. Nux was that something more, he lived in the hightower with the Sisters, he spoke to Furiosa and didn't have to bow his head to her, didn't have to sleep in the bunks with the rest of them. When news spread that Nux was one of the Dignitaries of Imperator Furiosa, they'd gathered and shouted, chanted, announcing their reverence for him, their respect. Their devotion.

All of which made Nux uncomfortable.

"Talk to them," she insisted. She'd seen this kind of worship before. It was up to Nux to straighten it out.

Nux nodded, his belly stirring, anxious. He called to them, though, his voice drowned out by the cheers below him.

"Hey! Shaddup! He's tryin to talk!"

"Shut yer traps!"

Then it was silent.

"Hey," he called, his voice echoing in the distance between he and them. "Uh, now that Immortan's dead, I get that you're all looking for someone to- to guide you," he copied Furiosa's words. "And I really want to help you. I'm not sure how, though."

"There's no one to monitor the bloodbag exchange!"

"Where do we store spare parts? Immortan had the key!"

"Who'll make sure none of these morons fuck everything up?"

Nux smiled at that. They were right, Immortan was always the one to give the last say on the engines and the cars.

He supposed he could do that.

"I'll help you, if you'll do one thing for me!" Nux called down, gripping the ledge.

"Anything, Dignitary!"

"I am no God, I'm no Immortan. I can't carry you to Valhalla, and I ask that you stop believing that I can!"

The Boys mumbled among themselves softly.

"You can't?"

"Then who can?"

"You carry yourselves," Nux shouted.

The Boys looked up at him in unison. Dozens of eyes on his, blue, green, brown. Silence. Suddenly, they erupted in cheer, fists raised, some V8 signals dotting the crowd.

"Nux! Nux! Nux!"

Nux raised his fist with them, smiling.

Furiosa placed her hand on his back, nodding.

"Go back to the garage! I'll be there in a minute," Nux called, the boys clamoring over each other as his words were understood.

Nux turned then, only to meet the fiery redness that was his Capable. He felt his breath give way for a moment, seeing her smile and lean against the rock.

"Go get 'em, Dignitary," she grinned. Her wet hair plastered to her shoulder, her slim frame under the linen clothes... glory be.

Nux rushed to her and, with a quick peck on her cheek, slid past her to glide down the stairs to the garage.

"He'll be fine," Furiosa said having noticed Capable's tense body language. "No one will hurt him down there."

She nodded, turning her back to walk upstairs, leaving Furiosa on the deck to watch Nux emerge from the bottom of the platform and kick up sand as he rushed to the garage.

–

The Dag fingered her belly, her sinewy fingers making small trails the the skin under her belly button.

"Little schlanger in there," she droned, "can you hear me?"

"It's not his fault he's there, Dag," Cheedo murmured, turning the page of a book long forgotten.

"Or she," Toast piped up.

The women sat together, having been used to each other's presence and being comforted by it. The bedrooms of Dag and Toast were on this floor, the second one from the highest, where Nux and Capable and Furiosa stayed. Below them all was Cheedo's room, residing next to the library- well, whatever measly thing it was that they called a library.

"I'd feel terrible if it were a she," Dag continued staring at her navel. "She'd have to grow up like us."

"No she wouldn't, she could be free. She could have children when she wanted to, no one's gonna lock her up."

The Dag nodded then, her blonde hair dragging from her slim back. "She could be different, then."

Capable emerged from the curtain, her red hair bouncing from her smiling face. The girls met her gaze, wondering about the cause of her unusually giddy mood.

"Furiosa assigned me to the Pups," she explained, sitting with them. "She wants me to help the Nurturers care for them, play with them and stuff."

The women fawned over it, it's so like you Capable, you'll be so good with kids, you'll do so well.

She joined Dag in feeling her belly, too soon to show, but soon enough for her to feel the growing life inside of her.