My Feral

15

Author's Note: Thank you all so much for being so patient with me while I took legit months to update this gay trash fic. Anyway, here's chapter 15! It's super gay and feelsy, and I am going to try my hardest to be more consistent about updates. And, as always, your continued support is much appreciated. Ya'll are hella chrome.

"So," Max says the next morning as he sits down across from Capable in the employee breakroom, "a little bird told me that you and Slit bet on Nux and I."

Capable turns almost as red as her hair, nodding and then quickly taking a bite out of her bagel in the hopes that she will not be questioned anymore. Max tucks into his breakfast, oatmeal with raisins that Slit had dropped off for him earlier.

They sit in silence for the next few minutes until Max scrapes up the last of his oatmeal, and setting the spoon down in the bottom of the empty bowl, fixes a Capable with a quizzical stare. "It was Slit's fault," Capable says quickly, then claps her hands over her mouth. Max chuckles in response, but quiets as the redhead continues. "He came up with a bet, that if you and Nux engaged in "the gay," before Nux was discharged, I owed him five dollars. Which I lost because you're both like lovesick puppies around each other."

It is Max's turn to blush as he stands and taking their dishes, goes to the sink to wash them. Looking over his shoulder, he asks quietly, "it's that obvious then?"

Capable nods again, a smile playing on her pink lips. But, when Max drops the bowls--plastic, thank the gods--and they clatter into the bottom of the sink, Capable is beside him in seconds, hand on his arm, concerned frown falling onto her face.

"Max," she says, taking his shaking hands in her own, "what's wrong?"

Taking a deep breath, he doesn't answer but leans into her so his face is buried in her shoulder. "Oh," she says, answering her own question. "You think that you're somehow betraying the memory of Jessie and your sprog by falling in love with Nux. Is that it?"

Max huffs out what could be either a laugh or a sob and sags back against the sink.

"It's ridiculous, Cape. I know this," he sighs, running nervous fingers through his hair, making his cowlick even more prominent.

Reaching over and placing a hand on the older man's cheek, Capable says cheerily, "well, then go get that gift for loverboy out of your locker and give it to him already!"

----

Max knocks on the wood panelling of Nux's hospital room door after doing his rounds. The sun is setting, his knee hurts more than a little bit, and his hands, holding the present, are shaking. Before Max can knock again, Slit looks up from the printed-off recipes he is paging through and waves him in.

When Max sits down in the chair next to Slit, Nux smiles at him from where he's very much letting Furiosa beat him at arm wrestling. Furiosa looks over at Max, waving at him with her prosthetic arm and declaring happily, "Uncle Nux and I are finally equal, Max!"

"Nux tells me that you're a chronic cheater, Furi," Slit says, not looking up from the recipes he's reading over. Nux makes a protesting sound, reaching behind him with his good arm and grabbing a pillow to lob at his brother.

Slit easily knocks the pillow out of the air, flipping to the next page with his free hand. Furiosa beats Nux at arm wrestling again, smiling up at her uncle, all innocence. Ruffling her hair, Nux looks over at Max, asking, "what's in the box, Maxy?"

Max feels himself blushing at the nickname, coughs to clear his throat, looks down at the box resting on his lap. The wrapping paper is truly ridiculous, and he feels somewhat silly for choosing it now. Instead of trying to explain why he picked it, though, he sets the present on Nux's lap. "It's for you," he says, and coughs again.

"You should get that fixed," Slit remarks, setting down the recipes and watching Nux as he picks up the present. Max doesn't say anything, and only hunches his shoulders as red continues to creep up his face.

When Nux inhales sharply, he looks up in alarm, doctor instincts kicking in. Because, even though he may be kinda-sorta-really in love with Nux, he is still a patient. When his gaze comes to rest on the younger man, he gives a little sigh of relief because there have been no injuries added or aggravated. Nux has simply gotten the ankle-high, black Doc Marten's out of the box and is looking at them in awe. And there might be tears in his eyes, but it could also just be the lighting.

Scooting closer, Nux puts a hand on Max's knee--not his bad one--and kisses him full on the mouth. Max makes a startled sound, feeling the blood all rush to his face, creeping up even to his ears this time.

Slit laughs gently, scooping Furiosa up off the bed and throwing her over his shoulder. Then he claps Max on the back and exits the room.

Once his brother's footsteps fade away down the hall, Nux sits back, running fingers over his mouth in wonder. "I've wanted to do that since my gurney first ran into you a few days ago," he says sheepishly. Max nods, not sure what to say. His tongue feels thick and useless in his mouth, and his lips tingle where Nux's had pressed against them.

That's when a sharp jolt of guilt arcs up Max's spine, making him bend almost double over the bed. Nux is suddenly beside him then, putting gentle and steady hands on his shoulders, pulling him gently back up and against his stomach. "I got you, Max. It's okay," he says, "it's okay."

Max nods quietly, feeling tears spill over and onto his cheeks. Nux guides him gently to his feet, and leads him to the bed. He sits down and pulls Max down next to him. Max lets himself be situated on the bed, leaning over and burying his face in Nux's bony shoulder.

He cries then, soaking the fabric of Nux's flower-patterned hospital gown. And Nux lets him, not saying anything, just rubbing circles into the tense muscles of Max's back like he is hoping to smooth out the turmoil inside of Max's brain as well.