true elysium
max/julio
"Hey."
Spanish accent.
The voice ignites something within Max, a tune he'd forgotten a long time ago. His head hurts thinking about it but he decides it's worth the pain.
"Hey, Max."
Max raises his eyes slightly at the gentle coaxing of the voice. The wires at the back of his head are vibrating, turning red hot, as information flows out of his exhausted brain into the super computer he slumps against. In the distance, Spider is yelling and half sobbing and the doors in front of him are shaking as droids attempt to enter.
I'm going to die, he thinks. Can't really do anything about this, so why not look at the voice?
"Max, come on."
He finally finds the strength to lift his chin very lightly, powered by the hoarse voice alone.
Julio's tanned face meets his gaze, scruffy beard and mustache and all. His somewhat long hair hangs in a twisted braid down his shoulder. For the first time, he's wearing a clean tank top.
"Hey there, Sleeping Beauty." A playful grin.
Max's first urge is to tell him to get behind the counter like Spider and take cover if the droids burst in, then he remembers.
Julio's dead.
"Brave thing you're doin' there," Julio says, and settles into a cross legged position in front of him. "Ya know, Frey an' the whole world, they gon' love ya."
"Really?" Max croaks out.
"Yeah. They gon' have a whole Max da Costa Appreciation Day and shit."
Max manages a broken smile. Spider is pleading with the computer behind him to go faster.
Julio touches one of Max's limp hands. Max closes his eyes. Julio's hand is warm, and he wants to cry, because somewhere in him, no matter how determined he is to save Matilda and Earth's inhabitants, he doesn't want to die. He wants to see Matilda well, he wants to have coffee everyday with Frey, he wants to visit Julio's grave. He wants to live. He's scared to die.
Max feels Julio's hand slip into his.
"Hey, Max."
Max opens his eyes. Julio leans forward to brush away a few tears that have escaped.
"Is it going to… hurt?" Max manages out.
Julio moves closer to him, so close that their bodies are touching, and doesn't say anything. Max takes this as an affirmation and, slowly, more tears follow. Spider's yelling has reached a peak and Max is feeling very light-headed. He feels Julio's lips press a kiss to his cheek.
"It's not selfish, ya know," Julio whispers against Max's grimy, blood streaked skin. "To be afraid. You're doin' the best thing I've ever seen. No wonder ya stopped stealin' cars with me so early."
Max smiles among his tears.
"Saddest part 'bout all this is that I never told ya I woulda loved to kiss you. An' we woulda lived in a place... that nobody bothers... in L.A."
Max knows he's about to die, and Julio seems to too, and leans in and kisses him. Max closes his eyes. He focuses on the feel of Julio's lips instead of the fact that he's dying, and when he opens his eyes,
he and Julio are standing holding hands in front of a run-down house on a hill, overlooking all of Los Angeles, and he realises he is in a true Elysium.