Hey! So I'm glad so many of you like this story! You've all inspired me to keep going with this story in a way I hadn't intended. Thanks for reading, following, and faving. You're all beautiful little cinnamon rolls.

The next morning, Nux and Capable woke to an incessant rapping on their door. Nux groaned, rolling his body towards the door. Capable lay next to him, not awoken quite yet. He was careful to avoid waking her as he begrudgingly rolled out of the bed.

The knocking was repeated. He didn't want to wake Capable by announcing his presence, so he scrambled to find pants, or something to cover him at least. He found the linen pajama pants in a drawer, quickly shuffled them on, and opened the door.

"Nux!" The Dag greeted him. He didn't expect to see her there. Nonetheless, he smiled.

"Good morn-" he started.

"Look at this!" The Dag excitedly held up a basket to his nose. The airy nature of her voice still present, but channeled. He jutted back, raising his hands and holding the basket himself. Inside were red, strangely shaped things, smelling sweet and like sunshine. He looked at her, confused but appreciative.

"What are these?" he plucked one out by the green stem, examining it. It had black dots all over, its flesh plump.

"Strawberries!" the Dag exclaimed excitedly. She smiled so wide, it was uncharacteristic. "The first batch grew in this morning for harvest. We have fruit, Nux!"

Nux liked the way strawberries looked. "That's great," he encouraged. He handed the basket back to her.

"Don't you want to try one?" she held one out for him, her own linen clothes stained red from the harvest.

He took the strawberry from her, curious, and bit into it. It was sweet, soft, and warm. He smiled, swallowing, and taking another bite, said, "this is amazing, Dag, I've never had anything like it."

"We're growing blueberries and raspberries, too," she beamed, "the soil is getting richer with the compost. We're going to have trees, too, for apples and cherries..." she trailed off, only now noticing how freshly woken Nux was.

"I'm sorry for waking you, it's just um..." her smile relaxed, "is Capable there?"

"She's uh..." Nux turned towards Capable, who was still asleep. And naked.

The Dag didn't seem to want to wait, her bubbly humming rushing past him as she pushed into the room. He didn't try to stop her, though he knew he should.

The Dag stopped short of Capable, who rocked towards her. The blanket covered her breasts, but it was obvious she had nothing on. The Dag lowered the basket onto the table next to her, looking at Nux.

She caught on to what had happened, maintaining her gaze with Nux, who felt his face turn hot. The Dag was slightly air-headed, but she knew what went on.

The Dag smiled, even as Nux broke the eye contact. Capable shifted in the bed, groaning lightly. The Dag perched next to her, wobbling the bed, forcing Capable out of sleep.

"Capable! Capable," The Dag nudged her, who now raised her head, lids heavy and hair messy, "Look."

Capable raised her head further, one hand supporting the sheet that covered her and the other holding her weight. The Dag introduced the basket. Capable gasped and smiled, taking one from the basket and bit into it.

"Strawberries..." she sighed. "Dag, you finally grew some fruit."

Even in her groggy state, she was the most beautiful thing that Nux had ever seen. Her happiness radiated from her, humbling him. She looked up at him as she enjoyed the strawberry, smiling.

"They're your favorite, I know," Dag picked up the basket. "So I grew them first."

"Thank you, Dag," Capable finished her strawberry, holding one arm out to embrace her Sister. "That means a lot to me."

They shared a moment before The Dag stood up. "I um... I'll give you your privacy now," seemingly just now noticing she had slightly invaded their comfortable morning.

Nux wished her well her again as she stepped out, anxious to show the rest of the girls and Furiosa her harvest.

Nux turned back towards Capable, who let the blanket drop, her lips red from the strawberry. He climbed back into bed with her, his pants rubbing against her bare skin that he loved so dearly. He ran his hand through her hair, a kiss shared that tasted like strawberries. He liked these "strawberries", he hoped there would be more. He didn't know what a cherry was, or a raspberry, but those sounded nice too.

"Good morning," he cooed, the warmth of her body comforting compared to the cooler air around him.

Capable smiled. "Good morning."

The two got out of bed, Nux knowing that he had work to do as well as Capable. Nux donned his black pants, Capable a linen dress that kept her cool in the desert sun. There would be time for more cuddles and reading later, but for now, the Citadel needed them.


Nux pressed his heel into the gas pedal, hearing the V8 roar underneath him. The car, pieced together from old, broken parts, was suspended above the rest of the boys, the tires whirring as Nux tested the throttle and acceleration. This would be a great car; it was fast, it was powerful, and the engines could withstand heat and sand. The cage surrounding it would prevent any more unnecessary deaths.

At the sound of the revving engine, the Boys cheered, proud of their work. More and more of them abandoned their paint every day, showing solidarity with Furiosa's regimen and, more potently, Nux.

After the test, Nux climbed down, his boots clanking against the rock floor. The engine was hot, he was hot, but excited for more work. The boys patted his back, friends he had now revered him. He was proud.

"Nux!" a female voice called his name from his left, the entrance. He looked up, the other Boys turning their heads towards him. He saw a frantic-looking Remedy, holding a box covered by a white cloth. He came to her, examining the box fruitlessly.

"Can you come with me?" she asked, her voice hurried.

Nux nodded. He turned his back to her and addressed the Boys still looking at him, "Pointer! You're in charge until I get back. Test the acceleration on the new Speedsters."

Pointer held his fist up from the crowd in understanding before Nux left with Remedy.

She guided him to her medical tent, a small space on the dusty desert plains just outside the Citadel. This was where she cared for the Wretched, not the personnel. Why take him here? She set the box down on a table.

"Take a look at this," she guided him over to a gray cloth covering what looked to be a body. She lifted the sheet to reveal a human indeed, his head wrapped with gauze save for his mouth. A tube went down his throat. The man had many tumors, like Nux's, lining his throat and collarbone. Nux reeled inside. Was that his fate?

"How does he look?" she grinned, her hand on the man's shoulder.

"Um..." Nux swallowed. He cringed imagining how his windpipe felt with just two tumors, not as many as this man had.

"What if I told you that just three weeks ago, he had more than this?" she prodded the tumors closest to her, hot and full.

"More?" Nux said in disbelief. How could he even fit them?

"They were in his armpits, too," she lifted his arm to reveal completely smooth skin. "They're localized around lymph nodes. I believe this man has something similar to you, Nux. Your samples and his matched up almost completely."

Nux looked at the man again, face wrapped, breathing slowly. "Why's his face like that?"

"Oh, um," she fumbled with the gauze there, "it's to keep the radiation away from more sensitive skin."

"Radiation? Isn't that what caused this...?" he fingered his own Larry and Barry, knowing that there were more inside.

"Yes, but with localized radiation, we can treat it. It's hard to explain, you'll have to trust me," she assured. "I would treat you in the hightower, but I just wanted you to see. Trust me, in three weeks his recovery is almost unheard of. Who knows what's going on inside of him, too."

Recovery. Nux's heartbeat quickened. He'd never considered the possibility, even, his fate sealed as a half-life War Boy. His new identity had hope, had the ability to give him more time with Capable, his friends.

"When can I start?" he was eager. He looked at her, the man's chest rising and falling in his unconscious state.

"That's what I wanted to discuss, but I wanted you to see him first," she covered him back up.

The sheet kept him cool. "We should meet in the hightower medical center. It'll be easier to explain."

"Can Capable come?" Nux followed the woman's movements as she gathered the box she had before, a book, and a pen.

She looked at him, concerned. "She might not like what she hears."

Nux was confused. "But... it's treatment. I'll be getting better," he followed her out of the tent and into the desert sun again.

"It is chiefly painful," she said to him without looking at him. "You're going to need some very advanced treatment. You saw him, I sedated him to spare him the misery. I'd do the same for you, if that's what you wanted."

Soon they reached the hightower, ascending to the small medical wing where Immortan Joe had received his own treatment. Guards and watchmen were treated here as well. Remedy sat the box on a chilled table, the books on the bed. Nux decided against Capable's accompaniment; he wanted to tell her when the plan was totally green-lit.

"I have very good news, though," Remedy lifted the lid on the box. Inside were ten bags of blood, sealed and ready to go. "These will start the beginning of your treatment, if you decide to go through with it. You've had lots of ready donors, very brave boys to endure the pain of having bone marrow extracted."

"Bone marrow?"

"It's the stuff inside your bones."

"There's stuff inside my bones?"

Remedy shot a look at him. This would be hard to explain.

"We'll get to what matters," she said. "It's an old combination of techniques, used back in the before times. We'll start with chemotherapy, a painful procedure that will hopefully wipe out the tumors inside you. Then, if we need to, we can pinpoint areas with radiotherapy. We don't have many painkillers, and no steroids, but it might work if we have enough time. You need a bone marrow transplant, which I've collected for you there. If you want to get better, I'm afraid this is the only way."

Nux looked to the ground. He wanted to be better so badly, but was scared of the treatment she offered.

"Can... can I talk to Capable about it?" he muttered. Remedy smiled.

"Of course," she adjusted the chill on the box. "Let me know as soon as you can. These donations won't last very long."

Nux thanked Remedy, still whirring at the possibility of getting better. No longer a half-life, he mused, he could do so much more, learn so much more with Capable. He rushed to the staircase right away, anxious to share the news with Capable. She'd be with the Pups right now, though, and he need to hurry.


"Capable," Nux called calmly from the door, opposite of the way his heart pounded in his chest.

She looked over, bare Pups following her eyes. "Dignitary Nux!" they called, proud and confused, not sure how else to approach him.

"Stay here," she instructed the children as she rose, seeing the urgency in Nux's face. They reluctantly stayed, leaning over to steal last glances at Nux.

Capable closed the door behind them, knowing she shouldn't leave them unattended but trusted them nonetheless. "What happened?"

"Remedy gave me news," he said with a smile. "Good news."

Capable smiled with him, excited. "What is it? Are you going to be okay?"

"She found a way to heal me, at least, well, a way to try to heal me. She said something about um, blood and stuff inside our bodes, and uh, radiation but I can't really explain it," he was embarrassed, wishing Remedy had come along. Capable looked at him with confused eyes.

"That's amazing, Nux," she pulled him in for a hug. "We have to talk about this later. They'll get up to trouble in there. I'll come to the room early, though, at seven, okay?" She broke the hug.

Nux nodded, understanding. As she returned to the Pups, he turned his back and began to head back towards the exit, to tell Remedy of the situation.

"Wait, Nux!" Capable had opened the door, calling out. The Pups lined the space of the door under her arm. Nux turned to see her.

"They want to read a story with you," she continued, the Pups looking hopeful.

Nux smiled, approaching the door. "I'd love to."

The Pups cheered and chatted, a few "so chrome" and "shiny" cheers dotting their conversations, behind Capable as they moved to their reading spot. Capable greeted him through the door, closing it behind them, and seated Nux before she began to read.