Retaliation comes more quickly than either of them had anticipated. They're heading to the diner the next day for Capable's afternoon shift, only to run into some of the younger War Boys who had managed to avoid arrest. Four of them are waiting beside the diner to ambush them, and three of them drag Nux back into the alley in a flash. Two of them pin him to the brick wall while the other boy drives his fist into Nux's stomach, knocking the air from his lungs. Capable has no time to react before the the fourth Boy catches hold of her wrist to pull her further into the alley and away from Nux. Using her free hand, she manages to dig her keychain out of her purse and aims her pepper spray directly at his face. The boy reels back from her, clutching at his face and screaming. Freed from his grasp, she rushes back over to where Nux is still outnumbered, just as the War Boy in front of him delivers a powerful blow to his jaw. She can't get at any of the others with the mace without hurting Nux too, so she grabs wildly at his attacker's arm, trying to pull him off. The boy is young, even younger than Capable, but his anger turns swiftly back on her, and she's thrown to the pavement for her efforts. Nux tries to call out to her but he's already being slammed back into the wall by the two at his sides.

Capable realizes that neither of them is a match for the War Boys' rage, and she pulls herself up to rush to the front of the diner. She bangs at the windows, hoping to draw the attention of someone, anyone in there. She doesn't stay to find out how successful her plan was, running back to slam her bag into the War Boy's head. He turns back to her once again, leaving Nux to the other two boys. He shoves her again, but this time she's prepared for it. She stands her ground, and manages a solid punch to the boy's throat.

"Fucking bitch!" He wheezes out.

Capable's victory is short-lived, however, as she's slammed once again to the ground, and a kick to her side ensures she stays down. She looks over to where Nux has somehow freed one of his arms, and is doing fairly well grappling with the two boys, but her assailant, their leader, is already heading back over to him. She won't be able to draw him off again.

Thankfully, Furiosa seems to have been alerted to the commotion and is now rushing out to the alley with Valkyrie right behind her. The boys actually hesitate for a moment at the sight of the two women, but their anger overrides their sense. Their leader goes right for Furiosa, who immediately drives her knee straight into his gut. An elbow to his back has him on the ground. Another rushes towards her but Valkyrie catches him, knocking him to the wall while Furiosa makes a beeline to where Capable is still clutching her side on the ground. The pain is dull rather than sharp, and she's pretty sure nothing is broken, so she waves Furiosa off to go help Nux. Valkyrie is pummeling one of the remaining boys while Nux faces the other, but he had already taken a beating and is struggling with only one good hand. With Furiosa's help the fight barely lasts another minute before the War Boys are chased off, tail between their legs.

Furiosa helps Capable to her feet, and Nux immediately rushes to her side to hold her up. He's not faring much better himself, but he can stand unsupported and it's enough. Valkyrie offers to take them to the hospital, or at least to rest on the couch in the back room, but Capable declines. She just wants to go home. It's all over now. Furiosa is calling Max and they can manage the rest of it themselves. And neither of them is so badly off they can't make it back to the apartment, though they don't refuse when Valkyrie suggests giving them a lift.

The short car ride back is mostly silent. Capable curls around Nux in the backseat, still a little shaken by the attack but taking comfort in the fact that neither of them is seriously injured. Valkyrie reminds Capable she won't be expected in for the rest of the day, or even tomorrow if she needs. Capable assures her that she'll be fine after some rest, and that she will check in with them later. Nux simply nods in agreement.

Leading a bloodied Nux up to her couch is worryingly familiar, though at least this time he's remained conscious the entire time. His head looks a little worse for the wear from being slammed into the wall, and the cuts on his lip and nose have been reopened, but nothing appears to be broken this time.

"They were just pups, really." Nux offers as Capable wipes away the blood which has thankfully already stopped flowing - a few butterfly bandages are all that's needed this time. "They did what they thought they had to, they won't come back again."

She's relieved that this might truly be the end of it, allowing herself to release the breath she has been holding and some of the tension she held with it. Now her only worry is taking care of the boy in front of her. She finishes applying his bandages before stripping him of his shirt to check his ribs. But as she's prodding his chest he gently halts her, taking hold of her wrists in his own hands. He turns them to reveal where they were scraped up by asphalt, blood and grit still sticking to her palms. He takes the wet cloth from her and sets about carefully cleaning each hand in turn. He is quiet and thorough, cupping her small hand in his larger one and softly dabbing at the scrapes. When he finishes this task he draws each hand up to his lips, placing a gentle kiss over each palm. He does the same to the scrape across her cheek, and the one on her brow that mirrors his own, pressing his lips against each injury. And it's completely ridiculous but somehow this makes each wound almost magically better, or at least replaces the hurt with a pleasant warmth in her chest.

Capable returns this treatment, brushing her lips across bloodied knuckles and at the edge of his bandaged wrist. She runs soft fingers over the back of his skull, kissing his eyebrow and the tip of his nose before finally reaching his lips. She lingers there for several moments, feeling the rough edges of the cut contrasting with the softness of his mouth. But then he begins to move, and she allows herself to carefully respond. Nux draws her in more closely and she ends up sitting across his lap, his arms holding her in place as her own move to his neck to curl behind his ears. Despite their earlier brush with danger, there is no urgency to their kiss. Capable is very aware that Nux has been through quite a lot already, and she doesn't want to rush anything.

But then Nux playfully nips at her lower lip, reminding her that he's alright this time, that he came out of this fight still standing. The cut on his lip doesn't seem to temper his enjoyment of the kiss at all. And she's rewarded with a happy rumbling noise as she deepens the kiss. She allows her fingers to wander over his shoulders and chest, having seen only faint bruises there earlier. His skin is so warm under her fingertips, and she can't help pressing herself deeper into his embrace. But after a while she can no longer resist the urge to feel his skin against her own, and pulls back to tug at the buttons of her uniform. Nux stares at her with wide eyes for a few moments before tentatively helping her, showing further surprise as she guides him to the buttons at the bottom of her dress. They meet a little below her waist, Capable moving much more quickly than he had, but Nux is the one to run his hands underneath the fabric, drawing each side back to reveal the skin underneath. Capable suddenly wishes she had worn something a little sexier under her uniform, but - judging by Nux's reaction - polka dotted cotton seems just fine for now. She squirms in his lap as he divests her of her dress entirely, and he draws in a sharp breath at the sight - though not in a good way. She follows his gaze to where a large purpling bruise covers her side, right where the War Boy had kicked her. It doesn't hurt that much, it's just a little sore, but it looks pretty awful.

"Capable, maybe we should…"

"Keep going? I'm fine, I promise. It looks worse than it feels."

"Still…"

Capable knows her words won't convince him, so she drags his hand up to her side, placing it firmly over the bruise - and ok, ow, so maybe not her best idea, but the she hides her wince with another kiss, hungrier this time. Nux is pulled into it with her, and though he has the sense to draw his hand away from her side he does not move away from her lips. Despite the desperation of the kiss, his hands stroke gently along her back, sending a new rush of heat to pool low in her belly. She moves to straddle Nux, feeling him half hard beneath her, but this time he actually does pull back. She whines at the loss of him.

"Not here."

His words are shaky but the conviction behind them is firm. She eases out of his lap and captures his hand in her own, leading him back to her bedroom. Their bedroom. Some of their former urgency has faded as they settle onto their respective sides of the bed. Capable is glad she can lay on her uninjured side and enjoys the sight of Nux struggling out of his boots and jeans before mirroring her position. Their kisses are slow and playful again, as they enjoy the novelty of being able to explore one another at the same time. His fingers go right for her hair, combing through her curls and scratching gently at her scalp until she's nearly boneless. But she perks right back up again as his hand leaves her hair to trail down to her chest. He cups her breast with confidence this time, and she enjoys the searing heat of his palm through the thin cotton of her bra. His thumb slips up to tug at the cup and she reaches back to help him unhook it, breaking their kiss as she twists around. Once unhooked, he easily draws the fabric away from her skin, baring her breasts to his gaze. She sighs as his hand reaches to trace around the underside. His fingers then begin drawing careful circles towards the center of her breast and she arches into his touch, nipples tightening as he comes closer and closer to his goal. She gasps as he finally reaches her nipple, gently rolling it between his fingers and sending fresh a pulse of heat straight to her core. When a warm mouth replaces his fingers she moans shamelessly, grasping at his head to hold him to her chest. Keeping his mouth right where he's wanted, he encourages her to lie back so that he can bring his free hand over to her other breast, bracing himself up on his elbow. He alternates between the two until she's shaking beneath him, squeezing her thighs together searching for any kind of relief.

"Please, Nux."

He's apparently learning, because it doesn't take much more than that before he's trailing his fingers down her belly to trace the edge of her panties. She whimpers at the tease of it, and his hand finally dips lower, only to be blocked by her clenched thighs. She slowly eases them apart to give him space, but he continues with his light, teasing touches across the fabric. She pulls his face from her breasts she finds his expression more nervous than playful, and she realizes he doesn't really know what to do. She had helped him yesterday, and he's looking to her for direction once again. She places her hand over his, pressing it more firmly over her. She moans at the increased sensation, guiding him further down to where she needs him. But soon it's not enough and she pulls her hand back to push at the barrier between them. This, Nux seems able to handle. He sits up to carefully draw her panties over her hips and down her legs, watching her face the entire time. But once he is through he can't help staring down at her. He had looked at her for only a few moments in the shower, but now he takes his time. He runs his hands up her thighs where her knees have drawn up, and she allows them to fall to the side, opening herself completely to him. His fingers once again move to where she is soaking wet, this time with no fabric between them. She can feel his rough callouses dragging across sensitive skin, and it sends little shivers through her. This time he is less teasing, more firm in his touches, though he still seems uncertain quite where to touch her.

His thumbs accidentally brushes across her clit, and her whole body jerks beneath his. He tries to draw back like he had before but this time she guides his thumb right back to that spot, guiding it in careful circles as she arches up into the sensation. Realizing that he hadn't actually hurt her, quite the opposite actually, he grows more confident in his rhythm, continuing his circles and even moving a little faster as she releases his hand. It's almost perfect, and she lets herself relax beneath his touch, making soft noises in encouragement as her eyes to flutter closed. It gets even better when he strokes another finger across her entrance, slowly nudging it inside of her. With his thumb still circling her clit, he doesn't have much space to thrust his finger, so he settles for stroking her inner walls and somehow that's even better. She forces her eyes open to look up at his face, where he's staring down at her with that expression of wonder that still takes her breath away. She can only imagine how she looks now, shaking apart with just the touch of his fingers against her.

She feels herself wound tighter and tighter at such an agonizingly slow pace that her release takes her completely by surprise when it finally comes. Nux continues his gentle circles as she comes back down, until she is finally forced to push his hand away from oversensitive flesh, drawing him into an indulgent kiss. She pulls him down to hold him to her still shaking body, feeling his hardness pressing against her hip. She tugs clumsily at his underwear until she finally manages to drag them off his hips. But he pulls away as she tries to get them over his legs.

"Wait, I don't have any…" He looks completely heartbroken as he tries to explain, and she immediately takes pity on him.

"I do. When you were working on your bike, I went to the store and…we're covered."

"But that was before…?" Now he's looking a little confused.

"I guess I just hoped we might need them." Capable is not someone who is easily embarrassed but she feels like her face probably matches her hair right now the way it heats up at her confession. But Nux is beaming back at her, clearly he had hoped for this too, and it's actually sort of sweet that he hadn't expected it. She twists around to pull the box out her nightstand while Nux makes quick work of his underwear. He's sitting against the headboard when she turns back to him, foil packet in hand. She moves up into his lap, appreciating the intimacy of the position as well as how it avoids straining either of their injuries. She briefly kisses him before trailing her lips across his jaw and neck, teasing him as he had done earlier to her. But Nux is whimpering beneath her, and she thinks maybe they've both waited long enough. She reaching between them to unroll the barrier down along his length before positioning herself over him.

Her gaze locks with Nux's as she slowly slides down onto him, his stunned expression mirroring her own. She had forgotten how this had felt, the intimacy and fullness of it, somehow even more intense because it's Nux. His hands have reached up to grab her hips but he doesn't try and hurry her, merely steadies himself. The feeling is overwhelming for both of them, and she pauses for a few moments when she is finally seated, just enjoying the feeling of him inside her. Nux's whole body is trembling beneath her and she's feels oddly powerful in this moment. She gives a tiny experimental roll of her hips and Nux's eyes squeeze shut at the sensation, burying his face in her neck. His breath is already ragged as he pants against her skin. Her rhythm is careful and slow but it's still almost too much, and she clings to him more tightly even as he's pressing her hips into his own.

She continues at this maddening pace until Nux's hands relax slightly on her hips. With his good hand he manages to slip between their bodies, once again finding the spot that had turned her into a shivering mess just moments ago. She marvels at how fast he's learning. There's not much room to work in, but somehow he manages a rhythm that brings her determinedly towards a second release. She can feel Nux growing close as well, despite their shallow movements - both are reluctant to allow space to form between them. But it's perfect just like this. It feels as though everything is in slow motion, and each small sensation is heightened. She draws Nux back into another kiss, swallowing each desperate sound he makes and muffling her own into his lips.

Capable nearly blacks out when she comes for a second time, almost missing the feeling of Nux following her over the edge. They're both shuddering as they come back down, clinging to one another as they had the day before. Only now there's nowhere else they need to be, nothing they need to take care of other than each other. Capable reluctantly eases herself out of Nux's lap but only to draw him down to lay beside her. She rests her head on his shoulder and curls up against him, the events of earlier today and any pain from her wounds firmly out of her mind. They made it through and now they're safely home, together. Sleep begins to beckon her as Nux runs his fingers softly over her hair, pressing a kiss to the crown of her head. She feels Nux whispering endearments against into her curls as she slowly drifts off, murmuring a sleepy 'I love you too'.


A few days later Nux wakes them both with a grin. Today he's due to start work at the Miller's auto shop, and he's more than a little eager to get going. She'll miss having him around with her all day at the diner, but it's still a thrill to wake up together and get ready side by side. He actually has to be in before she does today, but he promises to pick her up at the end of her shift. He kisses her goodbye on the way out and it's so wonderfully domestic that she can't stop grinning all through the rest of the morning. She even finds herself inspired to bake a black forest cake to celebrate his first day at work, topping it with dark-chocolate dipped cherries.

She finally makes her way to the diner a little before lunch, finding an out-of-uniform Max still hanging around. He had been spending more time at the diner lately, sometimes even sitting in Furiosa's booth when she wasn't too busy. Capable has never seen any overt signs of affection between them, and Furiosa continues to ignore any and all questions about their relationship, but there is a new contentment there that immediately gives them away. And none of the girls mind seeing more of him around. They've all taken to calling him simply 'Max', and Toast's teasing has taken on a whole new level, if anything. But Max endures it almost fondly now. They see more of Grant as well - always seated in Cheedo's section, ostensibly working on his novel. Capable wonders how much he really accomplishes there, but it's nice to see Cheedo with someone who adores her. It's a little strange having so many men fast becoming a part of their little family, but also it's not so strange. Mostly it just gives her hope.

Valkyrie refuses to comment on Max's extended presence, but Miss Giddy voices her approval as Capable joins the two women in the kitchen. The topic then changes to Dag's garden, the first fruits from which she has brought in to share, requesting that she and Miss Goddy make something for everyone to enjoy. She sets to work on pear with gruyere and blackberry pies for the restaurant, and a sweet green tomato pie for her friends. Even Max gets a slice, and for the first time ever he actually compliments her baking. It's no more than a mumbled "'s good", but she figures that's practically gushing from the normally reticent man.

The rest of her shift passes slowly. She misses Nux's distractions, but she knows he's much happier fixing up cars than he ever was pouring coffee for strangers. There hasn't been any trouble with the War Boys since the day after Joe's arrest, but she also feels a little better knowing Nux is all the way across town, with Mr. and Mrs. Miller to look out for him. Plus, with Joe's shop shut down by the police they were even happier to take him on, anticipating a spike in business. She's looking forward to hearing about his first day, and telling him about her own, as they have done every day since he came to stay with her. Dinner comes and goes without much fuss, but she is glad to rest her tired limbs by the end of it, her mind wandering to thoughts of the future.

"Hey Capable, your boyfriend's here."

Cheedo's teasing words are familiar, but today they actually ring true. Nux's motorcycle is parked by the front curb, where he's leaning up against it in his leather jacket, looking every bit the James Dean rebel. But then he sees her through the front window and his enthusiastic wave is so very Nux that she has to hold back a laugh. She offers a quick goodbye to the other women before rushing out the door to where Nux is holding out his helmet to her. She slips it on as he settles back onto the bike in front of her. He guides her to the seat behind him, pulling her arms around his chest and making sure she's holding on tight. She presses herself against the broad expanse of his back, delighting in the feel of the engine coming to life underneath them. Nux is rumbling too, the bike almost an extension of his own body. She should probably be nervous, but she knows Nux will keep them both safe. Capable smiles beneath her helmet, hugging him more tightly to her as they ride home.