Max snuck into her room the same time he always did, silently slinking into the bed and matching his bare spine up with hers. But Furiosa was a raging type of restless fidgeting slightly, shaking her legs and kicking back sheets. She rolled over and faced Max's large back.

"Are you asleep?" she whispered to his spine.

His shoulders shook back and forth slightly before he returned to stillness. She watched the letters on his back distort and stretch with each breath he took. Silently she leaned her head against him and closed her eyes, feeling his pulse beat. After a moment, she began to trace the tiny patterns of the scars that rested underneath his faded tattoos. The gentle distortion of his breath stilled for a moment, before he flipped his body over to face her, equal staring eye to eye. Max's eyes were frantically assessing her face-calm, and hand- soft, before staring and searching through her eyes. Her hand stayed still until his searching calmed then she moved as carefully as possible and placed a palm to his cheek. Instinctively he leaned into the touch, warm and soft and sacred, his eyes fluttered closed for a moment longer than a blink.

They stayed like this, Max's forehead slightly wrinkled, eyebrows slightly raised, Furiosa's face remained a constant cool stream of calm, with fingers vibrating slightly against his skin.
She inched towards him a little, her hand grazing down his face to rest on the crook of his shoulder. The confusion on Max's face left for a moment. They had been here before, facing each other at night when the entire world was quiet and still and they could each breathe.

But then Max lifted a finger to roll down Furiosa's cheek. The motion was familiar, the context was different, never this shaky, never this close. their breaths mingled and all she could see was his eyes, still, blue, constant.
She pressed her forehead against his and moved her palm back to his cheek. This was new territory, one mapped out and deemed foreboding at best.

He mirrored her, but tilted her jaw forwards, their forehead contact breaking in an open ended question.
"It's okay." she whispered "right?"

And he brushed his lips against hers, a light flutter of skin against skin. And she answered back with a little more push, a little more pucker, a fumbling bit of life. It continued back and forth, a gentle call and answer that merged together slowly into one fluid motion and moment that went on until Max moved his hand from her cheek to hold the back of her neck, fingers cupping over raised scarred flesh.

Furiosa sprang back fast and rose from the mattress. She stood unsure for a moment before striding to the closed window, wrenching it open, and leaping out onto the outdoor landing. Her silhouette disappeared instantly.

Max sat up on his elbows very slowly, watching and waiting. But when there was no sign of movement, he sat up more and scratched the back of his head absentmindedly, gaze drifting around the room.
With a small huff he laid back down and stayed there for nearly an hour, closing his eyes, rolling around, kicking up all the sheets and pillows, and mumbling inaudibly to himself.

He crept slowly out of bed and out onto the landing. The night was nearly silent except for a steady western wind that rustled the sand below. The only light was coming from a few fires burning where war boys had collected in a small bundle for warmth. It was enough to illuminate a small lump of jumbled up limbs curled into the corner where wall met banister. She didn't look up at him but gazed transfixed at the war boy's pack.

Max went back into the room for a brief second before coming back out with the discarded blanket.

He extended his hand to Furiosa, and she considered it for a moment before grasping it, max yanking her upward. Once fully on her feet, he threw the blanket over her shoulders and wrapped it around her arms, grunting to himself softly and nodding as he brushed her clean of dirt and gravel. When he was done, she leaned against the banister on her elbows, looking back out over the waste of sand and boys.

"I'm trying" she said into the air, eyes wide and red.

Max nodded

"I don't get jumpy." She said, glancing back at him.

He snorted a laugh and nodded again.

She turned her body towards him, but kept her eyes on his face, standing as close as she could without making contact, "God, I just...want... I...I'm sorry"

He made a small sound of agreement and almost to himself whispered "you'll be okay"

He lead her back into the room and before they matched up spine to spine once more, she pressed her lips against the skin of his chest.