#these are mostly about danna nova and ruby

[dawniebb]

Thoughts About Renegades Pt.2

I’m about to kick myself out of this fandom: A sequel afgshjavsbn

I’m sorry :’) These are, again, some thoughts I decided to write down in case somebody else feels the same way.

This is the link for the first part: https://dawniebb.tumblr.com/post/614167998575624192/thoughts-about-renegades

-Listen. I always fall in love with the shittiest characters possible (Looking at you, freaking Heather Duke afvsghavs) so Genissa had it *all* on her side. And yet, she was too much even for me :). Still, I had hope. I was open for possibilities for like... three chapters or so bc she's *that* annoying :) Again: This is coming from someone who likes entitled bitches full of themselves like her. When I finally gave up, I just wanted her to die but a part of me knew that wouldn't happen bc Pearl is The Lunar Chronicles' Genissa and she's still around (living her best life. Hella rich). Then she showed up at Supernova and I knew it would be a shitshow. I WAS NOT DISAPPOINTED, Y'ALL. SHE REALLY PLAYED THE CLOWN...But still, even if this hurts me more than you'll even know: For like a whole page, she was right. She had solid, strong arguments, bc she just said out loud what Nova was trying to say back in Archenemies when nobody would let her finish her fucking sentences. So, yeah, when Genissa said everything Nova was trying to say at the Council's face, she was absolutely fucking right and every single one of the Council members were acting like tyrant brats, so they had it coming lol

-Still, I don't think this means Genissa suddenly turned into a likable character, nor a redeemable one whatsoever. Fine. She was right for a while bc she said everything Nova was trying to say, but she didn't do it bc she was concerned about the situation. She didn't really care about what could happen to other prodigies. She didn't care about what could happen to the Renegades themselves or the Council. She only cared that it happened to her. She's the type of person with the "You won't understand it until it happens to you" type of mentality, and that's not exactly a positive personality trait. She had this "You have to do something bECAUSE IT HAPPENED TO ME.ME.ME I'M IMPORTANT" vibe. If it had happened to Callum, for example, she wouldn't have given a shit :v. But it was her, so something had to be done. She didn't learn anything from it, just the fact that she's not untouchable and anyone can be harmed by the Council's horrible decisions, even her. Hence, she didn't earn a redemption arc and, in my opinion, she did not have one :v. Her giving Adrian the Agent N doesn't mean anything either. Nova went too hard on her with her power and she was probably feeling drugged or dizzy.

-Which, at least for me, is kinda a let down because redemption for characters like her can be possible even if they've done shitty things in the past. Theseus Cassio Lowood from Anna Dressed in Blood (I'm begging you again to read Anna Dressed in Blood) was more of an entitled bitch than the actual entitled bitch of the duology (Carmel Jones) and by the end of the book we see a HUGE character growth on him.

-I want the best for Team Sketch afgbsja but if I were Danna I would hate Nova, so I guess for a while she will...and she won't be quiet about it. I'm talking about rolling her eyes up to Heaven every time Nova opens her mouth, making excuses to avoid hanging out with them if Nova is coming too. Shady stuff like that. From my experience in my first year of college, I even dare to say Danna will feel hurt when they mention anything positive about Nova (She'll feel like they're choosing Nova over her even though she's been here longer). And it's not like they'll hate each other forever and Danna will be *this* expressive about it forever, but they'll surely have to work on fixing their relationship. You can't just expect the person you locked in a mason jar to be nice to you :) that's not how we roll :)

-HOWEVER, even if I'm taking Danna's side here bc if I were her I would hate Nova too, I must admit I believe Nova lowkey has her own reasons to at least mildly dislike Danna. I mean, Danna is nicer than many people in the trilogy, but she's not the nicest person that has ever stepped on Earth (do you remember I mentioned I LOVE this type of characters?). She comes off as defensive and judgemental at times. I know she was right. I know she was smart enough to be the only one who wasn't fooled by Nova (we gay people are geniuses,y'all) but...let's picture a scenario in which she wasn't right. A scenario in which Nova happened to be just a normal girl with very strong opinions about everything. Not an Anarchist. Not Nightmare. Just a fella who enjoys being salty and fighting over politics lmao. And then there's this pal making this comments like "that's so anarchist omg pls don't you must be nightmare" and THEN she follows her all the way to her house and she's like ????? ....I mean, Danna, sweetie. I love you but pls relax, you'll hurt yourself one of these days.

-Have you ever written your opinions about Renegades and realized that everyone is so freaking morally grey??? to the point where NO ONE IS RIGHT? BUT SOMEHOW THEY'RE NOT WRONG EITHER?

-This is more a headcanon than it is an opinion: NARCISSA LIKES TO HATE-READ TRASHY YA. She doesn't even get mad at the awful plots, like, they ENTERTAIN HER. She likes to make fun and mentally roast the writer's horrible choices.

-We're going to talk about Ruby now :) brace yourselves:

-A period is blood along with other substances. However, unless she was some kind of disease, it's not a wound. It shouldn't be, at least :') So, unless I'm proven wrong, it's not her period I'm worried about at the moment, since it's mentioned the blood that crystallizes it's the one that comes out of her wounds. What I'm worried about it's pregnancy afsghavsb

First of all, I think it would be IMPOSSIBLE to her to give birth naturally, as childbirth is way more dangerous. Sometimes the deliver stage can rip up a woman's walls, which happens to be a wound. And what happens when Ruby has a bleeding wound? Her blood crystallizes. So, if the baby's head, neck, or any other part of their body is already down there, she might as well stab them to death or at least badly hurt them.

Then, a C section. A C section is basically doctors cutting layers and layers of skin until they get to the uterus. That's a profesionally done wound lmao. And unless they have some way to stop Ruby's powers from acting up, it would be impossible to get to the baby and THEN getting them out without, again, them getting stabbed to death.

-So, in conclusion, I think Oscar and Ruby would just adopt children :')

[honey-hippie-harper]

Walking through the dark

Hello :’) ahdjabndms well...I didn’t enter the gift exchange (I WAS HAVING A BREAKDOWN I’M SORRY) but...ansdhnsj yeah :’) @honey-harper-official like I had already told you...I wanted to do something for you. You asked for angst about Adrian talking about his mom...but this turned out to be kinda Nodrian, I hope you don’t mind :’)

Idk what to say :’) You were an important part of this fandom, and I’m going to miss you a lot. Still, I am (I think we all are) proud you’re doing what’s best for you. Carry on <3

I hope you like this <3

And thank you.

I’m a little rusty in all this writing straights businesses

Walking through the dark

Two years after the Supernova, they were trying to “get more creative” with the parade, while trying to make it more affordable at the same time.  

This year, it looked like an illustrated book. There were no paid actors, nor were the Renegades on top of a float. If anything, they were patrolling alongside the rest of the teams, and the only extra checks were for the marching band and the drivers.

The first float was about the lift of the city, and it had a city in ruins, with Ace Anarchy standing above everything. The background was in greys and reds, which made his gold and blue costume glow like a traffic light in the shadows. By the right corner, were Queen Bee and Cyanide, turning their backs at the audience, and staring at Ace Anarchy instead.

The second float was about the Renegades’ first public appearance, standing at the front, ordered by height, while the Anarchists’ silhouettes stood behind them, taller and bigger, so they could fit into six different people.

The next one was the Puppeteers’. He was standing on a Ferris Wheel, with the strings coming from his hands tied around the Anarchists and the Renegades’ shadows. The Renegades had blue strings, and the Anarchists had red strings.

The following one was new, because her parents had never been in the floats before. It was a beautiful car, with colors that resembled the Milky Way, and it showed David Artino, with a woman (Tala Artino) and a little girl (Evie, now Maggie Artino) standing behind him, placing a star into an older girl’s hands (herself). There was another, golden silhouette behind them, too.

The Day of Triumph came right after. Ace Anarchy standing on the cathedral, and Captain Chromium watching him from below, Silver Spear in hand, and a little capsule on his back.

Then came the scene after the cathedral, with the Renegades standing together outside the building. No masks. One of them missing. The rest, bruised but victorious. Captain Chromium was holding the Silver Spear above his head, and the Silver Spear had the helmet, which was on Max’s head the following float.

The supernova. Max being the one standing above them. The two of them.

Adrian and Nova. 

The supernova float had a lot of colors, and it was Adrian’s personal favorite. Maybe that’s why Nova remembered the floats so well in the first place. She had spent a good amount of time discussing with Adrian about them.

She also remembered them because she was watching them from above when she fell from the roof.

It was an accident, and it was stupid.

In order to avoid having people scattered all over the place, the teams were asked to split this year. While Danna and Nova watched from two different roofs, Adrian, Oscar and Ruby were left on the ground. From her roof, Nova could see Adrian, and if she went across it, towards the space where the water tanks were located, she could see Ruby. However, Danna was the one who could see Oscar.

When the floats arrived into their assigned street, the security camera started bothering Nova more than it should’ve had. It wasn’t really misplaced, but it surely looked so to her, because she had once been here, and she was one to know about the tricks a person who had bad intentions could play. She also knew that two could play that game, especially if they both knew those tricks.

Now, the camera wasn’t misplaced. It wasn’t. It really wasn’t. But Nova was stubborn, so she climbed on the edge of the roof anyway to go check on it. For some reason, the structure being slippery due to mold or water or whatever, never crossed her mind.

One moment, Nova was standing at the edge of the roof.

The next one, she was falling.

It happened so fast she couldn’t even scream or think, but somehow she managed to activate the emergency alarm in her bracelet, as the wind made her eyes tear up, and she felt her body suspended in time, though it was still falling, and falling, and falling.

First, the panicked swarm of butterflies reached her, careful not to block her vision because that would only make the death experience worse for her (yes, at the moment, Nova was sure she wouldn’t live to tell the story about how she fell from the roof) while also trying to help, perfectly knowing there was nothing they could do.

And, a few seconds after that, all Nova felt was a wave of overwhelming pain, when Thunderbird tackled her to stop the freefall and then wrapped her arms around her, flying all the way up to the roof, and then going down again. Nova had never been rescued by Thunderbird before, but she didn’t know one single person who said being rescued by her had been a pleasant experience. Her movements felt controlled and it was evident she knew what she was doing, but she was rough as hell, to the point where, despite knowing she had already been saved, Nova screamed for her life, until she was dropped on the ground in a mildly gentler way.

Upon stepping on stable ground, Nova realized this would be the dizziest she would ever be, and stumbled. Danna, who was already reformed, standing next to her, caught her by the arm so she wouldn’t fall.

At first, when she regained control over her senses, she heard nothing but Thunderbird’s ranting, and her voice demanding to see the entire Team Sketch, here and now, because, to put it lightly, Thunderbird was as blocked as her, and none of the two were able to hear Adrian in the distance, until they spot him.

He was bawling.

The parade was following its course, as they were trying to keep things as calm as possible, and Tsunami was still out there, acting as the only active council member at the moment, although aware of what was happening. Above all the noise and the commotion, Nova spotted Ruby politely nudging her way into the crowd, following Thunderbird’s call and, obviously, the emergency alarm sent by Nova when she was falling.

Oscar was also coming, although slower.

And Adrian was bawling.

Nova could see him knelt down on the floor, with Captain Chromium’s, who also happened to be his dad, arms surrounding him, holding his body tightly. The Dread Warden, his other dad, was there too, uselessly trying to block the scene.

Well.

Maybe his attempts weren't that useless, and it was only that Nova happened to be in the right spot, at the right time, from which Adrian’s silhouette was impossible to go unnoticed, even with the Dread Warden standing in the middle.

“Who’s riding with her in the ambulance?”

An ambulance.

The words almost didn’t make sense in Nova’s head, not even with Thunderbird’s voice, which was pretty clear most of the time, especially when she was talking to the recruits. An ambulance.

An ambulance, because Nova had fallen from a roof, and Thunderbird had caught her.

Half of her body was sore, because she had been hit by Thunderbird’s body after all, but Nova was pretty sure she didn’t need an ambulance. She didn’t need to go to the medical wing. If anything, maybe she needed some water, but she was sure nothing was broken, nor dislocated or sprained.

She was fine.

Adrian, in fact, looked way more affected than her. Nova’s heart was pounding, but she wasn’t bawling after all.

He was.

“I’ll do it.” Ruby said. “I’ll ride with her in the ambulance.”

She did understand that.

“I’m okay.” She said. “Literally, I’m doing good. I don’t need to…”

“Just in case.”

Thunderbird patted her shoulder, which made it hurt a little.

Even so, Nova was still convinced she didn’t need an ambulance.

Yet, said ambulance was already coming closer to her.

“I’m fine. I’m just fine.”

“Sssh.” Ruby came over and, as Danna let go of her hand, wrapped her arms around her, so Nova could use her as the human crutch she didn’t need. “It’s okay, Nova.”

“Don’t fight it.” She heard Oscar’s voice say.

Sweet rot, she was just fine.

Being bruised by Thunderbird wasn’t something that required her being taken to the medical wing, mostly because it hadn’t been her intention to hurt her. On the contrary, Thunderbird had saved her. She was okay.

They wouldn’t believe her, of course. It wasn’t a possibility.

It never was, when something as awful as this happened.

Ruby rode with her in the ambulance.

Adrian showed up into her room a few minutes after they started allowing visitors. His face seemed wet, and his eyes were red as cherries.

Then he got into the bed and rested his head on her chest, while she gently ran her thumb through the space below his ear, going all the way down to his chin, feeling the remnants of facial hair he had previously shaved, perhaps a couple of days ago.

For the next week, Adrian said nothing about it.

Nothing.

-.-

Nova had an intermittent schedule because, once she grew to accept the fact she also needed some spare time and do something besides work, she decided she couldn’t just work as part of the patrol units and work in the Vault. On the other hand, she also had refused to leave all the work to Callum, and it’s not like she didn’t like the Vault or hanging out with Callum. For instance, she decided she would be part of the patrol units for a week, and then she would rest from that the following one, working at night in the Vault instead.

So far, it was working. She felt more rested and relaxed, even on busy days.

The post-parade days were usually busy, if she wanted to be honest, mostly because of the things that had happened during the parade but nobody noticed them until everything was over.

Nova had covered a shift with the team when she was supposed to be getting ready to join Callum at night. In her defense, the parade was pretty stressful for everyone, even the Council, now that they have to work as staff. Still, that didn’t change the fact they were walking alongside the floats, following them through the entirety of the city by foot, with the patrolling teams working as their side view, checking if there was any threat in the spots they couldn’t see.

The Anarchists were gone, and so were the Rejects.

Both Winston and Leroy had stopped considering themselves Anarchists some time ago and, besides, they didn’t like the parade. If anything, Winston had speeded towards the Headquarters the moment they called to the house, saying Nova had fallen from a roof, but none of the two were among the crowd to see her fall.

“I would love to see them dressed in the patrol units’ uniform, though.” Winston said. Because, indeed, to make sure everybody knew they were part of the staff, they had chosen to wear patrolling uniforms, and not their official costumes. “But I won’t.”

And he didn’t.

At least, not a first.

The thing was…he did see them in the hallway when he came to the medical wing, but he was too busy freaking out to even make the slightest offensive comment.

It wasn’t until later, a few days after the parade, that, while laying on the couch, Winston started wheezing at how tight the uniform was on Hugh’s chest, how uncomfortable Kasumi looked (and how she had pulled up the sleeves), how Tamaya kept tugging on the fabric around her neck, and that photo where Simon was trying to get a little piece of tape off his clothes but, out of context, looked as if he were checking on his own butt.

Winston had a blast, but only after Leroy, Maggie and him were scared to death.

The Maggie thing was questionable.

A little. Nova wasn’t sure.

Because, just like Adrian, she didn’t mention anything about it after she snuggled up in bed with her as soon as she came home from the Headquarters.

But maybe that was just Maggie.

She was like that sometimes.

Adrian, from his part, wasn’t. He wasn’t one to be closed to his feelings. In fact, he was usually willing to talk about what was wrong and why he was upset, which was pretty useful to Nova because, even if she sometimes had some trouble admitting it, she wasn’t particularly good at reading signs. It was something she was working on, relentlessly, but Rome hadn’t been built in a day.

Maybe he was just worried.

Nova never called in sick. She rarely missed a couple of days at work, let alone the entire week.

The day of the parade, just like she suspected from the start, the healers didn't find anything unusual in her body. In fact, everything was as it should be apart from the bruises. Nevertheless, they did say she might experience some mild pain in the next hours.

And mild was only one way to put it.

Maggie had been asleep, curled into a ball, next to her, for a couple of hours already, when Nova felt the sudden urge to throw up, and when she tried to move, half of her body was so sore she couldn’t find the strength to run. Or walk, whatsoever. Instead, she somehow managed to reach for the trash can, and even that was painful as fuck.

People were right when they said Tamaya wasn't tender. Nova had had her doubts, but right now there were no doubts left. When she called to notify she wouldn’t be going to the Headquarters at all, nobody tried to convince her otherwise. People rather encouraged it, knowing Nova verged on workaholic.

Adrian texted her a couple of times, and they talked about stuff unrelated to the parade accident. Nova didn’t think anything about it, as she attributed that to the fact Adrian was as sensitive as he was open. Perhaps he thought talking about it would make her upset, despite her having left the headquarters seemingly unaffected when it happened.

Then, after Thursday, the texts stopped. They were having a conversation about pizza, and then he stopped. Which made sense, to a certain extent, because Adrian was part of a patrol unit after all, and Ruby had already told her they had a couple of night shifts these days.

Once again, she tried not to think much about it. Besides, once her muscles were a little less swollen, she agreed to paint flower pots with Winston.

Not that that was something she exclusively did with Winston. Everyone in the house had done it, because they were always trying to find ways to bond and, in this case, due to Winston’s suggestion, they had painted flower pots. So far, they  were trying their best. Maggie’s flower pot had pretty dark colors, because she claimed she liked those. Leroy’s was pretty simple, because he had just sketched some formulas and painted the top part in green. Winston had not one, but three different flower pots already, plus the one he was painting at the moment, all of them very colorful and with elaborate drawings. As for Nova...she was doing her best.

She wasn’t an artist, but, with tons of dedication, she had managed to paint her flower pot in black and blue. She was now writing her name in italics on it, thinking about how she might also draw some stars later...or tell Winston to help her draw some stars. It occurred to her it would look nice.

Their house was sort of small, meaning they had a small yard too, but it was big enough to have a small garden and to place a blanket, and sit on it while they painted.

Both Winston and Nova had awful postures, if she wanted to be honest, and hers was even worse now that half of her body was aching, though she could feel she was already getting better.

A lot, in fact.

At least now she could limp through the house without feeling like she was dying, and get into the shower without Maggie’s help (which she provided reluctantly).

Over the time they sat together, Winston and Nova did some small talk, not enough to get the other distracted from their work.

In fact, the sound of Nova’s phone vibrating distracted them more than themselves had managed to do.

Normally, she wouldn’t have answered any calls or text messages when she was in the middle of a bonding session but, somehow, she also figured it could be Adrian, so she discreetly lifted up her cellphone.

Adrian: Hey.

Adrian: Can you come outside?

“Is it Adrian?”

“It’s Adrian.”

Winston scoffed.

“Don’t make that poor guy suffer.”

-.-

Nova didn’t like bright lights, because she wasn’t used to them. Hence, when she was given the chance to decorate her own room, she chose to only illuminate it with night lamps instead of light bulbs. Not only did it make her feel more comfortable, but it also helped save money, especially when there were four people living in that house.

Her closet was right next to the door, and it was fairly messy, to the point where Nova managed to reach for a sweatshirt, without even opening the closet per se.

Oscar had given it to her as a present during her last birthday, and it was in full black. At the back, it had a phrase, written in a very small font: if you can read this, you’re too close.

Nova liked to wear it.

Maybe it wasn’t that adequate in this situation but, on the other hand, Adrian couldn’t even see it and, besides, it was more adequate than a paint-stained white t-shirt, which was what she was wearing underneath it.

Nova’s bed was made most of the time, as she rarely ever used it. It was a twin bed, of course, and she had filled it with cushions and some plushies, because one was never too old for plushies (she even managed to get a teddy bear that looked similar enough to Dolly Bear). On top of the bed, there was also a blanket Nova had been knitting ever since they had moved into this house. It was so long it fell to the floor, on the carpet, and it had several, several types of wool. Sometimes, when she felt sad, mad or stressed, she just knitted and knitted for hours, non-stop, sometimes until she got blisters in her fingers.

Needless to say, she was emotionally attached to that thing and Adrian, since he was her boyfriend, was aware of it, so he always tried to be very careful when he sat on it.

He was being careful even now, as he sat down on the bed, on top of the knitted blanket, and Nova sat on the swivel chair, although not without asking:

“Do you want something from the kitchen? I think Winston made some cookies yesterday. We also have orange juice and...pizza leftovers. The usual. So, do you...want something?”

Staring at her from the bed, through the light, Adrian smiled sideways, as he reached for her hand, lowering his gaze towards the small tattoo she had in her index finger. It was nothing special, just two dots, one next to the other. Each represented one of her parents. Adrian himself had helped her make it, back when Maggie arrived into the house and everyone was having a hard time adjusting.

(Nova had always had weird ways to cope with stress).

“Is there a reason why you’re so quiet?” Nova asked, carefully, knowing that’s what he had asked some time ago, when they finally sat down to talk about everything that had happened the previous weeks to the supernova. Especially, how he had taken her bracelet away in a rather personal way, and how that had hurt her.

They rarely ever talked about it anymore, mostly because Gatlon preferred not to talk about the supernova. Leroy often said that, like the Age of Anarchy, it was an event that had caused collective trauma. When people...people who weren’t the Council, or direct witnesses, that is, tried to talk about the issue, they automatically lowered their volume, though they knew there were no legal repercussions to the mention of the tragedy.

Still, it was delicate, so everyone just chose not to talk about it.

Nova, personally, and after some time of therapy, was open to tell her experience, though she rarely took the initiative to do it. Adrian was the same, more or less.

“Am I quiet?” He asked, his sideways smile widening. Nova tilted her head to the side, scoffing.

“Pretty much.” She confirmed. “And I don’t mean just in this very moment. Is there a reason why you’re pretending I don’t exist? You know...not texting back and such?”

For a moment, he seemed uncomfortable, and it occurred to Nova that, maybe, her tone hadn’t been the right one. Her voice was like that, but she usually managed to manipulate so it would fit in a situation the way she wanted it to.

“...I’m not mad, just so you know, but still, if you want me to know, then...I...I want to know too.” She cleared her throat. “Do you want to talk about it?”

Adrian pushed his glasses up, with the tip of his pinky.

“How are you?” He asked after a while. His voice sounded delicate, almost weak, and thin as a thread.

For a second, Nova didn’t understand.

“I’m...good. How are you?”

He laughed in response, but it wasn’t a genuine laugh. Nova knew him well enough to know that had been a nervous chuckle.

“No, I mean…” He coughed. “Thunderbird hit you pretty hard when she...when you were…”

“Oh! Yes!” Nova felt immediately stupid, so she chuckled a little too, before pulling up one of her sleeves.

Adrian’s eyes widened.

The massive bruise was getting better, but it was still there, and it still hurt to the touch. Besides, obviously, it wasn’t only in her arm, but also in her entire side, before it abruptly ended in her thigh. She wasn’t going to show that to Adrian, because one couldn’t just start getting undressed in a serious situation. He was good with just watching her arm which, on its own, was already making him uneasy for some reason. “For some reason”, she said, because this wasn’t the worst wound he had seen on her skin. These were just bruises. There wasn’t blood or anything.

“It’s getting better.” She said. “A few days ago, I couldn’t even move, but now I don’t feel as sore. Winston and Leroy brought an ointment for me, and…”

She wasn’t yet finished, when she noticed Adrian was already taking out his marker, which he usually carried in his pocket, getting it closer and closer to the bruise, to which Nova flinched, taking it out of his reach.

“Easy there.” She said, smiling and arching an eyebrow. “It’s not necessary. It's healing on its own just fine.”

“Don’t fight it, Nova.”

“Adrian, it’s fine. I’m okay. I’m doing okay. Don’t wo--”

“You’re not doing okay. You have a bruise.”

“Duh! But it’s healing. It’s fine.” Nova grabbed her own wrist, tying to get her arm out of Adrian’s reach. The bruise burned.

“It’s not fine, Nova!”

“Chill, Adrian! Chill! What’s gotten into..?!”

“IT’S NOT FINE, NOVA!”

“Why are you screaming?!”

“IT’S NOT FINE!”

The marker wasn’t directed towards her. First, because she knew Adrian would never. And, second, because she could tell it wasn’t particularly aimed at anyone or anything. Still, he threw it anyway. And given that, for some reason, Adrian appeared to be pretty distraught, letting his marker fall didn’t feel fair. Hence, Nova tried to catch it, but the chair was sort of stretchy so, in the moment she leaned backwards, it looked like she was falling.

Gasping, Adrian grabbed her by the left wrist, very tight, to the point Nova almost felt he was going to get that bruised too.

The marker fell to the floor, on Nova’s knitted blanket, and she just stared at it, while Adrian stared at her, not letting go of her hand.

Silence fell among them, as the sense of overwhelming confusion surrounded them, making them feel like they knew nothing, or that they were meeting for the first time, or that, simply, they weren’t on the same page.

As the marker laid on the floor, Adrian gulped, and finally let go of her.

“I...I think it’s not the time. I should go. I should just…”

“No.” This time, Nova was the one who grabbed him by the wrist, trying to be gentle, but also firm. “Stay. Please.”

Once again, Adrian’s eyes found Nova. He looked lost, almost like a small child, and where Nova had asked for a favor...kind of like a request, he had heard a command for some reason.

He didn’t move, but Nova did.

After picking up the marker, she moved towards the bed, sitting cross-legged, feeling the cushions behind her.

She placed the marker between them, but Adrian didn’t take it. Instead, he kept staring, until Nova took a deep breath and placed a lock of hair behind her ear, straightening her back.

“If you don’t want to tell me, then take your time.” She said. “But we can do something else. We can...paint flower pots with Winston. We could try to go on a date. Watch a movie. Nap for two days…”

That one last line was meant to be delivered as a joke, but Adrian didn’t catch it, and if he did, it wasn’t funny enough to get a reaction from him.

Sighing, Nova filled her cheeks with air, and then let it go, trumpeting with her mouth, and grabbing her own ankles, as she turned away, staring at the ajar closet.

“Nova?”

Upon hearing her name, Nova became alert, just nodding, so he knew he could go ahead, which he did after a while.

“I know it wasn’t your fault.”

“What are you talking about, Adrian?” She asked in a soothing voice, to which Adrian fidgeted with his own fingers, suddenly incapable to look her in the eye.

He was frozen.

And he couldn’t.

“When...when you were falling...when you were falling from that roof…” Adrian squirmed, frowning, and massaging the bridge of his nose. Hesitating. Maybe scared. Maybe a little confused.

Nova waited for him.

“When you were falling from that roof, before Thunderbird caught you… before we realized you were okay...before… before...before everything was okay.” He gulped, still not being able to look her in the eye.

“...It’s like…” he scratched his own arm. “...It’s like I almost saw her.”

Her.

Her, wh… ?

Something clicked inside of her brain, and all the dots connected with each other.

Suddenly, Nova remembered the one who had fallen from the roof, and taken half of the world with her in the process.

Georgia Rawles’ ghost was hanging from the sky, but not this one; she was hanging from another sky, perhaps the same one Nova’s parents were, and nobody could see her, nor hear her.

Nevertheless, they could feel her. And her absence stabbed the ones who had loved her in the stomach, perforating their insides.

Choking down a gasp, Nova took her hands to her mouth, remembering how she, too, had fallen from a roof, and for a second she saw nothing but Adrian knelt down on the floor, clinging on his dad.

“Adrian.” She whispered, in a suffocated voice. “Adrian, I’m sorry, I…”

She stared into his eyes once again. They were shiny as crystal, and red as blood.

Maybe it was time to stop talking and do something instead.

So, gulping, Nova reached for him, and wrapped her arms around him, holding him tight and being corresponded. After a couple of seconds, Nova’s arms started to get a little tired, and the pain came back to her, but she didn’t let go. On the contrary, she just changed the position of her arms, putting her arms beneath his’ , and resting her chin on his shoulder.

For his part, Adrian kissed one side of her head, and Nova felt his breathing between her hair. Then, she felt his fingers, tenderly caressing her scalp.

His body became tense, and his heart started beating fast, for Nova could feel it in her own chest, and in her entire body.

As Adrian shivered, Nova made sure he knew she understood, and rubbed the tip of her nose against the fabric of his shirt.

“I’m here.” She reminded him.

“I know.” He said, in a broken voice. That, for some reason, made Nova feel some sort of relief, and she hoped Adrian knew how much she meant it.

Because she did. A whole lot, in fact.

“...I know it wasn’t your fault...” He said, once they had separated, and he had wiped the tears from his eyes.

Nova held his hand, and her bracelet shone under the soft lights.

“...I know it wasn’t her fault either.” Chills ran down Nova’s spine. “It’s not her fault she died...and sometimes I wonder if she knows that. That it wasn’t her fault. That I know she wanted to stay. That I know she loved me. That I know I miss her and that I…”

Adrian cut himself off.

“That I’m sorry.”

Nova resisted the urge to ask him how therapy was going, because she knew having intrusive thoughts didn’t necessarily mean therapy wasn’t going well. Still, she held his hand tighter, and gulped.

“I’ve heard many things about your mom.” She said, smiling sideways. “And I didn’t get to personally meet her, but I trust she loved you very much. Raising a child...while trying to take down a government...that is badass, Adrian.”

She gulped.

“... And if she was willing to do that for you...then I’m sure she knows.”

Adrian shivered again, visibly, and as tears started rolling down his face again, Nova placed her hands on his cheeks, wiping some of them away.

“And I’m sure she knows it wasn’t your fault, too.”

Adrian hiccuped, pressing Nova’s hand against his skin, calm.

“...When do you learn to see in the dark, Nova?” He asked in a low voice.

And for some reason, the answer was clear from the first second, as she, staring directly into his eyes, said:

“You don’t.”

Because she knew.

“...What you do learn, it’s to walk by the ones who have an excellent night vision and are willing to help you through, and you also learn to follow the voice of those who aren’t here anymore.”

Nova gulped.

“Your dads, Max, Danna, Oscar, Ruby… and me. We’re all here… maybe she’s also still here, somewhere up there, in the universe.”

By feeling him right there with her, Nova felt that they really were.

That they were.

And that they could.

Adrian smiled sideways, and when they laid next to the other to nap for two days, and Nova made sure they both knew they could use the blanket if they wanted to, she asked:

“Remember when you said that maybe you wanted me to be your nightmare?”

“I remember.” Adrian rested his head on his own arm. His eyes were still shiny for the tears, and they were very brown and very beautiful.

“I don’t want to be.” She said, slowly. “Let’s not be each other’s nightmare, okay?”

“Then what should we be?” He asked, scoffing a little.

Nova thought about it for a while. Then, she kissed him. A small kiss, that felt as if the other were a safe, warm space.

“Light.” She said.

“Let’s walk together through the dark, so we don’t fall.”

And for a while, the world was theirs.

Then, Maggie came to knock on the door, saying Leroy wanted them to take the car and go buy food, knowing Adrian would stay for dinner.

[novissa]

took my bitterness and made it sweet

this is for @the-sunflowerstar​ for the mm nets gift exchange!!! happy holidays!! i hope you like it <33

it’s a nodrian fic that’s mostly canon compliant, but a few things in supernova happened differently and nova left gatlon afterwards, but she’s called back to help the renegades one last time. partially inspired by prompts 1, 24, and 35 from this list

wc: 5394

Nova had decided that she was done with the Renegades a long time ago. Well, technically twice. Once when she was six, back when the Renegades had taken away her only family. The second time had been just over a year ago, after she’d left the Anarchists and when Gatlon was rebuilding.

The Anarchists hadn’t been right. She knew that now, and there were times when she questioned how she had trusted them so much. Ace— Uncle Alec— hadn’t been right. But she hadn’t been able to think of the Renegades as right, either. The Anarchists, despite their valid original beliefs, had also believed in the importance of achieving goals over the value of human life. That had been the one thing that Nova had never been able to accept. But the Renegades hadn’t been so different in that— sacrifices for the greater good. She’d tried to fit in there, for a while. And the Renegades had started to change for the better. But one day just over a year ago, she’d had enough of it and decided to get as far away from Gatlon as possible.

It had been a mostly clean break— of course she had missed some of her friends, but she still kept in contact with Oscar, Narcissa, Danna, and Ruby. As for most of the other people in Gatlon— she didn’t particularly care. The Renegades Council had caused her enough harm already, and she didn’t care too much for saying goodbye to the very people who had made her want to leave. Perhaps that was a little unfair and cynical. But Nova had gone through enough in just seventeen years to make her deserve to be cynical, at least a little bit. As for Leroy, well. He also served as another reminder of everything she was running away from. But he often sent letters and sometimes gifts, and sometimes she caved in to her weak softness and sent something back. A “mostly clean break”. What a lie. Nothing was ever clean and easy when she was involved. Perhaps it would have been cleaner if not for that foolishness in her that missed people.

The part of the break that should have been the messiest had maybe been the cleanest. She still talked to her old friends, but there was a clear empty space there, a name blatantly missing when she sent out her letters. Sometimes she wondered about him. Not that often, though.

Then again, when he surrounded her constantly without even being there, maybe it was a little harder to know when she was wondering about him. When you were never not thinking about someone, you couldn’t pinpoint the specific times you were thinking about them, because there weren’t any specific times— it was just constant.

Nova brushed that away. It didn’t matter how often she thought about him, anyway. It wasn’t as if that was going to make a difference.

She thought that maybe her definition of a “clean break” could use some work. Maybe it had been clean in the way that nothing back in Gatlon had really been disturbed with her leaving. Gatlon might have changed since she had left, but certainly not because of her. Clean in the fact that she hadn’t left a mess behind. No, the mess was here, with her, as it always had been. For as much as Nova liked set plans where nothing could go wrong, she was quite a mess just in herself.

So leaving had been the right thing, because she had been sick of both sides and all the stupid Renegadeness of everything back there. Everyone having powers had done nothing except make things worse. And leaving hadn’t been a selfish decision, because in leaving people behind, she was really doing them a favor. She was full of complications and thorns that never protected her from enemies; her sharp edges only hurt the people she cared about, the ones who had tried to get a little too close to a forest fire. It was a little lonely now, but she didn’t mind being a forest fire. Being a fire that was impossible to put out meant that she was free. All she ever did was make complicated messes for other people, and then retreat into her thorns and fires again. But all that was okay now. They would never have to deal with the mess that was Nova Artino again.

Or so she had thought. She had never expected to see any of them again, apart from through letters and phone calls and well-wishes that she knew the others didn’t mean. And then she’d gotten a phone call from the person she last expected, and then she’d done the most foolish thing possible and agreed.

Simon had been nice when he called. She’d been able to tell that he didn’t know what to say to her, which was fine. She hadn’t exactly known what to say to him, either.

Nova had been reluctant outwardly, but she couldn’t deny the leap in her heart when she processed what he was asking of her. She couldn’t deny the fact that part of her had truly missed the city that had taken everything from her. Then again, the knife cut both ways— the city had also been her home and entire life. Gatlon had given everything to her and taken it all away.

She could’ve hung up, could’ve told Simon exactly what she thought of the Renegades and exactly what he could do with his stupid request for help. Or she could’ve politely declined and gone about her business as normal. But that was maybe the least satisfying outcome, and any of those paths would have ended with that. Normal. Normal life was now incredibly bland. The only people she really saw on a regular basis were the cashiers at the local grocery store.

And… maybe she did miss Gatlon, just a little bit. And it would be nice to see her friends again.

Just as she had been considering this, Simon had hit her with something even more shocking. “Obviously you’re not obliged to, but you did manage to best us many times, so I figure that you have a better chance at stopping this than most of us. And… I think Adrian would appreciate it if you were there.”

She still couldn’t believe that he had made that gamble. The mention of Adrian could have made her hang up on him immediately. And she had considered that. But… instead her foolish, foolish heart had betrayed her once again, and she’d said yes.

So. About the whole… “clean break” thing. Yeah. And the reason why Adrian was the missing space, why the thing that should’ve, by all accounts, been the messiest part of all of this, was actually the easiest. She’d had absolutely no contact with him throughout the past year, despite the fact that he… well. He was Adrian. Adrian Everhart, the son of her enemy, who had turned out to also be her enemy in another way. The person who had seen her at Renegades Trials so long ago and decided to take a chance on her. The first person she’d really been able to open up to, to even— fall asleep next to, after ten years of staying awake. Her boyfriend. Well. Ex-boyfriend. Even before she’d left.

About two weeks before she had left Gatlon for good, and only about three days before she considered leaving Gatlon… she had broken up with him. There were both many, many reasons for this and also no reasons at all. She had maybe been a little unfair to him, but also she wasn’t sure. It had probably been for the best. Better for him to not be attached to her, because clearly all she did was hurt people. It was fine.

She supposed that maybe the reason why she had agreed to help the Renegades one last time was because she wanted to make up for everything. It was ridiculous to believe that doing this would make up for everything, of course, but it was something, and skies knew that she owed everything to Adrian. Maybe she owed nothing to the Renegades, but she owed a great deal to Adrian and the rest of Sketch’s Team. Sketch’s Team. That was something she rarely thought about now, at least not using those words. She wasn’t sure what had really happened to them after she left, at least in terms of how their team was seen in the eyes of the Renegades. They were probably just carrying on like they used to, before her.

And yeah, maybe she hurt everything she touched, even when she was trying to do something right. But she thought it might be nice to just… do one good thing. One good thing, to prove that she could help people without hurting  them, and to maybe start to make up what she owed to the others.

Of course, she was never that good at… well, she was never that good at being good. Every single attempt to do good things in the past had gone awry. This one might, too. She might cause more damage by simply being here. But… well. It was worth a try, maybe. One last shot. One last mission with her old team to try to fix things for once, instead of breaking them.

Which was how she had ended up… here. In an alley, surrounded by enemies. The strangest thing about all of this was that her old team was at her side. It was a familiar situation— sort of. In the past, they’d never been surrounded. It seemed that with the rise of powers meant that there was also a rise in villainy. And this time, they were actually on the right side for certain. But the feeling of having her team at her back, even through danger, was so familiar that Nova could cry. If she were the crying type, and if she didn’t have better, more important things to do. Nova was not, in fact, the crying type, and currently she was more concentrated on trying not to die.

The group they were fighting against called themselves the Scarlet Dreamers, which slightly confused Nova. At least the Anarchists’ name had been very straightforward and made sense. That was also one of her problems with villain gangs of the past. Why anyone would name a gang after roaches was beyond her.

This group was not anything like the villain gangs of the past. If anything, they were more similar to the way the Renegades used to be. Which was exactly why the Renegades had asked for her help this time, and also why she didn’t feel too bad about fighting for the Renegades this time.

She was surrounded by enemies, but she didn’t mind the situation all that much. She had her friends… if they still considered her a friend. And this was a situation she’d found herself in many times, and she’d always figured a way out before. This time would be no different.

-

Just a few minutes ago, Adrian had felt confident about his odds, despite being outnumbered. He’d had his entire team at his back then, and, while surrounded, they’d been on firm ground. Which… hadn’t lasted very long.

As Adrian stared at the circumstances before him, he truly had no idea how they were going to get out of this. Separated from the rest of their team, surrounded on all sides on a rooftop, and all of his markers were currently at the bottom of the very tall building they were stuck on. He didn’t have springs on his feet anymore— even after getting his powers back, there were some things that he didn’t want to repeat, though he was kind of regretting that decision right now. Nova was next to him, but he didn’t think even she could fight her way out of this— though, to be fair, she was Nova, and he’d learned long ago to never bet against her.

He glanced at Nova now, trying to ignore the twinge in his heart. Maybe she had moved on with her life, far away from Gatlon and its complications, far away from the Renegades who had hurt her, away from everything she couldn’t live with— which included him. Maybe she had been able to escape this city and move on, but he hadn’t been able to move on from her. And, honestly, he’d kind of… been frozen for the past year. She’d left Gatlon and left him, and she’d moved on to a new life where she could actually be happy, but where was he? Right where he had been a year ago, where he’d been his entire life. And he’d never been able to get over her.

Now she was standing right next to him, in a very much not ideal situation. But she looked so similar to the girl he had loved a year ago, with her dark eyes scanning the situation and the same leather jacket that she had worn so often back when he thought he knew her. She straightened her ponytail in an action that was so familiar because he’d memorized it so long ago. So similar, but also… different. Different from the girl that he had been in love with, but maybe he was still a little bit in love with her.

“So what’s the plan?” he whispered to her.

She turned to him, a slight smile on her lips. He remembered when he’d tried to memorize what she looked like every time she smiled. There had been a time when he’d thought his greatest victories were not all the times he’d saved people, but every time he had succeeded in making her smile. “Do you trust me?” she asked. She was still smiling, like she always did when she had a plan. But he could see in her eyes that she was hesitant, especially because with everything that had happened, how could he possibly trust her? Adrian had the feeling that his answer didn’t matter, since they both needed to get out of there anyway. But… still.

Adrian nodded anyway, because he did trust her, and there were a million reasons why he shouldn’t— because Nova had been his enemy for so long, because they were exes, because he hadn’t seen her in a year, because how could you trust someone who had tried to kill your dad and who had lied to you for so long while plotting your destruction? But the truth was… he really did trust her, probably more than almost anyone else. It was a simple truth, one that he would love to reject, one that didn’t even make sense. A truth as simple as: yes, the sun rose every morning, the stars they saw at night were the same ones, he would do anything to protect the people he loved… and, yes, he trusted Nova Artino with his life.

A look of surprise passed over Nova’s face, but she wrapped her arm around his waist. “Okay,” she said softly. “You’re going to have to hold on to me. Very tightly. Unless you want to end up with your bones crushed on the pavement below.”

Adrian wasn’t entirely sure how to respond to that, so he held on very tightly. There was a stray eyelash just below her right eye. He resisted the urge to brush it away. Nova smirked, then pulled out a grappling hook. “Hold on tight,” she whispered, and then shot out the grappling hook, attaching it to the next building. A running start, and then they were jumping off of the roof. Adrian gasped, thinking that even if they somehow survived this, he would die from the stress of trying to defy the law of gravity.

Adrian clung tightly to Nova as they swung away from the Scarlet Dreamers. He didn’t think it was a good idea to look down, so he looked at Nova. It was oddly thrilling, to be swinging through the air in a death-defying feat.

“We’re going to jump soon,” Nova whispered to him, “and we’re going to land on the ground between those two buildings.”

He nodded, absolutely terrified, but then they were jumping, and then they had landed safely. He exhaled slowly. Even with the thrill, he did not want to ever do that again. “Thank the skies you got us out of there,” he said to Nova.

She laughed, stepping back from him. He felt a twinge of disappointment, which was absolutely ridiculous. “Yeah,” she said. “It was a little close there.”

He nodded. “So, uh,” he cleared his throat. “What now?”

Nova stiffened, glancing behind them. “Well, it looks like we’re not out of the woods just yet,” she said, nodding to where the Scarlet Dreamers were still going after them.

“What do we do now?” he asked.

“We run,” she said.

She took his hand, and he tried not to die from the shock of it all. And… they ran.

-

The Scarlets were not giving up, apparently. Nova raced through the streets with Adrian, marvelling at how much had changed. Ugh, the Scarlets were following close behind and showed no sign of stopping. She kept her eyes peeled for a sign of another team member, but she didn’t think that her search would be successful. She hated being right when it was like this.

At last, she found an alleyway that they might just be able to hide in, and she pulled Adrian into it. Out of breath, she panted, then led Adrian to a spot behind a couple trash cans where they could hide. Definitely not preferable, but it was better than dying.

She sat down in their hiding spot and stared up at the sky. The sun was bright, and she squinted up at it. This was probably one of the worst missions they’d ever had.

They sat there in comfortable silence for a while. It was odd, how familiar everything was. They’d fallen right back into their old pattern. And there was something about almost dying a few times that made any awkwardness between two people much less important. After a while, Adrian said, “That grappling hook of yours is very handy.”

Nova smiled. “Yeah,” she said. “I made it a few months ago, and I’m… very glad I did. Definitely one of my most useful inventions, especially compared to some of the failed ones.”

Adrian laughed. “Yeah, I remember, from when— yeah.” There was a moment of silence where neither of them knew what to say. The quiet that had seemed so familiar and comforting before had soured, and now the awkwardness remained. Nova glanced up at him again, trying to visualize everything that had changed since a year ago.

He still looked like Adrian. Of course he did. A year didn’t change things that much. But… there was something different about him. Nova couldn’t put her finger on it. She sighed. They were only inches apart, but the small space between them seemed insurmountable. In those few inches were an entire year of separation and an immeasurable amount of hurt. Maybe it wasn’t him that was different— maybe it was her. After all, as she had seen earlier with Oscar and Ruby, he hadn’t changed one bit. It was just that things between them were completely different. And it was all her fault.

Nova averted her eyes again, not wanting to think about that.

Unfortunately, it seemed that that was what Adrian was thinking about, too, and he wasn’t quite as determined to avoid it as she was.

“Why did you do it?” he whispered. He pulled back, shaking his head. “I’m sorry. You don’t have to answer that.”

Nova considered pretending she didn’t know what he was talking about, but of course she knew. And… maybe she did owe it to him to answer. It was clear that neither of them had truly ever moved on from each other, and it was even clearer that this was what they were both thinking about even in the face of danger.

“I should answer it,” she said slowly. “I owe you that much.”

Adrian closed his eyes. “You know that you don’t owe me anything,” he said quietly. “If anything, maybe I owe you.”

Nova glanced at him, startled. “What do you mean?”

Adrian shrugged. “I mean, you did save my life a few times.”

Nova frowned. “I also tried to kill your dad, and I lied to you about— well, everything.”

“Not everything.”

“What?”

“You didn’t lie to me about everything,” Adrian said firmly. “Even when people are lying, there’s still truth in it. And your lies were very truthful.”

Nova bit her lip. That was true, even if she didn’t like it.

Adrian met her eyes. “You’ve lied to me a thousand times, Nova Artino.” Her last name in his mouth. There was an edge to his voice as he said it. It served as a reminder of everything she had done— everything she had done to hurt him. A reminder that a year ago, they had been archenemies on opposite sides of a war. Archenemies— and lovers. The way he spat out Artino came as no surprise to her, and it wasn’t as if she hadn’t heard that name spoken in disgust a thousand times. But what was a surprise to her was the way that her name still felt safe in his mouth. For all his deserved hatred of everything she had once stood for, she trusted him.

Do you trust me? She’d asked him that a moment ago. But perhaps he should’ve been the one asking her that. And… perhaps that answer was yes. She did trust him. It was foolish, and she couldn’t even blame him if he betrayed her, but… she trusted him despite everything.

“You’ve lied to me a thousand times,” he repeated. “But I know you.”

Perhaps he did. Maybe he was the only one who really knew her. The one person who by all accounts should not know her and should not even make attempts to know her. They had been on opposite sides until Nova had decided that she was sick of both sides, but maybe they were more alike than she thought.

Nova blinked, trying to remember how they had gotten on this topic. “Okay, you know me, but… I still hurt you. You don’t owe me anything. And I owe you everything.”

Adrian smiled gently. “Then maybe we should stop thinking about what we owe to each other and think about what we can do to help each other in the future instead.”

Nova laughed. “We both know we can’t just ignore the past.”

“Maybe,” Adrian said. “So don’t ignore the past. But what you think you owe to me doesn’t matter.”

Nova frowned. She thought that she owed him a great deal, and that it also mattered a great deal. But maybe she could start atoning. By… explaining why she ran a year ago.

Nova tilted her head up to stare at the sky again. “The answer to your question is that… I don’t know,” she said. “I mean, it’s not as simple as that. I do know, partly. But it was never for anything you did.” She needed him to know that. It was never his fault, but only hers.

“I… I guess I got scared.” She glanced up at him again. “You were so confident that everything would be okay, but— but it was so clear that it wasn’t okay, and I was at a point in my life where I didn’t think anything would ever be okay again. I couldn’t stand the fact that I had hurt you so much, but I also couldn’t stand that I was betraying the cause I dedicated my life to, that my uncle had dedicated his life to… and I know that it wasn’t right. It wasn’t right for my uncle to hurt so many people to further his cause, and it wasn’t right that I ran when I got scared. But I didn't think I could ever move on like that. And… honestly, while I can’t say that I should’ve ran like that, I do believe that if we had just gone on like that, it wouldn’t have worked out. And it might have only caused further damage. And I’m so sorry about everything.” She paused. Once she’d started speaking, she hadn’t been able to stop. “I wish I could take it back, but I can’t. And now I'm just doing everything I can to make up for what I did to you.”

Adrian nodded, his face softening. “You don’t have to make amends,” he said. “Callum saw just how hurt you were, and I see that too. But I know that you can heal. We both can.”

Nova closed her eyes. “Do you really think that healing is possible for people like us?”

Adrian slid his hand a little closer to her. An open invitation, if she chose to accept. Nova gazed at it, holding her breath. “I really do think it is,” he said. Nova reached out her hand. Closing her eyes, she placed it over his gently. Adrian tensed slightly, and she prepared to pull away, but he laced their fingers together. “Healing is possible for everyone,” he said quietly, “no matter how messed up their pasts are.”

“If you don’t believe me,” Adrian murmured, “Look at the other renegades. We have a lot of people looking for redemption and a home that will accept them. And some of them come from the darkest pasts you can imagine, but I also see them surviving— and even thriving.” He turned to look at her, and Nova stiffened. “I don't think you’re beyond healing, Nova Artino.” The way he said her name was much softer this time. “And I refuse to believe I'm beyond it, either.”

Nova inhaled sharply, moving her gaze to the ground again. “I think the coast is clear,” she said, trying to keep her voice from shaking. “We should look for the others.”

Adrian nodded, releasing her hand. She stood up, moving her mind from… whatever the past conversation had been about, to once again scanning for the rest of the team and potential enemies. Her hand tingled from touching him. Ridiculous. Foolish. It seemed that everything Nova did these days was foolish. Especially when it involved Adrian.

-

A week later, everything with the Scarlet Dreamers seemed to have cleared up, and Nova was packing her bag to leave Gatlon once again.

Danna and Narcissa had stopped by earlier that morning to say their goodbyes. She’d promised them both that she would write them much more often. Also, they’d managed to weasel her phone number out of her, so it seemed that she might be getting a lot of texts the moment she left.

Ruby and Oscar had said they would be waiting for her at Headquarters to say goodbye. From there, she would get on the bus and get far, far away from Gatlon. It had been nice to see them all again, and… Well, she wasn’t sure that she had really cleared things up with Adrian. But she had at least explained things to him, and she thought that maybe they would keep a friendship. Though there were definitely many more complicated feelings on her end.

She glanced around the room she’d been staying in one last time. Why was leaving so much harder the second time around?

She’d needed to get out of the city last time. But this time… what was even really waiting for her back home? And… she’d started to miss Gatlon. But that didn’t matter, because she’d made plans, and she was going to stick to them.

There was a knock at her door. Nova looked up in surprise. Maybe Oscar and Ruby had decided to walk her to Headquarters, too? Or maybe it was someone else, coming to say goodbye. There was one person that she kind of hoped she’d get to see before she left, but she left that hope unsaid.

“Hey,” she said, opening the door. “I was just about to head out—” She stopped short the moment she realized who it was. “Adrian?”

He smiled at her. “What, you didn’t think I’d say goodbye?”

“You didn’t last time,” she said softly.

“I didn’t think you wanted me to see you last time.”

“I— I didn’t not want to see you last time.” Maybe that wasn’t entirely true. She hadn’t really wanted to see anyone last time. It would’ve been easier if she’d been able to just drop off the face of the earth without anyone knowing. This time, though…

“What about this time?” Adrian asked, looking very uncharacteristically uncertain.

“Of course I wanted to see you, idiot,” she said. “Wait— did you bring flowers?”

Adrian smiled, moving his hand from behind his back to reveal the bouquet. “Well, I didn’t think that weaponry would be very suitable this time.” He shrugged. “I don’t know, I just thought you might want to take them with you, wherever you go. To brighten up your home for a little bit.”

“Thank you,” Nova said, suddenly emotional. “For the flowers and for everything else.”

“I also wanted… to ask you to stay.”

“What?”

Adrian bit his lip. “I know you have better things waiting for you outside of Gatlon, but… I thought it would be worth a try to ask you to stay here.”

“I don’t want to be a Renegade again.” The words come out automatically. She’s not sure what else to say.

“Then don’t,” Adrian said. “But… I know everyone misses you. Oscar and Ruby and Narcissa and Danna. They’re all heartbroken to see you leave again.”

Nova hesitated. “And you?”

“What?”

“Do you want me to stay? Not just because of your friends, but do you truly want me to stay here?”

Adrian paused, then nodded. “Yeah. I… I don’t know if things can be the same between us, but… I want you to stay.”

“Then I’ll stay.” She hadn’t known she was going to say that until she’d already said it. All she’d needed to convince her to stay in Gatlon was for Adrian to say he wanted her to. She hadn’t known that until it happened, either.

“Really?” He spoke as if it were too good to be true. “I don’t want to ask you to do something you don’t want to.”

Nova smiled at him. “Adrian, no one has ever been able to make me do something I don’t want to. I don’t usually listen.”

Adrian laughed. “I’m… really glad.”

Nova reached out for him uncertainly, wrapping him in a hug. He didn’t pull away. “I missed you,” she said, the admission slipping out in a whisper. “I didn’t know it was possible to miss a person that much.”

“I missed you too,” Adrian said softly.

She pulled back, smiling. “Also, about what you said— about things not being the same between us…” She hesitated. “I know we’ll never be the way we were before, but… maybe we could… try again?”

Adrian froze. Then, slowly, he said: “I’d like that.”

All the anxiety in Nova melted. “Me too,” she said. “I— I’ve been thinking a lot about what you said. About healing. And I don’t know if I believe that yet, but I’m going to give it a try.”

“We can try it together,” Adrian said. “If you want.”

She exhaled in relief. “Yeah. I would really like that.” She glanced at her bag. “So, I guess I’m staying.” The words felt foreign on her tongue. “Oh, I’m staying.” It felt weird, but… she thought she rather liked the idea of it. “I need to tell Oscar and Ruby that I’m staying.” She grabbed her jacket. “Care to walk to Headquarters with me?”

“I’d love to,” Adrian said, placing the flowers in a vase. “And your flowers can now brighten up your place in Gatlon.”

She beamed at him. “Wait, there’s one thing I need to do before we go.”

“What’s that?” Adrian asked.

“This.” She pressed a quick kiss to the corner of his lips.

Adrian smiled, taking her hand. “I think we’re doing pretty good at this ‘trying again’ thing so far.”

[emybain]

excuse me but this is going to be a hate post for the official renegades art so if you like it then keep scrolling. please keep in mind that i dont think the artist is bad, these are actually good, but they honestly didnt do a great job portraying the characters in my opinion.

-

okay so at first glance nova isnt that bad, right? then the more you look at her, the more you realize she resembles a rat.

she's too pale and white washed looking

this is completely an opinion but her hair is a fucking nightmare (no pun intended) and looks like she did it herself in the dark

she should be shorter sksksksk im here for short nova gang

oscar is a 40 year old white male who likes to watch golf on the weekends and calls his kid "son" and "sport"

isnt he latino????

his face haunts me

danna is black

she looks about 25 not 16-18 years old

oh my god ruby

first off i hate how in civilian form she's all "skinny legend" but in uniform she's "slim thick" and curvy as hell and that WAIST OH MY GOD

she looks 12

honestly think there should be more black streaks in her hair bc its mostly white in the art

kinda looks like sid from ice age ngl

adrian looks about 34

kinda like chidi anagonye-while he's cute, he's also in his 30s

the smile ages him 10 years

the hair,,,is interesting

Egg Head

compared to some of them he's not terrible but there's still just something off about him

add on as you see fit

[redassassin]

a beautiful nightmare

part six-> part seven

When Adrian finally woke up, he was surprised at how tired he was. The sun had begun to set and he cursed quietly at the scene he would surely return to at the castle. His dread only grew when he remembered the events of the past few hours. He had been excited to tell his friends about the Sentinel. But then he had hurt Danna. He knew that they would understand that it had been an accident, but that didn’t mean they would approve. He didn’t know how to control his powers yet. Maybe fire had been too far a stretch for his first tattoo. He needed something more controlled, something he could focus and aim that didn’t destroy everything it touched. 

After jumping down from the building, he retracted the suit back into the zipper on his sternum and peeled the fabric of his shirt back from the stab wound on his hip. He drew little stitches into his skin, pulling his skin together, dabbing at it with a wet cloth. Adrian drew himself a clean shirt, pulled it on, and started to make his way back to the castle.

His friends and the Council were mostly just glad to see that he was alive and unhurt. He couldn’t tell them about the stab wound, couldn’t risk his friends finding out about the Sentinel, especially after Danna. A fresh wave of guilt swept over him as he remembered Danna. He inquired after her, and Ruby told him that Danna would be okay, but it would be a long time before she could safely transform and patrol again. He made up a story about getting caught in the crowd as he followed Nova, trying not to lose her. Worry overtook him as he realised he hadn’t seen Nova since she had ran towards the Puppeteer.

“Nova! Is she okay? I lost her in the crowd, and then I got stuck trying to help some kids, have you guys seen her?”

Ruby winced. “We haven’t seen her either, maybe she went home? Renegades have been searching the scene of the attack and the surrounding areas, and if she was hurt, she would have been brought in. She may have gone to check on her family?”

“I’m sure she’s fine, Adrian. Nova can take care of herself,” Oscar said.

Adrian nodded slowly, his thoughts still wrapped up in Danna and Nova. Guilt over what he had done to Danna, and guilt over losing Nova. Guilt over forgetting both of them.

She nodded, turning back towards Oscar. “I started putting together a care package for Danna, for when she wakes up, I was going to go give it to her now. You guys wanna come?”

“You okay, Adrian?” Ruby nudged him.

Adrian jumped, lost in his own thoughts. “Y-yeah,” he stuttered, pushing down his guilt and offering a slow smile to Ruby. “Just lost in thought.”

Someone coughed from behind Adrian, and he turned to see the council standing with their arms crossed. The Captain beckoned to Adrian, and he sighed.

“I’d better go see what they want. Let me know if you need me to draw anything, and if Danna’s awake, tell her that I’m sorry?”

Ruby blinked. “Okay… But, what do you have to be sorry for? It’s not like you burned her.”

Adrian bit back a curse. “Of course not. But she lost a lot of butterflies, didn’t she?”

She nodded, slowly, still giving him an odd look. “I will. See you later.” She leaned in. “And good luck.” She nodded towards the council.

Adrian thanked her, and turned back towards the council, ready for the lecture they had held back in the presence of his friends.

Nova watched as the city faded from view, the hot air balloon making its way towards the forest. They landed in a forest clearing, and Nova immediately jumped out, cursing as she tore off Nightmare’s uniform to reveal her Renegade uniform underneath. She tore a strip of clothing from the bottom of Nightmare’s jacket, wrapping it around the cut on her arm.

“Little nightmare, where are you rushing off to?”

Nova jumped, spinning around to find her uncle emerging from a group of bushes to her left.

“My team, they’ll have noticed I’m missing, I need to get back to the city!”

Ace sighed. “One month in, and you’re no closer to achieving our goal.”

“Your goal.” She muttered under her breath.

“What was that?”

“Nothing. I’m getting closer. They’re beginning to trust me and I’ve learned a lot about the Renegades and the Prince. I think he likes me. Someone mentioned a ball coming up, I was thinking that that would be a good time to put the final piece into place. I’m sure I can get him alone, and everyone will be preoccupied at the ball.”

Ace nodded, and the small smile that spread across his face made Nova sigh in relief.

“A good plan, Nightmare. Now you best be heading back to the city.” Nova turned, ready to begin her long walk back to the city. “And get that Prince to fall in love with you!” She blushed at his words. She doubted Adrian would ever be in love with her. She just needed him to like her enough for her to convince him to leave the ball. She would lead him through the gardens, maybe even hold his hand. And when they had reached the extraction point, maybe she would even kiss his cheek before driving her power through him. Nova shook her head, trying to drive those traitorous thoughts out of her head. She would not fall for a Renegade. Especially not the prince. She was a spy. A traitor. He would hate her the second he found out. His mother had been killed by her family. Her true family. No matter how friendly the Renegades were, they would never accept her. The real her. Adrian may have been handsome. His smile may have pushed away every negative thought in her mind, and his laugh may have brightened even the darkest of rooms, but she was not in love with him. She liked him a normal amount, as a friend. And she definitely didn’t think of grabbing his hand and pressing a kiss to his knuckles every time his hand brushed hers. His eyes may have been kind but somewhere under his brilliant smile and warm eyes was the evil, power hungry tyrant her uncle had told her of. Nova shook away her traitorous thoughts of Adrian, and began considering how the hell she was going to convince him to run away from the ball with her.

Adrian had thought he was prepared for the lecture that he knew was to come. He was wrong. He was so wrong. The second the throne room doors closed behind his friends, the Council immediately started yelling. They yelled about how irresponsible he was, that he wasn’t even supposed to be out in the city, how it wasn’t safe. They reprimanded him for not coming back to the castle immediately after the threat was gone. He tuned out their voices, instead focusing on Nova. He liked her. He liked her a lot. He found himself blushing more than he had ever had in this last month. When she brushed by him in passing he felt his skin tingle where her skin touched his.

“Adrian?” He jumped, straightening as he looked back to the Council.

“Sorry, yes?”

“Have you given any more thought in regards to the ball?”

He had, although definitely not the kind of thought they wanted from him. He had been planning some way to convince Nova to come to the ball. He didn’t think that balls were her kind of event, but he wanted her there. Someone to make fun of all the aristocratic jerks filling the halls of the castle. He wanted to see if she would dance with him, keep him away from all the snobby girls who only wanted him for his title.

“What about the ball?”

A sigh echoed from the council as a whole. ���You know what balls are for, Adrian. You’re meant to find your queen. Or king.” He added as an afterthought, squinting at Adrian.

“My mother ruled without a King, and you’ll still be here to help me. I don’t think it’s necessary.” As if they’d ever accept anyone but a rich, well-known aristocrat. Did they not remember where he came from? Who his mother had been, before she was Queen?”

“Your mother was an adult. She had lived outside the castle. She knew the people.”

“I know the people! Why do you think I’ve been sneaking out since I was 9? A Prince is supposed to know the people he’s meant to rule, not be locked up in a castle until he’s suddenly relevant! I never even wanted to be a ruler. I- I just want my mom back. I want a normal life, before all of this. Before the Renegades.”

“Adrian. . .”

“At least make sure that everyone is invited to the ball. And I mean everyone. Invite the guards, anyone who isn’t working during the actual ball.” When the Captain opened his mouth to protest, Adrian continued. “The room will be full of Renegades, everyone will be perfectly safe.”

The Council glanced back and forth at each other, before coming to a consensus. “Your wish is granted. The entire kingdom will receive an invite to the ball.”

Adrian breathed a sigh of relief. The easy part was done. Now, he had to convince Nova to come, and to stay with him.

Nova wandered the castle, torches lighting the otherwise dark halls as she thought over her plan. She wanted to know what Adrian thought about the ball, and how easy it would be to convince him to leave it. If she could find out his opinion now, and if he was actually excited to dance with prissy fangirls, then she would spend the next week thinking of ways to get him to leave with her. Nova made her way through the corridors, her brain full of possible moves for the future. As she passed the occasional guard, light glinting off of the shiny metal helmets, her thoughts switched to the Sentinel. Who was he, and why hadn’t the Renegades made any sort of announcement? Unless… unless they didn’t know. Unless he was an imposter, using the title that the renegades held to search for her and the anarchists. She was so lost in thought, that she didn’t notice the dark shadow turning the corner in front of her, and when she turned the corner, she bumped into the tall figure, her head colliding with their chest. Strong hands grabbed her shoulders, and Nova immediately twisted, pulling the knife from her belt and holding it against her attacker’s throat.

“Nova! It’s me.”

Adrian.

Well, maybe she wouldn’t have to wait until the next day to find him. She put the knife down, stepping towards one of the torches on the wall so she could see him better.

“Sorry. I thought you were-” He waved her apology away. His cheeks were dark and Nova thought he may have been blushing, but that was impossible. Adrian was her friend. And no matter how she felt, or didn’t feel about him wouldn’t change that.

“It’s fine.” He cleared his throat. “So, what are you doing up at an hour like this?”

She raised her eyebrows. “Seriously? What else am I supposed to do, sit in my room and stare at the wall?”

He laughed, and it echoed loudly through the corridors. Nova flinched, smiling nervously.

“I’m just kidding. I like to wander the halls when I can’t sleep. It’s the one time I can go wherever I want without having to sneak around. The guards know my routine and they usually leave me alone.”

“Why couldn’t you sleep?”

“Too busy thinking. The council finally agreed to invite everyone in the city to the ball, not just the aristocrats and high-class. I can’t stand them. The normal people are my favorite. They’re the kindest, and they look at you for who you really are, not your money or title. I guess I just. . . I just don’t really get the point of this ball.”

“It’ll be fun, though, won’t it?”

He made a face. “Doubtful. All the fangirls will be throwing themselves at me all night because they think they have a chance at becoming my queen.”

Nova started. It was the most narcissistic thing she had heard come from his mouth in the months that she had known him. Maybe he wasn’t as perfect as he seemed. Maybe Ace had been right the whole time. The doubts that had been forming steadily in her mind for months began to dissipate. He must have seen her expression, because a second later he said, “Oh, not like that! I’m sure they’re all wonderful, in their own way. I just. . . I don’t really want to get married, you know? I’ll only be 18, and I don’t want to choose my partner at 17.”

The doubts built up in her head as steadily as they had been broken down. She shook them away. No matter how good Adrian may have been, he was still a Renegade. And the Council had been poisoning him.

Right?

“Nova?”

She hummed, pulling herself back to reality. He was looking down at her, worry and anticipation behind his eyes.

“Are you going to the ball?”

It couldn’t be this easy. She nodded slowly, and his face lit up.

“Save me a couple dances?”

She nodded again, looking up at him. “Sure.” She rasped. Clearing her throat, she smiled jokingly

and poked him. “So, how many guards have you reserved dances with tonight?”

He blinked at her, his mouth falling open. “I’m not- just you, of course. I can’t have a date to the ball

according to the Council’s rules, but I wanted to go with you, so I just thought I’d-” He clapped his hand over his mouth, realising what he had just said.

Nova blushed. “I-uh-”

“I’m so sorry. It just slipped out, you don’t have to dance with me, or we can just dance as friends, I just-”

“I would love to dance with you. Even if you have a dozen other girls lined up.”

“I don’t. You’re the only one I want to dance with.”

“You’re the only one I want to dance with, too.” She stuttered, the words felt so awkward in her mouth. But Adrian only grinned, grabbing her hand and lacing their fingers together. He pressed a kiss to her knuckles, just like Nova had found herself wishing she could do. He pulled her closer to him, and Nova swore her heart would beat through her chest. It was pounding in her ears as Adrian got closer and closer, and Nova knew that if he got any closer she wouldn’t be able to stop. She stepped away. He let go of her hand, disappointment flickering across his face.

“Sorry- I just- I just remembered that I had something I was planning to do tonight. I’ll see you later.” She didn’t look at him, only turning and walking down the hall as fast as she could without running. The skin where his lips had touched her hand was burning, a constant reminder that Adrian Everhart had kissed her and she had almost kissed him. A constant reminder that she had no idea what was the right thing to do anymore. A constant reminder that she was in love with Adrian Everhart.

tag list: @obsessedwithliterallyeverything @red-eyes88 @onecannotbebrave @renegadesmarissameyer @somanyfandomsonly1username @everhartartino @allyendergirl @thepurpledragon4444 @theworst-pirate

[phobidawg]

Random Tuckva Banter

A/N I wrote this at 3 am

Random Tuckva Banter:

"So I accidentally set my microwave on fire...."

"You what?!"

"I wanted to see what warm yogurt tasted like!"

"What did it taste like?"

"I don't know Oscar, I set it on fire remember!"

"Oh yeah. That's sad. I wonder what it did taste like."

"I know right?!"

"Hmm..."

"Anyways my kitchen-"

"OH YEAH THE FIRE ARE YOU OKAY?!"

"Oscar CHILL I'm fine. It was only a little one. But the whole house is smokey so I'm crashing on your couch."

"My house is always smokey. I'm literally the Smokescreen, Ruby."

"Haha."

"No seriously."

"Whatever, at least it doesn't smell like my attempts at cooking."

"You're a good cook!"

"hahahahAHAHA. Remember the bean casserole?!"

"I ate it!"

"You eat everything Oscar, it's not remarkable."

"Not everything."

"Oh yeah? Name one time you've been offered food and haven't taken it."

"..."

"I thought so."

"Hey! I feel bullied."

"Oh stop it. So yeah I'm on the way."

"Y-you're just coming in the front door and sleeping on my couch, without asking first?"

"I mean, I'll break in the window if I have to. But yeah that's the general idea."

"Wow."

"I'll take that as 'Yes Ruby, great plan!'"

"Do you have any yogurt left?"

"What?"

"I'm hungry."

"oSCAR."

"WHAT IT'S AN HONEST QUESTION!"

"DO YOU THINK I'D JUST BE CARRYING A RANDOM TUB OF YOGURT DOWN THE ROAD WITH ME?"

"....yes?"

"You're an idiot."

"No u."

"NO U."

"NOOO U!"

"OSCAR MY EARDRUM!"

"RUBY MY EARDRUM!"

"Oscar."

"Ruby."

"You're insufferable."

"You're intolerable."

"Why am I even at your house. I should've just gone to Danna's"

"Because you like me better?"

"No, you have a bouncier couch."

"Do you just go around and sleep on everyone's couches?"

"Mostly you, sometimes Danna."

"Awww, you do like me better."

"Shut up you buffoon."

"Ruby likes me better, Ruby likes me better, Ruby likes me better-"

"*automated voice* Ending call."

*30 seconds later*

"I knew you'd call me back."

"I hope you have used this time to think about-"

"How you like me better than Danna? Yes, I have."

"AAAARGH! That's not what I was going to say! And I will hang-up on you again."

"Rubyyyy that's meannnn."

"It's not mean, you're being rude!"

"I have never been rude in my life. I'm perfectly angelic."

"That's like Phobia saying he likes unicorns."

"You've wounded me! And what do you know about Phobia's past times? You never know, maybe he does like unicorns-"

"Oscar are you even listening to yourself? Phobia, anarchist terror, liking unicorns?"

"I'm just saying it's a possibility! Chill!"

"Unicorns don't even exist."

"Unbeliever."

"Oscar, *giggle*, do you believe in unicorns."

"... perhaps."

"GREAT SKIES I'M TEXTING THE CHAT"

"DON'T YOU DARE.

RUBY TUCKER I FORBID-"

"Ok fine...

I'll just tell Nova."

"rUBY."

"What! She already knows you're an adorable fool, I'm merely fondly sharing another one of your more idiotic moments."

"Two things. One, you're judging me and it's not okay. Two, you guys talk about me and my stupidity? Three, you called me adorable, that's two compliments this whole conversation."

"An adorable fool to be precise. Don't forget the fool."

"Yes, but normally I'm just a fool."

"True. But unicorns?"

"B a c k o f f R u b y y o u b u l l y."

"I'M NOT BULLYING! I FULLY RESPECT YOU AND YOUR UNICORN LOVING!"

"Thank goodness, or I wouldn't be able to invite you to my unicorn themed birthday party."

"*hysterical laughing* Okay I get that was a joke, but I'm so bringing you unicorn cupcakes to your birthday."

"You better. Especially with the glitter."

"Glitter? Done. I've got you."

"Glittery cupcakes really spark-le my interest."

"*groan*"

"What? You don't appreciate my unicorninness?"

"oScAr!"

"You should be thinking yea not neigh to my puns!

"Neig- I mean stopppp. I'm on main street I can still turn around."

"Mane street you say?"

"You're a nightmare."

"RUBY DID YOU JUST PUN?"

"YES SHUT UP"

"AHFKDSL;FJ DAFJKD"

"IT WAS A SPUR OF THE MOMENT DECISION I REGRET"

"FDKSLJ; FJSAFJDS;HAGHADFHDSAGD"

"REIGN IT IN, REIGN IT IN"

"SDJJJJJJJJAKL HFMDHFDDDDDDDDDFFFF- wait is that you?"

"Yes now can you please unlock your door?"

"Sure-"

"Oh wait nevermind the window's open."

"Ruby don't go through the window!"

"TOo late."

*There's a muffled thump as Ruby drops down from the window*

"Ruby!!!"

"Shhhh, can you please bring me down a blanket?"

"I'm on my way."

"And pleasee not one full of your cat's hair. I'm allergic to cats."

"I didn't know! To make up for it, want some cookies?"

"Yes!!!"

"I also have ice cream in the fridge, and I put batteries in the controllers."

"How did I ever think I would be sleeping on your couch, we left our last space invaders round undecided."

"Not for long, you're going down"

"Shows how much you kno-"

*there's a click as the phone hangs up*

~*~

So,

yeah.

My chaotic alignment is showing itself.

I hope you enjoyed this dumb little banter, and if you think it was entertaining I am more than happy to provide more! If anyone has a request or idea (for a full fic or for a banter fic like this) I live to serve!

[janisarkisian]

Silence of the Siren ch. 2

This is an AU where the Anarchist females + Narcissa are sirens, and the Renegades are lifeguards. If you want to read chapter 1, here it is. Note: This chapter is unedited.

Word Count: 1,840

Nova looked down at her plain outfit and sighed. Honey was going to another one of those stupid clubs, and she wanted Nova to go with her. What was the point? You dance, you meet a boy, you drink, you go home. She knew very well that Honey would not keep in touch with any of the boys, but that wasn’t her concern.

“Are you going?” she asked Narcissa. She shook her head no. Nova sighed again. How bad could it be? She couldn’t talk to anyone anyways, so she could just chill on her own. She didn’t have to talk to anyone.

“What do I wear?” Nova reluctantly asked Honey.

“Oh yes!” Honey squealed and disappeared into her closet. A few minutes later, Honey returned with a short, black lacy dress. It was immediate distaste for Nova. “You have to try it!” Honey insisted.

Nova sighed and disappeared into her own closet to change. When she was finished, Nova looked at her own appearance. She knew very well that she was beautiful. All sirens were. Ace made them worth it. Sometimes though, she felt very ugly. Before becoming a siren, Nova had always pictured herself ugly. Looking at herself as pretty was a hard habit to make.

Walking out of the closet, Nova heard Ingrid’s easily identified laugh. “I can’t believe you’re actually going!” she exclaimed. Nova simply rolled her eyes. Now that she knew Ingrid was in denial, she was going to have a good time simply to spite her.

Looking at her feet, Nova realized she was going to have to find some shoes. She sighed. She hardly ever wore shoes. As a siren, it was impossible to get hurt, so having foot protection was unnecessary. She knew that Ingrid felt the same way, but Honey would always wear shoes. They were yet another accessory for her to look stunning in.

She peered at her meager supply of shoes. All she had were a pair of sandals and a pair of tennis shoes. In the past ten years, Nova had not had one occasion to dress up for. That was the way she liked it.

“Honey!” she called, “I’m going to have to borrow a pair of shoes!” She heard Honey’s perfect squeal. A second later, Honey came running in the room with a pair of bright red heels.

“No,” Nova immediately protested. There was no way she could walk around all night in those. They were at least four inches high and looked like torture for feet.

Honey sighed. “Fine. I suppose I could find something a little more modest.” The look on Nova’s face immediately went grateful. If she was going to this club, she wasn’t torturing her feet as well.

Nova ventured into her closet. It wasn’t very full, mostly because Nova mostly wore tee-shirts and sweatpants. Occasionally, Nova went out of her comfort zone for the leggings Narcissa constantly raved about. They were nice, but Nova would always prefer sweatpants.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a slight glow from the back of her closet. She shoved away the shirts and revealed a pair of blue pumps.

Blue wasn’t the right way to describe them though. They were almost a glowing turquoise and reminded Nova immensely of the bracelet that always hung on her wrist. The last thing she had from her dad.

Nova knew that it wasn’t right to remember so much. Ingrid remembered none of her family, and Honey remembered only her mother. Narcissa was very lucky to remember her grandfather’s name. Nova knew more than that though. She remembered the names of all three of her family members and their personalities. She knew that Ingrid was worried about her, so she mostly kept these memories to herself. If she was feeling talkative, she would share a few memories with Narcissa.

“I don’t need the shoes!” Nova called to Honey. Curious, Honey peeked back at her. She gasped at the sight of the glowing blue pumps.

“Those are perfect!” she exclaimed.

“Glad you think so,” Nova responded. Both girls piled into Honey’s yellow sports club. That was another plus to being a siren. Ace supplied them with all the money they could ever want, so they never had to work. It was too risky. Honey started blasting the newest pop tunes. Nova didn’t care. It was hard to keep up with the latest trends when you’re practically immortal. She preferred the music from back when she was really sixteen.

She caught sight of the club before even their GPS. Honey gasped at the sight. It was in a tall building, and it was covered with neon lights. The sign read: The Merfolk.

“Get out your fake ID,” Honey whispered to her.

“Which one?” she responded.

Honey sighed. “I don’t care, just one that says your over twenty-one. We should have visited Ace before we came here. He could have aged us a little.”

Nova let out something between a laugh and a gasp. “You really think he would help us?” she asked sarcastically, “He only uses his powers for special circumstances, and I don’t think that going to a club counts.”

“You’re right, like always,” Honey sighed again. They pulled out their fake ID’s and flashed them to the man outside. Honey made sure to give him a good look at the extra-beautiful face. Nova simply rolled her eyes.

The man did let them in, and Honey immediately made it out onto the dance floor. Even though they couldn’t talk to anyone, she had always done an exceptional job at mingling and getting various lovers. In the past ten years, Nova had exactly zero lovers. She didn’t try, for fear that she might fall in love. This was a fear that stayed far down in her heart. Ace’s minion, Phobia, checked their fears every once in a while, to make sure they weren’t getting too attached to boys. Or anything else that could jeopardize their time as sirens. Nova couldn’t risk having a boy and getting discovered. She needed to be fully loyal to Ace. Phobia told her that was another one of her fears. Losing her loyalty to Ace. ------------------------------------------------------------------------

Why am I here? That question had cycled through Adrian’s head at least ten times since he arrived at The Merfolk. He had never been one for parties. That was always Ruby and Oscar’s thing. Even Danna seemed to be having a good time though. Adrian found himself a little jealous.

He wandered over to the bar. Legally, he was too young to drink, but Oscar had found them all fake ID’s to get into the club. Adrian was starting to think that he might need some alcohol to get through the night here.

Quickly, he banished the thought from his head. What would Dad and Pops say if they knew he had been drinking at a club? They wouldn’t approve of him being here in general, much less drinking. They thought he was having a team sleepover at Oscar’s. It wasn’t a full lie because they would be going to Oscar’s after the club. He sighed. Why was he here?

Taking a look at very distracted Oscar staring at Ruby, and Ruby dancing with some stranger, Adrian decided that no one would miss him if he simply lingered in the shadows for a while. He made his way over, and nearly bumped into someone. It was a girl with short, dark hair.

“Sorry, I didn’t know anyone was back here,” he apologized. The girl didn’t respond. She took out her phone and started typing what Adrian thought might be a text. Then, she held the phone out to him The note read: I’m mute, so I can’t talk. I can hear fine though. Your apology is accepted. Adrian nodded at the girl, but he wasn’t really paying attention to the message anymore. When she had held out her phone, Adrian got a good look at her face. Truthfully, she was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. Mute or not, Adrian wouldn’t mind getting to know her.

“Are you here with someone?” he asked her. She started typing again. Her message read: Yes, my friend Honey.

Adrian nodded. “I’m here with my friends too. My friends Ruby and Oscar are dancing, with each other, I presume, and I’m sure Danna is at the bar. She’s like the vodka aunt of our group if you get what I mean.”

She nodded her head. Adrian continued, “If you look out there you can probably see them. Ruby has hair that’s dyed in layers of black and white, and Oscar has a cane. Danna’s wearing a muted orange dress.” The girl started typing again. The message read: It’s cool that you have such a cool friend group. I have two other friends named Ingrid and Narcissa, but they’re not here.

“Not the club type?” he asked her. She nodded and started typing again. This time it read: I’m not really either, but Honey really likes these places, so I figured I would give it a shot. I’ve now decided they’re not my thing.

This time it was Adrian who nodded. “I’m pretty much in your situation. Oscar and Ruby live for clubs, and even Danna seems to be having a good time, but I’m not really liking it. If they come back, I most likely won’t be with them.”

The girl looked like she was about to start typing when they both heard someone yell, “Where the heck is Adrian!”

When she typed again it said: Are you, Adrian?

“Yep,” he responded, “What’s your name?” She typed again: I’m Nova. “Cool,” he said, “Um Ruby’s obviously looking for me so I should go. I hope that I get to see you again soon.” She nodded yes, and Adrian left to go join his friends.

As Adrian and his friends piled into Oscar’s junky car, he saw Nova and who he presumed must be Honey, hop into the yellow sports car beside them. He wasn’t sure what made him do it, but he rolled down the window, and yelled, “Bye Nova!” She didn’t respond. Suddenly, he felt the weight of the stares of all his teammates on him.

“So who’s she?” Danna finally asked.

“Chill, guys, I just met her at the club.”

It was Oscar who spoke up next. “I’m pretty sure he’s in love.” Adrian smacked him in the arm. “What?” he asked him.

“I’m not in love with a girl I met twenty minutes ago, guys, chill.”

“That’s good,” Ruby responded, “We’d be seriously worried if you were.” Adrian simply sighed and started the car. Considering he hadn’t drunk anything, he figured it would be best if he drove. No one argued with him.

When they pulled into the driveway of Oscar’s house, they saw his mom glaring at them through the kitchen window. Before, Adrian would have said that any punishment they would get wasn’t worth it. After meeting Nova, he wasn’t quite so sure.

[rhubarbplants]

Lucy green and Max Everhart

Max sat in the hospital as non prodigies rushed around him. Well sat was a stretch. It was more along the lines of between propped up against a slope of pillows while being tied down to the mattress. The nurses were adamant that even if he was nearly fully recovered he wasn’t allowed to move from the bed for the next few days. So the beeping machines had become background noise and the rushing surgeons had become mundane. But in some ways this had been one of the best times of his life. He had been put in a room with some other kids around his age, and while most of them had mild injuries, they were all non prodigies. He had talked with them, a few that could walk had even come over to give him a hug. One of his best friends was Lucy. She had a chronic lung disease and no prodigy could help her. She stayed in the room with max. She wasn’t allowed outside, something Max could defeat relate to. She and Max had bonded the very first day. He had told her all about what had happened by the sky bridge. How a Renegade had hurt him and an Anarchist had saved him. Today he decided he would tell her about his theories about Nightmare. He was contemplating how he would do this when the doctors rolled her back in to the kids room. Max noticed that Lucy had a new breathing tube, a green one this time.

“How does it feel?” Max asked as she was rolled up next to him.

“Better,” she said cheerfully “It will never be normal, but they are getting good at faking normal. It’s much better than the last one.”

“Is there really no way to fix it?” Max asked

“There is,” Lucy said “This is the fix. The doctors are working on it, but there’s no quick fix, there never is, so things keep getting better and better until it’s fixed.”

“Yeah, I guess that's right, I actually think, it’s true for other things too.” Said Max

“Like what?” Lucy inquired. Turning on to her side so that she could get a better look at Max. She adjusted her breathing tube so that it wasn’t crushed. When she realized Max was waiting for her to get settled she gestured for him to continue.

“I mean with the Renegades, they started creating a better world, but it’s definitely not perfect yet, if it was, there wouldn’t be any villains, and like you said there is never a quick fix, no matter what.”

“True,” Lucy said, nodding, and staring off into space, as if questioning the universe. “But are you sure there wouldn’t be villains in the best world we could manage. Because no matter what perfect worlds are myths.” Lucy said.

“True, but I think Nightmare wouldn’t be a villain, in the best possible world.”

“Why not?” Lucy asked.

“Well, I think I know who she is and she’s a really nice person.” Whispered Max.

“Who is she?” Lucy replied, also lowering her voice.

“You know the person who killed the detonator, right?”

“Yeah, my mom showed me her fight against gargoyle, she pretty cool.”

“Well, I’m pretty sure that she’s Nightmare.”

“What?” Said Lucy her voice raised a fraction of a percent. “Aren’t you going to tell someone?”

“I don’t think so, because I think Nova is going to be the right thing.” Max said confidently. Then she and Max proceeded to talk about other stuff, stuff that had nothing to do with betrayals or superheroes. About half an hour later, Adrian and the team, minus Danna, arrived, well sort of. They stood behind a glass wall, like they always did. Lucy and Max were rolled up to the window, as Max’s cot rolled over a wire, his hand flew to his stomach, he didn’t feel the pain when he lay still but the jolt brought back the memory of the pain in full force.

“Hey guys.” Adrian said with a wave, he wore a sad smile but he seemed happy enough. “You must be Lucy, Max talks about you alot.”

“How are patrolls going?” Max asked

“Pretty well” said Ruby, “nothing interesting though, no Nightmare sightings.”

“Speaking of Nightmare, how are you feeling little bud?” Oscar asked

“Fine.” Max said

“Sure… you totally didn’t flinch as they pulled you over here.” Adrian said knowingly.

“Alright alright, I’m mostly fine.” Max amended. He looked over at Nova who so far hadn’t said anything and was looking very guilty, one more piece of evidence for his case.

“I’m really sorry about what happened.” Nova said.

“Relax it’s not your fault.” Said Adrian. Nova muttered something but no one heard it, Max had a feeling he knew what she said though.

“Just because you were there the first time I got hurt doesn’t mean you always have to be there.” Max said

“Well we have to go now,” Ruby said looking at her watch. Adrian started to protest giving a pitying look to Max.

“No it’s fine, if you have to go you have to go.” Max said. They all turned to leave, but right before, Lucy called out.

“Nova can I talk to you for a minute?” Max turned to her, with a look he hoped said Really? Now? Nova looked confused too and a little nervous.

“What’s it like?” Lucy asked

“You mean being a Renegade? Well its-” Nova started.

“No” Lucy said lowering her voice to a whisper. “I mean being an Anarchist.”

Nova looked absolutely taken aback, she look of shock and fear on here face was so extreme it was almost hilarious.

“I’m… I’m not a…” Nova stuttered “how did you find out?” She whispered meekly.

“I told her” Max said “I saw your face the night Gennissa stabbed you. And saw all the other signs everyone else keeps missing. The way you fail epically in disguising your hate for the renegades, the way, your never there at the same time Nightmare is. The way the puppeteer knew you were alive even though he shouldn’t have known. And Adrian told me about Danna’s ‘fainting’ and the kiss. You haven’t been subtle Nova.”

“Yes I have!” Nova protested.

“You’ve kissed Adrian?” Asked Lucy.

“Yes, but back to more pressing matters, is it really that obvious?”

“Well to me yes, but I mean I didn’t know for sure until I saw your face.” Max said. Nova breathed a sigh of relief,

“Max, are you going to tell Ad- anyone?”

“I don’t think so, you’re a good person Nova.” Max said “and I think you should tell Adrian yourself.”

“Tell Adrian?!” Nova asked “absolutely not, he would hate me he would leave me and I would be completely alone.”

“He might just surprise you.” Said Max.

“Maybe, Max, we’ll see.” She smiled and made for the exit, right before she left both she and Max turned to face each other and at the same time said

“Thank you.”

[bisexualalexclaremontdiaz]

The Magpie And Her Bandit: Chapter 13

Hey yall look I didn't take five months this time! This one was pretty fun to write, I'm sure ull see why in a second. This one's 1054 words and Maggie's POV. Also I put this series on pretty new AO3 account, so if yall could go give me kudos cuz I crave validation. Also please reblog!! Other Chapters

“But, Mags,” Max turned back to her, hand out to grab hers, “You-”

But she was gone.

Maggie could see Max frantically look around from her dark hiding spot, watching as he opened her mouth to call her but then close it. He pursed his lips together and gave a last resolved glance around before turning around, sprinting to the police car where his friends were. His family.

A family Maggie could never be a part of.

It’s for the best, Maggie thought to herself as she watched the red and blue lights fade as the car drove away, No point in messing up his life anymore than I already have.

She waited till the coast was clear before emerging from her hiding spot, pulling her hood up to cover her face and casually strolling away from the crime scene. The cops didn’t stop her as she continued away, waiting until she was out of their sight before breaking into a sprint.

As she ran, her mind raced as well. She needed to disappear, at least for now. Lucky for her, she had prepared for this exact situation.

She ran to her apartment, a small, messy thing she struggled to pay the monthly rent for. Her landlord was outside of her building when she arrived but he barely glanced up from his cigarette to acknowledge her as she continued into the apartment.

She didn’t bother with the elevator, her adrenaline taking her up the stairs much faster than it would have. She rushed up three flights of stairs when she got to her floor, pushing open the creaking door as she slowed her walk to seem more casual.

She fumbled for her key, her usual steady hand shaking as she pushed it into the lock. Her apartment was a cluttered mess as usual but she never cleaned. It wasn’t like anyone ever visited.

Maggie went to her room and opened her closet, digging in the back for her already-prepared bag. She pulled it out, taking a quick moment to inspect the contents.

Inside the bag were several pairs of clothes, some knives, a gun and some gloves, which she pulled onto her hands. Then she opened up the hidden pocket in the inner lining and pulled out a wad of cash, flipping through it quickly and deeming it not enough.

She went into her kitchen, climbed onto a counter and opened the cabinet above her fridge. She reached toward the back, pulling it away and grabbing the small safe hidden in the secret space.

She opened it and pulled out the second wad of cash from it, as well as the jewelry and the second gun and added them all to the bag. She took one of the knives from the bag and took a quick breath before grabbing her hair and slashing the knife through it. She took the hair and went to the small bathroom. She placed the hair in a neat pile right in the center of the bathroom before going back to her bedroom, getting one last thing from her closet.

A canister of gasoline, bright with warning labels.

She walked out of her room, pouring a small trail of gasoline as she moved through her apartment. Finally, she got to her bathroom.

She poured the smallest amount of gasoline near the pile of hair, gave a satisfied nod before placing the now mostly empty canister next to it. She locked the door from the inside and closed it. She took one last look around her apartment before pulling out a match from her pocket.

She lit the match, staring at the flickering flame for a moment before throwing it to the ground, not waiting to watch it spread as she rushed out into her balcony.

She could begin to smell the smoke behind her as she looked at the three stories of building below her. She took a breath before swinging her bag over her shoulder and dug her gloved fingers into the brick of the building, scaling down the wall as the fire alarm of her apartment began to ring.

By the time she reached the bottom, the entire building was ringing with the sound of alarms, people’s confused voices drifting out of the windows along with its blaring. She prayed silently that there would be no victims of her hasty exit.

But she could not dwell on that for any longer than a few seconds before moving forward, running away from the building she had once called her home.

She didn’t know where she was going but that had never stopped her before but before she left, she had one more thing she needed to do.

She moved through the dark city, blending in with the crowds easily as they all journeyed through the night. In the back of her mind, she wondered if they were running from something too, out so late.

She could hear the sound of a fire engine in the distance as she neared her destination. She lowered her hood as she reached the tall, white building with the word ‘Hospital’ written over the entrance.

For a moment, she hesitated but then pushed through the revolving doors with a few others. She headed straight to the emergency wing, knowing they must have taken Danna there. And after about twenty minutes of searching, she found them.

She could see Max, Nova and Adrian standing together in the hall, standing close and conversing with grim expressions on their faces. From behind them, Oscar and Ruby appeared, holding coffees and snacks, which they passed around. Maggie carefully stayed near the corner, hiding partially behind a couple as she watched them. She could not see Danna or her fiancé but she assumed they were in the operating room the group was huddled outside of.

Then Nova looks up.

Her brown eyes land on Maggie’s face and she squints, stepping forward. Maggie’s own brown eyes widen as pulls her hood back down and rushes away.

“Maggie?” Max’s voice comes from behind her but it’s already fading as she picks up her speed. She is out of the hospital in minutes, releasing a breath of relief as she enters into the cool night.

“Maggie?”

Maggie whips around and freezes when she sees the face in front of her.

Nova.

Tag List: (Message me if you want to be added or removed)

@evellyncelia @novas-tunnel-of-anxiety @jacihayle @kaiderforever @lothloriien @itsalittlebitchilly @magykaldealings @honey-harper-official @allyendergirl @cyborg-lunar-queen @janisarkisian @rvbell @f-r-o-p

[honey-hippie-harper]

Headcanons about physical and mental conditions (TEAM SKETCH + OTHERS)

TW: MENTAL AND PHYSICAL ILLNESSES.

I already posted the Renegades and the Anarchists one in my other post asghasgha. BUT YEAH, IT’S IMPORTANT TO ALSO DO IT HERE BECAUSE YES.

So, I like to organize things, and I kinda made a chart thingy about this topic :’). Bear in mind that these are all headcanons except Ruby’s and Oscar’s...and that’s giving canon too much credit because Oscar’s condition itself it’s never mentioned, he just addresses he has it (the book refers to it as a “bone disease”, plain and simple) so I tried to ...stick (?) to the book’s faint description of it to find something that seemed accurate. I did my best :’). (This whole blog it’s just me doing my best, you guys) (it’s not enough, Dawnie).

Given that in the Renegades and Anarchists one I could do pretty much whatever I wanted because they l a c k personality, posting the chart was enough, but I think Team Sketch is way more developed than that, hence, before you see the chart (if anyone sees it lmao) here are some notes, THESE ARE ALL HEADCANONS BUT STILL, I’M GOING TO JUSTIFY THEM:

I’m a firm believer that Danna would develop claustrophobia after being trapped in a freaking mason jar afsghafsga

I actually gave Maggie a diagnosis because she’s portrayed as a bratty kid, but...okay :’) I think that taking Callum into the arena and going to the arena herself, risking her own life, was TOO impulsive to fall in the “bratty kid” behavior (personally, I believe that many of the things she does are far from being considered “bratty kid” beavior, mostly because Maggie hasn’t been in a particularly healthy environment throughout her life).

MAX BEING NAMED MAXIMILIAN IS CANON IN MY HEART BECAUSE I CAN’T PICTURE HIM BEING JUST NAMED “MAX”

Nova having sensorineural hearing loss is a headcanon I share with @healing-winston-pratt​ because...agdhjagshja our girl fell inside a bell, okay? the moment that bell hit the floor in such a violent way, it probably vibrated but like A LOT. The impact and the vibrations might have caused some damage :’) (here’s the post: https://healing-winston-pratt.tumblr.com/post/638138003581288448/you-guys-remember-when-nova-hid-inside-a-bell-to)

I think that’s it (?) now we can move on to the chart, which will be below the cut 

[emybain]

Welcome to the Renegades!

hiiiii this is a short little oneshot of an AU im currently obsessed with where Nova’s family didn’t die and she ended up becoming a renegade (so obsessed that I made important notes for the au). this is where ruby becomes a renegade and is being given a tour by sketch’s team. I tried following some canon (besides the fact that nova is an anarchist in canon) but it was a little hard finding the exact times when each member of sketch’s team joined the renegades, so I kind of took that into my own hands. in advance, I apologize for what’s about to come, and I would also like to thank anyone who may have inspired some snippets in here:)))

   “And this is the training hall.” The elevator came to a stop, and Adrian, Danna, Oscar, and Ruby stepped out. Adrian peeked over at Ruby, watching her face light up in awe. He led the three of them down the walkway over the training facilities, going slow so she could take it all in. He thought back to the first time he saw the place, although it was brand new and not nearly as large as it was now. 

    The trials had been held a few days ago, and Ruby was the newest member to Sketch’s team. It had been a difficult fight to get her, as multiple teams had challenged her, but Adrian had seen her potential. She was trained in martial arts and her ability to bleed gems would be useless in a fight. Part of his motivation to get her on his team may have been influenced by Oscar’s interest in her at the trials as well. Even now, Adrian had to hold back a smile from watching his friend trying to keep his cool around her. 

    “My brothers would die if they saw this place.” Ruby shot a grin at Adrian. “They’re twins, and they’ve always wanted to be Renegades.”

    “Are they going to be?” Oscar watched her intently, his attention solely on her. Adrian had never seen him act this way around a girl before. Ruby was cute, he had to admit, with her bubbly attitude and freckles and black and white hair, but he wasn’t interested in her the way Oscar was. 

    Ruby shook her head, biting her bottom lip. “They’re not prodigies.” Her smile faltered for a moment, but it reappeared just as quickly as it fell as her eyes scanned the training hall. “What’s going on over there?”

    Adrian followed her gaze to the huge salt water swimming pool that was usually mostly empty save for the occasional water elemental. Today, however, a small crowd gathered around the edges, their own training forgotten, and others that passed by slowed down their stride to get a better look. He frowned, squinting. There was a group of three, or was it four, people in the pool, and from the look of it, water was going everywhere.

    Their small group headed down the stairs and to the swimming pool. Adrian exchanged glances with Oscar, who shrugged his shoulders. He must’ve been thinking the same thing: who was in the pool? Adrian racked his brain for a list of the water elementals he knew, but most of them preferred training in the early morning or at night to avoid getting other prodigies soaked. 

    Adrian pushed his way through the clump of people, craning his neck to see over them until his group had made it to the front. There were four people fighting in the water, one of the teams. He recognized the tail of Ramona Sánchez, alias Sirena, before it came crashing down into the water, spraying himself and everyone else watching. He frowned. It was rare to see her team training in the middle of the day. 

    “What the hell is Nightmare’s team doing here? It’s not the crack of dawn,” Oscar muttered beside Adrian, clearly as confused as he was. Nova Artino, the leader of Ramona’s team and an old friend of Adrian, claimed her team trained in the early hours of the morning to avoid other people. As Adrian thought of her, lips pursed, one of the prodigies was thrown from the water, landing on their back a good ten feet from the pool. They groaned and stood, spluttering water from their mouth and wiping their eyes. It was Nova, alias Nightmare, and she did not look happy. Her other two teammates, the Whisperer and the Piper, also known as Benton Halthorne and Adèle Toussaint, charged Sirena. Well, the best they could while in her realm of expertise. Her wall of water fell slightly from the distraction, but she blocked the attack physically instead of using her powers, a rare occurence to be seen for a Renegade. Nova took this opportunity to jump back in the water to aid her teammates. It was clearly a three against one fight, hardly fair, but when did Nova Artino ever fight fairly? 

    Adrian crossed his arms over his chest, mesmerized by the scuffle. It was always interesting to see what Nightmare would do next in a fight. She was arguably the most unpredictable Renegade in Gatlon, and undeniably one of the best, at least in her age group. From around him, he heard tiny gasps and mumbles of approval or shock whenever she did something. It wasn’t every day they got to watch her team train; because of Nova, they were one of the best teams in the Gatlon branch. It was hard for many to understand why, reasons being Nightmare’s team training at unholy hours in the morning when everyone else was sleeping. It was also odd watching them train because they were one of the few teams that trained together, at least for the most part. Sure, Adrian had seen them running the track or scaling the climbing wall alone, but it wasn’t often, maybe only a couple times every week. 

    Unlike others, it didn’t surprise Adrian how good Nightmare’s team was, together and as individuals. He had been friends with Nova from an early age, before his mom died, and even though they had drifted apart in recent years, he knew how determined she was to be the best.

    Eventually, her team called a truce to take a break. The crowd of people watching dispersed quickly, as if to avoid being judged by Nova. It was almost comical the way some people were afraid of her or didn’t like her because they believed she was stuck up. Adrian knew that she just liked to keep to herself and her close circle of friends, but was kind to strangers and to those who talked to her. While she could be pretty intimidating, Adrian had seen a side of her that no one else had, a side that showed just how weird and dorky she actually was. 

    Sirena was the first out of the water, her tail morphing into two human legs as the water carried her to the edge of the pool. She helped her teammates get out, and Adrian could see the burns and scratches from the pool along her arms. Nova was the last out, gratefully accepting Sirena’s hand and hopping up to sit for a moment at the edge with her. They shared a few words, smiling, their body language toward each other vastly different than it was five minutes ago. 

    “Who’s that?” Adrian nearly jumped, forgetting that his team was still beside him. He looked over at Ruby. 

    “That’s um...that’s Nightmare’s team.” He cleared his throat. “You might remember them from the trials. They were one of the team’s who wanted you to be a Renegade.”

    Ruby hummed thoughtfully, then pointed at Nova. “That’s Nova Artino, right? Ace Anarchy’s niece.”

    A mischievous smile lit up Oscar’s face. “Also known as Adrian’s girlfriend.”

    Adrian felt his cheeks grow hot. “She’s not my girlfriend.”

    “That party four months ago says otherwise,” Danna joined in, smirking. 

    Adrian rolled his eyes, trying to play it off. They had been teasing him about that party since it happened, and it was getting old. “We’ve been friends for years. It’s not like that.” He let out a long sigh. “Anyway, I’ll introduce you. Just...don’t mention her uncle, okay? It’s kind of a sensitive spot for her.”

    He led them over to Nova’s team, who were all chatting as they dried themselves off. “Hey, Nightmare, got a sec?” Nova stopped talking and turned to face Adrian, wringing out her hair with a towel. He took notice of a band aid carefully wrapped around the top of her ear; it must’ve been a new earring, this one looking like an industrial piercing. Being a sensible person, she would have taken it out along with the rest of her piercings to avoid injury while training, but since it was clearly a new one, she couldn’t remove it just yet. He had to hold back a teasing comment; she must’ve had another argument with her parents and went out to get the piercing done to aggravate them. By now, she was almost out of room on her ears and would have to start piercing other parts of her body, something he was sure her parents would kick her out of the house for. 

    “Why, so you can rub in the fact that you always get away with stealing people I wanted for my team?” She placed the towel over her shoulder and crossed her arms. 

    Adrian couldn’t help the smirk that rose to his lips. “Still jealous that Danna chose me over you, huh?” A year ago at the last trials, Danna had given an exemplary demonstration, resulting in both Adrian and Nova arguing over her. Adrian’s dads had finally let him form his own team that year as long as he could find people. It was also the same year Oscar tried out, and after getting him on his team, Adrian had been determined to find at least one more person, and Danna was perfect. So when Nova Artino spoke up, already with a team of three, one of them having joined that day, all hell broke loose. It was quite the scene; the audience was left in tears and it was in the papers the next morning. He would’ve let her take Danna for her team, knowing that there would be other chances, but he noticed the way her eyes had softened while Danna displayed her powers, the way she leaned forward and rested her head on her arm. Why not mess with her and take away her chance at romance with Danna? When he had teased her of only wanting Danna on her team because she was cute, however, she nearly put him in the hospital. Totally worth it, and Danna had been a valuable member to his team since. 

    Nova rolled her eyes. “Please, I’m not that petty.” She shot a sweet smile over at Danna. “But you’re always welcome here whenever you realize how stupid Sketch is.”   

    Danna nodded, biting her lip to hide her smile. “Noted.” When Adrian shot her a look, she shrugged. “What? It could be fun.” Fun as in Nova and Danna had struck up a friendship in the past year that was dangerous considering their personalities. Fun as in the two of them on one team would mean Nightmare’s team being unstoppable. Yeah, fun. 

    “Actually, I was here to introduce you to Ruby Tucker, alias Red Assassin.” Adrian gestured a hand in Ruby’s direction. She raised a hand and waved awkwardly at Nova. 

    “Oh yeah, I remember you from the trials.” Nova’s smile became friendly. “You gave a badass demonstration, by the way. Guillotine deserved what was coming to her for doubting your abilities. I would have welcomed you to my team, but I figured Sketch needed you more.” She winked at Ruby, who let out a small laugh and mumbled a ‘thank you’. “Anyway, this is my team: Adèle, Romana, and Benton.” She pointed to each one as she introduced them. 

    “The Piper, Sirena, and the Whisperer.” Ruby nodded enthusiastically. “It’s great to meet you. When my brothers hear about this, they’ll freak.” With a glance to Nova, she added, “they’re big fans of you guys, especially you, Nightmare.”

    Nova’s cheeks lit up, her eyes widening in slight surprise. “Oh! That’s awesome.” Although the tone of her voice said otherwise. She looked back at her teammates. “Well, we should probably get back to training. We’re already behind as it is, having to start in the middle of the day.”   

    “What’s that about, anyway?” Oscar raised an eyebrow. “Don’t you guys usually train-”

    “At four in the morning?” Adèle cut in, lips turned upward. Her accent was as thick as the day she came to Gatlon a year ago from northern France. “Yes, but Nova had to babysit overnight and her parents didn’t get home until early afternoon.”

    “Which is why we need to get back to training, right?” Adrian could tell talking about her personal life was awkward, if not upsetting, for her to do. He never really understood why she was that way; even with him when they were alone, she tended to keep the conversation on anything but her home life. Her parents were nice people, and her siblings, while sometimes overwhelming, were fun to be around. 

    Adrian nodded, being the first to change the subject. “We should get back to our tour as well. Oscar really wants to show Ruby the cafeteria.”

    He noticed the look of gratitude Nova shot his way before she turned her attention to Oscar. “Very important business, then. All you can eat nachos is no joke.”

    Oscar agreed, and Sketch’s team bid farewell to Nightmare’s, turning in the direction of the elevators.

    “That Benton guy is cuter in person,” Ruby said as they walked, glancing over her shoulder at the retreating forms of Nightmare’s team. Oscar nearly tripped over his cane, blinking wildly in her direction. 

    “Pretty sure he’s taken by Johnathan Stillion, right, Adrian?” Danna peered over at Adrian, then nodded her head in Oscar’s direction. Adrian held back a snort.

    “Yeah, but don’t worry Ruby, there are plenty of other cute Renegades. Some might even be closer than you think.” 

Adrian may have been thinking about a particular Renegade as he said those w

[emybain]

After the Battle

hey @rubys-finger-cymbals im your secret santa for the gift exchange!!! ive never written an osby/tuckva-centered fic before so I hope I did okay with this one:) I had so much fun delving into ruby’s mind, and hopefully this wont be the last time I write these two beans! I hope you have a merry Christmas if you celebrate it, and if not, I hope you have a wonderful day!!

THIS FIC CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR SUPERNOVA!!! 

    It seemed like an eternity had passed in the amount of time Ruby spent searching for her friends. If it weren’t for Max, she wouldn’t have been there in the first place. He convinced her to sneak him out of her home, as her mom put the two of them on house arrest, and take him to the scene of the battle. For someone so young, he was a pretty persuasive kid when he needed to be. Now, after witnessing the near destruction of Gatlon and it’s unexpected reconstruction, she knew bringing Max was the right thing to do. However, she had dozens of questions in her head about what the heck just happened. Gatlon was saved, Ace Anarchy was finally killed, and silence...silence, and then out of nowhere, a powerful energy sweeping out from the cathedral and over Gatlon, bringing with it a beautiful light. At first, she was frozen in awe, until she felt familiar aches from her arm, chest, and stomach where she had been stabbed all those years ago. After being neutralized at the arena, her mom patched up her wounds, which had grown more painful than when she was a prodigy. Peeking underneath the bandages confirmed her giddy, although confused, suspicions. The murmurs and gasps and screams of joy further confirmed that she wasn’t just hallucinating; those who had been neutralized were prodigies again. 

    Ruby shoved through the mass of people gathered at the cathedral, only barely paying recognition to the gathering media stations and helicopters to the battle scene. There were three people on her mind, one more than the others perhaps. Her heart began to sink, tears springing to her eyes, at a possibility that she refused to be true. But then her eyes laid on Captain Chromium and the Dread Warden, embracing tightly. Nearby stood four figures, three of them that Ruby knew. A grin broke out on her face as she ran towards them, calling out their names. 

    Oscar was the first to turn, eyes widening at the sight of her. That dopey, relaxed grin that Ruby adored played at his lips. She all but hurled herself into his arms, burying her face into his neck. She felt his hold on her tighten, tugging her closer to him. Pulling back just slightly to look at him, she could tell he was exhausted but elated to see her. The tension in her shoulders relaxed upon seeing that other than a few scratches here and there, he was mostly unharmed. 

    “I was getting worried when I couldn’t find you,” she murmured, bringing her hand to rest on his cheek. “You’re a big, dumb, stupid idiot for doing that to me.”

    Oscar leaned into her touch. “Didn’t I promise I’d come back to you? We still haven’t gone on a first date, after all, and me dying would’ve been a bit awkward for timing.”

    Ruby rolled her eyes, and was pulling him in for a kiss when a throat cleared. She opened her eyes and glanced over Oscar’s shoulder at Danna.

    “We’re alive too, by the way,” she teased, gesturing to Adrian and herself. Ruby broke out into another smile and planted a kiss on Oscar’s cheek before her racing heart could decide for her otherwise. 

    She parted from him and hugged her other two friends, gripping them tightly. The fourth person she had seen earlier stood awkwardly off to the side behind Adrian, and Ruby gasped when she recognized who it was. But...why was Nova dressed like...like…

    “Nova’s Nightmare?” She frowned up at Adrian, then Danna, then Oscar. Clearly, she had missed a lot more than she had originally thought. “But...but what about Cronin’s granddaughter?”

    “It was a cover up to get me out of prison,” Nova explained, taking a hesitant step forward. Ruby stepped back, mouth agape. If Nova was an Anarchist, then why was she still alive? And here with Ruby’s friends? “Ruby, I-”

    “You betrayed us,” Ruby snapped, causing Nova to flinch. “You manipulated us and tricked us and...and-and…” her mouth struggled to find the right words, her body suddenly filled with anger, “you neutralized innocent people! Among dozens of other things,” she added. 

    “She’s on our side again, Ruby.” Adrian reached for Nova, who tentatively allowed him to pull her beside him. Ruby’s frown deepened at the protective way his hand rested on her arm. “Listen, it’s been a long night, and we’re all tired. We’ll explain more tomorrow, okay?”

    Ruby shook her head firmly. “No. I don’t trust her, not after everything she’s done to us, to Gatlon. And I frankly don’t understand why any of you would trust her, either.”

    Oscar wrapped an arm around hers. “She helped us kill her uncle, Ruby, as well as other Anarchists. I didn’t want to trust her at first, either, but I think she’s genuinely sorry for everything.”

    Nova coughed into her arm. “Right here, you know.” Her gaze shifted to Ruby, and her eyes softened, almost making Ruby’s frown lighten up. “I don’t blame you for not trusting me, Ruby, and I understand if you never want to speak to me again.” She glanced over the others quickly. “That goes for the rest of you. I’ve been blinded for most of my life, and because of that, I’ve been following the wrong cause.” She shook her head. “I thought I was doing the right thing, but it turns out I was just lied to my entire life and-” her voice broke, and she dropped her head to the ground, releasing a slow sigh. She raised it back up again, and at the sight of unshed tears in her eyes, Ruby’s frown disappeared this time. “I’m sorry, really. If I could turn back time and fix all my mistakes, starting ten years ago, I would.”

    Although she didn’t want to forgive Nova just yet, Ruby nodded.  Her apology would do for now, and in all honesty, Ruby had a feeling there was more to the story that she hadn’t heard yet. Deep down, even when she had previously believed Nova to be an Anarchist when the other girl was arrested, Ruby knew that she had a good heart. Too many instances had occurred where Nova had proven that, and Ruby couldn’t forget about them. There were still questions dancing at the tip of her tongue, but judging from the worn state of her friends, they would have to come later. 

_______

    Adrian and Nova had left to check on Max, who, according to Adrian, was more spent than the rest of them but resting. Danna had also left to speak with some other Renegades, leaving Ruby alone with Oscar. 

    They sat in front of the cathedral in the dirt, joined at the hip. She leaned against him, playing with his fingers that rested in her hand. They didn’t speak for a while, just letting everything sink in and settle before saying anything. Ruby didn’t want to talk about the fighting or the events of the night, not yet anyway. Not until her questions were ready to be answered. Oscar, apparently, didn’t either. 

    “I had a plan, you know,” he spoke up, turning his head slightly to look down at Ruby. 

    Ruby hummed, lacing their fingers together and letting their joined hands fall into her lap. “What do you mean?”

    “To ask you out.” A small blush formed on his cheeks; Ruby would’ve teased him about it had she not felt her own heat up. “Called it Operation Crown Jewels.”

    Ruby scrunched her nose in disgust. ���Ew, seriously? What the hell, Oscar?”

    He threw his free hand up in exaggeration. “Because, you know, your gift and your name and all. Crown Jewels.”   

    Okay, she had to admit that the thought was sweet. She gave his hand a gentle squeeze, heart thrumming at the way his thumb traced a pattern over the back of her hand in response. “And what was this plan?”

    Oscar dropped his eyes to the ground briefly before returning them to Ruby, his expression sheepish. “Well, it was many things, really. Poems, speeches, grand declarations of love…” he trailed off, shaking his head. “But nothing was ever good enough. It had to be perfect.”

    Ruby snuggled closer to him, reaching her free hand up to push back one of his curls. She thought back to the arena and how he fiercely defended her after she lost her gift. And their kiss…

    “It was perfect, planned or not.” A teasing smile appeared on her lips. “Although, I wish you would’ve made a move sooner, dummy.”

    “Hey!” Oscar nudged her shoulder playfully, causing a laugh to escape her mouth. She pushed him back, their hands separating from one another. But the chill that went through her body at the loss of his warmth was brief, for he wrapped her up into his arms once more. This time, though, she was practically in his lap, his arms draped loosely around her waist; she had to twist her whole body toward him to be comfortable. Their laughs slowly disintegrated, their smiles falling shortly behind. 

    Oscar placed a hand under her ear, fingers curling around the hair at the nape of her neck. Ruby’s heart pounded in her chest. In her mind, she chided herself on this sudden burst of nerves. It was just Oscar. Her friend. Her best friend. 

    “I’ve had a crush on you since I first saw you at the trials.” Ruby’s lips parted a little at that; while she had been crushing on him as well, it hadn’t been as long as that. Her crush had only surfaced about a year and a half ago, confusing and terrifying and wonderful and painful all at once. “And since then, I’ve been a sucker for girls with white and black hair. Oh, and also the color red.”

    Ruby blushed furiously, wanting to look away in embarrassment but forcing herself to keep her focus trained on his eyes. “Oscar, I-”

    “You’re the most amazing girl I know, Ruby,” he interrupted softly. “You’re also the girl of my dreams, which is why I’ve been terrified to do this.”

    Ruby scrunched up her nose when he didn’t continue. “Terrified to do what?”

    Oscar inhaled slowly, then exhaled. His gaze shifted to the ground, then back up to her. “Ruby Tucker, will you be my girlfriend?”

    The world around her shrunk to just her and Oscar. No longer were they resting on a battlefield, surrounded by Renegades and the media. It was just the two of them and the overflow of happiness expanding in Ruby’s chest. She beamed at Oscar, laughing wildly before leaning forward and smushing her lips against his. 

    He hummed in surprise, but quickly reciprocated the kiss with enthusiasm. Her hands were just starting to wound their way around his neck, her fingers itching to dig themselves into his crazy curls, when he pulled back suddenly. Her lips, not expecting that, chased after his. 

    “Wait wait wait.” He held up a hand between them, a goofy sparkle in his eyes. “Is that a yes.”

    Ruby groaned loudly, fingers wrapping around strands of hair as she pulled him back to her. She had waited a year and a half for this, and didn’t want to waste a single moment. “If I say yes will you go back to kissing me?” While she was fully teasing him, like he had teased her, her answer wasn’t completely a joke. 

    His hand dropped to her waist. “Mhm.”

    “Then yes.” She peppered light kisses around his face, from his nose to his cheeks to his eyebrows, then to his lips. “A thousand times yes, Oscar Silva.”

    When they kissed again, Ruby shivered. Very quickly, the kiss deepened, possibly more than it should considering they were in public and surrounded by dozens of people. But Ruby didn’t care, not one bit.

    The only thing she cared about at the moment was right there in front of her.

[emybain]

Renegades Titanic AU Part 6

me? writing? sorry, don’t know her. 

part 1 part 2 part 3 part 4 part 5

A Real Party

    The clock chimed nine times. Nova jiggled her leg nervously, hugging herself and avoiding eye contact with people that passed by her. She was standing on the middle landing of the grand stairwell, the one she had descended down earlier and into Adrian’s arms, leaning against the railing behind her. She had been much more confident when she had been around Adrian or one of his friends, able to pull off having money despite barely having any. Now she was alone, and her inferiority, or society’s idea of inferiority, she should say, was beginning to weigh on her shoulders. 

    She should never have given Adrian that note, never should have written it. He wasn’t going to come, and neither would his friends. They had better things to do than to be around someone like her. 

    Heels clacked on the steps behind her, and she turned, ready to apologize for being in the way to whoever was coming up. But as she was opening her mouth, she was met with Adrian Everhart. Behind him was Danna, Ruby, and Oscar. All were smiling at her, albeit looking somewhat confused. 

    Nova’s eyes glanced over the four of them, feeling something turn over in her chest. 

    “So,” she said, taking in a shaky breath, “do you want to go to a real party?”

_____

    Sometimes Nova wondered if poor people were truly happier than those with money. They certainly partied like they did. 

    She had brought the others down to the third class quarters and to the general room where she knew there’d be some kind of celebration going on. There had been for the last two nights, Nova only knowing of it from passing by the room on her way back to her cabin and because the walls on that part of the ship were so paper thin she could hear the music and laughter from her bed. And tonight, as she guessed correctly, was no different. 

    There was a band settled on one side of the room, complete with multiple string instruments, drums, spoons, and an instrument that she was unfamiliar with. People danced where there was room, and in no sophisticated manner. They jumped and twirled and danced with multiple people at once. Some chose to listen to the music and watch the dancers, clapping along with enthusiasm. Others stood or sat, chatting with one another or joking or playing card games as they drank cheap beer. There was such a variety of people here, compared to what Nova had seen in first class. Much livelier, as well. No one seemed to care that the beer was bad or that their clothing had holes in them or that when they would return to their cabins in a couple of hours, there was a chance of there being a rat in their bed. 

    Nova had a plan, of course, other than to just party all night. She needed to make sure that Adrian and his friends trusted her more before beginning her interrogations. And what better way than bringing them into her world, or at least, what they needed to believe was her world. That being poor wasn’t always a bad thing. 

    She sat at a table with some northern Europeans, who didn’t speak English, and Danna, who sat beside Nova, looking just as out of place as Nova had felt in first class. Yet she was smiling and clapping, cheering on Adrian, Oscar, and Ruby, who were all dancing. Oscar and Ruby danced together, twirling around the room in pandemonium and without a care, flush against one another and visibly laughing. Adrian, on the other hand, found a partner in a little girl who had been eyeing him since they had all shown up. When Nova had mentioned it to him, he spent no time in hesitating to ask her to dance, to which she nodded shyly. Nova watched, sipping her drink and smiling slightly. He was so careful with her, but was also exaggerating every dance move. It was mostly just him spinning her around him, but she was in a fit of giggles nonetheless. He had taken off his coat jacket, leaving his upper body in just a white button up and suspenders. Somehow, the look suited him more than anything she had seen him wear. 

    A crash alerted Nova. Her back straightened, and her eyes fled to the source of the noise. Her hand was pointed down toward her ankle where she had placed a knife, just in case she needed to defend herself. But upon noticing the drunken man who had fallen be helped up and clapped on the shoulder, then started dancing once more, she couldn’t help but let a laugh escape her. Definitely not like the upstairs crowd. 

    “That’s one crazy son of a bitch.” Nova turned to Danna, who had apparently been watching the scene as well. There was humor in the other girl’s eyes, although Nova had expected judgemental ones. 

    “Welcome to third class,” Nova replied, unsure of quite what she could say. It wasn’t like she knew any of these people well enough to speak for all of them. “We’re all crazy sons of bitches here.” She raised her beer glass, and after a moment’s hesitation, Danna raised hers to clink it against Nova’s. 

    The song ended then, and just as people began clapping, another started up, this one even livelier and vibrant than the last, if that were possible. Nova clapped for Adrian, Oscar, and Ruby as they headed over to her and Danna. Adrian held the little girl’s hand, and upon reaching the table, knelt down to her height, although he had to bend over a little more to get to eye level. 

    “I’m going to dance with that pretty girl now, alright?” He pointed to Nova, and the little girl followed his hand. Her eyes dropped to the ground, shy, not one second after meeting Nova’s. But she nodded, and then she was gone, swept away by her mother who kissed her cheeks over and over. Nova watched the pair go, a slight pain over her chest. 

    And then Adrian was in front of her, pulling her up by the hand and away from the safety of the table and the northerners that Nova still couldn’t understand. 

    “Adrian,” Nova tugged on his arm, but he still dragged her to the center of the room, “Adrian, stop.”

    “What?” There was such a brightness on his face, such happiness that Nova hadn’t seen until now. She suspected it had been a long time since anyone had seen it. 

    “I can’t do this. I-I...I don’t know this dance.” She didn’t know any dance, truthfully. 

    Adrian shrugged. “Neither do I.” The music began to intensify. “We’re going to have to get a little bit closer.” His hand went to her waist, pulling her closer to him until they were nearly chest to chest. Nova felt her face heat up, and not because of the dozens of sweaty bodies in the small room. She tried not to think of how she could feel his muscles under his shirt or how warm and fitting his hand in hers was.  “Just go with it.”

    Adrian’s ‘just go with it’ was very different than what Nova had in mind. 

    Nova screeched as he led them, practically hopping, around the room in all directions. She heard herself shout out “wait!” about a dozen times because he would change direction on her or they would almost run into a wall or a piece of furniture or another person or she lost her footing and nearly stumbled to the filthy floor. But soon enough, she found herself laughing. Every time they almost hit someone, she giggled, the cool air on her face from moving quickly was refreshing, every spin was enlightening. 

    Spotting Oscar and Ruby up on a raised level near the center of the room, Adrian led Nova over to them and pulled her up behind him. Immediately, the smile vanished from Nova’s face, and she started protesting. There were too many eyes on them now. Adrian just shook his head, the widest smile on his lips, and started doing a sort of jig dance beside Nova. She watched him, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. The corner of her lip started to curl up, and before she could tell herself how stupid she was acting, that it was the alcohol causing her to act this way, she lifted her dress up slightly and slipped her heels off, tossing them to a woman who was watching them and clapping. Nova kept her skirts up, just over her calves, and mimicked Adrian’s dance, at least to the best of her ability. It was his turn to watch her, and the look he gave her nearly made her snort. He did another little dance, to which Nova responded by kicking her feet out and spinning around. 

    They were both laughing now, and Adrian reached out to link arms with her so they were facing opposite directions. They spun around a few times before switching arms, and then Adrian let go and grabbed both of her hands, facing her now. When he started spinning them, Nova’s eyes widened. 

    “Adrian, no.” But he just laughed as always. They sped up, Nova feeling as if she were going to fall backwards and get hurt. Unable to take the spinning room anymore, she squeezed her eyes shut, a laugh that sounded more like a scream escaping her mouth. 

    A lightheaded feeling washed over her body, even as the song ended and people clapped and Adrian led Nova off the platform and to the table where Danna still sat, now speaking with a young lady. Beside them were a group of men, the northerners from before and some of their new friends. They were drinking beer and smoking and arm wrestling. Nova held back an eye roll. Another song started up, and Oscar and Ruby were still dancing. How they had so much energy, Nova had no clue. 

    Adrian reached over the men for their drinks, or what Nova hoped was their drinks, and handed Nova’s to her, which she gladly accepted. It wasn’t until the glass was placed in her hands until she realized how dry her throat was. She took a large swig, and had to bring the drink down after seeing the incredulous look on Adrian’s face. 

    She grinned. “What?”

    He shook his head. “Nothing...it’s just you’re so-UMPH-” He stumbled forward then, spilling his still-full beer on Nova. She gasped, stepping back, but overcame her shock to push back the drunk man who had knocked into Adrian and telling him to get lost. 

    “Are you alright?” Adrian asked, eyebrows scrunched together as his eyes roamed her drenched body. Nova chuckled, pushing a wet strand of hair out of her eyes. 

    “I’m fine. Trust me, I’ve dealt with way worse.” She placed a hand on his arm, feeling bold. His muscles tensed underneath her fingers, but relaxed almost just as quickly. 

    A roar of cheers brought her attention to the table before them, where one of the men beat the other in the arm wrestling contest. The loser, cigarette between his lips, began demanding for a rematch, although he was grinning. Nova looked over at Danna, who met her eyes and shook her head, as if to say, “Men, am I right?” Nova quirked her lips up and returned her gaze to the men, who were about to wrestle once more. She purposefully reached over them, setting her drink down.

    “So,” she cleared her throat and grabbed the loser’s cigarette, taking a short drag. He gaped up at her. “You think you’re big, tough men, huh? Move over.” She pushed the loser out of his seat, pulling him out of his astonishment enough to start protesting. The winner, a tall, broad-shouldered man with big hands looked at Nova as if she were joking. But Nova raised her elbow up onto the table, wet from spilled beer. She narrowed her eyes at the man in front of her until he sighed and gave in, reaching over to clasp hands with Nova. People gathered around to watch, clearly intrigued at the burly man willing to arm wrestle a girl half his height in a sparkly gown. 

    Behind her, she heard Adrian and Danna cheering her on, and eventually, the voices of Oscar and Ruby as well as the voices of strangers, mostly female. The man had had a cocky smile on his face before they began, but now, the smile was wiped from his face as he eyes burned a hole into the back of Nova’s hand, as if he were trying to get it to fall back and hit the table with his mind. He was strong, Nova would give him that, definitely stronger than her, but physical strength was only a minor obstacle when one was determined enough. She gritted her teeth, pouring every ounce of her weight and willpower into her arm, feeling the strain of her muscles start to fight back. The people cheering the man on got louder as her arm started tipping backwards, and his cocky expression returned. Nova glared at her hand, pushing more adrenaline and all her might into it until it was back at perpendicular to the table. Feeling a rush of cockiness herself, she grinned at the man as her arm started tipping the other way. A bead of sweat dripped down beside her eye. He was fighting back, but Nova didn’t want to entertain him any longer. Her heartbeat in her bicep, roaring in her ears, she mustered any remaining strength into her fight. The table shook as his hand slammed down onto it. Behind her, hands clapped her shoulders and shook her back and forth in excitement. The man stared in disbelief at his hand for a moment before turning his wide eyes to Nova, demanding that they go two out of three rounds, that he let her win. Nova shook her head, the corners of her lips at each ear. 

    “Losers don’t get second chances in war, my friend.” She stood and reached out to shake his hand, which he reluctantly accepted, avoiding looking at her. His friends all looked at Nova as if she had just grown a second head. The egos of men could be so fragile. 

    “How did you do that?” Nova turned, smiling widely at Ruby, who looked as if she had just witnessed God coming down from Heaven. Danna, Oscar, and Adrian all held similar expressions of awe. 

    Nova rubbed her arm, the soreness starting to kick in. “Sheer determination and a lot of alcohol?” She laughed, although the real reason was hours spent training to fight, training to defend herself, training to defeat the very people who stood before her now, amazed by her abilities. 

    The music then changed once more, and Nova’s feat was forgotten. A line of people passed by them, holding hands as they ran around the room. Ruby clapped and grabbed the hand of the last person in the line, which led to Oscar being pulled in, then Danna, who grabbed at Nova, and finally Adrian. They ran around the room in this line, sometimes stumbling, and Nova couldn’t hold back her laughter. It’s from the alcohol, she tried to convince herself.

And not because she was actually having fun in the company of her enemies. 

______

Compared to the stuffy third class general room, it was chilly outside. But it was refreshing nonetheless. Nova breathed in the cool air, despite it hurting her lungs. 

It was well after midnight, and Nova was walking back to the first class area with the others, upon their request. Due to the time, it would be indecent for her to appear inside with them, but she could still walk them back. And besides, it gave her a chance to actually talk to them, seeing as Nova hadn’t gotten the chance to in between dancing and drinking. 

“I hope you all don’t get into any trouble because of me,” Nova said, in regards to the late time. “I had no idea those parties could go on for so long.”

“Have you never been to one before tonight?” Danna looked over at her, eyebrow raised. 

Nova shook her head. “No. I only knew of them because I’ve heard them the past two nights through the walls. They aren’t very thick, you see. "Danna nodded, although there was still a suspicious look on her face. Nova licked her lips. “I’ve never been one for parties, but even I was bored out of my mind earlier, and I figured all of you would enjoy a bit of fun.”

“It was amazing,” Ruby exclaimed, letting out a big sigh and tilting her head up to the sky. She clutched the jacket, which Oscar had given her, around her arms. “Woah, look at the stars! They’re so pretty, right Oscar?” There was the slightest stumbling between words here and there, and Nova had to chuckle. Either the girl couldn’t handle her alcohol very well, or she was overly tired, or a mixture of both. 

“Right. Beautiful,” Oscar agreed, although he was only looking at Ruby. They wandered a little from the group, opening up their own conversation. Nova watched them for a moment before turning to Adrian. 

“Are they...:?” 

“Nope.” Adrian shook his head. “Although they way they act sometimes, like tonight, you would think otherwise.” Nova hummed in reply. 

A short wind from the water blew through, sending goosebumps up Nova’s bare arms. She rubbed at them in an attempt to warm up. Adrian started briefly, then shed his jacket quickly and wrapped it around her, blushing. 

“I’m terribly sorry, I should’ve done this earlier.” Nova jolted at the sudden action, but welcomed the warmth he left in the jacket. It smelled like him, too. “Oh! Um, thank you.”

The trio were quiet after that, watching Oscar and Ruby ahead of them chatter away. Nova needed to be asking questions, but she had a feeling that with Danna around, she wouldn’t get much done. The girl seemed to see right through Nova McLain and right to Nova Artino, and Nova couldn’t give anything away to prove her suspicions. No, she would simply have to get Adrian alone at some point, or not at all.

Too soon did they arrive to the first class entrance door.

“I would like to thank you for having me at dinner tonight, Adrian.” Nova offered a kind smile, reserved in comparison to the many she exhibited not an hour ago. “And my thanks to the rest of you for making me feel welcome when I definitely did not fit in.” She meant it as a joke, but received only a soft chuckle from everyone.

“Thank you for having us,” replied Ruby, who was leaning into Oscar. She yawned loudly. “I don’t think I’ve had that much fun in years.” Oscar, Danna, and Adrian all nodded and agreed. 

“I hope we get to see more of each other, Nova.” Oscar nodded at her. “You’re a pretty refreshing person to be around, amid all the nose pickers we know.”

Nova said goodbyes to all of them, going up to Adrian last. She opened her mouth, prepared to say the same thing as she had to the other three, when he turned to his friends. 

“You guys go ahead and go in without me. I’ll catch up in a bit, okay?” 

“It’s your funeral,” Danna replied, but nonetheless, she opened the door to first class and ushered Oscar and Ruby inside. Nova pretended not to see the wink Oscar shot at Adrian over his shoulder before the door closed behind him. 

“Are you going to walk me back, or something, Mr. Everhart?” Nova was only teasing, but a small part of her hoped that was why he stayed behind. 

“If that’s what you want, then yes.” The way he said it so seriously sent goosebumps up her arm. She turned from him and headed over to the railing. 

“What a gentleman,” she mused. He came up behind her, and she turned to face him, back leaning against the rail. Her eyes widened suddenly. “Oh! I completely forgot about Ruby’s dress! How should I get it back to her?”

Adrian shook his head, chuckling. “I’ll bring it up to her and see what she wants to do, but knowing her, she’ll probably just let you keep it, insisting she has too many anyway.” 

“And where, do you suppose, would I wear something like this?” Nova gestured down at the dress. 

“Tea with the Queen?” She snorted at that, causing his smile to widen. 

Focus, a voice in the back of her head snapped. Nova bit the inside of her cheek. 

“So,” she crossed her arms over her chest, “what are your plans when we make it to the states?” 

Adrian tilted his head to the side. “My plans, or my father’s plans?” Nova mentally kicked herself, having forgotten that he knew what she was. Who she was allies with. Fine. She would just have to play dumb. 

Nova batted her eyelashes and pursed her lips. “Yours, of course. Unless you would care to share the latter.” 

He eyed her suspiciously for a moment. Nova raised an eyebrow, refusing to break. “I’m not quite sure. My parents are planning something big, I know, on the east coast, but they refuse to share any knowledge with me or my brother. I would like to focus on my art, but Hugh believes it’s not a sustainable living.”

“You have a brother?” Nova leaned forward. This was new information, something not even Ingrid knew. 

Adrian took the slightest step back, hardly noticeable, if it had been anyone besides Nova. “Yes. His name’s Max.”

“Why haven’t I seen him around? How old is he?”

“He’s ten, but you would think much older with his mind.” His eyes grew soft. “He’s sick, you see, and can’t risk being around other people. Even the slightest of coughs can put him on bed rest for weeks, you see.” 

“I’m sorry to hear that.” Nova dropped her eyes to the wood flooring of the deck. “Are the two of you close?”

Adrian chuckled. “Very, although with his condition, it’s not always easy to see him.”

“I hope I can meet him one day. He sounds wonderful.”

“He’d like that.” Adrian paused, then cleared his throat. “What about you? Why are you returning to America?” 

To break her uncle out of prison and defeat her enemies. “Europe just didn’t have what I was looking for, I suppose.” She shrugged. 

“And what might that be?”

“Something I can’t have.” Nova searched his face, heart skipping a beat in her chest. 

“You know, I didn’t expect you to be the complete opposite of them.” Nova took note of how he inched the slightest bit closer, head tilting down only a little. 

“You’re not like them either,” she murmured, voice catching in her throat. They both referred to vastly different ‘thems’, but they both understood what the other meant. “Completely and utterly not what I expected.”

Adrian closed his eyes and leaned down then. A surge of panic moved through Nova’s body, and she took a step back. She let this go too far, far away from her original plans. She took off his coat and pushed it into his arms, welcoming the cold air onto her bared shoulders. It helped knock her back into her senses. Adrian opened his eyes and blinked down at the jacket in confusion, then up at Nova. 

Nova took a ragged breath. “I, um...I need to go. They’re waiting on me, I’m sure.” 

She squeezed past him, but stopped when he grabbed her arm. 

“Nova, wait I-”

“Goodnight, Adrian.” She slowly pulled her arm out of his grasp and turned, putting as much distance as she could between them. She refused to look back.

[emybain]

Welcome Home

I really liked the last fic I wrote, possibly bc it’s in a world where there’s a (somewhat) happy ending. so I decided to write a little continuation that’s set three months after the events of the last fic!

    “They’re turning the corner!” Oscar announced, looking at his messages. Everyone quieted down and hurried to find a place to hide. Nova had to refrain from rolling her eyes as she strolled to the door leading out of the kitchen and crouched down. It was the easiest getaway, after all.

    Adrian was returning from Egypt after being invited to help Danna out with her global mission to spread activism. What was supposed to only be a two week thing ended up being a month long thing, much to Nova’s frustration. Not that she wasn’t happy for the opportunity Adrian was getting and that he’d be able to catch up with Danna and all, but she just missed him.

    Three months before, Adrian had visited Nova’s apartment for business reasons, only to leave kissing her goodbye hours later. The next day, actually, as he spent the night at her place. Two years of pretending not to be attracted to one another anymore required a lot of catching up.

    They officially started dating, and it had been the happiest three months of Nova’s life. But the only thing was, only they knew. They had agreed that it would be best to keep their relationship a secret until their friends and the public would be able to handle it. It was hard and exasperating at times to lie, but for the most part, Nova got a thrill from sneaking around so much with Adrian.

    Oscar turned off the lights in the kitchen and made a shushing sound, even though no one was talking. Nova saw Ruby swat at him jokingly from across the room as he knelt down beside her, arm instinctively wrapping around her waist. Nova watched them, biting the inside of her cheek. Oscar had proposed a few weeks back, and Ruby said yes, of course. Nova was elated for her friends, but it was small moments like now that Nova was the tiniest bit jealous. They could laugh and flirt and kiss one another in public without fear of repercussions.

    Nova heard the front door click. All movement ceased in the kitchen. She heard Hugh’s booming voice first, jokingly calling out if anyone was home. Then she heard Simon laugh, then she heard Max’s voice, speaking insistently about a video game. Poor Max, he was at that awkward stage in his early teen years known as puberty, and his voice was suffering the worst from it. Although it was annoying that Nova was now officially the shortest person she knew, as he had sprouted up and not necessarily towered over Nova, but she now had to look up to see him.

    Her heart skipped when Adrian replied, arguing with as much enthusiasm as his brother. Sure, they had spoken over the phone while he was gone, but it was different than hearing it in person.

    The family entered the kitchen through the other door one by one, with Adrian coming in last. Once he entered the room, Simon flipped the lights on, and everyone jumped out from their hiding places, yelling “Welcome home, Adrian!”

    “Great skies.” Adrian jumped back, holding a hand over his heart. Nova drank him in, unable to keep a smile from spreading across her face. For whatever reason, he looked different. Nova couldn’t place it. Maybe it was because she had been forced to imagine his face whenever they had spoken over the phone. Whatever the case, he looked handsomer, if that were possible when Adrian Everhart was concerned.

    Nova stood back as Adrian greeted everyone, mostly family friends. He congratulated Oscar and Ruby, stopping to talk with them for a moment. Then his eyes scanned the room, falling on her, and she forgot how to breathe. Her stomach lurched at the loose, yet secretive, smile he gave her. Attempting to collect herself, she purposefully bit her lower lip, turned her eyes downward, looked back up at him, and then left the room. She was brave enough to shoot him a half smile over her shoulder before she turned the corner. Quickly, she made her way downstairs to his room, heart pounding with every step.

    She decided to wait on his bed, sitting on the edge with her hands in her lap. His room hadn’t changed much over the years. He had gotten rid of a few posters here and there and reorganized furniture, but other than that, it was more or less the same. Nova rarely came over in more recent months because of his dads and Max. Like the rest of the world, they were clueless that Adrian and Nova were dating. Adrian had talked a few times about getting his own place, even showing Nova some apartments for sale on his tablet. He was twenty-one, after all. He had told Nova he was only still at home because his family needed him, especially Max, and because of the fact that Gatlon was still healing from the Final Battle.

    The stairs groaned underneath the weight of feet. Nova sat up straight and ran a hand through her hair. If whoever it was wasn’t Adrian, she would have some serious explaining to do. But it was Adrian who appeared at the bottom of the stairs, so Nova let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding.

    For a minute, they just stared at one another, as if they couldn’t believe they were in the same room. He may have only been gone a month, but Nova could have easily mistaken it to have been a lifetime.

    Nova stood suddenly and rushed to him. His calm composure was replaced with a grin and open arms as they embraced. She inhaled his scent, burying her face in the crook of his neck. He lifted her off her feet, and a laugh escaped her when he spun her around, only to walk forward and sit her down on top of his dresser.

    “Hi,” they said at the same time, ridiculous, goofy smiles mirroring each other.

    “How was Egypt?” she murmured, pulling him to her once again, this time to settle between her legs.  

    His hands went to her waist, resting casually. “It was an experience,” he replied, eyes glinting as he took her in.

    Nova hummed happily. “And Danna? How’s she liking her trip?”

    “Very much. Although, she would not shut up about this girl she met in France. Celeste, I think was her name.” Adrian shook his head, chuckling.

    Nova raised an eyebrow. “Should we be expecting another wedding soon?”

    Adrian pushed a stray hair behind her ear, then cupped her neck. She leaned into him, buzzing under his touch. He sighed, and his breath on her neck sent chills down her spine. The look he was giving her only increased her nerves.

    “Definitely,” he said, and when he closed the remaining space between them, pulling her against him and kissing her deeply, Nova had a distant feeling that he wasn’t talking about Danna.

    Nova’s hands mapped his back, tracing the edges and curves she had long since memorized. She wanted nothing more than to slip her hands up under his shirt, but restrained herself. Instead, she moved her lips to his face, trailing featherlight kisses across his cheeks, over his eyelids. He sighed and held her, eyes closed in content.

    “Great skies, I missed you, Nova,” he breathed as she kissed underneath his ear. “So, so much.”

    Nova pulled back and placed a light kiss on his lips. “I missed you, too.” Her thumb massaged a spot on his neck.

    “Next time I’m taking a long trip, you’re coming with me,” he joked, resting his head against hers.

    “What would people say about that?” she whispered. A teasing smile played at her lips, and Adrian had just started to kiss it away fervently when a gasp broke them apart.

    “What the hell!” Max nearly fell, eyes comically huge as he took in Nova and Adrian’s...position. Nova was frozen, heart having stopped working all together. Adrian didn’t move either, but before Nova could assume it was for the same reasons, he turned his head around and sighed.

    “Hey, Bandit. What’s up?” As if nothing was out of the ordinary.

    “Did you find them?” Oscar called from up the stairs. When Max didn’t answer, he showed up as well. Nova buried her head into Adrian’s shoulder, groaning loudly. “Hey man, not cool. We throw you a party and this is all you cared about?”

    Nova peeked her head up to see Adrian smile, a mix between sheepish and smug. He boldly squeezed Nova’s waist, causing her to squeak and swat at him. This was not happening this was not happening this was not happening.

    “We’ll be up in a minute, Oscar. Now take Max with you and please leave.”

    Ruby padded down the stairs. “What is going on-OH MY GOD WHAT THE FU-”

    Everyone shushed her, including Nova, who gained enough dignity to raise her bright red face.

    Oscar shook his head and nudged Ruby playfully. “Told you. You owe me twenty bucks, babe.”

    Ruby’s eyes flicked between Nova and Adrian, who were still in a compromising position, too shocked to think about moving away, and her fiance. “Do not. We made that bet before you proposed.”

    “That doesn’t make a difference,” Oscar cried indignantly. They started to argue, and Max, poor, innocent, sweet Max, slowly backed up and attempted to sneak back up the stairs.

    Adrian looked at Nova apologetically, but there was humor in his eyes. “Guys,” he said loudly. Everyone froze and looked at him, even Max, who was three steps up on the stairs. “Just...please don’t tell anyone, okay? We’re not ready for that yet.”

    Oscar rolled his eyes. “Please, Everhart. Like you were fooling anyone before.”

    Nova narrowed her eyes at him. “What does that mean?”

    Oscar started laughing. “Well, it’s not like either of you are very discreet. Always disappearing together, returning around the same time, the looks,” he gagged, “God, the looks are disgusting.”

    “How many people know?” Adrian’s grip on Nova tightened, but this time, it wasn’t joking.

    “Just us,” Oscar reassured. “And Danna, of course. Your dads might be suspicious, but then again, when are they not?”

    Adrian nodded slowly. Nova bit her lip. They exchanged glances.

    “Well, the party is still upstairs.” Oscar nodded to the ceiling. “I suggest you two head up soon.” He placed a hand on Ruby’s back and they turned around to leave. But then Oscar looked over his shoulder, an evil grin plastered to his stupid face. “Don’t eat too much, now. Save some room for the cake upstairs.” And then he, Ruby, and petrified Max were gone.

    Nova hid her face in Adrian’s chest, humiliation flowing through her body, quickly replacing the previously wonderful feeling she hadn’t felt in months.

    “I’m definitely getting my own place.” Adrian planted a kiss on top of her head. “Would you like to look with me this weekend?”

    Nova pulled back enough to face him. She was still mortified over what just happened, but her heart swelled at the smile Adrian gave her. It had been forever since she had seen it. She sighed, nodding. Clearly, her plans for his homecoming would have to wait.

    “It’s a date.”

[emybain]

Total Fluff Where Nova Surprises Everyone

I previously posted something about a mother coming up to sketch’s team in public and asking them to hold her baby while she did something, and the baby is crying and all of that, and no one can calm them down except for nova, much to everyone’s surprise and amusement. I decided to write it because i have nothing better to do with my life. Im gonna say it takes place post-archenemies but pre-reveal so…. Here. 

Edit: Holy heck I did not mean for this to be so long Im so sorry. Warning: this is unedited bc im tired.

Nova’s eyes followed Adrian as he paced back and forth. They were in the lounge, waiting to be called in for a patrol shift. Oscar and Ruby were playing Battle to the Death, like they always did, and were volleying insults to one another. Danna was...well...stuck in swarm mode still. Nova’s stomach churned at the thought. Her butterflies had disappeared after the gala a couple of weeks ago, according to Adrian, and hadn’t made an appearance since. Nova was constantly checking her surroundings whenever she was alone to make sure that one of them wasn’t following her the way the one currently trapped in the room she shared with honey was. She tried to push down thoughts of Danna, and how if her trapped butterfly somehow got loose, it would all be over for Nova.

    Nova wanted nothing more than to be done with the Renegades, but she still had a mission. A mission that was supposed to have ended two weeks ago, had it not been for the arrest of her uncle, Ace Anarchy. This hero charade was running itself dry. Nova was back on track; her uncle’s arrest reminded her of that. She was expecting Leroy or Honey or Phobia to tell her any day now that she could put Nova McLain and Insomnia to rest. That she could become Nightmare, fully, again.

    She waited for that day with anticipation, fingers itching to grasp it. It was only a matter of time before the Renegades caught onto her game, also. Too many clues, too many reckless mistakes, had been left behind the night of the gala. Then, she had thought her time parading around as a Renegade was over. She hadn’t cared about what she did or the damage she left that would lead the Renegades busting down the door to her home and arresting her. She cared now. Every step, every maneuver, every breath, was taken with precaution. Even now, Nova’s eyes left Adrian’s pacing form to glance at the elevator doors, at the exit signs, at the room full of Renegades that could easily outnumber her. Every time the elevator buzzed open, she expected more experienced and higher up Renegades to come bursting in, armed with powers and weapons and handcuffs and Agent N specifically for Nova.

    Adrian passed her for the umpteenth time, and she grabbed his hand, which had been used to amplify his rant about Nightmare. She had only been half listening to him, as it was stuff she had heard a thousand times before, how much he hated her and how she would pay for what she did to Max.

    Max, who was currently hidden away in his quarantine. No one was allowed to visit him, not even Captain Chromium. After barely surviving being ran through with the chromium spear, and having to go through a surgery that lasted hours, Max had been transported back to his quarantine to avoid the media and to prevent prodigies from being affected by his power. He was on strict bed rest, and would be that way for many weeks. Nova’s heart tugged, and she longed to tell Adrian that it wasn’t Nightmare who almost killed Max, but Genissa Clark, who was no longer a Renegade after being tranquilized by Nova herself. However, there was no way for her to tell Adrian without revealing her true identity and ruining everything. Not that it would matter much if he knew the truth, anyways. He still hated Nightmare with a burning passion.

    Ironic, really.

    Adrian paused in his ranting, mid-sentence about how in the hell did Nightmare even have access to Agent N and how she was able to take down Frostbite’s entire team alone. Another thing that could trace itself back to Nova.

    Adrian looked down at their hands, mouth open slightly. He stopped pacing, finally, too surprised by her confidant gesture. Nova took the opportunity and pressed her luck more, covering the back of his hand with her other one, sandwiching his together between hers. She squeezed his hand softly with the one holding his palm and stroked his knuckles with the thumb on her other hand. She gazed up at him, trying to feign a worried face. She batted her eyelashes, opened her eyes a little wider, raised her eyebrows, pursed her lips. It wasn’t hard, as she was truly worried about him. About his obsession, his lack of sleep, his constant Nightmare this and Nightmare that. He was worrying himself sick over the same person he was letting hold his hand.

    “You need to stop, Adrian.” Nova insisted. “You’ve been going on about Nightmare ever since we set foot in here, and you’ve been obsessing over her ever since that night.” He flinched, down casting his eyes.

    “You don’t understand,” he muttered. “I have to find her, Nova. She tried to-”

    “I know.” Nova sighed, a little frustrated. She pushed down the negativity, though, and stopped her stroking to stand and nudge his chin so he would look at her. He jumped at the contact.  “You need to get your mind off of her.”

    Adrian tugged her closer, making Nova’s heart race. She ignored it. Mostly. “I’ve tried. It’s just...it’s hard to after what she did.”

    “I know,” Nova repeated. They were inches apart. For all Nova cared, they could be the only two people in that room. In the entire world. “How do you think I felt after my family..you know..” she trailed off, then shook her head. “I was angry for a long time, Adrian. I’m still angry, but there’s nothing I can do about it to change what happened.” When his eyes started to drift away from hers again, she placed a desperate hand on his chest. “Adrian, Max is still here. He was very lucky.”

    Adrian stared at her for so long that she shifted, feeling his eyes bore into her, making her feel bare. Then, he closed his eyes, let out a slow breath, and pulled the hand that was still holding his to his lips. The soft press of his kiss on the back of her hand was so intimate that it sent a shock through Nova’s body. She felt her cheeks light up. He held her hand there for a second, then pulled back, letting their entwined hands fall between them. She instantly missed the contact, even though they were still holding one another.

    “You’re right,” he finally said, with a slight nod.

    Nova pressed a smile to her lips. It was tight. “I have an idea: let’s take a walk. Maybe go to the park? They clearly don’t need us here right now if we haven’t been called in yet, and if they do, we’ll get a message through our communication bands.”

    Adrian seemed to ponder it for a moment, then nodded again, this time firmly. “Alright. Should we tell Oscar and Ruby, or should we let them continue their bickering?”

    They both glanced over at the pair, who had moved onto another arcade game that Nova was unfamiliar to. It looked like some sort of racing game, with seats and steering wheels. Ruby was trying to mess Oscar up by swiping at his steering wheel, causing his car to veer off-course. He cursed her and swatted at her hand, shoving her away, although not harshly. Ruby cackled, trying to do it again while controlling her own wheel, but Oscar was able to keep her away this time. He kept glancing at her, and if it was out of precaution or affection or both, Nova had no clue. She shook her head.

    “I think they need some fresh air, too.”

    Nova and Adrian trailed behind Oscar and Ruby, hand in hand. Oscar must’ve made a bad joke, because he threw his head back laughing while Ruby groaned, face palming. Nova caught a glimpse of a smile on her face, however. She also noticed Oscar’s failed attempts to reach for her hand, as Ruby was animated and used her hands whenever she spoke. A pang of sympathy went through Nova for Oscar.

    “When are they going to get together,” Nova said under her breath, shooting a smile to Adrian. He chuckled and shook his head.

    “When they decide to fess up to each other.”

    “So never?”

    “Probably.”

    Nova shook her head, watching the two in front of them. She thought back to her conversation with Oscar back at the gala. He really was charming, despite, well, everything he did. And it was clear that Ruby liked him back; he was just too in-denial to see it.

    A breeze blew through, sending goosebumps down Nova’s arm. The weather was starting to turn, becoming chillier every day. The issued Renegade’s uniform wasn’t exactly made with material for winter. Nightmare’s disguise would’ve kept her warm, she thought smugly.

    Ahead, Oscar and Ruby slowed to a stop and looked behind them, waiting for Nova and Adrian to catch up. When they did, the four of them started walking again.

    “Have either of you heard anything from Danna?” Ruby asked, worry lacing her tone. “Oscar and I were just discussing that, and how her swarm won’t fair well with this weather.”

    Adrian shook his head. “No. Nothing since the gala, when I last messaged her.”

    “Yeah, we haven’t heard anything since we saw her butterflies at the cathedral.” Ruby shivered, wrapping her arms around herself.

    Nova opened her mouth, about to feign having not seen her either, when a young woman with a crying baby in her arms rushed over to them. The group stopped, all four surprised.

    “Excuse me,” the woman said, clearly stressed. “I’m sorry to ask you this, but there are no other mother’s around, and I saw the uniforms. Can you watch my daughter for me for like five minutes? My son just ran off and I can’t catch him while holding her.”

    Adrian was the first to speak. “Of course, ma’am.” He smiled at her pleasantly. “Do you need any help finding your son?”

    Relief swept over the woman’s features. “No, I know where he’s going, I just need to grab him before he gets there or I’ll be in huge trouble. He’s done this dozens of times that I know his route and how fast he goes, so it won’t take long.” She hurried forward and pushed the baby into Adrian’s arms, forcing him to let go of Nova’s hand, much to her dismay. “Thank you so much! I’ll be back in a minute!” The woman waved a hand over her shoulder as she dashed off in mad pursuit of her rogue son, shouting his name.

    Adrian looked to Nova, then to Ruby, then Oscar, panic written all over his face. His shoulders were stiff, and he held the baby at a distance from himself, awkward. The baby continued to cry, harder than before now that she was separated from her mother.

    “Help,” was all Adrian said. Nova’s mouth twitched, and she bit her cheek to keep from smiling. It was too comical.

    Oscar was less nice about keeping it in, and bust out laughing. Adrian glared at him. Ruby rolled her eyes and stepped forward, muttering about how useless boys were. She took the baby from Adrian’s arms without question, cradling her close to her chest and making shushing sounds. She bounced a little on the balls of her feet, rocking back and forth.

    The baby continued to cry, fisting her hands against Ruby’s uniform.

    After a minute, Ruby looked up with the same panicked expression as Adrian. “I don’t know what’s wrong,” she stammered out, “I used to hold my brothers all the time when they were babies, and I could usually get them to stop crying. Oscar?”

    Oscar backed up, eyes wide. “Hell no. I love kids as much as anyone, but me holding a baby is bad luck.”

    Ruby groaned, shifting the infant in her arms.

    Nova had an idea. A terrible idea, really, but one that would work. She debated for a bit, arms crossed and biting her lip, then stepped forward, arms outstretched.

    “Give her to me.” She beckoned for Ruby to place the crying child in her arms. Ruby looked at Nova as if she had grown a second head. Adrian and Oscar held similar gazes.

    Nova’s face reddened at the staring. Her jaw tightened in defense. “What? I had a baby sister. I knew how to calm her better than my parents.” It wasn’t a complete lie. She spent multiple nights using her power on Evie to keep her quiet in their tiny apartment.

    Ruby hesitated, then sighed, shaking her head as if she couldn’t believe what she was about to do. She placed the baby in Nova’s waiting arms, unfurling her little fists from her uniform. Nova held the infant close to her chest, cradling her beneath the head. Her pudgy face was scrunched up and scarlet from crying. It didn’t look like she would be giving up anytime soon, either.

    Nova glanced at the others, who were watching her closely. With a great sigh, and a small tinge of regret for what she was about to do, Nova cleared her throat. Her Papà used to sing her and Evie to sleep when they were having rough nights. She distinctly remembered one lullaby that always got her to fall asleep quickly. And if that didn’t work on this baby, well, she had her power.

    Reluctantly, Nova opened her mouth, and sang.

“Ninna nanna, ninna oh

Questo bimbo a chi lo dò?

Ninna nanna, ninna oh

Questo bimbo a chi lo dò?”

    Out of the corner of her eye, Nova saw Oscar’s jaw drop. He elbowed Adrian roughly, whispering. Blushing furiously, Nova turned her back to them, swaying from side to side to the rhythm of the song.

“Se lo dò alla befana

se lo tiene una settimana

Se lo dò all’uomo nero

se lo tiene un anno intero.”

    The crying from the baby had stopped, thankfully, and the little girl’s eyes were open. Their deep brown orbs stared up at Nova in wonder, mouth open. Nova cracked a small smile, sad, as she thought of Evie.

“Se lo dò al lupo bianco

se lo tiene tanto tanto

Ninna nanna, nanna fate

Il mio bimbo addormentate.”

     The infant did not close her eyes as Nova had hoped. Instead, she reached up and tugged at Nova’s hair. Nova ignored this, remembering that Evie used to do the same thing. She started the lullaby again, doing a little dance now. She kept her back to her teammates, not daring to look at them. When she got near the end of the song, she let her power flow through her gently, like with Evie. She stroked the baby’s soft curls, smiling at her as the baby’s eyes grew droopy, then closed. The baby girl relaxed instantly, curling into Nova. Nova hummed the lullaby, pretending that she was still trying to get the baby to fall asleep as she turned to face three wide eyed Renegades, mouths opening and closing like fish out of water. She avoided their gazes, continuing to hum and rock and look at the baby’s features. The baby was pretty adorable when she wasn’t screaming her head off.

    “Thank you so much!” Nova looked up to see the mother, now sweaty and out of breath, coming towards them with a squirming toddler beside her. Nova could see how white the woman’s hands were from holding her son so tightly. He looked very proud of himself, mischief in his eyes. “Oh my goodness, you got her to fall asleep?” The mother gaped at Nova, then glanced down at her child, still fast asleep in Nova’s arms.

    Nova laughed nervously. “Um, yeah. I sang to her and she just passed out. I used to sing to my little sister all the time when she was a baby. She was always crying, and my parent’s could never get her to sleep. But, whenever I held her, she would fall asleep almost immediately.” A partial lie, but the stranger didn’t need to know that.

    “She hates going to sleep!” the woman exclaimed, still staring at her baby in wonder. “It takes me hours to get her to even close her eyes. You have a true gift!” She turned her attention to her son, made him promise to not run away again, let go of his hand, and took her daughter from Nova, slowly to avoid waking her. “If you ever need some extra money, I would love to have you as a babysitter.”

    Nova’s eyes widened, and she shook her head vigorously. “Oh! Um...I would love to, but...I..I’m already so busy with Renegade work and my studies and things at home.” She smiled sheepishly. “But thank you for the offer.”

    The woman’s expression fell for a moment, and Nova felt bad. But what was she to do? Nightmare becoming a babysitter was the last thing Nova needed, even if she could bring in some money for the Anarchists.

    “Well, okay. If you change your mind, my name is Liliana Hemmings. I walk through this park every day around this time, so feel free to come find me.” She smiled brightly then at all four of them, gratitude written across her features. “Thank you again so much for the help. It’s always good to know we can count on the Renegades. Have a nice day!” She waved to the four of them, and they all said their goodbyes. Nova bit her lip in irritation at her comment. No one should count on the Renegades. They only brought disappointment.

    Oscar whistled loudly, moving forward to clap an arm around Nova’s shoulders, which she pushed away instantly. He snorted, unbothered. “Well, would you look at that? Our vicious and antisocial little Nova not only knows how to rock a baby, but she can sing too!” Nova glared at him, then cast her eyes downward. When she didn’t reply, Oscar continued. “And did you guys hear that vibrato? I say she’s a solid soprano.”

    “Shut up, Oscar.” Nova rolled her eyes, annoyed, yet trying to keep a smile from blooming on her face.

    “No, but seriously, where did you learn all of that, Nova?” Ruby raised an eyebrow, amused.

    Nova shrugged, shrinking under so much attention. “My dad used to sing all the time in Italian. And like I already said, I used to help put my sister to sleep all the time because my parents always had a hard time.”

    They seemed to ponder this for a moment. Then, all of their communication bands went off.

    “Looks like they need us.” Ruby beckoned them. “C’mon, let’s head back.” She and Oscar started walking, and Nova was thankful, for the first and last time in history, for the Renegades for saving her from further embarrassment. She started to follow behind Oscar and Ruby, but was pulled back by Adrian. There was a teasing smile on his face that burned her cheeks, yet she still allowed him to pull her against him. He wrapped his arms around her waist confidently. Through their uniforms, she could feel his heart beating against hers.

    “You have a beautiful voice,” he murmured, moving a hand to cup her cheek. His hand was cool against its heat. “I had no idea you could sing.”

    “Oh, we’re being Mr. Suave now, are we?” Nova tried to keep a neutral voice, but she couldn’t hide the shaking in her tone. Adrian grinned, much to her frustration, pleased at the not-compliment. The hand still at her waist squeezed, and she bit her lip to keep from gasping. Her arms remained at her side, balled into fists. She would not be drawn into his antics.

    “I’m feeling much better because of you, Nova. I wanted to thank you.” His voice turned sincere, and he pulled her closer, tilting his head down. Nova’s eyes betrayed her, flitting down to his lips. She glanced back up at him.

    “You’re welcome,” she said, although it came out hoarse. She could feel Adrian’s breath on her chin. Unable to control herself anymore, Nova closed the space between them, pressing her lips against his. He grinned and returned the kiss, deepening it slightly.

    “We’re in public.” She pulled back slightly, just to have Adrian chase after her lips.

    “And?” He moved both his hands now to cup her face, kissing her tenderly. Nova wrapped her arms around his neck, digging her fingers into his hair. She could go on like this forever, wrapped in Adrian’s warm embrace, cuddling, kissing, enjoying every second life had to offer.

    And then Oscar had to ruin it.

    “Ay, lovebirds!” he yelled, almost twenty feet away. The people around them turned their attention to Nova and Adrian. Nova pulled back instantly, but Adrian leaned in for one final peck, lingering a second too long for Oscar’s liking. “Can you keep your faces apart for two seconds or am I gonna have to come over there?” Nova turned, glaring. She wanted to slap that smug smile from Oscar’s face. Next to him, Ruby held her face in her hands, probably embarrassed for Nova and Adrian.

    “We’re coming!” Adrian called back, tugging at Nova’s hand.

Not two (2) days later, in the lounge before a night patrol:

    “You guys remember that time Nova showed her soft side by singing in Italian for a baby in public?”

    “Oscar if you don’t shut up now I will throw this pillow at you.”