Chapter Text
Adrian wasn’t sure what to think or really what to do at all. Nova, who had just shown up at his home completely unannounced, was now collapsed in his arms sobbing.
Adrian had never seen Nova cry before, he got the feeling she wasn't one to cry in front of people often. A warm feeling ran through him upon the realization that she had come to him rather than being alone as she usually preferred, but he couldn't think about that right now. He also couldn't think about the fact that he had this strange terrified protective feeling that he didn’t quite understand but knew it definitely wasn’t platonic.
Adrian took a deep breath clearing his addled thoughts. They were still in the doorway, halfway on the porch and half in the entryway.
“Do you want to come inside?”
Nova nodded her head numbly. It was only then that Adrian realized she was drenched in rain.
“Nova you’re soaked. Did you walk here?” Another head nod. “Come downstairs ill get you some dry clothes okay?”
“Okay,” she said weakly. Adrian had never heard her sound like that. Frail and helpless, words he would never in a million years use to describe Nova Mclain, and it broke his heart.
–
Adrian watched as she fiddled with the hem of the t-shirt he had given her. He wasn’t really sure what to do at this point. He still didn’t know why Nova was here and she hadn’t said much to give him any sort of hint.
She wasn’t crying anymore but her eyes were still red and he ached to bring her into his arms, though he refrained not wanting to make her uncomfortable or further upset her as she seemed to get overwhelmed by physical touch sometimes. As they sat in silence he couldn’t help but feel like he was doing something wrong, like he missed the ‘comforting your girlfriend (girlfriend?) 101 class.
Just as he was about to break the silence (something that he’s sure would have resulted in awkwardness) Nova heaved a sigh.
“I'm sorry for just showing up like this. I just,” she cleared her throat “um needed somewhere to go.”
“That's okay. I've shown up at your house unannounced my fair share of times.” He offered a weak smile which she didn’t really return.
He watched as she fought more tears and decided grabbing her hand would be acceptable. Nova stared at their joined hands and began to cry more.
“I'm so sorry,” she said again.
“Hey, I already said it's fine you're welcome here.”
“No not that.” she was shaking, struggling to get her words out. “I messed up Adrian. Like I really fucked up, bad. You’re going to hate me when I tell you.”
This only confused Adrian more. “I'm not going to hate you, Nova. I don’t think that’s even possible,” he confessed.
Nova looked up at him her eyes sad. “I really wish that was true Adrian because I care about you. I genuinely care about you. A lot .” Adrian would be lying if he said he wasn’t a little shocked to hear this blatant admission come out of her mouth. Nova wasn’t usually one to talk about her feelings so openly like this. He had an eerie feeling that she was trying to prove herself to him like whatever she was going to tell him would make him not believe her.
“Nova you’re kind of scaring me,” Adrian said with a dull laugh, only half joking.
To his dismay, Nova let go of his hand before speaking.
“I lied Adrian. About a lot of things and I don't think I can fix this.”
“I can help you Nova just tell me what’s going on.” Adrian was honestly terrified at this point but he wanted to be there for her, and he honestly didn’t think that anything she said could change that.
“My name’s not Nova Mclain. Its Nova…Artino”
Adrian froze. He didn’t quite believe the conclusions his mind was jumping to but he knew that last name. “As in-?”
“Yes.” Nova said quickly. “Im David Artino’s daughter and.” she looked away her voice getting softer “and Ace Anarchy’s niece.”
Adrian gasped a little as silence settle between them. His mind was racing, his thoughts wild and overwhelming. This couldn't mean… She couldn’t be…. No absolutely not. But the more he inspected her face the less sure he was.
“Nova…” he didn’t want to ask. He wasn’t even sure he was ready to hear the answer he already knew would come out of her mouth. “Are you-?”
“Nightmare.”
A chill ran through Adrian’s body at that name he started shaking his head, not believing what he was hearing. He stood up, anger coursing through his veins. This whole time, the whole time the very person he had been hunting was the person he had begun to care about the most.
“Nova what the hell. So this whole time it was all a lie?” he thought back to the beginning of this conversation when he had thought she sounded like she was trying to prove herself. Prove her feelings to him. So was that real or part of the ruse? Why was she even telling him this? Why had she run to him?
“No, I care about you I promise. My feelings for you are real. Adrian, they lied to me.”
“What do you mean they lied to you? Why would you do all of this just to confess?”
“My uncle, Ace, he took me in after my parents died. He gave me a family, made me trust him. He told me the renegades failed my family after my father asked for protection from the Roaches, but today...today I heard them talking. It was all a lie, Ace sent the hitman and I was supposed to die too. He killed his own family.” Nova’s voice was breaking as she cried. Adrian was surprised to find that tears were welling up in his own eyes. He didn't fully understand the situation or his feelings but for some reason, he believed Nova, and her still felt for her.
“Ace told me the renegades failed me. My whole life I've been trained to hate them, to destroy them, but it was all just… manipulation. Lady Indomitable was there that night.” Adrian winced at hearing his mother's name. He sat back down on the sofa, though still not touching Nova.
“She tried to save us. This whole time I've been fighting for this vision of prodigy rights that I'm not sure Ace even believes in. He just wants power. He doesn’t care about prodigies and he doesn’t care about me. I was so stupid Adrian. I just wanted him to be proud of me. I didn't want to fail him or the other Anarchists and I couldn't even see that they were using me.” Nova was crying so hard now that she could barely get words out and despite everything, Adrian still ached to comfort her.
“They said they were going to kill me because I started to care about you too much.”
Adrian took her hand once again and she looked so shocked he almost could have laughed.
“Come here,” he said, and she did. Nova crumbled into his arms once again as she cried, and Adrian couldn’t find it within himself to be mad at her right now, not when she was so clearly hurt and traumatized, and not when he was keeping a secret too.
He had been so scared to tell her before but now it seemed so insignificant which he had to admit was a small relief.
“I’m the Sentinel.” He said.
Nova looked up at him, her crying ceased as her jaw dropped. “Really? Are you serious?”
“Yes”
“I thought they said that but I wasn’t really sure what was going on”
And then Nova laughed, big heaving exhausted laughs, which made Adrian laugh too.
“I'm sorry.” He said.
“I don’t think you even need to apologize considering everything. I should be apologizing to you.”
“Based on what you’ve told me, which I still haven’t fully processed, you’re not the one I’m mad at.”
“Maybe you should be.”
“Maybe, but I told you, Nova. It’s not possible for me to hate you.”
Adrian watched as a blush bloomed across her cheeks. Great skies how can she still be so beautiful after crying for hours?
“Your dads are going to hate me. They might put me in jail you know. I would deserve it.”
Adrian sighed not really knowing what to say. He didn't think they would throw Nova in jail if she told them all that but with all the distress she caused as Nightmare he couldn’t be sure.
“Well, we don’t need to worry about that right now.” He told her. He kissed her forehead gently and laid them both down keeping her in his arms.
“Okay,” she said. “Thank you, Adrian.”
“For what?”
“Everything,” she said, before laying her head down on his chest and letting her eyes drift closed, allowing them both to fall into a quiet dreamless sleep.