Chapter Text
Nova shook a little as she took Adrian’s hand and stepped up onto the parade float— not from nerves or even exhaustion, but from sheer overwhelm.
As soon as she and Adrian had recovered— physically, at least— from the trauma of what the Renegades now called “the Battle for the Cathedral”, they had been sent on the most well-planned media tour Nova had ever seen. She’d been dressed and beautified by a specialized team each day, then sent off to interviews, news stations, and whatever else the Council could schedule in, with Adrian the only constant presence beside her. She got the feeling he was sick of the dress shirts they stuck him in, too, although he was a better sport about all the press than she would ever be.
Although the Renegades were now more willing to admit their faults when it came to Ace Anarchy’s rise, their need to shape public opinion hadn’t abated, despite that tendency being one of Ace’s more reasonable qualms, at least in Nova’s mind.
Still, she understood why. Nightmare and the Sentinel. Insomnia and Sketch. Nova and Adrian. They were the perfect pair of opposites, of conundrums. Both enemies of the Renegades and a part of them, from the lineages of two opposing worlds: it was nothing short of a miracle that they even got along, considering the past decade of hatred between prodigies with different visions of the world.
And they didn’t just get along… the thought made Nova’s cheeks heat, and she pulled herself back into reality, grounded by Adrian’s hand. They were standing atop the point of a star float, fifteen feet above the street. On platforms around them stood familiar faces: Ruby and Oscar, looking restored from the fight at the cathedral and madly in love (not that they hadn’t been before), and Danna and Narcissa, a little more nervous with their affection towards each other but obviously smitten nonetheless. Below them, workers in official parade lanyards checked the riggings and wheels, and Nova shook her head quickly, trying to clear the haze of thoughts clouding her brain before she had to put on another show for the audience. This must be what being tired felt like.
Adrian shot her a concerned look, squeezing her hand. “You okay?”
Her features softened, calmed by the fact that, no matter how steep her mountain of obligations and expectations seemed, he was climbing it with her. How surreal was that?
“Yeah, yeah, I’m all good. It’s just been busy. I’ll be glad to have a break.” She pushed her hair out of her face as he laughed softly.
“It’s not a break, you know. We’re still on patrols.”
She huffed. “You know exactly what I mean. Patrols are a break. At least from this.” She gestured at the spectacle and their linked hands, trying to convey the way they’d had to perform as Gatlon’s golden couple. She knew he understood, but she also knew he was in a teasing mood and was hardly shocked when his eyes widened in mock hurt.
“You want a break from me?” he gasped out dramatically, and Nova rolled her eyes.
“You’re impossible. Plus, you’re still technically my patrol captain, so I’m stuck with you either way,” she pointed out, bumping her shoulder against his. He smirked.
“I had good taste in those Trials, picking you.” She could see the softness in his eyes that indicated he might not be teasing anymore. She felt her palms start to sweat, a symptom of his gaze. Despite their established relationship, Nova still found the attention unexpected, overwhelming, and… perfect. She couldn’t mess this up.
“Or maybe I was just so impressive, you felt like you had to,” she blurted out lamely, unable to find the words to express her sincerity and hiding back behind her well-developed skills of sarcasm instead.
She groaned inwardly as the softness was replaced by a twinkle in his eye and the opening for romantic lines was snapped shut. Why was she still so bad at this?
“Touché,” he replied cheerfully, not seeming to pick up on the emotional rollercoaster she had taken herself on as he made sure their belts were secured to the float, his hands lingering at her waist as he checked the buckle at her side.
“I think it’s fine,” she mumbled, softer than she meant to. She had designed the addition to her utility belt herself.
He looked up, the corner of his mouth tilted up into a smile. “I know it is.” Still, his hands didn’t move.
Suddenly, the float jerked forward, moving into position. Adrian and Nova stumbled forward, and he steadied her, still smiling that infuriating smile. Just as suddenly, he returned to his place at her side, as if he hadn’t just stolen all of her breath.
—
Adrian felt the rumble of the float under his feet as the float turned onto Main Street, and he snapped to attention, plastering on a poor imitation of his dad’s megawatt smile as the city greeted them.
His gaze flitted between the crowd and Nova as they made their way down the avenue. He knew she wasn’t used to the spotlight, and he could see the toll that all their public appearances had been taking on her. While the Council framed their series of interviews and dinners as “special opportunities” for the couple, Adrian and Nova were both really only playing along to please his dads. He only hoped that the media attention would die down soon as the Renegades turned their attention to a new era of their organization.
The streets were busy, as they always were on the Day of Triumph, but the mood was different this year. Not quite calm, but lighter. The Renegades had triumphed again. Well, everyone had triumphed, really. Powers for the masses, lenience toward former rebels, acknowledgement from the Renegades for their faults, and celebrations of their successes. It was as close to tranquil in Gatlon City as it had ever been.
Adrian caught sight of the familiar faces of Renegades teams patrolling in the audience, surrounded by costumed kids hyped up on sugar and corn dogs. It was still strange to him to see toddlers dressed like his dads, but it warmed his heart to see so many people in Blacklight’s uniform, honoring the fallen Councilmember.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a flash of red and a girl’s arm snapping back to her body as she weaved through the crowd. He elbowed Nova.
“Magpie,” he mouthed.
Nova rolled her eyes. “That little thief. Just like last year.”
He couldn’t help but grin at the memory. Magpie was the reason he had first met Nova, and his chest swelled when he thought about catching her gaze a year ago, that beautiful stranger that now stood beside him, eyes bright as she examined his face. He obviously wasn’t great at concealing his emotions. Nova smacked his shoulder.
“Aw, don’t get sappy on me now!” She was struggling to keep a smile off her face, and he knew she had followed his train of thought. Her eyes shone, and she stuck her chin out, like she was daring him to retort. Rather than dignify her comment with a response, considering she must know by now that he was perpetually sappy, Adrian looked out at the cheering crowd for a beat, trying to calm his nerves, before sweeping Nova into his arms.
Nova gasped with the crowd, taken off-guard. And it was very hard to catch Nova Artino off-guard. He grinned, proud of himself.
“Can I kiss you?” he murmured, eyes searching her face for any sense of discomfort.
“Please,” came the soft reply, and the crowd’s mix of cheers and jeers melted away as his hand slid up her jaw, tilting her head and pressing his lips against hers.
—
Nova stood behind the float, examining the engineering that had gone into the giant vehicle that had just rolled them down the mile stretch of the parade route. Mechanics mixed with occasional prodigy assistance resulted in completely clean-burning fuel tanks that would never have to be refilled, and they fascinated her.
“Nova!”
The yell came from right behind her, and she startled. Nova still found herself jumpy in Renegades spaces, despite all her secrets and betrayals being revealed. She spun around, face-to-face with the Red Assassin, better known to Nova as friend and teammate Ruby Tucker. Oscar was right behind her, his signature smoke still swirling in the air around him.
“You guys, like, made out on national TV!” Her voice was giddy and disbelieving, and Nova couldn’t blame her. She could hardly believe it herself as a deep blush crept up her cheeks.
“Well, I mean-”
“Yeah, we did. And what about it?” Adrian had appeared behind her, setting one arm playfully around her shoulder and saving her from having to come up with an explanation. He stuck his tongue out at Ruby, and Nova’s shoulders relaxed a little.
Ruby lifted her hands in a peace gesture. “For the record, I think it’s adorable. I’m just shocked that Gatlon’s ‘it’ couple would do anything so scandalous.”
Nova laughed nervously, stepping to the side so she could see Adrian’s face clearly. She thought she could see the nerves carefully hidden under his features, too. They had never been so bold in public before. Before she could come up with a smart reply to come to their defense, Simon Westwood flickered into existence beside them.
“Well, Adrian, I suppose we did tell you to curate your flair for the dramatic, so maybe that’s our fault.” He sounded jovial, not stern, but Nova still stiffened with embarrassment, the ramifications of their actions hitting her. Adrian’s dads had seen. Well, of course they had! What was she thinking? “Oh relax, Nova. It was very sweet. We’re just glad that you’re happy.” He clapped her on the shoulder. “Now, just be sure to take care of my son, okay?” He gave her a lopsided grin before wandering back toward the Council. Nova wanted to melt into the floor.
Adrian caught her expression and frowned, pressing a hand to the small of her back and leading her slightly away from Ruby and Oscar. “You’re sure everything’s okay? I didn’t mean to-”
“No! No, Adrian, everything’s great. Don’t apologize, I…” her face was furiously red. “I enjoyed it. Even if I’m a little mortified that your dads saw.” She paused for a minute, trying to collect her thoughts. “And… it means a lot that you’d do… that… in front of everyone, even when you know who I’ve been. Who I was. I’m like, this massive stain on your Golden Boy reputation.”
His eyes widened. “Nova…”
It was the unspoken thing they often left hanging between them. The lie of Nightmare and all the pretenses she’d put up. It was shocking to her how unbothered he seemed now by her constant lies to him and the team over the past year. He hadn’t even hesitated to make his affection for her known publicly, despite fairly widespread distrust in Gatlon City of the girl formerly known as Nightmare. It didn’t make any sense— he was the one who should feel most betrayed, and yet he stood up for her in every interview and every interaction. She couldn’t shake the feeling that she was always dragging him down.
He took her hand, tilting her chin up. “Nova. Listen to me. That’s not even a thought in my mind. I couldn’t care less what those people think of me. Of us. I know you. Let them gossip, say you’re manipulating me into falling in love with you or whatever.” He laughed softly. “I know you’re not. In fact, you’re kinda doing the opposite.” He gestured to the space between them, referencing her comment, her insecurity about the whole situation. “But I know this is real. That’s all that matters to me. I’m not trying to make a statement. I just want to love you.”
Her eyes welled with tears then. Ugh, Adrian and his gorgeous, sentimental, enrapturing speeches. And eyes. And lips. And…
Her thoughts whirred to a stop, the cotton-candy feeling of affection mucking up the gears in her head. All she could do was lift onto her toes, tilt his head down, and kiss him once more.