Shadows & Mirrors // f.hargreeves fanfic

:::: Thirty-Five ::::

With her eyes still squeezed shut Nova let out a tired yawn as she stretched her stiff limbs. Her joints popped and groaned before she blinked the sleep out of her eyes. As soon as Five had laid her down on the couch in the designated girls' room Nova had fallen asleep. She wasn't sure how long she had been asleep but her ribs no longer ached and her ankle no longer throbbed in pain. Something colorful briefly caught her eye and Nova realized there was a bright pink sticky note stuck to her forehead. Curiously she pulled it off before reading it. It said:

Nove,

Allison went to the airport to find Claire. I'm going to have a chat with Marcus. Hopefully, I can reason with him without all of our sibling's egos getting in the way. Be back later.

V

After she finished reading the note Nova quickly crumbled it up and tossed it toward the waste bin in the corner of the room. Nova had no qualms with Vanya going to meet with Marcus but she knew the other Umbrellas wouldn't be too thrilled. But honestly, at the moment, Nova didn't really give a shit about playing the diplomat. She had already crossed two things off of her to-do list, sleep and heal, and now she was ready to cross off the next thing: shower.

"Darling, what are you doing up? Shouldn't you be resting?" Five asked when he and Nova nearly ran into each other in the hallway.

"I just woke up but don't worry, mi amor, I'm all healed up now, see?" Nova asked as she twirled around hopping from foot to foot to prove her point. A smile spread across Five's face at his girlfriend's goofiness. He'd always loved that about her. He loved the way she always seemed to light up a room. "Besides it was boring in my room alone and I haven't showered in like 50 years technically."

"Well, we can't have that now can we?" Five chuckled as he watched the girl lean against the wall. A mischievous look had adorned her features. It was a look that Five craved to see.

"Not at all, but I'm still a little sore. I could use some assistance if you don't mind." Nova flirted and Five's eyebrows raised in surprise. Normally Nova would never be this forward but they had just saved the world twice and she finally felt like she could relax. She felt like she was finally able to go after what she wanted without fear of negatively altering a timeline or bringing on the apocalypse.

"I'm sure we can come up with some way for me to be of assistance." Five responded and Nova couldn't help but notice the huskiness that seeped into his voice and the hunger that expanded with his pupils. Another smirk spread across her face as she held out her hand to her boyfriend. Quickly he placed his hand in hers and let her drag him down the hallway to the communal shower area.

::::::::

The Hargreeves brothers decided to order Chinese food. Luckily for Nova, Klaus remembered to include her when they were ordering food. Now she sat in the lobby wrapped in a fluffy white robe munching on her beef, broccoli, and rice. Meanwhile, Five had left the table to get them all drinks. Nova even told him to add a splash of alcohol to her own drink. A weight had been lifted off of her shoulders since leaving 1963. She had lived in fear for three years straight in Dallas and before that, she lived in a different sort of terror for more than 50 years with the Commission and the Handler. Now that they were safe and the world wasn't going to shit she wasn't afraid of losing control of her powers. Nova had come a long way with her control and she finally felt secure enough to lose the reins even if it was just slightly.

"You should try chewing. You might actually taste the food," Klaus said sarcastically to Luther who was shoveling his lo mein noodles into his mouth like an animal. Nova's nose scrunched up in disgust as she watched. Her own chopsticks hovered over a piece of broccoli as she decided whether or not Luther had just ruined her appetite.