Shadows & Mirrors // f.hargreeves fanfic

:::: Thirty-Six ::::

Shopping with Klaus was interesting, to say the least. But honestly, Nova loved every minute of it. Klaus never dragged her into a trendy or high-end chain store. No, Klaus Hargreeve's only shopped at thrift stores or small hole-in-the-wall businesses. There was no method to his madness. At every store, he would thrust various clothing items into the girl's arms before instructing her to try on everything in his own mini-fashion show. The clothes themselves had no consistency either. He made her try on everything from crop tops with tennis skirts to velvet tracksuits that had been popular right before Nova joined the Commission. Nova tried on sundresses and overalls, she tried on button-ups and rompers. She tried on clothing with every color and pattern.

Normally she would have found Klaus's constant demands annoying and tedious but Nova hadn't ever been able to dress for herself. There were only a few years between when she was even capable of choosing her own outfits and when she was forced to join the Umbrella Academy. At the Academy, she always wore her uniform, and then with the Commission, she wore her suits. Even when she came back to 2019 for the first time she wore her academy uniform. With the ticking clock of the apocalypse, she didn't really have time for clothes shopping.

Afterward, when Nova was stuck in the 60s her style choices were limited. She wore whatever she could dig up from charity bins or she wore the clothes loaned to her from other maids and waitresses or for those few dark months, she wore an orange jumpsuit in juvie. This was the first time in her very long and exhausting life that Nova even had the option to dress the way she wanted to. Not how anyone else told her to.

"So, what are you gonna do now that the world is no longer in danger?" Klaus asked as he lounged in a plush vintage chair in the back of the thrift store that they currently were in. A funky shower curtain decorated with giraffes of every color on it separated them as Nova tried on clothes in the changing room.

"Not sure yet, I'd really like to travel. I mean I've been to so many different places at some many points in time but it was always strictly business. I never got to stop and smell the roses as they say," Nova explained as she finished zipping up the side zipper on her skirt. She then turned and quickly slid open the shower curtain before stepping into the light and doing a little twirl. "What do you think?"

"Don't get me wrong, nothing can look bad on you. Not with that figure, but haven't you done the schoolgirl look before? Like a lot?" Klaus asked and Nova frowned slightly as she smoothed her hands down the front of the green and white plaid skirt she was wearing. She had paired it with a form-fitting green polo with matching white trim. "This is definitely a bit more form-fitting than those lousy academy uniforms Dad forced us to wear growing up, but didn't you say you wanted to branch out with your style?"

"I know, I know. You're right. I've just never done this before," Nova sighed in defeat as she threw herself onto the bench next to Klaus with a frown on her face. "You have eccentric style..."

"Why, thank you for noticing," Klaus grinned as he interrupted her.

"What would you have me wear?" Nova asked and a devilish smile appeared on the man's face. She immediately regretted asking her question.

A few minutes later Nova stood with her mouth agape staring into the mirror at the outfit Klaus made her squeeze into. It was a brownish-gold lace body suit with extra material around her waist and legs that made the suit look like a dress. The outfit was sheer showing off all of her curves and leaving little to the imagination with the sweetheart neckline and thin spaghetti straps.

"OMG! You look so hot! I'm so proud. I think I'm having a moment," Klaus clapped excitedly wiping a tear from his eyes before fanning his face.

"Klaus, I think this might be a bit much," Nova said uneasily and Klaus waved dismissively.