The morning light slanted through the narrow slit of her cell window, a soft gold glow that did nothing to warm the chill in Nova's chest. She sat on the edge of the medical bed, silent, her fingers resting against the sheets like she was afraid to wrinkle time.
She replayed last night over and over in her head. The way his voice had trembled, not with fear, but restraint. The way he'd sat there, vulnerable, baring pieces of a life no one else had ever seen. And then…
She'd reached for the blindfold with steady fingers, and she'd helped him pull it off. The scar across his right eye, the storm-grey blindness, the story carved into his face, it was all real. So raw it haunted her.
But what stuck with her the most?
The moment after.
After she held him. After he told her about his sister, about the mask that let him see, about the revolution building in his chest. After all that, he had simply stood up.
Wordless.
Carefully, he slipped the blindfold back on, knotting it tight. Then the helmet. The voice modulator clicked, turning his breathing mechanical again.
And just like that, X was back.
He gave her a final nod… then vanished into the dark like smoke, silent and untouchable, leaving behind the human boy only she had seen.
Now, Nova sat with that silence heavy on her shoulders. She wasn't crying. But something in her chest ached like grief, like saying goodbye to something she didn't even have a name for yet.
Poetry in motion, she thought, a faint smile tugging at her lips. It wasn't just how they fought, it was what they were becoming. Moving together. Two storms colliding in rhythm.
But there was a war coming. Vault-0. The Elites. All of it. And she wasn't going to let him fight it alone.
Not anymore.
A sharp knock tapped on the medical door, light at first, then heavier, more chaotic.
Nova blinked out of her thoughts just as the door creaked open and a familiar head of violet hair poked through.
"Chiiiip!" Jinx's voice broke the quiet like a cracked whip. "You alive in here or just haunting the room now?"
Behind her, the rest of the crew spilled in, Kade with his silent steps and unreadable gaze, Dez tossing a wrapped protein bar her way, and Vera closing the door softly behind them, arms crossed, already assessing.
Nova caught the bar midair and raised a brow. "Great. Visitors. Didn't know I was suddenly everybody's favorite patient."
Dez grinned. "You saved the ice, Rose. You're kinda a legend right now. Word is spreading."
Jinx flopped at the foot of her bed. "You seriously skated in like a ghost in a clown mask? Nova, that's some chaotic energy, I love it."
Nova smirked a little, shaking her head. "I didn't do it for the show."
Kade signed something quickly, and Vera translated without missing a beat. "He said you looked like death but skated like art. He's proud of you."
Nova's grin softened. "Tell him thanks."
There was a beat of quiet before Vera stepped closer, her expression shifting to something more serious.
"How's your side?"
Nova shrugged, gingerly. "Stitches held, more or less. Doc says I need a few days off the ice."
"Yeah, well," Vera said, sitting next to her, "maybe you should actually take the rest this time. You're not invincible, no matter how fast you move."
"I know," Nova said, voice quieter.
The room buzzed with a mix of care and chaos, Dez teasing Jinx, Kade sketching something in his notebook. But Nova felt Vera watching her too closely.
Then Vera leaned in just a little. "You gonna tell me what's up with you and X?"
Nova's jaw tensed. "Nothing."
"Mmhm," Vera said, not buying it for a second.
"He saved me. I saved him. That's it."
Vera arched a brow. "That clown mask thing wasn't exactly subtle, Nova."
Nova didn't answer.
Vera didn't push. But she did reach out and place a hand over Nova's for a moment.
"Just... be careful," she said, quietly. "Whatever you're building with him? Just make sure it's built on something real."
Nova looked away, her voice almost a whisper.
"I know what I'm doing aight."
Just as Dez started arguing with Jinx over who would've won in a fight if Nova hadn't shown up, the door slid open again with a gentle hiss.
Ayu "Petal" Tanaka stepped in, arms full, literally overflowing, with colorful paper packets, a notepad, and what looked suspiciously like a homemade smoothie in a neon pink bottle.
"Nova!" she beamed, carefully navigating the chaos. "You need protein, iron, vitamin C, and electrolytes immediately. Also omega-3s, but we'll start small."
Nova blinked as Petal dropped the smoothie into her lap with the confidence of a battlefield medic.
"Whoa," Dez leaned back, mock-impressed. "Are those medical scrolls?"
"They're facts," Petal said seriously, already flipping open the notebook and laying out a page covered in pastel marker charts. "Your body's been under stress. Adrenal fatigue is real. If you want that wound to stay closed and heal properly, you need to support the recovery cascade."
"...The what now?" Nova said.
"The recovery cascade," Petal repeated, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "You've been bleeding, fighting, probably dehydrated, " she paused, eyeing the smoothie, ", and surviving on vending machine cubes, which don't even have bio-real proteins."
Nova stared at her, genuinely unsure whether to laugh or cry. "Petal. You love me?"
"With every cell in my chlorophyll-soul."
"Then please," Nova said, carefully setting the smoothie down like it was a grenade, "get outta here with that."
The room exploded in laughter. Even Vera cracked a smile, covering it with a slow shake of her head.
But Petal just stood firm, hands on her hips. "You laugh now, but when your body starts regenerating , don't say I didn't warn you."
Nova leaned her head back against the pillow with a low chuckle. "Fine. I'll drink it. Later."
"Tonight," Petal corrected, tucking the packet chart into Nova's drawer like she was filing holy scripture.
"Yeah, yeah," Nova muttered, sipping it anyway, and immediately wincing. "Why does it taste like...earthworms dipped in soap?"
"It's spirulina and love," Petal said proudly.
"Definitely worms," Nova said, face scrunching. But still, she didn't stop drinking it.
Because even if it tasted like a swamp crime, it was hers. And for the first time in a long time… so were they.
As the laughter finally died down and Petal fussed with the placement of her smoothie bottle like it was a sacred totem, Vera stood silently at the back of the room, arms folded, watching Nova carefully.
Nova caught her stare and raised a brow. "What? You want me to drink the rest too?"
Vera didn't smile. Instead, she stepped forward and leaned in just enough that only Nova could hear.
"Meet me in my cell later," she said quietly, her voice lower than usual. "We need to talk. Alone."
Nova's posture shifted just slightly, eyes narrowing in response. She could tell from Vera's tone, it wasn't casual. This wasn't about strategy, or trash talk, or gossip. It was something deeper. Heavier.
"Aight," Nova said under her breath. "Later."
Vera gave a single nod and stepped back, just as Dez launched into another dramatic reenactment of the fight on the ice, flailing like he was back in the rink.
A few minutes later, the crew started to peel away. Petal insisted on tidying Nova's drawer one more time. Jinx gently patted Nova's arm and whispered, "Keep resting, Chip." And Dez? He left backward, pointing two fingers at her like she was a legend reborn.
"Rose the Wrecker," he grinned. "Still undefeated."
The door slid shut behind them, and the room fell quiet again.
Nova leaned back, heart still steady, but her thoughts already racing.
Whatever Vera had to say, it wasn't small.
And tonight, she'd find out.
The halls were quiet, a little too clean, too cold for her liking. Nova walked slow, her arm cradling her sore side where the stitches tugged with every breath. The hover-bots buzzed past her overhead, doing their little rounds. She didn't care. She needed to move. Sitting in a med bed too long made her feel caged.
Turning the corner, she nearly crashed into someone.
"Whoa!" the guy stepped back, hands up like she pulled a weapon.
Nova instantly narrowed her eyes. "You always jump into girls like that, or am I just special?"
The man laughed nervously. "Sorry. Totally my fault." He pushed his glasses back up his nose. "Dr. Simon Lockhart."
She crossed her arms. "Cool. And?"
"I'm X's personal doctor. And… best friend, actually." He added that last part with a small shrug, like he wasn't used to admitting it.
Nova stared for a long beat. "Didn't know he had friends. He's more the broody lone-wolf murder-you-on-sight type."
Simon chuckled. "Yeah, well. You'd be surprised what a lonely kid grows into."
Her jaw ticked. "What do you want, Doc?"
He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a folded note. "He wanted you to have this. Said you'd know what it means."
Nova hesitated before taking it, fingers brushing the edges like it might explode. She didn't open it yet.
"You checkin' up on me or just playing mailman?" she asked.
Simon looked at her, serious now. "Just delivering the letter. And maybe making sure the girl who made him care about living doesn't bleed out in a hallway."
Nova smirked slightly. "Cute. You practice that line in the mirror?"
"I practiced this one though, he's lucky you exist."
That one actually made her pause.
Her hand slipped the letter into her waistband. "He okay?"
"He will be. He's… worse for wear, but I've seen him survive worse. Though if he tries to sneak out of medical again I might sedate him just for fun."
Nova shook her head, lips twitching. "Tell him next time he wants to play the hero, maybe don't bleed all over the place."
Simon gave her a knowing look. "Ah knowing him, he'd bleed a thousand times if it meant you'd be okay."
Nova didn't respond to that. Her walls shot up fast.
She turned to leave, but Simon called out gently, "Hey, Nova."
She stopped mid-step but didn't turn around. "Yeah?"
Simon scratched the back of his head, then gave her a lopsided grin. "Wanna grab lunch?"
Nova blinked, finally looking at him over her shoulder. "You're aware I'm locked up in hell's refrigerator, right?"
He tilted his head, still smiling. "Didn't they tell you? You earned two hours of freedom a day now."
Nova raised a brow. "I earned what?"
"Two hours. Walking privileges. Food outside the concrete box. It's not five-star, but the noodles don't taste like regret."
She gave him a long look, trying to read if he was messing with her. "You're serious?"
"Deadly. Like you, apparently." He flashed her a small grin. "Wanna burn one of those hours eating food that doesn't look like it was scraped off a shoe?"
Nova let out a small, dry laugh. "Smooth, Doc. You hit all the romance notes. Regret noodles and prison coupons."
He shrugged. "Figured you'd appreciate honesty."
She glanced down the hall, then back at him. "Alright, Lunchboy. You've got one hour. If the food sucks, I'm knocking a star off your Yelp review."
Simon put a hand to his heart. "Deal. But if it's amazing, you gotta admit I've got taste."
Nova smirked. "You're wearing lime green socks with sandals, Simon. Let's not stretch the truth too far."
He looked down and groaned. "Oh come on, those are comfortable!"
She was already walking past him. "Lead the way, Fashion Week."
He followed, a little too excited, like a golden retriever in a lab coat.
Nova let herself relax just a little, letter still tucked at her side, unread, for now.
The resteraunt… not terrible. Nova didn't admit it out loud, but the food actually had seasoning, and the tea was hot. She hadn't sat down to something that wasn't a tray of sadness in a long time.
Simon had her laughing, actually laughing, at some dumb story about a guard who got his boots glued to the medbay floor when Nova noticed they weren't heading back to the infirmary. Instead, he led her through a quieter corridor, tapping a keycard against a sealed side door.
"Where are we going?" she asked, her tone wary, eyes narrowing.
"You'll see," he said with a soft smile, and pushed the door open.
Inside was a small, clean room that looked almost… lived in. Light streamed from a soft ceiling panel, casting a warm glow over a little girl with curly hair and bright eyes, eyes Nova recognized.
Callie's little gasp when she saw Nova was pure joy.
"You!" the girl beamed, running up and throwing her arms around Nova's waist without a second thought. "I knew it was you!"
Nova blinked, taken aback, but didn't pull away. "Hey, little rebel," she said with a smirk, brushing a braid over her shoulder. "Still good at keeping secrets?"
Callie nodded fiercely. "The best."
Simon chuckled from behind them. "Figured it was time you two saw each other properly."
Nova looked from Callie to him, softening. "She's stronger than most people in here. I like her."
Callie giggled, clearly proud, and Nova let her lean against her a bit longer before standing straight again.
Simon rubbed the back of his neck. "X asked me to keep an eye on you while he recovers. I've got better tech than the main med wing, so if you let me help, you'll heal faster."
Nova raised an eyebrow. "You mean I gotta trade bad food for bio-regeneration and moral support? Sounds like a scam."
He smirked. "Well, part of the deal also includes a room next to X's. For your safety, and his. Less people snooping around."
Nova hesitated, just a beat, then nodded. "Alright. But I want to move my stuff myself, and I'll give you a list of the people who can visit. That's non-negotiable."
"Deal," Simon said. "You're the boss."
Callie beamed. "I'll help you decorate!"
Nova smirked, one brow raised. "You better not touch my walls with glitter, girl I don't play that."
Callie grinned. "No promises."
Nova leaned back on the plush lounge chair in the corner, arms crossed over her chest, gaze sweeping the space like she didn't trust it. Because honestly… she didn't. She had just finished moving in before she said goodbye to Callie. Now it was just her and this place.
The room was too clean. Too quiet. A far cry from the colder box she'd grown used to. Here, the walls were a soft steel-gray with embedded light panels that adjusted to her preference. A smart screen flickered low in the wall with access to music, news, and even, get this, books. Real ones, digitized and waiting.
She kicked off her boots and let them clatter onto the polished black floor, testing how it echoed. It didn't. Soundproof, probably.
The bed was huge. The mattress swallowed her like it had been waiting for someone with nightmares. There was even a shelf with a vase of glowing bioluminescent flowers.
Nova let out a long breath, running a hand over her freshly bandaged side. It still ached, but less now. The bio-tech Simon used was doing its thing.
"Damn," she muttered, smirking to herself. "They really upgraded me."
She sat on the edge of the bed, elbows on her knees, hands dangling as she looked around again. For a second, just a second, she let herself feel it. The quiet. The calm. Safety.
Then her eyes landed on the wall that separated her from X.
Nova sat still for a moment, her eyes finally landing on the folded slip of paper Simon had handed her earlier. It was tucked in her jacket pocket, like it was waiting for the right moment to be seen.
She pulled it out, unfolded it slowly.
One line.Two words.
"Meet me."
Her brow creased.
That was it? No time, no place. Just that.
Nova stared at the handwriting, clean, sharp strokes, like X carved his letters the same way he moved on ice. Efficient. Precise. No wasted space.
She sucked her teeth, tilting her head. "You is so dramatic boy…"
But she didn't toss the note. She folded it neatly again, slipping it into the band of her pants like it was something sacred.
Her heartbeat ticked up.
Meet me.
It could mean now. It could mean whenever. And deep down, she knew, it meant soon. He wanted her to find him, like always.
Nova stood, the lights in the room dimming slightly with her movement. She glanced in the mirror by the door. She looked like herself again.
She grinned, a little crooked. "Alright, X. Let's dance."
She grabbed her jacket and headed for the hall, silent, alert, and ready.
Nova closed the door behind her, the soft hiss of it sealing shut barely registered. Her fingers brushed the edge of the note in her waistband again.
"Meet me."
Her eyes narrowed, thoughtful. X wasn't the type to play games without purpose. If he wanted her to meet him, she knew exactly where to look. Not his room. Not anywhere random.
The ice.
That was their language. Their sanctuary. Their battlefield. It was where their trust was built, one bruise, one dodge, one graceful, deadly move at a time.
She exhaled through her nose. Of course.
Vault-0 had changed locations, but if he was the same, and she knew he was, then he was already there, waiting.
The chill of the rink already itched at the back of her mind, like muscle memory kicking in. The sound of blades slicing ice. The silence that wrapped around them when they trained alone. That unspoken rhythm they shared.
Nova padded silently down the dim corridor, her steps light but deliberate, the note still tucked safe in her fingers. She could already feel the chill of the ice calling her forward. Her ribs ached faintly, but she didn't care, adrenaline was starting to hum through her.
The rink. It had to be the rink.
She turned a corner, almost at the hallway that would lead down to the lower levels, when a hand snatched her arm.
Her body instinctively twisted to counter, but the grip was strong and familiar. Before she could even exhale a curse, a voice breathed near her ear.
"Not the rink."
She stilled.
X.
Before she could say a word, he was already pulling her, fast but smooth, guiding her up a side stairwell she hadn't noticed. Silent shadows swallowed them whole. He moved like smoke, all stealth and command. She didn't resist.
The door at the top creaked open, and cold wind kissed her skin.
Nova stepped out beside him, her boots scraping the concrete roof.
It was dark up here, but stars cracked the sky open like glass. The prison lights below flickered like the dying breaths of a world barely hanging on.
Nova blinked, letting the sharp air sting her lungs.
"You always gotta be extra dramatic," she muttered, trying to steady her heartbeat. "You know I almost hit you back there?"
X said nothing at first, just turned his head slightly, the red X on his mask glowing faint in the dark, then slowly nodded like maybe he deserved it.
Then, with one hand, he reached into the folds of his coat and pulled out a thermos. The scent hit her first, dark roast, rich and real.
Nova blinked. "...Is that coffee?"
He handed her the cup he'd poured, then took one for himself and walked toward the edge of the rooftop like this was just any other night.
"You dragged me up here for caffeine?" she called out, brow raised.
He finally spoke, voice low and calm, "No. I dragged you up here... because I needed to see the city with someone who still believes it can change."
She hesitated, lips brushing the edge of the cup. It was good. Real good. Warmth spread through her chest, deeper than just the drink.
They stood in silence for a while, the city a patchwork of shadows and static light stretching endlessly in front of them. He looked around and gently took off his helmet.
Nova finished her coffee and set the empty cup on the ledge. "So… what's step one, masked revolutionary?" she asked, arms crossing, a smirk tugging at her lips.
X didn't turn. "Step one is survival. You, me, and the ones we trust. Everyone else is a variable."
She hummed. "Alright. Survival. Kinda my thing."
"We train harder. We study them. Vault-0 is more than a death match. It's a controlled system. Designed to test, track, and control every move." His voice was low but steady, like he'd been thinking about this for a long time.
Nova leaned against the railing, eyes narrowed. "You think there's someone pulling strings behind the scenes?"
"Not just someone. A council. The Elites watch everything from the Core." He finally looked at her. "We don't beat the game by playing it. We beat it by tearing out its code."
Nova snorted. "Right. And we're just gonna stroll into their little throne room and say, 'Hey, got a sec?'"
X's mouth curved behind his mask, just barely. "Not yet. First, we build leverage. Win the crowd. Shake the ranks. Disrupt the cycle. The players in Vault-0 are pawns, but they're also eyes. Get enough of them watching, talking… revolutions start with whispers."
Nova rubbed her chin, thinking. "Blitz and Vera could run recon. Jinx knows how to hack into feeds. Mute's a strategist. And Petal has people who owe her favors on the medical side. We've got roots."
"And if you're the face…" X added, his voice softer, "then I'll be the ghost."
She gave him a long look, the wind tugging at her braids again. "You sure you're ready for this? There's no turning back once we start."
"I was born with no place to return to," he said simply.
Nova nodded slowly. Then smiled.
"Alright, partner. Let's burn their pretty little system down."
X leaned against the concrete barrier, looking out at the chaotic beauty of the city, while Nova sat cross-legged, her attention fully on him.
"So," she started, her voice steady but with a fire behind it, "the first step is taking down Grin, right?"
X nodded, his mask hiding the focus in his eyes, but his posture told her everything she needed to know. He was serious.
"Grin's one of the biggest players in this game," he said, his voice low and calm, almost like he was talking about a piece of machinery. "We need him out of the way if we want to make a move on the rest. Not just him, but his goons. They're all part of this, dirty players that like to stack the deck in their favor."
Nova clenched her fists, already feeling the anger bubbling up inside her. The thought of Grin and his goons made her skin itch. "And once he's gone?" she asked, her mind already working through the next steps. "What do we do after that?"
X took a breath, letting the silence stretch between them for a moment before he spoke again. "We take them all out, piece by piece. Grin's crew is just a cog in the machine. If we take them down, we can start to unravel the whole thing, and we'll have a better shot at winning, not just the game... but the freedom that comes with it."
He was right. They needed to take the ones who controlled the game, the ones who had been pulling strings behind the scenes, down first. But Nova couldn't shake the feeling that this was bigger than just Vault-0. It was about something deeper, something that went beyond the rink and into the roots of the society they were trapped in.
The quiet lingered between them, the city lights flickering in the distance like stars trying to pierce the darkness. Nova stared out at the sprawling metropolis, her thoughts swirling with plans, danger, and the weight of everything they'd just discussed.
Then, almost as if the silence became too heavy to bear, she spoke, her voice soft but direct. "X... what's your real name?"
For a brief moment, X didn't answer. His posture remained rigid, his gaze still locked on the city below. But Nova could tell he was thinking, considering whether or not to answer. Then, he sighed softly, the air around them thick with unspoken history.
"Axe Giovanni," he said, his voice low but firm, like the name itself carried weight. "It's the name I was born with." He paused for a moment before continuing, his words deliberate. "But I've recently changed it... to Axe Wolf."
Nova shifted slightly, curiosity tugging at her once more. The moment felt almost too quiet, too heavy with all the things left unsaid. She glanced at X, taking in the way his profile was softened by the dim city lights. There was still so much she didn't know about him, and now, for some reason, she wanted to know more.
"Do you... have a birthday?" Nova asked, her voice quiet but direct, breaking the silence between them.
X looked over at her, a slight quirk of his brow signaling he wasn't sure where this question was going. His expression softened for a second before he answered, his tone a little more relaxed than it had been moments before.
"Yeah," he said, his lips tugging into a subtle, almost wistful smile. "March 13th."
Nova blinked in surprise. "March 13th," she repeated, letting the date sit in her mind for a moment. "So. you a Pisces? Aight playboy."
X gave a small, amused nod. "Yeah. I'm 21 before you ask." he replied, as if the number itself didn't carry the weight of the years that had passed. But Nova could see it in his eyes, the experience of those years, the things he'd lived through, the battles he'd fought.
"Twenty-one," Nova whispered to herself, a little shocked by how young he actually was. It was hard to imagine, with everything he'd been through, that he was still so young. She glanced over at him, taking in the stoic expression, the coldness that he wore like armor. "You don't look 21."
X chuckled softly, a rare sound. "Most people don't," he said, his voice tinged with a faint bitterness. "I guess life's a little rougher when you don't have a choice in how you live it. You?"
Nova shifted her gaze, almost absent-mindedly. She hadn't talked much about herself, at least not like this, but there was something about the way he spoke that made her feel... a little less guarded.
"February 23rd," she said, looking out across the city, her voice quiet. "I'm 19."
X gave her a sideways glance. "19, huh?" He nodded, as if to himself. "You're even younger than I thought."
"Yeah, well," Nova replied, her tone a little sharper, "life's been trying to teach me how to grow up fast." She glanced at him, a bit of a smirk tugging at the corner of her lips. "But I'm not so sure I'm doing a good job of it."
X studied her for a moment, his brows furrowed slightly, but then he nodded, understanding more than she realized.
"Yeah, we're both learning as we go," he said, his voice soft but steady.
There was a long pause, and then something shifted. Both of them realized their birthdays weren't far off.
X turned toward her slightly, his eyes narrowing with a hint of curiosity. "So… birthdays coming up," he said, his voice light but serious. "What do you want, Nova?"
The question was casual, but the weight behind it wasn't lost on either of them. Nova's expression softened, and for a brief moment, she was lost in thought. She hadn't really considered anything for herself, not after everything that had happened. But when X asked, something inside her stirred.
"I want to see my mother," she said quietly, her voice low as she stared ahead, as if the answer was simple and obvious. But her chest tightened as she said it. The memory of her mother's frailty, of the hospital, of everything that had gone wrong… it was a wound she hadn't fully let heal.
X's expression immediately changed, a subtle shift that spoke volumes. His lips pressed together, and his eyes grew distant. He didn't say anything at first, just stared ahead, clearly processing the weight of her words. There was a somberness in the air now. He could feel the sadness radiating from her, and it made his heart ache for her in a way he didn't expect.
"Nova…" His voice softened, almost too quiet, as if afraid to say too much. But his words held a certain understanding, like he was about to tell her something she didn't want to hear.
She glanced at him, a faint smile tugging at the corner of her lips. "It's not possible, I know," she said, trying to brush it off. "I'm just playin'."
Her words were light, but there was a sadness that lingered in them, an unspoken truth.
X said nothing more, just looked at her quietly, the weight of her wish hanging in the air. He didn't need to say it out loud, but it was clear: she would never be able to see her mother again. Not while they were both trapped in this prison, not with the lives they led.
Nova blinked, trying to shift the moment before it grew too heavy. "Anyway…" she trailed off, an idea forming in her mind. She smiled, shifting the mood as best as she could. "I already have a gift in mind for you."
X raised an eyebrow, a small smirk pulling at the corner of his lips. "A gift?" He leaned back, curious. "What is it?"
Nova's grin grew a little wider. "I'm sure Jinx could make it," she said with a sly look in her eyes. "You'll see. It'll be something special. A gift for someone who doesn't ask for much."
X stared at her for a long moment, unsure if she was serious or just trying to change the subject. But something in her tone made him believe her. His gaze softened, and the corners of his lips curled up ever so slightly.
"Well, I guess I'll look forward to it then," he said, his voice warmer, though still carrying the weight of the conversation they'd just had.
The quiet lingered for a few moments, the tension from their earlier conversation easing into a more peaceful silence. X let out a small sigh, and as much as he wanted to continue their conversation, he knew they both needed rest. The weight of their world, their pasts, and their plans for the future was heavy, and neither of them would be any good to each other if they didn't take a break.
He stood up slowly putting his mask on, the movement purposeful yet not rushed. "We should get some sleep," he said, his voice soft but firm. "We've got a lot ahead of us tomorrow."
Nova nodded, a faint but tired smile tugging at her lips. "Yeah… you're right."
They both lingered for a moment longer, Nova rose to her feet as well, stretching out her arms. She wasn't sure what tomorrow would bring, but it felt good to be on the same page with X, even if it was just for tonight. For once, they weren't just enemies or survivors, they were allies, and maybe, just maybe, something more than that.
X turned towards the door and paused, his hand resting on the handle for just a second longer than necessary. "Goodnight, Nova," he said quietly.
"Goodnight," she replied, her voice carrying a soft warmth despite the exhaustion in her bones.
Without another word, they left the rooftop together and made their way back to their separate rooms. Nova's footsteps were slower than usual, a weight she couldn't quite place settling in her chest. She wasn't sure what it was, fear of the future, uncertainty about their plan, or maybe just the raw vulnerability that had bubbled to the surface between her and X. Either way, it didn't matter now. Tomorrow would come, and they would face it head-on, whatever it may bring.
As she entered her room, the door closing softly behind her, she sat down on the bed, her mind still racing. She wasn't sure if she was ready to sleep, but the comfort of the bed helped. She finally allowed her thoughts to wander, her heart still a little heavy from everything X had shared, his past, his pain, his losses. But even with all of that, she knew he was strong. They both were. And they had each other now.
Pulling the covers up around her, she closed her eyes and let out a long breath, trying to release the tension in her body. It wasn't going to be easy. Nothing ever was. But maybe, just maybe, together they could make a change. Maybe they could actually change the world.
With that thought in her mind, Nova finally drifted off to sleep, the quiet hum of the prison a distant lullaby as she allowed herself a rare moment of peace