Chapter Text
THREE MONTHS LATER
Nova sighed, staring down at her phone, while she nervously looked out the front window. The snow building up on the windowpane made it fog, as she glanced down the snowy street.
She put her phone away, trying to force herself to not look down at it until the others arrived. After all, she was slightly early in her getting ready.
Her mom came down the hall, and then smiled once she saw Nova standing there.
“Hey darling.” she said with a small smile, looking her outfit up and down.
“Thats cute. Where are you going?” she asked, setting her mug down. Nova sighed, fiddling with the edge of her sleeves.
“Out for dinner. To meet Victor and his aunt.” she said quietly. Her moms eyes widened slightly, before she laughed and nodded in sympathy.
“Ah yes, meeting the family.” she said solemnly. Nova groaned, adjusting her red headband.
“Don’t make it sound like a death sentence mom!” she whined. Her mom laughed, patting her shoulder with a smile.
“Don’t worry so much sweetie, I'm sure it will be fine. She’ll love you, who wouldn’t? And besides, only a grinch can be unhappy during Christmas.” she said with a wink. Nova rolled her eyes, smiling.
“It’s December 21st mom.” she said fondly. Her mother shrugged, but her smile was laughing.
“Same difference. Now, go have fun. And tell Victor I say hi.” she said with a smile. Nova nodded, promising her she would as her mom left.
In the few short months they had been dating, her mother had become Victor’s NUmber one fan. It was all, “He’s so respectful.” and “Such a nice boy,” with a hint of “You chose a good one Nova.” that always had to have a cheeky wink. It made Victor smile, both at her mom, and at her in amusement when her cheeks would flush. It wasn’t her fault that she could never deny it!
Her father and Ray… were a different story. They had been trying. …Slowly.
Her mother was still upset with her father about what he had done, but eventually relented to let it be between father and daughter.
“What he did, is his burden to bear with you. I won’t intervene, or help him fix his mistakes.” her mother had said. Nova had loved her even more for it.
Ray… was a slightly different story. He was trying… much slower. And even though Nova wasn’t anywhere close to forgiving him, she was willing to accept some of his gestures. Mostly because Victor asked her not to hold a grudge.
God, that boy was too forgiving for his own good.
And Victor… God Victor had been a dream.
Everything with them, was almost the same as before. But also… not. It was very different. And in some ways, so much better. He was still as funny as ever, still the exact kind of best friend that she always was missing. But now, it was better. And there was a lot more kissing.
He was a model boyfriend. He cheered loudly for her at football games, he would walk her to class, leave sketches in her locker. He would take the most gorgeous photos of her, and then insist on editing them in to the school newspaper somehow.
And hey, when he leaned back in that desk chair with those glasses, and a sketching pencil between his teeth, while asking her to agree to something, it was hard to say no. And not make out with him in the middle of class.
But alas. Priorities.
Victors newfound confidence, was also something she was unused to. It made her both happy, and completely shocked, when he would blatantly tell people off, or defend her casually to anyone. And he no longer just took the vampire jokes, instead firing back a response that left the other person speechless. And her.
And he would do it all, with a smile on his face, and a proud girlfriend next to him.
Long story short, her life was almost perfect. Almost, meaning that there were still some things that could be better. Like her relationship with her father, or the way Zoey and Victor would gang up on her (She was right, introducing them was a BAD idea.)
But there was a lot of good. There was Zed and Addison, observing them in the halls and at events like proud parents. There was her unexpected friendship with Vera and Vargas, who turned out to be some of the coolest people she had ever met. And of course she had Victor again.
And honestly? It may not be perfect, but she wouldn't change a thing.
The sleek black car pulled up, and her heart stuttered as she saw Victor step out of the vehicle. He was wearing a red wool sweater, and dark jeans, and he shivered slightly as he jogged up to the front of her porch and knocked on the door, like he didn’t know she was watching him from the window.
She walked over to the door, and opened it. He stood there, and his face broke out into a smile once he saw her. His eyes looked up and down her outfit, (cream sweater, red headband, and jeans) and his eyes crinkled in a smile.
“Hello gorgeous. You look amazing.” he said with a smile, leaning down and kissing her cheek. She smiled, ignoring her own blush, and tapped a finger to his nose.
“You don’t look too bad yourself Barton.” she said with a smile. He grinned, taking her hand and kissing it, before gesturing for her to follow him. She grabbed her purse, and called out into the house that she was leaving, before following him outside as she shut the door.
“Here to lead me to my doom?” she muttered playfully, as he led her down the steps. He rolled his eyes fondly.
“Come on, she’ll love you. If there is one thing she doesn't judge, it's familial relations. You should see some of the relatives I've got.” he joked. She let out a small laugh, but he must have sensed her nervousness, because he slipped an arm around her waist, and kissed her hair, before saying quietly into her ear.
“It will be fine Nova, I promise. And I'm right here.” he said. She smiled, her nervousness ebbing slightly in the secureness of his hold. She inhaled, and then gave him a smile and nod.
He smiled, back, before opening the car door for her with a flourish, and letting her in. she smiled, and took his hand, chuckling slightly at his ridiculousness.
But he just smiled back, something softer in his gaze that she couldn’t quite name, but recognized immediately. And that made her relax the most, as the snow fell quietly.
Because what was Christmas, if not a time for love.
—------------------------------------------------
They entered the restaurant, with little grandeur, but a comfort that still felt important. To them at least.
The restaurant itself, was a grill on a golf course. Not fancy by any sense of the word, but still a nice place. It was a decked out barn, with high ceilings, and several fireplaces. It felt very homey, and the warm environment almost visibly made her relax.
Victor chuckled slightly at this, putting a warm and encouraging hand on her back as he led her inside.
The atmosphere put her at ease as she melted into his touch, and a lot of her nervousness died down as she walked with Victor to their table.
Standing near it, was a tall woman of maybe 50, with sharp witted eyes, and dark hair. She looked like she was always looking for something, that everyone else missed.
When Victor and her approached the table, her face broke out into a smile. And that put her slightly at ease. Because she had the same smile as her nephew.
She hugged Victor, and looked over him as he pulled back, and rewrapped his hand around Nova's waist.
“Good to see you auntie.” He said with a smile. Then, he squeezed her waist and brought her forward slightly.
“This… this is Nova.” he said simply. And she couldn’t help but swoon internally over how he had said her name. He sounded like a giddy child, like he was excited to show his mom his drawing, and sort of in awe, like the fact that she was there was amazing.
Nova smiled, and held out a hand.
“Its Good to meet you Ms Barton.” she said kindly. His aunt laughed slightly, and pulled her into a hug.
“No need for that dear, call me Victoria. God knows I get called that enough by people everyday.” she said, with a wink at Nova like she would understand. And strangely enough, she did. All the “Ms Brights” she had gotten from council members was slightly annoying at times. Still, first name basis was usually reserved for family.
Progress at least.
“Come, sit. They have breadsticks.” His aunt said with a smile, leading them to the table. Victor squeezed her hand once in encouragement as the sat down, a wide grin already on his face. She couldn't help but smile back, at his almost childish excitement. It was just too adorable.
They ordered, and slowly began conversation. His aunt was very respectful, and she asked all sorts of questions about school, cheer, Yearbook, and other things. When Nova asked her how she knew so much, she just smirked and looked at her nephew, saying he “Talks about you… often.”
Worth it for Victor's flustered expression? Absolutely.
And as they talked, she began to relax, as the conversation became comfortable and familiar. And though Nova didn’t realize, Victoria would eventually start smiling fondly at the way VIctro would just stare at Nova in admiration, as she talked passionately about something.
Young love, indeed.
—-----------------------------------------
Nova smiled, her chest feeling lighter as she sipped the hot chocolate from her dessert. People of all kinds had swarmed Victoria after their meal, golf buddies and Work associates alike. Apparently, this was a hot spot for business.
Victor sat next to her, idly tracing patterns into the side of her shoulder, where his arm was slung around her. Then, he seemed to get an idea and stand up.
“Auntie.” He called, his tone amused.
“Me and Nova are gonna head to the porch. We’ll be back soon.” He said. She looked up, giving him an amused smile, before nodding, and gesturing for him to go. He smiled, and grabbed Nova’s hand, making her stand.
She giggled slightly, as he led her out to the barn porch, that looked over the snow covered golf course.
She felt a slight shiver go through her, as she zipped up her jacket and stepped outside.
Victor smiled, and shut the door behind him, leaning on the railing next to her.
“Aren’t you cold?” She asked in surprise at his lack of a jacket. He shrugged, smiling.
“I have a sweater. The cold doesn’t bother me much.” he said. She rolled her eyes, and stepped forward.
“Never beating the cold undead creature allegations are you?” she asked teaesingly. He smiled and gave her a playful smirk.
“Nah, you think my cold, dead, mysterious aesthetic is hot.” he said with a wink. She roll her eyes fondly, slinging her arms around his neck.
“You’re such a shameless flirt.” she said, but a flush painted her cheeks. He smiled, rubbing his nose against hers.
“Only for you.”
She smiled, pulling him into a short kiss, because how could she not at a cheesy one liner like that? And especially since she could do that now, without shame, and without worry. It made her almost giddy with happiness to think about.
She smiled, and pulled back after a minute, lacing their fingers together as they talked. About life, school, anything. She could have him listen to anything for hours, and he would just smile and nod.
“Your aunt is very nice. I think she likes me.” she said softly a bit later, as they stood their with his arm slung over her shoulder as they watched families and couples in the snow. He smiled, and kissed her hair.
“Of course she does, i told you she would. Brave, headstrong girl who puts me in my place constantly? I think you might be her favorite now.” he said with a small laugh. She rolled her eyes, and pushed his chest gently, but she was laughing too.
“No, I'm serious. I'm glad you have such a good family, that's important. Especially around the holidays.” she said with a soft smile. He nodded thoughtfully.
“Yeah, I agree.”
Then, he gave her a sidelong glance that she knew meant he was about to say something she wouldn’t like.
“Nova-” he began placatingly, but when she saw the meaning behind his expression, she immediately cut him off, shaking her head.
“No, no Victor. I won’t.” she said simply, folding her arms. He sighed, running a hand through his hair.
“Nova, just listen-” he began, but she gave him a scowl.
“I won’t Victor! I refuse to reach out to them again, not after all that happened. They hurt you, and they hurt us. I won't be able to forgive them for that, not at all.” she said stubbornly. He sighed, putting a hand on her cheek.
“And I love you for it, Nova. You know I do. It means a lot to me that you were willing to do that for us, for me. But-” he sighed, running a thumb over her cheek, pink from the cold.
“I don’t want to be the reason you lose them. Especially not around the holidays. I know what it's like to not have a parent, and I… I don't want that for you. I want you to be able to be with them, and not get rid of them entirely, just for me.” he said quietly. And behind the genuineness of his words, she could hear the guilt in them. Not standing for it a minute longer, she came forward and put her hands on the sides of his face.
“Hey,” she said quietly, forcing him to look her in the eyes.
“I do not,” she began.
“Blame you, for what happened. And you do not need to feel responsible. You did nothing, other than stick up for me, and open my eyes to the truth. My broken relationship with them is their fault, not yours.” she said sincerely, her words fierce as she looked him in the eyes.
He swallowed thickly, leaning forward to kiss her forehead.
“I know Nova. But I can’t let you lose them, not entirely. Please just… promise me you’ll try. To talk to them, at least a little. For me?” he said quietly. And as she looked into those brown eyes, she couldn't say no.
“Okay.” she breathed quietly, her voice soft.
“I’ll try. For you.”
She could see a weight physically fall from his shoulders, and he pulled her into a hug.
“I love you Nova.” he said quietly, as he held her close. She smiled, and held him just as tight.
“I love you too.”
They stood there for a moment, allowing the love they felt to wash over them. It wasn't fake, and it wasn't out of reach anymore. It was theirs.
They pulled back, when a wolf whistle broke them out of their bubble of happiness. They saw a few people standing below the deck, smiling at them. When they looked confused, one of those people gestured above them.
They both looked up, and laughed when they saw the familiar plant of mistletoe hanging above them. Victor looked back at her and smiled, putting a piece of her hair behind her ear.
“Merry Christmas Nova.” he said with a smile. She smiled back, and pulled him in for a kiss, as fresh snowflakes fell, on the new world.
“Merry Christmas Victor.”