AN: this was the first scene I ever wrote with Revel and Nova, it is inspired by the viral lyrics in Treehouse - by Alex G <3
!TRIGGER WARNING! self harm, mild transphobia491Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYLJpdhE3ZM
I tap lightly on the deep red door of Nova’s room ignoring the scribbled Do Not Enter sign and open it gently, the door knob creaking. Trying to ignore the fidgety parents standing way too close to my back trying to get a peek into the dark lit room.
The first thing I see is the laundry scattered floor and desk, dirty dishes piled next to their bed on the nightstand and a broken mirror turned almost completely to the wall. Oh jeez.
“Do not enter, is written on the doorway,” Nova growls from their perch on their bed, angrily staring at the wall until they finally begin to turn their head towards us, “Why can’t everyone… Just go away.”
Their eyes shoot daggers at their parents over my shoulder, but they shift to me after a second like they just registered that I’m here, “Except you,” their bright blue eyes soften, but they don't smile, “You can stay.”
“Honey-“ Nova’s mother starts, her voice slightly condescending like she wants to start a fight about something.
“I got this Mrs. Kane…” I chime, turning around to pat her slight shoulder, looking down at her from where I stood much taller.
She throws me a look I can’t decipher, but tugs her husband and leaves down the hallway. Sighing, I close the door with a soft click and turn back to my friend.
They sit curled in on themselves, long ink black hair pulled back into something that I can barely call a bun. A large wrinkled black shirt and grey sweatpants that look like they’ve worn them for days. The room smells musty and vaguely of body odor, and tapestries and posters cover almost every inch of the walls.
“Hi, love,” I say, picking my way over the mess towards the bed, “do you even know the day of the week?” I chuckle lightheartedly.
“Wednesday?”
“Close enough, bubs,” I crawl onto the bed and throw my arms around their shoulders and press my cheek against the top of their head, “What are we feeling today?”
“It’s she today, and I don’t wanna talk about it,” she draws back a little and looks up at me, “It makes it all louder.”
“Okay,” I smile and study her face. Old eyeliner smears around her eyes, and deep purple eye bags contrast darkly against her pale skin. Bright cobalt blue eyes stare sadly into mine, making me want to envelope her back into a deep hug. Her cheekbones and jawline seem sharper than the last time I saw her.
“Can I clean your room a little? It’s, uhm, well it needs help.”
“Yeah, I can help.”
“Only if you want to,” I give her the best smile I can and then start collecting dirty laundry from the floor, stuffing it all into a dejected hamper in the far corner of her room.
It takes about an hour to get the room clean enough to walk around and I crack a window and spray my cologne a little around the room. Nova says my cologne makes her feel safe so I always buy an extra bottle when I restock, to leave at her house just in case.
“Next on the agenda is cleaning you up a bit, is that okay?” Nova nods and touches her bird's nest of hair self consciously, “Not that you don’t look absolutely ethereal anyway,” I wink and grab her hand brushing the pad of my thumb against her knuckles.
I lead her quietly out into the hallway trying to make sure her parents don’t hear at least until we’re safely in the bathroom, but it’s useless.
“Breanna?” Mrs. Kane questions from the bottom of the stairs to our right.
God dammit we were just a few feet away, I grumble in my head, but I plaster my most sickly sweet smile on and turn toward my friend’s mother. I make sure Nova is slightly behind me, it’s always best if I keep most of the attention on me.
“Me and Nova,” I emphasize her name and bring a sharp look into my eyes, making sure Mrs. Kane knows I'm not going to let her deadname my best friend, “Are going to just do some self care stuff in the bathroom for a little, I’ll make sure you have her for dinner.”
I hate promising to subject Nova to dinner with her parents, but it’s the only way to get Mrs. Kane turned around and wandered back into the kitchen mumbling under her breath, but thankfully gone.
“Ew, Vel that means talking to them,” Nova whispers as I pull her into the bathroom one door down from her room.
“I know I’m sorry, maybe you can just, like, make sure you're constantly chewing so you don’t have to say anything,” I offer half-heartedly, the Kane's bathroom was spacious and decorated with pastels of pink and yellow. The counters shone almost too brightly white. I motion to Nova that she should get in the tub, and then go searching for shampoo and conditioner.
The rustling for Nova shedding her clothing lulled me into the familiar routine we’d been through many times when thing’s got bad for her, “what kinda soap today, Nova?”
“Jasmine verbena?”
I grabbed said soap and the matching hair care, lining it near the bathtub before turning the faucet to the hottest setting filling the tub with steaming water. Nova stepped in with a sigh of content once it was full and covered in a thick layer of bubbles I had added, her naked form folding into the water fluidly. I've never quite understood why she loved a scalding bath, but at the times I tried to tell her it’ll make her sick she would insist she loved it like that. I haven't tried to change it since.
Nova was the most beautiful person I had ever met, even when her black hair was knotted from sleep and greasy from being unwashed for so many days. Even when her pale skin was sickly yellow and her eyes bloodshot, shooting about with anxiety. Even when her body bore fresh self-inflicted wounds.
A hiss of pain broke me from my trance of studying my friend’s gaunt form. Nova squeezed her eyes closed and arched her back as her thighs sunk into the boiling water, small trails of blood seeping against the bubbles. I gulped and glanced away making myself busy with finding her a washcloth.
“Here soap up, you stink,” I threw a small square of blue cloth from the sink cabinet her way and pinched my nose dramatically, handing her the jasmine soap.
“And here I thought you were gonna help me with this part…” Nova sighed with feigned disappointment.
“You wish,” I watched her soak the cloth and lather it thoroughly with soap before attacking the grime on her body aggressively. She no doubt wanted to be back in her baggy clothes as soon as possible.
491Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCDumlSOogh
