Justification | Deetranada AU

delights

(A/N: This chapter may contain illicit behavior, vulgar discussion, and adult activity. Enjoy.)

Fourteen Weeks Post

(Nova POV)

Nova enters the main area of the venue to a roar of applause and cheers. He smiles, waving and dapping a few people and smiling at those he doesn't know. He follows the sound of the emcee to the stage, Look Out Below turning down as he begins to speak.

'What's up, what's up!' he begins. The crowd cheers back, his mother and Noah cheering louder and longer than anyone else. He smiles, chuckling to himself. 'I just wanna say thank y'all for comin' out. Thank y'all for supportin' me, believin' in me, all that good stuff.'

He pauses, taking a moment to look at the crowd, familiar faces mixed with unfamiliar ones. But the one he hoped for is nowhere to be found. He looks over the crowd, putting on a smile as he continues. 'I gotta thank my family, mami, Lexy, Creko, Ekko, all y'all--.' 'And Noah!' Noah yells. the crowd laughs as he waves his arms for recognition.

Nova laughs, nodding at his brother. 'Definitely Noah. You know he write my stuff, right?' he adds. He waits for their laughter to die down before continuing. 'All my friends, all my fans and all the ones who gonna leave here fans, thank you for celebratin' with me, it means everything.'

The cheering resumes and he feels his spirits lift. 'Aight, y'all ready to hear it?' They respond in hoots and hollers and he motions for the deejay to begin. The EP spins as Golden begins. He gives a small smile, nodding along to it as the crowd dances and raps.

He watches a group of girls sing to a camera, smirking as he remembers her recording. It was her first listen to the beat and she fell in love, vibing with him as he sang the chorus and repeated it back on Snapchat. He recalls how beautiful she looked as she sang how golden she felt, not even realizing that she was his platinum.

He nods his head, attempting to hide his bubbling feelings, wishing for the listen to be over. When it finally is, he says his final thank yous, posing for pictures before leaving the stage for his VIP area. He throws himself down on the couch, attempting to relax his mind but his peace is interrupted, his family surrounding him with praise and pictures.

He tries to maintain his smile throughout, his patience wearing thin as he sees the press approach, their pads out as the talk to his mother and Ekko. I'm not even tryna do this shit. He gets up, sneaking through the crowd and manages to exit without being noticed.

Once outside, he takes a deep breath, the pressure on his chest still there despite the open space. He instinctually opens his phone, going to her Instagram page, the first on his suggested list. He looks for any sign of life but sees none, at least none that he's enabled to see.

He's weeks deep in scrolling, noting every post of them or him that has been removed when Mani approaches. 'Yo yo!' he calls out. Nova smiles genuinely for the first time that night, dapping him up. Pull it back, you too happy. He does just that, calming himself down.

'Late as usual,' Nova observes. Mani chuckles, shaking his head. 'Takes time to look like this, nigga,' he replies. Nova chuckles, the happiness of seeing his friend again doing enough to distract his mind for the moment.

'Why you out here?' Mani questions. 'Don't tell me this shit lame as fuck.' Nova shakes his head, 'Nah, it's fine. I mean, I saw some thick bitches for you but...' He sighs, looking at his phone, a picture of her smiling face looking back at him. He puts it to sleep, knowing that Mani noticed.