As he pulled up to the airport drop-off area, Noah looked over to the time on his car's clock - 3:30am. Cody was sitting next to him in the front and he smiled as he looked over to Nicole and Trent in the back seat.
"Made it just in time." He told them. Today was the day Nicole and Trent were beginning their journey to Australia for their study abroad. Noah was sad to see Nicole and Trent go so far away for this long, as was Cody, but they both were happy for them. Putting the car into park, Noah and Cody then got out to help Nicole and Trent with their bags.
"Jeez, Nicole, what'd you bring in these bags? They've got rocks in Australia." Noah exclaimed.
"So I might have overpacked a bit." Nicole chuckled as she grabbed her bags from him, and Trent took his. Cody kicked off the goodbye by giving a hug to Trent and Nicole.
"Thanks for waking up so early to come along for the ride, man." Trent said to him.
"Don't worry about it, 3:30 is my bedtime." He joked. "I'm gonna miss you."
"I'll miss you, too. I wish you could visit us."
"Me too, but I'll be starting classes in January."
"Good luck with everything. We'll talk." Trent says. He gives a fist-bump and one last hug to Trent, then gives one last hug to Nicole.
"Have a great time." Cody said to them.
"Thanks for driving us". Trent said to Noah. Noah nodded as Trent brought him in for a hug and stood to the side as Nicole looked up at Trent and Cody.
"Can I have a moment alone with Noah?" She asked him.
"Of course. I'll see you in there." Cody walked into the car, and Trent began to walk inside to check his bags. It was just Noah and Nicole, alone, and the two were out of words to say as they looked each other in the eyes.
"How does it feel being on the other side?" Nicole asked.
"What?"
"I was always the one to drop you off, and now you're dropping me off." Noah chuckled.
"Oh. Yeah… except this time I won't be seeing you on my TV screen while you're gone." He looked seriously at her for a moment as she saw her try to suppress tears that were about to come out. "Are you crying?" She sniffled.
"No…" She lied. "Okay, maybe I am. I'm going to miss you. So much." She gave a hug to Noah. Neither wanted to let go, but for once, Noah was the first to let go.
"Have a safe flight." Noah told her.
"I'll let you know when we land." He nodded as she began to walk inside and watched Nicole through the glass as her and Trent were in line to check their bags, then sighed as he went back to his car. Cody patted Noah on the shoulder as a tear went down his face. He felt stupid for crying, as he had left her so many times before.
"Just six months." Cody reminded him. He took a breath, then drove off. He was really going to miss her.
October 2022 - 5 Years Later
Noah looked at himself in the mirror as he adjusted his bowtie. At 27 years old, Noah was about to receive a Sobey Art Award, one of the most prestigious art awards in Canada. The path to become a professional artist wasn't an easy one, but Noah was proud to say his art was showcased all over Canada, and he was working on some deals to have his art showcased throughout the United States next. He heard a knock on the door and looked behind him. It was just Cody, who came behind him with Trent and Nicole. He looked at the pair and gave each a hug.
"We'll look who's here, the new parents came out of their cave to celebrate my night." Noah joked. "Where is McKenna, anyway?"
"She's with my mom." Trent said. Noah was referring to Nicole and Trent's newest, precious edition — their 2-month-old daughter. They had just married in February, a month after finding out she was expecting a baby.
"It's our first night out of the house!" Nicole said. "I hardly remember how to socialize with other adults."
"Who said you ever knew how to?" Nicole laughed as she gave him a look.
"We just came by to say how proud we are of you." Trent said. "And if you see us fall asleep, don't take it personally."
Nicole quickly went back to Noah and hugged him again. "This is so amazing, and you are so deserving of this award. I'm so proud of you."
"Thank you."
"We are going to take our seats, and we'll see you later for dinner." Nicole said to him. The two waved as they walked out, and Noah looked over to Cody with a loving smile.
"What a way to spend our first wedding anniversary, huh?" Noah drew Cody closer as he gave him a tender kiss, and Cody smiled as their foreheads touched and they stared into each other's eyes.
"Happy anniversary. Now go accept your very-deserving award." He smiled as he held the door open for Noah and trailed behind him. He walked him over to the wings and stood by as Noah was getting ready to go up on stage. There was a presenter on the stage saying his name, and Noah walked up to the podium and shook his hand as everyone applauded him. The man walked away as the crowd died down, and he began to speak into the microphone.
"There are so many people I'd like to credit for this award tonight. First, my parents. I've been wanting to be a professional artist since I learned how to hold a paintbrush, but there was a time I let my grief get in the way of this passion of mine. When I was fifteen, my parents unexpectedly passed away. I didn't know how to go on without them. I quit art and lost myself in various reality shows and depression over the course of four years. If it wasn't for art, my amazing husband, and the rest of my family by my side, I would not be standing here today. Speaking of my family, I'd like to thank my second biggest supporter, my twin sister Nicole, who still has the headshots I painted of her when we were ten years old hanging up in her home. Nicole, you always were there to support me, and when I put all of my paint supplies in a box labeled 'throw away' after mom and dad, you secretly took the box to a storage unit, and left the rest of my paintings to storage or our other family members. Nicole was also the person who forced me to invite my now-husband over to our house, and on that day, I painted after my four-year seclusion." He looked to the wings to see Cody smiling at him, and then looked back to the audience. "My amazing husband, Cody Anderson, is another reason I'm standing in front of you all. He's looked at all my work as if it's the best thing since canned bread, and helped my confidence build as I got back into painting. For all of the young artists watching this, whether live or at home, here's one of the best pieces of advice I've ever received - fear has two meanings; Forget Everything and Run, or Face Everything and Rise. The choice is yours. Thank you." The audience cheered for him as he waved away, and Noah went backstage, now holding his trophy in hand as he hugged Cody.
"I love you." He told him.
"I love you."
A/N: Welp. That is the last of The New Noah. I started this back in 2018, and it's been a staggered up and down journey filled with self-doubt, but overall, this has made me a much better, and much stronger writer. I am so sad this is ending, but I am also so happy that this means I can move on and expand The New Noah by showing Nicole's story!
A few people I'd like to thank -
Emma, my co-writer, and I started speaking in a Discord group back in 2018. We were discussing random Noah headcanons and we were speaking so much that we went to DMs to not clog the chat, and then eventually we made a little Tumblr post on it all, and that was going to be the end of it. One night I had the idea to write a story based on our headshots, and NEVER in a million years did I think I would have been this devoted to it three years later like I am. Though I've written all the chapters, Emma was the one who came up with the idea of Noah being the youngest of all the siblings, as well as the idea of him being the youngest and a twin, which is how Nicole was born. Nicole has been a key part of this story for Noah, and I cannot wait to flesh out more of her background and story with you all!
Wyatt, who helped me re-design Nicole's character design, and who has been a great friend and has given me the BEST commissions that have really brought Noah, Nicole, Cody, and Trent to life. If you'd like to see those, they're on my tumblr of the same name!
To the Discord users in Total Drama Writers and Requiem, who have encouraged my work and who have cheered on Nicole, I thank you! Your kindness and willingness to listen to my banter on Noah and the rest of the gang has been amazing.
Thank you all so much for those who have taken the time to read my story. Please let me know what your favorite chapters have been in the comments, and I hope to see you for The Nicole Series! Two chapters are already out, so please go ahead and take a look and review!
~Sami
