A Normal, But Unforgettable Day

[02/02/2030 | Richmond, Virginia]

"Now I understand why everyone in the school simply prefers to shut off most of their senses." John said, trying to filter the huge amount of sound his hearing was receiving

"Now you know how most of the vampires and wolves feel." Hope said by his side, wearing a winter black coat covering her body. "I don't even know how you go around normally with you hearing what happens at the entire school all day."

"My curiosity about their nightly activities is certainly not one of the reasons." John chuckled. There were nights the school was a little more active than others. "But it's better to have my senses at all its capacity and get a little bothered by all the noises than tone them down and get caught by surprise by something or someone. Not to mention, with my hearing working normally, I am learning how to filter what I consider unnecessary sounds. And from there I will not get bothered by so many noises and still use my hearing to its best." He explained, continuing their walk to their destination. "You should do the same. It's better to endure it for a while than sometimes having to tone down your hearing to almost the level of a normal human."

"No, thanks. I'd rather not listen to Lizzie's voice the entire day wherever I am." Hope said, showing a forced smile to express how much she was against the idea. 

To that, John shook his head as he smiled.

After a few minutes of walking and chatting between them, both Hope and John arrived in a shopping mall, with them quickly finding themselves in one of the clothing stores of the place.

They were welcomed by one of the vendors, but since they didn't want to be bothered, John politely declined her offer of guiding them and quickly found themselves in the male clothes section. Now, the problem was to find clothes which would fit on John. After all, finding clothes for a guy towering 2 meters tall and with his physique was not the easiest thing.

In John's perspective, anything was good for him as long as he felt comfortable. That didn't mean he did not have a fashion sense, with John actually choosing a few good clothes that he considered good to go out with when needed.

Hope, however, when seeing the few clothes John picked, she took things herself and when into the male section and started to choose one clothing after another.

Initially, John was a little surprised by Hope's reaction. She didn't seem like the girl who cared much about fashion and appearances. However, when remembering all those looks she wore during the series and what she usually wore when outside of school hours, he thought it was normal. 

Walking around the male section, John had Hope's winter coat hanging over his shoulder while he held all the clothes she picked for him and followed her from behind.

Twitching his head to the side a little, John marveled at the sight of Hope's back going through the clothes. The black jeans stuck well to her curves, highlighting them beautifully. Not to mention the wine red turtleneck sweater she was wearing was basically glued to her body.

I could easily lose myself in those curves. John thought. 

"I may reduce my own senses, but it doesn't mean I can't feel your eyes on me." Hope said, a smirk blooming on her lips as she turned around. 

"Can you blame me? If I didn't look at you, it would be like going to the Louvre and stare at the ceiling instead of Monalisa." John replied, also smirking at her.

"You have such a sweet tongue." Hope said, throwing a piece of clothes over John's head.

"You know I have." John said, taking off the clothing off his face. "I know you are rich and all, but are you sure you want to buy me all these clothes?" He asked, looking down at the amount of clothes he was holding.

"Why does it seem you are more bothered by the amount of clothes than the fact I am spending the money?" She asked.

"Because I don't see much reason for you to buy me more than twenty shirts considering we use the school uniform almost the entire time during the week and there are only seven days in the week." John replied.

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that." Hope said. "If you'd tell Aunt Rebekah something like that, she would probably prohibit you from coming close to her." 

"All right, I will try to get used to the noble dressing taste of a Mikaelson." John said. 

"That would be perfect." Hope said, grabbing one more and last shirt from one hanger. A long-sleeve heavy cotton black shirt. "Go try these ones. After that, we'll buy you some shorts and pants and then one or two pairs of shoes."

"Okay." John said, pushing open the curtain of the fitting room and entering it. "Try not to peek at me." 

"Look who's talking." Hope said, rolling her eyes.

For the next few minutes, John changed clothes and left to show Hope how he looked in them, with all of them resulting in her approval. 

Well, she chose all of them after all. John thought, going back into the fitting room.

Sometimes, people would stop by and observe the couple. They would stand to watch the handsome young man and beautiful young woman acting like love birds, appreciating their beauty in their own little world, seemingly ignoring everyone else around.

"We got quite the crowd." Hope said, not needing to look around much to notice people stealing glimpses at them.

"Can you blame them?" John said, trying a long-sleeve red shirt. "It's just instinctual that people get attracted to those they consider pleasant and attractive, appearance-wise or behavioral." He said, rolling up the sleeves, looking at himself in a mirror outside the fitting room.

He liked the clothing and it was comfortable as well. However, when looking at the mirror, with Hope in the back, the thing he noticed the most was something else.

"Hey, come here." 

John got Hope's attention with his words, with her walking to his side. When standing by his side, he passed his arm over her waist, holding her close to his side as both of them stood in front of the mirror.

"Look, we match." He said, looking at both of them in the mirror, the two wearing winter clothes of red coloring. 

Seeing this, Hope laughed lightly. This small interaction improved her already great mood. "Yes, we do." She said softly. 

Putting her hand in her pocket, Hope took out her phone. In a few seconds, flashes of light illuminated the space between them and the mirror, grasping their image over the mirror, storing the photos in her phone. Sometimes, the photos differed a little, in some they would be smiling, in others they were more serious or adjusted their stances.

After the quick photography session, Hope started to look at her gallery, seeing each photo one by one. Her lips formed a small smile during the entire time she looked at them.

"Send me them later." John said close to her ear with a low voice.

"Okay." Hope replied. Her voice melodiously, bringing out the happiness she felt when experiencing little things like this.

Standing by her side, John admired intently the joyous mood Hope was now. Her clear blue eyes seemed to sparkle and her cherry lips curled upwards. When she smiled, the smooth skin over her cheeks attracted the attention of his eyes, with them following her every expression change.

By looking at her now, and recalling what happened hours ago, what he did to protect these little moments with her, John felt the most right now that what he did was worth it. Him killing a vampire was worth it, and everyone who would come for her will be worth it as long as she could keep smiling as she is right now.

"What?" Hope asked, looking up to see John's intense stare.

With the right tip of his lips curling up, John shook his head lightly. "It's nothing. It's just… as I said before you should smile more." He said.

"I'm pretty sure the exact word you said was 'laughing'." Hope said.

"I know what I said, but you also know what I meant." Lowing down his head a little, John's lips met Hope's for a brief moment. "I am gonna take this out and then we can continue your shopping spree."

"Okay." Hope nodded, her eyes following him as John went into the fitting room once again.

After taking a look at the rest of the clothes and finding them all comfortable, John gave the positive sign and Hope decided to buy them for him.

But before paying for them, they went around to search for pants, shorts, shoes and other clothes that Hope thought John needed.

When leaving the clothing store, John was carrying a dozen shopping bags in his hands, with Hope by his side.

After buying every single piece of clothing John needed, according to Hope, both of them walked to the food court.

"I think that's it for today." Hope said, her lips around the paper straw of her peanut butter milkshake. 

"Actually, I would like to ask you something." John said awkwardly. "Would you mind getting me a computer?" He asked, acting a little shy from asking her something.

The reason behind his behavior was that John was a little restrained in asking Hope something like that. The slightest possibility of her getting bothered by him asking her to buy something making him worried. After all, one thing was she deliberately choosing and buying the things herself, another was him asking.

When seeing his reaction at the moment he asked, Hope could only think he looked a little cute. "You can just ask. As I said, money is not a problem." She said, smiling sweetly.

"I know, but, you know… I didn't want to seem like someone who takes advantage of the fact you are super rich." John said, taking a sip of his own drink. 

Listening to him, Hope just smiled. "Relax, if I get bothered by something. I will tell you. You know I am not the person to hold back what I think." She said, "We'll stop by some stores to see if we can get one for you." Hope said.

"I was thinking of just buying the separate pieces and I would assemble everything later. It's been some time since I set up a computer." John said, actually a little bit expectant to it.

"I should've guessed you also know how to work around these things." Hope said, finishing her milkshake, putting the cup aside. "Ready to go?"

"Yes." John nodded, also ending his drink.

After their little break, John and Hope went around the shopping mall to search for what they wanted.

In all stores, John only chose the hardwares and components while Hope approached her black card on the machines, acting as his sugar mommy.

At the end of their visit to the shopping mall, John left the place carrying more than a dozen bags full of clothes, hardwares and other components. Meanwhile, Hope walked by his side, smiling faintly when looking at him, trying not to laugh at his situation. She tried to help him carry things, but he insisted on doing it. Saying he needed to at least do it. She relented in the end. And after all, it was not like it weighed anything for him.

In a deserted part around the city, John focused on his senses and nodded to Hope. "I think this place is good enough." He said, not sensing a single person in hundreds of meters. "Let's go." 

Nodding, Hope moved her arms around John's neck, interlocking them as she felt her feet leaving the ground beneath her feet and the sky getting closer.

"Invisiki." Hope said, casting a spell of invisibility around the two of them with great ease.

And to further prevent from being seen, John used his ability to detect electromagnetic waves to evade anything that could spot them or simply distort the waves around him, creating a certain simple illusion around them. That's something he has been practicing the last few weeks, in case he couldn't go around a satellite's range and needed to go through it. 

The information the satellite or anything with the capacity to also receive these waves would gather would be distorted data, like a very hard to distinct blur in the image produced by the electromagnetic waves. 

[20:54 | Mystic Falls]

Back in town, Hope and John first left the bags in the young man's room before heading out again. This time, to a very distinct and special place in this town.

"The Mystic Grill." John muttered, pushing open the doors of the establishment before entering it with Hope. 

The place was filled with people, from those who were just chatting casually around the tables eating their dinner to those at the bar initiating the first round of the night.

The mood in the establishment was an inviting one. The interior was rustic, to say the least, with its small-town charms like wooden dark tables and dim lighting.

With small steps into the place, John felt the whole place around himself. His mind submerged into the long history this place had, with many memories of his resurging as they recounted to him as a spectator what many events happened here.

"Why are you walking into the place like you had spent a good part of your life here?" Hope asked, walking from behind John to his side, giving him a questioning and strange look.

"I feel like I do." John said, smiling mischievously. "Come on, I just saw a good empty table. Let's take it before someone else does." He said, stretching out his hand towards her.

Looking at his hand, Hope took his hand, smiling at him. 

With both walking to the table, a waitress quickly approached them, giving a menu to each other. "What would you like to order?" She asked with a smile, trying her best to give a good impression.

"I want the best of what the house has to offer, meal and drink, please." John replied, giving back the menu.

"I want the same." Hope said, "But I'd like my drink to be a lemonade, please." She added, handing back the menu.

"It will be ready in no time." The waitress said, giving one more smile to John before walking away.

"I like the place. Warm and charming, just like any good small town." John said, only Hope listened to his words. "The background music is comforting and it's not noisy, not to mention the wood architecture makes it way better." 

"You really liked the place." Hope said after John's long string of praises to the place. 

"And you, what is your opinion of the place?" John asked, leading the conversation. "You seem a little… bothered, ever since we got here.

"Want my honest opinion?" Hope asked, immediately receiving a nod as answer. In reply, she moved her head, her eyes staring at the picture of a blond woman hanging in one of the walls. "Do you see that portrait?"

John nodded. "Hmh." 

"She is somebody my father killed in his successful attempt to break the Sun and Moon Curse." Hope said, her expression changing as the words left her mouth. "Her name was Jenna Sommers." 

"Right, I saw her name in the town's archives in the school." John said, staring at the portrait for a moment before focusing back on Hope. "Then, you are bothered by the fact you have to stare at the picture of a woman your father killed?" 

"Not hard to guess." She said sarcastically, drawing circles on the table to distract herself. 

Although not as much as I expected, she is still bothered by her father's not so kind actions. John thought to himself. Besides wishing to know the Mystic Grill for the first time, there was a side reason John wished to come to this restaurant. And that is to see how much Hope was affected when confronted by the results of her father's past actions. To see how she would react to them. And, if she was greatly influenced by it, John would think of ways for her to overcome it and try not to see the world around her as a result of her father's actions

Jenna's portrait was the best and least harmful option to bring out Hope's opinion of it. Words in a book she already read many times would probably cause almost no reaction to her, meanwhile taking her to a place like the Lockwood Mansion would not be the greatest since Klaus killed the former owners, massacred a dozen hybrids nearby, and one its former residents captured her mother with her in the womb and extracted her blood to create hybrids. So, in the end, the grill was probably the best option.

When proposing the idea yesterday, Hope didn't express aversion to the idea. Only at the entrance, she displayed a slight bother, which increased as she looked at Jenna's portrait. However, despite her expression showing a little inconvenience and discomfort, Hope continued to behave calm, almost completely normal, as her words about what her father did were not rushed, but said slowly. A result of her calm mind.

"If you are feeling bothered, we can go home. We can always do something else." John said, preparing to rise from his chair. His actions all executed to understand more of what Hope thought about the current situation.

Moving quickly, Hope put her hand over John's, dragging his attention. 

"No, no. We don't need to go." She said, moving her fingers below John's hand, which was turned down, his palm flat on the table. 

Holding it, her thumb rubbed the back of his hand. Her eyes were locked on his hand as she played with his fingers. "I can't run away from a place just because I will remember a bad act of my father. If I did it, I wouldn't be in Mystic Falls nor could go to the city I call home, or actually anywhere in the world." The last part was followed by a small laugh from her. Taking a deep breath, Hope let herself relax a little before continuing. "I can't run away from what he did. Loving my father means that I must face all the awful things and atrocities he did throughout the centuries. And not only him, but what my entire family did as well. The many sins my family's name carries, all this weight, that's something I must burden whether I like it or not." Lifting her head, Hope stared at John's mesmerizing golden eyes. "Everything that comes with my name, the history, the sentiments, the material and intangible, everything… is part of my legacy, one of blood and disaster. But also, in the end, one of loyalty, strength and perseverance. At least, I think so." At the end of her words, her lips pressed against themselves before curling upwards. Her body relaxed and her eyes remained calm, but with deep emotions revealing in their deepest part.

Staring at her, John could feel many emotions from Hope, be it the obvious apparent in her expression or the more hidden ones brought to him by his temporary release of empathic abilities.

He could feel her satisfaction, fulfilments and clarity from self-understanding more about what her thoughts are related to her family's legacy, longing of her father and mother for remembering them, sadness for their departure from her life, and, above all else, resolve, for she understood that no matter how much the dark past of her father confronted her, she would love him the same way he did for her, going against the world itself to protect her.

Through John's eyes, looking at those bleep blue eyes that conveyed all these feelings to him, his first reaction was holding her hands in his tighter, but gently. I didn't expect this much. But I won't say I am not happy with the outcome. "How did you come to all of it from a single portrait?" He asked lightly, in a somewhat playful tone. 

"I don't know." Hope laughed as she smiled. "Maybe it's you. You make me feel… sentimental." 

"I hope that's a good thing." John said.

Hope nodded, her hair falling from her shoulders. "Of course it's a good thing." She replied. 

"That's great." John said, continuing to hold her hands. "Because, I expect myself only to bring good things out of you." 

"The same for me." Hope said.

Afterwards, both continued to chat between them, the mood slightly changing from the more serious and contemplative to a more light and warm.

In no time, their orders arrived, with the waitress putting down the plates and drinks. "Enjoy your meal." She said before walking away.

Looking at the food in front of him, John couldn't help but appreciate the beauty of the meal.

The house-recommended meal at the Mystic Grill was a plate of Southern-style fried chicken, its golden-brown crust seasoned with a perfect blend of spices, locking in the juicy, flavorful meat within. Alongside it sits a fluffy, homemade buttermilk biscuit, warm and slightly buttery. The meal was complemented by creamy mashed potatoes, made from scratch and generously drizzled with rich, savory gravy, and a serving of slow-cooked tender green beans, infused with the smoky essence of bacon and ham for an authentic southern touch. And to complete the meal, it was paired with a refreshing glass of ice-cold sweet tea, garnished with a slice of lemon, for a true taste of Virginia's charm.

"Everything seems fantastic." John muttered, grabbing the cutlery by the side of the main dish. "Let's dig in." 

"Try not to eat everything in the next three minutes. Enjoy the taste a little." Hope said, knowing well how the boy in front of her sometimes liked to eat things as if there was no tomorrow.

"I'll do my best." John said, starting to enjoy his meal.

As both of them savored their meal, Hope and John also chatted between themselves, enjoying the mood between themselves as they discussed normal things that happened during their week, remembering events of their lives or talking about their passions.

Whilst doing all of this, John thought as everything today was perfect in his view.

He went to another city and went shopping with the girl he likes, acquired things for a project he had in mind, and was tasting a new cuisine in a place he wished to visit for a long time as he enjoyed time with previously mentioned girl. 

For him, today was a perfect day.

When they finished their meals, both continued to chat for a moment before deciding to go back to the school. 

After paying the bill, John walked to the entrance of the restaurant, where Hope was waiting for him. "Let's go." John said, passing his arm over her shoulders. Hope nodded, passing her left arm on his back as they left the restaurant.

Walking over the sidewalk outside the restaurant, where many small tables were placed so people could still enjoy their meals outdoors, John took a look around the place. 

The Mystic Grill was near the town's main square, where many crossed by at this time to go somewhere. Be it to their homes to enjoy the rest of the night, or go somewhere else to have fun. And as long as John's senses could go, he could only hear the laughter of friends hanging out and feel the emotions of couples enjoying their time together.

Right now, the town of Mystic Falls is peaceful. And the couple enjoyed this peacefulness as they returned to their home. No super speed, no flying, just walking normally to home as they enjoyed the quiet night. 

When approaching the school, both passed through the gates. But when reaching the school's entrance, John stopped his steps, with Hope following his actions immediately.

Looking up, seeing his expression, Hope couldn't help but smile as she tilted her head to the side. "What is it? Do you want to say something, don't you?" She asked, already knowing the answer.

John smiled subtly, agreeing with her. "It's just… I wanted to say a few things before we wrap up the day." 

His words got more of Hope's attention. However, despite his slightly serious expression, she was not worried. Whatever he was about to say, she knew it was meant to be something good.

"It's been almost two weeks since that night when you kissed me. And even since then, during these past few days, I have been thinking how I would wish for us to progress."

"More progress than you sleeping on my bed?" Hope asked with a playful smile.

To that, John chuckled. "Maybe a little. But what I am referring to is that I wish for us to 'officialize' things…." John said, letting his words sink in. "I feel that we, or perhaps I, skipped a certain important step in this relationship. The thing is, Hope Andrea Mikaelson, would you like to be my girlfriend?" 

These words were said in a calm and gentle tone, despite the slight nervousness showing in his eyes.

This nervousness was a result of a rise of anxiety in John's mind. This anxiety makes his mind run a mile per second, constantly thinking of impossible reasons for Hope to deny him, of ways she would say 'no' to him. His anxiety was taking a space of his mind, leading him to think of paranoid thoughts and reasonless scenarios. 

However, at the same time, this anxiety was overwhelmed by the feeling of tranquility and serenity. Because through the calm side of his mind, he thought with clarity about what he knew regarding their mutual feelings. Of how he felt about her and how Hope felt about him. How she behaved in his presence, how she laughed and how happy she seemed. And when considering all of this, a single answer would come to his mind.

"Yes, John Neo, I would like to be your girlfriend." Hope replied, her expression exuding happiness and joy as she jumped into the boy's arms. He held her, with both proceeding to share a deep, tender kiss, wrapping the day with a perfect, and probably unforgettable, night.

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Okay, the end of this chapter was cringe, maybe a little too much. But whatever, I am here to say a few things. First, last week of exams for now. After this, I will have a small recess of two weeks, so I could write a little more during this time. 

Second, I know I said at the beginning that things would be getting real soon, which would be more or less chapter 8 to 10. However, I couldn't do it since I thought just doing a time skip and then having to explain everything that happened during this time would make it complicated. But from what I see now, things are getting really getting closer to the date I envisioned for the real plot to begin with. This will be the only I will tell you all. 

Third, at the same time I have been trying to study, train and write, I have also been watching and reading other fictional worlds that I see fit for this first volume of the fic. So, if any of you would like to recommend a world that is similar to the TVDU, write it here and I will take a look at it to see if it's worth to work on it. 

And fourth, thanks for all your support. I know I've said this many times, but it really helps. Every time I get a notification someone gave me power stones, wrote a comment, a review or simply added the fanfic to their collection, it helps me work on it more. So, thanks for your support - Author.

P.S: Small change in chapter 7. Changed from "over the mark of 6' 4"" to "easily over the mark of 6' 5"".