The Vampire Diaries Imagines 2

225 » john

hi! please note that this used to be a stefan imagine, but i scrapped that and replaced it with a john one instead (: thank you so much for reading x

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The blue lights of Mystic High's gym enveloped you in mystery as you slowly weaved through the crowd of people, consisting of eager students and the few chaperones who had volunteered alongside you. Caroline Forbes, ever the socialite-in-making had insisted on the school throwing a Winter Ball to send every off to Christmas break, and as she often did, she had gotten her way.

Of course, her personality wasn't something you were awfully aware of — you were just a tad older than her or anyone in her friend group, and you had spent well over a decade out of Mystic Falls. It wasn't until very recently that the allure of the small town had drawn you back in, and there you were now: surrounded by people you barely recognized yet feeling at home.

Though to be fair, you would have recognized Caroline's mother from a mile away, so maybe you weren't all that lost.

The slow songs being played by the guy whose name you could weakly remember as Matt kept you company while you wandered around the gym, keeping an eye on the students around you. You were taking a lenient approach though — despite the sheriff's adamant reminders that their town was full of rebellious teens, you were willing to turn a blind eye to the less dangerous fun being had in the shadows of the room. You, too, could vividly remember your high school parties, from the decade dances to full-on prom.

In fact, whenever you reminisced your high school years, one thing always popped to your mind like clockwork. Or more accurately, one person. A person that you hadn't come across ever since you had left town, or really even heard of, and frankly, you weren't holding your breath on any epic reunions. Word was, John Gilbert had followed your lead and bailed on Mystic Falls by his twenties, so even if you remembered his warm smile and cheesy jokes as fond memories, that was all they were. Memories, and faded ones, at that.

But as luck — or fate, take your pick — would have it, the snowflakes on the walls and the neon lights illuminating the full dance floor made the perfect setting for that unlikely reunion.

You didn't really believe in meet-cutes, or even remeet-cutes, but as you turned on your heel only to bump into a firm back at the same second, your beliefs fell apart entirely. The whiff of aftershave threatened to sweep you off of your feet and as you huffed at the crash you were already rushing to apologize for, you placed your hands on your cheeks and dreaded the slow turn of the man in front of you.

"Sorry, it's so crowded in here", you tried to justify yourself, the stress in your voice evident as you followed the suited man twirl around. The sleek black he was dressed in from head to toe made you feel unsure of your purple dress, but you had hardly gotten to swoon at the broad shoulders and sharp jawline facing your way when your eyes met his, and everything around you stopped. Years might have passed, but you would have recognized that gaze anywhere.

And John, he had never forgotten about you. Granted, he hadn't fallen out of your thoughts either, but as soon as you had spoken up, something in his chest burst to life and all those little moments spent with you flashed right in front of his eyes. How he had asked you to dance with him only for you to end up teaching him the moves, how the only time he had ever skipped class was to take you for fries at the Grill, how he had finally mustered the strength to pull you into a kiss the day after you had told him you were moving away after school. There had always been tension between you, yet it had never reached its breaking point. You were the one that got away. Now, though, as by some miracle you stood inches away from one another once more, he was beyond amazed.

"Trust me, you have nothing to apologize for", John spoke breathlessly, his conversation with someone else quickly dismissed as he faced you with wide eyes and the bud of a smile. Any hope of being even remotely smooth flew out of the window and as he took in the sight of you from head to toe, a sigh fell from his lips and he shook his head in sheer disbelief. How he was lucky to be here right now, he didn't know.

Whereas he tried to play it cool — even if weakly — you didn't hesitate to launch into a hug. "It's so great to see you! It's been so long", you cried out happily as the awkwardness of bumping into him melted away and your heart rejoiced in your chest. Without worry, you threw your arms around him, and it didn't take him more than a second to respond to your tight embrace with equal enthusiasm. He closed you in his warm hold and you felt like you were on top of the world as you squished into his chest — so you can only imagine how blissful John felt.

"Too long", he corrected as he shut his eyes and stood there for one more second, unwilling to let go and accept the world around him again. Frankly, he couldn't help but entertain the thought of what his life could have been if he had gotten the courage to act on his feelings sooner. Maybe you could have traveled together; maybe he could have forgotten all about the grim reasons he had returned for.

"How long have you been here?" you couldn't help but inquire as you stepped away and gave him an incredulous look. "And what are you doing here?" you added with a gesture at the party, earning a chuckle from him.

"I just came back a month ago, actually. I... felt like it was time to stop denying my roots", he explained enigmatically, though none of it failed to charm you. "As for this lovely high school gym, I'm chaperoning", he continued with a smile that matched your own. Whether you admitted it or not, the two of you standing in that very gym made you think of all the times you had stayed after classes to cheer for him during football practice, all the times he had asked you to be his date to whatever dance the Caroline Forbes of your time had thrown. You had been quite the duo, and somehow, all the best memories that still made your heart flutter could be traced back to this very room.

"You and me both. And, uh, I flew back in last week", you took the turn to elaborate, and almost beaming, John nodded attentively. He had already wondered if you had been here all along and he had been too busy to find you, but knowing that you were fresh out of the airplane soothed his racing heart.

Though, it didn't exactly sate his curiosity. "Just vacationing, or..?" he trailed off, much less sneaky than he intended, but you didn't mind the interest. If anything, you were happy it was still there — you did feel the same way about him. Like there was something worthwhile there. Sure, it had been buried for a long time, but now that you could stare into John's eyes again and he was more than a figment of your imagination, all those old feelings bubbled right back up to the surface.

"I think I'm here to stay, for now", you responded, and in an instant, his smile only deepened. Neither of you was too good at hiding how you felt, but you supposed that by now, you were mature enough to do something about it.

Nevertheless, there was nothing mature about how everyone else around you just disappeared. The teens you had been left in charge of could have been very well setting fire to the building, but you wouldn't have noticed as long as John was there.

"Can I interest you in some alcohol-free punch?" he proposed with an arm extended out for you, his voice suggesting that if you were there to stay, so was he.

Thinking back to all the times he had asked you that very same question, you looped your arm around his and nodded. "Always", you confirmed, hoping the simple response to assure that even outside the gym, you would be more than happy to have a drink with him, whenever.

And undoubtedly, that was an offer John wasn't going to take for granted.