It was two weeks later, and Hope and Landon were continuing to date happily. They hadn't really gone on a date exactly, but he continued hanging out at her house like he had the two weeks she had been talking to him. Except now it included a good bit of kissing among the talking and movie watching and studying.
Hope spotted Landon outside at their usual spot (which was away from the other students) and sat across from him. "Hey" she said, looking at the guy she was falling hard for. She took his hand, cloaking them both.
"Hey" Landon smiled at her and took a bite of one of his fries.
"So, I saw the flyers going around about the dance, and I was wondering if you wanted to go with me. Usually I avoid anything with dumb jocks if I can but I've never gone to a highschool dance before, and I figured it could be fun if you're there" Hope said, showing him the tickets. "If you dont want them, its fine. We don't have to go"
"You already bought the tickets?" His gaze was on the tickets as he briefly wondered how much that cost.
"Yeah, there was a short line so I just made the stop since I was there" Hope shrugged lightly, not bothered.
"I want to go with you but I should pay you back for them" Landon said quickly even though it was a lot.
Hope shook her head. "I asked you. Its only fair. You can make it up by being a great date and maybe buying me a milkshake the day of." She said playfully.
Landon couldn't help the smile that stretched across his face as she took his hand, and he nodded a little. "Okay. A Peanut Butter Blast, whipped cream on the bottom it is" he said before leaning forward and kissing her for a moment, pulling away with a broad grin.
A grin spread across Hope's face as she looked at Landon. She set her tray to the side and pulled him closer to her before kissing him deeply, letting go of his hand before trailing it up to around his neck. He set his tray to the side and wrapped his arms around her, breathing in her scent. Hope found herself sliding on top of him, not wanting to distance herself from him.
Landon pulled away just a little, a grin spread across his face. "Dating someone that is part witch definitely comes in handy so we can do things like this without being bothered"
"Mmm. Yeah, that is definitely a perk to me having magic" Hope agreed with a smile before colliding with him.
Soon enough the bell rang, and Hope pulled away from their kiss, blushing just slightly. "Its time to go" she groaned a bit.
"Yes, that unfortunate thing called class" Landon said. He was smart and did like learning, but this school was full of assholes, and Landon just wanted to spend time with Hope.
Hope nodded and moved away from him. "Do you have work today?"
"Yeah, I do." Landon said, standing up.
Hope nodded a bit as they collected their things. She removed the cloaking spell and walked with him to their next class, thinking about the tickets that were in her bag.
-----
It was a week later that was the date of the dance. Hope had hardly seen Landon outside of school besides hanging out at the Grill and looking at him sometimes. For the most part, however, she was at home, painting and practicing magic. She knew he had been taking extra shifts, but she hadn't let herself ask why. Especially when she had a good idea of an answer.
Hope sighed softly and set her paintbrush down, looking at the painting of herbs in front of her. It was detailed, as most of her paintings tended to be. Thoughts started to flood her head as she cleaned the brush and walked over to the window, peering out into the woods. Her mind was on her parents as well as her father's enemies.
There was a reason she didn't make connections and kept moving around. But she decided to take the risk with Landon. But eventually one of the enemies will be coming around again, even if it's a basic vampire with a death wish. And Hope just hoped she would be able to focus if they did.
She wasnt paranoid about this like her dad was. She knew she could handle herself. She wasn't worried about her own safety, but rather about what would happen with anyone else. If anyone else would get hurt because she was Klaus Mikaelson's daughter. She hadn't been thinking like this lately. And these thoughts were not going to make her push him away again like she had before. She wasnt even sure she could push him away at this point. But that didn't mean Hope didnt have the thoughts at times anyways.
She shook her head out of the thoughts and headed back to her room. The dance was that night, and Hope had already gotten her dress. She wasnt really a dress person. But she would wear it to a dance. The tribrid started getting ready, knowing Landon would be arriving soon. Freya came inside once she was dressed and started helping with her hair, not that Hope couldn't do it on her own.
"Keelin will be home soon. She'll want to see you before the dance. And we'll need to send a picture of you to Rebekah" Freya commented as she fixed up Hope's hair a bit.
"Yeah send her a picture of me going to a human highschool dance that she didnt get the chance to go to herself." Hope commented and sighed. "Sorry I just have a lot on my mind"
"Well, let it go if you can. You're right. Rebekah never got a chance to do this. But you do. And with someone you care about. And I want you to enjoy it. Without worrying about potential futures if you can help it" Freya kissed the top of Hope's head
"Thanks, Aunt Freya. I'm glad I get to go with him. Do you have any plans tonight?"
"We are going out to eat and then just spending time together. We have a babysitter for Nick" Freya replied.
"That's nice. It gives you both some alone time while I'm at the dance" Hope smiled a bit.
"It does. We were originally gonna have Nick with us, but we might just stay out for a bit tonight, depending on what we decide to do"
"Babysitter is going to be here?"
Freya nodded and stepped away from Hope, who looked at herself in the mirror. Hope opened her mouth to speak but heard the front door open. The two headed downstairs to see Keelin walking inside.
"Oh, you look great." Keelin said, her eyes falling on Hope. "Though I still don't quite understand this town's desire for decade dances"
"It at least has them looking up how things used to be." Freya said as she walked over to her wife. "Until they do things inaccurately, which I'm sure has been done"
Hope chuckled a bit. "Yeah it definitely has. And I haven't even been to one."
"Are you excited?" Keelin asked Hope
Hope was silent for a moment. "Im excited for the new experience and for being able to go to Landon. I'm not a fan of crowds or anything. And I dont exactly like other students. But its something different to experience, and I have Landon with me"
"I'm glad you get to experience it. Though from what I have heard, Rebekah is going to be so jealous"
Hope laughed softly at that. "Yeah, she is. But she'll be glad I get to go."
"When is Landon going to be here?"
Hope checked her phone. "He just got off his shift, so he should be here between now and five minutes from now"
"Well, I'm going to shower. You really do look great, Hope" Keelin said and kissed her wife lovingly before heading upstairs.
Hope smiled a bit and waited. A couple of minutes later, there was a knock at the door. Hope walked over to the door and opened it, smiling at the sight of Landon, who was wearing his Mystic Grill uniform
"Well I suddenly feel underdressed" Landon joked after a flustered moment. "You look great, Hope. Though you always do"
She smiled at his words and kissed him lovingly. She then pulled away and looked at him.
"Here, as promised" Landon passed her the peanut butter blast with whipped cream on the bottom.
A smile spread across Hope's face as she took the milkshake from him and smiled. "Thank you. Come on" Her hand slipped into his, and she led him to the room where his outfit was.
"Thanks for keeping this safe and ready for me" Landon said. "I didn't want to leave it at the house with my foster family"
"I get it" Hope smiled and kissed him softly before heading out of the room.
Landon got dressed and looked at himself in the mirror, eyeing his natural mess of curls he was suddenly feeling self conscious about. He shook the thoughts out of his mind before heading out of the room. Once he reached the living room, he spotted Hope, who was sipping her milkshake. She looked up as he came in and smiled at the sight of him.
The tribrid stood up and walked over to him. "You look great. 'Though you always do'" she quoted his earlier words
A smile formed on Landon's face. "Thank you" he said before pressing his lips against hers.
Hope's arms wrapped around his neck as she continued to kiss him. "You're welcome"
"Alright, love birds" Freya said, reentering the room. "It's time for a picture"
Landon blushed a bit and pulled away from his girlfriend, who wrapped an arm around his waist instead, looking at Freya. The 1000 year old witch took the picture of Hope and Landon and sent it to Rebekah.
"Alright. Well, you to have fun" Freya said, passing Hope the keys.
The tribrid took them with a smile. "We will"
She headed out of the house and walked over to the car, getting inside. Landon got in the car as well, and Hope drove to the school. Once they got out, Hope headed to the dance, her hand intertwined with Landon's. She walked inside and winced at the volume of the music, her wolf hearing catching it louder than most.
"Hey," Landon said as they got to the dance floor. "Focus on me, alright?"
Hope looked at Landon and concentrated. Slowly the music volume faded to a lower sound as she concentrated on his heartbeat. She breathed out slowly and nodded. "im okay" she assured him. She just wasn't used to music that loud.
"Okay. Do you maybe want to dance or something?" Landon asked nervously
"I'd like that"
"Fair warning, I may suck at it" he warned his girlfriend with a smile.
"Well, if it makes you feel any better, I havent had dancing experience either" Hope warned with a smile and took his hand, moving him more onto the dance floor where they started to dance. She wrapped her arms around him, pulling him closer to her, her hearing focused on the steady sound of his heart beating as they swayed a bit to the music.
Eventually Landon pulled away a bit. "Do you want some punch?"
"Punch at a highschool dance. Sounds just like the movies" she said playfully and smiled, nodding a little
"Alright. I'll be right back" He promised and went to go get them drinks. As he was approaching the table, Connor bumped into him, spilling punch on Landon's outfit.
"Oh, I didn't see you there, Kirby. I'm surprised you can even come to this party. Unless your little girlfriend bought the tickets and the suit." Connor remarked.
"I bought the suit."
"But she paid for the tickets." Connor chuckled
"Its 2029, Connor. Girls can ask guys to the dance. It doesn't just go one way" Landon said, irritated, courage surging through him despite knowing there would be consequences later.
"Yet we all know its because you can't afford it."
Hope's eyes narrowed at Connor and Landon as she noticed the interaction, the lights of the gym flickering. She marched right over to them. Hope took Landon's hand and led him through the crowd and out of the gym, ignoring some of the stares they had gotten.
She seemed to draw people's attention no matter where she went, something that was always inconvenient since she was trying to remain low. And it didn't help the interaction between Landon and Connor. She made sure not to trip in her shoes as she headed quickly down the hall with Landon, not letting his hand go.
"Where are we going?" Landon's voice echoed a little through the mostly vacant halls, passing by a couple making out in the corner of the hallway.
"Wait and you'll see" was Hope's answers as she started to slow down while they reached the doors.
She pushed open the school doors and walked outside with Landon, who was watching her curiously. He felt guilty about his presence seeming to ruin Hope's night. If he wasn't as much of a loser, Connor wouldn't bother with the comments he made. If he wasn't a foster kid with not much money. If he was actually somebody in life besides some poor scifi-obsessed nerd that got abused at home and bullied at school. Hope slowed to a stop as they got to the middle of the court yard.
"We don't have to leave." Landon said, looking down a bit. "You can go back and enjoy the dance if you want to. I don't want to ruin your experience of the school dance"
"Who said anything about leaving?" Hope said with a small smile as she looked at Landon.
She muttered a small spell to cloak them both before letting go and taking out her phone. She turned on a song and set her phone on the bench before walking over to Landon again and wrapping her arms around his neck.
"I have everything I need right here. With you. It was all I wanted tonight. It is all I want tonight. I don't care about those rich and popular assholes that think they own the place and can just say whatever they want. I just want you. Right here and right now"
Landon looked at her, his eyes lighting up a bit at her words. He still couldn't believe he was this lucky. That he actually got to be with a girl that really wanted him. That this girl was Hope Mikaelson, the most beautiful girl he had ever laid his eyes on. She could end up with anyone if she wanted, and she chose him. He didn't understand why, but he was forever grateful to have this chance to be with her.
Hope looked into Landon's eyes, unable to help the warmth she felt inside as she saw how much he cared about her in them. She hoped that she would not be forced to leave him. That the drama would stay away until she turned 18 and she could refuse to move. But she was also terrified her presence in his life would only get him killed. She couldn't stand it if she lost him, even though she hadn't known him very long. After losing her parents.... she couldn't
Landon wrapped his arms around Hope, tugging her body closer to his as they danced to the music she had playing. His heart was beating a bit faster than normal as he felt her closeness. She tugged his head down a bit, and he rested his forehead against hers, breathing out slowly, enjoying the feeling of warmth and happiness her presence provided. Enjoying how safe and secure he felt right then.
"What if someone comes out here? We aren't supposed to be over here" Landon asked, not wanting her to get in trouble
Hope shook her head slightly. "I cloaked us. No one is going to bother us. I promise" she said. "And I'll help you take care of the stains later. I promise." She slowly kissed him, breathing in his scent as she poured passion into the kiss.
Her arms tightened around his neck, drawing him closer to her as he brought her body closer to him. Hope pulled away a little and looked at Landon, who was watching her with wonder. The foster kid felt a new feeling inside his heart, one he never wanted to let go. A sense of belonging. He never wanted to let Hope Mikaelson go. His head lowered again, and he kissed her, getting lost in his feelings for her as the rest of the world faded away
It was amazing how love happened sometimes. How it swept you off your feet before you could process what was happening, before you could convince yourself that the best thing to do for the other person was let them live their life without you. And then you realize that you can't let them go. Your heart and soul are now intertwined so tightly with theirs that the thought of living without them was absolutely soul shattering.
Hope never wanted to lose Landon Kirby, and she hoped that none of the enemies would come and find out of her love for this human that she had fallen so strongly for. But she couldn't push him away. Not now. The mere idea made her feel a squeeze in her chest. He had become such a vitally important part of her life in such a short time.
------
After the dance, they headed back to Freya's car before driving to the Mikaelson mansion. Hope was thinking about how much she enjoyed spending time with him. It was fun going to the school dance. But she knew she wouldn't have really cared if she had been with anyone else. It was a new experience. But company was what really made memories.
Once they reached the door, Landon said "I'm just gonna go grab my clothes"
"I can help out with the stain" Hope offered. "Aunt Freya mixed up a special remedy that helps better than laundry detergent."
"I'd appreciate that"
Hope smiled a little and led him inside. "I'll be right back" she said.
"You know, in horror movies, you aren't supposed to say that" Landon said. "It just leads to death"
"Well, considering I'm a... how did you put it... a unicorn. I think I'll be fine" Hope assured him and pressed her lips to his for a moment. She then headed up the staircase and came back down with a t-shirt big enough to fit him. It had bits of dried paint on it. She held it out to him. "Here"
Landon took the shirt and looked down at it. "Thank you" he said and raised an eyebrow. "Paint? Isn't this a bit too big for you?"
Hope laughed a little, shaking her head a bit. "It is, but I wear it sometimes to keep paint off my clothes if I'll be doing a lot of painting. It goes down to my knees"
"It should fit. I'll, uh, go get changed out of my outfit." Landon smiled a little at her before heading to the spare room he had left his work clothes in.
Hope walked over to the kitchen, thinking. She pulled out some lemonade she had made earlier and poured herself a glass as she waited for Landon. She reached up, touching her Mikaelson necklace as thoughts flooded through her mind. She wanted to talk to her other relatives. But she wasnt sure she should. Before she could further consider it, Landon walked inside the kitchen.
"Hey" she said, walking over to him. "I'll go take care of your clothes. You're welcome to the lemonade if you want some."
"Thank you" he replied, looking at her before moving to get himself a glass.
Hope watched him for a moment before heading off to take care of the stains on his clothes. Soon enough she came back to him. "Its not an instant fix. But it works better than detergent. Even helps out with getting blood out of clothes"
"Right. Thats fine. Well, I should probably get going. It's getting late."
"Stay" The word had escaped her mouth before she could stop it. She cleared her throat. "I want you to stay. If you want to"
Landon smiled a little at the offer. "Well it certainly beats returning to my foster family" he said, walking over to her and wrapping his arms around her.
Hope smiled a bit back and pressed her lips to his, tugging him closer. She pressed her lips to his and closed her eyes. for a moment. She then pulled away and looked at him. "Come with me" she said and took his hand before leading him up the staircase.
She reached her room and let go of his hands before walking over to her dresser, pulling out clothes to change into. She kissed his cheek and went to the bathroom across the hall, where she got dressed in a dark tank top and comfortable pants. She headed back into the room, where Landon was waiting.
"Are you sure its a good idea for me to stay the night in here? I kind of thought you meant a spare bedroom" Landon said
Hope raised an eyebrow. "Do you want to stay in one of our guest rooms again?"
Landon blushed a little. "No." he admitted. "I just didn't think your aunts would be okay with it"
Hope shrugged lightly. "They are out having a good time and will be busy with each other. Nik is with a family friend for the night."
"Alright" he said and went over to her bed before getting on it.
Hope climbed into bed on the left side and laid next to him. It felt right, being beside him. Different. But right. She had never had anyone laying beside her that wasn't a family member hanging out and talking to her. This felt new but also familiar in a way since she was used to cuddling up against him on couches and such. There was something soothing about being by his side in a way that there wasn't about anything else. It was similar to how she felt about painting but also different.
She rested her head on his shoulder and wrapped and arm around him. "I had a great time today"
"Even though Connor spilled punch all over me?" Landon questioned with a small smile
"Even then. I'm not gonna let Connor ruin the time I spend with you. I loved dancing with you. Whether it was inside the gym or cloaked and out in the courtyard of the school. I just want you. In class. At a school dance. In the Mystic Grill. At my personal mini theater room. In my bedroom. Wherever. I just... I really like you" Hope said
"I really like you too" Landon said and leaned over, pressing his lips to hers before pulling away. "Now get some sleep. We can talk in the morning" he promised and rested his hands on her arm that was around him.
Hope smiled and closed her eyes, snuggling up against him a little more before slowly drifting into a peaceful sleep.