Hero/John
Disclaimer: I don't own NMTD or Much Ado About Nothing. They belong to their respective owners.
Hook, Line, and Sinker
After everyone left for college, it was just her and John (and Dogberry and Verges but they were younger and in another grade level so she didn't count them). Despite the fact that Ursula was still in town as was Claudio, she never felt more lonely.
Maybe that was why she sought out John. He knew too well, what it was like to be lonely. She sought something to fill the loneliness, even if it meant more silence. She disliked the idea of being alone in a room, less the words and cruel voices came to torment her. There were some people to this day that kept the rumors of her birthday afloat. For some, reasons she was drawn to John, the reason this happened in the first place. It started small, quick glances from the corner of her eyes to plain just staring at him. She could sense his presence in a room and before she knew it, he was all she had on her mind.
She sat down at her empty lunch table and her eyes found John right away. He was sitting alone with his headphones plugged in.
John, avoided everyone and everything, especially her. He dressed in black and wore hoodies, hiding even more now from everyone and everything than ever.
Apart of her wants to hate him but she can't because he has taught her that life isn't a fairy tale. He gave her a rude but a needed wake up call. She learned that no matter how sweet she is, people would rather believe lies because they rather blame someone perfect than themselves. They can't bear to blame the beloved athlete. She has learned that communictaion is imoprtant and that perfection doesn't exist. So she keep her eyes on him.
One day, he looks up to catch her looking at him. They stare at each other and she smiles. He looks so surprised and then he gives her a small smile. That look made Hero determined to see him smile at her more.
She had seen the smile in Ben's video and was determined to have him flash one a bigger and brighter smile at her. He was beautiful when he smiled.
She sits next to him in class, ready to touch his elbow in case he falls asleep or gets distracted drawing. She tries to ignore the way he flinches the first few times she touches him, as if he is expecting her to hit him or yell at him, but eventually he stops. She sends him the notes when he is sick from school. She always makes sure to add hearts and smiley faces and drawings of cats, just to see him smile when she drops off the homework at his house.
She tries to keep the soccer players from being cruel to him but threats and the fact she is Leo's sister isn't enough, anymore. Many of them think she did cheat on Claudio.
Then one day she sees a group of eight of soccer players cornering him by the stairs. John looks pale and is breathing hard and she remembers a memory of when they were friends at 14 and he admitted he was claustrophobic. She acts instantly, getting right in the middle of them, trying to pull John away. One of the boys shoves her away and she crashes into the wall.
There was a stunned silence as everyone takes in her form on the ground. The soccer football player holds out a hand and then John lunges forward and he punches the one who shoved her away. There was a crack and then blood. The other guys step back in shock, not expecting quiet John to pack a punch. Then John bent down and picked her up, carrying her bridal style to the nurse and then after she is okay he walks to the principal's office. She is stunned as is everyone else when he picks her up. He murmurs in her ear.
"Silly Hero. You don't have to protect me, love. Let me protect you."
She buries her head into his neck as he carries her.
He got a three-day suspension. She wants to fight it so badly but she doesn't because she gets a text telling her to rest up and not fight the suspension.
She wants to thank him but had no idea where to find him. A text message isn't enough.
They let her go home early, worried about a concussion. She stumbled upon him in the middle of the park by pure chance or maybe fate. She sits next to him, her skirt tucked around her legs. He takes off his jacket and puts it around her. She leans her head on his shoulder and their fingers interlock automatically. It's comforting and familiar to them both despite the fact that this is the first time its just been the two of them since her birthday. There are no glaring brothers, no fluttering mother, no younger year following them. it's just them.
They sit there in silence until it starts getting dark. The sun begins to set casting a pretty glow around them.
Then he stands up and holds out his other hand to pull her up. He looks at her as the sun hits her, making her seem like an angel. He smiles, guesses he's the fallen angel. Once she is standing, she doesn't want to let go of him and is disappointed when he drops her hands. So she places her hand in the crook of his arm and after a pause, he escorts her somewhere.
He walks her home and ignores the look Leo and his boys give her. He declines dinner. She kisses his cheek and he blushes slightly. She blushes too and heads inside.
Hero eats quietly and tries to rush to her room before Leo gets to her.
She isn't lucky.
Leo jumps to conclusions so fast it makes her head spin.
The answers fall automatically out fo her mouth.
"No John did not hurt me."
"He only punched your boy because they accidently shoved me."
"Yes I know is should haven't gotten in the way but you really should tell your boys to lay off, John. He's good."
She escapes to her room and lays down on her bed.
She closes her eyes and thinks about the time John pulled her aside at her the picnic. The way his eyes bore into hers. The way she felt protected despite all the pain he caused.
The way she shivered when he whispered in her ear.
The way she wanted to hug him tightly that day.
She thinks about how kind he was to her today and realizes belatedly that she still has his jacket.
She thinks about how she feels safe around him which is insane considering all the crazy stuff he did to her.
She falls asleep in his jacket, no nightmares waking her up.
The next morning, she gives him his jacket at school aware of everyone looking at them. John gives her a smile and that's all it takes for her heart to beat faster.
His smile is the fly and she is the fish that gobbled it whole, hook, line, and sinker.
She kisses him on the corner of his mouth and a hush goes around the school. It's all they can talk about.
The day after that he avoids her but she knows he's around keeping an eye on her. This goes on for about a week before she takes matters into her own hands.
She sees him sitting alone so she sits next to him and takes his hand in hers. He looks at her surprise but she smiles and then he smiles and it tells everyone that John is under Hero's protection and she is under his. The football player leaves him alone and the cheerleaders leave her be.
He drives her home that day and stays for dinner. After that, they begin spending more time together.
One day when they are watching a movie on her sofa with a blanket over them, hands and fingers interlocked, she smiles and kisses his cheek. He looks at her but she doesn't notice since she is back looking at the movie. She is thankful for may have learned that not everything is a fairytale but second chances do exist and she finds herself falling hard for him.
Eventually, he falls for her too.
Although he doesn't tell her this until they are fighting in the middle of the school parking lot and he kisses her on impulsive. He gets the answer to his question when she kisses him back, fingers tightening in his leather jacket. His hands, in turn, grip her waist harder pull her her closer.
Dogberry and Verges decided not to release the video they have on the two of them online and instead gives it to them. The picture of Hero and John cuddling in the park, however, does get posted everywhere.
John and Hero don't care, however, they are more concerned about making things work.
And somehow they do make it work.
Started Summer break so I'll be updating like crazy on everything!
-Love you Wallflowers!
-Queen