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Hope’s POV
I can’t believe I let MG drag me to a goddamn party.
It’s been awhile since the last monster attack and the Salvatore students have decided to celebrate the only way they know how. With a party.
To be fair I haven’t been to a party, since... well you know.
Anyway I figured I needed a break. I feel like I deserve a break for once. Ever since I ended things with Landon, I was immediately thrown into fighting monsters again. Now that there’s no monsters I don’t want to let him convince me to get back with him. With the end of the school year coming around I don’t want to let myself get caught up in the nostalgia. I know about Rafael’s feelings but I honestly don’t feel the same. I mean he’s a great guy and all but, he’s still healing from Cassie...and he’s not my type.
“Hope I promise you’ll have fun.” He spins to a stop in front of me and places his hand over where his undead heart is beating. “I, Milton Greasley, an official member of the Super Squad, solemnly swear, that you, Hope Mikaelson, will have fun tonight and that this will be a night to remember.” I snort and shake my head in response to his very “MG” like antics.
“Alright, Milton.” I put my hands in the air as a surrender. “I’ll go and have fun at this stupid party.” He grins in response as we reach the old mill. The music is thumping at a steady beat and party-goers are coming in and out of the mill.
“Good,” He vamp speeds away, coming back with 4 shots of unknown liquor. “Cause’ you’re gonna need these.” He hands me two. I shoot my eyebrow up, silently asking what I’m about to drink.
“It’s your favorite,” he sings.
My eyes widen as I down the two glasses of the molten liquid with a quickness that rivals vampire speed.
“Ahh, bourbon. You definitely know the way to a lady’s heart MG.” He gets this wistful look in his eyes as he gingerly sips at his shot. I can tell he’s thinking of the energetic blonde that told him to come to this party. I grab his hand leading him towards the mind numbing alcohol, refilling my two glasses.
“Uh uh, if I’m having fun tonight so are you,” I announce as I chug down the bourbon. “As leader of the Super Squad,” his eyes light up in surprise and excitement. I inhale the other one, lifting my eyebrow in amusement, “that’s an order.” He starts chuckling, finally consuming his drink. I then continued to drag him off towards the beer pong table. I ignored the stares of the other students as I knocked back another shot. We won the next couple of games, already becoming an unstoppable team and because of the amount of alcohol we consumed, we both started getting a little cocky.
I can honestly say I like this side of MG, he looks carefree, like he’s doesn’t have to impress anyone. Apparently we garnered a lot of attention, and thus the Saltzman twins made their presence known. I mean having been the leading cup pong champions, I’d have assumed that they’d get here earlier.
“Well, well, well Mikaelson. Look who came out of her cave.” The blonde siphoner snarked, a smirk already stretching across her face.
“Oh wow, you stopped looking at the mirror long enough to grace us with your presence, Saltzman.” I smirk watching her shake her head playfully.
“Are you ladies gonna talk all night or are we gonna play some pong?” MG asks twirling the ping pong ball on the tip of his index finger. Suddenly the ball was ripped away from his finger in a burst of magic, landing right in the center of Josie’s hand.
“Yeah, we all know how you both can bicker until the end of time, so are we gonna be play or not.” Josie says grinning mischievously.
That was kinda hot.
Okay, maybe I’ve had a little bit too much to drink. Before I can utter a response Josie shot the ball directly into the cup in front of me.
“Drink up, Tribrid.” My jaw drops a little because that was hot and there’s nothing that can keep me from denying that fact. I tilt my head up and gulp down the beer.
“Oh it’s on, Siphoner.” I flash the old Mikaelson smirk before sneaking a shot directly into her cup.
It went on like this for about half an hour before Josie got dragged away by Penelope, promptly ending our game, leaving a bitter taste in my mouth. Even though Josie isn’t seeing Penelope anymore, it’s like Josie can’t shake her. Which I shouldn’t even care about by the way, but when you’re friends with Lizzie Saltzman all I ever do is hear about it.
At some point in the night Josie had come back saying how she wanted to wake up early to catch up on a book that she was currently obsessed with, which I found adorable, Lizzie on the other hand boo’d at her, but still hugged her sister goodbye.
So right now I’m pretty sure I’ve roughly drank about two bottles of bourbon, listening to Lizzie’s drunk babble as she talks to MG very animatedly. I’m basically third wheeling at this point because they’re too consumed in their conversation that they basically forgot I was there. I look around seeing how a couple of people were passed out in various places, in very uncomfortable positions.
“Hey, MG I think I’m gonna go back to my room,” I half-wave at MG.
“Aww Hopeyyy don’t go,” Lizzie throws her arms around me. “I’ll missss you,” she gushes.
MG grabs her before she falls, “Maybe we should all go back.”
“I like your poofy hair, MG,” Lizzie starts petting MG’s hair, watching her fingers disappear in awe as she runs her hands through his hair.
“Listen Lizzie, I like you but if you keep touching my hair,” MG warns.
“Ooh, okay.” She hugs herself with a pout. Her eyes drooping every now and again. About halfway back to the school I realized the witches hall monitor was probably checking rooms right about now.
“Shit.” I turn to MG, “our hall monitor is checking the dorms.” MG looks a little confused.
“So, can’t you just whammy her or something?” I scoff.
“If you can’t tell, I’m a little drunk at the moment and no. The last time I did that Dr. Saltzman had me rearrange the entire library in alphabetical order.” I bite my lip trying to think of a plan to get to my dorm without being caught. At least MG can get to his dorm without a problem seeing as he’s the vamps hall monitor.
Wait a minute. I turn to MG, who’s still cradling the blonde siphon in his arms. Well, I shouldn’t get Lizzie in trouble just because I wanted to drown my sorrows.
“You should take Lizzie back to your dorm.” I blurt. MG’s eyes widen dramatically as his grip on Lizzie fumbles.
“What!?” MG hisses.
I roll my eyes at his reaction and grab a hold of his arm. I start to pull him down the hallway away from the lanky witch that’s blocking the path to my dorm.
“MG, I will find a way to get to my dorm.” I point at my somewhat frenemy. “Lizzie on the other hand, looks like she could wake up any second now.” MG opens his mouth, probably to protest about how he respects women’s rights and how Lizzie doesn’t have a say in the matter, but Lizzie doesn’t give him the chance. She mumbles incoherently and snuggles deeper into MG’s chest.
MG’s face breaks into a small smile squashing any protests he could’ve had.
“MG.” I grasp his shoulder in an attempt to keep the room from spinning. He tilts his head just enough to look at me, still keeping Lizzie in his peripheral vision, almost as if he might disappear. “You’re a good guy. I trust you. Josie trusts you. And I’m pretty sure Lizzie trusts you too.” I deadpan.
He quirks his lips into a smile. “Thanks, Hope.” I smile softly at him and then give him a quick pat on the shoulder.
“Now, go take the wicked witch of the west,” I point at Lizzie, “someplace where she can hang her broomstick.” He snorts.
“You’re lucky she’s asleep, otherwise you’d be a human candle.” Now it’s my turn to snort.
“MG, you and I both know fire is more Josie’s department.” We both start to giggle at that. We SOMEHOW make our way to the vamps corridor. Despite the constant giggling coming from yours truly and definitely not without MG’s constant shushing.
“Are you sure you can make it to your dorm room okay?” MG asks, watching me apprehensively. Probably debating on whether I’m coordinated enough to make it to my room.
“Yes, MG. I’ll be fine.” I turn away from him and begin to walk downstairs, towards one of the side exits. As I’m sauntering downstairs, I can’t help but turn my head and say, “I’m a tribrid.”
He rolls his eyes. I raise my eyebrow in amusement, smirking a little for good measure, before almost eating shit. I catch MG’s loud snort from above.
Asshole.
—————————
Come on Hope, you’re not that drunk. I try to convince myself as I’m scaling the side of the Salvatore school. Although I’m significantly less drunk than I was 30 minutes ago (thank you tribrid genes).
I can smell a familiar scent as I’m getting closer to one of the windows. I’m pretty sure it’s mine because I can feel myself being pulled towards it. Finally I’ve reached the window sill and I can finally look into my dorm.
My vision’s still a little blurry since things look a little out of place. So out of place that it almost doesn’t look like my room, but that can’t be right since I have this strong feeling that I’m supposed to be here.
It’s just super dark. That’s it.
I gently pull up the sill and an aroma hits me so abruptly, I almost fall off the two stories I just scaled. So immediately I launch myself into the room.
“Ow, okay. Next time MG drags tries to drag me to another party, I’ll just put him to sleep until he gets the message.” I whisper, picking myself up off the floor.
I start kicking off my shoes and sending them across the room. I shrug off my jacket, then immediately take my shirt off in attempt to get comfortable. As soon as I unbutton the top of my jeans, the lamp switches on and I hear a loud gasp.
I wince at the sudden brightness, putting a hand to my face immediately.
“Uh, Hope?”
Oh God. That’s not who I think it is right. I open up my hand slightly and peek through my fingers.
“Oh fuck.” My eyes immediately bulge out of my skull.
Josie Saltzman is sat up in her bed. Her hair is slightly disheveled and her eyes are wide and unmoving. The silence is thick with... something. The only thing covering me at the moment are my pants and my hand, which may I add still hasn’t moved away from my FUCKING FACE.
I have to do something, but it feels like her gaze has frozen me solid. I can’t control my arm as my hand finally falls helplessly to my side. Josie’s eyes follow my hand as it falls against my waist. I shudder as her gaze rakes over my body before finally meeting my eyes again.
God, when did it get so hard to breathe.
I clear my throat as I finally regain control of my body. I drop down quickly to pick up my jacket putting it over myself in an attempt to regain a sense of modesty.
“Uh, I thought this was my room.” I say dumbly.
My voice seems to snap Josie back to reality. “Yeah, I can tell.” She says dragging her eyes across my form as if to point out my current undressed state.
I nod my head as I pick up my shirt and shuffle across the room to collect my shoes as well. God this feels like the walk of shame, but without the rewards. My cheeks burn at the implications of my thoughts. Of course not- not that I- I’ve thought about the rewards or anything of the sorts. Before I can keep trying to justify my thoughts, a voice snaps me out of my inner turmoil.
“Hope if you thought it was your room, why did you climb in through the window?” The confusion is evident in her voice. I whip my head towards her in a panic. Of course she wouldn’t know that the hall monitor was currently doing their rounds right at this moment.
“Well, uh, you see, uh, it was Carlos’ turn at being hall monitor an-and you know how much of stickler for the rules he is,” Josie nods, the dots very quickly connecting. “And even if I wanted to attempt to get past him, I’m very drunk at the moment so I’d probably mess up the spell.”
“So you had to find a way to sneak in.” She states. I nod quickly, “Yeah, exactly.” I sigh out.
Josie gets up, shuffling through her drawers pulling out a baggy t-shirt and an extra pair of shorts, not unlike to the one’s she’s wearing now. Except, instead of a baggy t-shirt, she’s sporting a dark blue long sleeve. I raise an eyebrow, curious as to what exactly she is doing. She walks over to me, right where I’m conveniently planted to her floor.
“Here, Carlos will definitely give you detention if he sees you,” she places the extra clothes on top of mine. She gently pushes me towards the privacy screen her and Lizzie share. “You know he’s had it out for you since you corrected him on how to cast a correct truth spell.”
I laugh slightly as I drop my clothes to the floor. “Are you sure this is okay, I don’t want to be a nuisance.”
“Luckily for you, I like being bothered by you.” Damn you, Josie Saltzman. I blush a little as I take off my bra quickly to slip on the oversized shirt, because whoever wears bras to bed are absolutely insane. I shimmy out of my already unzipped jeans, and start pulling up the shorts Josie gave me. They’re a little tighter than what I usually wear, but my hips are a little wider than Josie’s.
Josie’s. These are Josie’s shorts. I’m wearing Josie’s shorts. And it’s with that thought that I find myself plummeting to the floor. My feet start sliding across the floor, rough fabric that I can feel through my socks, quickly I reach out for something to hold me up but instead I end up pulling something on top of me.
“Jesus how much did you have to drink,” Josie whisper yells running from her bed over to me.
“Thanks for the compliment but I usually go by Hope.” I smugly say. Josie looks down, clearly unimpressed by my joke, but the amusement is still visible in her eyes. Probably from my clumsiness.
“Do you need help, Hope?” She quirks an eyebrow, kneeling to the ground beside my head, now sporting a smirk. I narrow my eyes.
“I feel like you’re mocking me, Miss Saltzman.” I point my finger up at Josie accusingly, but end up underestimating the distance between us, effectively poking her button top nose. “I would never,” she whispers with a soft smile, clasping my hand gently. Holding it in both of hers, and then squeezing it gently, bringing it gently into her lap.
The gesture renders me breathless. I can’t help it. The act is so... intimate. I mean I’ve held her hand before, but it’s different when it’s in the heat of a battle. When she has to hold it while we’re defending ourselves from the latest monster. Or when we’re partners during a class and the instructions require the student to cast a spell. Or something as intimate as breaking the rules to do black magic.
This. This feels different. There’s no eminent danger, no class requirement, no need for it. And yet... every part of me needs it. No. Craves it. Craves the simple touch of Josie Saltzman.
The gesture renders me breathless but not motionless. I didn’t even notice I had sat up until I too was looking down at my hand in Josie’s lap. My lips part as I look at Josie. And I mean really look at her. My eyes trace over her figure, completely entranced. From the way her knees are tucked underneath her with an elegance that only she can manage. From her hands, and the way they wrap so gently around mine. Enveloping my hand in a warmth that isn’t unlike the sensation I feel when she siphons from me. To the curve of her jaw and the way it moves ever so slightly every time she takes a breath. Up to her rosy lips, soft and plump. My eyes linger on her lips longer than I’d like to admit. To her button top nose, and the adorable way it scrunches up when she’s embarrassed. Or maybe her doe brown eyes and the way they twinkle whenever she lets her mischievous side out to play, or how they spark with determination when she gets crosses paths with a challenging problem.
I slowly reach out to our adjoined hands, and start playing with Josie’s fingers. Josie breaks her gaze, slowly tilting her head up to look at me. And we’re so close and the way our eyes meet, there’s this... spark. This tiny bit of electricity that courses through my veins, from our fingers touching and in the little bit of air between us.
My breathing comes in shakier and shakier. The room feels like it’s getting smaller and smaller with every breath I take, but I don’t even know why. We’re just staring at each other. How much tension can a stare between two friends hold?
But that’s the answer isn’t it? We’re not friends. Not traditionally anyway, there’s too much history between us for us to just be friends. No there’s something more. There has to be. Every time we’re around each other it’s like there’s this underlying tension, and if one of us acts on it, reality might collapse in on itself. But as I’m staring at Josie and she’s staring at me, I realize something.
“You promise?” I whisper, because I don’t trust my voice to go any higher and I don’t want to break the thin line we’re on.
“What?” Her voice is low and laced with confusion but she doesn’t pull away. I lean in ever so slightly so that we’re mere inches away from each other.
“You said you’d never hurt me,” I look into her eyes, my eyes flickering from her eyes to her lips. “Do you promise?” Her lips curl into the smallest of smiles.
“I promise,” without breaking eye contact she trails her fingers up my hand to my wrist, tracing small circles on my pulse point. “And if you’d let me,” her other hand dances it’s way up my arm to the side of my face. “I’d never let anyone else do it either.” Her gaze pierces into me, waiting for me to make a move.
“I’d like that very much.” I look from her lips to her eyes once more before finally settling on her lips and my resolve breaks at last.
Let reality collapse.
And it’s with that thought that I cup Josie’s face and bring it towards mine. Our lips meet at once and the feeling is unlike any other that I’ve ever felt. Kissing Josie Saltzman is like being siphoned from. The tingles in my lips aren’t unlike when our hands join to cast a spell, our lips moving like they’re in a sacred dance. Our magic combines with each other in the air around us, awakening the hidden passion that had lied dormant between us.
The kiss is slow and full of purpose, blinding me of all rational thought. I stand dragging Josie up with me, our lips still firmly against each other. My hands move to her hips, pulling her flush against me, our bodies impossibly closer. It’s not enough. I break away to breathe, though separating was the last thing I wanted to do. And it seems Josie agrees with that sentiment, because as soon as I broke away, her hand clasps the back of my neck pulling me in for more.
This time when our lips meet, they're frenzied and greedy. Apparently my lips aren’t the only things that are greedy, because I can’t get enough of Josie. My hands drop to the back of Josie’s thighs, hoisting her up so she can wrap her legs around me. She kisses me harder and even though I’m having a hard time breathing, I wouldn’t change a damn thing. I walk over to one of the beds, falling between Josie’s legs, still passionately kissing her.
Her hands cradle my face, tilting my head up slightly pushing deeper before pulling back to breathe, pulling my head down so that our foreheads rest against each other, our noses still slightly touching. My eyes flutter open, staring at Josie’s closed ones. She opens her eyes after a couple of moments, and I notice her eyes are nearly black, her pupil had dilated immensely.
“As much as I would love for this to continue, I think we should go on a proper date first.” I say with a smirk.
She smiles, “Is this your way of asking me out on a date?”
I smile wide, “Maybe.”
She caresses my face, rubbing her thumbs over my cheeks, before pulling me into a gentle kiss. “I would love to go on a date with you, Hope Mikaelson.”
“Not as much as I would love to take you out on a date, Josie Saltzman.” She raises an eyebrow at me.
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah,” I say one last time before pulling her into another soft kiss.