Chapter Text
“Hey Hope, sorry I’m late.” Josie was out of breath because of the short run to the school entrance.
“Hey! Woah breath Josie, it looks like you just ran a marathon.” Hope chuckled lightly. God her smile, she’s so pretty, no Josie wait you can't be thinking like this or you’re just gonna end up screwing up.
“I’m good, let’s go to the mill so we can start practicing.”
The girls walked quietly to the mill. Hope helping Josie here and there so she wouldn’t trip on roots or get hit in the face by branches. They already knew the way so the walk was pretty quick.
Once in the mill, Josie saw Hope’s bag next to the couch Landon and her had set up while fixing up the mill and placed her own backpack next to it.
“So, I thought if we did a harder spell and you managed to control that one you’d get the other one pretty easily.”
How is she so smart? Josie thought. She would have never attempted to do a harder spell if she had been trying alone.
“Okay, sure. Where do we start?”
“How about with some siphoning first?” Hope started walking towards her bag to retrieve the magical item Alaric had miraculously given her.
“Wait, my dad actually gave you a magical object? Damn, he must really like you!” Josie kept staring at Hope wide-eyed.
“Well, I told him I was helping you practice so he didn’t hesitate to give me this.” She lifted a small necklace that had a talisman hanging from it.
After getting it out of the bag, Hope stood up and walked back to Josie.
“Okay, so we’re trying to do a fire spell, which honestly I thought would be way easier for you since those are your favourite spells.” Hope said while giving her a smile.
Josie slightly panicked after that comment since she had destroyed half of Hope’s room with that fire back when they were younger.
“I’m really sorry about that.” Hope tried to stop her from apologizing again but Josie raised her hand to stop her. “No wait. I think I’ll never be able to make it up to you. Honestly I still feel guilty about that.”
“There’s nothing to feel guilty about Jo, it’s all forgiven.” Hope smiled again and grabbed Josie's hand while doing so.
Oh no, the butterflies are back just go away stupid little insects.
“Well let’s start so we don’t stay too late.” Hope handed the talisman to Josie.
Josie started to siphon from it. The talisman didn’t have that much magic in it. She was sure it was gonna run out of magic if she didn’t get the spell right the first couple of times they tried it.
“Okay I’m ready.” Josie said as she dropped the talisman on the couch.
“Good, so let me tell you what we’re doing. Since I know you know how to set stuff on fire, we’re gonna learn how to increase or decrease the intensity of fire.” The tribrid said nonchalantly while she started to walk outside.
Josie followed her outside to the area where they usually had the parties so it was bare of trees and there was little to no grass there. Hope grabbed one of the big bins where the seniors normally light fires to keep the witches warm during the parties, and set it in the middle of the space. After setting it there Hope went to get some leaves and sticks from the surrounding area.
“We’re doing it out here so we don’t set the mill on fire and get everyone at school to hate us for it.” After saying that, Hope set the leaves and sticks inside the bin and muttered a spell to get a fire started.
“This is the plan, the fire is gonna stay burning since it’s a magic one. The only way to set it off is either with a water spell, which I know in case this gets really out of control, or with the spell I’m teaching you. This spell can make the fire grow or decrease at your will.” Hope looked at Josie as if asking if she was okay with the plan.
“Sounds good to me.”
Hope smiled again at Josie, which only made the siphon get distracted from the task at hand once again.
“This is the spell, I want you to repeat it after me.”
The brunette nodded. Taking a few breaths so she could get it together so that she didn’t spend too much magic to try and do this spell.
“ Ex Spiritum In Tacullum, En Terrum Incendium, Phasmatos Salves A Distum.” Hope chanted once and the fire got smaller. Which made Josie think it could be easier than she thought.
“Okay so it’s your turn now.” She said to Josie who suddenly got very nervous since Hope was staring at her. She wished Hope was staring at her like when she tried to figure out what Landon’s power was back when he was new.
Josie tried to concentrate and muttered the spell which made nothing happen. The fire was back at it’s original medium power. The siphon tried again but saying the words a bit louder and put more magic into it. Again nothing happened.
She let out a frustrated huff and turned to look at Hope. “I don’t know what’s happening. I feel that I’m siphoning the magic but it’s doing nothing!”
“What if you go back for the talisman and put it around your neck so that you can use it to siphon while doing the spell?” Hope said.
Josie turned and walked into the mill to get the talisman. She put it on while she walked outside to where Hope was waiting for her.
“Hopefully this works.” She said to Hope with a frustrated tone of voice.
Josie raised one hand to the talisman while she concentrated on the spell. Once more she started chanting the spell trying to get it to work. She opened her eyes thinking she could concentrate better if she stared at the fire but instead of looking at the fire she saw Hope. She was staring at Josie with this look Josie liked to think was only for her.
Her eyes are so beautiful, I could stare at them all day long. And her hair, god her hair is amazing, I wonder what it would feel like to run my hands through it? She looked a bit lower. But her lips, what would they taste like? Would they be soft? What type of kisser is she? God, I’d love to know that.
Suddenly Hope had this worried look on her face and were her lips moving ?
“Josie, Josie stop, JOSIE!”
That got her out of her head, and suddenly she turned and saw she had managed to do the spell but instead of making it disappear she made it grow.
Hope said the water spell and turned it all off. “Are you okay?!” she said while walking towards Josie to see if she had overdone herself or something.
“Yyy...yes I’m fine.” Was she really? Why couldn’t she control herself?
“Are you sure?” The auburn-haired girl asked with a look of concern.
“Yeah, let’s just try again.”
Hope light the fire again with a quick Incendia . Josie was concentrating again giving herself a pep talk so she wouldn’t screw up again. The siphon prepared to do the same thing as before. She took a breath in and put a hand on the talisman. She was about to siphon from it again when she realized she had used all of its magic.
“Damn it!” Josie took the talisman off and threw it away forcefully.
“Stupid talisman! Stupid school! Stupid siphoning! I WISH I HAD MY OWN MAGIC THAT WAY I WOULDN’T NEED A SOURCE TO BE A REAL WITCH! Why is it so damn hard to...”
“You are a real witch.”
Josie stopped and turned to look at Hope, she realized she had just forgotten she was there. Huh, interesting, apparently when I’m beating myself up I forget about Hope .
“Actually, you are one of the strongest witches I know.” Hope was looking at her with sincerity in her eyes. “But you’re not only a strong witch, you are also one of the best people I know. Stop saying you’re not a real witch you’re more real than most of them at this school, don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.”
Josie was dumbstruck. How could someone as amazing as HOPE FREAKING MIKAELSON be telling her that!
“Let’s just stop thinking about this, we can try again. Just siphon from me okay?”
Josie looked back at the fire, if someone like Hope could think of her like that maybe she could do it for herself. You got this Josie you’re a strong witch.
“I’m ready.”
Hope took a step behind Josie and put one of her hands out so the siphon could hold it.
“Concentrate on what you want to do. Look at the fire and think it away.” Hope whispered near her ear. Josie shivered and hoped the tribrid hadn’t noticed. Hope did but decided to ignore it so Josie could concentrate.
Josie started to look at the fire, concentrating and thinking of the words Hope had just said. She was about to start chanting when she felt a hand land gently on her stomach.
“Breath Josie, take a deep breath and do it.” Her voice was gentle yet like an order. So Josie did it. She took a deep breath in and then out, feeling Hope’s hand move with her breaths. She brought the tribrid’s hand close to the one in her stomach and started chanting.
“ Ex Spiritum In Tacullum, En Terrum Incendium, Phasmatos Salves A Distum.” She breathed again. “Ex Spiritum In Tacullum, En Terrum Incendium, Phasmatos Salves A Distum” She started to siphon from Hope and said one last time, “Ex Spiritum In Tacullum, En Terrum Incendium, Phasmatos Salves A Distum!”
The fire flickered and then it disappeared.
“I did it...oh MY GOD I DID IT!” Josie turned around with excitement in her eyes. She felt like a little kid on Christmas morning. She looked back at the bin to make sure the fire had actually been put out and then looked back at Hope.
“Thank you, Hope!” The siphon threw her arms around her friend hugging her tightly. Josie pulled away but didn't quite let go of the tribrid. She looked at Hope’s beautiful blue eyes and then down to her lips. There was so much adrenaline rushing through her that she didn’t think twice and closed the small distance between their lips.
Soft, they’re so soft . Was all Josie could think the moment their lips touched. It felt better than what she had ever dreamed, the only thing missing was that Hope wasn’t kissing her back. As soon as she realized what she had done she pulled away.
“I’m so sorry Hope, I just got so excited and...yeah I’m just gonna go now.” Josie started speed walking towards the mill. Stupid stupid, why did you do that Hope just came back to school and you just go and kiss her even though it hasn’t been more than a month since she broke up with Landon .
She was about to pick up her bag when she felt a hand on her wrist and she was pulled into someone.
Hope kissed her. She was gentle at first as if giving Josie the chance to pull away if she wanted to.
Josie placed her hand around the tribrid’s neck pulling her closer. She leaned into the kiss and decided that if Hope had gone after her to kiss her again, she was gonna make sure she would come back for more.
What at first was a brush of lips turned into something more. The kisses were bruising, Josie was sure she was gonna have swollen lips after this.
Hope placed her hands on Josie's waist, pulling her flush against her. She was trying to be respectful and not touch too much when she felt Josie’s tongue slightly on her lower lip asking for entrance. As soon as their tongues touched Josie let out a small moan which made Hope crazy.
Hope’s hands started to move higher, pulling Josie’s sweater slightly higher until she took it off. They broke the kiss but soon reconnected their lips. The tribrid took advantage of this to sit herself down on the couch and pull Josie on top of her so that the younger witch was straddling her.
Josie buried her hands in Hope’s hair as they continued kissing. Once more, Hope broke the kiss but started trailing kisses down Josie’s neck. When she reached the juncture between her shoulder and neck Josie let out another moan. She knew she had found the siphon’s weak spot when Josie pulled on her hair slightly. She kept kissing and nipping her neck making sure to pay more attention to that spot, sucking on it gently until she was sure she left a small mark for everyone to see.
Josie pulled Hope back to her lips so she could taste her lips again. They kept kissing, trying to get the other one to moan by pulling slightly on their hair, biting the other one’s lip, touching the skin on their waist.
Josie’s hands reached the bottom of the tribrid’s sweater and started to push it higher feeling more of Hope’s skin. She pulled back and asked with a look if she could take it off. The older girl only nodded and helped Josie take her sweater off.
Holy fuck. She has abs, of course, she fas freaking abs. She’s a tribrid.
Josie bent lower and connected her lips to Hope’s neck. She started to kiss down the pale skin trying to leave hickeys she knew would heal up before they reached the school again. Josie started trailing her kisses back up her neck to the bottom of her ear where she left a small hickey. She reconnected her lips with the tribrid. She could feel Hope’s kisses get slightly more aggressive.
Hope’s hands moved from her waist to the buttons on Josie’s shirt. She started undoing them so she had more space to kiss. She took the Siphon’s button-down off and pulled Josie flush against her.
The skin to skin contact made them separate and look into each other’s eyes.
“Hope your eyes, they’re golden,” Josie whispered.
Hope broke eye contact and started blinking to try and get her eyes back to normal. “Sorry I kinda lost it a bit.”
They looked back at each other. Both of them blushed, laughing a bit at what had happened.
“So you did it,” Hope said.
“What, the spell or kiss you?” Josie said with more confidence than she had ever felt before.
“Both.” Hope laughed again and looked back at Josie. She turned serious all of a sudden.
“Josie, I don’t want you to think I do this with everyone. I...I like you, Josie, as more than a friend”. Hope broke eye contact as she held onto the siphon’s waist.
“I like you too.”
Hope’s eyes flickered back to Josie’s. The older girl was giving her this incredulous look as if she couldn’t believe Josie could actually like her.
“Honestly that’s the whole reason for this um, tutoring thing,” Josie said and blushed at her confession.
“What do you mean, Jo?” The younger witch took one of Hope’s hands and brought it up to her lips and placed a kiss on the back of it.
“I mean since you offered to help Dorian with the class I kept getting distracted. You always looked beautiful so instead of paying attention I was staring at you.”
Hope gave her one of those sweet smiles she only used with Josie. “I watched you too. I didn’t realize you were looking at me but when you were writing down stuff and actually paying attention you got this cute crease between your eyebrows.”
“I do not!”
“Yes, you do!” They both laughed. Hope leaned forward again and placed a peck on Josie’s lips which made the siphon shiver slightly and smile.
“We should go back to school, it’s getting a bit cold outside.” The tribrid started to help Josie stand up and handed her her shirt so she could put it on while Hope pulled her sweater back on and went to look for Josie’s.
After they fixed themselves, went looking for the talisman and grabbed their backpacks the two witches started walking back to school.
Their hands brushed a couple of times between them and finally, Josie took Hope’s hand and held it for the rest of the way. When the school came back into view they let go of each other's hand. A silent agreement between them in case Dr. Saltzman was near and saw all the Hickeys on Josie’s neck and realized Hope’s intentions with his daughter weren’t just friendly.
“Well, I’ll see you in class tomorrow,” Hope said as soon as they reached the hallway to their rooms. She hesitantly grabbed Josie’s hand and gave it a light squeeze. Josie returned it with a small smile on her lips.
“See you, Hope.” They let go of each other's hands. Josie gave Hope one last look and started walking towards her and Lizzie’s room.
She was halfway down the hallway when she heard Hope call her name. “Hey Josie?” The witch stopped walking and turned to look at Hope.
“Next time just ask.”
Josie gave Hope a confused look so the tribrid kept explaining.
“Yeah, just ask me out instead of setting something on fire.” Hope finished saying and winked at Josie.
Josie couldn’t believe what Hope had just said. The tribrid turned around and started walking towards her room. When she got back to her senses Josie jogged the short distance and stopped Hope.
“Hope.”
“Yeah?”
“Would you go out on a date with me?”
Hope gave her a warm smile that made her eyes twinkle slightly.
“Yes Josie, I’d love to go out with you.”