Work Text:
As she held the camera, the pink and blue haired woman couldn’t help but admire her subject. Growing up on the wrong side of the tracks, she never had a chance of getting to know such a beauty. The blonde was a spitfire but she was sweet and innocent in a lot of ways. There would be no way in hell Jo’s mom would ever approve of the two women having any kind of connection. Where the blonde was tanned and sober, Harley was a tattooed ex-junkie. It didn’t stop either of them from meeting and becoming friends.
Most people wouldn’t understand how the two got along or how a girl that grew up on the streets and involved in a gang fell in with the daughter of a bar owner from a small town. But somehow they just fit and Jo was Harley’s favorite work of art. The blonde never found it odd when her scantily clad petite friend took her picture or posted those pictures all over her studio which was also her apartment.
Harley had been trying to get clean the whole time Jo had known her so she could never understand everyone’s judgement of their friendship. It was no surprise that Ash was the one to bring the two girls together. The young woman had had a rough life and Jo admired her for trying to turn her life around. The blonde was simply helping her adjust to her new life and make a new name for herself. Photography was the tattooed girl’s passion so Jo would gladly be her muse. And she wouldn’t lie and say she didn’t enjoy the attention.
Boys never paid much attention to the young tomboy, the girl that could beat them at video games and in a fight. It was hard to get a guy that would appreciate her strength and independence. But Harley did. Harley was smug and confident, a lioness of beauty and grace, a petite and feminine predator that held determination and will of anyone three times her size. What was there not to admire about the ex-con? And as far as the Harvelle knew, there was no boyfriend that Harley would ditch her for like some of her other girl friends had. So in Jo’s eyes, Harley Wentworth was the perfect friend, shady past and all.
Harley hadn’t finished high school so she was supportive of Jo’s choice to drop out of college, much to Ellen’s dismay. Though Ellen didn’t really want her daughter working at the Roadhouse, she thought it a better choice than any alternative. At least this way she could keep an eye on her only family left. Harley never came to the Roadhouse knowing that Ellen was one foul word away from hating her.
People hating her was not something new to the former gang leader but it stung this time just because it was Jo’s mom. If it had been anyone else, she would have flipped them off, walked out and peed on their car or something. But Jo was special and the approval of her mother was important and so Harley didn’t push her luck. Not that her mom’s disapproval kept Jo from hanging out with her, sometimes sneaking out to do just that. Harley never asked her to, as a matter of fact, Harley had advised against it, not wishing to be any more on the matriarch’s bad side. But she never turned the blonde away, heaven knows she couldn’t even if she wanted to.
You see, the problem with Harley was she was pretty head over heels for the younger woman. It had never been brought up as to why Harley never had a boyfriend or had guys over. She never explained why she never flirted with guys when they went out together. Her orientation just never came up because once Jo had called them friends, she knew it wasn’t important. It was pretty instant for Harley, before Jo even spoke, she knew she was in deep. The only problem was that she had been friend zoned pretty quickly and though it was a shot to her ego, it stung her heart a little more.
But Jo was good for her, inspiring a change in her wild party hard lifestyle. And so she was content having the girl as her friend. Another thing that had never been discussed is their mutual acquaintances. One of which happened to be Dean Winchester. The hunter had attempted to pick up the girl with the studded nose and tattooed neck. He was shot down but it wasn’t long before the two of them started picking up women together. And thus a close friendship was born.
That was a few years ago, back when bars and drugs was her scene and it was him that had took her in and helped her out when she hit rock bottom. If it wasn’t for Dean and his brother Sam, she wouldn’t be clean and sober today, even though Dean was still a bit of an alcoholic and a playboy himself. But that was something that just didn’t get brought up. So as Jo spoke about her newest crush, Harley couldn’t help but think of Dean, who she would be calling later, telling him about her own secret crush.
“Can I stay with you tonight and maybe invite him over?” Jo was staring at the blue eyed photographer with pouty lips and pleading chocolate orbs. Harley frowned slightly but before she could deny the blonde’s request, the younger woman came bounding over to her. Harley’s eyes were wide as Jo practically bounced in place with her hands in the hold of her thin fingers. “Please, Quinn. You know I’d never get to see him if I had to have him over at my house. You’re my best friend and I want you to meet him. Your opinion is everything!” More pouty lips and an unfair use of puppy dog eyes.
Harley sighed in defeat before she nodded slowly, her blue pools falling to look at their joined hands. Jo squealed with delight and threw her arms around the former junkie, leaving Harley no choice but to catch her when she came off the ground. Arms wrapped around the young woman and for a moment she could pretend that all this excitement was over her. But she couldn’t stay in the fantasy because Jo pushed free and informed her that she was going to go call her guy friend, whom Harley already despised.
She scowled at the back of Jo’s head, crossing her arms over her chest with a pout of her own. What could this boy possibly have that she didn’t? Had he been there to wipe her tears, share her burdens, laugh with her, open her arms and her home for the young Harvelle? No, she would guess not. And yet he was the object of Jo’s affection. She couldn’t help but feel bitter but so far Jo seemed to be completely oblivious to her bitterness.
By the look on Jo’s face when she came sauntering back into the room, her intended had agreed to stop by. The blonde was practically vibrating and didn’t notice the sour look on Harley’s face. “Can I borrow some clothes?” Jo asked, her hands tucking into the back pockets of her jeans. She looked almost shy in the moment, her innocence showing in her averted eyes and pinkening cheeks. “Something...sexy?”
Harley’s eyes grew wide. They had shared clothes before, Jo only slightly bigger than Harley. But their styles were entirely different. Harley was confident in her skin, showing off all the artwork that she had etched into her body so she wore short skirts, revealing dresses, thin shirts and tank tops. Not that Jo’s clothes were ugly but they were more modest and subdued instead of brightly colored or flashy patterned that were in Harley’s closet.
The clothes Jo usually borrowed were some of her friend’s more conservative articles, mostly just sleepwear or comfy day clothes. But now as she stood there asking for a different kind of apparel, Harley could hear her heart break. She nodded anyway and turned to lead the way to her walk in closet. Hopefully, the blonde wouldn’t be asking to use her bed later.
Sensing the change in mood, Jo grabbed Harley’s camera and before the tattooed beauty started going through hangers, Jo handed the device to her. A brow lifted in confusion as blue eyes looked up at Jo. “Let’s make it a photoshoot!” Harley’s lips curled slightly. Jo knew her so well and the pink haired woman nodded, taking her kodak out of Jo’s grasp.
“Ok, get that pretty little ass in that closet and show me what you fucking got.” Harley’s smile returned and she stepped away to allow Jo to begin to pick out outfits from the closet full of clothing of all different colors, patterns and textures.
The first few outfits were just meant to make the photographer laugh, furry tails, spiky skirts, tight belts and shapeless dresses. A leather one piece snuggly clung to her every curve but instead of being sexy, she pushed out every roll and bulge, hunching over and twisting to make it unattractive. Jo was afraid she was going to bust a seam because she was laughing so hard.
Falling on their backs on the bed, they had to take a break. The camera had been shaking so much from giggles that the pictures were just coming out blurry. The chimes that rang through the apartment, a rap beat accompanied by beatbox, never failed to make Jo laugh. But this time, the blonde shot straight up in a sitting position with a look of terror on her features. A hand rubbed softly down Jo’s back before the camera came to rest on the bed beside her.
The mattress lifted slightly when Harley rose and moved out of the room on a mission to open the door. When the wooden door came ajar, Harley stared at Dean in confusion. He grinned and offered her a wave. “It’s just a friend of mine!” She called out behind her.
Feeling relieved, Jo came around the corner. All relief washed away, taking all color from her face with it. “Dean.”
“Hey, Jo.” Dean smiled with a wave of his fingers before looking at Harley with a wink. She narrowed her eyes at him before he let himself in. She watched him closely as she closed the door and sneered when he moved over to place his hands in Jo’s. “Nice outfit.”
Jo was too dazed to realize she was still wearing the leather. Her cheeks burned red and Dean laughed when she quickly darted back into the bedroom to change. His smile disappeared when he turned around to find an angry petite mop of pink and blue hair, a face glaring up at him with arms crossed over her chest.
There wasn’t much that scared the infamous Dean Winchester but Harley was definitely one of those things. He towered over her at six feet one to her even five feet and yet if she wanted to, she could easily take him down. He had a hundred pound on her easy but her size was her greatest asset. He flinched when she threw a punch at his shoulder, nowhere near her full strength and yet like a scolded puppy, he pouted and put a hand on his arm, hoping it wouldn’t bruise.
“What the fuck, Winchester?! You’re the man meat??” The foul mouthed woman leered up at him and Dean just shrugged earning him a punch to the other shoulder. “Did you know?!”
“Until Jo called and gave me her friend’s address, no, I didn’t know. Wasn’t that hard to figure out. I’m disappointed in myself for not figuring it out sooner.”
A heaving sigh fell from think pink lips before the ex-con plopped down on her couch in a heap. Her head fell back, defeat taking over and her last shred of hope flying out the window. There was silence for a few brief moments until Harley spoke, her eyes staring up at the ceiling. “Do you like her back?” The words were a forlorn whisper and Dean frowned down at her.
A moment later, he was sitting down next to her. Harley’s head lulled to the side to catch his expression and she smiled ruefully. Sliding her arm in his, she laid her hand on his shoulder. His head rested against hers after he pressed a kiss to the roots of blonde in the blue of her hair. He whispered his apologies and she wrapped her fingers in his and squeezed in assurance. They would have to figure it out but no girl was worth ruining this friendship.
Both heads lifted the second Jo stepped timidly into the room, her hands folded in front of her. The clothes she had picked were simple but perhaps that was what made her so stunning. She had on a short purple skirt, one of Harley’s favorites, not flashy or ornate, accentuated by a pair of knee high black boots and a thick black belt with silver studs around her middle. The silver shirt sparkled faintly, hanging off the shoulders and a pair of muted silver and purple earrings hung from her ears. She had done a little makeup and curled her hair and she blew her two admirers away.
She grinned with bright red cheeks when she spotted the way they looked at her. “Wow.” Dean’s soft exclamation didn’t even begin to describe it. Unable to find the words either, Harley just chose to say nothing, staring as her mouth hung open.
Next thing they knew, a flash left them seeing spots. Jo giggled as she lowered the camera that captured the pair on the couch in pixels forever. The two of them looked at each other with equal amount of mischief. A silent conversation passed between the two of them and they grinned before their heads turned to look at Jo. Suddenly feeling uneasy in the predatory gaze of her friends, the blonde took a step back. The moment the two hopped up off the couch, Jo squealed before darting back to the bedroom.
She was laughing as she tried to close the door on them but it was no use. While Dean held the door open a crack, Harley slipped in. The photographer took the camera from Jo’s hands and began snapping pictures. THe blonde’s face was wrinkled with her fits of laughter and she put her hands up to try and avoid the flashes. Dean was behind her before she knew it, curling an arm around her shoulders while the other helped pin her hands.
Jo leaned back into him, gladly reveling in his embrace and willingingly posing for the continuing clicking of the camera. Harley lowered the device for a moment and watch as the couple laughed and held each other close, more involved in one another to notice that Harley had stopped taking pictures. Her heart swelled, though with jealousy and an ache that seemed to splinter her bones but mostly with pride and happiness. The way they were together, there was no doubting that they were made for each other.
Dean’s eyes peeled from the blonde in his arms to catch Harley’s longing gaze, slightly misty with emotion. He unwrapped himself from around the younger woman and reached for the camera. “You’re turn to be in the pictures, Harlequin.” There was no time for argument when Jo wrapped slender fingers around Harley’s arm and pulled the pink haired girl into her side and plastered herself against her, beginning to pose for this new round of photos. These all would definitely be put up on the studio walls. Even if just for a reminder of the day her two closest friends came together for the first time and how happy they were.
She clung to the blonde, taking all she could get of the woman’s warmth and tender affection. When lips pressed gently against Harley’s cheeks, she was stunned into silence and her body went stiff. Hoping that neither of them had noticed her reaction, she swallowed and smiled softly. Dean lowered the camera and smiled crookedly with a knowing look in his eyes. Harley averted her eyes but Jo’s arms curled around her neck and made her look between the two of them.
Dean set up the camera on the tripod before he came to stand on the other side of Jo, his arms wrapping around her thin waist. The intimate pose between the three of them made Harley suddenly nervous and when the camera flashed, she knew her face would look far from happy like the other’s smiles suggested. Before another photo could be taken, the photographer slipped out of Jo’s arms and made way to walk out of the room. It took an embarrassingly long second for either of the two to go after her.
“Har.” Dean was the first to call out to her and with a sigh, the petite woman turned to face him. The look on her face made his mouth turn into a faint frown. Harley cast a glance at Jo before returning her attention to Dean, the man mimicking the exact movement as well. “Where are you going?”
“I need some air.” Harley exhaled the words before turning to move towards the door once more. The hand around her wrist stopped her and when she looked over her shoulder, she saw Jo’s eyes soften. “You guys need some alone time.” She plastered on her famous smile, though faked, it always did its job.
And yet for some reason, Jo and Dean could see right through it. Dean didn’t remove his hand from around her wrist and the blonde took a step closer, only to be stopped by the man beside her. Her face wrinkled in confusion but he nodded and with a sigh, she took a step back. The way the two of them were looking at her, Harley started to feel self conscious. She thought about pulling away for a moment, her pink and blue hair shuffling a bit as she turned her head to look at her options.
“Ya know,” Dean started talking and Harley immediately locked eyes with his. There was a hint of sadness and sympathy in his emerald hues and she relaxed under the gaze. “At first, I was jealous.” Harley’s head tilted slightly as the man began to speak with a crooked smile. “When we first met and started hanging out, all Jo had to talk about was her awesome best friend. Hell, she had me nearly falling for this perfect woman.”
Harley’s head turned with wrinkled brow just to catch a glimpse of Jo. The blonde gave a coy smile, a faint blush on her cheeks as she shrugged her shoulders. “I started to think, why did she want to hang out with me when she had this perfect girlfriend at home?” The petite woman’s eyes were wide as saucers as she looked up at Dean again, he just quirked the corners of his lips in a grin. “Man, was I confused when she claimed to be interested in me and we started to see each other more.”
The photographer was more than confused herself and she chose not to look back at Jo anymore, unable to meet the blonde’s gaze as she tried to assess her reaction to Dean’s words. “At the same time, on the other hand, I had you telling me about this awesome friends of yours, someone that sounded absolutely perfect and made me want someone like that.” Both women listened carefully as the hunter continued, both of them wide eyed at this point, one with a smile, the other mouth agape.
“It wasn’t until tonight that I figured out what was going on. Man, I’m an idiot for taking so long.” He chuckled ruefully with a shake of his head and Jo took a step forward to place a hand on his bicep. Harley waited, hoping that he would explain fully before she burst. “You both are absolutely crazy about each other and I’ve just been standing in the way.”
Jo’s head spun quickly, taking her eyes off the other girl to stare dumbfoundedly at him. Jo’s reaction gave off an answer misconstrued by the pink haired woman. She frowned and easily pulled herself from the grasp of the distracted Winchester. In the brief second, Jo and Dean muttering slightly, Harley tried to make her escape before the tears could escape first. Even though it was her apartment, she was the one to run and her small size and speed allowed her to head to her car before the pair could even make it out into the parking garage.
The one thing she kept from her old life was her big purple truck, her baby, a machine she had spent years fixing up, repairing, rebuilding. This was more her home than anywhere else and the moment she slid behind the wheel, she instantly relaxed. She could breathe again and her eyes closed as she leaned back against the headrest, finally allowing a few tears to flow down her cheeks.
In the hustle of her escape from her closest friends, she had forgotten to lock the doors to her car so she jumped when the passenger door and her driver’s side door both opened. The blonde climbed up next to her and Harley’s eyes were wide as she pushed her way in beside her. The truck jostled slightly as Dean jumped in and trapped the photographer between the two of them.
“Thought we'd find you here, Quinn.” Jo muttered with a teary smile, molding herself against the smaller woman’s side, twining her arm around hers and resting her blonde head on her shoulder.
“I'm surprised you haven't driven off yet.” Dean added from the other side, sitting close to her but not as closely as Jo.
Harley wasn't sure what to say and a part of her couldn't help but smile at the fact that they had come after her. Then again another part of her wished that they hadn't, it would have been easier that way. But sandwiched between her best friends, her body and heart betrayed her. She rested her head against Jo’s and intertwined their fingers.
Much to her surprise, Dean took her other hand and his green pools watched as his fingers played with hers. She looked at him curiously before her hand closed around his and made him look up at her. “You're never in the way, Dean.” She assured him with a soft smile and the corner of his mouth lifted faintly. lifting Jo’s hand, she placed it in Dean’s, smiling at the two of them with a nod.
The pair looked at each other and smiled bashfully, Harley finding it almost comical when they both turned bright red. Though her heart was heavy, she couldn't even be upset. The happiness of her best friends was more important than her own. Besides, she would still have them in her life and that was better than nothing. As they sat in silence, Harley’s blue orbs looked down at their joined hands as Dean and Jo looked at each other.
She felt their eyes on her before she even saw them looking at her. Her misty hues met Dean’s gaze as he sported an amused little grin. This only further confused her. “You've always had a habit of jumping to conclusions. I wasn't finished talking.”
Her face wrinkled in slight annoyance, her mouth opening to give a retort but Jo stepped in first. “I like both of you, ya dummy. Like… equally.” Meant to clear up the confusion, it simply further confused Harley. Jo couldn't help but laugh at the adorable look on her face. With her free hand, Jo grabbed Harley’s and joined it with hers and Dean’s, hoping that would clear it up better.
Her mouth opened but this time she had no words to say. She just looked between the two of them with the widest of eyes. Jo nodded, squeezing their hands then looking to Dean. He was blushing even more now, his elvish ears a bright pink as he nodded also. It was a risk, but Jo leaned forward slowly and planted a chaste kiss to Harley’s lips. Instinctually, the photographer's eyes closed and her chest stilled with the breath she held. Her lips were just as soft as she imagined, pressed against hers instead of her cheek.
The kiss was over as quick as it had started and Harley blinked a few times once she opened her eyes. Both of them were smiling at her and if she didn’t know any better, she would have said that butterflies erupted in her stomach. The former druggie had always been with women, no man ever catching her eye or her affections. It wasn’t that she wasn’t opposed to the idea she just never even considered it. But now that Dean was giving her that same look that he gave Jo, she started to see something she had missed during the years that she had known him.
In a flash, her hand rested on the back of his neck, long thin fingers curling into his hair as she pulled him to her for a kiss that was far more fierce than the sweet one Jo had given her. The kiss was brief and Dean was breathless when he pulled back with that goofy grin of his. Jo giggled and pulled him to her for a little bit softer kiss. “This way no one’s in the way.” She whispered against his lips before kissing him again.
“This is weird.” Harley stated with a chuckle. Though it was the truth, in that moment she couldn’t think of anything better than having the both of them for as long as they would have her.
“Oh, shut up.” A laugh bubbled through Jo’s lips before she turned to latch her mouth to Harley’s.
“You love every minute of it.” Dean added with a smirk as his calloused hand rubbed gently up and down the pink haired woman’s bare thigh. This was going to be interesting and none of them could wait to see what the future held.