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Halloween at the Salvatore Boarding for the Young and Gifted is certainly… something.
It would be surprising if it weren’t, considering that its student body is made out of the very creatures that the holiday glorifies.
Josie Saltzman loves Halloween. Everyone at the school does, really.
October is when the factions feel the closest —something about poking fun at the ridiculous notions regular people have of vampires, werewolves and witches fills them with an odd sense of unity and belonging.
Throughout the month, they gather in empty classrooms at night to watch movies featuring supernatural creatures and mock their inaccuracies, all while stuffing themselves with popcorn and, of course, Halloween candy.
(Landon tries proposing a phoenix film at some point and is immediately met with groans, fistfuls of popcorn and candy being thrown his way, and a “Shut up, Icarus!” from Lizzie.)
(His friend group takes pity on him and watches the movie in the comfort of Hope’s room later that night. When Josie wakes up the next day, warm and safe in Hope’s arms, she thinks that might be the best film she’s ever not-watched.)
It all culminates with a big party on Halloween night.
It’s Josie’s favorite event of the year (it used to be the school’s Christmas celebration, but… yeah, no, it’s probably best not to go down that particular rabbit hole), so she’s really excited about it.
Except, for the first time ever, Josie is also kind of nervous about the party?
Because…
Well, because Hope fucking Mikaelson has been teasing her relentlessly the entire week.
It all started one morning with a nonchalant “Hey, Jo, maybe you should go as a pig,” when they were all discussing costumes over breakfast.
Josie almost choked on her cereal.
“Why would my sister go as a pig, Mikaelson? What are you trying to imply here?” Lizzie raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed. Josie knew this particular eyebrow raise meant something along the lines of ‘Give me one reason why I shouldn’t fight you right now.’
“Well, because—”
Josie rushed to cover Hope’s mouth, “It’s an inside joke!” Something wet brushed against her hand, “Eek! Did you— Did you just lick me?”
That’s when it started, but it’s most definitely not where it ended. Much to Josie’s chagrin, the pig jokes haunted her (how appropriate, given the season) for the rest of the week.
Was it payback?
… Maybe.
… Most likely.
… Okay, fine, yes it was.
So what if Josie had used her pout —which she knew from experience Hope would be unable to resist— to convince the tribrid to wear a costume to the party? It’s a Halloween party, for fuck’s sake, Josie would be a shitty best friend if she had let Hope simply show up in regular clothes.
But no good deed goes unpunished, after all, so Josie had paid the price despite her benevolent intentions.
(“Note to self,” Josie writes down in her diary one night, “do not use the pout on Hope unless you are ready to suffer the consequences.”)
With the Halloween party only a couple of hours away, Josie is starting to regret ever opening her mouth.
What if Hope shows up as a pig?
(Hope can be really petty when she wants to, unfortunately for Josie.)
“You should try kissing her maybe.”
Pig’s words (Josie’s words) echo in her mind and she cringes, feeling a blush creep up her cheeks. After all these months, Josie still can’t believe she had suggested that to Hope —sure, Josie hadn’t intended for the older girl to find out that she was the pig, but still.
But no, it’s fine, Josie reassures herself for the hundredth time that week, Hope doesn’t remember that part. She’s only making fun of Josie for disguising herself as a pig.
There’s nothing more to it.
(Right?)
*
“He did the mash, he did the monster mash…”
Loud music, corny decorations, even cornier costumes; the Halloween party is in full swing around Josie.
She is standing next to Lizzie in the middle of the dining room, where tables have been pushed aside to make room for the party.
As is Saltzman twins tradition, they are wearing matching costumes, with Josie as Alice and Lizzie as (a sexier version of) the White Rabbit.
They each have a cup of punch, which Josie suspects has already been spiked, in their hands and are discussing other people’s costumes when Hope finds them.
Josie lets out a quiet sigh of relief.
Hope is dressed up as a princess. It’s not a very Hope costume, but it’s also not a pig costume, so Josie considers it a win in her book.
(It doesn’t hurt that Hope looks utterly breathtaking in her costume, the dress hugging her best friend’s body in all the right places.
And if the thought “That is one princess I wouldn’t mind kissing,” crosses her mind, nobody but Josie needs to know.)
“A princess?” Lizzie is clearly as confused as Josie by the costume choice, “That’s not very… well, you.”
“Sleeping Beauty,” Hope clarifies. She gives Josie a secretive smile, as if that’s supposed to mean something to her.
“Ha,” Lizzie probably arrives at the same conclusion Josie does, thinking Hope is poking fun at herself for those two weeks she spent asleep back in March, “good one.”
That’s when Josie notices it.
Hope is holding a stuffed animal.
Not just any stuffed animal…
A pig.
Oh no.
Lizzie’s eyes follow Josie’s.
“Okay, that’s it,” Lizzie starts, “what’s with the pigs? Is it some sort of gay mating signal I’m not aware of?” She stops, suddenly horrified. “Oh my God, is it a kink?”
What?!
“Lizzie!” Josie takes a small step backwards, alarmed, “No! What the hell?!”
Josie’s cheeks are on fire and, by the looks of it, Hope is not faring any better, her face turning redder and redder by the second.
A Malivore attack would be better than dealing with whatever this is at this point, so Josie grabs Hope’s arm and drags her away, throwing a quick “It’s an inside joke, bye!” over her shoulder.
Josie doesn’t stop walking until they are in an empty hallway outside the dining room. She turns around to face Hope, who seems to have composed herself during their short walk, that twinkle of confidence and mischief back in her blues eyes.
They are quiet for a moment, the faint sounds of music and laughter barely filling the silence between them.
Josie opens and closes her mouth, unsure of what to say. Hope studies her for a minute and seems to reach some sort of decision because a look of determination crosses her face.
Hope slowly raises the pig plush and hides her face behind it.
“You should try kissing her maybe,” Hope repeats Josie’s words from all those months ago, wiggling the pig from side to side, as if it were speaking.
It’s fucking adorable.
“Hope…” Josie bites her bottom lip.
“I mean it, Jo,” Hope lowers the pig and when their eyes connect, a volcano erupts in Josie’s chest. “All the pig jokes I made during the week? That was just me trying to get you to talk about what you said to me that day.” She looks down at the pig in her hands, fidgeting with it, “But clearly the indirect approach isn’t working, so, here goes to nothing… You should try kissing me, maybe?”
Oh.
Oh.
Lava courses through Josie’s veins as she leans forward, and when Hope’s lips meet her own, there is no ‘maybe’ about it.
(“Ha! I knew it was a mating signal!” a victorious Lizzie will exclaim later that night when she finds them still kissing in the hallway.)