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The scene was definitely an odd one to see Hope at. She hated crowds, especially those consisting of her uncivilized, loud school peers. Hated the ever-present stench of sweaty bodies brushing against one another. Hated wasted guys hitting on her with woozy eyes and sloppy smirks. Hated all those annoying pop songs, playing so loud they were reverberating through her body and pounding in her chest like a second heart.
But what Hope didn’t hate was an immense supply of alcohol the wolves had rustled up from God knew where. The soft, late-summer breeze on her skin. The delicious buzz in her head that muted her worries and softened the edges of the world around her.
And most importantly, what Hope didn’t hate was a chance to forget for a moment how fucked up her life actually was.
Her typical way for that was to busy herself with classes and homework, then with the recruitment missions Alaric took her on once the weekend rolled around. Hope was okay with that, for the most part. It left no room for her treacherous mind to ponder over bad stuff, and that was all that mattered. She’d never known any other way of coping, or tried to look for one for that matter. Usually, she was able to just jam all hard things into a single drawer in the back of her head and ignore them.
Usually.
Until one too many of small inconveniences happened, her fragile house of cards collapsed on her head, and suddenly, every tiny thought and worry Hope'd stashed away rushed back to her.
Lately, it was harder than usual to crawl out from under the rubble and put that house of cards back up.
So when it’d come to Hope’s attention that this Saturday marked yet another one of the old mill parties - right after Alaric'd put off the recruiting at that - she hadn’t even given herself time to hesitate or change her mind.
And although Hope essentially resented parties and her appearance definitely earned her some baffled goggling, she had been kinda having fun for the last two hours. If by fun you understood downing an amount of vodka that would knock her out were she not a werewolf, and throwing herself into the turmoil of the dancing crowd when she was tipsy enough, capering and whirling until she lost all sense of direction.
It was certainly out of character for her but at this point, nobody paid her any mind, either too busy jumping to the beat or frivoling with a tongue down somebody’s throat. Hope was just another speck in the mass of drunk, overexcited teenagers. So if nobody cared, why would Hope? She willed herself to relax and for once, let the moment carry her.
She danced with a few pretty girls, whose names she didn't care to figure out, and even spared a song to this prat Jed, just so she could get her hands on cigarettes she knew he brought to every party. It was difficult to swallow down a laugh when a sly grin and some eyelash fluttering on her part proved to be enough to make him offer. Sometimes, it was too easy with boys, honestly. Jed didn’t even bat an eye when Hope slipped a whole pack out of his hand and deftly slinked off, jostling her way through the cluster of sticky bodies. She had a feeling she would see him still ogling after her if she had half a mind to turn around.
She was smoking the borrowed cigarettes on the outskirts of the party when she spotted them.
Lizzie, MG and Kaleb were standing by the snacks table, not too far from where Hope was propped against a tree, smoke curling around her fingers. Fortunately, the spot she had chosen was just outside the ring of light from the bonfires and the mill, so they didn’t notice her.
The world bleared slightly in Hope’s vision, coming in and out of focus with the bitter aftertaste of vodka on her tongue. Still, she could clearly tell MG and Kaleb were in the middle of a heated discussion (knowing them the topic most likely drifted to some comics) while bored Lizzie rolled her eyes at them from time to time. There was more tenderness in the gesture than Lizzie would probably care to admit. For whatever reason, Hope was intent on watching them, a forgotten cigarette slowly burning in her right hand, stubborn even when an uncomfortable, strange pang constricted in her chest.
It was her own decision to isolate herself from everyone; she didn’t particularly enjoy opening up to people but God, as fun as it was, she had to admit doing this all on her own carried a bitter tinge. Loneliness. No amount of alcohol could erase it. You definitely weren’t supposed to go to parties alone.
Hope regarded them from afar with just a tiny bit of envy. Mostly, she just felt numb. Really. It was what it was; Hope had made her peace with being an outcast a long time ago. And numbness was actually good. It meant she was building her house of cards back up.
“A bit of a creep, aren’t you?”
Hope nearly dropped her cigarette at the sound of a silky voice coming from behind her.
Fucking hell. If there was one thing she hated about the alcohol, it was how it dulled her senses. She should have heard this person coming before they even thought to waylay her.
But then again, it wasn’t like Josie Saltzman was any threat so Hope supposed it was okay. Just this one time.
She changed her mind when she saw that her little jump resulted in Josie's smug, teasing smile.
Hope decided to let the roll of her eyes be the answer and sternly turned her back at Josie, taking a drag on her cigarette. Now that she returned to her previous occupation, Josie's absence at the snacks table struck her as uncanny, given how inseparable the witch was with her friends, but it honestly made no odds to Hope whether Josie was there or here with her. Hope might as well ignore her if Josie was so keen on staying and receiving the cold shoulder. Fine with Hope as long as her voice carried no real malice like her sister’s usually did. Hope was surely not Josie's favourite person but this comment of hers had sounded more amused and tipsy than anything else.
Josie fell in line with Hope and lingered by her side, watching her group of friends with an inscrutable expression on her face. After a while, peering at them palled for Hope so, in all her drunk glory, she reached a conclusion that the girl next to her was a far more interesting view. The distant light of the fire flickered over Josie's soft features and left tiny sparkles in her brown eyes.
“It's weird to see you here,” Josie mused a few minutes later. Hope instinctively bristled. She had been on the edge about her presence here the whole night, just waiting for someone to taunt and rile her. It didn't help that she had made a habit out of reading too much into the twins' words and searching for sometimes nonexistent vicious undertones. After all, they were rarely able or eager to hold a civil conversation. Nobody could blame Hope for being testy and oversensitive.
“It's weird to see you without your parasite,” Hope snapped back, referring to Lizzie. She cringed at the venom in her own voice. Here it was. That goddamn poking. She didn’t even mean to be smart with Josie, not when the girl was relatively nice to her. It was an impulse at this point.
Hope thought Josie shared it with her, but she only snorted. As if this kind of response was expected of Hope. Somehow it stung more than any spiteful remark would have.
In the tense, awkward silence, Hope risked a glance at Josie’s profile and followed her line of sight to Lizzie who was currently chatting with MG and swaying on her legs a little. She probably shouldn’t have mixed her meds with alcohol. Not that Hope cared. It just crossed her mind. It seemed to concern Josie though, if the look on her face was anything to go by. But Hope couldn’t also shake the feeling that there was something more to it. Josie seemed… tired. Resigned behind her mask of amusement and disdain. And it ran deeper than her sister carelessly getting drunk like she did every three weeks when another old mill party came around.
Again, not that Hope cared but the gloom didn’t suit Josie, and Hope discovered a small, very dumb part of her wished to make it go away. Maybe it was vodka talking. Or the guilt. Yes, definitely. Just the guilt.
Whatever it was, it annoyed Hope enough to make her try to do something about it.
She hesitated, then dug her hand in the pocket of her black denim jacket and, after some fumbling, awkwardly shoved the pack of cigarettes in Josie's face. At first, only a line appeared between Josie's brows but eventually, she accepted. Her movements were slow and reluctant, and Hope almost barked that the cigarettes were not poisoned. At least not by her, and hopefully not by Jed. Hope bit her tongue and pulled a lighter out of her other pocket.
Josie looked unsure though, playing with the cigarette between her fingers. For a second, Hope wondered whether it was because she’d never smoked before, then immediately scolded herself in her head. Having dated Penelope Park, Josie, out of all people, had surely smoked something more than cigarettes.
But she clearly wasn’t game for it now, and the right thing to say was probably that there was no pressure. Except Hope felt so painfully awkward, she didn’t know how to navigate through her words around Josie. What if another stupid, mean thing slipped? Josie already looked like a kicked puppy, and Hope didn’t particularly enjoy making her misery worse, even if all her banters with the twins could fool one.
She ended up plucking the poor, runkled cigarette from Josie's fingers, probably baffling her with how unusually gentle and regardful the gesture was. Or perhaps Josie wasn’t an idiot who overthought every single social interaction like Hope did.
No, Josie simply looked down, grubbing the dirt with the tip of her shoe. She didn't look up as she asked in a small voice:
"Do you want to go dancing?"
Hope raised a brow at her and darted a brief, confused glance over to where Lizzie was still standing. Josie noticed it anyway, ever so observant.
"One night break from being a twin," she explained, straining to come off as nonchalant.
Hope nodded absentmindedly. She pretended to consider her proposal for a moment when, in fact, she was focused on the hopeful, timid look of Josie's eyes. Was it always so hard to say no to Josie?
"I need a drink first," Hope announced at last.
A smile ghosted over Josie's lips. "I need two."
They ended up at the other snack table, steering clear of the one Josie's friends were at. Hope poured herself a shot without offering Josie one. She didn't know where it came from but in the back of her head, there suddenly was this distinct memory of Josie's resentment towards vodka. So instead, Hope overlooked as Josie filled her plastic cup to the brim with some pink liquid and gulped the whole thing down. If Hope was surprised by her nerve, she did a good job of masking it. In the dim light, Hope noticed Josie's chubby cheeks were tinged with the same color as her drink. Josie grabbed the bottle, tucked the one with vodka into Hope's hands and dragged her to the dance floor.
After that things went… well, hazy to say the least.
There was twirling Josie to some Taylor Swift song Hope was too intoxicated to recognize. The smell of Josie's perfume all around her, so sweet that she doubted the alcohol in her system was the sole reason behind her head spinning. Dancing until their lungs burned and they had to take small breaks. Sharing a few cigarettes with a group of witches and easy laughter at the jokes Hope would’ve normally never found funny. Jed spilling his sticky drink all over Josie's blouse and earning a swat on the back of the head from Hope in the process. Hope offering Josie her jacket. Josie leading Hope away from prying eyes, to the dark clump of trees where she could change, but then not even waiting for Hope to turn around before she pulled the soggy blouse over her head. The heat in Hope's stomach and the dryness in her mouth at the quick, accidental glimpse of Josie's chest and toned stomach.
More shots and gulping straight from the bottle on the dance floor while Josie was getting closer and closer to her.
Hope's muzzed senses somehow managed to catch the scent of Josie's shampoo. It made her feel like the creep Josie had called her but God, did she smell good.
The crowd swelled and enclosed around them, pushing everyone closer. People were brushing and bumping into each other with every step. Josie's arms wrapped around her shoulders and automatically, Hope's hands rested on Josie's waist in response, fingers just barely digging into her sides.
She was so fucking drunk.
She suddenly wished her jacket was back on her shoulders because Josie's touch on her bare skin basically burned. And Hope couldn’t get enough of the feeling.
It took her mind off things better than any amount of alcohol ever could. Even with all the vodka and roaring music, there had been this constant, tiny voice at the back of her head reeling off the long litany of Hope’s concerns and gripes. It vanished with the warmth of Josie's breath on her cheek and the solidity of her body pressed against Hope’s. It was almost too much, the way Hope's whole world decreased and came down to one person.
Then the song ended and in its wake, Josie was panting in Hope’s ear, her breath so laboured Hope figured they were set for another break. The next thing she knew Josie's hand slipped into hers with ease and she was hauling Hope away to the place they had first come across each other tonight. There, the music was just a nice background and the wind gave them much needed reprieve from the suffocating, sultry air of the throng.
On the downside, now that they were away from the chaos of the party, the stillness and quiet were getting to Hope's head, alcohol lazily cruising through her veins and adrenaline slowly subsiding. It was like jumping out of an airplane and only realizing how many emotions and fears you had pushed aside once you were safe on the ground. Hope knew it was the same for Josie when the witch faltered and braced herself against a trunk on unsteady legs. Her sodden gaze fixed on Hope with an eerie deliberateness and her lips formed into an idle, goofy smile.
Josie Saltzman had always been a mystery to Hope Mikaelson. The only one she could never figure out, not quite.
It was easy to understand why Lizzie acted like a total bitch towards her; she wasn’t nice to a lot of people to begin with and she held some special grudges towards Hope, although where exactly they came from Hope wasn’t sure. But for all Hope knew, there wasn’t any reason for the kind, sweet Josie Saltzman to hate her. Besides maybe solidarity with her twin. Most of the time, it actually felt like that was all it was - just a response to Hope and Lizzie's quarrels, no actual hard feelings. Hope highly doubted Josie was able to genuinely resent anybody on this planet. She seemed to see good in everyone.
They were regarding each other like that for a few minutes, an easy silence settling over them, and Hope was tempted to ask what Josie was thinking about. She never got a chance.
Her breath hitched when Josie unceremoniously pulled her in and reached into the pocket of her skirt where Hope had put the pack of cigarettes after their pleasant encounter with the witches. There were still plenty left. She handed one to Hope and then snatched one for herself as well.
Something prompted Hope to follow the path the cigarette followed to come from Josie's long, slender fingers to her mouth. Hope had no idea why her eyes lingered at Josie's lips.
Just like she had no idea what came over her when she decided to shuffle closer to Josie and lit the cigarette for her, instead of passing her the lighter like a normal person.
Josie was trapped between Hope and the tree behind her back, and Hope could tell the exact moment the realization dawned on her.
The subtle wind was present the whole night so Hope had to frame the cigarette with her hand and lean over it, lest the lighter blew out. And if she stooped a bit lower than it was necessary just to catch this sweet blend of Josie’s perfume and shampoo again, nobody had to know.
It took her a few tries with her shaking hands, and at some point, Josie's hands gently wrapped around hers to steady the movement. A single shudder travelled down Hope's spine. Josie's astute gaze stayed on her face the entire time.
Then, all too quickly, it was over and Josie stepped aside, inhaling the smoke without ever taking her eyes off Hope. She thanked Hope with a small nod and an even smaller smile, the one that seemed to constantly dance on her lips ever since Hope’d agreed to dance. Hope wanted to ask what was so funny but firstly, she was afraid the words would come out as nothing more than raving gibberish, and secondly, a selfish part of her relished in the thought that Josie reserved all this attention only for her. There was something between the two of them. A kind of tension that Hope’s addled mind couldn’t fully explain. Or resist.
It was treacherous and foolish. But when the smoke left Josie’s mouth and curled around her, she looked so gorgeous and smug, Hope discovered she didn’t really give a damn. The light of the fire was engulfing the side of Josie's face, leaving the other half in the shadows. The dazed fog cleared from her eyes. There was a challenge to her gaze and the slight curve of her mouth as she took another drag. It was captivating, and Hope was pleased to see it replacing the previous sadness. Confidence suited her.
“You need to light it, you know,” Josie suddenly said, an amusement lacing her tone.
“What?” Hope asked, furrowing her brows when Josie nodded down at Hope’s hand.
“Your cigarette,” Josie elaborated and sure enough, a quick glance revealed it still unlighted between Hope’s fingers. She hadn't even noticed. Why was she so distracted? Her brain was so foggy, and she had even more trouble following the flow of things around her than before, even though she hadn’t had a drink in approximately half an hour.
“Oh, yeah,” Hope mumbled, fumbling with the lighter once more. Useless was one way to describe her. Josie chuckled quietly at her uncharacteristic clumsiness. Hope had an impression Josie was letting her struggle just for the fun of it.
“Hey, Hope,” the witch finally called. Hope grunted when a particularly strong gust snuffed the flame. The fact that she was a witch and could easily do the trick with a flick of a finger seemed to escape her notice. “Look at me.”
Hope raised her head.
“Yeah?” she quavered, uncertainty creeping into her voice. Josie's gaze roved over Hope's face for a split second, seemingly searching for something.
“Just come here.”
She must have found it.
She yanked at the hem of Hope’s shirt, not exactly rapid but not gentle either, and pulled Hope in. There was something impatient and frustrated about her moves. Hope could only watch, dumbfounded and surely too fucking drunk for this as Josie took a long drag on her cigarette and, not releasing the smoke, leant in.
When she kissed Hope, Hope didn’t freeze or hesitate. A burst of colours exploded in her head and the feeling of Josie's lips on hers was so addictive, Hope's hands immediately shot to Josie's waist, keeping her in place. Josie parted Hope’s lips gingerly and fuck, Hope would moan if it wasn’t for the smoke Josie puffed into her mouth. Her hands nearly balled on the fabric of her own jacket, which Josie was wearing, to assure the witch wouldn’t move away too far. Hope clung to her and it was pathetic. Was something so small supposed to leave her so defenceless and desperate?
Thankfully, it looked like Josie shared Hope's sentiment. She shifted just enough to allow her space to release a pall of smoke and watched carefully as Hope did. There was a tinge of pride in her smile now.
Hope dropped her cigarette.
“Again,” she rasped, throat dry from screaming the lyrics of the songs on the dance floor.
And it was Hope this time who brushed Josie's lips. The time weirdly slowed around them as the smoke hovered and Hope waited till the familiar, sharp taste slowly seeped in with an inhale. Hope's heartbeat eased in anticipation like it was smoke and Josie’s kiss that Hope needed to breathe, not the air.
She exhaled. Josie licked her lips. Hope’s gaze followed the slow movement. Her whole body trembled.
They met halfway.
Hope pushed Josie against the tree. Josie's skirt hiked up when Hope's hands glided up Josie's tights and travelled all the way to her waist. She tasted like those menthol cigarettes - obviously - but only a bit. Mostly like something sweet. Was it this pink drink she had been sipping the whole night? Rum? And strawberry juice? Hope liked it. A lot.
She also liked it when Josie switched their positions in one swift move, but instead of pinning Hope down in her previous place, began to lead Hope towards the clamour of the party. Hope didn’t even question her motives, too drunk both on vodka and the taste of Josie.
They split for a quick moment it took them to reach some misplaced sofa, positioned close to one of the bonfires. Josie instantly slumped to her seat. Hope, on the other hand, took her time. She slowly sashayed to Josie, as gracefully as it was possible in her current state, making sure to maintain eye contact. With every step, a pleasant buzz under her skin rose to meet with fierce eagerness and impatience. Josie's eyes were hooded as she looked up at Hope slowly putting one knee on her side, then the other, and finally straddling her. And even then, Hope still tarried before she fully lowered herself to Josie's lap, opting to wait until Josie's hands found their way to her hips.
They weren’t coated by the safety of the shadows anymore, and although the bonfires were not exactly crawling with people, anybody could walk on them at any moment.
So if you wondered what Hope was thinking, the answer was she wasn’t thinking at all. Her ability to form any coherent thoughts had seriously weakened after those shots she’d offered to Jed as an apology for the wretched smack. The moment Josie touched her bare skin, it evaporated completely.
With hands roaming under Hope's shirt, Josie nibbled her lower lip and pulled at it for good measure. In response, Hope let her hands lazily slope down from their place at Josie's shoulder, brush the witch’s flanks and settle on her thighs.
Neither of them even cared they were supposed to hate each other, or stopped to fret how this whole shit was certainly going to come back tomorrow to bite them in the ass with full force of monstrous headache and shame.
As childish and innocent as it had been, Hope still remembered her tiny crush on Josie from a few years back. She’d always thought Josie was pretty, that much hadn’t changed. The only thing that had was that now Josie was also crazy attractive. So if they were both willing to use each other as a little distraction, why not take a chance?
After all, it was all that this was - a harmless distraction. Hope knew there was nothing more to it for her, and she wasn’t dumb or naive enough to think Josie actually felt something for her. She could never like the kind of person Hope was, there was no doubt about it. And Hope could bet her favourite axe that Josie was just trying to forget about Penelope.
Josie sighed deeply when Hope planted a kiss right above her collarbone, successfully pulling Hope out of her scattered thoughts. The sound was like music to Hope’s ears. She’d like to force more of them out of Josie. She was going to.
Her lips brushed the same place, only this time Hope let her teeth lightly graze the skin as well. One of Josie’s hands rested on the back of Hope’s hand, fingers tangling into auburn locks, and that was all the confirmation Hope needed. She sucked on the skin and preened at the airy whimper encouraging her to go on. Learning Josie's body and stumbling across all those sweet spots that elicited reaction was exhilarating. Though their actions were a bit sloppy and messy, and it was going to last only this one night, Hope felt light and blithe in Josie's arms.
Yeah, she could definitely worry about the consequences tomorrow.