Work Text:
Hope, Josie and Lizzie were all having a movie night in the twins' room. They had plenty of snacks and drinks: including popcorn candy, chocolate, some coke, and some lemonade. Lizzie's laptop was set up, and using some magic they projected the screen onto the wall. It felt like a real movie theatre, minus the multiple other people who would usually be around. Each of them sat on Josie's bed; Josie was in the middle, with Hope on her left and Lizzie on her right. They had a collection of soft blankets, except Hope and Josie insisted on sharing one. Lizzie rolled her eyes, wondering how on earth two people could be so blind to what was right in front of them.
After some protesting from Hope, Josie finally managed to convince her to let them watch the movie Lizzie had selected. It was some dumb rom-com, which wasn't Hope's favorite genre of movies, but she could put up with it if it meant being in Josie's company. It was hard for Lizzie not to laugh when Josie gave Hope her best puppy dog eyes, her signature pout, and said 'Please? For me?' It was even harder to refrain from laughing when Hope replied.
The film went on without Hope paying much attention. She couldn't fully focus on it, not when Josie was directly next to her. So close that a tingling sensation struck her at the feeling of Josie's skin pressed again her own. She partially regretted wearing a short-sleeved pajama shirt. Perhaps having a warm blanket was a terrible idea. She was a wolf, she didn't even need it, so she wasn't sure why she accepted it when Josie asked. Actually, that was a lie. She did know. It was because of her huge crush on the girl, which she pretended wasn't that huge. It wasn't like she'd been crushing for four years or anything. Totally not.
It wasn't as if her crush on Josie was the very reason she had agreed to watch the rom-com when the girl asked, but shut Lizzie down when she did the same. Totally not.
It wasn't as if her crush was the very reason that she was failing maths. No way.
Lizzie knew the film almost as well as she knew herself - she could practically quote the entire thing. She made plenty of comments about the main actor of it, who played the love interest of the girl. She mentioned how he was one of her favorite actors, and probably close to the top of her list of celebrity crushes. Much to Hope's dismay, Lizzie listed every name from said list, saying the names of a few women too. Hope wondered why she asked, in fact, begged to watch the movie if she was going to talk throughout the whole thing. Though she'd be lying if she said it didn't annoy her and was tempted to ask her to be quiet.
When the movie ended, Hope sighed in relief. Hopefully, that would be the end of Lizzie's running commentary. As agreed, it was Hope's turn to pick one, and she picked her favorite action movie. Surprisingly, Lizzie didn't protest, and she actually said that she liked the movie too. Josie said she didn't mind, and so Lizzie pressed play on it. For being the one to pick the movie, Hope certainly wasn't all that invested in it. She was far more invested in the brunette beside her, who had somehow snuggled closer to her during the duration of the movies. Her arm was slung across Hope's waist, and her head rested on the tribrid's chest. Hope was sure Josie would be able to hear her heart doing marathons, with nothing she could do to control it. Josie assumed it because Hope loved the movie, and was excited to watch it.
Lizzie made plenty of comments throughout the second movie, too, and Hope could feel herself getting a little more frustrated. She just wanted to watch the movie (and stare at Josie) in peace. Was that too much to ask? It baffled Hope how Josie could put up with the blonde almost 24/7. Sure, she appreciated Lizzie as a friend, but that didn't mean she didn't want to smack her half of the time. Their friendship was still rather new, after all, meaning she wasn't completely used to it.
When Hope's choice ended, it was Josie's turn to pick something, and neither of the girls in her company was shocked when the brunette chose a Disney film. Moana, to be precise. Hope couldn't recall looking at the screen for more than two seconds at a time during that movie. Josie was a much more appealing sight than the ocean or whatever (she wasn't really familiar with the film). The way Josie laughed, smiled, sang along to the songs, and pointed out which parts were her favorite set off a storm in the auburn-haired girl's chest. It was a sight she wanted engrained in her memory forever. And Josie's voice, god her voice was the sweetest sound Hope had ever heard.
The blonde twin couldn't understand how Josie hadn't seen Hope staring at her all night, or how she hadn't noticed her staring for basically their entire lives. Everyone seemed to know that they liked each other except them. Some people thought that they were already dating, and when asked if they were, both girls became incredibly flustered, thankful when the other would deny the comment.
Considering it was a weekend and they still had some time to kill before curfew, they put on a fourth movie. Five minutes in, and Hope became sick of Lizzie's stupid comments about the actors or the clothing.
"Could you please be quiet?" Hope finally spoke up.
"I'm sorry, am I bothering you, Mikaelson?"
"Yes, as a matter of fact, you are."
"Not sure why you're so upset. It's not like your even watching the movie." Lizzie raised her brows with a chuckle. Hope panicked, wondering if Lizzie knew that she'd been staring at Josie, so she sent a comeback Lizzie's way.
"I can't watch the movie when all I hear is you being horny for all the actors!" Josie sighed and pressed pause on the movie seeing as the two other two hadn't bothered. She didn't attempt to move though, mainly because she was happy cuddling Hope but also because she knew that whenever Hope and Lizzie were like this, it was best to let them continue for a little while.
And continue they did, firing comments back every other second. Mostly about little things that didn't really matter. They fell into the usual routine of acting offended and then saying something back. Whilst "arguing" with Lizzie, Hope kept her body as still as possible because she knew that Josie was comfortable. Lizzie didn't show a sign of stopping any time soon, so neither did Hope. It was a wonder they hadn't run out of insults for each other.
It had been a few minutes, when the blonde saw a golden opportunity - a chance to tease Hope, possibly tease her sister in the process and maybe even get them to admit to their feelings. It may have been a longshot, but if successful, it would kill multiple birds with one stone.
"Hey, Hope?"
"Hmm?" She hummed, and Josie could feel the vibrations of Hope talking against her ear. Still, she refused to move.
"Why don't you tell Josie of the time you had a crush on her?" It was as if Hope forgot the entire English language at that moment. Her expression dropped and the strongest blush coated her cheeks.
"Lizzie!" Hope yelled at the same time as Josie said "Wait, what?"
Hope groaned at Lizzie's victorious grin. She hated that the blonde had managed to shut her up so easily. Hope could never have predicted that Lizzie would say that, and now that she had, the tribrid had absolutely no idea how to respond. Josie chose to sit up properly then, and Hope instantly felt the loss of contact, but quickly felt brown eyes on her.
"I'm gonna go and get myself some more popcorn." Lizzie shoved the computer onto her sister's lap and got up from the bed, still smirking at Hope.
"You can't run away from this!" Hope shouted after her. She had to look away from Josie. Looking at her seemed like the worst thing to do right then.
"What's that?" Lizzie put a hand behind her ear. "I can't hear you! You're breaking up!" She ran out, closing the door behind her.
"This isn't a phone ca-and she's gone." Hope sighed, rubbing her face with her hands as if she thought she'd wake up from some dream. She never imagined Josie finding out in such a way, she wasn't even sure if she wanted Josie to know. It was in the past, (sort of), and she didn't see the need to bring it up. Except, there they were in the siphoners room, once Lizzie had escaped after dropping that bomb on them.
"Is it true? Did you have a crush on me?"
"I umm...I mean uhh-yeah, it is." She stuttered. Hope couldn't believe what was happening. What if Josie asked more questions about it? What if Josie found out that Hope still had those feelings? It would destroy their friendship, and Hope didn't think she would survive losing somebody else.
"Oh." Despite Lizzie having said it, Josie couldn't believe it until she heard it from Hope herself. It stunned her, to the point where she had no clue what to say. It was extremely unexpected.
"Oh?"
"Sorry, it's just...I didn't realize you like girls."
"Neither did I until I had a crush on you." Hope felt like an absolute idiot for saying that. She laughed after, to ease the strange tension that filled the air. If asked, Hope wouldn't be able to describe the look Josie displayed, nor would she be able to guess how the brunette felt about the information.
"When was it?" The question took Hope off guard. On one hand, she could lie and avoid the question, and on the other, she could be honest. Because what good would lying do? The secret was already out.
"When I was fourteen," Hope admitted, debating on if she could continue. "I remember trying to smile at you more. I remember really wanting to talk to you but I was way too nervous."
"That's exactly how I felt when I had a cru-" She cut herself off, having suddenly thinking she found two puzzle pieces that fit together. "Wait a minute. Around the time that I wrote the note, I remember you being extra nice to me. Was it then?" Josie could never forget that time, mainly because of the guilt of burning Hope's room but also because of Hope being less closed off.
"Huh. I guess it was. I never put that together before." Hope's mind went in a spiral, thinking of what could've been if she wasn't so damn stupid.
"So what you're telling me is, if I never burned that note, then maybe...you and I...could've..." Josie suddenly hated her younger self. If she had just been honest and told Hope how she felt, then maybe they would have started dating. Maybe she would be calling Hope her girlfriend instead of her best friend.
"Yep." The room fell quiet again, and Hope wondered what was taking Lizzie so long.
Josie wasn't sure if she should ask the question that was on her mind. It could make her even more annoyed with herself, but also give her an odd sense of happiness if the answer was what she hoped it would be. "If I hadn't burnt the note, and you actually read it, what would you have done?" Hope did not need to think of her answer, as she knew it as soon as Josie finished speaking.
"I would've been very happy, and I would've asked you on a date straight away."
"Really?"
"Yeah." Out of nowhere, it seemed to Josie as if she could have a chance with Hope in the future. Knowing that Hope liked girls was one thing, but knowing Hope had liked her was even better. Then and there, she decided to tell Hope that she still liked her. She already missed the chance once, she wasn't about to let it pass again. Even if things didn't go her way, at least she would have been honest. After all, her lack of honesty all those years ago was what messed everything up, and delayed them from having a friendship.
"And what if I said I still felt the same way? What would you do then?" Josie asked, and she seemingly missed the bright spark that lit up Hope's eyes, all because she was too nervous to look at her.
"Is that you're way of telling me you like me, Saltzman?"
"Maybe...yes." Hope had held back her smirk long enough for Josie to answer, and once she had answered, Hope let the Mikaelson smirk take over her face. It seemed unreal, that Josie still liked her, but it gave her an insane level of confidence. All she cared about then, all she focused on, was Josie and telling her that she also still felt the same.
"Well in that case...I'd put my hand to your face..." She did just that, and Josie looked down at the contact, embarrassed that was all it took to make her blush. Hope hadn't even answered her question. "I'd look right into your eyes..." And Hope did that, too. She loved the way Josie's eyes looked so uncertain. She loved how smooth Josie's skin was against her palm. "and I'd kiss you." She concluded the sentence which she dragged out purposefully.
"So then do it." Josie surprised herself when she spoke. Hope's grin got impossibly wider. Her other hand went to Josie's waist, and the brunette couldn't wait any longer. She crashed their lips together, mesmerized by the taste of Hope's lips. They felt soft and they moved against hers perfectly. It felt right, and Josie couldn't get enough. She tugged Hope closer by her shoulders. It was getting heated. Right as the kiss was going to deepen, they both heard the sound of something hitting the floor outside the dorm, and pulled apart. The sound of someone muttering something followed and Hope guessed it was a curse word with the force of it. For a tribrid, someone with stamina beyond that of an average human, Hope was completely breathless. Except those abilities allowed her to pick up the scent of none other than Lizzie Saltzman.
"Are you kidding me right now, Lizzie?" Hope shouted, waving her hand to open the door. A not-so-guilty Lizzie strolled in with a smile, cradling bags of popcorn in her arms. "How long have you been out there?"
"Long enough." She shrugged.
"I can't believe you!" Hope threw a pillow at her. Next to her, Josie was still frozen in place. Her mind hadn't fully comprehended everything.
"That doesn't sound like a thank you!" Lizzie threw the pillow back and noticed how her sister hadn't moved since she came in. "I see that it was all worth it." Hope and Josie glanced at each other, smiles dancing on their lips, as they reached for each other's hands.
"Of course it was worth it," Hope said, not taking her eyes away from the girl she had kissed. She pecked her on the cheek, letting her lips linger after. "What happened to 'the two of you are never happening'?"
"Things change. I couldn't stand seeing you two pine after each other like oblivious gays for another second. It was excruciating." She exaggerated. "And I still haven't heard a thank you."
"Thank you, Liz," Josie said, squeezing Hope's hand a little tighter.