Chapter Text
"Hey Hope!" someone who sounded oddly like Josie said from behind her.
Hope halted and turned to face the voice to find that it was indeed Josie who called after her; dressed in her sleepwear and with a water bottle in hand. She must have been making her way back to her room from the kitchen as curfew was about to begin in a few short minutes.
Upon witnessing the exhausted look on Hope's face, Josie's wide smile changed suddenly to a frown. It wasn't out of the ordinary to see a tired looking Hope roaming the halls of the Salvatore School, but tonight she seemed to look worse for wear.
"Are you alright? You don't look so great," Josie's soft tone had Hope muster up the energy to smile slightly, in hopes of lessening any concern that Josie is already having.
"I'm alright, Jo. Just extremely tired. Doctor Saltzman and I just got back from the trip we made for the newly activated werewolf. He's been sheltered in the transition cells for the night until we can figure the rest out." Even the explanation took a lot of energy. God knows Hope is barely one to divulge anyone about anything, but she's been working on it. And despite her mood, this is Josie she's speaking to. One of her best friends and someone she now knows that she can rely on. If anything, the explanation is bound to make Josie understand her current decision.
With Hope's reasoning, Josie's frown upturned into a small, yet dejected smile. The siphoner moved toward Hope to give her a warm hug. It was all they needed in between them before they broke apart to continue heading to their respective rooms. A soft "Good night, Jo" escaped Hope's lips, and it was reciprocated by Josie just the same.
Hope continued to walk to the end of the hall of the witches' quarters, her room moderately isolated. It was one of the perks of being a Mikaelson, the very family that funds most of the school. As she got a few steps away from entering her room, she could hear the muffled sounds of music from behind the door. Hope clearly remembers locking and most importantly, spelling, her room so that nobody could come around snooping. She obviously forgot that the one other person she allows permission (having finetuned the spell to keep everyone but one out) would have used the opportunity of Hope being away to come and make herself at home in her room.
Turning the knob slowly, Hope pushed the door open inch by inch. She was greeted with a mess of shoulder-length raven hair whipping back and forth in sync to the head on which it lay upon. Eyes closed, the intruder was unaware of the Mikaelson who has just made her way inside. Knowing that her best friend was too caught up in her own world, bobbing to the loud music and probably a little tipsy - bordering drunk -, Hope calmly walked over to the bed to lay down. It was at that moment, just a step away from a cozy respite, that the other person in the room decided to open her eyes, only to lock on with the tribrid's deer caught in headlights expression.
The next thing Hope saw before she was falling onto her bed was a mess of dark hair and a grin that could brighten up the atmosphere around her, tackling her all the while letting out a loud exclamation of "HOOOPE!"
"Penelope!" Hope shouted, as all the air was knocked out of her lungs by the intruder. It took a few moments of Penelope breathing heavy to calm her racing heart and Hope gulping in large amounts to make up for the loss she just endured. She may be a werewolf with tremendous stamina, but she wasn't exactly at her prime right now. Penelope sat up into a straddling position as she intertwined their hands.
"Do you know how absolutely boring and uneventful this school is without you here? Do you?! Never again leave for a whole three days. Or better yet, take me along with you. Listening to Doctor Saltzman's terrible lectures must be better than listening to MG talk on and on about how close he is to winning the Evil Ice Queen's heart. Obviously, I'm doubtful and he's very aware where I stand on this, but voicing it would only break his heart. Figuratively, you know. Because it doesn't bea-" Penelope squeaks the last part as Hope smoothly glides into a sitting position with Pen still in her lap and joins their lips for a soft and long kiss.
Hope untangles their hands to securely hold Penelope's back whereas Penelope takes advantage of her free hands and places them behind Hope's neck to deepen the kiss. It doesn't last very long as they break to intake some much needed air, a must for Penelope considering she was barely given a chance to breathe between her very intense and long ramble and the very kiss that shut her up.
"I love that we're catching up on our time apart, but I would just love to rest before we continue. So, if you don't mind turning off that unnecessarily loud music and then getting into bed, please," Hope spoke calmly. She was just as shocked as Penelope at her action, but she was tired so sue her sleep-deprived brain of committing such acts. They can talk more about whatever that was in the morning.
Penelope nodded silently to Hope's request, getting off her lap and making her way to the table to turn off the speakers, albeit with a slow lag as she tried to make sense of what just occurred. It's not as if she didn't see it coming (cocky much?). Penelope was naturally a very flirty person, but especially moreso when around Hope. She was working up the courage to express her feelings for her best friend in a better way - maybe a little more romantic. She didn't, however, at all expect to be thrown into a teaser such as this, especially considering Hope is choosing to wait a whole night to talk about it. Penelope couldn't do anything except walk back to the bed and cuddle into Hope, who for her part was a few seconds away from knocking out. With the little wakefulness still in her, Hope attached herself to her best friend.
Tomorrow they will figure it out. They had much to talk about, but that could all be done after a good night's dream.