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Even after dating for the better part of the year, Hope Mikaelson still couldn’t believe that Josie Saltzman had chosen to go out with her. Sure, she knew Josie had had a middle school crush on her, but she never would’ve thought that would’ve extended all the way into their senior year of high school, and especially not after Josie actually got to know her.
It was pretty much the dream. Josie Saltzman was her girlfriend. Josie Saltzman looked past Hope’s checkered past, she’d looked past her family heritage and everything in between to love Hope, and well, it felt too good to be true. That’s why when Penelope Park pops in for a visit, nine months after her departure, Hope finds herself more than a little jealous.
She had never really been the jealous type, that had always been more Josie’s domain, as it’d never really seemed necessary with Landon or Roman. But Josie Saltzman, and her gorgeous flirty temptress of an ex girlfriend were different. Josie was worth being jealous over, if only for fear that Hope would lose her, something she was almost certain she never wanted to happen.
Penelope Park strolled up Monday morning with a cape brandishing her shoulders, a bag rolling right behind her, and a signature smirk that conveyed that she meant business. Lizzie audibly groans when she sees her, eyes trailing from her head to her toes. “Excited to see me, Saltzman?” Penelope asks, her voice loaded with her usual dosage of sass.
“Quite the opposite, she-devil, I beg to know why you’ve returned to ruin my life,” Lizzie says, standing up from where she was seated and meeting Penelope head on.
“Ah, I’ve been invited for a week’s long exchange program. Didn’t you hear? Or did daddy not tell you? Hmm… typical,” Penelope says as she wanders closer to where Hope is seated beside Josie.
Penelope’s smirk fades a little as she spots Hope’s arm tucked around Josie’s waist, but she recovers quickly enough to say, “Wow, JoJo, you only get more beautiful the longer I stay away,” and walk away, while the bitter jealousy pools in the bottom of Hope’s stomach.
•¥•
In all honesty, Hope had never liked Penelope much to begin with, she was rude and vindictive and never believed Josie could do anything for herself, but she found she liked Penelope even less when she made a habit of flirting with her girlfriend.
Penelope had been there for three and a half days, and everyday got worse. Much to Hope’s chagrin, Penelope had been assigned more than half of her classes, all of which she shared with Josie. This of course meant that Hope was present for every single one of Penelope’s off colour remarks and flirtatious compliments, plus the blush that coloured Josie’s cheeks every time it occurred.
She knows it means nothing, she knows her and Josie have a relationship based on mutual trust and understanding, but there’s something about Penelope that turns her stomach and makes her insecure, makes her feel like Josie could do better. Penelope is gorgeous and flirty and she has a history with Josie, not a history with murder. Hope finds herself just a little worried.
She knows in reality that Penelope will be gone within the week, that everything will go back to normal then, but for now, Penelope Park is flirting with Hope’s girlfriend, and it’s driving her insane.
They’re sitting in the common room, the two of them cushioned together, their hands interlocked in Hope’s lap when Penelope strolls in, and takes a seat across from them. Hope nervously plays with their hands, and she knows Penelope sees her when her eyebrows go up and back down again in quick succession. She finds herself nervous at Penelope’s mere presence, unhappy with how the girl makes her feel, but she supposes there’s not much to do, she was their guest, and this was as much her common space as Hope’s. Penelope locks eyes with Hope, and sets an evil smirk on her face, before looking over at Josie. “Hey Jo,” Penelope says, the beginnings of an ulterior motive on the tip of her tongue.
“Penelope,” Josie says, looking at Hope for a second and then looking back at her ex.
“You look good today, JoJo, that shirt really works for you,” Penelope flirts, and Hope bristles at the comment.
Hope knows Penelope knows about her, she knows that her and Josie are dating, it’s hard to miss with the way they act. When they’re together, they’re never not touching. Hope always has a hand on Josie’s thigh or a grip on her hand, because she likes to know Josie is there, real, and in love with her. With Hope’s track record for dead loved ones, it’s a comfort she always needs, a constant that she absolutely relishes in, and she knows Josie likes it too, knows that Josie likes telling the world that Hope is hers. But Hope also knows that Penelope Park is perceptive and vindictive, and whatever comes next is going to sting.
“Thanks, Pen, it’s just the uniform, the thing we’re required to wear after all,” Josie responds, her eyes falling to her hands in Hope’s lap.
“Well if you came upstairs with me, you wouldn’t be required to wear anything at all,” Penelope says, lacing her voice with as much saccharine smugness as she can.
Hope looks to Josie just as her cheeks colour a flush red. Josie looks absolutely embarrassed, but the blush causes Hope’s mind to tunnel into the possibility that her girlfriend was flustered, that she was intrigued by Penelope’s prospects. It makes her so fucking mad. She lets go of Josie’s hand in anger, her mind filling with insecurities and jealousies and she storms off without another thought. She couldn’t believe Penelope would say things like that, knowing that Hope and Josie were together, flirt with her girlfriend so blatantly and obviously, she’s absolutely livid. Penelope didn’t have a single boundary and her stupid, selfish actions left Hope seething. Josie was hers, Hope’s, but Penelope continued to act like she could lay a claim to the girl, despite breaking up with her. Hope can feel the rage brewing inside her, feel her possessive streak acting up, and it only serves to worsen her feelings.
Hope knows she shouldn’t be acting like this. She knows that Josie loves her and she knows that Josie’s been over Penelope’s bullshit for months, but she can’t help but feel it through her whole body. She’s jealous, and she knows it’s because she loves Josie, and she doesn’t want to lose her. She knows she’s a mess, she knows she’s the loner tribrid who pushed everyone away, whose only friend for the longest time was Josie’s father. She comes from a family of killers, and she seems to carry death wherever she goes. Hope feels like Josie is too good for her, too good for the legacy she harbours, and because of that she can’t help but be jealous of perfect Penelope Park. She hates that she’s like this, she hates that she’s unable to just trust that their relationship was solid, and that Josie was committed to her, but she’s just a little broken, and Penelope’s words shift something inside of her.
As she’s leaving Hope thinks she hears Josie say, “Fuck Penelope, you can’t do that.”
The action in her defence only plunges her deeper, and she gets out of there as fast as she can.
•¥•
As soon as she reaches her room, she buries herself under the covers and decides that sulking is the best way to deal with her problems. Healthy for sure, but before she can even begin to brood, a knock sounds from the door.
Hope sighs, contemplating for a moment if it was worth getting up to appease the person at the door. It was very likely Lizzie asking her to borrow a top or MG asking if she can do some little spell, but it also could be Josie. “Hope, please let me in,” Josie says, her voice muffled by the door.
Hope smiles almost involuntarily at the girl, and gets up to let her girlfriend in. She opens the door, Josie steps in, and immediately pulls her into a hug. Hope is shocked for a second, not sure what this is for, but she snaps back to reality and wraps her arms around Josie’s waist and tucks her head into the crook of her neck.
After a moment Josie pulls away, and her soft brown eyes lock onto Hope. “I’m sorry she’s being stupid, you know how she is,” Josie says, and Hope hates that Josie feels the need to apologize for Penelope’s actions and Hope’s subsequent reactions.
“Josie, baby, it’s not your fault, she’s always been like this and I mean it was totally uncool but I probably shouldn’t have been jealous either,” Hope says, tightening her grip on Josie’s waist and pulling her a little closer.
Josie giggles a little at that, before she playfully asks, “Oh so you were jealous?”
Hope rolls her eyes. “Yes.”
Josie smirks and then leans in to press a soft kiss to Hope’s lips. “Well you don’t have to be,” she says, “I am most definitely not interested in Penelope, at all. It’s all you, Hope Mikaelson.”
Hope smiles at that, kissing Josie again. It makes her feel good, makes her feel silly for ever thinking that Josie wasn’t committed, and that she wasn’t right for her. “I’m sorry I stormed off, I just couldn’t take her anymore,” Hope whispers.
“Hope, I understand, you have nothing to apologize for. She was incredibly out of line and I told her so,” Josie replies, “she’s not gonna be saying shit like that anymore.”
“Thank you, Jo, I appreciate it. It was getting to me more than I’d like to admit.”
“Of course, baby, I love you, and her saying things like that isn’t okay. I’m with you, and she’s got to learn to respect it,” Josie says.
“I love you too, so much,” Hope says, and she leans in to kiss Josie again.
Hope feels Josie smile into the kiss and she can’t help but smile right back. It feels right, holding Josie here in her arms, both of them having just confirmed how much they love each other, and Josie having soothed Hope’s insecurities. Josie Saltzman was Hope’s girlfriend, and even though sometimes it seemed too good to be true, that made the real love that much better.