Maybe, Someday (Hosie, Legacies)

Threat Assesment || Part-2

Their friends were already nearly finished eating when they joined them in the cafeteria. There was space on one side of the table between Lizzie and Penelope, so Hope and Josie squeezed between them. Hope immediately rested her hand on Josie's thigh and absent-mindedly drew shapes on her bare leg with her fingers as she ate. She had always felt compelled to be around Josie, even before they were friends. Even when they were more frenemies (Lizzie's words, not hers). In fact, she often sought them out knowing that their interaction would likely end in insults and tears (Lizzie publicly cried, whereas Hope always did alone), just to be near Josie for a little while. It should have hit her then, just what Josie meant to her. But now that she got a taste (and yes, her mind did wander a bit at the thought...) of what it was like to be near Josie all the time, to be free to touch her and kiss her and...

"You do realize I can feel what you're feeling right?" Penelope whispered as she leaned in close to Hope. "I mean...I'm not complaining, but if I can feel it, I'm pretty sure the others can too."

Hope blushed deeply at that. She spared at glance at Josie who was smirking slightly with a blush.

"Shit? Are you serious right now?" Hope whispered to Penelope with annoyance. "I'm not even trying to think about it...it just sort of..." Hope sighed. It was all Josie's fault.

"Hey, it's a natural thing. You're human...sort of. Well, not really. God, I'm bad at the whole pep talk thing." Penelope sighed dejectedly. "Gossip I can do. Insults and flirting are my forte..."

"Yeah, you're not helping." Hope said under her breath. Then a horrible thought hit her. "If you can...sense those types of feelings...does that mean Lizzie can as well? If so. I'm screwed."

Penelope cackled at that. "Screwed huh? Isn't that why you're in this mess in the first place."

Hope slapped at her when she spoke a little too loudly for her liking. "Shut up."

"Are you doing okay over there?" MG asked as he studied them. By the uncomfortable way he shifted in his seat--he had heard most of the conversation and likely guessed the gist of what he had missed.

Hope's eyes scanned the room and realized that Rafael and Lizzie sported similar looks. She hated that her friends had supernatural hearing.

"Fuck my life." Hope growled and slammed her head down on the table.

Penelope laughed harder. "Again...with that choice of words, really?"

"Can we please not talk about sex when it's my sister you're talking about." Lizzie groaned.

Josie took things rather well, however, given the intense and embarrassing spotlight that suddenly shown on her.

"So the full moon's tonight...how does that affect crescent wolves, other than us being able to control our change?" Josie gratefully saved Hope from more humiliation.

"I've never really been all that affected by my wolf side other than the occasional angry outburst...which I usually just attribute to my being a Mikaelson. But I do tend to need more run time the closer I am to the full moon. Either running, or expelling my energy in other ways."

Penelope snorted.

Hope glared at her. "I meant through sparring or going on missions to keep my mind busy."

"Is that typical of evolved wolves or is that an exaggerated response because of the full moon?" Rafael wondered.

Hope shrugged. "I think it's typical. The wolf is not a curse or some hand-me down gene that you inherit...no offense." She frowned. She wasn't explaining it right. When Josie's hand rested on hers, it helped her regain her focus. Hope smiled at her girlfriend and took a slow, steady breath before she continued. "It's literally a part of me. Like...I don't feel whole when I don't embrace the wolf side often. You guys only have to transform once a month...but if I don't do so more often than that...I actually feel...I get depressed. I feel incomplete. I don't know how else to explain it. I crave it. I need it."