Kissing Booths

Hope ends up carrying Josie back to the school that night (or very early morning, whatever you want to call it). It starts with Josie yawning as she is gripping Hope's fur on the way back, followed by her walking about half of a mile until she requests a short piggyback ride. A short piggyback ride turns into Hope sneaking back up the school's stairs and down the hall towards the twin's room with Jose still on her back.

The sleeping girl is clinging to Hope loosely, her arms barely wrapped around Hope's neck and her legs are propped up solely by Hope's strong arms. Hope doesn't have the heart to wake her. Josie's chest is pressing harder on Hope's back than her stomach is and Hope can both hear and feel Josie's slow heartbeat.

It offers some sort of comfort Hope can't explain, holding proof that Josie is alive and well. Josie's hair falls soft and gentle across Hope's cheek, tickles her arm. She has her head nuzzled into the crook of Hope's neck, so Hope can feel the push and drag of her breaths. Josie still smells like the lake and feels a little like heaven and Hope decides she loves Josie this way, carefree and close.

It's why Hope thinks over taking Josie back to her room instead. It would certainly be much easier to sleep with Josie pressed up against her and it would be an all around better waking up experience if it included Josie. Still, Lizzie might gut her if she steals Josie away for another night.

Hope has to lean forward and bump her head against the wall a couple times to make a proper knocking sound. She is glad no one else is in the hall, because it's mildly embarrassing.

At first, Hope thinks she is going to have to find some way to break into the room while carrying a witch on her back, since no one normal is up this late. She's in the middle of crafting a plan in her mind when Lizzie pulls the door open, already starting to spout an irritated greeting before she sees who it is.

The first thing Hope notices is how puffy Lizzie's eyes are, how they're red around the rims like the edge of a glass that's been pressed into rosy salt. Hope can tell she has been crying. Her bottom lip is raw and bleeding just enough to be noticeable, as if it had been sucked or bitten harshly. Lizzie's face is void of any makeup - void of anything except curiosity, really.

Lizzie's glassy eyes glance from Hope to Josie, probably wondering why her sister is asleep and pressed against Hope like a clingy child. Hope is curious too, about the fact that Lizzie clearly has tears in her eyes and is up at such a late hour.

"I was wondering where she was." Lizzie kicks the door open a little wider so Hope can get in and casually wipes at her eyes, as if this is no big deal at all. "I mean, I guessed she was with you. She's always with you. I just… where even were you guys?"

"The woods." Hope would shrug, but she thinks that she might accidentally kick Josie off of her, so she doesn't.

She takes the invitation to come further inside and steps in, walking until she reaches the bed that she knows is Josie's. Then, Hope starts the very awkward and also very important task of carefully dropping Josie on the mattress without waking her up. Hope completes it within a minute and then tugs the sheets up and over Josie's sleeping form, making sure that she is properly tucked in.

Lizzie is watching her all the while, not offering any help but simply observing. Lizzie sniffles once during the entire thing and keeps her distance, hovering near her own bed.

"Are you okay?" Hope asks it, even though it feels awkward and heavy on her tongue. Not that long ago she wouldn't have asked, but there is something that makes her feel weird about leaving without making sure Lizzie is okay.

"No." Lizzie raises her shoulder in a little shrug. "Would you stay for a minute?"

"Yeah. Sure."

Hope awkwardly joins Lizzie on her bed - it might be the first time she sits on Lizzie's bed and not Josie's - and soon they're locked in this weird hug. It makes Hope feel like they are closer friends now, even though they really haven't shared that much with each other. Hope hugs Lizzie tightly and Lizzie hugs her back, and she feels warmth and worry and - well, it's weird.

Her heart doesn't hit a rapid pace when Lizzie wraps her arms around Hope's waist, and she doesn't focus on the smell of Lizzie's hair or the press of her breasts. It's nice. It's friendly. It's not what she has with Josie, and this is the first time Hope realizes it.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Hope asks, her awkwardness starting to fade. "Whatever it is."

Lizzie shakes her head no, and Hope only notices because she feels the bump of her forehead against her arm.

"Hey, Hope?"

"Yeah, Lizzie?"

"Whatever you're doing with Josie… don't hurt her, okay?" Lizzie sits up a bit so she can make eye contact. "She's been really happy lately and I assume it has something to do with you, so please just don't fuck up."

Hope nods slowly, even though she is confused. "I won't."

She feels as if she has just gotten the traditional 'don't hurt my daughter or I'll kill you' talk that fathers usually give to their daughter's boyfriends. Lizzie is staring at her seriously, looking a little sad and tired but also hopeful. Hope nods again, because though this whole conversation seems random to her, she knows she would never purposely hurt Josie, and she feels it's important for Lizzie to know that too.

Eventually, Lizzie sighs and drops her head to Hope's shoulder. That night, Hope makes sure both the Saltzman girls sleep peacefully.

-

Seeing Josie Saltzman standing behind a wooden, perfectly crafted (apparently Lizzie is as good at building things as she is at destroying things) kissing booth stand somehow ruins Hope's morning.

She knew Josie was doing this, of course. Josie had mentioned it last night and Hope had nodded along, thinking it was a good idea. Now, she wants to hit herself, because seeing Josie with a sign above her head that reads 'A Dollar A Kiss' makes her stomach plummet all the way down to hell. Josie looks so pretty too - her lips always look soft and plump and utterly kissable, but today it seems magnified. Hope is sure that in a couple minutes there will be a line of people wanting to kiss Josie.

In other words, Hope is about two seconds away from putting her fist through a wall.

Really, it's a little embarrassing how quickly her anger spikes. There's a rational part of her brain that says Josie owes Hope nothing, that Josie can kiss whoever she wants. The other parts of Hope's brain are either scrambling or suggesting that Hope put her speed and strength to good use and take Josie far, far away from other people's greedy lips.

Of course Hope can't do that for several reasons, so she stands near the doorway of a classroom for a solid minute and just stares at Josie. Not in a weird way. She's simply observing. Her mind is kind of fucked. It doesn't help that no explanation is coming for why she's so mad, she's still a bit tired from her earlier workout, and the skirt Hope is wearing clings to her body uncomfortably.

Eventually Hope decides that she is reaching stalker levels of creepy and forces her legs to take her forward. Hope gets three steps before Josie glances in her direction and grins (beams, actually, because Josie never does anything half-assed). She smiles back in greeting, though feels a little awkward as she approaches the booth.

It is set up in their crowded school hallway. Students pass them in clusters or alone, but either way Hope's position must look odd.

She's at a kissing booth. With Josie.

Hope swears a passing teenager gives her the stink eye as he walks by and all Hope can do is shrink in on herself, gripping the edge of the booth for some type of support. People must think she's there to kiss Josie or something - and she wouldn't do that. Well. Actually, maybe she would. Not in public though.

Hope repeats again in her mind that she has no problem with other people being gay. The thought of herself liking girls makes her chest feel heavy, her body buzzing with what feels like the very start of a panic attack. And Josie really doesn't help, because with the things they have been doing it probably wouldn't surprise Josie if Hope slapped a dollar down and just-

"Are you going to, uh, speak?" Josie asks. Her hand reaches out to brush against Hope's knuckles, and she realizes that she still hasn't said anything to Josie yet.

"Oh, sorry." Hope says awkwardly. "How's your morning going?"

Josie's smile stretches across her lips slowly but surely. "It was good. I'm a little tired, though. Thanks to someone."

One of Josie's hands reach out over the booth between them to poke Hope on the soft inside of her forearm. Her palm presses casually against the skin and slides downward until their hands (or more, their nervous fingers - because hand holding is kind of intimate and they're in public) hesitantly link together. Hope wants to grip Josie's hand properly, but she never loses sight of the students still passing by.

"Sorry." Hope breathes, remembering last night's events. At this point, Hope has apologized twice and still hasn't felt sorry at all.

"It's okay. It's a good type of ache." Josie admits and Hope's stomach jumps when she connects the dots.

They stay in that position for what feels like forever. In reality, it's just long enough for the tension to rise. Long enough for Hope to look up into Josie's warm eyes, because she's feeling a little clueless and a lot confused and the brown in Josie's gaze usually makes the room stop spinning.

Instead, Hope finds Josie looking at her the same way. Waiting for instruction, as always. Except this time, Hope really doesn't have much to say.

"Fuck." Hope's eyes catch on Josie's neck and widen slightly. "I totally forgot about the hickies. Sorry. Those are really - just… damn."

This she does feel sorry about - because though seeing the bright purple marks burst in a trail along Josie's neck does start a buzz of arousal in the pit of Hope's stomach, Josie now has to deal with them. Everyone can see them. It's not as if they are very well hidden or anything and plus, no one knows if Josie is dating anyone. So Josie will either have to dodge questions all day or make up some lie.

"It's okay." Josie assures, her skin starting to tint pink.

Hope still feels a bit guilty. "I'll be better with the placement next time."

They both pause - and it's a very quick pause. If their life were a movie, then their viewers would be yelling and jumping over couches in a mad dash to grab popcorn and sodas then make it back to the screen.

"No." Josie protests unexpectedly, her fingers pressing just slightly firmer onto Hope's open palm. "I, uh. I kind of like people seeing it. And yeah, my neck stings a little but it's nice."

"Define nice." Hope says, because she is pretty sure that's not the right word Josie is looking for.

Josie licks her lips and looks down. Her blush comes with full force now. When she speaks, her voice is a couple levels softer. "Hot. I mean it's hot."

"Oh."

She has no idea what to say then. Hope knows what she wants to do. She wants to lean over the wood or walk around the barrier all together, just so she can grip Josie's navy sweater and yank her forward until they are kissing once again. Hope even takes a step closer until her hips bump against the edge, but she makes no move to get any closer because there's still people.

People who should probably be kissing Josie. People who would be kissing Josie (and simultaneously helping them get enough money for the lake house) if Hope weren't lingering around with no point to her actions.

"Are you going to... contribute?" Josie's hand leaves Hope's to rest on a clear jar on the wooden surface that Hope hadn't noticed before.

There is a small slot cut open on the top of it, clearly for money. It's just thin enough to fit dollars and coins. At the bottom of the jar, a few bills are crumpled there. Hope can't help the frown that hits her lips, knowing someone else had kissed Josie and people will continue to come along to do the same thing.

"I, um." Hope glances around nervously. They have never actually kissed on the lips before and this isn't the setting she wants to do it in.

"It's for a good cause." Josie supplies.

Hope is thinking over Josie's words (it is a good cause and no one would really question her if she shook off the kiss with a shrug and a small lie about wanting to help with the money) when she spots Penelope at the end of the hall, heading towards them with money clutches in her hand. Now, the thought of other people kissing Josie makes Hope see red, but the thought of Penelope kissing Josie makes Hope see gold - because her eyes flash a dangerous yellow suddenly.

It's as if she has shifted already, because her body moves on autopilot. She grabs Josie's sweater, just as she had imagined earlier, and pulls until there's a quiet, surprised gasp followed by warmth covering Hope's lips.

The kids is kind of sloppy at first, mostly because for the first second or two Josie didn't know what was happening. Josie gets it together quickly and meets Hope's touch. Where Hope presses with a lot of force, Josie pushes back to even her out. When Hope drags her tongue along the seam of Josie's lips, Josie parts them to let Hope deepen the kiss.

It takes Hope longer than Josie to figure out what she is doing. All of her actions had been done in a quick, primal decision. Her heart thuds loud enough that she can hear it due to the sudden anxiety and the genera 'what the fuck' feeling that apparently comes with kissing a girl for the first time.

The problem is: she can't stop now.

The damp warmth of Josie's mouth is not unlike the wet heat between her legs. It's just as soft and perfect inside, except this time Hope can actually taste Josie. She's kind of already obsessed with it. She can't stop herself from leaning in, from licking into Josie's mouth like she is claiming Josie for her own.

That could be what Hope is trying to do. Hope eventually lets her grip loosen and her hands slip from the fabric of Josie's sweater, just so Hope can slide her palms up into Josie's hair. Josie doesn't tell her to stop - she even tilts her head a bit, letting Hope catch more of the strands in her hands. Hope tugs gently and the small moan that slips out of Josie's lips makes Hope groan quietly in response.

God, she can practically smell the arousal on Josie.

They pull away for air (Josie needing it more than Hope) and Josie takes two deep breaths before she speaks again.

"Take me somewhere." She says. Her eyes are wide, lips a little shiny, and air still entering and leaving her mouth at a rapid pace.

Fuck. Hope did that - no one else.

It makes her brain fill with some odd sense of pride, like getting Josie horny is a reward that Hope has earned. She chalks her thoughts up to plain old, possessive werewolf business and nods. This isn't a 'Hope being into girls' thing, it's a 'Hope being an animal' thing. She can't help it. When she drags Josie into the nearest empty room to do whatever they're going to do - it always changes every time, as if they're stepping towards some invisible barrier - Hope will know it's all primal, all animalistic and emotionless. And that's fine, because that is how it's supposed to be.

"Uh." Penelope says, making her presence known. "Are you two going to get a room or did Hope just pay extra?"

Everything about Penelope is guarded. From her uncharacteristically tense stance to the way her smirk is half-assed, barely there. She has her arms crossed over her body, and it looks more like Penelope is trying to shrink rather than make her presence known. Hope can see Penelope struggling with something, trying to show her usual bravado, but there's obvious cracks in her persona.

The sass is there, but Hope notices that Penelope's eyes are still set firmly down, as if catching sight of Hope and Josie's swelling lips and blown pupils would ruin her.

"I-I'm going to take a break." Josie fumbles over her words and looks between the two girls slowly before walking away, going somewhere unknown.

Which, of course, leaves Hope and Penelope standing in their most awkward position yet.

Hope digs into her skirt pocket and produces her wallet from out of it, all while Penelope stares her down. She isn't sure exactly how to proceed or how to explain everything to Penelope - it's not like Penelope would understand werewolf instincts - so she simply grabs five dollars (and fuck, it feels as if she is moving so slow) and slides the cash into the jar.

"See you around." Hope says politely.

"See you around." Penelope returns.

By following her nose and her ears - which requires embarrassingly sniffing the air as if she were a dog - Hope finds Josie in a nearby, private bathroom. At least, she thinks she finds Josie. She can hear slight rustling and little breaths that sound familiar from inside, but it could be anyone in there.

Hope knocks. "Hey, it's me."

The door is pulled open in a flash and before Hope even has time to think, she is yanked inside the bathroom. Josie's face looks a lot redder than it had before and she has a hand pushed into her skirt, no doubt already buried in her panties. Hope looks over her body, noticing that Josie's wrist hasn't stopped moving and she's most likely fingering herself at the moment.

Hope feels herself throb and she clenches her thighs together to try and relieve some tension before she moves forward. She grabs Josie's wrist gently, making Josie look up at her with wide, pleading eyes. Hope pulls Josie's hand away from her underwear and out from inside her skirt, then replaces it with her own fingers.

The bathroom is relatively small but thankfully there's a lock and Hope makes good use of it. She leads Josie back against the sink so they have something to lean against. Hope snakes her hand down lower, past the thin fabric of Josie's panties until her fingertips glide easily against hot skin and a hard nub.

"What's got you so wet, Jo?" Hope already knows, but she wants to hear it.

"You." Josie admits shakily, her hands moving to grip the edge of the sink behind her. "Would you kiss me again, please?"

Hope really can't say no to her. She leans forward and connects their lips for the second time ever, kissing Josie again for no reason except the fact that Josie asked. At the same time, Hope starts to run her fingers over Josie's slit the way she's learned how. Josie's moans don't get a chance to leave her lips, just slip out from her mouth and into Hope's so no one can hear them.

It's surprisingly easy to make Josie cum. Just a couple long strokes with her fingers, some quick teasing, and a hard press to a spongy spot inside of Josie has her writhing. It's incredibly hot. Hope can feel the wet splatter of Josie cumming on her palm and she sinks to her knees, not wanting to waste the chance to taste Josie a second time.

"Oh." Josie says, her voice taking on a desperate tone. "You don't, uh, have to do that."

Despite Josie's words, she is lifting herself up and onto the sink so Hope's head can get aligned with her properly. Hope has to bite back a smirk at how Josie's legs fall open a bit wider, like she's waiting for her.

"I want to." Hope assures Josie.

Josie unzips her skirt, but Hope does the rest. Hope grips the fabric and pulls it down Josie's thighs until it slips off of her feet. Josie is wearing light blue panties that look tighter than they probably are. They stick to Josie's skin due to the wetness and Hope can see the outline of everything.

She reaches forward and runs her finger over her for a second or two before she grabs the waistband and pulls her panties down, too. Josie is pretty and pink and a little swollen between her legs, the recent orgasm making everything look more appetizing - and wow, Hope never thought she would use that word to describe Josie.

"God, you're so pretty." Hope puts her palms on the insides of Josie's thighs and pushes, slowly parting them as far as they will go. She drags her fingers over the soft skin and watches Josie shudder then clench around nothing.

Hope looks up and finds Josie already watching her, looking down with her bottom lip drawn between her teeth. One of Josie's hands is up her shirt and moving, probably pinching a hardened nipple under her sweater, like she can't go more than a few seconds without being touched. Hope decides that she is going to like this.

She has seen enough porn and knows Josie well enough to start with the basics, licking up her slit to see where she's sensitive. Hope doesn't miss how Josie's heavy breathing gets a little more high-pitched when her tongue brushes against her clit and her entrance.

As usual with Josie, Hope's brain works on some type of odd autopilot. Being with Josie is just instinct at this point. Even just the taste of her - kind of bitter, all around addicting - sends Hope into a frenzy. She flicks Josie's clit with her tongue, starting up a quick rhythm. Hope is aware that Josie is still sensitive from her first orgasm and she takes full advantage of it. She wants Josie to cum hard, wants to taste as much of her as she can. Hope presses the flat of her tongue against Josie experimentally and feels Josie clench and shiver under her.

At some point Hope remembers she also has fingers. She pushes two of them in to the knuckle and curls them after a couple thrusts, still not stopping the circling her tongue is doing.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck- Hope." Josie gasps, letting out a loud string of curses. She clenches her hand into a fist and presses the brunt of her knuckles into her mouth to stop the noises from getting out.

Hope can't keep her eyes off of Josie, even as her nose bumps messily against the top of Josie's mound. Josie is a wreck above her, with her eyes squeezed shut as she rocks into Hope's waiting hand. Her back is arched in the most beautiful curve Hope has ever seen and her mouth is open, whimpering Hope's name over and over.

Feeling Josie cum still never ceases to amaze her. Josie clenches and for a moment Hope's fingers are being suffocated, and then there is a hot, wet flood on her skin. Hope lowers her head to lick up as much as she can get. Josie gushes around Hope's fingers as she grinds down onto her until the aftershocks subside, and Hope loves it.

She would fuck Josie for days if she could - actually, Hope could. She definitely has the stamina for that, because she's also sure that Josie would probably pass out at some point if she tried.

"There we go." Hope hums, pleased, as she pulls her fingers out. She presses a secret kiss to Josie's inner thigh.

Josie looks exhausted and satisfied, but she still manages to speak with a soft, slightly scratchy voice. "Can I clean your fingers off?"

The request comes small and quietly, making it seem as if Josie is a little embarrassed. Maybe she is, but she doesn't need to be. Hope gets the message and she thinks that it's hot. That's why she stands and extends her hand out to Josie, watching as Josie slowly starts to lick over her fingers and suck them clean. Hope gently brushes her other hand through Josie's hair once she's done.

She leans up on her toes to kiss Josie's forehead. "Good girl."

"Stop." Josie replies weakly. "I'm just going to get turned on again."

Hope lights up at that and she moves forward once again, this time kissing Josie on the lips sweetly before turning to the right and kissing one of the dark hickeys from last night. She pushes her lips against three of the others, pecking the skin that Josie exposes to her. Eventually Hope makes her way up to Josie's ear.

"You like me calling you that?" Hope asks. She grips Josie's hips but pulls her head away just far enough that they can make eye contact.

Josie simply nods, most likely too tired to say much else. Hope reaches down and pulls Josie's panties and her skirt back up her legs. All Josie has to do is lift her ass a little so Hope can get the fabric up to her waist. She even zips up the skirt for her, because she's a good friend.

"We should probably go." Hope says, finally stepping away. "You have people to kiss."

Sighing, Josie pushes herself off the sink and lands on the floor with a dull thump. "Sounds exhausting."

That same day, Hope catches MG studying in the library. Usually she would say hello, maybe speak to him for a solid five to ten minutes or so, and then move on, but today is different. Today, Hope lingers near MG for an excessive (not excessive for normal people, but excessive for Hope, The Antisocial One) amount of time until he starts glancing up at her awkwardly from over his Vampire Studies textbook.

They sit across from each other at a table. Where Hope has a single, thin book clutched in her hands, MG has about twenty books, each thicker than the next, stacked high above his head. She isn't here to study, just to pick up this one book for Josie and leave, but for whatever reason she is still here. It's dumb, because she isn't even reading, just running her fingers over a random page and staring at one word on the paper. Hope has the feeling MG knows that.

"Hey, MG?" Hope asks and MG sets his book down, as if he had been expecting this.

"Yeah?"

"You've had a crush on Lizzie for awhile." Hope says, not really sure what she's doing. She feels dumb for the questions she's about to ask - because of course MG's feelings for Lizzie won't be anything close to her feelings for Josie, but she needs to ask anyways. "What's that like?"

It sounds awkward and they both know it, but Hope already has the words out there. She's too curious. Her mind is kind of scrambled since last night and a couple hours in that bathroom. She needs some answers to some questions, because her heart beats rapidly with fear anytime she thinks it over, but she also lets her cunt throb and her heart warm at the mere thought of Josie.

So, she's decided to go speak to the master of having a crush on a Saltzman twin.

MG raises her eyebrows at her and takes his time with his response. "I don't know. It's a crush, you know? I like little things about her, like how she smells and her smile and the sound of her voice. I always want to talk to her but… as you know, she doesn't like me that way."

He gives a small, sad shrug. Hope feels she should stop there, but she can't stop herself from asking for more.

"What do you mean you always want to talk to her?"

"Well, it's…" He trails off and Hope realizes it's a stupid question, but before she can interrupt he's talking again. "It's more like I always want to spend my time with her. I would rather be with her than be alone, even when I'm mad or angry or even asleep. It's like the world is less scary when I'm around her, it's more calm. She makes me brave."

That's a sweeter response than Hope was expecting. She probably should have assumed that MG was going to ramble on about Lizzie of all people. The thing that shocks her the most is that MG's emotions sound very similar to how Hope feels about Josie - like the world stills and all the chaos stops if they are together.

"Why?" MG asks eventually, his face now more curious than Hope's. He smirks at her. "Do you have another crush on some boy? Who is it?"

Hope probably shouldn't say, but MG is staring at her and she can't really come up with a lie on the spot. Besides, MG is a good guy. He wouldn't tell anyone.

"Josie and I have been having sex." Hope blurts.