Kiss With A Fist

[Harley Tsuji]

In the past, notes passed between Harley and Odette had been mocking at best, violence-inducing at worst. Getting a note from the Slytherin was not something Harley had expected, or would generally be happy about, but she was surprised to find herself actually trusting the note when it simply said that Odette wanted to talk. Their previous encounter had been unexpected, but Harley was intrigued by the changes in her potentially former rival, and wanted to see what the other girl was really like, without all the artifice she had used for years for her own social gain.

Harley was surprised to see that her dragon painting hadn't been cleaned up yet. She supposed nobody really used this room, but surely house elves would have some way of knowing. Harley hopped up onto a desk and sat crosslegged, peering down at her own work while she waited for Odette to join her.

 

[Odette Madison]

Odette didn't know what was wrong with her. What was she doing? Sending notes to Harley to meet her in an abandoned classroom. If anyone had told her this would happen a few years ago, she would have laughed them out of the room. But in truth, Odette had no one left. The brief talk with Harley in the very classroom had been the best interaction with someone else Odette had had all year at school. Hayden had abandoned her, she had chased Margo off. Jessica had less substance than a drop of water and Hayley had punched her in the face. True, she had punched back and that had been pretty satisfying.

As she arrived at the classroom, she spotted the blue haired girl waiting for her. She sighed, as a part of her had hoped Harely just wouldn't show up. Walking up to the other girl, she gave an awkward wave. "Hi. Sorry, I mean... I don't really know why I asked you here." She said with a small sigh. "Everyone else has just been total crap. Margo and Hayden both abandoned me and I honestly want to drown Hayley in the lake. No offense." She frowned, knowing the girls were friends. Still, Harley knew Hayley had been awful to Odette so surely she couldn't fault her too much. "I didn't hate hanging out here before. I guess." She added with a small shrug.

 

[Harley Tsuji]

Harley was a little surprised that Odette actually showed up to meet her, and didn't look like she was up to anything. Part of her had expected the other girl to arrive with some kind of plot in mind, maybe some of her posse or some prank to pull on Harley, despite their heart to heart the other day, but Odette just looked tired and uncomfortable. Pulling her legs a little closer with one hand, Harley gave Odette a wave and half a smile, wondering what had brought the other girl to summon her, if not the promise of another salvo of antagonism. "Hey."

Harley was surprised when her greeting was immediately followed with a flurry of complaints about the rest of Odette's life. At first Harley felt like the other girl really wanted to talk to her, like there was some kind of trust being built between them. That illusion shattered quickly, when Odette brought up Hayley. "Hey!" Harley snapped, glaring at Odette. "Back off Hayley. She's got enough on her plate, she doesn't need you giving her s**t." She furrowed her brow as she slid off the desk, glaring at Odette. "I didn't hate hanging out either, but if you're gonna badmouth my best friend we're gonna have problems."

 

[Odette Madison]

Odette felt a strange pressure release as she was finally able to say some of the things she'd had on her mind out loud. It wasn't smart to give Harley too much information that could later be used against her, but she wasn't as cautious around the other girl as she normally was. But of course the subject of Hayley was a sore spot, and she cursed herself for bringing her up. The Slytherin had just really been working on her nerves lately, and a part of her had hoped Harley at least somewhat understood that. "Whatever, I know she's your friend but that doesn't mean it's not true." Odette said, flicking back her hair. "I'm not giving her s**t, she's giving me s**t. She won't leave me in peace! She's not the only person with a lot on her plate, you know. And from what I've seen, most of her problems are self-inflicted." The stupid revolution had been a bad plan, anyone could have seen problems coming from a mile away. It had actually surprised her a bit, she'd thought Hayley was smarter than that. Or at least cynical enough to know people would boo her off her platform.

 

[Harley Tsuji]

Harley felt anger beginning to boil in her stomach as Odette didn't relent, doubling down on her attack on Hayley. Fists clenching, Harley rolled her eyes as Odette flipped her hair. Clearly not as much had changed about the other girl as Harley had hoped. "Back off!" Harley repeated, stepping closer to Odette and meeting her eyes, shoulders raised threateningly. "If you didn't hassle her there'd be no problems. Same as I backed off when you did. You always start things, then get offended when people retaliate. Every damn time. I can't believe I thought you were actually trying to change." She spat, glaring at the other girl. It crossed her mind that she would almost have preferred if Odette had come in with some plot against her. That would make this just another battle in the war between them. This felt different though. They had really bonded, and now Odette was really going back on it to be petty about Hayley yet again. It felt almost like a betrayal, and part of Harley was embarrassed that she had let herself trust Odette that much.

 

[Odette Madison]

Odette felt herself grow more and more frustrated and dismayed. For some reason she had hoped Harley would be the person she could talk to in all this, and now she was hung up over a single little comment Odette made. Hayley wasn't perfect, even though Harley was apparently too blind to see it. Odette met her gaze defiantly. "She didn't back off. You're so quick to blame me when you have no idea what she's like when she's not licking your boots!" She snapped, feeling almost betrayed by the other girl. This wasn't what she had wanted, and it was all Harley's fault. Especially her talk about how she thought Odette had been trying to change hurt. In a way, she had been trying. But apparently it still wasn't good enough. In her frustration, she shoved the girl away from her. It wasn't a hard shove, but enough to make a statement. "I shouldn't have thought I could trust you." Her voice was thick with emotion, which she hated too. This entire situation was bad, and a part of her wanted to run. Another part of her thought that a fight was exactly what she needed right now. With Hayley she had held herself back, but perhaps she wouldn't this time.

 

[Harley Tsuji]

Harley gritted her teeth, heart sinking and stomach boiling as Odette just kept on pushing back. It was dismaying that Odette would have changed so little after all, that she would still act like this. The attacks on Hayley stung, and Harley clenched her fists tighter. "She doesn't lick my f*****g boots!" She snapped, glaring at Odette. "She's my friend, and she's a good person, I'm not gonna believe you trying to pin what the hell ever on her." Part of Harley wanted to just turn and leave now, and not waste any more time or feelings on Odette, but those thoughts were rudely interrupted when Odette actually had the audacity to shove her. Seething, Harley shoved Odette back, laughing at the irony of the other girl's words. "I can't believe I thought I could trust you! What the hell did you think was gonna happen when you walked in here cussing out my best friend, was I just gonna nod and pat your hair and tell you there there? What would you have done if I came in s**t talking your tacky little third year mini-me? I thought you wanted to hang out again, not b***h about someone important to me!" Harley could hear Odette getting a little choked up and it was a strange comfort that she wasn't the only one of them genuinely upset by this development, though she felt like she was doing a better job of not showing it, only anger coming through in her voice.

 

[Odette Madison]

Odette was seeing red. She hadn't been that mean about Hayley, in fact, she'd been holding back significanly. "I'm not PINNING anything on her!" She shouted, anger clear in her voice. This is why Odette preferred lying, it was so much worse to be called a liar when you were just telling the truth. She scoffed. "She follows you around, believe me, I can tell." She snapped, shaking her head furiously. "I didn't need you to trust me, I just wanted to TALK. You know I don't like Hayley. I wasn't even talking that badly about her!" She tried to calm down, but just wouldn't. At least Harley hadn't shoved her back very hard, which was one thing. Clenching her hands into fists, she scoffed. "I wasn't cussing her out, I was just complaining which I'm sure she does about me too. I don't CARE about her. I wouldn't be this upset if you talked badly about Jessica, as she can be really annoying and you're not entirely wrong. Blind loyalty is just plain stupid!" She scoffed, taking a step closer to Harley as she tried to back her up against the wall a little. "You've always been like this. When I say something that's true you just dismiss it because it's coming from me. It must be easy to be able to close your eyes like that to anything you disagree with! I did want to hang out again, but I'm starting to question that decision." She spat, her gaze unwavering from Harley's face. Daring her to shove back or do anything else.

 

[Harley Tsuji]

Harley hadn't really noticed the recent changes in Odette's physique until they were squaring off face to face like this, but it was suddenly very clear that the other girl had gained some significant muscles from playing Quidditch. It changed the dynamic between them slightly - as children Harley had always been able to lean on being physically stronger than Odette, but this was clearly no longer the case as Harley felt herself stepping back unconsciously in response to Odette's posture. "She HANGS OUT with me, we're FRIENDS! That's called being FRIENDS!" Harley snapped back, furious. "And YOU know she's my friend, how the hell did you think I was GONNA react to you talking about her like that? If you really just wanted to talk you should know better than to bring her up! I knew you were just coming here to pick a fight or start something." Even as she said the words Harley knew it wasn't exactly what had happened. Odette clearly hadn't come here with any kind of plan. She had just acted, and reminded Harley why the nice conversation they had had last time was an outlier, not an indicator for the future. "If your so-called friends annoy you and you wouldn't bother to defend them maybe you should try getting better friends." She snapped, fed up with Odette. "Step one is being nicer." Harley scoffed, in spite of the unconscious step back towards the wall she took. Odette was getting uncomfortably close, and the tiny rational part of Harley's brain realised that Odette was probably actually strong enough now to stand a real chance of beating her in a fight. The much larger angry portion of her brain wasn't going to back down though. "Yeah right! When you've said s**t that's actually true I've listened, you just BS more than you actually talk! You didn't even say anything, you just said you want to drown my best friend, how the f**k am I supposed to wanna hang with you after that?!"

 

[Odette Madison]

Odette felt a small burst of victory in her chest as she saw that Harley was a little intimated by her, proven by how she stepped back and away from her. Odette rolled her eyes when Harley shouted about being friends with Hayley. They'd had this conversation before. "Maybe I shouldn't have brought her up, or maybe you should be less sensitive!" She shouted back. "You're not MARRIED to her, you act like her personal bodyguard. It's really not healthy to let a single comment affect you this much." Odette felt her rage subside a little, but her annoyance only grew. Nobody in the entire world would be as offended on her behalf if anyone commented on her, and that thought stung. She stamped her foot in frustration. "I didn't come here to start anything! You're just so unreasonable!" She spat. "It was a joke anyway, you know what sarcasm is!" The comments about getting better friends and being nicer nearly brought tears to her eyes, but she pushed them down stubbornly. "It was a f***ing joke!" She repeated, her frustrations clear in her voice. "You say horrible stuff all the time, but now I'm a bad person for it? I'm so sick of you!" She shoved Harley up against the wall, vaguely aware that she was now pinning her to the dragon they had drawn together. That thought felt like tug on her heart. "You're so stupid." She said, her tone considerably softer now. Then, before she knew what had happened or how, her lips were on Harleys, her kiss angry but also clumsy and tentative. She had no idea what she was doing, but any and all reason had left her head as soon as their lips made contact.

 

[Harley Tsuji]

Harley scowled, lifting her chin defiantly. As much as Odette's new strength had unsettled her, she was determined not to back down because of it. "Maybe you should watch your damn mouth!" She snapped, glaring at Odette. "It's affecting me because I thought you were going to be cool but you're acting exactly as slimy as you always have. It's stupid." Harley rolled her eyes at Odette's multiple assertions that it had been a joke. "Well, it was a s**tty joke, how am I supposed to find the idea of you killing my best friend funny? I don't say things that horrible!" As she spoke Harley felt her back hit the wall, surprised to find she had already backed up so much. Harley's eyes caught Odette's just in time to see a softening in the Slytherin's expression that Harley didn't quite understand. The back of Harley's mind had barely registered that Odette was pretty when she looked so genuine, when she felt soft lips against her own. A shock ran up her spine... Harley had never even thought of kissing anyone before, but now it was happening, and it was... surprisingly nice. Harley felt echoes of both their fight and the real close moments they had shared, the two conflicting sides of her relationship blending inside Harley's mind as it raced to figure out how to respond. Ultimately, as was always the case with Odette, the only thing Harley could think to do was go with her gut, nervous hands moving to the other girl's waist as she kissed back, surprised at how right this felt despite the lingering anger between them. Everything had always felt more intense when it came to Odette, and somehow it translated into... whatever this kiss was.

 

[Odette Madison]

Odette's grip on Harley loosened, as she didn't want to keep her pinned at the wall. A small part of her brain reminded her to leave room for her to stop and leave if she wanted to, but she was surprised to feel that the girl was responding to the kiss in a much more agreeable way. Of the two, it soon became clear that Odette was the more experienced one, even if she'd never quite kissed like this. One of her hands ran into the girl's blue hair while the other strayed over her waist, mimicking Harley's movement. The kiss conveyed her anger and frustration, but it wasn't all bad. It soon softened a bit, and Odette felt the anger leave her. She was still shocked with what was happening, even if she had instigated it, but she went along with it. Time for thinking and regrets would come later. For now, she was living in this moment. And the moment was nice, she couldn't deny that. A part of her didn't want to break the kiss, she wanted to stay in this moment. Because she would have to deal with the real world again when it ended.

 

[Harley Tsuji]

Harley had never really thought much about kissing before, other than that it sounded mildly gross, but she certainly hadn't expected it to be so involving. It was difficult to focus on how exactly she felt about this turn of events when there were lips and hands to think about, a small noise of surprise escaping her as she felt Odette's hand winding into her hair. Harley felt clumsy and uncoordinated, no idea what to do with her own hands beyond resting them awkwardly on Odette's waist. As lost as she felt though, Harley was scared to break the kiss, afraid of what would come after. This felt nice, but the fight they had been having still loomed in the back of her mind, and she worried that Odette would be angry again as soon as the kiss ended. It had to end eventually though and Harley was the one to pull back, searching Odette's face with nervous eyes, still holding onto the other girl's waist in the hopes of not losing this immediately. "...What?" She asked anxiously, torn with a thousand questions in her mind and no words to ask them coming to her.

 

[Odette Madison]

Kissing Harley was intense, and it was like time had stopped. Which was perfect because that meant there were no consequences or things to think about. She peeked through her eyelashes at Harley's face, though she couldn't really see much from this close up. She felt a vague sense of panic as Harley started to break away, as it meant they had to deal with things. Harley looked as nervous she felt, and Odette quietly enjoyed how her hand lingered on her waist. Her simple question was hard to answer, and Odette shrugged. "I... I don't know." She admitted honestly. Then she cleared her throat, instinctively on the defensive. "But it's not like you stopped me," she added as she untangled her hair from Harley's blue locks.