Chapter 1 - Two Saturday Nights
Sweat is dripping down her forehead but she doesn't wipe it away. All her attention is focused on the girl in front of her. Or more precisely, her eyes.
They're a grey sort of blue and she rarely blinks. Lexa knows she's trying to unnerve her with her intense stare. She applauds the girl's confidence, not many keep as much eye contact during a fight. Usually their eyes jump all over the place. From Lexa's eyes to her shoulders to her gloves and back. Always moving. Always trying to stay ahead of Lexa's next move. It's never worked for them so far. One girl even kept glancing down to Lexa's feet. That one she knocked out in under a minute.
But this one, this one holds Lexa's eye contact and it makes for an interesting fight. She seems to read Lexa better for it and when Lexa fakes a right she blocks the following left without hesitation.
"Come on, Lex! Knock her on her ass!" she hears a distinct voice cheering from the small crowd around the ring.
The girl takes that moment to fling a low jab towards Lexa's stomach and Lexa has to jump back to avoid the black boxing glove. The girl follows and Lexa throws up her fists to block the sharp blows towards her face that come in rapid succession not a moment later. One, two, three, four, five.
They're hard blows and Lexa has to use all her upper body strength to stay in place as the hits rain onto her gloved hands and exposed upper arms.
The second the blows ease up Lexa steps forward and catches her opponent by surprise. A carefully placed hook to the girl's jaw knocks her backwards and she stumbles against the ring's ropes.
It's in that second that Lexa knows she's won. And so does the crowd.
When the fight is over and the referee let's go of her wrist Lexa lowers her arm and looks at the other fighter to nod at her respectfully, but when she sees her grinning it takes Lexa by surprise. "Good fight." The girl says conversationally while she starts unwrapping her gloves as the tall man walks off. They've both taken out their mouth pieces already and stowed them away in their boxing shorts pockets.
Lexa nods once. "It was." She confirms. "You almost went the distance."
Out of the corner of her eye Lexa can see the small crowd dispersing slowly, some people walking off towards the exit while others stay and linger. Maybe they want to talk to Lexa or the other fighter, or maybe they are waiting to ask the trainers and coaches something.
The brunette lets out a laugh. "Yeah, well I wasn't expecting that last uppercut." She admits lightly. "I have to admit I pecked you for more of an out-fighter before that last round."
Lexa only hums. She doesn't really know what to say. She's been trained to be as unpredictable as possible and that means not committing to only one style of fighting. Sure, Lexa's fights always have thought behind them and she does feel more comfortable with certain styles than with others, but all in all she tries to embody parts of all of them. The less consistent you are, the less likely it is that your opponent can predict your next move. Of course Lexa isn't obnoxious enough to think a skilled observer couldn't tell which combinations and forms of attacks come more naturally to her, but she hopes – and the past few months of fighting have so far seemingly confirmed that hope – that she isn't as easily found out as some others. Even though boxing and mixed martial arts aren't exactly the same you can still tell a fighter's general style, no matter what ring they are in, and Lexa is sure that she isn't the only fighter whose coach takes them to their potential opponents' training matches to gauge their overall tendency to lean towards one fighting style or another. She doesn't think she has seen this girl at one of her other practice fights before though, and although Lexa never really pays much attention to the crowd during a fight she still registers her surroundings carefully enough to have noticed her. Maybe her coach has seen Lexa fight at some point or maybe she was at one of her MMA fights. The crowds there are huge and the rooms are dark and Lexa couldn't possibly take notice of everyone in attendance.
The girl smiles at her for another moment before stretching out her right hand. "Well, it was a pleasure being knocked out by you, Commander." Sparkling eyes seem to ask something Lexa doesn't quite feel like answering.
Lexa raises her left eyebrow at the hand. She's still wearing her gloves.
When the girl notices she laughs again. "Oops." She lightly taps Lexa's gloved hand with her own fist before Lexa can even lift it. "See you around, Woods."
The girl gives Lexa one last lingering smile, but when Lexa only bow's her head in a slow nod, she turns around and heads off to her corner where two men and a woman are already waiting for her.
Lexa turns around as well and walks toward her own, lifting her right wrist to her mouth to pry the Velcro open with her teeth.
"Finally!" She hears.
Anya is hopping up onto the outside of the ring and pulls up the middle rope for Lexa to climb through.
"I thought you were never going to be done flirting." She teases as Lexa ducks through and comes to stand next to her.
"I wasn't flirting." Lexa gives back with a little roll of her eyes. "We were being polite."
"Sure." Anya draws out and Lexa sighs internally. She'd hear about this for the next week at least.
The two lower themselves from the little platform and approach a dark woman who is waiting for them at the bottom of the ring steps just to their left. "Nicely done." She addresses the fighter and Lexa gives a small smile at the praise. "But next time don't let her eyes distract you, you should have had her in four rounds, not seven." Her coach adds, ignoring Anya's snort.
"I wasn't-"
"Get changed. I'll see you in my office in ten for debriefing." Indra interrupts before Lexa can defend herself.
Lexa clenches her jaw but doesn't object. "Yes, coach." She replies with a single nod, which Indra mirrors before turning away and walking towards the front entrance of the Boxing Room where most of the crowd is filing out of the double doors. Some people come up to her and she exchanges a few words with them on her way out.
"Come on." Anya swings her arm over Lexa's shoulder, still grinning. She starts leading Lexa in the other direction. They make their way towards the back where a small red door leads to a narrow hall. The staff locker rooms are located across from the two main boxing rooms and a little ways down that hall. Lexa smiles politely at the few people who congratulate her and pat her on the back. She knows most of them from around. They're trainers from other gyms in and around Portland and she even recognizes two or three of her MMA regulars. Or 'fans' as Anya likes to call them.
She only started fighting semi-professionally a few months ago but she's already caught the attention of trainers and MMA enthusiasts alike. She doesn't mind them for the most part. She's doing it for the fights, not the fame.
It still baffles her when people come all the way from another city just to watch her though. Especially when it isn't even an official fight. This was a boxing match her trainer Indra had set up so she could practice and stay quick on her feet before her next MMA fight in Tacoma two weeks from now. She isn't even sure how anybody would know about it and still she drew a small crowd to the Holladay Park Gym.
Lexa is glad that nobody seems to expect her to stay and chat tonight and instead let her pass without trying to hold her up.
When they reach the other end of the room and slip into the hall beyond the sounds from the remaining people are abruptly cancelled out as the heavy red door swings shut behind them. The air is fresher here and feels cool against Lexa's sweat coated skin. They walk quietly down the hallway, their steps echoing loudly now in the silence, and once they've reached the locker room Lexa feels herself relax. With another door between herself and the steady noise of people talking and shuffling about most of the tension the fights always bring with them slips away. She walks over to the bench in front of her locker and sits down as she starts pulling off her sweat-drenched red hand wraps. It's always been a soothing routine for her. Open the Velcro, fold it once over, then start rolling up the wrap. Around and around and around her own wrist she follows its path until it's all rolled up in a neat little reel.
"I didn't think you were coming." Lexa says, looking over at Anya as she starts the same procedure with her other hand. The other woman is leaning against the door, one foot propped up against it. It in't an accusation, just an observation. Anya has come to most of Lexa's fights, but she's been really wrapped up in work lately, so her presence tonight surprised Lexa.
"Didn't have anything better to do." Anya simply shrugs. "Thought I might as well watch my little sis' beat someone up for a change." Her grin is lazy and Lexa knows her well enough to know she's trying to hide how tired she is.
"You weren't in your room when I went for my jog this morning. How long did it go last night?" Lexa asks, getting up to get her duffle bag out of the faded green locker.
"Threw the last ones out around six. Thought the one girl would throw up on Jerry when he helped her and her friend up the stairs."
"Did she?" Lexa asks, putting her gloves, mouth piece and wraps in her bag and zipping it up. She reaches into her locker again and gets out her forest green, too-big-for-her hoodie and pulls it over her head. The hem of it pools over her hip bones before she tugs it down until the baggie piece of clothing hangs loosely around her, reaching almost down to her knees.
She's had this hoodie for over six years. She doesn't remember where she got it from exactly. In her last group home one boy or another probably left it lying around and Lexa must have simply been cold at some point and taken it.
It's a weird thing, being in foster care, you develop a very ambiguous sort of relationship to your things. Especially if you're one of the unlucky ones who gets moved around quite a lot during the span of your young life.
On the one hand you have just a couple of things that are really important to you. Those things are yours, and only yours. If anyone tries to take them from you, you will fight for them. For Anya it was her collection of lighters and her leather jacket. For Lexa it was the small penguin beanie baby, which was the only thing of hers aside from some clothes she had had with her when they took her from her mother when she was five years old, and the bike Anya got her when she was fifteen. Anya had paid for it all on her own with the money she had worked for so hard as soon as she got out of the foster system at seventeen. If anyone even tried to ride it Lexa would make sure they never even thought about doing that again. Yes, some things you get extremely protective over.
But then on the other hand you aren't as attached to most material things as some other people. Especially if it's a group home you're living in and not a foster family. Group homes can be a lot like shelters sometimes. Lots of different kids of different ages and backgrounds and with lots of different personal shit to deal with come and go and most of the time it's basically just pure unrestrained chaos more than anything else. So you get used to things getting lost or stolen or broken every now and then and really, after a while you either allow it to drive you insane or you learn to see it as less of a loss and more of an exchange. Unless they're special to you somehow clothes and things are just that after all. And at least to Lexa it was mostly all the same. Because at the end of the day for every shirt that goes missing you find a sweater. There was always someone who would leave their things lying around just as carelessly as you and just like that you were even again.
And so this hoodie must have made its way into Lexa's possession at some point and now it was one of her favorite pieces of clothing. It was big and warm and practical to just throw on over your training bra after a work-out or a fight like now.
Lexa pushes her left hand into the front pocket as Anya shakes her head.
"Nah. I'm really glad I wasn't her cap driver that night though."
Lexa hums and slings her bag over her shoulder. "So, did you get any sleep at all?"
"Yeah, I caught a couple of 'Z's before going to pick up Gramps at one."
One of Anya's first jobs out of the foster system was being a dog walker amongst other things and even though she's been working at The Grounders Nightclub for over six years now she still walks one of her old regulars at least once a week. Gramps' real name is actually Theodore but Lexa took one look at the salt and pepper speckled Australian Cattle Dog and named him Gramps instead. He's never been called anything else by the two women since then.
"That's not much." Lexa frowns as she walks past Anya who's pushing open the heavy door for them. "Being the manager means you can actually take a night off every once in a while, you know."
"Lexa, don't. I'm not having this argument again." Anya's retort comes almost automatically. Lexa has been dropping hints that Anya should lighten her work load for the past couple of weeks now, but Anya doesn't seem to agree. They walk through the now almost empty Boxing Room and take a right towards the front of the Gym.
"I'm just saying, An! You spend so much time at that club that I'm starting to think you have a crush on Jerry." Lexa teases with a lop-sided grin as the women walk towards Indra's office at the end of the hall past the other training rooms and the reception desk.
Anya snorts. "Ha ha. Funny." She punches Lexa's arm amicably and Lexa chuckles as she sways slightly.
"Be right out." Lexa says as they arrive in front of Indra's door. "Here." She drops her back unceremoniously over Anya's shoulder, who huffs dramatically.
She only knocks on the door out of habit while she's already opening it.
Indra is sitting behind her desk facing the door. She's on the phone and merely nods to Lexa to take a seat, so Lexa quietly slides into the armed wooden chair opposite the older woman.
She lets her eyes wander through the small room while Indra continues her call.
Even though Lexa has only been working and training at Indra's gym since she came back to Portland almost a year ago she feels like she's been here a lifetime. She knows all the titles of the books on Indra's dark shelf behind her desk and doesn't need to turn her head to know exactly which photographs, framed news paper articles and awards decorate the wall to her left and on both sides of the door.
Of course some of that can be accounted to her almost impeccable observation skills, but it's not just that she knows what this place looks like as well as the back of her hand. It's the feeling she gets when she walks through the doors in the mornings and the calm she feels when she sorts away the training sheets and course plans in the evenings. It feels like something she once thought she would never feel. It feels like home.
"Alright, I will. – You too, Gunnery Sergeant."
Lexa turns her attention to Indra who is now placing the phone back in its station on the desk.
"Was that Gustus?" she inquires curious.
She hasn't talked to her old instructor in weeks. Usually he calls to check up on her every ten days or so, but lately the periods between his calls have been growing longer.
"Yes. He says to tell you that he apologizes for not replying to your last calls. Apparently the new recruits are even more stubborn than you were." Indra pushes the reading glasses she was holding in her left hand during the phone call back up on her nose and then proceeds to eye Lexa over the rim of them, folding her hands in front of her chin.
Lexa smirks.
She remembers the first week of her basic training or Boot Camp as they called it at Fort Benning.
All her life Lexa had despised being in the foster system. The relentless string of bad homes and shitty people had made her desperate to finally be out of there. Out of the system, so she could be the one controlling her own life for a change. And yet, something drew her to the army, where you arguably have the least control over your own life one can have under normal circumstances.
So when she found out there was a possibility to leave the foster system early through emancipation and join the army as early as seventeen she jumped at the opportunity and did everything in her power to leave at the soonest time possible.
But although Lexa was for all intents and purposes a model recruit once you saw past her not always exactly law-abiding background she still gave her instructor Gustus more than his fair share of grey hairs as he liked to put it.
Especially her tendency to question the more traditional rules and customs in the military got her into trouble more than she would like to admit.
But it had all worked out in the end and after initially butting heads a lot, Gustus and Lexa found themselves growing fond of each other rather quickly.
In Gustus Lexa had finally found a steady figure in her life to which she could look up to. He was strict and hard on every one of them but Lexa found his booming voice more calming than frightening and before too long she trusted him more than she had ever trusted a person of authority in her entire life.
Over the years she spent in Georgia at the military base Gustus became somewhat of a mentor to her and when Lexa came to him with a problem or question he always took as much time for her as he felt she needed to figure out what she should do.
When her infantry training at the base came to an end earlier than expected after only three and a half years Lexa confided in him that she was unsure of where to go next. She knew she wanted to return to Portland, if only to spend some time with her foster sister Anya, but she didn't know if she wanted to stay in the city that knew her so well, that knew her darkest moments and her ugliest mistakes.
Even though he didn't know much about Lexa's past, except what was in her file, Gustus knew her well and intuitively understood Lexa's uncertainty. He offered to talk with an old friend of his about getting her a small job so she could take some time to think about what she wanted to do next.
Lexa agreed and Gustus made a call to Indra, an old army buddy of his, who offered to give Lexa work at her gym at the edge of the Holladay Park.
Back in Portland Lexa moved into Anya's run-down apartment just east of Interstate 205 and started working at the gym five times a week.
She doesn't know when exactly her uncertainty about staying faded away. Maybe it was when Indra told her in an off-hand comment that she had decided to promote Lexa to be a personal trainer only a little over a month after she had started working for her. Maybe it was when she entered her first amateur boxing fight and won within two rounds. Maybe it was when Anya decided it was time for them to get a new apartment with two bedrooms and a bigger kitchen or maybe her doubts quieted even as soon as her first day at the gym when she met Lincoln, who first showed her the ropes of her new job but soon became not only a frequent work-out buddy and co-worker, but a friend as well.
All she knows is that somewhere along the road she just didn't feel like running anymore and judging by Gustus' warm smile when she told him she would be staying in Portland over Skype she knew that he had been hoping for just that all along.
Even though Gustus and Lexa couldn't see each other in person a lot since Gustus was still stationed at Fort Benning for the foreseeable future they never lost contact and she was looking forward to seeing him again in the winter and showing him their new apartment between Boise and Humboldt which were both really nice neighborhoods and pretty central as well.
"He also told me to remind you that a good soldier never lets her guard down in a fight." Indra continues, her expression unchanged.
"I'm sure he did." Lexa hums not convinced. "And anyway, I didn't." Lexa protests indignantly. "I won the fight, didn't I?"
Indra frowns at her and lowers her joined hands onto the desk. "Round seven? We both know you could have had her in less hadn't you been too busy staring into her eyes."
Incredulous Lexa stays quiet. Indra has never implied that Lexa acted unprofessional before. Not training hard enough, too stubborn about her technique or even too stiff, yes. But unprofessional?
"Well?" Indra inquires, raising her eyebrows. "Is there something you want to say to me?"
Now Lexa feels a familiar burning sensation in her stomach. It's small compared to the fire that has often raged inside her before, but it unsettles her nonetheless. She hasn't felt this unjustly treated and angry in months.
"I was staring her down." She almost growls. "I did exactly what you taught me to do." She feels the arms of the chair digging into her palms as she grips them tightly and makes a conscious effort to relax her hands.
"No, she did exactly what I taught you to do. She got under your skin. She should never have gotten close enough to fling those flurries to your side in the fifth round and then again to your head in the last. You got careless. Care to explain why?" Indra leans back in her chair and removes her glasses without relinquishing her intense stare.
"I-" Lexa isn't sure what Indra wants her to say. She won the fight! Isn't that enough?
But of course it isn't. If it were, Lexa wouldn't be Lexa and Indra would never have offered to train her in the first place. As quickly as her anger can rise, it takes her more time to stomp out the flames, but she can see now that this is another lesson and probably one she should be paying more attention to. She sits up a little straighter in the chair.
"I wasn't expecting her to read me so well." She states quietly, trying to find the mistake she's apparently missing, and it takes all her will power not to clench her jaw or avert her eyes when Indra doesn't reply right away.
After another moment the older woman slowly leans forward until her elbows rest on the table once more, her expression still stony and unreadable.
"And what does that mean for you?" She points her glasses at Lexa.
Lexa thinks for a minute. "Not to be… so arrogant?" she tries and that gets a small smile out of her coach.
"What else?"
"I don't know. That I need to work on my poker face?" she sighs. She's starting to feel the day's work and her fight in her muscles. There's a straining ache in her lower back and really, she just wants Indra to tell her how she can improve herself, get home and take a shower.
"That too." Indra gives an agreeing nod, before placing her reading glasses on the pile of paperwork to her left and slowly standing up. Lexa watches as the older woman walks around the organized desk. She turns and scoots her chair back a little to face her coach when she stops to her right. Indra looks down at her. The woman pauses another moment before finally adding in a quiet but firm voice, "It also means that you must always expect your enemy to learn your tactics and use them against you. She knew your strength lay in your quick assertion of your opponent and that you would be most dangerous as you think ahead and read her movements. She used that against you by establishing a routine of combinations and body language in the first rounds and then breaking it once you had gotten used to it."
Lexa is silent as she thinks back to the match. Now that she knows what she is looking for she can't help but notice the reoccurring combinations of blows the other fighter had repeated over the first rounds. "Huh."
She can't help but feel a little disappointed in herself for not picking up on the other fighter's tactic on her own. Observation was a skill Lexa greatly prided herself on and it doesn't sit well with her that she is apparently not as accomplished in that aspect as she thought she was.
Indra hums. "So you see now."
"Yes." Lexa nods slowly, still working over what she just learned in her head. "That was a smart move." She admits. Although she does so begrudgingly she is also impressed. Looking back up at the other woman she sees Indra nod.
"It was. Which is why you should have used it against her instead." She presses, raising her eyebrows and inclining her head slightly to the side to stress her point.
Lexa takes a deep breath and stands up from the chair, facing Indra. "I'll work on it."
"Good." Indra now smiles again and reaches out her right forearm. They embrace each other's lower arms as they always do in a gesture of respect and Indra gives Lexa's shoulder a short squeeze with her other hand. "You fought well nonetheless, Lexa."
"Thank you." Lexa acknowledges the compliment in a quiet voice and smiles back, before Indra dismisses her and walks back around her desk.
Lexa carefully pushes the chair she sat in back in its place closer to the desk and then exits her coach's office. In passing she looks up at the framed picture of Indra and Gustus that hangs just over the light switch to her left. She makes a mental note to try calling him again soon.
"What is it with making me wait today?" Anya asks as Lexa closes the door behind her and walks towards the older girl who is sitting against the wall of the hallway.
"Sorry. I'm done now." Lexa apologizes as she heaves Anya up with one hand while taking her bag from her with the other.
"So what's the verdict?"
They take off through the now sparely lit hallway. It's already past nine on a Saturday which means that the gym is officially closed and Lexa and Anya are probably the last to leave except for Indra and maybe Carl the janitor.
"She was on me for letting that girl read me so well." Lexa tells Anya, pulling her hood over her tied back hair as they step into the early October night.
"Yeah, that was kind of impressive actually." Anya agrees with Indra's chiding. She fumbles in the front chest pocket of her black leather jacket until she produces her jingling car keys. "It was almost like she channeled you and beat you at your own game." She laughs, stopping in front of her old Pick-up Truck while Lexa goes around the front to the passenger side. She waits for Anya to unlock it before climbing up into it and shoving her bag down towards the front of the foot compartment as she shuts the door.
"First of all," she starts, while buckling in. "I didn't get beat, I won." Lexa reminds Anya, lifting a finger and raising her eyebrows. Anya chuckles as she slams her own door shut and starts the engine.
"And second of all," she continues and opens up the glove compartment where they always keep snacks just in case. "No one channels me, okay?"
She retrieves a sad looking Snickers bar that must have melted at one point and then leans back in her seat, closing her eyes as her lips envelop the chocolate.
She's always starving after a fight and she hopes that there is still some left-over lasagna from the day before stored away in the oven at their apartment.
The car starts moving and Lexa feels herself relax.
Ever since the very first time Anya picked her up in the old truck Lexa has felt indescribably comforted by the low chuckling of the engine and the feel of the partly torn leather seat beneath her. Back then, when Lexa was still in the foster system and struggling with losing Anya as her comrade in arms so to speak after the older girl had gotten out of the crappy foster house they had been living in together for what felt like forever, Lexa was angry at Anya for leaving her behind. But whenever the other girl drove up to take her away for a few hours, Lexa's heart felt just a little lighter and the minute she couldn't see the broken wind-chime dangling off the front porch light in the rear view mirror anymore the world always regained some of its color. It was them against the rest once more whenever they drove in this truck and just as it was back then, the worn down Pick Up is still only theirs in Lexa's eyes.
"Whatever you say, Commander." Anya gives back, sarcastically addressing Lexa by the title the MMA community has unofficially awarded her. Lexa doesn't dignify her with a response and just hums lowly while chewing on the bar. As Anya steers the car towards home she blindly reaches for the radio.
She leaves it at a station announcing the end of their Beatles day and stretches her feet out as best as she can over her duffle bag while the first notes of Penny Lane fill up the car.
The gentle swaying of the car and soft notes of the song slowly lull Lexa into a light slumber. Her breathing slows to deep long breaths that relax her even further, her body melting into the comfortable car seat. Her head is turned to her right and every now and then she opens her eyes and sees the trees, houses and street lights race past her window, but her lids grow heavier by the second.
"Hey, don't fall asleep!" something punches her left outer thigh.
Lexa swats at Anya's hand and grumbles. "Quit it!"
"We're meeting Linc for a beer at the Happy Horse later, remember?"
Lexa groans and stifles a yawn. "Crap." She forgot about that.
"Wow, so enthusiastic."
"I'm just really tired. And I need a shower. And food." Lexa still doesn't open her eyes and instead concentrates on the familiar turns the car takes. They will be home in three minutes she knows.
"You can take a quick shower, make it a cold one so you wake up a little, but we'll eat at the pub. We're already late since missy had to go to the principal's office." Anya chides playfully.
Lexa looks over at Anya and glares. "Fine."
"Fine." Anya quips with the hint of a smirk as the car harshly rolls onto the sidewalk where they always park and Lexa is bumped in her seat uncomfortably, making her huff.
"You did that on purpose." She grumbles as she unbuckles.
"Prove it." Anya gives back unapologetically, still grinning as she hops out of the Pick Up and starts toying with her keys on her way to the front door of their building.
Lexa takes a deep breath and half rolls her eyes up at the truck's ceiling, before she swings herself out of her seat, grabbing her bag as her feet hit the pavement, and follows as well.
It has started raining.
"Clarke, come on! We're going to be late."
"Alright, alright, I'm coming!"
Clarke hurries out of the bathroom, grabs her jacket and purse from the coat hanger beside the door and only just remembers to take her keys from the bowl before Raven pushes her out of their apartment. "Move it! Chop, chop!"
She clumsily tries to wrestle into her jacket as the two girls rush down the flights of stairs of their apartment building, since the elevator isn't working – again – and make their way to the bus station.
They catch it just in time and Clarke sighs as they sink into the blue cushions. Raven rubs her left leg as the bus vibrates and then takes off towards its next destination.
"Sorry." Clarke apologizes, eyeing Raven's leg. If she hadn't forgotten the time, they wouldn't have had to jog down those stairs. Clarke knows that Raven's leg has been bothering her again lately even though the brunette hasn't complained about it.
"It's fine. Just put the brace on too tight." Raven waves off, turning towards Clarke a little to retrieve her phone from the back pocket of her maroon colored pants.
Clarke looks down at the old watch adorning her wrist. Its moss green nylon strap is a little worn down and the color has paled a bit but apart from that it looks almost new. It reads already twelve minutes past nine. They told Octavia they would meet her at a quarter past in front of the theater. I guess she'll have to wait a little, Clarke thinks as the bus comes to a halt at the next traffic light.
The ride downtown is quiet and Clarke has to yawn more than once. Raven is playing some room escape game on her phone and Clarke hears her grunt and mumble some profanities under her breath as she gets stuck. Clarke leans against her and loops her arm through Raven's, resting her head on the other girl's shoulder. She watches Raven try different ideas and gives some suggestions here and there what Raven could do next to get the door to open and move on to the next level. At the next stop she glances up at the screen at the front of the bus that shows the following three stops. They'll have to get off in two. When Raven breathes out a hissed 'yes' Clarke returns her attention to the brunette's phone. The door is open and the screen temporarily fades to black as they move up to the next level. While Raven continues the game Clarke closes her eyes.
Today has been one of those days. It started out with her not hearing her alarm clock in the morning and therefore waking up an hour later than she had wanted to. It's not like she needed to be anywhere, it being a Saturday and all, but her sleeping schedule is still not what she wants it to be and she really needs to fix it if she's going to pick it up a notch this semester. So after a sloppy start into the day she couldn't shake the feeling that she had to make up for it by studying harder to get ahead in her classes. Concentrating on Neuroanatomy is however not as easily done when your roommates are playing a very loud game of Mario Cart in the next room. After two hours of making herself stare at the pages of her Biology book without retaining any of the content Clarke eventually gave up on trying to cram more information about synapses and neurotransmitters into her brain and joined Raven in the kitchen to prepare an early dinner, while Octavia left to meet her brother at their mother's house to help her clean out the garden shed. Even though she managed to sit herself down at her desk for at least part of the day Clarke still feels like she isn't doing enough. She always knew being pre-med would be no walk in the park, but soon into her first year she learned that studying wasn't the hardest part about it. It was the constant stress of comparing yourself with the others and fearing to fall behind in the constant underlying competition to shine. Now she's just started her third year and already she feels like her classmates are racing past her, scoring internships and completing volunteer programs and just generally seeming to have their lives together. Clarke still kicks herself internally that she didn't sign up for a volunteer program over the summer herself. She had enough time. Why didn't she just help build houses or put on a candy striper outfit instead of spending time at the beach in Astoria with Raven and Octavia at Raven's grandparents' place and doing practically nothing while visiting her mother in Seattle?
"Hey," Clarke's head gets bumped up as Raven shrugs the shoulder she's been leaning against. "That's our stop."
Clarke quickly slides out of her seat and the two jump off the bus just in time before the double doors snap shut behind them.
"Finally!" Octavia exclaims in lieu of a greeting.
The smaller girl walks towards them as they approach the theater right next to the bus stop. Clarke feels some odd rain drops hit her face as it starts to drizzle.
"We're not that late." Raven defends as the three quickly embrace each other before fast walking towards the brightly lit entrance.
"Bell and Murphy are already inside." Octavia informs them, ignoring Raven. They walk down some steps to the small atrium of the theater. The place is quite crowded, as can be expected on a Saturday night, and Clarke holds on to Octavia's elbow as she leads them through the horde of people standing in line to buy tickets or milling about in groups of varying sizes, munching on their popcorn and waiting for their movie to start. Clarke spots their friend Murphy leaning against a wall in a less crammed corner as they move towards him. He looks up from his phone when they reach him.
"There you guys are." He greets them as Raven and Clarke move into his spread arms for a hug. "Bell's getting our tickets."
"Okay, so we just need some snacks and we're good to go." Raven concludes cheerfully, stepping out of Murphy's embrace and turning around to eye the snack counter. She groans as she sees the line in front of it.
"I don't think we have time for that." Octavia says and Clarke hears the familiar tone of annoyed impatience. Octavia loves watching the previews in theaters and therefore hates being late. One time she sulked for two hours after the movie when they had missed the trailers because Raven had miscalculated the time it would take her to dismantle and reassemble their radio back home that had needed fixing for quite a while. Raven told them she wouldn't leave before all the parts were back where they belonged and she found out if she had managed to get rid of the increasing static that had annoyed all three of them to no end for the better half of a week.
"There's always time for snacks, O." Raven gives back over her shoulder, still checking out the line of people shuffling forward in slow motion.
"Well, there would have been if you guys would have been on time for a change." Octavia complains and folds her arms over her chest.
Clarke's still standing cuddled against Murphy under his left arm and feels his chest expand as the slightly taller boy takes a breath. She looks up at him and sees him eyeing the two girls exasperatedly. "Guys," he starts.
"Alright, I'm going in. What do you guys want?" Raven interrupts him and turns to their little circle, looking at them expectantly. Behind her Clarke can see that the line is noticeably shorter than just a minute ago, but suspects that won't last for long.
Octavia lets out an exasperated sigh of her own, but seems to have given up on trying to convince Raven that they don't have time to get anything. "Want to share some nachos?" she addresses Clarke instead and Clarke nods, adding, "Cheese."
"Got it. Next?" Raven points at Murphy as she's already taking a few steps backwards towards the snack counter.
"I'll come with you." He draws his arm back from around Clarke and follows Raven, who's already turning around. "Drinks?" he asks Clarke and Octavia.
Clarke shakes her head but Octavia orders a large Orange Juice and a Coke for Bellamy.
When they're alone Octavia grabs Clarke's wrist and clicks her tongue as she reads the time off her watch. Clarke glances down as well. The admittance into their theater hall is set to start in four minutes.
"We can still make the previews." Clarke reassures her, but Octavia only hums non-commitedly.
Clarke looks around. The atrium has somewhat emptied and she has a good view of the movie posters hanging all around on the blue carpeted walls. She hasn't been to the movies in quite a while and doesn't recognize any of the titles being promoted as currently or soon to be playing in 'a theater near you'.
One poster shows a tall sweaty tan man with protruding arm muscles and an overshadowed face holding a huge machine gun in one hand while the other is grasping at a partly burned children's doll. In the background one can only make out the ruins of a smoking city. She can imagine what the plot will revolve around.
The next poster shows several colorfully animated zoo animals with huge eyes and excited faces in the process of escaping from their cages and climbing over fat human zoo keepers towards freedom.
"It's actually supposed to be quite funny." Octavia comments, apparently having followed Clarke's line of sight.
"Yeah? It looks a little…"
"Over the top?"
"Way over." Clarke looks back at the poster. There's an elephant in the left corner which Clarke reckons to be the comedic clumsy one of the bunch as he's pictured tripping over a trash can and running in the wrong direction towards a popcorn trolley.
Octavia hums. "I actually really want to see that one sometime."
Clarke looks over and sees the other girl pointing at another poster on a wall to their left.
It's too far away and Clarke can't really make out what's on it or what the movie is called.
"What's it about?" she asks.
"It's about this bunch of teens having to survive in a post-apocalyptic world with like mutant animals and savage bush people and stuff like that." She explains and Clarke raises her eyebrows.
"Sounds kind of Hunger Games-y." she comments. "And 'savage bush people'? Isn't that a little…I don't know I'm expecting a not very culturally valuable representation there."
"Yeah, maybe." Octavia concedes with a shrug, which makes the strap of her purse slide off her shoulder. She pushes it back up. "But the concept sounds kind of interesting. Like, they have to figure out how to work together and who to trust and probably build stuff in the jungle or whatever." She shrugs once more. "Could be fun to watch."
"What could be fun to watch?" Raven asks as she and Murphy show up next to them again. They're both loaded up with snack and drinks and Clarke and Octavia quickly move over to take their own things from the lot.
"The Delinquents." Octavia answers, taking two tall cups from Raven's arms while Murphy hands Clarke her and Octavia's nachos.
"Ah." Raven nods, seemingly already having heard of it. "Well, why don't you just ask mystery hottie to go with you? I mean it's perfect for a third date. You know, it's dark, there's a back row…" she trails off wiggling her eyebrows meaningfully at Octavia.
"Who?" Murphy asks around his straw.
Octavia slaps Raven's lower arm lightly, who only chuckles and looks to Murphy, "This guy from her Genders and Nations class."
"Whoa, whoa, hold on." Clarke frowns. "Third date? What do you mean third date? When did she have two other dates with him?"
Last time she heard Octavia was only thinking of suggesting getting some coffee or something together, but hadn't actually done it yet.
"We went for coffee." Octavia informs her just then.
"Already? Twice?" Clarke asks more than surprised.
"Yep." Raven pops her lips and grins at Clarke.
Octavia was never shy about asking guys out, so that isn't the thing that surprises Clarke. But how had she not heard about this?
"When? How the hell did I not know about this?" she pesters on, feeling a little hurt at being kept out of the loop.
"Well, you've been hauled up in the library all week." Octavia defends herself and Raven snorts and shakes her head at Clarke.
"Nerd."
Murphy's eyebrows rise. "Seriously? Isn't it only like the second week of semester for you or something?"
"First." Raven deadpans and Murphy laughs.
"I need to study, okay? I have to ace the MCAT this year!" Clarke gives back defensively.
"Still…Smurphy is right. The semester hasn't even really started, Clarke. What are you even studying?"
Clarke chooses to ignore her and turns to Octavia only just catching Murphy frowning at Raven, obviously not appreciating her newest nickname for him.
"Why didn't you tell me you guys went on a date?" she questions Octavia again.
"Two." Raven corrects, as Octavia reaches over to snatch a nacho from their shared plate. The brunette looks at Clarke and shrugs.
"Like I said, I haven't really seen you much the past week and when I did it was always super short and it just didn't come up."
Clarke wants to point out that she could have texted her at any time during that week, keeping her updated, but her curiosity wins over her stubbornness.
"Fine, well…how did it go?"
"How did what go?" Bellamy asks as he joins their little group.
"There you are!" Octavia grabs her brother's lower arm and is already starting to move towards their theater hall.
"O's date with her professor." Raven offers from next to Clarke as the girls and Murphy follow the Blake siblings along the right side of the atrium.
"What?!" Bellamy whips around to Raven before staring at his sister alarmed.
"TA! He's just my TA, Bell. He's probably younger than you. Chill." She shoots Raven a glare the other girl just smirks at as she soothingly pads her brother's upper arm.
Bellamy still doesn't look completely convinced but doesn't press it any further as they arrive at Theater 3.
"Well?" Clarke raises her eyebrows at Octavia as Bellamy hands the usher their tickets who does a quick head count before ripping them and handing them back to the dark haired boy, wishing them a pleasant viewing.
"It was nice." Octavia tells them as they file into the Theater. Bellamy checks their tickets again and directs them towards one of the upper rows. "He's really sweet. A little quiet, but we got along really well."
"Here." Bellamy points out their row, before letting Murphy go in first, following in after him. Clarke, Octavia and then Raven shuffle in after them, who adds, "And he's hot."
"That, too. Yeah." Octavia agrees.
"I want to see a picture." Clarke immediately demands at the same time as they hear Bellamy's "Show me!"
"Alright, alright, hold on a second." Octavia tells them as they all find their seats and settle down, taking off their jackets and things and putting them down by their feet. The snacks and drinks are placed in the retainers between their seats and on their laps and then Octavia hands Clarke her phone and Bellamy leans in to get a better look.
The phone shows a picture uploaded to an Instagram account. The selfie was taken from a slightly elevated angle and you can't see below the chest of the guy in the picture. The first thing Clarke notices are the muscles in the arm holding the phone. The guy is tan, has a black three-day stubble and sparkling dark brown eyes as he looks smugly into the camera, sucking on a straw. He's wearing a baggy, white work out shirt that shows off just a little bit of his slightly sweaty chest.
"Wow. Yeah, okay." Clarke says appreciatively. There's no denying it, Raven saying that this guy is hot is in no way an overstatement. She notices something written under the picture and scrolls down to read it, 'When your work-out buddy's too busy and leaves you hanging and you go get the new mango-papaya smoothie she can't shut up about. All. By. Yourself.'
"So what's his deal?" Bellamy's skeptical voice comes from Clarke's left and she looks up at him. He's still frowning at the picture, before leaning forward a little to get Octavia into his line of sight passed Clarke.
"Like I said, he's my TA at the Race and Gender thing." Octavia repeats slowly, giving her brother an exasperated look. "He's very nice. A real gentleman." She quips in a fake accent. "I'm sure he'll ask you for your permission next time before going out with me, big brother." She can't hold back a laugh and Bellamy gives her a look, before Murphy pulls him back in his seat so he can get a look at the phone as well, which is still in Clarke's hand on the armrest between her seat and Bellamy's.
"Damn!" Murphy exclaims, looking impressed, and Bellamy almost growls, looking straight ahead.
"See?" Raven pipes up from the other side of their little row. "Even super picky over there thinks he's hot."
"I never said-" Bellamy starts but Octavia interrupts him, "Okay, can we stop discussing how hot Lincoln is now? Thanks."
She stretches herself across Clarke and grabs her phone back from Bellamy who has just taken it from Clarke's hand.
"I was just-" he tries again, but this time Clarke joins in when Octavia shushes him as the lights start dimming around them and the heavy red velvet curtains covering the big screen in front of them start swinging open.
The first trailer starts with a loud boom as a helicopter explodes on screen and people scream loudly while a deep, raspy voice begins narrating the plot of the promoted movie.
Bellamy shuts up and for the rest of the movie all of them remain quiet with the exception of Raven's occasional whispered commentary.
"I did not flirt with her, god damn!" Lexa bristles. She can feel her cheeks warming up and is sure it's from the alcohol. She's on her second apple cider and she's starting to feel it. Her smile comes more easily and her voice has grown a little louder trying to stand her point in the argument.
It's a lost battle however, she knows, as Anya and Lincoln merely give each other a look and grin at her knowingly.
Lexa rolls her eyes and slumps back against the cushioned leather banners that are draped to the wooden walls of the pub as back rests. Their booth is kind of hidden in a darker corner and Lexa likes it this way. She likes sitting with her back to a corner, it feels safer somehow and she can keep an eye on everything. Plus, it's cozy.
Of course right now she's more focused on the two idiots clinking their bottles obnoxiously just to piss her off even more.
"You're acting like children." Lexa scoffs, taking another gulp of the cold beverage, but all she earns is another round of laughter.
"Naw, have we offended the big Commander?" Anya leans forward and tries to pinch Lexa's cheek. Lexa swats her away indignantly and Anya sits back, chuckling. "You know, we're only trying to help you."
"Help me?" Lexa frowns. "With what?"
"You haven't been on one real date since I met you." Lincoln points out, placing the bottle carefully onto the coaster in front of him. Lexa doesn't know why. That table probably has more stains than a rug in a car repair shop.
Lexa glares at him over the bottom of her own bottle as she takes another sip.
"Yeah, I still don't know why you threw away that one girl's number; you know the one from the club?" Anya looks at Lincoln for help.
"From Escape?" Lincoln asks, referring to the popular nightclub the three of them have been to a couple of times, but Anya's already shaking her head.
"No, no the one from that club where they had those mirrors on the ceiling." She throws her head back groaning. "What was her name?"
"Cassandra." Lexa offers the answer begrudgingly.
"Yes!" Anya points at her with the hand that's still holding the bottle. "Yes, Cassandra! Why didn't you ask her on a date? She was cute!"
"And totally into you." Lincoln adds.
"She wasn't my type." Lexa shrugs and crosses her arms over her chest, the bottle pressing against her hipbone and the cold seeping through the material of her black pants. She really doesn't like where this conversation is going.
"Oh, please!" Anya scoffs. "She was everybody's type. I doubt she paid for one single drink that night and still she brought you one. How the hell do you always do that anyway?"
Lexa cocks an eyebrow. "Jealous?" she teases in a means to direct the topic of conversation away from her admittedly quiet dating life.
"Hell, yeah!" Anya admits without hesitation and Lincoln simply nods and hums in agreement.
"You really have an uncanny way with the women, Woods." He agrees and then smirks a little when Lexa can't hold back another eye roll.
"Like women don't fall all over themselves to have you be the one to train them." She shoots back waving a hand in the general direction of her co-worker.
Now Lincoln is the one to object, "Not true." He shakes his head and calmly folds his hands over his lap as he slouches comfortably on the bench he's sharing with Anya across from Lexa.
Anya and Lexa scoff in unison, making Lincoln chuckle. "What? They don't!"
"So do." Anya interjects not looking at the boy sitting next to her on her left.
"How would you even know? You've never even seen me at work!" Lincoln points out as Lexa sees the waitress coming towards their corner.
A moment later she's standing next to Anya and the other two notice her as well.
"I'm sorry, can I get you anything else? It's last call." She informs them with a polite smile.
Earlier in the evening Lexa and Lincoln already voiced their guesses that she must be new and Anya agreed. Usually the waiters in this pub are way less formal with their customers and Lexa, Anya and Lincoln are becoming somewhat regulars at that.
"Last call, already? Yeah, could you just get those two another round?" Anya asks pointing at Lexa and Lincoln, who each finish the last sips of their drinks at that, before placing their bottles on the table for the waitress to take. Lexa is grateful that Anya never complains - much - about being their designated driver and so oftentimes can't have more than one beer. She always says that she 'manages a fucking bar' so it's not like she's missing out on drinking anyway. Since Indra put her on a new training schedule a few weeks ago Lexa hasn't been out for drinks like tonight too often either, never feeling it was worth the added energy her morning jog would require of her after a night out. The day after a fight is always a down day however, so she's enjoying not having to worry if she might be a little slower the next morning for once.
"Sure." The waitress nods once and then collects the empty bottles. Anya puts down her non-alcoholic beer and continues their conversation as if they hadn't been interrupted, while the short haired brunette turns around to the next table.
"And I stopped by the gym just the other day."
"When?" Lincoln asks skeptically, raising one eyebrow.
"You weren't there."
Lincoln huffs out a laugh and throws up his hands, "Well how would you even know whether women throw themselves at me then, if I wasn't even there!"
"Because," Anya starts and now she's talking to him as if she were talking to a child. Lexa remembers how she used to hate that when she was ten. Anya would always talk to her like that and even though Lexa knew she was only doing it to rile her up she couldn't help getting pissed off at the playfully condescending tone just the same. Good times, good times. "This girl kept bugging Lexa here," she gestures towards Lexa, "and asking her where you are."
Now Lincoln looks honestly confused. "What girl?" he looks over at Lexa for clarification, but seems to get it a second before Lexa says her name.
"Lauren." They say at the same time.
"Geez." Lincoln widens his eyes. "That woman will not take a hint."
Lexa nods profoundly and hums in agreement. Lauren had won a free personal training session with Lincoln about four months ago in this summer fair raffle that the children's hospital had organized to raise awareness for cancer research and in which Indra had entered the gym, offering free training sessions and fitness check-ups as prizes.
She had developed a serious crush on the tan muscular guy and had immediately signed up for ten more sessions and then five more after that, always doing more staring and awkward flirting than push-ups or any of the other exercises Lincoln had prepared for her.
"Why don't you just tell her to fuck off?" Anya suggests unceremoniously and earns herself a look from Lincoln. "What? If she doesn't get it otherwise?"
"No, but you see, Lincoln can't ever be mean to anyone." Lexa throws in with a mockingly meek voice.
"Oh, very funny, Lex. Why don't you call Cassandra and maybe Anya can finally stop asking me if there isn't a girl I might know that we could set you up with." Lincoln throws back and Anya promptly punches his arm.
"Lincoln!"
"Ou! What? Like it was ever going to work!" he rubs his upper arm and just then the waitress is back with their drinks.
Lincoln and Lexa pay and say their 'thank you's as she puts the bottles onto the table in front of them and then Anya is right back to glaring at Lincoln. "Well now it won't!"
"Are you kidding me?" Lexa sighs and furrows her eyebrows. Now she's really starting to get annoyed. "I don't need you to play cupid, Anya! For fuck's sake!" She harshly grabs the already opened bottle of Strongbow Cider from the table and lifts it to her lips. The cool liquid feels even colder going down her throat and she swallows another sip before settling the bottle on her lap between both of her hands, glaring at the woman across from her.
"Oh, yeah?" Anya challenges, cocking an eyebrow as she retrieves her own half empty beverage. "Then tell me what was wrong with Cassandra. Hm?"
Lexa clenches her teeth and lifts her chin. "Anya don't."
"What? What 'Anya don't'?" Anya gives back and there is no hint of teasing in her voice anymore. "You can't hide away forever, Lexa."
"I'm not hidi-" Lexa almost shouts before checking herself and consciously lowering her voice. "I'm not hiding away!"
"The hell you aren't." Anya screws up her face and leans back again, looking at Lexa with a scrutinizing stare as she lifts the bottle to her lips.
Lexa stares back unblinkingly. "It's perfectly normal not to go on dates with every person you meet in a club." Her voice is calm and even but she feels her throat bob as she swallows around a lump forming there. Anya still hasn't lifted her eyes from Lexa's. It feels like a stare-down and Lexa fully intends to win it. She will not sit here and be treated like someone who needs to be told how to live her life. She's had that. First in the foster system and then in the army. Anya should know better.
"Guys, come on." Lincoln cuts in just then. "If Lexa wants to keep her awesomeness all to herself it's her choice." He argues jokingly with a little shrug to Lexa and she's grateful when Anya doesn't seem to be too stubborn about it.
She eyes Lexa for another second but then takes a small breath and just shakes her head at her. "Fine, whatever." She concedes, turning her left palm upwards as she places her bottle back on the table with the other. "But I'm telling you I will not be your roommate until I'm fifty."
"Like I'd even want that." Lexa shoots back, but just like that all the tension has vanished from the conversation and they're back to their usual light banter. Lexa decides to turn the tables on Anya. "And what about you? Haven't had to use ear plugs in quite a while either." She raises her eyebrows challengingly at her former foster sister.
"God! Too much information, Lexa!" Lincoln screws up his face and closes his eyes for a second. "I don't need to hear that."
Lexa and Anya share a laugh as Lincoln takes a sip of his beer, his nose still crinkled.
"You're such a prude, Atwood." Anya playfully pushes his face away from her with her left hand.
Lexa hides her smile behind the bottle, taking another swig. She likes their little group. She likes how Lincoln and Anya seem almost like siblings as well now and she loves the way Anya has come to care about him. She knows it by the way she teases him and the way she tells him almost as much as she tells Lexa. Anya isn't open to many people. Not any people really except for Lexa. And now Lincoln. She and her are very alike in that way. Lexa doesn't like sharing things about herself either and she knows that Anya's and her carefulness stems from the same source. The foster system doesn't really encourage giving too much of yourself to someone. People usually don't stay in your life for too long and when they leave…well you don't want them to take that piece of you with them.
"You're avoiding the question, Anya." Lexa reminds her and sees Anya fight not to roll her eyes. "Not really, I've just been working a lot." She waves off Lexa's attempt to rattle her.
It's true, Lexa has to admit. Between managing the club and still walking Gramps at times Anya really hasn't had much time left to herself let alone someone else. For a second Lexa considers taking the opportunity and steering the conversation towards Anya's insane working schedule but decides against it. She really doesn't want what remains of their evening chat to turn sour again.
"What about you, Linc? Any ladies in your life aside from Lauren?" Anya addresses Lincoln somewhat jokingly when Lexa doesn't press her any further.
He takes a second too long to pull down the corners of his mouth and shake his head and it's enough to tip both girls off that they've hit the jack pot. The way he awkwardly scratches at the label of the beer in his hands is only an added give-away.
"Oh my god, spill!" Anya nudges him with her lower arm and Lexa and her both sit up a little straighter, intrigued by Lincoln's evasive behavior.
"It's nothing really." Lincoln waves them off but at this point he must know there's no turning them away.
"Come on, Linc, sharing is caring." Lexa coaxes and he groans, leaning his head back against the leather before taking a deep breath.
"Okay, fine. But like I said, it's not really anything."
"Yeah, but you want it to be." Anya coaches with a grin, scooting back a bit and drawing up her left knee against the wall to angle herself more in Lincoln's direction. He definitely has her attention now.
"Well, there's this girl in my Gender, Race and Nations class-"
"The one where you're the teacher's pet?" Anya asks.
"Teacher's Assistant, but yes." Lincoln corrects her. Anya rolls her eyes and nods for him to just go on and he does, "Well, and I mean she just- she has this awesome sense of humor, it's great. And she's really sassy, too." He tells them and can't keep the little laugh from escaping as he probably thinks back to something funny or sassy the mystery girl must have said.
Lexa is as interested in Lincoln's story as Anya now. She hasn't really ever heard him talk about girls much. Let alone one specific one. This girl must be quite something.
"And?" Anya encourages him to go on, reaching for her near beer again.
The pub around them has quieted some and Lexa knows it must be around one in the morning by now. Even though Pubs usually close around that time Lexa isn't worried they'll be kicked out before they have finished their drinks. The owner here is as laid back about the official closing times as Anya is at Grounders.
"I don't know. I mean we just went out for coffee twice, so-"
"What?"
"Hold up. You already went on a date with this girl?" Anya seems as scandalized as Lexa feels.
"You never told me that." Lexa points out and thinks back over the past week since classes have started back up. They've had at least four shifts together since then. When would he even have had the time to go out with the girl, let alone twice?
"It wasn't a date!" Lincoln defends himself but Anya is quick to challenge as always.
"Was it only the two of you?"
"Yeah, but-"
"Did you go somewhere that doesn't have wheels under the counter?"
"Anya, come o-"
"Did you pay?"
"Actually, I didn't. She did." Lincoln throws in quickly, before Anya can come up with another argument.
Anya opens her mouth but stops for a second and then gives a little surprised hum. Lexa can tell that she likes that bit of information. Lexa does, too.
"That was definitely a date." Anya concludes with a finality to it that leaves little room for discussion. She leans back and looks over at Lexa. "Back me up here, Commander." She gestures to Lexa with her free hand and Lexa looks at their friend.
"I have to agree. It sounds like a date, Lincoln." Lexa shrugs with one shoulder, sliding her hands further down on the bottle in her lap to feel the remaining coolness of the part of the glass her palms haven't warmed yet. The condensation droplets pool at her palms, but she doesn't mind the wetness. She likes the feeling of cool water on her warm hands, especially since her cheeks haven't stopped feeling hot.
"Two dates, actually." Anya reminds her.
"Right." Lexa holds up her hand showing Lincoln two fingers. "Two."
He shakes his head. "Whatever. I think it's not really anything yet and anyway, she's a student."
Lexa notices the 'yet' and hides her smile. Lincoln really seems to like that girl and she's starting to hope that it might go somewhere with him and her. Of course it is a little early to really say anything about anything yet.
"So are you." Anya frowns, not understanding his point.
"But in that class I'm the TA." He argues and Lexa can see why he might find that problematic.
"So?" Anya obviously doesn't.
"So I will be grading her papers and maybe even conducting an oral exam with her- don't –" he nips Anya's immature comment in the bud, before continuing, "and that wouldn't really be fair to anyone if I started dating her."
Anya scoffs. "Oh god, get over yourself. You're a glorified coffee boy, not the judge and jury."
Lincoln looks almost offended by that but seems to think better of it than to start arguing with Anya about the works and responsibilities of a Teacher's Assistant. Lexa grins. Smart guy.
"So what's her name?" Lexa asks him, curious to find out more about the girl that has Lincoln being so secretive and who obviously didn't care too much for boring stereotypical gender roles.
"Octavia." He tells them and again he can't keep from smiling. And even though she truly feels Lincoln deserves to have found someone he seems to click with Lexa can't help but envy him a little, too. A quiet kind of melancholy starts pulling at something inside her, but she pushes it away immediately. She takes a breath and swallows it down with another sip of cider.
Anya purses her lips. "Weird name."
Lincoln shrugs. "I like it."
"Of course you do." Anya snorts, but Lincoln ignores her.
"It suits her." He tries to explain. "She's – I don't know. Just different." He shrugs again and looks back down to the bottle. The label is almost completely peeled off at this point and Lexa finds herself almost wanting to coo at him and how obviously nervous he is about this girl.
"Well, tell her to come out with us next time." She suggests earnestly and he looks up at her. "It won't even be a date that way." She adds with the hint of a smile and he hums, slowly wiggling his head from side to side.
"I don't know."
"Anya will promise to behave herself." She tries again and he eyes her skeptically like wanting to ask if she really thought that was even possible.
Anya scoffs, but doesn't object, and finally Lincoln seems a little more inclined to give in.
"Alright, maybe I will." He says and then takes his bottle to his lips, emptying it in one gulp.
Lexa notices that her bottle is still half full, but the cider inside has been warmed up by her hands by now and she really doesn't feel like drinking the rest of it anymore. She places it on the table next to Lincoln's coaster and takes in a deep breath. The effects of the alcohol make her feel a little warm inside and it only increases her fatigue.
"Well," she sits up straighter. "Shall we get going soon?" she asks, suppressing a yawn and arching her back against the stiffness. She feels a few little cracks in her spine more than she hears them and groans as the movement reminds her of her tired muscles.
"Yeah, let's go." Anya agrees with a decisive nod, slapping both of her hands lightly onto the table. Lincoln stifles a yawn as well and nods. "Okay."
He reaches to his left and retrieves his and Anya's leather jackets, giving the latter to its owner.
"Do you need a ride?" Anya asks him as the three of them slide out of the booth. Lexa can feel her thigh muscles protesting the movement after sitting still for so long. She shrugs on her grey blazer over her white button up as Lincoln zips up his light brown leather jacket.
"No thanks, you know how I like the walk home. Sobers me up." Lincoln declines and after throwing a thanks and goodnight in the general direction of the bar staff they head out into the crisp night air.
"Okay, see you Tuesday then, right?" Lincoln gives Lexa a quick hug as they come to a halt in front of the entrance and she nods in confirmation. They'd be working together for most days of the coming week and Lexa is almost looking forward to maybe grilling him a little more about this new lady in his life.
He embraces Anya next. "See you, Anya."
"Night, Linc." Anya pats him on the back and then they part ways. Lincoln pushes his fists in his jacket pocket and looks left and right before jogging across the street to the opposite sidewalk. He nods at them once more as they wave goodbye and then Lexa and Anya turn away and start walking towards the parking garage a few blocks down the street. It's an unusually cold night for early October and Lexa shivers a little and wraps her arms around herself. They walk side by side and Lexa enjoys their silent closeness. As it often does in Portland, especially in the fall, it rained in the afternoon and then again in the evening and the few cars that pass them make this distinctive slushing sound that cars make when they drive on wet streets. It's a nice sound Lexa thinks. She couldn't explain it to anyone if they asked why, but it just feels very calming to her.
For a while neither of them speaks before Anya hums a chuckle and Lexa turns her head to look at her. "Our little Lincoln has a crush." Anya grins and this time, without anyone else around, Lexa gets to see a little different smile. Anya isn't hiding her happiness for Lincoln behind the usual teasing curl of her lip.
Lexa smiles as well. "She sounds nice enough."
"Mh." Anya hums. "We'll see."
And Lexa smiles a little bigger.
NOTES:
Thank you so much for reading and commenting!
The art work you see as avatar here was created by the lovely Emily (cassiniregio . tumblr . com) and is what inspired this fic.
I hope you enjoyed this first chapter. For more infos, character backgrounds, questions and ideas visit the blog I created dedicated to this fic ( clexa - portland - boxing - au . tumblr . com) or my main tumblr ( ofdreamcatchersandgaythings . tumblr . com).
All the best,
Lea