Lexa comes through the front door late in the evening. Clarke looks up from the movie she's watching and frowns when she notices Lexa's got her puppy face on.
"Lexa, is everything okay?"
"Um, kind of? I think."
Concerned by her girlfriend's hesitation, Clarke pauses the movie and flips on the lamp beside the sofa. "Babe? What's up?" She asks, leaning forward.
"Please don't be mad."
Now Clarke is really worried. "Lexa, what did you do?"
Lexa sighs and removes her duffle bag from her shoulder, placing it gently on the coffee table. She meets Clarke's gaze once more with wide, pleading eyes before she unzips the bag. And pulls out a fucking kitten.
"What is that?"
Lexa pulls the ball of fluff into her chest and strokes its tiny head. "I found her when I was walking back home. She's obviously a stray and she was skinny and alone and scared." She looks up from the kitten to her girlfriend. "Please don't make me get rid of her," she pleads in a voice that's almost a whisper.
The kitten is a little orange thing with tiny white feet. Clarke has to admit that it's a little cute, but she knows she has to stand her ground on this one. She and Lexa are too young to be parents.
"Lex, we didn't put a pet deposit down on this house."
"I'll pay it!" Lexa offers eagerly. "I have a little extra money now that I don't have practice and class every day."
"Okay," Clarke tries again, "but what about all the supplies she'll need? Cat food isn't free."
"My aunt and uncle have an extra litter box and some other things that they said they'll give me. I kind of texted them on the way home," Lexa admits sheepishly.
Clarke huffs and rolls her eyes. "But what about fleas? Is she carrying any diseases?"
Lexa shuffles awkwardly and avoids Clarke's gaze.
"What, Lexa?"
"I took her to the vet around the corner. That's why I was late getting home. They checked her out and gave her the shots she needs and flea medicine and everything."
Clarke groans and lets her head fall back against the sofa. "And how much did that cost you?"
"They gave me a discount since she's a stray and I'm just a college student."
Clarke arches an eyebrow at her girlfriend. Lexa's bottom lip begins to tremble.
"Clarke, please."
"Lex…"
Suddenly, she has an armful of kitten and Lexa is sitting next to her on the sofa.
"What the hell?"
"Just hold her for a minute, just a minute, Clarke, and then you can tell me no."
Clarke nods. That sounds easy enough. Then the kitten stirs in her arms and yawns with it's little kitty mouth before kneading Clarke's sleep shirt and curling up against it. Her eyes furrow when she feels the little furball begin vibrating and she realizes that it's fucking purring. She pats it awkwardly on the head and it bats at her hand with a tiny paw and snuggles closer. She looks up from the kitten to her girlfriend's face that is wearing an expression so damn hopeful it makes Clarke feel like a terrible person for even considering telling her no.
"Well, what are we going to name her?"
Lexa honest to god squeals and attacks Clarke's face with a barrage of kisses. Clarke really hopes she doesn't regret this.
Lexa names the kitten Georgia O'Cat in an attempt to appease Clarke and if she weren't already head over heels for the other woman, this would've done it. Octavia is thrilled by the new addition to the household. Raven complains and demands the kitten never set foot in her room. Her mother thinks she's not stable enough to take on the responsibility of a pet, but Clarke knows she's secretly amused by all the pictures of her "grand kitten" Clarke's texted her.
Clarke actually finds adjusting to life with a pet much easier than she expected. Sure, she has to scoop the little fleabag's poop and the kitten has taken upon herself to wake them up early each morning demanding to be fed, but her heart melts every time Georgia curls up on her feet at night.
Clarke wanders into the living room after showering one evening to find Raven kneeling by the front door, still wearing her waitressing uniform. She's speaking in hushed tones and for a short moment, Clarke fears she is talking to herself, but then she spots the little orange kitten weaving around her ankles. She can't even begin to try holding in the bark of laughter. Raven is baby talking. To a kitten. It's too much.
Raven immediately stops cooing to the furball and stands, giving Clarke a look that would be terrifying if it weren't for the kitten cradled in her arms. Clarke's smirk widens.
"You will never fucking speak of this to anyone," she demands as she brushes past Clarke on her way to her room.
Clarke clears her throat and looks pointedly at the kitten Raven's still holding. The girl rolls her eyes and clutches Georgia to her chest.
"She's kind of cute and fluffy, okay? We may have bonded the other day when you and Lexa were at the store and I had a long day at work and she met me at the door with her cute little face and I miss my boyfriend and I just wanted a cuddle."
Raven bursts into tears and Clarke feels like she's watching the apocalypse because this never happens. She pulls her friend into her arms and hugs her until Georgia begins mewing in alarm. Raven releases Clarke and strokes the kitten apologetically.
"Are you okay?" Clarke asks.
Raven sniffs and nods, wiping away the remains of her tears. "Yeah. I'm fine. I'm just PMSing and I had an asshole customer today and baby animals apparently make me feel things." She cradles Georgia in the crook of her arm and scratches her white belly. "But seriously, you tell anyone about this and I will kick your scrawny ass into next year." She considers the kitten in her arms. "And I'm taking the cat. We're having a movie marathon."
Clarke's 21st birthday finally arrives on the hottest day of summer thus far and she spends most of the day inside, curled up on her bed with Lexa binge watching Futurama. Clarke's choice, of course.
Lexa takes her out to a high end restaurant for dinner and Clarke is thrilled to be able to use her real ID to order a glass of wine. No more fake ID. No more asking Raven and Lexa to purchase her alcohol. No more answering to Ashley when she sneaks into clubs.
Dinner is delicious and Lexa treats Clarke like a queen all evening. After they've eaten dessert, Lexa reaches into her bag and slides a small box across the table towards Clarke. Clarke grins widely and snatches it up, ripping off the paper before blushing under Lexa's amused gaze.
"Sorry, I just really like presents."
She opens the long velvet box and gasps.
"Lex, this is too much…"
The necklace is simple; an outline of a heart strung on a delicate silver chain, but Clarke knows Lexa well enough to realize the stones set on the heart aren't fake. She runs her fingers over the heart. It's beautiful.
"Nothing is too much for you."
Clarke jumps at the proximity of the other woman's voice. She hadn't realized Lexa had stood from her seat to stand behind her. Lexa takes the box from Clarke's hand, their fingers brushing, and moves blonde hair out of the way so she can clasp the necklace at the base of Clarke's neck. The pendant comes to rest against Clarke's sternum and she smiles at the warmth she feels from the cool weight.
Standing, she pulls Lexa into her arms and hugs her tightly, burying her face in her girlfriend's neck.
"Thank you. I love it."
Lexa presses a warm kiss to her cheek. "I love you" is whispered into Clarke's ear.
When Clarke comes to, she is aware of two things: her head is killing her and her mouth tastes like a hobo threw up in it. She forces herself to open her eyes and blinks in surprise when she sees she's not in her bed, but instead lying in front of the toilet on a bathmat. Lexa is curled against her back and she groans in protest when Clarke rolls over to face her.
"Lexa?"
Lexa opens one eye and squeezes them closed again with a drawn out groan before sighing and propping herself up on her elbow, gazing down at Clarke with tired, bloodshot eyes.
"You're awake. Good."
Clarke rubs at her pounding temples, still trying to recall the events of the previous night. "Why are we on the bathroom floor?"
Lexa tiredly smirks down at her. "You don't remember anything?"
Squinting, Clarke racks her brain, desperately trying to remember anything from last night. "I think I remember taking shots before we headed to the club?" Dammit, Raven.
"And that's it?" Lexa asks. At Clarke's nod, she chuckles. "I guess I should fill you in, then?"
"That would be appreciated." Clarke curls closer to Lexa and frowns when her girlfriend draws away.
"I will be more than happy to tell you everything once you've brushed your teeth and showered. You smell like a dead walrus."
Clarke tries to be offended, but she can smell herself and it's fairly nauseating. She licks Lexa's cheek, reveling in the disgusted squeal it elicits from her girlfriend, and pushes herself up from the floor, wincing as her spine and knees crack. Stumbling to the vanity, she manages to brush her teeth without falling over or poking her eye out with the toothbrush, so she considers the endeavor a resounding success. When she turns away from the counter to see that Lexa is filling the bathtub, she can't help staring at her girlfriend's ass while the other woman is bent over the tub.
Lexa looks over her shoulder and rolls her eyes when she sees where Clarke's gaze is focused. "Get in, Romeo."
Clarke pulls off the long cheetah print shirt which is the only thing she's wearing for some reason. She washes herself while Lexa informs her what exactly happened the previous night. She is both shocked and appalled. Which is saying something because she has Raven and Octavia for best friends.
"We got kicked out?"
"Clarke, you stood on the bar and declared yourself the Sky Princess to the entire club and refused to get down unless the bouncers brought you a white steed and a fifth of scotch."
"What did they do?"
"What do you think they did, Clarke? They wrestled you down from the bar and escorted us out."
Clarke grimaces. "Really?"
"You tried to summon your warriors on the way out the door and insisted that the bouncers would be punished for their mistreatment of you. We're banned from the club for the next three months."
Clarke covers her face with her hands. "I can't believe I did that. I'll never go there again."
Lexa chuckles. "Don't be too hard on yourself. I think they were mostly amused."
"That still doesn't explain why we slept on the bathroom floor. And why I wasn't wearing pants."
Tilting her head, Lexa regards Clarke with sudden seriousness. Clarke is immediately concerned. "Are you sure you want to know? It's not a nice story." At Clarke's nod, she sighs. "Don't say I didn't warn you. Well, you were fine on the way to the car and you slept most of the drive home. But when we woke you up, you threw up all over yourself. I managed to get you to the front porch before you threw up on me. Like, I was covered from the neck down. It was probably the worst thing ever. Anyway, I kind of had to strip both of us down on the front porch so we wouldn't trail it through the house. After I carried you to our room, you got naked because apparently you were still expecting to have sex after vomiting on me. But then you spent the next two hours puking and you passed out in front of the toilet. The shirt was the only thing I could get you to wear. You wanted to make sure I had "easy access". And you said the animal print was sexy."
"Oh my god," Clarke groans. "How do I still have a girlfriend after that?"
"Yeah, about that…"
Clarke flicks water at the smirking brunette. "Don't be an ass."
"Hey, I had to stand out in the front yard in my underwear, covered in puke that wasn't my own, hosing you and our front steps down at three in the morning. I think I have a right to be a little bit of an ass. By the way, our roommates are completely useless. Raven locked herself in her room because apparently she's a 'sympathetic vomiter' and Octavia and Lincoln just sat on the porch swing and laughed at us. We should move out."
Clarke feels a bit guilty for the dark circles she sees under her girlfriend's eyes and lifts her hand from the water to caress the woman's shoulder. "Thank you for taking care of me."
Lexa shrugs, "Well, I didn't want to have to tell your mom you drowned in your own vomit. Also, Georgia deserves to grow up with both of her parents. She's staying with Raven right now. I didn't want her exposed to your party girl antics."
Clarke snorts and tugs on Lexa's arm to pull her closer to the tub. "Want me to wash your hair?"
"You just want me naked in the tub with you."
Clarke chuckles and sits up, wet hands tugging at her girlfriend's pajamas. "Come on, the water's still warm."
Lexa looks like she will decline, but then she's shucking her pajama pants and tugging her tank top off. She settles between Clarke's legs, with her back to Clarke's chest.
"Lean back so I can get your hair wet. It still smells like a bar."
"Yeah, well, that's your fault," Lexa retorts, though she still lays back so Clarke can pour water over her hair.
Clarke lathers up the shampoo in Lexa's hair, being careful to comb out all the tangles she finds in the curly locks. She takes special care to massage the other woman's scalp, shivering at the low moan that escapes Lexa's lips.
"Mmmmm," Lexa sighs as Clarke rinses the suds from her hair. "I could get used to this."
Leaning forward to press a kiss to Lexa's moist shoulder, Clarke wraps an arm around her middle so the brunette is leaning back against her.
"Let me repay you for taking care of me last night," Clarke whispers into Lexa's ear, nipping at the sensitive skin.
Lexa tries to shake her head, but Clarke's hands are already moving to cup the other woman's breasts, brushing against the already stiff nipples. Using one hand to knead the full breasts, Clarke trails the other between quivering thighs, stroking the smooth skin there before pressing her palm against Lexa's core, grinning at the breathless gasp that follows.
Clarke pinches Lexa's clit between her thumb and index finger before dipping lower and penetrating her girlfriend with two fingers. Lexa whines loudly in Clarke's ear and the blonde winces as her head gives a particularly painful throb.
"Shhhh, baby. I've still got a killer headache and unless you want me to puke on you again, it'd be great if you could keep the noise to a minimum."
The scowl Lexa sends her gives way to slack jawed pleasure when Clarke curls her fingers inside the woman. Lexa leans back further into Clarke, burying her face in the blonde's neck and biting down roughly to muffle her noises. Moaning in pain, Clarke pinches Lexa's nipple and increases the force of her thrusts. Lexa only clamps down on Clarke's neck harder, digging her nails into the pale thighs on either side of her own. She opens her legs wider, throwing one leg over the edge of the bathtub
The sounds Lexa is making into Clarke's neck are deliciously obscene and though she's trying her hardest to stay quiet, Clarke is sure the rest of the household can still hear what they're up to. Lexa is breathing heavily through her nose and Clarke can feel the bursts of air, warm and moist against her skin. She knows she's going to have a massive bruise on her neck after this so she tangles her fingers in her girlfriend's hair and tugs hard to dislodge her.
Lexa cries out as Clarke pulls her head back so she can nip at the other girl's neck. Clarke tightens her grip in her girlfriend's hair and Lexa has to bite down on her own bottom lip in a feeble attempt to hold in the scream Clarke can hear begging to escape. Lexa's hips are rolling wildly and there is water sloshing over the side of the tub but Clarke can't care about that when Lexa is writhing against her. Her semi restrained pants and whines are becoming higher in pitch and Clarke is quite certain the nails digging into her thighs under the surface of the water have broken skin. She knows Lexa is close.
Releasing her hold on Lexa's hair, Clarke's free hand skims down between heaving breasts, over flexing abs, and settles between the other woman's thighs, drawing quick circles around her clit. Lexa makes a choking noise and reaches behind her to hook a hand behind Clarke's neck, forcing their lips together.
"Fuck, baby," Lexa grits against Clarke's lips. "I'm gonna-"
The rest of her sentence is cut off in an unintelligible moan. Clarke thinks she hears her name in there somewhere, but she can't be sure. Lexa throws her head back and bites down sharply on Clarke's jaw as she shudders through her orgasm. She slumps against Clarke bonelessly once the tension leaves her body and tries to catch her breath in shaky gasps.
"Jesus, Lex." Clarke drops a kiss to the damp curls resting on her shoulder. "Are you sure you're not a vampire?"
Lexa moans quietly and nuzzles against Clarke's sore neck. "Sorry. I was trying to stay quiet. I didn't mean to hurt you."
"'S okay. It was kinda hot."
Lexa burrows further into Clarke's neck. "I can't feel my legs."
Clarke chuckles and kisses her again before helping her sit up.
"I think it's my turn to take care of you."
Clarke corners Octavia in her room a few days later when Lexa is at work.
"Clarke, I'm flattered, really, but I won't betray my cousin's trust like this. Plus, tall, dark and handsome is more my type and you are none of those."
Clarke scowls and crosses her arms, striding across the room to flop on Octavia's bed. "Don't be an idiot. I need your help."
"Oh?" Octavia doesn't look up from her computer. She's watching Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. God, Clarke lives with a bunch of overgrown children. "In that case, tell Auntie O all your problems. That's what I'm here for, after all."
"Wow, you're really going to be a great teacher," Clarke drawls sarcastically.
Octavia closes her laptop and spins in her desk chair to face the bed. "Okay, you have my full attention now. What's going on?"
Clarke lounges back against the pillows. "Well, next week is my six month anniversary with Lexa. I mean, six months that we've been officially dating. Not, you know, the other stuff."
Octavia whistles. "Wow, six months. It seems like just yesterday that I was being traumatized by walking in on you two doing it. How time flies."
"Yeah, yeah. I've apologized for that a million times already. Anyway, I don't know what to get her. It's a pretty big milestone, you know?"
Octavia shrugs. "Well, she seems to like spending time with you, for some reason. Why not get her something you two can enjoy together?"
"Eh, Raven kind of beat me to the punch on that one."
Octavia looks confused before realization dawns on her and her face goes red. "Goddammit, Clarke. I was talking about a day trip to the spa or tickets to a concert, not a sex toy, you pervert!"
Clarke blushes and smiles sheepishly. "Sorry. I guess my mind's a little in the gutter. But really, has Lexa told you if she's doing anything? I don't want to spend too little and look like a jackass. But then again, if I spend too much, I'll still look like a jackass. It's a little stressful."
Standing from her chair, Octavia crosses the room to sit on the bed by Clarke. "She just wants to spend time with you, Clarke. I think she'll love anything that involves you two being together." She pauses and her eyes light up. "Oh! I know! Why don't you ask my mom and dad if you can borrow the lake house for the weekend? That'd be fun and romantic!"
Clarke hesitates. "I don't know. That house is pretty big for two people and we don't know much about the area so all there'd be for us to do is… each other. I mean, there's nothing wrong with that, but I don't think I have enough stamina to keep up with her for a whole weekend."
"First off, ew. I already know way too much about my cousin's abilities in bed. Please don't tell me more. Secondly, I've got an idea, but I don't know if you'll like it."
"It's one more idea than I have. Spill, sister."
"Well," Octavia begins, "the house has three bedrooms. What do you think of a couples trip? We can see if Bell can get away for the weekend and all six of us can go. My parents have a boat, too, so we can take it out on the lake and cook out and there are plenty of trails so Lexa can get her workouts in."
Clarke smiles widely. "That sounds great, O. Are you sure your parents won't mind?"
Octavia waves her off. "Are you kidding me? They've been trying to get Lincoln and I to spend a weekend out there since Christmas. They'll be over the moon that it's being put to more use. That is, if you're okay with spending your anniversary with us."
Clarke blushes. "It sounds like fun, but it's our anniversary, so we're gonna… you know."
"Like that's stopped you before," Octavia scoffs, rolling her eyes. "Look, you and Lex can have the master bedroom. It's the only one on the second floor so you won't bother the rest of us too terribly much."
Clarke nods, thinking it over. Lexa really would enjoy being out in nature for a weekend, along with spending time with their friends. Also the allure of seeing her girlfriend in a swimming suit is incredibly appealing. The more she thinks about it, the better it sounds.
"Okay. Set it up."
Octavia whoops and whips her phone out. Clarke wonders what she's gotten herself and Lexa into now.
