** CHAPTER WARNING: Brief description of traumatic injury. **
"Thanks for helping out this morning," Abby said as she and Clarke scrubbed out of the four hour surgery they had just finished together.
"No problem," Clarke answered quickly, "I wasn't busy, and I wouldn't miss the opportunity to scrub in on a heart transplant with one of the most respected cardiothoracic surgeons in the country."
"You flatter me," Abby says with a smile and a dramatic bat of her eyelashes.
"Just quoting the article you were featured in for this month's Top Doctors magazine," Clarke responded with a smile.
Her mom truly was an exceptional surgeon, and Clarke was so proud of her. She'd often been asked by people whether she felt like she was simply living in the shadows of her mother's success, but Clarke would always honestly answer that she didn't feel that way. The blonde was a rock star in her own right. She had finished medical school an entire year earlier than most students and had gained a stellar reputation within the medical community not only for her surgical talents but almost more talked about were her groundbreaking research pieces that had been published in numerous medical journals and textbooks. If in the future Clarke ever felt compelled to commit herself to the medical research field rather than spending her days working in an Emergency Room, the transition would be nothing but seamless since she had already made such an impressive name for herself.
"Well, enough shop talk... I want to hear what you've been up to lately," Abby said to her daughter as they wound through the long hospital hallways towards the staff locker rooms.
"A lot of work," Clarke said with a sigh, to which Abby nodded knowingly. The life of a surgeon was always a busy one, but the older woman was curious about more than her daughter's work life. She had been told by a little birdy that Clarke had been on a date recently and was eager to pry for more information... she was her mother after all.
"And what about your personal life?" Abby asked as she tugged at the bottom of her navy blue scrub top. "Any new developments there?"
"Octavia moved out," Clarke offered, not really wanting to get into anything more personal than that even though she knew her mother was probably dying to ask about her love life. "She's letting me keep the furniture though."
"Sounds like a divorce," Abby joked and Clarke laughed.
"Yeah, except I'm actually going to miss her when she's gone," the blonde responded.
"I guess you'll just have to move on and start dating again," the older woman keenly teased, which earned another chuckle from Clarke. As they rounded the final bend before reaching the locker rooms, both women slowed their pace when they noticed a familiar face walking towards them carrying two coffees in to-go cups.
"Lexa," Clarke beamed as she tried to control the skip in her step from making herself look stupid, "fancy seeing you here."
"Well I figured after the famous mother-daughter power surgeons crushed their heart transplant surgery this morning, they would be deserving of a quality beverage to celebrate their victory," Lexa explained with a smile to match the blonde's own.
"To celebrate their victory? You are so adorable," Clarke desperately wanted to say to the brunette as she took one of the cups of coffee currently being offered to her. She had texted Lexa that morning to thank her again for the wonderful date last night when she mentioned that she was heading into the hospital to help her mother with a heart transplant for a 13 year old girl who had been on the donor's list since she was born.
"Thanks," Clarke offered to the brunette instead, "the coffee here is crap."
"So Lexa, I head that you're working with Eva Porter during her run for city council," Abby interjected after she took the cup of coffee that was being offered to her. The brunette quickly glanced over at Clarke, who had scrunched her lips over to one side of her face but remained silent.
"Yes," Lexa confirmed, "professionally speaking she will make a great city council member. She was born for politics."
"And personally speaking?" Abby prodded as she took a sip of her steaming hot coffee before quickly adding, "off the record of course."
"She's a handful," the brunette responded simply. "I had to take Aden off her case temporarily because she kept talking him into setting up our meetings at restaurants rather than in my office."
"Maybe she has a crush on you," Abby teased the brunette with a smile and a wag of her eyebrows. "She is a politician after all. It could be her sly way of taking you on a date."
Clarke shot Lexa an annoyed look, but Lexa kept her poker face on before speaking again.
"I'm not interested," Lexa coolly stated. "In her specifically, but as a general rule I don't date clients."
"Probably a good idea," Abby replied.
"Yeah, that's definitely a good rule," Clarke added with a hint of a smirk on her lips.
Lexa eyed the blonde and felt a light blush dusting her cheeks at her best friend's comment. Of course Clarke would say something like that; Lexa knew she detested Eva Porter and hearing the subtle protectiveness from the blonde just now made her want to kiss the girl even more than she had wanted to the moment she laid eyes on her a few minutes ago.
"Well, Lexa, once you do end up meeting a non-client you like enough to start dating, you make sure to introduce her to me so that I can weigh in on whether she's good enough for you," Abby told the brunette in her most motherly tone.
All Lexa could do was widen her eyes and stare at the woman, not sure how to respond given the fact that she had just gone on a date with her daughter the night before. And kissed her daughter. A lot. As if sensing Lexa's discomfort, Clarke spoke up instead.
"Mom," the blonde chastised.
"What?" Abby asked as innocently as possible. "I'm just saying that Lexa deserves a special girl, and I'm usually a great judge of character."
"Mom," Clarke interjected again, "I don't think Lexa wants to talk about her love life right now?"
"Fine," Abby finally relented as she raised her hands up in surrender. "Lexa, you're off the hook... for now..."
Clarke saw the brunette swallow as her mother's focus shifted from her friend and suddenly back to her.
"Clarke," Abby started, "maybe you want to tell me about the date you had last night?"
And with that, the blonde's head snapped to look over at her mother who was giving her a 'why didn't you tell me you were dating' look, complete with a cocked eyebrow and everything. Lexa's eyes nearly popped out of her head, and Clarke choked on a few words that never quite made it out of her throat. As Abby continued to stand her ground, Lexa started to panic internally.
"By the way Clarke reacted, she obviously didn't tell her mother about our date. How did she know about our date? Does she know it was with me? What if she doesn't approve? But Abby loves me... doesn't she?" These and a dozen more thoughts swirled around Lexa's head as she found herself at a loss for words, her feet riveted to the floor.
"Well?" Abby asked after Clarke was silent for a moment.
"How did you know I even had a date last night?" Clarke questioned, suddenly turning the tables on her mother.
"I got a cryptic text message from Raven this morning telling me to ask you about your date last night," Abby said as she crossed her arms, careful not to spill the coffee in her hand.
"Well, I'm going to fucking kill Raven for opening her big fat mouth," Clarke said quite matter-of-factly.
Abby huffed at her daughter's course language but didn't say anything further about it. It was then that the older woman had noticed Lexa uncomfortably shifting on her feet and looking down at the floor, desperately attempting to avoid eye contact with her or Clarke. She narrowed her eyes slightly at the girl before her train of thought was cut short.
"And since when do you and Raven text message?" Clarke wanted to know.
"I... reached out to her earlier in the week... to discuss an experimental surgery that might just give her back partial use of her leg," Abby explained slowly.
"You guys have been over this so many times," Clarke said with an exasperated edge on her voice.
She wanted nothing more than to see her friend walk again without the use of the clunky brace, but Raven had been so adamant to Abby each time they spoke about it that she didn't want to take the risk of disabling herself even more if the surgery didn't work. Clarke also felt a bit annoyed by her mother that she was sticking her nose in on an orthopedic surgery when her specialty was cardio. But like any Griffin, nothing could stop the older doctor from trying and trying and trying to fix the issue.
"I know, Clarke," Abby told her daughter, "but I could see how much pain Raven was in during the party last week."
"You don't think we all see her in pain every day?" Clarke snapped, suddenly feeling very protective of her friend and what she thought her mother was insinuating.
"I didn't say that," Abby calmly responded as to not offend her daughter. "I'm just saying that I noticed that night, and she did seem a lot more receptive to the surgery when we talked on the phone this time."
Clarke seemed to back down slightly when she heard that Raven had shown some interest in the surgery this time around. As long as the brunette was making the decision for herself, it was all that mattered to Clarke. She knew that her mother could be pushy, hell, that's how she got to be just as pushy herself. But as long as Abby wasn't pressuring her friend into making an important and serious decision like this, she didn't want to fight about it.
"Anyways, we can talk about this more later," Abby said before turning to Lexa. "I'm sure you have more interesting things to be doing with your day than listening to a mother and daughter bickering with each other."
"I should be heading back to the office," Lexa agreed before looking over to the blonde. "But I did need to ask Clarke something before I go."
"Clarke, why don't I just meet you in the lounge in fifteen minutes? We can finish our bickering then," Abby said with a small smirk.
"Sure," Clarke said with a small nod. The two girls watched as Abby walked briskly down the hallway and disappear into the locker room. When they were finally alone, they met each other's gaze again before the brunette spoke.
"So..." Lexa started slowly, "your mother knows about the date."
"Raven, I swear," Clarke huffed out as she shook her head, "my mom's going to be hounding me all day about this."
"Sorry," Lexa responded with a slight tinge of hurt in her voice.
"No," Clarke quickly reassured the brunette with a light touch on her forearm, "I don't care if she knows about the date. It's just... I just..."
"Just?" the brunette asked as she raised her eyebrows. Clarke let out an exaggerated sigh and looked squarely into the bright green eyes as she searched her own for answers.
"This... between us... it's new, and..." Clarke stuttered before she paused for a long moment, "I really like it. And if my mom knows so early on that I'm dating my best friend, she's going to have a heyday with it."
Relief washed over the brunette as she understood what Clarke was trying to say so ineloquently, she might add. Lexa nodded her head once, but before she could say anything to respond the blonde was speaking again.
"Not that she won't have a heyday with it even after we've been dating for a while," Clarke found herself saying without thinking. Suddenly she realized what she was implying though and snapped her eyes back to the brunette to backtrack. "Not that I'm saying that we would still be dating for that long... not that I wouldn't want us to be dating for that long... I'm just trying not to imply..."
Lexa finally had to let herself smirk when the blonde trailed off, seemingly too embarrassed and tongue-tied to continue on her current tangent. When she felt a strong slap to her left shoulder, the brunette let out a laugh and watched as Clarke turned an adorable shade of pink right before her eyes.
"You suck," Clarke spat out as she pulled her fingers through her hair.
"I didn't say anything that entire time," Lexa defended herself. "Besides I think you're adorable when you're flustered."
"Wasn't there something you needed to ask me before you left?" Clarke reminded the brunette, desperate to try and steer them to another, less embarrassing, conversation.
"Right," Lexa sighed as she smiled, "Anya's leaving tomorrow, so she was hoping we could all make to The Ark tonight for a farewell drink... or round of drinks."
"Yeah, definitely! Sounds fun," Clarke responded with a smile.
"Great," Lexa said as she returned the smile. "Did you want to just meet or can I walk you there?"
"Won't Anya be with you?" Clarke asked.
"Oh yeah," Lexa responded. The brunette quite honestly wasn't thinking about how Anya would be tagging along with them if they walked to the club together. Her only thought previous was that she would be able to spend a little extra time with Clarke... and maybe hold her hand as they walked the few blocks to the club to meet their friends.
"Why don't you and Anya come by around eight?" Clarke asked as she stepped closer to the brunette. "And don't be surprised if I smear your lip gloss again."
Lexa felt her eyes drop down to Clarke's lips as she swallowed thickly and did everything in her power not to lean forward and kiss the blonde right there in the middle of the hospital hallway. Clarke let a smile slowly crawl across her lips as she watched the brunette's eyes trained on her mouth for another long moment before their gaze finally met.
"I can't wait," Lexa finally whispered before giving the blonde a small smile and turning on her heels to leave.
Clarke had successfully dodged her mother's lingering questions about this mysterious date Raven had informed her of, and she now found herself rifling through all of the clothes in her closet as she tried to pick out something perfect for the evening. Her hair was still wrapped in a towel, just having stepped out of the shower a few minutes ago to freshen up after her impromptu full day of surgeries at the hospital. Luckily they had all gone extremely well, and she was still full of energy for what was bound to be a fun night ahead.
Clarke: Already missing your fashion advice...
Octavia: Definitely go sexy tonight.
Clarke: And why is that?
"Because I'm going to be looking hella sexy tonight, and you need Lexa staring at you and not me," Octavia said as she came around the corner of Clarke's bedroom.
"How did you get in here?!" Clarke exclaimed as she whipped her head around to the sound of her friend's voice behind her and shaking off the initial shock of the unannounced girl suddenly in her apartment.
"Well, I still have a key technically," Octavia replied as she dangled her key chain in front of Clarke's face, "but I just walked right through the front door because somebody left it unlocked again."
"Lexa and Anya are coming over, so I just left it open," Clarke told her friend.
"I guess I'll have to train Lexa in..." Octavia mumbled while looking around the blonde's bedroom.
"Train her in for what?" Clarke asked in utter confusion.
"For her new role of taking care of your sorry ass," Octavia said as she rolled her eyes.
"What?!"
"Yeah," the brunette cut in, "like making sure the door gets locked, and that you don't try to cook anything ever, and remember that time I saved the apartment from burning down when you put your phone in the toaster oven?"
Clarke was crossing her arms by this point and staring silently at Octavia with a scowl on her face.
"The phone in the toaster oven was a one time thing," Clarke weakly defended herself.
"It should be a none time thing!" Octavia belted at the blonde with a laugh.
"I'll agree that that wasn't my best work," Clarke finally admitted while Octavia was still chuckling.
"Seriously for being some kind of brilliant surgeon, you are such an idiot sometimes," Octavia teased the blonde.
"Why are you here again?" Clarke shot back as she whipped a random shirt at the brunette.
"I took a few of your things by accident," Octavia said as she swung a canvas tote down off her shoulder and handed it to the blonde. Clarke inspected the contents to see a sweatshirt and a few pairs of fuzzy socks. Normally the blonde wouldn't have cared much about getting such trivial items back, but when she noticed the sweatshirt at the bottom of the bag was her favorite sweatshirt that she thought she had lost six months ago, she was suddenly overjoyed.
"My sweatshirt! I thought I lost it during that ski trip!" Clarke nearly screamed as she pawed the sweatshirt from the bottom of the bag, sending the bunched socks flying out of the bag and onto the floor. She gripped the light blue sweatshirt until her knuckles turned white and lifted it up to her face in a half-sniff, half-snuggle move that made Octavia quirk an eyebrow.
"Should I give you two a room?"
"Shut up," Clarke snapped at the brunette with a playful glare in her eyes. "I am reuniting with my long lost sweatshirt, give me a minute."
"Hey, why do you have this anyways?" Clarke asked curiously as she realized that her friend must have been hoarding it since that fateful ski trip she thought she had lost it on.
"I borrowed it that last night of the trip," Octavia started, "and apparently, maybe in some drunken stupor, I shoved it into my ski bag. So then when I was moving some of my stuff into Lincoln's storage locker at his–our apartment, I noticed a lump where there shouldn't be a lump and... there it was!"
"Thanks, O," Clarke said as she wrapped the brunette up into a strong hug.
"No problem," Octavia responded as she returned the hug. She knew how important that particular sweatshirt was to Clarke, and she remembered how crushed the blonde was when she thought she had lost it. "I also wanted to give you your key back."
"Ah," Clarke said as she pulled away from the hug, "the time has come, huh?"
"Clarke, don't make this all mushy," Octavia warned as she slipped the apartment key off her key ring. "I'm only moving a few streets away. We will still see each other all the time. Like tonight."
"I know," Clarke said with a smile as she took the key from the brunette.
"Plus, maybe you can give it to Lexa now," Octavia offered with a little wag of her eyebrows.
"We've gone on one date, O," Clarke reminded her, "we are definitely not ready for that step yet."
"No?" Octavia asked, unconvinced by the blonde's statement. "You two are so perfect for each other, it's sick."
Clarke said nothing in response other than attempting to stop the goofy smile spreading across her lips as her cheeks flushed pink. She was so damn giddy about this whole new development with her best friend that the blonde was finding it impossible not to grin or giggle or blush like a schoolgirl with a crush. She relished in the feeling since it had been so long since she'd dated anyone, and quite honestly Clarke wasn't sure if she had ever felt this excited at the beginning of a relationship before. All she did know was that she hadn't stopped thinking about Lexa since their date last night, and she had a feeling that the brunette would be holding residence in her mind into the foreseeable future.
"Aw, look at you blushing!" Octavia teased as she pointed a finger at Clarke's flushed face.
"It's pretty awesome," the blonde said as she nodded her head and smirked. "I mean, this thing between us. It's pretty awesome. I've honestly never had a better first date."
"See? You're adorable," Octavia said with a shrug of her shoulders as Clarke bit her lip and turned back towards her closet. "Which reminds me! You need to not look adorable tonight."
"Huh?" Clarke asked in confusion as she turned her head back around to look at the brunette.
"You need to look drop dead sexy tonight," Octavia purred, "so that all Lexa will be able to think about is ripping whatever small amount of clothes are on you, off you."
"Again, O," Clarke reminded her friend, "we have only been on one date. I don't think there will be any ripping off of clothes tonight."
"But you want there to at least be a possibility," Octavia stated as she turned her attention to Clarke's closet.
The beginnings of any new relationship usually include the desire to impress the other person, but Clarke found herself more often than not focused on just being herself since she and the brunette already knew each other so well. Not that there wasn't any room for a little... enticement... but the ease that their friendship brought into this new part of their relationship was like a breath of fresh air and made everything seem just so much more organic.
"Here," Octavia said as she shoved a shirt on a hanger towards Clarke, "wear this with your red bra underneath. A pair of dark skinnies... blue not black... and your red heels. And wear your hair up."
"Anything else?" Clarke deadpanned with a roll of her eyes.
"Go light on the makeup," she warned the blonde, "with the amount of cleavage you're about to have on display you won't need much else to get anyone's attention."
"Got it," the blonde replied with a small smile.
"Well, my work here is done," Octavia announced before grabbing her keys and heading towards the door to leave. Clarke busied herself with finding her red bra and matching underwear as Octavia grabbed the door frame and peeked her head back inside for a moment.
"If you want a pop of color, go for a tinted pink lip gloss."
"Got it," Clarke responded, not bothering to look up from the dresser drawer she was currently digging through.
"It will make her want to kiss you!" Octavia called out from the hallway.
"Got it!" Clarke yelled back as she smiled and shook her head from side to side.
That girl was like a Tasmanian devil – arrives and leaves in a whirlwind of action. It's one of the reasons Clarke always thought that Lincoln was the perfect person for her. He was calm and collected always, acting as an anchor for her when she let her emotions get the best of her. Lincoln was always there to comfort her in a way that Octavia never had from a man, and Clarke knew that it was something the brunette needed in her life more than the other girl would care to admit it.
The next two hours went by so quickly that Clarke was shocked to see she only had 15 minutes until Lexa and Anya would be showing up to walk her to The Ark for their going away celebration for the Army major. She hurried to put the final touches on her makeup before searching for the perfect purse to bring with her to the club. She decided on a long black leather clutch that had a small handle that slipped just around the wrist to help keep it secure in case it was dropped. Clarke heard the door being opened and the familiar voice of her friends chatting between themselves, so she took a deep breath and headed out to greet them.
"Hey," Clarke directed at the two women with a devastatingly bright smile and a rather pronounced bounce in her step as she closed the distance between herself and her friends.
No response was offered from Lexa who was currently frozen in place as she watched the beautiful blonde sauntering towards her in what could only be described as hands-down the most sexy outfit the brunette had ever seen in her life. The blonde was wearing a black sleeveless and appropriately sheer blouse that plummeted at the neckline to show a tiny sliver of the bright red push-up bra she wore underneath. Dark blue skinny jeans hugged the Clarke's curves in all the right ways, and the classic red heels she wore tied the whole look together. Her blonde tresses were pulled back into a messy bun at the bottom of her neck as a few curls softly framed her face on one side. Anya turned her head towards her silent friend and let her eyes flick down to notice Lexa's mouth sightly agape before rolling her eyes and turning back towards Clarke.
"Hey," Anya offered, as her friend clearly didn't have control of her vocal cords at this point in time.
"You guys look good," Clarke told the women as she took one last step before leaning in to capture Lexa's still parted lips in a kiss. Anya had to keep herself from snickering as she witnessed her completely useless friend barely able to respond to the kiss before Clarke pulled away.
"You look quite nice yourself, Clarke," Anya said as she gentured up and down the other blonde's body before thrusting a thumb towards Lexa and stating, "you're probably driving this one crazy right now."
Clarke smirked triumphantly as she looked over to Lexa, catching her just as her eyes trailed back up the length of her body. She saw the brunette swallow as their eyes locked, and the blonde suddenly felt a rush of butterflies swarming in her chest as they gazed at each other for a few moments before Anya finally spoke.
"Sorry to interrupt all the eye-fucking that's happening right now, but we really should be leaving."
Clarke finally tore her eyes away from Lexa's and pushed between the two as she headed towards the front door. The brunette turned toward Anya and slapped her shoulder hard, which did nothing but earn her a return punch to her own shoulder just as forceful. They stepped into the hallway as Clarke lingered behind to lock the door behind them and was pleasantly surprised when she felt Lexa's hand slip into hers immediately as they started on their way to the club.
"Hey bitches!" Raven yelled over the club music as she arrived at the high top where Lexa, Clarke and Anya were already sitting.
"Hey," Clarke responded as she turned to face the brunette.
"Holy cleavage, Clarke!" the brunette exclaimed as her eyes widened and dropped down to the blonde's chest.
"That was my doing," Octavia chimed in as she popped her head over Raven's shoulder. "Your boobs have never looked better, Griffin."
"Holy shit, you must be dying!" Raven joked as she pointed over at Lexa. "Aren't you dying?!"
"Can everyone please stop talking about my boobs?" Clarke interjected loudly.
"Uh, if you didn't want us talking about them you wouldn't have put them on display like that," Raven said as she gestured a finger between the blonde's breasts.
"Give her a break," Octavia said as she placed a hand on Raven's shoulder. "Who's buying the first round?"
"I am," Anya responded quickly before standing up to head towards the bar. "Tequila?"
"Tequila!" the group shouted in agreement.
"Sorry," Clarke said as she leaned towards Lexa who was looking a tiny bit flustered, "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."
"Trust me, Clarke," Lexa quickly responded, "I'm uncomfortable for an entirely different reason. You look stunning."
The blonde felt her cheeks inflame with a deep blush as she immediately understood the brunette's admission and felt a throb of her own between her legs as she flicked her eyes down to Lexa's plump, and now fully glossed, lips. She let a smirk turn up the corner of her mouth as she realized that brunette had not been wearing any lip gloss when she arrived at the apartment earlier, clearly having prepared to receive a hello kiss like Clarke had mentioned she would give her.
"You look amazing as well," Clarke complimented her best friend, who only responded by flashing her a shy smile.
The group chatted happily until Anya returned, followed promptly by a waitress with a tray full of shot glasses, lime wedges, a few salt shakers, and of course a bottle of tequila. Raven took it upon herself to take charge of the tequila bottle while they rest of them readied their shots with salt on one hand and a lime wedge in the other. After a hearty toast to Anya, everyone downed their shots and Raven immediately began to pour a second round. Lexa groaned as she continued to suck on her lime wedge to help dissapate the lingering taste of the strong alcohol on her tongue, and the rest of the group broke out into laughter. Clarke found herself laughing along but paying more attention to the way that the brunette's full lips were playing with the lime between them.
"At least you have to participate in the toast, Lexa," Raven called her out as she finished pouring the next round of shots.
"I'll make it," Lexa responded quickly as she held up her shot glass in front of Anya. "To the brave men and the fierce women who fight to keep the promise of freedom alive and well in this United States of America. We humbly thank you for your service."
"Hear, Hear!" the group shouted loudly as they downed their second round of shots.
Lexa caught Anya's gaze for just a moment and could have sworn that she saw a tiny glint in the soldier's eye before her head tipped back as she dutifully swallowed her tequila. Lexa knew there was no way that she could keep up with the group if she kept taking shot after shot, so she simply set her still full glass back down onto the table and watched as the group prepared a third round.
"I'll grab us some water," Clarke reassured Lexa right before taking her third shot in one smooth motion. The brunette nodded in response, thankful that Clarke and the rest of her friends were letting her off the hook from drinking herself into a stupor before the night barely began. She watched as Clarke hopped off her chair and quickly made her way over to the bar and let her gaze slowly lower down the length of the blonde's body as she walked away.
"Busted!" Raven yelled directly into Lexa's ear, having caught her friend slyly checking out her other friend.
"Dammit, Raven!" Lexa wailed as she cupped a hand over her ear and turned towards Raven. The brunette's face was hovering just a few inches away from Lexa's and a sloppy grin was spreading across her lips.
"You are so hot for her bod," Raven quipped, knowing it would embarrass the other brunette.
"Shut up," Lexa growled, hoping to silence her friend before Clarke made it back to the table.
"It's okay, I don't blame you," Raven sympathized, "her bod is quite hot."
"Raven..." the brunette heard herself warning the girl.
"I'm just giving you shit, Commander. Lighten up," Raven teased as she hit Lexa's shoulder playfully.
Just as Lexa's mouth opened to respond, Clarke appeared from behind her and set two glasses of ice water on the table. Before she could sit down, the blonde felt Lexa grab her wrist lightly.
"Should we go dance?" Lexa asked with a mixture of hope and impatience in her eyes.
"Sure," Clarke responded with a smile.
It wasn't like Lexa to initiate dancing, but the blonde didn't find herself complaining at this change of pace. She trailed happily behind the brunette as her mind wandered back to the night they'd danced together that ended with Lexa's hand on her ass in the middle of this very club. A fresh wave of heat surged through her body as Clarke imagined how it would feel to have Lexa's body against hers again, hips swaying to the beat of the music and hands exploring one another.
As soon as they reached the edge of the dance floor, Lexa turned around to face Clarke before slipping her arm around the blonde's waist and pulling them together. It felt even better than last time, and Clarke almost let a groan slip from her lips as their hips connected. She watched as Lexa licked her lips quickly before starting a gentle sway of her hips. Clarke quickly matched the rhythm before turning around and pressing her back flush with Lexa's front. She smirked as she felt gentle hands immediately latch low onto her hips and felt the brunette tug them closer together.
Clarke leaned even further back against Lexa, reveling in the feeling of the brunette's breasts pressing against her and the fingers at her hips slightly tighten their grip. They remained dancing in this position until a new song started with an even faster tempo, and Clarke turned herself back around to face Lexa again. Clarke noticed the brunette's breathing quicken slightly as green eyes began darting across her body. She felt restless hands moving up and down her sides, squeezing lightly in some areas before moving on to caress another area. Clarke was quickly becoming addicted to the feeling of Lexa's hands on her body, and she watched as Lexa's eyes flicked down to look at her lips as the continued to dance.
"I want to kiss you so badly," Lexa softly spoke against Clarke's ear.
"So kiss me," the blonde responded in a husky tone.
Clarke watched as Lexa's eyes drifted down again, and without skipping a beat the brunette leaned forward and captured her lips in a light kiss. Clarke sighed into the kiss as she felt Lexa's fingers tighten at the small of her back as their mouths remained pressed together for a short moment. The brunette suddenly angled her head back to break the kiss, and she was met with a look of confusion flashed across the Clarke's face momentarily as the blonde stared into darkened green eyes for an answer.
"Quick kisses," Lexa clarified, "or I wouldn't be able to stop."
"Maybe I don't want you to stop," Clarke replied.
"Clarke," Lexa warned while watching the blonde lock her gaze on her lips.
Their bodies moved together for another few minutes until Lexa felt the blonde intertwine their hands and tug them towards the back of the club. As soon as they rounded a corner into a darkened and empty hallway, the brunette found herself being gently pushed up against the wall before soft lips descended on hers in a passionate kiss. It was nothing like their previous ones they had shared over the last couple of weeks. It was urgent but teasing. It was gentle but forceful. It was everything they'd been feeling up until this point, represented in a kiss. Clarke heard herself moan into Lexa's mouth as the brunette parted her lips in an invitation for her to deepen the kiss.
Instead, Clarke placed a series of wet but teasing kisses on the brunette's full lips before slowing their momentum and pulling away altogether. Lexa looked into Clarke's eyes questioningly before she watched the blonde lean forward and felt teeth gently clamp around her bottom lip. Clarke pulled the supple lip forward as she slowly grazed her teeth over it, finally releasing it without a sound. Lexa's mouth hung open for just a moment before she lunged forward and crashed her lips against Clarke's in a hungry kiss that left the blonde struggling to breathe. As Lexa changed the angle of her lips to gain more access to Clarke's mouth, she felt the blonde's tongue finally meet her own.
Clarke moved into Lexa, her hands finding themselves clutching at the curve of the brunette's waist as she felt Lexa's hands tangle in her hair. They lost themselves in the feeling of the other, and their kiss only gained in its passion the longer their lips pushed and pulled against each other. Lexa's mind was clouded with an overwhelming feeling of pure lust, and she barely realized it when her hand moved from Clarke's hair, down her neck, and trailed down over the blondes chest. Her fingers danced over the soft skin at the swell of the blonde's full breast and barely brushed over the rough fabric of the bright red bra peeking out from under her shirt. Clarke immediately arched her back in an attempt to gain more contact with the brunette's wandering fingers but was met with a sudden gasp from the other woman as their kiss broke with a loud pop.
"Clarke wait," Lexa desperately croaked out through ragged breaths.
"What?" Clarke responded, just as breathlessly.
"Not here," Lexa finally answered, "not like this."
You deserve better.
Clarke felt her racing heart swell a she took in the meaning behind Lexa's words. The brunette was implying that wanted every moment that they shared to mean something, and that she cared too much about Clarke to allow themselves to get carried away in a dark hallway at the back of a club. Clarke wasn't going to lie when she thought about the fact that it felt so damn good feeling Lexa's fingers against her hot skin, but she also wanted more out of their intimate moments than this. It was the first time she'd ever really felt this way about someone, and that made her heart skip a few beats as she tried to catch her breath.
Clarke felt herself nod in agreement and stepped away from the brunette who was also trying to catch her breath as she slipped a hand through her hair. Clarke did the same and cleared her throat before taking Lexa's hand in hers and leading her back to their friends' table. They remained holding hands until they sat down, and Lexa purposefully inched her chair closer to Clarke's so that their legs were touching under the table. They shared a secretive smile at the contact and finally turned their attention to their friends.
"Where's Lincoln?" Raven asked Octavia as she downed the last of her beer. The group had apparently ordered a pitcher that they were all currently sharing while Clarke and Lexa had been off dancing and... other things.
"Working," was all the brunette offered.
"Oh my gosh, you guys!" Raven yelled as her eyes widened. "We should have a sleepover tonight!"
"Yeah, like a slumber party!" Anya agreed in excitement.
"Slumber party!" Octavia chimed in.
"How drunk are they?" Lexa said quietly as she looked over at Clarke. It wasn't like Anya to agree to something so 'childish' as it may seem, so the two were quite puzzled at the sudden change of character.
"C'mon Claaarke!" Octavia slurred as she slouched her body over the table dramatically. "Don't you want to have a slumber party with these crazy bitches?"
"I... guess so?" Clarke replied hesitantly.
"Slumber party at Lexa's!" Octavia shouted as they all began gathering their things.
"Wait," Lexa quickly cut in, "why my apartment?"
"Why not?" Octavia responded as she shrugged her shoulders.
"Do you have food?" Raven interjected loudly, "like edible food that isn't vegetables?"
Clarke felt her heart flutter in her chest as Lexa looked over to her, almost as one would look to their spouse for their input before answering a question. She knew Lexa better than any one of their friends, and Lexa knew it too. When Clarke realized all eyes were now on her, she finally spoke up.
"We can order a pizza," she said as she gave Lexa's thigh a soft squeeze under the table.
The group seemed to accept the answer and hopped down from their chairs to exit the club.
"Okay, we're going to need some ground rules," Lexa began when all of the women had made it outside and were walking down the sidewalk towards the brunette's apartment. She was promptly met with a chorus of boo's and groans, but she continued anyways. "No practical jokes..."
"No hands in warm water?" Raven whined.
"No shaving cream and feathers?" Octavia also whined.
"No," Lexa firmly stated.
"Don't worry," Clarke assured the stressed out brunette as she clasped their hands together, "I'll keep them in line."
Lexa simply nodded and intertwined their fingers. Clarke smiled in response and squeezed the brunette's hand before looking ahead as they continued their walk. The three girls walking in front of them linked arms as they giggled and chatted for a while longer. They finally arrived at Lexa's apartment building but were stopped before they could step through the door to the lobby.
"No knocking on my neighbors' doors," Lexa stated as she pointed her finger at Raven before turning it towards Octavia, "and no jumping on my couch."
The girls agreed hastily, stating that it only happened once the night they had tried that new drinking game that they all swore never to play ever again. Lexa warily accepted their promises to be on their best behavior and lead them into the building and over to the elevator awhile mentally preparing herself for a long night.
As the girls stepped into the brunette's pristine apartment and began to make themselves comfortable, Lexa went to work getting some sleeping clothes together for all of her unexpected guests. She headed towards her bedroom and quickly shut the door to her office on the way. There were numerous confidential files for her clients in her office, and Lexa had such a complicated organizational system that she didn't want any of her tipsy friends to find themselves in there by accident ruining it. Just as she rounded the corner and stepped into her bedroom, she heard the soft padding of Clarke's feet walking up behind her.
"Can I help you with anything?" Clarke asked with a sweet smile as she saw Lexa head over to her closet.
"I figure everyone will need something to sleep in," Lexa responded as she returned a smile. "Feel free pick out what you want first."
Clarke nodded and started rummaging through Lexa's dresser drawers. When she opened the top drawer, Clarke's eyes grazed across a variety of lacy bras and matching panty sets and immediately her mind went to someplace entirely inappropriate for a few seconds before she quickly closed the drawer with a loud thud. Lexa looked over at Clarke and furrowed her brow, wondering what had just happened. When she saw the blonde sheepishly move onto the next drawer, she decided to let it go and not question her about it.
"Are these okay?" Clarke asked as she held out a pair of light gray shorts and a soft pink shirt.
"That's my favorite shirt to sleep in," Lexa responded with a light smile, "so you are more than welcome to wear it."
"Are you sure you don't want it tonight?" the blonde honestly asked, suddenly feeling bad for grabbing it.
"No, Clarke. You take it tonight," Lexa insisted. "I'm sure it will look better on you anyways."
"Doubtful," Clarke scoffed. "Have you seen you?"
"Uh, have you seen you?" Lexa asked, dumb-founded. "You're gorgeous... and your body... is..."
"My body is..." Clarke rasped as she closed the distance between the two of them. Lexa looked to be desperately trying to find words so that she could respond to the blonde but was having a terrible time thinking of any.
"I just... think that... you'll look really good in that shirt," Lexa finally managed to choke out.
"One way to find out," Clarke cooed as she began unbuttoning her shirt.
Lexa's eyes snapped to the tiny slivers of Clarke's bright red bra that had been peaking out from under the sheer shirt all night. As soon as all of the buttons had been released down the front of the blonde's shirt and a substantial amout of the bright red fabric became visible, Lexa quickly turned her back to Clarke in order to give the woman privacy. Clarke just smirked at the girl's quick move but couldn't help feeling slightly disappointed that she wouldn't be able to put on a show for the brunette.
Lexa distracted herself from thoughts of Clarke getting undressed in her bedroom as she rummaged for a couple more pairs of shorts and some comfortable shirts for Raven and Octavia before grabbing a set of her own clothes that she usually sleeps in. When Clarke was finally done dressing, she cleared her throat lightly as if giving Lexa the okay to turn around. When she did, her eyes fell to the pink shirt hugging the blonde's chest in the most perfect way and it took everything in her power to drag her gaze back up to sparkling blue eyes.
"I was right," Lexa simply answered with a small smile.
Clarke let a sly smile spread across her lips as she walked towards the door of the brunette's bedroom. As she walked past Lexa, she put a bit more sway into her hips than she normally would have and smiled a little larger when she saw green eyes travel down the length of her body as she passed. Lexa was finding it impossible to tear her eyes away from the vision in front of her, and she spent even more time looking at Clarke's retreating form, her gaze raking up pale and lean legs, around curved hips, over her perfect ass, and all the way up to the mane of blonde hair cascading down the girl's back.
After everyone had changed into more comfortable clothes and Clarke ordered them a pizza, they found themselves huddled in the kitchen as they chatted and picked out their beverages. Lexa had a little bit of everything in her fridge, thanks to Anya, and each of them found something to their liking. It wasn't too much after that when the pizza came, and Clarke quickly shoved a twenty dollar bill at the young man before anyone could object.
"You didn't have to do that," Lexa told the blonde as she set out plates for the group on the kitchen counter.
"Just think of it as a security deposit in case anything is damaged throughout the course of the night," Clarke joked and lightly touched Lexa on her arm. The brunette smiled and rolled her eyes in response, knowing it was a distinct possibility given the circumstances.
"You mean to tell me you didn't order Canadian bacon and pineapple?" Anya asked in horror as she surveyed the contents inside the pizza box after it was opened.
"Gross!" Octavia exclaimed at Anya as her face scrunched with disgust.
"I always thought fruit on a pizza was a little weird," Raven agreed with the brunette.
"I figured this way everyone can pick off what they don't want," Clarke shrugged as she reached for a slice of pizza with various toppings including meat and veggies.
"I'm too hungry to be picky," Anya stated as she dove into her first slice.
"You're too military to be picky," Lexa clarified as she reached for her own slice.
"True that," Octavia agreed with a single nod.
"So how long will you be gone this time?" Raven asked Anya, who was almost done with her first slice of pizza already.
"Tmft mgnnt," the blonde tried to say through a mouthful of food.
"Say what?" Octavia questioned with a quirked brow.
"Two months," Anya repeated herself after swallowing her mouthful. "Hopefully it won't be drawn out any longer this time, but you never know."
"Maybe you should put in for a transfer," Clarke offered. "You know, take a desk job or analyze intel or whatever."
"This bitch was born to be a soldier," Octavia quickly defended her friend. "Can't take the fight out of her if she doesn't want to let it go."
"I can't say I haven't thought about it," Anya admitted, "especially after Miller got shot."
It was only four weeks into their last mission that Anya's First Lieutenant (and close friend) was shot by an enemy sniper while their squad worked to secure a civilian town just outside the perimeter of their base's safe zone. The town was situated in a dangerous valley between two large mountainous ridges that would give any enemy the perfect advantage should they choose to attack. Anya remembers holding her hands to her Lieutenant's neck as the blood came gushing out in spurts matching the erratic rhythm of his heartbeat.
She is still haunted by the terrified look in his eyes as he watched his own blood drench the front of her fatigues. The sniper missed killing the Lieutenant instantly by just a few millimeters, and Anya had enough skill to keep him properly stabilized as she ordered her men into an action plan that would get all of them out of the town and back to the base alive. Unfortunately the wound to Miller's neck, although non-lethal, didn't come without complications, and it left the man in a position to need to learn how to walk again.
"Have you seen him lately?" Raven asked with peaked interest. She had felt a shared bond with the stranger ever since she heard about his injury from Anya.
"I was able to visit him a few months ago," Anya responded. "It was tough. The trauma of the injury really took a hold of him... he looked defeated... more defeated than I've ever seen him."
"I know that feeling," Raven mumbled as she shoved the last bite of her pizza into her mouth. "Hopefully he has a good support system to get him through. It's what saved my ass more times than I can count."
All of the women around Raven smiled at the girl, knowing that it was them she was talking about. They had given so much of their time and energy and love to the girl while she was going through the pain of dealing with the aftermath of the injury to her leg, and even though she went through periods of anger she had always come through it with the help of her friends. She appreciated each and every one of them more than they knew.
After the girls had finished off the pizza, they all headed to the living room to settle in for the night. Lexa found herself on the far end of her couch, and Clarke immediately moved to sit next to her. After a bit of awkward shifting, Clarke was sitting comfortably between Lexa's legs with her back resting against the brunette's chest. Lexa sighed in contentment when she felt Clarke start to lightly drag her fingers up and down her bare calf, stopping to lightly squeeze and massage some areas before moving on to the next. She found herself brushing Clarke's hair over her shoulder so that she could lightly tickle the soft skin on the back of her neck.
"Unfortunately his boyfriend recently broke up with him," Anya continued their conversation from the kitchen. "He couldn't handle his moodswings or some shit like that."
"Let him know that if he needs another friend to talk to... someone who understands... he can talk to me," Raven offered.
"I think he'd appreciate that, Rae," Anya said. "Thank you."
"I'm getting the surgery," Raven blurted out to a crowd of wide eyes and shocked faces.
"You are?" Clarke asked as she stopped the movement of her fingers against Lexa's skin.
"In three weeks," Raven clarified. "I made the appointment today."
"Wow," Octavia said as she turned herself towards her friend, "what made you decide to do it?"
"I'm just sick of this stupid thing," the brunette said as she gestured to the large brace on her leg. "The last time Abby talked to me about the surgery, I was just determined to prove to everyone and myself that I could live with it. I feel like I proved it, and now I'm ready to risk it."
"You are the strongest person I know," Clarke encouraged her friend. "You are going to kick this surgery's ass."
"Absolutely," Lexa chimed in from behind the blonde.
"Sorry Lex, but I'll probably be out of commission for your birthday hooplah," Raven said apologetically.
"Birthday hooplah?" Lexa questioned as she stilled her fingers against Clarke's neck when she felt the blonde tense momentarily.
"Shit," was all Raven said, "sorry, Clarke."
"It was supposed to be a surprise birthday hooplah," Clarke said as she rolled her eyes at her friend who just spoiled the 'surprise' part of the plan.
"Clarke?" Lexa questioned the blonde for more details. Clarke turned her position slightly so that she could look back at the brunette's face.
"A few weeks ago I planned out something pretty awesome that didn't consist of brunch at Tony's," Clarke started, "but we can definitely change plans to make it work around Raven's surgery."
"Don't worry about it, Clarke..." Raven started to say.
"No way, Rae," Clarke interrupted her. "We will figure something out."
"I don't need anything special," Lexa explained with a small smile, "just my closest friends close to me on or around my birthday sounds perfect."
"Look at you two," Octavia suddenly switched the subject, "so adorable all cuddled up together."
Clarke and Lexa shared a blush across their cheeks. It wasn't like none of their friends knew they had gone out on an official date, but it was still a little embarrassing for the two of them though to have so much attention on them at this very moment. Clarke felt Lexa dip her head against her shoulder from behind and just chuckled softly.
The rest of the evening shaped up to be quite entertaining. There was teasing of Lexa and Clarke – that's what happens when two friends in a group start dating, right? And Octavia shared all of her thoughts so far about her wedding plans. It sounded like she and Lincoln both want to get married pretty soon, so all of the girls and other friends and families of the couple were put on alert. Throughout all of their conversations, there was an air of relaxation and familiarity around them, and it made for one of the most memorable evenings the women had ever shared thus far.
