Lexa stared amusedly as she watched her new blonde charge stuff her face with yet another plate of steaming sizzling bacon strips.
They sat in the booth of a popular twenty-four-hour diner on the side of the highway. The waitress had a worried expression as she brought Clarke Griffin plate after plate of food, seemingly unable to bring them fast enough while Clarke inhaled their contents and waited for the next.
"Mmmmm," Clarke moaned, earning another sly grin from the commander. "I can't believe how amazing everything tastes tonight. I don't usually go for greasy diner food."
Lexa glanced to the several nearly empty plates across the table. Clarke had ordered various dishes of sausages, eggs and toast, cheeseburgers, sandwiches, chicken strips, chicken wings, beef dip entrees, and more. Some of the dishes laid completely baron of even a morsel of food, while others had entire groupings remain untouched.
Clarke didn't realize it, but she was only eating the meat part of the dishes. Eggs, fries, breads, sauces, all sat unscathed. That's when Lexa ordered herself a couple of sides of bacon, feigning the items be for herself before subtly pushing them across the table toward Clarke.
Although entertaining, Lexa let out a long sigh. Clarke was definitely infected, and the were-blood was burning through her with a vengeance. Lexa closed her eyes, taking a long, careful breath in and out.
It's alright. At least we caught this. At least Clarke isn't alone.
"Where did that waitress go?" Clarke asked as she looked over her shoulder and devoured the last strip of bacon on the seventh plate she was working on. "I'm still starving."
Lexa couldn't suppress her snicker. Although human-turns were rare, even she hadn't witnessed an appetite as substantial as Clarke's before.
"I think she's afraid you might bite her hand off at this point, Clarke. Either that or the restaurant has finally run out of food."
Concern fell over Clarke's brow as those beautiful sky-blue eyes rolled over the cluttered table, expression turning into something of shock as if finally seeing the mess of dishes for the first time.
Lexa tensed, readying for a reaction. She could see Clarke's stomach turning at the sight of her work. Their late-night dinner was coming to an end.
"I-I don't understand…" Clarke's breath hitched as she shook her head and stared in horror. "I w-was so hungry I…"
Lexa moved to the other side of the booth immediately, plopping beside the blonde on the red leather bench, effectively trapping Clarke in place before she could instinctively bolt away in panic.
Uncharacteristically, Lexa wrapped a comforting arm around Clarke's trembling shoulders. Little touches like this kept happening since the moment they met. She didn't mean to initiate them, they just kept occurring naturally when she was around this particular human.
Twenty-four hours earlier, Lexa had inserted herself into Clarke's life by showing up at her dorm room door, claiming that due to Clarke's excellent grades, the university had decided to provide her with an advanced tutor. The theory being to lighten the workload and solidify Clarke's understanding of modern medicine so she could become a doctor that dove that much further into the career.
Okay, so it was a little far fetched, and Lexa's lie would've come out quickly if she'd actually been tested on anything modern about the little medicinal knowledge she picked up from Niylah and Nyko over the years, but it worked. Clarke believed her, and that was all that mattered.
Clarke's attraction to the commander was immediate too. Luckily, they opted to get to know one another before any studying took place. And Lexa didn't find the human too far from alluring either, stoking a fire that hadn't fanned into flame for a very, very long time.
They'd brushed bare shoulders during their non-study encounter that immediately followed. The heat of Clarke's skin was the first sign she might have been infected. The longer they spent together, the more potent the scent of the were-blood burning through Clarke became.
It wasn't until Lexa returned from camp that night to check on Clarke again that she was certain. When she arrived at the dorm the second time, Clarke's agitation was evident. Her head slick with sweat, fingers twitchy, and the hunger in her eyes plain as day. That's when Lexa ever so casually offered to take Clarke out for dinner—as friends of course.
"Clarke," Lexa kept her tone even and soft as she rubbed Clarke's shoulders gently. "Try not to overthink right now." Dark eyes flashed to the moon hanging in the night sky outside the restaurant window, sparking an idea. "Why don't we go out for a walk now? Would that be okay?"
Clarke's zombie-like gaze switched between the window then back to Lexa before finally nodding. Lexa took out a few notes and tossed them on the tabletop, nodding to their still terrified looking waitress before they got up and left the restaurant.
Lexa left her arm in place over Clarke's shoulders. She didn't seem to mind, and Lexa was enjoying the embrace too much to let go, especially when Clarke cuddled closer and closer every odd step, sinking warmly against the commander's body.
As they strolled down the roadway, Lexa peeked sideways to watch Clarke, another sigh escaping her as she noticed Clarke's gaze transfixed on the moon ahead. She knew what was coming next.
"Would you like to go for a run Clarke? Might feel good to burn off some of that energy you consumed."
"I don't really—" Clare froze mid-sentence, feet slowing to a stop. "Actually, yeah. A run would be amazing right now."
Lexa gave a rare smile, still unable to hide the amusement she felt watching Clarke. All the issues that would come from this agonizingly slow transition over the coming months she would worry over later. For that night at least, Lexa would allow herself the rare indulgence of watching Clarke's needs unfold with delight. And she'd be beside the beautiful doctor-to-be every step of the way to keep her safe.
"Great. You lead, Clarke. Wherever you go, I'll follow."
Clarke took off in a sprint, Lexa keeping pace effortlessly, always staying just one step behind, eyes on her charge, ready to step in and maneuver Clarke away from any dangerous obstacles if necessary.
Clarke instinctually ran toward the moon, toward the forest. Lexa was surprised just how quickly the blood took effect in humans. It was almost eerie how rapidly it worked.
She couldn't help but wonder if Clarke's blood instinctually sought out Raven or Anya at that moment. Was there even enough blood involved where the cells called to their counterparts? Although unlikely, the unfamiliar pang of jealousy crept into Lexa's chest as they passed the treeline.
Why am I jealous?
Suddenly, Clarke stopped moving. She stood motionless, just staring up at the sky, into the hypnotic glow of the moonlight.
"Clarke?" Lexa called cautiously.
Clarke slowly turned around, meeting Lexa's gaze, eyes not quite focused. There was a prominent hue of gold glittering around Clarke's dark blue irises. If it weren't for Lexa's excellent sight in the darkness, she would've missed it entirely.
The gold was a direct indication Clarke had fallen into an entranced state. She wouldn't be quite there until someone or something snapped her out of it. The smart thing to do would be to urge Clarke to keep running, to exhaust her to the point of collapse.
But for some unknown reason, Lexa moved closer, intruding the human's personal space before reaching for Clarke's hand and intertwining their fingers.
Clarke took a sharp intake of breath as if Lexa's touch had suddenly turned the lights back on, blue-gold-rimmed orbs darted between their joined fingers then back toward Lexa.
Suddenly, Clarke lunged forward, leaping against Lexa's body, legs wrapping around the commander's waist, fierce lips latching to the brunette's neck, causing Lexa to fall backward, caught completely off guard by the action. They both went crashing to the ground, Clarke landing on top of Lexa in a straddle but didn't seem the least bit fazed.
Clarke's warm hands cradled the back of Lexa's neck, dark blues staring intensely into the commander's very soul, lust and a hunger Lexa had never seen before swirling there. Lexa parted her lips, for the moment unable to speak as she stared at the beautiful woman overtop her, the moonlight highlighting Clarke's gorgeous frame in a soft hue of heavenly light.
Heat spread through Lexa's chest, moving downward toward her pulsing core.
Oh, shit. I'm insanely attracted to the gorgeous human straddling my crotch right now. This is probably not good…
As if feeling the same, Clarke's hips began to jerk as she ground down against Lexa, hard, eliciting a long low groan from the commander.
Shit, that felt good. No, Lexa! You have to stop this! Pretty sure were-blood counts as intoxication and inability to consent right now…
Clarke moved again, and again, sending waves of inappropriate pleasure through Lexa, pleasure she desperately craved. Especially after abstaining from lovemaking for so long. She hadn't even known she was still capable of feeling such passion for another.
Lexa's hands flew to Clarke's hips, reluctantly stilling her motions.
"Clarke," Lexa rasped, catching her breath, willing every fibre of restraint she had in her to keep control. "You have to stop. You aren't thinking clearly."
"I'm thinking just fine," and oh god, Clarke's breathy whisper dripped with sex in every syllable.
Lexa wondered if it were possible to come just by that silky, smoky whisper alone.
"No," Lexa insisted. "Clarke, listen to me." She leaned forward as much as she could, fixing Clarke with a stern glare. "If you still feel this way later, I'll happily explore these feelings with you. But right now, your sexual desires are fueled by a supernatural infection."
That caught Clarke's attention, bringing her grinding hips to an abrupt halt. With a tilt of her head and confusion on her brow, she gave Lexa the most bewildered look.
"What?"
Lexa fell back against the ground, a pebble pressing uncomfortably into her head before it slipped away into the darkness. She had to handle this carefully. Clarke could bolt. She could scream and attract attention. Regardless, she needed to be told.
Lexa took a deep breath before blurting out the truth. There was probably a better way to handle this, but the close proximity of Clarke and her amazing scent made it difficult for Lexa to think clearly.
"You… have an infection… in your blood. I believe you contracted it from Raven, who inadvertently was infected by Anya."
Clarke's look of confusion turned into horror. "Oh my god. Are you trying to tell me I have a new hyper-strain of herpes or something!?"
Lexa snorted, trying and failing to suppress a laugh as she moved her hands higher to grip Clarke firmly by the elbows. "No, Clarke. The Grounder Gang is a community of werewolves. I'm one. So is Anya. And we think you and Raven may soon be too."
Clarke stared in silence for a long time before finally, "Okay, you're fucking crazy."
Clarke moved to get up, her adrenaline and fear hung thick in the air, filling Lexa's nose. Clarke was getting ready to run!
After a quick series of movements, Lexa flipped their positions, catching Clarke's wrists and pinning her to the dirt as Lexa settled over the blonde's hips instead.
"Whoa, what the hell!?" Clarke cried out. Her breath quickened, and that same swirl of lust and sexual hunger Lexa saw earlier stared back at her. "You know, if you didn't sound like a madwoman just now, this would be totally hott."
A brief smile escaped Lexa at that, but she quickly schooled it back, tightening her grip on Clarke, ignoring the throbbing between her legs. "Indeed, perhaps if you can get past my madwoman rantings tonight, you'll allow me to take you to dinner on a more romantic note sometime. But for now, we need to talk."