Disclaimer: I don't own The 100
Lexa's fingers curled around the cup of dark coffee, the paper thin tin radiating a pleasant heat across her skin. They had arrived not long ago to the drumming pitter patter of rain, the clouds casting a shadow over a sinking sun. She noticed how when they entered the bell, at the top of the door, chimed pleasantly. The coffee shop itself was almost uncomfortably small, but she enjoyed it. She enjoyed the quiet serene, the practically empty interior, the hum of inaudible music, and the smell of a fresh brew. It was exactly the type of place Lexa loved to disappear in.
The minute they had entered she had taken the lead, taking the blonde who followed wordlessly to the back in a place where neither of them could be found. She hadn't missed the way blue eye had sparkled in mirth. Without words Lexa could tell that Clarke had known she would like this place, that she flourished in hole in the walls like this. It unnerved her slightly that Clarke seemed to be gleaning an understanding of her after just meeting her, that together they felt eerily comfortable.
But they were strangers and strangers could never be comfortable.
Lexa lifted the cup to her mouth, sipping the hot liquid. She reveled in the way it burned her throat and how the warmth crawled across her insides, biting away the chill of the rainy London weather. The earthy bitter taste that painted her tongue was familiar as she settled content into the booth of her seat. Across from her the space was empty; Clarke had gone shortly in search of creamer and sugar.
So instead Lexa watched the windows. She watched as droplets of rain raced down the glass and the last of the crowd of people trying to race in. She watched the bite of the cold as they bundled up and the umbrellas that didn't quite work as planned. She watched as an array of individuals went back and forth in the early beginnings of the light in the dying sun and the dancing stars. The vary of emotions that played across a multitude of faces.
"You're people watching." Lexa tore her eyes away from the window almost embarrassed to be caught to something so trivial, something she not so long ago condemned. She looked up to see Clarke standing with a small grin before taking her seat across from Lexa.
The brunette frowned. "I was not."
Clarke raised an incredulous eyebrow. "Would you prefer I say that you ogle people secretly as they walk by plotting their deaths?" She asked.
Lexa opened her mouth before closing it. There wasn't even a decent response she could think of to answer that so she bit her lip and conceded to the fact that Clarke was just going to get her way with this one. Although she had the sinking feeling that with Clarke she would always get her way with Lexa.
The blonde snickered at her obvious win. "Hey if you ever need help burying the body, I'm your girl. No questions and no judgement." She continued to tease as Clarke poured half of cup of her creamer and four packets of sugar into her drink.
Lexa watched almost mortified. "Does that even count as coffee?" She stared at the cup with narrowed eyes. It was an abomination. The sacred rights of the dark liquid had been diluted and violated with fatty masks. She watched as Clarke took a sip only for her face to scrunch up in distaste. She added another sugar packet before seeming content with her drink.
"That…" Lexa said pointing to the atrocity of coffee, "is hot milk with sugar."
Clarke shielded her cup playfully. "Hey now, don't come after my sweet pleasures! It's still coffee, it just has a little bit of pizazz." She raised her hands and wiggled her fingers in something that to Lexa looked eerily like jazz hands.
"It's not coffee." Lexa reiterated with a flat face.
Her companion blew a string of hair out of her face. "Well at least my coffee isn't boring." She stuck her tongue out childishly and tried not to laugh when she saw Lexa genuinely looked offended at her comment.
Clarke pushed her cup over to Lexa. "Try it." She said waggling her eyebrows. "It tastes amazing."
"I like my cholesterol and low blood sugar levels just the way they are so I think I'll pass on this one."
"Suit yourself just know you've never lived until you've tried hot milk with sugar." Clarke said taking back her cup watching as she saw the sides of Lexa's mouth quirk into a smile. The blonde decided right there that she had a beautiful smile. "Tell me how I knew you took your coffee black?"
Lexa shrugged, "Once you go black, you never go back."
At that Clarke genuinely laughed. Maybe it was the way she said it or how serious Lexa could look as she said it that made it so unbelievably funny. On anyone else it would be awkward and weird how seriously polite and detached the brunette was, but to Clarke it was oddly endearing. It drew her closer in.
And Lexa could only watch in fascination as the sound fell helplessly from her lips.
The brunette tried to ignore the fact that a gentle smile had worked its way on to her own lips as well. And even as the boisterous laughter died down the silence that followed was easy. It seemed endless that they sat there next to each other as the time clicked away, but Lexa never once bored of the odd companionship.
Sometimes they would make idle conversation. Small talk that to any other person might seem awkward or uncomfortable. They talked about favorite colors and night skies. They talked delightful desserts and awful first dates. They argued about literary novels and favorite movies.
And then sometimes they would just sit and not say anything. Lexa would look back out the window and watch droplets of rain fall always noticing when blue eyes would flick to her. She would think about the upcoming tournament and how much weight and been laid upon her shoulders. She thought about being on the field and the best strategies given the teams that were here.
And for the most part she thought about Clarke. Green eyes would nervously flick back and forth and just watch her. The animated ways that she spoke and how her hands never seemed to stand still. The bright way her smile would light up the room when she thought of something funny. Lexa would even watch the way Clarke took out a small pen to doodle cartoon characters on forgotten napkins.
She was an oddity.
And in this moment Lexa recognized something bubbling in the pit of her stomach. Something that reminded her of contentment. Something that reminded her of a longing for moments like this, for people like this.
But Clarke was a stranger, in a strange city, and not the reason Lexa had made her way to London. The brunette had determinedly placed this as a moment of time that didn't exist, that was set aside in a world where right now priorities had been shifted.
Because all her life she never seemed to find the right words to say. Lexa never knew what to say. Conversation had always fallen flat and silence was a godsend. It made most people uncomfortable because they always felt the need to talk and Lexa just didn't. There were more productive things to do with her time. Words never lasted anyway; they were just a means to an end.
Eventually she had realized this wasn't a good quality in making friends. Granted Lexa was often annoyed by others more often than not and the people that could stand her silence she herself would send away. Some people stubbornly stayed – Lincoln, Indra, and Gustus – but most left. And so Lexa was alone. But she preferred it that way.
She never really had much to say anyway.
Green eyes flicked over to Clarke as she did her latest doodle. She couldn't make it out over her hunched figure. She was curious as to what it was, but couldn't find the urge to ask. She chewed the bottom of her lip pensively. She kept waiting. Waiting for Clarke to make some excuse to leave, a reason to prove to Lexa that this really was just an odd occurrence to never happen again. Still Clarke sat. And still Lexa made no move to leave as well.
Lexa was positive she had never been so spontaneous in her life as today. She couldn't remember the last time she had gone out with her teammates let alone a stranger she met on the metro. It was out of her norm, completely bewildering and Lexa was sure Indra would have choice words about this if she ever found out. But here right now Lexa just wanted to be because in the back of her mind she knew this wasn't meant to last. Eventually she would leave. Eventually she would forget this blonde stranger. And eventually she would pretend like this never happened.
So for right now, right here Lexa would enjoy herself. Fuck everything else.
"You're not from here are you?" Clarke's voice brought her back to attention done with her drawings. Blue eyes stared at her curiously again as if Lexa was a puzzle she still hadn't quite figured out.
"No." She said, "I'm from America."
The blonde tilted her head and looked at her with wide teasing eyes. "Well you aren't quite what I pictured then."
Lexa frowned momentarily. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Clarke clucked her tongued. "You aren't fat, arrogant, or a complete moron." The corners of lip quirked up in a knowing smile. "But your taste in coffee is awful and I still might be able to swing that whole arrogant thing."
"I'm not sure if that was an insult or not."
"If it helps you're much prettier than I thought any American could ever be." She said with a wink.
"It doesn't." Lexa could feel her eye twitch. "And that's still an insult."
The blonde across from her just grinned cheekily. "I'm sure you'll get over it someday. So what are you doing here across the pond?"
Lexa was silent for a moment. She had enjoyed the anonymity of not having someone ask about her career or not asking for an autograph. And even if Clarke might have never heard of her before, Lexa found she still wanted to keep her secret. She still just wanted to be Lexa rather than Alexandria Woods for a few hours.
"Business." She said simply. "Were you raised here?" Lexa asked hoping to change the subject.
She could see the way blue eyes shifted knowingly like she knew something Lexa didn't , but Clarke continued on seamlessly regardless. "I'm Australian." She admitted leaning forward.
"Well that explains the accent." The brunette muttered taking a sip of her coffee.
Clarke grinned impishly. "I knew you found it secretly attractive."
Lexa spluttered and the coffee seemed a lot hotter than it was before her neck flushing red. "I never said that." She defended not at all wanting to give the wrong impression.
Her companion winked at her. "You didn't have to mate." She said with a pop.
"You're full of yourself." Lexa retorted trying to reign in the heat in her chest. Her eyes flicked away hoping to distract herself from the blue ones in front of her.
The blonde wagged her finger. "Ah ah," She clucked, "That's an American quality. We Australians are all dingoes and kangaroos and shit." Green eyes followed Clarke's tongue as it licked her lips. The blonde seemed to notice and smiled.
She leaned across the table and brought their faces far closer than Lexa felt comfortable with because her eyes raked over all the intricacies of her skin. She saw everything that made Clarke, Clarke. Even the long wisps of blonde hair that constantly seemed to fall across her cheeks.
"Usually," She said softly, "at this point in the date I tell this great joke about an Australian kiss, but I feel like that wouldn't go over so well…." She trailed off staring into green eyes challenging.
The brunette scoffed and backed away. She'd heard that joke more often than she cared to admit albeit never from an actual Australian. "It wouldn't." She said stubbornly.
Clarke took the dismissal in stride expecting it. "It's okay." She laughed. "I'm patient. I can wait." She said smoothly. There was honesty in her eyes that stirred fear in Lexa's stomach.
"And who said anything about this being a date?" Lexa said challengingly. Her chest seemed to puff back out as she finally found her nerve again. Clarke was too distracting. She was speaking too much. Showing too much of her cards when she herself knew nothing of her companion.
The blonde sipped her drink crossing her arms. "Who said it wasn't?"
All of a sudden it seemed to hit Lexa the gravity of what she was doing, of where she was. She was out with a random stranger and flirting. She shouldn't be here. She didn't have time for this. There were other things she should be doing. Lexa was here in London for one thing and it seemed silly that she had even pretended otherwise.
She could feel her muscles tense to leave. It was time for her to go. She shouldn't have come in the first place. This had been a giant mistake. But one question still burned in her mind. She couldn't leave without having it answered.
"Why'd you invite me here?" She asked cautiously under the weight of a blue gaze.
Clarke shrugged her shoulders. "You were lost and I was lonely. So I thought why the hell not?" She answered truthfully. "I think the real question is why did you say yes Lexa?" She challenged back.
Lexa seemed affronted by the question. "I don't know." She said more tersely than she meant. If the blonde noticed the bite and edge in Lexa's voice she didn't show it though.
"We always know." Clarke said a bit more meaningfully. "Sometimes we pretend not to, sometimes we deny it, and sometimes people have to spell it out for us, but in the end we always know why Lexa." Her gaze never left the brunette. "We all have choices. And we all have reasons for those choices." Her voice heavy with something she couldn't quite place.
Lexa got up and grabbed her coffee quickly. "You understand this doesn't mean anything? We're not exchanging numbers, we're not going to meet up again, this just was random occurrence. It's like I said before I just wanted a free drink." She bit out defensively feeling like she needed to explain herself.
It felt a hell of a lot more like Lexa trying to convince herself.
"It means what you want it to mean Lexa."
"Thank you for the coffee. I really should be going." She said flatly.
"Thanks for the company." Clarke said softly knowing there wasn't going to be any way to stop the brunette.
Lexa left quickly and didn't bother to look back. And when she made it outside she took out her cell phone and saw it was a quarter to ten. When the hell had it gotten so late?
She quickly noticed she had five missed calls. She had told the team she'd be back around eight and she was late for the dinner. Dialing the familiar number she tried not to think about the blonde she left behind. She tried not to think about the fact that she wanted to stay or the fact that she was an asshole. She had better things to do. Alexandria Woods had better things to do.
"Hello? Lexa? Where the hell are you?! We've been trying to call for over an hour now, we almost had to tell the coach." The phone buzzed to life as a plethora of words spilled out.
"I'm sorry Lincoln. I got lost, I need you to come get me."
"Yeah no it's alright. I just need you to find the nearest street sign and I'll be right over. I'm so sorry, I should have never left you earlier."
"It's fine." She said. Lexa quickly found what looked like a street address and relayed it over to the hulking man.
"Okay, that's not too far from the hotel at all actually. I'll be there in ten. Just what have you been doing all this time Lexa? You've been gone for hours."
The phone buzzed in silence. "Lexa."
"Nothing important." She lied.
She refused to admit that her eyes glanced back in the direction of the coffee shop, that she thought of a bright blonde, and that she was lying when she said it was nothing important. It felt important even though she didn't want it to be.
XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX
Clarke hummed softly. She didn't know how long she had stayed seated in the coffee shop. Her blue eyes rarely let the empty seat in front of her contemplating the companion that once sat there.
So that was Alexandria Woods.
She hadn't meant for any of that to happen. She didn't mean to meet the world famous American soccer player who seemed a mystery to everyone. It just kinda happened. But Clarke also hadn't expected to enjoy it as much as she did.
Lexa had been far more interesting than she thought she would have been and she genuinely liked talking to her. Clarke had been fascinated to get even a glimpse of the barest hints of who the woman was, without any pretenses.
She also hadn't meant to scare her off. It had all been in good fun honestly. That and Clarke never seemed to know how to act in front of pretty girls. She had this habit of making a complete and utter fool of herself. Either way she knew it was going to come bite her in the ass sooner or later.
She grimaced. It would probably happen sooner rather than later. Clarke always did seem to have the worst luck. She felt her phone buzz in her pocket. The screen flashed with Raven's name.
Reyes: I know you're still at my damn coffee shop Griffin! If you don't get back to the hotel Kane is going to have all of our asses. Lights out is in fifteen minutes!
Reyes: Don't think I won't sick Octavia on you. You know she'll throw a fit if I tell her I let you go to the coffee shop without her!
Clarke laughed and shot a quick reply telling her she was on her way back before getting up and making her way towards the door. She shot a quick look back and said her goodbyes to the owner, an older man with balding hair and eyebrows that were way too big for his face.
She smiled softly. They kind of looked like caterpillars attached to his face, but she would never admit that to his face. She liked her free coffee far too much to endanger that. "See ya Mr. Reyes; I'll see you tomorrow at Opening Ceremonies."
The man grinned back in a way that looked all too familiar to her. "I'll be rooting for you girls tomorrow. And make sure you tell that grand-daughter of mine to make her way over here next time or I'll kick her ass." He gave her a salute off before going back to sweeping the floors of the now empty coffee shop of his.
Clarke simply nodded and laughed. Her blue eyes landing on the Australian flag that hung behind the counter, her chest instantly filled with pride. "We won't let you down."
Her mind went back briefly to Lexa. She hoped she had made it to the hotel okay. Clarke knew it was close to where her team was staying. She had tried to make it as close as possible so as not to confuse the girl when she left.
The blonde sighed heavily running a hand through her hair. Clarke would see her tomorrow. And Lexa in turn would see her and she would know. Lexa would know. But Clarke had never lied to her. And hell Clarke hadn't even recognized her until they had gotten off the train. She could only hope the stubborn brunette would listen and give her a chance to explain herself.
Unfortunately for Lexa though Australia had no plans on leaving London without the World Cup.
A/N: Long time no see everyone. It's been a while, but I'm trying to get back in the game. I don't know how long I've actually had this chapter done before actually looking at it but here it is. So sorry for the wait and I'm actually hoping to start getting back into the swing of things again. But be awesome and leave a review I always appreciate those and hopefully I'll start updating some of my other works to. Let me know if you have any suggestions or any other works you want updated sooner. I'll try to do my best with everything.
Thanks, CF