They sat, huddled tightly next to each other despite the warm breeze that blew across the ocean and towards them. Lexa grinned, her eyes glistening with amusement as she faced Clarke. The two women had been sitting out here for a few hours now, long enough that they had tracked the moon's position on this cloudless, clear night. Their hands were currently occupied, tied in a thrilling thumb wrestling match, the sounds of their laughter and giggles echoing across the empty beach.
"So how long were you with Finn?" Lexa asked after winning their third match, thereby claiming the right to ask any question that came to mind.
"Five months." Clarke answered easily as if that fact had been at the tip of her tongue all night, waiting to reveal itself. "But it turns out he was with another girl too." Lexa winced, and Clarke shook her head. "No don't, it turned out alright, because the other girl is a skilled engineer with Starfleet too, and we get along rather swimmingly. She's my chief officer on the Ark now."
"Whoa, way to turn that around." Lexa mused. Then her features took on a shit-eating grin. "Did you turn her around a few times too?" She waggled her eyebrows suggestively, and Clarke gave her a half-hearted glare.
"You're a jerk." Clarke commented, but after a pause, she said "A few times." Lexa chuckled heartily, her shoulders shaking.
"How about you?" Clarke asked. "Any ex's on your ship or in Starfleet?"
"Nope." Lexa smiled at Clarke. Her jaw seemed to wag at its own accord this night, spilling all of the facts of her life unabashedly to this women that she had just met. "I've always focused on my career, on the notion of going to deep space. And you obviously are interested in space too, its just a different kind."
"Really?" Clarke raised an eyebrow, and Lexa smirked.
"Yeah, the space between your thighs." Lexa quipped.
Clarke reached out and poked Lexa in the ribs with her free hand, eliciting an involuntary laugh that the brunette attempted to turn into a grunt. Lexa instantly grabbed Clarke's hand by the wrist, pulling it away from her side. The blonde gasped at both the revelation and the contact.
"You're ticklish!" She announced rather gleefully, her blue eyes alight with mischief.
"Don't even try." Lexa warned her, instantly wearing her intimidating glare. That did little to dissuade the other woman. Instead, it seemed to spur her on, as Clarke released Lexa's other hand, the thumb wrestling match suddenly abandoned.
Before she could use both hands to tickle along her sides, Lexa tackled her, pinning her down in a mad, giggling mess on the sand. Clarke put up quite the struggle, her legs flailing while an arm was thrown out to wrap around Lexa's waist, keeping the brunette close.
The warm embrace brought them within dangerously close proximity, and suddenly Lexa was aware of exactly how close they were. She could see the tiny specks of light blue within Clarke's eyes, could count each freckle on the bridge of her nose, on her cheekbones.
Clarke inhaled bodily, and Lexa felt her chest press up against her, their breasts touching. In that moment Lexa began to feel a heat flush through her body, a desire fostered by a variation of affection and fondness for this fierce and strong woman. She was an inferno, blazing glorious before mere mortals who parted and burned under her gaze. It was bearing the weight of her gaze that Lexa was thus challenged in a game of wits.
"Do you know any poetry, Captain Woods?" Clarke queried, her eyes crinkling at the sides as she squinted at the woman lying bodily on top of her.
Lexa frowned at her, and considered her options that this moment. Finally, as it seemed that the alcohol had loosened her tongue, Lexa made a decision. "What makes you think that it's the poetry you would want?"
Clarke batted her eyelashes mockingly as she met Lexa's serious stare. "People will always surprise you." Something snapped within the fiber of Lexa's being, an urgency. Before she could think, words appeared from her lips.
"I dream one night, that you and I are two plants, that grew together, roots entwined, that you would know the earth and rain like my mouth." Clarke's face lit up, a shy smile assuming her visage.
"See, surprise." She remarked, shifting closer to Lexa. Their lips were a hair's breadth apart, and Lexa could hardly breathe at the pregnant pause that materialized in the air about them. "Who is that?"
"Neruda." Lexa whispered, soft and low.
Foreheads touching, it was Clarke that took that bold step, but not in the direction Lexa expected. Before she could even react, Lexa found herself flat on her back, Clarke rolling on top of her, their positions now reversed. She felt the air around them heavy with abated breath, seconds becoming hours as they simply looked into each other's eyes.
It was gentle at first, and Lexa almost did not feel the brush of Clarke's soft lips against hers. Lexa responded with equal caution, only moving as far as Clarke was comfortable. Yet her patience was quickly rewarded when she felt Clarke's hands at her waist, squirming under the hem of her shirt, fingers eager to map the skin below.
Lexa took Clarke's bottom lip between her teeth teasingly, and as she felt the other woman's tongue requesting entry, Lexa obliged to grant it to her.
Under the glow of the pale moonlight, Lexa kissed her with the sand against her back and the stars shining over their entwined forms.
She was engulfed in flames, fire surrounding her at all sides. Her hands reached out along the ground as she tried to find a way out, desperate to get out of the heat.
"Lexa!" She turned to the source of the voice, neck craning as she searched for the owner. Then she was standing directly before her, and Lexa felt fear tingling up her spine.
Arms locked around her waist, dragging her into the fire, and she felt her skin deteriorating rapidly as the flames licked at her body.
Lexa jolted awake, her eyes wide. Then she let out a groan, covering her eyes with a forearm as sunlight bore down on her swiftly. Her head was pounding with the most painful headache that she had ever experienced in her 25 years of life. It was a jack hammer, digging its way forcefully into her temple. She closed her eyes as she slowly adjusted, and the horrors of her nightmare remained.
She felt a shift, and was suddenly unaware of where she was. She placed her palms flat on the surface she was lying on. A mattress. But not hers by the softness of it, of the silky sheets under her palms. Then she felt the mattress move again ever so slightly, and she opened her eyes.
She saw a beige ceiling directly above her, and as she turned her head to the left, there were floor-to-ceiling windows eagerly displaying a brilliant morning sun over the San Francisco skyline. So she was in someone's apartment. Slowly, Lexa turned her head to the right side of the mattress, and saw a figure slumped there. A bare shoulder peaked out from the sheets, a mop of messy blonde hair resting haphazardly on the pillow. The woman turned in her sleep, and then Lexa caught sight of her face.
Clarke
Instantly memories of last night flooded into her mind, sobering memories that brought her to full alertness. Lexa was unsure of what to do. She had not experienced the morning after situation for a long time now. Her last one night stand had been two years ago. Admittedly, a very long time ago. She was still trying to decide what to do when the bed dipped slightly, and suddenly a pale arm stretched out in her direction.
Lexa scrambled as discreetly as she could to avoid it, but then the other woman rolled over to her completely, and Lexa was met with a strong arm at her waist and a cheek pressed against her shoulder. Internally, Lexa was in a panic; she was never one to stay after casual sex. In fact, her spending the night was already very unusual to begin with. Yet now she was in her current peculiar predicament, cuddling against her will with a beautiful blonde.
Lexa was lying on her back, still trying to figure out how to disentangle herself from the blonde when she finally woke.
Clarke snuggled in to Lexa's side at first, then the brunette saw her eyes open slowly. She seemed to be just as shocked by this development as Lexa, because she jerked away to the other side of the bed, as if stung.
Even as she was glad that there was some distance between them, Lexa had to push down that twinge of disappointment at the loss of contact.
Clarke, on her side of the mattress, put a hand up to her forehead and let out a low moan. "What happened last night?" She asked as she rubbed her temple.
"Well it seems that you brought me home last night." Lexa stated rather bluntly. She deliberated, and pushed the sheets off of her chest, swinging her legs over the side of the bed.
"Oh God I never drink that much." Clarke groaned behind Lexa, who paid her no mind as she pushed onto unsteady legs.
In the morning light, Lexa searched for her clothes as efficiently as possible, and Clarke noticed.
"Are you leaving?" Lexa did not face her, choosing instead to find her other sock in her pile of clothes.
"Unfortunately" Lexa answered casually. "I probably should go visit my sister and her family. Plus I'm not good at pillow talk...or have the awkward morning conversation." She added.
The other woman was silent as Lexa's hands reached to pull her shirt from under the nightstand, and she started searching for something to keep this captivating woman just a while longer. "You're missing out. Have you never had morning sex?" Clarke asked, and Lexa finally turned to look her in the eye.
"Sadly, I've never had that privilege." As those words left her mouth, with the sunlight streaming through the window, Lexa was mesmerized by Clarke's beauty. The slope of her jaw, the curve of her waist as she pushed off of the bed, sheets revealing her in all her naked glory as she walked up to Lexa.
"Well then maybe," The blonde stepped close to her, their noses brushing. "Maybe you should stay a little while longer." Clarke's hands drifted to her waist, fingers outlining the hard muscle there, leaving a trail of desire as she made her way to Lexa's chest, palms flat above the swell of her breasts.
Lexa's mouth was dry, her body responding to those gentle touches. "I - who could refuse such an offer?" She managed to say.
Clarke smiled, and she took the shirt Lexa was holding in her own hands, abandoning it on the ground once more.
It was early afternoon when they finally stopped. They both collapsed onto the mattress, exhausted and breathing hard. Lexa's heart was pounding harder and faster than she had ever thought possible, the palpitations beating her ribcage violently. She had never been so thoroughly and vigorously satisfied before.
"Well then..." Clarke started, gasping for air as she lay on her back. "That was..."
For lack of any better word to describe it, Lexa said "Yea."
Clarke turned her head to her left to meet Lexa's eyes, and they held each other's gaze, their chests heaving from their strenuous activity. Then the corner of Lexa's mouth turned upwards, and Clarke returned the smile. Then Clarke released a soft peal of laughter. Despite her reservations, Lexa joined in her giggles, grinning widely as she chuckled.
"See what you were missing?" Clarke said between giggles. Lexa grinned at the blonde, her green eyes gleaming with amusement.
"Oohhh yes." Lexa laughed, and Clarke smirked and winked, turning on her side and throwing her hand over the brunette's waist. "God you're beautiful." Lexa said quietly as she took in the sight of Clarke's messy hair, splayed out like a mane, her bright blue eyes, the freckles on her face.
"I bet you say that to all the girls." Clarke whispered. Their voices were soft, discreet like they were sharing a secret.
Lexa did not bother answering that, electing to stay silent as Clarke rolled above her, straddling her waist. An elbow came to rest on either side of Lexa's head, and she could count each frown line on the blonde's forehead. Clarke dipped her chin, their lips meeting affectionately, softly. When Clarke pulled away slightly, she rested her forehead against Lexa's, sighing heavily.
"So much for visiting my sister." Lexa said finally, and Clarke laughed.
"When are you going back up to the Washington?" Clarke asked from her position above Lexa, her eyes searching for her answer.
"Not for three weeks." Lexa responded. She met Clarke's inquisitive blue gaze, a hand reaching up to curl a blonde lock away from her face. Clarke leaned into her touch, and Lexa craned her neck to brush her lips against Clarke's nose. Clarke's eyes fluttered closed as Lexa's lips worked their way to her cheekbones, to her eyebrows, to the corner of her mouth.
"Do you regret staying?" Clarke asked quietly as Lexa paused at her lips. She frowned in thought, but decided to answer as truthfully as possible.
"No." She responded, just as quietly. Clarke bent down to nudge her nose against Lexa's, their skin brushing lightly, and Lexa was compelled to say more. "I've always been accused of being emotionally unavailable."
"Are you?" Clarke asked, a hand coming up to stroke Lexa's cheek. Under her gentle touch, Lexa was powerless, and facts not often shared rose unbidden.
"Sometimes." Clarke kissed the tip of her nose at her response, and Lexa sighed. She was desperate to change the subject. "Are you on leave as well?" There was a flash of disappointment in Clarke's eyes that disappeared as quickly as it came, and Lexa had a feeling that her admission would be brought up, that she'd be called out on her shit, but just as Clarke had been surprising her last night, she failed to break the trend now, in broad daylight with the sheets barely covering her countenance.
"Affirmative, Woods." Clarke said in a serious voice, and Lexa cracked a grin. "I'm stuck here as long as you are." She cupped Lexa's cheek, feeling the warm skin under her fingers. "More than enough time for us to fool around."
Lexa chuckled, her eyes lighting up with mischief. "That sounds great."