a/n: i had almost forgotten the whole "aden is obsessed with big hero 6" plot point of my own fic until the s3 soundtrack came out and...one of the songs is literally called "i will always be with you" which is exactly what baymax says to hiro at the end of the movie. the 100 is a ripoff of big hero 6 confirmed.

also these are all real candle scents that actually exist

Lexa didn't see Clarke the next day, or the day after that, or even the day after that one.

"Where's the cool new friend lady?" Aden asked on the fourth Clarke-less day. It's not an irrational thing to worry about someone you've known for a few weeks, Lexa thought to herself. I'm only concerned for her well-being, that's all.

"I don't know," Lexa admitted truthfully.

"Why don't you ask that girl with the leg from your cal-coo-less class? She probably knows."

"Perhaps I will," Lexa retorted, in a tone that seemed to indicate that she would not, in fact, ask Raven.

She ended up asking Raven.

Lexa: raven

Raven Reyes (math class): what's up?

Lexa: if i ask you something, will you promise not to transform it into something bigger than it is?

Raven Reyes (math class): huh?

Lexa: i'm asking you to not tease me about something that is admittedly rather mundane

Raven Reyes (math class): as long as you don't tease me about my homestuck phase in middle school, we're even.

Lexa: what

Raven Reyes (math class): hahahahahaha homestuck phase what homestuck phase i never said anything about a homestuck phase.

Raven Reyes (math class, a homestuck): anyway

Raven Reyes (a homestuck): is it about clarke?

Lexa: yes

Lexa: before you say anything else

Lexa: i'm only concerned for her well-being

Raven Reyes (a homestuck): i'll just ignore how much of a bullcrap statement that is and tell you.

Raven Reyes (a homestuck): she's sick.

Raven Reyes (a homestuck): went home with the flu the other day.

Raven Reyes (a homestuck): honestly, i'm surprised that you weren't the one who got sick.

Raven Reyes (a homestuck): what with you showing up to calc looking like something the cat dragged in.

Lexa: i don't get sick

Raven Reyes (a homestuck): is that so?

Lexa: yes

Raven Reyes (a homestuck): okay, ignoring your supposed immunity to everything, clarke said she'd be back next week.

Raven Reyes (a homestuck): you should bring her soup or something.

Lexa: it's been approximately three weeks since school started

Raven Reyes (a homestuck): so?

Lexa: it would be somewhat strange to show up at her house with something like soup when i hardly know her

Raven Reyes (a homestuck): /or/ you're too much of an awkward dweeb to go over there and keep her company because you're super mega gay for her.

Lexa: you really like to make assumptions about other people

Raven Reyes (a homestuck): and yet i'd be willing to bet that you're thinking i'm a complete dork because i accidentally mentioned that i like homestuck.

Lexa: i wasn't

Raven Reyes: oh.

Raven Reyes: cool.

Raven Reyes: i'll let you in on a secret, lexa, because i don't know you that well but i trust you for some reason.

Lexa: ok

Raven Reyes: i'm not actually ashamed of liking homestuck.

Lexa: ok

Raven Reyes: are you going to say anything other than "ok?"

Lexa: my brother is tugging at my sleeve

Lexa: he's getting impatient

Lexa: i should go

Raven Reyes: lovely chat, lexa!

"Lexa," Aden groaned. "We've gotta go!" Lexa sighed and headed out of the gymnasium with her brother in tow, leaving behind the idle chatter of three hundred voices weaving themselves into one.

Clarke, at the moment, felt like complete and utter garbage. Her head was all too heavy and all too light at once, she could hardly leave her bed without fuzzy black blobs dotting her vision, and every time she tried to speak (or eat, or drink) her throat seemed to wail at her to stop, an incessant scratching that felt like it was never going to end. Somehow, her mother had deemed her fit for school on Monday, and she was blearily attempting to finish a worksheet while bundled in a burrito of plush blankets. All she could really focus on were the doodles she had drawn on the paper a few days earlier, of little things like Lexa's green eyes (they were nice, and Clarke admired them for artistic purposes) and a cartoonish raccoon with a red cape draped over one shoulder (the raccoon could resemble anyone, and capes weren't uncommon).

"Listen, if I liked Lexa, I would just say it," she muttered aloud, staring up at the plastic stars scattered haphazardly on her ceiling. They were beautiful at night, providing an artificial glow of blue and pink and yellow that still managed to give her a sense of childlike wonder, but at the moment they looked to be nothing more than sheets of plastic in the mid-morning light, the sun filtering through her window and making it difficult to sleep. The never-ending ding of her phone wasn't really helping, either, and she eventually gave up on the worksheet and fumbled for the phone lying on her floor.

~the dream meme team~

the literal bomb: hey

SWORD WOMAN: hi raven!

the literal bomb: so, would any of you nerds be interested in a study session at my place on sunday?

Clarke: I've been bedridden since Tuesday and Doctor Mom says that I have to go back to school once the weekend's over, so I'm just trying to sleep as much as possible while pretending to understand what's happening on this worksheet.

Clarke: so that's a no from me.

SWORD WOMAN: i'm gonna be out doing a Romantic Date Thing with lincoln, sorry!

the literal bomb: what's a Romantic Date Thing?

SWORD WOMAN: y'know

SWORD WOMAN: with the milkshakes and stuff

SWORD WOMAN: the thing people do in movies where they share a milkshake at a tiny diner and talk about their lives

SWORD WOMAN: it's for our five-month anniversary!

Clarke: God, you two are so cute, it's kinda gross.

Clarke: You wouldn't catch me doing something as disgustingly adorable as sharing milkshakes.

the literal bomb: ah, clarke, but aren't you forgetting about your lovely bride ms. woods?

SWORD WOMAN: the mystery girl?

the literal bomb: probably.

Clarke: Listen, I have a pounding headache and less than 48 hours to muster up enough energy to survive school on Monday, and I'm not entirely sure if this is an actual conversation or a weirdly realistic fever dream, so could we /please/ switch to a topic other than my love life?

SWORD WOMAN: your nonexistent love life, you mean :P

Clarke: Why don't you ever annoy Raven with this stuff?

the literal bomb: 'cause she's not worried about me.

the literal bomb: you could say that i'm married to my work.

the literal bomb: machines tend to be better than people.

the literal bomb: for example, toasters don't usually cheat on you.

SWORD WOMAN: "usually"?

the literal bomb: i still don't trust that bagel.

the literal bomb: anyway, clarke, if your mom says you're fine, then you're probably fine.

the literal bomb: i'd trust abby with my life.

Clarke: Can I go back to sleep now that I've gotten the Raven Reyes Seal of Approval for healthiness?

SWORD WOMAN: well i think lincoln's calling me on the home phone rn so i've gotta go anyway! see ya!

the literal bomb: sweet dreams, princess.

Clarke set down the phone and tried to refocus on the worksheet, but the words swam in front of her eyes, and she eventually had no choice but to give up and fall back into a dreamy haze.

"I'm going to go over to Clarke's house and deliver this soup," Lexa said, holding the bowl in her arms and standing at the doorway with a voice filled with determination. An outsider might have thought that she was heading off to fight a deadly war based on her grim expression, if not for the flowered ceramic bowl carefully held in her hands. It was difficult to look intimidating while carrying soup.

"You've been saying that for an hour," Aden whined. "The soup's probably cold now! If you're gonna waste your time doing nothing, couldn't you at least do it in the living room to watch a movie with me? It's just getting to the good part!" He had a point, Lexa had to admit - every time she mustered up enough bravery to go outside and start heading for the car, some thought clawed at the back of her mind that forced her (and the soup) back into the safety of the house. "If you watch it with me, I'll go candle-shopping with you!"

"An appealing offer," Lexa mused, bringing the soup back to the kitchen. "What part, might I ask, is playing at the moment?" If she was being honest with herself, she had resigned to spending the afternoon watching the movie with Aden as soon as she had stepped out the door an hour ago, only to spend that hour arguing with herself over the benefits and risks of bringing Clarke the soup. Aden grinned, the gap in his teeth visible to the whole world (which, at the moment, really only consisted of Lexa, in his eyes).

"Okay, so there's the car chase, and then . . ."

Clarke didn't know exactly when she had fallen asleep (did anyone really know when they fell asleep) but the sun had dipped below the clouds by the time she woke up, her arm dangling on the side of the bed as she slowly realized that the blanket burrito had been all but disassembled in her slumber, flung to the other side of the mattress. The homework lay on her pillow, crumpled, and Clarke realized with a wince that it had caused a rather large papercut on her finger. She sat up in the bed and groaned, pulling off the covers and heading for the bathroom for a band-aid.

"She wakes!" Clarke ignored the voice from downstairs, shuffling down the hallway in fuzzy socks as she rummaged through the cabinets.

"Hey, Mom?"

"Yes?"

"Did we run out of band-aids?"

"They're in the second drawer to the right."

"Mm-hmm, okay . . . found 'em." Clarke could hear her mother walk away from the foot of the stairs, her shoes clacking on the floor. The bathroom was cold, and Clarke found herself longing for the coziness of her bed as she carried the box of band-aids back to her room. She gave a groan of dissatisfaction when she realized that the bed had gone cold in her two-minute absence, and she crawled back into it with the band-aids still in her arms.

The movie ended an hour later, and Lexa wiped away the tears forming in the corners of her eyes.

"If he knew that his consciousness was still alive in that chip, why was he so concerned in the first place?" she said, breaking the silence that had formed during the movie. "Why did he say 'I will always be with you' when he was actually perfectly capable of returning?" Aden shrugged.

"I guess he didn't have time or something."

"Or the movie intended to give the viewers some combination of a tearjerker and a happy ending." Lexa stood up from the couch. "Regardless, you must now uphold your side of the bargain. If I remember correctly, the mall is having a rather nice sale on candles at the moment, so we'll head there." Aden dutifully nodded and scurried outside, hardly giving Lexa time to follow.

"I still don't trust your driving skills," Aden muttered as he slipped into the backseat of the car.

"I promise that both of us will survive a twenty-minute drive to the mall, Aden," Lexa sighed, adjusting the seat. She could see Aden grab onto the cup holders for dear life as the car rolled out of the driveway.

The drive lasted longer than Lexa expected, and she could hardly feel her legs when she finally got out of the car in the parking lot with an extremely disgruntled Aden.

"'A twenty-minute drive to the mall, Aden,'" the boy mimicked. "That was at least seven hours!"

"It's been forty minutes."

"I should be asleep right now! C'mon, let's get the candles and go."

"It's not that simple, Aden." Lexa headed for the mall's entrance, shoving the car keys in her pocket.

"What's not simple about it?"

"I have to consider which one smells the best, which lasts the longest, and several other factors as well." Aden groaned and grabbed Lexa's hand, practically dragging her to the store nestled in the middle of the mall. Most of the people were leaving at the point, shuffling away back to the parking lot, and several of the stores had already closed. The only one that mattered to Lexa, however, still had its lights on, brightly displaying its wide assortment of candles and other decorations. The girl at the counter flashed Lexa a sly grin as she entered the store.

"Lexa!" the girl yelled, waving enthusiastically. "I wasn't expecting to see you again after school started! Candles, they burn the brightest in the summer, y'know?" Aden tilted his head in confusion.

"What's she saying?" he whispered. Lexa shrugged.

"It's a pleasure to see you again as well, Niylah," she said, turning her attention back to the girl. "I would assume that the candle-selling life is treating you rather well?" Niylah nodded eagerly.

"Lex, you wouldn't believe all the cute girls who stop by here. Not to mention all the reasons people have for buying these. 'Oh, I wanna get a candle for my mom.' 'Oh, I wanted to surprise my wide with a candlelit dinner.' 'Oh, my boyfriend broke up with me and I want a fire to keep my company as I cry alone in the dark.' Weird, huh?" Niylah arched an eyebrow, as if she was daring Lexa to disagree with her. Lexa didn't comment.

"Could we please stop all this talking and just get the stupid candle?" Aden sighed.

"It's nice to see you too, Aden," Niylah muttered dryly. Lexa mumbled a quick apology before going to the aisles of candles, occasionally plucking one off the shelf to sniff it.

"Which one smells better to you, Aden?"

"'Elton John's Garden' and 'Old Books.' Uh, I don't really know." Lexa was just about to pick a different candle - Whiskers on Kittens seemed appealing - when another voice called from the other end of the store.

"Hey!" Lexa turned away from the candles for a moment to see who it was. Octavia Blake, as it turned out, was pushing a red shopping cart filled with a rather large collection of soaps. "You're Lexa Woods, right?"

"Yes."

"I've seen you around school. Clarke's mentioned you once or twice." Lexa tried to ignore the blush creeping up in her cheeks. Octavia raised her eyebrows in response. "Oh, and who's this?" The other girl looked at Aden, who was busy putting most of the candles back on the shelf.

"This is my younger brother, Aden."

"Oh, he's your brother?" Octavia bent down to reach Aden's level. "Older siblings are the worst," she whispered. Aden solemnly nodded in agreement. Lexa would have been insulted if she had been paying attention - as it was, she was preoccupied with paying Niylah for the candle. "That's why I'm here - good ole' Bellamy's coming back from college next weekend, and I figured I'd get him some gifts." Octavia gestured to the pile of soaps, slipping several into her pocket before getting in line. Aden blinked.

"Teenagers are weird," he remarked once Lexa had paid for the candles and the two were leaving the mall.

"I can't argue with that."

Clarke awoke (again) to the sound of her phone blasting airhorn noises in the middle of the night, and she silently decided to change the ringtone back to something slightly less jarring as soon as she was awake enough to function. Blinking against the bright light, she could just barely make out the text.

SWORD WOMAN: heyyyyyyyyy

Clarke: It's eleven.

SWORD WOMAN: no rest for the wicked

Clarke: I'm too tired for this.

SWORD WOMAN: anyway

SWORD WOMAN: guess i ran into today?

Clarke: The ghost of Xena, Warrior Princess.

SWORD WOMAN: so you're awake enough to make outdated references to stuff but not to listen to me

SWORD WOMAN: huh

SWORD WOMAN: :P

SWORD WOMAN: i'll just tell you

SWORD WOMAN: lexa woods!

Clarke: You've jumped onto Raven's real-life shipping train, then?

SWORD WOMAN: i guess you could say that!

SWORD WOMAN: lincoln agrees with us about it

Clarke: Lincoln?

Clarke: Why is he even involved in this?

Clarke: Why are any of you involved in this?

Clarke: I've talked to her like three times, we're not exactly getting married.

SWORD WOMAN: anyway she was buying candles with her little bro

SWORD WOMAN: he's a cute kid

SWORD WOMAN: didn't question me when i stole multiple bars of soap, either

Clarke: I'm just . . . not going to comment on that.

Clarke: I'll talk to you tomorrow, Octavia.

SWORD WOMAN: 'night, clarke

Clarke nestled back down in the covers, resolving to shut her phone off the next day.

"Clarke's mentioned you once or twice."

Lexa had made a silent vow not to overthink things regarding Clarke - regarding anyone at school, really - but it was no use. Octavia knew something, that conversation had to have meant something, and yet Lexa was still hopelessly lost. Sleep refused to come, and so she did the only thing she could think to do in the middle of the night - call her friend from across the country.

beep-beep-beep

Lexa waited, pressing the phone to her ear in the dark as Aden snored across the hall.

beep-beep-beep

She was just about to hang up when a familiar gravelly voice spoke up from the other end, struggling to be heard over the sound of what might have been a party.

"Hrm . . . Lexa?"

"Yes, it's me."

"I thought you'd be busy living it up in . . . where'd your family move to, again?"

"Virginia."

"Yeah, there. Isn't it the middle of the night on the east coast, though?"

"Yes."

"Why're you calling me, then? Did something happen? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Anya. It's just some girl trouble. I suppose I needed someone to vent to."

"So, your only logical course of action was to call your friend in college when good kids like you should really be asleep?"

"If now is a bad time-"

"Nah, you actually just sorta saved my ass. The dude next door was going to throw some huge party, but he must've gotten the invitations wrong or something and now half the campus is crammed in my dorm room." Lexa could hear something being thrown on the floor from the phone and winced. "So, anyway, who's the girl? Tell me everything. Please. I need the distraction or I might punch one of the frat boys."

"Her name is Clarke, she likes to draw, and she has at least two friends."

"Anything else?"

"One of the friends might be a shoplifter, and the other one tends to make things explode."

"You hardly know anything about her, and yet you've deemed her important enough for a midnight heart-to-heart? Oh, to be young. What a precious time."

"You're nineteen, Anya."

"Yes, but-" Someone on the line let out a rather loud cheer. "Sorry, I need to take care of this." Lexa could hear Anya getting up from her seat, shoes dully thumping on the carpet. "If I have to come back here and reprimand you imbeciles again, I will go to the store, buy a flamethrower, and then I will personally set every single one of you on fire. Have I made myself clear?" There was a shuffling of feet and mumbling of agreement before Anya returned to the phone. "Anyway, about this Clarke girl. What's so appealing about her?"

"If you're asking for an entirely honest answer, I'm not sure. All I know is that she's like a magnet, some kind of beautiful magnet, or a planet that makes you feel like you're tetherless and spinning in its orbit. She's special, in some way, like a rare flower or majestic deer in the midst of a lost forest."

"Lexa, that is the gayest thing you have ever said out of all the years I've known you, and I've heard you say 'I would pay Kristen Stewart to step on my face and then I would thank her afterwards.'"

"It's late, Anya. I don't think it wise to consider whatever I say after ten to be credible in the slightest. I don't even know how well I'll remember this conversation in the morning."

"Is that a goodbye, then?"

"I suppose it is."

"And yet, somehow I doubt that this'll be the last I hear of Clarke."

"You know me too well for your own good." The phone hung up with a click, and Lexa bundled back down under the covers and tried to fall asleep.

Needless to say, Clarke continued to remain a common thread in her thoughts as she tossed and turned under the blankets.