Clexa being adorable dorks, working on their reconciliation. The calm before the storm.
It is fair to say, Clarke woke up in a better mood after the conversation with Lexa the night before. Sure, not everything was magically fixed and in all honesty she doesn't see them skipping through a field of posies any time soon, but at least there was some progress. Unfortunately though, as the day went on and her duties became overwhelming Clarke began to lose her patience.
"This is the second time I had to call you regarding this issue, and quite frankly I'm starting to question your leadership skills chief." Clarke reprimands with a scowl, holding onto the armrest of her throne.
The man in front of her visibly cowers at Clarke's authoritative tone as he attempts to give an explanation.
"My apologies commander, I'm doing my best with these people, but sometimes…"
"Enough!" Clarke smacks the hard wood under her hand. "I don't want to hear any more excuses, I want you to act and take control over the situation." She demands enraged.
Like he had been physically hit, the man flinches and looks down.
"Because if you don't," Clarke continues "I will be forced to fix it personally; and believe me, you don't want me to do that." The warning comes accompanied with a menacing glare.
"I-I; uh…" The man's lips tremble; he stands still, petrified; imagining what Clarke could do to him.
"Commander," a voice announces from the entrance, which breaks the tension in the room.
When Clarke looks up at the servant who just called her, the only thing she sees is a large colorful bouquet of flowers.
The servant bows to show his respect and he questions. "Where should I put these?"
Realizing Clarke is too stunned to respond, Indra directs. "Over there, please."
The servant carefully places the flower arrangement on the designated table.
The whole time Clarke follows his movements; never taking her eyes away from the bouquet.
With the task done, the servant bows once again and quickly retreats the throne room.
It takes a couple of seconds more for Clarke to come out of her daze and focus her attention back onto the chief. She is considerably less angry than she was before, but still resumes with resolve. "Your people elected you for a reason chief, if you fail them now they may ask me to relieve you of your duties and demand a reprimand… and I may have no other choice than to hear their voices." Saying that she makes a movement with her hand. "You're dismissed."
"Ye- yes, commander; I thank you for the opportunity; I vow to the spirits I won't disappoint you this time." The man hurriedly bows and disappears from Clarke's presence; in fear that she may change her mind.
Once the man is gone, Indra gestures for the guards to leave, which they promptly do, closing the doors behind them.
With only her and Indra in the room, Clarke relaxes, leaning against the back of her throne, releasing a long sigh of relief in its wake. Then, she slowly cranes her neck to the side, in the direction of the bouquet. She stares at it silently, knowing full well who the sender is.
"They are beautiful." Indra states the obvious, her eyes also on the flowers.
Clarke just nods deeply in thought.
At the silence she is met with, Indra informs. "If you don't want them, I'll be happy to take them off your hands."
That certainly gets a reaction from Clarke. She huffs loudly knitting her brows "they are mine" she clearly states, never taking her eyes away from the arrangement.
"As you wish," Indra complies with a smirk of satisfaction on her face.
In turn, Clarke's lips quirk to one side in a tiny smile, not fully understanding how such a simple detail could fill her heart with utmost joy.
…
It's lunch time, and instead of, well having lunch, Lexa is outside the dining hall waiting for Clarke to arrive. She is guessing if Clarke doesn't show up she could at least be aware of it since at some point one of the servants may have to take food to her or if Clarke has to go somewhere, it would be easy to see her pass by. So Lexa just patiently waits, knowing she will see her girl one way or another.
…
With the meetings done for the day, Clarke continues with her agenda which leads her away from the tower. She has barely left the elevator when she spots Lexa sitting near the entrance of the dining hall.
"Clarke hey," Lexa rises at once.
"Oh… Hi," the blonde greets genuinely surprised.
"I-I was waiting for you;" Lexa elaborates shyly. "I thought maybe we could, uh-have lunch together?"
"Lunch?" Clarke dumbly repeats nervously. "Well, right now I'm on my way to supervise the market and…" When Lexa's shoulders sink in disappointment; Clarke hurries to offer. "But you can come with me if you want; I mean we can eat something afterward."
Lexa's eyes light up at the proposal, "yeah sure sounds awesome."
"Great." Clarke nods trying not to appear like an over excited school girl with a crush and directs "shall we?" She signals with her head for them to start walking.
"Right!" Lexa instantly goes to Clarke's side.
They march together, in silence at first insecure as to what to say; but not uncomfortable; both trying to come up with something to start the conversation.
Lexa dares first. "Did you um, did you get my flowers?"
Of course that was going to come up, Clarke knew it; but no matter how much she prepared for it, she couldn't help getting all giddy. "Yes I did." She attempts to not show her flushed cheeks. "They are beautiful."
"I'm glad you liked them." Lexa flashes a megawatt smile. "I picked them up myself."
Lexa's smile is so contagious and sincere that Clarke has no other choice than to offer a smile in return. A new sense of normalcy envelops Clarke as they engage in small talk which helps make her feel contended.
That is until they reached the more crowded spots in Polis.
People take notice of their presence and begin to murmur, with their eyes glued to the couple.
Clarke obviously acts like she is not bothered at all and continues with her activities as previously planned.
On the other hand Lexa is uncomfortable, it bothers her tremendously to be gawked at; something she should be accustomed to but for some reason now that she is with Clarke it annoys her even more.
Clarke does her best to finish her duties quickly so they can go eat and avoid the prying eyes and gossip.
A while later, as the one in charge of the market explains to Clarke what needs to be done, she sees Lexa a few meters away standing at attention. Right there and then it hits her: Lexa looks more like a guard protecting her commander, not like her girlfriend.
Sure, everybody has heard the rumors, everybody speculates about their relationship, but nobody really knows with certainty what's going on between them; and how could they? Clarke and Lexa have kept-for the most part- their relationship private.
'It doesn't make sense anymore. I went to Lexa's parents for their blessing and I got it, my mom and everybody I care for knows so… what's the point?' Clarke reasons with herself. 'I have to do something about it'. That thought accompanies her until the end of her obligations for the day.
When everything had been settled, she and Lexa go to Clarke's favorite hang out to eat when she is not in the tower.
The owner wastes no time in seating Clarke and Lexa in the most private area there- the one reserved for the commander- and hurries to serve them the best they have to offer.
"Is this a sky people's restaurant?" Lexa questions as she looks around impressed.
"Not exactly." Clarke shrugs, "it lacks the atmosphere but they did their best to replicate it." When Lexa only nods Clarke asks "you've never been to one before I suppose?"
"I heard about them in class but I have never seen one until now; I mean not that there was one in the small towns I visited." She chuckles at the irony.
"Well," Clarke takes the pitcher of water already at the table and serves Lexa before complementing with a smirk. "You better get used to it."
Lexa grins and blushes, reading clearly into Clarke's insinuation, or better said invitation. But quickly something else comes into her mind. "I would love that but I'm afraid we will always have an audience stalking us," she laments with a pout.
"Oh don't worry, they won't," Clarke assures confidently. "After today, there won't be any more of that."
Clarke's assurance peaks Lexa's curiosity, but before she can ask what she was referring to, the waitress comes with the food, and all of it looks so delicious that Lexa forgets all about the topic.
The meal goes surprisingly well; both talking about their days and their plans. Clarke even felt comfortable enough to inform Lexa about the law of forbidding challenges; it was still a sore topic but Lexa did appreciate the trust and also liked the idea.
Finally the moment of leaving the restaurant came.
After thanking the owner, Clarke and Lexa head for the exit but Clarke stops abruptly when they reach the threshold.
Lexa looks at Clarke noticing she has become tense, pensive. Worried she opens her mouth to ask if something was wrong but just then, she feels a hand grabbing hers. 'Oh jok, is she…' She looks down in time to see Clarke interlacing their fingers.
"If they are gonna stare and talk; we may as well give them a reason to do it, don't you think?" Clarke remarks lifting her chin, masking her own apprehension.
Feeling Clarke's fingers on hers causes Lexa's heart to start pulsating with excitement. She has no words to say but she knows Clarke is expecting some sort of acknowledgment so she gives a slight nod of affirmation, letting Clarke know she is all in.
With that reassurance Clarke squeezes Lexa's hand encouragingly before they start walking.
And just as Clarke had anticipated the people they encountered as they passed by did stare at them with surprise, even smiling at them but then they turned around and minded their own business.
Clarke looks to the side and winks at Lexa giving a silent "I told you so" that Lexa gets immediately, which is making her feel even calmer.
They continue on their way holding hands.
…
Upon reaching the tower and not wanting to end the impromptu date just yet, Clarke makes a suggestion. "You want some tea?"
"Huh?" Lexa is taken aback by the offering.
"C'mon, follow me." Clarke pulls at Lexa's hand and guides her to the back of the tower, where a group of servants are already sitting around the bonfire.
"Commander."
"Wanheda."
They bow to Clarke respectfully.
Lexa stays put, apprehensive when all the servants become quiet and begin to stare at her.
"Hello." Clarke greets, diverting their attention. "I hope you don't mind us joining you today." Then still with Lexa's hand in hers, she voices casually "by the way this is my girlfriend Lexa."
The introduction is completely unexpected by Lexa; her jaw falls open as she looks to the side, at a very cool and collected Clarke.
"Welcome Lexa."
"Nice to meet you."
The servants greet politely.
"Oh um… Hi," Lexa waves at them timidly.
With that brief moment of silent tension and before it turns into awkwardness Clarke intervenes. "OK, what are we talking about today?" Saying that, she leads Lexa to seats that are closer to the fire and joins the conversation.
It is fascinating for Lexa to see how Clarke interacts with her servants, how she speaks to them, how she makes them feel more than just her subjects, respecting their views and listening carefully to what they have to say. It fills her with immense pride to see the kind of leader Clarke has become. 'No wonder she is the best commander we've ever had,' she thinks to herself with a smile.
About an hour into the conversation and as night falls upon them, Lexa notices Clarke shivering despite the fire. Instinctively she puts her arm around Clarke's shoulder bringing her closer to her, to keep her warm.
Now it's Clarke's turn to be taken aback by Lexa's actions. She chances a quick glance at Lexa's face, surprised, but quickly carries on chatting; trying to ignore the fact her body is so close to Lexa… and she's actually enjoying it.
Both of them feel so good inside knowing they are finally out as a couple to everyone, no need to hide anymore. The only thing left is to regain the trust between themselves which they are willing to do with patience and love.
…
To Lexa's dismay the day ended with a small goodnight kiss on the cheek from Clarke, who of course wasn't ready yet to give more than that. 'There goes the patience part,' Lexa sighs as she retreats to the dormitories, with a promise of seeing each other the next day.
Once she is inside the building she finds it oddly quiet for a week day; either way she takes the stairs that lead up to her room and just as she turns the corner the peacefulness disappears.
"There she is!"
"Lexa!"
"Finally!"
In a second, Lexa is surrounded by her peers who bombard her with frantic questions. "What the-" she croaks among the chaos, making eye contact with Esiry.
"Sorry," Esiry mutters with a grimace, right behind the other teens.
It doesn't take a genius to know the news of Clarke and Lexa's relationship has travelled throughout Polis like a chain reaction.
"When did it start?!"
"Who kissed who first?!"
"How is it… you know."
Lexa rolls her eyes and shakes her head, experiencing firsthand the inconveniences of being a teenager in times of peace.
…
A massive headache; it's the one Clarke has woken up with just as she remembered the Thirteen Clans will be coming tomorrow for the meeting. The morning is not over yet but she is already at the verge of exploding.
"Clarke, you are too tense, you need to relax. Go to your chambers, I'll send a servant to give you a massage; we can continue this after lunch" Indra advices firmly, making it clear she wouldn't take no for an answer.
"Alright," Clarke accepts with no argument. Truth be told she feels like a massage at the moment, she really needs to get rid of her tension and have a better semblance when Lexa picks her up for lunch.
…
Now, sprawled out on the massage table set up in her big bathroom, Clarke enjoys the massage the cute servant is providing. She had never been more grateful about letting her relationship be out in the open, since the girl is refraining from flirting with her –evidently already informed about Clarke's status- as she usually did.
"Is this OK commander?" The girl asks to get confirmation she is applying the exact pressure Clarke wants.
"Yes, perfect" comes Clarke's muffled voice.
And the massage is indeed so good and soothing that Clarke dozes off in a matter of minutes.
…
The next time Clarke open her eyes and regains consciousness is to a very nice sensation on her body, too nice if she's honest with herself. She can feel her skin react to the soft touches up and down her back, and she identifies that reaction with clarity: she is getting turned on. Sure she hasn't had sex in a while and she is going slowly with Lexa but this is ridiculous. Panic settles in her chest at the mere idea of letting something happen with someone else. 'This is not OK.' Clarke immediately tenses and wiggles her body to make the servant stop her movements.
"Oh I'm sorry, am I doing it wrong?" A familiar voice expresses with regret.
Clarke jerks her neck, finding no one other than Lexa by her side. "Oh for fuck sake Lexa, it's you." Clarke sighs relieved that her skin was responding to Lexa's contact and not the pretty servant's. 'Of course my body would recognize those touches' she concludes with amazement.
"Uh yeah… I told your servant she could go; I hope you don't mind." Lexa wants to make sure everything is OK since Clarke's reaction threw her off a bit.
"Yeah, yeah it's OK." Clarke dismisses "just let me…" she grabs a towel and covers her breasts before standing up.
Already feeling more at ease, Lexa chuckles at her girlfriend's antics, "um Clarke, you're aware I have seen those before, right?" She purposely ogles Clarke's covered bosom.
"I know." Clarke replies annoyed and a little embarrassed at Lexa's ironic tone. "But turns out I don't want you to see them right now." With that she reaches for her clothes on the hanger and then faces Lexa, "turn around."
"You're kidding," Lexa lets out not knowing if Clarke is joking.
"I'm not! Turn around, c'mon!" Clarke commands in all seriousness.
"Ugh!" Lexa rolls her eyes at the ridiculousness of her girl but does as she is told nonetheless. That doesn't stop her from teasing the blonde though "whatever, I have the vision of them engraved in my mind for all eternity."
Clarke has to contain her laughter at that one and counteracts, "well, hold on to your fantasies then; they may be your only companion for a while." She mocks as she passes Lexa, going in the direction of her bedroom.
Lexa can only sigh at Clarke's resistance; it is torturous but also very exciting. There's nothing she can do but play along. 'Patience' she reminds herself 'patience'.
…
Because of Clarke's last minute arrangements for the meeting their lunch had to be cut short.
Lexa understood and made her way to the training field, knowing Clarke will find her as soon as she has free time available.
…
Back in the throne room, Clarke and Indra discuss some details regarding the new law when a guard interrupts their session.
"Wanheda," the man announces, "you have a visitor from the Sky Clan."
"Sky?" Indra wonders "They are not due until tomorrow."
Clarke and Indra exchange intrigued gazes.
"Let them pass." Clarke finally orders. She waits in sober tranquility until she notices the person who is making his way inside the room.
"Bellamy!"