#also the cry for a part 2 from my last clexa one shot got me writing something

[owl127]

You don’t have enough prompt already ? I sent like 3 😭😭😭

Oh love, not all prompts hit right away. Others get my brain going... Like these games in city fairs/festivals that you need to throw balls to get a prize. You need to try it multiple times to get it going, sometimes?

Think of my brain like a cat: it won't always let you pet it, but when it does, you'll feel like the most special person in the universe. (Or not, my analogies are pretty off this morning)

#ask the owl #i hope i amswered at least one of your prompts already ':) #im currently thinking about this duo project i somehow convinced lexa griffins to work with ne #and one sulemio one shot #and I might publish some other stuff thats in my drive #also the cry for a part 2 from my last clexa one shot got me writing something

[alrightsnaps]

I don’t know like listen I’ll admit I like Clarke overall and that could be clouding my judgement but honestly I think a big part of ravens character arc/ greiving process is going to be this feeling of moral superiority and then kind of coming to a middle ground. Even if the relationships aren’t repaired I think it’d be good for her character to acknowledge they’ve all got blood on their hands including her and they all need work to do better

I mean I really don’t think people are angry cause raven not liking Clarke right now and that being out of character, I think people are just frustrated with Raven. I’m just speaking for me I guess but my thing is that all of this makes perfect sense for her character, but she was also taking a level of high ground she doesn’t have, kind of making it seem like she’s done nothing wrong when Raven is very much involved in a lot of the things that have happened, whether encouraging or enabling... (2/2)

[I accidentally answered the second ask so they're in reverse]

Indeed Raven's reaction this season is very much in character. There are some Clarke stans that acknowledge this too, but for what I see the overwhelming amount is constantly whining about how much “they used to love Raven!” and “season 6 is ruining her character!” and they “miss the old Raven!”.

Which leads me to the conclusion that they neither understood Raven's character at any point nor ever gave a fuck about her, other than her serving as Clarke's sassy best friend cheerleader in their Bellarke/Clexa fanfiction.

Raven absolutely has the high ground to behave the way she does towards Clarke. As a matter of fact this has been a looong way coming.

I don't agree with the “everyone has blood on their hands” bit at all. It's laughable to even compare Raven and Clarke on that font. Raven has never harmed an innocent; she can stand behind each and every one of her actions throughout the show. She isn't crying about how “she did what she had to do”. She has been consistently acting based on the same moral compass and has the ovaries to own her actions.

She tortured Lincoln after he stabbed Finn with a poisonous knife and was willing to let him torturously die, in order to get him to reveal the antidote and save her family's life. She blew up a bridge, with no intention or plan of harming anyone in the process, to prevent skilled killers from attacking a camp of defenceless teenagers. She made the ring of fire to prevent yet another massacre attempt at a bunch of refugees. She encouraged Clarke, that had yet again assumed the position of the leader, to find a solution for Praimfaya, while insisting she should tell their people the truth instead of lying to them. She persuaded Luna to cooperate with them, instead of strapping her down like an animal and stealing her bone marrow.

But having blood on her hands isn't even the main reason Raven's attitude towards Clarke resonates with me. Bellamy has almost as much blood on his hands as Clarke and he's one of the most important people in Raven's life.

It's the hypocrisy and shifting loyalties of Clarke's, as well as her insistence in assuming positions of power on her own volition, without even asking the people she's supposed to be leading, when it has been proved time and time again she is not competent when it comes to the job in hand.

First she had Finn sacrificed (yes, sacrificed, because if this was really about justice the grounders should also hand over their war criminals to get executed. A capable leader would've at the very least negotiated for that), after promising Raven he wouldn't die, for an alliance that unsurprisingly left them about to get butchered in Mount Weather. Then, she abandoned her people but didn't hesitate to declare herself their leader when she decided to stop playing the girl scout and re-emerge months later. Then, she jumped into bed with the woman that brutally tortured Raven and was responsible for Finn's murder while still playing the leader, letting her personal soap opera influence Skykru’s safety (which was very much in imminent danger for the millionth time). Then, she handed Raven and Shaw to get dehumanisingly tortured and Bellamy to die in a fighting pit because for once she wasn't calling the shots (and no, she wasn't ‘protecting her daughter’. Physically torturing a kid isn't protecting them, even less when you do it to prevent them from participating in a plan that would save hundreds of lives from a bloodbath).

That off the top of my head.

Not to mention that Raven has been busting her ass throughout the show saving the day time after time only for Clarke to jump in at the last minute, pull a lever and fancy herself the leader that gets to order people (like Raven) around like they're her inferiors and even lash out on/criticise them, even though they're doing much more than she’s ever done.

Raven has every right to not to want Clarke anywhere near her ever again. If it were for me she would have spat on her face and never interacted with her again the minute she learnt about her playing the-little-house-on-the-prairie with the leader of the people that persecuted, tortured and tried to massacre them numerous times since they stepped foot on Earth, and was responsible for her only family's killing and her own vicious torture.

#the 100 #anon #raven reyes #anti clarke griffin

[karanna1]

          two weeks camping, two weeks to get to know each other, two weeks to fall in love

                                        || a clexa camping AU ||

                 part 1 - part 2 - part 3 - part 4 - part 5 - part 6 - part 7 - part 8 - part 9  - part 10

                   - part 11 - part 12 - part 13 - part 14 - part 15 - part 16 - part 17 - part 18

                                 - part 19 - part 20 - part 21 - part 22 - part 23 - epilogue

“I think Lexa’s going to break up with me.”

Raven snorted, rolling her eyes as she walked away towards the kitchen.

“I’m serious.”

They were in Clarke’s apartment, waiting for Wells to bring dinner by. Octavia was on the couch, disinterestedly scrolling through her phone. Clarke turned from the window to face her friend, arms across her stomach as she hugged herself.

“Come on…” Raven glanced up at her as she poured herself a glass of water. “You’ve been saying that for weeks now. How many times do I have to tell you? It’s all in your head.”

“It’s been 6 months of long distance,” she reasoned stubbornly. “I’ve been busier with rotations at the hospital and she’s…she’s obviously busy with work and whatever else…”

“Whatever else?” Raven echoed, raising her eyebrow skeptically.

Clarke shrugged. “She’s barely had any time to talk in the past couple months. I can feel it. Something’s off.”

“Well,” Octavia broke in with a long suffering sigh, still not looking up from her phone, “in any case, you two had a good run. 30 years is way too long to be stuck up your ass. Lexa deserves to breathe again after all that time.”

Clarke glared at her murderously while Raven just snickered.

“Have I mentioned how much I hate Lincoln for telling you about that?”

It’d been private - their ongoing inside joke that one day in Clarke and Lexa’s relationship was the equivalent of two months - but Clarke inevitably let it slip to Raven, and then Lexa let it slip to Lincoln, so naturally both circle of friends were all fully aware of their little secret and made no bones about tormenting them for being Lextra.

“We’re a couple,” Octavia deadpanned, eyes ever glued to her phone. “Couples share.”

That sobered Clarke quickly and she looked away with a sigh.

“Right…” she said quietly. “Couples share.”

Except that’s not what she and Lexa have been doing lately.

Well, it’s not what Lexa was doing lately anyway.

Octavia caught Clarke’s sigh and at least had the decency to feel a little guilty about it. She looked up at her from the couch, but Clarke didn’t notice. She was now back in her own swirling world of worry. Out of the corner of her eye, Octavia caught Raven emphatically gesturing with her hands while and mouthing ‘fix it!’.

“Clarke…hey, Clarke…come on.”

The second time got her attention and Octavia continued.

“I didn’t–you guys are fine,” she said with a little too much enthusiasm for it to be natural (especially from Octavia). “Lincoln would tell me if there was anything going on. He and Lexa are freakishly in sync with each other. You’re just overreacting. Chill out.”

Clarke’s gaze grew cloudier and she barely nodded in acknowledgment before she moved away from the living room - putting space between her and her friends.

The loud slap of Raven’s palms on the counter top did not go unnoticed. Octavia looked back with wide eyes and a useless shrug, mouthing ‘what?’.

Daggers were her reply.

Clarke was oblivious to the exchange.

They were happy. They really were! Or, at least, Clarke had been. The last few weeks though…the last two months really…there’d been a shift. Lexa had always been busy with work, but never too busy that she couldn’t carve out some time in her day for Clarke. They traveled to see each other every other weekend, taking turns on who visited who. Lexa never bailed on a single visit until suddenly two months ago “something came up at work”. And then it happened thrice more since… Clarke tried asking her if there was anything wrong, but all she got was the brush off.

Work was more demanding than usual.

Everything was fine.

Lexa was sorry for not being more available.

But she didn’t really seem sorry… It was all sort of an afterthought. Clarke had gone from feeling like she was at least number 1 or 2 on Lexa’s list of priorities, to…an afterthought.

It hurt.

It hurt too much to think about. So she tried not to. Tried to follow Lexa’s lead and pretend that everything was absolutely fine.

But it wasn’t.

Lexa was drifting away and Clarke didn’t know how to stop it. How do you keep a force of nature such as Lexa Woods tethered down? It wasn’t all her fault. Clarke didn’t have as much time for her as she did in the beginning either. With Lexa’s encouragement she’d enrolled in med school again and began her 3rd year of training in rotations. Her mother was ecstatic. And for balance in her life, she was also taking an art class twice a week with Lincoln.

Yes, Lincoln had moved to the city that very fall after their camping adventures. Octavia said that if he hadn’t come here, she would have been off to D.C. in a shot. Lincoln said he always wondered what it would be like to live in New York City and Octavia was the best kind of excuse he could ask for. He ended up taking a staff position in the rehab department of NY Presbyterian where Abby Griffin was Chief of Staff (only one or two strings pulled). He packed up his life in D.C. and then he was in the city and part of their circle as if he’d always been there. Clarke once asked him how he felt about up and leaving Anya and Lexa like that, but he just shook his head with a smile. He could never leave them even if he tried. Didn’t matter where they were.

And that was that.

Unfortunately, things were not quite so easy for Clarke and Lexa.

Lexa had responsibilities and strong ties to D.C. Her brother was going to high school. That’s where her business was located. She didn’t have the same freedoms that Lincoln did. Clarke tried to bring up the possibility of her going to Georgetown Med, but Lexa wouldn’t hear of it. Clarke would have an easier time picking up where she left off in New York with the same program. With her mother’s connections and how well she was known in the medical circles there…her career would move much faster.

Lately, there wasn’t a day that went by where Clarke didn’t second guess that decision. With Lexa growing more distant, Clarke was kicking herself for not insisting that she go to D.C. for school. It wouldn’t have been that big of a difference. A few setbacks, sure, but it would have been worth it.

Because she would have been able to save her relationship…with the woman she loved more than anything and anyone…

Now she was faced with the prospect of losing that and it was unbearable.

“Jesus, Clarke!” Raven bumped her shoulder, knocking her from her thoughts, and pulled her back into the room where a chastised looking Octavia was slouching. “You can’t honestly believe this crap. The woman worships you.”

Raven plopped into the armchair while Clarke remained standing, but at least she didn’t try to move away again.

“She’s hiding something from me,” Clarke insisted. “I know it. Something’s changed.”

“You know, she’s not the only one who’s changed.”

Clarke narrowed her eyes at Octavia. “What is that supposed to mean?”

Her phone was no longer the sole focus of her attention as Octavia set it aside. Raven groaned, sinking further into the chair as she braced herself for what was coming.

“You’ve done a total 180. Back in med school, in an actual relationship with someone who isn’t a convenient pit stop, taking art classes with my boyfriend, and now whining and moping about the supposed love of your life being too busy running her own business to tuck you into bed every night. Get over yourself. When did the Great Clarke Griffin become a whiny, clingy–”

“Okay!” Raven clapped, chuckling nervously, as she held her hands up between them to stave off the argument that was likely about to explode. “Clarke, what O is doing an unbelievably shitty job of saying here is that there have been a lot of changes in your life lately, a lot of really good ones, and you’ve never been in a relationship before - you don’t know what to expect. So maybe you’re getting a little nervous about the half year mark? Waiting for the other shoe to drop…and it’s making you paranoid?”

Octavia scoffed. “That’s not what I was–”

“Ladies!” Wells’ voice boomed through the apartment, effectively cutting her off, and a door slam followed. “Some help please…”

He appeared in the hallway with a toppling armful of take-out which Octavia made a mad dash for, tossing her phone aside. She seemed to forget that they’d even been talking at all. Raven looked back at the still gloomy Clarke, pursing her lips sympathetically, and kissed her on the forehead before pulling her along to eat with them. They didn’t bring it up again.

But it was never far from Clarke’s thoughts.

Lexa hurried up the steps to Clarke’s apartment building, cradling a large paper bag in one arm, while tugging off her leather glove with her teeth and fishing out her keys from her messenger bag with the other. It was a frigid New York night with a threatening Nor’easter hurtling their way. The snow had already begun, sticking to her long, wavy dark hair. She opened the door with surprising ease and shook out her hair and jacket as she made her way up the stairwell, getting warmer already.

Clarke was at the hospital working a late shift, but Lexa’s meeting ran behind and now she was short on time, but she knew if she moved quickly she could still get everything set up before Clarke got home. She wanted it to be perfect. Clarke deserved perfect.

Using the keys Clarke gave her, she opened the door to Clarke’s apartment and it was dark inside. She decided to find a place to set down her bags before bothering with the light switch.

There was a cry and a shadow lunged out of the dark at her. Lightning quick reflexes was the only thing that saved her. Glass shattered, shared screams, and Lexa dove for the light switch.

Clarke was standing there in her pajamas wielding a baseball bat, looking frantic and alarmed. There was a bowl in pieces on the floor. Clarke had managed to whack that instead of Lexa’s head…thankfully.

“Lexa?” she cried breathlessly, lowering the bat, but still gripping it tightly as the adrenaline started to wear off.

 Lexa sagged against the wall in relief. “Oh, I thought you were working tonight,” she said much more calmly than the situation felt like at the moment.

“That’s what you’re going to say to me right now?!” Clarke’s voice went up an octave. “I thought I was about to be murdered!”

Lexa chuckled and pushed off the wall, embracing a still slightly wary Clarke with a deep kiss that soon had them melting into each other. The bat dropped onto the hardwood floor with a clatter, but Clarke just wrapped her arms around Lexa, deepening the kiss.

They agreed in the beginning not to use the phrase “I miss you” too much. Only reserve it for the most needed times. Sometimes in a long distance relationship, “I miss you” happens so often, it becomes the only thing you say.

But….God….

As Lexa’s hands slid up Clarke’s shoulders to cup her neck and Clarke threaded her fingers in Lexa’s ever thick and wavy curls…no braids. It was a summer time only thing apparently.

They weren’t voicing the words, but ‘I missed you’ echoed between them over and over a thousand times and again.

Eventually they parted, hearts racing, foreheads pressed together, breathless for an entirely different reason now…. A much better one.

“What are you doing here?” Clarke murmured, soft, wondering smile on her kiss swollen lips as the pads of her thumbs brushed over Lexa’s cheeks. “According to your text this afternoon you were going to be in back to back meetings and then straight to bed. In Washington, D.C.”

“I changed my mind,” she replied easily.

Clarke’s smile grew wider, gaze flickering from Lexa’s eyes to her lips. “Did you now?”

“I wanted to surprise you.”

“You definitely…definitely succeeded.”

She leaned back in to capture her lips once more, deep and languid. They broke for a gasp air and chuckled, still wrapped up in each other.

“What are you doing home?” Lexa asked, almost in a whisper, running her fingers through Clarke’s hair.

They just couldn’t stop touching each other. As if they couldn’t believe this wasn’t another dream they’d wake up from and they’d still be too many miles apart. As they explored each other’s bodies in the simplest of ways, no damage, same as they remembered - it was affirming that it was real. They were together again.

Solid. Warm. Soft. Real.

“According to your text, you were pulling a double.”

“Harper asked for some extra hours.” Clarke shrugged nonchalantly.

Truth be told, she’d actually been right on the line of her 80 hour limit for the week and she really needed the rest. Harper threatened to go to their attending and report her if Clarke didn’t go home. When Lexa started be less available, Clarke threw herself into school and the hospital as a distraction, taking every shift available when she wasn’t studying. She didn’t say that though. She didn’t want to worry her and worry is exactly what Lexa would do.

The answer, predictably, didn’t quite satisfy Lexa who was eyeing her with that knowing gaze that always made her shiver. But before she could question her further, Clarke pulled away, dropping her arms.

“So what’d you get me?”

Lexa sighed, barely audible, but she allowed the change of topic and watched silently as Clarke peered into the paper bag.

“Candles…candles…more candles…” She mused aloud, rummaging through it a bit. “Oh! Fairy lights…with even more candles.” Clarke looked up at her with a an amused tick of her eyebrow. “Did my friends finally get you that gift basket?”

“Gift basket?” Lexa repeated with a confused frown.

“Oh, yeah, they wanted to thank you for fucking me so thoroughly our first night together at the lake. Coffee?”

Lexa stared at her in bewilderment as Clarke walked off into the kitchen as breezily as she had let that bomb drop.

“No…no, thank you.” Lexa shook her head, trying to erase the image of the delinquents lining up to offer her presents for sex with Clarke. As if it were some sacred ritual…which she really couldn’t deny...but--

Then it finally clicked for her that Clarke just said she was going to make coffee at this hour.

“No coffee for you either,” she called out reproachfully. “You need sleep, Clarke. Not more caffeine.”

“But you’re here and I wan…”

Lexa was already in the kitchen with her, gently, but firmly, leading her away from the coffeemaker.

“Fine, fine,” Clarke acceded. “May I have some wine instead, ma’am?”

Lexa gave her a look, oh the look she’d gotten to know so well, the look she absolutely loved getting more than anything.

Okay, not more than anything.

Cause there was a lot of other stuff she really loved with Lexa and about Lexa.

Like sex.

Sex was high up on that list.

So very, very high…

Anyway! The point is, she liked the look. Very much.

Smirking, tongue between her teeth, Clarke pulled an already opened bottle from the fridge and set two glasses out to pour for them both as Lexa kissed her cheek and went back into the living room.

While Clarke was busying herself for the moment, Lexa wistfully glanced at the bag of supplies she brought, knowing her plan was shot to hell, and sat down on the couch as she wracked her brain, trying to pivot and see if this night was still salvageable.

Salvaging what she had planned anyway.

It was still a night with Clarke and there was nothing better she could ask for than that.

Clarke came back in and handed her a glass half full before settling down on the couch, snuggling into her side.

“I’m so glad you’re here.”

“Even if it means you smashed your bowl?” Lexa glanced over at the still shattered mess on the floor. They really needed to clean that up soon.

“I’ll smash them all if that’s what it takes to have you here.”

Lexa smiled. She knew a sleep deprived Clarke when she saw one. Sleep deprived Clarke was always more loose lipped with glassy eyes and just an tiny bit of exaggeration to her usual animation.

She sipped at her wine and put it down before she turned her body towards Clarke, curling into her. She couldn’t help but be entranced by the sight of her beautiful girlfriend.

The sloppy bun on top of her head, hair half fallen out in disarray. The way her t-shirt fell over her shoulder, exposing smooth skin and the angle of her collar bone. The way her eyes, still such a bright, sharp blue even when she was as exhausted as Lexa knew she was. The dark circles blatantly gave her away, but it still didn’t dim the ever vibrant, strong waves of energy Clarke’s presence always seemed to bring. Her scent surrounded her and Lexa breathed it all in deeply.

That was one of the things she missed most…ached the most for after Clarke’s touch. They way she smelled.

They always made sure to leave some clothing item of each other’s behind after a visit. A sleep shirt, a sweatshirt…something. But it still wasn’t a substitute for the real thing.

Utterly mesmerized, Lexa was leaning in before she knew it, but Clarke turned away at the last second - leaving her more confused than ever.

“So…when are you going to tell me the real reason you showed up at my apartment in the middle of the night - in a snowstorm - when you live in another state?”

She took a another gulp of her wine immediately. As if that would hide her nerves somehow.

Lexa was a little alarmed at the question. It wasn’t like she’d never surprised Clarke with a visit before. And Clarke seemed nervous.

Why would she be nervous? If anyone had something to be nervous about here, it was Lexa.

And another thing - Clarke was never nervous with her. Not since they met last summer.

Was it just the vibes Lexa was giving off? Her own nervous energy being reflected?

As she watched her closely, Clarke was in another world of her own.

Usually, Clarke wouldn’t be anything but overjoyed to have Lexa physically with her again. To be pressed up against her, feeling her warmth, breathing her scent… God, how did Lexa always smell so good? But there was still that feeling between them. The secret. The chasm inching wider and wider the longer they let it go unsaid.

“Well…it’s not a storm yet,” Lexa pointed out, choosing the most obviously innocuous response.

Clarke had to use considerable strength to resist an eye-roll.

“Okay, fine, you caught me,” Lexa sighed, sliding down next to her and took a sip of her wine. She looked at Clarke with the most level, serious expression. “This is a booty call.”

Clarke snorted ungraciously before letting out a barking laugh. She set down her (now empty) glass, and curled back up with Lexa on the couch, closer than before and feeling more at ease. If Lexa wasn’t concerned, then Clarke shouldn’t be concerned.

Maybe Raven and Octavia were right…maybe it was all in her head. (Octavia still sucked for being so harsh though.)

“A three hour drive ride for a booty call,” she smirked. “I’m flattered. But poor Flint…having to drive you up to the city at this time of night.”

Lexa shrugged. “I took the chopper. 90 minutes. Flint gets the week off.”

This time Clarke had to roll her eyes. “My ridiculously loaded girlfriend… Who knew you had all that money while you were riding around a lake on a glorified piece of tinfoil?”

Lexa smirked. “Had to make sure you weren’t blinded by dollar signs of course.”

“Of course.” Then a thought occurred to her. “A week? Does that mean…you’re going to be here for…a whole week?”

“Something like that,” Lexa replied carefully.

That was her opening, her chance to start, but Clarke was staring at her lips now, eyes darkening. Lexa felt her heartbeat quicken automatically in response.

If she wanted her plan to have any semblance of a chance tonight, she’d have to come up with something fast because Clarke’s plans were about ready to carry them both into the bedroom for the rest of the night.

Not that she would complain.

And…and…

Fuck it.

Lexa couldn’t remember what she was going to say anyway.

Clarke’s gasp when Lexa met her lips was enough to make her throb wildly between her thighs. She was wholly unprepared for Clarke ripping off both of their shirts and shoving her down on the couch as she attacked every inch of bare skin available.

Fast and furious, the flurry of hands, lips, teeth, and tongues - they needed this. They needed to meet each other again. It’d been too long. Time for leisure and exploring and drawn out pleasure was for later. Right now, they just needed each other.

And that’s what they took.

Eventually they’d ended up in Clarke’s bed, though how or when, Clarke really couldn’t say. She knew she’d passed out almost as soon as her head hit the pillow.

She didn’t know if Lexa had ever gone to sleep though because when she opened her eyes again, it was still dark out, and the space beside her was cold and empty. A lonely bed in a lonely room.

Clarke wondered if she’d dreamed it all up. Lexa surprising her. The shattered bowl. Just another dream she could hardly tell the difference from reality except for the part where she’d have to call Lexa and have only her voice and pixelated face through a camera for comfort.

There was a gentle thump outside her door and Clarke exhaled quickly. Not a dream. Lexa’s scent was still on her. The sting of light scratches and a pleasant ache between her legs were evidence enough. Lexa was here. This was not a lonely bed in a lonely room. It was just waiting…biding it’s time until the two of them filled it again.

There was another thump and Clarke forced herself to lift her head off the pillow, wrapping the blanket around her shoulders to stave off the winter chill.

“Lexa?” she called out groggily. “What are you doing? Come back to bed.”

No answer.

With a frustrated groan, Clarke wrapped the blanket around her nude self tightly and flung herself out of bed. The floor was freezing beneath her sleep warmed feet and she grumbled to herself about her impossible girlfriend as she padded towards the door, still half asleep.

The glow of lights didn’t really strike her until she was back in the living room and then her eyes widened.

Lexa had outdone herself. The entire room was adorned with fairy lights elegantly draped over the walls and ceiling. It seemed like there must have been a hundred candles lit and flickering, bringing a nearly magical, hallucinatory glow around them.

“Lexa…” Clarke gasped, looking around in wonder.

She turned around after lighting the last candle with a smile. Her hair was a mess of curls over her shoulders, the ringlets appearing like mini-halos in the firelight. She was wearing Clarke’s sweats and a t-shirt, but barefoot as usual.

Lexa was so beautiful, so striking, her features standing out even more in the soft, muted light. She was perhaps even more beautiful then the day Clarke really saw her for the first time. The second day of their camping trip as Lexa expertly tiptoed her way out of her boat and leapt onto Clarke’s beach. The afternoon sun pouring down on them to shine on Lexa in all her glory. She had felt and heard her the most when Lexa picked her up off the rock. That alone had been enough to make her feel something… But seeing her the next day…with no head injury to impede it… Maybe she’d fallen in love at that very moment.

“Hi,” Lexa smiled gently.

Clarke’s mind was a blur. Too tired, too overwhelmed, too relieved to form words.

Lexa came towards her and slid her hands up Clarke’s arms to cup her cheeks lovingly.

She brushed their lips together briefly before pulling back. “Just so we’re clear...this was not a booty call,” she murmured, the corners of her mouth curled up. “I have news I wanted to surprise you with. I was hoping to set this up for when you got home from work.”

“Oh?” Clarke murmured, still feeling dazed. Maybe the candles were giving off some kind of fume that was drugging her into this languid, delirious, perfectly happy state of being…

“Yes, but then you swung a bat at my head.”

“Not sorry.”

Lexa smirked. “I had a...pretty important meeting earlier tonight. It was to finalize the plans, sign the contracts, officially start the process.”

Okay, she didn’t expect that.

Clarke blinked a few times, struggling to wake herself up more, and tightened the blanket around her naked body. Lexa wrapped her arms around her, molding their bodies together to help her stay warm. Well…it was one reason anyway.

“Contracts?” Clarke repeated in confusion.

Lexa nodded. “I know I’ve been busy and not around as much, but I had to make sure it could work - that I could follow through with the plan without getting your hopes up.” She sighed. “And without getting my hopes up either…”

“Lexa, what are y–?”

“I finally convinced Uncle Gustus to expand.” Lexa couldn’t keep the excitement out of her voice. “I flew in tonight to sign the papers with Kane. We break ground on the second store in two days. A third one is soon to follow when I get this up and running.”

Clarke was very confused. Still happy, but quite befuddled about what to make of all this.

Clearly, it showed because Lexa laughed softly, hugging the sleepy Clarke tighter.

“The second location is just outside of the city. Anya will run the flagship with Gustus in D.C. while I focus on growing our brand in brick and mortar. Which means I’ll have to live nearby. Which means…”

It finally clicked in Clarke’s poor, short circuiting sleep-deprived brain.

Lexa had found a way.

“You’re going to live here? In New York?” Maybe it was a little over-dramatic the way her voice trembled, but damn it, with all the romantic lights and missing her girlfriend and being so terrified of losing her…

“With you…” Lexa nodded. “If you’ll have me. We can stay here if you want or we could find a bigger place together, whatever you want.”

“I want you.”

Lexa’s smile grew. “I want you too.”

Clarke opened up the blankets, exposing herself to the chill briefly, so she could quickly bring Lexa into the warmth with her, wrapping the coverlet around them both. Lexa wrapped her arms around Clarke’s naked waist and snuggled into her shoulder.

They stayed like that for a moment before Clarke stomped on her barefoot none too lightly.

Lexa cried out in protest, mouth open in shock. “What the hell was that for?”

“What was that for?” Clarke frowned deeply at her. “You ass! Do you have any idea what you’ve put me through these past couple months with all the secrecy? Lexa! I thought you were going to break up with me!”

“Okay…” she said slowly, controlling her voice, while wincing, “I understand your frustration, but it was with good intention and certainly does not excuse violence.”

She narrowly escaped Clarke’s heel coming down a second time.

Growling, Lexa bent at the knee and picked Clarke up, forcing her to wrap legs around her waist unless she wanted to fall, and brought her over to the couch again, but this time Lexa laid on top of her.

“Are you going to try and kick me?”

“Maybe.”

“Clarke.”

“You put me through all that just because you couldn’t share plans for–!”

“I didn’t want to disappoint you if I couldn’t make it work.”

“You could have trusted me.”

“It wasn’t about trust. I love you. I had to make sure this would work before I could tell you.”

“We’re supposed to be partners!” Clarke stopped struggling with a frustrated exhale and laid her head back as Lexa hovered over her. She spoke more calmly, “We promised each other that. There’s no way we would be able to work if we weren’t partners. How could you keep something like this from me? All that you must have been going through and you never said a word...”

“I didn’t want to raise your--”

“You should have trusted me to handle it. You lied to me.”

“What lie?” Lexa replied, bewildered. “I have never--”

“Lies of omission,” she said sharply, her gaze boring into Lexa. “You of all people should know how badly those work out for us.”

Lexa seemed surprised by that and was silent, frozen, until, finally, she sighed and rested her forehead against Clarke’s.

“I’m sorry.”

Clarke had calmed down from the initial outburst, but she was exhausted and still shell shocked over this revelation.

Lexa was going to move to New York.

Lexa had been keeping a massive secret from her for months.

Lexa was here.

Lexa had been hiding things from her.

Clarke had always known she was hiding something, she just didn’t know what. It was something good - something wonderful even - but Lexa didn’t have to go through all of that alone. Clarke could have been there to support her, maybe even help if she needed it.

But Lexa chose to keep her out.

And that hurt.

Soft, sweet lips pressed against hers in the gentlest apology she knew.

“Clarke...”

“Not now.” She said tiredly, without any real bite, and shook her head.

“Okay.”

She wrapped her arms around her and snuggled into the crook of her neck, soaking in the comfort of Lexa’s weight on top of her, breathing her scent as her eyes fluttered shut.

Clarke woke for the third time in what seemed like the same night, but now it was to daylight streaming through the windows. Lexa was warm and solid, pressed against her back as they were curled up and tangled in blankets on the couch, lying side by side. The candles had been extinguished, but the fairy lights were still on.

She cracked her eyes open further, noticing the missing bowl that was usually on her coffee table. She looked for the shattered glass, but saw nothing. Lexa must have cleaned it up when she did all this last night.

Lexa.

“Do you think we’ve laid here long enough?” It was scratchy with sleep, but still that same strong, extraordinary voice Clarke heard against her ear in that twilight on the lake.

“Long enough to fix things you mean?”

“Yes.”

Clarke paused, thinking as her mind slowly caught up with her from it’s dream-world state.

“You’re really going to move here?”

Lexa shifted behind her and Clarke could feel her soft lips press against the bare skin of her shoulder, shivering despite herself.

“Yes.”

“You want to live with me?”

“Yes.”

“There can’t be secrets like that again, Lexa. Even well meaning ones.”

“I understand.”

Clarke was quiet for a moment. She could feel Lexa holding her breath behind her.

“Let’s go to bed.”

Lexa kissed her neck and cheek and nose, climbing over her with a smile. Clarke wrapped her arms around her neck as Lexa scooped her up, hands on her bare ass, as she carried Clarke back into the bedroom. Curtains pulled shut, door locked, they cuddled beneath the blankets ducking their heads under the sheet like they were back in a tent again.

They had never really left it. Never really would.

#clexa camping au #clexa #clexa fanfic #clexa fic #ccau