Chapter Text
Octavia was absently looking through her phone, Raven was looking around the room and Clarke was looking at the door.
“She is a diva after all,” Octavia said after a couple of seconds of silence. It was mostly Raven talking, telling Clarke what is good and what isn’t good to say.
Clarke yawned. It was a long couple of days, most of what she spent in planes, flying across the country. “She’s just busy,” she said.
“So are you but I don’t see you do-” Clarke looked away and turned off the part of her brain that was listening to Octavia, a long time manager and childhood friend. Instead Clarke focused on the more hectic part of their surroundings. There was anywhere from 20 to 50 people coming in and out of the room, some of them a part of her team and most of them sound and stage crew, people responsible for making sure that the things outside of the room she was in were running as smooth as they could. “Clarke? Earth to Clarke?” Clarke noticed a hand waving in front of her face. She focused her attention back to Octavia. “Are you even listening to me?”
“I’m not interested in listening you bitch about her anymore. I’m too tired for that.”
“You had interviews scheduled we canceled because you were supposed to meet with her this morning and sh-”
“We’ll have them after.”
“It’s unprofessional.”
“Stop bitching about it.” Clarke rolled her eyes. It wasn’t the first time Octavia was annoyed at Lexa Woods. It was a recurring thing really, so recurring it happened any time Lexa was mentioned and it reached its peak when Clarke told her she wanted to do the new show with her. Lexa had already been cast when Clarke got the script and it was a no brainer. Both because the story behind it looked promising and because it was Lexa.
“The eagle has landed,” Raven blurted out.
“Raven,” Clarke warned her.
“I repeat the eagle has landed,” Raven said with a smirk.
“Stop.” Clarke shook her head, but her heart did jump and her palms started to sweat when she realized what it meant.
“She’s gonna be here any second and Anya is with her so don’t expect much.”
As on cue, Anya walked in, black pants and jacket with a white blouse hiding under it, her official unofficial uniform.
“Griffin.” She nodded when she got to where Clarke and the rest of them were standing.
“Always a pleasure Anya,” Clarke smiled trying not to be too obvious with the way she was looking over Anya’s shoulder searching for a different pair of eyes.
“It was my fault she didn’t show up at your brunch.” Anya sighed, as if what she had said took 10 years off of her life. “And I apologize.”
“It’s alright,” Clarke smiled politely. That was when she saw her. Lexa Woods in flesh and blood and all her gorgeous glory. The moment she walked in there was at least ten people jumping in and around her. Clarke assumed she was getting the whats and hows and whens, same thing she got when she got there half an hour ago. She knew she had to look away, not get caught staring, but she couldn’t help it. Clarke learned the hard way that she was going to have a big problem taking her eyes off of Lexa. She almost blew her audition because of it.
“Please just don’t make it happen again,” Octavia said. It reminded Clarke, again, she should be looking anywhere but where she was. She looked away when she saw Lexa going their way.
“I can try that,” Anya glared at Octavia. She said something else but Clarke didn’t care enough to listen. She was too busy trying to keep her cool and composed outside, because her insides were anything but cool and composed. She was an actress after all and it shouldn’t be that hard to pretend to be something that you’re not. But then Lexa was less than 10 feet away and she smiled.
“Hi,” she said and Clarke felt herself blush. The day was on the way to being much worse than the audition one. Suddenly Lexa was less than a feet away and her hand looped around Clarke’s back. On instinct Clarke did the same. The awkward half hug lasted way too long and not long enough. In the trance like state Lexa put her, Clarke managed to see the grin on Raven’s face and the scold in Octavia’s eyes. “Clarke, I’m sorry for standing you up.” Clarke didn’t know where to look. Her eyes had a mind of their own and if it were up to it, she’d stare at Lexa’s lips. She couldn’t look at the green eyes for too long because her cheeks would turn from healthy pink to embarrassing red. So Clarke looked at her eyes, then her lips, then her jaw, then her neck, then back at her eyes. That proved to not be a really good idea. “I hope you apologized.” Lexa looked at Anya.
“I have.”
“And said you won’t do it again?”
Lexa was wearing black jeans and white shirt, with leather jacket and Clarke felt stupid in black and white dress Raven made her wear.
Anya rolled her eyes and said, “We don’t have time for this. You gotta be out in 5 minutes and we still have to go over some stuff.”
“Yeah, okay,” Lexa sighed and turned her head back to Clarke. Another smile. “I guess I’ll see you up there.”
“Yes.” Clarke made a note to slap herself when she gets back at her hotel. Lexa flashed her another smile before she got dragged away by Anya and a couple of other people.
“You gotta keep it in your pants Griffin,” Raven chuckled when the three of them were far enough from other people.
“And get it together,” Octavia looked far from amused.
“I am.”
“You’re about to go out there and spend an hour sitting next to her talking in front of hundreds of people, you gotta keep the gay down,” Raven said. “I get that you have a thing for her but it’s getting out of control.”
“It’s not getting out of control.”
“You were drooling,” Octavia glared at her.
“See, even Grinch saw it,” Raven grinned. “What do you think the fans will see?”
“This is not my first rodeo, I know how to act in front of people.”
“If you say so, but I did warn you,” Raven said.
“Let’s go, you’re about to go out.”
“If you say something stupid I’ll kill you,” Anya was telling to Lexa when Clarke got to the last checkpoint. There was only a curtain separating them from hundreds of people waiting for them.
“Clarke will make sure I don’t, right?” Lexa smiled at her.
“Lexa, I’m warning you.” Anya distracted Lexa once again and allowed Clarke to put on a face, one that won’t be as affected and bothered with Lexa Woods looking at her or talking to her. Or about her for that matter.
“Relax.” Lexa waved Anya off and straightened her jacket. “It’s far from my first time,” Lexa said. “Wait,” she frowned, “Clarke is this your first?”
“Second, actually.”
“Nervous?”
“Not really. Should I be?”
“Not at all, from what I’ve heard they love you to the Moon and back, so you’re gonna be good.”
Clarke smiled, “Not as much as they love you.”
“There’s gonna be plenty of time for ass kissing, let’s not do it now,” Anya said.
“Welcome!,” host’s voice came through speakers and then a loud roar from the audience. “Are we ready?,” host asked and got a resounding yes.
“It’s packed,” Anya peeked behind the curtain.
“I’m sure you all know who we have with us here today, but I’m still gonna have to do my job. My name is Dave and I’ll keep it short because I know our ladies are what you want to see and not me,” Dave said. “So, without further ado, please give your warmest welcome to Lexa Woods and Clarke Griffin.”
Lexa was the first to step out and the crowd instantly went crazy.
“Good luck,” Octavia said as she pushed Clarke on stage. Wave and smile , Clarke remembered Raven’s words. And she waved and smiled and followed Lexa to the two chairs in the middle on the stage. Lexa sat on the one next to Dave and Clarke sat on the one next to Lexa. There was a tiny coffee table in front of them, with two mics. Lexa took the one closer to her.
When the audience stopped cheering Lexa said, “Y’all look amazing,” prompting them to start cheering again. There was more than a couple hundred people in the room. Clarke was expecting it but seeing it was something else. There were people of all ages, men and women, even some younger kids. Clarke was never going to get used to that many people caring and loving her. Not even after being in the business for almost ten years.
“Better than,” Clarke added. It was easy to slip into Clarke Griffin The Actress when it was time to perform. Seeing Lexa, with the corner of her eye, smiling and shining like a star, made things a bit harder, but Clarke knew how to perform when it was time to perform.
“Alright, there’s gonna be plenty of time for that,” Dave said. “Let’s get to business,” he made a short pause, “Commander of Arkadia.” The biggest roar yet spread through the room. “Looks like they are excited, what about you?,” he turned to the two them after looking around the room.
“Beyond excited,” Lexa was the first one to open her mouth. “I think it’s an amazing story and I don’t know how it hadn’t been done before and at the same time I couldn’t be happier that it hadn’t been done before.”
“That’s what I thought when I got the script. Mad and happy at the same time,” Clarke added.
“What can you tell us about it, that we already don’t know?”
“What do you know?,” Lexa said. “I’m not sure how much of it is out,” she turned to Clarke.
“Barely anything,” Clarke said when it was her time to speak.
“We know that it’s a retelling of a Commander comic book series,” Dave jumped in.
“And then some,” Lexa smirked and once again the crowd went crazy. “I think it’s gonna be the best adaptation of any comic book series ever.”
“And then some,” Clarke added with a smile. They both knew what they were doing, and they were doing it beyond great. Clarke never thought it was going to be that easy, to get it on with Lexa. Even though she thought about getting it on with Lexa, often, but in very different kind of way.
“Lexa,” Dave’s voice brought Clarke back to the stage and part that she was supposed to play, “you play Alex, crime fighting vigilante,” he said, inviting Lexa to finish his it off.
“I do, yes,” Lexa said.
“And you Clarke,” he added, “play a police detective tasked with finding and locking up our beloved vigilante.”
“That’s me,” Clarke smiled.
“In the comic there is a steamy love affair between the two, I’m sure there’s more than one person here looking forward to that part.”
“Not only that Dave,” Lexa started, “but I’m pretty sure there’s more than one person here delighted that my character went from being a guy in comics to being a lady in the series.”
Clarke crossed her legs and leaned back in the chair. Lexa was a natural. Clarke wasn’t bad either, far from it, she knew how to please and win a crowd, but Lexa was something else. And Clarke knew exactly why was everyone from the audience looking at her the way they were. As a matter of fact she was pretty sure she had the same look in her eyes when she was looking at Lexa.
“Where you a fans of the comics before you got the role?”
“I know I was,” Clarke said. “Wow you all look so shocked,” she chuckled. “I know I don’t look the part, but actually I’ve been a fan for a very long time.”
“What do you mean you don’t look the part?” Lexa frowned.
“High heels and dresses don’t go well within sci-fi fans society thing,” Clarke chuckled.
“You mean sci-fi boys society, because I’m pretty damn sure no sci-fi women society would say no to you in high heels and dresses, or to you without high heels and dresses.” Clarke felt the redness come out again. Not even laughter from the crowd could distract her from the way Lexa looking at her like that made her feel. “That’s not what I meant,” Lexa turned to the crowd and shook her head. “Dirty minds you have,” she said. “Where were we?” Lexa was now doing damage control, trying to hide her own pinkish cheeks. “Yeah, comic, I am also a fan.” Another round of laughs led to Lexa hiding her face behind her hand. “I’m sorry,” she mouthed to Clarke. “Soooo,” Dave said. “Both fans, ha?”
“Yes, I remember being a wee young kid and reading these comics and thinking how much I wanted to be Alex,” Lexa seemed to have regained control of herself and the room. And Clarke for that matter, because Clarke couldn’t stop looking at her. The cheeks, the braids in her hair, the jaw, the lean neck.
“Really?”
“Yes, it’s been my dream for a very long time and I never thought I’d be able to do it. But here we are,” Lexa said earning awhs and claps from the audience. “And, not only that,” she continued, “but I get to do it with one of the nicest and greatest in the world by my side,” she smiled at Clarke and, again, Clarke felt what most of the people in audience must had felt.
“You’re too kind,” she managed to say back.
“You two knew each other before?,” Dave asked.
“We met when I auditioned for the role,” Clarke said.
“Lincoln, our showrunner, offered me the part and I said yes before he even finished his sentence,” Lexa said. “My first question was who was going to be my leading lady.”
“That’s an obvious first question,” Clarke teased.
“It’s the most important one,” Lexa grinned. “I haven’t dreamed about it for that long for no reason.”
“Are you a part of sci-fi women society?” Dave asked sending crowd in fit of giggles and a blush to Clarke’s face.
“Funny you should ask Dave,” Lexa smirked. “Aren’t we all,” Lexa sighed and waited until the audience stopped agreeing with her. “But to get back to the point, Lincoln, told me who he wanted for the role. There were a couple of ladies on there, we won’t be naming names, but Ms Griffin was my pick, and to throw Lincoln under the train, he wasn’t so sure about it.”
“That’s a surprise,” Dave said.
“In his defense, Clarke had never done something like this, it’s been all movies and far from this genre, so he wasn’t sure it was the right call.”
“So he made me go all the way up to Polis to audition,” Clarke said. “You know how long it’s been since I had to audition for something?”
“Okay, big movie star,” Lexa teased her, “it wasn’t that bad. You got to meet me after all.”
“Did you know Lexa was attached to it before you got to the audition part?,” Dave asked.
“Oh yeah, I knew when I got the script. It wasn’t a well kept secret,” Clarke laughed.
“So you met when you auditioned?” He looked at Clarke.
“Not only did Lincoln made her audition, he also made me sit and read with all of them.”
“By all of them she means three of us that were up for the part,” Clarke added.
“It was two too many if you ask me.”
“You are too kind,” Clarke smiled.
“It was the shortest ten minutes of my life,” Lexa said.
Clarke laughed, “Now you’re just trying too hard.”
“Am I?”
Somewhere behind Lexa’s back, hidden behind a curtain, Clarke could practically see fumes coming from Octavia’s ears. Clarke knew she was going to get so much shit from her manager. “To keep it short,” she turned to the audience, “miss hot shot got the job because she’s awesome and I got it because miss hot shot is a part of sci-fi women society.”
“Something like that yes,” Lexa grinned.
“That was a really long way around to answer a simple question,” Dave said and they laughed. “I asked because you two look like you’ve known each other for a long time.”
“Not counting this, we’ve spent 20 minutes in the same room,” Lexa said. “Right?,” she looked at Clarke.
“I think it’s even less than that,” Clarke said. “Maybe if you hadn’t stood me up, things would have been different.”
“That was a very low hit, Clarke, below belt,” Lexa said.
“Well, I think it’s safe to say that if the show will be half as fun as you two seem to be, then you are up for a huge success,” Dave jumped in.
“Tune in,” Lexa said. “If for nothing then to watch this beautiful lady sitting next to me on your screens every week.”
Clarke bit her lip and looked down as soon as she saw Lexa looking at her. “Do we know when it will be out?” Dave saved her once again.
“I can tell you we are starting to shoot next week.”
“I’m sure everyone in this room, and all around the world, is excited to see it,” Dave said. “And that’s all we have for today,” he added and ended the interview.
Everyone in the crowd stood up and showed them off the stage with a round of cheers and claps. Clarke was the first to get off and Lexa followed shortly after her.
“It wasn’t that bad, right?” Lexa whispered behind her before their people could grab and drag them off to somewhere.
“It was fun,” Clarke said. “Hey, I was thinking something,” Clarke was doing her best Clarke Griffin The Cool Actress impression, “do you wanna grab lunch maybe?”
She saw the apologetic smile on Lexa’s face and she knew what the answer was going to be. “I’d love to but I can’t, I have some more interviews I can’t cancel,” she sighed. “Maybe dinner?”
“I can’t, I have to meet with some studio representatives. Octavia would kill me if I canceled that.”
“That sucks,” Lexa smiled softly. “But I guess we’re gonna have a lot of time to get to know each other and eat many meals.”
“I guess we will,” Clarke said.
“What have I told you?” Anya got to them first. Clarke could see Octavia right behind her. She got ready for whatever storm was coming her way.
“To play nice,” Lexa said. “I played nice, haven’t I Clarke?”
“You have.”
“Clarke we need to go,” Octavia said without making any other comment.
“Where?,” Clarke frowned.
“Prepare for later.”
“We also have to go, you’re gonna be late,” Anya said to Lexa.
“Yeah, yeah, I know,” Lexa waved her off and turned to Clarke. “It was fun, text me, we should meet for drinks of something, before the official start.”
“I’d like that.”
“Great,” Lexa said.
“Can we leave now?”
“We can,” Lexa rolled her eyes at Anya. “I’ll see you soon then,” she smiled to Clarke.
“See you.” Clarke raised her hand and did an awkward wave made even more awkward by the fact that Lexa turned around and left before she could see it.
“You have it so bad,” Raven whispered in her ear.
“I don’t have anything.”
“But you want it so bad.”
“Shut up.”