Chapter Text
"Fish!" Lexa calls to no avail. The golden retriever keeps running laps around their picnic spot. Octavia's mutt Duke leading the chase. Every time she thinks he looks exhausted Fish perks back up and keeps running. Tossing up puffs of pollen as he tromps through the flowers. Clarke doesn't even have to call. As soon as she opens a packet of snacks for Theo he comes lolloping over in the way only a gangly teenage puppy can.
"That's cheating," Lexa pouts and helps herself a handful of cheerios. Scowling as Fish's noses her chin trying to work out how to steal the cereal for himself.
"You're jealous he doesn't listen to you," Clarke giggles and pops a cheerio into Theo's hand. Their daughter takes after her mommy's love of snacks.
"He only listens to the queen. Not us lowly princess, right Boop?" the brunette laughs, flopping onto her back to reach Theo and tickle her dimpled cheek. It always makes her heart melt hearing Theo laugh. The tiny sound just as precious to her every time she hears it as the first time. It's the best sound she's ever heard, the best sound she might ever hear in her life.
"You guys are disgusting," Raven interrupts and pretends to gag at their domestic bliss. "Gross. Awful. How can you live with yourselves?" The brunette tosses a grape into the air and catches it first try, and winks at Theo. She is enamored by the trick and trying to find where the grape has disappeared to. Turning her head trying to locate the disappearing fruit.
Raven would never admit it, but she's a little proud she can impress Theo. Even more, so that she can make the little one break into an adorable, dimpled grin. She would never admit that it makes her heart melt. She lifts her chin and grins like the cat that caught the canary.
Anya sighs beside her where she's leaning against a tree and nudges Raven's shoulder.
"Leave them alone, you're jealous they're so sweet aren't you?"
Raven looks away, but she's still biting back a grin.
Lexa is still a little wary of Raven's secret lover, but she feels more at ease each time Anya hangs out with them. Even if it's Raven's way of showing Anya off to them. She's a stormy woman, tall and intimidating all tall boots and leather jackets. Whatever Lexa thinks, she hasn't seen Raven light up like she does around the college student. For now, she likes Anya for that. She's still ready to throw some colourful (definitely not Theo-friendly) words if needed. No one breaks Raven Reyes' heart and gets away with it, not with Lexa around.
Octavia shrieking breaks her from her thoughts. Duke bounds up to kiss her, slobbering on her sweater and trying o sit on her lap. She sits up from where she was laying in the grass, trying to wrestle the huge dog off of her legs. Duke is too keen to sit in laps for a huge pitbull mix, but he doesn't seem to know or doesn't care.
Lexa herself grunts when Fish pounces on her, following Duke's lead. She put herself in that mess, daring to lay back on the picnic blanket with the impressionable puppy nearby.
Clarke hums softly and meets Lexa's gaze, "It's nice being able to spend time with you guys. I feel like we spend all day running around after these two mischief-makers." She gestures at Theo and Fish.
She's not wrong, Theo herself might be the light of their lives but she likes to make them work hard. A princess through and through she loves attention and late-night hugs. Fish seems to have a talent for appearing out of thin air exactly under Lexa's feet. It might have been one of the less great ideas Lexa ever had, but Theo adores the dog and anything for Theo.
Theo giggles in reply, distracted as Clarke pulls a face and offers her more cheerios. Lexa wonders how she got so lucky as she watches Clarke bounce Theo on her knee.
Their picnic dates to the park turned to lunch with friends easily. She and Clarke needed to get out of the house. Theo loved getting some fresh air. Fish was always in need of a walk.
Octavia was the first to join them, insisting it was good for Duke to play with another dog. Lexa is beyond thankful for the grey-and-white mutt. Fish almost gets tired after playing with Duke.
Then Octavia started dragging along Raven because she needed to get out of her workshop. See the sun now and then. Raven is sheepish but takes the chance to invite Anya one day. Her friends teasing her about it so much she finally relented to shut them up. A relaxed way to introduce her girlfriend to her friends. After that sometimes Lincoln would join them if he didn't have training.
Theo throws a tiny fist towards Anya. Determined to deliver a bounty of damp cheerios. Anya sticks out her hand and accepts her gift. For someone who does do the baby thing, she doesn't hesitate. Theo decides she must make a best friend out of Anya because she seems apprehensive around the baby. That's where she and Fish are the same. Whoever seems the least keen on them is who they make a beeline to try and charm. Theo isn't even a year old and she's charming her way into everyone's hearts.
"Thanks. So much. Very kind of you, Theo. I appreciate your gift. Not quite what I like. I prefer cereal that hasn't been half-chewed, but good effort," Anya coos. As soon as Theo looks away she flicks it into the grass and wipes her hand on the picnic blanket.
"There we go, can't have a princess without a crown, can we?" Octavia says, sitting up to lay a little circlet of a flower crown on Theo's head. While they've been indulging Theo's practice in sharing, Octavia has been busy. Twisting stems of daisies together until the tangle loops in on itself.
"Aww! Perfect little crown for our perfect little flower princess," Clarke says. She lightly boops Theo's nose. Theo tries to investigate her new hat, cooing when her tiny arms can't quite grasp it.
Octavia makes quick work of some dandelions into a bracelet too large for Theo and offers it to her. It makes a good consolation prize and the crown is forgotten.
She plucks a handful of petals free of their stems. Looking at Fish, she tosses them. Fish decides it must be food and snaps at them as they float to the ground. He then decides they taste bad and sneezes on Theo.
Theo freezes and Clarke is reaching to comfort her when her shock melts into a sunny smile. A peal of laughter bursts from her and she throws more petals at Fish.
"Fish, gross!" Lexa takes a muslin cloth and wipes Theo's face.
Theo is a handful. Fish is a handful. But moments like that make Lexa glad she got the puppy, and that Theo has such a good friend in the pooch. And she has to admit that Fish is dumb as a bag of rocks and never fails to make them laugh. She's a little head over heels for the dog, their dog. Especially how easily he won Clarke over who hadn't been sure about bringing home a puppy.
Fish sees Duke run off towards something and leaps to follow. Turns out they found the cheerios Anya had discarded. Lucky for Fish because he loves cheerios in any state. Anya pulls a face as she watches the two dogs.
Clarke holds Theo between her arms as she starts making a flower crown herself. Octavia has a decent pile of wildflowers laying beside the remnants of their lunches. She offers Lexa a dandelion. Lexa twirls it between her fingers as she watches Clarke.
Theo doesn't leave much time for her to be creative, so Lexa loves getting to see Clarke make something. She always pokes her tongue out a little when she concentrates and it's too adorable for Lexa to handle. Her brows knitted together as she gets lost in making her craft for a moment.
Clarke deftly twists a stem of grass with tiny bunches of white flowers together with the dandelion puffs and daises and forms a crown. It looks perfect, Lexa thinks. It's even more perfect when Clarke fixes it on Theo's head.
Between Clarke and Octavia Theo soon has an entire jewelry store's worth of flower crowns and bracelets.
Lexa half-heartedly braids some dandelions together. Her flower crown looks clumsy compared to the others. But Clarke takes it and puts it in on her head. It looks a thousand times better to Lexa once Clarke is wearing it.
She makes another daisy chain and offers it to Theo. She is more than delighted to have more flowers to pluck the petals from. Sitting in a pile of scattered petals and bare stems.
Fish investigates on of the dropped daisy bracelets and ends up with it looped around his muzzle. He whines and Duke comes to his rescue. Barrels full-tilt into the younger dog's side and sends him tumbling. He forgets about the daisy chain hanging around his snout and chases after Duke.
"We should get going. It's someone's naptime soon and she's a real diva if she doesn't get to sleep on time," Lexa announces and bops Theo's little nose.
She gets a chorus of disappointed groans from her friends. Even Clarke pouts at her. But none of them want Theo to get overtired. Or deal with her grouchy moms if she doesn't get enough sleep neither will they. Theo voices her displeasure but some more cheerios consoles her.
"Fish!" Clarke calls, voice a lilting sing-song as she rounds up the pup. He trots over to Lexa for once as if he doesn't try to cause her trouble at every turn. She likes well behaved Fish better but knows it'll be short-lived.
Clarke takes care of leashing Fish, and Lexa hauls herself up. Takes Theo in her arms and lets her friends gather to fawn over her and say their goodbyes. It's an unspoken rule: they cannot leave without at least five minutes of saying goodbye. And wishing Theo a good nap. And fussing over Fish.
Octavia is the main culprit, and to a lesser extent Anya thanks Theo again for the gift and boops her nose. The downfall of her nickname is that she'll never stop having her nose booped. Raven grumbles about how can one kid be so stinking adorable and hugs both Lexa and Theo. Up close Lexa can hear Raven mumbling about stupid tiny adorable baby woods. And her stupid soft little squishy cheeks.
Anya is close enough to hear as well and bites back a chuckle.
Lexa sighs with content once they are home and Theo is napping. Sound asleep laying against Lexa's chest. Clarke flops on the couch beside her. Her blue eyes flutter as she fights to stay awake and cuddle with her girlfriend.
"The sun is too nice and warm, it's making me sleepy," Clarke grumbles, curling up against Lexa's side. She loses her fight though and takes the chance to steal a nap herself while Theo sleeps. Lexa couldn't ask for more than an afternoon with their friends and then snuggling up to nap in the warm sun.
Theo was a huge shock to their systems and threw all their plans up in the air but Lexa wouldn't have wished to change it. Not for anything. She loves the tiny person she and Clarke made with more of herself than she thought possible.
She brushes a stray curl from Theo's forehead and wonders if she'll ever stop marveling at Theo. Or thinking about marveling at their daughter.
She ruffles Fish's ears when he joins them, completing the family cuddle pile. He leans on her shoulder so he can watch Theo for a moment before he lays down beside her.
Lexa finds herself dozing off between her family thanks to the pleasant warmth. The last thing she thinks before she's asleep is how pretty Clarke is with the sun casting her hair into a soft gold.