Work Text:
Lexa paused at the edge of the tent, her heart shuddering in her chest, weary from worry and pain. The dark haired woman stepped into the interior of her tent, her movements quiet, and her footsteps light. Lexa’s eyes caught the small figure of the Skaikru’s leader curled up on top of the fur blankets of The Commander’s bed. Lexa trapped her bottom lip between her teeth, biting down on the plump flesh as she pondered her next actions. Nimble fingers rose to unbuckle the clasps of her cloak, sliding the thick leather and fur from her shoulders to drape it across the arm of her throne before unlacing her boots.
Lexa stripped down to her underclothes - a tight cotton shirt that clung to her skin and braced her breasts against her sternum, and a pair of thin cotton shorts. Then, she stepped up to the edge of the bed, her hand dropping to land on Clarke’s shoulder, turning the woman onto her back to rouse her from her sleep. “Clarke,” Lexa called softly, mindful to keep her voice quiet and gentle. “You cannot sleep like this.”
“Lexa?” Clarke words were slurred and confused, her voice husky and rough as if she had screamed her throat raw, but Lexa could see the tear marks that tracked down Clarke’s cheeks. “What...?”
“You must undress Clarke, I can help you, but the night will grow cold above the blankets.” Lexa murmured, rubbing her fingers across Clarke’s tight shoulders.
“I can’t get their faces out of my head.” Clarke whispered turning her body to press her face against Lexa’s bare thigh. “I can’t stop seeing the fire.”
“It will never stop.” Lexa murmured and she felt her heart crack in her chest at the words. Clarke’s spirit did not deserve the pressures of Leadership. It was a bright and gentle spirit, but it contained knowledge and a quiet strength that drew others towards it, begging for guidance, and it provided what it could. “But it will lessen.”
“I don’t know if I can handle it.” Clarke whispered, blinking as she looked upwards to catch sight of Lexa’s face, her smooth cheeks and bare eyes. “There’s so much death.”
“Yes, there is.” Lexa murmured, stroking her fingers across Clarke’s forehead. “Perhaps, when this war is over, we can create life instead. The Mountain will fall Klok kom Skaikru, and then, we can leave death and war behind, for a time.”
Clarke nodded her head, finding her heart - and her mind - desperate to believe Lexa’s comforting words. She allowed Lexa to pull the clothes from her shoulders until she sat in her underwear on top of the fur blankets. “Lexa,” Clarke murmured, her voice catching in her throat as she struggled to speak. “Can you... I need...”
“I will keep your demons at bay tonight Clarke.” Lexa promised as she pulled back the fur blankets, inviting the other woman into her bed. “Please, rest Clarke.”
That night Clarke lay with her head resting against Lexa’s shoulder, her nose tucked into the woman’s neck, breathing in the subtle scent of the earth from her flesh. She slept with Lexa’s arms wrapped protectively around her body, soothing her muscles and her mind to sleep, offering protection and understanding.