Archive of Our Own ^beta

"You know, you really didn't have to bring me to emergency," her housemate complains from beside her. 

Lexa raises an eyebrow. "You knocked yourself out for five minutes. It seemed appropriate. If not solely to discourage you from doing it again." 

Raven frowns. "I already said I was sorry about the elephant statue. I promise I'll find its head once we get home."

"Well, it was my grandmothers, so maybe -"

"Sorry to interrupt, but I need to see Raven Reyes?" a soft but confident voice interjects. 

Lexa looks up to inform the newcomer that she actually does kinda mind that she was interrupted. This sentiment is lost somewhere on the journey from her brain to her mouth, because when Lexa glances up at their nurse she realises that she actually, really does not mind at all. 

"That's me. I'm Raven," she hears her friend say. "This is Lexa, my housemate."

"Hi, Raven. Hi Lexa. I'm Clarke Griffin, and I'll be helping yours out today," the blonde tells them with a small and slightly earth shattering smile. Lexa probably looks like an idiot just sitting there staring, but she can't exactly help the temporary paralysis that's crawled over her skin. 

"Hi," she manages finally, so as not to be rude. It comes out sounding more than a little strangled, though, and Raven's eyes suddenly narrow deviously and she shoots Lexa a sideways smirk which 96.78% of the time means trouble. 

"Well, if you could just come with me, Raven. Lexa, you're welcome to come too if that's what Raven wants. I'm assuming yes, but we have to ask, given patient confidentiality and everything."

The deviously knowing look has not left Raven's face. "It would be good if Lexa could come." She would bet JK Rowling's entire fortune that Raven really couldn't care less about the minimal emotional support Lexa could provide. Raven "ulterior motives" Reyes. That would never catch on, even though it was accurate. 

"Well, just through here," Clarke gestures down a stark white corridor with another brief smile. No doubt it's a technique for putting people at ease, but if that's what she's going for, it's having the absolute opposite effect on Lexa. She hasn't felt this jittery and nervous since she'd sat the bar exam, and even then she'd come prepared. Life hadn't been so kind here, and just thrown the curveball of Clarke Griffin at her when she was least expecting it. 

Lexa trailed behind the nurse (doctor? She wasn't sure) and Raven, fascinated by how while the harsh hospital lights seemed to wash everything out, they somehow made Clarke appear even brighter and more beautiful. 

Which is a bad thought to be having. She's probably not allowed to date her friend's doctor, and even if she was, it's not like she'd ever be able to get up the courage to ask. 

Clarke leads them into a small room, and encourages Raven to relate exactly what occurred. 

"Wait, so how are you going to get the burn marks out of the floor?" Clarke asks, tilting her head to the side in a manner Lexa would describe (though never out loud) as adorable. 

Raven shrugs. "We could get a carpet?" 

"We already have two other carpets covering chemical spills, Reyes," Lexa reminds her. 

Clarke smirks at her and Lexa's heart does something they should probably wheel her to ICU for. 

"Maybe it can be an artistic burn. You know, give the house character. Raven, can you read the numbers off the board on the wall, please?"

It takes almost half an hour of various questions and tests before Clarke is apparently satisfied that Raven hasn't caused herself any permanent damage. "I'd like to keep you here for a few hours under surveillance just in case. Brains can be very unpredictable, so it's important to keep an eye on head injuries."

Clarke has barely left the room when Raven says, "The hot doctor? God, Lexa, you're a walking cliche."

"The fact she's a doctor in no way correlates to her hotness. I don't see your point."

Raven glares. "There aren't a lot of pretty, nice and incredibly gay doctors kicking around, Lex. You should go for it."

"Who says she's gay, Reyes?"

Raven sighs. "Her face. Well, most her eyes. Specifically the focus of her eyes. That is to say, their habit of staring at you. As the patient, who ought to be the centre of attention, I find myself a little offended."

"Maybe she was just weirded out by my gawking."

Another eye roll. "Or maybe I'm right. Just trust my wisdom. She's gay or bi or something that means she's into you. Ask her out. I'm her patient, not you."

"Raven, that would still probably violate like 4 ethics codes or something. Plus I'd rather not be humiliated, thanks. I'd probably just stand there and freeze up."

"I can't believe how easily you can just, like, slay people in the courtroom, but one pretty girl, and bam. The mighty Lexa is rendered entirely powerless."

Lexa sighs. "Yes. Fine. But we both know there's no way I'm going to ask her out, so drop it? I don't want to put her in an awkward position. She's at work."

"You always insist on letting the nice ones get away," Raven murmurs, and Lexa isn't sure if she's supposed to had heard that or not, so she says nothing.

Three years and a lot of coincidences later, it's Clarke who finds the elephant statue's missing head when Lexa's couch has been taken out to the moving van. 

"I take it this is carnage from the infamous experiment?" she says with a nostalgic grin. Her smiles still practically immobilise Lexa, even after she's seen a thousand of them. 

Raven laughs when she sees the tiny carving. "God, Lex, I remember this. You were so angry with me for breaking it."

"It was my grandmother's," Lexa reminds her. 

"I don't think she would've minded. After all, if I hadn't blown it up accidentally, you wouldn't be moving out today. You wouldn't have Clarke. Your whole life would be different."

"Technically I didn't ask her out until I ran into her at the bookstore -"

"Try all you like, it all began here. With an IKEA lamp, a dolphin sized burn mark and an exploded elephant," Raven grins wide at her. 

Lexa smiles back. "Well, thanks for almost electrocuting yourself then."