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The first time it happens, Lexa writes it off as bad luck.
She's pulling into the parking lot of her apartment complex on a Monday afternoon after her classes and finds a car parked in her spot. It's the last space in the row directly in front of her apartment, and while spaces weren't exactly assigned, she generally claimed that spot for herself. She'd been parking there nearly every day for over a year, as long as she's lived in this apartment.
Still it wasn't uncommon for a guest to park in the resident lot temporarily, either unaware of the rules or not intending to stay long enough for it to matter. Lexa resigns herself to parking in the overflow lot around the back side of the complex assuming her spot will be there tomorrow.
The car is still there in the morning when Lexa leaves, but thankfully it’s gone when she returns hours later. Lexa is exhausted and definitely not in the mood for an extra walk. Her Tuesday's include a brutal three hour morning soccer practice followed by two intense lectures back to back on opposite ends of campus.
She forgets entirely about the little blue Honda with the scratch on the bumper and the little decal of a griffin in the back windshield, and sinks into her living room couch for a nap.
///
Until she sees the car again in her spot two days later.
Her Thursday schedule matches Tuesday except she has an accompanying lab attached to her second class, adding an extra three hours to her day. Traffic is worse when she leaves and Lexa is already grumpy when she pulls into the parking lot to find her spot occupied.
She stops and lets her car idle as she stares at the blue car with disdain. Slowly, begrudgingly, she drives around to the overflow lot. Her gym duffle and her book bag feel twice as heavy on her back. She always stubbornly brought all her books to class even if they weren’t required, but she’s regretting her studiousness now.
Just as she reaches the stairs up to her apartment, her downstairs neighbor (Raven, her mind vaguely supplies from the occasional package that gets misdelivered to her doorstep) leaves hers. A blonde woman she's never seen before follows her out, talking animatedly about something that Lexa tunes out as she trudges up the stairs.
She unlocks her apartment and takes one idle glance at the parking lot. The blue car is gone, much to her irritation. Did that car belong to Raven’s guest? Lexa scowls. Of course they would leave just as Lexa's entering her apartment. But she's way too tired to move her car just because the spot is now free.
Besides, she isn’t that passive aggressive.
///
She is that passive aggressive, actually.
The car is back Saturday when Lexa returns from campus, tired from a long morning study session with Anya for their International Relations midterm next week and a grueling afternoon soccer match which they'd only barely managed to lose in overtime. The frustration over the loss only multiplies upon seeing her spot, her spot, once again occupied.
So she parks in the overflow lot again (trying to ignore the fact that she'd inadvertently claimed a specific spot over there too, which she doesn’t need because she has a spot already in front of her apartment) and digs her notebook out of her book bag. She writes a polite, yet firm note to inform the driver these spots are reserved for residents only, please park elsewhere and folds it neatly in half. When she reaches her apartment, she sticks it securely in the car’s windshield, where it will be immediately spotted.
And later, after she'd had a nice refreshing nap on her couch, and she notices the car is gone, she wastes no time in moving her car back into her parking space where it belongs.
///
Lexa remains in her apartment the rest of the weekend, studying for exams and finishing up homework, declining any invitations to go out with friends. It's not till Monday morning that she leaves her apartment, ready for an eight o’clock English lit class. In her windshield is a folded piece of paper and when she plucks it out, she realizes it's her own. Beneath her neat cursive writing is a messy scrawl in blue ink that reads simply: FUCK OFF
Lexa rolls her eyes and stuffs the paper in her bag. So the visitor had taken her polite note a little more on the aggressive side than the passive, who cares? At least she has her parking spot again.
Until she returns home to find that, no, she does not have her parking spot again as the infuriating blue car is back, sitting there, mocking her, taking up her space. She retrieves the note, now slightly crumpled from being stuffed among her books, and beneath the strangers rude words and writes a new message:
Please respect the rules of this complex and stop parking in my spot.
If she lets the windshield wiper snap down on top of the note rather more forcefully than necessary, well that is totally accidental.
///
Tuesday afternoon she gets her spot back and Wednesday wakes up to find the note on her windshield again with a new message added:
Pls respect the rules of my ASS and CLIMB OFF IT
Well that’s just vulgar. Lexa sighs, irritated already, but she has an exam in two hours to worry about, plus an extra practice session that afternoon. It’s technically a voluntary practice but Indra made it clear she expects everyone who didn't have prior obligations to attend. Her morning practices had been extended as well due to their Saturday loss, and the new schedule is kicking her ass.
Lexa has another two exams next Monday and a paper due Friday. She doesn't have time to engage in this childish battle with the parking spot thief. When she returns that evening to find the blue car back, she writes a return message, forgoing all politeness this time:
Maybe you should pull your head out of it first and move your car before I have it towed.
///
Despite her threat, the stranger continues to park there and return her notes with new messages scrawled underneath. Messages Lexa returns, her tone growing increasingly more agitated.
can you put a leash on and stop fucking hounding me, it's just a parking spot, chill
Then park elsewhere, this one's mine. Move your car, or I will move it for you.
I don’t see your name engraved anywhere on it commander, I’ll park wherever I want
I’m serious, I will call a tow truck and have your vehicle towed the fuck away.
ooooh a bad word, you mean BUSINESS don’t you, whatever will I do with the Big Bad Parking Commander after me
You test my patience.
oh I'm so scared, are you gonna arrest me ;)
Last warning. Move. Your. Car.
The last message from the stranger isn’t writing, but a drawing. A very vulgar drawing of what appears to be an ass with lip marks stamped on it and hearts floating away.
She’s already had a particularly grueling day, despite the storm of midterms being over, as Indra is still drilling them hard for the next match. Her entire body aches and the extra walk from the overflow lot to her apartment is enough to push her into action.
It's too late that evening for the tow truck to come without an added fee, but they assure her they'll be there first thing in the morning. And that's just fine with Lexa.
As promised, the car is gone the next day and after class Lexa parks in her spot, relieved and hoping this will finally end this pointless battle. She feels only mildly guilty at having taken such a drastic measure, but, well, she did warn them after all.
///
When Anya calls later that evening to invite her out to the bar, Lexa accepts. Midterms are over, her homework is mostly caught up and she needs to relax a little.
As she's locking the door to her apartment, pulling her jacket on, she suddenly hears the high-pitched screech of metal scraping metal coming from the parking lot. Lexa hurries downstairs to find the blonde woman she’d seen with Raven that one time, standing beside her car.
No wait, standing there and keying the side of her car.
“What the fuck are you doing? That's my car!” Lexa snaps, rushing towards her. There's a long thin line scraped from the driver’s door down to the fuel tank hatch, where the woman stands clutching key in hand.
“Oh, so you're the one who had my car towed?” The woman scowls, using the key to point angrily.
Lexa stares incredulously. So this was definitely the owner of the little blue Honda she’d been writing angry notes back and forth with, but who cares because— “You just keyed my car!”
“You had mine towed! Do you have any idea how much it costs to get a car out of impound? Not to mention it's way the fuck over on the other side of town. It took three hours for them to verify that it was indeed my fucking vehicle to release it to me. I missed all of my classes today trying to get this sorted and the tow truck fucking scratched my bumper.”
Lexa crosses her arms, bristling. “Yes well, I warned you. Multiple times.”
The woman throws her arms up. “I didn't think you would actually do it over a goddamn parking spot!”
“These spots are for residents only,” Lexa points toward a sign further down the lot, “there's a sign that clearly says violators will be towed, it's not my fault you—”
“I am a resident!”
That pulls Lexa up short. “You—what?”
“I live here. 5C. Right there!” She points pass Lexa to Raven’s apartment, the one directly below her own.
“You—you live with Raven? Since when?” Raven had moved in the same time as Lexa, a year prior, and like Lexa, she lived alone. Or she used to.
“Since like three weeks ago! I broke up with my asshole ex and needed a place to stay so I moved in with Raven because she had a spare room. I signed the lease officially last week.”
Lexa opens and closes her mouth once, then twice, unsure what to say. She'd been fighting with someone she thought didn't live here and thus was in the wrong, but if she actually did live here then Lexa had been in the wrong. Arguing over a stupid parking spot like a petty child.
“I—I'm sorry, I… I didn't know,” Lexa stutters, her cheeks reddening. “I had an extremely long, tiring day yesterday and when I got home I just snapped. But that’s not really an excuse.”
The woman fumes silently for a moment before she deems Lexa's apology genuine. Her stormy blue eyes soften and her aggressive stance relaxes a bit. “I'm sorry too,” she gestures sheepishly at the scratched paint. “Keying your car was kind of a dick move.”
“So was having your car towed,” Lexa argues.
“Maybe we call it even? Call a truce on the whole parking thing?”
“Sure,” she allows a small smile. “Um, I’m Lexa, by the way. 5D.” She throws a thumb over her shoulder to indicate her apartment, needlessly.
“Clarke.”
“Nice to meet you, Clarke. Properly, that is.”
“Likewise, Lexa.” Clarke smiles, reaching up to rub the back of her neck. “You know, I was actually having fun with our little note exchange. I thought we were just joking around.”
Lexa laughs, embarrassed that she hadn’t been joking. “Well, I take my parking spot very seriously. I’ve been parking here since I moved in, so I’ve sort of become fond of it.”
“I suppose I can respect that,” Clarke sighs, putting her hands on her hips and looking around. “I’ll have to find another spot to steal.”
“Well, we can trade off… Like we’ve been doing, but maybe without the passive aggressive notes?”
“Alright, sure.”
They smile at each other for a moment, comfortable now that their childish argument is resolved. With her anger fading, Lexa realizes she might actually like this stubborn blonde a little bit, with her pretty blue eyes and even prettier smile.
She shifts her weight, suddenly feeling awkward. “So I’m supposed to be meeting a friend at this bar right now…”
“Oh!” Clarke says, immediately stepping away from Lexa’s car. “God, I’ve just been standing here in the way.” She looks back, wincing at the long ugly scrape in the silver paint. “Again I’m really really sorry I keyed your car. Um, Raven works at an autoshop on the weekends, I’ll get her to give you a huge discount, I promise.”
“That’s—Thank you.” Lexa turns as Clarke moves around her to head towards her apartment. “Hey wait, um,” she blurts out, flustered as Clarke stops to smile at her curiously. It's an unbearable cute look on Clarke and it makes Lexa’s normally cooly collected mind go haywire. Her cheeks turn pink and she hopes the dwindling light hides it, even as the street lamps flicker on. “Would you... would you maybe wanna go? To the bar? With me? I’ll buy you a drink, as an apology for this whole...situation.”
Clarke’s smile widens and she takes a half step towards Lexa. “Yeah, I’d love to—” She stops short, her smile dropping as she glances back at her apartment. “Shit, I can’t. I have an exam in the morning and a couple friends are coming over to study with me in a bit. Um, rain check though?”
Lexa nods quickly, already backing toward her car to escape. “Yeah, of course, no problem.”
“Awesome,” Clarke grins. “I mean I know where you live, so. I’m definitely gonna take you up on that offer.” She holds up three fingers, her expression turning dark. “Three hours in that impound office with a creepy old guy staring at my boobs the whole time.”
Lexa grimaces, but inwardly she’s relieved at Clarke’s assurance. She opens her car door and leans her forearm on the rim. “I’m sorry. I promise to buy you three drinks then.”
“I’ll hold you to that. Have a nice night, Lexa.”
“Bye Clarke.”
///
Lexa does have a very nice night with Anya and their other friends. She doesn’t get out enough, doesn’t spend enough time just laughing and having fun, and if she spends the entire night thinking about a certain blonde’s blue eyes, well nobody has to know about that but her.
She spends the night at Anya’s and early the next morning she drives home to find the parking spot in front of her apartment blessedly empty. It's Friday anyway, so she decides to skip her first class and sleep off the remnants of her hangover. When she finally does get up to shower and leave for campus, it's late morning and her head feels nearly normal.
Heading out to her car, she sees a familiar folded piece of paper stuck in her windshield. It doesn’t fill her with irritation this morning though, but a delightful anticipation. Scrawled on the note in familiar messy handwriting:
Commander,
How about dinner and then drinks tomorrow night?
Have a good day :)
<3 Clarke
And yeah, it’s definitely a good day.