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“‘Come to this party’ she says, ‘I'll totally watch the meteor shower with you’ she says. Way to follow through Raven.”
Clarke muttered to herself as she maneuvered up the hill in the beam of her flashlight. Finals were over and graduation was in a week and yes, a party was in order, but she'd really just wanted to go out to her Granddad's farm and watch the meteor shower. She'd only agreed to come because this spot in the mountains would have a much better view.
She liked Raven's friends, even if Octavia was a little loud when she drank and Murphy was a bit of a dick pretty much always, they were good people.
The whole thing had started as a simple camping trip that Lincoln was being dragged on by his cousin until Octavia got ahold of the plan and invited everyone. Maybe that was why Lincoln's cousin was a bitch. The girl was cute, hell she was beautiful, but that scowl could freeze oceans and Clarke had to wonder how anyone could have any fun with her sulking around the campfire like that. She'd slipped away at some point and taken her dark cloud of gloom with her, which Clarke was thankful for. She wasn't particularly in the mood for a party, but the girl had made it very hard to enjoy herself at all. Some of the bad mood had stuck around apparently, because when Clarke's watch beeped her alarm that the meteor shower was about to start and she found all of her friends already either passed out or making use of the tents for non sleeping purposes - (“Come on, Raven! Everyone can hear you! Jesus!”) she was left to trudge up the hill alone and grumbling to herself.
“Something on your mind?”
The question made Clarke nearly jump out of her skin. She stopped dead in her tracks, shutting her mouth with an audible click of her teeth to stop the string of expletives that threatened to replace the mutterings that brought her up to the top of the rise. She swept her light over the clearing to find her would be murderer.
Of course it was her.
“Just regretting my life choices.”
Clarke muttered and considered finding a different spot to watch from.
“I can go if…”
If what? She really wasn't sure. The girl seemed to be in a better mood from being alone, maybe she wanted to be left that way.
“Don't be stupid, this is the best view in the park and the next ridge over is a three mile hike and closed after dark. There's plenty of cliff for both of us.”
Clearly someone came here a lot. Clarke shrugged and perched herself on the fence that kept people away from the edge. It wasn't so much of a cliff as a not so gradual drop off, but it would still break your leg if you fell.
“Sorry if I uh…”
Clarke jumped again when the other girl's voice broke the silence that had fallen between them.
“I was kinda a bitch down there.”
She finished quickly, and Clarke was aware of her leaning on the fence near her now, her spot against the treeline abandoned.
“A bit.”
Clarke chuckled. At least she knew.
“I wasn't exactly prepared for a party, it was supposed to just be me and Lincoln, but, well, you know.”
“We kinda crashed your plans huh?”
She felt bad, she’d known how the plan had started, but it had never occurred to her that not everyone was on board.
“It's alright. I wasn't going to be much fun anyway, I'm glad Lincoln brought friends. I'm Lexa by the way. We weren't really introduced.”
She reached out a hand and Clarke blinked at it for a second before grabbing it for an awkward shake.
“Clarke. And I really only came for the show.”
She laughed and waved a wide arm at the stars. There were so many up here she could hardly find the familiar constellations in the clutter of them.
“Yeah, me too.”
Lexa agreed. Clarke heard the smile on her voice, but it was sad and it tore her eyes away from the sky because it was the quietest sadness and it was the kind that needed to be comforted. There was a sliver of the moon left, but it was enough to see Lexa school her face back to passively waiting for the lights to fall from the sky.
“You said you wouldn't be much fun… why?”
Maybe she shouldn't, but Clarke was never really great at impulse control. Lexa sighed and the exhale brought her shoulders down and she leaned a little heavier against the bars.
“My sister was a ranger here. This was kinda our thing. I wasn't going to…. My aunt made Lincoln bring me out here.”
Oh.
“Your sister…”
“Gone.”
It was a very final statement and Clarke nodded her understanding. That explained the mood.
“This was always the sort of thing I'd do with my dad. He's gone too.”
Lexa nodded solemnly, understanding exactly how important keeping up with the things you did with the people you've lost was, even if it was hard.
“Oh! Look!” Clarke pulled her eyes away from Lexa's now stoic face to see the first streak across the sky and pointed enthusiastically along the line it left for the briefest of moments before it was gone. The laugh threw her for a second and she looked back at a completely different Lexa. She was grinning now, not at the sky, but at her.
“Come off the fence, you're gonna fall flailing around like that.”
She offered a hand and Clarke took it, letting her help her back to the ground with a laugh of her own.
“I brought a blanket, if you want to share.” She offered hesitantly, like it was a question instead of an offer. Their hands stayed pressed together just a second longer than they needed to be for Clarke to get her balance again.
“That'd be cool. Thanks.”
Maybe she wasn't so bad after all. Clarke scolded herself for not giving her a chance before. She'd just jumped to the ‘bitch’ conclusion and left it at that.
They spread the blanket and found comfortable positions, shoulder to shoulder in opposite directions because really it wasn't a huge blanket and it was the best way to fit, and maybe it was nice to be close to someone while you watched the heavens fall. They settled into silence again when the giggles of trying to figure out how to fit onto their small patch of cozyness died away and the shower started in earnest.
“I'm glad I came out for this. Even if it wasn't according to plan”
Lexa said at last as she followed Clarke's finger across the sky, she had a slightly adorable habit of pointing out the larger groupings of meteors and Lexa had to grin.
“Me too. I'm glad I don't have to watch it alone, I was going to go to my uh…”
She trailed off as Lexa propped herself up on her elbow to look down at her.
“You're missing it.”
She poked insistently at her shoulder, more focused on the sky than whatever it was that made her new friend look away from it.
“I was going to miss it anyway, I'd rather watch you watch it. I'm just here for company. “
She laughed and pushed Clarke's prodding finger away.
“That's either really sweet or really creepy.”
Clarke noted dryly, though the blush and small smile on her lips said she took it as the former.
“Yeah, I didn't really think that sentence through very well. I just, well, you might be prettier than the stars.”
Lexa ducked her head, focusing on a loose thread on the blanket in embarrassment, unsure of what possessed her to say such a stupidly corny thing.
“Lexa…”
Clarke propped herself up as well, trying to pull Lexa's eyeline away from the ground.
“I just meant, uh, you know, watching people really enjoy something, you just kinda light up and it's really beautiful, and you can stop me at any time oh my god I'm gonna throw myself off the cliff I'm so embarrassed, please forgot this.” Lexa rushed to correct herself. She hazarded a glance up to see Clarke grinning at her and quickly closed her eyes and slammed her mouth shut mortified.
“Lexa. Hey, look at me.”
She looked and Clarke was grinning still but it was softer, less laughter and more understanding.
“You're fine. You're sweet.”
“But you're not into girls and I made it weird and-”
Lexa filled in the rest of what she knew was coming.
“Lexa.”
Clarke cut her off, catching her chin as she tried to look away again.
“You didn't make it weird. You're fine. You're kinda perfect actually. And for the record, I am into girls. Maybe even really cute, sweet ones that watch meteor showers with me and trip all over their words. Maybe.”
She slid her hand away from Lexa's chin and tapped her nose with a wink before settling back into her spot and training her eyes back on the lights in the sky. Lexa could only gape, jaw working to form words she couldn't find. She stared for a moment longer, knowing the smirk on Clarke's face wasn't from enjoying the meteors, but at her expense, probably for the stupid look she couldn't wipe from her own face but she loved it all the same.
“You gonna watch or are you still rebooting?”
Clarke flicked her eyes over to her and Lexa dropped back down to the blanket with a huff.
“Sorry, I normally don't get complimented when I make an ass of myself. Or flirted with for that matter. I'm just making sure I'm not dead.”
Clarke laughed softly and shifted closer, sliding down so that they were ear to ear and she could press a quick kiss to Lexa's cheek.
“Just watch the stars with me Lexa.”