Work Text:
Fanart by http://immochiball.tumblr.com/
“No Clarke I won't let you get a L- a Lexacoon tattoo.”
*A WEEK AGO*
'Love is weakness' had never sounded so true to Lexa. Each and every time she sneezed because of her dust filled sinuses she scolded her weak heart. She and all her nightbloods, Titus and probably a big part of Polis.
None of them, even less the Commander, were there to clean, after all.
Of course, Lexa had tried to dissuade her, tried to convince her that spring did not always involve a massive house cleaning but Clarke had offered her lover her best puppy eyes accompanied with a perfectly toned “We couldn't do that in space...” and the mighty Heda had lost.
And dragged her entire tower down with her.
As soon as she had received Lexa's approval, Clarke had started to give orders. She had walked into the nightbloods’ quarters' corridors like she owned the place with a large smile on her face, commanding the poor boys and girls to 'put order in their rooms'. Which, surprisingly, they did. Aden and the others, as well as Lexa, had learned months ago that no one disobeyed Clarke Griffin.
Not when she had an idea so stuck in her mind.
Polis had accepted her as Wanheda and Heda's partner, everyone knew how much of a great leader, how strong, mighty, courageous, bada- I mean, powerful but also caring and forgiving, fair and wise she was. What they didn't know, what they usually weren’t seeing was how bossy she could be when her mind was set on something.
Like that time she decided that the walls of their room would look better in red, or when she thought Aden's hair too long and almost shaved his head Titus' style, or when she discovered herself a devouring passion for Lexa's warpaint which ended in some kind of 'make-up atelier' for the nightbloods (more like Clarke spreading charcoal all over young warriors faces to be honest).
Those poor kids. So often were they her unfortunate victims. Though when it was them, it wasn't Lexa and... She would never admit it out loud of course but sometimes, she was glad Clarke's attention was on those children.
Anyway, an hour after the blonde had warned everyone, all furnitures were stored in the corridors while the rooms' floors were being swept, the bookcases ordered, the kitchens and bathrooms polished and the rats and other unwanted inhabitants, chased away. (Or killed. Depending on how angry Clarke was at them.)
From afar, people could probably believe the entire building was on fire from the alarming amount of dust escaping each and every breach and hole of its crackled walls. If towers could cough, this one would be choking and suffocating for sure.
Yes. That's how it started.
That's how Lexa found what she thought had disappeared and what she should have never shown to Clarke. Never.
An overwhelming warmth filled Lexa's chest when her hands reached the small metallic box hidden behind a counter in an old storage room. She took some time to look at it, admire it, weigh it, remember it, remember that day she hid it there. She brushed the dust off the cover with her hand before opening the mysterious vessel, not without effort due to the expected rust sealing the box closed.
Inside, she found all her old treasures, those remnants of the old world that she had managed to collect and protect from Anya's rule: “If it's not useful, you don't need it.” There were a few marbles, some with colorful S shaped lines in their middle, others entirely black with tiny dots of paint reminding lexa of a night sky, or else translucent ones with flashy glitters trapped inside the glass. There also was an old music box, a few pieces of paper, an object that books called a 'pen', a handkerchief with a very cute fawn and its friend the rabbit embroidered on it and-
“Commander if you want what I promised you for tonight you better help us.”
Lexa jumped at the overly sensual voice of her lover in her back, almost making her drop her precious discovery. The brunette gulped then turned around only to see Clarke smirk and wink and disappear in the corridor.
“C- Coming !” Lexa answered, closing the box and putting it in her backpack to bring it back to her room later.
* * *
“What's this ?” Clarke asked, taking the small box out of Lexa's bag at the foot of their bed.
Lexa shrugged and answered nonchalantly “A treasure box I had as a child.” If Clarke did not squeal, it wasn't far. A tiny noise of excitement escaped her and her grip on the cold object tightened. Her sparkling eyes left the box to seek Lexa's face. When she found those two beautiful grey eyes she used her trick. She took her most pleading expression, tucked her bottom lip between her teeth and let out a barely audible whine. At the blonde's apparently hard to repress smile, Lexa sighed, shaking her head “Yes, you can open it.”
Clarke's face lit up in an instant and she sat on the bed, resting her new found treasure on her lap. Carefully, she opened the box. She took in the global view of its content in complete awe and Lexa's chest warmed up at the sight. There was so much tenderness in Clarke's eyes the Commander's heart swelled big, as a lump formed in her dry throat, almost suffocating her. Besides Lexa, never had those useless items found such caring eyes to admire them this way. When her eyes started to prickle lightly, the brunette blinked and swallowed her feelings back before sitting next to her lover.
She reached out and took the marbles out. “I found a lot more like these but I lost them. Those were my favourites.” She put them on the furs behind her before taking out another object. “This is the only thing I have left of my parents.” She paused and took some time to trace the edges of the hand made articulate tiny warrior made of metal. She could still remember the day her father made it for her, right before they got separated before she entered the nightbloods training program. After a moment though, she put it behind her with the marbles. She took the music box out and held it between Clarke and herself. “Turn the handle.”
Clarke did as said and at the first notes her jaw dropped “It's a music box !”
Lexa nodded “I made it.”
The blonde turned to her with wide, surprised eyes “Really ?”
“Mhm. My dad was a blacksmith and taught me how to manipulate metal. One day I found what you call 'music box' but it got crushed by a horse. It took me a while but I managed to make another one.” Under Clarke's amazed gaze, Lexa felt her cheeks heat up. Averting her eyes, she added “It's not as good as the one I found though.”
A light, nice snort escaped the blonde and the Commander turned back to her, confused. Clarke shook her head and smiled. Delicately, she took the music box from Lexa's hand to put it with the other items behind them before turning back to the brunette. She rested a hand under her lover's chin, pulling her face to hers for a tender kiss. A moment later she pulled back and explained, “What you made is amazing Lexa.” The blonde's eyes returned to the box on her lap. “I love those.”
“Why ?” They were just old useless items a kid gathered an eternity ago after all.
Clarke shrugged, “It's your childhood. It's stories I had never heard before. I don't know, it's you.”
At that the woman melted on the spot. Clarke was caring, Clarke was beautiful, Clarke was perfect but most of all Clarke loved her. Lexa cupped the blonde's cheeks and kissed her with just a little bit too much force if the click of teeth was anything to go by. It was passionate but not as heated as what would come after they had finally cleaned themselves. If Clarke respected her promise of course. I mean, Lexa DID spend a day helping clean that damn tower.
Reluctantly, Lexa pulled back, realising again with a certain sadness that humans were in need of breathing. Or not, depending on whether they are enemies or allies.
The brunette's hands dropped back to her lap to uncover Clarke's slightly flushed cheeks. The blonde's blue eyes were sparkling with affection and corner of her lips pulled into a shy smile. “What was that for?”
Lexa smiled back “Just like that.”
“I wonder how your subjects would feel knowing just how much of a sap you are.”
“I am sorry Clarke, you will never get an answer to this question.”
Clarke grinned and placed a quick peck on Lexa's lips “Good.” before returning her attention to the marvels on her lap. She took out one of the few pieces of paper and unfolded it.
The action revealed what would earn Lexa arguments, scolds, desperate sighs, head shakes, slump of shoulders, a trip to the woods, a few heart attacks and a whole lot of knots in her back. But we're not there yet.
Clarke's eyes widened “What's this?”
“A drawing I found in a bunker when I was ten. I-” Lexa trailed off and scratched the back of her head in anticipated embarrassment “I thought it was cute so I kept it.”
“Cute?” Clarke asked, her bright blue eyes shifting between Lexa and the piece of paper. “It's adorable!”
Lexa smirked, snaking an arm around the blonde's waist “You can keep it if you want.”
“Really?”
“Mhm.” The brunette hummed in Clarke's neck “It's yours if...”
Clarke put the paper back where she found it and playfully she answered “If?”
“If-” Lexa nipped at Clarke's jaw “We finally bathe and you honour the promise you made to me.” The blonde squirmed out of Lexa's embrace and bent down to put the metallic box down on the floor only to turn to her lover entirely, bottom lip between teeth. Lexa rolled her eyes, failing at holding back a grin “Clarke I know you're not fond of bathing but I swear I could taste dust on your lips and sweat on your skin so go take a bath.” Lexa hoped that by making it an order, using her commander aura she'd win.
Not at all offended, Clarke smirked wider and instead of retaliating, she challenged, “Make me.”
* * *
When Lexa first moved, she groaned in pain but smiled, that kind of soreness in her body being, by far, her favourite. At the lack of weight on her chest, she rolled on her side and patted the supposed to be occupied space next to her. At the cold emptiness, her heart skipped a beat and her eyes snapped open “Clarke?”
“I'm here.”
At the seemingly alive, healthy and maybe even a little bit happy voice, Lexa relaxed, rubbing sleep off her eyes with her fists. “What are you doing there, so early?” she asked to the naked blonde girl sitting in the armchair with a sketchbook on her lap and charcoal in her hand.
Clarke smiled, her eyes meeting Lexa's “I'm drawing.”
The brunette snorted “I understood that much.” she lifted Clarke's half of the covers “Come back here, you'll catch a cold.”
The blonde rolled her eyes but stood, taking her sketchbook with her and letting the piece of charcoal on the armchair “It's summer Lexa.”
“Still.” Clarke slipped between the covers and sat, her back resting on their bed's headboard. Lexa sat closer to her and kissed her smeared in black shoulder before looking down at the sketchbook. When her eyes fell on the darkened paper her eyebrows shot up in surprise “What's this ?”
“Lexacoon.”
The commander pulled back a little to look at Clarke, brows furrowed “Lex- what?”
“Lexacoon. See, we call that animal a raccoon and, since it reminded me of you well...”
It was offensive. Highly offensive. Being compared to such- such an abomination of nature was- “In what way did that thing reminded you of me?” she asked, arms crossed on her chest and anger and hurt clear in her voice.
Clarke didn't pay it any attention though and just turned the pages of her sketchbook to find a portrait of Lexa in war gear. The Commander relaxed at seeing herself so fierce and proud and terrifying, glad to see that her efforts at making herself menacing weren't vain.
“Look.” Clarke said, alternating the pages between Lexa's portrait and the beast's doodle. “You see nothing? Nothing in common?”
Lexa thought and took time to truly compare the two. Unlike her portrait, the little furry, smiling thing was rather cute (for a koun that is). Lexa wasn't an animal, she didn't consider herself as a hairy woman, her hands were slender, she didn't have a tail nor did she had those tiny pointy ears. Wait no, Lexa did have tiny ears. Still unsure though she answered, “The ears?”
Clarke's eyebrows raised then furrowed and the Commander just knew she had said something dumb. “The ea- wait Lexa how did you even come to that conclusion ?”
“Random answer. Now tell me what do you think this horrible animal and I have in common ?”
The blonde sighed “Look around your eyes. You have the same mask.”
Suddenly it made sense. As Lexa was tracing the black of her war paint on her portrait and the dark fur around the animal's eyes, it made sense. How hadn't she realised that before!? How hadn't she realised that she could be associated to this disgusting being!? Lexa took a deep breath. It couldn't be that bad. I mean Clarke was a weirdo sometimes so with some luck, only her will have noticed-
“Aden helped me figure it out though.”
“Aden?!”
“Yeah, he and the other kids call you Heda Koun.”
Next, a heart attack, some cheer up speech from Clarke, another heart attack at the realisation that the nickname wasn't the kids' imagination's product but in fact, how her own people called her and morning sex. Because that's all Clarke found to keep her partner from completely losing it.
After their bath, Clarke and, begrudgingly, Lexa, returned to their massive activity: tower cleaning. Again, it took them the entire day and the mighty Commander almost died from asphyxia a few times. If her morning hadn't already killed her already that is.
Lexa was used to exhaustion. She was used to the ache in her muscles, the burning of a day of work out, training, war, riding or even se- s- specific exercising. But nothing, NOTHING compared with a day of Clarke barking orders and inspecting her work, making sure she did everything she asked. She reminded Lexa of Anya during training. But Clarke was worse. Because Clarke used the stick and carrot method. A method Anya had failed to understand entirely because her sticks were way too big and her carrots all atrophied. Unlike Clarke's. Clarke's carrots were the most appealing, the most mouth watering Lexa had ever dared to dream of. But oh how terrifying were her sticks, how frightening and menacing her threats were. Really Lexa had no choice but to obey her every order perfectly.
(Or so her masochistic mind liked to think because really Clarke's only weapon was to know perfectly how much of a sub Lexa is. But I'm digressing.)
She was a good leader though. She was giving orders but also dirtying her hands with her subjects. She was fighting by their side and Lexa was amazed. And terrified. Yeah in awe but scared, like when facing a panther without a weapon.
All of this explained why, at the end of the day, she felt like her body was dead and her soul had already went on its journey to find a new vessel.
“Come on Lexa, sit and eat, it'll give you energy.”
“How did you even had the force to cook after all you did... You arrived on earth only two years ago, how are you not tired ?”
Clarke shrugged with a smirk on her face “You worked well today.”
Confused, Lexa frowned hard, her poor neurones trying and failing at forming the required connections to just 'think.' “I don't understand.”
“I promised you things if you worked well. Things I too, am waiting for.” she winked at her lover before putting their plates on the table.
Lexa's only answer was a pleased “Oh.” and she suddenly felt less tired. She sat at the extremity of their table at her lover's left, glad to be able to share this moment with Clarke alone, which hadn't happened in two weeks. Yes she was glad until she brought a piece of cauliflower with her fork to her mouth only to let it fall back in sync with her jaw when her eyes, by some unexplained force, got irresistibly drawn to the candle rack on the wall in front of her.
Lexa shook her head, not sure if this was real and asked “Clarke, what's this?”
“Hm?” The blonde swallowed her way too big piece of cauliflower, coughed a few times before answering, all giddy “Ah you've noticed ! Cute isn't it ?”
Cute. The little Le- koun sculpture sitting next to her honey perfumed expensive candles was a lot of things but certainly not cute. Annoying, view spoiling, creepy, waste of time, useless, almost intimidating but not cute. But Lexa dropped it. She was too tired to argue. Well in fact she had some energy left but knew she'd better save it for later. “If you say so.”
And she returned to her cauliflowers.
Or not.
The devilish little thing on the rack was shamelessly looking at her eat from above and she had to remind herself really hard to 'Save your energy for the carrot, save your energy for the carrot!'
In the end, Lexa survived her dinner, managed to eat (though not without some kind of unease tugging at her insides) and made it to the morning (more exhausted than the day before making her reconsider this carrot and stick thing) and the first thing she did when she remembered how to use her legs was to run ( more wobbling but I've bruised our Commander's ego enough already ) to the kitchen to get rid of Clarke's demonic creation. (Get rid of meaning: putting it in a cupboard, hidden enough to forget its existence but still here, to give it back to Clarke if she ever asked for it one day. After throwing away the blonde's favourite but worn out T-shirt, Lexa knew better than to touch Clarke's stuff. Well not ALL of Clarke's stuff though... * sexual innuendo intended of course and if you wonder why this note even exist it is because I feared your mind wouldn't be dirty enough to get it. I mean it was too big, too good not to make that joke right ? As big and good as Clarke's- ok ok I'm shutting my mouth *).
* * *
It wasn't until the third day of cleaning that Lexa started to worry. It wasn't until she went to bed in a room which walls were covered in pieces of paper on which the now familiar but still highly annoying beast was drawn. But they weren't simple charcoal doodles anymore, they seemed to be telling stories. Stories. Drawn stories. That was new. And creative and really Lexa would appreciate the idea if the hero of those- those- Hmm what do you call that? Pictured stories? Anyway, she didn't like the fact that the main character was this koun. And she would never admit it out loud but she was kind of jealous. Her face or hands or even ass used to be pinned to the walls- wait, no, let me rephrase, DRAWINGS of her face or hands or even ass used to be pinned to the walls, obvious proof of Clarke's love for her but now ? Now the blonde's attention seemed to be oriented on this evil grey thing.
“Clarke, really, why? Why are you so passionate about this ridiculous koun?”
The blonde smirked “What's wrong Commander? Jealous of a fictional raccoon?”
Lexa blushed ( I said she wouldn't say it out loud, never said she wouldn't SHOW it ) and cleared her throat “I am not jealous. Of anything or anyone.”
Clarke raised an unconvinced eyebrow “Sure.” Lexa was about to argue and the blonde, though enjoying to tease her Commander above everything else, decided to cut her some slack for once. “Look, it's the last one I did.”
Clarke gave Lexa a piece of paper and, fearing the worse, the brunette dared to look at it. Her mouth opened in surprise at what was on the page. It was he- I mean, the koun, seated on her throne proudly, looking all fierce and intimidating. And Lexa had to admit it to herself, this drawing pleased her more than the others. She wouldn't tell Clarke though, because it would only serve to encourage her and if there is one thing Clarke didn't need, it was encouragement.
“Say, Lexa...” the blonde, now standing behind the Commander, asked in a sweet, velvety voice that Lexa knew would soon ask for a favour. “Can I ask you a favour ?” Wait, THAT fast !?
Lexa growled deep in her throat already knowing she would regret she ever asked, “What favour?”
Clarke slipped her arms around the girl's waist, one hand crawling up to rest on Lexa's ribcage under her left breast and the other trailing down to her right hip. Lexa gulped, feeling Clarke's amazing boobs press in her back and the blonde's hot breath on her right ear. But then she remembered that all of this, those delicious, appealing promises of more were just Clarke's way to blackmail her. She straightened her back and cleared her throat “Clarke...” she warned “What is this favour ?”
She felt Clarke tense a little and knew the girl had understood that she wouldn't be fooled. “Can you take me to the bunker where you found the raccoon doodle?”
A long, heavy, exhausted sigh escaped Lexa's mouth and she asked “You want to know if others are left is that it ?”
The blonde nodded against her back and asked in a small voice “Please...”
Lexa rolled her eyes “It's in the nearby forest. I'll take you there tomorrow morning. Now let's bathe and go to bed. We still have cleaning to finish.” The brunette gently unwrapped Clarke's arms from around her waist and stepped out of her embrace. She turned around, smiled softly and pecked Clarke's lips before heading to the bathroom, discarding her clothes in her way. It was an invitation to take a bath together that Clarke couldn't refuse.
*THE NEXT MORNING*
It hadn't taken long for them to reach the tiny bunker in an abandoned small patch of forest at the edge of Polis. They had to force the door open though which earned Lexa a small cut on her palm. A cut Clarke had attended to with much more concern than necessary, staining her blue shirt in black. At least it matched the charcoal on her face and hands and cleavage, Lexa thought. Indeed the girl had woken up early in the morning today too, only to draw more of those kouns. Lexa didn't understand what the point was but it seemed to make her lover happy so she let it happen.
Inside the bunker had obviously been pillaged, and not a lot was left. Still, the blonde started to rummage through the mess of papers and broken things with a smile. Lexa wondered suddenly if Clarke didn't just like it, playing with dusty things. She grimaced at the thought. That would be gross.
Out of boredom, Lexa followed her lover in her search of more original drawings of little kouns. She wasn't as serious in her task as Clarke though. She just let her feet carry her in the small bunker, only really searching when she passed by a box or a piece of furniture containing old papers. At some point her attention concentrated on a shelf on which were piled a few books. She picked one randomly and opened it. She read a few lines : “ The sky Princess then crouched next to the Commander of the grounders to attend to the injury the strong leader had earned in her flee from the enormous gorilla that had been chasing them .”
Lexa frowned at how familiar it sounded though she couldn't quite remember where she had heard that story before. She was about to ask Clarke when she noticed the corner of a piece of paper appearing from between the pages of the book. And Lexa, like any other curious human being, did what she should never have. She took out the piece of paper, unfolded it and her jaw dropped in surprise. The golden animal on the page looked almost cute but most of all, familiar. This time though, Lexa managed to identify what, or more exactly who, that drawing was reminding her of. Lexa grinned mischievously and turned to Clarke “I found you.” she said proudly, walking in the crouched girl direction.
Brow furrowed, Clarke's face slowly tilted up to look at the woman now standing in front of her “Lexa I swear to god if it's another pick up line...” she warned.
Lexa just rolled her eyes with a sigh, slightly wounded “You love my pick up lines.” she mumbled intelligibly enough for Clarke not to decipher her words.
The blonde raised to her feet, glaring “Lexa, you know I hate it when you-”
“Look.” Lexa cut her, bringing the paper up between their faces “It's you.”
Clarke took the page and lowered it to have a better look. The wariness on her face disappeared in an instant when her eyes fell on the drawing. A smile stretched her lips “That's so cute! Wait is that me?”
Lexa returned the girl's smile, “Yes.” she moved to stand on Clarke's side, slipping a hand on the blonde's hip. “You have the same fur.” Lexa was obviously referring to Clarke's golden hair, so similar to the cute animal's mane. Especially in the morning when the girl's knotted hair took an amazing volume.
Clarke blushed a little “I don't have fur.” she said in a small pouting voice, narrowing her eyes.
For a moment Lexa wondered what could have caused such a reaction but she clarified, “You are right. You have beautiful golden hair.”
“I'm not hairy !” she said, vexed.
Lexa's brows furrowed in confusion, apparently not following the girl's train of thoughts. And then it clicked. Then she remembered the weird Skaikru custom that Clarke persisted in accomplishing every so often. The brunette had tried of course, in a lot of different manners, to tell her lover that the hair on her body wasn't a problem for her, and shouldn't be a problem at all, that it was natural, that this “ritual” was just useless and time consuming. But Clarke insisted that shaving her legs and armpits was the minimum and that she HAD to do it. It seemed so important to her that once Lexa even asked if it was necessary for herself to “get rid of her fur,” a question to which Clarke answered by a very sure “NO!” followed by long explanations of how it wasn't important, plunging Lexa in another ocean of incomprehension. She hadn't pushed further, though, understanding that this was probably a lost fight.
Lexa just sighed “You have the same mane. When you wake up.”
Clarke's brows raised a little and an understanding “Oh.” escaped her. Quickly her eyes returned to the paper in her hands, her head tilting down, in a vague attempt at masking the furious blush of her cheeks with her 'mane'. “I guess.” she added for good measure and Lexa just smirked and fondly kissed the girl's temple.
And something happened. Clarke's expression shifted from embarrassed to mischievous. She cleared her throat and grinned. “Do you know what that animal is?”
“It exists?”
“Well I don't know if it still exists but it existed for sure. It's called a lion. Well the male is called the lion. The female was called lioness. See, lions social structure was very peculiar. A single male reigned on a large group of females, ready to satisfy him and provide him with food. They were the ones hunting while the lion was there only to produce offsprings and to protect his females from threats or other males.”
Lexa had always been amazed at Clarke's knowledge about things from the earth, about the old world despite being born in a world where none of this existed. In awe she said, “It is very interesting. He was kind of like a leader then.”
Clarke grinned wider and something close to fear and regret tugged at Lexa's insides. She knew something was coming and not the good kind of coming. ( HAH ! Too many paragraphs without sexual innuendo. You missed it, I know you did, don't lie .)
“Kind of,” Clarke continued, “He was the strongest, so strong people used to called this animal 'the king of the animal reign.' They looked like very big golden panthers and had another particularity. Guess how we could differentiate a male from a female.”
How could Lexa possibly guess that ? A minute ago she didn't even know what a 'lion' was. So to dumb question, dumb answer “He has a crown ?”
It earned the brunette a way too calculated, wolfish chuckle “Not so far. See people used to say that a lion's mane was like his crown.” Clarke paused to let Lexa the time to process the information. When she felt her Commander retract her arm and pull back, Clarke smirked and fully turned to her, catching Lexa's gaze. She looked confused and Clarke could feel just a little bit of offence at her implication. But it was still just an implication, one she had to clarify. “That's right. This adorable animal on the page is a lion. A male lion. So you just admitted that I am both the male and leader of our relationship.”
Lexa's jaw dropped in utter shock. Clarke giggled and ran to the exit of the bunker “Clarke wait I did not know it was a lion!” Lexa said after a moment but the blonde was already out but her laugh still audible indicated that she was still close so the Commander ran after her desperately explaining “Clarke! I didn't know what a lion is!”
I could mention the alarming amount of ships involving Clarke, giving her a fictional harem but... Yeah it didn't fit anywhere so I'll just leave it here...
* * *
Six days. It had taken them six days to clean all the used parts of the tower. And it had taken the same amount of time for Lexa to convince Clarke cleaning the unoccupied rooms wasn't necessary. In any case, it was finished and everyone was broken. Well everyone but the blonde of course. God only knows where she found all that energy. If she knew how to fight she'd be the best warrior ever. Which, according to Lexa, could be a bad idea. Clarke's words were so powerful already, she didn't need to have the physical strength too. And she wouldn't need Lexa to protect her anymore which would be a disaster.
Since everyone was tired, Lexa had decided to let her people (and herself) take a break and rest. Most of her warriors had left to return to their homes and only the minimum of her servants were left to assure simple tasks like bringing hot water or taking care of the elevator.
It felt weird to walk down those normally crowded corridors. She could hear the sound of her boots on the floor resound everywhere around her and while it should've felt lonely, it was more relaxing for Lexa. The perfect calm and silence weren't the morbid remnant of a battle but the proof that peace had finally settled somewhere. It felt good to know her people and her warriors in security with their families and she wished that one day, she wouldn't need warriors at all. A lot called her an idealist, a dreamer but without that, without this hope that had her stand and walk all these years, she would probably be dead by now. She would've ran away.
Young, stifled laughs dragged her out of her dark thoughts. It was coming from her throne room. A room in which nobody should be if she was not present. She wasn't mad though. It's not like she liked this place anyway.
Silently, she made her way to the massive door that had been left wide open. Discreetly she peeked inside and really she should have expected what she saw. At the view of her nightbloods sitting on the ground, gathered around Clarke, a soft sigh escaped her lips. Sure Lexa had repeated a lot that the blonde was spoiling them, in all the meanings of the word, but she couldn't help but love it. Always this sight would fill her chest with a warmth nothing else could bring her. A warmth that a dark sting accompanied, a sting she could ignore most of the time. This scene, this smile on Clarke's face whenever a kid had the good idea to look at her, Lexa would never be the cause of it. Lexa would never be able to give Clarke what she wan-
“Oh Lexa, you're here?” The brunette shook her head and forced herself to go back to reality. A reality in which Clarke was hiding something in her back with an embarrassed blush and shy smile on her face, surrounded by accomplices, giggling kids. And it didn't smell good.
Wary, Lexa frowned and asked “What are you hiding Clarke ?”
“N- Nothing.”
The Commander turned to her best hope, her favourite kid. “Aden.” The poor boy's smile dropped and he gulped, his eyes jumping from Lexa to Clarke then back to Lexa, split between his two moth- I mean leaders. “Aden...” Lexa warned and the kid stood.
“Heda, Wanheda was- was- she-”
Now Lexa was pissed. What in hell had Clarke possibly been doing for Aden to protect her this way. “Say it !” she ordered.
“Stop being mad at the kid Lexa, it's between you and me !” Clarke stood too, eyes burning in anger.
“He is my nightblood, he owes me obedience.”
“I asked him not to say anything, I'm responsible !”
“Oh, so if Roan asks him not to tell me something he should listen? It doesn't matter if it was his decision or not, he should never hide something from me.”
The tension was high now and the poor kids had all gathered in a corner of the room, some enjoying the show, others praying for it to end and Aden trembling from head to toe. First he feared for himself of course but he had never seen Clarke and Lexa fight on personal matters before. He was afraid Heda and Wanheda would split and it was out of the question.
“I am sorry ok? Don't fight!” the boy had stepped between his mo- his leaders. Turning to Lexa he explained “We asked Clarke to teach us how to draw Lexacoon. It was supposed to be a surprise.” at that he threw a sheepish look to Clarke before clearing his throat and continued, “We wanted to draw the legend of the Heda and how you met with Wanheda. I am sorry I didn't answer you but it was supposed to be a surprise...”
Probably expecting a hurricane, Aden closed her eyes tightly. Lexa had no idea how to process that. The kids had been so worked up for a few drawings? Why didn't they say so right away ? Helpless, she looked at Clarke. The blonde seemed to be in the same state of mind, if her raised eyebrows were anything to go by.
“I- Um...” Clarke started “Is that why you wanted to learn? To make a surprise for Lexa ?” she asked the boy who nodded once, eyes still shut and body tense. The blonde threw a look at the other kids and earned the same guilty eyes and shy nods. She turned to Lexa with the same face that earned her so many 'yes' and 'fine' and 'as you wish' but Lexa wouldn't fall for it this time.
“Wha- No ! I can't forgive insubordination so easily!”
“But he is a child! They wanted to make you a surprise! To PLEASE you!”
Lexa was pissed beyond measure but she had shown mercy to criminals before, she thought her people wouldn't appreciate if she was so hard with a child. She sighed, trying to let out as much of her anger as she could in this breath “Show me.” She nodded to the papers in Clarke's hand and the blonde timidly handed them to the Commander. Aden was now looking at her with eyes full of expectations, worry, fear and guilt entirely forgotten. Curious, Lexa turned to the other kids that had mysteriously gathered around Clarke again and she found on their faces that same awaiting expression. She swallowed hard, suddenly feeling a weird kind of pressure on her shoulders.
Slowly her eyes left the strange crowd in front of her to look at the sheets in her hands. The doodles are not as perfectly done as Clarke's but she could recognize the koun and lion. On one page the koun is playing with candles, on another one it sits on its throne, in another the lion is cleaning (Lexa smiled at this one) and finally her eyes fall on what must be Aden's drawing because the poor boy felt the urge to say “It- It's not finished yet...”
When she understood what it was about, she choked on her breath. On the paper were the two animals and the lion had it snout on the blushing koun's cheek, above them a surprisingly cute heart was floating. Lexa lost all her resolve when she looked back at Aden who's cheeks were so flushed they must have burnt. Again Lexa sighed but this time it was way softer. She organized the papers, then folded them all together (earning a few gasps) before putting them all in the back pocket of her pants. “I'm keeping these.” she said, trying to appear as detached as she could “You can do as you wish just never lie to me even if it's for something trivial.” Bypassing Aden she quickly stroked his head before continuing her way out of the room. When she reached the doorway, she stopped and without turning back she added “Or hide it better.” and then she hurried to disappear before the little group could see the red in her exposed neck and ears.
*LATER*
“So ? You stealing kids drawings now ?” Clarke asked, entering her bedroom.
“I didn't steal them, I took them.” Lexa answered, now faking reading a book.
“Isn't that the same thing ?”
“They deserved to be punished for lying to me.” Lexa justified herself with a grunt, her eyes leaving her book to look at her smirking lover.
Clarke rolled her eyes “Where are they ?” Lexa nodded in her metallic box's direction which place was now on their dresser. The blonde's eyebrows shot up “You kept them in your box ?”
The Commander shrugged “I couldn't find a better place. I didn't want them to be either torn or crushed or-” at a loud snort and failed attempt at stifling a laugh Lexa stopped mid-sentence and blushed furiously “I- I kind of like them, so what ? And they were for me anyway right? It is kind of a present and in my culture you don't throw presents away.”
Clarke only laughed louder which annoyed Lexa so much she got out of bed and started redressing, discarding nightclothes for pants and top. At her partner's glare, Clarke sobered.
“Lexa wait.” she said, walking to the brunette, “I wasn't mocking you.”
“Oh no? And what were you doing then? Because it sounded like mockery to me.”
Clarke sighed and Lexa let her approach. The blonde slipped her arms around her lover's waist “I thought it was cute that the big bad Commander can be touched this way by something so innocent. I'm happy because when we met, you would've never allowed yourself something like that.”
Lexa hugged Clarke back, trying and failing at being mad, smiling instead. “You made me weak.”
“I made you human.” Clarke whispered before kissing the woman's jaw.
* * *
Lexa liked tattoos but the making process was definitely not her favourite activity in the world. Her tanned skin was rather hard, made resistant and calloused by years of training and wearing heavy armors, that is true but it didn't save her from the horrible tingle of the inked needle into her flesh.
Clarke and Lexa were both heading to the brunette's tattooist when finally the blonde asked THE question. Again. Indeed, since the moment the girl had known about Lexa's new upcoming tattoo, she had been pleading her partner to let her get a tattoo too. She wanted either matching ones or...
“No clarke I won't let you get a L- a Lexacoon tattoo.”
“But it's so cute! I want Aden's where the lion kisses the raccoon!”
Lexa hissed as the needle of her tattooist touched a sensitive spot. It took her a minute to lower her anger before she could respond, as calmly and distinctly as she could despite the man working on the inner side of her right forearm. “Clarke listen, tattoos are not for fun or to be pretty or cute or- They are marks we shall bear for the rest of our lives, they have to mean something.”
Clarke rolled her eyes but smirked “I promise to give up on this Lexacoon idea if you accept to get the matching ones I talked about earlier.”
“Clarke, I just said-”
“It would have a meaning !” Clarke almost shouted, surprising both her partner and the man who's needle was hanging in the air, dripping ink on Lexa's forearm. Aware of her exaggerated reaction, the blonde calmed down “Sorry. I didn't mean to shout. But I'm serious. If you don't want those matching ones that you won't let me tell you about, then I'll get a Lexacoon tattoo. And if your tattooist here doesn’t want to do it, I will find someone who will agree.”
The word tattooist reminded Lexa of where she was and why she was here and had her wonder why her forearm had stopped stinging. She turned to the man who apparently enjoyed the show and cleared her throat. She threw him a glare and earned a satisfying 'Sorry Heda.' As the man used a rug to clean the ink from her arm, Lexa took a deep breath. It is true that she hadn't let Clarke the time to explain what those 'matching tattoos' would be. She also decided that nothing could be worse than any of those koun or lion on her lover's body. Lexa knew Clarke well and she knew that if the girl said she'd find a way to get the tattoo she want, she WILL find it and she WILL get what she wants.
“Fine. What do you want us to bear ?”
Clarke stifled a squeal and grinned widely before answering simply “Rings.”
Lexa furrowed “Rings ?”
“Wait.” the blonde said, taking a piece of paper from under her belt. “Here.” She unfolded it and showed it to Lexa. On the sheet were drawn two bands of intricate patterns, one in big as a model, the other small to show its real life size. All of it was precise and elegant, the patterns reminding Lexa of the Commander's tattoo. It was good looking and discreet, also easy to hide. But the brunette couldn't agree. Not yet.
“Meaning?”
“Um...” Clarke's cheeks turned a nice shade of red and it turned a switch inside Lexa. Suddenly, whatever the blond wasn't telling her, she wanted to hear it.
“Leave us.” she ordered to the man who just bowed and exited the small hut. “Tell me. What is it?”
Scratching a probably imaginary itch at the back of her head, Clarke answered, eyes everywhere but on Lexa “Well, we've been together officially for a year now and... Life is dangerous down here and we probably won't live very long and- No wait! That's not what I mean! I mean, we don't have time to lose right ? We're just humans after all and-”
And that's when Lexa stopped listening. She knew that behaviour. She knew that when Clarke was nervous she tended to rant, losing what she wanted to say in a flow of words put in a weird order.
“Just say it Clarke.”
The blonde grunted in protest and opened her mouth to talk again but a single head shake from Lexa stopped her. “Fine.” Clarke took a few steps forward and fell on her knees in front of a very curious but confused Lexa and took the brunette's hand in hers. “Lexa, I love you.”
The Commander smiled and leant down to press her lips on her lover's forehead in a quick but tender peck “I love you too Clarke. But what does this have to do with tattoos ?”
“Will you marry me ?”
Lexa's heart skipped a beat as an old legend from the old world came back to her mind only to burn her cheeks. “What do you mean?”
“In my culture, when you swear fealty to someone as lovers it is called a marriage and you seal the pact with a metal ring. But I remember what you said once about rings and bracelets being either bothers in battle or possible poison container so I gave up until you mentioned tattoos the other day and... Yeah.”
If you could die of embarrassment, Lexa would probably be dead, buried and decomposed by now. She hadn't thought about it twice when she knelt before Clarke. She hadn't thought about it because it happened so fast, was so uncalculated and honest it surprised herself beyond measure but with the distance now she could see what this could've appeared to be for Clarke. Rings put aside it could've looked like the perfect marriage proposal she had heard from Abby that time, in an attempt at bonding, Lexa had asked about the ring the woman was wearing at her neck. Mortified, Lexa was reliving the moment under an entirely different angle.
Though, as cute as Clarke thought the woman was when her face was such a rare shade of pink, time was passing and, even if the blonde had no doubt about Lexa's answer, the wait was still nerve wrecking.
“Um, Lexa ?”
“Yes.” the brunette answered, eyes boring into Clarke's more serious than ever.
“Yes what ?”
* * *
Lexa woke up with a content sigh that morning. The evening before had been perfect. Clarke seemed beyond happy and even promised to stop getting overboard with the koun. She had made dinner and fed Lexa. They had cuddled and made out a big part of the night before falling asleep like two kids.
What were you expecting ? They are not rabbits, I can't have them doing it EVERY NIGHT you know ? What do you mean I can ? Tsss you perv. Fine, let's rephrase.
Lexa woke up with a content sigh that morning. The evening before had been perfect. Clarke seemed beyond happy and even promised to stop getting overboard with the koun. She had made dinner and fed Lexa before taking her own meal in their bedroom. Bedroom in which a devilish Clarke had decided to try out the game of 'Lexa is a pillow princess tonight'. Why a game? Because the rule was don't move, don't touch, don't talk and while Lexa found it easy in her daily life, in bed with Clarke it was the hardest task on earth. But she had just got a massive tattoo on her forearm and a little still stinging on her left hand! It had been for her own good! ( And Clarke's amusement but shhh ).
In any case, it had been a good evening, a good night and today was a good morning for sure. Lexa could hear the water in the bathroom and Clarke's voice humming some unknown air meaning that the girl was bathing. Without Lexa having to ask her to do so.
What a great day.
Slowly, the Commander got out of her slumber and after a moment, she sat up to stretch. Noticing an angry blue love bite on her inner wrist, Lexa smiled then decided to count how many her body now sported. With a soft smile she looked down at her chest and...
She found hickeys of course. But she found two other weird things. She frowned, stood in one swift movement and ran to her mirror. On her breast, kissing her nipple, was drawn a little lion. Next to it, on Lexa's sternum, was a mini Titus with a gun, aiming at the scar his real bullet let there a year and half ago while an angry little lion was breakin a huge sledgehammer on his bald scalp. Lower was a tiny koun washing its paws in Lexa's bellybutton. On the woman's inner thigh was a lion seemingly gripping at her flesh, as if not to fall. A koun playing with the lion's tail were drawn on Lexa's hips.
Fumbling, Lexa, fearing the worst, turned around and looked at her back.
From her lower back to her right shoulder blade, a grey and white painted tail was extending with a few words written on Lexa's buttcheek : 'to go with the mask'.
Lexa took a deep breath and shouted as loud as she could “CLAAAARKE!”
That day Clarke received the scold of the century, The tower, the fright of its long existence, and Polis, the confirmation that an angry Heda was a scary Heda.