Chapter Text
Lexa awoke to the sound of waves lapping gently against the side of the boat. Her arms rose upwards and she stretched out across the bed, letting out a quiet contented sigh as her eyes fluttered open and she waited for the sleepy haze to clear. She lay there for a few more seconds before forcing herself to sit up, grabbing her phone from her bedside table to check it. One message from Anya, but that was nothing out of the ordinary. She often woke to texts from her adopted sister, always sent at some ridiculous hour – usually they were pictures of whichever place Anya was exploring at the time, and this time was no different. Lexa clicked on the message and it opened to reveal a couple of stunning photos of The London Eye, all artsy filters and hipster angles. So Anya.
Lexa typed back a quick message made up of lots of heart-eye emojis and some smiley faces, before tossing her phone onto her pillow and forcing herself out of the warm bed and into the chill cabin air. She stumbled over to the counter top and flicked on the kettle, then tiptoed down the tiny corridor and into the bathroom. Her morning routine was effortless for her now – pee, brush teeth, shower, brush hair (even though she always ended up just shoving it up into a messy bun), get dressed, then grab a piece of fruit for her walk to work.
Not that it was a very long walk to the Polis Sea Life Rehabilitation Center; living on a boat had its perks, and being tethered to a dock that was only a minute’s walk away from the marine hospital was definitely one of them.
She arrived at the center minutes later, shooting a smile at the employees who were opening up the ticket offices before going round to the back and letting herself in through the staff entrance.
“Morning, Lexa.”
“G’mornin’, Gus,” she spoke around a mouthful of banana, swallowing the last bite before walking over to her boss, who was lazily skimming over the newspaper that was draped across his lap. “Everything okay?”
Gus let out a grunt as his eyes continued roving across the page. Lexa smiled and patted him once on the arm before making her way towards the door on the other side of the room, that led out into the main part of the center that was open to the public. This was one of Lexa’s favourite moments of the day – waiting to join the hustle and bustle of the crowds that would soon start filling the walkways, seeing the joy on kid’s faces when they saw their favourite sea animals and watching them gasp with wide eyes when they were told about all of the amazing work that was done there at Polis.
That was one of Lexa’s jobs – leading educational talks on what Polis did for the animals and why it was important that they help the animals but not keep them in captivity once they were recovered. There was a time when she was worried that Polis would become a capitalist marine park, when a rich entrepreneur named Cage Wallace came sniffing around and wouldn’t stop trying to convince them to sell him the center and let him transform it into a money-making attraction. But Gus point-blank turned him down, saying that any money the center made was used only to help rehabilitate and then release the animals that they rescued, and to pay the employees who devoted their time and hearts to the cause. Lexa smiled as she remembered the way Gus had stood his ground, refusing to be swayed by Cage’s numerous attempts at bribery. Polis had felt like a home to her for so long now, she didn’t know what she would’ve done if it had been turned into some corporate hellhole.
“Earth to Lexa!”
Lexa jumped, dropping the hose that she’d forgotten she was holding. It landed on the concrete with a loud clatter and sent a spray of water cascading up into her face.
“Damn it, Murphy!”
The skinny boy was doubled over with laughter, his hair falling into his eyes as he straightened up with a wide grin on his face.
“It’s not funny. You scared me.”
Lexa tried to keep the sternness in her voice as water dripped down her cheeks, but Murphy was smiling and she couldn’t help but laugh along with him.
“Okay, okay, laugh it up,” she grinned, shoving him playfully before reaching over to shut off the hose. “You won’t be laughing when I push you in with the sharks.”
“Ouch, that was harsh.” He held his hand over his heart and feigned being in pain, dropping to his knees before flopping onto his back, legs stuck up in the air like a dead bug.
“You’re such an idiot, Murphy.”
“That’s why we’ve been friends for so long, Woods.”
“No, we’ve been friends for so long because I was the only person with you when you got stung by a jellyfish four years ago and having to pee on someone is an experience that creates a very special bond between friends. Plus I just can’t seem to get rid of you no matter what I do, so at this point I’ve just accepted that I’m stuck with you for life.”
“Smartass.”
“I think you mean ‘great ass’”, Lexa smirked, chuckling as Murphy rolled his eyes while he stood and turned to walk towards the dolphin enclosure.
“Don’t forget you’re on sea turtle duty today!” he called over his shoulder. “And I’ll see you at twelve-thirty for lunch!”
She waved a hand in the air even though he couldn’t see her then bent to wind up the hose, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear before dragging her sleeve across her forehead. It wasn’t even 9am yet and it was already sweltering, but Lexa didn’t mind because sea turtle duty included physical therapy for the turtles with damaged flippers, which gave her a brilliant excuse to jump into the water and cool off.
At least, that’s what she was planning on doing when she walked across the park and entered the sea turtle habitat. What she wasn’t expecting was to see someone already in there – someone who wasn’t dressed in the Polis’ uniform and who definitely shouldn’t have been knee deep in the water and surrounded by injured turtles.
Lexa raced around the viewing area and hastily flung open the security gate, striding over to the turtle pool which the intruder was currently standing in the middle of as she gazed down at the turtles swimming lazily around her.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?!”
The trespasser’s head snapped up, panic in her sky blue eyes. She tried to turn and run, but the floor of the pool was slippery and she lost her footing, falling face-first into the shallow water. A smirk tugged at Lexa’s lips as she watched the blonde flounder for a moment.
Then, with a loud sigh and a roll of her eyes, she stepped over the low pool wall and waded over to the flailing woman, grabbing one of her arms before helping her to her feet.
“Alright, okay, I’ve got you.”
The woman spluttered and shook as Lexa pulled her over to the wall and helped her out of the pen, wrenching herself free from Lexa’s grip as soon as she was on stable land. Lexa simply stood and stared with her arms crossed over her chest, eyebrows narrowed in her best ‘disappointed’ frown.
“Care to explain?”
The blonde crossed her own arms over her chest, mirroring Lexa’s stance and sticking out her chin in what Lexa assumed was meant to be a defiant gesture. It was more cute than intimidating, especially when she was soaked from head to toe, but Lexa wasn’t about to say that out loud.
“Take that as a no, then.”
Still, the intruder said nothing.
“Well, you have to come with me,” Lexa sighed, already desperate to unload this onto Gus so she could get back to her job before the gates opened and the place was filled with people.
The blonde simply nodded in resignation, seeming to deflate as she followed Lexa out of the shady turtle habitat and into the glaring sunshine. Minutes later and they were standing in Gus’ office, Lexa looking pointedly at the woman like a teacher about to berate a naughty child.
“Gus, hey.”
He swivelled around in his chair, looking up from the thick binder he’d been flicking through moments ago.
“Lexa, what’s up?”
Lexa’s chin raised slightly, her jaw set in a firm line.
“Well, I went into the turtle habitat for a routine check, but then I found…” Lexa’s words faded out as she looked at the blonde, hand waving uselessly in her direction. “Um, what’s your name?”
“Clarke. Clarke Griffin.”
She shuffled from one foot to the other as her eyes darted nervously between Gus and Lexa.
“Am I in trouble? Look, I know I shouldn’t have gone in there and I know it’s against the rules but I wasn’t trying to hurt them or anything, it’s just that I just moved here from New York and I’ve never seen a turtle in real life before and…”
Clarke trailed off as Gus and Lexa stared at her, Lexa’s face set in a frown while Gus looked marginally amused.
“Please don’t call the police.”
Lexa could hear the desperation in Clarke’s voice and she felt her resolve waver.
“Look, I didn’t think anyone was going to be around and I was only going to stay in there for a minute or so, if you hadn’t found me then you wouldn’t have even known that I was in there so technically you could just pretend that this never happened–”
Gus held up one hand to silence Clarke’s rambling.
“Lexa?”
Her piercing green eyes met his steady gaze.
“What do you think? Should we call the cops? Or should we let her off the hook?”
Lexa’s eyes flicked over to Clarke, who was watching her intently, her bottom lip caught between her teeth.
“Neither.”
Gus raised one eyebrow, motioning for Lexa to continue.
“We’ll make a compromise. We won’t call the police–”
Clarke let out a sigh of relief.
“–if you work for us – as an unpaid volunteer, of course – for, let’s say… three months?”
Lexa looked to Gus, who nodded approvingly.
Clarke was also nodding, albeit with noticeably less confidence.
“Okay then. Problem solved,” Gus said, scratching at his left bicep which was covered in thick black tribal tattoos. “Go on then. Get to work, you two.”
Lexa froze. “What?”
“Well, you’re the one who found her and came up with the idea. I figured you might as well be the one she works with.”
Lexa fought back the eye-roll that she was desperate to direct at Gus. Instead, she plastered a smile onto her face, knowing that Gus was a pretty reasonable boss most of the time and that he’d been good to her over the years, so she should do this for him without complaining.
“Sure thing, boss.”
“Atta girl. Oh, and grab Miss Griffin a uniform from the lost and found.”
Lexa nodded once before heading into a room off to the side of the main staff room, returning with the regulation navy blue shirt-and-shorts combo that all Polis employees had to wear.
“These should fit you.”
“Thanks.”
Lexa heard the wobble in Clarke’s voice and knew she was still reeling from the shock of things not going at all how she’d expected. A sliver of sympathy squeezed around her heart and she gave Clarke a small smile as she led her over to the staff toilets.
“You can change in here. Give me your stuff when you’re done and I’ll put it in a locker for you, and your wet clothes can go in the drier over there.”
Clarke gave Lexa a shaky smile as she took the clothes and retreated into one of the cubicles, shutting the door softly behind her. Lexa heard the quiet click of the lock sliding into place, then walked back out into the main room where Gus was now watching the security cameras.
“I really should’ve seen her sneak in, y’know.”
“I’m surprised you notice anything considering your head is always buried in some book,” Lexa teased, perching on the desk beneath the array of monitors that lined the wall. “Anyway, it’s not a big deal. Like she said, she wasn’t actually doing anything. Just another overzealous admirer wanting to get up close and personal with the turtles.”
Gus shot Lexa a knowing look.
“Oh, don’t start, Gus.”
He held up his hands in mock-surrender. “What?!”
“You know what.”
“I didn’t even say anything.”
“You didn’t have to.”
Gus’ chest puffed as he let out a laugh. “I’m just saying, there was once a time when a tiny girl with wild frizzy hair came marching up to me and demanded to work with the turtles and you were so determined and stubborn that I didn’t have the heart to say no.”
This time Lexa allowed the eye-roll to happen, flicking Gus’ ear despite the smile that was pulling at the corners of her mouth.
“You’re never going to let me forget that, are you?”
“Not a chance.”
“Jerk.”
Gus opened his mouth to reply but their back-and-forth was interrupted by a soft cough coming from across the room. Lexa turned to see Clarke standing in the doorway that led to the toilets.
“Uh, sorry,” she mumbled, clutching a pile of clothes to her chest. “The drier?”
“Yeah, this way.”
Once again Clarke fell into step behind Lexa, following her down a small hallway to the right of the bathrooms and into a tiny room that was no bigger than a broom closet. Two of the walls were lined with small square lockers, and on the other two hung motivational posters and photographs of the employees posing with various animals, each photo with the name of the animal and its release date scrawled across the bottom.
“It’s not much, but it works.” Lexa’s voice had a slight edge to it, as if she was daring Clarke to say otherwise.
But the blonde simply nodded before shoving her clothes into the drier and turning it on.
“Your cell phone goes into your locker. You may retrieve it during your breaks but always return it before your shift begins again.”
Clarke pulled her phone out of her shorts’ pocket – Lexa only now taking a moment to study her in the Polis’ uniform and realising that the shirt was slightly too small and that it clung to Clarke’s body in a way that made Lexa’s mouth dry and she had to remind herself that she was at work and she was meant to be professional – and placed it in a locker about hallway down before turning to Lexa, eyes wide with a mixture of fear and what looked like excitement.
“Okay, I’m ready.”
“Follow me.”
Lexa walked Clarke back out to the main grounds, calling goodbye to Gus as the door to the staff quarters slammed shut behind them.
“So, what are we doing first? You were coming into the turtle pool earlier, does that mean we get to start with the turtles?” Clarke’s words left her mouth in one breath and Lexa chuckled.
“You seem to have changed your tune.”
Clarke chewed on her lip momentarily before falling into step beside Lexa.
“Well, I figured that if I’m going to be working here, I may as well make the most of it, y’know? I mean, I don’t have any experience at all with sea animals but I’ve always liked them, even the ones that people think are icky.”
Lexa quirked an eyebrow as she glanced at Clarke. “Icky?”
“Yeah, like, uh, stingrays. Or sharks. Jellyfish, too.”
Lexa snorted when her earlier conversation with Murphy popped into her head. Clarke fixed her with a questioning stare and Lexa suddenly felt her face begin to flush as Clarke’s eyes stayed focused on hers.
“Um, yeah, I guess they can be, uh, icky,” Lexa found herself tripping over her words and had to focus on the ground ahead of her before she started tripping over her feet too. “You won’t be working with any high-maintenance creatures like that, though.”
Clarke’s face fell.
“Nothing personal. It’s the rules. You’re technically not qualified to work here, hence the unpaid volunteer clause, so you’re not qualified to handle or interact with animals above a level three.”
Clarke’s focus was drawn momentarily as they passed Dolphin Domain, face lighting up when she caught a glimpse of a dorsal fin gliding across the surface of the water.
“Level three? What animals are under that level, then?”
Lexa stopped to lift a rope barrier that hung across a leafy pathway, signalling for Clarke to go under it, Lexa mimicking her actions moments later before letting the barrier fall back into place.
“Uh, let’s see. Coral, seals, tropical fish, otters… oh, and turtles.”
Lexa turned to see Clarke beaming at her, unable to keep her own face from cracking into a smile.
“Figured you’d be happy about that.”
Then Clarke frowned, noticing that they were heading further into the jungle-like canopy that they were walking beneath.
“But the turtles are back that way,” she pointed with her thumb. “Where are we going?”
Lexa grinned in a way that made Clarke’s stomach flip.
“So I thought it’d be good for you to start off with something a little… well, let’s just say your first job won’t involve playing with adorable seal pups.”
“You’re starting me off with something shitty to really punish me, aren’t you?”
“Pretty much, yeah.”
A few steps later and they burst out of the shade and came to a halt outside a brightly-lit enclosure. A poignant aroma filled the air around them.
“Is that,” Clarke sniffed and wrinkled her nose, “sardines?”
“Yup,” Lexa replied cheerfully. “Welcome to Penguin Paradise, Clarke.”
Clarke huffed as Lexa led her around the circular enclosure towards a small door that Lexa unlocked with one of the keys that hung on her belt. They entered a metal box-like room and the smell of fish intensified.
“Jesus, it stinks in here.”
“Better get used to that, you’re gonna be spending a lot of time in here today.”
Clarke fought to suppress the groan that rumbled in her chest. Lexa strode over to the utility cupboard, rooting around for a second or two before stepping back with a pair of boots in one hand and a broom in the other.
“Dare I ask what my job is?”
“I’m going to tell you whether you ask or not.”
“Funny.”
“I try.”
Lexa held out the boots and broom, which Clarke took with a begrudging frown.
“Basically, you’re on poop duty. Stick on those boots, then head out into the enclosure. Use the broom to loosen the crap from the floor, then use this power hose–”, she gestured to a thin black device that looked like a leaf-blower, “–to wash it all away down the drains that are dotted around the penguin pool. Got it?”
A nod from Clarke.
“Good. Oh, and if you need anything, radio me. You’ll find the walkie somewhere on that desk.”
Clarke glanced over at the desk in the corner; it was littered with yellowed paper and empty chocolate wrappers.
“Any questions?”
“Yeah, actually. When’s lunch?”
This made Lexa genuinely laugh and Clarke was briefly taken back, but she also liked the sound of Lexa’s laugh and decided that she wanted to hear it again sometime soon.
“Twelve-thirty. Meet me by the turtles.”
“Okay.”
Lexa gave her one last fleeting smile and then she was gone, the metal door clanging shut behind her as she left Clarke in the stale room. Clarke took a deep breath – a decision she quickly regretted when the fishy stench invaded her nostrils even more – before slipping off her shoes and sliding on the boots. Then she grabbed the power hose, finding an outlet to plug it into and letting the wire unravel behind her as she went through the door on the other side of the metal hut to enter the penguin enclosure.
There was a moment of quiet. And then the air was filled with squawks and trills as a small group of penguins came trundling over an icy ridge and landed at Clarke’s feet. They stared up at her for a moment, sizing her up, before losing interest and diving into the water one by one.
She watched them paddle around for a moment before leaning the hose against the enclosure wall and picking up the broom. Little did she know that she too was being watched. Lexa had lingered outside Penguin Paradise and was now observing Clarke, laughing quietly to herself when Clarke started chatting animatedly to the penguins while continuing to clean.
A few minutes later and Lexa made her way back through the sheltered footpath and into the other section of the Polis center, busying herself with (finally) tending to the turtles for the next few hours until lunch time rolled around. She found herself thinking about Clarke while she worked, and couldn’t stop picturing the colour of Clarke’s eyes and comparing them to the rich blue that tinted the waves when the sun was at its highest point and its rays spread out across the sky like it was trying to embrace the whole world in a warm hug.