Chapter Text
The bike was quiet in the way something powerful gets quiet when it’s waiting. Lexa tightened the last strap on her backpack, testing the weight with a practiced shrug until it settled where it belonged—close, controlled, not shifting. The helmet sealed her into her own small interior space, breath fogging faintly against the visor before clearing again. Around her, the city made all the noise the bike didn’t: traffic idling, a car door slamming, voices folding over each other in passing. Occasionally she liked riding like this. Anonymous errands. No formation, no choreography, no need to perform leadership. Just her, the machine, and the simple satisfaction of preparation before motion. She liked this moment best—the pause before ignition, when nothing is happening yet and everything is possible. Once she starts the engine, she’ll commit to direction. For now, she was still.
“Hi there” she heard a muted voice piercing her silence. She turned her head, directing her attention towards the stranger. For a moment her breath caught in her throat. The soft beauty of the woman standing before her caught her by surprise. Dirty blond hair so wavy you could almost call it curly danced around her face in the soft spring breeze. Eyes radiant blue, even through the visor. She imaged it would be as blue as the clear sky in the above them. There was a gentle almost shy smile playing on her lips. Lexa waited silently, captivated by the sight.
“Sorry to bother you” she began after a moment. “I just saw your bike from afar and I wanted to say it looks really cool”.
It was an opening, Lexa recognized that. A very familiar opening. She’d heard that line more times than she could count. Although truth be said, rarely from women she thought quite so pretty. She raised her hand in half a wave in acknowledgment. She wasn’t in the mood for small talk from bike enthusiasts. But just as she was about to turn her attention back to the task at hand, the woman spoke again.
“So… I was wondering… if you have time and don’t have a girlfriend… would you take me for a ride?” She asked, her eyes taking on an eager shine.
‘Oh.’ Lexa thought as she realized this girl was flirting. ‘Damn.’ She more than likely thought she was a man. ‘Should I embarrass her?’ Lexa wondered, contemplating whether and how to reveal that she was in fact a woman. A nagging feeling she tried to ignore whispered insistently that she should do it. For all she knew, the pretty lady might not be discouraged by the revelation.
She didn’t present queer. Lexa took a moment to quickly glance at several possible cues. Generic feminine clothes. The hand she used to tame a stay lock of hair that blew into her face revealed long, polished nails. Odds were against Lexa. But she decided to give it a ago. ‘Worst case, I’ll have a fun story for the kru.’ Lexa thought as she made her up her mind.
Her hand reached for her lowered visor and flicked it upwards, revealing her eyes. She’d been right about the woman’s. Stunning clear blue. Only now they were entertainingly round as realization hit her.
“Oh sorry” the girl babbled.
“Well I’m no guy, but sure, I can take you for a ride if you still want.” Lexa said with a smile obscured by the helmet. She hoped it made it to her voice.
The woman seemed to recover fast and seemingly unbothered by the mix-up nodded eagerly. “Sure.”
Lexa, being the responsible driver she was, unbuckled her helmet to offer it to her passenger. Mentally she prepared to test the waters. Her eyes would be trained on this woman’s face, hoping to catch any indication of whether the woman might be interested in anything other than her bike.
The weather played to her advantage. Just as she removed her helmet a gust of wind tangled in strands of hair that escaped their confines, blowing them from her face. The effect was… rather good on her ego. The woman’s lips parted, her gaze freezing but for a moment. Clearly, she was caught off guard. Also if the coy smile playing on her lips was any indication, she was pleased by Lexa’s sight.
Lexa took the woman’s momentary lack of speech as an invitation.
“Hi, I’m Lexa.” She said with a confident smile. The woman’s stunned silence, the way she had not yet blinked, spoke volumes. Lexa was certain she found her attractive.
“Um. Hi. Clarke”. The woman finally stammered and after an extended moment, took the offered hand. Her handshake was confident. Lexa was pleased by that. Soft, dead fish handshakes annoyed her more than she cared to admit.
“Here, you take this. I only have one helmet on me and you won’t get on my bike without one.” Lexa said, the no nonsense tone in her voice familiar and comfortable.
Clarke accepted it without argument. ‘Good.’ Lexa was pleased. It would have been disappointing to end the encounter there. But end it she would. She had principles she would not compromise on.
Dropping her backpack from her shoulder she offered it to Clarke. “You’ll have to wear this too.”
Once Clarke accepted the necessary accessories, Lexa mounted her bike, the hard steel between her thighs comfortingly familiar. She held her hand out in invitation as she steadied the bike in an upright position.
Before she could open her mouth to instruct Clarke on how to get behind her, she was already nestled behind her, mounting her ride with surprisingly practiced ease. ‘Okay, so this definitely wasn’t her first rodeo.’ Lexa thought. For some reason this pleased her immensely.
Clarke’s arms wrapped around her torso confidently. Clearly she knew exactly where to place them. Strong fingers pressing into her stomach, Lexa savored the contact for a moment. She was enjoying this far too much considering she knew exactly two things about Clarke: her name and her familiarity with passenger etiquette. Glancing down she was somewhat surprised to see that Clarke’s feet were planted firmly on the rear foot pegs. Instinctively she expected Clarke would either let her feet dangle or place them on the exhaust pipe. She was pleasantly surprised. Her lips stretched into a comfortable smile. She was going to enjoy this ride.
“Here we go.” She said helpfully before revving the engine.
The engine’s vibration settled into a steady pulse beneath them. Lexa kept the ride deliberately modest. Fifteen minutes of clean lines and predictable turns, enough to hopefully satisfy Clarke’s desire to ride. She took the long way around a park, leaned gently through corners. She rode like someone mindful of another heartbeat pressed to her back. Clarke molded to her with an ease that felt comfortable rather than needy: warm through the jacket, solid where it counted, fingers spread across Lexa’s stomach in a hold that said ‘I’m here’ without saying ‘I’m terrified’. Lexa noticed everything without conscious thought - the way Clarke moved with the bike instead of against it, the quiet confidence of a passenger who listened to motion. It made Lexa feel steady, capable, free. When she guided them back to the curb where it started, she cut the engine and let the silence land. The ride ended a fraction too soon, a clean stop after a song that could have carried another verse.
Clarke dutifully slid from behind her, although Lexa was certain that her hand lingered deliberately. She wouldn’t think to complain. Clarke’s fingers glided across her stomach rather than letting go abruptly, caressing rather than abandoning her. Lexa filed that thought away with the rest of the things she didn’t plan to linger on. Not unless she was encouraged to do so.
Clarke unbuckled the straps of the helmet without help and as she slid it off, revealed a blinding, happy smile. “Thank you! That was so much fun!” She said with enthusiasm. Her eyes sparkled with joy.
“You’re welcome.” Lexa said. “I can tell you’ve ridden before. You were a comfortable passenger.”
“Oh yes. My ex has this gorgeous Harley. I had to compete with her for his attention from time to time.” Clarke said in an easy tone that indicated that that relationship had been well in the past. That, or the relationship ended amicably enough to not sting. Still, Lexa’s confidence deflated some. ‘His…there goes half my chances…’
“I see.” Lexa said cautiously, trying and failing to think of a way to pry for clues without giving away her intention to do so.
“Um.” Clarke muttered, clearing her throat. Lexa prepared herself for the send off. “I don’t know if I’m barking up the wrong tree or not but… would you be interested in having a drink with me?” Clarke asked the unthinkable.
‘Well that was unexpected.’ Lexa thought, not displeased by the development. So her gay dar was, in fact, still functioning. ‘Praise the lord for bisexual women.’ Lexa thought to herself.
“Sure. Why not.” Lexa tried for casual, even though she was far from the feeling. She had not dated in four years. Not for lack of opportunity. Rather a lack of interest. As high minded as she tried to be about her interests she couldn’t lie to herself this time. She knew next to nothing about Clarke. The interest was purely physical at this point. Clarke was a stunning beauty she’d be eager to date if things went well.
“Later today, maybe?” Clarke asked when Lexa didn’t offer details.
“I have some errands to run unfortunately. Tomorrow afternoon?” Lexa asked. She had a million errands to run before the weekend cruise she had planned with her kru.
“Works for me.” Clarke accepted with easy joviality. “Shall we exchange numbers?”
“I’ll call you in the morning.” Lexa said, earnestly trying to keep the inordinate amount of glow from her face she could feel threatening to make an appearance. Before she could embarrass herself and blush, she hid beneath her helmet and kicked off with a passing wave of one hand.