#FILIAQ

[cantgetoutofmyheda]

Falling in Love in a Quarantine: Part 8

OP | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7

—

PART 8: Day 19

Clarke was drenched in exhaustion—her 12-hour shift quickly turned into a 16-hour one, and it was nearly midnight by the time she got home. She walked into the quiet, dark house and immediately headed to the kitchen. She was hungry—no, she was famished. The turkey sandwich she had for lunch did absolutely nothing for her, and the fact that she skipped out on breakfast made matters worse.

Upon turning the light on, she couldn’t help but smile at the counter. A single plate, covered with foil, and a note:

Know tonight was a late one, but wasn’t sure if you had a chance to eat. Warm up for a minute and a half. Watching TV in your room, if I’m asleep in there, kick me out!!

She followed the instructions, and once the food hit her mouth, she could have sworn that it was the best thing she had ever tasted. It was likely a combination of her hunger pains, Lexa being handy in the kitchen, and the sweet note—but c’est la vie.

After a quick clean up and running the dishwasher, she swiftly made her way up the stairs. A little peek around the corner, and she saw Lexa’s bedroom light on and the door wide open—the brunette nowhere to be found. She quietly made her way into her room and found Lexa just as the note described. She was sprawled across the bed on top of the covers and Sandy was laying against her. The retriever awoke when Clarke walked in, but didn’t dare to move from her spot. The TV was on, the sounds of a political documentary filling the room, because of course that was what Lexa was watching.

Her heart raced at the sight, and she couldn’t help but imagine a world in which she came home to find the same exact thing, but Lexa being meant to be there—Lexa not having to leave a note, saying to wake her up and send her back to her room if she had fallen asleep.

She exhaled the thought away and sauntered into her en suite to shower, deciding to give Lexa a few more minutes of sleep before she woke her. She washed away the smell of the hospital from her hair, her skin. She washed away the rough day. She washed away the thoughts she had been frequently having about her best friend. Her conversation with Raven the previous weekend had her thinking more and more about the possibility of telling Lexa, seeing if there was any chance that she could possibly feel the same way, but every time she tried to muster the courage, she could never actually bring herself to do it—there was too much at stake.

She toweled off and threw an old t-shirt and shorts on before walking into the bigger room. Sandy, still wide awake at Lexa’s side, started furiously wagging her tail at the sight of Clarke approaching the bed.

“Sandy, no,” Clarke called out in a hushed whisper. “You’re going to wake Lexa up, stop.”

The constant thrashing of the tail finally caused Lexa’s eyes to flutter, “Sandy, what is it?” Her arm curled around the dog to calm her. Once fully aware of Clarke’s presence, she turned her attention to her, “Sorry, did you see my note?”

Clarke nodded with a smile. She stood post a few feet from the bed.

Lexa rubbed her eyes with the back of her hands, “I just wanted to watch this documentary and had been on the couch all day, so figured I’d find a room with new scenery.” Her eyes now fully open, “Hope you don’t mind.”

“When have I ever minded anything like this?” Clarke raised a brow—it was true. All the way back to college, Clarke would walk into her dorm room to find Lexa in her bed doing homework, reading, or watching some show, all because her roommate had a revolving door of visitors. The habit stuck ever since.

Lexa shrugged as she started to sit up, “I just figured you had a hard day, didn’t want to put another obstacle in front of you.”

“I did,” Clarke nodded. “But my mood got exponentially better when I got home and had that salmon. Thank you for that, by the way.”

“Least I could do,” Lexa smiled, readying to swing her legs over the bed to head back to her room.

It seemed like Sandy had other plans, though. As soon as Lexa made the move, the dog immediately sat in her lap. Sixty-five pounds of fluff plopped down on her, causing Lexa to fall back into the bed. She hit the pillow with an oomph, and Clarke couldn’t help but laugh.

“Sandy girl, come on,” Lexa exhaled, trying to push the dog off of her. “I gotta go to bed now, c’mon.”

To no avail, Sandy sat contently, wagging her tail and eyeing Clarke.

“Well,” Clarke started towards the bed. “Looks like this girl has other plans for you. Mind if I join?”

“It’s your bed,” Lexa sighed, still trying to remove the dog from her frontside. The angle she was in was proving to be unhelpful. “Clarke, get her off me.”

“She does what she wants, Lex,” Clarke laughed again as she took a seat next to the two. “You should know that by now, you’re basically her sole caretaker these days.”

As soon as Clarke hit the bed, Sandy bounded off of Lexa and found a cool spot at their feet.

“Finally,” Lexa gave out a tired sigh, as she brushed the dog hair off her tank top. “Sorry about that,” she offered.

“Tell me about the documentary,” Clarke started as she got under the covers. There was no doubt in her mind of how tired she really was, but it was nice to have Lexa next to her—even if it was just going to be a few more minutes. She wanted to make the most of it.

Lexa smiled, sitting up and propping a pillow between her head and the headboard, “It’s about how fucked our criminal justice system is. It was pretty good.”

“So good that it put you to sleep?” Clarke raised a brow.

“I was tired,” Lexa shrugged. “I’ve seen it a million times already, it’s one of my favorites.”

“You’re such a nerd,” Clarke pretended to shove her shoulder. “And that’s coming from someone who went through twelve years of higher education to get my job.”

Lexa shrugged it off, “Whatever. You still love me.”

“I do,” Clarke nodded. “Why don’t we start it from the beginning so you can see it a million and one times. I’m probably going to fall asleep, but I’m interested.”

“Okay,” Lexa smiled as she cozied herself back into the bed. “From the top.”

[cantgetoutofmyheda]

This is fun! I’d do this for FILIAQ or a new clexa au that’s half written that you guys have no idea what it’s about 😂 (or.... dare I mention affair au, which has like 7 unposted parts written 🙈)

WIP Ask Game

[cantgetoutofmyheda]

Falling in Love in a Quarantine: Part 13

OP | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 9.5 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12

—

PART 13: Day 28

Clarke paced from table to table as she rearranged the floral arrangements, cutlery setup, and chairs over and over again.

“Clarke.”

Baby’s breath was added, then removed. Then added. Then removed. Over and over and over again. The centerpieces were clad with Lexa’s favorite flowers. Sprigs of baby’s breath and eucalyptus surrounded the calla lilies on each table. The arrangements sat nicely inside the tall glass vases she had rushed ordered online.

“Clarke.”

It was a small backyard barbecue, and much to Lexa’s dismay, Clarke had gone ahead and ordered charger plates for the table settings. Charger plates. For a backyard barbecue. Lexa was less than thrilled.

“Clarke.”

Lexa’s request of plastic cutlery was laughed at, and the table was clad with Clarke’s flatware from inside. The plastic tables—Lexa was sure that they were the same their crew used during college breaks at the Griffin’s for beer pong tournaments—were diligently covered with linens and table runners.

“Clarke.”

The blonde stepped away from the three tables. Like she had promised earlier in the week, they were equidistantly apart and all faced inwards so that the people sitting at them would all be able to see one another.

“CLARKE.”

“Hmm,” the blonde snapped out of her hostess duties. “Did you say something, Lex?”

Lexa’s hands were woven into her hair as she scratched at the wild mane and shook her head, “What is all of this?” Her eyes scanned the space and all the fixings that were now coming along with it.

“It’s not done yet,” Clarke saw the worry on Lexa’s face. “I’ve got a little more to do. It’ll look great, I promise.”

“Clarke.”

“I’m just trying to figure out where I should string the banners from,” she let out as she took a step back and let her eyes scan the side of the house. “What do you think about above the sliding door?”

“Clarke, please stop.”

“What don’t you like?” Clarke started to worry at the look on Lexa’s face. She had planned Lexa’s birthday on multiple occasions over the years, even during the time Lexa was dating Costia. This one had to be special. This one had to be the most special of them all. She wanted it to be as perfect as a quarantine birthday could be. “I can run to Target and see if I can swap something out if there are things you’d like better. Just tell me.”

Lexa sighed. She knew that Clarke was just trying to make this birthday feel a little more normal than it should have been. She immediately dropped her shoulders as she exhaled again, taking a step closer to Clarke and bringing her hands to cup the blonde’s face, “Clarke.”

“Lexa,” she exhaled at the touch. The worry was still present in her blue eyes.

“You didn’t have to go through all of this trouble, Clarke,” Lexa offered her a half smile. “Everything’s beautiful,” she let her eyes wander over the tables and decorations, “but this is all too much. Especially because I’m just grilling burgers and wings.”

“I wanted it to be special,” Clarke mumbled. Her face was still sandwiched between Lexa’s hands.

Lexa leaned in and ghosted a quick kiss on Clarke’s lips before she finally dropped her hands to the blonde’s sides. Her arms extended behind her, and her palms found their way to Clarke’s backside where they laid rest, “This is already the most special birthday I’ve ever had, Clarke. Though I appreciate all of this, I didn’t need you to pull out all the bells and whistles.”

“It’s your first birthday I get to plan as your girlfriend,” Clarke smiled at the touch on her behind. “Maybe I got a little carried away. But can you blame me?”

“A little carried away?” Lexa questioned with a raised brow. “There are charger plates set on our college beer pong tables, Clarke.”

“They’re also my grandma’s old bingo tables,” Clarke added. “And fine,” she started to admit. “Yes, I got a little carried away. But I was excited, so we’re going to go with the decorations and you’re going to pretend to like them.”

“I more than like them,” Lexa offered with a smile. “Next time you do something, try not to go so overboard. Okay?”

“Says the one who dropped nearly $3,000 on furnishing my backyard.”

Lexa rolled her eyes, “I did it for my people, Clarke.”

“Keep telling yourself that, Woods,” Clarke kissed her cheek. “Maybe you’ll start believing it.”

---

“Hooooly shit,” a man’s voice boomed from the back gate. “This is quite the setup. Happy birthday, Lex. Wish I could give you a hug.”

“You have no idea how happy I am to see you,” Lexa smiled in his direction. “Even from six feet away.” She looked between Clarke, who was standing at her side, back to Lincoln and Octavia who were slowly approaching. “Doctor’s orders and all.”

“Thank you guys for coming,” Clarke beamed. “You can sit at whichever table you guys want, we’re just keeping it casual tonight.”

“Happy birthday, Lexa,” Octavia smiled with a wave as she followed Lincoln to one of the tables. “Casual, huh?” She glanced over the table setting, “Looks super casual to me.”

Lexa rolled her eyes, “Clarke got a little too excited with the decorations.”

“Looks like it,” Octavia laughed. “Clarke,” she turned her attention to the blonde. “I have the cake. Where do you want me to put it?”

“Throw it on the patio table and I’ll take it inside in a bit,” Clarke smiled. “Thank you for picking it up, O.”

“No worries. Least we could do,” Octavia smiled.

“Lex,” Lincoln sauntered towards the grill. “Holy shit, this thing is niiiice.”

“Right?” Lexa crossed her arms proudly. “It was rated one of the best grills to buy this summer. We’ve only used it a few times but it’s been fucking perfect so far. Right, Clarke?”

“Sure,” Clarke rolled her eyes. She turned back to Octavia, “She fucking won’t stop about that stupid thing.”

“That ‘stupid thing’ is what’s been feeding you dinner every night this week,” Lexa raised a brow.

Clarke shook her head as she sighed, “Lex. You’re the stupid thing that’s been feeding me dinner every night this week. You’ve just been using that stupid thing to cook it.”

“Looks like you guys have been having a productive quarantine,” Octavia observed. “When are Rae and Anya getting here?”

“Right now,” a voice called from the gate. “Sup, bitches? Happy birthday, Lexa!”

Lexa shook her head at the loud entrance, “Thanks, Raven.” She craned her neck to see Anya towing behind her girlfriend, “Hey, Ahn.”

“Hey yourself, birthday girl,” Anya nodded. “We come bearing gifts,” she started to round the corner with a case of beer carried over her head. “Birthday tradition, kiddo. You’ve gotta shotgun one–”

Anya took one look at the setup and immediately started laughing. Her train of thought was suddenly derailed, “Clarke, it looks like the fucking Crate and Barrel catalogue threw up in your backyard. I thought we were having burgers and wings today. It looks like you’re hosting a fucking bridal shower.”

Clarke rolled her eyes and mouthed a hello to Raven.

“I think she made it look lovely,” Lexa offered a smile in Clarke’s direction. She looked back to Anya, “We are having burgers and wings though, don’t let the fancy setup deceive you. And I will not be shotgunning a beer, thank you very much.”

Anya started emptying the case of beer in the cooler next to the grill, “Wow this thing looks top of the line.”

“I just Googled it,” Lincoln held up his phone. “Damn, Lex. Dropping over a thousand bucks to fancy up Griff’s backyard? I need a best best friend like you.”

Lexa rolled her eyes for what felt like the umpteenth time day, “It’s for all of us.”

“But it’s living in Clarke’s backyard,” Raven smirked. “Convenient for Clarke.”

“Convenient for me, because I’m squatting here for the foreseeable future,” Lexa corrected. “And once this is all over, you all know most of our time is going to be spent here anyway. She’s the only one with a big enough outdoor space for it.”

“Way to make a gal feel special, Lex,” Clarke nudged her shoulder against the brunette’s. “I throw you a birthday party and you basically tell all our friends you’re using me for my backyard space.”

“Hey,” Lexa shrugged as a smirk tugged her lips upward. “It’s a good space. Can you blame me?”

Clarke wrinkled her nose and shook her head, “You’re annoying.” She looked at her phone and realized it was probably a good time to start getting the food read, “Why don’t you make yourself useful and fire the grill up? I can bring some of the food out now.”

“You’re making her cook her own birthday lunch?” Raven laughed. “Damn, Griff.”

Clarke shrugged, “She wanted to do it. Who was I from stopping the birthday girl?”

“Speaking of the birthday girl,” Raven lowered her voice so only Clarke could hear her. She wiggled her brows, “Did you get the birthday girl a special birthday gift?”

Clarke rolled her eyes and matched Raven’s hushed voice, “You better cut it out, Rae.”

“Cut what out?” Anya butted in as she stepped closer towards her girlfriend. “What’d I miss?”

Raven let out a chuckle, “Oh, nothing. I was just trying to figure out what Clarke gave Lexa for her birthday. See if it was anything special.”

“Lex!” Anya called out towards the grill. Lexa had just turned the propane tank on and started to heat the machine up. “What’d Griff get ya for your birthday? Anything good you’d like to share with us?”

Lexa raised a brow, “She’s giving me my gift tonight. Why?”

“Tonight?” Raven smirked in Clarke’s direction.

“You’re literally being a weird perv for no reason, Rae,” Clarke huffed. “I literally got her clothes. Clothes and a book.”

Raven twisted her face in disgust, “That’s so boring, Griff. Clothes and a book? Seriously?”

“I mean,” Anya butted in again and shrugged. “Sounds right up Lex’s alley.”

Clarke rolled her eyes at Raven and walked towards Lexa. As much as she wanted to snake her arms around her waist, she restrained. “Need any help over here?”

Lexa smiled at the voice, “I was just going to head inside to grab a few things. Could use a helping hand if you wanted to accompany me.”

“Lead the way,” Clarke extended her arm.

Inside, in the confines of Clarke’s kitchen, and hidden in view from their friends, Lexa grabbed Clarke by the waist and pulled her in for a quick, searing kiss. “Been wanting to do that for a bit,” she mumbled against Clarke’s lips.

“Me too,” Clarke sighed. “I know this is your birthday party, but I’m ready for them to eat and leave so I can give you your gift.”

“And what would that be?” Lexa raised a suggestive brow.

“You’ll find out tonight,” Clarke shrugged.

“Can’t wait,” Lexa gave her another quick kiss before heading back towards the backyard with the food in tow. “Hey,” she turned around. “What were Raven and Ahn ganging up on you about?”

Clarke rolled her eyes, “Rae was trying to see what I got you for your birthday.”

“Did you tell her?” Lexa’s eyes were filled with mischief.

“Sorta,” Clarke laughed. “I gave her a version that’s more or less what you’ll be unwrapping later.”

---

Lexa was actually thankful for the tablecloths. The very unnecessary coverings were unneeded for a casual backyard affair between six friends, but most definitely were needed to shield the four unsuspecting people from watching Lexa’s fingers drawing circles on the top of Clarke’s thigh. The blonde had a content look on her face, and no one knew it was attributed to the light touches from the brunette sitting next to her.

“Is Raven staring at us?” Lexa whispered the question so only Clarke could hear. Lincoln, Anya and Octavia seemed to be in conversation about something, and Raven was chiming in here and there, but her eyes kept wandering back to the two silent hosts. “Why’s she being weird?”

“Maybe she can see you feeling me up,” Clarke offered, to which Lexa immediately retracted her hand. “Oh calm down, I was kidding.”

“Do you think she knows?” Lexa whispered again.

Clarke turned to her girlfriend, “I mean, would it be the worst thing if she did?”

“You’re the one that wanted to wait,” Lexa reminded her. What Lexa didn’t realize was that her voice raised at the surprise of Clarke’s question.

“Wait for what?” Lincoln turned around. He was sitting closest to Lexa’s side.

Lexa looked at Clarke to answer. The normally calm and collected Lexa Woods had finally found herself to be flustered and not wanting the responsibility of answering the question.

Clarke rolled her eyes at the suddenly tense person seated next to her.

“For cake.”

“We’re sleeping together.”

They both spat out at the same time.

“SERIOUSLY?” all five yelled towards Lexa’s direction as she turned as bright as the sliced tomato sitting on top of her burger.

“Sleeping together?” Clarke’s voice was still raised and her brow suggested Lexa correct her statement.

“Dating,” Lexa muttered. “Clarke and I are dating.”

“Holy shit,” Lincoln laughed.

“It’s about time,” Octavia gasped.

“We fucking knew it,” Raven and Anya said together, as if on cue.

“We were going to wait,” Clarke rolled her eyes and seared a look into Lexa’s. She brought a hand to the side of her own face and sighed, “But guess this was a good time to let the cat out of the bag.”

“So,” Octavia looked around at the group of friends. “This whole time? Or like…”

“It’s literally been a week,” Clarke shook her head. “We wanted to see how things played out before we told anyone. But I guess that’s gone out the window,” she shot Lexa another look.

“It’s my birthday,” Lexa nervously laughed. “You can’t be mad at me on my birthday.”

“Look, she’s already groveling,” Anya pointed out as she leaned towards Raven.

“I’m not groveling,” Lexa huffed. She looked back to Clarke and cracked a nervous half smile. “At least I get to do this now,” she placed a kiss at the corner of the blonde’s mouth. “Sorry, I’ll make it up to you.”

Clarke took a breath, “It’s fine, they were bound to find out anyway.”

“I think this calls for a celebration,” Lincoln spoke up as he held a bottle of beer. “Happy Birthday, Lex. And congrats to you two for finally realizing you should be getting your freak on together.”

[cantgetoutofmyheda]

Falling in Love in a Quarantine: Part 12

OP | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 9.5 | Part 10 | Part 11

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PART 12: Day 24

Clarke woke with a smile on her face. The steady breath on her neck and arm clinging to her waist was surely part of the reason. The other was embracing the fact that her and Lexa finally made the full leap into their relationship the night prior.

She slowly opened her eyes and grasped for the hand that was holding onto her, the touch started to stir Lexa to wake.

“Mmm,” Lexa sighed. “Morning,” she placed a kiss to the back of Clarke’s neck.

“Morning to you, too,” Clarke rolled over to face Lexa. “Quite a night we had, huh?”

Lexa smiled, “Small fortune to pay to be able to have my way with you.”

Clarke raised a brow, “Small fortune?”

Lexa’s smile turned into a mischievous smirk, “All the money spent on the grill and patio furniture. Plus the house of manual labor.” She pretended to tally everything in her mind, “Hmm, yeah. Definitely the most expensive booty call I’ve ever had.”

Clarke swatted her chest, “Don’t be a jerk.”

Lexa leaned in for a kiss, in which Clarke happily welcomed.

“Last night was amazing,” Lexa smiled as she pulled away. “More than amazing, actually. Spectacular, even.”

“Oh?” Clarke jokingly batted her eyelashes, “Tell me more.”

“I just can’t get enough of you,” Lexa leaned in for another kiss.

Clarke sighed a content breath when Lexa pulled away, “I’m all yours.”

Lexa nestled her thigh between Clarke’s bare ones and brought her lips to her neck. She peppered a trail of kisses up to her ear, “Good. I think we need another go this morning. For good measure and all.”

“For good measure,” Clarke repeated with another sigh.

---

“Yeah,” Clarke kicked her feet up onto the chair planted next to hers, as she let her eyes graze over Lexa. “I could get used to this.”

Lexa turned around with a smile plastered on her face, “I really should have bought this sooner.” She waved a hand over the grill, “It’s quite excellent and has really been getting my farther in life.”

Clarke rolled her eyes, “Just so we’re clear. I said I could get used to this because of the bountiful food it brings me.”

“I’m the one that brings you bounties of food,” Lexa corrected as she flipped the burgers. She shut the hood and walked towards the table. In a careful movement, she lifted Clarke’s legs to sit in the chair next to her, then lowered them back into her lap. “It’s just a new kind of food we’re having.”

“Charred and delicious,” Clarke wiggled her brows. “Should I go get the salad from inside, or do we have time?”

Lexa looked at the timer on her phone, “Five more minutes, maybe.” She took the sunglasses from the top of her head and fixed them on the bridge of her nose before she offered Clarke a smile, “I’m a fan of evenings like these.”

A grin appeared on Clarke’s face, “I’m a fan, too. Especially because of the burger I’m about to inhale.”

Lexa laughed as she started to stroke her fingers onto Clarke’s exposed ankle.

“Hey,” Clarke smiled in Lexa’s direction.

“Hey yourself.”

“So,” Clarke cocked her head to the side. “Your birthday is coming up.”

“It is,” Lexa agreed with a half smile. “Listen, before you say anything. We don’t have to make a big deal out of it. At all. You know me and birthdays…”

Clarke rolled her eyes, “I do know you and birthdays, but I want to do something nice for it.”

“You do something nice for my birthday every year, Clarke,” Lexa started. “We’re literally in a quarantine, we don’t have to do anything.”

“But it’s the first year we get to celebrate it together,” Clarke replied. “Like, actually together. I want to do something nice for you.”

“How about we order in and I get to pick a movie,” Lexa suggested, her fingers were still grazing Clarke’s legs. “I just don’t want any fuss. And I don’t want our friends to feel like they have to log on to some video conference happy hour just on my accord.”

“Our friends would be more than happy to watch you take birthday shots on a video call, Lexa,” Clarke reminded her. “We could do something small and simple.”

Lexa raised a brow, “What do you have in mind?”

“What if I had mom bring over her folding tables and chairs,” Clarke started. She paused to get Lexa’s reaction, but the lift in her brow remained and Clarke could tell Lexa didn’t know what she was getting at. She took a deep breath before starting again, “What if Anya, Rae, Lincoln, and O came over.”

“Clarke,” Lexa shook her head. “That defeats the purpose of us quarantining.”

“Well,” Clarke nodded. “We have a grill now, and this patio furniture. What if we made a triangle of three tables all a safe distance from each other. We wear masks except for when we eat. We can do it safely, we’ll all be outside. If anyone has to use the bathroom, it’s right off the porch door, anyway. Hand sanitizer and wipes for everyone that goes in and out. As long as we’re safe about it, I don’t see an issue.”

“They’ve all been seeing each other,” Lexa thought out loud. “I don’t want them to feel obligated to come here, though.”

“If they don’t feel comfortable, then we can order takeout and watch whatever movie you want,” Clarke’s voice softened. “I know they’ve all been seeing each other and I honestly just feel awful that the only person you’ve been seeing is me.”

“I made that choice,” Lexa smiled. “And sure. If you think it’s safe, and if the four of them are comfortable with it, then yeah. It sounds like it could be a nice time.”

“You birthday conveniently falls on a Saturday too,” Clarke grinned. “So we can do a lunch, do a little day drinking, then have the night to ourselves.”

“You’re not working at all?” Lexa scrunched her nose. Clarke had worked every Saturday until last weekend, and Lexa was sure it meant she had to be in the hospital this coming one.

Clarke shook her head, “Switched with someone. It’s your birthday, Lex. You really think I’d let you be home alone all day for it?”

“I would be with Sandy,” Lexa corrected her. There was a pang in her heart. A good kind of pang. “You didn’t have to do that,” she smiled. “But thank you.”

“You don’t need to thank me, Lex,” she smiled back.

Before Lexa could reply, the timer on her phone went off. “Burgers are ready for some cheese,” she started to get up.

“I’ll go get the salad,” Clarke followed suit. “I’m going to send a group text to see if everyone’s down for Saturday.”

---

Raven raised a brow as she turned to Anya on the couch, “Griff’s throwing Lexa a birthday party? That’s cute.”

“Wonder if she’s gonna give her birthday sex,” Anya rolled her eyes. “But yes, it’s cute. I’m down to go, are you okay with that?”

“Yeah,” Raven nodded. “It’ll be nice. Clarke said we’ll all be careful about it. I don’t have any issues, and I do want to see this outdoor palace Lexa has built in Clarke’s backyard.”

“That’s a stretch,” Anya rolled her eyes. “It’s a grill and patio set.”

“Still weird that Lexa bought it for Clarke for no reason,” Raven suggested. “What’d she tell you? That it’s for everyone since we’ll all be hanging out there after all this shit is over anyway?”

Anya shrugged, “Something like that.”

“Has she said anything else about Clarke?” Raven wondered.

“Nope,” Anya shook her head. “Has Clarke?”

“Radio silence,” Raven sighed. “It’s almost been a month. They’re both secretly hot for each other. Maybe Saturday we can nudge them along a little.”

“Any more nudging from me and Lexa will literally throw a punch my way,” Anya noted. “I think Clarke is the way in with this one. At least she’s blatantly admitted to you that she for sure has the hots for Lex.”

“Yeah, true,” Raven nodded. “Griff will be easy to break anyway. Especially after two drinks.”

“Operation Clexa is in full effect,” Anya high-fived her girlfriend.

[cantgetoutofmyheda]

Falling in Love in a Quarantine: Part 9.5

OP | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9

—

PART 9.5: DAY 20

After Lexa’s somewhat of a confession, she simply hopped out of bed as if nothing had happened and exited the room. Clarke, still totally unsure of what had transcended—and certainly unsure of how to navigate the rest of the day—stayed put in her spot.

Almost fifteen minutes later, Lexa called from downstairs, “Clarke,” a pause. “C’mon, breakfast is almost ready!”

Clarke scrunched her face. That’s where Lexa fled off to, because, of course.

She took her time—changed into another set of comfortable clothes, brushed her teeth, tried to salvage the mess of bedhead, and finally made her way down to the kitchen.

“What’s all this?” Clarke’s brow was raised—pancakes and eggs were set on the small table.

Lexa sat down at her normal seat, “I figured if we were going to have somewhat of an awkward conversation, pancakes would help us ease into it.”

“Do we have to do this right now?” Clarke sighed.

“We don’t,” Lexa shrugged. “But figured it would be better to, rather than us be home all day pretending like nothing happened.”

“Fine,” Clarke rolled her eyes, begrudgingly taking her seat as she watched Lexa put food onto her plate. “Thanks.”

“So,” they both started at the same time, both gave an awkward laugh, before Clarke finally spoke up again.

“Sorry,” she smiled. “You first?”

“Sure,” Lexa nodded. “I know you said you were mortified,” she started, her inquisitive eyes finding Clarke’s. “But I really want you to know you have no reason to be. I woke up and realized what was happening, and I just…”

She paused—perhaps the conversation she wanted to have with Clarke would be harder than she initially thought.

“You what?” Clarke finally asked, breaking the silence.

“I just wanted it, too,” Lexa confessed. “I’ve been trying to wrap my head around a few things, and Anya has been saying–”

“Anya?” Clarke immediately turned her attention from the hot cake on her fork back up to Lexa. “What has Anya been saying?”

“Nothing, really,” Lexa shrugged. “I mean, she’s been asking me if something’s been going on between us, and I keep telling her that nothing has—that we’ve been the same as usual, but I suppose our ‘same as usual’ has always raised eyebrows in the past anyway.”

“I’m going to kill Raven,” Clarke shook her head.

“Raven?” Lexa tilted her head in thought. “What does Raven have to do with this?”

“She probably fucking told Anya everything,” Clarke let out. “I’m seriously going to kill her.”

“Everything?” Lexa set her fork down—her eyes were keenly focused on Clarke’s. “I don’t think Raven’s said anything to her. What do you mean by ‘everything?’”

“What has Anya been saying?” Clarke asked again.

Lexa scrunched her face, “I already told you. What are you talking about with Raven, though?”

“I’ve just been talking to Raven, too,” Clarke exhaled. Her train of thought drifted far away from the breakfast on her plate. Perhaps Lexa was right—pancakes serving as an early-morning icebreaker. “She’s been wondering if something’s been going on with us, also. And has been very vocal that she thinks something should be.”

Lexa nodded in understanding, “Have you said anything to her to make her push for that?”

“Yes,” Clarke admitted. “Yeah, I have.”

Lexa raised a brow, “I see.”

“Is that okay?” Clarke asked.

“Clarke,” Lexa softened her expression. “Of course it is. That’s why we’re sitting here talking about it. I mean, after this morning,” she looked up to meet Clarke’s eyes again. “I think it’s pretty clear that we’re both seeing our relationship differently.”

“When did you first think about it?” Clarke finally asked. She needed to know.

Lexa shrugged, “I think it may have always been in the back of my mind. I’m not sure. You?”

“Sophomore year,” Clarke stated. “I’ve thought about it since sophomore year.”

Lexa’s eyes nearly jumped out of their sockets, “Why didn’t you say something?”

“I’m saying something now,” Clarke tiredly sighed.

“But back then?” Lexa started. “Why didn’t you say something back then?”

“I tried to, once,” Clarke shook her head. “But we were nineteen, and you were—are—my best friend, and that was just the most terrifying thought.”

“What?” Lexa blinked. “When?”

“Remember sophomore year when you planned that road trip for me, you, Rae, and O to go visit Anya at school?” Clarke smiled at the thought. “Right around that time.”

“I do,” Lexa recalled. “Since then, huh?”

It was a shotty plan, at best, but Lexa was still proud of it. The four friends were to take the holiday weekend, a Friday and Monday off of class, and drive Raven’s old Lesabre on an eight-hour drive to visit Lexa’s childhood best friend. She had met the group a bunch of times, and thankfully, they got along famously—but it was now Lexa’s turn to go visit her, and she wanted to bring everyone else along. The route was easy—Raven was in charge of that. Clarke and Octavia were in charge of road snacks and games, and Lexa was in charge of the playlist for there and back.

It was the Thursday night before they were set to leave, and Lexa barged into Clarke’s dorm room—Clarke and the other two were sitting on the floor discussing food choices and different places to stop for gas and snack-refuels. The look of excitement and happiness on Lexa’s face caught Clarke’s attention—in the two years they had been friends, she had never seen Lexa look so proud, and that’s when she knew.

Lexa held her phone in the air, boastful about the two playlists she created. Beamed at the fact that she sprung for a Spotify premium account so that no ads would interrupt her music flow. Said it was going to be like a symphony of sounds in the car the whole way there and back, and made sure to let everyone know that “no skipping” was allowed.

The smile on Clarke’s face said it all, and though Lexa didn’t catch on, Raven and Octavia most certainly did.

“Was there a particular moment? Did something happen?” Lexa questioned. Her mind was trying to sift through all the memories the pair had shared, trying to pinpoint a place in time that would lead Clarke to feel the way she did all that time ago.

“The look on your face when you came into my room the night before we left,” Clarke sighed again. “You looked so happy, so proud. And my heart dropped into my stomach and I guess I just realized it. I don’t know.”

“That was a killer playlist,” Lexa smiled.

“Debatable,” Clarke raised a brow. “There was too much Kenny Chesney.”

“Clarke,” Lexa started. “I literally crafted that playlist to the scenery I knew we’d be driving through. It was perfect.”

Clarke rolled her eyes, recalling the drive from Nashville to New Orleans, “I wanted to gouge my fucking eyes out.”

“Glad you didn’t,” Lexa smiled. “They’re too pretty.”

Clarke immediately softened, offering Lexa a smile, “Wow, I would have done that sooner had I known it would have meant you’d start being nicer to me.”

“Please,” Lexa scoffed. “I’m always nice to you. It’s probably why everyone always thought something was going on with us.”

“Everyone?” Clarke asked, but was just met with a shrug from Lexa.

“When did you try to tell me?” Lexa asked, changing the subject.

Clarke looked towards the window, then back to Lexa, “A week or so after we got back from Anya’s. Raven and O had been pestering me to finally come clean, and I had some liquid courage, so I figured I might as well.”

“But you didn’t,” Lexa was confused. “I mean, you never told me.”

“Correct,” Clarke gave her a sad smile—it showed in her eyes. “We were in my room—Monty had dropped off a jug of his ‘Murder Sangria’ and we were just drinking it and watching a movie,” Clarke recalled. “I don’t even remember what it was, but something happened and I was the only one that laughed. I couldn’t believe they didn’t think the scene was funny and made a comment about how you would have.”

“We do have a weird sense of humor,” Lexa chuckled. “I’m sure whatever it was, wasn’t actually funny, Clarke.”

“Semantics,” Clarke rolled her eyes. “Anyway, they both started egging me on, teasing me about how I was crushing on you and finally got me up and had me marching towards your dorm room to tell you.”

“But you didn’t,” Lexa repeated, still confused as to why Clarke never said a thing to her. “What happened?”

Clarke, tipsy on sangria and drunk off of a mad crush, sauntered over from her dorm room to Lexa’s. Two and a half weeks’ worth of teasing from her other two friends finally drove her to do it. Lexa had opted to skip out on movie night—second semester finals were around the corner, and she was hellbent on maintaining that shining GPA of hers.

A knock at Lexa’s door brought her out of her zone, and once she opened it, she found Clarke with a certain glow to her. Lexa smiled immediately, excited to see her best friend. To Clarke, the smile was the same one that gutted her heart right out of her chest from a few Thursday night’s ago.

“I have to tell you something,” they said in unison—both girls wound up laughing, but Clarke’s anxiety got the best of her. As ready as she was to tell Lexa what she wanted to, she figured another minute wouldn’t hurt her cause.

“You first,” Clarke offered.

“You’ll never guess,” Lexa beamed, her smile was growing even wider, and Clarke’s chest swelled even more at the sight.

Clarke raised a brow, “Then I guess you’ll have to just tell me whatever is it that’s gotten you so riled up, Lex.”

“Costia asked me out,” the look in Lexa’s eyes matched the smile on her face. She was happy—no, she was ecstatic. She was ecstatic and elated and beautiful and everything in between, and Clarke tried to pretend to be the same for the other, but the fake smile on her face was barely enough to mask her devastation.

“Oh, wow, Lex,” Clarke offered.

Lexa nodded, not realizing Clarke’s reply was nowhere near sincere, “You remember, right? That girl I told you about from my poli-sci class?”

“Yeah, wow,” Clarke couldn’t find the words. The combination of the Murder Sangria and Lexa’s news was starting to make her sick, “Lexa that’s awesome. Really exciting. Really happy for you.”

“Thanks!” Lexa beamed. “I think we’re going to try to do something after our poli-sci final this week. I’ll keep you posted. I’m going to need your help with what to wear and all that stuff.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Clarke nodded. “Of course.”

“What’d you have to tell me?” Lexa tilted her head. “Sorry, you came here for something and I totally hijacked the conversation.”

Clarke shook her head, “No, it was stupid.” She closed her eyes, “Uh, we were watching a movie and something funny happened and I wanted to tell you, but I don’t even remember. Your news was much more exciting.”

“Oh, okay,” Lexa smiled. “I’m glad you came by, though.”

“Yeah,” Clarke nodded again. “Me too. Night, Lex.”

“I showed up to your room to tell you,” Clarke nearly winced at the thought. “And then you told me about Costia.”

Lexa immediately felt her stomach drop, “Clarke.”

Clarked nodded, “Yeah.”

“Why didn’t you just tell me?” Lexa asked—Costia was new, but Clarke was a constant. Surely, had Clarke said something, they would have been able to navigate it together all those years ago.

“I’d known you for two years at that point, Lex,” Clarke offered. “I thought you finishing your stupid playlist was the happiest I had seen you, and I guess it was. Until that exact moment.”

“But–”

“No,” Clarke sighed. “You had been talking about her all semester, Lexa. You had a wild crush on her and wouldn’t stop blabbing about it. She finally asked you out, and I wasn’t going to take that away from you.”

“But–”

“No buts, Lex,” Clarke shook her head. “It’s in the past, okay?”

“But it was so new with Cos, Clarke,” Lexa tried. “If you told me, then maybe we could have figured this all out back then.”

“I wasn’t going to get in the way of you and Costia, Lexa,” Clarke started. “And look—it lasted six years with you guys, so it clearly meant something.”

Lexa rolled her eyes, “It’s not like we ended up together.”

“Six years, though,” Clarke pointed out. “It meant something.”

Lexa nodded, “Okay, so have you always felt this way? Since then?”

“I don’t know,” Clarke shrugged. “I really don’t. After all that, I kind of brushed everything to the side. You’ve been my best friend since we met and it was more so me just coming to terms with the fact that that’s all you’d ever be to me. Maybe I kept it in the back of my mind, but since then, I’ve just looked at you as my best friend.”

“Okay,” Lexa nodded. “I get it. So what do we do now?”

“I mean,” Clarke finally broke a smile. “I guess we see where things go? I’d say we take it slow—and this is new territory, so I do want to do that—but considering this morning…”

“We can take things slow and see where things are going, Clarke,” Lexa nodded.

“Can we refrain from telling Raven and Anya and everyone else about this morning, though?” Clarke winced at the thought of the endless teasing that would come her way.

“How about,” Lexa leaned in, grabbing Clarke’s hand with her own. “We keep this between us right now. We’ll see where things go, and if we decide we’re on the right track, we can let those idiots in on it.”

“I like that,” Clarke nodded. “Just me and you?”

Lexa smiled, before releasing her hold on Clarke’s hand. She stood up and made her way towards the blonde, leaning over her seat to brush a stray golden lock behind her ear, “Just me and you.”

Clarke’s expression softened. Her heart was beating out of her chest.

“I’m going to kiss you now, Clarke,” Lexa smiled, looking into her eyes to gauge her reaction.

“Fucking finall–”

Clarke was cut off by the feeling of Lexa’s lips against her own. To her, the kiss was ten years in the making—but the softness of Lexa’s touch, the look she had just given her, the hand that was now caressing her neck—that made it all worth the wait.

[cantgetoutofmyheda]

Falling in Love in a Quarantine: Part 9

OP | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8

—

PART 9: Day 20

Upon waking up, Lexa’s body immediately tensed. Not because the sun was beating into the room, through the blinds that she forgot to close. Not because she was in a tangled mess with Clarke in the blonde’s bed. But because somehow in that tangled mess, her thigh had managed to find its place between Clarke’s own legs—and though Clarke was still asleep, the sharp breaths exhaling onto Lexa’s neck and slow movement of Clarke’s hips alluded to the fact that she was definitely having a good dream of sorts.

Lexa laid there in contemplation—she could easily shift her position, subtly wake Clarke up and pretend she didn’t know what was going on, but with the past few weeks—the looks she had seen Clarke sneak, the conversations with Anya, and coming to realize that perhaps there was something there? She couldn’t help but let Clarke continue on.

Hips were canting on her thigh, and the breathing on her neck became more rigid, and Lexa couldn’t help but close her eyes again and match Clarke’s movements with her own leg. They had shared a bed before—too many times to count, and with that, they normally woke up contorted with one another. Lexa wasn’t a stranger to that—in fact, it had always had a calming effect on her.

But this. This was new. This was something that was short-circuiting her brain. This was something that she wanted to indulge in, to see out, but wasn’t sure what the consequences would be.

Clarke’s ragged breath turned into soft whimpers, the canting hips sped up, and Lexa’s insides swirled with her own arousal. Against her better judgement, Lexa moved her hand from Clarke’s side to the small of her back, rocking her body further, guiding her to her orgasm.

As soon as the force of Lexa’s added movement went into play, she felt Clarke’s face move against her neck—she was starting to wake up.

“Shh,” Lexa cooed, her own breath was shaky. “I’ve got you, Clarke.”

Waking from her slumber—from her dream that was seeming to be a reality—Clarke was equally embarrassed as she was turned on, “Oh my god.”

“I don’t want you to stop,” Lexa whispered back. “I’ve got you,” she repeated.

Clarke sighed into her neck, her face hadn’t moved from its spot. Lexa reassuring her was all she needed to hear to continue on. She pushed the apprehension to the back of her mind and focused on what she wanted right in that moment, but she didn’t dare to look up, to look Lexa in the eye as she continued.

“Fuck,” Clarke whimpered as she got closer. “Fuck, Lex.”

Lexa felt Clarke speed up even more, heard her whimpers turn to soft moans—she knew she was close. She held on tighter to Clarke, wishing she could feel more of her—but for right now, this had to be enough. The grinding of their bodies and the blissful noises escaping from Clarke’s mouth were enough to send Lexa over the edge in tandem.

Lexa moved her other arm from under Clarke’s neck to grasp the back of her head. She lifted it, bringing Clarke’s eyes to level with her own, and the look Clarke was giving her—the vulnerability, the want, the need—it sent Lexa into a spiral.

She immediately crooked her head down, burying her mouth atop the nest of blonde hair, “Please don’t stop.”

“Lexa,” Clarke’s voice started to shake, her moans leaving her mouth at a more frequent pace. “Lexa, God.”

“Come on, Clarke,” Lexa urged her, wanting Clarke to reach her point, wanting Clarke to collapse into her. She kissed the top of her head, before whispering, “I want to hear you.”

As soon as the words left Lexa’s mouth, Clarke’s whole body shuddered. Lexa wanted to hear her, and knowing that—Clarke made sure she did. A guttural moan escaped her mouth, followed by whispers of Lexa’s name alongside other expletives. She rode out her orgasm, then finally reached up to remove Lexa’s hand from her back.

With her face buried back into the crook of Lexa’s neck, Clarke offered a deep exhale, “Oh my God, Lexa. I’m so sorry.”

“Never apologize for that again,” Lexa offered, understanding how Clarke was probably feeling. She placed another kiss atop her head, “What were you dreaming about?”

Clarke shook her head against Lexa’s warm skin, “Don’t want to say.”

Lexa couldn’t help but laugh, “Don’t you think we’re a bit past that by now?”

“Ugh,” Clarke groaned. “I can’t believe that just happened.”

“What were you dreaming about,” she asked again.

Clarke let out a loud exhale—Lexa was right, after what just happened, she realized there really wasn’t anything to hold back anymore, “You.”

“Hmm,” Lexa hummed into her hair. “What about me, Clarke?”

“Lexa,” Clarke started. “Do we have to do this right now? I’m mortified.”

“I told you I didn’t want you to stop,” Lexa used her free hand to trace a finger down Clarke’s spine. “What was happening in your dream, Clarke?” She wanted to hear it, wanted to know what had gotten them to the point that they had reached.

“I’m sure whatever your imagination is telling you is pretty on par with my dream, Lex,” Clarke sighed.

Lexa nodded, deciding not to pry further, “Perhaps next time we can stay on the course of your dream, then?”

“Next time?” Clarke immediately questioned.

“If you want there to be a next time,” Lexa offered.

There was hesitancy in Clarke’s reply, “Do you?”

“Yeah,” Lexa finally admitted. “Yeah, I do.”

[cantgetoutofmyheda]

Falling in Love in a Quarantine: Part 10

OP | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 9.5

---

PART 10: Day 21 & Day 22

“This is weird,” Clarke leaned into Lexa’s hand that was wrapped around her. For the first time ever, she was actually thankful of her nightshift the day prior—after what happened the previous morning, neither woman was sure of what would be moving too fast or too slow, but the nightshift was a good buffer for that.

Lexa stiffened, “Oh, sorry. We don’t have to–”

“No, no,” Clarke reached for Lexa’s arm to stay draped around her shoulder. “Sorry. I just meant that I can’t believe this is happening.”

“Oh,” Lexa nodded. “Yeah, me too.”

“I’m happy it is,” Clarke rested her head on Lexa’s shoulder.

“Me too,” Lexa placed a gentle kiss on top of her head. “Did you sleep okay?”

“Mhmm,” Clarke hummed. “It’s astounding how my sleep schedule isn’t as fucked up as it should be, though. What time is it?”

Lexa looked down at her phone, “3:30.”

“Enough time for a movie before you have to start making my dinner,” Clarke suggested.

Lexa rolled her eyes, “You know, it’s basically like we’ve been dating this whole time minus the kissing and the leg humping.”

“Lexa!” Clarke sat up. “Ugh, can you seriously at least give me two weeks to recover from that?”

Lexa laughed as she reached to pull Clarke back in. She traced a finger down her jaw, stopping at her chin and hooking her face upwards. When she finally brought their lips together, she felt Clarke exhale.

“It was an incredible turn on, Clarke,” Lexa whispered against her lips, before connecting them again.

“Mmm,” Clarke relaxed. “Whatever you say.”

Unspoken words were shared through soft and sweet kisses. The two had talked a bit more before Clarke had to head to work the previous day, but there were still so many things that had been left unsaid, so many things both were left to wonder with. But this—being together the way they both wanted to be, though at a tentative pace, just felt right.

Lexa moved her hands to Clarke’s sides, pulling for her towards her. Quickly, Clarke moved to exactly where she knew Lexa wanted her. She was now situated on Lexa’s lap—her legs were suddenly straddled around Lexa’s and their mouths moved together to deepen the kiss. The kiss was hungrier than any they’ve shared in the past two days. It was fast, lips were being nipped at, hands were roaming.

It wasn’t until Lexa finally broke the contact, resting her forehead against Clarke’s and put her hand on the blonde’s chest to slow things down. “Clarke,” she said between short breaths. “Is this taking things slow?”

Clarke sighed, “Probably not. But do we have to?” She leaned in for another kiss in which Lexa willingly obliged.

“We’re moving at the pace of two horny teenages,” Lexa smiled against the lips that were hungrily engulfing hers again. “Not that I’m complaining,” She added, taking another breath. “Just calling it out.”

Clarke sat up, still in Lexa’s lap, and looked her in the eye, “Who cares about taking things slow? Fuck it.”

“It was your idea,” Lexa raised a brow. “I was just obliging by your rules.”

Clarke rolled her eyes and let out a defeated sigh. She dismounted from her position, climbing back to Lexa’s side where she was originally sitting, “Fine, fine. Slow is better. Test the waters. Make sure we don’t ruin our friendship.”

“What’s the worst that could happen, anyway?” Lexa smirked. “We have awkward and awful sex, can’t look each other in the eye for a few days, and then I move back into my apartment?”

“That sounds about right,” Clarke sighed again, at the thought. As badly as she wanted Lexa—wanting to really feel her, wanting Lexa to unravel, the worst-case-scenario scared the living shit out of her. “Put a movie on,” she commanded. “And stop with the talk of you leaving, my brain can’t even compute that.”

“Aye aye, captain,” Lexa pretended to salute. “Your wish is my command.”

---

“There goes my weekend off,” Clarke rolled her eyes as she set her phone down on the table.

Lexa put her fork down, “You’re getting called into work?”

“No,” Clarke sighed, taking another bite of the pasta. “Mom wants us over to grill tomorrow. She realized that it’s the first weekend we both have off at the same time.”

“What if we already had plans?” Lexa questioned.

She was met with a blank stare from Clarke, “Oh, yeah.” Clarke scoffed, “Big plans during a quarantine.” She pretended to type back, “Sorry, mom. Lexa and I are doing a bar and restaurant crawl with all of our friends tomorrow. Can’t come.”

“Jerk,” Lexa rolled her eyes as she took a quick bite of food. “What’s wrong with going to your mom’s anyway? I miss Abby, haven’t seen her in ages.”

“Maybe I just wanted to spend my day off making out with you on the couch,” Clarke shrugged. “But if you’d rather hang with my mom, then we can do that.”

“As lovely as an all-day makeout sounds, Clarke,” Lexa smirked. “We should probably go.”

“You’re probably right.”

“I am.”

---

“There are my girls,” Abby greeted them with the biggest smile and arms wide open. “Clarke, honey,” she looked to her daughter. “Why haven’t you come sooner?” She turned to Lexa, “And Lexa, it’s been far too long, dear.”

Lexa was first to make her way to the woman, “Clarke’s been keeping me prisoner.” She smirked back at Clarke with her exaggeration, “This is the first time she’s let me out in public. But I’m glad it’s to see you.”

“You’re such a kiss-ass,” Clarke murmured, loud enough for both to hear her. “And sorry that I’m the responsible one trying to keep everyone safe.” 

“Clarke,” Abby scolded. “Lexa is quarantining with a doctor who is in and out of a hospital everyday. I’d imagine I’m being as safe about this as you are, there’s no reason for you two to not be able to come here.”

“Well we’re here now,” Clarke shrugged, before finally walking up to the two. “Hi, mom.”

“Come inside,” Abby waved them in. “Lexa, I have the grill fired up and the food prepared. Would you do the honors?”

“Mom,” Clarke whined. “You’re putting her to work? You invited us here.”

Lexa brushed Clarke off, “You know I’d love to. Your daughter doesn’t even have a grill, this is going to be quite a treat.”

Clarke rolled her eyes at Abby’s knowing smirk and finally followed them both into the house towards the kitchen.

---

“Clarke,” Lexa called out from behind the grill. “We should really get one of these, it’ll be a game changer for dinners when you’re not working nights.”

“We?” Abby asked her daughter in a whisper with a raised brow.

Clarke shrugged her mom off and called back out to Lexa from her seat under the patio umbrella, “If you want it, you buy it.”

“What about a small table and chairs for the deck?” Lexa asked. Her focus was on flipping the pieces of chicken on the grill, getting the perfect grill marks.

“Sure,” Clarke called out again. “You’re buying, though.”

“But it’s your house,” Lexa replied.

“You’re the one that wants them, Lexa,” Clarke waved her off and turned back to Abby. She was met with prying eyes and immediately felt the need to defend herself, “What?”

“Nothing, dear,” Abby sipped her iced tea. “So I take it that it’s been going well having Lexa around?”

“It’s been great,” Clarke relaxed into her seat. “She’s been so helpful with Sandy and I’m sure you can imagine what she’s been cooking every week.”

“Yes,” Abby nodded. “You’ve sent many pictures. Looks like you’re being very well taken care of, which I’m happy about.”

“Well,” Clarke smiled. “It’s Lexa. Of course.”

“Of course,” Abby agreed, turning around to watch Lexa prepare their lunch.

---

“The chicken is magnificent, Lexa,” Abby smiled at her. The three were seated at the table on the porch, enjoying the nice weather and the food that Lexa had just set down.

“You prepared it,” Lexa laughed. “I just grilled it, but thanks. And thanks for having us,” she said while looking around at the backyard. “The change of scenery is nice.”

“You two haven’t seen any of your other friends?” Abby asked.

“Mom,” Clarke started. “Of course not. I’m at the hospital so much, I can’t chance passing any germs on to anyone.”

“Except for Lexa?” Abby quipped.

Lexa laid eyes on Clarke and showed an endearing smile, “It was my choice to go to Clarke’s.” She finally shifted her gaze to Abby, “I knew what I was gonna be in for, but just wanted to help her out around the house and with Sandy and everything.”

“You know, Lexa,” Abby started. “You’ve always looked out for Clarke, no matter what. I’m so grateful that she has someone like you in her life.”

“She’s my best friend,” Lexa shrugged. “I love her.”

Clarke tilted her head to the side at the sound of the words and couldn’t help but send a bashful smile in Lexa’s direction.

Abby took keen notice of the interaction, looking between the two sharing longing glances and fleeting smiles, “Well, I’m happy you both have each other. All feels right when you two are together.”

Lexa exhaled, acutely aware of the tone of the conversation, “So, Clarke. About that grill…”

“Lex, if you want one then buy it,” Clarke shrugged. “I don’t care.”

“Excellent,” Lexa smiled. “It’s getting delivered tomorrow. Thank heavens for next-day delivery.” Lexa took a bite of potato salad and chewed it before adding, “Along with a table, chairs, and umbrella.”

“Are you kidding me?” Clarke set her cutlery down. “Lexa.”

“What?” Lexa smirked. “You said I could buy it if I wanted,” she replied back, before turning her attention to Abby. “She said that, didn’t she? You heard her, Abby.”

“She’s right, dear,” Abby laughed in Clarke’s direction. “That’s the lesson I learned with your father. I stopped telling him that he could do something if I didn’t really want him to.”

“Two very different situations, mom,” Clarke tried to deflect. “Plus, whenever Lexa goes back to her apartment, I’ll be stuck having to keep everything clean and tidy all on my lonesome.”

“Clarke,” Abby offered. “Something tells me Lexa will be there for a lot longer.”

Clarke’s mind went into overdrive, potentially even a slight panic, “Mom, before you say anything, we–”

“Because of the quarantine, Clarke,” Lexa interrupted, sensing her spiral. “And Abby, what I think Clarke is trying to say is that we’re just taking me being a squatter at her house on a weekly basis. Watching how many confirmed cases there are and what the state of the economy is going to be like. Once I hear from my office on when they’re opening back up again, we’ll start to assess when I go back home.”

Clarke blankly blinked, then shot Lexa a thankful glance, “Right. Yes. That’s what I was going to say.”

“Oh-kay,” Abby nodded—her mother’s intuition had already given her an inkling, but Clarke’s reaction and Lexa coming to her defense was enough to solidify her thoughts. “Well regardless, it’s nice you two are navigating this together.”

[cantgetoutofmyheda]

Falling in Love in a Quarantine: Part 11

OP | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 9.5 | Part 10

---

PART 11: Day 23

To say that Lexa was overwhelmed would be an understatement. She had spent the better part of her morning, pushing her actual work aside, to embark on her day’s project—setting up the grill and the furniture she bought for the deck.

Annoyed that she forgot to click the little box on the website to pay extra for assembly, she tried to bargain with the delivery guys, but had no avail. Instead, she sat out in the grueling sun and decided to face her fate.

Her goal was to get the setup completed by the time Clarke came home from work. To have a perfectly grilled dinner set up to eat outside and enjoy the new purchases, but without the help of anyone else, despite how handy she was, she was having a bit of a difficult time.

Between Sandy running up to her and plopping into her lap, knocking things around, and her phone constantly going off with messages and emails from her colleagues, hours had passed and she was barely halfway done with the task at hand.

“Fucking finally,” she huffed. Hands on her hips, as she proudly admired the final setup of the grill and table. All that was left were the six chairs, and she would finally be done. She started unloading the boxes, until her ringtone interrupted the task.

She looked down and saw that a Facetime was coming in from Anya. Excited to show off the fruits of her labor, she happily picked up, “Ahn, look at what I just did.” Without even seeing her face, Lexa turned on her back-camera to scan the backyard, “Doesn’t it look awesome?”

“Let me see your face, you loser,” Anya’s voice boomed.

“What?” Lexa answered as she flipped the camera. “Jealous of my handy work for the new setup?”

“Griff’s gotten you to do her dirty work, I see,” Anya smirked. “Looks good, though. Sucks she didn’t spring the cost for assembly, but I guess that’s what she has you for.”

Lexa rolled her eyes, “I’m the idiot that forgot to add on the assembly, but it’s fine. She swiped a bead of sweat on her forehead, “I’m quite skilled, you know. An all-around Jack of all trades.”

Anya raised a brow, “You forgot to add it on, huh?” She threw Lexa a smirk, “What, so Griff gave you her credit card and told you to pick out some new backyard toys? That’s cute. And awfully domestic.”

“No,” Lexa glared in annoyance. “We were at Abby’s for lunch yesterday and hung out in the backyard, and I had grill-envy, so I ordered it while we were there.”

“I see,” Anya nodded, her smirk still ever-present.

“What, Ahn?” Lexa blankly stared.

“Nothing,” Anya shrugged. “Like I said—cute and awfully domestic. Glad to see that you’re financially splitting household appliances.”

“It’s not like that,” Lexa rolled her eyes. “And plus, even after this is all over, you know we’re all going to be here all the time anyway. It’s essentially for everyone.”

“You’ve never bought me a grill and lawn furniture,” Anya teased. “But I guess you’ve never had the hots for me.”

“I have literally never said that I have the hots for Clarke, Ahn,” Lexa huffed. “Stop putting words in my mouth.”

“But you didn’t deny it,” Anya pointed out.

Lexa rolled her eyes. The annoyance was still present, and she was thankful the view from her phone didn’t show the blush creeping up her neck, knowing that Anya was actually right, “When are you going to give this a rest.”

“When you finally admit that you have feelings for Griff,” Anya knowingly shrugged.

Lexa shook her head again, “Change the subject or I’m hanging up. I have six chairs to put together and as daunting as that’s going to be, it feels like it would be more fun than having this conversation with you.”

“Ouch,” Anya feigned hurt. “I was just calling to check up on you. Raven mentioned she hadn’t heard from Clarke in a few days, and that made me realize I hadn’t heard from you in a few either. Just wanted to make sure you were both alive, but apologies for being a good friend.”

“Oh, yeah,” Lexa’s expression softened. After their Saturday morning escapade, the two spent the day phone-free enjoying each other’s company. She just realized that the time at Abby’s the previous day had also been the same, “Sorry, we were just watching movies all weekend without our phones and then went to Abby’s yesterday.”

“I can’t believe you guys went to Abby’s but won’t come hang with us or let us come there,” Anya let out. It had been three weeks, and other members of their friend group had started to see each other in each other’s backyards. Almost everyone had spent a little time together, other than Lexa and Clarke.

“Ahn,” Lexa replied. “You guys knew that we wouldn’t be able to see anyone. Not with Clarke going into work as much as she has been. It’s not necessarily safe. Or smart.”

“I still can’t believe you decided to shack up there, knowing it meant you’d be closed off to the world,” Anya sighed. “You could have come here or something.”

“I’d rather not third wheel with any of you,” Lexa let out a small laugh. “Plus, it wouldn’t be fair for Clarke to ride this out on her own. You knew I wouldn’t let that happen.”

“I know, Lex,” Anya sighed. “I know.”

“How are you and Raven holding up?” Lexa changed the subject.

Anya nodded, “Good, yeah. Everything’s good over here.”

“Glad to hear it,” Lexa offered a smile. “I’ve gotta run, though. Need to get these things put together so I can do some actual work.”

“Alright, Lex,” Anya smiled back. “Best of luck on your endeavors. Send pictures to the group, I’m sure everyone’s going to be excited for post-quarantine backyard activities.”

“Ha,” Lexa scoffed. “And potentially re-live the teasing I just got from you? Fat chance.”

Anya shrugged, “I’m going to stop myself from saying what I want to say. See ya, loser.”

“I appreciate that,” Lexa rolled her eyes. “Bye, Ahn.”

---

“What’s all this?” Clarke walked into the backyard to see the table set and Lexa standing at the grill.

“Damn,” Lexa muttered. “I wanted to have it all ready by the time you got back. It’ll just be a few more minutes, sorry.”

Clarke made her way over to the grill, admiring the table and setup on the way. She wrapped her arms around Lexa’s shoulders from behind and placed a soft kiss on the side of her neck, “Everything looks amazing.”

It was uncharted territory for them—going from friends to something more. They had spent the weekend acting like teenagers on the couch, but this was new. Coming home from work and the soft and gentle hellos. Neither of them felt like anything was out of place. If anything, everything was starting to feel right.

Lexa leaned her head onto Clarke’s, “How was your day?”

“Judging by how my backyard looks, probably equally busy as yours,” Clarke laughed. She stepped back after another kiss found its way onto Lexa. “Can I help you with anything?”

“Pour the wine?” Lexa asked from over her shoulder. “I got a bottle of that red blend you like.”

The gesture brought a smile to Clarke’s face, “I could get used to this.”

“As if I’m not always like this with you, anyway,” Lexa scoffed.

“Yeah, but now I can kiss you as a thank you,” Clarke shrugged as she poured the glasses.

Lexa walked over with a smile on her face and a tray of freshly grilled kebabs, “I guess I could used to it too, then. Show me what you’ve got, Griffin.”

Clarke waited until the tray hit the table to pull Lexa in. Arms were wrapped around each other and lips finally met. Everything was finally starting to feel right.

[cantgetoutofmyheda]

Falling in Love in a Quarantine

Original headcanon can be found HERE.

I’ll be adding short little updates here and there for this. Just wanted to do something a little lighthearted in lieu of what’s happening in the world right now. Hope everyone’s staying safe and staying home (if your job/life allows you to).

I’m gonna be honest - I’m not proofing these posts the way I do any of my other fics, because like I said, just doing little bits and pieces when I have time between work and trying to stay sane with this cabin fever. Enjoy!

----------

A sound of a soft thud outside her front door signaled the arrival of her “quarantine buddy.” Before the person on the other side of the threshold could bring their hand up to knock, the blonde had already gotten to her feet to swing the door open.

“I didn’t think you’d come,” Clarke offered a soft smile as she leaned against the frame. She took one look at the person across her, clad with not one, not two, but three suitcases, “And yet, these bags don’t surprise me one bit.”

Lexa offered a shrug, “Better to be prepared. I brought extra toilet paper and some groceries.”

Clarke rolled her eyes, “You know grocery stores are still open, right?”

Lexa brushed by the blonde with two bags in tow, leaving one for Clarke to grab, “What’s the whole point in this social distancing thing if we’re planning on going grocery shopping?”

Clarke watched the brunette stroll into her house before grabbing the final bag and following suit, “I think we’ve already breached the whole social distancing thing by you coming over here in the midst of it all.”

Lexa leaned the two suitcases next to the staircase, then lifted her brow and smirked at her friend, “I figured I’d be a good friend and keep you company. Don’t want you going crazy or anything.”

“I think we both know I’d be fine,” Clarke’s smirk suddenly matched the brunette’s, “I have Sandy and I also still get to leave here almost every day to go to work. You, my friend, might be the one that would have gone crazy.”

Lexa let out a laugh before Clarke continued, “You might actually be the one going crazy, being that I’m working in the ER during a fucking pandemic and you still chose to come stay with me.”

“Well,” Lexa eyed the golden retriever laying on the couch, “I also did it to keep Sandy company. With your long hours, I figured it would be best for someone else to be around here for her to hang out with.”

“You’re annoying,” Clarke shook her head, “and you also know where the second bedroom is. Make yourself at home, I’m going to start something for dinner.”

---

Twenty minutes later, Lexa emerged down into the kitchen, “Smells great in here. What’s cooking, Griff?”

“Frozen ravioli and canned marinara sauce,” the blonde smirked, “Just call me the millennial Martha Stewart.”

Lexa dipped her finger into the simmering sauce and took a taste, “Culinary skills of a true doctor. Love it.”

“That bad?” Clarke wrinkled her brow as she stirred the pot of sauce.

Lexa shook her head, “It’s delicious. Thanks again for the offer, I’m glad that I’m holed up during this thing with you. Well, mostly Sandy, but you too.”

“You know,” Clarke set the wooden spoon into an empty bowl, “it’s okay to say that you’re happy to be stuck with me for the foreseeable future.”

Lexa smiled, “That would be far too easy. But moving to a more important topic—where’d the TV in the spare room go? And what’s with that bike?”

“TV’s in storage. I had to clear it out to make room for my Peloton,” the blonde shrugged. “Speaking of which… what does your work from home schedule look like these days? I need to know when I can still get my workouts in without bothering you.”

Lexa looked at her friend, “It’s your house, I can do whatever’s convenient for you.”

“If I’m working the day shift, I try to squeeze in a ride around six before I leave. If I’m working the night shift, then I’ll do one when I wake up in the afternoon, but I can figure it out if that conflicts with your schedule,” the blonde said as she started to set the table. “I don’t want you to feel like everything has to be my way just because we’re in my house. I’m sure we can work something out.”

“I normally get up for a run around then, so that’s fine. And if it’s in the afternoon, I’ll be working from wherever else in the house,” Lexa took it upon herself to pour a glass of wine for each of them from the open bottle, before sitting down across Clarke.

The two clinked their glasses together before taking a sip, “And if you want to watch TV before bed, there’s always the one in the living room. If it’s a night when I’m working you can watch in my room, too. Or if I’m home you can hang in my room with me. It’ll be like a sleepover.”

“Griff,” Lexa laughed, “the last time we had sleepovers, we were in college and wasted off of Four Lokos.”

“Yeah,” Clarke shrugged, “but these can be the adult version.”

Lexa raised a brow, “The adul–”

“Shut up,” Clarke raised her hand, “you know what I meant.”

The smirk plastered on Lexa’s face could be seen a mile away, “This is going to be a fun quarantine.”

[cantgetoutofmyheda]

Falling in Love in a Quarantine: Part 7

OP | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6

---

PART 7: Day 15

Confused at the ingredients on the counter—enough to look like a feast for a large family was being prepared—Clarke knocked on Lexa’s bedroom door to inquire.

At the indistinct sound of Lexa telling her to come in, Clarke opened the door. It was then when she realized that she was truly stuck between a rock and a hard place. Lexa’s eyes were affixed onto the screen attached to the stationary bike, and Clarke’s were affixed onto the sweat trickling down the brunette’s exceptionally toned arms—more toned than she had remembered, likely an outcome of the upticked time Lexa had been spending adding Peloton’s spin and strength classes to her daily routine.

“Clarke?” Lexa’s voice snapped the blonde out of her gaze, her signature raised brow and smirk were plastered on her face—she definitely knew Clarke was staring. Lexa finally pulled an earbud out of her ear and a faint sound of an instructor telling the virtual class to take a water break sounded the room, “Everything okay?”

“Yeah,” Clarke fumbled. She knew she was caught and all she wanted was to be out of Lexa’s eyesight, “Sorry, didn’t know you were working out. I’ll catch you after.” With that, Clarke immediately exited the room, closed the door, and ran to the living room to make a call.

It didn’t take long for Raven to pick up, “Sup, Griff?”

“I’m mortified,” Clarke let out as she plopped into the depths of her couch. “I walked in on Lexa while she was riding the Peloton and she was glistening with sweat. Rae, I couldn’t stop staring,” she went on, not giving her friend a chance to talk. “I was fucking staring and she knew it and had her stupid, shit-eating grin on her face.”

“Wow,” Raven laughed into the phone. “A few days was all you needed before you turned into yourself from a decade ago, huh?”

“It’s not funny,” Clarke snapped. “I ran out of the room like I had seen a ghost and her class is ending soon and I’m going to be confined in my stupid house with her stupid grin.”

Raven chuckled, “The Ghost of Crushes Past?”

“It’s not funny,” Clarke repeated.

“So,” Raven started. “Are you going to be an adult and address it, or do the normal thing where you pretend like nothing happened and make a stupid excuse if she brings it up?”

Clarke rolled her eyes, “Obviously the latter.”

“What if the shit-eating grin you speak of is because she feels the same?”

The comment piqued Clarke’s interest, “Is there something you know that I don’t?”

“You’re both foxy, you’re both single, you love each other, and you’re stuck in a house together for an unforeseeable amount of time,” Raven evaded the question. “Just makes sense in my head, that’s all.”

Clarke thought about it, and all points were more or less true, “So what am I supposed to do? Tell her that I’ve been into her since sophomore year and hope she feels the same way?”

“Why not?”

“Because maybe she doesn’t, and maybe it will ruin our friendship. Maybe she’ll see me differently. Maybe she’ll go home,” Clarke listed.

Raven took a pause to think about how to approach her friend’s train of thought. Clarke was right—and knowing that Lexa hadn’t actually admitted anything to Anya, she re-approached just how pushy she wanted to be, “Look, Griff. You guys have a real connection, whether it’s strictly friendship or possibly something more. You’ve been through a lot, and if this is something you want to explore for the sake of your own happiness, then I fully think you should go for it. You’re both adults that care a fuckton about each other—if Lexa doesn’t feel the same way, you two will figure out how to maintain that friendship, okay?”

“It’s a terrifying thought,” Clarke relinquished.

“It is,” Raven replied. “But like I said, I really think you owe it to yourself to go after what will make you happy. And I personally think that you and Lex would be perfect for each other.”

“Please don’t say anything to Anya about this, Rae,” Clarke asked.

“The words of this conversation will never leave my lips, Griff. You have my word on that,” Raven said into the phone, before turning around to face her girlfriend, offering her a shrug. She wasn’t lying, per say—she technically wasn’t repeating anything to Anya, her girlfriend just happened to be in the same room while the conversation was being had on speaker.

“Thanks, Rae. I’ll think about it,” Clarke offered. “I’m going to let you go, she’s probably finishing her class now and I need to figure out what to say if she brings that little episode up.”

“You got it, Griff. And just remember—no matter what, Lexa loves and cares about you. Whatever happens won’t change that.”

“Yeah,” Clarke sighed. “Hopefully you’re right.”

---

The sound of the blow dryer turning off signaled the end of the brunette’s post workout routine, and Clarke knew that the moment she had been anxious about was drawing closer. The bathroom door opened and just a few moments later, Lexa sauntered into the room clad in a matching sweatsuit and a messy bun atop her head.

“It always baffles my mind that you blow dry your hair just to put it up like that,” Clarke greeted her.

Lexa offered her a smile, “If I didn’t dry it, it would be a wild, unruly mess.”

Clarke shrugged, “I think your curls are pretty.”

“Well,” Lexa sat down next to her. “My curls thank you. But I, for one, hate dealing with them.”

Lexa settled into the couch close to the blonde and reached for the remote. After clicking through a few channels, she finally landed on what appeared to be an early 2000’s romcom. The pair sat in silence for a few minutes, both lightly chuckling at the cheesy movie on the TV and enjoying the comfortable silence, until Lexa finally spoke up, “Was there something you wanted to talk about?”

Clarke immediately froze, her whole body stiffened up, “No. Why would you say that?”

Lexa raised a brow, “Because you looked like you had a question when you came into the room while I was on the bike?”

Clarke blinked, and was thankful that her moment of ogling was not mentioned, “Oh, right.” She snapped out of her aforementioned anxious moment, “I went into the kitchen and saw all the food laid out. Just wanted to ask why you were whipping up a meal for fifty people.”

Lexa smiled, “I was going to meal prep for the week after my shower. Work’s going to be a bitch this week so I wanted to get ahead of it.” She shifted her position to slightly face Clarke, “And I know you’ve been wanting to eat healthier so I’m just making a few different things for the two of us, and enough so that you don’t get sick of eating the same exact thing for lunch and dinner every day.”

“Well that’s incredibly thoughtful,” Clarke offered. “You don’t have to do all that for me, though.”

The brunette shrugged, “I want to. It’s the least I could do. Gotta keep you satiated, you know.”

It was Clarke’s turn to raise her brow, “Oh, is that so?”

“Mhmm,” Lexa hummed, before leaning her head on Clarke’s shoulder. “Gotta keep my girl happy.”

“Your girl, huh?” the blonde grinned towards Lexa.

The brunette lifted her head from Clarke’s shoulder and offered a shrug, “Well, yeah. Other than Sandy, I suppose you’re my number one.”

“Am I your number one for the sole reason of you being stuck here with me?” Clarke laughed.

“I’d hardly say I was stuck here—in fact, I’m happy I’m here, but you knew that already. You’ve been my number one since I’ve known you, but you knew that already, too.” Lexa leaned her head back down, before adding, “And plus, now that I caught you gawking at me, I know I’m your number one, too.”

“I wasn’t gawking,” Clarke scoffed.

“Sorry,” Lexa laughed, before correcting herself. “Admiring?”

Clarke knew her cover was blown, but decided not to give in just yet, “More like wondering how it is that you’ve only been adding that to your workout for a week and you’re now so suddenly toned, and I still look like I barely have biceps.”

Lexa turned her face in towards Clarke’s shoulder, before placing a soft kiss on the fabric of the blonde’s shirt, “Well, regardless of that, I still think you’re perfect.”

[cantgetoutofmyheda]

Falling in Love in a Quarantine: Part 6

OP | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5

—

PART 6: Day 13

It had become a routine, now that Clarke was back on a strict dayshift schedule—both women woke up at the same time, Lexa would go for a run while Clarke would take a class on her spin bike, and after their respective showers, Clarke would join Lexa in the kitchen. They’d catch up about their morning workouts, talk about the shows or movies they had each watched in bed the night before, all while Clarke watched Lexa make some sort of extravagant breakfast for them before Clarke would have to leave for her shift at the hospital.

This particular morning, the smell of something baking and another smell of something insanely savory and likely artery-clogging caused Clarke’s stomach to grumble. The aroma was enough for her to pounce on the plate as soon as Lexa put it down.

“Okay, what’s all this?” Clarke’s hungry eyes scanned the plate.

Lexa laughed, taking the seat across the blonde, “Well you said the other night you were craving biscuits and gravy but I put a little spin on it. It’s a ham and cheddar scone with bacon gravy. Got creative with the leftovers we had from earlier this week.”

“How do you make cooking look so easy?” Clarke asked, her mouth full of flakey-scone goodness, not caring that her manners disappeared as soon as the food hit her palate. “This is insane.”

“It is easy,” Lexa shrugged. “I’m glad you like it.”

“God,” Clarke said after swallowing another mouthful—she wasn’t even sure if she had thoroughly chewed the bites in her mouth. “Can I keep you here forever?”

Lexa raised a brow at the statement, “If you’d like?”

Especially after her recent conversation with Raven, though Lexa was (hopefully) completely unaware of Clarke’s recent realization, the blonde couldn’t help but feel sheepish after the question came out of her mouth. “I mean, this is the best I’ve eaten in my whole life. And it doesn’t hurt that you’re not awful company.”

“Always had a way with words, Griff,” Lexa offered. “I must say, I do enjoy being here. It’s almost been two weeks and we haven’t annoyed the hell out of each other yet.”

“I don’t think that’s possible,” Clarke laughed. “I think we’ve known each other too long and know too much about each other’s personalities to let something like that happen.”

“So there’s nothing about my existence here that you’d change?” Lexa raised a brow with her question.

Clarke wasn’t sure if her friend was trying to get to a certain point with what she was asking, “Not a thing. Would you change anything about how I’ve been?”

“Clarke,” Lexa smiled. “I wouldn’t change anything about you or the way you do anything in a million years. That’s why I… that’s why you’re you.”

Clarke smiled and nodded, before turning back to her breakfast. The two ate in a comfortable silence. But what Clarke didn’t understand is why her friend—her best friend—felt the need to stop herself from saying something the pair used to throw around all the time. It wasn’t until that moment that she realized she couldn’t remember the last time the pair had exchanged “I love you’s” with each other. It had been a saying that ended every phone call, something they would exchange every time they parted ways—and sure, it started back when they were drunk college kids, but they were, in fact, best friends. And they did, in fact, love each other, so why did Lexa stop herself from saying it a mere few minutes ago?

“Clarke,” Lexa’s voice snapped the blonde out of her daze. “You’re going to be late if you don’t leave soon. I put some leftovers last night in a bag for you in the fridge to eat later.”

“Oh, right,” Clarke set her fork down and started to gather her things to start her trek to the hospital. “Sorry, I was out of it for a second.”

Lexa raised a brow, “Everything okay?”

“Mhm,” the blonde nodded. “Everything’s good. I’ll see you tonight?”

“I’ll be here.” Lexa grinned before adding, “Where I’ve been for the last thirteen days.”

Clarke smiled, “Good.”

---

“Well, well, well, look who finally picked up my FaceTime,” Anya smirked onto the screen.

Lexa raised a brow, “You literally haven’t tried to FaceTime me this whole time, Ahn. Don’t be dramatic.”

“I know,” her friend laughed. “Figured it would be a good intro, though. Anyway, how the hell are you? Week going well?”

“Yeah,” Lexa smiled. “Week’s been good. Work hasn’t been too crazy so nothing to be totally stressed about. Been cooking a lot, which you know I love. And Clarke and I have started a few shows that we’re both loving so all is well over here.”

“What shows?” Anya asked.

“I don’t know,” Lexa shrugged. “Hollywood. Little Fires Everywhere. The Stranger. Good mix of everything, I guess. We have a good cadence going on, trying not to binge anything too quickly so we don’t run out of the good shit.”

“Nice,” Anya nodded. “So things are all merry at Casa Griffin?”

Lexa offered a soft smile, “Yeah, things couldn’t be better. How’s it going with Raven?”

“Pretty well, but seems like you and Griff have it all figured out. Maybe we can learn a thing or two from you guys,” Anya wiggled her brows at her friend.

“Ha,” Lexa started. “It’s just easy for us to fall into a schedule together. Morning workout routine, breakfast together before she heads to the hospital, dinner when she gets home, and wine and Netflix at night. It’s a pretty simple formula.”

“A domestic formula,” Anya added. “You guys sound like an old married couple.”

“That’s not the first time you’ve said that,” Lexa pointed out. “Remember during the hurricane forever ago when Clarke and I stayed at her mom’s? I seem to remember you making similar comments.”

“The hurricane in which you opted to stay with your best friend and her mom instead of your girlfriend and her mom?” Anya laughed. “It’s hard to forget that. Remember the fight you and Costia got in because of that?”

“In my defense,” Lexa raised her chin. “Cos’ mom hated me and Abbey loves me. It was a no brainer.”

“Dude, you ditched your girlfriend to be holed up with Griff,” Anya laughed again. “As smart as you are, kid, you can be pretty dense.”

“Whatever,” Lexa muttered. “Did you call to make fun of me or was there something else?”

“Just wanted to check in, seems like you’ve been so busy with Griff that you forgot the rest of us existed,” Anya said. “Are you guys joining the Zoom happy hour later or are you going to be too busy wining and dining your live-in girlfriend when she gets home from the hospital?”

“Anya,” Lexa’s tone started to show frustration. “I’m not exactly sure what you’re trying to get at. Care to stop dancing around the lines and spit it out?”

“Fine,” Anya cocked her head to the side. “Are you boning Griff?”

“What the fuck, Anya. No.”

“Well,” Anya started. “Do you want to? Because you’re getting pretty good at playing house with her.”

“We’re literally in a fucking quarantine, Anya,” Lexa snapped. “What else am I supposed to fucking do? I can’t leave the house, so yeah, I’m going to take care of things around here for Clarke while shes risking her fucking life everyday at the hospital taking care of everyone that’s clinging on to life.”

“You’re getting awfully testy,” Anya quipped. “I can drop it.”

“I’d appreciate it if you did,” Lexa said, starting to calm down. “She’s my best friend, you know that.”

“And as your other best friend,” Anya started. “And this will be the last time I bring it up, but as your other best friend, I don’t think it would be such a bad idea to explore.”

Lexa didn’t necessarily submit to her friend’s badgering, but she wanted to get a deeper understanding of where this was all coming from, “Why exactly are you bringing this up?”

“Because like I said,” Anya responded. “I don’t think it would be such a bad idea to explore.”

“Okay, well I need to take Sandy out,” Lexa, confused as ever from what Anya was suggesting, responded, trying to find a way to end the call. “I’ll catch you later for the happy hour. Tell Raven I said hi.”

“Yeah,” Anya nodded. “Sounds good. Talk later.”

---

“So how’d it go?” Raven approached her girlfriend from behind as Anya hung up the FaceTime with Lexa, craning her neck to place a soft kiss on her cheek.

“Operation Clexa is in progress,” Anya smirked.

[cantgetoutofmyheda]

Falling in Love in a Quarantine: Part 2

OP | Part 1 ---

PART 2: Day 4

There were no words to describe the overwhelming feeling of exhaustion Clarke was experiencing. It wasn’t that night shifts were ever an issue for her. Hell, she started out her residency doing night shifts. After she adjusted her sleep schedule, she realized the shifts, minus a few emergencies here and there, were actually less hectic than day shifts. But this—this shitshow happening in the world—this was something new. Twelve-hour shifts had turned into fourteen-hour ones, and the shifts didn’t allow her one second to sit down and actually take a breath. It had been chaos and pandemonium from start to finish, and the fact that she had two night shifts back-to-back wasn’t helpful either.

Slowly, sluggishly, she reached her key into the lock and somehow managed to push the door open with the minimal effort she gave. Her eyes were heavy-lidded and all she could think about was how she wished she didn’t have to shower before getting into her sanctuary of a bed. She hung her jacket up and her thoughts of bed suddenly vanished—her senses were overcome by the smell of coffee… coffee and something else absolutely delicious that she couldn’t exactly pinpoint.

She rounded the corner to the kitchen and found Lexa, clad in an apron—because of course she would be wearing one, and offered a sleepy and hazy half-smile.

“Mornin’, doc,” Lexa grinned as she took a tray out from the oven, “I know you’re probably exhausted, but figured you probably haven’t had time to eat since yesterday. Wanted to make sure you were well-fed before you showered and went to bed.”

“Mmm…” Clarke took a seat at the table and rested her forehead into the palms of her hands, “God, that coffee smells so good. What did you cook?”

Lexa sat a mug in front of the blonde, “I made you a cup of decaf so you won’t have any problems falling asleep.” She stood back and took a look at Clarke—the blonde was more tired than she had ever seen anyone be, but she still sat there with a smile on her face, which Lexa found to be extremely endearing, “I don’t want to keep you, I know you have to get to bed and have another night shift tonight, but I did a quick quiche. Have your coffee, have a slice, and get yourself to bed.”

Clarke shifted her posture. She left one hand to support the weight of her head while the other grabbed the mug in front of her. The aroma of the brew suddenly made her feel a little more awake, and the plate of food being set down in front of her made her realize how hungry she actually was. She took a bite and shot Lexa a look, “Had I known you’d be so catering to me, I would have invited you to stay with me way sooner. I mean, I always knew you were a good cook and all, but this is all much appreciated.”

Instead of taking a seat across from Clarke, like she had been doing for the past four days, Lexa opted to stand while she had her breakfast, “You’re out there taking care of everyone else, figured I’d do my part and make sure you’re taken care of and well fed while you’re home.”

Clarke looked up and smiled at Lexa. Lexa was always the pragmatic one in their group of friends—logic and reason were always by the brunette’s side. The only emotion she ever really shared with any of their friends were bits of wit and sarcasm, but this new side to Lexa—this new side was something Clarke was pleasantly surprised by.

“That’s really sweet,” Clarke said as she finished the last bite left on her plate. “I hope you know how much I appreciated all that, though I’m sure it’s hard to find an ounce of happiness or excitement on my face at the moment.”

Lexa grabbed the empty plate from her to start loading the dishwasher, “Yeah, you might want to go shower and lay down if you’re planning on being seen by the public eye again.”

Clarke rolled her eyes, “I retract what I said about you being sweet.”

Lexa closed the dishwasher and approached her friend. She quickly kissed the top of her head, “I meant what I said, though. You’re doing an amazing thing still going into work and giving it everything you’ve got. Now go to bed—but before you do, make sure you take a shower, because you smell like a filthy hospital.”

“You’re never going to let me savor you being nice, are you?”

Lexa offered a smirk, “Nope.”

[cantgetoutofmyheda]

Falling in Love in a Quarantine: Part 4

OP | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 —

PART 4: Day 8

Clarke gently padded her thumbs along the steering wheel to the melody of the somber song on the radio. The irony of it all was fascinating—a somber song for a somber day. She was glad to be back on her day schedule, but that was the only half-decent thing about the day she just had. She had intubated more people than she ever thought she would have to during the twelve-hour period. Going to work had become more stress and anxiety-inducing than it ever had been, and she knew that she wasn’t the only person on staff that was starting to feel helpless.

Thankfully, the ringing of her phone drowned out the sad lyrics. She looked down and gave a half smile—it was Raven.

“Hey, Rae,” Clarke said out loud. “Everything good?”

“As fine as things could be. Just wanted to check in,” Clarke heard through her car’s speakers. “Figured you would be driving home so I thought I’d catch you before you got there. Give you some company in the car, since I’m such a good friend like that.”

Clarke laughed, “One of the best there is, Rae. And thanks, I’m just heading home now—it’s been a day.”

“I know you don’t like talking about it, but you know I’m here if you ever want to,” her friend offered. “We can talk about something else, though.”

“Something else would be nice,” the blonde softened her smile. “How are you and Anya doing? Is this quarantine a glimpse into the future? Thinking of not re-signing your lease?”

“Pump the breaks, buddy,” Raven scoffed. “It’s been good so far, but let’s not jinx it. It’s nice playing house together, though. We’re taking turns cooking and cleaning and stuff—it’s only been a week, but we’ll see how it goes.”

“Ugh,” Clarke grumbled. “I feel so useless. Lexa literally does everything—I feel like a bum.”

“You know how she is, Griff,” Raven chimed in. “She just likes to keep busy, and I’m sure she doesn’t mind doing all that. She knows how insane you’ve been at work.”

“I just feel bad, that’s all,” Clarke offered. “Plus, she’s been taking care of Sandy for me, too. She’s just been doing so much.”

“Listen,” Raven’s voice sounded through the car. “It’s Lexa. She’s nurturing, she’s kind, she likes to take care of her people. I think it’s great that you guys decided to hole up together. At least neither of you are alone right now.”

Clarke nodded, “Yeah, you’re right. It’s been nice having someone to come home to. We’ve been watching that crazy show about that cult in Texas, on Netflix. I think we’re on episode two, but tonight is meatloaf night and you better believe I’m plopping my ass on the couch after a hot shower, stuffing my face, and indulging in some crazy culty goodness.”

“Domesticated bliss, huh?” Raven lifted a brow, Clarke didn’t need to see her to know that her friend made the face, it was apparent enough in her voice.

“Stop,” Clarke tried. “You need to stop with the undertones.”

“And you need to stop pretending like you don’t like the situation you’re in, Griff,” Raven responded. “Does she even know?”

“Know what, Rae?” Clarke’s tone started to get more defensive. She definitely knew where Raven was going with this, and at that moment, she wanted to hang up and act like nothing had ever happened.

“Griff,” Raven’s voice softened. “I mean, come on. Do you still have feelings for her?”

“It was a crush, Rae,” Clarke grumbled. “And it was in college, it doesn’t even count.”

Raven scoffed into the receiver, “I believe the term you used back then was ‘wildly in love,’ but sure. We can call it a crush.”

“I was nineteen,” Clarke started. “It literally doesn’t count.”

“First of all, don’t discount your feelings just because you weren’t legally allowed to drink. Second of all,” Raven took a breath. “You were in love with her the whole time she was with Costia, too.”

Clarke removed a hand from the steering wheel in exasperation, “What? No I wasn’t. That’s asinine.”

“Clarke,” Raven started to remind her. “You were a miserable mess for the four years they were together. And for someone who was supposed to be Lexa’s best friend, you were pretty shitty to her pretty decent girlfriend.”

“Yeah,” the blonde groaned. “Decent is the key word. She was decent and Lexa deserved better.”

“By better, do you mean you?” Raven questioned.

Clarke took a moment to take a breath, not wanting to get so worked up during her drive. “I don’t want to talk about this anymore, Rae.”

“You’re not denying it anymore, though,” the voice pointed out.

Clarke shook her head, “I’m hanging up now. Glad to hear things are going well for you and Anya over there.”

[cantgetoutofmyheda]

Falling in Love in a Quarantine: Part 5

OP | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

---

PART 5: Day 11

“Okay fine,” Clarke started to admit into the speaker of her phone. She had dialed Raven as soon as she heard the now-familiar sound of spin shoes clipping onto the stationary bike in the spare room—Lexa’s bedroom—along with loud music and the beaming voice of a much-too-cheery Peloton instructor, “You were right.”

Clarke didn’t have to see her friend’s face to know she was wearing a smug, victorious grin. “Right about what, Clarke?” Raven’s voice echoed into her headphones.

“Don’t make me say it out loud, please,” Clarke responded. The grimace on her face, mixed with the feeling of anxiety swirling through her insides made it look like the blonde wasn’t faring very well. “I won’t do that,” she added.

“You’re in love with Lexa still,” Raven sneered. “I knew it.”

Clarke shook her head, “No, that’s extreme. She’s just—incredibly attractive. And I’m starting to realize that again.”

“I mean,” Raven started. “Woods has always been quite the looker, I’ll give her that.”

“It’s infuriating,” Clarke huffed. “And she’s been working out more. She goes on her stupid morning runs, and now she’s using my damn spin bike to take classes on there. She’s walking around the house in fucking sports bras and spandex shorts all day, Rae. It’s absolutely maddening.”

Clarke heard a boastful laugh on the other end of the phone. “Griff,” her friend started. “Has she caught you ogling her hot bod yet?” 

“I haven’t been ogling,” the blonde protested. “I’ve literally been avoiding her every time she’s been barely clothed.”

“Maybe this is her way of throwing herself at you,” Raven offered. “She probably has the hots for you too, Griff.”

Clarke rolled her eyes, “Yeah, that would happen when pigs have wings.”

“Why not?” her friend asked. “You’re easy on the eyes, too.”

“Because we’ve been best friends for nearly a decade now, Rae,” Clarke shot back.

“Well,” Raven responded. “It’s not like that hasn’t stopped you from having feelings…”

“Okay, well I didn’t call you for this constant teasing, Rae,” Clarke started. “I kind of did something.”

There was a slight pause on the line—Clarke assumed Raven’s mind had wandered in a much different direction than she was about to go in, but she let her friend take a moment to let her gears turn.

“Well?” was all Raven let out.

“I just turned the thermostat down,” Clarke admitted, wondering if Raven would understand why she would do such a thing.

“Clarke,” Raven stated, before bursting into a fit of laughter. “Clarke,” she said again, between the laughs that were slowly dwindling down. “Are you telling me that your solve for not having to stare at Lex’s hot bod all day was to make the fucking house colder? Is that what you’re telling me right now?”

“Raven!” Clarke burst. “It’s not funny, okay? It was the only thing I could think of.”

Raven finally ceased the giggle-fit, “So instead of potentially talking to Lexa like the fucking adult that you are, you decided to passive-aggressively turn the temperature down, just so she’ll wear more layers around the house? That’s what I’m hearing, right?”

“Yes,” the blonde grumbled—Raven reiterating everything back to her made her realize how truly immature the move was, but she knew it was better than nothing. “I’m only telling you this because I just needed to talk to someone about it. And stop yelling, I don’t want Anya to hear you.”

“You’re fine, she’s in the shower,” Raven countered. “I won’t say anything. Mums the word.”

Clarke sighed, “Thanks.”

[cantgetoutofmyheda]

Falling in Love in a Quarantine: Part 3

OP | Part 1 | Part 2 —

PART 3: Day 6

“Where’s Griff??” Raven screamed through the laptop screen, her half-empty glass of red wine was peeking through the corner of the screen.

It was the first Friday that everyone had officially spent “apart.” Lincoln had the idea of replacing the group’s normal Friday happy hours with a virtual version—everyone was conferenced in. Lincoln and Octavia from Lincoln’s place, Raven and Anya from Anya’s, and Bellamy and Echo from their loft. Lexa had tuned in, nestled into Clarke’s couch. The blonde in question was still asleep—she had gotten home at noon from her fourth night shift in a row, luckily it was the last until Sunday.

“Stop screaming, jeez. Anya, calm your woman,” Lexa smirked at the camera, before taking a sip of her beer.

Anya looked towards Raven, then towards the camera on her laptop, “I think we all know there’s no calming this one, Lex. But yeah, where’s Griff? Thought she was off today.”

“Sleeping,” Lexa took another sip and pulled Sandy into the frame, “but I do have this lovely lady by my side.

The computer speaker sounded with “oohs” and “aahs” as the retriever made a quick appearance on the screen.

When Sandy finally settled down into Lexa’s lap, Octavia chimed into the lulling conversation, “So it’s been six days at Griff’s, Lex? How’s it going over there?”

“It’s been good,” Lexa shrugged. “She’s been working the night shift for the past four nights, so we haven’t seen each other too much. I’m just trying to have some food ready for her when she gets home in the morning and before she leaves so she doesn’t have to worry about that.”

“That’s sweet,” Raven raised a brow, earning an elbow jab from her girlfriend for the sarcastic tone in her voice.

Lexa cocked her head to the side, “Why’d you hit her, Ahn?”

“They’re just being stupid,” Octavia rolled her eyes. “What have you been cooking? I miss a good Lexa Woods meal. Remember that once impromptu brunch we had? You told everyone to come over with 3 ingredients from their kitchen and you magically whipped up the most delicious meal ever?”

“I’d hardly call that weird veggie mash with three kinds of sausage the ‘most delicious meal ever,’” Lexa shook her head. “But yes, that was fun. And just making little breakfasts and dinner stuff, nothing fancy.”

Lexa didn’t realize why, but Sandy had jumped to her feet and trotted out of the living room. It wasn’t until she heard another pair of steps padding towards her that she realized Clarke had finally woken up.

The blonde stood in the entryway of the room, arms stretched towards the ceiling—her shirt rising just enough to expose the smallest bit of skin. A big yawn escaped her mouth, signaling to the group on the computer screen that the doctor was finally awake. She offered the brunette a lazy smile as she came towards the couch, “Nothing fancy, my ass, Woods.”

“Griff!!!” echoed through the small speaker.

The blonde finally made her way to the couch and took a seat right next to her new, temporary roommate. She slung her head onto Lexa’s shoulders and sighed, it was apparent that she was still exhausted. “Hi, guys,” was all she could muster out.

Lexa turned her attention to the blonde, “Hungry?”

“Always,” Clarke mumbled, “I just need a second but I’ll get up and find something.”

Lexa placed the laptop on the table, directly in front of Clarke, before slowly shifting to stand up, “Why don’t you catch up with everyone and fill them in on all the lives you’re saving. I’ll warm something up for you.”

Clarke looked up at Lexa with a smile and a nod, “You sure?”

“Yep,” Lexa smiled back, “lamb or the truffle alfredo?”

The blonde’s eyes lit up, “Maybe a little bit of both?”

Lexa nodded, “Water, wine, beer, or hard seltzer?”

“Mmm, hard seltzer,” Clarke answered.

As Lexa walked away, Clarke pulled the computer onto her lap and was met with raised brows from every one of their friends, “Hi?”

“This is cute, Griff,” Raven smirked.

The blonde’s smile shifted into a look of confusion, “Huh?”

“You know,” Anya chimed in. “This little game of domestic living you and my cousin are playing.”

Clarke opened her mouth to say something, but Bellamy beat her to it, “I mean, it’s day six. Glad to see you guys have found your groove.”

“Tell us about the groove, Griff,” Octavia threw in.

Clarke put on her serious face, “Whatever you guys are getting at, please stop.”

“Your wish is our command, Princess,” Anya offered an overly dramatic smile.

“Tell us more about this lamb and truffle alfredo, though,” Lincoln leaned towards his computer camera. “Sounds fucking delicious.”

Clarke finally relaxed into the couch, “It is fucking delicious. She was going crazy the other day trying to get a delivery time slot from the grocery store because she was craving a rack of lamb. I forgot how secretly bougie she was. And the pasta was also to die for—it’s like I have my own personal chef now.”

“Damn, lucky you,” Lincoln shook his head, before turning to Octavia. “All she makes are grilled chicken breasts and salads. I’m starving over here.”

Octavia scoffed at her boyfriend, “Lincoln’s been living off of steak, eggs, chips, and beer. Don’t let him fool you. He’s doing just fine.”

Clarke smiled, “Linc, you knew going into this that O wasn’t going to cook for you. You could have scooped Lexa up before I did and you’d be set.

“Yeah,” he huffed. “I’d be eating like a king.”

The blonde laughed, “Yeah, you would have. Meanwhile I’m just going to get fat with her staying here.”

Echo shook her head, “Oh, please. Like that would ever happen, Clarke.”

“Echo, you don’t get it. She’s cooking all this amazing food, but I’ve been so busy at work and she’s staying in the room with the Peloton, so I haven’t even had a chance to work out,” Clarke groaned.

“I’m sure there are other ways you can get some cardio in, Griff,” Raven wiggled her eyebrows.

The sound of the microwave beeping signaled Lexa’s soon return to the room. “Seriously, quit it,” Clarke commanded.

“Quit what?” Lexa called out, as she made her way into the living room. The plate in one hand and drink in the other was all Clarke needed to light her eyes up.

“Nothing. Now c’mere and give me all that.”

“Wow,” Lexa set everything down on the table before giving the blonde a wink. “Never thought I’d hear you say that to me, Griff.”

“Every one of my friends is extremely insufferable. That’s the conclusion I’ve drawn today,” Clarke deadpanned as she reached for the plate.

[cantgetoutofmyheda]

How about a fic in which Lexa and Clarke are in the same friends’ group and are the only single ones within their friend bunch. Octavia and Lincoln are together, Raven and Anya are together, Bellamy and Echo are together, and suddenly there is a crisis that calls for everyone to be social distancing.

Lexa and Clarke are the only two that live on their own, other than Clarke having her dog. During a group “FaceTime happy hour,” Clarke immediately realizes that her and Lexa are the only two out of their group that are solo on this journey. She messages Lexa, outside of the group chat, and asks if she wants to take up the spare bedroom. Clarke makes a point that everyone else in their group has someone they’re with, and it only makes sense that they team up since they’re the last two on their own.

Lexa is unsure of the proposal. Being the pragmatic person she is, she’s made a list of pros and cons of moving forward with the idea of staying with Clarke. Ultimately, though, she’s more at ease knowing she won’t be in full isolation.

Their working hours are extremely opposite, their personalities are extremely opposite, and their dietary restrictions are extremely opposite.

Hit me up if I should continue this plot line.