Chapter Text
It was 9 am and Lexa was still in bed.
“It’s the first day of the rest of your life,” Clarke had told her two hours before.
“That doesn’t help me very much,” Lexa snuggled closer to Clarke, her head under Clarke’s chin and her arm tightly wrapped around Clarke’s back. That’s how she spent the majority of previous night. With every stroke of Clarke’s hand on her back, the idea of being without a job and future, slowly but surely disappeared, at least for a while.
“I want you to stop thinking,” Clarke told her at some point earlier that night, “just for tonight, I want you to stop thinking about what happened and what will happen.”
“That’s easier said than done,” Lexa said.
“I know, I can’t even imagine what’s going through your head right now,” Clarke kissed her cheek, “but we can either spend the night talking about it or we can spend the night doing something else and talk about it tomorrow. After you’ve had time to breathe,”Clarke said. “If you ask me, I think you can afford one night of doing nothing.”
“What did you have in mind?”
“You are so clingy,” Clarke’s giggle brought Lexa back to present. The rumbling in her throat and chest filled Lexa with immeasurable joy. “Tiger in the streets, koala in the sheets,” Clarke kissed the top of her head.
“What did you just say?,” Lexa pulled back a bit and laid her head on the pillow next to Clarke’s.
“Hard on the outside and so soft on the inside,” Clarke brushed her nose over Lexa’s before kissing it softly, “in more ways than one,” she smiled.
“You are lucky I like you.”
“Mhmm,” Clarke kissed her forehead.
“As much as I don’t want you to leave, I also don’t want you to be late.”
“I can be late, for once.”
“They’ll say I’m corrupting you.”
“Who is they?”
“I’m sure they knew you are here before I knew you were here.”
“I came here with you.”
“Exactly my point.”
“Fuck them.”
“I’d rather do you.”
Clarke chuckled, “Oh, would you now?”
Lexa’s hand went down Clarke’s back to her ass. “Yes.”
“I thought you don’t want me to be late?”
“I don’t, but I wanna have something nice to think about while you’re gone.”
“Oh, so it’s about you?”
“Clarke,” Lexa’s hand moved to grip Clarke’s hip with her thumb going far down Clarke’s navel. “Have I told you how much I love the fact that you tend to sleep naked?”
“I have a shirt on,” Clarke lifted her leg and threw it over Lexa’s body. She got a smile in return.
“Please Clarke, I don’t like to be reminded of tragedies.”
“You can take it off, if you want.”
“Is that an invitation?”
“It’s…,” Clarke had a snarky response but she lost is somewhere between Lexa’s hand going under her shirt and Lexa’s thumb brushing against her nipple.
“It’s?,” Lexa smirked.
“It’s…umm...,” Lexa pulled the hard and swollen nipple between her finger, “yes.” In the short time she spent with Clarke, Lexa learned that Clarke liked to tease, but what she liked more, even though she wouldn’t stop denying it, is to be teased. When Lexa was slow and deliberate with her touches, that’s when Clarke would completely lose it.
“It’s yes?”
“Stop fucking around.”
“You want me to stop?,” Lexa lifted her brow.
“Yes.”
“Okay,” Lexa licked her lips and started to move her hand down Clarke’s stomach. She felt Clarke’s muscles tighten under her fingers. She knew what Clarke wanted, if not by the way her breathing quickened then by the way her hips bucked forward, closer to Lexa with every tiny part of Clarke’s skin that she covered. But instead of giving Clarke what she wanted, what they both wanted, Lexa pulled her hand out of Clare’s shirt and put it back on her hip, much higher than it previously was.
“Not like that,” Clarke protested.
“I thought you wanted me to stop?,” Lexa teased.
“To stop fucking around,” Clarke said. “We don’t have time for that.”
“Oh, so you don’t want me to stop?”
“Lexa please.”
“I don’t wanna rush it,” Lexa smirked. “We can continue tonight.”
“If you’ve just riled me up like this to do nothing, then you won’t see me tonight.”
“But imagine how fun it would be if you got to go to work and having something nice like that to think about and look forward to.”
“Lexa, I swear to God.”
“You don’t think it’d be fun?”
“I think this,” Clarke put her hand on top of Lexa’s and pulled it between her legs, “is more fun,” she whispered breathless.
Lexa was never as close to losing control as when she heard Clarke moan after her fingers brushed over Clarke’s clit. “Lay on your back,” she said pushing Clarke’s legs slightly apart and settling between them. She took a moment to look at Clarke laying in front of her, her hair all tangled up, her face flushed and her hands gripping the sheets in anticipation of what’s to come. Lexa smiled and ran her hands from Clarke’s calves to her inner thighs before lowering her head and placing soft kisses down her stomach.
One of Clarke’s hands ended, instinctively, in Lexa’s hair just as Lexa’s tongue went up and down her slit. “Oh God.”
Lexa flicked her tongue over Clarke’s clit. Slow and soft at first and then fast and hard after Clarke’s hips started to rock against her mouth. Lexa ran her hand down Clarke’s thigh and drove first one, then two fingers inside her.
It wasn’t long before Clarke squeezed her legs around her head and tightened around her fingers.
Lexa leaned her head on Clarke’s thigh and traced her fingers down her navel then back up the other way until Clarke put her hand on top of hers and pulled her up. Lexa kissed her and then lied down next to her. She turned on her side and rested her hand on Clarke’s neck. Clarke’s eyes were still closed but she smiled when she felt Lexa’s fingers lightly dancing on her neck. “Can all my mornings start like this?,” Lexa asked.
Clarke giggled, “I was just about to ask you the same thing.”
“I’m in if you are,” Lexa smiled.
Clarke turned her head sideways. “Do you wanna take a shower with me?”
“You’re starting to be really irresponsible,” Lexa said. “You are already late and you’re asking me to make you even more late.”
“The irresponsible thing would be to go to work smelling like you.”
“You’re gonna smell like me either way,” Lexa smiled.
“Lexa Woods, do you wanna take a shower with me?”
“I do.”
“Then take me now or lose me forever.”
“You, Clarke Griffin, are… something else.”
Clarke jumped out of the bed and started to walk to the bathroom. “Catch me if you can,” she turned around and said.
Lexa got out of the bed and walked after her. She found Clarke’s shirt on the bathroom floor and Clarke already under the shower. She took off her clothes and hugged Clarke from the behind.
“Missed you,” Clarke turned around and kissed her.
“I’m not a big fan of shower sex,” Lexa said after Clarke’s hands made her way down Lexa’s body.
“Bold of you to assume we are going to have sex,” Clarke smirked, “Besides, you’ve never had shower sex with me.” When Lexa’s hand started to move down between their bodies, Clarke stopped her. “Oh, no no,” she said and pushed Lexa against the wall, “it’s my turn.” She pushed Lexa’s head to the side and started to nibble and suck skin on her neck. Lexa was holding back a moan, but not for too long. Clarke’s hands went down her body and cupped her breasts. “You are so hot,” she whispered in Lexa’s ear. “So hot it’s driving me crazy when I can’t have my hands on you.”
“Makes two of us,” Lexa managed to say.
Clarke scratched her way down Lexa’s abs and then pushed her legs slightly apart. “Hold onto me,” she said as her fingers ran through Lexa’s wet slit.
“Oh Clarke, fuck,” Lexa’s head fell back on the wall behind her.
Clarke moved her fingers around and over Lexa’s clit, then pressed her thumb on it. “You’re driving me crazy.”
“Please Clarke,” Lexa tangled her hair in Clarke’s hair and pulled her until she was in front of her. “Faster,” she whispered against Clarke’s lips. Even if she wanted, Clarke couldn’t say no to that. She started to rub her thumb over Lexa’s clit, faster and harder. “Don’t stop,” Lexa dug her fingers into Clarke’s back. “Please don’t stop,” she cried out in pleasure. Lexa felt like her knees were about to give her up, but Clarke held her in place. For a second, Lexa blanked out, there was nothing around her but Clarke, Clarke’s skin, Clarke’s hands and Clarke’s mouth.
“That was fast,” Clarke smiled when Lexa opened her eyes.
“Shut up.”
“What? I liked it,” Clarke kissed the corner of her mouth. “A lot,” she whispered.
Half an hour later, Lexa was standing, leaned on the bedroom doorway and looking at Clarke get ready. “When did I get so lucky?,” she asked when Clarke noticed her staring. “Am I allowed to say that?,” she quickly added.
Clarke put her shoes on and walked up to Lexa. “Are you allowed to say you got lucky?” She put her hands on Lexa’s hips and started to kiss her neck.
“Am I?”
“Are you sure you wanna call it getting lucky?”
“What would you call it?”
Clarke brought her face in front of Lexa’s. “I’d say you got what you deserved,” she grinned.
“That sounds even worse,” Lexa chuckled.
“I look good on you.”
“You do?,” Lexa smiled.
“You are frowning less,” Clarke’s finger went down from Lexa’s forehead over her nose, “and smiling more,” then over her lips and down her chin.
“Do you expect me to thank you?”
“A kiss should be enough.”
“Do you want me to make you skip work?,” Lexa asked when she pulled back from the kiss.
“Imagine the scandal.”
“Leave now or you won’t leave at all.”
“Pushy,” Clarke stepped back. “How do I look?”
“Like a full course meal.”
Clarke laughed, “I’m liking this new side to you.”
“You have no idea what you got yourself into.”
“I can’t wait,” Clarke smiled. “But I do have to go now.”
“My life is so sad,” Lexa pouted.
“Poor baby,” Clarke tucked Lexa’s hair behind her ear. “You’ve been having sex all morning, I feel so bad for you.”
“I could do it all day, but you’re playing.”
Clarke chuckled, “I’ll see you tonight,” she kissed Lexa one last time. “Don’t miss me too much.”
“I’ll try.”
After Clarke had left, Lexa went back to bed. She didn’t go back to sleep and with Clarke gone she had only one thing to think about. She was without a job and without a clear vision of what she was going to do. It was the first time in as long as she could remember that she felt stuck with seemingly nowhere to go.
Maybe Anya was right and she shouldn’t have quit out of the impulse and rage Marcus made her feel in that moment, maybe she should have apologized and sucked it up and stayed there. She had a steady income, a part in shaping bits and pieces of the world and maybe it wouldn’t matter that her name wasn’t going to be the one that everyone would know.
But she also knew that life is about more than just being, she knew she wasn’t meant for following.
It was, after all, the first day of the rest of her life and she was going to live up to it.
She got out of the bed, took a shower, made some breakfast and coffee, and after spending a couple of minutes psyching herself up for it, she picked up her phone and called Becca.
“Who knew Woods was going to be such a bad influence.”
“Good morning to you too Raven.”
As soon as Clarke walked into her office Raven appeared in front of her. “I think this is the first time you’ve been late to something in your entire life,” Raven said, “and it happens to coincide with the first day of your girlfriend having no job.”
Clarke flinched, “Don’t call her that,” she didn’t know what Lexa was or wasn’t but she knew that she didn’t want Raven to be the one to make her that. Clarke sat down at her desk, “And it’s not her fault.”
“So you got stuck in traffic and not in bed?”
“This is not the time or place to be discussing that,” Clarke smiled.
“I can be patient and wait, but I had a bet with Anya and I just had to make sure I won.”
“You had a bet with Anya about my… bed sharing activities?”
“What the fuck?,” Raven laughed. “We had a bet if you’re going to show up at all.”
“Why wouldn’t I?”
“Because I would rather spend the day in bed with… someone than to be here,” Raven said. “You’ve missed a whole bunch of crazy this morning.”
“What happened?,” Clarke frowned.
“Marcus came downstairs and said Lexa was fired and that anyone reporting to her was now going to report to you and if anyone had any questions or complaints about it that they are free to leave,” Raven said. “He also called a meeting with you and Anya.”
“He said he fired her?”
“Yep.”
“He’s…,” Clarke sighed. Some things are better left unsaid. She opened her email and saw the meeting was scheduled for 1 pm. “What does he want from me now.”
“My guess is that Anya will take Lexa’s position and that whatever happened between you three yesterday made him really mad.”
“He brought it onto himself,” Clarke got up, “I’m gonna go talk with Anya.”
Anya’s office door was opened. Clarke knocked and walked in. “Hi,” she said.
“Clarke,” Anya said.
Clarke closed the door and sat in front of Anya. “Do you know what he wants?”
“My guess is he needs someone to fill in Lexa’s shoes.”
“That’s big shoes to fill.”
“I know.”
“Do you want it?”
“Do I want the job or do I want to fill in her shoes?”
“Both.”
“I like the job, but I don’t think I’m interested in doing everything that she was for someone like him,” Anya said. “And I think he’s crazy if he thinks he’s going to find someone willing to do all that for nothing,” she added. “I’m telling you all this only because… you know. I hope you know that I don’t want this to…”
“I know, I won’t say anything to anyone,” Clarke assured her. “But I don’t think he’s gonna give it all to you. I think he wants to throw it all to me and have you fill the holes that are left after it.”
“He’s crazy if he thinks that’s gonna work.”
“He’s crazy stop.”
“How is she?,” Anya asked after a couple moments of silence. “I didn’t call because I know you were… there and that she probably needed some space from talking.”
“She’s… fine I guess,” Clarke said. “It’s not the best but she didn’t look like it was bad. She’ll be fine.”
“Of course she will,” Anya smiled.
“What are we going to do?,” Clarke asked.
“I don’t know about you but I’m not going to accept whatever nonsense he’s about to spew out. He can fire me if he wants but I’m not doing the dirty work for him.”
Clarke sighed, “Did he really say he fired her?”
“Yes,” Anya said. “Maybe we should call her and tell her that so she comes and solves our problems for us.”
“She’d kill him,” Clarke chuckled. “Okay then, I’ll see you soon I guess,” Clarke got up.
“Just remember, it’s okay to say no,” Anya said.
On her way back to her office, Clarke glanced at the office that was, up until yesterday, Lexa’s. It was strange to see it dark and empty. It was strange to get to work and not see Lexa there. It was going to be strange to have to work with no Lexa by her side.
It was the one constant since Clarke started working there. Lexa was always there. Early morning and late night. They weren’t always friendly or even nice to each other, sometimes not even close to it, but knowing Lexa was there, helped Clarke get through some of the rough and windy roads she had to cross while working there.
But now that was gone. Lexa had quit after, the final nail in the coffin being Marcus, their boss, wanting to sneak all the control from and by Lexa to Clarke.
Clarke pulled out her phone and sent a message to Lexa.
It’s strange to be here without you.
Clarke turned around in her chair and looked through the window at the city laying in front of her. One of those buildings was where Lexa’s apartment was.
Phone in her hand rang. It was a message from Lexa.
Is that your strange way of saying you miss me?
Clarke smiled.
It’s just strange.
What are you up to?
I’m in bed.
Still.
You decided that’s what your life was going to be from now on?
I’m gonna make a living out of sleeping.
I hear it’s a lucrative job.
Speaking of, don’t you have a job you’re supposed to be doing now?
I’m procrastinating.
As soon as she sent the message her phone rang, it was Lexa.
“I got tired of typing,” she said.
“Completely understandable, it’s not an easy thing to do,” Clarke teased her.
“Ha ha, you’re much funnier in person,” Lexa said. “How are things there?”
“Chaotic,” Clarke decided it was best to not go into much more details. “Over there?”
“I’m keeping the bed warm for you,” Clarke’s heart warmed up at the softness of Lexa’s voice.
“You are so cute.”
“Am I?,” Clarke could hear the smile in Lexa’s words.
“So fucking cute.”
“Thank you, I try really hard.”
“Is that all you’re going to do today?”
“Be cute?”
“Yes,” Clarke chuckled.
“That and I’m waiting for Becca to call me back.”
“You called her?”
“Yes, shortly after you left,” Lexa said. “I thought about it and decided what I wanna do.”
“That didn’t take long,” Clarke said surprised. She wasn’t expecting Lexa to sulk around long, but she also didn’t expect her to be back in the game so fast. “I thought you were going to take it slow.”
“You don’t know me that good, not yet,” Lexa chuckled. “Time you lose is forever lost.”
“I also didn’t realize you were so wise.”
“You’re gonna learn a lot of things you didn’t know about me, Clarke Griffin,” Lexa said. “Did you say hi to Gustus for me?”
“Yes, he said he’s eagerly waiting for that call you promised.”
“Good to know,” Lexa laughed. “So how are things really?”
“How much do you wanna know?”
“That bad?”
“It’s… crazy,” Clarke said. “Anya and I have a meeting with him in a couple of hours.”
“Good luck with that,” Lexa said. “He must be freaking out realized how much shit he needs to do now.”
“General consensus is he’s gonna dump it all on Anya or me.”
“My vote is you, you’re the golden girl.”
Clarke rolled her eyes, “Fuck you.”
“I’m kidding,” Lexa chuckled on the other side.
“Whatever, fuck you,” Clarke shook her head.
“Hope so,” Lexa said.
Someone knocked on Clarke’s door. She quickly turned around and saw it was one of the interns. “I have to go,” she said. “Keep that bed warm for me,” she whispered before hanging up.
Half an hour later, when she was again alone, she saw she had a message from Lexa.
I’m gonna keep it at the optimal temperature. You’ll even be able to take off your shirt.
“Clarke, Anya, come in, it’s gonna take just a moment,” Marcus said when Anya and Clarke walked into his office. He was on the phone with someone and apparently finishing the call. “I’m really happy we were able to meet in the middle with this Cage. Yes. Yes, of course. I’ll be expecting your call.” Marcus hanged up and smiled at Clarke and Anya. “Big things are on the horizon,” he said. “But there will be time for that. You must be wondering why I called you in,” he leaned back in his chair. “As you both know, as of yesterday Lexa is no longer working with us. I felt like we came to the end of our road and I ended our cooperation. And if you ask me I think we’ll be better off,” he smiled. “I also took a look at all the things that she was in charge of and I came to the conclusion that she, without a better word, hyped it up a bit too much.” Clarke shifted in her chair and looked at Anya sitting next to her. She looked as happy as Clarke was with what they were hearing. “I’ve come up with a plan,” he said. “All the people who worked under her will now be reporting to you Clarke,” he looked at her, “you will also take on half of the clients and you Anya will take the other half. It might look like a much bigger workload, but trust me it’s not…”
“I’m sorry to interrupt but I disagree. I’ve worked closely with Lexa all these years and the amount of things that she was responsible for was not as insignificant as you make it look,” Anya said.
“I understand why you’d think that…”
“I don’t think that, I know that.”
“I’m also not really comfortable with having that many things to do, especially not overnight and especially since it was never supposed to be a part of my job,” Clarke added.
“I’m not in the mood to argue, with either of you,” he said.
“What’s that supposed to mean?,” Anya crossed her arms.
“It means that’s going to be a part of your job from now on.”
“We don’t get a say in it?,” Anya asked.
“No.”
If Clarke knew anything about Anya then she knew Anya was not going to sit there and listen, or accept, the things that Marcus was saying. “Then I’m going to call Indra and have you and her draft a new contract for Anya and me or…,” she said before Marcus interrupted her.
“You are swimming in dangerous waters, Clarke.”
“I don’t care,” she said. “You can’t dump all that to two people that have never done something like that or that big. Why don’t you do it if it’s not such a big deal?”
Marcus looked at her then at Anya, then back at her. “I don’t know what’s gotten into you Clarke but I don’t do well with threats.”
“I’m not threatening you, I’m doing things that got me a job here, things for which you asked me to come here. Neither of us is stupid and we won’t agree to things that we know are not as you present them, and I’m sure I speak for both of us,” she looked at Anya.
“Marcus,” Anya said. “I know that you are not happy that she left, but you can’t expect us to do our jobs and all the things that she did. It’s not reasonable.”
“What do you suggest I do then?”
“Find someone else, rearrange things, do something else,” Anya said. “But I’m not doing Lexa’s job on top of my own.”
“Neither am I,” Clarke added.
Marcus turned his head to the side and looked at the wall to his right. He looked far from happy. As a matter of fact, Clarke had never seen him look like that. “Anya you can leave, Clarke you stay for a another minute.”
“Am I fired?,” Anya asked when she got up.
“No,” he said and waited for Anya to leave the office before he turned to Clarke. “I need you to call Becca and make sure she knows that if she signs with anyone else, we are going to make her life a living hell.”
“What?,” Clarke looked at him in shock.
“That is a part of your job.”
“Why are you asking me to do that?”
“If she’s not going to make business with us then she needs to know that she won’t make it with anyone.”
“But there’s no need to do that, she wasn’t interested in doing it with anyone other than…”
“I will take care of Lexa and you will take care of Becca. Is that clear?”
“Yes.”
When Lexa heard the doorbell ring, she knew it was Clarke. She opened the door with a smile on her face. “Hi… what’s wrong?,” she asked when she saw Clarke’s face.
“Hey,” Clarke walked in and before she could say anything else, Lexa had wrapped her arms around her and hugged her.
“You look like I should be looking,” Lexa said when she pulled back. “What happened?”
“It’s a mad house over there,” Clarke sighed.
“Do you wanna talk about it?,” Lexa cupped Clarke’s face with her hand.
“Do you?”
“If it’s gonna make you feel better,” she ran her thumb over Clarke’s cheek.
“He told me to call Becca,” Clarke said, “and threaten her,” Clarke buried her head into Lexa’s neck. “I couldn’t do it.”
“I’m sorry,” Lexa kissed her forehead.
“I’m just tired,” Clarke sighed. “The day has been much longer than I thought it’d be.”
“You went home before coming here?,” Lexa asked when she saw the bag next to Clarke.
“I went to pick up some things,” she said. “I assumed I was going to spend the night but now that I think about it you’ve never asked me to.”
“Why do you think I kept the bed warm then?,” Lexa smiled.
“Did you?”
“Wanna go and see for yourself?”
“Yes,” Clarke whispered. “But I’d like to eat something first, I’m starving.”
“I thought I’d have my dessert first,” Lexa smirked.
“I’m afraid you’ll have to wait this time.”