Chapter Text
It’s so loud.
The bass thumps in Lexa's chest, twice as fast as the beat of her heart, and the higher frequencies make her clench her jaw. She loves music but not at the cost of her hearing. Her studies require her to be careful with her ears. She made a pretty outrageous investment last year, especially for someone who avoids these kinds of places. But the professional hearing protection is a blessing right now. She fumbles with the plugs for a bit as she twists them into her ears and releases a deep sigh when the decibel level reduces to a far more pleasant and less destructive velocity.
Finally, I can think again.
Anya just left her at the bar while she went off to look for the friends they’re supposed to be meeting here. Lexa glances in the direction she saw her cousin walk off to, but she’s already out of sight. Deciding she’s glad she can acclimatize on her own for a bit, she turns around on the barstool to face the various bottles and taps, pondering what will be her drink for the night.
She doesn’t drink often—she drinks about as frequently as she frequents clubs—and when she does it isn’t much. It’s not that she doesn’t like being social, she does, but these outings leave her drained for at least a day or two after in which she needs to recharge. And she doesn’t have that kind of time with two majors and soccer practice.
The tall girl behind the bar slides up to her with a friendly smile, leaning forward as she comes to a halt in front of Lexa. “Hi stranger, see anything you like?” she asks as she grabs a rag and starts cleaning the surface of the bar between them.
“Hey, I’d like a Spanish Mule 43 please.”
The girl quirks her brow. “That’s ginger beer with lime and Licor 43, right? Not a lot of people order that.” Lexa offers her a weak smile when the girl winks at her as she starts gathering the ingredients.
From her peripheral vision she can see three girls giggling to her right and another person standing to her left on the far end of the curved bar. The tingling sensation of being closely observed makes her palms clammy and her stomach churn. She turns around without engaging the probing eyes to look for Anya once more, regretting that she didn't join her cousin.
"Here you go, one Spanish Mule 43." She swivels back to face the bartender to accept and pay for her drink. The girl must be able to tell how uncomfortable Lexa is because she’s still smiling with what Lexa feels is a pitying smile. "It's on the house." Yup, definitely pity. "My name is Echo, by the way. I'm working till ten."
I must look really lost over here, get yourself together Lex. "Thank you, Echo, that's very kind of you," she offers in return, trying on a more confident smile, determined to get rid of the lost puppy look she's obviously sporting.
She stands up to go look for Anya, turning her back to the bar to block out the staring, giggles, and pity. She takes a sip from her drink while scanning the club again and hears a husky laugh to her right. Unable to ignore her curiosity, she finds the source of the sound and almost chokes on the crushed ice that slips down her throat. Bright blue eyes twinkling in amusement look back at her.
Great, first Echo with her pity and now this girl is straight up laughing at me? I suddenly remember why I usually don’t accept these invitations.
She can feel her face flush. The girl might be laughing at her but that doesn’t stop her from being jaw-droppingly beautiful. She scratches her neck with her free hand and gives into the temptation to look at the girl again. She’s no longer laughing but her smile is still there. It’s not malicious, though. Her bottom lip is trapped between her teeth and a there is a playful sparkle in her eyes. Lexa’s throat dries up and she has to take another sip, forcefully ignoring the swirl of heat coiling low in her belly.
She lets her eyes dart over the crowd once more to look for Anya, hoping her cousin will come rescue her from a potentially embarrassing situation. Knowing her luck, Anya probably found Raven and pulled her into a dark corner of the club to do who knows what to her. And that would unfortunately leave her with just Lincoln and Octavia, if she can find them. She doesn’t mind hanging with Lincoln, he’s the strong, silent type and her closest friend after her cousin. She doesn’t mind Octavia either, they hit it off right away when Lincoln introduced them and they’ve grabbed a few lunches together here and there.
It’s the two lovebirds together that makes her uncomfortable. She’s really happy for them but being their third wheel as they are all over each other is just as awkward as being alone and laughed at by sexy strangers.
She takes another sip of her drink while she continues to scan the room, now very aware of the blue eyes that are still watching her. She knows it’s a bad idea, but she chances another glance at the girl, suddenly feeling the need to see her face again. This time the girl quirks an eyebrow and somehow manages to make drinking out of a straw look insanely seductive. Lexa looks away immediately, feeling an instant reaction to the girl. She turns her body away and tries to calm herself while silently praying to find her friends soon.
She hears another giggle coming from the girl on the other side of the bar and decides she’s had enough. As cute as this girl is, she doesn’t feel comfortable being scoffed at. Without even thinking, she gives the blonde one final look and nods her head to bid her adieu before heading into the crowd. She feels the girl’s eyes on her as she walks away and doesn’t quite know how to feel about it.
“Hey!”
Lexa jumps as someone throws an arm around her. She really should be able to sense when someone sneaks up next to her, especially since the earplugs allow her to hear more clearly than anyone else in the club. But she was too deep in thought to notice anything around her, still thinking about those blue eyes and that dazzling smile.
“Lincoln! You should never sneak up on someone like this in a club,” she shouts at him above the music. “I could have decked you.”
Lincoln lets out a hearty laugh.
“And I would have sued you for damaging the money maker.” He gestures at his face before giving Lexa a hug. “Where’s Anya?”
“Looking for you. Where’s Octavia?”
“Looking for her friend who’s supposed to meet us tonight.”
“Remind me why I let you guys drag me out here?”
“You deserve to have fun and meet some pretty girls,” Lincoln reminds her.
“I deserve to go home and get some sleep.”
“Just give it an hour at least, Lex, please? If you don’t have fun by then you can go home.” Lincoln looks over her head to the area behind her. “Oh, there’s Octavia at the bar with her friend.”
Lexa follows Lincoln’s line of vision to Octavia, who just so happens to be talking to the blonde goddess who had been laughing at her just moments ago. Yeah, that sounds about right. Figures.
She must have been staring a little too long without realizing it because both Octavia and the blonde are now looking right back at her while whispering to one another. She watches as both girls hop off their stools and head over to where she and Lincoln are. Lexa starts to panic and makes a complete one-eighty, running directly into Anya.
“Hey, we found you guys!”
Lexa gives her a weak half-smile and tries to manoeuvre around her.
“Whoa, don’t I get a hug?” She’s intercepted by Raven, who already has her arms around her. “Good to see you, Woods. Nice of you to grace us with your presence.”
Lexa returns the hug for a brief moment before pulling back, hoping to still have an out, but it’s too late. She hears Octavia’s voice and turns around to face her doom.
“Guys, this is my friend Clarke. She finally decided to stop being a hermit for one night and leave her studio to hang out with us. Clarke, this is Anya, and you know Lincoln and Raven.”
Clarke shakes everyone’s hands and greets Raven with a hug. Octavia pulls Clarke over to Lexa as if to make a big show of her next introduction.
“And this is Lexa, Anya’s cousin. Lexa, this is my good friend Clarke Griffin.”
Lexa watches as Clarke bites her lip once more before roving her eyes up and down Lexa’s body. Under such scrutiny, she would normally feel exposed and uncomfortable, like perhaps Clarke knows something about her that Lexa really doesn’t want her to know. But for some reason, she feels more curious than anything. Clarke doesn’t look like she’s mocking her, and she certainly isn’t laughing now. Lexa swallows thickly as Clarke’s eyes come up to meet hers once more and instantly feels a faint twitch in her pants.
“The Charmer of Club Polis. It’s nice to meet you.” Clarke sticks her hand out and Lexa tentatively takes it.
“Pardon?” Lexa isn’t sure she heard correctly. Did she just call me a charmer?
“It was a little hard to miss those girls at the end of the bar staring at you.”
Lexa looks over to where Clarke is pointing and sure enough, there are the three giggling girls at the end of the bar. Two of them are whispering while looking over at Lexa. She noticed them earlier, but assumed they were making fun of her for being awkward.
“And don’t get me started on the bartender,” Clarke continues.
“Echo? What about her?”
Clarke smirks and shakes her head. “She was practically throwing herself at you. She gave you a free drink, told you what time she gets off work. Hell, she was basically polishing the bar with her own drool while flirting with you.”
Lexa looks at her quizzically. There’s no way Echo was flirting with her. It was very obvious she felt bad for her being alone at the bar looking uncomfortable.
“That… that wasn’t what was happening. She was just…”
“Being nice? I’ve never known anyone who scored a free drink at this club before, especially from Echo. She's usually pretty frosty; we have a lot of the same classes. But sure… she was probably just being nice.”
Her voice drips with sarcasm, but not in a demeaning way. It’s more playful and Lexa finds herself kind of liking it.
Lexa is just about to respond when someone bumps into her from behind, their shoulder catching her back and sending her tumbling forward into Clarke, almost spilling her drink on Clarke. With cat-like reflexes, Clarke manages to catch her before any damage is done. Lexa looks at her shyly, they are very close all of a sudden and Lexa feels dizzy looking into the deep blue eyes of the girl in front of her.
“I’m sorry, are you okay?” she stammers.
“I’m fine. It’s pretty crowded in here.”
Clarke’s hands are still gripping her arms and Lexa wants to be closer and run away from her at the same time. She turns and finds Anya looking very similar to a cat who just ate the canary. Lexa sends a glare her way but Anya simply returns an innocent looking shrug before winking at Octavia. What the hell was that about, are they up to something? They must be, as Lexa lets her gaze travel from Anya to Octavia. She wonders if Clarke is in on it too or if she’s just a pawn in their little scheme as well.
“So…” Clarke’s voice makes her turn her head back to face the girl she’d much rather be paying attention to than Anya and her games. Clarke’s hands loosen around Lexa’s arms, but she still doesn’t fully remove them. She gives Lexa a look that she can’t quite place, but it’s doing things to her. She wants more and she wants none of it at the same time. Clarke leans in.
“Since we’re this close already, would you like to dance?”
Lexa’s stomach drops and her breath quickens at the thought of dancing with Clarke. She never allows herself to get close to girls. She prefers to keep them at a safe distance, as friends, so there is no possibility of a physical aspect that could make her uncomfortable. But with Clarke she wants to; if she’s honest to herself she really wants to dance with her, or just talk to her, look at her. She’s so beautiful…
“Yes, I’d like that.”
She hears herself say the words and she sees Clarke’s face light up in front of her in response, but her brain is lagging and sputtering over what’s happening. Did I just agree to dance with her?! How did that… Oh shit, dancing. I haven’t danced in forever, I’m going to make a fool of myself. I hope she won’t laugh at me, or get too close. Clarke… dancing… close… oh fuck. Calm down nerd, you’re getting way ahead of yourself here.
Clarke looks at her quizzically, it’s probably quite the face-journey that she just witnessed. Lexa takes a deep breath to calm herself as much as she can manage and tries on her most charming smile to convince Clarke she has some semblance of game. She doesn’t, of course, but she has to try. She can’t remember ever being so taken in by a girl in such a short amount of time. Clarke feels open and approachable but mysterious and deep at the same time. She has to get to know this girl better. Be cool, don’t screw this up.
With every bit of courage she can muster, she holds out her hand for Clarke to take and starts walking to the dance floor, earning a few wolf whistles from Anya and Octavia. Clarke chuckles behind her but Lexa doesn’t turn around to face her until they reach a sparsely occupied part of the floor. She hopes their friends will stay on the other side of the club so they can’t interfere again or make fun of Lexa in Clarke’s presence.
She’s not quite sure what to do, ordinarily Lexa would prefer talking to a girl first, get to know her a little bit and hopefully get comfortable before doing something intimate like dancing. Not that dancing is always intimate but who knows what Clarke has in mind. Damnit, now I’m in my own head again, focus Lex, at least try to be cool for one second.
She lifts her eyes to Clarke’s while scratching the back of her neck a bit awkwardly, not knowing what to do about the gorgeous girl in front of her. Clarke decides to take pity on her eventually, giving her an incredulous smile and shaking her head as she puts her hands on Lexa’s shoulders. Lexa brings her hands to Clarke’s waist when they start moving to the music at half tempo.
“I’ve noticed you before on campus, what are you studying?” Clarke asks, leaning in a bit.
This goddess has noticed and remembered me?
“Composition. Music composition and film scoring. Piano is my principal instrument,” she manages to get out without too much trouble.
Clarke hums in understanding, looking impressed. “So that’s why I keep seeing you around. I’m in the building next to yours. Art department. I study fine arts.”
Art. That means I could potentially run into her every day, this is good. Is this good?
“You’re right that is close, I’d love to see your work sometime if we run into each other on campus.”
Oh fuck, that was a little forward, please don’t take this the wrong way…
“You can see my art… if you play something for me.” Clarke gives her a flirtatious smile.
Wait, flirtatious? Lexa looks away shyly, not wanting Clarke to pick up on her excitement about the prospect of seeing her again. She glances over at the bar and notices Echo staring rather intensely at the two of them. It makes her feel a bit uncomfortable, so she turns her focus back to Clarke.
“Um… yeah. I suppose I can play for you sometime.” She manages to keep the timbre of her voice rather stoic, which is quite a feat with the lump in her throat. She can’t seem to escape Clarke’s heavy stare and wonders exactly what the other girl is thinking. She’s looking upon her as if studying her, like she’s trying to figure out some sort of mystery. Lexa feels compelled to look away again, but she can’t. Not with those blue eyes softly gazing upon her.
“I have some free time next week. Perhaps we can meet in the art building and you can show me some of your work then.”
Clarke opens her mouth to reply, but stops without saying anything. She looks like she’s contemplating something for a moment before making up her mind.
“Actually, I just remembered I have a new assignment for which I need a live model. I’d love to paint you, if you’re up for it?”
There is that smile again. Absolutely gorgeous. Wait! Did she say she wants me to model for her painting?! Oh God, she’s waiting for an answer. Shit! Okay, just keep calm. She’s probably just being friendly so she can get me to model for her.
Clarke must have felt her hesitation because she moves her body closer and adds. “I would buy you lunch first, of course.”
Lexa feels Clarke’s breath against her ear and it’s doing things to her. She can feel her blood heat up her cheeks and lower regions, and pulls back just enough to calm herself down before Clarke’s voice can become her downfall. She clears her throat and gives her a sweet smile.
“Maybe, if we run into each other, I guess… I’ll think about it?” Way to play it cool.
Clarke leans in a little closer this time. “I sure hope we do... I’m glad our friends introduced us by the way. I would have said something to you back there at the bar, but I didn’t think you’d hear me with those earplugs.”
Earplugs! I can talk about earplugs. “Oh, these are professional earplugs. They filter out the bass and reduce the overall volume allowing me to hear more clearly. You can just use your normal speaking voice when talking to me so you don't lose it trying to be heard over the music.” She gives Clarke a sheepish smile, knowing her nerd just showed way too much for having just met the damn girl.
Clarke smirks, her breath is hot on Lexa’s ear as she leans in even closer this time. “But I kinda like having to lean in and get close to you.” She moves back a bit but keeps her body against Lexa, with her lip trapped between her teeth and a presumably innocent look on her face.
Lexa averts her eyes but can’t keep a fierce blush from creeping onto her face. The close proximity of their bodies sends a dangerous pulse through her core. Without realizing it she clenches her fingers in Clarke’s top. The music changes into a pumping electronic beat and Clarke slides her arms over Lexa’s shoulders up to her elbows, starting a grinding rhythm with her hips.
Oh fuck.
With each bump of Clarke’s hips against hers she hears more alarm bells go off in her head. She’s trying her best not to enjoy this and she knows the smart thing to do would be to excuse herself before things get out of control. But damn if it doesn’t feel incredible having Clarke’s body rub up against her to the beat of the pulsing music. She moves her hands down to Clarke’s hips, gripping tightly. She even allows herself to return Clarke’s grinds, closing her eyes and indulging in the sensation, knowing full well that the only way this will end is badly. But right now, with Clarke's warm body pressed to hers, she can't bring herself to care.
When Clarke moves her hands down to her ass, Lexa’s eyes fly open. She drops her gaze from Clarke’s eyes down to her chest, greeted with the ample cleavage from Clarke’s low-cut shirt.
Oh yeah. Those. How could I forget about those? God, this woman is too sexy.
She gasps as Clarke pushes her chest against her own, obviously taking advantage of the fact that Lexa is staring unabashedly at her boobs. The movement sends another jolt to Lexa’s core and she knows it's the point of no return when she feels herself getting hard.
Lexa pulls away from Clarke like the girl just caught fire, trying to take deep breaths to calm herself down and clear the lust from her mind, but it’s too late. How could I be so careless and think this was not going to spin out of control? The confused look on Clarke’s face tells her she should probably explain, but really what can she say? Sorry, Clarke. You’re this amazing, beautiful girl and I’m so damn attracted to you that all you have to do is look down and you'll know just how much. Oh yeah, by the way, I'm intersex. Still want me to pose for your assignment?
“I… I should go. I have to go. I’m sorry, Clarke. It was nice meeting you.”
Lexa turns and maneuvers her way through the crowd, leaving Clarke behind on the dance floor.
***
What?
“Why? Lexa, wait!”
Clarke tries to get Lexa to stop, to ask her what’s wrong, if there is something wrong… well obviously there is, but what?
What the fuck just happened? Did I come on too strong? I thought we were having a good time… I was having a great time, maybe I missed some signals?
She’s still standing on the dancefloor, running her fingers through her hair trying to figure out when and why everything suddenly went so wrong when Octavia walks up to her.
“Hey Clarke, I thought you were with Lexa?”
“I am. I mean, I was. She just left.”
“Left as in she’s getting a drink or left as in gone?”
“I don’t know, I don’t think she’s coming back…”
“Maybe she just went to the bathroom,” Octavia suggests.
“I don’t think so.” Clarke turns to her friend. “Look, I know you and Anya concocted this little plan to set us up, or whatever. And it’s fine, I mean, she’s great… and beautiful. I thought we were having a good time but I guess she’s not interested.”
“I don’t think that’s the case. Did you see the way she was looking at you? She’s definitely interested.”
“Then what did I do wrong?” Clarke is starting to get upset. She doesn’t want to be the cause of Lexa’s distress. Why didn’t she explain what’s wrong?
“I need a drink.”
She pulls Octavia to the bar where they meet up with Lincoln, Anya, and Raven.
“Where’s Lexa?” Anya asks.
“She left.” Clarke takes a drink of her beer.
“What? Why?”
Clarke shakes her head and lets the air escape from her lungs. “I don’t know. We were dancing and having fun and all of a sudden she said she had to leave.”
“Shit.” Anya closes her eyes and tilts her head back for a moment. “I have to go. I need to check on her. I’ll see you guys later.” She jumps off the stool and gives Raven a kiss on the cheek.
Clarke chases Anya down before she reaches the door.
“Anya, wait! Is she okay? Should I come with you?”
“No, you should stay. Have fun. She’s fine, I promise. She sometimes has difficulty meeting new people.”
Clarke nods. She did seem a bit shy.
“Well, tell her I don’t bite. And please make sure she knows I had a really nice time with her tonight.”
“I will.”
Instead of heading back to the bar, Clarke makes her way to the bathroom to take a moment to collect herself, trying to understand what just happened. Maybe she came on a bit too strong because she rarely meets anyone worthwhile, but Lexa seemed very receptive to it. Perhaps she went too far by asking her to model. She couldn’t help it, though. She had never seen anyone more beautiful than this girl. Those eyes, those lips, that jawline, those adorable little ears. They need to be immortalized on canvas.
Clarke washes her hands and stares into the mirror as other girls surround her, touching up their hair and makeup. She thinks back on when she first saw Lexa waiting for her drink, completely oblivious to the fact that the girls at the bar were trying to get her attention. Even Echo, who rarely spends so much time on one patron, was practically ready to take her home and Lexa didn’t seem to get it. How can someone so beautiful be so clueless? Clarke can’t help but find it charming and quietly laughs at how adorably naive Lexa is. And that was before she even knew Lexa was the girl Octavia had told her about. The one that Clarke just “had to meet.”
Clarke leaves the bathroom to go find her friends. She spends the rest of the night trying not to think about Lexa, but fails miserably. She resolves to make it a point to see her again. Thankfully, she now knows just where to find her at school.