Working On Happiness
Song : You Know It by Colony House
Lexa turned her key in the door’s lock, her heart pumping a bit quickly in her chest. She couldn’t hear any sound; were Clarke and Ayden gone? Clarke had nodded though, this morning, when Lexa had told her she needed to go to work for the day and when Lexa had asked Clarke to stay and wait for her.
She opened the door, and a big smile printed instantly on her face when she noticed Clarke and Ayden tickling each other on the couch, laughing.
“Hello there!” Lexa shouted to make her presence known.
“Yexa you’re home!” Ayden shrieked when he saw Lexa, jumping out of the couch and racing towards her, hitting her legs full force.
“Hey buddy, how was your day?” Lexa said laughing, picking the boy in his arms.
As Ayden was beginning to tell his day to Lexa, Clarke couldn’t help but smile at the sight of her so happy son in the arms of the brunette she was feeling so safe with. Those two had a real connection, Clarke knew that, and she could see in Lexa’s eyes all the love she already had for Ayden.
Ayden was still rambling about his day, and Lexa smiled to Clarke when she noticed she was watching them. Clarke smiled back to Lexa, and the brunette’s heart melted.
She nodded to the boy, making him believe she was listening to what he was saying, when she was only focused on Clarke.
“Ok, who’s hungry?” Lexa asked to Ayden, still talking and talking.
He stopped talking then, and threw his arms in the air, making Lexa almost drop him. “Me me!! I want tacoooooooos!”
Lexa laughed, and even Clarke did too. Lexa hadn’t been that happy for a long time, and it was all because of those two. They all went into the kitchen, and Clarke helped Lexa with dinner, while Ayden was telling jokes and laughing for nothing.
“Ok guys, ten minutes before dinner’s ready, what do we do until then?” Lexa asked while everything was in the micro-waver.
Suddenly, Lexa’s phone rang, and Ayden started to dance in a funny way on the music, jumping a little on his feet, waving his arms in the air like he was doing some serious moves.
Take that picture from that frame
I put it in my pocket so that every day you're with me
I keep you close to my heart
Give me one more kiss before the boys arrive
Nashville to San Francisco is a hell of a drive
But don't worry, the Lord is good when the road is wrong
Clarke and Lexa busted in laughs watching Ayden dancing excitedly, and Lexa refused the call, putting the same music instead, beginning to dance with Ayden. She took his hands and the both of them were dancing in the kitchen, spinning and jumping around each other.
And we'll be back before you know, you know it
La-la-la-la, la-la-la-la
I said you know, you know it
La-la-la-la, la-la-la-la
Woo
“Come on Ayden, move!” Lexa said, laughing while jumping like the kid. The two of them were moving like crazy, both laughing and shouting happy cries in the apartment.
All the pretty people and the places I've seen
Make up for every dollar cause I'm living the dream
I ain't worried, I'll be fine
Because the tank ain't empty but it's feeling low
I'm sorry San Francisco but I just got to go home
To my baby, because she's holding it down
Lexa then noticed Clarke was staying behind, only watching them, and that was wrong; nobody could escape a dance party. She approached Clarke, still jumping and swinging, took both of her hands, and brought her in the middle of the kitchen to dance with them. Clarke frowned first, trying to escape, but Lexa held her hands without letting her go, and began to spin her around, making the blonde dance with her, and soon, Clarke was jumping as high as the other two with a big smile on her face.
But we'll be back before you know, you know it
La-la-la-la, la-la-la-la
I said you know, you know it
La-la-la-la, la-la-la-la
“Yeah Mommy!” Ayden laughed at his mother dancing wild with Lexa, spinning around each other.
But when the days grow long she's alright, hey
Every night I know that she's still mine
But don't you break my heart
You're the only guarantee I've got
Hold on a little longer I'll be back right to you
You know it, you know it, you know it, you know it
And as Clarke was dancing, all of her troubles were going away; there were only her, Lexa and Ayden, dancing in the kitchen. This was the life she wanted, she decided. My life is going to be like this, dance parties and Ayden smiling from ear to ear, the blonde thought. She wanted Lexa in her life. She wanted that brunette moving her body like a God, spreading joy and good mood all around her. And she wanted nothing else than to capture that joy and put it in herself.
But we'll be back before you know, you know it
La-la-la-la, la-la-la-la
I said you know, you know it
La-la-la-la, la-la-la-la
Hey
The song handed, and they all fell on the ground, completely spend.
“Pfiou, I’m exhausted now!” Ayden said, making everyone laugh again.
They had eaten all together in the living-room while watching some Disney film. Lexa had let Ayden choose, but secretly she was very glad Ayden had chosen Hercules. Disney films were her favourites; nothing better than this. Ayden hadn’t taken long to fall asleep, and Lexa had carried him to her bedroom – Clarke’s now - because Clarke’s body was still bad injured and her bruises were still sore; she couldn’t carry him, much to her despair, even if she hadn’t say it.
Lexa came back from the bedroom, bringing the ointment for Clarke’s bruises.
“I hate that thing” Clarke murmured, not without tiny smiles on her face making Lexa understand she wasn’t too upset about it.
Lexa smiled back, and didn’t have to ask Clarke to remove her shirt, because the blonde did it herself without a second thought.
Lexa positioned herself behind Clarke, slowly applying the ointment on her back’s bruises. Lexa hadn’t seen them first, but she figured Clarke must have had those when she fell on the floor after Finn had hit her.
Clarke’s phone made a noise on the coffee table, and Clarke froze.
“Clarke? Is everything ok?” Lexa gently asked.
“I turned my phone on”, Clarke whispered.
“Ok”, Lexa said, because she didn’t know how it could scare the girl. Phones were usually on, right?
Clarke smiled, because she knew Lexa couldn’t understand. “Me and my friends, we have a secret app”, she explained.
She tried to reach for her phone, but before she could even clench her teeth in pain, Lexa had already picked it for her.
“Look” Clarke said while showing the screen to Lexa, “we have an app where we can all talk together, and this app can also give our locations to each other”.
Lexa nodded, but was impressed; those kinds of things were often used in secret organisations, and she knew Indra had something like that for her warriors if something would ever happen to them. So Lexa had another thousand questions; why Clarke and her friends needed this app in the first place? She decided Clarke would tell her when she would be ready, and asked another question instead, while applying the ointment.
“Who are your friends, Clarke?” Of course Lexa wanted to ask why Clarke apparently did not trust them enough to let them help her.
“I’m sorry I lied about them” Clarke murmured instead, lowering her head.
“Hey, don’t apologize”, Lexa said, “But you could give me an explanation. If you are ok with it.”
“I do have some friends” Clarke said, still whispering a little.
“Are they the family Ayden is talking about? The reason he called Lincoln Uncle?” Lexa asked.
“Lincoln is not really his uncle, not by blood” Clarke sighed. She knew she had to tell Lexa all about it now. “Lincoln is a friend of mine. His girlfriend, Octavia, is one of my best friends since high school” Clarke started.
Lexa flinched at the name of Octavia. She had heard all about this girl’s story. “Octavia, the one in Indra’s secret team” Lexa said.
Clarke froze again, probably surprised Lexa knew about this.
“It’s ok Clarke, you know that as Coalition Corp.’s CEO, I created that unit right? That’s why I’m aware this unit exists”, Lexa explained, noticing how Clarke relaxed a little, “and I was in Lincoln’s cab a few times, he told me about her. That’s how I know him, and how I know about Octavia being his girlfriend”.
Clarke nodded, and Lexa made her turn around so she could apply the ointment on her torso’s bruises.
“Octavia’s brother is part of the group too. He works at the police station, he’s a cop” Clarke said, searching in her phone for pictures. “This is Bellamy”.
Lexa nodded; he was very alike his sister; same black hair, same body posture.
“Then there’s Raven, the brunette here”, Clarke showed Lexa. Lexa noticed the brace on Raven’s leg, but didn’t say a thing about it, “Raven is Finn’s ex-girlfriend” Clarke told her.
Lexa clenched her teeth at the mention of Finn’s name.
“Then, Monty and Harper, Jasper and Maya, Emori, Murphy...” Clarke said, and Lexa recognised the last name.
“Wait, did you say Murphy? As John Murphy?” Lexa interrupted her.
“Hum, yeah...? You know him?” Clarke raised a brow.
“Yes I do actually, he was pissing Titus off this morning!” Lexa explained, not understanding why this guy was even friend with Clarke. This guy was quite arrogant; she had to agree with Titus on that. “Oh, Titus is my advisor at work” Lexa said when she noticed the interrogating look on the Blonde’s face.
“How small is the world, right?” Clarke sighed. Lexa nodded, waiting to see if Clarke was going to continue speaking or not.
She didn’t want to rush her; Clarke only speaking to her was a miracle, and she had even danced with her a few hours ago, and Lexa didn’t want to push the girl too far. They were making great progress, and she didn’t want to make her go back behind her walls. But to her surprise, Clarke kept on speaking.
“We are all friends from High School, and we had –we still have- a creepy life. We all basically lost contact with our parents; they are either dead or ashamed of us or not caring about us. We are each other’s worlds now. No one else but us” Clarke said with a sad smile.
Lexa didn’t understand. If Clarke had such friends, why had she been on the streets in the first place? They surely would have helped her, wouldn’t have they?
Clarke noticed the frown on Lexa’s face, and understood her silent questions.
“Where we live, it’s....” she sighed, “our lives are not safe for Ayden, and I... I didn’t want him to be surrounded by all this violence”.
Lexa nodded; she could understand Clarke’s point, but still. Nothing could be more dangerous than being homeless, could it be?
Clarke suddenly jolted, escaping the phone when it buzzed.
“What is it?” Lexa asked, worried.
“Hum, I... They are talking to me” Clarke murmured, barely managing to look at the phone.
Lexa then took Clarke’s phone out of the couch, putting it on the coffee table. She grabbed Clarke’s shirt so the blonde could dress up, and put both her hands on Clarke’s forearms. Immediately, Clarke’s fists found their ways to Lexa’s shirt, clinging to it.
“If you’re not comfortable to talk to them yet, it’s ok” Lexa whispered to calm the girl down, “there is no rush. I’ll be there, no matter what you decide”.
Clarke’s eyes were watering a little, because Lexa had guessed what was bothering her. Clarke had thought she needed to reach out to her friends because soon, Lexa was going to kick her out. But now that Lexa had reassured her, she wasn’t that scared anymore.
“Can you stay with me?” Clarke asked in a murmur, and if Lexa hadn’t been paying a careful attention to the girl, she would have missed the question.
“Yes, of course” Lexa gently smiled.
Clarke then nodded, and Lexa brought the phone back to Clarke while making herself comfortable on the couch next to the blonde. Lexa took a blanket from underneath the couch to keep them warm, and to Lexa’s surprise, Clarke snuggled close to her, leaning her head on Lexa’s shoulder.
“Ok...” Clarke said, more for herself than for Lexa.
Lexa squeezed Clarke’s knee to give her courage, and Clarke opened the app, putting the phone between the two of them so Lexa could see the conversation too.
Lincoln: Clarke, you have turned the app on again
Lincoln: Thank you. :)
Clarke smiled a little, because Lincoln was the sweetest guy ever. With him, you could never feel anything else than at ease.
Monty: Hey there Princess, hope you’re ok!
Harper: Glad to hear from you Clarke
Jasper: yes Blondie is back in the game!
Raven: thanks God Clarkey you’re alive!
Bellamy: Hi Clarke, are you ready to come home with us? Can I come and pick you up?
Lexa snorted at Bellamy’s text. She didn’t know him, but she could guess he was probably only waiting for Clarke to be there with him. Lexa noticed how Clarke sighed, too.
Raven: Bellamy watch out what you’re saying. If she turns off the app because of you I’ll kill you with a piece of my brace.
Clarke laughed at Raven’s comment, and so did Lexa.
“What are you going to say to them?” Lexa gently asked, seeing Clarke hadn’t made a move to write something.
“I don’t know” Clarke murmured, “I don’t know where to start”.
Lexa thought about it for a moment. “Maybe you could tell them you and Ayden are ok, so they don’t worry too much?”
Clarke nodded.
Clarke: Hey guys
Clarke: I’m sorry for scaring you off
Clarke: But Ayden and I are fine, and we will be back soon
Clarke: But I just need a little time on my own, to think about everything
Clarke turned herself towards Lexa to see if her texts was good enough, and Lexa nodded in confirmation.
Maya: I’m happy you’re ok Clarke, take all the time you need for yourself and little Ayden!
Lincoln: Take care Clarke, and maybe we could come and visit you someday? Just to talk for an hour or so
Clarke bit her lips. She wanted to see them, at least she was really missing Raven and Octavia, but she didn’t know if she was ready to handle them yet.
“You could tell them to come two by two?” Lexa suggested, “At a time where I’m home so I can make sure everything is doing fine?”
Clarke nodded. “Yeah, I would like that”, she whispered, and tipped on her phone.
Clarke: why not
Clarke: But only two by two, when Lexa would be home
Lincoln: that would be perfect Clarke :)
Raven: Works for me!
Bellamy: Why does Lexa need to be there?
Jasper: Maybe because it’s her house, duh
Raven: Bellamy I swear to God, you’ll be the last to see her
Bellamy: fine I’ll keep my mouth shut.
Raven: hallelujah!
Harper: just tell us what is arranging you Clarke, and we’ll deal with it! See you!
Clarke: See you guys
Clarke sighed, and put her phone back, closing her eyes.
“Is everything ok?” Lexa gently asked, beginning to draw circles on Clarke’s forearm.
“I think, yes” Clarke murmured. Lexa nodded, closing her eyes too.
Lexa was feeling Clarke growing heavier on her shoulder: she was falling asleep. Lexa sighed contently, bringing the sleepy Clarke closer to her chest. Today had been a really good day. Lexa smiled when she thought about the dance party the three of them had had, because it really had been a piece of pure happiness. Then, Clarke had opened herself to Lexa and really talked to her, sharing a real conversation; a thing the girls never had had since the day Lexa had found Clarke dead sick under the snow. Lexa was happy for Clarke, too; she could see how much Clarke’s friends meant to her, and having to keep them away was probably hard for Clarke, and she was glad the blonde had talked to them too, even if it just had been a few texts. Lexa drifted to sleep, a happy smile on her lips.