Lexa's 14th Birthday
The birthday girl involuntarily woke up at the crack of dawn to Anya blowing a horn in her face. Startled, Lexa jumped out of bed, rubbing her eyes. “What, what is it?”
“Happy birthday!” Anya screamed, giving the grumpy teenager a hug.
Lexa scowled at her, attempting to squirm out of the embrace to go back to sleep. “I’ll celebrate later,” she yawned. “I had a late night of training last night.”
“Are you sure?” Anya nudged her. “Because I have a surprise for you,” she sang as she paraded over to the tent’s entrance, lifting the curtain to reveal the Ington village girl with deep brown eyes.
“Costia!” Lexa exclaimed, jumping out of bed, running to embrace the blonde. “What are you doing here?!”
“Anya sent a guard to escort me to TonDC last night,” she smiled. “I wouldn’t miss your birthday.”
Lexa held the other girl tightly for a little too long, before she broke the embrace and blushed. “Sorry I look like this. I just woke up. I haven’t had time to do my braids,” she admitted.
“You look great,” Costia replied honestly. Lexa’s ears grew red as she tried to keep her composure. “Are you tired? Do you want to go back to sleep for a while?”
“And miss spending time with my best friend?” Lexa nudged her, smiling. “No way. Just let me clean myself up a bit and then we can start the day.”
---
Costia and Lexa spent the morning together walking through the woods, stealing glances whenever they thought the other one wasn’t looking. They had never brought up their obvious feelings for one another, they were both young and terribly nervous to mess up the best thing that had ever happened to either of them. Lexa admired Costia’s strength and beauty. She was never afraid to put Lexa in her place when she was acting out of line. Costia admired Lexa’s intellect and strength of spirit, but also her softness and playfulness, especially around her. Whenever they walked through the woods together, Lexa would find a flower along the path to give to Costia. It was a simple gesture to show she enjoyed their time together.
They sat down once they reached the river. It was a chilly autumn morning, too cold to swim, but they both loved being by the water, watching it flow regardless of circumstance. Lexa scooted closer to Costia so their arms touched, too nervous to reach out and grab her hand. She had told herself the whole year, once I turn 14, I’m asking her out. It was an arbitrary rule, but one she placed on herself so she couldn’t chicken out. She had been in love with her for so long, since the day they met nearly two years ago. Every moment they spent together was filled with warm feelings and butterflies, and every moment spent apart was filled with longing and pining.
Lexa had a “secret” diary kept (Anya totally knew about it, but she never read it, of course), that was filled with pages and pages of Costia (with the occasional “what I’m going to do when I become Heda” list). She wasn’t much of an artist, but she tried to draw the blonde, capturing her features the best she could so she would always be with her. She wrote angsty poetry about her “unrequited” love (which was completely requited, if she would have just asked), along with love notes that Costia would never see (they were totally embarrassing).
Lexa took a deep breath and looked at the girl sitting next to her. This was it. She was going to spill her feelings in the most terrifying way possible, put her heart on the line, and ask Costia to be her girlfriend. She stared at the water and began mentally preparing the exact words she was going to say. She was so hyper-focused she didn’t notice the girl sitting next to her intensely staring at her face. Her thought process was interrupted by a nervous Costia.
“Lexa,” Costia grabbed her attention.
“Yeah?”
“Can I kiss you?”
Lexa’s eyes grew wide, she was beaten to the punch. Her brain short-circuited and she couldn’t stop herself before she blurted out an alarmed “no!”
“Oh,” Costia looked embarrassed. “I’m sorry,” she looked smaller than Lexa had ever seen her, and Lexa immediately felt terrible that her brain decided to malfunction during the most important moment of her life.
“No, wait, that’s not what I meant,” Lexa began rambling. “I was just, I was going to-” Lexa stopped to take a deep breath. Her face was completely red by now, her hands shaking, and the girl sitting next to her looked like she was about to cry. “Will you be my girlfriend?” Lexa blurted out before she closed her eyes, mentally cursing herself.
“What?” Costia seemed confused. “But you just-”
“I want to kiss you,” Lexa started rambling again. “Obviously. I just, I was going to make the first move today, and you caught me off guard, and I’m so sorry, and I really like you. I have since the first day we met, in fact, and you make me feel things I have never felt, and when I’m not with you it sucks, and I love spending time with you, I-” Lexa was cut off by Costia’s lips pressing against hers. She inhaled deeply into the kiss, wondering if this was a dream, before moving her hand to Costia’s face. They kissed for a while, gently, innocently, before Costia pulled back.
“Wow,” Lexa shivered. “Thank you.”
Costia laughed at how awkward Lexa was being. “For what? Kissing you?”
“Yes,” Lexa laughed. “But also for making me shut up.”
“You’re welcome,” Costia blushed. “Also, yes.”
“Yes?” Lexa asked.
“Yes to being your girlfriend,” Costia smiled. “I thought you’d never ask.”
Lexa smiled so big and so much for the rest of the morning that her face hurt.
---
Lexa and Costia returned to the plaza in TonDC midday for Heda’s birthday feast. Since Lexa was not technically Heda yet, it was a smaller gathering with only people from the village, nobody from Polis this year. The table was filled with all sorts of food, including fruit, nuts, berries, and assorted meats.
“Wow,” Costia’s eyes widened. “I’ve never seen so much food in one place before.”
“Pretty great being Heda’s girlfriend, isn’t it?” Lexa teased.
“I’d rather be Lexa’s girlfriend,” Costia smiled, and Lexa’s heart melted. The little kids from around the village were all playing in the plaza, waiting for lunch to be served. Lexa grabbed Costia’s hand and ran over to join them. “Mind if I join?” Lexa asked. “Heda!” they all exclaimed, rushing to hug her legs. She pretended to spar with them, always letting them win, falling to the ground dramatically. “Oh no, you’ve defeated me!” she would shout in an exaggerated tone. They would all laugh and help her up to play again.
Costia wondered how Lexa, her goofy, awkward Lexa, ever passed the test to be commander. She knew she was incredibly smart, gifted, and strong, but she sure didn’t show it most of the time. She always screwed around during training, and probably didn’t take things as seriously as she should have. She was always worried that would come back to bite her when she actually took charge. But, on the other hand, she was a giant goofball around kids, and a huge softy around her, and she loved that, and she loved her.
They sat down to eat, and Gustus, Heda’s advisor, stood up to give a toast. “This day is very special. In exactly two years, Heda Lexa will take the throne, relieving our interim commander of duty, and trikru will see years of prosperity once more. To Lexa,” he raised his glass. “To Lexa!” the rest of the table shouted before beginning the feast.
Lexa couldn’t stop smiling. This was by far the best day of her life. She noticed the kid sitting across from her giving her a playful look, and she flicked one of her berries at him. Soon, the rest of the kids were playing with their food too, and Lexa was in the middle of it, laughing. They began to get stares from some of the adults.
“Lexa,” Costia whispered uncomfortably. “Stop doing that.”
“Why?” Lexa asked. “It’s not hurting anyone. We’re just joking around.”
“You’re getting weird looks.”
“So what? I’m Heda. I can do whatever I want,” Lexa reasoned.
Costia held a hand over her face in embarrassment. “It’s because you’re Heda that you need to start taking things more seriously. You have a certain level of respect to demand,” she spoke firmly to Lexa, who now had mashed potatoes all over her face.
“Okay,” Lexa wiped her face and regained her stoic commander pose. “I’m sorry. I will stop playing with my food.”
“Thank you,” Costia smiled, reaching out to hold her hand under the table.
Lexa blushed, unable to keep a dopey smile from painting her face. “What would I do without you?”
“Let’s never find out,” Costia laughed, wiping the rest of the food from her girlfriend’s face. “Actually, about that,” she continued. “I have a surprise.”
“A surprise, really?” Lexa’s eyebrows raised. “I hope it’s a good one.”
“It is,” she smiled. “At least, I hope you think it is. My parents and I, we’re moving to TonDC.”
“What?!” Lexa exclaimed loudly, excitedly, garnering the attention of half the table. “Oh, sorry,” she whispered. “I forgot I have to act all commandery.”
Costia laughed. “It’s okay. So, you’re excited?”
“That’s an understatement,” Lexa smiled. “This is the happiest day of my life.”
“Really?” Costia was melting under Lexa’s loving stare.
“Of course. The most beautiful girl in the entire world not only agreed to be my girlfriend, but she’s moving here too,” Lexa replied nervously, her voice slightly shaking.
Costia kissed Lexa’s cheek and wrapped herself around her arm, resting her head on her shoulder. “I can’t wait to do everything with you.”
---
Costia had been living in TonDC for nearly a year, and she had spent nearly every waking moment with Lexa. They took the same shifts for everything, including cleaning, scouting, and hunting. The only time they were apart was when Lexa had her special Heda training for a few hours a day. They slept in different tents, except when Anya was away in Polis, then Costia would sneak into Lexa’s tent. They would mostly cuddle -- and occasionally make out -- but Lexa made sure she never made Costia feel uncomfortable. She was a year older than the other girl and she wanted to make sure she was ready, so she decided to wait for Costia to bring it up. It wasn’t easy though. Since they had both gone through puberty, Lexa had wanted Costia more than anything in the world.
The summer was nearly over, and she was thankful, because swimming with Costia in the river had been torture. Costia knew the effect she had on Lexa, and truthfully, Lexa had the same effect on her, especially since she started getting her Heda tattoos. Costia would kiss her hard and long in the river until Lexa pulled back, awkwardly muttering that she needed a break to calm down. Costia would smirk and playfully tease her about her reaction, but she loved it. Costia didn’t know how much longer she could wait either.
Anya had been in Polis for three days, set to come back at sunrise. Lexa would miss having Costia by her side until Anya’s next trip, and couldn’t wait for the day she got her own Heda tent so she would never have to be without her love again. She grinned when Costia snuck into her tent that night and got under the covers next to her.
“I missed you,” Lexa breathed, pulling her in close.
“You just saw me an hour ago,” Costia laughed. “But I missed you too.” She leaned in to kiss Lexa gently, but grew increasingly more desperate as she ran her fingers through her hair and down her back. “Lexa?” she breathed.
“Yes?” Lexa looked back at her with half-lidded eyes unable to stay in place between the other girl’s eyes and lips. “I want you,” she whispered against the commander’s lips. “I can’t wait any longer.” Lexa nodded, her nervousness being overtaken by desire, as she kissed Costia hard, rolling on top of her, stripping her of her clothes before stripping her own. Their kisses grew faster, hungrier, they explored each other’s bodies in ways they had fantasized about for years, going for hours, sharing whimpers and muffled moans in between ‘I love you’s and ‘I need you’s.
They collected their clothes before sunrise, not getting any sleep, scrambling to make sure Costia was gone before Anya returned. Costia was on her way out before Lexa took her arm, spun her around, and kissed her one last time. “I love you so much, Costia. You mean more to me than anything in the world.” Costia looked at her with sadness decorating her eyes. She knew Lexa wouldn’t feel that way forever. She couldn’t afford to, not if she was going to be the commander. But for now, the beautiful girl with flowing braids and deep green eyes was looking at her like she was the most perfect thing ever created.
She kissed her back, deciding to enjoy being the center of Lexa’s world while she could.