A Soccer Love Story

@OctaviaBlake: Orlando, we’re coming for you soon!!! Also, how old is too old to dress up for Harry Potter world? Asking for a friend…#GoGoGryffindor

@TobinHeath: @OctaviaBlake apparently we’ll be “too busy” to go to Harry Potter world……that’s what my wife said anyways……#skeptical #AlexMorganHeath4Slytherin

@AlexMorgan13: @OctaviaBlake @TobinHeath we ARE going to be too busy! Now go pack Kellan’s suitcase. #dontforgetthesunscreen #youwishyouwereinslytherin

@TobinHeath: @OctaviaBlake @AlexMorgan13 we don’t leave for another three days! #hufflepuffiswhereitsat

@LexaWoods: @TobinHeath @AlexMorgan13 @OctaviaBlake leave the rookie out of your lover’s quarrel, Morgan-Heaths. Also Toby, #witbeyondmeasure

@TobinHeath: @OctaviaBlake @AlexMorgan13 @LexaWoods you’re not cool. And don’t call me Toby, Lexa T-REXA.

@AlexMorgan13: @LexaWoods @TobinHeath @OctaviaBlake Alexandria Woods you promised me a skype date. I BETTER SEE YOU ONLINE IN TEN MINUTES.

@LexaWoods: @TobinHeath @AlexMorgan13 @OctaviaBlake …yes mom…

@OctaviaBlake: @LexaWoods @TobinHeath @AlexMorgan13 my role models, ladies and gentlemen #welcometotheuswnt #teamoftotalprofessionals

* *

“Princess! Let’s go!”

Clarke rolled her eyes, grabbing her jacket and purse from her bed.

“Clarke! I’m hungry!”

“Just hold on Bell, geez,” Clarke called out, exiting her room and walking quickly down the stairs. She got to the bottom step, rolling her eyes again at the smirk on Bellamy’s face. “You know for someone who works with kids, you’re not very patient.”

“I work with college students, Clarke. Not kids,” Bellamy replied, opening the door and stepping aside to let Clarke through the doorway. “And I didn’t get to eat breakfast this morning. I’m starving.”

“God forbid you miss a meal,” Clarke said, rolling her eyes again. But there was a smile on her face as she got into the car, fiddling with the radio once Bellamy started the engine. They rode in silence for a few minutes, the radio playing a mellow song.

“Missed you, Princess,” Bellamy said, breaking the silence.

Clarke turned her head to look at Bellamy. She smiled, reaching over and punching him on the arm lightly as he grinned and chuckled. That chuckle made Clarke laugh too, feeling comfortable and at home.

If Octavia and Raven were Clarke’s best friends in the entire world, Bellamy was her partner in crime. When Clarke had met Octavia and Raven, she had also met Bellamy who, despite being a couple of years older than the three of them, never thought it was uncool or lame to hang out with them. The Blake siblings loved each other and weren’t afraid to show it, and when Clarke had been added into the group Bellamy never hesitated to extend the same care and devotion to Clarke that he gave to his actual sister.

Over the years, Bellamy was a strong, sturdy force in Clarke’s life—he was the person she turned to whenever she was feeling overwhelmed with school, work, and just life in general. The two of them were the de facto mom and dad of their group of friends, and their close friendship meant most of the time they were in sync. But they were also both very strong-willed, which meant that when they disagreed, they really butted heads. There have been some fights of epic proportions, but the two of them always made up and came back stronger, and Clarke was grateful that Bellamy and her have remained close for all of these years.

“I missed you too, Bell,” Clarke said, grinning.

Bellamy hummed along to the radio, bopping his head to the beat as Clarke watched the view change through the window. They rode the rest of the way to the restaurant like that, and as Bellamy pulled into a parking space Clarke felt herself becoming more excited at their mini lunch reunion.

“Everyone’s already here because somebody took a long time to get ready,” Bellamy teased as he turned the engine off.

“Whatever,” Clarke grumbled. “Wait, Bell,” she said, putting her hand on his arm to get his attention before he got out of the car. “Before we get pulled into the crazy that are our friends…I want to—I mean…”

Bellamy grinned, leaning back into his seat and turning to face her. “You want to tell me about your new girlfriend,” he teased. “I was wondering when you were going to say something.”

“Not my girlfriend,” Clarke said, grinning.

“Yet,” Bellamy said in a singsong voice, drawing out the word.

Clarke laughed, shaking her head. Of course Bellamy would know what she was trying to say. She wasn’t sure why she had trouble starting the conversation—maybe it was because the last time she met someone she thought she could be serious about, it blew up in her face. Bellamy was there for all of it—the cliché meet cute (at a coffee shop of all places, and thinking back on it she can only laugh about how ridiculously cliché it all was), the happiness Clarke felt in the beginning of the relationship, how hard she had fallen in the middle of it, and then the devastating end that had left Clarke heartbroken for months.

“It was one date,” Clarke pointed out, leaning her head back against the headrest.

“But it was one hell of a date,” Bellamy said, grinning.

Clarke laughed again, turning her head to look at her best friend. “It was one hell of a date,” she repeated, nodding her head. “Bell, she’s so amazing. There are so many different layers to her…and it’s like, at first I thought it would be super complicated to get to know her. But the more I spend time with her, and talk to her…it just makes me want to know more.” She shook her head, smiling at the thought of the adorable, awkward, charming soccer player who she had been talking to nonstop since their date a few days ago. “I’m really excited to learn about every single one of her layers.” She made a face, eyebrows scrunching together. “Ew, that was a weird way to say it.”

Bellamy laughed, and Clarke reached out to punch him lightly on the arm once more. “Stop laughing at me, I’m trying to explain my feelings,” she said, though she had a smile on her face.

Bellamy’s laugh reminded her of when they were in high school, and the two of them would take late night drives to get milkshakes at whatever drive thru was open. While Octavia was busy with soccer and Raven was working at the auto shop downtown, the two of them would waste the summer days and nights away listening to music, reading books and watching movies, and discussing everything and anything.

But what Clarke thought was equally important was the time they spent not talking, simply taking in the moment. She would never and will never tire of Octavia and Raven—they were her best friends, her sisters, her idols all in one; they made her brave—but Bellamy was whose presence brought her strength. The type of friend who didn’t need to fill the silence with noise.

“Clarke, you know you don’t have to explain yourself to me, right?” Bellamy asked softly, patting her on the leg. “You’re a big girl, you can make your own decisions. If you say Lexa is amazing, then Lexa is amazing.” He smiled at her, the charming one that all the girls in high school (and then college) used to swoon over, but to Clarke it just reminded her of home—almost like her safety net. “But I do want to meet her.”

“Duh,” Clarke said, reaching out to open the door. She stepped out of the car and closed the door as Bellamy did the same on his side, the two of them facing each other over the top of the car.

“So you think you can get my World Cup shirt autographed?” he asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

Clarke just laughed, shaking her head as the two of them started to walk towards the restaurant where their friends were waiting.

“You know that you could just ask your sister, right?” she asked. She bumped his shoulder with her own as he placed his hands in his pockets.

“Yeah, but what’s the point of you having a famous girlfriend if you can’t even get me an autograph?” he teased.

Clarke scoffed before pausing in her steps, and then jumped on his back, catching a piggyback ride the rest of the way to the entrance.

“Here’s our stop, Princess,” Bellamy said, rolling his eyes as they made it to the door.

“Thanks Bell,” she said, hopping off his back and swinging the door open, walking through the doorway with Bellamy right behind her.

“Yo! Griff! GRIFF! CLARKE!” they heard, the sound obnoxiously loud for the restaurant they were standing in.

They turned their heads and spotted their friends standing up, waving their arms around and making dramatic gestures as if they weren’t seated at a table 30 feet from the entrance.

Clarke rolled her eyes as she heard Bellamy chuckle, and the two made their way over to the table, shushing their friends as they cheered once they reached the table.

“You guys took forever to get here,” Jasper whined.

“They literally got here ten minutes after us,” Monty said, smiling as Clarke took the empty seat next to him and pulled him into a hug. “Hi Clarke,” he said, returning the embrace.

“Monty, love of my life, I missed you so much!” Clarke exclaimed, squeezing him a little harder before placing a smacking kiss on his cheek. “You got cuter while I was away!”

Monty’s cheeks turned a light shade of red as Miller threw an arm around the other boy, grinning and ruffling his hair a bit.

“What about me, Clarke? Did I get cuter?” Raven asked from her spot in between Jasper and Octavia, batting her eyelashes exaggeratedly.

“You know you’re the girl of my dreams, Raven,” Clarke said, sending her best friend a wink.

“Oh shucks, you say the sweetest things,” Raven said, fanning herself with her hand.

“I think you got cuter too, Raven!” Jasper piped up, wiggling his eyebrows.

“I’m still not dating you, babe,” Raven responded as the rest of the table laughed.

“Ok, you delinquents, settle down,” Bellamy said, putting an arm around Octavia’s shoulders and giving her a one-armed hug.

“Yes sir,” a chorus of voices rang out, and Clarke laughed as it was Bellamy’s turn to roll his eyes.

She had really missed her friends.

* *

“Holy shit! I’m the best soccer player in the world! Holy shit! Everyone bow before me!”

“Jasper, nobody is going to bow and you still suck at soccer,” Raven called from where she was sitting on the bench, Clarke seated on the top of the table behind the other girl. Raven was leaned back in between Clarke’s legs, resting her weight against the doctor. The group of friends had gone to the park after their lunch, and Bellamy had pulled a soccer ball out of his car, which had turned into a pick up game. Clarke and Raven were sitting at one of the wooden tables set up for picnics, cheering their friends on.

“Jasper, you literally picked up the ball and threw it into the net,” Monty said, picking the ball up and tossing it to Bellamy.

“Yeah well, O wasn’t letting me kick it past her!” Jasper replied, throwing his hands up into the air.

“Because we’re playing soccer idiot,” Octavia said, rolling her eyes.

“Who thought it was a good idea to play soccer with the professional soccer player?” Miller asked, shaking his head.

Bellamy just dropped the ball on the ground again, rolling his eyes as the game started back up again, Clarke and Raven watching and throwing out comments, laughing at the trash talk between the two teams.

“So when’s your next date with the Commander?” Raven asked, tapping a beat against Clarke’s knee as she rested her arms on top of the doctor’s legs, leaning her head back against Clarke’s stomach.

Clarke continued to braid Raven’s hair, humming slightly. “I’m not sure,” she replied. “We haven’t set anything up yet. But we’ve been texting for the past few days.” She chuckled, thinking about her ongoing conversation with Lexa. “She’s really, really great Rae.”

“So you’ve said,” Raven said, and Clarke couldn’t see it, but her best friend had a soft smile on her face. “I’m really happy for you, Griff.” She patted Clarke on the knee a few times. “Which is why you should get your ass in gear and ask her out on another date.”

“I will! I’m just…working up to it,” Clarke said, deftly finishing the braid and running her fingers through Raven’s hair, pulling it up into a ponytail. “Our first date was really great, so I want to take her somewhere awesome too.”

“You know where you should take her?” Raven asked, tilting her head back to lock eyes with Clarke.

“Hmm?” Clarke asked, smiling down at her friend.

“To same old,” Raven said. “We haven’t been there in a long time but if I recall correctly, that place had a certain kind of magic to it.”

“Same old?” Clarke repeated, thinking about their old high school hang out. Same old wasn’t the official name, but they found themselves there so often on a Friday night that they referred to it as “the same old”. She grinned, thinking of all the fond memories she’s had there. “That’s a great idea!” She let out a laugh before bending down, placing a kiss on Raven’s forehead. “You’re always saving me, you know Reyes?”

“I’ll be here all week, folks,” Raven responded, humming happily before turning her attention back to the soccer game. The two sat in silence for a little bit, watching Octavia weave through the boys and easily score a goal. The two laughed and cheered as Octavia hopped on her brother’s back, the two of them spreading their arms out and doing a victory lap around the small field.

“So are you gonna do it?” Raven asked.

“Do what?” Clarke asked, looking down at her friend.

“Call Lexa and ask her out!” Raven responded, resuming her tapping on Clarke’s knee.

“What, like right now?”

“No time like the present, Griffin!” Raven exclaimed. She reached out for her cane, standing up and stretching her arm. “I’m gonna get closer to the action and help Octavia talk shit to Jasper,” she said, winking at the doctor before walking away, laughing as Octavia picked her up and spun her around once she reached the group.

Clarke watched her friends for a few more seconds before rummaging through her bag next to her, pulling out her phone. She scrolled through her contacts, taking a deep breathe before reaching Lexa’s info and hitting the call button. The phone rang a few times before Lexa picked up.

“Hello?”

“Hi Lexa! It’s Clarke,” she said, rolling her eyes at herself. Of course Lexa knew who it was, she had caller ID.

“Can you please hold on a second, Clarke?” Lexa asked, and Clarke voiced her agreement, tapping her fingers on the tabletop as she waited. She heard muffled voices, some laughter and then silence. “Sorry about that. What’s up?”

“No worries,” Clarke said, smiling. “And I was wondering if you were free this Friday?”

* *

“…and then, mommy said Simba’s treats look like cookies but they’re not Hallie cookies,” the little girl rambled, and Lexa had to stifle her laughter as the two other little girls whose faces filled the Skype boxes nodded along to the story, a serious look on their faces. “And then we went to the park and mama and I played soccer!”

Lexa watched as Chloe O’Hara-Solo’s eyes lit up, a smile taking over her face. “I played soccer too! Mommy let me wear her gloves!” she said, leaning closer to the computer camera.

“I skated yesterday!” Kellan Morgan-Heath chimed in from her end, throwing her hands up into the air in celebration.

“Tobin!” Lexa heard, and she saw Alex enter the frame, picking up her daughter and sitting in front of the computer, placing Kellan on her lap. “I said no skateboarding until she’s at least seven!”

“You try saying no to those puppy eyes, Al!” Lexa heard Tobin reply to her wife somewhere out of frame. “Besides, Ashlyn let Hallie skateboard the other day so I thought it would be fine to take Kellan out!”

“Ash!” Lexa saw Ali appear on the screen behind Hallie, picking her daughter up as well before sitting down. “You let Hallie go skateboarding?!” she yelled.

“What? No! Of course not! You said not to!” Ash said, appearing behind her wife and daughter. “Snitches get stiches, Toby!” she yelled into the camera.

“Mommy, can I skate?” Chloe piped up, and Lexa heard Kelley and Hope answer at the same time.

“Yes.” “No.”

Lexa shook her head as Kelley appeared on the screen, picking up Chloe and handing her to Hope. “Go with your momma, baby squirrel,” Kelley said, bopping Chloe on the nose lightly as the little girl giggled. “You can have some cookies.”

“Hallie cookies?” Hallie asked, leaning closer to the camera from her spot on Ali’s lap.

“Cookies!” Kellan yelled, clapping her hands. “Auntie Rexa! You gots cookies?”

Lexa just laughed as Ali and Alex handed their daughters over to their wives, the both of them shaking their heads as the Kellan and Hallie continued to ask for sweets.

“Great, now Kellan definitely won’t be taking a nap,” Alex sighed.

“I’m just gonna have Hope run around with Chlo in the backyard until she passes out,” Kelley commented.

“I’ll let Ash deal with Hal when she comes down from that sugar high,” Ali said. “Why did we let our children talk to Lexa before nap time?”

“Well, you guys were the one’s who insisted on Skyping!” Lexa exclaimed, leaning back in her chair.

“Because you went on a date with the doc days ago and we still haven’t heard anything about it!” Alex exclaimed, her voice echoing loud and clear through Lexa’s computer speakers.

“Where did you go?”

“What did you do?”

“Did you guys kiss?”

“Is she your girlfriend?”

“Ok, slow down, crazies,” Lexa said, holding her hands up in front of her. “You know, I think I’d rather continue talking to your kids…”

“Oh, shut up Commander,” Kelley said.

“We’ve been patient!” Alex added. “You said you would share!”

“We want details!” Ali chimed in. “Let’s just start with a general overview. How was the date?”

Lexa sighed, shaking her head. But she wasn’t really annoyed—her teammates cared about her, and she knew they had her best interests at heart. The fact that they cared so much about her personal life was something she would never take for granted. She had gained a whole second family the day she had joined the senior national team, and sometimes she thought that she got the better end of the deal—she was embraced by these women immediately—these strong, hard working, amazing women.

When she joined the team in her teens, she had only been a sophomore in college. These women helped Lexa grow up during the years she was just discovering who she really was as a person, and taught her how to be comfortable in her own skin. They were around during those transition years from teenager to adult, and all of them had helped influence Lexa for the better. They provided her with real life role models that she could look up to, and (Lexa still found this to be true) the kind of person she could aspire to be.

“The date was amazing,” Lexa replied finally, grinning as she remembered Clarke’s response to the impromptu food truck and walk on the beach. “We didn’t actually end up going to the restaurant.”

“Lexa! You took the girl out to dinner though, right?” Kelley asked, Ali and Alex leaning forward in their chairs.

“Yes, moms,” Lexa answered, rolling her eyes. “We actually ended up going to a food truck. And then we went for a walk on the beach.”

“The beach in Seattle?” Ali asked, raising an eyebrow in question. “Wow. You were lucky there was no rain.”

“It did rain,” Lexa said, smiling. “We got soaked.”

“There’s a joke in there, somewhere,” Kelley chimed in, while the other girls chuckled.

“So despite the rain, the date was a success?” Alex asked. “Did you walk her to the door? Did you kiss her on the front porch?”

Lexa chuckled, crossing her arms and leaning back in her chair. “Oh, so you want me to skip to the end of the date? I guess you don’t want to hear about when Clarke kissed me on the beach,” she said, feigning nonchalance.

“What?!” “Kiss on the beach?!” “Lexa Woods, you better start talking right now!”

Lexa opened her mouth to respond, but was cut off as her phone rang. She looked down at her phone sitting on the table next to her computer, smiling when she saw Clarke’s name on the screen. She held her hand up towards the computer screen, picking up her phone and hitting accept.

“Hello?” she answered.

“Did you just shush us?” “Who is that?” “Is that Clarke?!”

“Hi Lexa! It’s Clarke,” she heard, smiling as she heard Clarke’s voice.

“What’s happening?” “Is she asking you on another date?” “You still need to tell us about the kiss!”

“Can you please hold on a second, Clarke?” she asked, before attempting to cover the end of her phone. Lexa reached over, hitting the mute button on her keyboard. She watched as Alex realized they had been muted, and the older woman crossed her arms, scowling. Kelley and Ali quickly followed, and Lexa smirked, letting out a laugh as she brought the phone back up to her ear. “Sorry about that. What’s up?” she asked.

“No worries,” she heard Clarke say. “And I was wondering if you were free this Friday?”

Lexa smiled again, feeling those butterflies in her stomach that always seemed to appear whenever Clarke was involved.

“I am, actually,” she answered. “We don’t leave for Orlando until Monday.”

“Great! That’s great,” Clarke said, and Lexa smiled as the other girl paused. “I was wondering if you wanted to go on a date with me Friday night?”

“I would really like that,” Lexa said, her eyes catching something on the computer screen. She rolled her eyes at the sight of Ali, Alex and Kelley all holding up pieces of paper with question marks drawn on them.

“Awesome! I’ll pick you up at seven. Is that ok?” Clarke asked.

Lexa nodded her head, before realizing Clarke couldn’t see her. “That sounds great, Clarke,” she said. “I look forward to this Friday.”

“Great! Make sure you bring a sweater,” Clarke said.

Lexa scoffed. “The Commander doesn’t get cold, Clarke,” she said, and immediately regretted it. “Oh my—please ignore that. Don’t—I don’t—I didn’t mean to say that.”

Lexa heard Clarke let out a peal of laughter, and she smiled despite her lack of brain to mouth filter whenever she was talking to the blonde doctor. She heard people talking in the background, and thought she could make out Raven’s distinct yell.

“Oh sh—Lexa? I’m sorry, I have to go,” Clarke said hurriedly. “My friends are being idiots and thought it would be a good idea to go down the park slide made for children. I kind of have to go take care of this.”

“No problem,” Lexa said, chuckling.

“I’ll text you later?” Clarke asked.

“Yes please,” Lexa responded. “Bye, Clarke.”

“Bye Lexa,” she heard. “Stop pulling—”

Lexa looked at her phone, seeing that the call was disconnected. She chuckled again, before turning back to her computer screen and hitting the sound button again. Alex, Ali and Kelley’s laughter filled the air.

“What’s so funny?” she asked.

“Do you often refer to yourself in the third person, Commander?” Kelley asked, snickering.

“Your mic was still on,” Ali explained, smirking at the younger soccer player.

Lexa just groaned until their laughter died down.

“So, another date, huh?” Alex asked, wiggling her eyebrows.

“Ugh, you guys are the worst,” Lexa said, slouching down in her seat.

“You love us,” Kelley said.

“Now finish telling us about your first date!” Ali added.

Lexa sighed, knowing her teammates wouldn’t let her go until she told them all about her and Clarke’s first date. She sat up a little straighter, before launching into her story.

“Well, when I first got to her house to pick her up I was really nervous, and Raven answered the door…”

* *

“Nona, I really don’t need any money,” Lexa said, putting the cash back on the table. “But thank you.”

“How are you going to pay for food?” Indra asked, furrowing her eyebrows. She pushed the money back towards Lexa. “Take the money.”

“Nona, really—”

The doorbell cut off Lexa’s sentence, and she sighed in relief as her grandma left the kitchen to answer the door.

“Clarke,” she heard her grandmother say, and she quickly looked down at her watch to see that while she had been arguing with her grandmother about taking her money it had reached seven o’clock. She quickly stuffed her wallet and phone in her pockets, exiting the kitchen and walking to the front door.

“Hi Clarke,” she said, taking in the other girl’s appearance in the front doorway.

Clarke was dressed in a simple pair of jeans and a Berkeley hoodie, and looked just as beautiful as their first date. “You look great,” Lexa said, stepping closer next to her grandma.

“Thanks,” Clarke said, grinning. “I like your sweater.”

Lexa looked down at her U.S. Soccer sweater and shrugged. “Nona, we’re going to leave now,” she said, turning to her grandma.

Indra nodded her head. “Alexandria, that money better not be sitting on that table when I get back to the kitchen.”

She heard Clarke stifle her laughter as Lexa nodded her head, clearing her throat. Se leaned forward and gave her grandma a kiss on the cheek. “Bye Nona,” she said quickly, exiting the house and grabbing Clarke’s hand, pulling her down the walkway.

“Bye, Indra!” she heard Clarke say behind her.

She turned her head to see her grandma nodding her head at the both of them, and she quickly reached Clarke’s car parked in front of the house. She raced to the driver’s side door, opening it as Clarke let out a laugh.

“So chivalrous, even when you’re not the one driving,” Clarke teased, getting into the driver’s side.

Lexa just shrugged, grinning. “I do what I can,” she replied, before closing the door and walking quickly to the other side, sliding into the car and shutting her own door. “We should get out of here. That money is definitely still sitting on the kitchen table.” She smiled as Clarke laughed again, the other girl turning to face forward and starting the car.

“What a rebel you are,” Clarke teased, pulling away from the curb.

“You joke, but I actually am,” Lexa said, keeping a serious look on her face as she nodded. “Nona doesn’t take no for an answer when it comes to spoiling her grandkids.”

Clarke just laughed again, nodding her head. “Somehow, I very much believe that,” she replied. “It’s really great how close you are to your grandparents.”

“I don’t want to exaggerate, but they’re literally the best people in the entire world,” Lexa said, grinning. The smile on her face grew as Clarke’s laughter filled the car, and she felt a sense of pride at making Clarke laugh once more. She didn’t think of herself as particularly funny—she had a dry sense of humor most of the time, often using sarcasm that not everyone thought was funny. But Clarke never gave her a pity laugh—she actually found Lexa funny, and the soccer player reveled in the way she could get Clarke to laugh often.

Clarke reached out, turning the radio up as they continued on their way. Lexa liked the way Clarke hummed along to the song, and found herself joining in—something she didn’t often do. She saw Clarke briefly look at her with a smile on her face, and then the blonde doctor was singing, her voice growing louder.

“I don’t mind spending every day, out on your corner in the pouring rain,” Clarke sang, bopping her head along to the beat.

Lexa let out a laugh. “Of course you can sing too,” she said, shaking her head.

Clarke just sang louder in response, poking Lexa in the leg until the soccer player finally caught on to what the other girl wanted.

“Look for the girl with the broken smile, ask her if she wants to stay awhile,” Clarke’s voice rang out.

She poked Lexa once more, and the soccer player let out a sigh before joining in, their voices filling the car. She rolled her eyes when Clarke let out a small cheer when she heard it, but nevertheless the smile remained on her face.

“And she wiiiiill be looooved, and she wiiiill be loooooved.”

* *

“Ok, so you stay right here,” Clarke said, opening her door and hopping down from her seat. “Right there.”

Lexa quirked her eyebrow, but nodded, and Clarke grinned, walking behind the car and opening the trunk.

She was excited.

Clarke had been looking forward to this date since Lexa had said yes, and she just knew that Lexa would appreciate what this place meant to her.

Drive-in movie theaters were far and few between, but Clarke had always had a soft spot for them—she can remember when she was little, her dad would take Clarke and Abby to the drive-in, parking the car so the trunk would be facing the large screen. They would load the trunk with blankets and pillows, eating pizza before the movie and once the lights dimmed, they would open the top hatch of the trunk door and settle back into the pillows and blankets, huddling together and watching a movie. Once Clarke and her friends were old enough to drive, they frequented the drive-in, keeping the Griffin family tradition alive. Octavia, Raven and Clarke spent many nights huddled together in the trunk of Raven’s old CRV, warm and comfortable surrounded by pillows and blankets and each other.

Clarke climbed into the trunk, reaching for the pile of blankets and pillows she had stashed in the back. She spread out the blanket, arranging the pillows and adding blankets to the pile, leaving one draped along the back seat so they could put it over their laps during the movie. She removed the cooler and hot bag, taking out drinks and the box of pizza she had brought with her. Finally, she climbed back out of the trunk and ran over to the passenger side, opening the door.

“Ok! All ready,” she said, grinning at Lexa’s questioning gaze.

“You do know that you were literally right behind me, right?” Lexa asked, smiling. “I could have helped you spread out those blankets.”

“No way, you planned the first date, I’ve got this one,” Clarke said, lacing their fingers together and pulling Lexa towards the trunk. She climbed into the trunk once more, Lexa climbing in next to her as they sat next to each other. Clarke handed Lexa a plate with pizza on it before grabbing her own, smiling as the other girl took a bite.

“You know, I’ve never been to a drive-in movie theater,” Lexa said, her green eyes shining. “I’ve always wanted to go though. I’m really excited.”

Clarke grinned, taking a bite of her own pizza before responding. “We used to come here all the time in high school,” she said. “Almost every weekend. My dad loved going to the drive-in when I was little, and I guess he passed that love down to me.”

“That’s really great, Clarke,” Lexa said, putting her hand over Clarke’s. The two shared a smile, and Clarke couldn’t help it—she leaned over and placed a soft kiss on Lexa’s cheek.

“You’re really great,” Clarke said, and she felt butterflies in her stomach at the sight of Lexa’s grin, a faint blush on her face. “Anyways, I just wanted to share this with you, since you took me to one of your favorite places for our first date.”

“I really like learning new things about you,” Lexa said softly, and Clarke smiled at the bashful look on the soccer player’s face.

Their meal passed with more conversation, filled with laughter and stories, and learning more about each other. Clarke saw the lights outside of the car dim, and she paused in her story as she looked at her father’s watch that rested on her wrist.

“The movies gonna start in about five minutes,” she said.

“Should we rearrange some of these pillows?” Lexa asked, and Clarke nodded her head. The two moved around until they were both comfortable, leaning back against the back seats, and Clarke threw a blanket over them. But she must have forgotten to pack a few of the blankets because she was still cold, shivering slightly.

“Are you cold?” Lexa asked, and Clarke turned her head to meet the other girl’s gaze.

“A little bit,” she admitted. “But it’s ok.”

“Here, scoot forward a bit?” Lexa asked, and Clarke moved forward, closer to the trunk door. She heard Lexa rustling behind her before warm hands gripped her waist, pulling her backwards. She scooted back, letting Lexa’s hands guide her until her she was sitting between Lexa’s legs, her back meeting Lexa’s front. Clarke leaned back, her head leaning against Lexa’s collarbone, the other girl’s chin resting on top of Clarke’s shoulder. She felt Lexa’s arms wrap around her, and she snuggled back into the soccer player’s chest, relishing in the warmth that surrounded her as Lexa draped the blanket over them.

“Better?” Lexa asked softly, and Clarke felt the other girl’s breathe on her ear.

Clarke turned her head slightly, meeting Lexa’s gaze. She saw Lexa’s eyes drop down to her lips, and she leaned closer. “Better,” she said just as quietly, before leaning forward and closing the gap between them.

Her lips met Lexa’s softly, reminiscent of their first kiss, before she felt Lexa take her bottom lip between her own. She let Lexa control the pace of the kiss at first, reveling in the feeling of the other girl’s lips against her own. Clarke reached her hand up and cupped Lexa’s cheek, rubbing it gently before trying to turn her body to get a better angle. They broke apart as Clarke readjusted herself, completely facing Lexa before sitting back down, straddling the other girl as she threaded her fingers through Lexa’s hair. She dove back in with more insistence, connecting their lips again. She felt Lexa open her mouth slightly, and she took the opportunity to deepen the kiss, cupping the other girl’s cheek once more. She felt Lexa’s hands creep under her sweater, grazing the skin above her jeans and couldn’t help the moan that escaped her at the feeling of Lexa’s warm hands on her waist.

Suddenly the car was filled with noise, startling the two of them apart. Clarke looked up, her hands still cupping Lexa’s face, and turned her head to see the opening credits of the movie on the large screen. She looked back at Lexa, whose mouth was still slightly open, face flushed and green eyes shimmering. She turned her head to see the lights outside had been turned off, and she laughed as she took in the state of the windows. Lexa followed Clarke’s gaze and let out a laugh of her own, the two of them chuckling at the sight of the fogged up windows.

“I feel like I’m back in high school,” Clarke said, chuckling.

“You take all your dates to the drive-in theater and make out with them in the back of your car?” Lexa asked, laughing breathlessly.

Clarke’s gaze softened once more, leaning her forehead against the other girl’s. “No, just you,” she said softly. She placed another gentle kiss on Lexa’s lips before pulling back, readjusting until she was sitting in between the soccer player’s legs again, her back to Lexa’s chest.

The other girl’s arms wrapped around her from behind once more, and she smiled as she felt Lexa’s lips leave a lingering kiss on her cheek. Clarke reached down, placing her hands on top of Lexa’s that were resting on her stomach, and laced their fingers together.

“How did you know I love black and white movies?” Lexa whispered in her ear as the opening scene of Casa Blanca began on the screen.

Clarke just shrugged, smiling to herself. “Lucky guess,” she whispered back. “Also, Octavia said you made her watch multiple Humphrey Bogart movies on the plane ride home.”

Lexa chuckled, and Clarke felt the other girl rest her chin on Clarke’s shoulder once more. She snuggled back into Lexa, letting out a happy sigh as they settled in to watch the movie.