Commander Heart Eyes
“Clarke, you and your girlfriend broke the internet,” Bellamy’s voice said, filtering through the phone.
“Over a million likes!” Miller’s voice echoed.
“She’s hot! Well done Princess!” Jasper added, and Clarke snorted as she heard multiple slaps being doled out to what was presumably the back of Jasper’s head.
“You look really happy,” Monty’s soft voice said.
Clarke smiled, moving her phone from one ear to the other, holding it in place with her shoulder as she tied her shoe. “I am really happy,” she replied, humming lightly.
“So now that you’re basically famous can you get us Taylor Swift tickets?” Jasper asked.
The sounds of slaps could be heard again, mixed with Jasper’s affronted cries.
Clarke just laughed, straightening up as she grabbed her bag. “As much fun as this has been, I’ve got to get going now,” she said, looking over the room one last time to make sure she hadn’t forgotten anything. “We’re heading to the training facility so I can finish the rest of the fitness tests.”
“Ok, we’ll let you go Princess. We just wanted to let you know how happy we are for you,” Bellamy’s warm voice said, making Clarke smile as she heard the rest of her friends echo his sentiment.
“Thanks guys,” Clarke responded. “Talk to you later.”
She heard a chorus of goodbyes before hanging up and exiting the room, closing the door behind her. Clarke still had a smile on her face as she walked to the elevator, thinking about all that had happened since Lexa had posted that picture of them a few days ago.
Her mom had called her immediately after one of the nurses had seen the picture, demanding that Clarke and Lexa have dinner with her once they got back to Seattle.
She’d gotten texts from her colleagues in DC, all of them a variation of excited emojis and gifs (which Clarke thought was slightly ironic, seeing as they were some of the most intelligent brains of their generation and yet conversed solely through gifs).
Her friends had immediately contacted her as well, all of them separately texting her and adding to the ongoing group chat labeled “The Delinquents” (which was an inside joke from when they were in high school, and the principal had called them that after Clarke and Raven had successfully talked their entire group out of detention due to a prank gone wrong that had left the cafeteria covered in jello).
Clarke had been nervous for the reaction of the rest of the training staff—she wasn’t sure if a team doctor had ever dated one of the players before, but Dawn had given her a pat on the back and a wink, and the rest had confessed about the ongoing pool they had about when her and Lexa would admit that they were dating.
But for Clarke, the best thing that came as a result of that picture was why it was taken—Lexa is her girlfriend.
She is dating Lexa Woods.
Lexa Woods is her girlfriend.
She is Lexa Woods’ girlfriend.
The beautiful, amazing, talented, awkward dorky girl that Clarke had come to know over the course of these past few months never failed to put a smile on her face.
“Finally,” Clarke heard, and grinned as she looked up from her phone to see Raven standing in front of the elevator, tray of coffee in her hand, leaning against her cane. “What took you so long?”
Clarke rolled her eyes, taking the tray from her friend as the two walked through the lobby towards the front where the van was waiting to take them to the field.
“You were waiting maybe five minutes,” Clarke pointed out, taking a sip of her coffee.
Raven scoffed as they reached the car, holding the driver’s side door open for Clarke and receiving a pat on the cheek for her chivalry. She walked back around, climbing into the passenger’s seat.
“Do you know what could happen in five minutes, Clarke?” Raven asked, picking up her own coffee. “I could have choked on a sandwich. I could have met Ed Sheeran. I could have been kidnapped. I could have launched a rocket!”
Clarke, used to her best friend’s antics, just shook her head as they drove down the streets of LA. “None of those things happened,” she replied. “Also, I’m certain you could fight a kidnapper off.”
“Well, yes, but that’s beside the point,” Raven argued. “You’re lucky I love you, Griff. I hate waiting.”
“Please, you and I both know you’d wait forever for me,” Clarke teased, poking her friend in the arm a few times.
“Well, yeah. But I wouldn’t be happy about it,” Raven grumbled, knowing her best friend was right.
Clarke just laughed before turning the volume on the stereo up, music filling the car as she and Raven continued on their way.
* *
“Ok, so everything looks good,” Clarke said, finishing up a note on her clipboard before looking up. “You can take a seat again. And you’re all set with the cool down exercises we discussed?”
Anya nodded, wiping her face with a towel before sitting back down on the padded table. She was finishing up the last of her fitness tests, the other goalkeepers currently with Raven across the field, going over their nutritional plans.
“Ok, cool. Well that’s all the business you and I have for today. You can go see Raven…” Clarke said, trailing off when Anya shook her head. “Oh, did you have any questions?”
“No, I want to talk to you,” Anya said.
Clarke frowned, pulling her chair closer to the exam table before sitting down, giving Anya her undivided attention. “Ok, what’s up?” she asked the older girl, Anya’s face remaining as stoic as ever.
“It’s about Lexa,” the goalkeeper said.
Clarke furrowed her eyebrows, waiting for Anya to continue.
“I think you’re good for Lexa,” Anya said bluntly. “You make her happy, and since she’s met you, Lexa has been acting more like herself than ever. She no longer walks around like the weight of the world is on her shoulders.”
“Ok…” Clarke nodded her head, but didn’t add more. She knew what was happening—Anya was giving her the best friend talk.
“You make Lexa happy,” Anya repeated. “And so far, you’ve been able to win over most of my family as well. My Nona actually respects you, and there are only a handful of people who I can truly say that about. And so far you haven’t pissed me off. So I’m only going to say this once: if you hurt my cousin, I will show you exactly how hard a goalie can punch.”
Clarke couldn’t help but smile softly. She knew Anya was completely serious, and normally she would be offended—but Anya’s threat stemmed from her love of her cousin, wanting the best for Lexa. Clarke admired the bond Anya and Lexa had, and from the stories Lexa had shared with her so far it was clear that Anya was one of the most important people in her girlfriend’s life.
“Understood,” Clarke said, standing up. She grinned, and stuck her arm out. Anya looked at Clarke for a beat before taking Clarke’s arm, clasping her forearm much like Indra always did in parting.
“Woods! Get your fine ass over here!” Raven yelled from across the field, catching the attention of their teammates who were spread across the sideline, practice having just ended. Clarke and Anya laughed as Lexa shot Raven a confused look, before turning to look at Clarke. “Not you, Commander. I’m talking to the hot goalkeeper!”
Clarke snorted, covering her mouth as she shook with laughter. “I believe she’s talking about you,” she said to Anya, gesturing to where Raven was standing, an innocent look on her face as she smiled in their direction.
Anya sighed, but her signature smirk was on her face as she gave Clarke a nod before walking over towards where Raven was waiting, tapping her cane impatiently.
Clarke busied herself with putting all of her stuff back in her bag, making sure she had everything to give to Dawn later that day.
“Sup doc?”
Clarke grinned, looking up to meet Lexa’s sparkling green eyes.
“Hi,” she greeted, brushing a piece of hair that had fallen out of her loose bun behind her ear.
Lexa smiled, stepping closer and reaching down to lace her fingers with Clarke’s free hand. The soccer player leaned in, giving Clarke a soft kiss on the lips. Clarke laughed into the kiss as she heard the hollers and whistles from Lexa’s teammates behind them.
Lexa sighed, rolling her eyes with a fond smile on her face. “They’re literally the worst.”
“You love them,” Clarke replied. “They just like to see you happy.”
“They like to embarrass me,” Lexa corrected. “And they’ve never actually seen me with a girlfriend before, so they’re all being SUPER IMMATURE ABOUT THIS,” she continued, voice becoming louder at the end of her sentence as she threw a look over her shoulder to her teammates, who only continued to let out cheers. “Honestly, you are mothers!” Lexa shouted to Kelley and Alex, who had broken out into a somewhat provocative dance as the rest of the team egged them on. The midfielder just sighed, turning back to the doctor, who had large grin on her face as she stared at her girlfriend.
“What?” Lexa asked, raising an eyebrow in question as Clarke continued to stare.
“I like the way you say girlfriend,” Clarke said, putting her bag down and wrapping her arms around Lexa’s neck.
“You wanna know a secret?” Lexa asked in a mock whisper, looking around with her eyes before they landed on Clarke again.
Clarke nodded as Lexa’s hands landed on the doctor’s waist, circling around and resting on Clarke’s lower back.
“I like the way it sounds,” Lexa said, smiling proudly.
Clarke laughed again, and then she couldn’t help it—she closed the gap between them, capturing Lexa’s bottom lip in both of hers. She knew that they were still on the training grounds, and still very much in the view of Lexa’s teammates, but the happiness that coursed through her body and the fast beating of her heart were all she could really register.
She felt Lexa smile into the kiss, and Clarke leaned even closer, placing a firm kiss on her girlfriend’s lips before leaning back. She dropped one more soft kiss on the corner of Lexa’s mouth before taking a small step back.
“No, wait—more please,” Lexa whined, stepping forward as Clarke stepped back.
Clarke just laughed, shaking her head. “Maybe later, Commander,” she teased. She looked over Lexa’s shoulder at the rest of the midfielder’s team. “But if you don’t get going you’re gonna miss your ride,” she continued, gesturing behind Lexa. The soccer player turned, noticing most of her teammates were done changing and were heading towards the bus.
“And I can’t give you one, it would make it seem like I favor you or something,” Clarke joked.
Lexa just grinned, shaking her head again before leaning in to place one more kiss on Clarke’s lips—this one quick, but still rendered the blonde doctor weak in the knees.
“I’ll text you later,” Lexa called over her shoulder, waving as she jogged to catch up to the rest of her team.
Clarke chuckled, watching her girlfriend give a goofy grin before jumping on Anya’s back, making the goalkeeper let out a surprised yelp.
“I swear to god,” she heard Anya say. “Don’t make me kick your ass, kid.”
“You’re literally a year older,” her girlfriend whined, as the two disappeared onto the bus.
Clarke shook her head before picking her bag up again, being joined by Raven.
“Let’s go get burritos,” Raven said.
Clarke turned towards her friend, eyebrow raised. “How is it you always know exactly what I’m thinking?”
“Because I’m in tune with all things Griffin,” Raven responded easily, nudging Clarke with her shoulder.
Clarke just smiled, and the two of them made their way back into the facility to meet up with the rest of the staff before heading to lunch.
* *
“Octavia,” Lexa greeted, blinking as the other girl plopped down in the seat next to Lexa. The team was headed back to the hotel after their morning training session, and Lexa had just put her phone back in her pocket in case Clarke texted her. Normally, the seat next to her remained unoccupied, as Lexa preferred to put her headphones on and drown out the world on bus rides.
“Lexa,” the other girl said, nodding her head.
Lexa studied the girl next to her, noticing the serious look on the young forward’s face and the hard glint in her eyes. She looked around briefly, noticing the rest of their teammates weren’t paying attention to them, except for Anya who gave Lexa a questioning look, to which the midfielder just shrugged her shoulders towards her cousin.
“What’s up?” Lexa asked, breaking the silence that had settled between them.
“I like you,” Octavia said, crossing her arms. “You’ve taken me under your wing, and I’ve learned so much in just a few months. I respect the hell out of you, and I’m glad we’re becoming better friends.”
“I’m glad we’re becoming better friends too, Octavia,” Lexa stated happily, smiling slightly at the other girl.
Octavia returned her smile briefly, before she put a hard look back on her face.
“I like you,” Octavia repeated. “But I love Clarke.”
Lexa’s confused look morphed to one of understanding—she was currently getting the best friend talk. To say she wasn’t nervous would be a lie—Lexa had never really been on the receiving end of this kind of talk, and the bond Clarke and Octavia had spanned years. She knew Clarke loved Octavia like a sister, and Octavia felt the same way—they had a genuine friendship, one that Lexa knew could never be broken. Clarke had once told Lexa that Octavia and Raven were her home—Clarke said she never felt more safe and at peace than when she was with her two best friends (and Lexa secretly hoped she would one day be added to that list of people Clarke could call home).
“Clarke is my family,” Octavia continued. “I was there to push John Murphy to the ground in the fourth grade when he pulled Clarke’s pigtails, I was there to punch that bitch Sarah Lam sophomore year when she called Clarke a dyke after she came out as bisexual, I was there in college when she had her first heartbreak. I was there for all of it, and I had Clarke’s back because she’s always had mine. Clarke is special.”
Lexa could only nod, sensing the other girl wasn’t done.
“She was there when I got cut from the middle school soccer team my first year,” Octavia told the other girl. “She was there when I tore my ACL sophomore year of high school, and she was at every single one of my college games despite being pre-med and basically living at the library.”
“Clarke is a big girl, and she definitely can take care of herself,” Octavia said. She took a deep breath, turning to face Lexa. “But Clarke is my family,” she said again, her eyes boring into Lexa’s own. “And I always protect my family.”
Normally, Lexa would bristle and become defensive if someone ever subtly threatened her like this. And she could tell Octavia’s threat was not an empty one, but she couldn’t help but be more in awe at the loyalty and friendship between Clarke and Octavia.
“I understand,” Lexa answered, patting Octavia on the leg. “And I certainly have no intention of hurting Clarke,” she said softly.
She saw Octavia’s shoulders drop, tension leaving as she slumped back into her seat. “Ok, good,” Octavia said. “Because I like you, and we’re teammates and friends, but that doesn’t make you exempt from the best friend talk.”
Lexa laughed, nodding her head. “I appreciate the loyalty you have for your friend, Octavia,” she said.
Octavia just shrugged, smiling. “Yeah well, like I said. Clarke is special. And you’re damn lucky to be with her,” she said, nudging Lexa in the shoulder.
Lexa thought about her girlfriend, who was rapidly becoming one of the most important people in her life. “I know,” she replied.
Octavia laughed, shaking her head. “You two are so disgustingly cute,” she teased.
“Shut up,” Lexa replied, but couldn’t keep the smile off of her face at the comment. She opened her mouth to say more, but paused when her phone buzzed in her pocket. She pulled it out, expecting a text from Clarke, but instead was met with a notification from an instagram picture she had been tagged in.
Lexa tapped on the notification, jaw dropping as she looked at the picture Kelley had posted.
It was her and Clarke, and it looked like it had only been taken mere minutes ago.
Clarke had her arms wrapped around the soccer player’s neck, laughing at something Lexa was saying. Lexa’s hands were resting on Clarke’s waist, and she was smiling at her girlfriend. Her eyes dropped down to the caption below it.
Commander Heart Eyes
She groaned, eyes closing as her head fell back into the headrest.
“You guys are literally the worst,” she complained loudly, to the laughter of her teammates. Lexa opened her eyes before sighing again, but couldn’t quite keep the smile off of her face. “And send me that picture,” she said to Kelley, who was grinning at her from across the aisle.
“Yes ma’am, Commander,” Kelley saluted, a cheeky grin on her face.
Lexa’s eyes went back to the picture, hitting the like button before locking her phone. She ignored Octavia’s laughter from next to her, and Kelley’s wink as Alex and Tobin snickered in their seats behind her.
Her teammates were literally the worst (but not really, because they were seriously the best kinds of people).
* *
Lexa smoothed down her tank top, tightening the flannel tied around her waist before knocking on the door. The team had a rare off day, and she was there to pick Clarke up for a date. She didn’t think Clarke would want flowers—after all, there would be nowhere to keep them since they were all living out of a hotel for another week—but she did manage to buy some chocolate from the store in the hotel lobby.
“Commander Heart Eyes,” Raven greeted as she opened the door, smirking at the soccer player. “Right on time.”
“Hello, Raven,” Lexa said, rolling her eyes at the nickname. Her teammates had taken to calling her that ever since Kelley’s instagram post, which (to Lexa’s dismay) had over a million likes and counting. “Is Clarke ready?”
“She’s just finishing up a call from Mama B,” Raven explained, leaning against the doorframe. “She should be wrapping it up right now though.”
Lexa nodded, and was suddenly nervous at the look Raven was giving her. It wasn’t the other girl’s usual smirk—in fact, the girl seemed to have the rare serious look on her face, and Lexa had a feeling she was about to get a second round of the best friend talk.
“So, Lexa,” Raven drawled, tapping her cane on the floor a few times.
“Yes?” Lexa asked a bit wearily.
With Octavia, she knew what to expect—she had spent more time with Octavia than Raven, seeing as she was teammates with the former. Where Octavia was more brazen and headstrong, Raven was more calculated, her brain collecting and storing information before making a decision. Lexa acknowledged that while Octavia and Raven were different, they both tolerated zero bullshit, and were also devoted to Clarke in the same way—unconditionally and unapologetically.
“I’m sure you’ve heard of my proclivity for making things go boom?” Raven asked.
Raven paused as Lexa nodded her head slowly, remembering a few stories Clarke had told her that clearly highlighted Raven’s genius as well as her mischievous streak.
“You play against the best soccer players in the world,” Raven continued, nodding her head. “The competition is tough, and I’m sure you’re used to your share of dirty tackles and hard fouls. And you survive,” she stated, pausing as she crossed her arms, still leaning against the doorframe. “But hurt Clarke, and I guarantee you won’t survive me. Pick up what I’m putting down, Commander?”
Lexa nodded her head—she took the words Raven was saying very seriously. Raven, like Octavia, was one of the most important people in her girlfriend’ life. She knew that the two of them were just looking out for Clarke like they had been their entire lives—it was like Octavia had said, they always protect their family. She had no doubt that Clarke had given her fair share of best friend talks over the years as well.
“Got it, Reyes,” Lexa answered, feeling the tension leave her shoulders as Raven gave her a genuine smile, before her usual smirk appeared on her face.
“Hey,” Clarke said, appearing behind Raven.
“Hi,” Lexa replied, a smile automatically appearing on her face at seeing her girlfriend. “Ready to go?”
Clarke nodded, walking past Raven and reaching for Lexa’s hand, intertwining their fingers. “See you later, Rae,” Clarke said, pulling Lexa down the hallway. The soccer player waved at Raven as the other girl called out after them.
“Later, Griff. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” Raven said as the elevator doors opened and the couple stepped inside.
Lexa just chuckled at the other girl’s antics, before Clarke abruptly cut her off. More specifically, Clarke’s lips, which had found their way to Lexa’s. She closed her eyes, bringing a hand up to cup Clarke’s cheek as her girlfriend’s tongue met her own. She moaned as she felt Clarke nibble on her lip, before pulling back slightly, teeth scraping against her bottom lip.
“Whoa,” Lexa breathed out. “Umm, hi.” She cleared her throat, feeling her face flush at her inability to string together an actual sentence. Clarke seemed to have that effect on her. “What was that for?”
“Just because I can,” Clarke said, grinning as she leaned over to give Lexa a kiss on the cheek. “And because you’re really, really cute.”
“I am not cute, Clarke,” Lexa scowled as the elevator doors opened. She and Clarke stepped out of the elevator, walking across the lobby. “I’m one of the most feared soccer players in the world. I’m a warrior. I’m the Commander.”
“Whatever you say, babe,” Clarke teased, not noticing the smile that bloomed on her girlfriend’s face when she used the pet name.
“I do say,” Lexa agreed, nodding her head. “I also say that I’m going to kick your ass in mini golf.”
Clarke snorted, shaking her head as the two reached the taxi Lexa had requested waiting out front. Lexa took Clarke’s non-response as an agreement, and happily opened the door for her girlfriend, earning a kiss on the cheek. She slid in next to Clarke, giving the driver their destination before turning back to Clarke.
“So you want to make a bet?” Lexa asked, smirking at her girlfriend. “I’ll even go easy on you and everything,” she added.
Lexa would chalk up missing the mischievous look on Clarke’s face as a byproduct of being caught up in the bright, sparkling blue of her girlfriend’s eyes.
“Sure,” Clarke agreed, and Lexa rubbed her hands together before laying out the terms of the bet.
Lexa was going to have so much fun.
* *
Lexa was not having fun.
Well, that’s a lie, and an exaggeration—she was having more fun on this date than she thought possible considering the fact that she was losing spectacularly to her girlfriend, who was currently doing a happy dance that could have been interpreted for a moon walk but was really just Clarke shuffling her feet back and forth.
“You totally played me,” Lexa said, still staring at her dancing girlfriend.
Clarke just shrugged, shuffling closer to Lexa and taking both her hands, swinging their arms back and forth.
“Totally hustled me,” Lexa stated.
“You don’t have any real proof of that, babe,” Clarke said, leaning in and giving Lexa a quick kiss before picking up her putter, taking a step back. “Your turn,” she said happily. “Good luck!”
Lexa shot Clarke a look, making the doctor burst out laughing.
Lexa didn’t think it was possible, but they were on the last hole of the course and Clarke had gotten at least three hole-in-ones. Three. She was also generally three or four strokes less than Lexa on each hole.
“I can’t believe I fell for that whole innocent act,” Lexa grumbled, lining up her shot.
“There was no act,” Clarke scoffed. “You simply said you would kick my ass, and I didn’t respond.”
“Whatever,” Lexa mumbled, concentrating on taking her shot.
“Would it be totally cliché for me to stand behind you and help you take this shot right now?” Clarke asked.
Lexa turned her head to look over her shoulder at Clarke, sticking her tongue out.
“Wow. Rude. I was just trying to help,” Clarke said, grinning.
“I don’t need help,” Lexa replied, turning back to her ball. “I got this,” she muttered. She pulled the club back and tapped the golf ball, watching its trajectory. It seemed to be on course until the dinosaur closed its mouth, preventing the ball from going through the tunnel and to the other side where the hole was. “Son of a—”
“Language, Commander,” Clarke teased, cutting her off. “There are children around.”
Lexa rolled her eyes, but smiled as she felt Clarke place a kiss on her cheek. She draped her arm around Clarke’s shoulder, the two of them walking over to where Lexa’s ball was sitting in front of the dinosaur’s mouth.
“Tell you what,” Clarke said, leaning closer to Lexa until her mouth was practically on Lexa’s ear. “If you can finish this hole in under four strokes, I’ll give you a treat,” she said softly, and Lexa felt a shudder go through her as she felt Clarke take her earlobe between her teeth, pulling lightly before taking a step back and walking to the sideline, an innocent look on her face as she waited for Lexa to take her next shot.
Lexa concentrated on her shot, determined to finish in under three strokes (because she was a competitive asshole, and now she just wanted to finish this last hole quickly so she could collect on whatever treat Clarke had in store for her). She lined up her shot, waiting until the dinosaur opened his mouth again before hitting the ball, getting more excited as it looked to be on line.
“Yes!” she shouted, pumping her fist up and down as if she had just scored a goal when the golf ball landed in the hole. She turned towards Clarke, who was laughing and holding her phone up, recording the moment. “Clarke, what are you doing?”
“Just documenting the moment,” Clarke replied innocently, putting her phone back in her pocket.
Lexa knew that video was going to end up on the internet sometime later that night, but she found she didn’t really care as she bounded over to Clarke, wrapping her arms around her girlfriend’s waist.
“I did it. Did you see that?” she asked excitedly, making Clarke laugh again.
“I did,” Clarke said, nodding her head. “Good job, babe.”
She smiled as Clarke leaned in, brushing a strand of hair behind Lexa’s ear before planting a kiss on her girlfriend’s lips.
“Mmm, you ready for your treat?” Clarke asked as they broke apart.
Lexa nodded excitedly, and Clarke grinned, taking Lexa’s hand and pulling them towards the inside of the building, where the arcade was. They stopped to return their putters before Clarke dragged her over to the corner, smiling at the soccer player. Lexa felt Clarke’s hand in the back pocket of her jeans suddenly, and stifled a gasp as her girlfriend’s other hand landed on the small of her back, just under her shirt.
“For your treat…” Clarke said softly, leaning closer.
Lexa gulped, nodding her head.
“…I won’t completely destroy you in skee ball,” her girlfriend finished, leaning back with a grin as she turned, gesturing to the machines in front of them.
Lexa blinked rapidly as Clarke put tokens into two machines, watching with her mouth slightly open as Clarke picked up one of the skee balls and tossed it up in the air.
“Well, what do you say, Commander?” Clarke teased. “Ready to get your ass only mildly handed to you this time?”
That was enough to snap Lexa out of her stupor, and she shook her head, stepping up in front of one of the machines.
“Oh, it is so on,” Lexa said, grinning as her competitive nature overtook her.
Clarke just laughed, and Lexa couldn’t help but give her girlfriend another quick kiss before turning her attention to the game.
Lexa was having so much fun.
And as Clarke broke out into another happy dance when she managed to sink a shot into the 100 slot, Lexa could only laugh and kiss her girlfriend again.
* *
@ClarkeGriffin: Turns out @LexaWoods isn’t so great at mini putt and should most definitely stick to soccer…but how cute is this celebration when she finally sank the shot? #datenight
@LexaWoods: @ClarkeGriffin that’s it. Your phone privileges are revoked. #canyoubelievethisbs #myowngirlfriend #makingamockeryofme
ClarkeGriffin: @LexaWoods you’re not fooling anyone, babe #CommanderHeartEyes