Animal crackers
“But why isn’t there a space between the words?”
“I don’t know Clarke, that’s just how it’s always been since the first time they held it.”
“But…it doesn’t make sense?”
“I didn’t pick the name, Clarke.”
“But didn’t somebody tell them it doesn’t make sense?”
“I’m sure they have, Clarke.”
“But…it’s two words? Two separate words.”
“Clarke, I don’t know. Can we stop talking about this please?”
Lexa heard Clarke sigh, and she turned from where she was packing her things in her U.S. Soccer luggage. She glanced up, noticing Clarke’s pout as her girlfriend sat on the edge of her bed, and couldn’t help the smile that spread across her face at the sight.
She stood up, walking over to the bed and cupping the side of Clarke’s face, her other hand brushing a stray piece of hair behind her girlfriend’s ear.
“You’re pouting,” Lexa said, brushing the tip of Clarke’s nose with her thumb before cupping her girlfriend’s jaw.
“How observant of you,” Clarke deadpanned, though the corner of her mouth was tugging upward as she tried not to smile.
“Why?” Lexa asked, leaning down so her face was a few inches away from Clarke’s.
Clarke shrugged, looking away. Lexa chuckled, closing the distance and placing a soft kiss on Clarke’s lips. She brushed her thumb along the underside of Clarke’s jaw, smiling as she felt her girlfriend place her hand on top of Lexa’s that was resting on Clarke’s cheek.
Lexa broke away gently, smiling softly as she stared into her favorite pair of blue eyes. Clarke had a matching grin on her face, before she wiggled her eyebrows, making Lexa laugh. The soccer player lowered herself onto her girlfriend’s lap so she was straddling Clarke, the doctor’s hands resting against Lexa’s back to hold her in place.
“I’m gonna miss you,” Clarke said, tilting her head up to look at Lexa.
Lexa chuckled, shaking her head. “Clarke, you’re coming to SheBelieves with us,” she responded. “You don’t have to miss me. I’ll be right next to you.”
“But we’re on a different flight and Seattle to Florida is far,” Clarke said, pout back on her face.
“You’re literally the cutest, you know that?” Lexa asked, grinning before leaning down and connecting their lips once more.
Lexa opened her mouth slightly, deepening the kiss as her tongue reached out to meet Clarke’s. She shivered as she felt, more than heard, Clarke let out a moan into her mouth, her girlfriend’s hands roaming from her back to her sides, sliding down until they were caressing Lexa’s skin underneath her shirt. Lexa leaned in closer, increasing pressure as their bodies came together, her hands tangling in Clarke’s blonde hair.
“Cl-arke,” she let out, tilting her chin up as Clarke moved from her lips to her jaw, dropping kisses along the way. Lexa let out another moan as Clarke made her way to the sensitive spot just below Lexa’s ear, feeling her girlfriend smile against her skin at the noise.
“Don’t be…so smug….” Lexa managed to say in between gasps, letting her head tilt to the side as Clarke continued her path of kisses, now focusing her attention on Lexa’s neck.
Lexa ran her hands down Clarke’s arms before lifting her girlfriend’s shirt slightly to run her fingers up and down Clarke’s back. She let out a groan as she felt Clarke suck on her neck, surely leaving a mark, before her girlfriend’s tongue darted out to soothe the spot.
Lexa moved her hands back up on either side of Clarke’s face, pulling her girlfriend back before crashing their lips together again, kissing her harder and gliding her hands up and down Clarke’s back. She guided her girlfriend down on the bed until they were lying down, Lexa on top of Clarke, lips still connected. Lexa broke away to kiss the corner of Clarke’s mouth, before returning the favor and moving along her girlfriend’s jaw down to her neck, finding the sensitive spot between Clarke’s head and shoulder and biting down lightly, grinning as her girlfriend moaned. She sucked on the spot, being sure to leave a similar mark to the one Clarke left on her neck only moments before.
“Lexa,” she heard Clarke breath out, and lifted her head up to meet her girlfriend’s dark, deep blue eyes. “You—”
“Alexandria!”
Clarke yelped as the door opened with a bang, accidentally throwing Lexa off of her and sending the soccer player tumbling to the ground.
“Nona?” Lexa asked, bewildered, as she looked up at her grandma standing in the doorway. “Wha—huh?” she spluttered out, trying to catch her breath as she felt her face heat up. She glanced towards Clarke, who had a hand covering her neck where Lexa knew a dark, purple mark was beginning to form.
“I’ve been calling you for the past five minutes,” Indra said, face remaining as stoic as ever. “Dinner is ready.” The older woman turned to look at Clarke, sitting on the bed still looking flustered. “Clarke, stay for dinner.” With a nod to them both, Indra turned and left the doorway, leaving behind a stuttering Lexa and blushing Clarke.
Lexa looked at Clarke, who was still staring at the doorway before her girlfriend blinked a couple of times and turned her attention back towards the soccer player. They stared at each other for a moment, before both bursting into laughter.
“Oh my god,” Clarke said between laughs. “Your grandma totally almost caught us about to have sex.”
“Wait, that’s where that was leading?” Lexa asked, raising an eyebrow. “See? Told you I had game.”
Clarke snorted, grabbing a pillow from Lexa’s bed and throwing it at the soccer player, who caught it with a laugh.
“I just figured you’d want some, seeing as we’ll be busy with this tournament for the next week and a half,” Clarke said, smoothing down her shirt before standing up. “Oh well, guess you’ll just have to wait.” With one last look at Lexa, she stepped over her girlfriend still sitting on the floor before walking out through the doorway.
“Wait—what? Clarke—wait a minute,” Lexa said, hearing Clarke’s laughter down the hall. She scrambled to get off the ground and catch up with her girlfriend. “Clarke? Wait a minute!”
* *
@LexaWoods: Off to #SheBelieves with my favorite plane buddy! #MorganHeathoffspring #lookatthatgrin #mybestfriend
@AlexMorgan13: @LexaWoods did you just refer to my daughter as “offspring”?
@TobinHeath: @LexaWoods @AlexMorgan13 cute kid. Must get it from her mom. Ignore Al, Lexa. She’s just pouting because the munchkin wanted to sit with Auntie Rexa, not Mama.
@AlexMorgan13: @TobinHeath @LexaWoods shut UP wife of mine, unless you want to sit alone on this plane ride too.
@LexaWoods: @AlexMorgan13 @TobinHeath only cool kids can sit with us.
@TobinHeath: @LexaWoods @AlexMorgan13 guess Al can’t sit with us, then.
@AlexMorgan13: @TobinHeath @LexaWoods you guys are dumb and I’m not sharing my snacks.
@TobinHeath: @LexaWoods @AlexMorgan13 I mean…you’re the love of my life?
@LexaWoods: @AlexMorgan13 @TobinHeath so WHIPPED Toby.
@TobinHeath: @LexaWoods @AlexMorgan13 you’re one to talk Commander HEART EYES.
@LexaWoods: @AlexMorgan13 @TobinHeath ……shut up……
@AlexMorgan13: @TobinHeath @LexaWoods lol
* *
“Clarke, pay attention to me,” Raven whined, tapping her cane impatiently.
Clarke finished off her text to Lexa before hitting send, putting her phone down and staring at her best friend.
“Ok, you have my undivided attention,” Clarke said, clapping her hands together. “What’s up?”
“Let’s go get pizza,” Raven said, grinning.
Clarke glanced at her watch, knowing the team was just about to head to the training facilities. Clarke and Raven were only required to be at the session that afternoon towards the end of practice to go over cool down with Dawn. She nodded her head, walking closer and wrapping her arm around Raven’s waist, letting her best friend lean her weight against her.
“Let’s—”
“Oh, Clarke! Good, I was hoping to catch you,” Dawn said, appearing in the doorway.
“What’s up?” Clarke asked, pausing in her steps.
“I wanted to talk about your position with U.S. Soccer,” Dawn said. “I know your contract only extends through this tournament and through the end of March, and I was just wondering if you had given any thought to staying on staff for longer?” she asked, crossing her arms.
Clarke let go of Raven, the other girl plopping down on the chair as Clarke leaned back against the examination table.
“You’re a really good fit for the staff, and you do your job exceptionally well,” Dawn continued. “Plus, the players really love you. That’s one of the most important things about working with the team—having a good relationship with the players. It’s ideal if the players have a mutual respect for the staff and vice versa, and I think you would make an excellent addition to our team moving forward to the Olympics.”
“You want me to go with you to the Olympics?” Clarke asked, raising an eyebrow. It was true that she had only signed on in a temporary capacity, through the Victory Tour, Olympic Qualifying and the SheBelieves tournament. The Olympics weren’t until August, which meant she would be extending her contract through the entire summer.
“And hopefully beyond that,” Dawn confirmed, nodding her head. “Like I said, you’ve done a wonderful job and I believe you would make a positive impact on this training staff moving forward.”
Clarke bit her lip, glancing at Raven. Her friend was just staring at her, eyebrow raised in question, and Clarke knew that Raven already knew Clarke’s answer.
“I’m flattered, and I’m so thankful for this experience,” Clarke said finally, turning back towards her boss. “But I still want to be a surgeon, and I have to head back to DC to finish my residency and take my boards. This has been a really nice change of pace from the hospital, but the plan was always to get back to it.”
Dawn nodded her head, giving Clarke a smile. “I understand,” she said. “I just thought I’d throw the offer out there.” She turned to go, before pausing and facing Clarke once more. “Are you sure you don’t want to take a few days to think about it?”
Clarke shook her head, offering her boss a smile of her own. “I’m sure. Thank you, but I’ve got to get back to DC and finish up there,” she said.
“No problem, Clarke,” Dawn said. She held her hand out, prompting Clarke to take it in her own and give her a firm handshake. “It’s been great working with you. I’m sure this last month will run just as smoothly.” Dawn took a step back, giving a nod towards Raven. “I’ll let you two go. See you back here in a few hours.” With a wave goodbye, she exited the room, leaving Clarke and Raven in their spots.
“Wow, look at you,” Raven said, whistling. “Fancy doctor getting fancy job offers.”
Clarke just laughed, rolling her eyes. “You know the plan was always to be a surgeon,” she said. “This has been fun, but the real world beckons.”
“Just saying—you, me and O at the Olympics together?” Raven drawled. “Would have been epic.” She grinned, nudging Clarke with her shoulder. “Well, you’ll at least look into being able to come for a game or two, right?”
“Duh. And we still have a whole month before I go back to the hospital,” Clarke said, slinging her arm around Raven’s shoulders. “Now, let’s go get that pizza.”
Raven grinned, giving Clarke an exaggerated kiss on the cheek. “You say the sweetest things to me, darling.”
“Yeah well, my momma always told me to treat a pretty lady right,” Clarke replied, winking at her friend.
The two laughed as they left the room, heading out to the van in search for a pizza place.
* *
Lexa bent her knees, arms outstretched as she braced for impact.
It came a moment later as Octavia launched herself into the midfielder’s arms, shouting with excitement as the rest of their team huddled around the two, joining the celebration.
Octavia had just scored in the 70th minute against England after Lexa’s ball in had found Octavia as the forward sprinted down the sideline. The young forward’s first touch was precise, and she had beaten her defender until she had a 1 v 1 against England’s goalie. In a move very Alex Morgan-esque, Octavia had blasted a shot with her left foot towards the opposite post, past the goalie’s outstretched hand, and into the net.
It was the first goal of the game, and the U.S. was up 1-0 with 20 minutes left.
“Nice pass, Commander,” Octavia said, grinning as they jogged back towards midfield.
“Nice shot, kid,” Lexa said back, patting Octavia on the back a few times before taking up her position.
Octavia’s goal seemed to shake England’s defense, and the U.S. scored twelve minutes later when Tobin had sent a cross into the box and Alex connected with her head, the ball soaring past the goalie who had been lunging the other way.
Lexa smiled as she watched Alex kiss her the plastic ring on her fourth finger and wink at Tobin, who gave her wife a smirk and a shrug. Ten minutes later, the referee blew the whistle, signaling the end of the game.
The U.S. had beaten England in the first round of the tournament, 2-0, earning themselves three points and tying them for first place with Germany, who had beaten France earlier in the day.
Lexa found herself looking towards the bench where she knew her girlfriend was sitting with Raven, catching Clarke’s eye as her teammates were congratulating one another.
Lexa knew she would get so much flack for this, but she figured Commander Heart Eyes wasn’t going anywhere, so she might as well live up to the name.
Just like last game, she kissed her fingers before throwing her hand out towards Clarke, who just laughed before reaching up and closing her hand, bringing it down and patting above her heart.
Lexa wasn’t sure if this was a new routine she would be having, but she knew for sure that it felt damn good having Clarke there on the sideline, watching her play. She still felt butterflies in her stomach whenever she looked at her girlfriend, and she hoped they never left.
She was so wrapped up in all things Clarke—Lexa knew, realistically, that they had only been dating for a few months, but she also knew she was rapidly falling for the Clarke, toeing that line between like and love. If she was being completely honest with herself, she knew she had fallen for Clarke the first time she saw the blonde doctor .
Lexa thought maybe she should be scared or anxious—for such a long time, she fooled herself into believing love is weakness, not even acknowledging the possibility of letting anyone back in.
And then she met Clarke.
And suddenly, she couldn’t remember why she had convinced herself that love was weakness. How could something that made her feel so happy, so content—so absolutely amazing—be weakness?
For the first time, Lexa was thinking about a future past soccer—Clarke made her want to do that—plan for the future. She often caught herself thinking of things she wanted to do, or places she wanted to go with Clarke by her side. Soccer was still her priority—that has always been her priority—but Lexa was starting to think that maybe it didn’t have to be her only one.
Anya was always telling her that love is strength, and as Lexa smiled, watching from across the field as Clarke laughed at something Raven had said—well, she was finally starting to believe it.
* *
“Clarke.”
Clarke furrowed her eyebrows, taking out one of her earbuds. She turned her head to find her girlfriend sitting in the seat next to her instead of Raven.
“Lexa? What are you doing here?” Clarke asked, leaning over Lexa to look at the rest of the plane.
Raven was now sitting next to Octavia, the two of them talking to Becky and Kelley who were seated in front of them. The team was flying from Florida to Tennessee for the next game of the tournament, and Clarke and Raven had been sitting together when the flight first took off. Lexa had sat with Kellan, the two of them playing with the little girl’s dinosaur figurines.
The sight had Clarke swooning, fighting back the urge to kiss her girlfriend senseless in front of Lexa’s teammates.
“I brought you something,” Lexa said, smiling.
“Oh yeah?” Clarke asked, raising her eyebrow in question. “What is it?”
Lexa reached into her pocket before pulling out a small box, and Clarke leaned closer to see that it was a box of animal crackers.
“You brought me animal crackers?” Clarke asked, leaning back into her seat.
Lexa nodded her head, a serious look on her face. “Kellan gave them to me because she had an extra box, and she told me I had to share them with someone special,” she explained. “Apparently, Kellan always shared her animal crackers with Hallie, but since little Harris-Krieger isn’t here, she let me have this box.”
“And you’ve decided to share them with me?” Clarke deduced, placing her elbow on the armrest between them, head resting on top of her hand.
Lexa nodded her head, face remaining serious, though the corners of her lips were tugging upwards as she struggled not to smile. “This is a very prestigious honor, Clarke,” she said slowly. “Everyone knows that animal crackers are sacred, to be shared only with those most special to someone.”
“Oh?” Clarke questioned, grinning at her girlfriend. “And I’m that special someone to you?”
Lexa nodded her head again. “Do you accept all of the expectations that come with sharing these sacred and scrumptious snack treats?” she asked seriously, the smile threatening to escape finally growing as Clarke leaned closer over the armrest.
“Absolutely, I do,” Clarke said softly, eyes darting down to Lexa’s lips briefly before meeting her girlfriend’s green eyes, sparkling with happiness.
Lexa closed her eyes as Clarke leaned forward, lips meeting in a soft kiss. She felt Clarke’s nose nudge her own, before her girlfriend switched angles, placing another gentle kiss against Lexa’s lips.
Lexa sighed as they broke apart softly, opening her eyes as Clarke leaned back into her seat, snatching the animal crackers out of her girlfriend’s hand and gleefully opening the box.
“I love animal crackers,” Clarke said, popping one into her mouth. “They were my favorite snack during snack time.”
Lexa reached over to grab one of her own, taking a bite. “Mine was teddy grahams,” she said, smiling as Clarke slipped her hand into Lexa’s.
Clarke laced their fingers together before bringing their joined hands to her lips, placing a soft kiss on the back of Lexa’s hand.
“You know what though?” Clarke asked, smiling at her girlfriend.
“What?” Lexa questioned, turning her head to place a kiss on the top of Clarke’s head as her girlfriend leaned against Lexa’s shoulder.
“These ones are the best I’ve ever had,” Clarke said. “Might have something to do with who I’m sharing them with.”
Lexa laughed, shaking her head. “You’re so cheesy,” she said. “That was horrible.”
Clarke just shrugged. “Ehh, love me or leave me, babe,” she said, popping another animal cracker in her mouth.
Lexa didn’t respond, but the soft, lingering kiss she left on Clarke’s forehead spoke louder than any words could.