“Face shields, check. Neck guard, check.” Lexa said to herself, making sure she had everything she needed for her date with Clarke today.
Lexa had finally mustered up the courage to ask her on a real date after their recent “non-date” coffee date Clarke owed Lexa. There was a slight mishap of Clarke overhearing a phone conversation between Lexa and her sister Madi, and an assumption that the person receiving an “I love you” and “miss you” was a girlfriend or boyfriend. But it resulted in Lexa finding out that her attraction to Clarke was reciprocated.
Since most of their interactions happened while Lexa was training with the EMTs, which was Clarke’s domain, Lexa decided to show Clarke a little of her world on their date. Her hands had sweat the whole drive over to Clarke’ to Clarke’s house. It was beautiful outside, so she had the top to her jeep off and the air conditioner on blast trying to cool off and dry her hands.
When she reached Clarke’s door, she took a deep breath in to steady her heart and knocked on the door. Clarke was wearing black leggings and a light blue shirt that made her eyes pop. Her hair was up in a messy ponytail, and she had glasses resting on top of her head.
Clarke stepped out, tossing the duffle bag of extra clothes she was told to bring onto her shoulder and locking the door. “So, where are you taking me?” Clarke’s asked as Lexa beckoned Clarke to hand her the bag.
“Well, I hope you don’t mind, but every third Saturday of the month, me and a group of friends meet up to play paintball. We could always use a plus one, so if you’re game?…” Lexa trailed off, unsure of how Clarke would react. But, Clarke had said she wanted to get to know her and this was a big part of Lexa.
Clarke’s eyebrow raised. “So, you want me to play paintball for the first time ever with a bunch of your friends? That regularly play?” A hint of a smirk peaked out on her lips.
“I am positive you’ll be able to hold your own.” Lexa beamed. “Plus, I’ll be there to protect you. Not that I think you’ll need it.”
They pulled into a gravel parking lot fifteen minutes later. There were three different fields, based on the mesh fencing Clarke could see.
Each one was built up entirely different than the others. One was a large field, filled with haystacks and wooden fencing randomly placed throughout its enclosure. Another had field had a tower at each end, with mini shipping containers spread about; a few of the containers even had doors.
The largest playing field was in between the two fields and behind the check-in station and equipment shed. The field was as big as the other two combined, and full of trees and shrubbery. At one end, there was a massive hill. Clarke swore she could see a bunker or two built into the hill itself. The other side was filled with… junk. But the junk has been used to make mini sheds and fences. It looked like a futuristic apocalyptic world where people used what they could to build new villages.
A gentle touch to Clarke’s lower back brought her attention to Lexa.
“That’s where we are playing today.” Lexa said, pointing to the massive field Clarke had just been eyeing. “My friends are over there,” she pointed to an area where a bunch of kids were gathered with a couple adults.
As they walked over, a boy barely into adulthood ran over to them, stopping in front of Lexa. Clarke was confused; he seemed too young to be part of the friends group Lexa mentioned.
“Commander,” he said, holding his arm out to Lexa, whose cheeks started to turn pink. She reached down and clasped his arm, giving it a shake.
“Good morning, Aden. Is everyone here?”
Aden told her they were just waiting on a few more people before turning to Clarke.
“Hi, I’m Aden.” He lifted his hand in a small wave. “You must be Clarke. It’s great to finally meet you.”
Lexa fidgeted for a second, before Aden continued. “Lexa talks about you all the time.”
She turned her head fully to Lexa and saw that the red of her cheeks had spread to the ears.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Aden.” Clarke finally returned back.
Aden took back off toward the group, leaving just the two of them.
“Those are your friends?” Clarke asked, just towards the kids.
Lexa smiled. “Yep.”
“Little young, aren’t they?” Clarke teased, causing Lexa to laugh.
Lexa went on to explain how the ragtag group came to be. When Lexa was growing up, the neighbors that lived next-door to her fostered kids that needed safe, temporary homes. The kids tended to latch onto Lexa, almost like she was a big sister. She fully understood that she was privileged to have a family; one that loved her unconditionally. So, she shared that love with the kids that came to live at the house.
When she moved to Arkadia she looked for a way to do something with the foster kids in town, even though she knew there would be a lot of studying, long days in school, and weekend military exercises. Once her background check was done, she was able to start working directly with the kids. It helped that those that worked for child services in Polis knew her as well.
One day, a few of them were out playing in a park and saw people playing paintball. They offered the kids the chance to shoot at some targets and the rest was history. With permission from their guardians, and with Aden’s help, the two started a monthly paintball meetup. It gave the kids a chance to release any anger they had in a fun way, and gave them all a sense of community.
“So, badass Lexa Woods is a softy?” Clarke asked.
“Absolutely.” She smiled. “But don’t tell anyone else that. I try to keep that a secret.”
“Sure thing, commander.” The pink rushed back to Lexa’s face fast and she dropped her head.
“Stupid Aden.” she mumbled.
Once everyone was present, Lexa announced they were playing on the Maunon Course and split the group up, making sure that both teams had the same number of adults. Then, the rules for the game were briefed.
The Mountain People would have a flag that the Tree People had to collect in order to win. It would be guarded inside the mini mountain itself. Meanwhile, the mountain people could snatch up the Tree People by pulling a flag off their person, and they would be forced to fight for the Mountain People. The game would end when the Mountain’s flag was caught or all of them were dead, or when all the Tree People were dead or captured.
“Isn’t this a bit intense for kids?” Clarke asked.
Lexa shook her head. “I always inform the guardians what the games will entail so they can decide if it’s the right fit. Sometimes we just use the other fields and play simpler games, but we finally got a reservation on this field and I wanted to go all out.”
Lexa donned all her equipment, and helped Clarke into the extras she brought for her. In Lexa’s opinion, Clarke looked adorable in all her gear, including the coveralls that were a bit too long, but had her name sewn into them. She gave Clarke the mask that had the full faceguard, keeping the simple goggle set for herself claiming that she was trained for this type of thing and would be just fine.
Lexa took Clarke off to the side and showed her how the gun worked. Then, she stood behind Clarke, setting her arms hands into the correct positions to ensure an accurate shot. She was surprised when Clarke hit near the bullseye each time.
“You sure you’ve never done this before?” Lexa asked. Her eyes dropped to Clarke’s lips for just a second, but it was long enough for Clarke to catch, who bit her lip and winked.
During the ten minutes each team had to come up with a strategy. Lexa and Clarke, leaders of the Tree People, came up with a plan to send a large group of the kids with Lexa towards the main entrance of the mountain, while a smaller stealthy faction broke off with Clarke to the smaller door on the back side. It was risky, but Lexa agreed it was a great option. If it didn’t work, they’d have to lure the mountain people out; Lexa potentially having to sacrifice herself for her people.
When the airhorn blew, chaos ensued. Some of the younger kids were too excited to stay put and instantly started running towards the hill and shooting at anything that moved. Yellow and blue paintballs could be seen flying through the air in all directions.
Clarke had done well keeping their small group a secret until one of the kids on her team got stuck in the tree. She had no idea how he got up there, but he had grown scared and wouldn’t come down. As she stood on a rock stretching out to get him, a few kids from the mountain ambushed them.
“Maunon!” the kid yelled, as they closed in around them. Lexa heard the scream and ran as fast as she could across the field. Most of her people had been taken and Lexa needed to save the few she had left. But she didn’t make it in time. Clarke had just caught the falling kid, preventing him from hitting the ground, when both their flags were taken. With her people dwindling quickly it was time to sacrifice herself as a distraction; it was her team’s only hope.
Lexa jutted back and forth behind trees to reach the main door. As hard as she tried, she got hit in her right arm and leg in a few spots. She finally dove behind a tree close to her destination, doing everything possible to stay in the game.
“I want to make a deal.” She yelled. When all eyes turned to her, she waved her hand giving her final two teammates the signal to move in. “I just want to talk!”
She stepped around the tree, hands up, and hoped they would honor her request.
Aden stepped out from the door, gun in hand. He didn’t let her speak. “The mountain people don’t make deals. Fire!!”
With that one word, yellow and blue pellets rained down on Lexa. She lifted her arms to cover her face and let the bracers take the brunt of any shots that went towards it. Looking back, maybe should have kept the full shield for herself. That thought was solidified when one ball broke through a gap and hit her in the lip. She dropped to her knees, the signal for them all to stop shooting.
She laughed through the pain as she started to call out. “Medic!” She sat up, groaning as blood dripped from her lip. “I need a medic. Woman down.” She flopped back down onto the ground, arms and legs sprawled out.
Clarke jogged over to her spot and took her mask off. She was relatively clean, but she had a few paint marks on her arms and legs as well. When she knelt down, she slowly lifted Lexa’s goggles up off her head.
“If I knew you would do something like that, I’d have switched masks with you.” Clarke said.
“I’m a gentlewoman, Clarke. I wouldn’t have accepted.” Lexa rubbed her face with her hands, smudging the paint on her face into a teary-eyed mask as it mixed with the sweat. But all Clarke could stare at were the bright green eyes that looked excited to see her.
Clarke brought her hands up to Lexa’s face, turning it from one side to the other. Clarke gently traced her thumb underneath Lexa’s lip to get a good look at the gash, but just like their touches as work, it lingered longer than necessary. Lexa shivered at the soft, delicate touch.
“They got you pretty good.”
“It was worth it to save my people.” Lexa smiled, then twinged when it pulled the wound further apart.
Clarke gasped and put her hand over her heart. “And here I thought you did it for me.”
“You are my people, Clarke.” Lexa said, smiling again. “Damnit!” she said a little too loud for the company they had around them. Her hand instinctively shot up towards her own mouth.
“Well, stop smiling.” Clarke told her.
“I can’t help when you’re around.” Lexa winked.
Clarke shook her head and laughed.
“Come on Romeo, let’s go clean that and get some ice on it.”
- - - - ∞ - - - -
Lexa stood under the shower in the locker room, letting the hit water relax her body. She always enjoyed paintball, but getting pelted numerous times, even with the protective armor, always left her body sore.
She was very attuned to the fact that Clarke was also showering, only two stalls over. So far, Lexa thought the date was going well. Clarke was excited to come try it again on one of the other fields, and when they walked to the locker room, Clarke stayed extra close to Lexa, brushing the backs of their hands together.
Lexa was also amazed at how well Clarke did great with the kids. Great may have been an understatement; the kids flocked towards her and she met each of them with the same level of excitement they brought to her.
Once she was dressed, Lexa stepped out of her stall to do her hair and makeup. She kept the makeup light and was starting on her hair when Clarke stepped out, still in her towel. Lexa tried to focus on putting the cream in her hair to control the waves, but she couldn’t stop looking through the mirror at Clarke’s legs and shoulders.
“Forgot my bag in the locker.” Clarke said, when she saw Lexa looking at her, lifting her bag and walking back to the shower stall.
Lexa, ever the useless lesbian, just nodded dumbly and muttered a barely audible, “uh huh.” Once her distraction was out of site, Lexa shook her head and went back to her hair.
She debated on putting it back up when Clarke called out. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen your hair down. I love the waves.”
In that second, Lexa decided to leave it down, and control the waves.
When Clarke came back into the main area of the locker room she was dressed and her hair was down, but her bangs had been tied back.
“I just need to put on some makeup and I’ll be good to go.” Clarke told Lexa, saddling up next to her.
“I think you look perfect, just like that.” Lexa said, eyeing her though the mirror.
“Says the walking model.” Clarke retorted.
Lexa blushed and finished her light makeup and then gathered her stuff.
The drive to dinner was fun. Lexa and Clarke both swapped stories of their lives as Lexa drove them towards a lake to a small restaurant that specialized in a tapas; Lexa was a fan of getting several small plates so she could try as a many new foods as possible.
It took several attempts, but by the time they reached the halfway point of their drive, Lexa had successfully rested her hand on Clarke’s thigh. Clarke, a much braver person than Lexa, quickly grasped her hand and intertwined their fingers together. Even though it hurt, Lexa couldn’t help but smile, her thumb rubbing the back of Clarke’s hand. Ever the gentlewoman she claimed to be, when they arrived at the restaurant Lexa leapt from her door and ran over to Clarke’s to open it for her. She took her hand into her own, and escorted her inside.
Their seats were next to the water, and even though they knew they would be the butt if people’s jokes, they sat side by side to face the lake. There was lots of laughter, and subtle touches throughout the whole night; Lexa growing bolder as the night drew on.
At the end of the night, Lexa drove Clarke back to her house, walking her up to her step.
“I had fun today.” Clarke said, swinging their intertwined hands back and forth. “I didn’t expect to get shot at on a date, but the kids were cute.”
“Just the kids?” Lexa asked.
Clarke’s head bobbled back and forth, jokingly contemplating the question. She smiled when Lexa scoffed.
“How’s your lip?” Clarke asked when they stood across from each other. Her hand naturally reached up and her thumb brushed across her lips.
“Hurts.” Lexa said. “But, I hear kisses can make things better?”
“Is that a question?” Clarke asked. “Because I feel like after months of training with the EMTs you should be more knowledgeable.”
Lexa’s hand reached up and took hold of Clarke’s waist, pulling her in close.
“Well, then…” Lexa moved her head closer to Clarke’s. “In my expert option…”
Her words were cut off as Clarke’s lips captured hers. Lexa’s body melted into the kiss, and she pulled Clarke closer to her. It started off slow, but they both sunk into the kiss quickly. Lexa parted her mouth, and captured Clarke’s lower lip.
Lexa pulled away ever so slightly, brushed her nose against Clarke’s, then switched sides to kiss her again. Clarke opened her mouth this time, intensifying the kiss. Tingles shot down Lexa’s body to her stomach when she felt Clarke’s tongue brush against hers.
It was the best kiss Lexa had ever experienced, and she didn’t want to stop. She pivoted slightly and pressed Clarke back against the door. Her hand trailed up Clarke’s arm, up her neck, and combed through her hair, wanting to pull her deeper into the kiss. She couldn’t stop the smile that spread across her face as a small moan came from Clarke, even if it did make kissing Clarke tougher to do.
She hissed as the smile, once again, pulled the gash on her lip apart.
“Oh my god,” Clarke worried. “I completely forgot about your lip.”
Lexa shook her head. “This is definitely worth it.” She placed her forehead against Clarke’s head. “Seriously. I’ve wanted to do that for months now.”
Clarke leaned in, and gently pressed her lips against Lexa’s once more. “I had a fantastic time today. And, if you’re up to it, I’d like to take you on a date.”
Lexa nodded. “As long as there is minimal risk of injury, I’m game.”