fragile | clexa

seventy five

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Lexa and Clarke slept in the next day, until each last of their limbs had gotten all the lush rest they needed. Then, they went out on the promised market date.

It was chilly on that late fall morning, but the fog that had been wrapping the city into a wall of cotton the last days had lifted and the orange morning sun shone over the stands. Soon, the air warmed up pleasantly too.

Although Clarke's legs had gotten much stronger and were on a very good path to full healing, it wasn't lost on Lexa how the blonde had her arm hooked through Lexa's the entire time, slightly supporting herself on Lexa. "Are your legs feeling okay, love? We can go to my tower and I can make you breakfast and give you a massage, if that would help."

"Oh my legs feel alright. You're just so warm, and this jacket is thin."

"Oh. Would you like to switch? My coat is warm."

"I know, that's why you need to keep it. I think a hot cocoa would do this situation very well, though."

"I see," Lexa grinned and by the next stand they found, she bought two mugs of hot cocoa. "What do you think, would warm waffles help your cold too?"

"You can read minds."

-

They had waffles, and continued to look for warmer winter clothes for Clarke. There were stands that sold out the remaining summer clothes too and sometimes, Lexa would stop at one and nod towards it.

"Summer clothes?"

"For winter?"

"For the sea."

"Oh. Oh, that would be-"

But Clarke didn't have to say how kind of Lexa it would be for Lexa to know her appreciation. It ended up taking 3 hours until they were back at Clarke's parents' house, and with both their hands (mostly Lexa's) hands full of bags and baskets, they weren't exactly subtle to Abby, who had come home earlier than expected.

Abby was reading a magazine at the kitchen table, and she looked fairly surprised to see the Heda and her daughter with their hands so full. "Clarke, I was worrying where you were."

"I left a note."

"Yeah, still. Did you- is that-" Carefully, Abby peeked inside a basket. "Are these the new clothes for you we meant to get?"

"They are," Clarke nodded.

"I hope you don't mind that I took her, ma'am."

"No- not at all, of course, I'll give you all the money right now-"

"Absolutely not, please, that's not an issue at all."

"Are you sure? I could give you- are these summer shirts? Clarke, dear, we could have bought those in spring- wait, is that a bikini? Honey, what do you need a bathing clothes for in winter? Are you planning to visit the hot tubs?"

"Eh-"

Clarke shared a helpless look with Lexa. How were they so unable to keep a secret from both Clarke's parents for at least a small amount of time?

Lexa didn't look like she knew what to do either. The trip was inofficially official, they had bought their stuff, Lexa had promised, Clarke was trying to fit it into her brain like an actual realistic event to happen- but how to tell Abby, who was worried for Clarke to leave for a few hours in the same city?

"Mom..."

Abby's brows knitted together. "Have a seat you two, I'll make some tea, that tone sounds like you're about to tell me- yeah, I'm not going to make assumptions in case you do end up telling me exactly that."

Five minutes later, they said around the table with a cup of tea in front of each of them.

"Mom," Clarke started again. "I know you guys like me to stay inside and in your sight and I know you enjoy being with me again- but I think I might leave?" She looked to Lexa again, who cleared her throat, feeling the responsibility of explaining Clarke to her shocked mother shift onto her.

"Clarke and I thought about taking a vacation."

Clarke nodded supportively.

"A vacation? Now?"

"In the South, where it's still warm," Clarke said.

"That far south? For how long?"

Clarke looked back at Lexa, who shrugged. "A week, two?"

"That's- that's a long time," Abby got out.

"Mom, I'll be 20 soon," Clarke said gently. "I know you feel like you just 'got me back' but I won't be able to live in that bedroom under your supervision forever. You need to learn how to deal with me being away, and it's only for a few days too."

"I know, I know," Abby mumbled. "Well I can't tell you no, so- so do you need any help planning or packing? When do you leave?"

"In four days," Lexa said and Abby nodded.

"I'll make sure to pack you enough lunches."

-

Jake wasn't surprised when he heard. Lexa had left before dinner, and when he came home to cook and found Abby and Clarke around the kitchen table sorting out clothes from bags and throwing them into a laundry basket, followed by his wife's semi dramatic announcement of Clarke's vacation, he knew that this was last night's surge of happiness.

"I'm officially jealous," he joked, even though he did feel a little tense to let Clarke go so far with only the Heda. He didn't want to grip Clarke too tightly, he knew of the Heda's kindness and generosity, but yet he couldn't help but to worry. "The southern lands, huh? That's far. I'll have to pack you a lot of lunches."

Clarke laughed a little. Maybe, Jake thought, that was a sound beautiful enough that Jake would have let her go a thousand times. "Mom said that too."

"The Heda bought her all her clothes, Jake, can you believe that? We're just sliding further into unspoken debt with her every day."

He hummed in agreement. "Sounds like we need to pack an extra, extra many lunches."

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