single moms are ugly... and other lies | clexa AU

five

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On Friday, Clarke has quite a bit to prepare.

She's a little late with it all, because on her way to and from the grocery store, there has been far too much traffic (is she surprised, on a Friday afternoon?)

Madi helped her earlier with the cake, and Clarke hurries to bake and decorate it. The first kids arrive and Clarke greets them all, then she leaves their supervision to Madi and cuts fruit in the speed only moms can cut things, or these cooks on TikTok that have a cucumber cut into even pieces within seconds.

For Clarke, it takes a little longer, but to be fair apples, bananas, mango and pineapple aren't cut as easily as cucumbers. She then washes and plucks off the grapes Madi wished for too, and places all in little bowls.

Her Pinterest recipe for liquid chocolate is waiting next to the stove, and Clarke is careful but quick to make the chocolate taste good.

By the time she's done, Madi's friends are all there and have their sleep stuff set up all around the living room, since Madi's room is much too small for seven people. Two fit on the couch, the other five have mattresses around it.

So Clarke brings them Madi's cake, and they're all in awe of the Moana decoration on top of it. Madi is glowing.

Clarke smiles and thinks that besides loving her job, being an artist does have other benefits.

Just when Clarke is working on setting up the chocolate fountain, it knocks. She leaves it and hurries to the door, already expecting Lexa in front of it.

What she doesn't expect is Lexa to stand there soaked from head to toe. Her hair hangs down in wet strands, her face is still overrun with water, and-

And crap. Clarke forgets about whatever happened to Lexa, forgets about the chocolate fountain, forgets about her sticky, in liquid chocolate covered fingertips.

Lexa's eye make-up is slightly blurred, black around her eyes where it shouldn't be, and some streaks of it have run down to her cheeks. Her green eyes are blazing with the contrast and Clarke is glad she's standing because she thinks she might have tripped otherwise.

She must look entirely ridiculous, staring at Lexa with a completely faltered face, and she realizes it when Lexa clears her throat. "I'm really sorry for turning up here like this and dripping on your doormat," Lexa offers. "Plus being late. The traffic was terrible. There were endless rows of cars never moving, so I thought it'd be smart to just park further away and walk the rest. When I was equally far away from my car and your house, it started pouring, so I figured it wouldn't make a difference anyway."

Right, Clarke can hear it now. Harsh gushes of wind against the house, rain tapping against the windows in the back.

"I thought at least I'd bring Madi her gift?" Lexa asks and Clarke realizes she hasn't said anything yet.

"Oh my God, yes, of course, come in. I'm so sorry."

"Are you sure I should come in, I'm kind of-"

"Yes, yes, of course, you're going to catch a cold."

Clarke lets Lexa in and takes the jacket in her hands, covering the only dry thing about her at all; a neatly wrapped gift. "You didn't have to get her a gift."

"Birthday etiquette, right?" Lexa grins and now that Clarke is walking, she thinks she will trip for sure if she doesn't look away.

She feels guilty to her core. First, she lets Lexa come to Madi's birthday party, then Lexa feels obliged to get a gift, topping it with the poor woman walking through litres of water, protecting that gift like there was nothing more important.