from the ashes (she will rise) ➸ octaven

chapter 11

When Raven wakes up, she's alone. However, her brace seems to have magically appeared, propped up against Octavia's nightstand. For Octavia to go out of her way for something as little as that astonishes Raven, probably because no one's ever made the effort before.

Once she's dressed, Raven makes her way into the commotion downstairs. Lexa's taken on the challenge of making pancakes, and Octavia's currently joking around with her, trying to flip one by throwing it in the air from the pan. Both girls crack up when the half-cooked pancake ends up splattered on the floor.

Meanwhile, Clarke spots Raven in the doorway, watching the girls. She raises an eyebrow at her and then looks back and forth from Raven to Octavia. Raven's bed had been empty when she woke up, she's not oblivious.

But like always, they don't talk about it. In the morning, it's back to the usual friendly banter, as if Octavia hadn't been the one who fell asleep in her arms the night before. It's a habit they've slowly fallen into.

Raven chugs half a glass of orange juice and leans against the counter. Lexa turns around, holding up a plate in question, but Raven just shakes her head. She's never hungry in the mornings.

"The countdown to spring break begins right now," Octavia announces, uncapping a marker and scrawling a series of exclamation marks across the following week on the calendar. Raven rolls her eyes.

"Does it even count as spring break if we're all going to spend it on house arrest?"

"You don't know that," Octavia furrows her eyebrows. "She might lets us off easy." Upon hearing this, Lexa laughs from across the room.

"Knowing Indra, we'll be on house arrest until we die," she takes a bite of her pancake and rolls her eyes. "Or until this place burns down."

Raven sees Octavia tense from across the room.

"Even then we'd still be in trouble," Raven speaks up, setting her glass in the sink. "It's time to head out." Octavia glances over to her, a shy smile on her face.

"I'm going to fail this stupid science exam," Lexa huffs, slinging her bag over her shoulder. Clarke rolls her eyes.

"You studied all last night."

"Still gonna fail," Lexa mumbles. Raven glances behind her, noticing the look on Octavia's face and raising an eyebrow.

"I'm guessing someone forgot to study," she waits for Octavia on the front porch, picking up a pace beside her. Octavia rolls her eyes.

"Wouldn't have made a difference either way," she shrugs, kicking a pebble as they walk.

"What's it on?"

"Plate tectonics."

"No it's not," Lexa speaks up from in front of them. "This week is isobaric maps."

Octavia looks to Raven as if to say told you so. She lets her hands fall to her sides in defeat.

"Did you pay attention in class?" Raven asks. Lexa answers for her.

"When she's in class, maybe," she earns a glare from Octavia. Raven turns to her and raises an eyebrow. "She always gets a pass to go to the nurse's office."

Raven looks to Octavia, who shrinks in her jacket. "Why?"

"There's this kid--,"

"Lexa!" Octavia snaps, startling the girl. "Leave it alone." Lexa's eyes widen and she clamps her mouth shut, looking to the girl apologetically before hurrying to catch up with Clarke.