from the ashes (she will rise) ➸ octaven

chapter 17

"Little bit of sugar, shit ton of creamer, just the way you like it," Octavia plops down on the couch next to Raven, passing her a mug of coffee. She can already tell Raven's leg is bothering her that morning. Octavia practically had to dive to grab the girl's arm when she lost her footing on the stairs. But she knows better than to bring it up.

"A shit ton of creamer is better than nothing at all," Raven nods to Octavia's coffee, crinkling her nose. Octavia just shrugs and kicks her feet up on the coffee table.

With Lexa going to her interview and Indra driving Clarke to visit with her siblings, Octavia and Raven have the house to themselves. When the sky gets dark and the wind starts to pick up, Octavia digs a pile of blankets and pillows from the hall closet and tosses them onto the couch. She picks an old VHS tape of America's Funniest Home Videos reruns and curls up next to Raven.

As expected, they don't end up watching much television. As the storm rages on outside, Octavia nudges Raven's chin with her nose and catches the girl's lips as soon as she turns to look at her. Raven doesn't protest.

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They don't hear the doorbell at first.

Octavia's got a case of the giggles, and she's tugged a blanket over her head, pretending to be a ghost. When she ends up bumping their foreheads together, it makes her laugh even harder.

They hear the doorbell the second time, though. And the third. And the fourth. By the time Octavia collects herself and hurries to the door, she's already lost count. Skidding to a stop when she opens the door, Octavia comes face to face with Lexa, sopping wet, soaked from head to toe, standing on the front porch looking horribly small and fragile.

Before Octavia can even process this, Lexa's ducking under her arm and making a beeline for the couch. She collapses into the corner, burying her face in a pillow hugged to her chest. Octavia turns around slowly, her eyes following the trail of wet, muddy footprints that now litter the foyer. Her eyes meet Raven's in question, but all she gets is a shrug in return.

"I'm guessing you didn't get the job?" Raven raises an eyebrow. Octavia glares at her from across the room, but Raven just holds up her hands in innocence.

"There wasn't even a job to begin with," Lexa rubs her eyes furiously, makeup staining her cheeks. "Not even one to begin with..." she repeats herself quietly.

"Did you show up late?" Raven tries a softer approach. Lexa shakes her head.

"It was a joke," she mumbles, looking down and sniffing. "It was all a joke."

Octavia slowly walks over to sit down on the coffee table, pursing her lips and looking to Raven, unsure of what to say.

"Lexa, we have no clue what you're talking about," Raven sighs, squeezing the girl's shoulder. "Breathe."

"They lied," Lexa closes her eyes and shakes her head, prompting Octavia to pass her a handful of tissues. Lexa takes them quickly. "There was no job. There wasn't even a country club. I took a two hour bus ride into the middle of nowhere for nothing."

Exchanging confused glances with Raven, Octavia leans forward. "I thought you said a friend told you about this?"

"I thought they were friends," Lexa wipes her eyes, wringing out the water from her hair. She pauses for a moment. "They weren't."

"Who?" Octavia frowns. "Who was it?"

"Don't," Raven shakes her head. "Don't tell her." She knows well enough how Octavia will solve the problem. "We can talk to someone at school tomorrow."