It Takes As Long As It Takes

Chapter Sixteen

Notes:

Here's that quicker update I promised!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

They stepped out of the restaurant into the cool night air. Lexa wrapped her coat tighter around her body and turned to face Clarke.

"Thank you for dinner, Clarke. Such a beautiful place. And the food was amazing. But it was so expensive. You know, you do not need to take me out to places like this . . . I am perfectly fine with having burgers or take out."

Clarke reached for her hand as they started to make their way back to her apartment. "I know you don't need it. But I wanted to do something special tonight."

Lexa furrowed her brows in confusion. "Why tonight?"

"You don't know?"

She shook her head.

"Well, you'll see. Come on." She inclined her head towards her apartment. "Raven and Octavia are staying over at Lincoln's tonight, so we can go back to eat dessert and watch a movie."

Lexa let herself be led all the way back, trying to use the time to think about what Clarke could possible mean. But by the time they arrived at the door, she had come up with nothing.

Clarke held the door open for her to pass. Then, as soon as she heard the door close behind her, Clarke's arms wrapped around her waist and gently but firmly turned her and pressed her against the door. She felt Clarke's lips find hers in the dark. After her initial surprise, she quickly responded, trailing her hands up Clarke's arms, over her shoulders, with one hand settling on the back of her neck and the other at the junction of her neck and jaw, fingers brushing her cheeks, pulling her impossibly closer.

It didn't take long for her to feel completely consumed, all of her thoughts replaced by the taste of Clarke's lips, the feel of her tongue, the sound of her breaths. Clarke was a damn good kisser, Lexa had realize, early on, and that was never clearer to her than right now. Maybe it was because her kissing involved more than just her mouth. Maybe it was the way she used her hands, stroking up and down her back, at once comforting and stimulating. Or the way she pressed her body close, so close that Lexa could feel her heart beat. Or perhaps it was the way she always smiled at one point or another during the kiss, as if she couldn't help expressing how happy she was, subconsciously letting Lexa know how much she wanted this. Whatever it was, taken together, it never failed to reduce Lexa to a pliant mess.

She was well on her way there when Clarke pulled away all of a sudden, but still keeping their foreheads pressed together. She opened her eyes and saw that Clarke still had hers closed and seemed to be working on controlling her breathing. She lightly stroked her cheek with her thumb still resting there. "Clarke, what's the matter?"

At her voice, Clarke opened her eyes. Even in the darkened room, with just the light from the streetlamps outside spilling in from the opened windows, Lexa could still clearly see the blue glint shining at her. And for a brief moment, she really, truly believed in the old saying about eyes being the windows to the soul.

Rational thought seemed to come back to Clarke as she quickly smiled and pulled farther away. She reached behind Lexa to turn on the lights.

"Nothing's the matter. I just don't want to get distract--, I mean, I do," she quickly corrected, as Lexa gave her a questioning look. "Of course I do. Want to get distracted, that is. Doing that. With you."