this idea came to me so suddenly lmao but I hope you all enjoy this semi-trainwreck of banter and awkward flirting
please leave a comment telling me what you liked!
also you can come yell at me on tumblr about clexa if you like, my url is xnuclearweapon
"Let it be known the only reason I'm here is for the free drinks afterwards," Clarke said as she strode in the room, looking around at the set Octavia had created. The stage was simply a plain white background, and there were three different cameras set up at different angles, all focused, however, on the main stage.
Her friend bounded over to her, like an excitable puppy. "As long as you're here, that's all I need, Clarke," Octavia said as she pulled the other woman into a hug.
"So where are the other victims - " Octavia glared at her. "Sorry, I mean delightful young people who are absolutely not here via bribery."
"Better," Octavia said, her teeth bared in a sharp grin.
"Right. Where are they?"
"We've got them all in separate rooms. They are supposed to be strangers, after all. Bell will take you to a room and then someone will call you when it's your go. Until then, you just gotta wait it out." Octavia led Clarke over top where her brother was standing, a clipboard in his hands. On the way there they dodged several people who Clarke assumed to be (hopefully willing) members of Octavia's film crew running about frantically. Seemed Octavia had them all on a tight leash. Clarke smirked. It wasn't as if she expected anything less of the girl. Octavia was a menace even when she wasn't in charge of something.
Bellamy gave Clarke a wave as they approached. "Glad you could make it, Clarke. I thought we'd have to drag you here the way O was going on about it."
Octavia scoffed. "That wasn't exactly what I said."
"No, what you said was definitely much worse," Bellamy replied back quickly, winking at Clarke. Octavia huffed jokingly.
"Show her around, Bell. This director has her work cut out." Octavia smiled determinedly as she strode away. Bellamy and Clarke turned to face each other, grinning.
"So, how did you not get roped into this?" Clarke asked as they made their way up the stairs of the grand house.
"While you may doubt me, and Octavia may be terrifying, I can be very convincing."
"You got something against kissing people?" Clarke asked jokingly.
"I was just afraid Octavia would make me be stuck kissing your hideous mug," Bellamy said as he knocked shoulders with Clarke gently. "After all, the rule is the two people have to have something in common."
"Please, you'd be the luckiest ass on Earth if you were kissing me, and don't you forget it," Clarke said as she grinned. Bellamy pulled a face and led her into one of the many bedrooms, where Clarke assumed she was supposed to wait until her turn came.
"Hey, what's up with that rule anyway? I thought the assignment was just to film a popular viral video craze?"
"Yeah, but they had to mix it up a little bit, make it original. Octavia, being the evil mastermind that she is, pulled together ten pairs of people that all had something in common, and they get to kiss. Fun times. Now, all you have to do is wait here until me or Lincoln comes and gets you, and then it's show time. Hope you brought your lip-gloss," said Bellamy, turning away to exit the room. Clarke took a seat on the soft four poster bed, stroking the white sheets lovingly. Well, she didn't exactly take a seat - more like feel backwards onto it.
Bellamy sighed as he turned back to Clarke, who had a mischievous grin on her face. "Oh, and try not to wreck Lincoln's house while I'm gone, party animal."
"Wasn't going to in the first place – I fear Octavia way more than you."
"One day you'll regret that," Bellamy said, a finger pointed at Clarke and an expression on his face that was, Clarke guessed, supposed to be a menacing one. In reality, he looked more like a cuddly teddy bear who'd just been hugged a shit ton.
Clarke just laughed at him as he left the room, closing the door behind him.
As her laughter died down, she surveyed the room, thinking about who she'd be kissing. She'd always thought those 'First Kiss' videos on YouTube were kind of stupid and obviously fake, but, hey, it was Octavia's choice, and she wasn't one to question Octavia's choices. Unless it was the choice of who she'd be kissing today, on camera, for all of Octavia's Film Production class to see.
Not that she had a problem with kissing people, men or women. It's just … knowing the little shit that Octavia really was when she wasn't trying to sweet-talk people into doing her favours, she was naturally a bit worried.
Octavia would probably make her kiss Lincoln or something, just for a joke, even if it broke the strangers rule.
Clarke stopped gently bouncing on the bed as she thought about kissing Lincoln. A loud gust of wind shook her out of her thoughts.
"Come on, Clarke," she said to herself, "this is your best friend's boyfriend. Doesn't matter if he looks like he could slam you against a wall."
Great. Now she had that mental image in her head.
Bellamy better come back real soon, or Clarke was going to lose her mind.
Octavia should've known something involving Clarke and kissing would have an awful outcome. Clarke was not responsible for any of the shit that happened starting from now, she decided, and resumed bouncing on the bed and trying not to think of when they went to the beach in the summer and Lincoln was shirtless.
Come to think of it, she couldn't decide who looked hotter – Lincoln or Raven.
She groaned. She really had to stop thirsting for her friends.
"Yeah, and that day will happen when pigs start to fly, Clarke," she muttered, flopping backwards on the bed and sighing, resolving to pick up a Bible or something on her way out of here.
Lexa Kearney liked to think of herself as brave. Or at least, she was brave in her mind, where she didn't actually have to interact with anyone and say things with words in a normal situation. There, she was kind of fucked.
"I still don't understand how you roped me into this," she hissed at her adoptive brother as he led her through the labyrinth of corridors that made up what he called his home.
"Because Octavia terrifies me when she's in a position of power – much like yourself – and I don't want to sleep on the couch for several months. Besides, it's just kissing. I know you don't have a problem with it, because if you did, you wouldn't be here." Lincoln smiled smugly down at Lexa, and she cursed their height difference. When they were children, she was always taller, right up until high school, where suddenly Lincoln grew practically overnight.
Lexa snapped out of her memories. "You told her I'm gay, right? If you brought me here to kiss men I'll never forgive you."
Lincoln chuckled. "Nah, Octavia said she found the perfect girl for you."
"And her name is … "
"Classified. That's the rules – you have to be complete strangers."
"But Octavia's professor isn't going to know that, is he?"
"You seem to forget that this is Octavia we're talking about. She isn't gonna do something half-assed."
Lincoln got that dreamy look on his face, the one he got when he talked about Octavia. The one where he looked like a scared kitten about to barf. Lexa called it the 'Empathy Expression', and it always made her heart burst with feeling … the feeling of wanting to throw herself off a cliff, that is. Her brother and his girlfriend were sickeningly cute.
Lincoln slung an arm around Lexa's shoulders. "Don't worry about this girl. You'll do great. Besides, it's not like you'll ever see her again."
Lexa steeled herself as they approached the main room where Octavia was filming.
She was OK, she could do this, and she had rehearsed several different possibilities of how she could do this in the shower last night.
She was prepared.
"Have fun," Lincoln whispered as he pushed her in the room and shut the door on her abruptly.
Traitor, she thought darkly. When she saw Octavia walking over out of the corner of her she quickly tried to school her face into a more neutral expression.
"Hello, little sister," she said. Octavia pulled a face.
"That's about as funny as the first time, Alexandra," Octavia said, reaching up and brushing a curl of Lexa's hair behind her ear.
"Low blow," Lexa commented, though her eyes were scanning the room.
"So where's the girl that I'm kissing?" she asked, trying to sound as casual as possible, though really her heart was beating wildly. To be truthful, the last kiss she'd had was with Costia a year ago, and that just brought painful memories into her head. She'd be glad to replace them with something more fun.
"We're keeping it anonymous until the very last minute. Now, let me just … " Octavia scanned Lexa's face.
"Alright, you're good to go. Now, remember that not all the footage we shoot will be in the final film, so don't get your thong in a twist or whatever."
"I'm not wearing - " Lexa started to say, before she realised that would be a Very Bad Idea.
"Just have fun and be yourself," Octavia said as she pulled Lexa over to the main area, a plain white floor and background. It was extremely bright; it kind of hurt Lexa's eyes.
Lexa stood alone, feeling slightly awkward as Octavia's crew rushed around, getting ready and doing very important things. Lexa tried not to bite her nails, a nervous habit from when she was younger she'd grown out of in high school. She'd just got them painted yesterday, and she didn't want to spoil them.
She stood there for a few seconds, watching Octavia pace back and forth.
"Where is Bellamy?" Lexa knew that was Octavia's brother, though she'd never met him. She heard that he'd almost single-handedly raised Octavia though.
"If he and Clarke have got themselves into another wild shenanigan again I swear I'll … "
What Octavia swore she'd do Lexa didn't know, because she tuned out.
Clarke.
She thought for a second. She didn't know anyone named Clarke that had anything to do with Octavia or Lincoln. That meant …
A shiver went down her spine.
Clarke was who she would be kissing in just a couple of mere minutes.
Lexa gulped. Suddenly the blinding lights and the hurried atmosphere seemed a lot more suffocating than they did a few minutes ago.
The door then opened. A man and a woman entered. Lexa assumed they were Bellamy and Clarke, and that he was telling her what Lincoln had told Lexa earlier.
Then, Clarke smiled at him, a quick smirk, before making her way over to Octavia, walking with a relaxed stance.
And that was when Lexa took her first proper look at Clarke.
The girl was stunning. Long, blonde hair like a Disney princess. Bright blue eyes. Curves.
Lexa subtly slid her eyes down Clarke's body and back up, quickly, before anyone noticed.
Yep. Curves. They were a thing.
She tried to focus on a patch of dust floating in the air as Octavia led Clarke over to the filming area and then darted to behind the scenes.
"Okay, just act natural everyone!" Octavia said.
Lexa tried to calm her breathing. She was a shit actor.
And then they were filming.
"Hey," Clarke said, smiling casually.
Lexa had kind of forgotten how to breathe. Shit.
"Hello," she said, wetting her lips once with her tongue. Clarke mimicked her action, and Lexa narrowed her eyes, before she focused on Clarke's lips. Lips she'd be kissing soon.
Oh God. Say something, say something.
"I'm Lexa," she said, glad that she still had the ability to function somewhat normally.
"Hi Lexa. I'm Clarke. So, have you kissed a girl before?" Clarke asked. Lexa raised an eyebrow slightly. Guess she was getting straight to the point.
"Yeah, I have. You?" Lexa asked, trying to remain as casual as Clarke looked. She was dimly aware of the cameras filming them, Octavia hunched over, hands on her knees, and a critical expression on her face.
Clarke gave a low chuckle, her voice resonating in Lexa's body.
"Of course I have. So are you nervous?" Clarke asked, hooking her forefingers into the belt loops of her faded grey skinny jeans. Lexa tried not to track the movement of her fingers with her eyes.
"Of course not," Lexa finally remembered to reply.
"Really? Are you sure?" Clarke asked, raising an eyebrow and biting her bottom lip.
Lexa narrowed her eyes. It was almost as if …
Clarke was teasing her.
Asshole.
"I'm sure," she snapped.
Clarke stepped back slightly in self-defence. Lincoln always told her she was scary. Guess it never really sunk in until now. She did her best to soften her expression into what was, hopefully, a more neutral and less threatening one.
They stood there for what felt like a few minutes, though it was only about fifteen seconds, awkwardly. Lexa hated the way everyone was staring at them.
She had no idea what she was supposed to be doing. Should she just jump right in and kiss Clarke? How was she supposed to start it?
"So are you gonna kiss me or not?" Clarke asked, and Lexa could practically see the way Clarke was trying to hold in her laughter written on her stupid (gorgeous) face.
"You're awfully blunt, aren't you?" Lexa said.
Clarke flipped her blonde hair over her shoulder. "It's one of my many charms."
Lexa pursed her lips. "I'm sure it is."
"Because you're so wonderfully charming, right?"
"Do you make it a habit to antagonise the people you're trying to kiss, Clarke? If so, I hate to break it to you but it's not a very worthwhile technique - you might want to consider changing it to something a little less impetuous."
"Big words, Lexa," Clarke said in a low voice, stepping forward.
Out of the corner of her eye, Lexa could see Lincoln, looking vaguely worried. Octavia had a gleeful expression on her face. Guess they made for good footage, Lexa thought.
Lexa remained impassive. "Let's do this," she said, stepping closer. Clarke may aggravate her, but she couldn't deny the girl was attractive, and, while she hated to admit it, there was a part of her sarcasm that Lexa found charming.
Clarke smiled at Lexa, all bubblegum-sweetness and fake sugar. Lexa smirked, walking closer until their noses were almost touching, feeling Clarke's warm breath on her face as the girl's lips parted slightly.
"I think you're kind of a dick," Lexa whispered, quiet so only Clarke heard, before pressing their lips together.
Clarke tasted like cherry lip-gloss. The thought was in the back of Lexa's mind as she kissed Clarke, hand cupping the back of her neck gently, like she was holding a precious artefact.
Clarke's body was warm against hers; her leather jacket brushed Lexa's bare arms, the texture of it smooth and the coldness of it a contrast to the heat of Clarke's body and mouth against Lexa's own.
The kiss was soft, tender, unlike their previous arguing. Lexa felt Clarke's arm start to encircle her waist and stilled momentarily. Clarke's lips were easy to get lost in, too easy.
Lexa felt Clarke pull away, slowly, as if she too did not want this moment to end. Lexa once again became aware of the other people around them (they had faded into the background the moment Clarke's lips touched her own) and the silence that filled the room.
They simply stared at each other for a few moments. Lexa licked her lips, faintly tasting cherry, saccharine yet slightly bitter.
What had felt like hours to Lexa had apparently only been seconds. The camera was still rolling, the lights were still bright, but all Lexa could think about was Clarke – her lips, her eyes, her everything.
"I told you I was charming," Clarke said suddenly, and Lexa's bubble burst, and she was suddenly aware of how hot her face felt and of how red it must be, which made her blush even harder.
She mumbled something which may have been 'shut up', lowering her eyes.
"And cut," Octavia's voice rang out, and suddenly the room was bustling with activity once again as people hurriedly moved to do whatever it was they did once they'd finished a shot. Lexa didn't know. She was still in that magical world were Clarke's lips were pressed against her own once again.
Octavia came walking towards them, clapping slowly.
"Excellent performance," she said, a smile on her face.
"I agree, I reckon we've got that A+ in the bag for you," Clarke commented.
Lexa hoped she wasn't expected to say something; she still a bit dazed.
"Anyway, out of curiosity, what was it we had in common?" Clarke asked. Lexa was curious too.
"I guess I'll make formal introduction. Clarke, this is Lexa Kearney, Lincoln's adopted sister. Lexa, this is Clarke Griffin, high school best friend slash partner in crime
"I paired you two up because you both desperately need to get laid," Octavia said casually. Lexa's jaw practically dropped in shock, while Clarke simply shrugged in defeat.
"Have fun!" Octavia said with a smirk, walking off to arrange the next shoot.
Lexa turned to stare at Clarke. The girl was looking at Lexa, an unreadable expression on her face.
"She's not wrong," Clarke said.
Doesn't mean I have to like it," Lexa said.
Clarke stuck out her hand to shake; Lexa looked at it like it was going to bite her.
"Well, Lexa Kearney, it was wonderful getting my lips acquainted with yours."
Lexa wearingly went to shake it. Clarke surprised her by pulling her into a quick hug, her arms tight around Lexa's waist.
As soon as Lexa went to hesitantly wrap her arms around Clarke, the girl pulled back, and Lexa was left feeling slightly empty.
Clarke drawled, "See you around Lexa Kearney."
Lexa sighed, wrapping her arms around herself as she watched Clarke walk away. As she herself started to walk away, she heard a rustle behind her. Reaching into the back pocket of her skinny jeans, she pulled out a piece of paper, elegant handwriting visible across it. It appeared to be a phone number and 'call me', with the initials CG.
She wondered how on earth Clarke had the time to do this - probably while they were hugging. She'd also probably pre-written this out. Charming indeed.
Lexa smiled to herself, a small one, but a smile. Clarke Griffin had to be one of the most bizarre people she'd ever met.
Lexa found she kind of liked bizarre.