The One Who's Fallen

Chapter 40

Time goes by so quickly, and suddenly it's the next morning Lexa's coming into my tent to remind me that we're leaving soon.

Despite the fact that I've told her many times that she can come into my tent whenever she wants, Lexa is stubborn and says that she doesn't want to intrude when I'm not prepared for anyone to be in the tent. It's really cute and sweet, and I do appreciate it. She tells me when she'll be coming to my tent at least a day in advance. When she comes in without telling me beforehand, she always announces her presence and then makes sure she can come in.

"Clarke, have you packed everything?" Lexa asks.

"Yeah, I'm done." I yawn.

I dragged my exhausted self out of bed early (like really early; the sun wasn't even up) this morning and packed up. I have everything in a bag, except my weapons of course.

"Should we act like we do not notice the Maunon?" Lexa asks as she watches me double checking I have everything.

"No. You're the Commander of the Twelve Clans, Lexa. You didn't get there on accident. Even if there's fog practically blinding you, you'd be able to tell that they're there. So we can shoot some of them down or something."

Lexa smiles, amused at my word choice. "Fatal or non-fatal?"

I shrug. "It doesn't matter. We could also do warning shots if someone's annoying you and hit something right next to their head."

"Heda, Clarke." Anya says after she strides in. "Luna and I have briefed the guards for you, and we should be ready to leave soon. I suggest you both make your final preparations." With that said, she bows her head to Lexa and then leaves.

"Are you ready to get on your horse?" Lexa asks me.

"Float me, we're going to be riding for so long. My butt is going to be so sore." I groan.

Lexa laughs, a beautiful sound that makes all of my dread and worry for this trip slip away. "Do not worry, Clarke. I made sure that you have the comfiest saddle. It should help with the discomfort."

I stand for a moment, surprised. Though I probably shouldn't be. Lexa's really considerate.

"The other guards are ready to go." Artigas warns us from outside of my tent.

Yeah, he's coming with as my guard. I insisted once he expressed interest in seeing Polis.

"Clarke?" Lexa asks.

I turn my attention back to her. She shifts slightly, her eyes giving away her nerves. Oh, I haven't responded to her incredibly thoughtful action yet.

"Mochof (thank you), Lexa." I smile at her.

Swallowing down my nerves, I show my appreciation by hugging her. I keep my arms loose at first so she can escape if it's making her uncomfortable. But Lexa relaxes quickly in my arms and wraps her arms around my waist. I try not to think about the position I'm in too much, which is easier than I feared. Just the fact that I'm in her arms is wiping every other thought from my mind.

There's a loud noise coming from outside that snaps us out of that lovely daze when you're close to someone you lo- like. Someone you like. I haven't known her that long, I can't love her yet. I shut down that line of thought for now, knowing it's no use panicking now and that there will be a much better time to panic when I'm alone in a small tent later tonight.

While I'm calming myself down from just having a mental crisis, Lexa pulls back but keeps her hands on my waist. Our faces are close, so close, and I could lean in and kiss her. I look away from her lips and look into Lexa's eyes. They flick back up from my lips, her lips slight opening as she looks into my eyes. There's a pink flush to her cheeks and a look in her eyes that makes all of this so much sweeter. She's nervous. Lexa's nervous. About kissing me.

I can feel her warm breath and something inside me breaks when she looks back down at my lips. I lean in and kiss her, lightly at first so she can pull away. I'm the one that stops the kiss soon after she starts kissing me back. I move back only enough to see her expression. Her eyes are closed and her lower lip trembles as she lets out a breath. When Lexa's eyes open, I nearly gasp at the emotions I see there. I lean in again and she lets out a happy sigh into my mouth. I move my arms away from wrapping around her so I can gently cradle her face.

It feels like I've been kissing her forever, but it feels like it hasn't been enough time when there's a throat clearing from outside.

"Clarke?" Artigas questions, sounding worried.

"I'm okay." I reassure him, ignoring how my voice is raspier than normal and that my hands are still on Lexa (one cupping her jaw-which float me is amazing and the other is in her hair, at the base of her neck). "We'll be out soon."

"Clarke." Lexa murmurs. Her face is still really close to mine and it's difficult to keep from kissing her again. "After we stop for the night and have dinner, come to my tent." Oh. I don't know if I'm ready for that quite yet... Lexa seems to see my thoughts in my expression and she smiles softly. "To talk, Clarke. Nothing more unless we both want to."

Right. Talk. Great, now I'm going to be distracted on the ride by what we're going to be talking about. What if it's bad? What if she could tell how I feel about her in the kisses and doesn't feel the same way?

"Clarke." Lexa repeats, sounding amused. My hand falls away from her face and she takes it and holds it in hers. Okay. That's a good sign.

Instead of saying anything else, she leans in and kisses me softly. It's short and she pulls away after, holding onto my hand the longest. Lexa leaves my tent. with a gentle, genuinely happy smile on her face.

I take a moment to sit down, resting my head on the table. So. That just happened.

I did not plan for the first kiss to be this chapter, but hey! It works! And it was super cute and fun to write. Lexa being all nervous and shaky and Clarke being all nervous and panicky. What adorable nerds. Thank you all for reading and for your incredible comments! Stay awesome!