#clexa pandemic AU

[anansianansi]

Love Lockdown update!!

I can't believe I'm typing this, but here we go - we have a new chapter up:

Chapter 85: Come away with me

The next morning, Lexa woke Clarke with the softest, most unhurried kisses. One at a time, she etched promises on Clarke’s skin, choosing the place of each with care; one sheltered under her left ear, another at the very corner of her mouth, one more on the mole just above that, then a sunshower across her chest - each a small fragment leading to her destination with certainty. As she felt Clarke stirring under her hands and her mouth, Lexa thought that these moments of solitude, these pearls of thievery and solace, were the closest thing to faith, a little glimpse of the divine in these everyday moments of what some would consider mundanity. And as blue eyes fluttered open, soft and full of stories of the places Clarke had traveled in her sleep, Lexa thought the same thing she every morning since their love confessions all those months ago - how could she not worship this goddess she was lucky to call her own?

As if reading her thoughts, a rosy hue overtook Clarke’s chest, and when the accompanying shy smile stretched the corner of her lips, Lexa couldn’t help herself anymore; she leaned in, kissing Clarke with the slow unhurriedness of two lovers in an impenetrable world of their own. When they parted, finally, Clarke’s voice was a husky, and a little breathless. “Come here; I still owe you from yesterday.” But Lexa caught her arm halfway, letting Clarke’s fingers trace her skin as she left petalsoft kisses on her wrist, an idea forming in her mind, even as she squirmed a bit, her own body responding to Clarke. “Maybe you should tease me for a bit longer.”

Read the rest here.

[talktomeinclexa]

Hey there! Hope you're doing well and full of inspiration for your writing! For the ask game:

🐇 ⇢ do you prefer writing original characters, reader inserts, or a mix of both?

🥤 ⇢ recommend an author or fanfic you love

🍓 ⇢ how did you get into writing fanfiction

Hey, there! I'm good, thanks. Resting a little after ClexaWeek before I get back into my almost-finished WIPs. How about you? :)

All right, let's see.

🐇 ⇢ do you prefer writing original characters, reader inserts, or a mix of both?

I never do reader inserts so, OC by default. I've created very few of those so far, though. The main one I can think of was Sloan in Ad Astra, and some people in Polis in On the Ground, especially the Nightbloods. I'm enjoying it and looking forward to developing them in the next part!

🥤 ⇢ recommend an author or fanfic you love

Though one. Our fandom is blessed with so many excellent writers, it's impossible to choose!

Today I'm in the mood for some banter and fun, so I would recommend Spelling It Out by Brilliant5134 (who I only just realized changed their name). It's a Harry Potter AU, but with Clarke and Lexa as wand makers' apprentices. It's hilarious, original, and super well written. The first few chapters make me laugh aloud every time I read it.

🍓 ⇢ how did you get into writing fanfiction

Blame the pandemic... xD

I can't remember how but I stumbled onto some Clexa fics by accident back in 2019, and it made me want to rewatch the show. From there, I found Ao3 and read maaaany fics, especially when the lockdown started where I was. And since I found myself with too much free time on my hands, I started writing too.

I used to tell a lot of stories when I was a kid, but as I grew older and no one encouraged me (my family is more into science and "practical" studies than arts), I forgot that part of myself. I still loved to read and spent hours imagining epic tales while I should have been sleeping, but I kept them to myself. It's only when I discovered fanfiction, and especially Clexa, that I finally dared to let some of them out :)

[ao3feed-the100]

Maybe life should be about more than just Survivor?

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/baIsmhN

by Mozz14

Clarke, an Australian doctor, seeks to escape from her past and reboot her career while working on the team shooting the first Survivor following the pandemic on a tropical island in the south seas nation of Kongeda.

Lexa is a single-minded American producer trying to save the Survivor brand following the fallout from the last iteration's cancellation when targeted terrorist attacks resulted in the death of the presenter.

Despite hate at first sight, can our girls get it together and get the show on the road, or will they be left to snark at each other for the entire production?

Words: 3561, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Fandoms: The 100 (TV)

Rating: Mature

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Categories: F/F

Characters: Clarke Griffin, Lexa (The 100), Anya (The 100), Raven Reyes (The 100), Indra (The 100), Gustus (The 100), Jasper Jordan, Monty Green, Harper McIntyre, Abby Griffin, Octavia Blake, Bellamy Blake, Echo (The 100)

Relationships: Clarke Griffin/Lexa, Anya/Raven Reyes (The 100), Other Background Relationships - Relationship

Additional Tags: Survivor AU, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Clexa Week 2023 (The 100), Workplace Relationship

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/baIsmhN

[unchartedcloud]

The Stars Watch On - Chapter Seven

Eye of the Storm

Part II of What We Deserve.

When the snowstorm clears, a sickness has broken out in Polis. Clarke spends three days at the clinic in an effort to curb its toll, leaving Lexa and her cat alone in the tower. Both are little harried when she returns.

They settle into what has quickly become a common position: Lexa sitting normally on the couch, occasionally a leg or both propped up on the table, and Clarke propped sideways next to her, feet either lounging across her lap or stuffed beneath her legs. At the moment she opts for the latter. The way her knees are bent creates a nearly perfect flat surface. She grabs a piece of paper and charcoal from her pocket and draws, as usual, what she sees. Lexa lounging, to the extent that the Commander ever lounges, against the couch, a stack of papers in her lap. She holds each one up closer to her face as she reads it with one hand, the other either idle on Clarke's knee or foot or otherwise roaming about Clarke's legs. It's a common scene - so common, in fact, that Clarke could probably draw it with her eyes closed. But with the real thing right in front of her, there's no need to imagine it.

Art has always been a kind of meditative state for Clarke. The act of creation, of replicating the world exactly as it is, as she sees it, is soothing, and the repetitive strokes on paper allows her to sink into it entirely. Anything else, everything else, fades into the background, hazy and muted in the face of the clarity of her model. And then her model draws her out of it, as Lexa's nose wrinkles and a most undignified sound drops from her lips. "Cat!" She says, lifting a new sheet of paper to find that it - and those beneath it - have been stained with what is almost certainly cat pee. Lexa's green eyes lift to find Pip's, the cat sitting comfortably on the corner of the table furthest from her, blinking right back at her. Her tail moves languidly just off the side of the table, now flicking into view, now lowering, all giving the impression that she is distinctly unimpressed with the Commander. "We talked about this!"

"You talked about this?" Clarke wrinkles her nose at the smell, but is more amused than anything. "You talked to the cat?"

"Yelled at it, more like," Lexa says, chucking the papers back on the table. They scatter a little on impact, but if this was designed to send Pip skittering, it is a rousing failure. She just looks at Lexa, her tail continuing to curl and uncurl, and starts licking her paw. "She's always doing this. Knocking over things, peeing on things, demanding food. I even had that box brought up from your room so she could pee in it, and still she pees on my things. It's like she's doing it on purpose!"

"Maybe she doesn't appreciate you yelling at her," Clarke says in her most nonchalant voice.

"Then maybe she shouldn't pee all over my things!"

Read on Ao3.

Chapter One | Chapter Two | Chapter Three | Chapter Four | Chapter Five | Chapter Six | Chapter Seven

[butmakeitgayblog]

What's the easiest way to get to all of your AUs? I keep seeing tags for cruel intentions au and midwestern au and demon!lexa, but when i click on the tag to try to get to the posts, it seems like i'm missing parts or they're all out of order. LOVING what i have seen and dying to get into it properly. Help ya girl out!

Ah sorry 😬 my blog is chaotic I know my bad. Anyway midwestern au and cruel intentions are just little tumblr works that I've never crossed over to ao3 becauee 1. Midwestern au isn't really a fic so much as ~Vibes~ based of Alycia's new blonde hair 😅, and 2. They (ao3 clexas) would beat my ass in the comments over cruel intentions au lol I'd have to severely restrict comments there and even then I'm like 85% sure even without anon hate I'd get shit from registered users. Idk if I could stomach it tbh we're already trying to survive a pandemic I don't need that. Tumblr users, y'all understand my crazy because we're all in the same asylum. Ao3... does not always get it. Also Cruel Intentions is out of order, I'm writing it nonlinear style so it jumps around depending on the ask altho 😩 all people keep asking for is the ending y'all I gotta let them be mean a few more times before we get to the big moment c'mon loves work with me 😩

There's also a smutty little series I did of a pretty woman au that I didn't cross post if you're interested, you can follow the tag below to find it

But for demon!lexa you can find the fic here 😌

[ravenbell-exchange]

Here come the prompts!

These are for all of us to use, so please feel free to peruse, reblog, explore, comment, and be generally delightful. Everyone will be receiving their assigned prompts later today, but remember that we are writing two stories each: one from the assigned prompts, and one from this list. You are free to pick anything apart from stuff you yourself prompted. There haven’t been any Dear Author letters I’ve spotted so far, so I’ve included some additional crossover prompts from people here, just for ease of reference. You absolutely don’t have to pick them - there’s just there in case you want them!

If you didn’t sign up for this challenge, but want to use any of the prompts below to write a fic – go for it! As long as you make sure to credit where you got the prompt from, you are very welcome to play with us.

Now, without further ado:

1.

Url: @autobot

Prompt 1: Sports AU: Bellamy and Raven flirt while their respective teams yell at them to get their head in the game.

Prompt 2: Delinquent Winter: It's snowing, so the delinquents decide to start a snowball fight. Raven and Bellamy really go at each other. Bellamy ends up getting a cut on his lip from an icy snowball, and Raven decides to remedy that with a kiss.

Prompt 3: Season 7: This is pretty vague but just anything with the relationship Bellamy/Raven/Doucette, with Bellamy having had separate relationships with the other two in the past.

Prompt 4 (optional variation on 1): HP AU: Bellamy and Raven flirt while their respective Gryffindor and Ravenclaw Quidditch teams yell at them to get their head in the game.

Things they don’t want to find in the fic you write for them: Momma didn't raise no wussy "N/A"

Also: Have seen all 7 seasons.

2.

Url: @growlereish

Prompt 1: post mount weather road trip. monty, miller, lincoln, gina, octavia, harper welcome to come too. maybe they find a bunch of cars and the delinquents take off into the sunset together. maybe it's just bellamy and raven exploring the world together.

Prompt 2: au where they're on a sports team together. any sport, the sport is not important, it's about the Team As Family and the Narratives

Prompt 3: fantasy au or canon + fantasy elements

Prompt 4: relationship negotiation / exploration

Prompt 5: anything from the expansive list of likes on my dear creator letter: https://growlery.dreamwidth.org/11097.html

Things they don’t want to find in the fic you write for them: somnophilia; humiliation, especially as a kink; d/s that's about punishment; discussion of diets/nutrition plans/exercise regimens/body maintenance/weight management/etc

Also: Have seen up to + including 3x08

3.

Url: @kinetic-elaboration​

Prompt 1: High school AU: Bellamy and Raven are exes, but Raven is still good friends with Octavia, so they still see each other all the time

Prompt 2: Bellamy/Raven/Gina negotiating/figuring out a poly relationship in Arkadia pre-S3

Prompt 3: Braven + First real, heavy snow on the ground (canon or canon-divergent AU)

Prompt 4: Librarian!Bellamy and Mechanic!Raven

Prompt 5: Modern AU: Bellamy, Raven, and author's choice other delinquents living in a cramped apartment together; Raven and Bellamy are either struggling with UST or in a secret relationship or FWB arrangement

Things they don’t want to find in the fic you write for them: pregnancy/kid fic of any sort; side/background Minty, Marper, or Clexa; explicit sex (implied/fade to black/generically described is ok); character bashing of any kind

Also: Have seen season 1-4 (really do not want to write/read anything related to the timeskip on, please!).  I'm not really into the Grounders generally; I love the delinquents; I headcanon Raven as bisexual but Bellamy as straight.

4.

Url: @justbecauseyoubelievesomething​

Prompt 1: Sci-fi/Space AU where Bellamy and Raven serve on the same ship; (fr)enemies to lovers with lots of angst along the way! Time loop/travel or interdimensional travel shenanigans would be appreciated as well!

Prompt 2: Dark Fairytale/Fantasy AU; very dark, stormy, foresty vibes; one of them is some sort of mythical creature, maybe even ruler of other mythical creatures; dark forbidden romance; for lots of bonus angst, one of them can be a magical creature hunter and reveal themselves at the end!

Prompt 3: Canonverse Ark AU; Bellamy and Raven meet as adults on the Ark because they both join the same secret revolutionary group planning to overthrow Alpha Station; other Delinquents can definitely make appearances!

Prompt 4: Modern AU; one of the two is driving through a small town trying to get home for Christmas when their car breaks down and they are forced to take it to the town's only mechanic; they snark at each other before the mechanic invites the stranded party to Christmas dinner; found family; fluff; basically you're typical Hallmark-esque set-up.

Prompt 5: Any setting! Bellamy and Raven are rivals in some sort of extreme sport (or if set in canonverse can be something like spacewalking). They're constantly pushing each other to their limits trying to beat each other, until Raven permanently injures her leg. She becomes very bitter during her recovery until she realizes that Bellamy isn't competing anymore and confronts him. Maybe feelings come out right away or maybe it takes them a while to get around to realizing it, but lots of angst and hurt/comfort during the build-up!

Things they don’t want to find in the fic you write for them: Explicit smut; pregnancy/kid fic; incest; student/teacher; character bashing of any other characters

Also: Have seen seasons 1-6 and the first half of season 7.

5.

Url: @ravenbells

Prompt 1: Raven discovering and enjoying the fact that Bellamy is a huge history nerd (can be canon, modern or some kind of fantasy/sci-fi setting).

Prompt 2: Modern AU. Raven is sharing a flat with friends, but one of them has to move out because of Reasons, and Bellamy rents the freed up room. Doesn’t have to be set in the US if you don’t want to, I don’t care that it’s an American show.

Prompt 3: Grounder AU, but set in the past. Bellamy and Raven were children when the nukes that caused the Ark to stay in space for generations went off. Now they are they first generation of survivors who have to build a life in a world without technology.

Prompt 4: Steampunk AU. Can be traditional Victorian-aesthetic steampunk, but if you want to lift your visuals from any other time period, be my guest. I’m going to love anything you do.

Prompt 5: Bellamy and Raven are exes who get back together (can be canon or any AU setting you can imagine).

Things they don’t want to find in the fic you write for them: Graphic violence

Also: Have only seen the first 2 seasons, please have mercy. If you want to incorporate the characters playing DnD into any of the stories, be my guest - just putting this in here because I know some people in the group love it (Bellamy would play a paladin, fight me), but if you’re not into this stuff, absolutely don’t feel obliged.

6.

Url: shortitude @ AO3

Prompt 1: Modern coffee-shop AU where they meet because both of them has a Specific Table they like to sit at and usually their schedules do not coincide, but then because of fate (someone's wi-fi broke, there's plumbing work happening at home, etc) they have to go to the coffee shop and their table is taken, as are all the others. Luckily, the traitor who took their Specific Table is willing to share it, just for today. (And then every day after.) Friends to Lovers is preferred over Instant Attraction in this one. Even open-ended works. (Please, no pandemic.)

Prompt 2: Canon-based AU: Give me cottagecore survival to replace the weird plots that happened to this show after s2. The idea of the Delinquents settling in a village, life moving on, peace being brokered, etc etc. In the middle of it all, Bellamy and Raven rely on each other to rebuild, and fall in love. A lot.

Prompt 3: Five times Bellamy tried to show his love for Raven and failed, and one time she finally got the point. Oblivious That People Might Love Her!Raven is my tragic and problematic fave. A bonus: competence kink. Acceptable: any form of AU; I am not a stickler for canon.

Prompt 4 (optional): Pacific Rim AU; veteran Jaeger pilot gets pulled back into action because of a need to pull off a last fight against the apocalypse/alien invasion, drifts unexpectedly with the supermouthy, supersmart, very capable engineer/mechanic. Add as many characters from The 100 as you'd like into this, but I am very much more into the wholesome survival of all of them than I am about everyone except Braven dying.

Things they don’t want to find in the fic you write for them: Bellarke content if the Braven content is just a way for Bellamy to "get over" Clarke, be it failed relationship or unrequited one.

Also: Have seen season 1 and Season 2 in full; vaguely familiar with STUFF about how they ended up in space, and nothing beyond that because I literally don't care.

[anansianansi]

College Clexa in Love Lockdown were something like this. Minus the actual dating, of course.

anon prompt: what’s inside lexa’s phone?

[sassymajesty]

Hi! I love heart upon the southern ground. Wondering what Clexa would do in that AU during this pandemic? An AU of an AU? Would the pandemic force them together sooner? Or even apart because Lexa wouldn’t want to leave Costia alone??? Just wondering.

i know quarantine aus are supposed to be cute and funny and to make it all less heavy and traumatic, but the answer i have is so boring and so anticlimactic i want to apologize in advance!

clarke would probably be putting a thousand hours a week at the clinic, making sure everyone got the help they need. bakeries fall under essential services, so costia would still be baking away, possibly delivering breakfast to her regulars. and lexa would be the only one working online and reading every book she ever bought and never got around to

[anansianansi]

Love Lockdown update!!

Chapter 84: Burn the white flag

Note: We pick up where they left off; in Holiday Season 2020

“More pot pie, Clarke?” Indra’s voice, for all its softness, cut through the clink of cutlery and conversation with the precision of a well-sharpened knife. Or maybe it was because Clarke had been floating through dinner on the paradoxical, wine-infused cushion of hyper awareness and introspection - a confusing mix, because wasn’t this a homecoming of sorts? She’d known Lexa and Indra and Gustus for almost half her life at this point, and there were no strangers with family, just estrangements. This much she knew as the truth.

“Yes please, and thank you; I’ve really missed your cooking.” So was that.

“And I want to thank you for hosting my Mom and Marcus for New Year’s. It’s very kind of Gustus and you.” But that bit, not so much. She gulped down her bite with wine; as icebreakers went, two truths and a lie was a classic.

Keep reading here.

[anansianansi]

Hear, hear. For what it’s worth, comments feed me, so please keep ‘em coming! I’m one of the lucky ones to have fantastic readers! 💕😊

When I say “Fanfiction is free” part of what I’m saying is yes, you did not pay for the thing.

But I saw a comment from someone that made me realize the rest of the intention behind these words is being lost.

Fanfiction is provided for free, but it is not produced for free.

Authors pay their effort, including physical and emotional and mental. Authors pay their time, in planning the story (mental time) and writing the story (physical time). Sometimes it’s less than an hour for something quick and dirty, like askbox prompts. Sometimes it’s years of their lives in epic fic hundreds of thousands of words long. Authors pay additional time to alpha read their own stories, trying to make sure that they’re free of SPAG errors and make sense and sound good. Beta readers pay their time and effort alongside the authors for editing the stories. Authors pay for posting their stories with all of the anxieties that come from allowing their work - which to this point they have invested all of the above - into the public eye because while it has certainly cost them a good amount to produce the story, fandom history has proved that many other people out there enjoy fanfiction, and authors believe that at least someone else will enjoy their story, too.

What I am saying when I say “fanfiction is free” is that it costs the writers a lot of something in order to produce it. A lot has already been paid into a piece of fanfiction by the time it is available for readers to read. The expense of fanfiction creation is, by and large, resting squarely atop the shoulders of writers.

What I am saying when I say “fanfiction is free” is that readers don’t have to pay the cost of creating fanfiction.

What I am saying when I say “fanfiction is free” is that readers don’t have to pay in anything - not time, not money, not effort, not anything - in order for fanfiction to be created. It’s a donation. It’s a gift. It’s available for you to take or leave, at the expense of someone else.

Writers have, for a very long time, requested donations of one thing as remuneration for everything they put into making fanfiction: comments. Authors have asked, in so many different iterations: “If you have consumed what I have labored and invested in to create and if you have found any enjoyment in it, please tell me, so that I can recharge enough to do this again.” Some of them may recharge on critical comments, but most of us don’t because we’ve already paid everything we want to pay to create the story.

What I am saying when I say “fanfiction is free” isn’t just that it doesn’t cost you any money. I am saying “Please respect the time and effort you didn’t have to pay into creating this thing you enjoyed, by respecting the individual creator’s requests.”

What I am saying when I say “fanfiction is free” is “be kind to authors, they have paid a lot for this gift they’re sharing with all of us, and they deserve to feel like it was worth it.”

What I am saying when I say “fanfiction is free” is “please don’t charge authors more time and emotional effort than what they’ve already provided you at no absolute cost.”

I’m not saying any of this to argue. It’s a fact that authors pay into providing fanfiction. They do it for fun. They do it out of love. They do it because they enjoy writing. No one is making them do it. No one is paying them to start or finish the story. That doesn’t mean it’s not WORK. And the only return they get on what they put into the story is the kindness of strangers that invest a little bit back by leaving a nice comment. That is why they stay, that is why they do it again, that is why we have fanfiction.

What I am saying when I say “fanfiction is free” is “please don’t be the one charging authors so much more that they leave.”

What I am saying when I say “fanfiction is free” is “please keep it that way.”

[evelynns-sugar-bby]

I just wanted to stop by & let u kno how much I luv ur Clexa Girl Band Social Media AU. I can't tell u how excited I get wen I see u post an update or how many times I've "reread" the whole series start to finish. Things have sucked lately w/ this pandemic, being out of work, bored & having all this free time to write now but no motivation or inspiration so my writers block has been a prob. And the whole AZ/ET/BM abuse turned me off ET for good. But im still a huge Clexa fan. Eliza isn't Clarke.

This is really sweet thank you 😭❤ I know how hard it can be to write in a time like this. With all this free time it's almost even more pressure to write, or make/pursue other content, and that in itself does not help writers block. On top of that there's all these other stressors that can affect it as well, so you're not alone when experiencing that. And learning to separate the actors from the characters is a huge step in any fandom. You're right, she is not Clarke and she can't take that away from us❤

[anansianansi]

I just got around to reading your pandemic au! I wish I had found it during the lockdown-it brings back a weird sense of nostalgia but also reminds me how lucky we are now. Is there any chance you’ll finish it? Your last author note hinted big things were going to happen!

Hi! 👋🏽 Thanks so much for dropping me a line; LL started off as my way of coping with the pandemic and trying to make sense of a world gone upside down, and I’m really glad that part still holds true when you read it years later. It’s kind of like reading through an old diary of a very surreal period in our lifetimes, which is what I was hoping to accomplish when I was writing it (with a Clexa twist, of course).

But, more importantly, to answer your question, YES! I’ve been picking away at the story over the last couple of years, and will be updating the fic in the next few weeks (and indeed, there are fireworks coming soon!)

[anansianansi]

Love Lockdown update!!

Chapter 79: Looking too closely

They were trying to keep it down, at least; there was something to be said for that, she supposed, though it was almost worse this way; she was distracted, pricking up her ears to catch the coherence through the sibilant, buoyant hisses currently floating in through the hallway. Eavesdropping wasn’t polite, but it sure as hell was fun. And as long as it didn’t disturb Clarke, she could put up with the tiff Raven and Luna seemed to be in the middle of, at the foot of the stairs.

Lexa pursed her lips; she had read the words over and over the last couple of days, and they somehow managed to infuriate her even more each time. The combination of smooth emptiness and trite lies before her was a grain of sand in her shell of purpose, and it was up to her now to turn it into something palatable, and ultimately, maybe even something beautiful. But for now, she mulled over the irritant before her, trying to separate the poison from the pearl.

“What about me? It’s like you don’t even care that I’m here half the time!” Luna’s usually shrill voice, compounded by the small space she was in, rang through the air. Lexa’s head snapped up; Clarke had to have heard that; looking at the clock on the laptop, Lexa realised that Clarke was probably at the end of the gruelling, nine-hour long exam that had taken up most of her waking energy over the last four months; she felt the tips of her own fingers run a little cold; if the anticipation of what this meant was getting to her, she could only begin to imagine how Clarke would be feeling right now. A loud crash from the hallway made her jump.

Lexa scowled, clenching her fists as she pushed the chair backwards, striding to the door in a few quick movements.“Will you please shut the fuck up?”

Keep reading here.

Chapters 1-78 here.

[anansianansi]

Love Lockdown update!!

Chapter 75: My darkest friend

“You should go,” Clarke whispered against Lexa’s lips, before locking them down to her own. Their mouths slid against each other in the cold morning air, wisps of breath escaping between them occasionally, carrying with them the words neither one was prepared to say. “Lunch. You need to be there for lunch.” She managed to say between kisses, digging her fists into the front of Lexa’s jacket, tethering herself.

“Okay.” Lexa, breathed, eyes hooded, mouth leaving an even line of kisses along Clarke’s jawline; they would be her breadcrumb trail home. “Yes, I should get on the road.” Arms tightening around Clarke’s waist, she stood up taller, firming her hold on the ground beneath her feet.

They stood like that for a while, just two lovers reenacting the farewells of countless others across aeons. What felt like theirs alone, though, were the particular wounds welted across their hearts; love’s cuts unique in their dark friendship, and in their unforgiving depth.

“I’ll be back in time for your finals.” Lexa held Clarke’s face in her hands, willing her fingers to remember the shape, the skin, the softness, the only map to guide her through the coming nights. “Two weeks.” She looked deep into Clarke’s blue, blue eyes, reminding herself that this time was different; there was no leaving this time; just a temporary parting. All the same, the trepidation in them broke her heart a little and she kissed Clarke again, showing her everything that she couldn’t say.

This time, it would be two weeks, not ten years, Clarke told herself, her heart thundering in her chest. Sighing into Lexa’s mouth, she pushed aside the voice telling her otherwise. What had once been an anchor that had gotten her through the storm of losing Lexa the last time was now only a ball and chain dragging her to the bottom of an ocean of doubt. “Go.” She stroked Lexa’s hair, running her fingers across her eyebrows, cheekbones, the corners of her mouth, before leaning in for another kiss. “So you can come back.”

“I love you.” Lexa kissed her hands, disentangling them from her lapels, before slipping into the rental before she could change her mind. Drawing the window down, she aimed for levity. “Try and miss me a little bit?”

Clarke flashed her a weak smile. “No promises; I’ll do my best.” Her eyes and her lips told Lexa a completely different story.

With what she hoped was a reassuring smile and wave, Lexa was gone, watching the keeper of her heart get smaller and smaller until she was an unforgettable speck in the distance.

Clarke waited until she saw the car blur on the faraway horizon, and only then did she drop her shoulders in defeat, exhaling slowly. Fourteen days, six hours, forty-three minutes and seventeen seconds to go; but who was counting?

Keep reading here.

Chapters 1-74 here.

[anansianansi]

Love Lockdown update!!

Chapter 77: On a bloodbuzz, yes I am

Trigger warning: Description of Clarke's panic attack towards the end of the chapter on AO3. If you want to skip the section and would like a summary of it, let me know in the comments.

—————-

Time: 49 minutes. Distance: 10.02 miles. Pace: 7.88 minutes per mile.

Lexa slowed to a stop, resting her hands on her knees, gradually straightening up to begin walking back to the house. She paused halfway there, stretching her limbs, taking in the groves of dormant trees laid out before her. Wiping off the trails of sweat with her sleeve, she felt the chill start to seep through her clothes; standing at the foot of the steps, she turned once more to survey the view, expanding her chest to breathe in the crisp, clean air before heading inside to shower. This trip had been a great idea; she felt completely energised and the time to herself, without the buzzing presence of housemates, had given her the headspace she had so desperately needed, the space she was sorely lacking. Stripping down and stepping into the shower, Lexa realized that she had just described the perfect lifestyle to herself. Well, almost perfect, she corrected herself. There was just one, crucial piece missing in it.

“Hello?”

Lexa’s heart skipped at the delicious little break in her girlfriend’s voice; she stopped chewing her breakfast for a moment, taking in the treat that was Clarke waking up. Her hands wrapped around the coffee mug tighter; right then, she wished the warmth seeping through came from feeling Clarke moving under them. She sighed, resting her mug at the cusp of her jaw and neck; on her phone screen, Clarke half sat up, running a hand through dishevelled hair, the strap of her tank falling off one shoulder; Lexa’s fingers itched to slide over the creamy skin to coax it back on; actually, who was she kidding? She would have taken it all off, preferably with her teeth, leaving her hands free to roam, caress, to slip over and in Clarke.

Damn everything. She ached for this woman with everything she had, no, with everything she was. Lexa clenched her jaw; there was less than a week to go, and this time away had been almost everything she had needed. But she couldn’t fucking wait to get home and wake up next to the golden goddess she was lucky to call her own. The same one who was currently sitting up, her head in one hand, groaning at the time. “Shit, Lex, I’m so glad you called. I overslept. I fucking overslept.” Okay, so a slightly grumpy goddess was no less alluring. Trying to keep what she knew was a dreamy stare in check, Lexa cleared her throat. “It’s only a couple of hours, Clarke. You’ve got the whole day.” She smiled shyly at the phone. “And I’m glad I got to wake you up. It’s been a while.”

Clarke paused, rubbing her eyes, a small but genuine smile on her lips. “Me too. Four days to go, baby.” She reached for her glasses on the nightstand, putting them on as she sat up in bed again, trying to smooth out her hair, sighing. “Well, and seven until this nightmare of an exam is over. I can’t fucking wait.”

Keep reading here.

Chapters 1-76 here.

[anansianansi]

Love Lockdown update!!

Chapter 76: Keep it light enough to travel

What are the five Ts that cause cyanotic heart disease?

Clarke began typing out the answers, muttering them under her breath. “Truncus, transposition, tricuspid atresia, total anomalous venous return and….” The cursor blinked back at her, coldly. In the corner of the screen, she watched the timer count up; she was losing precious seconds. “Goddammit. Fallot. Fallot….” She typed the word in, hitting Submit on the question bank interface. Four green arrows and a red cross popped up before her. “Tetralogy of Fallot. That’s it.” She smacked her forehead; so close. Quickly, she flipped to her cardiology notes, skimming over the section, committing the gist to memory again. “Right. Combination of four congenital abnormalities…. ventricular septal defect (VSD), pulmonary valve stenosis, a misplaced aorta and a thickened right ventricular wall (right ventricular hypertrophy).” She repeated the words a few times over, eyes closed, imagining the diagrams for each one, her fingers sketching out the particular flaws making up each diagnosis, the art helping her mind navigate to the science. She looked up at the final answer tally for her practice exam. 219. Pass. Congratulations! An electronic trumpet blew out its fanfare, announcing a simulated grade. She sat back in her chair, folding her arms; this was good, but could she repeat it when it really mattered? Then there was the issue of reaching the elusive top tier range to open the door to the residency programs she was looking at. Sighing, she clicked through the screens, reviewing the answers she had gotten wrong.

A half hour later, she stood up, turning off her computer. She needed a break; her brain was fried. Pulling up her messages as she headed downstairs and into the kitchen, she scrolled idly through her conversations with Lexa over the past week; she was waiting for a response from her last one from earlier in the morning. Leaning against the counter, a glass of water in her hand, she pouted, debating whether to text again. She missed Lexa desperately. The last seven days had alternated between whizzing by when it came to studying for her Clinical Knowledge final, and crawling every time she thought of Lexa. They had kept up a steady stream of a few messages during the day, and talking every night before bed, but the sheer inadequacy of not having her girlfriend’s arms to fall into after yet another brutal study session was beginning to get to her. Clarke rubbed her eyes, tiredly. She was a grown woman in her thirties, a soon-to-be doctor for crying out loud, not a teenager in the throes of first love. Then why the hell did she feel so out of sorts all of a sudden?

Keep reading here.

Chapters 1-75 here.