Chapter Text
Four years. Lexa had been saving for this vacation for four whole years. It was always her dream to go to Australia. Ever since she was an eight-year-old little girl and her Aunt Jackie took her to the Bronx Zoo and she saw her first koala bear, she was a girl obsessed with all things Australian. After that trip to the zoo, her formerly pink and fanciful Disney princess room had been replaced with a soft blue hue and posters of kangaroos and koalas supplanted Jasmine and Ariel on her newly painted bedroom walls. The crown jewel of her new décor was a full size Australian flag pinned to her ceiling. She would stare at it every night her emerald eyes tracing the outline of the six white stars against the blue filed until they grew heavy with sleep.
When little Lexa bloomed into teen Lexa, her iPod filled became filled with Sia and Kylie Minogue. Her Netflix queue brimmed with documentaries on the indigenous Aboriginal tribes, Mount Augustus, Mount Kosciuszko and the Great Barrier Reef. Her bookshelf bulged with Australian books, historical and fiction alike. She loved all things Ozzie.
Except Vegemite.
Lexa learned that the hard way when she very enthusiastically put a whole spoonful on her tongue after finding a jar in the local grocery store.
Yes, Vegemite was the devil’s cruel practical joke on the amazing people of Australia (and Lexa.)
Lexa sighed as she started out the window of her hotel. It had rained every day since she got here two days ago and showed no signs of letting up anytime soon. She had booked a room at the Four Seasons in Sydney. It was a little bit pricey but Lexa wanted to go all out for this trip. Plus it had an amazing view of the Sydney Harbor and the Opera House, a benefit she appreciated at the moment, as she was now and for the foreseeable future, essentially room bound.
“Jesus fuck, does it ever stop raining here?” Anya grumbled as she threw herself on the chair.
Lexa smiled at her cousin’s exasperated huff as she continued to stare out of the floor to ceiling window. “It typically only rains periodically throughout the day and only about thirteen days a month in Sydney at this time of the year.”
“God you’re a fucking nerd.” Anya huffed again as she picked herself up and dramatically flung her body on the bed. She propped herself up on the pile of fluffy pillows behind her as she grabbed the remote from the nightstand and flicked through the TV channels. “Ooo Wentworth” Anya murmured as she tossed the remote on the bed and sprawled out like a starfish.
Lexa could only chuckle at her cousin as she watched the raindrops trickle down the glass in front of her. Her eyes followed a few as the carved their way down the window, leaving watery trails in their wake. She then focused beyond the water to the scene below her. There were a few stray pedestrians covered by umbrella shaped canopies traversing the street below. Dusk was settling over the city swallowing up the overcast and gray skies that had haunted the daylight hours. Lexa reached over to the desk next to her and grabbed her thoroughly dog-eared Fodor’s travel guide to Australia and began thumbing through her bookmarks.
Two hours later as Anya comfortably snored below the mountain of blankets and pillows she had burrowed herself under, Lexa decided to give in to her grumbling stomach and popped on her well worn gray New York Giants hoodie and her tan Timberlands before turning off the TV and slipping out the door to her room.
Lexa would never admit this to Anya, but as much as she was enjoying Sydney, she was feeling slightly homesick and was craving something distinctly American. She Googled the local restaurants until she found an American BBQ place in Darlinghurst. A short Uber ride later and Lexa found herself in front of Surly’s American Grill. Lexa shook off the rain as she made her way inside.
The restaurant was an eclectic mix of modern industrial deigns and rustic Americana décor. Lexa smiled as she sidled up to the bar and took a seat. A young man with a thick Australian accent approached and placed a napkin on front of her as he took her beverage order. Lexa ordered an IPA and the jalapeno veggie burger with a side of coleslaw.
The beer arrived first and Lexa took a generous gulp of the delicious draught, smacking her lips with pleasure from the frothy and hoppy beverage dancing delightfully on her tongue.
“Good?” A sultry and husky woman’s voice called like a siren’s song from the barstool next to her. Lexa’s brain was so utterly consumed by the sweet sound; it forgot how to swallow resulting in her choking on her beer.
“Oh my gosh are you ok?” The siren’s voice called again as Lexa felt a gentle slap on her back as the woman handed her a paper bar napkin. Lexa only nodded as she turned and finally was able to catch a glimpse at the owner of the sexiest voice she had ever heard.
She was golden blonde, her hair cut into a shoulder length bob that flattered and framed her face perfectly. Her blue eyes glittered like sapphires in the dim light of the neon bar signs. Her skin was as smooth as fine porcelain, completely flawless, only accented by a beauty mark above her lip and one above her left eyebrow. Her lips were pink and full, pulled back into a smile that revealed pearly white teeth. She was more intoxicating than all of the beer in the South Pacific combined.
Lexa finally got her coughing fit under control long enough to engage the woman in conversation. “Thank you.” She spoke quietly as she took another napkin from the Greek Goddess before her and wiped her mouth. She watched as the woman’s perfectly shaped brow arched in surprise.
“You’re an American?” The woman asked softly as she reached behind the bar and grabbed a few more napkins and placed them in front of Lexa.
Lexa took a deep breath, finally seeming to be in control of her body. “Yes.”
“Where from?” The woman spoke in the most perfect Australian accent. Lexa eyes followed the woman’s every movement as she took a drink from her own mug of draft beer, watching as pink lips meet the rim of the glass and an elegant throat bobbed seductively as she swallowed.
“Uh, New York.” Lexa spun her glass mug around so she could grip the handle with her left hand and took another sip of her beer. Her eyes never leaving the woman next to her.
“Oh, I love New York.” The woman smiled. Lexa was completely entranced.
“You’ve been?” Lexa asked a small smile curling up at the corners of her lips.
“Hmm yes.” The woman answered as she took another sip from her beer. “Last month actually for business.”
“Really?” Lexa raised an eyebrow at that. “And what kind of business takes you to New York?”
The goddess looked down into her mug swirling it around a few times, a bright pink blush bloomed across the apples of the woman’s cheeks and Lexa had worried that maybe she had crossed some invisible social line by asking about her work. But the blonde looked back up with a sweet smile on her lips, unknowingly reassuring Lexa that no social faux pas was made. “I’m an artist.”
“Oh?” Lexa asked genuinely interested, subconsciously shifting her body towards the woman. “What kind of artist?”
“I mostly paint, but I do a little bit of drawing and some mixed media. Whatever strikes my fancy.”
“I’m afraid I don’t know much about art.” Lexa shrugged apologetically as she took another drink.
“You’re from New York and you’ve never been to the Met or the MoMA, or the Guggenheim?” The woman asked as she moved her own body closer to Lexa. The woman’s proper Australian accent caressed Lexa’s ears like a finely composed melody.
“Uh, no.” Lexa shook her head meekly. “Fraid not.”
“Well, I might have to take you then.” The goddess whispered in her ear and a chill ran directly down Lexa’s spine.
Lexa’s food arrived and the woman moved away from Lexa. Lexa missed her presence immediately. She looked up at the man behind the bar. He was handsome with his floppy hair and bedroom eyes and infectious grin. He smiled graciously at Lexa as he delivered her food and politely asked if she needed anything else before turning to the goddess.
“And you hot stuff?” He asked the woman next to her, his tone beyond flirtatious, his thick accent barely comprehensible to Lexa’s American ears.
She eyed Lexa’s food before reaching over and snatching one of Lexa’s french fries and popping it into her mouth. “I’ll have one of what she’s having Finn. Throw some avo on it yeah?”
“Good on ya.” Finn replied with a wink and a smile. He gave Lexa another glance before heading back into the kitchen likely to place the woman’s order.
“You vejjo?” The woman asked, her attention fully back on Lexa as she stole another fry and popped it into her mouth.
Lexa had to think for a minute to try to wade though what she knew of Australian slang. “Yes I’m a vegetarian.” The woman nodded as she took another fry and Lexa mentally high-fived herself for recognizing the term.
The woman’s food came out a few minutes later, Lexa only had a few fries left by that time, but she didn’t mind. She dug into her veggie burger and closed her eyes in delight. The food was amazing, probably the best veggie burger she ever tasted and she lived in New York, the food capitol of the world. Lexa hummed in appreciation as she chewed her burger.
“Good food yeah?” The woman asked as she bit into her own burger.
“Yes. Very good.” Lexa hummed again as she took another bite.
“You have a bit of-” The woman picked up a napkin and carefully wiped a smudge of sauce off of Lexa’s cheek. Lexa found herself blushing at the intimacy of the gesture.
“Oh, um thank you.” Lexa felt the heat creep up her cheeks again.
Both of the women continued eating their food, exchanging casual glances with each other and engaging in small talk. Once they were done, they both ordered another round of beers.
“So, Yankee.” The woman asked with a chuckle as she pushed her empty plate to the back edge of the bar. “You know what I do, what is it that you do?”
“Well, I um, I’m a cop actually.” Lexa said quietly but proudly. She was very proud of the fact the she wore the uniform of New York’s finest.
“A police officer?” The woman asked and Lexa could almost believe for a second that she perceived a wave of concern come over the woman’s beautiful features. “That seems so dangerous.” The goddess’s fingertips traced over the back of Lexa’s wrist as her hand was resting on the bar. Lexa felt a chill roll down her spine again at the woman’s proximity.
“Not too much. I mean, yes, there is a certain inherent danger that comes with the job obviously. It’s just the nature of the beast. But my beat is pretty calm, mostly break up a few fights here and there and make sure the drunks get where they have to go.” Lexa spoke matter of factly as she took another sip of her IPA.
She gulped hard as the woman’s fingertips traced over the back of her hand before intertwining with her own fingers. “So you’re a glorified bouncer?” The goddess teased with a certain husk to her voice and Lexa’s whole essence burned at the sound.
“Something like that.” Lexa whispered quietly as the woman moved closer.
“Do you um…do you want to get out of here?” The woman asked and every molecule in Lexa’s body rattled with anticipation.
“Yes.” Lexa barely squeaked out as she tried to control her breathing and palpitating heartbeat.
The woman slid off the barstool next to her and wrapped her leather coat around her shoulders hiding her black Metallica t-shirt underneath. Lexa’s eyes tried not to focus on the woman’s ample chest as she dropped money on the bar to pay her bill.
“No need.” Finn leaned over the bar pushing the money back towards Lexa. “Already taken care of.” He spoke in his heavy accent.
“How?” Lexa asked clearly confused. Finn nodded his head over towards the goddess. “Hot stuff picked up your tab. Have a good night.” Finn smirked before he turned back to the register behind the bar.
Lexa turned to the woman next to her. “You didn’t have to do that, but thank you.”
The woman smiled seductively and Lexa was convinced all the planets in the universe revolved around this brilliant star before her. “It was my pleasure.” The woman spoke softly and Lexa felt herself being dragged directly into this star’s gravitational pull.
She was on a crash course for certain doom and Lexa was impatiently waiting for the imminent collision.
The woman linked their hands together again and led Lexa through the crowd of people to the exit. They huddled under the building’s awning together as the woman fished an umbrella out of her expensive looking handbag. She found what she was looking for and opened the red Chanel umbrella at least that’s what Lexa thought the logo was with her very limited experience with designer well, anything. The woman raised the umbrella between both of them and hooked Lexa’s arm with her own.
They walked a few blocks and even though the rain was pelting the nylon of the umbrella and their feet splashed through the puddles on the sidewalk, Lexa was barely cognizant of anything aside from the sound of the thudding of her beating heart. They stopped in front of a large building and Lexa watched as the woman pulled a key card out of her purse to swipe the door to the lobby.
The woman shook out her umbrella and left it in a stand by the door. Lexa was nervous that something like that was likely very expensive and probably shouldn’t be left in an umbrella stand in the lobby, but the goddess didn’t seem too concerned about it. They made their way to the elevator and Lexa gulped again as she saw the woman push the button for the penthouse. She didn’t have too long to think about the implications of what that meant as she was quickly enveloped by the sweetest pair of lips she had ever had the pleasure of kissing. The woman had pushed her up against the wall of the elevator and Lexa wrapped her arms around her waist as the woman wrapped her hands around Lexa’s neck, playing with the fine soft baby hairs found there as her lips danced magically with Lexa’s own. They were plush and soft and sweet and tasted faintly of the beer they had been drinking at the bar and Lexa could not get enough. She wanted to drown in this woman and have those lips be the last perception of humanity imprinted on her existence before her soul drifted away to the next plane of reality.
The woman pulled back, her eyes bashful and her lips bruised from their kisses. Lexa’s heart dropped, she fully expected that the goddess was going to stop whatever this was. Her body prepared for the forthcoming heartache, she withdrew her hands from the goddess and fisted themselves nervously around the fabric of her long sleeves. She didn’t even know this woman but she knew her heart couldn’t take being separated from her.
The woman pecked her lips quickly before pulling back again. “I just realized that I don’t even know your name.”
Lexa smiled, internally relieved that she wasn’t being rejected. “It’s Lexa.”
“Lexa.” The woman smiled brightly, seemingly testing out Lexa’s name on her tongue. The woman’s arms wrapped tighter around Lexa’s neck, sliding under the hood of her sweatshirt as she leaned in and kissed Lexa’s lips again. Lexa’s hands slipped back around the woman’s waist, they felt comfortable there, like this was the only place they could ever belong.
“And you? Who do I have to thank for buying me dinner?” Lexa whispered into the woman’s ear.
The woman batted her eyes as Lexa nosed her neck, peppering the skin there with light kisses while drinking in her intoxicating and addicting scent.
“Clarke. My name is Clarke.”