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femininenachos · 2 years

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How are Cut to the Chase Clexa doing? Is Clarke getting along with her cast/crew and enjoying acting? Did the show premiere? Did Lexa go to the premiere or too early in their relationship? How's Lexa and hair business? How's the long distance? I hope you don't mind these questions lol. I just love Cut to the Chase so much! Thank you for such wonderful fic!

On the days leading up to the start of shooting Clarke had serious jitters, hit all at once by the daunting reality that she’s about to enter the big leagues, working alongside a hugely talented cast and crew, some of whom have a clutch of Emmys and Golden Globes to their names. At the first table read, she was in the stranglehold of the old imposter syndrome. Glancing around the room, a little voice in the back of her mind kept whispering that everyone here - the showrunner Marcus Kane, John Murphy, Echo Winters (the latter just coming off a rave limited run on Broadway!) - was going to figure out soon that she’s a fraud, just a second-rate wannabe who should be padding out the ensemble of some shitty superhero show on The CW and not a prestige drama with production values she could only dream of before.

That evening, she fretted to Lexa about it over FaceTime. A ball of stress and anxiety. On the verge of a panic attack. Pacing the carpet in the chain-hotel room the production company put her up in for the first couple of weeks. And Lexa had patiently listened to Clarke spiral until she ran out steam and flopped onto the bed with a heavy sigh, the mental and physical exhaustion of being on set for 14 hours finally taking its toll.

In a steady, soothing voice Lexa reminded her to breathe. Talked her down from the proverbial ledge. Told her that, even though Clarke would be the Meryl fucking Streep of superheroes and The CW would be lucky to have her on their roster, she deserved this, and she has nothing to prove to anyone. Clarke won this role because of her immense talent, charisma, drive and determination, and Lexa couldn’t be more proud. Proud and impressed and so much in love. She’d give anything to be there now and show Clarke.

And Clarke is like, eyebrow raised, “Oh yeah? What would you do if you were here with me?”

Suffice to say, things soon took a decidedly raunchy turn and Clarke forgot all about her nerves.

The pep talk does get through, and Clarke’s confidence returns. She quickly becomes a standout, impressing all with her preparation, professionalism and work ethic (it turns out her stint in low-budget genre TV actually provided a good training ground for hitting her marks consistently, in a minimal number of takes). She steals every scene that she’s in, giving an electrifying performance, owning the soundstage. And the notes from the execs, direct from Indra herself, is that they want to give her character more prominence, give Clarke more to do, because this is lighting in a bottle.

Murphy’s top-billing turn as the male Svengali pulling the strings might be how the show was pitched initially, but it becomes clear that the messy, disintegrating relationships within the punk girl band that Clarke’s character fronts is the beating heart of the drama. And so there’s a pivot towards the season’s end, bringing them to the fore. Clarke’s image features prominently in the marketing collateral. When Raven excitedly sends her a snap of a billboard on Sunset with Clarke’s face on it, she knows her life is going to change irrevocably.

Then the advance reviews come out for the show - The Roxy - but Clarke can’t bring herself to look. Old theatre superstition. Never read your own notices. So Lexa reads for her. Clarke is singled out for praise among the ensemble by the Hollywood Reporter and Deadline, among other publications. It starts to snowball from there, her profile on the rise. She gets featured in a “ones to watch/30 under 30” list in Variety, and Roan is fielding calls all the time, Clarke heavily in-demand for interviews and the talk show circuit.

The premiere is a glitzy affair, the private screening held at a movie theatre. Lexa’s chest balloons with pride to witness Clarke’s shining moment from the sidelines, to see her posing for the photographers on the red carpet, that megawatt smile lighting up her face, looking drop dead gorgeous in a long navy blue gown with a plunging neckline, dripping in loaned diamonds.

When they take their seats and the lights go down, Lexa reaches for Clarke’s hand. She’s nervous. Despite the glowing reviews in the press and the praise from the studio, Clarke had only seen bits and pieces of the rushes, so she doesn’t yet know how it all hangs together, and she never likes watching her performance back anyway. Always picking out the flaws, critiquing this line delivery or that facial expression.

There’s a graphic sex scene in the first ten minutes, to establish her character’s sexually-freewheeling, wild-woman of rock persona, and while it’s weird and a bit cringey for Clarke to see her tits on a big screen (the ‘B’ in HBO really does stand for ‘boobs’), beside her Lexa is restless for other reasons.

Normally, Lexa is cool as a cucumber, calm and collected on the surface, but she gets an uncomfy wiggle in her stomach watching Clarke getting hot and heavy with another woman. And this twinge of jealousy is new, disconcerting territory. Lexa has never been the type. She’s secure enough in herself and their relationship to rationalise that it’s just acting. Nothing to feel threatened by.

But, even so.

It doesn’t help when Clarke leans close to be heard and whisper-reveals that it took four takes. Joking that, by the time they wrapped, her scene partner knew her cup size almost as intimately as she does.

Lexa smiles tightly, but says nothing.

Too busy staring at the screen, where Clarke’s counterpart currently has her hand working between the groupie’s legs in a way that’s made explicit more by suggestion than any gratuitous display of skin, by the way the girl’s breath hitches sharply, pretending like she’s being fucked hard enough against the wall to lift her whole body up an inch with every simulated thrust.

It makes Lexa flush all over.

Kind of turned on, because it’s undeniably hot and she can’t help putting herself in that girl’s place. At the same time, watching this stranger attack Clarke’s mouth in a hungry kiss makes Lexa burn for different, more territorial reasons. Which is absurd, because it’s Not Real. Except, Clarke’s making those same low, throaty noises like she does when they’re together and it’s impossible for Lexa not to make that connection in her mind.

She’s so much in her own head about it all that she doesn’t immediately notice that Clarke’s gaze is boring into her cheek.

Because Clarke catches on quickly to what’s happening.

She isn’t outwardly smug about it, but she does experience a little thrill. A tiny bolt of giddy pleasure that zips down her spine while Lexa stews in her unease. Tension rolling off her. Evident in how rigidly she’s sitting. Free hand clenched into a fist on her thigh, the other squeezing Clarke’s. Jaw clenched so tight she might give herself a muscle strain.

There’s a fervent urgency to Lexa’s touch when they get home in the early hours, having made appearances at the afterparty (and the even more exclusive after-afterparty). Kisses fierce and unrelenting. All the brooding reserve Lexa exhibited at the parties is long gone. Clarke comes twice before they even make it to the bed. Barely gets a wink of sleep because Lexa seems intent on claiming her over and over.

During breakfast, Clarke prods at Lexa’s lingering reticence, gently teasing, until Lexa sighs and admits her discomfort. Not about Clarke, but Lexa’s own baseless feelings of jealousy and her failure to process them in a healthy way by communicating with her girlfriend. And Clarke melts a little. Situates herself in Lexa’s lap, and tells her she’d be more concerned if Lexa hadn’t been fazed at all. But she explains that part of the job is treating it like an action scene. Every beat is choreographed. An intimacy coordinator is present at all times and the blocking is discussed in clinical detail so that both parties are fully comfortable and aware of boundaries. It’s not remotely arousing; Clarke was mentally considering what to have from craft services at lunch when that girl’s tongue was in her mouth.

With a small, faint, but palpably relieved smile, Lexa says, “always thinking with your stomach.”

And Clarke is like, “well, duh. I’ve been on this awful diet for months. At any given moment I’m daydreaming about fish tacos.”

Then she spots the impish twinkle in Lexa’s eye and Clarke swats at her shoulder. “Mind out of the gutter, Woods.” A pause. “Okay, yeah, that too. But only yours, for the record.”

Lexa brushes the tips of their noses together.

“The most romantic thing you’ve ever said to me.”

#asks #I realise you asked about Lexa’s career too but this is already too long lol #cttc headcanons #cttc

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femininenachos · 3 years

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How are CttC!au Clarke and Lexa doing? I love that fic so much. I read it again last night. Bless you for writing such wonderful fic!

Thank you 💜💜💜💜💜

Have some notes/outline I wrote for a hypothetical next chapter:

They make plans for Lexa to fly to Toronto for a long weekend

There's some tension around Clarke's insistence on buying Lexa's plane ticket. Meanwhile, Lexa is adamant she wants to pay her own way. They argue a little - not a fight, but they're both stubborn.

Until Clarke is like, exasperated, "what's the point in having money if I can't spend it on the people I love?"

And Lexa relents, her objections dismantled by pleading eyes that haven't lost their ability to disarm her over Facetime

Lexa goes to the set to watch the filming of Clarke's show. She's met at the security desk by an assistant (Maya?)

The set: a dingy basement club, the brick walls covered in overlapping tour posters and fliers: The Stooges, New York Dolls, The Velvet Underground, Iggy Pop. A small stage at the back of the bar, lit by a couple of spotlights. Tables and chairs scattered around. A neon lit bar runs the length of one wall.

Clarke's costume: smoky eye makeup and faux fur hanging off one bare shoulder. All in black. An alluring stare directed at the camera

Lexa gets to watch Clarke in action, tearing up the stage. It blows Lexa's mind. Impressed by it all and wholly infatuated by Clarke's performance, this charge of headstrong rock, the bluesy swagger of her vocals, full of crags and cracks, and the sneer on her lips. Parading around with so much attitude. Clarke glances at Lexa while she sings in a sandpapery alto, holding Lexa's gaze for a long second and it gives her chills

Lexa gets an insight into what acting for television is really like. Each scene is shot multiple times from multiple angles, with different sets of blocking. It takes hours to shoot a single minute-long scene. Resetting the position of the cameras. Adjusting the lighting. Makeup and hair retouches. Running the same lines 20 times over, at varying cadences; faster, slower, and the widest range of emotional temperatures. Heightened or naturalistic. Intense preparation and a flurry of activity followed by a lot of waiting around

There's no privacy either. People knock on the trailer door every five minutes or you could be sitting around for hours

Clarke's process for memorising lines: she has a working script where she writes out the lines from the whole scene and blanks out her own, leaving only the prepositions as a memory aide

Lexa watches Clarke chat with the crew a little, the gaffers and grips. Jokes as a hem is adjusted or a hair is teased back into place. Sees how at ease and natural Clarke is with the crew, no ego. She's super nice and polite to the production assistants when they bring her water between takes

Murphy is the opposite. He takes a method approach. He doesn't talk to anyone or make eye contact except with the director or producers during downtime to stay focused, stay in character. Withdraws to his trailer. Even maintains a flawless English accent throughout (thick Brummie like Ozzy Osbourne? for the lols)

At the break, Lexa tells Clarke how badly she wants to kiss her. And Clarke is like, "Uh, I'm not gonna incur the wrath of the hair and makeup ladies by letting you mess up my look, buster."

But she walks her fingers up Lexa's bicep, following the trunk of the tattoo, then slips her hand around to grip the back of Lexa's neck. "Fuck. Kinda really want to though. But, hey, come discover the joy of craft services."

They hang out with the extras at lunch, and Lexa falls a little deeper as she observes Clarke interacting with people, remembering small details about their lives and showing a genuine interest in them

The AD asks Lexa if she'd like to be an extra in the scene and she leaps at the chance - can't wait to boast to her pals at the salon. Tris, in particular, is gonna flip her shit when she hears

At the denouement of the scene, Clarke goes off script, wades into the crowd, through the press of bodies and up to Lexa. Tells Lexa under her breath to follow her lead and pulls her into a hungry kiss. Lexa's dazed reaction is genuine and she sways forward as Clarke retreats

Dimly, she hears the director remark: "Okay, we're keeping this."

#asks #cttc #cttc headcanons

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femininenachos · 3 years

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I know at the end of the last chapter of CTTC you said it was done, but is there ever a chance of like a “I just couldn’t help myself” next chapter or an epilogue? I mean the potential for “Lexa visits Clarke at work in Toronto and every other actress and makeup artist collectively lose any and all chill” or “Clarke and Lexa break the internet with pictures from the red carpet at the Emmy’s” or “Lexa and Clarke buy a modest yet chic house just outside the Hills and Lexa proposes on their back porch under the moonlight (but also candlelight duh)” kinda storylines? The setup you created with this story is magnificent.

Is this a message from my subconscious telling me to just embrace the self-indulgence and write another chapter?

Seriously, I do think about CTTC a lot. I have about a dozen little snippets of half-formed ideas and a good proportion of them are about Lexa and Octavia bonding at the forge.

Like, imagine Octavia giving Lexa the shovel talk while dousing a red hot blade into a barrel of water. A study in intimidation. Then afterwards, once she’s satisfied Lexa is hopelessly devoted to Clarke, Octavia helps Lexa forge her own scissors for work. And Lexa is insufferably proud of her custom scissors. Keeps them in a special wooden case with plush red velvet lining. Won't let anyone else so much as touch them. They handle like a dream. And Anya is full of envy.

Imagine Clarke, bored after getting out of hair and makeup, a robe on over her outfit while she waits around, and Octavia sends a video of Lexa hammering the shit out of a piece of metal at the anvil, wearing protective goggles and gloves and a mask, and Clarke dies because Lexa has this look of pure concentration that’s simultaneously hot and adorkable. Smudges of dirt on her cheeks. Flyaway baby hairs at her temples going curly from the immense heat and humidity of the forge. Sweat on her brow. God, do her arms look good. Clarke watches it three times in a row, her whole body flushing with warmth. Another vid of Lexa quenching the blade, slightly unsure at first, cautious as she approaches the barrel, but then she looks up at the camera with this huge, dazzling grin when the steam dissipates. Octavia whoops in the background. They do a hive five.

Then later, after another long, long day of shooting has ended and she’s back at her hotel, feeling zombified and too tired to even move, Clarke gets a breathless call from Lexa. Has never heard her so animated and excited as she talks about the afternoon spent at the forge. It’s contagious. Acts like a double espresso shot, banishing the fatigue. And even though Clarke can’t stop smiling as she listens, she also feels this sharp little twist in her gut because she wishes she was there to experience it all with Lexa. It’s moments like this when the distance and separation and pining hit Clarke hardest. But she masks it as best she can. Reminds herself that it’s only for a few more months. And when she tells Lexa “I love you”, Clarke means it with every fibre of her being.

#asks #cttc #cttc headcanons

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femininenachos · 3 years

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How did I not realize you, Nachos, are a sword lesbian? I guess I should've but somehow didn't. Because they were like CLEXA and you were like you're so right bestie let's hear it for SWORDS AND STEEL. Loved the headcanons as always. Has anyone come up with a Brotp name for Lexa and Octavia's friendship? Lextavia?

Lolololol. I mean, I don’t think I am? Not really. I just appreciate the aesthetic. However, my wife is definitely a sword lesbian. She has two, in fact. Plus an assortment of lightsabers.

For the brotp, Octavia would probably tag their adventures with Lextavia on Insta just to goad Clarke, perpetuating the ongoing in-joke about stealing her girlfriend, but while Clarke might make a show of grumbling about it she does actually love that they’ve become close.

#asks #cttc headcanons #cttc

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femininenachos · 3 years

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How weird is it for Cttc Lexa to have fans thirsting over her girl and prying into their lives?

The attitude Lexa takes is largely “out of sight, out of mind.” So she avoids those corners of the internet where the fans are most rabid. She often sees an outpouring of thirst in the comments on Clarke’s Insta and is more amused by it than anything else. What’s strange and intrusive and a little creepy is when Clarke’s fans en masse start following Lexa and their non-industry friends, hoping to get more glimpses of Clarke’s personal life via Lexa and their social circle (she can tell they’re fans because they always have Clarke’s photo as their avatar and/or some variation of her name and the characters she plays in their handles. Lexa uses Insta primarily to publicise her work as a stylist, but she soon makes the decision to create a private profile that only trusted friends and family have access to and she tends to only post personal photos there.

Also, Clarke rarely puts up pictures of them as a couple on her own public Insta, either on the grid or in her stories, because she prefers to keep their relationship out of the public eye. Basically, they do what they can to deal with unwanted attention online while still allowing Clarke to be fairly accessible to her fans.

#asks #cttc #cttc headcanons

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femininenachos · 4 years

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So fell down the Gaylor Swift rabbit hole and am now convinced Tay is “queer” (shoutout Swiftgron ) but had to beard.. And now I’m picturing Roan making #CTTC Clarke closet and beard when she becomes more famous and mainstream. Because it seems it’s extremely hard for actors to make it big in the industry and be out. And how Clexa handles it?

Idk, is being openly queer such an impediment to success in the entertainment industry these days? Things have come a long way. There are plenty of others who have blazed a trail. I mean, Clarke might never star in a ‘family friendly’ Disney movie, if One Million Moms and their ilk had anything to do with it, but those aren’t the kind of roles she’s interested in anyway. (Hasn’t stopped bi queen Angelina Jolie, though.)

I think people who are already super famous and in the closet have more to ‘lose’. But if someone is out from the beginning, like Clarke is, and never tried to conceal it then it’s a bit different. Not saying she wouldn’t encounter any discrimination or be passed over for a job, but I’d like to think her transparency might lead to more opportunities with queer creators too (thinking of Ryan Murphy’s tendency to use a stable of LGBTQ+ actors in his projects, for instance).

Regardless, feigning straight conformity isn’t Clarke’s style. She’s had to endure certain things to advance her career - diets; personal trainers; showing a little cleavage at auditions; appearing in crappy, direct-to-VoD horror movies - but she’d draw the line at a fake boyfriend.

Unlike TSwift, Clarke hasn’t sprung from a place that skews heavily conservative, so their situations aren’t really comparable. Clarke is from NYC. She had the privilege of being raised by liberal parents who always encouraged her to express every aspect of her identity. She comes from the theatre world. Her bisexuality is not something she’s ever felt ashamed about and she would be livid at anyone who suggested she hide that part of herself, even if she wasn’t currently in a relationship with Lexa. Clarke is ambitious, but success and mainstream adulation aren’t more important than her integrity, self respect, and desire to be positive representation for her community. At the same time, she’s not exactly screaming it from the rooftops either. She goes to Pride. Has a rainbow flag emoji in all her social media profiles. Posts photos of herself with Lexa on Insta. She’s casually out in her everyday life without wanting to divulge tons of personal details in a public or professional setting.

But also, Clarke getting a beard would absolutely not fly with Lexa. She’d sooner end things than watch Clarke parade around town with showmance male arm candy. Meanwhile it’s an open secret in the industry that Clarke is shacked up with a woman? Nah, Lexa isn’t about that life.

Sorry if it seems like I’m shutting your idea down too abruptly, because I do appreciate the question and it’s an interesting discussion point! I just don’t see Clarke agreeing to go down that route or even considering it as an option.

#asks #cttc headcanons #cttc

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femininenachos · 4 years

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I don’t know why, but I love Celesbian Hollywood fics.. Can’t wait for more chapters of these thirsty gals just being pals. As I’m sure the tabloids will eventually call them!

Same! I love that sub genre. Gimme allll the tropes.

What I’m excited to explore in this fic is the precursor to that. Clarke is on the brink of stardom. She’s known by fans of The Ark and to a lesser extent by sci-fi nerds more generally, but the average person in the street has no idea who she is. Maybe they vaguely recognise her as the girl from that Activia commercial. It’s a very, very rare occurrence for someone to stop her and ask for a selfie. By and large, outside of convention appearances, she’s managed to stay incognito.

So there’s going to be an adjustment period for Clarke as things take off. Once she starts doing promotion for the HBO show, more and more people begin to take notice, and she has to navigate this bizarre new existence of being recognised every day while she’s just going about her life doing mundane things like getting groceries. And also having to deal with this sudden intrusion into her personal life. Dudes in cargo shorts following them around, using cameras with telescopic lenses to snap photos of her on coffee dates, canoodling with her girlfriend, or walking hand in hand to the car. Seeing those pics and strangers’ comments in her Twitter mentions... It’s a lot.

#asks #cttc #cttc headcanons

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femininenachos · 4 years

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as a fellow cancer woman who went through 4 years of ldr, i can confirm that “P I N I N G” and “a brooding, pouty grump” parts are incredibly true. in fact, even that would be an understatement lol

Four years is a lot to endure! Lexa will struggle with four months. She puts on a brave face for Clarke, of course, because she doesn’t want Clarke to feel worse about the situation, but is extra pouty and grouchy the rest of the time (which does eventually get back to Clarke via their friends, and she’s secretly charmed at the idea of grumpypants Lexa, a thing she’s yet to witness firsthand - and then they talk it out, because honest communication is important).

#asks #cttc headcanons #cttc

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femininenachos · 4 years

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So is Clarke ( who I’m now imagining as Erin Moriarty because I can’t with, You know who..) out to the public? Because I know most actors have to closet or glass closet..

Oooh, YES. I like that choice for CttC!Clarke. (I was watching season 2 of The Boys at the weekend.)

Clarke isn’t closeted. But, also, she isn’t famous enough to have paparazzi trailing her or to get recognised much by randos, so it’s not really newsworthy for her to be spotted kissing a “gal pal” in public. Once her profile increases then it’s something she will start to get more attention for, because mainstream media has a prurient interest in these things. Of course, in certain corners of Twitter there are already thirsty fans who, unbeknownst to her, document her every move and share blurry pics taken on camera phones of Clarke making out with a mystery brunette...

#asks #cttc #cttc headcanons

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femininenachos · 5 years

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Now I want like 9 more chapters of the new fic... Like how does Clextra deal with Clarke's Fame? Does Clextra Uhaul? Etc etc..

Imagine it goes something like this:

• Clarke chipping away at that ego and learning Lexa is a huge romantic at heart. Like, the biggest gay sap. It would be kind of gross if Clarke wasn’t swooning so hard.

• It’s a headrush and a whirlwind, but it feels easy and right. They just click on every level.

• Things are tough when Clarke is doing 15/16 hour days on set during filming. But the exhaustion and misery of not seeing each other is completely worth it on her days off, when they’re wrapped up together and Lexa shows Clarke how much she’s been missed.

• Lexa branches out from the salon, moving into hair design for fashion shoots and the movie industry. Her reputation growing, her star on the rise. Clarke is so proud.

• Clarke’s show gets renewed for a second season and it pivots to focus more on the all-girl rock band fronted by her character. It’s hailed by TV critics as a feminist triumph. Garners lots of awards season buzz, but Clarke is snubbed in the end and everyone is outraged, thinks she was robbed. Clarke shrugs it off with a brave smile, but privately she’s gutted. Lexa consoles her the best way she knows how: champagne-sweet kisses and getting under Clarke’s loaned Oscar de la Renta gown in the back seat of the limo.

• The increasing recognition is a weird adjustment for them both. Clarke is determined for her life to carry on as normally as it can. Just because there are sometimes randos taking snaps of her when she and Lexa are out for a walk or having lunch or shopping or whatever, doesn’t mean she’s going to hide herself away. So there’s a definite uptick in Clarke wearing baseball caps and shades to remain low key, but she’s going to keep holding Lexa’s hand, winding her arm around Lexa’s waist, kissing Lexa’s cheek in public.

• On the surface of it, Lexa takes the attention in stride. Although, she does get irritated whenever she sees someone with their phone pointed in their direction when she’s trying to enjoy a private moment with her girlfriend. Fortunately, Clarke knows how to deal with Lexa’s grumpiness. The pout, Lexa’s jaw clenched, firing dark looks, the clipped responses during conversation. Oh yeah, Clarke works Lexa out of that mood once they get home.

• In general, smitten girlfriends supporting each other’s ambitions and being one another’s biggest fans.

#asks #cttc #my fic #cttc headcanons

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