Chapter Text
Clarke’s body wasn’t ready for this.
She should be studying. She should be in her room, she should lay in bed and she should focus on the biology book that lays on her shelf for the last month or so. She shouldn’t be doing… Whatever this was.
She was walking down the streets leading from their dormitories, a bag swung over her shoulder, annoyed expression on her face. Painful almost. She looked around, watching her friends walking by her side. Raven’s face was cheerful as she laughed at something Jasper said. Monty seemed mostly neutral, his face buried in a book, his best friend holding him around the arms so he could lead the way and Monty wouldn’t end up with his nose broken. Bellamy was looking straight forward, uninterested, but every once in a while, he spared a look at Octavia, who was leading the way, literally jumping and bursting with enthusiasm.
“C’mon guys, we’re not going to a funeral. It will be fun! And useful, so it’s basically education,” she eyed Clarke raising an eyebrow as if to say ‘See? Totally justified waste of time that was meant to spent studying.’ Clarke snorted and shook her head.
“You’re only saying that because you met that hot trainer, anyway,” Raven pointed out, grinning at the accused expression Octavia threw at her. Clarke nodded.
“It’s true, though. I was with you when you literally walked into a lamp because your eyes were fixed on that muscular dude working out in the window across the street.”
It was a week ago, when Clarke and Octavia went shopping, and while Octavia was talking about how boring any class that wasn’t PE was, she noticed a man a bit older than them punching a bag in the window of a gym next to them. And as soon as the shorter girl noticed him, she stared with her mouth open, and the guy looked back. Next thing she knew, Octavia head-butted a lamp in front of them, and the hot dude ran out of the gym, worried and touching Octavia’s head to make sure she’s okay. Then it was all talks and laughs and Clarke third wheeling, and suddenly Octavia was holding a card and telling Clarke they’re going to this super cool gym next week. Of course, if Clarke and Octavia went, it meant the rest of their friends will as well.
And Clarke should have said no. Clarke should have be the responsible student her mother thought her to be and stay at home and study. But seriously, anything was more tempting than spending the night in an empty room, knowing her friends are having fun somewhere. And she can study when she comes back, right? Or maybe tomorrow. Or at weekend.
“Maybe that was one of the reasons why I decided to go, but it’s really important! What if someone attacks you one day when you go home from that ass boring library Clarke, huh? What will you do? Punch him in the face with a biology book?” Octavia dared her, walking backwards so she could keep eye contact with the blonde, and Bellamy swerved her to the side so she didn’t walk into a sign.
“That would finish him. The book has like 700 pages. It’s like a game of Thrones, but A3,” Clarke told them, fixing the back,” My shoulder is hurting. Are we there yet?” she asked, even though she knew the gym is just behind the corner. Octavia pointed at her.
“ See! You need to work out! You have no strength!”
“ Alright, alright, we get it. Stop insulting us to prove your point!” Raven teased her,” And try not to squeal when you see him.”
“ You have to see him. He’s like… I finally get the term ‘ Sex on legs!’ He’s like one of those Greek statues, shaped by the hands of an artist, and his arms, and his ass-“
“ Alright, alright,” Bellamy raised his hands, frowning at his little sister,” I don’t wanna hear this anymore, it’s uncomfortable. You don’t even know the guy.”
“Right,” Octavia snorted,” As if you knew the two girls I caught you with-“
“O!” Bellamy silenced her, but his cheeks turned red. Octavia smiled viciously, her long hair swinging on her back. Raven chuckled.
“Ohh, Bell, this is not news for us. We all know you’re a big ol’ whore.”
“Shut up,” he muttered, looking right in front of himself, carefully avoiding the stares of his friends. Clarke bit her lip not to laugh out loud, and just as they rounded the corner and Jasper pulled Monty away from yet another fire hydrant, they finally saw the big sign that said ‘Polis Gym’. The building seemed dark even from outside, the big windows framed by a dark green paint, the doors painted black. Jasper tilted his head.
“This is it? Are you sure this is not a funeral after all?”
“Shut up and go,” Octavia ordered, walking right inside without waiting for them. Clarke breathed in deeply, looked up at the sky and followed her best friend inside.
If the outside seemed dark, the interior was even worse. The walls were painted with black and dark green, the reception desk made from dark wood, surrounded by red leather couches, decorated with many pictures and paintings of mostly black and white sceneries of forests. But for some reason, Clarke really, really liked it. It seemed welcoming, even.
Octavia walked up to the reception desk, her head barely visible over the high desk. She seemed incredibly adorable, but if you ever told her that, you’d be greeted with a punch. She hit the small bell on the desk, and in a moment, tall, dark skinned man with the tightest top Clarke has ever seen walked up to them, looking dangerously serious, but when he noticed Octavia, his face lit up.
“Octavia,” he greeted her, standing behind the desk and looking down at her,” I’m glad you came.”
“Heyy, Lincoln!” Octavia smiled up at him, tilting her head to the side as she did so,” I couldn’t turn an invitation like this down,” his lips twitched when she said so, but he looked over her shoulder ( More like over her head) and threw a confused glance in Clarke’s direction. Octavia followed his gaze and widened his eyes, throwing her arms open.
“Ohh, those are my friends! They insisted on coming with me,” everyone sighed at that,” That’s Clarke, Raven, Jasper, Monty, and that,” she looked at Bellamy, who rolled his eyes,” Is the biggest pain in the ass, also known as my brother, Bellamy,” she introduced them all, and he just nodded politely in their direction, focusing on Octavia right away.
“Alright. You can change over there, and as soon as you’re finished, I’ll meet you at the gym. Just go to your left when you leave the changing room,” he instructed them, but it really seemed as if he’s only talking to Octavia and no one else,” Anya’s having today’s class, but I’m her assistant so I can help you if you need anything,” he smiled a bit at Octavia, almost as if he wasn’t used to smiling, and Octavia smiled back, already dragging Clarke to the changing room.
“Thank you. Now come on, Clarke needs to be home soon so she can bore herself to death with biology and orthodontics or whatever she studies.”
“It’s not orthodontics, that’s not even, - O, that hurts,” she complained as Octavia grabbed her arm too tightly, pushing her inside the locker room, followed by Raven.
“No time to waste,” the short girl shut the door behind them and turned to Clarke and Raven, grinning at them,” So? What do you think?”
“It’s disgusting how sweetly he looks at you,” Raven grimaced,” But seriously, he seems nice. It’s admirable how you get the sweetest guys and I get stuck with Finn and Wick-“
“Ohh, pff,” Octavia waved her hand in the air carelessly, but Clarke noticed the side glance Raven gave her at the mention of Finn, and Clarke looked away,” Forget about Wick the Dick. He dumped you? His loss. Now move on and go get some guy for yourself!” she almost shouted as she undressed her top and started changing into her sports bra and tank top. Clarke and Raven exchanged an awkward smile, and started changing as well.
The brunette was done in a blink of an eye, tying her hair in a long braid and running down the hall, not even waiting for them. Clarke watched as Raven struggled with the complicated device on her leg. She finished tying her laces and turned to look at her friend with concern.
“Do you need any help with that?” she asked softly. Raven’s head snapped up, the ponytail falling into her face, looking as if she was caught doing something illegal and then put on a smile, shaking her head.
“No, that’s fine,” her voice was way too high-pitched to be honest,” I can handle it. I always do,” she lowered her head once again and buckled the last belt into its place, standing up awkwardly on her healthy leg,” It’s just annoying to put it on and off whenever I change into something.”
“Are you sure you want to go?” Clarke nodded her head towards the direction of the gym,” You don’t have to, if you don’t feel like it.”
“I’m fine,” she almost snarled at her, and as if to prove it, she walked as confidently as she could towards the door, turning to look at Clarke, smiling now,” I may not be able to kick some bastard in the balls, but that doesn’t mean I can’t throw punches at him, right?”
Clarke smiled, sighing,” Yeah, right,” she put her hand on Raven’s shoulder and opened the door,” Let’s go.”
When they entered the gym, which was a huge, black room with many mirrors on the walls, boxing ring and lots of equipment, the rest of their friends along with some strangers were already gathered at the centre of the gym on one of the biggest mattresses, listening to a tall figure standing in front of them.
Raven and Clarke joined them, standing behind Octavia and Jasper, and Clarke finally paid a look to their instructor.
The instructor, Anya, Clarke assumed, was tall, muscular woman with long face and sharp features, wild dark blonde hair and her hands put on her skinny hips. She was burning holes into each and every one of them, and when she noticed the latecomers, she arched an eyebrow.
“You have some other business that’s more important than coming to my lessons on time, I assume?” she said coldly, and Clarke had a sudden urge to say ‘No, Ma’am’ and salute, but gladly, Raven scowled and spoke first.
“I had to put this on,” she lifted her injured leg to show the device,” I couldn’t walk without it.”
“Excuses are not accepted here. Next time, you’ll be on time, even if it means you’ll have to jump on one leg over here,” she turned away from Raven, as if it was a finished thing, and carried on with her speech about safety. Raven pursed her lips.
“Alright. Next time I’ll crawl over here,” she muttered, and Clarke was pretty sure Anya heard them, because her shoulders stilled for a moment. Clarke tried to focus on Anya’s speech.
“This lesson is about self-defence. Since all of you are here for just one lesson, I will not be able to teach you everything you need to know, but I can teach you some basics that might save your life one day, if you learn them correctly. If anyone is interested, you can buy more lessons after we finish at the reception. Now we stretch, and then I’ll show you how to punch correctly.”
The tall woman started showing them how to stretch correctly, and Octavia mmphed, pouting.
“Why isn’t he stretching with us? I’d like to see his butt in that position,” she pointed at Anya who was currently bending down to touch her toes. Clarke grinned and looked around, finding Lincoln helping some long-haired man to set up more mattresses.
“If this works out, I’m sure you’ll see him in more compromising positions than this one,” Clarke noted, and Octavia chuckled.
“Ohh, you bet your sweet ass I will, Griffin,” she winked at her, but turned all serious when Anya gave them a look. They all carried on with the stretching silently, and when they were finally finished, Anya straightened her back.
“Everyone split in couples, we’ll train the punching. Lincoln will give you boxing squares, and you’ll put them on your hands.”
Lincoln gave them the equipment, and while Clarke teamed up with Raven, Monty with Jasper and Bellamy with a cute ginger that kept smiling at him, Octavia was left alone. She smiled innocently at Lincoln.
“I have no one to train with,” you would almost believe her tone is pitiful, if she could lose that stupid smile. Lincoln tried to look neutral as he turned to Anya to ask for permission. Anya nodded. Lincoln returned his focus on Octavia.
“Then you’ll be stuck with me,” he replied, and Octavia looked up through her eyelashes.
“I’ll have to work with that, then.”
“ Ugh,” Raven showed a finger into her mouth, pretending to choke,” If they flirt for any longer, I’ll throw up, right here, right now.”
“Then you will clean it up yourself, straggler,” Anya informed her,” Your mess, your responsibility.”
“And to think I paid for this,” Raven joked, and the instructor stared at her for way too long before carrying on with her lesson. Raven poked Clarke.
“I’m totally pissing her off. She’s losing her patience because of me and I’m loving it.”
“Don’t know how you’re going to love it when she throws you over her shoulder,” Clarke teased, putting the squares on her hands and Raven shrugged.
“Ohh, please, if she keeps looking this hot, she can throw me anywhere. As long as she looks this treacherously, I’m hers.”
“Alright, everyone, bend your arms, now roll your fists and remember, your thumb must always be on the outside. If your thumb is on the inside and you punch hard enough, you will break your thumb, and you do not want that. Now, about your knuckles…”
The lesson went on with Octavia looking dangerously eager about the punching, and she was also the first one Anya praised for her skills. Lincoln looked incredibly proud when she did so, and Octavia nodded professionally, trying to stay calm. Anya then rolled her eyes at Bellamy who was trying to show the girl he was sparring with his expertise, and stopped to look at Clarke and Raven, crossing her arms over her chest.
“Alright, show me what you’ve got, loud one,” she looked at Raven, who arched an eyebrow and got into position. Clarke raised her hands, and when Raven punched the square, Anya smirked.
“That is not how you do it. Here, let me show you,” she stood beside Raven, fixing her hand and fist, and Raven looked at Clarke almost viciously as she did so. Clarke chuckled. After the clearly purely professional touch, nothing like the way Lincoln showed Octavia how to do everything right, Raven punched again, and this time, Anya didn’t say anything, and just walked away to check on the others. Raven followed her with her eyes.
“Little praise won’t hurt ya, you know!” she called after her, but the tall woman ignored her and Clarke shook her head at her.
“You’re just asking to get punched in the face.”
“Let her try. She doesn’t look exactly strong with those bony legs.”
“I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t want to meet her on the street at night.”
“Ohh, I’d love to meet her somewhere else at night,” Raven winked, and Clarke moaned.
“You’re hopeless,” Clarke pointed out, and watched as Monty wrestled with Jasper, almost crawling at the gangly guy and pretty much everyone was watching them by now as if it were a free show.
“Add some oil on them!” Octavia exclaimed, and Raven high-fived her. Clarke noticed what glances the employees were exchanging and stepped out to be closer to the two guys, clearing her throat.
“Guys, calm it down,” she told them, and when neither of them stopped, she raised her voice a bit,” Guys!”
They looked up at her and straightened their back,” Sorry, Clarke,” Monty apologized,” But Jasper thought I would never get him on his back.”
“Yeah, well-“ she stopped talking, because while everyone else paid attention to Anya, who was showing them what their posture should be, she noticed someone new entering the gym.
The girl that walked in was slim, but her arms were toned, and her skin was tanned. She had long, wavy brown hair falling down her lean back braided in a fishtail, but what caught Clarke’s attention were the piercing green eyes scanning her surroundings. She appeared aware of everything what was going on around her, and she marched as if she owned the place, chin raised, posture held, eyes proud and full of authority. She was wearing all black clothes, thighs and a top, and whoever she passed, everyone greeted her and smiled at her, and she always just nodded in reply, carrying on in her walk. But when she looked at Clarke, she stopped for a moment.
Clarke’s head spun a bit as the green-eyed woman held her gaze for a bit longer than required, but she couldn’t look away, because even from the distance, the woman was striking. The brunette nodded her head at her, and for some reason, Clarke nodded right back, a bit awkwardly, and for a while, it seemed as if the woman was about to approach her, when someone tapped on her shoulder, told her something, and she walked away with them. When she left the gym once again, disappearing behind big wooden doors marked as ‘The office’, Clarke let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding. Her mouth was extremely dry, and she steadied her breathing. She was pretty sure no stranger should make you feel like this.
“-Larke? Clarke!”
She snapped back into reality when she noticed the hand waving dangerously close to her face. She frowned at Raven who was smiling cheekily, trying to look indifferent.
“Geez. What impressed you so much you had to stare at it for 5 minutes straight? Some hot people, huh?” she wiggled her eyebrows, and Clarke smiled a bit.
“Shut up. I just… Dozed off.”
“Dozed off,” Raven nodded, not believing her at all,” Riight. ‘Cause Clarke Griffin dozes off during classes all the time.”
“I just… thought I saw someone,” she tried to cut an end to the conversation.
“You’re a shitty liar, Clarke,” Raven grinned, but didn’t interrogate her any further, and returned to her work out session. The brunette hasn't returned in the rest of the class, but Clark swore she'll see her again.