Yew, here we go!
Prompt 1: Submitted by xiphoa on tumblr
Greaser AU where Athena is the tough girl you don't want to mess with and Janey is the sweet mechanic who works on Athena and everyone else's motorcycles.
Complete with leather jackets, tight white shirts, and 50's greaser slang.
Streetlights flickered, tired from their years spent keeping the south side of Fyerstone lit. The echoes of Athena's boots bounced down each alley she passed, eventually becoming lost on the quiet roads, whose cracked and crumbling surfaces radiated the last of the day's heat.
She strolled casually along the industrial strip, studying the abandoned garages and manufacturing shops. It was a sad thing to watch a town die, slow and drawn out like a wounded animal. She wondered whether it would be kinder to put it out of its misery, or to wait and see if it recovered. Naturally, she leaned toward the first option. It was quick, easy, and efficient, but she also knew someone who would choose the latter every time, and it made her reconsider.
Solutions to the city's troubles aside, there was one spot of life still left in this neighbourhood, and every few steps Athena's gaze flicked to its distinct speck of brightness, still several blocks ahead. Nervous anticipation churned in her stomach and she frowned at the intensity of the feeling.
Gradually the speck of light grew in size to become a sign, which lit the T-junction it hung above in pink and white. Athena knew the words it displayed off by heart, but she always enjoyed tracing their edges and curves with her eyes. They felt familiar and eased the anxiety in her chest.
Springs' Garage
put a spring in ya ride
That slogan always made her smile; the voice in her head could no longer read it without an Elpian accent.
Athena reached the corner and didn't bother to look before she crossed, digging her hands into the pockets of her studded jacket. She lazily rolled the toothpick in her mouth from one side to the other. It was a poor substitute for a cigarette, but she'd made a promise to give up the habit and she intended to keep it. Mostly.
She approached the spray of light that spilt from beneath the shop's roller door and ducked under the heavy metal, her leather pants creaking a little in protest. Athena's hands went to her hair as she stood up, and she used her fingers in place of a comb to slick back any errant strands. Appearances weren't something she concerned herself with, but there were certain people she liked to make the effort for.
The garage stretched out before her, packed to the brim with motorcycles and cars, business as usual for the best grease monkey in town. The building's ceiling was a good twelve feet high, converted from an old warehouse, and the walls showed their age in streaks of grime, matching the oil stains on the floor.
Athena listened for the usual loud clanks that often punctuated the buzz and pop of the fluorescent tubes hanging above. A few seconds passed before a metallic crash sounded, followed by a muttered, "Aw, shit…"
There we go.
Athena quietly made her way toward the car closest to her left. Though it was not her taste, she couldn't deny that the modified Skag hot-rod dominated the room. Bold, black and banging, as her younger sister would have said. But classy as it was, it didn't hold Athena's attention for very long. Not when she finally got a glimpse of the woman half buried beneath it.
Janey's lower body stuck out just below the passenger door. Dirty, denim coveralls were tied at her waist and they shifted over long legs, one straight, and the other bent up and moving with a gentle sway. A sure indication Janey was trying to solve a complex problem. Scuffed, pink Docs caught Athena's attention where they tapped out a rhythm in time to some unheard song.
She couldn't help but keep her presence secret for a little longer, taking the time to skim her eyes up to the mechanic's hips, where a sliver of skin peeked out below a white shirt that was entirely too small. Bloodstains flecked the material near Janey's bellybutton and-
Wait. Bloodstains…
Athena held back a sigh at her girlfriend's lack of care to whose clothes she threw on in the morning. She was going to run out of shirts at this rate, but, ignoring the size issue, she had to admit Janey looked good in her clothes. The mechanic twisted and Athena watched the shirt ride higher. Okay, very good, no matter how stretched out they might be when returned.
However, while the picture her girlfriend painted was unreal, anxiety had started to drip back into Athena's stomach and her fingers grew fidgety. She cleared her throat before stepping closer. The foot tapping stopped and Janey pushed herself out from underneath the car.
"Heya, cool cat." Janey grinned up at her, choppy blonde hair a mess and cheeks smeared with grease. "Was wondering how long you were gonna stand there for."
"I wasn't-" Athena frowned. "I didn't want to interrupt you."
Janey laughed as she stood and wiped her hands on her thighs.
"Uh-huh, and this isn't the hottest yank tank I've seen all week." Janey's accent played in Athena's ears as the mechanic leaned closer.
"You call all the cars here 'yank tanks'." Athena reminded her, gaze flicking to the black hot-rod, then back to Janey's playful smirk.
"I wasn't talkin' about the rod."
Athena's cheeks burned and her thoughts stumbled as she tried to think of a reply. She resisted the urge to push Janey against the hood of the car and kiss that smile from her face. Instead, she steeled herself and decided to employ subtlety over brazenness. Slowly, she wrapped a hand around the blonde's hip and rose up on her toes till her lips ghosted over Janey's.
"Where is she?" Athena whispered the question, taking pleasure in the hitch she heard in Janey's breath before pulling back. She watched as Janey pouted a little in disappointment. The mechanic jerked her head toward the entrance.
"Over there. All ready for ya." Janey adjusted her headband and nudged Athena's elbow, urging her forward. They weaved their way between the bikes, suspended engines and other assorted projects that littered the garage, and arrived in a cleared area near the door. In the middle, a silvery sheet concealed the solid shape Athena knew like the back of her hand.
"Y'know, I'd be jealous if she weren't such a beaut." Janey winked and walked over to grip the silver cover. It was true; Janey was the only person who loved and appreciated Athena's ride almost as much as she did.
Janey pulled back the sheet and Athena held her breath, heartbeat skipping when the material fell to reveal the motorbike beneath. In an instant, all her anxiety dropped away.
The Aspis 600 sat low to the ground, sleek, refined, and minimal. Its twin seat came up to Athena's hip and the newly chromed tank now matched the exhaust pipes. Its surface reflected Athena's proud smile as she stepped closer, hands reaching for the clip-on bars that were fitted to the fork tubes. Her fingertips lightly caressed their worn rubber handles and her leg itched to be thrown over the bike's side, to straddle the beast that felt more like home than any house or city.
She took a breath and withdrew her hands, glancing at Janey to see an expression of delight directed at her.
"That is the reason why you do this, isn't it?" Athena stated more than asked, pointing to Janey's face. She stepped around the Aspis to take the sheet from the blonde's hands and throw it over some old Dahl 250.
"I jus' do what I'm good at, bonus if it makes people happy." Janey shrugged and Athena saw right through it. "I'll fire 'er up, if you're ready to go."
"Woah, not so fast, baby." Athena used the sleeves tied at Janey's waist to tug the mechanic forwards, appreciating the red cheeks the nickname caused. It was why she kept her terms of endearment to a minimal; the reactions were better the less she used them. "I'm not ready just yet."
Athena let her words drop in time to the inches she closed between them, Janey watching her every move, and she fisted her hands in the material above the mechanic's chest. With a rough pull, she crashed their lips together, hard and bruising, like the purple splotches that still covered her ribs from the turf scuffle earlier today.
Except this pain sparked and burned with pleasure as Janey's teeth clamped down on her lip and a moan fell into her mouth. The mechanic tasted like oil and metal, mixed with a soft sweetness. It drove Athena crazy and she wrapped her arms around Janey's neck in an attempt to pull her closer.
She felt palms slide down her ass when she ran her tongue along the blonde's lips, demanding access. Janey opened to her instantly and Athena was so distracted by her own needy exploration, she didn't notice the long fingers that moved to grip the backs of her thighs.
Suddenly, she was lifted into the air as Janey walked her over toward the wall. She adjusted quickly, wrapping her legs around the mechanic's scarred hips and grinning into the kiss. The smile didn't last when her back slammed against brick and teeth clinked against hers. Those teeth gradually moved down her neck and sank into her skin in sharp bites. Athena's groaned, head tilting back, and dug her nails into Janey's broad shoulders, slightly annoyed she could be undone so easily.
CLUNK
Athena jerked. Her gaze shot over Janey's shoulder to where the shop's two apprentices had wandered out from the office. The taller, redheaded one – was it Gaige? – lifted her eyebrows and gave a loud wolf whistle.
To Athena's surprise, Janey's tongue continued down her throat as if the two young women hadn't just interrupted them, and she was left to simply glare as the blonde one – Janey's niece, Tina – called out:
"OOOHH! Boss is gettin' laid TO-niGHT!"
This finally drew Janey's lips away from Athena's neck. The mechanic kept Athena's eye as she threw a reply over her shoulder, "And you two are gettin' fired if ya don't beat it!"
The girls snickered and shuffled toward the back door. Athena continued her death stare till Gaige opened it and stepped out. Though the older girl didn't leave before reminding them, "No backseat bingo, ladies! We don't want any repeats of last time."
Tina laughed hysterically at this and even Janey smiled against Athena's collarbone. Then Tina added a, "Ride 'er GOOD boss!", before skipping out after Gaige.
The door slammed shut and Athena shifted her glare to Janey. "You know what this does to my reputation, right?"
"Cool it, baby." Janey nipped Athena's nose. "Everyone in Fyrestone knows not to mess with you."
"Yeah, well," Athena grumbled as she dropped her legs from the mechanic's hips. "Lets split this scene, I have business I need to finish."
She gestured to Janey's lanky form, eyes lingering a little on her tattooed arms, before she marched over to her bike. Janey's laugh echoed behind her as she slipped the key into the ignition. Athena wheeled the Aspis out of the garage, leaving Janey to lockup.
Outside, the summer night was warm and she could just pick out the stars speckled between clouds, where they competed with the bright city below. The chirps of cicadas sprung from the properties around her and added to the still, lazy atmosphere.
With ease, she swung her leg over the Aspis and paused to appreciate the sensation of having leather and metal beneath her thighs once again. Groping down under the tank, Athena turned the petcock controlling the gas to 'On' and flicked out the kick-start. She put her weight onto one foot and lifted her other boot, punching down on the kick-start.
It only took two kicks for the bike to roar to life. Athena smiled and revved the girl gently till she settled into an idle purr, before hopping off the bike as she heard the roller door close behind her. She left the motorcycle on its stand to warm up and walked over to where Janey was bent over, padlocking the door.
"Nice night." She commented. "Where's your jacket?"
Janey turned and rubbed the back of her neck, "Ahh, at your place?"
Athena sighed. This happened so often; she was starting to wonder if the mechanic did it on purpose. Regardless, she shrugged off her own without a second thought and offered it to Janey, taking pleasure in the flick of the blonde's eyes over her newly exposed arms. Athena had started to wear tank tops more frequently ever since working out Janey's thing for her 'guns', as the mechanic called them.
Janey pulled the black leather over her shoulders and Athena made sure to flex a little as she reached to do up the zip. The jacket's hem sat a good hand width too short on Janey's torso, but the shoulders fitted, which was the important thing. She looked up to see Janey staring at her with fondness and didn't know what to say, so she swivelled on her heel and marched over to her motorcycle.
She settled back in the seat, rocked the Aspis off its stand and pulled in the clutch, slipping the engine into gear. A hand gripped her shoulder and Athena braced herself as Janey hopped on behind her. She closed her eyes and savoured the feeling of Janey's warmth against her back, the touch of long thighs near hers, and the grip of slender arms as they wound around her middle.
"Where to?" She murmured, fingers wrapping around the accelerator.
Lips pressed to the back of her neck and Athena shivered despite the warm air.
"Take me home, daddy-o," Janey whispered beside her ear, voice low and breath hot.
At the words, Athena dropped the clutch in perfect time with a strong rev. A familiar shot of adrenalin raced through her veins when they pulled away from the garage and tore down the street. The air whisked over her face and she felt Janey's cheek on her neck as the mechanic used her as a windbreak.
She decided to take the scenic route home.
If you have Jathena AU ideas you want to submit, please head over to my tumblr (andorzebra) and fire away! If you don't have tumblr, feel free to message me on here. The more the merrier :)
Note: Not all submissions will be written, I honestly wish I had that kind of time, so I'm currently aiming to select/write up my favourite 10.