OKAY sorry for this total publishing mess hahah. But when I got to writing the actual smut for that PWP chapter, I ended up writing ANOTHER 1200 words of plot. So clearly this Jathena story was just developing itself and I was tagging on for the ride...
Anyway, I hope you enjoy this as is, and I'm sorry to the two anons whose PWP requests I sacrificed in order to write this. Here they are for reference, and if either one was yours, feel free to send me new prompts and I'll try harder to leave the plot out of them... my bad. But anyway -
Prompt 1: Anon
"How about a little, 'just married' business? As dirty or sentimental as you'd like."
Prompt 2: Anon
"It'd be cool to see a follow-up to that one fic of yours where Athena used horrible puns in the bedroom."
The night-wind was cool as it smoothed over Janey's face and whipped through her bangs. It carried the scent of grass and springtime and quiet newness, and Janey tilted her head slightly to breathe more of it in. There was no rush to her fingers as she spanned her hand over the gearstick and changed down into third, giving the runner a gentle kick to get them over the next rolling rise of land. She felt her centre of gravity shift with the steepness of the hill, tipping her further back into the driver's seat of their modified two-seater runner.
A glint caught the corner of her eye and Janey glanced to the side to see, amongst the mountainous ridges and tails of the Highlands, the moon resting low in the sky.
Its glowing light, that of Janey's former home, reflected off the lake below them, scattering crosshatches of white across its surface and disappearing into the ripples the wind tugged from the water. Several warm, orange spots of life decorated the jetty in the distance. They were the only remnants of the reception party she and Athena had left behind; the party's accompanying shouts of laughter and pulses of music having been long lost in the growl of dirt tires and the hum of the runner's engine.
Janey looked back to the road as they reached the summit of the hill and began their decent into the next valley, leaving the lake behind and crossing over a short, graffitied bridge, which branched across the river that fed into the lake. Bubbling, thrashing rapids echoed in her ears as they drove over, but soon even they were left behind as the runner banked right and Janey took them arching around the base of the next hill.
She contemplated the silence behind her, where Athena was seated in the passenger seat. Her wife had taken on a distant, almost sombre composure toward the end of the night, and her farewells to their guests and friends had been considerably reserved; a sharp contrast to the open, almost carefree Athena Janey had danced with earlier in the night.
Janey toyed with the idea that maybe she was just overwhelmed. The implications of what they had committed to today were far-reaching, and she expected Athena would want to contemplate them, given her natural tendency to think and live a hundred steps in the future. And Janey was only happy for her to do so, it was far better than the alternative of Athena digging herself into the past, picking at it like a scab and not letting it heal.
She chose to put the concern over her wife's thoughtful repose aside, it was a question, a topic, she could easily broach with Athena in the stillness of the morning. She found it was better to let Athena's mind work itself around a puzzle, and then discuss whatever answer she discovered later, rather than interrupt the process.
Janey slowed down and turned off onto a smaller road, leading them back toward the direction of the lake. The gravel road wound upwards, and its curves were tame enough for Janey to navigate with one hand on the wheel. So she reached the other, her left, across her chest and rested it on her shoulder, her fingers extending toward Athena in an invitation. Less than a heartbeat later she felt Athena's fingers slip through hers, brushing her wedding ring and intertwining their hands. The warmth of Athena's palm thrummed against her own, and Janey accelerated a little, wanting nothing more than to feel the weight and blush of Athena in her arms as she took her wife to bed.
The holiday cabin emerged around the last span of hillside, nestled subtly between two jutting rock formations. It was small and discrete, with a view of the lake, but invisible to anyone on the shore. It was perfect.
Janey caught a final glance of the jetty as she pulled up. It was even smaller now where it sat on the opposite side of the water, and she could just see the last few lights dying out as the party wound down to a no doubt drunken and elated finish.
Janey turned the runner off and hopped out. She paused when her feet hit the ground, then smiled. The last twenty-four hours had been nothing other than surreal, and incredible, but there was something about this, this quiet moment that felt so, utterly real. The pull of the ground beneath her feet, still tugging at her Elpisian bones after all this time; the calming tink, tink, tink of the runner's engine as hot metal stopped expanding and began to cool; the flash of moonlight that caught in the reflective discs behind Athena's eyes as she stood, and the question in her fingers when Janey's hands stopped her from getting out.
"Here."
Janey bent forward, easing an arm behind Athena's knees and the other under her shoulder blades, pulling her wife toward her and out of the runner. She stood slowly, making sure Athena was secure, and began walking up the short path that lead to the cabin. Athena's arms wrapped around her neck, pale and silent, and Janey swallowed as Athena's forehead pressed into her neck, breath skittering over her collarbones. They reached the front steps and the porch light finally granted Janey the view she'd been craving for the whole drive.
She looked down to see, properly, Athena in her arms, body moulded to hers in a show of complete trust, her wedding dress bunched up delicately against the vest and button-up shirt Janey had changed into before the party. Janey wound her eyes along the dress's trails of transparent lace, following them as they bloomed over Athena's chest and curled up her neck. She made to look at Athena's face, but white flowers greeted her instead where they weaved into purple-blue hair and curled over Athena's ear. Moonstone studs replaced Athena's usual cuffs, and they rested perfectly in her earlobe, dimpling the skin slightly. Janey lost sight of them as Athena left her neck and looked up at her.
"Janey?"
The word, her name, framed by Athena's shapely lips and brought to life by her breath, took Janey back to hours before when Athena had spoken those exact syllables with the same tone of gentleness at the alter.
But she was quickly bought forward again by a pressing hand around her arm. Janey smiled as she refocused, studying the swirl of blue in Athena's eyes. She only realised that she'd stopped in front of the door when Athena's eyebrows lifted slightly, encouraging her to glance around.
"Sorry," Janey gasped, drawing air back into her lungs and adjusting her stance. She laughed sheepishly and covered her slip up by leaning down to press her lips to Athena's, kissing her lightly and teasing her bottom lip as she pulled back, promising more. "You're stunning, my dear lady."
She watched Athena's face light up, her cheeks pushing at her eyes as she smiled. Athena leaned forward and gestured with her hand, 'come here,' and Janey bent her head obediently. She drew breath as Athena's fingers traced her jaw, tilting her face till her scarred ear rested near her lips.
"And you are shaking, Mrs Springs," Athena whispered, and Janey felt the smile in her words as her lips brushed over her ear.
Janey pulled back with a grin.
"Well, hun." Her tone was cheeky as she squeezed Athena against her. "As much as I love all this muscle you're packing, it kinda weighs a lot. Sorry to tell ya."
She watched Athena roll her eyes, a usual hardness returning to her expression. "Where's the key, Janey?"
"Hum…" Janey pretended to think for a moment, glancing over her person and enjoying the way Athena's eyes began to widen with dread.
"Oh no, I am not breaking this door down, Springs."
Janey lasted a few more seconds before her resolve broke and she laughed. "Kidding! Kidding. Front pocket of my shirt."
Athena sighed and gave her a pointed look. Janey gave her best attempt at a shrug; it was difficult with her arms full. "What? You're cute when you look like you're about to murder someone."
Janey saw the hint of a smile on Athena's face as Athena slipped a hand behind her vest and dug into her shirt pocket. Athena quickly fished out the cabin key and Janey bent down a little so she could put it into the lock. At Athena's direction, the lock clicked open and the door swung inwards, revealing their new holiday home.
Janey straightened and caught Athena's gaze. She carried her over the threshold with a dramatic step, closing the door with her heel and not breaking eye contact for a second.
Then, she smiled, big and sudden like a lunatic; she couldn't help it, and the second Athena's hands touched her cheeks she dove forward to capture her wife's lips in a full, ecstatic kiss.
Athena responded against her with just as much enthusiasm, maybe infected by the joy Janey could feel bursting from her own chest, and her mouth opened in a gasp allowing Janey to deepen the kiss further. Unlike their kiss at the alter, which had been filled with relief and finality, this kiss was new and exciting, a step into uncharted territory, into a future that Janey wouldn't have wanted to explore with anyone else.
She hummed happily at the eager swipe of Athena's tongue over her lip, beginning to demand more. She pulled back and touched their foreheads together.
"Welcome home, Mrs Athena Springs." She smiled, letting the title hang for a moment. "Now, lets get that dress off."
"I'll vow to that," Athena agreed breathlessly, slipping out of her arms and grabbing her hand.
Janey laughed and let her wife lead her toward the bedroom, following the sway of her hips and the strength bunched in her shoulders. She glanced down to thread their fingers together tightly, keen for whatever came next.
