Submission from anon - Janey teaching thena how to slow dance.

It was late in the afternoon, and the chatter of customers in the Emporium had been replaced by music from the garage radio. Sharp rhythm delivered itself in electronic notes and crackles. They bopped up into the main shop and found their way into Janey's office where she sat at her desk. One of her socked feet tapped in time to the beat, while a few fingers drummed against her temple in the same rhythm.

Blueprints spread out from under her hands and she tried – really really tried – to continue on the design she'd been wrestling with for the last two weeks. But for all her efforts and hard staring, nothing changed the facts.

She was stuck.

Janey traced over her design with a sigh. The white lines came together to form the shape of a motorbike, well a moon-bike – she was still working on a name. And boy was it a beaut.

She'd been inspired by the Stingray's speed and agility, and wanted to combine it with the practicality of her own Moon Zoomy design. Her solution was a kind of hybrid off-road bike, complete with saddlebags and rear racks to carry extra load, mounted lasers (of course) and a customisable turret to finish it off. It really was stunning.

There was only one problem.

Gravity.

Janey leaned back in her chair with a huff and closed her eyes. She tried to relax enough to let the music pop through her ears and into her mind, hoping that if she followed their twisty erratic pathways she might find inspiration. The problem with her moon-bike was the fact it was a hybrid between the two main vehicles on Elpis; so it wasn't heavy enough, like the Moon Zoomy, to keep decent traction on the ground, and neither was it light enough, like the Stingray, to be kept suspended in flight instead.

It was the damn Lil' Scavylocks situation; not quite heavy, not quite light. Except hers definitely wasn't 'just right'.

She always used to like that story when she was growing up. It fitted with the way she naturally went about things – fixing, learning, scavenging. She never used to read or study before doing something; she just tried this, tried that, tried this a bit differently… Till eventually she got it 'just right'. Her Nan never approved of that while she was her apprentice though–

Wait.

Was that…jazz?

Janey stood and opened her eyes as smooth saxophone eased into her ears. For a moment she wondered who'd hijacked the frequency, but her attention was quickly caught by a loud crash and a frustrated, "Argh, come on!", from the garage.

She looked out the window and barely stifled a laugh when she saw a certain gladiator trying to use force against the radio. Janey watched as Athena hit button after button, and grew flustered as guitar mixed with the saxophone and rolled the music into something altogether more sultry.

Well, that was an opportunity if Janey ever saw one.

She didn't bother putting her boots back on as she walked out from her office, glad for the extra few seconds it might hide her presence from Athena's senses. She passed the grinder and managed to get halfway down the metal-grate stairs before Athena turned on her.

The poor woman's face was priceless – somewhere caught between anger and embarrassment.

"Heya, Athena." Janey leaned against the railing with a smile. "Didn't know you were into this kind of music."

"I'm not!" Athena assured with a little too much force.

"Aw, now that's a damn shame." Janey stood and began walking back to her office. "It'd be perfect for a slow dance," she threw over her shoulder.

She allowed the music to drift between them and waited for–

"A what-dance?"

Bonza.

Janey turned around. "You don't know what a slow dance is?"

"I, uhh." Athena tugged at her scarf. "No?"

"Hm, well my dear lady, I'd be happy to give you a quick lesson." Janey put the barest of swing into her hips as she walked over to Athena. "If ya have the time that is."

Athena seemed to freeze for a moment, flicking her eyes down to Janey's feet and back up to her face, before clearing her throat. "I have time. Just finished a job, actually. For Nina. Out in the Wastes. Collecting organs and, um…things…"

"Good!" Janey supplied to help save Athena from her own sentence. "Sounds like you deserve a bit of a relax then."

It was adorable how flustered the gladiator got when she flirted with her. They still hadn't gone for that drink, so Janey wasn't sure where they stood exactly. But she'd take what she could get. "Now, take ya boots off. Don't want my toes crushed."

Athena hesitated a moment, but then walked over to the railing and removed her boots, revealing mismatched Atlas socks – which Janey totally didn't smile at –and shrugged off her pack, carefully laying down various guns.

Finally Athena padded back over to her and Janey felt her heart skip a little when she realised just how short Athena was; standing in front of her, Athena's forehead only just reached her chin.

"So how does this work?" Athena looked up at her.

Janey suddenly became aware of the music again as it floated around them.

"Oh, right." Janey collected herself. "Okay, well I'll lead seeing as I'm the taller– er, more experienced one. Now, you put your hand here."

She took Athena's hand and lifted it to rest on her tattooed bicep, trying not to let her fingers linger too long over the skin of her wrist. She smiled as she saw a light blush spread over Athena's cheeks.

"And I'll put mine here." Janey carefully slipped her palm around Athena's waist. She kept her touch light and at a respectable height, not wanting to push too far yet. She edged closer till they were a good distance apart and lifted Athena's free hand to cup it with her own. "And we just move to the music. Easy!"

Janey stepped forward at the same time Athena did. They knocked into each other. Janey laughed.

"No, you have to follow me if I'm leading, Athena." She explained.

"Sorry. Uh, maybe this isn't such a good idea–"

"Nah, it's fine! Look, watch okay? I step forward with my right, you step back with your left and– Yeah, that's it!" Janey grinned as she led them in a small square of steps.

It only took Athena a minute or two to get used to following, and soon she was even anticipating Janey's steps. They began to sway around the garage as smoothly as the music directing them. Janey slowly introduced new moves; a spin here, a half-dip there – which Athena blushed profusely at – and Janey found a 'quick lesson' turning into an hour of watching Athena's grace and curves, and seeing her tiny smile when they mastered a new move.

The sun began to set against the horizon and orange light spilled through the garage bay doors. Somewhere along the way their hands had changed position; both of Janey's were wrapped around Athena's waist, and Athena's lay over Janey's shoulders. Their steps had slowed and Janey didn't even notice the distance between them closing as the saxophone trailed lower in her ears. Not till she felt something warm against her collarbone.

Heat rose to her cheeks when she realised Athena was resting her cheek on her chest. Purple-blue hair tickled the scarred skin at her neck and she tried to keep her heartbeat under control. But it was pretty useless when she felt Athena's breath against her throat – hot and even.

Janey swallowed and lead them in a few more steps before deciding to let her fingers slip a little lower in a careful test. Athena's shirt under her hands was tight and warm and Janey followed it around to her lower back. Her breath caught at the muscle she felt and it was only when her fingers found Athena's belt that she chose not to follow the shirt any further.

She stepped to the right and Athena followed in a kind of trance and Janey was pretty sure she just felt the brush of lips against her throat. Suddenly, the music wasn't just leading her steps; it was commanding the heavy thump of her heartbeat and causing warmth to grow in her chest and heat rush up her neck and she realised all too quickly it was definitely not the music causing these reactions at all.

She told herself to bloody calm down and keep cool as she reached up to take Athena's cheek in one hand and slow their steps to a stop.

"Springs?" Athena's voice was barely a whisper.

Janey gently tilted Athena's jaw upward and found herself looking into eyes so sharp and blue that she struggled to close her own in order to lean down and–

"DJs BOOM and RANG comin' atchya ready to MASH IT UP LIIIIIIVE thanks to Elpis' old man Saxo-rama!"

Janey felt Athena instantly stiffen at the interruption. She opened her eyes with a barely restrained groan and glared at the radio as a Jumpy electronic beat took hold of the jazz.

"Uh, Janey?"

Janey looked down to see Athena's red cheeks and pinched eyebrows, and she realised Athena's arms were no longer around her.

"Right, sorry." She quickly withdrew her own arms and stepped back. "Well uh, I have to say Athena, you'ra quick study."

"I– thanks." Athena began putting her shoes back on. "You're um, a good teacher… Springs."

Janey watched the last of Athena's mismatched socks disappear into her boots and smiled. "Anytime."

When Janey returned to her office, she found her blueprints still waiting on her desk. Unfortunately, inspiration hadn't struck during her dance with Athena. But as Janey thought about the gladiator and her very warm back, she started to sketch out a sidecar in the corner of the page. She smiled when it was done.

Just right.

HAH! IM BACK BITCHES