Chapter Text
Athena woke up to the feeling of a cold, hard desk under her cheek and a warm, soft blanket draped over her shoulders. When she straightened, Juniper’s little Eek! met her ears.
“Junie?” Athena slurred around the cotton ball feeling of sleep parching her throat.
“I’m so sorry, Thena, I didn’t mean to wake you!” Juniper was in her coziest flannel nightgown, the green one with little flowers all over it that Athena had given her for Christmas a few years ago. The gift was mostly selfless—Junie looked too cute in green, and flowers were her thing—but a little self ish, too, because Athena loved how soft the fabric was under her hands when she looped her arms around Junie’s waist and cuddled closer to go to sleep.
“You didn’t.” Athena pulled the blanket, one of Juniper’s homemade knits, around her shoulders like a cape. “How long was I out?”
“A while?” Juniper guessed. “I just finished my video call and was getting ready for bed, and when I came out here…”
“I was sawing logs?” Athena supplied wryly. She rubbed her eyes with the heel of her hand. “Man, I forgot how hard school is.” Last time, she’d been running on adrenaline with the ticking clock of Simon’s sentence looming overhead. Law school was kind of a blur. This time around, pursuing her doctorate in psychology, school settled into Athena’s bones in a way it hadn’t before.
“You’re amazing, Thena,” Juniper said, leaning her hip against the edge of Athena’s desk. The enormous tomes Athena had been using to write her midterm paper had been strewn across her desk the last she remembered but had been stacked in a neat pile next to her laptop, undoubtedly Juniper’s doing. “Going back to school, taking on this new challenge…you’re going to help so many people.”
“Uh, so are you! How many people get judicial assistantships right out of college, even with Themis Academy on their resumes?”
The pretty pink flush on Juniper’s face matched the little flowers dotting her nightgown. “Oh, well, it’s really…I know how lucky I am…”
“Luck nothing!” The fog of sleepiness could never be strong enough to keep Athena from crowing about her girlfriend’s achievements. “They’re the ones who are lucky to have a superstar like you on their team! You’ve worked so hard, Junie, and put so much into your studies. Now you’ll get to show them what you’re made of in court.” She slapped her hands on her desktop and stood up, leaning closer, taking in the sparkle of Junie’s eyes up close.
“Just like you.” Juniper giggled when Athena kissed her cheek. “It’s really mostly research right now.”
“Also just like me.” Athena sighed. “It’s a good thing that Simon’s basically sponsoring me. I’d never be able to afford all these psych books on my own.” Simon was a well-read man, there was no doubt about that, but Athena had heard more than a tremor of false testimony when he claimed that he was purchasing all those top-tier psychology publications from the fanciest (and priciest) academic presses for himself. And that he supposed she could borrow them if she fancied. The Blackquill Free Little Library was supporting her education more thoroughly than the college’s actual library on campus.
“Well, look at us,” Junie said, looping her arm through Athena’s. The sleeveless tank was a good choice, Athena decided, the crook of her arm brushing against the soft flannel of Junie’s nightgown. “Two researchers ready to take on the courtroom.”
“Uh, and the world,” Athena said.
“The whole solar system.”
“Galaxies!”
Juniper’s laugh was the sweetest sound that could touch Athena’s ears. “We’re ambitious researchers, aren’t we?”
“I think the word you’re looking for is ‘unstoppable.’” Even though it was nearly midnight and, really, if drifting off mid-paper wasn’t indicator enough, Athena knew it was time to stop and go to bed. Which meant time to hold Junie close, cozy flannel soft against her arms, and burying her nose in the floral scent of Junie’s soft waves of hair. Heck yeah.
“Unstoppable as long as we’re together,” Juniper added.
Clearly no one would blame Athena for getting a head start on the hugs when her girlfriend was going around saying cute, perfect things like that. So she did.