The ceremony was over, celebrations had been had and the bridal mead had been drunk. That left only one thing to solidify the deal. Like every other part of the ceremony there were certain rituals that needed to be fulfilled to ensure the important parties in the deal were satisfied. For that reason the newlyweds weren’t alone as they began their honeymoon. Inga, Valkyrie’s companion, had accompanied them. She was to stand witness and testify to the consummation of the marriage to the gods and all interested should its legality ever be called into question.

The macaque stopped on the threshold as the pair entered. She would linger out of sight but within earshot until satisfied with the evidence. Valkyrie paid her no mind and took the lead, pushing past them with an air that suggested she didn’t care who might be listening. Her tail may or may not have slid over Chaos’ nose as she went. While not roaring drunk she’d had enough to render any hiccups this evening beneath her notice. That, coupled with no girlish illusions about what was to transpire between them, stripped her of whatever reservations she may have otherwise had. Valkyrie had picked him, not the other way around, and that fact gave her no small amount of satisfaction. If she had one regret for any part of the process it was that they had been unable to set a date in the spring. It would have been nice to be able to expect a showing of the success of their match at the end of their honeymoon, but alas.

Once over the threshold Valkyrie turned abruptly and aimed to grab one of Chaos’ fangs with a clawed paw with the intention of pulling him in after her. She would pull him willingly or otherwise to her bed of bear skins. They both knew why they were there so playing coy would be a waste of time. Already she had grown bored with the tedium of the wedding; he had been on her mind a while and she had deliberately not taken any lovers in a way that might call into question paternity since he had agreed to marry her. In other words, it was high time she lost her mind on top of a man. She wanted her husband and she wanted him now, and any delay on his part might get him clawed.

Well, he'd survived all the ceremonial finery and merry-making unscathed, though a real nice mellow radiated out from his belly where enough mead had made its way to soften the wait. His mismatched eyes gleamed with a certain lazy heat as his gaze rested on his wife. Wife. Well, nearly so. Only one thing left to do to ensure the alliance. The sex part.

That wasn't nervous butterflies. Yeah, so Chaos' sexual liaisons were rather few and far between and always way more serious than casual, and yeah it had been a while and this was pretty important, but he had a reputation to keep you know, that whole devil-may-care playboy thing, and besides the mead had totally fucking drowned those asshole butterflies so there.

The brush of Valkyrie's tail across his muzzle sent electricity shooting down to his toes, and he drifted after her like a cartoon guy floating after the smell of a delicious pie. When she reached out to snag his fang and pull him after, that mellow popped in startlement and practically set his hair on end and, wide-eyed, he could only manage a faintly strangled "eek" before he was toted along over the threshold and to the bedfurs. That was a mixed reminder there, the bearskins a reminder both of the sex and the fact that his new wife was a deadly berserker badass. Damn that was hot. Was that a twinge in his scars? He found himself standing there, eye to eye with his wife, a half-grin spreading over his maw and heat spreading through his belly that had little to do with the mead.

A minor miscalculation in her level of drunkenness very nearly caused Valkyrie to pull Chaos down on top of her as she stepped backwards to the bearskins. Her hind paws tangled in the bedding causing her legs to fold under her while her momentum continued to pull Chaos forward. The error would have seemed like a stumble had she not been able to salvage it at the last second by slowing her fall and feigning the desire to be chest to chest with him. Once she was seated she released her grip on him.

Though he was older than her, Chaos still cut an impressive figure and even in the semi dark of the den she could make out the mismatched coloring of his eyes and the rugged scars (many of her doing) that marred his face. Impressive as he may have been, Valkyrie had not picked him for his looks. On the occasions she had found herself in his presence she had rather liked his sense of humor. That, combined with his prowess in battle, had fixed him in her thoughts. The first and last attributes she wanted for her children, however, the middle she had wanted for herself. Although she wasn’t after it now or naive enough to think it guaranteed in the future, some day Valkyrie hoped to kindle genuine affection for one another. She thought his humor was a good starting point.

The paw that had hooked his fangs sought to slide down to his chest. Valkyrie leaned in as though after a kiss but swerved at the last second to bring her lips to his ear. In a smug whisper, she commanded, “On your back.” She then sought to playfully push off of him, claws out, and step back to give him room to comply, her expression promising what he was after if he listened. There was enough bridal drink to last them a season and they were expected to finish in that time. He could, and likely would if she had her way, have her however he liked any night except tonight. This first night she wanted to set a precedent lest he, like the men she’d grown up around, make assumptions about her based on her gender.

He was pretty sure that her paw left a trail of tingling electricity down to his chest where it rested against thr thrum of his heart. She leaned forward... he leaned, anticipating... and then she whispered in his ear, the feathering of words against his ear making his breath catch... and then confusion. Wait, what?

She shoved off of him, her claws out, and Chaos straightened, arching his neck to stare narrow eyed and wary. Put himself in a vulnerable position like that with a former enemy, even one he was now married to? His first instinct was to say fuck no, and the words were even forming on his lips when he stopped, suddenly thoughtful. How must it be to be a woman, and to always submit to a male? To turn your back and leave yourself vulnerable to the teeth on your nape? Was it fair to ask that of her while never offering her trust in return? He swallowed back his denial unspoken.

He instead let a cocky half-grin tilt his lips, bare one fang. "As you wish," was all he said, and rolled with far more agility than his age and size deserved to flash his belly - and all signs of his attraction - to his wife, his forepaws crossed and tucked against his chest in mock cuteness.

It seemed at first that he was going to refuse her. Fleetingly Valkyrie wondered if she was going to have to propose a fun little fight to settle their disagreement; a sort of extreme rock, paper, scissors for those too jaded for a simpler disagreement settling method. She had just enough time to fix him with an amused expression and quirk an eyebrow teasingly at him. His hesitation lasted only a second. Delighted, Valkyrie gave him her first guileless smile of the day - the tip of her tongue briefly pinched between her teeth - and watched as he rolled to his back. She was quiet for a second as she took him in. "I can't know what it's like," she observed as she stepped closer, "To be a man asked to sacrifice his place on his wedding night."

Gently Valkyrie stepped over him and settled down over his belly so that all signs of his eagerness were hidden beneath her. Her touch was light; just close enough to appreciate his heat but maddeningly not close enough for much else. She placed her front paws on his chest and reveled in the feeling of her claws on his skin. "And since this is a night of vows I'll make you one more." Valkyrie leaned forward on flexing clawed toes to leave a trail of nibbles and kisses up his chest. Once at his crossed paws she stopped to look up at him. "I'll make it worth it."

-fade-

Valkyrie rose over him, achingly close, her claws sliding up his chest and it was all he could do to hold himself still. His forepaws slipped down her body, barely skimming her with his own, duller claws to grip her hips. He made no move to draw her closer. It was all her control, her choice. It wasn't precisely a gift on his part; they would neither one of them win in a struggle for control, and he respected her too much to even try. Besides, it was strangely... exhilarating, just to know he had no control here. His eyes closed and he drew in a breath at her nibbling caresses, though her words drew a genuine grin from him. "Funny... I think I'm right where I need to be." he murmured huskily. Worth it? It was worth it already.

-fade-