So this was Earth.
She stepped out of the pod into the cold night, damp grass crunching under her feet. It was quiet, but, maybe it wasn’t this quiet some three weeks ago. That was something she would never know, so there was no point dwelling on it.
Before her stood a massive concrete contraption, a compound that was was simple, but high tech and massive beyond comparison, even considering that it housed. She had heard about this before, but the description given to her did no justice. Given the recent events, she couldn’t be sure who she would encounter, but someone had given her the clearance to land on the side lawn.
And that person was Bruce, approaching her from an exit/entrance that she actually did not see. The gear she wore loosened a smidge when she saw him, a sign of relief that he was still there. With confirmation that he was alive, there was no doubt that was who sent her the proper coordinates.
“ Angry girl,” he said with a soft smile, gentle tone, and a hint of humor that could only belong to Bruce.
She welcomed his hug with a trembling hold, “ you’re a sight for sore eyes.” She held on for another moment, “ it’s so good to see you.”
“ Going to take more than a Titan snap to keep you away.”
“ Is he dead?”
This was not the time to beat around the bush and ignore the inevitable. She was certain that is why Bruce called her here in the first place.
He saw an obvious release of tension when he said ‘no.’ She backed out of the hold and while Bruce would never say it out loud, he did see her run the back of her fingers under her eyes.
“ Well,” she huffed, “ that’s good news.”
Bruce scratched the back of his neck, “ uh, yeah. Well, no, it defiantly is. He’s just not in great shape. Mentally...physically he is...but you know that.” She squinted her eyes with a quizzical snarl.
“ Ah well,” Bruce began to twiddle with his fingers, “ Loki is dead. I suppose there’s a chance he may....not be. And we...may not think it’s a bad thing, but, he does.”
She’d be lying if she admitted that she was elated over that news, but, the mewling quim was starting to grow on her.
“ There’s also the heavy and overwhelming guilt of the last few weeks. Although, I’m sure finding out you’re still alive is going to relieve some of that, I’m almost sure of it.”
Valkyrie gazed upon the contraption before her, “ well, it may take me another few weeks to find him in there.”
“ Ah, I can help with that,” the doctor turned on an angle, pointing, “ go in this door, there’s a staircase to the right, and then a smaller one to the left, and there’s a courtyard. He should be there...he was there last time I saw him, and he doesn’t sleep.”
She tugged on the shoulder of what is now her other worldly garments, “ this isn’t going to draw any attention?”
“ Uh, no, you have security clearance and I for-warned everyone, except him. And, once you meet Rocket, you’ll realize that you’re not going to stand out at all. There’s just no way.”
**********
Valkyrie followed directions and opened the glass door that led into the courtyard. The entire space was surrounded by the compound, with green and blue solar lights lined the small gardens and large blossom tree that was in the center. There was a quiet breeze that rustled the petals, but otherwise no other sound.
Thor was laying stretched out along a bench on the opposite side of where she had entered, his feet hanging off the edge- the bench was wide enough but barely long enough to sit him. Her closing the door was not enough to get his attention.
She stepped around to where he was, seeing that his eyes were closed, but knew for fact that he was not asleep. He wasn’t sleeping when she last saw him, and he certainly wasn’t doing it now.
Valkyrie nudged his foot with her shin, and he jolted upright in near attack mode, which suddenly decreased when he saw that it was. There was a brief moment where he tensed up and gathered his surroundings before standing and engulfing her in a hug so tight it forced the breath right out of her.
She stood on tiptoe for a better hold around his neck, hands gripping at the collar of the jacket he wore. Her nose pressed against the side of his neck- the smell was the same, just cleaner.
“ Glad to see you’re not dead,” she whispered, trying for a small giggle but getting some kind of muffled choke instead.
Thor arched over her to rest her forehead against her shoulder, giving her the opportunity to comb her fingers along the hair at the nape of his neck- something she loved to do and he loved having done.
“ Talk to me,” she whispered as though someone else was going to hear her, “ we have a lot to say, more-so now that we’re both alive.”
Perhaps she wasn’t the being he was closest to- especially given the occupants that were currently under the same roof as them- the four currently located Avengers, present company included. It would be safe to say that she was certainly the closest during most of the most recent events.
He finally separated from her, just enough to look down and see the outline of her face in the poor lightning. She could see his tired eyes. The warm smile she gave him possible could have scared him more.
“ Do you have a room here?”
**********
Thor held her hand as he led her through a maze of corners and hallways. All the doors they passed were closed, and they didn’t encounter another soul. His room seemed to be the furthest, and if she had to find her way back, she’d be doomed.
The bedroom they finally reached was sleek and neutral, not a single element in there would have given a clue that Thor had been staying there- not even an unmade bed.
“ It’s nice,” she commented while surveying the surroundings, “ beats the hell out of a ship that smelled like...whatever that was suppose to be.”
“ Ship’s gone,” he mumbled.
The corner of Valkyrie’s mouth tweaked, proud that she had finally gotten a word out of him.
“ I figured that was a given.” She stood behind him, pulling the heavy coat from his shoulders before dropping it onto the back of a nearby chair. Underneath, he wore a gray t-shirt that very much under toned the armor she usually saw him in, not to mention in comparison to the get up she had on.
There were burn marks and dark red scrapes on the back of his arms and some visible at his neck- all in the healing process, but without a doubt fresh. She pressed her forehead against the center of his back.
“ Talk to me, please”
The silence was near deafening, she could hear the insects on the other side of the wall. His chest expanded with a deep breath, and she could feel the strain and hesitation of what she was going to say next.
“ I could have gotten you killed. I almost got you killed.”
“ Excuse yourself,” she gripped his elbow, swinging herself around to stand before him, “ you listen to me. You are the reason I am still alive, only you, okay?” The tips of her fingers reached up to touch under the now hazel eye he seemed to have obtained, “ don’t you dare believe otherwise.”
Without doubt, he was going to try.
“ I was reckless, I put everyone in danger.”
Valkyrie noticed that he began to sway and his hands shake. She was quick to have him stumble towards a loveseat that stood at the end of the bed and plopped him down on it. He went without any protest, leaning over to rest on his thighs. She lowered herself to her knees and shuffled to settle between his.
“ You didn’t know this was going to happen, you had no way to know Thanos was going to bombard us, how could you? You did everything you possibly could to get as many people as possible off that ship. You actually threw me over your shoulder, while I was screaming at you, and forced me into the escape pod. I am alive because of you.”
Thor covered his face with his hands, “ you bit my arm.”
“ And with that kind of behavior, I would have gotten myself killed,” her hand came to lay on the top of his denim covered thigh, “ I thought I could take on Thanos, and you knew that I couldn’t.”
“ I...thought I could,too.”
She straightened herself enough to rest her hands on his shoulders. He was warm and stiff, his chest pressed against hers with each labored breath he struggled to take. One hand traveled down the collar of his shirt, brushing over raised, coarse skin that made him flinch.
“ Thor, what is this?” She attempted to get a better look at what it was she was touching, but the only light in the room was a soft lamp in the corner.
So, she went the other way, and pushed up the hem of the garment, he wiggled and jerked in a weak attempt to stop her, but she managed to get it off. There was red, angry and scabbing skin that covered the width of his back and crawling up to his shoulders, with some areas blackened though mid- healing.
“ What happened,” she whispered, her fingers lightly grazing over one the scabs, which made him twitch again as she kept exploring, “ Thor, what happened to you?”
The muscles clenched under her touch.
“ I had to hold up the forge on Nidavellir, wake the dying star,” he mumbled, “ for Stormbreaker.”
“ What’s that?”
He gestured behind her, and she turned at the waist to see a large axe with a handle made of bark leaning against the wall next to an unused desk. Maybe there was something in the room that would give away that he was living in that room.
“ I went there with Tree and Rabbit, I was to use it to kill him.”
“ Thanos?”
“ Yeah.”
Her grip remained tight on his shirt to stop him from moving.
“ Have you cleaned these wounds at all?”
“ No.”
“ You need to.”
“ It’s fine.”
Valkyrie eyed the bathroom door to his left and brought herself to her feet. “ Come on then,” she held out her hand, but he wouldn’t budge, he wouldn’t even look at her. She took hold of his hand, running her thumb along his.
“ It’s just me, Thor.”
When she was close enough, his head rested on her armor clad ribcage.
“ When did you sleep last?”
He let out a sharp puff air, “ with you.”
Now, her math was not solid, especially given the shock from recent events, but that had to be going on three weeks. In addition, the dirt and grime and guilt that caked his body was also indication enough that he hadn’t had a shower. She was not here to judge.
“ Come on,” she tugged at his hand, “ get up, let’s go.”
“ I’m fine,” he mumbled again.
“ You may be able to fool the terrains out there, but hardly a chance with me.”
He gave in and pulled himself to his feet with the help of her relentless yanking. He followed her to the bathroom, which was near blinding once the light had been switched on. Floor to ceiling white tile, neutral accents and sleek fixtures- far cry from the facilities aboard the Grandmaster’s ship.
To be honest, they probably shouldn’t have stood barefoot in it.
Not this shower, this bathroom was clear enough to perform surgical procedures, not that that was on the agenda. There was a jacuzzi tub in the corner, but the oversized shower was in the center, surrounded by opaque glass walls.
Valkyrie reached behind her neck to unfasten the clip of her armor before removing it from her body, followed by the various zippers and smaller clips. The layers piled on the floor at her feet, until there was nothing more to remove. It was then that she realized that Thor was kind of just standing there.
“ I’m not the only one getting in there naked,” she said with a it of a smirk in her voice.
“ Right.”
He pulled his shirt over his head, only revealing more damage from the last few weeks that had made it onto his body. He struggled with his belt until she pushed his hands aside to unfasten it as well as the button to his jeans.
“ It’s nothing either of us haven’t seen before.”
That much was true.
Valkyrie reached into the shower, turning the faucet handle, finding success on the second of the many handles she tried, and the water fell like rain from the large shower head above. She held her hand under the spray until it grew hot enough before stepping inside. An equally naked Thor followed her, closing the door behind him.
The shower could have fit everyone in the compound, but they stayed within close quarters as the water grew hot. When he looked down at her, it blocked the water from falling on to her face, and she knew what she saw.
“ It’s just me,” she reached up to stroke his scruffy jawline, “ what’s going on?”
He kissed the spot between her eyebrows and she bumped her nose against hers. Between Thanos invading the refugee ship, the battle he fought on Midgard (she was still needing the details on that one), and the snap (they were all missing details there), she wasn’t sure she would have ever gotten this moment. And then she would have continued a a life of regret knowing that her last words to him were out of range, for her dragging her to the escape vessel to do exactly what he did- to ave her life.
The water trickled over either side of her, she steeped closer to rest her head on his chest- because she liked it- and her hair was becoming more and more wet to plaster itself on her back. Their lungs filled with thick steam that encased the glass walls that separated them from anything else.
He still hadn’t spoken and while she understood, she had no intentions of leaving him alone anytime soon.
“ Turn around,” she could barely be heard over the sound of the water.
He followed directions and she reached for a bottle of body wash from the shelf behind her. A fair amount was squeeze into her palm before rubbing her hands together before ever so gently laying them on the abused skin of his shoulders. There was a brief flinch, but he otherwise didn’t interfere.
There was a little smirk at the idea of the God of Thunder being lathered with a soap that smelled of fruit and flowers. The soap aboard the refugee ship smelled like bad life choices and musk, so, it can be agreed that this was much better. She let the suds rinse from his skin and turned him around to give the same attention to his chest, but he stopped her.
“ I’m clean,” she felt the rumble of his voice vibrating inside him. She nodded, and was quick to wash herself, his rough hands returning the gesture to wash her own back after sweeping her hair out of the way. The suds that caked his hands did nothing for the callouses against her soft skin of her shoulders, and that was a welcomed feeling for her aching and tired body.
It was Thor who eventually mustered the courage to turn off the water before opening the door and reaching for the towel rack on the other side of the glass. He draped a plush white towel over her shoulders before wrapping one around his waist. When they both stepped out of the shower, the cold air biting their skin, Valkyrie looked down at the pile of her armored clothing that laid on the floor and now, with clean skin, realized how infested they were with grime and bad memories.
“ I guess I didn’t factor in a shower when packing up the pod.”
Thor took notice as well, “ oh, wait just a moment.”
He dipped out of the bathroom, giving her a moment to squeeze the excess water from her hair into the towel. She heard the rustling of drawer in the bedroom, and returned with a pile of clothing in hand.
Valkyrie smirked, “ the God of Thunder with Midgard clothing.” She was so desperate for a laugh, a smile, anything. Just something to show her that the Thor she knew was in there.
“ They were kept here...I suppose in the event that I came to visit. There was a room set up for all of us. But, if this won’t work, I can go ask Natasha.”
She waved her hand to stop him, “ don’t be silly, no need to wake her.”
“ She’s probably sleeping in Steve’s bed.”
Her eyebrow arched out of curiosity, and assured that she would be fine. While he returned to the bedroom, assumingely to dress himself, she finished drying off and pulled a white ribbed tank top and a black t-shirt from the top of the pile. She swam in the garments that went down to her knees, and stepped into a pair of green cotton boxer shorts that she had to roll several times so it would fit on her hips. There was no reason to suspect that there would be a pair of women’s undergarments in that room, and she sure as hell was not putting hers back on. She was soft, clean and grateful.
Thor was pulling on a, hopefully clean, grey shirt that fit him much better, as did the green and black checkered flannel pants. Then he stood there waiting, like he had to be given instructions and she saw him beginning to falter.
“ I think it’s safe to say we’ve both had long days.” She jerked her head towards the bed that was just waiting for them.
She plopped onto the plush duvet, landing on her knees, crawling her way to the other side of the bed. The bed was massive by any account, and almost reached the window on the other side, and she only scooted over enough to give him enough room. Thor pulled back the corner of the layers of covers, allowing her to shift her way underneath before joining her.
The bed was soft and the sheets were crisp, instantly soothing almost all her aches. She was near sleeping on the floor when Sakaar was home. And the accommodations on the ship were cramped, and they each had their air share of bruises from the others elbows and kneecaps.
Despite the acres they had, she stayed close after he was settled under the covers with her. They both wiggled closer to each other until she landed curled against his side and that arm was around her.
Midgard clothing did nothing to encase the warmth his body could relentlessly provided. She missed it, even though she didn’t have it for very long, but feared she would have never had it again.
Her nose pressed against the fabric of his shirt. It smelled clean, but also like him-not to say that he didn’t smell clean. Her hand swiftly made it under the fabric, along the hard lines of his abdomen, feeling the deep breath he was working on. Each half inch her hand moved, his moved further down her lower back, the tops of his fingers approaching the arch of her bottom.
Eh, fuck it, they both almost died multiple times in the last few weeks.
Valkyrie pushed herself off of the mattress and swung her legs over his hip, landing in his lap. Before his hands could grasp her hips, she had them pinned down on either side of his head. She made sure to brush her nose against his - because he liked that- before using his teeth to pull his bottom lip between her own.
Once her tongue coaxed its way into his mouth, Thor let go of a sigh so forceful it could be felt in his whole body. He practically deflated, she cold feel the ease under her legs. This was the victory she sought, the wall she wanted to get through, to get back where she was before.
Valkyrie broke free only long enough for a deep breath before kissing him again. One hand was released and it immediately went to hold the back of her though. When the second was freed, it was on the small of her back, holding her in place in order to sit up straight- a swift move that elicited a sharp gasp from her as she landed on the top of his thighs.
When she leaned back, he tried to follow, panting and watching as she clutched at the bottom of his shirt- the shirt he shouldn’t have put on to begin with. It was off swiftly and with no assistance from him. Hers was next, leaving her only in the borrowed shorts and tank top.
He tried to say her name before her mouth was on him again, which was more than welcoming. The weight of her on him and the warmth of her skin touching his again, after weeks of uncertainty and loneliness. He began to tense up again, and he jerked backwards. His head dropped down and he gasped for air, but it wasn’t because of her.
“ Hey, hey, hey,” she cooed, hands reaching under his chin, the pads of her thumbs stroking his cheek.
“ I’m sorry,” he whispered, she could hear the pending crack in his words, “ I’m so sorry.”
“ For what? You have nothing to be...”
She stoped to make sure she was properly hearing what she thought she just heard- he was crying.
“ Oh, Thor, darling.”
She tugged him the best she could as she pushed herself closer to him, pressing her knees against his hips, and lifted her his head to rest it on her shoulder. The beard, although shorter than the last time she saw him, tickled her neck.
The room had come to a calm. Her hand stroked the back of his neck, the tips of her nails gently scratching his hairline, the other hand splayed across the rigid skin of his back.
“ No, get it out, please,” she whispered ad she could sense that he was trying to stop himself.
He obeyed the request, sobbing into the crook of her neck, his own hands finding her lower back, the immediate heat from him made her eyes close. They had an agreement, that she liked when he touched her, but they weren’t going to be admitting that aloud. That was before.
“ Talk to me, please. It’s just me, no one else.”
There’d be no debate that Valkyrie wasn’t his most tenured companion in all the realms. Heck, she wasn’t even the most tenured under the roof tonight. But she would argue to anyone that would claim they could get through to him the same way she could. She was also the person that was sleeping with him on a somewhat regular basis.
An overwhelming wave of guilt overcame her. Here was the King of Asgard, one of the (original) Avengers, someone who went through more turmoil in the time that she last saw him than anyone should in a hundred lifetimes. There was no room for him to break loose, reveal any kind of feeling or weakness, be the one that needed taking care of. She watched him when they first boarded the refugee ship and he watched their home be destroyed. She watched as he had closed his eyes (well, eye at the time), trying to absorb all that had happened but not let there be a single sign of the struggle.
She would have approached him at the time, especially when they started sharing a bed. Instead, Thanos showed up and she was gone.
Thor pulled himself away from her, she allowed, and cold still feel the warmth that was radiating off him. HIs eyes had grown red and a little puffy, and he wouldn’t look at her with them.
“ I feel...like I can’t catch my breath.”
Valkyrie released her hold on him and slid off his lap.
“ I didn’t mean...like that.”
“ You need to understand that this is not your fault. It isn’t. Asgard is the people and because of you, there are still people.”
He sniffled and crouched forward, “ how many are even left? I’m the reason half of them are gone, not for those who survived.”
“ Thor...”
“ This is my fault, it was a chain reaction. It was my idea to release Surtur on Asgard, and that is when Loki had his chance to take the tesseract, and THAT is how Thanos found us. That is how all this happened, because of a stupid mistake that I made.”
It was amusing how ridiculous his thought process was, clearly the result of tremendous stress. But, it was serious to him, and that is how it had to be handled.
“ Thanos had to have been plotting this for years, he had to have been. This was going to happen with or without Loki’s antics.”
A shaken breath escaped him, he was falling apart.
Valkyrie positioned herself on her knees, laying her hand on his shoulder and highly encouraging him to lay down- surely he had the strength to stop her, but it wasn’t used. She went with him, landing against his side, with his arm behind her again.
“ I had the chance, and I destroyed that, too.”
She snuggled in closer, “ I have made the decision, on behalf of Asgardian royalty, that you are no responsible for this.”
Her hand laid over his abdomen, her fingers lightly gliding over the muscles, allowing her to feel his breathing becoming longer and more drawn out. There was a moment or two, and she thought perhaps he was at the verge of falling asleep, which was something he needed more than anything she could provide.
“ I had him. I had Stormbreaker in his chest,” she looked up and saw that his eyes were half closed, fingers playing with a piece of her damp hair that had made its way near his shoulder. “ It wasn’t enough, it didn’t stop him. I didn’t go for the head, he even pointed that out. Wasn’t even smart enough to go for the arm where he was wearing the damn gauntlet.”
Valkyrie curled her leg over his.
“ You wear the weight of the realms on your shoulders, but you are not the only one who is to take the burden. You did what you had to do, and the best you could do given.”
“ Wasn’t enough,” he mumbled, becoming less and less coherent, losing the war against himself.
“ You’re more than.”
“ Rabbit knows where he is.”
“ Where who is? What rabbit?”
He loosely twirled another piece of hair, “ Thanos. He’s hiding, and we know where.”
Valkyrie’s head popped up, nearly tearing her hair from his fingers, “ you are in no condition for this right now.”
“ I am fine, and he needs to die.”
“ That may be, but you are not in the right frame of your own mind for this right now.”
“ And what makes you think that?”
She flipped onto her stomach, propping herself on both elbows, “ Thor, you are stronger than you may ever even believe, but this is battle fatigue.” He had woken up just a bit, watching her, “ I know you’re angry and that you want revenge, but not now. This is a panic reaction.”
The corner of his mouth curled, as it usually did whenever he would attempt to outwit her, “ but it’s not just me, no, we have the other Avengers. They’re still a big deal down here.”
“ You don’t know where two of them are!”
“ We’re pretty sure we know where Clint is.”
She pushed herself to stand a little higher, “ we many not seem like the lucky ones, but we are. I have you, and you have me, and maybe that’s the best we can hope for right now.” She twitched her nose to keep her eyes from watering, “ I came all this way, don’t leave me here.”
“ Then come with us. A warrior like you is more than needed.”
“ The hell I will.”
There was a flash of bright light that came tearing through the room, adding a blue hue to her soft features. A crash of thunder followed seconds later.
“ That you?”
He replied with a small snort, “ no.”
She lowered herself back onto the bed, giving a peck to his shoulder before resting her head on it.
“ I worry about you, and not because there’s a chance I love you, but because you’re the only person in the universe that I can still stand.”
“ Nothing has come close to killing me in hundreds of years.”
“ Well, then you’re overdue.”
Exhaustion was getting the best of them, and given the comfort neither of them were sure they’d have that night, sleep was coming too easily. The light strokes he ran along her back began to slow, and her hold on him was weakening, but she still held on. The storm continued to roll in outside .
“ Promise me you’ll sleep on it,” she whispered.
There was a minute or so of silence, and just before she finally drifted away.
“ You have my word.”
**********
She awoke hours later to the familiar sounds of a ship’s engine in the distance, though certainly not the pd she had arrived in, this was much more powerful. It was still dark, but there was enough lighting from the windows that she could see the bed next to her was empty. The door to the room was still closed, and the bathroom light was not on.
Her head slammed into the pillow that was still warm from him, and tears began to fill her eyes.
“ You idiot, “ she cried.