InsaneJournal

Who: The Revengers
When: At some point Saturday
What: Bleedoverrrr
Rating/Warning: Green. Infinity War Spoilers!



Half. That was Thanos' decree. Half of all the people there would be allowed to escape if within the allotted time limit. Loki knew that the others would be culled, but those of Asgard would not lay down quietly to die. They would die with a blade in hand, so as to earn a place in Valhalla.

It had been hard enough task to tell Thor, Hulk, Valkyrie, and Heimdall of his past ties to Thanos and who this was that was confronting them. It was harder still to bear witness to the decisions on who was to stay and who to go, of families choosing to send away mothers or children. And even more difficult while bearing the knowledge that he was hiding a terrible secret. One that might possibly kill many more people if Thanos got ahold of it. One that he had kept locked up while under the guise of Odin, and left carefully guarded for four years without ever once using it.

Naturally, Heimdall and Thor refused to leave. Hulk was not going to leave either, at the prospect of a fight. If Thor was going to have a chance to live, Loki knew he possessed the one thing that Thanos was there for. It would be a bartering chip if all else went wrong, even with Thor's vastly improved powers.

It wouldn't save everyone left behind. Thanos wouldn't suffer that half to live. It was his way. He spent too much time learning and lying to save his neck while in the Mad Titan's lair. He knew his methods. It was all about balance.

Time was running out to depart, while the departing was good. And since none of them were willing to leave, Loki found himself staring over at the last Valkyrie. Their most capable and eldest warrior. If anyone was going to be industrious enough to care for the remains of Asgard, surely it would be her.

"Far be it for me to do so, but if I might make a suggestion," asked Loki, clasping his hands so tightly that there was no wringing or fidgeting of his fingers to be seen. He looked from his brother to the rest each in turn, waiting to see if they would listen to what he had to say.

--
The Hulk was more verbose as a Revenger than he had in all the years as an Avenger but at the prospect of Thanos coming he was strangely quiet, especially as it became clear that some of the Asgardians would need to leave before Thanos arrived.

It wasn’t his place to speak.

As Loki spoke Hulk huffed out a breath and turned his head to rest his gaze on the not-as-puny-but-still-quite-puny-God and waited, eyebrow lifted.

--
Thor took a deep breath in. A great amount of information had been spilled and he was still processing all of it. Half. He had to sacrifice half of his people, willingly. Was it the price to pay? He had no say in it; it was either half of his people or all of them and was there really anything worth such a sacrifice? He could feel an anger stewing in him; at Thanos, at Loki for not speaking of this sooner. At himself for allowing such a thing to happen.

He rubbed his hand over his head and looked around. Of his people, he knew Heimdall would remain by his side. He hoped Loki would stay but at the same time he hoped that if he were to suggest Loki go with their people that he would be in a position to protect them, rebuild should the worst happen.

It was an impossible situation. His eye moved over the assembled folk, the people that he held dear to him and he let out a breath.

“I-” How could he make this decision? “I would rather that as many as possible flee. And-” It was hard for him to say because he knew it would not be a popular decision but he set his jaw, got to his feet. “Valkyrie,” he approached her, standing in front of the formidable warrior and a woman who had quickly won his respect. “Please,” he added softly, “protect the last of our people?”

He glanced at Loki, “Did you have an alternative suggestion, brother?”

--
"No. That was the very same suggestion I was about to make."

After that, Loki shook his head slowly. For once, his silver tongue really did seem to turn to lead. His own choice was made, and he would remain. He glanced at Valkyrie and quickly looked away.

--
Valkyrie had disbelief well etched into her face. This was no nightmare, and she had faced same or worse, but never where the numbers mattered as much as they did now and some murderous grape was forcing them to choose to keep half or none at all. Her heart was racing as she listened to the conversation between the brothers with her throat dry and sweat dripping down her brow. Every fiber of her being screamed for her to take action, take the fight to them, show them just what happened when Valhalla wasn't the place a Valkyrie wanted to take a fighter.

But she didn't follow her own lead anymore, and Thor wasn't fighting. It was time to approach things with their minds instead of their muscles even if any outcome would be preposterous. The better of two evils was still evil incarnate after all.

She braced herself for Loki's suggestion when it was Thor who asked something of her. And lo and behold, like refracted sunlight or light poles, the unique occasion came where Loki and Thor were in agreement. Valkyrie only wished it wasn't about her leaving them. As soon as Thor started speaking, Valkyrie began shaking her head, a pleading look in her eye. It was easy to rationalize it as taking orders, but these were hard to take. There were a million reasons why, too.

"Thor, I don't- don't make me do this. I don't deserve to live any more than any of you, I cannot protect them alone and I cannot leave you to die!" She looked to all three of them. But she had nothing else to say because of course any decision had to be painful, any choice was the wrong one. Who was she to refuse? But there were reasons. "I don't mind staying. You're the king, he's the prince, and he's well over the average of intelligence and strength of most beings, you're all needed, I'm... I can buy you time in case that thing changes its mind!"

--
"He will not change his mind." Loki did not even see fit to look over at her, yet he spoke plainly. There was no reason to convince anyone of anything further. It simply was. He would save his sweet talk to try to fool Thanos, if he was able to. "There is no more time left to be bought."

--
The Hulk’s eyebrows drew together when Thor approached ‘angry-girl’ and told her to take her to protect the last of their people. “ANGRY GIRL IMPORTANT TOO,” he pointed out in response to her self-deprecating comment. “NOT JUST US THAT MATTER.”

It was that simple to him, her life was just as if not more important.

“GOTTA LOOK OUT FOR YOUR PEOPLE,” he said with a shrug though his expression spoke of the sorrow he felt at the idea of being separated.

--
“Hulk’s right,” Thor said softly, reaching out and touching Val’s shoulder. He met her eyes with his own, sincere and somewhere approaching pleading but not quite. “Val, please- I need to know that you’ll be there to protect them. There is no one I would trust more with this. Asgard is a people,” he told her. “They will remain a people without me, or Loki. But they need someone to protect them. We can try and protect th-” It felt so wrong on his tongue, bile crawling up the back of his throat, “those that remain,” he finished. “But I will fight harder knowing that those who have escaped have you watching over them until we all meet again.”

He wet his lower lip. “Please, Val, we don’t have any more time.”

--
Back when her Sisters had all died at the hands of Hela and her Undead, it was sudden, in the heat of battle, there was no time to think. Despite it all and the trauma Val still carried with her to this day, it felt more palatable than this rushed yet drawn out hurtle towards doom. She wanted to scream at Loki that it wasn't that simple, you couldn't pull a switch and leave comrades to die, but he knew that, surely. That was why he wasn't looking at her as he spoke. It was like he was the one leaving her to die, and Valkyrie didn't understand. Valkyrie's expression was still that of someone willing to beg, but she rubbed the Big Guy's arm in acknowledgement and gratitude when he spoke to her.

As for Thor, Valkyrie faced him while wiping a stray tear. It didn't shame her because there was no more cause for shame at the end of things, no time for it either. She put her hand over the one he had on her shoulder, and her stomach churned as it was his turn to plead with her. Once again, as he spoke, she thought of the sheer number of people who would be staying, possibly be sacrificed for a madman's obsession with balance. Val grunted inwardly, raking her nails over her hair.

She couldn't find the words for a moment, and inhaled deeply. He was wrong, she wanted to say, about how capable she was of protecting a whole people. But he didn't need to hear that now. If anything he needed to know his trust wasn't misplaced, it didn't matter what she thought. Bowing, she touched a closed fist to her chest. "I'll do what I can. I will protect them with my life, again and again. Asgard will go on."

The vow would have sounded better had her voice not been trembling through every word, but Valkyrie had long ago ceased to do things perfectly anyway.

--
Another individual who couldn't find any words was Loki. He was chancing glances over at Valkyrie, seeming as though he was going to linger in the background like a shadow. Instead, he moved in with silent steps, his expression softening slightly from the expression of cunning and aloofness he usually wore.

"Pray, take our gratitude and well wishes with you," he said in a hushed voice, and there was no hidden meaning behind his words. It was sincere. "Know that if there is a way we are able to find you, we will do so. If we do not, then they will look to you for protection and support. For now, you must depart, and do so swiftly. Time grows short, noble Valkyrie, and Thanos will not wait."

He gave her a faint smile and single nod of his head to bid her farewell. It felt sorely lacking, but he didn't know what more to do, and didn't trust himself to say or do more than that.

--
The Asgardians spoke in ways that made Hulk’s head hurt. Bruce’s? Not so much, but definitely the Hulk. He was after all a simple creature for the most part, he said what he felt in short succinct sentences. “HULK MISS ANGRY GIRL,” he shared as he reached out to nudge her. “BUT GOOD LEAVING. KEEP PEOPLE SAFE. FIGHT ANOTHER DAY.”

And that was something both Hulk and Bruce could agree on.

“HULK HOPE TO SEE YOU AGAIN.”

--
“Thank you,” Thor said, because Loki had offered the prayers and gratitude, Hulk had offered the sentiment that he himself would have said. He squeezed her shoulder and withdrew, squaring his shoulders for what was inevitably coming. “Now go, take everyone with you that you can. We will see each other again, Valkyrie. So keep our people safe until that time.”

It may just have been them standing there, but Thor spoke with the confidence of a man who refused to believe anything else because he physically couldn’t. He had to believe they would all come out of this, that they would see each other again. There was no other way; Fate had plans for him, for all of them.

He stepped back from her fully, joining those that were remaining.

“Until we meet again, Valkyrie.”

--
Valkyrie swallowed her tears again and nodded, forcing a half smile at Loki. She didn't want to say it, but the chance of them seeing each other ever again was too slim for her to hope. Somehow, the Hulk's goodbye made her feel even worse. Valkyrie's cheeks were red with her efforts not to show too much emotion. She tapped his arm. "Me too, Big Guy."

In the face of her king Valkyrie only knotted her brow, already getting herself into gear. Gather anyone, shove them into the ship, fly away. Fast. No questions, no pauses. She didn't even know how long she should keep them flying until it was safe. It was probably never safe again.

As Thor stepped back, Valkyrie felt a weight in her stomach that sickened her, and in response she hardened herself, squaring her shoulders as he did. With one last wry smile, Val dropped her arm.

"It's Brunnhilde." She stepped out of the room, hand hovering over the button to close the door. Her jaw hurt with how tightly she pressed it together, and her eyes were prickling. Without another word she let her eyes hover over them all, nodded, and then pushed the button.

Now, to save a people.