InsaneJournal

Who: Valkyrie, Thor
What: Reunion time!! Neither of them are dead which is a good thing.
When: After her reunion with Loki and before Thor/Loki's talk.
Rating/Warnings: Greenish yellow, she's always drinking.


Valkyrie had been in the Asgardian warehouse less than a hot minute before she began searching. If there was anything that could get her through this... very weird episode- it would be alcohol. She could still feel the panic and terror flowing through her veins both from having to leave her friends behind on a ship she wasn't sure she would ever see again and having to suddenly become the leader and protector of an entire body of people. But those people were somewhere else now and her friends were apparently here, and alive, and Val was having a bit of a time trying to process what exactly was happening.

Pushing one of the nearby steel doors open, she stepped into an open room and there before her was her King. Twiddling away on some device in his hands. "T-Thor?" She stuttered out, squinting before rushing forward to throw her arms around his neck as he rose to his feet. She wasn't very prone to these affectionate actions but considering all that they'd been through... she could put the walls down this once and embrace her friend.

Thor had been updating his Instagram in their informal dining room when he heard his name come from a familiar voice -- a voice he'd thought lost. "Valkyrie?" He stood up hurriedly, in time to catch her and pull her close for a hug, phone still in one hand. "Is it really you? Are you here in Midgard?" He pulled away, eyes wide as he searched her face, arms still gripped tightly by him. " And our people? Have they survived? Please tell me you did right by them and stepped in for me."

It was a moment she had been itching for since the second the doors closed her off from him and her other friends. She had felt terrible guilt, leaving her friends to face such a monster without her. But here was her king, once again near to her. "As far as I can tell, I'm me." She looked down, gesturing at herself before looking up at him with a small smile. "They're safe, of course. I set the ship down on the nearest planet I knew was friendly. Was trying to figure out how to find you when I... ended up here." Her eyes raked over him, searching for any sign of distress. "You're okay?"

Thor sagged in relief at Valkyrie's words. A great weight lifted off his shoulders and he found himself having to sit down again. He put his hand in his hands and breathed raggedly for a few moments before looking back at her, his eyes glistening with tears. " You have no idea..." His voice cracked and he had to clear his throat. "I will forever be in your debt. Thank you for watching over them. I've been stranded here, unable to leave this planet, yet you and our people were never far from my mind."

It was a few moments before he was able to speak again. "This news....truly, it does me good. I am more than okay. Im fantastic."

She felt his mood shift immediately, helping him sit before kneeling in front of him, one of her hands coming to rest on his forearm. She felt her chest tighten slightly when he met her eyes again, the evidence of tears clear. "Thor..." Her voice was soft before she reached up, cupping the side of his face protectively. "You did well." The absence of that sentence in both his and Loki's lives was all too clear to anyone that spent more than a minute with them. "You were right to send us away. They're safe and there wouldn't have even been anyone to save if you hadn't acted so quickly." Her brow was furrowed as she saw how much the worry had truly been weighing on him. "You owe me nothing. I'd do it again in a heartbeat." There was very little she wouldn't do if Thor asked it of her, and she wondered if he knew that.

She paused, cocking her head to the side. "Well on second thought, you owe me a drink." A smile spread over her features as she chuckled. "Assuming there is something on this planet I will be satisfied with."

Thor gave a choked laugh at that, leaning into the touch before taking a deep breath. When was the last time someone took such liberties with him? He couldn't remember. For a moment, he wished it was Jane, but his best friend's touch was more than appropriate. "Come. I have hidden away some Asgardian wine for such an occasion that was worthy. I believe this is such a time."

Standing up, he smiled and motioned her to follow. A staircase later, they were in his quarters. "Don't mind the mess," he said, heading to his closet. "I tend to forget I no longer have servants."

For a split second, she let her fondness cross her face. How long had he been feeling such turmoil? She was surprised this city saw the sun at all with the waves of tension she felt coming from him. She'd have to figure out how to fix that. Snapping back, she smiled softly as she stood, nodding along with him. "Good thing, I'm not sure I could function much longer." It had been a long time since she had spent a prolonged amount of time sober. While she appreciated Thor whipping her back into shape and reminding her there were more important things than her own guilt... there was still a lot of guilt and shame she felt in her core and nothing seemed to shake it.

She followed him, pausing in the doorway of his room to look around before letting one of her eyebrows raise up. "You call this a mess?" He had seen her quarters on Sakaar when she'd revealed her capture of Loki and wondered what he must have thought of her then. "This is nothing." She waved her hand as if it meant nothing. "Although I can't imagine Loki's let you live it down much..."

"No," Thor responded, popping out of the closet, bottle in hand. "He keeps threatening a maid service but I've started to grow accustomed to taking care of myself." Looking around, he realized he didn't have any cups. With a shrug, he popped the lid and took a decent swig.

The fire burnt right down, and he sighed happily. "You won't believe what passes for alcohol on this planet. It has been ages since I allowed myself a chance to truly drink." He frowned slightly, remembering how long it took to get her sober before. Feeling a little guilty that he was so quick to let her relapse, he hesitated before continuing. "Will you be able to stop once you start?"

Val's lips pressed together tightly as she suppressed a laugh. The thought of Thor coming home to a spotless room with Loki going 'Tada!!!' was too good. She cocked her head to the side, having never actually seen him drink and gave an approving nod. Not too bad. Reaching her hand out, she felt him hesitate and looked up at him knowingly. Would she be able to? Probably not. Would she tell him that? Absolutely not. "I'll be fine, Your Highness." With a cheeky smirk she grabbed the bottle and took a couple deep swallows, letting her eyes close as the warmth travelled all the way down to her fingertips. "Oh that is good."

She walked a few feet away, scooting a few loosely discarded clothes from a chair before plopping down and gesturing up at him. "So what have I missed? Is my big green buddy around anywhere or just the skinny smartass one?" Thor shook his head. Leaning against the wall, he crossed his arms in front of his chest. "No, Banner has not arrived yet, which is a pity. Others are here, most you will not know. They are a good group though, and I am honoured to call them my friends."

A chirp came from his phone, and caught his attention. Picking it up, he gave a little grin, as he read a message and sent one in response. "Jane," he said, pointing to the phone. He had an almost apologetic look on his face, like he already knew his mind was going to be more distracted. There was a quick back and forth of messages before he cleared his throat. "That was rude. I'm sorry. Where are you going to stay?"

It was a real disappointment to hear the Hulk and Bruce were not around and she did little to hide it. If there was anyone she'd want as much as Thor, it would be them. She was still working out how exactly the them worked but whatever. "Well anyone you call a friend, I shall too." She took another long swig, watching him interact with his phone. Her chest gave a slight pang before she took another drink and stood, not wanting to make herself a nuisance. "Oh please, I'm... maybe the rudest person you know. Depends on Loki's mood on whatever given day. But that's beside the point." She chuckled before drinking again, not even bothering to savor the taste now. "I was gonna set up somewhere around here... haven't quite figure it out yet." She shrugged, as long as I'm around where I'm needed I'll be fine."

She tapped the top of his phone pointedly and smirked. "You wanna talk about this because there are sparks coming off of you and I don't mean the lightning. You get your midgard girlfriend back or what?"

He gave a half-smile, like he was embarrassed. It was difficult for him to open up, even to someone who he considered his best friend. What did he even say? What was there to say? "We're just friends," he said, sticking to the standard answer.

It felt like he said that sentence a lot these days. And this was Val.

He sighed. "I wish it wasn't so. It's...incredibly complicated though. Instead, let's discus your living arrangements. You'll stay here of course. Not here here," he quickly added. "We have guest rooms."

As it tended too whenever she was suspicious, Val's eyebrow shot up. "Don't try and change the subject, Kingo." She took another swig from her bottle before continuing. "Let me give you some advice... and please... trust me on this one. Tell her how you feel before you don't have the chance. Because one minute you're fighting a battle together and the next she's sacrificing her life for you and it's gone forever, poof. No more second chances." She snapped her fingers, an odd sensation flowing through her as she did, before turning to walk back out of his room. She knew if he could see her face, he'd question that very specific example but she wasn't equipped to deal with that type of discussion right now.

"You too?" He called, watching her walk away. Everyone kept saying to grasp the moment, but what if there was no moment? Just because he still loved Jane as much as he ever had didn't mean she did as well.

He stayed there for a moment longer before shaking his head and jogging to catch up to her.

"Can we please talk about something else other than my love life? It's really starting to get depressing. Why don't you tell me what's been going on for you?"

His 'you too?' moment made Val chuckle. Clearly he was getting good advice from all sides and was just too stubborn to take it. Not a surprise. She'd seen how thick headed he could be and it would probably be a few more of these conversations before he actually took any of her advice, no matter how brilliant it was.

"That's love, big guy." She said, gesturing openly before taking another swig of her drink. "Depressing." Maybe she wasn't exactly the best person to talk to about relationship issues.

"Well Korg and I were trying to figure out a way to find you when... poof!" She looked around her, shivering momentarily before looking back at him. "Unless you mean what's happened in my love life, in which case, it doesn't and will never exist again." She nodded, as if finalizing her comment before holding up her bottle and frowning. "There is definitely not enough of this."

"No, there really isn't." Thor tried to sound apologetic. Soon enough she'd discover a liquor store, and find exactly how much Midgardian liquor an Asgardian could drink. "Come. Let me show you where you can stay."

He motioned down the same hall they came down, and talked as he walked. "I'll speak with my mother and brother, of course. I highly doubt there will be any complaints. Loki still thinks highly of you." he dropped his voice conspiratorially. "Not many people can capture him and survive, you know."

Entering the room, he motioned around. "Change it however you like. It's yours. You're home now."Setting his bottle down on the chair, she made her way with him. Under normal circumstance she would have taken it but it was his, and it would be too selfish of her to try to keep what was left from him.

"Wait... your mother? Is here?" It had been ages since she'd been in the presence of the All Mother and while her loyalty to Odin had faltered, Frigga had done nothing to her. That meeting would definitely make her nervous. But in the next second, she couldn't help but laugh. Her fight with Loki had been... life changing to say the least. While she had come to appreciate what he had done to her, it still didn't change the fact that sometimes he deserved a pop in the nose. Or maybe five. "Well if he steps out of line, I'll happily do it again." She winked up at her king before stepping over the threshold of her new home. "Thank you," she said softly. It had been a long while since she'd felt really at home but even with just this gesture she truly felt like she was. Like she had a bit of a family again.

"If it makes you feel any better, give it a week and my place will look as bad as yours."

Thor shook his head with a grin. Even in the absolutely height of his slovenly behaviour, it would never look like her place in Sakaar. That would involve a few more items than he even owned. "You're welcome, Val. I cannot begin to tell you how thrilled and pleased I am to see you here. And yes, my mother is here. She will also be very encouraged by your presence. In fact," he leaned against the wall, arms and legs crossed, looking more relaxed than he had in a while, "I will seek her and my brother out immediately and inform them. They are not here at the moment, but as mentioned prior -- they will not mind."

He left it unsaid that if he decreed it so, it would be.

"Is there anything you need right now? I can purvey it for you."

A soft smile broke through her tough facade, causing her to look down towards her feet as she fought off the emotion. That was the actual last thing she needed right now, feelings, ick. It meant a lot to be wanted though, even if things were... different than she had expected. "No I-" She took a long breath before shaking her head. "No I'm alright. It's all... been a lot." Her brain hurt. Between the huge intake of information, her reunion with Thor, and the realization she was out of alcohol, this day had turned into quite a long one. "But I would like to figure out how we're gonna get everyone else here."

Thor sighed heavily. "I as well. I have thought of little else but let us not discuss that at this time." He clasped a hand on her back and gave her a gentle smile. "I cannot say this enough: I am happy to have you here again, and to have you in my home. Rest, please. There will be plenty of time to speak when you have recovered from your ordeal."

The blonde stepped away, the smile still firmly on his face. "We will get them back. I guarantee that."
Val felt her chest ache a little at the sound of his sigh. She knew that however concerned she was, he was probably ten times that. But unlike her, he couldn't show it. That wasn't the kingly thing to do, after all. She was appreciative that he could at least communicate it to her.

The fond eyeroll that he seemed to be the only recipient of, appeared again at his sweet words. "Yeah yeah," She pushed at his side teasingly. "However would you make it without me." She nodded in agreement with him and turned away for a beat before turning back around. "Thor? You get some rest too. Everything will work out. Everything." Positive words weren't often what came out of her and for a second she was even shocked but managed to not let it show, offering him a reassuring grin.