Who: Thor & Valkyrie When: His Arrival Where: ends in New Asgard Warnings: Minimal
Valkyrie had gotten a message the moment he'd arrived in Vallo. She could barely believe it, though she shouldn't have been shocked. This place had given her Aragorn, Loki, and New Asgard, then Bruce too. It had been kind.
She wondered what the cost would be.
But she'd told them to let him know she was coming and She'd whipped herself up on Aragorn and taken off to find him. The white Pegasus streaked through the air, large wings beating easily. Until she saw what she was looking for. She circled once, calling down.
"God of Thunder you are late." She pulled herself to her feet, then stepped off her ride, twenty feet up. She dropped like a rock, straight and true. He could catch the Valkyrie or he could let her land next to him. She'd given him that much choice.
When he heard his name, Thor looked up and automatically rose in the air, catching Valkyrie easily. He brought them down to the ground easily and cocked a brow at her, "Late? Looks like I arrived just in time, Valkyrie." His smile was easy, as he surveyed his surroundings. This was not the first time that he'd found himself in unfamiliar surroundings, likely would not be the last.
She hugged him, unlike with Loki she wasn't worried he'd be offended by it. "No, you're late. I've been here months now." She laughed, a light, happy sound. "The DOA was the people who brought you the package but I told them I was on my way. Welcome to Vallo."
Then she blinked and lifted a brow at him. "You know. You're still holding me." A smirk curled her lips upwards, "Miss me or something?"
>
"You know, I am." Thor shrugged and didn't let go. He grinned at her, "Admit it. You've been pining for me." he laughed and looked down at her, "Is Loki here?"
She rolled her eyes at him, "Oh aye, so much pining, so much wasting away, etcetera." She jabbed him in the ribs with one of her knives, not enough to really hurt. "I told you once, don't get familiar." There was zero heat in that statement.
"Actually, he is! As is Banner, and you see Aragorn who is also reminding you not to get familiar. And there's a girl here from another universe, um, brace yourself. Congrats, you have a daughter."
Subtle like brick.
At the prick of the knife, Thor rolled his eyes, and moved it aside with a finger. He dropped his arms though and grinned at her, "That old nag loves me. He's just afraid to admit it."
Crossing his arms over his chest, Thor's eyes traveled over Valkyrie for a moment before he continued, "Loki's here, really? He's okay? And Banner?" Thor ran the fingers of one hand through his hair.
Her next words stopped him in his tracks, "Uh. Okay. Didn't expect that." Thor took a moment and prayed with all his might that the girl's mother was not Jane Foster, "What's her name? How old is she? What is she like?"
"He does not. You can keep saying that but Aragorn only loves me." She stood hipshot, one hand on her hip. She was in leather, from head to toe, and generally looked damn good.
"He's alive. He's pensive as always. I'm sure he's trying to find a way home but there isn't one. Aragorn can't get out, I've tried." She brushed her braid back, and smiled.
"It's complicated. She's not from our world, so she's had a vastly different life. Her name is Torunn, she owns a meadery here, I haven't asked her age but I like her. She's a smart young woman." She brushed her fingers over his arm, "I figured you needed to know before she popped up on the Network on you."
"If there is a way home, my brother will find it," Thor was relieved that Loki was here, that the two of them might have a chance to stand in the sun afterall.
Looking down at Valkyrie, Thor wondered how someone so tiny could be so incredibly ferocious and decided it didn't matter. What mattered was that he was here, he had a second chance with his brother and with Valkyrie…. He'd get to see Bruce and meet a daughter. If Valkyrie liked her, that was a good sign.
"When are things not complicated for Asgardians?" Thor shrugged. "Where are you staying?"
Valkyrie looked up at him, both of the boys were taller than her and she found it annoying. She leaned back, trusting that Aragorn would step up. He did, and she settled against him.
"I trust your brother to do so." She looked at ease, but she was overjoyed to see him. After he left her in New Asgard she wasn't sure she'd ever see him again.
"I think we would die of boredom if things weren't complicated." Her grin was downright wicked, "Well..this place? Dropped New Asgard in my lap. None of our people but every building. It is home."
Thor looked at Aragorn warily, 'Sir. Do not bite me." He looked at the package in his hands and decided that if it hadn't exploded in his hands, it could wait.
"Are you taking me back to New Asgard then or do I wander like a vagrant?" He remembered the last time he'd seen her in Norway, he'd thought about kissing her and stopped himself, knowing he'd presumed far too much on her.
The horse shifted his weight, but didn't move at him. He just held his mistress up without complaint. She stretched up to scritch his forehead, carding her fingers through his forelock.
That had been awkward for both of them, but she'd watched him go with a little wistful thought. "Oh I suppose I can let you stay in New Asgard with us." Dark eyes watched him for a moment. "Come on then."
His eyes were full of laughter as he said solemnly, "If it wouldn't be too much trouble, Shield Maiden. I would be very grateful." Thor hadn't let himself think about how much he'd missed the company of other Asgardians, but now with Valkyrie in front of him and the prospect of seeing his brother, he realized how hard it had been to be surrounded constantly by people so very fragile.
"Lead the way."
She moved with ease, springing over Aragorn's folded wing, settling neatly on his back. "I do hope you can keep up." She said with a laugh as she brushed her rides side and they took off.
Her laughter trailing behind her on the breeze, hunkered down on his back, fingers twinned in his mane. She led him over the Forest and out to the edge of the sea, which looked a lot like Norway.
Then on the edge by the water rose the village. It was exactly as he'd remember it, though she led him to her house. Landing easily by the back door.
Thor held up his hand, pulling Mjolnir from its pocket dimension, swung it around and roared in laughter as he shot up into the air. He stayed close on Aragorn's six until he saw the familiar lines of New Asgard below them. Diving down hard and fast, he felt the familiar rush of ozone and electricity play over his skin as he hit the ground hard in the front of the house, , going to one knee and grounding energy into the earth.
Standing, he heard Aragorn's landing. Thor swaggered around to the back, "Thought I'd lost you for a minute."
She hopped off her ride, landing easily. "I used up my dramatics for the day. If you've upset my lawn you'll be fixing it." She said easily as she sidestepped Aragorn who passed by towards his barn.
The horse did stretch his wings and knock them into Thor. Valkyrie bit back a laughter as she opened the door. "Play nice children." She called back, moving inside.
"Aragorn, do you know that castration can be done via cauterization?" Thor said in a conversational tone before ducking away quickly and following Valkyrie into the house.
He looked around curiously, saw the couch and was ready to sprawl on it, when Frigga's voice in his head reminded him that she expected a modicum of manners from her sons, "Mind if I sit down?"
She was in the kitchen, while she didn't drunk much, she did keep mead because she did still drink some. "Make yourself at home." She brought a mug out for him as she sat down and began to peel herself out of her gear.
Valkyrie took the time to look at him from under her lashes, as she peeled her boots off. She set them down and stretched, finally able to stop moving for a few minutes. Which meant he also got a good look at her.
"You can stay anywhere in the village, by the way."
Thor sat down on the couch and watched as she began to take off the layers of leather and armor. He shifted on the couch and took a drink from the mug.
"Sick of me already, Shield Maiden?" Thor took another drink, the mead was good, "Did my daughter make this?" He was not looking forward to being alone with his thoughts in an empty house.
"I could not be sick of you, Thor.” she answered with a roll of her eyes, “I was giving
you a choice.” she lifted her mug before taking a drink, and setting it back down so she could finish shedding the unnecessary layers. She set the holster of knives on the table and rolled her shoulder back.
“She did. She’s got skill. I passed her a couple recipes I knew, too, so we’ll see where that goes.” she licked her lips in though and looked up at him. “It’s good to have you here, truly. I know Loki will be happy. I have missed you.”
Thor appraised her over the rim of the mug, he didn't want Valkyrie to feel she had to take care of him, he was also completely uninterested in being by himself, "My choice is always to be among friends." He didn't bother concealing his enjoyment of watching the layers coming off. The sight of her tongue licking the mead off of her lips made him regret not kissing her when he'd had the chance. He shifted on the couch and stretched out his long legs.
"I hope so. I have let my brother down many times." He blew out a long breath. Taking another drink he met Val's eyes, "I've missed you, too Hilde."
One hand lifted to wave up towards the second floor. “I have an extra room.” she didn’t really mind, having company was vastly preferable to being alone. Even she had trouble with being alone now. Her head tilted upwards, just a hair. “I wouldn’t mind at all.”
“Well, it is Loki. I am sure the gratefulness to see you will wear off in about a week, he’ll threaten to stab you, maybe he’ll do it. But he might be smirking the entire time.” she huffed out a laugh as she reached back to undo her braid. Her eyes lifted to meet his, a small smile on her face. “I know. I’m hard to not miss.” she winked as she pulled each twist free.
Laughing, Thor drained the rest of the mead from the mug and set it down, "If my brother doesn't try stabbing me at least once a week, I will suspect a Skrull,". He began unlacing his boots.
"I appreciate it. I don't much like being alone," Thor wouldn't have admitted this to many people, but Valkyrie had seen him at his worst, "I mean, I can handle it," he folded his arms behind his head, "I just don't like it."
“Loki not trying to stab you at least once a week would be an extreme cause for alarm.” she said as she kicked her heels up onto the table and looked over at him as she folded her arms behind her head, getting comfy. The living room was all stone and wood. Two smaller couches, where they sat, sat opposite each other over a carved wood coffee table. The decor was, shockingly, Norse themed.
“I know.” she said lightly, “I don’t either, not really.” she took a deep breath, and smiled, a sad smile. “I apologize now, if I am jumpy this week. This place does weird shit sometimes. We had t-rexes a day or two after I arrived, but this last week we had ghosts and I’m still on edge I think,”
Thor looked at her carefully, it wasn't like Val to admit to being edgy, whatever she'd seen had to have been difficult, "Ghosts in general or a particular ghost?" He stood, "Do you want me to light a fire?"
Ghosts were usually just something she saw. She didn't really care, they were part of her job. But she rarely got spooked. "A particular one." She tipped her head back, draining her mug before she thought about it, "go ahead, that'd be nice." She absentmindedly licked the mead off her lip again, slowly, as the thought about the ghost.
Do not look at her mouth again, son of Odin. She will think you are a drooling dog, Thor thought. He got up, grabbed the bottle of mead and refilled their mugs, before kneeling in front of the fireplace. Arcing sparks between his fingertips, the kindling quickly caught and began to burn. Thor stood and picked up his mug, thought for a minute and sat down next to Valkyrie.
His voice was quiet, there were so many ghosts that haunted all of Asgard's people, "Which one?"
Her eyes tracked him across the room then watched as he got the fire going. Her lips twitched into a smirk. Handy. Once he sat down, she tucked her legs up under her, leaning her shoulder on him.
"He said he was my father, I don't remember any of my family. I don't even know their faces. And yet.."
Thor took a drink considering her words and savoring the feeling of her next to him, "And yet?"
Valkyrie tucked one knee up closer, then, she put a little more weight into leaning on him, head dropping to rest on his shoulder, Asgardians were touchy feely people. Even if that came in the form of stabbing. Her upper body was slightly turned.
"He felt familiar. It could have been him."
Thor put his arm around her shoulders, telling himself he'd do the same for any friend, he leaned his head to rest against hers for a moment and then took a drink from the mug, "Did he say anything?" Inhaling the scent of her hair, he watched the flames dance in the fireplace and pulled her a little closer.
She took a drink then set the mug down, grateful for the warmth of his arm as she thought about the ghost. " Mmm. Just 'hello, daughter'. He vanished right after and I never saw him again." Her hair smelled of clove and cinnamon, just slightly.
"That would shake me up," Thor said quietly. There was so much he wanted to ask her. Was she edgy because she wanted her father's ghost to come back back or because she was afraid he would? He didn't think either of them were drunk enough for him to ask.
He liked how she felt against him, small, but solid, "Family drama is always hard isn't it?" Thor noticed a few twists of hair had fallen forward, he reached as if to brush them away from her face, pulled back his hand awkwardly and commented, "Your hair, um. You don't want it in your mead."
She was not nearly drunk enough to delve into that one. And part of her? Didn't even know to be sure if she wanted to know. "It is. I don't know anything to fill in that blanks."
"Thanks, mead hair is not a favorite thing-" she replied as she closed her eyes. "Even with that, this place isn't too bad, I kind of like it here." She was happy one more of three most important people in her life was here.
There had been many times over the past few years that Thor had felt like something about him had royally pissed off the entire space time continuum and that it was determined to punish him, for the first time in a while, it felt like maybe, something unexpected had gone exactly, right. He looked down and saw that Val's eyes were closing. His smile was gentle as he stared into the fire, he'd wondered more than once what it would be like to wake up next to this fiercely beautiful woman.
He put his feet up and leaned his head back on the couch, moving carefully so that he didn't startle her.
She was comfortable, and the company was nice. She wasn’t exactly tired, just, for once letting her guard down enough. She was quiet for a few minutes, just soaking up the warm fire and the quiet comfort. Sometimes it took awhile for her to remember she could relax.
“I do not know what I have done to deserve so much in this place. First Aragorn arrived, then New Asgard, then Loki, then Banner, then you. I feel extremely lucky, and I am unsure of if I should be worried or not.” she was, of course, that was just how things went, “but I think anything that comes our way we can handle with all of us here.”
She shifted enough to roll her neck a little.
"I'm glad we are together and that this is a good place," Thor thought for a moment, "Do you remember the day I left New Asgard?"
Val looked up, eyes half narrowed in thought. “I do, of course I do.” she said with a cautious smile. She remembered, of course, how could she forget?
He stared into the fire, "I was going to…" Thor paused, shook his head ruefully, "Nevermind." Thor's voice was pensive, "So when did Loki come from?"
"You were going to what?" Brows furrowed curiously as she looked up at him. Her mouth was quirked in a lopsided grin. That fell pretty fast, "just prior to his death" she said quietly.
"I was going to kiss you, but then you know…" He grinned down at her, "Awkward, right?" His brow furrowed as he thought about those last moments as he watched Thanos crush the life from his brother.
"Well, shit."
"Ahh yes. I am irresistible , I know" She smiled thoughtfully at him, then rested her head back down. Then she sighed, a heavy thing. She could see that day clearly.
"Yeah. I didn't confirm but his throat was bruised. I gave him some of my salve, but it was a pretty good indicator ."
Thor laughed, "Hey. I resisted, you're welcome." He took another drink, the mead finally beginning to cocoon him in its golden warmth.
Nothing would ever erase those minutes from Thor's mind, the look on Loki's face, Thanos's utter contempt and his utter failure to do anything to help his brother, "Yeah. Good indicator."
She laughed at him, "is that what they call resistance these days?" Her tone was light, airy. She only had minded because … well she wasn't sure really. She moved to get a drink, draining it. The warmth spreading through her.
She shuddered thinking about those moments on the ship. Nothing would erase them from her mind either. "That was one of the worst days I have ever lived through." Second only to her first defeat at the hands of Hela.
"Did I do it?" Thor laughed and told himself that he was glad he hadn't, forcing her to turn him down would have made the ease between them now difficult, if not impossible. The warmth of the fire, the mead and the company was slowly unwinding the tension he'd felt when he'd first found himself alone in a new world.
"Do you think he will ever forgive me?"
She smirked slightly, then got comfortable again. She started at the fire, turning things over in her head. She wasn't sure about a lot of things. She breathed out a quiet sigh.
"He might say he won't, but, he will." She said with a smirk as she turned her head enough to look up at him. "Though. I'm guessing there will be more stabbing." A shrug.
"Probably, but if he's stabbing me, then I've got his attention, so…" Thor wondered if getting drunk was a good idea, decided it probably was a spectacularly bad one and took another drink.
Val laughed at that, it was true, if Loki was stabbing him then he certainly had Loki’s attention. She decided that since they were drinking, and it didn’t look like they were going to stop, she’d better get food delivered. She uncoiled from against him, standing to go grab her phone, then dropping back down in the seat next to him, one leg curled under her as she ordered them a couple pizzas.
“I have this weird feeling I’m going to be telling people ‘oh no, it’s fine this is normal brotherly affection’ a lot.” she mused as she tossed her phone down on the table and refilled her mug.
"Probably." Thor wasn't exactly sure whether to keep his arm on the back of the couch or move it when Valkyrie got up. Leaving it where it was, he thought that any daughter who could make a good mead was probably a pretty good one and resolved to meet her soon.
As soon as Val sat back down, he noticed again how good she smelled and how her dark blue shirt clung to her curves. He tore his eyes away and went back to looking at the fire, wondering if he should tell her they should go find Loki…. Or Banner.
Val really liked Torunn, she was a good person and well, the mead was up to par. She lifted her mug to take another drink, before she looked up at Thor. “Ah well, it could be worse.” a quiet snicker as she leaned against him again. “As much as I hate sitting still, this is a nice break from everything.” she didn’t mind the work but she’d needed a vacation and well, instead she got a crown. How did that even work?
“The nice thing about here? I don’t have to get up to get food dropped off.” she grinned, because she could make passable food, but it was safer if she did not have to. Then she took a better look at him, her expression thoughtful, watching him having noticed him looking at her. “What?”
Thor took another drink of the mead, raised an eyebrow and shrugged, "What are we eating?"
"I ordered pizza." She was still looking at him curiously, "Out with it, you've got something tumbling in that mind of yours."
I
"Pizza sounds good," Thor grinned, "Valkyrie, it is in everyone's best interest that some of the shit in my mind stays exactly where it's it."
Valkyrie smirked and got up to open the door, plucking the pizzas free, then wandering back over. She stood just out of reach, smirking. "Come now, it can't be all that bad." Was she taunting him with the pizzas, sure was. She was well on her way to being drunk, and it was either become maudlin or a brat.
He downed the rest of mead in a single gulp and refilled it, "Val, I already told you what I was thinking about. Do you really need details?" Thor let his eyes travel over her, "I don't need both you and my brother stabbing me." He grinned enjoying the buzz from the mead.
"Are you eating those by yourself?"
She licked her lips before she spoke, "I like details, though." She opened the top box and pulled a slice out, taking a bite. "Mmm maybe. Depends."
Heaving a sigh worthy of a fourteen year old being told that they were grounded from video games for a month, Thor crossed his arms over his chest, "Valkyrie, is this some sort of hazing ritual? Starvation and humiliation?"
He grinned at her, "You're beautiful."
Valkyrie laughed, "of course not." She set the pizzas down. "I am, hmm? I usually get called deadly. And scary. Not beautiful." She sat back down next to him.
Thor helped himself to a piece of pizza, "Is this the part where I relax and you stab me or does that come after we're done eating?"
She smirked a touch, "what fun is it if I tell you?" Valkyrie worked on the slice she'd picked up, looking up at him innocently.
Laughing, Thor realized that he was well on his way to being Valhalla drunk, "Don't look at me like that, Brunhilde, you're trying to lull me into a sense of security so that I'll try to kiss you again and then you'll stab me through the throat." He grinned at her, "Then you'll probaby take a picture of my bleeding body and send it to my brother."
"Oh now that's an idea" she laughed as she worked on an another slice."he'd like that, wouldn't he?" She kicked her feet up on the table, thinking. Then she blinked, looked up at him.
"Who said you could call me that, hmm?" One brow arched upwards, the slice being set down so she could give him a Look better.
"Maybe, he might be irritated that you didn't let him get the first poke," Thor took another bite.
"It's your name, Hilde." He rolled his eyes at her, "Do I ask you to call me by my title? I do not."
"That is likely true as well. He'd understand, though." She picked up her drink and took another long pull. She set it down and mulled that over in her head.
"Mm but no one uses it. Not even your brother knows it." Val pulled her hair over her shoulder.
"I'm not everyone," Thor took another bite, chewed thoughtfully and said, "Why does it bother you?"
'I haven't used that name in a millennia, Thor. I had forgotten what it sounded like, almost." She ran her fingers through her haIr, an almost nervous gesture.
"I like how it sounds, it's pretty, like you." He finished another piece of pizza and took another swallow of the mead.
She snorted a bit, "I don't think it's pretty. It is long and heavy sounding." Valkyrie pulled her legs under her, turning to sit so she could look at him. "Hilde I could be persuaded to allow but not Brunnhilde."
"Okay," he gave her a lopsided, half drunk smile, "How do I persuade you?"
Valkyrie rolled her shoulder, "when we are not drunk, you'll have to fight me for that privilege." A slow smirk curled her lips.
Thor surveyed her, "Why would I fight you?" He gave her another slow smile, "I can just do it, Hilde."
She leaned forward, her hand coming up to splay on his chest then push him back, and holding him to the back of the couch. "You presume to call your Queen something she does not wish to be called?" She lifted a brow.
Thor's eyes sparked with electric blue, "Your Majesty, you have no idea of how much I am capable of presuming." Using his thumb he wiped an imaginary smudge at the corner of her mouth, "Little bit of sauce." He smiled.
Valkyrie narrowed her eyes at him, "is that so?" She watched him lift his hand to her lips, knowing full well she had nothing there. She ran her tongue over her bottom lip before sitting up, hand leaving his chest. "Incorrigible. You still have to fight me. You can do it sober or drink, I suppose I don't care."
"Why do I need to fight you? I like you. You like me." He took another drink and observed sagely, "I think you're drunk, Hilde."
She contemplated hauling him up and throwing him off the cliff behind her house. She cracked her neck slowly, “I told you not to call me that, you know, you haven’t earned the privilege,” her eyes glinted as she stared at him, holding her ground. Her lips twisted up into a smirk. “You are pushing it, my friend.” but there was no heat in the words, only amusement.
“And I am less drunk than you are.”
"I disagree. If anyone has earned the privilege, I have." His tone was soft and although there was a slur to the words, his gaze was steady.
She blinked, "and how is that?" She stared at him for a moment wondering if he was going to say because he made her queen. She might not be able to argue that one.
"Because when you forgot who you were, I reminded you," Thor shrugged a little, "And when you needed your armor, I made sure you had it."
She went utterly still. "That… is fair." She said after a moment, still looking at him. A slightly different look in her eye. "Fine. Hilde it is." Val leaned up and kissed his cheek. "Thank you for both of those things."
He smiled, "I'll keep it between us, your Majesty." Thor conceded and tucked several long braids behind her ear."
Val let out a soft sigh, head tilting into the fingers before she caught herself. "I appreciate that." She said softly, a small smile curling her lips upwards.
The sigh made his stomach tighten as Thor's eyes were drawn again to her mouth. He was pretty sure that she thought of him like a big brother or an old friend. Thor inhaled the scent of clove and cinnamon. He allowed himself to enjoy the quick brush of her lips against his cheek and reminded himself to be thankful for the privilege of being with her.
It didn't stop him from wanting to pull her into his lap and kiss her until they were breathless.
Sometimes she forgot how nice it was to rest against another warm body. She could count the number of times she'd slept next to one in the last thousand years on both hands and have fingers left.
She missed it.
"Should I show you your room?" She said lazily.
"Yeah, uh. Thanks again for letting me stay, I appreciate it." He stood and finished the last of the mead in his mug.
She felt bad, but she wasn't sure what she was thinking. She got up and put the last of the pizza in the fridge, taking their mugs to the sink.
She smiled, awkwardly, then headed to the stairs, leading him up. The rooms were almost identical in design with a large bathroom separating them. "It's nice to have you here, Thor." She said quietly. "Towels in the closet, I think you'll figure it out." She grinned.
"Good night, Hilde." Thor yanked his shirt over his head, pulled his socks off and jeans off and got underneath the blankets. He stared at the ceiling, thinking of Hilde and how good it had been to see her. His hand was half way to his boxers, when he realized he had no idea how thick the walls were and how light of a sleeper she was.
With a frustrated sigh, he shoved both arms behind his head and tried willing himself to sleep.
Valkyrie closed her door, then leaned on it for a moment, taking a few deep breaths. She pushed off, peeling off all the leather, hopping awkwardly trying to get the pants off.She grumbled something about being too drunk for her clothes before she tossed them across the room.
She pulled a loose shirt on then dove into bed, pulling the fur blanket up over the sheet, then resting back against the pillows to look at the stars out the big window. It took her forever to get to sleep.
She tossed, and turned, dreaming of home. The dream turned dark, though, and she ended up tossing herself right out of bed with a loud thud and a yelp of surprise.
At the sound of her cry, Thor was on his feet instantly and went through the bathroom and opened the door he knew led into Hilde's room. He paused in the doorway, spotting her on the floor. Scanning the room quickly and finding no threat, Thor went to her side and reached out a hand, "Hilde, what's wrong?"
She'd woken up as she hit the floor, and she looked quietly stunned, before she took the offered hand. "Warned you." She said after a few moments, "Nightmare, it's fine." She rubbed her hip, grumbling as she let a breath out through her teeth.
"Guess I'm more rattled than I thought I was." She didn't move, or let go, just settling herself.
Wordlessly, Thor sank down next to her, "I get it." He tilted her chin to look at him, "Can I stay with you for a while?"
Val rubbed her free hand over her face, "yeah that'd be good." She admitted after a minute..She'd tried to figure out how to get that without sounding needy.
It hadn't worked.
"Let's get off the floor, you're going to freeze,"
Thor settled on the low bed, leaning against the headboard. He tugged on her hand to gently pull her down next to him.
She let him tug her up, even though she'd agreed, she was already pulling the brave face back into place. She didn't like being vulnerable. She settled next to him, on her side. "Sorry for waking you up." She said against his shoulder.
"You can always wake me up," Thor said, his voice quiet in the shadowed room. He wrapped his arms around her. He wanted to smooth his hands over her back to soothe the tension from her taut muscles, "Do you want to talk about it?"
A light huff of a breath as she debated wiggling free, then decided she didn't really mind his arms around her. "I don't, no." She said laughing ruefully. "It was not a nice dream."
"Let me know if you want me to go," he knew if it were up to him, he'd likely overstay his welcome. Thor was acutely aware of warm skin through the thin cotton of her t-shirt, and shifted a little.
Valkyrie shifted a little to get comfortable, eyes closing as she did. "I'll be sure to let you know." She breathed him in, shoulders relaxing finally.
As she began to relax against him, Thor felt drowsy and warm, it had been a long time since he'd fallen asleep with anyone. He hadn't been aware of just how lonely he'd been until he'd been sitting next to Hilde, drinking and laughing. Now with her in his arms, it hit him how much he'd missed her smirky smile and her sly sense of humor. He thought about how her lips had felt on his cheek and felt like a foolish teenager.
She slowly unwound as she relaxed, stretching out slowly. The Valkyrie had been lonely for much of her existence. She never realized how lonely that existence had been until she got here. She'd desperately needed someone who understood her around. Now she had two.
It wasn't long until she started to fall asleep on him.
Thor felt every inch of her as she stretched out alongside him. He took a deep breath and thought about the tesseract and when that failed to distract him, he began listing every battle in Asgard's history, its location, troop deployment and the summary of the after action reports. He forced himself to focus on every detail.
As he felt himself beginning to doze, he tried to untangle himself from her, Thor found that she was wrapped around him like a steel cable and sighed, "Hilde, you are going to kill me."
She stirred at his words, a sleepy, "Why am I killing you now?" She asked as she didn't bother opening her eyes. She yawned, then smiled, eyes still closed. She didn't think too much of it, she needed physical touch and didn't want to admit it.
"Shhhh, go back to sleep," he shook his head ruefully.
Valkyrie stretched sleepily then tucked herself up against him. She was zero help, it felt too good to be warm and cozy. And not lonely for the first time in awhile. "Mmm okay, if youre sure"
As Val made herself comfortable, Thor became distinctly less so. He took a deep breath and then began silently trying to list all the frost giants he knew in alphabetical order. "