Content Warning: The spice resumes😳

Fey shouted outside the door, escaping the girls’ wrath, “I finished with my bath! Please continue. Don’t mind me!”

Irritated and embarrassed, Maya sunk against her duvet. Val propped her hands beside Maya, exhaling tiredly. She twirled one of Maya’s coils in her fingers and looked abashed away.

“I’m sorry. About this.”

“Huh?” Maya looked at her starry-eyed. “About what?”

“I shouldn’t have. I mean. Break your shirt and all.” Val glanced at Maya's revealing form—blushing even harder when she couldn’t hide it.

“I-it’s ok, I don’t mind… I think,” confessed Maya, holding back the urge to hide her body.

The corners of Val’s lips curled up. “You don’t? Do you want me. To. Continue? Maybe?”

Maya put her hands on her slightly aching stomach and pushed herself up. She didn’t know why the Valkyrie was so eager, but Maya couldn’t have her continue in good conscious after all that happened. After all, Val looked beyond tired.

“As much as I want to, and I want to… I don’t think I am ready for it.” Maya flexed her fingers over her stomach and pinched it. It was flat while she lay down, but she didn’t like how it folded itself when she sat up. She still wasn’t comfortable about it, even if Val said otherwise. “You should take a bath—not that you stink. I mean, you tired yourself out so much and need some rest.”

“I… Understand.” Val fell to the side, bringing the bed to a bounce before it settled, and she put a hand over her head, covering it from the light. She glanced over at Maya and rubbed her knee. “I won’t rush. You. I don’t want to. Tell me. When you’re. Ready. When you’re comfortable. With me.”

Maya couldn’t help but fall into a soft smile and rub Val’s hand. “I will… I promise.” She stood up and inspected her torn shirt and how her neckline and bra peeked out from it. “Guess this one is a goner now, eh?”

Val snorted at this. “Sorry, not sorry.”

“Oh, you,” Maya laughed whimsically at that and took it off to put on a new one. She noticed Val trying to hide a curious gaze, which Maya couldn’t help but enjoy a little. “Let’s get you to the bath first and clean your wounds, shall we?”

Val strained herself to pull herself up, only to fall back on the bed. She gave Maya a helpless smile and played it with a coy grin. “Only if you. Help me. Don’t think I can. Do it. Alone.”

“You big baby, fine, take my hands.” Maya pulled Val up, who leaned heavily against her with unsteady feet. Maya didn’t want to admit it, but she could feel the fever Val’s body radiated alongside her tiredness. How she wanted to get going was beyond Maya’s understanding.

Her worries only grew knowing how far Val was willing to go for her. Maya couldn’t help but feel happy knowing that. “I hope I don’t confuse anything. She likes me, no?”

Outside her room, Maya met Fey, lying on the settee with a sleep mask and fake eyes stitched on them, looking as if she was still awake.

“Ok, where did you find this stupid old thing? I don’t remember giving it to you.”

The only reply Maya got was Fey putting a finger on her lips and making a fake snore.

“Fine, whatever, have a good night. We will go take a bath- separately, not together!”

Fey pouted with her lower lip and nodded sceptically. Maya rolled her eyes and walked with Val into the bathroom. The next challenge Maya had to do was take Val’s sports bra off since Val couldn’t do it on her own—or pretended to for Maya to do it.

“Can you at least help a bit?”

Val, playing along, heaved up one of her arms. She didn’t hide her obvious grin and feverish expression as Maya grumbled and tugged on the bra from the side to get Val’s arm out of it from underneath. She looked away as half of Val’s chest was exposed.

“Something wrong? You look. Flustered,” the Valkyrie asked coyly.

“Oh, haha. Why wouldn’t I be with one of your girls looking directly at me?” Maya grumbled some more, with Val laughing again.

“Don’t worry. I covered. Her.”

“Not very reassuring, but thanks.” Maya opened one eye and tried to avoid a glimpse. She pulled up Val’s other arm, who winced at the sudden strain. Maya quickly pulled out the tight, sweat-drenched sports bra, tossing it into a corner. “Finally, done-”

Maya bit her bottom lip to suppress a whimpering sound at the sight of Val covering each of her breasts with a hand. It embarrassed Val as well, but she dared to keep her smirk going.

Maya finally dared to look at Val’s body since she always avoided doing so for fear of Val noticing. Now, with Val encouraging her to look, Maya couldn’t help herself.

Val had a sizeable chest, almost as big as Maya’s, but probably more defined by how Val worked out—and working out she did. Her abdominal muscles and abs were in plain sight with her defined arms that were bruised, cut and caked with blood—from the Draugr and her own. Maya helped her up and held her toned arms, which were both firm but still comfortably soft to the touch.

Maya trailed her hands over them, squeezed them slightly and couldn’t help but feel excited by the feeling Val’s muscles gave her. Val smirked as she stood taller than Maya. “Mind helping me. With my pants?”

Maya gawked; a sudden cough escaped her. “Do that yourself, will you?”

—❂—

Maya eased Val into the bathtub. (Try to imagine yourself how she got out of her pants—I dare you.)

Val let out a strained hiss when her body soaked into the warm tub of water. The temperature of the water was already hot, to begin with, but it rose significantly from Val’s unnaturally high body temperature.

Maya had noticed it before, though she thought it was just the heat of the moment. Whenever she initiated a touch with Val, Maya was sweating as the temperatures rose around them.

Her fresh shirt was uncomfortably plastered against her skin. Maya tugged at her neck and began cleaning Val’s body. Val’s head languishingly bobbed back and forth as Maya scrubbed her arms carefully from the crusted blood and around the wounds that struggled to close themselves.

“You’ve overexerted yourself, didn’t you?” asked Maya, knowing the answer already by the state of her body. It was almost as bad as the first day she had found her, but the wounds closed quickly.

This time, they didn’t.

Maya could see the scope of the wounds everywhere as the veins dimly glowed in a gentle light. Scars lined her back and arms, and possibly other places as well. Some have already faded, but other big ones, like on her left arm, were pretty pronounced.

Maya carefully cleaned them with a sponge and touched the faded scar tissue to understand how they felt. She then held Val’s hand where the knuckle wounds were still healing. “Does it still hurt?”

“Hm?” Val bobbed her head back to look at Maya. Her eyelids were half open; she was ready to drift off to sleep. “Hurt. What? The scars?”

Maya nodded and continued to wash over the wounds as they struggled to close, splashing more soap over them until the overhead light reflected Val’s warm brown skin.

“Sometimes, but. Not. Often,” Val sighed laboured. “We try to wear them. Proudly. My. Sisters. And I. Though we’re all. Different.”

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“Sisters? Do you remember more of your life?”

“Yes, a few things.” Val’s head bobbed forward—the strength sapped from her. “I have. Four- no, five sisters. They all enjoy. Their life. But I always. Felt. Empty. Restless. Without… aim…”

“Val? Hey, Val.” Maya turned her face around and found the Valkyrie drifting away. “Let’s finish your bath and get you to bed. I’ll join you later.”

After getting Val dressed and into bed—let your thoughts play out here (cough)—Maya let herself sink into the water as well, exhaling a long and ragged sigh from her sore body.

Maya stared at the ceiling with each passing second as she sunk deeper into the tub. Her thoughts could barely keep up with everything that had happened. The peacefulness of the bath made her feel out of place—as if everything that happened today and up till now wasn’t real.

Touching her bruised ribs, Maya flinched, remembering that the fight with the Giant Draugr was real—and the subsequent event with Val.

Maya couldn’t wrap her head around why the Valkyrie felt so drawn to her—reasoning it still must be because of the delirium she suffered from regaining some of her divinity and the fight. Yet no matter how much the little voice in Maya’s head tried to deny it, her heart was beating so hard because Val was indeed drawn to her—just as she did for Val.

“It’s real. It’s all real.” Maya splashed water on her face, cooling herself down as she put a hand on her chest. “I should tell her about that thing I have. Maybe she’s not asleep yet.”

She found Val just as she expected to find her—snoring in the middle of the bed without a duvet draped over her or a pillow. She wore a pair of body shorts and a loose t-shirt, revealing her freshly bandaged arms and legs and one over her forehead, with her blond hair billowing over it.

She had been more injured than she had previously let on, and Maya had tried her best to treat her wounds. They were worse than the day she found her. Val didn’t even protest or throw Maya off the bed.

“You overworked yourself too much, you know?” Maya put on her gown and lay down beside the Valkyrie. She pulled a pillow closer to Val and tugged the duvet over her.

However, instead of taking the pillow, Val reached out to pull Maya closer to her and rested her head on her abdomen. Maya was startled but didn’t protest. She put a pillow behind Val’s back and lay her head down while embracing Val, who entangled her legs between Maya’s.

“I’ll tell her tomorrow,” thought Maya, sleeping peacefully with Val at her side.

—✧—

Content Warning: The Talk about the Disorder. You’ve been warned.

Maya woke up alone in bed. She felt rested yet felt antsy with Val out of her sight. It was late morning, and Maya put on her shirt and still tight-feeling jeans. She grumbled at how much they dug into her stomach, even though she hadn’t eaten anything since yesterday. Her hands jittered.

“Need caffeine, or else I won’t survive the day before my episode kicks in, grrr,” she grumbled right into Fey’s face when she opened the door. “Oh, hey.”

“Well, good morning to you too,” replied Fey with a grumble of her own.

“Sorry, I am just… hungry… and withdrawn. I didn’t have a cup of coffee for the past 24 hours. I’m SO close to imploding.”

“Good thing that I’m leaving then, huh?”

Maya blinked at the revelation. “You’re leaving?”

“Can’t crash at your home the whole time.” Fey smiled meekly. “Also, I’m sorry.”

“Sorry? For what?”

“For everything. Everything dangerous that happened so far was because of me. Yet you allowed me to stay at your home… I can’t help but feel like a lousy friend… if you still consider me as one…” Fey awkwardly shifted her weight at her with her one good foot—her crutch leaned against the wall as she used the doorframe as support instead. “I would understand if you don’t- OWWWW!!!”

Maya suddenly pinched Fey’s shoulder until she let go and almost fell before Maya caught her in a hug. “Consider this as being even, though you still have to talk with Val about it later.” Maya rubbed Fey’s back and gave her a genuine smile. “You’re always welcome to stay. I mean, as long as you like the settee.”

Fey snorted at the proposition with an evil laugh. “I certainly don’t.” She popped her back loudly. “It’s a literal deathtrap, but unlike the deathtrap awaiting you in the kitchen. Seriously, you ought to tell her by now.”

Maya narrowed her eyes at Fey. “What do you mean?”

“Seriously?” Fey laughed and took her crutch to walk to the front door. “You’ll find out. Believe me when I tell you that you should have told her sooner. Byeeee~”

The door closed shut, leaving Maya dumbfounded. “Ok, that was weird… whatever, I need my coffee. I wonder if Val made some already-”

When Maya opened the kitchen door, she knew she had lost the war. Seeing Val cooking in an apron did things to her mind she would never positively recover from.

Even injured, nothing could deter Val’s mood as she prepared more than a simple and healthy breakfast course. “Morning, Maya. How did you. Sleep? I hope you’re. Hungry,” she said with such a bright smile that it infected Maya.

“Morning, Val. Actually, I’m not really hungry-” The clear growling of her stomach suggested otherwise. Maya held her stomach and was ready to sink 6 feet under and never be heard from again from that embarrassing display.

She absolutely hated it whenever it happened in the absolutely worst moments. She already anguished over the fact of appearing like a glutton and didn’t need to have it proven like this. Glancing over at Val, she feared what she would say about this.

To Maya’s surprise, she found Val smiling even brighter. “Let’s have breakfast. Together, shall we?”

“I won’t survive this,” mumbled Maya as she sipped on her second cup of coffee after she ate a set of pancakes after the scrambled eggs.

Val only ate lightly and was back at the counter to bake what seemed to be muffins. Val—like Maya did with her work paper at hand—went into hyperfocus, blending out any distractions as she cooked, baked or waited for Maya to finish her meal with her hands clasped before her apron.

However, right now, Maya could barely concentrate on her work as she tried to finish the bites and figure out how to gently tell Val that she was unknowingly enabling Maya’s eating disorder. The stress it built up only worsened her episode as she needed more brain fodder to function.

“How do I tell her?” she wondered as Val opened the oven to check on the muffins. She held such a radiant expression and twinkle in her eyes that Maya felt bad for breaking it by telling her to stop cooking so much. “But I would feel even worse if I didn’t tell her.”

“They’re. Ready.” Val placed the plate of muffins next to the still unfinished waffles. Maya hiccuped and drew back a little, feeling sick. Val’s face soured a bit. “What’s wrong? Is everything. Ok?”

“Val… can I tell you a secret?” Maya cautiously pushed away the plate, but before she could withdraw her hand, she took a muffin to bite in despite how full she already felt. Neither her brain nor her stomach listened to her. She needed some self-control, which was hard to get the more she hesitated. Maya couldn’t draw it out any further. “It’s something very embarrassing. But I don’t know how you might take it.”

Val sat down. She straightened her back and placed her hands on her hips. She wiped a lock back as it hung from her bandaged head. “What’s wrong? Did I do… something?”

“What, NO! It’s not you. It’s me- OK, that sounds like a corny breakup line. Gimme a sec.” Maya took another bite from the muffin and frowned. It was filled with blueberries and tasted so good her tastebuds exploded, but she was way too full to fully enjoy it. “It’s… It’s your food.”

“My. Food?” Val cocked her head worriedly. “Is it not. Good?”

“That’s part of the problem. It’s too good. I have had this… thing since I was small,” Maya started and finished the muffin. She groaned and pushed the plate further away from her. “I have an eating disorder and an unhealthy relationship with food. I binge, gain weight, and hate myself tremendously afterwards. Those episodes are triggered at least once a week. I’m sorry, Val, but your food enables it a lot.

“You cook so much, and it all tastes so, so good. I can’t help but eat it since it makes you so happy. I- I have a problem with my impulse control.” Maya demonstrated it by taking another muffin and nibbling on it. She groaned again and held her stuffed stomach. “See? No impulse control. I’m terribly full, but I still keep eating. I love your food, but can you help and cook less, please?”

Val grimaced at the whimper Maya let out. The Valkyrie dropped her head and fiddled with her thumbs. “I’m. Sorry. I’m terribly. Sorry. I won’t cook from now on.”

“What? No, that’s not what I said!” said Maya. She tried to stand up from her chair but slumped right back, winded. “Listen, I don’t want you to stop cooking because of that. Just maybe, cook less?”

Val chuckled meekly at that. “I could do that. I would hate to stop. Cooking. I love watching you. Eat.”

Maya grimaced at that, though she couldn’t hide her smile. “Maybe you do, but I’m conflicted. I don’t want to gain weight and make you think of me as a fat whale I already am.”

“You’re not fat,” affirmed Val, sternly. “Even if you were. I’d still find you. Attractive. You look. Hot.”

Val deliberately pronounced the last word, making Maya flustered and avert her face in shame. “You’re saying that now, but- no, I… thank you. I appreciate it,” Maya relented, putting away the bad thoughts, figuring Val meant everything she said. She held her firm abdomen and grimaced again. She ate too much again and dreaded the thought of gaining any more; her pants felt tight. “I need to do something about this thing before I pop one day-”

Just then, Maya felt relief at the absolutely worst moment she could have ever imagined. The button on her pants popped and rolled on the floor irritably on display for them. Maya hid her red face with her hands, and Val closed her eyes.

“I-I think I need to go on a diet,” said Maya mortified. Val patted her leg sympathetically.