Maya fell fast asleep watching the movie and snuggled right between Val’s arms and her bosom as she held her tightly from behind. The Valkyrie enjoyed hugging Maya. She pulled her in tighter. Val enjoyed the mere company Maya’s presence provided her. Holding her was enough as Val tried to understand the plot of The Lion King.

The anxiety of the recent weeks tired them both out. Val tried to be as supportive as she could be for Maya’s problems, but Val couldn’t help feeling they might have gone a little overboard. She feared one day Maya might get enough of Val's callousness or the lassitude she often experienced.

Hugging Maya's body tighter like a pillow, Val felt reassured she was still there. The softness of her body, the closeness, and her warmth calmed Val, but the tension she experienced remained. It crawled over Val’s and settled in her anxious heart, beating so uncomfortably with her ragged breath.

Feeling like that was new to Val. Feeling anything was new to her.

Anxiety, tension, affection, desire—each of these little butterflies fluttered within her, and their presence was so potent that Val felt overtaken by them—almost suffocated. And amidst all that, she held the storm in her very arms and could never think of letting her go.

Val's heart beat madly. “I am anxious. But can't let. You go.”

She scooped Maya up with her steady arms and leaned back, but Val couldn’t deny how weak she felt. The fight with the giant Draugr powered her out immensely. Each day, Val felt feeble and dizzy. To be blunt, she was growing weaker, and no amount of workout in the world could stop it. Just holding Maya in her hands was taxing her.

“I feel. Tired. Can't recuperate.”

Val nestled her face into Maya's neck. The only thing keeping her from collapsing was knowing Maya was there.

Carefully untangling herself from Maya, Val laid her down and propped herself up. A gasp escaped her strained lungs. Val was so close to simply collapsing beside Maya and falling asleep, but Val resisted, pushing herself away to sleep on her bed settee instead. Despite all the comfort Maya provided, Val was a restless sleeper. She wrestled with her too-thin blankets, the overly soft mattress, the rough settee walls, and the uncomfortable pillows until she collapsed to sleep.

Most of the time, her dreams were nonexistent. A dense black void that either lasted too long or too short until she suddenly woke up at one am. Drowsing back to sleep, she'd wake up at two, get a drink, and try to sleep again for a short dream until morning training at five.

Today, however, Val dreamed of one of her older Valkyrie sisters, Tamara.

The veteran Valkyrie hugged her knees against her chest. She sat on the top of Valhalla's snow-covered roof. Einherjer still partied from the previous afternoon until the moon's rise, celebrating Thor’s return from one of his giant genocides.

Val was still young then. Physically, Val looked like a fit teenager despite the years she had already spent in Valhalla. She was tired from her Valkyrie training and serving the honourable dead during her night shifts—besides dealing with a rumbustious and inebriated Thunder God, ready to party down an entire hall and more.

“Why so grumpy, sunshine?” Tamara smiled.

“I couldn’t. Sleep,” replied Val with all the grumpiness a late teenager had mastered. She plopped down next to Tamara—maybe a bit too close. “What about. You?”

“What about me?” Tamara wondered jovially. She picked up a flat stone and skipped it over the roof, over a small lake, and the high walls of Asgard. In the distance, one could hear a sneaking giant yowl in pain from a random projectile. “I’m never grumpy, sis.”

Tamara chuckled affectionately and skipped another stone, hitting another would-be assassin behind the walls between the eyes. “Want to tell me why you can’t sleep? Besides the obvious noises. What’s bothering you, Val?”

The adolescent Valkyrie dangled her legs over the roofs. Val clenched her fists until her joints popped and pulled her knees against her chest—copying Tamara like she often did.

Val’s blonde braid and white dress fluttered against the icy wind. “I don’t… know,” muttered Val. “I feel… tired. Yet… restless.” Her voice broke. “I sometimes. Don’t know… what. I want. Or what to. Feel.”

Tamara rested her chin on her palm. The winds picked up, and her dress fluttered alongside her and coils like in a dance. Val was always in awe when looking at her sister. “Please, continue.”

“I. Mean,” Val hesitated, picking at her callouses and rubbing her joints. “It’s. Stupid. Never… mind.”

Tamara pulled back to sit before she could leave. “Tell me,” she insisted. “I want to hear it.”

Val relented under Tamara’s warm touch. “I don’t feel…. excitement,” confessed Val, holding Tamara’s hand. “I feel like… a void. Nothing excites. Me. Even if it does… it never. Lasts… Unlike our sisters. I can’t revel in. Anything. Or understand. What it means to like… something.”

“Something or someone?” Tamara inquired with a smirk, which she quickly dropped by Val’s lack of reaction.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“Both…I think?” Val answered after a while. She knit her brows in confusion. “Ava and Marie. They argue about. Some newbie. An Einherjar. A guy with. Pimples. He died. Fighting on a sinking. Cruise… Ship. Their arguments are… weird. I don’t get. Them. Something about… looks?”

Val broke off, but Tamara motioned her to continue.

“Then there’s. Alice. She loves her new. Battleaxe.” Val took a break from talking. Tamara offered her a drink from her leather pouch. “It's double her. Size. And weight. Still, she swings. And destroys. Everything. Without hesitation. It’s… frightening. The. Einherjer. Stay clear. After accidentally cleaved. One of them. In half.”

Both Valkyries shuddered at the image. “Someone ought to take her new weapon away quickly… someone who’s not us.” Tamara gave a strained laugh at the thought. “Who knew a dainty girl part from the ‘Band of German Maidens’ during WW2 would be such a menace with an enormous axe that sends Berserker packing?”

Val gave her a blurry look. Tamara motioned with her hand to continue.

Val rubbed the back of her hand and popped her joints. “Marie loves to. Act. Ava enjoys. Flying. And Zhou cooks. A lot. Everyone has. A hobby… or something they. Love. But I. Don’t.”

“You feel out of place amongst them, don’t you? All those emotions, all the excitement surrounds you. Like poof, whoosh, your head can’t handle it all!” Tamara circled her fingers over her temples, mimicking a firework. Her face dropped to a sad smile. “But it overwhelms you, no? Can’t enjoy the simplest things without feeling dizzy and confused.”

Val nodded dejectedly. All this excitement her sisters and everyone shared, and she had none. Seeing it in everyone frustrated her. Whenever they talked about it, Val felt like something was broken inside of her. Like she couldn’t comprehend emotions at all. Not even her own.

“How about a little late-night trip? Just you and me flying over Asgard,” offered Tamara, rubbing Val’s wrist in circles. “Would that excite you?”

Weirdly, it did. A spark travelled over Val’s skin, reigniting a feeling she had forgotten. Seeing the excitement glimmer in Tamara’s eyes, the pimples from her mischievous grin and the dancing of her coils excited Val. Spreading their swan wings, they dropped from the roof and flew into the moonlight.

—ˋˏ☾ˎˊ—

“Hnngh?” Val opened her eyes and groggily propped herself up. She drooled on the mattress, and her braid was a mess. “Need to. Stand up.”

The half-asleep Valkyrie rubbed her sore back, tripped over her feet and fell headfirst into the pillow she had accidentally thrown on the ground while sleeping. Her legs remained in the air as Val tried to recover from her moment.

“Ngh.” Val held her nose and shuffled into the bathroom. “Great. Start.”

Val splashed water on her face in the bathroom with the broken door, then unravelled her braid. The strands of her hung before her tired face. The cold water helped wake her up—alongside her headache. After rinsing herself, she noticed her nose was bleeding.

“How?” Val rubbed her nose and inspected the blood.

Her regeneration was off. Her divinity was not recovering. Leaving the bath, Val took a quick peek inside Maya’s room. A subtle smile graced Val's lips, seeing her girlfriend snore lightly. She quietly closed the door, a sense of rejuvenation washing over her. Then guilt when she failed to protect Maya against the Draugr.

Glancing at the diet plan for the week meticulously crafted by Aaron, Val couldn't shake the unease it brought her. A furrow creased her brow, telling her something was awry.

“I don’t. Like it.”

Discarding it, Val cooked up a breakfast idea she got from Fey—an idea she might have dismissed if it hadn't sounded so appealing at the moment: yoghurt with fresh berries and French toast. Even Val was hungry for some, knowing it would be a quaint breakfast together. However, Maya didn’t wake up until Val brewed up a fresh batch of coffee. The smell woke her up like Sleeping Beauty.

“Morning,” Val greeted her. “How did you. Sleep?”

Maya shook her head, keeping her eyes half-closed as she walked blindly through the kitchen, following the scent. “No talk. Just. Coffee,” said Maya, sipping her mug. Val immediately refilled it a minute later. Maya exhaled happily. “This hits the spot. I can’t function without my morning fuel.”

“How about. Mine?” asked Val, leaning closer with a lock falling over her face and puckering her lips.

Maya blinked at her. “You want a sip?” she asked, offering her mug.

Val looked confused at the mug. She had never tried coffee before and found the smell sometimes too potent and the taste too bitter. But Maya drank it daily, and Val was curious to give it a sip.

“How’s it?” Maya asked eagerly and closed in. “Do you like it?”

“It’s… nice.” Val forced a smile before sticking out her tongue in disgust. “Eww, bitter.”

Maya laughed. “Don’t worry. It’s an acquired taste.”

Val sipped on it again and shuddered, sticking out their tongue. “Eww.”

“Don’t force it.” Maya took the cup back and took a bite from her breakfast. Her eyes fluttered. “Now, this is what I call a breakfast. Aaron’s diet plan sucks. I’m glad you-”

Val suddenly kissed Maya, holding Maya’s face with her hands. Her girlfriend felt overwhelmed by the kiss, the taste of breakfast, and having her breath taken away. Parting again, Val licked her lips and still tasted Maya’s berry-stained lip. “Much. Better,” she said, panting happily. “The taste is. Better.”

“Haha, I’m glad.” Maya fanned her face, still not used to Val’s brashness sometimes, but she was more used to it now. Maya put her hand on Val’s arm and scooted closer. “What’s on the agenda today?”

Val brushed a lock back and took a bite of her rare breakfast. “How about. A morning jog? To the gym?”

Maya grimaced. Her coffee truly tasted bitter now, and put it away. “I… can’t. I have classes today.” Seeing Val’s expression drop, Maya rowed back a bit. “But I’m free in the evening. We can do it then… I can accompany you on a morning walk, at least.”

This brought a bit of light back to Val. She nodded faintly. “That sounds nice. I’d like that.”

“I’m sorry,” Maya apologised. “We made plans together, and I feel like I’m ruining it all by not sticking to them. I’m truly sorry, Val. I’m terrible.”

Val looked at Maya’s face. She was not good with emotions, but she knew Maya was about to tear up. Somehow, the subject was eating her up from the inside. Wrapping her arm around Maya, Val pulled her closer and rubbed her cheek against hers. Right now, she didn’t need words. Just being with her was enough.

The solace of being with someone she liked was more than enough.