“How did it come to this?” Maya wondered as she felt Val’s arm around her hip, and resting on the small of her back. Val leaned her other hand against the wall and touched her forehead against Maya’s, releasing a minty breath.

Her supple blond hair billowed down her bare shoulders and covered her chest. Her hand wandered underneath Maya’s shirt and breathed down her neck.

Maya suppressed a shudder that travelled through her body. She held Val’s wrist and didn’t know whether to push away or draw her closer.

“Is this a dream?” wondered Maya. She opened her eyes and looked right into Val’s glowing pair. A hungry smile greeted her with glossy lips that came closer to Maya’s. She didn’t want to retreat as the heat rose into her face. “If this is a dream; then I don't want to wake up.”

“Mayaaaaa~” Val’s voice rang in Maya’s head like a gentle bell. The Valkyrie’s face retreated, and the image blurred to a Val with a wild case of morning hair. “Maya. Wake up.”

Maya blinked several times, staring at the Valkyrie greeting her from the edge of the bed. It was the real one.

“DAMN. IIIIIIIIIT!!!” Maya cursed. “WHY DID IT HAVE TO BE A DREAM!?”

“Maya.” Val tugged back one of Maya’s coils. The heat from her dream returned. More intense than before, as she knew this was the real Val. “You’re staring. Everything. Alright?”

“Ah, Ahhhhhhhh… NOPE!”

Val was in one of Maya’s old pyjamas—since she didn’t have her own pair. She wore the plaid pants and a short-sleeved shirt unfairly well; Maya had trouble looking away.

She brushed back her long shoulder braid. Maya noticed Val’s gaze wandering over Maya’s maroon nightgown. and smiled in response to how it complimented her figure.

“Good. Morning,” she said fitly and helped Maya up. “How did you. Sleep? Did you dream. Well?”

“Y-yes,” Maya stuttered, her eyes still droopy and ready to return to her world of dreams. She then noticed Val’s gaze subtly lingering below Maya’s collarbone. Following it, the heat redoubled. She quickly adjusted her gown. “Slept like a rock, which is rare, haha. What about you?”

“Not. Well,” Val replied, and Maya’s expression grew weary. Then Val brushed back another coil from Maya’s face. “Lonely. Sleeping on the bed settee. All alone. Felt cold without. You.”

“Ah, ahhhhhh,” Maya’s brain couldn’t handle this kind of information this early in the morning; it screamed. She lacked the caffeine or energy and was close to malfunctioning on Val’s bold words. “D-did you wake me up for something? Or did you come to ask me to share mine with you?”

Maya’s brain immediately went for a joke. The laugh dropped when she realised what she had said and was truly on the verge of having her brain overheat.

Then she heard the doorbell, cooling down and distracting her mind.

“Something wrong. With your door. It makes. Sounds.”

“Of course,” thought Maya. “She doesn’t know what a doorbell is.”

Throwing her wrap around her shoulders, Maya trudged to the corridor with Val following close behind her. She spoke to the door intercom system but received no reply.

Opening the door, she found no one outside. “Damn neighbourhood children,” grumbled Maya and slammed the door shut with an audibly long bang. “I hate when they do this! What time is it, anyway?”

“Seven. AM.”

“Seven!?” Maya wailed. “I could have slept in!”

“Don’t worry.” Val suddenly held Maya’s hand, brushing her thumb over the back. “We can still. Go back and Sleep. Together.”

“Huh?” said Maya, confused by the proposition until Val chuckled playfully.

“Kid-ding. Do you want. Breakfast?”

“The world is so crueeeeel!” whined Maya and washed her face in the bathroom. She let out a sob and theatrically held her chest. “How could she play with my poor maiden heart? I will never recover from this…”

Maya left her bathroom with another sad sob. Though the aroma of blueberry waffles, powdered sugar and freshly brewed coffee instantly revived her spirits—including a Val still in her pyjamas and wearing an apron, which Maya didn’t get a glimpse of last time.

“Dear gods.” Maya clasped her hands in prayer. “Thank you for this. I think I’ll recover after all.”

“Breakfast. Almost ready.”

“Can’t wait for it,” replied Maya, gingerly waiting at the kitchen table and anxiously drumming with her fingers against it.

She watched from a safe distance Val cooking. From how happily she moved her elbows to her waist while humming an unfamiliar melody.

Maya put her hands on her chin and grinned. The heat returned when she remembered the dream she had about Val. It had been a long, long time since she last had that kind of dream.

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

She couldn’t deny the feelings she felt for the Valkyrie. They had only grown stronger with each passing day and time they spent together or apart when she was at the university.

Maya wanted her to know. She wanted to be with her and to experience what it was like to have a partner that loved you unconditionally.

“What should I do?” mumbled Maya. “Should I take the first step or wait for her? I don’t know.”

“Breakfast’s ready,” announced Val, carrying two large plates in both of her toned arms.

“What am I gonna do?” she let out a wistful sigh, the heat colouring her cheeks to a rosy red as she watched Val coming toward her with a joyful glimmer on her face. “I think I like her more than I thought.”

—✧—

With a forkful of blueberry waffles in one hand, a cup of coffee at her side, the laptop in front of her, and a tablet full of notes, Maya reviewed her papers once more. She went right back to editing, taking a bite, a quick sip and typing away, repeating the process.

She adjusted her glasses, tapped her nose at the side with her finger and focused on editing. Typically, she didn’t need glasses, but on some days—when she worked on her laptop—they helped her concentrate. They also had a neat blue light filter to lessen the strain from the laptop light.

It was rare for her to get a hearty breakfast, a fresh brew, and concentrate so much on her work.

If it weren’t for Val, Maya would have hungrily worked on her papers with a rancid cup of coffee. It was a luxury for her to enjoy her morning. She didn’t even change out of her nightgown as she got ‌busy this morning—not that it would have been any different on other days, though it was a pleasant change of pace.

Maya then heard something clatter down on the ground. She craned her head, spotting Val crouching in the living room.

“Val? Is something wrong?”

No reply. Maya stood up to investigate and found Val having cleaned the living room. The sofa was not in its place—she tried to vacuum behind it.

“How come I didn’t hear anything?” wondered Maya, noticing that Val also dusted off the walls alongside the lamps—she had even brushed the old rug.

Work which Maya neglected on how much of a chore they were.

“Val, you shouldn’t have been cleaning,” said Maya. She touched Val’s shoulder and noticed her shivering, her breathing laboured. “What’s wrong? Val, are you alright?”

Turning her around, Val leaned with her back against the cough. She gave Maya a frowned smile, her left-hand jittering. “Out. Of. Breath. No. Worry.”

“Yes, worry!” exclaimed Maya and helped Val to the couch, who was too weak to protest. “Take a breath, ok? What exactly happened?”

“I- ngh.” Val’s face was turning grey, and her breathing was erratic. She was hyperventilating.

Maya was panicking. “Don’t move. I’ll be right back!”

Maya returned with an inhaler she kept from a former friend in case of an emergency. Usually, it was not a good idea to share inhalers, but you couldn’t argue that this was one.

“Thank the gods I didn’t throw it away.”

Val barely moved. She concentrated on keeping her breathing steady as she reclined her head against the couch.

Maya rubbed her back while she instructed her how to use it, but Val could barely understand it. Shaking it for her, she helped Val take a puff and coughed at the weird feeling. Her breathing stabilised slightly after a moment or two. Maya stayed with her a while longer until she got better.

“Thank. You.” Val took a deep breath and shook her head. “I feel. Better.”

“I’m glad, but I didn’t know you were asthmatic.”

“Me. Neither,” replied Val sheepishly. “I’m not at… My Strength. Anymore… I feel. Weak.”

“Then why did you cook and clean so much this morning? You also moved around furniture even though you’re clearly not well.”

“Didn’t want. To be. Useless,” Val said, breathing deeply, her chest rising with each breath. “Wanted to. Support you. Like you do. With me.”

Maya gave her an honest smile. “Thank you, but don’t overexert yourself. Try to be more careful next time, alright?”

Val didn’t meet her eyes at how embarrassed and weak she felt, but she gave her a light nod. “I’ll try.”

“That’s all I’m asking.” Maya’s eyes went up and down. She noticed she sat rather close to the Valkyrie, to the point their knees were touching. She coughed. “Do you want me to help you lie down? You can use my bed, and I can—”

Ding. Dooooooong.

“Frickin’ Hel!” Maya cursed and stormed to the door. Again, there was no one there. She stepped out of her apartment to yell. “Show yourself, coward!”

Running to the balcony, she tried to spy something. A shadow, childish giggling; anything to find the miscreant who disturbed her moments of sleep and with Val.

“I swear, I will wring those children if I catch them,” grunted Maya and stepped back inside. “So, ehm, I was thinking—”

“I thought to. Start Running. Again,” said Val, keeping herself steady with some effort. “I need to. Get back in. Form. Need to get. Strong.” She skipped past Maya and stopped, returning for a moment to squeeze Maya’s shoulder. “I’ll clean. The table. And come back. Later. For Lunch. See you. Later.”

Maya leaned dumbfounded against the kitchen doorframe and observed how Val—despite her unique asthma attack—was busily cleaning and getting herself ready to head outside.

Filled with worry, Maya couldn’t even appreciate the new outfit as she always liked to do. “Are you sure you should go out for a run? Especially after your attack?”

Val stopped before the door and turned around, her fingers stapled. “I should train. Especially. After the attack.”

“I- I get it, but maybe you should do it later. Take a seat and—”

“Thank you. For worrying.” Val suddenly brushed her thumb over Maya’s chin, making her look up. “I’m alright. I’ll be back. Soon. Promised. Look forward. For later.”

The door closed behind the Valkyrie, leaving Maya still wondering whether or not it was a smart decision to let her go. “Maybe I should have been more forceful,” she wondered, tugging at her gown. “And I seriously need to change into some casual clothes. Can’t believe I spent the entire morning in this… with her.”

Maya shook her head and gathered her notes, which Val carefully avoided touching while cleaning.

Her worries gnawed at her consciousness and preoccupied her mind. Val was a Valkyrie, yet, but she was still not fully in her game. They had found her shield, yes, but the sudden asthmatic attack proved to Maya how much Val was still recovering.

“Yet she chose to clean the apartment and cook for me every day.” Maya looked back at the breakfast she had, noticing that Val barely ate anything. Concluding that Val must be a light eater who usually skipped breakfast. “I need to do something for her to help her recover-”

Ding. Doooooong.

“AGAIN!?” Maya shouted. “Wait, maybe Val got back? She doesn’t have any keys yet.” A light thought came to Maya’s mind. “I should make her a spare one, yes. That’s a good start.”

Maya opened the door. “Val, welcome back–”

Met by a groan, Maya realised that it was not Val behind the door. Nor prankster children ringing the door since morning.

“Grrruuuurgh.”

A Draugr was at her door.