cordeliasdarling

[cordeliasdarling]

Blood Red Moonlight

Chapter Five

GIF by henley-reeves

Teacher!Valkyrie x Reader

Summary: Wrong procedure, correct results.

Word count: 870

No powers AU, High school AU, Barely legal age gap, Angst, Teacher!Valkyrie, Student!R.

Masterlist | This Series Masterlist | AO3

Can't Shake The Devil Sitting On My Shoulder

It’s the middle of a challenging week, during your break, when you decide to pay your girlfriend a visit.

You walk casually into her classroom, expecting it to be empty, but find a full group of students inside.

You stop your movements at the door, a little stunned, and school your expression, "Mr King, can I talk to you for a second?" Your voice is sweet and innocent.

She gestures for you to come in, and you get as close to her as possible without seeming suspicious, to whisper, "I thought you were done at noon."

"I was, but they were being naughty, so I held them back," she responds in your same tone. "Is everything okay?"

"Can I borrow your car keys?"

Her concern is obvious, "That’s the third time this week."

"I just don't want to be here." You resort to a pleading tone and she caves in easily.

"Fine, but bring it back before you go home." She always warns you the same way, as if you'd ever leave for the day with her car.

"Of course I will, Val." It comes out a bit too loud. After realizing your mistake, you clear your throat and try again, "Mr king."

It seems nobody cared to notice your slip up, so Val discreetly gives you the keys and you exit the room.

You come back to Val’s office a few hours later to return the keys, and find her in deep conversation with Ms Danvers.

In a fit of rage from seeing them together, you loudly interrupt them and all but throw the keys at Val, "Thanks for the car, babe," you bark and storm out.

Val’s features turn into complete disbelief, and without thinking twice, she stands up to go after you, "We’ll finish this later," she says to Carol.

You make it to the parking lot before she catches up with you, "What do you think you're playing at?" she yells at you unrestrained.

"What are you playing at?" you yell back, "You knew I was coming, why were you so lovey dovey with her?"

"We were working on our lesson plans," she tries to explain, and you huff in response. "Why do I keep dealing with this?" she mutters to herself, though not quietly enough.

"Fuck off," you spit bitterly.

"Excuse you?" she almost explodes, but then remembers you're still at school.

You decide to ignore her and walk away, and she seems to do the same, until you feel a car approaching beside you, "Get in," Val demands through the open window.

You look around feeling exposed, "What?"

"Come on, the longer you linger the worse it's gonna get." You know she’s right, so you quickly get in and shut the door.

As soon as you get far away enough from the school, she parks the car, "Don’t ever pull that shit again, we could get in big trouble."

"I’m eighteen."

"But I’m still your teacher." You roll your eyes, not understanding why she’s making such a fuzz, "Stop that, I have no need to be putting up with your attitude."

"Then, why do you!"

She falls silent and breaks eye contact to look straight ahead, and for a second, you begin to fear the worst is about to come, then, she barely lets out, "Because I love you. And I can't help it. And it makes me furious."

You feel time stop around you, you can't believe the first time she said those words to you was in the middle of an argument. You stare ahead too, reflecting.

"I’m sorry, that was so stupid of me. I’m gonna fix it, I promise." You look at her again once you finish talking, feeling your heart pounding and your breath shaking with regret as you whisper, "I love you."

She takes a deep breath, grabs your hand and kisses your knuckle softly, looking back at you, "Let’s go home, yeah?" she asks so gently, and you nod in response.

Carol knows about you and Val, so the next day, you try to convince her to keep quiet.

"You got a minute?"

She looks up from her screen, "Come in."

"About yesterday with Mr King," you begin tentatively, "whatever you think you saw—"

"You don't have to worry about me," she interrupts with a sweet smile, making you frown.

"I don’t?"

"At least now I know there's a reason she refuses to go out with me."

You gasp incredulously, "You’ve asked her out?"

"You’re one to talk."

"Oh, shut up." The words slip out without crossing your brain, and she warns you gently.

"Hey."

"Sorry," you apologize, and she gives you a knowing look.

"You have to be more careful. If this gets out, you might get away with a slap on the wrist, but it won't be so simple for her, you know?"

Her words help solidify what Val told you the day before, "Why are you being so cool about this?" you ask in genuine confusion.

"I’m not gonna pretend to be okay with it, but I know she's a good person, and if she's taking the risk, it's because she really sees something in you."

Taglist: @starrycherie @mmywanda

Let me know if you wanna be tagged!

[cordeliasdarling]

Valkyrie teacher is lethal 😳

Blood Red Moonlight

Chapter Two

GIF by henley-reeves

Valkyrie x Reader

Summary: A hint of normalcy amongst the peril.

Word count: 1.1k

No powers AU, High school AU, Barely legal age gap, Fluff, Suggestive language, Teacher!Valkyrie, Student!R.

Beta'd by @cordeliasdarling <3

Masterlist | This Series Masterlist | AO3

Face My Fear Of The Evening

It’s Monday morning, close to lunch time, when Val hears a soft knock on her door, "Come in," she instructs. Her eyes light up immediately at your sight, before she sings, "Hello!"

"I was late to third period, can you sign this note I wrote on your behalf?" you ask without any preamble, shamelessly handing her a piece of paper.

She takes the note to skim it over and grabs a pen, stopping just before it meets the paper, "Not so fast, why were you late?"

"I had to write Carter's essay, I couldn't finish it last night."

"And why was that?" She intensifies her question with an eyebrow lift.

Your voice lowers to a mumble, "They came back home."

To that, Val gives you a firm nod of understanding and signs the note without further consideration, "Come see me after school," she says gently, and you hum in response.

She stands up and rounds her desk to give the note back, placing a small kiss on your cheek.

The rest of the day goes by, but when the last bell rings, you don’t show up to Val’s office. She waits for a little, before she concludes you're not coming and wraps things up to go home.

When she enters her house, you're laying on her couch, waiting for her.

"I meant to come back to my office," she clarifies lightheartedly as she hangs her coat by the door.

"But I love crashing on your couch," you tease.

She puts all her things away and walks into the living room with you, "Pardon? You have not once crashed on my couch."

"That’s because you won't let me stay the night."

"You haven't earned it yet," she says smugly, but in reality, she knows that would be unwise. She sits beside you and gently squeezes your shoulder, "Are they still home?" Her question makes your energy slump.

"I don't know, I left quickly and quietly this morning."

"I’m sorry, Princess." She gives you a soft look before opening her arms for you to fall into.

You spend the rest of the afternoon like that on the couch, watching movies together and, when it gets late, she takes you home.

All the lights are off, and the driveway is empty, so you enter carefully and let her know they're gone.

At your signal, she drives away, still feeling a small pit in her stomach.

The next day, you’re in the cafeteria having your lunch when Kate and Yelena sit with you.

"Did you see Principal Hill today? She looked smoking hot in that suit, I almost creamed my panties," Kate gossips. Yelena hums and nods in agreement while taking a big bite of her food.

"You guys are disgusting," you interject with your mouth full.

"Why are you such a prude?" Kate gives you an annoyed, yet harmless look.

"I’m not a prude, I just have manners."

"It’s not like they will ever know!"

"That’s what you think," you mumble to yourself.

Paying you no mind, Yelena decides to add some fun into the conversation, "Okay, if you could bang any one of our teachers, who would it be?"

Out of all the conversation topics in the world, she had to come up with this one. Your brain immediately lands on the obvious and not at all hypothetical answer, but you keep your expression stoic with a cold attitude, to avoid even the smallest chance of outing your relationship.

Kate looks to her girlfriend apologetically, "I’m so sorry babe, I have to say Ms Romanoff."

Yelena almost chokes, "What the hell? That's my sister!"

"I know, I have a type, okay?"

Yelena side eyes her, then her expression changes completely, "I think I could break Ms Jones, she likes to play tough, but I bet she's a pillow princess."

Right at that instant, Kamala slumps beside you with her own tray of food, "What are you guys talking about?"

"If you could bang a teacher, who would it be?" Kate fills her in.

"That’s easy, Ms Danvers."

"Everyone knows that," Yelena says sarcastically.

"She comes out to her porch in her pajamas on the weekends," Kamala’s eyes glimmer in genuine adoration, "I would die for that woman."

"You creep." Kate teases her, but Kamala is quick to defend herself.

"What, she's my neighbor!" They both giggle at their silliness.

"What about you?" Kamala puts the spotlight on you.

You look up at her with an exhausted expression, "I’m not playing this game."

Kate stops you from taking another bite, "That’s not an option."

In order to be able to continue with your meal, you decide to say the first name that comes to mind, right after your actual girlfriend, "Ms Foster."

"That doesn't count, she doesn't teach here anymore," Kamala chimes in again.

"That’s my answer, take it or leave it."

"Whatever."

Kate turns to look at Kamala with a pensive expression, "I really thought you were gonna say Mr King."

"Yeah, the way you stare at her, it's like you're undressing her with your eyes." Now, three pairs of eyes lay on yours, tauntingly, and your palms begin to sweat.

Fortunately, while you scramble to come up with a comeback, the bell rings, giving you the perfect excuse to flee the scene.

Despite your harsh outside, you're always grateful for your friends giving you a break from real life, even if today, their attempts weren't so effective.

After the school day is over, you meet your girlfriend at her place and end up recounting the uncomfortable chat you had at lunch with your friends.

"So I lied and said Ms Foster." You are once again laying on the couch together, her fingers soothingly carding through your hair.

She sucks on her teeth in amusement and smirks "I do miss Jane, she's so hot."

You scoff in absolute disbelief, and pretend to make the effort of standing up, "I’m going home!"

"I'm just messing with you," she chuckles at your antics, "but I think you agree."

She clears her throat and shifts her tone into a serious one, "It is gonna be midnight soon, though…" You drop your ruse and sigh in genuine sadness, knowing what she means.

"What if they're home?" you ask tentatively, trying to find a way to convince Val to let you stay.

Her fingers stop their movement, "Are they?"

"I don't know, but what if they are?"

"Then I'll drive you to Yelena’s."

"No way, that's Ms Romanoff's house!"

"So?"

"She’s your boss."

Val makes a sour face, "No, she's not."

"She’s always telling you what to do!"

"If that's the only requirement, then a lot of women could be considered my boss," she taunts suggestively.

You playfully slap her arm and stand up, "That’s it, I’m leaving."

"Oh, come on, at least put your clothes back on."

[cordeliasdarling]

Gorgeous Gwendoline

[cordeliasdarling]

Sunset Behind The Smoke

GIF by pedro-reed

Carol Danvers x Reader

Summary: Carol is a bad parent, again.

Word count: 4.4k

Angst with a happy ending, Bad parenting.

Beta'd by @cordeliasdarling <3

Masterlist | AO3

Hi, Carol. Just checking in, it's been a while since we've heard from you and I wanted to make sure everything is okay.

——————

Jupiter made some drawings today in art class and she asked me to send you a picture, said it's her 'best Goose yet.'

——————

Hey, uh, the school wants proof of your new address, please send it to Fury so I can pick it up.

——————

Jupiter's been asking about you, and quite frankly, I don't know what to tell her anymore. Can you please call me back? Or text me? Or send a Morse Code message?

——————

It’s Jupiter's birthday next week, we're having a small party at the house, she's so excited.

——————

You are invited to Jupiter's sixth birthday party this weekend, RSVP!

——————

Carol, you have to be at your daughter's birthday party.

——————

Party's about to start you'd better be here soon.

——————

Monica arrives to your house for the party, "Auntie Monica!" Jupiter runs toward her at full speed.

"Hey, little buddy," Monica smiles while lifting the girl and placing a peck on her cheek. She puts Jupiter down and pulls a couple of gifts from her purse, "Happy birthday."

"Two!" Jupiter exclaims in excitement, and you can't help but grin at her antics.

"What do you say?" you sing.

"Thanks."

"Go put them with the others." Jupiter sprints inside the house leaving you alone with Monica.

"Have you heard from her?" you whisper, Monica shakes her head with a tight lipped smile and you feel fire taking over your body.

"That’s it, I’m going to find her!" You reach for your jacket on the coat hanger, but she stops you by the wrist.

"The last thing Jupiter needs is both of her parents not being here," she lectures, letting go of your arm, "just be present and I will help you deal with the fallout later."

The rest of the guests arrive and the celebrations get going somewhat smoothly, but you can tell from the look in her eyes, that Jupiter is still waiting for one more person.

And so are you.

A little later, the doorbell rings and you catch Jupiter’s gentle gasp, as your own heart begins to race with growing hope.

You go to the door and Jupiter starts sprinting towards it right behind you, until you open it and meet a very well put together King Valkyrie. Jupiter stops and her features flatten, prompting Val to eye her with playful suspicion, "Well, hello there, Princess."

"Hi, auntie Val," Jupiter can't help but giggle.

The King kneels and Jupiter climbs into a big hug. Val gives her a present before releasing her with a wink, "I won't be keeping you, Your Majesty."

Jupiter takes the box and runs with it, her tiny footsteps growing softer with the distance. Then, Val takes the time to properly greet you, "The last time I was welcomed with such disappointment, I was in Sakaar," she jokes lightheartedly, "let me guess, no sign of Marv, yet?"

You slowly shake your head making her suck on her teeth. You both look at Jupiter having gone back to her party, "She doesn't seem to mind it so much," Val suggests.

"She’s great a pretending to be okay, much like somebody else we know," you refute her with your parental knowledge.

"I’m really sorry."

"It’s not your fault."

"It’s not hers either."

The rest of the party goes well, you all sing happy birthday, cut the cake, and after a few hours, everyone’s happy and leaving.

"The party was great, you don't need her," Monica tries to comfort you as she helps you clean up.

"I know that, but she does." You subtly point to your daughter.

"Have you decided what you're gonna do?"

You fidget with a balloon while you think, "Do you have even the vaguest idea of where she might be?"

Monica sighs deeply, "No, but if you really need to know, we can find out."

You accept without further consideration and then direct yourself to Val, "Can you take Jupiter home with you?"

"Of course." She calls out to Jupiter, "Princess!" and the girl appears almost out of thin air.

"Yes, auntie Val?

"Well, that settles who the favorite aunt is," Monica mumbles.

"Would you like to have a sleepover at my palace?"

Jupiter screams, "Yes!"

Val chuckles, "Come on, I'll help you pack your things." They run upstairs, you hear a lot of shuffling and then they come back down with a full bag.

You couldn't be more grateful that your friends love your daughter just as much as you do, "All ready, baby?"

"Yes!"

"Alright, you call me to say goodnight, yeah?"

"Yes, mama, love you."

"I love you more." She gives you a kiss and Val gives you a firm nod before they leave.

You stay with Monica and she begins to explain, "There’s a protocol at S.A.B.E.R. that can technically track Carol's ship."

"Technically?"

"It’s never been used before," your expression is clearly confused, "it's for extreme emergencies only."

"Okay, what do we do?"

"We call the boss."

In an instant, she pulls her phone out and calls Fury on speaker.

"Monica," he greets, "how’s the party?"

"Over," you reply.

"Oh, hey." He’s surprised to hear you, "Did Jupiter get my present?"

Your tone turns genuinely happy, "Yes, she loved it, thank you."

"Sorry I couldn't come, somebody had to hold down the fort since I gave Captain Rambeau the day off."

You chuckle, "That’s alright, no worries." Then, you clear your throat to change the subject, "Have you heard from Carol?"

"She didn't show?" he almost yells.

"No," you mumble, the thought making you sick to your stomach every time someone repeats it out loud

"Rambeau, can you get a reading on her location?"

Monica looks at her tablet, "Not clear enough."

"I’d say this counts as an emergency then, wouldn't you?" Fury’s tone turns devilish, "Come meet me at S.A.B.E.R."

It doesn’t take a long time after you arrive to meet Fury, for him to engage the protocol and get the exact coordinates of Carol’s ship.

"Maybe Monica should be the one to go, after the stunt she pulled today, I don't wanna see her face," you try to bargain, you’re not sure you could control yourself if you saw Carol right now.

"No, I think you should go," there's insistence in his voice, "just try not to punch her too soon."

After a little more coaxing, you take a small vessel a few galaxies over, and find the all too familiar ship, floating in the middle of the void.

You enter it and make a beeline to the cockpit, Carol hears you and looks behind herself in alarm, but relaxes once she sees it's you.

"Close the door," she instructs in a stern tone. Her manners are not the reason you married her, but they're also not the reason you left her, so you let it slide and shut the door. She follows, "How did you find me?"

"Why are you hiding?" you retaliate.

"I took on a very sensitive mission, I couldn't risk anyone knowing my location."

"Okay," it is clear in your voice that you don’t really care about her explanation, "I hope you know why I'm here."

Her eyes don’t move away the screens on her dashboard, "Is it about Jupiter's birthday? I’m aware, I won't miss it."

"It was today."

"What?" She freezes and turns to you hoping to find deceit in your face, "Shit! It's hard to tell the passage of time without a sun to keep track of, I should have checked sooner."

"You think?" you bite bitterly, "I’ve been messaging you like crazy."

"I shielded the ship so no signals come in or out…for stealth," she tries to justify, but you simply remain standing and starring at her unamused.

Before you say anything, your phone rings with a video call from New Asgard. You step away from Carol and stand by a window, "Hello?" you sing to mask your anger, knowing who's on the other end of the line.

"Hi, mama, I’m in auntie Val's castle!"

"Hi, baby! Are you ready for b—"

Jupiter gasps as she makes out your surroundings, interrupting you, "Are you in space with daddy?"

You choke for a second, "I am in space, but I’m alone right now." Carol tries to protest in the distance, but you shoot her a death glare.

"Oh, okay," the disappointment in Jupiter’s voice is palpable, "um, we're going to bed now, goodnight, I love you." Her energy drops along with your heart.

"I love you more, sweet dreams, little love."

She hangs up without saying another word.

Carol aggressively stands up and walks toward you, "Why did you do that?"

"Because she deserves better than an impromptu call, she deserves you coming to Earth and apologizing in person." You keep your composure.

"She knew I was here, she got so excited." Carol’s voice breaks lightly, but you’re not budging.

"She can't keep living off the scraps you give her, unless you want me to seek full custody."

"You wouldn’t."

Your tone unknowingly turns into a plea, "Don't make me."

You put your phone back in your pocket and walk closer to the dashboard, "I couldn't care less what you do with your time, Carol, but our daughter needs you, and as long as she does, I’m gonna keep bothering you."

She would be lying if she said your words didn't hurt her, but she knows she has never been the best parent. She quietly accepts your words almost in resignation, and goes back to work.

"Are you almost done with that?" you ask after a while in genuine curiosity.

"Uh, kinda? I still have a bunch of data to process and I have to scout the entire place one last time, could take a while."

You bite your lip as you think twice about what you're gonna say, "What if…I help you?"

She looks at you in surprise, "Really?"

"Yeah, I’m a bit rusty, but I was always better at it than you."

"Okay," she smiles gently, then frantically looks around to all the devices that are needed for the task.

"I got it," you say confidently trying to relieve her, "you go suit up." She meets your eyes again and nods before leaving.

You sit down where she was and take a moment to re-familiarize yourself with all the technology you used to know by heart.

After changing, Carol comes back out and asks, "Got everything you need?"

"Yeah," you reply as you turn to her.

Seeing her in her uniform has always brewed a funny feeling inside you, admiration, perhaps. You realize you're staring and quickly regain your composure, "Be careful," you say softly, and her eyes glimmer as they pierce into yours, a subtle curl in her lips.

"Always."

The ship's door opens and she leaves. A sweet atmosphere lingers in the air for a bit and you revel in it before getting to work. After a few minutes of working the computer, it's almost like the data is processing itself.

With all the information Carol gathered, it's not hard for you to believe what she told you is absolutely true. You also know how easily she can let herself be sucked into her work, and you understand that's a package deal with Captain Marvel. However, you haven't found an effective way to explain that to a child, let alone, her own.

A couple of hours go by and you can finally see the end of the queue of data to decrypt. With perfect timing, the ship’s door opens and Carol comes back in.

It is only when you turn around this time that you notice a Polaroid of Jupiter and Carol stuck in the window frame, you grab it and marvel at it quietly, Carol following your movements with her eyes.

"Maybe she's better off without me," she muses, walking toward you.

"You’re kidding," you answer in disbelief, "all she talks about is you."

"Are you jealous?" she teases playfully.

"No, I’m pissed. You're never around, but you still get all the attention." Your tone turns serious as you put the picture back, "You can't just decide that she doesn't need you."

"But I can't be there for her."

"You can't or you won’t?" you challenge, venom grazing the tip of your tongue, almost fearing her answer, but in an instant, you see the absolute shift her mind makes. It takes her a moment to process it, and you can read it in her expression, so you give her the time to do it.

"I haven't, but I’m gonna change that, starting right now."

She's got that look in her eyes, the one she gets when her mind is set and nothing can stop her, it goes beyond Captain Marvel’s stubbornness. It's Carol Danvers' determination.

With that settled, you decide to join Jupiter in New Asgard, so you call Val to let her know, "Hey, so Carol and I are landing in New Asgard in about 20 minutes, can you please have no one shoot at us? Thanks," you deadpan.

"It was one time!" She says playfully between gritted teeth.

You chuckle, "We'll see you soon."

"Wait, do you want me to wake Jupiter up?"

"I think we should let her sleep."

Just as promised, you arrive to The Kingdom and get to the palace to meet with Val and talk for a bit.

You let The King and The Captain catch up while you go run an errand in town.

Jupiter hears the noise and comes out of her room to see what's going on. When she sees Carol, she freezes by the doorframe and Carol does the same on her spot.

"Hey, Princess," Val interjects in the softest voice she can manage, "your daddy is here, you wanna come say hi?"

Jupiter walks slowly, stumbling on her feet, a little on purpose, a little because she's sleepy, she stands right in front of Carol and greets her shyly, "Hi, daddy."

Carol tries to ignore the urge to pick her daughter up into a hug and lets her approach at her own pace, she crouches to be at eye level with Jupiter, "Hi, my angel, how are you?"

"I’m okay, how are you?" Jupiter doesn't make eye contact.

"I’m good, thank you." The interaction is painfully awkward, "Listen, baby, I’m really sorry I missed your birthday." Jupiter hums dismissively, still looking to the ground.

You come back to the room and stay by the entrance to witness the exchange.

"Your work is more important than me," Jupiter pouts pulling away from Carol, breaking her heart.

"No, it's not, it never could be, you're the most important part of my life, I don't know what I was thinking, I was being silly, I’m so sorry, I hope you can forgive me."

After Jupiter stays silent, Val decides that was enough, she picks Jupiter up and takes her back to her provisional room, "Come on, Princess, let's go back to bed."

Once Val closes the door, you approach Carol gently and she grumbles, "I thought you said she was my biggest fan."

"I guess your luck ran out," you simply shrug off, "maybe you should take a walk to reflect on all your mistakes."

Carol quickly understands you want to talk to your daughter alone, so she obliges.

You knock and crack the door to Jupiter’s room, her and Val seem to have just finished a conversation, Val is tucking Jupiter in, and Jupiter looks a little more at ease, "Can I come in?"

When Jupiter sees you, her expression turns to worry, "Are we leaving, mama?"

"No, no, baby, we can stay here tonight."

Val kisses Jupiter's temple and bids her goodnight, before leaving you two alone. You carefully sit on the edge of the bed, "Are you okay, baby?"

"Yeah," she responds, but you know she's not.

"Are you mad at daddy?" she pouts and nods slowly, "That’s okay," you reassure her, rubbing her arm soothingly, "I want you to know that she's trying her very best."

Jupiter remains silent once again, as she processes your words.

"You still love her?" you push a little, giving her another chance to engage.

To your relief, she nods with enough certainty, "Do you love her, mama?"

"Huh?" Her question catches you off guard.

"I want you to love daddy so she can come live with us again."

Your heart breaks a little as you try to explain, "It’s not so simple, baby."

"Why not?"

"Because adults always have to make things complicated," you sigh deeply.

"If she lived with us she wouldn't have forgotten my birthday."

You know exactly where she’s coming from, but you cannot allow her to have that image of Carol.

"She didn't forget, angel, I promise," you assure, it sounds like a lie, but really, Carol forgot what day she was living in, while also being acutely aware of Jupiter's birthday…not having a sun to keep track of will do that to a person.

Do you love her? Does it matter? There's only so much love can do, it only gets you so far, and with Carol, that was never enough. There was always some mission, some planet, or civilization that needed her help, it was never an if but a when she was leaving next. And it seems that hasn't changed in the slightest, or so you think.

As she’s taking a stroll in the dark streets of The Kingdom, Carol can't help but feel a little strange about the way Jupiter treated her. After the way you described her, and how Jupiter actually received her, she begins to suspect foul play.

So, when she spots The King, leaving her palace, she walks directly towards her, "Did you talk to Jupiter about me?"

Val isn’t even startled by the aggressive approach, "Maybe," she replies dryly.

Carol frowns, "What did you say?"

"Nothing that wasn't true," Val taunts, and Carol falls straight for it, her body threatening to attack until Val stops her, "Hey, this isn't a war, this is your kid, Marv, what the hell are you doing?" her tone is full of concern, "We all love her, we all take care of her, if you were around more often, you would know that. We're all just looking out for her, trying to do what's best."

After a long moment of contemplation, Carol comes back inside, and you approach her, "We need to leave first thing in the morning."

She’s taken aback slightly, but tries her best to focus, "No breakfast?"

"No breakfast."

"Did Val tell you that?" she asks, somewhat worked up still.

You shake your head, "I haven't told her yet. I just don't like the whole royal living vibe."

"But Jupiter loves it."

"How would you know that?" you scoff in disbelief, as if she suddenly knows everything about her neglected daughter.

"Remember the first time we all went to Aladna together and stayed with Yan?" she begins to explain.

"That was forever ago."

"Jupiter was smiling the whole time, and sleepovers with Val are her favorite!"

Maybe Carol does know things about her neglected daughter, regardless, your tone is final, "Yeah, well, she's had a pretty lengthy sleepover, and I’m not staying another night."

Carol nods firmly in agreement, "Okay."

"Thanks." You’re surprised by Carol understanding so quickly and without a fight, "It’s good to know you're learning to listen again."

"Yeah, it's not so easy."

"Please, you're Captain Marvel, what's hard?"

"Captain Marvel, the worst parent ever," she groans.

"I wouldn't say that, I never met your dad, but he sounds extremely awful."

"Okay, yes, second worst."

"That’s more like it," you smirk.

She scoffs dramatically, "You’re supposed to be supportive!"

"I have no legal obligations toward you," you pause and lower your voice, "anymore."

"…Anymore," she repeats after you, her voice barely audible, but she swiftly changes the topic while producing a small box from her pocket, "I got her a present."

You take it and open it to reveal a beautiful necklace, "Asgardian gold?"

"You know it."

You open the pendant to reveal a picture of the three of you when Jupiter was just a baby, it makes you gasp, "I thought this picture was lost."

"It was, I used a memory device to recreate it. Literally."

"We look so happy." You are completely mesmerized by it, as it brings back all too familiar feelings inside you.

"That's the way I remember it." Carol seems just as enthralled as you are, "Before I took on that mission, I was talking to Fury about setting up camp on Earth, at least for a part of the year."

Her words break your trance, your neck snapping in her direction, "Are you serious?"

"I am," she smiles softly.

Maybe this time, things could be different, but you'd have to actually give her a chance if you want to find out.

The next morning, Carol wakes up to some noise coming from the dining room. She comes out to investigate and finds Val, Jupiter and you, eating peacefully, "I thought you said no breakfast."

You bite your lip in hesitation, "The King insisted."

"There’s a plate for you in the kitchen," Val chimes in.

Carol grabs the plate and comes back to the table, "Can I sit next to you, angel?" she asks Jupiter, a bit nervous about the answer.

Jupiter looks up at her with her mouth full and nods happily, making Carol sigh as her body relaxes.

The meal is mostly quiet, but you can tell Jupiter isn't resisting Carol's affection as much as she was the night before. They exchange jokes and complicit looks, the way they used to when you were still together.

After you're all done eating and helping clear the table, you thank Val, say your goodbyes, and head to Carol's ship.

"Your ship is bigger than auntie Val’s," Jupiter beams.

"Is it? I haven't been there in a long time," Carol tries to play it cool.

"Uh huh!"

Just like that, it seems Jupiter is back to being Carol's biggest fan, you're not sure what happened, but you're glad it did. Unfortunately, Carol seems to be too in her head to notice any of it, she goes to the cockpit to pilot the ship, and you stay on the couch with Jupiter.

"Did you enjoy your sleepover with auntie Val?"

"Yes!"

"It was so much fun!" her eyes light up the way Carol’s do when she’s excited, "We played princess dress up and auntie Val gave me a tiara to wear."

"Did you take pictures?"

"Um, uh-uh," she responds sheepishly. "We watched a movie about space, and we rode on Pegasus," you don't remember giving Val permission to take your daughter on the death creature, "and we had so many snacks."

She's so precious recalling everything about her weekend, but then, she turns pensive, "Auntie Val told me that daddy was in space making sure the bad guys couldn't hurt any more people, is that true, mama?"

You try to read her intentions before simply responding, "Yes."

She uses her whole body to process it, "Then I forgive her for missing my birthday."

"That’s very kind of you, baby." A small smile forms on your face.

Carol pilots the ship slowly, since you both agreed Jupiter couldn't sit in the front where the seatbelts are, so by the time you arrive to your house, it's already getting dark.

She lands the ship and helps you both down, standing awkwardly by the front door until you invite her in. She decidedly doesn't try to make herself comfortable, feeling like a complete screw up and contemplating what her next move will be, now that she's lost her daughter.

While Jupiter goes to her room to put all her things back, Carol hands you Jupiter's present and bids you goodbye, "You’re not planning on leaving without saying goodbye to her, are you?"

Carol stops her escape and inhales deeply, "I think that was enough disappointing her for one day."

You’re slightly confused by her words, "What movie were you watching?"

"The one where she couldn't even greet me properly."

Carol sees this as a lost battle and genuinely believes that being the bigger person by removing herself entirely from the situation, is the better solution for everyone. This is her way of taking responsibility, and you know perfectly well the way her military brain works, how it so easily misses the emotional side of every coin.

She's practical, tactical, and effective in the absolute worst ways possible. You know when her stoicism takes over and she needs a helping hand, and right now it's one of those moments.

"Did you miss the part where she looked at you like you hung every single star in the sky?" You pin her down with her eyes to ensure she stays put, "You can't keep doing what's most convenient for you, you ought to do better by that little girl," you pause, "our little girl." You walk closer to her and carefully caress her arm, "She loves you, Carol, and I can't believe I have to say this out loud, but you should love her too."

"I’ve never loved anyone more," her eyes glimmer with the threat of tears, "but what else can I do?"

Jupiter comes back to where you two are standing, her bare feet gently taping the floor with each step, she stares at you for a moment, trying to read the atmosphere, then she pouts, "Are you going back to your ship now, daddy?"

This time, Carol makes an effort to really look into her eyes and finds everything they hold, she crouches to be at eye level with her, "It is getting late, angel, but I can come back—"

"You don't have to leave," you interrupt her, "I hear you're due for some time off work?"

Jupiter's face lights up brighter than any sun, "Please, daddy?" Carol freezes, unsure what to say.

"You can take the spare room...for now," you offer.

Carol is quick to accept, "Okay." Jupiter wastes no time hoping into Carol's arms as she squeals in joy.

"Thank you, daddy!"

Carol stands up with Jupiter still in her arms, then she leans on your side to whisper in your ear, "Thanks, mama."

[cordeliasdarling]

Wish I Could Keep You In Amber

GIF by pedro-reed

Carol Danvers x Reader

Brief description of being followed, Mutual pining, Fluff, First meetings.

Summary: You can always count on an Avenger to save the day.

Word count: 2.4k

Beta'd by @cordeliasdarling <3

Masterlist | AO3

You knew you would have to work late today, but you weren’t aware of how late that was going to be.

You watch the ticking clock as you’re finishing the last of your tasks and make a beeline for the exit as soon as you’re done.

There is no public transport running at this hour and you can’t see a single cab around, so you decide to start walking home, lest it becomes morning while you wait.

You’ve only walked a couple of blocks, when you realize someone is following you. Your heart begins to pound harder and your feet pick up the pace as you think of what to do.

Once you get to a corner, you take the turn in hopes the man will give up and leave you alone, but he doesn’t, so on the next corner, you do the same, again, and again, until it becomes clear he’s not giving up.

Among the empty streets, you miraculously spot another person, a tall, blonde figure, and you decide to approach them as an absolute last resort.

"There you are, love," you say loudly, holding their hand and cuddling to their side to really sell it.   You can immediately tell that they are very confused, but they don’t stop walking. You keep looking straight ahead as you lower your voice and explain, "There's a guy following me, I've been trying to lose him, I’m sorry."

"That's no problem," they gently assure you.

The sweet voice makes you look at them, your eyes going wide when you realize, "You're Captain Marvel!" All your discretion has now been abandoned.

She grins at your reaction, "You can call me Carol."

"I’m so sorry, I had no idea." You quickly let go of her hand, rendering her slightly disappointed.

"It's okay, really, it's my job to protect you." She looks back subtly, "I think we lost him."

You sigh in relief, "Thank God, thank you, Carol."

She nods chivalrously, "Can I walk you home?"

"I don't really know where we are, I took a few wrong turns back there trying to escape."

"Maybe I can fly you, then?" she suggests, oh, so sweetly.

The adrenaline and nerves are still controlling your body, "I could not ask you to do that."

"It would be my pleasure." She looks at you with the kindest eyes and you cannot say no to her.

"Okay."

She picks you up bridal style, "Hold on tight."

Carol lands in front of an apartment building a few minutes later, "Is this it?" she asks looking up.

"Yes, third floor."

"Alright." She puts you down and you both linger by the entrance.

"Could I thank you with a cup of tea?" you stutter, making her smile.

"That sounds lovely."

You walk her in and up the stairs all the way to your home. Then you make her a cup of your favorite tea and sit on the couch to chat.

"So, how long have you been a hero?"

"Hmm," she thinks, "I got my powers a long time ago, but I didn't join the Avengers until much later, though before that, I was in the Air Force, so I guess it depends on your definition of hero."

You hum in understanding as you take a sip of your tea, "What about you?" she returns the question.

"How long have I been a hero?" you pull your legs up on the cushions, "God, where to begin."

She chuckles at your silliness, "What do you do?"

"I work in a sound studio, I make audio for films."

"Anything I might have seen?"

"Probably, but I’m not allowed to talk about it," you wink.

She feels drawn in by the intrigue and her tone turns gossipy, "Did you sign an NDA?"

"Three, actually, I’m sure you're familiar with those, too."

She smirks, "I’ve signed my share."

You continue your conversation until it gets late and you both accidentally fall asleep.

Carol wakes up a few hours later and quietly makes her way out and to the compound. As she’s sneaking in, Natasha sees her and teases, "Walk of shame?"

"Don’t even start with that," Carol smiles nervously, but Nat doesn’t miss the glimmer in her eyes.

You wake up a few hours later, a little disoriented, and slightly disappointed that Carol is gone, but maybe it's for the best.

After that day, Carol discreetly comes by your building every night to make sure you get home okay. She slowly starts learning your schedule, though sometimes you get back later than others.

One night, it gets abnormally late. She’s waiting for you, watching from the rooftop of the neighboring building, when she begins to worry. For a moment, she considers going to see if you're still at work, but then remembers you never actually told her where that is. She thinks about flying over the entire city in search for you, until her common sense gets a hold of her again.

In the end, she decides to sit still, waiting patiently for you to return, while ignoring the pounding in her chest.

It is almost sunrise when she sees a cab stop on the curb to drop you off, and she feels the weight of the world being lifted off her shoulders.

Once you make it all the way up to your apartment, she goes back to the compound, where she is again met by Natasha, who is a lot less friendly about her early morning sneak in.

"Where have you been?" Natasha demands.

Carol is taken aback by her attitude, "Out," she responds simply, with no real bite in her tone.

"We had an emergency call, we could have really used your help."

Carol thinks hard about it, her tone remains mostly confused, "Fury has a direct line to me, if it was that bad he would have called me."

Natasha frowns, stepping closer to Carol for her to see her prominent black eye. Carol’s features turn to surprise, but she remains firm on the fact that Fury can always contact her if need be, "You look great," she quips with a smile. Nat only rolls her eyes half heartedly and leaves.

Little did Carol know that you had also begun walking around the street where you first met her, hoping to see her again.

One day, you decide to be bold and take a stroll close to the Avengers Compound. As soon as you get out of the cab, rain starts pouring down on you, with thunder and lightning and everything in between.

You run out of options, so you reluctantly knock on the compound’s door, repeating Carol’s words in your mind. It’s their job to protect you, right?

After about a minute, someone does answer the door. A tall, strong, commanding woman, with an almost angry look on her face, you feel like you barged in at the wrong time, "Can I help you?"

You stutter nervously at her presence, "I—is Carol here? I mean, Captain Marvel." You’re unsure about the formalities and her brown eyes boring into you are not helping.

"And you are?" Her expression remains stoic.

"I—uh—a friend." It comes out almost like a question.

"I’m sorry, we don’t accept visitors at this location." She says it with such finality that you can’t find it in you to try again. Lucky for you, a red head was just making her way downstairs and caught a glimpse of your conversation.

She walks to the door and gives you a once over, her expression a lot more sympathetic than her teammate’s, "You here for Danvers?" There’s a faint smirk on her face.

"Y—yes." Despite her nicer approach, you can only think about the fact that there are now two superheroes staring at you, as you stand in the pouring rain.

"Come in, I’ll let her know you’re here." She points her sentence by squeezing the other woman’s shoulder to ease her tension. "Relax, Hill, it’s okay," she says as she’s already leaving to find Carol.

"Do you even know her?" Maria yells, but Natasha doesn’t respond, so she turns back to you.

"Yeah, so, I guess you can wait in here," Hill points to the common room behind her as you step in, "but do not leave this general area or the alarm will go off," she warns in the flattest tone possible.

"Thank you," you mumble, walking past her.

Meanwhile, Natasha knocks on Carol’s open door.

"Yes?" Carol answers, seeing Nat lingering in her doorway.

"Someone came to see you." Carol is quickly taken aback in confusion, Nat gives her a knowing look and a soft smile, "Better get to her before Maria starts the interrogation."

Carol comes downstairs to find you alone, thankfully. "Hey." Her whole body lights up at your sight, metaphorically speaking.

You immediately stand to greet her, "Hi."

"What happened to you?" she asks teasingly.

You point to the door, "Rain."

"Oh." She feels silly that she hadn’t even noticed the storm outside, but she quickly recovers, "Come on, I’ll get you some dry clothes."

"That’s not necessary—"

"You’re gonna catch a cold, come on," she insists and you accept, following her up to her room for her to give you something to wear.

The awkward silence that follows slowly turns more comfortable, as you both settle into each other’s company.

"It doesn’t look like the storm is letting up any time soon." Carol says after a while. You start making a mental plan about how you’re going to get home, but she interrupts you, "Which side of the bed do you want?"

Her question stops your train of thought, you blink a few times as you register her words, "I can take the couch."

"Don’t be silly," you remain frozen in place, "just pick a side, it’s not that serious," she chuckles.

"Uh, left?"

When it gets late, you try to ignore every feeling in your body and just go to sleep.

You wake up in the morning and Carol is gone, but before you try to convince yourself that this whole thing has been a very elaborate dream, you find a note on the bedside table.

"I’m at the gym, I'll meet you for breakfast downstairs, -C"

So you borrow some clothes from her closet and get ready.

You come down the stairs and find a redhead sitting at the table by herself, but she's not the same one you met the night before, so you tread carefully.

"Good morning," she chirps, startling you.

"Good morning," you stutter back, "have you seen Carol?"

Her expression turns unreadable, "I think she was just finishing up at the gym with Nat."

"Oh, I was under the impression that this was gonna be a two person affair…" you respond without even thinking.

"Hey, if you wanted to be alone, all you had to do was ask," she retorts as she stands up with her empty dishes.

"That’s not…what I—" you fumble with your words.

"I’m just teasing you." It’s almost like she's reading your mind, "Are you her girlfriend?"

Your face goes beet red, "Oh, uh, no, no, no, absolutely not."

She looks amused, "If you say so. Just one tip, you gotta spell things out for her, otherwise she won't get it…whatever it is you want her to know." She gives you a sly look and leaves.

You pour yourself a cup of coffee from the pot in the kitchen and sit where the red head was.

A few minutes later, Carol comes in to find you, "There you are!" She serves two plate and joins you at the table.

"How many redheads work here, exactly?" Is the first thing you say to her, and she almost chokes on her food from laughter.

"Just the two," she manages to answer after a bit, deducing you just met Wanda.

"And is it a requirement that everyone here has to be intimidating as fuck?"

"They aren't always like that, it's just, civilians aren't usually allowed in here so when they do see one, they get—"

"Murdery?" you interrupt her.

"Defensive," she corrects.

You raise a questioning eyebrow, "Civilians?"

"…You know what I mean."

"They don't know how to handle commoners?" you snark, but she can clearly tell you're joking.

You both let the joke die down as you get to work on your food, "So how did you end up here?" She asks in a more serious tone.

"I was taking a stroll nearby when the storm caught me," you lie.

"Now tell me the truth," she pushes softly, knowing full well people don’t just walk by the Avengers Compound.

You hear a voice in your head whispering, "Spell. It. Out." You look around, but there’s no one there, and Carol doesn't seem to have noticed it.

"I was hoping I'd run into you."

She frowns in confusion, "Why?"

You try to force the words out as they get stuck in your throat, "Because I like you, a lot."

There’s a long silence, and you can feel your heartbeat racing to impossible speeds.

"If you're done with that, I can fly you home?" She points to your now empty plate.

You look down as you nod, "Sure."

The flight home is awkward, Carol has a look on her face that you can’t decipher.

When you arrive, you invite her in with all the hope in your body, but she refuses, "I have work," she apologizes.

Your heart sinks a little further at her refusal, then you remember, "Wait, everything I’m wearing is yours, let me just change so you can take it."

She gently grabs your shaky shoulders, "Don’t worry about it, I can come get it another time."

You stop your rushing and mumble an 'okay.'

"Is Friday good?"

It takes you a second to get what she means, but when you do, your face lights up, "Mhmm."

She matches your expression, "I’ll pick you up at 7."

"It’s a date," you extend your arm to reach for a hand shake, but instead, she takes it and brings it to her lips to kiss your knuckle, catching you completely off guard.

"Are you a royal of some kind?" You only think to tease her.

She shoots you a mischievous expression, "Maybe…"

"And you're going on a date with a commoner?"

"I’ll take what I can get." She winks and leaves.

[cordeliasdarling]

[cordeliasdarling]

Gonna miss this series so much :,)

Giving Baby Steps A New Meaning

GIF by oliveoomph

Carol Danvers x Reader

We’ve Loved A Thousand Lives

Same beginning, different story every time.

Part 20

Light angst, Newborn baby, Family, Domestic fluff.

Word count: 1.9k

A/N: This is the last installment of the collection, at least for the time being, as I focus on other projects. I really hope you've enjoyed coming on this journey with me. Let me know all your thoughts :)

Masterlist | This collection | AO3

Carol comes back home late at night, after a successful mission. She was supposed to arrive a week ago but, as it sometimes happens, things didn’t go according to plan and she had to stay a little longer.

As she opens the front door of her Louisiana house, her heart shaking her entire torso, she hears crying from upstairs. She locks the door behind her with trembling hands, and goes to the source of the sound in her bedroom.

She stops her feet just outside the room and finds her wife, swaying their baby girl, Jupiter, back to sleep. Carol lingers in the doorway, feeling so blessed to be welcomed by this sight, until you notice her.

You beam when you see her, "Hey there."

"Hi," she whispers and slowly walks in, as you keep gently rocking Jupiter. Tears swell in Carol’s eyes as she meets her baby for the first time, "Hi, little angel," she coos.

You give her time to observe and admire the little bundle of joy before you offer, "Would you like to hold her?"

"Oh, no," she almost takes a step back, "I don't want to disturb her."

She seems jumpy, so you don't push her, "How did your mission go?"

"It was good, but I’m so glad to be home." She comes behind you to wrap her arms around your waist, right below where you’re holding Jupiter, then places a kiss on your cheek and marvels at your baby with the biggest smile on her face.

The first couple of days of Carol being back, you ask her to run errands and do all the things you couldn't do by yourself while you take care of Jupiter.

She enjoys watching Jupiter sleep, but is a little apprehensive about touching or holding her, like all her strength could break her so easily. You completely  understand, so you let her take it slow.

The first few attempts of Carol making physical contact with Jupiter don't go so well, it seems they haven’t quite found themselves comfortable with each other, causing Carol to panic and back out.   One particular night, Carol decides to get up when Jupiter wakes up to let you rest. She rounds the bed and picks her up from her crib more confidently than before.

She starts talking and cooing at her as she prepares a bottle, she checks her diaper and tries to feed her, but it doesn’t work. Carol sits on the bed, unsure what to do, quickly growing desperate.

You were trying to let her handle it, since she took the initiative, but you could tell it wasn't going anywhere, so you open your eyes and sit up, "What’s wrong my babygirl?" You reach out to Carol’s arms and she lets you take Jupiter from her.

The crying immediately stops, "That wasn't so hard, was it?" you coo as Carol feels a dip in her chest, "You just wanted mama's attention, didn't you? Why didn't you say so?" you kiss Jupiter's crown, "You know daddy, right? You've met her before! She's pretty alright once you get to know her." You keep talking nonsense until she falls back asleep and you lay her down in her crib.

You get back into bed and look at Carol again, she's hugging her legs to her chest, sniffling softly, "She hates me."

"She’s three weeks old, I don't think she has the capacity to decide that yet."

"I swear she doesn't like me."

You sit beside her and rub her back, "I think you might be getting too in your head about it."

"If this is revenge for not being around when Monica was little, that's very cruel of the universe."

You know she holds heavy guilt over her past, but you also know she's trying to do better this time around, "Maybe you just didn't shower well enough." She gives you a tight lipped smile knowing you're trying humor to make things better and she appreciates the effort. "Come on, let's try to get some sleep while we can," you say sweetly with a loud kiss to her cheek. 

"What are you so happy about?" she questions your good mood.

You fake a smug tone, "I helped calm down two crying babies tonight."

The rest of the night, you let Carol sleep and you get up whenever your babygirl needs you.

When Carol wakes up, the sun is starting to rise, you're sitting in bed next to her, feeding Jupiter, "Morning, angels," she croaks. 

"Hey there, daddy." You can’t help the smile that forms on your face at the sound of her voice.

"How’s she doing?"

"Pretty good, she only woke up a couple more times." Carol hums contently, almost forgetting the disaster from before, "It’s still early, you should sleep a little longer, I got her."

"You sure?" You nod and that’s all it takes to convince her, "Okay." She slides her index finger into Jupiter’s hand to grab out of reflex, then guides it to her lips to place a faint kiss on her knuckle. Jupiter starts to whine and whimper, but Carol's movement is quick before she let's go and your babygirl calms down again.

As the days go by, Carol continues her attempts at getting closer to Jupiter and, little by little, they make progress together.   She's able to successfully help with bath time, they have sweet conversations while you're all out on walks together, and they listen to Yan’s songs when it’s your turn to make dinner. But the one thing Carol cannot get right, is calming her down when she wakes up. The moment they make skin to skin contact, things always blow up.

"Fury called, he needs me to go sign some papers." You approach Carol gently on the porch. 

Her neck snaps in your direction as she begins to worry, "Oh, right now?" 

"Yeah…" your tone turns apologetic, "It should be very quick and she's sleeping." Carol rubs her own arm in hesitation, "Hey, you're gonna do great, I know it," you try to soothe her. You're being supportive, but you’re also pleading silently, "I could really do with leaving the house for a little bit."

Carol understands that you need to do this, and she has to be able to take care of her own daughter, so she slowly begins to nod, "You’re right, I got this, take all the time you need," she says confidently, though inside, she's hoping Jupiter doesn't wake up while you're gone.

You give her a kiss of encouragement before you leave.

A light whimper getting louder warns Carol that Jupiter is awake. She takes a deep breath and whispers so herself, "Here we go."

She goes to Jupiter’s room and picks her up gently as she tries to keep her nerves at bay, but the cries only grow more aggressive, making Carol panic and fumble in desperation.   "Come on babygirl, it's me, it's daddy," she coos as sweetly as she can muster, "please, please, please, let me help you," she almost begs.

Carol tries to feed her, change her, rock her, sing to her Yan songs, but nothing works, rendering Carol on the verge of tears herself.

She doesn’t know what else to do, but she refuses to call you, so she decides to call someone else.

"Help me," is all Carol says, still rocking Jupiter in her arms.

Valkyrie's eyes light up at the little human, "Is that my niece?"

"Yes, and she hates me, but I’m home alone, please help me." Carol’s voice sounds strained, only making Val all the more amused.

"What do you want me to do?"

"I don't know!" Carol starts involuntarily overheating and the cries get louder.

Val has never seen a baby so upset before, "What is happening?"

"I can't touch her without her making a fuzz." Carol’s explanation makes something in Val's brain click.

"That happens to Thor with human babies too."

Carol's eyes shoot back to the hologram, "What?"

"Yeah, I guess your offspring tend to be sensitive to superpowers." 

"Oh my God," Carol gasps, "is that what it is?"

Val shrugs, "I mean, I don't know, all the babies I get to hold are Asgardian."

"How does he deal with it?"

Val squint as she thinks for a moment, "He doesn't hold babies anymore."

When you come back home, you're expecting the worst, you almost open the front door with dread, like it's an active bomb, expecting to be greeted by two crying babies.

Instead, you are met with complete silence, which you find to be worse. You enter carefully and search every room downstairs to find nothing. Worry starts settling into you.

You run upstairs to yours and Carol’s room and find it empty, so with your heart pounding in your ears, and the worst thoughts clouding your mind, you take debilitating steps towards the baby’s room, carefully opening the door to see two angels, both sound asleep.

Not on the crib, or on the rocking chair, or the couch, but floating about in the middle of the room. You enter and admire the scene in front of you in awe, mouth agape.

After a moment, you look around and spot a communication device, but the call has been ended, so you shut it off, beginning to wonder how long they’ve been like this.

You hadn't seen Carol fly in her sleep in a long time, it only happened when she was at her most stressed. You’re not so sure how safe that can be for Jupiter, so you gently try to wake Carol up.

"Love?" you whisper, but she doesn’t react, "Angel?" you try a little louder, she doesn't even flinch, so you pull her floating body down by the shoulders, until her face is level with yours, and you can caress her cheek with your nose and leave a soft kiss there too, "Wake up."

Then she does, "You’re back?" you hum in response, your face still full of amazement, she frowns at your staring, "What’s going on?"

"You did it," you smile.

"I did?" Her frown only grows stronger.

"She’s asleep in your arms."

Carol feels the air leave her lungs in disbelief and excitement, "She’s asleep in my arms!"

You gesture to the device behind you, "You got some help from The King?"

"Not really," she snarks, "why am I flying?"

You shrug, "You were like that when I got here, I think that's what made her calm down."

"I don't remember any of it." She can’t even remember ending the call with Val.

"Well, you still did it, I told you not to think too hard about it," you remark smugly.

Her voice turns small, "But if I get down, will she cry?"

You chuckle at her insecurity, "Don’t worry, I got her." You extend your arms to take Jupiter.

"Hey, no!" Carol moves away from you, still floating in mid air, "I’m bonding with my daughter." 

Your smile grows, "Did you think you'd be saying that two weeks ago?"

"No," her lips curl to match yours, now feeling proud of herself and her babygirl.    "You did good, Captain," you rub her arm as you compliment her, you know she’s been working so hard to finally get to this point with Jupiter. 

"Now come on, you have two arms." You gesture for her to pick you up as well, she scoffs and makes an incredulous expression, but picks you up anyway, "This way we can all bond together."

[cordeliasdarling]

*swoons*

[cordeliasdarling]

Val deserves so much love <3

If Not For You, Hell Would Be Knocking On My Door

GIF by sersi

Valkyrie x Reader

Summary: Sometimes, Valkyries need a hand too.

Angst, Hurt/Comfort.

Word count: 980

Thank you @cordeliasdarling for betaing as always <3

Masterlist | AO3

King Valkyrie has been hanging out with Thor lately. They like to go on what they call 'Excursions' from time to time, traveling to distant lands and finding trouble to get themselves into.

They have built a dynamic duo that deals with all the issues the earth Avengers can't get to, but that are small enough that Captain Marvel doesn't need to intervene, at least most of the time she doesn’t.

It's been good on Valkyrie to get back into kicking ass. It serves her well to get out of the Kingdom every now and then, except, things don't always go to plan, and if Carol isn't available to help them out, well…

It's past midnight, you’re in the bedroom, trying to get to sleep, when you hear the front door unlocking. Val is back, and she didn't tell you, so she's probably in a bad mood.

You slowly come downstairs and find her by the entrance, stumbling to take her boots off with one hand and balancing herself on the wall with the other. She manages to get one shoe off, then she trips and falls face first to the ground.

You rush to help her, but her voice stops you, "Don't, I got it." The thickness of her accent tells you all you need to know.

"You're drunk."

"Don't start, I don't want to hear it"

The worst part about their failed missions is that they revert Val to her old defeatist self, pulling her walls up, after she drinks her head off. With all the horrors she has probably seen in her life, you can't really blame her, though.

You crouch down next to her to be at eye level and whisper, "Val," but she doesn't react, "love," still nothing, so you straighten your tone, "Valkyrie."

Finally, her eyes dart to yours, "What," she barks.

"You need help, just let me."

She tries and fails to get up, then huffs in frustration before reluctantly accepting, "Fine."

You help her upstairs into the bathroom and start running the water in the tub, "I don’t need your help to bathe," she bites.

You give her an irritated look, but leave her be and wait in the bedroom. She's really testing your patience.

You hear the faucet close, followed by a deep exhale as Valkyrie's muscles relax into the hot water, the sound helps you calm down as well.

About five minutes in, you hear her vomit a couple of times and immediately get up to stand by the door, "Are you alright?" you ask from the other side.

You hear the toilet flushing, "Yeah," she barely mumbles.

It's been a while since she started her bath, so you go check on her. When you enter the bathroom, she's submerged completely into the water. You ignore the worry in you and give her a moment, and when she resurfaces, she gives you a poisonous look, so you leave once again.

She takes her time and eventually steps into the bedroom wearing a sweater and basketball shorts, walking casually, as if the past hour hadn't happened, to sit on the bed.

You're on your side, scrolling through your phone, fully aware that she's there, but deciding not to acknowledge her, to let her be.

"We lost them, all of them, couldn't save a single one," she rasps, making you look at her.

You can't quite decipher her tone, it's like she's trying to mask her pain with anger. It creates a pit in your stomach, "I’m so sorry."

"I don't need your pity."

"I’m not—ugh, whatever." You roll your eyes.

Her jaw stiffens and her gaze on you intensifies, "You’re getting on my nerves."

That almost makes you snap, but then you remember, you don't have such a luxury. You center yourself, look her in the eye, and softly say, "I’m putting up with your attitude, because I know you need this more than I do."

It's like a chip goes off inside of her, she silently rolls to lay her head on your lap and curls into a fetal position.

You know she's sorry, you know she didn't mean any of it, you're not gonna make her apologize, but you know. You gently card your fingers through her hair while you give her time to compose herself.

You stay like that for a while, she doesn't move and you don't make a sound, until she breaks the silence, "I’m so tired."

"I know, baby."

"I feel like shit." The venom in her voice is all gone by now.

"That’s probably the alcohol," she turns to look up at you, "I’m not being preachy, I’m just saying," you clarify before she can give you a death stare, "let it wear off and you'll feel better."

She barely mumbles back, "Okay."

She looks at you longingly before readjusting herself to lay on her pillow, her body a little less tense now. You do the same on your side and let her swiftly lay her head on your chest, as you go back to scratching her scalp once again.

"I love you, you know that, right?" It's not something you often say to each other, but in times like these, it's good to remind her. She only nods into you in response.

After a few more minutes of silence, she begins to sniffle. You're not sure if it's the alcohol, or the exhaustion, or the million other things weighing on her shoulders, but it breaks your heart to think that she feels she has to deal with it alone.

"I’m right here, baby, I’m not gonna let anything happen to you."

"That’s what I say," she whispers.

You smile softly, "There’s no reason it can't be mutual."

She uses all the energy she has left to pull herself up with her arms and leave a peck on your cheek, "I love you."

[cordeliasdarling]

Resurrect The Sun

GIF by bondedcloud

Carol Danvers x Reader

We’ve Loved A Thousand Lives

Same beginning, different story every time.

Part 19

Angst, Depression, Hopeful ending.

Beta'd by @cordeliasdarling 💜

Word count: 1.8k

Masterlist | This collection | AO3

Captain Marvel's ship opens, a layer of fog coming in as the vacuum seal breaks.

You take slow, hesitant steps into the vessel, breathing in deeply once you’re fully inside. Your eyes dart from one point to another, quickly scanning the entire place. Your body is trembling, your palms going numb from the nerves.

You are the best person for the job, but that doesn't mean you have any clue where to begin. Regardless, you are determined to not let your team down.

The ship is quiet. Suspiciously so.

Carefully, you turn on the lights to reveal an unbothered Goose, laying on the coffee table, licking her own tummy. You know she knows you're there, but she refrains from acknowledging you.

"Hey, babygirl," you coo at her.

Even though you know exactly where you need to go, you decide to stall and sit by the window to look outside. You've seen this view a million times, but you could never get tired of it.

After about 30 minutes of staring outside, you've mustered the courage to get started. You stand up with conviction, take another deep breath, and go to the bedroom.

As soon as you open the door, you spot a glowing fist pointing in your direction, "Stop or I'll shoot." Carol’s voice comes out muffled by the pillows.

You're certain she can't even see you, but you follow her command, instinctively raising your arms and announcing, "Carol, it's me."

At your words, she stops glowing and her arm flops down on the bed.

You carefully enter and turn on the small lamp on the bedside table to illuminate Carol’s body laying face down, now with her left arm extended.

It would be impossible for someone to notice she hasn't gotten out of bed for anything other than going to the bathroom in days, that she hasn't eaten anything substantial in weeks, that she hadn't spoken out loud in months.

There is no way someone could come to those conclusions, unless that someone was you. You who have known her for decades, who have seen her at her best and her worst. You, who get to claim the title of her partner, at work, in crime, in friendship, and in love.

You are here to help her through this crisis.

After standing by the bed for long enough, you cross the room and open the blackout curtains, much to Carol's loud disagreement.

"What are you doing?" she growls.

"I’m here to help you," you say, your voice honey sweet, as you sit on the bed with her. You begin rubbing her back in soothing circles, feeling the heaviness of her muscles.

"When was the last time you ate, angel?" you try coaxing her to talk, "How long have you been in bed?" she remains silent, "Are you feeling okay?" It’s an obvious question, but still, you give her the chance to answer.

You continue with your sweet ministrations for a while, playing with her hair, placing your cold hands on her to contrast her fiery skin, and cooing loving words into her ear, without success.

So, when things don’t seem to be working out, you stand up from the bed and kneel on the floor beside her, coming face to face with her and placing a firm hand on her back.

"Carol?" you try again, but she doesn't move, "Danvers." She finally turns to you with a frown at the harsher tone, "That's right, look at me," you hold intense eye contact, "I tried being your girlfriend and you didn't budge, so now, I’m being forced to play the best friend card," you give her a stern warning.

Carol can’t quite understand what you're saying, though that doesn’t really matter. You use all your strength to pull her by her shirt into a sitting position, her body completely limp and uncooperative. Once you stabilize her, you continue to get her to stand, praying to God that she will have mercy and use her legs.

As you walk her to the bathroom, you ask, "Do you wanna take the shower with or without me?" She looks at herself almost in shame, "Okay, there's always tomorrow, in you go." You decide for her and continue in a firm but kind tone, "You will be in there for at least 15 minutes, and you will also brush your teeth, please, understand?"

Carol nods in response and goes in alone.

While she's in the bathroom, you go to the kitchen to make her proper food. Nothing could have prepared you for the absolute emptiness you find when you open the fridge. There isn't even a single condiment, thank god for cans.

You open the pantry and collect some ingredients that could kinda go together to make a meal, then get to preparing the food, keeping your ears peeled for the running water in the shower.

After you're done 'cooking,' and 15 minutes have gone by, you go wait for Carol outside the bathroom. She emerges soon after with a cloud of steam following behind her, "Better?" you ask her gently, and she gives you a hesitant nod in return. She then attempts to make her way back to bed, but you grab her by the arm.

"Don’t even look at it, come on, you have to eat." You drag her to the table and you both sit together, a plate already served in front of her.

"That's too much," she mumbles.

"Just try, please?"

She reluctantly takes a bite, as Goose approaches and hops on her lap.

"You hungry babygirl? I’m sure you can find your own food here, otherwise you would have already ran away, huh?" you tease and Goose meows back, "You were supposed to take care of her, you saw her like this and did nothing?" you jokingly chastise the flerken.

"You saw me like this too and also did nothing," Carol bites weakly, causing Goose to hop off her.

Your expression turns serious as you chew on your bottom lip, thinking of the right way to say it, "I knew you were struggling—we all were. We found ways to deal with it, and I figured I'd give you enough time to try by yourself," you admit hesitantly, "I had no idea it was this bad."

She silently stands up and goes back to her room, you close your eyes with dread as you hear the door slam shut.

You didn't mean it like that, but now you know she took your comment as a personal failing, an even bigger one than before…

Goose meows at you again and you can feel her judgment, "Yes, I know, why didn’t you have my back!" you continue your fake argument with her.

You give Carol some time to cool off before knocking on her door, "Can I come in?"

"No," she grumbles, but you're not sure which part of her is answering.

"Is it okay if I come in anyway?"

Upon receiving no answer, you try the knob and notice it is unlocked, so you open it and walk in with her full plate in your hands.

Carol is curled up in bed, buried in blankets again, just like when you first found her. As you’re placing her food on the bedside table, you spot a memory device on it, you grab it and store it in the drawer.

"You need to stop torturing yourself, none of this is your fault." You continue walking toward her.

"But it is my responsibility." Even in her state, she manages to sound commanding, like a superhero.

"Monica knew she would have to stay when she went to fix the tear," you state calmly, trying to remind her.

Carol can’t help but argue back, "She’s counting on me to bring her home."

"That’s true..." your voice reduces to a whisper, and Carol turns to you with defeated eyes, "But you can't help her like this and you don't have to do it alone." You sit on the bed as your features soften, "You can stand tall, right?"

Hearing you repeat Valkyrie’s words brings Carol immense comfort that shifts her expression into a soulful one, as the air in the room becomes lighter.

"What do you think Monica would say if she saw you like this?"

Carol chuckles ever so gently while she thinks, "She would tell me to stop being a stubborn ass."

"I agree," you smile gently, "come on, you have to finish your food."

"I can't, it tastes like stardust."

You scoff lightheartedly, "Then come down and order some pizza." She looks at you with potential interest and you invitingly extend your arm toward her, "I’ll come with you," you suggest.

The prospect of gentle company is what really convinces Carol to accept. She grabs your hand and you help her stand up, holding her close and balancing her as you walk out of the ship.

The sun hits her eyes and it almost stings, in the light of day, you can really see the paleness of her skin.

You use your keys to open the front door of her house. The place looks odd, it’s not messy, per se, but it has an air of abandoned.

Looking around, you start thinking of all the chores you could get started on, you even consider doing a load of laundry, then you look back at Carol, and realize what she really needs is a kind heart to sit with her as she hopefully realizes she's ready to dig herself out of this hole.

So, after placing your pizza order, you guide Carol to the living room and sit on the couch with her.

The wait is silent, but the atmosphere is a lot warmer than before.

The pizza arrives and you move to the dining table to eat. Carol grabs a slice and takes a big bite out of it. As she's chewing, you can see the hint of a smile on her sauce smeared lips, and suddenly, you think to yourself, 'She’s gonna be okay.'

Meanwhile, Carol's mind is somewhere completely different. She focuses her entire brain into the cheesy, gooey slice she's having, it makes her think about how much Monica would enjoy it. But, for the first time in months, the thought doesn't make her want to curl into herself at her inability to bring her daughter back, Instead, it fills her with newfound hope and motivation to keep trying.

When she comes back to her senses, she notices you're staring, "What are you thinking about?" Her voice startles you slightly.

"I think everything’s gonna be okay," you muse.

The curve of her lips is now evident, the corners of her eyes crinkling gently, "Thank you for sticking by me."

"Of course, that's what your team is for." You reach for her free hand that rests on the table, "We will find her, I promise you that, but first, we have to get you back together."

[cordeliasdarling]

Uhm when did my dream become a live action??

[cordeliasdarling]

girl where are you 😭

I’ve been on my other account, I lost my muse here :( I’ve lost like 350 followers over the last month, I’m guessing because of my inactivity, but I can’t blame them! I’m gonna try and be here more, I’ve missed my Gwen and my mooties <3

[cordeliasdarling]

They Keep Preaching Words Like I Should Know

GIF by marveladdicts

Carol Danvers x Reader

We’ve Loved A Thousand Lives

Same beginning, different story every time.

Part 18

Angst, Family drama, Happy ending.

Beta'd by @cordeliasdarling 💜

Word count: 5.8k

Masterlist | This collection | AO3

Carol walks back to her ship after another successful mission wanting for nothing more than to relax and rest while reaching her next destination. When she enters the vessel, she hears a set of hesitant footsteps walking closer to her.

She quickly turns the light on before the intruder can get any closer, making you stop in your tracks, "What are you doing here?" she asks in genuine confusion.

Being around her makes you nervous, heart pounding, hands sweaty, you can't maintain eye contact, "I was just coming to get my clothes back," you stutter and walk to her room to open the closet.

Carol rushes behind you trying to stop you, "No, don't!"

You immediately spot a brand new set of clothes in what used to be your side, "Jesus Christ, Carol, someone else is living here already?" you gasp in disbelief, your heart breaking at the thought, "It hasn't even been two months!"

"It’s not what it looks like, I can explain." You gesture for her to please explain herself, "I got a new partner," she states nonchalantly.

You remain unmoved in front of the furniture, "That is exactly what I said."

"No, a teammate," she tries to clarify.

"Is that what you call them now?" As if Captain Marvel would ever work in a team.

"She's sixteen!"

"Stop talking, I don't want to be an accessory in whatever crime you're about to be involved with."

Kamala comes into the ship, "Carol, did you—" she stops herself at your presence, "Hi, I’m Kamala, and you are?" She attempts to sound tough and mask her internal doubt after seeing Carol's ambiguous expression.

"I am…leaving," you walk towards the door as fast as you can without seeming desperate, "it was nice meeting you, Kamala," you yell on your way out, feeling beyond perplexed. She really is a child.

Weeks later, you’re lounging in your apartment, living your newly single life, when your phone rings. The caller ID promts you to make a double and triple check, convincing you that it has to be some sort of scam.

"Hello?" you answer carefully.

"Hi." As soon as you hear the accent, you know it's for real.

"Your majesty?"

"Oh, please, just Yan is okay."

You begin to fidget with the hem of your shirt. "Okay, how may I help you, Yan?"

You have met the Prince a few times before, but you had never addressed him directly. All your visits to Aladna were with Carol, and she didn't spend so much time with him while you were around.

"I am terribly sorry to bother you, but I've been trying to reach Carol for a while and I just can't find her."

"Oh, um, Carol and I don’t—" you pause to think of the right word, "frequent each other anymore."

He sounds desperate, "I’m aware, but I called Mr. Fury, and he said that you would know where to look."

You curse at Fury in your head before responding, "Right, this is an emergency, I take it?"

"Very much so."

"Well," you suck on your teeth, "I’m gonna need to get back to you in a moment, is that okay?"

"Yes, of course, thank you."

You hang up and sit still, letting the white noise of the room consume you, as you take a deep breath and call Fury.

"Nicholas, did you tell the Prince of Aladna that I could help him find Carol?"

"I did, yes," he responds confidently.

"How on Earth do you know that?"

"So, I was right."

"You weren't even sure?" Irritation is quick to settle into you at his indifference.

"I had a hunch."

"Can’t you help him find her yourself?"

"I could, but that would take a lot of resources that are being allocated elsewhere," he pauses, "I figured it would be easier just to ask you."

"I broke up with Carol two months ago," you remind him with a bite.

"I know that, I’m not asking you to talk to her, just tell Yan where she is."

"I don't know where she is, I need to talk to her to find out."

You can’t see him, but you can almost hear him frown, "Really? You can't telepathically connect to her?"

"What the hell do you think we are!"

"Valkyrie said that's how lesbians work," he snarks, thinking he’s so funny.

You roll your eyes, "Oh, shut up, since when are you so tight with all the royals?"

"Since you dumped Carol and stopped calling."

"Did you know Carol has a new partner?" You might as well come to him with fresh gossip.

"Of course I do, I introduced them."

That can’t be right, "What were you thinking!"

"What? She's young, but she's great!"

"What is wrong with everybody?" you mumble under your breath.

"You just haven't seen her in action."

You interrupt him before he says any more disgusting things, "And I wish to never have to."

"Are you really not gonna help the Prince?" His tone turns more serious.

You take a moment to think, "What’s in it for me?"

"What do you want?" He should have known you weren’t just gonna do it out of the goodness of your heart.

"A favor."

"What kind?"

"I’ll let you know when I need it." He doesn't like the sound of that, but without an alternative, he agrees.

So now, you have to find Carol.

It's a very straightforward process. When you first started dating, Carol gave you a small device crafted by herself, that would help you contact her no matter where in the universe she was, it worked in such a vast rage because it was specifically designed to communicate with her matching device.

Once you established a connection and received her signal, you could run that through S.A.B.E.R. software and get her exact location. This method once helped you find Carol when she was in Sakaar, so you're confident it can find her in even the sketchiest corners of the universe.

All you need in order to help Prince Yan and get the Avengers director to owe you a favor is have Carol pick up one of your calls, a task you are certain is much easier said than done.

You take a few deep breaths and press the Call button. You had already convinced yourself this would take at least a dozen attempts, until Carol assumed it was an emergency, but, to your surprise, she picks up after a few rings.

It quickly becomes clear to you that this was not intentional when you hear Carol and Kamala's voices slightly muffled, discussing some menial topic and laughing their asses off.

The sound of your ex having moved on and enjoying herself with her new partner, who is a literal child, should enrage you to no end, but you can't find the anger in you. Carol's laughter is like a choir of angels, it makes the corners of your lips tug up involuntary.   You didn't want to break up with her. You care about her, you love her, but this was no longer about love. Deep down, you know leaving was the right choice.

She picked up, you have what you need, except as much as your brain tries to command it, your finger just won't end the call. You stop trying when you hear a third voice a bit closer, keeping the other two under control, "Monica?" you mumble under your breath.

You haven't seen Monica in a long time, even before you and Carol split up, and you're sure Carol hadn't seen her in just as long. You start paying closer attention to what they're saying as Kamala is just done asking a question, "She's a former S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, now civilian," Carol answers.   "Your ex was here?" Monica chimes in, a little exalted.

"Yeah, a couple weeks ago."

"And you didn't tell me?"

"I didn't know you cared," Carol defends herself genuinely, making Monica bite harder.

"What was she doing here?"

"She came to take her stuff back."

"But all her things are still here," you can almost hear Carol shrug, "what happened?"

"You know what? I don't wanna talk about this anymore."

"But I do," Monica challenges and Kamala chimes in.

"Yeah, me too!"

"Well, this is my ship and I've decided that this topic is over," Carol states in a firm tone, you miss the way her features turn sad and how she has to blink away tears.

You suddenly hear footsteps approaching the communication device, followed by interference, and then the call drops.

A little disappointed, you take the information you got from the communication device and run it through the S.A.B.E.R. software, revealing they're somewhere in the Condor galaxy. You're not familiar enough with it to know the specifics of the coordinates you got, but The Prince probably will, so you give him a call with the news.

"Condor? It didn't even occur to me, thank you so much, I will not forget this."

"Can I ask what this emergency is about?" Your tone is tentative, trying to test the waters.

"I’m not sure it is safe to discuss that through this medium."

You understand, but decide to pry anyway, "Is it life threatening?"

"I suppose not."

"Okay, cool." Immediately after you end the call with Prince Yan, you call Fury again, "I’m cashing in my favor."

"That was quick," he sounds completely unimpressed, "what do you want?"

"To borrow a ship that can get me to and from Aladna."

"We don't have any of those."

"Better start making some calls then."

You arrive at the compound a few days later and find a majestic ship waiting for you with the crest of New Asgard painted on the hull. King Valkyrie greets you as you admire the vessel, "I want it back in one piece," she warns playfully.

"Tell you what, if I come back in one piece, then so will your ship."

She takes a breath in, "I don't really like those odds." She opens the ship up and hands you the keys, walking in with you to show you the inside, "What's your plan here?"

You look all around you at the fanciest ship you’ve ever been in, "I don't know yet, the way there is long enough for me to come up with something."

"You can't force her to be ready," she cautions like a woeful warning, certain that this has something to do with Carol. Her words echo through the ship and make you look at her again.

"So much for that, she started dating someone new not two month after I left."

She frowns, "What are you talking about?"

"You know, that kid she's with, seems I’m the only one here who thinks it's creepy."

"Are you talking about Ms Marvel?"

"She has a code name?"

Val mocks lightly, "Humans with powers like to do that." "She has powers?" Maybe you should have done a background check on her.

"Yes, they are a team."

You scoff, "We both know Carol doesn't do teams."

"It was unintentional," Val gives you a knowing look "trust me, I wouldn't believe it either if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes"

"So, she wasn't lying?" Your voice grows small at the realization.

"Not about that," she has no energy for this, so much so that she’s resorting to pleading, "please don't do this."

"But I already wasted my favor on the ship." You stutter on your feet, weighing your options.

Val considers things strongly, she knows how devastating it could be if she lets you go through with this half thought out plan, barging in an Aladnan emergency for your ex, whom you broke up with, "I’ll do you one better," she proposes.

You raise your eyebrows in surprise, "A favor from The King of New Asgard?"

"Within reason." She smirks at your reaction.

"Deal."

The Prince contacts Carol, and The Marvels soon arrive to his aid. They resolve the situation and continue on their intergalactic course.

Seems everything is going peachy with them, except Monica has been acting weird for a while, cold, standoffish, especially with Carol, and after a very close call in Aladna, Carol decides she has had enough of her attitude.

"What is your problem?" Carol demands as soon as they get back on the ship.

"I don’t know what you’re talking about," Monica shrugs, feigning ignorance. Sensing the impending argument, Kamala scurries to Carol’s room and shuts the door to not have to deal with it.

"Quit it," Carol crosses her arms, "I am sick and tired of your behavior."

Monica mimics her stance with her hands on her hips, "I’m not a kid anymore for you to try to scold me like this."

"You’re acting childish enough to deserve it."

"You’re not my mom, Carol, that would have required you to be around while I was growing up," Monica bites.

Carol’s jaw stiffens, "Don’t start with that again, we’ve talked about this, I’m trying to be better."

"Then, how come every time I’m here I have to witness your self-destructive patterns?" Monica almost yells, then calms down again, "You can’t keep isolating yourself from everyone around you."

Carol’s body deflates completely, "You’ve seen my life, you can’t blame me for that."

"Yes, I can. In fact, I am the only person in the universe who's allowed to blame you for it, it is basically my duty to do so." Carol only retreats into herself, making Monica’s features soften and try a different approach, "Your ex came to see you, what happened?" She hopes Carol won’t back away this time.

"She didn’t come for me, she came for her things, but she saw Kamala’s clothes in the closet and ran away." Carol trains her eyes on the floor.

"You believed that?" Monica squints at her words, rendering Carol confused, "If she just wanted her things, she would have taken them regardless."

Carol’s tone turns sarcastic, "Did she come to get me back?"

Monica chuckles sadly, "You don’t get it, do you?"

"Get what, exactly?"

"She didn’t leave because she doesn’t love you anymore, she left because you wouldn’t love her enough," Carol tries to find deceit in Monica’s words, but comes up empty, "you can’t allow yourself to be haunted by your past, you have to move on, to live in the present."

"If she didn't come for her things, then why did she come?" Carol is too scared to think of the answer herself.

"I can’t be sure, but she didn't need to come here for that," Monica takes a careful step towards Carol, "I mean, what did she even leave behind? A couple of hoodies?"

Carol shakes her head in disagreement, "You’re reading too much into it, we're over, she didn't want this anymore."

"She proposed to you for God's sake!"

"You don't need to remind me." Carol reaches into her pocket and produces a beautiful ring, forged of the finest Asgardian gold, strong enough to withstand anything Captain Marvel has put it through.

Monica gasps at the sight, "You didn't give it back to her?"

Carol’s eyes now remain on the band, "She insisted that I keep it."

"So you carry it around with you all the time?" Carol nods subtly, though she never wears it where she's supposed to since you left.

"It reminds me of what I lost." Monica scoffs at the dramatics, "My entire life I've kept letting people down, one after another, until there was no one left." Carol’s voice waivers.

Monica's lips part but she can't find the right words to say. "That's not true," a soft voice comes from the bedroom's doorway, Kamala makes her way to The Captains, "and, even if it was, that just means people continue to put their trust in you regardless, because they know you are better than your mistakes," she looks at Monica and then back at Carol, "we know."

The ship is silent for a moment.

Kamala places a comforting hand on Carol’s shoulder, "Whatever happened between you and her, I'd be really sad to see you let your fear win."

After The King dissuaded you from your dumb plan to visit Aladna, you stay in the Avengers compound.

One woeful morning, you go see Fury in his office, "Something the matter?" he greets you.

Your body slouches as you lean into the doorframe, "Not really."

"Shouldn’t you be on your way to the Magellanic right now?"

"I changed my mind."

He squints his eye, "I doubt that."

"I can't believe you were gonna let me go."

"What do you mean?" He takes a defensive position.

"You were gonna let me take a ship you borrowed to Aladna to see Carol, and for what?"

He shakes his head, "You’re looking at it the wrong way, you asked for a favor and I delivered, you're welcome, by the way."

"No, stop enabling me!"

"I can't stop you, if I didn't help you, somebody else would have. At least I got you the nicest ship available," his tone is unserious, but he means every word, "only you know why you do the things you do."

You bite your lip in response, "What if I don't know anymore?"

"Then maybe that's because you're no longer doing it for yourself." He gives you a sympathetic look. You slump on the chair in front of his desk with a heavy sigh.   "I miss her so much, Fury."

"I know."

"I don't know what else to do."

"I don't think there's anything you can do, the ball’s in her court, when she's ready, she'll find her way back"

There is fear and worry in your eyes, "And, if she doesn’t?"

"Carol always finds her way back home, even if it takes her a while."

Fury may have a point. There's nothing you can do but wait for Carol to come back to you. However, that doesn't mean you can't have someone else give her a little push in the right direction.

Carol arrives at Valkyrie's office in New Asgard in a rush, "Val, I came as soon as I heard," she pants.

"There you are," The King stands from her desk looking completely unbothered.

Carol takes her in and the quiet of the town, analyzing her surroundings with all her senses, "And I’m guessing you lied to me." Her posture deflates.

Val bites the inside of her cheek in slight remorse, "Sorry, Marv, I had to get you here by any means necessary."

"Why?" Carol questions skeptically.

"Have to repay a favor." Valkyrie brushes it off, "Come in, sit, let's have a chat," she gestures to the chair in front of her.

Carol is confused, but obliges, "What is it?"

"I would like to discuss your love life," Val chooses her words mindfully.

Carol is completely take aback, "Are you trying to get back with me?" That’s the only conclusion her mind can draw from this.

Val scoffs in amusement, "Not to brag, but if I wanted you back, you already would be."

"Yeah, right." Carol continues to think, "Please don't tell me you wanna set me up."

Val is having difficulty finding the right words, so she's glad Carol is leading the conversation, "Oh no, not at all," she pauses, "although, the last time I did, it worked out well…until it didn’t."

Carol exhales heavily as Valkyrie continues, "You know, I was just thinking that maybe when I thought she would be a perfect match for you, I was actually projecting myself onto you," she pushes herself away from the desk and lifts her legs to rest on top of it, "meaning, I think she might be a perfect match for me, what do you think?" Her voice turns subtly taunting.

Carol can only frown as she takes in her words, "What?"

"I would like to ask your ex out, if that's okay with you, of course. It’s been long enough, I assume if you wanted to make a move, you would have by now," her gaze pierces into Carol's, "right?"

Carol is fidgeting with the band on her index finger, causing Valkyrie to notice it, "Nice ring," she compliments as she’s picking up the phone.

"Thanks, it's Asgardian gold," Carol responds almost out of habit.

"Ah, I thought I recognized it."

"My ex gave it to me," Carol mumbles, making Val halt her movement.

"You mean the ex I’m about to call?" Carol nods, "She gave you the most precious ring and you still let her walk away? Wow." Each word is like a slap to Carol’s face, she already knows, already feels terrible, there's no need to twist the knife.

But Val doesn’t care about her feelings, so she calls you on speaker, "Hey, darling." Her voice sweetens immediately.

"King?" You sound surprised.

She smirks at the sound of your voice, "It is I, I was thinking about you and thought I'd give you a call."

You hum, "That’s very nice of you, how can I help you?"

"I was hoping you might wanna go out this weekend? I can send a ship for you and we can have a little get away in the fjords."

"That sounds wonderful," you gasp audibly, "so would that be—?"

"A date." She completes your sentence pointedly.

"…Okay, yeah, I would love that."

"Great, I'll see you then."

Carol watches the scene in front of her biting her tongue, using every last bit of self control to not go up in flames, "Is there anything else you wanted to talk to me about?" she asks between gritted teeth after Val hangs up.

The King thinks about it for a second, "Not at this time, feel free to go to the jewelers and get a matching watch," she gestures to the ring, "my treat."

Carol stands up and leaves without saying goodbye. Val’s lips curl into a shit eating grin.

A few minutes go by and you call Val again in a much more casual tone, "Were you serious about that invitation?"   "Yes," she replies in a firm tone.

"Like a date, date?"

She takes a deep breath in, "Yes, now pack your bags and don't worry about it."

With perfectly calculated timing, Val finds Carol at the jewelers as she's picking up her complimentary watch, "Good choice," her voice makes Carol turn around, "now you have an apology present."

Carol finally connects all the dots in her mind, "So you were trying to set me up."

"No, I succeeded in setting you up, again," Val winks.

"I don't need you to help me, I don't want this," Carol says with conviction, but her inability to make eye contact speaks louder than her words.

Valkyrie tries to change the subject, "Where’s your team?"

"I got them a ride home, it's not often we get to be this close."

"Are you planning on going home?"

"I don't really have one."

"Do not disrespect your porch like that"

Carol reminisces, "That house hasn't been a home in a while."

"Go with her this weekend," Val walks closer to her in an encouraging gesture, "tell her you battled me in a duel to the death for her heart, make yourself the strongest, most majestic specimen for her."

Carol looks at her in amusement, and giggles "She would absolutely hate that."

"That’s right, but you know exactly what she likes," she places her hand on Carol’s shoulder, "just go with her, it’ll be nice," Carol shakes her head and carefully takes Val’s arm off her, "it doesn’t have to be a date, just try it."

"No, Val, please stop." There’s a rigidity in her tone that tells Valkyrie, it’s no use, so she gives it up.

That weekend, as promised, a ship comes to your house to take you to the fjords. You arrive to a quaint little cabin where The King awaits for you.

You drop your bags by the entrance as Val closes the door behind you, "Was this supposed to be a romantic get away with Carol?" you deduce.

"You told me to persuade her."

"Yes, like, talking to her."

She sucks on her teeth, "You know we don't do that so well. You should have seen her face when I called you," she chuckles, and you give her an unamused look, "I tried my best, I really thought this would work, I’m sorry."

"Don’t be, I know you did," you sigh deeply, "I can't even trick her into changing her mind."

"She’ll come back when she's ready."

"I’m tired of waiting." Val can only give you a tight lipped smile.

A few days later, Carol returns to Aladna and is welcomed by the Prince himself, "My Princess, I’m so glad you could make it."

They walk together up to the palace, stopping from time to time to greet the people, "The preparations for the festival are almost finished, my people will be so happy you could share it with us."

"I guess I really had no reason to miss it this time," Carol jokes.

They reach a balcony that oversees the city, where a small banquet is laid out for them to enjoy.

"Let us catch up while you’re here, I can’t remember the last time we had the chance to just talk." They sit across from each other as Carol hums in agreement, settling into his hospitality, "So, how is your love life," he asks tentatively, but Carol can see right through him.

"Are you also trying to get me back with my ex?" she asks incredulously.

His plan has been unraveled before it even began, "Not exactly," Carol crosses her arms, prompting him to continue, "I just want to have a little chat."

Carol fell for it again. What is it with her friends meddling in her relationships? But she loves Yan very much, so she might just sit through it for his sake, or to get to the bottom of it.

"Whatever happened with her, I am certain she's willing to put it behind you two," he begins.

Carol sighs heavily, avoiding eye contact, "You have no idea what you're talking about."

He spots the rare desire in her to open up to him, "Enlighten me then."

"She wants to marry me, I can't do that to her."

"Do what?"

"Make her put up with this." She points at her uniform.

"That doesn't sound like it's your decision to make," he takes a sip of his cup, "you married me, didn't you?"

Carol cannot believe his comparison, "Yes…to help you out."

"What makes marrying her any different? It would benefit you both, you're meant for each other, why can't you see that?"

His words are getting to her, but she tries to fight them, "Why are you doing this?" She can't even afford to be angry anymore, just exhausted.

"I owe her my people's safety," he admits after a beat, Carol immediately frowns at his answer.   "What do you mean?"

He reluctantly explains, "The last time you were here—"

"There was a disaster going down, I remember." Carol quickly completes his sentence.   "Right, I had tried to reach you for two weeks without success, I called your boss and he told me she could help me find you," he leans back on his chair, "within an hour of talking to her, I knew where you were."

"GPS signals can get tricky in Condor."

"Yes, I know that now."

It takes a moment for Carol to process Yan's words, but as soon as she does, she bolts from her seat to stand with her shoulders back and her head held high in all the poise of a superhero, "I have to go." She flies away, leaving Yan to have the banquet by himself. There is only one way you could have known where Carol was, except she never got your call, never even got the chance to decline it.

In deep urgency, Carol collects her Marvels back into her ship, "Who was it?" she demands as soon as the door closes, expecting them to know what she's asking.

Monica and Kamala stand puzzled, but Carol refuses to elaborate.   After about a minute of silent staring, Kamala slowly raises her hand, making Carol’s eyes go wide at the revelation, until she speaks, "I saw Goose eating your crocs, is that what we're talking about?"

Carol’s features turn to amusement, "No."

"Forget I said anything," Kamala mumbles in response.   Once they're done with their exchange, Carol meets Monica's gaze in a much firmer tone, Monica knows exactly what she means, "Why are you asking when you know only one of us could have done it?"

"I was giving you a chance to confess." Carol’s expression remains stoic.

Kamala looks at them both riddled with confusion, "What is happening?" she whispers. Carol pulls out the matching device to the one that belongs to you, though Kamala's bewilderment only grows, "What is that?"

Monica snatches the device from Carol's hand, "Let me introduce you to our home phone, when it rings, you must answer, unless Carol is in a bad mood," she snarks.

"It’s not that I’m in a bad mood, the problem is you didn't tell me about it," Carol growls with a stiff jaw.

"Is that so?" Monica crosses her arms in a challenging motion, "Or is it that she called and it wasn't because she wanted to talk to you?"

Carol's whole body tenses up at Monica's audacity, "Did you talk to her?"

Monica shakes her head, "I would have, but she didn't say anything." Knowing her next words, Monica gestures for Kamala to retire to her room to avoid getting caught in the crossfire and once she closes the door, Monica continues, "I was gonna hang up right after, until you decided to start talking about her."

"You let her listen?" Carol’s voice grows aggressive, Monica simply hums in response, "How long?" Carol begins to glow faintly, she’s recalling the wrong conversation, which makes her furious, "How could you do that?"

Monica maintains a calm but taunting tone, "Before you continue, let me just remind you that you are not my mother."

That is the last straw for Carol, "I fucking know that!" she finally blows up, "I’m sorry, okay?" her face reddens as the veins in her neck threaten to pop, "I’m sorry I wasn't there when you were growing up, I’m sorry I wasn't there when your mom died, and I’m sorry I wasn't there when you got back from the blip, is that what you want?"

"No," Monica gives her a gentle smile, "I know you're sorry, and maybe that's just the way it has to be, maybe you're gonna have to live the rest of your very long life regretting it, and maybe that's okay."

Monica looks at Carol full of empathy, she understands that her aunt has a huge blind spot when it comes to her relationships with other people, "But this is something you can change, she is someone you can do something about." She takes a careful step towards Carol, "Don’t you see? You are letting it happen again, right in front of your eyes. Don't turn her into someone you'll regret, it's not a fun position to be in."

Carol takes in Monica’s words and contemplates them deeply. Val and Yan were one thing, they were both kind enough to do you the favor of talking to her, but Monica, her own flesh and blood—so to speak—she has first hand experience in what Carol's life is like, in the consequences it can bring and yet, she constantly chooses to come back and has been insistent that she let you back in as well.

She's been trying to convince herself otherwise, but perhaps her friends do know what they're talking about.

You’re enjoying some quiet time alone in your apartment, when someone knocks on your door. After the last few weeks you’ve had, you were feeling quite open minded, it could even be Prince Yan on the other side of the door and you wouldn’t be surprised.

However, your breath gets caught up in your throat when you find a different Aladnan royal waiting for you.

Carol’s face immediately lights up when you open the door, "Hey," she says with a soft smile.

"Hi," is all you can muster, feeling your heart threatening to beat out of your chest.

"Do you have a minute?"

"Sure." You get out of the way so she can come in and close the door behind her.

She sits at the all too familiar dining table and you join in beside her, "I know what you've been doing," she confesses in a sweet voice.

Your face reddens in embarrassment, "Sorry all our mutual connections are terrible at being subtle."

"They tried their best," she chuckles, "you should thank them."

You lift your eyebrows trying to figure out what she means, so she hesitantly explains, "Monica convinced me to come talk to you," she places a fancy box from the Asgardian jewelers on the table, "Val got me this to give you, and Yan made me really think about…" She slips her engagement ring onto the table.

"You still have it?" you gasp in genuine delight, "I thought you would have let Goose eat it by now."

"I’m sorry it took me this long to come around," she whispers.   You match her tone, "I’m sorry I was so pushy about it."

"When I saw Val—thanks for that by the way," she grins before her tone goes back to being honey sweet, "she asked me if I was going home, but I haven't felt like I’m home since you left, no matter where I am." Her eyes glimmer sadly, "I want to have a home again."

You slowly connect your forehead with hers, your touch feels like an oasis to her. You grab the band from the table and place it on her ring finger, "You’re home now." You lean in and she closes the gap between you into a velvety kiss.

Kissing her is like getting oxygen back into your system, you can finally breathe again.

That same day, she asks if you want to move back into her ship and you don’t think twice about it. She agrees to move Kamala’s things into the spare room so you can have your space back.

She’s bringing in the last of your things and you’re following behind her, when realization strikes you, "Did you say Monica convinced you?" you ask, as you replay your conversation from earlier in your head.

"Yes." She puts the box down on the floor and turns to you.

"I didn’t talk to her."

"You didn’t?" She frowns.

You shake your head, "Nope."

"Was I in that dire of a situation!"

You look at her in amusement, "It took six people and three favors to get you out of it."

"Don’t let me do that again."

"I make no promises."

[cordeliasdarling]

Tainted By The Taste Of Your Love

GIF by sersi

Carol Danvers x Reader

We’ve Loved A Thousand Lives

Same beginning, different story every time.

Part 17

Dom/Sub dynamics, Medical procedures, Pet names, Nudity, Valkyrie x Reader.

Beta'd by @cordeliasdarling <3

Word count: 3.6k

A/N: Trying something a little different with this one, let me know what you think!

Masterlist | This collection | AO3

Carol walks back to her ship after another successful mission wanting for nothing more than to relax and rest while reaching her next destination. As soon as she enters the vessel, she hears muffled sniffling coming from her bedroom.

She stands in place as she registers the sound, quickly recognizing what it is. She makes her way to her room and finds you curled up on the floor by her bed, crying.

You hear her walk in and look up to meet her form, "I’m sorry, I broke in," you whimper, she immediately sits on the floor with you and hugs you tightly in a comforting gesture.

"Hey, hey, come here," she tries to soothe you.

"I snuck out, I’m so sorry," you stammer in between sobs.

"It's okay, angel, I’m glad you're here."

You both remain on the floor for hours until you calm down. Once your breath evens out, Carol picks you up and lays you onto her bed as you drift off to sleep.

The next morning, Carol is getting ready for work when she receives a call.

"I lost something last night, I think you might know where it is," The Avengers director states without any preamble.

Carol takes a seat in front of the hologram in concern, "What did you lose?"

"A mutant."

"They are people." She frowns.

"Whatever you wanna call it," he shrugs it off, "the one I’m missing seemed to be thoroughly attached to you."

She cocks her head in faux confusion, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Really? Because her tracker indicates she's in your ship." Fury punctuates the 'p' at the end of his sentence.

Carol holds the armrest in a vice grip and almost screams, "You chipped her?"

"We do what we gotta do," he remains composed as always, "please give her back."

"I don't have her," she insists, making Fury lean into his desk.

"You have no clue what her powers can do."

She squints her eyes and utters a challenging, "Do you?"

Their conversation reaches you in the bedroom and you get up to find Carol, when you see her in the cockpit, you come cuddle on her lap, fully ignoring Fury.

"Come on, now you're just mocking me."

Carol joyfully welcomes you into her arms, never breaking eye contact with him, "I thought your prisons were top notch."

"She’s property of S.H.I.E.L.D."

"She’s a human being and she's staying with me."

"Don’t make this harder than it has to be," he warns, Carol is well aware of the implications of his threat, but she remains unfazed.

"If you send people after her, you will face my wrath."

He takes an angry breath in, "I hate it when you use your powers to get your way."

Carol’s lips curl into a subtle grin, her voice turns husky and her expression dark, "Then you shouldn't have taken something that belongs to me."

She hangs up.

After a bit, you ask sadly, "Are they coming to get me?" You were trying not to pay too much attention to their conversation, you don't like to meddle in Carol's business.   "They'd better not, but that's not something you need to worry about," she begins to gently rub your back, "I’m not letting them get their filthy hands on you again." You nod into her chest as you take a deep, stabilizing breath, "Did they hurt you?" she coos into your ear so tenderly.

She tries to meet your eyes, but you're too nuzzled into her chest, you shake your head and mumble, "I didn't let them."

A proud smirk forms on her face, "That’s my good puppy, you did the right thing coming back to me, just like I taught you," she praises with a kiss to your temple.

After a while, she makes breakfast and sits at the table offering you a plate, "I’m not hungry," you simply say.

"I didn't realize I asked," her tone remains honey sweet, "you have to eat puppy, you wanna make me happy, don't you?" You nod in response without a doubt, to her great satisfaction, "Then you will finish all of it."

The rest of the day, she lets you be as she gets some work done around the ship, which means you spend all of it on the couch.

A few hours after you both had dinner, she yells from across the vessel in curiosity, "What are you doing?"

"I’m just watching TV."

"Turn that off, too much screen time isn't good for you," you immediately follow her instruction, "come here."

You find her in the cockpit and softly ask, "What is it?"

She gestures to her lap and you take your place, allowing her to wrap her arms around you, "I like having you close to me, is that a crime?" You respond by curling up into her with a content sigh.

She runs her hands over every inch of your body and eventually settles on the right side of your neck, before she continues working. You start mindlessly nibbling at her earlobe, "It’s getting late, you're getting tired, aren't you, puppy?"

Almost as if she had cast a spell on you, you begin to yawn and your eyelids become heavy, but there isn’t much you can do about it.

After she's done working, she takes you to bed and tucks you in, you reach out for her as she's letting go, "Shh, I'll just be a minute."

She leaves for exactly 60 seconds and then comes back to lay beside you.

The next morning, you’re having breakfast at the table together when the ship's door opens making you immediately alarmed, you think they've come to take you.

You stare at the entrance and catch Carol out of the corner of your eye, noticing that she remains completely calm, so you do the same. As the door is closing, she gets up, greets the visitor, then looks back at you, "Come say hi, angel," she instructs.   You walk slowly to her, almost on autopilot, the strange woman places a gentle kiss on your cheek as she marvels at you, shyly standing before her.

"Do you remember Val?" Carol’s voice brings you back to reality, "She helped me rescue you the first time."

You don't remember a lot about the time you met Carol, it was very long ago and your mind has begun to turn those memories into mush. You look to the ground, a little ashamed, and shake your head as you mumble an apology.

"That’s quite alright, I recall she was sedated beyond her senses." Val tells Carol, "I see you've taken great care of her," she remarks, gently caressing your cheek.

"Of course, only the best for the best," Carol smiles, "which is why I must ask you again," her features turn stern, "are you sure you can get it out?"

Valkyrie looks confident, "Absolutely, they're the same ones I used to handle in Sakaar." Carol gestures for you to give them a minute, so you go to the bedroom, as they both lower their voices to a whisper, "Will it hurt?" Carol’s eyes are full of concern.

Val hesitates slightly, "I’ve never had one in me, but I would assume so." Carol worries her lip between her teeth, "I promise to be careful," Val reassures, "plus, I don't really think you're gonna find anyone else in the universe willing to get that chip out of her."

"You’re right," Carol sighs in defeat, "can you do it now?"

"Sure."

At that, Carol calls for you, "Come here, puppy." Valkyrie's ears perk up at the pet name, but she makes no comment about it.

You come back out and follow Carol to the small medical room, she instructs you to lay down and quickly explains what's gonna happen, you silently agree.

The strongest sedative in the ship is barely enough to restrain your squirming away from Valkyrie's gloved hands.

Carol sits on the other side of the bed, keeping your gaze trained on hers. She rubs little patterns on your arm and whispers sweet nothings into your ear so you focus only on her.

She knows this is gonna hurt more than she could possibly imagine, but she wasn't going to leave a S.H.I.E.L.D. tracker inside of you and wait for someone with less than honest intentions to find a way to tap into it, so this is a sacrifice that has to be made.

You hate hospitals and doctors and, although this situation has neither, the similarities are uncanny. The bright fluorescent lights, the staleness in the air, the smell of the sterile equipment and the feeling of latex on your skin it's all too much for you to handle.   Carol asked you to be brave for her and she always does what's best for you, but you can't help yourself when you start to hyperventilate. Carol notices the quickened rise and fall of your chest and gets up from her seat, struggling to keep her own anxiety at bay. She places a warm hand on your chest, "Shh, look at me, angel, deep breaths for me, you're doing so good, just a little longer," she tries desperately to soothe you.

"I’m almost done, sweetheart." Valkyrie's husky voice is what finally helps you get a hold of your body again and work on evening out your breathing.

A few moments later, Valkyrie is done sealing you up and goes to clean herself off.

"That’s it, angel, you did it, I’m so proud of you." Carol plants a kiss on your sweaty forehead. You shut your eyes from exhaustion and pain as you nod, soaking up her voice.

Strong but gentle hands lift you up, and when you open your eyes again, you're in your room and Carol is laying by your side, "Rest up, I'll be right here."

You wake up the next day to a pounding in your head and an empty bed, feeling dizzy, disoriented, and drained. As if on instinct, you get out of the room and look for Carol in search of comfort.

As you step out, you find Val lounging quietly on the couch, she hears you coming and turns to you, immediately reading the confused disappointment in your face.

"Marv had to answer an emergency call, but I told her I'd stay here and look after you," she explains.

You slowly take in her words and rasp, "Thank you." You sit next to her in a bit of an awkward silence.

Val has never been good at looking after others, but she really wanted to do this for Carol…and for you, "So, what do you usually do around here?" She asks hesitatingly.

"Whatever Carol tells me to." Your tone is nonchalant.

"Anything?" Val’s voice comes out tentative, you hum in response, "Even—?" she stops herself mid sentence, but you know perfectly well what she wants to ask, you give her a mischievous look and nod in response, she subtly crosses her legs a little tighter. Suddenly, her brows furl in confusion, "Why?"

You look to the side as you think, "Because I love her, and it's easy to let her be in control."

"You know you're strong enough to take her out, right?"

"Yes," you state confidently and Valkyrie slowly begins to understand, allowing you to settle into a more comfortable silence.

After a moment, she speaks again, pointing at your neck, "How are you doing?"

You swallow thickly and mumble, "Hurts."

That's what she thought, but you seemed much too well composed, "How come you aren't doubling over in pain?" she wonders almost in amazement.

"It’s rude." Your voice wavers ever so slightly.

Her features soften, "Oh, darling, you don't need to pretend with me, I am here to take care of you." You look into her eyes and find that she means it completely, so you take that as permission to lay your head on her lap and let your body crumble as you feel all the pain you've been suppressing take over.

Val only hears your sniffling followed by teardrops falling on her thighs, she gently runs her hand up and down your back, hesitatingly at first, "It’s alright," she reassures, "I’m sure Marv has pain killers here somewhere."

"Those don't work on me," you barely whisper back.

"What should we do then?"

You don't have half a brain to think about it, if Carol was here, she'd know exactly what to do. Val realizes taking care of you won't be as easy as she expected, but she has to figure something out. She promised she'd take care of you as if Carol was here herself, and the mere sight of you being so helpless is tugging at her heart in ways she never thought possible.

She overcomes her slight desperation once she accepts that there is nothing she can do to take the pain away, but she concludes that she doesn’t have to do that if she can get your mind away from the pain.

She taps your back so you'll lift your head off her lap, "Come with me." It’s a direction, but not quite an order.

As much of a stranger as she is to you, she doesn't exactly feel like one. Being around her isn't as nerve wracking as being with a stranger, plus, the way Carol trusts her makes it easy for you to trust her yourself, so you get up and follow her to the bathroom.

She sits you on the edge of the tub and starts the water. Once the bath is ready, she gets rid of her clothes and climbs in, exhaling as the warm water covers her skin.

She doesn't think about it too hard as nudity is a very natural facet of Valkyrie culture, she felt so at ease with you, that she forgot that being naked around others isn't so common for humans. She almost panics when she remembers, until she meets your gaze, observing her in awe.

Out of all the places you could be staring at right now, your brain decides her biceps are the most wonderful thing you've ever seen, she lets you revere her body for just a moment, before getting your attention again, a huge grin plastered on her face as she lays back, "Are you going to join me?" Her voice turns suggestive.

You blink a few times as you register her question. It’s a funny thing, really, you were so enthralled looking at her, that you almost forgot about the searing pain in your head, so, without a second thought, you discard your own clothing and settle between her legs, your back leaning on her chest.

You take deep breaths and close your eyes trying to relax, focusing on the feeling of her heartbeat against your body.

The deafening pounding in your head returns and you instinctively squeeze Val's hand tight enough to make her grind her teeth, but she allows you the comfort without complaining.

"You’re okay, sweet thing," she coos into your ear when you let go of her hand.

"I’m not a thing," you mumble, that word reminds you of being locked in a cage.

"You are absolutely right, I’m sorry," she quickly corrects herself, "what would you like me to call you?" you shrug in response, "Can I call you 'love'?" you nod shyly, but she isn’t convinced, "'Little love'?" She can't see the smile that forms on your face, but you hope she can sense it, your nod is firmer this time.

She begins giving you a back rub and leaving soft nibs and bites on the untouched side of your neck, feeling your body melt into hers and causing small whimpers to leave your lips. Every little touch helps you take your brain away from the pain, bit by bit.

You bask in a familiar comfort even though you only met Val the day before. The gentle contact seems to come easily for Valkyrie as your whimpers turn to moans of relief and pleasure.

She continues to find more sweet spots all over your body to soothe and kiss and love until the water begins to get cold, "Feeling better?" she asks in a velvety tone.

"Uh huh," you breathe out, your eyes still closed.

"Do you want to get out now?"

You nod and hum in response, Val isn't quite sure if you're telling her what you want or what you think she wants to hear, but either way, you're both getting pruney so it's time to get out.

She stands and steps out first, drying herself off before helping you do the same. You both get dressed and come out of the bathroom.

You consider going to bed, but decide that you want to keep being around Val, so you slump on the couch again. She follows behind you but doesn’t sit down, "Are you hungry?" she asks, thinking it’s probably been too long since the last time you had something to eat.

"No," you respond sincerely.

She squints her eyes in a playful challenge, "Do you have to eat anyway?" She realizes she’s starting to get the hang of things when you smile cheekily and nod, "I'll fix something up for you."

She starts to walk to the kitchen, but your voice stops her, "You have to eat with me!"

So she turns around with a grin on her face, "I’ll fix something up for us, then."

After you eat, sleep starts to take over you as the headache returns, so you go back to the couch and Val guides you to lay your head on her lap once more.

She gently plays with your hair and rubs your back telling you sweet nothings until you’re dozed off.

You wake up an hour later and soon remember where you are and who you’re with. You try your best not to move so Val won’t know you’re awake, but it doesn’t take her long to notice.

"Hey there, little love," she whispers, still playing with your hair, "are you awake?" you lazily shake your head, "You don’t have to pretend with me, we can stay this way even if you’re not asleep." Her voice is so sweet it almost drizzles into your ears.

You meet her eyes trying to tell her that you would love for nothing more and she understands you completely, so she begins telling you mythical stories about her past with her sisters, as you curl further into her.

You lose track of time, listening to all the marvelous tales until the ship’s door catches your attention. Carol is back. You instantly sit up and away from Val, your body triggering your fight or flight response.

As Carol makes eye contact with you, you jump to your feet waiting for her next instruction, "Stay with Val, angel, I’m gonna take a shower," she says, softer that anything you expected. You nod in return, feeling your nerves settle down and go back to your place with a small smile on your lips.

Val can't help but admire the way Carol has you wrapped around her pinky finger, without the need to use force or be aggressive in any way. Every single time she's heard Carol speak to you, she uses the kindest tone and she still has you at her beck and call. It's mesmerizing.

Once Carol comes out of the shower, Val stands up, "Well, my job here is done," she announces with satisfaction, although she’s a little sad to be leaving.

You pout, looking up at her from the couch, "Do you have to go?" Your soft, almost pleading tone makes Val’s heart jump, prompting you both to look at Carol.

"Would you like to stay for dinner?" she quickly offers.

"I would love to."

Over dinner, Carol and Val sit across from each other and you sit in between them. The entire time, you can't help yourself from being all touchy with Val. You play with her rings, interlock fingers, trace the lines on her palm, until you see Carol notice and you freeze, caught like a deer in headlights.

You hurriedly take your hands back to yourself as your heart begins to pound in your chest. Carol can smell your fear like a wolf, mostly because she hates it when you're scared.

She carefully grabs your hand that wasn't on Valkyrie's just a second ago and her features soften to encourage your actions, making your heart continue to pound but for the complete opposite reason.

By the time Valkyrie has to go, you’re comfortably clinging to her with all your might, making it difficult for her to move, "I’m so sorry, little love, but I really have to go now." It’s her turn to pout.

Carol extends her arm for you to come to her and you immediately do, "Valkyrie is a King, you know?"

Your eyes widen in disbelief, "A real King?" you whisper to Carol, thinking she's joking.

Carol hums gently, "She has a whole Kingdom to herself." You look at Val, speechless, there goes Carol upselling Val's humble town.

Valkyrie returns your look in amusement, "You can be a Princess if you want," she offers nonchalantly. You only nod in response, unable to form any words and making Val chuckle, "Alright then, I'll talk to you soon, Princess," she winks and leaves a kiss on your crown, "see you, Marv." She bids you goodbye and then dissolves into rays of light.

You remain looking at the spot where Val was, until Carol's voice pulls you back, "You really like Val, don't you?"

"Yes." Your tone is small.

"I like her too, maybe we should have her over more often," you nod excitedly, "I’ll let her know," she says with a huge grin.

She gently lifts your chin and places a sweet kiss on your lips, "I love you, puppy."

"I love you, Daddy."

[cordeliasdarling]

Lifelines Intertwined

Chapter 5

Valkyrie x Reader

Summary: Revelations from the Gods.

Word count: 1k

Soulmates, Slow burn, Angst.

A/N: Second to last chapter 👀

Beta'd by @cordeliasdarling <3

Masterlist | This Series Masterlist | AO3

Shortcuts & False Solutions

It’s the next morning, an hour and a half after you were due in The King’s office, but you never showed up, so she takes it upon herself to find you and figure out why.

Valkyrie knocks on your quarters and, after confirming she’s not interrupting anything, she lets herself in, closing the door behind her, "You didn't come to work today, everything okay?" she asks gently, sitting on the bed with you.

You give her a quick glance and then go back to staring at the wall, "I don't get sick days?" you snark, she takes in your state and notices the large bags under your eyes, did you not sleep at all either?

"Are you sick?" you pull your hoodie sleeve up to reveal your bloody, wrapped up forearm, "Right," she sighs, feeling a little dumb for asking. She looks around the room trying to ignore your refusal to make eye contact, and realizes it's oddly empty, until she notices your stuff is all packed by the foot of the bed.

Her mind starts running, "I know you're angry with me, but I must urge you to stay," she pauses to see if you’ll respond, "not for me, for my people, they don't deserve to suffer simply because they have a stupid King." You don't say a word, simply shaking your head with an empty expression, "Please, we need you, name your price."

A few days later, you show up to work at your new job, assisting New Asgard's Army General, down with the troops.

As much as you wanted to flip Valkyrie off and take a plane back home, a small part of you couldn’t let you leave knowing the Kingdom was still in danger.

Every morning, you hope the Kree attack comes, so you can either die in battle or finally leave this place. The hallways that once brought you happiness now make your blood boil.

Some remorse finds you at not taking The King up on her monetary offer, but it seemed too morally emaciated to charge them for their suffering.

You can't believe you were foolish enough to let Valkyrie in, to trust her, to fall for her. Her betrayal reminds you of the reason you locked your heart up in the first place. No matter how hard you try, people will always, inevitably, let you down.

You keep meditating over the incident. How you instinctively knew to keep your mark from her, sensing that her reaction could only go poorly, how she pushed herself onto you as you were just trying to protect yourself, and, in the end, it all resulted the exact way you were sure it would.

You cared for her, you loved her, and the second she saw your mark she did the same thing everyone always has, she mocked and humiliated you.

That is the last time you open up to someone.

One day, after a couple of weeks working with the troops, a tall, blond beefcake approaches you, "Hey, you must be Valkyrie's new assistant!" he greets you cheerfully.

You are slightly uneasy as you haven’t seen him before, but chug it up to not having been at this job long enough, "Yup, that's me." He offers you a handshake, and you accept, regretting it immediately as he squeezes all the blood from your fingers.

"Do you know where she is?"

"Uh, Valkyrie? Not here, I don't work with her anymore," you admit with a stutter.

He frowns, "What? Why not?"

"We had a…disagreement." You try to keep as much to yourself as possible, and he doesn’t seem to mind.

"Okay, then, I’m gonna go look for her, it was nice meeting you," you nod in response, still unsure of how to react to the strange man, "I like the uniform," he mouths as he’s walking out.

You look down at you armor, "That makes one of us," you grumble, "was that—?" you loudly think to yourself, but then decide to disregard the whole conversation and go back to work.

A loud knock takes Valkyrie out of her thoughts, she lifts her head to look for the source of the sound and finds the blond beefcake leaning on the doorframe, "There she is!" he smiles dopily.

"Thor, what are you doing here?" She is not delighted by his presence, but at least she’s not in the worst mood she’s had lately.

"Thought I'd come to visit," he says nonchalantly as he enters the office, "why’s your new girl down with the army?"

Valkyrie’s walls immediately go up, "We agreed it was best that way."

"What about the emergency?"

Val gives him an incredulous look and mumbles to herself, "Now you give a shit?" she crosses her arms and addresses him again, "She still works for me."

"Yeah, but she’s all the way over there," he objects, pointing bellow them, Valkyrie simply huffs in response, "you said you really liked her," he tries to bargain.

"I did, I do, I fucked up, it doesn't matter." Her voice grows less confident with each word as she finally admits it out loud.

"Well, you’d better figure it out, can't have the new King go down in a depressive spiral again," he warns playfully and turns back toward the door, "I’m gonna go say hi to my people."

As Thor is walking out, Val spots a black imprint peeking out of his neck, she squints her eyes to focus further and tries to say something, but nothing comes out.

Could it be that The God of Thunder has a soulmark matching the one of his late human lover? Does he even know he has it? Does his itch like hell, too?

Could this really mean what Valkyrie has been thinking all this time? She cannot let you leave until she figures it out.

[cordeliasdarling]

are we going to talk about this??

[cordeliasdarling]

Taking Back The Crown

GIF by usersuperman

Carol Danvers x Reader

We’ve Loved A Thousand Lives

Same beginning, different story every time.

Part 16

Angst, Jealousy, Cheating, Happy ending.

Beta'd by @cordeliasdarling 💜

Word count: 2.1k

Masterlist | This collection | AO3

Carol walks back to her ship after another successful mission wanting for nothing more than to relax and rest while reaching her next destination. As soon as she enters the vessel, she hears shuffling in the darkness making alarm set into her.

She enters slowly trying not to make a sound, her glowing fists giving away her location. She reaches the light switch and flips it on before you can find a hiding spot.

"Back so soon?" she asks, her expression is unreadable.

You are frozen in place, caught like a deer in headlights, "Yup," you stammer.

You were really hoping to go in and out of the ship and not even have to run into Carol, but nothing is ever so simple with her, is it?

She stands tall making sure to keep you on edge, "I didn't think you'd come back."

"You didn't think I'd come back, or you hoped I wouldn’t?"

She looks to the side, pretending to think, "…Both."

"Words everybody wants to hear," you mumble under your breath, then clear your throat, "anyway, I just came here to get my stuff, but I can't find any of it."

"You mean all the clothes you left here? I sent them to your wife's house."

"You did what?" your response comes with a loud groan, "You could have said something!"

"That’s right, I could have," she crosses her arms, "but we don't do that here, do we?"

You close your eyes and take a deep breath, "You are insufferable, now I have to go to her house," you dread.

She squints her eyes in confusion, "Do you not live with her?"

You frown in disbelief at her question, "No," you answer obviously.

"Did she divorce you already?"

You sigh deeply and shake your head, "I am not getting into this with you."

"Fine, I don't care."

Once you decide this conversation is over, you walk to the couch and sit down, she remains standing on her spot, "Well," she gestures at you, "your things aren't here, you know the way out," she bites.

You look through the window out of the corner of your eye and realize the ship is already moving, Carol must have forgotten she left it on autopilot, which causes you to grin, "Unfortunately, the way out leads to an abyss which I cannot physically withstand, so you're gonna have to wait until my ride gets here." You don’t even have a ride, you just know this is gonna get on her nerves so bad, and you are proven right when her face retorts sourly and she huffs, walking away.

She goes to sit on the exact opposite end of the ship, far away enough that she doesn’t have to see you. You catch the sound of her angry mumbling and poke the bear, "What’s that?"

She decides to get into it since you can't go anywhere this time, "I leave for a six month long mission and when I return you are married to my best friend!" she yells bitterly.

"For the millionth time, Carol, it was a marriage of convenience." Your tone is firm but calm.

"You cannot keep expecting me to believe that."

"Why not?"

"Because it's bullshit."

It's your turn to murmur, "This again." You bite your tongue and give her time to cool down before you speak again, "Do you love Yan?" you ask as you stand up and walk closer to her.

She eyes your every move, "Of course I do, he's my friend."

"But do you love him?" You accentuate the word 'love' this time, sitting across from her on the dining table.

"Not romantically."

"Then, why did you marry him?"

"Because he asked, he needed to marry a woman to be respected as a leader of the matriarchal society he lives in," she responds plainly, not understanding what you’re getting at.

"So, I’m supposed to believe you married Yan to help him out, but you refuse to accept I did the same with Valkyrie?"

She stares at you with her big brown eyes, "I was her best friend, why couldn’t she ask me?" She lowers her voice and you can hear the sadness in it.

You think you’ve finally gotten to the bottom of this, so you begin to explain what happened, "While you were gone, Val came to me looking for you, she was so desperate she was almost crying, have you ever seen her cry?" Carol tries to remember and shakes her head in response, "She wanted to ask you a favor, but you were out so far away even she couldn't reach you."

Carol takes in your every word intently, unconsciously fidgeting with her gloves.

"She had known she had to make the arrangement for months, but she kept putting it off and that was the last day, so of course I agreed. It was all so sudden we didn't even have a party." The story seems pretty straight forward to you.

"I found you on her bed!" she objects.

To you, that was such an insignificant detail that you had already forgotten it happened, but Carol seems to be holding onto it for dear life, "We slept together that night for the sake of tradition, but nothing happened, I was still dating you."

"Then, why didn't you fight me back?" Her jaw is stiff.

"You didn't exactly leave any room for discussion," the echoes of her anger bounce around the room like memories of war, bearing a hole in her chest, "I always felt quite comfortable around your insurmountable power, but that day, I truly feared for my life," you confess.

Her features turn skeptical, "That can't be true."

"You threw a chair at me, Carol," you remind her in a gentle tone.

She spots the dent that still remains on the wall, "Oh my God, I threw a chair at you, what was I thinking," she whispers with remorse.

"You weren’t," you chuckle back.

"How are you so casual talking about this?"

You simply shrug, "You have to admit, it's kinda funny looking back, in a dark and twisted way."

She lowers her head and rubs her own arm in shame, "So, you didn't cheat on me?"

"Of course not," you assure her.

"And, you only married my best friend for convenience?"

"Just like you."

"I feel so dumb."

"Oh, you are," you joke.

"Stop it," she shoots you a harsh look, but you can tell she doesn’t mean it, "I sent Val a box with all your things and a very rude note, I hope she didn't see it," she dreads.

"Incoming call from New Asgard," the ship announces almost on cue, making Carol's eyes go wide as she rushes to compose herself.

A hologram of Valkyrie holding a small card in her hand appears in the air, "Excuse me, Captain Marvel, you want me to choke on what?"

"I am so sorry, that was not meant for you, and," Carol shoots you a glance, "I’ve come to realize it was also extremely uncalled for," she rushes to apologize.

"And you're hanging out with my wife?" Val smiles amused, "Hi, love, how are you doing?" she addresses you.

You gently scratch the back of your neck, "Hey, King, I’m good thank you."

"Oh, please, there's no need for formalities, you are My Queen after all."

"Yeah, alright," you stammer awkwardly, you know this is not helping your case with Carol, "how have you been?"

Valkyrie’s eyes glimmer, "Aren’t you the sweetest thing in the universe?"

Carol can feel acid traveling up her esophagus, "Enough, both of you!" she chastises, "I’m sorry about the note, we will go retrieve the box soon, okay?"

Val sucks on her teeth as her features flatten, "Fine, but next time you want to insult me, come tell me yourself, I'll see you soon, sweetheart." She winks at you and hangs up.

After a moment of silence, Carol points to the now empty space where Valkyrie’s hologram was, "See? That is exactly why I don't believe you."

"The King likes being married to me, what can I say?" you tease, "I promise you it's all a ruse, I mean, doesn't Yan sing his nicest songs to you?"

"His language is song, that's different!"

"It doesn't matter, I think Val enjoys making your blood boil." You are taking this much too lightly to Carol’s liking.

"Does she know we broke up over your marriage?"

"She does."

"Then, why does she keep rubbing it in my face?" Turns out, you’re not really making any progress with this, despite your efforts.

"Because she thinks she's hilarious."

"I’m not so sure about that."

Knowing Carol will never just take your word for it, you suggest, "Let's go ask her."

The next day, you land in New Asgard.

"Your Majesty," The King’s assistant welcomes you with surprise, "we would have loved to know about your visit in advance so we could have made preparations."

You’re still not used to the whole 'being treated like a royal' thing, "That’s no problem, really, it's just a quick stop, may I speak to The King, please?"

"Of course, follow me." You both follow them to Valkyrie's office, they knock and open the door.

"I told you not to disturb me," Valkyrie says without looking away from her desk.

"I know, Your Majesty, but The Queen is here to see you," the assistant announces shyly.

Val’s eyes meet yours immediately and her whole face lights up, "Hi, darling! Missed me already?"

You walk all the way to her, but Carol remains out of sight by the doorframe, Val kisses your knuckle softly, "Hello again," you greet her more sure of yourself than you were the day before, "I need to ask you a favor."

"I always knew this day would come," she insinuates in a husky voice as she starts loosening her tie.

"No, no!" you scold her, "I need you to drop this whole game of yours. Now."

She pouts, taken aback, "I thought you liked it."

"I do, it's cute but, um," you lazily point back to where Carol is standing, "Carol doesn't like it, and—" Valkyrie follows your movements with her eyes and sees The Captain for the first time.

Val interrupts you, straightening her tone, "Oh, too far?" She instantly knows what you mean.

You bite your lip apologetically, "Yes."

"Say no more, My Queen," she then directs herself to Carol, "my deepest apologies, Marv."

"Seriously? You watched us break up over this," Carol demands bitterly, stepping into the room.

"That is not true, I only started the act after you two split up."

Carol begins to overheat, a slight glow surrounding her, "So you were flirting with her?"

Val hesitates, "In a way, but never with any further intentions," Carol crosses her arms, challenging her, "Marv, you know damn well if I wanted to get with your ex, I would have already," she talks like you're not there, "but I would never, because you're my best friend, and frankly, I didn't think you'd last this long apart. If anything, I kept flirting with her in hopes that you would finally do something about it."

You weren’t aware of half the things Valkyrie just said, but you’re satisfied with her answer, "Is that enough for you, Princess?" you ask Carol with a tinge of mockery in the title.

Carol breathes in sharply, "Sure, Queen."

You decide to ignore the bite in her tone and keep moving, "Great! Now if you could tell me where the box with my things is, we will get out of your hair," you tell Val.

"Right, the death threat is in my quarters."

"May I?" You ask permission to enter her space.   "Of course, My Queen, you shouldn't need to ask."

You share a cordial kiss with her, "Thanks, Val, I love you." You point your goodbye with a stern look before she attempts to say any more inappropriate things.

"Love you too," she mouths with a genuine smile, "goodbye, Marv, it's always a pleasure to see you."

"I’m sorry again about the mean note, take care." Your marriage definitely took a toll on their friendship, but you’re sure they will work it out eventually.

You exit The King's office and make your way to her room with Carol following behind you, "You sure know your way around these hallways," she quips

You roll your eyes, "So do you, you wanna lead the way?"

"No, I’m enjoying the view." You remain looking ahead, but you're sure if you turned around, you would see a shit eating grin plastered on her face.

You retrieve your things and make your way back into the ship, "So we're both convenience royalty," Carol says while putting the box down.

"Indeed," you respond awkwardly.

"And that's okay," she continues, mostly to convince herself.

"Mhmm."

She turns to you, chewing on her bottom lip, "Could you still be my girlfriend. Again. Please?"

You laugh, finding her hesitation endearing, "It would be my pleasure, Princess."