#valmora

[mycatwantstoeatpins]

Favourite MoShang fics

I’ve read something like two hundred MoShang fics in the last couple of weeks (RIP my sleep schedule) and these are some of my favourites.

bureaucratic processes (Restricted) by tciddaemina. Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Post-Canon, Oblivious Shàng Qīnghuá, Demon Courting, Demon Politics, POV Mòběi-jūn, Cultural Misunderstandings, Marriage, Bad Communication, Crack, Explicit Sexual Content, Shang Qinghua is Empress of the Northern Demon Realm, posessiveness, Shang Qinghua is Loud

how to face your high school crush after 7 years by revesdelimonade. Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe – Office, Getting Together, First Kiss, Jealousy, Mutual Pining, Happy Ending, Oblivious Shàng Qīnghuá, Childhood Friends, Moshang Events Secret Santa 22

How to Tell if a Demon Wants you Dead: the Unhelpful Guide by Esora247. Tags: 5+1 Things, Fluff, Attempt at Humor, Oblivious Shàng Qīnghuá, Courting Rituals, Gift Giving, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, No Beta We Die Like GongYi Xiao, Post-Canon, Canon-Typical Violence, < basically violence stemming from demon lords being protective (possessive) of their humans, Mobei-Jun is whipped he just shows it in his own special way

Husband (Imaginary) by diamondbruise. Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Attempted divorce, Miscommunication, Misunderstandings, extremely poor communication from all parties involved, Angst with a Happy Ending, although is it angst if it's just straight up stupid

in the stripped club. straight up "jorking it" by Volatilevore. Tags: Overstimulation, Anal Sex, Anal Fingering, Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting

no more choose than rivers (Restricted) by Val Mora (valmora). Tags: Cultural Differences, Marriage Proposal, Courtship, Misunderstandings, dowry/betrothal gift/bride price, Classism, Discussion of mpreg, historically-inspired sex education, awkwardness about sex, Fade to Black, comparative cuisine, Weddings, Canon-Typical Fantasy Racism

of love, war, and romantic reconnaissance (Restricted) by dalairei. Tags: Fluff, Misunderstandings, Humor, Demon/Human Relationships, Human Courting Customs, Demon Courting Customs, Getting Together, Oblivious Shàng Qīnghuá, Soft Mòběi-jūn, Moshang Events Big Bang 2023 (Scum Villain)

The Shang Qinghua Effect by Yuu_chi. Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Romantic Comedy, Fluff and Humor, Background Bingqiu – Freeform, cucumberplane friendship, Shang Qinghua isn't undesirable he's just dumb

Stay Acting Brave by Pip (Moirail). Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, Magic School, Demon Summoning, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Rimming, Oral Sex, Size Kink, Size Difference, Loss of Virginity, accidental boyfriend acquisition

The Subtle Art of Trying to F*ck by firesandpixies. Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe – Showbusiness, Social Media, Fluff and Crack, Fluff and Humor, Crack, Alternate Universe – Actors, Mobei-Jun being oblivious to his feelings, Bingqiu is a side pairing, PiningDirty Jokes, Bad Jokes, Bad Puns, Puns & Word Play

[loubatas-art]

Home

Lakkmir (wookiee), Valmora (twi'lek) and their adoptive daughter Zer'aya (togruta) are some of my favourite characters from my friend's @jackdaw-kraai 's fic The Guides Verse, living their best lesbian coffeeshop AU-like life after being freed from the horrors of Hutt slavery

It's more of an elaborated sketch than a fully painted picture (I rushed a bit because I wanted to finish it before leaving on travel, and now I see a LOT of stuff missing or I could've done better), but I finally got to draw the three of them, like I've been wanting to do for a while!

[astromechs]

that being said, my old valmora sakaar au from, like, 2018 is flickering to life in my head again

[wangxianficrecs]

Follower Recs

~*~

If you can squeeze this in by sunset of the 26th, here’s a Hanukkah fic: the Twin Jades, going through their mother’s effects, learn that she was Jewish; Madame Lan is such a blank check that nothing here contradicts canon!

Reclamation (where you can see the glow)

by theLoyalRoyalGuard

(Gen, 3k, lxc & lwj, wangxian)

Summary: Lan Wangji finds a box his mother left for her sons long ago, containing pieces of a culture she wished them to know. On a snowy winter's night, the Lan brothers and their family reclaim their mother's history.

~*~

Another Hanukkah fic: SL and XXC are invited to share a campfire by some traveling OC Jewish mystics (who use the terms “Dao” and “cultivators” in a code-switching sense).

The Fellow-Travelers

by Val Mora (valmora)

(Gen, <1k, songxiao)

Summary: Song Zichen and Xiao Xingchen are invited to the camp-fire of two other cultivators, of another tradition.

@val-mora

~*~

A third Hanukkah fic: modern (apparently diasporic) AU; Wangxian adopt MXY; later, there’s a huge fancy inclusive holiday gala featuring most of the cast. Features characters taking pains to research other people’s holiday traditions; it’s implied that some of the characters are Jewish and OYZZ is expressly stated to be so.

a good night | full heart full belly

by frostferox

(Gen, 2k, wangxian)

Summary: “I just remember having the chocolate coins at someone’s house,” Xuanyu says at last. “They had all kinds of dishes I’d never seen before, but they were playing some kind of holiday music and it was festive. Candles and games. We ate so well, and they were so nice. We never went back, I think they moved away a few months later, but…”  Baba’s eyes are kind, nonjudgmental. “It was a good night, was all,” Xuanyu says, then looks away.

~*~

(Please REBLOG as a signal boost for these hard-working authors if you like – or think others might like – this story.)

[personal-reporter]

Una mole di colombe 2023 a Torino

Il 25 e il 26 marzo è il weekend della quinta edizione di Una Mole di Colombe dove, nelle sale dell’Hotel Principi di Piemonte, a Torino, oltre 150 colombe tradizionali e creative saranno presentate da 25 maestri pasticceri e fornai. Anche per questa edizione la società organizzatrice Dettagli Eventi ha selezionato gli artigiani che rispettano le regole di qualità, come l’utilizzo di lievito madre e l’esclusione di conservanti, emulsionanti, additivi chimici, aromi artificiali e semilavorati. Provenienti da tutte le regioni d’Italia, i maestri del lievito madre si sfideranno su due versioni del tradizionale dolce della Pasqua. La colomba classica, con ingredienti e procedure esclusivamente artigianali, verrà presentata anche in modi creativo, ideato da ogni Maestro pasticcere esaltando l’identità e i prodotti dei territori di provenienza. Quest’anno, il pubblico avr�� l’occasione di scoprire il mondo dell’alta pasticceria italiana, tra protagonisti, innovazioni, ma anche abbinamenti. Infatti le Degustazioni guidate experience, completamente gratuite per il pubblico e su prenotazione, saranno condotte da una Sommelier professionista, un Produttore di vino e dai Maestri pasticceri per offrire il perfetto calice di vino in abbinamento alle colombe. Da segnalare tra le novità di questa edizione la collaborazione della società organizzatrice Dettagli Eventi con il Consorzio Vini d’Aqui, che tutela il Brachetto d’Acqui, l’Acqui docg Rosé e l’Acqui Rosso e che allestirà nella sala Palazzo Madama ben 30 postazioni per lo svolgimento di masterclass e abbinamenti tra vini e colombe e su come il Brachetto d’Acqui, l’Acqui docg Rosé e l’Acqui Rosso, tutti vini a base di uva brachetto esclusivamente coltivata e vinificata nella zona classica di produzione tra le aree di Acqui Terme e l’Astigiano, siano perfetti con la Colomba artigianale, dolce classico della tradizione pasquale Un altro partner di Una Mole di Colombe sarà TosiNatura, che ha selezionato e distribuisce per l’Italia i prodotti di Floribis, leader della produzione e trasformazione della vaniglia bourbon del Madagascar, che con il suo inconfondibile bouquet determina l’unicità dell’aroma nei grandi lievitati. Come sempre la kermesse sposa anche una buona causa, infatti 1 Caffè Onlus sarà presente con un servizio di Bar solidale, grazie alla collaborazione con Bialetti e Acqua Valmora. Inoltre il pubblico potrà degustare e acquistare al prezzo speciale di 30€ al Kg l’elegante protagonista dei dolci di Pasqua, nelle preparazioni classiche con glassa, granella di zucchero, mandorle o nocciole armelline e in quelle dai ripieni più creativi. Il mercato della colomba artigianale quest’anno è cresciuto del 10%, conquistando sempre nuovi estimatori e la Confederazione Pasticceri Italiani, Conpait, ritiene che sia dovuta alla grande  curiosità dei consumatori per la versione creativa del dolce della Pasqua. A beneficiare del ricavato raccolto dell’evento saranno le 52 realtà no profit sostenute nel 2023 dalla onlus fondata da Luca Argentero. Read the full article

[im-the-letter-t]

Updated!

Ships that you can literally always talk to me about because they’re just so cute and I can’t:

Odesta

Clato

Remadora

Romione

Starmora

Valmora

Bugborg

Brutasha

Scarletvision

Sambucky

Eposette

Enjoltaire

Jatherine

Sprace

Slexie 

Crowen

Calzona

Roger x Mimi

Angel x Collins

Joanne x Maureen

Fiyeraba

Peraltiago

Kevin x Holt

Not a ship but I’m always up to talk about Rosa Diaz. 

Starco

Globclipsa

Orphydice

Happiness / literally any character involved in any of the above

[incorrectgamora]

Loki: You’re such a coward.

Valkyrie: I am not!

Loki: Prove it! I’ll give you twenty units if you kiss Gamora right now.

Valkyrie: Deal

Valkyrie: *walks over to Gamora and kisses her*

*Later*

Gamora: Why would Loki give you twenty units to kiss me?

Valkyrie: Cause I didn’t tell him we are already dating.

[theleakypen]

cql fandom au!

@val-mora and I are working on this one (Val more than me, lbr)! The CQL crew are all part of a fandom for a Cdrama that does not exist. Fandom drama occurs.

smol excerpt written by me. you can probably guess who pinyouupgirl is :D

pinyouupgirl

Asks are open again in anticipation of the Lunar New Year exchange. You all know the drill. I’ll answer questions about medicine (both modern and traditional), agriculture in the time during which Standing Gate is probably set, and very occasionally translation asks if I’m feeling up to it (no promises on that last one). 

#housekeeping 

[warwick-valmora]

First character of the Valmora comics. Volo

Really nice to be drawing again after the last bout depression. I hope this project will keep me motivated during covid.

[alexeishostakoff]

the champion (of the people who don't believe in champions)

for @valmcras

gamora is the greatest champion sakaar has ever seen.

she's undefeated, merciless, a blur of green and metal as she whirls across the battlefield, sword elegant in its brutality and motions confident, sure. there's no one like her, never has been. they can't match her style, her ability.

her rage.

sakaar is the home of lost things, and gamora has been lost for a long, long time, since she stole a ship from her father's men and flew until the engine died, died, died.

she drifted in space, for awhile, rations low and desperation high, and then - and then.

some would say she was lucky, to land on a planet like this, where she can thrive.

some would say otherwise.

gamora doesn't care much, can't. nothing matters except the winning, the surviving. it's not much, but it's a life.

and people love her here. they adore her. it's been a year, and she's still not used to that. she’s not sure she ever will be. she can numb everything else out, but not the love. it’s too foreign. it will always be too foreign.

even loved, it’s lonely.

that comes with being the last of your kind, really - it’s a constant isolation that pricks at her skin, even in a crowd. it’s a pain that leaves her eyes burning and terrifying, more angry or more sad no one can ever be sure.

someone once said that if you live long enough, you can see the same eyes on different people’s faces.

the same eyes.

the grandmaster introduces gamora to scrapper 142, and it’s like staring into a mirror.

there’s a tense pause, gamora’s gaze locked onto hers from across the room, every one of her nerve endings on fire, and then - the scrapper breaks the odd, aching peace, knocks back a swig from the bottle of alcohol she seems to carry with her everywhere, demands more money than she deserves from the grandmaster, and leaves.

just like that, it’s over.

just like that.

she doesn't expect to see the scrapper ever again, doesn't expect to feel the burn of her eyes just one more time, doesn't want to, really, doesn't want the unsteady footing, the unchecked change.

but since when has she ever gotten what she wants? since when has the universe worked in her favor?

they meet. they drink. they spar.

gamora calls her scrapper; scrapper calls her champion.

there's no sweetness on sakaar. there's no sweetness between them. that's something they couldn't dare, wouldn't risk.

and yet. gamora's smile is a little softer, the scrapper's laugh is a little warmer, and there are a hundred thousand other things they shouldn't do, shouldn't say, that happen anyways.

it shouldn't be a surprise, though it still is, when scrapper pulls gamora into her arms for the third time that week, mirror image wildfire eyes sparking with something gamora hasn't seen in years, and says, "call me brunnhilde."

gamora hesitates, calculates, risk assessment running through her head.

"only if you'll call me gamora."

a kiss works to seal the deal.

[lovelyirony]

Protection for gamora x valkyrie? (Or whatever ship you want 😃)

Valkyrie doesn’t need protection. Just because she’s the new king of Asgard doesn’t mean that suddenly her muscles have weakened and she can’t protect herself any longer. The horror! 

She levels Thor with a glare. 

“I don’t need a bodyguard.” 

“I know,” Thor says cheerily, as if he’s not continually pissing her off the longer their discussion goes on. “But you’ll need someone to help you attack people who try. You can’t take on five at once.” 

“Watch me.” 

“Oh I’ll watch failure on the big screen,” Thor adds readily, still pleasantly smiling. “But you know that someone matching your skill would be beneficial in case there are some situations that you can’t get to because of diplomatic reasons.” 

“I’ll just call Loki to terrorize them.” 

“You and I both know that the only things Loki does are for self-care or future benefits.” 

“He’s scared of me.” 

“He’s also scared of commitment, but you don’t see him telling us that he’s going to stop bringing Grandmaster all over the place.” 

“Please do not remind me of that.” 

“Then accept.” 

Valkyrie throws her hands up and agrees. 

The woman before her levels her with a gaze that is even, indifferent, and all the more interesting than previously thought. 

“My name is Gamora,” she says. “I’m here to take care of threats.” 

“Alongside me,” Valkyrie says, not willing to relinquish her previous past. “Why have you come here?” 

“I was asked,” Gamora answers. “As well as this, my–my acquaintance is wanting to study new Asgardian text.” 

Valkyrie is well aware that a few of the older citizens have transcribed a few of the texts from memory, and they were incredibly lucky to have them. She also knew that only Thor or she could give permission. She looks over to Thor. 

“You know of her. Mantis.” 

Valkyrie turns towards Gamora. 

“And you elected not to study alongside?” 

Gamora’s mouth quirks up in an amused smile. 

“That is not my preferred area of expertise.” 

“Then show me. We shall battle and see what happens.” 

Brunhilde is a woman who goes unmatched when it comes to combat. Being the last of the Valkyries (for now), she was trained to battle above all else. 

She’s not sure where Gamora’s from or what lessons she has learned, but they are very similar. She plays dirty from the start, and Brunhilde quickly switches techniques. 

Their force is considerable against each other, and Gamora is unrelentless in her pursuit. 

The fight ends with Gamora pressed against a wall and kicking Val’s stomach. 

“Enough,” Thor says. “It is clear you both are equal in fighting, and I’m getting hungry so I want us to get lunch. Sound good?” 

“Give me a minute,” Gamora rasps, looking directly at Brunhilde. “I’m impressed, Your Highness.” 

“Call me Brunhilde,” she responds. 

It’s a sign of respect, really. Few received the honor to call Valkyrie by her true name. 

“You are impressive,” Valkyrie says, grinning. “Join us for lunch.” 

Gamora nods, and while Thor is discussing new royal deals with Valkyrie, she smiles to herself. 

(She really hopes that Quill doesn’t see her in such a…state. The teasing would be relentless.) 

[takaraphoenix]

Damn, the Guardians of the Galaxy cartoon is really out there, trying to make me ship Valkyrie/Gamora, huh? I mean... it’s totally working, I didn’t have a Gamora-ship so far so this is nice.

[anniejanuaryz]

For @lesbiansassemble femslash writing challenge!

Pairing: Valkyrie x Gamora

Warnings: swearing, violence

Word count: 3.861

Alone.

That’s all Valkyrie has ever been.

Sometimes, she has dreams. Dreams of other people, people loving and caring about her. But they are just that.

Dreams. Dumb, stupid, naïve dreams.

And yet – yet she never forgets them.

It’s like some cruel joke, like destiny is laughing at her.

Not that she believes in destiny. Destiny hurts innocent people – and well, if no one can protect them, then she will do it. Maybe a bit drunk and dazed, but hey – better than nothing.

Valkyrie knows that she’s not popular. Yes, she saves lives, but she is not particularly known for keeping the damage small. But hey, at least the people are still alive, right?

She’s on her usual stroll, going up and down the alcohol aisle at the supermarket, as if she would take something else than usual. The bell rings above the door; Valkyrie doesn’t even turn to look who it is. That is, until she hears the click of a gun.

“Really? It was supposed to be a chill night,” she mutters under her breath to herself before rounding the corner.

A badly disguised guy stands there, the gun held at the cashier.

“Hey dude, come on. That’s my favourite store.��

At her voice, the guy spins around. A second passes before he starts shooting at her.

She sighs, snipping one of the bullets aside and quickly stepping right in front of him. She yanks the gun out of his hands, grabs his collar and throws him into one of the shelves. Bottles fall to the floor around him, shards flying everywhere.

“Man, that was one of my favourite liquors,” Valkyrie says with a grimace, looking at the shards.

The guy looks at her with wide eyes, trying to get up, but slipping on the wet ground.

She gets closer to him and he visibly shakes, attempting to get away from her.

“Hey, come on, take my hand.”  

He keeps staring at her like a deer in the headlights, so she just pulls him up, brushing the shards of his coat.

“See? You’re alright.”

With one swift motion, she pulls the cap from his head and pushes him to the cashier. “He’s yours.”

She then takes the two bottles left on the shelf. “You’re welcome.”

Valkyrie has already one opened and at her lips while she leaves the store, leaving two very confused men behind.

At home, she lies in her bed, zapping through bad tv channels and sipping on the bottle. God, earth has shitty tv.

So she just accepts her fate and stares at the ceiling, closing her eyes.

Like so often, her mind begins to ponder her existence.

80 years. It’s been 80 years since she woke up in some hospital, not even able to remember her own name. However, everything hurt so much. Whenever she closes her eyes, she can still feel the pain, like someone cuts her from inside out.

And her head, god. Whenever she wants to look back at her past, further than 80 years, it’s like she hits a brick wall. She can’t tear it down, she can’t go around it. Heaven knows she tried.

Sometimes, she asks herself if maybe it’s good. Maybe her old life sucked.

But then, she thinks of her dreams with the faceless people, showering her with love. What if her old life was good? What if she fucked it up?

So she closes her eyes and lets herself be.

* * * * *

Humans are stupid.

They are petty and care about dumb stuff.

Like, when Valkyrie throws a car at a bad guy. Yeah, maybe the car is damaged, but she stopped him from killing someone. That must count for something, right?

So, she is not surprised at the angry shouts of people when she stops a train, destroying its goods in the process, from driving over a car. A car that some idiot parked right on the tracks.

And then she spins around as she hears a pissed off female voice. But for a change, it is not angry at her.

"For god's sake, Peter! You told us that you're able to drive a terra car!"

Valkyrie lays her eyes on the most beautiful woman she's ever seen. With green skin, black hair dipped in purple and dressed in leather. Her heart stops for a second before speeding up. Holy hell.

As if the woman can sense her heartbeat, she turns around.

For a second, a weird expression flashes over her face; but maybe that's just an illusion from the alcohol Valkyrie has had.

"It's not my fault that this car sucks!" a guy protests.

Only now Valkyrie's eyes take in the male speaker, gathered behind him a walking tree and a racoon.

She raises her brows. It only surprises her slightly; she's seen a lot in space.

The other people don't seem to share that sentiment. They all stare at the group in disbelief.

The green woman avoids her gaze. "Peter, thank her."

"What? She destroyed my car!"

"Uh, I actually destroyed it to save you, you ungrateful asshole," Valkyrie says, arms crossed.

"I am Groot," the tree states, looking at the racoon. Latter starts laughing while Peter turns around. "Woah, careful, Groot! Thin ice!"

The green woman sighs and looks to Valkyrie. "Thank you."

Valkyrie raises her chin a bit. "You're welcome. I guess the tree and racoon too." Then she turns to Peter. "You, however, I'll let die next time."

A small smirk hushes over the woman's face.

Peter snorts. "Gamora, come on, we're leaving."

Gamora.

The name feels weird, it makes Valkyrie's brain itch. Gamora.

Before she can say something, however, the weird gang vanishes.

A few of the crowd shout for the police, others murmur about aliens.

Valkyrie just takes a run-up, jumps and flies away.

* * * * *

The next time they meet, it is in the middle of a fight.

A fight right next to her favourite liquor store. Fate be damned.

The racoon is trying to pluck a police man’s eyes out; the tree tries to pull him off but fails; Peter screams and tries to get out of the hold of two other policemen; and Gamora – well, she just ko’d her two policemen and now watches Valkyrie with an indecipherable mien.

“What the fuck is going on?” Valkyrie asks, crossing her arms.

“These – people – broke – the – law,” one police man says in between sharp breaths, trying to keep Peter down.

“What law?”

“Breaking into a high-security faculty –“

“Not so high-secured, then,” Valkyrie interrupts and goes to the racoon, grabbing his arms and pulling him away with a swift motion; he scrabbles in her hold, cursing with some words she has never heard before. The policeman has scratches all over his face and looks at her thankfully.

She throws the racoon into Groot’s arms and goes over to Peter and Gamora.

“Care to explain?”

“Not really,” Peter says, attempting and failing to punch one of the policemen into the face.

Valkyrie turns to Gamora; again, she has this weird itching feeling in her brain and her heart’s speeding up. Goddamn this gorgeous woman.

“How about you?”

“We did not break the law,” Gamora explains, frowning. “We just wanted to borrow something.”

“Ha! You definitely spend too much time with Quill!” the racoon screams, laughing wildly.

“Borrow something. What for?”

“None of your business!” Quill interrupts, glaring at her.

“It is my business if you do it right next to my favourite liquor store.” The policemen look at her with raised brows. “Oh, and of course if you attack officers.”

Gamora looks at her, calculating. "Do you know how to repair a spaceship?"

Peter gasps audibly. "Gamora!"

Valkyrie smiles, which pisses him off even more. "I do, actually."

"No! I won't let her touch -"

"You prefer being stuck on Terra?" Gamora interrupts him.

Peter makes a face, but says: "Yes, I do."

"Oh, suck it up Quill," the racoon says, jumping down from Groot's shoulder, "I like her."

"I am Groot," Groot adds, nodding.

"Even you, Groot? Really?" Peter says, sounding highly insulted.

Valkyrie steps closer, still a smirk plastered on her face. “What do I get in return?”

“You can kick Quill’s ass,” the racoon says, grinning.

“You cannot kick his ass. We need him, Rocket,” Gamora says, but Valkyrie can read slight amusement in her eyes. Then she sighs, looking at Valkyrie. “How about some space alcohol? We should still have some.”

“Hey! That’s mine!” Rocket protests.

“Space alcohol, hm? Haven’t been in space for ten years.”

“Okay, she’ll get some if she can fix the ship,” Rocket says.

“Oh, when I’ll fix the ship,” Valkyrie answers with a smug smile.

* * * * *

It is harder than she imagined. She has no idea how they did it, but they managed to damage nearly all of the motor. How could they even land with this? But hey, she’s had worse. She can fix this.

Besides, she can watch Gamora out of the corners of her eyes. There is something about her – something special, something making her feel different, something making her – whole.

“Hey, we don’t pay you for staring at Gamora!” Quill says, frowning.

Valkyrie can’t hide a short flinch as she spins around. “You don’t pay me at all, shithead.”

He snorts and goes away.

Now she focuses on the motor again, inspecting it and checking the different parts of it.

“I thought it was the catalysator at first, but that didn’t change nothing.”

Valkyrie glances at Rocket shortly before nodding. “I think it is something smaller. Your arrangement is a whole mess. Probably some cable broke internally.”

Rocket kneels down next to her, not really convinced. “These are from Xandar, lady. Some of the best cables out there.”

Xandar.

Like someone turned on a switch in her head, she sees people, walking over a busy market place. A fountain. Herself, walking to said fountain, searching for something – someone, a smile on her face. But then it all vanishes again.

She blinks. And blinks.

Before Rocket can say something, she turns to him. “Do you have pics from Xandar?”

“What? From the cables?”

Valkyrie shakes her head, licking her lips. “No. Just … Xandar.”

“It’s just Xandar. A trash planet, if you ask me. All a bunch of stuck-ups.” But he presses something on the watch on his arm and pictures come flashing.

And again, she remembers something. Her smile vanishing as she finds a man in the crowd. She doesn’t know who it is. But he holds a necklace in his hand – a necklace very familiar to her. And it makes her so angry she attacks him. A fight ensues, and he shoves her against the fountain wall. She falls. And then it’s dark.

She gulps, closing her eyes. Okay. Deep breaths.

Xandar. Fountain. Necklace.

What the hell does that all mean? Are her memories coming back?

She feels like she is stared at. As she turns around, Gamora just vanishes into the forest.

Valkyrie rubs her head and then says to Rocket: “Okay, let’s fix this ship.”

* * * * *

The others check up on them from time to time, watching them working until Rocket tells them politely to fuck off.

When it begins to get dark, they take a break. Someone made a fire and they all sit around it.

Nobody told Valkyrie to go. So she stays.

Her eyes wander from her oily finger tips to Gamora and back again, not listening to the conversation.

“Right?”

She looks up, seeing everyone staring at her. “What?”

“I said that you know what you’re doing,” Rocket repeats himself, taking a big gulp of a bottle.

Quill watches her with squinted eyes. “Where did you learn ship repairing?”

Valkyrie shrugs, leaning back. “I don’t know.”

“What? How can you not know?” Quill says, frowning.

“Well, I don’t remember is more fitting, I guess.”

Now they really all stare at her.

Valkyrie sighs, rolling her eyes. “I woke up 80 years ago on Sakaar with no memories but my own name.” She tries to say it non-chalantly, inspecting her nails, but even she can hear the slight hardness of her words.

“What the hell is Sakaar?”

Of course Quill would say something.

When she looks back up again, all are facing her – all but Gamora.

“It’s a dump planet. Many wormholes lead there.”

“Did something come back? When you saw pictures of Xandar?” Rocket asks.

Gamora seems to flinch slightly at the mention of Xandar.

Only now Valkyrie notices that Gamora is wearing a necklace; it’s mostly hidden underneath her shirt, but it’s there. A necklace …

She fixates on the other woman while saying “yes, I did”.

Maybe Gamora knows something. Maybe all the things Valkyrie thought she had imagined weren’t her imagination at all. Maybe Gamora is acting weird around her because she knows her.

Right as she wants to say something, Gamora abruptly stands up.

“I’m going to bed,” she says and promptly vanishes.

“Ha! She can’t stand you either!” Quill says, crossing his arms.

Valkyrie ignores him, getting up and following Gamora.

“I hope Gamora kills her.”

“I am Groot!”

“Shut up, Groot.”

Inside, the ship is bigger than she thought. She follows the sound of someone walking until she reaches a room.

Gamora stands in it, back to her. “What do you want?”

“You know me,” Valkyrie says, matter-of-factly.

“Why should I?”

“Because you’re still not looking me in the eyes and telling me the truth.”

Gamora turns around, eyebrows raised. “I don’t know you.”

“You’re lying.” Valkyrie steps closer. “And trust me, I have experience with lies.”

“Why should I lie?”

Valkyrie ignores her evasive question and points at the necklace. “Care to show me that?”

Gamora grabs for it. “Actually, yes.”

As Valkyrie reaches for the necklace, Gamora steps back and simultaneously grabs her sword, holding it under Valkyrie’s chin.

“Don’t you dare.”

Valkyrie only smirks. “I was never good at following orders.”

She ducks away under the sword, twisting Gamora’s arm so she must let go of it and reaching for the necklace.

What she didn’t think of was Gamora being equally fast.

Valkyrie gets a knee to her nose and stumbles back, blood dripping over her lips.

She huffs, wiping it away, her combativeness coming out.

It’s like Gamora can predict her every move; she blocks all of them with an easiness that pisses Valkyrie off.

She tries to throw Gamora over her shoulder, but instead they both fall hard on the ground, breathing quickly.

“You definitely know my fighting style,” Valkyrie says, rubbing her aching back.

Gamora smirks for a second before her expression gets serious again. “I should have known that this would happen.”

“What do you – hey! Where did you get that?”

During the fall, the necklace came out; it’s the same Valkyrie saw earlier in her own head in the hands of this man.

Gamora sighs and closes her eyes. “You gave it to me.”

“I – I’ve never met you before, that’s –“

“You did. You did, multiple times.” There’s a strain in Gamora’s voice that makes Valkyrie’s heart ache.

“I knew you. Before I lost my memories,” Valkyrie whispers, staring at the necklace.

“You didn’t just know me, Val.”

Val.

She closes her eyes as another wave of memories wash over her. Her and Gamora, fighting side by side against enemies. Her and Gamora, lying in a bed together, whispering careless things into each other’s ear and smiling. Her and Gamora, intertwining hands, kissing each other senseless. Her and Gamora.

Gamora.

When she opens them again, she can feel tears prick in her eyes. “We were together. I loved you. Right?”

“When you woke up at Sakaar, you didn’t remember me. You didn’t remember anything we had. So I thought it was for the best –“

“To leave me to rot? To leave me not knowing who I am, desperate and sad, all alone?”

“You don’t understand! They found us, again and again and again. I did it to protect you!”

“Who found us?” Valkyrie sits up, the memory of the man coming up in her head again.

“I –“

Gamora’s interrupted by a loud scream outside and then the firing of blasters. Her eyes grow wide in fear. “They found us again.”

Valkyrie jumps up, shaking her head. “I won’t let them hurt you.”

Gamora grabs her wrist before she can storm out. “Neither will I.”

They run outside to join the fight.

As soon as they fight side by side, it is as if they were never apart; their moves are swift, fast and precise, holding each other’s back free.

That is, until Valkyrie spots the man – the one who had Gamora’s necklace, who threw her against the fountain. She balls her hands into fists and leaps at him.

He pushes her back with easiness, an ugly smile plastered on his face.

It makes her insides burn with rage.

He will not take Gamora from her again. No one will.

“Val, no!”

She grabs the dagger out of her boot, throwing at him with a force that makes it nearly impossible to see it.

He catches it, a few inches away from his heart and snarls.

As she wants to leap at him again, he catches her mid-air around her neck; she gasps for air.

“Foolish of you to try this again,” he says.

Valkyrie tries to remove his hands from her neck, struggling to breathe.

“I thought that maybe you’d learnt.”

She smirks while watching Gamora approach from behind and says: “I’m not the type that learns.”

Gamora slides between his legs, striking his inner knee with a hard motion. He screams and stumbles a bit, giving Valkyrie the time to wrestle herself free of his grip.

She catches the sword from Gamora and rams it through his chest. “Foolish of you to try this again,” she says, digging it even deeper in until all she hears are his pained cries.

Valkyrie watches the life fade from his eyes, and only then pulls the sword out again. He falls to the ground, motionless. Dead.

She turns around to Gamora, relief on her face, a tired smile tucking at her lips.

“No, Val,” Gamora gasps.

Only now Valkyrie looks down; the man stabbed her in the stomach with her own dagger.

Her mouth forms an ‘o’ as her knees give in.

Gamora is on her side in a matter of seconds.

“This will heal. I had worse,” Valkyrie says, pulling it out with gritted teeth.

She can’t remember the last time something hurt her that much.

Gamora shakes her head, tears in her eyes. “It won’t heal like you’re used to.”

Valkyrie groans as the pain doesn’t fade and only becomes stronger. This can’t happen. Not just with a dagger, not with –

“The longer we spend time together, the less powerful we become. The more mortal we become,” Gamora says, her voice shaking a bit. She presses her hands down on the wound.

Valkyrie hisses through her teeth. “W-what?”

“We are made in pairs and when we find each other, we – Val, stay with me.”

Valkyrie forces her eyes to stay open, but it seems like they function on their own will.

“Val, please. Don’t do that to me. Not again. Not like this. You are my soulmate. Please. Val!”

She fights against it, fights against the darkness, fights against herself. She loses.

Everything goes dark.

* * * * *

Valkyrie wakes up to a steady beeping next to her.

Everything hurts.

She groans and opens her eyes; a white ceiling stares back at her.

She turns her head, looking around a room; a hospital …

With a confused mien she frisks her body until she finds it: a scar on her abdomen.

She touches it carefully; what the –

And then her memories come again; the fight, the dagger – Gamora.

Valkyrie sits up quickly – a bit too quickly, she realizes, as everything begins to spin shortly.

Is she alone? Again? Did Gamora leave with the others? Did she –

A soft knock on the door startles her out of her thoughts.

Gamora stands in the door, looking slightly awkward with a bouquet in her hands. “Hey.”

“You didn’t leave me,” Valkyrie says, confused.

“No. Never again. Promise.” She comes closer and helplessly holds out the flowers. “For you.”

Valkyrie huffs and takes them, shaking her head. “Where’d you get that idea from?”

“Quill said that’s custom on earth, I thought –“ She gets startled by Valkyrie’s laugh and stops talking.

“You’re taking dating advice from that idiot?”

A smile starts to creep on Gamora’s lips. “He can have good ideas, sometimes.”

Valkyrie stands up, putting the flowers on the bed; now they only stand inches apart from each other.

Valkyrie notices that Gamora is a bit taller; she also notices that there is a strand of hair right in her eye. Her hand itches to brush it away.

And then she remembers – she can do that. So she does.

Gamora’s smile softens, her head leaning against Valkyrie’s hand.

“Hey,” Valkyrie whispers, brushing with her thumb over Gamora’s skin.

“Hey.”

And then they kiss. It feels like they’ve always done this, their lips finding each other with ease, brushing, biting, moaning.

They pull apart and both start to laugh, breathless.

“I’ve missed this,” Gamora says, leaning her forehead against hers.

“You could have had it all the time,” Valkyrie teases, just grinning when Gamora rolls her eyes.

But then Gamora gets serious. “You know that this wasn’t the end, right? My father’s men will still hunt us.”

Valkyrie shrugs. “They can sure try.”

They sit down on the bed, holding hand, leaning against each other.

“You know, we can visit your friends.”

“I had friends?” Valkyrie asks in disbelief.

“Of course you had, Val. Thor and Loki.” She notices the look of confusion on Valkyrie’s face. “Remember? The muscly guy with the hammer and his annoying emo brother.”

Valkyrie can’t help but laugh. “These definitely sound like my kinda friends, huh?”

“The guardians will bring us there.”

“Guardians?”

“That’s what we call our group,” Gamora says, making a face. “We split the group for a mission; ours got stuck on Terra, as you know.”

“There is more of them?”

Gamora can’t hide her grin. “Yes; Drax, Mantis and my sister, Nebula. You might remember her? Blue, always pissed off?”

“She sounds nice,” Valkyrie says.

Gamora leans her head on her shoulder, taking Valkyrie’s hand and brushing her lips against the skin. “I like you a lot.”

“I know.” Valkyrie presses a kiss on Gamora’s forehead, closing her eyes. “I like you a lot too. But hey, from now on, we have all the time in the world, right?”

Gamora just rolls her eyes and shuts her up with a kiss.

Valkyrie closes her eyes and lets herself feel the moment; because this moment, this here, is all hers and hers alone.

[burglarhobbit]

written for @lesbiansassemble‘s femslash writing challenge!

pairing: valkyrie/gamora

word count: 7044

click here to read on a03.

different kinds of freedom 

Valkyrie wonders, sometimes, about what she’s doing on Sakaar. If she doesn’t ought to stop, find someplace else to crash. Every once in a while, she sees one of the warriors she caught die, big men and strong women who fought, and fought. Sometimes, one of them kills themselves, in the Grandmaster’s chains, or tries to run. A lot of people die on Sakaar, and Valkyrie wonders if any of them are her fault.

But then she remembers she can’t be permitted to care, drinks a bottle of beer, and forgets about everyone’s problems. It’s a cruel world, and she best remember that. A girl has to find a way to live, somehow.

This is her way.

She doesn’t even know how many people she’s enslaved for the Grandmaster’s games. Anyone who looks like they might be interesting, she takes. She’s stronger than most people think, looking at her, and taking people is a piece of cake. She only takes those who look lost, anyway – the lost causes, the forgotten souls. It’s her way of showing of mercy, even if others wouldn’t see it like that.

The woman that is lying in front of her, unconscious, is the perfect example of someone who looks lost.

Valkyrie regards her for a moment, hand ghosting over the holster of her gun, just in case. The green-skinned woman has long hair that trails over her bare shoulders. She’s wearing a leather get-up, and has multiple guns and swords on her. There’s no doubt in Valkyrie’s mind that she landed here by mistake; no one has any business in-between worlds, least of all women like these. Valkyrie sits down next to her, moving the hair behind the woman’s ear. Her eyes are closed, but there’s still some sort of grim look on her face. She’s beautiful, though.

Beautiful, and doubtlessly very dangerous. Valkyrie considers her some more, and then plants the shocker on her neck. This woman is a fighter, no two ways about it, and if she were awake, Valkyrie might have had a hard time taking her in. It’s a lucky day, for her; she already found a pretty boy that she thinks the Grandmaster will like, and now she’s found a contender.

She heaves the woman into her ship, and sets for Sakaar.

~*~

When Gamora wakes up, she doesn’t know where she is. It doesn’t happen, often; Gamora has been trained to be alert immediately, and she doesn’t remember falling asleep.

As she looks up, finding herself in a ship, she knows why that is.

Inwardly, she curses, as she takes in her surroundings. They’re flying above a very colourful city that Gamora doesn’t recognize. There’s a woman, somewhere above her, steering the ship. A few feet away, a guy with brown curls and big, blue eyes, is calmly sitting there, looking at the houses that they pass.

He’s not going to be a help, Gamora decides within a split second, and she focuses on the woman. Her skin is a beautiful colour, and she has a sort of grin on her face that classifies her as trouble-maker, in Gamora’s mind. There’s a half-empty bottle of alcohol standing next to her, and a few empty ones as well.

Just as Gamora decides to make a move for it, the woman speaks up. ‘’Ah-ah,’’ she says. ‘’Just stay down until we get there.’’

‘’Release me right now,’’ Gamora demands, but the woman hits a button on a small device she’s carrying around and Gamora goes down as she feels the electricity surge through her entire body.

‘’No, I don’t think so,’’ the woman says with a self-satisfied grin. Gamora glares at her, but doesn’t try to get up again.

~*~

The next time Gamora wakes up, she finds herself trapped in a chair. She struggles, but it’s impossible to get out, and she lets out a grunt of frustration.

She doesn’t remember how she got here. The last thing she remembers, in fact, is entering the ship of the Centaurian she had to kill. That was the mission Thanos had given her, and it hadn’t seemed anything remarkable at the time. Still, he must’ve managed to do something to her. That doesn’t explain how she ended up in that woman’s ship, though, or why she is stuck to this chair now.

She goes through some sort of tunnel, and she wants to huff at the ridiculousness of it all, until she ends up face to face with a man with an ageless sort of face, looking at her thoughtfully.

‘’Hello there,’’ he says.

And that’s how she becomes a contender.

~*~

Hours pass into days. Days pass into weeks.

Gamora stops believing that anyone will come for her – even if Thanos is interested in getting back a daughter who failed, she’s starting to understand that Sakaar isn’t the kind of place that is found. It’s the kind of planet that is lost, and that has found itself. The epicentre of unloved, unwanted objects; she’s starting to see how that works.

At the start, they had her fighting only a few of the weaker contestants. They didn’t know who she was, after all. Gamora doesn’t know if it’s a smart move to let the Grandmaster in on her abilities, but these contests are brutal. Face to face with another warrior who merely wants to live another day, she’s had to put some of her contestants down remorselessly.

She hates this game. Gamora doesn’t have issues with sliding a knife along a man’s neck until all the blood has left the body – she can’t have, considering where she comes from – but that doesn’t mean she enjoys it. Killing, she has always believed, is a tool used to be when necessary. It’s not entertainment, it’s not anything worth applauding her for. She doesn’t mind killing, but she detests the feeling of yet another dead body under her. It’s for nothing, and it’s useless.

And yet, Gamora keeps fighting, just so she can live another day.

~*~

‘’You know I think your contenders are all amazing,’’ the Grandmaster says, as he twiddles with his hands. It’s almost a nervous tick, if Valkyrie didn’t know for certain that the Grandmaster doesn’t actually get nervous. ‘’Marvellous. But lately, they’ve been all a bit disappointing, you know? Since you brought that woman contender, the rest of them have been, well, quite dead. I don’t know where you got her from, but I’d really like another.’’

‘’I don’t know if I can do that, Grandmaster,’’ she says, watching him carefully. One never knows with the Grandmaster; he likes her, she knows that, but maybe that’s not enough to keep her safe from his ever-changing wiles.

His expression doesn’t change, but he tilts his head a bit. ‘’You wouldn’t let me down, right, Scrapper 142? You always bring me the nicest gifts. I just want another one, so we can challenge our lovely Contestant a bit. Maybe just find out where she is from?’’

Valkyrie nods. If the Grandmaster wants something, that’s what he’ll get. Her life in Sakaar depends on it, and as far as she’s concerned, that’s the only life she has.

~*~

The Grandmaster doesn’t have cells. He doesn’t believe in it, he says, but Valkyrie thinks that’s about the same thing as calling the slaves he holds ‘prisoners with jobs’ – it’s just a fancy way of covering up the reality of Sakaar.

The reality of Sakaar is that everyone is enslaved to it, whether you’re a contender or not. Valkyrie is as much a slave to it as everyone else – her entire life is here, her relief, her alcohol. This place is her way to leave behind her past, but it’s also a cage for her future. She knows she’ll never amount to anything of value here; she just tries not to care about that. It has worked pretty well for her, so far.

So when she sees the green-skinned woman sitting on the large bed, her clothes comfortable and her fridge fully stocked with food, Valkyrie isn’t surprised. This woman is one of the best contenders Sakaar has seen in a long time, and it’s common knowledge that the Grandmaster takes good care of his most achieving pets.

The woman snaps up when she sees Valkyrie, her body tensing as if readying itself for a fight, but Valkyrie holds up her device. ‘’One wrong movement, and you’re on the ground,’’ she threatens lightly, her thumb hovering over the button of the obedience disk.

The woman stills, but her dark eyes follow Valkyrie with an intensity that she rarely encounters. Once again she is overcome by the beauty and grace the contender radiates, but she ignores it. She isn’t here to be distracted by a very dangerous woman’s looks, but to find another contender, so she gets more money. More money means more booze, and more booze means more nights spent in restful slumber.

‘’What?’’ the woman asks. Her hair waves along her shoulders, and Valkyrie wonders at how someone so beautiful can be so dangerous. She’s seen some of the fights; she knows this woman knows how to take care of herself. She’s seen her take down opponents of twice her size. Valkyrie isn’t afraid to take her on, should it come to that, but she knows it wouldn’t be easy.

Valkyrie goes for a smirk. ‘’Can’t I just want to talk to one of the most successful contenders that Sakaar has seen in years?’’ she asks, and leans against the wall.

The woman stares at her as if she’s gone insane. ‘’You’re unbelievable,’’ she spats. ‘’You’re the entire reason I’m in this hellhole, and now you’re going to make fun of it? Is this all just a game to you? Oh, what am I even saying, of course it is. No one in here has any idea of morals at all, of course!’’

Valkyrie raises her eyebrows. ‘’You didn’t seem to have a lot of problems killing your opponents.’’

‘’I didn’t do it for fun!’’ the woman protests, and she stands up. The bed creaks slightly as she walks in a straight line towards Valkyrie. She’s angry, and Valkyrie holds her breath for a moment. She has the darkest eyes, this woman, and Valkyrie can see her own reflection for a moment before she attempts to tackle her to the ground.

Valkyrie grabs the woman’s arm on instinct, and pushes her against the wall, but she responds by kicking swiftly behind her, hitting Valkyrie’s stomach.

She hits the button, even as she gasps for breath. ‘’That was just rude,’’ she says, as she watches the woman lie on the ground with her eyes closed, letting the pain pass through her. ‘’I’m not here for you, whatever you may think. I’m here for me, but I just need to know a few things. What’s your name?’’

‘’Why should I tell you?’’ the woman glares at her, but Valkyrie waves around with her device again.

‘’This can be a very long night,’’ she says. ‘’I don’t care what happens to you, either way. You have a contest in a few hours, right? So you should probably save your strength, and not fight someone who can have you lying on the ground within seconds. Sounds like the smart thing to do.’’

The woman heaves a sight, before sitting up against the wall. ‘’Gamora,’’ she then says silently. ‘’My name is Gamora.’’

‘’Alright,’’ Valkyrie says easily. ‘’Now then, Gamora, I need to know where you’re from, and if they’re all able to fight like you.’’

Gamora snickers. ‘’Where I’m from? Believe me, you don’t want to know. Why do you even ask?’’

‘’Because the Grandmaster wants contenders,’’ Valkyrie says. She doesn’t care enough to lie – why should she? Gamora isn’t going to be able to stop her, whether she wants to or not. She can refuse to cooperate, of course, but it’s not like Valkyrie can make up a lie that will make the woman work with her.

Gamora regards her with an unreadable look. ‘’You can’t go where I’m from,’’ she says. ‘’It’s a dangerous place, one of the darkest in the galaxy.’’

‘’Well then, you must be glad I brought you here,’’ Valkyrie retorts. ‘’I can handle myself. It’s easier if you tell me.’’

‘’I can’t tell you where it is,’’ Gamora says, crossing her arms. ‘’It’s not on a place that’s on a map. It’s only known to those who live there, and believe me, you’re not going to come across one of them and remain alive. So, no, I can’t tell you. But I can show you.’’

‘’Nice try,’’ Valkyrie laughs. ‘’So I’ll let you out of here? Is that what you’re thinking to do?’’

‘’You still have that thing,’’ Gamora says, nodding her head at the device. ‘’I get a few days free from the contests. I’ll try for a few escape attempts, and you seem to be sure enough you’ll be able to take me. So what’s the downside for you?’’

Valkyrie shakes her head a bit, trying to stop laughing. ‘’You’ve got yourself a deal,’’ she says.

Gamora smirks.

~*~

Gamora has a plan, of course.

She isn’t the galaxy’s most feared assassin for nothing. Getting away from here is the first priority; making sure it’s not back into Thanos’ hands is her second. She isn’t exactly keen to go back to her adoptive father, and as unfortunate as these events are, this is the most unlikely place for Thanos to find her. From her on, she can drop off the radar.

She just has to steer the woman who caught her into the right direction. Gamora hardly cares what happens to her. If she gets close enough to Thanos, he might kill her. If she manages to escape before they get there, then that’s also good.

Even if the feeling that, maybe, the woman is a lot more like Gamora than she thought starts nagging at her. Even if she’s growing curious about the story that is bound to be behind those dark eyes. Gamora won’t be persuaded. She won’t.

~*~

The Grandmaster trusts her, and that’s the only reason Valkyrie is allowed to take Gamora with her. Of course, there’s some suspicions – mainly coming from Topaz – about it, but she assured the Grandmaster that she took Gamora originally, and she’ll bring her back too.

Now it’s just the question whether Valkyrie can trust Gamora. She’s not sure, but she has the shocking device, and she’s willing to try. If it doesn’t work out, she’ll get back to Sakaar.

They’re sitting together in Valkyrie’s ship, Gamora’s hands bound. The green-skinned woman is looking out of the window, silently, but Valkyrie doesn’t mourn the absence of mindless chatter. ‘’Where to?’’ she just asks.

Gamora’s eyes focus on her for a mere second before she looks back to the window. ‘’First, go to darkest and foulest place you can find,’’ she says, her voice low and calm. ‘’And then, ask the locals where they’re afraid to go.’’

Valkyrie looks straight ahead, and doesn’t comment.

~*~

She does as Gamora says, and follows to the direction the toughest and worst people she can think of point her to. They tell her not to go, and whenever she comes back to her ship after having asked for directions, she can feel Gamora’s eyes on her.

It would be enough to make her shiver, but Valkyrie’s seen enough bad things in the world to be able to face wherever she’s going. She has already lost everything; there’s nothing that could happen to her that would scare her.

~*~

They’ve been travelling for two days when Gamora first speaks.

‘’Why are you doing this?’’ she says.

‘’What?’’ Valkyrie responds as eloquent as she can.

Gamora raises an eyebrow, and Valkyrie pushes away the thought of how attractive she is. Gamora is unlike anyone she knows, and in another life, maybe they could have been friends. ‘’Why are you doing this?’’ Gamora repeats. ‘’I don’t know anything about you. We could be here for a while. We might as well pass the time talking, if we can’t do anything else.’’

‘’You can’t do anything else,’’ Valkyrie says. ‘’I can drink.’’

‘’At least tell me your name.’’

Valkyrie looks over, only for a second. Gamora is watching her intently, her dark hair waving over her shoulders. She shouldn’t look so attractive, but she is. ‘’I don’t have a name.’’

‘’Everyone has a name,’’ Gamora says.

‘’I’m Scrapper 142,’’ Valkyrie says curtly. ‘’That’s all I am, now.’’

Gamora is silent, for some time, and Valkyrie wonders if she lost interest in the conversation. She wonders why that idea makes something in her sting. She shouldn’t have worried, though; the other woman’s voice echoes through the ship again. ‘’So who were you before?’’

‘’I don’t know what you’re talking about,’’ Valkyrie says.

‘’That’s all you are now, you say. A scrapper. I think you used to be something else, and something happened. So I want to know who you were before.’’

‘’Why do you even care?’’ she responds. ‘’We all got our own issues, so maybe you should try focusing on yours. We’re not friends, we’re not anything, so why should you want to know anything about me?’’

‘’Because I think no one has asked you in a long time,’’ Gamora says, and there’s something tender in her voice. ‘’I come from a place that’s full of broken people, and you remind me of them. Of me, maybe. And here you are, bringing me back to that place because you need to get paid, I’m guessing. To survive another day.’’

‘’You don’t actually want to go back to your home,’’ Valkyrie says as realization dawns on her.

Gamora shrugs. ‘’No. I don’t. And I don’t think you really want to go back to Sakaar, either.’’

Valkyrie doesn’t say anything. Sakaar isn’t home, but it is relief, and a constant that she’s grown used to having. Is she happy, there?

She doesn’t really know what happy feels like, anymore. But she feels numb there, and that’s the next best thing. She doesn’t really care what happens to her, so Sakaar will do just fine. Sakaar’s her future, her place to die, and she has always known that. She’s always accepted that.

‘’I was one of the Valkyrie,’’ she says out loud for the first time in centuries. For the first time since she left Asgard with a heart that had lost the feeling of loyalty and gained the pain of her king’s betrayal.

Gamora nods. It’s obvious she’s heard of the female warriors of Asgard before. ‘’You still are.’’

‘’No,’’ Valkyrie says. ‘’Now I’m the only Valkyrie.’’

~*~

They talk, and Gamora is still endlessly surprised by that fact. Valkyrie is rough, and in a constant state of being tipsy, and more sarcastic than Gamora is used to from people. Still, she’s opened up a bit. Maybe it’s because there’s not much else to do than talk, but she finds that she actually likes her kidnapper.

Of course, Valkyrie’s dark hair and intense eyes don’t help. Gamora hasn’t bothered a lot with relationships, but her heart can’t help but start beating faster whenever Valkyrie sends her a particularly penetrating look.

She knows about the Valkyries, but she can’t remember the details. She knows they’re gone, and that it’s been centuries since they were the sole defenders of Asgard, but she can see that whatever happened to them, it’s broken Valkyrie. There can’t be much else of a reason for her to have been in Sakaar all this time, staying in the place for the lost and found. Lost, yes, but Gamora doubts whether Valkyrie has really found herself ever again.

She wonders if she has found herself. She’d been on a mission for Thanos, when she got captured, but Gamora wanted to leave her adoptive father before that. She hadn’t dared to, but maybe this is a good step.

Except that Valkyrie is leading them towards him, not knowing that Thanos will easily kill her without a second thought for taking Gamora.

Gamora has to control her breathing at the thought. She and Valkyrie aren’t friends, exactly, but there’s something, here. She doesn’t want to go back to Thanos; she doesn’t want Valkyrie to die. What they’re doing is against both of their goals, and Gamora wishes she could tell her to turn back, turn anywhere. She can’t try to escape before they get there, anymore; she wants to help Valkyrie, feels the need of it in her very bones.

She doesn’t think Valkyrie will listen, though.

~*~

‘’I haven’t been completely honest with you,’’ Gamora says, the next day.

Valkyrie turns her head to look at her. ‘’About what?’’ she asks uncertainly. ‘’Gamora?’’

‘’We have to go back,’’ she insists. ‘’I told you before that I was going to do some escape attempts, you’d stop me, all of that. It’s a lie. If we arrive, my father will kill you. It doesn’t matter how fast you are, or how strong you are, Valkyrie. He will kill you, and he will take me. And I didn’t care, but you were right. I don’t want to go back.’’

‘’I can’t go back to Sakaar now,’’ Valkyrie says. ‘’Not without someone else. The Grandmaster likes me, but he doesn’t care that much. If I go back, he’ll evaporate me. Maybe you, too, just out of spite.’’

‘’Listen to me,’’ Gamora says. ‘’Have you ever heard about the Mad Titan?’’

Valkyrie huffs. ‘’That’s a myth.’’

‘’No, he’s not. He’s my father, and everything you heard is true. He’s a madman, Valkyrie. I know you have no reason to believe me – but I trust you, alright? I think you’re more than a scrapper. You’re more than a lackey to the Grandmaster and his schemes. We’re here now, and we’re not with Thanos yet. We can leave, and be unharmed.’’

‘’And then?’’ Valkyrie scoffs. ‘’I set you free somewhere and let you go your merry way?’’

Gamora sighs. She has to get her to believe her. She stands up, and walks toward Valkyrie. The other woman just stares at her, but the controlling device is visible. It’s clear who is in power here. ‘’I’m not heartless,’’ Gamora says. ‘’We’re both slaves, we both were long before we met. We don’t have to be anymore; we could hide. Together, if you want to.’’

She crouches, and Valkyrie’s face is right before hers. It’s close enough for Gamora to count her eyelashes, to feel the warm breath of the other woman ghosting on her face. She hasn’t ever been this close to anyone, and she feels exhilarated, even despite the seriousness of the conversation.

Kissing Valkyrie isn’t something she meant to do, but when she does, something clicks. Valkyrie kisses back, her hands finding their way into Gamora’s hair, and she presses them closer together.

‘’Please,’’ Gamora says, as they break apart, and her voice cracks.

Valkyrie distances herself from Gamora, watching her with those dark eyes. Gamora doesn’t know what to make of the expression on her face.

‘’I can’t,’’ Valkyrie says.

~*~

Gamora expects Valkyrie to be cold and distant, the next day. Instead, Valkyrie talks.

‘’I was in love with someone, when I was still in Asgard,’’ she says. ‘’She loved me back. We were always together, and I thought we always would be. But then the universe showed me how cruel it really is, and how cruel people are. She died, like everyone else did, and only I survived. Love isn’t forever, and it’s definitely not the end to the story. I found Sakaar, where I could be something else instead.’’

‘’A slaver?’’ Gamora says bitterly.

Valkyrie shrugs. ‘’That. And I could be empty. No one would tell me I could be more, or that I could leave, or that I could rebuild myself. No one cared. So I gained favour with the Grandmaster, and here I am.’’

‘’Out of favour, and out of luck,’’ Gamora says. ‘’Maybe it’s time to try it someplace else.’’

Valkyrie smiles grimly. ‘’I thought you were different,’’ Valkyrie says. ‘’You seemed to care. But you only want to find a way to get what you want.’’

‘’I want us to escape,’’ Gamora answers urgently. ‘’Valkyrie, I’m not trying to trick you. I don’t want you to die. You’re – you’re wonderful.’’

‘’You don’t know me.’’

Gamora tries again. ‘’I do know you, because you’re like me. We’re fighters. We’ve lost our families. Thanos killed mine, when I was a child, and took me. He taught me to be this, but I can be more, and so can you. I refuse to go back to him, Valkyrie. Do you really want to go back to the Grandmaster?’’

‘’You don’t understand,’’ Valkyrie says. ‘’I already lost someone I love. Love isn’t convenient, and I don’t want it. I don’t want you acting as if you care about me, I just want to go back to Sakaar and drink enough so that I can sleep without dreaming.’’

Gamora stays silent, for a while. ‘’I do care,’’ she says, eventually.

Valkyrie doesn’t respond, and keeps steering.

~*~

‘’We’re here,’’ Valkyrie says. Gamora, in the seat behind her, wakes with a shudder, looking around with a haunted look in her eyes. Valkyrie suddenly wonders if she really has chosen the right path, and then shakes away her doubt. ‘’This is definitely the darkest corner of the galaxy I’ve ever seen, and I’ve seen a lot of dark corners.’’

She isn’t looking for a love story, or redemption. She just wants to go back to her normal, and forget about the beautiful woman that kissed her only recently. She doesn’t want to have options, or fall in love. It’s easier to go back to Sakaar and live in the constant bliss of drunkenness.

She doesn’t ask herself if that’s also the right choice. She doesn’t want choices, after all.

Gamora looks around, a pained expression on her face. ‘’Val, please,’’ she says, and the nickname surprises her. It’s been years since anyone called her anything but ‘Scrapper 142’. She hadn’t realized that she actually missed it, a living, breathing being beside her, knowing her by name

She shakes it off. ‘’This is what you wanted,’’ she says.

Gamora shakes her head. ‘’I never wanted this,’’ she answers. ‘’Your plan isn’t going to work. Please. What do I have to do to get you to turn this ship around?’’

Valkyrie opens her mouth, and she doesn’t know what she’s going to say when a loud noise in the back of the ship surprises them both. She isn’t near any planets, yet, and there aren’t any ships visible on her radar. ‘’What is that?’’ she says, and grabs the closest gun she can reach.

‘’Give me a weapon,’’ Gamora snaps at her. ‘’Val, please.’’

Valkyrie hesitates for a moment, but then hands her companion a knife. She doesn’t know where the trust comes from, but if there’s a choice between whatever just landed on her ship or the woman beside her, she’s always going to choose to side with Gamora.

She doesn’t know why the thought of Gamora being injured makes her uneasy, and it’s hardly the time to think on it.

There isn’t any sound for a few minutes, and it’s almost enough to make Valkyrie lower her gun. That’s exactly when her alarms go off, as the back of her ship is violently ripped open. In a reflex she activates the back shield so that they won’t all get sucked into the dark space, and misses the entrance of the blue-skinned woman, partially made up of mechanical components.

‘’Nebula!’’ Gamora shouts, and that’s when the blue cyborg comes at Valkyrie with a shout and two long blades.

Valkyrie only just manages to evade her and nimbly turns to hit the woman – Nebula? – in the back with her gun. She lets out a shout, but doesn’t go down, and neatly tries to slice open Valkyrie’s belly once again.

Valkyrie manages to kick her and Nebula goes flying behind, but she doesn’t stay down for long, gearing up to attack Valkyrie with a warrior’s cry.

She has just loaded up her weapon, ready to shoot, when Gamora jumps between the two of them, only armed with her knife. Both Valkyrie and Nebula promptly stop, and the three of them stare at each other for a few seconds.

‘’Why are you protecting her?’’ Nebula says, voice dangerously low.

‘’Who is she?’’ Valkyrie protests. Her gun is still loaded and ready to go, but when Gamora shoots her a dark glance, Valkyrie lowers it.

‘’She is bringing me back to Thanos,’’ Gamora says, and Valkyrie immediately sees the lie as what it is; she’s trying to protect Valkyrie. ‘’She’s not a threat to us, Nebula. Please, don’t harm her.’’

Nebula seems to be suspicious, but lowers her weapons as well. ‘’Where were you?’’ she asks.

‘’I’m not certain,’’ Gamora says. ‘’I don’t remember anything after entering the ship of my target – he must have expected something. I woke up on a planet I don’t know, and I was there ever since, until Val found me and offered to take me back.’’

‘’Gamora, I need to talk to you,’’ Valkyrie says, slowly. ‘’In private.’’

Private means as close to the back of the ship as they can get while Nebula stares at them. She looks at the hole in the back of her ship, as they’re only saved by the generation shield. For now, they’re still in space, but she doesn’t know how long they will hold out like this. ‘’Who is she?’’ Valkyrie asks impatiently. ‘’And why is she here?’’

Gamora huffs, looking away. Her long hair trails over her face, and Valkyrie doesn’t know why she carefully brushes it out of Gamora’s face and tucks it behind her ears. None of her feelings seem to be easy to explain, anymore. Gamora only looks at her gently, though, and doesn’t comment on the sudden action.

‘’Nebula is my sister,’’ she explains. ‘’Well, my adoptive sister. Thanos, he takes children, and trains them into assassins. I grew up with her, but we’re not necessarily very close. It’s… complicated.’’

‘’You care about her?’’ Valkyrie presses.

Gamora smiles wryly. ‘’I do,’’ she says. ‘’She’s very loyal to our father, so she will want to bring us to Thanos.’’

Valkyrie has another idea. If she manages to get a shocker on Nebula’s neck, she’ll have yet another contender to bring to the Grandmaster. It’s clear that Nebula would do very well on Sakaar; she has the right attitude for a vicious contender, and it would bring Valkyrie enough money to last for another two months.

She thinks about it, for a moment, lets herself imagine what would happen. She thinks of the betrayal Gamora would wear on her face, how the other woman would refuse to ever speak to her if she brought her and her sister back to fight on Sakaar.

It would be the logical choice to lie to Gamora and bring them back to Sakaar. Valkyrie could go back to being numb instead of alive, and her existence could persist as it always had.

She thinks of Gamora’s smile. I haven’t been completely honest with you, Gamora had told her, and then told her everything. Valkyrie believes her, now; she doesn’t know what has happened to the woman standing opposite her, but she can make some guesses. It’s Valkyrie’s turn to decide if she’s going to be honest or not. To decide if she’s going to make a plan with Gamora and hold her promise, or if she’s going to be what she learnt to be on Sakaar.

Valkyrie holds Gamora’s gaze for a long few seconds. ‘’What is your plan?’’ she asks.

~*~

It takes some team work to get them to a planet where they can fix Valkyrie’s ship. It’s still quite a way to Thanos – fortunately, for their plan – and while the damaged ship is still able to fly for a while, it’s not ideal. Even Nebula had consented to that, and had allowed them to park on a large grimy planet that’s filled with cities with buildings reaching so far in the sky that they’re barely visible and garbage belts the size of several smaller planets. All in all, it’s not a place Gamora means to visit anytime soon again.

Valkyrie walks besides Gamora. Nebula is a few feet before them, snarling at the civilians. They don’t seem very impressed; living in this part of the galaxy means that the civilians are usually also criminals. ‘’Wait,’’ Valkyrie mutters, and takes the device that controls Gamora’s shocker out of her bag. With a swift movement, Valkyrie removes the shocker from Gamora’s neck and puts it back in her pocket. It feels like freedom; Gamora rubs over the skin the little device had been the last few months.

‘’Thank you,’’ she says. Valkyrie just smiles and starts walking again.

‘’I’ll stay with Nebula to find someone to fix the ship,’’ Valkyrie says softly, so that Nebula won’t overhear. ‘’You go buy a new ship. I don’t have enough credits to make both happen, so be quick about buying it – I’m not above stealing, either. That new ship is our ticket out of here.’’

The plan is relatively simply, but it’s the best Gamora had managed to come up with in such a short notice; she’s already glad that Valkyrie has consented to it. She hadn’t been sure she had managed to convince the other woman of her sincerity, but something in their relationship seems to have shifted.

They’ve convinced Nebula that the ship needs to be repaired, so that’s what they’re going to keep pretending. In the meanwhile, Gamora has to sneak off and find a new ship for her and Valkyrie to get away in. The only problem is going to be keeping Nebula unaware of what’s going on.

She trusts Valkyrie though, maybe more than she should. She can’t not, as Valkyrie slips her hand into hers as they’re walking together.

~*~

While Valkyrie is talking to a few engineers, Nebula approaches Gamora. ‘’Sister,’’ she says. ‘’Do you… like that woman?’’

Gamora raises her eyebrows. ‘’I don’t care about her,’’ she lies. As bad as she feels for lying to Nebula, her sister’s loyalties lie with Thanos, and she knows it. Hopefully, one day Nebula will realize what kind of person their father is and join her, but the stakes are too high now. ‘’She is a ride home. She’ll be useful to us, yet. It’ll be the least hassle to go repair her ship.’’

‘’We could steal one and leave her here,’’ Nebula says, focused on Gamora. ‘’Go home without the extra baggage.’’

Gamora stills. ‘’We may need her yet,’’ she says.

‘’Need her?’’ Nebula repeats incredulously. ‘’Are you out of your mind?’’

‘’You don’t know her as I do,’’ Gamora hisses. ‘’She may be of use to Thanos. She’s certainly a better ally than Ronan. And if she’s not, father will deal with her. Just go with her and fix her ship – don’t harm her, Nebula. Thanos will decide her fate, as he does ours. I will get food, so we won’t have to make another stop.’’

Nebula just glares at her, but doesn’t say anything. Gamora knows that pulling the Thanos-card is the surest way to make sure her sister cooperates.

That’s another crisis diverted. Nebula leaves with Valkyrie to fix the ship, and Gamora leaves to find another way to leave the planet.

~*~

Valkyrie doesn’t talk to Nebula as they check the engineers who are actually capable of fixing her ship. Gamora’s sister messed it up pretty badly, and some heavy tools are needed that not everyone on this planet can offer. The problem is that the repair fees of those who can are far higher than anything Valkyrie can even pretend to pay, and they know it.

It’s a buff guy standing behind the counter, his arms crossed. Still, he’s definitely not the biggest guy they’ve seen walking around here, and he’s also not the biggest guy Valkyrie has ever beaten. ‘’Look, you’re going to repair my ship, or we’re going to make sure you’ll have to do some repairs of yourself,’’ she hisses at the guy. He seems unimpressed.

‘’Don’t threaten me, lady,’’ he says. ‘’Trashing my shop will only land you in trouble you don’t want to find, and you don’t have a ship to flee in.’’

‘’Listen to me,’’ Nebula says, suddenly stepping in. She grabs the guy by his neck and lifts him without an effort. ‘’If you don’t fix the ship, I will not hesitate to skin you alive and sell it to one of these weird freak shows outside so we can pay someone else to repair our ship. If you think we need to flee, you need to think again.’’

‘’You make a compelling point,’’ the guys says nervously as he’s up in the air, and Nebula sets him down with a satisfied smirk.

‘’That’s what I thought,’’ she says, and gives Valkyrie a pointed look.

It’s pretty brutal, but it’s also efficient, and she doesn’t see any fault with it as the intimidated repair man follows them to their ship.

~*~

There’s not a lot for them to do, so Valkyrie sits back on the ground as four men work on her ship. Nebula keeps walking around it, and she suspects it makes them do their work a lot faster. Valkyrie is rather impressed with Nebula’s abilities, but it gives her also a nagging sense of unease. Nebula is like a brainwashed soldier; everything she does is with a methodical precision and remorseless practicality that reminds her of some soldiers she’s seen. Some of her Valkyrie sisters had had it too; that drive to do anything for their king. Valkyrie knows that is dangerous, because it made them more into robots than conscious beings with a moral compass of their own.

Gamora isn’t like this, and Valkyrie wonders if she ever was. Gamora does have a code, and she cares, and Valkyrie is only realizing now that she needs someone like that. She needs someone to remind her to be kinder, someone that sees the value of life. Someone who can hold her back, someone who can hold her own.

She desperately wants to go with Gamora, all of a sudden, feels the need to be with the other woman aching in her chest. She isn’t sure how she ever wanted to stop feeling this, because for the first time in centuries, she feels like she’s waking up.

~*~

Gamora isn’t feeling very patient, today. She’s spoken to three salesmen about buying a ship with Valkyrie’s credits, but all of them laughed in her face. It’s taken up the better part of an hour, mainly because the second guy she’d talked to had first spent a long time questioning her about what she wanted before informing her that she would never be able to buy one of his ships.

She’s not some woman to be mouthed off to. She has tried to be patient, but all in all, she’s an assassin, and a very good one at that. She fights for a living and she steals whenever it’s convenient for her. So that’s what she does – she goes back to the second salesman, because he pissed her off the most, and steals a ship.

It’s not a huge ship. He probably won’t miss it. It’s luxurious, though, and big enough for two women to live in comfortably for a while. Gamora takes the wheel, and smiles to herself.

~*~

Valkyrie sees Gamora hurrying back, and meets her halfway, so Nebula won’t see her sister. ‘’Got it?’’ she asks.

Gamora nods, a smile slipping onto her face. Valkyrie finds it hard to breathe, suddenly.

‘’You might want to get on it right now, I had to steal it,’’ she says. ‘’Where did you leave Nebula?’’

‘’She’s screaming at the workmen,’’ Valkyrie says, shrugging.

Gamora tilts her head, her gaze far away as it searches for her sister. ‘’I’m going to miss her, if I’m honest.’’

‘’Heads up,’’ Valkyrie says, and presses a quick kiss to Gamora’s lips. ‘’You never know, you might see her again. She’s a danger, now. She can have my ship, though – I’m sure she’ll find a nice use for it.’’

‘’Tracking and killing us?’’ Gamora suggests.

Valkyrie smiles. ‘’We’ll deal with that if it comes to it,’’ she says. ‘’Where did you leave the ship?’’

~*~

They’re sitting hand in hand, watching the planet grow smaller and smaller from the window.

‘’I feel bad,’’ Gamora says. ‘’I wish she understood. We could have taken her somewhere safe. Now she’s going to tell my father about you, and we won’t be safe.’’

Valkyrie strokes the hand she’s holding. ‘’We’ll be long gone before she can find us,’’ she says. ‘’Nebula will find her own path, but if we want to be safe from the Grandmaster and your father, we’re going to have to disappear.’’

‘’It’s not going to be easy,’’ Gamora tells her, looking at her with heavy eyes. ‘’I’m well-known in some parts of the galaxy, and so are the Valkyrie. We need to find a place somewhere that isn’t familiar with either of us.’’

Valkyrie leans against Gamora’s shoulder. The long hair tickles her, a bit, but it’s soft and nice. She looks forward to playing with it, for some reason. ‘’We have time,’’ she says softly. ‘’And a spaceship.’’

Gamora laughs a little. She could grow used to the sound. ‘’I’m glad you trusted me, Val,’’ she says.

Valkyrie sits up a little bit straighter to kiss Gamora, properly this time. This time, she is not going to back away. ‘’Me too,’’ she just says. Talking about her feelings doesn’t come naturally to her, but judging by Gamora’s soft smile, she understands.

Maybe they can just be what they need for each other, if they’re open about their wants and needs. Valkyrie knows what she wants, and she’s not afraid to say it, anymore. She wants to stay with Gamora.

‘’Let’s find a new home,’’ she says.

Gamora’s gaze doesn’t leave hers. ‘’I’d like that,’’ is the answer.

Valkyrie knows she’s honest, and kisses her softly as they fly away together.

[gngu]

Someone asked for valmora on Twitter so I did it